RTHK: Curfew in Sri Lanka after day of deadly unrest

Sri Lanka deployed thousands of troops and police on Tuesday to enforce a curfew after five people were killed in the worst violence in weeks of protests over an unprecedented economic crisis.

Nearly 200 were also wounded Monday as prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, but that did little to calm public anger.

He had to be rescued in a pre-dawn operation by the military Tuesday after thousands of anti-government protesters stormed his official residence in Colombo overnight, with police firing tear gas and warning shots to keep back the crowd.

"After a pre-dawn operation, the former PM and his family were evacuated to safety by the army," a top security official said. "At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound."

The Rajapaksa clan's hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages in Sri Lanka, the worst economic crisis since it became independent in 1948.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains in office, however, with widespread powers and command over the security forces.

After weeks of overwhelmingly peaceful anti-government demonstrations, violence broke out Monday when Mahinda Rajapaksa's supporters -- bussed into the capital from the countryside -- attacked protestors with sticks and clubs.

"We were hit, the media were hit, women and children were hit," one witness said, asking not to be named.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds and declared an immediate curfew in Colombo, a measure later widened to include the entire South Asian nation of 22 million people.

Authorities said the curfew will be lifted Wednesday morning, with government and private offices, as well as shops and schools, ordered to remain shut on Tuesday.

Despite the curfew, anti-government protesters defied police to retaliate against government supporters for the attacks late into Monday night.

Outside Colombo, ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people -- killing a 27-year-old man -- after being surrounded by a mob of anti-government protesters, police said.

"He then took his own life with his revolver," a police official said.

Athukorala's bodyguard was also found dead at the scene, police said.

Another ruling party politician who was not named opened fire on protesters, killing two and wounding five in the deep south of the island, police added.

Angry crowds set alight the homes of more than a dozen pro-Rajapaksa politicians, along with some vehicles, while buses and trucks used by the government loyalists in and around Colombo were also targeted.

Several Rajapaksa homes were torched in different parts of the country, while a family museum in their ancestral village was trashed.

Doctors at the main Colombo National Hospital intervened to rescue wounded government supporters, with soldiers breaking open locked gates to ferry in the wounded.

"They may be murderers, but for us they are patients who must be treated first," a doctor shouted at a mob blocking the entrance to the emergency unit.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, said he was resigning to pave the way for a unity government.

But it was unclear if the opposition would join any unity administration, having before refused to govern with any members of the Rajapaksa family.

Under Sri Lanka's political system, even with a new unity government, the president will have the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoy immunity from prosecution. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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By Trend

Heydar Aliyev played a huge role in Azerbaijan becoming an economically and politically strong country, which liberated its territories from Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war], Director of the Russian Institute for Political Studies Sergey Markov told Trend.

According to Markov, Heydar Aliyev, in his time, fulfilled several important tasks.

"Firstly, Heydar Aliyev stopped the civil war that was going on in Azerbaijan. We remember the radicals from the Popular Front party. Heydar Aliyev stopped this civil war, he said. The second historical task fulfilled by Heydar Aliyev was stopping the war with Armenia using his diplomatic talents, working with the leadership of Russia, Turkey, the US, the Europeans.

According to the expert, the third task implemented by Heydar Aliyev was the establishment of a new statehood in Azerbaijan.

"On the ruins of the Soviet statehood and the state which the radicals from the Popular Front tried to build, Heydar Aliyev created a new statehood. Relying on his wisdom as a statesman and the support of the absolute majority of Azerbaijani citizens, Heydar Aliyev was able to rapidly establish a strong and stable political institution, Markov noted.

The fourth task, which was carried out by Heydar Aliyev was the establishment of a very perspective balance between secular statehood and Islamic tradition, he said. The problem of the relationship between secular state institutions and Islamic tradition is one of the most difficult problems for all countries where the majority of the population belongs to Islamic culture. Many states fail to keep the balance.

However, Heydar Aliyev was able to widely apply the Turkish experience of combining Islamic tradition and secular statehood, and thus political stability was guaranteed in Azerbaijan," he noted.

According to Markov, Heydar Aliyev also succeeded in establishing Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

"Heydar Aliyev was able to establish allied relations with Turkey, which helped Azerbaijan in everything, good, friendly and partnership relations with Russia and at the same time calm, partnership relations with the US and the European Union," Markov said.

Further, another important achievement was the development of an energy strategy and the creation of an effective source of funds for the state budget of Azerbaijan.

"This was done thanks to "Contract of the Century", all points of which were precisely worked out. Its essence is that Heydar Aliyev was able to simultaneously attract investments and technologies from the largest Western corporations to develop Azerbaijan's oil and gas fields, and at the same time, with the help of Western corporations, get share for Azerbaijani oil and gas, Markov said. At the same time, Heydar Aliyev was able to retain a controlling stake and major part of the revenues from the production and sale of oil and gas for the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan.

As a result, Azerbaijan avoided the trap, into which many countries without own large companies and technologies fall when Western corporations come and start developing deposits, but at the same time keep almost all the profits for themselves, the expert said. Heydar Aliyev was able to avoid this trap, and Azerbaijan simultaneously received investments, technologies and markets from Western corporations, but simultaneously retained the main incomes and control.

According to Markov, Heydar Aliyev's policy was fully continued by President Ilham Aliyev.

"President Ilham Aliyev was able to ensure crisis-free, stable operation of the entire oil and gas sector of Azerbaijan, which made the country one of the most reliable energy suppliers on the market. Due to this, President Ilham Aliyev was able to ensure very high economic growth rates in Azerbaijan, and to significantly curb the corruption which often rages in many states, Markov said.

As a result, the money from Azerbaijani oil and gas went not to pockets of corrupt officials, but to the budget and was used as much as possible to solve social problems, build infrastructure and create a strong army. This strong army was eventually able to achieve a tremendous victory over Armenia in the second Karabakh war and liberate the occupied lands," he said.
The Tomah Health board of directors has announced the selection of a new hospital CEO.

Derek Daly will succeed hospital CEO Phil Stuart who is retiring after 50 years in health care, including 27 years at Tomah Memorial Hospital and Tomah Health.

On behalf of the whole board, we want to thank the Search Committee and all those involved in the interview process, hospital board chair Greg Gaarder said in a prepared statement. The Search Committee reviewed the comments and ratings of each candidate made by committee members, medical staff, managers and board members. After significant discussion, the committee recommended to nominate Derek Daly, to the full board, as the next CEO of Tomah Health. This was a very thorough process and we had excellent candidates to choose from.

Daly was one of three candidates interviewed for the position.

Daly has served the last five and a half years as CEO of Blue Mountain Hospital District including its 25-bed critical access hospital (CAH) in John Day, Oregon, a rural health clinic, long-term care facility, home health and hospice agency, and ambulance service.

I am thankful for the opportunity to join Tomah Health and work alongside all of the caregivers and team members across the organization and the Tomah health care community, said Daly.

Before his position in Oregon, Daly served two and a half years as CEO for a Sanford Health managed facility, Liberty Medical Center (LMC) in Chester, Montana, where he had executive oversight for a 25-bed critical access hospital with on-site long-term care, a rural health clinic, and an assisted living facility.

For years, I have been aware of Tomah Health and its great reputation as a high-quality provider of health care services, Daly said. When first visiting in person earlier this spring, I was even more impressed with the organization, services, facility and most importantly, people, at Tomah Health.

Daly said he was born a Badger in Madison, Wisconsin, before later growing up in eastern South Dakota. He attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he received an undergraduate degree in Business Administration before obtaining his masters degree in Health Administration from the University of Iowa.

Like Stuart, Daly is an employee of HealthTechS3  a health care consulting and hospital management firm based in Brentwood, Tennessee, with clients across the United States, including Tomah Health.

Tomah Healths relationship with HealthTechS3, an organization I have had great familiarity, is also a major contributing factor to making this an intriguing professional opportunity, Daly said.

I am looking forward to officially starting in my role at Tomah Health sometime this summer and getting a chance to meet all of our internal caregivers, team members and community partners, Daly said. My wife, Nicole, and I are looking forward to relocating our young family to Tomah, getting involved in the community, and forming personal and professional relationships in the area. The Dalys have a 7-month-old son.

Stuart originally said that he would step down in June, adding that if the transition to a new CEO takes longer, he would be available to ensure a solid handoff.

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HOMER, Alaska (AP)  A Utah man has been accused of raping, torturing and murdering a vulnerable adult when he lived in Alaska.

Kirby F. Calderwood, 32, was arrested Monday by police in Ogden, Utah, the Homer Police Department said. He was charged Saturday in Alaska with first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of Anesha Duffy Murnane, the Homer News reported.

Murnane went missing Oct. 17, 2019, when she set out for a mile walk from her apartment to a Homer medical clinic for an appointment but was never seen again.

Authorities allege Calderwood picked her up and drove her to the unoccupied home of his then-girlfriends parents, where he assaulted and tortured her for hours before killing her. The girlfriend was out of town, according to an affidavit from an investigator with the police department.

Murnane's body has not been recovered.

Calderwood is being held on $1 million bail in Utah. Authorities say he lived in Homer at the time Murnane disappeared and knew her from working at her supported housing complex and other social programs.

His attorney, Michael Bouwhuis in Ogden, did not immediately return a call Tuesday to The Associated Press seeking comment.

Police said Calderwood was already a person of interest and interviewed about the case in 2021 before a tipster called Kenai Peninsula Crimestoppers in Alaska in April, saying he talked to them about the kidnapping and death of Murnane.

The tipster also said Calderwood had a womans Timex watch he took from the victim. When Ogden police executed a search warrant at Calderwoods home, they said they found a Timex that matched a description that Murnanes parents gave police.

Ogden police said they also found one of the missing person flyers distributed with Murnanes photo on it.

Calderwood fled to Utah after being questioned by detectives in Alaska, Utah prosecutors said in court documents.

Homer Police Investigator Matt Haney said in the affidavit that he and Ogden police officers executed multiple search warrants related to Calderwood in Ogden on May 5.

The warrants were for Calderwoods residence as well as hair samples and buccal swabs.

The first warrant was served on Caldwell during a traffic stop as he left the residence.

Despite a protective order against him barring him from having guns, police found two rifles in his car. They also found a machete and other large knives that appeared to have dried blood on them during a search of his home, court documents state.

Murnane was 38 when she left her supported housing complex and disappeared.

In subsequent searches, dogs tracked her scent to an area near a college campus, where it stopped. Authorities said at the time that was an indication she had been picked up in a car. Murnane's parents have said she would not get in car with someone she did not know.

Unsuccessful searches continued throughout the fall, and Murnane was declared dead June 17, 2021, in a presumptive death jury hearing. The jury determined she most likely died by homicide.

Calderwood had worked at the supportive housing complex where Murnane lived, and he would sometimes eat meals with her in a program at the South Peninsula Behavioral Services, the mental health agency that runs the supported housing unit, Homer Police special investigator Matt Haney wrote in an affidavit.

When Calderwoods then-girlfriend was out of town, he prepared a crawlspace in her parents unoccupied home to torture someone, according to the affidavit.

He then allegedly drove around Homer looking for a victim. He chanced upon Murnane, who got in the car, and he drove her to the house, according to both the affidavit and the tipster.

A Loved and Lost Bench, a sculpture in memory of Murnane and missing and murdered people, will be dedicated June 12 at the Homer Public Library.

Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The North Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the conclusion of the Court of Appeals that it was reversible error to allow the client's former attorney to testify that it was his strategy to delay the case, offered in response to the client's motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds

We affirm the Court of Appeals holding on the evidentiary question and conclude that the trial court improperly admitted the testimony of Mr. Farooks prior attorney where there was no waiver of the attorney-client privilege. Because the trial court plainly erred in admitting the testimony of Mr. Farooks former attorney as evidence against him without justification or waiver, the trial courts order must be reversed. However, the State may have had alternative ways to put into evidence the same facts the attorney testified to if the improperly admitted testimony had not been admitted in the first place. The State may also have decided to rely on entirely different facts not elicited before the trial court if it had not been allowed to introduce the improperly admitted testimony. While the delay in this case is extraordinary and the facts in the record relied on by the Court of Appeals in concluding that Mr. Farooks Sixth Amendment rights were violated appear largely uncontested, we nevertheless remand this case for a rehearing on Mr. Farooks speedy trial claim rather than evaluate the evidence at this stage. Accordingly, we reverse the holding of the Court of Appeals to the extent that it allowed Mr. Farooks motion to dismiss.

The client was represented by a succession of four attorneys, one of whom was the sole witness responding to the motion to dismiss

A hearing on Mr. Farooks motion to dismiss was held on 24 September 2018. Mr. Farooks former attorney, Mr. Davis, testified against him as the States sole witness. Importantly, Mr. Davis testified that it was his desire to delay the case once it became clear that Mr. Farook would possibly face a violent habitual felon indictment because in his experience delay would work to Mr. Farooks advantage. He also testified generally to the backlog of cases that beset the Rowan County courts at the time and explained that he told Mr. Farook sometime during his representation that it was unlikely he would be available to represent him at a trial because of his other professional obligations.

The case moved on to trial, where the defendant was convicted and sentenced to life without parole. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2022/05/the-north-carolina-supreme-court-affirmed-the-conclusion-of-the-court-of-appeals-that-it-was-reversible-error-to-allow-the-cl.html
By Azernews





Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov has stated that border delimitation with Armenia envisages the return of Azerbaijani exclave villages as well, Trend has reported.

Khalaf Khalafov underlined that the villages of Azerbaijans Gazakh region and Nakhchivans Karki should be resolved within the delimitation process, the report added.

Armenia will never be able to claim that these villages are not part of Azerbaijan, the deputy minister stressed.

"These lands are part of Azerbaijan. The issue of the return of these territories to Azerbaijan will be considered within the framework of the delimitation process. The return of these territories under the control of Azerbaijan will be discussed and a solution will be found," Khalafov added.

Furthermore, he stated that the Azerbaijani-Armenia peace talks should be held in line with the five basic principles put forward by Baku.

Khalafov said that following the Brussels meeting and the events that preceded it, Armenia agreed to a peace treaty, and the start of the delimitation of the state borders with Azerbaijan, and efforts are being made in this direction.

Armenia hasnt yet rejected the five-point proposal," he underlined.

Since the early 1990s, Armenia has kept under occupation seven villages of Azerbaijans Gazakh region, as well as Nakhchivans Karki village.

Armenia's unfounded territorial claims and aggression against Azerbaijan were not limited to Karabakh but also covered other regions. Villages in the Gazakh region, 100 km off Nagorno-Karabakh, often come under armed attacks from Armenian invaders since the 1990s.

The Gazakh region has a 168-kilometer border with Armenia. Long before the start of the First Karabakh war (1988-1994), Armenian armed forces often opened fire on residents living in the Gazakh region's border villages, burning houses, and destroying or stealing animals.

The villages occupied by Armenians are Gazakhs Sofulu, Barkhudarli, Baghanis Ayrim, Gizil Hajili, Yukhari Askipara, Ashagi Askipara, and Kheyrimli villages, and Karki village of Nakhchivans Sadarak region.
A Nigerian dance group with a disabled member has suddenly gained popularity after posting their videos to social media.

One video has tens of thousands of views. The dancers are children as young as five years old. They are called The Incredible Kids.

Their videos have been posted to the video sharing service Instagram. The children dance quickly to popular Nigerian songs. And they are busy performing in cities like Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.

One dancer is 15-year-old Joshua Anum. Joshua has a disability. He lost his arm after an accident at the age of five. Joshuas father left him and his 8 brothers and sisters. They did not have much to eat when growing up. But that has not stopped Joshua from dancing, and it has changed his life.

"Before I came here I used to go to parties, I used to fight anywhere I went and I was not going to school," said Joshua. "Since coming here I have started school and I read and dance.

Vera Anum is Joshuas mother. She said that she was very sad when the doctors removed his arm. But now she is happy and proud of him.

"Everybody thought...he will not be useful in life. Our people at home said he is finished because somebody whose hand has been amputated from childhood, what can he do? Vera said.

She said, See him today, at least the whole world is seeing him, watching him how he is performing."

Maliki Emmanuel is the dance groups creator. Emmanuel said that many of the dancers do not have a good family life, so he has offered them support and a home.

The students often gather around Emmanuel in his chair at his home and watch music videos together so they can get new ideas for the dance moves and performances.

Emmanuel hopes to expand his group with more children who need a home and love to dance. "I can teach them then we will bring them to the crew, Emmanuel said.

Money from the dancers performances helps pay the cost of the childrens education.

Im Faith Pirlo.

Abraham Achirga reported this story for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

view  n. an internet search that is stored in a database

proud adj. very pleased because of something you have done or of someone you know or someone you are related to

amputated  v. removed from the body

crew n. a group of people who work closely together on a project 

What do you think of Nigerias Incredible Kids?
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are again attacking the port city of Odesa. They said Russian forces appear to be trying to destroy supply lines and weapons shipments needed for the defense of Kyiv.

Ukraine has been able to block the larger and better-armed Russian military. That has surprised observers who expected a quick war. Now the war is in its 11th week.

Ukrainian forces are keeping Russias troops from moving forward and are organizing a counteroffensive. Ukraine appears to be expanding its goals beyond pushing Russia back to areas its allies controlled on the day of the invasion. Russias military action began on February 24.

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday that Russian forces fired seven missiles a day at Ukraine's largest port, Odesa. Officials said the missiles hit a storage building and a shopping center. One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

Odesas mayor visited the warehouse and said it had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects.

Russian forces failed to take the capital Kyiv in the early days of the war. Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have changed his goal to capturing Ukraines eastern industrial center called the Donbas. But one general has suggested Russias aims include cutting off Ukraine from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

That would give Russia an area that would connect it to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014. It might also be connected to Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway territory in Moldova.

Russia is continuing to strike Odesa because of its importance as a port. The Russian military has targeted the citys airport and claimed that it has destroyed several shipments of Western weapons.

Odesa is also a major port for grain shipment. Russia's blockade is threatening food supplies in many parts of the world. The city is also a cultural center important to both Ukrainians and Russians. Attacking the city carries additional meaning.

With Russian forces struggling in the Donbas, military experts suggest that hitting Odesa might serve to bring more attention to southwestern Ukraine. That would force Ukraine to send forces there and pull them away from the eastern front. Ukraines military is making a counteroffensive near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Ukraines foreign minister sounded hopeful because Russias military movement has slowed.

In the first months of the war the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before February 24, Dmytro Kuleba told The Financial Times newspaper. Now if we are strong enough on the military front  the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories."

The statement suggests that Ukraine wants to try to retake Crimea and areas of the Donbas taken by separatists supported by Russia.

Some military experts note that Russia is not able to make quick gains in Ukraine. But they warn that the Ukrainian military is not strong enough to drive the Russians back.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

counteroffensive  n. a military attack ordered to defend against an enemy or opponent

infrastructure  n. the basic equipment and structures such as roads and ports needed for a country or group to operate

blockade  n. an act of war in which one country uses ships to stop people or supplies from entering or leaving another country or area

liberate  v. to free people or territory from control by another group
Millions of students in the United States go to schools with police officers present. The officers are known as School Resource Officers, or SROs. They are meant to keep schools and students safe.

Police in schools date back to the late 1940s. But school shootings, including the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, led to more policing of students.

Between 2006 and 2018, the number of schools with at least one SRO increased from 42 percent to 61 percent, says the organization the Center for Public Integrity. But with more officers, students have become more likely to have interactions with law enforcement, which could result in arrest and possible criminal charges. Federal funding is available for schools that want to hire police.

But following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cities and states started to rethink their ideas of policing  and policing in schools.

Many school districts around the country either defunded or totally removed SRO programs.

Los Angeles, the nations second-largest school district, cut its SRO budget by one-third. Chicago, the third-largest, cut it by more than half. Other districts fully ended their agreements with police departments.

But now some districts that removed officers are considering bringing them back.

Montgomery County, Maryland, largely removed funding for SROs in 2020. But this year, district officials said there was an increase in serious incidents of crimes including fights and robberies in schools. In January, a shooting took place at one of the countys high schools.

In April, the county voted to bring police officers back to schools. The county says the officers will go through more training than they did before the SRO funding was cut.

Unequal policing

Opponents of SRO programs argue that law enforcement is not the answer to safety incidents at schools that are linked to mental health problems. They argue that schools should instead put their funding towards more mental health resources for students, like hiring more social workers and mental health experts.

Studies have also shown that non-white students are much more likely to be referred to police than white students. An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity found that Black students are two times more likely to be referred to the police than white students. Students with disabilities are also two times more likely to be referred to law enforcement.

Not all referrals, or citations, become arrests with criminal charges. But a citation may mean a student must appear before a judge or other law enforcement officials.

The effects of interactions with police can be serious. A 2020 study from Tulane University found that Black students who experience contact with the police by eighth grade have eleven times greater odds of being arrested when they are 20 years old than white students.

Research has also shown that officers present in school increases the likelihood children will interact with police. A University of Florida study found that student behavior that would have otherwise occurred and been handled by school personnel is more likely to come to the attention of law enforcement.

In Montgomery County, Black students made up half of all arrests in schools in 2020. But they make up just one-fifth of the student population.

Amir Whitaker is with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. He told the Los Angeles Times last year that the fight to remove school police is part of the fight for racial justice."

Some districts have found that removing officers from schools may lead to more safety problems.

Alexandria, Virginia decided to remove SROs from city schools in July 2021. The city also voted to redirect funding for SROs to mental health services. But after several incidents involving students and guns, the city changed its decision just three months later. This year, the city council voted to fund the SRO program through 2023.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English with additional information from The Center for Public Integrity and The Washington Post.

Quiz- Schools that Removed Police Officers Bring Them Back Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

district  n. an area established by a government for official government business

funding  n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose

hire  v. to give work or a job to in exchange for wages or a salary

refer  v. to send to a particular person or place for treatment, help, advice, etc.

odds  n. the possibility that something will happen

occur  v. to happen
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

In English, there is an expression that goes like this: Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. It suggests that people do not want to share in the sadness of others.

But what if sharing our sadness actually helps us feel better? That was the goal of Natalie Eve Garrett when she thought of collecting stories about loneliness.

In he book, The Lonely Stories: 22 Celebrated Writers on the Joys & Struggles of Being Alone, Garrett wanted to share personal stories of loneliness. Garrett said she hopes the stories give people suffering from loneliness comfort and perhaps even joy.

I think we all have felt alone. We all feel lonely. And we all will continue to feel lonely sometimes. I think when we read about varied experiences it can be a way of using loneliness and aloneness to connect with each other. And that was really my hope with the book.

Different stories from different voices

The writers and stories in this collection are all very different. Some are tragic, such as the death of a loved one. While others are lighter, such as feeling alone at a Star Trek event. This variety is something Garrett wanted readers to also experience.

The book project was sold in 2019. And then COVID-19 spread around the world. Suddenly isolation became a part of nearly everyones lives. People were separated from friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors.

At the same time, many people were forced to be around their immediate families all the time. For some, this led to a different kind of loneliness  a loneliness for oneself. The book The Lonely Stories also deals with the challenges of a lack of solitude, or as we often call it, alone time.

Garrett talked about the difference between loneliness and solitude.

Theyre not the same. I, you know, I think of loneliness as feeling of lack. Solitude, I think, is chosen whereas loneliness happens to us.

A writer and a painter, Garrett found being in quarantine with her two young children to be both good and bad. She was able to spend much time with her family. But this also meant she did not have time to paint. When talking about the lack of time to herself, Garrett used the words longing and crave  both mean to deeply want something.

During the pandemic, I really found myself longing for alone time. I have two small children. Theyre 9 and eleven, and we were all quarantining at home together. Which while joyful  I felt so often disconnected from myself and really craved more time to be with myself to have time to paint and  sort of reconnect.

While most of the stories were written during the pandemic, only a few writers deal with the pandemic directly.

In the story On Witness and Respair, Jesmyn Ward writes about her husband dying at the beginning of the pandemic. Her whole family caught what they thought was just a severe flu. Her husband did not survive.

In Exodus, 2020, Emily Raboteau describes the emptying of a large apartment building where she lives in New York City. One by one, neighbors and friends left the city for safer places to live during the pandemic.

The loneliness of losing ones culture

Several writers describe the loneliness of leaving their culture.

Jhumpa Lahiris Trading Stories is about her parents' struggle to fit in to a different culture and how that affected her life and work.

Writer Jean Kwok shares the experience of her family moving from Hong Kong to New York City. They lost everything: money, jobs, and more. In Perpetual Foreigner, she wrote:

But the heavier price was losing our language, our friends, our culture, and in some ways, one another.

Some of the writers wrote about choosing to be alone for personal or creative reasons and the challenges they faced.

-- In Maine Man, Lev Grossman wrote about nearly losing his mind. While in his twenties, he chose to work on a book in a small town, isolated from other people.

-- In the story Javelinas, Claire Dederer wrote about facing her alcohol addiction during a period of solitude.

-- And in Am I Still Here? Anthony Doerr, a man addicted to the internet, wrote of his struggle to turn off social media and reconnect with nature and himself.

Dangers of loneliness

Loneliness is not just a mental state. It can also lead to serious physical health problems.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services National Institute on Aging says that loneliness and isolation can be harmful for older people. Loneliness can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, a decrease in mental abilities, and even death.

Younger people are not protected against the harm of loneliness either. Researchers at Harvard University have found that in the United States loneliness has increased in young adults and others since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Harvard study was released in February of 2021. It suggests that 36% of all Americans feel serious loneliness. This includes 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children.

Garrett told VOA that sharing stories of loneliness is a way to bring attention to the problem and to feel connected to others.

"So, Im really grateful that so many extraordinary writers joined me on this lonely journey and made it really un-lonely! And my hope is that the book will remind us that we're not as alone as we think we are and we're not alone in feeling ... lonely."

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. If you want to share your own feelings of loneliness or perhaps wanting some solitude feel free to do so in the Comments Section.

Additional information: The Lonely Stories: 22 Celebrated Writers on the Joys & Struggles of Being Alone, published by Catapult, is Garretts third collection of stories. She's also the editor of Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers and The Artists' and Writers' Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes.

As they appear in the collection, the writers include:

Megan Giddings, Claire Dederer, Imani Perry, Jeffery Renard Allen, Maggie Shipstead, Emily Raboteau, Lev Grossman, Lena Dunham, Yiyun Li, Anthony Doerr, Helena Fitzgerald, Maile Meloy, Aja Gabel, Jean Kwok, Amy Shearn, Peter Ho Davies, Maya Shanbhag Lang, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jesmyn Ward, Lidia Yuknavitch, Dina Nayeri, Melissa Febos.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story described Garret's children incorrectly. The mistake has been corrected.

Quiz - Sharing Our Loneliness May Help Us Feel Less Lonely Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

comfort n. a state or feeling of being less worried, upset, frightened during a time of trouble or emotional pain

joy n. a feeling of great happiness

varied adj. having many forms or different kinds

isolation n. the state of being apart from others

solitude n. the quality or state of being alone or remote from society

quarantine n. being separated from others, often by order, in an effort to stop the spread of disease

addiction n. a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms

depression n. a state of being sad or hopeless that can also be a serious medical condition
South Koreas new President Yoon Suk-yeol has offered North Korea an economic assistance plan in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons program.

Yoon made the offer Tuesday during a speech at his official swearing-in ceremony in Seoul. He said his government is ready to work with the international community to present an audacious plan to resolve North Koreas nuclear threat.

Yoon is beginning his five-year term after North Korea launched a series of missile tests in recent months.

During his campaign, Yoon promised to take a stronger position on North Korea than former president Moon Jae-in. Yoon said he wants to strengthen South Koreas 70-year military alliance with the United States. And he wants to build up South Koreas own missile program to defend against North Korean threats.

Yoon presented his speech Tuesday to a crowd gathered outside of parliament. While North Koreas nuclear weapons programs are a threatthe door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat, he said.

Yoon added that his proposed plan could greatly strengthen North Koreas economy and improve the quality of life for its people.

Yoon did not provide many details about the plan. But his national security advisor, Kim Sung-han, spoke to Reuters in February. Kim said Yoons team could offer North Korea quick sanctions reduction or economic aid in exchange for denuclearization measures.

In addition to the recent missile tests, U.S. and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea might be preparing for its first nuclear weapons test since 2017.

Yoon spoke about South Koreas growing economic problems. He said a worsening job market and expanding income inequalities had led to growing political divisions in the country. Yoon promised to carry out new policies aimed at improving economic growth to help all citizens.

After his ceremony, Yoon moved to a new office at a former defense ministry building. He held his first meeting with advisors and appointed seven cabinet nominees who had passed confirmation hearings. They included the finance and defense ministers.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

audacious  adj. very bold and shocking

dialogue  n. formal talks or negotiations

sanction  n. an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

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The Taliban government in Afghanistan has issued a new order requiring women to cover themselves fully whenever in public.

Taliban leader, Hibaitullah Akhunzada, made the announcement Saturday. He said women must not leave their homes without wearing a burqa. The traditional clothing covers a woman from head to toe, leaving only her eyes visible.

The new restriction comes after more than 20 years of freedom from burqas. In 2001, the United States attacked Afghanistan and ousted its former Taliban government. In the period that followed, women gained many rights, including access to education, work in government and the freedom to wear modern clothing.

When the U.S. finally withdrew its forces from Afghanistan last year, the Taliban took control of the country once again. It promised to honor some of the freedoms that women had gained since 2001. That included permission to reject burqas.

Now, that is gone. And it follows other repressive actions toward Afghan females. In March, Akhunzada announced a major change in education policy. He barred females from attending school past sixth grade. He said to permit them more education would violate Islamic law.

However, other members of the Taliban want a more modern leadership. They say without it, Western governments will not work with Afghanistan or provide financial help to the country. The economic support is of high importance as Afghanistan is extremely poor and suffering a food crisis.

Torek Farhadi is a former Afghan government adviser. He said Taliban leaders are disagreeing, but not publicly, because they do not want to show any weakness in government. He said the leaders do not see eye to eye but they decided to put up with each other out of a concern that the government might fall apart.

Some leaders are working to find a way to permit older girls to go back to school. A representative of the Haqqani network, a powerful group within Afghanistan, said the problem of girls returning to school would soon be resolved.

In the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, women were seen in customary conservative Muslim clothing. Most wore a traditional hijab, a cover for their hair, but few covered their faces, as directed by the Taliban leader a day earlier. Those wearing a burqa, which covers the face and hides the eyes behind netting, were in the minority.

Women in Afghanistan wear the hijab, and many wear the burqa, but this isn't about hijab, this is about the Taliban wanting to make all women disappear," said one woman who called herself Shabana. She was wearing a hijab and a long coat.

Another woman, Arooza, said the Taliban will push many Afghans out of their country. Why should I stay here if they dont want to give us our human rights? We are human, she said.

Obaidullah Baheer is a visiting scholar at the New School in New York. He agreed with the women.

He said the new rules are an attempt to erase a whole gender and generation of Afghans who grew up dreaming of a better world. The restrictiveness may lead to rebellion against the Taliban.

When the Taliban took over, Baheer said, it would not have taken much to satisfy most Afghans. But the group is quickly wasting its chance to gain support, he said.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

Words in This Story

visible  n. able to be seen

modern adj. reflecting the current times and ideas

netting  n. a fine material woven together to cover an opening

scholar  n. a person who has studied a subject for a long time

erase  v. to wipe away evidence or history of something
These local events and fundraisers are scheduled to show support to Ukrainians.
Several area schools hosted their 2022 commencement ceremonies over the weekend of May 7-8. The seniors who received their diplomas faced uncertainties few students in modern times have had to face.

This years seniors were sophomores when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and schools across the country and state shut their doors early during the spring semester for the safety of the students. This type of mass closure had not happened since the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918.

When todays seniors returned in-person to their schools in August 2020, they were forced to navigate a precarious situation, never knowing what the next day was going to bring. Cases and hospitalizations across the local area would spike to their highest levels in November 2020.

By their final year of high school, the seniors had been dogged by the Delta and Omicron variants but several COVID-19 vaccines helped to create what could be called a more normal situation for the students.

Having navigated a different world than they likely expected when they first entered high school as freshman, the seniors of the local schools could proudly turn their tassels this weekend.

Overton

Overton Public School held their graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 7. There were 24 students that graduated, several with honors and scholarships.

The students had chosen a white carnation as their class flower, Home, by Phillip Phillips as their class song, class colors were turquoise and white and their motto was: Chase your dreams, but always know the road thatll lead you home again,  Tim McGraw.

The salutary address was given by Abigail Lawton, valedictory address was presented by Aven Zimmerman and Addison Luther gave the closing remarks.

There were several seniors who earned the Overton Upward Scholarship, originally started as the Overton Dollars for Scholars in 2003. The mission of the organization is to provide educational opportunities for graduating seniors.

The organization donates $500 to each Overton graduate if they fulfill the following requirements.

Complete the Overton Upward Application

Complete the first term at an accredited school with at least half-time credits with a minimum 2.0 GPA.

Show evidence they have enrolled as at least half-time students for the second term.

There were 17 students who applied and there were 12 who fulfilled the requirements to receive the scholarship. The following seniors have begun the process to receive the scholarship in the fall:

Dawson Anderson, Abigail Lawton, Wyatt Ryan, Angel Brummet, Addison Luther, Caleb Svarvari, Dalton Carlson, Maeli Meier, Caroline Vance, Cinch Kiger, Riley Pooschke, Aven Zimmerman.

The following donors from the 2020-2021 year have helped fund the scholarship: Kristi Shafer, Shirley Ryan, Hayley and Eric Ryan family, Tom and Nancy Ginkens, Mark and Teresa Aten and Dean and Linda Oman.

Elwood

The Elwood Public Schools held their commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7, there were 13 seniors who were presented with their diplomas.

Their class flower was a white rose and their class quote was, The only thing you can do in this life is pursue your passions, celebrate your bloopers and never stop following your fear. Grace Helbig.

Valedictorian - Lauren Hickey, Salutatorian - Shannon Kennicutt, Opening Remarks - Jadeyn Kohl and Closing Remarks - Carsen Reiners.

The 2022 Class Ushers were Kaden Clouse, Whitney Dickau, Zoey Evans, Alayna Moore.

Sumner-Eddyville-Miller

The Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Public Schools held their graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 8, with 17 seniors taking part in their last event as a Mustang.
By Azernews





The stay of Ukrainian migrants in Azerbaijan will be extended, Chief of the State Migration Service Vusal Huseynov has said.

According to him, the period of their stay in Azerbaijan expires on May 24.

"The stay of Ukrainian migrants will expire on May 24, if we take into account that they arrived in Azerbaijan on February 24. Conditions will be created for their stay in Azerbaijan after this period and necessary measures will be taken," Huseynov added.

Meanwhile, the official noted that the number of illegal migrants in temporary detention centres in Azerbaijan is very low.

He stressed that about 3,000 out of 142,000 migrants live in Azerbaijan illegally.

"A small number of illegal migrants have been detained. These people are identified and placed in temporary detention centres. Currently, there are less than 10 illegal migrants in such centres," Huseynov said.

He also added that illegal migrants arrive in Azerbaijan mainly from neighbouring countries and southeastern Asian nations.

Some 6,163 citizens of Ukraine have arrived in Azerbaijan since February 24, 2022, Azerbaijani State Migration Servicemen Spokesperson Elnur Kalantarli earlier said.

AZAL used to carry out flights for evacuation of Azerbaijanis on President Ilham Aliyev's order. The flights for Azerbaijani citizens were free.

Citizens of Azerbaijan, who have left Ukraine, can contact Azerbaijan's diplomatic missions abroad to return home.
Country

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The annual meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP) was held from April 28 to 30 in Chicago and attracted participants from around the world, including internists, adult medicine specialists, subspecialists, medical students, and allied health professionals. The conference highlighted recent advances in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults, with presentations focusing primarily on updates in neurology, oncology, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and cardiology.

During one workshop, Gregg Simonson, Ph.D., of the International Diabetes Center in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, discussed the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which have been proven to be helpful for improving blood glucose control, for the management of type 2 diabetes patients in primary care practices.

Simonson noted that primary care clinicians should consider using CGMs for their patients with type 2 diabetes who use insulin as part of their regimen. CGMs can help patients make lifestyle changes, including making healthy food choices, increasing physical activity, and taking medications as prescribed. More than half of the workshop was dedicated to work on a CGM workbook, with the 120 attendees working in small groups to answer detailed questions on interesting type 2 diabetes cases, followed by facilitated group discussion. The workshop also provided primary care clinicians with tips such as a three-step process when analyzing CGM data and the ambulatory glucose profile report.

"A primary care clinician must establish a team to start CGMs in their practice. They will need to set a clinic workflow that will allow the CGM device to be started and the data and metrics to be collected, analyzed, documented, coded, and billed," Simonson said. "Adding CGM into their practices will move them beyond using hemoglobin A1c to measure glucose management and move them into precision diabetes medicine/management. The result will be patients with improved glucose management who are more confident and have less diabetes distress."

During another presentation, Edward Parks, M.D., of Western Orthopedics in Denver, offered a simple, practical, and efficient approach to diagnosing and managing patients with knee pain in the primary care setting.

Parks discussed how knee pain is very common and said it is a topic that every primary care provider can tackle with comfort and confidence. He highlighted the important questions to ask as part of the medical history and the tests to perform during the physical examination that enable primary care providers to diagnose the knee conditions they see in their practices.

"If I did my job, the impact on the clinical practice of any attendee who needed help with their approach to patients with knee pain should be tremendous," Parks said. "The book I wrote for McGraw-Hill -- Practical Office Orthopedics -- has helped many primary care providers. It applies the same teaching style and principles, but covers everything from head to toe."

During a press briefing, Carol Greenlee, M.D., past chair of the ACP Council of Subspecialty Societies, and colleagues provided insight into the newly released ACP policy paper and playbook: Beyond the Referral: Principles of Effective, Ongoing Primary and Specialty Care Collaboration.

The current policy paper illustrates what is needed beyond an initial referral. It provides four overarching guiding principles (foundational tenets and core values) that are common to all types of working relationships and are necessary to improve collaborative, patient-partnered care between primary care and specialty care teams. The playbook then provides the guiding principles along with shared expectations, critical elements, and helpful elements for seven different specific types of primary care/specialty care working relationships. The four overarching guiding principles include patient and family partnering; defined clinical roles and responsibilities; timely, productive communication; and effective data sharing.

"Fragmented care is common, and it is a problem -- it occurs when more than one clinician is caring for a patient and there is inadequate communication and coordination about the care," Greenlee said. "If we enter this work of 'working together better' (to truly share the care of a patient) with an intentional, collaborative mindset (i.e., if we go in wanting to work together better) and adhere to the essence of those four principles, we can find our way out of fragmented care and into more connected, coordinated care and more patient-centered, patient-partnered care -- and improve our work lives as well as the outcomes and satisfaction of our patients."

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
A Madison man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and a Chicago man to four years for drug offenses in Dane County, the office of U.S. Attorney Timothy M. OShea reported.

Arwin C. Lacy, 31, was sentenced Friday by Judge James D. Peterson to seven years in federal prison for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one year for violating his supervised release, followed by five years of supervised release. Lacy pleaded guilty in his case on Jan. 11, OShea said in a statement.

Dane County Narcotics Task Force officers arrested Lacy in Madison on June 18, 2020, for a prior delivery of cocaine, and during the arrest, Lacy told officers he had a gun in his pocket. Officers found a loaded Glock 43 9mm handgun in his pocket and 14 tied-off baggies of crack cocaine weighing a combined 7.8 grams, three tied-off baggies of heroin weighing a combined 0.7 grams, and $503 in cash, OShea said.

Officers then searched Lacys vehicle and found $17,000 in cash, packages of designer marijuana, and four cell phones in a backpack. Lacy admitted to police that he was selling cocaine for profit, OShea said.

Lacy was prohibited from possessing a firearm based on multiple prior felony convictions, and at the time he was on federal supervision for cocaine trafficking, OShea said.

Jeffrey Kemp, 55, also was sentenced on Friday by Peterson, receiving four years in prison for attempting to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute. Kemp pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 24, OShea said in a statement.

Kemps case stemmed from a federal and state investigation of several known drug traffickers in Dane County during which it was learned that a person in Chicago had a parcel of narcotics sent via U.S. mail to a Madison address, OShea said.

On Dec. 7, 2020, a postal inspector identified the parcel, obtained a federal warrant, and searched the package, finding a vacuum-sealed bag that contained about 590 grams of a substance containing fentanyl, OShea said.

Law enforcement agents took custody of the drugs and resealed the parcel for a controlled delivery later that day to the address in Madison. About a minute after the parcel was delivered, a silver sedan with Illinois license plates pulled up to the building, Kemp got out and took the parcel and officers moved in as Kemp put the parcel into the car and arrested Kemp and the driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Antonio Dillard, OShea said.

When interviewed after his arrest, Kemp admitted that the person in Chicago paid him and Dillard to pick up the parcel and transport the drugs back to Chicago for distribution, OShea said.

On April 1, Peterson sentenced Dillard to two years in prison for attempting to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute. In related cases, Peterson sentenced Michael C. Henderson to seven years in prison on Dec. 9, 2021, and Andre L. McClinton to nine years in prison on March 23.

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An 18-year-old man, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old were arrested early Tuesday morning in a vehicle theft and pursuit, Janesville police reported.

The incident began shortly before 3 a.m., when officers were sent to the 1300 block of East Memorial Drive after a homeowner caught two males attempting to steal his Kia, which has been a target for car thieves, Sgt. Dean Sukus said in a statement.

The homeowner saw the suspects leave in another Kia and reported the license plate number to police, Sukus said.

A Janesville officer located the Kia at Milton Avenue and Walker Street and attempted to stop it, but the Kia fled from officers west on Centerway Street and then south on Center Avenue, nearly hitting a pedestrian at Center and Joliet Street, Sukus said.

The pursuit continued south on Highway 51 with speeds reaching 100 miles per hour. A Rock County Sheriffs Office deputy was able to deploy stop sticks, but the Kia continued to drive on two flat front tires, Sukus said.

The pursuit ended near Beloit at Riverside Street and Bayliss Drive, with the three occupants exiting the vehicle and fleeing on foot. With the assistance of the Rock County Sheriffs Office, town of Beloit police, and city of Beloit police, a perimeter was set up around the area and all suspects were captured, Sukus said.

Investigators determined that the Kia involved in the pursuit was stolen in Beloit, and the three suspects in Tuesdays pursuit also were caught breaking into a residence on Elida Street in Janesville on April 26. Three suspects were captured immediately in the April 26 incident, while Matthew E. Kluth, 18, of Beloit, fled in another stolen vehicle later found abandoned in Beloit. Kluth, who also was the driver in Tuesdays incident, had not been apprehended until Tuesday, Sukus said.

Kluth was arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without the owners consent, felony fleeing, recklessly endangering safety, possession of burglary tools-party to the crime, criminal damage to property-party to the crime, resisting/obstructing an officer, trespassing, and a warrant for failure to report to jail for Tuesdays incident, and burglary, operating motor vehicle without owners consent, felony fleeing, resisting/obstructing an officer, dognapping, and theft for the April 26 incident, Sukus said.

The 16-year-old and 15-year-old, both of Beloit, were arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without the owners consent-passenger, possession of burglary tools-party to the crime, criminal damage to property-party to the crime, resisting/obstructing an officer, and trespassing, Sukus said.

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By Trend

The reforms carried out by Heydar Aliyev made it possible to raise Azerbaijan to the level of a country of 21st century, Chief Executive Director of Lagazetteaz.fr newspaper, founded by Trend News Agency in France, Jean-Michel Brun told Trend.

According to him, seen from abroad, few countries of the former USSR have been able to recover or be in the process of reconstruction after the trauma of the Soviet years.

"Azerbaijan is among those few countries, which won a brilliant victory in second Karabakh war and put end to 30 years of occupation. Currently, Azerbaijan is at the stage of full development, ensuring the harmonious integration of various religious, cultural and ethnic communities," Brun said.

All this, Azerbaijan owes to one man, Heydar Aliyev, first President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, he noted.

In France, we do not like personified power. We are a regicide people and we distrust providential men. However, France had one, in the person of Charles de Gaulle. After liberating France from Nazi occupation, he succeeded in reconciling the French, deeply divided by the war, in particular thanks to a courageous policy of forgiveness, Brun added.

"Exactly like Heydar Aliyev, first time in 1993, where he managed to reconstitute a state on the verge of civil war, then by putting in place a constitution guaranteeing the unity of the country," Brun emphasized.

"If the political stability brought by De Gaulle allowed France to enter a tremendous phase of growth, the "glorious 30", the stability brought by the action of Heydar Aliyev allowed political and economic reforms which allowed Azerbaijan to rise to the level of a country of the 21st century," the executive director said.

"These are the abolition of the death penalty, the appointment of a human rights ombudsman, amnesty and pardon decisions, economic reforms including major land reform, privatization of state properties, and contracts concluded with major international oil companies," he noted.

"Thanks to this policy, Azerbaijan was also able to strengthen its military capabilities, and due to the will of President Ilham Aliyev it was possible to liberate Azerbaijani lands after 30 years of occupation," Brun added.
A toddler who died after she was injured at a Southwest Side apartment two weeks ago was beaten, thrown and sexually assaulted, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday that charged the boyfriend of the girls mother with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The 26-page complaint charged Marshawn D. Giles, 23, with 18 criminal counts spanning events that are alleged to have happened on six separate dates in April, culminating in his arrest on April 25 after the abuse at a Schroeder Road apartment that led to the death of the 20-month-old girl.

According to the complaint, the girl, who was not identified by name in the complaint, died from blunt force injuries to her head, leaving her with multiple skull fractures. Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska said she found more than 10 impacts to the girls head. Rogalska also noted blunt force injuries elsewhere that were consistent with sexual assault.

The girls mother told police that Giles had talked two days earlier about the demons getting to him, and he thought the girl had the demon in him a couple times.

On April 25, the complaint states, police responded to a call in the 5600 block of Schroeder Road, where a woman met officers screaming he killed my baby. She had facial injuries and said Giles had beaten her. She said Giles chased her as she ran from the apartment to try to get help, but then he went back inside.

Police went inside and arrested Giles. Officers found the girl badly beaten and with a weak pulse. She was taken to UW Hospital, where she died.

The woman said Giles had battered her on several occasions starting on April 13. They had begun dating in January. Other incidents of abuse are alleged to have occurred on April 14, 18, 22 and 23.

Bail for Giles was set at $1 million during a court appearance Monday.

Its hard to imagine more serious, grievous facts than whats alleged here, Court Commissioner Brian Asmus said. Here were alleging the sex assault and murder of a young child. I cant imagine anything more serious. Im not sure Ive seen anything more serious in my 23-year career.

In addition to first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault of a child, the complaint charged Giles with one count each of child abuse, criminal damage to property, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree sexual assault and substantial battery; two counts of felon in possession of a firearm; four counts of disorderly conduct; and five counts of misdemeanor battery.

Death threats

According to the complaint:

The woman told police Giles was good to her at first when they started dating, but he became increasingly controlling and abusive over me and my children. She had three children. Giles started staying with her at the Schroeder Road apartment in February and by early March was living there full time.

After Giles became much more controlling, she said, she went through his phone and found he had been talking to another woman. Giles became upset when she confronted him about it, and when she told him she wanted to break up, he began hitting her and threatening to kill her.

The woman said that after the April 13 incident, he apologized. The next day, she said, he strangled her in front of his daughter and his cousin, again a reaction to events concerning the other woman. The woman said she went to a hospital to be treated for throat pain.

On April 18, she told police, Giles attacked her again, abused one of her children and pointed a gun at her. He held the gun in front of the children, she said. As he pointed it at her, she said he told her, Do you want me to kill you? and Ill kill you now.

That incident was sparked, she said, by Giles not wanting her children to go to school. The whole day, she said, Giles was terrorizing us, me and my kids.

Flipped out

Another dispute over her children going to school led to other incidents on April 22 and 23, the woman told police. She said he flipped out and smashed her work computer and hit her, then gave her a gun and told her she needs to go kill herself. After she locked herself in a bathroom, he broke in and beat her, she said.

Later, she said, at Giles mothers home, Giles woke up his mother and his cousin and said he was going to kill himself because nobody was listening to him, and pushed his mother over. Eventually, the woman called 911 so she could be transported to a hospital for her own injuries but did not call the police because she was afraid of what Giles might do if she did.

On April 25, the woman told police, Giles beat her and sexually assaulted her. She said they had been to Milwaukee earlier, and on the drive home, he held a gun to her and threatened to kill her. He started tweaking after they arrived home, she said.

Giles also slapped and punched the girl, she said, then picked up the girl and threw her twice in the bathroom. Seeing her daughter seriously hurt, the woman said, she ran from the apartment to get help.

When police went into the apartment, Giles initially ignored commands, then started to get onto the floor before getting up and struggling with officers. Later, at St. Marys Hospital, a paramedic gave Giles a shot to calm him so he could be removed from a squad car.

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A Prairie du Sac man pleaded guilty Tuesday to homicide by drunken driving for a crash in 2020 in which his car smashed into the back of a motorcycle that was stopped at a red light, killing its rider.

Gabriel D. Bare, 24, now faces up to 25 years of combined prison and extended supervision for the Aug. 6, 2020, crash at Highways 12 and K in the town of Springfield, which killed Troy J. Bronk, 46, of Sun Prairie.

The plea came as part of an agreement between Deputy District Attorney William Brown and state assistant public defender Ronald Benavides. Neither side recommended a sentence as part of the agreement but will argue for a sentence later. Circuit Judge Chris Taylor will sentence Bare on Aug. 2.

By state law, Taylor must sentence Bare to at least five years of confinement or provide a compelling reason why she is not doing so. A change in state law in 2019 added the minimum sentence requirement to drunken driving homicide convictions.

Two other Dane County charges were dismissed as part of the agreement, and a Sauk County bail jumping charge will also be dismissed.

A criminal complaint states that a preliminary breath test found Bares blood alcohol concentration after the crash to be 0.11%, above the 0.08% limit for drivers.

According to the complaint, Bare said while he was being booked at the Dane County Jail that he drank four shots of vodka between 8 and 9 p.m. and said he was drinking in his car.

The crash happened about 9:30 p.m., the complaint states.

The complaint states Bare told a Dane County sheriffs deputy he was going west on Highway 12 when the traffic light at Highway K turned red, and he slowed to a stop. He said he was texting when this guy swerved in front of me.

Bare had initially placed himself in the left turn lane, but when the deputy pointed out Bare had said he was going straight, not turning, Bare said Bronk must have been here and I didnt see him.

Bare also claimed he ran to get help because he had lost his phone earlier, but the deputy pointed out that contradicted his earlier claim that he was texting his girlfriend just before the crash, the complaint states.

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A Dane County judge on Monday accepted a plea agreement on drug charges facing a man who was shot by police in February during a traffic stop.

Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds agreed to sentence Quadren L. Wilson, 38, of Beaver Dam, to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to delivery of fentanyl and misdemeanor cocaine possession. The fentanyl delivery charge involved an April 2021 drug sale that prosecutors said was connected to the overdose death of a man inside the bathroom of a McDonalds restaurant.

Assistant District Attorney Valerian Powell said the case was not charged as reckless homicide because prosecutors could not prove that the fentanyl purchased by a woman from Wilson, then provided to the man, was the same fentanyl that caused the mans death. The man also had a high blood alcohol concentration that may have been a factor in his death, Powell said.

The prison sentence will run at the same time as a 2-year prison sentence Wilson is now serving after the revocation of extended supervision he was serving for 2018 firearm possession and reckless endangerment convictions.

Wilson was shot by state Division of Criminal Investigation agents on Feb. 3 after they had boxed in the vehicle Wilson was driving on Eastpark Boulevard on Madisons Far East Side. Wilsons family said Wilson was shot five times in the back. The Dane County Sheriffs Office investigated the shooting and has given its findings to District Attorney Ismael Ozanne.

Ozanne said Monday that he had asked for further investigation on some issues and is awaiting reports. He said he has no timeline for issuing a charging decision.

Wilsons attorney, Stephen Eisenberg, said after Mondays hearing that were all waiting for Ozannes decision.

Little reference was made to the shooting during the hearing, other than a mention by Powell that it has caused a lot of talk in the community.

Eisenberg said while he believes Wilsons involvement in the April 2021 sale of the fatal fentanyl would have been difficult for them to prove at trial, Wilson agreed to step up and take responsibility for what he did. Wilson has himself had drug-addiction issues, Eisenberg said, adding Wilson is sorry for whats occurred.

I just want to apologize and take full responsibility for my actions, Wilson said. He said he hopes to get back to his family and be a better father to his children.

Reynolds said she was somewhat troubled by the case but recognizes it was a hard-fought disposition that was worked out. A case like this is more severe when someone has died, she said.

Reynolds said she rarely sentences defendants above what is laid out in plea agreements and would accept the recommended sentence in this case, but with some hesitancy because someone had died.

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Police said Monday that no one has been arrested yet in connection with a weekend fire and vandalism at the office of a prominent Wisconsin anti-abortion lobbying group.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a Downtown press conference that officials are combing the area and searching for digital evidence in the attack at Wisconsin Family Action overnight Saturday. That process will take time, he said.

Barnes said he was not aware of any further such threats in the city. He was joined by officials from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which are helping in the investigation. FBI assistant special agent Robert Paine said there are no further leads of any things that have occurred of this nature in Wisconsin.

A fire was set inside the Wisconsin Family Action office after a Molotov cocktail thrown into the building failed to ignite, Barnes said. The message If abortions arent safe then you arent either was spray-painted on the exterior.

The attack in Madison came after two Catholic churches in Colorado, including one known for its annual anti-abortion display, were vandalized last week. The leak last week of a draft opinion suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court was on course to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide sparked protests across the country, including several demonstrations in Madison.

Flames were seen coming from the office at 2801 International Lane shortly after 6 a.m. by someone headed to the Dane County Regional Airport Sunday, Barnes said.

A ground-level window had been breached and there was smoke coming from the building, but the fire was put out by the fire department in about five minutes, he said. Fire officials found a Molotov cocktail in the building and tests are being conducted to determine what accelerant was used to start the fire, he said.

Multiple pieces of evidence, including a second Molotov cocktail, were collected from the scene, Barnes said, and turned over to federal law enforcement officials.

When asked whether the second cocktail caused the fire, he said that will be part of the investigative process and declined to comment further.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Anyone with information about the incident can call police at 608-255-2345 or contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or P3Tips.com. Those providing tips can remain anonymous. Barnes asked specifically for people near the site of the fire to contact police if they have surveillance video cameras that might have collected footage of the attack.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is up for reelection in November, decried the attack earlier Monday when asked about it at a groundbreaking event in a Madison suburb.

It was a horrible, horrible incident, Evers said, adding that whoever is responsible should be arrested and put on trial. This is unacceptable.

Violence does not solve the issues were facing as a country, he added.

State officials and candidates from both sides of the aisle and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway have also condemned the attack.

The president of Wisconsin Family Action, Julaine Appling, said Sunday that she believed the vandalism was a direct response to the leak of the courts draft opinion. She said this attack fails to frighten us, and instead steels the resolve of law-abiding, common-sense, everyday folks to stand up and push back.

Wisconsin Family Action has been a prominent force in the state for years, advocating for laws to limit access to abortions, fighting to overturn Roe v. Wade and working on numerous other hot-button social issues.

Clinics that perform abortions have sometimes been targeted by vandals, too, including as recently as January when a Planned Parenthood clinic in Tennessee was hit by arson. In 2012, an anti-abortion activist threw a firebomb into Planned Parenthoods Appleton location. The location closed a few years later after a mass shooting took place at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado.

Arriving at the Wisconsin Family Action office on Sunday, Appling and group event coordinator Diane Westphall found shattered glass from a broken window covering a corner office riddled with burned books. The smell of smoke persisted for hours after the fire, which damaged the corner office carpet and the wall beneath the window.

The outside of the building also was sprayed with graffiti depicting an anarchy symbol and a coded anti-police slogan.

What youre going to see here is a direct threat against us, Appling said. Imagine if somebody had been in the office when this happened. They would have been hurt.
Madison Teachers Inc. is suing the Madison School District over unfulfilled records requests, according to a summons and complaint filed Monday in Dane County Circuit Court.

The complaint states the school district has violated Wisconsins public records law by leaving a Nov. 3 records request regarding staff benefits and contracts unfulfilled as of the beginning of May, more than six months after the request was sent to the district by the union.

Wisconsin public records law requires a public authority, such as a public school district, to fulfill a public records request as soon as practical and without delay and, the complaint states, that delayed fulfillment of the request has caused and could continue to cause injury by depriving MTI and the public of their rights under the law.

Six months, that is not as soon as practical, said Lester Pines, of Pines Bach, the Madison law firm representing MTI.

The school district, in this instance, told MTI wait in line. Well, wait in line is not what the statute requires. The statute requires that the entity make a prompt production of the records, Pines said. Six months for the kind of records that MTI requested is far beyond what is allowed.

In November, MTI requested records regarding benefits for teachers and staff, including copies of past contracts with health, eye and dental insurance carriers; copies of current certificates of insurance for Group Health Cooperative-South Central Wisconsin, Dean Health Plan, Delta Dental of Wisconsin and EyeMed; and copies of all records that reflect the administrative fees paid by the district to each of those insurance carriers for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The district attributed the delay in fulfilling the records request to the COVID-related staff shortage and said records requests are fulfilled in the order they are received, in emails to Pines. In mid-December, there were four other requests ahead of MTI. The district told Pines that MTI could expect their request to be fulfilled within the next week, but the district was unable to provide an exact date for that fulfillment.

At the end of January, the district responded to MTIs records request by saying it would cost the union more than $350, to cover a total of five hours of two staff members time, to fulfill. A check was delivered to the district on Feb. 1, Pines said, but as of Monday MTIs records request had yet to be fulfilled.

Apparently, the school district has decided that with regard to at least this request, that its going to violate the law and it has, Pines said.

Pines and MTI are seeking for the court to determine that the district did, in fact, violate the open records law; for the court to direct the district to produce the records requested in November without delay; payment for any legal fees incurred by the union to bring the lawsuit against the district; and payment for damages caused by the delay in the districts fulfillment of the records request.

The district has 20 days to respond from the date they are served, which will likely be Tuesday, Pines said.

District spokesperson Tim LeMonds said the district is unable to comment on pending litigation.

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A Dane County judge has ruled that parts of controversial 2018 legislation that gives the Legislature more power over settlement agreements initiated by the Attorney Generals office are unconstitutional under Wisconsins separation of powers doctrine.

Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford ruled last week in favor of Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who challenged the matter in the lower court after a previous effort was rejected by the Wisconsin Supreme Court last year.

The 2018 law states that any civil actions prosecuted by the state Department of Justice may be compromised or discontinued  by submission of a proposed plan to the joint committee on finance for the approval of the committee.

Crawford wrote in the May 5 decision that the GOP-led committees failure or refusal to approve a settlement agreement effectively operates as a veto, with no override mechanism to act as a check on legislative authority. The statute provides the Attorney General no recourse except to seek litigation or renegotiate a settlement on terms demanded by the committee, she added.

The Legislature describes (the statute) as giving it a seat at the table in litigation involving the State, implying that the Legislature intended to assume a prosecutorial role equal to that of the Attorney General, Crawford wrote. It is more accurate to characterize (the statute) as granting absolute power to the Legislature, far greater than a seat at the table alongside the prosecutor.

Crawford put the decision on hold, however, pending a request from the Legislature, which is expected to seek a stay of her ruling. The case is likely to make its way back to the state Supreme Court for a final decision on the matter.

This ruling comes as no surprise from a Dane County judge, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos spokesperson Angela Joyce said in an email. When theres a conservative accomplishment, they try to say its unconstitutional. We will be appealing.

Kaul filed the lawsuit last summer asking the court to suspend the requirement that DOJ seek approval to settle cases in two categories: enforcement of consumer protection and environmental protection laws; and claims on behalf of executive agencies relating to the administration of programs they must run. DOJ argued that those provisions, as applied, violate the constitutional separation of powers.

The provision cited in the case is part of legislation Wisconsin Republicans and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers predecessor, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, adopted during a lame-duck session in December 2018 curbing the power of Evers and Kaul after they were elected but before they took office. Since then, DOJ and the Republican-controlled Legislature have butted heads over how DOJ should follow the laws.

The lame-duck power grab by Republicans in the state Legislature undermined the will of Wisconsin voters and has resulted in wasted tax dollars, Kaul said in a statement Tuesday. We will continue working to ensure that the aspects of the lame-duck legislation that violate the Wisconsin Constitution are struck down.

Crawford did not issue a decision on a second part of Kauls suit, which relates to when the attorney general can bring or defend against a lawsuit on behalf of the state or a state agency. Crawford allowed Kaul to file additional information with the court on the matter and the Legislature will be able to respond to Kauls amended claim before a ruling is issued.

In a separate case, the Legislature and Adam Jarchow, a former state representative from Balsam Lake and GOP candidate for attorney general, filed suit in Polk County Circuit Court last summer against Kaul and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, alleging the two had violated provisions of state law requiring DOJ to deposit all settlement funds into the states general fund as well as get approval from the states budget committee before entering into settlement agreements.

The Jarchow lawsuit alleges Kaul has repeatedly violated the law by not submitting all proposed settlement agreements to the Republican-controlled budget committee for approval. The lawsuit also alleges that Kaul is violating the laws requirement that the attorney general shall deposit all settlement funds into the general fund. The case is currently before the states District 2 Court of Appeals.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2020 that upheld most parts of the Republican-authored lame-duck laws but struck down a provision creating more stringent rules for how state agencies develop guidance documents, which are used to tell individuals or organizations how to comply with state law. Justices said at the time the Legislature overstepped its bounds by attempting to take over a duty previously reserved for the executive branch.

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Jacob Blake has dropped his federal civil rights lawsuit against the Wisconsin police officer who shot him during a domestic disturbance and left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Neither attorneys for Blake, whose August 2020 shooting sparked the protests in which Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and wounded a third, nor Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey indicated in their court filings why the lawsuit was being dropped, including whether a settlement had been reached.

A man who answered the phone at the office of Blakes attorney, Patrick Salvi II, hung up when asked about the decision to drop the lawsuit, and Sheskeys attorney, Kenneth Battle, had no immediate comment.

Sheskey, who is white, shot Blake, who is Black, after Blake resisted arrest during the disturbance and appeared to turn toward Sheskey with a knife. Blake was wanted on a felony sexual assault warrant at the time.

Prosecutors cleared Sheskey of any criminal wrongdoing and later dropped the sexual assault charges against Blake as part of a plea deal. Blake filed the civil rights lawsuit in March 2021 alleging Sheskey had used excessive force on him.

Court records indicate that attorneys for the two men filed notice on Friday that they had agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, which means Blake cant refile it. U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller ordered the case dismissed Monday.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 and living in nearby Antioch, Illinois, when he shot the three protesters, was acquitted on all charges in November.
U.S. gas prices are hitting new records every day. Check out average gas prices today and compare to the past in these five graphics.
Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments. Meanwhile, Ukraines foreign minister appeared Tuesday to suggest that the country could expand its war aims. With the war now in its 11th week, Kyiv has bogged down Russian forces and even staged a counteroffensive. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion. The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
On May 10, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva also visited the city of Shusha, Azertag reports.

Special Representative of President in Shusha region Aydin Karimov informed the President and the First Lady of the final completion work in the administrative building and landscaping work carried out around it.

The President and the First Lady then viewed the restoration work carried out in Shirin Su Bath in Shusha.

Assistant to President Anar Alakbarov informed that the restoration work in the historical Shirin Su Bath is carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The bath is on the list of immovable historical and cultural monuments of national importance and will be restored preserving its historical appearance.

The Shirin Su Bath was built in 1880. The bath was called "Shirin Su" (fresh water) thanks to the fact that it used drinking water, which was brought to city, back in 1873, by Khan gizi Khurshidbanu Natavan. It functioned until the occupation of Shusha by Armenians on May 8, 1992. Like all other monuments, this ancient bath was destroyed by Armenians during the occupation.

Afterward, Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva viewed restoration work carried out in the house where Sadigjan, a famous tar player, a composer and an artist who improved the Azerbaijani tar, once lived.

Assistant to President Anar Alakbarov informed the president and the first lady of the work done.

The restoration work in Sadigjans house will also be carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were also informed of the project of a mosque complex to be built in Shusha.

It was noted that work on the project of the mosque has been completed and construction work has started.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have also viewed the current stage of restoration work carried out at the Mehmandarovs' Estate Complex in Shusha.

Assistant to President Anar Alakbarov informed the president and the first lady of the work done. The restoration work carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation at the Mehmandarovs' Estate Complex in Shusha is underway.

Moreover, as part of a trip to Shusha, the president and first lady have visited the area where the Shusha Boutique Hotel will be located.

Assistant to President Anar Alakbarov informed the head of state and the first lady of the repair and restoration work carried out here.

Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva also viewed the repair and restoration work to be carried out at Shusha Realniy School.

Minister of Education Emin Amrullayev informed the president and the first lady of the work to be done here.

Additionally, President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Shusha Digital Management Center owned by Azerishig OJSC in Shusha.

The chairman of Azerishig OJSC, Vugar Ahmadov, briefed the president on the conditions created at the management center.

It was noted that the Digital Management Center opened in Shusha was an important facility in terms of providing the city with sustainable and quality energy. Instead of the traditional three-stage 35/10-6/0.4 kV distribution networks, the circular power supply scheme installed in Shusha has been replaced with modern two-stage 35/0.4 kV networks.

The commissioning of the new network will eliminate the costs of construction, maintenance and operation of traditional 35/10 kV substations and 10 kV power transmission lines, minimize technological losses, reduce the negative impact of electromagnetic radiation on the environment and living organisms. Service personnel and technical vehicles will not be necessary and the quality of service will be improved. At the same time, the introduction of a modern SK-11 SCADA dispatch control system, which fully covers 110/35/0.4 kV networks, will expand the network's management capabilities. For the first time, the SK-11 SCADA dispatch control system will enable control of low-voltage (0.4 kV) circuits in the modern digital network model up until the end consumer.

Whereas the dispatch control system in distribution networks covered only high-voltage lines in the past, these capabilities have now been significantly expanded. As a result, the management of electricity from the point of purchase to the subscriber meter, the energy balance, quality, uninterrupted delivery, automatic recovery in case of accident, registration and archiving of information about networks by switching from paper to electronic media are now under full control thanks to the SK-11 system.

The Digital Control Center of 35/0.4 kV networks applied in Shusha for the first time has the capacity to connect to other substations and provides a stable and uninterrupted power supply to the city of Shusha.

For the first time in the field of electricity, the Shusha Digital Management Center is using alternative and renewable energy sources to provide power supply to substations in case of emergency and to compensate for special consumption needs of the substations. Technical and economic indicators have been enhanced and uninterrupted feeding of equipment was ensured.

President Ilham Aliyev launched the Shusha Digital Management Center owned by Azerishig OJSC.

The direct commissioning of the 110/35/10 kV substation in Baku from the Digital Management Center of Shusha has been possible thanks to the innovative reconstruction of the network management system.




RACINE  One week in, possibly with months ahead.

The first week of a strike involving more than 1,000 employees of CNH Industrial, parent company of what was Case Corporation, has concluded. A labor leader predicts it could be almost 2023 by the time the strike ends.

It was ordered by UAW (United Auto Workers) Local 180, of Racine, and Local 807, of the eastern Iowa city of Burlington. Workers in both Racine and Burlington walked off the job simultaneously at noon Monday.

Local 807 President Nick Guernsey on Wednesday told the trade magazine Ag Equipment Intelligence I think whats going to get CNH Industrial back to the table is when they start losing money, and theyll probably start feeling it at 4 weeks. Ive told my membership to expect CNHI to keep us out for 3-6 months.

Neither side, neither the union nor CNH, has publicly said what the demands are and how far apart the two sides are. A union spokeswoman declined to comment on this story. CNH (Case New Holland) did not reply to requests for comment.

It remains unclear how many replacement workers have crossed picket lines in the past week or what exactly they are being paid. Guernsey told Ag Equipment Intelligence that CNHI is paying new workers a much higher wage than what we were even asking for, along with bonuses and extra money for their salaried employees.

UAW Local 180, in a Facebook post Tuesday, blamed corporate greed for the strike. It cited CNHs reported results for the first quarter of 2022, which included $4.6 billion in revenue and an adjusted net income of $378 million. In 2020, the company reported profits of $1.76 billion, a 21% increase over the year prior.

They said we would bankrut (sic) the Company with our demands. YEAH RIGHT!! the unions social media post said.

The company is not being fair, and it (the strike) is going to be a rough haul for us. But we have to stick up for what we need and we deserve, a picketing worker, Lynda Bowman, told a reporter Thursday, the fourth day of the strike.

You cant show record profits and then claim poverty, Guernsey told The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowas newspaper, which also reported striking workers will receive $275 a week (approximately one-fourth of U.S. median pay) from the union.

Among those supporting UAW Local 180 are the union for Racine Unified School District teachers (Racine Educators Association), Racine Mayor Cory Mason and Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine.

Neubauer posted a photo of herself and Mason on social media Friday, posing with strikers on State Street near Downtown Racine.

Workers everywhere deserve fair pay, safe working conditions, the ability to establish fair work rules, and to retire with dignity. UAW members have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to produce essential equipment for Wisconsin and America. We are proud of the work done and the products made here in Racine, she wrote in a statement. As we go forward, I encourage CNH Industrial management and the UAW leadership team to negotiate in good faith towards a resolution that benefits both sides and meets the needs of workers.

When a reporter spoke with picketers Thursday on State Street, one of two local picketing locations along with Oakes Road in Mount Pleasant, they waved signs and chanted things like We want fairness! and Fair treatment!

In a Facebook post of his own, Mason wrote The UAW helped build the middle class in Racine. Lets hope Case and UAW can reach a fair contract soon!

A UAW strike at John Deere that began last year was 10 times bigger, involving more than 10,000 workers. That strike lasted more than a month.

According to Local 180, 98.4% of Racine workers voted in favor of approving a strike on April 10.
I love Wisconsin. I wont be a candidate for governor this fall, but Im not ready to retire. My plan is to help move Wisconsin forward by working to develop solutions to the problems facing our great state.

Some folks are upset that there is a GOP primary for governor. I am here to tell you that a vigorous ideas-based primary that provides a positive vision for Wisconsins future is the GOPs best  and history shows only  path to victory in November. That is not a knock on any candidate or campaign. It is simply how incumbent governors have been defeated in Wisconsin over the past 50 years. I know, because I am one of the four people who has defeated an incumbent governor during that time.

And this race is so critical to our future. When I ran in 1986, it was because Wisconsin was a state at risk. It was not a crisis of our people, resources or resolve. It was, as I said when I announced in April 1986, a crisis of our leadership that had simply put Wisconsin on the wrong track.

Unfortunately, we are in that position again. The middle class is being squeezed. Our schools are not improving or responding to parents, and our cities face a crime surge. Wisconsin Republicans must step up and provide the solutions.

The gubernatorial candidates who defeated incumbent governors are Lee Sherman Dreyfus in 1978; me in 1986; Jim Doyle in 2002 and Tony Evers in 2018. The four of us first won highly competitive primaries before we defeated the incumbent in the general election.

Dreyfus upset party-endorsed Bob Kasten before defeating acting Gov. Martin Schreiber in 1978. I won a five-way GOP primary in 1986 before I defeated Gov. Tony Earl. Doyle beat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk before he defeated Gov. Scott McCallum. And Evers won a 10-way primary before he defeated Scott Walker.

These primary campaigns were issue-based and not focused on personal attacks. Sure, there were policy, and sometimes personal, differences between the candidates in all these races, including between me and Jonathan Barry. But these primaries were decided by who presented the clearest vision for the party for the general election.

That dynamic can happen again for both parties this summer. Republicans will have a competitive gubernatorial primary, and Democrats will have a competitive U.S. Senate primary. There is no reason to have a summer filled with mudslinging on either side. Voters are tired of the politics of personal destruction. They want leaders to solve problems.

Rebecca Kleefisch and Tim Michels, who are seeking the Republican nomination for governor, have both won competitive GOP primaries in the past. Kevin Nicholson, another Republican gubernatorial challenger, won 56 of 72 counties in his primary loss for U.S. Senate in 2018. Primaries are not new to these candidates. If they focus on issues and solutions rather than personal attacks, the winner will be well prepared to take on incumbent Gov. Evers, and more importantly to lead Wisconsin through these very challenging times.

My focus this summer and fall will be on helping the Republican candidates create a positive, forward-looking agenda that will not only excite our base, but bring independents, suburban voters and disaffected Democrats to our side. Thats the best formula for success.

Thompson has served as governor, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and president of the University of Wisconsin System.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Cyprus foreign minister pitched to his Greek and Israeli counterparts on Monday the creation of an east Mediterranean firefighting hub aimed at quickly addressing huge summer wildfires that could overwhelm any single country.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides made the proposal during a virtual meeting of the three countries top diplomats as well as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aimed at closer cooperation on energy, the economy, climate action, emergency preparedness and counterterrorism.

Kasoulides also said his island nation is willing to host a gathering of ministers to discuss ways of protecting the east Mediterranean Sea through the development of environmentally friendly ports and other coastline infrastructure.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel have often assisted each other in recent years by sending firefighting teams, gear and aircraft to help combat massive wildfires. The Cypriot proposal would seek to streamline and speed up the dispatching of such assistance.

Blinken joined Kasoulides, and their Greek and Israeli counterparts, Nikos Dendias and Yair Lapid, to demonstrate Washingtons support for the three-way cooperation pact that Cyprus, Greece and Israel have developed over recent years.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they had decided to intensify cooperation on issues contributing to resilience, energy security and interconnectivity in the region.

They agreed to meet again before the end of 2022.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel have worked for the last six years to strengthen ties based on new gas deposits in Cypriot and Israeli waters, and want to explore ways of getting those hydrocarbons to European markets as a potential alternative to Russian gas.

Additionally, the European Union agreed earlier this year to earmark 657 million euros ($687 million) for the construction of a 2,000-megawatt undersea electricity cable that will link the three countries power grids.

Officials said that with the completion of the cable dubbed Eurasia Interconnector, its expected that more investment will flow into renewable sources enhancing the energy mix of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

An earlier idea for a gas pipeline link appears to have fallen out of favor amid question marks over its cost and environmental impact.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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It was late November in Alaska and a lousy day for deer hunting. Rough seas rocked our small boat, and when we finally stumbled ashore in Squaw Bay, we found another hunter already there. He glanced at us unhappily, then walked toward the best deer habitat. With just six hours of daylight left, all we could do was sit, watching and thinking.

A week earlier, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland had ordered her department to remove the derogatory word squaw from any place names on federal lands.

It means new names are coming for this bay and over 600 other features on public lands across the country.

A year earlier, while working with a local nonprofit, I moderated a Facebook group page about the popular national forest surrounding the bay.

The page is a place to trade stories and information.

One morning my friend Dave, a local charter boat captain, posted a picture from the bay and commented, nice place for a name change.

This was before the Biden administration, and Dave was only musing.

Name changes are not uncommon here. In recent years, streets, mountains, and a whole city have adopted Alaska Native names.

And in 2015, as he prepared to visit Alaska, then-President Obama issued a famous  and popular  order renaming the states highest peak from McKinley to Denali, a nod to the Athabaskan people who have lived here for millennia.

I didnt think anything of Daves comment, but when I checked back later, I saw hed been dog-piled.

Scores of people, mostly men, puffed up their online chests and hurled insults. They cursed, called him a snowflake or far worse, and lamented Alaskas descent into wokeness.

I think I was a weak moderator.

I deleted some abusive comments, kicked out a few people, and politely called for civility.

But later, when Dave read the comments, he deleted his post and left the group. With that, our page lost a great source of local history and science.

Theres a lot to untangle from this little squall in Alaskas remote corner of the Internet, including the tenor of todays culture wars, which normalizes bullying.

Then theres the word itself. Some commenters schooled Dave on etymology, citing a popular theory that squaw evolved from an Algonquin term meaning woman. But it was a selective take.

No one mentioned that for centuries the Americanized usage was contemptuous and dehumanizing.

Like any racist slur, the term still causes pain and fuels bias. These things matter, especially when we consider the violence disproportionately inflicted against Indigenous women and girls, an issue still unfamiliar to many.

In recent years, tribes, states, and others have identified thousands of unsolved cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls and shown that a mix of bias and jurisdictional issues on tribal lands feeds a disparity in justice.

In response, many Western states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and Washington have assigned task forces or taken other actions. Congress and both the Biden and Trump administrations have also acted with the 2020 Savannah Act, which improves Justice Department coordination on the issue, and the creation of a new Bureau of Indian Affairs unit for such crimes.

Haalands name-change order skips past these specifics and simply states that squaw is a racist term.

But she does remind the public of the federal governments long-standing efforts to wipe racial slurs from place names.

In 1962, for instance, efforts began to remove a racist term for African American people. In 1974, the same occurred for a slur against Japanese people that originated in the World War II internment era.

And beginning in 1999, state laws in Montana, Oregon, and elsewhere outlawed squaw from place names.

It reveals decades of bipartisan work to remove names that alienate subsets of Americans from their public lands.

That long view would have been handy on our Facebook page, where many disparaged Daves comment as politically correct faddishness.

Ultimately, a name change wont solve bigger issues. But at over 600 sites, it will stop a slur and prompt a dialog thats overdue.

Thats true for my local bay too.

But even with a new name, it will still be a serene place surrounded by forest and snow-clad mountains, where in late fall you can stand around all day and never see a deer.

Tim Lydon is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He writes from Alaska.

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A Jacksonville, Florida, woman was killed in a wreck on U.S. 221 North near the Marion Gas House.

The wreck happened at 7:16 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, on U.S. 221 just north of the Marion Gas House. Two patients from the wreck were transported by ambulance to Mission Trauma Center in Asheville with serious injuries. The N.C. Highway Patrol is the main agency investigating this crash.

Agencies on scene were McDowell EMS, Marion Fire Department, McDowell Rescue and the Highway Patrol, according to EMS Director William Kehler. Sgt. J.A. Metcalf said Janet Lowther, 83, of Jacksonville, Florida, was killed in the wreck. Arthur Lowther, 78, also of Jacksonville, was transported to Mission Hospital. He was the driver of a 2006 Toyota SUV that was traveling north on U.S. 221.

Carly Lyons, 18, of D.C. Johnson Road in Marion was driving the other vehicle, a 2019 Chevrolet SUV. She was traveling south on U.S. 221. She was also transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville.

It was unknown as of the initial investigation why the two vehicles hit each other, said Metcalf.

The only thing we know we so far is the vehicle Lowther was driving north and Lyons was driving south and they hit each other in the middle lane, said Metcalf. We dont know why. It is still a mystery. We dont know why they met in the center.

The wreck is still under investigation and no charges had been filed as of Thursday.
The UAE Monday announced a $4.2 billion Investment Initiative to facilitate investments in the Greek economy across a wide range of sectors, reports say.

This came as part of several other agreements signed between the two countries as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis concluded a state visit to the Gulf country.

He met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and both oversaw the signing of several agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) panning multiple areas including investment, renewables, healthcare, advanced industries and technology.

The MoUs and agreements signed included an MoU on security cooperation, fighting organized crime and counter terrorism, an MoU to establish a $4.2 billion Investment Initiative to facilitate investments in the Greek economy across a wide range of sectors, a Strategic Framework Agreement between Motor Oil and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to explore opportunities to supply LNG cargoes to Greece, as well as explore other cooperation opportunities between the two sides, an MoU between Masdar and Motor Oil to cooperate on decarbonizing the energy market in Greece and an MoU between Mubadala Investment Company and the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI) to extend their partnership in the 400 million co-investment platform.

Both leaders also during the meeting exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual concern and relevant developments, including the Ukraine crisis.
The European Union (EU) has agreed to allocate 138 million euros in form of grants for Egypt to back several development projects in multiple areas including agriculture and decentralization.

The Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation signed the agreement with the EU on behalf of the Arab country, on Monday, Arab Finance reports.

The grants include a sum of 24 million for the Ministry of Agriculture from the EU and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation as part of the EUs Rural Development Program in Egypt, the ministry said in a statement.

They also encompass 5 million for a public finance management project in favor of the Ministry of Finance

Both parties also inked an agreement for a project of the Sustainable Development Strategy and Administrative Reform Plan at a value of 5 million, in favor of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA).

7 million will be allocated for a project of the Decentralization and Integrated Local Development with a Special Emphasis on Upper Egypt supervised by the Ministry of Local Development.

Also per the agreement, additional grant worth 3 million will be dedicated to the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) as per the Community Development Program between the EU and the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD).

The EU has since 2008 backed projects in Egypt to the tune of 650 million.

The cooperation portfolio between Egypt and the EU currently stands at around 1 billion across various sectors, Arab Finance notes.
The serum manufactured in South Africa is piling up in its production plant because there are no takers. Yet the African continent that it is supposed to supply is suffering from a glaring shortage of doses.

Africa, which has long aspired to have significant vaccine production capacity, is now witnessing an enormous paradox in this struggle. In country after country, the continents policymakers are simply ignoring one of its local sources of supply.

The Aspenovax vaccine, the result of a 2021-2026 licensing agreement between the South African pharmaceutical firm Aspen Pharmacare and the American Janssen, is clearly of no interest to anyone. At least thats what the cry from Stavros Nicolaou, a senior executive at Aspen, suggests in recent days.

Less than a week ago, the executive indicated that his company had still not received a single order for vaccines, despite the fact that production began nearly a month ago after lengthy negotiations.

Aspen, which has been involved in the bottling of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) serum since the beginning of the fight against the pandemic, won the right to manufacture it at its Port Elizabeth facility on March 8, after negotiations last year. The company, which has operations in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, among others, was banking on Africas strong need for vaccines to sell its product.
Evidence of quality control problems was hidden by a company contracted by the U.S. government to produce hundreds of millions of COVID vaccine doses, a new House committee report shows.

It noted that Emergent BioSolutions didn't disclose the issues at its Bayview plant in Baltimore to U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors in February 2021, six weeks before the company told federal officials that 15 million doses had been contaminated, The New York Times reported.

Nearly 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine made by Emergent had to be destroyed "due to poor quality control," according to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform report, which was based on internal company emails, documents and interviews.

That's much higher than previous estimates. No contaminated doses were released to the public, the Times reported.

"These doses were squandered despite repeated warnings from employees, outside consultants, pharmaceutical companies and FDA regulators that the company's manufacturing practices were unsafe," Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the House subcommittee on the pandemic, said in a statement.

Emergent has been "open and forthcoming" with the FDA and Congress by providing them with thousands of documents and inviting them to tour its facilities, company spokesman Matt Hartwig said in a statement.

Last May, Emergent executives testified in public before the House subcommittee.

"Emergent remains committed to being a trusted partner of the U.S. and allied governments," Hartwig said.

Documents released by House investigators reveal that some of Emergent's managers weren't sure the company could handle the government's order.

Before FDA officials visited the Baltimore plant in September 2020, a senior quality director at Emergent advised executives it would be critical to convince the agency that the company was making rapid improvements, the Times reported.

"We are not in full compliance yetBUTwe are making batches NOW," the director wrote.

Last year, the Times reported that in June 2020, a top official with the Trump administration's fast-track vaccine initiative called Operation Warp Speed cautioned that relying on Emergent's Baltimore plant would present "key risks" and that the site would "have to be monitored closely."

In November 2021, the Biden administration terminated Emergent's COVID-19 vaccine production contract.

More information: Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on COVID vaccines

 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
By Trend

Istanbul has seen an influx of both local and international visitors in the first three months of 2022, with foreign tourist arrivals in the city rising 136 percent from a year ago, Trend reports citing Hurriyet Daily News.

From January to March this year, 2.9 million international holidaymakers visited the city, up from 1.2 million people in the same period of 2021, according to data from the provincial directorate of culture and tourism.

Amid the influx of tourists, the occupancy rate in the hotels in the metropolis reached 80 to 90 percent, people from the industry said.

In March alone, around 1.2 million foreign tourists came to Istanbul, well above 546,000 visitors in the same month of 2021.

In January and February, the city, which is also Turkeys commercial and financial center, welcomed 792,000 and 957,000 foreign visitors, respectively, up from 335,000 and 350,000 visitors in the same months of last year.

Data from the local tourism authority showed that 258,000 Russians visited Istanbul in the first three months, up 37 percent on an annual basis, while the number of Iranian tourists grew by 113 percent to 253,000 people.

Istanbul also attracted 226,000 German (up 165 percent), 110,000 French (up 188 percent) and 107,000 British (up 700 percent) nationals in January-March.
Risk of bias graphs and study data extraction strategy. (A) Review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item per included study. Review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies (B). Outcomes addressed by total number of studies and overlap (C), Number of studies used for addressing primary and secondary outcomes (D). Credit: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism (2022). DOI: 10.1002/edm2.338

People with diabetes were almost twice as likely to die with COVID and almost three times as likely to be critically or severely ill compared to those without diabetes.

However, the study conducted by researchers from the University of Aberdeen, which reviewed data from hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, also found that good management of the condition can mitigate against the risks.

Specifically, the collaboration with King's College, London, found that while diabetes presents a significant risk of severe illness and death with COVID, good control of blood sugar in these patients can significantly reduce this risk.

The researchers reviewed findings from 158 studies that included more that 270,000 participants from all over the world to determine how COVID affects people living with diabetes.

The pooled results showed that people with diabetes were 1.87 times more likely to die with COVID, 1.59 times more likely to be admitted to ICU, 1.44 times more likely to require ventilation, and 2.88 times more likely to be classed as severe or critical, when compared to patients without diabetes.

This is the first time a study, which has been published in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism looked at the risks of COVID in patients with diabetes while factoring in the patients' location and thereby highlighting potential healthcare resources available as well as possible ethnic differences and other societal factors. Data was gathered from all over the world including China, Korea, U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

The researchers found that patients in China, Korea and the Middle East were at higher risk of death than those from EU countries or the U.S. The researchers suggest this may be due to differences in healthcare systems and affordability of healthcare which may explain the finding that maintaining optimal glycemic control, significantly reduces adverse outcomes in patients with diabetes and COVID.

Stavroula Kastora who worked on the study alongside Professor Mirela Delibegovic and Professor Phyo Myint explains: "We found that following a COVID-19 infection, the risk of death for patients with diabetes was significantly increased in comparison to patients without diabetes.

"Equally, collective data from studies around the globe suggested that patients with diabetes had a significantly higher risk of requiring an intensive care admission and supplementary oxygen or being admitted in a critical condition in comparison to patients without diabetes.

"However, we found that the studies that reported patient data from the EU or U.S. displayed less extreme differences between the patient groups. Ultimately, we have identified a disparity in COVID outcomes between the eastern and western world. We also show that good glycemic control may be a protective factor in view of COVID-19 related deaths.

"In light of the ongoing pandemic, strengthening outpatient diabetes clinics, ensuring consistent follow up of patients with diabetes and optimizing their glycemic control could significantly increase the chances of survival following a COVID infection."

Explore further Updated analysis of multiple COVID-19-diabetes studies shows the risks associated with diabetes

More information: Stavroula Kastora et al, Impact of diabetes on COVID 19 mortality and hospital outcomes from a global perspective: An umbrella systematic review and metaanalysis, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism (2022). Stavroula Kastora et al, Impact of diabetes on COVID 19 mortality and hospital outcomes from a global perspective: An umbrella systematic review and metaanalysis,(2022). DOI: 10.1002/edm2.338
Different mechanisms of Salmonella infection contributing towards colorectal cancer. Credit: Chinese Medical Journal

Intestinal micro-biodiversity is important for maintaining colorectal and general health. Imbalance in this microenvironment can result in chronic infections, even cancer. Development of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been alluded to abnormal gut-bacterial activity and infections. However, the complexity of the intestinal microbiome makes it challenging to identify which bacterial types promote CRC pathogenesis in what way.

A reviewwhich was made available online on January 27th, 2022, and published in Volume 135, issue 4 of the Chinese Medical Journal on February 20th, 2022investigates this using chronic Salmonella infections as an example. Dr. Jun Sun, author, and Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, explains the study's rationale. "Better understanding of the enteric microbiome and pathogens could lead to new approaches for preventing and treating CRC, by inhibiting chronic infection and inflammation."

Pathogenic bacteria attack host physiology by interacting with host cells and other gut microbes, either physically or chemically (by releasing bacterial proteins and metabolites). These interactions can lead to disrupted immune responses; chronic intestinal infections; inflammation; DNA damage; and eventually, carcinogenesis.

For instance, Salmonella infections can have varied effects, from mild gastroenteritis to chronic irritable bowel disease (IBD)a known risk factor for CRC. Patients with IBD or prior Salmonella infection are more likely to develop CRC than the general populace. This likelihood is further increased in patients with preexisting genetic susceptibilities, cell signaling defects, or mutations.

Bacterial infections can also impair the host's immune response by controlling inflammation and modifying key signaling pathways. Bacterial effectors, like AvrA found in Salmonella, either promote or suppress inflammation in order to create a hospitable environment for the bacteria's survival, and the maintain chronic infection. Studies suggest an increased occurrence of CRC tumorigenesis in mice infected with AvrA+ Salmonella compared to uninfected mice. Clinical data also indicate the presence of bacterial AvrA in the colorectal mucosa of CRC patients as against non-CRC patients. Similarly, Salmonella interacts with host epithelial and immunological cells to regulate cell signaling and modify chromosomal material, compromising the host's immune response while promoting CRC progression. Moreover, these bacterial activities significantly alter the intestinal microenvironment, making it conducive for tumorigenesis.

While lab studies have progressed our understanding of these mechanisms, there is still need for human data to confirm the exact relation between bacterial infections and CRC development. "Looking forward, we hope for new insights in this field that can help illustrate how enteric bacteria control tumorigenesis and identify novel techniques to target specific pathways that influence CRC", says Dr. Sun.

Explore further Fasting may help ward off infections, study in mice suggests

More information: Jun Sun, Impact of bacterial infection and intestinal microbiome on colorectal cancer development, Chinese Medical Journal (2022). Jun Sun, Impact of bacterial infection and intestinal microbiome on colorectal cancer development,(2022). DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000001979

Provided by Chinese Medical Journal
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Early diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients could be helped by new imaging technology that sheds light on the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs.

Researchers say the fluorescent probe can track how tumors are responding to the drugs, which harness the body's immune system to fight disease. The light-sensitive technology is able to detect which key immune cellsa small group known as T cellsare involved in attacking tumors.

T cells generate a toxic protein known as granzyme B, which can kill cancer cells. This protein can also chop the probe in half and release a fluorescent light signal, which lets scientists know that the immune system is fighting against the cancer.

A team from the University of Edinburgh says the approach will assist clinicians in the development of treatment plans.

Further development of the tool could help detection of tiny changes inside the body's tissues, making it easier to monitor the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments, researchers say. Doctors could use the technology in the future to monitor quickly how cancer patients are responding to treatment, by directly tracking the activity of T cells in tissue biopsies or in blood samples. This could allow doctors to make immediate changes to treatment plans, which help to clear the cancer faster and avoid potential side effects of non-effective treatments.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. It was funded by the European Commission, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and others.

Professor Marc Vendrell, of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Inflammation Research, says that "this is an important advance in our abilities to study the role that T cells play in tumors. We hope this technology will accelerate the design of personalized therapies for cancer patients and make them more effective against all tumors."

Explore further Examining the secret hideouts of ovarian cancer

More information: Jamie I. Scott et al, A fluorogenic probe for granzyme B enables in-biopsy evaluation and screening of response to anticancer immunotherapies, Nature Communications (2022). Journal information: Nature Communications Jamie I. Scott et al, A fluorogenic probe for granzyme B enables in-biopsy evaluation and screening of response to anticancer immunotherapies,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29691-w
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Leaving your children behind to migrate for work is not an easy choice but is very often the case for families living in low- and middle-income countries. Researchers have found that although there may be financial benefits for families of migrant workers, the time spent away is potentially detrimental to their children's health, especially their mental health.

Dr. Kelly Rose-Clarke, Lecturer in Global Mental Health at King's, Dr. Gracia Fellmeth at the University of Oxford, and their colleagues studied the health of children and adolescents (aged 019) of migrant workers from low- and middle-income countries.

Although they initially found evidence of negative health outcomes for "left-behind children," follow-up research has helped to identify ways to mitigate poor health and build resilience.

Negative health outcomes for children

Research undertaken in 2018 showed that, compared to children of non-migrants, left-behind children and adolescents had worse overall mental health.

This included having higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, conduct disorder and substance use. The researchers also found that left-behind children and adolescents were more likely to be acutely and chronically malnourished compared to children of non-migrant parents.

"Childhood and adolescence are critical times for lifelong health and development, but there is very little research on the long-term consequences of parental migration for left-behind children. Our work suggests migration away from children may have negative consequences for their physical and mental health," says Dr. Kelly Rose-Clarke.

How can we help these children?

Dr. Rose-Clarke led subsequent research, published in 2021, which explored how left-behind adolescents in Thailand build resilience when their parents migrate.

As part of the research, adolescents, as well as their caregivers, migrant parents and community leaders were interviewed. The research suggests that adolescents need access to three "resources" to be resilient; warmth (love and understanding), financial support and guidance.

Adolescents who had their own caring responsibilities or had an insecure relationship with their parents or caregivers, struggled to build the resilience they needed to protect their health and well-being in the long-term.

"Interventions need to be developed that address mental health and nutritional needs of children who may not have access to parental support. Policy makers and governments need to place more emphasis on supporting families separated by migration, and enable migrants to visit and communicate regularly with their families. This could help to mitigate future health, social and economic costs, and to support a growing number of vulnerable children," says Rose-Clark.

The study is published in Sociology of Health & Illness.

Explore further Swedish children with migration backgrounds less likely to receive recommended psychiatric treatment, study shows

More information: Kelly RoseClarke et al, Psychosocial resilience among leftbehind adolescents in rural Thailand: A qualitative exploration, Sociology of Health & Illness (2021). Kelly RoseClarke et al, Psychosocial resilience among leftbehind adolescents in rural Thailand: A qualitative exploration,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13402
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Women living in maternal health care "deserts" will face greater health and well-being risks if a draft opinion from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade leads to state abortion bans, experts say.

People who are pregnant or recently gave birth in areas lacking maternal health careobstetricians, hospitals with delivery units or birth centersalready face a greater risk of death than mothers who live in areas with more robust medical access, research has shown.

And experts say the risks are even greater in these areas for moms of color, who already have disproportionate maternal health outcomes.

Abortion bans could make things even worse, said Maeve Wallace, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Tulane University who conducted the research on women, which focused on Louisiana. She's also found that across the U.S., states with more abortion restrictions had greater maternal mortality risk.

"What we can anticipate seeing is that women, who are forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy because they cannot access abortion within their state, are then put in a position where they potentially have nowhere to go for maternity care as well," she said, "forcing them into an even higher-risk pregnancy."

Across the nation, more than 2 million women live in a county with no obstetric careno birth center, hospital with obstetric care or private practice provider. Even more live in areas with a limited number of centers and providers in proportion to the population.

An analysis from Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health policy research organization, identified 26 states that are likely to ban abortion without Roe. Throughout those states in the South, Midwest and Plains exist swaths of areas lacking maternal health care.

In a post-Roe United States, about 100,000 women won't be able to reach an abortion provider, and 75,000 will need to give birth as a result, estimates Caitlin Knowles Myers, a Middlebury College economist who researches gender, race and reproductive policies.

Such numbers raise questions about the nation's maternity care capacity, said Dr. Lisa Harris, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who studies social and medical issues around abortion.

"In some areas where there is already a lack of maternity care in Michigan, we may have a 20 to 30% upturn in demand," she said.

Experts like Harris are concerned about more births amid a lack of social supports for moms and babies.

"When people are talking about ending abortion, they're not talking about the corollary of more births," she said. "But you don't just end abortion and nothing else changes. Everything else changes. We don't have a good safety net in this country for child care, for maternal health and for family leave policies."

Tulane's Wallace, whose home state of Louisiana advanced a bill last week that classifies abortion as homicide, worries the nation's maternal mortality and violent death crisis, especially among Black and brown women, could worsen.

"(There are) higher concentrations of women of color in places that lack access to abortion and lack access to maternity care," she said.

That's part of the reason Dr. Allison Bryant, a Massachusetts General Hospital obstetrician and gynecologist, says the move to restrict or eliminate abortion is an example of structural, systemic inequity and racism.

"They are abandoning the patient," Bryant said. "There's nothing that is random about this. There are no coincidences here."

Women of color already face disproportionate maternal health outcomes, and Bryant worries it will get worse if more women see their choices and health care further limited.

"We are leaving them really high and dry in this circumstance," Bryant said. "It's going to be inequity compounded on top of inequity that was already there. We know that the maternal health infrastructure in many places around the country is in jeopardy."

Elizabeth Weise contributed to this story.

Explore further Many obstetrics and gynecology residents won't get abortion training if Roe is overturned

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Asa Petersen has been researching Huntingtons disease for 25 years and means that a lot can be done to reduce suffering, increase quality of life and make various adaptations for both the patient and their loved ones. Credit: Agata Garpenlind

Huntington's disease is hereditary, genetic and usually begins between the ages of 30 and 50. In Sweden, around 1,000 people have the diagnosis and several thousand live with the risk of getting the disease. Even more people have a connection to the disease as its symptoms also affect those close to the patient to a high degree. The disease leads to premature death and there are no treatments that slow its progress.

Nevertheless, much can be done with increased knowledge of how the disease manifests itself and research is making progress in better understanding its course.

A person who develops the disease can be recognized by their odd pattern of movementinvoluntary movements that led to it being referred to as the dancing disease (chorea) in the past. For a long time, research focused on the motor symptoms, but what currently interests Asa Petersen and her research team at Lund University is, to a high degree, the earlier stage of the disease. That is when the emotional brain, the limbic system, is affected, and the person can have difficulty regulating their feelings and planning everyday activities.

"The development happens slowly over about 1015 years before the involuntary movements become noticeable. Those who know of a family predisposition for the disease can undergo a pre-symptomatic test. However, only around 15 percent of them choose to do thismost people don't want to know," explains Asa Petersen, Professor of Neuroscience at Lund University and consultant Psychiatrist at the Huntington Disease Center in Lund.

If there is a known predisposition for the disease in the family, more attention is often paid to symptoms, and family members are aware of the course of the disease. For the researchers and clinicians, a large part of the work is to share knowledge and generate greater understanding of the disease.

"Today, there is a lot we can do to reduce suffering, increase quality of life and make various adaptations for both the patient and their loved ones. We also address healthcare staff who are not always familiar with the way in which the disease manifests itself, and this has helped many patients who have often had to explain their condition to staff at primary care centers and elsewhere."

Both the patient's personality and ability to think are altered in the course of the disease. For the patient's loved ones and healthcare staff, it can therefore be a challenge to justify and find solutions for the best care. It is important that all those involved in caring for a person familiarize themselves with what the disease actually entails mentally and physically.

Less known and very complex

Huntington's has often ended up rather overshadowed by other, more common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Not many people know someone who has or has had Huntington's disease. Sometimes, the person affected does not want to discuss the disease openly.

There are clinics with specialist expertise on Huntington's disease at several university hospitals around the country.

"We have long known which genetic mutation causes Huntington's disease, as it was discovered as early as 1993. Despite this, we do not yet have any treatment capable of slowing down the disease, precisely because it is so very complex," says Asa Petersen.

Asa Petersen became interested in the disease as a doctoral student and traveled to Venezuela, where there is a region with an unusually high incidence of the disease. Meeting the people there made a strong impression and researching Huntington's disease became one of the missions of her life.

"I have now been researching Huntington's disease for 25 years and have worked as a physician with individuals who have the disease for 15 years. It is a privilege to meet the suffering families in the clinic and then to have the opportunity to try to find solutions to the disease through research."

Searching for critical mechanisms

The work of Petersen's research team comprises mapping the changes in the brain of individuals with the disease, but also a lot of laboratory work, where genetic material can be manipulated in various ways. Important issues from the clinical setting are studied experimentally and the knowledge obtained in the laboratory is fed back into clinical work, in a process known as translational research.

"We want to understand where in the brain the changes first occur. Then we can get clues as to when we might have the opportunity to stop the disease or to reverse its course. We want to understand which disease mechanisms are the really critical ones," says Asa Petersen.

If we can identify the disease mechanisms that lead to early signs of Huntington's disease, then we can also gain a larger and broader understanding of how other psychiatric problems arise and how they could be managed. This could, in turn, lead to other breakthroughs for similar diseases and conditions that affect the brain.

Certain cells are more sensitive to the substance huntingtin, which is the protein altered by the genetic mutation that causes the disease. If the researchers find out how to reduce production of the changed huntingtin in the particularly sensitive cells of the brain, it would probably be possible to slow the progress of the disease.

Many different groups are working on Huntington's disease. At Lund University, around Sweden and internationally, there is a large network for exchange of knowledge and a good collaborative atmosphere.

This autumn, at last, it will be possible to organize a major European conference with participants attending in person, after a break of several years due to the pandemic. Asa Petersen is one of those responsible for the conference program and she is looking forward to meeting colleagues, now that several promising steps forward are being made within the research field and hopefully some important pieces of the puzzle will soon fall into place.

Explore further New study puts focus on early symptoms of Huntington's disease
Iraq has recorded at least 12 deaths from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever since the start of the year, health authorities said Tuesday amid efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

"The total number of cases of haemorrhagic fever is 55, including 12 recorded deaths," health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr told a news conference.

The tick-borne disease, also known as Congo fever, causes severe haemorrhaging, with people usually catching it through contact with the blood of infected animals, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent of all cases.

The southern province of Dhi Qar, a centre for breeding cattle and other livestock, has accounted for 29 of the cases and six of the deaths.

The northern province of Kirkuk announced its first death from the disease on Friday.

"We have not yet reached the stage of an epidemic, but the infections are higher than last year," Badr told AFP Tuesday.

"The procedures adopted by the different authorities are not up to par, particularly with regards to unregulated slaughters," he added.

Authorities have launched a crackdown on slaughterhouses suspected of violating health regulations, and several provinces have banned the entry and exit of livestock.

Explore further Northern Iraq registers Congo fever death

 2022 AFP
Children with Joubert Syndrome, like the girl in the image, may face a brighter future if hippocampal defects can be addressed. Credit: JSUK

An important link has been found between the intellectual disability experienced by children with the rare disease Joubert Syndrome (JS) and defects in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with learning and memory. It also plays a role in various neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Biologists at the University of Bath in the UK, led by Dr. Vasanta Subramanian, made this link in animal models by manipulating a gene (one of 34) known to cause JS in humans. Results from the study are published in Human Molecular Genetics.

By creating a deletion in the gene Talpid3 in healthy mice, graduate student Andrew L Bashford found that animals went on to develop defects to the primary ciliaa cell structure that is essential in the development of the hippocampus. When examining the brains of mutant animals, the researchers observed defects in the hippocampus that bore a striking resemblance to those found in children with JS.

The primary cilialong, thin organelles that protrude from the surface of most cellswork like cellular antennae, sending signals from the external environment of the cell to the interior, instructing the cell on how to behave (e.g. should it migrate, divide, stop dividing?). Primary cilia are important for the structure and function of many types of cells, including brain cells.

The findings from the study suggest a link between hippocampal defects, and the learning and memory deficits seen in JS patients. Malformations in the hindbrain (the lower part of the brainstem) are already known to be responsible for many of the physical symptoms associated with JS.

"This is the first time we have seen a link between changes to the hippocampus and this disease in mouse models," said Dr. Subramanian. "This is an exciting area of research that we hope to continue making a contribution to. Joubert Syndrome is one of many rare diseases that has a devastating impact on those affected and is now rightly getting the research attention it deserves."

With further research on animal models, Dr. Subramanian and her team expect to deepen their understanding of the causes of JS. In time, they hope drugs will be developed to target some of the genes or proteins involved in the disease, thereby alleviating symptoms or stopping the disease from developing in the first place.

Joubert Syndrome is a rare childhood disease that leads to poor muscle coordination, developmental delay, abnormal eye movements and neonatal breathing abnormalities. It is estimated that between 1 in 80,000 and 1 in 100,000 newborns are affected by the condition.

Speaking on behalf of the family-support organization Joubert Syndrome UK, Faith Douthwaite says that they "are delighted to hear about this new research, and also appreciate the dedication of medical professionals who continue to unravel the mysteries of Joubert Syndrome so as to improve the health and well-being of our beautiful and unique children."

Explore further Scientists develop a mouse model for rare brain disease Joubert syndrome

More information: Andrew L Bashford et al, Hippocampal neurogenesis is impaired in mice with a deletion in the coiled coil domain of Talpid3implications for Joubert syndrome, Human Molecular Genetics (2022). Journal information: Human Molecular Genetics Andrew L Bashford et al, Hippocampal neurogenesis is impaired in mice with a deletion in the coiled coil domain of Talpid3implications for Joubert syndrome,(2022). DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac095
A medical assistant prepares a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to a patient. Credit: Public domain image courtesy of Lisa Ferdinando, U.S. Department of Defense

Norwegian health authorities said Tuesday that the country has a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines and has already discarded more than 137,000 doses because there is declining demand in low-income countries.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it plans a further disposal of doses if global demand does not change. In Norway there is high vaccine coverage while globally a demand for donations has fallen.

"For the first time during the pandemic, the supply now exceeds the demand for COVID-19 vaccine doses," the agency said, adding that situation also applies to most European Union countries. Norway is not a member of the EU.

Norway has donated 7.4 million doses to more than 25 countries, chiefly via the UN-backed program known as COVAX but also via bilateral donations.

Earlier this month, health officials in neighboring Denmark said that 1.1 million excess COVID-19 vaccines would be discarded because their expiration date is near, and efforts to donate them to developing countries have failed.

According to the Norwegian agency, 93.1% of people older than 18 years of age have received a first dose of a vaccine while 90.7% have gotten a second shot.

Explore further Norway is open to 4th COVID-19 shot to people over 80

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Shelves typically stocked with baby formula sit mostly empty at a store in San Antonio, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves.

Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to shutter its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said the Food and Drug Administration was "working around the clock to address any possible shortages."

On Tuesday, the FDA said it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamlining paperwork to allow more imports.

For now, pediatricians and health workers are urging parents who can't find formula to contact food banks or doctor's offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.

"For babies who are not being breastfed, this is the only thing they eat," said Dr. Steven Abrams, of the University of Texas, Austin. "So it has to have all of their nutrition and, furthermore, it needs to be properly prepared so that it's safe for the smallest infants."

Laura Stewart, a 52-year-old mother of three who lives just north of Springfield, Missouri, has been struggling for several weeks to find formula for her 10-month-old daughter, Riley.

Riley normally gets a brand of Abbott's Similac designed for children with sensitive stomachs. Last month, she instead used four different brands.

"She spits up more. She's just more cranky. She is typically a very happy girl," Stewart said. "When she has the right formula, she doesn't spit up. She's perfectly fine."

A sign is posted at a CVS pharmacy indicating a shortage in the availability of baby food Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. Parents in much of the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula after a combination of supply disruptions and safety recalls have swept many of the leading brands from store shelves. Credit: AP Photo/Chris Carlson

A small can costs $17 to $18 and lasts three to five days, Stewart said.

Like many Americans, Stewart relies on WICa federal program similar to food stamps that serves mothers and childrento afford formula for her daughter. Abbott's recall wiped out many WIC-covered brands, though the program is now allowing substitutions.

Trying to keep formula in stock, retailers including CVS and Walgreens have begun limiting purchases to three containers per customer.

Nationwide about 40% of large retail stores are out of stock, up from 31% in mid-April, according to Datasembly, a data analytics firm. More than half of U.S. states are seeing out-of-stock rates between 40% and 50%, according to the firm, which collects data from 11,000 locations.

Baby formula is particularly vulnerable to disruptions because just a handful of companies account for almost the entire U.S. supply.

Industry executives say the constraints began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in ingredients, labor and transportation. Supplies were further squeezed by parents stockpiling during lockdowns.

Then in February, Abbott recalled several major brands and shut down its Sturgis, Michigan, factory when federal officials concluded four babies suffered bacterial infections after consuming formula from the facility. Two of the infants died.

When FDA inspectors visited the plant in March they found lax safety protocols and traces of the bacteria on several surfaces. None of the bacterial strains matched those collected from the infants, however, and the FDA hasn't offered an explanation for how the contamination occurred.

For its part, Abbott says its formula "is not likely the source of infection," though the FDA says its investigation continues.

Baby formula is displayed on the shelves of a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Chicago-based Abbott said it is increasing production at its other facilities to fill the gap, including air-shipping formula from a plant in Ireland.

The shortages are especially dangerous for infants who require specialty formulas due to food allergies, digestive problems and other conditions.

"Unfortunately, many of those very specialized formulas are only made in the United States at the factory that had the recall, and that's caused a huge problem for a relatively small number of infants," Abrams said.

After hearing concerns from parents, the FDA said last month that Abbott could begin releasing some specialty formulas not affected by the recalls "on a case-by-case basis." The company is providing them free of charge, in coordination with physicians and hospitals.

Food safety advocates say the FDA made the right call in releasing the formula, but that parents should talk to their pediatricians before using it.

"There's still some risk from the formula because we know there are problems at the plant and FDA hasn't identified a root cause," said Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "But it's worth releasing because these infants might die without it."

It's unclear when the Abbott plant might reopen.

The FDA said the company is still working "to rectify findings related to the processes, procedures and conditions." Other infant formula makers are "meeting or exceeding capacity levels to meet current demand," the agency said.

Among other steps, the FDA said it was waiving enforcement of minor product labeling issues to increase availability of both U.S. and imported products.

Explore further U.S. baby formula shortage worsens

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Abu Dhabis building retrofit programme, aimed at improving electricity and water efficiency of the existing buildings across the emirate, will help save up to 40% of power consumption in some buildings, reported state news agency Wam, citing a senior executive of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa).

The Building Retrofit Programme is one of the nine programmes under the Abu Dhabi Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy 2030 to reduce overall electricity consumption by 22% and water consumption by 32% in the emirate by 2030.

"In some of the projects we are working on right now, we believe that after we finish our retrofitting programme, we can save 20 to 40 percent of electricity consumption, and around 10 percent water consumption in some of the buildings. It's a win-win to the owner of these buildings and to us," said Omar Abdulla Alhashmi, Executive Director of Transmission and Distribution at Taqa during an interview held on the sidelines of the World Utilities Congress 2022.

Hosted by Taqa, the global exhibition has brought together more than 10,000 global utility professionals, 200 speakers, over 1,000 representatives of participating parties from across the globe.

Alhashmi said Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES), a subsidiary company established by Taqa in 2020, is working very hard to utilise the opportunity to reduce utility consumption of the existing buildings.

ADES provides energy-efficient solutions and tools to government and private sectors in the Emirate, which help them reduce the energy and water consumption of their facilities, he stated.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy completed the first pilot project as part of the Building Retrofit Programme with the aim of raising energy efficiency on eight government buildings in the emirate in early 2020.

The department signed an MoU with five Abu Dhabi Government entities in January 2022 to implement the Building Retrofit Programme on 39 buildings of those entities. The DoE will finance the Programme at government facilities, while the project implementation will be carried out by ADES.

ADES has also signed MoU with many entities in Abu Dhabi to implement the programme. "Basically, we go and establish a contract with the building owners, do an audit on the building and then we say, for example, we believe that your building has a potential to save 'X' amount of power and water, and we make a contractual agreement to carry out the retrofit," Alhashmi added.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A study that explored the attitudes of vaccine hesitant adults in the U.K. towards uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine found that participants were hesitant rather than opposed to the vaccine. They had questions about their need for, and the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Concerns were exacerbated by a lack of trust in government and misunderstanding of science, the University of Bristol-led study published in BMC Infectious Diseases found.

Researchers interviewed 35 people aged between 18 and 29 who had not had the vaccine, and 35 people aged between 30 and 49 who had not had the second dose of the vaccine after 12 weeks, to understand what the barriers to vaccination were and what facilitated uptake.

Although hesitant about receiving a first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of participants did not consider themselves to be anti-vaccine, and were usually able to recognize the possible benefits of being vaccinated for themselves and those around them.

Younger people did not consider themselves to be at risk of becoming ill from COVID-19, did not think the vaccination was effective in preventing transmission, and did not think sufficient research had been done regarding possible long-term side-effects.

Safety concerns were frequently mentioned by participants who had not received a first or second vaccine dose, with many describing a range of side-effects they or friends and family had experienced, or that they had been exposed to through the media.

A small number of participants reported being unable to book or attend an appointment for a first or second dose with the ease that would be required.

Financial incentives and vaccine passes to encourage uptake were mostly considered "wrong," with participants describing them as coercion, blackmail or bribery (financial incentives) or forcing people to be vaccinated against their will (vaccine passes). Both were felt likely to increase public mistrust.

Dr. Sarah Denford, Research Fellow at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioral Science and Evaluation at University of Bristol and lead author of the study said: "What we found is that, overall, participants were not opposed to taking the COVID-19 vaccine but that they had a number of concerns, which can be viewed as barriers to uptake. Most people we spoke to were actively engaged in weighing up the relative risks and benefits. It was concerns around safety, efficacy and trust in government and science that acted as barriers and contributed to their hesitancy.

"To promote uptake, public health campaigns should focus on the provision of information from trusted sources that explains the benefits of vaccination and addresses safety concerns more effectively. Where people's motivation levels to be vaccinated are low, appointments must be easily accessible."

Explore further Bolstering COVID-19 vaccine uptake among injecting drug users

More information: Sarah Denford et al, Exploration of attitudes regarding uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among vaccine hesitant adults in the UK: a qualitative analysis, BMC Infectious Diseases (2022). Journal information: BMC Infectious Diseases Sarah Denford et al, Exploration of attitudes regarding uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among vaccine hesitant adults in the UK: a qualitative analysis,(2022). DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07380-9
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Moving away from a "one-size fits all" care regime has the potential to transform care for people with type 2 diabetes, a University of Dundee study has shown.

Experts at the University's School of Medicine, working with the University of Exeter, have established a means of determining how people with type 2 diabetes differ from each other, and how clinical variation between them affects their long-term risks and response to treatment.

The study analyzed data from more than 23,000 people with type 2 diabetes, utilizing it to develop a new way to visualize how much people with type 2 diabetes differ from each other based upon nine clinical characteristics.

The research, conducted with Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, has been published today in Nature Medicine.

"Clinically, we need to move away from a one-size-fits all approach to the management of people with type 2 diabetes and be more precise in their care," said Ewan Pearson, professor of diabetic medicine at Dundee.

"Our study demonstrates how we can look at an individual with type 2 diabetes and illustrate in an intuitive way the main reasons they have diabetes and use this to manage them better to reduce their individual risks.

"Imagine three women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 60. One may only be slightly overweight and have developed diabetes due to reduced insulin production from the pancreas. She will have slow progression of her diabetes and lower risk of complications.

"The second, may have particularly high blood pressure and be more prone to eye complications.

"The third may be very overweight with high blood fats and be more resistant to the effects of insulin, meaning she would be at increased risk of heart disease. They all have type 2 diabetes but for very different reasons and with very different profiles, meaning that different treatments may result in better outcomes, depending on their circumstances."

More than 4 million people in the U.K. have type 2 diabetes, with complications arising from the condition including life threatening heart and kidney disease, while it is also the biggest cause of blindness and amputation in the U.K.

Anand Nair, the lead analyst on the Dundee study, said, "Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease caused by many different mechanisms."

"Some people develop type 2 diabetes due to different mechanisms than others and can therefore differ dramatically in their clinical characteristics, such as their body weight, blood fat, blood pressure or their genes. This new approach helps to greatly simplify this complexity for both clinicians and patients."

John Dennis, of the University of Exeter Medical School, who supported the research, said, "At the moment, clinicians are in the difficult position of making decisions that impact on health in type 2 diabetes based on very little evidence. Our findings, use cutting-edge data science applied to the UK's health data, can provide more personalized information to support the clinical care of people with type 2 diabetes."

The study is titled "Heterogeneity in phenotype, disease progression and drug response in type 2 diabetes."

Explore further Obesity is more prevalent in people with type 1 diabetes than previously thought

More information: Anand Thakarakkattil Narayanan Nair et al, Heterogeneity in phenotype, disease progression and drug response in type 2 diabetes, Nature Medicine (2022). Journal information: Nature Medicine Anand Thakarakkattil Narayanan Nair et al, Heterogeneity in phenotype, disease progression and drug response in type 2 diabetes,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01790-7
In this photo provided by Pfizer, a lab technician visually inspects COVID-19 Paxlovid tablet samples in Freiburg, Germany on December 2021. The head of the World Health Organization called on the pharmaceutical Pfizer to make its coronavirus treatment more widely available to people around the world, saying the deal it previously signed to allow generic producers to make the drug for poorer countries was insufficient and that the drug was still too expensive for poor countries. Credit: Pfizer via AP, File

The head of the World Health Organization called on Pfizer to make its COVID-19 treatment more widely available in poorer countries, saying Tuesday that the pharmaceutical company's deal allowing generic producers to make the drug was insufficient.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing that Pfizer's treatment was still too expensive. He noted that most countries in Latin America had no access to Pfizer's drug, Paxlovid, which has been shown to cut the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by up to 90%.

"We remain concerned that low- and middle-income countries remain unable to access antivirals," Tedros said,

The WHO chief warned that the unequal distribution of COVID-19 drugs could ultimately mirror the grossly disproportionate distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

For example, while countries such as Britain have vaccinated more than 70% of their populations, fewer than 16% of people in poor countries have received a single dose.

Pfizer signed an agreement in November with the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool to allow other drugmakers to make generic copies of its pill, for use in 95 countries. Some large countries that suffered devastating COVID-19 outbreaks, like Brazil, were not included.

Tedros said the deal does not go far enough and called for Pfizer to lift its geographic restrictions on where the generic version of Paxlovid might be used, as well as to make the pill less costly for developing countries.

The U.S. paid about $500 for each course of Pfizer's treatment, which consists of three pills taken twice a day for five days. Its price in developing countries has not yet been confirmed.

WHO's chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said most of the world's supply of Pfizer's drug had already been booked by rich countries, similar to how they hoarded the vast majority of last year's coronavirus vaccines.

She applauded Pfizer's agreement to let other drugmakers produce its drug, but noted that manufacturing would not start until next year. Swaminathan also appealed to Pfizer to drop its requirement for some developing countries to assume product liability in case there are any problems once it's rolled out.

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Researchers have discovered a potential pathway linking early life infections to cardiovascular disease risk later in adulthood, offering opportunities for targeted intervention.

The study, led by the Murdoch Children Research Institute (MCRI) and published in eLife, found that elevated inflammation markers and changes in metabolism (the way the body's cells process food into energy) observed in infection-prone infants resembled those in adults at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Murdoch Children's researcher Dr. Toby Mansell said the findings suggested that the impact of cumulative infections in infancy could predispose adults to a higher risk of heart disease, obesity, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

"We found the risk of adult-onset cardiovascular disease could be accruing from early life," he said. "We know babies are prone to infections. This causes inflammation, a key cardiometabolic risk factor, but the relationship between infection, inflammation, and metabolic profiles in early childhood had remained underexplored until this study."

The study involved 555 infants from the Barwon Infant Study, a collaborative project between Barwon Health, Murdoch Children's and Deakin University, with infant infections tracked over 12 months.

The research found high rates of infant infections by 12 months of age were associated with elevated inflammation markers and changes to metabolic profiles, which influence how the body processes fats, proteins and sugars.

Murdoch Children's Professor David Burgner said infection had been recognized as a potential contributor to cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death in adults globally.

In Australia, cardiovascular disease accounts for a quarter of all deaths, claiming the life of one person every 10 minutes. More than 4 million Australians have cardiovascular disease and someone is hospitalized with the disease every minute.

Professor Burgner said the research offered opportunities for early prevention measures such as identifying the types of infection and the children at highest risk, and how these risks might be offset by simple interventions.

"Targeted action could include promoting breastfeeding, ensuring timely vaccinations, and supporting families so that they can keep children at home if they are unwell with an infection," he said.

Explore further Infections the major reason infants see a doctor or attend hospital

More information: Toby Mansell et al, Early life infection and proinflammatory, atherogenic metabolomic and lipidomic profiles in infancy: a population-based cohort study, eLife (2022). Journal information: eLife Toby Mansell et al, Early life infection and proinflammatory, atherogenic metabolomic and lipidomic profiles in infancy: a population-based cohort study,(2022). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.75170
Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.033

Researcher Pilar Baldominos, who is currently pursuing her Universitat Politecnica de Valencia Ph.D. at Harvard University's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has completed a study on the defense mechanisms used by some tumor cells to defeat both the immune system and immunotherapy. Her work, published in the journal Cell, reports the results that she obtained thanks to the pioneering PADMEseq technology, which was developed by Baldominos during her Ph.D. studies, thanks to a grant from the la Caixa Foundation.

PADMEseq (Photoconversion of Areas to Determine Micro-Environments) is a technique that is used in combination with JEDI (Just eGFP Death Inducer) mice, which are developed at the same Dana-Farber Cancer Institute laboratory, directed by Judith Agudo Cantero, who is also from Spain. Both PADME and JEDI are names inspired by "Star Wars."

"In our laboratory, cancer is the dark side, and science is the force," says Baldominos, referring to the popular saga conceived by film-maker George Lucas. By combining PADME and JEDI, regions with cells that the immune system is unable to kill can be marked under the microscope for comparison with other tumor regions.

"We have identified a population of cells in tumors that is able to withstand immunotherapy, and which, despite appearing 'dormant' initially, is able to generate a new tumor. Thanks to our technique, we now know that these resistant cells are grouped together in a kind of hostile neighborhood that is practically impenetrable to the cells of the immune system, which are supposed to kill them. In fact, the few immune system cells that manage to get in are highly dysfunctional, and even act in favor of the tumor rather than against it," explains Baldominos.

The work by the team at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute demonstrates that there are small regions within a tumor where tumor cells with very specific characteristics live. These cells are characterized by barely dividing and by generating a hostile environment around them for the immune system, allowing them to survive and ensure therapy continues to fail despite efforts to revive immunity.

The key: The JEDI mouse

"Studying those cells that the immune system tries to kill, but is unable to, is very complex, as we need to know which target our lymphocytes are looking for, and check that the surviving tumor cells still have it (this is known as immunoediting). Thanks to the JEDI mouse (Just eGFP Death Inducer), we have now been able to observe this phenomenon for the first time, as its lymphocytes have been modified to recognize a green fluorescent protein that can be introduced in tumor cells. This model not only allows us to fully control the interaction between the lymphocyte and the tumor cell, but also to unequivocally isolate those cells that still have this protein and yet have not been eliminated by the immune system," explains Baldominos.

Once these therapy-resistant tumor micro-neighborhoods had been identified, the next step for the research team was to study which cells they contain and their condition (immune system cells can act for or against the tumor). The PADMEseq technology was developed for this purpose.

"With a mouse whose cells can change from fluorescent green to red, we can use a microscope to mark the regions where those cells that the immune system is unable to kill are found, and compare them to other tumor regions. This has allowed us to achieve an extremely accurate resolution. In this way, we have found out that resistant micro-regions are characterized by a lower density of immune system cells, and that those cells that do enter them are pro-tumor in character, thereby preventing the immune system from working properly, which explains resistance to therapy," adds Baldominos.

These findings could help doctors to better select which patients respond best to immunotherapy, and facilitate improving current therapies. "Understanding who these cells' neighbors are helps us understand why therapy fails, and opens new avenues to study how to reverse the situation," concludes Baldominos.

About immunotherapy

Immunotherapy consists of reviving the immune system so it will attack and eliminate a tumor. This treatment marked a revolution for certain tumors. It was named Discovery of the Year by Science magazine in 2013, and awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2018. It has recently been approved as a first line of treatment for triple negative breast tumors, increasing life expectancy. However, only 20% of patients respond to treatment on a permanent basis.

"Our paper studies those cancer cells that can withstand being attacked by the immune system in order to see what they look like and how they behave. This would be the first step towards understanding why immunotherapy might fail in some patients, which would allow us to consider future alternatives that could improve it," says Pilar Baldominos.

Explore further Gene expression profile allows identification of anti-tumor immune cells for personalized immunotherapy

More information: Pilar Baldominos et al, Quiescent cancer cells resist T cell attack by forming an immunosuppressive niche, Cell (2022). Journal information: Cell Pilar Baldominos et al, Quiescent cancer cells resist T cell attack by forming an immunosuppressive niche,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.033

Provided by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia
The study setting. Black color denotes TBI patients and white color denotes reference patients. The TBI patients were from all three severity groups (mild, moderate, severe) and the reference patients were from three injury types: internal medicine, orthopedic, and neurological (blue box). The main analysis for severity discrimination was on patients for whom GCS scores were available (sub-cohort 1, yellow box) at baseline evaluation and the main analysis for outcome discrimination was on patients that had GOSe available (sub-cohort 2, green box). Most patients belong in both sub-cohorts. For the TBI-reference patient discrimination analysis data from sub-cohort 1 and the control patients were analyzed (yellow box plus blue box). Further sub-populations were examined from sub-cohorts 1 and 2, based on availability of more refined data (extra-cranial injury, propofol administration, protein biomarkers, and variables necessary for the evaluation of the CRASH model). For the full TBI cohort associations between the metabolomic/lipid levels and CT findings were made. Abbreviations: Neuro, patients with acute stroke or other neurological conditions; Internal, acute internal medicine illnesses (e.g., infections, cardiac symptoms, GI-symptoms) (Internal); Ortho, patients with acute orthopedic or other non-brain traumas; mTBI, mild TBI. Credit: Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30227-5

A simple blood sample to diagnose patients with traumatic brain injury is an innovation enabled by researchers at Orebro University. In a new study, reported in Nature Communications, they have identified biomarkers in the blood that indicate how serious a head trauma is.

A fall, a road traffic accident or assault. Those are the most common causes of traumatic brain injury. Over 140 million people around the world are living with symptoms of head trauma. Those affected are primarily under the age of 40.

"Having an accident early in life can have major consequences. Better and safer diagnosis is therefore vital," says Matej Oresic, professor of medicine at Orebro University.

In Orebro, researchers have worked on a method that does not require a surgical procedure. They have used blood samples collected by researchers, all part of an EU project, in 20 European countriesthe largest study of its kind.

With the help of metabolomicsa way of using chemical analysis to extract information about thousands of small moleculesthe Orebro researchers have identified biomarkers that can be linked to traumatic brain injury.

"As a result, we're able to categorize the injuries more clearly. It's cost-effective, not to mention simpler and safer for the patient," says Andras Buki, professor of medicine at Orebro University.

Today, traumatic brain injury is divided into three categories, from mild to severe, and there are no reliable methods to rule out acute brain injury.

"To us, the acute phase is the most critical, and with the help of these biomarkers, we can assess how severe the injury isand what's more, we can arrive at a prognosis of the outcome for the patient going forward," says Andras Buki, previously responsible for organizing neuro-surgical care for patients in the Pecs region, with a population of one million, in Hungary.

"It may be that in some cases, even a milder concussion can cause long-term and serious trauma. And we'll be able to see that by taking a blood sample," says Matej Oresic.

People sustaining milder brain injury often experience tiredness, memory loss and problems with their balance even long after the accident. This applies not least to athletes who often sustain repeated concussions, and these may have major consequences.

"Currently, we have no tools for a straightforward assessment of when an athlete can go back to training or competing following a concussion. Not everyone can get an MRI scanbut a blood sample would enable us to increase testing capacity," says Andras Buki.

"If we look at heart patients, there are significantly more tools available with which to assess them. We hope that we're now on a path towards better treatmentand researchalso for neuro patients," says Andras Buki.

More information: Ilias Thomas et al, Serum metabolome associated with severity of acute traumatic brain injury, Nature Communications (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30227-5 Journal information: Nature Communications Ilias Thomas et al, Serum metabolome associated with severity of acute traumatic brain injury,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30227-5

Provided by Orebro Universitet
MIRO1/2 alterations in cancer. A, The TCGA database was interrogated for MIRO1/2 mRNA expression across tumor types. PanCA, PanCancer. B, Relative expression of MIRO1/2 mRNA in cancer versus normal adjacent tissues on the prostate TCGA PanCancer study. C, KaplanMeier analyses based on MIRO1/2 mRNA expression in human primary tumor samples. Datasets were split at quartiles (Q), where Q4>Q3>Q2>Q1. Q1 versus Q4 curves were compared with a MantelCox test. HR was calculated with a Cox proportional hazards regression model. DFS, disease-free survival; mo, months. D,MIRO1/2 expression according to disease free status. R/P, recurred/progressed. NS, not significant. ***, P < 0.0001 by t test with Welch correction. E, Violin plots depicting MIRO2 expression among the Prostate TCGA dataset according to Gleason grade were generated using CANCERTOOL. GS, Gleason score. Groups were compared by ANOVA. F, The DepMap portal was searched for genetic cancer dependency on MIRO2. Gene effect scores are derived from DEMETER2 or CERES, with lower scores meaning a cell line is more likely to be dependent in the gene. A score of 0 represents nonessential genes, while -1 corresponds to the median of all common essential genes. G, Dependency scores in prostate cancer cell lines subject to RNAi or CRISPR-mediated depletion of MIRO2. Credit: Molecular Cancer Research (2022). DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-21-0374

Hormone therapy is often used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, but many patients develop resistance to hormone therapy, causing their disease to become more aggressive and potentially more deadly.

"One of the big challenges we have in the field is that the majority of prostate cancer therapies target hormonesthe androgen axis," says University of Colorado Cancer Center mentored member Cecilia Caino, Ph.D. "But nearly all patients develop resistance to those drugs and then get a more aggressive disease that starts moving to other parts of the body. It's been confined to the prostate, but now it might move over to the bones or the liver, or the lungs. That's really a big problem, because when you start to compromise the vital organs, the patient eventually will die."

In spring 2021, Caino received an Idea Award from the U.S. Department of Defense's Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program to investigate the role of mitochondriathe small energy factories in cells that help to break down food into fuelin metastatic prostate cancer.

In initial research recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research, Caino and her co-investigators discovered that tumor cells use mitochondria to control their growth and detect stress that can destroy a tumor cell if it is not controlled. In addition to the Department of Defense, the research is funded by the American Cancer Society, the Boettcher Foundation, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

"We know that tumor cells are very resistant to stress in general; that's what makes them so hard to target with therapies," Caino says. "But when the tumors grow too fast, they start running out of nutrients to keep building. They utilize this mitochondrial pathway that we describe to slow down for a moment, adapt, and expand their capacity to synthesize more blocks to build the cells."

A compound to target

Caino and her team also found that a mitochondrial protein called MIRO2 is overexpressed in metastatic prostate cancer tumors. Having previously found that MIRO2 works together with two other proteins called GCN1 and GCN2 to help metastatic prostate cancer cells tolerate conditions where growth of normal cells would be prevented, Caino now hypothesizes that targeting this protein compound can inhibit the mitochondrial process that prevents tumor cells from destroying themselves by expanding too quickly.

"Our next step is to treat animal models that have metastases and see if we can eliminate the tumor or prevent the metastasis from even occurring in the first place," she says. "We're also learning a lot more about the complex, because we want to know how it's regulated. That will help us stratify patients who will benefit from the therapy from those who will not."

The researchers will start out treating the metastasis with an existing drug used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia, but Caino also hopes to eventually design a drug that would prevent the complex from forming in the first place.

"A lot of times drugs work for a while, then they stop working. You already have to be thinking about what you're going to do when that drug doesn't work anymore," she says. "Hopefully we can come up with a strategy to stop the process farther upstream."

Milestone research

Caino is especially excited about this research as it represents her first peer-reviewed paper as a senior corresponding author. It also marks 22 years from her first experience in lab research.

"I decided to start a new line of research that did not stem directly from my postdoctoral studies," she says. "I also chose to begin my lab with a couple of graduate students and a technician, investing in their training while remaining involved in bench work myself. Walking this long, winding road was challenging and called upon every single skill and strength I had."

Explore further Tissue-engineered prostate tumours shed light on cancer spread

More information: Madison Furnish et al, MIRO2 Regulates Prostate Cancer Cell Growth via GCN1-Dependent Stress Signaling, Molecular Cancer Research (2022). Journal information: Molecular Cancer Research Madison Furnish et al, MIRO2 Regulates Prostate Cancer Cell Growth via GCN1-Dependent Stress Signaling,(2022). DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-21-0374
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Wildfires can decimate forests, destroy communities and fill the air with noxious smokebut their impact may be even more far-reaching, affecting the health of babies in the womb.

A recent study co-authored by Matthew Adams of the University of Toronto Mississauga suggests that wildfire smoke can affect women in the first trimester of pregnancy, increasing the risk of low birth weight in full-term babies. Other studies have associated a low full-term birth weight with conditions later in life, including hypertension, low IQ, diabetes and heart disease

Adams, an assistant professor in U of T Mississauga's department of geography, geomatics and environment, co-wrote the study with researchers from Brazil, Denmark and the U.S. Their paper appeared in The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas this spring.

The researchers conducted a statistical analysis based on wildfire records and birth data from Brazil, a wildfire hotspot responsible for an estimated 12 to 16% of global, wildfire-related particulate emissions. The southern region of Brazil had the highest risk of low birth weight associated with wildfire exposure, with a nearly 19 percent increase when the exposure happened in the first semester.

"Given that wildfire is a growing problem in several regions worldwide, especially in Brazila fire-prone region, the epidemiological evidence shown in our study should be of great concern to the public health community and policymakers," the researchers say.

The researchers studied 1.6 million birth records from across Brazil between 2001 and 2018, and analyzed wildfire smoke that occurred throughout that timeframe.

They found that mothers who were exposed to wildfire smoke in their first trimester of pregnancy were more likely to have a baby born with a low birth weightunder 2,500 grams or roughly 5.5 pounds.

"I was surprised that the effect was so prevalent in the first trimester, but not in the second or third," Adams says. "The thing we still don't know is why. From a policy perspective, it doesn't really matter why," he said. "We know the smoke is toxic, and we see this effect."

He says the researchers were also surprised to find that some areas of Brazil had higher rates of low birth weight than others.

"We saw the effects changing across time and across space. We wondered: why do areas in the north of Brazil and the south of Brazil seem to have different effects? You would think it would be the same," says Adams, who is the geographic information system (GIS) program director.

"I think this is important as we do more and more of these studies in different geographic regions, to recognize that the effects may change across space. That's why it will be worthwhile to look at them geographically and across time."

He adds that there has been previous research linking air pollution with low birth weight, but there are not many current studies about the association between wildfire smoke exposure and low birth weight.

Going forward, Adams says this may be an area of research that needs further study, especially as climate change creates drier conditions increasing the risk of wildfires in North America and elsewhere.

"The thing that's interesting about particles in wildfire smoke is the toxicity can be different," Adams says, adding that particles from wildfire smoke can include manufactured objects like metals and plastics that can release toxic components into the air.

"When you have wildfires associated with man-made structures, which is what we see in North America, we see these wildfires very often encroaching on communities and burning people's homes. It's not just burning the tree matteryou are burning lots of nasty compounds that are embedded in the structure of those man-made buildings."

Adams says he would like to replicate the research in Canada, which is seeing more wildfires.

"With climate change, we are having these major wildfire events that maybe weren't so common 20 or 30 years ago. I think it's important for the Brazilian context, but I think it can really translate to a broader spatial scale for areas that have become more fire-prone," he says.

Adams hopes his research will encourage policies that reduce exposure to air contaminants.

"We know a lot of the things we need to change," Adams says. "But when we start thinking about climate-related aspects, and looking at the clock, we don't have an infinite amount of time to address many of these issues."

Explore further More than 47,000 Brazilians hospitalized by exposure to wildfire air pollution every year

More information: Weeberb J. Requia et al, Birth weight following pregnancy wildfire smoke exposure in more than 1.5 million newborns in Brazil: A nationwide case-control study, The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas (2022). Weeberb J. Requia et al, Birth weight following pregnancy wildfire smoke exposure in more than 1.5 million newborns in Brazil: A nationwide case-control study,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100229
TUESDAY, May 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with autism have high rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and shots, a new study shows.

That's good news, because autistic adults have multiple risk factors for COVID-19 infection and for more severe illness if they contract the disease, the researchers said.

"Reaching this group effectively in public health messaging about vaccination is critical," said study co-author Kaitlin Koffer Miller, from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

To find out if public health messages about the importance of getting vaccinated have reached adults with autism, the authors sent online surveys to 431 autistic adults in Pennsylvania who had participated in previous research.

The responses were collected between March and August 2021. They showed that about 78% of survey respondents said they had received or intended to get a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 55% said that they had received at least one dose.

In comparison, 42% of the overall adult population in Pennsylvania had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of the median response date for the survey (April 2, 2021), according to the study. The findings were published in the journal Vaccine.

Among adults with autism, vaccine accepters "were more likely to report increased loneliness during COVID-19, live in more populated counties and in counties won by President Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election," said Koffer Miller. She's director of policy impact with the Drexel Autism Institute Policy and Analytics Center.

"Positive relationships were found between wanting to protect others from COVID-19, concern about getting COVID-19 and trusting the safety of the vaccines," Koffer Miller said in a university news release.

Concern about vaccine safety was common among those who were vaccine hesitant.

The findings can help guide efforts to increase vaccination rates among people with autism, according to the researchers.

"By understanding reasons for vaccine hesitancy -- for example, concerns about vaccine safety -- or vaccine acceptance, such as feelings of increased loneliness, amongst autistic adult respondents can help drive more effective public health messaging and vaccine outreach to this population," Koffer Miller said.

The study suggests ways that public health agencies can promote vaccination to people with autism, including using visual methods such as social stories, which explain social situations to help autistic people learn socially appropriate behavior and responses.

More information

The Autism Society has more on COVID-19.

SOURCE: Drexel University, news release, May 3, 2022

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Sabic is participating as a platinum sponsor in the International Conference and Exhibition for Education (ICEE) 2022 being organized by the Ministry of Education at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.



The event is being held from May 8-11 under the theme Education in the Time of Crises: Opportunities and Challenges.



Many decision-makers, experts and investors in the educational sector and other stakeholders will participate in the event.



Yousef Al-Benyan, Sabic Vice Chairman and CEO, participated in the opening session of the event. Sabic was honoured by the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, for sponsoring the event and contributing to its activities and objectives.



Sabic's booth will present the company's experience in the fields of education and training, exchange experiences with representatives of participating parties and visitors, and discuss opportunities for cooperation with educational institutions.



Sabic will hold workshops to highlight its internal initiative, The New Norm, launched in mid-2020, which represents a continuous journey to develop the capacities and skills necessary to improve employees capabilities and enrich productivity. It will also highlight the companys experience in research and technology centres and the application of virtual and interactive learning approaches.



Sabic aims to highlight its contribution to achieving Vision 2030 by developing human resources and raising their scientific and practical capabilities. This also complements the efforts of the companys scholarship and training programs to raise the efficiency of youth and qualify future leaders.  TradeArabia News Service
TUESDAY, May 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to potentially harmful chemicals is on the rise among pregnant women in the United States, a new study warns.

"This is the first time we've been able to measure the amounts of chemicals in such a large and diverse group of pregnant women  not just identify chemicals," senior study author Tracey Woodruff, director of the University of California, San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, said in a university news release.

For the study, Woodruff's team analyzed 12 years of urine samples from 171 women in California, Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York and Puerto Rico enrolled in the U.S. National Institutes of Health Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program.

About one-third (34%) were white, 40% were Hispanic, 20% were Black, and the remaining 6% were from other or multiple groups.

The study authors checked the urine samples for 103 chemicals, mostly from pesticides, plastics and replacement chemicals for BPA and phthalates.

More than 80% of the chemicals were found in at least one of the women in the study and more than one-third were found in a majority of the women. Some of these chemicals were present in higher amounts than seen in earlier studies, the researchers reported.

Many of the chemicals that the women had been exposed to were new forms of chemicals that have been banned or phased out, but that may be just as harmful as the ones they replaced.

The researchers also found many of the women had been exposed to neonicotinoids, a kind of pesticide that is toxic to bees, according to the study published online May 10 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Non-white women, those with lower levels of education, those who were single and those who had been exposed to tobacco had higher levels of overall chemical exposure, the findings showed.

Hispanics had especially high levels of parabens, which are used as preservatives, as well as phthalates and bisphenols, which are used in plastics.

"While pesticides and replacement chemicals were prevalent in all women, we were surprised to find that Latinas had substantially higher levels of parabens, phthalates and bisphenols," said study first author Jessie Buckley. She is an associate professor of environmental health and engineering and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.

"This could be the result of higher exposures to products with chemicals, such as processed foods or personal care products," Buckley suggested.

Exposure to chemicals can come from air, food, water, plastics and other industrial and consumer products. Although these chemicals can pose risks to pregnancy and child development, few are routinely monitored in people, the study authors noted.

More information

The U.S. Office on Women's Health offers pregnancy health and safety tips.

SOURCE: University of California, San Francisco, news release, May 10, 2022

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TUESDAY, May 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Colonoscopies in younger women can significantly cut their risk of colon cancer, a new study claims.

"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," noted senior study author Dr. Andrew Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. While the overall number of colon cancer cases has declined, the rate among people younger than 50 rose by 51% between 1974 and 2013.

In recent years, the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have recommended colon cancer screening begin at age 45.

Chan and his colleagues analyzed data from nearly 112,000 U.S. women in the Nurses Health Study II. They found that women who started screening at age 45 had a 50% to 60% lower risk of developing colon cancer than those who had no screening.

Also, those who started screening at ages 45 to 49 had much lower rates of colon cancer through age 60 than those who began screening at ages 50 to 54, according to the study.

While the findings are from women, the same benefits likely apply to men, according to Chan.

"Our work provides first-of-its-kind data to show that initiating screening at a younger age can reduce an individuals risk of colorectal cancer and the populations overall incidence of cancer, thus demonstrating the substantial impact of earlier screening on both individual and population-wide scales," Chan said in a hospital news release.

The findings were published May 5 in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Colonoscopy is an invasive procedure, but noninvasive stool-based screening tests are also available.

"Any trepidation that clinicians might have had about the effectiveness of CRC [colon cancer] screening at a younger age will hopefully be allayed by these results," Chan said.

"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," he said.

More information

There's more about colon cancer screening at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

SOURCE: Massachusetts General Hospital, news release, May 5, 2022

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Rivers in western Montana are expected to crest in the coming weeks and several groups are trying to stave off an environmental disaster at the Reserve Street Bridge in Missoula.

Used by scores of unsheltered people for years, much of the land beneath the bridge is owned by the Montana Department of Transportation. It has been inundated with trash and camping supplies that threaten to spill into the water as the spring floods arrive.

Missoula, like most places in Montana and across the country, has been dealing with a severe affordable housing crisis in the last decade. The pandemic also forced more people to sleep unsheltered for their own safety. As a result, the Reserve Street Bridge land has continued to see use even as the city and county have worked with other agencies to open up legal and sanitary camping spots nearby.

On Tuesday, the Missoula County commissioners signed off on a letter to the Department of Transportation as a way of starting action.

In light of the environmental concerns MDT raised in its recently filed court action, Missoula County is writing to request MDTs permission to access the property under the Reserve Street Bridge and to offer County resources, such as staffing and equipment, to assist with cleanup of the property ahead of spring runoff raising water levels on the Clark Fork River, the commissioners wrote.

The commissioners also asked to be allowed to inspect the property personally.

It is our understanding that volunteers from the Missoula County community have been on site regularly to assist with cleanup, continued commissioners Dave Strohmaier, Juanita Vero and Josh Slotnick. If the opportunity arises in the near future, County personnel would like to accompany these volunteers to visually inspect the status of the environmental situation and assist with cleanup where appropriate.

Earlier this spring, the Montana Department of Transportation sued 100 anonymous people living under the bridge in order to gain the legal authority to mitigate the unsafe and unsanitary conditions under the bridge. Because of a Ninth Circuit Court ruling last year that prohibits the criminalization of homelessness, the department has to get a judges ruling in order to compassionately clear the land without arresting people.

The complaint states that over the past several years, Missoula residents experiencing homelessness have erected an unauthorized encampment on the property that had 140 people living there at its peak. That number has since dwindled, but much trash and many structures remain. There are no toilets, running water or garbage removal services on the site.

Defendants are aware there is safe and lawful alternative housing available at the newly established transitional housing behind Super Walmart on Mullan Road in Missoula only a short distance from the property, the complaint states. However, they have returned and are presently occupying the property unlawfully.

The Reserve Street Public Working Group, a citizen volunteer group led by Kevin Davis, has conducted three separate cleanups of the land under the bridge in recent weeks.

Davis said the group has removed several tons of garbage.

In a meeting about the situation on Tuesday, Dr. Vicki Watson, a professor emeritus of environmental studies at the University of Montana, called the situation under the bridge an environmental disaster.

Theres just gobs of trash, she said.

She and other volunteers described finding huge piles of garbage, lots of used hypodermic needles and large gas canisters. Much of the debris, including human waste and plastic, has been found within a few feet of the rising Clark Fork River that flows next to the property.

Watson said shes extremely disappointed with all the infighting among various agencies about who is responsible for cleaning up the land. She noted that the U.S. has clean water laws and the Montana Constitution guarantees every citizen a right to a healthy environment.

The Reserve Street volunteer group and has another cleanup scheduled for this Friday, May 13. For more information visit online at Facebook.com/MissoulaReserveSt/events/.

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There's no money for it yet, but Missoula is one step away from full approval of the conceptual designs for a proposed new city-owned community center at McCormick Park.

Called the Currents Center for Recreation and Creativity, the facility is still in the planning stages. No definitive funding source has been identified. City officials have in the past estimated the 84,600-square-foot project would cost roughly $44.5 million and would be built on the north side of the Currents Aquatic Center.

It would be a year-round, indoor gathering space for sports, community dances, nonprofit service group functions and theater performances.

Last week, the City Council's Climate, Conservation and Parks Committee approved the design and set a public hearing for May 23. At that meeting, the full City Council will vote on giving the designs the final go-ahead.

"This is just to approve the conceptual drawing," noted council member Amber Sherrill. "This is not to approve funding. It's really nothing other than saying we are approving these conceptual drawings of this plan."

Parks and Recreation Director Donna Gaukler said her office wanted the council to approve the drawings as a way to better engage the public.

"What that gets us, as you well know, is much broader advertising," Gaukler said. "And I think it sends a message to the public that the council is considering something that does have community-wide significance."

Through a years-long process of seeking public input, Gaukler said that her department found that Missoulians want to see an all-ages structure that can host community events.

"There's been a clear demand for a facility like this as our community grows," she said.

The designs show a multi-purpose facility that could host plays, ballroom dances and other all-ages events. Gaukler noted that it's not intended to duplicate what concert venues like the Wilma currently provide.

"This is for residents, by residents and about residents," she said. "It's not for tourists."

Because the facility would be open for 10-12 hours a day for 360 days a year, it would provide a much-needed indoor space with clean air during the wildfire season and during inclement winter weather. Many events that are currently hosted outdoors around Missoula could now move under a roof, she said.

"The goal is to create a multi-purpose Missoula community center centrally located in McCormick Park that serves to provide access to a multi-generational, year-round, affordable public facility," Gaukler said. "There are many of our residents who do not have access to clean air on a regular basis."

Substation makeover

In the same meeting, the committee gave the green light to wrapping a utilitarian downtown Missoula power infrastructure facility with public art.

The members voted unanimously to approve a license agreement with NorthWestern Energy to lease a yet-to-be constructed wall around its electric power substation next to Caras Park for $2,500 a year. The wall would then be used as a place for the installation of public art, with submissions reviewed by the citys Public Art Committee.

This is a great opportunity to expand our public art inventory, explained council member Mirtha Becerra. This would further the goals of the Downtown Master Plan and the North Riverside Parks and Trails Plan to include big art. And its an opportunity to engage local artists and diversify the type of art that we have in the community as well.

The large substation has been in continuous service since the 1920s and is located in the parking lot just to the south of the Millennium Building. NorthWestern Energy plans to totally rebuild the facility to provide improved reliability and increased capacity. Construction starts in May and ends around December. A temporary substation has been put in place while work is underway.

Gaukler said that they negotiated the lease amount down from six times the final number.

She said NorthWestern was concerned about the costs associated with building a wall thats appropriate for art.

Council member Daniel Carlino said NorthWestern does a lot of propaganda advertising. For example, he said that the company has billboards promoting the importance of clean rivers while working to build gas pipelines under rivers in Montana.

The energy company wont actively have a vote in what gets chosen, but council member Heidi West noted the company will probably have veto power.

Gaukler added NorthWestern wont have a say in what gets put on the wall, but the company wanted to be sure whatever art is chosen for the wall isnt something that portrays NorthWestern Energy in a negative way.

Sherrill said that the city council will have other opportunities to vet which artists are chosen if public funds are used to pay a stipend to the artist.

I love this, Sherrill said. Ive recently been in different cities and I noticed how they have entire sides of buildings painted. I noticed they are timely as far as topics that are important to community and a beautiful and amazing way to get local artists involved.

The lease agreement will still have to be approved by the full City Council at a future meeting.

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Pillen beats Trump's candidate in Nebraska governor primary

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska hog farm owner and veterinarian Jim Pillen has won the states crowded Republican primary race for governor, overcoming another conservative endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Pillen defeated the Trump-backed Charles Herbster, an agribusinessman with strong ties to the former president. He also beat state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser who emerged as a strong contender late in the contest and was generally viewed as a more moderate choice. Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne.

Trump-backed US Rep. Alex Mooney wins W.Va. GOP primary

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Congressman Alex Mooney has won the Republican nomination for one of West Virginias two seats in the U.S. House. Former President Donald Trump had endorsed Mooney instead of another Republican incumbent, congressman David McKinley, who has represented West Virginia in the House since 2011. Trump and Mooney sharply criticized McKinley for being one of 13 Republicans to vote in favor of President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. McKinley bet that infrastructure improvements would matter more to voters than Trumps endorsement in one of the nations poorest states. The incumbents were pitted against each other after population losses cost West Virginia a House seat.

Russia pummels port of Odesa in attempt to disrupt supplies

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments. Meanwhile, Ukraines foreign minister appeared Tuesday to suggest that the country could expand its war aims. With the war now in its 11th week, Kyiv has bogged down Russian forces and even staged a counteroffensive. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion. The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

Musk says he would reverse Twitter's ban of Donald Trump

LONDON (AP)  Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters ban of former President Donald Trump if his deal to buy the social media company goes through. Musk, speaking virtually at an auto conference, said Twitters Trump ban was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme. He said bans of Twitter accounts should be rare and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots. Musk earlier gave his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the blocs single market chief.

House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House has emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package that beefs up President Joe Bidens initial request. The measure signals a magnified U.S. commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion. The bill won wide bipartisan support. It contains $7 billion more than Bidens plan from last month, evenly divided between defense and humanitarian programs. The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust crop production.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct

BOSTON (AP)  Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been cleared of sexual misconduct following a criminal trial in Boston. A Boston Municipal Court judge found him not guilty Tuesday after a two-day trial in which the chef had waived his right to a jury trial. A woman had accused Batali of forcibly kissing and groping her while taking a selfie at a restaurant in 2017. But Batalis lawyer argued the accuser had a financial incentive to lie. Batali faced up to 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted. The 61-year-old former Food Network fixture's career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations from four women in 2017.

Political reality: Congress can't save  or end  abortion

WASHINGTON (AP)  After fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the political limits of its ability to act in either direction on the issue. President Joe Biden has called on Democrats to enshrine the Roe v. Wade abortion access protections into law. But a test vote Wednesday in the Senate is expected to fail, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster. At the same time, Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell face similar political problems trying to ban abortions nationwide, even if they wrest control of the chamber in the midterm elections. Instead, the Supreme Court's pending decision on the issue is igniting a new era of political fighting in Congress over abortion policy

Biden pushes 'ultra-MAGA' label on GOP as he defends record

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is warning voters unhappy with soaring inflation and his stalled domestic agenda against turning power over to ultra-MAGA Republicans in the midterm elections. The president is increasingly trying to cast former President Donald Trump and his adherents as a political foil. Speaking at the White House less than six months before the elections, Biden acknowledged that he could taste the countrys dissatisfaction with Washington, particularly over rising prices. The president sought to channel the anger against the GOP. Republican Sen. Rick Scott, a prime target of Biden's criticism, responded that it's the Democrats agenda that is "hurting American families and no amount of spin can change that.

Haitian gang leader charged in kidnapping of US missionaries

WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have charged the leader of a notoriously violent Haitian gang with conspiracy to commit hostage taking for his alleged role in the kidnapping of 16 Americans last year. Germine Joly, 29, is accused of leading the 400 Mawozo gang and is the first person charged in the U.S. in connection with the kidnapping of the missionaries last fall. He was extradited to the U.S. last week and faces separate charges in a firearms trafficking case. Prosecutors say Joly was in a Haitian prison during the kidnapping but had directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages release.

Most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian government scientists say 91% of the Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth mass event in seven years. Coral becomes bleached in warmer-than-usual waters, and scientists worry about potentially lasting damage to the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority says this year's bleaching is the first during a La Nina weather pattern, which is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures. Bleaching was more damaging in some years than others, and the authority's chief scientist David Wachenfeld says scientists hope that most of the coral bleached this year will recover.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative political neophyte, took office as South Koreas new president Tuesday with a vow to pursue a negotiated settlement of North Koreas threatening nuclear program and an offer of an audacious plan to improve Pyongyangs economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.

Yoon had promised a tougher stance on North Korea during his campaign but avoided tough words during his inaugural speech amid growing worries that the North is preparing for its first nuclear bomb test in nearly five years. North Korea has rejected similar past overtures by some of Yoon's predecessors that link incentives to progress in its denuclearization.

While North Koreas nuclear weapon programs are a threat, not only to our security but also to Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat, Yoon told a crowd gathered outside parliament in Seoul.

If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Koreas economy and improve the quality of life for its people, he said.

Yoon also addressed South Koreas growing economic problems, saying decaying job markets and a widening rich-poor gap are brewing a democratic crisis by stoking internal strife and discord and fueling a spread of anti-intellectualism as people lose their sense of community and belonging.

He said he would spur economic growth to heal the deep political divide and income equalities.

North Koreas advancing nuclear program is a vexing security challenge for Yoon, who won the March 9 election on a promise to strengthen South Koreas 70-year military alliance with the United States and build up its own missile capability to neutralize North Korean threats.

In recent months, North Korea has test-launched a spate of nuclear-capable missiles that could target South Korea, Japan and the mainland United States. Pyongyang appears to be trying to rattle Yoons government while modernizing its weapons arsenals and pressuring the Biden administration into relaxing sanctions on it. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently warned that his nuclear weapons wont be confined to their primary mission of deterring war if his national interests are threatened.

In a policy briefing earlier Tuesday, South Korea's military chief Won In-Choul told Yoon in a video conference that North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test if Kim decides to do so. Yoon then ordered military commanders to maintain firm readiness, saying that the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is very grave.

Other issues in the tough mix of foreign policy and domestic challenges facing Yoon are a U.S.-China rivalry and strained ties with Japan over history and trade disputes. South Korea is also bracing for the fallout of Russias war on Ukraine in global energy markets.

Chung Jin-young, a professor at Kyung Hee University, said South Korea must accept that it cannot force North Korea to denuclearize or ease the U.S.-China standoff. He said South Korea must instead focus on strengthening its defense capability and the U.S. alliance to make North Korea never dare to think about a nuclear attack on us. He said South Korea must also prevent ties with Beijing from worsening.

Yoon didnt mention Japan during his speech. During his campaign, Yoon repeatedly accused his liberal predecessor Moon Jae-in of exploiting Japan for domestic politics and stressed Tokyos strategic importance. But some experts say Yoon could end up in the same policy rut as Moon, considering the countries deep disagreements over sensitive history issues such as Tokyos wartime mobilization of Korean laborers and sex slaves.

Some of Yoons major domestic policies may face an impasse in parliament, which will remain controlled by liberal lawmakers ahead of general elections in 2024. Yoon must also rebuild South Koreas pandemic response, shaken by a massive omicron surge in recent months.

Hes been also been denied a honeymoon period. Surveys show less than 60% of respondents expect he will do well in his presidency, an unusually low figure compared to his predecessors, who mostly received about 80%-90% before they entered office. His approval rating as a president-elect was 41%, according to a survey by Gallup Korea released last week that put then President Moon's rating at 45%.

Yoons low popularity is blamed in part on an acute divide between conservatives and liberals and on contentious policies and Cabinet picks. Some experts say Yoon also hasnt shown a clear vision for how to navigate South Korea past the foreign policy and domestic challenges.

Yoon won the election by a historically narrow margin after largely catering to public frustration over Moons setbacks in economic policies, which were criticized for letting house prices and personal debt soar out of control and failing to create enough jobs. Yoon focused much of his message on young males who resented the loss of traditional privileges in a hyper-competitive job market and their dimmed prospects for marriage and parenthood, although his campaign was criticized for ignoring the plight of women.

The challenges that Yoon has at the start of his presidency are the toughest and the most unfavorable ones among South Korean presidents elected since the late 1980s, a period viewed as the start of the countrys genuine democracy after decades of dictatorship, said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership.

In recent weeks, Yoon has invited criticism  even from some of his conservative supporters  by moving his offices from the mountainside Blue House presidential palace. Yoon said moving to the capitals center is meant to better communicate with the public, but critics question why he has made it a priority when he has so many other urgent issues to tackle.

Yoon, 61, was prosecutor-general for Moon before he resigned and joined the main conservative opposition party last year following internal feuding with Moons political allies.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russias invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this, Pelosi said. Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country, Pelosi said.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day

 Russian ambassador to Poland hit with red paint

 Russia marks WWII victory overshadowed by Ukraine

 More than 60 feared dead in bombing of Ukrainian school

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Europe, as it did in World War II, once again has to think about the price to be paid for peace on the continent.

Zelenskyy added that Europe has to think about the price to be paid by Russia for bringing the evil of total war to Europe again.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said history will hold Russia responsible.

And we, Ukrainians, will continue to work toward our defense, our victory and on restoring justice. Today, tomorrow and any other day that is necessary to free Ukraine from the occupiers, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy ended his radio address by thanking all those defending the country and promising that the Ukrainian flag will one day once again fly over all of its cities.

The Ukrainian flag will return. Because this is our country. A free European country, Zelenskyy said.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles from the air at Odesa on Monday night, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse.

One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

While seeking strategic targets, obsolete missiles managed to hit an extremely dangerous shopping center and a warehouse for consumer goods, Natalya Gumenyuk, a military spokeswoman, said on Facebook.

Photos on the post showed what appeared to be the warehouse engulfed in flames.



WASHINGTON  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine on Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on V-E day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender and Russias biggest patriotic holiday, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, not even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together in a rare bipartisan fashion. Other measures, including calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support.

WASHINGTON  Lithuanias top diplomat said Monday that removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the U.S. and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Putins annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the Ukraine war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place, Landsbergis said.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger, he said. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in Ukraine started, it is that Russia is an aggressive country. Thats very clear.

Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states that among NATO allies are particularly concerned about possible Russian designs on forcefully returning them to Moscows rule. Lithuanian officials, including Landsbergis have been especially outspoken about their fears but his overt calls for regime change go beyond what most NATO allies have been willing to express.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  The first telephone call Jill Biden made from her black SUV after an unannounced meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart inside the embattled country was to her husband, President Joe Biden.

Biden and Olena Zelenska, who had not been seen in public since President Vladimir Putin sent Russias military into her country nearly 11 weeks ago, had just spent about two hours together at a school in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

With her visit to the Ukraine war zone, the U.S. first lady was able to act as a second pair of eyes and ears for the president, who so far has been unable to visit the country himself.

Sometimes the first lady is able to do things and get into places where the president cant, said Myra Gutin, author of The Presidents Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century.

Jill Biden wrapped up her four-day trip to Eastern Europe on Monday after meeting in Bratislava with Zuzana Caputova, Slovakias first female president. Her trip over the border on Sunday to meet with Zelenska and refugees from elsewhere in Ukraine was a highpoint of the visit.

Seated across from Caputova, Jill Biden said she told her husband in their phone call just how much I saw the need to support the people of Ukraine and about the horrors and the brutality that the people I had met had experienced.

BERLIN  The leaders of Germany and France welcomed the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin didnt announce any steps to expand the war in Ukraine, including to other countries, in his speech marking the end of World War II.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that it important there had been no escalation, at least as far as the rhetoric is concerned in Putins Victory Day speech. What actually happens in Ukraine is something well see in the next days and weeks.

His comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that the goal of diplomatic efforts remains a cease-fire in Ukraine.

In effect, today was marked by no verbal escalation nor a geographic escalation nor an escalation in the use of arms he said. Is this sufficient for us? No.

We will remain concentrated on our only goal, do all to get a cease-fire and help Ukraine to negotiate under the terms it decides for itself, because we are on the side of sovereignty and Ukrainian territorial integrity, Macron said. No more, no less.

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russias war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldovas capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russias war in neighboring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The U.N. chiefs visit to Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldovas pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the regions state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-meter-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldovas sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

WASHINGTON  The United States is suspending 25% import taxes on Ukraines steel in a show of support for the countrys beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1% of U.S. steel exports.

Some of the countrys largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill thats the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people  we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being, Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel.

The steel levies were imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration, which deployed a little-used provision in U.S. trade law to call foreign steel a threat to American national security. The move outraged U.S. allies, and critics said they did little address the real cause of stress for U.S. steel producers: massive overproduction by the Chinese, whose steel shipments to the U.S. are already limited by other trade barriers.

The Biden administration has removed most of the tariffs on steel from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, allowing their metals to come in duty-free up to a quota. No such quota applies to the Ukrainian imports in the move announced Monday.

WARSAW, Poland  Polish officials say the country is ready to increase its energy assistance to neighboring Ukraine and provide steady deliveries.

Polands government ministers made the declaration Monday during a Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum attended also by other countries and by the International Energy Agency. Climate and Environment minister, Anna Moskwa, said a round-the clock effort is being set in motion to ensure energy security to Ukraine.

Poland has been supplying Ukraine with some energy and fuels ever since Russias Feb. 24 invasion. The level of the support is to be increased.

Ukraines first deputy minister for the economy, Yulia Sviridenko, said the country urgently needs diesel fuel and gasoline because Russias invading troops are destroying its fuels infrastructure, including a refinery.

Poland is in the process of cutting its dependence on Russian energy sources and increasing deliveries from other countries.

BRUSSELS  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to Hungary in a bid to secure unanimity on the EUs executive arms proposal to ban oil imports from Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said von der Leyen will meet with Hungary Prime minister Viktor Orban on Monday to discuss issues related to European security of energy supply.

Hungary has blocked progress in discussions to adopt the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine, and ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the new round of measures.

Von der Leyen has proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Hungary says it will not vote for the proposed sanctions, saying it would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and would destroy its stable energy supply.

ODESA, Ukraine  The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has lamented that silos full of food for export is blocked in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which he visited on Monday.

The Ukrainian city has been the target of Russian missile attacks over recent days.

In a tweet, Michel said he was with Ukraines prime minister examining the wars effect on the port.

I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, Michel wrote. This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response.

Ukraine is a global grain exporter, and U.N. officials have warned that failure for those products to ship will hurt food security in importing countries, especially poorer ones in Africa and elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement said he spoke with Michel during the Odesa visit. It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russias aggressive actions, Zelenskyy said. Immediate measures must be taken to unlock Ukrainian ports for wheat exports.

ROME  The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow patriarch has made a personal and faith-based appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for safe passage to Ukrainian soldiers defending the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Metropolitan Onufry recalled in an open letter Monday that Putins own family survived the siege of Leningrad in the 1940s. He said Putins relatives experienced what it is like to live in isolation from the great land, under constant bombardment, without food, water, medicine, when death can come at any moment from the impact of a heavy weapon, hunger or lack of medical care.

He said the civilians and soldiers of Mariupol are in the same situation today, a reference to the Ukrainian troops still defending the Azovstal steel mill. He wrote: We hope that you will Christianly agree to the extraction procedure for the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol, and give the opportunity to surrounded civilians, police, border guards and the military to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine or the territory of third countries.

Onufrys church enjoys broad autonomy but is loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church and its patriarch, Kirill. It is separate from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which split into an independent church in 2019.

BERLIN  The Russian ambassador in Berlin used a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the end of World War II to repeat Moscows claims that it is fighting against Nazism in Ukraine.

Sergey Nechaev told reporters Monday that Ukraine will be de-nazified for sure.

It will succeed, he said. We need a peace without Nazism, in Ukraine and in Europe.

The diplomat also cited a need for good cooperation, of course, but at eye level, without ultimatums and without threats and without sanctions.

The occasion was the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germanys defeat, traditionally celebrated by Russia on May 9.

A small group of people waved Russian and Soviet flags, despite a ban on doing so by Berlin police, imposed to prevent violence between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters.

WARSAW, Poland  Protesters threw what appeared to be red paint, to symbolize blood, at the Russian ambassador as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Ambassador Ambassador Sergey Andreev came to the Soviet soldiers cemetery to lay flowers. A group of activists opposed to Russias war in Ukraine were waiting for him.

The protesters carried Ukrainian flags, while some were dressed in white sheets smeared with a red color, symbolizing the Ukrainian victims of Russias war. Other men in the diplomats entourage were also seen splattered with what appeared to be red paint.

BRUSSELS  The European Commission will aim to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraines bid to become a member of the European Union.

The 27 EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Moscow since the start of the war in February. But leaders are divided on how fast Brussels could move to accept Ukraine as a member.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on Twitter that she discussed Monday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy EU support and Ukraines European pathway. Looking forward to receiving the answers to the EU membership questionnaire.

For now, Ukraine has an Association Agreement with the EU, which includes a far-reaching free trade pact and helps to modernize Ukraines economy.

The Ukrainian fast-track bid could take years, with unanimity among current members required to include a new member.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video address to the war-ravaged nation on Monday, marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in the World War II, and promising that Ukraine will soon have two Victory Days.

We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II. Where more than 8 million Ukrainians died. And every fifth Ukrainian didnt return home. In total, the war claimed at least 50 million lives, Zelenskyy said. We dont say we can repeat.

Zelenskyy stressed that soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then, we will win now, too, he said, in reference to Russias war against Ukraine.

MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast Moscows military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies.

Speaking Monday at a military parade marking the World War II victory over the Nazis, Putin drew parallels between the Red Armys fighting against the Nazi troops and the Russian forces action in Ukraine.

He said the campaign in Ukraine was a timely and necessary move to ward off what he described as an absolutely unacceptable threat just next to our borders.

The danger was rising he said, adding that Russia has preemptively repulsed an aggression in what he described as a forced, timely and the only correct decision by a sovereign, powerful and independent country.

The Russian leader again scolded the West for failing to heed Russian demands for security guarantees and a rollback to NATOs expansion, arguing that it left Moscow no other choice but to launch an action in Ukraine.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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While Montanas new western congressional district has captured the most attention during this election cycle, dozens of down-ballot primary races are playing out more quietly across the state, carrying major implications for the 2023 legislative session.

Republicans are almost certain to maintain their grip on the Legislature, which strengthened to near-supermajority status following the Montana GOPs historic success in the 2020 election. With a Republican in the governors office through 2024 at least, that means those primaries will determine what legislative priorities are possible next year, from reshaping elections to the future of abortion rights in the state.

Rob Saldin, a University of Montana political science professor, sees Montanas legislative races as increasingly tied to the national political conversation.

"In a simplistic kind of way, are you a Trump-style Republican, or not? Clearly that's where the energy is," Saldin said in a recent interview. "... It's much more about the hot-button cultural issues now than it has been in the past and so that just sort of reflects, I think, that what it means to be a conservative has changed."

In few places is that divide starker than Senate District 20, which slices through a swath of eastern Montana from the Billings exurbs to the edge of Miles City. Even for Montana, its a deep shade of red; the last time a Democrat filed there was in 2014. He got less than 20% of the vote.

Rep. Barry Usher, a House majority whip and the hardline chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is facing Rep. Geraldine Custer, whose opposition to several high-profile GOP-backed bills has made her a frequent target of the partys right wing.

Usher, asked to name the top issues that GOP primary voters in the district care about, is quick to cite a pair of high-profile bills where his opponent cast no votes, breaking with the party line. One created stricter voter ID requirements, while the other would have prohibited transgender minors from undergoing gender-affirming surgery.

I think that this race comes down to looking at our voting records, Usher said. In a state where residents frequently trumpet their Montana family lineages, he doesnt think the fact he moved here from the East Coast matters to his would-be constituents. Whether or not youre a Montana-born native is irrelevant to whether you appreciate Montana values, and again, I think the campaign is about who votes your Montana values.

Custer acknowledges shes not the most conservative candidate on the ballot. But she thinks her lifelong roots in the district and track record of support for coal-related legislation will resonate with voters in Colstrip and Roundup, where the future of mining and burning coal plays a central role in local politics. She also spent more than three decades as the top elections official in Custer County, which informed her opposition to the final version of the voter ID bill.

Im a native Montanan and I was raised in agriculture. Its a big ag district and its also got Colstrip in it, she said. I kind of understand what the mine and the [Colstrip] power plant are facing.  Ive got the ingrained Montana values, neighbors helping neighbors. I dont know if everyone has that who wasnt raised that way.

Moving to the right

Last year, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte enabled GOP majorities in the House and Senate to enact a raft of conservative legislative priorities that had been foiled by the veto pens of Democratic governors for the previous eight sessions. Republicans in the Legislature are not a monolith, however, and members of the so-called Solutions Caucus, like Custer, successfully worked with Democrats to pass progressive legislation and block some right-wing proposals floated in recent sessions.

In 2019, the reauthorization of the states Medicaid expansion program barely squeaked through the Senate, with a handful of GOP moderates securing a 26-24 vote to keep the bill alive. Last session, a bill that sought to ignore federal laws if the state deems them unconstitutional  sometimes referred to as a federal nullification policy  was narrowly defeated in the state House, 47-52. Hard-line Republicans have indicated theyll take another run at it next year.

And in recent months, centrist Republicans have fought off attempts by the right wing of their party to call a special session to address election security issues in the state, despite a lack of evidence that the voting system faces any immediate threat. Proposals like eliminating the use of vote-counting machines throughout the state are poised to surface during next years legislative session.

This year, 41 of the 126 legislative races in Montana feature contested primaries  32 in the House and nine in the Senate. Republicans are competing for nominations in 31 legislative races and 13 primaries have attracted multiple Democrats.

Divisions within the GOP are nothing new; that split had for more than a decade allowed Democrats to get policy priorities like Medicaid expansion, campaign finance reform and bipartisan budget deals to a governor willing to sign them into law. But theres been a steady effort by the partys right wing to use the primary elections to cleanse the GOP of its so-called Solutions Caucus of Republican lawmakers willing to work across the aisle. That was clearly illustrated by the 2020 primary cycle, which saw several high-profile moderate Republicans fall to more conservative opponents.

I think its been pretty effective, Saldin said. My sense was, two years ago it was kind of a mixed bag, maybe the conservatives came out a little on top.

He noted that the trend was also consistent on a statewide level, with GOP primary voters choosing Greg Gianforte and Austin Knudsen as nominees for governor and attorney general, respectively, over more centrist opponents in 2020.

Primary challengers

Still, primary ballots will offer many voters a broad menu of Republican flavors to choose from in June. GOP lawmakers seen by some as insufficiently conservative are facing primary challenges from the Bitterroot to the Hi-Line  although campaign finance reports indicate not all of those contenders are mounting serious efforts to unseat them.

Nine incumbent GOP candidates across the state are facing competitive primaries, although five of them include little-known challengers who have reported little to no contributions to their campaigns. While money doesn't always reflect voting outcomes, it's a good indication of support in the community.

St. Regis Rep. Denley Loge faces a challenge from local businessman Randy Mitchell, a Republican who announced his candidacy at a local "Red Pill Festival" last summer, where speakers and attendees gathered to discuss right-wing ideology and conspiracy theories. Mitchell hadn't reported receiving any contributions as of last month, although he has loaned himself several thousand dollars. Loge has attracted more than $13,000 in donations.

But at least three other centrist Republicans are facing relatively well-funded opponents. In Sen. Russ Tempel's sprawling Hi-Line district, Havre businessman Steve Chvilicek has picked up right-wing financial support from around the state in his bid to unseat Tempel. While the incumbent maintains a more than 2-to-1 lead in campaign contributions, Chvilicek argued in an interview that his opponent's voting record has turned off some local GOP voters.

"I'm conservative. I think Russ's voting record could be questioned," he said, adding, "I've been in the public eye, with being self-employed. People know me."

While declining to elaborate on any votes Tempel had taken, Chvilicek said he'd vote more consistently with the party. One local resident he talked to had been critical of Tempel as supporting mask mandates, Chvilicek said, though he acknowledged he didn't have any further specifics. That allegation came as a surprise to Tempel, who said he was "not a mask-wearer and didn't do any of that or promote it whatsoever."

"I do what I do, I guess No. 1, I try to vote for the people in my district, and if I can cover that, I vote for the state of Montana," Tempel said. He said he's gotten scant criticism about his voting record last session, although he said some people in his district weren't happy about his vote for reauthorizing Medicaid expansion in 2019.

"The reason I did vote for that, I represent Fort Benton, Big Sandy, Chester and Havre hospitals, and without that Medicaid money there'd probably be two or three of them out of business today," he said.

Elsewhere in the state, right-wing challengers are targeting Reps. Ross Fitzgerald, of Fairfield; Marta Bertoglio, of Clancy; and David Bedey, of Hamilton. And some hardline Republicans also face moderate opponents. First-term Rep. Braxton Mitchell, of Columbia Falls, is being challenged in his reelection bid by self-described "moderate" Lorena Wood. Rep. John Fuller, a right-wing Whitefish Republican known for bringing multiple bills last session that targeted transgender youth, has picked up an opponent in his bid for an open Senate seat in the lower Flathead Valley.

Paths to the nomination

Saldin, the UM professor, said that while national issues will play heavily into the outcomes of the legislative primaries, many tend to be decided by how well more conservative candidates can raise cash to paint their opponents as untrustworthy "Republicans In Name Only," or RINOs.

"The reality is that those negative attacks, negative advertisements tend to stick more in the minds of voters than do kind of positive, feel-good things," he said. "And money can be used real effectively to get those kinds of messages out, and so that can make a difference."

Outgoing Sen. Duane Ankney said logging extra time on the campaign trail and explaining his voting records face-to-face with voters was the key to his success as a long-time Solutions Caucus member. The termed-out Republican from Colstrip has created the vacancy that set up the GOP contest between Custer and Usher. Despite his maverick voting record that saw him break with his party on some of the most controversial bills of the past decade, he's never lost a reelection bid, including a 2014 primary against Usher.

Its not about sending out these postcards, its about meeting people and going where they meet, he said. I dont care if its a bar or a volunteer firemens pancake breakfast, whatever it is, its about facing the voters and talking to them.

Those postcards and other reminders of voting records could be a potent force for Usher, however. In one of the state's most expensive legislative primaries this cycle, he's raised more than $27,000, while Custer just cracked $10,000 as of her mid-April report.

Ankney also made a name for himself as arguably the state's most coal-friendly lawmaker  a critically important issue in the district. Both Usher and Custer have sought to paint themselves as champions of coal and the constituents whose livelihoods are tied to it.

It's the type of a nuanced, local issue that Saldin sees as going out of style for many primary voters.

I think thats one of the big stories in American politics, is how nationalized everything has become and its harder and harder for everyone  but maybe particularly members of the Legislature  to kind of carve out their own unique personal brand thats distinct from the party, he said. And in that sense were talking about the national party.

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America is exceptional because, unlike Russia, China and so many other countries, it has always been served by an independent, co-equal judicial branch, committed to the rule of law.

In America, and in Montana, we grow up knowing, that in a courtroom, hard-working people stand on a level playing field with the rich and politically powerful. We trust and rely on the integrity of the judiciary to resiliently, fairly, and independently apply the law.

Deliberate, organized attacks are now being made threatening the non-partisan integrity of our judges and our courts. They prefer partisan political agendas to the rule of law. They are led by extremists and lobbyists unsatisfied with a system that has refused to knuckle under to their ideology. They send out press releases and opinions baselessly maligning the judges of our district courts and the justices of the Montana Supreme Court. Now they are running candidates for judicial office who have carried their water for years, including against me.

Montana has seven Supreme Court justices and 50 district court judges. They come from the widest variety of backgrounds imaginable. These judges share the common belief that governments that abandon their independent judiciary and the rule of law are on a fast track to collapse.

I have served Montanans as a judge for nearly twenty years. I was originally appointed by a Republican Governor to serve as a District Court judge in Yellowstone County, and then by a Democratic Governor to serve as a Justice on the Montana Supreme Court. My hard-earned reputation of being fair and non-partisan is the result of issuing thousands of orders and opinions, in all types of cases, which applied the law according to the Constitution of the State of Montana, the statutes passed by the Montana Legislature, and established precedent of the Montana Supreme Court.

The Montana Supreme Court has the same reputation. Our performance is regularly evaluated by an independent survey conducted by the Montana Bar Association. The most recent survey, showed that more than 90% of respondents agree with the Courts overall performance, believed the published opinions of the Court clearly state the appropriate rule of law, identify and apply standards of review, and provide instruction on remand, and timely issue opinions in adversarial cases and overall completed its workload in a timely manner.

While these survey results are not a surprise, they are not taken for granted. With the leadership of Chief Justice McGrath, each Justice has worked to maintain very high standards of independence, integrity, accuracy, and timeliness. This helps Montana businesses, families, and communities thrive in a legal environment that is reliable, consistent, and based on the rule of law.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our 1972 Constitution, it is important we remember the Judiciary is a non-partisan, independent and co-equal branch of the government that ensures the protections of the Constitution apply to all Montanans.

The people of Montana are resilient, as is the integrity of our Constitution and the Montana Supreme Court. We must withstand the extreme partisanship and false flags being waged against the judiciary so that we can continue our work to improve the quality of life, equality of opportunity, and to secure the blessings of liberty for this and future generations.

Ingrid Gustafson is a Montana Supreme Court Justice.

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For women, our life course is determined by deciding whether we have children, how many we have, and with whom we have them. Obtaining a degree, having a career, volunteering in our communities, taking care of elderly parents, or raising kids are pursuits  what the Founders called the pursuits of happiness  that give our lives meaning. Our decision to be  or not be  a parent directly affects how we choose to make an impact on our world.

Women know these are self-evident truths. In the fall of 2021, SNL comedian Cecily Strong bravely explained that if she had not had an abortion at age 23, she would not be a professional comedian at age 37. Poignantly, six out of 10 women who have an abortion are already parents who lack resources to care for more children. Women are conditioned to keep these stories hidden, afraid that their reasons, their decisions will be judged harshly as glib, or selfish.

For 50 years, Roe v. Wade has shielded us from states that limited access to necessary abortion services. Based on a leaked draft, the Supreme Court is going backwards, arguing that It is time to...return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives.

When this happens, state restrictions will have an outsized impact on those who are low-income, live in rural areas, and are Native American. Those of us in these circumstances will not have the means to travel to states where abortion remains legal. Banning abortion will not end abortion. But abortion bans will cut short educations, end careers, and extinguish, for too many, the ability to live fully our one wild and precious life.

I am running for Congress to fight for policies that allow all of us the ability to make our world a better place, in our own way, and on our own terms.

First, Congress must codify Roes protections for all by passing the Womens Health Protection Act. This law will create a federal right to medical care, which will trump state efforts to limit abortion access.

Second, Congress can do more and actually prevent unwanted pregnancies by providing free contraception to all. In 2008, 60 percent of Colorado women, aged 15 to 24, who gave birth said that their pregnancy was unintended. Colorado responded by providing contraception to over 30,000 women. The results were dramatic. By 2019, teen abortion rates across the state dropped by 64%.

Third, Congress must support the families who want to have children. The annual cost of child care for infants can be as much as the cost of college tuition. Child care is 35% of some families budgets. President Biden and Congressional Democrats are pushing for the child tax credit, paid-family leave, affordable child care, and universal preschool. But not a single elected Congress member who calls themselves pro-life, supports these provisions.

Fourth, Congress must guarantee essential medical care. Today, close to 40% of all abortions in the U.S., and 75% in Montana, are produced with a pill that doctors can safely and effectively prescribe up until 10 weeks of pregnancy. However, Republican leaders in Montana and other states are restricting mail access to this medication. There is no medical or scientific reason to do so. Indeed, the same legislatures permit men to obtain over the Internet prescriptions for Viagra.

Yes, the Supreme Court looks ready to return to a time when states can limit abortion access. But that is not the last word. We have the next say. If elected to Congress, I will ensure that all of us have the means to set the course of our own destinies.

Monica Tranel grew up in eastern Montana with her nine siblings and is an attorney and candidate for Montanas U.S. House seat MT-01.

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Dubai-based dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, is featuring a stand dedicated to all of its operations at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the regions largest travel industry event, at Dubai World Trade Centre.



At the stand, located in the Middle East pavilion of ATM, dnata Travel Group brands with an enhanced presence include Arabian Adventures, Yalago, priohub, and Gold Medal, showcasing latest products and services to the global travel market, alongside marhaba, part of dnatas Airport Operations division, bringing its award-winning marhaba lounge experience from Dubai International airport to the Dubai World Trade Centre.



John Bevan, Divisional Senior Vice President at dnata Travel Group, commented: In 2022, demand for travel is at an all-time high as the world opens up for global tourists once again, and our air and travel services are booming. Locally, we have seen travel bookings grow here in the UAE for the summer break by almost 200% compared to 2021 levels, and we only anticipate this growth will continue.



Brands representing the dnata Travel Group include Arabian Adventures, one of the regions leading destination management companies, focused on ambitious growth plans across its operation in 2022, including its award-winning UAE-based desert safaris, tours and experiences, cruise handling, and events services. Yalago, one of the worlds fastest-growing global leisure bedbanks, will discuss its growth plans with its suppliers and customers with a focus on its operational service element, strong technology, and expanding its global inventory.



Meanwhile, priohub, the digital B2B attractions marketplace, and Gold Medal, the largest travel consolidator in the Middle East, aim to connect with local and international customers and suppliers, as part of growth plans for 2022 and beyond.



Operating under dnatas Airport Operations division, dnatas marhaba brand and its team will showcase key features of its local and international marhaba airport lounge offering. It will also reveal a range of enhanced airport services which it plans to roll out to the public in 2022 with a new, dedicated airport counter at Dubai International airports Terminal 1, set to offer visa services, chauffeur and limo services, baggage services, hotel bookings, car rental, and more; all with 24-hour assistance.



Representatives from across dnata are also excited to share their insights and experiences at a number of conference sessions during the event. This includes:



 Alaa Alkhatib, Vice President, Destination Management, dnata Travel Group being interviewed on its first day by Arival on the topic of, Dubai Is Re-Envisioning Distribution. Can It Work?

 Shaun Anderson, Head of Sales, dnata Travel Management speaking on a panel organised by the Global Business Travel Association on The Future of Business Travel (May 11), and

 Emily Jenkins, General Manager, dnata Travel Leisure speaking on The Return and Rise of City Tourism panel organised by TTN Middle East (May 12).



Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, concluded: At dnata our air and travel services cover all aspects of the industry, from inspiration and booking, to enhanced airport services, in-destination experiences, and beyond. And as part of our strategy to reconnect a better world, we are delighted to welcome the global travel industry to our stand at the Arabian Travel Market 2022.  TradeArabia News Service
WASHINGTON  President Joe Bidens nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Ukraine told senators Tuesday she does not underestimate the task ahead if she is confirmed.

I would assess the challenge to be enormous, Bridget Brink, a veteran foreign service officer, said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But Brink, who currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, said shes heartened by the remarkable international coalition thats come together to push back against Russias war of choice in a way I don't think I've ever seen in my 25 years in the service.

Senators from both parties praised Brinks background and called it urgent to get her on the job.

It's absolutely crucial that we get someone there, said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

Bridget Brink, President Joe Bidens nominee to be the next ambassador to Ukraine, arrives for testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee May 10, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. has not had a confirmed U.S. ambassador to Ukraine since 2019, when then-President Donald Trump yanked Marie Yovanovitch from the role. The embassy has been run by a series of interim leaders since then.

In the run-up to Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, U.S. diplomats left Kyiv amid security concerns. The embassy staff has been working from Poland temporarily; Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said they will reopen the embassy in Kyiv but has not given a specific timeline.

Noting that other countries have re-opened their embassies, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, pressed for action.

We sure dont want to be last to the party, Risch said. So we need to move along as best we can.

Brink said she hopes the embassy will be operational in time for her to start her mission in Kyiv.

Bridget Brink arrives to testify on her nomination to be US Ambassador to Ukraine during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022.

If Brink is confirmed, asexpected, her portfolio would include everything from shepherding military and humanitarian aid to coordinating U.S. assistance to the war-crimes documentation effort to, eventually, helping Ukraine rebuild.

There will be a lot of scrutiny from Washington on all of this, Risch warned. He particularly encouraged Brink to not let Ukraine allow the fog of war to keep them from making necessary internal reforms.

Story continues

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, likewise said hes worried that Ukraine will win the war and lose the peace if it doesnt reject what he called an addiction to a corrupt way of operating.

Their political system has to change, he said.

Brink said the serious and difficult internal reforms needed will be the biggest challenge, next step challenge, for the Ukrainian government.

Brink has spent her two-plus decades at the State Department immersed in European and Eurasian affairs, including assignments in Uzbekistan and Georgia.

This official undated portrait provided by the U.S. Department of State, shows Ambassador Bridget Brink. President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career foreign service officer, has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Before her current ambassador post, Brink served as a top adviser in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. She speaks Russian and has studied Slovak, Serbian, Georgian and French, according to her official biography.

The day after Russia invaded, Brink traveled to Slovakias border with Ukraine in a show of support as embassy staff worked to help fleeing refugees.

"My heart is with every victim of this senseless war, she said at the time, according to a State Department release.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bridget Brink faces Senate in Ukraine ambassador confirmation hearing
A person had to be airlifted after a crash Monday evening in Morganton.

The crash occurred when a Honda Accord traveled out of its lane on Jamestown Road, across the center turning lane and into the oncoming lane and hit an oncoming Ford Focus partially head-on near a car dealership around 6:39 p.m., said Lt. Josiah Brown with the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

Identities of those involved in the crash have not been released.

The driver of the Honda was airlifted to a hospital in Tennessee after the crash, Brown said. Their condition was not known Tuesday morning. The driver of the Ford had serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

Officers still are investigating contributing factors in the crash, Brown said. Jamestown Road was shut down for about an hour and a half while officers worked at the scene of the crash. The Burke County Rescue Squad, Burke County EMS and Burke County REACT responded to the scene along with MDPS police and fire units.

More information will be published as it becomes available.

Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter.

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HICKORY  The Catawba Science Center, with support from the United Arts Council, will present Stellar Sound Saturday hourly from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the center located within the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley on the SALT Block at 243 3rd Ave., NE, in Hickory. The celebration of astronomy and music will feature the WNC Sculpture Center and the LRU Percussion Ensemble.

The 11 a.m. session will give attendees the opportunity to explore space junk through a sky talk with a Space Junk Soundtrack, a visual and audible experience intended to bring to light the current and expanding dilemma of the cluttering of Earths orbit (and beyond) with satellites, space stations and other human-made debris. The show includes a short educational film developed by Erin Graves with a live recorded performance of Ivan Trevinos composition for percussion entitled Space Junk, (2017), provided by the Lenoir Rhyne University Percussion Ensemble.

Subsequent sessions taking place at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. will feature live performances inside the Millholland Planetarium. Audience members will first enter Earths orbit and be taken on a lunar exploration while dreamily listening to Claude Debussys Clair de Lune (1905) as performed on vibraphone and arranged by percussionist Zachary Bailey.

Participants also will have the opportunity to surf Saturns rings accompanied by Casey Cangelosis, Jazz on Saturn (2018), performed in surround-sound by the LRU Percussion Ensemble.

Once your head stops spinning, step outside into the Hall of Astronomy for a live performance of Space Junk by Ivan Trevino.

Space Junk is a childrens story about a little star who gets covered in space junk, makes her way out of it and creates beautiful things with it, a press release on the event reads.

The piece was written for a percussion quartet and scored for desk bells, crotales, three or four glockenspiels, two vibraphones, two percussion setups, synth keyboard and narrator.

For the finale, participate in a Collective Community Improvisation using the hands-on, playable sculpture made of materials similar to that of space junk. The interactive Space Junk Sculpture was curated by Joseph Bigley from the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center.

Stay after the performances for the Stargazers session, which will include a musical Yandkadi: Full Moon Community Celebration. Members of the LRU Percussion Ensemble will perform a traditional full moon rhythm and song deriving from the Susu people of Guinea, West Africa. Members of the community are invited to participate by either playing, singing or dancing along, and are advised to BYOD (Bring Your Own Drum).

This project was partially funded by the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Performances are included with the price of Admission to CSC. Seating in the Millholland Planetarium is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Recently I canceled a trip to fish for steelhead in Washington because that state closed the Hoh river over historically low returns. This is nothing new to any angler who has followed the trajectory of sea-run fish throughout the Northwest. A deadly cocktail of irresponsible development, climate change, and dams have decimated salmon and steelhead in the lower 48.

Fortunately, Montana anglers who dream of taking a trip to chase these species have a critical ally in a Republican member of congress. Idahos Rep. Mike Simpson launched a bold effort to remove dams that block the passage of these fish in the Columbia River basin  a courageous move from a politician who may upset valued constituencies by doing the right thing.

If only the sportsmen organizations who claim to represent us were willing to award that kind of courage. The Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) has instead given Montanas junior Sen. Steve Daines its conservation hero of the year award.

Daines has repeatedly opposed clean air and water standards that protect wildlife habitat, to say nothing about his complete lack of action on climate change  the gravest threat to thriving ecosystems. Hes done this all with significant monetary backing from special interests that would recklessly drill and mine the public lands Montanans cherish for hunting and fishing.

Perhaps worst of all, Daines tried to block the confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning, a well-qualified Montana conservationist, to run the Bureau of Land Management. He used the worst kind of Washington D.C. character assassination in his failed bid to defeat someone with whom he believed he had a political bone to pick.

These kinds of divisive smear tactics are what TRCP purports to rise above in promising bipartisan conservation victories to their members and donors. They should sign up for Daines text message fundraising lists: He willfully spread lies about the 2020 elections that incited a violent insurrection at our nations capital.

Providing cover to an extremist like Daines runs counter to the values of civility and decency our democracy needs to work. If TRCP wants to credibly claim to operate on these principles, they should employ a higher ethical standard when choosing politicians to support.

Why would an ostensibly centrist group make such a divisive endorsement when other conservatives were more deserving? Perhaps they believe Daines will at some point attempt meaningful conservation reforms.

Thats like handing out medals at a race before its been run. The irony of this transaction is that Daines will almost certainly fail to deliver results for Montana sportsmen and sportswomen. Every time he has been given a choice between taking the kind of bold position Simpson did and siding with extractive special interests he chooses the latter virtually every time.

Dainess actual record on conservation and democracy are worthy of accountability, not recognition. Now that TRCP stands with one of the most divisive members of Congress, they are worthy of accountability, too.

Chris Saeger is an independent consultant who advises conservation and other organizations on their communications strategies. He has held various positions in politics, government and for advocacy organizations in Montana over the last decade. He writes from Whitefish.

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Holidaymakers travelling to Spain warned of major airline cutbacks



EasyJet plans to slash seat numbers while TUI will no longer offer food and beverages on flights from the UK

Budget carrier EasyJet has this week warned passengers jetting off on holiday this summer that it will slash the number of seats available on its planes in order to reduce the impact of staff shortages that have been plaguing airlines for months.

The company plans to remove the back seats from its planes, meaning that each flight can operate with three cabin crew members rather than four, an effective measure that will keep planes in the air rather than cancelling hundreds of flights , as happened earlier this year in Spain

A spokesperson for EasyJet said: This summer we will be operating our UK A319 fleet with a maximum of 150 passengers onboard and three crew in line with CAA regulations.

This is an effective way of operating our fleet while building additional resilience and flexibility into our operation this summer where we expect to be back to near 2019 levels of flying.

Meanwhile, TUI Airways has revealed that this high-season no food or drinks will be available on flights from 15 UK airports, again in an effort to reduce the number of cabin crew required to operate on flights.

A statement on May 5 said: We can confirm that unfortunately due to staff shortages with our catering supplier, there will be no hot and cold meals or sandwiches, and a limited offering of snacks and drinks, available onboard Tui Airways short- and mid-haul flights over the coming days.

Customers may therefore want to bring their own food and soft drinks onboard (no alcohol permitted).

Any soft drinks over 100ml will need to be purchased after you have passed through security.

For now, meal services on long-haul trips to Aruba, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Orlando and St Lucia will continue to operate as normal.

A spokesperson for TUI assured that the airline is continually monitoring the situation and working closely with suppliers to ensure that the disruption is minimal.

The following airports will be affected by the new TUI measure:

Birmingham

Bristol

Cardiff

Doncaster Sheffield

Dublin

East Midlands

Edinburgh

Exeter

Glasgow

Humberside

Leeds Bradford

Luton

Manchester

Norwich

Teesside

Passengers will, however, be notified in advance of their flight by TUI if food and beverages wont be available.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
WAPELLO  Another large crowd attended the Louisa County Conservation Boards regular monthly meeting on Tuesday  despite the groups primary interest  the possible sale of Baird Timber not even on the agenda.

An estimated 35 people attended the meeting in person or through Zoom, about the same draw as the LCCBs March 1 and April 19 meetings where the possible sale of the area was also discussed.

Several of the same people who attended one or more of the earlier meetings, including members of the Baird family, which transferred the property to the county in the early 1980s, came to Tuesdays meeting and repeated some of the concerns they had over the possible sale.

Bruce Baird, Mediapolis, explained his father and two uncles inherited the property from their father, Joe; and except for selective harvesting for firewood, it had remained much the same as when Native Americans had likely lived and maybe even buried their dead there.

We do not want to have this property sold, he told the group, echoing what he and other family members had said during the LCCBs March meeting.

Bairds granddaughter, Cassandra Kahler, Austin, Texas, who attended the meeting through Zoom, agreed and suggested the conservation board was not following the wishes of the family to preserve the property in its natural state.

What kind of conservation board takes what is entrusted to them and sells it? she asked.

Part of the issue for the family and others who oppose selling the land, is the possibility the land was donated or sold at a bargain price by the family.

LCCB Executive Director Katie Hammond said records were incomplete and conflicted over the transfer. She said some records indicated the land was sold for between $7,000 and $9,000, but other records failed to provide any strong confirmation of those potential sale numbers. Baird refuted those numbers and pointed out on the quit claim deeds that transferred the property from the Baird family to the LCCB was a line that stated the cost was less than $500.

Meanwhile, LCCB member Brad Quigley, who is also a member of the county board of supervisors, said no LCCB member had suggested selling the property and the issue had been blown out of proportion. He said the issue had only come up because the LCCB had started looking at funding options for other park development after a proposed wetland easement project at Indian Slough stalled.

However, LCCB Chair Sam Willson pointed out the March 1 agenda had included as an action item a discussion about selling the area.

Joellen Schantz, who was only attending her second meeting as a newly appointed LCCB member, said she understood the emotion the group felt.

Although Schantz indicated she might not support any sale of Baird Timber, she felt it was still ethical to sell county property to finance development in other areas.

Willson finally suggested a special meeting to resolve the issue might be needed. Members also agreed any future land donations to the county needed to be fully documented.

In other action, the board:

Reviewed a job description for the boards operation supervisor position.

Discussed farming encroachments on its Hoover Nature Trail right of way.

Agreed to hire a surveyor to review its Indian Slough easement project.

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MUSCATINE  The walkway in the main grandstand at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds soon will get a makeover. The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved a $16,000 bid to do the engineering work for the project.

During its regular meeting Monday, Bradley Roeth, owner and senior engineer of Watersmith Engineering, explained the project to the board. He said the project would create plans to rebuild the central walkway on the grandstand, which is in disrepair. A grant will pay for half of the engineering for the project as well as construction costs.

As far as getting the work on something like that started, Im not sure what the timeline would be, Supervisor Doug Holiday, also a member of the fair board, said. There is fundraising to be done.

Roeth said an architect might have to be added to the design for such things as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Supervisor Jeff Sorenson commented that the fairgrounds was inside the city of West Liberty and asked if the city's codes would require the replacement of the walkway to be ADA compliant.

Sorenson also asked how much additional work would be needed to the grandstand area after the project was completed. He said it sounded as if the entire structure needed to be evaluated. While it still needs to be clarified, Supervisor Santos Saucedo said that it isnt included in the bid.

The main structure, I think, is in decent shape, Holiday said. Its the walkway thats causing problems right now. Down the road we are looking at a roof. It needs some renovation.

The first phase to get a preliminary plan done is expected to take 6-8 weeks. Final plans should be ready to bid later this summer or in the fall.

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Three Iowa teenagers were shot and injured after some uninvited guests showed up to an after-prom party. Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said about 200 people were at the party before the shooting was reported around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Two 18-year-old men and a 17-year-old girl were wounded in the shooting, but they are all expected to survive. All three teens were being treated at local hospitals Sunday. Parizek said the shooting happened during a fight that broke out after a group of uninvited guests arrived at the party, and several shots were fired. No arrests were immediately reported Sunday morning, and police did not identify the victims.
Mirror Trading Internationals liquidators have issued a joint summons against eighteen individuals to pay R4,666,077,528 to cover the schemes debts  with 7% interest.

According to the liquidators, these individuals are masterminds of the scheme, and it has asked the Pretoria High Court to hold them liable in terms of the Companies Act.

They argue that Mirror Trading International (MTI) was an unlawful Ponzi scheme and factually insolvent since inception.

The liquidators also contend that the defendants knew this.

[The defendants] were at all relevant times aware of the fact that MTI was trading in insolvent circumstances as well as of the actions perpetrated and constituting fraud upon MTIs creditors, the summons states.

Consequently, they were all party to the fraudulent or reckless carrying on of the business of MTI, the liquidators stated.

The following table summarises the alleged positions the individuals named in the court papers held at MTI.

Name Alleged position in MTI Johann Steynberg CEO, 50% shareholder Charlie Ward COO, Head of Strategy Implementation Monica Coetzee Head of Corporate Services Usher Bell Former COO Coenraad Rademan Former Director of MTI (Pty.) Ltd. Clynton Marks 50% shareholder, Head of Referral Program and Members Cheri Marks Head of Communications and Marketing Tshidi Ramanamane Trainer & Presenter Tom Fraser Advisor Liz Malton Trainer & Presenter, Founder status Romano Samuels Head of Member Support Jaco Eckley Ran the Stellenbosch office Vince Ward Head of International Expansion Leonard Gray Head of Legal Andrew Caw Cryptocurrency advisor Nerina Steynberg Founder status Gerald Lassen Presenter, promoter, trainer Don Nkomo Associate of Clynton and Cheri Marks

Mirror Trading International holds the ignominious title of South Africas biggest network marketing scam.

Chainalysis named MTI the biggest cryptocurrency scam of 2020.

The scheme accepted deposits in bitcoin and claimed to offer automated trading services  initially in forex and later in cryptocurrency derivatives.

According to the liquidators court papers, when MTI imploded, there was supposed to be 22,222.548 bitcoin in its accounts  around R11.6 billion at R522,845 per bitcoin.

Bitcoin has taken a hammering in the past few weeks. If it trades back over R800,000 per bitcoin, the amount climbs to over R17.8 billion.

MTI made headlines in September 2020 after a group calling itself Anonymous ZA exposed the inner workings of the scheme.

Steynberg went missing in December 2020, and the scheme collapsed. He was suspected of travelling in Brazil at the time.

In December 2021, Steynberg was reportedly arrested in the city of Goiania, the capital of the Brazilian state of Goias.

The liquidators said that MTI had a shortfall of at least 6,900 bitcoin at the date of liquidation.

They calculated the R4.7 billion the alleged masterminds owe on this bitcoin amount, using a price of R676,243.12 per bitcoin.

In addition to asking the court to hold the eighteen individuals jointly and severally liable for MTIs debts, the liquidators also lodged separate claims against most of them.

MTI, from time to time, made transfers of bitcoin to some of the defendants, the liquidators stated.

Every such transfer of bitcoin from MTI to the particular defendant constitutes a disposition of the property of MTI, they argued.

The liquidators then argue that the dispositions were collusive transactions, and that the defendants intended to defraud the creditors of MTI.

They offer the court several alternative claims against the alleged masterminds:

All withdrawals must be considered invalid dispositions and repaid.

Subtract deposits from withdrawals and only repay the difference.

Withdrawals within 6 months of MTIs liquidation are invalid and must be repaid.

These alternative claims are summarised for each defendant in the table below.

Defendants must pay either the rand value, or the bitcoin value, whichever is higher at the date the order is made, the liquidators asked the court.

The liquidators also asked the court to institute penalties against the defendants equal to the amounts they must repay.

Therefore, if successful, the defendants will pay double the amounts listed below in addition to MTIs R4.7 billion debt.

It should be noted that the rand amounts are calculated based on bitcoins value at the time of the deposit or withdrawal. Bitcoin traded at far lower levels at MTIs height.

Name Bitcoin transactions BTC withdrawals within 6 months of liquidation Claims against Deposits Withdrawals All withdrawals Difference 6-month cutoff Johann Steynberg 19.18639428 31.33569713 28.528922 R5,427,211.31 R1,254,311.96 R5,015,752.88 Charlie Ward 2.13241701 7.89112396 7.10003389 R1,878,562.02 R1,428,609.34 R1,770,066.66 Monica Coetzee 1.04452618 0.31107597 0.30473 R66,541.10 R0.00 R65,498.83 Usher Bell 1.9495 25.78292183 17.46165057 R4,586,609.95 R4,258,442.42 R3,349,740.88 Clynton Marks 97.44037407 289.8723002 229.9218748 R58,528,749.14 R38,663,417.15 R50,544,191.66 Cheri Marks 12.26280485 43.80773142 31.59081375 R8,967,379.82 R6,341,325.72 R7,244,148.94 Tshidi Ramanamane 0.09647678 2.24362727 1.85145024 R455,884.34 R438,164.88 R394,858.88 Tom Fraser 13.06148422 14.5176913 14.5176913 R4,004,859.66 R1,344,396.66 R4,004,859.66 Liz Malton 7.18838483 60.32592343 46.09624052 R14,082,534.54 R12,820,155.15 R12,128,175.06 Romano Samuels 1.27639601 0.21419153 0.21419153 R39,959.50 R0.00 R39,959.50 Jaco Eckley 1.34902391 1.50924551 0.49424551 R215,612.29 R52,934.55 R118,445.75 Vince Ward 0.1070053 0.117429 0 R18,308.00 R5,529.73 R0.00 Leonard Gray 0.0045 0.04150939 0.4150939 R10,511.90 R9,600.60 R10,511.90 Andrew Caw 9.47398075 13.80847603 5.77424461 R2,385,249.71 R876,057.54 R1,291,404.99 Nerina Steynberg 19.38072994 12.37610148 7.175 R2,203,666.76 R0.00 R1,350,225.71 Gerald Lassen 2.25410608 43.12869094 37.13110484 R8,867,417.14 R8,520,340.57 R7,948,672.48 Don Nkomo 0.06774029 4.37671854 2.07271673 R767,713.68 R752,470.83 R406,783.57 Totals 188.2758445 551.6604549 430.6500042 R112,506,770.86 R76,765,757.10 R95,683,297.35

Cheri and Clynton Marks respond

MyBroadband contacted all eighteen defendants named in the liquidators papers, and Cheri Marks responded by publication time.

Marks said the court papers were served yesterday, and their lawyers are reviewing the documents.

In the interim, we can say that there are some very concerning aspects of the application, Marks stated.

We have always denied the contention that MTI was trading fraudulently or recklessly with our knowledge.

She also maintains that MTI was never insolvent.

We continue to argue that the sums put before the court in this application as well as the one resuming in the Cape Town High Court next Monday have never been conclusively proven, Marks said.

To date, we have had no access to the data used to calculate these sums and therefore cannot verify the authenticity of the model used.

Marks said the solvency argument is premature since the liquidators have already recovered a large amount of money and no final list of proven claims.

The liquidators recovered 1,281 bitcoin from Belizian brokerage FXChoice last year, which they sold for around R1.1 billion.

FXChoice said it froze MTIs accounts following reports that it could be a scam.

This allegation again comes down to proof of solvency. Again we deny there is currently or was ever a solvency issue with the company and further deny our liability on the grounds provided by the joint liquidators, Marks said.

Without having had the time to properly dissect each claim made, it is not easy to offhand comment on the payments; however, I can personally say that there are glaringly obvious errors in the calculations and accounts attributed to us and others.

Marks maintained that the data being used is not reliable.

Instead of allowing interested parties the opportunity to verify [the data], it has been guarded from scrutiny all while being used in the courts without recourse, she said.

It is worthwhile noting that the sums quoted against Clynton have risen from what was earlier quoted in the papers presented to the courts, the amounts provided as a whole for MTI have again changed.

Marks said until the proof required is placed in the open, a constant barrage of papers with contradicting amounts serves no one while the liquidators rack up unnecessary costs that they could use to pay members.
Abu Dhabi Festival in its 19th edition has commissioned and produced Symphony #5 by internationally celebrated Emirati composer Mohammed Fairouz to be performed by the world-leading London Symphony Orchestra.

The production, as part of the festival's abroad programme, advances the relationship between LSO and Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), which began 12 years ago when the orchestra toured in Abu Dhabi with Sir Colin Davis, said a statement.

Symphony #5 is inspired by the life of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates and explores the story of the country and its values of peace and tolerance.

Following the live recording of the symphony which took place in January 2022 at LSO St Lukes in London conducted by Lee Reynolds, the world premiere will be streamed on ADMAFs website on May 19.

Huda I Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, approached the talented young composer to write a symphony celebrating the culture and values of the UAE, as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2022.

Commenting on the significance of the project, she said: We are thrilled to present an outstanding Emirati composer, Mohammed Fairouz, whose Symphony #5, commissioned and produced by Abu Dhabi Festival, celebrates the life and vision of Sheikh Zayed.

"Sheikh Zayed shaped our nation and imparted upon us a spirit of tolerance and peace. We are delighted to be working again with the London Symphony Orchestra on this world premiere event conducted by Maestro Lee Reynolds. The enthusiasm of the London Symphony Orchestra to premiere this work leaves us in no doubt that it will be a global success.

The UAE Ambassador to the UK, Mansoor Abulhoul said he is also looking forward to the world premiere and watching two world class talents come together in what will surely be an incredible performance.

The celebrated composer is one of the most frequently performed, commissioned, and recorded composers of his generation. The premiere of his Symphony #5 with the LSO, ranked one of the top orchestras in the world, is part of Abu Dhabi Festival Abroad programmes mission to give more visibility to Emirati artists abroad and showcase the artistic talent of the UAE on the global stage.

The live stream of Symphony #5 will be available on ADMAFs website, admaf.org.

Held under the theme: Crafting the Emirates State of Mind: Creation, Innovation & Joy, the 19th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival 2022 is held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan and supported by Lead Partner Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) and Energy Partner GS Energy.

Abu Dhabi Festival 2022 encompasses over 1,000 participating artists from around the world to present more than 300 performances and events. The 19th edition will also include two world tours and 17 world premieres. -TradeArabia News Service
Ford South Africa has announced it now supplies more than a third of its Silverton Assembly Plants energy needs with solar power.

The company partnered with SolarAfrica on the first phase of its Project Blue Oval renewable energy programme, resulting in the construction of a 13.5MW solar power plant, sufficient to carry 35% of the Pretoria plants energy demands.

The power is drawn from 30,226 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels installed on the roofs of 3,610 parking bays.

Ford said that makes it one of the largest solar carports in the world.

Approximately 59 tonnes of steel and 315 tons of aluminium were used for the locally manufactured solar carports, Ford stated.

More than 5,000 metres of medium and low-voltage cabling was used to connect the solar PV panels to 120 three-phase 100kW inverters and eight transformers, before being fed into the Silverton plant.

Ford claimed the 13.5MW capacity was enough to power almost 224,000 light bulbs or 12,171 average households for an entire year.

The installation took 599 days and 35,000 man-hours to complete, supporting 121 jobs in the process.

Ford published a video on YouTube showing some of the key moments in the plants construction process.

SolarAfrica CEO David McDonald commended Ford South Africa for being the first automotive manufacturer in the country to integrate renewables in its operations at such a large scale.

We are proud to see the financial and environmental benefits this landmark project addresses, McDonald stated.

We hope that this project encourages many more original equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive sector to aggressively adopt renewables and become more sustainable operations.

The Silverton plant produces the Ranger bakkie for domestic sales and exports to more than 100 international markets.

Ford South Africas vice president for operations, Ockert Berry, said the long-term power purchase agreement with SolarAfrica would significantly reduce the plants energy costs, improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

This project proudly puts the Silverton Assembly Plant on the map as part of Fords commitment to sustainability as we migrate our energy supply from fossil fuels to environmentally-friendly, renewable resources, Berry said.

Despite increasing our production capacity to 200,00 vehicles per year, the solar project delivers on our promise of reducing our impact on the environment and contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Ford estimated the array would eliminate the equivalent of 20,072 tons of carbon dioxide per annum.

It also supports Ford Motor Companys ambitious global targets to use 100% carbon-free electricity across its manufacturing operations by 2035, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the company stated.

Below are more photos of the 13.5MW carport-based solar PV installation at the Ford Silverton plant.

Now read: Electric cars are the dirtiest personal transport in South Africa
The Wireless Access Providers Association (Wapa) has called on the South African government to exempt 1,200MHz of radio frequency spectrum from licencing to improve Wi-Fi networks in South Africa.

Wapa and the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) collaborated on a study in South Africa over several months to determine the potential benefits of unlicensed spectrum use in the 6GHz band in terms of service quality, coverage, and affordability.

They found that enabling unlicensed use of the spectrum could unlock $57.76 billion (R929.69 billion) in the economy over the next ten years.

That consists of an estimated $34.81 billion in GDP contribution, $13.32 billion in producer surplus to South African businesses, and $9.63 billion in consumer surplus.

Three further studies were simultaneously conducted by DSA and its partners for Nigeria, Kenya and Indonesia, all with similar findings, Wapa said.

According to DSA president Martha Suarez, the spectrum could play a crucial role in bridging the digital divide and enabling improved access to remote education, work and commerce.

The DSA is also sharing its spectrum expertise in the Digital Access Programme in the UK.

The new spectrum that Wapa and DSA suggest should also be unlicensed in South Africa is in the band used by Wi-Fi 6E  the latest generation of Wi-Fi technology.

WiFi 6E is short for Wi-Fi 6 extended, a standard that provides numerous 160MHz channels. It offers the fastest Wi-Fi available with multi-gigabit, low latency connections  good for supporting 5G services.

While there are already numerous Wi-Fi 6E capable devices and routers on the South African market, they cannot make use of the spectrum.

Instead, they are stuck with the 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands currently available.

The 6GHz band is broken into two main portions  the lower band between 5,925MHz to 6,425MHz and the upper band from 6,425MHz up to 7,125 MHz.

The DSA has urged governments to provide unlicensed access to the lower band and 700MHz of the upper band.

Wapa executive Paul Colmer said that opening up 1,200MHz of unlicensed spectrum would be phenomenal compared to the spectrum available in South Africa right now.

While the recent high demand IMT spectrum auction saw a further 306MHz released in the 5GHz band, Wisps are stuck with using sub-6GHz spectrum.

Colmer said the current Wi-Fi 5 spectrum was heavily congested because many devices were vying for the same frequency band. That causes interference and limits effective ranges.

New spectrum offloads some of that traffic, so not only is it not interfering by using a different frequency band, there is less congestion on the old band, Colmer said. That makes it more reliable, faster, and more effective.

Colmer added newer equipment and methods are more spectrally efficient, which would extend the usefulness of the bandwidth even further.

The Federal Communications Commission in the US opened up 1,200MHz in the 6GHz band for unlicensed use back in April 2020, while the EU released 480MHz in the band in June 2021.
Invaders continue to incur defeats on Ukrainian territory. As a result of substantial casualties in the Kharkiv region, units of the 138th separate mechanized brigade of the 6th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District were withdrawn from Ukraine to the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, according to available information. A major portion of the contract's surviving military members wrote dismissal reports.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has released an operational update on the state of warfare as of 18.00 on May 10, 2022

Invaders continue to execute full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, according to Ukraine's General Staff operational report. The enemy's strategic offensive activities in the Eastern Operational Zone are picking up speed. It fires along the entire line of contact and in the depths of Ukraine's troops' defences. The occupants are most active in the Slobozhansky and Donetsk directions. Missile strikes on civilian and military facilities are quite likely.

New photographs of a Russian helicopter shot down in Bobrivka, Kharkiv region, confirm that it was a Mi-28N with serial number RF-13654

As a result of coordinated actions of the personnel of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, the settlements of Cherkasy Tyshky, Rusky Tyshky, Rubizhne and Bayrak were liberated.

Key points of the report:

The adversary did not take aggressive action in the Volyn and Polissya directions.

As part of the combat readiness check, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus moved military equipment, and the rotation of some units involved in reinforcing the defense of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Brest and Gomel districts was completed.

In the Siversky direction, russians continue to provide enhanced protection of the Ukrainian-russian border in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. It fired mortars in the border areas near Karpovychi and Senkivka in the Chernihiv region.

The enemy did not launch any active assault actions in the direction of Slobozhansky. It is still taking steps to reorganize existing units. It carries out engineering and fortification of advanced positions, strengthens the air defense system, and expands the medical support system.

The enemy also deployed up to 500 mobilized people from the temporarily controlled area of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Kharkiv oblast in order to hinder the advance of units of Ukraine's Defense Forces and to boost its soldiers.

The enemy continued to create favorable conditions for the offensive in the direction of Izyum.

The enemy continued to create favorable conditions for the offensive in the direction of Izyum. It replenished ammunition and logistics, conducted advanced position engineering, and increased air reconnaissance.

The enemy is attempting to gain a footing in the Oleksandrivka settlement area, and is conducting assault operations in the Shandryholove settlement area, Donetsk region, with no results.

Occupiers attempted assault operations in the Donetsk direction, targeting the town of Maryanka, the towns of Kamyanka, Yasynuvata district, and Novomykhailivka, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk oblast. They were unable to succeed.

The enemy continues to concentrate its efforts in Mariupol on halting and eliminating our units in the vicinity of the Azovstal complex. It performs assault operations with the help of artillery and tank fire.

The situation in Zaporizhzhya and South Buh has remained relatively unchanged.

According to the General Staff of Ukraine, an increased level of terrorist threat exists in the Republic of Moldova's transnistrian region. Mobilization operations are not taking place in the region, and local armed groups and a task force of Russian troops remain on high alert.

According to MyUkraineis.org, the Ukrainian military destroyed a powerful armored vehicle used by rare Russian flamethrower operators. There were only ten such armored vehicles in the Russian Federation's military forces, two of which had already been lost in engagements on Ukrainian soil.

Read also: Happy Victory Day: Ukrainian soldiers destroy enemy armored vehicles (Video)

Javelin blew up the occupiers' tank

The aggressor has already lost 26,000 personnel and a total of more than 7,500 weapons in Ukraine
Shakespeare liked to end his comedies with a wedding, but I humbly submit that he had it all backwards. This column is starting with nuptials instead.

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A reliable source advises that on Saturday in Edina, Minnesota, former Mayor Alan Galbraith married his college sweetheart, Catherine Niewoehner, in the presence of close family. The couple plan to honeymoon in Switzerland, visit relatives and friends near and far, and travel between homes in St. Helena and Edina, a Minneapolis suburb. My best to the happy couple!

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Remember the production of The Addams Family mounted by St. Helena Drama? Remember Kaitlyn Valenzuelas marvelous Morticia? No wonder Kaitlyn was named one of the Visual and Performing Arts Students of the Month by the Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance. As the organization puts it, There is no such thing as a small role for Kaitlyn, as she always pushes herself creatively and professionally. In addition, Patricia Coyle, Kaitlyn's teacher, explains that she is also in AP Visual Arts and has been a member of the SHHS Band program all four years, declaring her a well-rounded and exceptional Arts student!

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The St. Helena Public Library will be rumbling with the sounds of Japanese taiko drumming at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 12. As the library eloquently puts it, Feel the thunderous sounds of the drums vibrating through your body as language, culture, and history combine into an exciting educational experience. The show is free.

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The library will offer a plant-based cooking demonstration the following Thursday, May 19, at 5:30. In partnership with the local Blue Zones Project, the library is organizing a plant slant demo led by the Culinary Institute of America.

***

Am I too old to give shout-outs, as the young whippersnappers like to say? I think not. A shout-out to Milbert Mariano, academic dean and vice president for academic instruction at Pacific Union College, for helping judge the annual Congressional Art Competition for Rep. Mike Thompsons district. There were no Upvalley winners to highlight, but judges deserve our gratitude too!

***

A bit of Cameo Cinema news: Just in time to help with all those plummy British accents in "Downton Abbey: A New Era," Cathy Buck has added captions to all Wednesday and Sunday screenings.

***

That film would pair nicely with Calistoga resident Elaine Jennings performance of timeless jazz standards, featuring Wayne de la Cruz on piano, at 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 20, at The Saint.

***

The Pacific Union College Wind Ensemble presents "Resonance & Resilience: A concert of fortitude and faith" at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at Paulin Hall on the PUC campus in Angwin. The concert features arrangements of well-known hymns, gospel songs and even a Spanish dance. The concert is free.

***

Speaking of Calistoga, there are only a few days left to buy tickets for Hearts and Hands Preschools spring raffle. The Ten-Ten drawing features 10 tastings and 10 dinners. Tickets are $25 each or five for $100. Go to heartsandhandskids.com. Winning tickets will be pulled at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 14, so hurry up.

***

The PG&E Corporation Foundation has set a June 3 deadline to apply for its Better Together STEM Scholarship Program. Twenty scholarships of $10,000 each and 20 awards of $2,500 each are available to students pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering or math. Apply at pge.com.

(This column has been amended to correct the date of the Hearts and Hands drawing. It is on Saturday, May 14.)
Tuesday, May 3

0820  Somebody appeared to have rummaged through trash on Arrowhead Drive.

0835  Someone stole a black bike and left behind another bike on Pope Street.

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0853  Medical aid for a fall victim on San Lucas Court.

1207  Barking dog complaint on El Bonita Avenue.

1251  An officer cited someone during a traffic stop at Grayson/Main.

1345  Police assisted with a matter involving a juvenile.

1346  Report of a forklift parked in front of a fire hydrant on Pine Street.

Wednesday, May 4

1116  Mail was reported stolen from Allyn Avenue.

1452  Non-injury hit-and-run involving a car parked on Main Street.

1519  Police cited vehicles parked in blue zones on Main Street and Hunt Avenue.

1915  Police cited a driver for not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

2029  Report of a physical fight between siblings on Magnolia Avenue.

2203  A black Trek bike was reported stolen from Main Street.

Thursday, May 5

0633  Medical aid for a fall victim near Pope Street.

0729  Medical aid for a woman with abdominal pain on Redondo Court.

1041  An officer cited someone during a traffic stop near Charter Oak/Main.

1100  A man got locked inside one of the public restrooms at Lyman Park.

1455  Four or five vehicles were partially blocking Pope Street.

Friday, May 6

0013  A headlight was stolen from a bike.

0927  An officer provided civil standby while a woman retrieved her vehicle on Fulton Lane.

1108  A caller asked what he legally can and cant do about macing a dog.

1110  Non-injury accident on Main Street.

1233  Police picked up an abandoned bicycle from Grayson Avenue.

1435  Report of a reckless driver using the center lane of Highway 29 at Charter Oak Avenue.

1529  An officer cited someone during a traffic stop on Main Street.

1847  An iPhone found on a bench was returned to its owner.

Saturday, May 7

0102  Report of a verbal dispute maybe turning physical on Hunt Avenue. It involved two men and one woman.

0745  Report of a dog barking nonstop on Stockton Street.

0859  A Spanish-speaking resident reported a possible Internet scam involving English language courses.

1412  Traffic was reportedly backing up on Charter Oak Avenue. People were exiting their cars on the street and walking away before valets parked the cars.

1432  A box truck broke down on Vidovich Avenue. Its owner planned to pick it up on Sunday.

1453  Report of a parking problem on Main Street.

1507  A woman said shed been walking her dog on Friday night when a loose German shepherd attacked her dog. She said several neighbors have had similar experiences.

1628  Police picked up an abandoned bike from the flood project site.

2022  Report of a loose white pit bull being aggressive toward another dog on Spring Street.

2106  Lift assist on Crinella Drive.

Sunday, May 8

1136  Report of a non-injury hit-and-run near Allison/Brown.

1628  Report of a shirtless man pushing a cart near Howell Mountain Road. The caller said he seemed to be in distress or having a mental problem.

1759  Report of a suspicious man staring at a woman doing yoga at a school field on Adams Street.

2136  Medical aid for a person with abdominal pain on Main Street.

Monday, May 9

0115  An officer cited someone for speeding near Main/Fulton.

0450  An officer cited someone for speeding near Silverado/Pope.

1024  A mountain bike was reported stolen from Valley View Street.

1134  A caller asked police to check on her brother, whos been having health problems.

1526  A pair of earrings were reported missing from a Springbrook Court home.

1803  Report of a confused and semi-conscious man in a car near June/Chiles. Police arrested the 69-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of DUI.
The Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance has announced the Visual and Performing Arts Students of the Month winners for April.

Here are Aprils winners:

High School

Studio Art: Heidy Sanchez, Palisades junior

Heidy's teacher Margaret Dennett describes Heidy as "a creative and driven human who, despite many challenges, continues to impress her teacher with her artwork and spirit." Heidy prefers painting and works on many community projects, such as the Salmon Restoration Project.

Dennett says Heidy "is committed to success in school, her future, and her art."

3D Art: Andrew Avina-Avina, Napa High School senior

This is Andrew's first year in 3-D arts but "he has taken an open-minded approach to develop his style and method" says his teacher Melinda Miller. Miller's favorite of his works is his Chinese New Year lantern, built as both an object and a symbol. He combined a water symbol with a fire bridge roof "to create a water well of light to draw upon for the future," says Miller. His work is both technically excellent and thoughtful.

Theater Arts (tie): Kaitlyn Valenzuela, St. Helena High School senior

Kaitlyn has been an integral part of the St. Helena Drama department since the seventh grade when she was cast in "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Since then, she has worked her way up from small parts to her first leading role as Morticia in "The Addams Family" this year.

There is no such thing as a small role for Kaitlyn, as she always pushes herself creatively and professionally, says her teacher Patricia Coyle.

Kaitlyn is also in AP Visual Arts and has been a member of the SHHS Band program all four years.

Theater Arts (tie): Mya Oro, Justin Siena School senior and Cafeteria Kids

While Mya attends Justin Siena as a senior, Olivia Cowell and Aimee Guillot, executive directors of Cafeteria Kids Theater, wanted to shine a light on her: "She has impressed us time and again with her professionalism, maturity and self-motivation."

Mya has been with Cafeteria Kids for five years as an actor, and intern in the drama camps, productions, and workshops. As an intern, Mya uses her "intuition, compassion and training to deftly handle all situations which arise" in the complex, emotionally charged work of acting, Guillot and Cowell say. "She is dependable, intelligent, kind and generous of spirit, goal-oriented, a good communicator and collaborator, dedicated, organized, and good-humored."

Choir: Marielle Manio, American Canyon High senior

Teacher Jamie Butler describes Marielle as an inspiration to her peers and to him. Last year's hybrid teaching was a "difficult stretch" he wrote, "that was brighter with the dedication, kindness, and positivity of Marielle."

Regardless of circumstance, however, he said Marielle gives 110% of her "incredibly talented voice, great understanding of music" and leadership skills. "Seeing how much she loved to sing and how important music was to her inspired me to keep going," Butler said. I'll never forget Marielle's love for singing. I'm so proud of her and lucky to be her teacher."

Middle and Elementary Level

Studio Arts (TIE): Adrian Ducut, American Canyon Middle School, eighth grade

Jenifer Leahy counts herself fortunate to have had Adrian as a student for all three of his middle school years. "During this time, his growth in creativity and skill has blossomed into mood-driven works of art- each telling a different story with various materials. I'm very impressed with his skill set," Leahy said. "Adrian is a pleasure to have in class."

Studio Arts (TIE): Malina Viruet, Silverado Middle School, seventh grade

Malina's teacher Julia Zmed, describes her student as "a meditative and thoughtful artist who works diligently to hone her skill set in all art mediums," who challenges herself with her subjects. "Frustration never slows her," says Zmed. "But (it) motivates her to figure out the solution and move forward with grace, persistence, and inevitable growth."

Studio Art (TIE): Mauricio De Haro De Reza, Bel Aire Park Magnet School, fourth grade

Tere Charney, Mauricio's art teacher, is in awe of this young talent. "He is focused and creative beyond his years with artistic ability and lovely humility." His work is always carefully composed, with a bold, imaginative flair.

Performance/Digital Art: Maria Silva Nascimento, Phillips Magnet, fifth grade

Teacher Jennifer Veveiros wrote that after reading multiple texts (both positive and negative) about the American experience, Maria wrote a poem describing her perspective of America. She dedicates it "to all the people who are not given freedom in our country, including immigrants, women, people with disabilities, and people of color."

With a powerful performance and slide show, Maria expressed her hope for change in our country. "Maria is "such a leader that one day I am sure she will help make that change," Veveiros said.

Studio Art (tie): Mario Garcia Mendoza, Phillips Magnet, fourth grade

After learning about the surrealist artist Rene Magritte, Mario completed his project with "care while also incorporating the artistic techniques of perspective, shading, balance, and blending with the art medium of pastels," says teacher Shauna Kadel. "His personality always shines through in whatever he creates."

These monthly awards will culminate in a scholarship ceremony at the di Rosa Preserve on June 8.

The Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance are now accepting final nominations for May, at the college, high school, middle school and elementary levels from visual and performing arts teachers throughout the county. Visit the Arts Council Napa Valley website for more information and access to the nomination form. Nominations are due by May 20.

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A vehicle crash Saturday afternoon in south Napa ensnared four vehicles and sent five people  ranging from an infant to an 87-year-old  to the hospital with minor injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported.

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The wreck occurred at 2:40 p.m. on southbound Highway 221, south of Napa Valley Corporate Way, CHP said in a news release. A 61-year-old San Francisco man driving 2007 Acura RDX in the left lane was approaching slowing traffic when his vehicle rear-ended a 2021 Ram 1500 pickup. The impact pushed the truck into a 2007 Toyota Highlander, which in turn was pushed into a 2020 Lincoln Nautilus, according to the highway patrol.

Five people were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center after the incident, CHP said. Those who were transported included the Acuras driver and his 87-year-old female passenger; a 68-year-old woman and 6-month-old boy who were riding in the pickup; and the Toyotas driver, a 53-year-old Vallejo woman. (The baby was taken to the Queen as a precaution, the highway patrol reported.)

A 78-year-old Novato woman who was a passenger in the Lincoln complained of pain after the crash, but declined medical transport, according to the CHP statement.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com
The Teen Council, which serves as mental health advocates in their schools and communities, is accepting applications for new members until May 15, with interviews set for June and acceptances for July.

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Members hold discussions about mental health issues and organize wellness events for Teens Connect, a program of Mentis for youth ages 12 through 20. Both groups are organized under the umbrella of Mentis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health that serves Napa Valley residents.

Mentis Teen Council members run empowerment clubs on their school campuses, provide peer counseling and referral to mental health resources, and promote volunteerism and civic engagement. Most importantly, they offer their insights, observations and unique perspectives to Mentis ongoing program development with a focus on caring for self, others, and the community, said Jeni Olsen, founder of Teens Connect and prevention director at Mentis.

Kate Zarate, 18 and a senior at Napa High School, said being a member of the Teen Council taught her to understand others and not expect too much.

Everyone is different. We should give people their own boundaries and spaces, Zarate said.

Zarate, who wants to become a social worker, said she values Teen Councils emphasis on diversity in all aspects: race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Its great that the Teen Council is made up of people of different ages and from a variety of backgrounds. We have meetings on the first Tuesday of every month. This helps us check in with one another. We also talk about how to reach out to teens throughout Napa Valley, said Zarate.

Sophia Stanfield, 17 and a senior at St. Helena High School, said joining the Teen Council inspired her to start St. Helena High Schools Mental Health and Wellness Club.

This spring, the club held a suicide prevention training for members. We hope to save lives and influence the next generation of mental health professionals, said Stanfield.

Stanfield added being in the Teen Council taught her how to keep an open mind.

Before, I found it really hard to ask for help. Now, I helped create a place where love and trust are valued. I and others have an immediate safe haven, said Stanfield.

Valuing technology, culture, and togetherness

Social media helps Teens Connect reach out to the greater teen community in Napa Valley. In 2020 and 2021, Teen Council members held weekly wellness workshops on Zoom to create space for social connection. They also posted positive material on Instagram and other outlets.

Since were coming back to in-person events, we can have gatherings again. Doing so much online taught us a lot. The Teen Council is better equipped with different ways to start conversations about mental health, said Zarate.

Zarate said a common topic in conversations is culture. Teens Connect represents teens of many different backgrounds, including youth of color and LGBTQ youth.

The Teen Council addresses how to discuss the issues facing the Latinx community of Napa County. We explore ways for us to contribute to solutions. Listening to one another teaches us how to share our voices, said Zarate.

Stanfield said a benefit of the Teen Council is that it has helped students from the northern and southern parts of the Valley connect.

We have members all the way up at Calistoga High School to all the way down at American Canyon High School. The meetings get teens out of their comfort zone. We hold picnics, do volunteer work, or even do things as simple as play trivia games. After these two hard years, its such a relief to be social again, said Stanfield.

The history behind Teen Council

Teens Connect was founded in 2017, after Napa lost two young teens to suicide the year before. The organization had a goal of creating safe spaces to amplify youth voices. The group then decided to also promote the mental health and wellness of teens throughout Napa Valley.

Our focus was on teaching youth how to care for themselves and others, said Olsen.

In 2017, Olsen founded Teens Connect as a nonprofit organization, with youth representation from Napa County high schools. The first Teen Council was composed of 12 members from different high schools. They wrote the groups bylaws and established many of its activities focused on mental health and wellness.

Also, in 2017, Teens Connect established a partnership with Mentis. Together, the organizations began to provide a continuum of support for youth in Napa Valley. The programs ranged from wellness activities and suicide prevention to free therapy for middle school and high school students in Napa Valley Unified School District.

By 2020, the Teen Council had expanded to include members from eight high schools in Napa County, as well as Napa Valley College. In July of 2020, Mentis officially welcomed Teens Connect and the Teen Council onto its roster of programs. The groups are now run within the prevention division at Mentis.

Nyah McWilliams, prevention specialist with Mentis, joined the nonprofit at age 20 to work with Teens Connect.

Napa student offers free menstruation supplies Napa student Diana Baldovino offers free menstrual supplies for anyone in need.

Before coming to Mentis, McWilliams served as a campus supervisor for Napa Valley Unified School District for close to four years. McWilliams said the Teen Council amplifies youth voices so that adults in the community can better understand their needs and perspectives.

There can be judgment, especially in the teen years. Teens Connect creates space for community. You get to make friends from different schools and explore your identity, said McWilliams.

McWilliams said that Teen Council prides itself on diversity and inclusion. The group invites applications from candidates involved in a variety of clubs and hobbies.

Its great to have Teen Council members who can share what they learn about mental health with peers. That helps break the stigma. Many people experience stress, depression, and anxiety at different points in their life, said McWilliams.

Mariana Diaz, 20 and a sophomore at Napa Valley College, said two of the most important things being a Teen Council member taught her were how to be a part of a team and create connections within the community.

Diaz valued achieving goals like developing Bridging the Years, a Teens Connect program to partner teens with older adults for social connection.

Diaz said being a part of Teens Connect helped her succeed in two subsequent positions. These were project assistant at Rainbow Action Network, a group of LGBTQIA+ people and allies that creates programs for families under First 5 Napa Network, and art assistant with the Napa Rail Arts District (RAD).

One of Diazs duties as an art assistant for RAD was to orient members of the Teen Council who volunteered to paint Our RAD Wall. This is a space in downtown Napa where young people between 12 and 21 can create murals to express themselves and bring positive messages to the community.

Being a member of the Teen Council showed me that with time and dedication, teens can work cooperatively to achieve goals that touch on and go beyond raising awareness about mental health. I want to become a K-12 teacher. I look forward to developing activities to support the mental health of myself, my colleagues, my students, their parents, and the community, said Diaz.

To learn more about the Teen Council and apply to join, email McWilliams at nmcwilliams@mentisnapa.org.
According to a PR published by Damen Naval on May 9, 2022, the firm signed a contract with ABB to supply its Onboard DC Grid systems for all four F126 frigates that are under construction for the German Navy. This includes transformers, generators, tunnel thruster motors, energy storage systems, as well as associated control systems and cybersecurity solutions.

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Signature of the contract between Damen Naval and ABB (Picture source: Damen)

This contract marks a clear shift in how the naval ships of tomorrow will not only meet the increasingly complex demands of their operators but also fulfill the public and political expectations for decreasing emissions from naval fleets.

While ABB Onboard DC Grid has previously shown its worth in numerous projects for offshore, superyacht, tug, ferry, and research vessel applications, further development of the power generation and distribution system has proven that it is now sufficiently robust to withstand higher levels of shock and vibrations and meet the demanding requirements of the Navy. Furthermore, the systems low electromagnetic interference levels are improved.

In line with Damen Navals own contract with the German Navy to deliver multi-mission capable vessels, the selection of a DC power system means that the frigates diesel generators will be able to operate at variable speeds.

The robustness of the DC-grid will allow the German navy to use the minimum amount of diesel generators without the risk of blackouts. This will reduce the overall running time, and therefore fuel consumption of the power generation systems.

Moreover, the installation of a DC power system is a strategic future-proof decision because such systems are compatible with sustainable energy sources, which will give the German Navy a head-start in integrating new technologies over the course of the vessels lifecycle.

Damen Naval was selected as successful bidder for the F126 program in 2020 following a European tender process spanning several years. The first ship is expected to be delivered to the German Navy in 2028.

All building work will be carried out entirely in Germany at shipyards in Kiel, Hamburg, and Wolgast. Damen Naval is building the four F126 class frigates as the main contractor, involving strategic partners such as Blohm+Voss and Thales Netherlands. The two extra vessels that are on option for the German Navy, will also be included in the contract with ABB when the order is confirmed.

About F126 frigate

F126 or frigate 126 (Fregatte 126) is a planned German frigate class intended to replace the F123 Brandenburg-class frigates in the German Navy. The ships are to be the largest surface warships to join the Navy since World War II. The first ship is planned to be commissioned in 2028.
What employees want from work and what they are willing to give in return has changed, according to Microsofts annual Work Trend Index.

The workplace is at a long-awaited inflection point: the lived experience of hybrid work. To help organisations navigate this era of uncertainty, the 2022 Work Trend Index outlines findings from a study of 31,000 people in 31 countries, along with an analysis of trillions of productivity signals in Microsoft 365 and labour trends on LinkedIn.

Were simply not the same people that went home to work in early 2020, said Mohammed Arif, Director of Modern Workplace and Security at Microsoft UAE. Employees are rethinking what they want from work and voting with their feet when these new expectations arent met. The challenge ahead for every organisation is to adapt to changing employee priorities while still balancing business outcomes in the new digital economy.

The Index uncovers five urgent trends business leaders need to know in 2022 that will help them reshape the workplace and align with business and customer needs.

Trend one: The worth-it equation

Perhaps one of the most valuable insights from the index is that employees have a new worth it equation and are more likely to prioritise health and wellbeing. Some 47% of respondents say they are more likely to put family and personal life over work than they were before the pandemic. In addition, 53%, particularly parents (55%) and women (56%), say theyre more likely to prioritise their health and wellbeing over work than before.

Trend two: The great disconnect

Managers feel wedged between leadership and employee expectations. They believe leadership is out of touch with employees and dont feel empowered to help their teams. Over half of managers (54%) feel leadership at their company is out of touch with employee expectations. And 74% say they dont have the influence or resources they need to make changes on behalf of their team.

The source of this tension is clear as business leaders seek a return to what once was; 50% of leaders say their company already requires, or plans to require, full-time in-person work in the year ahead. This percentage is even higher for leaders in the manufacturing (55%), retail (54%), and consumer goods (53%) industries.

Trend three: Making the office worth the commute

As the world shifts more fully into hybrid work, the biggest opportunity for business leaders is to reimagine the role of the office and create clarity around why, when, and how often teams should gather in person. More than a third (38%) of hybrid employees say their biggest challenge is knowing when and why to come into the office. Yet few companies (just 28%) have established team agreements to clearly define the new norms.

Making the office work for all employees will take radical intentionality. Theres no one-size-fits-all approach and leaders will have to experiment new ways and measure what works best for which teams. The key is for managers to provide clear guidance to employees as they try and learn what works for the team.

Trend four: Distinguishing flexibility from always on

Though employees enjoy their newfound flexibility, theres still a need to combat digital exhaustion. Meetings are still consuming a lions share of our time. Since February 2020, the average Teams user saw a 252% increase in their weekly meeting time and the number of weekly meetings has increased 153%. The average Teams user sent 32% more chats each week in February 2022 compared to March 2020 and that figure continues to climb. Workday span for the average Teams user has increased more than 13% (46 minutes) since March 2020, and after-hours and weekend work has grown even more quickly, at 28% and 14%, respectively.

Trend Five: Rebuilding social capital in a hybrid world

One of the most felt aspects of remote and hybrid work is the impact its had on our relationships. Last years Work Trend Index revealed that teams became more siloed, and this years study shows the trend one year later.

51% of hybrid employees say theyre likely to go remote in the year ahead, while 43% of leaders say relationship-building is the greatest challenge in remote and hybrid work.

Businesses have an opportunity and responsibility to engage the shift to hybrid with a growth mindset. The best leaders will create a culture that embraces flexibility and prioritises employee wellbeing -- understanding that this is a competitive advantage to build a thriving organisation and drive long-term growth, said Arif.  TradeArabia News Service
Italian police arrest dozens of drug traffickers

NEWS.am digest: Vladimir Putin to visit Armenia late autumn, protests continue in Yerevan

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan discuss military cooperation

Trilateral meeting of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan FMs begins in Dushanbe

Armenia PM and Russian Deputy PM discuss opening of regional communications

Armenia FM: Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet in Moscow on border delimitation

Resistance movement holds march in Yerevan

Armenia FM announces Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Yerevan

Armenian Embassy resumes its work in Ukrainian capital

Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia

Russian and Armenian Foreign Ministers meet in Dushanbe

Russian and Azerbaijani FMs to discuss regional issues

Armenias Pashinyan, Russias Putin to attend CSTO summit on May 16

Lavrov in Dushanbe, to meet with Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs

Yerevan mayor, UK envoy to Armenia exchange views on matters of mutual interest

Resistance Movement representatives stage protest outside office of EU Delegation to Armenia

Russian MFA warns of military-technical response in case of Finland's accession to NATO

Russia deputy PM to visit Armenia today

Washington Post: Armenias best protection against coercive peace would be participation by US, Europe in negotiations

Kremlin calls Finland's accession to NATO threat to Russia

Russia citizen goes missing in Karabakh

Ruling force MP: Armenia economic activity grew 9.6% in first quarter of this year

Armenia soldier who died had committed suicide, preliminary data say

Sticker with PM Pashinyan's photo is posted in Yerevan subway car as protest

Azerbaijan confirms that it refuses to fulfill its obligations to release all Armenian captives

Pallone denounces US weapons sale to Turkey

Attorney of fallen Armenian soldiers legal successors: PM Pashinyan will be questioned by investigative body

Azerbaijan holding another folklore festival in occupied Armenian Shushi city of Artsakh

Buric says alert is posted on their platform regarding disproportionate violence against journalists in Armenia

Armenia MOD: Situation on Azerbaijan border relatively stable

Resistance Movement kicks off motorcades of civil disobedience in Yerevan

Armenia finance minister in Morocco, attends EBRD Board of Governors annual meeting

World gold prices going down

Armenia FM to head for Dushanbe

Siemens ceasing industrial operations in Russia

US ex-defense chief says he was accused of disloyalty

Newspaper: Climate in Armenia parliament majority faction is extremely tense, unhealthy

Newspaper: Armenia opposition sets up group working with international organizations

Oragir.News: Armenia deputy PM Matevosyan had been declared wanted

9 matters on draft agenda of Thursdays session of CIS Council of Foreign Ministers

Armenia PM: We received mandate from our people to adopt, implement peace agenda

Netherlands PM: Armenia is following path of democracy although sometimes there are difficult situations

Gasoline prices hit record high in US again

Mark Rutte: Netherlands will continue to fight for safe return of Armenian POWs

Biden formally asks Congress to approve $400 million arms sale to Turkey

Tomorrow Resistance Movement will continue its acts of disobedience and car rallies

UN Secretary-General says he intends to continue contacts with Russian leadership on Ukraine

More than 30 cultural figures hold discussions on France Square in Yerevan

Reuters exclusive: Google pays over 300 EU publishers for news

Armenia ex-president and his daughter attend rally of Resistance Movement

Armenia and Netherlands PMs meet in The Hague

Stopping flow of Russian gas could wipe out post-COVID recovery in EBRD region

Swedish parliament to hold debate on NATO membership

Norway, Denmark and Iceland to provide security support to Sweden and Finland

Armenia PM meets with Senate President of Netherlands and House of Representatives President

Resistance Movement rally continues on France Square

NEWS.am digest: Azerbaijan claims to return 7 villages and rejects Armenia peace proposals

Erdogan: Turkey's entry into the top ten developed countries will depend on elections in 2023

Passenger with no flying experience lands private jet safely at Florida airport

Peaceful protesters continue marching through Yerevan

The Hill: Leaks raise fears Ukraine crisis will escalate into proxy war between US, Russia

Armenia PM: Azerbaijan continues aggressive policy against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh

Peaceful protesters surround City Hall of Yerevan

Resistance movement starts marching from France Square in Yerevan

Face masks to no longer be mandatory at airports and on flights in Europe

Karabakh ombudsman: No mechanism can stop Azerbaijan from its invariable goal to evict Armenians from Artsakh

Azerbaijan blogger arrested for criticizing officials

Paris Tribunal judges launch investigation against Interpol president

Saudi Arabia warns world is running out of energy capacity

Resistance Movement holding rally at France Square in downtown Yerevan

New Zealand will fully open its international borders from 31 July

Armenia National Interests Fund chair attends EBRD annual meeting

Man, 44, dies 3 days after being stabbed in Armenias Abovyan

Armenian cross-stone unveiled at Peace Palace in The Hague within framework of PM Pashinyan's visit

Armenia soldier found dead with gunshot wound

EU to propose considering sanctions evasion a crime

Criminal case opened into tragic death of Armenia television program host

JPMorgan: Russian economy is doing better than expected amid tough sanctions

Karabakh FM: Russian peacekeepers will remain in region until conflict is resolved

Group of Dutch Armenians staging protest demanding PM Pashinyans resignation

US 'actively exploring' new sanctions that would force Russia to default on foreign debt

Opposition MP says what is happening in Armenia today is at focus of international community

Covid vaccination, negative PCR test result QR codes to no longer be required when visiting Armenia public places

Al Jazeera journalist shot dead in Israeli raid in occupied West Bank

Protest rally to be held in Baku against threats, violence toward Azerbaijan public figures

Kazakhstan dismisses reports on country leaving Eurasian Economic Union

Armenias Pashinyan to Dutch businessmen: We have agenda of major democratic reforms to boost economic growth

Azerbaijan border guard commits suicide

Bloomberg: Gas conflict between Ukraine and Russia threatens supplies to Europe

Resistance Movement holding civil disobedience motorcade in Yerevan

Rival gang clash kills 44 prisoners in Ecuador

Protesters in Sri Lanka burn houses of 38 politicians

US intelligence officials warn China is 'working hard' to be able to take over Taiwan militarily

Armenia PM in Netherlands: Our peoples have always been open, deeply interested in interpenetrating cultures

Premier attends Under the spell of Mount Ararat: Treasures from ancient Armenia exhibition opening in Assen

US House passes more than $40bn bill on additional aid for Ukraine

UAE and Saudi ministers oppose NOPEC bill, saying it will raise oil prices

Newspaper: Armenia law enforcement system advises PM not to hold rallies

Newspaper: Noteworthy details disclosed about Armenia PM's recent visit to Moscow

Armenias Pashinyan is greeted with insults in Netherlands
Tourism 365, a tourism development company and part of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) Group, is participating in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022, showcasing Abu Dhabis leisure tourism sector.

The companys participation at ATM showcases its strategic partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Etihad Holidays and also marks close to a year in operations following its launch in late June 2021.

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of Adnec, said: Our strategic partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi and Etihad Holidays looks to enhance Abu Dhabis tourism sector throughout the summer and in the coming year.

Tourism 365 launched at the start of the second half of 2021 as part of Adnecs strategy to develop Abu Dhabis leisure tourism sector. We look forward to placing Abu Dhabi as one of the worlds leading tourist destinations, with advanced travel technology, greater connectivity and standalone packages for the global traveller. We are proud to be a leading group that contributes to the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabis tourism industry. Our aim is to bring business and leisure travellers together to create a valuable social and economic impact on Abu Dhabi.

Commenting on the collaboration with Tourism 365, Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: This is a positive step forward for the entire tourism industry in Abu Dhabi, putting the capital at the forefront of driving global tourism innovation. It's through such strategic partnerships and our diversity of experiences on offer, that enables us to inspire all travellers on their own journey of personal discovery to experience Abu Dhabi at their own pace. All while making the destination even more accessible to global markets.

Roula Jouny, CEO of Tourism 365, said: We are excited to take part in ATM while we mark a key milestone for Tourism 365 after successfully completing a year of operations. Tourism 365 was launched to enhance the regional and global positioning of Abu Dhabi in the wider tourism sector by showcasing all that Abu Dhabi has to offer. Tourism 365 will continue its mission in nurturing Abu Dhabis compelling tourism sector, as well as providing innovative travel solutions in collaboration with (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Etihad Holidays.

During the exhibition, Tourism 365 will announce its operational role for Etihad Holidays to enhance its current position as a travel platform for the local market to an all-encompassing tour operator for all regional and international travel pursuits. This will allow them to supply online and traditional travel agencies with Etihad network holiday packages for multiple key source markets including Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Austria and Russia.

In addition, Etihad Holidays will function as a business-to-business tour operator, working with retailers and OTAs to boost tourism to Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

Tourism 365 is exhibiting at ATM 2022 from May 9  12 on DCT Stand: ME2350, ME2310 and will also have a presence through Etihad Holidays on the Etihad Airways stand ME2210. Exciting holiday prizes are also up for grabs at the stands.  TradeArabia News Service
Those who organized protests in Armenia, and those in charge of it, are known to Armenian society, said Azerbaijans foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov, APA reported.

According to him, those people who made false promises to the Armenian people for nearly 30 years, living under illusions, are the ones who brought Armenia to the abyss today.

It is a part of the fight for power. They want to bring the Karabakh issue to the agenda again. Of course, we [i.e., Azerbaijan] watch and follow these processes. It is not about wide social support there; in the largest case, there are not even five-six thousand people. It once again shows that Armenian society has also, already become tired of these false promises and illusions, the Azerbaijani FM said.
One of the agreements reached after the meeting held in Brussels on April 6, with the participation of Azerbaijani President, Armenian Prime Minister, and the President of European Union Council was that a commission on the delimitation of the borders would be established, said Azerbaijans foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov, APA reported.

According to him, it was planned to hold the first meeting by late April.

I can note that I had a phone call with the Armenian foreign minister two times, before holding the meeting. We [i.e., Azerbaijan] had provided our proposals on the composition of the commission. Taking into account the differences in a number of featuresnamely the delimitation process of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border from the delimitation process of other neighboring countries, our proposal was that the commission should be organized in a different format. Azerbaijani sides proposal was that the person to chair the commission by the Azerbaijani side should be at the level of the deputy prime minister. Even during our first telephone conversation, the Armenian foreign minister accepted this with understanding, and said that additional time is needed to discuss it in Armenia. Then the Armenian side noted that this proposal was also admissible for them. There is the consent of the sides on the composition of the commission. Azerbaijani side was ready for holding this meeting in April already. We are also ready now. After the Armenian side implements its procedures, it will be possible to hold such a meeting, the Azerbaijani FM said.
There is no legal ground that at any time any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has existed in the territory of Armenia, the latters Ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan told Armenpress when asked to respond to the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafovs statements.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalafov said that on April 6 in Brussels the Republic of Armenia agreed to launch peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan based on the 5-points presented by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister made a similar statement. How would you comment on these statements?

Weve numerously addressed this topic. Back in March 21, 2022 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said: There is nothing unacceptable for us in the proposals handed over to us by Azerbaijan on March 10. It is another matter that these proposals do not address all issues of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive peace agenda. We supplemented the agenda with our response handed over to the OSCE MG [Minsk Group] Co-Chairmanship and therefore we are ready for the launch of the peace talks based on this.

During the trilateral meeting in Brussels on April 6 the Republic of Armenia also [directly] handed over to the Azerbaijani side the 6-point document which includes, among others, the issues of the security and the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] and the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian side offered to start negotiations based on the two agendas in the direction of a peace treaty. The Azerbaijani side agreed to this approach, after which an agreement was reached to initiate negotiations on a peace treaty.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also made a statement on what he called the return of 7 villages of the Gazakh district and Karki to Azerbaijan, saying that these issues will be solved during the delimitation and demarcation.

Weve numerously said that the delimitation and demarcation processes should take place based on facts and documents of de-jure significance. At this moment we dont possess any legal substantiation that any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has ever existed in the territory of Armenia. On the contrary, there are legal grounds on the village of Artsvashen belonging to Armenia. The same applies to a number of territories belonging to Armenia, including in the Sotk-Khoznavar section where the infamous unlawful Azerbaijani military invasion took place last year in May. These issues must certainly be discussed and resolved in the delimitation and demarcation process.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, a leading global hospitality company, has launched the Inclusive Collection, a new global portfolio of nine distinct luxury all-inclusive resort brands focused on leisure demand.



Resorts in Hyatts Inclusive Collection deliver immersive, elevated and seamless all-inclusive experiences  helping guests and members celebrate the big moments, little moments, and everything in between, a Hyatt statement said.



The new Inclusive Collection of luxury all-inclusive resort brands cater to every guest and members wish to create more meaningful and rewarding experiences with best-in-class luxury resort brands, including Hyatt Ziva resorts, Hyatt Zilara resorts, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Vivid Hotels & Resorts (coming soon), Alua Hotels & Resorts and Sunscape Resorts & Spas.



We heard from our guests and members that they are looking for more all-inclusive options to choose from, and by uniting Hyatt and AMR Collections complementary luxury all-inclusive portfolios into the Inclusive Collection, were bringing them world-class services under one portfolio with more all-inclusive resorts than ever, said Amy Weinberg, senior vice president, loyalty, brand marketing and consumer insights, Hyatt.



Across our global portfolio of more than 1,100 properties, guests and members can now enjoy four curated Hyatt collections meeting the full range of travel occasions.



Discover new ways to earn rewards

World of Hyatt members can now enjoy program benefits, including earning and redeeming points at more than 50 must-visit Inclusive Collection resorts in destinations like Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and the Caribbean. Inclusive Collection resorts in Europe are expected to begin participating in the World of Hyatt program soon.



In addition to having access to World of Hyatt benefits at participating resorts in more luxury all-inclusive brands than ever before, World of Hyatt members can register by August 15, 2022 to earn 5,000 Bonus Points for qualifying stays of three or more consecutive eligible nights at participating Inclusive Collection resorts in the Americas between May 15 and September 15, 2022.



Inclusive Collection resorts enable guests to experience what it truly means to stay at an all-inclusive with one-of-a kind signature programs like Endless Privileges, Unlimited-Luxury, and Unlimited-Fun with benefits at select resorts, such as no check-in or check-out times, 24-hour room service, top-shelf cocktails, gourmet a la carte dining without reservations required and endless activities throughout the day and night, said Erica Doyne, senior vice president of marketing & communications, AMResorts.



From spa treatments and locally inspired cuisine to rich cultural experiences that immerse travellers in the traditions of their destination, the Inclusive Collection brings one of the worlds largest portfolios of luxury all-inclusive resorts to travellers so they can connect with those that matter most and turn moments into lifetime memories.



Whether looking for quality family time or an extra measure of romance at a breathtaking location, the Inclusive Collection offers something for everyone, catering to all types of travellers, lifestyles, and stages of life, including:



 Tucked between the Caribbean Sea and nearby mountain peaks in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall offers an exclusive adults-only escape with boundless luxury. The Jamaican paradise features rooms with spectacular views, a personal butler service and swim-up suites which provide exclusive access to a private pool.



 With 57 stunning suites and rooms, Zoetry Casa del Mar Los Cabos is an intimate, oceanfront sanctuary inspired by Spanish-colonial hacienda architecture. The resort features a private beach club, an exquisite array of authentic cuisines prepared with local farm and area ingredients, wine cellar for private dining, daily afternoon teatime with live plant infusions and complimentary 20-minute wellness experience.



 Recently opened, the luxurious Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen is an all-suite resort nestled in a tropical oasis on the Caribbean Sea coastline, just minutes from Playa Del Carmens famed Fifth Avenue. Immersed in an earthy, contemporary design, and offering the brands signature vacation concept, Unlimited-Luxury, the resort features three man-made cenotes, seven shimmering pools, powdery white sand beaches, a rooftop wedding venue, 11 gourmet dining options, eight bars/lounges and world-class Secrets Spa by Pevonia.



 The eco-friendly, all-suite family resort Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort offers amazing views of the ocean and mountains, and was designed by famous architect, Sordo Madaleno. It offers Unlimited-Luxury inclusions, surf lessons, unique observation areas including the Sun Deck with private lounge chairs and hammocks, a Moon Deck with five fire pits and a wedding gazebo, and shared space with the adjacent Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort for flexible multigenerational travel and group vacation options.



Four distinct brand collections



With the addition of the Inclusive Collection, Hyatt now offers four distinct collections, including the Timeless Collection, Boundless Collection, Independent Collection and Inclusive Collection. Whether exploring a new destination, seeking the comforts of a home-away-from-home, immersing yourself in exotic locations or simply relaxing by the beach or pool, Hyatt offers todays traveller an impressive selection of options with world-class amenities.



Timeless Collection: Rooted in traditions of impeccable service and thoughtful amenities, the Timeless Collection of properties deliver the comforts of a home away from home with a consistently elevated experience. Guests and members can accomplish whatever they set out to achieve on their travels  whether a business meeting or a much-needed family get-together:



 Park Hyatt

 Grand Hyatt

 Hyatt Regency

 Hyatt

 Hyatt Residence Club

 Hyatt Place

 Hyatt House

 UrCove



Boundless Collection: Reflective of todays cultureshaped by the people and places that surround it, the Boundless Collection of properties embrace guests' dynamic lifestyles and offer immersive experiences that allow them to learn, grow and expand:



 Miraval

 Alila

 Andaz

 Thompson Hotels

 Hyatt Centric

 Caption by Hyatt



Independent Collection: Each brand in the Independent Collection offers distinct properties that are all unique  from storied hotels to vibrant neighbourhood locales to immersive retreats. Each property enriches the modern travellers experience in new and exciting ways:



 The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

 Destination by Hyatt

 JdV by Hyatt  TradeArabia News Service
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday that his country adheres to international law in its relations with Greece and is in favor of resolving the problems between them through dialogue.

According to Akar, Turkey is a million times right in the issues with Greece, however, the Greek side continues provocative actions and statements, in particular, on issues of the border of territorial waters and airspace in the Aegean Sea.

Turkey in recent days has repeatedly accused Greece of violating international legal norms in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, the Cyprus issue, as well as inhuman actions against migrants.

A negative reaction in Ankara was also caused by the decision of Athens to cancel Turkey's invitation to participate in the NATO Tiger Meet exercises.

The maneuvers are to take place in Greece from 9 to 20 May. The invitation was withdrawn under the pretext of constant violations of Greek airspace by the Turkish Air Force.
The inaugural Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh opened yesterday with a call for the aviation sector to establish a strong global voice to contribute to global wellbeing, sustainability, and prosperity.

Aviation is typically a low margin business. When it works everybody wins but every year our industry suffers external crises and shocks. The crisis caused by the pandemic showed how divided we can be when we needed unity. Through this forum, we can establish a strong global voice to contribute to global wellbeing, sustainability, and prosperity. If we are successful, as I believe we can be, today will mark the start of a golden era of aviation, said Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Arabias Minister of Transport and Logistical Services, opening the forum.

He said it was a moment to showcase that aviation is an industry for transformation as economies look to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The forum has brought together more than 2,000 delegates and aviation leaders from around the world to develop solutions around three central pillars: growth, innovation and sustainability.

Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the Council, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), reflecting on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry, called for governments and civil aviation authorities to deepen cooperation and develop resilience-enhancing solutions against future crises.

Should a similar crisis occur, governments need to take a more coordinated action. It will require more concerted efforts to protect citizens in regards to border closures, subsidies and other economic measures, and health protection requirements, Sciacchitano said.

The ICAO President said investing in civil aviation systems is a global public good.

The future development of international civil aviation can greatly help to create friendship and understanding among the nations and the peoples of the world. And it can effectively promote that cooperation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends. International transport is a universal bridge between nations and continents, between cultures and traditions, between individuals and communities, the ICAO President said.

In the spirit of international cooperation, at the opening of the Future Aviation Forum Saudi Arabia revealed a policy proposal to accelerate the recovery of international air travel to pre-pandemic levels.

Harmonising Air Travel policy

Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Duailej, President of Saudis General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), presented the Harmonising Air Travel policy, which aims to ensure international aviation operators can easily access travel health requirements and respond to future public health crises in a unified manner, thereby improving their collective resilience.

The Harmonising Air Travel policy will give our industry and passengers the ability to understand at a glance the openness of any given country during a future health emergency and to use that knowledge to make decisions. It is a policy that will save our industry billions of dollars in future crises and maintain confidence in our operations on which we all rely, said Al-Duailej.

Holistic green policy sought

With sustainability among the three pillars of the Future Aviation Forum, delegates and aviation leaders also heard from Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, the Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, who called for a holistic and openminded approach to developing solutions to green the sector.

We are at a juncture where we have to look at everything and be mindful of and effective in meeting sustainability goals, which you cannot deliver with a cherry-picking approach. We have quite a few options (to achieve sustainability goals), and we must look at them all, said Prince Abdulaziz,

Saudi Arabias transport and logistics sector, a major pillar of the Vision 2030 economic transformation plan, is undergoing rapid development. The Kingdom aims to generate SR356 billion (just under $100 billion) in investment into its aviation sector by 2030. The Kingdom has plans to launch a new international airline, and to undertake major upgrades to its aviation infrastructure.  TradeArabia News Service
Consultations on planning the trilateral cooperation Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral cooperation were held at the administrative complex of the Armenian Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

The MOD press service informed NEWS.am that during the meeting, the sides reviewed the results of the activities implemented in the previous years within the framework of bilateral and trilateral military cooperation between Armenia, Greece and Cyprus, and discussed the prospects of cooperation.

The sides also discussed issues related to regional security and international developments. The Head of the Armenian Defense Ministry's Department for Defense Policy and International Cooperation presented the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and in Artsakh, noting that efforts should be undertaken toward the establishment of stability and peace in the region.

Based on the agreements reached during the consultations, were signed the Program of Bilateral Military Cooperation between Armenia and Greece for 2022 and the Action Plan for Trilateral Military Cooperation Armenia-Greece-Cyprus (the Program of Bilateral Military Cooperation Armenia-Cyprus for 2022 was signed in October 2021).

According to the signed documents, several dozens of activities are envisaged in Armenia, Greece and Cyprus.
The positions of Turkey and Kazakhstan on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis coincide, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

His remarks came at a press conference in Ankara after talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is in Turkey on a state visit, TASS reported.

"We have discussed the situation in Ukraine. We agree that the crisis should be resolved within the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Erdogan said.

According to him, Turkey and Kazakhstan intend to double the annual trade turnover between the two countries to $10 billion. He noted that last year bilateral trade turnover grew by 58 percent compared to a year earlier and showed good growth dynamics.

Erdogan also said that the Turkish authorities will continue to encourage local companies to invest in the economy of Kazakhstan.

As a result of negotiations between the delegations of Kazakhstan and Turkey, the parties signed 15 documents, including those on strategic partnership. The Turkish president noted the importance of the signed agreements and memoranda in the year when both countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

"As a result of the talks, signatures have been put under documents worth $1 billion," the Kazakh president said.

Tokayev called Turkey a very important strategic partner and invited Erdogan to visit Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's president arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for his first state visit. He is scheduled to attend a business forum on Wednesday.
After just one class at the University of Miami, seniors Erica Goldfinger and Eliza Stuart recognized the power of digital mapping tools to uncover patterns. They realized the technology could track and illuminate things like human health, climate change, and pollutionall by placing data points on a map.

It convinced both women that they needed to learn more and prompted themindependentlyto take more advanced classes in geography and sustainable development, eventually leading them both to double major in the discipline.

Maps are such a great way to visualize data effectively, said Goldfinger, who is also majoring in ecosystem science and policy. They are great for telling a story and making things digestible for people that dont have a lot of expertise or background in a certain field.

Their familiarity and interest in digital mapping also impressed geography associate professor Justin Stoler, who recruited Stuart and Goldfinger to help with research projects in his Social and Health Inequities Research and Education (SHIRE) Lab. It allowed both women to learn how to explain things geographically, like the incidence of breast cancer in South Florida, or drivers of water insecurity in rural Uganda.

Now, both are graduating with honors from the Department of Geography and Sustainable Development in the College of Arts and Sciences as the only two students receiving the distinction this spring. Stoler hopes to find more students as enthusiastic and dedicated as these two seniors, who began working with him remotely during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, each presented her own research at the annual meeting of the American Association of Geographers and fielded questions from academics across the nation.

They are remarkably talented, said Stoler, a geography professor who is also affiliated with the Miller Schools Department of Public Health Sciences and the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. Everyone at the national conference thought they were graduate students when they presented their work. They are performing at a high bar and having a good time.

Even during the height of COVID-19, Stoler said, he trained Stuart and Goldfinger on advanced statistical methods over Zoom and was elated that the then-juniors were eager to learn.

Most of our collaboration has been virtual, so thats a testament to their versatility, resilience, and motivation when there were so many distractions, Stoler said.

As they enter the workforce, Goldfinger and Stuart both hope that their growing expertise with geographic information systems (GIS) and data analysis will help them improve the health and environment of our nation.

Interest in environment led to Miami

Goldfinger grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and often enjoyed exploring the woods behind her home. When she was in second grade, she learned about climate change for the first time and was stunned.

I had no idea our earth was suffering the way it was, and I thought it was crazy how people were acting like it was no big deal, she said.

Her interest in studying the environment led her to the University, where she initially wanted to study policy.

Miami has really good environmental programs, and its such an applicable city to be learning this in, she said. Its a place that needs strong and effective environmental policy for survival, so I thought being in a place where these changes are imminent would be ideal.

But once she got involved in taking ecosystems science and policy classes, like biology professor Kathleen Sealeys Hurricanes and Ecology, where she visited the Everglades for the first time, Goldfinger started to realize that she was more interested in collecting and evaluating the data that supports policy. She took her first class in GISthe software used to analyze geographic dataand was hooked.

I would like to go into a career where I can use GIS to collect environmental data and use it as my tool to make a difference in environmental policy, she said.

Goldfinger will do just that when she begins work this summer at the National Audubon Society as a Dangermond Fellow, a program that trains future leaders in conservation science, public policy, and digital mapping careers.

During the past four years, Goldfinger also worked as a member of the green committee for Student Governments ECO Agency. In addition, she serves on its food sustainability committee and helps maintain the on-campus food pantry, which receives donations twice a week from the nonprofit organization Good Samaritan Meals.

In working with Stolers lab, Goldfinger met Stuart and the two bonded quickly on their shared interest of GIS mapping. Together, the women even helped revive Gamma Theta Upsilon, the Universitys honor society in geography, and planned a week of programming to raise awareness about how geography affects everyones lives.

Public health focus builds at the U

Stuart, a native of Falls Church, Virginia, came to the University to study public health. Her interest in the field was ignited in high school when she read about a rare form of cancer that spread through the Puget Sound area of Washington because asbestos on pipes had leached into the drinking water.

It was this mystery, and I realized that by tracking disease geographically, you are solving it, she said.

At the University, her fascination with public health has only strengthened.

Stuart said that she feels fortunate that she was able to learn from some of the most seasoned global health professionals at the University, including a global health course with President Julio Frenk and Felicia Marie Knaul, professor at the School of Medicine and director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, and a health policy class with former University president, Donna Shalala.

During Shalalas class, Stuart even got the chance to speak with guest lecturer Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the worlds great champions of public health, just weeks before he passed away. Stuart said speaking to Farmer was one of the highlights of her time at the University.

Yet, Stuart also counts Stolers class, Global Water Security and Sustainability, among her favorites because it broadened her interest in water as a worldwide public health issue. That classand a few othershelped Stuart realize how well digital mapping and public health meld.

So many geographic principles carry over to public health, she said. In nearly every class, we talk about geography because it affects every aspect of infectious diseases.

While Stuarts main research project focused on the spatial patterns of water insecurity in rural Uganda, she also supported research collaborations with Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Stuart also shared her knowledge about digital mapping with other students as a teaching assistant in a GIS for Health and Environment course and in the Richter Librarys Digital Scholars Lab this semester.

Learning how to encourage other people to pursue their interests and support them in conducting research is fulfilling because I love helping people, learning about new health and environmental-related issues, and applying GIS to better understand the worlds problems, she said. These positions have taught me a lot about research in general, which I will carry forward with me.

After graduation, Stuart is contemplating several professional options in the health policy realm, ideally for a U.S. government agency. Specifically, she wants to improve the way scientists communicate public health research to help others understand and work to eliminate health disparities in the U.S.. Later, Stuart hopes to earn her Ph.D. in public health policy.

Government health communications could be stronger, and their maps could be better, she said. If we are ever going to resolve the health disparities in this country, we need to improve our health care system, so people of all backgrounds are willing to seek and receive quality care.
The elderly woman would call Armen Hendersons community health clinic at least twice a day, pleading for someone to make a house call to her southeast Miami-Dade County residence. Hey, doctor, she would say. Please come and see me. I dont feel safe in my apartment.

When a team of physicians was finally able to visit the woman, they saw firsthand the squalid conditions in which she lived: a leaky roof, an air-conditioner that didnt work properly, and signs of rodent infestation.

When we think about climate change, its important for us to think about people like this elderly lady, because none of the technology were discussing and none of the changes in temperature really matter unless we can get to people like her, said Henderson, an assistant professor of hospital medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Henderson, who started his clinic four years ago to provide free health care to some of the countys most vulnerable populations, made those comments on Friday at the University of Miamis fifth Climate and Health Symposium.

During the daylong summit, held at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and organized by the Department of Public Health Sciences, experts in fields ranging from architecture, engineering, and communication to business, medicine, and law presented research on, and discussed ways in which, weather, global warming, and environment impact the health of at-risk populations. Through a series of panels, they also proposed strategies to address the climate and health crisis.

One of the ways in which we should talk about climate change through the lens of a disaster is by humanizing the stories of how it affects people, particularly low-income groups who live in black and brown communities and in Zip Codes where people die 15 years earlier than those who live in affluent Zip Codes that are literally only walking distance away from health clinics, Henderson explained.

The Dade County Street Response team he helped initiate four years ago develops interventions to assist those who fall between the cracks, he said.

While peoplesuch as the elderly woman Henderson assistedcan request help, other segments of the population that endure the most devastating health impacts of climate change are unable to ask for aid and often show up in hospital emergency rooms suffering from climate-related illnesses, said Lisa Gwynn, associate professor of clinical pediatrics and public health sciences at the Miller School and medical director of the Pediatric Mobile Clinic.

One of the primary effects related to heat is heat-related illness, and extreme heat is the leading cause of environmental deaths in the United States. It kills more people than any other types of weather events, Gwynn explained. However, the research on pediatric populations is somewhat limited. We do know that infants have a higher risk because of their immature thermoregulatory systems. And babies cant give us any warning. They cant speak. So, oftentimes they are in serious condition when they end up in our emergency departments, and we have to be aggressive with their resuscitation.

Noting that about 9 percent of the children in the United States have asthma, Gwynn said that extreme heat can exacerbate the condition.

Weather can also affect the transmission of diseases, reported Jagger Alexander, the first graduate of the Universitys Master of Science in Climate and Health degree program. Analyzing COVID-19 and weather data from across Florida, he discovered that weather conditions can account for up to a 22 percent variation in transmission of the virus.

While outdoor transmission makes up only a small fraction of total cases, weather may nonetheless affect COVID transmission indirectly, he stated. For example, in certain weather conditions, people may be more likely to congregate indoors, causing an increase in case numbers.

For his study, Alexander included the weather variables of temperature, which showed the strongest correlation with COVID cases, precipitation, windspeed, and sea level pressure. He used machine learning methods to illustrate complex data trends that common statistical techniques do not capture. One case of this is seen with temperature, where temperature extremes on either end of the spectruman abnormally warm or cool daywere associated with higher rates of COVID cases, he said.

Mitigating climates impact on health will require that we make changes to the built environment, such as constructing more green roofs, designing walkable and connected communities, and planting more trees, said Joanna Lombard, a professor in the School of Architecture and a founding member of the Universitys Built Environment Behavior and Health Research Group.

Most of us do not live in tents in the woods, and everything that we build affects our behavior and health, she noted. Were responsible for an enormous amount of [carbon] emissions. So, before we do anything else, we need to make a dent in that.

Collaborating with William W. Aitken, an internist at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, Lombard has studied the impacts of greenness on cardiovascular health and other conditions, finding that people who live on neighborhood blocks with more tree canopy and urban greenspace have lower incidents of heart disease and other illnesses.

These are some very basic things, Lombard pointed out. It does not require high technology or advances in any major field of engineering or science.

Other highlights of the symposium included:

In brief remarks at the start of the symposium, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava applauded the Universitys efforts in addressing climate change and its health impacts, and she noted that she is leading an effort to revamp the countys Office of Emergency Management.

Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an assistant professor of civil and architectural engineering in the College of Engineering, detailed University projects aimed at protecting coral reefs and shorelines from storm surge and sea level rise, noting that coral reefs are vital to the ecosystem and provide pharmaceutical benefits. He also spoke about the College of Engineerings collaboration with the Office of Civic and Community Engagement to identify strategies to adapt buildings to make them more flood resistant.

Ben Kirtman, professor of atmospheric sciences at the Rosenstiel School, described two of the long-range forecasting tools he helped develop and how they can be used to aid emergency managers and health care teams in planning for potential disease outbreaks that can result from extreme weather. Getting people to respond to those forecasts is a big challenge, he said. We have to build trust and relationships in how to use those forecasts.
Nine arrested after crash images spark panic on plane

AirDrop is a feature on Apple devices such as iPhones that allows users to share files wirelessly with people in near proximity. Photo: Shutterstock

Nine Israelis were arrested on suspicion of using cellphones to share images of plane crashes with other passengers on Tuesday, causing panic and forcing their flight to be aborted, authorities said.



The incident happened shortly before the AnadoluJet passenger plane had been readying for take-off for Istanbul from Tel Aviv, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said.



"The nine... are suspected of broadcasting images of an air disaster on the plane, causing panic and delaying the plane's departure by several hours," the police said.



"All nine suspects are being questioned by police," they said in a statement, adding the offence could be interpreted as a "terrorist threat".



The IAA said those detained had been ejected from the flight before it was able to depart around four hours later.



"They used an Apple programme, AirDrop, allowing them to share photos on phones around them," said IAA spokesman Ofer Lefler.



AirDrop is a feature on Apple devices such as iPhones that allows users to share files wirelessly with people in near proximity.



Tuesday's incident is the second such scare at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv within weeks.



On April 28, airport security staff found an unexploded shell in the luggage of an American family who had taken it as a souvenir while on holiday in Israel.



The discovery caused panic in the departures hall, and people were seen taking cover and running in all directions in videos shared on social media.



The family was allowed to board their flight as planned. (AFP)
Sri Lanka, where a second state of emergency was imposed after the crippling strike over the external debt and the pervading economic crisis but Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa finally forced to step down, has seen China playing a shrewd game for years. Beijing does not only to gain a strategic advantage in the island nation but also to keep its economy hostage. The widespread protests had led to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency for the second time on May 6 for, "public security and the protection of public order and for the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community." 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, seize possession of property and search any premises. He can also change or suspend any law. The first state of emergency was declared on April 1, a day after thousands of protesters attempted to storm his private home in the capital. That emergency was allowed to lapse on April 14. But protests have since escalated, spurring Sri Lanka's worst crisis since independence in 1948. While China is currently involved in more than 50 projects in Sri Lanka, their nature and execution are alarming, to say the least. These are Hambantota and Colombo Port City, both of which have been given for years of lease to China and termed by many as Chinese enclaves. Chinese economic support for Sri Lanka was never meant only for trade and economic considerations. It was always a means to gain political and security leverage against India and safeguard its interest in the Indian Ocean Rim, through which the bulk of China's energy movement takes place. Sri Lanka finally succumbed to China's debt-trap diplomacy. We should remember that the expansion of the Hambantota port in South Sri Lanka was one of the major concern in Sri Lanka. It is the house of the Rajapaksa family's President andPrime Minister. It was a $1 billion project financed by Chinese financiers. They paid for it by hiring Chinese port developers. Several Rajapaksa family members were accused of corruption in the project. Sri Lanka's debts grew dramatically since that. To settle the debt, Sri Lanka agreed to let China Merchants lease the Hambantota port for 99 years in exchange for new loans from the Chinese government. A $1 billion Chinese loan had this effect. China reportedly gave Sri Lanka $12 billion over the years. In fact, the Sri Lanka-China nexus was so strong that Chinese imports were reduced by only 8 per cent compared to India's nearly 20 per cent. This happened despite India's geographic proximity, indicating the deep roots China has developed in Sri Lanka. China had only one per cent share in Sri Lanka's official development assistance (ODA) in 2005. Today, it has surpassed India and Japan and reached 23 per cent. Sri Lankan efforts to restrict foreign debt obligations drew a blank from China, which does nothing without an agenda. Beijing's current assistance offer is primarily to make Sri Lanka clear its previous dues to China. While China provided initial financial assistance for infrastructure development, its later assistance was consumed in budgetary support and mitigating the balance-of-payments crisis. This transition in the nature of financial support was allowed to thrust Sri Lanka deeper into the Chinese "debt trap". China has always had an eye on projects in the northern islets of Sri Lanka to come closer to India and offset its advantages in the Indian Ocean region. China is now the second-largest lender to Sri Lanka. By 2019, it was holding more than 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's outstanding foreign debt. China became the largest investor in Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2020, displacing India from the position of the largest importer of Sri Lankan goods despite an adversarial geographic location. Faced with a grave financial crisis, Sri Lanka sought urgent assistance from China amounting to $2.5 billion. Chinese authorities responded, weeks after Sri Lanka made the request for financial support, saying it would extend $42 million in "urgent emergency humanitarian aid." Sri Lanka has also been seeking to delay the repayment of $11 billion in Chinese loans since January 10 when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the country's capital, Colombo but China has not responded to the request. The announcement of another emergency drew condemnation from Sri Lanka's opposition and several western countries. "Concerned by another state of emergency," US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said in a tweet. "The voices of peaceful citizens need to be heard." Diplomats and rights groups expressed concern on Saturday after President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency and police used force against peaceful protesters amid the country's worst economic crisis in recent memory. It is important to note that for months, Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, vital medicines, oil etc. 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 All Ceylon Transport Workers Union, Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters' Union (SLRSMU), the University students, and many other unions are protesting against the Rajapaksa family. The economic and political situation has triggered protests across the Indian Ocean island nation demanding the resignation of Rajapaksa and his powerful ruling family. In another development, the IMF will meet with Sri Lankan officials in a virtual meeting beginning May 9. Under the pressure of $51 billion in foreign debt, Sri Lanka is asking for help from the International Monetary Fund that includes $11 billion from China's BRI projects. This includes $11 billion spent by Chinese lenders on BRI projects in Sri Lanka. It is believed that China has a hidden agenda for refusing to reschedule its loans to Sri Lanka. In fact, China wants to take advantage of Sri Lanka's inability to pay off loans on time. Beijing is waiting for a good time to enter into a debt-to-equity swap and acquire land in Sri Lanka. Such a swap would turn past loans into equity, giving China ownership of another projects in Sri Lanka. Such a self-aggrandising approach during humanitarian crisis including financial crisis in Sri Lanka shows the true face of China. --IANS scor ( 1096 Words) 2022-05-09-21:38:40 (IANS)
Following an "anti-state" speech by former Pakistan premier Imran Khan a day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Khan must be reined in before he divides the country any further, media reports said. "What Imran Khan said yesterday was horrible. He is poisoning the minds of the country's masses. The country will be further divided and this language must be stopped according to the Constitution and law," Sharif said while addressing the National Assembly, Express Tribune reported. Addressing the Abbottabad rally on Sunday, Khan had claimed that more than three million people will march to Islamabad when he gives the protest call to the nation after May 20. The deposed premier once again said that only animals were neutral in remarks apparently aimed at the military leadership, which didn't take a side when he was ousted from power in a no-trust move last month, Express Tribune reported. "If you are neutral, you are supporting falsehood," he had said. Sharif in his speech said that the example Khan gave on Sunday about the betrayal of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah with reference to Pakistan's national institutions was horrible. "You (Imran Khan) were fine with this institute when it was feeding you like a baby... The support you got from it was unprecedented," Sharif said. Meanwhile, the National Assembly has passed a resolution condemning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairperson Khan's "anti-army" statements during his public gathering in Abbottabad on Sunday. The resolution was tabled by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Samaa TV reported. --IANS san/arm ( 269 Words) 2022-05-09-22:09:06 (IANS)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for London on Tuesday night along with senior PML-N leaders to meet party supremo Nawaz Sharif in the wake of heightened political uncertainty in the country, media reports said. According to insiders, Nawaz has summoned an "emergency meeting" of the party leaders to discuss matters related to the economy and the prevailing political situation in Pakistan, Express Tribune reported. The insiders further said the ruling party is expected to make some "big decisions" regarding the fate of the coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb later confirmed the development while addressing a press conference held in Islamabad to brief the media of the decisions taken during Tuesday's cabinet meeting. "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N members are going on a private visit to London to meet Nawaz Sharif," she said in an apparent bid to downplay the matter, as she added that such consultations within the party are not unusual. Senior PML-N leader and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had recently suggested that fair and transparent general elections should be held as soon as possible. "Some people want the government to complete its tenure, but Nawaz Sharif is of the view that free and fair elections should be held as soon as possible," Dar had said during an interview with a local broadcaster, Express Tribune reported. The sources said given the importance of the matter, Nawaz Sharif has refused to hold virtual meetings and asked the party leaders to visit London. PML-N Vice-President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is already in the British capital and has reportedly confirmed the development. --IANS san/arm ( 290 Words) 2022-05-10-22:17:53 (IANS)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10 (ANI/PRNewswire): STL [NSE: STLTECH], one of the industry's leading integrators of digital networks, will be demonstrating its end-to-end optical networking solutions at prestigious industry events in Europe - ANGA COM in Cologne and FTTH Europe in Vienna. Over the past decade, STL has worked closely with European network builders to enable full-fibre digital connectivity, FTTx and 5G initiatives. Through its advanced Optical Fibre cable (OFC) and Optical Interconnect manufacturing set-ups, Metallurgica Bresciana and Optotec in Italy, STL has helped in meeting the fibre demand, expediting fibre rollouts, reducing lead times and overall carbon footprint across Europe and the Middle East. STL has been able to serve European customers through solutions like Opticonn, its purpose-engineered, end-to-end, 5G-ready optical networking solution. STL has enhanced its Opticonn solution with the acquisition of Optotec - a Europe-based player in Optical Interconnect Products. It offers racks, sub-racks and passive components for the central office, closures, cabinets, and pedestals for the outside plant, termination boxes and outlets for customer premises. STL is showcasing its full-fibre Opticonn solution, especially developed for the needs of the European market at ANGA COM, from May 10-12 at hall 8 booth D22 and FTTH Europe 2022, from May 24-25 at booth P04. Opticonn comprises optical products and pre-connected integrated systems including Stellar fibre: One of the world's first G.657.A2 macro-bend insensitive fibre, which is compatible with legacy, networks comprising G.657.A1 and G.652D Celesta Intelligently Bonded Ribbon Cable: A high-density optical fibre cable with a capacity of up to 6,912 optical fibres Yogalite micromodule cable: A cable built on bend-insensitive technology, considerably reduces installation time Optical interconnect suite: A portfolio that includes pre-connectorized Plug and Play Solution for FTTx Opto Blaze terminal and Opto Bolt Drop Cable, Optotec Max closure and Optotec CORC-Ribbon Optimised Splice Closure Rahul Puri, Regional Head, Europe, STL, said: "Europe is making great strides towards becoming a gigabit economy and optical networking is playing a key role. To support this journey, we will continue to build exciting and innovative optical products for powering digital connectivity and connecting billions. Our Opticonn product portfolio will support telcos, alternative network providers, and governments in their national broadband plans and will also accelerate fibre-dense 5G rollouts in the region." STL is one of the industry's leading integrators of digital networks providing All-in 5G solutions. Our capabilities across optical networking, services, software, and wireless connectivity place us amongst the top optical players in the world. These capabilities are built on converged architectures helping telcos, cloud companies, citizen networks, and large enterprises deliver next-gen experiences to their customers. STL partners with service providers globally in achieving a green and sustainable digital future in alignment with UN SDG goals. STL has a strong global presence in India, Italy, the UK, the US, China, and Brazil. Read more, Contact us. stl.tech | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/PRNewswire): Dorian Wolter, CEO of Incubit, a US-based, global technology solutions company, revealed their plans to welcome over 100 new information technology experts in India this year at various tech-enabled positions, three times the number of positions it hired annually before the pandemic. The company has been active in India for 10 years and has always made employee retention, employee growth and employee satisfaction a top priority. And it plans to continue to be a leader in these areas. The new career opportunities include developer and consultant roles in the areas of Big Data, Java, SAP, Analytics and Business Intelligence, IT Project Management, Python, Machine Learning., as well as Google, Amazon, Azure, and Salesforce Cloud Technologies. The company's global CEO, Dorian Wolter, said, "IT talent has always been in demand, but we have not seen such a high level of demand since the late nineties. The pandemic has compressed ten years of digital growth into two and now it looks like every company is a tech business. India, for us, has been an important market and the current pandemic-led buoyant force will help us create more opportunities in this market than ever. We will be looking for talented technology enthusiasts right out of college to grow with us, as well as seasoned IT professionals for our most demanding projects." Dorian also predicts that the pandemic work styles (remote working and virtual workforce) are here to stay: "As we did not see significant productivity losses, the new work styles will be a key element in the way we build our future workforce." The rest of the leadership also seems to be bullish on these aggressive new moves and believes that the Indian IT talent has finally started to look beyond 'financial packages and perks'. People increasingly try to associate with companies that invest in employee wellbeing, learning & development, and a flexible work environment: "Incubit is committed to an open-door leadership style, fosters a will to innovate at every level, and allows greater work-life flexibility. I am confident that with these strategies combined with our strong vision and well-rooted value system we are one of the best mid-sized IT workplaces," claims Samarjeet Singh, Director, Incubit. Incubit is a US-based global technology solutions company. With a 300+ workforce operating from offices in USA, Germany and India, Incubit provides integrated technology consulting, services, products and outsourcing to a growing list of Fortune 500 clients across the globe. The company has been delivering its unparalleled services for 17 years, counting some of the world's leading companies as its clients. More information about the company is available at www.incubit.com This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Radisson Hotel Group, a top hospitality group that is home to nine distinctive brands globally, has unveiled key announcements for the Mena region at this years Arabian Travel Market (ATM) taking place from May 9 to 12 in Dubai.



The Arabian Travel Market is a highly-anticipated event every year, and it is always a pleasure to be in the presence of fellow key players in the travel and tourism sector. We are thrilled to discuss remarkable updates in line with our expansion plans for the region, along with our strengthened global sustainability efforts and innovations that are in the pipeline, said Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President, Middle East, and Africa, at Radisson Hotel Group.



As we incessantly amplify our presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as focus on resort developments in the United Arab Emirates, we are simultaneously growing our resort portfolio in Morocco. Additionally, as a true testament to Radisson Hotel Groups effort to its latest sustainability targets in line with our strategic five-year plan, we are proud that we have set reduction targets to be net-zero by 2050.



Expansion ventures

The group has recently unveiled the first Radisson resort in the UAE with the opening of Radisson Resort, Ras Al Khaimah, Marjan Island. The property boasts 388 rooms and suites overlooking pristine sea views. The Radisson Resort Palm Jumeirah is also set to open within the year, which will mark the groups first beach property in Dubai. It is expected to house five impressive dining and leisure outlets, overlooking the stunning Marina skyline.



Saudi Arabia also remains a key development area for the Group, and part of its five-year transformation plan, which includes the aim to double its presence in the Kingdom. Currently, the Group operates 24 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments in KSA, and has another 20 under development. The groups robust growth in Jeddah remains vigorous with the addition of over 600 rooms in 2022, alongside the launch of the Radisson Individuals brand in the region.



Additionally, the recent opening of Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport, with upcoming openings that include the Radisson Bu Hotel, Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center as well as the unveiling of the second Radisson Collection Hotel to Riyadh with Mansard Riyadh, have been truly remarkable breakthroughs for the group. The Groups Saudi Arabia portfolio now makes up around 50% of its presence in the Middle East.



Radisson Hotel Group is also growing its Moroccan footprint with five properties in the pipeline as well as the recent opening of four hotels in beloved tourist destinations like Al Hoceima, Taghazout Bay and Saidia. Located in Morocco's south, north and northeast, the four hotels consist of three inviting resorts and a comfortable seaside residence. In line with Morocco's commitment to sustainable tourism, the hotels are operated in respect of their proximity to the natural wonders and aim to implement Radisson Hotel Group's leading Responsible Business.



Road to Net Zero

Radisson Hotel Group remains committed to its corporate responsibility and is making a strong commitment to decarbonise its business by setting ambitious emission reduction targets to be net-zero by 2050. To meet targets outlined in the 2020 Responsible Business Report, the group is committed to reducing its carbon and water footprint by 30% by 2025, aligning with science-based emissions reduction targets, removing single-use plastics, and continuing to drive best practices in responsible consumption behaviour.



Building on Radisson Hotel Groups 2021 milestone as the most successful year ever in terms of signings, the Group announces its impressive projections that include the opening of 15,000 rooms and achieving the signing of 330 hotels total in EMEA and APAC in 2022.



The group currently operates 62 properties in the Mena region totalling 14,145 keys. With 41 more properties in the pipeline, the group is well on its way to accomplishing its portfolio goal of 160 properties and 35,000 keys in the Mena region by 2025.  TradeArabia News Service
California [US], May 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): Headquartered at Hong Kong, Rupus Global Limited (rupusglobal.com), one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical company with leadership position in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), finished dosage forms (FDFs) and provides contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) in key segments such as Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Protozoal, Anti-Diabetic, Vitamins, Anti-Malarial, Anti Cancer has set out an ambitious goal to boost its revenue for 225 Million USD by 2023-24. To accelerate its growth engine by revenue & global expansion, Rupus Global Limited is exploring new partnerships in Africa & UAE to launch about 50 products in the next 12 months - from Anti-Malarial drugs to pain management and Anti-Cancer. (Prof) Dr Kannan Vishwanatth, Managing Director & Chief Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong based Rupus Global Limited set out its growth plan & said, "We are actively looking out to explore new partnerships & collaborations in Europe for technology transfer & manufacturing associations in the next 12 months in the key segments of Anti-Malarial drugs, Pain Management and Anti-Cancer to cater to the growing demands of the world market." "We are already present in more than 75 countries, our aim is to touch 100 companies through research & innovations. We are in advanced stage of negotiations with some of the best institutes & companies. Rupus Global Limited will soon be making its presence felt in the United States & we will soon be having an office there. The active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) market was valued at approximately USD 177.05 billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach USD 258.60 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of nearly 7.50 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2027. The key factors boosting the growth of the active pharmaceutical ingredients market are the rising drug research and development activities for drug manufacturing, the increasing importance of generics, and the increasing uptake of biopharmaceuticals. However, the unfavorable drug price control policies across various nations and high manufacturing costs are expected to hinder the market's growth. Moreover, the launches of new drugs and biological products, acquisitions, collaborations, and regional expansions are some of the strategic initiatives being taken by the companies to maintain stability in the market. This is likely to fuel market growth in the near future. For instance, in 2020, Quartic.ai and Bright Path Labs collaborated to develop AI-based technology for the continuous manufacturing of critical APIs that are required for producing crucial small-molecule drugs." Armed with Chemical Engineering degree, Dr Kannan Vishwanatth is currently the promoter Director of Hong Kong based pharmaceutical company Rupus Global Limited. Dr Kannan Vishwanatth is a global opinion maker of contemporary issues & a much sought after speaker in various international forums. Dr Kannan is credited with reputation for innovation, social connections, track record for value creation and investor expectations for value creation. As a Research Scholar, Dr. Kannan has published many research papers & is associated with many top notch International Institutions as Editorial Reviewer. Dr Kannan Vishwanatth is a global Citizen & a strong believer in Corporate Social Responsibilities. Over the years, Dr Kannan has slowly transitioned away from Corporate World and into philanthropic & academic ventures. Dr Kannan Vishwanatth, 45 years, is the Founder and Promoter & Managing Director of our Company. He holds a doctorate in Business Management (Ph.D.). He has an experience of 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry. As the Promoter & Managing Director, Dr Vishwanatth, has been the backbone of our Company's operations and is involved in formulating the Company's strategy. Under his guidance, our Company, ventured into new geographies with a wide product range in various therapeutic segments. His vision and value system have guided the organization towards profitable sustainability. Believing in delegation of responsibility, Dr. Vishwanatth created a professional team and expects Rupus Global Limited to emerge as a global player across multiple therapeutic segments. Rupus Global Limited is a research-focused vertically integrated pharmaceutical Company, which Contract manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), finished dosage forms (FDFs), and provides contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS). The Company focuses on 5 niche business areas viz. Anti-malarial, multi-therapeutic Lozenges, Oncology Products, HIV products, and Codeine-based cough syrups. The Company is a market leader in the Anti-malarial API segment and is the world's third-largest contract manufacturer of Quinine salts. Rupus Global Limited product portfolio consists of the second generation, Quinine-based Anti-malarial APIs, third-generation Artemisinin-based Anti-malarial APIs; Niche APIs, and FDFs complimented by APIs in HIV, Diabetes, Ace Inhibitor, and CNS. Rupus Global Limited has a distributor network of ~250 distributors in India and has entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Rx Pharma (India) to distribute the company's products domestically. It also exports its products to more than 60 emerging countries in Africa, Central and South America, and Asia. The Company's API business has grown rapidly since its commencement in FY2018 and currently contributes ~60 per cent of total revenues while its formulation business contributes ~40 per cent of total revenues. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI/PNN): Ministry of Communications, Government of India issued order for the Appointment of Dhruv Kapoor as a Member of the Telephone Advisory Committee for a two-year term. Dhruv Kapoor stated, "It is an honour for me to join the Government of India's telecommunications department. Through my active participation, I will be working towards several telecommunications challenges and upliftment initiatives for the telecommunication department, particularly those in the interior regions, so that it will benefit the citizens of the country. Due to Covid 19 pandemic, lockdown was imposed due to which schools were closed and students were studying online, Especially students from interior regions and villages faced problems of internet connectivity . As a member of TAC my first priority would be to make department of Telecommunications aware of providing access and proper connectivity in the interior regions and villages". Telephone Advisory committee (TAC) is a high-level indian Government body comprising of Members of Parliament (MPs) and prominent figures who are directly appointed by the Ministry of Communications, Government of India to handle telecommunications concerns in India. Dhruv Kapoor is a Social Activist and the Chairman of the International Human Rights and Crime Control Council of India (NGO), Delhi State. He graduated from Delhi University with an honours degree in political science. He has also been the President of Student's Union, University of Delhi (Dyal Singh college). This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Surat (Gujarat) [India], May 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): Finding a job has never been an easy task and finding a job that complements your talents seems impossible. Tech Jobs Fair (TJF), an initiative to empower brands and bring talent/job-seekers under one roof, is here to drive your hiring troubles away. After the huge success of virtual job fair TJF '21 in India, Tech Jobs Fair is going to host India's second largest virtual job fair on June 30th, 2022 from 1300 hrs to 1900 hrs IST. There will be more than 20,000 attendees in the event. Registration for TJF '22 is now open to anyone from a technical background looking for a job. Interested attendees can get their free ticket by registering here: techjobsfair.com/india. To ensure an exponential growth trajectory, all start-ups need two things, branding, and good talent recruitment. So, catering across this vertical, TJF with its events has managed to carve out a unique identity across the industry. TJF primarily focuses on Tech and Digital jobs, predominantly engaging with entrepreneurs and recruiters via different social media channels as well as through website and YouTube. TJF aims to provide branding opportunities to employers and job seekers to present potential candidates. TJF was founded by Ashok Dudhat in Berlin in 2017. The inspiration for TJF came from his own struggle to hold down a suitable job as an immigrant while keeping track of expenses and reaching his professional goals in a limited period of time. Duhat's concept for TJF was to create a system to speed up the whole application process faster, where one can add his or her cv and automatically apply it to skill matching jobs. "I have been part of this HR hiring industry for the last 9 years and it was my vision to present a job fair in India. As we all know India is one of the youngest demographics in the world and has the highest rate of job seekers. Young people often take up the first job they get but there is nothing worse than being employed in a field that doesn't appreciate or use your talents/potential. Tech Job fair aims to find you a job that is best suited for your attitude and talents. We are thrilled to be hosting in India and expect a great turnout," said Ashok Dudhat, Founder, Tech Job Fair. After the fair's immense success in Berlin, TJF expanded to Vienna, Zurich, and Lisbon, all in 2019. Last year, due to the pandemic, TJF was able to add eight more countries to its portfolio and aims to add a few more next year. TJF has had more than 500 organisations, 400 partners, and 45000 attendees in the past years. In addition to TJF- recruitment fairs, Tech job fairs have also launched another tech-focused reverse recruitment platform Hire Tech Talent, which allows companies to apply to individuals directly concerning a job, rather than the traditional application, which in effect often drains a person's time throughout the application process. Thus, people can accept or reject offers made by companies based on preferences and get hired quickly. Hire Tech Talent was built to bridge the gap between employers and employees through its simple, revolutionary portal Tech Job Wall, Germany Startup Jobs, and Hire Tech Talent has kept TJF at the top of the industry - heavily acknowledged for its innovative and modern efforts within its field of expertise. Improving an individual's job-seeking experience through the innovative developments of the TJF team. TJF strives to listen to the needs of our clients and provide solutions to make their presence an exhilarating experience for them and their prospects. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
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The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) on Tuesday invited RFP (Request for Proposal) for the major upgradation of Somnath Railway Station. According to the information given by RLDA, the station will be upgraded on EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) model and the tentative cost of the up-gradation is estimated at Rs 134 crores. The scope of work shall broadly cover major upgradation of the railway station including but not limited to undertaking civil works and MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) works for the station building. The objective of station redevelopment is to provide best-in-class amenities to passengers and enhance the travel experience. The upgradation work is planned to be completed in a span of two years. Giving information about this project, the Vice Chairman of RLDA, Ved Parkash Dudeja said that Veraval or Somnath is a historic city and a prominent tourist hub. The upgradation of the Somnath Railway Station will strengthen the tourism prospects of the area. The upgraded station will also enhance the travel experience of the commuters and will also lead to a surge in business activities in the region. The Pre-Bid was held on April 22 where national and state-level developers participated in the pre-bid meeting and showed keen interest in this project. The deadline for the e-bid submission is May 25, 2022. Notably, Somnath Railway Station belongs to the Western Railway of Bhavnagar Division. Somnath is a Hindu pilgrim place and witnesses tourists all year round. Somnath Temple at Somnath, Gujrat is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. The upgraded railway station will benefit the tourists and travelers both visiting Somnath Temple and nearby areas. Veraval is also a major fishing port, one of the largest in India. It also has a large boat-making industry and is home to a large number of fish processing factories in GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) which export seafood to USA, Japan, SE Asian, Gulf and EU Countries. According to RLDA, the upgraded railway station will further strengthen these industries and facilitate them further. This station will have an exclusive building facade exhibiting the local heritage of Somnath Temple with segregated arrival and departure lounges and in the future Somnath Station will connect with Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus stand. The station will be developed by adopting the green building concept for energy saving. (ANI)
According to a Commerce and Industry Ministry release, senior officials from both sides would be participating in the joint meeting. This will be the 10th edition of the India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting.

A high-level multi-sectoral delegation from Oman led by Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Oman's Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, is visiting India from May 10 to 14.

The 48-member delegation includes senior officials and business representatives from diverse areas spanning health, pharmaceuticals, mining, tourism, telecommunication, energy, shipping and real estate.

On May 12, 2022, a meeting of the India-Oman Joint Business Council (JBC) will be jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The JBC will witness the participation of ministers from both sides, who will also address the gathering and interact with the business communities of India and Oman, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

A number of other engagements in New Delhi and Mumbai including B2B events, industry interactions and investor meetings are scheduled for the visiting Omani delegation during their stay in India. (ANI)
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday engaged in a war of words on Twitter after the former union minister posted that 'Kashmir Files' film had been banned in Singapore for being "provocative" and "one-sided". Earlier today the Thiruvananthapuram MP took to Twitter to say Tharoor took to Twitter to share a news article and wrote, "Film promoted by India's ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore." https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1523823431015223297 To this the Agnihotri, the film's director shared a list of popular films that have been banned in Singapore but hailed worldwide, calling Singapore the "most regressive censor in the world." "Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor, FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world" Agnihotri wrote tagging Tharoor. "It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam). Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned. Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide," Agnihotri wrote. https://twitter.com/vivekagnihotri/status/1523865727513505792 Further the director also asked whether the late wife of Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu and that the Congress MP should delete his tweet and apologise to Sunanda's soul. "Hey @ShashiTharoor, Is this true that Late Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu? Is the enclosed SS true? If yes, then in Hindu tradition, to respect the dead, you must delete your tweet and apologise to her soul," Agnihotri wrote. https://twitter.com/vivekagnihotri/status/1523869657706364929 Bollywood actor Anupam Kher too waded into the spat by sharing a screenshot of a Twitter thread of the late Sunanda Pushkar and asking Tharoor to "show some sensitivity towards Kashmiri Pandits for Sunanda's sake." "Dear @ShashiTharoor! Your callousness towards #KashmiriHindus genocide is tragic. If nothing else at least for #Sunanda's sake who was a Kashmiri herself you should show some sensitivity towards #KashmiriPandits & not feel victorious about a country banning #TheKashmirFiles!," Kher posted along with a broken heart emoji. https://twitter.com/AnupamPKher/status/1523878765230702593 'The Kashmir Files,' on the life of Kashmiri pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency, is based on first-generation video interviews of victims of the Kashmiri massacre, making an account of their pain, suffering, struggle and trauma. (ANI)
After a war of words with Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri on Twitter about "The Kashmir Files" movie, Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that he never "mocked" or "disparage" the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits and added that dragging his late wife Sunanda into this matter was "unwarranted" and "contemptible". The row started after Tharoor shared a media report on the microblogging site stating that the film 'The Kashmir Files' has been banned in Singapore. "Film promoted by India's ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore," the Congress MP tweeted. Reacting to Tharoor's tweet, Agnihotri said Singapore is the most regressive censor in the world and asked him to stop making "fun" of the Kashmiri Hindu genocide. "Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor, FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world. It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam) Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned. Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide," the filmmaker tweeted. Targeting the Member of Parliament further, Agnihotri asked to him delete the tweet if his wife Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu. "Hey @ShashiTharoor, Is this true that Late Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu? Is the enclosed SS true? If yes, then in Hindu tradition, to respect the dead, you must delete your tweet and apologise to her soul," 'The Kashmir Files' director tweeted. Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who played a crucial role in 'The Kashmir Files', also joined Agnihotri to attack Tharoor, saying that he should show some sensitivity towards Kashmiri Pandits for Sunanda's sake who was a Kashmiri herself. "Dear @ShashiTharoor! Your callousness towards #KashmiriHindus genocide is tragic. If nothing else at least for #Sunanda's sake who was a Kashmiri herself you should show some sensitivity towards #KashmiriPandits & not feel victorious about a country banning #TheKashmirFiles!" Anupam Kher tweeted. After her late wife, Sunanda was "dragged" into the controversy, Tharoor said he has never seen the movie and has not made any comment on its contents. He pointed out that he has repeatedly drawn attention to the plight of Kashmiri pandits over the years. "I tweeted a factual news item this morning, with no comment on its contents or on the film "The Kashmir Files", which I have not seen. At no point did I "mock" or disparage the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits, of whose plight I am intimately aware, and to which I have repeatedly drawn attention over the years," the Congress MP said in a statement on Twitter. "Dragging my late wife Sunanda into this matter was unwarranted and contemptible. No one is more aware of her views than I am. I have accompanied her to the destroyed ruins of her ancestral home in Bomai, near Sopore, and joined her in conversations with her Kashmiri neighbours and friends, both Muslim and Hindu. One thing I know, unlike those attempting to exploit her when she is not around to speak for herself: She believed in reconciliation, not hate." Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in New Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014. 'The Kashmir Files,' on the life of Kashmiri pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency, is based on first-generation video interviews of victims of the Kashmiri massacre, making an account of their pain, suffering, struggle and trauma. (ANI)
American rapper Young Thug, on Monday, was indicted in Georgia on conspiracy to violate the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and street gang charges, revealed jail records. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Atlanta rapper, whose name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was arrested at his home in Buckhead, which is an Atlanta neighbourhood just north of downtown. He is being held at the Fulton County Jail and will make his first court appearance on Tuesday. The outlet reported that the jail records state that the conspiracy charge dates back to 2013 and the gang charge to 2018. He is also alleged to be among the three founders of the Young Slime Life, "a criminal street gang that started in late 2012" in Atlanta. Officials have said YSL is affiliated with the national Bloods gang. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the charges levied on the 'With That' rapper include "Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise through acts of racketeering activity including murder, assault and threats of violence." His lawyer has denied all the charges. (ANI)
The Odisha government is giving top priority to the healthcare sector and consistently making efforts to provide affordable and quality healthcare service to the people, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here on Monday. Patnaik was speaking at the orientation programme for the newly recruited 55 doctors and 59 paramedics for Employees State Insurance (ESI) hospitals and dispensaries in the state. Joining the programme on a virtual platform, he said that it is a huge step in strengthening the state's healthcare delivery system particularly for all the 8 lakh insured persons. Patnaik said his government is fully committed to making desirable policy provisions in order to attract and retain human resources for healthcare in the tribal districts through financial and non-financial incentives to doctors working in the KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region and remote areas. He hoped that the ESI hospitals and dispensaries would function as a major public healthcare provider catering to the special needs of the insured persons working in different regions of the state. Stating that '5T and Mo Sarkar' initiatives are directed to transform governance and empower people, the Chief Minister informed that as per the feedback received, over 92 per cent patients are satisfied with the healthcare services at public health facilities. The doctors belong to one of the noblest professions and people treat them as saviour of their lives, he said, expecting all the new doctors to live up to the expectations of the people and devote themselves towards making Odisha a leading state in providing quality healthcare to all the people. Labour & ESI Minister, Sushant Singh, said that the Chief Minister has given approval for opening of four more ESI hospitals and 12 dispensaries in the state. --IANS bbm/uk ( 296 Words) 2022-05-09-21:39:01 (IANS)
Sharjah Tourism highlighted the tremendous progress made by the emirate in hospitality sector at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), even as officials announced new projects towards enhancing its appeal as a sustainable tourism destination.

The latest developments and new plans were unveiled at a press conference hosted by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) on Day Two of ATM, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 9 to 12.

Held at the Sharjah Pavilion, the press conference brought together Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA; Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairperson of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah (EPAA); Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, and Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), along with officials from various government entities and representatives of local and international media outlets.

Al Midfa said: In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to advance the emirates position as a prominent family tourism destination on the global tourism map, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority works closely and continuously with its strategic partners in the government and private sectors to implement projects and initiatives that allow the emirate to offer innovative, one-of-a-kind and diverse tourism experiences to visitors from around the world.

The emirates strategic location is an added value for its tourism sector, playing a key role in the development of the tourism industry and its diversity, and offering an array of experiences to meet all interests and cater to every age group. The emirate boasts world-class tourism capacities, offering an annual agenda full of events, exhibitions, and major festivals  all of which work together to meet the aspirations of visitors from all categories.

The SCTDA Chairman explained that Sharjah has significantly developed its hotel sector to include more than 100 facilities with over 10,000 rooms and apartments. These include beach hotels, city-centre hotels, and other facilities with more of an authentic Emirati feel, in addition to hotels in the Central Region in Mleiha and Al Badayer, which offer unique accommodation experiences, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, where guests can immerse themselves in natural landscapes from mountains to sand dunes, he said.

Over the course of the past few years, the emirate made tremendous efforts towards developing the eco-tourism sector to offer exceptional experiences to all visitors. The various destinations offer a range of experiences for adventure lovers, as well as those looking to go camping, visit parks, and do water, desert, or mountain activities, in addition to experiences catering to lovers of heritage, arts, history, and archaeology, He noted.

The Emirate of Sharjah supports development plans that are designed to ensure the sustainability of its key sectors, including tourism  one of the pillars of the national economy.

The total number of guests in hotel establishments in the Emirate of Sharjah during the first quarter of 2022 exceeded 350,000, marking a growth of 26% compared to the same period last year. The UAE ranked as the first source market for hotel establishment guests in Q1 2022, followed by India, Russia, and Oman, respectively, underlining Sharjahs appeal to both tourists and visitors from around the UAE.

Hana Saif Al Suwaidi shed light on the Sharjah Safari project  the largest safari outside the African continent, which includes 12 different environments representing Africas terrain and the animals and birds that live there.

Sharjah Safari places the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE at the forefront of attractive destinations for nature and wildlife tourists, and contributes to promoting various other sectors, from aviation to hospitality, she said.

During its participation at ATM, the EPAA will meet with representatives of tourism and hotel companies to organise visits to Sharjah Safari, in addition to discussing ways to cooperate with the authorities concerned with eco-tourism to set up joint events and programmes that serve the emirates vision for both tourism and the environment, Al Suwaidi asserted.

Meanwhile, Ali Salim Al Midfa said: Our participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2022 reiterates Sharjah Airports commitment to strengthening communication with its international counterparts from the aviation sector. We are also utilising this opportunity to seek potential partnerships that would result in mutual growth, and further enhance the distinguished position that Sharjah Airport currently enjoys as one of the most prominent airports in the region.

The exhibition will serve as a platform for us to showcase the services and facilities we provide to our partners in the tourism and travel sectors, Al Midfa added. We also look forward to highlighting the services and smart solution features that we have recently launched, in addition to demonstrating the quality of our safety standards and operational efficiency, which has been enhanced to provide customers and travellers with a more comfortable experience. We take this opportunity to reaffirm our dedication to enhancing Sharjahs image and maintaining the emirates lead as a distinguished financial and cultural hub for tourism investment in the Middle East.

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Acting CEO of Shurooq, lauded the unparalleled efforts of SCTDA and its collaboration with other public entities to continue developing Sharjahs tourism sector and create new opportunities to elevate its position as a leading hub for experiential travel. He also asserted that SCTDAs objectives are perfectly aligned with Shurooqs belief that this complementarity of roles established by different entities entrusted with Sharjahs sustainable development is a key accelerator of development.

Announcing Shurooqs two new luxury hospitality projects, namely Najd Al Meqsar Retreat and The Serai Wing, Bait Khalid bin Ibrahim, Al Qaseer added: These projects offer residents and travellers more choices in the ways they wish to explore Sharjah and complement the other eco- and heritage-inspired hospitality projects developed by Shurooq in the emirate. Through these new undertakings, we reiterate our commitment to enhancing Sharjahs tourist landscape, encouraging diversified investments through local and global partnerships, and developing projects all across Sharjah as part of an inclusive, community-focused development plan, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

The SCTDA is heading the Sharjah Pavilion at Arabian Travel Market 2022, bringing together 24 entities from the emirate: seven government departments and 17 private entities from tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors.  TradeArabia News Service
The Covid positivity rate has slightly dipped to 4.94 per cent, while the number of active cases stands at 5,369.

With 1,366 patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries has gone to 18,63,502. The number of patients being treated in home isolation is 4,395.

With new Covid cases, the total caseload of the city has jumped to 18,95,053, while the death toll has risen to 26,182.

The number of Covid containment zones stand at 1,935 in the city.

A total of 16,187 new tests -- 14,107 RT-PCR and 2,080 Rapid Antigen - were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 3,80,68,022, while 6,645 vaccines were administered - 434 first doses, 1,414 second doses, and 4,797 precaution doses.

The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 3,37,36,679 according to the health bulletin.

--IANS avr/vd

( 188 Words)

2022-05-09-23:22:02 (IANS)
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on Tuesday announced the latest award under its $200m programme to advance the development of vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-Cov-2 variants and other beta coronaviruses. The CEPI will provide funding of up to $19.3 million to support the development of a "variant-proof" SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to an international multidisciplinary consortium comprising Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), India, the University of Sydney, Australia, and ExcellGene SA, Switzerland. According to a joint statement released here, the CEPI's funding will support the consortium as it seeks to establish preclinical and clinical proof of concept for an adjuvanted subunit vaccine designed to provide broad protection against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, as well as future variants of the virus which have not yet emerged. The CEPI will fund the researchers to conduct activities including immunogen design, preclinical studies, manufacturing process development, and a Phase 1 clinical trial. In this new vaccine design, modified trimeric spike immunogens will be produced in a robust and scalable process with high purity and yield at low cost, based on a biomanufacturing approach that has provided significant quantities of protein therapeutics to the world. This strategy could also be used to enable rapid development of broadly protective vaccines against other beta coronaviruses, as well as vaccines against 'Disease X' -unknown pathogens with pandemic potential that may emerge in the future. Under the terms of the funding agreement, the consortium partners have committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project, in line with the CEPI's equitable access policy. "As repeated waves of Covid-19 infection remind us, we will be living alongside the virus for many years to come. The threat of a new variant emerging that might evade the protection of our current vaccines is real, so investing in R&D for variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is a global health security imperative. Our partnership with Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney, and ExcellGene will advance the development of a vaccine candidate to protect against future variants of COVID-19, potentially contributing to the long-term control of the virus," said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of the CEPI. "BBIL has successfully commercialised a universal Covid-19 vaccine for adults and children. While current generations of vaccines are safe and effective, against currently known variants, it is imperative that we focus on innovation for multi-epitope vaccines, where a single vaccine can protect against all future variants. Our expertise in product development and innovation, especially with novel adjuvants and platform technologies will add to the strong partnership with CEPI, ExcellGene, and the University of Sydney," said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, BBIL said. "Our mission is to deliver safe, affordable and highly effective vaccines to combat existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, and our international consortium is well placed to achieve this goal. The University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australia's world-class early phase clinical trial community," said Prof James Triccas, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney. "Our technological platform for innovative protein designs was used in the past to identify and manufacture an antigen for an Ebola candidate vaccine, resulting in sterilizing immunity in pre-clinical challenge models. For the current Covid-19 project we are using similar approaches to generate numerous antigen preparations derived from spike protein variants of SARS-CoV-2, focussing eventually on the most promising antigen for vaccine purposes. Obtaining funding and scientific advice from CEPI to further our ongoing collaborations with the University of Sydney and Bharat Biotech is an exciting and most gratifying perspective and will, we hope, contribute towards the science for this and other novel protein-based vaccines," said Dr Maria J. Wurm, CEO, ExcellGene. --IANS ms/vd ( 634 Words) 2022-05-10-20:16:39 (IANS)
The Tamil Nadu School Education Department on Monday said it will probe the absenteeism in the Class 10 and 12 board exams that are underway in the state. According to the department, 2,265 and 1,238 students were absent for Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations, respectively. A senior official told IANS that the department would conduct a detailed study into such a large number of students dropping out of board examinations which, according to them, is much higher than the previous years. Talking to IANS, Chief Educational Officer N. Geetha said: "The large number of students dropping out of board exams is to be probed. One of the main reasons could be the families of students returning back to their native places due to Covid-19 as several students whose families are from outside Tamil Nadu are studying here." She, however, said that the department would study in detail the reasons for the students absenting in large numbers when compared to previous years. Academician Sudha Krishnan, talking to IANS, said: "One of the factors may be the families returning back to their home states. Other than that, some students may be facing difficulties in attending offline examinations after a gap. Such students must be found out and given proper counselling and bring them back to reappear for the examinations during the next opportunity." Tamil Nadu School Education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, contacted for comments, told IANS that the department is looking into the matter. --IANS aal/vd ( 259 Words) 2022-05-09-20:35:19 (IANS)
Amid speculation of early Assembly elections in Punjab, the BJP's central leadership has hinted that the polls will be held as per the schedule at the end of the year. While conveying the message that the polls will be held on time, the BJP leadership has asked the party's lawmakers, both MPs and MLAs, in Gujarat to submit proposals of development projects for approval of the state government from their Local Area Development (LAD) funds before the elections. Sources in the BJP said that the message came after the recent meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others with the party's Gujarat leadership, including Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. When the meeting was in progress at the Prime Minister's residence here, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted claiming that Gujarat Assembly polls will be held early. A BJP insider rejected Kejriwal's claim and said that it will be held on time and the Delhi Chief Minister is only misleading everyone with his imagination. "Elections will be held on time along with Himachal Pradesh at the end of the year. The party cadres have been asked to work to strengthen the organisation at the ground level," he said. The BJP's central leadership, meanwhile, has asked the party's MPs and MLAs in Gujarat to submit a list proposals for development projects from their LAD fund that could be approved before the announcement of Assembly polls. It is learnt that acting under the direction of the central leadership, some of the lawmakers have already submitted their lists to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's office. "Some MPs and MLAs have already submitted their list of work. Approvals will be fast-tracked so that the projects can be launched before the polls," he said. The BJP, which has been in power in Gujarat for almost three decades now, is leaving no stone unturned to continue its winning streak. --IANS ssb/arm ( 332 Words) 2022-05-09-21:38:41 (IANS)
Delhi Police have registered an FIR against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan and his supporters for 'not allowing' South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials to carry out the proposed anti-encroachment drive in the Shaheen Bagh area on Monday. "The FIR has been registered on the complaint of SDMC under Section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code," DCP (southeast), Esha Pandey, said. Earlier, SDMC licensing inspector, central zone, had lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police against Khan, alleging that the legislator and his supporters did not allow the field staff to remove the encroachments. Notably, the police detained several people, including party workers, who were not allowing the SDMC to carry out the demolition drive at Shaheen Bagh. After the agitation was quelled, the bulldozer moved forward to demolish the illegal encroachment, an iron structure in front of a building. It is at this juncture that Khan reached the spot and was seen speaking to the officials. The 'illegal encroachment', i.e., an iron structure in front of the building, was then manually removed by the local people even as a bulldozer stood by. The locals said that the iron structure installed in front of the building was not an 'illegal encroachment' but a shuttering. "It has been installed for the renovation of the building," a local told IANS. While speaking to mediapersons, Khan expressed strong resentment against SDMC's demolition drive and said he had himself inspected the whole area and spoken to every official, including the traffic police, and all the illegal encroachments were removed 3-4 days back. "I had myself with my own JCB removed a toilet that was illegally constructed outside a mosque. This is nothing but vendetta politics. Just tell me where the encroachment is, and I will remove it myself. I am the local MLA," said the AAP leader. --IANS uj/arm ( 355 Words) 2022-05-09-22:42:04 (IANS)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is visiting New Delhi on Tuesday, and ministerial berth aspirants have once again looking forward to completion of long-pending cabinet rejig. Bommai is leaving on Tuesday for the national capital where he is scheduled to meet Union ministers and party top brass. Sources in the state BJP say that the Chief Minister will try to convey to the high command the pressure on him to expand the cabinet in the state as it is crucial for the upcoming Assembly elections next year. He is likely to talk to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party President J.P. Nadda before returning to Bengaluru on Wednesday. The cabinet aspirants have become restless after they were told that the cabinet rejig will happen after the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his three-nation Europe trip. But, even after his return, no message had come from the party high command so far. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had stated that the cabinet expansion is likely to take place before May 10. He is coming back from Dubai trip on Wednesday. Party sources say that cabinet expansion may take place by Friday. There are 5 vacant posts in the cabinet, while the party wants to induct 10 new faces into the cabinet. In New Delhi, the Chief Minister will take part in the "Invest Karnataka" programme organised by the IT and BT Department on Tuesday. --IANS mka/vd ( 252 Words) 2022-05-09-22:42:06 (IANS)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that the upcoming Census would be e-Census with 100 per cent accuracy, and it would be completed by 2024. Inaugurating the new office building of the Directorate of Census Operations in Assam at Amingaon in Kamrup district, the Home Minister said that with the electronic process and enumeration of people, the Census would be updated automatically after every birth and death in the country. The digital Census would shape the 'policies of the country for the next 25 years', he added. Stating that the 2021 Census was delayed due to the Covid pandemic, Shah pointed out that without a perfect Census, planning for any development work or project is not possible. "I know that the use of latest techniques to make the Census process more scientific is a gigantic task, but the officials and the enumerators would make the most important task successful, result-oriented and purposeful," he said. Shah also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been saying that when India would celebrate 100 years of Independence, all sectors of the country must be at their highest and desired levels. "Census in India is important due to various reasons, and for a state like Assam, which is population-sensitive, it is even more crucial," Shah said. He added that after every birth, the details would be registered in the Census records and after the person turns 18, the record would be enlisted in the electoral rolls, and after death, the name would be removed while change of address and other basic information would be smoother and easier. Highlighting Vallabhbhai Patel's initiative to launch a Census in India, Shah said that India's first Home Minister had launched the most significant initiative in 1951. "To make the Census more result-oriented and accurate, the role of the Central and state governments and many other stakeholders is very important. By check and counter check, undesirable matters could be eliminated," Shah said. "As soon as the Covid situation comes under complete control, the process of digital Census would start across the country. It will be completed before 2024," he said. --IANS sc/arm ( 364 Words) 2022-05-09-22:52:29 (IANS)
University Grant Commission (UGC) on Monday sought action taken report from Sharda University of Greater Noida reportedly on an "objectionable" question asked by it in a Political Science examination question paper on similarities between Hindutva and fascism. The Greater Noida-based private university asked the question in the examination of the first year of BA in Political Science (Hons.) UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain in a letter to Vice-Chancellor Sharda University said, "It has come to the notice of the University Grants Commission through print and electronic media that an objectionable question was part of the question paper in the examination for the first year BA Political Science (Hons.) in your University. The students were asked in the question paper: "Do you find any similarities between Fascism/Nazism and Hindu right wing (Hindutva)? Elaborate with arguments". UGC Secretary Jain further the students have objected to the question and filed complaints with the University. "It has also been noticed that the students objected to the question and filed a complaint with the University. Needless to say that asking students such questions is against the spirit and ethos of our country which is known for its inclusivity and homogeneity and such questions should not have been asked" "The University is requested to submit a detailed action taken report on the matter at the earliest highlighting the steps taken for non-recurrence of such incidents in University," Jain further asked. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Government of NCT Delhi on an appeal of Khalid Saifi, an accused in a larger conspiracy connected with the northeast Delhi violence, challenging the trial court order that refused bail to him. Saifi was booked under UAPA by the Delhi Police. It was alleged that Saifi was one of the main organizers of the Khureji Protest site which was near Badi Masjid in the Khureji area. The Division Bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar on Tuesday sought the response of the Government of NCT Delhi and listed the matter for July 11, 2022. Appearing for Khalid Saifi, Senior Advocate Rebecca John submitted that the case is different from other appeals pending before the court in the related case. Earlier Trial Court's Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat dismissed the bail plea saying, " I am of the opinion that allegation against the accused Khalid Saifi is prima facie true." Senior Advocate Rebecca John, counsel for the accused had argued that the accused Khalid Saifi has been falsely implicated and the entire case of the prosecution is unsubstantiated without any evidence to link with the communal riots of 2020. It was also argued that the accused is a businessman by profession and runs a travel agency. He is also a social activist. There is no evidence on record to suggest that the accused gave any provocative speech so as to instigate anyone to commit any act of violence. The Senior Advocate had argued that the reliance of the prosecution on a WhatsApp group called DPSG would show the peripheral participation of the accused in the said group. Nothing in the group or in the accused's participation in the group is suggestive of any criminal conspiracy. The Counsel for the accused further argued that as per the prosecution, funding was provided to him between December 2019 and 26 February 2020 for orchestrating riots in Delhi. It was argued that the accused was receiving money from Naseef Abdul Kareem in his NGO bank account not just in 2020 but since 2018. The statement of Abdul Majid, a Trusty of the New Education Welfare Organisation, NGO, is inherently false. On the other hand, opposing the bail the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad had argued that there is sufficient material on record to establish that the accusation against the accused Khalid Saifi is prima facie true and hence the bail application may be dismissed. SPP Amit Prasad had submitted that Khalid Saifi was a member of Whatsapp group DPSG, CAB Team and United Against Hate (UAH) Okhla. Khalid Saifi had also attended a meeting at 6/6 Jangpura, Bhogal, Delhi on 8 December 2019 attended by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider and others. He had also attended the meeting on 26 December 2019 at Indian Social Institute, Lodhi Colony, Delhi after which DPSG was created on 28 December 2019. According to the statement of Saturn, on January 8, 2020, a meeting between Umar Khalid, Tahir Hussain, and Khalid Saifi took place at the PFI office, Shaheen Bagh, Delhi. In northeast Delhi, large-scale violence broke out in February 2020. In this violence, 53 people died and hundreds were injured according to the police. (ANI)
Assuring complete support to the MP-MLA couple, the Union Minister for state Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday alleged that MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana were facing injustice by the Maharashtra government because she belonged to a Dalit community. Alleging it a complete injustice to the MP-MLA couple, Athawale told ANI that Navneet Rana is an MP from Maharashtra's Amravati, who had announced to read Hanuman Chalisa (on April 23) in front of Matoshree, the private residence of the state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The Rana couple was booked with a sedition case by the Maharashtra government and was sent to jail for 14 days on April 24. " I have always supported Navneet Rana because a great injustice has been done to her by the Maharashtra government. She has also met the speaker about this and the speaker also expressed concern on this," he said. Athawale further said, "Navneet Rana is going to the Supreme Court for fighting the case of sedition against her. The crime of sedition should not be imposed in the name of reading Hanuman Chalisa. The Maharashtra government, who have been accused of sedition has committed a very big crime and Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana should get justice." Rana Couple arrived in Delhi on Monday and met the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, at his residence and briefed him about the injustice that happened to them in the name of the Hanuman Chalisa issue by the Maharashtra government. (ANI)
Emirates has signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with Malaysia Tourism Board at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, to promote tourism and develop traffic into Malaysia from key markets across the airlines network.

Under the agreement, Emirates will develop initiatives to boost tourism to Malaysia, promoting it across its global network of over 130 destinations. The airline will also explore collaboration opportunities through organising familiarisation trips with key tourism and media profiles to the market, contributing to the revival of the travel and tourism sector.

In the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, the MoC was signed by Orhan Abbas, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations (Far East) at Emirates, and Dato Haji Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director General Tourism Malaysia.

Committed to the market

Adnan Kazim, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer said: Ever since our first flight to Malaysia in 1996, Emirates has remained committed to the market  not only in terms of providing good service to our customers, but also growing the markets potential through partnerships and other initiatives with Malaysian travel industry stakeholders. We are pleased to be signing this MoC with Malaysia Tourism Board, which builds on the successful relationship we have with Malaysia, and underscores its significance as a key market in Emirates global network.

Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture said: This collaboration will give further boost to the tourism industry and strengthen economic ties between Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. We hope Emirates will continue to work together with Tourism Malaysia to promote Malaysia as a unique travel destination, by highlighting different cities such as Kota Kinabalu and Penang. This collaboration also aims to attract international tourists from other markets such as Europe, America and Africa via Emirates airline's network.

Codeshare agreement

In 2016, Emirates signed a codeshare agreement with Malaysian Airlines, offering customers seamless connections and more choice, as well as frequent flyer benefits and world-class travel experience across the globe. The agreement connects Malaysian Airlines passengers to destinations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas via Dubai, and Emirates passengers across Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and select Asia Pacific destinations via Kuala Lumpur.

Emirates resumed passenger flights to Malaysia on June 17, 2020 with reduced capacity following months of suspension due to the pandemic. It gradually increased passenger services in line with demand, to the current 11 weekly flights between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, operated by an Emirates Boeing 777. With the opening of Malaysian borders back in April, Emirates anticipates an increase in travel demand to and from the market.-- TradeArabia News Service
A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant asked Majithia to move the division bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court for relief.

"We are not inclined to entertain the petition under Article 32. But we allow the petitioner to approach the High Court or any other bench. We direct that the petition be heard by the High Court's division bench only and not the single bench," the apex court stated in its order.

The apex court on January 31 had granted protection to Majithia from arrest till February 23 in view of the February 20 assembly polls to contest as a SAD candidate from the Amritsar East assembly constituency. He had surrendered after the expiry of the protection period.

Majithia - a former minister in the state - said the cases were politically motivated, contending they had already been investigated by high-ranking police officers.

On March 20, in his first orders to Punjab Police after assuming charge, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had reconstituted the four members Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the drugs case against Majithia.

The previous SIT was a three-member team. The SIT was formed to probe allegations against Majithia based on an FIR lodged under various sections of the NDPS Act on December 20, 2021. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Krishnan Subramanian, former group CEO of Religare Enterprises Limited in connection with siphoning of public money to the tune of Rs 2,397 crores of Ms Religare Finvest Ltd. The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police had arrested Krishnan Subramanian on December 2, 2021, in the case. The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad on Tuesday allowed the bail plea of Krishnan who was represented by advocates Tanveer Ahmed Mir, Prabhav Ralli, Saud Khan and Kartik Venu in the Delhi High Court. According to the Economic Offences Wing, Manpreet Singh Suri, AR of Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL) filed a complaint against Malvinder Mohan Singh, Shivinder Mohan Singh, Sunil Godhwani and others holding key managerial posts that the alleged persons having absolute control on Religare Enterprises Limited (REL) and its subsidiaries put Religare Finvest Limited (RFL) in poor financial condition by way of disbursing the loans to the companies having no financial standings. "These companies willfully defaulted in repayments and caused the wrongful loss to RFL to the tune of Rs 2,397 crores. This was pointed out and flagged during their independent audit by RBI and SEBI," the statement said. The accused Krishnan Subramanian was the Group CEO during 2017-18. A loan against a property worth Rs 115 crores was sanctioned as secured loans to three entities and the property documents Asola land was kept as security with RFL, EOW said. Subsequently, these loans were converted to unsecured loans under the Corporate Loan Book portfolio as title deeds of these lands were never submitted to RFL. Prosecution while opposed the bail plea submitted, it was found that the land which was kept as security with RFL under the Facility Agreements had been exchanged without any permission or intimation to RFL, even though the same was mortgaged with RFL. "It was later found that the subsequent release of property papers was done by accused Krishnan Subramanian." (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered condolences to eminent Santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma's family after his demise saying, his music will continue to enthral the coming generations. Sharma, a musical legend, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 84. "Our cultural world is poorer with the demise of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Ji. He popularised the Santoor at a global level. His music will continue to enthral the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," PM Modi said in a tweet. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also extended condolences to the family of Pandit Shiv Kumar, saying his demise "impoverishes our cultural world" "Sad to know about the demise of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, eminent Santoor player and internationally celebrated Indian music composer. His departure impoverishes our cultural world. My deepest condolences," Banerjee tweeted. Maharashtra Governor of Bhagat Singh Koshyari expressed condolences on the demise of renowned Santoor maestro Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. "The news of the demise of Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma is shocking. Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma was instrumental in taking Santoor and Indian classical music to the global stage. Pt Sharma was a great artist, Guru, researcher, thinker and above all a kind-hearted human being. Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma mentored many disciples and enriched the world of music with his multifarious contributions. I pay my respectful homage to Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma and convey my deepest condolences to Pt Rahul Sharma and to other members of the bereaved family," said Koshyari. Union Minister Jitendra Singh express grief over the demise of the greatest maestros and said, "The world of music has lost one of its greatest maestros. Pt #ShivKumarSharma not only introduced Santoor at global level but also enriched film music with his melody. I am particularly bereaved since I shared a personal repport with Pandit ji who hailed from Jammu." Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was an Indian composer and santoor player from Jammu. He received the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. (ANI)
Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the non-bailable warrant issued by the Allahabad High Court against Noida Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and IAS officer Ritu Maheshwari in connection with contempt proceedings against her. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana stayed the Allahabad High Court order which issued a non-bailable warrant against Ritu Maheshwari, Chief Executive Officer, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA), Gautam Budh Nagar. The court has listed the matter for Wednesday. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi mentioned that Maheshwari's plea seeking a stay on the non-bailable warrant is a gross case where a "pass-over was sought" and the HC said that it was gross contempt and issued the order asking her to appear in custody. On May 5, Allahabad HC issued a non-bailable warrant against Ritu Maheshwari and directed that she should be brought into police custody before the court on May 13, the next date that Allahabad HC fixed for hearing. Allahabad HC order came after Ritu Maheshwari failed to appear before it in connection with contempt proceedings against her. Maheshwari did not appear before the court when the matter was taken up, which led her counsel to request the court not to take up the matter till she reached the court as her flight was delayed. "This court finds that such conduct of CEO, NOIDA amounts to deliberate and willful disrespect to the court, as the Officer of the rank of Chief Executive Officer of a Corporation expected the court to take up the matter at her mercy, therefore, this court finds it to be a fit case where non-bailable warrant be issued against the CEO, NOIDA," the HC had said. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted three months time to the Central government to hold consultations with various state governments on the issue of granting minority status to Hindus in states where they are outnumbered by other communities. A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said it does not appreciate the Centre changing its stands on the plea seeking minority status for Hindus in some States. It said more thought should have gone before finalising the affidavit and asked the Centre to undertake the consultative process. "Taking different stands does not help, consultation should have taken place before the affidavit was filed. How can in a matter like this the affidavit first be filed that both Centre and State have power? Number of dates were given. Somebody should have been careful," Justice Kaul said. The bench told the Centre that if it wants to hold consultation with States with regard to granting minority status to Hindus where they are outnumbered by other communities then it should do so. Yesterday, in an affidavit the Centre told the Supreme Court that the power to notify minorities is vested with the Union government and any decision in this regard will be taken after discussion with State governments and other stakeholders. However, in March it told the apex court that certain States, where Hindus or other communities are less in number, can declare them a minority community within their own territories, to enable them to set up and administer their own institutions. Filing the affidavit on Monday, the Ministry of Minority Affairs said the Central government has notified six communities as minority communities under section 2C of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. "The question involved in the writ petition has far-reaching ramifications throughout the country and therefore any stand taken without detailed deliberations with the stakeholders may result in an unintended complication for the country," stated the affidavit filed on a plea of advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. It added, "Though the power is vested with the Central government to notify minorities, the stand to be formulated by the Central government with regard to issues raised in this group of petitions will be finalised after having a wide consultation with the state governments and other stakeholders. This will ensure that the central government is able to place a considered view before this court taking into consideration several sociological, and other aspects obviating any unintended complications in the future concerning such a vital issue." The affidavit was filed on a plea seeking directions for framing of guidelines for the identification of minorities at the state level, contending that Hindus are in minority in 10 states. While in March putting the onus on States, the Central government in an affidavit had stated that State governments too have the power to declare communities as minorities, adding that, "state governments can also declare a religious or linguistic community as a 'minority community' within the state". States can also declare a religious or linguistic group as a minority community within its territory, as Maharashtra did in the case of Jews in 2016, Karnataka notified Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Tulu, Lamani, Hindi, Konkani, and Gujrati languages as minority languages over there, it had said. The plea filed in the year 2020 by Upadhyay, stated that as per the 2011 Census, Hindus were a minority in Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, J&K, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Punjab and that they should be given minority status in these states in accordance with the principle laid down by the Supreme Court in its 2002 TMA Pai Foundation ruling. The apex court in the TMA Pai case had said that for the purposes of Article 30 which deals with the rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions, religious and linguistic minorities have to be considered state-wise. Under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, the Centre had in 1993 notified five communities -- Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- as minorities. The affidavit of the Centre filed in March had said that the petitioner's contention that followers of Judaism, Bahaism and Hinduism, who are minorities in Laddakh, Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, can't administer their institutions were not correct. Seeking the dismissal of the plea, the Centre had said in the affidavit that "the reliefs sought by the petitioner are not in larger public or national interest". It had said the issue of identification of religious and linguistic minorities cannot be straight-jacketed and "religious and linguistic minorities are spread all over the country and are not related or restricted to any single state/UT of India. India is a country with very unique characteristics. A religious group that is in majority in one state may be in minority in another state." The plea had sought direction to the Centre to lay down guidelines for the identification of minorities at the state level saying the Hindus are in minority in 10 states and are not able to avail the benefits of schemes meant for minorities. In his plea, the petitioner had also challenged the validity of Section 2(f) of the National Commission for Minority Education Institution Act 2004 for giving unbridled power to the Centre and being manifestly arbitrary, irrational and offending. The plea had said, "Direct and declare that followers of Judaism, Bahaism and Hinduism, who are minorities in Laddakh, Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Manipur, can establish and administer educational institutions of their choice in the spirit of the TMA Pai Ruling." (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid homage to all those who were part of the events of 1857, which ignited a spirit of patriotism among citizens and contributed to the weakening of colonial rule, for their outstanding courage. "On this day in 1857 began the historic First War of Independence, which ignited a spirit of patriotism among our fellow citizens and contributed to the weakening of colonial rule," PM Modi said in a tweet. "I pay homage to all those who were a part of the events of 1857 for their outstanding courage," he added. (ANI)
"Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma's recitals would leave connoisseurs of Indian classical music spellbound. He popularized Santoor, the traditional musical instrument from J&K. Sad to learn that his Santoor is now silenced. Condolences to his family, friends and countless fans everywhere," Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, a musical legend, passed away today in Mumbai. He was 84.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to eminent Santoor player Pandit Shivkumar Sharma's family saying, his music will continue to enthral the coming generations.

"Our cultural world is poorer with the demise of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Ji. He popularised the Santoor at a global level. His music will continue to enthral the coming generations. I fondly remember my interactions with him. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," PM Modi said in a tweet.

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma was an Indian composer and santoor player from Jammu.

He received the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. (ANI)
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for yesterday's explosion in Mohali, saying that they are not serious about border security. Speaking with ANI, Shekhawat termed the incident as 'unfortunate' and said, "Punjab is a border area with sensitive boundaries, and we (BJP) had repeatedly pressed on the need for its security during the elections." The Union Minister further said that in the past too, Punjab had faced the heat of terrorism for several decades, and therefore, there is a need for a lot of promptness and vigilance in the state. "Unfortunately, neither the present government nor the previous one is serious about it. Hundreds of such incidents have been registered; weapons are dropped from drones. There is a need for more vigilance and the government of the state needs to make serious efforts," he said. Reacting to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's statement on the Mohali blast, Shekhawat slammed the Delhi Chief Minister saying that it is his old habit, and instead of doing politics on the security of the border of the country, "we should work towards taking action. It should be taken on priority." Kejriwal had termed the Mohali blast "a cowardly act" and said all culprits will be punished severely. He had also said the Punjab government will not allow people to disturb the peace of the state. Talking of the Centre's stance on the blast, Union Minister Shekhawat said that the Central government's policy regarding border security and vigilance is very clear. "...But the state governments should fulfil their responsibility. The subject which is under the state governments should be seriously worked on," he added. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday sought a report from the Director-General of Police (DGP) and intelligence officers over the last night's explosion in Mohali, stating that strict punishment will be given to the culprits. On Monday night, a minor blast occurred outside the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. There was no casualty or loss of life but police said it has not ruled out a terror angle in the incident, in which they say that the attack took place from outside the building with a rocket-propelled grenade. "A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar at around 7:45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done," Mohali police had said on Monday. On being asked whether it can be considered a terrorist attack, Mohali SP (HQ) Ravinder Pal Singh told media persons, "it can't be ignored. We are investigating it." (ANI)
Writer Priyam Gandhi Mody, who authored the book "A Nation To Protect: Leading India Through The COVID Crisis", criticised WHO's data on COVID-19 deaths in India terming it as "incorrect". Priyam Gandhi Mody said, "The method that they use is the Calinski method which is from the year 2002. The researchers have used it in Argentina. Now, the problem with this method and why this cannot be applied to India is that it can only be used if the death rates are uniform across a period of time." Terming the data as "mischievous", she said, "Across India, every state has reported different COVID data. It wasn't uniform. But if you see the COVID impact in India across the states over a period of time, you will see the higher and lower waves. It came in waves and the waves were not uniform across the state. There were some states that had got were highly impacted at a certain point in time while at the same time there were other states which weren't as deeply impacted. So, this method is incorrect." "So, we have to rely on data from all states first, across a period of time for their model to give some type of accuracy. They cannot generalise it, countrywide for a large country like India. It's simply not going to give accurate results," Modi added. Health Ministers of various states who attended the 14th conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare have slammed WHO for its estimates of COVID-19 related deaths in India. (ANI)
As the anti-encroachment drive in Delhi continues at nine different locations, South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Mukesh Suryan on Tuesday assured that no street vendor or poor people should be worried as "no harm will be caused to them". "I would like to clarify that no poor person should be worried. Municipal corporations will not cause harm to anyone. This fear is for the limited leaders who come from AAP and Congress who have encroached on government lands. This is their fear. No street vendor or stall vendor should be scared," the Mayor told ANI. Talking about the return of bulldozers from Shaheen Bagh after the locals protested during the drive yesterday, Suryan said that no locals protested and "it was Aam Aadmi Party's MLAs along with their goon who came to the site." He informed that an FIR has been registered against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan under sections 186, 353 and 334 of the Indian Penal Code. "Their propaganda obstructed the work of municipal corporations. The public has seen it all and has admitted to a major encroachment and has asked for some time to vacate it," the Mayor said, adding that time of eight days has been given to clear encroachment. "If it doesn't happen within eight days, then again the bulldozer, which we have placed on the border, will be sent," he said. Suryan told ANI that several areas have been marked for the drive as people have complained about them. "Today, the anti-encroachment drive is taking place at around nine locations. The good thing is that the people of Delhi have welcomed it. Everyone wants the road to be widened and the situation to get better," he said. (ANI)


Growing privatization of public sector units during the current government is giving sleepless nights to the people belonging to the Tharu tribe in Uttar Pradesh.

A Tripathi | TwoCircles.net

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UTTAR PRADESH  On the Indo-Nepal border in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh lies a tribal hamlet named Bela Parsua. The village, inhabited by some 15,000 tribals known as Tharus, may resemble any other village in the district but what makes it different from others is its high literacy and employment rate, with many working in the government sector.

Despite the high employment rate, a growing worry about the privatization of public sector units during the current Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) governement is unsettling for many Tharus. For these tribals, employment means working in the government sector.

Lakshmi Devi, a Tharu woman and Pradhan (village head) of Bela Parsua, told TwoCircles.net that for the people of her tribe the only way to bring prosperity to the village and the country is by doing government jobs.

We are people of the jungles. We know only this, Devi, who has been village head of Bela Parsua for the last twenty years, said. She is serving currently serving her fourth term. The village has more than 10,000 voters belonging to the Tharu tribe.

The Tharu people are an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai in southern Nepal and northern India. Tharu people claim to be of Rajput origin. As per the 2011 census, there are around 1.8 lakh Tharus in the Uttar Pradesh and their numbers have only grown. Other than Lakhimpur Kheri, Tharus lives mostly in Pilibhit, Gonda, Balrampur, Gorakhpur, and Baharaich districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The villagers of Bela Parsua credit Devi for bringing change to the village by focusing on education. It started in 2002, the year when Devi was first elected as Pradhan of Bela Parsua. The village was like any other village at that time.

Devi said that there is a story behind why she always gave priority to education, especially girls education.

Back in the nineties, I used to carry all my daughters on a bicycle and used to pedal almost 40 kilometres daily to and fro Chandan Chowki (that was 20 kilometres from her village) where my daughters used to study. I remember I used to ask my children to be calm and quiet while riding to school as we had to cross 19 kilometres of dense forest area, adjacent to Dudhwa forest reserve, where wildlife was in abundance. Those were the days. By the time I was elected as village head, I had understood what my village wants and hence I immediately began working on childrens education, recollects Devi, whose four daughters also work in the state government.

Devi said that due to lack of funds and other political reasons she couldnt bring much change to the villages infrastructure but her motivational speeches and bal-panchayats (children meetings) motivated children of the village to opt for working in the government sector.

A village head is a small post to bring change to a village. However, I utilized my post for motivating children and the villagers. I was fortunate enough that my motivational talks changed the mindset of my co-villagers who started giving preference to studies. But I doubt if it will work anymore as there will be no government jobs if the situation remains the same, she said.

Devi said the the present scenario (of privatization) is worrisome.

Tharus believe that the privatization trend will push the Tharus off the mainstream and will ruin the future of the new generation.

Indeed, the fast privatization which is going on is a worrisome trend. Though there are private jobs also but we dont believe in them, said Devis son Ranjana Katharia, who has served as Assistant Review Officer (ARO) at the state Secretariat.

Katharia said the tribal people from the village only prefer government jobs as a career option.

This mindset is tough to change, he said.

Suman Verma, a youth hailing from Kadiya Danga area of Tharu areas blamed the current governement for the privatization. Be it Railways, BSNL, Air India, Airports, Banks etc, the way the government is on a privatization spree, we doubt that there will be any government jobs left for us in near future, Verma said.

The prevailing sentiment among the villagers is that they have worked hard to become part of the mainstream by working in government sector. In fact, more than 22 employees at the state secretariat hail from Bela Parsua. Other than the state secretariat, Tharus from the village work at other government departments, including the National Security Guard (NSG)an elite counter-terrorism unit of India, Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), Police, Revenue Department, Health Department, and Chief Development Officers office etc. With growing privatization, Tharu people fear this will change.

Locals expressed fear that the way public sectors are being privatized, they doubt that the coming generation will ever come out of the jungles. Government should consider the issue of Tharus, whose way of life is working in the government sector, a local added.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to inform it by Wednesday whether the registration of future sedition cases can be kept in abeyance till it completes the reconsideration process with respect to the sedition law. A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also asked the Central government what it proposes to do about pending and future sedition cases as the Centre decided to re-examine the validity of Section 124A of the IPC, which criminalises the offence of sedition. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre said he will discuss it with the government and suggested that there can be guidelines on the issue until the government reconsiders the issue. The bench posted the matter for hearing on Wednesday. The court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the sedition law. In a fresh affidavit, the Centre on Monday told the apex court that it has decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A and requested it not to take up the case till the matter is examined by the government. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that the law requires reconsideration at the level of the executive because sovereignty and integrity of the nation are involved and sought deferment of the hearing of pleas. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for petitioners, opposed the Centre's request saying that the Court should proceed to decide the validity irrespective of whether the government is examining the provision or not. During the hearing, as the bench asked the Solicitor General how much time the government would take to complete the exercise, he replied that reconsideration of the law is in the process. "I wouldn't be able to give an accurate time frame. The process has started. The court must have seen the tenor and spirit of the affidavit," the Solicitor General said. Sibal said that the Centre wants to reconsider the sedition law but in the meantime, people are getting arrested under the law. The bench also highlighted the misuse of the sedition law and asked why the Centre doesn't direct the state governments that matter under 124A to be kept in abeyance till the Centre finishes the process of reconsideration. "In the affidavit itself it is said that misuse of law is there, how will you address this?" asked the bench. CJI Ramana told Mehta, "There are concerns that this is being misused. Attorney General himself had said chanting Hanuman Chalisa is leading to such cases." To this, the Solicitor General replied that the filing of FIRs is by the state governments and the first limb of 124A is to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. During the hearing, Sibal told the bench that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had termed Section 124A as the most obnoxious provision aimed at stifling dissent and Mahatma Gandhi had termed this as the most potent weapon to silence opposition to the government. Mehta said that this government is trying to do what Pandit Nehru could not do then. "What the government headed by Nehru Ji could not do, we are doing it now," the Solicitor General said. In a fresh affidavit, the Centre said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of the firm view that the baggage of colonial-era laws, which outlived their utility, must be scrapped during the period of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' (75 years of independence). In that spirit, the government of India has scrapped over 1,500 outdated laws since 2014-15, it said on Monday. "The Government of India being fully cognizant of various views being expressed on the subject of sedition and also having considered the concerns of civil liberties and human rights, while committed to maintain and protect the sovereignty and integrity of this great nation, has decided to reexamine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code which can be done only before the competent forum," the affidavit said while requesting the apex court to await the outcome of th Centre's exercise to re-examine Section 124A. However, on Saturday the Central government told the Supreme Court that the 1962 verdict of the five-judge Constitution bench case which upheld the validity of the offence of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, is binding and continues to be is a "good law and needs no reconsideration". Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, in the written submissions on Saturday said that the 1962 five-judge bench judgement of the top court in Kedar Nath Singh v/s State of Bihar case which upheld the validity of Section 124A of IPC has stood the test of time and applied till date in tune with modern constitutional principles. It said the 1962 verdict is a good precedent and that it requires no consideration and isolated instances of misuse cannot be a ground to uproot the precedent that has withstood the test of time for over six decades. The Centre further submitted that a three-judge bench cannot hear a legal challenge to the Constitutionality of Section 124A. Only a bench of co-equal strength of Kedar Nath Singh can pose any doubts on the verdict, the Centre stated while adding that thus, for reconsideration of Kedar Nath Singh judgement, the matter will have to be referred to a bench of five judges or more. Earlier, the bench had said that it will first decide the issue of whether the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124A to be referred to the larger bench or not. Earlier, Attorney General of India KK Venugopal had told the Supreme Court that the sedition law should not be struck down but there is a need for guidelines on this section. "What is permissible and what is impermissible and what can come under sedition need to be seen," Attorney General said. Venugopal, while defending the constitutional validity of Section 124A and the Kedar Nath Singh judgement, said that it is a well-thought-out one and needs to be upheld. Venugopal had argued that the misuse of sedition law has been brought under control. Various petitions were filed in the apex court challenging the constitutional validity of sedition law. The pleas were filed by former army officer Major-General SG Vombatkere (Retd), former Union minister Arun Shourie, NGO PUCL, Editors Guild of India, and Journalists Patricia Mukhim and Anuradha Bhasin among others. Last year, CJI Ramana questioned the Central government on the requirement of sedition law even after 75 years of independence and observed that it was colonial law that was used against freedom fighters. While pointing out that sedition law was used against freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the apex court had asked Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, why it can't be repealed. It had observed that the Centre has repealed many stale laws and enquired why the government is not looking into repealing Section 124A (which deals with the offence of sedition) of the IPC. It had further said that the court was concerned about the misuse of such laws. The CJI had said, "Use of sedition is like giving a saw to the carpenter to cut a piece of wood and he uses it to cut the entire forest itself". The top court had further told Attorney General that the conviction rate under Section 124A is very low. Section 124-A (sedition) under the IPC is a non-bailable provision. Earlier, a different bench of the top court had sought a response from the Centre on a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of sedition law, filed by two journalists -- Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla -- working in Manipur and Chhattisgarh respectively. (ANI)
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from other northeastern states. Speaking to ANI, Yechury said, "I want to ask Home Minister why do we have Armed Forces Special Power Act in our law? CPI(M) has been making this demand for a long time." "Today many such plans are imposed arbitrarily as it is going on continuously in Jammu and Kashmir. There are many Northeast states. Why do you want to withdraw it only from Assam? Why do not you withdraw AFSPA from everywhere? Is there a political motive behind this? There will be some conspiracy to provoke communal polarization again. So our request to the Home Minister is to remove this from all over the country," added the CPI(M) leader. Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday said he was confident that the AFSPA would soon be revoked from the entire state of Assam. Speaking at a ceremony to present the President's Colours to the Assam Police in Guwahati, Shah said that the Act had been in force since 1990 and had been extended seven times since. In March, the Centre had removed AFPSA from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam. The AFSPA Act empowers the governor of the state or administrator of Union territory or Centre to issue an official notification concerning disturbed areas after which the central government has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid. (ANI)
The makers of the upcoming movie Jayeshbhai Jordaar on Tuesday assured the Delhi High Court that disclaimer will be depicted during the running of the relevant scenes of a prenatal sex-determination test in the movie. The bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri after the conclusion of the submission said that Senior Lawyer appearing for moviemakers, without prejudice to his submissions, has agreed for disclaimer to be depicted during the running of both the relevant scenes. The court noted the submission of senior counsel representing the moviemakers that similar warnings/disclaimers shall be depicted on all formats including trailer and YouTube. The court further noted that the film has already been certified and is scheduled to be released on May 13. On Monday, the Delhi High Court had observed that film can't show scenes related to prenatal sex determination without any disclaimer, adding that the scene has been shown without disclosure or message. The court was hearing a plea against the upcoming movie 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar' over the depiction of a prenatal sex-determination scene in the trailer. Meanwhile, the court also appreciated the petitioner and said, "You brought a good cause and we think you achieved your purpose the moment they gave disclaimer." The plea has sought appropriate direction to the Centre and other respondents to censor/delete the ultrasound clinic centre scene of the movie 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar' in which the sex selection technique is allegedly being shown and abortion of a girl child without disclosure. The plea states that this is a violation of sections 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 6, and 22 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act. It also requested that since the movie is being released across India on May 13, the court grants the request before the release. The plea moved by an NGO through its president Manish Jain states, "In the Jayeshbhai Jordaar's trailer, we saw one of the scenes in which the couple and his family member have gone for the sex selection in the ultrasound clinic and the doctor is operating the machine and showing the radiology image of the baby in the womb of the mother." "On being asked by the family member, Agar Ladka Hua toh Jai Shree Krishna and Ladkee hue toh Jai Mata Di followed by an abortion of the girl child," the plea read. Last week, the plea filed through Advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak mentioned the matter before the acting chief justice court where the court asked the lawyer to file all the documents today we will hear it tomorrow. Advocate Pathak stated that prenatal sex determination is statutorily prohibited and prays that the scene in question is deleted on the ground of promoting prohibited activities. Jayeshbhai Jordaar is an upcoming comedy-drama film directed by Divyang Thakkar and produced by Aditya Chopra and Maneesh Sharma under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Ranveer Singh in the titular role as the son of a traditional Gujarati sarpanch, who believes in equal rights between males and females in society. The film is scheduled to be released theatrically on May 13, 2022. (ANI)
Former law minister Ashwani Kumar on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the explosion inside the Punjab Police's Intelligence office in Mohali and said it cannot be ignored. Speaking to ANI, Kumar said that the Centre and Punjab government should coordinate on this serious issue. "First, we saw Pakistani drone in Punjab then saw RDX recovered from Tarantaran and Punjab being a border state has suffered terrorism for a very long time so I am worried and this is a matter of big concern and it cannot be ignored," the former Congress leader said. "I would like to say that Punjab and the Central Governments should coordinate on this serious issue and if the increasing terrorist activities visible, then the Central and the State Government together should control it," he said. On Monday night, a minor blast occurred outside the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. There was no casualty or loss of life but police said it has not ruled out a terror angle in the incident, in which they say that the attack took place from outside the building with a rocket-propelled grenade. "A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar at around 7:45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done," Mohali police had said on Monday. Kumar also welcomed the Central government's decision to re-examine the provision of sedition law. "I think this is a very good move by the government. There is no justification for the sedition law in a free country and the way it has been misused in the last few months. We believe that there are so many draconian and stringent laws which were made during the British times to suppress our freedom movement and it is very important to repeal such laws and it will be according to the spirit of our Constitution." Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to inform it by Wednesday whether the registration of future sedition cases can be kept in abeyance till it completes the reconsideration process with respect to the sedition law. A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also asked the Central government what it proposes to do about pending and future sedition cases as the Centre decided to re-examine the validity of Section 124A of the IPC, which criminalises the offence of sedition. (ANI)
Intelligence agencies have found the role of suspected overground workers of Khalistani extremists group associated with Pakistan-based terrorist, in a blast reported at Punjab Police's intelligence headquarter building in Mohali on Monday. A police official said that during the investigation they found the mobile location of a suspect associated with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda near the blast site. "We have scanned hundreds of mobile phone locations after accessing dump data of all mobile towers falling in the radius of blast site and found a number of few suspects," he said. He added that one of the numbers allegedly belong to an overground worker associated with Rinda. Teams have been formed to catch the suspect to get more information in the case. "It is also suspected that the Rocket-propelled Grenade (RPG) was smuggled into India from Pakistan border because Rinda was allegedly involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition from the cross border," he said. On Sunday, Punjab Police had recovered an explosive device packed with around 1.5 kg of RDX and arrested two men in a village in Tarn Taran district. The explosives were allegedly smuggled for terror activities. However, Central intelligence agencies have also swung into action to get breakthroughs in the case. A senior official associated with a Central intelligence agency said that it is suspected that a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was used in the attack and it is an unusual thing. In the past, grenade attacks have happened but the use of RPGs is worrying for everyone. On May 9, Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police issued an alert in the state in the view of Khalistani elements in neighbouring states and the installing banners and graffiti of Khalistan on the outer boundary of Vidhan Sabha. He added that Punjab Police has also issued an alert after the blast in Mohali. But instead of written communication, they have verbally communicated to all Police officers to be on alert. According to Mohali police, a minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77 at around 7.45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers rushed to the spot and an investigation is being done. Forensic teams have been called. On May 8, two persons were held in the Taran Taran district of Punjab. Police recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) equipped with RDX packed in a metallic box weighing over 2.5 kg from the two arrested. On May 5, four terror suspects were arrested in Karnal, Haryana. Police recovered three IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each from their possession. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday inspected the construction of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System corridor at Bhainsali, Meerut and appreciated the cutting edge technologies adopted by NCRTC for the project. CM Yogi observed the ongoing construction activities being carried out on the entire corridor and inspected tunnelling activities being undertaken at the station. National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) had set up a photo exhibition at the venue which showcased the pace of the project implementation of the RRTS corridor. Managing Director of NCRTC, Vinay Kumar Singh in a walkthrough of the photo exhibition, apprised the Chief Minister of various aspects of the project including the accomplishments made during the project execution and how NCRTC is leveraging various technologies in project implementation. As the photo exhibition depicted the three-year journey of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor right from the foundation stone laying by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the recent rolling out of the first train sets from Savli, Gujarat, CM Yogi was contented to note the pace of construction of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor despite the three waves of COVID, said the official. The exhibition also showcased the significant progress made on the 17 KM priority section in a short span and various milestones achieved by NCRTC in the past three years, the official added. The 82km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will have 25 stations including two depot stations on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. Local transit services will be provided on the RRTS network in Meerut with 13 stations in the span of 21 km for the local transit needs. Four Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs-Sudarshan) are to be lowered at Bhainsali for making tunnels in both directions of Meerut South and Begumpul stations. In these, one TBM has already started working on making the longest tunnel of Meerut around two km from Bhainsali to Meerut Central. The second TBM is also being assembled at this location for making the second tunnel from Bhansali to Meerut Central. Bhainsali is the only station in Meerut where four tunnel boring machines will simultaneously work to make tunnels. The construction work on the 17 km priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai is progressing at a rapid speed. The construction of the viaduct of the priority section is nearing completion and the installation of signalling and telecom systems is also being undertaken. The priority section will have a total of 5 stations, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot, and their construction work is in progress. The road ahead for the implementation of Over Head Electrical wires is now clear and the track laying work is being carried out within its stipulated time frame. The construction work of stabilizing and inspection lines and rolling stock maintenance yard for maintenance of RRTS trains at Duhai Depot is also on track. The construction of the administrative building of RRTS equipped with various labs, simulation rooms and different types of classrooms being built for training is also underway. At present 23 launching gantries (Tarini) have been installed on the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and the speed with which this project is being carried out is exemplary for the construction of any urban transport infrastructure project in the country. NCRTC is targeting to start the operation on the priority section by early next year and commission the entire corridor by 2025. (ANI)
The arrest has been made in the wake of an FIR filed against the minister for an alleged paper leak case at the Narayana School in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

"Today morning we have arrested Ex-Minister Narayana in Hyderabad, in connection with the Examination Malpractice case. We will produce him as per the procedure," said Y Rishant Reddy, Superintendent of Police.

The police have registered a case under various sections including 10 AP Public examinations (Prevention of Malpractices), and section 408 (Criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

P Narayana is the founder and director of the Narayana Institutions.

On April 27, the question paper for Telugu was allegedly leaked in the school, and when the police found that the teacher clicked a photo of the question paper and shared it over social media, an hour later the exam started.

Terming the arrest of the 12 teachers in the case as "atrocious", the TDP leader alleged that the question papers were circulated in the WhatsApp groups of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders.

Earlier on April 30, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) demanded the resignation of the state's Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana over the matter. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court is scheduled to pass judgement on Wednesday on several petitions related to criminalisation of marital rape. The bench of justices Rajiv Shakdher and C. Hari Shankar had kept the order reserved in February this year. The high court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations filed in 2015 by non-profit RIT Foundation, All India Democratic Women's Association and two individuals who sought to strike down the exception in Indian rape laws on the grounds that it discriminated against married women who were sexually assaulted by their husbands. Centre earlier had stated that considering the social impact involved, intimate family relations being the subject matter, and this Court not having the privilege of being fully familiarised with ground realities prevailing in different parts of society of this large, populous and diverse country, taking a decision merely based upon the arguments of a few lawyers may not serve the ends of justice. The Centre had also said that the government of India is committed to fully and meaningfully protect the liberty, dignity and rights of every woman who is the fundamental foundation and a pillar of a civilized society. The matter, therefore, needs a comprehensive approach rather than a strictly legal approach, the government said. The Central Government in 2017's affidavit opposed the plea demanding criminalisation of marital rape. On the contrary, the government, in its fresh affidavit filed on January 12 2022, said that they have sought suggestions from various stakeholders as the government is in process of making comprehensive amendments in criminal laws. Amicus and Senior Advocate Rebecca John on the matter had told the Delhi High Court that there can be a legitimate expectation regarding sex in a marriage, but it cannot lead to forcible sex with wife. "There can be an expectation but expectation cannot lead to forcible sex with your wife," said senior advocate Rebecca John, who is appearing as amicus curiae in the matter relating to marital sex. Senior Advocate Rebecca John, Amicus Curiae in the matter, submitted before the court that if a married woman can be subjected to sexual intercourse without her consent, then Exception 2 must be viewed as an instrument of oppression. "And if that consequences, intended or unintended is that a married woman can be subjected to sexual intercourse without her consent then it is my submission that the Exception 2 must be viewed as an instrument of oppression," she argued before Delhi High Court. Appearing for Men Welfare Trust (MWT), Advocate J Sai Deepak had submitted that the judiciary have to restrain themselves while exercising powers of judicial review and they cannot direct the Parliament to make particular kind of enactment. He also argued that the Courts have a limited role on the aspect of policy and judiciary has larger role on the issue of civil liberties. He has cited various judgements that the court shall not intervene with the issues and concluded his submission saying that the Lakshman Rekha has to be drawn in light of the judgements cited by him. The court was hearing a batch of petition including by the NGOs RIT Foundation and All India Democratic Women's Association who have challenged an exception to section 375 to the Indian Penal Code. (ANI)
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness of Central Ministries, agencies and administrations of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to tackle the impending Cyclone 'Asani' in the Bay of Bengal. Bhalla held the review meeting via video conference with officials in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. IMD said the cyclone is likely to reach West Central Bay of Bengal close to Kakinada-Vishakhapatnam coasts by May 11 morning to noon and then move along Andhra coast between Kakinada and Vishakhapatnam (Krishna, East and West Godavari and Vishakhapatnam districts). The cyclone would have wind speeds of 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph on the Andhra coast and 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph on Odisha coast. Suspension of fishing operations has been suggested, MHA said. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 9 teams and kept 7 teams on standby in Andhra Pradesh; deployed 1 team and kept 17 teams on standby in Odisha and deployed 12 teams and kept 5 teams on standby in West Bengal. Additional teams are also in readiness if required, added MHA. Union Home Secretary directed Central Ministries and Agencies to keep a regular watch and be in touch with administrations of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for any help, it says. Earlier in the day, severe cyclonic storm 'Asani' in the Bay of Bengal affected flight operations with several airlines cancelling flights in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam and Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Tuesday. Visakhapatnam International Airport director Srinivas said that IndiGo has cancelled 23 flights, both arrivals, and departures, citing bad weather. "Four Air Asia flights also stand cancelled due to bad weather at Vizag for the day," he added. At the Chennai airport, 10 flights including those from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Mumbai have been cancelled. As per the Chennai Airport Authority, information regarding cancellation was conveyed to the passengers yesterday. Duty Officer at the Cyclone Warning Centre of Visakhapatnam, Kumar said that severe cyclonic storm Asani is over the west-central region and the adjoining southwest region of Bay of Bengal. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today inaugurated the first issue of "Asom Barta", a Government of Assam newspaper, which will keep people of the State abreast with government policies and their implementation. The launch coincided with the first-anniversary celebration of the state government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The newspaper will be printed in four languages, Assamese, English, Hindi and Bengali (in the coming months) and will be distributed widely using various traditional and social media platforms. "India can only become great if Assam becomes great. BJP govt under CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has successfully controlled the smuggling of cattle across borders. We have removed AFSPA from over 60 per cent area in Assam", Union Home Minister Amit Shah said during the inauguration event. "When India will become a 5 trillion dollar economy, youth from Assam will benefit from it. The day is not far when all the capitals of the North East will be connected through railways. The day is not far when Assam will become flood-free", added Amit Shah."The Government of Assam has decided to launch its own newsletter to directly engage with citizens and give people the opportunity to learn about the developmental journey of Assam," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in his speech. Citizens, intellectuals, and freelance journalists will have the opportunity to provide constructive suggestions to the Government of Assam through the newsletter. The Government of Assam is committed to ensuring the widespread reach of Asom Barta. In the first phase, the target is to reach one crore readers via various modern technologies such as Whatsapp, Telegram, E-mail, SMS and other social media platforms. Over 10,000 hard copies of Asom Barta will be printed and delivered on a periodic basis to all State Government offices at the district and block level and to eminent citizens across the country. Assam will be one of the first states in the country to launch its own newspaper and this is expected to set a new benchmark in direct communication between the government and its citizens. While functioning under the aegis of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Asom Barta has its own governance structure operating with an Editorial Advisory Board (Honorary) consisting of an Editor-in-Chief Bishnu Kamal Borah, Director, DIPR, and four members namely Wasbir Hussain, Anuradha Sarma Pujari, Gurmail Singh, and Bijay Sankar Bora. Sikha Saikia, Senior Information Officer, DIPR, will be there as the member convenor. The Editorial Board shall curate relevant stories and opinion articles. "The first edition will be an anniversary special. It will have 16 pages. Asom Barta will be printed in three languages, Assamese, English, and Hindi to start with," DIPR Director and Editor-in-Chief of the publication Borah said while adding that in due course it will be published in Bengali and other regional languages of Assam. Asom Barta will report the implementation of government schemes and the effects of its policies at the grassroots while facilitating the people to stay connected to their legislators and government, he said. "We appeal to the people to subscribe to this publication free of cost by sending a WhatsApp message 'Assam' at 8287912158 or by writing a mail to Asom Barta or filling up a form by visiting its website https://asombarta.com and sharing their mail id," the DIPR director said. He added that people can send their suggestions and grievances on the publication's mail id or its interactive website for the government to take note of. (ANI)
Expressing his gratitude to the people of Assam for voting the Bharatiya Janata Party and its alliance partners to power in the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that his government's top priority is to secure the rights of Assamese people. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in presence of Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, on Tuesday addressed a public meeting at the Veterinary College Playground at Khanapara to mark the completion of a year of the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state. The ministers and legislators have been working day and night for the past 365 days with the ideals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the guiding light, Sarma added. The Chief Minister further said: It is for the first time that a non-Congress government has been formed in the state consecutively for two times. Due credit goes to former Chief Minister and current Union Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The Chief Minister also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their roles in initiatives such as the Bodo accord, the Karbi peace accord, removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from 23 districts of the state. These and other initiatives, the Chief Minister said, led to what we can call a period of general peace and prosperity. The Chief Minister also stated the first year of the current government was a year of war against crime and criminals. The resolve of the current government to make Assam crime and criminal free has led to a massive improvement in the reduction in the crime rate in the state. He also stressed the government's tough measures on the drug menace. Also, the Chief Minister said that the current government has been able to impart a sense of confidence in the minds of the indigenous population of the state by working towards their empowerment since the first day of taking power. The Chief Minister also spoke about the various initiatives the current government either took or was about to take for the overall welfare of the residents of the state. On the employment front, the Chief Minister stated that around 25,000 youths will be given employment on May 14. Also, an addition of six lakh beneficiaries will be made to the already existing 20 lakh beneficiaries of the pro-poor Arunoday scheme and the monthly remuneration under the scheme will be raised to Rs 1250 from the current Rs 1,000. The Chief Minister also said more than 11 lakh women benefited from the recently implemented microfinance loan relief scheme. Also, he added that around 8 lakh people benefited from the Basundhara scheme. The Chief Minister also stated that the government is working to build 6,000 km of new roads in the state. He further said the bridge connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati is expected to be completed by the end of the year 2023. The Chief Minister further said the state government has been going all out to give shape to the Prime Minister's motto of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas" through the principle of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government. Also, the government's initiatives on digitization, the Chief Minister said, were aimed at empowering the citizens to deal with red-tapism and bureaucratic bottlenecks. The Chief Minister expressed hope that with cooperation from all sections of society, Assam will definitely make it to the list of top-five states in all parameters. Today's event was also attended by Union Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Petroleum Rameshwar Teli, BJP Assam Pradesh President Bhabesh Kalita, State Agriculture Minister and AGP President Atul Bora, BTR Chief and UPPL President Pramod Boro, along with a host of senior Cabinet ministers and legislators. (ANI)
Separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir Yasin Malik pleaded guilty before the NIA court on Tuesday in a terror funding case. Recently the court had ordered the framing of charges against several separatist leaders including Yasin Malik under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC. The court will hear on May 19 the arguments on the quantum of the sentence under which Malik may get a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. NIA Judge recently, while passing the order said, "The analysis reflects that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence have connected almost all the accused with each other and to a common object of secession, to the commonality of means they were to use, their close association to terrorist/ terrorist organizations under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment." On March 16, 2022, the NIA Court had ordered the framing of charges against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Kashmiri separatist leaders including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam and others under various sections of UAPA in a case pertaining to the terrorist and secessionist activities that disturbed the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Court had also ordered the framing of charges against Kashmiri politician and former MLA Rashid Engineer, Businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Avatar Ahmad Shah, Naeem Khan, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, alias Peer Saifullah and several others under various sections of IPC and UAPA including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, unlawful activities etc. NIA special Judge Praveen Singh while passing the order said, "the analysis reflects that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence have connected almost all the accused with each other and to a common object of secession, to the commonality of means they were to use, their close association to terrorist/ terrorist organizations under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment". Meanwhile, Court formally framed the charges against other Kashmiri separatist leaders who are accused in the case. Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Naval Kishore Kapoor on Tuesday formally sign the court order copy and said they are ready to face trial in the case. Court noted that, during the course of arguments, none of the accused have argued that individually they do not have a secessionist ideology or agenda or that they have not worked for secession or advocated for the secession of the erstwhile State of J-K from the Union of India. Witnesses after witnesses have deposed that APHC, its factions after division and JRL had only one object and that was the secession of J-K from the Union of India. Witnesses have connected accused Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate to APHC and JRL. Another witness has connected Er. Rashid to Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali who in turn is closely intertwined with APHC and Pakistani establishment/agencies, Court noted. However, Court had also clarified that whatever has been expressed in this order is a prima facie opinion although, a detailed discussion of the evidence had to be done because the arguments were advanced by both sides in much detail. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), various terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Jaish-e- Mohd. (JeM) etc, with the support of ISI of Pakistan, perpetrated violence in the valley by attacking civilians and security forces. It was further alleged that in the year 1993, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was formed to give a political front to secessionist activities. NIA chargesheet submitted that the Central Government received credible information that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Amir of Jammat-ud-Dawah and the secessionist and separatist leaders including the members of Hurriyat Conference have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terrorist organizations like HM, LeT etc for raising, receiving and collecting funds domestically and abroad through various illegal channels including hawala. NIA also stated before the court that, this has been done for funding separatist and terrorist activities in J-K and as such, they have entered into a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning of schools, damage to public property and waging war against India. On this information, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the NIA to register a case. Accordingly, the present case was registered by NIA for offences u/s 120B, 121, 121A of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of UAPA. NIA further added that during the investigation, it was also revealed that APHC and other secessionists instigate the general public, especially the youth to observe strikes and to resort violence especially stone pelting on the security forces. This was done to create disaffection amongst the people of J-K towards the Government of India. NIA also submitted that the investigation has revealed that the secessionists were mobilizing funds from all possible sources to fuel unrest and support the ongoing secessionist and terrorist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. The secessionists were getting funds from Pakistan, funds from Pakistan-based terrorist organizations and from local donations. (ANI)
In a unique initiative to empower artisans and familiarise passengers with the local heritage and traditions, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun giving space to self-help groups (SHGs) in Surat and other airports in the country to sell their products. The space allotted to SHGs under AAI's AVSAR (Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region) initiative will help women attached to these groups to expand the reach of their products to people in all parts of the country. AAI chairman Sanjeev Kumar told ANI said the AVSAR initiative "will not only provide a platform to SHGs at airports but familiarise travellers with the local heritage and traditions of the area". An area of 100 to 200 square feet is allocated to SHGs on a rotational basis to showcase products made by rural women and artisans. Passengers at the Surat airport lauded the skills of the artisans as also the products on offer. They said they were getting to see quality local products at the airport itself without having to step out. Bhavika Makwana, a passenger who took snacks from one of the SHG outlets, said the products were fresh and the taste was good. Jyoti Prajapati, a local seller, said that earlier they could sell their products only in Surat but now can do so to passengers from all parts of the country. She said 90 per cent of their products were homemade. "It is a great opportunity. The women in our self-help group prepare products as per their skills. Then we all sell these at the airport premises. The Surat Mahanagar Palika and Airport Authority have given us this opportunity to sell our products here. Earlier we used to sell our products only in markets of Surat but now our products are bought by people from all parts of the country. We have got a good response from the buyers," Prajapati told ANI. Jewellery, clothes, handicrafts and local snacks were among the products made by women available at the airport. Surat Airport Director Aman Saini said they were proving SHGs platform so that the women can sell their products and people visiting the airport are aware of local products. "People are appreciating the quality products. The Surat Mahanagar Palika is helping us with the self-help groups. A particular group is provided with the space on the airport premises for 15 days. After 15 days another group will take over the space. We charge nominal rates from them, not commercial charges," she said. According to the AAI, a few outlets have already been commissioned at Chennai, Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur and Amritsar Airport and SHGs operated by local women are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products like puffed rice, packaged papad, pickles, bamboo-based ladies bag, local artefacts, traditional craft, natural dyes, embroidery and indigenous weaves with contemporary design to the air travellers. More AAI Airports are in the process of allotting space in coordination with the state governments to such self-help groups. Self-help groups are considered India's most powerful channels for empowering small and rural communities to move from subsistence to sustainability. The government has been making constant efforts to strengthen the SHGs. The initiative to strengthen SHGs by allotting space at AAI Airports is expected to provide huge visibility to these small groups in the country as also abroad through foreign visitors. (ANI)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a protest in Bengaluru alleging that "40 per cent commission corruption" of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was responsible for the collapse of the gallery of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in HSR layout. Leading the protest, Bengaluru AAP president Mohan Dasari said, "The gallery roof has collapsed barely two months after getting inaugurated by CM Basavaraj Bommai. This is an example of the 40 per cent commission corruption of the BJP government and local MLA Sathish Reddy. We condemn the hooliganism shown by BJP workers against AAP workers who visited the place to expose the poor construction work. We will remove BJP from the power which is corrupt as well as a hooligan party." He said the work at Vajpayee Stadium has been done at a cost of Rs 4 crore which has to be thoroughly investigated. "The public works department should investigate this and strict action should be taken against the contractors, officials and representatives who are part of this corruption." "We cannot keep quiet looking at people's money being misused by corrupt people resulting in poor construction of public assets," Dasari added. Bommanahalli constituency AAP in-charge Seetharam Gundappa said, "Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya, along with BJP workers, had created ruckus in front of Delhi CM residence. They had also sent unruly party workers to the AAP state office as well. If he has guts, let him come to Vajpayee stadium which has been subjected to 40 per cent commission corruption and talks about the poor construction work of the stadium which is in his own constituency." A part of the newly inaugurated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in HSR layout in Bengaluru collapsed following heavy rain lashed in the city on Sunday. A portion of the stadium wall also got damaged. The stadium was inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on March 1. (ANI)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led state government should not discriminate among victims of violence in different parts of the state. Speaking on the issue of discrimination among victims of violence, Dhankhar referred to the state government providing compensation to the family of the victims killed in the Bogtui massacre on March 21, 2022. "The family members of each of the victims of the Bogtui massacre were given a compensation of Rs 5,00,000. However, the victims of violence in other parts of the state are not getting such 'healing touch'. The government should operate above political identities since that will malign the image of the state," the Governor told mediapersons after meeting the state BJP delegation, who were accompanied by family members of the victims of the 2021 post-poll violence in the state. Alleging that the family members of those killed in the post-poll violence are not getting justice, Dhankhar said he would take up the matter with the state government. He also interacted with the family members of the victims of the post-poll violence. Earlier, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari submitted a memorandum to the West Bengal Governor. State BJP President and MP, Sukanta Majumdar and BJP's National Vice-President, Dilip Ghosh were also present on the occasion. TMC's state General Secretary and spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said Dhankhar is misusing and giving a bad name to the Governor's chair. "How could he allow the premises of the Governor House to be a rally venue for a particular party. The BJP leaders who went there are all isolated from the masses and hence they have no other option but to use the Governor House for publicity," Ghosh added. --IANS src/khz/bg ( 304 Words) 2022-05-10-21:18:02 (IANS)
A new study investigates the atmosphere as a related cause of plastic pollution in the waters of our planet. The findings of the research were published in the journal 'Nature Reviews Earth & Environment' by an international team of researchers including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research. According to estimates, by 2040, the level of plastic pollution could reach 80 million metric tons per year. Plastic particles have now been detected in virtually all spheres of the environment, e.g. in water bodies, the soil and the air. Via ocean currents and rivers, the tiny plastic particles can even reach the Arctic, Antarctic or ocean depths. A new overview study has now shown that wind, too, can transport these particles great distances - and much faster than water can: in the atmosphere, they can travel from their point of origin to the most remote corners of the planet in a matter of days. Today, between 0.013 and 25 million metric tons of micro and nano plastic per year are transported up to thousands of kilometres by ocean air, snow, sea spray and fog, crossing countries, continents and oceans in the process. This estimate was arrived at by an international team of 33 researchers, including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam (IASS) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel. "Air is a much more dynamic medium than water," said co-author Dr Melanie Bergmann from the AWI. "As a result, micro and nano plastic can much more quickly penetrate those regions of our planet that are most remote and still largely untouched." Once there, the particles could affect the surface climate and the health of local ecosystems. For example, when these darker particles are deposited on snow and ice, they affect the ice-albedo feedback, reducing their ability to reflect sunlight and promoting melting. Similarly, darker patches of seawater absorb more solar energy, further warming the ocean. And in the atmosphere, microplastic particles can serve as condensation nuclei for water vapour, producing effects on cloud formation and, in the long term, the climate. How do plastic particles get into the atmosphere? First of all, through human activities. Particles produced by tyres and brakes in road traffic, or by the exhaust gases from industrial processes, rise into the atmosphere, where they are transported by winds. However, according to the overview study, there is also evidence suggesting that a substantial number of these particles are transported by the marine environment. Initial analyses indicate that microplastic from the coastal zone also finds its way into the ocean through eroded beach sand. The combination of sea spray, wind and waves forms air bubbles in the water containing microplastic. When the bubbles burst, the particles find their way into the atmosphere. As such, transport to remote and even polar regions could be due to the combination of atmospheric and marine transport. Consequently, it is important to understand interactions between the atmosphere and ocean, so as to determine which particle sizes are transported, and in which quantities. The atmosphere predominantly transports small microplastic particles, which makes it a much faster transport route that can lead to substantial deposits in a broad range of ecosystems. As Melanie Bergmann explained: "We need to integrate micro and nano plastic in our measurements of air pollution, ideally on an international scale as part of global networks." For this purpose, in a first step, first authors Deonie Allen and Bergmann began collecting samples of microplastic in the air, seawater and ice during a Polarstern expedition to the Arctic last year. Joining forces to grasp the microplastic cycle Understanding and characterising the microplastic cycles between the ocean and atmosphere will require joint efforts. In this regard, in the study, the team of researchers led by first authors Deonie Allen and Steve Allen from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, outlines a global strategy for creating a seamless, incomparable database on the flow of micro and nano plastic between the ocean and atmosphere. "There are so many aspects of the emissions, transport and effects of microplastic in the atmosphere that we still don't fully understand," said co-author Prof Tim Butler from the IASS. "This publication reveals the gaps in our knowledge - and presents a roadmap for the future." Two dedicated working groups from the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) prepared the study. According to study co-author and GESAMP member Prof Sylvia Sander from GEOMAR: "The study makes it clear that a comprehensive grasp of the ocean, and of the effects of human influences on it, can only be achieved by networking researchers and their data. The great challenges of our time are on a global scale. Accordingly, we have to pursue answers to pressing questions with expertise that is as comprehensive and international as possible. That can only be done by working together." GESAMP is a conglomerate of eleven organisations belonging to the United Nations. Its goal is to arrive at a multidisciplinary, science-based understanding of the marine environment. To date, the network has already collaborated with more than 500 experts from countries around the globe on a range of questions. Micro and nano plastic in the air is also relevant for human health. In a recently released British study, microplastic was detected in the lungs of 11 of 13 living human beings. "This is yet another reason why we need to integrate plastic into monitoring programmes for air quality," Bergmann stressed. In order to reduce environmental pollution from plastic, the production of new plastic would also need to be successively reduced on the basis of an international treaty, as Bergmann and other experts recently called for in a letter to the journal Science. (ANI)
NRF spokesman Sebghatullah Ahmadi, in a statement, said that the Taliban are under pressure in Panjshir and have suffered casualties, adding that six Taliban were captured and seven Taliban tanks were entirely destroyed, reported The Khaama Press.

However, local Taliban leaders in Panjshir refuted the claims, claiming that only three had been wounded.

"Hostilities had grown in Dara district, but a small-scale damage had been done to Taliban troops, including the destruction of three vehicles and the injury of three members," Abu Bakr Siddiqui, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Panjshir province, told the media.

Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman for the province claims that their "operation" to clear members of the NRF in the AbdullahKhel village has forced them to flee to the mountains.

The public sources in Panjshir province stated that two military helicopters evacuated all Taliban bodies and wounded to Kabul yesterday, reported Khaama Press.

The bodies taken to Kabul were also said to have been returned to the provinces, according to the media.

Videos have also surfaced on social media saying that the Taliban abused residents after defeating the National Resistance Front and inflicted high fatalities.

The Taliban have yet to respond, and tensions in Panjshir appear to have escalated. (ANI)
The media watchdog said that legal action under the relevant laws would be pursued in case of any violation by the private electronic media, reported The Express Tribune.

"It has been observed that a few satellite TV channels are airing content which tantamount to casting aspersions against state institutions i.e. armed forces and judiciary," the regulatory authority said in its directives posted on its Twitter handle.

"Airing such content violated PEMRA rules, provisions of the PEMRA Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015 and the principles laid down by the superior courts," it added.

This comes after the Pakistan military on Sunday warned politicians and journalists against dragging the armed forces into ongoing political discourse in the country.

In a rare statement, the media wing of the Pakistan military said "unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements" were extremely damaging.

"Recently there has been intensified and deliberate attempts to drag Pakistan Armed Forces and their leadership in ongoing political discourse in the country," said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

"These attempts are manifest through direct, insinuated or nuanced references to Armed Forces as well as their senior leadership, made by some political leaders, a few journalists and analysts on public forums and various communication platforms including social media," the ISPR added.

The role of the Pakistan military came under the scanner in the wake of Imran Khan's ouster last month. Trends against the Pakistan armed forces and its leadership saw intense activity on social media platforms, the Dawn newspaper reported. (ANI)
"If prices are raised, then IMF delegation could meet Pakistani authorities in Doha from May 18," he said, adding that the international lender wanted excessive taxes on the common man in the next budget.

Aslam while sharing a news report on Monday claimed that the IMF mission which is scheduled to visit Pakistan on May 10 is delaying the meeting for the release of the USD 1 billion tranches as they want the new government to raise the prices of petrol, diesel and electricity ahead of staff-level talks, reported ARY News.

He further claimed that the government will also not receive any funds from friendly countries.

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has agreed with International Monetary Funds' (IMF) recommendations to reduce fuel subsidies phase-wise, reported ARY News.

Miftah Ismail had held a meeting with the executive directors of the Fund in Washington for the revival of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.

Sources say that the finance minister hinted to carry forward the IMF program and agreed to curb subsidies on the fuel and electricity phase-wise.

Meanwhile, the IMF said it has no objection to the Income Support Programme and added Pakistan can continue subsidies for the marginalised section of the society, reported ARY News.

The IMF has also shown its consent to the continuation of the Sehat Card scheme, the sources said. (ANI)
Working women are disproportionately affected, according to SIGAR, with women's employment expected to fall by 21 per cent by mid-2022, reported The Khaama Press.

Since the Taliban took power, unemployment has skyrocketed, and poverty across many parts of the country has put millions of people at risk.

According to the International Labour Organization, more than 500,000 Afghan workers lost their jobs in the third quarter of 2021, and the number of people who will lose their jobs since the Taliban took control is expected to reach 700,000 to 900,000 people by mid-2022, reported Khaama Press.

Due to four decades of conflict, severe drought, and pandemics, Afghanistan's economy was already collapsing.

After the Taliban seized power following the hasty withdrawal of US soldiers, the international community froze Afghanistan's assets and withheld help.

Moreover, women work, and especially female breadwinners, have struggled to make ends meet since the Taliban took control. Female employees in government offices are currently housed in the majority of cases, reported Khaama Press.

Women's rights have grown steadily throughout the international presence in Afghanistan, but the Taliban's return threatens this progress.

The recent Taliban's burqa imposition on Afghan women is a case in point. (ANI)
The development comes hours after President Arif Alvi strongly rejected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice to remove the Punjab province Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema from his office, reported Geo News.

In contrast to the President's rejection of the PM's advice, the cabinet division issued late Monday night a notification regarding the removal of Omar Cheema as governor of Punjab.

"In terms of Article 101 and proviso to Article 48 (1) of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with serial No. 2D of schedule V-B to the Rules of Business, 1973 and the Prime Minister's advice (s) rendered on 17-04-2022 and 01-05-2022 for removal of Governor of Punjab, Omer Sarfaraz Cheema ceases to hold the office of the Governor Punjab, with immediate effect," the notification said.

According to the notification, henceforth, the speaker of the Punjab assembly will perform his responsibilities as acting governor of Punjab till the appointment of the new governor, reported Geo News.

According to the sources, security has also been withdrawn from Omar Cheema following his removal from the governor's post.

The federal government has already nominated Baligh-ur-Rehman as the new governor of Punjab.

Rehman, who hails from Bhawalpur, was elected from the NA-185 constituency in 2008 and 2013. He had earlier served as the state minister for education, interior and narcotics control when Nawaz Sharif became prime minister after the PML-N's victory in the 2013 elections.

Incumbent Governor Cheema has been causing problems for the PML-N in Punjab ever since he was given the post by Imran Khan during his last days in power.

The governor had triggered a constitutional crisis after he refused to administer the oath to Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz.

Hamza was finally sworn in after the Lahore High Court ordered NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to administer the oath. (ANI)
Paris [France], May 10 (ANI/Sputnik): French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it is necessary to maintain a channel of dialogue with Russia on Ukraine, including at the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "It is necessary to maintain a channel of dialogue [with Russian President Vladimir Putin]. This is exactly what President [Emmanuel] Macron is trying to do... including because Zelenskyy asks him to do this. President Putin does not want to talk to Zelenskyy," Le Drian said on BFMTV channel when asked if France should maintain a dialogue with Putin. The French minister also expressed the opinion that the hostilities in Ukraine would be long and difficult, not ruling out that they could last for years. Macron and Putin last had a telephone conversation on May 3. According to French media, it lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection against intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine. Moscow has said it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. Western nations have imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus. (ANI/Sputnik)
Amid rising political heat, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is scurrying to take the Pakistani youth onboard his party and in order to fulfill this, he has launched a party membership application called "Raabta". Khan said that overseas Pakistanis can also use the Raabta application to become a member of the party. While terming the overseas Pakistanis an 'invaluable asset' the ex-PM accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government of curbing the rights of overseas Pakistanis, as per ARY News. He urged young people to become a member of the PTI using the application. The ex-PM said that users might face inconveniences while registering on the application but they should be patient. While accepting fault lines within his party, the ex-PM said that they made mistakes while distributing tickets in the 2018 elections, but those mistakes will be rectified in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, the political crossfire between the PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PM Sharif continues. Imran Khan, while launching the app lambasted the PM and said dynastic politics has taken over the country once again. "Shehbaz Sharif is the Prime Minister and his son Humza Shehbaz has become the Chief Minister of Punjab. Dynastic politics is similar to Kingship because power always remains in one family", he added, as per the media portal. Imran also boasted about his own party and said, unlike the ruling government, the Imran Khan-led party will not play dynasty politics. As per the ex-PM, his party will prosper even after the current leadership is gone as they will not be a dynastic party. (ANI)
Amidst rising food scarcity in several regions of Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced a "complete ban" on the export of sugar, to meet the soaring local demand and to keep sugar rates in control. Issuing a warning against hoarders Sharif said that strict action will be taken against those found indulging in the act of smuggling or hoarding sugar, reported the Dawn newspaper. Further, Pakistan officials, neglectful in their duties regarding the curb on sugar export will also be dealt with harshly. Further, Shehbaz Sharif has also urged relevant departments to keep him informed about the orders he has given regarding the ban on sugar export. Shehbaz Sharif's decision comes after the Pakistan consumers have complained about the rising sugar and wheat flour shortage at Utility Stores in the country, post the government's announcement to reduce the rates of several food items during Ramazan, reported Dawn newspaper. Reportedly, the Utility stores in Punjab have run out of sugar which resulted in the acute sugar scarcity in the country. Further, the consumers also mentioned that the store administrators were not selling oil and sugar unless they bought other commodities along with them. However, the staff of the Utility Stores Corporation denied the allegations of the consumers, reported Dawn newspaper. Meanwhile, flour from Punjab has stopped coming to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas in Pakistan. Dealers fear that they could run out of stocks soon. Also, Pakistan's Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces are suffering from acute food shortages, according to a report released by the Global Report on Food Crises recently. Pakistan is also estimated to be in the top 10 list of the world's countries facing water scarcity as well. (ANI)
Amid pending payments of Rs 300 billion, dozens of Chinese power producers in Pakistan said that they would be forced to shut down their power plants this month unless payments were made upfront. A plethora of complaints were brought up in a meeting on Monday presided by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal with more than 30 Chinese companies operating under the flagship multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). About 25 representatives from Chinese independent power producers (IPPs) spoke one after the other and complained about the buildup of their dues and warned that without upfront payments they would shut down within days, reported Dawn. The power producers said the authorities were pressuring them to maximize generation to meet peak summer needs, but "this is impossible for us in view of serious liquidity issues". One of the complaints put forth by the Chinese companies was the complex visa procedures for Chinese executives, and taxation among others. There were also counter complaints from the Pakistani side as well, on delayed responses to their communications. They also complained about the rising fuel prices, particularly that of coal. They pointed out that the prices had gone up by three to four times, which meant they should at least be given three to four times greater liquidity to make fuel arrangements. The power producers noted that payments for already used power have not been made. They said that they are also financially crippled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and complained the tax authorities had started taxing them at higher rates, as per the media outlet. They also slammed the ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan for not fulfilling the promises made by him during his visit to China. The contractual requirement of a revolving fund for automatic payment of IPPs' dues and subsequent promises by the previous government remain unfulfilled, they said. The meeting oversaw the presence of companies from various sectors including energy, communication, railways, and others. (ANI)
The Indian delegation led by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has reached Abidjan, Cote D Ivoire to attend the Conference of Parties, 15th meeting of the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD COP15) from 9th to 20th May 2022. The Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change said that despite the COVID pandemic, India as president of UNCCD COP14 made significant contributions in bringing the nations together towards the global goal of halting and reversing land degradation. Notably, India had hosted the fourteenth session of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification from 2nd to 13th September 2019, in New Delhi. Taking to Twitter, Union Minister wrote, "Landed in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire to attend UNCCD (United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification) COP15. Despite the pandemic, India as president of @UNCCD COP14 contributed significantly to bringing nations together for halting further land degradation." The Minister will address the high-level segment, including a Heads of States Summit. The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, from 9 to 20 May 2022, will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in the future sustainable management of land and will explore links between land and other key sustainability issues. These issues will be discussed during the high-level segment on 9-10 May 2022, including a Heads of States Summit, high-level roundtables, and interactive dialogue sessions, as well as numerous other special and side events. Drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment are among the top items on the Conference agenda. Through its decisions adopted by UNCCD's 197 Parties, COP15 is expected to galvanize sustainable solutions for land restoration and drought resilience, with a strong focus on future-proofing land use. At COP 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that "India would raise its ambition of the total area that would be restored from its land degradation status, from twenty-one million hectares to twenty-six million hectares between now and 2030". The Prime Minister had stated that the "focus will be on restoring land productivity and ecosystem services of 26 million hectares of most degraded and vulnerable land, with emphasis on the degraded agricultural, forest and other wastelands by adopting a landscape restoration approach." A High-level Dialogue of the United Nations General Assembly was held on 14th June 2021 on desertification, land degradation, and drought was addressed by PM Modi wherein he highlighted the success stories and initiatives taken by India to combat land degradation. In another significant development during India's presidency, G-20 leaders recognizing the importance of combating land degradation and creating new carbon sinks, put up an aspirational goal to collectively plant 1 trillion trees, urging other countries to join forces with G20 to reach this global goal by 2030. Also, for the first time, an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) on effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought under the United Nations Convention for Combatting Desertification (UNCCD) was established by decision 23/COP.14. A draft report has been prepared and will be discussed during the current session of COP15. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, "I extend my heartfelt greetings and good wishes to ROK President @sukyeol__yoon as he commences his term in office today. I look forward to meeting him soon and working together to further strengthen and enrich the India-ROK ties."

Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's new president and the leader of the nation's first conservative government in five years was sworn in as new president on Tuesday.

India-Republic of Korea (RoK) relations have made great strides in recent years and have become truly multidimensional, spurred by a significant convergence of interests, mutual goodwill, and high-level exchanges.

PM Narendra Modi paid a state visit to South Korea from February 21-22, 2019 at the invitation of then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in, during which both sides held wide-ranging discussions on defense, economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation.

Both the leaders unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the prestigious Yonsei University of Seoul. PM Modi also gifted a Bodhi sapling to Gimhae City and received the Seoul Peace Prize.

Six MOUs were signed on start-ups, joint issue of a postal stamp, combating trans-border and international crime, trade facilitation, roadways, and media.

PM Modi and President Moon met again on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan on 28 June 2019, and exchanged opinions on diverse fields including economic and defense industry cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges. (ANI)
"I instruct everybody not to use any public roads, railways, public parks, public recreation areas or other public territories or the seashore from 19:00 on May 9 to 07:00 on May 11," Sputnik quoted the presidential decree.

The developments come as nationwide protests against the government have intensified over the past few days resulting in an increase in incidents of clashes.

The clashes in Colombo, which took place on Monday, killed seven people and injured 231, with 218 of them hospitalized, Sputnik reported citing the Sri Lankan media outlet.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence in the city of Kurunegala in the north-western province was set on fire, hours after the leader tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the country goes through an intensified civil strife amid a crippling economic crisis.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, resulting in massive protests over the government's handling of the situation.

The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, like the government's move last year to ban chemical fertilizers in a bid to make Sri Lanka's agriculture "100 per cent organic".

Due to an acute shortage of foreign exchange, Sri Lanka recently defaulted on the entirety of its foreign debt amounting to about USD 51 billion. (ANI)
The incident occurred at the Tomas Frias Autonomous University when students were holding an assembly in the university arena regarding the upcoming student council election.

Pedro Lopez, the rector of the university, told reporters that several of the injured students were in intensive care unit. He did not rule out a higher death toll.

An investigation was already underway to confirm the preliminary information about the gas grenade detonation in the arena, Lopez added. (ANI/Xinhua)
Baloch was passing through the Qambrani area when armed men opened fire on him, Dawn newspaper reported citing sources in the BNP-M.

BNP-M district president Ghulam Nabi Marri said Baloch received multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot.

Soon after receiving information about the incident, police rushed to the area and shifted the body to the Civil Hospital, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

After the incident, BNP-M workers and supporters blocked Sariab Road by burning tyres and putting barricades.

BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Jan Mangal condemned the targeted killing of his party's leader.

"Our Central Labour Secretary Musa Jan Baloch's brother Saeed Ahmed has been shot in Quetta today," he said, according to Dawn newspaper.

It further reported that Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the inspector general of Balochistan. (ANI)
Ministry Defends Girls, Women Amid Surge in 'Honor Killings' in Iran

17-year-old murdered by husband who displayed her severed head; 'Our sisters deserve life to the fullest,' says SAT-7





HONOR KILLINGS: HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE? Middle East media ministry SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) is highlighting the value of women's lives after a 17-year-old Iranian girl was beheaded by her husband in a so-called "honor killing," one of hundreds in Iran every year.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

SAT-7

May 10, 2022



EASTON, Md., May 10, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- A Christian media network in the Middle East is highlighting the value of women's lives after a 17-year-old Iranian girl was beheaded by her husband in a so-called "honor killing," one of hundreds every year.



According to SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org), Mona Heydari, a child bride at age 13, was beheaded by her husband, Sajjad, after she fled her forced marriage. A gruesome video posted online shows Sajjad smiling as he carries her severed head in the street. The viral video sent shockwaves through Iran where women can be treated like third-class citizens.



The slaying is one of the latest in a string of honor killings in Iran. It's reported up to 450 such assassinations take place there every year, although the real number is likely much higher. According to "The Lancet" medical journal, more than 8,000 honor killings were reported in Iran between 2010-2014.



The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a women's rights group, spotlighted shocking examples of honor killings last year, amid a "catastrophic rise" in numbers:

A 27-year-old woman was kidnapped, raped, and strangled after turning down a suitor



A 22-year-old woman was soaked in gasoline and set alight by her father after she told him she wanted to remarry



A 14-year-old child bride was strangled by her husband, a cleric, after he heard rumors about her



A young woman was stabbed to death by her father for coming home late

'Blind Eye' to Honor Killings

Heavily influenced by sharia law, Iran's legal system largely turns a blind eye to honor killings that occur when male relatives accuse a woman or girl of bringing "dishonor" on the family. This includes disobeying their husband or father, rejecting a marriage proposal, asking for a divorce, or becoming a Christian.



SAT-7 highlighted the case of 20-year-old Christian convert Iman Sami, the daughter of a Muslim cleric in Iraq, who was allegedly murdered by her family in March after she posted a TikTok video of herself singing Christian songs.



The television network's Farsi-language faith-based and educational programs are watched across Iran, and its 24/7 online channels give viewers -- especially women -- a rare, uncensored public platform to speak out on social issues and taboo topics such as honor killings.



Woman's Life 'Worth Half of Man's'

"Under Iran's law, the life of a female human being is worth half that of a male," one viewer said. "While these injustices and inhumane laws exist, no one will have equal human rights, whether boy or girl, man or woman."



Article 1108 of Iran's civil law says if a woman withholds herself from her husband she does not deserve financial support. "She has to be sexually obedient to her husband and, in the absence of reasons compliant with sharia law, she cannot prevent (his) advances," said local SAT-7 presenter Sally Momtazi.



The network provides encouragement and a message of hope. "Our aim is to show women that their value comes from being created in the image of God," said SAT-7 USA president Rex Rogers, "that he loves them, that salvation through Christ is available to them, and that God has not forgotten the suffering people of Iran."



About SAT-7

Launched in 1996, SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) -- with its international headquarters in Cyprus -- is a multimedia ministry that broadcasts Christian and educational satellite television and online programs to people in the Middle East and North Africa. Its mission is to make the gospel available to everyone, and support the church in its life, work and witness for Jesus Christ. SAT-7 broadcasts 24/7 in Arabic, Farsi (Persian), Dari and Turkish, using multiple satellite channels, social media, and online services.



SOURCE SAT-7



CONTACT: Matti Stevenson, 719-360-0586, mstevenson@inchristcommunications.com


Amidst the ongoing economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka, the Chief Prelates, a group of high-ranking Buddhist monks on Monday condemned the violent attacks by the Sri Lanka police unleashed upon peaceful protesters. In a statement, the Mahanayake Theros of the three Buddhist chapters Amarapura, Siyam, and Ramanna Sects had expressed disapproval of the brutal attacks imposed by the Sri Lanka government, reported the Colombo Page. According to Chief Prelates, the Sri Lankan people were engaged in a peaceful protest to arrive at a solution regarding the deteriorating economic and socio-political crisis in the island country, which is an affront to democracy as well as to humanity. Further, the group of high-ranking Buddhist monks stated that the political leaders of Sri Lanka who indulged in the heinous act have lost their moral authority to serve as representatives of the people and also to represent the people's sovereignty, reported the Colombo Page. Reportedly, the statement further mentioned that the state is bound by the rules of the constitution which deems it compulsory to protect the lives and property of the Sri Lankan people and also to exercise their right to freedom of expression. The Chief Prelates demanded that the law should be strictly implemented against those individuals, who were responsible for the attack, reported the Colombo Page. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, resulting in massive protests over the government's handling of the situation. Earlier, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence in the city of Kurunegala in the north-western province was set on fire, hours after the leader tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. (ANI)
A total of 63 militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) outfit have laid down arms and surrendered to security authorities in eastern Afghanistan, said an official statement released Tuesday. Pardoning the surrendered insurgents for their activities in the past, a senior security official, Mohamad Bashir, said that the former militants will be severely punished if they violate the law or disrupt security in the area, as per Xinhua. More than 600 alleged militants affiliated with the hardliner IS group have surrendered to security authorities in the eastern Nangarhar province over the past six months, the statement said. Afghanistan is at the top of the list of countries affected by terrorism in 2021, local media reported citing the Global Terrorism Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). In 2021, Afghanistan was the least peaceful country in the world as it was most affected by terrorism. The country witnessed as many as 1,426 deaths from terrorism in 2021, which account for 20 per cent of the world's total death due to terrorism, according to the IEP report, which added that at least 2,199 people were injured in terror incidents in Afghanistan while 91 cases of hostages were registered. Over half of these victims were civilians, said the report, which included the 2021 attack that occurred in Kabul when Daesh detonated two suicide bombs near Kabul International Airport, killing 170 people and injuring over 200, reported the media outlet. Notably, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan reported the most terrorist attacks in 2021.Meanwhile, the Taliban's swift ascension to power in Afghanistan in mid-August has triggered economic disarray and a dire humanitarian crisis in the country. According to the United Nations, more than 24 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance. (ANI)
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has a tough task on hand when he meets US State Secretary Blinken in New York later this month as he will be negotiating post three years of misrule by Imran Khan where the ex-PM consciously navigated an anti-US course laced with toxic Islamist narrative. Irrespective of politicians, Islamist clerics, and even the military, which is known as the permanent establishment of the country, anti-Americanism is a part of the Pakistani psyche which is exploited regularly. Blinken has brought a smile to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with his telephone call on Friday, May 6. He incited Bhutto to the ministerial meeting on global food security in New York and this has heralded celebrations at the Pakistan Foreign Office. However, it has all been marginalized by Imran Khan's anti-US rhetoric pegged to a conspiracy theory. Imran Khan, the first-ever constitutionally deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan, pegged his own survival strategy to anti-Americanism laced with a toxic Islamist narrative. Anwar Iqbal, the long-time Washington correspondent of Dawn, the sedate English daily from Karachi, said that the 45-minute long Blinken-Bilawal conversation underlines the US desire to re-engage with Pakistan. However, both sides have their compulsions, Pakistan more than the United States since its economy is tottering at the brink and the Taliban in Afghanistan is refusing to kowtow to its diktats on terror containment. Both the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the GHQ [General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army] know that Pakistan cannot thrive by putting all its eggs in the China basket or pursuing a strident anti-US policy nor by resenting growing Indo-US relations and using it to fan anti-US sentiments in the country. A telephone call from US President Joe Biden could have offered an ego trip to Imran Khan however, the call never came. Even Blinken slammed the doors on Imran's garrulous foreign minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi since last September. A deep sense of hurt became pronounced in the Imran camp as Biden appeared to have moved closer to India; he had telephoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after he moved into the White House. Both had held more than a couple of meetings - some virtual sessions. Whether by design or by accident this humiliation has had no parallel in US-Pak relations. Imran's visit to Moscow for a tete-tete at the Kremlin when Putin's tanks and planes began a blitzkrieg of Ukraine heralded radio silence in the US-Pak relations. Given the backing of the Army, Imran Khan could have done wonders as Premier but he proved to be an all-around disaster. He did nothing to improve the declining economy and plunged the country into an energy crisis. To win popularity he harped on "ghairat" (self-respect) in the face of alleged US efforts to throw him out of power. His anti-American rhetoric made his patrons in Khaki shun him publicly. He hoped to cash in on the help of "iron brother" China and the newfound friend Russia to surmount all his woes; the hope remained a mirage. The reality showed that Pakistan cannot come out of the woods without courting the US and the Generals, the Sharifs and Bilawals sealed Imran's fate. The financial distress in Pakistan requires aid from a variety of sources, not just Saudi Arabia or China. The IMF and the World Bank are better placed to extricate Pakistan from its financial woes. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail's negotiations in Washington brought this home truth with an assurance of a USD 6 billion bailout package. It is not going to be a free lunch and the Shehbaz government will have to put in place an austerity regime. It is a small temporary price instead of becoming a failed state. For yet another reason Pakistan needs a friendly US. It is for a bailout from its troubles with the Paris-based UN agency, Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Pakistan has been trying to shake off the FATF 'grey list' since 2018 without success. Imran had built up a public narrative of 'Indian influence' for his FATF troubles. It did not offer any respite since the US has gone to the town holding Pakistan guilty of twin follies. One the inadequate measures to quell money laundering that aids terror organizations and the second not arresting UN-designated terrorists linked to terror attacks on India. Pakistan may not be able to wish away Imran Khan and he may try to exploit the Blinken opening for a new bonhomie to his own political advantage but today he is no more than a street-smart politician with a toxic narrative. The initiative has passed on to Shehbaz and Bilawal and their realpolitik. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Nepal's Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, on May 16 (Buddha Purnima) reinforcing Buddhism links with the Himalayan State and promoting India's soft power. Prime Minister Modi will be visiting the neighboring Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba. In October 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in eastern Uttar Pradesh to facilitate foreign tourists and Buddhist pilgrims to reach the important site of the Mahaparinirvana Temple, where Lord Buddha attained nirvana by leaving behind his earthly body. The Kushinagar airport is an important milestone in the Indian government's 2016 plan to develop a "Buddhist Circuit". This world-class infrastructure will attract overseas tourists to India, the birthplace of Buddhism and home to its holiest pilgrimage sites. The ambitious tourism circuit, however, can achieve regional objectives as well. According to a paper by World Economic Forum's (WEF) Geostrategy Platform, despite the fact that it is host to a relatively small population of Buddhists, India can claim legitimacy in its promotion of Buddhist diplomacy for a number of reasons. First, the Buddhist faith originated in India, therefore granting it singular historical legitimacy. Second, India has numerous sites of importance to the Buddhist faith, such as Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Nalanda. Third, India has nurtured an image of being a protector of the persecuted through the presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in Dharamshala. In addition, historical links to Theravada Buddhism mean that India is in a good position to further relations with other Buddhist countries and create conversations between multiple streams of this faith. Successfully leveraging these associations with other Buddhist countries could have an impact beyond the realm of cultural diplomacy, and aid in other areas of foreign policy as well. Deepening ties with Asian nations on the basis of Buddhism could potentially feed into the government's larger policy objectives, for example, the 'Neighbourhood First' policy, and the 'Act East' policy. Buddhism's potential utility in foreign policy is derived to a large extent from the manner in which the faith was revived following the Second World War. The revival had a decidedly internationalist outlook and focused on crossing extant sectarian and geographical boundaries. This was facilitated by the foundation of a number of organizations and the convening of numerous councils and conferences in the decades after the war that emphasized transnational cooperation between the various Buddhist sects, the paper stated. It is within this context that one can understand the efforts of the Indian government to incorporate Buddhist heritage to form a basis for further diplomatic, economic, cultural, and strategic associations within its foreign policy. At the most basic level, Prime Minister Modi has made Buddhism a regular feature of his diplomatic visits. In speeches made on official international visits, such as to Sri Lanka and China, among others, Modi has made a conscious effort to emphasize shared Buddhist heritage. Additionally, on trips to foreign countries, the prime minister reserves one day for visits to Buddhist temples wherever possible. PM Modi has often spoken on a number of occasions domestically, where he has hailed the importance of the Buddhist faith for the development of both India and the world, the WEF paper explained. The Buddha was a charismatic leader who founded a distinctive religious community based on his unique teachings. Some of the members of that community were, like the Buddha himself, wandering ascetics. During its first century of existence, Buddhism spread from its place of origin in Magadha and Kosala throughout much of northern India, including the areas of Mathura and Ujjayani in the west. According to Buddhist tradition, invitations to the Council of Vesali (Sanskrit: Vaishali), held just over a century after the Buddha's death, were sent to monks living throughout northern and central India. By the middle of the 3rd century BCE, Buddhism had gained the favour of a Mauryan king, Ashoka, who had established an empire that extended from the Himalayas in the north to almost as far as Sri Lanka in the south, as per reports. Beginning in the 3rd century BCE and possibly earlier, magnificent Buddhist monuments such as the great stupas at Bharhut and Sanchi were built. During the early centuries of the 1st millennium CE, similar monuments were established virtually throughout the subcontinent. Numerous monasteries emerged too, some in close association with the great monuments and pilgrimage sites. Considerable evidence, including inscriptional evidence, points to extensive support from local rulers, including the women of the various royal courts. (ANI)
Some 112 were captured, while 108 managed to escape, Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo reported. An operation to detect the runaways is underway, it added.

The riot broke out in the early hours of Monday over a clash between rival gangs. Some prisoners attempted to escape the facility, with 40 people having been detained near the prison's outside perimeter.

This prison riot is not the first in Ecuador this year. In early April, clashes in the prison of the Ecuadorian city of Turi in the province of Azuay led to the death of 20 people.

In November 2021, 68 people were killed and 25 others were injured during a riot in an Ecuadorian jail in the city of Guayaquil, the same facility where more than 100 died in riots in late September. (ANI/Sputnik)
Nearly 20 million people in Afghanistan - almost half the population - are facing acute hunger, humanitarians warned in an UN-backed report, published on Monday. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis for the country also revealed a pocket of "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity in the northeast, affecting thousands, UN News reported. The analysis was conducted in January and February by partners who include the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), sister agency the World Food Programme (WFP), and many non-governmental organizations. Although humanitarian assistance helped avert a food security catastrophe over the harsh winter in Afghanistan, hunger still persists at unprecedented levels, according to the report. Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in the country, described the food security situation as dire. "Humanitarian assistance remains desperately important, as do the needs to rebuild shattered agricultural livelihoods and re-connect farmers and rural communities to struggling rural and urban markets across the country. Unless these happen, there will be no way out of this crisis," he said. The IPC was developed in 2004 to determine the severity and magnitude of food insecurity and acute malnutrition situations in a country. The report predicts there will be a slight improvement in food security in Afghanistan from June through November, with the number of people facing acute food insecurity dropping to 18.9 million. This is partly due to the coming wheat harvest, which runs from May to August, as well as the scale-up in food assistance this year and increased support to agriculture. "Food assistance and emergency livelihood support are the lifeline for the people of Afghanistan. We mounted the world's largest humanitarian food operation in a matter of months, reaching more than 16 million people since August 2021," said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP's Country Director and Representative in Afghanistan. However, the report warned that any gains will be limited, as lingering drought and the economic crisis continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions across the country. The partners were particularly concerned that a small pocket of "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity - IPC 5, the highest phase on the scale - has been detected, marking a first since the scale was introduced in Afghanistan in 2011. The report said that although the upcoming harvest will bring some relief for millions, that relief will only be short-term for many. Fallout from the war in Ukraine continues to put pressure on Afghanistan's wheat supply, food commodities, agricultural inputs, and fuel prices. Furthermore, access to seeds, fertilizer and water for irrigation is limited, labour opportunities are scarce, and people have incurred enormous debts to buy food over the past few months. (ANI)
Brussels [Belgium], May 10 (ANI/Sputnik): The European Union has pledged to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion) for 2022 and to allocate an equal amount following year, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. On Monday, the sixth European Union's Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region kicked off in Brussels, with the purpose of harnessing international support for Syrians who keep facing dire humanitarian crisis both in Syria and abroad. The core pledging event is taking place on the conference's final day on Tuesday during the EU ministerial meeting. "I am pleased to announce that an additional 1 billion euro pledge for a calendar year of 2022 and this will make collated our contribution to more than 1.5 billion euros. For 2023, the EU will provide the same financial support -- 1.56 billion euros. This funding will be for the benefit of Syrians in Syria and for the benefit of refugees in their host communities in the region," Borrell said, addressing the ministerial meeting. According to the EU pre-conference brief, last year the bloc allocated $3.9 billion in humanitarian and resilience assistance to Syria. Furthermore, since 2011, when the Syrian war broke out, the EU, as the world's largest donor, has provided nearly $29 billion to the most vulnerable Syrians in the country and Syrian refugees throughout the region. For 11 years, the protracted Syrian crisis has placed an estimated 14.6 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 5.6 million refugees forced to flee Syria to neighboring states and 6.9 million internally displaced people, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Turkey bears the heaviest burden, currently hosting more than 3.7 million Syrians, followed by Lebanon and Jordan, which are sheltering over 800,000 and 650,000 Syrians, respectively. (ANI/Sputnik)
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has strongly condemned the raid on the house of Mohsin Baloch by Pakistani security agencies. Qazi Rehan, the spokesperson of BNM in a statement, called the raid on the party member's House as collective punishment and said that raids of the Pakistan Army on the houses of political activists should be stopped. Rehan said that raids on the homes of political activists, harassment of their families, obtaining information about political activists, and forcing the family to pressurize their sons to surrender and give up their struggle, would not weaken the ideological activists. He further said, "On Sunday the Pakistani army raided the house of party member Mohsin Baloch, in Hoshaap area of Kech district of Balochistan, harassed his father Hasan Baloch, intimidated and threatened the women and children of the house." "Security forces attempted to take Hasan Baloch with them but locals protested and thwarted their attempt. State forces also questioned Mohsin's father. The Army also threatened to come back if his son refused to surrender within five days," he added. The party spokesperson said that the state of Pakistan and its forces not only harassed the families of Baloch political activists but also set fire to their houses. Family members of political activists including women and children were forcibly disappeared and killed in custody. The BNM termed it a collective punishment and said it will keep raising its voice against this inhumane act on all platforms. (ANI)
Locals in occupied territory have raised concern over the indiscriminate felling of trees for timber as it is leading to environmental degradation and unusually warm temperatures in the illegally-occupied region.

Former administrator of Muzaffarabad District Council Khursheed Hussain Kiyani blamed the rampant destruction of natural resources that left the already fragile ecology on a brink, but the Pakistan government has continued to ignore their plight.

"The conservation of trees is important. The felling of trees is leading to hot temperatures. The tree felling should be stopped. It is the most important issue to preserve the forests," he said.

"Lot of promises were made that the government will create artificial lakes in the region, but no lakes were constructed," he added.

Kiyani also voiced concern that the government has failed to make provisions for accommodation and other facilities to attract tourists to the region.

Locals blame it on the poor power supply and bad roads, and the tourism sector in the region has failed to realize its true potential under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.

Pakistan has unrestrainedly misused the natural resources of the occupied region and has constructed several dams and diverted the natural flow of rivers.

It has even allowed the timber mafia to operate openly in the region and cut trees rampantly.

The local residents have even protested against the discriminatory policies of Islamabad for misusing the region's natural resources for its own gain. (ANI)
A protest has begun in front of the Trincomalee Naval Base after reports emerged that Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members are present there after leaving Temple Trees today morning, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

Colombo Gazette reported that helicopters were seen leaving the capital city today with VVIPs and some speculated that they were members of the Rajapaksa family.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday.

It was reported that seven people have died with over 200 others injured due to the violent situation in Colombo on Monday, and the police have been tasked to conduct an investigation into it.

On the same day, Mahinda Rajapaksa's residence in the city of Kurunegala in the north-western province was set on fire on Monday, hours after the leader tendered his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Today, Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena asked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to reconvene the Parliament and to find a solution to the political instability in the South Asian country.

Abeywardena said the Parliament must be convened immediately to appoint a new prime minister and a cabinet of ministers.

He said a meeting of political party leaders is to be held at the parliament complex on May 11.

The speaker last week suspended parliamentary sessions till May 17 as protesters gathered outside the parliament building calling on legislators to find a solution to the ongoing economic crisis. (ANI)
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on Tuesday announced the latest award under its USD 200 m programme to advance the development of vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-Cov-2 variants and other beta coronaviruses. CEPI will provide funding of up to USD19.3 million to support the development of a 'variant-proof' SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to an international multidisciplinary consortium comprising Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), India, the University of Sydney, Australia and ExcellGene SA, Switzerland. CEPI's funding will support the consortium as it seeks to establish preclinical and clinical proof of concept for an adjuvanted subunit vaccine designed to provide broad protection against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, as well as future variants of the virus which have not yet emerged. CEPI will fund the researchers to conduct activities including immunogen design, preclinical studies, manufacturing process development and a Phase 1 clinical trial. In this new vaccine design, modified trimeric spike immunogens will be produced in a robust and scalable process with high purity and yield at low cost, based on a biomanufacturing approach that has provided significant quantities of protein therapeutics to the world. This strategy could also be used to enable rapid development of broadly protective vaccines against other beta coronaviruses, as well as vaccines against Disease X--unknown pathogens with pandemic potential that emerge in the future. Enabling equitable access CEPI is committed to the principle of equitable access to the vaccines it funds. Under the terms of the funding agreement, the consortium partners have committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project, in line with CEPI's Equitable Access Policy. CEO of CEPI, Dr Richard Hatchett said, that as repeated waves of COVID-19 infection remind us, we will be living alongside the virus for many years to come. The threat of a new variant emerging that might evade the protection of our current vaccines is real. "Investing in R&D for variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is a global health security imperative. Our partnership with Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney and ExcellGene will advance the development of a vaccine candidate to protect against future variants of COVID-19, potentially contributing to the long-term control of the virus," he added. Chairman and Managing Director of BBIL Dr Krishna Ella said, "BBIL has successfully commercialized a universal COVID-19 vaccine for adults and children. While the current generation of vaccines is safe and effective against currently known variants, it is imperative that we focus on innovation for multi-epitope vaccines, where a single vaccine can protect against all future variants. Our expertise in product development and innovation, especially with novel adjuvants and platform technologies will add to the strong partnership with CEPI, ExcellGene, and the University of Sydney." In this regard, James Triccas, Professor at Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney, said that the institute is delighted to partner with CEPI to progress its platform for the development of broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines. He said, "Our mission is to deliver safe, affordable and highly effective vaccines to combat existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, and our international consortium is well placed to achieve this goal. The University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australia's world-class early phase clinical trial community." CEO of ExcellGene, Dr Maria J. Wurm, said, "Our technological platform for innovative protein designs was used in the past to identify and manufacture an antigen for an Ebola candidate vaccine, resulting in sterilizing immunity in preclinical challenge models. For the current COVID-19 project we are using similar approaches to generate numerous antigen preparations derived from spike protein variants of SARS-CoV-2, focussing eventually on the most promising antigen for vaccine purposes. Obtaining funding and scientific advice from CEPI to further our ongoing collaborations with the University of Sydney and Bharat Biotech is an exciting and most gratifying perspective and will, we hope, contribute towards the science for this and other novel protein-based vaccines." Strengthening our defences against coronaviruses The world has made great advances in vaccine development against COVID-19, but variants of concern will continue to pose a threat to this progress as long as the virus continues to circulate. Vaccines have dramatically altered the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in countries that have access to them, but emerging variants that are more transmissible, more deadly, and/or can evade the protection provided by current vaccines could create significant challenges. Developing novel vaccines that target multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and have the potential to generate immunity against all of them is therefore essential for the long-term control of the virus. As illustrated by COVID-19, coronaviruses have devastating pandemic potential. The emergence of a coronavirus combining the transmissibility of COVID-19 with the lethality of SARS or MERS would be catastrophic, so developing vaccines that provide broad protection against the whole betacoronavirus genus is vital to our global health security. CEPI is working closely with partners to advance work in this area as quickly as possible. The award announced today is the ninth programme to be funded by CEPI to advance the development of vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other beta coronaviruses. This work forms an important part of CEPI's next 5-year plan which aims to reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. (ANI)
Washington [US], May 10 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States has pledged to provide more than USD 800 million in new humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced in Brussels on Tuesday at an international donors conference for Syria. "Today, I'm proud to announce that the United States will provide over USD 800 million in new humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, the largest humanitarian assistance announcement the United States has ever made at the Brussels Conference," Thomas-Greenfield said. The US envoy urged other countries to demonstrate their commitment to the Syrian people, particular at a time of "dire need" due to global food shortages caused by the crisis in Ukraine. Thomas-Greenfield also called for the renewal of the UN mandate for the cross-border mechanism that allows aid to reach Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing in Turkey. The mandate is set to expire in July. "There is simply no way to meet the dire humanitarian needs on the ground in Syria without preserving and expanding cross-border access for humanitarian aid. Not only that, there is no way to replicate the efficiency, transparency, and accountability that the cross-border mechanism provides," she said. The United States in July will urge the UN Security Council to both renew the mandate and expand humanitarian access to meet the needs of the Syrian people, Thomas-Greenfield said. (ANI/Sputnik)
Amid the rising political tensions in Pakistan, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has said that they would launch a protest in a few days against the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. JUI-F Rawalpindi chapter's Hafiz Dr Ziaur Rehman said Imran Khan had lost his power and now started a campaign against national institutions, the Dawn newspaper reported. Ziaur Rehman said the JUI-F was working for democracy and protecting Islamic values and would not allow anyone to destroy the moral values of the country. This report comes as The News International report revealed that Khan had asked the Pakistan military establishment to contact his then coalition partners and ask them not to leave his government. Against Khan's expectations, the Pakistan army did not prevent his government's coalition partners from siding with the opposition's no-trust move. This unexpected outcome perturbed Imran Khan, who in the past had enjoyed the unprecedented support of the military establishment, the newspaper said. Imran Khan on Sunday warned Shehbaz Sharif's government that no power could stop them from entering the federal capital during the long march to be held on May 20. Addressing the Abbottabad public gathering, he warned the federal government that over two million people will reach Islamabad to get real independence and to protest against the "imported government," ARY News reported. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif slammed the PTI chairman for continuing with his foreign conspiracy tirade and said that Imran Khan was "poisoning" the minds of Pakistanis with his speeches targeting state institutions. "The nation has been divided as Khan repeatedly called [the then-Opposition and now government] thieves and dacoits," Shehbaz said during the first regular session of the National Assembly since the new government's formation. Shehbaz termed Khan's Abbottabad speech "dangerous" and accused Khan of spewing venom against the country's institutions, Geo News reported If Khan was not stopped from criticizing the institutions, Pakistan would soon become like Syria and Lebanon, where an anarchic situation has unfolded, he added. (ANI)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched an all-out attack on the current government and warned that all plans against arresting him would backfire. Speaking to his party workers at a rally, Imran Khan said criminals were sitting in the Pakistan Parliament and said his party only wanted early elections - which had been the PTI's demand, the Daily Times reported. Alleging that Shahbaz Sharif plans to arrest him, Imran said he would give a call for the Islamabad march after May 20 and asked the workers to protest in their respective cities once the march begins. The PTI chairman said it was incumbent on his party workers to reach out to the people, engage them, and ask them to participate in the anti-government protest. Addressing the Abbottabad public gathering, Imran Khan on Sunday warned Shehbaz Sharif's government that no power could stop them from entering the federal capital during the long march to be held on May 20. He warned the federal government led by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) that over 2 million people will reach Islamabad to get real independence and to protest against the "imported government", ARY News reported. Imran Khan said two million people will come to the federal capital irrespective of how many containers are put up to create hindrances. The former Pakistan Prime Minister told his supporters that the incumbent government "fears" their passion and added that 11 parties had gathered to remove him from power. (ANI)
Pakistan's Punjab province former governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema has refused to step down from the position through a notification by the cabinet division despite being denotified as Punjab governor on Tuesday. Cheema said the summary for his removal sent by the premier to the president was rejected due to "exceptional circumstances" but the Cabinet Division still issued the notification for his removal, the Express Tribune reported. He termed the notification unconstitutional and said that he would consult constitutional experts and announce his strategy. According to the reports, the federal government had sent a summary for the removal of governor Cheema to the president on April 17. As per the Constitution, the summary would take effect automatically without any decision from the president after the stipulated time period. However, after the completion of the constitutional period of the summary, the Cabinet Division issued the notification, the reports added. Cheema had replaced Chaudhry Sarwar days before the ouster of Imran Khan from the office of the prime minister, is clinging to the post and efforts to remove him, especially after he refused to administer the oath to Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, were scuttled by the president. PTI Chairman Imran Khan took an exception to the removal of his confidante and urged the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the "brazen violation" of the Constitution by the federal government, Express Tribune reported. The report further stated that Imran accused the government of fomenting a "constitutional crisis" in Punjab through its action. He added that a "puppet" chief minister was imposed on the province through a "ghost election" and now the governor was being removed in violation of all the constitutional norms. The governor had triggered a constitutional crisis earlier as well after he refused to administer the oath to Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shahbaz. (ANI)
The Pakistan army has taken "strong exception" to the mud being thrown at them relentlessly.

Hashtags against the Pakistan army generated over 69,000 tweets and a similar one over 410,000 tweets and in total there were 17 million tweets against Imran's critics, the Islam Khabar reported citing Twitter statistics.

By May 6, the number of such tweets, such as "Imported Hukumat na Manzoor", trended in 20 countries numbered 126,607,905.

Pakistan military on Sunday warned politicians and journalists against dragging the armed forces in ongoing political discourse in the country.

In a rare statement, the media wing of the Pakistan military said "unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements" were extremely damaging.

"Recently there has been intensified and deliberate attempts to drag Pakistan Armed Forces and their leadership in ongoing political discourse in the country," said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

"These attempts are manifest through direct, insinuated or nuanced references to Armed Forces as well as their senior leadership, made by some political leaders, a few journalists and analysts on public forums and various communication platforms including social media," the ISPR added.

According to the Pakistan military, this practice of unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements/remarks is extremely damaging.

A day after the Pakistan army's statement, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Monday warned TV channels against airing content against the country's armed forces and judiciary.

The media watchdog said that legal action under the relevant laws would be pursued in case of any violation by the private electronic media, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

"It has been observed that a few satellite TV channels are airing content which tantamount to casting aspersions against state institutions i.e. armed forces and judiciary," the regulatory authority said in its directives posted on its Twitter handle.

"Airing such content violated PEMRA rules, provisions of the PEMRA Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015 and the principles laid down by the superior courts," it added. (ANI)
Sri Lanka tri forces have been ordered to shoot all those who plunder public property or cause personal harm, local media reported on Tuesday as large-scale protests continue to take place across the island nation. The comes nationwide protests against the government have intensified over the past few days resulting in an increase in incidents of clashes with the security forces deployed at protest sites. "The Ministry of Defence has ordered the tri-forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others," Army Spokesman told Daily Mirror. Protests have been identified in the country have people have resorted to burning houses of ministers and MP. Anti-government protesters also set on fire the official residences of Sri Lanka's Moratuwa Mayor Saman Lal Fernando and the MPs Sanath Nishantha, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahipala Herath, Thissa Kuttiarachchi and Nimal Lanza. A large number of protesters were out on the streets and attacked the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MPs. Even some Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) offices were set ablaze, Daily Mirror reported. Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members have been shifted to Trincomalee Naval Base, a day after he resigned following violent protests that led to a nationwide curfew. Helicopters were seen leaving the capital city today with VVIPs and some speculated that they were members of the Rajapaksa family, Colombo Gazette reported. Earlier today, a group of protestors attacked s senior police officer in the Western Province on Tuesday in Colombo. Police said that the Senior DIG come under attack near Beira Lake in Colombo. They said the group had also caused damage to the DIG's vehicle. The US on Monday said that it is closely monitoring the volatile situation in Sri Lanka after the protestors burned the houses of Ministers. "Closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. We are deeply concerned by the violence against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders, and are urging all Sri Lankans to focus on finding and enabling long-term solutions to the country's economic and political challenges," tweeted US State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA). (ANI)
As the nationwide protests refuse to die down, Sri Lankan authorities have extended the curfew until 7 am on Thursday. A number of violent incidents have been reported after pro-government groups clashed with anti-government protesters on Monday, leaving eight people dead and over 200 injured. A nationwide curfew was imposed from Monday until Wednesday, which was extended by one more day. Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry on Tuesday ordered the country's armed forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others following a day of violent clashes. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also urged people to remain calm, and refrain from violence and acts of revenge against others, adding that all efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus. "I appeal and urge people to remain calm & stop violence & acts of revenge against citizens, irrespective of political affiliations. All efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus, within constitutional mandate & to resolve economic crisis," Rajapaksa said in a tweet. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday called on the authorities in Sri Lanka to prevent further violence, and urged restraint and meaningful dialogue to address the grievances of the population amid the severe economic crisis in the country. "I am deeply troubled by the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka after supporters of the Prime Minister attacked peaceful protestors in Colombo yesterday 9 May and the subsequent mob violence against members of the ruling party," Bachelet said. "I condemn all violence and call on the authorities to independently, thoroughly and transparently investigate all attacks that have occurred. It is crucial to ensure that those found responsible, including those inciting or organising violence, are held to account." The High Commissioner also called on the authorities to prevent further violence and to protect the right to peaceful assembly. (ANI)
"High Commission has recently noticed rumours circulating in sections of media & social media that certain political persons and their families have fled to India. These are fake and blatantly false reports, devoid of any truth or substance. The High Commission strongly denies them," Indian High Commission said in a tweet.

In view of the current situation in Sri Lanka, India earlier today said it is fully supportive of the democracy, stability, and economic recovery of the island nation.

"As a close neighbor of Sri Lanka, with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its democracy, stability, and economic recovery," said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in response to media queries on developments in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka on Tuesday ordered the country's armed forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others following a day of violent clashes.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also urged people to remain calm, and refrain from violence and acts of revenge against others.

A number of violent incidents have been reported in the country after pro-government groups clashed with anti-government protesters on Monday, leaving eight people dead and over 200 injured.

A nationwide curfew was imposed from Monday until Wednesday and the military was deployed to maintain law and order.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's PM on Monday as violent protests broke out. (ANI)
Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, has been living in London on the pretext of ill health since 2019. The former Pakistan PM sought extensions to prolong his stay in London on medical grounds.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed the media reports that PML-N members were going to visit Nawaz in London.

"PML-N members are going on a private visit to London to meet with Nawaz Sharif," she said, adding that PM Shehbaz would also be traveling for this purpose.

Marriyum Aurangzeb also emphasized that a PML-N delegation was going to meet with Nawaz for consultations, which was an ongoing process.

Geo News reported Tuesday that a "big decision" is on the cards as Shehbaz Sharif will be meeting his elder brother and PML-N supremo in London.

Last month, Nawaz had also conducted meetings with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was later appointed Pakistan's federal minister.

The two allies had agreed to work closely to "repair the rot across the board," read a joint statement. (ANI)
Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Furkat Sidikov on Tuesday said that his country can be a gateway for Indian businessmen to get access to the Eurasian market. The Uzbek minister also expressed his country's interest in accessing the Chabahar port, being developed by India in Iran for improving logistics. "You know that now traditional supply chains are not working well. So in this case, I see that Uzbekistan can be a getaway for Indian businessmen to get access to Eurasian markets. India is one of the biggest investors in Uzbekistan," Sidikov said. He further added there is one issue of logistics and now they will work with the government of India and would like to use Chabahar. Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister said that India is a tested and reliable partner for Uzbekistan. "We always had a strong political relationship, we share the same border and the same approach to international issues, regional issues and security issues," Sidikov said. Talking about the growth in India-Uzbekistan relations, Sidikov said, "I would love to say India- Uzbekistan always enjoy a trusted relationship. We share the same values and traditions. India and Uzbekistan share 30 years of diplomatic relationship. In real life, we have a long term history." Touching upon the historical ties between the two countries, Sidikov mentioned Babur, who hailed from present-day Uzbekistan, as well as the Mughal era. "Richest part of Indian culture is the Mughal culture which belongs to Uzbek culture. Babur was born in Adijan and I'm excited to see the Taj Mahal tomorrow and other places which are again part of the history of my nation," he added. The Uzbek minister also pitched for a 'new Uzbekistan' saying that his country has the potential to emerge as an investment destination and that Uzbekistan would like to enhance its role with India and have a new format of business cooperation. (ANI)
Several Pakistani immigrants on wrong permits were found to be collecting donations from mosques in Indonesia, bringing a bad name to the Islamic practice of Zakat (donations), media reports said. The activities of illegal migrants from Pakistan are proving to be challenging for Indonesia. Zakat which is considered to be one of the pillars of Islam and a noble practice is a form of obligatory charity that has the potential to ease the suffering of millions. Indonesia, being the most populous Muslim-majority country, is a shining enabler of these virtues including Zakat but the existence of illegal networks from Pakistan is now making the country suffer. According to local officials, they were found visiting various mosques for collecting unauthorized donations. The authorities plan to deport the individuals to Pakistan soon, reports said. It was further learnt that the individuals were arrested (April 21) after receiving information from the public that two foreigners were asking local mosques for donations. Both the miscreants were handed over to the police for transfer to the immigration authorities. As per local media reports, this was the third instance of Pakistanis found to be involved in illegal fund collection in Indonesia, within two months. Earlier, four Pakistanis had already been deported on the same charge. However, Indonesians are not the only ones to have suffered due to such networks operated by Pakistanis, The Singapore Post reported. India, which is another major Asian country with a sizeable Muslim population, also became a victim of illegal aid networks. (ANI)
She made this announcement during her visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.

Baerbock said the embassy will begin operating and the German ambassador to Kyiv will again be the German representative in Kyiv.

"He believed that our European values of freedom and humanity, make us decadent and weak. Ukrainians have proved that in reality, it is the other way around. Your will for freedom makes you strong," Baerbock said in her remarks.

"And the knowledge that you are fighting for your humanity against an army that knows only cynicism and terror. That is why your struggle marks a turning point in the world dispute between liberal democracy and autocratic regimes," she was quoted as saying by CNN.

Baerbock also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

"My message is clear: the #Ukraine can count on our support - not just militarily, not just today," the German foreign minister said in a tweet after meeting Zelensky.

"We will also be there when this war is over, when Vladimir Putin will have missed his target, when #Ukraine ) shapes its future in #Freiheit. Thank you @ZelenskyyUa for the warm welcome in Kiev," she said in another tweet. (ANI)
Indian-Americans plan to issue a forceful denouncement of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to shield themselves from the fallout of the Indian government's continued refusal to condemn the war, which has drawn widespread scrutiny and criticism from within and out of US policy circles. A bipartisan group of well-connected Indian-American political operatives are expecting to hold a seminar on Capital Hill on theme of "Indian Americans Against Genocide in Ukraine", one of the organisers said. June 22 is the tentative date being considered and the event is likely to be headlined by a leading yoga guru and attended by many US lawmakers. Indian-American speakers could include the four serving members of the US House of Representatives Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, all of whom have been extremely critical of the Russian invasion and both publicly and privately critical of India's refusal to condemn it. Politically-active Indian-Americans have been a key driver of the India-US relationship. They helped soften American backlash against India after the 1998 Pokhran II nuclear tests and, most significantly, rallied US lawmakers to pass a legislation that ended India's nuclear isolation in 2008. They have stood with the Indian government of the day in a notable display of bipartisan solidarity with their country of origin. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been popular with both Republican and Democratic Indian Americans. For the community to break so publicly with his government's position on Ukraine should cause concern at 7 Race Course Road. Like most Americans, Indian-Americans have been horrified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and have been appalled by images of death and destruction coming out of the battle-ravaged country. They have also watched with growing disquiet the Modi government's refusal to condemn the invasion and bristle at having to "either defend it or face scorn for it". One Indian-American said he was asked by a Pennsylvania party official recently, "Why is India supporting the Russians?" India is not supporting the Russian invasion. While it has refused to condemn it outrightly, it has made clear its opposition to it. New Delhi has called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations must be respected. But all of that has been obscured by India abstaining in critical UN votes on the war. "What the Russian Army has been doing in Ukraine is downright genocide," said Shekhar Tiwari, a Republican operative who is also chairman of the American Hindu Coalition. He has been a close associate of several top BJP leaders. "Being a Hindu and a son of a Gandhian, it is hard for me to stomach," he added. These Indian-Americans are careful not to criticize the Indian government and insist they only want to express their horror over situation in Ukraine, which they described as a "genocide", as has US President Joe Biden. They have been concerned about the blowback they are getting for India's position on the war and believe a public denouncement of Russia will, one, make clear the community feels as revolted as the rest of the country. And, two, that the community is "not in the pocket of the embassy", as one these Indian-Americans put it. Breaking with the Indian government over the Ukraine war will serve the twin purposes of signalling their own independence from the government of India and, two, convey their own feelings on the issue. Some Indian-Americans have also argued, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, India needs to denounce Moscow and finally pick a side that will be strategically more meaningful. Ramesh Kapur, a Democratic strategist who worked closely with the presidential campaign of Biden, says India's refusal to condemn the Russian invasion could be problematic should it need US assistance in a conflict with China. "If India gets into a situation with China, it can expect support from the US, but if the US thinks it cannot count on India they will have a problem," he said, taking a tactical view of India's position, as has been put forth by many US lawmakers. Congressman Khanna told Fox News in March that he thinks India "ought to be condemning Putin" and "they need to realize, they have to pick sides". He had added: "We, the United States, were with them when China invaded India. Putin wasn't there. And it's time for them to buy weapons from the United States, not Russia. We've got to look at how we can facilitate that and make that easier. We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China." --IANS yashwant/vd ( 780 Words) 2022-05-10-21:04:15 (IANS)
With escalating violence in Sri Lanka, including torching of houses belonging to ruling party politicians and family members of President Gotabaya Rajapksa, armed forces have been given orders to open fire at anyone causing personal harm, or damaging/looting the properties of others. Eight people, including a politician from the ruling party, a police officer and civilians, have been killed since violence nroke out on Monday, while as many as 219 injured persons are undergoing treatments at government hospitals. Secretary in the Defence Ministry, Kamal Gunaratne, said that 60 vehicles, including buses and jeeps, have been torched and over 40 vehicles have been damaged since Monday. "While peaceful protest is being conducted, there are sections of the society who have resorted to violence and looting. We are going to strictly impose the law against anyone violating it," the Defence Secretary said. Amid the spread of violence, President Rajapaksa has extended the curfew from Wednesday to Thursday. Gunaratne said that acts of violence are continuing throughout the country, ignoring the state of Emergency and curfew imposed by the President. Going through its worst economic crisis, Sri Lanka on Monday was engulfed with violence after supporters of resigned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked the peaceful protesters, who are on the streets for more than a month now, raising their voice against the severe economic crisis the country is going through. The protesters have demanded resignation of the President and his Cabinet. Condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters, trade unions have declared immediate strike while the public started attacking ruling party politicians and damaging their properties. The angry mob attacked the houses of ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and elder brother Chamal Rajapaksa on Tuesday, while properties of many ministers, MPs and local politicians of the ruling party were torched. The mob also destroyed a museum built in the memory of the President's parents. Sri Lanka, which is reeling under severe economic crisis, is now going through a political catastrophe as well. Responding to the crisis, including the violent attacks, India said on Tuesday, "As a close neighbour of Sri Lanka with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its (Sri Lanka's) democracy, stability and economic recovery." In response to media queries on developments in Sri Lanka, the official spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi, "India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes." India also noted that it has assisted her southern neighbor with over $3.5 billion financial assistance for mitigating the shortages of essential items such as food, medicines etc. --IANS sfl/arm ( 454 Words) 2022-05-10-21:56:14 (IANS)
Amid reports of mudslinging the all-powerful institution - the Pakistani Army, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday claimed that his party and the country's armed forces were the two things "keeping Pakistan together. Addressing a rally at Jhelum, he lashed out at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz were speaking against the army, not him, reported Geo News. "But you, Shehbaz Sharif, are saying that I am speaking against the army?" Khan said in response to the premier's notice on the PTI chairman's recent Abbottabad speech. Khan said he referred to PM Shehbaz as Mir Jafar and not the army. "The British had awarded Mir Jafar for his betrayal, just like the Americans have rewarded you." The PTI chairman has held a series of jalsas in different cities, including Karachi, Mianwali, Lahore, and Peshawar, as he rallies his party workers and leaders against the government ahead of the Islamabad march. PTI chairman also flayed Prime Minister's visit to London, reported Geo News. He said that the federal cabinet -- comprised of "convicts" -- would visit London to meet a "coward" -- PML-N Nawaz Sharif. "Nawaz Sharif is a coward and a thief who flees abroad whenever he gets the chance," Khan said, as the prime minister, cabinet members, and PML-N leaders are set to leave for London, with sources saying that "a big decision" is on the cards. As Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb termed it a "private" visit, Khan said that during his 3.5 years in office, he did not leave the country for a "single private visit". "Nawaz Sharif went abroad for 24 private visits and Asif Zardari 50," the PTI chairman said, asking the government to place his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) as he has no plans of leaving Pakistan. The PTI chairman reiterated US Under Secretary Donald Lu told Pakistan's ambassador that if Khan were to be removed from the prime minister's office, then "everything will be forgiven", reported Geo News. "He said that if (I) am not removed, then Pakistan will face grave consequences," the PTI chairman told his party workers, adding that following this, a "conspiracy" was launched to remove him from office. The PTI chairman said when "cherry blossom" was placed as the prime minister, the nation "rose" against that government. Taking a jibe at JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Khan said that he was of the view that his party would take up a ministry related to education, reported Geo News. "But (his party) took up the ministry of communications which develops streets and highways -- and through it, they will make (illicit) money," Khan said, as he referred to Maulana Asad Mehmood, who is Fazl's son and the minister of communications. Khan further stated that around 2.5 million people will march to Islamabad, as the nation had "arose" against the "imported government". (ANI)
Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva on Tuesday refuted allegations that the armed forces are poised to shoot at the general public to provoke them. The allegations were levelled by Duminda Nagamuwa of the Frontline Socialist Party, reported Daily Mirror Online. Gen Shavendra Silva, while rejecting the statement, assured that the members of the armed forces would not resort to any such disgraceful acts under any circumstances. It was reported in the media that Silva owes his position to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and he might use the army against the people. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka tri forces have been ordered to shoot all those who plunder public property or cause personal harm, local media reported on Tuesday as large-scale protests continue to take place across the island nation. This comes after nationwide protests against the government have intensified over the past few days resulting in an increase in incidents of clashes with the security forces deployed at protest sites. "The Ministry of Defence has ordered the tri-forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others," Army Spokesman told Daily Mirror. Protesters, who have resorted to burning houses of Minsters and MP, have been identified. Anti-government protesters also set on fire the official residences of Sri Lanka's Moratuwa Mayor Saman Lal Fernando and the MPs Sanath Nishantha, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahipala Herath, Thissa Kuttiarachchi and Nimal Lanza. A large number of protesters were out on the streets and attacked the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MPs. Even some Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) offices were set ablaze, Daily Mirror reported. Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members have been shifted to Trincomalee Naval Base, a day after he resigned following violent protests that led to a nationwide curfew. Helicopters were seen leaving the capital city today with VVIPs and some speculated that they were members of the Rajapaksa family, Colombo Gazette reported. (ANI)
Ukrainian forces have found the bodies of 44 civilians trapped under a building in Kharkiv that Russias military destroyed in March, a Ukrainian official announced.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov announced the discovery on social media Tuesday, calling the discovery further proof that Russia intentionally targeted civilians.

"This is another horrible war crime of the Russian occupiers against the civilian population!" Synehubov said.

UKRAINE LAUNCHED 'SUCCESSFUL' COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN KHARKIV, COULD PUSH TO RUSSIA'S BORDER: US THINK TANK

The exact location of the destroyed five-story building was not provided, only that it was in the Izyum region, he said.

TOPSHOT - This photograph shows a view of a school destroyed as a result of fight not far from the centre of Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, located some 50 km from Ukrainian-Russian border, on February 28, 2022. - (Photo by Sergey BOBOK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images) Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images

The discovery was announced in the days following Ukraines "successful" counteroffensive mission in Kharkiv, which is attempting to push back Russian forces to its countrys border.

PUTIN BELIEVES 'DOUBLING DOWN' KEY TO WINNING IN UKRAINE, THINKS HE CAN'T 'AFFORD TO LOSE,' CIA CHIEF WARNS

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington D.C.-based group, said Saturday that Russian forces were being pushed back in Kharkiv and that they were intentionally destroying bridges on their way out of the region.

The destroyed bridges point to a "successful Ukrainian attack" as it indicates Russias intention not to return to the area, the ISW report said.

ZELENSKYY SAYS WAR WILL END 'VERY SOON' DURING WORLD WAR II SPEECH, UKRAINE WILL CELEBRATE 'TWO VICTORY DAYS'

"Armies generally only destroy bridges if they have largely decided they will not attempt to cross the river in the other direction anytime soon; Russian forces are therefore unlikely to launch operations to retake the northeast outskirts of Kharkiv liberated by Ukrainian forces in the near future," the report said.

Russias weakened military state and exhausted supplies could also point to an inability to defend the area, the think tank predicted.

"Given the current rate of Ukrainian advances, Russian forces may be unable to prevent Ukrainian forces from reaching the Russian border, even with additional reinforcements," the ISW report said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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
The abortion rights demonstrations that started on the steps of the Supreme Court and the U.S. Capitol last week to protest an expected high court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade now have shifted to the front lawns of the justices themselves.

The group ShutDownDC has organized protests outside the homes of three conservative Supreme Court justices with more expected to follow. Over the weekend, about 100 protesters demonstrated outside the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, according to the groups Twitter account.

And the group was behind the Monday protest outside the home of Associate Justice Samuel Alito, saying on its website that it has been impossible to reach him at the Supreme Court and citing new fencing erected at the court after the leaked opinion sparked demonstrations there. Alito's name appears on the leaked draft of the opinion that would do away with Roe after 49 years.

Taking protests to the justices' homes has been criticized by conservatives and the media but also raised concerns about the security of the nine justices who serve on the nation's high court amid an atmosphere of rising threats against judges nationwide.

Economic fallout: What the end of Roe v. Wade could mean in a nation without child care aid or family leave

Nikki Tran of Washington, holds up a sign with pictures of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch, as demonstrators protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in Washington. Protesters have been demonstrating on some justices' front lawns in recent days.

Senate passes extra security for SCOTUS family members

As protesters marched to Alito's home Monday night, U.S. senators passed a bill that would expand security protection to the family members of Supreme Court justices. The bill now moves to the House.

Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the Supreme Court Police Parity Act a week after the draft opinion leaked suggesting the high court has the votes to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"The events of the past week have intensified the focus on Supreme Court Justices' families, who are unfortunately facing threats to their safety in today's increasingly polarized political climate," Cornyn said in a statement.

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Coons added that if families of justices have the same exposure, they deserve the same level of protection.

"We must take threats that come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum against Supreme Court Justices seriously, and that makes this bill an unfortunate necessity," Coons said in a statement.

The bill comes days after U.S. Capitol Police said they were bracing for potential security risks.

Concrete barriers have been set up to block the street in front of the court, and a nonscalable fence was placed around the Supreme Court building.

How the justices were being protected was not immediately clear.

A court spokesperson did not respond to questions about security measures taken in response to the leaked draft and said that, as a matter of policy, the court does not discuss security arrangements.

'Urgent as it gets': See what's in the Senate bill protecting abortion rights

Protesters march to Alito's home

A U.S. Supreme Court Police officer stands outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

Police were guarding Alito's lawn when protesters arrived Monday night.

The demonstration outside Alitos home was billed as a candlelit vigil. ShutDownDC planned to meet at a nearby location, march to his home, light candles and listen to speakers before marching back, according to its website.

Some in the crowd yelled, "Shame! Shame!"

Alito also attracted counterprotesters who carried signs of support, such as "Alito rocks" and "Alito just brilliant" and simple thank-you's.

Demonstrators show their support for Justice Samuel Alito outside his home, background, on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Alexandria, Va.

While the protests have been largely peaceful, they have raised security concerns and questions of legality.

One organizer of protests outside Kavanaugh's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, was one of his own neighbors. She told The Washington Post she has organized several demonstrations outside Kavanaugh's home.

Protesters on Saturday stood in the rain to chant outside the homes of Kavanaugh and Roberts, according to local television coverage of the demonstrations.

They chanted no uterus, no opinion outside Kavanaughs house and the world is watching outside Roberts home, according to the CBS affiliate WUSA. Some held signs with slogans like Abortion saved my family and pregnancy begins with a penis.

The demonstrations drew condemnation from some Republicans in Congress and in conservative media.

When can we expect (Attorney General Merrick) Garlands memo condemning protests at Supreme Court Justices homes, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

Then Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 27, 2018.

Asked about protests at the homes of justices last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that protests should be peaceful and respect privacy but that she didnt have an official U.S. government position on where people should protest.

On Monday morning, she tweeted that President Joe Biden supports the right to protest without violence, threats or vandalism.

Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety, she said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the protests outside the justices' homes might be "flat-out illegal."

"Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of First Amendment speech or protest," he said on the Senate floor Monday. "It's an attempt to replace the rule of law with the rule of mobs."

Contributing: John Fritze.

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion protests move from Supreme Court to justices' homes
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NEW YORK  Actor James Cromwell glued his hand to the counter at a Midtown Manhattan Starbucks as part of a protest over the chain charging extra for vegan milk.

Sporting a Free the Animals T-shirt, Cromwell joined members of PETA inside the Broadway Starbucks near West 40th Street.

Plant-based milk shouldnt cost coffee drinkers extra, the protesters insist.

Theres no reason for it, Cromwell said. Except greed.

The 82-year-old actor and climate change activist, who was nominated for an Oscar for Babe in 1995 and currently stars in HBOs Succession, sat on the counter, right hand superglued to the counter as he held court on Facebook Live.

Save the planet! PETA protesters yelled as business seemingly carried on without much of a hitch. Save the cows.

Cromwell read aloud from a written statement criticizing Starbucks and calling the use of cows milk the biggest contributor to its carbon footprint.

Starbucks charges up to 70 cents extra for coffee served with any plant-based milk. in December, the coffee giant announced it was dropping that charge in the United Kingdom but not in the United States.


Reuters

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss an order by Afghanistan's Taliban for women to cover their faces in public, a return to a signature policy of the Islamist group's past hardline rule and an escalation of restrictions. U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, is due to brief the 15-member council, said Norway's U.N. mission, which requested the closed-door meeting "to address the increased restrictions on human rights and freedoms of girls and women." Under the Taliban's previous rule from 1996 to 2001, women had to cover up, could not work, and girls were banned from school.
Alaska Airlines hangs up on a customer after three hours on hold. Just after purchasing a ticket with Alaska Airlines, Carole Perri told Travel Noire she knew shed made a mistake on the departure date. Within hours of receiving the final itinerary, Perri tried to call the airline to fix it. The hold time was approximately two to four HOURS!

Perri believed it was after hours and the airlines customer service wasnt available. So, she called back the next day. She received the same automated message telling her the wait time would be two to four hours. Perri found a 3rd party app, called Get Human, that would wait on hold for her and then call her when Alaska Airlines picked up. She placed the order to get a call back at 2:41 p.m. and didnt get a call until 5:50 p.m., three hours later.

Carole Perri, screenshot

When Perri picked up the call, she was still on hold with Alaska Airlines. Determined to fix the issue and knowing no other way to solve it, she waited on hold.

Carole Perri, screenshot

During the wait, Perri also tried to text Alaska Airlines. After 20 minutes, a representative replied. The reservation change was going to cost extra money, even though shed originally called before the 24-hour change guarantee. According to the representative, There is no change fee, only the difference in fare would apply. Im sorry, but Im not able to take payment over text. The conversation was then ended. Perri continued to wait on hold on the phone.

The same song played over and over while the time ticked away. One hour. Two hours. Perri watched, Life Below Zero while she waited on the line. At least I knew Id be able to change my ticket since the person over the text gave me some options. I thought all I had to do was to wait on hold until I could get through to a live person.

Screenshot from Carole Perri

Unfortunately, right at the three- hour mark of being on hold, the line was picked up and immediately hung up. Perri said she couldnt believe it. Id waited on hold all that time just to have someone physically hang up on me? Im shocked. Perri was eventually able to change her ticket, but the difficulty of doing so has made her unsure of whether she will fly with the company in the future. As an Alaskan resident, I get free luggage. But, after this mess, I dont know if free luggage is worth flying with them again.
By Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jennifer Rigby

COPENHAGEN/LONDON (Reuters) - For many people worldwide, having cotton swabs thrust up their nose or down their throat to test for COVID-19 has become a routine and familiar annoyance.

But two years into the pandemic, health officials in some countries are questioning the merits of repeated, mass testing when it comes to containing infections, particularly considering the billions it costs.

Chief among them is Denmark, which championed one of the world's most prolific COVID testing regimes early on. Lawmakers are now demanding a close study of whether that policy was effective.

"We've tested so much more than other countries that we might have overdone it," said Jens Lundgren, professor of infectious diseases at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, and member of the government's COVID advisory group.

Japan avoided large-scale testing and yet weathered the pandemic relatively well, based on infection and death rates. Other countries, including Britain and Spain, have scaled back testing.

Yet repeated testing of entire cities remains a central part of the "zero-COVID" plan in China, where leaders have threatened action against critics.

"We need to learn, and no one did it perfectly," said Dale Fisher, chair of the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.

The WHO urged countries to "test, test, test" all suspected cases after the coronavirus was first identified. Global surveillance helped scientists understand the risk of severe illness or death, as well as the risk of transmission.

Now, with the dominance of the relatively milder Omicron variant and the availability of vaccines and more effective treatments, governments should consider more strategic policies, such as population sampling, experts said.

Pulling back too drastically, however, could leave the world blind to a still-changing virus, some officials said.

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SIGNIFICANT COSTS

WHO guidelines have never recommended mass screening of asymptomatic individuals - as is currently happening in China - because of the costs involved and the lack of data on its effectiveness.

Denmark ultimately recorded similar case numbers and death rates as other countries with less widespread testing. This has prompted a majority of parties in parliament to call for an investigation into the strategy.

In the last two years, Denmark's population of 5.8 million logged more than 127 million rapid and PCR tests, all provided free. In total, Denmark spent more than 16 billion crowns ($2.36 billion) on testing, according to the Danish Critical Supply Agency.

Neighbouring Norway, with a similar population size, only performed 11 million PCR tests, while Sweden, home to nearly twice as many people, completed around 18 million, according to Our World in Data.

Christine Stabell Benn, professor of global health at University of Southern Denmark, said Denmark's strategy was expensive and results "undocumented".

"The mass testing approach took away the focus from testing where it really matters: among the vulnerable."

Other experts  and the Danish government - said widespread testing reduced the transmission rate and helped people re-enter society, boosting the economy and their own mental health. The economy took a relatively milder hit than other European countries, according to a government report released in September.

"There is no doubt that the human and economic costs of, for example, an extensive lockdown, as we have seen in many other countries, would be greater," Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup told Reuters in an email.

EVIDENCE

One Danish study published last year concluded that the testing programme and subsequent isolation of confirmed cases helped reduce transmission by up to 25%.

Other disease experts question such estimates. A review published in Medical Virology in late March on the use of rapid tests for people without symptoms in mass screening initiatives found "uncertainty" over their impact.

"The claim was that (mass testing) would stop the pandemic in its tracks, and that it would cut transmission by 90%. And it hasn't," said Angela Raffle, a senior lecturer at Bristol University Medical School, who has worked with the UK's National Screening Committee.

There are several possible explanations why testing did not yield a bigger benefit, including an over-ambitious target and the fact that the tests were imperfect. Plus many people either did not or could not isolate after testing positive: a review in the British Medical Journal, pre-Omicron, found that only 42.5% of such cases stayed home for the entire isolation period.

In England, free COVID tests are now only available for government healthcare workers, those with certain health conditions and people entering hospital. Others, even with symptoms, have to pay for tests or are simply advised to stay at home until they feel better.

Some global health experts say such a pullback goes too far.

"In some settings, because politicians have decided to 'move on' and dismantle all public health, testing has been deliberately reduced or made harder to access," said Madhu Pai, a global health professor at McGill University in Canada.

"This will be disastrous, because we will be completely caught off guard if a more dangerous variant emerges."

(Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Jennifer Rigby; Additional reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Nick Macfie)
Andy Cohen expanded his family by welcoming daughter Lucy to the world a week and a half ago.

In his recent posts on social media, its clear the proud pop couldnt be more grateful to have the new arrival in his life.

He's also thankful to have someone else in his life  the woman who gave birth to Lucy.

During Monday nights episode of Watch What Happens Live, Cohen opened up about his appreciation for his surrogate, and he also shared the sweet story behind Lucy's name.

I didnt do this on my own, the 53-year-old explained in his first show back since Lucys birth on April 29. I have to once again thank my incredible surrogate. What a partner and friend she has been to me.

He added, I am so grateful for her and grateful that she could deliver and carry Lucy in New York state, where surrogacy is now legal with a law giving surrogates all the rights and protections that they so strongly deserve.

Cohen also noted that his surrogate attended a taping of Watch What Happens Live just two days before giving birth to Lucy, and he briefly thought, "We're going to have a real clubhouse baby, right here.

Alas Lucy had to wait until Monday's episode to make her TV debut, which she did in her father's arms.

(Check out the Instagram video above to see that sweet moment.)

Just before that on-screen introduction, Cohen explained to his audience how his daughter got her moniker.

As for her name, Louis is a big name in my family  two great grandfathers and my dad, all named Louis, said the man who happened to be born in St. Louis, Missouri. So thats where I got Lucy. Ive always loved the name Lucy, by the way.

Her middle name, Eve, also has family significance: Cohen's mother is named Evelyn.

The family names are a family tradition for Cohen.

When his now 3-year-old son Benjamin joined the family back in 2019, also via surrogate, Cohen explained, "He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen."
The iconic pop art piece "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" also shattered records for an American artist. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

One of Andy Warhol's famed portraits of Marilyn Monroe fetched a record $195 million at auction.

The iconic pop art piece, "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn," also shattered records for an American artist.

The piece was sold to an unknown buyer in just under four minutes of bidding, per NYT.

One of Andy Warhol's famed portraits of Marilyn Monroe fetched a record $195 million at Christie's in New York on Monday, making it the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever sold.

Painted in 1964, the iconic pop art piece "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" also shattered records for an American artist.

The piece was sold to an unknown buyer in just under four minutes of bidding, per The New York Times.

"This sale demonstrates the pervasive power of Andy Warhol as well as the lasting legacy that he continues to leave behind in the art world, popular culture, and society," Alex Rotter, Christie's Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art, said in a press release.

The painting is one of a series of colorful portraits that Warhol made of the Hollywood star after her death in 1962, based on a publicity still from her 1953 film "Niagara."

The previous record for a 20th-century artwork was set in 2015, when Pablo Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O)" sold for $179.4 million.

The Monroe portrait also smashed the previous record price for an American artwork  Jean-Michel Basquiat's $110.5 million untitled painting of a skull.

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to benefit charities providing medical and educational services to children, Christie's said.

Read the original article on Insider
Protesters dressed in the red garb of Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" disrupted a Catholic Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday amid calls from abortion groups to protest at Catholic churches.

Yannina Diaz, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, confirmed that the group entered the cathedral during the 10 a.m. Mass, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Demonstrations had been anticipated across the country," Diaz said. "The incident was handled accordingly by cathedral security ensuring limited disruption of Mass. We continue to join our prayers as an Archdiocese in solidarity with the US Catholic Bishops to pray for change in our laws to help all women in need in our communities."

According to video of the incident that circulated widely on social media, parishioners and security rush to intercept the red-clad protesters as they make their way through the full sanctuary yelling during the service.

ACTIVIST GROUP THREATENS TO BURN EUCHARIST IN DISPLAY OF DISGUST TOWARD CATHOLICS: BIGOTRY

"You are not attacking anybody," a man says in one video. "Youre attacking me, right now," a woman says in response.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on July 10, 2016, in Los Angeles, California, United States. Frederic Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images

Another man tells the women to get out. "Respect us," one man says. "You guys want respect? We want respect, too."

"I understand," the man says. "We are with you but please, let us worship."

Security eventually moved the protesters toward the exit while some of them continued to scream.

MOTHER'S DAY PROTESTS BY PRO-ABORTION ACTIVISTS REVEAL THEIR UTTER BROKENNESS, SAY FAITH LEADERS

The incident came as pro-choice group Ruth Sent Us, a reference to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, threatened to burn the Eucharist last weekend in response to a Twitter user who offered to pray for them after they called for protests at Catholic churches and justices' homes.

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on July 10, 2016l in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Frederic Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)
A Gaston County Sheriff's deputy escorts Marquis Julius Graham to Gaston County Jail during his 2020 trial. Graham was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old child, Kye Rashid.

A state appellate court has upheld the 2020 first-degree murder conviction of a Gaston County man accused of killing the 2-year-old son of his girlfriend.

Marquis Julius Graham, 29, received a mandatory life sentence without the chance of parole in the case after a jury found him guilty. The child, Kye Rashid, died Nov. 5, 2017 from injuries related to blunt force trauma to head and abdomen, according to an autopsy report.

The state Court of Appeals found Graham received a fair trial, free from prejudicial error, in upholding the conviction in its decision published last week.

Graham's attorney argued in appeal that his client had not received a fair trial based on judicial decisions related to jury instructions, allowing the prosecutor in the case to cross-examine Graham about communications he had with his attorney, and denying Grahams motion to compel prosecutors to disclose the theory upon which they sought to convict him of first-degree murder.

The appellate court found that while the court did err in allowing a prosecutor to cross-examine Graham about his communication with his defense, the error was not prejudicial and did not warrant a new trial. The appellate court found the other two issues without merit.

Graham lived with his girlfriend, Ayanha Barnett, and her two sons in a trailer park just south of Gastonia off U.S. 321 at the time of the child's death. The family had moved to Gaston County from Charlotte just a few months before the child's death, according to court testimony.

On the morning the child died, Graham allegedly woke up and traveled to a convenience store before returning home to smoke a cigar outside.

Graham went back to bed after smoking. The child's mother had an appointment in Charlotte that day and left Graham home alone with her two children, according to testimony at the trial.

After several hours, the deceased boy's sibling told Graham his brother would not wake up to play with him. Graham testified that he then entered the boys bedroom and found Kye lying on the bed pale in his face.

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Kye Rashid

Graham stated when he spoke to Kye the child did not respond, causing him to panic. He called the child's mother and asked her to come home so that they could take him to the doctor, according to testimony.

Kye remained unresponsive on the trip to the hospital, according to testimony.

Kye had suffered a broken right leg while living in Mecklenburg County five months before his death, after either falling off a bed or being injured by a sibling, according to an autopsy report. That incident put the family in contact with Charlotte social workers, Gaston County Police reported at the time.

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Court upholds Gaston man's murder conviction in case of child's death
Ariel Winter has said goodbye to Los Angeles for her sanity.

The actress appeared on Modern Family mom Julie Bowen's podcast Quitters to discuss how she recently sold her house, packed a U-Haul and moved out of Hollywood with her boyfriend, Luke Benward, and dogs. The 24-year-old's complicated relationship with fame is behind the move. She said having spent most of her life in the spotlight has caused her to grow tired of being tracked by paparazzi and having the photos used to fuel negative gossip stories about her.

"Part of the reason I always hated L.A. was because I have been followed by paparazzi for a very long portion of my life," said Winter, who landed the role of Alex Dunphy at age 11. "I really, really dislike having my space invaded. I don't like pictures of me [that] I haven't signed up for. I don't like feeling watched. I've always just wanted to live a very normal life, have a normal existence and I never really felt like I could do that. Everywhere I went, someone was taking my picture. I'm just not that person. Fame and all that is not something I'm interested in. I just want to live as normal a life as I can."

Winter traced the start of the negative paparazzi and tabloid attention to 2012, when her then-momager, Chrisoula Workman, initially lost custody of her over allegations she had been abusive. The personal saga played out for years with Winter's sister, Shanelle Gray, becoming her guardian before she became emancipated.

She called it "really traumatic" that 30 paparazzi followed her on a daily basis starting at age 14, shouting things and hoping to provoke a response for their photos. That trauma continued as she grew into a woman in the spotlight, having photos of her body scrutinized and shamed. She said paparazzi have continued to follow her today hoping to catch her "f*** up." She said everything is given a "negative" twist and is spun into "lies."

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"I don't feel comfortable walking my dog down the street" in L.A., the dog lover said. "If my dog gets off leash I can't be like, 'What the f*** get back here!' It's going to be [turned into]: 'Ariel Winter, rescue advocate, screaming and abusing dog' when really I'm just trying not to let my dog get hit in the street. Everything I'm doing is scrutinized."

Now that she officially moved to her new city, not identifying it to maintain her privacy, "It's kind of the principle for me to be [like]: 'Haha, you're not going to get sh** about me.' What I want to put out there is what is going to be put out there. I've never wanted everybody to know everything about my life. I'm not a particularly open person. I want to have privacy and I've never really had privacy to just live my life."

As for critics who will inevitably say that paparazzi and tabloid attention go along with being a star, "This sounds aggressive, but really f*** off," she said. "Until you've experienced it, you don't understand it ... Just because you signed up to create something doesn't mean you sign up to have your life invaded and taken away from you ... You should be able to choose what you share."

She added, "There are people OK with sharing everything in their lives  and I respect that. But it should be a choice. I want you to see my work and my characters. That's what a lot of people get in the industry for ... Everyone deserves privacy and to share what they want to share about themselves ... [People] think, Oh, you have money ... just take that and accept it. No. I did myself a service by leaving L.A."

Ariel Winter said that she and boyfriend Luke Benward were friends for years before they got together. She said therapy has helped their relationship and her ability to be more open and vulnerable with him. (Photo: Michael Tran/Getty Images)

Winter also talked about being in therapy for 10 years, which has helped her navigate not just her family trauma and relationship with Benward, an old friend she started a romantic relationship with in 2020, but unpacking what it was like coming of age on TV in the era of social media and, horrifically, being fat-shamed at age 13.

She said the "fat slut" comments people made about her led her to initially change things about herself. However, "once I got to 18, I realized every time I changed me there was still something new that [people] hated about me. I was just like: 'Alright, so they're never going to be happy. It is what it is.' As I got older, I kind of got out of giving a sh**."

But what's stuck with her was how "people feel comfortable" making those mean comments in the first place. She looks at her nieces now  who are the same age when she went through a lot of it  and said it's "devastating to me to see the trickle-down effect ... to see them experiencing the same fears and uncomfortability with themselves that I did. Even if it's on a smaller scale, it doesn't matter ... It makes my heart hurt."

Ariel Winter started on Modern Family in 2009 when she was 11 years old. At just 13, viewers began to body shame her. (Photo: Bob D'Amico/ABC via Getty Images)

Winter said she will return to L.A. when work calls. In fact, right after she moved, now two months ago, she was hired to replace Demi Lovato in the pilot Hungry. She'll probably even get an apartment there to stay in when she's in town to work.

As for life in her new city, Winter said, "It's just so different," in the best way. "It makes me so happy to know that life is just going to be the way I'd always hoped it would be."

At 24, she's "only now starting the journey of: What do I want? What do I need?" and in this "new chapter," she doesn't want to be "the person who's remembered for the outfit they wore," but for the good things she's doing."

Plus, "I don't want to get to 30 and still not feel healed and still not feel peace within myself."
Native News Online

On Monday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that 96% of the Oklahoma Legislature voted yes toHouse Bill 3501. If passed, HB3501 would require the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to recognize and act upon convictions in a Tribal court, of any federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma, in the same manner it acts upon any report of conviction from an Oklahoma state or other municipal court. The bill is specifically in regards to drivers licenses, whether or not to honor convictions in Tribal courts in the state, and if the state should apply them to drivers license suspension and revocation in the state of Oklahoma.
Reestablishing the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska could entail cutting Stryker vehicles from a brigade there and adding personnel to create an operational headquarters.

But the changes are expected to be cost-neutral in the immediate future and even the manpower added to the upgraded headquarters would come out of the cannibalized Stryker brigade, should that plan move forward, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday.

We will be looking at basically having that division headquarters have sort of the same types of capabilities that you see in the 173rd in Italy, for example, Wormuth said.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is a strategic response force for U.S. European Command, hinting at the kind of roles Alaska-based soldiers could eventually play in their own region.

Army officials said last week that theyre planning to reflag U.S. Army Alaska as the 11th Airborne Division, a storied unit that fought in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II before it was deactivated in 1965.

Bipartisan trio in Congress wants more action on Army Alaskas suicide problem

The change could breathe new life into two brigade combat teams currently based in Alaska, one of which is an airborne unit and the other a mechanized unit manning the eight-wheeled Stryker armored vehicles.

We are looking at potentially taking the Strykers out of Alaska, Wormuth said. We have not made a final decision about that, but if we do that, we will basically take them and look at the ones that we can reuse elsewhere or basically use for parts.

Because a Stryker brigade has more personnel assigned to it than a typical brigade, the extra billets could be added to the new operational headquarters, according to Wormuth. The headquarters is currently set up for administrative tasks.

There wont be cost immediately associated with that particular step, she added. We wont need to do new military construction, for example, to house people at this time. So, I dont think that these changes are going to have large price tags, but we will be continuing to put money in the budget for things like the CATV [Cold-Weather, All-Terrain Vehicles].

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Armys new Arctic strategy aims to build expeditionary capability

CATV prototypes underwent testing in Alaska late last year and are intended to replace the Small Unit Support Vehicle, which is 1960s-era technology that was purchased by the Army in the 1980s. New vehicles are part of a slew of changes being made to Army units in Alaska after the service rolled out its Arctic strategy in 2021.

Like many Arctic strategy documents produced by government agencies in recent years, the Armys plans warn of a region where climate change is expected to open new shipping lanes and offer access to energy and mineral resources.

The Small Unit Support Vehicle currently provides paratroopers from the Alaska-based 4th Infantry Brigade with the ability to move over deep snowy terrain, like that pictured here at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska. The Army is planning to replace the obsolete vehicle with a Cold Weather All Terrain Vehicle by 2023. (Maj. Jason Welch/Army)

China, which considers itself a near-Arctic nation, has interest in the region. But Russia is the country with the largest amount of land above the Arctic Circle and, like the United States, it is protective of that territory.

The Armys Arctic strategy suggested establishing a two-star general-led operational headquarters in Alaska to manage Arctic-focused combat brigades outfitted with tracked vehicles, tents, sleds and other equipment to help soldiers navigate deep snow and rugged terrain.

The strategy also discussed plans to put a multidomain task force in Alaska that combines intelligence, cyber, space and electronic warfare to deny access to enemy forces  potentially valuable in a region where remote sea lanes and flight routes are needed to traverse great distances.

Arctic warfare also requires different equipment. Most soldiering gear and vehicles are tested at about minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit. But soldiers in the Arctic face much worse conditions, including temperatures that drop below minus 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That causes problems for even the rugged Stryker vehicle.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have asked Congress to pass additional appropriations in order to further assist U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine by May 19.

In a letter to House and Senate leadership shared with The Hill, Austin and Blinken said the administration needs the money by then if we are to continue are security assistance at the current pace.

The officials said that they expected the $3.5 billion in drawdown authority that was passed in March as part of the $1.5 trillion government funding bill to be exhausted later this month.

In short, we need your help. The ability to draw upon existing DoD [Department of Defense] stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, allowing us to quickly source equipment and ensure a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine, the officials wrote.

As a result, we urge you to act quickly on the Administrations request for supplemental appropriations, including the authorization of additional funding for drawdowns, they continued. Doing so before May 19, 2022 will allow us to provide uninterrupted critical military support to our Ukrainian partners.

The House is scheduled to consider a supplemental package for Ukraine aid on Tuesday, according the chambers schedule. The letter comes after Democrats proposed a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine that will now be split from additional COVID-19 pandemic funding also sought by the administration that has stalled in Congress this year.

The proposed supplemental is higher than the $33 billion that Biden announced in late April but would include an additional $3.4 billion for military and humanitarian assistance.

Earlier on Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that between Bidens announcement of a $150 million assistance package to Ukraine and the remaining $100 million in drawdown authority, the administration will be able to continue the flow of weapons to Ukraine until about the third week of this month.

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The letter from Blinken and Austin was sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Austin and Blinken noted in their letter that the administration has committed more than $4.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine in 2021.

Thank you again for your extraordinary support of our efforts to help Ukraine, the secretaries said. It sends a clear message to Ukraine, to Russia, and to the world that the United States stands with the Ukrainian people in their struggle to defend their democracy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Scott Morrison's government has drawn protests and criticism for its perceived inaction on climate change

When Australia - long considered a climate policy laggard - heads to the polls on 21 May, the outcome could be significant for the planet's future.

Still reliant on coal for most of its electricity, it is one of the dirtiest countries per capita - making up just over 1% of global emissions, but only 0.3% of the world's population.

It's a massive global supplier of fossil fuels, and once that is factored in, it accounts for 3.6% of the world's emissions.

But it's also one of the nations most at risk from climate change.

In recent years, Australia has suffered severe drought, historic bushfires, successive years of record-breaking floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef.

And it's racing towards a future full of similar disasters, the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns.

The current government has angered allies with its short-term emissions reductions target - which is half what the IPCC says is needed if the world has any chance of limiting warming to 1.5C.

Greenhouse gas emissions per person. . .

But Australia is still wedded to fossil fuels and climate policy has famously played a role in toppling three prime ministers in a decade.

Though most voters want tougher climate action, some coal towns lie in swing constituencies that are key to winning elections.

What is the government promising?

Scott Morrison famously praised coal's value to Australia in a parliamentary debate on renewable energy in 2017

After years of warring within the Liberal-National coalition, Scott Morrison's government committed to a 2050 net zero emissions target at the last gasp before last year's Glasgow COP26 summit.

Deputy PM and National Party leader Barnaby Joyce remains personally opposed to the policy, claiming people in regional areas would have to "grab a rifle [and] go out and start shooting [their] cattle" to meet the goals.

Australia's 2030 emissions reduction target of 26% on 2005 levels - half the US and UK benchmarks - has been called "a great disappointment".

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Mr Morrison has boasted the country is on track to achieve 35%. Yet that's unlikely, vice chair of the IPCC and Australian National University Professor Mark Howden says, unless the government - which has been in power since 2013 - overhauls its "technology over taxes" approach.

Once emissions saved by a drastic reduction in land clearing are excluded, Australia's carbon footprint has actually increased "significantly" since 2005, he notes.

And Mr Morrison's plan to bring it down has been criticised for hanging on technologies that do not exist yet.

"That's what we call a moral hazard - we make the assumption that the solution will pop up so we don't take action now," Prof Howden told the BBC.

Critically, coal mines and power stations are safe on Mr Morrison's watch.

Labor will cut more, faster

The opposition Labor party's 2030 emissions reduction target of 43% is "far more ambitious", Prof Howden says.

"If you're looking at the difference between those goals, it's like taking every car off the road."

If global leaders set targets similar to the coalition's, the world would be heading towards "potentially terrifying" warming of more than 3C, he says.

Labor's target is more consistent with warming of about 1.6C or 1.7C.

While it is still short of the IPCC recommendation, Labor leader Anthony Albanese has defended it as in line with key trading partners like Canada (40-45%), South Korea (40%) and Japan (46%).

Leader Anthony Albanese has defended the Australian Labor Party's policy as similar to countries like Canada, South Korea and Japan

Labor has stressed its policy will not leave "emissions intensive" industries - like mining - at a disadvantage to their global competitors.

It has also promised it will support new coal mines if they make commercial sense, and that it will not force coal-fired power stations to shut early.

Instead the party says it will make electric cars cheaper, improve renewable energy storage options, and gradually lower the threshold at which big emitters need to buy carbon offsets.

Like the coalition, Labor is hoping the market will phase out coal without intervention, which Prof Howden says is risky.

"The maths tells us we can't afford to put in new large fossil fuel infrastructure, and the infrastructure that we have currently we have to take out of the system fairly quickly."

Could minor players have the final say?

Australian elections are generally a contest between Labor and the Liberal-National coalition.

The party with the majority of the 151 seats in the lower house of parliament governs, and only twice in the country's history has no party achieved a majority - in 1940 and 2010.

But voters are increasingly shunning the major parties and in the event of another hung parliament, the government would need support from the crossbench to pass legislation.

Australia's 2030 emissions cut pledges - by party. [ Liberal-National coalition: 26-28% ],[ Labor: 43% ],[ Teal independents: 50-60% ],[ Greens: 75% ], Source: Source: Climate Analytics, Image: Smoke coming out of the Mount Piper coal Power Station smokestacks in Portland NSW

A bevy of high-profile candidates - dubbed the "teal independents" - hope that will mean they can negotiate a 2030 target of at least 50% if they are elected and hold the balance of power.

But the future government could also turn to minor party MPs.

The Greens say net zero by 2050 is a death sentence, and the party would push for a 75% cut by 2030, and net zero five years after that.

On the other hand, the far-right One Nation Party proudly calls itself the only party to question climate science and wants the country's targets scrapped.

Australia's climate debate has been "toxic", Prof Howden says, but he's optimistic it is turning a corner.

"We actually do have the technology and the capability to reduce our emissions much faster than we have done.

"If we get potentially a hung parliament... I think we could actually end up with very significant climate action and people will start to see the benefits of that fairly quickly."

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Authorities in Alabama are preparing to begin the process of extraditing murder suspect and convicted felon Casey White back to Lauderdale County after he and the corrections officer who allegedly helped him escape jail were captured in Indiana on Monday.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton tells Fox News Digital that they hope to get him back to Alabama in the next couple of days. "There's an extradition process, he obviously has the option to waive that," Singleton said. "If he elects not to, then we've got to initiate that process through the governor's office and that can take several days up to a few weeks."

CASEY WHITE PRISON ESCAPE: ALABAMA FUGITIVES IN CUSTODY, VICKY WHITE SUFFERS SELF-INFLICTED BULLET WOUND

Casey White and Vicky White, the Alabama corrections officer who allegedly walked the felon out of the Lauderdale County Jail last month, were captured by a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Evansville, Indiana, following a high-speed chase that ended in a car wreck. The pair had been on the run for 11 days.

Vicky White died Monday evening after shooting herself in the head following the chase and crash, according to Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding, whose deputies assisted the marshals in the chase. She was 56 years old.

FORMER ALABAMA CORRECTIONS OFFICER VICKY WHITE DIES OF SELF-INFLICTED INJURIES IN CASEY WHITE MANHUNT

Vicky was the assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Detention Center and allegedly took part in the brazen jailhouse escape on the day she was set to retire. She had worked as a corrections officer for nearly 17 years and was a former employee of the year at the jail.

Sheriff Singleton said her death was a shock to Lauderdale County employees.

ALABAMA PRISONER CASEY WHITE, FUGITIVE GUARD SPOKE OVER PHONE FROM STATE FACILITY IN YEARS BEFORE ESCAPE: COPS

"We're a small department, about 107 employees. She knew everyone," Singleton said. "She was like a mother. So, in spite of all she did, and there was no excuse for what she did, but in spite of that, she was family. Our employees will take it hard."

Singleton said employees in his department have experienced a range of emotions from concern for Vicky's well-being to anger over her alleged actions. He commended them for their tireless and diligent work, despite the emotional nature of the situation.

Fox News' Michael Ruiz and Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear Bayer's bid to dismiss claims by customers who contend that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, as the company seeks to avoid potentially billions of dollars in damages.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who represents the administration before the high court, said in a court filing that Bayer's appeal should be rejected.

Bayer shares on Wednesday plunged 6.3%, a loss of about 3.7 billion euros ($3.9 billion) in market value, to their lowest in seven weeks at 0735 GMT as traders dismissed any likelihood of the company's case being heard.

The stock is still up more than 20% this year on a rebound in demand from farmers.

Bayer last August petitioned the justices to reverse a lower court's decision that upheld $25 million in damages awarded to California resident Edwin Hardeman, a Roundup user who blamed his cancer on the German pharmaceutical and chemical giant's glyphosate-based weedkillers.

The Supreme Court in December asked Biden's administration to provide its views. The justices generally give deference to the solicitor general's conclusions.

Bayer has argued that the cancer claims over Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate go against sound science and product clearance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has upheld guidance that glyphosate is not carcinogenic and not a risk to public health when used as indicated on the label.

The lawsuits against Bayer have said the company should have warned customers of the alleged cancer risk.

Prelogar rejected Bayer's argument that the EPA label approval under a federal law called the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act preempts the "failure to warn" claims brought under state law.

"EPA's approval of labeling that does not warn about particular chronic risks does not by itself preempt a state-law requirement to provide such warnings," Prelogar wrote.

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The Supreme Court's decision on whether to take up the matter is being closely watched as Bayer maneuvers to limit its legal liability in thousands of cases.

A company statement said Bayer believes it has "strong legal arguments" to support the Supreme Court taking up the case.

Roundup-related lawsuits have dogged Bayer since it acquired the brand as part of its $63 billion purchase of agricultural seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto in 2018.

Despite the recent share price recovery, all of Bayer only has a market value of about what it paid for Monsanto, burdened by the litigation.

Bayer struck a settlement deal in principle with plaintiffs two years ago but failed to win court approval for a separate agreement on how to handle future cases.

In July, Bayer took an additional litigation provision of $4.5 billion in case of an unfavorable ruling by the Supreme Court or in case the justices declined to consider its petition.

The provision came on top of $11.6 billion it previously set aside for settlements and litigation over the matter.

Bayer plans to replace glyphosate in weedkillers for the U.S. residential market for non-professional gardeners with other active ingredients.

It has said it will continue to sell the herbicide to farmers, who rely on it heavily and whose role in the litigation has been described as negligible by Bayer.

Bayer has put on hold the settlement of about 30,000 cases, out of 125,000 cases overall, as it awaits decisions by the Supreme Court.

Bayer had asked the Supreme Court to review the verdict in Hardeman's case, which was upheld https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-appeals-court-upholds-verdict-that-bayers-roundup-caused-cancer-2021-05-14 by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in May.

Hardeman had regularly used Roundup for 26 years at his home in northern California before being diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

($1 = 0.9474 euros)

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley in Washington and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Will Dunham and Christian Schmollinger)
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 9, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Multiple reports claimed last week that US intelligence has helped Ukraine target Russian forces.

Biden is livid over the reports and has reprimanded defense officials, The New York Times reported.

Biden was concerned that the reports would further provoke Putin, The Times said.

President Joe Biden was furious about leaks that said US intelligence helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink its warship, report says, The New York Times reported on Monday.

A senior administration official told The Times that after the reports of US involvement in the attacks emerged, Biden reprimanded several top defense officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, the Director of National Intelligence Avril D. Haines, and CIA director William J. Burns.

Biden was concerned that the reports would further provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Times reported.

Several media outlets reported last week that the US handed crucial information to Ukrainian forces that allowed them to attack and sink one of Russia's most prominent warships, the Moskva, on April 14.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby denied the reports, telling CNN in a statement that the US had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship.

Another report by the Times, also published last week, found that US intelligence was also pivotal in the deaths of several Russian generals.

Kirby also pushed back on this report, telling reporters that the US does "not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that Biden "was displeased with the leaks."

"His view is that it was an overstatement of our role  an inaccurate statement  and also an understatement of the Ukrainians' role and their leadership. And he did not feel they were constructive," she added.

Experts told The Times that while the US has stepped up its involvement in the Ukraine war, Biden has still been careful not to provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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"There's this constant balancing act the administration has been trying to strike between supporting Ukraine and making sure it can defend itself militarily and at the same time being very concerned about escalation," Alina Polyakova, the president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, told The Times.

The US has declined Ukrainian requests to send troops into the country, opting instead to send Ukrainian forces and a generous stream of military aid.

Since the start of Russia's invasion on February 24, the US has sent around $3.8 billion worth of arms and equipment to Ukraine, the White House said last week.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The prosecution in the trial of a 26-year-old man accused of a 2017 north Fresno double homicide presented its final evidence in the case Monday: blood on red sneakers.

Forensic experts testified those shoes allegedly worn by defendant Gary Perry contained traces of blood from Brennen Julian Fairhead, 21. Perry is also accused of killing Scott Alex Gaffney, 21.

Gaffney and Fairhead were shot to death on Dec. 14, 2017 in the Woodward Lake neighborhood. Their bodies were found by stunned neighbors who heard several gunshots and yelling.

Law enforcement also found Perrys fingerprints on the car allegedly connected to the killings.

Prosecutors say Perry, Gaffney, Fairhead and Michael Rackney got into a white Honda Accord that night to buy drugs from someone near Fresno State. The transaction allegedly went smoothly. The drive back to northwest Fresno did not.

As they stopped on a side street to let Rackney out, Perry began firing from a Glock handgun that belonged to Fairhead. Multiple rounds struck and killed Fairhead and Gaffney, prosecutors say.

In an interview with police detectives, Perry said he shot Fairhead by accident. He then panicked and shot Gaffney because he saw the shooting.

Rackney testified last week that he also was shot at by Perry, but was not hit.

Along with finding Perrys fingerprints on the car and Fairheads blood on the shoes, forensic experts with the California Department of Justice also found other evidence in the car.

Jessica Winn, a criminologist with the DOJ, testified Monday that she found a baggy of cocaine in the car along with a plant substance that appeared to be marijuana. Winn also found two bullets and seven cartridge casings in various locations inside the the car.

Winn tested the Glock handgun used in the killings and found the cartridges were fired from that gun.

A search of Fairheads home revealed the Glock was registered to him, along with an AK-47 rifle.

Detectives also found the red sneakers Perry wore the night of the killings. Perry had stashed them along with his backpack at his cousins home.

Perry declined to testify during his three-day trial and his defense attorney Emily Takao did not call any witnesses to testify. Perry faces life without the possibility of parole, if found guilty.

Closing statements are scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday in Dept. 50.
(Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is set to fly to Sweden and then Finland on Wednesday for security talks after Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

The two countries are considering joining Nato following the Russian presidents attack on Ukraine.

Becoming part of the military alliance would be a major geo-political shift for the Nordic nations.

Finland could announce a bid for membership within days, according to local reports, while Sweden is currently conducting a review of whether it should join.

Finland shares a border with Russia, and the Kremlin has repeatedly warned of serious consequences if the two countries join the military alliance, including potentially stationing nuclear weapons in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

Speaking ahead of Mr Johnson trip, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Its about not just Ukraine but broader security of Europe.

This is about meeting other democratic countries and discussing issues such as security which is of importance both here and overseas.

We support a countrys democratic capabilities to decide on things like Nato membership.

Just days ago, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it was inconceivable that the UK would not support Finland or Sweden if either were attacked, regardless of whether they were members of Nato or not.

He made the comment as he spoke at a press conference in Niinisalo, Finland.

Responding to questions from the media, he said: Its inconceivable that Britain would not come to the support of Finland or Sweden if it was ever attacked.

[Thats] Without any big formal agreement. We are European countries who share the same values, who have deep, long histories, a significant number of the British population seem to be descended from Vikings anyhow.

We have that cultural link. I cannot conceive of a time where we would not come to support Finland and Sweden, no matter where they were with the Nato debate and where they are with agreements.
If every weekend was a long one, would we all be happier? While some companies, and California lawmakers, pursue a four-day work week, experts told The Bee its not about the hours  its the flexibility that ultimately creates a more balanced workplace.

In early May, a bill that would institute a four-day week for some California workers was shelved after it failed to advance in the state Legislature due to implementation concerns. Assembly Bill 2932 suggests companies would have to pay workers the same amount of pay for 32 hours as they were paying for 40.

While some groups worried about the bill significantly increasing labor costs, one lawmaker expressed how a shortened work week and broader conversation on better work-life balance is long overdue.

The Bee spoke with tech startup Bolt, which recently made the switch to a four-day week, about the adjustment, and experts at UC Davis and Berkeley about the benefits and drawbacks of a shortened schedule. Heres what we learned:

What does a four-day work week look like?

A handful of private companies in California have already made the switch to four-day work week, according to Business Insider.

Bolt, a tech startup based in San Francisco, piloted a three-month trial for a four-day work week in September. After noting some productivity levels increase during the trial, the company decided to make the switch permanent for all of its employees  most of who are salaried.

In order to maintain productivity and prevent employee burnout, the startup has reexamined the way it works. Bolt is a company that aims to make the checkout process more efficient for retailers.

We had to start zeroing in on whats really important and what we should be doing and kind of eliminate some of the noise, Adam McBain, Bolts vice president of human resources, said.

He said the optionality that a four-day work week provides is the reason for its success. It allows people to log on Friday, rather that Saturday, to complete any lingering tasks, and still have two weekend days off.

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I think it makes for a happier worker, and it gives people balance, McBain said.

He added the company has had to find ways for employees to have some balance Mondays to Thursdays, so that their schedules are not completely stacked with work and meetings.

I think its attainable with hourly positions, McBain said of the shortened model. It takes a commitment from the company to do what you need to do to make it work.

Does a shorter work week help or hurt?

According to nonprofit 4 Day Week Global, which launched a pilot project with 38 companies to test the four-day schedule, 78% of employees with a four-day work week said they were happier and less stressed.

However, Chief Wellness Officer at UC Davis Dr. Peter Yellowlees said flexible work options are most beneficial for peoples well being  not necessarily reduced hours. After the start of the pandemic, many companies allowed workers to decide where they wanted to work.

We can work both in the office and at home and other places, and what I think employers are starting to understand is that those are very positive for most peoples well being and their mental health, Yellowlees said.

He added that the ability for people to work from home and integrate their personal and work lives is a much healthier way to achieve work-life balance.

Financial disadvantage for some

Other factors that can create a happier worker include better pay and sick leave benefits, opportunities for growth and a more consistent schedule, especially for hourly employees, said Enrique Lopezlira, a labor economist at UC Berkeley.

I think employers who are treating employees as valuable partners in work, and see them as an asset rather than some cost that they just have to minimize, I think those workers  are happier and more productive, he said.

Lopezlira, director of the low-wage program at the universitys labor center, said that the four-day week would most likely put hourly workers at a financial disadvantage. Most of them are looking to work more hours during the week.

He added that proposal could potentially aggravate the inequalities that already exist between white-collar employees and low wage workers, who are predominantly in minority groups.

One of the reasons why women, Black and Hispanic workers were hit so hard by the pandemic is because they are overrepresented in those low wage industries, he said.

Due to the higher costs of labor under the model, the economist said employers might reclassify full-time hourly workers to part-time ones or even contractors, which can cause them to lose benefits and negatively affect their earning potential.

But beyond reduced hours and flexible work options, wellness expert Yellowlees said that making work more meaningful for a wider range of people is the best way improve workers mental health.

Its not so much the number of hours they work, he said, but the meaning they have from their work  what theyre achieving and what theyre contributing.

While shelved for now, the proposal for a four-day work week could later resurface in the Legislature, according to The Wall Street Journal. One lawmaker said he intends to hear from stakeholders to know what needs to be changed in the bill.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our California Utility Team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email utilityteam@sacbee.com.
A California District Attorney declined to file charges against legendary boxer Mike Tyson after he was caught on video allegedly punching a passenger on a flight out of San Francisco.

"We now deem the case closed," DA Steve Wagstaffe said Tuesday.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 05: Former Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson attends the official weigh-in between Canelo Alvarez vs Caleb Plant on November 5, 2021 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images

MIKE TYSON THROWS PUNCHES AT UNRULY PASSENGER ON JETBLUE FLIGHT: REPORT

Wagstaffe says his office reviewed both videos of the incident and police reports from the April 20 altercation before deciding not to press charges.

Wagstaffe added that his office will not be filing charges against the passenger, identified as Melvin Townsend, who has declined to press any charges against Tyson.

Former professional boxer Mike Tyson attends Celebration of Smiles Event hosted by Dionne Warwick on her 81st Birthday to benefit medical charity organization, Operation Smile and The Kind Music Academy on December 12, 2021 in Malibu, California. Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images

SOCIAL MEDIA WEIGHS IN ON MIKE TYSON AIRPLANE INCIDENT: 'DUDE GOT EXACTLY WHAT HE DESERVED'

TMZ released a video last month that appeared to show Tyson punching Townsend who seated a row behind him at San Francisco International Airport in an incident that the media outlet said occurred after passengers continued to pester the former boxer after he asked them to stop.

A witness on the plane told TMZ that the former heavyweight champ was initially cordial to fans asking for photographs but Townsend continued talking in Tysons ear which appeared to irritate him before punches flew.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat," a representative for Tyson told Fox Business in a statement at the time.

Townsend has denied throwing a bottle at Tyson.

"After a thorough investigation, no charges will be filed against Mr. Tyson for the incident at San Francisco International Airport on April 20, 2022," Tyson's legal team told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We thank San Francisco District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County Sheriff, and all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent, and professional work."
Southern California desert water districts with aging or failing infrastructure won big federal funding Monday, with more than $100 million allocated for major dam and irrigation canal upgrades that will benefit the Coachella Valley and Imperial County.

The projects are part of $240 million awarded from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday.

Among the biggest beneficiaries is the Coachella Valley Water District, which will get $60 million for lateral replacement irrigation pipelines and more for work on the Coachella Canal. Nearly 60,000 irrigated acres of fruits and vegetables and forage crops with a value of $574 million were produced last year in the region, according to CVWD's annual agricultural report. Clean, reliable water piped in from the Colorado River system is essential for those crops.

As western communities face growing challenges accessing water in the wake of record drought, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will safeguard community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a news release.

CVWD's entire distribution system off of the Coachella branch of the All-American Canal is pipeline buried underground, and the funds will pay for replacement pipelines for irrigation.

In a news release, Interior officials said CVWD had been "proactive" in identifying critical capital projects in the area. "Without timely replacement, meeting water deliveries could be completely jeopardized due to lack of redundancy in the design of the system," the Interior Department officials said. "These projects have been designed and are shovel-ready. They will mitigate existing failures, provide more durable materials, and reduce losses due to age of the system."

In a statement, CVWD engineering director Carrie Oliphant said they were excited to receive the funding, adding the funds will allow "critical infrastructure projects to be executed well in advance of their presently planned date."

Story continues

"CVWD will be able to shift the focus from fixing the urgent repairs to looking forward to broader projects with larger impacts, including water conservation, water recycling, and efficient water use throughout the Coachella Valley, she added.

Another $27.2 million was awarded for sludge pipe replacement at the Imperial Dam, north of Yuma, Arizona along the California border. It was identified as "a significant need with a significant cost to underfunded California users of Colorado [River] water."

Water diverted at the dam for use in the Imperial Valley travels through a desilting basin, which is used to clarify the water. The three large basins  540 feet wide by 770 feet long  are equipped with 72 scrapers to remove 70,000 tons of silt per day.

Safe, reliable water: $29 million obtained for clean water projects in eastern Coachella Valley

In their current state, the desilting basins are "minimally functional, leaving excess sediment in the All-American Canal and river channel," the Interior Department said.

IID general manager Henry Martinez said the district "is extremely pleased with todays announcement from Secretary Haaland on these significant investments to our water delivery infrastructure. The projects at Imperial Dam and the All-American Canal will be critical to ensuring continued water deliveries to the Imperial Valley and surrounding communities and we look forward to collaborating with the Bureau of Reclamation on these efforts."

The proposed Mid-Canal Storage Project for the Coachella Canal will receive another $7.5 million. Once built, the 4.9-mile reservoir between mileposts 54.6 and 59.5 of the canal will allow about 728 acre-feet of storage to buffer flow variations caused by changes in supply and demand, helping provide reliable flow for CVWD, IID and the Metropolitan Water District. An acre-foot equals nearly 326,000 gallons.

Another $5.6 million was awarded to refurbish check gates for Imperial Dam and All-American Canal near Pilot Knob, south of Interstate 8 and north of the Mexico border, and $250,000 was allocated to replace all 5 sluice gates on the All-American Canal.

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U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-LaQuinta, praised the new allocations in an email: "The Biden Administration's allocation of over $100 million to modernize outdated water infrastructure in the Coachella Valley and Imperial County will go a long way in helping ensure that local families have access to desperately-needed clean water."

He added, "Water is life, and I will continue to fight for access to clean water in our communities and to protect the health of my constituents."

Overall, funding was awarded for 46 projects and will be facilitated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That agency oversees water resource management, including the oversight and operation of diversion, delivery and storage projects in the West for irrigation, water supply and hydroelectric power.

In addition to the California projects, funds were awarded for repairs to canals in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming, dam spillway repairs in Nebraska, pipeline repairs in Utah and investments in a pumping plant in Montana. Projects in Colorado, Oregon and Washington are also being funded. The 46 projects to be funded can be viewed here.

The Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with states and local water districts receiving municipal water and irrigation water from federally-owned projects, is responsible for much of the water infrastructure in the West, said Acting Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo. These water systems work because of this federal to non-federal partnership, and this funding will help to complete necessary extraordinary maintenance keeping projects viable and partnerships strong."

Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun, and co-authors USA Today's Climate Point newsletter. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com or @janetwilson66 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California water agencies get $100 million for aging dams, canals
California firefighters on Thursday rescued a bear that wandered into Six Flags Magic Mountain and got stuck between two trailers, authorities said.

Firefighters worked for hours to free the bear from between the two Conex trailers on the amusement parks back lot in Valencia, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

LAW-ABIDING BEAR CROSSES STREET LIKE A PRO IN NORTH CAROLINA, VIDEO SHOWS

The fire crew was assisted by Heavy Rescue 103, USAR 136, California Fish and Game, and the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

After hours of working, USAR 136 was able to use its equipment to move one trailer to allow rescuers to reach the bear.

Officials sedated the bear before attempting to pull it to safety.

The bear was then prepared for transport so Fish and Game personnel could relocate it safely.

It was unclear where the bear was moved to.
The Daily Beast

Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via GettyWhen Linda Carman accepted an offer from her 22-year-old son to set out on what she believed would be a pleasant mom-and-son fishing trip in September 2016, she couldnt have known how it would all go horrifically wrong. The vessel sank and Linda disappeared at sea, leaving her son, Nathan, to float adrift on a life raft for eight days before he was rescued, professing that he was grief-stricken and had nothing to do with the tragic accident.Federal auth
GENEVA (AP)  The head of the World Health Organization called on Pfizer to make its COVID-19 treatment more widely available in poorer countries, saying Tuesday that the pharmaceutical company's deal allowing generic producers to make the drug was insufficient.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing that Pfizer's treatment was still too expensive. He noted that most countries in Latin America had no access to Pfizers drug, Paxlovid, which has been shown to cut the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death by up to 90%.

We remain concerned that low- and middle-income countries remain unable to access antivirals, Tedros said,

The WHO chief warned that the unequal distribution of COVID-19 drugs could ultimately mirror the grossly disproportionate distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

For example, while countries such as Britain have vaccinated more than 70% of their populations, fewer than 16% of people in poor countries have received a single dose.

Pfizer signed an agreement in November with the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool to allow other drugmakers to make generic copies of its pill, for use in 95 countries. Some large countries that suffered devastating COVID-19 outbreaks, like Brazil, were not included.

Tedros said the deal does not go far enough and called for Pfizer to lift its geographic restrictions on where the generic version of Paxlovid might be used, as well as to make the pill less costly for developing countries.

The U.S. paid about $500 for each course of Pfizers treatment, which consists of three pills taken twice a day for five days. Its price in developing countries has not yet been confirmed.

WHOs chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said most of the world's supply of Pfizers drug had already been booked by rich countries, similar to how they hoarded the vast majority of last years coronavirus vaccines.

She applauded Pfizers agreement to let other drugmakers produce its drug, but noted that manufacturing would not start until next year. Swaminathan also appealed to Pfizer to drop its requirement for some developing countries to assume product liability in case there are any problems once it's rolled out.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
Lauderdale County

Casey 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 earlier.

The pair initially drove 100 miles north through Tennessee where they dumped Vickys rust-colored Ford Edge and transferred into a black Ford pickup truck and headed farther north. The truck was spotted on May 3, four days after they escaped, abandoned at a car wash another 200 miles north in Evansville. Surveillance video from the car wash showed Casey White hopping into a grey Cadillac, which a sharp-eyed cop then spotted parked outside Evansvilles Motel 41 on Monday, police said.

U.S. Marshals

Cops lay in wait for the pair to leave the motel and when they eventually did on Monday afternoon, a chase began. Vicky White fatally shot herself as cops closed in but Casey White surrendered without incident when their Cadillac crashed, authorities said.

While a coroner will have to confirm that she died by suicide, Vicky was found with a gun in her hand. She was also on the phone to 911 mid-chase, saying she had a gun to her head, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding told CNN.

Wedding, whose county includes Evansville, seemed incredulous that the fugitives decided to camp out in the small city of 110,000 located along the Ohio River.

After six days [since the car wash sighting] it was just hard to believe that they were here. I wouldnt think that somebody on the run would stay in a community like Evansville for six days, he said at a Tuesday morning briefing.

Runaway Guard Killed Herself as Cops Chased Her and Inmate

He said detectives have since interviewed Casey White, who allegedly told them he planned to get into a shootout with law enforcement but was stymied when the Cadillac hit a grass ditch and was rammed by police.

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Wedding said White also explained what they had spent their time on the run doing, and what their plan was.

He said he was just trying to find a place to hide out and lay low and they thought theyd driven long enough that they wanted to stop for a while, get their bearings straight, and then figure out the next place to travel, he said.

Wedding said the pair had paid for a 14-day stay at the Motel 41, a $50-a-night joint with unflattering online reviews about bedbugs and moldy walls.

[He] said they were trying to contemplate where they could go and be discretely away from the public eye, he added.

Police display a photo of weapons found after the pairs capture. YouTube/Global News

Cops found multiple red and blonde wigs the pair used as disguises as well as a stash of guns and $29,000 in cash. They appear to have blown through money as Vicky White reportedly withdrew $90,000 in cashthe proceeds of selling her housebefore they escaped. The pair legally purchased the Ford pickup truck but its unclear how they obtained the Cadillac, Wedding said.

Their plan was pretty faulty, Wedding said. Theyre criminals, their plan was faulty and it failed, thank God.

Casey White will be extradited back to Alabama under heavy security at an undisclosed time on Tuesday. In his interview with detectives, he didnt express any remorse or reveal why Vicky shot herself. While Vickys family initially told The Daily Beast that Casey must have brainwashed her, Wedding said there were no signs that she had been acting under duress.

He was not forcing her, it was a mutual relationship, Wedding said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Chicago Transit Authority is the most used form of transportation in the city.

Its used the most by students and working-class residents. However, violent attacks from sexual assaults, robberies, and gun violence have increased drastically on trains and buses.

Fox 32 Chicago reported that one week in April saw five violent incidents back-to-back. That week, a man was shot on a CTA bus in the Lawndale neighborhood. The 31-year-old victim was chased off the bus by a gunman. He then ran back on and tried to hide in between seats for safety when he was wounded. Not too long after, a CTA Red Line train operator was lured by a person who claimed to need help getting their phone when they were pushed onto the tracks. More incidents even included a shooting that involved a CTA employee who is now facing charges.

The upsurge in violence on public transportation has students and residents demanding a change in Chicago. In March, Chicago Transit Authority held a news conference with Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, who believes adding security guards on trains and buses will help with the issue. Yet, Transit Union president Keith Hill doesnt think itll make a difference. Its sad to say its become a norm for us. We see this all day, every day, Hill told Fox 32 Chicago. I dont see them stopping anything. Theyre unarmed. Theyre just like regular riders. Why would they jeopardize their lives to stop anything?

Despite Hills statement, the CTA board approved multi-year contracts totaling $71 million to two private security companies. For some students and residents, this is a matter that needs to be handled urgently, so urgent that local organizations are taking matters into their own hands.

According to NBC Chicago, groups of volunteer officers and martial artists rode the CTA Red Line, one of the busiest and violent train lines on the citys southside, on the lookout for crime.

Activist Tio Hardiman believed that the rise in crime demanded action from community organizations, and he hopes Chicago would work with him to provide safety for riders. We want to be proactive and preemptive. We dont want things to worsen before we do something. Things are already getting bad, Hardiman told NBC Chicago. Put yourself in the shoes of some working-class person, getting up to go to work, and someone gets up in your face on the train.

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Although riders praise the quick action of activists and community groups, Tom Ahern, Chicago Police Department Spokesperson, said the police dont need private citizens taking law enforcement matters into their own hands.

Students and residents all over the city are on high alert, hoping that their safety becomes a priority to law enforcement soon.

Blavity U Ambassador Lashaunta Moore is a graduate student at Columbia College Chicago, studying entrepreneurship for creatives. Moore has a bachelors degree in media communication, and shes also a freelance journalist and digital content producer.
May 10A Colorado judge last week rejected a plea agreement offered to a Santa Fe man accused of sexually assaulting an Albuquerque woman while they were vacationing in Durango together in the summer of 2021, saying it wasn't an appropriate resolution for a sexual assault case.

"There is hardly ... a more personal offense than sexual assault and allowing someone to plea guilty to a non-sex offense in this situation seems to me to diminish the seriousness of what could have happened," state District Judge Todd Norvell said during the hearing.

"It certainly diminishes the seriousness in the public's eye ... with which these crimes are taken in the courts, and I can not in good conscious accept this agreement," Norvell said.

Santa Fe real estate agent Sam Escobedo, 55, faces two felony counts of sexual assault in the case, which is now set to go to trial in the fall.

He was accused of drugging his alleged victim, then digitally penetrating her as she slept in a Durango hotel during a weekend kayaking trip.

Colorado Sixth Judicial District Attorney Christian Champagne offered Escobedo an agreement that called for him to plead guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor classified as a crime of domestic violence.

Champagne called the plea a "compromise," in Friday's hearing, telling the judge he believes the victim but felt the case could be hard to prosecute.

"We have concerns about the way the evidence rolled out during the investigation that jeopardized our ability to prove [the charges] beyond reasonable doubt," he said. "There is a serious question in my mind about our capacity to achieve a conviction at trial."

Escobedo declined to comment Monday.

Escobedo's accuser  a 37-year-old Albuquerque woman The New Mexican is not naming because she is an alleged sexual assault victim  told the court the proposed plea would not result in justice, accountability or a path toward healing for the defendant, the community or herself.

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The woman said incident took place "over a hopeful romantic weekend carefully crafted by the defendant." She said she'd met Escobedo on a dating site and he'd "patiently courted" her more than 10 months, despite the fact the chemistry between them was "still being nurtured."

The woman said she'd had consensual sex with Escobedo the night before. She said it was only the third time they'd spent the night together, and the first time they'd been intimate  to her knowledge  since their relationship began.

"The following night, defendant date-raped me," she said.

After dinner, she said they'd gone back to the hotel, where she remembered feeling so tired she quickly changed into pajamas and went straight to bed.

While she was sleeping, the woman told the judge, Escobedo penetrated her without her consent.

In the morning, she said, she had no memory of the incident but remarked at breakfast how "knocked out" she'd been the previous night.

Later, she said, Escobedo sent her some photographs which triggered a flashback. She said she remembered waking up in the middle of the night as the assault was occurring and being unable to move or respond.

"I remember thinking, 'This is happening. You can't do anything about it. Save this for later,' " she said, adding she also had a memory of seeing Escobedo washing his hands in the hotel bathroom.

The recollection was "so extreme," she said. "I didn't even know at the time if it had happened." Three days later, the woman said, she attempted to get tested for a date rape drug but was told too much time had passed.

The woman said she sought out a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exam which found a significant injury.

She said she invited Escobedo to dinner and recorded their conversation, in which he admitted having penetrated her while she was sleeping.

"I acted interested, intrigued and excited," she said. "I wanted him to feel comfortable enough to admit what he'd done ... and he said yes, 'You were lying there sleeping, looking so sexy so I had my way with you,' " prompting her to report the incident to Durango police.

Escobedo's Durango-based attorney Joel Fry told the judge Escobedo and the woman had consensual sex and Escobedo's character is "not one of a criminal who commits sexual assault."

"He has physical issues because of injuries he sustained as a teenager which preclude the type of injures alleged in this case," Frye said, adding Escobedo drove to Durango to surrender himself after a warrant was issued for his arrest and had complied with his conditions of release.

Escobedo offered a halting apology before the judge rejected his plea.

"I'm sorry for what happened," he said. "I never intended for that to happen ... we had been so good together and then this happened ... I'm here to do the plea ... I'm apologetic for what happened and will serve out what I need to serve out."
Columbus police cruiser

Columbus police have identified the victims in two recent fatal shootings, and announced arrests in two other unrelated homicides  including a second suspect accused of firing gunshots into an apartment building that killed a woman.

On Monday, police arrested and charged Isaiah Xavier Nashon Alexander, 20, of Columbus, as a second suspect in the April 25 shooting death of 31-year-old Sorenta Hylton.

According to court documents, homicide detectives believe Alexander to be one of four people who got out of a gray vehicle at 3:45 a.m. and fired multiple gunshots into an apartment building on the 1300 block of Vida Court on the city' s Southwest Side before driving away. Hylton was fatally struck while in her bed.

'Out of hand': Gunfire into Columbus homes, businesses on the rise, with lives threatened, lost

Alexander was positively identified through a photo line-up as one of the individuals who exited the vehicle and shot at Hylton's apartment building.

Last month, police also arrested 18-year-old Tyreese Watkins, of the South Side, in connection with Hyltons death.

Police also announced Monday that 34-year-old Warren Tucker, 34, of the East Side, has been indicted on a charge of murder in connection with the death last year of 34-year-old Clyde Woods at a Far East Side strip club.

Homicides in Columbus: Death in fire at Far East Side strip club ruled a homicide, second there in two years

On June 12, 2021, officers responded at approximately 2:25 a.m. to the Confidential Gentlemen's Club at 1962 Lake Club Dr. on a report of a stabbing, according to police. Officers located Woods, who was unresponsive and suffering from a stab wound.

Woods was transported to the hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced deceased at 6:15 a.m., police said.

Victims of two recent homicides identified

The victims of two recent homicides have been identified by Columbus homicide detectives.

Phillip Moore, 33, has been identified as the man responding patrol officers found shot Saturday at 9:05 p.m. on the 200 block of South Ashburton Road on the East Side.

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Moore was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:37 p.m., police said.

Homicides in Columbus: Here's a Dispatch map of where homicides have occurred in Columbus

A domestic dispute led to the shooting, homicide detectives say, and a preliminary investigation indicates the person who shot Moore appears to have done so in self-defense. The case is expected to be presented to a Franklin County grand jury.

Police have also identified 64-year-old William Caslin as the victim in a fatal shooting last Thursday morning in North Linden.

Officers responding at 5:53 a.m. on a report of a shooting in the 1800 block of Oakland Park Avenue found Caslin with a gunshot wound sitting inside of a vehicle in a parking lot. Columbus Division of Fire medics pronounced Caslin dead at 6:19 a.m.

Detectives say a preliminary investigation indicates two unidentified male suspects who may have been involved had fled the scene. The shooting is still under investigation and a suspect has not been identified, detectives say.

Police have also issued an arrest warrant in connection with the shooting of a barber while he was working at a barbershop on the North Side on April 26.

Jermaine King, 40, of the Northeast Side, is being sought in connection to the death of 51-year-old Lawrence Jefferson, of Reynoldsburg.

Jefferson was working inside Executive Barber Salon, located down a small flight of stairs from a food market in a multi-space commercial building at 5880 N. Meadows Blvd. when a man walked into the shop shortly after noon, police said.

Jefferson was shot and killed while another barber and customer were inside. Neither of them were hurt.

King has been charged with murder, according to court records.

Anyone with information about this shooting or any Columbus homicide is asked to call the city police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Homicides in Columbus: 2 victims, 2 suspects named in unrelated cases
A Whitnall High School custodian is facing 18 child pornography-related charges.

Jerome Slack, 39, of West Allis, was charged Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with nine counts of child sexual exploitation and nine counts of possession of child pornography, all felonies.

The child sexual exploitation charges each carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. The possession of child pornography charges each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Slack worked second shift at the high school, according to a May 6 letter sent by the Whitnall School District to district families and staff members. He was not present during regular school hours and was not in buildings serving the district's youngest students.

He joined the custodial staff in February 2021 and was not provided with a district device, school officials said.

According to a criminal complaint, West Allis police began their investigation after receiving an online tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Slack used Snapchat and the Kik messaging app to share several sexually explicit videos of children, the complaint said.

The crimes occurred from on or about July 4, 2021, through May 6, 2022, according to the complaint.

Authorities do not believe any Whitnall students were involved in the alleged conduct and believe the alleged conduct occurred outside of work hours, the district said in its letter.

"No one at Whitnall was aware of this conduct until the charges were made," the letter said. "And nothing from the hiring process could have prepared us for this outcome. This individual had a clean background check and positive references at the time of hiring."

Whitnall officials did not immediately respond to a question about Slack's employment status with the district.

The Whitnall School District serves the village of Hales Corners, the city of Franklin and the city of Greenfield.

It has about 500 employees and a yearly student population of around 2,500, according to the district website.

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Cash bond was set at $15,000 during Slack's initial court appearance Monday, according to online court records.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 19.

Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Whitnall High School custodian facing child porn charges
KDFW

The makers of Turbo Tax agreed to restitution for more than 4 million customers to settle a federal lawsuit. At the center of the allegations, the company repeatedly advertised a service as free when most people had to pay for it. Consumer reporter Steve Noviello talks about what happened and what that means for you.
A Dartmouth man reported missing Monday has been found dead.

Police said the death of Anthony Tony Medeiros does not appear to be suspicious.

Medeiross body was found in a wooded area south of Tucker Road in Dartmouth, according to police.

Police sought the publics help in locating Medeiros after he had not been seen or heard from since 9 a.m. Monday.

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Democrats are moving to quickly pass nearly $40 billion in new Ukraine aid.

Well break down whats in the latest legislation, plus the Pentagons plea to pass the supplemental and revelations from former Defense Secretary Mark Espers new book.

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, Im Ellen Mitchell. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

In shift, Dems de-link Ukraine aid from COVID funds

Democrats are proposing nearly $40 billion in new assistance for Ukraine, above the roughly $33 billion requested by the Biden administration. The extra funding from Congress would include an additional $3.4 billion for both military and humanitarian assistance in addition to the money requested by the White House, two sources confirmed to The Hill.

How soon? The proposal could be on the House floor as soon as Tuesday, one source told The Hill. Whether it could also pass the Senate by the end of the week depends on if all 100 senators could work out a time agreement and when the House sends over the legislation.

Unattached: The Ukraine aid will not be attached to a $10 billion coronavirus assistance package, a source confirmed. That package has been stuck for weeks in the Senate because Republicans are demanding an amendment vote to prevent the administration from lifting a Trump-era border health policy.

Democrats had eyed linking the two and the idea had support from both Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the White House. But Republicans had vowed to block the Ukraine package if the COVID-19 funds were attached.

The source added that the coronavirus aid would then be a separate bill and both would originate in the House.

Bidens response: In a statement later on Monday, President Biden said he would accept moving the two measures separately. Biden said that even though he urged Congress to act on funding for COVID-19 treatments, the need for aid to Ukraine was too great to put off any further.

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We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort. Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away, Biden said.

Read the full story here.

Biden running out of money source for Ukraine

The Biden administration has reached the end of its presidential drawdown authority funding, with about $100 million left, the Pentagons top spokesman said Monday.

Between President Bidens Friday announcement of a $150 million assistance package to Ukraine and the remaining $100 million, the United States will be able to provide weapons and equipment to Ukraine until about the third week of this month, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters.

Were going to be working that in real time with the Ukrainians, that will get us to about the third week of this month, is what were pretty much anticipating, Kirby said.

A warning: Biden last week warned that the latest round of military assistance for Ukraine  a $150 million package to include artillery munitions, radars and other equipment  would nearly exhaust the military assistance that Congress has so far approved for the administration to deliver to Ukraine.

At the time, he pressed Congress to quickly approve the $33 billion the White House has asked for in additional security, economic and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv  about $5 billion of which would go to additional presidential drawdown authority funding.

How the funding works: Kirby said the drawdown authority allows the United States to get weapons and equipment off our shelves  we already own it, its already ours  and get it right to Ukraine.

We think with what we got left thatll get us through most of this month and in terms of future packages and future material, but thats why were urging Congress to act quickly, he added.

Read more here.

Esper recalls outlandish Trump policy proposals

Mark Esper, the former secretary of Defense under President Trump, says that the former president proposed a number of outlandish foreign policy proposals while he was in the White House, including pulling troops out of South Korea and shutting down embassies in Africa, according to an excerpt from Espers upcoming memoir.

In a new excerpt, shared by Politico, Esper wrote that shortly after he was hired to be the new Pentagon chief in 2019, Trump was railing against NATO and corruption in Ukraine, two personal issues that the rest of the national security and foreign policy team tried to tamp down because they werent considered leading concerns at the time.

Other asks: Trump also said he wanted a complete withdrawal of forces from South Korea and that he wished to bring our people home from embassies in Africa, according to Esper.

None of this was in our nations interests, and as I calmly responded with facts, data and arguments, I saw some irritation in him  I was the new guy pushing back, Esper wrote. I knew right then and there that this job would be far more challenging than I had anticipated, to say the least.

Upcoming revelations: The excerpt comes as Espers book, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, offers a number of bombshell allegations against Trump, including that the former president proposed launching missiles into Mexico to strike drug labs run by the cartels.

Trumps response: The Hill reached out to Trumps team for comment. In response to Espers claim about proposing to launch missiles to strike drug labs in Mexico, the former president said he would not comment on the allegation but called Esper a RINO, or Republican in name only.

Read the full story here.

ON TAP TOMORROW

WHAT WERE READING

Thats it for today. Check out The Hills Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

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Support for a bill to expand the Supreme Court has ticked up among House Democrats in the aftermath of a leaked opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade becoming public.

Since the leak, the Judiciary Act of 2021 has picked up support from five more Democrats. The one-sentence bill would expand the Supreme Court from nine members to 13.

In the last week, Democratic Reps. Brendan Boyle (Pa.), Nanette Diaz Barragan (Calif.), David Cicilline (R.I.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), and Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.) have added their names to the legislation, bringing the total number of bill sponsors to at least 56.

Democratic Reps. Hank Johnson (Ga.), Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) and Mondaire Jones (N.Y.) introduced the bill in April 2021. The pace of new sponsorships significantly slowed by the end of the year, but saw a burst of interest following last weeks leaked draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health that would overturn the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has also announced support for expanding the Supreme Court in recent days.

The draft decision from the Supreme Court on Roe is deeply concerning and Congress must now use every tool at our disposal to protect a womans right to choose, DeSaulnier said in a statement. As the Supreme Court has become increasingly partisan and extremist, now more than ever we must expand the Court to preserve democracy and the personal liberties of millions of Americans, including the right to make ones own health care decisions.

Court expansion advocates say that todays 6-3 conservative majority on the court has been stolen from liberals due to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocking former President Obamas nomination of now-Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2016.

Opponents argue that liberals want to pack the court with justices who would be more favorable to left-wing causes and point to comments from the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, lionized by Democrats, saying that nine was the right number of justices.

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) distanced herself from the proposal last year soon after it was introduced, saying that she had no plans to bring it to the floor. She supports a commission to study the issue. With the new additions, the measure now has support from about a quarter of the House Democratic Caucus.

Demand Justice, a progressive group that has long advocated for liberal judicial nominees and reform measures like court expansion, celebrated the wave of lawmakers signing on to the bill.

The leaked draft opinion makes clear that the only way to protect our Constitutional rights is to expand the Court, and more progressive champions are stepping forward to support the Judiciary Act, said Christopher Kang, chief counsel at Demand Justice.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) leads companion legislation to the Judiciary Act of 2021 in the Senate that is co-sponsored by Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), but it has not seen the same wave of new support in the aftermath of the leak.

Support for Supreme Court expansion is increasing among progressive groups outside Congress, as well. On Tuesday, a coalition of environmental groups including Greenpeace USA, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Climate Action Network endorsed expanding the Supreme Court and support the Justice Act, saying that the nine-member body has been hijacked by far-right partisan interests.

Polls show that Supreme Court expansion is generally unpopular. An April 2021 Politico-Morning Consult poll found that just 26 percent of voters favored expansion and 46 percent said that they thought the number should stay at nine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Democrats are making a seven-figure investment to reach Latino voters ahead of the midterm elections, which they are touting as a "historic" early expenditure.

The Democratic National Committee is launching a paid media campaign of radio and print advertisements in English and Spanish in Latino-rich states. The ads are part of a Latino initiative the committee dubbed Adelante, which translates to forward.

The party announced the spending first to NBC News.

The ads are to run in Texas, Florida, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Parties rarely divulge exact spending for competitive reasons.

The DNC has never done this, this early on and this robust of a figure for investment in Latino messaging and Latino outreach during a midterm election, Maria Cardona, a consultant to the committee, said.

She said the spending was presidential level for spending on Latinos.

Democrats got a national shock in the 2020 presidential election from Latinos who voted at higher percentages for Republicans than in other years.

Joe Biden was elected president with a majority of Latino voters, but his approval ratings among Latinos have slid as inflation has raised the prices of gasoline, food, housing and other basics.

The committees ads will promote the accomplishments of the Biden administration, with the party hoping Latinos struggling with the rising costs will see the administration as helping ease the hard times.

The first print and radio ads, in Spanish, promote Bidens and Vice President Kamala Harris support for and Bidens signing of the American Rescue Plan during the pandemic when it was needed most, the creation of 7.9 million jobs, vaccination of 200 million people, and the passage and the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure law, and the money and jobs attached to it.

Lets go forward. Unite, participate and support Democrats, the ads state.

Newsweek reported last week that two weeks after Bidens election, Democrats held a Zoom meeting with Latino operatives to pick apart why the party lost some of its share of a usually reliable Latino electorate, and to change things in 2022.

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Were seeing theres an urgency for the Democratic Party because we are seeing Latinos move away from us. That was clear in 2020 and there were early meetings and post-election analysis and conversations to make sure that we can do more and we can do better, Alicia Sisneros, a Democratic consultant who was among those at the meeting, told NBC News.

Sisneros said past election cycles have shown repeatedly that the sooner we start talking to communities, especially communities of color, the more likely we are to move them to the Democratic Party and they are to support our candidate.

'We need to invest earlier'

Democrats have said their 2020 campaigning was hampered by the pandemic, since they didn't do the usual door-to-door campaigning and big rallies and gatherings to avoid spreading the virus, while Republicans continued those election activities.

Michelle Villegas Tapia, DNC Latino Coalitions director, said Democrats want to invest in places where Latinos need more resources and where Democrats need to have a bigger presence.

The ad buy is a big show of that in saying we need to invest earlier; we need to invest in places like Pennsylvania and the suburbs of Philadelphia and speak directly to the Puerto Rican community there, for example. Thats something happening in this ad buy.

Republicans have opened field offices that they refer to as community centers in areas with high Latino populations and also are focusing on registering voters in different venues, including gas stations. They are targeting Latinos in Senate races.

I think we are doing better than ever before, not only is Biden underwater in all polls weve received, weve also noticed Latinos are accepting our message of freedom and opportunities, said Jaime Florez, the Republican National Committee's Hispanic communications director.

Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
By Brendan O'Brien

(Reuters) - Three small beds, two dressers and baskets full of clothes and other items cram a bedroom shared by three of Dontrael Starks' children in the family's Denver, Colorado, home. Another child, who is autistic, has her own bedroom.

"We are pretty much on top of each other. We've just grown out of this house," the 42-year-old homeowner told Reuters. He shares a third bedroom with his wife and infant in the house they own. "I've tried to get out of my small house. I've been trying but it never works."

Starks, who is Black and whose parents and grandparents faced difficulties of their own caused by housing discrimination, applied for a new city program that offers down payment and other assistance to residents and direct descendants of individuals who lived in a Denver neighborhood that was redlined between 1938 and 2000. On Monday, Denver officials announced Starks was among the first to be approved to get help.

Redlining, which occurred across the United States starting in the 1930s, kept Black Americans and other minorities from getting government-backed home loans because federal bureaucrats had deemed neighborhoods where most residents were non-white unworthy. Discrimination in lending and other aspects of housing persisted even after fair housing legislation was enacted in 1968.

Neighborhoods to the west and north of central Denver that once appeared on maps crosshatched with red lines as a warning to lenders currently still lag in health, education, transportation and air quality metrics, according to city data. Across the country, three out of every four areas that were once redlined remain low-to-moderate income today, according to a study by the grassroots network National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

For far too long, communities of color have been excluded from the American Dream  cut off from the opportunity to invest in a home of their own, to grow wealth through equity, and to hand that wealth down to the next generation, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement Monday.

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Denver has dedicated $800,000 to the initial phase of the program providing home buyers $15,000 or $25,000, depending on their income, to use for down payment or closing costs for a home in the Denver area. Applicants must earn less than $150,000 a year and have a credit score above 640.

Currently 54% of white households and 41% of minority households own their homes in Denver, according to the Denver Office of Economic Development. Nationwide, 72% of whites and only 43% of Blacks own their home, the largest source of wealth for Americans, the National Association of Realtors https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/u-s-homeownership-rate-experiences-largest-annual-increase-on-record-though-black-homeownership-remains-lower-than-decade-ago reported.

Some Denver neighborhoods that were once redlined are now in demand by higher-income earners because the homes are relatively affordable in a city where, according to a Federal Reserve index, housing prices have increased six-fold since 1990.

Terri Gentry, a board member of the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center in Denver, noted incomes have not kept up.

"So how in the world are people supposed to be able to afford the cost of housing?" said Gentry, whose family has lived in Denver for generations. Gentry said she hopes the redlining housing assistance program will help.

"I'll never give up hope," she said.

The conversation around redressing the impact of racism, often referred to as reparations, has gained attention following the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in recent years.

"There are historic and current crimes and egregious racial discrimination and other discrimination as it relates to housing in Denver and every other city in America," said Robin Rue Simmons, executive director of FirstRepair, an organization that informs local reparations efforts.

Simmons led an effort in Evanston, Illinois, that resulted in reparation offers to Black residents whose families suffered lasting damage from decades of discriminatory practices in that Chicago suburb. The first phase will provide up to $25,000 to 16 eligible Black residents for home repairs, down payments or mortgage payments.

"Like the work in Denver, the work in Evanston and every other city in America is one small step of many that need to happen quickly," Simmons said. "We are in a state of emergency in terms of our racial gaps and the trajectory of the quality of life and life circumstances, particularly of Black residents."

(This story corrects first paragraph description)

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Donna Bryson and Aurora Ellis)
Johnny Depp, Jennifer Grey, and Amber Heard. JIM WATSON/Getty Images; Amy Sussman / Getty Images; Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS

Jennifer Grey told Extra that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are "damaged."

"I don't know him. I haven't known him for 30 years," she clarified.

She described the Depp she knew as "so charming and quirky and weird."

"Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey opened up to Extra about her ex-fiance Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard's legal battle.

"These are people who are damaged and continuing to damage each other," she told Extra's Rachel Lindsay. "It breaks my heart."

In 2019, Depp filed the $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard over Heard's 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse."

In the lawsuit, Depp claims that Heard is lying about the fact that she experienced domestic abuse in their relationship to further her own acting career and hurt his career.

Heard has countersued, saying he repeatedly physically abused her throughout their relationship, which ended in 2016.

"I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real-time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse," Heard wrote in her Washington Post essay.

Heard doesn't name Depp in the Washington Post, but his lawyers have said it was "plainly" about him and has "devastated" his career and caused him to face "public scorn."

In her interview with Extra promoting her memoir "Out of the Corner," Grey noted that it's been a long time since Depp was in her life. "I don't know him. I haven't known him for 30 years," she said.

She described the person she knew in the late 1980s as "funny and sweet....and so charming and quirky and weird and self-effacing and just so unique."

Depp and Grey were engaged for nine months in the late '80s following her split from her "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" costar Matthew Broderick. She and Broderick were also engaged, but their relationship ended after they were in a car crash in Ireland together that resulted in the deaths of two people.

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Grey previously told People that "energetically" being with Depp made her feel like, "Oh, I'm being totally, totally compensated for the shit I just went through," seemingly referring to the car crash.

But the former "Dancing With the Stars" champion also revealed a darker side to Depp in the pages of her memoir. In an excerpt published by The Independent, Grey wrote that Depp began "missing his flights home to LA having overslept or, when he did come home, he'd be crazy jealous and paranoid about what I'd been up to while he was gone."

Johnny Depp and Jennifer Grey. Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images

"I attributed his ill-temper and unhappiness to him feeling miserable and powerless to get off '21 Jump Street,'" Grey wrote, referring to the 1987 to 1991 Fox TV series that launched Depp's acting career.

Their engagement, which, according to Grey began when Depp proposed to her just two weeks into their romantic relationship, ended when she left a note for Depp in their hotel room after he left for a meeting one day and failed to come back or contact her.

"Out of the Corner" is available now.

Read the original article on Insider
Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

You put your babies in the womb, you will be held accountable! yelled Steve Corson, tall, bearded and jabbing a finger at women who chanted back: My body, my choice!

Related: How GOP lawmakers are prepping to ban abortion as soon as legally possible

Corson took a deep breath and blew into a shofar. Then Nathan Darnell, wearing a Jesus Christ is king cap and holding aloft a cross, grabbed a megaphone.

You guys are demon-possessed! declared the 19-year-old from Haymarket, Virginia. You guys are controlled by demons, all of you. Every child has a right to life.

Suddenly Darnell was surrounded by abortion rights protesters brandishing placards. He kept talking.

You guys are evil. The downfall of America is because of every one of you.

The national day of prayer last Thursday was anything but a solemn occasion outside the supreme court in Washington, where hours earlier an unscalable black fence had been erected, reminiscent of the one that surrounded the US Capitol after the January 6 insurrection.

The fury was unleashed by a leaked draft opinion that showed the nations highest court provisionally voted to overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that effectively legalised abortion. It was a political earthquake that revealed American women are perilously close to losing a fundamental right.

It was also a milestone in Americas seemingly inexorable journey from United States to divided states. The likely demise of Roe v Wade could drive the biggest wedge yet between what appear to be two irreconcilable nations coexisting under one flag.

Liberal states would become sanctuaries for women seeking abortions and saturated with providers; conservative states would turn into deserts that ban the procedure and criminalise doctors who provide it. Some wonder if the countrys social fabric, frayed by four years of Donald Trumps presidency, can survive.

The death of Roe is going to tear America apart, ran the headline of a New York Times column by Michelle Goldberg, which concluded that the death of Roe will intensify our national animus, turning red states and blue into mutually hostile legal territories. You think we hate each other now? Just wait until the new round of lawsuits start.

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Simon Schama, a historian, tweeted: When Roe vs Wade is overturned it will be time to find a different name for this country.

The supreme courts draft majority opinion, written by Samuel Alito and circulated on 10 February, was leaked to Politico on Monday. It argued in contemptuous tones that Roe v Wade was egregiously wrong from the start and enflamed debate and deepened division.

For 50 years you can have a right  and it could be taken away by five people Rochelle Rubin

Four other Republican-appointed justices  Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  agreed that Roe must be overruled. If that decision becomes final, possibly next month, it will tear down a national precedent and turn America into a chaotic legal patchwork.

The first restrictions would take effect in 13 states with so-called trigger laws to be enacted once Roe is overturned. Some such laws ban abortions almost completely while others would outlaw it after six or 15 weeks. The speed of trigger laws could vary. In Texas, a near-total ban would go into effect 30 days after a supreme court decision.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organisation, estimates that 26 of 50 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe is overturned, leaving women in swaths of the south-west and midwest without access. In 11 states there would be no exemptions for rape and incest. Republicans in Louisiana are even considering a bill that would allow prosecutors to charge those having abortions with homicide.

Most states where abortion would still be legal are on the west coast or in the north-east. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, on Monday proposed enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution. In Oregon, Democrats recently passed a bill to create a $15m fund to assist with the costs of abortion, including for women from outside the state.

Women might have to travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion. This is likely to be especially difficult for women in poverty, often including women of colour, and lead to a sharp climb in unsafe abortions. Republican-led states have already made efforts to restrict abortion pills, which can be prescribed through online visits.

This is personal for me

There have been fierce disputes over healthcare, immigration and race in recent years  the journalist Carl Bernstein has spoken of a cold civil war  but few can match the raw emotional power of reproductive rights. That much was clear outside the fortified supreme court on Thursday, as two vociferous groups faced off.

Rev Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said into a microphone: We look forward to the day when abortion ends up on the scrap heap of history like chattel slavery and segregation.

Rochelle Rubin, about 20 paces away, shouted: You dont have a uterus! Shut up!

Her voice shaking, Rubin, 50, an estate agent and lawyer, explained later: This is personal for me. I was born the last year that women could not have abortions. My mother had no choice. Had she made the choice she would have had me, but women of her generation did not have choice.

If I didnt have a choice, my life would be very different today than it would have been. Ten years years ago I exercised my choice and had an abortion. For 50 years you can have a right  and it could be taken away by five people.

Even as abortion rights activists shouted Keep your rosaries off my ovaries! and held placards such as Womens bodies are more regulated than guns, Mahoney said he was overjoyed by the draft opinion but acknowledged the societal shockwaves.

He said: Can America get any more divided than we are? Tragically, yes it can. We certainly saw that happen on January 6, which was tragic. I would say we have to find a way to address this. Lets deal locally so if you have California on one end and Alabama on another end, lets just work on that.

Mahoney, 68, added: What you see on the streets is the cutting edge of the cultural fault lines that we see in our country. We saw that with the tragic murder of George Floyd. But our nation went through this upheaval and were moving forward so thats what I hope happens here.

The interview was repeatedly interrupted as Mahoney broke off to restrain fellow anti-abortion activists from confronting female protesters.

Thats not who we are, he said, and it was true that women from the opposing sides engaged in civil conversations while in fundamental disagreement.

It is going to get heated up, no doubt about it. It should. Its a good issue to get heated up about Steve Corson

But Corson, 65, from Fredonia, Arizona, gripping his shofar and the Stars and Stripes, was more aggressive. He said: I dont respect their view at all. They didnt come out with My body, my choice when it came to the [Covid] vaccine.

They have a human body inside them; we speak for that human body; theyre just speaking for themselves. I get sick and tired of these people. They are very corrupt and evil and on the wrong side. It is going to get heated up, no doubt about it. It should. Its a good issue to get heated up about.

The great divide on abortion is not a 50-50 split. It is asymmetric. A poll released by the Data for Progress thinktank after this weeks leak showed voters wanted to keep Roe by a two-to-one margin. Democrats, independents and more than a third of Republicans support it.

Its imminent fall is due to a quirk of US democracy that skews the electoral college, Senate and supreme court out of kilter with the popular will. Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett were appointed by Trump, who lost the national popular vote by 3m, after Senate Republicans blocked Barack Obamas last nominee, Merrick Garland.

This sense of injustice at this democratic deficit  which gives significantly more representation to white citizens than citizens of colour  is only likely to incite anger and dissent as blue states go one way and red states go the other.

Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said: The basic structure of politics with all these small rural states being essentially overrepresented is creating the situation where minorities can control the majority. People are going to be furious about it.

Already friends of mine in New York City talk about not letting their tax dollars go to red states because the irony is that all the blue states send more money to the federal government than they get back and the goddam red states take all the money and then try to run the lives of everybody in the blue states.

So there really is a war going on and its a cultural war but its one that they [Republicans] are destined to lose.

If Roe is struck down, Kamarck noted, it will be the clearest differentiation of rights by state since the era of Jim Crow, when some states racially segregated public places and others did not. This could be a recipe for battles over sovereignty, with red states passing laws to extradite anyone who helps their residents get an abortion and blue states passing laws to shield their own doctors.

States have been drifting apart for years, across fault lines characterised as liberal v conservative, Black v white, urban v rural, college-educated v blue collar, Hollywood v heartland, mask wearers v vaccine sceptics and MSNBC v Fox News. The 2016 presidential election was framed as Trumps deplorables against Hillary Clintons coastal elites. The supreme court looks ready to toss a grenade into the mix.

Barbara Walter, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, and author of How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them, said: What I fear will happen is that it will further create this urban-rural divide where the more moderate and liberal voices in red states will move, or their children will move, because they will not want their rights restricted.

If youre a big corporation that employs a lot of women, are you going to move to states where they and their daughters are not treated equally or theyre under these increasingly restrictive and medieval laws?

Backfire of the century

The fight is under way. A liberal group published the addresses of conservative supreme court justices and encouraged protesters to walk by them. A day of action for abortion rights is planned for Saturday. The issue could also galvanise Democratic turnout in Novembers midterm elections.

Abortion activists demonstrate in New Yorks Union Square on Thursday. Photograph: J Mayer/REX/Shutterstock

Eric Swalwell, a Democratic congressman from California, said: There will be an effort to turn out young women and their male allies when that decision comes. I hope it doesnt have to happen but I think its going to be the backfire of the century for Republicans.

The Senate will vote on legislation that would codify abortion rights into federal law but Democrats do not have 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster, which means the Joe Biden-backed effort will fail.

Related: Ending Roe v Wade could badly backfire on Republicans during elections this year | Lloyd Green

There have never been so few Republicans who support abortion rights, nor have there ever been so few Democrats who call themselves pro-life.

Fareed Zakaria, an author and broadcaster, warned in the Washington Post: You cannot really understand America anymore by looking at averages. It has become two countries. One is urban, more educated, multiracial, secular and largely left of center. The other is rural, less educated, religious, white and largely right of center.

Blue America would fit comfortably with northern European Protestant countries, Zakaria said, while red Americas cultural values make it closer to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

For the countrys political future, the central question is now this: can these two Americas find a way to live, work, cooperate with and tolerate one another? If not, the abortion battle may be the precursor to even larger struggles.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron has addressed erroneous fan speculation that Tom Cruise would appear the film as Iron Man.

Before the films worldwide theatrical release on 6 May, Marvel fans claimed they had spotted the shadowy figure of Cruise as Iron Man  a character played by Robert Downey Jr for over a decade  in the trailers.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine published on Monday (9 May), Waldron said he agreed with Marvel Cinematic Universe followers who thought the Top Gun actor should play an alternate Iron Man in the multiverse, but that it was never an option for the Doctor Strange sequel.

Speaking to the publication, Waldron revealed the theory that the 59-year-old would play a variant Iron Man in Doctor Strange 2 was totally made up by fans.

Yeah, that was totally made up, Waldron told Rolling Stone, adding, I mean, theres no cut footage of Tom Cruise!

However, Waldron revealed he did ask Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige whether there was any chance they could cast Cruise because thatd be so cool.

I love Tom Cruise, and I said to Kevin at one point, I was like, Could we get Tom Cruises Iron Man?, Waldron explained, adding that Cruises schedule didnt align with filming dates for Multiverse of Madness.

The ppl who fought for this figure being Tom Cruise's Superior Iron Man must feel STUPID rn pic.twitter.com/zfDucoNqYU  Brian | MoM era (@BrianScottLang) April 28, 2022

When asked what Feiges reponse to him was, Waldron said: Well, I mean, [Cruise] was shooting Mission Impossible 7 and 8.

Futhermore, he confirmed no one from the studio actually reached out to the 59-year-old regarding a cameo in the film because it was never an option because of availability.

Spoilers:



Bro Ive been saying this there is another Illuminati member we havent seen. There is an empty seat so someone didnt show up to the meeting not saying its Tom cruise iron man but I need to know who is this mystery person. #DoctorStrange #MultiverseOfMadness pic.twitter.com/ygRV1PIgQX  CMU (@Soham59747351) May 8, 2022

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the films titular character Dr Steven Strange, previously joked that Cruise was in every scene, if you havent seen the trailer.

It is the biggest kept secret, he quipped in an interview with The Indian Express.
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - A court in El Salvador jailed a woman for 30 years on Monday for killing her unborn baby daughter even though she had been suffering what she said was an obstetric emergency, an organization dedicated to decriminalizing abortion said.

The woman, a mother of a 7-year-old girl, had a health emergency during her pregnancy in 2019 and sought assistance in a public hospital, but was denounced and detained, according to the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion.

Neither the Salvadoran attorney general's office, nor the communications office of the country's judicial authority immediately responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

A judge convicted the 28-year-old housewife, identified only as "Esme" for security reasons, after she was held in pre-trial detention for two years. It was the first case of its kind in the past seven years, the citizen group said.

"(The ruling) is a hard blow for the road to overcome the criminalization of obstetric emergencies that, as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has already pointed out, must be treated as public health problems," Morena Herrera, president of the group, said in a statement.

The woman's lawyers said in a statement they would appeal against the decision and noted this was the first conviction of its kind under the administration of President Nayib Bukele.

Over the last 20 years, El Salvador, which has banned abortion under all circumstances, including cases of rape and when the woman's health is in danger, has criminally prosecuted some 181 women who suffered obstetric emergencies, according to the abortion rights group.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in November that El Salvador had violated the rights of a woman identified as Manuela who was sent to prison for breaching the abortion laws and died while serving her 30-year sentence.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Heading into summer, numbers on the thermometer and on your electric bill will be going up.

June 1 happens to be one of those magic dates where every electric utility in Pennsylvania is resetting their energy prices, said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Hagen-Frederiksen explained the cost increase is not to make money, but rather to account for rising global energy costs.

The price of every type of fuel has really been increasing since last fall, he said. Utilities, by law, cannot earn a profit on those charges, but they also dont take a loss.

Electric bills are broken into two parts: charges for the electricity you consume and charges to maintain the infrastructure.

Its about a 50-50 split. Only the cost of energy consumed is rising. That portion of the bill is set to increase about 45% for West Penn customers, according to the PUC.

For Penn Power customers, the increase will be 23%. For the average household, that will mean an extra $12 to $20 per month.

West Penn Powers residential price to compare effective June 1 will increase about 44 percent from 5.67 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 8.2 cents per kWh. For the typical residential West Penn Power customer using 750 kWh of electricity per month, the monthly bill would rise from $74.91 to $93.89 for an overall bill increase of about 25 percent. Keep in mind that roughly 50 percent of the electric bill is for the electricity itself. The price to compare that changes, and the other half is for West Penn Power to deliver it to homes and businesses through our wires. Distribution rates that do not change quarterly, said a spokesperson from West Penn Power.

The change in prices for West Penn Power is believed to be the result of the rising costs seen throughout the power industry as a whole.

The price to compare is increasing due largely to increases in the cost of natural gas and other commodities used as fuel to generate power, said the spokesperson.

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Duquesne Light has not yet released its new costs, but they are expected to be in line with the others.

The electricity you dont use is the cheapest electricity youre ever going to get, said Hagen-Frederiksen.

To limit usage and cut costs, you can use fans instead of cranking up your air conditioning, unplug unused appliances, run only full loads of laundry and take other conservation measures.

In most parts of the state, you can also shop around and find the energy supplier with the cheapest rates.

The more electricity you use, generally, the more likely you are to shop because those cents per kilowatt hour or partial cents per kilowatt hour add up at the end of the month, said Hagen-Frederiksen.

Experts caution that if you are going to shop around for suppliers, make sure you read the fine print of your contract and know what youre signing up for.

Click here for more information on how to shop for electricity suppliers.

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Watch: Elizabeth Line to open on May 24

The Elizabeth Line, London's newest railway, will finally open this month after years of delays and a spiralling budget.

The project  also known as Crossrail  was approved in 2007, with an estimated budget of 15.9billion and plans to open in 2017.

The cost has since ballooned to around 18.9 billion and the opening date was repeatedly pushed back, most recently due to the COVID pandemic.

But the wait is nearly over, as the line will start running on May 24. Here is everything you need to know about how it will impact your journey.

What is the Elizabeth Line route?



The new line will run from Reading and Heathrow Airport to Shenfield, Essex and Abbey Wood, south east London, via the centre of London.

Elizabeth Line map: The new route will open on May 24. (PA Graphics)

However, you won't be able to travel directly between those places from May 24.

The line will initially operate as three separate railways, with a change of trains required at Paddington and Liverpool Street.

The three sections are expected to be integrated in the autumn, although no date has been given.

Will Crossrail run seven days a week?



Not yet. Elizabeth Line services will initially operate from Mondays to Saturdays, as further testing will take place on Sundays.

The Sunday closures will be lifted on June 5 to help people travelling in the capital during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Services which are already running in the east and west sections will continue to operate every day, but they will be rebranded from TfL Rail to the Elizabeth Line.

The three sections are expected to be integrated in the autumn. (PA Media)

The full 2022 route for the Elizabeth Line in 2022, according to the Crossrail website. (Crossrail)

How often will trains run?



There will initially be 12 trains an hour in the central London section between 6.30am and 11pm.

A full timetable of up to 24 trains per hour won't be in place until May 2023.

Once it is fully running, the line is expected to boost rail capacity in central London by 10%.

How much will fares cost?



Elizabeth Line journeys in central London will cost the same as equivalent Tube fares.

Fares on services currently operated by TfL Rail will be unchanged.

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How long will my journey take?



Many journeys within the capital will be quicker by the new line than by Tube.

According to travel app Citymapper, platform-to-platform journeys between Liverpool Street and Paddington will be cut from 18 minutes to 10 minutes.

Signage on display at the Paddington Elizabeth Line Station. Picture date: Monday March 14, 2022.

How will it compare to the Central Line?



Many passengers currently use the Central Line for east-west journeys across London, but these trains are often crowded and hot during the summer.

Elizabeth Line trains will be more comfortable, featuring walk-through carriages, air-condition, wi-fi and travel information screens and air-conditioning.

Which new stations are opening?



Ten new stations are opening at the following locations:

Paddington

Bond Street (won't be open until the end of 2022)

Tottenham Court Road

Farringdon

Liverpool Street

Whitechapel

Canary Wharf

Custom House

Woolwich

Abbey Wood

The cost of the project has ballooned to around 18.9 billion. (PA Media)

Transport for London (TfL) has said these spaces will be lighter, brighter and larger than most of Tube stations.

TfL commissioner Andy Byford said: "The opening day is set to be a truly historic moment for the capital and the UK, and we look forward to showcasing a simply stunning addition to our network."

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the Elizabeth Line will make the capital "safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous".

He added: "Green public transport is the future, and the opening of the Elizabeth line is a landmark moment for our capital and our whole country, particularly in this special Platinum Jubilee year."
Elon Musk has jokingly revealed who he will hand over control of Twitter to should he die under mysterious circumstances.

The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder has sent several cryptic tweets since purchasing the social media site on 25 April for approximately $44bn (34.5bn).

One, which arrived on Monday (9 May), read: If I die under mysterious circumstances, its been nice knowin ya.

In response, YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, wrote: "If that happens can I have Twitter. Musk simply  and saeemingly jokingly  replied: OK.

MrBeast is kown for his intense YouTube videos in which he performs elaborate and expensive stunts.

His YouTube page has more than 95 million subscribers  in 2021, the 24-year-old was named the sites to US creator for the second year running.

YouTube star MrBeast (Getty Images for Nickelodeon)

After Musk announced he had acquired Twitter, many reacted to news of the sale by announcing they were abandoning their accounts.

Presenter and Good Place actor Jameela Jamil made headlines by saying she was leaving the site due to fears of how the environment will change under Musks ownership.
Eurovision week is underway, with the first semi-final taking place on Tuesday 10 May.

Russia has been banned from this years Song Contest, marking the first time the country will not participate since its debut in 1994.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the music event, banned Russia from the 2022 competition following its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

In February, the EBU organisers initially said they had no plans to prevent Russia from taking part, then swiftly backtracked and banned the country from competing.

The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this years Contest would bring the competition into disrepute, it said in a statement at the time.

We remain dedicated to protecting the values of a cultural competition which promotes international exchange and understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music and unites Europe on one stage, said the EBU.

Russia was originally set to perform in the second half of the first semi-final on 10 May 2022, and they did not announce its act for this year. Last year, Russias Manizha placed 9th place with her song Russian Woman.

In recent years, Russia had finished with five Top 5 finishes in the past decade, and took home the trophy in 2008 with Dima Bilan singing Believe.

After Russias exit, a total of 40 countries will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, Italy this week.

Ukraine has selected the rap trio Kalush Orchestra to compete. Their song Stefania  a track that blends hip hop and traditional Ukrainian music - was written as a tribute to their mothers. Fronted by Kyiv rapper, Oleh Psiuk, the Kalush Orchestra also consists of multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk and dancer Vlad Kurochka.

Kalush Orchestra during rehearsals in Turin (EBU/PA)

Alina Pash was originally chosen through a televised national selection show and was due to sing her song, Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors. However, she withdrew after facing scrutiny over a reported 2015 visit to Russia-occupied Crimea.

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People who enter Crimea through Russia are considered by Ukraine to have illegally crossed the border, although there is no suggestion that Pash did this.

Kalush Orchestra were granted special permission to leave Ukraine to travel to the contest in Italy, after nearly all men under the age of 65 are required to stay in the country in case they are needed to fight Russian soldiers.

Some people are saying we could win because of the war, but our song was among the five favourites before the start of the conflict, which means people like it regardless, said leading man Psiuk in an interview with the Italian news agency Ansa.

It is predicted that the group will be successful in the semi-finals, given that Stefania is currently the most-viewed Eurovision entry on YouTube among the 40 contenders.

The Eurovision semi-finals take place on 10 and 12 May, while the grand final is on Saturday 14 May.
(Reuters) - Electric carmaker Lucid Group plans to launch luxury sedans in Europe later this year, as the Tesla rival aims to expand its footprint outside the United States amid strong global demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

The company will launch its Lucid Air Dream Edition P and R sedans in limited numbers for customers in Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway in late 2022, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lucid added it would price its Air Dream Edition P/R at about 218,000 euros ($230,208.00) in Germany.

Last week, the company said it would raise 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.

Lucid said on Tuesday it also plans to open its first European retail location in Munich on May 13, adding it aims to open additional studio and service center locations in Europe this year.

The California-headquartered company, which makes its vehicles at an Arizona plant, last week reiterated its 2022 production volume outlook of 12,000 to 14,000 vehicles.

($1 = 0.9470 euros)

(Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh and Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Former defence secretary Mark Esper said he believes Donald Trump was a threat to democracy, alleging that his actions led to the Capitol riots last year.

I think that, given the events of 6 January, given how he has undermined the election results, he incited people to come to DC, stirred them up that morning, and failed to call them off. To me, that threatens our democracy, Mr Esper told Fox News on Monday.

The former defence secretary, who has made scathing revelations about Mr Trump in his forthcoming book A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, said he hopes his former boss doesnt run for office in 2024.

I hope that the Republican base can figure out that, while president Trump pushed a lot of traditional Republican ideas - smaller government, less taxes, a stronger military, border security, all those things, that there are other candidates out there that could run that could do it without dividing the people, without creating such tension within the country, and do it by growing the base as well, he added.

Mr Esper also claimed that the former presidents closest military advisers were involved in an effort to thwart his bosss worst impulses while in office.

Do you think Donald Trump was a threat to democracy? pic.twitter.com/TRM5yKlNdS  Acyn (@Acyn) May 9, 2022

The last year of the Trump administration we prevented really bad things, dangerous things... that could have taken the country in a dark direction, Mr Esper told CBS.

He explained he and Pentagon chief Mark Milley devised a system called the four Nos to prevent the politicisation of the military among other things.

In another bombshell allegation, Mr Esper claimed Mr Trump suggested launching missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs and wipe out cartels.

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Although the former president did not deny the Mexico allegation, he attacked Mr Esper by refuting other claims and calling him weak and a lightweight.

Mark Esper was weak and totally ineffective and because of it, I had to run the military, Mr Trump told CBS in a written response.

Mark Esper was a stiff who was desperate not to lose his job. He would do anything I wanted, thats why I called him Yesper. He was a lightweight and figurehead, and I realised it very early on, he added.

Mr Esper was fired by Mr Trump in November 2020, reportedly after arguments between them over police brutality and the response to protests over racial inequality in the US.
Police worked into the night investigating a murder at a home on Old Main Road in Falmouth Tuesday.

Officers found a young woman shot to death inside a bedroom upstairs.

They were concerned that she might still be alive, and they entered the house and went upstairs while the gunman was outside the house still holding the gun, said Michael OKeefe, district attorney for the Cape and Islands.

While police responded to the victim, they spent hours in a standoff with the suspect outside, who was still holding a gun.

Police told people who live nearby to evacuate their homes.

In case there was gunfire, we didnt want anybody to get involved in crossfire, said Edward Dunne, Falmouths police chief.

They just said you have to come now, so I walk out. Then you see this policeman with guns on the ground pointing to that house, so it was pretty scary, said Barbara Fagan, who lives nearby.

After a few hours, police were able to safely arrest Tyler Gibbs, 23, and charged him with killing Kianna Barrows inside her home.

She was 20 years old.

Well its very frightening, especially in this neighborhood, you dont hear about that happening in Megansett. Its a very safe neighborhood, and its one of those places where your kids are out playing, youre out walking your dogs and you feel safe  you dont have this happen here, said Camala Richardson, who lives nearby.

While SWAT teams and police were in a standoff with the suspect, North Falmouth School  right across the street - was put into lockdown as a precaution.

We safely evacuated all the children through the buses because it was an early dismissal day, by the way. But we were working with the superintendent and able to get them all free, safely out of here, and return home or to their parents at another location, said Chief Dunne.

The DA wouldnt give details on the relationship between the victim and the suspect, but he believes they did know each other.

This message is to inform you there is a situation in the vicinity of Old Main Road and Curley Boulevard in North... Posted by North Falmouth Elementary School on Tuesday, May 10, 2022

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Joey and Paula Reed with a portrait of their son, the Marine veteran Trevor Reed, at their home in Fort Worth, Texas, in February. AP Photo/LM Otero, File

Ted Cruz expressed public relief that the US citizen Trevor Reed was released from Russian prison.

Reed's father said he was not "appreciative" of Cruz's lack of action in helping to free his son.

A family spokesperson told Insider Cruz could've used his influence to speak with President Trump.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas "didn't do anything" to aid in the Marine Trevor Reed's release from Russian custody, Reed's father, Joey Reed, said.

Trevor Reed was detained in Moscow in 2019 after being convicted of attacking Russian police. He suffered during his stay in a Russian prison, including getting a suspected broken rib and catching COVID-19, his family has said.

He was released on April 27 as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the US. Reed was swapped for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot sentenced for drug smuggling.

"He didn't do anything," Joey Reed said of Cruz in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. "He's an embarrassment to the state of Texas, let me just say that. I don't care what or who runs against him, I will work for their campaign to defeat that son of a bitch."

The father was so dissatisfied with Cruz' actions surrounding his son that when Cruz called to congratulate the Reed family after publicly showing support for his son's release, the elder Reed said he asked: "Where have you been for the last 2 1/2 years?"

"I hit him point-blank: 'We are not appreciative,'" Reed told The Dallas Morning News.

"They don't need celebratory tweets or phone calls when their loved one has been released," Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for the Reeds, told Insider. "They need tweets and phone calls when their loved ones are in jail."

Reed called Cruz asking for help years prior, but Cruz's staff said he couldn't speak out about his son's detainment publicly because the senator was an "enemy of Putin," Reed said.

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Franks told Insider the call between the Reeds and Cruz's staff member was "unfortunate" and that the senator had not called to check in again until Trevor Reed's release.

Franks also said that it was not a partisan attack  rather, the family wanted to emphasize that Cruz's outsize influence in the world of politics could have been beneficial to the family's fight.

"Particularly when Trump was president, it would've helped a lot if Ted Cruz had picked up the phone and called the president and said, 'Bring this kid home.'" Franks told Insider. "We were almost there. Like, he could have picked up the phone, called Trump, and told him to make a deal."

Franks told Insider that he could not confirm if Cruz had taken such an action privately without the family's knowledge.

Sen. Cruz said in a statement to Insider that he was "overjoyed" that Trevor had been released from detainment, and discussed freeing Trevor with both the Trump and Biden Administrations, "including speaking directly to the US Ambassador to Russia about the urgency of freeing Trevor."

Cruz told Insider he did not speak out partly because administration officials told him it could be "counterproductive" since he had been so against Russia's proposed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but he would have "eagerly taken a public role" otherwise.

"I'm very sorry that Trevor's family interpreted this as not prioritizing his release, and my heart breaks for them for having to endure all the pain of Trevor's imprisonment," Cruz told Insider.

Joey Reed told The Dallas Morning News that GOP Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas also publicly went against the Nord Stream 2 and had still been a vocal advocate for Trevor Reed's release.

Read the original article on Business Insider
CBS-Losangeles

Chief Brian Fennessy with the Orange County Fire Authority said, "These are not Santa Ana winds. These are coastal winds that we experience, generally, every day. The big difference, and we're seeing it again, is with the climate change. The fuel beds in this county , throughout Southern California and throughout the west, are so dry that fire like this is going to be more commonplace.
Images of Timothy Hale-Cusanelli sporting a Hitler mustache. These images were recovered from his cellphone by NCIS special agents. US Department of Justice

A Capitol rioter who was known to sport a Hitler mustache to work heads to trial later this month.

But jurors won't hear any details about Timothy Hale-Cusanelli's Nazi fascination, a judge ruled.

The judge said evidence of Hale-Cusanelli's racist past could unfairly sway the jury, according to WUSA.

A DC jury this month will be spared the most audacious details of a Capitol rioter's anti-Semitic and racist beliefs after a federal judge said its inclusion could convince jurors to unfairly convict him.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli faces multiple felony charges for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, including civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. His trial is set to begin May 23.

The New Jersey man made headlines following the insurrection after his longtime fascination with Adolph Hitler and Nazi ideology was made public. More than 30 coworkers told federal investigators that the former Navy contractor was open and honest about his extremist views, and sported a Hitler-style mustache at work.

An Insider investigation in March 2021 found that Hale-Cusanelli liked to impersonate Hitler around his workplace at a Naval weapons station, espousing cruel anti-Semitic remarks that left his colleagues intimidated. Hale-Cusanelli had a deep internet history suggesting long-held white supremacist views and was also known to antagonize his local Jewish community, Insider's investigation found.

"Hitler should have finished the job," one Navy Petty Officer remembered Hale-Cusanelli saying.

But members of the jury won't hear about Hale-Cusanelli's pro-Nazi past, US District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled during a pretrial conference last week. Prosecutors will be barred from entering any of Hale-Cusanelli's racist history as evidence because doing so would be "unduly prejudicial," the judge said, according to WUSA, which was first to report on the Friday ruling.

McFadden did rule in favor of allowing evidence that Hale-Cusanelli desired a civil war and expressed his wish to "purge Congress." Jurors will also hear a recording in which Hale-Cusanelli reportedly bragged about encouraging the crowd of pro-Trump supporters to move forward during the January 6 riot and suggested that the mob could have taken the entire building if they'd had more men, according to WUSA.

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The judge on Friday denied a motion from Hale-Cusanelli to dismiss some of the charges against him.

An attorney for Hale-Cusanelli previously asked the judge to let him question possible jurors about their beliefs surrounding Hitler and the Nazis  a now-moot line of questioning. The lawyer, Jonathan Crisp, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Insider's investigation into Hale-Cusanelli last year also revealed that he held a secret-level security clearance at the Naval Weapons Station Earle where he worked and was honored several times for his service in the Army Reserves. Hale-Cusanelli also has a long history of former arrests, Insider found.

At least 828 people have been charged in the deadly January 6 attack thus far, and nearly 280 have pleaded guilty.

Read the original article on Business Insider
May 10FARMINGTON  A federal judge has denied a Rangeley man's request to use medical marijuana for health reasons while on bail in an alleged illicit marijuana growing operation and money laundering scheme.

Magistrate Judge John Nivison heard Lucas Sirois' motion April 13 at U.S. District Court in Bangor, which was held via video hearing. It was denied Friday.

A 2021 federal complaint alleges the former Farmington resident was the leader of the operation in the Franklin County area. He and co-conspirators took in more than $13 million over six years through the illicit sale of marijuana, according to the complaint.

Sirois pleaded not guilty to a 15-count indictment in November 2021 that included complaints against three businesses he partly owns, including Narrow Gauge in Farmington. Ten others named in the indictment also pleaded not guilty. Two others not named in the indictment pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Sirois structured his operations to appear as though they complied with Maine's medical marijuana laws while he regularly sold bulk marijuana on the illicit market, including more than $1 million worth of marijuana for out-of-state distribution between 2018 and 2019, according federal prosecutors.

Marijuana use is illegal by federal law, but it is legal in Maine.

On Oct. 28, 2021, the U.S. District Court in Bangor ordered Sirois to follow certain conditions of release pending conclusion of this case.

"The order requires that defendant not use marijuana and 'not violate federal, state, or local law,'" according to Nivison's order. The Maine law that permits the use of medical marijuana "does not override the federal requirements for conditions of pretrial release  where federal law and state law provide contradictory directives, federal law controls," the order states.

Sirois' attorney, Timothy Parlatore, had requested release conditions be amended.

Parlatore gave three options: Permit Sirois to continue using his physician-prescribed cannabis medicine; direct that he not be sanctioned for such use as long as it complies with Maine law; or direct that pretrial services not file any violation petition based solely on a urinalysis test indicating positive for THC, given legal hemp derivatives.

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U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee and U.S. Assistant Attorney Noah Falk opposed the motion to modify conditions of his release.

The "court should enforce the existing terms of supervision and the federal law by continuing to prohibit the defendant's use of medical marijuana," according to their response. The "Controlled Substances Act contains no exceptions  express or implied  for medically prescribed marijuana," according to prosecutors.

One of Sirois' mandatory release conditions is that he not violate federal, state or local law while on release. The conditions include not using or possessing controlled substances unless prescribed by a medical professional. The condition explicitly excludes the use of marijuana "even with a prescription," according to Nivison's order.
A Cincinnati-area nursing home will soon be added to the long list of county-run facilities statewide that have closed their doors.

The Butler County Board of Commissioners said Monday that they will implement a plan to close the Butler County Care Facility in Hamilton by the end of the year.

Closure of the 109-bed facility comes in response to difficulties attracting and retaining staff; changing Medicaid and Medicare regulations; availability of skilled nursing care providers elsewhere in the county; and operating costs, officials said in a news release.

Officials said only 28 residents remain in the facility, adding those residents will be absorbed into other care facilities in the local market.

Cincinnati nursing homes: 5 area nursing facilities added as candidates for federal list of most troubled centers

"The County will deploy necessary resources to compassionately place the remaining residents and assist in finding other opportunities for our employees," board president Don Dixon said in a statement.

Dixon said it "no longer makes sense" for Butler County to operate a skilled nursing facility, noting the challenges placed on staff and residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past, Dixon has publicly questioned why the county kept its nursing home open. "As a nursing facility goes, I dont think the county has a need to be in that business," he told The Enquirer in 2014.

The facility in Butler County is one of 15 county-run nursing homes remaining in the state, according to the release. Commissioners previously supplemented the "financially fragile" nursing home with taxpayer dollars, officials said.

Blue Ash: Blue Ash facility lands on list of nation's most troubled nursing homes  for second time

During the pandemic, the facility has been financed through Cares Act or U.S. Health and Human Services funding, according to the county.

Opened in 1975, the facility was among three local nursing homes found to have ongoing health, safety or sanitary issues serious enough to be on a national list of 400 nursing homes either getting increased monitoring and inspection or candidates to get increased scrutiny, according to a 2020 Enquirer investigation.

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The Butler County facility no longer is a candidate to be on the Special Focus Facility list. But it does have a one-star quality rating from Medicare.gov, the lowest possible score.

It's currently unclear when and how the county plans to move the facility's residents. Butler County Administrator Judi Boyko has yet to return a message from The Enquirer seeking comment.

Peter Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, said it's less about the number of beds available at other facilities and more about staffing.

"A lot of facilities are limiting admissions," Van Runkle said. "They just don't have the staff to be able to take more people."

It would be a smart bet for the county to space out its transfer of residents throughout the remainder of the year, Van Runkle said. That should provide enough time to place residents locally, he added.

"It's a tough market out there right now," Van Runkle said.

Commissioners have considered repurposing the facility for mental health and social services operations, though reuse of the facility hasn't been fully evaluated, officials said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Butler County nursing home to close by end of the year
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Joining NATO is the best option for Finland to guarantee its national security, the Finnish Parliament's defence committee said on Tuesday, ahead of Finland's official decision on whether or not to join the Western defence union in the coming days.

Finland's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would significantly increase the deterrent for becoming a target of Russia's aggression, the defence committee concluded in a statement.

Finland, which shares a 1,300 km (810 mile) border and a difficult past with neighbouring Russia, is reconsidering its long-standing position to refrain from joining NATO in order to maintain friendly relations with its eastern neighbour.

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto is expected to announce on Thursday his stance on joining NATO, a move that would mean a major shift of security policy for the Nordic country in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Parliament's defence committee provided its view on the matter in response to the government's white paper update of its foreign and security policy.

"Membership in NATO is the best solution for Finland's security. It strengthens Finland's national defence capability with the support of the union's significant military resources," the committee's chairman and main opposition leader Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition party said.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
A stretch of N.C. 211 in Brunswick County has been closed due to a brush fire in the area.

A stretch of highway in Brunswick County is closed due to a brush fire in the area.

Part of N.C. 211 in Brunswick County was closed by the N.C. Department of Transportation and emergency responders, according to a Tuesday press release from the department of transportation.

The section of road, which is located near U.S. 17, will remain closed to traffic until a brush fire in the Green Swamp is under control. It's unclear how long the road will be closed, according to the release.

Barricades have been set up on N.C. 211 at Little Macedonia Road N. and Camp Branch Road. Heavy smoke created by the fire in the Green Swamp had closed the highway Monday night, according to a post on the Brunswick Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

A detour around the closed stretch of highway brings drivers into Columbus County. It reroutes traffic along the following roads: U.S. 17, N.C. 130, U.S. 701 Business, U.S. 74/76 to return to N.C. 211.

The N.C. Department of Transportation urges drivers to take the detour into account when planning travel and avoid the area around N.C. 211.

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Fire closes N.C. 211 in Brunswick County, drivers asked to detour
May 9Calvin Jackson Jr. drew motivation from disappointment and came away with an NFL contract.

The former standout Washington State receiver had "high hopes" that he'd be picked up as an undrafted free agent shortly after going unselected in the NFL draft last month.

"But it didn't work out in my favor," Jackson said by phone Monday. "So, I used that to fuel the fire. Any opportunity I got, I told myself that I was going to make the most of it, and I think I did that."

The New York Jets gave Jackson his chance and extended an invite to try out at their rookie minicamp, staged over the weekend in Florham Park, New Jersey.

Feeling determined and underestimated, Jackson excelled at the three-day audition and the Jets asked him to come aboard Monday.

"I went there and had a chip on my shoulder," he said a few hours after signing. "Every route I ran, every catch I made, every opportunity I got  I made sure to make the most of it and I think it showed. I think (the Jets' staff) saw it. And it's a blessing for them to see that and give me an opportunity, but the job's not done yet. I still have more to prove."

Jackson rarely played special teams during his collegiate career, but he worked smoothly as a return man at New York's minicamp. He reportedly made a handful of contested receptions throughout the tryout, as well.

Not surprising, considering the highlights he produced last season at WSU  the most notable of them being his spinning, one-handed touchdown grab against Cal that came in at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 that night.

Jackson earned a second-team All-Pac-12 nod after finishing first on the team and second in the conference with 987 receiving yards. He totaled 66 catches, scored seven times and led the Pac-12 with 76 receiving yards per game.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native played in the slot last season after serving for three years as an outside receiver with the Cougs. Jackson recorded 287 yards and two TDs in his debut season in 2018, but injuries limited him to four games over the following two years.

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He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Independence (Kansas) Community College and was featured on the Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U."

"The people in my corner, they've been with me through this entire journey  from high school, to juco, to WSU and now to New York  and I'm just extremely thankful for all those people," Jackson said. "When (the Jets) called me and told me they were giving me a shot, I just sat there in silence for a second, taking it all in."

Jackson will head back to his home state of Florida for a brief stay before returning to New Jersey for team workout sessions, which begin May 16.

Jackson joins four other Cougs who have signed UDFA deals this offseason  running back Max Borghi (Indianapolis), receiver Travell Harris (Cleveland), safety Daniel Isom (Los Angeles Rams) and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (Arizona). Two WSU alums were taken in the draft. Offensive tackle Abraham Lucas went in the third round to the Seattle Seahawks and cornerback Jaylen Watson was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round.

Linebacker Jahad Woods will try out for the Pittsburgh Steelers at their rookie minicamp later this week. Former longtime WSU offensive tackle Liam Ryan tried out at guard for the Seahawks this past weekend, according to a Seattle Times report.
Mandy Urban

A Fort Myers woman accused of taking more than $283,000 from an employer, some of which she used to pay off court-mandated restitution in a previous employer fraud case, is headed to prison.

Mandy Deann Urban, 45, pleaded no contest Monday to charges of scheming to defraud, and accepted 24 months in state prison. Her formal sentencing will be June 6.

As part of her plea deal Urban will have to pay restitution of $283,718 to the doctor's office where she worked at the time.

She was arrested on a fugitive warrant by the Charlotte Police Department in North Carolina in early 2021 and extradited to the Lee County Jail where she was arrested and booked on the charges.

Repayment plan: Fort Myers woman used some of $267k allegedly stolen from practice to pay previous restitution

Hotel fraud: Fort Myers woman gets five years probation in bankruptcy fraud case involving hotel operations

Layla theft: 'Lights for Layla' cofounder Randi Romanoff pleads guilty to theft, fraud, other charges

An arrest warrant for Urban said the alleged fraud came to light after irregularities in bookkeeping at Quigley Eye Specialists (operating as Eye Health of Fort Myers) and St. John's Surgery Center were noticed. She had access to accounts at both sites.

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While employed at the office as a bookkeeper Urban's warrant said she fraudulently wrote herself 108 business checks totaling $267,763.08, depositing them in four personal accounts at four financial institutions.

Urban worked at the office from Aug. 1, 2013, through Nov. 9, 2017, when she was fired. Her firing came after practice officials found she had been convicted of grand theft for stealing more than $100,000 from a previous employer, a marketing company, and the fraud was discovered shortly thereafter.

A forensic audit confirmed the bogus checks and an investigation by the Lee County Sheriff's Office found that Urban made total check deposits of $116,975.15, $50,813.21, $41,950.03, $19,573.82, $11,760.72, $10,451.73, and $9,167.67 at the four institutions. She also cashed checks worth $7,070.75 at one of them.

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In the 2011 fraud case, Urban was convicted of stealing $135,830.17 via fraudulent credit transactions from the marketing company where she worked. The company was reimbursed $50,000 of the loss and Urban was court-ordered to repay $85,000 as part of a plea agreement.

Under that agreement Urban was also found guilty of the fraud, sentenced to 36 months probation and allowed to seek early termination if she made full restitution.

She began probation May 20, 2015, the Sheriff's Office warrant said, and began depositing the fraudulently signed checks from the medical practice from November 2014 through November 2017. The warrant said Urban likely used funds from the deposited checks to make restitution in the first case.

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Woman who took doctor office funds enters no contest, must repay $283K
Isaiah Dotson (top left) pleaded guilty to kidnapping before Ashland County Common Pleas Judge Ronald Forsthoefel (bottom right) along with Ashland Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell (bottom left) and defense attorney Robert Rolf. Dotson could face up to 16.5 years in prison.

ASHLAND  Four people who used a "sexual liaison" to lure a 19-year-old to a home and threaten him at gunpoint in February have admitted their roles and been convicted of kidnapping-related charges in Ashland County Common Pleas Court.

Nathaniel Hendrix, 21, of Ashland, pleaded guilty April 21 to kidnapping, a first-degree felony; intimidation of a victim, attorney or witness, a third-degree felony; and improperly furnishing firearms to a minor, a fifth-degree felony.

Hendrix is due to be sentenced on June 13. He could face up to 22 and 1/2 in prison.

Isaiah Dotson, 21, of Ashland, pleaded guilty March 18 to kidnapping, a first-degree felony. His sentencing date is May 23.

Recent court news: Ashland County driver gets 14 1/2-year prison term for fatal hit-skip crash in July

Makaila Shilling, 18, of Jeromesville, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to kidnapping, a felony of the second degree.

Harold Tester, 20, of Ashland, pleaded guilty March 25 to kidnapping. Tester's sentencing date is June 13.

How the four ended up with criminal charges

Makaila Shilling (left) 18, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnapping next to her attorney, Terry Hitchman. Other charges were dropped per a plea agreement. Sentencing date is July 11.

Ashland County Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell laid out the case during a bond hearing in February.

Indiana man gets time for I-71 fatal: Indiana man gets time in Ashland County Jail for 2020 crash that killed four along I-71

Shilling was formerly romantically involved with the 19-year-old victim, Tunnell said, noting Hendrix became upset Shilling and the man were still communicating. They plotted to lure him to a residence on Claremont Avenue, Tunnel said.

"They utilized Shilling's phone and Snapchat account to carry on a discussion with the alleged victim that led him to believe that he would come to the Claremont residence on Feb. 11 for a sexual liaison with Ms. Shilling," Tunnell said.

"When he knocked on the door, Ms. Shilling allowed him to enter the residence and then promptly closed the door and locked it," Tunnel said.

Dotson, Hendrix and Tester were hiding in another room with a handgun with a 30-round extended magazine and a 12-guage shotgun, Tunnell said. They began threatening the man and removed his wallet, cellphone and his shoes, he said.

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The prosecutor said the man was given back his personal belongings and left the home with the warning that if he told anyone about what happened, there would be consequences.

The man called law enforcement and filed a report Feb. 11 with the Ashland Police Department.

As of Monday, Shilling remained out on bond. Dotson, Hendrix and Tester were in the Ashland County Jail. Dotson's and Tester's bond each is set at $150,000, while Hendrix's is set at $250,000.

Reach Grant at 419-281-0581, ext. 259 or gritchey@gannett.com

On Twitter: @ritchey_grant

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Four guilty in Ashland 'sexual liaison' kidnapping case
PARIS (Reuters) - French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said European Union members could reach a deal this week on the EU Commission's proposal to ban all oil imports from Russia.

"I think we could strike a deal this week," Beaune told LCI television, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron was due to talk to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban later in the day.

Hungary is the most vocal critic of this planned embargo on Russian oil.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday she had made progress in talks with Viktor Orban on this project. [nA5N2VD02J

(Reporting by Myriam Rivet and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has released the results of an investigation into Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, shown delivering the State of the City address in April. Garcetti is President Biden's nominee for ambassador to India. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

A prominent Republican senator's investigation into allegations surrounding Mayor Eric Garcetti and his former top aide found it "extremely unlikely" that Garcetti was unaware of the aide's alleged inappropriate behavior.

The 23-page report released Tuesday by Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa concluded that Garcetti "likely knew or should have known that Rick Jacobs was sexually harassing multiple individuals and making racist comments towards others."

Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, ordered the report earlier this year after whistleblowers approached his office with accusations about Garcetti and Jacobs, a high-level aide who helped propel the mayor's political career.

Garcetti in July was nominated by President Biden to become ambassador to India.

Grassley said Tuesday he would allow Garcetti's nomination to move forward but intends to vote no on the mayor's nomination if it goes to the full Senate.

Following the release of the report, Garcetti said, "While I strongly disagree with the opinion reached in this report, I am pleased that Sen. Grassley has lifted his hold and hope that my nomination by the president can be considered by the Senate soon."

Both Jacobs and Garcetti declined to be interviewed by Grassley's investigators. Garcetti spokesman Harrison Wollman earlier this month said the mayor offered to meet with Grassley, but the meeting has not occurred.

It was not immediately clear what impact the investigation would have on Garcetti's nomination.

The White House issued a statement Tuesday afternoon dismissing the investigation as biased and incomplete. White House spokesman Chris Meagher said Grassleys partisan report was a hit job from the beginning, and the claims have already been conclusively debunked.

The president has confidence in Mayor Garcetti," Meagher continued, "and believes he will be an excellent representative in India at a critical moment and calls for the Senate to swiftly confirm him.

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The Senate confirmation process has dragged on for months as Grassley and other senators signaled doubts about Garcetti's nomination. His second and final term as mayor ends in December, and multiple candidates are vying in the June 7 primary to succeed him.

The allegations surrounding the mayor's office became public in 2020, when a Los Angeles police officer who worked as Garcetti's bodyguard sued the city, claiming Jacobs sexually harassed him and the mayor witnessed the behavior but didn't intervene.

Jacobs has denied harassing anyone but said in deposition testimony that he may have hugged the officer. He also has said he may have made sexual jokes in front of the mayors security detail.

Other city staffers have said in deposition testimony or in interviews with The Times that it was widely discussed in the mayor's office that Jacobs sexually harassed individuals.

An attorney for Jacobs did not respond to a request for comment.

Garcetti's nomination was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January. A month earlier, Garcetti told the panel he had never witnessed the misconduct alleged by the police officer. He has also said he never witnessed any inappropriate behavior by his aide.

Email correspondence reviewed by The Times through public records shows that Grassley's investigators in recent weeks contacted several top staffers in Garcetti's office, including advisor Ana Guerrero, seeking to interview them for the report.

Grassley's investigators interviewed 15 witnesses and read 26 depositions taken in the civil lawsuit of LAPD Officer Matthew Garza. Eleven other individuals working for or close to the mayor refused to meet with investigators, the report said.

The report largely includes evidence that has already been made public. However, one of the new allegations is from a witness who described an incident in which Jacobs allegedly massaged and rubbed his groin against another person at the 2015 U.S.-China Climate Summit in Los Angeles.

The report cites witnesses who claimed that Jacobs made racist remarks at the conference, where he allegedly referred to visitors as the yellow people."

Another individual told investigators Garcetti said he couldnt believe the city wasnt sued during the time Jacobs worked at City Hall.

Former Obama administration official Jeremy Bernard gave deposition testimony in which he also said he heard Garcetti make such a remark. The mayor has denied making the statement.

Grassley's investigation follows a report ordered by the city attorney's office to help in its defense of the Garza case. The report concluded that Garza was not sexually harassed by Jacobs and that Garcetti did nothing wrong.

Grassleys investigators questioned the independence of the city report. They also reviewed the same testimony given to the city's investigators but came to a different conclusion.

For example, Garcetti advisor Guerrero said she never saw Jacobs sexually harass Garza. She also suggested that Jacobs hugged people in order to assert dominance in the relationship, according to the city's report.

Ms. Guerrero appears to be describing predatory behavior that is consistent with Officer Garzas complaint, Grassleys investigators wrote.

Grassley's investigators raised questions about why those close to the mayor kept quiet about their knowledge of a photo, taken at a 2017 U.S. Conference of Mayors event in Miami, that shows Jacobs making a sexually provocative gesture. The photo was widely circulated among Garcetti's staff, according to the report.

It is difficult for investigators to believe that senior staff would not alert Mayor Garcetti of such a damning photo unless this type of behavior was normalized and known to the mayor, the report noted.

Grassleys team also cited an incident in which Garcetti's former chief legal counsel, Julie Ciardullo, described in deposition testimony how Jacobs pressed up against her in an elevator. She told him to stop, but Jacobs continued until the mayor, who was also in the elevator, told him to stop. She also testified that what occurred on the elevator was not sexual harassment.

Garcetti's office has said the mayor does not remember the incident.

The report concluded that "it is more probable than not that Mr. Jacobs sexually harassed multiple individuals, and made racist comments towards others. Based on witness testimony, this behavior was pervasive, widespread, and notorious."

"Several individuals told investigators that Mayor Garcetti was aware of this behavior, and based on the reported frequency and conspicuous nature of the conduct, it is more likely than not that Mayor Garcetti either had personal knowledge of the sexual harassment or should have been aware of it," the report states.

The report notes that the probe by Grassley's team "is not a criminal or civil investigation, but an investigation meant to assist in the Senate's constitutionally mandated advice and consent process."

Following the release of Grassleys report, Libby Liu, chief executive of Whistleblower Aid, called on Biden to nominate another individual for the India ambassadorship. The nonprofit legal assistance organization represents Naomi Seligman, a former Garcetti communications director, who accuses Jacobs of kissing her  which he denies  and has led the effort to stop Garcetti's nomination.

The mayors failure to protect his staff, his attempts to discredit the testimony of those willing to tell the truth and his willful deception of the Senates Foreign Relations Committee raise grave questions about his ability to serve as our next ambassador to India, Liu said.

Garcetti's chief communications officer, Dae Levine, said "no new facts were uncovered" in the Grassley investigation, and "Mayor Garcetti strongly reaffirms the simple truth that he never witnessed or was made aware of sexual harassment."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
May 9CAVALIER, N.D.  Gov. Doug Burgum met with local leaders at the Cavalier American Legion on Monday, May 9, to discuss ongoing flood impacts and response in the Tongue River Watershed, where the North Dakota and Minnesota National Guards had been called to respond to the Bourbanis Dam the week prior.

He also met with leaders in Grafton and visited the Renwick Dam, part of the Tongue River Watershed, west of Cavalier.

Along with Burgum were Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard and director of the state Department of Emergency Services; North Dakota Homeland Security Director Darin Hanson and Department of Water Resources Director Andrea Travnicek.

"We're here to gather intel from everybody on the ground, to appreciate the city of Cavalier, the townships, the counties, outlying areas, ranchers and anybody here to gather information to help us make decisions," Burgum said.

Tuesday, May 3, Burgum

activated the North Dakota National Guard to place one-ton sandbags at the Bourbanis Dam

to slow erosion. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Guard placed 213 one-ton sandbags using two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

On Friday, May 6, the

Minnesota National Guard responded to an Emergency Management Assistance Compact request from the state of North Dakota

, providing a Chinook helicopter to place two five-ton pumps to minimize water flow at the damaged structure. Now, the pumps are moving 30,000 gallons per minute over the dam.

The Bourbanis Dam is one of 10 dams in the Tongue River Watershed. The Tongue River flows into the Pembina River, which is a tributary of the Red River.

"Whatever happens at all of these dams directly affects what happens in Cavalier with all the flooding, so that's why we're having a conversation with city leaders, but all these other entities as well, because they're valuable," said Cavalier Mayor Lacey Hinkle.

Zach Herman, engineer from Houston Engineering, presented an overview of the situation and activity at the Bourbanis Dam.

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He explained that the earthen structure is susceptible to erosion. The dam has an auxiliary spillway that lets water bypass when the reservoir exceeds capacity, but on Monday night, May 2, water began eroding the spillway, creating a growing channel. Sandbags dropped by the National Guard have slowed that erosion.

Water levels at the dam are trending down, but Herman is unsure how rain on Monday, with more forecast for later in the week, will affect it.

"We're definitely not out of the woods with the Bourbanis Dam," he said. "We need to get those levels down and we need to get the dam and we need to get the dam to where we're not concerned every time it rains."

If there was a breach of the Bourbanis Dam, water would reach North Dakota Highway 5 within an hour, said Hinkle, which is why North Dakota Highway 5 remains closed from North Dakota Highway 1 to North Dakota Highway 32.

In a National Weather Service update on May 9, the weather service's Greg Gust said additional rain upstream of the Bourbanis Dam will continue to put pressure on the dam, but dams downstream have room to spare for water.

"Downstream from there at Hertzog and Renwick, they have steadily lowering water levels there, and they did not get that heavy rain overnight, so there's a little bit of downstream storage in there," he said.

Moving forward, the Bourbanis Dam is one of three dams in the Tongue River Watershed in the planning stages of an Natural Resources Conservation Service rehabilitation program. The Renwick Dam, the largest dam in the watershed, had a similar update in 2013, when a concrete spillway was installed.

Herman said up to 65% of the project could be federally funded, but the remaining 35% will be a "heavy lift for the locals."

"As you can imagine, concrete spillways are not a cheap thing to install and structure," he said.

Meanwhile, other cities and townships in the region continue to fight flooding. Samantha Diemert, Pembina County Emergency Manager, said leaders in Pembina and Pembina Township could not make it to the meeting because of the ongoing flood fight, but still wanted to make state leaders aware of the situation in the town.

"I would hope you guys would at least reach out to them and see what you can do in regards to helping them because they're actively fighting this," said Diemert.

Nick Rutherford, a Pembina County Commissioner, said Drayton is one town along the Red River that still floods in the spring, and called for action to control the volume of the Red River.

"Drayton gets whatever Grand Forks, Fargo, Grafton, Wapehton, whatever they want to send us," said Rutherford. "It's like one guy said, 'when they flush the toilet, we know.'"

On April 25, Burgum declared a statewide emergency after much of the state was affected by severe storms on April 22-24. It remains in effect until June 30 or until it is rescinded. The emergency declaration allows Burgum to request a presidential disaster declaration, which would activate FEMA funding to assist cities, counties and the state with recovery efforts.

"I always tell people 'keep your receipts,' because we can declare a declaration at the state level just by doing it," said Burgum. "To get money from the feds, we have to demonstrate cost levels at the township, city, county and even asking individuals, you know, ranchers that have been impacted during spring calving."

Darin Hanson, North Dakota Homeland Security Director, said the statewide emergency will last until the last river gauge in Pembina crests, and the reimbursement period will be from the start of the spring storms that prompted the declaration to the last river crest. Cost shares within a presidential disaster declaration are usually 10% state, 75% federal and 15% local, he said.

While Burgum credits North Dakotans for being resilient, he says sometimes their independence keeps local leaders from reaching out for state assistance from entities like the Department of Transportation and Department of Water Resources.

"Our first priority is to protect lives and property, but then on a day like today, where things, at least for the moment, are stabilized in this community, is to make sure we're understanding when we go forward, other resources at the state and federal level can help us create resilience in the system to help prevent these kinds of activities in the future," said Burgum.
The leader of a Haitian gang that kidnapped 17 American and Canadian missionaries on the eastern outskirts of Port-au-Prince last October was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia.

Germine Joly, 29, who is better known as Yonyon, was charged with conspiracy to commit hostage taking for his role in the armed kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in Haiti. The victims, including five children, were Christian missionaries serving in Haiti. Most of them were held captive for 61 days by the gang 400 Mawozo. The gangs No. 2 demanded $1 million in ransom per victim and threatened to kill the missionaries, who worked for Ohio-based Christian Aid Missionaries, if the ransom was not paid. An undisclosed ransom was eventually paid.

Joly was transferred to the United States last week from a Haitian prison on an international arrest warrant in connection to firearms trafficking in a separate case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He has since been detained in the District of Columbia and is scheduled to return to court next week for an arraignment.

Federal prosecutors said that during the Americans captivity, Joly was in regular contact with other 400 Mawozo gang leaders about the hostages kidnapping, captivity and ransom. He directed gang members and asserted influence and control over the gangs operations. This included participating in ransom negotiations.

One of the gangs stated goals in holding the hostages captive was to secure from the Haitian government the defendants release from prison in Haiti, the indictment said.

The missionaries, which included a Canadian, were kidnapped on Oct. 16 as they were returning from visiting an orphanage.

Germine Joly, better known as Yonyon, was transferred aboard a special Federal Bureau of Investigation flight on Tuesday, May 3 to the U.S. following a request from the U.S. on April 22. Joly is the leader of the gang 400 Mawozo, which was behind last years kidnapping of 17 American and Canadian missionaries.

This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad, said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. We will utilize the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to hold accountable anyone responsible for undermining the safety of Americans anywhere in the world.

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Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Christopher Wray added: Todays indictment demonstrates that the United States will not tolerate crime against our citizens, here or abroad.

Wray also said the agency will continue to work aggressively with our international partners to keep our citizens safe and bring perpetrators to justice.

Jolys 400 Mawozo gang is known for its mass abductions, grabbing people by the bus and carloads and extorting local businesses. Last week, a Dominican diplomat, who also was a U.S. citizen, was kidnapped by the gang and held for four days. He was finally released hours after Jolys arrival in the U.S.

But the high-profile kidnappings have continued unabated in recent days. The abduction of a doctor on Thursday, led the St. Luke Foundation to announce the closure of its two medical facilities, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital and St. Luc Hospital to maternity, pediatric and COVID-19 patients to demand her release.

Chaos, gang violence again erupt in Haiti. Even human rights advocates are targets

On Sunday, eight Turkish citizens were among several people traveling on a bus coming out of the neighboring Dominican Republic who were kidnapped in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood. The sprawling suburb east of Port-au-Prince is a stronghold of 400 Mawozo, which two days after the U.S. requested Jolys transfer launched an armed attack against a rival gang.

A report released Tuesday by the National Human Rights Defense Network said at least 148 people have been killed, 81 homes torched and 57 vehicles burned in the armed gang conflict as of Friday. The United Nations said last week that at least 75 people had died and at least 65 were injured. The shootings and torching of homes have also forced at least 9,000 Haitians to abandon their homes in the surrounding communities. The escalating armed gang violence has also forced the closure of almost 1,700 schools throughout the metropolitan Port-au-Prince area, UNICEF said.

Families, women and children are afraid to leave their house, children are afraid to go to school. No child can go to school while bullets are flying in the air, it is unsafe and this cannot be, says Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Haiti.

Escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince Haiti has prompted Haitians to take to the streets in protest in recent days to demand that gangs give the country a chance. Armed clashes east of the capital that began on April 24, 2022, have resulted in at least 75 deaths, the U.N. said, and 9,000 people forced from their homes.

Escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince has prompted Haitians to protest in the streets in recent days to demand that gangs give the country a chance.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) urged the Biden administration to prioritize efforts to help stabilize Haitis security situation.

Its a long path forward, Blinken tells U.S. senators as Haiti gang conflict intensifies

We represent many Haitian-American families throughout hard-working communities that are very concerned with the ongoing political instability and the increasing gang violence in their home country, the senators wrote. Many of our constituents have families and businesses in Haiti and are unable to travel due to the prevalence of violence, especially with the increase in kidnappings. American businesses operating in Haiti have communicated that the situation is so dire that they are looking at moving their business outside of Haiti. If left unchecked, the mass departure of U.S. and international businesses and humanitarian organizations could drastically worsen Haitis already dire economic straits.

Joly, who ran the gang from behind bars, is among several high-profile individuals the U.S. has set its sights on as it steps up efforts to go after alleged wrong-doers in a gang-ridden Haiti.

Last month, a convicted Haitian cocaine smuggler, Jean Eliobert Jasme, also known as Eddy One, was brought to the U.S. to face narcotics charges in federal court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hes accused of conspiring with two Haitian police officers to smuggle cocaine from Colombia through Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas into the United States.

On Monday, federal agents followed up by bringing one of the Haiti National Police officers, Alex Monpremier, to the U.S. to stand trial. Monpremier was flown out of Port-au-Prince at about 10 a.m.
On Sunday, there was a part of me that had a hard time celebrating Mothers Day. Its the part that remembers all the mothers whose children have disappeared. One mom in particular.

On Jan. 12, 2004, Marcia Williams lost her 27-year-old son Terrance, apparently during an encounter with the law. This young Black man was placed in the back of a patrol car and was never seen again.

Let me stop here for a second to let that sink in. Are you feeling the same shock as me? For 18 years, Marcia has lived with that pain, of not knowing what happened to her only child.

We want you to understand that we are on a serious mission in this life and will not give up until we have some sense of closure, Marcia writes in her poem "Patience." There will be moments too hard to speak about. We are an elite group of people. We are victims of the missing.

Can you imagine what thats like? I barely can. And tragically, Marcia has plenty of company.

Let's find the missing people of color

Though you wouldnt necessarily know it from news coverage, African Americans are more likely than other groups to go missing. We are 13% of the population but make up a larger proportion  nearly 35% in a recent year  of the more than 1,500 Americans reported missing every day.

Marcias story is the one that has grabbed my attention and captured my heart. As a director and actor, I do a lot of work in comedy. But this is a tragedy where I had to get involved. I cant let it go.

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Every day of her long vigil, Marcia has fought for answers, and for justice. To date, heres all she knows for sure: On that January morning in Naples, Florida, Collier County Sheriffs Deputy Steven Calkins pulled Terrance over in his old, white Cadillac at the Naples Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Terrance was driving without a license. But instead of taking him to jail, Calkins claims he gave the young man a lift to a nearby Circle K gas station. Calkins says thats the last time he saw Terrance Williams.

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Finding out that much took some doing for Marcia. When the authorities showed little interest, she became the lead investigator. Brutal necessity made this mother inventive. She got together with other family members to call everywhere in Naples that might lead to Terrance.

Mother's Day Reminder: We all feel guilty but are trying our best.

They tracked down the Cadillac in a tow yard, where they were told it had been picked up at the cemetery. Thats where the ingenious Marcia went, bringing a notary friend. The two took sworn affidavits from the cemetery workers who had seen Calkins take Terrance away.

Marcia and Terrance Williams

Marcia confronted the sheriffs office with what she had found and documented, and the office began asking questions. When a dispatcher called Calkins at home just a few days after he drove away with Terrance, somehow Calkins could remember neither Terrance nor the white Cadillac. In the following weeks, during an internal police investigation, his story shifted and twisted, to something neither provable nor disprovable.

Sheriffs investigators found a call Calkins had made to dispatch the day Terrance disappeared.

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I got a homie Cadillac on the side of the road here.  Nobody around, Calkins said, doing his version of Black drawl to the dispatchers cackles. Its a big ole white piece-a-junk Cadillac.

When I first heard this recording, I remember being sickened. That call, and a prior performance review saying Calkins needs to improve on community relations, might give a sense of who this person is.

Tyler Perry at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta in 2019.

During those fraught weeks after Terrance disappeared, Marcia wrote a letter to the editor of the Naples Daily News, asking the public for help: Please answer a heartbroken mothers plea. The response she received was chilling. It came in the form of a phone call from the Mexican Consulate.

The caller told Marcia about another young man of color who had also vanished in Naples, three months before Terrance. Felipe Santos, a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, had gotten into a fender bender one morning on his way to a job site. The sheriffs deputy who arrived on the scene took him away in the back of his cruiser. Felipe Santos was never seen again.

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That deputy was Calkins. As with Terrance, Calkins did not take Felipe to jail. He claimed to have dropped him off at a Circle K.

In Mexico, Felipes mother is grieving, too. At the time he vanished, Felipe had just had his first child, a baby daughter. For the past 18 years, that girls mother has missed her partner, and the girl has grown up without her father.

Security camera footage from the Circle Ks that Calkins had mentioned was scanned without a glimpse of Calkins and the two young men. There are no witnesses that attest to Calkins story. He failed a polygraph. Calkins was fired  not for murder, for lying.

No charges were filed against him. Since there are no bodies, mounting a homicide prosecution is remorselessly hard. Calkins picked up and moved to Iowa. It would take nearly two decades before he was brought in for a sworn deposition. By then, he could shrug off all the many lapses in his recall.

'Never Seen Again'

I had something to do with making that deposition happen. In 2012, I heard about Marcia. I reached out to her and heard the pain, the frustration, the anger in her voice. Well, I have a voice, too. I thought, theres no way this could be happening in America now. We cannot be back, living in Emmett Tills mother Mamies heartache again.

What can I do to help? I put up a reward for information. I enlisted civil rights attorney Ben Crump to file a wrongful death civil suit against Calkins. And Ive been working on a documentary. This Tuesday, this story will be told in great detail as part of a new CBS series, "Never Seen Again," on Paramount+.

Pro-Life? If you truly value life, you'll ensure a healthy future for all 'saved' babies

Nowadays, much of the country has woken up. Weve witnessed police brutality against people of color, with one video after another. But before our cellphones had cameras, before Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland and Ahmaud Arbery, before Eric Garner and George Floyd, there was another, more insidious strain of the problem. A version that doesnt explode with raw aggression, but seeps along by way of sheer neglect.

When the person who has gone missing has blond hair and blue eyes, the case is all over the news. Every resource goes into finding out what happened and, if foul play is suspected, catching the killer. But if the victim isnt white?

I thought about Marcia this past Mothers Day. I want answers for her. I carry her in my heart, I pray for her. I dont care what your race is. I dont know any parent who would not be standing with her, to help find out what happened to her son.

Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyler Perry: Black missing people 'Never Seen Again'
Lincoln College-Demise (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Historically Black Lincoln College in Illinois is closing its doors after 157 years  unable to survive a financial crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and a recent cyberattack.

The college announced its decision to cease operations in late March following the close of the spring semester. It held its commencement ceremony last week.

Lincoln College has been serving students from across the globe for more than 157 years, said president David Gerlach in a statement. The loss of history, careers, and a community of students and alumni is immense.

Lincolns demise was sudden. The college was enjoying a record high enrollement for the 2019-2020 school year when the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic shut down in-person operations and scattered students. Enrolment fell significantly in the following years, as it did at many colleges and universities across the country, while the college had to invest in its technological systems to meet pandemic-era needs.

The final straw came in December of last year, when the college was the victim of a devastating cyberattack that originiated in Iran and blocked the school from accessing its institutional data. Its fundraising and recruiting activities were largely halted.

All systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable, a Lincoln College statement said.

Mr Gerlach told the Chicago Tribune that the college paid less than $100,000 to restore its systems, but with enrolment tracking down again, he said that the college needed $50m or a partnership with another institution to stay open. Despite the best efforts of many of its community members, they didnt get either.

The closure of the college will leave a sizable hole to fill in the Lincoln community, a small town named for the former president of just more than 13,000 people outside of the state capital of Springfield in central Illinois.

That whole campus just cant go to waste. Its too necessary, Arielle Williams, a recent graduate who served as president of Lincolns Black Student Union, told NPR station WGLT in April. I dont think people are understanding what this is going to do to a generation of students.

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Lincoln College is not the only small college to announce its closure in recent months. Historic all-womens Mills College in Oakland announced plans to close last year before it reached an agreement to merge with Northeastern University in Boston. MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois announced its closure in 2020.

Cyberattacks, which are increasingly targeting US institutions of higher learning, are not helping matters. At least 14 colleges and universities have been targeted by cyberattacks already in 2022, increasing costs for cybersecurity and insurance.

Graduates of Lincoln College include former Republican congressman Ed Madigan, as well as 2021 World Series-winning manager Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves. The college also hosts the Lincoln Heritage Museum, a collection of artifacts that tell the story of the life of the nations sixteenth president and his family. The museum will remain open after the closure of the college.
Covid-19 testing removal proposed for foreign tourists to Vietnam

The National Private Economic Development Research Board under the Government's Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform has proposed removing Covid-19 testing for foreign tourists to Vietnam.



Under the recommendation sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Ministry of Health and concerned agencies should early simplify procedures for foreign arrivals to boost tourism development after Covid-19.

According to the board, only foreigners who have Covid-19-suspected symptoms such as cough and fever are required to take quick Covid-19 testing.



The board has recommended the elimination of the regulation that international visitors must have health insurance or travel insurance with coverage of at least USD10,000 for Covid-19 treatment.



The agency also added that the ministries of public security and foreign affairs need to consider expanding the visa exemption for more nations, including the US, India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.



This is aimed to diversify the international tourism markets, instead of mostly depending on China, South Korea and Japan.



It is necessary for agencies to mull over the visa exemption extension for European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and other northern European countries, to 30 days from 15 days at present.


The question of whether Jennifer Hall of Overland Park was an angel of death  a serial killer perhaps responsible for taking as many as nine lives at a Chillicothe, Missouri, hospital in 2002  has swirled around her for years.

Now the sheriffs office in Livingston County, Missouri, is on the hunt for the 41-year-old former respiratory therapist, seeking the publics help in tracking her down.

On May 4, the Livingston County prosecutor charged Hall with first-degree murder in connection with one of those deaths, that of Fern Franco, who died in May 2002 at the 49-bed Hendrick Medical Center.

Hall served as a respiratory therapist at the medical center for only five months, from Dec. 16, 2001, to May 18, 2002. In that time, nine people died in the hospital of cardiac arrest, a number so large that it was deemed medically suspicious, according to documents accompanying the probable cause statement for Halls arrest.

Eighteen codes or code blues  meaning cardiac or respiratory arrest  occurred in Halls short stint when, prior to her arrival, the hospital was logging only one code blue each year.

Hall was placed on administrative leave on May 21, 2002, three days after Francos death. In 2010, five of the families of patients who died during that period filed a wrongful death suit against the hospital. The Star wrote at length about Hall in 2015.

In the article Hall denied intentionally causing anyones death. She had been accused of delivering fatal injections.

My name is just thrown out there, and its for horrifying reasons, she said at the time. She requested that her photograph not be taken and spoke in the presence of her attorney.

I want my name to be cleared, yes, she added. At the same time, I dont want my character destroyed.

In 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court threw out the families wrongful death suits, ruling unanimously that they had filed too late, beyond the three-year statute of limitations.

Sheriffs Office in Livingston County, Missouri seeks the publics help in finding Jennifer Hall, 41, charged in May with first-degree murder at a hospital in 2002

There is no statute of limitations for homicide. The probable cause statement declares that on May 18, 2002, Hall knowingly caused the death of Fern Franco by administering unprescribed Succinylcholine and Morphine to her.

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Franco had been sick with pneumonia. Succinylcholine is a paralytic used to to relax skeletal muscles, as during intubation. Morphine can suppress respiration.

A search warrant for Francos remains obtained in May 2002 by the coroner supplied tissue sample. The samples revealed the presence of both succinylcholine and morphine, which her medical records showed were not prescribed.

The samples were further evaluated and confirmed by analysis at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and by both the former chief medical examiner of New York City and the chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police.

A statistical analysis performed by John P. Rice, a professor of mathematics at the Washington University School of Medicine, determined that the likelihood was minuscule of having so many code blues during Halls employment, calling it a pattern that would happen less than one in a million times.

Halls victim was a sick, defenseless, elderly woman who was depending on Hall to care for her physical ailment within a medical facility, Chillicothe Police Officer Brian Schmidt wrote in documents accompanying the probable cause statement. The substance Hall used to brutally take Fern Francos life ... paralyzes the victims muscles, including the diaphragm, causing the victim to suffer a ghastly death from suffocation while still maintaining full consciousness.

The Livingston County Sheriffs Office asks anyone with information relevant to Halls whereabouts to call (660) 664-0515.

The Stars Luke Nozicka contributed to this report.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - State-controlled carrier Garuda Indonesia has asked a Jakarta court to extend for the third time its deadline to complete its debt-restructuring process, its CEO said, as the verification of claims is still unfinished.

Garuda proposed a 30-day extension time to verify claims and finalise negotiation with the creditors, CEO Irfan Setiaputra said during a creditors meeting at the Central Jakarta Commercial Court on Tuesday.

"We are certain that this will be the last extension that we proposed to the court," he said, adding that negotiations with creditors had progressed in positive way.

On March 21, the same court granted a two-month extension until 20 May for the debt-saddled airline to complete the whole court-led restructuring process.

Creditors present at the meeting also agreed with the extension proposal, Asri, one of the curators told reporters.

The judges will still have to decide on the proposal, however, including the length of extension.

Garuda is seeking to slash liabilities of $9.8 billion to $3.7 billion under the debt restructuring. Creditors have submitted $13.8 billion worth of claims against the struggling airline.

(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Editing by Martin Petty)
It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. That downside risk was realized by Custom Truck One Source, Inc. (NYSE:CTOS) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 46%. That's disappointing when you consider the market declined 10%. Custom Truck One Source hasn't been listed for long, so although we're wary of recent listings that perform poorly, it may still prove itself with time. More recently, the share price has dropped a further 26% in a month. But this could be related to poor market conditions -- stocks are down 13% in the same time.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Custom Truck One Source isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

See our latest analysis for Custom Truck One Source

Given that Custom Truck One Source didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

In the last year Custom Truck One Source saw its revenue grow by 286%. That's well above most other pre-profit companies. Given the revenue growth, the share price drop of 46% seems quite harsh. Our sympathies to shareholders who are now underwater. On the bright side, if this company is moving profits in the right direction, top-line growth like that could be an opportunity. Our brains have evolved to think in linear fashion, so there's value in learning to recognize exponential growth. We are, in some ways, simply the wisest of the monkeys.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

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We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. You can see what analysts are predicting for Custom Truck One Source in this interactive graph of future profit estimates.

A Different Perspective

Custom Truck One Source shareholders are down 46% for the year, even worse than the market loss of 10%. There's no doubt that's a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 26%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Basically, most investors should be wary of buying into a poor-performing stock, unless the business itself has clearly improved. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Custom Truck One Source that you should be aware of.

Custom Truck One Source is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's prime minister warned his British counterpart on Tuesday against unilaterally seeking to overrule any of the post-Brexit rules agreed with the European Union for trade in British-run Northern Ireland.

The Times newspaper reported on Monday that British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is set to ditch large parts of the Northern Ireland protocol governing that trade after giving up on talks with the European Union on a Brexit deal.

"Spoke to Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning. On the Protocol, I stressed need to intensify EU and UK discussions, and to avoid any unilateral action," Micheal Martin said on Twitter.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan announced on Tuesday new sanctions on Russia to freeze the assets of more individuals and ban exports of cutting-edge goods to some Russian groups including scientific research institutions.

It is a series of punitive measures by Tokyo following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a special military operation.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Elaine Lies; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
WASHINGTON  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined other Republicans in Congress shaking their fists at the Walt Disney Company for opposing Floridas Dont Say Gay law prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation.

This week, Hawley introduced a bill to shorten the duration of federal copyright protection. The measure would apply retroactively only for firms with a market capitalization above $150 billion that operate in the motion picture industry.

Basically, companies like Disney.

Hawley acknowledged that Disneys response to the Florida law inspired his legislation but stressed the bill did not solely target Disney  since a law punishing an individual entity could be unconstitutional.

It applies to any corporation with over $150 billion in revenue, Hawley, a former constitutional law professor, told HuffPost. You cant target just one company.

The measure wont become law, but if it did, other companies would be able to legally make money from unlicensed Disney knockoff material without having to wait for copyright expirations that plop its intellectual property into the public domain.

Hawley cast his bill as part of his broader campaign against Big Tech and woke corporations; it is also the latest bit of culture war grandstanding by Republicans after Disney said it opposed Floridas ban on the classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that, a Disney spokesperson said of Floridas Dont Say Gay law in March.

Florida Republicans led by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) retaliated against Disney in April by enacting a law to cancel Walt Disney Worlds special tax district.

Even without a change in federal law, Disney stands to lose some of its copyright protections. On Jan. 1, 2024, for instance, Disney will lose its copyright on the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie and the first iteration of its star character, Mickey Mouse.

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The cartoon rodent would have fallen into the public domain several times in previous decades, but Congress has repeatedly extended the duration of federal copyright laws thanks to fierce lobbying by Disney.

In response to the Florida furor, several House Republicans have said they would oppose any effort by Disney to extend its copyrights, but its not clear if Disney intends to lobby for another extension. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

James Grimmelmann, an intellectual property expert at Cornell Law School, described opposition to Disneys copyrights as harmless grandstanding against something thats not even happening.

There is no political coalition pushing strongly for further extensions; the sky did not fall on the copyright industries when works from the 1920s started entering the public domain again, Grimmelmann said in an email. Being against copyright extension is like being against Prohibition. Nobodys out there campaigning hard to bring it back. The Mouse doesnt care.

Hawleys symbolic proposal, on the other hand, would shorten copyright protections for new works going forward from as long as 120 years, as under current law, to just 56 years  essentially restoring copyright terms to their duration when Richard Nixon was president.

That doesnt just line him up against Disney, Grimmelmann said. It puts him on the opposite side of basically every author, musician, photographer and artist in the United States.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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A Haitian former senator has become the third suspect to be charged in the US in connection with the murder of Haiti's president, Jovenel Moise.

Mr Moise was killed in July by gunmen who stormed his home in Port-au-Prince.

Ex-Senator John Joel Joseph has been charged with "conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping" and of providing material support resulting in Mr Moise's death.

He was arrested in January in Jamaica and extradited to the US last week.

The 51-year-old, who was a political rival of President Moise, made his first appearance in a court in Miami on Monday.

The US Department of Justice argues it has jurisdiction in the case because it says some of the alleged co-conspirators met in Miami to plot the murder.

Jovenel Moise was shot dead in his home on 7 July 2021

In a news release, it gave more details of the allegations against the former senator.

According to prosecutors, the idea had initially been to kidnap President Moise by presenting him with what looked like an arrest warrant.

But when the alleged conspirators could not secure a plane to take the president out of Haiti, that plan "ultimately resulted in a plot to kill the president", prosecutors say.

They accuse Mr Joseph of procuring cars and trying to obtain guns "to support the operation against the president".

They also say that he met with "certain co-conspirators" the day before the assassination, "after which many of the co-conspirators embarked on the mission to kill President Moise".

Haitian police had identified Mr Joseph as a prime suspect just days after Mr Moise's murder. Their investigative report said he "was instrumental in his fierce will to kill the president".

According to the Haitian police investigation, a group of mainly foreign mercenaries - 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans - entered the president's home in Port-au-Prince on 7 July and shot him dead.

A number of suspects have been arrested in Haiti but with the Haitian police's investigation seemingly stalled, all eyes are on the US courts.

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Apart from Mr Joseph, two other suspect are facing charges in US courts of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping.

They are Colombian ex-soldier Mario Palacios, 43, who pleaded not guilty last month, and Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, 49.

If found guilty, they could face life in prison.

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A federal judge has ruled that a U.S. Marine veteran who participated in a 2019 raid on the North Korean embassy in Madrid is eligible for extradition to face trial in Spain. But in the same ruling, the judge said she hopes a higher court intervenes because she fears North Korea might kill the man if he leaves the U.S.

The unusual decision is the latest turn in the case of Christopher Ahn, who has claimed that he entered the embassy in a bid to help North Koreans who wanted to defect.

In part because of his participation in the embassy incident, North Korea wants to kill Ahn, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth wrote in her ruling.

I must decide whether to certify his extradition to Spain, where North Korea can much more easily murder him. Although I conclude that the law requires me to certify, I do not think its the right result, and I hope that a higher court will either tell me Im wrong or itself block the extradition.

Former United States Marine Christopher Philip Ahn stands in front of the North Korean embassy in Madrid from video surveillance footage on Feb. 22, 2019. (U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of California)

Ahn, 41, who is out on bail, was ordered to surrender to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. But he could delay the process by filing a last-ditch challenge to the extradition decision, officials said.

Barring further legal developments, his fate ultimately lies in the hands of the State Department. A spokesperson said it does not comment on extradition matters.

Ahns lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. In an interview with Fox News last year, Ahn expressed frustration with the governments handling of his case.

The same Department of Justice that has told me that if I leave the country that I could be assassinated is the same Department of Justice thats trying to extradite me, he said. Its very disappointing.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Central California declined to comment. Spains embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ahn was among a group of men affiliated with Free Joseon (Free Korea), a group opposed to the North Korean regime, who stormed the embassy in Madrid in February 2019. After roughly four hours, they left the building with computer drives, a cellphone and other electronic information  which they later turned over to the FBI, according to court documents.

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Spanish authorities have accused Ahn and nine others of entering the embassy on a false pretext, armed with knives, iron bars, machetes and imitation handguns. They then allegedly beat and threatened some of the embassy staff, placed hoods over their heads and tied their hands behind their backs before making off with computers and digital files, according to Spanish authorities.

Ahn returned to California after the incident and was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2019. Spain is seeking his extradition on six criminal charges, which carry a potential prison sentence of more than 10 years.

The Justice Department is honoring Spains extradition request. In court papers, government lawyers said there is probable cause to believe that Ahn committed the offenses and the U.S. is obligated to surrender fugitives under the circumstances defined in its extradition treaty with Spain.

Ahn argued that he entered the embassy with the others because they had received word that one or more of its residents wanted help defecting, according to court papers. Those people had asked the members of Free Joseon to stage a kidnapping so that their family members would not face reprisal in North Korea, Ahn said in court papers.

In her 52-page ruling, Rosenbluth acknowledged the murky nature of the case but said the government had established probable cause to believe that the group who entered the embassy that day committed crimes there. She referred to police and witness testimony as well as the account of a woman who suffered serious injuries after jumping from the embassys terrace to escape the intruders.

But Rosenbluth also expressed sympathy for Ahn, who served in the Marines for six years and had no criminal record at the time of the embassy raid.

No one disputes that he has devoted a good portion of his life to helping others, including in our U.S. military, the judge wrote.

As noted, some have speculated that the CIA was behind the embassy raid. One can imagine many reasons why, if that were true, the United States would not admit it. But even assuming Ahn was acting at the direction of his country and not simply to help those trapped in an evil empire, thats only but another reason why that same country shouldnt shove him into Kim Jung-Uns grasping arms.

Rosenbluth added: Yes, Ahn should have to face a court reckoning of some kind for possibly violating at least the letter of the law. But he should not be cast off to face an uncertain fate at the hands of a despot, perhaps sacrificed to advance a foreign-policy agenda.

The judge also noted that the FBI confirmed that North Korea had called for Ahns execution.

Among the people who testified at an extradition hearing for Ahn in May 2021 was the mother of Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia college student who died after being imprisoned by North Korea and released by the country in a coma in 2017.

Cindy Warmbier explained to the court that she and her husband were repeatedly told by the State Department that their son would be OK, only to have him finally returned in a vegetative state, to die soon after, Rosenbluth wrote.

Yes, this and the other examples of North Koreas insatiable vengeance are anecdotal, but because of our nonexistent relations with North Korea  again, a nation we have declared a state sponsor of terrorism  the limited anecdotal information available carries outsized weight, Rosenbluth added.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's top court called on Tuesday for the conclusion of a long-running trial of a Palestinian aid worker accused of funneling tens of millions of dollars in relief funds to the Islamic militant group Hamas, charges he has consistently denied.

Mohammad El Halabi, head of Gaza operations for U.S.-based Christian relief group World Vision, was arrested while entering Israel in June 2016. Israeli officials said his indictment was based in part on a closed-door confession he gave in custody.

Brought before a lower Israeli court, Halabi has maintained his innocence. His lawyers say they have not had access to all evidence against him. They say he has refused several plea deal offers. The Justice Ministry declined comment.

"I think we all understand this case has to end," said Ofer Grosskopf, the Supreme Court justice hearing a motion on El Halabi's detention.

Prompted by Grosskopf, the lower court said it would deliver a verdict on June 16, according to a ruling seen by Reuters.

El Halabi's unusually long trial has drawn criticism from rights groups. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised concerns about his case, including "treatment that may amount to torture".

Israel accused El Halabi of siphoning off about 60 percent of World Vision's Gaza funding - up to $50 million - to pay Hamas fighters, buy arms, and help building fortifications.

World Vision, which focuses on helping children, said an independent forensic audit found no evidence of wrongdoing or of funds missing.

The organization said that in the 10-year period El Halabi was employed, it budgeted around $22.5 million for operations in Gaza, making the amount El Halabi allegedly diverted "hard to reconcile".

"This process has had a dramatic and negative effect on children and their families in Gaza, including Mohammad's own family," said Sharon Marshall, a World Vision spokesperson.

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In a statement to Reuters, El Halabi called the charges against him "a set of lies that were invented to target the humanitarian organizations and work in Gaza".

"I hope the trial will end with my total acquittal, because I am innocent," he said.

(Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Selena Li

HONG KONG (Reuters) - KKR and BlackRock have received Chinese regulatory approvals allowing their newly formed local units to raise funds for investing overseas, official filings showed.

The approvals are the biggest of their kind so far this year and signal that Beijing is forging ahead with opening its financial markets to foreigners despite worries over currency depreciation and prolonged COVID-related lockdowns in its financial centre, Shanghai.

The two firms' fund units cleared their final hurdles to secure quotas from China's nine-year-old qualified domestic limited partnership (QDLP) programme, according to filings, allowing them to invest funds raised onshore, from high net-worth and institutional investors, in offshore funds.

The yuan has fallen about 5% in little more than three weeks, and sharp yuan depreciation in the past has prompted Chinese authorities to suspend outbound investment schemes such as QDLP, halting licence and quota issuance out of fear that capital outflows would amplify unwanted currency volatility.

But the latest regulatory action mostly "falls in the policy continuum", Nicholas Omondfi, Shanghai-based director at consultancy Z-Ben Advisors, told Reuters.

There is an acknowledgement over the years among multiple financial authorities, he said, that the domestic market is internationalising and bringing in global expertise will be beneficial in some ways.

"QDLP is very much part of this path forward so I wouldn't expect reversal on the quota pledges regulators have made."

KKR registered its wholly-owned fund management unit with Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) under the QDLP programme on April 21, an official record from the sector regulator showed.

The registration, as per local rules, means the U.S. private equity firm can now start fundraising for overseas investments. It took KKR about nine months to complete the registration process, which is a de-facto approval system.

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It is one of 24 asset managers, both Chinese and foreign, that will share $5 billion worth of QDLP quotas. The programme has allotted more than $50 billion in quotas via local governments since it was launched in 2013.

Separately, BlackRock's fund management unit has become the first wholly foreign-owned retail fund manager to get a QDLP licence, according to an official statement posted last week by the Shanghai Municipal Office of Finance Service.

"Despite the impact of the COVID outbreak, multiple global asset managers are still actively applying" to enter the QDLP pilot, that statement said, adding that they "firmly believe in" the future of Shanghai as an international financial centre.

KKR and BlackRock declined to comment on the approvals. AMAC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request to provide details. The Shanghai government declined to comment beyond its statement last week.

(Reporting by Selena Li; Additional reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Edmund Klamann)
Charles Herbster. Scott Olson/Getty Images

It is primary day once again in America  this time in Nebraska and West Virginia, where a heated gubernatorial standoff and a redistricting-driven congressional race, respectively, are underway.

Much like last week's Ohio primary, former President Donald Trump has once again taken center stage in both Tuesday contests, as analysts and pundits continue to measure the former leader's hold on the Republican Party by the success of candidates he's endorsed.

In West Virginia's highest-profile primary, Trump has thrown his support behind incumbent Rep. Alex Mooney (R), who is going head-to-head with fellow GOP incumbent Rep. David McKinley thanks to redistricting. McKinley is backed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Gov. Jim Justice (R).

And in Nebraska's main event, Trump is pushing for businessman Charles Herbster, who has been accused of sexual harassment, though outgoing GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts strongly favors University of Nebraska board of regents member Jim Pillen. Herbster denies the assault allegations against him.

Notably, as highlighted by FiveThirtyEight, neither West Virginia nor Nebraska is a swing state, meaning whoever wins the Republican primary in each race will likely win in November.

The Nebraska gubernatorial race also pits Trump's prestige against Rickett's, considering the governor's family is "among the most influential donors in the Republican Party," CNN writes.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. in West Virginia and 9:00 p.m. ET in Nebraska.

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A New York City judge locked up event planner Lauren Pazienza Tuesday for shoving 87-year-old voice coach Barbara Gustern to her death  after her fiancee spoke to investigators.

EVENT PLANNER LAUREN PAZIENZA'S MOM BAILED HER OUT WITHA $500K CHECK: RECORDS

Pazienza had been out on $500,000 for killing Gustern, but Justice Felicia Mennin ordered the 26-year-old held without bail Tuesday after prosecutors made the request at her Manhattan Supreme Court arraignment.

"I am remanding," the judge said, expressing concern that the defendant is "a serious flight risk."

Pazienza showed no emotion as court officers handcuffed her and led her to a holding cell.

Earlier in the proceeding, the Fashion Institute of Technology graduate pleaded not guilty, through her lawyers, to first-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault.

Prosecutor Justin McNabney argued that Pazienza could flee now that she's been indicted on crimes for which she faces as much as 25 years in prison.

In addition, he argued, her fiancee's statements to investigators show that the March 10 attack on Gustern was an "intentional act," and Pazienza wanted to "cause serious physical injury" when she violently shoved the stranger, who weighed less than 100 pounds.

Pazienza sat stone-faced at the defense table as McNabney outlined the tragic moment that Gustern crossed paths with her alleged killer.

The defendant and her fiancee, Naveen Pereira, who were scheduled to marry in June, were celebrating the 100th day before their wedding, according to court papers.

They hit a series of art galleries, Pazienza drank several glasses of wine, then the couple got a meal from a food truck in Chelsea Park  one block from the assault, the papers allege.

A park staffer told them they had to leave because the park was closing, sending Pazienza into a rage. "[She] threw her food onto her fiancee and stormed out of the park," the papers say.

Story continues

NYC CITY SOCIALITE ACCUSED IN ELDERLY SHOVE DEATH BULLIED CLASSMATES IN SCHOOL

That's when Pazienza charged down W. 28th St., ran straight for Gustern, called her a "b-tch" and shoved her so hard she bashed the left side of her head, court documents allege.

Moments later, Pazienza called Pereira and asked him to meet her. She allegedly berated him for "ruining her night" without mentioning that she had attacked an elderly woman, according to prosecutors.

Before the couple headed back to their Astoria apartment, she allegedly stood in the middle of W. 29th St. looking directly at the ambulance outside Gustern's building.

Only after they returned home that night did Pazienza tell her fiancee what she had done. When he asked why, she allegedly answered that the victim "might have said something" to her, but she wasn't sure.

"That was her only explanation," a court document alleges. A few days later, after Pazienza saw a newspaper report indicating that Gustern had died, her fiancee told investigators she became "really scared and nervous" and fled New York City, the papers say.

She deleted all her social media  including her wedding website  and hid out at her aunt's house, Pereira allegedly told authorities.

After police knocked on the door of her parents Long Island home, Pazienza turned herself in.

A medical examiner testified in the grand jury that the blunt force wound to the top of Gusterns head required "substantial force."

Pazienza's defense lawyer John Esposito argued that the facts of the case had not changed since her arrest and there were no grounds to change her bail conditions.

Esposito said that she is living with her parents and is receiving counseling "on several issues" but has no psychiatric diagnosis. Her mother was in the courtroom, as were several family members and friends of Gustern.

"I'm sorry for her, I'm sorry for her parents, but what she did needs to have consequences," said Gustern's friend, Morgan Jenness, who applauded the judge's decision to jail Pazienza.

She's due back in court July 26.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

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Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

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WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

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MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

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VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

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KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

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BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

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WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

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HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

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GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.
Reuters

The industrialised Chinese coastal city of Wuxi is offering Nobel Prize winners up to 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) in housing subsidies to attract top talent in a national economy that is shifting towards innovation-driven development. In recent years, big cities across China including rising tech hubs in the country's interior have rolled out incentives such as tax cuts to university graduates in a fierce grab for talent to upgrade their respective economies. The home purchase subsidies of 3 million yuan ($443,203.47)to 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) offered by two districts in Wuxi for "Category A" talent including Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry are among the highest in the country, according to a local government statement on Wednesday.
With Southern California facing a severe drought, Los Angeles residents and businesses will soon be subject to outdoor watering restrictions, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday.

The planned restriction for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers is expected to take effect June 1 after receiving City Council approval.

The restriction is less severe than a recent decision by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California requiring some customers it supplies to cut watering to once weekly.

Garcetti said Los Angeles didnt need to be as restrictive as the other water district because of ongoing efforts by its nearly 4 million residents to conserve water.

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR WARNS ABOUT SERIOUS WEEKEND FIRE WEATHER

"We are using a little bit less water today than we were more than 30 years ago with a million more people," Garcetti said.

Garcetti still urged homeowners to replace thirsty lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.

FILE - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks during a news conference at the 90th Winter Meeting of United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) on January 19, 2022, in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

While the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is a municipal utility, the Metropolitan Water District is essentially a giant wholesaler that supplies 26 public water agencies that provide water to 19 million people.

The Metropolitan Water District's one-day-a-week watering limitation will affect about 6 million residents and businesses.

State water authorities were scheduled to hold a briefing about California's drought outlook Tuesday afternoon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Haidai noted that the Ukrainian defense in the Luhansk Oblast remains strong

"The Russian killers' ministry has reported again, he wrote.

Read also: Zelensky refutes Russian propaganda claim that Azov Regiment is neo-Nazi

This time, in their fantasies, they advanced to the administrative border of Luhansk Oblast near Popasna. And then they flew to Mars and captured it too.

He stressed that Ukrainian troops have moved away from the town of Popasna to more fortified positions and that the defense of the oblast remains intact.

Read also: Russians are attempting to take control of Rubizhne and are preparing an offensive on Lysychansk

"There are no breakthroughs. Orcs remain in body bags," he added.
May 10A Maine man already facing 10 federal charges for his role in the 2021 insurrection at the nation's Capitol is about to face more charges for allegedly attacking a third police officer.

Kyle Fitzsimons, 37, of Lebanon, has been in jail since he was arrested last February. He was indicted by a federal grand jury that month on 10 charges, including two counts of inflicting bodily injury on officers who were keeping guard at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Federal prosecutors mentioned they intended to bring the new charges to a federal grand jury on May 7, in a U.S. District Court filing in which they agreed to give Fitzsimons' attorneys more time to file a pretrial statement.

"The government has informed counsel for the defendant that it intends to seek a superseding indictment adding a recently discovered third assault on a law enforcement officer," prosecutors wrote in a footnote.

Attorneys don't anticipate any delays to Fitzsimons' jury trial, slated for June 13, 2022.

Fitzsimons so far has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A federal judge in September, after seeing police images of Fitzsimons charging at a line of officers, denied a request to release him while he awaits trial.

"When considering both Fitzsimons's history of confrontational and threatening conduct in furtherance of his political views and his actions on January 6th, he has demonstrated a disregard for the safety of others and the rule of law," U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras wrote in his order. "Accordingly, no combination of pretrial release conditions could reasonably guarantee the safety of the community."

Fitzsimons was the first Maine resident to face federal prosecution for participating in the riot.

Hundreds of those who headed to the Capitol that day are now facing criminal charges. They include a handful of other Maine residents.

Glen Mitchell Simon, who is originally from Minot but later moved to Georgia, was arrested and pleaded not guilty to four federal misdemeanor charges last May. Nicholas Hendrix, of Gorham, was arrested and pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanor charges in August. Joshua Colgan of Jefferson was arrested and charged with four criminal counts earlier this month.
A Marksville man has been sent to a state mental facility after being found incapable of proceeding to trial, a decision that does not sit well with the mother of his youngest victim.

Denzell Lionell Washington, 19, was arrested by the Alexandria Police Department on two counts of attempted first-degree murder. He later was formally charged on the same charges by the Rapides Parish District Attorney's Office.

He's accused of firing into a home on Bennett Street in March 2021, wounding two girls ages 16 and 5.

Washington's attorney, George Higgins III, was successful in getting a sanity commission to evaluate his client. Both doctors filed reports that stated he currently is unable to proceed to trial.

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Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Mary Lauve Doggett on Tuesday ordered Washington to be sent to the East Louisiana State Hospital in East Feliciana Parish for treatment. She agreed that Washington is a danger to himself and others and should remain institutionalized until further orders of the court.

Kenya Slaughter was present at the hearing because her autistic daughter, now 6, was one of the victims. The girl has recovered, but still carries a bullet in one of her legs.

The 16-year-old is recovering, too, Slaughter said at an April Alexandria City Council meeting.

She doesn't believe Washington truly has a condition that should send him to the hospital, and she wants to see him stand trial.

Slaughter said Washington wrote a letter to the 16-year-old just days before the sanity commission was approved, begging her not to pursue the case.

She said she was "a little flustered" with the decision. And she also said she knows the facility Washington is being sent to is "hell," but still believes it's a waste of taxpayers' time and money.

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While she said he needs to stand trial, she also admits to struggling with not hating Washington. She saw remorse on his face Tuesday, and that moved her some, she said.

But some of the other 11 children who were at the house when Washington opened fire  the second time he had been there looking for the older girl, says Slaughter  are scared and traumatized.

"Its bigger than just my child," she said.

"My daughter is walking around with a bullet in her leg because a little boy got mad."

The decision makes her "very, very upset," and she called the doctors' findings "fake."

"He was perfectly fine before," said Slaughter.

The past year has been rough for Slaughter's family, she said. Her daughter, her only child, is doing OK, but she also lost her father to homicide just months after she was shot.

Her father, 29-year-old Henry Dorty Jr., was killed at Buhlow Lake on June 1, 2021. His stepbrother has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the case.

Slaughter wants Washington to stand trial, wants to hear him say he's sorry and wants him to hear from his victims.

It's possible that Washington could stand trial if his treatment is successful. The charges against him still are pending.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Court: Denzell Washington not capable of standing trial in shooting of 2 girls
GALESBURG  Daylon Richardson, the man charged with crashing his vehicle into and killing Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Nick Weist, appeared in the Henry County Courthouse on Monday for a preliminary hearing.

As reported by WQAD-TV, Richardson, 22 of Granite City, had not hired a lawyer ahead of Mondays hearing though he had previously told the court that he would obtain his own counsel. Richardson told the presiding Circuit Judge Terry Patton that he had been unemployed and bumming around for food and shelter since 2020.

More: 'Everybody loved him': How Illinois towns honor fallen Knox County Sheriff's deputy Nick Weist

Patton granted Richardson a public defender and ordered, at the request of the Henry County states attorney, to impound all information related to Richardsons other open cases.

The move seals records related to felony charges Richardson is facing  that involve possession of a weapon, fleeing, cannabis and mob action in Madison County, Illinois  from everyone except the judge and both parties involved until the Henry County investigation is completed.

WQAD-TV reported that Richardson was expected in court for those charges on May 2 and May 20.

On April 29, Galesburg police officers responded to a 911 call of a suspect with a gun at the Circle K Gas Station on Main Street in Galesburg. Two Galesburg officers attempted to make a traffic stop and the suspect continued to drive and fled north on U.S. Route 150.

Weist was setting up spike strips at the intersection of US-150 and 150 Avenue in Henry County when the suspect's vehicle struck and killed the Knox County sheriffs deputy. The vehicle then crashed in a field north of the intersection and Galesburg officers apprehended the suspect after a brief foot pursuit.

Henry County States Attorney Catherine Runty announced on April 29 that Richardson had been charged with two counts of murder, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding.

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Richardsons next court appearance in Henry County is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, May 23.

A memorial service for Weist was held Saturday, May 7, at Galesburg High School. Hundreds of first responders and law enforcement from across Illinois and bordering states attended the memorial and participated in the procession. Members of the public lined the procession route to pay tribute to the fallen deputy.

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Man charged with killing Deputy Nicholas Weist gets public defender
Manchester City said Tuesday they had reached an agreement to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund -- ending their hunt for a top-class centre-forward.

"Manchester City can confirm we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the club on 1st July 2022," the Premier League champions said in a statement.

"The transfer remains subject to the club finalising terms with the player."

Haaland will move to the Etihad Stadium after City opted to trigger the forward's release clause, reportedly 75 million euros (64 million, $79 million).

The deal for the 21-year-old ends City's long search for a specialist striker to replace record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who left last year.

The club tried but failed in a high-profile attempt to prise England captain Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur.

Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge played for City from 2000 to 2003, has been sensational since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances for the German side.

Earlier Tuesday, City manager Pep Guardiola dropped a heavy hint that Haaland was on his way to Manchester.

"Everybody knows the situation," he said. "I shouldn't talk because I don't like to talk about the future or next season. Borussia Dortmund and Man City told me I'm not allowed to say anything until it's completely done."

City, who are the Premier League's top-scorers this season with 89 goals, have often played without a recognised striker this season.

Riyad Mahrez is their top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions, ahead of Raheem Sterling (16), Kevin De Bruyne (15) and Phil Foden (14).

City, who lead Liverpool by three points at the top of the Premier League table with just three games to go, are closing in on a fourth English league title in five years.

jw/jdg/pi
A man is accused of strangling a woman he lived with before he died of a heart attack as he buried her in their yard, according to South Carolina police.

Deputies in Edgefield County, about 20 miles north of Augusta, were sent to a Trenton home on Saturday, May 7, for a report of an unresponsive male lying in his yard, sheriffs officials said. When they arrived, they found the body of 60-year-old Joseph Anthony McKinnon, who lived at the residence, Sheriff Jody Rowland said.

As their investigation continued, deputies said they found a second body in a freshly dug pit. This body was confirmed to be of 65-year-old Patricia Ruth Dent, who lived with McKinnon, Rowland said in a news release.

Sheriffs officials believe McKinnon attacked Dent in their home. She died by strangulation, an autopsy showed.

Mr. McKinnon then bound her and wrapped her in trash bags before putting her in the previously dug pit, according to the sheriff.

McKinnon partially filled the pit with Dents body inside when he suffered a cardiac event, which caused his death, the sheriff said.

The relationship between McKinnon and Dent is unknown.

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Pittsburgh police are investigating after a reported bank robbery in Brookline Monday.

Officers were called to the Community Bank on Brookline Boulevard around 2:20 p.m.

Police said that the man handed a bank teller a note stating he wanted money. He then threatened a weapon, but one was not seen, police said. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction.

The FBI responded to process the scene.

Its unclear if the suspect got away with any money.

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New aviation platforms and gear that link Marines across the sea-air-land are shifting how Marine aviation heads into the next fight.

Top leaders in Marine Corps aviation have laid out an ambitious new plan for the Corps as the air side reorients itself to complement the services overhaul through Force Design 2030.

Lt. Gen. Mark Wise, deputy commandant of aviation, along with top Marine aviation leaders, shared details of the Corps first publicly released aviation plan since 2019.

It is our way to articulate to everybody this is the direction we think Marine aviation is going and we encourage questions as it happens because if something changes, why did it change? Wise said. Because there should be a good reason for it.

Marine aviation plan invests heavily in digital glue to connect far-flung forces

The plan shows that a host of war games and experiments over the past year and more in 2022 are being used by Marines to figure out how air assets link across a wide spectrum to allow leathernecks to detect enemy threats, strike nearly unseen and fade away for the next round in a future fight.

But it also gives them tools to compete daily, long before the first rocket fires.

While Wise and other senior aviators are optimistic, the plan didnt hedge on the challenges they face.

Multiple communities will be stressed over the coming years, resulting from either divestment or transition, according to the 2022 aviation plan. This is a critical period for the Marine Corps and for Marine Aviation.

Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 312, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, prepare F/A-18 Hornets to take off from ask Air Base, Poland, April 27, 2022. (Cpl. Adam Henke/Marine Corps)

Some of those stressed communities will continue to be F/A-18 pilots and maintainers.

Thats in part because those jets provide more than half of the tactical air capability across the entire force.

At the same time, those older jets are seeing a transition as the Corps procures and fields more F-35 squadrons.

Those jets have an average age of between 27 years to 35 years  older than most of their pilots.

The pilot numbers for those aircraft will decrease as the Corps increases numbers of trained F-35 pilots.

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F-35 Lightning II

Data from the aviation plan show that while the Corps produced 36 F/A-18 pilots each year in 2020 and 2021, it only planned to train 26 new F/A-18 pilots in 2022. That number will drop to as few as eight new pilots in 2027.

At the same time, the F-35B and F-35C classes have gone from 28 total new pilots in 2020 and will rise steadily to produce 75 pilots annually by 2027, according to the plan.

Many of those new F-35 pilots will be heading to sunny California as the Corps has balanced modernization across the East and West Coast. Those pilots and Marines on their ships will have the new jet, but still will be working with older model CH-53E.

Marines with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1 transport a light armored vehicle 25 with a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter over Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 27, 2022. (Lance Cpl. Elias E. Pimentel III/Marine Corps)

CH-53K King Stallion

While on the East Coast, Marines will see shiny new CH-53Ks, but will still work with AV-8 Harriers.

On any type, model, series youre going to prioritize one coast, Wise said.

That has to do with supply chain management, personnel and training.

The Navy also has to modify the L-class ships that will carry the F-35 to withstand the heat it generates on takeoff. The experienced staff who perform that work can then transition to refitting the ships on the other coast once completed, he said.

Were standing up about a squadron and a half a year, Wise said about the F-35 fielding.

The first East Coast squadron will be stood up at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, in the next two years, he said.

The CH-53K is expected to be a full operational capability by 2029.

Marine Corps aviation ordnance technicians conduct routine maintenance on an AV-8B Harrier II at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, April 12, 2022. (Lance Cpl. Ruben Padilla/Marine Corps)

The CH-53K will be the only fully-marinized, heavy-lift helicopter capable of transporting one hundred percent of the vertical (Marine Air Ground Task Force), according to the aviation plan.

KC-130J Super Hercules

Another big item that the Corps looks to base much of its moving and scooting in wide ranges is the KC-130J.

This upgraded transport plane is seen as a mainstay for how newly formed Marine littoral regiments will bring in heavy gear to deliver a littoral punch.

The Marines expect to eventually procure 86 of the aircraft, the last of which to arrive in the inventory by 2027, according to the aviation plan.

Some delayed delivery of backup aircraft until after fiscal year 2024 and excessive turnaround times for schedule depot events is hitting the air wings ability to support operations with the new plane, according to the plan.

The biggest factor in readiness and the KC-130 availability is lack of aircraft on the flight line, according to the aviation plan.

Marines board a KC-130J Super Hercules at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona, April 21, 2022. (Cpl. Michael Virtue/Marine Corps)

MV-22 Osprey

The MV-22 Osprey, in service for nearly two decades now, continues to grow its role in the fleet.

The Corps expects to procure a program record 360 MV-22B Ospreys to fill out 14 active squadrons with a dozen aircraft each along with two reserve squadrons at the same level. Theyll also build one fleet replacement squadron with 27 aircraft, according to the aviation plan.

The aircraft has seen upgrades to include improved flight capabilities in degraded visual environments, a new flight control computer, helmet tracking capabilities, image processing for displaying synthetic graphics and virtual landing zone symbology to lighten pilot workload in degraded visual environments.

Force design modifications have changed the total squadron end strength. The Corps chose to go with a total of 14 active end strength squadrons rather than the previously planned 18 squadrons.

Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey taxis to a staging area after long-range training in Darwin, NT, Australia, May 4, 2022. (Cpl. Cameron Hermanet/Marine Corps)

Unmanned

On the unmanned side, the Corps finally got its MQ-9 Reaper drone up and running recently.

As of early April, Marines boast two drones, with plans to fill that out to 18 Reaper drones.

The force will maintain two active squadrons and one training squadron through 2025, according to the aviation plan, and leaders are considering adding three more drone squadrons.

While Marines currently get drone training with the Air Force, the Corps has plans to kick off its own Navy/Marine pilot program by fiscal year 2024.

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, Dec. 17, 2019. (Senior Airman Haley Stevens/Air Force)

Aviation isnt solely focused on the fliers.

The littoral anti-air battalion is a new unit that aviation will fit into the Marine littoral regiment. It will include a headquarters and service battery, an air defense battery, air control battery, forward arming and refueling point battery that can support three FARPs.

The first littoral anti-air battalion stood up in February, said Col. Craig Doty, with the Cunningham Group, a key team of aviation advisers.

Stationed in Hawaii, the unit is in the process of receiving equipment and beginning the initial operational capability phase.

The air defense battery will center around the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS.

Marines with the Ground Based Air Defense Program conduct a demonstration of the Light-Marine Air Defense Integrated System (L-MADIS) and FIM-92 Stinger Missile, on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, June 30, 2021. (Tia Dufour/Marine Corps)

Inside those KC-130J with the Marine littoral regiments flying fast to the fight across the area will be the ground/air task-oriented radar system.

That equipment has become the centerpiece for sensing and defeating air threats from fixed wing to rotary to small drones. Its also key for linking up targeting between ships, aircraft and ground-based Marines.

But, the G/ATOR has different variants for different mission sets.

The Corps plans to field 17 systems for air surveillance; 28 systems for counter fire/target acquisition; and 12 systems, not yet funded, for air traffic control.

The Corps expects the G/ATOR to hit full operational capability by fiscal year 2025.
A Silver Springs Shores man has been taken into custody by law enforcement officials and charged with the 2020 shooting death of a 15-year-old boy.

Dejon Traique Rashard Woods was booked into the Marion County Jail late Friday night and was present for his first appearance in front of County Judge Lori Cotton on Saturday afternoon at the facility. Woods is charged with homicide, negligent manslaughter of a child.

Cotton increased Woods' bond from $30,000 to $75,000, citing concerns that he was arrested a few weeks before, and roughly a couple of months after the shooting.

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Kyrion Weathers

Local court records show Woods was adjudicated guilty in 2020 for several offenses including fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and carrying a concealed firearm. He served time in the county jail for the charges.

Woods told the judge that he was going to hire a lawyer, and his next court date was set for June.

Trinity Catholic's Kyrion Weathers (20) celebrates after the Celtics defeated Victory Christian Storm 26-23 on Oct. 18 in Ocala.

Deputies said Woods was arrested following a traffic stop along Baseline Road. He was a passenger in the vehicle that was reported stolen. The vehicle was driven by an 18-year-old woman, deputies said.

Woods, 20, is alleged to have shot Kyrion Weathers once in the chest with a handgun nearly two years ago, according to an arrest report. The victim was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, formally known as Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the report states.

Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies recovered the gun reportedly used in the shooting in the bushes not far from a residence where the incident occurred. The gun, a 38 Special, was entered in their database as stolen, law enforcement officials said. Another firearm, described as a 9 mm Smith & Wesson M&P Shield handgun, also was found in the bushes. Both guns were loaded, authorities said.

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At the time of his death, school officials said Weathers was a former student at Trinity Catholic High School and was scheduled to attend Forest High School this fall.

Marion County detective's report

From the report, Detective Joseph Miller said deputies were called to the 15100 block of Southeast 104th Court in Summerfield on July 26, 2020, in reference to a shooting. Miller interviewed Woods who said Weathers, another male and himself, were at the home when the shooting occurred. He said a girl  identified at the time as a 16-year-old  also was there, but left before the shooting.

Woods said they were in the bedroom playing a game when he stepped out of the room to get a drink. He said he heard "a pop go off" and saw Weathers stumbling out of the back bedroom holding his chest. He said Weathers was yelling repeatedly to "call the police," according to the report.

He said the other male who was there ran away without saying anything. Unable to call 911 because his phone was not working, Woods said he went to a neighbor's house and asked for help. Woods said there were no arguments between them and everyone was playing video games.

Woods denied handling or shooting a gun, Miller's report said. He claimed the other male who was there was playing with the gun and had it on his lap while they were playing video games.

Girl's interview with MCSO

Deputies said they got permission from Woods' mother to process the residence. Inside, Miller said he saw drops of blood around the house.

Miller interviewed the teenage girl who was at the residence. She said she was dating Woods. She said Woods, Weathers and herself were the only three people at the residence at the time of the shooting. The teenager said Woods and Weathers were playing video games in the bedroom when she heard a loud bang. The teen said Weathers walked out of the bedroom and yelled at them to call 911. She said Weathers fell on the ground and they tried talking to him.

Asked if anyone was with Weathers when the shooting took place, Miller's report notes that she hesitated before answering no. She said Woods was in the living room when they heard the gunshot. She said the phones were not working so they went to a neighbor's residence to get help.

She said she put the guns in a towel, went outside and hide them in the bushes. She said she hid them because she did not want Weathers to get into any trouble. She said no one told her to hide the guns.

The girl said she did not know about a third male  mentioned by Woods  at the incident location. She told Miller that only Weathers, Woods and herself were at the residence.

Deputies collected swabs from Woods and the girl, according to the report.

Woods re-interviewed by Sheriff's Office

Miller again interviewed Woods about his previous statements. He insisted that another male was at the residence and gave the detective a description. Woods told the detective that he thought the other male had the gun that was used in the shooting.

Woods said he doesn't believe there were any other weapons in the residence. He again denied shooting Weathers, and said he didn't know the girl's whereabouts during the shooting.

Four days after the shooting, Miller was given a surveillance video that showed someone wearing similar clothing as the girl putting something in the bushes. Miller said the guns were found at the same spot where the person was seen in the video.

In August, Miller again interviewed the girl who told the detective that she told him the truth.

Continuing with his investigation, the Medical Examiner's Office informed Miller that Weather's death was caused by a single gunshot wound to the chest and the manner was listed as a homicide.

In September 2020, the detective received a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report about the projectile recovered from Weathers. The report indicates that the projectile came from the 38 Special.

In late March 2021, the girl told Miller she was not truthful during her interview. She said she was in the living room and Woods and Weathers were playing around the hallway with the guns. She said while they were playing around with the guns close to each other, Weathers was shot.

She said Weathers and Woods were not arguing and believes the shooting was an accident. She said Weather, Woods and herself were the only three people in the residence. She also said she and Woods were no longer dating. She was not arrested.

Miller said her statement appears to corroborate with physical evidence  blood drops  found at the scene.

The detective interviewed numerous people, and completed multiple search warrants for cellphone and social media data on information about the shooting. FDLE officials were consulted on forensic evidence. Miller was unable to find the other male who Woods said was present at the time of the shooting. Miller believes Woods made up that individual.

Accidental shootings in Marion County

It's not the first time law enforcement officials have arrested teenagers for playing around with guns that killed someone.

Early last month, Belleview Police Department officers charged two 17-year-old boys with the shooting death of Christopher Leroy Broad, 16, who was shot and killed inside a residence.

Officers said Broad and one of the 17-year-olds took turns wearing a bulletproof vest and shooting at it when Broad was shot in an area not covered by the armored clothing. Police charged one of the teens with shooting the victim and the other with making a false report of a crime. Prosecutors charged the boys as adults.

Weeks later, Ocala police officers arrested the 17-year-old boys and two others  one 19, the other 16 - in connection with a drive-by shooting at a residence. No one was injured or hurt in the shooting, officials said.

 Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Silver Springs Shores man charged in 2020 fatal shooting
Melissa Gilbert is opening up about the midlife crisis she experienced after the end of her marriage to Bruce Boxleitner.

In her new memoir, Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered, the Little House on the Prairie star wrote about the end of her marriage to the Babylon 5 actor in 2011. She shared that following the split, she made physical changes in order to feel better about herself.

Melissa Gilbert speaks about aging in Hollywood. (Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

I had Botox, fillers, recolored my hair, and bought a Mustang convertible at the urging of the inappropriately young French dude I began dating, Gilbert, 58, wrote in the memoir, according to Page Six.

That reaction, noted the former Screen Actors Guild president, was about attempting to recapture the freedom she felt in her youth. She wrote, I reacted as many women I encountered did: I attempted to freeze everything in place.

She added that the experience of being a single woman in your forties in Los Angeles is a whole different league of pressure.

And being an actress looking for work in an industry obsessed with youth ratchets that up even further, she noted.

It wasnt until she met her now-husband, Thirtysomething actor Tim Busfield, and moved out of Los Angeles to Michigan after their marriage in 2013, that she stopped focusing so much on what she looked like.

I cant move my forehead  and thats not okay, she explained. I have a feeling that Im going to want to move it more in the future. Id like to go someplace where thats possible.

Gilbert, who now lives in Upstate New York with Busfield, also spoke to Good Morning America this week about making the decision to leave Los Angeles behind  and with it, its challenging beauty standards.

"I had to get out of Los Angeles to actually age, which I wanted to do," she said. "I'm excited about this. I love all these changes and watching what's happening and getting to know this new person."

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She shared with People that she has since reevaluated her outlook on her appearance.

My mindset was, You have to stay thin. You have to be seen in the right places, wear the right shoes and drive the right car,' she noted. That was so drilled into me by all the outside forces. But it never sat right.

Want lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter.
A former Mississippi Coast paramedic pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting patients in the back of ambulances while en route to Mississippi hospitals for medical care.

James Walley, 57, a married father of four from Greene County, also admitted to fondling two minor children ages 5 to 7 when the crimes occurred.

Walley made the admissions when he pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of sexual battery and two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes before Circuit Judge Robert Krebs.

District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath is prosecuting the case that involves crimes committed by Walley at different times between 2016 and 2019 while Walley worked as a certified paramedic for ASAP Ambulance. This company serves patients in Alabama and Mississippi.

Sentencing is deferred until a later date when victims are allowed to share how the crimes affected them.

Among the victims was a pregnant Greene County woman who tried to fight off Walley in the back of the ambulance as he raped her on her way to a hospital in Jackson County, records show. The woman lost her baby within hours of the attack. Walley had sexually assaulted her twice on the ride to the hospital, records show.

Each time the assaults occurred in the ambulance, Walley was in the back, and someone else drove the ambulance. In each case, records say, the drivers did nothing to intervene, though they denied any knowledge of the attacks.

Walley had no prior criminal history before his arrest.

James Lavelle Walley pleads guilty to sexually abusing patients while working as a paramedic during a court hearing at Jackson County Circuit Court in Pascagoula on Monday, May 9, 2022.

Victims filed Mississippi lawsuits

More details about what the victims suffered at Walleys hands came to light in lawsuits filed on behalf of at least six of Walleys adult victims he assaulted in the back of the ambulances during emergency trips to South Mississippi hospitals.

Leakesville personal injury attorney Joe Beard represented the victims from George and Greene counties in most cases. Attorney Joshua Danos represented at least one of the victims from Jackson County.

These were some of the most horrible civil cases Ive ever had to file just because of the nature of the crimes, Beard said Monday after hearing Walley had entered guilty pleas to some of the criminal charges in a plea deal with the state. You know, when we get in an ambulance, we expect to be taken care of, not sexually assaulted.

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The civil cases have been settled and dismissed.

James Lavelle Walley awaits a hearing to plead guilty on sexual battery charges in Jackson County Circuit Court in Pascagoula on Monday, May 9, 2022.

Targeting vulnerable adults in sex crimes

In each criminal case, the victims are described as vulnerable adults because they had a medical condition that required emergency care when Walley attacked them.

In one case, a woman attempted suicide with prescription pills and an ASAP ambulance responded. The woman accused Walley of sexually assaulting her in the back of the ambulance around Sept. 15, 2018, while headed to a hospital in Forrest County.

In another, a woman with mental health issues overdosed on drugs in Leakesville around June 8, 2018. ASAP Ambulance responded, the records say, and Walley sexually assaulted the woman in the back of the ambulance on the way to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg.

Another assault occurred, records say, around April 5, 2018, when a woman over 65 and suffering from pneumonia says Walley sexually assaulted her in the back of an ambulance on the way to George County Hospital in Lucedale. The woman said Walley sexually assaulted her a second time the same day when an ASAP ambulance drove her from the hospital to a new medical facility.

In another incident, a Greene County woman over the age of 65 accused Walley of sexually assaulting her around March 2018 in the back of an ASAP ambulance while headed to a Mobile infirmary. The ambulance service had initially picked her up at George County Hospital. The victim has since died.

James Walley

Facing life in prison

Walley is facing life in prison if hes sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in prison on each sexual battery charge and 15 years each on the molestation charges.

ASAP Ambulance fired Walley after his arrests.

The George, Greene and Jackson County sheriffs departments investigated the cases.

Coast paramedic faces more charges for sexually assaulting women, records say
Nepalese mountaineer Kami Rita, 52, broke his own record for the most climbs to the top of Mount Everest after successfully reaching the summit of the worlds tallest mountain for the 26th time.



On Saturday, the veteran Sherpa guide safely scaled the 29,032-foot summit while leading a group of Sherpa climbers.



Sherpas are an ethnic group in Nepal who live at high altitudes. The term is also used to refer to the trek guides themselves. Their skills and expertise have become essential to the safety of foreign climbers who want to reach the top of Everest.



The expedition, composed of Rita and 10 other guides, reached the summit at around 7 p.m., which is considered late by Everest climbing standards. At night, climbers are vulnerable to risks of deteriorating weather that could cause them to lose their way back down.



The group attached ropes along the route to help other climbers and guides who are set to climb the mountain in a few weeks.



After the trek, the group returned without a hitch to lower camps, according to Mingma Sherpa of the mountaineering company Seven Summit Treks.



Nepals Department of Tourism Director General Taranath Adhikari declared: Kami Rita has broken his own record and established a new world record in climbing.



Kami Ritas wife Lakpa Jangmu expressed happiness over the experienced climbers remarkable feat, although in earlier interviews has expressed wishes that her husband would quit his dangerous job as a guide.



I keep telling him we could look for other jobs, start a small business. But he does not listen to me at all," she told The Independent in 2018 when her husband was set to attempt his 22nd Everest summit..



Rita, whose father was among the first Sherpa guides, has also scaled some of the worlds other highest peaks, including K-2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.



Rita has made climbing Mount Everest an annual trip since first reaching its summit in 1994. For his latest trek, he used a route pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.



Mount Everest has been climbed 10,000 times since 1953, with the treacherous path to the summit having claimed at least 311 people so far.



Featured Image via Sherpa Adventure Gear

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Steve Dackin. He was elected vice president of the Ohio State Board of Education on Nov. 15, 2021.

Former State Board of Education member Steve Dackin is the new chief of K-12 public instruction.

The State Board of Education voted 14-4 Tuesday to choose Dackin from a group of three finalists.

Larry Hook, superintendent of Springboro Community City School District in Southwest Ohio, received four votes from the board's more conservative members. And Thomas Hosler, superintendent of Perrysburg Exempted Village Schools near Toledo, received no votes.

Stephanie Siddens held the position on an interim basis after Paolo DeMaria retired in September 2021.

He will "take us forward with positive changes for Ohio's education system," Board President Charlotte McGuire said after the vote.

Dackin, who wasn't present for the meeting, will oversee the education of Ohio's 1.7 million K-12 students, the development of academic standards and the licensing of teachers.

And education groups from all over the political spectrum acknowledged what a massive job that will be given the learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing controversies over how we teach about history and sex.

From day one, Mr. Dackin must lean in with honesty, courage, and a commitment to do whats right for our young people, Honesty for Ohio Education Coalition Director Cynthia Peeples said. He must ensure that facts, hard truths, and diverse perspectives and experiences are infused into instruction in our public schools."

And Ohio Education President Scott DiMauro said in a statement "it is imperative that Ohios educators continue to have a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact their ability to serve their students every day."

Who is Dackin?

Dackin served as the superintendent of Reynoldsburg City Schools from 2007-2014.

While he was there, the district began allowing students from neighboring districts to open enroll. A detail he touted as part of his school choice credentials during the interview process.

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The Fordham Institute's vice president of Ohio policy noted Dackin's support of open enrollment in his statement following the appointment.

Chad Aldis described Dackin as "a proven leader" who has "recognized the importance of empowering parents with high-quality education options."

More: Should Ohio school districts be required to accept students who live elsewhere?

After Reynoldsburg, Dackin became the superintendent of school and community partnerships for Columbus State University where he worked until December 2021.

He graduated from both the University of Dayton and Ohio Northern University, and he was a previous finalist for the state superintendent job in 2011.

A fair process?

Dackin's appointment wasn't without controversy.

The former school board vice president led the search for his new position up until a few days before the application window closed. He even resigned from Columbus State to focus on the candidate search.

He then resigned from the state board on Friday, Feb 25, The following Monday, one day before the application deadline, Dackin applied for the superintendent job.

"I've gotten to know Dackin over the last couple of years. He is a man of integrity, and I believe he will do well...," Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, said. "He resigned when he realized he wanted to go for the appointment, which was prior to the selection process."

Where he stands

Republican Govs. John Kasich and Mike DeWine appointed Dackin to the state school board, which has 11 elected members and eight appointees.

Dackin became its vice president last fall after two other DeWine appointees resigned over an anti-racist resolution.

The board passed Resolution 20 in the summer of 2020, a few weeks after George Floyd's murder. But the language quickly drew ire from parents and conservative lawmakers who demanded it be repealed and replaced.

Dackin voted to repeal the anti-racism resolution and remained on the board. Laura Kohler and Eric Poklar did not.

Anna Staver is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. It serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio picks Steven Dackin as its new chief of K-12 education
JUBA, South Sudan (AP)  Many of South Sudan's civil servants have not been paid for months as the government has run out of funds, with income from oil exports allocated to servicing loans until 2027, the finance minister and affected workers said.

Government employees demanding salary arrears include members of the security forces, doctors and nurses, according to Finance Minister Agak Achuil.

The reason why we are not paying the arrears is that the oil money is going towards the payment of loans which have been taken before and paying for some of the priorities of the government, he told reporters in Juba, the capital. Where am I going to get the money if the oil has been sold in advance up to 2027?"

The government will allocate oil sales for 2028 and beyond in order to pay salaries for this year, he said.

The finance ministry recently paid the November and December salaries but now owes for the first four months of 2022.

President Salva Kiirs government depends on oil proceeds to pay salaries and finance other development projects. Internal revenue sources are not enough to support government expenditure.

But the government has borrowed heavily against the country's oil exports. In 2019 authorities agreed to allocate 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day as payment to Chinese firms building roads in the country.

Some spending is seen as profligate. A decision in 2018 to give each of the country's 400 legislators a $40,000 loan to buy personal cars was widely criticized in a country where most government employees live in relative poverty. Medical workers are among the least paid, with most nurses and midwives earning under $100 per month.

Some government employees who spoke to The Associated Press said they are finding it hard to look after their families amid rising commodity prices in Juba and elsewhere.

Food is expensive and children are stressing us for school fees, said a government office messenger, Tereza Akol. Our situation is bad.

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Akol said she hasn't received a payment since January.

Mary Poni, who works as a cleaner in a government office, said she now has a side job as a vegetable seller in order to put food on the table. How can you serve a government which doesnt care about you? she said.

Kiir last year directed finance authorities to allocate 5,000 barrels of crude oil per day to regularize salary payments, but that has not yet been implemented.

South Sudan produces 3.5 billion barrels of oil annually. Monthly oil earnings of roughly $57 million cover just a fraction of the government's monthly expenditure of $200 million, according to official figures.

Achuil, the finance minister, gave no details about government debt when he spoke last week.

Some government critics accuse the government of taking corrupt loans as many are finalized without parliamentary approval.

These loans are very corrupt because there (is) lots of money being exchanged under the table," said Peter B. Ajak, an economist who previously worked for the government. "This is why money of five years is already spent.

There were high hopes for peace and stability in South Sudan when the country gained its long-fought independence from Sudan in 2011. But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 largely based on ethnic divisions when forces loyal to Kiir battled those loyal to his deputy president, Riek Machar.

Tens of thousands of people were killed in the civil conflict which ended with a 2018 peace agreement that brought Kiir and Machar back together in a government of national unity.

But South Sudan's oil production has not yet recovered fully.
The 18-year-old Olathe East High School student accused of opening fire inside the schools administrative offices has been released from the hospital and was being held at the the Johnson County jail, according to jail records.

Jaylon Elmore, who has been charged with attempted capital murder in Johnson County District Court, had been hospitalized since the March 4 incident. He was under guard at the hospital until he could be transferred to the jail.

Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where Elmore was being held, said in a release Tuesday that it no longer had any patients from the Olathe East incident.

Elmore is accused of exchanging gunfire with school resource officer Erik Clark during a struggle inside the schools offices around 10:30 a.m. March 4. Clark, assistant principal Kaleb Stoppel, and Elmore were injured in the shooting.

School administrators had brought Elmore to the offices after a student told a school counselor that she was afraid because she overheard two boys on the bus talking about another student bringing a gun to school on a regular basis, according to an affidavit.

Administrators were eventually able to identify Elmore as the student who might have the gun. While in the office, they told him they were searching everyone. Elmore, who had a backpack, allegedly became defensive and allegedly refused to let them search his backpack.

Stoppel texted Clark and asked him to come to the office. After he arrived, Elmore allegedly reached into his backpack and pulled out the gun and fired five shots. Clark returned fire and shot Elmore.

Elmores next court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 8.
Surveillance video from a Target parking lot shows the events that led to Osceola County deputies shooting at teenagers.

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez held a press conference on Monday to talk about a deadly deputy-involved shooting that happened outside the Target store in Kissimmee on April 27.

Investigators said two teens stole a pizza and some Pokemon cards and then got into a car.

The driver, 20-year-old Jayden Baez was shot and killed by deputies. Nineteen-year-old Joseph Lowe was shot in the hands and lost a finger.

See a clip of the surveillance footage below:

Last week, lawyers for their families held a news conference and claimed deputies did not identify themselves as law enforcement.

The sheriff had not said much about what happened, only that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating and repeated those statements at Mondays news conference.

Were fully cooperating with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Theyre gonna investigate this incident so we cant comment on it, Lopez said. Let them do their job then as soon as it comes out, whatever the outcome is, then we can start talking about it.

Read: Teen shot by deputies outside Osceola County Target recalls moment bullets started flying

On Monday Lopez finally gave some details on what led up to the shooting but still refused to talk about one thing.

To be clear, I will not be commenting on the shooting itself, Lopez said.

But after that comment, the sheriff went on to give more details than hes ever said about what happened that night.

Read: Attorneys: Osceola County deputies didnt identify themselves before deadly shooting outside Target

Lopez said his agency did its own investigation into the alleged criminal acts of Baez and his passengers only and that the FDLE will do the rest.

The sheriff said that Baez rammed four deputies unmarked vehicles in an attempt to flee when deputies got out of the car.

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He said deputies feared for their lives and when they pulled Baez body out of the car, a gun fell. Paperwork just released said the weapon was in his lap with his hand near it.

READ: Identities released of young men involved in deadly deputy-involved shooting outside Osceola Target

The sheriff would not say if the gun was pointed at or if the ramming of those cars was the reason his deputies fired into that vehicle, saying that part is under investigation.

Lopez also claimed that deputies identified themselves, but the driver ignored them.

According to Lopez, the crews responding were tactical units doing training exercises.

READ: 1 dead in shooting involving 2 deputies in Kissimmee, sheriffs office says

9 Investigates has been asking for years about why those types of officers dont always have body cameras. In the past, agencies cited concerns about battery life, heavy vests limiting room for the cameras and the fact that the cameras could collect sensitive intelligence information.

Despite that, last year, the Orange County Sheriffs Office added those cameras for all of its agencys SWAT members. Volusia County and Orlando Police use them within SWAT as well.

During the press conference, Lopez spent time blaming the media for their reporting of the case over the last week and even blamed the attorneys for three of the suspects.

READ: Report: Teens stole Pokemon cards, pizza before deputies fired shots outside Target store

Those attorneys have not yet sent a statement on Lopezs comments but plan to hold a news conference on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Osceola Sheriffs Office released surveillance video from Target on the day of the shooting.

We will have more in-depth coverage on Channel 9 News at 10 and 11 p.m.

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.
Ukrayinska Pravda

VALENTINA ROMANENKO - THURSDAY, 12 MAY 2022, 10:06 Since the beginning of the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, the army of the Russian Federation has lost 26,650 soldiers, 300 of them in the last 24 hours alone.
After a draft opinion from the Supreme Court was leaked, showing intentions of overturning Roe v. Wade, a crowd took to the streets of downtown Athens to rally in support of abortion rights.

The draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito shows that as of February, when the document was written, the highest court in the nation was on track to overturn the 1973 landmark ruling, in response to an ongoing court case from Mississippi.

Background: Leaked abortion opinion shakes trust in Supreme Court and puts Roe in center of midterm fight

More: GHSA votes to ban transgender athletes from competing based on gender identification

While the decision is not final, an emergency rally was held May 4 on the steps of City Hall, where hundreds turned out, chanting slogans such as the people united will never be defeated and my body, my choice.

The rally was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation in conjunction with the Athens Area Democratic Socialists of America. Some elected officials  including Commissioners Mariah Parker, Jesse Houle, and Melissa Link and District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez  made appearances either as speakers or among the crowd.

The rally had a lineup of speakers and a brief march through the streets of downtown before coming back to City Hall for another round of speakers.

A handful of counter-protesters appeared throughout the evening without major disruption. A group of Athens-Clarke County police were present but there were no incidents.

With attendees waving signs such as abortion is healthcare and defend the right to choose, it was clear why people were rallying together: they were worried not only for themselves, but for everyone in Georgia.

This issue would not just affect cisgender women, one attendee argued, but said it would be an issue for transgender and nonbinary individuals.

This doesn't only affect women, it affects absolutely everyone," said one rally attendee. "It affects trans people it affect nonbinary people and we can't leave that out of the conversation. This is a people issue, this is not just a women issue."

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Under Roe, states are unable to ban abortion before fetal viability, which is estimated to occur around 24 weeks. If overturned, states would be allowed to make individual decisions on abortion.

In Georgia, due to the heartbeat bill this means that abortions would be banned after six weeks.

More: Abortion law changes ahead: Here's what would happen in Georgia if Roe v. Wade is overturned

There is no abortion clinic in Athens, and according to prochoice.org, any residents seeking an abortion would have to drive to either Augusta or Atlanta. In the state, there are 28 facilities provide abortions, 17 of which are clinics, according to prochoiceGeorgia.org.

For Alejandra Gonzalez-Calvo, the lack of access to care has made her nervous.

It's really scary the idea that if I should need access to this kind of medical procedure, that I might not be able to get it, said Gonzalez-Calvo.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Downtown Athens rally for abortion rights draws 100s
Sgt. Phil Krynsky, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department, said officers responded to a shopping area near 7th Street and Bell Road on May 9, 2022, to reports of a man damaging nearby businesses. Officers shot the man after he attempted to enter a business while holding a rock.

A man is in critical condition after a confrontation with police early Monday evening, Phoenix police said.

Sgt. Phil Krynsky, a department spokesperson, said that officers were called to a shopping area near 7th Street and East Bell Road after they received reports of a man damaging businesses around 4:30 p.m Monday.

Krynsky said responding officers located a man with a rock in his hand and ordered him to drop the rock. The man ignored the officers and fled across a street toward another business.

He then went to the outdoor patio of a restaurant and officers ordered him to drop the rock but he "continued to act erratically," according to police. Officers pursued the man and ordered him not to enter the restaurant before shooting him multiple times, Krynsky said.

Officers began life-saving measures before the man was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. Krynsky said the man suffered multiple gunshot wounds but did not know exactly where on the body.

No one else was injured during the shooting.

Krynsky said witnesses described the man as acting erratically but additional details were unavailable.

Police did not identify the man as of Tuesday morning.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police shoot man suspected of damaging businesses
Phoenix Rising FC midfielder Kevon Lambert (27), right, chases down Sacramento Republic FC forward Cameron Iwasa (31) during the first half against Sacramento Republic FC at Wild Horse Pass Stadium on Saturday, October 23, 2021, in Chandler.

Phoenix Rising FC is one tournament win away from facing a Major League Soccer club, the recently crowned CONCACAF Champions League winner Seattle Sounders FC or the San Jose Earthquakes.

That's what the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup allows for, the tournament that crowns an American club team champion having made its return after a two-year hiatus. Rising FC has wins over local side Valley United and USL rival New Mexico United, both at home last month, and now heads to Northern California to face Sacramento Republic FC Wednesday night for the right to advance to the Round of 16.

There, the Sounders or Earthquakes await. Should Rising FC get past Sacramento, it will be the furthest the team has gone in the Open Cup, as either Arizona United SC or Phoenix Rising FC.

The Open Cup games are scheduled within Rising FC's USL regular season, and the team had hoped for a shot to play an MLS club in the Round of 32, or fourth round, where it sits now. But last month's draw not only pitted the team against a league foe, but also on the road even though all four teams in their pot (Seattle, San Jose, Sacramento, Phoenix) put forth bids to host the match.

Game recap: Rising bounce back from blowout with win over San Antonio

Read more: What we learned in Phoenix Rising's win over San Antonio FC

Head coach Rick Schantz feels U.S. Soccer should take a look at the drawing process, which places teams into regions to cut down on travel time and distance. He said in England's FA Cup, lower-division teams get to play higher division teams in each round, which he thinks would be more fun for American soccer fans.

"I think that it easily can be done, especially with USL now (with) the budgets these teams have for travel and whatnot. Regionalizing it at this level I think is not a good thing to do," Schantz said.

Phoenix Rising FC head coach Rick Schantz watches his team during the first half against New Mexico United on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Chandler. Rising beat the United 2-1 with a late goal by Phoenix Rising FC forward Greg Hurst (17).

When Schantz was coaching at FC Tucson, the then fourth-division club knew it always would play a team a level up in the U.S. Open Cup. In FC Tucson's run through the Cup tournament in 2013, the club defeated third-division Phoenix FC at home, then went all the way to San Antonio a week later and stunned the second-division Scorpions on penalty kicks.

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Related: Phoenix Rising FC to be part of first-ever USL Summer Showcase in Louisville

Tucson's third-round opponent was the Houston Dynamo of top division MLS, and the run ended with a road loss. But FC Tucson scored $15,000 in prize money for being the club at its league level that advanced the farthest in the Open Cup.

"We drove for two days and played 120 minutes, and then penalty kicks shootout. And I want to say it was like mid-90s (temperature), with about 80 percent humidity and managed to pull off a penalty kick shootout," Schantz recalled.

Apr 6, 2022; Chandler, Arizona, United States; Phoenix Rising head coach Rick Schantz watches his team play against Valley United FC during the first half at Wild Horse Pass.

On the pitch in Houston with his father after the game, Schantz first began to believe he could coach at a higher level.

"I liked working with FC Tucson, but I felt like there might be a shot that I can really go after it," Schantz said. "So it was probably the US Open Cup that that gave me a little bit of another goal and another thing to chase in a career. So that was a great memory."

Rising FC is in the midst of a stretch of three games in nine days. The trip to Sacramento is sandwiched between home matches last Saturday and this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, traditionally a top team in USL but not playing as well this season.

Phoenix has not played Sacramento in the regular season yet in 2022. Schantz was asked if playing a USL team in the fourth round gives his team a better chance to advance in the Open Cup.

"We know a lot of their players really well, they're a very good team. And for us to say that it improves our chances of winning would be extremely arrogant," Schantz said. "But being on the road against a good team with, you know, three games in nine days, or whatever it is ... look, our backs are up against the wall, it's going to be a challenge. But I think this is where we thrive."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Rising set for fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match at Sacramento
A Pittsburgh school police officer is on administrative leave after allegedly punching a student in the face at the Student Achievement Center in Homewood.

The Pittsburgh Public School District declined to release any details but did confirm that there was an incident involving a student and school police officer and that an internal investigation is underway.

Sources tell Target 11 that the officer attempted to confiscate a cell phone from a student.

The student resisted and the officer tried to escort the student out of the building.

There was some sort of altercation and the student allegedly bit the officer in the arm. Thats when the officer allegedly punched the student in the face. Its unclear what injuries the student suffered.

While refusing to release specific information about the incident, a district spokesperson said that it had been referred to Childline.

An incident that occurred on April 28, involving a Pittsburgh Student Achievement Center student and a School Police Officer is currently under investigation. The incident has been reported to ChildLine. As this is a matter involving a student, it is being treated as confidential which the law requires . It is also a personnel matter, and the District does not comment on such matters, said District Spokesperson Ebony Pugh.

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Before learning that Vicky White had succumbed to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said he hoped she would survive.

He wanted answers from the former assistant director at the jail.

White died Tuesday night, hours after her 11 days on the run with capital murder suspect Casey Cole White came to an end in a ditch in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals rammed the Cadillac the pair was traveling in. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said White shot herself just after the crash; Casey White told authorities he planned to shoot it out with officers, even if it risked both their lives.

Images of now fired Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky Sue White, believed to have helped a capital murder suspect escape custody April 29.

"What was going through her mind," Wedding said, in those final moments, "I have no idea."

More about the Lauderdale County jail escape:

Her death could leave the most puzzling question unanswered: Why did a respected long-time employee of the sheriff's office sell her home, throw away her retirement, leave her mother, and betray her colleagues to get a man convicted of violent felonies out of jail?

While the why may remain unanswered, details about what Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, did after leaving Florence, Alabama, on April 29 have come into focus.

After Vicky White took a shackled Casey White from the Lauderdale County Detention Center, bound for what proved to be a fictional mental health evaluation, they abandoned her marked sheriff's unit at a shopping mall and took a recently purchased orange 2007 Ford Edge that she apparently left at the lot the night before.

They left Florence at about 10 a.m., and by 1:50 p.m., they'd abandoned the Ford on a rural roadside in Williamson County, Tenn., near Nashville, about a two-hour drive from Florence. The SUV was towed to a lot and left there for days before it was connected to the Alabama escape.

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On Sunday, Weinbach Carwash manager James Stinson checked security camera recordings after noticing a blue 2006 Ford F150 truck had been parked at the business for a long period. When he looked at the recording, he saw a man resembling Casey White near the vehicle. When law enforcement officers looked at security footage, they saw the two leaving in a gray Cadillac after abandoning the truck.

When asked about reports that Casey White had purchased the Cadillac for $6,000 near where the Ford Edge was abandoned in Tennessee, Wedding said that was probably accurate.

So the two were in Evansville for almost a week. What they did and how the 6-foot-9 escapee and the jailer stayed under the radar as the story of their escape made national headlines hasn't yet been disclosed, if authorities know.

"We have a lot more of the puzzle to put together," Wedding said.

Whats ahead? An autopsy was planned for Tuesday afternoon for Vicky White; Casey White waived extradition, so he will return to where the saga apparently began  the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

A truck U.S. Marshals believe was used by escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and former corrections officer Vicky White was found abandoned at Weinbach Car Wash in Evansville. The man in the picture bears a resemblance to Casey White, but authorities haven't said whether they believe it's him.

Lauderdale County authorities say he won't be there long: He'll be arraigned immediately and head back to prison, where he will await a capital murder trial in the death of Connie Ridgeway.

Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connelly said the trial is slated for June. "Plan A," he said, is to try White on the capital murder charge then.

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

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Police unravel details of Lauderdale escape, jailer Vicky Whites death
Police have arrested the woman they said opened fire on a school bus in Gwinnett County.

It happened along Highland Gate Circle early Monday morning.

The mother of one of four elementary school students who were on the bus said that she heard around a dozen gunshots around 7:15 a.m.

Her 5-year-old daughter said the driver yelled for the kids to duck down as she kept driving them to school, where she knew they would be safe. The driver sustained injuries to her hands from broken glass.

Just to have the presence of mind, just to digest whats going on at the time and two, to think of the kids and have the wherewithal to say the safest place around here is school, thats fantastic, the mom said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Police have said Celeste Michele Saunders has been charged with cruelty to children, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies and unauthorized discharge of a firearm near public street.

Police said the bus driver, Patricia Rodriguez, had only minor injuries because of the broken glass from the bus windshield.

Melissa Laramie, Chief Communications Officer with Gwinnett County Public Schools spoke on the incident on behalf of the school system.

We are so grateful the GCPS staff and children on the bus arrived safely to school, Laramie said.

RELATED NEWS:
Police responded to a shooting in Plum Monday night.

Allegheny County Dispatch confirmed to Channel 11 that police were called to the 300 block of Holiday Park Drive at 10 p.m.

Plum police said a person pulled up and shot inside a car with two people inside.

One person was hit and was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to police.

The scene of the shooting is about a five-minute walk to Holiday Park Elementary School, and neighbors say its usually very quiet on their street.

Police said there are no suspects or motive known at this time.

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UPDATE (May 11): Pittsburgh police said they have identified the male in the photos.

UPDATE:



The male in the photos has been identified.



Pittsburgh Police thank the public and the media for sharing the information. https://t.co/Vzkj4EwqLe  Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) May 11, 2022

Previous coverage (May 10):

Pittsburgh Police homicide detectives are asking you to take a good look at these pictures of a man they say is connected to the Easter morning mass shooting at a packed Airbnb on Suismon Street in the citys North Side.

The man is wearing Nike sneakers with tags still on them, an Adidas head and face covering, jeans and a black hoodie that appears to say FRIENDS on the front.

Nearly 100 rounds were fired in and outside the rental just after 12:30 a.m. Easter morning, sending hundreds of teenagers running for their lives. City Councilman Bobby Wilson says it was traumatic.

Mass Shooting Coverage:

 PHOTOS: Pittsburgh Mass Shooting: At least 11 shot in Easter Sunday shooting in North Side neighborhood

 Shocking video shows moments shots were fired during Pittsburgh mass shooting

 Police were called to Pittsburgh Airbnb for noise complaint 90 minutes before Sundays mass shooting

 Pittsburgh police chief confirms AR-15 style weapon used in Airbnb mass shooting

 Woodland Hills School District superintendent remembers student killed in Pittsburgh mass shooting

 Pittsburgh Police interviewing witnesses, including party host, in Airbnb mass shooting

 Pittsburgh Public Schools operating on modified lockdown Monday after Pittsburgh mass shooting

 It was rapid fire: Witnesses react to Pittsburgh mass shooting

 Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey reacts to the North Side mass shooting: 11 shot, 2 dead, 5 other injuries

 Hear the first responder radio transmissions as the Pittsburgh mass shooting was happening

Story continues

 Family staying at Airbnb below Pittsburgh mass shooting left an hour before shots fired

 Its been a heavy couple of days: Violence prevention meeting addresses Pittsburgh mass shooting

I cant imagine what people were thinking in that moment, especially when you have people trying to run away and jump from windows, Wilson tells Channel 11.

Two 17-year-olds, Jaiden Brown and Mathew Steffy-Ross, were murdered. Nine others were wounded, and even more were injured trying to jump out of windows. Neighbors say they just want to see someone held accountable.

Were a little anxious, neighbor Sarah Everett said.

Violent Crime Unit detectives are requesting the publics assistance to identify the male in these photos in relation to the April 17, 2022 fatal shooting incident on Suismon Street.



Police are asking anyone with information to call Major Crimes at (412) 323-7161. pic.twitter.com/XHQmIX5Cwc  Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) May 10, 2022

The shooting happened just after 12:30 a.m. At 12:36 a.m., the man police want to talk to was seen on surveillance video trying to get into a nearby hotel. Staff at the hotel say they went into an active shooter lockdown, and the second set of automatic glass doors was locked, leaving the man in the vestibule with no way to get inside the hotel. Managers say the staff did everything right and, in turn, not a single guest was in danger. That hotels surveillance footage might also be the key to cracking this case.

We need to bring some justice to the families, Wilson tells Channel 11. I know the families are looking for peace.

Wilson is introducing Airbnb legislation. He wants a sticker in each window of short-term rentals so public safety and neighbors are aware of where theyre located. There will be a public hearing May 19 at 1 p.m. for neighbors to weigh in about Airbnbs on the North Side.

Wilson added that for those affected by the trauma of the mass shooting, there is help available at the Centers for Victims. For information and resources, click here.

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Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Senator Jeff Sessions To Be U.S. Attorney General

Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images Susan Collins

Police in Bangor, Maine, responded Saturday to a call about a message written in chalk on a sidewalk near the home of Sen. Susan Collins.

"Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA," the message read, according to Bangor Daily News, "vote yes, clean up your mess."

"WHPA" refers to the Women's Health Protection Act, which would legalize abortions nationwide. The Senate is set to vote on the bill for the second time Wednesday, after a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicated that they intend to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed the right to abortion.

"WHPA" which would create a national law banning restrictions on abortion. Collins, a Republican who has said she supports abortion rights, voted against the bill in February and said last week that she intends to do so again on Wednesday.

"It supersedes all other federal and state laws, including the conscience protections that are in the Affordable Care Act," Collins said of her reasonings for voting against bill to reporters at the Capitol on Thursday. "It doesn't protect the right of a Catholic hospital to not perform abortions. That right has been enshrined in law for a long time."

Lawmakers in favor of abortion rights want the WHPA to pass in the wake of a leaked draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito that indicates the Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, have introduced a separate bill, the "Reproductive Choice Act," to codify Roe v. Wade into law.

RELATED: See Which States Have Abortion Restrictions in Place  and What Would Change if Roe Is Overturned

A police spokesman told Bangor Daily News the message was "not overtly threatening." By Monday, the message, written in red and white chalk, was gone.

Obv, 911 is your first call when confronted with such an aggressive water soluble writing pic.twitter.com/utaxtKZILa  southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) May 10, 2022

"We are grateful to the Bangor police officers and the City public works employee who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home," Collins said, according to the paper.

Story continues

Collins voted to confirm Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh  both nominated by President Donald Trump  who appear ready to vote in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade in the leaked draft opinion.

RELATED: Susan Collins, Key GOP Vote in Senate, Praises Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson After Meeting

"If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office," Collins said in a statement after the leaked draft was published by Politico.

"Obviously, we won't know each Justice's decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case."
UPDATE 10:25 P.M.

Memphis Police said they have located the 11-month-old girl.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Memphis Police are searching for a missing 11-month-old girl they say was taken by a man Monday evening.

Railynn Pryor was last seen in the 7000 block of Winchester Road around 5:30 p.m.

Police said she was taken from her mother by a man in a white Chevy Malibu.

Raylinn Pryor was last seen wearing a multi-colored shirt, police said.





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Associated Press

A Connecticut state trooper who is a native of Poland got quite the surprise while responding to an SUV with a flat tire Wednesday  a passenger in the vehicle happened to be former Polish President Lech Walesa. State police said Trooper Lukasz Lipert arrived to the call in Tolland and was greeted by Walesa, who had spoken in Hartford on Tuesday as part of his U.S. tour advocating for aid for refugees who have fled Ukraine during the war with Russia. Lipert, 35, who came to the U.S. when he was 18, told The Hartford Courant that he spoke with Walesa in Polish about their homeland and the anti-communist movement Walesa helped lead.
By Catarina Demony and Patricia Vicente Rua

LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese police on Tuesday raided a refugee support centre run by the municipality of Setubal near Lisbon over allegations that pro-Kremlin Russian attendants had collected personal data of dozens of newly-arrived Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Police said in a statement they had searched the support centre, the municipality building and the Yedinstvo association of migrants from eastern Europe, of which the Russian couple were members. They seized documents in an investigation of suspected crimes of data misuse and unauthorised access.

Newspaper Expresso reported on April 29 that the Russian couple with alleged links to Moscow, Igor Khashin and his wife Yulia, had photocopied refugees' personal documents and questioned them about the whereabouts of their family members in Ukraine, which scared and unnerved many refugees.

Expresso said Portugal's security service had been closely following Khashin's activities since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The association and the couple did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

The municipality, ruled by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), said the man "collaborated" with the refugee centre in Setubal, where his wife, also from Russia, was employed.

The PCP has faced criticism for failing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The couple have dual nationality and the municipality said Igor Khashin had collaborated with the mayor's office and other local government institutions for many years.

Opposition parties have called for the resignation of Setubal Mayor Andre Martins, who they say was aware of the links between the Khashins, the association they belong to and the Russian state.

Martins' office said it had never been informed "by any official entity of suspicious acts or conduct" carried out by the association, which has worked with the municipality since 2005.

Story continues

Speaking in parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ana Catarina Mendes said the case "should be investigated to the very end", and that the government "will not allow that those who come here...are not treated with dignity and respect".

Portugal has welcomed nearly 36,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24.

It is not the first time Portugal has come under fire over how it handles sensitive data. Earlier this year, Lisbon's mayor's office was fined 1.2 million euros for sharing personal data of Russian protesters with the country's embassy.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony and Patricia Rua; Editing by Andrei Khalip)
The cruiser Moskva

Read also: Ukrainian border guard Roman Hrybov on his message to the Russian warship Moskva, and his time in enemy captivity

Leshchenko said that the father of a Russian sailor who probably died on the cruiser had received a reply from the Russian prosecutor's office that his son had allegedly been "absent at the military base," after which Russian propagandists began blaming the prosecutor's office for being "inhumane in the face of the grief of the sailor."

Read also: Ukrainian postal service presents new stamp with "Russian warship"

"Russia itself is not ready to admit its own losses, but at the same time it is ready to glorify those who took part in the unprovoked war against Ukraine," Leshchenko said.

Leshchenko also responded to the latest comments from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and representatives of his regime about Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said that Ukraine never planned an "attack on Crimea," instead hoping for a diplomatic settlement, and nor did it plan an "attack on Russian territory."



Read also: Century-old Russian rescue ship trying to salvage missiles from sunken Moskva  Bild

The Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the guided missile cruiser Moskva on April 13. The warship was hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles and suffered serious damage. On the evening of April 14, the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the cruiser had sunk.

Read also: Russia exports stolen Ukrainian grain to the Middle East, Ukraine liberates four villages in Kharkiv Oblast

On April 16, the Russian Defense Ministry published a video of a meeting between the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy and "cruiser sailors" who were allegedly evacuated. Part of the video had no sound. The Insider observed about 100 sailors in the video. At the same time, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov, the crew numbered 510 sailors, with 58 of them rescued.

Parents stirred up a scandal when they began to report the probable death of their conscript sons aboard the cruiser. Russia has officially recognized the death of one person, while another 27 are considered "missing."

The Russian publication Agentstvo.Novosti previously wrote that the conscripts may have made up more than half of the crew of the sunken cruiser.
Federal prosecutors want a former correctional officer to spend up to 37 months behind bars for smuggling contraband to inmates while she was employed at the CoreCivic detention facility in Leavenworth.

In a sentencing memorandum filed Monday, U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Schuman and Jacob Steiner wrote that the crimes committed by 29-year-old Cheyonte Harris placed the lives of inmates and prison staff at risk and diminished confidence in law enforcement. They contend Harris deserves a meaningful term of imprisonment for abusing the public trust.

The sentence in this case should be sufficiently serious to deter future public officials from similarly putting their self-interest above loyalty to the law and the safety of others, the prosecutors wrote, adding that the sentence should send a message that the job of a corrections officer is one that requires integrity.

Harris, of Raytown, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and smuggle contraband, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. She admitted that she brought illegal items, including tobacco, to inmates in the maximum-security prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI. According to court records, Harris received an estimated $8,565 in payments through the electronic CashApp between January 2020 and June 2021 as bribes.

Harris was regularly paid about $100 for each pack of cigarettes she smuggled in for an incarcerated person, who then sold them to other prisoners. That prisoner in turn received about $350 for each pack sold, according to court records.

Harris was also accused of making false statements to FBI agents when she was interviewed in April 2021. She allegedly told investigators that she did not have a Cash App account and made changes to the account in an effort to conceal the crime.

Harris later admitted to taking bribes on 20 separate occasions, court records show.

In arguing for a sentence of probation, defense attorney Gary D. Stone asked the court to consider that Harris has no criminal history outside of traffic tickets and was enlisted with the Missouri National Guard for six years. He also wrote that Harris worked in a toxic environment as a correctional officer where prisoners openly violated the rules, alleging misconduct was frequently ignored by prison supervisors.

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The past year has been a nightmare for Cheyonte Harris, Stone wrote in the memo. She lost her job, she was arrested and interrogated, she lost the trust of many friends as a result of her actions.

Harris is one of six correctional officers from CoreCivic, the nations largest private prison operator, who have faced federal charges within the past 7 months related to official misconduct at the Leavenworth facility. Others include corrections officers and a prison nurse who was allegedly paid to bring cell phones and tobacco products to inmates.

A sentencing hearing for Harris is scheduled to take place May 17 in the Kansas City, Kansas federal courthouse.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that President Biden has no plans to visit Ukraine despite first lady Jill Bidens recent trip to the country.

When asked in a press conference if the first ladys trip would change the calculations for President Biden, Psaki said he would love to go to Ukraine but has no current plans to do so.

Their travel is a little bit different, said Psaki of the Bidens. I think you all know from traveling with the president. But theres not a trip currently planned. But, again, he would love to go to Ukraine. I just dont have anything planned or anything to preview at this point.

Jill Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Sunday, where she met with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska in honor of Mothers Day.

I wanted to come on Mothers Day, Jill Biden said to Zelenska. I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.

The meeting was Zelenskas first public appearance since the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

We understand what it takes for the U.S. first lady to come here during a war when military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day  even today, said Zelenska at the meeting, calling Jill Bidens visit a courageous act.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) --

Most Read from Bloomberg

Meduza, a prominent independent Russian-language news site, knew it was in trouble after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. But it didnt expect the issues to come from Western sanctions.

Soon after the measures were announced, Russian readers began complaining payments via Stripe to the Latvian-based outlet werent going through, after the payments firm was forced to stop its service in the country.

We couldnt predict that the sanctions of Western governments will come first and destroy our crowdfunding, forcing Meduza to start soliciting crypto and rely entirely on money from foreigners for the first time, Editor-in-Chief Ivan Kolpakov said.

After Putin essentially outlawed independent reporting on the war, keeping the lights on has become as important to Russias free press as figuring out how to report about their country from abroad after the new restrictions scattered hundreds of local journalists around the world.

The unprecedented pressure forced numerous independent media outlets to shut down, and other resources have been blocked by the government censor. Novaya Gazeta, whose editor Dmitry Muratov won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, suspended publication in March after regulators issued it warnings about its coverage, while Ekho Moskvy radio station had its FM frequency handed over to a state-run propaganda outlet.

Russia Paper Whose Editor Won Nobel Shuts Down Under Pressure

The Kremlin is also targeting social media, blocking Meta Platforms Inc.s Facebook and Instagram for extremist activities. Roskomnadzor, the internet censor, has issued fines and warnings to Alphabet Inc.s Google over its YouTube policies. TikTok suspended live-streaming in Russia over the restrictions.

Story continues

Amid the media crackdown, Putins popularity has soared, though its not clear how accurate public opinion polling is in Russia. In a March survey by the independent Levada Center, 83% approved of Putins actions as president, an increase of 12 percentage points on the previous month and the highest since 2017.

Blocked Content

Meduza continues to publish investigations, including a recent chronicle of alleged atrocities committed during the Russian occupation of a town near Kyiv. The Kremlin denies its troops have committed war crimes.

The content is blocked in Russia, forcing users in Meduzas main market to use virtual private networks to access it.

Their audience adapted quickly, as Meduza has pushed readers to download their news app and follow their Telegram channel. Kolpakov said they felt like a group of survivors in a bunker warning that the apocalypse will come.

Meduza lost about a third of its traffic after the restrictions. And they still have bills to pay. Now, instead of relying on donations from some 30,000 Russian readers who supported it before the war, Meduza is asking its international audience to send dollars, euros or crypto as soon as possible to help its 25 journalists resettle mostly in Riga.

Their donations page includes instructions on how to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum on Binance or, for contributors concerned about anonymity, a step-by-step guide to sending untraceable payments via Monero. The Bitcoin and Ether wallets listed on Meduzas website held crypto worth around $230,000 at current prices, according to on-chain data.

Wake-up Call

Svetlana Reiter is one of Meduzas reporters who moved to Riga after the invasion. In the two weeks after she arrived, she had three sources effectively block her on messaging apps. Reiter thinks its proof that everyone is nervous now to talk to exiled media. Even so, Meduza reporters still participate on Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovs daily conference call.

The disruption served as a wake-up call for her about how precarious journalism has always been in Russia, where nearly 60 reporters were killed over the last three decades.

For a moment, I think we forgot we are living in this really strange reality, Reiter said.

Those remaining in Russia face intimidation and worse. Shortly after Novaya Gazeta was shut, Muratov was attacked by two men on a train with red paint laced with acetone. In another incident, Ekho Moskvys long-time editor Alexei Venediktov posted images of a pig head left outside his apartment with an antisemitic sticker.

For Meduza, which was founded in Riga in 2014 during a previous media crackdown following Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the funding freeze wasnt the first time it had to change its business model on the fly. When Russia designated the site a foreign agent last year, in a move that requires it to post a bulky disclaimer on every article and social media post, advertising revenue evaporated overnight.

Now Russia is considering an expansion of its law on foreign agents to allow the designation to be used even if individuals or groups dont get funding from outside the country. Russia has designated scores of independent groups, journalists and activists under the existing legislation, first passed a decade ago.

The restrictions have also impacted international media in Russia. Bloomberg News suspended newsgathering in Russia. Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News, later suspended all operations in the country.

Some news organizations funded by foreign governments were tagged as foreign agents.

Media Hub

With Russia increasingly off limits, Latvia, a Baltic country of about 2 million with a large Russian speaking population, has become a hub for exiled media.

Its capital Riga has become one of the main destinations, together with Tbilisi in Georgia and Istanbul, for Russian journalists seeking to escape Putins censorship after a law passed that carries a sentence of as much as 15 years in prison for spreading fake news about what the Kremlin calls a special military operation.

Outlets including Deutsche Welle and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have relocated their Russian services there, while Novaya Gazetas new European offshoot will be published in Riga.

Jamie Fly, the chief executive of U.S. government-funded RFE/RL said the restrictions will make them rely more on freelancers and user-generated content, methods theyve used in other countries including Iran, and could undermine attempts to reach their audience.

You cant just push out a URL and assume everyones gonna come to it and watch that livestream of a program, Fly said.

For now, Meduza is raising about half of what it needs to develop, forcing it to live hand-to-mouth, according to Kolpakov, who declined to disclose how much in donations it brings in.

And the sites reporters are still adapting to their new home outside Moscow. Alexey Kovalyov, Meduzas investigative editor, can no longer meet with high-ranking government sources in person, and hes no longer convinced his stories will change Russians minds.

Hes doing the work now for some day in the future when he hopes there will be a Russian war crimes trial. The shift in his mindset was only made more salient when Kovalyovs friend, Russian reporter Oksana Baulina, was killed reporting from Kyiv.

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LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II delegated one of her most important public duties to Prince Charles on Tuesday, underscoring the increasingly central role the heir to the crown is taking as his mother prepares to celebrate 70 years on the throne.

Charles presided over the state opening of Parliament and delivered the Queens Speech laying out the governments legislative program. The event is a symbol of the monarchs constitutional role as head of state and is accompanied by centuries of tradition designed to demonstrate the strength of Britains political institutions.

The queens decision to delegate her role to Charles is likely to be seen by the public as evidence that a transition is underway, with the 96-year-old monarch remaining on the throne but turning over more responsibilities to her eldest son.

The choreography of the day emphasized a queen who was absent and yet still present. Her throne had been removed, but in its place the Imperial State Crown sat propped on a pillow. Charles, wearing the uniform of an admiral of the fleet, glittered in gold braid rather than sweeping ermine robes.

He was flanked by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and his son, Prince William. It was, in essence, all about the dynasty.

I think the emphasis here was clearly on continuity, a symbolic presence of Elizabeth II, if not a physical presence, and also what the future will likely look like, said Ed Owens, a royal historian and author of The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public 1932-1953.

WHAT IS THE QUEENS SPEECH?

The speech is delivered during the formal opening of each session of Parliament and lays out the governments legislative program.

It is written by the elected government, currently led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and is read out to a joint meeting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The monarch traditionally arrives for the event in a horse-drawn carriage, sits on the Sovereigns Throne in the House of Lords and wears the Imperial State Crown.

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But Charles, 73, arrived by car and sat not on the sovereigns throne, which had been removed, but on the consorts throne, which had been used by his late father, Prince Philip. In the place where the queens throne normally is placed, the Imperial State Crown was placed on a velvet cushion.

Charles delivered the speech in the third person, referring to Her Majestys Government.

WHY DID ELIZABETH DECIDE TO SKIP THE SPEECH?

Buckingham Palace didnt elaborate on what it called episodic mobility problems, but the queen has had difficulty moving around in recent months. She has been seen using a cane on some occasions and Prince Andrew last month escorted her into Westminster Abbey for the memorial service for Prince Philip.

The event involves more than just reading the speech. There is a long walk to the House of Lords, stairs to the throne, and in past years the need to climb in and out of the carriage. All of these obstacles might offer challenges for the sovereign.

Elizabeth, who only recently recovered from a bout of COVID-19, is also preparing for four days of festivities celebrating her Platinum Jubilee that are scheduled for June 2-5.

HAS THE QUEEN EVER MISSED THE SPEECH BEFORE?

Yes. In 1959, when she was in the late stages of pregnancy with Prince Andrew, and again in 1963 before the birth of Prince Edward.

On both of those occasions, Parliament was opened by a royal commission, with the speech delivered by the presiding member.

SO WHATS DIFFERENT THIS TIME?

This year the queen formally asked Prince Charles to deliver the speech under rules that allow her to delegate some of her duties to senior members of the royal family who are considered counselors of state. Counselors of state are required to act in pairs, so Charles was accompanied by his eldest son, Prince William.

Because the duties had been delegated to Charles, there was less disruption of the ceremonial aspects of the day.

The public should be able to take comfort from the continuity that Charles appearance represents, said Robert Hazell, a professor of government and the constitution at University College London.

Yes, we are, in effect, preparing for a transition, he told The Associated Press. The queen is in her mid-90s. She wont live forever. We are nearing the last years of her reign, and during those last years, if she is no longer capable of putting in public appearances, Prince Charles can deputize on her behalf.
Associated Press

Sri Lanka's president on Wednesday promised to appoint a new prime minister, empower the Parliament and abolish the all-powerful executive presidential system as reforms to stabilize the country engulfed in a political crisis and violence triggered by the worst economic crises in memory. In a televised address, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that without taking sides he condemns attacks on peaceful protesters by mobs who came to support his brother and the former prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned Monday. I am taking steps to appoint within this week a new prime minister who has the trust of a majority in Parliament, who can win over the confidence of the people and a new Cabinet to control the current situation, to stop the country from falling into anarchy and to continue the government's functions that are at a standstill, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
PROVIDENCE  Legislation to allow people who can already register to vote online to also apply for mail ballots online is headed to a House vote after winning party-line approval by a key committee on Tuesday night.

What could go wrong?

Nothing, say advocates of the Let RI Vote bill that passed the House elections committee on Tuesday.

They say the bill will make it easier for people to vote by making permanent the accommodations made during the pandemic so people did not have to stand in line at crowded polling places or hunt down people to act as witnesses to their signatures on absentee ballots.

Election 2022 Update: Gorbea and Foulkes exchange digs as campaign heats up

But some legislators  primarily but not exclusively Republicans  have raised concerns about the opportunities for fraud.

The skeptics also question why Rhode Island is one of only a handful of states with no rules on who can collect ballots from absentee voters, and how many they can collect, a practice critics describe as "ballot harvesting."

One of the last high-profile controversies centered on the 226 mail ballots collected and notarized in 2017 by a $15-an-hour campaign worker for the senator who has sponsored the Senate-passed version of the bill: Democrat Dawn Euer.

Last month: Senate approves bill to allow early voting, online applications for mail ballots

GOP says bill headed for RI Senate vote raises potential for ballot fraud

While her opponent raised concerns, the Rhode Island Board of Elections concluded that there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Among the concerns of "Let RI Vote" critics: removing witness and notary requirements will remove the paper trail that has enabled political opponents  and independent investigators  to probe "ballot harvesting" allegations, as The Journal did in-depth during the Cianci era.

This coupled with the secretary of state's earlier removal of birth dates from the voting records routinely provided The Journal in the past prevents journalists and other watchdogs from identifying people  living and dead  who are registered to vote in more than one state or community and, in some cases, and actually voted. (The Journal sued. As a concession, the secretary of state agreed to allow people to view  but not export  voter records on a state office computer.)

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Rules on returning absentee ballots vary by state

The rules vary from state to state on who can collect ballots for someone else. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in some states the voter must return the ballot.

In 30 other states, "someone other than the voter is explicitly allowed to return a voted ballot on behalf of another voter."

But many of these states, including neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, "limit this provision to a family member, household member or caregiver. Fifteen states allow a voter to designate someone  not necessarily a family member, household member or caregiver  to return their ballot for them."

Should civics be required in RI high school?: Students say, 'We can use this knowledge.'

Eight of these 30 states also limit how many ballots an authorized person can return. Four limit how long those ballots can remain in the authorized persons possession before being returned.

"These limits are based on the concern that saving people the task of returning their ballot can bleed into encouraging them to vote a certain way,'' the state legislatures conference said in a report.

But others, "such as Rhode Island and Wyoming, do not explicitly specify who may or may not return a ballot on behalf of a voter,'' the group said.

Advocates here said there were no known problems to justify reforms to Rhode Island's ballot collection laws in the decades since the scandals of the Cianci era.

Board of Elections chats with The Providence Journal

In an hour-long Zoom meeting with The Journal, top Board of Elections staffers answered questions, and dispelled myths, about how elections officials match ballot signatures now.

As a starting point, they dispelled the widely held belief that Rhode Island has signature-matching machines.

"The machine has the capability to do automated signature verification. However that is not a capability that we have deployed," Miguel Nunez, the deputy director of elections, said.

Here are some other questions The Journal asked the board.

What does the machine do?

"It just makes it more efficient by actually snapping an image of the ballot so it can be reviewed on a computer work station"

So the popular belief is wrong: there are no signature matching machines?

"Correct. It is all still done by human beings."

If you have online registration now ... and Let RI Vote allows online applications for mail ballot, what do you match the signature against?

If you mail in a mail ballot application today, "the local board of canvassers will compare your signature to your voter registration record, and authorize the secretary of state to send you a ballot.

"You get that ballot in the mail. You complete it. You sign the envelope that it is inserted into it and you will mail that back to our office here.

"We will take that ballot, process it through our high-speed sorting equipment, which will open the mailing envelope, extract your signature envelope from inside that contains your actual ballot. ... The machine will snap a photo of the front of that envelope.

"Then we have ... pairs of election officials who ... will actually compare the signature on that envelope that contains the ballot ... to the signature in the Central Voter Registration System."

Political Scene: Which RI politicians are willing to make their tax returns public? Any surprises?

What if there is no signature in the system because the voter has registered online, using for identification a driver's license or state ID card number obtained from the DMV? Who is responsible for getting that signature from the DMV?

A spokesman for the secretary of state's office told The Journal: "The Board of Elections can explain their procedures for signature comparison."

Board of Elections staff said: Local boards of canvassers can push a button in the Central Voter Registration System to extract that signature.

When asked how that works, Cranston registrar Nick Lima said his staff would notify the secretary of state, and "the secretary of state would reach out to the DMV."

Late Tuesday Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea's spokesman, Johnathan Berard, said: "The online interface maintained by our office pings the DMV for the signature required to register to vote."

Asked who or what activates this action, he said:

"When a voter is registering to vote online, the signature associated with their drivers license or state ID number is retrieved from the DMV database by the online voter registration system automatically. It is then transferred to the local boards of canvassers to process the voter registration."

In Rhode Island, there are many people with driver's licenses who are not U.S. citizens.

Asked what the safeguard would be against noncitizens voting, the Board of Elections said: "They are not U.S. citizens; they are not eligible to vote. They would in fact be violating the law by doing so."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Let RI Vote bill heads for next key vote as questions remain
US rapper Young Thug has been arrested on charges including participating in criminal street gang activity, police records say.

The 30-year-old - whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams - has been arrested as part of a larger grand jury indictment which names 28 members and associates of his record label YSL.

The indictment defines YSL as a "criminal street gang".

Another rapper - Gunna - was also named in the indictment.

Young Thug last year topped the US album charts with Punk. He also co-wrote the critically acclaimed, much talked about Donald Glover song This is America.

As well as being charged with criminal street gang activity, he has also been charged with conspiring to violate a federal law aimed at combatting organised crime.

The indictment names the YSL enterprise, which stands for "Young Slime Life", as an affiliate of the national Bloods gang.

It details hand gestures and emojis said to be favoured by the YSL, and lists lyrics and music videos said to be "an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy".

Gunna - whose real name is Sergio Giavanni Kitchens - has also been charged, according to the records.

Some of the other 28 defendants have also been charged with more violent crimes, including murder and attempted armed robbery.

A lawyer for Young Thug told local media that "Mr Williams committed no crime whatsoever". The BBC has approached representatives of Gunna for comment.

Young Thug is being held in Fulton County Jail and is due to appear in court on Tuesday.
I hope everyone in Alachua County is excited about the onset of summer. As we do every year, we will all need to keep an eye on those weather forecasts and for opportunities to enjoy Alachua Countys natural environment.

The start of summer also marks just three months until the Aug. 23 primary election. To ensure that you are completely prepared to participate in the primary and general elections, you will need to stay up to date about redistricting and reprecincting.

Redistricting is a nationwide process that takes place every 10 years after the completion of the United States Census. Each state's legislature redraws its congressional and state electoral districts to account for changes in the state's demographics.

Counties and municipalities utilize this new data to redraw their districts as well. That means that every 10 years, your representatives at the congressional, state and local levels may change.

New redistricting maps for the Florida House, left, and the Florida Senate, right, were approved by the Florida Supreme Court after a review.

Once redistricting is completed, our office conducts reprecincting, which involves using the new federal, state and local maps and census data to determine what changes we need to make to our precincts. The final precinct boundaries are the result of a thorough, data-informed process.

We have tried our best to only make changes that were necessary. Changes occurred only when Floridas new legislative or Senate lines demanded it, or when moving precinct lines would allow us to reduce the need for multiple ballot styles within that precinct.

Additionally, several reliable polling places are no longer available to us. As a result, you may see some changes this year.

It is important that you stay up to date about potential changes to your assigned precinct and federal, state or local districts. Remember, on Election Day you must vote at your assigned precinct. The districts you vote in may impact the candidates you are eligible to vote for in the August primary election and November general election.

We are here to help you prepare, and here is how!

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First, keep an eye out for your new voter information cards. We will be sending all registered Alachua County voters new voter information cards by the end of June.

Voter information cards list the name and address we have on file for you, your party affiliation, date of birth, assigned precinct, and voting districts. Voter information cards are informational only. Please keep in mind that these changes may impact the candidates you are eligible to vote for.

Second, visit VoteAlachua.gov to check on your registration status now  dont wait! Select the My Registration Status button and enter in your first and last name and date of birth on the next page. The following page will provide you with all the information available on your voter information card. You will also be able to see if you have an existing request for vote-by-mail ballots with our office, and closer to Election Day, you will be able to view your sample ballot.

A roll of "I Voted Early" stickers outside the Supervisor of Elections Office in Gainesville.

Finally, if you have questions about elections or voting, give us a call or visit us during our normal business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are located at 515 North Main Street in Gainesville on the third floor, and our phone number is 352-374-5252. The sooner you begin making your plan to participate this election year, the more prepared and confident you will feel as you cast your vote.

I hope you all find some time for family, friends and relaxation this summer. Stay safe and remember the importance of your vote this year!

Kim A. Barton is Alachua County supervisor of elections.

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Send a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.



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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Kim A. Barton: Redistricting bringing changes to Gainesville elections
Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) announced on Tuesday that he is resigning from Congress, more than one year after a former lobbyist accused the congressman of sexual misconduct.

After almost 12 years in Congress, today is my last day, Reed said in remarks on the House floor. It has been an honor to serve with you all from both parties. I love this institution, as it still exemplifies what is best about our government. We are the peoples House.

Nicolette Davis, a former lobbyist, told The Washington Post in a story published last March that Reed had sexually harassed her four years earlier. The New York Republican apologized to Davis in a lengthy statement that month but said he had just learned about the alleged incident in the newspaper article.

In that same statement, the congressman said he would not seek any elected office in 2022.

Punchbowl News, which first reported on Reeds resignation, said Reed is joining Prime Policy Group, a bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm in Washington, D.C.

I humbly bid farewell, and submit my resignation as a member of the House. And I wish you all Godspeed, Reed said on the House floor.

Davis told the Post last year that Reed rubbed her back and thigh and unhooked her bra when the two were at an Irish bar in Minnesota. Davis at the time was a lobbyist for an insurance company.

Davis said she asked the person sitting beside her for help, which prompted him to take the congressman away from the table and bring him outside the restaurant, according to the Post.

Reed took responsibility in his statement last year.

Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms. Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her. In reflection my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant, Reed said.

Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility, he added.

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The congressman said the alleged incident took place at a time in my life in which I was struggling.

Upon entering treatment in 2017, I recognized that I am powerless over alcohol. I am now approaching four years of that personal lifelong journey of recovery, he added.

Reed did not mention the sexual misconduct claims in his resignation announcement on Tuesday. He did, however, say he believes theres much more to do, pointing to extremism and petty political posturing.

I am leaving to continue that work and hope to have a greater impact on our country. I believe the current focus on extremism demands us to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln, uttered years ago as we face a similar threat to our existence today. A house divided cannot stand, but I add, a house united will not fail, Reed said.

It is time for petty political posturing to end. Leadership must emerge, and in God I trust, his divine protection will extend again if only we acknowledge and accept his love, and the divine spark that exists in each of us as citizens of our great nation, he added.

Reed was first elected to the House in 2010.

Updated at 3:14 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
It happens to millions of drivers every year and now a new watchdog report is revealing some towing companies are paying kickbacks to property owners or even law enforcement officers who tip them off about cars to tow.

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

Channel 2s Jorge Estevez spent a day working as a server at Haven in Brookhaven, GA to get perspective on the need for employees and what can be done to help businesses return to normal.

He worked alongside Molly Maull. Maull has 16 years in the service industry. Once you start in this business its a love-hate relationship. Theres no in between.

TRENDING STORIES:

Estevez started his day waiting on a table of four women. They were reuniting for the first time since the pandemic hit in 2020. Kitty Roberts flew into town for the reunion. I get to have lunch with my girlfriends, and I get to experience more and make more memories with my family, said Roberts.

Maull explained she works to make customers feel at home a relationship Haven owner Michel Arnette also worked to foster during the pandemic.

Like many restaurants at that time, Haven took to-go orders, had curbside pick-up, arranged valet drivers t do deliveries; something Arnette did too. I was all masked up and saying hey its me.

Arnette told Channel 2 Action News even with those efforts, he lost $1.7 million dollars in nine weeks and had to lay off 140 employees.

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Arnette said his employees came back, but not every restaurant group was that lucky. According to the National Restaurant Association, forty percent of operators say they are not open to full capacity mostly due to staffing shortages. In Georgia, the industry is short about 90-thousand employees.

Arnette said he believes service industry has a chance to get staffing back on track. His advice: better wages, watching third shifts they (employees) work per week, benefits and the biggest thing of all is you aid and nurture and take care of every one of them.
Rock Hill police held a press conference Monday asking the public for help finding answers in the homicide of a young woman one year ago.

Alexis Massey of Rock Hill was just 20 years old on May 10,2021 when she was shot and killed on Hagins Street.

The 2019 graduate from South Point High School was a Rock Hill native. At the time of the shooting, she had just relocated to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she owned a hair studio called Blessed by Lexxx.

Massey returned to Rock Hill that weekend to celebrate Mothers Day. She was attending a get-together when several gunshots were fired. Alexis was hit during the chaos.

Our partners CN2 were at the press conference where Masseys sisters Keisha and Victoria talked about what they lost that day.

What you have taken away from us is our joy of supporting and watching a successful Black woman prosper into a woman that she needed and wanted to be. Our sunflower, Victoria said.

ALSO READ: Man arrested in Rock Hill homicide is also a suspect in two more local shootings

Victoria went on to explain how that day changed her familys life, taking a toll mentally and physically.

Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts said critical evidence has been collected in the case but the suspect is still out there.

Massey was an innocent bystander killed by senseless gun fire. She was shot while doing nothing more than talking to a friend, said Watts.

Police announced they have created the Alexis Massey Task Force made up of local and state agencies to help catch the person responsible for Masseys death.

There is a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest and prosecution.

Investigators specifically are looking for any information on a black 2010 to 2014 Nissan versa car that could have been involved in the shooting.

My sister didnt deserve that, her sister Keisha said. I know that people out here know what happened, so I pray that people will call the number, what if this was your sister, your aunt.

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Rock City councilmen Perry Sutton and Derrick Lindsay came to support the Massey family at the press conference. Lindsay said he knows the family and said it is hard to believe a crime of this nature happened in the community.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Alexis Massey Task Force hotline at 803-329-5596.

(WATCH BELOW: 17-year-old charged after shootout in Rock Hill that left 3 teens dead, police say)
(Reuters) - Russia is not planning to proactively close its embassies in Europe in response to unfriendly measures by the West and expansion of sanctions against Moscow, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a deputy foreign minister.

"This is not in our tradition," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told RIA.

"Therefore, we believe that the work of diplomatic representative offices is important."

On Monday, Russia's ambassador to Poland was doused in a red substance by people protesting against the war in Ukraine as he went to lay flowers at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Moscow sent a "strong protest" note afterwards.

(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Ryan Dorsey, left, and Naya Rivera arrive at a Hollywood event at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in 2017. (Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press)

Actor Ryan Dorsey, ex-husband of the late Naya Rivera, mourned the TV star Monday in a heartbreaking Mother's Day post on Instagram.

The "Big Sky" actor uploaded a series of photos of Rivera sharing precious moments with their young son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, who is now 6. In one image, "Glee" alum Rivera helps Josey blow out the candles on his Cookie Monster birthday cake. Another sees Josey embrace his mother with a giant smile on his face. A third depicts Rivera reading a Dr. Seuss book to the captivated toddler.

"I woke up thinking about so much. Josey with his grandma & me by myself," Dorsey wrote in the caption. "I dont text Happy Mothers Day b/c that seems like an insane thing to do considering. My mind full of so many thoughts. ... So many things to do this Sunday but first thing on the list was to get on with it & head to my least favorite place in the world.

"I tried to go back to sleep for a little longer as if I could just dream through reality and postpone real life a bit longer. But I just lay there staring up through the air in front of my eyes."

Dorsey's post comes nearly two years after Rivera was found dead at 33 in Lake Piru. According to the Ventura County medical examiner, the beloved actor accidentally drowned while on a boat outing with Josey, who was 4 at the time. Dorsey and Rivera were married for two years before the latter filed for divorce in 2016.

In his emotional Instagram tribute, Dorsey recalled scattered family memories that are intrinsically linked to Los Angeles: "This is where we took [Josey] when he was little that one time," "Damn, we had dinner there," "That's the street I used to live on when we first met," "She used to live there on Magnolia," "Flowers sold out where I used to always get them."

"The harder I think about things, its harder to believe. Un-fu believable, still that this is reality. That this is our real life and I have to blink hard & shake my head as if to snap out of it & grasp the facts of it all once and for all," he wrote.

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"The thing about LA for me is its like every mile or so I drive is a memory of an experience that stings bc its gone. Turning onto Forest Lawn Drive will alway bring the memory of two summers ago. But the memories prior to that I have to be grateful for & our son."

Also included in Dorsey's post was a photo of flowers next to Rivera's memorial, which reads, "Amazing mother, daughter, sister and friend. Heaven gained our sassy angel." Rivera was best known for her trailblazing turn as cheerleader Santana Lopez on the hit musical series "Glee."

"Thinking about regrets & how life could be, but how it is. Then I have to go on with my day and  thats all we can do is go on, go on while we can," Dorsey continued.

"Hug your mommas and grandmas, and love em while you can. Forgive & forget, if you can. You dont wanna maybe wish what if you did one day."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
China's flagship zero-Covid strategy to defeat the pandemic is unsustainable, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, adding that it had told Beijing so and called for a policy shift.

China has imposed draconian measures, trapping most of Shanghai's 25 million people at home for weeks as the country combats its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.

The Shanghai lockdown has caused outrage and rare protest in the last major economy still glued to a zero-Covid policy, while movement in the capital Beijing has been slowly restricted.

"When we talk about the zero-Covid strategy, we don't think that it's sustainable, considering the behaviour of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

"We have discussed about this issue with Chinese experts and we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable.

"Transiting into another strategy will be very important."

There is a pressing political dynamic to China's virus response, with President Xi Jinping pegging the legitimacy of his leadership on protecting Chinese lives from Covid.

Xi has doubled down on the zero-Covid approach, despite mounting public frustration.

- Rights, society and economy -

Shanghai is China's economic dynamo and its biggest city. The zero-Covid policy has winded an economy which just months ago had been bouncing back from the pandemic.

"We need to balance the control measures against the impact they have on society, the impact they have on the economy, and that's not always an easy calibration," said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.

He said any measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic should show "due respect to individual and human rights".

Calling for "dynamic, adjustable and agile policies", Ryan said early responses to the crisis in many countries showed that a lack of adaptability "resulted in a lot of harm".

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He reflected on how the world's most populous nation had had relatively very few deaths officially ascribed to Covid, and therefore had "something to protect".

Given the rapid rise in deaths since February-March, "any government in that situation will take action to try and combat that", he told reporters.

Tedros has been discussing adjusting according to the circumstances to find an exit strategy, "in depth and in detail with Chinese colleagues", Ryan said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, said that worldwide, it was impossible to stop all transmission of the virus.

"Our goal, at a global level, is not to find all cases and stop all transmissions. It's really not possible at this present time," she said.

"But what we need to do is drive transmission down because the virus is circulating at such an intense level."

rjm/vog/ach
Abortion laws in the US Map

Ryan Schroeder

Abortion rights advocates' fears became a reality on May 2, when a leaked draft opinion showed that next month, a majority of the Supreme Court intends to vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, which constitutionally guaranteed the right to abortion.

Overturning the landmark 1973 decision appears likely now that the Supreme Court leans conservative, with three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump. And in the draft opinion  which Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed to be authentic  Justice Samuel Alito writes that "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," and it "must be overruled."

Now, Alito, who is joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett in the opinion, says that "it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

The decision is not final, and abortions are still legal across the United States. But many conservative-led states have already put in place restrictions on who can have an abortion and at which stage of pregnancy.

RELATED: Abortions Are Still Legal in the U.S.  but Here's What Would Happen If Roe Is Overturned

The above map shows current state restrictions on when people can get an abortion. Though the Roe decision guarantees the right to an abortion up to 23 weeks of pregnancy, 20 states have already banned the procedure before that mark. Though these bans go against the constitution, any legal challenges would take months, if not years to stop them, and they've moved forward.

Two states  Texas and Oklahoma  now have the strictest bans in the country, outlawing abortions after more than six weeks of pregnancy, well before many people are aware they're pregnant. Idaho has passed a similar ban, but it has not yet taken effect, as indicated by the slashed lines.

Mississippi has banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy  and its ban is the one that the Supreme Court is considering, which appears to have lead them to overturn Roe. Florida and Kentucky have passed similar legislation, which will take effect later this summer.

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Another 14 states have bans on abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy  just slightly ahead of what Roe guarantees.

RELATED: Sen. Tina Smith Says Overturning Roe Is 'So Out of Step with Where Americans Are' on Abortion Rights

The remaining 30 states have either bans on abortions after 24 or 25 weeks of pregnancy, after the fetus is viable for life or they have no restrictions at all.

This map, though, only shows the current restrictions. If Roe is overturned as expected next month, more Americans could be barred from abortions.

RELATED VIDEO: 'I Pray for All ... Who Will Suffer': Many Stars Are Outraged at Sweeping Alabama Abortion Ban

There are 13 states  Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming  that have so-called "trigger bans" in place that would almost immediately outlaw abortions if Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit research institute focused on reproductive health and rights.

Another five states  Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin  had state bans on abortions in place before Roe established the nationwide right to abortion in 1973, and the could all enforce them again if the case is overturned. And four more  Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina  have passed bans or extreme limits on abortion that could go into effect if Roe falls. Florida also recently passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but it is not set to take effect until July.

RELATED: Biden Vows to Sign Bill Protecting the Right to Abortion Nationwide  Here's Where Congress Stands

The Guttmacher Institute also identifies Indiana, Montana and Nebraska as states that are likely to restrict abortion if Roe is overturned based on the political leanings of the legislators currently in office.

On the other side, 19 states have protected the right to abortion by codifying it into state law; Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana (though the Guttmacher Institute expects this to change with the current state legislature), Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. It could also become law nationwide if Congress passes legislation codifying Roe, though it appears unlikely that the Senate will agree to a bill.
Reuters

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Wednesday the Chinese government opposes an effort in Congress to ramp up U.S. semiconductor manufacturing because it will give the United States more of a competitive punch. On Thursday, U.S. lawmakers will open formal negotiations on a compromise measure that would fund $52 billion in semiconductor manufacturing subsidies and boost U.S. competitiveness with Chinese technology. Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito asked Raimondo at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing about a Reuters story and other reports that China had been pushing U.S. executives, companies and business groups to fight against China-related bills in Congress.
PeopleImages / Getty Images

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are designed to help low-income families pay for food by providing money once a month. In most states, the benefits are deposited on the same day each month, based on factors such as your Social Security number, last name, case number or account number.

See: SNAP Benefits  These States Acknowledged Emergency COVID Allotments for February

Find: SNAP Benefits  How Is Eligibility Determined?

If you wonder when your SNAP benefits are deposited every month, the easiest option is to visit the Providers website and find your state in the EBT in My State dropdown tab.

In most states, SNAP benefits are transferred to recipients via a prepaid electronic benefit transfer card, which is a debit card with the specific benefit amounts already loaded onto the card. Some states call it an EBT card while others, such as Texas, customize the name (in Texas its called the Lone Star Card). Individual states are responsible for scheduling when SNAP payments go out.

The SNAP program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides benefits to roughly 42 million people, NPR reported. Last year the Biden administration approved the largest increase in food stamp benefits in the programs history, upping the payment by an extra $36 a month.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, families of four will receive a maximum allotment of $835 if they are in the 48 contiguous states or Washington, D.C. Here are some of the other payment allotments:

A family of four will receive a maximum of $1,074-$1,667 in Alaska.

A family of four will receive a maximum of $1,573 in Hawaii.

A family of four will receive a maximum of $1,231 in Guam.

A family of four will receive a maximum of $1,074 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Following is a rundown of when SNAP benefits are reloaded in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, according to the AS.com website unless otherwise indicated:

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Alabama : Between the 4th and 23rd of the month, depending on your case number

Alaska : First day of the month

Arizona : Between the 1st and 13th of the month, depending on the first letter of your last name

Arkansas: Between the 4th and the 13th of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

California : First 10 days of the month, depending on the last digit of your case number

Colorado : Between the 1st and 10th of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

Connecticut . From the 1st to the 3rd of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Delaware : Loaded over 23 days, beginning with the 2nd day of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Florida . Between the 1st and 28th of the month, based on the 9th and 8th digits of your case number

Georgia : Between the 5th and 23rd of the month, based on the last two digits of your ID number

Guam : First day of the month

Hawaii : The 3rd and 5th of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Idaho : During the first 10 days of the month, based on the last number of your birth year

Illinois : On the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 17th, and 20th of the month, based on a combination of the type of case and the case name

Indiana . From the 5th to the 23rd of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Iowa: During the first 10 days of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Kansas : During the first 10 days of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Kentucky : During the first 19 days of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Louisiana : Between the 1st and the 14th of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

Maine : From the 10th to the 14th of the month, based on the last digit of your birthday

Maryland : From the 4th to the 23rd of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Massachusetts . During the first 14 days of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

Michigan . From the 3rd to the 21st of the month, based on the last two digits of your ID number

Minnesota : From the 4th to the 13th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Mississippi : From the 4th to the 21st of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Missouri : During the first 22 days of the month, based on your birth month and last name

Montana : Between the 2nd and 6th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Nebraska : From the 1st to the 5th of the month, based on the last digit of your head of households Social Security number

Nevada : During the first 10 days of the month, based on the last number of your birth year

New Hampshire : The fifth day of the month.

New Jersey : During the first 5 calendar days of the month, based on the 7th digit of your case number.

New Mexico : During the first 20 days of the month, based on the last two digits of your Social Security number

New York: During the first 9 days of the month, based on the last digit of your case number, except in New York City, where benefits are loaded over 13 days that are not Sundays or holidays

North Carolina : From the 3rd to the 21st of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

North Dakota : The first day of the month

Ohio : From the 2nd to the 20th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Oklahoma : From the 1st to the 10th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number

Oregon : From the 1st to the 9th of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

Pennsylvania: During the first 10 business days of the month, based on the last digit of your case record number

Puerto Rico : Between the 4th and 22nd of the month, based on the last digit of your Social Security number

Rhode Island : The first day of the month

South Carolina : During the first 10 days of the month, based on Social Security number, for those whove received benefits continuously since before Sept. 1, 2021; otherwise, from the 1st to the 19th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number, as per the Providers website

South Dakota : The 10 th of the month

Tennessee : From the 1st to the 20th of the month, based on the last two digits of your Social Security number

Texas: During the first 15 days of the month, based on the last digit of your Eligibility Determination Group, or EDG, number

Utah : On the 5th, 11th or 15th of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Vermont : The first day of the month

Virginia : From the 1st to the 9th of the month, based on the last digit of your case number.

Washington: Staggered according to application date and application finalized period, as per the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services: Application date from the 1st through 15th of the month and finalized period from 1st through 15th of the month, paid on the 1st through the 10th of the month Application date from the 1st through 15th of the month and finalized period from 16th through 31st of the month, paid on the 11th through the 20th of the month Application date from the 16th through the 22nd of the month and finalized on any date, paid on the 1st through the 10th of the month Application date from the 23rd through the 31st of the month and finalized on any date, paid on the 11th through the 20th of the month



See: SNAP Benefits  Are There Home Delivery Services That Accept EBT Cards?

Find: Why Backward Budgeting Could Be Exactly What Your Wallet Needs

Washington, D.C. : From the 1st to the 10th of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

West Virginia : During the first nine days of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

Wisconsin : During the first 15 days of the month, based on the eighth digit of your SSN

Wyoming: From the 1st to the 4th of the month, based on the first letter of your last name

You can use your SNAP benefit card at any SNAP-authorized retailer. Authorized retailers include most supermarkets as well as some farmers markets, convenience stores and big-box stores like Walmart and Target. You can also use the card at some online grocery retailers.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: SNAP Benefits: When Will My Card Be Reloaded?
There are currently 68 missing Indigenous people in South Dakota as of the end of April, according to the South Dakota Attorney Generals Missing Persons clearinghouse database.

In the past, the Argus Leader has highlighted a few of the missing cases as well as cases where a persons body was found, but their killer was never caught. Here's a closer look at a few of those cases are below, compiled from either the state database or previous news coverage.

This is by no means an exhaustive list since there are women, children and men who arent included on the AGs database.

More: How South Dakota is trying to address the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis

Facebook groups highlight their own cases and the Sovereign Bodies Institute has a database that is only accessible for tribal members.

If you think someone is missing from this list, reach out to Annie Todd at atodd@argusleader.com.

Missing Indigenous women from South Dakota

Delema Lou Sits Poor

Went missing: Feb. 1, 1974

What Happened: Sits Poor was walking to Manderson from Oglala near the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation, with her friend on a day when it was near-freezing. During the walk, her friend had frostbite on her fingers and turned back to go home. Sits Poor was never seen again. Police believe she is dead.

Delema Lou Sits Poor

Donna Marie Larrabee

Went missing: Nov. 17, 1976

What Happened: Larrabee, 16, from Rapid City, took a bus to California to visit her father. It's unknown if she arrived, and she's never been seen since. Larrabee is a member of the Cheyenne Sioux Tribe.

Donna Larrabe

Sharon Bald Eagle

Went missing: Sept. 19, 1984

What Happened: Bald Eagle, 12, and a friend were picked up hitchhiking near Casper, Wyoming, after running away from the Brainerd Indian Training School in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Royal Russell Long took the girls to his home in Evansville, Wyoming, where he tied them up and threatened them at gunpoint. Bald Eagles friend was able to escape and call for help, but by the time law enforcement arrived Long and Bald Eagle were gone. Long was arrested in Albequerque, New Mexico, a week later, and he denied knowing where Bald Eagle was.

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Bald Eagles father, Taylor, a tribal judge, has spent years raising awareness about his missing daughter. He told the Rapid City Journal in 2020 he still believes Sharon is alive.

Sharon Bald Eagle

Larissa Lonehill

Went missing: Oct. 3, 2016

What Happened: Lonehill, 21, disappeared after she texted her cousin that she was going to a party with two friends. Police believe she died, and have offered a $5,000 reward in 2017 for any information that might help them find her remains.

Larissa Lone Hill

Unsolved murders of Indigenous women from South Dakota

Monica Bercier Wickre

Went Missing: April 7, 1993

Found: June 16, 1993

What happened: Wickre, 42, was last seen getting into a car at The Body Shop, a former bar in Aberdeen. She knew two of the three people in the car. Her friends recall dropping her off with the other man in their car near is vehicle. Two months later, Wickers body was found in the James River outside of Aberdeen. Her body was so decomposed that investigators were unable to determine how she died. Investigators suspected foul play and treated the case like a homicide.

Wickres family has put up a $10,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with information about her murder.

Monica Bercier Wickre's body was found in the James River outside of Aberdeen in June 1993. Her case remains unsolved.

Leslie Ironroad

No photo available

Died: Feb. 27, 2003

What Happened: Ironroad, 20, was staying with a friend in McLaughlin when she went to a party in late-Feburary 2003. She was found in a locked bathroom the morning of Feb. 20, after having been raped multiple times the night before. Ironroad was taken to a Bismarck, North Dakota, hospital, where she died on Feb. 27. While she made a statement to the BIA agent on her case, no rape kit was ever done, and there were too few resources at the time for her case to be investigated.

A National Public Radio investigation dove into Ironroads rape and death in 2007 and found that Ironroads case had gotten lost in a pile of cases the BIA was investigating. A year later, the BIA reopened the case, but since then there have been no updates on who might have raped Ironroad and what led to her death.

Victoria Eagleman

Date missing: July 28, 2006

Body found: Aug. 23, 2006

What Happened: Eagleman, 33, was last seen after she told her mother shed be going swimming with a couple of friends. Eagleman had just moved back to the Lower Brule Reservation, after divorcing her partner. A month later, Eaglemans naked body was found in a remote area of the reservation. Police determined her cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

In 2016, a $10,000 reward was offered for information about her death.

Victoria "Vicki" Eagleman

Jessie Renae Waters

Body found: April 30, 2015

What Happened: Waters had been out with her ex-boyfriend drinking, when her body was found a mile off of U.S. Highway 18 on the Pine Ridge Reservation. During the autopsy, it was determined Waters was three months pregnant. Three weeks before she died, Waters had filed a protection order against her ex-boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend was also convicted of setting fire to the mobile home Waters lived in.

Sherry Ann Wounded Foot

Died: Aug. 17, 2016

What Happened: Wounded Foot, 50, Porcupine, was found beaten and unconscious in Whiteclay, Nebraska on Aug 5, 2016. She died 12 days later on Aug. 17, 2016, on the Pine Ridge Reservation after she was transferred from the Indian Health Clinic in Pine Ridge to a hospital in Rapid City for her wounds, including brain surgery. No one has been charged in connection to beating her. Wounded Foot's case is under investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Oglala Sioux Tribal police department.

Sherry Wounded Foot

Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Who are South Dakota's missing, murdered Indigenous women?
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  Spanish emergency services said Tuesday they rescued 57 sub-Saharan migrants on an inflatable boat making its way to the Canary Islands, a day after 28 people were reported missing on the same perilous route from Africa when their boat overturned.

Spain's maritime rescue service said one of its boats performed the rescue of 40 men, 14 women and three children in a two-hour period before dawn.

A rescue service official said that the previous night two of its helicopters saved 13 people from an inflatable boat in rough seas about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the Canary Islands.

The survivors said there were 41 people on board the boat when it was hit by a large wave, but the missing couldn't be found, according to the official.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with departmental rules.

The voyage across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands is one of the most dangerous migrant routes in the world, authorities and rights groups say, with trips in often overloaded boats taking more than a week to reach the Spanish archipelago and European soil.

Last year, 22,316 migrants arrived via the Canary Islands.

From January to mid-April this year, 6,359 migrants reached the archipelago, according to Spains Interior Ministry. Thats a 60% rise compared to the same period last year.

The International Organization for Migration, a United Nations body, says that so far this year 211 migrants have reportedly died or gone missing on the route, compared with 1,176 in the whole of last year. The true number of people who have died attempting the crossing isn't known.

___

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Judge's gavel

A Springfield man was sentenced in federal court to eight years in prison for the attempted enticement of a minor.

Matthew Wetzel, 37, of the 800 block of East Edwards Street, pleaded guilty in November to an additional charge of use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor.

At the sentencing hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough, prosecutors presented evidence that on or about Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, 2021, Wetzel knowingly attempted to "persuade, induce and entice" an individual whom he believed had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity.

See also: Springfield man in 2018 shooting will spend the rest of his life behind bars

The prosecution also showed on those same dates, Wetzel knowingly used the internet and a cellphone with the intent to transmit the name and address of another minor under the age of 16 and attempted to entice, encourage, offer and solicit that person to engage in sexual activity.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Springfield Office was assisted by the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Springfield Police Department and Illinois State Police.

Coffeen man sentenced

Myerscough also sentenced a Montgomery County man last week to 14 years in prison for receipt of child pornography.

Trey Pease, 30, of Coffeen, about an hour southeast of Springfield, pleaded guilty in December 2021.

Pease solicited and received multiple images of child pornography from a minor between the summer of 2017 and the spring of 2018, according to federal officials.

Also: IDPH failed to intervene in early days of LaSalle Veterans Home COVID outbreak

Pease conversed with the minor using an online social app. Pease also sent an image of himself to the minor.

During his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Myerscough found Pease had caused the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for Peases sexual gratification, had used a computer to receive child pornography and had engaged in a pattern of activity involving prohibited sexual conduct with minors on multiple occasions.

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ISP also investigated the case.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield man sentenced 8 years for attempted enticement of a minor
A Thibodaux man accused of causing a crash that killed a pregnant Houma woman and injured several others is facing new charges, police said.

Mark Dyer Jr., 41, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, Thibodaux Police said Tuesday.

He is also facing charges of vehicular homicide, six counts of first-degree negligent injuring, DWI and reckless operation of a vehicle in connection with a deadly May 1 crash that killed 20-year-old Emily Ledet.

The new charges stem from a reported aggravated assault that occurred about 7:30 p.m. May 1 in the parking lot at the Thibodaux Firemens Fair.

Related: Driver charged with vehicular homicide, DWI in Sunday Thibodaux crash

When police tried to make contact with Dyer, he fled in his vehicle, authorities said.

As the officers on scene radioed a suspect and vehicle description including the license plate information to the patrol units, three victims explained that the suspect began making racial remarks to them for no reason before pulling a handgun and threating them, Thibodaux Police said. A vehicle matching the suspect vehicles description was later observed by a patrol unit, but the officer could never get close enough to the vehicle to confirm a license plate number.

Emily Ledet.

The suspects car then traveled out of the Thibodaux city limits, where it ran a stop sign and struck a 2006 Ford Escape at La. 3185 and La. Ridgefield Road, State Police said.

Ledet, a backseat passenger in the Ford, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected, police said. She suffered critical injuries and later died.

Four other occupants in the Ford were not wearing seat belts and suffered moderate injuries, authorities said.

An attorney representing Ledets family said she was 9 months pregnant and the baby remained in critical condition Tuesday.

Once arriving at the crash scene, Thibodaux Police identified Dyer as the suspect wanted in the aggravated assault, authorities said.

A firearm suspected of being used in the aggravated assault was also located in the vehicle, Thibodaux Police said. Mr. Dyer was not arrested on scene due his extent of injury in the crash, which is being handled by the Louisiana State Police.

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Also: Impairment suspected in deadly Thibodaux crash

Toxicology samples collected from Dyer showed his blood-alcohol level was nearly two times over the legal limit of .08, State Police said Thursday. A warrant was issued for Dyers arrest, and he was booked into the Lafourche Parish jail, where he remains on $100,000 bail.

Luling attorney Macy Lauren Ledet, who represents Emily Ledets family, said she has launched her own investigation into the crash. She declined to comment Tuesday about Dyers new charges.

Funeral services for Emily Ledet were held Friday at Annunziata Catholic Church in Houma. She was interred in St. Francis de Sales Cemetery No. 2.

 Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Suspect blamed in deadly Thibodaux crash faces new charges
(Bloomberg) -- Swedish Match AB shares soared after Philip Morris International Inc. said its in talks to buy the maker of smokeless tobacco products in a deal that would accelerate the Marlboro producers push beyond cigarettes.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Swedish Match surged as much as 28% in early trading in London Tuesday, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $14 billion. Both companies confirmed the discussions in statements, saying talks are ongoing and theres no certainty that an offer will be made.

If the deal occurs, it will become one of the largest transatlantic transactions this year and could value Swedish Match at more than $16 billion including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

Philip Morris, which sells the Marlboro brand outside the U.S., edged up slightly at the close of trading in New York Monday.

Discussions between the two companies are advanced and an agreement could be announced in the coming days, according to people familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified as the details arent public.

See also: Your grandfathers chewing tobacco is getting a makeover

Philip Morris has been at the forefront of the tobacco industrys push to diversify beyond cigarettes as regulations become ever more restrictive globally. The company developed the IQOS heated-tobacco system and last year agreed to take over Vectura Group Plc, a developer of asthma drugs. It also acquired Fertin Pharma, which produces a smoking-cessation aid.

Oral Nicotine

A deal would thrust Philip Morris into the growing field of oral nicotine products, many of which are very different from the chewing tobacco of the past, with pouch formats and a white color. Altria Group Inc., which separated from Philip Morris International in 2008 and sells Marlboro cigarettes in the U.S., has also pushed into the category with its On! brand, shipments of which doubled in the first quarter. Analysts say the space is highly competitive.

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By acquiring Swedish Match, Philip Morris would gain a broader distribution network in the U.S. for its reduced-risk products, helping position it to bring IQOS or vape products to American consumers, Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett said in a research note. If the deal goes ahead, Bennett said it will be a competitive blow to Altria and British American Tobacco Plc, potentially putting an end to Altrias agreement to market IQOS in the U.S., and giving it more incentive to take full control of vape maker Juul Labs Inc.

We would also not rule out a counter-bid for Swedish Match, Bennett said, calling Japan Tobacco Inc. the most likely potential suitor.

There is a compelling strategic rationale for Philip Morris to buy Swedish Match, according to Pamela Kaufman of Morgan Stanley. She said the smaller rival offers attractive topline growth and would accelerate Philip Morriss smoke-free transition.

Snus, ZYN

Swedish Match, whose vision statement is a world without cigarettes, is a leading maker of snus, a smokeless tobacco product popular in Sweden but banned across much of the rest of Europe, that users place between their upper lip and gum. It also makes ZYN nicotine pouches sold in the U.S.

The Stockholm-based company decided to suspend a planned spinoff of its U.S. cigar business in March amid heightened regulatory risk. At the the time, the company said it had been informed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that so-called substantial equivalence designations it applied for had been denied, affecting about 3% of the companys 2021 cigar volume.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

A $15 billion Philip Morris International acquisition of smokeless tobacco producer Swedish Match wouldnt be the best use of PMIs capital, we believe. Though acquiring Swedish Match would extend PMIs overarching strategy of creating a smoke-free company, it would also further entrench its exposure to the controversial tobacco industry.

--Kenneth Shea, consumer-products analyst

Click here to read the research.

Such a listing would have ended the Swedish companys manufacture of combustible tobacco products. It nevertheless enjoys strong brand recognition for products such as ZYN and leading market positions in the smokeless-product markets of the U.S. and Nordic region. Strong volume helped the company report fourth-quarter operating profit of 1.96 billion kronor (about $195 million), which beat the the average analyst estimate.

The smokeless category includes nicotine pouches and medical therapeutics. Swedish Match has been aggressively defending its position and tried to shut down rival makers of nicotine pouches.

(Updates with further detail on estimated deal value in third paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Attendees fill the room during a Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting at Germantown City Hall on Monday, July 12, 2021. Germantown will hold the second public hearing on its proposed 2023 fiscal year budget on June 13.

Germantown held the first of three hearings Monday for its proposed 2023 fiscal year budget.

Germantown's proposed $201.2 million budget will run from July 2022-June 2023. The city's $63 million general fund operating budget for 2023 is a $3 million increase from 2022.

The second hearing and first public hearing will be June 13.

Here are three things to know about Germantown's FY23 budget.

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No property tax increase

Germantown residents will see a slight decrease in their property tax rate, said Adrienne Royals, city financial services director.

The rate will change from $1.678 per $100 of assessed value to $1.6732.

This is the second decrease in two budget seasons, as the rate in 2022 dropped to $1.678 from $1.95 after Shelby County completed a reappraisal of properties.

The tax rate has not increased in six years.

Bulking up public safety

The Germantown Police Department and fire department will receive funds in the budget to bulk up personnel and citizen safety.

The city set aside about $183,000 for police to implement a body camera program, a first for the department.

"We've taken a handful of years to be able to really do our due diligence and research on what would be the best option for our department," City Administrator Jason Huisman said.

The fire department will also receive funding to implement ballistic gear as a means to protect firefighters from potential threat.

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Infrastructure work

The budget sets aside money for infrastructure work on drainage ditches, including Duntreath and Miller Farms Ditches, and major roads including Farmington and Wolf River boulevards.

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"There is a significant amount of investment that's being made in our infrastructure and our public safety and our parks and paving," Huisman said.

Jason Huisman is Germantowns new city administrator Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2022, at Germantown City Hall. Huisman was appointed to the position on Jan. 10.

He said the city will use the bulk of the second half of the $11.6 million American Rescue Plan funding for drainage repair, construction of a water tower on the east side of the city and automated water reader meters.

Huisman added the two major drainage investments the city will focus on are Duntreath and Miller Farms ditches. He said Miller Farms will receive $7.6 million in repairs and Duntreath needs $3.5 million.

Germantown will also invest about $2.5 million into about 15 miles of road repairs. Huisman said the streets will be chosen later.

Park maintenance will also receive about a 30% increase in funding for sod replacement, park benches and landscaping, Royals said.

The general fund allocates about $1.6 million for parks and recreation, about $1 million more than 2022.

Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Germantown's budget: Tax rate, body cameras, drainage and more
In the past, Steven Aubrey has repeatedly denied the allegations to the I-Team.
Lazada is a leading South East Asian retailer

Thailand's army has boycotted online retailer Lazada over an advert that the government is probing for allegedly insulting the country's royal family.

The move will see 245,000 members of the Thai military banned from using the e-commerce giant's websites for official purposes.

Thailand has strict laws over defaming, insulting or threatening senior members of the royal family.

Singapore-based Lazada is one of South East Asia's biggest online retailers.

The announcement comes after citizens loyal to the king complained about a TikTok video promoting a Lazada sale on 5 May.

Royalists said the advert, which featured a woman in a wheelchair, mocked the younger sister of King Vajiralongkorn, Princess Chulabhorn, who uses a wheelchair as a result of Lupus, an autoimmune disease.

Princess Chulabhorn lives with Lupus

The video was "offensive to the monarchy" and "caused disunity in Thai society," Thai army spokeswoman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said in a statement.

"The army now has a policy to ban all army units and army-related activities from ordering merchandise from Lazada platform or delivering things from Lazada," she added.

Thailand's digital economy minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn told reporters that the government was considering legal action against the influencer and the advertising agency responsible for the video, as well as Lazada.

Under Thailand's lese-majeste law courts can hand down jail terms of up to 15 years for each offence of defaming, insulting or threatening King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the queen, their heir or regent.

Lazada, which is the South East Asian unit of Chinese online retail group Alibaba, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

Earlier the company apologised for the "emotional damage" caused by the video and said it should have been more careful.

At least half a dozen businesses in Thailand, including some run by the palace, have also suspended use of Lazada because of the video, according to the Reuters news agency.

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Markets have well and truly changed direction from last years bullish trends. The downward shift has brought us a major selloff, and declines of 27% and more in the tech-heavy NASDAQ index. For investors, its a situation that requires a close watch on the markets, and clear eye for the opportunities that will pop out as conditions change. Its also a situation in which investors can use expert advice. Jim Cramer, the well-known host of CNBCs Mad Money program, tells investors that when the
Getty

The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to dig his heels in over the war in Ukraine and let it drag on for some timeand along the way, Putin might resort to extreme measures to ensure Russia wins in the end, top U.S. spies warned Tuesday.

The next steps Putin might take include escalating domestic measures that could contribute to the war effort, such as instituting martial law, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines warned in a Tuesday briefing.

The uncertain nature of the battle... combined with the reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities likely means the next few months could [be] more unpredictable and potentially escalatory, DNI Haines told senators. The current trend increases the likelihood that President Putin will turn to more drastic means, including imposing martial law, reorienting industrial production, or potentially escalatory military actions to free up the resources needed to achieve his objectives as the conflict drags on.

The assessment, which Haines delivered to lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday, comes as Russias war in Ukraine enters its 76th day. Russian forces have turned their attention to taking Eastern Ukraine in recent weeks after failing to take the capital, Kyiv, in the early days of the war due to a series of logistical and planning issues.

And as the Russian military has shifted its attention to the Donbas, or eastern portions of Ukraine, the fighting is beginning to reach somewhat of a stalemate, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director, Scott Berrier, said Tuesday.

They Can Fuck Off With This War: Putins Troops Finally Realize Theyve Been Hung Out to Dry

I would characterize it as the Russians aren't winning, and the Ukrainians aren't winning, and were at a bit of a stalemate here, Berrier said.

Putin doesnt view the Donbas as the final stand in Ukraine, though, Haines warned, suggesting that more carnage might be on the way. Putin views it as just a temporary focus so that the Russian military can regain the initiative, Haines said.

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We are not confident that the fight in the Donbas will effectively end the war, Haines said. We assess President Putin is preparing for prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas.

The assessment that Putin might escalate comes a day after Victory Day in Russia, when Russians celebrate the victory in World War IIa day U.S. and Ukrainian officials alike had warned Putin would seize on to mobilize more troops for the war. Victory Day came and went without any public mobilization, however.

But Russians are starting to see signs that Putin might be secretly putting in the legwork to pull in more resources to make the war effort function beyond the near term, just as Haines is warning Putin has his sights set on doubling down. Moscow Metro employees have been threatened in recent days that they might be sent to the war in a possible mobilization if there are not enough soldiers to be sent to the special operation, one of the employees wives told the Coalition for Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Russia and Verstka.media, using the term Russia has been using to describe the war in Ukraine.

At a meeting in the metro depot all men were ordered to undergo an extraordinary medical examination for subsequent possible sending to the war in Ukraine, she said, adding that if they disobeyed they were told they could be fired or face criminal accusations. It was precisely and clearly stated that the leadership is obliged to allocate a certain number of people for possible sending to the war.

The Daily Beast has not independently verified the claims.

Russia has already lost tens of thousands of troops in the invasion and for weeks has been looking for alternative sources of manpower. Russias been looking to Syria for more fighters, the Wall Street Journal reported, and Russias defense minister has said Russia is recruiting 16,000 people from the Middle East to fight in Ukraine, too.

Members of Congress have been questioning the U.S. intelligence community for weeks now about whether the Kremlin has tapped into mercenaries working for a private Russian contractor known as the Wagner Group.

Haines confirmed Tuesday the Russian government has indeed pulled Wagner in for operations in Ukraine. We do see Wagner being used in ... Ukraine. We see that, Haines said. Russia deployed them effectively in Ukraine.

Putins Private Army Accused of Raping New Moms on Maternity Ward

The U.S. intelligence communitys assessment that Putin intends the war to last for some time could spell disaster ahead. Putin could become more likely to make a miscalculation and resort to using nuclear weapons, Haines warned.

Putin would only authorize the use of nuclear weapons if he perceived an existential threat to the Russian state, she said, adding that with tensions this high there is always an enhanced potential for miscalculationunintended escalation.

There is not an imminent potential for Putin to use nuclear weapons, Haines clarified.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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

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WASHINGTON  Donald Trump failed to deliver a victory Tuesday in a Nebraska GOP primary for a gubernatorial candidate accused of groping multiple women, NBC News projects, handing the former president his first loss of this years election season.

University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen won the partys nomination after a heated contest, defeating a state senator and self-funding businessman Charles Herbster, whom Trump campaigned for last week even after eight women  including a Republican state senator  accused Trump's favored candidate of inappropriately touching or kissing them against their will.

Pillen, boosted by support from term-limited Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who bankrolled an outside group, appears set to finish with a comfortable lead over Herbster.

Herbster ran only slightly ahead of state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, who had the backing of several Omaha officials, including the citys mayor and police chief.

Trump did, however, notch a victory in a West Virginia congressional primary Tuesday that pitted two sitting congressmen against each other.

Trump-backed Rep. Alex Mooney overcame ethics issues and allegations of carpetbagging to defeat Rep. David McKinley, NBC News projects, who had the support of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate Democrat who took the unusual step of crossing party lines to endorse in the GOP primary.

Those two contests, unlike last weeks marquee Ohio Senate battle, flew under the radar nationally, but came after vicious campaigns that saw the Trump-backed candidates use the former presidents endorsement as a shield against a wide range of criticisms.

According to Trumps political advisers, the former president has so far endorsed 168 Republicans across the country in local, state and federal races.

Before Tuesday, 55 of his favored candidate had won and none had lost, although many faced token opposition at best.

Trump advisers have openly acknowledged that some his candidates will likely lose a contest as the races get more competitive.

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In West Virginia, the two Republican members of Congress were forced to compete against each other after the state lost one of its congressional seats in the redistricting process because of declining population.

McKinleys campaign labeled Mooney a carpetbagger (he served in the Maryland state Senate and was chairman of the Maryland GOP before moving to West Virginia to run for Congress in 2014) and called him a political prostitute (he has faced several ethics investigations).

Mooney in ads accused McKinley of being a liberal, sellout, and known loser," while Trump attacked him for supporting the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying he had betrayed Republican voters in West Virginia."

In the West Virginia's other congressional district, Republican Rep. Carol Miller cruised to victory in her GOP primary, NBC News projects, easily defeating several lesser-known candidates in a district that covers the Southern portion of the state.

Nebraska's primary was rocked by the allegations against Herbster, which Trump dismissed.

Charles is a fine man and he is innocent of these despicable charges, Trump said at a rally to promote Herbster that drew thousands to a speedway outside Lincoln, Nebraska. I have to defend my friends, I have to defend people that are good. These are malicious charges to derail him long enough that the election can go by before the proper defense can be put forward.

The Nebraska Examiner reported that eight women accused Herbster of groping, accusing him, for example, of reaching under their skirt, grabbing their behinds or forcibly kissing them against their will  all of which Herbster has denied.

A Ricketts-backed outside group tried to capitalize on the allegations against Herbster in a last-minute ad, saying Herbster served as a judge at numerous beauty pageants "so he could judge countless young women and teenage girls.

Herbster responded by running an ad comparing himself to Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh, who were accused of sexual impropriety that they also denied.

Mike Hilgers, the speaker of the unicameral Nebraska State Legislature, won the GOP nomination to be the states next attorney general after the current one decided not to seek a third time, NBC News projects.

In the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District, the only competitive one in the state, moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon easily overcame an underfunded opponent, NBC News projects, despite facing criticism from Trump.

No serious Republican challengers heeded Trump's call to run against Bacon, who voted for the Jan. 6 committee.
Former Pentagon chief says Trump wanted to punish former top military commanders who criticized him.

Mark Esper writes that Trump wanted to court-martial a retired Navy admiral and a retired general.

Esper says Trump's ire was "spun up" by stories in publications like Breitbart.

Former President Donald Trump wanted to take the extraordinary step of reactivating retired US Navy Adm. William McRaven so that he could court-martial the former Navy SEAL commander for criticizing him, Trump's former Pentagon chief claims in his new book.

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper writes that he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, had to talk then-President Trump out of a plan to recall both retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal and McRaven to active duty as a way to open the two former senior military officers up to court-martial proceedings.

"Doing this 'will backfire on you, Mr. President,' we said," Esper wrote of a May 2020 meeting in his book, "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times," which is out today.

Trump told Esper and Milley that McRaven and McChrystal were "so disloyal" because of what he thought they were doing and had said about him. Esper writes that Trump "was spun up" by media stories in Breitbart claiming that McChrystal was advising Democrats on how to use artificial intelligence to "track down and counter Trump supporters."

Both McRaven and McChrystal had also crossed Trump in the past, which only further inflamed the president.

In 2018, McChrystal  who served as the head of the Joint Special Operations Command from 2003 to 2008 and later was appointed head of all international forces in Afghanistan  criticized Trump's decision to remove US troops from Syria and said he believed Trump was immoral and doesn't "tell the truth."

McRaven, a former head of US Special Operations Command whose military career included leading Operation Neptune Spear, the raid on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was a frequent critic of Trump throughout his presidency.

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Shortly after Trump's inauguration, McRaven criticized the president's continued attacks on members of the media, arguing it was "the greatest threat to democracy" in his lifetime.

In a 2017 Washington Post column, McRaven said the Trump White House decision to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan was an effort to "suppress freedom of speech and punish critics" and said he would "consider it an honor" if his security clearance was also revoked.

McRaven gave a number of media interviews and wrote several more op-eds criticizing Trump during his presidency. While it is not uncommon for retired military officers to give their opinion for or against a president, McRaven's comments attracted significantly more attention due to his rank and notoriety.

Milley, Esper writes, finally got Trump to back down from his threat to go after retired officers by promising to "personally call the officers and ask them to dial it back."

McChrystal told Talking Points Memo that he did not remember receiving such a call from Milley. A spokesperson for Milley did not respond to a request for comment.

Esper writes in his book that the entire episode was emblematic of a White House that constantly pushed, if not sometimes crossed, the line between politics and the management of America's defense. Loyalty purges, Esper writes, targeted both current and former commanders.

"Worse yet, people were removed from positions simply because the White House wanted to replace them with more hard-core Trump loyalists, regardless of qualifications," writes Esper, who often drew Trump's ire and was fired and replaced shortly after Trump's loss in the 2020 election.

Trump, in response to the publication of Esper's book, repeatedly called his former Pentagon chief "Yesper" and claimed that he had to effectively "run the military" himself.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Timur Miroshnychenko broadcasted from a bomb shelter (PA)

Ukraines commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 has made his opening broadcast from a bomb shelter, as the competitions semi-final got underway in the midst of Vladimir Putins invasion.

Timur Miroshnychenko could be seen broadcasting from a stone-walled and apparently subterranean room on Tuesday night, while performers from 17 countries took to the stage in Turin, Italy.

Touted as potential favourites to win this years contest, Ukraines Kalush Orchestra were among the first to be voted through to the competitions Grand Final on Saturday, after delivering an energetic performance of their song Stefania.

Moldova, Switzerland, Armenia and Iceland were also among the 10 countries which advanced from Tuesdays semi-final.

A further 18 nations competitors will take to the stage on Wednesday, with 10 acts voted through from each night to the final.

Mr Miroshnychenko has been Ukraines commentator each year since 2007, except when he co-hosted the competition in 2017, when it took place in Kyiv following the countrys victory the year prior with the song 1944 by Jamala.

World news in pictures

Photographs posted by Ukraines official Eurovision Instagram account gave a glimpse of the bunker from which he is broadcasting this year  live to both Youtube and the public TV channel UA: CULTURE  and showed him sitting at a small desk surrounded by a camera, lights, and an array of cables.

In Turin, Kalush Orchestras performance  which combined rap and Ukrainian folklore  appeared to be well-received by the audience, which heavily cheered the group and waved many Ukrainian flags.

Amid widespread European opposition to Mr Putins invasion, there has been an outpouring of general support for Ukraine and its resistance across the continent.

Mr Putin launched what he terms Russias special military operation on 24 February, but after failing to seize Kyiv, Moscows troops retreated to the eastern Donbas region, where Western analysts suggest his offensive again appears to be stalling.

Despite the renewed focus on the battle in Ukraines east, the possibility of Russian airstrikes still remain a threat across the country, with the western city of Lviv having been struck last week.

Additional reporting by PA
Ukraines Eurovision contestant Kalush Orchestra are through to the final with their song Stefania.

The semi-finals, which took place in Turin on Tuesday night (8 May), saw 17 different artists from The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Norway, Ukraine and more compete for 10 of the places in the Grand Final, which is taking place on Saturday (14 May).

Kalush Orchestras performance was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.

The other finalists to get through were Switzerland, Armenia, Iceland, Lithuania, Portugal, Norway, Greece, Moldova and the Netherlands.

Ukraines Eurovision entry previously spoke of the responsibility they feel in representing their war-torn country at this years Song Contest.

Representing Ukraine at this difficult time of war, I want to do my best to be yet another mouthpiece for Ukraine, frontman Oleh Psiuk told BBC Radio 1s Newsbeat, amid his countrys ongoing conflict with Russia.

He said he had observed a striking contrast while visiting Israel and the Netherlands: People here are not worried at all [about the war] and its quite unusual.

Many people may see everything that has been happening as a kind of a war movie, but it is very tough when it is happening to you and your family.

When you wake up in the morning, not being sure if your family and friends are still alive.

The reaction to the end to Kalush Orchestra (Ukraines entry at Eurovision) is incredibly touching. pic.twitter.com/ESGIWjrzgU  Scott Bryan (@scottygb) May 10, 2022

Italy won the honour of hosting Eurovision after its 2021 entry, rock band Maneskin, triumphed in the competition with their song Zitti e Buoni.

In February, Russia was banned from competing at Eurovision this year due to its ongoing attack on Ukraine.

The EBU [European Broadcasting Union] has announced that no Russian act will participate in this years Eurovision Song Contest, the statement read.

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The group said that they had widely consulted their membership on the matter and had made a decision based on a recommendation earlier today by the Eurovision Song Contests governing body.

The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this years contest would bring the competition into disrepute, a representative said.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
By Chris Scicluna

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Malta on Tuesday to stop Russians from abusing passports handed out as part of a lucrative citizenship scheme, and to prevent its ships from transporting Russian oil.

In his latest video address to a Western parliament, Zelenskiy likened Ukraine's fight with Russia to Malta's own dogged defence against Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"The resilience and resistance of Malta between 1940 and 1942 helped define the future of Europe in the same way as the resilience and strength of our people will decide whether freedom will win again in combating tyranny," Zelenskiy said.

He urged the European Union's smallest member state to play its part, calling on the government to halt all Russian banking transactions and prevent Russians from hiding under 'golden passport' schemes or dual citizenship.

"Please do not let yourself be abused, check which Russians are trying to hide using your passports," he said.

Malta halted its controversial sale of passports to Russian applicants a week after the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and Prime Minister Robert Abela told Zelenskiy on Tuesday that the passport of a Russian targeted by EU sanctions had been revoked.

Zelenskiy also stressed the need for an effective embargo on Russian oil, while acknowledging this was "sensitive" for Malta.

Malta has the EU's largest ship registry and has been seeking a compromise with Brussels on proposals to ban the transportation of Russian oil on EU-flagged or controlled ships.

Zelenskiy reiterated his plea for Western nations to send weapons, comparing Ukraine's need to that of Malta in World War Two, when the small Mediterranean island was only able to fight off German and Italian air attacks after it received British fighter planes transported by a U.S. aircraft carrier.

"We need planes, helicopters, artillery and other weapons, because now, like 80 years ago, the future of Europe is decided on the battlefield," he said.

(Editing by Crispian Balmer and Gareth Jones)
(Corrects to add dropped letter in spokesperson's name)

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet will visit China by the end of the month as part of a long-awaited trip that is expected to include the Xinjiang region, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"(The advance team) is preparing for the High Commissioner's visit. It is anticipated that the High Commissioner's visit will take place by the end of the month," said Liz Throssell in an emailed response to Reuters.

Bachelet will be the first U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the country since Louise Arbour in 2005.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Catherine Evans)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Top U.S. intelligence officials were questioned Tuesday about why they misjudged the durability of governments in both Afghanistan and Ukraine, and whether they need to reform how intelligence agencies assess a foreign militarys will to fight.

U.S. intelligence believed the U.S.-backed Kabul government would hold out for months against the Taliban and thought Russian forces would overrun Ukraine in a few weeks. Both assessments were wrong. The U.S. and Western allies are now rushing to aid Ukraine's resistance against Russia in what has turned into a grinding, violent stalemate.

What we missed was the will to fight of the Ukrainians...and we also missed that in Afghanistan, said Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He added, I realize will to fight is a lot harder to assess than number of tanks or volume of ammunition or something. But I hope the intelligence community is doing some soul-searching about how to better get a handle on that question.

President Joe Biden's administration disclosed in advance Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to invade Ukraine, a public campaign that it says built support for crushing sanctions on the Russian economy and military support from NATO members. Top U.S. officials have gone to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged more military and intelligence support.

Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said that will to fight and capacity to fight in tandem were difficult to predict. The National Intelligence Council, a group of advisers that reviews the agencies as a whole, is studying the issue, she said.

The two of them are issues that are, as you indicated, quite challenging to provide effective analysis on, Haines told King. And we're looking at different methodologies for doing so.

The U.S. might have done more before the invasion to assist Zelenskyy had lawmakers believed Kyiv had more of a chance, King said. And after predictions that the Taliban would be held back as long as a year after the American withdrawal, the coalition-backed government lasted minus-two weeks, King noted, a reference to the Taliban overrunning Kabul before the withdrawal formally ended.

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The U.S. was forced to negotiate with the Taliban to evacuate of thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies fighting huge crowds to secure space on evacuation flights. An attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

King raised his voice to cut off Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, after Berrier said he believed the intelligence agencies had done a great job.

General, how can you possibly say that when we were told explicitly, Kyiv would fall in three days and Ukraine would fall in two weeks? he said. "You're telling me that was accurate intelligence?

U.S. intelligence believed before the war Russia's forces were so much larger and more powerful than Ukraine's that it wasn't going to go very well for a variety of factors, Berrier said.

He testified Tuesday that there was never an intelligence community assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight. That appears to contradict his statement from Senate testimony in March, when Berrier said he "questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably and are doing the right thing.
May 10Most of the recent cases of COVID-19 in the region have been on the Palouse  and those numbers will likely decline when students at Washington State University and University of Idaho go home for the summer.

Latah County, which tallied 29 new cases from April 30-May 6, added nine more Monday.

Whitman County's numbers haven't been updated since Feb. 28 because of data problems at the state level, but the county has "seen a bit of an uptick in cases over the last couple weeks," said Chris Skidmore, director of Whitman County Public Health, in an email to the Daily News.

"We have had several outbreaks in congregate settings that have accounted for approximately 70% of our current cases," Skidmore said. "Those outbreaks are now receding and I am hopeful that we will see a downward trend in cases over the next several weeks. WSU's spring semester just ended so with that population leaving, we should see less cases and hopefully a quiet summer on the COVID front."

Virus activity on the Palouse remains relatively low compared to other times during the pandemic.
Hoops Hype

Rudy Gobert: Would u speak to me that way if you were standing in front of me @RealSkipBayless ? I'm cool with the constant disrespect and opinions about who i am as a player and i CHOOSE to let these things slide but it seems like people are ...
Exiled Vietnamese emperors art works exhibited in France

An exhibition of 150 art works and objects of Vietnamese King Ham Nghi (1870-1947) is taking place at Nice Museum for Asian Arts in France.













Exiled Vietnamese emperors art works exhibited in France (Photo: VNA)

The exhibits were collected in nearly 10 years by Amandine Dabat, a 5th generation descendant of the king, who did a doctoral thesis on King Ham Nghis art career and is also the author of the book "Ham Nghi - Empereur en exil, artiste a Alger" (Ham Nghi - Emperor in exile, artist in Algeria) published in 2019 in France.



This is the first exhibition about King Ham Nghi since his death. The last exhibition held by the emperor was in 1926.



The current exhibition aims to introduce to the public, both French and Vietnamese, a rather comprehensive look at the life of the exiled patriotic king with the soul of an artist and a sculptor, whose teachers were famous French artists.



Adrien Bossard, the curator of the Nice Museum for Asian Arts, said the exhibition is a unique event because King Ham Nghi is an Asian, but he followed the European impressionist art and developed his career in Africa.



He said he exhibition not only gives the public a new and interesting view of Asia, but also spotlights the historical significance because the exhibits talk about a figure of royal lineage in Vietnam which was related to the Indochina war and the French colonial period in the Southeast Asian country.



The exhibition has so far attracted 8,000 visitors, and it is hoped to welcome 25,000 people by the end of June.



King Ham Nghi, whose real name was Nguyen Phuc Ung Lich, was the 8th emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty but only reigned for one year (1884 - 1885).



Though the emperor was popular as an anti-French emperor who was exiled to Algeria, he was also a little-known painter that held exhibitions in Paris.



His artworks are diverse, from oil paintings and pastels to bronze, plaster and wood sculptures. Using his innate ability, he quickly learned and absorbed the skills that were taught by famous sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)./.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Creating a solar food dehydrator has served up national acclaim.

Five years after starting his company, Dr. Klein Ileleji has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one of the top small business exporters in the nation

Husband and wife team, Klein and Reiko Ileleji, pose near a solar-powered crop drying device that could reduce post-harvest losses and add value to smallholders in developing countries. The device utilizes high temperatures, high air-flow rate and low humidity features to better dry crops. Klein and Reiko founded JUA Technologies International LLC to further develop and commercialize the technology.

JUA Technologies International  a company that aims at making drying food easy, safe and sustainable was recently named both the Indiana and Great Lakes Region Exporter of the Year.

In 2016, Dr. Klein and Dr. Reiko Ileleji, cofounded JUA Technologies International, which produces the Dehytray, a solar food dehydrator.

The idea behind the product intentionally came from research that Dr. Klein Ileleji conducted with the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University, trying to address food insecurity in developing countries.

Through his research, he found that was a significant need to develop an affordable method to dry fruits that had been harvested before they spoiled.

Klein Ileleji took his findings back to Purdue and created Dehytray, and began to sell his product to farmers in Asia and Africa.

Stacey Poynter, left, U.S. Small Business Administration's Indiana District director, honors Dr. Klein Ileleji, cofounder and CEO of JUA Technologies International LLC, with the award for Indiana and Great Lakes Region Exporter of the Year. Geri Aglipay, U.S. Small Business Administration's Great Lakes regional administrator, joined the celebration, on May 5, 2022, in West Lafayette. JUA Technologies International created a solar food dehydrator.

I created a dehydrator that encompasses all kinds of food," Klein Ileleji said. "Its small enough for the main crop, but its more important for the produce, and that is how it started. Once the technology was developed, the question is how do you take it to the people? And thats when I started the company.

Programs offered at Purdue University, such as the Purdue Foundry program, give startups a platform to experiment and develop next-market blueprints.

Luckily I developed the technology at a time when Purdue was really scaling up the entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus," Klein Ileleji said. "The Foundry, the entrepreneurship academy, just many things to support faculty, to create companies and to take them to their next level.

I knew it was going to be very difficult if I left this idea to investors, because its in Africa, and a lot of people will say that the market is not there. So being an immigrant from Nigeria, and understanding the problems as a child, I decided to take it upon myself, with my partner, my wife, co-founder, Dr. (Reiko) Ileleji, we started the company together.

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Although Purdue helped the Ilelejis develop their business, the pair ran into several issues once they tried to sell their product internationally, especially trying to covert international currencies, as well as developing a strong foothold in several countries.

The pair reached out to the U.S. Small Business Administration for assistance, and SBA offered them courses on how to sell their products in international markets.

Ileleji received the awards at a press conference at the Purdue Convergence Center, on May 5, where Andrew Reinke, SBAs Indiana District Export Council chair, shared a few words regarding the Ileleji business.

The product itself and the company is unique because it wasnt first identified going after the domestic market. And there was a reason for that. Normally, you have to do that to become a participant in the export accelerator (program). But in this case, Klein and Reiko knew well that the best market for their product was the developing countries, not the developed countries. Where food insecurity is a real issue and the availability of electricity is scarce, Reinke said.

Although Klein and Reiko were very humbled to receive the awards and recognition from SBA, they mentioned that theyre still relatively early in growing their company.

Weve only sold a drop in the bucket. The marketplace is huge, we're talking of billions of farmers and weve only sold thousands. So, first of all, the market for this technology is huge and we would like this technology to be accessible to any farmer that wants to have it, which are millions of them.

We also have several technologies in the pipeline already being developed as part of this. In fact, we have four other technologies, solar-powered dehydrator in a variety of shapes and forms, which do a varies of things, in development by the company.

This technology is not just for developing countries, but its also for the U.S We have the local U.S. market to develop and wed like at-home gardener to give it a try in the U.S.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: U.S Small Business Administration honors West Lafayette company
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

It seems that every year a player emerges from the draft explaining that a team had claimed it would draft him in a certain spot and did not. This year, one such player is Vikings safety Lewis Cine. Via SI.com, Cine recently told Richard Sherman that an unnamed team holding the twenty-seventh overall pick (i.e., [more]
LONDON  Many observers expected Russias air force to blow away Ukraines forces in the opening days of the Kremlins invasion. Ukraines military would be left completely vulnerable as Russian warplanes could pick off targets at whim.

But that hasnt happened.

More than two months later, Russia has still not established air supremacy over large swaths of Ukraine, despite having the worlds second-largest air force  and a highly advanced one at that. The New York Times reported Monday that, according to the U.S. Defense Department, Ukraine continues to fly its own fighters and attack jets against Russian troops.

A pair of Russian Su-35 fighter jets in the sky in Russia in November 2021. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russias air force has even been timid as Ukraines relatively scrappy anti-air defenses remain a formidable threat. NATO countries have done their best to flood Ukraine with man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADS, like the U.S.-made Stinger missile. The Stinger system can be fired by a single operator, whose missile locks onto aircraft with infrared guidance.

The Western supplies of MANPAD and other types of air defense systems allowed Ukraine to increase and to improve its capabilities, said Pavel Luzin, a Russian armed forces expert and contributor at the Jamestown Foundation.

William Alberque, the director of strategy, technology and arms control at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Yahoo News that Ukraine was able to effectively distribute these air defenses so it became too dangerous for Russian combat flights.

U.S. Marine gunners provide surface-to-air defense using the FIM-92 Stinger during an exercise on Okinawa, Japan, in March 2021. (Lance Cpl. Ujian Gosun/U.S. Marine Corps)

NATO countries have also been providing Ukraine with increasingly advanced military hardware as Russias war drags on. Slovakia announced last month that it had donated its Soviet-era S-300 long-range air defense system to Ukraine.

Russia has been further hampered by its combat aircrafts lackluster weapons systems. U.S. officials say Russian pilots are unable to quickly locate and engage targets on the ground, and missiles launched into Ukraine often miss their targets  if they work at all, according to the Times.

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Alberque said Russian stocks of precision-guided munitions are significantly smaller than NATOs. This observation was backed by security analyst Oliver Alexander, who said on Twitter that with Russias lack of precision-guided munitions, they are forced to use dumb munitions [unguided bombs] to operate at scale.

A MiG-31 fighter of the Russian air force takes off at an air base during a military drill in Tver region, Russia, in February. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

But technology alone does not fully explain Russias failure to establish air superiority. Experts say Russias air doctrine has been poorly thought out and haphazardly executed from the opening days of the war.

They thought it would be all over very quickly, with a complete Ukrainian collapse at first contact and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky either captured or fleeing, Alberque said. If the Kremlin had predicted Ukrainian resilience, the Russian military would have done a lot differently and their air power would be far more devastating now, he said.

And because Moscow believed it would capture Ukraine the first few days, Russian military command was keen not to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure it wanted to keep for controlling the country after the war, Alberque said.

Russian air force Sukhoi Su-25SM jets leave trails of smoke in colors of the national flag during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow in 2021. (Pavel Golovkin/AP)

Phillips Payson OBrien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and Edward Stringer, a retired Royal Air Force air marshal, published a Monday essay in the Atlantic delving into the Russian air forces failures. They argued1 that the Russian military struggles to creatively use air doctrine because it is philosophically wedded to being a traditional land power with massive reserves of soldiers at its disposal.

When the invasion started, the Russian air force was incapable of running a well-thought-out, complex campaign, they wrote. Instead of working to control the skies, Russias air force has mostly provided air support to ground troops or bombed Ukrainian cities. In this it has followed the traditional tactics of a continental power that privileges land forces.

_____

How are Ukrainian forces taking out so many Russian tanks? Use this embed to learn about some of the weapons systems the U.S. is sending to the Ukrainian army.
A Wichita man accused of having illicit contact with a 14-year-old Missouri runaway brought across state lines for sex in 2020 has pleaded guilty to one felony count of contributing to a childs misconduct or deprivation, according to Sedgwick County District Attorneys Office spokesman Dan Dillon.

Devin Michael Miller, 22, entered the plea on Friday, ahead of his jury trial, which was set to start this week. He is scheduled for sentencing June 28 by Judge David Dahl.

Authorities in January 2020 announced that Miller and another Wichita man, Kyle Robert Lee Ellery, had been arrested on suspicion of multiple child sex crimes after police, acting on an FBI tip, found the runaway girl at a house in the 2700 block of North Amidon.

Police at the time said Ellery brought the girl to Kansas for purposes of inappropriate relations after picking her up in St. James, Missouri, on Jan. 11, 2020, several months after they started talking over social media.

His communications with the girl were sexual in nature, his plea agreement says.

Police arrested them both on Jan. 17, 2020.

Miller is expected to receive probation when he is sentenced next month, his plea agreement indicates. He is barred from having unsupervised contact with any child younger than 16, the agreement says.

Prosecutors dismissed two other felony charges  criminal sodomy and indecent liberties with a child  in exchange for Millers guilty plea, court records show.

Ellery, whose was originally charged in Sedgwick County District Court but indicted in federal court, pleaded guilty last spring to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The 21-year-old is currently serving an 87-month federal prison sentence in connection with the case.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went from a comedian to a wartime president in just three years. Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto/Getty Images; Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had little political experience when he was elected in 2019.

But throughout his three-year tenure, the president has "matured," according to a former aide.

Even skeptical Ukrainians who didn't vote for Zelenskyy have been swayed by his wartime resilience.

A former aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the one-time comedian has matured during his three years as president, becoming the best leader Ukraine could ask for amid the current political and military challenges of the ongoing war.

Elected to office in April 2019, Zelenskyy's tenure has been plagued by crisis since the start.

Iuliia Mendel, a Ukrainian journalist who served as press secretary for Zelenskyy from June 2019 to July 2021, told Insider that the president has had to deal with "so many crazies" during his short time in office.

From the 2019 Donald Trump-Ukraine scandal to the coronavirus pandemic, Mendel said Zelenskyy's term has been "not that easy of a presidency to have." And that's, of course, before accounting for the large-scale invasion Russia launched against Ukraine earlier this year that has resulted in thousands of deaths and wide-scale destruction.

Zelenskyy's newfound role as a wartime president has earned him international acclaim and nearly-unanimous confidence from Ukrainians at home, evidenced by surging approval ratings.

Prior to his presidency, Zelenskyy was best known for his role as an entertainer. A former comedian and actor, he played the Ukrainian president on TV and had a winning stint on Ukraine's version of Dancing with the Stars.

While he earned a law degree from Kyiv National Economic University in 2000, Zelenskyy was relatively inexperienced in politics at the start of his presidency.

"President Zelenskyy tried to open social elevators to give more space for talent from different spheres in the government of Ukraine, which was a pretty new and different approach," Mendel told Insider.

Story continues

Mendel came to the administration via a competition Zelenskyy held to find his press secretary. She beat out 4,000 other contestants to nab the role as the president's primary spokesperson.

But despite his early efforts to diversify his administration, Zelenskyy and his team struggled at the start, according to Mendel: "I think they had, at the very beginning, a lot of misunderstanding of what politics is."

A 'showman' becomes a president

Some Ukrainians were skeptical about Zelenskyy's lack of political experience. Sergey Osyka, a 57-year-old father who fled his home in Kharkiv during the first week of the war, was one of them.

In an interview with Insider that was translated by his son Bogdan, Sergey said he didn't vote for Zelenskyy, who was 41 when he was elected.

"He's a showman and a young guy," Sergey thought. "What does he have to offer to Ukraine?"

Although Zelenskyy handily won the election, his approval ratings were not that of a popular president before Russia's invasion. In December 2021, only 31% of Ukrainians approved of the job Zelenskyy was doing, according to national polling by the Ratings Sociological Group.

But low approval ratings and cumulative crises were no match for Zelenskyy's perseverance, Mendel said.

"He is the person who never gives up. It is one of his principles," she said, adding that when it's not clear how to proceed "he will say let's start from the beginning."

The president's tenacity was tested when Russian forces invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24 and eventually descended on the suburbs of Kyiv. With missiles striking the capital, Zelenskyy stayed put, delivering daily updates from an undisclosed underground shelter in Kyiv, even as he said Russia had marked him as "enemy number one."

"I stay in the capital, I stay with my peopleAnd I will stay in the capital," he said in an address on the first day of war.

He hasn't left the country since.

"He wasn't afraid. He didn't escape," Mendel told Insider. "Though I'm sure no one would accuse him if he did."

Zelenskyy's decision to remain in Ukraine won him favor across the world, including at home

By March, Zelenskyy's approval ratings had soared to over 90% as he won over skeptical Ukrainians in the wake of the invasion.

Sergey told Insider he had started coming around to the president even before the war as he noticed there were no reports of Zelenskyy engaging in corruption, an issue that has plagued Ukraine since it gained independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

But Zelenskyy's handling of the war has left Sergey with an entirely new sense of pride in Ukraine's leader. He credits the president with the shows of resistance that have been displayed by Ukrainian civilians, soldiers, and public officials.

"The fact that the society is united is the result of his work and his influence," Sergey said, adding that now he feels a little bad admitting he did not vote for Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy's decision to remain in Ukraine, and the resolve it may have inspired in many Ukrainians, has likely had a significant impact on the war, according to Daniel Treisman, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose work focuses on Russian politics and economics.

"If he had run away, the war may have been quite different," Treisman told Insider last month as Russian forces retreated from Kyiv, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have underestimated Zelenskyy.

Had Zelenskyy fled the country, Treisman said, there would still have been strong resistance to the invasion, but it likely wouldn't have been as coordinated: "Zelenskyy played a crucial role in this."

Sergey said Zelenskyy's bravery and leadership have inspired and unified Ukrainians, and he joked that citizens of other countries may even be jealous that they have him as their president.

"We feel about him the way the whole Western society feels about him," he said. "He is a symbol of Ukrainian victory and unification."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A familiar name will be missing from the Republican primary ballot for Iowa state representative in District 19 next month, but Rep. Brent Siegrist said he will be on the ballot for the general election in November.

The primary will be held on June 7.

Siegrist thought he had gotten more than enough signatures to appear on the Republican primary ballot; however, due to redistricting, he had made an embarrassing mistake.

I forgot we had flipped one precinct from one district to the other, Siegrist said in an interview with the Daily Nonpareil. So in the end, I was a couple of signatures short.

Siegrist was originally elected in District 16, but thanks to redistricting, most of District 16 is now in District 19.

Its almost 100% of my current district, he told the Nonpareil in November.

Siegrist voluntarily pulled his nominating papers and will have to wait until after the primary to officially be a candidate.

Ive already talked to the state party, Siegrist said. We will hold a nominating convention, which will be a week or two after the primary. My goal, and I believe what will happen, is that my name will be nominated and approved, following the legal process, and my name will be on the ballot in the fall.

Siegrist was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1984 and served until 2002. His last 10 years in the House were in leadership positions, split between serving as majority leader or speaker of the House. He returned to the General Assembly after winning in the 2020 election.

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Egypt reiterated its position in support of Moroccos territorial integrity and UN efforts in line with UN Security council resolution 2602 which stressed the preeminence of the autonomy plan.

This came in a joint statement following talks in Rabat between Moroccan and Egyptian foreign ministers, Nasser Bourita and Sameh Choukri.

The two countries expressed in the statement their willingness to boost cooperation at all levels, citing notably trade and investments.

They also called for bridging the gap between Arab countries and expressed rejections in any interferences in the domestic issues of Arab states.

Morocco also expressed support for Egypts water security and called for a halt of unilateral initiatives in managing shared rivers in line with international law.

They also reiterated support for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Egypt commended the role by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of Al Quds committee, while Morocco lauded Egypts efforts to reach inter-Palestinian reconciliation and the reconstruction of the Gaza strip.

They both agreed about the need for an inter-Libyan dialogue free from foreign interferences and called for the departure of all mercenaries and foreign armed men from the North African country.

During his visit to Morocco, the Egyptian Foreign Minister inaugurated the new headquarters of Egypts embassy in Rabat.
We are determined to combat the common enemy of desertification through coordinated, solidarity-based action, said King Mohammed VI in a message addressed to the Summit on Drought & Sustainable Land Management which opened Monday in Abidjan.

The royal message, which was read out by minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Forests Mohamed Sadiki, called for setting up genuine African alliance against desertification, with adequate financial and technological resources for effective action, underlining that the fight against desertification and land degradation is an existential struggle for everyone.

The Monarch stressed the importance of the Abidjan Initiative to be launched after this Summit, voicing hope that it would turn political commitments into concrete measures and contribute to enhancing African resilience to drought.

The Abidjan initiative is building on the momentum spurred by the African Action Summit for continental co-emergence, held in Marrakech on the sidelines of the COP22 on climate.

Now its the time to speed up the implementation of practical programs to combat desertification within the framework of concrete, pragmatic and revamped regional cooperation, said the Sovereign, congratulating the President of Cote dIvoire Alassane Dramane Ouattara for the successful organization of this Summit held on the sidelines of the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Africa is suffering from desertification, with millions of hectares threatened by desert encroachment which is progressing in some regions at a rate of 5 km per year, said the Monarch, affirming that land degradation is a multiplier of vulnerabilities.

When environmental security is threatened, that affects food security, human security and, in fact, all matters relating to security in general, said King Mohammed VI, noting that areas suffering from extreme environmental degradation are also often areas where conflicts break out, where populations are displaced and where terrorist and separatist groups seek to get a foothold.

All these facts prove that the fight against desertification and land degradation is an existential struggle for everyone  and even more so in Africa, added the Sovereign, saying that this fight should not be hampered by a lack of technological capabilities or financial resources, much less political will.

To address the desertification challenges, the King stressed the need to reduce vulnerabilities to drought, build capacity for sustainable land management, unify regional and international efforts, deploy anti-drought solutions and control water stress.

Addressing the gathering, President Alassane Ouattara said Our Summit must be one of hope, of the collective mobilization of States and development partners, in favor of land and forest restoration initiatives of our countries. We must use all the resources of our Conventions to meet the ever-increasing food needs and cope with the ever-increasing water stress of an ever-growing world population.
Mohamed Taher Issa, a Libyan businessman and ally of Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has launched Med Sky (short for Mediterranean Sky) to operate flights between the oil-rich country and Europe, Libya Update reports.

Med Sky is based in Malta and Misrata. A source who asked not to be named because not allowed to talk on the matter told the Libyan media that Maltas ambassador to Libya, Charles Saliba, backs the venture and allegedly helped the company obtain the necessary licenses to work from Malta.

The airline is the first Libyan commercial airline to fly on European sky ever since the European Union halted direct flights with Libya in the aftermath of the second civil war outbreak in 2014.

Taher Issa is a business tycoon based in Misrata and known close to Dbeibeh, one of Libyas current two Prime Ministers.

Libyas parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), replaced Dbeibeh in February by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, arguing that his mandate came to an end on Dec. 24, the date of failed presidential elections.

Dbeibeh has refused to relinquish power and prevented Bashagha from entering Tripoli. The HoR-backed Premier has established his office in Sirte.

Issa has been reportedly at odds with Bashagha for years over several issues, even before the Libyan politician was named Minister of Interior in the previous administration known as Government of National Accord (GNA).

Libya currently has over 10 airlines including Libyan Wings, Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines, in operation.
Morocco and Saudi Arabia signed, on Monday in Riyadh, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on renewable energies and a Cooperation Framework Agreement on the peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Cooperation between the two countries in the field of renewable energies and peaceful uses of atomic energy aims to meet their needs in terms of developing new energy resources, confirms shared concerns about the importance of security of energy supplies for both parties, and supports joint efforts to develop civil and peaceful uses of atomic energy in a way that ensures safety and environmental protection.

The MoU on renewable energy aims to develop cooperation and exchange of information and experiences in policies, legislative regulations, preliminary studies, and project proposal mechanisms related to the sector.

It also consolidates efforts to localize value chains and encourages the review and discussion of investment and financing opportunities in both countries to support efforts to localize renewable energy-related industries and develop their projects.

The MoU provides for R&D cooperation and human skills development. It also promotes the review of opportunities to raise the level of renewable energy technologies and their applications between the two sisterly countries.

The Cooperation Framework Agreement on the peaceful uses of atomic energy provides for cooperation in several areas, including basic and applied research in the field of peaceful uses of the atom, and topics related to nuclear reactors.

The two agreements were signed in Riyadh Monday by Moroccan and Saudi Ministers of Energy, Laila Benali and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Following the signing ceremony, Laila Benali said the deals offer new frameworks to upgrade relations between the two Kingdoms in two strategic areas and to encourage the transition towards the production and consumption of clean and sustainable energy.

There will be an exchange of experiences and knowledge in the area of renewable energy, including those of the Saudi company ACWA Power, she said.

There will also be a discussion on investment opportunities and financing in both countries and on ways for joint cooperation in the areas of peaceful uses of atomic energy, as well as research, development and training of human capital, Benali added.

She also touched on cooperation between the Moroccan phosphates group, OCP, and Saudi companies, noting that OCP covers 70 to 80% of the needs of SABIC, while it imports sulfur under a long-term contract with Aramco.
The Arab League has appointed Moroccan diplomat Ahmed Rachid Khattabi to head its mission to observe the legislative elections in Lebanon, due on May 15.

Rachid Khattabi serves as the Leagues Deputy Secretary-General in charge of the media and communication department.

The mission will hold a series of meetings with the authorities involved in the preparation of the polls, namely the Supervisory Commission for Elections, the Constitutional Council, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as civil society activists, the Arab League said in a statement.

A geographical distribution program has been set up for the members of the mission in the different governorates of Lebanon to observe the vote, the counting and sorting process as well as the atmosphere of the elections in several polling centers according to the rules and requirements in force within the Arab League framework, i.e. commitment to integrity, credibility and the duty of impartiality, the statement explained.

The Lebanese will cast their ballots next Sunday to elect a new parliament. The vote is the first since the onset of the economic crisis and the devastating 2020 port explosion in the capital Beirut.

The critical election thus takes place amid an unprecedented financial crisis, with many accusing the political elite of rampant corruption and mismanagement.

A total of 718 lists in 15 constituencies are vying for the 128 parliamentary seats.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Barroso has voiced his countrys satisfaction with the pace of implementation of the roadmap drawn with Morocco.

The implementation of the roadmap developed during the visit to Morocco of President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI, early April is advancing at a steady pace and in full normality, Albares told a joint press briefing with his Portuguese counterpart, Joao Gomes Cravinho.

Sea and air links between the two countries have been completely restored and last week, meetings were held in Rabat to prepare for the Marhaba operation and to examine the management of migratory flows, he stated.

The reinforcement of migratory cooperation can be seen on the ground with the strong declines, mainly on the Atlantic coast, where arrivals to the Canary Islands have decreased by 45%, he noted.

We want to do things gradually; in an orderly manner and steadily. But also without rush, Spains top diplomat said, noting that the various working groups will continue to hold meetings.

I am satisfied with the pace at which the work and coordination of these groups are developing, Albares insisted.
Marrakech is hosting this May 10-11 a workshop gathering senior criminal prosecution and criminal investigation officials from the United States, the United Kingdom and Morocco to share successful strategies in prosecuting money laundering crimes.

The workshop, meant to enhance Moroccos investigation and prosecution of money laundering, translates the kingdoms commitment to join efforts with its partners in fighting criminal organizations and blocking their access to illicit financing.

The group gathered here today includes some of the most skilled prosecutors and investigators from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Morocco, all working together to improve the impact of Moroccan prosecutions, said U.S. Consul General in Casablanca Lawrence Randolph in remarks at the opening of the workshop.

The more law enforcement agencies are able to attack the ability of criminals to launder money, the less incentive there will be for these criminals to commit crimes in the first place, the American diplomat noted.

For his part, Secretary General of the Moroccan Authority of Financial Intelligence, Hassan Ennasr, stressed that Morocco attaches paramount importance to the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, noting that the Kingdom has expressed a high-level political commitment to implement the Action Plan of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Ennasr said that coordination in the field of combating money laundering and terrorist financing is at the top of the priorities of the Moroccan authorities, including the National Authority for Financial Intelligence as national coordinator in this area.

U.S. Department of State regional spokeswoman Geraldine Gassam Griffith, welcomed, the efforts made by the Kingdom in the fight against money laundering.

We highly commend the efforts made by Morocco to strengthen the legal framework of the fight against money laundering, Griffith told MAP, on the sidelines of the workshop, noting that this meeting highlights the close partnership between the United States and Morocco.

Calling to further strengthen this partnership, Griffith said that this workshop, which examines the best ways to fight money laundering in different regions of the world, reflects the importance attached by the U.S. to money laundering.

Abderrahman El Lamtouni, head of the department of special affairs follow-up at the presidency of the Public Prosecutors Office, on his part said this workshop is part of Moroccos efforts to strengthen the national framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, recalling that the Public Prosecutors Office has organized several training sessions to strengthen the capacities of its executives.

This meeting allows us to benefit from the expertise of American and British executives in the field of anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism, to better strengthen the integrity of the financial system of the Kingdom, he added.

Morocco adopted in May 2021 a bill amending and completing the Penal Code and law n 43.05 relating to the fight against money laundering as part of efforts to strengthen the national legal system to fight this type of serious crimes and its adaptation to international standards adopted in this regard, in particular by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The bill mirrors the Kingdoms firm will to honor its international commitments and to consolidate the efforts led by the competent Moroccan authorities in the field.
Casablanca is poised to play a major role as an export hub for sustainable packaging solutions thanks to major investments by global suppliers, such as Elopak.

Norways Elopak has recently acquired the plants operated by Naturepak in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as it sees strong growth potential in the MENA region and Africa, Elopak CEO told Reuters.

Casablanca is well positioned to play a hub for the expansion of Elopaks sales of sustainable packaging on the African continent, he said.

Elopak is the world leader in manufacturing carton packaging for fresh liquid products and produces 15 billion packs annually.

Morocco has strong demand for environment-friendly packaging driven by the countrys low-carbon target as well as popular demand for carton instead of plastic.

Morocco has invested in infrastructure offering incentives and facilities to boost the business climate and attract industrial investments with an export potential to the rest of Africa.
Morocco and the United Nations are celebrating this Tuesday the second edition of the International Day of Argania, an emblematic tree of the Kingdom.

This event is intended to celebrate this emblematic tree and to enhance its contribution to socio-economic development and tourism, as well as the preservation of biodiversity, conservation of the balance of nature and the fight against climate change.

Organized this year under the theme: The argan tree, symbol of resilience, this event calls for national and international mobilization around this endemic tree and its ancestral ecosystem.

The celebration, kicked off in Agadir with a high-level panel, is broadcast live on the United Nations Web TV, as well as on YouTube and social networks.

The panel brought together high-level speakers including Moroccos Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and Chair of the UN Group on Sustainable Development and the Director-General of UNESCO.

The celebration also features the sixth edition of the International Congress of the Argan Tree that will run until May 13. The Congress, bringing together Moroccan and international scientists, debates new discoveries about the tree and how it can help sustainability worldwide.

On March 3, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania.

The resolution, submitted by Morocco, was co-sponsored by all member states of the United Nations and adopted by consensus.

The proclamation by the UN of the International Day of Argania is an international recognition of Moroccos efforts to protect and promote the Argan tree as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity and an ancestral source of resilient and sustainable development.
It may be a big election year for filling Nebraskas top county offices  but not in Lincoln County.

Ten of the 11 Lincoln County offices on Tuesdays primary ballot have just one candidate. The three-way Republican primary for District 2 county commissioner offers the countys only lone election-night drama.

Once thats settled, county voters wont have anything to decide in the Nov. 8 general election unless someone files to be recognized as a fall write-in candidate or tries to petition onto the fall ballot.

District 3 Commissioner Micaela Wuehler, appointed last fall when veteran County Board member Bill Henry resigned, makes her election debut Tuesday but is unopposed for a full four-year term.

Likewise, no one filed to challenge Lincoln Countys nine separately elected row officials: County Clerk Becky Rossell, Register of Deeds Lois Block, Clerk of the District Court Deb McCarthy, County Treasurer Alex Gurciullo, County Sheriff Jerome Kramer, County Attorney Rebecca Harling, Public Defender Bob Lindemeier, County Surveyor Boni Edwards and County Assessor Julie Stenger.

Except for Lindemeier, a Democrat, all of Tuesdays county candidates are Republicans. Gurciullo, like Wuehler, was appointed in 2021 and faces no opponents as a first-time candidate.

Voters Tuesday wont be asked to cast ballots for the North Platte City Council, the North Platte Airport Authority, one of North Plattes three open school board seats or the school board races in Sutherland, Hershey, Maxwell, Brady and Wallace.

Thats because Nebraskas primary elections for cities, school boards and regional multicounty boards dont ask voters to engage in meaningless beauty contests. (Village board seats wont be contested until fall.)

Unless a district race has more than two candidates or an at-large race has more than two candidates per open seat, state law says that race wont appear on the primary ballot.

Federal, state and county partisan races, however, appear on primary ballots regardless of how many candidates are entered.

That includes the Nebraska Public Service Commission, whose candidates run by party, but also the nonpartisan contests for the Legislature, State Board of Education and University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

A handful of voters on Lincoln Countys east and south edges will cast ballots for the Gothenburg or Medicine Valley school boards.

Gothenburg school patrons will eliminate one of seven candidates, while those in Curtis-based Medicine Valley will reduce an eight-candidate field to six.

North Platte has four City Council wards and three school board wards. Each ward has two members serving four-year terms, with one seat up for election every two years.

Among those seven contests, only the Ward 1 and 3 school board races have more than two candidates apiece in 2022.

The four council members with expiring terms will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot, with only Ward 1 Councilman Jim Nisley unopposed among them. The race for one open Airport Authority seat likewise will be settled then.

Finally, Lincoln County voters in the Sutherland or Gothenburg hospital districts will elect two hospital board members apiece in Tuesdays primary. Those races dont carry over to Novembers general election.

Janie Rasby and Harry Stewart are the only hospital board candidates in Sutherland. Gothenburgs hospital board has just one official candidate, Ryan OHare of Cozad, since Blake Ristine withdrew the day of the March 1 filing deadline.

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A 20-year-old Maxwell man has been sentenced to four to eight years in state prison for first-degree sexual assault of a minor.

Drake D. Baller appeared Monday in Lincoln County District Court after a plea agreement was reached Jan. 10. Baller pleaded no contest to the charge, and two other felony counts were dismissed in the agreement.

Baller also must register as a sex offender. He was credited with 92 days served.

The assault occurred when Baller was 19 and the victim was 14.

Ballers attorney, Brian Davis, asked Judge Richard Birch to consider probation as his client was not the predator or pedophile that the prosecution was painting him to be.

Birch instead followed the recommendation of a pre-sentence investigation that recommended incarceration.

Michael Nozicka, a Lincoln County deputy attorney, argued that a prison sentence in the case was common sense given the law the state enacted with the rights of minors in mind.

Birch told Baller that he knew the victims age, but you made the decision to go forward anyway.

Also Monday, Shaun A. Ramey, 33, of Wellfleet, was sentenced to three to five years in state prison for discharging a handgun several times outside a South Buffalo Bill Avenue home during a disturbance on Nov. 27, 2021.

Ramey also received three years for making terroristic threats during the incident. Both terms will run at the same time.

In addition, Ramey was sentenced to 266 days for violating the conditions of his nine-month post-release supervision in a separate case.

The probation stems from an initial charge of intentional child abuse without injury in April 2021. He was credited with 141 days served.

In other cases Monday (defendants are from North Platte unless otherwise noted):

 Rosendo D. Duran Jr., 30, received 24 months of probation for four charges spread over three cases. The charges included methamphetamine, third-degree domestic assault, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and theft by unlawful taking with a value of $5,000.

Birch pointed to the more than 400 days that Duran had served in jail, a treatment program and time in a halfway house.

You are turning things around and are on the right track I hope, Birch said.

 David A. Stauffer, 30, pleaded guilty to a felony count of possession of a stolen firearm on Jan. 18.

A misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon was dismissed in the plea agreement.

Stauffer was sentenced to 18 months in prison and credited with 244 days served.

 Zachary R. OGwynn, 32, pleaded guilty to a felony count of third-degree domestic assault with a prior conviction and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest.

Charges in a separate case were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

OGwynn received 240 days in jail on each count and the terms will run at the same time. He was credited with 92 days served.

 Ransley J. Foust, 23, was sentenced to 180 days in jail on an amended charge of attempted possession of methamphetamine.

He received the same term in a separate case on a charge of theft by unlawful taking, $501 to $1,499,

The two sentences will run at the same time and he was credited with 51 days served.

 William D. Butrick II, 30, pleaded guilty to a count of operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest on March 11. Three misdemeanors were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Butrick was sentenced to 180 days in jail and credited with 59 days served.

Butricks license was revoked for two years and he received nine months of post-release supervision.

 Jason D. Jones, 41, pleaded guilty to a count of shoplifting with a value of $500 or less, third offense.

A count of possession of methamphetamine was dismissed in the plea agreement.

Jones was sentenced to 70 days in jail and credited with 44 days served.

 Dylan J. Shaw, 20, pleaded no contest to a pair of felony charges of first-degree forgery that stem from a March 4 incident.

Shaw received four years of specialized substance abuse supervision as well for two other separate cases.

The terms in all three cases will run at the same time.

 Julie A. Hansen, 44, of Norfolk, pleaded no contest to a felony count of methamphetamine possession.

A second possession charge was dismissed in the plea agreement.

Hansen was sentenced to 24 months of specialized substance abuse supervision.

 Derrick L. Zalud, 29, admitted violating the conditions of his nine-month post-release supervision.

The probation stems from a initial charge of resisting arrest, second offense, in May 2021.

He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and credited with time served.

 Ricky E. Frederick, 21, of Sutherland, pleaded guilty of theft by unlawful taking, $5,000 or more; theft by unlawful taking, $1,500 to $4,999; and criminal mischief with a value of $1,500 to $4,999,

The charges are in connection to an incident in January 2019.

Charges in a separate case were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Frederick is scheduled to be sentenced July 11.

 Shantoya I. Charging Elk, 25, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of aiding and abetting a second-degree assault and robbery. Both charges stem from a March 13 incident.

A July 11 status hearing was scheduled.

 Penny S. Saxton, 49, pleaded not guilty of possession of between 28 to 139 milligrams of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of an ounce or less of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges all stem from a March 23 incident.

Saxton also pleaded not guilty to charges in a separate case: theft by deception, $5,000 or more; conspiracy to commit theft; and issuance of a no-account check, more than $5,000.

A May 23 status hearing for both cases was scheduled.

 Austin J. Simkins, 26, of Maywood, pleaded not guilty to fifth-offense driving under the influence of drugs and driving after revocation.

A June 6 status hearing was scheduled.

 Jason A. Vath, 31, of Sutherland, pleaded not guilty to a felony count of third-degree domestic assault with a prior conviction.

A July 11 status hearing was scheduled.

 Barry J. Allen, 31, pleaded not guilty to burglary charges in two separate cases, as well as a felony count of possession of burglars tools in one of the cases.

A May 9 status hearing for both cases was scheduled.

 Russell R. Lockwood, 48, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of attempted possession of methamphetamine.

Lockwood was fined $1,000.

 Steven Elliott, 40, of Oberlin, Kansas, pleaded not guilty to a charge of enticement by an electronic communication device.

A July 11 status hearing was scheduled.

 William B. Morton, 61, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of threatening an individual in a menacing manner.

He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and credited with the same amount of time served.

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The North Platte Public Schools Board of Education approved the school resource officer contract for the 2022-23 school year at Monday meeting.

The contract is for one full-time and one half-time officer.

Were very fortunate to have a great working relationship with our police department, said Ron Hanson, superintendent, and were fortunate to have wonderful school resource officers.

Jeremiah Johnson and Matt Elder are the two current resource officers for the district.

I think this is a no-brainer because the results that we get are so great, said Skip Altig, board president. Its a tremendous program thats been around a while and its so valuable.

The current school year is the first with a half-time officer at Adams Middle School.

I can tell you from student services perspective, its been wonderful, said Brandy Buscher, director of student services. When officer Johnson has to take someone to Bridge of Hope, its so nice to have that backup and someone to call if we have an urgent situation that we need to deal with.

In other business, the district has three positions left to fill for the 2022-23 school year, said Kevin Mills, director of human resources.

We have hired 28 new teachers, Mills said. That is a lot less than in previous years.

He said 20 of those teachers come with years of experience and eight teachers are taking on their first jobs.

Lyndsay Douglas and Kelli Sheets gave an update on the Family Literacy Grant program.

Basically what this grant does is it bridges the partnership between school and home, said Lyndsey Douglas, director of elementary learning. Parents want to be involved in their childs education, but they dont know how. (The program) really goes well with our EL program.

Sheets said Family Literacy basically works to eradicate poverty.

We do that not only by educating kids, but the whole family, Sheets said. So we work with families and their students together in multiple ways and just make that connection so that they can all have success.

The program focuses on four points: adult education, childrens education, parent time and PACT (Parent and child together).

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Former President Donald Trump's personal involvement in Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial primary battle in Nebraska has turned national attention on a contest that appears to be too close to call.

Trump is accompanied by a spotlight wherever he chooses to go and his trip to a raceway near Greenwood halfway between Lincoln and Omaha eight days ago to voice his strong support for Charles Herbster raised the ante in this hard-fought battle, with the former president's power within the party now a factor on the Nebraska ballot too.

Trump's "immense sway within the Republican Party is on the line," Fox News stated in an online news story.

"The battle to succeed term-limited Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska has turned into a heated three-way fistfight that has grabbed attention far beyond the Great Plains state's borders," the Fox online story said.

The New York Times wrote that "Herbster is doing his best imitation of former President Donald J. Trump (and) has cracked his party into three camps, with Trump supporters, established conservatives and business-friendly moderates battling for power."

Ricketts has endorsed Jim Pillen of Columbus; Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha has support from an array of business-oriented Republicans.

"Conversations with voters suggested that Ricketts' support of Pillen could ultimately carry greater weight on Tuesday than Trump's backing of Herbster," a CNN News report suggested.

Citing late-in-the-campaign accusations that Herbster had improperly touched or groped a number of women at public events, Newsweek suggested that "Donald Trump's knack for endorsing primary candidates who go on to win their respective elections may come to an end on Tuesday."

Herbster has vigorously denied the allegations and suggested he is being attacked by "a smear campaign."

The Newsweek report stated that the most recent polls, along with online bookmakers, now are "suggesting (Trump's) pick in the Nebraska gubernatorial race will lose."

All the analysis and speculation will give way to voters' decisions Tuesday.

Pillen, a Columbus pork producer and University of Nebraska regent, wrapped up his campaign Monday with a statewide fly-around tour that took him to appearances in Omaha, Norfolk, Lincoln, Hastings, Scottsbluff and Columbus.

Herbster, a Falls City cattle producer and businessman, finished with campaign stops in tiny Byron in Thayer County, a village that counts fewer than 100 residents, and Seward, followed by a telephone town hall with Kellyanne Conway, the former Trump White House adviser who has been assisting his campaign.

Lindstrom, who is completing his eighth and final year in the Legislature, closed his campaign with stops in Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln and Omaha.

"Although I don't have a crystal ball, looking at the current number of early ballots that have been returned, a rough prediction for voter turnout in the 2022 primary election is trending about 35%," Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.

As of the weekend, 122,679 ballots had already been cast, largely by mail.

A factor that could conceivably be determinative in a tight race is the switch of voter registration from Democratic to Republican by thousands of Nebraska Democrats in advance of Tuesday's primary election.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon
Last night police descended on the home of Senator Susan Collins in response to what Collins apparently regards as a threat. The threat was a message written on the sidewalk in front of her house asking her to support a pro-choice bill in the Senate.

The message was not overtly threatening, allows a police spokesman, as though there was some clear, Vito Corleoneesque undertone of menace. The message in fact read, Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA > vote yes, clean up your mess. I would submit that a message delivered via water-soluble chalk, and including the word please, is neither overtly nor covertly threatening.

Collins thanked the Bangor police officers and the city public-works employee who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home, who, working in conjunction, were apparently able to erase the message, without needing to call in an FBI tactical anti-chalk squad.

The fact this episode even made it into a news story (albeit a local one) and that the story was not about elderly snowflakes is a testament to the hyperventilated response to pro-choice protests. Yesterday, rumors that Justice Samuel Alito was forced to flee his home  the source of which turned out to be a right-wing law professor repeating something he thought he saw on Twitter somewhere  was repeated in numerous national news stories. Congress rushed to pass a bill enhancing personal security for the justices.

Moral panics often grow out of real problems, but stripped of any sense of proportion or context. In this case, the base concern about protests staged at the homes of their targets is legitimate. Protesting at the home of a public figure is a moral gray area. Such protests are clearly permitted by the First Amendment, but they also create the potential for menace. In a huge country swimming in guns, public figures have a good reason not to draw attention or regular crowds to their homes. Protests intended to be peaceful can easily provide inadvertent cover for a single armed maniac. There is no reason why a demonstration needs to be held on a street on front of a house when public spaces can accommodate much bigger crowds without a hint of menace.

However, this tactic is not new. Picketers have regularly appeared at the homes of both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (from the left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (from the right.) Needless to say, anti-abortion protesters have spent decades staging confrontations at clinics, sometimes giving cover for violent terrorists.

The sins of one side do not justify sins by the other. In any case, protesting at a home is a risky and probably counterproductive tactic that activists should stop doing. But the hysterical levels of media attention to a handful of protests, and the spread of false rumors surrounding them, requires some broader explanation. I see three factors at work.

First is a desire by conservatives to make the focus of the Roe v. Wade story something other than the policy implications of the Courts forthcoming decision. Republicans leaders have spelled out their fear that an unpopular ruling to overturn Roe will shake up an otherwise favorable midterm election. The protests are simply serving the same function that the leak served last week  giving Republicans something to talk about other than banning abortion.

Second is a desire by conservatives to give the Supreme Court a special sanctity. Having gained generational control over the courts, the rights objective now is to ensure that its legitimacy is not questioned. The idea that Brett Kavanaugh does not deserve the kind of treatment Pelosi has to endure is a knock-on effect of this belief system.

Third, and most important, the episode reveals once again the asymmetrical commitment between the two parties to upholding institutions and norms. Republicans have welcomed violent extremists into their coalition, their candidates for office frequently brandish firearms in their ads, and the party no longer treats the peaceful transfer of power as a baseline requirement. It is impossible to imagine Republicans giving anything close to the display of unanimous support Democrats supplied in response to the protests against the Court.

Ted Cruz, who has apologized profusely for having previously denounced the insurrectionists, last night described the peaceful protesters outside Samuel Alitos home as goons while in the same breath describing the January 6 protests as peaceful. It is a perfect display of the imbalance at work.

Many progressives complained when the Biden administration denounced threats and vandalism and said judges should not have to fear for their personal safety. The problem here is not the Democratic Partys institutional commitment to upholding democratic norms, but the Republican Partys lack thereof.
Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

This week, Democrats will attempt to use their governing trifecta to codify abortion rights in federal law before the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade. They will not succeed, as they do not have the votes to overcome or kill the Senate filibuster. However, even if Republicans take control of the House and the Senate in the 2022 midterms, President Bidens veto pen will prevent them from passing national abortion restrictions through the end of his term in January 2025.

But what happens then? The path is treacherous for those hoping to preserve reproductive rights in at least some parts of the United States. Its entirely possible that Republicans will emerge from the 2024 election with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. And under those circumstances, the GOP will be under intense pressure from its base to enact federal laws that outlaw abortion even in blue states. Mitch McConnell even acknowledged on Sunday that once Roe is overturned a national abortion ban is possible.

Republicans are very likely to flip the House in 2022, and that means its likely to stay flipped in 2024. As Cook Political Report recently noted, the last time control of the House flipped in consecutive elections was 1954. Meanwhile, the Senate landscape in 2024 is truly horrible for Democrats. Theyll be defending 23 Senate seats, including six in states Trump carried in 2016 or 2020. Republicans, on the other hand, will only be defending ten Senate seats, all in states Trump carried twice.

So the 2024 presidential election will likely be the ball game when it comes to power in Washington. And while both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama came back from midterm shellackings to win reelection, its hardly a solid betting proposition for Joe Biden (or whoever the Democratic nominee is if he decides to retire).

Even if Donald Trump or some other Republican is inaugurated in January 2025, and the party controls Congress, the size of the GOP Senate majority could limit their options for curtailing reproductive rights at the federal level. Republicans would have to get really lucky to emerge from the 2024 election with a 60-vote Senate supermajority. But Republicans could plausibly gain a Senate majority so comfortable that abolishing the filibuster would be more feasible than it is for Democrats today.

Today Republicans passionately defend the filibuster whenever Democrats complain that its arcane and obstructionist. So in this 2025 scenario, could they actually flip and nuke it themselves? Absolutely. Mitch McConnells term as Senate Republican leader runs through 2027, and hes shown time and again that he is shameless when it comes to the pursuit and exercise of power. And if hes retired by then, his successor will likely be even more ideologically attuned to the GOPs activist base, which is intensely opposed to legalized abortion.

To be sure, giving up the filibuster would be difficult for a party that has relied heavily on anti-majoritarian mechanisms to thwart the popular will on so many occasions. But it was a Republican Senate that nuked the filibuster for Supreme Court confirmations in 2017, and the drive to reverse Roe v. Wade  now apparently at its omega point  was the single most powerful reason that happened. If Republicans find themselves with an opportunity to sweep away blue-state abortion sanctuaries, the pressure to end what many GOP activists call an American Holocaust would be hard to overestimate. Dont let talk about Republicans caring more about tax cuts or destroying environmental or labor regulations than about divisive cultural issues fool you. The anti-abortion movement, which supplies much of the partys grassroots energy and small-dollar contributions, has held a mortgage on the soul of the GOP for many years; its perfectly capable of calling it in.

Perhaps the most difficult question for Republicans on the brink of enacting federal abortion restrictions would be where to draw the line. In the past they have promoted a national ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, based on the specious theory that this is the point at which a fetus can feel pain. If the Supreme Court opens the door to any restrictions lawmakers choose to impose, theres no reason to think that they will continue to advocate for a standard under which most abortions would remain legal. But do they move to 15 weeks? Six weeks? A total abortion ban? And do they recognize exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or situations where the health of the mother is at risk? There are no obvious answers to any of these questions, other than to observe that those who think of zygotes as babies will not be satisfied by half-measures.

Senate action on abortion could also be beside the point before too long. By 2025, the anti-abortion movement may have moved on to what will almost certainly be its ultimate goal: convincing the Supreme Court to recognize a constitutional right to life for the unborn that no state and no Congress could violate.

In other words, all of todays Republican rhetoric about letting the states or letting the people decide abortion policy isnt going to last very long. And those blue-state residents who are consoling themselves with the thought that only red-state governments will force every pregnancy to term may not be safe for long.
GOLDEN, Colo., May 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Golden Minerals Company ("Golden Minerals", "Golden" or the "Company") (NYSE American: AUMN and TSX: AUMN) today provided financial results and a business summary for the quarter ending March 31, 2022.

First Quarter Financial Results  Highlights

(All currency expressed in approximate USD)

Revenue of $7.5 million yielding a net operating margin of $3.2 million in the first quarter 2022, vs. $1.8 million revenue and a net operating margin of $0.2 million in the first quarter 2021, both from mining operations at the Companys Rodeo gold-silver mine in Mexico.

$11.7 million cash and cash equivalents balance as of March 31, 2022, compared to $12.2 million as of December 31, 2021.

Net loss of $0.00 per share or $0.3 million in the first quarter 2022, compared to a net loss of $0.02 per share or $3.2 million in the first quarter 2021.

First Quarter Business Summary

Produced 3,608 payable gold ounces and 13,944 payable silver ounces (3,787 gold equivalent ("AuEq") ounces) with total cash costs, net of silver by-product credits, per payable ounce of gold of $1,164. 1

Sold 4,040 AuEq oz. in dore, at average prices (before selling and refining costs) of $1,888/oz Au and $24.24/oz Ag. Dore inventory at March 31, 2022 consists of 375 payable oz. Au and 1,379 payable oz. Ag.

Reported grades processed of 3.1 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold and 11.6 g/t silver during the quarter.

Processed at an average rate of 527 tonnes per day ("tpd") during the quarter.

Continued limited scale test mining activities at Velardena for use in final optimization of a bio-oxidation plant design and for use in additional flotation separation studies; also testing mining methods to determine whether the Company is able to control mining dilution. Results are expected in the next few months, after which time the Company anticipates making a decision on constructing the BIOX plant and restarting the operation.

Story continues

1 Gold equivalents are based on actual gold and silver prices realized during the first quarter 2022: $1,888/oz Au and $24.24/oz Ag.

Warren Rehn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Minerals, commented, "Rodeo continues to operate according to plan providing cash flow for our exploration and development projects at Yoquivo, Sarita Este, and of course, Velardena. We are on track to recommend a start-up plan for Velardena within the next few months. I am very pleased with our progress establishing Golden Minerals as a sustainable gold and silver producer."

Quarterly Conference Call and Webcast

Management will be hosting a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time ("EDT") to discuss first quarter 2022 financial results and recent project updates. You are invited to join the webcast at Golden Minerals Q1 2022 Earnings Call. Please plan to join 10 minutes prior to the start time.

The webcast will also be available for replay on the Golden Minerals website at http://www.goldenminerals.com after May 11, 2022.

First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

The Company reported revenue of $7.5 million from dore sales, $4.3 million costs of metals sold and $3.2 million in net operating margin in the first quarter 2022, all related to gold-silver production at the Rodeo mine. Exploration expenditures were $1.7 million during the quarter and included a 2,500-meter RC drill program at Rodeo that finished delineating the mineralized area on the south side of the current pit, as well as other general exploration and holding costs related to the Companys portfolio of exploration projects. Velardena care and maintenance expenses were $0.5 million in the quarter and include costs related to test mining in advance of a production decision. El Quevar project expense was $0.1 million and includes costs of exploration and evaluation activities, care and maintenance, and property holding costs, net of reimbursements from Barrick Gold under the terms of an Earn-In Agreement. Administrative expenses totaled $1.3 million and include costs associated with being a public company that are incurred primarily by the Companys corporate activities in support of the Rodeo Property, the Velardena Properties, the Yoquivo project and the balance of the Companys exploration portfolio. The Company recorded a net loss of $0.3 million or $0.00 per share.

Twelve Month Financial Outlook

The Company ended the first quarter 2022 with a cash balance of $11.7 million and anticipates receiving approximately $7.0 to $9.0 million in net operating margin (defined as revenue from the sale of metals less costs of metals sold) from the Rodeo operation during the 12 months ending March 31, 2023, assuming average gold and silver prices during that period of $1,800 and $25.00 oz, respectively. The Company is also scheduled to receive the final installment of $2.0 million due from Fabled Silver Gold Corp. in December 2022 under the terms of an agreement for the sale of the Companys Santa Maria project.

The Companys currently forecasted expenditures during the 12 months ending March 31, 2023, apart from Rodeo costs of metals sold which are included in the net operating margin forecast, total approximately $10.0 million as follows:

$4.3 million on exploration activities and property holding costs associated with the Companys portfolio of exploration properties located in Mexico, Argentina and Nevada, including project assessment and evaluation costs relating to additional exploration at Rodeo, Yoquivo and other properties;

$1.1 million at the Velardena Properties for care and maintenance;

$0.4 million at the El Quevar project to fund care and maintenance and property holding costs, net of reimbursement from Barrick;

$3.7 million in general and administrative costs; and

$0.5 million due to an increase in working capital.

Additional information regarding first quarter 2022 financial results can be found in the Companys 10-Q Quarterly Report which is available on the Golden Minerals website at www.goldenminerals.com.

About Golden Minerals

Golden Minerals is a growing gold and silver producer based in Golden, Colorado. The Company is primarily focused on producing gold and silver from its Rodeo Mine and advancing its Velardena Properties in Mexico and, through partner funded exploration, its El Quevar silver property in Argentina, as well as acquiring and advancing selected mining properties in Mexico, Nevada and Argentina.

Financial Statements

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (US Dollars, unaudited) December 31, March 31, 2021 2022 (Restated) (in thousands, except share data) Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 11,730 $ 12,229 Short-term investments 91 67 Inventories, net 1,963 1,608 Value added tax receivable, net 1,475 1,290 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,122 1,145 Total current assets 16,381 16,339 Property, plant and equipment, net 6,563 6,627 Other long-term assets 693 747 Total assets $ 23,637 $ 23,713 Liabilities and Equity Current liabilities Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities $ 4,337 $ 3,509 Deferred revenue 1,094 1,469 Other current liabilities 625 721 Total current liabilities 6,056 5,699 Asset retirement and reclamation liabilities 3,639 3,569 Other long-term liabilities 246 353 Total liabilities 9,941 9,621 Commitments and contingencies Equity Common stock, $.01 par value, 350,000,000 shares authorized; 163,927,992 and 162,804,612 shares issued and outstanding respectively 1,639 1,628 Additional paid in capital 540,427 540,518 Accumulated deficit (528,370 ) (528,054 ) Shareholders' equity 13,696 14,092 Total liabilities and equity $ 23,637 $ 23,713

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (US dollars, unaudited) Quarter Ended March 31, 2022 2021 (in thousands, except per share data) Revenue: Sale of metals $ 7,506 $ 1,778 Total revenue 7,506 1,778 Costs and expenses: Cost of metals sold (exclusive of depreciation shown below) (4,322 ) (1,536 ) Exploration expense (1,666 ) (781 ) El Quevar project expense (117 ) (106 ) Velardena care and maintenance costs (536 ) (199 ) Administrative expense (1,272 ) (1,548 ) Stock based compensation (150 ) (429 ) Reclamation expense (69 ) (66 ) Other operating income (expense), net 388 199 Depreciation and amortization (65 ) (155 ) Total costs and expenses (7,809 ) (4,621 ) Loss from operations (303 ) (2,843 ) Other income (expense): Interest and other expense, net (3 ) (360 ) Other income 25 52 Gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions 50 (79 ) Total other income (loss) 72 (387 ) Loss from operations before income taxes (231 ) (3,230 ) Income taxes (85 ) 52 Net Loss $ (316 ) $ (3,178 ) Net income (loss) per common share  basic Loss $ (0.00 ) $ (0.02 ) Weighted average Common Stock outstanding  basic (1) 162,511,278 160,442,137

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the results of limited scale test mining activities at Velardena; the decision to construct the BIOX plant and restart the Velardena operation; anticipated net operating margin from the Rodeo operation during the 12 months ending March 31, 2023; the receipt of expected final installment due to Golden Minerals from Fabled Silver Gold Corp.; and forecasted expenditures during the 12 months ending March 31, 2023. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the potential future re-suspension of non-essential activities in Mexico, including mining; lower than anticipated revenue or higher than anticipated costs at the Rodeo mine, and mine testing activities at Velardena; declines in general economic conditions; changes in political conditions, in tax, royalty, environmental and other laws in the United States, Mexico or Argentina and other market conditions; and fluctuations in silver and gold prices. Golden Minerals assumes no obligation to update this information. Additional risks relating to Golden Minerals may be found in the periodic and current reports filed with the SEC by Golden Minerals, including the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

For additional information please visit http://www.goldenminerals.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005543/en/

Contacts

Golden Minerals Company

Karen Winkler, Director of Investor Relations

(303) 839-5060
Sunday afternoon, search teams recovered the body of a Valley man who drowned after rescuing his son in the Halawakee Creek area of Lake Harding on the Friday of Mothers Day weekend.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said Jacob Davidson, 30, and his 6-year-old son were boating together on the lake between Long Bridge, the span of Lee Road 379 that goes over the lake, and the Chattahoochee Valley Railroad trestle.

It appears that, from what we know, the child had fallen off the boat into the water, Jones said.

The wind was very strong on Friday, and Jones said the breezy weather made the water choppy and resulted in the child falling overboard.

Jones said the child was wearing a flotation device, but was drifting away from the boat. Davidson jumped in without a flotation device after his son. Jones said it appeared hed become fatigued and began shouting.

A nearby boater heard him and came to assist. Davidson handed his son up toward the assisting boater who pulled the child onto the boat, but when the assisting boater turned around, Davidson was gone, according to Jones.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office was notified around 4:30 Friday afternoon and began the search.

At that point we responded and began notifying search and rescue agencies that had equipment to assist, Jones said.

Multiple agencies from Daphne, Ala., Tallapoosa County, Lee County and Georgia responded and provided resources including high resolution sonar devices, search and rescue teams and divers.

When the sonar would indicate something that could be the victim, the divers would check it, Jones said. That continued all day Saturday and again on Sunday morning.

Jones said the wind and choppy waters impacted the search efforts making it difficult for the divers.

At approximately 12:30 Sunday afternoon, Jones said the sonar found the victim and the divers recovered his body.

Just have an overwhelming appreciation for all the people that responded and certainly for everyone keeping this family in their thoughts and prayers, Jones said.

A gofundme has been set up by Ana Bullard on the behalf of the Beulah community to support the Davidson family. To donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-the-davidsons.
Jesus Christ.

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Rich people love the "poor people and their admirable struggle" cultre

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they should love it MORE and give me all their money instead TBQH.





Like REALLY live through it

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lol reminds me of the one verse from Schuyler Sisters number from Hamilton:



There's nothing rich folks love more

Than going downtown and slummin' it with the poor

They pull up in their carriages and gawk

At the students in the common just to watch 'em talk



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its poor person cosplay

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Im sure Elon Musk will be getting a pair or two. Rich assholes cosplaying as poor is so gross.

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What in the Yeezy couture??

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Rich people playing at being poor are assholes.

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I cant embed. But today i watched the balineciega tiktoks and died.

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I scrolled too fast and thought these were like, old shoes in a museum because they were historically significant

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This is killing meeeee 

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I wonder which kpop boy will be spotted in these first.

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Literally was going to say these will be in a k pop video shortly.

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Also bless I love Woozi

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lmao i was thinking the same

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By styling i say someone in NCT.



Edited at 2022-05-10 03:42 am (UTC)

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pls no, I hope not. majority, if not all, are rich (incredibly rich for some) golden spoons and for some they probs never seen shoes in this state  itll be disappointing to see them jump into this. their stylist also need to not.

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I was about to say that. Seems like something a Kpop star would wear.

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you already know gd will.

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legit my FIRST thought lmfao

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Is there a market for decrepit shoes for rich people bc I can pick some up from the goodwill outlet if need be.



Anyway this annoys me

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Poor but make it fashion

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Wealthy people are so fucking weird. Just shoot yourself into space like a normal rich person. Why do this?

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i think not



they look like ripped up converses, who the fuck wants that

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Yeah I was like I know four hundred people who already have worn out Chucks. Maybe well see a copyright case?

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these are beyond worn-out chucks. they're like chucks that a dog ate.

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Somehow, Zoolander becomes ever more relevant

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mte what a prophecy! where's billy zane!?

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You should listen to your friend Billy Zane. Hes a cool dude.

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90s/early 00s Billy zane was hot

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you know he looked good here

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makes me think of New Girl when Nick tells Jess that Schmidt is part of a billy zane fan club and they are called the zaniacs

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Fuck this bullshit. Im moving out lol

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This is so fucked up.

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My mom threw away a pair of Converse that looked exactly like this, I'm still mad about it, they were my favorite pair.

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100% it reminds me of the defense secretary who is just now coming out with his book about all the crazy stuff Trump wanted to do like send missiles into Mexico, the time to talk about that was when it happened NOT when you want to sell a book

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i do find this entertaining, but also fuck Steve Schmidt

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The only correct response

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Also, he's revealing this shit not out of morals, but as a fuck-you to someone he doesn't like. And he probably knows a bunch more morally compromising shit that he could reveal out of integrity, but isn't...because he doesn't have any.

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when he does decide to admit to more shit, it'll just be in a book that he'll put out to make money off of in a couple of years

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To be fair, a fuck you to someone who has apparently been an asshole to him for 14 years, who kept him out of her dad's funeral out of spite, and who had recently taken to calling him a pedo which seems to have been the last straw.

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Right, but he should've revealed it 14 years ago because it's very obviously the right and ethical thing to blow the whistle on, not hold on to it for 14 years until an opportunity came up where he could use it as a "whatabout" defense.

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is he part of that one group of professional grifter that make ads and billboards and have american libs foaming at the mouth? i forget what their name is.



But fuck them.

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Lincoln Project? Yeah.

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god, I hate the Lincoln Project. thankfully, most Democrats cooled off on sharing them, but every so often I need to pull one up.

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the game change movie on hbo is so funny for this reason



woody harrelson and sarah paulson give great "people in a horror movie slowly realize they are in a horror movie" performances

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Yessss lol

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sarah paulson playing reformed republican queenie nicole wallace is iconic lmfao

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I need to watch it!

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Yay, I was hoping someone would make a post out of this. He went on a hours long rampage over there.

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I posted it in the FFA Sunday post but it was super late so I think everyone was in bed. I was so disappointed because I was LIVING.

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The fucking book photo op with her holding her kid at her dads grave....lmao

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That was so crass and gross.

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She truly has no shame

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the arizona trailer parks indeed

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people who live in trailer parks are just people who live in trailer parks. being shameless is not bound by class.

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Excuse you, I believe she prefers Princess of Arizona

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I'm not surprised. I don't know what dirt she has on someone from People Magazine, but every week there's an article (with photos) of something her and her child did. She takes her kid on a walk, there's an article. They go to see Peppa Pig live, there's an article. She dresses her kid in a velour outfit, there's an article. It's insane. Who the fuck cares?

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I am ASTONISHED at that sales number, like damn I would have thought she could have sold at least a few thousand on her father's name! Not an ounce of sympathy for her, though. via GIPHY

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That picture that Meghan had of herself at her father's grave with her book propped up against his headstone was pretty appalling too.

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daddy says hello from hell



Edited at 2022-05-10 07:23 am (UTC)

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I cannot get over how trashy this is lmao

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He's one of the people responsible for Alito being on the court. He can fuck off.

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Cool that he's spilling the beans and coming clean, but if he loved democracy as much as he claims, he would have come out with this information a long time ago.



I award him no points, and may God have mercy on his soul.



Edited at 2022-05-10 04:04 am (UTC)

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agreed. Great example of feeling neutral-- love the dirt being shown, but we all knew there was dirt.

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omg

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always good to piss off the guy who knows where the bodies in your family are buried.



vicki iseman (41) was wishing someone's kids die and wanted to unalive herself because her 72 year old married boyfriend dumped her 



but I always knew this marriage was a mess when that story came out long ago that mccain called his wife a trollop and a cunt after she made a joke about his hair thinning.

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Sounds like he's been biting his tongue for a long time. I'm betting she wishes she hadn't decided to call him a pedo. I mean...don't people worry about getting sued?

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Elon Musk got away with it.

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From Polar, viewer of ZOZOZO channel, there was a rumour spreading around in their school that there were several weird photos of a house lying around at a haunting spot in an abandoned shrine, deep in mountain. And if you pick those photos up, you will die. No person was shot in those photos, but behind them are written a name Takagaki. However, when ZOZOZO team got to where was supposed to be the haunting spot, only 3 photos were found, and one of them appears to have legs shown in it. A few weeks later, they found out where the house was and who the owner is. Surprisingly, the owners name wasnt Takagaki and is actually Yamamura (pseudonym), and the house itself in the photos has been abandoned for years. Yamamura revealed that, even though the house was actually where she used to live as a child along with her younger brother, she had no idea who Takagaki was. After Yamamuras parents passed away, her brother, who then lived alone in that house, told Yamamura that he heard sutra chanting. He decided to sell the house, so he took photos inside and even sent documents to real estate agent. Unfortunately not long after that, he took his own life in that house. Since then, Yamamura had decided to never step in her old house, and it is still being sold on the market to this day.



The team got the house key from Yamamura and went to investigate. The inside, even though had been abandoned for years, is still in a good shape with furniture and household appliances. They found a family photo album and three portraits of the deceased, assumed to be Yamamuras parents and her brothers, put upside down on a table (usually the portraits would be displayed in an altar or somewhere else properly). They continued to explore the house and found a staircase to the second floor, similar to one of the photos that has legs appeared. They also found an incense stick remains around the stairs, which was assumed to be where Yamamuras brother took his own life. They attempted at recreating the stair photo, but found it incredibly difficult and weird to do so. ZOZOZO team then came to the conclusion: perhaps the photos that were scattered around the mountain, were NOT shot by Yamamuras brother; it could have been someone else since the condition of the house is the same as in photos when they arrived at the place. Those photos might actually have been accident scene, for police to investigate, not for the real estate agent.



Before returning the house key to Yamamura, they went back to the house again to check Yamamuras brother and their parents faces, since only two people of the team saw the portraits of the deceased on the night of the investigation. None of the portraits matches any person in the family album.


I feel like these types of covers (female nude) are passe now. In the 90s/00s, they were everywhere though.

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Agreed. Saw the cover and immediately let out a sigh of exasperation. Like ok girl, good job or whatever. Must be nice to have time to work out all day and be rich. Not having it today hahaha

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Thats the main thing I cant stand about these fitness influencers and shit. Its literally your job! If the only thing I absolutely had to get done every day was a workout I think I could manage it too lol.

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Yeah there's a bit of meh aspect to it now since almost everyone did it in the 90s/00s.



She looks great though.

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A sports bra and leggings would have shown off the same amount of 'nudity' and would have been more fitting with the mag.

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we need another album, queen

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I had no idea she had tattoos.

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yes, queen, accept your body, pose nude, and show the patriarchy you're in control!





why are actors are so tiresome

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very much so "yas empowering labor in a capitalist system"



why are celebrities* so tiresome

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Some actors do and some actors do not do those things. I can tell youre very choosy when it comes to how one displays the level and what capacity they have control. Do you believe in people or actors being empowered? Sounds to me like you only believe their empowerment if its on your terms.

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Why do you have trouble uploading 100x100 icons?

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she doesn't exactly break the mold and it's giving male gaze. she acknowledges somewhere in there that they slapped a ton of makeup and highlight all over her and shot her from flattering angles when they could have...not done that

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mte like giving the regular ppl a crumb to be 'relatable' .... ok

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They edited the hell out of her face in those photos.

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not just her face, I think

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Thats a given, but they gave her a different face. They shortened the length of her face & lifted her cheekbones.

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She looks like Elizabeth Olsen.

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i still nostalgia stan her but this is so tired

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Hilary Duff graces the cover of Women's Health's May 2021 Body Issue



???

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We lost a year

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Good. I want a redo.

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lmao oop

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lol "the body issue" as if every issues isnt about the female body

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Yeah but this Female body isn't the last female body... please know I'm being sarcastic.

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LMAO

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lmaoooooo



a picture really is worth a thousand words

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kinda not related but everytime im seeing celeb pursing their lips i see viola davis michelle obama thing

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Viola is a trendsetter lol

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it's so bad that i can't unsee it

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Is the line on her torso a scar or are they trying to implying those are her abs?

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People have the idea now that you can contour in definition that wasn't there to begin with, and I think that's what happened here.

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She looks very sticky in that video

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Excuse you, she looks dewy and radiant!

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Yo what is that thumbnail shes giving me fried mantou coloring

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As much as 17.5 gigawatts (GWac) of planned US solar capacity installations in 2022 are in doubt after the Department of Commerce (DOC) opened an investigation into panel imports from southeast Asia, Rystad Energy research shows. The US was expected to install 27 GWac of solar energy capacity in the utility, residential, and commercial and industrial (C&I) markets this year, but with rising commodity prices and this new threat of tariffs on vital imports, 64% of those additions are now in jeopardy. The recent launch of an Antidumping and Countervailing (ADCV) investigation by the DOC has US suppliers worried about potential penalties on panel imports, which would likely be backdated. In response, Chinese panel manufacturers are halting shipments to the US until the results of the investigation and any retroactive action by the DOC is revealed. A preliminary judgment is scheduled for August, with a final decision due by January 2023.

The investigation comes as domestic US solar companies are concerned about the rise of Chinese manufacturers using cheap raw materials and shifting cell and panel assembly to southeast Asia to circumvent an existing ban on Chinese imports. With imports frozen while the investigation is pending, annual capacity additions could plummet from 22.6 GWac in 2021 to 10.07 GWac this year, the lowest annual total since 2019.

The DOC is investigating imports from four Southeast Asian countries that play a pivotal role in the US market  Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Imports from these countries accounted for 85% of all solar panel capacity brought into the US in 2021, totaling 21.8 GWac. In January and February of 2022, their total share of imports was 99%.

Related: What Thomas Edison Can Teach Us About Our Electricity Crisis



In an attempt to limit cheap Chinese solar panels entering the market from Southeast Asia, and with one eye on the goal of shoring up a domestic supply chain, the US has seriously dented its solar capacity forecast for 2022 and beyond. This could be the most disruptive event ever to face the US solar industry, says Marcelo Ortega, renewables analyst with Rystad Energy.

How the freeze happened

On 25 March 2022, the US DOC decided to investigate a petition by domestic PV manufacturer Auxin Solar concerning composite silicon (cSi) solar PV panels sourced from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Auxin claimed that Chinese panel manufacturers circumvent ADCV rules by offshoring cell and panel assembly processes to the four countries while still using cheap Chinese raw materials.

In a 2012 investigation into Chinese manufacturers, ADCV tariffs were eventually applied at different rates to different suppliers. The most common rate was 30.66%, but some rates fell as low as 24%, while other suppliers were slapped with a 250% tariff. If the DOC decides a tariff extension is warranted, equipment imported after the investigation announcement would be permitted, but tariffs could be backdated on imports as far back as November last year. Between November 2021 and February 2022, US buyers imported $1.46 billion of solar panels from the four southeast Asian countries under investigation, meaning Chinese suppliers could be collectively liable for anywhere between $365 million and $3.6 billion in additional tariffs. Chinese panel manufacturers are unwilling to risk such prohibitively high fines, and many have opted to entirely halt panel exports to the US.

The probe is not limited to cSi PV panels but also includes PV cell imports. This is significant for the US domestic panel manufacturing industry as its 5 GW of capacity is mainly panel assembly and relies heavily on cell imports from overseas. Last year, 46% of imported cells came from the countries under investigation. US manufacturers are also feeling the effects of the investigation. Although the threat of sanctions may incentivize suppliers to build US PV manufacturing facilities, it would take at least 18 months to build a domestic supply chain from polysilicon to assembled panel. If investment decisions are made after August 2022, when preliminary results are to be announced, this capacity would be operational in January 2024 at the earliest.

Antidumping probe adds more stress to US market

Even before the probe, the US PV industry began 2022 in a tough spot. More than 7 GWac of solar PV was delayed last year by more than six months due to high commodity prices, federal tax credit uncertainty and unfavorable policies. This included the US governments December 2021 decision to ban imports containing goods from Chinas northwest region of Xinjiang due to reported human rights abuses committed against the Uyghur people. With 40% of the worlds silicon production based in Xinjiang, this policy effectively halved the number of panels that can be imported to the US, disrupting the already ropy supply chain.

In theory, if panel manufacturers can prove they source silicon and components from outside of Xinjiang, their exports will be unaffected. However, before the ban, suppliers did not need to track the origin of their inputs, and any traceability system takes time to implement. In practice, the rules set out in the new bill are ambiguous and entail unknown risks for suppliers and financiers. Although the legislation enforces a ban on all Xinjiang goods, the US already has a partial ban on panels with silicon sourced from this region. In June 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) banned imports of solar panels containing silicon produced by four Xinjiang-based silicon producers. This resulted in CBP detaining imports until the polysilicon source could be proven. Chinese panel suppliers claim between 40 megawatts (MW) to 100 MW of panel capacity has been detained, though the exact level remains unknown.

By Rystad Energy

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
Registered cryptocurrency miners connected to the national electricity grid will now have to pay double the rates of typical consumers in Kazakhstan.

New rules in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have been introduced to punish illegal crypto operations.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have introduced new regulations for cryptocurrency mining. The changes indicate anxieties over the technologys grid-busting electricity consumption.

Kazakhstan has added reporting requirements for existing investors in the sector, with would-be miners expected to produce a detailed plan before getting the green light.

In Uzbekistan, the new rules aim to boost renewable energy, while also, like Kazakhstan, punishing illegal farms.

In both cases, the changes entered force in late April, but were reported by media this month.

Central Asias relatively cheap energy has made it an attractive destination for crypto miners, with Kazakhstan emerging as a particular honeypot after China all but banned mining last summer.

But the investments have proven a double-edged sword.

Kazakh energy officials have for the past year or so been blaming crypto mining  especially so-called gray miners  for an unsustainable uptick in energy consumption.

These new changes to the legal framework governing the industry were approved by the innovation ministry, which has championed crypto investments, and the energy ministry, which has been more skeptical for obvious reasons.

Those hoping to enter the field should present a plan of their activities to officials 30 days before starting work. All operators will be asked to plan energy consumption in advance and break down their investment plans.

Uzbekistans new mining rules are a mixture of carrot and stick.

On April 27, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed off on legislative changes that limit crypto mining to legal entities and offers significant incentives to use renewables.

Registered cryptocurrency miners connected to the national electricity grid will now have to pay double the rates of typical consumers and additional fees during periods of peak consumption.

Miners that connect to the grid while ignoring these terms  i.e illegally  will be back-charged at five times the regular tariff if they are caught.

None of this will apply to crypto miners that bring their own solar panels, however.

Uzbekistan is strongly encouraging this model by offering tax and customs preferences for anyone bringing panels into the country to set up mining farms.

Illegal crypto mining takes a variety of forms and can be difficult to stop, even if news of farm busts is now rivaling reports of drug busts in terms of prevalence in local media.

At the end of March in Uzbekistans central Syrdarya region authorities busted a farm with 1,500 mining installations and 9,280 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). In its agreement with the grid, the farm had presented itself as a farm of a different sort  breeding rabbits  the national security service said.

The same month, Kazakhstan said it had shut down more than a hundred gray miners. But officials there admit that many survive the culls.

Back in 2018, the Uzbek financial news portal Spot.uz calculated that setting up a small crypto farm with 12 GPUs would cost $8,000 and would pay for itself in about half a year.

Such calculations are changing all the time, in tune with highly volatile crypto prices. At present, cryptocurrencies are in something of a trough, with one bitcoin currently trading around $32,200, or just below half its all-time high. Price surges, such as the one in the second half of last year, typically lead to a boom in mining at household level.

If bitcoin spikes again, it seems, that no amount of regulation will save Central Asias embattled grids.

By Eurasianet.org

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
The lost oil supply could worsen in the coming weeks, and many analysts are predicting that much of Russias lost supply may never come back online.

Russia shed half a million barrels daily in March and an estimated 1 million barrels daily in April under the weight of the Western sanctions.

Oil prices seem to be getting cemented above $100 despite the latest fluctuations prompted by Covid-related lockdowns in China that have spurred uncertainty about demand. This downside risk has been offset by the pending embargo on Russian oil that the European Union is discussing. The embargo would see more than 3 million barrels daily in crude oil and fuels taken off the market later this year, with few alternative sources of supply on such a scale.

Another factor keeping prices where they are is OPEC+, which has refused to try and compensate for lost Russian barrels. In all fairness, it is not a deliberate decision for all members of the cartel: most OPEC members are struggling with other issues that prevent them from boosting production considerably, such as political unrestin Libyaand technical issuesin Nigeria.

As a result, the market is settling into the new normal. According to Reuters John Kemp, hedge funds have slowed down their buying and selling activity in oil and fuels, with just 7 million barrels bought across the six most traded contracts in the first week of May.

Prices, meanwhile, started the week with a drop because of the lockdowns in China, after the Shanghai authorities tightened the lockdown measures they imposed on the citys population a month ago in pursuit of the countrys net-zero policy.

Covid-related restrictions have been implemented across more than a dozen large cities in China, including the capital Beijing. In addition to sparking worry about demand for oil, the lockdowns are contributing to the deterioration of global supply chains that started during the first year of the pandemic.

The COVID lockdowns in China are negatively impacting the oil market, which is selling off in conjunction with equities, Andrew Lipow from Lipow Oil Associated told Reuters on Monday.

On the other hand, The EU oil embargo will trigger a seismic shift in the European and global crude markets, which Rystad Energy expects could see as much as 3.0 million bpd (barrels per day) of EU crude imports from Russia cut by December 2022 in a full-fledged implementation of the policy, the head of oil market research for Rystad Energy, Bjrnar Tonhaugen, told Reuters.

Meanwhile, however, Russian oil production is on the rise, according to Deputy Prime Minister and top OPEC+ representative Alexander Novak.

Looking at the figures of early May, they are better than in April. The situation is stable, the output increased in comparison to April. We are counting on partial recovery of data in May and that it will be better, Novak told TASS, without quantifying the increased production figures.

Related: U.S. Oil Firms Generate Highest Cash Flows Since 2014

Russia shed half a million barrels daily in March and an estimated 1 million barrels daily in April under the weight of the Western sanctions. Analysts have expressed worry that someor even allof that production may not be coming back.

It does appear, then, that the initial shock that rattled oil markets following Russias invasion of Ukraine and the response of the West has begun to subside, judging by the behavior of hedge funds and the latest oil price movements in the context of otherwise strong headwinds such as the situation in China.

What this suggests is that benchmarks are likely to remain above $100 for the foreseeable future, bar any temporary fluctuations such as the short-lived drop of WTI below $100 after the White House announced the biggest release of oil from the SPR in history in a bid to tackle high oil prices.

The EU, meanwhile, is struggling to pass the oil embargo against Russia because Hungary and Slovakia are demanding more concessions in addition to the extended wind-down period that gives them more than a year to wind down Russian oil purchases. Bulgaria has added pressure on Brussels, saying it would veto any embargo if it is not added to the list of members exempted from it for the time being.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
Many are skeptical that such a tax could backfire and deter investment, and make the energy crisis even worse.

There are growing calls for a potential one-off windfall tax on Big Oil.

High oil and gas prices have led to some massive profits for energy giants.

Tesco chairman John Allan has joined calls for energy giants to be slapped with a windfall tax to ease the pressure on households suffering the most from the cost-of-living crisis.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today program he argued there was an overwhelming case for a one-off levy on North Sea oil and gas companies, revealing some of the supermarkets customers have started rationing the amount of food they buy at the supermarket.

He warned the country was facing real food poverty for the first time in a generation, and that people were finding it even harder to mitigate soaring energy costs.

Allan explained: Theres an overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits for those energy producers, fed back to those most in need of help with energy prices.

The Tesco boss comments follow the proposals from the Labour Party for a one-off 1.2bn levy on North Sea oil and gas companies, with energy firms reporting hefty profits amid soaring oil and gas prices.

The tax would contribute to opposition plans to provide a 600 annual saving to household energy bills for low-income households.

Calls for a levy rebuffed amid investment commitments to UK energy infrastructure

Earlier today, British Gas owner Centrica posted a trading update, revealing it expects to post annual earnings at the top of its forecast range in July later this year.

It now expects to make earnings of between 6.7p and 10.8p per share, up from 4.1p last year.

The company said it has been boosted by strong volumes across its nuclear and gas production operations while its trading business has also increased volumes of gas and renewable energy to improve UK supply amid pressure from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UK-based energy giants BP and Shell also reported record underlying earnings in their latest quarterly updates this month and raised their buyback pledges for shareholders.

The rebound in performance was powered by fossil fuel trading, with oil prices remaining elevated above $100 per barrel after eight years of trading below the milestone, while gas prices also remain historically above conventional levels, topping 8 per therm in March.

Both firms suffered heavy losses during the pandemic amid reduced demand and lockdowns across developed economies.

By contrast, supermarkets such as Tesco remained open during the pandemic with increased trade.

Last month, Tesco revealed profits of more than 2bn for the full-year of 2021, with earnings trebling over a 12-month window.

Unlike other corporations, North Sea oil and gas companies already pay an elevated level of tax  with a special 40 percent levy on North Sea companies, 19 percentage points above the corporate taxes paid by everyone else.

The Office for Budgetary Responsibility has predicted UK fossil fuel companies will raise 21bn between 2021-25, averaging 4-5bn a year  a 740 percent increase in returns between 2015-20.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed calls for a windfall tax following the results from BP and Shell, concerned it would deter key investment in oil and gas exploration.

This outlook was shared by Emily Fielder, head of communications at the Adam Smith Institute, who told City A.M. that calls for a windfall tax make for a good headline but are economically short-sighted.

She explained: Whilst it is unlikely to benefit those who are in most in need of help with their energy prices, it will undermine trust between the Government and energy providers, disincentivizing investment to improve infrastructure and ultimately pushing up prices higher in the long-run. The inevitable decrease in investment in green energy will jeopardize our world-leading push for Net Zero and decarbonization.

Commenting on potential solutions for households, Fielder said: Those struggling to pay their energy bills need more targeted support, such as one-off cash payments, rather than politically expedient, but essentially ineffective and damaging policies.

Oil and gas features prominently in the governments recently unveiled supply security strategy, with the UK looking to reduce its reliance on Russian energy sources and ramp up domestic production to make the country less vulnerable to future energy shocks.

While Chancellor Rishi Sunak has so far not imposed fresh levies on energy firms, he has publicly demanded UK energy giants stick to ambitious domestic investment plans  with BP and Shell committing 18bn and 25bn respectively to energy production over the course of the decade.

By City AM

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
One of Germany's largest natural gas importers, VNG, has opened an account with Gazprombank for payments for Russian gas under Moscow's new terms.

Per a Reuters report, VNG has said it will transfer the next payment for Russian gas in euros, which will then be converted to rubles in Russia, according to the new gas payment scheme Russia announced in March in response to Western sanctions.

"We will pay the invoice amount, which will continue to be denominated in euros, into the accounts at Gazprombank in accordance with the planned procedure, so that timely payment to our supplier is ensured on our part," VNC told Reuters in a statement.

"We also assume that the conversion into roubles will not cause any difficulties. At least the opening of the account went completely smoothly," the company added.

In April, another top Russian gas buyer from Germany, Uniper, signaled it was preparing to start paying for imports under the new terms dictated by Moscow.

"The plan is to make our payments in euros to an account in Russia," a company spokesperson told German media.

The new terms, devised for what Russia calls unfriendly countries, consist of buyers having to open two accounts in Gazprombank, one of them in euros or dollars and one in rubles. After the buyer deposits payment for gas deliveries in the forex account, the bank converts the sum into rubles and transfers it into the local-currency account, from which the payment is then made.

The European Commission has lashed out against the new payment terms, threatening European gas buyers that if they concede to them, it will violate EU sanctions against Russia.

"Paying roubles through the conversion mechanism managed by the Russian public authorities and a second dedicated account in Gazprombank is a violation of the sanctions and cannot be accepted," Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said in late April.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
Brazils state-owned oil giant Petrobras told U.S. government representatives in March that the company cannot raise production in short order to cover potential oil supply shortages after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the issue.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the U.S. has reached out to many producersand finally begged its own companiesto increase production in the short term to help bring soaring crude oil prices down. The U.S. Administration has been seeking to address the skyrocketing gasoline and diesel prices at home, which jumped even more after the war in Ukraine began amid global concerns that Russian supply would fall.

According to Reuters sources, the U.S. asked Petrobras whether it could raise crude oil production out of Brazil, but the company said it could not.

Petrobras officials told U.S. officials that oil production was the result of a longer-term business strategy, not diplomacy, and that a short-term increase in output would not be possible from a logistics point of view, the sources told Reuters.

Petrobras denied in a statement to Reuters that it had met with representatives of the U.S. State Department in March.

Since oil prices hit $100 a barrel after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and U.S. gasoline prices hit a record in March, the Biden Administration has been pledging to use every tool available to bring gasoline prices down.

Those tools so far have included releases from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), including the largest one in history announced in late March. The record 180-million release from the SPR came as a surprise for the International Energy Agency when it was announced in late March, since the Biden Administration hadnt informed the IEA the massive release was coming, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
Russias crude oil production is on the rise so far in May, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told TASS news agency on Monday.

Russias crude oil production slipped by half a million bpd in March, by a full million bpd in April, with many analysts stating concern that those barrels may never return to the market. Aprils OPEC+ production quota was set at 10.436 million bpd.

But according to Novak, the picture isnt quite so bleak, with Russian crude oil production now stabilizing despite sanctions.

Looking at the figures of early May, they are better than in April. The situation is stable, the output increased in comparison to April. We are counting on partial recovery of data in May and that it will be better, Novak told TASS, without quantifying the increased production figures.

According to Interfax, Russias crude oil production slipped to 10.05 million bpd in April, a decline of about 4% year over year, but for the first few days in May, this had edged up 2% over April figures, to an average of 10.28 million bpd.

But even that increase is a far cry from Russias May output quota set by the OPEC+ group, which is 10.549 million barrels per day.

In April, Russias economy ministry had estimated that it could shed some 17% of its pre-war oil production this yearan estimation that is widely shared, if not conservative, in the industry.

The fear of Russias lost oil production is, in part, what triggered the United States and other IEA members to agree to release millions of barrels of crude oil from emergency stockpiles to stabilize the market. And while crude oil prices were trading down on Monday, Brent was still trading at more than $106 per barrel, with WTI still over $103 per barrel.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia lowered its June official selling price differentials for crude oil to China--largely seen as a bellwether for oil prices.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
A former executive with Russias Lukoil has died after a session with a local shaman attempted to alleviate the symptoms of a severe hangover with venom from a toad. It is at least the sixth unusual death of Russian energy executives this year. The string of deaths has led some to suspect that there is a purge of current and former energy-related executives in Russia.

Alexandr Subbotin--Lukoil

According to TASS, which cited police sources, Alexandr Subbotin, who had sat on the board of Lukoil, Russias second-largest oil producer, had a cardiac arrest following the administration of toad poison as a hangover treatment.

Emergency services received a call saying Subbotin had lost consciousness on May 8, the police told TASS. The doctor sent to the address only confirmed the death of the former oil executive. The police have opened a criminal investigation into the case.

Subbotins host, Alexey Pindiurin, who also goes by the monicker Shaman Magwa, told the police that Subbotin came to his house in a state of heavy alcohol and drug intoxication. According to unconfirmed reports, the death followed a shamanic ritual for the treatment of that intoxication that involved the use of toad venom, according to The Independent.

Vladislav Avayev--Gazprombank

Last month, a former vice president at Russian bank Gazprombankthe bank at the center of Russias rubles-for-gas payment schemekilled his wife and daughter before killing himself in their Moscow apartment, police in Moscow say, according to Russian media.

Avayev, 51, also a former Kremlin official, shot his wife and 13-year-old daughter before shooting himself, according to police, who concluded that the incident was a murder-suicide. The bodies were found by the 26-year-old daughter of the couple, Daily Mail reported. The bodies were found with gunshot wounds while Vladislav Avayeva multi-millionairehad a gun in his hand, according to Moscow police.

Sergey Protosenya--Novatek

Just days after Avayevs suspected murder-suicide, Sergey Protosenya and his family were also found deadthis time in Spain. Protosenya worked at Russias top independent gas producer Novatek from 1997 to 2015. Protosenyas mother and daughter were reportedly stabbed to death, while Sergey Protosenya had apparently hanged himself.

Leonid ShulmanGazprom Invest

Alexander Tyulyakov--Gazprom

But before all that, two former Gazprom executives, Leonid Shulman and Alexander Tyulyakov, were also found dead earlier this year. Shulman was found dead by apparent suicide in Januarythe suicide note referencing a pain in his broken leg. Tyulyakov was found hanged in his garage a day after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Mikhail Watford, another Russian oil tycoon, was found hanged in early March in his Surrey mansion.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Russian gas headed to Europe through Ukraine will stop flowing on Wednesday, Ukraines Gas Transmission System Operator (GTSOU) said on Tuesday. The flows will stop at 7 a.m. local time after Russias occupying forces disrupted gas transit operations in the area.

According to the operator, Ukraine will no longer be able to accept gas transit from Russia via Sokhranivka. The move has the potential to disrupt supplies to Europe if an alternative path isnt found.

Ukraine has voiced its criticism of Europes reliance on Russian gas since Russia invaded, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Europe of paying for Russian gas with Ukrainian lives. Ukraine has also previously warned Russia that its occupation in its Luhansk region could disrupt the flow of gas to Europe due to safety concerns.

Sokhranivka is a key entry point on the border between Russia and Ukraine. Nearly one-third of the Russian gas headed through Ukraine goes through Sokhranivka, which is now under force majeure.

The GTSOU said in a statement on Tuesday that it could not operate at its Novopskov gas compressor station in Luhansk due to the interference of the occupying forces in the technical processes. Russian forces and separatist fighters have occupied the area since Russia invaded Ukraine.

GTSOU has stated that it could reroute the gas through the Sudzha interconnection pointcontrolled by Ukrainealthough Gazprom has said this move was technologically impossible.

Gazprom has said it had seen no proof of interference with normal operations.

Roughly 33 million cubic meters of gas flow through this transit route.

European gas futures jumped by more than 8% on Ukraines warning that gas flows to Europe could be disrupted.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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The extreme volatility in the oil market in recent weeks is the result of some buyers boycotting certain crudes and is not connected with OPEC+, and is outside the alliance's control, according to one of OPEC's top producers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"Extreme volatility is not because of supply and demand, it's because some don't want to buy certain crudes and it takes time for traders to move from one market to another," the UAE's Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said at a conference in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, as carried by Reuters.

The minister was apparently referring to the Western buyers' boycott of Russian oil, but he said that "The political issues that cause chaos is something outside of what we discuss."

"We are not siding with anyone," said the minister from the UAE, which is part of the OPEC+ coalition together with Russia.

During the same event, Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said that OPEC leaves politics "outside the building."

Despite calls for ramping up oil supply, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the OPEC+ group has stayed the course since it started raising output in August last year and has agreed to lift output by the planned around 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in each month following the start of the war.

Last week, OPEC+ group agreed to leave its production plan unchanged, aiming to boost crude oil production in June by 432,000 bpd, in a move widely expected by the market. This was the third OPEC+ meeting since one of the key members of the alliance, Russia, invaded Ukraine. For a third consecutive month, OPEC's press release on the record short meeting read that "it was noted that continuing oil market fundamentals and the consensus on the outlook pointed to a balanced market."

"It further noted the continuing effects of geopolitical factors and issues related to the ongoing pandemic," OPEC said after the meeting.

Meanwhile, the EU is scrambling to find a common position on a proposed oil embargo on Russia, trying to persuade Hungary and some other central European countries to drop their opposition to a ban.

"We made progress, but further work is needed," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said late on Monday following a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Meanwhile, the EU is still ironing out the details of a full oil embargo on Russia which could remove even more supply from the tight crude market.

From a technical perspective, global aluminum prices began to change their structure in short time frames, which could suggest further price drops. Currently, prices are beginning to approach previously-established lows. However, a bullish trend reversal cant occur until aluminum establishes a clear price floor.

The Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) dropped by 8.84% month over month.

Global Aluminum Prices Mirror Copper, Fall Amid Lockdowns

As with copper prices, the impacts of Chinas zero-COVID initiatives significantly dragged down aluminum prices. While each metal often moves on its own respective (and often idiosyncratic) fundamentals, the sheer weight of Chinas economic issues is causing seismic shifts. As both the largest producer and consumer of commodities, Chinas recent woes have had a strong impact across the sector.

For instance, LME aluminum and copper prices saw respective 13.69% and 4.96% month-over-month drops from March to April. This had a lot to do with the ongoing lockdowns in Shanghai, which caused manufacturing and consumer demand to contract significantly. According to the General Administration of Customs, aluminum imports into China saw a 4.6% year-over-year decline in March. All in all, its a trend many expect to continue as long as lockdowns and COVID-related restrictions persist.

EU Proposes Russian Oil Embargo

Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine ticked past its second month with countries around the world continuing to ramp up pressure on Russia. In fact, the European Commission recently proposed a sixth package of sanctions on Moscow. If implemented, they would stand as the toughest yet. As part of the package, Europe plans a full embargo on Russian oil by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the US has had a ban on Russian oil, LNG, and coal imports since March.

Still, some member states of the EU remain divided about the severity and length of the sanctions. In many cases, this is due to their reliance on Russian energy supplies. After all, Russia is the worlds second-largest crude oil exporter (after Saudi Arabia), representing some 27% of all oil imports to the EU in 2021.

While negotiations remain ongoing, the European Commission appeared willing to adjust its proposal following pushback from certain member states. At present, the proposal would aid Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic with refinery upgrades. It would also allow a delayed embargo for those countries until 2024. A Russian oil transport ban for EU shipping services was also extended from one month to three.

Tight Energy Markets Could Raise Aluminum Prices

Aluminum prices are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in energy markets. In fact, on average, energy accounts for roughly one-third of input costs for the metal. This is why it is often referred to as congealed electricity. Therefore, aluminum price trends often mirror those of crude oil. Of course, both of these indices spiked dramatically following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Prior to the war, Europes energy crisis had caused aluminum production across the continent to shutter. As such, the tightness left in the wake of Russian energy supplies will undoubtedly add upside pressure to aluminum prices. Its also expected that this pressure will only worsen should the EU continue with its latest round of sanctions.

On the flip side, Chinas lockdowns have temporarily muted the countrys demand for both oil and metals like aluminum. According to the General Administration of Customs, Chinas crude oil imports fell 14% year over year in March. Of course, that relief is sure to end once the country recovers from the latest wave of COVID and restrictions lifted.

For both oil and aluminum, the return of Chinese demand combined with the absence of Russian energy supplies from markets like the EU could help aluminum prices bottom out. How quickly those factors will be priced into the market, however, remains to be seen.

By AG Metal Miner

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Anyone anticipating a return to normalcy in the Kentucky Derby got a dose of crazy Saturday when an 80-1 long shot came charging up the rail to win at Churchill Downs.

With favorite Epicenter and Zandon engaged in a duel at the front, Rich Strike stole the show with the second-biggest upset in the Derbys 148-year history.

The chestnut colt beat 4-1 favorite Epicenter by three-quarters of a length. Zandon finished another three-quarters of a length back in third.

I about fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire, winning trainer Eric Reed said. I about passed out.

Rich Strike paid $163.60. Only Donerail in 1913 had a higher payout of $184.90.

What a crazy Derby, said trainer Kenny McPeek, whose horses finished eighth and ninth.

Rich Strike wasnt even in the Derby until Friday, when Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas scratched Ethereal Road, making room for the chestnut colt who had just two previous wins in his career.

We found out about 30 seconds before the deadline on Friday, owner Rick Dawson said. It put us in the race, and really we always felt if we just got in weve got a shot.

Rich Strike ran 1 miles in 2:02.61. After taking a bite out of his much costlier competition, he playfully chomped on the pony guiding him to the winners circle.

I cant believe it after Epicenters effort, said losing trainer Steve Asmussen, who fell to 0 for 24 in the Derby. I got beat by the horse that just got in.

Jockey Sonny Leon and Rich Strike had just two horses beat in the early going. Leon eventually guided his mount between horses and to the inside rail. Rich Strike made a deft move around Messier in the stretch and went right back to the rail intent on picking off Epicenter and Zandon.

When I was in the last 70 yards, I said, I think I got this race, Leon said.

Both Leon, from Venezuela, and Reed were in their first Derby. Reed endured a tragedy five years ago when he lost nearly two dozen horses in a barn fire at his training center in Lexington.

He briefly considered the fire might be a signal for him to leave the sport.

People I hadnt seen, people I havent talked to in years, my best friends were there in the morning to pick me up, Reed recalled. It let me know theres so much good out there, and then I just decided I wasnt going to let it take me out.

Leon regularly rides on some of the countrys smallest circuits, where the horse flesh is inexpensive and the purse money modest. But he matched wits with such veteran riders as Joel Rosario, aboard Epicenter, and Mike Smith, aboard Messier.

Leons rail ride was reminiscent of jockey Calvin Borels stealth move aboard Mine That Bird in 2009. Mine That Bird sprang what was then the Derbys third-biggest upset, paying $103.20 to win.

Reed had no argument with the bettors ignoring his colt, whose victory surely inspired little guys everywhere.

Small trainer, small rider, small stable, he should have been 80-1, Reed said. And so anybody thats in this business, lightning can strike.

Rich Strike was purchased by Dawson, who races as RED TR-Racing LLC, for $30,000 last fall when the colt was entered in a low-level claiming race by his former owner.

Calumet Farm head Brad Kelley might be ruing that decision now. Calumet Farm has won a record eight Kentucky Derbies, but none since 1968, when Forward Pass was placed first via disqualification.

Rich Strike earned $1.86 million for his first stakes victory. The colt lost to Zandon in the Blue Grass Stakes last month and was beaten by Epicenter in the Louisiana Derby in March.

Simplification finished fourth and Mo Donegal fifth.

Churchill Downs returned to full capacity, including former President Donald Trump, on the first Saturday in May for the first time in three years.

But the final result was the more upheaval for Americas greatest horse race.

In 2019, winner Maximum Security was disqualified for interference after 22 minutes, and runner-up Country House wore the garland of red roses.

In 2020, an eerie silence enveloped the track when no fans were allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the race was pushed to September.

Last years winner, Medina Spirit, was disqualified after nine months, having failed a post-race drug test that led to six-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert being banned from Churchill Downs for two years. The 2021 Derby was back to its usual spot on the calendar with attendance limited to about 52,000.

The bourbon was flowing again Saturday, cigar smoke curled in the air on a cloudy and unusually cool day, and fans strutted in their huge hats, floral-print dresses and seersucker suits.

Then came Rich Strike thundering along the rail, and all heck broke loose.

A few days ago, Reed sent Dawson a photo of the colt sprawled in his straw-covered stall with his handlers laying on him, all of them napping. Reed typed, I think our horse is cool and ready to run.

Dawson responded, If we can wake him up.

Did they ever.

I feel like the luckiest man alive, Dawson said, grinning.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  The South Asian nation of Sri Lanka is experiencing an unprecedented economic collapse that has pushed the government into a deep crisis. The island is struggling to import basic necessities for its 22 million people because of diminishing foreign reserves and crippling debt, spurring weeks of anti-government protests that recently turned violent and led to the prime minister's resignation.

Much of the public ire has been directed at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who are blamed by critics for leading the country into the economic crisis.

WHAT LED TO THE PROTESTS?

For months, Sri Lankans have had to wait in long lines to buy essential items because a foreign exchange crisis caused shortages of imported food, medicines and fuel. Oil shortfalls have led to sweeping power cuts.

The pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have made things worse, but warnings of a potential economic disaster began long before.

In 2019, President Rajapaksa swept to power months after Easter suicide bombings at churches and hotels killed 290 people. The attacks badly damaged tourism, a key source of foreign exchange, and Rajapaksa promised to pull Sri Lanka out of a deep economic slump and keep it safe.

The government needed to boost its revenues, especially as foreign debt ballooned for big infrastructure projects, some financed by Chinese loans But just days into his presidency, Rajapaksa pushed through the largest tax cuts in Sri Lankan history.

The move sparked quick punishment from the global market. Creditors downgraded Sri Lanka's ratings, blocking it from borrowing more money as its foreign reserves nosedived. Soon after, the pandemic hit, flattening tourism again as debts mounted.

Then last April, Rajapaksa suddenly announced a ban in the import of chemical fertilizers in a push to promote organic farming, but without proper planning. It caught farmers by surprise, decimated rice crops and drove high the price of staple.

The Ukraine war has also increased food and oil prices globally, making imports more unaffordable. The central bank said inflation was at 30% in April, with food prices up nearly 50%.

The countrys foreign reserves have dropped below $50 million. This has forced the government to suspend payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year, with nearly $25 billion due by 2026 out of a total of $51 billion.

___

WHO ARE THE RAJAPAKSA BROTHERS?

The nationwide protests are demanding the removal of the Rajapaksa brothers  a dramatic reversal for Sri Lanka's most powerful political dynasty.

Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaska were cheered as heroes by the islands Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending a 30-year civil war against ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009. Despite accusations of war atrocities, they amassed great popularity  Mahinda who as president at the time oversaw the end of the war, and Gotabaya, a military strategist whose brutal campaign helped crush the rebels.

A powerful land-owning family from a rural southern district, the Rajapaksas dominated local elections for years before ascending to national politics in 2005 when Mahinda was elected president. He remained in power until 2015, when he was defeated by the opposition led by former aide.

Following the 2019 Easter bombings, the family returned to power under Gotabaya, who ran for president on a high-pitched nationalist campaign that won over voters disillusioned by the previous government over the attacks.

Critics have accused the Rajapaksas of relying heavily on the military to enforce policy, passing laws to weaken independent institutions and maintaining a near-monopoly on decision making. Three other Rajapaksa members were in the Cabinet until early April, when the full Cabinet resigned over the protests.

Mahinda's resignation on Monday is a partial victory for the demonstrators. With the protests continuing, especially outside the presidents office, there is renewed pressure on the president to quit too.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

President Rajapaksa is without a prime minister and Cabinet, which dissolved automatically after his brother resigned.

He can now select a member of Parliament to become the next prime minister and form a Cabinet. His choice will need the support of a majority of the 225-member legislature. Its unclear whether he still has enough backing in Parliament for his candidate to be approved.

The president could attempt to form a unity government, but it will likely be difficult to convince opposition members to join.

If the president does resign while there is no prime minister, the Parliament speaker will become interim president for one month, during which Parliament is to select a member to become president until an election can be held.

A motion to impeach Rajapaksa would not be easy. It would need the endorsement of the Parliament speaker, the Supreme Court and the support of at least 150 lawmakers. Opposition parties do not hold a majority in Parliament, making the process even harder.

In the 45 years that Sri Lanka has been ruled by an executive presidential system, there has been one failed attempt to oust a president. The constitution gives the president wide powers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, head of the Cabinet and powers to appoint the chief justice, police chief and others.

The president, despite his extensive powers, still needs a prime minister and Cabinet to carry out executive functions. The ongoing uncertainty over the presidents next moves and the administrative vacuum have raised fears of a military takeover, especially if violence escalates.

Pathi reported from New Delhi.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A Waverly man died Tuesday in a fire that started in his apartment, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office said.

Mark Umland, 61, was found dead in his apartment after fire crews extinguished the blaze.

The Sheriff's Office and Waverly Fire and Rescue responded to the call of an apartment fire in Waverly shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The building was damaged by fire, water and smoke. The cost of the damage was estimated at $500,000.

No one else was injured in the fire. Eight households, totaling 20 people, have been displaced. The American Red Cross is assisting the families.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

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The Nebraska governor's race drew voters to the polls Tuesday.

The contest involving front-runners Jim Pillen, Charles W. Herbster and Brett Lindstrom was the highest-profile item on the ballot.

Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse said turnout appeared heavier in western parts of Omaha and Douglas County than in the east by late afternoon Tuesday. He said it looked like the county was going to top 30 percent voter turnout and set a new record for a gubernatorial primary, and may yet reach 35 percent.

It looked like about 10,000 early voting ballots would be returned via drop boxes Tuesday. Those wont be counted until Friday morning, Kruse said, so that could be a factor if any Douglas County races end up being really close.

Ed Szczepaniak, a 69-year-old registered Republican, headed to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at 32nd and K Streets in Omaha with the gubernatorial primary on his mind.

The only reason I came out is because (former President Donald) Trump is pushing Herbster, Szczepaniak said. I trust (Trumps) judgment.

Patty Longcrier, who voted Tuesday afternoon at First Lutheran Church in Papillion, came out because "it's my civic duty."

I always vote, said Longcrier, a registered Republican who didnt have a hard time deciding on a governor candidate but didnt care to reveal her choice.

Midterms and primaries matter just as much, she said, as marquee general elections when people vote for president.

One plays into the other, Longcrier said. Its important to vote in both.

Two voters at Mammel Hall on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus said the governor's race was the top race on their ballots.

Both voters  one Republican, one Democrat  declined to give their names.

The 33-year-old registered Republican said he voted for Herbster because, he said, he is forward-thinking and "fiscally sound."

The man said he didn't appreciate all the attack ads against Herbster and usually votes third party, but for the last few elections he has voted as a Republican. He said his father is friends with one of the candidates Herbster is running against, which is why he declined to give his name.

An 87-year-old Democratic voter opted for women in the top races  Carol Blood for governor and Alisha Shelton for U.S. representative in the 2nd Congressional District.

He said he votes in every election but pointed out that "it's not worth it to vote" on the Democratic ticket in a red state.

"We'll have to wait until the general election," he said.

Joe and Rachel Barrientos, 82 and 80, respectively, voted at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in South Omaha.

Its very important today, with everything thats going on in the world, that we get out and vote, Rachel Barrientos said. Dont complain if you dont vote.

Shes a registered Democrat; hes a registered Republican.

Both said they voted for City of Omaha bond issues, hoping in part that they finally will see improvements to streets they use that have long been in bad shape.

Tami Lancaster, a 56-year-old registered Republican, said she felt it was important to vote in the primary.

Because these people are making decisions for us, so we need to put the right people in to make the right decisions for the people, said Lancaster, who cast her ballot at the Millard Branch Library.

She had printed her sample ballot and filled it out so she could research at home. A believer in limited government, Lancaster voted for Breland Ridenour for governor, seeing him as the candidate who most fits her philosophy that government should do just what is needed but mostly stay out of the peoples way.

Madelyn Warren, who also voted at the Millard library, said she was motivated by local issues.

Its really important to vote for whats going on in your hometown, said Warren, 29.

Warren had just finished a night shift making veterinary pharmaceuticals before going to the polls. Shes a registered Democrat, but said: I try not to think of myself as being on the team.

Family tradition and civic duty brought Clifford Robbins to the polls Tuesday.

I am one of five generations now of Robbins who have exercised our right to vote in Omaha, said Robbins, a 70-year-old retiree.

A registered Democrat, Robbins was not surprised to see few voters at his polling place, the Urban League of Nebraska Family Resource Center at 30th and Lake Streets. He noted the race with all the money and advertising is the Republican gubernatorial primary. But there are local races important to Robbins, including for Douglas County sheriff and Omaha Public Schools board.

Gavin Forster, 18, voted for the first time Tuesday at Dundee Presbyterian Church. He just graduated from Elkhorn Mount Michael and will attend the University of Wyoming.

Forster, who registered as nonpartisan, researched the candidates with his father, Mark.

"We looked at different candidates for our voting district," he said. "We looked at their bios and looked at their policies."

Voting, he said, made him feel as if he's coming of age. He said he thought it would be more formal than it was: "I thought you'd have to show ID."

Riley Wilson, 33, who walked to the polls at Gifford Park Elementary School with his fiancee and their dog, said he always has made primaries a priority. This election cycle, Wilson, a Democrat, said he was motivated by school board races, abortion and immigration, among other issues.

Wilson said he was frustrated by a lack of Democrats on the ballot, especially at the state level. He saw Carol Blood as a shoo-in for Democratic candidate for governor. He said he would be happy with either Tony Vargas or Alisha Shelton as the nominee for Congress, but voted for Vargas because he knew him.

Kruse, the Douglas County election official, said his office had received a few calls  fewer than a half-dozen, he estimated  from people who went to the wrong polling place Tuesday. Quite a few people called to check where they were supposed to vote.

For having 40 percent of voters going to a new polling places, its been pretty minimal, Kruse said.

It didnt appear many people had to file provisional ballots. Some poll workers didnt show up Tuesday, and one polling place staff needed help finding their polling booths.

Its early, but so far its gone pretty smoothly, Kruse said about 4:30 p.m.

In Sarpy County, Brian and Lindsey Putnam voted at the offices of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.

Its our civic duty, and Im thankful for the rights that we have, said Lindsey Putnam, a 41-year-old registered Republican who said she is a values-based, conservative voter.

Republicans had a lot of choices for governor, she said, and she wanted to cast her vote for the candidate she felt best mirrored her views.

She and Brian Putnam, a 45-year-old registered nonpartisan, declined to say for whom they voted. Brian Putnam said he is looking for change from the last four to eight years.

World-Herald Staff Writers Alia Conley, Nancy Gaarder and Marjie Ducey contributed to this report.

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Ukraine evacuates civilians from steel plant under siege

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  The war in Ukraine has wracked the countrys southern coast as Russian forces fire cruise missiles at the city of Odesa and bombard a steel mill in the port of Mariupol where Ukrainian civilians and fighters had sought safety. Officials announced Saturday that the last women, children and older adults have been evacuated from the plant, but the fighters remain trapped. Russia hopes to complete its conquest of Mariupol in time for Victory Day celebrations on Monday. However, Ukraines military has flattened Russian positions on a Black Sea island that has become a symbol of resistance. And Western military analysts say a Ukrainian counteroffensive was advancing around Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city.

Supreme Court leak shakes trust in one more American pillar

WASHINGTON (AP)  It's been clear in recent years that people in the United States don't have much faith in their institutions. Polling shows that public opinion of Congress is dismal. Views of the presidency aren't great. Even the question of whether American democracy is working gets a worrying answer. The Supreme Court has been an exception. It's traditionally enjoyed higher public esteem than the other branches of government. But that standing has diminished as the court has come to be seen as more political. Now, the leak of the justices' tentative vote to strike down the constitutional right to abortion has deepened suspicions that the high court is becoming politicized.

Hong Kong kicks off leadership polls with sole candidate

HONG KONG (AP)  A Hong Kong election committee is voting for the citys only leadership candidate, John Lee, who is expected to win and become Hong Kongs next chief executive. The committee, comprised of nearly 1,500 largely pro-Beijing members, is voting in a secret ballot for 2 1/2 hours on Sunday morning. Lee needs more than 750 votes to win the election. As the only candidate in the polls, Lee is expected to win easily, especially since he has Beijings endorsement. If elected, Lee will replace current leader Carrie Lam on July 1.

S Korea's next leader faces escalating N Korean nuke threat

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Yoon Suk Yeol takes office as South Korea's president Tuesday amid heightened animosities over North Korea's nuclear program. During his election campaign, the conservative Yoon said he would teach North Korean leader Kim Jong Un some manners and sternly cope with his provocative missile tests with a strengthened alliance with the United States. But he now faces an increasingly belligerent Kim, who openly threatens to use his atomic bombs against his rivals and is reportedly preparing for his first nuclear test explosion since 2017. If that happens, tensions on the Korean Peninsula would plunge to fresh lows and leave Yoon with few options to deal with Kim just as he begins his presidency.

80-1 shot Rich Strike races to huge upset in Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Rich Strike came charging up the rail to overtake the leaders in the closing strides for a stunning 80-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Sonny Leon guided Rich Strike from well back in the 20-horse field to beat 4-1 favorite Epicenter by three-quarters of a length. Zandon was another three-quarters of a length back in third on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Rich Strike wasnt even in the Derby field until Friday when Ethereal Road was scratched, making room for the colt trained by Eric Reed. Both Leon and Reed were in their first Derby.

What GOP-nominated justices said about Roe to Senate panel

WASHINGTON (AP)  In one form or another, every Supreme Court nominee is asked during Senate hearings about his or her views of the landmark abortion rights ruling that has stood for a half century. Now, a draft opinion obtained by Politico suggests that a majority of the court is prepared to strike down the Roe v. Wade decision from 1973, leaving it to the states to determine a womans ability to get an abortion. Republican-nominated justices now hold a 6-3 majority, and they gave varying answers to senators when asked for their views on the abortion case.

Sinn Fein hails 'new era' as it wins Northern Ireland vote

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP)  The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has won the largest number of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time. With almost all votes counted from Thursday's election, Sinn Fein has secured 27 of the assemblys 90 seats. The Democratic Unionist Party has 24. The historic win means Sinn Fein is entitled to the post of first minister in Belfast. It's a first for a nationalist party since Northern Ireland was founded as a Protestant-majority state in 1921. Sinn Fein seeks a united Ireland and has long been linked to the Irish Republican Army. But the party kept unification out of the spotlight this year during a campaign that was dominated by the skyrocketing cost of living.

For Parkland survivor, a long road to recovery from trauma

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP)  Eden Hebron witnessed a gunman kill a close friend and two other students on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. More than a year later, the trauma still weighed heavily on Eden and other students. Eden's parents eventually sent her to a mental health facility in California. There, she had little contact with the outside world. She went through therapy and treatment alongside a handful of other teens. She moved back to Florida and now studies in New Jersey. Her long journey in recovery isn't unique _ others who've survived shootings grappled with trauma for years. Eden shares her story to help others and says she feels for those who don't have the same resources.

Desperate search for survivors in Cuba hotel blast; 27 dead

HAVANA (AP)  Relatives of the missing in Cubas capital are desperately searching for victims of an explosion at one of Havana's most luxurious hotels that killed at least 27 people. They checked the morgue and hospitals, and if unsuccessful, they returned to the partially collapsed Hotel Saratoga. A natural gas leak was the apparent cause of Fridays blast at the 96-room hotel. The 19th-century structure in the citys Old Havana neighborhood did not have any guests at the time because it was undergoing renovations ahead of a planned Tuesday reopening. Dr. Julio Guerra Izquierdo, chief of hospital services at the Ministry of Health, says 81 people were injured.

Mickey Gilley, who helped inspire 'Urban Cowboy,' dies at 86

NEW YORK (AP)  Country star Mickey Gilley has died. He was 86. He was known for such hits as Window Up Above" and for the Texas honky-tonk he owned that inspired the hit film Urban Cowboy." Based on an Esquire magazine article about two regulars at Gilley's, the film starred John Travolta and Debra Winger and inspired a nationwide wave of Western-themed clubs. Gilley also had some famous relatives, including cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock n' roll pioneer; and evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Gilley's other hits include City Lights" and Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time."

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The South Carolina Senate agreed Tuesday to come back in special session later this year to take up abortion bills to respond to the possibility the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to ban the procedure.

Republicans rejected a request by Democrats to also include in a special session a bill that would make South Carolina the 49th state to approve a law with additional punishment for hate crimes. That bill will die if not approved before the end of the General Assembly's regular session Thursday.

The vote to add hate crimes failed 25-20 with five Republicans joining all Democrats in the chamber. The vote to approve the resolution allowing the special session with abortion bills passed 36-8 with several Democrats afraid if it does not pass by Thursday, the governor could call the General Assembly back whenever they wish with no limits on what can be discussed.

The special session resolution now goes to the House which must also approve.

South Carolina lawmakers appeared to be taking a pause on major abortion legislation this year after passing a law in 2021 that banned most abortions by requiring doctors to use an ultrasound to check a fetus for a heartbeat and banning the procedure if one was detected. There were exceptions for rape, incest or if the mother's life was in danger. The law is on hold because of a court challenge.

But that was before a draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked last week suggesting the justices might overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to pass full abortion bans.

The possibility led Republican leaders in the Senate and House to include abortion bills with other typical special session items like finishing the state budget and dealing with vetoes from the governor after the regular session ends. The only other unusual item was finishing an election for college trustees that was delayed.

The outlook for a total abortion ban in South Carolina, especially if it does not include exceptions for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is threatened, is murky.

Supporters could need two-third votes to get over some procedural hurdles and Republicans currently are three votes short of that threshold in the House and a vote short in the Senate. Plus, several Republicans have said in the past they can't pass an abortion law without the exceptions.

Democrats have been trying to get a debate on the hate crimes bill since the session began in January, but eight Republicans have objected without much public explanation on their reasoning.

Opponents have said increased penalties for crimes committed because someone hates a certain group is unnecessary because a crime is a crime. They also worried a hate crime law could eventually be used to curtail free speech, especially against Christians.

The often more conservative South Carolina House passed the hate crimes bill last year. Supporters have been discouraged it has not been discussed in the other chamber.

Democratic senators complained Republicans have been especially heavy-handed this year preventing them from debating bills important to them.

All I want is an opportunity to be heard, follow the rules and a chance to prevail on a fair level playing field, Democratic Sen. Ronnie Babb of Greeleyville said.

But Sen. Tom Corbin said those are the breaks for the minority party or for proposals that don't have enough support.

Theres a lot of bills that a lot of us are passionate about that didnt get debated," the Republican from Travelers Rest said. Thats just the process of the Senate. You back up, you try again next year.

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Finland and Sweden are nearing decisions on whether to ditch their long-standing policy of military nonalignment and join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

They would become the 31st and 32nd members of the trans-Atlantic alliance, which was founded by the U.S. and 11 other countries following World War II. Here's a timeline showing key developments in NATO's history.

1949: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is founded to deter Soviet expansion and a revival of European militarism. The 12 original members are the United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.

1952: Greece and Turkey join in the alliance's first expansion.

1955: West Germany joins NATO. In response, the Soviet Union and seven countries in Eastern Europe form the eight-nation Warsaw Pact.

1982: Spain becomes the 16th member of NATO.

1991: The Soviet Union collapses and the Warsaw Pact is dissolved.

1994: Finland and Sweden join NATO's Partnership for Peace program. The following year they join the European Union, effectively ceasing to be neutral, but remaining military nonaligned.

1999: Three former Warsaw Pact nations  the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland  join NATO.

2001: Article 5 in the NATO treaty, which stipulates that an attack on any NATO member is an attack on all, is triggered for the first time after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

2002: The NATO-Russia Council is formed to help NATO members and Russia to work together on security issues.

2003: NATO takes command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF).

2004: The biggest NATO expansion to date as seven countries become members: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The latter three are the only former Soviet republics to have joined the alliance.

2008: NATO countries welcome Ukraine and Georgias aspirations to join the alliance, angering Russia. In August, Russia wins a short war with Georgia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow recognizes as independent states.

2009: Croatia and Albania become NATO members.

2011: NATO enforces a no-fly zone over Libya. Sweden takes part with fighter jets on reconnaissance missions.

2014: NATO suspends most cooperation with Russia after its annexation of Crimea.

2015: NATO ends the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The alliance remains in Afghanistan to train local security forces until the Taliban takeover in 2021.

2017: Montenegro joins NATO.

2020: North Macedonia becomes NATO's 30th member.

2022: Sweden and Finland explore the possibility of NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP)  No charges will be filed in a shooting at the North Carolina home of rapper DaBaby, police said Thursday.

Troutman police said on social media that the investigation into the April 13 shooting has been completed, news outlets reported. According to the post, investigators consulted with the Iredell County District Attorneys Office in determining no charges will be filed.

DaBaby and at least one other person were at the home when the shooting happened on the evening of April 13, Troutman Police Chief Josh Watson told The Associated Press. But Watson wouldnt say who was shot or who did the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation at the time. He said the injuries of the unidentified wounded person were not life-threatening.

The shooting was the latest in a series of incidents involving DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon after a fatal shooting at a Walmart in Huntersville, North Carolina, just south of Troutman. He was not charged in the shooting.

Last year, the Grammy-nominated rapper was arrested after he took a loaded gun into an upscale store on Rodeo Drive.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, WCNC-TV.
Many homes near Americas largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexicos governor said Tuesday the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar.

Two more days of strong winds and dangerously bone-dry conditions are in the forecast before some relief is expected Friday.

Crews were most concerned Tuesday night about the potential for the massive fire east of Santa Fe to spread farther north toward rural towns and mountain resort communities closer to Taos  about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from its current northern edge.

Gusty winds that grounded aerial attacks Tuesday were pushing flames that direction along the the Sangre de Cristo Range on the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains stretching out of Colorado.

The main highway north from Holman to Taos was closed and additional communities were placed on alert for potential evacuations.

It is very active. This is a big push, a lot of energy right now, fire spokesman Todd Abel warned Tuesday night.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a briefing earlier Tuesday that she has not received any reports in recent days of widespread damage to homes amid the latest round of fierce winds that fanned the blaze and created challenges for firefighting crews.

Crews have been trying to direct flames around homes in numerous small villages on the northern and southern ends of the fire  bulldozing firebreaks, putting up sprinklers, clearing trees and raking pine needles. A force of nearly 1,800 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the blaze, including specially trained teams.

The cost of fighting the blaze and another smaller fire burning near Los Alamos National Laboratory has topped $65 million.

The cost is expected to grow with wind predicted through Wednesday, and Lujan Grisham said the cost to reconstruct homes, prevent post-fire flooding and restore the forest charred by the larger fire after it is out will likely reach billions of dollars.

When you think about rebuilding communities, it is not an overnight process, Lujan Grisham said. So we should be thinking in terms of significant resources and those resources in my view should largely be borne by the federal government given the situation.

The nearly 320-square-mile (830-square-kilometer) wildfire has burned about 300 structures, including homes, since it started last month. Some areas remain under evacuation orders, but authorities on Monday started letting some residents on the fire's eastern flank return home.

A federal disaster already has been declared due to the blaze, which is partly the result of a preventative fire set in early April that escaped containment. The flames merged with a separate fire a couple of weeks later, and as of Tuesday the jagged perimeter stretched more than 356 miles (573 kilometers).

Structure protection was focused Tuesday night around Mora and Holman, where Highway 518 north to Taos was closed. Authorities stressed there was no immediate threat to communities around Taos but new alerts about potential evacuations stretched as far north as the Angel Fire ski resort east of Taos.

Coming up toward Taos, Black Lake, Angel Fire, there is the possibility with the models we are running that those areas are going to see fire, Abel, an operations chief on the fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, said at a briefing Tuesday evening.

The governor said she'd challenge anyone who didn't believe the federal government should accept significant liability.

Its negligent to consider a prescribed burn in the windy season in a state that is under an extreme drought warning, she said.

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and others have called for an investigation. While forest officials have yet to release planning documents related to the prescribed fire, they have said forecasted weather conditions were within parameters for the project.

Meanwhile, the smaller blaze burning in the Jemez Mountains prompted officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear research is conducted, and the nearby town of Los Alamos to prepare for evacuations as a precaution.

Nearly 900 people were fighting that fire, with its price tag nearing $16 million on Tuesday.

Towering columns of smoke from both fires could be seen from miles away as the winds picked up Tuesday afternoon.

Wind and low humidity levels continue to be big wildfire threats around the West as the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of New Mexico and parts of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Forecasters said New Mexico is outpacing most other recent years for the number of red flag days in April and so far this month.

Crews also were battling smaller fires elsewhere in New Mexico and Arizona.

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Three current or former Offutt airmen who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds asked a federal district court judge in Omaha on Monday to stop the Air Force from discharging or otherwise punishing them.

Capt. Ian McGee, an RC-135 instructor pilot with the Offutt-based 55th Wing, said he applied for a religious exemption eight months ago but hasnt received a response from his chain of command. He expects it to be denied, as the Air Force has denied nearly all of the more than 7,800 airmen who have applied for them under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, known as RFRA.

McGee said he would give up his nine-year military career rather than be injected with a vaccine tested with cell lines taken many years ago from aborted fetuses.

It goes against my sincerely held religious beliefs as a born-again Christian, McGee testified. My resolve is to stay with my relationship with Jesus Christ.

The three airmen are part of a larger group of 36  including active-duty, National Guard and reserves  who filed suit in U.S. District Court in Nebraska in March seeking to overturn the mandate issued by the Pentagon last August. They argue it is a violation of their First Amendment rights.

The defendants include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, and the leaders of the Kansas and Nebraska National Guards.

Seventeen of the airmen are assigned to Offutt, and three serve in Lincoln with the Nebraska Air National Guard. Eleven others are from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. Others are from Arizona, Texas, Mississippi and Virginia.

They are represented by former Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and a team of lawyers from the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank organized last year by several top advisers in the administration of former President Donald Trump.

At Mondays hearing, Kobach asked Judge Brian Buescher for a preliminary injunction barring the Air Force from taking any punitive action against any of the 7,835 airmen who have requested exemptions under RFRA.

If granted, it would apply nationwide.

These individuals should not be punished for practicing their religious faith, Kobach said.

He blasted the elaborate multi-level review of the applications for religious exemptions, alleging that more than 7,500 have been denied and only 46 granted. And the ones granted were only for airmen who were within six months of retirement.

Its a colossal bureaucratic waste of time, when none are granted, he said.

Tim Hook, a lawyer for the U.S. Attorneys Office representing the military defendants, justified the vaccine mandate because of the extreme risk to the military in a pandemic that has now claimed more than 1 million lives. He noted several COVID outbreaks on military posts and U.S. Navy ships, some of which prevented deployments.

This virus has killed more people than all those killed in all the nations wars, he said.

Hooks co-counsel, Lynett Wagner, said courts have traditionally given the military wide latitude to make decisions for the defense of the nation, citing a concurring opinion just two weeks ago by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a parallel religious freedom case involving Navy SEALs.

The commanders on the front line are in the best position to evaluate the level of risk, Wagner said. We are going to have to rely on the commanders to make the decision.

McGee said he has deployed 10 times in his career, and three times since the pandemic began in 2020. He just returned in April from a six-month deployment to Qatar, in the Middle East, during which he was named Officer of the Quarter. That signifies the outstanding performance among 200 officers in his unit.

During the deployment, he accepted restrictions that didnt apply to his vaccinated peers, such as frequent testing and a requirement that he not leave base.

But because of the new requirements, he can no longer deploy or travel away from Offutt for any training. That will stymie his career.

I would be willing to take any less-restrictive measures to help the Air Force in reducing the spread of COVID-19, McGee said.

A second plaintiff in the case, Lt. Col. Armand Fondren II, a former RC-135 pilot at Offutt who is now an instructor pilot in Mississippi, testified that his application for a religious exemption was reviewed by a religious review team that included his units chaplain. The six-member group voted 4-2 to recommend the exemption be granted, and his commander agreed. But his exemption was turned down at higher levels.

Except for lawyers, the courtroom was cleared during the testimony of a third plaintiff  an enlisted Air Force reservist identified in court documents as Airman #9  to preserve his anonymity because of his sensitive job as an Arabic and French language translator aboard RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft at Offutt.

In his closing arguments, Kobach urged Buescher to act quickly. He said 18 of the 36 airmen now face discharge because their requests and appeals have been denied.

Buescher said he would be looking closely at whether the Air Force was issuing automatic denials of religious exemptions. He didnt indicate when he would issue his ruling, except to say: As soon as I can.

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Will Roe v. Wade stand? The unprecedented leak of a draft opinion circulating among the Supreme Court justices seems to spell the end of the 50-year-old decision constitutionally guaranteeing the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy and decide for herself the size of her family.

Those of us who advocate for reproductive rights in America worry that the very concept of personal liberty is at risk. If Roe is overturned and access to abortion is left unprotected as a constitutional right, so may be the right to privacy, access to birth control and same-sex marriage  all protected by the liberty right found in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

From where did that right stem? Meyer v. Nebraska.

On May 25, 1920, Robert T. Meyer, a teacher at the Evangelical Lutheran Church School near Hampton, in Hamilton County, Nebraska, was arrested for teaching a class in the German language. Because of anti-German sentiment at the time, a state law prohibiting teaching in a foreign language had been enacted by the Nebraska Legislature.

The Lutheran Church challenged the law, arguing it was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because Meyer was being deprived of both his property (his business as a language teacher was ruined) and that the law was an invasion of his personal liberty.

The 14th Amendment reads in part, No state shall  deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

The Nebraska Supreme Court in a 4-2 decision upheld the law, ruling that it was within the police powers of the state to protect its citizens from the dangers that might stem from resident foreigners educating their children in their native language. The decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On June 4, 1923, Justice James C. McReynolds, writing for the majority, found the Nebraska law unconstitutional because it had deprived Meyer of his personal liberty. It was the first time the 14th Amendment had been used to protect personal liberties.

McReynolds wrote: While this Court has not attempted to define with exactness the liberty thus guaranteed, the term has received much consideration and some of the included things have been definitely stated. Without doubt, it denotes not merely freedom from bodily restraint but also the right of the individual to contract, to engage in any of the common occupations of life, to acquire useful knowledge, to marry, to establish a home and bring up children, to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and generally enjoy those privileges long recognized at common law as essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.

In 1965, a law prohibiting the dissemination of birth control information to married persons was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The majority opinion in that case, Griswold v. Connecticut, specifically cited Meyer as giving constitutional dignity to the right to study the German language in a private school.

Justice William O. Douglas wrote: The First Amendment has a penumbra where privacy is protected from government intrusion, adding that the 14th Amendment, prohibiting a state from denying its citizens personal liberties, as the right to study any particular subject or any foreign language, as established in the Meyer decision, should be applied as well to information about birth control.

Then came Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Justice Harry Blackmun noted the Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy, saying, however the Court has recognized that a right of personal privacy, or a guarantee of certain areas or zones of privacy, does exist under the Constitution. Referring to Meyer, he added that the court had found at least the roots of that right  in the concept of liberty guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

In 2015, Justice Anthony Kennedy in Obergefell v. Hodges, cited the liberty protections in Meyer establishing the right of same-sex marriage. A basis for protecting the right to marry is that it safeguards children and families and thus draws meaning from related rights of child rearing, procreation, and education. Quoting Meyer, he wrote, The right to marry, establish a home and bring up children is a central part of the liberty protected by the Constitution.

Not only the basic liberty of a womans right to abortion is at risk if Roe falls, but also access to birth control and the right of same-sex couples to marry  all guaranteed under the Constitution on the foundation of the 1923 Meyer decision.

Little did Nebraskan Meyer realize the firestorm he was starting by teaching in German in a rural school house. We will see how it ends.

Randy Moody of Lincoln is a retired lawyer and lobbyist who has been a Planned Parenthood volunteer in leadership roles for nearly 40 years, serving for seven of those years as a member of the organizations national governing board.
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(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.

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The Omaha area will flirt with record-setting warmth this week.

Temps are slated to be in the 80s and 90s before tapering off on the weekend.

Monday hit a high of 95 degrees, just one degree shy of the record for this date, said Dirk Petersen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Valley.

Omahans also may have noticed hazy skies on Monday. That stemmed from wildfires in northern New Mexico, Petersen said. Southwesterly winds drew the haze, although it wasnt expected to continue through the week.

Tuesday should see temps in the 80s, Petersen said, thanks to some cloud cover in the morning and afternoon. But Wednesday will once again flirt with temps in the mid-90s. The high is forecast at 94. The record for that date is 93.

Temps will hit about 80 degrees Friday before tapering off to the more typical 70s through the weekend, Petersen said.

The average temp for this time of year is about 72 degrees.

Some storm chances linger during the week, but theyre not likely to lead to meaningful moisture, Petersen said.

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BLOOMINGTON  The Jule Foundation will host its first Teen Summit on May 20, bringing local middle and high school students together to hear from panelists and speakers about planning and working toward their futures.

Andre Hursey, co-founder of the Bloomington-based nonprofit Jule Foundation, said he hopes to help local students gain insight on historically Black colleges and universities and Black Greek organizations.

Our job (at Jule) is to inform our youth of what else is out there for them, he said, noting the value of attending a school where the professors look like and understand their students.

Six recent Bloomington-Normal graduates who have gone on to attend HBCUs will speak to students in grades six through 12 about their experiences and why they chose their schools.

The event will run from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Castle Theatre, and junior high and high school students will be admitted free of charge. Jule is asking that parents and other attendees provide a donation of at least $20 to attend.

Adults in attendance are encouraged to wear their Greek colors, as students will learn about the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities.

In addition to the informational aspect of the night, Ian Brock, the 17-year-old founder of Dream Hustle Code, will speak to students about the lessons hes learned along the way.

Dream Hustle Code is a Chicago-based foundation aimed at inspiring young people and helping them realize their potential in the tech space.

Brock, a self-described rookie coder, said when he speaks to students, he hopes to lead them to become the best versions of themselves.

His core messages are the value of time management, self-discipline and hard work and simply never giving up.

Since Brock began working to broaden the reach of computer science accessibility as an elementary student in 2013, Dream Hustle Code has grown to include hundreds of students in after-school programs and larger summer events, like TeenTech Live.

Our whole mission is to inspire kids and show them the possibilities for themselves in the tech space and then giving them access to computer science, personal development education, specifically to kids who are underrepresented and underestimated in the tech space, Brock said.

He said he hopes instilling those lessons in Bloomington-Normal students will help them as they begin their paths forward as well.

LaRoyce Hawkins, star of NBCs Chicago PD, will also be at the Castle to speak with students about his experiences.

This is the Jule Foundations first summit like this, but not the last, Hursey said, with goals of expanding further next year.

Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.

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SPRINGFIELD  Appellate Court Judge Lisa Holder White will replace retiring Justice Rita Garman on the Illinois Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman to serve on the state's high court.

Holder White's appointment was announced by the court on Tuesday, a day following Garman's announcement that she would step aside in July after more than 20 years on the high court and nearly five decades as a judge.

Illinois is unique among states in that its state Supreme Court appoints replacement justices when vacancies occur. Since Garman's retirement will occur after the June 28 primary election, Holder White's appointment runs through December 2024.

In a statement released by the court, Holder White called the appointment "the honor of a lifetime."

My service to the judiciary for the past 21 years has helped prepare me for this historic moment," Holder White said. "I look forward to the privilege of resolving matters my fellow citizens bring before the Court.

Graduating from Macon High School in 1986 and from Lewis University in 1990 with her bachelors degree in political science, Holder White went straight into law school and graduated with her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1993.

Holder White, a Republican who lives in Sangamon County, began her career as an assistant state's attorney for Macon County before going into private practice.

In 2001, she was sworn in as an associate judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit  the first Black judge in the circuit. In 2008, she became a circuit judge. In 2013, she was appointed to the Fourth District Appellate Court, becoming its first Black justice.

Garman's retirement and Holder White's addition come at a time of broader change for the state's high court.

In 2020, Democratic Justice Thomas Kilbride lost his retention election, a first for the an Illinois Supreme Court justice. This set up a partisan election in 2022.

Faced with the possibility of losing their party's 4-3 majority on the high court, the Democratic-controlled legislature redrew the state's judicial boundaries for the first time since the 1960s, seeking to balance out a population disparity among districts that gave conservative downstate an outsized influence on the court versus the populous and more progressive Chicago suburbs.

As a result, Garman's Vermillion County home was drawn out of the Fourth District and into the Southern Illinois-based Fifth District, which is represented by Republican Justice David Overstreet.

The Fourth District still includes Central Illinois population centers like Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, but now picks up Peoria, the Quad Cities, Rockford and wider swaths of western Illinois as well.

Though she spent most of her professional career and life in Macon County, which is now a part of the Fifth District, Holder White now lives in neighboring Sangamon County, still part of the Fourth District, meaning she can run for a full 10-year term in 2024 if she chooses.

Though there are two heavily-contested Supreme Court races in the Chicago suburbs this fall, the new Fourth District still significantly favors Republicans.

Garman, 78, has served on the high court since 2001.

She was an assistant state's attorney in Vermillion County before being appointed to the bench in 1974 as an associate judge. In 1986, she was elected circuit judge and was later appointed presiding judge for Vermillion County. In 1996, she was elected to the appellate court.

She served as chief justice from 2013 to 2016 and is currently the longest-serving judge in Illinois.

Chief Justice Anne Burke described Garman as a "close friend, mentor, and role model," adding that "no words can describe her loss."

"However, she has provided hope for the future by nominating for her replacement a wonderful woman who will be able to step right into her shoes," Burke said. "It is a pleasure to welcome Justice Holder White to the Court.

Holder White will take her seat on the bench on July 8. The Supreme Court will appoint someone to fill her vacancy on the appellate court.

In April 2013, Holder White was named "woman of the year" at a ceremony hosted by the Decatur YMCA and United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois. She is also a past recipient of the Joe Slaw Clivil Rights Award from the Decatur branch of the NAACP.

She previously served on the boards of the Decatur Public Schools Foundation, the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Community Foundation of Macon County, and Millikin University.

Contact Brenden Moore at brenden.moore@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13

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SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other state leaders gathered at the State Capitol on Tuesday to honor the lives of four firefighters killed in the line of duty last year.

Pritzker and Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez were joined by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Secretary of State Jesse White and Comptroller Susana Mendoza for the annual Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony.

One of the fallen firefighters honored at the ceremony was the late Mattoon firefighter Mehdi Mourad, who died after a car accident that occurred as he was responding to a crash in June 2021.

Mourad was a graduate of Lake Land College who officially joined the Wabash Fire Protection District just five days before the crash.

Pritzker praised Mourad for his service and for his character.

Mehdi embodied the definition of a good Samaritan  unselfish, compassionate, and lionhearted, Pritzker said. He was an accomplished young man and wise beyond his years.

There are no words to heal the irreparable wound of such a tremendous loss, he added, directing his comments to Mourads family. May you find comfort in the knowledge that Mehdis service to his community, to the state of Illinois, and to our nation will not be forgotten.

The three other firefighters honored for their service were: Michael Pickering of the Chicago Fire Department, MaShawn Plummer of the Chicago Fire Department, and Lt. Garrett Ramos of the Sterling Fire Department.

In his remarks, White said the fallen firefighters were all heroes who will not be forgotten.

When I think of a firefighter, I think of a hero, someone who has gone the extra mile to save someone else's life or improve their quality of life, White said.

Mendoza said her son is a big Spider-Man fan, but it is the fallen firefighters and other first responders who are the real heroes she wants him to look up to.

In this world, there are so few who would literally run into a burning building and risk their lives in hopes of saving those they don't even know, Mendoza said. And it is a profound form of love to do so, perhaps the most profound form of love of all, to sacrifice one's life in order to save the life of a complete stranger.

Guests later filed over to the Bank of Springfield Center, where the family members of the fallen firefighters were presented with Gold Badges.

Mourad was gone too soon, his aunt, Sharon Gray, told Lee Enterprises after the ceremony.

Gray and her husband, Ricky Gray, represented Mourads family at the memorial. Most of his other family members are in Morocco, where Mourad was from originally, they said.

During the Medal of Honor ceremony, multiple other firefighters were honored with Medals of Valor and Honor for acts of bravery, heroism, and dedication while facing danger in the line of duty.

Perez said he hopes the lives of the fallen firefighters inspire more to serve.

On average, our nation loses about 100 firefighters every year in the line of duty. Since the beginning of COVID, those numbers have risen sharply, Perez said. We owe it to them all to continue improving our culture and our perspective on how we care for ourselves, our fellow firefighters, and our families.

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A group of European Union parliamentarians has asked the European Commission to open negotiations with Ivory Coast and Ghana to address low cocoa prices, it said in a letter.



The two West African countries, which together produce more than 60% of the world's cocoa, called on the EU earlier this year to join them in creating an economic pact which would ensure cocoa farmers earn a living wage.



Most cocoa farmers in these countries live in extreme poverty, earning well under $1 a day, said a letter signed by members of the Responsible Business Conduct Working Group of the European Parliament.



Low prices paid for cocoa are a key driver of deforestation and child labour in the sector, which are of concern to the EU as it seeks to prevent imports of commodities linked to environmental and human rights abuses.



"We urge the Commission to rapidly engage in formal negotiations with the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana with the aim of reaching an Economic Pact for Sustainable Cocoa," said the letter seen by Reuters, dated April 27.



The pact would entail an agreement between all parties on what to do to resolve the low price of cocoa and manage cocoa supply to prevent market shocks, it said.



An EU Commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



The EU is the leading destination for Ivorian cocoa, accounting for about 67% of the country's exports.



But a newly proposed EU law could force cocoa traders to drop some suppliers because they use unethical practices.



"In view of the environmental and social provisions implemented by the EU and many other countries in term of regulations, an 'Economic Pact' is now necessary... in order to satisfy the first condition of sustainability," said Alex Assanvo, head of the Ivory Coast-Ghana Cocoa Initiative, set up by both governments.



Both countries in 2019 imposed a "living income" premium on all cocoa purchases in order to raise farmers' wages, but they said last year that traders were not paying it.

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.

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A 13-member committee has been set up to come out with guidelines to help absorb Ghanaian students from Ukraine to continue their studies in Ghanaian universities.



The committee chaired by Dr Nsiah Asare, Special Advisor to the President on Health issues, has four weeks to submit its report to the Education Minister.



The committee has representation from the Students Representative Council (SRC), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Health, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Medical and Dental Council, Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Vice Chancellors of Medical Schools, the Rector of College of Physicians and Surgeons among others.



The agenda for the meeting was to update and explain the essential problem at stake, and to discuss plans for the immediate integration of the Ghanaian medical students from Ukraine into the Ghana medical education system.



Speaking at a stakeholders consultative meeting on the displaced Ghanaian medical students from Ukraine, in Accra on Friday, Dr Yaw Adutwum urged the team to work hard to ensure that the students were placed in schools where they would fit well to continue their education.



He reminded the committee to be innovative in their findings and also consider creating a pathway for some of the students who might have some weaknesses in some areas of their studies so they could cope with the Ghanaian education system.



The Education Minister urged the committee to work hard and make sure all the students were placed in one institution or the other so they could continue their education.



Dr Adutwum who is the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region assured all parents to exercise patience and have confidence in the government as it worked very hard to get schools for the students.



He stated that everything possible was being done to ensure that the governments dream of hitting the 40 percent Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (GTER) mark was attained by 2030.



Dr Nsiah Asare, on behalf of the committee, pledged to work hard to ensure that the students would be placed in the institutions required so they could continue their education.



The Russian-Ukraine war which started a couple of months ago has affected many people in diverse ways. One of such people is Ghanaian students studying in Ukraine who have to run for their lives and now seeking support to go back to the classroom to continue their studies.

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh









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Ghana needs a robust and resilient health structure to aid research into diseases for timely detection of future epidemics, the Director of Finance, Ghana Health Service, Mr Mustapha Adams Hamidu, has said.



He said existing health research organisations must be strengthened to serve as a strong linkage between academia and health practitioners to sight emerging diseases.



Mr. Hamidu told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that setting aside a dedicated fund for epidermic preparedness, was also critical to ensuring Ghanas preparedness for epidemics.



We need to set aside resources for critical and unplanned expenses so that we are not found wanting during health emergencies, he said.



The Director of Finance said although Ghana had done well in the containment of COVID-19, the pandemic tested the capacity of the nations health infrastructure, and the availability and resolve of health personnel to handle the outbreak.



We were caught pants down at the onset of the outbreak, but we have been able to manage the disease within the shortest possible time, lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic has got Ghana prepared for any future epidemic than it was before, he said.



He lauded the GHS for the active role it played over the years in the control of infectious diseases by improving its disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion activities.



Dr. Bedima Duut, a Legal Consultant and the Berekum Municipal Health Director, also called for the involvement of health workers at the district or local level in the containment of epidemics.



"We need to build the capacities of health directorates and workers at the local level for coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and social mobilization, he said.





Source: GNA









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The Bunkpurugu Health Centre in the North East Region is virtually closing down due to the unavailability of drugs and essential medical supplies.



The situation at the facility, which is the district referral centre, has affected healthcare delivery in the area.



Patients who visit the facility with conditions that could be handled at the health centre are directed to the Bindu Government Hospital, which is about 100 kilometres away.



Some patients on admission at the facility are sometimes compelled to buy prescribed medications from chemical shops in town, sources told the Daily Graphic at the health centre.



The facility has only two wards  a maternity ward and another that keeps both male and female patients on admission. The unisex ward does not have a washroom.



Reaction



The Medical Assistant of the facility, Ibrahim Abubakar, declined to comment on the situation.



The District Chief Executive for Bunkpurugu/Nakpanduri, Joseph Louknaan, however, indicated that the health centre had run out of medical consumables due to the non-payment of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) claims.



I have received several complaints, so I had discussions with the District Health Director, and he indicated that due to the non-payment of claims they are not getting the drugs from the Regional Medical Stores.



We dont also have accredited pharmacies here whereby the health workers can always prescribe for the patients to go and collect so that NHIS will pay later. So the only option for the facility is to prescribe for them to go and buy, he said.



He said the facility was not up to the standard of a health centre, adding: I believe that when we finish the Agenda 111 hospitals project, it will help solve the problems.



Concerns



Currently, all three ambulances of the health centre have broken down, compelling the public to use motorbikes to transport patients on referrals.



A pregnant woman, Naamimok, told the Daily Graphic that a drug was prescribed for her to purchase from town because the drug which was covered by the NHIS was not in stock.



The challenge is that I am a pregnant woman, and the drug stores in town are far from here, she said.



Another resident, Konlan Larbik, appealed to authorities to supply the facility with medical consumables to enhance healthcare delivery.



The Northern Regional Health Director, Dr John B. Eleeza, at the 2021 Annual Health Sector Performance Review Meeting at Nalerigu in April, disclosed that the North East Region owed the Regional Medical Stores about GH6 million.



The reason why we do not have enough medicines in our facilities, both in the Northern and North East regions, is that we have incurred debts so high that now the suppliers are saying if you dont pay they wont supply.



As at close of yesterday, North East alone is owing about GH6 million and Northern Region is owing just about same, and Savannah Region is owing just a little above this. So if we are not able to pay the suppliers, a time will come that when we call they will not respond, and our facilities will remain empty, he said.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The Registrar-General's Department (RGD) says it may not achieve its 2022 revenue target if the strike action by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), continues.



Activities at the Department have come to a halt due to the industrial action, which commenced on April 21, over an unpaid neutrality allowance.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday, Mr Nicholas Ofori Obeng-Twum, the Head of Public Relations of the Department, said the strike was taking a grave toll on its operations.



Since the commencement of the strike, all activities at the Department had been suspended, including business registration and renewals, as well as marriage registrations.



He said with the RGD being the sole agency responsible for business registration and renewal of certificates in the country, those entities were suffering from the unending strike.



For us at RGD, we are losing revenue. It is hurting our clients and stakeholders and it is hurting the business community, which does not auger well for the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda... he said.



We have over GH100m revenue target we have to meet. However, we might struggle to meet it, especially having sat home for three weeks since the CLOGSAG strike started, halting all operations. This will definitely impact our revenue generation.



Mr Obeng-Twum noted that with a few weeks to the end of the filing of the annual returns by companies, most of them were likely to default on their obligations.



More than 20 marriages have also been put on hold because the Department cannot register them due to the ongoing strike, Mr Obeng-Twum noted.



To mitigate the impact on clients, he encouraged them to use the RGDs online platform and the USSD code to register and renew their businesses.



He urged the Government to, as a matter of urgency, meet the leadership of CLOGSAG and find a lasting solution to the impasse, to enable effective work to begin and avoid revenue loss.



Im urging the Government to meet the CLOGSAG leadership, come to an amicable solution on this matter so that at least the strike can be called off and work will resume.





Source: GNA









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Some spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai say they will not relocate to Afienya in line with plans by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.

Describing themselves as National Concern Spare Parts Dealers Association, they argue that Afienya will not be in their interest and have threatened to embark on a street protest if the decision was not rescinded.



"We vehemently oppose the proposed relocation, we consider the decision as very unfortunate and because it will not help we the spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai, relocating to a different place where we believe our business will thrive," Takyi Addo said.



At a press conference in Accra Tuesday [May 10, 2022], they said it was only some members who were spearheading the move but not all spare parts dealers in Abossey Okai are in favour of the move to Afienya.



RCC's plan



The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) has planned to relocate all spare parts dealers from Abossey Okai in Accra to Afienya.



According to the RCC it is part of the campaign to Make Accra work.



The government has identified a land in Afienya and was working towards allocating it to the spare parts dealers.



The land, according to the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey is owned by the government and that letters have already been sent to the Lands Commission under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the allocation.



Majority decision



Meanwhile, a co-chairman of the Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association, Clement Boateng has said majority of their members of agreed to relocate to Afienya.



In terms of numbers, he told Graphic Online's Juliet Akyaa Safo that about 90 per cent of them have agreed to move

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Western Naval Command has ended its search after a fishing vessel, Comforter-2, sunk offshore Saltpond.



So far 16 people have been rescued and one dead body recovered out of the 25 total persons on the vessel.



Public Relations Officer of the 2-Garrison, Enoch Tetteh Opata says, We are done with it, it has ended and as I speak with you, weve not heard anything about the eight people whether theyve been washed ashore or not. However, we have our ears on the ground to know wherever they will be washed ashore. That is what we are monitoring. Night vision probability is a challenge now and so even in the daytime we are not able to get to the bottom or see through the sea, and it means that even in the evening its not worth it.



You know, the tides are high due to weather conditions and all that, so it has become a challenge, so we need to halt it and monitor wherever they will be washed ashore, but as for the location we cant tell..." he added.



Explaining why the search has been called off, he said It has nothing to do with logistics. Like I said when the visibility is not favouring you, no matter how equipped you are, it has to do with the high tides. So we are still monitoring though because there are some portions you cant let a diver get in due to the high tides, so we cant risk that. We have to just withdraw and then monitor. We still have our ears on the ground and wherever they will be washed ashore, we will take note of that and then update you.



Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Trobu constituency, Moses Anim in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', has also given an update on the "unfortunate" incident as well as the owner of the vessel. This follows reports that the Comforter-2 was owned by a Chinese man.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Checks by the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday showed that while some transport operators adjusted transport fares upwards by about 20 per cent, others are yet to do the same as they were awaiting approval from their union leaders.



The situation comes off the back of an announcement by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to authorize the operators to review transport fares upwards.



Some transport operators and passengers in separate interviews with the Ghanaian Times at Circle either reported of about 20 per cent increment in fares or no increment.



Mr William Abaka, Vice Chairman, Biakoye Highways of the GPRTUat the Neoplan Station who confirmed the development, said the adjustment had become necessary due to rising fuel prices.



He explained that the operators had been hit hard consistently for some time now by high prices of petroleum products.



Mr Abaka said the union now charged GH22 as fare to Asamankese from an initial fare of GH19 and GH35 to Kade from an initial price of GH29.



He noted the fare to Tema which was GH10 is now GH12, Dowenya, from GH12 to GH14 while Prampram was now GH16from an initial fare of GH 14.



Mr Isaac Esilfi, a driver at the station lamented about the constant increase in fuel prices, adding that it was burdening their cost of living.



He said they had no alternative but to increase the fares so they could meet up the prices of fuel.



Another passenger who gave her name as Jemima Afutu said transport operators have been considerate, and that the government needed to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of Ghanaians as the hardship in the system was worsening.



As a dealer in plastics, she said she paid so much in transporting her wares and that affected her profits.



Another passenger, who gave her name as Ana noted that the fare fromAdenta to Circle which was GH5 was now GH6.50 while Teiman to Abokobi increased from GH1.70p to GH2.50p.



She said the situation took her by surprise when the conductor demanded the amount on her way to work.



Ms Ana said she vehemently resisted but later gave in because she just had to acknowledge the situation on the ground.



A passenger at the station who gave his name as Godwin Kedzlo stated that he had no cause to complain as he was aware of the current state of the economy and the hardships faced by all.



He said his was to only pay to avoid any misunderstandings because he was sure transport operators would not have adjusted the fares if prices of fuel were moderate.



Meanwhile, the Tiger and the Protoa Stations at Circle said they had not begun the adjustments as they were awaiting approval from their union leaders.



Chairman of the Tiger station, KwabenaDarko, who admitted that some other unions had begun the adjustments said the stations leaders were still deliberating the issue.



He said immediately the nod was given, they would also go ahead with their adjustments



Joseph Moses, a driver at the Protoa station who similarly said they were sticking to their old fares despite the hike in fuel prices, stressed that the situation was a sad one as they could hardly take anything home.

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh









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Billionaire Elon Musk said Tuesday he would reverse Twitter's ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump when he buys the social media platform, the clearest signal of Musk's intention to cut moderation of the site.



Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), has inked a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. He has called himself a "free speech absolutist" but given few specific details of his plans.



Musk is expected to become Twitter's temporary CEO after closing the deal, Reuters previously reported according to a source familiar with the matter. read more



The question of reinstating Trump has been seen as a litmus test of how far Musk will go in making changes.



Musk, speaking to the Financial Times Future of the Car conference, added that he and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey believe permanent bans should be "extremely rare" and reserved for accounts that operate bots or spread spam.



Musk said the decision to ban Trump amplified his views among people on the political right, and he called the ban "morally wrong and flat-out stupid."



The suspension of Trumps account, which had more than 88 million followers, silenced his primary megaphone days before the end of his term and follows years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders.



Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter shortly after the Jan. 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol. Twitter cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" in its decision.



'OUGHT TO BE EVERYWHERE'



Conservatives, who have accused San Francisco-based Twitter of bias against right-leaning views, have cheered the prospect of Trumps return.



"He (Trump) ought to be everywhere he can," Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters when asked about Musk's comments.



"We ought to have free speech in this country. We shouldn't have social media companies that are restricting people's ability to get their message out," added Scott.



Democrats have said Trumps potential reinstatement could constitute a threat to democracy, although some hope that a frequently-tweeting Trump could upset their base and rev up turnout in the November midterm congressional elections.



Twitter declined to comment.



Trump had previously told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter even if Musk purchases the platform and reinstates his account and said he would use his own social media app called Truth Social, a Twitter-like platform that launched on the Apple app store in late February and in which users post "truths" instead of tweets.



Trump has revved up his messaging on the new platform after a slow start, posting about 50 times, mostly in the last week, to his 2.7 million followers.



The platform is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group, which is led by Devin Nunes, a former Republican congressman. There was no immediate comment from a Trump spokesperson.



During the conference, Musk said the deal to acquire Twitter could be done in two to three months in the "best-case scenario." But he added Twitter has not yet filed the proxy for a shareholder vote to approve the deal, and there were still outstanding questions that needed to be resolved.



Earlier on Tuesday, Twitter shares fell to a level that indicated the stock market took the view for the first time that it was unlikely that Musk would make the acquisition for $44 billion, as he originally agreed.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Senior United Nations (UN) Mediation Advisor, Emmanuel Bombande has said Ghana should be worried it has been listed as one of the countries exposed to threats of terrorism.



According to him, Ghana is fast becoming a fertile ground for these terrorists.



I think we should be worried, we should, in the sense that the strategy of extremists and terrorist groups is to insert themselves in your vulnerability, citinewsroom.com quoted Mr Bombande.



Emmanuel Bombande was speaking at the back of a recent report by West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism (WACCE) indicating that Ghana is prone to terrorist attacks.



According to the Centre, irrespective of the fact that Ghana has managed terrorism threats for some time, yet Ghana has been so close to terrorism.



Further speaking on the issue, Emmanuel Bombande said terrorists do strike when there is a perceived marginalization or injustice.



They strike based on perceived marginalization or perceived injustice of one party to the other. The vulnerabilities cited in the report are clear examples of how such groups usurp themselves.



He said some of the contributing factors some people engage in terrorism is the fact that some young people are getting tired of the inability of leaders to create jobs and make meaningful impacts in the country.



If we are to look at it in terms of the recruiting grounds for people who engage in terrorism, we will see how this is spreading more widely than 5 years ago. Part of that reason is the growing impoverishment of countries. Young people are getting tired of voting for leaders who are unable to create jobs for them and make a meaningful impact. All these are contributing to the environment of extremists. He said.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) has asked the public to disregard the 20 per cent fare increment imposed by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other unions.



In a statement on Monday, the GRTCC said no single union has the mandate to determine the percentage increase in fares.



We wish to state that, transport fares have always been negotiated for and on behalf of all operators by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, no single union or group has the capacity to determine the quantum of increase except the two bodies mentioned above, portions of the statement read.



The Ghana Private Road Transport Union has also accused government of intentionally frustrating the process of transport fare review and has thus unilaterally adjusted fares by some 20 per cent.



By convention, theyre supposed to meet with the Transport Ministry and GRTCC to agree on the increment with the government taking several factors into consideration.



But the GPRTU said its members were struggling to meet their expenses and could therefore not wait on government.

















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A senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, Dr Alidu Seidu, has called for a review of the 1992 Constitution in line with current dynamics.



He said there was the need to consider the prevailing issues, economic dynamics, as well as global political matters and power and see how we can mainstream the emerging dynamics into the Constitution.



Dr Siedu was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra.



He underscored the importance of the 1992 Constitution in underpinning the countrys democratic process by providing a stable democratic environment, where development and a lot of aspirations had been able to come into fruition.



Weaknesses



Dr Seidu explained that experimenting some issues on the political front that were anticipated over a number of years had shown weaknesses where people were able to explore and satisfy their personal interest rather than the collective interest.



So, moving forward, it is important to say that this Constitution has been able to superintend a very stable democratic system that we have never witnessed in this country. It has been able to recognise and provide prevailing power at least, in principle, to the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. This Constitution has been able to give us a lot of media freedom that a lot of countries in the sub-region have never enjoyed, he said, adding that the media freedom is very important because the media is a very important organ of our democratic process that brings about transparency and accountability and hold governments to check



According to him, wherever media freedom was stifled, democracy never thrived and that the 1992 Constitution had provided an enabling space for media freedom to succeed.



Again, he said the Constitution had created the opportunity for the private sector to participate in the development and democratic process through the inclusion of civil society organisations and other private bodies that could contribute meaningfully to the countrys development.



So I think, socially, culturally, politically, economically, the conduct of international relations and foreign policy, this Constitution has provided guidelines for our engagements, he said and indicated that the directive principle of state policy for instance was apt in couching governance processes, how power should be handled, among other things.



Threats



In spite of all those gains in the Constitution, he said new developments had posed threat to the beautifully crafted Constitution.



But 30 years is such a long time that a lot of things have changed. The political economic nature, the governance process and the order of power at the global scene, the order of power at the continental level and a lot of political changes in within the Ghanaian context. So it suggests that most of the things that were prescribed in the Constitution are now being challenged by current political developments and circumstances that were not envisaged at the time the Constitution was being drafted, he said.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Eight hundred and seventy-five maternal deaths were recorded in the country last year, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has disclosed.

The figure represented an increase of 12.3 per cent over the 776 recorded in 2020.



At the opening of the 2022 National Health Sector Annual Summit, Mr Agyeman-Manu described the situation as not good enough, indicating that the health sector recorded a mixed state of performance last year as far as its service indicators were concerned.



Our institutional maternal mortality ratio has increased from 109.2 per 100,000 live births to 119.5 per 100,000 live births in 2021 representing 9.4 per cent.



Institutional neonatal mortality per 1000 live births also increased from 7.4 in 2020 to 7.6 in 2021, he noted.



Furthermore, he said, institutional under five mortality rate increased from 9.8 live births in 2020 to 10.7 live births in 2021.



Other increases



Also recording increases in 2021 were outpatient cases of diabetes, hypertension and sickle cell; family planning acceptor rate which increased from 29.6 per cent to 33.8 per cent in 2021 and total deliveries recorded in 2021 was 782,958, an increase of 7.7 per cent over that of 2020.



The minister was, however, said he was happy about the countrys immunisation programme, known as the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, which, he said, had an almost 100 per cent coverage of all the immunisation schedules undertaken.



He noted that there was also a continuous decline of inpatient malaria deaths from 599 recorded in 2017 to 275 in 2021 and that, he explained, was a sign of improved case management and prevention.



Setback



The latest data on maternal mortality is a setback for the health sector, as Ghana Health Service data showed that a total number of 875 maternal deaths were recorded in 2018 and 838 in 2019 respectively.



This figure further decreased to 776 in 2020 despite the increase in total deliveries while institutional maternal mortality ratio reduced from 117 in 2019 to 106 in 2020.



During the 2019 summit, the minister indicated that preliminary reports of the Multiple Indicator Cluster and the Maternal Mortality Surveys conducted in 2017 showed that the sector had recorded significant performance in some areas.



At that summit, he said the ministrys efforts at bridging the equity gap that had existed for decades were beginning to yield some results, as our doctor/ population and nurse/population ratios have shown significant improvements.



Using only nurses from the public sector, Ghana has exceeded the World Health Organisation recommended nurse to population ratio of 1 nurse to 1,000 population, he said at the time.



Summit



The National Health Sector Summit is held by the Ministry of Health annually for all its agencies, to review the performance of the health sector in the implementation of its Programme of Work.



This years summit is on the theme: Strengthening Ghanas Health Information system for tracking Universal Health Coverage (UHC).



The summit, which is also to brainstorm the report of the sector, also attracts other stakeholders. Yesterdays opening ceremony was attended by the Deputy Representative of UNICEF Ghana, Fiachra McAsey, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Nana Ayew Afriyie, and the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, all of whom delivered solidarity messages.



Universal Health Coverage



Speaking on the theme, Mr Agyeman-Manu said health information system was one of the six essential and interrelated building blocks of a health system which role was to ensure the

production, analysis, dissemination and use of reliable and timely data by decision makers at all levels of the health system.



A well-functioning health information system should produce reliable and timely information on health determinants, health status andhealth system performance and should

be capable of analysing this information to guide activities across all other health system building blocks, he said.



Health information system



The Presidential Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response, Dr Anarfi Asamoa- Baah, said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the weaknesses in the countrys health information system.



 At the very beginning of the crisis, we needed to generate information that was accurate, credible and informative, and to do that in real time because we were dealing with a crisis that kept revolving on a daily basis.



But this was very challenging because our system had not been designed to provide real information on a daily basis, he said.



Added to this, he explained, was the fact that the country did not have a comprehensive policy framework to guide health information system development, a situation which resulted in every agency, organisation and programmes in the health sector developing their own information system.



Dr Asamoa-Baah said if the country was able to offer free Wi-Fi to senior high schools and computers to teachers, then same should be done for the health sector, adding that every health worker must be given a computer and every health facility must have free Wi-Fi.



Moving forward, it is important we address the absence of a policy framework, the health system infrastructure, staff training and development and a change in ourmindset. As health professionals, we are very uncomfortable with sharing of information, so the tendency is to hoard information.













Source: graphiconline.com









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The minority side in parliament has stated that contrary to claims by the current government, there is data to prove that Ghana may be heading into a period of power generation and supply crisis.



Pointing to the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan report by the Power Planning Technical Committee (PPTC), the minority, in a statement signed by its Ranking Member on Parliaments Mines and Energy Committee, John Abdulai Jinapor, said Ghanas current energy generating capacity will soon be inadequate in serving projected demand.



Amongst others, the report makes an astonishing but factual revelation that the nations existing generating capacity will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with the required 18% reserve margin, the minority said.



This, among other things, according to the minority, is contrary to claims by the current government.



It will be recalled that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, at a recently held Tescon training and orientation conference at Kasoa, made very wild and unsubstantiated claims on a so-called GHC 17 billion payment by the state arising from what he described as excess capacity bills.



The minority has since described this statement as false and baseless and has further challenged the Vice President and the NPP government to produce the details on such payments to substantiate this fictitious claim. It will interest Ghanaians in knowing that to date, no such information has been made available, it stated.



The minority points out that the ruling partys claims in the face of the report by the PPTC show a deceptive attempt to unduly attribute the current economic hardship in the country to a different narrative.



It is equally revealing from the report that the claim that Ghana has excess gas leading to capacity payments is false. Indeed, the report rather recommends that efforts are made to increase available gas supply. So, the Ameri plant was not bad and needless after all, as the NPP wanted us to believe, it added.



Read the full statement by the minority below:



Press Release



For Immediate Release



09/05/2022



NPP FALSE CLAIMS ON EXCESS CAPACITY DISPLACED AS THE COUNTRY FACES EMINENT DUMSOR.



The baseless and unfounded allegations by the NPP Government that, Ghana has excess electricity generation capacity, which the country does not need, leading to the payment of about GHC 17 billion in excess capacity bills, has been displaced with available facts as contained in the recently released 2022 electricity supply plan for Ghana. Sadly, these contrived and concocted narratives led by no less a person than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia against the person of former President Mahama was therefore as needless as they are mischievous and propaganda-laden.



The 2022 publication authored by a technical team known as The Power Planning Technical Committee (PPTC) inaugurated in 2020 by the Hon. Minister of Energy to among others examine, plan, and make recommendations for the Ghana Power System as per the requirement in Section-7 of the National Electricity Grid Code and Section 2 (2)(c) of the Energy Commission Act 1997 (ACT 541) makes very interesting conclusions.



Amongst others, the report makes an astonishing but factual revelation that the Nations existing generating capacity will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with the required 18% reserve margin.



It will be recalled that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at a recently held Tescon training and orientation conference at Kasoa made very wild and unsubstantiated claims on a so called GHC 17 billion payment by the state arising from what he described as excess capacity bills.



The minority has since described this statement as false and baseless and has further challenged the Vice President and the NPP Government to produce the details on such payments to substantiate this fictitious claim. It will interest Ghanaians to know that till date no such information has been made available.



The current information as contained in the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan clearly points to a deceptive and dishonest narrative by the current NPP Government on the cause of the current economic hardship that the nation is experiencing.



For the avoidance of doubt, the following conclusions are drawn from the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan as captured in pages (vi)-(viii) of the report:



1. An estimated amount of MMUSD 872.8 will be required to purchase Natural Gas to run the thermal plants (.i.e. a monthly average of MUSD 72.74).



2. The provision for LCO, diesel and HFO during the gas outage period leads to a total of US$ 988 Million required for fuel purchase in 2022.



3. Relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant from Takoradi to Kumasi reduces transmission system losses significantly. It also improves the voltage regulation in Kumasi & its environs and aids export.



4. The existing generating capacities will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with 18% reserve margin for any of the planning years



5. The timely completion of the committed projects barely has adequate generation up to 2024.



5. Additional generation capacity will be needed from 2023, specifically, 184 MW, 187 MW, 114 MW and 337 MW additional generation capacity will be needed in 2023, 2024, 2026, and 2027, respectively.



-RECOMMENDATIONS-



Based on the above conclusions, the following are some of the key recommendations made:



1. Due to the growing electricity demand in Ghana, there is an urgent need to make arrangements to increase gas supply volumes for more Thermal generation. It is also very important to make necessary investments towards an improved gas supply reliability owing to the increasing dependency on natural gas for power generation.



7. Efforts should be expedited to complete the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant to Kumasi by September 2022 to create a new generation enclave in Kumasi, among others.



It is equally revealing from the report that the claim that Ghana has excess Gas leading to capacity payments are false. Indeed, the report rather recommends that efforts are made to increase available Gas supply. So, the Ameri plant was not bad and needless after all, as the NPP wanted us to believe.



Thank you.



Hon.John Abdulai Jinapor (MP)

Ranking Member

(Mines and Energy Committee)













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Sammy Gyamfi, the Communications Director of the opposition NDC, has taken on the former Methodist Bishop, Stephen Richard Bosomtwe Ayensu, over his recent comments about former President John Dramani Mahama.



According to him, the Bishop's rant is borne out of hatred for the former President who promises to repeal the obnoxious Electronic Transfer Levy, E-Levy.



Speaking on Joy FM's News Night programme on Monday, May 9, 2022, Sammy Gyamfi noted that the former Bishop is an NPP propagandist in cassock, merely doing the bidding of his party.



"It is important to make this point that the statement from the so-called Bishop, Stephen Richard Bosomtwe Ayensu, are totally baseless and clearly borne out from his hatred for John Dramani Mahama and the NDC.



"This is not the man who has the interest of the people of Ghana at heart and he is not interested in doing the work of God. Clearly, you can see that he is ... a very bitter NPP propagandist in a cassock who has been contracted to do the bidding of the NPP," Sammy Gyamfi said.



He noted that, President Mahama has consulted widely to understand the hardship of Ghanaians and how the E-Levy imposed by the current administration will increase the burden of Ghanaians.



Bishop Stephen Bosomtwe Ayensu while addressing journalists at the 25th Synod of The Methodist Church at the Mount Zion Methodist Church, Obuasi stated that the cancellation of the controversial E-Levy by Mahama will not materialise because the 2020 NDC flagbearer will not get another opportunity to lead the country.



He said, the countrys predicaments will take only wise economic decisions such as the levy to get the country out of the doldrums.



The wrecks and shocks of the pandemic, which the Russia-Ukraine war has deepened, are clear.



We should all endeavour to pay the E-Levy so the government could use the accrued money for development, the man of God noted.













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Bishop Stephen Richard Bosomtwe Ayensu, a former Methodist Bishop for Obuasi, has stated that he only remembers former President John Dramani Mahama as being the 'dead goat' President.



He said Mahama seeking another term in office would offer nothing to change the status of Ghanaians.



Bishop Bosomtwe Ayensu further noted that it would be appropriate for the former president to stay away from politics.



He said the former president, having gone through the ranks, i.e. from being an Assembly member through to becoming the President of Ghana, should be enjoying his retirement after losing the 2020 General elections. He said doing so would earn Mahama the status of a statesman.



Speaking on the legacy of the former President on NEAT FM's morning show, 'Ghana Montie', Bishop Bosomtwe Ayensu said Mahama's tenure was terrible, and he cannot remember any good policy from the erstwhile government.



"I only remember him [John Mahama] as a dead goat. This is someone who wants to be president again so he can review the Free SHS policy. Are we serious as a nation?" Bishop Bosomtwe Ayensu quizzed.



The then-president Mahama warned that he would not be shaken by the threat of strikes from labour unions as the country approached the 2016 Election.



"I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don't think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat, and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn't fear the knife because it is dead already.



"I have a dead goat syndrome," he said on March 11, 2015, while speaking to members of the Ghanaian community in Botswana.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has hit back at former President John Dramani Mahama over comments that the next National Democratic Congress government will scrap the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy.)



According to the party, the former President and the NDC will not even win power to allow them to cancel the levy.



In an interview on Accra-based Peace FM on May 9, General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu indicated that the comment from John Mahama was to pacify his followers.



He further stated that revenue from the tax handle will be used for the development of the country.



If you [John Mahama] win, that is when you can change it. What if you dont win, what will you do? We have heard these promises a lot. When we brought talk tax, they embarked on a demonstration.



When they [NDC] came, they rather increased it. They may probably dont have any idea of how to think outside the box to help the country, but when we [NPP] finish implementing [the E-levy].he [John Mahama] wont even come to [power] say you [Mahama] will cancel it.



Lets hope that the needed resources the E-levy will generate will come for us to use it for development which benefits Ghanaians. If you say when you come you will scrap it, you are just saying something to pacify or please your people or because you are in opposition, you are just saying something, John Boadu said on The Platform Show on Peace FM.



Background



John Dramani Mahama at a public lecture dubbed Ghana At A Crossroads on May 2 reiterated the NDCs commitment to abolish the E-levy when it wins power.



According to him, the levy which the NDC has labeled as draconian is imposing an extra burden on Ghanaians.



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., John Mahama told the gathering.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has lamented the insensitive posture of the government amid the rising cost of living standards.



In a May 9, 2022, post on his Facebook timeline, the lawmaker lamented soaring hardship which he said had been brought on by among others, unbridled price hikes, excruciating cost of fuel, 20% increase in transport fares, proposals by ECG for a 100% tariff adjustment, historic unemployment at 13.4% and a draconian E-Levy.



After rhetorically asking whether the government would have looked on as these conditions festered in an election year, Ablakwa asked that politicians must maintain sensitivity to the populace at all times that they are in office.



Sensitivity levels of Ghanaian political leaders must remain the same before and after elections, it read in part citing the Hungarian situation where the Prime Minister is said to have capped fuel and food prices after winning elections last month.



His post titled: Perhaps Ghana should hold national elections every year, coincides with recent requests for tariff adjustment by the state-owned water and electricity distributor.



Prices of two utilities are expected to go up after the Ghana Water Company Limited, GWCL, and the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, made requests for tariff adjustments to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, PURC.



The GWCL wants a 334% increment in tariff whiles the ECG has proposed a 148% increment. Already, some transport operators have hinted that they will increase fares because of the rising cost of petroleum products.



Read Ablakwas full post below



Perhaps Ghana should hold national elections every year.



Soaring hardships caused by unbridled price hikes, excruciating cost of fuel, 20% increase in transport fares, proposals by ECG for a 100% tariff adjustment, historic unemployment at 13.4% and a draconian E-Levy wouldnt have been tolerated the least if this was an election year.



Sensitivity levels of Ghanaian political leaders must remain the same before and after elections.



In Hungary, despite winning his April election, Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to cushion Hungarians by placing a cap on fuel and food prices which he has extended to July 1.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has denied authorising the purchase of presidential forms for him.



A Northern group on Monday, May 9, purchased the form for Jonathan, insisting he must run for president in 2023. According to the group, Jonathan is the only Nigerian leader who has taken interest in Almajiris as he built schools for them during his tenure.



In a statement signed by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, the former President said he was not aware and did not authorise any group to purchase the form.



The statement reads;

It has come to our notice that a group has purportedly purchased Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, of the All Progressives Congress APC, in the name of former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.



We wish to categorically state that Dr. Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorize it.



While we appreciate the overwhelming request by a cross-section of Nigerians, for Dr. Jonathan to make himself available for the 2023 Presidential election, we wish to state, that he has not in anyway, committed himself to this request.

Source: LIB









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Russian president, Vladimir Putin ''did not make any escalatory statement in the Russian President's Victory Day speech Monday, May 9, because he "has recognized he has no victory to celebrate," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has said.



During a speech commemorating Russia's defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II on Monday in Moscow, Putin reiterated his accusation that the West left him no choice but to invade Ukraine.



Russia canceled all flight shows meant for the day while Putin didn't say his next plan in Ukraine - whether to halt the war, continue with the war or even acknowledge a 'victory' as Western intelligence had predicted.



In the first reaction from a Joe Biden administration official to Putin's speech, Thomas-Greenfield said that Putin's war will continue.



"There was no reason for (Putin) to either declare victory or declare a war that he has already been carrying on for more than two months," Thomas-Greenfield said to CNN.



"His efforts in Ukraine have not succeeded," she added. "He was not able to go into Ukraine and bring them to their knees in a few days and have them surrender."



"He didn't announce a withdrawal. He didn't announce a deal with the Ukrainians," she told CNN. "So I suspect and we all assess that this could be a long-term conflict that could carry on for additional months."



Moreover, it would be too strong to say the United States "welcomed" Putin's remarks on Monday, Thomas-Greenfield told CNN, because the "unconscionable war on the Ukrainian people" continues.



"So what we would see as a positive sign is for Putin to pull his troops out of Ukraine and bring this unconscionable war to an end," she said.









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Ghanaian movie star, Yvonne Nelson has opened up on finding love with a man from her country. Speaking in an interview with Kingdom FM in Accra, Nelson disclosed that she has been unlucky in romantic relationships with Ghanaian men.



She added that she had several men she genuinely liked, but they didnt think she liked them, hence their relationship failed.



Nelson said; Finding love in this country is quite difficult. Ghanaian men dont love me, Ive met a couple of people that I liked they didnt even believe that I liked them.



The mother of one also said that she has not had any intercourse in the last two years because she knows how to restrain herself.















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Despite his age, his talent and confidence have made him a symbol of hope and possibilities for many children across the country.



The young DJ has become the rallying figure of hope for many young people in his home region.



His ability to play on the turntable and dance at the same time puts his skills above the regular young person just as his crowd control and influence make him phenomenal to watch.



In Asamankese where he comes from, his ability to combine academic excellence and social skills have become a subject of discussion in homes. Many young people now look up to him to assure themselves that they can still follow their social talents and still perform well in classrooms.



Talented kids show



Awarded the fifth position in the TV3 Talented Kidz, out of over twenty (20) contestants, 8-year-old Samuel Nana Kwame Acheampong, known as DJ Planet, contested as a Disc Jockey (DJ).



The young DJ, born in Ghana in the Eastern region and grew up in Asamankese, is a student at the Deutsch International School, Asamankese, and a class 4 pupil. With support from his family and close friends, he discovered his dream of being a disc jockey at a very young age.



DJ Planet was arguably one of the best contestants. He had the crowd on their feet during his performance, and he usually got positive remarks from the panel of judges. Even though he did not win the competition, he has arguably become very popular.



In one of the episodes, DJ Planet revealed that he takes most of his inspiration from award-winning Ghanaian DJ, DJ Vyruski. He said, "DJ Vyruski is my hero.



On his turntable, DJ Planet is currently on a journey to spin around the planet for a larger audience.



It is not surprising that many corporate brands are lining up to sign him as a brand ambassador for their products.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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A market in Srinagar, Kashmir. Three decades of insurgency in the region have killed tens of thousands of people (AFP/TAUSEEF MUSTAFA) (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA)

Singapore has banned a controversial Indian film over its "provocative and one-sided portrayal" of Muslims in Kashmir that officials fear could provoke religious and ethnic tensions in the city-state.

Released in March and one of India's highest-grossing films this year, "The Kashmir Files" depicts in harrowing detail how several hundred thousand Hindus fled Muslim militants in Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989 and 1990.

The movie has been endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and seized on by Hindu hardliners to stir up hatred against the country's Muslim minority.

Critics say it tackles themes close to the political agenda of Modi's Hindu nationalist government, which has often been accused of marginalising and vilifying Muslims.

The media regulator in Singapore refused to classify the film, meaning it cannot be screened.

The decision was due to the movie's "provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims and the depictions of Hindus being persecuted", officials said in a statement late Wednesday.

"These representations have the potential to cause enmity between different communities, and disrupt social cohesion and religious harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society."

The city-state's population of 5.5 million are mostly ethnic Chinese but it also has large communities of ethnic Malay Muslims and ethnic Indian Hindus.

The film's director, Vivek Agnihotri, lashed out at the decision, tweeting that Singapore was the "most regressive censor in the world".

The tightly-controlled country is sensitive to anything that could trigger ethnic and religious tensions.

It occasionally bans films and publications for fear of inflaming divisions, leading some to ridicule it as a nanny state.

The movie revolves around a university student who learns about the death of his parents in the 1990s in Muslim-majority Kashmir, a disputed region split between India and Pakistan since 1947.

Story continues

Three decades of insurgency in the region -- with Pakistan's backing, according to New Delhi -- and a heavy-handed response by the Indian military have killed tens of thousands of people, mostly Muslims.

Around 200,000 Kashmiri Hindus -- known as Pandits -- fled after the violence began in the late 1980s. Up to 219 may have been killed, according to official figures.

cla/sr/axn
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A team at King's College London, led by Dr. Filippa Lentzos from the Department of War Studies, has used sociologically informed research and stakeholder engagement to strengthen global efforts against biological weaponry.

Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention

The Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC) is an international treaty that prohibits biological weapons. Although an important agreement signed by 183 states, the convention is not robust enough to ease global concerns over the development and use of biological weapons. It clearly forbids the development of biological agents with the intent to cause harm. However, where intent is not clear-cut, it is challenging to assess where the line is between prohibited activities and permitted activities for peaceful or defensive purposes. Further complicating compliance assessment is that the treaty lacks formal verification mechanisms to assess state compliance.

Concern over biological weapons are escalating with scientific advances. Abilities to manipulate genes, biological systems and delivery systems could enable biological weapons to emerge that are more capable and more accessible, with attacks that can be more precisely targeted and are harder to attribute.

Mitigating biological threats

Dr. Lentzos and a team from King's has built a body of research studying the complex relationship between transparency, evidence-based judgments and trust in biodefense programs, areas where the potential for repurposing biological research and development for harm is greatest.

The research has explored the evolving landscape of biological research and development. It has drawn attention to the social context of biological threats, how the likelihood and types of threat are constructed in particular settings, by particular groups of individuals and institutions, and the international efforts to counter them.

Their findings have shown that Cold War-era tools of compliance assessment are becoming increasingly outdated to understanding contemporary bioscience developments on the ground. They argue that the needs of compliance assessments in biological fields are increasing in complexity and require a "multi-level stakeholdership" and qualitative approaches to enable states to demonstrate transparency and build trust more effectively.

Their research emphasized that an expanded "toolbox" of measures is needed to manage and mitigate the potential of biological research and development activities being repurposed to cause harm. In particular, it promoted the use of three modes of regulation: "coercive regulation," or state-level measures such as statutory regulations, reporting requirements, licensing and registration; "normative regulation," which includes code of practice, guidelines and transparency measures; and "mimetic regulation," or models and examples of behaviors, national and international standards, education and awareness-raising. All three modes need to be harnessed to effectively identify, influence and inhibit those who seek to misuse biological research and development activities.

Impact

The body of research, developed over several years, has shaped the agenda of high-level international discussions, contributed to strengthening processes and practices around the BWC, and informed a range of stakeholders on crucial issues surrounding dual use and biological weapons.

Dr. Lentzos' unique position and body of research has made her an expert in this field, regularly being invited to provide technical background reports and high-profile briefings for, among others, the United Nations, the WHO, the European Commission, and more nationally the U.K. Cabinet Office, the U.K. Ministry of Defense and the Royal Society.

The U.K.'s former Disarmament Ambassador in Geneva emphasized the importance of Dr. Lentzos' research, describing her "as a long standing, expert member of civil society [she is] well respected by both the expert and diplomatic communities, having an ability to 'translate' between the two."

Explore further What do we really know about the history of biological weapons use?
Prime Minister leaves Hanoi for US to attend ASEAN-US summit

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a Vietnamese delegation left Hanoi on May 10 for the US to attend the ASEAN-US Special Summit at the invitation of US President Joe Biden.













Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh waves his hand before boarding the plane to the US to attend the ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington. (Photo: VNA)

The Prime Minister will join other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members at the summit on May 12-13 and make a working visit to the US and the United Nations from May 11-17.



Accompanying the PM during the trip are Minister of Public Security To Lam; Minister, Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung; Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha; Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan; Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Hong; Deputy Minister of National Defence Pham Hoai Nam and Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc Dung.



This is the first visit of the PM to the US since the 13th National Party Congress (NPC). This is also the first external activity of ASEAN to take place outside of ASEAN since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.



The PM's trip is to implement the foreign policy in accordance with the Resolution of the 13th NPC on continuing to promote and improve the effectiveness of foreign affairs and international integration, and to continue to carry out the Party Central Committee Secretariats Directive 25 on enhancing and elevating multilateral diplomacy until 2030 and Conclusion 12KL/TW dated August 12, 2021 of the Politburo on overseas Vietnamese affairs in a new period.
Graphic shows the bilayer structure of a living cell membrane, composed of phospholipid. A phospholipid consists of a hydrophilic or water-loving head and hydrophobic or water-fearing tail. The hydrophobic tails are sandwiched between two layers of hydrophilic heads. At the center, a channel is shown, permitting the transport of biomolecules. The new study describes a process for creating artificial channels using segments of DNA that insert into cell membranes and allow the reversible transit of various cargo, including ions and proteins. Credit: Biodesign Institute at ASU

Just as countries import a vast array of consumer goods across national borders, so living cells are engaged in a lively import-export business. Their ports of entry are sophisticated transport channels embedded in a cell's protective membrane. Regulating what kinds of cargo can pass through the borderlands formed by the cell's two-layer membrane is essential for proper functioning and survival.

In new research, Arizona State University professor Hao Yan, along with ASU colleagues and international collaborators from University College London describe the design and construction of artificial membrane channels, engineered using short segments of DNA. The DNA constructions behave much in the manner of natural cell channels or pores, offering selective transport of ions, proteins, and other cargo, with enhanced features unavailable in their naturally occurring counterparts.

These innovative DNA nanochannels may one day be applied in diverse scientific domains, ranging from biosensing and drug delivery applications to the creation of artificial cell networks capable of autonomously capturing, concentrating, storing, and delivering microscopic cargo.

"Many biological pores and channels are reversibility gated to allow ions or molecules to pass through," Yan says. Here we emulate these nature processes to engineer DNA nanopores that can be locked and opened in response to external "key" or "lock" molecules."

Professor Yan is the Milton D. Glick Distinguished Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry at ASU and directs the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics. He is also a professor with ASU's School of Molecular Sciences.

The research findings appear in the current issue of the journal Nature Communications.

All living cells are enveloped in a unique biological structure, the cell membrane. The science-y term for such membranes is phospholipid bilayer, meaning the membrane is formed from phosphate molecules attached to a fat or lipid component to form an outer and inner membrane layer.

These inner and outer membrane layers are a bit like a room's inner and outer walls. But unlike normal walls, the space between inner and outer surfaces is fluid, resembling a sea. Further, cell membranes are said to be semipermeable, allowing designated cargo entry or exit from the cell. Such transport typically occurs when the transiting cargo binds with another molecule, altering the dynamics of the channel structure to permit entry into the cell, somewhat like the opening of the Panama Canal.

Semipermeable cell membranes are necessary for protecting sensitive ingredients within the cell from a hostile environment outside, while allowing the transit of ions, nutrients, proteins and other vital biomolecules.

Researchers, including Yan, have explored the possibility of creating selective membrane channels synthetically, using a technique known as DNA nanotechnology. The basic idea is simple. The double strands of DNA that form the genetic blueprint for all living organisms are held together through the base pairing of the molecule's 4 nucleotides, labelled A, T, C and G. A simple rule applies, namely that A nucleotides always pair with T and C with G. Thus, a DNA segment ATTCTCG would form a complimentary strand with CAAGAGC.

Base pairing of DNA allows the synthetic construction of a virtually limitless array or 2- and 3D nanostructures. Once a structure has been carefully designed, usually with the aid of computer, the DNA segments can be mixed together and will self-assemble in solution into the desired form.

Creating a semipermeable channel using DNA nanotechnology, however, has proven a vexing challenge. Conventional techniques have failed to replicate the structure and capacities of nature-made membrane channels and synthetic DNA nanopores generally permit only one-way transport of cargo.

The new study describes an innovative method, allowing researchers to design and construct a synthetic membrane channel whose pore size permits the transport of larger cargo than natural cell channels can. Unlike previous efforts to create DNA nanopores affixed to membranes, the new technique builds the channel structure step-by-step, by assembling the component DNA segments horizontally with respect to the membrane, rather than vertically. The method permits the construction of nanopores with wider openings, allowing the transport of a greater range of biomolecules.

Further, the DNA design allows the channel to be selectively opened and closed by means of a hinged lid, equipped with a lock and key mechanism. The "keys" consist of sequence-specific DNA strands that bind with the channel's lid and trigger it to open or close.

In a series of experiments, the researchers demonstrate the ability of the DNA channel to successfully transport cargo of varying sizes, ranging from tiny dye molecules to folded protein structures, some larger than the pore dimensions of natural membrane channels.

The researchers used atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to visualize the resulting structures, confirming that they conformed to the original design specifications of the nanostructures.

Fluorescent dye molecules were used to verify that the DNA channels successfully pierced and inserted themselves through the cell's lipid bilayer, successfully providing selective entry of transport molecules. The transport operation was carried out within 1 hour of channel formation, a significant improvement over previous DNA nanopores, which typically require 5-8 hours for complete biomolecule transit.

The DNA nanochannels may be used to capture and study proteins and closely examine their interactions with the biomolecules they bind with or study the rapid and complex folding and unfolding of proteins. Such channels could also be used to exert fine-grained control over biomolecules entering cells, offering a new window on targeted drug delivery. Many other possible applications are likely to arise from the newfound ability to custom design artificial, self-assembling transport channels.

More information: Swarup Dey et al, A reversibly gated protein-transporting membrane channel made of DNA, Nature Communications (2022). Journal information: Nature Communications Swarup Dey et al, A reversibly gated protein-transporting membrane channel made of DNA,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28522-2
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In farming areas across Calfornia's Central Valley, a well-drilling frenzy has accelerated over the last year as growers turn to pumping more groundwater during the drought, even as falling water levels leave hundreds of nearby homes with dry wells.

Counties have continued freely issuing well-drilling permits in the years since California passed a landmark law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, which is intended to address the problem of excessive pumping over the next two decades to preserve groundwater.

Some state legislators are now supporting a bill that they say would strengthen oversight and limit the well-drilling frenzy by requiring a review of permits for new wells by the same local agencies that are charged with managing groundwater.

"It just makes common sense that the agency in charge of trying to get groundwater pumping into a sustainable yield should be able to weigh in on new wells going into that very same aquifer that they're trying to monitor," said Democratic Assembly member Steve Bennett of Ventura, who introduced the bill.

The way the system stands, Bennett said, counties have been signing off on permits and agricultural landowners have been "rushing to get their wells in" before limits on pumping take effect.

"I think the rush to sink more wells will continue, if not accelerate, if we don't have this," Bennett said.

The bill, AB 2201, was approved April 26 by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, and next goes before the Appropriations Committee.

The bill would require so-called groundwater sustainability agencies, which were established under the 2014 law, to weigh in on well permit applications.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in March issued a drought order that similarly prohibits local governments from granting a well-drilling permit if it would be "inconsistent" with the area's groundwater management plan. Newsom's order has slowed the drilling of new wells in parts of the San Joaquin Valley.

But the order brings only temporary measures during the drought, and the bill's proponents argue a similar permanent change is necessary to protect vulnerable communities before more wells run dry.

The legislation would prohibit a local government from approving a well permit unless it obtains written verification from the groundwater sustainability agency that the proposed well is "consistent" with the area's management plan. Groundwater basins that the state deems high or medium priority would be subject to the requirement.

The bill would require agencies to post a notice of each well permit application online and allow 30 days for the public to comment. There would be an exemption for household wells or wells that supply drinking water.

Bennett said the fundamental problem is that new wells have been approved without an analysis of how the pumping will affect other wells in nearby communities.

"Disadvantaged communities need elected officials to stand up for them," Bennett said.

Those who spoke in favor during the committee meeting included Ruth Martinez, from the community of Ducor in Tulare County.

Martinez said her community of about 600 people, mostly Latino farmworkers, long suffered with nitrate contamination in their drinking water, which meant they couldn't safely use the tap water. In 2016, the community received a $1.8 million state grant and drilled a deeper well, nearly 2,000 feet deep, which has provided clean water.

But last year, a new agricultural well was drilled across the street from their well, which she said threatens the community's water supply.

"The county approved this new well without thinking about the impact on our community," Martinez told the legislators.

If the legislation had been in place, Martinez said, the local groundwater agency would have notified the community, and could have rejected the permit application.

Martinez, a board member of the Ducor Community Services District, said residents are concerned about the pumping.

"I am getting many calls and concerns from families about the decreased pressure and the lack of water coming from our taps," Martinez said. "Our brand-new water is failing because the county did not protect us."

The bill's supporters include the group Community Water Center.

"It's absolutely imperative that we connect and close the gap between land-use permitting decisions and sustainable groundwater management," said Kyle Jones, the group's policy director.

For groundwater management to succeed, he said, the state should stop the proliferation of new agricultural wells next to drinking-water wells.

The legislation is opposed by groups representing the agriculture industry.

Brenda Bass of the California Chamber of Commerce said the bill would "create a new permitting regime for groundwater wells that will negatively impact agricultural businesses" and food production.

A large portion of California's water, roughly 80% of the supply that is diverted and pumped, goes to agriculture in a typical year, according to state data. The Central Valley's farmlands produce almonds, pistachios, fruits and vegetables, and also supply large dairies.

Danny Merkley, director of water resources for the California Farm Bureau, said he thinks the bill conflicts with the "locally driven" approach that defined the 2014 groundwater law and is "premature."

The new requirements under Newsom's executive order should be given some time to play out "so we can identify the issues and fine-tune it," Merkley said, before considering permanent legislation.

The water supplies that farms have long relied on, delivered by canals from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, have been cut back during the drought. Growers have traditionally turned to more groundwater pumping during dry times, and aquifer levels in the Central Valley have been declining for decades.

With climate change bringing hotter temperatures and intensifying droughts, the pressures on the limited supply of groundwater continue to mount.

The 2014 law is expected to eventually bring pumping limits that force growers to leave some farmland dry and unplanted.

Measurements by NASA satellites have documented the depletion of vast quantities of water over the last two decades. So much water has been extracted from aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley that the land is sinking as clay soils collapse, a problem that has damaged canals and cracked roads.

In the Tulare Basin, the ground is sinking at a rate of about a foot per year.

According to statewide data, more than 3,900 dry household wells have been reported since 2013, and the number of dry wells has risen dramatically over the last year. The state received reports of 975 household wells that ran dry in 2021, many in farming areas in the Central Valley.

An additional 162 dry wells have been reported so far this year.

The state Department of Water Resources recently reviewed plans submitted by local groundwater agencies and told agencies in farming areas of the San Joaquin Valley that their plans are "incomplete" and will require changes to address widespread risks of more wells going dry, as well as other problems.

"We have a real problem in California with the issue of water," Bennett said. "We have a disconnect between those who are managing the basin for sustainable yield and those who are approving the sinking of the new wells at the same time."

Bennett said he's been thinking about the need to address the problem for some time, and he decided to introduce the bill after reading a Los Angeles Times article examining the well-drilling frenzy in the San Joaquin Valley. The analysis by the Times found that more than 6,200 agricultural wells have been drilled in the valley since the groundwater law was passed in 2014.

"I think that tipped the balance for me to say, 'We're going to do it this year,'" Bennett said.

He introduced the bill in January, and it has since been amended.

Because the bill faces opposition from agricultural groups, Bennett said he expects a "huge battle" to try to get it passed.

Fran Pavley, a former state senator who helped draft the 2014 law, said the bill is a necessary update.

"Can you allow an unlimited new number of wells to be added?" said Pavley, who is now environmental policy director at the University of Southern California Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy.

"There needs to be additional oversight on the local level," Pavley said. "We're still in a race to the bottom."

Explore further Unlined waste disposal pits endanger groundwater in San Joaquin Valley

2022 Los Angeles Times.

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Artists concept of the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST). Credit: Jaimito130805, CC BY-SA 4.0

Distant galaxies, dark matter, dark energy and the origin and evolution of the universe itself are some of the many scientific goals of China's newly announced space telescope. If all goes according to plan, the China Space Station Telescope (CSST) will blast off atop a Long March 5B rocket sometime in late 2023. Once in a safe orbit, CSST should begin observations in 2024. Judging by these research topics, it looks like the Chinese Academy of Sciences is throwing down an impressive scientific gauntlet for itself and its astronomers.

What it means to have a space telescope

Owning and operating a space telescope really opens the doors to a treasury of information about the universe. Certainly, that's what motivated the creation of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The dream of cosmic exploration motivated Hermann Oberth in the 1920s to write semi-science-fictional treatises about orbiting telescopes on asteroids. In his view, astronomers would live and work in space while using the telescope for extended periods of time. Their view would be unobstructed by Earth and its atmosphere. That vision inspired a number of later scientists to start planning a space telescope for real. Their work culminated in HST, the first of the so-called "great observatories" lofted to orbit. The others are Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and Spitzer Space Telescope.

Scientifically, orbiting space telescopes offer huge payoffs across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, before HST, no one really had a good idea of the extent of galaxies in the universe. The famous Hubble Deep Field views let astronomers observe stars and galaxies as they were shortly after the Big Bang, in both visible and infrared light. HST revealed glimpses of the large-scale structure in the cosmos and objects as small as exoplanets, comets, and asteroids. All the great observatories set the stage for new generations of orbiting instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, the European Space Agency's GAIA, NASA's WISE telescope, and now, the CSST.

NASAs Great Observatories (CGRO, Chandra, HST and Spitzer) with the electromagnetic thermometer scale. X-Rays are associated with high temperatures of about 10 million  100 million K. Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss

China enters the space telescope fray

Given the potential scientific rewards, it's not surprising that China is joining the "big space telescope club." It's also a source of national pride, especially if they can "out-Hubble Hubble." For example, once CSST is operational, Chinese scientists hope to survey the sky and observe more than 1 billion galaxies. Their instruments should let them get highly precise measurements of galaxy shapes, positions and brightnesses. They'll use the telescope to go after exoplanets, star birth regions, and other distant objects, gathering incredible amounts of high-resolution data.

China's astronomers hope their telescope will provide, as HST has done and JWST will do, more insight into the extent and distribution of dark matter. It might even give them better clues about the dark energy that affects the expansion of the universe. And, as HST and other telescopes have been, CSST will be a point of inspiration. It will, its designers hope, show new generations of Chinese scientists how to explore the cosmos.

Explore CSST: A next-generation space telescope

So what do we know about CSST? Picture in your mind a giant orbiting observatory. It's about the length of a three-story building and the width of a school bus. It has a 2-meter aperture and a three-mirror array set in an off-axis configuration. This observatory has a state-of-the-art survey camera, multi-channel imager, integral field spectrograph, cool-planet imaging coronagraph, and a terahertz receiver. The telescope can scan the sky using 30 81-megapixel detectors, and it is sensitive to near-infrared, visible, and near-ultraviolet light.

Rendering of Tiangong Space Station between October 2021 and March 2022, with Tianhe core module in the middle, Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft on the left, Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft on the right, and Shenzhou-13 crewed spacecraft at nadir. Credit: Shujianyang, CC BY-SA 4.0

That's just a small taste of what CSST promises to do and be, according to scientists at the academy. Not surprisingly, they often compare it to Hubble and its 32 years of breathtaking observations. If the telescope goes up as planned, it will definitely surpass HST in many ways.

Li Ran, project scientist for CSST's Scientific Data Reduction System, pointed out that HST's field of view is small compared to the CSST's, which is 300 times larger. Where Hubble sees a small part of the sky at one time, CSST will see a much bigger picture. Li used the analogy of photographing a flock of sheep to explain its capabilities by comparison. "Hubble may see a sheep, but the CSST sees thousands, all at the same resolution," he said in a press release statement.

An observatory with its own service bay

One of the most unique aspects of CSST is where it will go in space. Originally, the telescope was going to be attached to the Tiangong space station, but that changed. For one thing, there's too much chance of cross-contamination from spacecraft coming and going. For another, CSST is so sensitive that it can't be attached to the station. Vibration, stray light, and possible obstructed views would interfere with the telescope operations. Current plans are to put it in the same orbit as the station (at about 265 miles altitude), but a safe distance away.

When the observatory needs any kind of servicing, it can maneuver over to Tiangong for refueling and other maintenance activities. That plan reflects a lesson learned from HST's 70's-era design. NASA paid for five on-orbit visits by astronauts to refurbish the observatory. So making the CSST serviceable by the station astronauts turns out to be a money-saver for the Chinese.

CSST (also known as Xuntian and Chinese Survey Space Telescope) is currently under final construction. It has been in planning and development since 2010.

Explore further Hubble passes 1-billion-second mark
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a Tianzhou-4 spacecraft docks with China's under-construction space station, as seen on a video screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the country's under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP

A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the country's under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month.

The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1:56 a.m. from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan. State media said it docked with the station about seven hours later.

The cargo vessel is carrying supplies for the next crew's six-month stay, along with research equipment and spare parts for maintaining the station.

The station's last crew returned to Earth last month after six months on the station, China's longest space mission to date.

China intends to finish building the station this year with the addition of two laboratory modules in July and October to link with the Tianhe living module that was launched in April 2021. Another cargo craft, the Tianzhou-3, remains docked with the station.

China's space program launched its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, making China only the third country to do so using its own resources after the former Soviet Union and the U.S.

It has landed robot rovers on the moon and placed one on Mars last year. China has also returned samples from the moon, and officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon.

The government announced in 2020 that China's first reusable spacecraft had landed following a test flight but no photos or details have been released.

China is excluded from the International Space Station due to U.S. unease that its space program is run by the ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army.

The Shenzhou 14 crewed mission is scheduled to launch next month for a six month stay. Toward the end of that mission, three more astronauts will be launched aboard Shenzhou 15 for a further six months, with the two crews overlapping for three to five days, marking the first time the station has six people aboard.

Explore further China sending up next space station crew in June

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports has revealed the strongest evidence to date that all bison in North America carry multiple small, but clearly identifiable, regions of DNA that originated from domestic cattle.

In the study, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) researchers, led by James Derr and Brian Davis, compared genome sequences among the major historical lineages of bison to 1,842 domestic cattle, establishing that all analyzed bison genomes contained evidence of cattle introgression.

"This comparative study clearly documents that the people responsible for saving the bison from extinction in the late 1800s are also responsible for introducing cattle genetics into this species," Derr said.

This study updates findings from a series of studies published 20 years ago in which Derr's team revealed that only a few bison herds existed that appeared to be free of domestic cattle introgression. Now, with better genetic technology, these researchers have shown that even those herds are not free from hybridization.

"Today, it appears that all major public, private, tribal, and non-governmental organization bison herds have low levels of cattle genomic introgression," said Sam Stroupe, a Ph.D. student in Derr's lab and first author of the study. "This includes Yellowstone National Park, as well as Elk Island National Park in Canada, which were thought to be free of cattle introgression based on previous genetic studies."

Derr said that these new findings will also have ramifications for bison conservation efforts; in this case, their findings could actually make conservation efforts easier, since certain herds will no longer need to be isolated.

Legacy of crossbreeding

This shared genetic ancestry is the result of multiple hybridization events between North American bison and cattle over the last 200 years, which followed the well-documented bison population crash of the 1800s.

Those hybridization events were mostly human-made, as cattle ranchers in the late 1800s intentionally bred domestic cattle with bison in an effort to create a better beef-producing animal. While the crossbreeding was successful, they failed to achieve their main purpose, and the effort was largely abandoned.

At the same time, William Hornaday and the American Bison Society were beginning national conservation efforts, sounding the alarm that North American bison were being driven to extinction. As a result, a national movement began to establish new bison conservation populations and preserve existing bison populations.

However, the only bison available to establish these new conservation herds were almost exclusively animals from the cattlemen's private herds.

"As a result, these well-intentioned hybridization efforts leave a complicated genetic legacy," Davis said. "Without these private herds, it is possible bison would have become extinct. At the same time, this intentional introduction of interspecies DNA resulted in remnant cattle footprints in the genomes of the entire contemporary species.

"We now have the computational and molecular tools to compare bison genomic sequences to thousands of cattle and conclusively determine the level and distribution of domestic cattle genetics in bison that represent each of these historical bison lineages," he said.

According to Derr, it is important to recognize that although hybridization between closely related wildlife species has occurred naturally over timewell-known examples include coyotes and eastern wolves, grizzlies and polar bears, and bobcats and Canadian lynxthe bison-cattle hybridization is almost entirely a purposeful, human-made event that happened to coincide with the tremendous population bottleneck of the late 1800s.

"Two primary events, an extremely small bison population size and widespread interest in developing hybrid animals, changed and shaped the genomes of this species in ways we are just now starting to understand," Derr said. "Nevertheless, this species did survive and now they are thriving across the plains of North America."

Reactions from the bison conservation community

As one of the world's most iconic animals, bison play a number of important, and sometimes conflicting, roles in society.

While some consider them a wildlife species that shouldn't be domesticated, others consider them an important economic livestock animal; although bison are raised as wildlife in state and federal parks and wildlife refuges, most bison alive today are owned by private ranchers and are raised for meat and fiber production.

To others, they hold religious and spiritual roles, as well as being icons of continental pride. In 2016, bison were even named the U.S. national mammal.

"Though viewed in different ways, bison conservation is a priority to many different groups, and it is imperative that we agree to use the best available scientific information to make decisions moving forward," Stroupe said. "These findings clearly show that, using modern genomic biotechnology, we can uncover many historical details regarding the past histories of a species and use this information to provide informed stewardship in establishing conservation policies into the future."

While many of these livestock herds are rather small with 100 animals or less, there are some exceptions. Turner Enterprises in Bozeman, Mont., is the largest private producer of bison, with over 45,000 animals spread across multiple states.

According to Mark Kossler, vice president of ranch operations, Turner Enterprises will use this new information to further improve its conservation efforts.

"Turner Enterprises has used the bison genetic work of Texas A&M University for the last 20 years to structure genetic management of our maternal herds concerning cattle mitochondrial DNA introgression," he said. "We were fully aware that advancing technology and mapping of the entire bison genome could reveal that all bison nuclear DNA could have cattle introgression as well.

"Knowing that the North American Bison herd has widespread introgression of cattle DNA, though in small amounts, will allow our operations to structure future genetic management between our herds to maintain broad genetic diversity without the worry of cross contaminating herds that were perceived to be 'clean' of introgression," he said. "This is helpful information for the bison community. We are appreciative of Texas A&M University's research and diligence in providing the bison community the final answer on this question of bison genetic purity."

Les Kroeger, president of the Canadian Bison Association, which helped fund Derr's research, agreed that better information is always a positive step for their sustainability and conservation efforts.

"As research tools improve, we gain a better understanding of the complex history of bison," he said. "With this information we can continue to lead the way to grow healthy populations of this iconic animal for future generations to enjoy. The commercial bison industry continues to support research and conservation initiatives while continuing to sustainably produce a high-quality protein for consumers to enjoy."

Chad Kremer, president of the National Bison Association, added that the information will give bison producers across the country better information to manage their herds.

"The National Bison Association welcomes these research findings as we continue to unravel the long and complicated history of the American bison's genetic lineage," he said. "Research projects such as this continue to assist producers in their ability to maintain healthy and diverse genetics in bison herds today. Genetics are a cornerstone of modern-day herd management, and something the National Bison Association promotes heavily in its outreach and education to producers across the continent through our North American Bison Registry. It is our hope that bison producers will utilize this data and technology to continue to improve their own herds' genetics while continuing to restore bison to their native landscape."

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More information: Sam Stroupe et al, Genomic evaluation of hybridization in historic and modern North American Bison (Bison bison), Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports Sam Stroupe et al, Genomic evaluation of hybridization in historic and modern North American Bison (Bison bison),(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09828-z
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Fruit flies continue to mate with each other even when infected with deadly pathogensreveals a study by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

According to results published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, both male and female fruit flies infected with bacterial pathogens show normal levels of courtship and mating success.

Mounting an immune response is energetically 'costly', so infections are typically thought to reduce the amount of energy available for other activities such as mating. Surprisingly, however, this study demonstrated that infected fruit flies continued to engage in courtship and mating, regardless of whether either the male or the female fly was infected.

Dr. Carolina Rezaval, the research team leader at the University of Birmingham explains: "Animals have limited energy resources that need to be distributed among different activities, like fighting an infection or mating. We were interested to understand how animals prioritize and balance their investment in immune defense and reproduction."

Saloni Rose, a Ph.D. student with Dr. Rezaval, tackled this question using the fruit fly Drosophila. By infecting both male and female fruit flies with different pathogens, ranging in type and severity, she made the surprising discovery that courtship and mating behaviors were similar in both infected and uninfected flies. This was also true when the flies' immune system was artificially activated using genetic manipulation. Moreover, uninfected flies mated equally frequently with both infected and healthy partners, suggesting that they do not select against mates who are infected.

Flies are not oblivious to infection, however. Previous studies have shown that infected flies can show abnormal locomotion, sleep and feeding behaviors. Consequently, this new study suggests that courtship and mating behaviors are prioritized, even when other behaviors are altered during the development of the infection.

When faced with a potential life threat, some animals respond by investing more into reproduction, likely in attempt to pass on genes to the next generation. This may well be what is happening with fruit flies in the conditions tested in the lab. More work is needed to find out what is going on in the brain to maintain reproductive behaviors in the face of infection.

The team worked in collaboration with Professor Marc Dionne (Imperial College), Dr. Esteban Beckwith (IFIBYNE, Argentina) and Professor Robin May (Birmingham University).

More information: Saloni Rose et al, Pre-copulatory reproductive behaviours are preserved in Drosophila melanogaster infected with bacteria, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0492 , Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Saloni Rose et al, Pre-copulatory reproductive behaviours are preserved in Drosophila melanogaster infected with bacteria,(2022). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0492 , royalsocietypublishing.org/doi  .1098/rspb.2022.0492
A new report, Care Work in the Recovery Economy: Towards a Caring Economy, from the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management highlights key issues about a post-COVID-19 society where care is centered and provides considerations and research questions for care policies and care research. Credit: Institute for Gender and Economy

As society continues to emerge from COVID-19 into a recovery economy, questions about the future of care also emerge. In Canada, the pandemic revealed existing problems with the care economy such as the poor conditions in long-term care homes and the dearth of affordable and high-quality early childhood education as well as the low pay and poor working care workers face on a daily basis.

A new report, Care Work in the Recovery Economy: Towards a Caring Economy, from the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management highlights key issues about a post-COVID-19 society where care is centered and provides considerations and research questions for care policies and care research. Earlier this year GATE convened a virtual research roundtable with support from Women and Gender Equality Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Over 60 scholars and practitioners at the workshop presented their research, identified research agendas, and discussed policy implications for the future of care, which is summarized in the report.

The report suggests prioritizing care and the caring economy in research and policymaking will ensure better outcomes in future crises. Among some of the considerations, one of the key gaps in developing effective government and organizational policy is the lack of data on the care economy. Data collection and analysis should capture the complexity of the care economy especially by focusing on historically neglected care activities. This may include data on the value of unpaid care, on less direct forms of care work, and on temporary and migrant care workers and their transitions in and out of care work.

The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on care workers suggests the importance of making their physical and mental well-being a policy and research priority, including through ensuring high-quality working conditions with labor protections. And policy makers should include care workers' voices in policymaking and aligning policies with communities and care workers rather than making policy for them may result in more effective policy outcomes. The report also suggests care policy should not be seen as independent of other government policy making. For example, integrating care policies with immigration policy would help care workers, including temporary workers.

The report was written by Laura Lam, a Ph.D. student at UofT's Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources and a researcher with the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration; Carmina Ravanera, a research associate at GATE; and, Sarah Kaplan, Distinguished Professor of Gender & the Economy and Professor of Strategic Management, and director of GATE.

Explore further Study: Why some care workers oppose mandatory vaccination
Map of Aleutian Arc, Alaska with glaciated volcanoes represented with yellow circles. Glaciated volcanoes from left to right are Gareloi, Takawangha, Moffett, Vsevidof, Recheschnoi, Makushin, Westdahl, Shishaldin, Isanotski, Dutton, Veniaminof, and Spurr. Credit: Frontiers in Earth Science (2022). DOI: 10.3389/feart.2022.868569

The Westdahl Peak volcano in Alaska last erupted in 1992, and continued expansion hints at another eruption soon. Experts previously forecasted the next blast to occur by 2010, but the volcanolocated under about 1 kilometer of glacial icehas yet to erupt again. Using the Westdahl Peak volcano as inspiration, a new volcanic modeling study examined how glaciers affect the stability and short-term eruption cycles of high-latitude volcanic systemssome of which exist along major air transportation routes.

The study, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate researcher Lilian Lucas, with graduate student Jack Albright, former graduate student Yan Zhan and geology professor Patricia Gregg, used finite element numerical modeling to study the stability of the rock that surrounds volcanic systemsbut with a new twist. The team accounted for the additional pressure from glacial ice volcanoes when forecasting the timing of eruptions.

"Volcanic forecasting involves a lot of variables, including the depth and size of a volcano's magma chamber, the rate at which magma fills that chamber and the strength of the rocks that contain the chamber, to name a few," Lucas said. "Accounting for overlying pressure from polar ice caps is another critical, yet poorly understood, variable."

The Westdahl Peak volcano, located along the Aleutian Island chain in western Alaska, serves as a great model for study because it is well instrumented and continuously monitored by the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the researchers said.

"The Aleutian Islands are fairly remote, but they lie along a major air transportation and trade route connecting North America and East Asia," Albright said. "Volcanic ash in the atmosphere is hazardous to aircraft engines and can cause major disruptions in air traffic, so more accurate forecastingeven on the scale of monthscan provide critical safety information for air traffic and nearby inhabitants."

To determine how overlying pressure from polar ice can affect the timing of eruptions, the team ran computer simulations of magma reservoirs of different sizes and shapes, the study reported. Researchers varied the flux, or amount of magma that enters the system from below, to determine when the corresponding pressure exceeds the strength of the surrounding rock, which may cause rock failure leading to an eruption.

"We then insert parameters for different thickness of ice into each model scenario and compare how long it takes to reach that point of failure with and without ice," Albright said.

The study reported that relative to the time it should take for Westdahl Peak to erupt without glacial ice, the presence of ice will increase the stability of the magma system and delay the eruption date by approximately seven years.

"More specifically, the models without the presence of the confining pressure of the ice cap calculated a time to eruption of about 93 years," Lucas said. "Adding a 1-kilometer-thick ice cap to the model then increases the eruption date to approximately 100 years. Models are not a perfect tool to use in forecasting future eruptions, however, we are mainly interested in the increase in this time as a result of the increased ice load."

In general, the study results indicated that ice thicknesses of 1 to 3 kilometers can delay ice-covered volcano eruptions for years to decades.

"These increases in time may seem insignificant on a geologic scale, but it is significant on the human time scale," Gregg said. "Going forward, it will be important to account for glacial ice cover in future forecasting efforts."

The team acknowledged that previous studies considered how seasonal changes such as annual snow cover might affect the eruption interval of volcanoes. However, when compared with the total overlying load that the magma chamber must overcome to erupt, small seasonal variations are unlikely to play a major role for most systems.

"Seasonal ice loss may impact eruption timing for systems close to failure," Zhan said. "Furthermore, it will be important to consider how climate change and glacial ice melt might impact Westdahl Peak and other high-latitude volcanoes in the future."

The results of the study are published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.

Explore further Researchers unveil new volcanic eruption forecasting technique

More information: Lilian C. Lucas et al, The Impact of Ice Caps on the Mechanical Stability of Magmatic Systems: Implications for Forecasting on Human Timescales, Frontiers in Earth Science (2022). www.frontiersin.org/articles/1  art.2022.868569/full Lilian C. Lucas et al, The Impact of Ice Caps on the Mechanical Stability of Magmatic Systems: Implications for Forecasting on Human Timescales,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/feart.2022.868569
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Increased investment in public schools pays off through reductions in adult crime, according to a new University of Michigan study.

The Education Policy Initiative brief, Public School Funding, School Quality, and Adult Crime, investigates the correlation between increased funding for public schools and reduced crime rates. Using data from the Michigan Department of Education, Center for Educational Performance, National Student Clearinghouse and Michigan State Police, the authors tracked two groups of students from kindergarten to adulthood.

"Michigan's school funding equalization process led to otherwise similar students receiving drastically different funding amounts during elementary school," the report says. "Some students with 'luck' attended elementary school in a school district and year in which the state assigned large increases in spending in order to equalize funds across districts."

The authors, E. Jason Baron, Joshua Hyman and Brittany Vasquez, compared the outcomes of the "treated" students with "control" studentsthose attending schools in districts and years that did not receive large funding increases.

Tracking the outcomes of these two groups of students, the researchers come to several conclusions:

Students who attended better-funded elementary schools were taught by teachers with greater experience and earning higher salaries, were in smaller class sizes, and attended schools with a larger number of administrators such as vice principals.

Students who attended better-funded schools were 15% less likely to be arrested through age 30.

A likely reason for the observed reduction in adult arrests is that students in better-funded schools had better academic and behavioral outcomes and higher educational attainment.

The reductions in adult crime alone generate social savings that exceed the costs to the government of increasing school funding.

The authors propose two key policy takeaways. First, they emphasize that increases in public school funding early in children's lives can reduce adult crime.

"While many policies focus on the crime-deterring effects of additional policing or tougher criminal justice sanctions, our findings highlight that early investments in children's lives can prevent contact with the adult criminal justice system," the researchers say in the study. "Specifically, our results show that improving public schools can keep children on a path of increased school engagement and completion, thereby lowering their criminal propensity in adulthood."

Second, the authors highlight that increases in public school funding generate important benefits to society, not just improved academic outcomes and educational attainment. Such investments, they add, "have benefits that extend beyond their intended purpose and recipients."

Explore further High schoolers who change schools during academic year are 40% more likely to drop out
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A new study lead by Dr. Ellen Coombs, who studied her Ph.D. at The Natural History Museum and University College London, has revealed for the first time that the diversity we see in whale (Cetacea) skulls was achieved through three key periods of rapid evolution.

The study gathered the most expansive 3D scan data set ever for Cetacea skulls spanning 88 living species (representing 95% of extant cetacean species) and 113 fossil species and covering 50 million years of evolution.

Whales have a fascinating evolutionary history transitioning from being land-based to wholly aquatic in just eight million years. Specimens are well documented historically because their bodies are easily preserved in ocean sediment and their large size has made them much easier to find and recover for study.

Dr. Ellen Coombs says, "We've gathered the most expansive cranial data set for whales which exists on the planet. Our data came from both specimens of living species and fossilized whales, 32 of which are held in the Natural History Museum's collections

"In-fact the data used for the largest whale species, and animal, ever to have existedthe blue whale, came from Hope the Museum's prized blue whale skeleton which hangs in Hintze Hall.

"Because the cranium captures many of the most extreme shifts in feeding, respiration, and sensory structures, it is ideal for understanding these rapid and radical changes, but no previous study has reconstructed the evolution of the cetacean cranium through the full breadth of their extinct and living diversity."

The newly published research revealed that there have been three rapid bursts of whale evolution the first being 47.842 million years ago (Mya). This is when the ancient whales known as Archaeocetes first took to the water and showed rapid changes in their skull morphology, possibly due to a lack of competition resulting in changes that would allow species to take advantage of abundant food resources.

Dr. Coombs comments "Within eight million years, the ancestors of whales go from being fully terrestrial, such as the four-legged, furry Pakicetus which lived around the edge of the Tethys Sea, to fully aquatic.

"This is super quick in evolutionary terms."

The second wave of diversification came 39 Mya when we saw the divergence of toothed whales, Odontoceti, and the baleen whales, Mysticeti. The Odontocetes underwent drastic changes to the nasal and facial regions of the skull to allow more specialized echolocation whilst the Mysticete skull adapted to allow bulk feeding of smaller prey items.

Finally, 1810 Mya we see highly specialized cranial evolution especially in species such as the sperm whale. The refinement of echolocation has meant these toothed whales no longer needed to see their prey and could dive deeper and become more specialized feeders. The study also revealed that throughout their history the Mysticetes seem to evolve at a slower pace than Odontocetes. It appears that mysticetes achieved an optimal morphology for filter feeding and their skulls haven't had to change much, except for in size, since.

Dr. Coombs adds, "One thing we are really proud of with this study is the distribution of specimens included.

"For this study we made a concerned effort to include important specimens from the Southern hemisphere including Peru and New Zealand. This way we hoped to give an accurate view of the evolution of a group that have truly conquered the globe."

It is hoped that future work can utilize these findings whilst studying environmental changes to fully understand whale evolution and predict and protect against changes that may endanger these incredible creatures.

The study "The tempo of cetacean cranial evolution" is published in Current Biology.

Explore further Skulls of toothed whales have become more asymmetric over time, study finds

More information: Ellen J. Coombs et al, The tempo of cetacean cranial evolution, Current Biology (2022). Journal information: Current Biology Ellen J. Coombs et al, The tempo of cetacean cranial evolution,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.060
This spectrogram shows the largest quake ever detected on another planet. Estimated at magnitude 5, this quake was discovered by NASAs InSight lander on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ETH Zurich

NASA's InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet: an estimated magnitude 5 temblor that occurred on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This adds to the catalog of more than 1,313 quakes InSight has detected since landing on Mars in November 2018. The largest previously recorded quake was an estimated magnitude 4.2 detected Aug. 25, 2021.

InSight was sent to Mars with a highly sensitive seismometer, provided by France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), to study the deep interior of the planet. As seismic waves pass through or reflect off material in Mars' crust, mantle, and core, they change in ways that seismologists can study to determine the depth and composition of these layers. What scientists learn about the structure of Mars can help them better understand the formation of all rocky worlds, including Earth and its moon.

A magnitude 5 quake is a medium-size quake compared to those felt on Earth, but it's close to the upper limit of what scientists hoped to see on Mars during InSight's mission. The science team will need to study this new quake further before being able to provide details such as its location, the nature of its source, and what it might tell us about the interior of Mars.

"Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we've been waiting for 'the big one,'" said Bruce Banerdt, InSight's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission. "This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come."

This spectrogram shows the largest quake ever detected on another planet. Estimated at magnitude 5, this quake was discovered by NASAs InSight lander on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ETH Zurich

The large quake comes as InSight is facing new challenges with its solar panels, which power the mission. As InSight's location on Mars enters winter, there's more dust in the air, reducing available sunlight. On May 7, 2022, the lander's available energy fell just below the limit that triggers safe mode, where the spacecraft suspends all but the most essential functions. This reaction is designed to protect the lander and may occur again as available power slowly decreases.

This image shows InSights domed Wind and Thermal Shield, which covers its seismometer, called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

After the lander completed its prime mission at the end of 2020, meeting its original science goals, NASA extended the mission through December 2022.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Attempts to build a more equitable and inclusive society has taken a step forward with the discovery of a "diversity illusion" by a team of researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU). Their findings clearly show that within a social setting most people significantly overestimate the presence of a minorityand this overestimation is made not only by the majority but also by the minority themselves. Moreover, they found that this illusion is likely to hamper attempts to build a more equitable society, as it leads to less support for policies aimed at promoting diversity. Their findings were published in PNAS, the journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"I believe that our work has immediate and real-life implications," said research team leader, Professor Ran Hassin at HU's Psychology Department and The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality. To counteract this bias, he suggests two things must be done to improve decision making: The actual numbers of the minority need to be made known and people need to understand how they are affected by this cognitive bias. But being aware of the diversity illusion is just the first step, explains Hassin. "We also need to be motivated to fix it," then we can move toward the implementation of better policies.

The HU team's first experiment focused on students at the university, where the majority is Jewish-Israeli and the minority (around 12%) is Palestinian-Israeli (Arab). The students were asked to recall instances of walking through the main hallway of the university campus and estimate what percentage of Arab students there are at the university. Both Jewish and Arab students gave much higher estimates (Jewish students estimated 31% and Arab students estimated 35%).

"At first, we couldn't believe the results, so we ran the same experiment several times," says Dr. Rasha Kardosh, a postdoctoral student. It was in fact Dr. Kardosh who initially suggested this research project. She had been amazed to discover that it had never been researched before. As a social psychologist from a minority group (namely, Arab), she has been able to bring new perspectives to the field.

These first astonishing results were repeated in several other experiments, including one with American participants viewing a grid of a 100 student faces, with 25% of African American faces randomly scattered among white ones. A vast overestimation of the minority (over 40%) was recorded by both white and African American participants, confirming that being part of the minority had no effect on gauging the correct estimate of fellow-minorities.

For an explanation of the diversity illusion, Dr. Kadosh points to the well-established fact that "our cognitive system switches its focus to what it doesn't expect. Just think of walking through the vegetable section of a supermarket and suddenly seeing a bottle of laundry detergent among the potatoes." In a social setting, that focus can be on the minority group, and the shift of focus makes the event claim more importance in our perception and memories; the result is an overestimation of the minority. Both she and Prof. Hassin now plan to investigate how this effect impacts on our perception of other minorities.

Explore further Fear of disloyalty drives bias against bicultural immigrants

More information: Rasha Kardosh et al, Minority salience and the overestimation of individuals from minority groups in perception and memory, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Rasha Kardosh et al, Minority salience and the overestimation of individuals from minority groups in perception and memory,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116884119
A 3D representation of the spin-excitation continuuma possible hallmark of a quantum spin liquidobserved in 2019 in a single crystal sample of cerium zirconium pyrochlore. Credit: Tong Chen/Rice University

Computational detective work by U.S. and German physicists has confirmed that cerium zirconium pyrochlore is a 3D quantum spin liquid.

Despite the name, quantum spin liquids are solid materials in which quantum entanglement and the geometric arrangement of atoms frustrate the natural tendency of electrons to magnetically order themselves in relation to one another. The geometric frustration in a quantum spin liquid is so severe that electrons fluctuate between quantum magnetic states no matter how cold they become.

Theoretical physicists routinely work with quantum mechanical models that manifest quantum spin liquids, but finding convincing evidence that they exist in actual physical materials has been a decades-long challenge. While a number of 2D or 3D materials have been proposed as possible quantum spin liquids, Rice University physicist Andriy Nevidomskyy has said there's no established consensus among physicists that any of them qualify.

Nevidomskyy is hoping that will change based on the computational sleuthing he and colleagues from Rice, Florida State University and the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, published this month in the open-access journal npj Quantum Materials.

"Based on all the evidence we have today, this work confirms that the single crystals of the cerium pyrochlore identified as candidate 3D quantum spin liquids in 2019 are indeed quantum spin liquids with fractionalized spin excitations," he said.

The inherent property of electrons that leads to magnetism is spin. Each electron behaves like a tiny bar magnet with a north and south pole, and when measured, individual electron spins always point up or down. In most everyday materials, spins point up or down at random. But electrons are anti-social by nature, and this can cause them to arrange their spins in relation to their neighbors in some circumstances. In magnets, for example, spins are collectively arranged in the same direction, and in antiferromagnets they are arranged in an up-down, up-down pattern.

At very low temperatures, quantum effects become more prominent, and this causes electrons to arrange their spins collectively in most materials, even those where spins would point in random directions at room temperature. Quantum spin liquids are a counterexample, where spins do not point in a definite directioneven up or downno matter how cold the material becomes.

"A quantum spin liquid, by its very nature, is an example of a fractionalized state of matter," said Nevidomskyy, associate professor of physics and astronomy and a member of both the Rice Quantum Initiative and the Rice Center for Quantum Materials (RCQM). "The individual excitations are not spin flips from up to down or vice versa. They're these bizarre, delocalized objects that carry half of one spin degree of freedom. It's like half of a spin."

Nevidomskyy was part of the 2019 study led by Rice experimental physicist Pengcheng Dai that found the first evidence that cerium zirconium pyrochlore was a quantum spin liquid. The team's samples were the first of their kind: Pyrochlores because of their 2-to-2-to-7 ratio of cerium, zirconium and oxygen, and single crystals because the atoms inside were arranged in a continuous, unbroken lattice. Inelastic neutron scattering experiments by Dai and colleagues revealed a quantum spin liquid hallmark, a continuum of spin excitations measured at temperatures as low as 35 millikelvin.

"You could argue that they found the suspect and charged him with the crime," Nevidomskyy said. "Our job in this new study was to prove to the jury that the suspect is guilty."

Nevidomskyy and colleagues built their case using state-of-the-art Monte Carlo methods, exact diagonalization as well as analytical tools to perform the spin dynamics calculations for an existing quantum mechanical model of cerium zirconium pyrochlore. The study was conceived by Nevidomskyy and Max Planck's Roderich Moessner, and the Monte Carlo simulations were performed by Florida State's Anish Bhardwaj and Hitesh Changlani, with contributions from Rice's Han Yan and Max Planck's Shu Zhang.

"The framework for this theory was known, but the exact parameters, of which there are at least four, were not," Nevidomskyy said. "In different compounds, these parameters could have different values. Our goal was to find those values for cerium pyrochlore and determine whether they describe a quantum spin liquid."

U.S. and German physicists found evidence that cerium zirconium pyrochlore crystals are octupolar quantum spin liquids in which octupolar magnetic moments (red and blue) contribute to fractionalized magnetism. Credit: A. Nevidomskyy/Rice University

"It would be like a ballistics expert who is using Newton's second law to calculate a bullet's trajectory," he said. "Newton's law is known, but it only has predictive power if you supply the initial conditions like the bullet's mass and initial velocity. Those initial conditions are analogous to these parameters. We had to reverse engineer, or sleuth out, 'What are those initial conditions inside this cerium material?' and, 'Does that match the prediction of this quantum spin liquid?'"

To build a convincing case, the researchers tested the model against thermodynamic, neutron-scattering and magnetization results from previously published experimental studies of cerium zirconium pyrochlore.

"If you just have one piece of evidence, you might inadvertently find several models that still fit the description," Nevidomskyy said. "We actually matched not one, but three different pieces of evidence. So, a single candidate had to match all three experiments."

Some studies have implicated the same type of quantum magnetic fluctuations that arise in quantum spin liquids as a possible cause for unconventional superconductivity . But Nevidomskyy said the computational findings are primarily of fundamental interest to physicists.

"This satisfies our innate desire, as physicists, to find out how nature works," he said. "There's no application I know of that might benefit. It's not immediately tied to quantum computing, although ideas exist for using fractionalized excitations as a platform for logical qubits."

He said one particularly interesting point for physicists is the deep connection between quantum spin liquids and the experimental realization of magnetic monopoles, theoretical particles whose potential existence is still debated by cosmologists and high-energy physicists.

"When people talk about fractionalization, what they mean is the system behaves as if a physical particle, like an electron, splits into two halves that kind of wander around and then recombine somewhere later," Nevidomskyy said. "And in pyrochlore magnets such as the one we studied, these wandering objects moreover behave like quantum magnetic monopoles."

Magnetic monopoles can be visualized as isolated magnetic poles like either the upward or downward facing pole of a single electron.

"Of course, in classical physics one can never isolate just one end of a bar magnet," he said. "The north and south monopoles always come in pairs. But in quantum physics, magnetic monopoles can hypothetically exist, and quantum theorists constructed these almost 100 years ago to explore fundamental questions about quantum mechanics.

"As far as we know, magnetic monopoles don't exist in a raw form in our universe," Nevidomskyy said. "But it turns out that a fancy version of monopoles does exist in these cerium pyrochlore quantum spin liquids. A single spin flip creates two fractionalized quasiparticles called spinons that behave like monopoles and wander around the crystal lattice."

The study also found evidence that monopole-like spinons were created in an unusual way in cerium zirconium pyrochlore. Due to the tetrahedral arrangement of magnetic atoms in the pyrochlore, the study suggests they develop octupolar magnetic momentsspin-like magnetic quasiparticles with eight polesat low temperatures. The research showed spinons in the material were produced from both these octupolar sources and more conventional, dipolar spin moments.

"Our modeling established the exact proportions of interactions of these two components with one another," Nevidomskyy said. "It opens a new chapter in the theoretical understanding of not only the cerium pyrochlore materials but of octupolar quantum spin liquids in general."

Explore further Physicists find first possible 3-D quantum spin liquid

More information: Anish Bhardwaj et al, Sleuthing out exotic quantum spin liquidity in the pyrochlore magnet Ce2Zr2O7, npj Quantum Materials (2022). Anish Bhardwaj et al, Sleuthing out exotic quantum spin liquidity in the pyrochlore magnet Ce2Zr2O7,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41535-022-00458-2
FORT EDWARD  The Washington County Historical Society will sponsor a lecture by Joseph Ferrannini, owner and operator of Grave Stone Matters, on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Canal Street Marketplace.

The talk will go along with the theme for this years Cronkite Lecture Series on cemetery restoration in Washington County. Ferrannini will be discussing his work and specifically his work in the North Country.

Ferrannini started the company Grave Stone Matters in 2008 after going to his family cemetery in rural Rensselaer County and finding nothing but rubble. It became a passion for restoring cemeteries to preserve peoples family history.

Ferrannini will speak on his work in the local area cemeteries. The talk is part of the month-long Cronkite Lecture Series focused on cemetery restorations.

For more information, call the Washington County Historical Society at 518-747-9108. More details can be found on the Washington County Historical Society Facebook page.

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U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is backing conservative icon Sarah Palin over Santa Claus and a host of other candidates of myriad political persuasions in the special election to fill Alaskas one House seat.

The seat was left vacant after the recent death of longtime Republican Don Young.

Stefanik, on Monday, through her E-PAC political action committee, announced new endorsements of Palin and three other Republican House candidates.

Palin, a former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and conservative author, is attempting a political comeback, as the House seat is open for the first time in 49 years.

Several conservatives are among the 48 candidates in the non-partisan primary, which national news outlets report has created a rift between national conservative leaders, who favor Palin, and Alaska Republicans, who say Palin is past her political prime.

Former President Donald Trump also has endorsed Palin.

Ballots were mailed out April 27, and are due to be returned by June 11, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.

The top four candidates will compete in an August ranked voting runoff, in which voters rank their order of preference for each of the four candidates.

The winner will serve until the end of the year.

Palin also is seeking the Republican nomination to run for a full two-year term, which will be on the ballot in November.

Another candidate who has drawn national attention in the race is Santa Claus, the legal name of a two-term councilman and mayor pro tem in the city of North Pole.

The candidacy of the 74-year-old Santa Claus has drawn attention because of his name, his flowing white whiskers and facial appearance that resemble the jolly elf of Christmas lore, and because of his non-conventional campaign style.

Santa Claus, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has pledged not to accept any campaign contributions.

The housing and health care activist legally changed his name to Santa Claus in 2005 at Lake Tahoe, after a period of prayer, according newsnationnow.com, an internet news site.

Palin was one of four House candidates that Stefanik, through E-PAC, announced endorsements for on Monday, three of which are running in upcoming Republican primaries.

The others are Catalina Loff of Illinois, one of six candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Bill Foster; Jennifer-Ruth Green, who won a May 3 Republican primary in Indiana to challenge incumbent Democrat Frank Mrvan; and Caroline Serrano, one of three Republicans seeking the Republican nomination in Nevada to challenge incumbent Democrat Dina Titus.

In all, E-PAC has now endorsed 22 female candidates, including Republican Liz Joy, who is challenging Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam.

E-PAC has recognized four other Women to Watch who have not yet qualified for full endorsement status.

So far this election cycle, Stefanik has raised and contributed $700,000 to female candidates, either through E-PAC or through WinRed, an internet fundraising system that Stefanik developed, according to a news release.

Stefanik has separately endorsed, and transferred money from her regular campaign fund to, a number of male Republican House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates.

Maury Thompson covered local government and politics for The Post-Star for 21 years before he retired in 2017. He continues to follow regional politics as a freelance writer.

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HAMILTON TOWNSHIP  Members of the public may submit comments to an accreditation team when they arrive in the township next Monday to examine the townships Police Department.

The accreditation team from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police will inspect the departments policies, procedures, management, operations and support services, the department said Tuesday in a news release.

Verification by the team that the Township of Hamilton Police Department meets the Commissions best practice standards is part of a voluntary process to achieve accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence, a recognition our agency has held since 2009, Chief Greg Ciambrone said in a statement.

Comments can be made by phone at 609-625-7437 between 9 and 11 a.m. Monday. Emailed comments can be sent to Sgt. Cheryl McCarthy at cmccarthy@townshipofhamilton.com.

A copy of the standards is available for inspection at the Police Department at 6101 13th St., and those interested in reviewing them can call McCarthy at 609-625-2700, ext. 557.

Those wanting to provide written comments may send them by email to Harry Delgado, accreditation program manager, at hdelgado@njsacop.org, by phone at 856-988-5880 or write to the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, at 751 Route 73 North, Suite 12, Marlton, NJ 08053.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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While the region is still in the midst of a long duration storm system, data collected on Saturday shows this no-named storm and Superstorm Sandy are nearly the same when it comes to the winds.

The average sustained wind speed at Atlantic City International Airport was 26.3 miles per hour Saturday, coming from the northeast. That number is just a tick below what it was on Oct. 29, 2012, when Superstorm Sandy made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone near Brigantine, at 26.4 mph.

The top wind gust at the airport was 61 mph at 2:32 p.m. Saturday. That was just three miles per hour lower than the top Sandy ACY gust of 64 mph, according to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist.

The top wind gust in the state Saturday was 70 mph in Tuckerton, while Bayville, Sen. Frank S. Farley State Marina in Atlantic City joined ACY with gusts over 60 mph.

For reference, the Blizzard of 2022, occurring on Jan. 29, had an average wind speed of 22.5 mph.

However, the similarities between Sandy and this weekend's storm end there. The highest sustained wind was 38 mph Saturday at the airport, despite the higher gusts. During Sandy, it was 51 mph. Sustained winds are two-minute averages of the wind speed according to the American Meteorological Society, while gusts are the highest winds that are blowing, regardless of length.

Superstorm Sandy was one of the most powerful and destructive storms in recorded history in New Jersey.

That being said, this storm was strong in its own right. South Jersey was squeezed between a warm front, and its counter-clockwise flow, to the south, with high pressure, and its clockwise flow, to the north. That created a tight air pressure gradient. The tighter the gradient, the stronger the winds were.

A building under construction collapsed in Middle Township, on the border with Stone Harbor on Stone Harbor Boulevard.

In Egg Harbor Township, trees were picked up by their roots.

The onshore wind brought five rounds of coastal flooding to some spots between the Saturday afternoon and Monday afternoon high tides. Most of the flooding was in minor flood stage, which brings nuisance flooding.

Barnegat Light's tide gauge was roughly five inches into flood stage. Atlantic City saw flooding roughly three inches into flood stage. However, the Townsend Inlet Bridge was closed for periods of the time during the weekend, thanks to flooding on the Avalon side, said Marty Pagliughi, director of the Office of Emergency Management in Cape May County, as well as the mayor of Avalon.

Rainfall totals were generally between one and two inches of rain, good news for the "abnormally dry," pre-drought conditions seen in southeastern New Jersey. A few spots in the northern part of Ocean County were higher.

In Cape May, a clogged drain on Washington Street created "bad" flooding, said Jerry Inderweis Jr., of the city, who has in a number of official roles with the city.

A type of orange, inflatable ball was put on a manhole, to prevent the tidal flooding from spilling out into the street. However, the rain itself wasn't able to move into the drain, causing issues from Saturday morning until public works crews popped the ball and fixed the manhole cover Sunday.

This storm is far from exiting the area, though, it will be much less impactful than it was over the weekend. The low pressure system will meander just west of Bermuda through Wednesday. This will continue to bring stiff northeast winds, especially on Tuesday. Widespread minor stage coastal flooding is expected Tuesday morning with the pre-dawn high tide, except for the Delaware Bayshore. Spotty minor tidal flooding will then be had on Wednesday morning.

After that, the low pressure will drift westward. A ridge of upper level high pressure in the open Atlantic Ocean will push it into another ridge of warm, high pressure in the Eastern half of the United States. This will make landfall on the Carolina coast Friday before fizzling out over the weekend as it nears New Jersey Sunday and Monday.

Find tide times, coastal flooding forecast for the Jersey Shore here Below are Jersey Shore locations with previous and forecast tide data. The forecasts show wh

Expect a cloudy Thursday and Friday. Spotty showers and storms will then be had on a much warmer weekend, where highs will be 65 to 75 degrees. Tidal flooding may return, thanks to an onshore, southeast, wind.

Contact Joe Martucci: 609-272-7247 jmartucci@pressofac.com Twitter @acpressmartucci

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Davenport police responding to a report of gunfire Tuesday morning found a pair of men who had been shot.

Davenport officers responded at 12:20 a.m. to Castlewood Apartments in the 2100 block of Emerald Drive. While responding, additional emergency calls indicated there were two gunshot victims.

After police found the initial scene, they found a 19-year-old man suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the 1700 block of Emerald Drive.

A second victim, a 42-year-old man with serious injuries, was found in the 2000 block of Emerald Drive. Both were transported by Medic EMS to Genesis hospitals for medical treatment. One vehicle was struck by gunfire. No other injuries or damage was reported.

Six residents of the apartment complex said they had no comment about the incident. Four of those residents confirmed shots were fired early Tuesday but said they "wanted to mind their own business."

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The architects and engineers of Scott County's planned new 40-bed juvenile detention facility said they prioritized a "calming and restorative environment" in designing the building.

Scott County Supervisors saw early designs from Illinois-based firm Wold Architects & Engineers on Tuesday of the floor plan and exterior sketches for the controversial new juvenile detention center.

Firm representatives said they expect construction to begin in October, and for the project to cost a total of $26.07 million.

The plan four of the five supervisors have supported is to demolish an existing Scott County-owned warehouse at 4715 Tremont Ave., Davenport, to build a new and expanded 40-bed juvenile detention facility. The current facility, located near the Scott County jail, has an operational capacity of 14-16 beds and is licensed at 18. The additional capacity of the planned facility, which was recommended by an advisory committee, has faced pushback from national criminal justice organizations and the local NAACP, which say the facility will be too big for the county's future juvenile detention needs.

The design includes 40 rooms split between four "day pods" plus a fifth isolated four-room area which the Wold representatives said could be designated for youth who needed to be quarantined in case of a COVID-19 exposure or separated in an instance of rival gang members.

Jeremy Kaiser, the juvenile detention center director, told supervisors the new center would have 40 beds, would be licensed for 36 beds, but would operate at 32 in order to keep four open for middle of the night transfers.

"When we get full, it is extremely difficult to find open detention beds at other detention facilities in the middle of the night, let alone find transportation to those facilities," Kaiser wrote in an email to a Times/Dispatch-Argus reporter.

The Iowa Department of Human Services, which licenses the use of juvenile detention beds in the state, agreed to reallocate unused licensed beds from Polk (11) and Linn (7) counties to Scott.

"We believe 36 beds meets our current demands," Kaiser wrote. "So there is no need to request more beds at this time."

The floor plan also showed outdoor and indoor recreation areas, staff offices, video court rooms, four flexible spaces that can be used as classrooms, for faith-based practices, or other programming, as well as a kitchen area, medical area, and space for the Coordinated Assessment Program, a multi-government initiative to connect young people and families referred to the program to resources for housing, health care, and therapy.

Wold Architect Jonathan Kuzynowski told supervisors Tuesday that an important design element was to create a "calming and restorative environment."

"Also the importance of creating normative environments, creating an environment that doesn't feel like a correctional facility," Kuzynowski said. "These are youth and we want to make sure that we're supporting and getting them back into society."

Kirsta Ehmke, another Wold Architect said the firm expects the total cost of the project, including demolition, construction, design, tests, surveys, furniture and equipment to total $26.07 million.

That includes the construction and design of the second floor continuing governance space. The estimate was $21.75 million to construct before the expanded scope of the project was approved.

Ehmke said cost estimates have remained stable moving from the firm's schematic design phase, its first design phase, to the design development, the second phase of design that fills out details of rooms, such as where light switches go.

"In the construction budget that we set up, we are still tracking with that budget," Ehmke said.

Ehmke said the plan is to demolish the current warehouse there now in July, send out bids in August for a construction company, and start construction in October.

The building's second floor would add a training center and flexible office space to serve as a back-up administration in case the downtown Scott County administration building is rendered unusable by, for example, a natural disaster.

Supervisors approved the expanded scope of the design work in March.

Scott County plans to use part of its allocation of federal COVID-19 relief American Rescue Plan Act funds for the building projects: $7.25 million for the new juvenile detention center and $2.75 million for the continuing governance portion of the building.

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The way to students improved test scores may be through their stomachs, as evidenced by a partnership between the Douglas School District and local food trucks.

The Douglas High School parking lot was buzzing Tuesday morning with a lineup of food trucks ready to reward Douglas High School juniors and seniors who improved their state assessment scores. Qualifying students earned cards they could cash in for a free meal and treat at a food truck of their choice.

The South Dakota Math and English-Language Arts, Math and Science Assessments, required by the state and administered once a year to grades 3-8 and 11, provide schools and teachers with resources to help identify strengths and areas for improvement. Its also the districts report card for the state and to the public, said Douglas High School Principal Duane Wince.

We feel like we have great staff here and great students, and we wanted them to be able to show that in this assessment, he said.

Incentivizing for the assessment wasnt a new idea, which came several years prior when Wince was assistance principal. Partnering with local food trucks, however, was a first. And according to the 80 students boasting improved scores this year, it worked.

Taylor Clark, a junior at Douglas High School, moved to South Dakota from New Jersey in eighth grade with no idea what the assessment was. Not only did she improve this year, she received the highest score possible.

The food trucks were a welcome reward, she said, but also hopes to see the practice continue as a way to incentivize students moving forward.

Hopefully next year they can continue doing this for juniors that do improve their scores, she said.

Clark hopes to pursue pediatric nursing once she leaves Douglas High School.

Junior Dominick Longwolf is also looking to life after high school, seeing the state assessment as an important step towards college.

And this is a really cool reward for actually doing well, he said. I could do badly and nobody would really care. But this is really fun because you get rewarded for doing something good.

Longwolf said his view of the assessment used to be somewhat simplistic.

I just thought it was to test where you're at. And then  see where you should be at, he said.

But now, Longwolf said he sees it as a way to see what hes learned and what hes capable of.

That means that my teachers actually teach me the stuff I need to know, he said.

Longwolf hopes the knowledge hes gained at DHS will propel him to a career as a video game engineer and paleontologist.

I'm very proud of the students, Wince said. It's not a big deal to them. We have to let them know that our incentive is for them to be as successful as possible.

Education is important, said Maple Street BBQ owner John Miller. Millers food truck was one of many that showed up Tuesday to show their support for that message, and the students at Douglas.

What better way to show that than with good food, he said. If this had been around when I was in school, I wouldve paid more attention.

The school district plans to continue the incentive, Wince said.

Im proud of our students for stepping up and taking the assessment seriously, and I hope it's an indicator of more success and future assessments," he said.

Contact Laura Heckmann at lheckmann@rapidcityjournal.com

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Colstrip Power Plant operator and co-owner Talen Energy has filed for bankruptcy citing debts of $4.5 billion.

In court filings Monday and Tuesday, Talen said natural gas prices that prior to 2021 were more affordable than coal, coupled with cheaply priced renewable energy resources, had made the companys seven coal-fired power plants unprofitable.

The previously low price of natural gas has meant that coal-fueled assets are no longer economical to run or keep updated. Thus, in many markets in the United States, generating capacity is transitioning from a coal-dominated generation base to a mix that incorporates larger amounts of natural gas and renewable units, testified Ryan Leland Omohundro, Talens restructuring advisor.

Reuters reports that Talen is committed to removing coal from all of its facilities. The company's list of generating assets involved in the bankruptcy includes only one non-fossil fuel power plant, the Susquehanna Nuclear Power plant in Pennsylvania. Of the seven coal-fired power plants on the list, only two, Colstrip included, aren't undergoing conversions to other fuel sources.

Simply put, Colstrip is in trouble. Oregon and Washington, states that consume most of the power plants energy, have set deadlines for their utilities to get out of coal in order to cut heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere. Washingtons deadline is the end of 2025. Oregon's deadline begins in 2030.

Talen has presented itself as one of the only owners advocating for keeping Colstrip operational beyond carbon emissions deadlines in the Pacific Northwest. But Talen has also struggled for years, at one point telling the state that operating the power plant was a money loser and Talen needed out, though it later changed its mind.

In 2020, Talen and Puget Sound Energy, which evenly split ownership of Colstrip Units 1 and 2, shuttered the units because the generators were no longer profitable.

The costs of running and updating the 1,480-megawatt power plant in Colstrip has been a legal flashpoint for several years between Talen and the power plants utility owners in the Pacific Northwest, who hold a 70% share. A fifth owner, NorthWestern Energy has been content to stick with coal power until 2042.

In an email from communications director Taryn Williams, Talen Energy Supply said the bankruptcy wouldn't disrupt business at Colstrip. TES has taken steps to secure wages, health care and other worker benefits by asking the court's permission to pay critical vendors throughout the bankruptcy.

"All TES generating facilities are operating in the normal course of business, including the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, and no changes to TES' asset portfolio are anticipated. Further, no changes to Talen Montana's role as operator and a co-owner of Colstrip Steam Electric Station are anticipated. In fact, by greatly strengthening TES's financial position, this action will help bolster Talen Montana's ongoing commitment to Colstrip and the State of Montana, and TES intends to move as quickly as possible through the process."

Creditors holding 62% of Talen's unsecured debt support the restructuring and, according to Talen, will accept company equity as compensation for $1.4 billion of that debt. There's no word on how the other 38% of Talen's debt will be resolved. The company reports it is also borrowing $1.76 billion to fund the bankruptcy process.

Specific to Colstrip, Talen in its bankruptcy filing identified $22.8 million that will need to be spent at Colstrip during the bankruptcy to keep Units 3 and 4 operating safely and to cover decommissioning and environmental costs of the now shuttered Units 1 and 2.

Talens $113 million cleanup bond for Colstrip environmental liabilities remains with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Additionally, Talen is moving forward with Silverthorn Wind, a 600-megawatt capacity project in Rosebud and Treasure counties. Silverthorn is being developed under a portion of Talen that isn't part of the bankruptcy, Williams said. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024.

The company lists two Montana lawsuits in the bankruptcy. It is suing Pennsylvania Power and Light, former Talen owner, over the $733 million in net proceeds from PPL's sale of Montana hydroelectric dams to NorthWestern Energy in 2014. Talen said the money is needed to cover commitments to Colstrip workers' pensions and environmental cleanup costs. The second lawsuit is PPL's countersuit against Talen.

Talen is one of the biggest employers in southeast Montana with 264 power plant workers.

Not listed among litigation disclosures are lawsuits stemming from two Montana laws overriding portions of contract concerning ownership and operations of Colstrip. Talen persuaded the 2021 Montana Legislature in April 2021 to empower the state attorney general to enforce maintenance at the plant and impose daily fines of $100,000 on owners who didn't comply. The company also persuaded Montana to require all Colstrip arbitration take place in Montana. Both new laws nullify portions of the private business contract and put Talen at odds with Colstrip owners located in Oregon and Washington.

Testimony in the bankruptcy filing indicates that Talen was formulating bankruptcy plans in early 2021 as the state of Montana made key decision's concerning Colstrip, the first two being the creation of laws nullifying portions of the private business contract concerning Colstrip. The third decision involved cutting more than $120 million from the Colstrip owners' bond requirement to cover the cleanup of the toxic coal ash ponds.

Omohundro, in his deposition, said he was hired in April 2021 to work on Talen's restructuring. It was the same month Montana's Legislature passed laws concerning maintenance enforcement and arbitration.

In October 2021, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality agreed to cut the bond amount for the cleanup of he Colstrip Units 1 and 2 coal ash ponds from $285 million to $163 million. Talen had been in negotiations to lower the amount for 11 months.

The cleanup is a massive undertaking for the waste ponds servicing what was until January 2020 a four-unit power plant. The pond complex for the coal-fired units involves nine waste ponds that have leaked roughly 200 million gallons of contaminated water into the ground every year for more than 30 years. One days leakage equals an Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of contaminants, including boron, sulfates, selenium and heavy metals.

Combined with the Unit 3 and 4 ash ponds, the pollution complex spans 800 acres, with an estimated cleanup cost of $400 million to $700 million. Remediation is expected to take decades.

Talen's bankruptcy is only the latest for southeast Montana's energy economy. Three out the four coal mining companies doing business in Montana have gone bankrupt since 2019. The last company to do so, Lighthouse Resources, was unable to find a buyer for its Montana mine.

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Republicans running for Montanas new western congressional district said voters have been frustrated with the fallout from COVID-19 and explained how they'd have taken different approaches during the pandemic.

The western district GOP primary features former congressman and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke; former state lawmaker and statewide candidate Al Olszewski; Matt Jette, a school teacher from Missoula; Mary Todd, a church leader and small business owner from Kalispell; and Mitch Heuer, a home builder from Whitefish.

COVID-19 public health measures and vaccinations have become a major political issue both nationally and in Montana. While the state went through an initial stay-at-home order at the start of the pandemic and had a mask mandate in place through much of 2020, Montana removed nearly all of its statewide public health measures in early 2021 and passed laws that limited local public health officials' power to enact their own.

More than 274,598 Montanans have been sickened by COVID-19 and at least 3,378 have died since March 2020.

Zinke told Aaron Flint on the Montana Talks radio show that he is vaccinated for COVID-19, but wants the vaccination decision to be a choice. Montana passed a law banning businesses from requiring employees be vaccinated, though earlier this year a judge said hospitals are shielded from it. Efforts to require vaccination at the federal level have mostly stalled in courts. The state has lagged the rest of the nation as a whole in vaccination rates.

I advocate for folks especially if youre in a vulnerable position to get vaccinated but I think its your choice and Im absolutely convinced Montana is behind me, Zinke said.

In a recent interview with the Montana State News Bureau, Zinke blasted what he saw as maligning of people who either did not get vaccinated or asked questions about the vaccine, saying if you didnt march in line like a communist, and you even dared to ask questions, it resulted in shaming.

That to me is very reflective of fascism, where the strength of America has always been, well we agree or disagree, were not disagreeable, but its a pursuit of discussion, Zinke said.

COVID-19 vaccines underwent rigorous trials to determine their safety and efficacy before approval and hundreds of millions of doses have been administered worldwide.

Olszewski points to infection and death statistics between states, concluding that masking or lockdowns did not effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Weve learned with the coronavirus it didnt matter if we locked down or not, thats what we learned, he said in an interview.

Olszewski believes that the criteria for the lockdown was based on fear, with death projections based on speculation of a virus of which little was known. He pointed to upticks in suicide and domestic abuse as well as economic fallout during the pandemic as severe maladies that came with lockdowns.

Through panic we watched our economy shut down, we watched small business be destroyed in Montana and across our country and big business thrive, Olszewski said at a forum in Kalispell.

Jette is a cancer survivor and organ donor recipient. Those conditions put someone at a higher risk of a severe outcome from COVID-19.

Im the only candidate in the race thats been on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. So I understand fixed incomes. I understand the role of health care in peoples lives, he said in an interview.

On the response to COVID-19, Jette believes the bigger picture of protecting fellow citizens was lost in debate or freedoms and mandates.

Im sad that were talking about mandates, he told the crowd in Kalispell. I dont want a government mandate on masks. I dont want a government mandate on vaccines. I just wish that the American citizen would look out for their neighbor. I just wish the American citizen would go, 'What can I do to help prevent this? I know you have your rights. Im not stepping on your rights. I just want you to look out for your neighbor a little bit.

Heuer approved of a cautious approach to an unknown virus but also pointed to making changes as more is learned.

When a threat like that comes along and we dont know what it is, I think its smart to take all the precautions necessary, he said in Kalispell. And then when we do the math and we dig into it and find out whats going on, then we stop anything thats not necessary.

Todd believes mandates are unconstitutional. She also pointed to the virus origin in China, claiming that COVID-19 was part of a larger conspiracy to take away freedoms.

I really believe this whole plan-demic was designed to make us choose fear over faith and fear over freedom, she said at the Kalispell forum. And we are bowing down, look how fast America has bowed down to this mandate thing. We all shouldve stood up and said, No.

Lee Newspapers' Holly Michels contributed to this story.

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Richmonds fire-damaged William Fox Elementary School is one of the states most endangered historic places, according to Preservation Virginias annual list.

A three-alarm fire engulfed the 111-year-old school in the heart of the Fan District in February. While the fire caused extensive damage, closing the building indefinitely, the School Board has approved renovating the school instead of rebuilding it.

Since 2005, during each National Historic Preservation Month in May, Preservation Virginia names historic sites and places around the state that face imminent or sustained threats in order to encourage individuals, organizations, and local and state government to advocate for and find solutions for their preservation, according to a news release.

This years list reflects the resilience of the Commonwealths many historic places that have persisted for generations in support of their communities, Elizabeth S. Kostelny, CEO of Preservation Virginia said in a statement.

The dedication of organizations, local governments, and individuals currently working to preserve these places reflects the very nature of the historic preservation movement  the ability to adapt to challenges and retain relevance in an ever-changing world, Kostelny added.

Fox and the Manassas National Battlefield Park were among the 11 sites named Tuesday to the 2022 list of Virginias Most Endangered Historic places. The organization said each site is facing insensitive development or neglect, according to a news release.

Kathryn Oti, whose three children are Fox alumni and who previously lived in the Fan for over 30 years, submitted an application to Preservation Virginia to have the elementary school added to the list.

Fox has a special place in my heart, Oti said in an interview. My kids are long gone from Fox [but] nobody ever really leaves Fox. Everyone is part of the community.

The application process included a series of questions, writing about the historical significance of the property, describing the propertys place in the community and why its culturally significant, historically significant and architecturally significant, Oti said.

Oti submitted Foxs application after the February fire.

There was a lot of community concern and there still is a lot of community concern about whether the building is going to be rebuilt, she said.

The community, and I dont speak for everyone, obviously, but I think most people would like to see the property be rebuilt, not torn down and something new put in its place because of the historicity of the building and its place in the neighborhood and in the larger community, Oti said.

Preservation Virginia said two Civil War battlefields, Manassas National Battlefield Park, and Brandy Station Battlefield in Culpeper, face threats from the proximity of proposed data centers.
The city of Richmonds next annual budget will include a $17 minimum wage and a pay increase of at least 5% for all city employees starting July 2.

The City Council approved the wage changes Monday with the adoption of a $838.7 million general fund budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that also includes a revamped pay plan for police officers and firefighters, all of whom will get raises of at least 10%.

It is certainly a budget to be proud of, Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders said after highlighting the wage increases and the addition of $17 million for the public safety pay plan.

Pay for city police and firefighters became a central theme of Mayor Levar Stoneys budget after employees last year said their relatively low wages had played a part in significant turnover and recruiting challenges, as pay for the same jobs in neighboring jurisdictions is better.

The administration received mixed reaction from employees, as a few officers have said they still have issues with management or concerns about the elimination of some pay incentive programs tied to professional development and specialized training.

Only two people spoke in the public hearing before the council approved the budget Monday night.

Martin Wegbreit, a member of the oversight board for the citys Affordable Housing Trust Fund, criticized officials for replacing the citys annual budget contribution to the fund with dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.

City officials last year heralded the approximately $150 million it received from the federal aid package to assist its recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The council at the time agreed to a two-year spending plan that includes $10 million for the trust fund in the upcoming fiscal year.

But the citys plans zero out local funding for affordable housing, said Wegbreit, who is also a housing attorney with the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and a member of the multifaith community advocacy group Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities.

Is this [the] message City Council wants to send to affordable housing developers willing to start filling the shortage of 25,000 affordable rental units in Richmond? ... Those federal ARPA dollars are intended to supplement local funding, he said. They are not intended to replace local funding.

The other speaker, Brandon Graves, a program manager for the nonprofit Literacy Lab, implored the council to approve the restoration of approximately $30,000 for the organization that the mayor had proposed to cut from the budget.

The City Council recently agreed to restore the funding, as updated revenue projections and fund transfers meant an additional $3.7 million was available to spend. The council voted to use the funds to increase funding for a few community organizations and nondepartmental agencies, including $571,000 for the Richmond Ambulance Authority.

The ambulance authority sought a $3.5 million funding increase to hire more staff, but administration officials said they were wary of giving the money due to unresolved questions about the authoritys operations and finances, and are seeking an independent review of the authority.

Some council members also sought to add $1 million to help the GRTC bus system match a state grant supporting its fare-free policy through next year. The mayor and his administration, however, said the transit company should use its existing subsidies from the city, its own operational funding or leftover federal pandemic aid to cover those costs next year.

GRTC officials have since said they intend to figure out how to match the state grant in the coming weeks.

After the budget vote on Monday, all council members thanked their staff and administration officials for collaborating with the governing body on finalizing the spending plan.

Im just really proud of the work everyone has done, said Councilwoman Katherine Jordan. Theres always more that you wish you could have gotten into any given budget, but I think this is something everyone can be proud of.
Still without a formal agreement with descendants of A.P. Hill, the city of Richmond is seeking a court order to move the Confederate generals monument and his grave from the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road.

The Richmond City Council voted unanimously Monday night to direct the city administration to grant the monument to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

While the city took down its other Confederate monuments nearly two years ago and conveyed them to the museum in January, officials have been unable to move forward with the removal of the Hill monument because the general is buried underneath it.

The city has been negotiating with descendants of Hills family to decide what should be done with the remains. A city official earlier Monday said they have discussed plans to relocate the generals remains to a cemetery in Culpeper, where Hill grew up, but that the city and the family members have not been able to reach a final agreement.

The ordinance approved by the council on Monday does not explicitly say where the remains will go, but that they will be removed and reinterred respectfully in accordance with an order from the Circuit Court of Richmond.

Hills remains were relocated from Hollywood Cemetery to the monument in 1891, about 25 years after he was shot and killed outside of Petersburg at the end of the Civil War.
Peter Lacy was supposed to become the next commissioner of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, but Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration rescinded the offer on Tuesday after an Indiana newspaper reported the former head of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has been accused of inappropriate behavior on the job.

The Indianapolis Star reported on Tuesday that Lacy had resigned as head of the Indiana agency on April 27, a month before his previously announced departure date and one day after he appeared intoxicated during an executive meeting, slurring his words, acting confused and making an off-color statement.

Lacy, who had led the Indiana agency under Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb since 2017, spoke with Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller on Tuesday morning, according to Youngkin Press Secretary Macaulay Porter.

Mr. Lacy rescinded his acceptance and the Secretary concurred with that decision, Porter said in a brief statement. He informed Mr. Lacy the Commonwealth rescinded the offer of employment.

The stunning reversal leaves one of Virginias most prominent agencies without a full-time leader and raises questions about the Youngkin administrations decision to offer him the job.

Basically, what it shows is that they are extraordinarily inexperienced at vetting, said Bob Holsworth, a veteran political analyst in Richmond. They managed to reduce the level of embarrassment by not having him here.

The Virginia DMV has been under interim leadership for almost four months after longtime Commissioner Rick Holcomb retired amid criticism over the agencys slowness in reopening its offices to walk-in service late into the COVID-19 pandemic.

DMV is probably the one agency  and there are a few in state government  that is most in need of an overhaul, in my opinion, said Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who led a push by the General Assembly last year to force the agency to reopen its offices for customer service without appointment.

To the extent that this misfire sets that timetable back, then thats regrettable, Petersen said.

In response to the General Assembly, Holcomb, then the Virginia DMV head, opened offices for walk-in service three days a week and reserved other days for appointment in October, but Youngkin has since ordered all offices to allow walk-in service six days a week.

Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Linda Ford has been serving as acting commissioner since Holcombs retirement.

The incident comes as the Youngkin administration is facing the loss of the third high-level leader at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency since the governor took office in January. It also comes less than a week after Youngkin announced a new telework policy aimed at returning state employees to the office.

Chief Operating Officer Jon Ozovek resigned after Youngkin replaced Chief Information Officer Nelson Moe with Phil Wittmer, who left after less than a month in order to remain at his home in Kansas. Acting Chief Operating Officer Demeterias Rodgers confirmed on Monday that he will leave the IT agency on May 20.

The DMV setback also was ill-timed because the clock is about to run out on the 120-day letters that a number of Virginia agency heads under then-Gov. Ralph Northam have been operating under during the transition to the new administration.

Porter, the governors press secretary, declined further comment on the decision to withdraw the job offer to Lacy.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Lacy, the scion of a prominent family influential in Indiana Republican politics, has a history of inappropriate behavior in the state workplace, including crude sexual references and screaming fits of anger.

But the newspaper also said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb allowed Lacy to resign rather than face action by the state that could have allowed any disciplinary issues or complaints in his personnel file to become public.

The Indiana governors office would not discuss the reasons for Lacys resignation or the reports of inappropriate behavior, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Lacy told the newspaper, Moving up my departure date allowed me to take some time off to pursue other opportunities where I can bring Indianas BMV learnings and successes to other jurisdictions.
Something puzzling or even suspicious appears to be transpiring at the Food and Drug Administration. The long-anticipated Novavax vaccine, an alternative to current messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19, submitted for emergency use authorization to the FDA at the end of January. Without much explanation, the FDA has shown little sign of action and it only recently scheduled a tentative June vaccine advisory committee meeting for discussion.

Novavax is protein-based vaccine that uses a similar technique to existing influenza and HPV vaccines to produce viral proteins. Novavax utilizes small proteins (nanoparticles) based on the COVID-19 spike protein and a separate immune boosting compound to produce an immune response. Thus, the technology is distinct from mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

In a phase three randomized trial of more than 29,000 participants, Novavax demonstrated 90.4% efficacy in preventing infection and 100% efficacy against moderate to severe disease. It also tested well against subsequent COVID-19 variants.

In a follow-up study of extended duration, Novavax's efficacy stayed at a high level over six months, including 82.5% effectiveness at preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection. The safety profile has been very good without significant issues of myocarditis, blood clots and multiple other side effects, as seen with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The Novavax vaccine currently is approved in more than 35 countries (including the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan) and by the World Health Organization.

On January 31  more than three months ago  Novavax submitted its authorization request to the FDA. In contrast, time frames for full authorization of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were 21, 19, and 23 days, respectively. In the time since Novavax's application was submitted, the FDA also held an additional meeting to recommend second Pfizer or Moderna booster doses (fourth shots) for people in certain high-risk groups.

The second booster was recommended to occur only four months after the first one. It also was supported despite data from Israel showing the efficacy of a second Pfizer booster against infection wanes after only four weeks and almost had disappeared by eight weeks. Longer term follow-up data is needed to determine the second booster's effect on more severe disease.

The primary focus of combating the pandemic has been vaccination, with powerful emphasis at international, national, state, and local levels. Much greater attention understandably was placed on vaccination (including additional booster shots) than on therapeutics, which have lagged in development. Robust public relations initiatives also have been employed to combat hesitancy, recognized as the major hurdle preventing widespread vaccination.

The message has been clear from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House, and state and local health agencies: Vaccination by far is the most effective solution to the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, it is baffling that within this context, a successful alternative to existing vaccines  one that has tested superbly on effectiveness and durability; boasts a superior safety record; and now is widely available throughout the world  would be delayed by the FDA.

Sixty-six percent of Americans are fully vaccinated but only about 35% to 40% of people have received a booster. Recommendations for more and more boosters over shorter time intervals are unlikely to make significant gains among vaccinated or unvaccinated populations.

There is a segment of unvaccinated people that currently is holding out for this alternative vaccine technology, due to hesitancy regarding mRNA or underlying medical conditions. Every week, I counsel patients who fall into this category and are willing to consider Novavax.

Also, given what appears to be superior durability of the Novavax vaccine, there eventually might be people who received Pfizer and Moderna vaccines but want to switch to Novavax, if approved. Because current recommendations for many include a regimen of four total Pfizer or Moderna shots in under a one-year time period, the possibility of a single initial-shot series might be more palatable.

The FDA swiftly approved earlier COVID-19 vaccines in a time of more desperate need. Delaying approval for an alternative vaccine that likely requires fewer shots, and already is experiencing widespread global success, is contrary to the dominant public health strategy. It also is potentially harmful, especially in the setting of rising COVID cases.

Current vaccination rates have plummeted and almost ground to a halt. Americans do not appear eager to get multiple additional booster shots. The bottom line is we will need more vaccine alternatives.

The FDA is sitting on a good option that appears to outshine and outlast existing products. Novavax approval will not solve all hesitancy problems, but it undoubtedly would boost vaccination options and initiatives.

With cases again increasing, the focus should be on preventing serious illness from COVID-19, and Novavax has been very effective in doing so. Facts, science and the obligation to safeguard the health of the American people should compel the FDA to stop stalling and approve Novavax.
The cool weather goes on in central Virginia for another day or so, then both the humidity and the chance of showers go up as the weekend approaches.

The northeast winds over the last couple of days have made for some pleasantly cool afternoons in Richmond, but that same wind has been relentless on the coastline.

Incessant northeast winds have sent the Atlantic Ocean over North Carolinas Highway 12, closing it between Oregon Inset and the Outer Banks town of Rodanthe.

The worst of the flooding was during Tuesdays two high tides, but it will be Thursday before the cycle of tides fully retreats to its normal level.

The wind will turn more from the southeast Thursday and Friday, as the large storm spiraling off the coast drifts inland and slowly dissipates. But that will also send humidity levels up in Virginia and introduce the chance for showers and potential thunderstorms Thursday through Saturday.

For now, Sunday looks to be the drier and warmer of the two days this weekend, with afternoon temperatures likely returning to the 80s for the first time since soaring to 88 degrees on May 4.

Outer Banks flooding

The Outer Banks have historically been prone to coastal flooding, and the shifting sands on those barrier islands have kept the coastline from being locked in one particular configuration over the centuries. As a result, this weeks flooding is not uncommon when the winds are so consistently onshore, even in the absence of a large coastal storm.

However, the frequency of Atlantic Ocean coastal flooding in Virginia and North Carolina has been increasing over the past few decades. As the planet has warmed, so has the average water temperature. Water, like many substances, expands when heated, a key contribution to rising sea levels.

Additionally, land has been slowly sinking in the Middle Atlantic states since the last ice age ended about 12,000 yeas ago, which makes relative sea level rise even worse.

The end result is more frequent and more severe coastal flooding, even away from a storm. For Virginia, the risk is more than just a loss of beaches and vacation spots. Sea level rise is putting critical military infrastructure at risk in Hampton Roads  Naval Air Station Oceana, Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Naval Station Norfolk.

Back in Richmond, with summer around the corner, the intensification of heat via the urban heat island effect becomes more of a concern for public health. Hot days are even hotter in areas of the city with a higher density of concrete and asphalt.

Dr. Jeremy Hoffman at the Science Museum has studied it extensively.

For example, summer heat waves can be over 15 degrees Fahrenheit different between neighborhoods at the exact same time based on their history of redlining, how much asphalt there is, and how much shade from trees they have.

In an effort to raise awareness and combat impact from the heat, the Science Museum of Virginia and GRTC unveiled a new campaign on Tuesday, Parking to Park, highlighting the benefits of additional urban green space and the role of public transportation to access these spaces.

Hoffman continued, This unique science communication partnership with GRTC allows us to deepen the conversation about how land use in Richmond affects our resiliency, and how The Green at the Science Museum of Virginia can serve as an example of how to balance the need for parking with our wider communitys need for more accessible public green spaces that are connected and safe, and benefit our environment as a cool green filter replacing a hot gray funnel.

The first phase of The Green, the Science Museum of Virginias new urban green space, is expected to be completed this fall.

Science Museum of Virginia new parking deck now open; old parking lot to become green space The new $14 million parking deck at the Science Museum of Virginia is now open. The four-level structure has 400 spaces, 25% more than was pre

Lunar eclipse Sunday night

This Sunday night brings a full lunar eclipse to the East Coast and will be fully visible from all points in Virginia, weather permitting.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse lasts much longer and there is no threat to your eyes. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth casts its shadow from the sun on the moons surface.

The eclipse will begin around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, but largely go unnoticed to the naked eye until about an hour later. The best time to be on the lookout will be between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 12:30 a.m. Monday, with the peak at 12:12.

The current forecast at eclipse time is for a partly cloudy sky.
The Roanoke man charged with aggravated manslaughter after driving drunk and killing 57-year-old Timothy Gravely in April 2021 has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars by a Roanoke Circuit Court judge.

Timothy Maurice Cotton, 47, pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter on Dec. 27. Cottons attorney, Rob Dean, filed a motion Thursday to withdraw that plea, which Cotton entered under the advisement of a different attorney.

Cotton said he believed he had pled guilty to manslaughter, not aggravated manslaughter.

I dont know the difference. I dont even really know what manslaughter is, Cotton said in court. When I agreed, (Cotton's former attorney) never told me nothing about no guidelines, he never told me nothing about whats the difference from this, whats the difference from that. He never told me anything.

Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Sheri Mason said court records from the plea hearing on Dec. 27 clearly indicate that Cotton understood the proceedings.

You knew then that you were pleading guilty to felony aggravated manslaughter charge, Mason said. But once your guidelines came back and they were higher than you wanted them to be, now you want to withdraw your plea. Isnt that really whats going on here?

No maam, Cotton replied. I didnt know what I was getting myself into.

Dean said that according to Virginia law, a defense may make a motion to withdraw a plea before the defendants sentencing hearing, and if the defendant has not explicitly waived his right to withdraw a plea.

Mason said the commonwealth was adamantly opposed to permitting the withdrawal and wanted to continue with the case as is.

Judge Charlie Dorsey sided with the prosecution. He said he could rely on the answers Cotton gave to the judge during the hearing Dec. 27, when Cotton was under oath.

When the court asks you, and youre under oath, and you say you understand spoken English, and you were told that this is to be final, that encompasses, at the very least, the notion that were not going to come back in and withdraw the plea, he said. I find that there was an expressed waiver, and your motion to withdraw your plea is not appropriate and will not be granted.

During his sentencing hearing, Cotton gave emotional testimony expressing his remorse for Gravelys death.

Im so sorry, he repeated through tears. I didnt mean to hurt him, I swear.

Mason said Cotton was dropped off at his home by a coworker the night of April 10 last year. When he noticed he didnt have his cell phone, Cotton believed he had left it in his coworkers vehicle.

Cotton took his wifes car and drove to his coworkers residence, a Wayne Street apartment building where Gravely lived on the first floor. Mason said that as Cotton approached the building, he collided with mailboxes, other cars and a rock wall.

Gravely exited his apartment to see what the commotion was about, Mason said, and Im sure never imagines that hes going to be essentially mowed over by the car thats being driven by Mr. Cotton and left under a pile of rubble from the apartment building, which was in shambles there on the bottom floor, and then succumb to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Mason said Cottons blood alcohol content immediately after the incident was 0.15%  twice the legal limit. She called Gravelys death a senseless tragic act. Dean called the incident an accident.

From the moment this happened, Dean said, he broke down crying, admitted that he was drunk, admitted he made a mistake. It didnt take coming to court to own up to it. He accepted responsibility then and there. He knew that he had made choices that were going to have a lasting impact.

But Dorsey said he couldnt characterize the incident as a mere mistake.

Im not trying to be cruel or ugly, but I have to tell you that something of this magnitude transcends the normal understanding of the word mistake, the judge told Cotton.

Mason argued that the tragic incident was over a cellphone. Dorsey thought differently.

This was over an adult knowing that he was impaired and choosing to get behind the wheel of a car, and knowing, as we all know from the horror of this case and thousands of other cases in this court and courts throughout the circuit, throughout the state, throughout the country, that thats just all too often a recipe for disaster where innocent people are maimed or killed, the judge said.

Dorsey sentenced Cotton to 11 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and one year in jail for driving under the influence of alcohol. He will be put on supervised probation once released.

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The Roanoke man charged with shooting and killing 17-year-old Phillip Davis outside the Hyatt Place hotel in June 2020 has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a Roanoke Circuit Court judge.

Brandon A. Calderon-Damian, 20, of Roanoke was originally charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

On Thursday, his attorney, Rob Dean, reached a plea agreement with the commonwealth in which the court agreed to drop the firearm charge and amend the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter.

Dean said the defense agreed to the voluntary manslaughter charge because it was a killing that was intentional that night but by no means was it premeditated.

It took place in the context of a fight that broke out, Dean said. There was an intentional killing that took place, but it wasnt his intent when he went there in the first place to have done this horrible act.

The defense attorney said Calderon-Damian is so deeply sorry to the family of Phillip Davis.

This case is the latest tragic example of the presence of guns and the dangers inherent with guns, Dean said.

The maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter according to Virginia law is 10 years. The plea agreement reached by attorneys stipulated that Calderon-Damian would enter a no contest plea and be sentenced to 10 years of incarceration with three years suspended.

Once released, Calderon-Damian will be put on probation for two additional years. The sentence will be served in addition to a sentence he is serving in Botetourt County.

Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Alice Ekirch said that in the months following the death of Davis, undercover informants in Botetourt County bought drugs from Calderon-Damian.

He was sentenced in that county on May 27 to seven and a half years in prison for robbery, use of firearm in the commission of a robbery, distribution of imitation controlled substances and three counts of Schedule I or II drug distribution.

Judge David Carson accepted the plea agreement but said it was not an easy decision for him.

This is a senseless death of a 17-year-old that is frankly a head-scratcher to me, he said. But the judge recognized that with time to serve for his crimes in Botetourt County, Calderon-Damian will be incarcerated for about 14 years.

Thatll be 14 years for you to reflect on this, and otherwise not be a danger to yourself or others, Carson said.

Ekrich said Roanoke police responded to 5040 Valley View Blvd. N.W. at approximately 3 a.m. June 27, 2020, after hearing shots fired.

The first officers to arrive observed a large crowd of young people around a young black male  Davis  lying on the ground and suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to the hospital.

Ekrich said the scene of the shooting was chaotic and city police were pressed thin, so Roanoke County police and Virginia State Police were summoned.

An initial investigation revealed that there had been a gathering of young people on Eighth Street Southeast, but the party was shut down due to a noise complaint.

The party moved to Hyatt Place, where witnesses said a fight broke out between Calderon-Damian and another young male. Some witnesses believed Davis might have contributed to the brawl, Ekrich said.

No witnesses provided Calderon-Damians name to police, and he got away. But the man he fought at the hotel provided Calderon-Damians name and address to Davis parents, who passed the information on to police.

Months later, Ekrich said, city police conferred with the Botetourt County Sheriffs Office, and Calderon-Damian was arrested in October 2020.

Police reports reveal Calderon-Damian confessed to shooting Davis. He said after the fight at the hotel, he was scared, and he went to his car for a gun.

Calderon-Damian said Davis approached his car and spoke to him as though everything was cool. But then, he said, Davis punched him in the eye.

Calderon-Damian told police in a statement that he was mad, he went into panic mode and he shot Davis.

I wish I would have just pulled off, Calderon-Damian told police. I was just scared.

Ekrich said Davis family is not satisfied with the sentence Calderon-Damian received, and rightly so. The teen was taken off life support at the hospital a couple of days after the shooting.

No amount of time is going to be satisfactory for them, Ekrich said, but she told the family that with the risks of trying the case in court, it was better to give some sort of a conviction for this killing rather than nothing at all.

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Roanokes budget season wrapped Monday after two late disputes, including one involving city council members.

The budget, presented by City Manager Bob Cowell, boosts employee compensation and spending on schools, public safety and other services with higher local tax receipts. Coming in at $325 million for the fiscal year that will start July 1, the budget allocates $94.5 million to schools and $75.7 million to public safety.

City employees are getting a 5% raise and no one in city government will earn less than $15 hourly.

Proceedings had advanced smoothly on a schedule through multiple briefings in public and private until a key public hearing in late April. That was when firefighters announced criticisms about their compensation that Cowell bluntly rejected as unfounded about a week later.

Then, just before the final votes of approvals were cast Monday, Councilwoman Stephanie Moon Reynolds briefly walked out in a dispute with Mayor Sherman Lea over a new $2,500 travel stipend in the draft budget.

Lea said he requested the money to reimburse him for the use of his personal vehicle for travel on city business and as an addition to his annual $25,000 salary. The mayor, who drives a Ford Explorer, said hes out daily and, while entitled to mileage reimbursement, he hadnt claimed it.

Moon, a former city clerk with deep experience in municipal affairs, motioned to remove the stipend from the municipal compensation plan for fiscal 2023 before its approval. She said she felt the measure had not been sufficiently discussed by council. She also said it was unfair to citizens who had endured economic fallout from the pandemic and owed more real estate and personal property tax because homes and vehicles have risen in value.

Nobody seconded Moons motion. Lea, who would later call her words political posturing, began to voice his criticisms when Moon interjected.

Mayor, lets not do this, she said.

Let me finish, Lea said. I dont know why you choose to do that while all the cameras . . .

Moon stood up from her seat.

Well, thats fine, you can walk out, Lea said.

It should be discussed, Mr. Mayor, Moon said of the proposed stipend as she headed for a door behind the dais.

You didnt get a second for that, Lea said.

Thats fine, but it seriously should have been discussed, Moon said.

Well, that lets you know what this council feels, Lea said.

They just dont speak up, Moon said before exiting and closing the door.

She returned to the room after a couple minutes.

The council voted to approve a compensation plan, with Moon Reynolds voting against it, that implements additional phases of a step progression pay matrix for public safety personnel  police, fire, EMS and the sheriffs department, which operates the Roanoke City Jail. The city will spend $3.7 million more on public safety compensation in the coming year than it will this year.

The councilwoman said she supported the pay matrix and the raises it triggers but voted no to oppose the mayors travel stipend.

Another part of the compensation plan recently drew opposition from the Roanoke Firefighters Association, which predicted it would negatively impact at least 30% of Fire-EMS personnel at adoption. Cowell later briefed council, calling a number of statements by the association untrue.

Since that time, Cowell and association representatives have agreed to meet. Roanoke Councilman Bill Bestpitch expressed hope the two sides would come to an understanding.

I think if everyone is willing to sit down at the table, remain professional and talk about what their concerns are, theyll find a way to work this out, Bestpitch said.

A date for the planned meeting was not available.

The budget is online at the following link: https://www.roanokeva.gov/

DocumentCenter/View/17334/FY23-

RECOMMENDED-

BUDGET-

DOCUMENT?bidId=.

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A documentary on the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power facility in Pennsylvania premiered May 4 on the streaming service Netflix. The four-part series, Meltdown: Three Mile Island, explores the incident as well as the eventual cleanup and includes an interview of Smith Mountain Lake resident Lawrence King.

King was hired by General Public Utilities that was overseen by the company Bechtel to help in the cleanup in the summer of 1980, just over a year after the partial meltdown at the plant. He was one of several individuals featured in the documentary who described corners being cut to speed up the effort. He said those decisions not only put the lives of residents of the Londonderry Township where the plant was located in jeopardy, but residents of much of the East Coast if mistakes were made.

In the Netflix documentary, one of the biggest concerns that King and other staff had was the proposed use of a polar crane inside unit 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power facility during the partial meltdown. Higher-ups wanted to use the crane to remove nuclear materials from the facility.

King and other employees involved in the cleanup, including Rick Parks, refused to sign off on the use of the polar crane until it was properly inspected to ensure it was safe to use. King said, if the nuclear material was dropped, it could have led to a nuclear meltdown scenario that could have made much of the East Coast uninhabitable.

Parks eventually went public with his concerns which resulted in the removal of the nuclear material being postponed until it could be established that the polar crane was in proper working order. In the documentary, Parks describes several instances where he believes he was intimidated by Bechtel who didnt want anyone to interfere with or slow down the cleanup.

While the documentary focuses on Parks and the intimidation he received, King said he experienced much of his own for not signing off on the use of the polar crane. They turned out to be my nemesis, he said of Bechtel.

King said he was met with armed guards when heading to work at the facility and was also locked out of his office when he wouldnt sign off. He said Bechtel and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission also continued their intimidation long after he left his position at Three Mile Island.

I couldnt get a job, King said of his time after Three Mile Island. He said he applied to 32 jobs at various utility companies and none would hire him.

King eventually participated in lawsuits against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for discrimination and won a settlement in the case. He eventually decided to use the money to pursue a different avenue in life. At the age of 65, he obtained a law degree from Saint Thomas Law School in Miami.

King and his family are now full-time residents of Smith Mountain Lake. King and his wife purchased Lake Haven Marina near Smith Mountain Lake State Park in 1975 well before the Three Mile Island incident. His family moved to the area permanently in 1984.

Now 87, King considers himself semi-retired, but still helps around the marina and even consults on the occasional discrimination or whistleblower case.

In recent years, King hasnt spoken much to the media about his time at Three Mile Island. He said he had a distrust of the media .

In the spring of 2020, King was contacted by Netflix to participate in the documentary. While apprehensive, King said his son Frank encouraged him to participate.

Later that year, he and his son were invited to a lodge in Lexington where they filmed his interview. Much of what he discussed can be seen in episode three of the four-part series.

Netflix also recently reunited King and Parks as well as other individuals involved in bringing their concerns about the Three Mile Island cleanup to light. They all met in Washington, D.C., last year.

With the documentary now premiered on Netflix, King said he has invited Parks and others to Smith Mountain Lake for a viewing of the documentary this weekend. It will allow them the opportunity to share stories of their time at Three Mile Island and how their efforts possibly helped to avoid a much larger tragedy.

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RICHMOND  The Virginia Information Technologies Agency is losing its third high-level manager since Gov. Glenn Youngkin replaced its top executive in January.

Acting Chief Operating Officer Demetrias Rodgers resigned last week from the state IT agency, which is central to carrying out the governors new telework policy for state employees and pending budget proposals to bolster the cybersecurity defenses of Virginia government.

Rodgers, who has served as deputy chief operating officer for 2 years, will leave the agency on May 20, VITA spokesperson Lindsay LeGrand confirmed on Monday,

The VITA team thanks Demetrias for his many contributions and wishes him well, LeGrand said. The VITA team will continue its focus on providing services to commonwealth agencies, employees and each Virginian we serve.

Rodgers announced his departure on LinkedIn on Monday afternoon. When one door closes, another one opens, he said. For my next chapter, I will return to the private sector where I will drive innovation and technology to customers across the nation and the globe.

He also praised the government workers whom VITA serves, as well as the agency itself.

The people that work in the public sector that give blood, sweat, and tears so that our citizens are able to access necessary government services are heroes, in my personal opinion, he wrote. This has been particularly true at VITA, the people, the work atmosphere and our agency customers have been the best I had the privilege of working with and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Rodgers became the acting COO after Jon Ozovek resigned in mid-February following Youngkins decision to replace Chief Information Officer Nelson Moe at the helm of the agency.

Phil Wittmer, a former Kansas CIO who had replaced Moe, resigned after less than a month in the job. Youngkin subsequently replaced Wittmer with Bob Osmond, an IT specialist who previously worked at the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Rodgers had worked for six years at VITA and 10 years for Northrop Grumman Corp., the Fairfax County-based technology giant that ran Virginias IT system for the state executive branch for 12 years before Virginia withdrew from the 13-year, $2.4 billion contract in 2018.

VITA, created in 2005 under then-Gov. Mark Warner, ended the contract a year early after a long, bitter legal battle that began in 2016 when the state decided to transition management of its IT services from Northrop Grumman to eight private vendors.

The IT agency will play a crucial role in implementing the new telework policy that Youngkin announced last week for more than 55,000 executive branch state employees, scrapping previous agreements for remote working and requiring them to apply for permission to work from home.

Under the policy, effective July 5, agency heads can allow employees to work from home for one day a week or temporarily for up to two weeks for family illness or other unforeseeable circumstances. Requests to telework two days a week will require approval by a Cabinet secretary and three days a week or more must be OKd by the governors chief of staff, Jeff Goettman.

Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid said last week that the return of state employees to their offices required an upgrade of the governments IT networks to handle the additional Zoom conference calls, video and other telecommunication data demands.

I think were ready, she said in an interview.

VITA is also central to the new governors plans for enhancing cybersecurity in state government, which became more urgent at the end of last year when the General Assemblys IT systems shut down temporarily because of ransomware implanted by a criminal enterprise.

The still-unknown attacker wanted money to restore portions of the system it had infected with malware. No ransom was paid, as the assembly moved its critical services, including bill drafting, to a backup system. The attack remains under state and federal investigation.

The infection never spread beyond the legislative branch to the state agencies managed by VITA, but the pending state budget under negotiation by the House of Delegates includes up to $150 million that Youngkin and his predecessor, Gov. Ralph Northam, had proposed to bolster state cybersecurity defenses for the legislative and executive branches.

After the assemblys watchdog agency warned that the IT agencys security group was understaffed, Northam included an additional 11 positions in his parting budget and the House proposed to hire an additional 11 security staff.

Youngkin also had asked for $40 million over the next two years for McDermid, a former chief information officer at Dominion Energy and the Federal Reserve Bank, to use to upgrade the states cyberdefenses, but the House budget included just $20 million for two years and the Senate proposed $10 million for one year.

The General Assemblys IT system is managed by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems, but it has also relied on assistance from VITA and an outside cybersecurity contractor in responding to the ransomware attack. The House and Senate budgets both include $1 million for the legislative computer agency this year and up to $3.2 million over the next two years.

(804) 649-6964
RICHMOND  Zetta Elliott, a Black educator, author and poet, spoke frankly with fifth-graders at Richmonds G.H. Reid Elementary Friday morning about social justice and the lack of Black and brown children in books.

She talked about how for years her books were tossed to the side by publishing companies, because theres no market for books like yours. Her response? She began self-publishing. Because while its frustrating to face discrimination, Elliott said, you dont have to accept it.

Elliotts book, A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart, has recently come under criticism in Hanover County. The picture book is about a Black woman who was shot and killed by police and a young Black boys experience as he deals with the death.

There is somebody in Hanover County who thinks its garbage, Elliott told the group of fifth-graders.

How would you feel if you made something that you thought was beautiful and somebody else called it garbage? What would you do? Would you care? No, sticks and stones, right? Doesnt hurt me, Elliott said.

In February, Hanover Supervisor Michael Herzberg publicly called Elliotts book garbage after a student checked it out of the Cold Harbor Elementary library.

Herzberg in a February Facebook post said: Hanover: Its time for your school board to create policy to get garbage like this out of YOUR libraries. Indoctrination has been going on for years and it has to stop. Slicing through flesh and bone is not appropriate for K-5.

Hanovers board is not alone. Around the nation, library books fuel the political divide. Book banning is on the rise at levels not seen in decades, according to the American Library Association  thanks in part to conservative parents increasingly challenging books and materials, particularly those that touch on race, sexuality and gender.

To understand the landscape of challenges to books in Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch sent public records requests to each of the states 132 public school systems seeking information on books that had been removed or placed under review in the past two school years.

Twenty-three school districts  including Roanoke and Roanoke County  confirmed that they had taken at least one book out of circulation for content reasons, while 90 said no books had been brought up for review.

Six districts, including Bedford County, did not respond to records requests sent by The Times-Dispatch, and two others acknowledged requests, but sought to charge significant fees for relevant records.

Chesterfield County Public Schools, which did not respond to questions from reporters about challenged books, estimated the combined cost of responding to an initial request for documents related to book bans and a subsequent request for relevant email records from Superintendent Mervin Daugherty and School Board members at more than $4,000.

Lisa Varga, executive director of the Virginia Library Association, said the crusade for banning books is nothing new, rather that it happens in waves.

I think that we are seeing an acceleration because lists of books and pieces of books [being] taken out of context are so readily shared on social media. Then we are seeing a community response to that, sometimes with partial information, sometimes by people who havent read the books [because] they object to pieces that they have seen or heard about, Varga said in an interview.

About a week before the November gubernatorial election, Republican Glenn Youngkin released an ad featuring a Fairfax County resident who nearly a decade prior waged a battle against Nobel laureate Toni Morrisons book Beloved. The resident, Laura Murphy, said the book gave her son, then a high school senior, nightmares.

Inspired by a true story, Beloved depicts a Civil War-era Black woman who kills her own young daughter to spare her from enslavement. Youngkins October TV ad called out Terry McAuliffe, his Democratic opponent, for vetoing the so-called Beloved bill, when he was governor. The bill would have required school districts to notify parents of assignments containing sexually explicit content.

In April, Youngkin signed a similar bill into law.

Though Beloved factored into Youngkins campaign strategy, it has been reviewed in only one Virginia school district in the past two years, while Morrisons The Bluest Eye was reviewed in three districts. (Each of those districts ultimately decided to keep Morrisons work on the shelves.)

During a March virtual panel on book banning, Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times journalist and author of The 1619 Project, said Youngkins campaign tactic is only the beginning of using elections to limit what children can read. Random House hosted the discussion in partnership with PEN America, a nonprofit working to protect free expression through the intersection of human rights and literature.

They ran very successfully in Virginia on this, she said, asserting that Republicans would adopt the playbook in future elections. They are not going to stop, Hannah-Jones said.

Survey: 1,145 titles banned

PEN America conducted a nationwide analysis from July to March and found that 1,145 books have been banned in school divisions in 26 states. Of the books, 72% are works of fiction, 47% are classified as young adult novels, and 18% are childrens picture books.

The most frequently banned books are Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe; All Boys Arent Blue, by George M. Johnson; Lawn Boy, by Jonathan Evison; Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Perez; The Bluest Eye, by Morrison; and Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin.

According to the survey, 41% of the titles have protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color, followed by 33% explicitly addressing LGBTQ+ themes or have protagonists or prominent secondary characters who are LGBTQ+, 22% directly address issues of race and racism, and 25% include sexual encounters.

Were seeing a [book ban] trend toward books written by people of color or those with an LGBTQIA+ background, Varga said. They are being consistently challenged and held up as examples of something quote wrong. I have a lot of empathy for the people who wrote those books or who have a similar perspective, because every time they open a newspaper or a website, theyre seeing someone holding up a book that they relate to saying this is wrong. That re-traumatizes people, and it makes me very frustrated.

Gender Queer, an autobiographical graphic novel by a non-binary and asexual author, was the most challenged book in Virginia, according to The Times-Dispatchs analysis. In the past two school years, it has been placed under review in at least nine school districts and removed from shelves in five, including Hanover.

Lawn Boy, a coming-of-age novel about the trials and tribulations faced by a young Mexican American man, has been reviewed by five Virginia school systems  including Fairfax County, where a September challenge alongside Gender Queer for the books graphic sexual content garnered national attention. None of those five has opted to remove Lawn Boy from circulation, although Fairfaxs decision to keep the book is under appeal.

The six Dr. Seuss books that the late authors estate took out of circulation in March 2021 because of racist imagery were also among the most removed books in Virginia.

How books are challenged

Schools and public libraries have policies and procedures for people to challenge books.

When a book is challenged, a committee is charged with reading the entire book before making a decision, according to Judy Deichman, the 2022 president of the Virginia Association of School Librarians and the instructional specialist for library media in Richmond Public Schools.

Deichman said each school district has an outlined procedure and committee makeup. All that is asked, Deichman said, is to follow the policies and procedures that are set forth.

We [librarians] do believe that every parent has a right to decide what their own child can read. Where we disagree is that all parents have a right to choose what every child can read, Deichman said in an interview.

Our biggest point we are trying to make is ... no one has the right to say no child can read this book, Deichman said.

Deichman and Varga said their respective organizations have seen instances in recent years in which school systems bypassed their policies to pull books off the shelves.

When youre violating your own policies and procedures, Varga said, thats very troublesome.

Even when school districts are not circumventing their policies to remove books, opponents of certain books  from parents to county officials  have sparked intense pressure campaigns.

In November, a pair of Spotsylvania County School Board members called for books containing sexually explicit material to be removed from schools and burned.

A month earlier, during an Isle of Wight County School Board meeting, a group of parents read passages from Out of Darkness and other books they found objectionable and called for school system employees to be fired.

Shame on every one of you that endorses this garbage, said Windsor resident Jason Maresh, according to a video of the meeting. Kids deserve better. ... I want you to take some accountability for it.

Pushing back

Efforts are ongoing nationwide to counteract book challenges and bans. In Brooklyn, the public library system is helping children across the county have access to challenged books. Out-of-state students between the ages of 13 and 21 can apply for a free Brooklyn Public Library electronic library card to gain access to the systems full eBook collection and learning databases. Normally $50, the library is waiving the fee as part of its Book Unbanned campaign.

The American Library Associations Freedom to Read Statement inspired the Brooklyn library system to launch its own initiative. The library association launched its own program, called Unite Against Book Bans, to bring together people who care about books and who are committed to the freedom to read.

In Northern Virginia, the Arlington Public Library held a Wake Up & Read weeklong event in April to build awareness around the recent surge of challenged books. Each day of the week, Arlington residents could visit a different library branch and receive a free cup of coffee and a copy of a challenged or banned book, while supplies lasted.

Shari Henry, the assistant division chief of public services for the Arlington Public Library and chair of the advocacy task force for the Virginia Association of Librarians, said that on the first day, the supply of challenged or banned books at the countys Columbia Pike library was gone almost immediately.
Peter Lacy was supposed to become the next commissioner of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, but Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration rescinded the offer on Tuesday after an Indiana newspaper reported that the former head of the Indiana Board of Motor Vehicles had been accused of inappropriate behavior on the job.

The Indianapolis Star reported on Tuesday that Lacy had resigned as head of the Indiana agency on April 27, a month before his previously announced departure date and one day after he appeared intoxicated during an executive meeting, slurring his words, acting confused and making an off-color statement.

Lacy, who had led the Indiana agency under Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb since 2017, spoke with Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller on Tuesday morning, according to Youngkin Press Secretary Macaulay Porter.

Mr. Lacy rescinded his acceptance and the Secretary concurred with that decision, Porter said in a brief statement. He informed Mr. Lacy the Commonwealth rescinded the offer of employment.

The stunning reversal leaves one of Virginias most prominent agencies without a full-time leader and raises questions about the Youngkin administrations decision to offer him the job.

Basically, what it shows is that they are extraordinarily inexperienced at vetting, said Bob Holsworth, a veteran political analyst in Richmond. They managed to reduce the level of embarrassment by not having him here.

The Virginia DMV has been under interim leadership for almost four months after longtime Commissioner Rick Holcomb retired amid criticism over the agencys slowness in reopening its offices to walk-in service late into the COVID-19 pandemic.

DMV is probably the one agencyand there are a few in state governmentthat is most in need of an overhaul, in my opinion, said Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, who led a push by the General Assembly last year to force the agency to reopen its offices for customer service without appointment.

To the extent that this misfire sets that timetable back, then thats regrettable, Petersen said.

In response to the General Assembly, Holcomb, then the Virginia DMV head, opened offices for walk-in service for three days a week and reserving other days for appointment in October, but Youngkin ordered all offices to allow walk-in service six days a week.

Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Linda Ford has been serving as acting commissioner since Holcombs retirement.

The incident comes as the Youngkin administration is facing the loss of the third high-level leader at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency since the governor took office in January. It also comes less than a week after Youngkin announced a new telework policy aimed at returning state employees to their offices.

Chief Operating Officer Jon Ozovek resigned after Youngkin replaced Chief Information Officer Nelson Moe with Phil Wittmer, who left after less than a month in order to remain at his home in Kansas. Acting Chief Operating Officer Demeterias Rodgers confirmed on Monday that he will leave the IT agency on May 20.

The DMV setback also was ill-timed because the clock is about to run out on the 120-day letters that a number of Virginia agency heads under then-Gov. Ralph Northam have been operating under during the transition to the new administration.

Porter, the governors press secretary, declined further comment on the decision to withdraw the job offer to Lacy.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Lacy, the scion of a prominent family influential in Indiana Republican politics, had a history of inappropriate behavior in the state workplace, including crude sexual references and screaming fits of anger.

But the newspaper said that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb had allowed Lacy to resign rather than face disciplinary action that could have allowed any disciplinary issues or complaints in his personnel file to become public.

The Indiana governors office would not discuss the reasons for Lacys resignation or the reports of inappropriate behavior, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Lacy told the newspaper, Moving up my departure date allowed me to take some time off to pursue other opportunities where I can bring Indianas BMV learnings and successes to other jurisdictions.

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Almost 50 years ago, Roe v. Wade gave women the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion prior to fetal viability.

Illicit and self-induced abortions were reduced but didnt disappear. Although I started my residency 10 years after Roe v. Wade, women were still suffering from botched abortion attempts.

The tools of choice for self-induced or illicit abortions  coat hangers and knitting needles  were causing severe hemorrhaging and infections that endangered their lives and future fertility.

As a physician, I knew I had the duty to prioritize the life and health of women of child-bearing age over the personhood rights of an embryo or fetus.

Then, in September 2021, Texas State Senate Bill 8 banned abortion six weeks after the last menstrual period. It was dubbed the heartbeat bill but this moniker was misleading. Four weeks after conception there is no beating heart, just cardiac electrical signals that can be picked up on ultrasound.

The legislature immunized itself against lawsuits and court challenges by allowing private citizens to sue anyone suspected of aiding and abetting or performing an illegal abortion.

As an incentive, the plaintiff (who himself was not harmed, an unusual predicate for civil suit) could collect a bounty of $10,000. The mere threat of being sued created a climate of fear that discouraged seeking or providing abortion services.

Texas SB 8 alarmed me on many levels. At six weeks, most women dont know they are pregnant. Texas also wants to block the use of abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) which allow women to safely terminate an early pregnancy in the privacy of their homes.

The next step could be outlawing contraceptives such as IUDs and Plan B that prevent a fertilized ovum from implanting in the womb.

Worse, SB 8 forces practicing physicians to think twice before performing a lifesaving intervention such as a dilation and curettage after six weeks gestation. Worst of all, this bill makes no allowance for rape, incest or the age of the girl. In my mind, forcing a mere child to carry a pregnancy to term is unmitigated cruelty.

However, I took solace in one legal protection: the right to privacy of our personal medical records. Under most circumstances, the federal Healthcare Affordability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] forbids an entity from divulging protected health information without explicit permission from the patient.

John Q. Public cant just walk into Planned Parenthood and demand the medical records of someone who may be seeking an illegal abortion. Without being able to identify a specific woman who had an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, he has no evidence that a violation of law occurred.

Besides, he has to weigh a $10,000 reward for winning the suit against a $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail for violating HIPAA.

As I said, I took solace in the protections afforded by HIPAA, but that was before learning that the U.S. Supreme Court might strike down Roe v. Wade.

If that happens, Texas will criminalize abortion, and judges can subpoena patients medical records. Mississippi relies on the Texas Medical Board to enforce its ban on abortions after 15 weeks.

Medical boards dont have subpoena power, but they can coerce an accused physician into releasing patient medical records as part of their investigation.

In neither case is there any guarantee that patients health information will remain confidential.

We dont yet know how the courts ruling will play out in the many states that will further restrict or outlaw abortion services, but patient confidentiality will be at further risk.

Were already on a slippery slope. Physicians are often required by medical boards to divulge their personal health history before being granted a license. The Department of Health can require patients with communicable diseases to divulge their contacts.

Equating the use of puberty blockers with child abuse will enable Texas courts to obtain childrens medical records without parental consent.

Anti-abortion laws will set a new precedent for violating HIPAA when abortion providers and/or their patients are investigated, sued or prosecuted.

As a nation, we are unlikely to ever agree about abortion services, but we need to acknowledge that the physical and mental health of the mother are paramount for own well-being and that of her children and society at large.

The precedence set by criminalizing abortion threatens our fundamental right to privacy in our own homes and our personal health records and impedes our equal access to medical care.

Phelan is a retired physician living in Blacksburg who has more than 35 years of clinical medical experience. Also a writer of essays, editorials and long form articles, she is working on a memoir entitled The Disrupted Physician.
" " The giant red star Aldebaran, seen in the background in this artist's conception, is 65 light-years away from the sun in the constellation Taurus. It is 44 times the sun's diameter and hosts a planet several times the mass of Jupiter. Pablo Carlos Budassi/Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 4.0)

As one of the brightest, Aldebaran is also one of the most mythologized stars in the night sky. Ancient astronomers in the Middle East, India, Greece, Mexico and Australia all had stories to explain Aldebaran's reddish glow, which is actually a product of its large size and relatively cool surface temperature.

Even today, if you attend an astronomy stargazing session  especially in the winter, since that's when Aldebaran and its home constellation are visible  you'll likely learn about Aldebaran and the most common stories that are told about this eye-catching star.

Despite our fascination with the brightest stars in the sky, astronomers continue to learn about them  Aldebaran included. Here are some of the basics about this luminous orange star.

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What's in a Name?

Like many stars, the roots of the name "Aldebaran" are found with the Arabic astronomers whose star nomenclature is so prominent in early star catalogs. "Aldebaran" comes from the Arabic phrase "al Dabaran," which translates as "the follower." This is because Aldebaran follows the open star cluster Pleiades across the sky; both are in the constellation Taurus. Speaking of Taurus, Aldebaran is also named Alpha Tauri, as it is the brightest star in the constellation.

Aldebaran also holds a special place in the graphical depictions of Taurus, the bull. In most drawings, Aldebaran takes its place as the bull's bright, orange-red eye. This makes sense as the bull charges at the neighboring constellation of Orion.

" " Aldebaran is the bull's bright, orange-red eye as it follows after the neighboring constellation of Orion. Sidney Hall/Rawpixel/Library of Congress (CC By 4.0)

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Starlight, Star Bright

Aldebaran is not just the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, it's also the 14th brightest star in the sky. This makes it roughly as bright as Antares, also called Alpha Scorpii, and Pollux, which is part of the pair of bright stars in Gemini (along with Castor).

What makes Aldebaran so bright is both its size and luminosity. The orange giant is about 44 times the size of our sun and over 400 times more luminous. This is how we are able to spot it so brightly in our sky despite its being over 66 light-years from Earth.

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Stories of a Star

Because it is so eye-catching, Aldebaran features prominently in the mythologies of many cultures who can see it in the night sky.

The Seris people of northwestern Mexico call Aldebaran by other names, including Hant Caalajc Ipapjo, Queeto and Azoj Yeen oo Caap ("star that goes ahead"). In Hindu astronomy, Aldebaran is identified as the lunar mansion Rohini ("the red one") and as one of the 27 daughters of Daksha and the wife of the god Chandra (the moon). The ancient Greek astronomers called it "Lampadias," literally "torch-like" or "torch-bearer," which is astonishingly similar to the Seris myth that Aldebaran provides light to the seven women giving birth as the Pleiades.

Through different cultures, Aldebaran's brightness and proximity to other notable stars has played into the role it has taken in various astronomy mythologies.

" " Taken from the Cassini space probe, this image shows rings of Saturn passing in front of the bright red giant star Aldebaran. The fluctuations in light from the star provided information about the concentration of particles within the rings. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

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Host to Exoplanet

Aldebaran is orbited by at least one exoplanet  or planet outside our solar system. Known as Aldebaran b, the primary exoplanet orbiting Aldebaran is roughly 6.5 times larger than Jupiter.

Aldebaran b was initially detected in 1993, but it took until 2015 for its existence to be confirmed; new data in 2019 cast doubts on the existence of Aldebaran b again, so it is still considered a candidate exoplanet until better data can provide a clearer answer on whether or not it exists.

Unfortunately, even if Aldebaran b exists, it is an unlikely candidate for carbon-based life. Its surface temperature is roughly 2,240 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Kelvin or 1,227 degrees Celsius) and it receives large amounts of radiation from its host star, Aldebaran. So even if we could reach it in a timely fashion once confirming its existence, don't expect to hear about colonies on Aldebaran b for a while.

" " This image of a waxing crescent moon, shows the brightness of Aldebaran, shining in the lower left. Stephen Rahn/Flickr

Now That's Interesting NASA's Pioneer 10 is a mission that holds many accolades: It was the first mission that was all-nuclear powered, the first to fly beyond Mars' orbit, the first to do a Jupiter fly-by and the first to travel beyond Neptune's orbit. In 2003, the Pioneer 10 spacecraft sent its last weak message back to Earth from a distance of 7.6 billion years. After exploring the solar system, Pioneer 10 was set on a course through interstellar space toward Aldebaran, which it should reach in roughly 2 million years.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month and stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and disability in South Carolina.

In order to help educate the community on the risk factors and symptoms of a stroke, Carolina Pines will host a free Community Stroke Awareness Fair from 9 a.m. to noon on May 21 on the front hospital lawn, 1304 W. Bobo Newsom Hwy, Hartsville.

The fair will promote disease prevention through healthy living, educate the community about the risk factors of stroke, provide stroke risk assessments, and information on the signs and symptoms of a stroke. This free event will feature a free lipid panel screening, interactive education, door prizes valued at over $600, an interactive kids corner, a live radio broadcast from 103.3 and light hor doeuvres.

We want the community to understand that time is crucial when one is experiencing a stroke, said Ashley Johnson, BSN, RN Stroke Coordinator. The earlier that a stroke is identified, and the patient receives medical attention, the greater chance of recovery.

The Carolina Pines service area is considered to be part of the stroke belt where the commonness of stroke is higher than in other areas of the country. South Carolina is ranked the 4th highest state for stroke mortality.

Carolina Pines is committed to providing a higher level of stroke care to patients, said Dr. Brian Sponseller, chief medical officer at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. We are consistently working to raise awareness in the community about ways to prevent, treat and overcome strokes.

Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center earned its designation from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center in February of 2020 and has also earned the American Heart/Stroke Associations Get With the Guidelines Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievemen t Award  with Honor Roll and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll for timely, appropriate stroke care.

To learn more and to register for a free lipid panel, visit cprmc.com/strokefair.
FLORENCE  With Russia invading Ukraine, people are concerned about the nuclear threats, risks in Ukraine and other parts of the world, Francis Marion University Professor Dr. Derek Jokisch, chair of the physics and engineering department, explained some of these threats and risk to Rotarians in the Florence Rotary Club on Monday at Victors.

Jokisch said his area of expertise is health physics.

He said possible radiological threats come from Cheernobyl, Zaporizhzhia (the largest nuclear power plant in Europe) and nuclear weapons.

Jokisch said a program was initiated in 1994 between the two governments, United States and Russia, to study health risk from radiation exposure.

The United States Department of Energy and Russian Health Studies worked to assess worker and public health risks from radiation exposure resulting from nuclear weapons production activities in the former Soviet Union.

He said the money for the studies was divided about equally, which supports about 15 U.S. and 150 Russian scientists. He said the money goes further in Russia that is why they have more scientists. He said the funding in Russia has been suspended due to the war with Ukraine.

What are the risks to the public from Chernobyl in war?

Jokisch said the Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on April 26, 1986 at the No. 4 reactor. He said most of the students he teaches today havent necessarily heard about it before he introduces it to them.

He said what they learned about this disaster was that there was an increase in thyroid cancer among children 14 and under after the accident in a certain radius of the site. He said from that they learned a lot about thyroid cancer.

He said Chernobyl is not an interesting military or economic target. He said it is used mainly in the war on global, public opinion. He said if their goal is to kill people there is a better way. He said it is used to scare people.

He said once Russia invaded Chernobyl soldiers started digging trenches and contaminating soil. He said the results were somewhat embellished, and we shouldnt see Russian soldiers showing up in hospitals sick from it. He said the levels of radiation are low, and this is known because it has been studied.

He said the Ukrainian operators were left in place. He said there was the risk of loss of offsite power and fatigue/stress of operators who remained.

Jokisch said Zaporizhzhia is a large power station with six units slightly larger than H.B. Robinson in Hartsville. He said one of the six units has enough power to serve South Carolina. He said Russia captured the facility in March and is still in control. A fire was reported but it was in the training facility, he said.

Jokisch said the risk from the Zaporizhzhia attack to the public was economic/strategic advantages, use in war on global, public opinion, loss of offsite power and fatigue/stress of operators.

Jokisch said the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons would be a large number of civilian and military deaths in targeted area. He said to remember that tactical nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons, which have a narrower targeted scope. They take out a specific site. He said they would kill a large number of civilians and military people in the targeted area.

Deterrence/mutually assured destruction is also a consequence of nuclear weapons.

His advice in case of a nuclear accident is to heed the advice of authorities. He said there are multiple federal agencies in place to handle these types of events.

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Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 94F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
FILE PHOTO: A combine deposits harvested wheat in a tractor trolley at a field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad

By Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India exported a record 1.4 million tonnes of wheat in April, four trade sources said, providing some relief to grain markets as buyers scramble for alternatives to Black Sea supplies hit hard by the war in Ukraine.

April is the first month of the fiscal year. India, the world's second biggest wheat producer, exported a record 7 million tonnes of the grain in fiscal 2021-22.

India is the only major supplier of wheat at this time of year, and its exports of the grain have surged since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

It exported just 242,857 tonnes of wheat in April 2021.

With the new season crop gathered in April, wheat shipments could rise further this month.

"In May, shipments could rise to 1.5 million tonnes," said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trading firm. "Wheat supplies and railway cars' availability have improved in the last few weeks and that will help ship out more wheat in May."

Buyers from Asia and the Middle East are purchasing Indian wheat, as it is cheaper than alternatives, he said.

India has exported wheat to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.

As supplies dropped from Ukraine and Russia, which together used to account for about 29% of global wheat exports, top wheat importer Egypt agreed for the first time to purchase the grain from India.

India also exported wheat to other new markets such as Israel, Turkey, Indonesia, Mozambique, and Tanzania, traders said.

In addition, the United Nations' World Food Programme sourced wheat from India to supply to Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti, they added.

In April, Indian traders signed wheat export deals at between $295 and $340 a tonne free on board, said Rajesh Paharia Jain, a New Delhi-based trader.

(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra JadhavEditing by Mark Potter)
More than two years into the pandemic, Laos has reopened its international borders, which had been shut for two years now due to the uncertainty across the globe because of the virus.

The Southeast Asian nation reopened for all tourists and visitors on 9 May 2022, a little over two years after the country imposed strict travel restrictions in an attempt to tackle the pandemic and reduce the spread of the virus. Last Saturday, the head of the countrys government agency for controlling COVID-19, Thipphakone Chanthavongsa, announced the reopening date  the last step in their three-phase plan, reports Channel News Asia.

Laos reopens for tourists  heres what we know

View this post on Instagram A post shared by  Laos Tourism Visit Asia  (@laostourism)

Chanthavongsa stated that those who wish to enter the country will require vaccination certificates or COVID-19 virus tests, whether they are Lao citizens or international travellers. According to ABC News, these rules apply to passengers above 12, who, without the possession of vaccination certificates, need to show a negative ATK test taken within 48 hours of departure.

Whats more, in the three-phased opening plan, Laos has also eased restrictions at entertainment venues such as karaoke parlours, as long as they comply with the COVID-19 regulations.

Laos is among the latest countries to reopen for visitors, albeit with the vaccination and testing mandates in place. The nation was host to about 4.79 million foreign visitors in 2019, before the pandemic gripped the world. The number drastically fell in 2020, before borders shut and the world went into lockdown, media reports state.

According to reports, state-controlled Vientiane Times newspapers website quoted Deputy Health Minister Snong Thongsna as saying that the decision to reopen international borders has been based on the falling COVID-19 cases in Laos as well as the rest of the world, with the average new infections declining to less than 200 now in the nation.

Story continues

Although one of the poorest Asian countries, Laos is home to some stunning natural beauty and cultural sites, which helps it attract visitors. The reopening of borders will bolster travel confidence back into the country.

Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy of Molydar SOUAMA/Unsplash

This story first appeared on Travel + Leisure India

The post Laos has reopened its borders after two years appeared first on Prestige Online - Singapore.
    56      7.1%22.34 6150.096  332025.1% 441.63 27.03 3.03 41 56.86   EBITDA33%  61%  20%     UST  15% ##4    2% 8% 5% 61.4%  49%19%  21%9%  1.029211.4%   48.9614.1% 
In 1977, Mitch Tebo left Lincoln to pursue an acting career in New York.

This week, some 45 years later, Tebo will be back in the city where he began performing, playing the role he originated on Broadway in the touring company production of Oklahoma! at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Im making my triumphant return home, Tebo said with a laugh. Ive never played the Lied Center. It wasnt built when I was going to college. It was old Kimball Hall.

That was back in the late 1960s, when Tebo, who grew up on a farm about a mile from Roca and was a member of the first freshman class to enter Norris High School, enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

But he was into theater years before he hit the stages in the Temple Building.

His sister, Bonna Hays, was involved in Lincoln's theater scene. She was the director of the Lincoln Community Playhouse, which gave him a few opportunities to get onto the stage.

"I got exposed to theater early," Tebo said. "Then, at Norris, I had some very talented speech and drama teachers.  We did different stuff, beyond what a high school student is capable of, like The Doctor In Spite of Himself and Arsenic and Old Lace."

He started out at UNL in the teachers college and planned to become a speech and drama teacher. His plan changed by his sophomore year when he caught the acting bug.

By 1972, he had a bachelor's degree in fine arts, and the curriculum  at both Norris and UNL  prepared him for a career in theater.

Mostly, it gave me the opportunity to be on stage  a lot," he said. "You learn 90% of your craft by doing it. It takes some time to learn it, to find your voice.

"You have to live it to learn it.

Tebo moved to New York shortly after his college graduation. But he was back in Lincoln a few months later.

New York "was a pretty dirty city at that point, he said. I was in the bad financial times, when the city was having bad budget problems. There was a lot of crime in the city. I came back to Nebraska because I wasnt ready for it then."

By 1977, he decided if he was going to have a professional career, he was going to have to leave Lincoln.

I had to go one way or the other, to Los Angeles or New York. I chose New York because I was familiar with it, Tebo said.

For the next 34 years, Tebo pursued his acting career while working in a database keyboarding job on the side.

Ive had a nonlinear acting career, he said. I was in the business until the mid-90s. At that point I was mostly working in the city, doing off-Broadway."

He'd formed an acting company, the New Rude Mechanics, a name that comes from Shakespeare. He was working during the day and acting at night, which he admits was a grind.

"I was getting pretty worn down by both the day job, which you have to do, and pursuing the career," he said. "So I dropped out.

That hiatus from acting lasted about 15 years, when  through a combination of events including that fact I was going to be fired  Tebo took a tentative step back toward the stage by enrolling in an acting class.

That felt pretty good, Tebo said. So when they laid me off in 2011, I started auditioning and working my way back up. Ive rebuilt the resume, doing showcases, regional theater. All that led to this show.

In All The Way, which he acted in during his comeback, Tebo played President Lyndon B. Johnson as he worked to get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964  a performance that led directly to his casting in the production of a revived Oklahoma!

I was as surprised as anyone, Tebo said. Im not a musical theater person. Im a trained actor who usually does stage drama and comedy.  I got called in for the role. They were very kind."

Director Daniel Fish said he wanted people who could sing, but he wanted strong actors as well. The casting director had seen him play LBJ, which led him to believe Tebo could thrive playing the role of his country character.

The radically reimagined Oklahoma! was presented for the first time at Bard Summerscape 2015, an arts festival at Bard College, located just north of New York City.

This is a very sort of what New Yorkers refer to as a downtown show, Tebo said. Its not a big extravagant musical. But the downtown part of it caught the attention of the audience and the critics.

Among those accolades was a love letter from influential New York Times critic Ben Brantley, which helped prompt producers to try to bring Oklahoma! to the city. It took three years before it made its debut at St. Anns Warehouse in Brooklyn, New Yorks most important venue for avant-garde productions.

An immediate hit, Oklahoma! moved from St. Ann's to Circle on the Square Theatre, one of the two Broadway theaters that has a thrust stage that extends into the audience and fits the musicals staging.

The audience is right there, Tebo said.

More important, Tebo had made it to Broadway  at last.

That was a completely new, different experience," he said. "Broadway is its own beast.  Its hard work, doing eight shows a week. But all the attention makes it easier.

That attention included winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. But Oklahoma! didnt last long at Circle on the Square.

He found another gig  this time in Portland, Maine, but then the pandemic took root and everything shut down.

Instantly unemployed, with no sense when productions would return to theaters, Tebo got a query about reprising in "Oklahoma!" in the touring company production that was put together last year.

He accepted and went to work on the new version of the show, which had to be restaged from its thrust stage presentation to traditional proscenium stages, like that at the Lied Center.

Some of the intimacy of the show has been lost in the process," he said. But I think youre getting a very good representation of what the show has been in each of its interactions with this production.

Tebos on contract with Oklahoma! through the end of the year. Hed likely rejoin if the production continues into 2023. But, if not, he wont be looking for musical theater work next year.

I dont see that as my ongoing challenge, he said. I love it, its fun, singing those songs every night is a glorious experience. Theres nothing like it. But given my age category, which is 60-plus, I think most of the roles will be in drama and comedies. And youre always hoping to get the TV work and movie work because they pay so much better than the stage.

But back home, Tebos not going to be worrying about finding his next job.

I still have many friends in Lincoln, people I went to school with, people I grew up with, he said.

He gets into town on Monday and will have a homecoming of sorts that night.

Were going to gather to tell lies to each other," he said. "The family farm is still there and I've got some business to do with that, too. But mostly, Im going to enjoy being back in Lincoln again.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott

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Neil Gaiman is coming to speak in Chicago Friday, and if that means nothing to you, you might be surprised then to hear that this rather lanky, droll, pale, middle-aged Brit who sometimes lives in Scotland and sometimes lives in Wisconsin, can fill the 3,900-seat Auditorium Theatre with merely his presence and a short stack of writing. Gaiman is, for the most part, a writer. Though thats like saying Stephen King is a writer. After all these years, hes much closer to a cultural ecosystem, binding together TV, film, comics, childrens books, adult novels, cosplay costumes, social-media chatter, Netflix, Amazon, DC Comics, God, the devil, angels, trolls, ghosts, fairies, alternative realities and Norwegians.

I was a cult author once, he told me, and I am a cult author now, but I have a cult so large it resembles something like a smaller religion, and I think I kind of like it that way.

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Yes, he is just a fantasy writer.

But then: If you havent read his best-selling American Gods, maybe youve caught the TV adaptation, which lasted three seasons; if you havent read his childrens classic Coraline, maybe youve heard about the stop-motion film version; if you havent read his novel Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), perhaps youve streamed the hit series; if you havent read his Jungle Book-esque The Graveyard Book, maybe youve spotted it on a list of beloved Newbery winners; if you havent cracked one issue of The Sandman, the DC comic he made for three decades, perhaps youll watch the upcoming Netflix series.

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Neil Gaiman can seem to be everywhere  one of those artists whose view of the world dominates your own, or one of those artists forever fluttering in the corner of your eyes.

Either way, one reason that he consistently fills large halls is this:

He represents a creative life, well-lived and within reach.

Years ago at a comic book convention, I watched a crowd of his fans moving behind him as he walked through a room. And I remember someone shouting: Neil, where do you get your ideas? A tired question that every artist of any medium or serious renown will be asked occasionally, except here, a remarkable thing occurred: Gaiman paused, turned and then answered.

He gets asked this all the time, he told me on the phone from Scotland recently. That and the process question  the dreaded process question, which takes some form of:

Neil, what is your process like?

The answer that you will get to this depends on whether the author being asked is tired or has a snappy prepared answer, he said. But when someone actually asks me, I do answer. I try to explain how writers get ideas. Because one of the things I love about the process  which is half fairly magical  is to try and demystify it to a point where people could do something creative themselves. It changes lives, but people are intimidated.

Author Neil Gaiman is hosting an event at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. (Masterclass/HANDOUT)

His own work, after all, is a sterling example of a famous artist who cobbles together worlds of influences and ideas from disparate sources, cherry-picking liberally and cleverly, then applying his distinctive fingerprints to the results. Which is most artists.

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A typical Neil Gaiman story, if there is such a thing, gathers fairy tales, folklore and classic bits of genre then replaces whatever antiquated language might exist with accessible storytelling, and sometimes adds a contemporary setting. American Gods tells the story of an America where the folk legends that immigrants brought to this country were real, then cast aside. Coraline is Alice in Wonderland retold for the age of distracted parenting. Norse Mythology, his 2017 best-seller, revisited the tales of Thor, Ragnarok, Loki and the like with a modern ear for overlooked weirdness and humor.

He has made, in a very real way, what Ray Bradbury, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and others built for earlier generations  a self-contained dreamscape, familiar yet fresh.

When I tell him this, you can almost hear the wince through the phone.

He starts speaking, he stops, he regroups, he goes into a long story to illustrate the downside of such comparisons: When I was a young journalist (in the 1980s in England), interviewing lots of writers, I met people who were, in my perspective, major writers, best-selling authors, and conversation would get around to the book they didnt publish because they were a novelist who wrote, say, horror, and couldnt get anyone to release their French Revolution novel. I thought to myself, I never want to be so successful doing one thing as to never do other things. Which has been hard. Getting publishers to take adult novels seriously when I was winning awards for Sandman was hard. Getting Coraline published when I was perceived as an adult author was hard.

I like writing but what I like more than writing is doing different things. I like being the writer who doesnt just write one kind of book. It has not been C.S. Lewis or Tolkien or J.K. Rowlings career. If I did  say I wrote a new American Gods once a year  maybe I would be more Stephen King famous. But Id be bored out of my mind and grumpy.

He arrived at this mindset, in part, because of ... Duran Duran.

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As a 20-something journalist in the early 80s, he was offered the chance to write a quickie biography of the group. Which came out at the height of Duran Duran mania. I was thrilled. I did it for money. Without Google, youd go to the BBC press clipping office and ask How much for everything in the Duran Duran pile? and they would say 60! and you would say Great! and the following day they would hand over a stack of photocopies. Thats how that book was written. I took my 2,000 and I paid my rent and bought an electric typewriter. I would be working out the (sales) numbers: If the first edition sold out, I would get 10,000 and I never had 10,000 in my whole life. And then it sold out that first printing. And one week later, the publisher went into involuntary bankruptcy. I had spent three months of my life writing a book I would not want to read and then I didnt even get the money for it. So I thought, in the future, I will do only those things that make me happy. Because then if I didnt get the money from it, at least I would have this thing itself I created. Which is the best way to write.

Decades later, as much a brand as a writer, its different, of course.

Especially for a writer of sci-fi / fantasy / comics / horror / speculative dystopias.

He once said he misses the days when science fiction, fantasy and superheroes were a low form, disrespected, not taken too seriously. When he could do something as strange, dark and risky as Sandman  about an existential protagonist named Dream, and his siblings (Death, Destiny, Desire, among others) visiting Earth and beyond  and tell himself he was original and, yes, someday someone will notice what you made here.

It was like working in the shadows then.

And now, People (ask) when Sandman is being released by Netflix, and I think, look, when Netflix releases Sandman, nobody on this planet will not know  dont worry, OK? Theyre not going to sneak it past you without you knowing its out there.

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"Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman, here at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago on March 2, 2011, was Mayor Richard M. Daley's final One Book, One Chicago selection. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

Indeed, the better known you become, the better your chances of running into work you did when you were less known. In some cases, his work, now ideal for streaming services and a fantasy-hungry public, begs contemporary scrutiny: Anansi Boys, his 2005 novel that drew on African folklore, is being shot right now as an upcoming Amazon series, and so the production, Gaiman said, made sure to hire directors and writers and actors and crew with African and Caribbean backgrounds.

There are places where I (look at my older books) and think You did the right thing, Neil of the past, writing that story at that time. You had a platform and you used it for this group. But at this point, that group, they can speak for themselves and its not my place to speak for them. Whereas Sandman, he said, its aged well in how it relates to race, gender, sexuality and just the general feel of the world. Theres less buffing.

As free as it sounds, the creative life does not exist in a vacuum.

Gaiman, who hasnt been in the United States for three years, has been wondering about his audience lately, an audience thats long felt a rich closeness with the author.

In a way, he received an answer in 2020 when he was roundly criticized online (and by Scottish police and UK politicians) for violating lockdown protocols and leaving his home in New Zealand to fly to his home on the Isle of Skye, on the northwest coast of Scotland. In a mea culpa, Gaiman apologized on his blog, saying he panicked at the thought of being stuck in Auckland with a mountain of TV production waiting in the UK.

Hence, the biggest drawback to a creative life:

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The great unfinished, unwritten and unmade work, roiling in your brain.

I wish there were more of me now, he said. I have reached the point in my life where if I am doing something, something else will not happen. I love making television, adapting and building and learning to do it. Yet I am painfully aware of an unfinished novel in my bag that I should be writing  instead of the other novel Im reading. So I am also looking forward to not making television so I can go back to (writing a new novel). Stuff can be finished in the cracks. I feel proud of myself now for writing an introduction to a book. I think, OK  good, I have at least written this essay then. But then I realize, other than the one I wrote for a Doctor Who book, I havent written a short story since 2020. I forgot how much I liked that. OK, I must do more of that! I will do more of that!

Instead I wrote 12 more episodes of television.

An Evening with Neil Gaiman will be 8 p.m. May 13 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets are $73-$96 at 312-341-2300 or www.auditoriumtheatre.org

cborrelli@chicagotribune.com
LONDON (AP)  Elon Musk said Twitter would reverse its ban of former President Donald Trump if his purchase of the social media company goes through, signaling just how permissive the platform could become toward free speech under his ownership.

Speaking virtually at an auto conference, Musk said Tuesday that Twitter's ban of Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme.

I think that was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice, said Musk, adding that he preferred temporary suspensions and other narrowly tailored punishments for content that is illegal or otherwise destructive to the world."

Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey voiced his agreement in a Tuesday tweet in which he said generally permanent bans are a failure of ours and dont work.

Shares of Twitter dropped 1.5% Tuesday to $47.24 per share. That's 13 percent below the offer of $54.20 per share  or $44 billion  that Musk made on April 14, a reflection of Wall Street's concerns that the deal could still fall through. Musk emphasized Tuesday that it is certainly not a done deal."

Musk has repeatedly criticized Twitters content moderation decisions, including banning Trump for incitement of violence, but had mostly avoided saying what he would do about Trumps account. He was pressed for more details Tuesday by Peter Campbell, an automotive correspondent for the Financial Times, which hosted the auto conference.

If Musk is concerned that many people were upset that Trump was banned, he should see how many more people would be upset if Trump was not banned, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame. Musk only appears to be worried about the opinion of a small group of individuals who incite violence or perpetuate hate speech.

Trump has previously said that he had no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account was reinstated, telling Fox News last month that he would instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to Musks remarks.

While Trump was president, his Twitter persona functioned as a mix of policy announcements, often out of the blue; complaints about the media; disparagement of women, minorities and his perceived enemies; and praise for his supporters, replete with exclamation marks, all-caps, and one-word declarations such as Sad!

He fired numerous officials on Twitter and his posts, like his speeches at rallies, were a torrent of misinformation.

In announcing its ban of Trump in 2021, Twitter said his tweets amounted to glorification of violence when read in the context of the Capitol riot and plans circulating online for future armed protests around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Musks remarks Tuesday raise questions about whether those banned besides Trump could also return. The long list of people banned from Twitter includes QAnon loyalists, COVID deniers, neo-Nazis and former reality star Tila Tequila, who was suspended for hate speech.

Other Trump allies kicked off Twitter include Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was permanently banned in January for repeatedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccine safety.

White supremacist David Duke and the often violent Proud Boys organization have been banned, along with far-right trolls like one who goes by the name Baked Alaska, who promoted anti-Semitic tropes and faces charges stemming from his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.

Alex Jones, the creator of Infowars, was permanently banned in 2018 for abusive behavior. Last year, Jones lost a defamation case filed by the parents of children killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting over Jones repeated claims that the shooting was fake.

Twitter, Musk said Tuesday, currently has a strong bias to the left, largely because it is located in San Francisco. This alleged bias prevents it from building trust in the rest of the U.S. and the world, he said: Its far too random and I think Twitter needs to be much more even handed.

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment on Musk's comments.

Earlier on Tuesday, Musk said he supported a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc's single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the blocs online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal will be forbidden in the digital space, which Musk fully agreed with.

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a great discussion" and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year. It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.; Krisher reported from Detroit. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed from Providence, Rhode Island.

See all of APs tech coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/technology.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
LONDON (AP)  Britains Conservative government set out its agenda for the next year on Tuesday with sweeping promises to cut crime, improve health care and revive the U.K.s pandemic-scarred economy  but no new help for millions of Britons struggling to pay their bills as the cost of living soars.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had caused economic turmoil, but said no government can realistically shield everyone from the impact.

The government set out its legislative plans during a ceremony steeped in tradition, but without Queen Elizabeth II, who was absent for the first time in six decades.

The 96-year-old monarch pulled out of reading the Queen's Speech at the opening of Parliament because of what Buckingham Palace called episodic mobility issues. Her son and heir, Prince Charles, stood in, rattling through a short speech laying out 38 bills the government plans to pass.

The speech, which is written by the government, promised Johnsons administration would grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. There were plans to invest in railways, create a U.K. infrastructure bank and level up economic opportunity to poorer regions, as well as bills on education and health care funding.

Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine had created huge disruptions to the global economy. But the speech included no immediate measures to relieve households struggling with soaring prices for domestic energy and food.

We cannot simply spend our way out of this problem, Johnson told lawmakers. We need to grow out of this problem by creating hundreds of thousands of new high-wage, high-skill jobs across the country.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the government of being too out of touch to meet the challenges of the moment. He called for an emergency budget and a windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

Many business groups and unions also were disappointed.

The Confederation of British Industry was encouraged by the speech's ambition, but the British Chambers of Commerce said its measures "will come too late to help many firms.

Christina McAnea, general-secretary of the Unison trade union, said the government had not grasped the seriousness of the situation. Families are being forced into debt and are going hungry.

Some of the planned laws appeared aimed at pleasing the governments right-leaning voter base, including promises to seize Brexit freedoms by cutting red tape for businesses and overhauling financial services and data regulation now that Britain has left the European Union.

Law-and-order measures included a law to outlaw disruptive protest tactics favored by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, a proposal condemned by civil liberties groups. Human rights groups also criticized plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace current rights laws based on the European Convention on Human Rights.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the European security order, was reflected in plans to beef up spying laws, introduce a U.S.-style foreign influence registration scheme and toughen money-laundering laws  though the mild-sounding measures are unlikely to eradicate Londons reputation as a hub for ill-gotten gains.

Despite rumors beforehand, there was no legislation to alter post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that would worsen already tense relations between Britain and the EU. But the government hinted it could act, stressing the importance of the internal economic bonds between all parts of the U.K., a key theme for Northern Irelands British unionists.

Johnsons Conservatives hold 358 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, which should ensure easy passage of all its legislation. But the government has been repeatedly sidetracked by ethics scandals and internal Conservative dissent.

The opening of a new session of Parliament came days after Johnsons Conservatives suffered a drubbing in local elections across the U.K.

Johnsons personal popularity has been hurt by months of headlines over parties in his office and other government buildings that breached coronavirus restrictions. The prime minister was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police last month for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

Johnson has apologized, but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties, a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior and a possible no-confidence vote from his own lawmakers.

The parliamentary opening ceremony is a spectacular pageant steeped in the two sides of Britains constitutional monarchy: royal pomp and political power. Traditionally the monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage and reads the speech to lawmakers from a golden throne, wearing a crown studded with 3,000 diamonds.

The queen has only missed two previous state openings during her 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward, respectively.

Prince Charles travelled by car, rather than carriage, and did not wear the crown, which got its own cushioned seat. Charles was accompanied by his wife Camilla and his son Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.

Other symbolic elements were unchanged, including scarlet-clad Yeomen of the Guard and an official known as Black Rod who summoned lawmakers from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, where the ceremony takes place.

That, too, is symbolic. Ever since King Charles I tried to arrest lawmakers in 1642 and ended up deposed, tried and beheaded, the monarch has been barred from entering the Commons chamber.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Two men charged by U.S. prosecutors with racketeering and other crimes for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload said Tuesday they have reached a deal that will see them avoid being extradited to the U.S. in exchange for facing charges in New Zealand.

The deal by former Megaupload officers Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk means that only Megaupload's flamboyant founder Kim Dotcom, who also lives in New Zealand, still faces the possibility of extradition to the U.S. in the long-running case.

U.S. authorities shut down Megaupload in 2012, saying it raked in at least $175 million, mainly from people using it to illegally download songs, television shows and movies. The Department of Justice describes it as the largest criminal copyright case in U.S. history.

Facing the possibility of spending decades in U.S. jails if convicted, Dotcom and the other two men have fought against extradition through the New Zealand legal system for the past 10 years.

Last year, New Zealand's Supreme Court ruled the trio could be extradited. But it remained up to Justice Minister Kris Faafoi to make a final decision on extradition. And even that decision could be appealed.

In a statement issued through their lawyer Peter Spring, Ortmann and van der Kolk said the continuing uncertainty of the case had taken a heavy toll on their lives and the time had come to move on.

Accordingly, we have reached an agreement with the New Zealand Government and the United States of America under which we have agreed to be charged in New Zealand for offenses similar to those we face in the United States.

The pair added that New Zealand was now their home and we want to stay here.

Lawyers for Dotcom and the other men have long argued that if anybody was guilty in the case, it was the users of the site who chose to pirate material, not the founders. But prosecutors say the men were the architects of a vast criminal enterprise.

Dotcom and the two other men were once close friends but had a falling out after setting up a new company, Mega, following the closure of Megaupload.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Dotcom said his former friends would become witnesses against him as part of their deal but he didn't blame them.

I want to congratulate my former friends and partners to have found a case resolution, Dotcom wrote. They can avoid the terrible US Justice system. Im happy for them. After 10 years of US lawfare I understand why they have given up. I dont blame them and I sincerely wish them all the best.

Dotcom vowed to continue fighting the case.

I wont accept the injustice we have been subjected to, he wrote. If I have to go to jail for what Megaupload users did on our site then many Big Tech CEOs are in the same boat with me.

U.S. prosecutors had earlier dropped their extradition bid against a fourth officer of the company who was arrested in New Zealand, Finn Batato.

In 2015, Megaupload computer programmer Andrus Nomm, of Estonia, pleaded guilty in the case to conspiring to commit felony copyright infringement and was sentenced to one year and one day in U.S. federal prison.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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LE MARS, Iowa -- It isn't often that a Siouxland-made product gets a shoutout on national television, but Blue Bunny ice cream was the freezer-aisle focus of a sketch on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," which aired live Saturday evening.

The six-minute sequence, which featured guest host Benedict Cumberbatch and SNL regular Heidi Gardner as members of a focus group trying a new ice cream flavor, came as a surprise to Jeremy Hrynewycz, brand marketing director for Le Mars-based Wells Enterprises, makers of the Blue Bunny brand.

"We learned about (the skit) as it aired," he said. "One of our colleagues was watching the show and texted everyone about the skit. We couldn't believe it! We loved it! The skit is so fun!"

The Blue Bunny focus group depicted in the sketch -- sampling a fictional "Peanut Brittle Pie"-flavored ice cream -- offered feedback that was by turns inappropriate, taciturn and nonsensical.

"Yeah, guys, we're not really looking to taste memories of the Dust Bowl here," SNL actor Mikey Day, playing a Blue Bunny employee, said to the focus group in response to Cumberbatch's meandering, cowboy-philosopher reaction to the ice cream flavor.

The sketch was likely inspired by the company's new "We Make Fun" advertising campaign, in which the Blue Bunny headquarters is run by bunnies.

Hrynewycz said one of the campaign's commercials featured a focus group that shared their thoughts on Blue Bunny's soft-serve Twist Cones.

"SNL seems to have taken a liking to our campaign and that video spot, in particular, as it appears that is what the skit is replicating," he said. "The ultimate goal of the campaign was to establish Blue Bunny as a brand that stands for fun, and this skit takes that to the next level."

"At Blue Bunny, we are all about defending and championing fun," Hrynewycz added. "We couldn't imagine a better platform to display that than 'Saturday Night Live.'"

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SPENCER, Iowa -- An Arizona man charged with sexually abusing a then-6-year-old girl more than nine years ago in Spencer has entered a plea.

Michael Homan, 74, of Goodyear, Arizona, entered Alford pleas Monday in Clay County District Court to charges of lascivious acts with a child and indecent contact with a child. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but a guilty plea is entered into the record.

A charge of second-degree sexual abuse will be dismissed.

Sentencing was scheduled for July 5.

Homan was charged in March 2021 with touching the girl and lowered his pants to expose his underwear to her in the bedroom of a house in the 1900 block of West 10th Street in Spencer in the late summer or fall of 2012.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office began investigating the matter in 2019, and Homan was arrested in Arizona in February 2021.

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ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- A Doon, Iowa, man pleaded guilty Monday to striking and killing a bicyclist with his minivan on a rural Sioux County road.

Seth De Jong, 27, entered his plea to one count of vehicular homicide -- reckless driving.

According to terms of a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend De Jong receive a 10-year prison sentence, and his attorney will seek a suspended prison sentence and probation. A judge will determine the sentence at a hearing scheduled for July 18 in Sioux County District Court. De Jong will be required to pay $150,000 in restitution to the estate of Lorna Moss.

A charge of vehicular-homicide -- operating while intoxicated will be dismissed.

De Jong admitted to driving recklessly on Sept. 3, when he struck Moss' bicycle from behind while she was riding north on Hickory Avenue about two miles north of Hull. Moss, 69, was pronounced dead at a Sioux Center hospital.

Investigators found alcoholic beverage containers inside De Jong's Dodge Grand Caravan, and reported that he had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

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According to court documents, Camack entered a plea agreement in which he has agreed to a one-year jail sentence, of which 11 months will be suspended once he has served 30 days. He also will be placed on probation for two years and on a special sex offender sentence for 10 years. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be returned to jail. He will be required to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for 10 years.
SIOUX CITY -- Judges know certain types of hearings and trials attract attention and large crowds, but many might tell you they prefer a low-key atmosphere inside the courtroom.

Iowa Court of Appeals Chief Judge Thomas Bower would welcome a packed courtroom Wednesday, when he and his fellow appeals court judges hold a special session at the Woodbury County Courthouse.

"We would love to see more of the public there so they can see who we are and what we do," Bower said.

The Court of Appeals will be in session at 1:30 p.m. and hear two appeals: one involving a former Sioux City elementary school principal's sex discrimination lawsuit against the Sioux City Community School District, the other pertaining to a Madison County murder case.

At the conclusion of the hearings, the judges will take part in a public question-and-answer session. Judges will not answer questions about the two cases or other cases pending before the court, nor will they provide any political opinions.

Each year, the Court of Appeals and Iowa Supreme Court have one or more special sessions outside Des Moines. The Supreme Court was last in Sioux City in 2013. This will be the Court of Appeals' first time here. The sessions give Iowans who don't live near Des Moines a chance to see the courts in action.

"We enjoy it," Bower said. "It's nice to get out and see different parts of the state."

The court's appearance is in conjunction with the Iowa Bench Bar conference, taking place in Sioux City Wednesday-Friday. The legal education conference will attract judges and lawyers from across the state.

The Court of Appeals appearance has been in the works since 2019, when the Woodbury County Bar Association applied to host the 2020 conference. Sioux City was awarded the bid, but the event was canceled because of COVID-19 and again in 2021. Sioux City was given the chance to host this year's conference.

"It is very much an honor for us to host them," said District Judge James Daane, who at the time the 2019 application was filed was a private attorney who helped prepare the hosting bid.

At each remote appearance, the court usually hears a case of local interest. On Wednesday, a three-judge panel will hear Dawn Stansbury's appeal of the dismissal of her sex discrimination lawsuit against the Sioux City school district, superintendent Paul Gausman and two other district administrators.

In May, District Judge Duane Hoffmeyer (who has since retired and taken senior judge status) granted the school district summary judgment and dismissed the lawsuit, ruling he had not found sufficient evidence from depositions and testimony to support Stansbury's claim that the district's actions were motivated by sex discrimination.

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SIOUX CITY -- A former director in MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center's cardiovascular unit has sued the hospital in federal court, saying she was fired in retaliation for filing an ethics complaint against one of the hospital's heart surgeons.

Cynthia Tener says in the lawsuit that nurses and another doctor informed her of concerns about the physician's failure to obtain proper consent from patients, performing unsafe add-on procedures during surgeries and falsifying paperwork.

Tener says Mercy Health Services-Iowa Corp., which does business as MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, fired her in retaliation for reporting public safety concerns and malpractice to management and the hospital's ethics committee, which is a protected activity. If Mercy's actions against her are allowed to stand, she said, her firing could discourage nurses and doctors from complying with their statutory and ethical obligation to protect patients from undisclosed medical mistakes and malpractice.

A MercyOne spokeswoman said the company could not comment on the allegations.

"MercyOne stands by our cardiac services program, and our commitment to safe, quality care is steadfast. We are dedicated to the fair and valued treatment of our colleagues, physicians and providers as this is central to our values at MercyOne. As this is now an active legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment," said Michaela Feldmann, MercyOne regional communications lead.

Tener was hired in August 2020 as director of the cardiovascular service line, a position that included supervision of cardiovascular nurses and clinic leaders, budgeting and developing and planning the implementation of programs and technology.

According to the lawsuit, a doctor in February 2021 told Tener he was concerned about the surgeon performing risky procedures on patients, an excessive number of add-on procedures and a high mortality rate among his patients. Concerns were raised about the surgeon, who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, keeping patients who had little to no chance of recovery on ventilators and other artificial life-sustaining measures for at least 30 days after surgery to protect his outcomes statistics in a national database.

In another instance, the surgeon had opened a patient in the operating room without other treating physicians present and failed to follow the surgical plan that he, the physicians and the patient had agreed upon. The patient died not long after surgery.

In May, the hospital limited the surgeon to surgeries with low patient risk levels. Tener said she was informed the surgeon began falsifying patients' risk scores so he could again perform high-risk surgeries. After notifying her supervisor, MercyOne chief operating officer Timothy Daugherty, Tener said he told her he was "handling it."

After being told the surgeon had not informed a patient that he intended to replace the patient's heart valves, thus invalidating any consent from the patient, Tener submitted a written complaint about the surgeon with MercyOne's internal ethics committee in July. After the surgeon was told Tener had filed the complaint, he confronted her and, while standing inches from her face, screamed at her that she was "nothing but a nurse," making her cry. Tener reported his behavior to Daugherty, who, according to the lawsuit, told her she needed to work harder to build a relationship with the physician.

In October, two nurses filed an internal complaint against the surgeon for falsely documenting a procedure without the patient's consent. The surgeon complained to Daugherty he believed Tener was encouraging nurses to file complaints against him, the lawsuit said.

Tener said she was suspended on Nov. 3 after Daugherty and vice president of human resources Julie Anfinson informed her of complaints she was creating a toxic work environment. Tener was fired six days later.

Tener sued Mercy Health Services-Iowa Corp. and its parent company, Indiana-based Trinity Health Corporation. In her lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City, Tener requests a jury trial and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

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PONCA, Neb. -- A Wakefield, Nebraska, man who sucked on the toes of several children and rubbed his penis on another child's feet was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.

Jose Fregoso, 28, pleaded no contest in February in Dixon County District Court to three counts of possession of a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, five counts of felony child abuse and one count of sexual assault of a child.

Fregoso was arrested in July after a Nebraska State Patrol investigator observed three photos of naked children on Fregoso's phone during a child welfare visit at his home.

According to court documents, Fregoso told investigators he has a foot fetish and had sucked on the feet of one child who is under age 12 almost every week for about four years and that he had touched his penis to the child's feet approximately once a month for the past two years.

Investigators found videos on his phone of an adult male rubbing his penis on a child's feet.

Fregoso told authorities he sucked on the toes of other children while they were sleeping during sleepovers at his house and that he recorded video of some of the encounters.

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OMAHA, Neb.  Nebraska Republicans will pick a nominee for governor Tuesday in a bitter primary race that was upended in recent weeks after a leading candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump was accused of groping at least eight women over the last few years.

Charles Herbster, a businessman and cattle breeder who has denied the allegations, is in a nine-way GOP primary to replace Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, whos prevented by term limit laws from running again. Other leading candidates include Jim Pillen, a veterinarian and hog farm owner endorsed by Ricketts, and state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser who gained traction recently with a surge of money and support from the citys Republican mayor.

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The winner will emerge as a strong favorite in Novembers general election in Republican-dominated Nebraska. State Sen. Carol Blood is the top candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Both Nebraska and West Virginia are holding primary elections on Tuesday night, with select races providing some measure of the former presidents enduring sway with GOP voters. In addition to the Nebraska governors race, Trump has weighed in on a West Virginia congressional primary between two Republican incumbents. The former president backed Rep. Alex Mooney over Rep. David McKinley, who angered Trump by voting for President Joe Bidens bipartisan infrastructure package and the creation of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

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Trump is facing some of the biggest tests of his influence in Republican primary elections later this month. In Pennsylvania, his endorsed Senate candidate, TVs Dr. Mehmet Oz, is locked in a competitive race against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and five others, while his candidate in North Carolina, U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, is competing in a field that includes a dozen other Republicans. In Georgia, Trump has endorsed primary challengers to Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both of whom defied him by rejecting his false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trumps, didnt stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month.

I really think hes going to do just a fantastic job, and if I didnt feel that, I wouldnt be here, Trump said at the rally at a racetrack outside Omaha.

Nebraska Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, left, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally for Herbster, May 1, 2022, in Greenwood, Neb. (Kenneth Ferriera /AP)

In a story last month, the Nebraska Examiner interviewed six women who claimed Herbster had groped their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants. A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly.

One of the accusers, Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, said Herbster reached up her skirt and touched her inappropriately at the Douglas County Republican Partys annual Elephant Remembers dinner in 2019. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Slama has done.

Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama, saying she falsely accused him in an effort to derail his campaign. Slama responded with a countersuit against Herbster, alleging sexual battery.

Herbster has suggested in television ads that Pillen and Ricketts conspired with Slama to falsely accuse him of sexual assault  allegations the three deny.

Lindstrom has faced a barrage of attacks as well, with third-party television ads funded by Ricketts that portray him as too liberal for the conservative state. One digitally altered ad shows Lindstrom standing in front of a rainbow flag with a coronavirus mask superimposed over his face. A mail ad notes that Lindstrom was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford, a moderate Republican-turned-Democrat who died last month of brain cancer.

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Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, a Republican, predicted that 35% of registered voters will cast ballots in the primary, the highest percentage since 2006, based on what hes seen so far.

Nebraska Republicans and Democrats will also pick their candidates to run for the seat previously held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned from office and ended his reelection bid in March after he was convicted of federal corruption charges.

State Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, is a top contender for the Republican nomination, while state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks is likely to win the Democratic nod. Flood will enter the race as a strong favorite in the Republican-heavy 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln, small towns and a large swath of eastern Nebraska farmland.

In the Omaha area, Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon faces a long-shot primary challenge from Omaha consultant Steve Kuehl in the 2nd Congressional District. Democrats Alisha Shelton and state Sen. Tony Vargas are running for their partys nomination as well in Nebraskas only competitive congressional district.

Trump blasted Bacon during his visit, calling him a bad guy. The former president has criticized the three-term Republican for supporting Bidens infrastructure law. Bacon has been mildly critical of Trump in the past, saying he bore some responsibility for the Jan. 6 attack.

Trump stopped short of officially endorsing Kuehl, however, saying: I think Steve will do well. Good luck, Steve, whoever the hell you are.
SIOUX CITY -- Angela Bemus has been suggested to fill the associate superintendent position by Interim Superintendent Rod Earleywine.

Bemus is currently serving as the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment in the district.

Current Associate Superintendent Kim Buryanek is taking a position as the administrator of the Pre-K-12 Division at the Iowa Department of Education.

Board President Dan Greenwell read a letter from Earleywine recommending Bemus to the school board members on Monday evening.

Earleywine said he met with each person who expressed interest in the position, and said many were part of the district administration.

"As key members of the administrative team I will need to rely on their knowledge and expertise associated with their current role and related responsibilities," he said.

Her appointment is pending approval by the board and her securing a superintendent license.

Earleywine was appointed as interim superintendent on April 25 and at the time, the board discussed the process of appointing a new associate superintendent, which Earleywine would lead.

During the April conversation, Earleywine said he did not yet know who should fill the associate superintendent position.

"At 10,000 feet, maybe it should be Angela Bemus, but I'm not here to make a recommendation tonight," he said.

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SIOUX CITY  Sioux City school teachers will receive a $765 increase to their base salary, $2,435 less than what was proposed by the teachers' union.

The school board approved the agreement with the Sioux City Education Association, which represents the districts teachers, on Monday.

The agreement also has an $800 increase to longevity pay and a $10 increase to out-of-contract events, from $30 to $40.

The Sioux City Education Association initially proposed an 8.6 percent base salary increase and a $975 increase to longevity pay. The percentage increase would result in a $3,200 base pay increase, from $37,201 to $40,401.

The union also proposed meetings be added to paid out-of-contract events, and the hourly rate is increased from $30 to $50.

In a counter-proposal, district administrators proposed a $400 increase in the base salary and a $400 longevity increase. The district also proposed a $10 increase for extra duties performed outside of the contract.

The association has various "steps" and "lanes" in their contract, in which salaries for teachers automatically increase based on years of service and attainment of additional educational levels. The increased cost for the automatic increases for the 2022-23 school year is estimated at $1.052 million before contract increases.

In addition to salaries, the union also requested increases in other areas of the contract. The district administrators said they would only negotiate the mandatory salary subject.

Two of the newly proposed additions to the contract were the district contributing $1,200 to each employee's 403b retirement plan annually and each member of the union receiving one flexible workday between July and August for classroom preparation and planning.

The union also proposed increases to pay for extra responsibilities due to a shortage of substitute teachers.

Teachers who perform substitute teaching duties during their planning time or teach a combined class due to a vacancy currently receive $30 per class period. The union proposed it be increased to $50.

If a teacher substitutes for a half-day, they currently receive $75. The union asked for this to be increased to $100.

If a teacher receives additional students due to lack of substitutes for a half-day, the union proposed they receive $100. If a nurse performs substitute nursing duties for a half-day, the union proposed they also receive $100.

The district states if the parties do not reach an agreement without an arbitration proceeding, the steps will be eliminated from the salary schedule.

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SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Council, by voting to approve its consent agenda Monday, green-lighted resolutions supporting the submission of tax credit applications for two multi-family developments, one of the city's east side and the other on its north side.

Dan Hiserote, of Aftershock Ventures, LLC, plans to submit an application to the Iowa Workforce Housing Tax Credit Program for funding to assist with the construction of developments at 3800 Glen Ellen Road and 4205 Denise Court. The goal of the Workforce Housing Tax Credit Program is to spur new housing growth that will help address the state's pending workforce shortage.

"This council is working diligently to bring more housing to our area. A lot of emphasis is put on affordable housing," Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr said during the council comments portion of the meeting. "For me, affordable housing is having a healthy inventory of housing at all levels."

The first phase of the project on Glen Ellen Road will contain 48 market-rate residential units. It is anticipated that future phases of the project will contain as many as 19 buildings and 230 units.

According to the documents, for phase 1, Hiserote plans to invest $7,025,725 in the project and is applying for a combined total of $887,240 in investment tax credits and sales tax refunds.

The first phase of the multi-family development at 4205 Denise Court, near Outer Drive, will contain 48 market-rate residential units. It is anticipated that future phases of the project will contain as many as 10 buildings and 120 units.

For phase 1 of that project, Hiserote plans to invest $7,048,200. He is applying for a combined total of $885,888 in investment tax credits and sales tax refunds.

A local match would be provided through the citys City-Wide Urban Revitalization Program, according to city documents.

"The demand for the apartments is what's spurring the developers to want to build, so we are doing everything that we can to support developers to get housing in line, get it affordable and a readily available inventory," Schoenherr said.

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SIOUX CITY -- During Monday's Sioux City Council meeting, Councilman Alex Watters said employees working downtown have told him that individuals experiencing homelessness are making them feel "threatened or unsafe."

"I think we just need to do something to address some of this stuff. I don't know what that answer is," Watters told Neighborhood Services Manager Jill Wanderscheid, during the council comments portion of the meeting.

Watters said he received a text from a resident who works downtown expressing concerns about transients occupying elevators. He said he has heard similar complaints from "a number of individuals."

"This individual takes an elevator up to their office every single day and said the amount of time that he is stepping over individuals, or individuals are fighting, or that there's urine or feces in the elevator is just -- he's losing count at this point in time," said Watters, who noted that the resident calls the police department's non-emergency number "all the time."

Watters said he doesn't know how to solve the problem, but stressed that the city needs to make sure that it's being addressed at a time when the downtown is undergoing a lot of renovation.

"I think there's some properties and some business owners where they're really struggling, whether it's ramps or elevators," he said.

Wanderscheid said her staff and representatives from the police department, Downtown Partners and Siouxland Mental Health meet on a quarterly basis to discuss such issues.

"The more specifics, the better so that we can target those areas," she said.

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SOUTH SIOUX CITY -- A pickup truck and a minivan collided in South Sioux City Monday evening, sending the pickup careening into a nearby residence.

First responders were called to the intersection of A and E. 32nd streets at 6:06 p.m.

"The pickup itself was hit into the house after the initial impact, went through the wall of the house and created structural damage," South Sioux City Fire Chief Terry Johnson said at the scene. "We have taken some folks to the hospital -- minor injuries that we see, so far."

Johnson said the power and the gas to the brick ranch-style home was cut off for safety reasons. While Johnson described the wall of the home as "pretty much destroyed," it did not collapse when a tow truck pulled the pickup away from it.

Johnson said the Red Cross is assisting the home's occupants with shelter.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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Pillen beats Trump's candidate in Nebraska governor primary

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska hog farm owner and veterinarian Jim Pillen has won the states crowded Republican primary race for governor, overcoming another conservative endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Pillen defeated the Trump-backed Charles Herbster, an agribusinessman with strong ties to the former president. He also beat state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser who emerged as a strong contender late in the contest and was generally viewed as a more moderate choice. Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne.

Trump-backed US Rep. Alex Mooney wins W.Va. GOP primary

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Congressman Alex Mooney has won the Republican nomination for one of West Virginias two seats in the U.S. House. Former President Donald Trump had endorsed Mooney instead of another Republican incumbent, congressman David McKinley, who has represented West Virginia in the House since 2011. Trump and Mooney sharply criticized McKinley for being one of 13 Republicans to vote in favor of President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. McKinley bet that infrastructure improvements would matter more to voters than Trumps endorsement in one of the nations poorest states. The incumbents were pitted against each other after population losses cost West Virginia a House seat.

Russia pummels port of Odesa in attempt to disrupt supplies

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments. Meanwhile, Ukraines foreign minister appeared Tuesday to suggest that the country could expand its war aims. With the war now in its 11th week, Kyiv has bogged down Russian forces and even staged a counteroffensive. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion. The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

Musk says he would reverse Twitter's ban of Donald Trump

LONDON (AP)  Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters ban of former President Donald Trump if his deal to buy the social media company goes through. Musk, speaking virtually at an auto conference, said Twitters Trump ban was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme. He said bans of Twitter accounts should be rare and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots. Musk earlier gave his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the blocs single market chief.

House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House has emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package that beefs up President Joe Bidens initial request. The measure signals a magnified U.S. commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion. The bill won wide bipartisan support. It contains $7 billion more than Bidens plan from last month, evenly divided between defense and humanitarian programs. The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust crop production.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct

BOSTON (AP)  Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been cleared of sexual misconduct following a criminal trial in Boston. A Boston Municipal Court judge found him not guilty Tuesday after a two-day trial in which the chef had waived his right to a jury trial. A woman had accused Batali of forcibly kissing and groping her while taking a selfie at a restaurant in 2017. But Batalis lawyer argued the accuser had a financial incentive to lie. Batali faced up to 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted. The 61-year-old former Food Network fixture's career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations from four women in 2017.

Political reality: Congress can't save  or end  abortion

WASHINGTON (AP)  After fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the political limits of its ability to act in either direction on the issue. President Joe Biden has called on Democrats to enshrine the Roe v. Wade abortion access protections into law. But a test vote Wednesday in the Senate is expected to fail, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster. At the same time, Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell face similar political problems trying to ban abortions nationwide, even if they wrest control of the chamber in the midterm elections. Instead, the Supreme Court's pending decision on the issue is igniting a new era of political fighting in Congress over abortion policy

Biden pushes 'ultra-MAGA' label on GOP as he defends record

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is warning voters unhappy with soaring inflation and his stalled domestic agenda against turning power over to ultra-MAGA Republicans in the midterm elections. The president is increasingly trying to cast former President Donald Trump and his adherents as a political foil. Speaking at the White House less than six months before the elections, Biden acknowledged that he could taste the countrys dissatisfaction with Washington, particularly over rising prices. The president sought to channel the anger against the GOP. Republican Sen. Rick Scott, a prime target of Biden's criticism, responded that it's the Democrats agenda that is "hurting American families and no amount of spin can change that.

Haitian gang leader charged in kidnapping of US missionaries

WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have charged the leader of a notoriously violent Haitian gang with conspiracy to commit hostage taking for his alleged role in the kidnapping of 16 Americans last year. Germine Joly, 29, is accused of leading the 400 Mawozo gang and is the first person charged in the U.S. in connection with the kidnapping of the missionaries last fall. He was extradited to the U.S. last week and faces separate charges in a firearms trafficking case. Prosecutors say Joly was in a Haitian prison during the kidnapping but had directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages release.

Most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian government scientists say 91% of the Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth mass event in seven years. Coral becomes bleached in warmer-than-usual waters, and scientists worry about potentially lasting damage to the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority says this year's bleaching is the first during a La Nina weather pattern, which is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures. Bleaching was more damaging in some years than others, and the authority's chief scientist David Wachenfeld says scientists hope that most of the coral bleached this year will recover.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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FORT SMITH, Ark.  In the fall of 2020, pastor Kevin Thompson delivered a sermon about the gentleness of God. At one point, he drew a quick contrast between a loving, accessible God and remote, inaccessible celebrities. Speaking without notes, his Bible in his hand, he reached for a few easy examples: Oprah, Jay-Z, Tom Hanks.

The pastor couldnt tell how his sermon was received. The church had only recently returned to meeting in person. Attendance was sparse, and it was hard to appreciate if his jokes were landing, or if his congregation  with family groups spaced three seats apart, and others watching online  remained engaged.

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So he was caught off guard when two church members expressed alarm about the passing reference to Hanks. A young woman texted him, concerned; another member suggested the reference to Hanks proved Thompson didnt care about the issue of sex trafficking. Thompson soon realized that their worries sprung from the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory, which claims the movie star is part of a ring of Hollywood pedophiles.

For decades, Thompson, 44, had been confident that he knew the people of Fort Smith, a small city tucked under a bend in the Arkansas River along the Oklahoma border. He was born at the oldest hospital in town, attended public schools there and grew up in a Baptist church that encouraged him to start preaching as a teenager. He assumed he would live in Fort Smith for the rest of his life.

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But now, he was not so sure. Jesus talks about how he is the truth, how central truth is, Thompson said in an interview. The moment you lose the concept of truth, youve lost everything.

A political moment in which the Supreme Court appears on the brink of overturning Roe v. Wade looks like a triumphant era for conservative evangelicals. But there are deepening cracks beneath that ascendance.

Across the country, theologically conservative white evangelical churches that were once comfortably united have found themselves at odds over many of the same issues dividing the Republican Party and other institutions. The disruption, fear and physical separation of the pandemic has exacerbated every rift.

Many churches are fragile, with attendance far below pre-pandemic levels; denominations are shrinking, and so is the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian. Forty-two percent of Protestant pastors said they had seriously considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year, according to a new survey by the evangelical pollster Barna, a number that had risen 13 points since the beginning of 2021.

The Community Bible Church in Fort Smith, Ark., where Kevin Thompson was pastor. (September Dawn Bottoms/The New York Times)

Michael Emerson, a sociologist at the University of Illinois Chicago, described a seismic shift coming, with white evangelical churches dividing into two broad camps: those embracing former President Donald Trump-style messaging and politics, including references to conspiracy theories, and those seeking to navigate a different way.

In many churches, this involves new clashes between established leaders and ordinary believers.

Sometimes the breaches make headlines, as when prominent Southern Baptist Russell Moore left his denomination in 2021 after publicly criticizing evangelical supporters of Trump and urging Christians to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. But more often, the ruptures are quieter: a pastor who moves to another church to avoid a major confrontation, or who changes careers without fanfare.

When Thompson landed back in Fort Smith after seminary in the early 2000s, Community Bible Church was an exciting place to work. Inspired by booming suburban megachurches such as Saddleback in Southern California and Willow Creek in Illinois, Community Bible offered modern music, multimedia worship services and seeker-sensitive outreach to people who werent regular churchgoers.

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My concern was spiritual vitality, said Ed Saucier, founding pastor of the church. I wanted it to be fun and engaging and different on purpose.

Saucier rarely talked directly about electoral politics or public policy from the pulpit. It was easy to avoid. The church was mostly white and mostly conservative. They agreed on what they saw as the big issues, and there seemed to be little cause to prod on the small ones. I applied some common sense, Saucier said. If I cant make something better, maybe I should leave it alone.

His philosophy wasnt unusual. Despite their status as an influential voting bloc, most white American evangelicals have historically avoided the perception of mixing politics and worship. In many evangelical settings, political means biased or tainted  an opposite of biblical.

The one thing that I loved and was so refreshing about this ministry is there were no politics at all, recalled Sara Adams-Moitoza, a longtime church member who owns a boutique shopping center in Fort Smith. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.

Thompson had always been interested in politics, but he was no activist. He saw himself as part of the contemporary evangelical mainstream, a movement that included people such as prominent New York pastor Tim Keller and Bible teacher Beth Moore, who were theologically conservative and skeptical of becoming entangled with either political party.

Kevin Thompson, the former pastor of the Community Bible Church, at an old cemetery in Fort Smith, Ark., where he spent a lot of time before leaving for California. (September Dawn Bottoms/The New York Times)

Thompson still sees himself as a conservative. He has voted Republican in almost every major election. He admires Mitt Romney and the Bush family and is conservative on issues of gender and sexual orientation, although he doesnt emphasize them often.

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When he took over as head pastor after six years as an associate, he was immediately popular with the congregation. One founding member, Jim Kolp, recalled a sermon that Thompson preached on the fruit of the spirit, based on a passage in the New Testament that lists attributes such as gentleness and self-control, which show that the Holy Spirit is working in a Christians life. The sermon prompted Kolp to examine his daily habit of listening to Rush Limbaugh. Id never stopped and thought, Does it meet up with the fruit of the spirit? Kolp said. I leave listening to this man angry. He stopped tuning in.

But over the years, subtle gaps between Thompson and his congregation tore open, like a seam being tugged from both sides.

If he spoke against abortion from the pulpit, Thompson noticed, the congregation had no problem with it. The members were overwhelmingly anti-abortion and saw the issue as a matter of biblical truth. But if he spoke about race in ways that made people uncomfortable, that was politics. And, Thompson suspected, it was proof to some church members that Thompson was not as conservative as they thought.

The discontent over Thompsons approach started with the 2016 presidential campaign. The pastor wrote a blog post that did not critique Trump by name but whose point was clear. Many who thought Bill Clinton was the Antichrist now campaign for a man who would make Bill Clinton blush, he wrote.

When Thompson wrote in a 2020 blog post that Black lives matter, the friction in his church suddenly looked more like a crisis. He had been speaking and writing about racial issues with some frequency for years. He had hired Jackie Flake, a Black pastor, to lead a new branch of the church on Fort Smiths racially diverse North Side. In 2015, he got involved in a successful effort to change the Johnny Reb mascot at his old high school. But the phrase Black lives matter rankled some congregants.

Kolp said he found the far-reaching conversations about racism spurred by Thompson too negative. America does have a history of racism, he said. But if the slave trade had never happened, would they still be in Africa? Would they have the prominent positions? he wondered about Black people. And now our pastors talking about it, and were systemically racist because were white?

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Thompsons actual sermons were hardly scathing. At one point, he asserted, If you grew up in any way like me, theres bigotry within you and encouraged listeners to seek out perspectives other than their own.

His friend Steven Dooly, a white former police officer with two Black children, sometimes urged him to speak even more directly on racial justice. But he knew Thompson was in a difficult position. Youd hate to see a church fall completely apart over a few lines in a sermon, he said.

For many pastors whose conservatism matches their congregations, however, theres little cost to speaking out. Some conservative pastors now find that their congregations want not careful, conciliatory talk but bold pushback to what they see as rising threats from the secular world.

Theres a great separation taking place, said Wade Lentz, pastor of Beryl Baptist Church in Vilonia, Arkansas, a few hours east of Fort Smith. A lot of people are getting tired of going to church and hearing this message: Hey, its a great day, every day is a great day, the sun is always shining. Theres this big disconnect between whats going on behind the pulpit in those churches and whats going on in the real world.

Lentz has seen his church grow as he leaned into topics such as vaccine mandates, which he preached against in a sermon titled We Believe Tyranny Must be Resisted. In 2020, sensing so much disruption in the world, he started a podcast where he explores political topics with a fellow patriot pastor.

This mindset that Christianity and politics, and the preacher and politics, need to be separate, thats a lie, he said. You cannot separate the two.

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At Community Bible, just about everyone liked Thompson, but some couldnt understand why he picked the causes he did.

There are areas he should have backed off of, said Johnny Fisher, one of the churchs founding members. The best thing probably is to shut up and answer any questions that are given to you from the Bible.

The church stopped growing. Whole families were leaving; Richy Fisher, a pastor and consultant who prepared a report for the church in 2019, described membership as hemorrhaging. (Richy and Johnny Fisher are brothers.)

Thompson was equally frustrated by the actions of some of his congregants. People he thought should have known better were endorsing online conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the results of the 2020 election. On his blog, he called for Christians to apply research and discernment. When we share, promote, like and further things that are not true about others, we are violating the Ninth Commandment, he wrote.

Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said his city is like many other places in the country: Issues including masks and vaccination have fractured relationships, and people doubt the leaders they once trusted. McGill, the citys first Black mayor, saw Thompson as someone who spoke the truth. But within his community, antagonists rose up against the very people God had put in place.

Thompsons reputation did appear to be shifting. A local woman emailed her Bible study group in the summer of 2020, warning that he was promoting a progressive Leftist agenda. When Thompson invited her to meet with him, pointing out that he was a frequent guest of Focus on the Family Radio and hardly a leftist, she accused him of being beholden to The Marxist Agenda and the BLM agenda.

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When a job offer came last summer to become an associate pastor at a larger church in the Sacramento, California, area, Thompson accepted.

Thompson hoped that the churchs next leader could preach the same truth without the baggage that had accrued around him. But he also wondered how the next generation of pastors would lead. Seminaries are shrinking, and many in his own congregation seemed to view his theological training as the thing that turned him liberal. The next generation might have less training and be more inclined to turn churches into an echo chamber of what the people want.

Months after his departure, Community Bible was still figuring out its future. Were still bleeding some, but its under control, Saucier, the founding pastor, said in December. The churchs interim leader is Richy Fisher; the churchs board recommended this spring that he take the role permanently, and a congregational vote will take place May 22.

In the meantime, the people of Fort Smith have different choices than when Thompson arrived at Community Bible. Newer churches with flashier aesthetics have popped up in town. A branch of New Life, a multisite church with more than 15 locations across the state, is practically across the street.

On a recent Sunday morning, the congregation at New Life heard a sermon drawn from the Book of Daniel.

America is no longer a Christian nation, the pastor said, setting up a message about resisting the broader cultures pressure to change what we say, how we raise our kids, how and when we can pray, what marriage is. The sermons title was Stand Firm.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A divorced Indiana couple who prosecutors say shared sexually explicit photos and videos of children with former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle were sentenced Monday to decades in prison.

A federal judge sentenced Angela Baldwin, 40, of Connersville, to 33 years and four months in prison, the Justice Department said. A jury convicted her in October of two counts of producing child sexual abuse material, one count of conspiracy to produce such material, and one count of possessing it.

Her ex-husband Russell Taylor, who ran a nonprofit Fogle founded, pleaded guilty last year to 30 child pornography and sexual exploitation counts for his acts against nine children. Taylor, 50, was sentenced earlier Monday to 27 years behind bars, the Justice Department said.

The victims were ages 9 to 16 when the crimes occurred.

The couple shared with Fogle videos and photos of the girls that were captured by hidden cameras Taylor installed in the then-couple's Indianapolis home, prosecutors said.

Fogle, who became a Subway pitchman after shedding more than 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) as a college student, in part by eating the chains sandwiches, was sentenced in 2015 to 15 years in prison for possession or distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor.

Taylor was executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit that Fogle started to raise awareness and money to fight childhood obesity. He provided evidence that led to the criminal case against Fogle, his one-time boss and close friend.

Taylor was originally sentenced in 2015, but U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt in 2020 found that he had received ineffective legal assistance because his lawyer had failed to challenge three criminal charges against him for which there was no factual basis.

Taylors attorneys asked Pratt to sentence him to 19 years, while prosecutors sought a prison sentence of 35 years. Pratt gave him a lesser sentence because he provided important information to federal law enforcement that helped them bring charges against Baldwin and Fogle.

During Taylor's sentencing hearing, Pratt described the four-year grooming, exploitation and molestation of the children from 2011-2015 as a mutual perversion between Taylor, Baldwin and Fogle.

Taylor told the court Monday that he was a vile, selfish, self-loathing, sorry excuse for a human, but that time in prison had changed him. He said he had taken advantage of a sex offender rehabilitation class while incarcerated.

Federal prosecutor Kathryn Olivier read statements during Taylors sentencing from some of the victims  some of whom are Taylor and Baldwins relatives  who said they expect to need mental health help and medication for the rest of their lives. One victim said she checks for cameras anytime shes in the bathroom at a house that isnt hers.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ATLANTA (AP)  Republican David Perdue's fundraising for his gubernatorial bid improved this spring, but even as he loaned himself $500,000, the challenger still could not keep pace with Republican incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

Including the loan, Perdue raised $2.3 million in the three months ended April 30, the former U.S. senator's campaign reported Monday. That's behind the $2.7 million Kemp raised in only 26 days following the April 4 end of the Georgia legislative session. Georgia officeholders are banned from raising money while lawmakers meet.

Perdue had about $900,000 in cash on April 30, less than a month ahead of the May 24 primary, while Kemp had $10.7 million. Kemp has been raising money much longer than Perdue, having taken in more than $22 million for his reelection bid so far, compared to the $3.5 million Perdue has raised.

The winner will face Democrat Stacey Abrams, who has raised more than $20 million so far and had $8 million in cash on April 30. Other candidates in November will be Libertarian Shane Hazel and independent Al Bartell.

Perdue's campaign noted that 95% of contributors gave less than $200.

David Perdue is proud to have an army of grassroots supports fueling our campaign, spokesperson Jenni Sweat said in a statement. Perdue has made former President Donald Trump's endorsement and Trump's lies about the 2020 election the centerpiece of his campaign, arguing Kemp can never win over the hard-core Trump voters that will be needed to defeat Abrams.

Kemp has been substantially ahead of Perdue in recent polls, making it increasingly likely Kemp will defeat Perdue without a June runoff, which would be necessary if no one won a majority. Kandiss Taylor, Catherine Davis and Tom Williams are also running in the Republican primary. Kemp spent $5 million during the three-month period, more than twice Perdue's spending of $2.3 million.

It is abundantly clear that Georgia Republicans are uniting around Gov. Kemp, spokesperson Cody Hall said, arguing that Kemp's record makes him the best choice to beat Abrams.

Perdue has struggled to tap the same network of big donors that sustained his two Senate runs, despite his endorsement by Trump. But some more traditional donors lined up behind him in the most recent report, including alcohol distributor Donald Leebern Jr. and his wife, who gave $24,200. The Leeberns have been prolific donors in Georgia and Alabama politics for decades. Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott gave $7,600.

Perdue had said he would dig into his own $50 million fortune to help fuel his bid, but did not open his wallet very wide, loaning himself only $500,000.

The report includes receipts from a fundraiser Trump hosted for Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where contributors had to give $3,000 to attend. A picture with Trump meant contributing $24,200, the maximum individual contribution for Georgia in this election cycle, including a primary, general election and two possible runoffs.

Fundraising in Georgia has also seen a dispute over Kemp's use of a leadership committee, a special state fundraising vehicle that allowed the governor to collect unlimited contributions and coordinate spending with his campaign. Both Perdue and Abrams sued over the committee, saying it was unfair that Kemp could take in large amounts while Perdue and Abrams were barred until they won their party primaries.

After an earlier ruling that Kemp could not spend money from the committee against Perdue, U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled last week that Kemps Georgians First Leadership Committee cannot solicit or receive contributions until after the primary election and any possible runoff that makes him the Republican nominee for governor.

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Republican voters in Nebraska picked Jim Pillen as their nominee for governor, siding with the University of Nebraska regent backed by the states outgoing governor over a rival supported by former President Donald Trump and accused of groping multiple women.

Pillen, a hog farm owner and veterinarian, defeated eight challengers, including Charles Herbster, a businessman who faced groping allegations late in the campaign, and Brett Lindstrom, a state senator and Omaha financial adviser who was generally viewed as a more moderate choice.

We live in the greatest place on the planet, right here in Nebraska, Pillen said in a victory speech late Tuesday as a crowd cheered and chanted, Lets go, Jim! He said his opponents had called to concede.

While Trump-endorsed candidates won primary races in West Virginia for the U.S. House on Tuesday, the statewide loss in Nebraska was a setback for Trump. He has issued hundreds of endorsements and staged his signature campaign-style rallies in support of his preferred candidates, including Herbster, all in an effort to bend the GOP in his direction ahead of another possible presidential run in 2024.

Herbster's loss raises the stakes on other high-profile races this month in Pennsylvania and Georgia, where Trump has also intervened in campaigns.

In this Republican stronghold, Pillen will be a favorite in Novembers general election against his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Carol Blood. Nebraska hasnt elected a Democrat as governor since 1994.

Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne. Ricketts was prevented by term limits from running again.

In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trump, didnt stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month.

I really think hes going to do just a fantastic job, and if I didnt feel that, I wouldnt be here, said Trump, who has denied sexual misconduct allegations of his own.

Herbster alluded to the groping allegations in a concession speech late Tuesday.

This is one of the nastiest campaigns for governor in the history of Nebraska, and may have affected the results, Herbster said, adding that it was in Gods hands.

Lindstrom congratulated Pillen on his victory and said he would support him in the general election.

In a story last month, the Nebraska Examiner interviewed six women who claimed Herbster had groped their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants. A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly.

One of the accusers, Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, said Herbster reached up her skirt and touched her inappropriately at the Douglas County Republican Partys annual Elephant Remembers dinner in 2019. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Slama has done.

Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama, saying she falsely accused him in an effort to derail his campaign. Slama responded with a countersuit against Herbster, alleging sexual battery.

Some voters said the allegations didnt dissuade them from backing Herbster.

As she voted at an elementary school in northwest Omaha on Tuesday, Joann Kotan said she was upset by the stories, but I dont know if I believe them. Ultimately, the 74-year-old said, she voted for Herbster because President Trump recommended him.

Lindstrom faced a barrage of attacks as well, with third-party television ads funded by Ricketts that portray him as too liberal for the conservative state. One digitally altered ad shows Lindstrom standing in front of a rainbow flag with a coronavirus mask superimposed over his face.

Devon Leesley said he backed the 41-year-old Lindstrom because its time to hand over the politics to the next generation. Pillen and Herbster are both in their 60s.

The 45-year-old Leesley, who lives in Omaha, said he didnt pay much attention to the various endorsements in the race.

I dont trust any politician talking about any other politician. Its all dirt, he said. We would never vote for anybody if we listened to their opponent.

Carol Bruning, 59, of Omaha, said she went into Election Day debating between Pillen and Lindstrom, but went with Pillen because of his age and experience. She said she liked that Ricketts and Osborne endorsed Pillen. The fact that Trump endorsed Herbster may have even been a little bit of a turn-off at this point, Bruning said, even though she had voted for Trump.

The allegations against Herbster werent much of a factor, she said. You dont know what to believe. Thats the hard part, Bruning said.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, a Republican who also won renomination on Tuesday, predicted that 35% of registered voters would cast ballots in the primary, the highest percentage since 2006, based on what he had seen so far.

Nebraska Republicans and Democrats also picked their candidates for the seat previously held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned from office and ended his reelection bid in March after he was convicted of federal corruption charges.

State Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, won the Republican nomination, while state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks won the Democratic nod. Flood will enter the race as a strong favorite in the Republican-heavy 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln, small towns and a large swath of eastern Nebraska farmland.

Despite Trumps loss in the Nebraska governors race, his influence proved decisive in West Virginia, which also held primary elections Tuesday. In a race pitting two Republican incumbents against each other, Trumps candidate, Rep. Alex Mooney, defeated Rep. David McKinley, who had angered Trump by voting for President Joe Bidens bipartisan infrastructure package and the creation of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed to this report.

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

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LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan voters in November will decide whether to revise some of the country's strictest legislative term limits and require state elected officials to report information about their finances to avoid conflicts of interest.

The Legislature on Tuesday unveiled the proposed constitutional amendment and placed it on the statewide ballot within hours, with no debate or notice. The move saved a ballot committee of business and labor groups from having to collect roughly 425,000 voter signatures, enabling backers to shift their attention to persuading voters to back the measure in the fall.

Michigan's 30-year-old term limits law, embedded in the state constitution, allows legislators to serve no more than 14 years, including three two-year House terms and two four-year Senate terms. The amendment  which the House and Senate passed 76-28 and 26-6 respectively  would allow them to serve up to 12 years: six two-year House terms, three four-year Senate terms or a combination.

Supporters said it would enable new lawmakers  particularly in the House, where the speaker and committee chairs have only two or four years of experience before leading  to focus on their job and build relationships instead of immediately looking to run for the Senate or find work outside the Legislature.

It's a crash course. I came in with 60-some brand-new people out of 110. We had a leader who had only been in the chamber himself for two years. It is not a practical way to run a legislative body. As you go around the country, you'll see a lot of examples of legislative bodies that function a lot better than our House of Representatives, said Sen. Ed McBroom, a Vulcan Republican who previously served in the House.

Opponents, who are mobilizing against the measure, said it is being mischaracterized as a way to improve term limits when it would weaken them by increasing how long how long legislators could be in a chamber and give term-limited members a chance to return to Lansing.

Patrick Anderson, who authored the 1992 initiative, criticized the Legislature for hastily approving the new amendment with no debate and notice. He called it an ambush.

Whether you like term limits or not, this is a disgrace, he said, vowing that it "is not going to slip unnoticed into the voting booth.

Fifteen states have legislative term limits. Michigan is among six with lifetime restrictions. Of those, California and Oklahomas are 12 years, but allow lawmakers to serve all of it in one chamber.

The initiative also would require lawmakers, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state and the attorney general to file annual financial disclosure reports starting in 2024. Attempts to mandate such reports have stalled for years in the Legislature, even though Michigan is among just two states where legislators pass and reject laws without the public knowing about their personal finances.

The officials would have to describe their assets, non-employment income and liabilities, and disclose their sources of earned income. They also would have to list their positions with organizations, businesses, nonprofits, labor unions and educational institutions except state government; agreements related to future employment; gifts, travel payments and reimbursements that must be reported by lobbyists; and charitable donations made by others in lieu of honoraria.

The disclosure requirements proposed by the Legislature are not as tight as those included by the ballot group that was circulating petitions.

Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Southfield Democrat, noted that Michigan lags nearly every state on financial disclosure and other transparency issues such as public-records requests.

Right now there is nothing. It's kind of this free-for-all. We see legislators who voluntarily recuse themselves from votes, but it's self-policing, he said.

If the ballot measure is adopted, he said, lawmakers would be required to pass a bill implementing the disclosure requirements.

It's all about setting the floor and building up from there, Moss said.

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

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A person walks past the closed Citgo gas station at 3759 W. Chicago Ave. on May 9, 2022. There was a fatal shooting this month near the station. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

After a gunman unloaded his weapon and killed a man last week in front of Salim Mohnsins gas station and convenience store  a shooting caught on camera that went viral on social media  the city shuttered Mohnsins East Garfield Park business, with no signs of reopening.

Now, in the wake of the recent gun violence that has rattled the public and prompted city leaders to vow action, some Arab business owners say theyre being unfairly targeted and closed by city agencies when the violent crime happens near their shops and gas stations, even when the crime is totally unrelated.

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Gas station owner Salim Mohnsin, left, listens during a forum to address closures of Arab American-owned gas stations in Chicago, May 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Were an easy target, said Ray Hanania, a member of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, which held a news conference Monday to highlight what they say is unfair treatment by the city. Any time its an Arab store (where a shooting occurs), were closed.

In the last three weeks, organizers said at least 10 Arab- and Muslim-owned businesses have been cited and shut down. This recent crackdown follows a similar sweep last summer that led to numerous businesses being cited and shut down for city violations.

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The city shut down Mohsins Citgo station last week just one day after a deadly May 3 shooting in front of the business that quickly went viral because the killer used what appeared to be an AK-47.

Weve done everything we can do, Mohsin said

The strategy of using city agencies to cite and close businesses that are a magnet for criminals and violence is a longtime anti-violence strategy employed by numerous mayoral administrations. The closures are often joint between police, the Buildings Department and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

But Saad Malley, a gas station owner for over 40 years, said station owners cant be held responsible for violent people who happen to show up as customers. At the meeting, he recalled a 25-year-old incident where a customer at his gas station mistakenly opened his trunk revealing a dead body.

Gas station owner Saad Malley during a forum to address closures of Arab American-owned gas stations and stores on May 9, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

This guy had to stop in to get some gas and by accident he pulled the wrong lever, he said. If he didnt need gas, he probably would have taken him to a cemetery or park, or dumped the body in the lake or something.

Nearly all of the owners present Monday said they were always cooperative with police, who often check their surveillance systems for crime footage. They also said they act correctly and report troublemakers despite the danger it poses for them.

Some wondered whether Arab or Muslim businesses in poor neighborhoods were being scapegoated.

Weve been targeted by inspectors and the city of Chicago. Any crime happening in the city, they come into the business. If it happens close to the business, they blame the business, said Hassan Nijem, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. What they do is shut off the businesses. They dont fight crime, they fight the businesses.

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Hassan Nijem, president of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, left, and Ald. Gilbert Villegas talk to reporters before a forum to address closures of Arab American-owned gas stations and stores. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

While organizers said about 10 businesses had reached out to say they were being affected by the city sweeps, only five owners attended, fearful of reprisals for speaking out.

The indefinite closures means a loss of revenue for the owners and a loss of affordable stores in already struggling neighborhoods, they said.

A number of aldermen expected to appear at the news conference were late no-shows due to City Council work. But Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, who did attend, said he pledged to push the city toward transparency and create a clear system for how cited or closed businesses can reopen.

The problems comes when you have a (city) strike force ... you dont know how its operating and really whats the due process for these business owners that are impacted? We want to put together a process for due process, Villegas said.

Neither the mayors office nor police responded to requests for comment, but in separate statements, a spokeswoman with the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department said the agency hadnt issued any cease and desist orders to gas stations in the last month.

The organizers said that the city is attempting to malign owners such as Mohsin by disclosing his record.

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And thats the worst part about it, Hanania said. It makes us look bad when they do this to us and were not. Were good people. That store pays a lot of money in taxes.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Midnoircowboy
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico officials have released a draft plan to address an ongoing education lawsuit brought by underserved K-12 students, and education advocates and tribal leaders are expected to comb through the document in the coming days.

The New Mexico Public Education Department says its looking for feedback on the plan, which is intended to address a 2018 state court ruling that has dominated education policy and funding discussions among state lawmakers ever since.

In 2018, the court concluded the state has fallen short of its constitutional duty to provide an adequate education, at least to some 70% of K-12 students, including Native Americans, English learners, and those who come from low-income families or have disabilities. The court said students had unequal access to qualified teachers, quality school buildings, and other lessons that engage them tailored to their cultural background and needs.

The 55-page Martinez/Yazzie Discussion Draft Action Plan is named for the mothers of students who sued the state separately, and combined in a lawsuit in 2015. The draft plan outlines targets for improving the diversity of teachers by 20%, increasing graduation rates by 15%, and increasing reading and math proficiency by 50% for groups identified in the lawsuit by 2025, compared to 2019 levels.

It also catalogs changes the administration has made so far, including major salary raises for teachers, and improved social studies standards.

The Martinez/Yazzie Discussion Draft Action Plan is not just a plan for the future; it also reflects all the work thats taken place since the beginning of this administration, and it challenges all of us with strong performance targets to move the needle on key student outcomes, said Secretary of Education Kurt Steinhaus.

In 2020, a state judge denied a request by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to dismiss the lawsuit. The same judge ruled in 2021 that many of the vulnerable students werent being provided computers and internet sufficient for them to participate in remote learning, despite efforts by education officials to deploy Wi-Fi hot spots and secure laptops for many students.

The education department had promised to release the draft in December, before the state Legislatures annual meeting that determines education funding, but didnt do so, to the chagrin of tribal leaders. The budgets passed earlier this year.

Attanasio 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 under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  A lawsuit filed Monday by two independent journalists alleges the Los Angeles Police Department violated their civil rights when the pair was arrested last year while reporting on a confrontation over the removal of a large homeless encampment at a city park.

Jon Peltz and Kate Gallagher, reporters for the nonprofit local news website KnockLA, were among more than 180 protesters and several members of the news media detained March 25, 2021, during demonstrations at LA's Echo Park Lake.

All charges were eventually dropped. But Peltz and Gallagher allege their arrests for failure to disperse violated their First Amendment rights and a California law protecting journalists, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.

Police department officials didn't immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the lawsuit.

Additionally, Peltz claims in the filing that he experienced swelling and numbness from being handcuffed and required treatment at an urgent care center.

Shaleen Shanbhag, one of the plaintiffs attorneys, estimates that more than 200 journalists have been arrested nationwide over the past two years, with most of the arrests in 2021 and 2022 coming during coverage of police evicting unhoused people from their encampments.

This horrific behavior must stop, and we intend to have a jury hold the LAPD accountable, Shanbhag said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

The two-day demonstration last year came when the city moved to fence off the park for repairs while trying to move people living in a large encampment to alternative housing.

The LAPD said at the time that a declaration of unlawful assembly was announced at least five times during the protest and members of the media were asked to remove themselves from the crowd.

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WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Leonid Kravchuk, who led Ukraine to independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union and served as its first president, died Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. He was 88.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to Kravchuk, calling him not just a historical figure but "a man who knew how to find wise words and to say them so that all Ukrainians would hear them.

Zelenskyy said Kravchuk died Tuesday but gave no details of the circumstances. He had been in poor health and underwent a heart operation last year.

Kravchuk led Ukraine as its Communist Party boss in the waning years of the Soviet Union, and played a pivotal role in the demise of the USSR before holding the Ukrainian presidency from 1991 through 1994.

He was a driving force in Ukraines declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and later that year joined with the leaders of Russia and Belarus to sign an agreement on Dec. 8, 1991, which formally declared that the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

As president, Kravchuk agreed to transfer remaining Soviet nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory to Russian control, in a deal backed by the United States.

He lost the 1994 presidential election to former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma. In 2020 he returned to politics to try to negotiate a settlement as part of a contact group for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists had fought Ukrainian forces since 2014.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter that with Kravchuk's signature to the December 1991 agreement disbanding the Soviet Union the Evil Empire disintegrated.

Thank you for the peaceful renewal of our Independence. Were defending it now with weapons in our hands, Reznikov wrote Tuesday.

Kravchuks death comes a week after that of the first president of post-Soviet Belarus, Stanislav Shushkevich, who died aged 87 following treatment for COVID-19, according to his wife.

Since Shushkevichs death, Kravchuk was the last survivor of the three leaders who signed the 1991 deal. Russian President Boris Yeltsin died in 2007 aged 76.

Since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and threw its weight behind the 2014 separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast doubt on Ukraines statehood and falsely portray the country as an artificial construct of Communist rule  rhetoric that paved the way for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a televised address Feb. 21, three days before the invasion, Putin blamed historic, strategic mistakes by Communist leaders for having led to the collapse of the Soviet state. Ukraine turned to us for financial support many times from the very moment they declared independence, Putin said in an apparent reference to Kravchuks time in office.

Some participants in the historic Dec. 8 meeting at a hunting lodge in the Belovezha forest, in what is now Belarus, pointed to Kravchuk as having played the main role in the demise of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine had declared its sovereignty after an August coup by hardline Communist Party members weakened Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachevs authority. A week before the Belovezha agreement, Kravchuk was elected president of Ukraine in a vote that also overwhelmingly approved its independence from Moscow.

Participants in the Belovezha talks said Kravchuk rejected any efforts to keep the Soviet Union going with reforms.

Kravchuk was focused on Ukraines independence, Belarusian leader Shushkevich, who took part in the talks and signed the deal, told The Associated Press in an interview last year. He was proud that Ukraine declared its independence in a referendum and he was elected president on Dec. 1, 1991.

Zelenskyy said Kravchuk's ability to speak to Ukrainians was particularly important in difficult, crisis moments, when the future of the whole country may depend on the courage of one man."

Zelenskyy's own communication skills and decision to remain in Kyiv when it came under Russian attack have helped make him a strong wartime leader.

Noting that Kravchuk had lived through World War II and the occupation, Zelenskyy said he knew the price of freedom and with all his heart wanted peace for Ukraine. I am sure that we will accomplish this. We will achieve our victory and our peace.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Grand jury reports have been filed in six in-custody deaths in Lancaster County, including the death of a 20-year-old Lincoln man who fled a traffic stop in a residential area early Christmas morning and ran into a parked car at more than 55 mph.

The grand jury, which met in mid-March, ruled Ahmad Gregory's death accidental.

Lincoln Police Officer Grant Powell, a crash reconstructionist, told the grand jury the incident began at about 12:50 a.m. Dec. 25 when a Nebraska State Patrol trooper tried to stop Gregory, who was driving a Mercedes sedan with no license plates near 27th and Vine streets.

Powell said the car ended up having in-transit tags.

According to the grand jury transcript, investigators determined Gregory was driving too fast when he hit dips in the road at 31st and Hitchcock streets, causing him to lose control. He sideswiped a car, then struck a Honda Ridgeline essentially head-on.

Powell said he was going at least 57 mph at impact.

Gregory, who wasn't believed to be wearing a seat belt, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died.

Powell said a baggie of marijuana, cash and a scale were found in the car.

At the hearing, a juror asked about the criteria for maintaining a high-speed pursuit in a residential area, particularly in stops that aren't for felonies.

Powell said different agencies have different policies regarding when and how long to pursue a vehicle and under what circumstances. Here, he said, there were no pedestrians or traffic visible in the trooper's cruiser video. So the risk to the public was relatively low, he said.

The grand jury also determined the deaths of five others  all serving prison sentences  to be natural causes.

Lawrence Ortiz died Oct. 4 of vascular disease; Marvin Lovette died Nov. 1 as a result of cardiac arrest; Jason Frost died Nov. 5 of COVID-19 pneumonia; Atlee Mosemann died Nov. 18 of stomach cancer; and Kristopher Prigge died Jan. 2 of leukemia.

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

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A Mitchell County man will not be receiving a new trial for an attempted murder plot inspired by the television series Breaking Bad, based on an Iowa Supreme Court ruling published on May 6, iowacourts.gov.

Earlier, an Iowa District Court order had granted Mark Bernard Retterath, 56, of Osage, a new trial. However, according to the May 6 ruling, the State contended that the District Court erred in its decision since it was unable to review mental health records of Aaron Sellers, one of two State witnesses, due to Sellers refusal to consent.

However, the State instructed the District Court to conduct an in-camera review of mental health records of the second witness, identification provided only as J.R.

According to court records, the two witness testimony was crucial in proving Retteraths solicitation to commit murder charge.

Retterath was sentenced to up to 35 years in prison in October 2016 after a jury found him guilty of attempted murder, solicitation to commit murder and third-degree sex abuse in the plot that unraveled when people he tried to recruit to carry out the killing went to authorities.

Before Retteraths 2016 conviction, he had served 11 years in federal prison for drug and gun crimes before discharge of his sentence in November 2013. A few months later, Sellers met Retterath at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

According to court records, after a family friend accused Retterath of molestation, in 2015 Retterath was arrested on sexual abuse charges. Retterath was accused of performing multiple sexual acts without the family friends consent while acting as the family friends Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.

Retterath then asked Sellers to kill the alleged victim, according to Sellers testimony. While Sellers refused to commit the murder, he told Retterath he knew someone who might be willing to kill for Retterath.

Retterath turned to the second witness, another member of his Alcoholics Anonymous group, about killing the alleged victim to keep him from testifying. That was when Retterath and the second witness discussed mimicking an episode of the television series Breaking Bad involving ricin.

According to court records, after Retterath ordered castor beans to extract ricin, Sellers and the second witness called law enforcement authorities. Investigators found a printout that outlined how to extract ricin from castor beans and five examples of ricin-purification recipes while searching Retterath's home. Authorities also found a jar of castor beans in his house and a baggie holding about 10 beans in the pocket of a pair of Retteraths jeans.

But at trial, Retterath contended that both witnesses were unreliable due to mental health issues. The State agreed their history of psychiatric conditions could impact their testimony, a decision that allowed the District Court to conduct the in-camera reviews.

However, according to the States May 6 ruling, Sellers counseling records, which were presumed to be from his time in federal prison, were unavailable from controlling federal agencies, https://www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/11396/embed/CourtAppealsOpinion.

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.

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Eboo Patel began his efforts to bring people of different faiths together for dialogue and service projects in a basement office on the Northwest Side.

He kept his day job and piloted a practical Chrysler Cirrus sedan through the streets of Chicago, delivering high school kids to meetings where they engaged in spirited discussions and packed meals for homeless people.

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I was like a Cub Scout leader, Patel said with a chuckle.

What a difference 20 years makes. Today Patel, who comes to interfaith work from a Muslim perspective, helms a nonprofit with a staff of 54, a budget of $14 million and programs on hundreds of college campuses. Interfaith America has advised presidents and helped Starbucks develop religious diversity education for employees.

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And Patel, whose organization  formerly known as Interfaith Youth Core and is being renamed Interfaith America on Tuesday to reflect its broader goals, is still innovating.

Eboo Patel established Interfaith Youth Core, which has been renamed Interfaith America. He is seen here at his office on May 6, 2022. (Youngrae Kim/for the Chicago Tribune)

In his new book, We Need To Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy, Patel pushes for a broader vision of American religious values that acknowledges not only Christians and Jews, but also Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Zoroastrians and nonbelievers, among others.

We are an organization that builds bridges and says, Diversity is not just the differences that you like,  said Patel, 46.

The only way to have a healthy, religiously diverse democracy is for people who disagree on some fundamental things to work together on other fundamental things, right? Its a remarkable achievement in human history for people of diverse identities and divergent ideologies to build a nation together, and we think religion has an awful lot to do with that, he said.

Patel acknowledged that religion can be weaponized but noted that his Muslim parents obtained degrees from the University of Notre Dame and DePaul University, both Catholic institutions. His kids went to Catholic preschools. His sister-in-laws children went to a Jewish preschool.

We in America have this remarkable civic genius where communities of a particular faith build institutions as an expression of their particular faith identity, (and those institutions) serve everybody. I think it is one of the great, never-celebrated geniuses of America, Patel said.

In recognition of his organizations expanded mission, which has included training 2,000 people to work within their diverse faith communities to advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine, the group is formally announcing the name change Tuesday at Georgetown University.

As my Buddhist friends say, Chop wood, carry water, right? There are no shortcuts, Patel said of his organizations rise. Im really proud of how hard we have worked, program by program, staff person by staff person, student by student, faculty member by faculty member.

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Patel began his career in the shadow of Sept. 11, 2001, and became a media darling at a time when news organizations were seeking out moderate Muslim voices to combat a wave of bias and misunderstanding.

CNN would be calling us all the time, said Zeenat Rahman, the executive director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, who worked for Interfaith America from 2006 to 2011.

Patel, a Rhodes scholar with a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, was named one of Americas Best Leaders by US News & World Report in 2009. He served on President Barack Obamas inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships, and has published five books, including the award-winning autobiography, Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation.

His greatest strength is his ability to convey an inspiring vision of what is possible, Rahman said, but hes also a strategic thinker who can convince foundations that say, We dont do religion, to get on board and invest in his programs.

He could have done and been anything he wanted and he chose to do this, Rahman said of interfaith work.

He could have run for Senate, Rahman said. He could have run for presidential office, and I think we would have been really successful because he has that intangible I dont know what it is, but you know it when you see it in a leader. Obama has it. Bill Clinton has it.

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Wheaton College President Philip Ryken said that hes known Patel for about 10 years and they see each other regularly at higher education events. A few years ago, Ryken invited Patel to his evangelical Christian college campus and interviewed him publicly about interfaith issues, Christianity and Islam.

Eboo has a strong capacity for friendship  not just networking, but also friendship, and I think that enables him to build coalitions more strongly, Ryken said.

Ryken said that Patels message appeals to communities of faith that hold strongly to their religious convictions, a category that includes evangelicals as well as many Muslims and Jews.

Interfaith Youth Core does not require people of faith to check their religious convictions at the door, but actually to bring them to the conversation so that they can be the fullness of who they are in those relationships and not have to pretend to agree about things that they dont agree about, he said.

Ryken disagrees with Patel on big issues such as the nature of God and the path to salvation, he said, but he agrees that there are still areas where they can cooperate for the common good, and that its important to seek out such cooperation.

Patel lives in Chicago with his wife, Shehnaz Mansuri, a lawyer, and their two sons, the older of whom is a student at Lane Tech College Prep High school.

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Patel was full of his usual enthusiasm during a recent interview, and, true to form, was still setting new goals. He wants the United States to fully embrace the contributions of all religions to the cultural fabric of the country, he said, a paradigm leap that would build on the advances made in the 20th century, when a nation that had viewed itself as Protestant began to see itself as Protestant, Catholic and Jewish.

My vision is that we start calling the United States Interfaith America, and not Judeo-Christian, and that becomes just commonplace in five or six years, he said. Judeo-Christian did great work, but it doesnt include atheists or Zoroastrians, it doesnt include Muslims or Jains, it doesnt include Bhais or Buddhists. And we have to. We have to. So a big part of the vision is a shift in paradigm. And then I want our civic American institutions to follow that shift in paradigm with actual activities.

Patel wants a national day of interfaith service, an interfaith student council on every college campus and training for nurses and doctors in how to engage the diverse religious identities of their patients.

He wants companies to follow Starbucks lead and have religious diversity education that encourages interfaith cooperation.

This isnt the first time that interfaith leaders have tried to broaden the nations understanding of its religious identity, according to Kevin M. Schultz, chair of the history department at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of the book Tri-Faith America: How Catholics and Jews Held Postwar America to Its Protestant Promise.

In the 1920s and 30s, people of different faiths worked together to combat a wave of Ku Klux Klan activity and anti-immigrant sentiment aimed at Catholics and Jews from southern and eastern Europe.

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It was a big deal to get Protestants, Catholics and Jews to work together, said Schultz, and the effort, which included the formation of the National Conference for Christians and Jews, had broad impact. Presidents joined the board of the organization, the groups National Brotherhood Week was widely celebrated and members helped organize the national March on Washington in 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr., delivered his I Have a Dream speech.

Broadening the idea of whose religion is fundamentally American was a big lift, and remains so today, Schultz said. Still, he said, Patel is suited to the task: He is well-connected, having worked on Obamas interfaith efforts. He comes from a minority faith, but hes very good at speaking to majority faiths. And he has a vision and optimism that Schultz finds totally compelling.

If anyones well-positioned to make it happen again, its Eboo Patel, Schultz said.

nschoenberg@chicagotribune.com
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Arkansas Senate candidate Jake Bequette filed a lawsuit Tuesday after two counties incorrectly listed his first name as Jack" on their ballots for this month's Republican primary election, with early voting already underway.

Attorneys for Bequette, who's challenging two-term GOP Sen. John Boozman, asked a judge to order state and local election officials to correct the typo on the ballots in Craighead County. An attorney for Bequette said he planned to add Phillips County, which also listed the wrong first name for Bequette, to the lawsuit.

The chair of the Craighead County Election Commission did not return a call Tuesday afternoon. Early voting began Monday for the state's May 24 primary.

Bequette is one of three candidates challenging Boozman in the Republican Senate primary. Conservative activist Jan Morgan and Stuttgart pastor Heath Loftis are also seeking the GOP nomination.

Its disgusting, and it should be fixed immediately," Bequette said in a statement. The lawsuit asks the judge to order officials to provide uniform statewide notice to all voters" of the error.

Secretary of State John Thurston said Bequette's name was correct on the certified list of candidates his office sent to each county, but that Craighead County made an error during preparation of the ballot. Thurston said his office contacted Craighead County on April 28 to alert them they had the wrong first name for Bequette on their ballot.

We strongly advised them to correct the ballot as there was still ample time," Thurston said in a statement. We also alerted the county that Arkansas code requires a county to hold a public meeting to explain the error, give a solution to the error, or explain why the error cant be fixed. The county failed to comply in both cases."

Thurston said it had discovered the same error on Phillips County's ballot on Friday and that the county was working to rectify the situation." Harold Boals, the Phillips County Election Commission chairman, said it was his understanding the mistake was made by the state but declined to comment further.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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When Autumn Yoder was 15, she was placed in foster care.

State employees gave little warning before she was removed from her moms house, Yoder said. Boys Town was her introduction to the system, but she would only stay there for a year and a half before running away and being relocated.

Each placement brought a new set of challenges. She remembers avoiding fights with girls, falling behind in school and eating Thanksgiving dinner alone. After awaiting rehoming at the Juvenile Detention Center and living with two more foster families, she was old enough to live on her own.

Then, Yoder  like more than 20,500 American youths annually  left care without being reunified or adopted.

According to the National Youth Foster Institute, 25% of those young adults become homeless within four years of exiting care. Another 20% experience homelessness the moment they leave the system.

Thankfully, Yoder found a community at the HUB Lincoln, an organization serving young adults transitioning out of foster care. There, they gave her what so many with her story long for  unconditional support.

She was able to secure stable housing at first, but after a job loss in 2020 left her temporarily homeless, the HUB helped her pay rent until she was able to take over.

Yoder obtained her GED certificate after taking classes at the HUB. They also taught her life skills that she said she should have learned in childhood. Most importantly, Yoder said, her friends there taught her how to ask for help.

Young adults in foster care require a safety net while theyre figuring things out, just like any 19 or 20-year-old. When they fall, they may need someone below to catch them.

Theres a lot of pressure to have everybody have their life together so quickly, and I think we dont do that, Yoder said. We might fail a few times before we succeed, and just having people there to help is beneficial for everybody.

Today, shes grateful for her support system at the HUB.

Shes 22 years old with a job, an apartment and too many dreams to keep track of. She has trouble deciding whether she wants to become an entrepreneur or go into real estate first, but shes sure that she wants to have children of her own.

Im looking forward to building the kind of family I wish I wouldve had as a child, Yoder said.

Her friend Rose Hood Buss is the executive director of the HUB Lincoln. Hood Buss has been with Yoder throughout her journey, just as she has with several other young adults.

The HUB has about 400 participants between all of its programs, which include GED classes, employment readiness courses, and general support groups for young adults ages 14 to 24 who have been in or aged out of foster care.

Most recipients of the HUBs services are referred through Lincoln Public Schools, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and other foster care agencies, Hood Buss said.

Teenagers are difficult to house, even while theyre in the system. Besides all the usual challenges associated with raising teens, foster care children often have trauma. They can act out.

The HUB is a place for those young adults to experience care, no matter how theyre struggling, Hood Buss said.

For a lot of what we're doing, you're gonna hear the word unconditional, Hood Buss said. For a lot of our young adults, things have always come with strings. There's no unconditionality to the support they have, so that's really critical.

Hood Buss said care without stipulation is the secret sauce to young adults success.

The path to independence looks different for each young adult, and the HUBs staff work with each individual to create a plan.

For many, that means getting a GED certificate.

Life in foster care means constant displacement, and as Yoder learned, credits dont transfer easily from one district to another. Students lose years of classes when they switch schools, putting them far behind their peers. So the best route for several is to get their GED certificate.

Chalkboard slates cover a wall in the HUB with names of young adults whove completed the GED program. Each colorful signature represents an individual who took prep courses at the HUB before taking the exam.

Buss Hood said she believes every young adult should have, at minimum, a GED certificate or high school diploma.

According to a Nebraska Children Connected Youth Initiative 2020 survey, 12.5% of young adults in Lincoln who have been in foster care do not have a GED certificate or diploma.

The HUBs education far exceeds GED programs, however. Its services include a parenting class called Back on Track and the LEAP course for those hoping to pursue post-secondary education.

While programs at the HUB help young adults tremendously, Yoder said young adults in foster care still need the support of their community.

In order to receive housing, jobs, and general encouragement, more people have to be willing to give them a chance, she said. Especially if they dont exit the system with a squeaky clean record.

Once you have a law violation, its kind of messed up for you, Yoder said. Having someone to be able to give you that second chance is really nice, but its not really common.

The thing Yoder wants most from her Lincoln community is empathy. A desire from the people around her to understand would make life for people with Yoders story easier. Maybe then more young adults could rebuild a hope-filled life.

If people knew more and cared more, there would be more positive experiences with kids, she said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7241 or jthompson@journalstar.com

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A top aide to Republican South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced Tuesday he is seeking the GOP nomination for state attorney general, suggesting that Ravnsborg wont seek another term as he faces an impeachment trial in the death of a pedestrian.

David Natvig, who was one of Ravnsborg's closest appointees, announced his candidacy in a video touting his work investigating drug trafficking. He will face Marty Jackley, a former attorney general who mounted a campaign to unseat Ravnsborg as Ravnsborg faced impeachment for his actions surrounding a 2020 car crash in which he struck and killed a man.

Ravnsborg was impeached by the House last month and faces a Senate impeachment trial shortly before the three-day party convention starts June 23. He has said the Senate trial is a chance for him to be vindicated," but has not said whether he will run for reelection if he is acquitted.

Ravnsborg didn't immediately respond to a message Tuesday.

Natvig would represent a continuation of Ravnsborg's team in the attorney general's office. He was the Brule County State's Attorney for nearly 16 years and was picked to head the Division of Criminal Investigation as Ravnsborg entered office in 2019.

My plan is to take the success and hard work of the office of the attorney general and build on it, he said in the campaign announcement video.

Jackley said in a statement that he has been traveling the state to earn the backing of Republican Party delegates, who will decide the nominee at the convention.

I remain committed to running a campaign on experience and my proven record as South Dakota's attorney general and U.S. attorney," he said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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This is part of Debt Nation, a series of interviews with people about how student loans have shaped their lives. Read the rest here.

Education: Bachelors in political science, J.D.

Current job: Immigration attorney

Household income: $240,000

Relationship status: Married, no kids

Peak student debt: $240,000 in 2015

Current student debt: $0, last payment was November 2019

If you asked my mom how much student loan debt I had, I dont think shed be able to tell you. I tried not to burden my parents with that. Their combined household income has always been less than $40,000. They had enough worries just making ends meet. My mom cleaned houses and my stepdad worked construction, so they werent very familiar with the American education system and didnt know anything about student loans. I felt trapped because I didnt really have anybody else who understood what I was going through.

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When I graduated in April of 2008, I had anywhere between $175,000 and $185,000 in student loan debt. Most of that was from my J.D. program at the University of Miami. I think it was less than $13,000 from undergrad at Florida State. I remember going to law school and looking at the brochures and percentage distributions for projected income. I remember at the, like, 25th percentile, the income was around $70,000 to $80,000, and I remember thinking, Oh, OK. Im definitely going to be better than the 25th percentile. So Ill probably be making close to $100,000, and Ill be able to pay off my student loans. The school basically said, OK, congratulations. You got admitted. You need to pay, because I didnt get any scholarships. I took out more than I should have.

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The first job I got where I began making significant money, I started at $120,000. It was life-changing.

I saw being a lawyer as a prestige thing. I thought it was an honorable career, and I also did have in mind that as an attorney I was going to be making a decent wage. But when I graduated during a recession, it was very hard. The big firms werent hiring in 2008. And so a lot of the students at the top of the class were getting jobs at middle- to small-size firms, and students like me, who graduated right around the top third, found it more difficult to get jobs.

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In my first job I was making $42,000 a year, and I had $180,000 worth of student loans. I almost cried when I saw the payment I was expected to make for the first time. It was going to be something around $1,500. I ended up just deferring and deferring for about four years. I was making some payments, but it wasnt even enough to cover the interest. I had two loans that were ridiculously high in interest, I think combined they were close to $100,000 at 8.5 percent. Thats why the balance eventually ballooned to well over $200,000.

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I started dating somebody, and when they found out how much I owed, they freaked out.

The first time I got a raise, it was to $45,000. I rented a room from one of my friends. I was paying $500 a month in rent because that was all I could afford, and I could barely go out. It really stunted both my social growth and just personal growth. I didnt start making decent money until six years into practicing law. The first job I got where I began making significant money was the job Im in now, at a big labor and employment law firm, where I started at $120,000. It was life-changing. Ill tell you what, the first year I did not get serious about paying my student loans because it was the first time I felt my head was above water financially. I bought a town house. I ended up selling it two years later to jump-start my student loan repayment. I took all that equity from the house, and it was literally in my bank account for two days before it went straight to Sallie Mae. I moved back in with my mom.

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About a year after I got that law job, I started dating somebody, and when they found out how much I owed, they freaked out. At that point the debt was close to $250,000, and I think my monthly payment was less than $500. That was one of the contributing factors to us not working out, and that made me realize I didnt want student debt for the rest of my life. And so, ever since then, Ive been hitting it hard. More than 50 percent of my take-home pay was going toward student loans.

My ex referred me to Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. Ramseys one of those individual financial-advice gurus. He gives you a series of baby steps youre supposed to follow. Baby step one is you create a $1,000 emergency fund. And then, baby step two is to get rid of all your debt. You do that using this technique called the snowball effect where you start paying down all your debts, from smallest to largest. So I started doing that repayment plan. I had a car loan. I had a credit card. I just took care of those first, and then I started hitting the student loans.

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My student loan debt has felt like an 800-pound gorilla is sitting on my shoulders. I had to crawl and beg and work extremely hard to get to the point where I am. I wouldnt say Im judging, but sometimes I find it difficult to identify with people who are not making a sacrifice to pay off their debt as early as possible. Its easy for me to say. I make a decent wage. I can afford to pay $7,000 a month toward my student loans.

My goal was to be done by age 35. I turned 35 in January of 2019, and I was done in November. So I missed my goal, but life happens. My level of anxiety right now is nowhere near what it would be if I still had this huge burden on my shoulders. So far we have stayed busy because a lot of employers are coming to us with Hey, how do we manage furloughs, layoffs, terminations? If I dont have a job in a couple months, the fact that I dont have that debt allowed me to have enough savings that I can take two or three months, maybe even six months, to find another job and not be starving.

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If I have children, I sure as heck dont ever foresee letting them get into any student loan debt. I got married this year, and Im lucky my wife is on the same repayment plan. She wasnt when we met, but when I talked to her about it, she was willing to be on board. Her mom paid for her education, but she did have significant credit card debt. And together we budgeted. It became important to me that once I started dating somebody, I made sure that I was very transparent with them about my debt at the beginning. We went to Paris in December of last year as our celebration. Next we want to buy her a new car. Shes driving around in a 2008 Honda Civic right now. She stuck by my side, and I feel like she deserves something nice.

Jorge Acevedo is a pseudonym.
The latest true crime spectacle is playing out across our social media feeds, and it once again stars the personal struggles and pain of real people. As a former prosecuting attorney, Ive been following the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation lawsuit with interest. Following may be a strong wordmostly I couldnt help noticing how my Twitter and Instagram feeds were hijacked with posts professing belief in one side or the other. Usually in favor of Johnny Depp.

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In case you have a better algorithm on your social media timeline than I do: Johnny Depp is suing ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation. Heard published an essay in the Washington Post in 2018 where she described herself as a quote public figure representing domestic abuse. Depp was not named, but his case is built on the idea that the article alluded to him enough that it damaged his reputation and career, including not getting to make a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Which  well, your mileage may vary on that argument.

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An overarching question in the case is whether Depp was abusive to Heard. I want to be clear, even with all my courtroom experience, I dont know what happened, and Im not here to speculate. But so many people seem to believe one side or the other based on very little information and evidence. On the most recent episode of The Waves, Slates podcast about gender and feminism, I talked to Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies gender violence, about where that certainty comes from, how the case is playing out on TikTok, and why even empathetic people can have trouble believing survivor testimony. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Slate: As a society that enjoys true crime, we love to dissect every little bit of evidence. We seem to inherently want to look for inconsistencies, without realizing that people are messy and complex. So theres the fiction of a court room cross-examinationand then theres the reality.

Nicole Bedera: In all fandoms, one of the things that people like to do is go in really, really deep and try to make sense of whats going on, try to find that little nugget or Easter egg that nobody else noticed. But that can be really damaging when were talking about peoples real lives. And thats one of the issues with true crime. These are not made-up stories. Theyre peoples real lives.

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Were all as a society expecting them to tell their story exactly perfectly, to never get caught up in something, to never make a small mistake. When in reality, theres a lot of research that shows that cross-examination in particular makes victims say things that are not true. Because the stress of the situation is so intense that if you ask survivors the same questions, but in a trauma-informed manner, their stories will actually stay completely consistent.

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When youre trying to pick up on these little moments and saying, Oh, we caught her. She said something off. We found a lie, it actually might not be that a survivor is making a mistake. It might actually be more about the way the criminal justice system or the civil justice system is treating her.

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What does it mean to interview someone in a trauma-informed manner?

A trauma-informed technique just means recognizing things like: The way that the brain forms memories from trauma can be a little bit different, and if you create too much stress when someones recounting a traumatic memory, you might trigger a traumatic response that makes it difficult to recall memories at all.

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Some things that you would do in a trauma-informed technique are: If youve ever watched a crime show, they always get in trouble for badgering the witness. That sort of thing is not trauma-informed, as opposed to open-ended questions that people are allowed to answer honestly. And then follow-up questions if theres something thats confusing.

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One inconsistency that blew up in this trial, on TikTok, revolved around a makeup palette. An attorney for Amber Heard held up a makeup palette saying that Heard had used it to cover up bruises she got when Johnny Depp abused her. The manufacturer of the palette piped up and said that actually that particular makeup palette didnt come out until after Heards lawyer said that Amber had used it.

This was a mess. The way that I found out about this was on Twitter. And everyone had made it sound like Amber Heard had held up this makeup palette and lied about using it, and she got caught in this lie because the makeup didnt even exist. And so the Twitter discourse around this has actually turned into, Well, did she make a mistake? Did she forget what kind of makeup it was? Maybe she grabbed the wrong palette.

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When in reality, I was shocked to find out that it was her lawyer who had done this and she hadnt done anything. And so, the way that this is being held against her when she has not at any point, to my knowledge, been on the stand and said, Yes, that was the exact makeup palette. It might have just been a prop. And so, the way this was blown out of proportion as proof that she was lying about absolutely everything, its really shocking and unsettling.

[Read: Youll Never Convince Johnny Depp Fans That Hes Guilty]

Were conditioned to think that we can know what happened. There will be a smoking gun, and weve just got to figure out, Hey, that little makeup palette, thats going to tell us what really happened. What were also seeing in the Depp-Heard trial is how likable an accuser or a victim is in any given domestic violence case will go a long way in whether shes believed, be it by millions of people, by her friends, or by a jury.

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One thing that I say to my students a lot is that we all support survivors up until we know the perpetrator. When people start to name names, you see the support disappear. They say, But I know that person. Im really good friends with your perpetrator. I dont believe he would ever act that way. Something I say to my students all the time is we actually all do know and love perpetrators of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

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I think were really uncomfortable when its a friend, when its a family member, when its a beloved actor. Thats when we dont want to believe it, in part because it makes us feel unsafe. If we believe that the perpetrator is someone we know, theres the sense of, If thats true, then it could have happened to me. Im a bad judge of character, or Im a bad person for being friends with someone who acts this way. And so, were really just projecting our experiences onto these types of trials to say, Well, but Johnny Depp was part of my childhood. I dont want to believe that that was unfair, or unsafe, or scary.

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Im not here to say who did what in this case. But objectively, Johnny Depp does seem to have overwhelmingly more support than Amber Heard. So if you are a fan of Johnny Depp and you do think that, hey, he didnt do good things here, if you think that maybe he is an abuser, how do you get through that feeling, or at least become open to it?

Its worth remembering that one of the reasons that you might be a fan of Johnny Depp is not because of who he is as a person. Its because of the characters he has played. And so you can still appreciate these characters that have absolutely nothing to do with who he is as a human being. And that would be a pretty straightforward way to address something like this, to say, Oh, yeah. If I really liked Pirates of the Caribbean, I guess I dont know anything about the cast. Maybe I dont know so much about them and who they are as people.

You can hear the rest of this interview below. For more, subscribe to The Waves.
One of the most arresting lines in Justice Samuel Alitos 98-page draft opinion reversing Roe v. Wade is a footnote that didnt really surface until the weekend. A throwaway footnote on Page 34 of the draft cites data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that in 2002, nearly 1 million women were seeking to adopt children, whereas the domestic supply of infants relinquished at birth or within the first month of life and available to be adopted has become virtually nonexistent. In response to the outrage and some misinformation, the conservative legal industrial complex went to great lengths to downplay it as a trivial footnote in a draft opinion, and to insist that Alito was citing the CDC and not himself and that the note appears in a roundup of people are sayingtype arguments against abortion.

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True. But the footnote reflects something profoundly wrong with the new ethos of care arguments advanced by Republicans who want to emphasize compassion instead of cruelty after the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health fallout. Footnote 46, quantifying the supply/demand mismatch of babies, follows directly on another footnote in the opinion approvingly citing the logic raised at oral argument in December by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who mused that there is no meaningful hardship in conscripting women to remain pregnant and deliver babies in 2022 because safe haven laws allow them to drop those unwanted babies off at the fire station for other parents to adopt.

Second only to the creeping chatter of state birth control bans, the speedy pivot to celebrating forced birth and adoption is chilling. Its chilling not just because it discounts the extortionate emotional and financial costs of childbirth and the increased medical risks of forced childbirth. Its chilling because it lifts us out of a discussion about privacy and bodily autonomy and into a regime in which babies are a commodity and pregnant people are vessels in which to incubate them. If this sounds like a familiar, albeit noxious, economic concept, its because it is.

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The economics of chattel slavery itself reflects a long, sordid history of using womens bodies to incubate babies for the benefit of others, and its no exaggeration to say that the 14th Amendments guarantees of substantive due processmuch derided by Republicans and Alitowas an effort to put an end to that practice. References to safe havens and the depleted domestic supply of adoptable babies are terrifying because this is exactly what the 14th Amendment sought to curtail.

The 14th Amendments much-maligned substantive due process protections for family liberty and autonomy and child-rearing were intended to protect former slaves from the very practice of allowing the state to violate your marriage, impregnate your wife, and steal your babies in order to serve the interests of white masters. As NYU law school professor Peggy Cooper Davis noted in a 1993 law review article, Neglected Stories and the Lawfulness of Roe v. Wade, that later became her book, Neglected Stories, the 14th Amendment was animated by anti-slavery ideas about the very nature of family and liberty. You can deride women, families, and privacy as lacking any historical or textual constitutional protection all you want, but according to Davis research on the 14th Amendments debates and motivations,

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The Bill of Rights, with its commands that government respect the rights of people to be secure in their homes; safeguarded against unwarranted or coercive investigation or cruel punishment; unrestrained and unregulated in their worship and their speech; and able to assemble and be heard in the processes of governancethis Bill of Rights was an appropriate constraint on the power of government for a free people. But it did not define freedom. Freedom could not be fully understood by reasoning from the constraints the first eight Amendments imposed upon the power of the collective. Freedom had to be understood from the inside.

And this version of freedom was constructed based on a deep and horrifying understanding of the inside of the stolen family and autonomy rights denied to enslaved people. As she explains:

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Drafters and advocates of the Fourteenth Amendment had vivid impressions of what it meant to be denied rights of family, for the denial of those rights was a hallmark of slavery in the United States. These men and women regarded the denial of family liberty as a vice of slavery that inverted concepts of human dignity, citizenship and natural law. And they regarded the Fourteenth Amendment as the instrument with which to re-enshrine family liberty as an inalienable aspect of national citizenship and natural law.

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So while Alito scoffs at unenumerated rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, Davis urges that their very absence from the ancient traditions, treatises, and doctrines he so venerates are the problem; these are traditions that afforded freedom to men, and allowed women and Black people to be reduced to property valued only for economic outcomes. These freedoms include the right to marry, because as Davis points out, the laws of every slave-holding state made it impossible for a slave to enter a legally binding marriage, and the laws of every slave-holding state permitted the separation, by sale or otherwise, of slaves who considered themselves husband and wife. She cites abolitionist scholar William Goodell, writing in 1853 that a slave cannot even contract matrimony; the association which takes place among slaves, and is called marriage, being properly designated by the word contuberniuma relation which has no sanctity, and to which no civil rights are attached.

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Davis quotes Henry Bibb, a former slave who married his wife in a ceremony that went unrecognized under law, and who learned years later that she had become the mistress of a slaveowner and mother of several of the slaveowners children. Another enslaved man, Moses Grandy, watched his wife being taken past him in chains to be sold. When he asked what she had done wrong, the man entrusted with her sale told Grandy:

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She had done nothing, but that her master wanted money. He drew out a pistol, and said that, if I went near the wagon on which she was, he would shoot me. I asked for leave to shake hands with her, which he refused, but said I might stand at a distance and talk with her. My heart was so full that I could say very little.  I have never seen or heard of her from that day to this. I loved her as I loved my life.

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It wasnt simply that there was no lawful right to marry; removing babies from their biological parents to be used by others lay at the very heart of the system of slavery. As Davis writes: The violation of family was repeated on American soil and in every subsequent generation of slaves. That violation was fundamental to the character of American slavery; it began in the claim of ownership that superseded parental bonds. She quotes from the Narrative of William W. Brown, which opens with a reminder that each generation of slavery begins with the theft of an infant from its parents:

I was born in Lexington, KY. The man who stole me as soon as I was born, recorded the births of all the infants which he claimed to be born [as] his property, in a book which he kept for that purpose. My mothers name was Elizabeth.

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As Davis reminds us, when an infant was designated slave, it was stolen from parental care and control and claimedlike its mother and, perhaps, like its fatheras a commodity. She quotes Dolly Harris, a runaway slave, saying that when I was separated from my husband I thought it was a dreadful thing  but when they came and tore my child from me, it would have been easier for me to have died than to endure it.

This cruelty was the point, sure, but so was the forced birth and separation. Davis writes that Frederick Douglass told of a slaveholder who was only able to purchase one slave, so he bought a woman as a breeder, hired a married man to live with her, and netted twins. Another former slave reported that sixty females were kept on his plantation solely for breeding with white men, producing twenty to twenty-five slaves a year to be sold as soon as they were ready for market.

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[Read: Why Abortion Is Health Care]

This indictment of sins against liberty was spoken aloud in the halls of Congress. Rep. T.D. Eliot of Massachusetts put it this way in 1863, debating the Freedmens Bureau bill:

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Slavery cannot know a home. Where the wife is the property of the husbands master, and may be used at will; where children are bred, like stock, for sale; where man and woman, after twenty years of faithful service from the time when the priest with the owners sanction by mock ceremonies pretended to unite them, are parted and sold at that owners will, there can be no such thing as home. Sir, no act of ours can fitly enforce their freedom that does not contemplate for them the security of the home. (emphasis mine)

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In short, those who produced the 14th Amendment deplored forcing women to give birth so their babies could be raised by others for the same reason it rejected the idea that marriage and child-rearing were only available to white people: It was an outrage against decency, liberty, and democracy and, yes, if you still care at all about such matters, an affront against their conception of God as well.

The argument that forced birth is justified because other people can have enjoyment of the resulting children sends us tumbling deeper down the rabbit hole into commodifying babies and conscripting their mothers. This is hardly a practice that ended with slavery. Recall that removing babies from their parents was the animating theory behind the Canadian residential school atrocities and that, as Rebecca Nagle notes of Alitos claims about the domestic baby supply, for decades, the adoption industry has filled this gap disproportionately with children from communities of colorfirst through international adoption and now foster care. Recall, too, that some of the migrant children who were taken from their families and then irretrievably lost at the southern border under the Trump administrations barbaric family separation regime were placed with allegedly deserving Christian families.

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If you believe in fetal personhood, or that abortion is never medically necessary to save a womans life, while directing shrinking resources toward parental leave, child hunger, health care, and poverty, and while threatening to cut off contraception access, you must justify forcing women to carry pregnancies to term regardless of the dangers to their own health and lives, regardless of cost, and regardless of the misery they or their children may suffer. One way around that thorny ethical dilemma is to simply assert that such children will be efficiently transferred to alternate parents who will value them.

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But recall that some of the same groups clamoring for more domestic babies to be adopted by deserving families have sought to make it impossible for same-sex parents, or even non-Christian parents, to adopt them. And remember, Black babies cost less to adopt than other childrena solution to the perpetual mismatch between the supply of, and demand for, Black kids. So lets please agree that, in the eyes of this very same group, not all babies are created equal and also that not all prospective parents are either.

Alitos domestic supply of infants footnote might be buffed away by the time we get a final opinion in Dobbs. But it bespeaks a fundamental and cruel misunderstanding of autonomy and liberty rights, and a return to something far more pernicious. Forcing pregnant people to carry to term for the benefit of others isnt a gentle or neutral recalibration of fetal personhood rights against maternal liberty interests; it is the very definition of subjugation, which is deeply rooted in this Nations history and tradition in ways the 14th Amendment actually sought to correct.

Read more of Slates coverage on abortion rights here.
This article is part of the Free Speech Project , a collaboration between Future Tense and the Tech, Law, & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law that examines the ways technology is influencing how we think about speech.

Just about every day, people tear one another apart online about what free speech means, especially what on platforms like Facebook or Twitter. These arguments have reached a crescendo, as Elon Musk moves to buy Twitter while promising a place where speech will flourish. But the problemaccording to Jameel Jaffer, a former lawyer for the ACLU and the current director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia Universityis that our current understanding of free speech was shaped by court cases that are older than the internet itself.

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On Sundays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Jameel Jaffer about online speech and how to make rules that will truly serve the next generation. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Lizzie OLeary: Does it feel, to you, like we are in a pivotal moment in how we think about online speech?

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Jameel Jaffer: Absolutely. Part of the reason for that is that all of the big Supreme Court decisions that defined free speech for our society were decided 50 years ago. We are now building a framework that will really shape what free speech looks like for this coming generation or generations. Getting the free speech questions right is a predicate for getting the larger democracy questions right. Right now, we dont seem to be getting the free speech questions right.

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Theres a tweet from Elon Musk from March 26 where he says that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square. Its true that in a 2017 case called Packingham v. North Carolina. In that case, the court ruled that a North Carolina law that kept registered sex offenders off social media was unconstitutional. In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the internet was the modern public square. Why is the public square so important?

In First Amendment law theres the concept of a public forum, like a city street or a parkproperty where historically we used to engage in political speech. Those kinds of public forums are highly protected under First Amendment doctrine. For example, the government cant kick you out of a park because it doesnt like what youre saying. That was the body of law that the Knight Institute used when we sued President Trump over his practice of blocking people from his Twitter account. We said for the same reasons the government cant kick you out of a park because it doesnt like what youre saying, President Trump cant kick you off his Twitter account because he doesnt like what youre saying.

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Its possible that Justice Kennedy in the Packingham case meant to reference that body of law, and what he meant was that Facebook and other social media platforms shouldnt be excluding people from these spaces based on their viewpoints. I think that his statement that Facebook and other social media platforms serve as public squares at this point is noncontroversial. If you treat it as a legal proposition, though, I think its a lot more difficult to defend.

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Well, because its not a public park. Its a private company.

Yeah. In a way that was true of President Trumps Twitter account too, right? Presidents Trumps Twitter account was on private property. It was on Twitters property. Yet the courts all held that that Twitter account was a public forum. But its one thing to say President Trump, a government actor, cant kick you out of this space on the base of your viewpoint. It would be another thing to say, Twitter cant kick you out of this space because of your viewpoint. These are questions that the courts are only beginning to grapple with, and theres not a single answer that everybody is coherent around.

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Thinking about it more as metaphor, it feels like we are maybe circling as a country around the idea of a public square without any of the parts intact. Maybe we all just think theres something real important here in the middle.

I just think about it as the space, the sort of metaphorical or even metaphysical space, in which we engage with each other, share information, debate issues, come to consensus. Where do we do those things? We do those things increasingly online and increasingly on social media in particular. Forget the legal stuff. Just as a kind of factual claim, those are the spaces whose integrity is important to democracy.

This idea of a public square was at the heart of a speech that former President Barack Obama gave on disinformation in April. It was the first time that Obama, who had long been friendly with Big Tech, publicly called out social media companies for how their algorithms warp online speech. You had a sometimes-adversarial relationship with the former president. What was your reaction to this speech?

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I was at the ACLU for 14 years, and eight of those years were during the Obama administration. I think I probably filed 100 lawsuits against the Obama administration, many of them related to the freedoms of speech and association and privacy in particular. We represented whistleblowers, we sued over government secrecy, we filed I dont know how many suits over government surveillance, all First Amendment suits or First Amendment-adjacent suits. I was not enthusiastic about the Obama Administration and the First Amendment. I didnt expect to agree with as much of President Obamas speech on disinformation as it turned out I did. One of the things I liked about it was sort of how modest it was.

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That it wasnt some big sweeping condemnation?

Well, a lot of people come to this issue of disinformation with the idea that Why dont we just prohibit all of this disinformation? Isnt that the obvious solution here? And thats not where President Obama landed. He starts off by recognizing that social media has in some important ways made our society fairer and more democratic and more inclusive. He also recognizes that many of our problems as a society are not fairly traceable to social media or social media alone. But then he goes on to say that some of our problems do have the social media companies at their source. He points to the design of the platforms as one place where we could look for the roots of some of our free speech pathologies today.

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In his speech, Obama seemed to reject an argument that social media platforms often make, which is that the best way to counter disinformation or misinformation is through better content moderation. What role does content moderation really play here?

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I think content moderation is much less significant than these design decisions. But also, I would include algorithmic design under the banner of design. What speech is getting amplified and what does it mean to be marginalized? Those questions are all questions that the platforms decide, often invisibly, but they have a profound effect on what public discourse looks like on those platforms. I think those decisions are much more important than the content moderation decisions. I think its much less important whether Alex Jones is on the platform or not, than it is what happens to Alex Jones speech when its on the platform. Another thing I liked about Obamas speech is that he pointed to transparency mandates as certainly not a total solution to any of this, but at least something worth considering.

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I do think that one of the things we need most is a deeper understanding of how the platforms decisions are shaping public discourse. The way to do that is to create more space for journalism and for research that focuses on the platforms.

There is a strain of thinking that sometimes comes up in Silicon Valley where executives will say, Well, we would step in and police more hate speech, we would do more content moderation, but were really deferring to the First Amendment here. What do you do with that?

I do think that because a small number of social media companies now serve as gatekeepers to a large part of public discourse, its better for our democracy if those companies hesitate before taking speech down, especially political speech. Those kinds of decisions, in a democracy, should belong to ordinary citizens. I think that there are lines that public figures could cross that would lead me to say it makes sense for the companies to take those people down. But as a general matter, I think its better if they interfere as little as possible in political speech. The result is going to be a lot of terrible speech will stay up. But I think we have to trust that other actors, civil society organizations, the media, other political leaders, will respond to that speech.

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I want to push back on that a little bit though, because it sounds like a handful of billionaires are already making those decisions for us, if the business models of the platforms are amplifying certain pieces of content and speech. Does the regular person ever get a chance to make that decision for themselves?

Yeah, I think that youre absolutely right and this is what I meant when I said that content moderation decisions arent as important as the design decisions. We should spend less energy focused on this question of whos on and whos off the platform and focus our energy instead on this question of what happens to speech that is on the platform.

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Theres a bill in Congress right now that would require a little more transparency in how the platforms work. It would make platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram give academics and researchers access to their data, but it doesnt solve the thorny questions about speech.

I think we need a First Amendment that prevents the government from intervening in the marketplace of ideas, from putting a thumb on the scale for a particular political viewpoint. But we also need a First Amendment that leaves space for regulatory interventions that serve democratic values. So, for example, carefully drafted transparency legislation or legislation that requires the platforms to tell people who are deplatformed why theyre being deplatformed, or privacy legislation that restricts what the platforms can collect about their users. If the First Amendment makes all of that off limits, then I think the First Amendment will become a really big obstacle to the kind of public square, public sphere, digital public sphere that we need.

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Did you ever think you would articulate a sentence like that when you were the ACLU guy?

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Im proposing this not because I think there are things more important than free speech. Im proposing this because I think this is what will serve free speech best. What does it mean to be a free speech absolutist in an era in which the social media companies have a totally plausible claim that they are exercising First Amendment rights, and social media companies users have a totally plausible claim that their free speech interests are being suppressed when the platforms exclude them from these private spaces, and governments sometimes have a totally plausible claim that the public needs to know certain things about the companies in order to understand how the companies are shaping or distorting public discourse? Those are all free speech arguments of one kind or another, and the First Amendment has to account for all of them.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, its estimated that 28 states would likely restrict abortion in coming months, which would affect half of the countrys women and girls. (Such restrictions would affect men and nonbinary people as well.) On Twitter, some users have warned people to stop using apps to track their menstrual cycles. If you think that your data showing when you last menstruated isnt of interest to those who are about to outlaw abortion, whew do I have a wakeup call for YOU, wrote Elizabeth C. McLaughlin in a popular thread.

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If youve been following data privacy, you already know that our data is of interest to a lot of peopleespecially those who want to sell you things. Apps sell data to third parties, who then feed up targeted advertisements; for instance, if an advertiser knows youve downloaded an app designed to track cycles for pregnancy reasons, they might show you more baby product ads. According to a Financial Times analysis, knowing someone is in her second trimester of pregnancy is worth about 220 times more than the average persons data.

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Targeted ads are one thing, but McLaughlins thread suggests menstruation data could be weaponized against users. If Roe is overturned, could menstruation app data really fall into the hands of those who are about to outlaw abortion? If so, how? And how, exactly, could that data be used against users?

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First, its important to understand the extent of the data these apps collect from users. Apple Health and Garmin include period tracking among their functions, but stand-alone apps like Clue and Flo often include more detailed features, especially if users upgrade to paid versions. Though the apps features vary, all allow users to record the days theyre menstruating and offer predictions about when their next cycle might begin. Most ask users for some basic identifying information, like their birthdate, and offer them the opportunity to record information about symptoms theyre experiencing as well as their menstrual flow, sexual activity, and even mood. Some ask about other factors that might affect menstrual cycles and symptoms, like whether you are pregnant or lactating, and offer a space for users to add their own notes. Others, like Premom (the name of this app was a choice), are designed to track not only menstruation but fertility windows and pregnancy progression. Users can upload photos of their ovulation test strips for the app to analyze, and participate in forums where they discuss personal details.

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Many users might not realize how much personal data these app companies are keeping on record. For instance, when an employee at the London-based nonprofit Privacy International sent requests to five menstruation apps to receive copies of the data shed entered into the app, she discovered the companies knew a lot about her. The menstrual app Flo sent back her answers to questions about how often she gets a Pap test, how often she masturbates and how easy it is for her to reach orgasm, and how long shes been trying to conceive, among other intimate details. It was a surprise seeing that much information was collected, and so much of it was sent off to third parties, says Laura Lazaro Cabrera, a legal officer at Privacy International who contributed to the report. The team also entered notes to themselves in the Flo app and discovered that those notes, too, were sent verbatim back to them. That was worrying to Cabrera: For things like days per cycle, you expect that kind of data to be storedbut for diary entries, youd think thats locally stored, because what use is that to them? Rather than keeping private notes on users phones, the app still beams the information to the companys central server.

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Any data these apps have about you could, in theory, also be available to authorities.

Currently, such data might not have much utility to them, but if Roe v. Wade is overturned, that could change. Experts say that in a post-Roe world, its likely well see more charges brought against people who have abortions or whose behavior might have contributed to a miscarriage or stillbirth. In such cases, app data could be to establish when a person became pregnant, and show when they became aware of that pregnancy or when they began experiencing symptoms leading up to a pregnancy loss. Some apps, like Flo, ask things like whether the user smokes or how often they drink alcohol; that data could also be of interest to a prosecutor trying to charge someone with endangering a fetus.

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There have been hundreds of such cases since Roe v. Wade was established in 1973, but many cases have been dismissed because the ruling prevents states from prosecuting people for abortions and in utero deaths. When Roe goes away, theres nothing to prevent states from prosecuting people as part of anti-abortion or murder and manslaughter statutes, attorney Nina Ginsberg says. Some states are already laying the groundwork for this kind of prosecution; in the wake of news about the draft Roe decision, Louisiana advanced House Bill 813, which declares that a fetuss rights to human personhood from the moment of fertilization. That bill would only outlaw any abortion, but it also effectively criminalizes miscarriage; a person carrying a fetus could be charged with that fetuss death, should anything happen to them in utero.

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So, yesit is possible menstrual app data could be used to prosecute people. But just because its possible doesnt mean it will become common. For one, it might be cumbersome for law enforcement to obtain that data. In a statement to Slate, popular app Clue said it is obligated under European Law (the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR) to apply special protections to our users reproductive health data. We will not disclose it. While the GDPRs Article 9 does prohibit processing of personal or health data concerning a natural persons sex life, theres also an exemption made for cases where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity. If U.S. authorities subpoenaed a European app like Clue for a users data, its unclear if it would have to complyand at the very least, Clues statement makes it sound like itd be willing to put up a fight.

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Plus, there are easier ways of gathering evidence. The types of digital data that have been used in court thus far suggest its going to be much more simple digital info used against us, says Cynthia Conti-Cook, a civil rights attorney and technology fellow at the Ford Foundation. Its going to be info from [our] own devices, often words we have typed into the screen, info we ourselves have been involved with co-creating.

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Google searches, texts, and your web history would likely paint a fuller picture of your life than the date of your last period. If prosecutors are trying to charge people for having abortions, or behaving in ways that would have led to a miscarriage, they would need to establish intent (e.g., Googling abortion clinic near me) or evidence of your behavior, which they might find in texts or photos.

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The extent to which authorities will actually charge people with pregnancy-related crimes if Roe is overturned is still unknown, but its likely your identity will play a role in whether youre targeted. In an analysis of more than 400 cases where pregnant women were prosecuted, most of the women were economically disadvantaged, and of the 360 cases for which race was known, 59 percent were women of color. In a post-Roe world, people of color with the fewest resources will likely continue to be disproportionately targeted for pregnancy-related charges. That overlaps with people who are already being surveilled by the state in some way, says Conti-Cook: These are people who already have to report to the state, whether for family and child protective services, to substance abuse programs, to a case worker for probation or parolethese are people already in the dragnet of mass incarceration, who will be further prosecuted because digital evidence is already in the states hands. Unfortunately, data on the socioeconomic status of menstrual app users is scarce, but with the ubiquity of smartphones, some of the people at highest risk for facing prosecution may also use menstruation apps. However, Id wager that the heaviest usersthose with the means to pay for things like ovulation strips, and the time to carefully log data or participate in forumsare less likely to be targeted for charges.

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So, should you delete the apps? Cabrera says she doesnt use them after her own research uncovered just how much they learn about users. But she acknowledges that many people find them beneficial and might be reluctant to delete them outright. Look at the privacy policy, she advises. Most people know theyre putting data into the app, but not who thats being shared with, and for what purposes. As a user, you need to be comfortable with the level of detail and transparency of the privacy policy. The app Flo, for instance, has been criticized for selling user data to third parties and reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission last June; the company did not reply to a request for comment on user privacy. (Third parties getting a hold of your data can have far-reaching consequences. A recent Vice piece detailed how a company called SafeGraph is selling location data about people visiting Planned Parenthood locations; its past clients include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which purchased data related to COVID-19.) If youre having second thoughts about the data youve entered or how its being used, an apps privacy policy should also tell you how to request partial or total erasure of your data, and how quickly the company will comply.

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Whether or not you delete menstruation apps is ultimately a personal choice, and whether these apps are willing to cooperate with authorities is yet to be seenbut these individual actions are a weak defense against a huge systemic issue. If Roe is overturned, app data will be just a drop in the bucket of all the data that could be used to charge people with pregnancy-related charges. Perhaps a prosecutor or data broker wont know the exact date of your last period, but theyll have the legal power to subpoena other private data. The problem with abortion being criminalized is that abortion is criminalizedthat comes with all the power to enforce criminal procedure and the obtain information that a prosecutor wants to see, says Conti-Cook. Even if all app companies stand united in denying subpoenas for user data, its unclear on what grounds they would be able to fight those requests; if abortion is illegal, and a person is charged with the crime of having one, theres little legal recourse. As Conti-Cook puts it, This is not a tech solutionthe problem is that weve criminalized health care.

Listen to a recent ICYMI episode on period trackers:

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Finalists of the Via Bona award in the category Outstanding Employer for 2021

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The new approach to home office triggered by Covid has been welcomed as bringing undeniable advantages. But two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, businesses and labour market experts recognise and discuss its drawbacks, too.

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One of them is pressure on mental health, for those who have spent extended periods of time alone in their homes, as well as those with children struggling to maintain a worklife balance.

Mental health and domestic violence, another phenomenon that experts say has worsened during the pandemic, dominated this years applications for the Via Bona award in the Outstanding Employer category. In their applications for the prestigious national prize, handed out by the Pontis Foundation to responsible and fair businesses, companies also addressed employment of people from marginalised communities.

In the Outstanding Employer category, the award goes to projects and activities that create fair and dignified conditions and opportunities for diverse groups of employees in an exceptional way, Silvia Porubanova, executive director of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights and the ambassador of this category, told The Slovak Spectator. When choosing finalists, it is mainly a matter of finding the best ones with consistent, comprehensive, and inspiring results for others with a visible impact.

A total of five companies enrolled for the award in this category, listing activities and projects they implemented in 2021. This was a decline compared to 11 nominations in 2020 and nine in 2019, despite the deadline being prolonged by one week. One reason was the war in Ukraine, which broke out at a time when the nomination process was coming to its end, noted Lucia Viglasova, spokesperson of the Pontis Foundation.

Many companies prioritised other things linked to the war, which is understandable, said Viglasova, adding that given the situation, the organisers perceived the number of nominations very positively.

Companies Accenture, Ikea Bratislava and Passel Slovakia have been shortlisted for the award that will be handed out in Bratislava on June 29.

This years finalists have seized specific areas and topics, said Porubanova.

Ikea addresses domestic violence through a synergistic and sensitive approach, including research, campaigning, training and activities regarding domestic violence. Accenture focuses on authentic and sophisticated support of the mental health and mental resilience of employees. Passel contributes to the social inclusion of Roma from disadvantaged backgrounds and is a worthwhile example for other companies, according to Porubanova.

Happy employees come from happy homes
Companies helping Ukrainian refugees, interview with an expert in volunteering, shortlisted companies for Via Bona awards and more regarding corporate social responsibility.

Slovak Telekom helps children and students not only to consume digital technologies but also to create new things with them. (Source: Courtesy of Slovak Telekom))

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In April 2022, The Slovak Spectator published its Business Focus on corporate social responsibility. Here is your overview of stories from the focus issue:

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War in Ukraine prompts companies to ramp up their volunteering efforts

Katarina Paleckova came to the border with Ukraine through the initiative of Debora, a refuge for mothers with children in Banska Bystrica, where her mother works.

I was part of the team working in the customs area, a first contact point for the refugees, Paleckova, an external communication specialist at Danone, described for The Slovak Spectator.

To be able to help at the Ukrainian border, Paleckova was given three days of paid leave from her employer. Several other companies active in Slovakia have taken a similar approach. They support volunteers who help nongovernmental organisations or join projects of aid to refugees.

Designing websites or corporate volunteering. Slovak firms help Ukrainians Read more

Slovaks volunteer from the heart

Slovakia has experienced two unprecedented waves of solidarity and altruistic help in recent times. The first one was raised by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the second one by the inflow of Ukrainians fleeing the war in their home country. Whether such numbers of volunteers in Slovakia continue in the future will depend on the motivation of first-time volunteers as well as their experience while volunteering, said Zuzana Vinklerova, executive director of CARDO, the National Volunteering Centre.

Slovaks volunteer from the heart Read more

Parents were at the greatest risk during the pandemic

The new approach to home office triggered by Covid has been welcomed as bringing undeniable advantages. But two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, businesses and labour market experts recognise and discuss its drawbacks, too. One drawback is pressure on mental health for those who have spent extended periods of time alone in their homes, as well as those with children struggling to maintain a work-life balance.

Mental health and domestic violence, another phenomenon that experts say has worsened during the pandemic, dominated this years applications for the Via Bona award in the Outstanding Employer category. In their applications for the prestigious national prize, handed out by the Pontis Foundation to responsible and fair businesses, companies also addressed employment of people from marginalised communities.

Parents were at the greatest risk during the pandemic Read more

Waste has turned into something valuable worth a second life

Throwing a device that reaches its lifespan into a waste bin is no longer the best option given the depletion of raw material deposits. Instead, they are refurbished for further service or are a source of precious materials for further production. This years applications for the Via Bona award in the Green Company category, handed out by the Pontis Foundation, featured several ideas on how to do this in the most effective way.

Waste has turned into something valuable worth a second life Read more

A firm builds an army of digitally savvy Slovaks using a BBC product

Slovak Telekom launched its Enter programme in 2020, when it approached YouTuber GoGo to sell the idea of digital skills. The Enter project is said to be one of the most comprehensive and largest initiatives in the field of digital education carried out by a company in Slovakia, and much needed.

The micro:bit, designed by the BBC in 2016 to enhance computer education in Great Britain, is a small computer that introduces children to coding in an easy and fun way. Not only has it introduced children to digital skills needed in the market, but it has also motivated teachers to upgrade their IT skills.

A firm builds an army of digitally savvy Slovaks using a BBC product Read more

What it takes for a brand to be loved and lovable

Have you ever thrown out a Lego set? Most likely not. In fact, the Danish-born and world-famous blocks tend to be passed down to siblings and cousins instead of ending up in landfills.

The blocks fit one another, so you can still play with the set owned by your grandfather and combine it with new blocks, said Adriana Jahnakova, general manager of Lego Czech Republic and Slovakia.

This is one reason why Lego is what marketers now describe as a love brand: a brand that exerts such strong attraction on consumers that it is not only preferred over other brands, but is even loved.
International passengers increase by over 500% in Q1

Vietnamese airports welcomed a total of 232,000 international passengers during the first quarter of the year, marking an increase of 502% against the same period from last year, according to statistics released by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.













April alone saw airlines operate a total of 30,000 flights, representing a decline of 2.4% compared to last years corresponding period.



Furthermore, airports across the country welcomed 6.6 million passengers, including 232,000 international arrivals, representing an annual drop of 14.3%.



Compared to the same period from last year, the number of international passengers using local airlines also picked up 214.7%, while domestic passengers dropped slightly by 18.2%.



With regard to freight transport in April, the volume of goods through Vietnamese airports surged by 18.4% to reach 140,700 tonnes. Of the figure, international cargo volume also soared by 45.3% to 117,700 tonnes, while the volume of domestic goods hit 23,000 tonnes, down 39.1%.



Following the rise in the number of international passengers, Vietnamese airlines have recently increased the number of flights on offer and have also moved to restore international air routes.



Most recently, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines unveiled that it will seek to increase the frequency of flights on eight routes to Japan and the Republic of Korea from May 15, while simultaneously restoring three routes to the Republic of Korea from June 1.


Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday announced the launch of a mental health and suicide prevention campaign that encourages students in seventh through 12th grades to take a pledge to stay alive and seek help if they need it.

CPS said staff members, including school counselors, will discuss the Please Stay campaign, self-care habits and mental health resources and screen a three-minute Please Stay video in classes. The district said it shared campaign materials  including a teacher/counselors guide, pledge cards and digital resources  with schools last week as May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

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CPS said 38% of its students have reported feeling depressed and 17% have seriously considered suicide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

Outside Chicago Public Schools' Kenwood Academy High School in January. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

COVID has only presented an additional challenge, Michael Roy, training and prevention team lead for the CPS Office of Student Protections and Title IX, says in the Please Stay video.

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CPS said it is the first school district to implement the initiative, developed by Lady Gagas Born This Way Foundation and Find Your Anchor, a movement aimed at suicide prevention and awareness.

Beyond this campaign, the district said it is expanding its behavioral health team model, developed and implemented with Lurie Childrens Hospital, from more than 200 schools to all of its 500-plus district-run schools. CPS said its goal is to have one of these teams, which are tasked with identifying students with behavioral health needs and connecting them with interventions, in every CPS school by the 2023-24 school year.

The Chicago Board of Education, meanwhile, in March adopted a mental health and suicide prevention policy the district says will reduce stigma and increase staff members ability to recognize students exhibiting or at risk of developing mental health issues.

CPS said its budget for the coming school year allows for 623 social workers and 117 counselors. The contract the district forged with the Chicago Teachers Union in 2019 calls for a social worker in every school by the 2023-24 school year.

The district said its allocated about $24,000 for the Please Stay program, paid from federal American Rescue Plan coronavirus relief funds, mainly for printing and video production. The behavioral health teams in schools are also funded through ARP money, CPS said.

tswartz@tribpub.com
Ukrainian kids sang Jill Biden a song by a composer who was killed for being Ukrainian.

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In the crisis centre, where Jill Biden spent the morning, everything was neat and clean. Volunteers sat in front of the entrance to the canteen. When my daughter and I moved in their direction, they immediately spoke Ukrainian. Outdoor on the tables there were apples, bananas, soda bottles and baskets of fruit with cardboard carrying a "Happy Mother's Day" inscription in Ukrainian.

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It was May 8, the second Sunday of May and, like most countries of the world, Slovakia, the USA and Ukraine celebrate Mother's Day. The First Lady of the United States visited the crisis centre for assistance to Ukrainian refugees and a school in Kosice to mark the day with mothers and their children who make up most of the displaced persons from Ukraine in Slovakia.

Originally from the Rivne region in Ukraine, 21-year-old Yulia is a fourth year student at the Kosice Technical University and works as the volunteer coordinator here. She was lucky to personally talk with the wife of the President of the United States about her own volunteer experience and how she, due to the war, became a guardian for her seven-year-old brother, first-grader Dmitry, because their parents are unable to leave Ukraine.

"I study logistics at the university, so coordinating volunteers for me is also very valuable professional practice," smiled the girl in a spring-green vest, the color they call "salad" in Ukraine.

"The most difficult part was at the beginning of the war, when the flow of newly arrived Ukrainians was huge. Every day we had to help about 4,000 refugees. We provided them with hot food, clothes and the first overnight stay in containers nearby and helped them find places to stay in Kosice for them longer term. Those who were looking for shelter elsewhere we sent by bus and train to other EU countries. Now about 400 pass our center daily. They are assisted around the clock by 60 regular volunteers, whose work I coordinate.

Jill Biden praised the Ukrainian girl for caring for her younger brother and at the same time managing to help other people, and wished that they will be able to meet with their parents as soon as possible.

"I am now looking for a school for Dmytryk. It is unusual and very difficult for a seven-year-old boy to be away from his parents, but I am very grateful to Slovakia for being safe and that he is able to continue his studies," said Yulia.

Jill Biden  wearing a khaki jacket over her white dress with a black pattern and sporting a flower wrist corsage  shook hands and talked with many Ukrainians who had breakfast in the dining room of the Crisis Center.

For Olga from Kherson, May 8 is only her second day in Kosice. She became emotional when she recalled the difficulties she and her son faced as they escaped from occupied territories. She said she had no idea that the first lady of the United States was coming to Kosice.

"I came out of my temporary container room to brush my teeth, and there were some security men checking everything. They looked into my bag, but nothing but a toothbrush was found there. It's a test, it's a test. She stopped at my table, I felt uncomfortable at first..."

Here the conversation was taken over by another Olga, from Poltava, who also wanted to share her impressions of her meeting with Jill Biden.

"I didn't immediately realise that it was the first lady from America. It was a surprise to us. She was probably brought to us by those helicopters. Earlier a boy from Kharkiv sitting at a nearby table, as he heard them, shouted to me: "Babushka, lie down! Lie down, the Russian bombs are flying at us!" he cried, bursting into tears. His mother had just left for food, so I wiped his tears and could barely hold back crying myself  how many horrors Ukrainian children have had to endure."

After a visit to the crisis centre, Biden went on to the secondary school at Tomasikova Street. Many Ukrainian children study there, so recently two classes of entirely Ukrainian students were formed.

"You need to know that you have our support. I say this on behalf of the entire American people  our hearts are with you," Biden assured the mothers of Ukrainian children she met at the school.

For the high-ranking guest, 12-year-old Anastasia (Nastya) Starostenkova from Kyiv with two classmates of hers sang a well-known Ukrainian song "Shchedryk", the English translation of which became the world-famous Christmas song "Carol of the Bells".

Tragically and symbolically, the life of the author of this merry song, composer Nikolai Leontovych, was cut short 101 years ago by a bullet fired by a Chekist, a servant of the Russian-Soviet special services. Leontovych was shot only because he was Ukrainian, a Ukrainian who taught music at the railway school in Donbass and kindly gave shelter to his murderer for the night.

Nastya shared her emotions from the unusual acquaintance:

"I was a little worried to perform in front of such a respected guest, but the meeting turned out to be truly sincere and joyful. We laughed a lot, hugged, made paper flowers. She gave us t-shirts with a picture of the White House, water bottles, handbags and eco-bags, which we and our mothers painted during the meeting."
Ukrainian president addresses the Slovak parliament, highlights the importance of sanctions in energy sector.

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"If we fail to stop the Russian troops, they will come everywhere they can, including to the territory of Slovakia," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his speech to the Slovak parliament on May 10, the 75th day of the war in Ukraine.

The first tool to help stop the invaders are weapons, while another important tool is the sanctions, the Ukrainian president stressed during his speech broadcast to the Slovak MPs through teleconference.

Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the Slovak parliament. (Source: Sme - Jozef Jakubco)

He highlighted energy sanctions and noted that Ukraine realised these were difficult for the landlocked country. Slovakia is among the member states demanding a derogation from the embargo on Russian oil, which should be part of the next package of sanctions.

"I want to thank you for all the help Slovakia has provided Ukraine," Zelensky said to the Slovak parliament. He said he valued the military aid and solidarity that Slovakia has shown Ukraine even before February 24, when the invasion started.

Zelensky mentioned 1968, the year when the Warsaw Pact troops invaded its ally, Czechoslovakia, to put an end to the democratisation process in the country known as the Prague Spring.

"Friends of Ukraine have shown solidarity and have helped make sure Russia would not be able to repeat the year 1968," he said.

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Zelensky expressed the determination of his country to join the EU, and to be able to independently decide on its own future. He asked Slovakia to be Ukraine's voice in the EU.

"Ukraine needs to have the status of a candidate country," Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok stressed following the speech. He rejected the notion that other forms should be sought, voiced by some European politicians. "I call for a clear decision, to give Ukraine the status of a candidate country."

Korcok said he had no doubts the war was going to end in victory for Ukraine and for Europe.

Slovakia, led by the government of Eduard Heger, has supported Ukraine's ambition to join the EU. The prime minister presented Slovakia's plan that should help Ukraine to become and EU member relatively fast to EU leaders in March.

The MPs, most of the cabinet including PM Eduard Heger, and the Ukrainian Ambassador to Slovakia Yuri Mushka were present in the house to hear his speech. Far-right MPs of LSNS and Republika did not attend, according to the TASR newswire.

Zelensky addressed several parliaments, including the European Parliament, and protest gatherings in this way since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Zelensky previously addressed the anti-war protest in Bratislava, which took place on March 4.

Slovak MPs voted to allow Zelensky to speak in the Slovak parliament last week, when 101 out of 115 present MPs voted in favour of it, including a number of opposition MPs of Hlas and Smer. The leader of the latter, Robert Fico, voted in favour of the motion, but later said he was not going to be present to hear Zelensky speak, and called the Ukrainian president a liar.

Fico, as well as other Smer MPs, left during the speech, Korcok told journalists afterwards. He said he considered it cowardly and indecent.
Four percent are interested in doing business, a Trexima poll shows.

A fifth of the registered Ukrainians on the ISTP.sk job search website have already been contacted by an employer with a job offer in Slovakia, a Trexima survey finds. (Source: TASR)

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Ukrainian job seekers and Slovak employers consider insufficient mastery of Slovak or a foreign language to be the biggest obstacle to finding a job in Slovakia, a survey has found.

Trexima Bratislava, which runs the ISTP.sk job search website, conducted the poll on a sample of 750 respondents, of which 450 were Ukrainian jobseekers and 300 were employers.

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More than 94 percent of Ukrainians who participated in the survey have obtained temporary protection or plan to apply for it.

As of May 10, more than 3,100 Ukrainian job seekers are registered on the website. They can choose from 8,300 job offers suitable for them.

Keen to work

A fifth of the registered Ukrainians on the job search website have already been contacted by an employer with a job offer in Slovakia, 78 percent are still actively looking for a job and 2 percent of respondents are not yet interested in working, the survey shows.

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Read also Refugees struggling with work options despite new law Read more

To the additional question whether they have already started working in Slovakia, 67 percent answered no, 21 percent of Ukrainians already work in Slovakia and 12 percent plan to start soon.

Half of Ukrainian applicants who have managed to find a job are working in Bratislava, Trnava, Nitra, Kosice, Poprad and Zilina.

Major obstacles

Employer responses show that 30 percent have already filled some vacancies with Ukrainian jobseekers. Employers are mainly offering Ukrainian candidates job positions such as production operator, kitchen assistant, waiter, cashier, warehouse worker and nurse.

In addition to the language barrier, Ukrainians take into account the lack of suitable job offers on job search websites, the lack of information on where to look for jobs, failure to meet employers requirements, problems with accommodation and insufficient opportunities to place children in school facilities as other significant obstacles when looking for work.

On the other hand, one in five respondents claims that they have not encountered any obstacles in finding a job.

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Employers see it similarly. They consider the language barrier, the administrative complexity of the employment process, obtaining the necessary documents and other formalities to be the biggest problems in the filling of vacancies by Ukrainians.

Most refugees want to stay

Four out of 10 Ukrainians would accept any job in Slovakia and 4 percent are interested in doing business, the survey has also shown.

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Ukrainian respondents are most interested in the positions of kitchen assistant, administrative worker, social worker, production operator, cleaner or teacher. Before the outbreak of the conflict, Ukrainian refugees worked mainly as teachers, accountants, managers, salespeople, banking workers, doctors and administrative staff. Nine percent have no work experience so far.

Of the respondents, 56 percent plan to stay in Slovakia after the war, 41 percent plan to return to Ukraine and 3 percent of Ukrainians consider their stay in Slovakia to be temporary and will move to another country.
Ukrainian kids sang Jill Biden a song by a composer who was killed for being Ukrainian. First tropical day in Slovakia is expected on Thursday.

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Good evening. The Tuesday, May 10 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Zelensky speaks to Slovak MPs

Slovak MPs are applauding Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky after his address on May 10, 2022. (Source: TASR)

If we fail to stop Russian troops, they will come after you, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in his speech to the Slovak parliament on May 10.

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He said that the number one tool to help stop the Russians were weapons, while another important tool are sanctions. The president thanked Slovakia for its support, also showing understanding for the difficulty of Slovakia disconnecting from Russian gas and oil.

Experienced in giving speeches, Zelensky very skillfully used a historical parallel, just as he had in his previous addresses to other parliaments around the globe. Friends of Ukraine have shown solidarity and have helped to make sure Russia would not repeat the year 1968, he said. In that year the Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia to put an end to the democratisation process in the country known as the Prague Spring.

However, not all MPs were pleased with Zelenskys speech. Smer MPs left the room in protest.

Related: Here is a selection of the top five Zelensky quotes.

Resolution: In a vote on Tuesday, Slovak MPs adopted a resolution condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, as well as the Russian Armed Forces and their commanders against Ukraine. They called it an act of unfounded military aggression. The parliament also condemned crimes against humanity and war crimes, which, according to Slovak MPs, must be thoroughly investigated.

Compensation for illegally detained Roma

Roma people outside their houses. (Source: TASR)

A 30-year old Roma with mental special needs illegally held in custody for weeks in 2013 will receive compensation, ruled the Bratislava I District Court.

The man from Moldava nad Bodvou, eastern Slovakia, will be given 4,000 as compensation for non-pecuniary damages, announced the European Roma Rights Centre. In the proceeding it was duly established that the unlawful detention had an impact on the plaintiff and his personal life, in particular because the detention was carried out on a disadvantaged person without adequate measures," said Jan Bartanus, the mans lawyer.

The Centre added that this event preceded the now infamous police raid in the Roma community in Moldava nad Bodvou on June 19 of the same year.

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PHOTO FOR TUESDAY

Fountain in Kosice

Fountains in Kosice, a major city in eastern Slovakia, are springing back to life.

A fountain in the Mier neighbourhood in Kosice on May 9, 2022. (Source: TASR)

In other news

9,732 pupils from Ukraine attending Slovak schools . Most of them are attending primary schools in Bratislava. The smallest number of Ukrainian children attending Slovak school is reported from the Banska Bystrica region. (TASR)

Ukrainian job seekers and Slovak employers consider insufficient mastery of Slovak or a foreign language to be the biggest obstacle to finding a job in Slovakia .

. Social networks are responsible for spreading disinformation . 79 percent of Slovaks think that social networks deliberately make disinformation visible, an early May survey conducted by the Ipsos agency shows. The poll has also found 43 percent of Slovaks often do not react to disinformation posts. (TASR)

Thursday, May 12, should be the first tropical day of this year in Slovakia, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute said.

The international defence technology fair, IDEB, started in Bratislava on Tuesday, May 10. One hundred exhibitors from 15 countries will showcase their products at the Incheba exhibition centre until May 12. (Source: TASR)

Components and systems for the Hungarian Lynx tracked armoured vehicles programme will be manufactured at Ray Services Skalica plant in western Slovakia. Ray Service and Rheinmetall have signed two contracts worth a total of more than 60 million. (SITA)

2,192 Ukrainian refugees entered Slovakia on the Slovak-Ukrainian border on May 9 and 327 of them applied for temporary protection, the Interior Ministry announced.

FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY

Elevator tragedy a year later

Disabled door chip, missing control buttons, or an accident? Although there is no official report on the cause, several rumors circulate regarding the elevator tragedy in Bratislava that occurred a year ago on May 9.

The old elevator in which the tragedy happened a year ago. (Source: SME/Marko Erd)

Now, in place of a historic Czechoslovak elevator in a metal mesh shaft, the apartment building boasts a modern one with touch controls and a glass shaft.

We know each other, so of course the tragedy affected all the residents. During the firefighters intervention the elevator was irreversibly damaged and about a month ago a new one was installed, said Peter Synak, one of the tenants in the building.

The case was closed at the end of last year, with police stating that no one is responsible and will no longer provide any relevant information.

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If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Chloe Carrington, left, soaks up the sun as Carlos Jones checks his phone at the edge of Lake Michigan near 67th Street in Chicago as the temperature approaches 90 degrees on May 10, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Sustained summer weather is finally forecast for Chicago and a warmth-filled week awaits, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service.

But if severe weather materializes Tuesday night, Chicagoans could once again find themselves dealing with wacky weather, wondering: What the hail?

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Forecasters were warning northern Illinois residents to stay weather aware Tuesday night as a conditional threat for severe weather exists, according to the weather service. Despite otherwise seasonally appropriate conditions, meteorologists arent calling for warm summer showers and heat thunder. If adverse weather materializes, it could mean hail as large as 1 inches in diameter, plus winds stronger than 70 mph.

Thunderstorms are not a guarantee this evening. However, if they form, they'll likely pack a punch. Heres a quick graphic outlining the estimated threat timing window across our area. Stay weather aware this evening! #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/C7bhSY4Rmh  NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 10, 2022

Thunderstorms are not a guarantee, meteorologists said. However, if they form, theyll likely pack a punch.

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Forecasters said severe weather would begin closest to the Wisconsin state line early in the evening, should it develop.

Areas such as Boone, McHenry and Lake counties could be affected as early as 7 p.m. or so, according to the weather service. The system would move south over time, potentially reaching the northern part of DeKalb, Kane, DuPage and Cook counties after approximately 9 p.m. and eventually reaching the southern metro area  LaSalle, Kendall and Will counties  around roughly 11 p.m. or later.

Times are approximate and depend on several factors aligning, but if there is severe weather, it likely would pass through the area by 2 a.m. Wednesday, forecasters said.

The daytime high temperature is expected to approach the 90-degree mark every day this workweek although Wednesday is the only day the temperature will cross that threshold. But it should be sunny and at least 85 degrees each day through Friday.

Meteorologists warn cooler weather is on tap to arrive this weekend.

Our warm stretch continues with highs in the 80s to near 90. There is a couple chances for showers/t-storms late tonight as a cold front moves across far northern IL. Better storm chances will be on Tue eve where some storms could be severe especially north of I-88. #ilwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/4z9jfd9jGZ  NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 9, 2022

By Saturday the temperature could drop into the upper 50s overnight and the daytime high isnt expected to top 75 degrees. There is a 40% chance of precipitation, which could come in the form of scattered showers or thunderstorms.

For more on the forecast, visit the Tribunes weather page.
A body lies covered on the ground as Chicago police process a crime scene in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood near North California Avenue where two people reportedly were shot and killed on May 9, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Two men were fatally shot in Humboldt Park near a playground Monday afternoon, according to Chicago police.

About 3 p.m., the men, 34 and 35, were near the street in the 1300 block of East Luis Munoz Marin Drive when two other males pulled out handguns and shot at them, police said.

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The older man was shot in the chest and the younger man was shot in the head and chest, police said. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

They have not yet been identified by the Cook County medical examiners office.

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Two guns were found at the scene, police said. One person has been taken into custody. Charges are pending.

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry
A Saturday morning crash claimed the life of a Bayard man and left two others injured.

According to information from the Morrill County Sheriffs Office, two vehicles collided near mile marker 8 on Nebraska Link 62-A, half a mile west of Highway 385. The crash happened around 11:30 a.m.

Authorities pronounced Sheldon I. Gibbons, 46, of Bayard dead at the scene. Sheldon Gibbons Jr., 20, also of Bayard, was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

Dale Frederick, 74, of Alliance was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Authorities did not identify either vehicles driver.

A press release described the crash as under investigation. Initial investigation indicates seat belts were in use, and alcohol does not appear to have been a factor.

The Nebraska State Patrol is assisting in the investigation.

Agencies which assisted at the scene were Nebraska Game and Parks, the Bayard Police Department and the Bridgeport and Bayard Fire Departments.

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Western Nebraska Community Colleges B-Pod and the welding technology shop are getting an update after the Western Community College Area Board of Governors ratified action on a renovation bid at the April 20 meeting.

Renovation of the B-Pod, as well as C-Pod offices has been identified as one of the next capital priority projects as part of WNCCs Master Facilities Plan, said Allison Judy, public relations and marketing director for the college. The primary focus of this renovation is to complete upgrades to building systems including HVAC, lighting, fire sprinkler, and data cabling in order to provide proper environments for the delivery of content to student.

The board reviewed B-Pod renovation and furniture quotes. The memorandum included in the board packet indicated a need for emergency approval to lock in the price for the furniture. Eakes Office Solutions in Grand Island worked with Winter Griffith Architects in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on purchasing furniture designed for education and state institutions, according to the packet information.

Eakes Office Solutions informed the college there is a 10% cost increase from the furniture manufacturer scheduled for Monday, April 18. The order had to be submitted by April 12, so members of the finance, facility and executive committees met and were informed about the situation. They moved to place the order, which saved the college approximately $27,000, Western Nebraska Community College vice president of administrative services Lynne Koski told the board.

The furniture costs total $278,227.10, with B-Pod classroom furniture at $128,265.78, B-Pod faculty offices at $86,056.92 and the Harms meeting rooms B120, B121 and C139 at $63,904.40.

The C-Pod offices and wellness rooms were completed in 2021. The budget for the B-Pod renovation project is $1.3 million and is one of four learning spaces located in the main building on the Scottsbluff campus.

Each pod is made up of classrooms and faculty offices, Judy said. The B-Pod is original to the buildings construction in 1969, so we are thrilled to be renovating this space.

The college is also expanding the welding technology shop, located in the Applied Technologies building.

Expansion of the welding technology shop ... will allow for increased enrollment to support industry needs in the Panhandle for trained welders, Judy said. The expansion will include the addition of six welding booths, updated oxy-acetylene tables (a type of welding that is flexible and forgivable) and renovation and extension of the current exhaust system.

Funding for both the B-Pod and welding expansion projects are being funded through WNCCs Capital Improvement fund. American Rescue Plan Act funds are not being used.

Both projects are slated to start at the conclusion of the spring semester, Judy said. The welding expansion will start May 11 and the B-Pod renovation will begin May 16.

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A Chicago man was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison Tuesday for inciting and participating in looting during the civil unrest that gripped the city in August 2020, including a break-in at a marijuana dispensary.

James Massey, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this year to incitement of a riot, admitting in a plea agreement with prosecutors that he posted multiple videos and messages on Facebook calling for people to travel to downtown Chicago to engage in property damage and looting.

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Massey was later captured on surveillance video helping to loot and destroy four businesses, including a West Loop cellphone store and the Windy City Cannabis marijuana dispensary on the Near North Side.

The sentence was among the more significant penalties handed down in Chicagos federal court so far stemming from the civil unrest that broke out in cities across the country in the summer of 2020 following a series of high-profile police incidents, beginning with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.

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In rejecting a request by the defense for probation, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly said Tuesday that Massey did a disservice to the legitimate protesters who were trying to call attention to the issue of police misconduct.

Kennelly also acknowledged an attempt by Masseys attorney to draw parallels to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, saying both cases involved a bunch of people who basically said to themselves, We dont like whats happening out there so were going to destroy a bunch of things. 

If thats the way were going to react, the laws gone, Kennelly said during the videoconference hearing. Its mob rule, its vigilante justice and nobody wants that.

Massey has been in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center since August 2021 when he was arrested while trying to illegally purchase a handgun at an Indiana gun store while free on bond. With good behavior, he would eligible for release in about five months.

Before Kennelly handed down the sentence, Massey issued a short apology to the court, saying the kind of behavior he engaged in that night was behind him. He also said he was not the only one who posted similar things on social media, and that he believes he was targeted by law enforcement because I had the most views.

According to court records, Masseys call to action began with messages he posted to Facebook on Aug. 9, 2020, telling people to meet him at 63rd Street and South Racine Avenue so they could then travel downtown as a group. Shortly before midnight, Massey posted a photo of himself on Facebook with the caption, Lets get ready to steal (expletive), the complaint alleged.

ATTENTION ATTENTION LOTTING START AT 12am, another post stated, according to a screen grab included in the charges. DOWNTOWN AREA AND UP NORTH AREA ONLY BRING YA TOOLS SKI MASK AND GLOVES.

Several people responded to the messages to discuss their plans to loot and comment on how it was going, including one Facebook user who stated to others in the group, We like 13 cars deep, prosecutors said.

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Early on Aug. 10, several people smashed the windows of the marijuana dispensary in the 900 block of West Weed Street, using tools they had taken from the trunk of Masseys vehicle, which was parked in the dispensarys parking lot, the complaint said.

About a half-hour later, Massey was captured on surveillance video walking up to a retail store in the 800 block of North Michigan Avenue brandishing a tire iron, while another person broke the store window, the complaint stated.

Massey and several others allegedly entered the store and stole numerous coats before returning to Masseys vehicle, the complaint stated. Minutes later, a person posted to the Facebook group that they had just hit the store, according to the charges.

Massey also participated in the looting of a convenience store in the South Loop neighborhood and the Verizon store in the West Loop, the complaint stated.

When Massey was warned that his posts inciting the looting were being circulated on social media, he allegedly replied he didnt care, according to criminal charges. (Expletive) dem...freedom of speech, he allegedly wrote.

In asking for a sentence of up to 21 months, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Bond said the damage to just two of the looted stores was estimated at $185,000. He also said that Masseys actions that night were akin to taking a match to a kerosene-soaked wood.

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Masseys attorney, Ilia Usharovich, said that while what happened was terrible, it was a spur-of-the-moment crime and that keeping Massey behind bars would do nothing to heal the underlying causes for the looting.

Hes a young kid who made foolish, foolish decisions, Usharovich said. He wanted to be recognized. He wanted to be part of something.

But Kennelly said regardless of how much it was thought through, Massey still committed a really serious crime.

If stupidity were a defense to a crime, there wouldnt be any crimes anymore, the judge said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
A Mitchell County man will not be receiving a new trial for an attempted murder plot inspired by the television series "Breaking Bad," based on an Iowa Supreme Court ruling.

Earlier, an Iowa District Court order had granted Mark Bernard Retterath, 56, of Osage a new trial. However, according to the May 6 ruling, the state contended that the District Court erred in its decision because of it was unable to review mental health records of Aaron Sellers, one of two State witnesses, due to Sellers refusal to consent.

However, the state instructed the District Court to conduct an in-camera review of mental health records of the second witness, identification provided only as J.R.

According to court records, the two witnesses testimony was crucial in proving Retteraths solicitation to commit murder charge.

Retterath was sentenced to up to 35 years in prison in October 2016 after a jury found him guilty of attempted murder, solicitation to commit murder and third-degree sex abuse in the plot that unraveled when people he tried to recruit to carry out the killing went to authorities.

Before Retteraths 2016 conviction, he had served 11 years in federal prison for drug and gun crimes before discharge of his sentence in November 2013. A few months later, Sellers met Retterath at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

According to court records, after a family friend accused Retterath of molestation, in 2015 Retterath was arrested on sexual abuse charges. Retterath was accused of performing multiple sexual acts without the family friends consent while acting as the family friends Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.

Retterath then asked Sellers to kill the alleged victim, according to Sellers testimony. While Sellers refused to commit the murder, he told Retterath he knew someone who might be willing to kill for Retterath.

Retterath turned to the second witness, another member of his Alcoholics Anonymous group, about killing the alleged victim to keep him from testifying. That was when Retterath and the second witness discussed mimicking an episode of the television series "Breaking Bad" involving ricin.

According to court records, after Retterath ordered castor beans to extract ricin, Sellers and the second witness called law enforcement authorities. Investigators found a printout that outlined how to extract ricin from castor beans and five examples of ricin-purification recipes while searching Retterath's home. Authorities also found a jar of castor beans in his house and a baggie holding about 10 beans in the pocket of a pair of Retteraths jeans.

But at trial, Retterath contended that both witnesses were unreliable due to mental health issues. The state agreed their history of psychiatric conditions could impact their testimony, a decision that allowed the District Court to conduct the in-camera reviews.

However, according to the states May 6 ruling, Sellers counseling records, which were presumed to be from his time in federal prison, were unavailable from controlling federal agencies, https://www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/11396/embed/CourtAppealsOpinion.

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.

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There are people who are just flat pissed off. Why would somebody do something this stupid? said Layne Hans, who would drive from Seward just to watch the birds.
Nebraskans have long been strong supporters of the right to keep and bear arms. Nearly 85 years after it was enshrined in the Second Amendment at the federal level, Nebraskas leaders chose to make our stance on gun rights crystal clear. Article I of the Nebraska Constitution proclaims that the right to keep and bear arms for security or defense of self, family, home, and others, and for lawful common defense, hunting, recreational use, and all other lawful purposes...shall not be denied or infringed by the state or any subdivision thereof. This should serve as the exclamation point on where Nebraska stands in its commitment to constitutional gun rights.

But we can do better for Nebraskans. Right now, law-abiding citizens must jump through burdensome hoops to carry a concealed firearm. Our Nebraska State Patrol has done a phenomenal job streamlining the permitting process. But statutory hurdles remain. Existing state law requires individuals wishing to carry their legally owned firearm to first complete a handgun training and safety course; fill out a concealed handgun permit application; and then travel to the nearest Nebraska State Patrol Troop Headquarters to submit the application and undergo fingerprinting and a background check. Then, they must wait until the application is processed and the permit is issued. At best, these steps are a nuisance to law-abiding citizens looking to exercise their Second Amendment rights. At worst, they are a barrier to those looking to protect themselves, such as victims of stalking or harassment. Under constitutional carry, law-abiding Nebraskans who have already undergone the background check needed to purchase a handgun would not have to wait for a permit to carry concealed.

Nebraska can join the growing number of states whove taken action to get rid of these restrictions. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana all enacted constitutional or permitless carry legislation in 2022. Nebraskas neighboring states of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming are also among the 25 states with constitutional or permitless carry laws. Over 120 million Americans live under these laws, with more states looking to enact them. Just last week, Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference to call on Floridas legislature to pass constitutional carry legislation.

This year, Senator Tom Brewer of Gordon introduced and prioritized LB 773 in an effort to bring constitutional carry to Nebraska. A solid majority of senators supported the bill, but it fell just two votes short of the 33 needed to overcome a filibuster. The final vote that failed to advance the bill was 31-9. All nine opponents were Democrats.

The typical arguments against constitutional carry simply dont hold water. For example, concealed carry laws dont decrease safety. The U.S. News and World Report has published public safety rankings for each state based on the FBIs latest available data. The top three states for public safety are Maine, New Hampshire, and Idaho. All three are constitutional carry states.

Furthermore, constitutional carry legislation doesnt mean abandoning common sense restrictions that prevent dangerous criminals from carrying guns. The legislation only seeks to eliminate regulations that require a law-abiding citizen to carry a permit while carrying their concealed firearm.

At the end of the day, constitutional carry is about rights. A citizen authorized by law to possess a firearm shouldnt have to pay a fee and ask permission from the government to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Im confident its only a matter of time before constitutional carry comes to Nebraska. But it wont happen without the determined activism of Second Amendment advocates in our state. I encourage Nebraskans to see how their senator voted on LB 773 by clicking here.

The National Rifle Association also grades political candidates based on their support for Second Amendment rights. You can view those grades by clicking here.

While we work on constitutional carry legislation in Nebraska, we also need to be forward thinking. To preserve our right to bear arms, we must individually pass on our love for and understanding of the Second Amendment to the next generation. The Take em Hunting program offered by Nebraska Game and Parks is a great way to do this. The program encourages veteran hunters to take a beginner with them and pass their knowledge on. Hunters can submit a picture and story of their experience online to be entered in a drawing for prizes (outdoornebraska.gov/takeemhunting). This program has been hugely successful. In just its third year, its already introduced more than 2,000 Nebraskans to hunting. This year, Take em Hunting will run through the end of the spring turkey season on May 31, 2022. So, when you go out to hunt this month, I encourage you to share your passion by taking someone with you.

Our freedom to keep and bear arms is rooted in the recognition that our rights are given to us by God, not by the government. These rights, declared in both our federal and state constitutions, shouldnt be costly and time-consuming to exercise. Together, lets work to end the lengthy delay and cost in order to conceal carry in Nebraska.

If you have questions about my support for Second Amendment rights, please email pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or call 402-471-2244.
A 25-year-old man was extradited from Houston to Alexander County on multiple charges of sexual exploitation of a minor on Thursday.

Luis Mario Solis Rosso was charged with five counts of felony first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor (production of child pornography), five counts of felony disseminating material harmful to a minor, and one count of felony solicit child by computer, a news release from the Alexander County Sheriffs Office said.

Rosso is being held at the Alexander County Detention Center under a $3.25 million secured bond, the release said.

The sheriffs office and Taylorsville Police Department began a joint investigation in January after the sheriffs office received a tip from law enforcement in Houston about possible production of child pornography and child enticement, the release said.

During the course of the investigation, a juvenile female victim was identified in the jurisdiction of the police department, the release said. Additional victims have been identified within other jurisdictions, including Wake County and in Mississippi, the release said.

The FBI is investigating to identify remaining victims, the release said.

This investigation is ongoing. Rosso also was served with warrants from Wake County, the release said.

Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman and Taylorsville Police Chief Douglas Bowman thanked the Harris County Constables Office in Houston, Livingston Parrish Sheriffs Office in Livingston, Louisiana, and the Macon County Sheriffs Office in Tuskegee, Alabama, for their assistance during the transportation of the suspect, the release said.

Sheriff Bowman and Chief Bowman also thanked the Wake County Sheriffs Office and FBI Task Force for their assistance in the investigation, the release said.
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to close seven schools to out-of-district attendance for the 2022-23 school year.

The seven are Lake Norman, Lakeshore, Shepherd and Troutman elementary schools, Lakeshore Middle School and Lake Norman and South Iredell high schools. All schools are currently either over the state recommended capacity or nearing it.

According to Tim Ivey, chief technology, facilities and maintenance officer, out-of-district includes any student who by residence would attend the Iredell-Statesville Schools and wishes to attend a school outside of their designated residential attendance zone as well as those students who live outside of the Iredell-Statesville Schools and wish to pay tuition to attend school in the district.

Ivey told the board the proposal only applies to new applications for out-of-district attendance for the 2022-23 school year.

Students who currently attend a school outside of their attendance zone and those who live outside of the Iredell-Statesville School district would be allowed to continue to attend their school during the 2022-23 school year as long as they meet district requirements outlined in the out-of-district approval letter and the boards Policy 4150 School Assignment.

In addition, there will be three exceptions for new out-of-district attendance:

Students with siblings would be allowed to attend the same school as their sibling if the sibling is currently attending an out-of-district school.

Students who are children of employees would be allowed to attend an out-of-district school.

Schools with magnet programs will accept attendance in magnet programs based on available space and entrance criteria.

I really hate that we are having to do this, but I understand we only have so many seats in our schools, board member Martin Page said. We are not going to take any kid out of a school they are already in, and if their sibling comes up, they can go to the same school. We are trying to do this with as least damage as possible. I do hope that we can sell it that this is only for new students that want to go to our schools.
Mitchell Community College and Piedmont HealthCare have announced a new partnership through the colleges Apprenticeship Iredell program.

Apprenticeship Iredell, established in fall 2020, is a work-based learning opportunity with the goal of developing highly skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics related fields. The program provides an opportunity for Mitchell students to be hired by an industry partner to acquire on-the-job training while simultaneously receiving classroom instruction from the college.

Jeff Smith, CEO, and Jeff Taylor, director of operations and human resources, were present to represent Piedmont HealthCare, one of the larger physician-owned multispecialty groups in North Carolina and the Southeast.

Piedmont HealthCare is excited to provide the first health care apprenticeship program in our area. Our partnership with Mitchell Community College and Iredell Statesville Schools provides students with the opportunity for free tuition, real-world job experience, and a successful career in health care, Taylor said.

Within the Apprenticeship Iredell program, Piedmont HealthCare will provide five occupational opportunities to interested students: medical assistant, front desk coordinator, business services representative, registered nurse resident and phlebotomist. One of the opportunities combined with the colleges medical assisting diploma, health care management certificate or degree, nursing degree, or phlebotomist course will serve as the related instruction needed.

On behalf of Mitchell Community College and the apprenticeship program, we would like to welcome Piedmont HealthCare to the Mitchell family, Hannah Tuthill, apprenticeship coordinator, said of the new partnership. I look forward to the opportunities that this partnership will provide for both our students and community.
Piedmont HealthCare welcomes the return of Dr. Robert Reindollar, MD, to the Piedmont HealthCare Gastroenterology office at 208 Old Mocksville Road.

Reindollar has served this community for almost 20 years and holds board certifications in gastroenterology and internal medicine. During his most recent academic position outside of this community, Reindollar continued to serve Iredell County residents who had valued and trusted him as their GI physician. He now returns home and joins Dr. Brandon Marion at PHC Gastroenterology to continue care for those patients and support the GI needs of Statesville, Mooresville, Troutman and beyond.

A North Carolina local, Reindollar completed his undergrad at Catawba College. He attended graduate school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Followed by his residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, Reindollar completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by his Hepatology Fellowship with the University of Miami  Center for Liver Disease in Miami, Florida.

I am thrilled to be returning to Piedmont HealthCare. I am looking forward to picking up where I left off by providing the people of Iredell county with innovative and high-quality care, said Reindollar. Its just good to be back.

For more information on Reindollar, or to schedule an appointment, contact Piedmont HealthCare Gastroenterology at 704-878-2021 or visit https://piedmonthealthcare.com/provider/reindollar-robert-md/. PHC Gastroenterology Statesville is located at 208 Old Mocksville Road.
A Taylorsville man has been charged with 51 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is being held under a $2.5 million bond, police say.

Charles Henson Gates, 56, was charged with 50 counts of felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of felony first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a release from the Alexander County Sheriffs Office said. Gates made a first appearance Monday in Alexander County District Court, the release said.

On March 28, the sheriffs office received a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force about possible child pornography being uploaded from an IP address in northeastern Alexander County, the release said.

After the execution of a search warrant from the online account, it was discovered the person uploading the videos was Gates, the release said.

Several electronic devices were seized from Gates residence during the execution of a search warrant May 5, the release said. The search was conducted by the sheriffs office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and Taylorsville Police Department, the release said.

Gates was interviewed by detectives with the sheriffs office and the SBI. Gates was charged and placed under arrest after his interview, the release said. The investigation is ongoing, the release said.

The sheriffs office has three detectives who are members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the release said.
KALAMA  With more growth on the horizon in her town, Kalama resident Meggan Mumford last month moved her salon from Clark County.

Shear Haven opened in early April in downtown Kalama and offers haircuts, coloring, Brazilian blowouts, as well as esthetician services including facials, waxing and eyelash extensions.

Mumford, 43, worked in Kalama several years ago, but moved when it flooded in 2015. After working in salons in Battle Ground and Ridgefield, Mumford moved into a smaller space in Vancouver after the pandemic began.

After about two years, Mumford decided to move her business back to Cowlitz County as restrictions loosened to serve a growing need for hair and beauty services in town.

Since I was in school, it was always my dream, Mumford said of opening her own salon. I know its cheesy but dont give up on your dreams.

Shear Haven Address: 262 N. First St. #7, Kalama Hours: 9:30 a.m. to variable (depends on last appointment time) Tuesday through Saturday Info: 360-673-7888, www.shearhavens.com or Shear Haven LLC on Facebook. Clients can call or book appointments online.

Mumford said she originally went to school to be an accountant because she loves math but didnt feel fulfilled by the work. She then went to beauty school in Oregon, graduating about 15 years ago.

Her early career focused on hair services but Mumford said shes honed her esthetician skills over the last couple years.

I like making people feel good about themselves, she said. I just love interacting with people. Every day is a new challenge, and I hope my clients will want to challenge me. It makes it interesting.

Mumford specializes in vivid color, and the Shear Haven social media pages feature freshly dyed heads of blue, purple and pink among the more typical brunettes and blonds. Not many people choose to dye their hair in unusual colors because it takes a lot of maintenance to keep the colors bright, Mumford said.

The dye Mumford uses is ammonia-free and the Kevin Murphy products use natural ingredients, she said.

For her facials and related services, Mumford uses a homegrown and cruelty-free skincare line called Farmhouse Fresh, based in Texas. The company is a perfect fit for her salon because it uses some proceeds to rescue farm animals and her family raises llamas, she said.

Its important to me, especially with children, Mumford said. Seeing things we allow on our skin and bodies can be scary.

Although three salons may seem like a lot for Kalama, Mumford said shes heard from residents the other two are often booked out for weeks. With Kalama poised for more growth because of new housing developments, the timing seemed right, Mumford said.

Im a really fun, upbeat person, and Im not from here, so with new people we have the same story, creating new roots in a new town, she said. I see potential growth, and its awesome to be a part of.

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Windermere Kelso/Longview is being consolidated into a larger Windermere franchise that will cover Clark and Cowlitz counties.

The Kelso office will be joining Windermere Northwest Living, a Windermere franchise created in March through a consolidation of multiple Windermere offices in Southwest Washington with Real Living, a real estate group that dropped its name in 2021. Chad and Hollie Sessions founded the Real Living branch in Southwest Washington and now manage the Windermere Northwest Living franchise.

As part of the consolidation process, Windermere move from its location on West Main Street in Kelso into an office at 711 Vandercook Way in Longview. The Northwest Living franchise opened the Vandercook office last fall.

Were excited because it seems like a really good fit from a culture standpoint and we are really excited to be able to serve the community even better with the joining of the two offices, Chad Sessions said Monday.

A press release announcing the merger Monday said the new Longview office will have 43 real estate agents, becoming the largest set of agents under one roof in Cowlitz County. Windermere Northwest Living will have roughly 230 agents covering Southwest Washington following the merger.

Windermere built the two-story, $4.5 million office complex on West Main in 2007 to house itself, Three Rivers Eye Care and other local businesses.

According to the press release, Windermere plans to maintain a smaller service office in Cathlamet.

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From COVID-19 vaccines to the agriculture industry, from mental health wellness to the city of Chicagos Year of Healing, equity is a term at the forefront on many societal fronts. And for the past two years, the University of Chicago Data Science Institute (DSI) has been focusing on internet equity in a hope to better understand how to fix the digital divide laid bare in state communities during this pandemic.

Researchers from the universitys Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice and the Department of Computer Science have been collaborating for the past two years gathering newer, focused internet data on Chicagos 77 neighborhoods under the Internet Equity Initiative. At Mondays Data Science Institute summit on UChicagos campus, Nick Feamster, faculty director of research at the Data Science Institute, and Nicole Marwell, associate professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice  both principal investigators of the initiative  revealed a 32-point difference between the most connected neighborhoods in the Loop and Near North Side (where more than 94% of households are connected to the internet) compared with Far South Side neighborhoods of Burnside and West Englewood, where fewer than 62% of households are connected.

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Weve known for a while that federal data on this basically collects paper forms from internet service providers at a pretty coarse granularity, like a census tract level and if one home gets covered, theyre like, OK, its fine, Feamster said. I knew that was suspect, but it hit home for me when I moved to Hyde Park almost three years ago. If you look at that map, Hyde Park purportedly gets gigabit internet access and has multiple ISPs serving it. But I had a heck of a time signing up for service on my block. That lit a fire for me. I was like, Wow, if its this bad in Hyde Park, in the city of Chicago, its got to be even worse elsewhere where were not even looking.

Nicole Marwell, left, and Nick Feamster speak at the inaugural Data Science Institute Summit at the University of Chicago on May 9, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The disparities in connectivity between neighborhoods can be seen in DSIs data portal, which combines public and private data from 20 cities in the nation, including Chicago. UChicago undergraduate students analyzed pre-pandemic information from the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, the Federal Communications Commission and the portal for a more localized look of internet connectivity in Chicago. From July through August 2021, researchers measured internet performance in a house in Hyde Park and one in South Shore  both households were paying for gigabit internet service from Xfinity (Comcast). The Hyde Park household experienced higher-quality internet than the South Shore household. Portal data also revealed connectivity strongly correlates with income, unemployment and race/ethnicity.

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Per the portal data, in portions of Roseland, broadband access is as low as 49%; in an area of Chicago Heights, its less than that, and in an area in East Garfield Park, connectivity is lower than 46%. The Loop, Lincoln Park and Beverly neighborhoods show over 90% connectivity. The results emphasize the need for continued, targeted intervention to improve connectivity in sections of the city, and the reason for DSIs ongoing study. With the $65 billion in federal funding that was authorized in 2021 under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help expand broadband, Feamster and Marwell hope the initiatives work helps Illinois secure its fair share of moneys under the act and aids stakeholders interested in working on solutions to decrease the digital divide.

The initiative is working with local community organizations and residents to help in this effort by collecting different measurements of internet performance in households across Chicago. Volunteers from across Chicago have installed small devices on their routers, which allows researchers to measure internet performance as data travels to and from the household. Researchers are continuing to recruit volunteers to conduct comparisons between neighborhoods. Feamster said the institutes team welcomes many manners of involvement from community residents  from slicing and dicing the data, but also to think about solutions.

The point of collecting the data is to understand the nature of the problem, which can then inform the folks who are working to actually develop solutions to the problem, Marwell said. And those can be a lot of different folks: ISPs, utility companies, it could be community groups that are putting together public Wi-Fi, it could be landlords who are trying to add Wi-Fi into their building services, rather than having people connect to an internet service provider on their own.

Marwell said connectivity is more than just an affordability issue. The initiative study is really driving at the quality and reality of peoples lived internet experience on the ground  something more than the one-time captured data of internet speed tests. By measuring more of the lived experience in continuous real time , researchers can measure over time whether something big is going on in a certain neighborhood or whether an area is just having a bad day or hour.

It may seem like internet is one solution fits all, but the more we learn about the nature of the problem, we see that what the building is made out of makes a difference, what the trees and other topography are like makes a difference, Marwell said. Whats possible within the sort of managerial orientation of a multiunit building makes a difference, what community institutions might be available to site an antenna for community Wi-Fi  all those things are part of this process. We cant really be thinking about solving the internet problem just as give everybody a subsidy to buy their own service.

I think to the extent that these efforts are successful at achieving the goal of greater connectivity, thats going to be really important proof of concept for continuing to roll money in subsequent years through subsequent infrastructure investments at both the federal and the state level, to continue the work and try and reach everybody, Marwell said.

drockett@chicagotribune.com
A tool to combat the worst effects of wildfires has come back to Washington state: prescribed burning.

For the first time in 18 years, the state Department of Natural Resources in fall 2021 brought back a program to reduce the chance that wildfires, which because of climate change have become more intense and destructive, will have a devastating impact.

We know fires happen at a certain time of the year, so you want to go in and reduce some of the fuels on the ground that could lead to an intense wildfire, said Mike Norris, cross-boundary restoration assistant division manager with the Department of Natural Resources.

The forest restoration project will focus on where wildfires are the worst, in Eastern Washington. But in Cowlitz County the program also will be essential on DNR-managed lands to mitigate and even prevent major wildfires as climate change threatens the entire Northwest.

Norris said they will conduct prescribed burns where they expect low-intensity fires on the west side of the state, specifically on prairies in the South Puget Sound area.

Known as controlled burning, the idea goes back centuries.

Tribes in the Northwest deliberately burned dry vegetation to get rid of materials more likely to catch fire during the hot summers.

We know from research a lot of these sites are fire-dependent, like the ponderosa pines, Norris said. When people burned in the past, the fires didnt burn too aggressively.

Fires are an essential part of many forests, he said. When specialists can plan the fire, they can design it in advance to preserve environmental conditions, help endangered species recover and make firefighting less expensive in the long term, according to the National Park Service.

After getting advice from meteorologists, ecologists and local fire staff, Norris said they usually find a spring day with good weather and where they can predict the wind will push smoke far from neighboring communities.

Then, crews come equipped with hoses and a few engines. Using a mixture of diesel and fuel, they establish a perimeter and light a test fire before dousing dry grass and shrubs in a controlled blaze. Even days and sometimes weeks after they put out the small fire, crews will monitor the area to make sure everything still is extinguished.

Department professionals and staff from local fire agencies this spring will focus their efforts near Springdale, Loomis and South Cle Elum, creating low-intensity fires in hopes to skirt bigger blazes that in recent years have burned hundreds of thousands of acres.

Last summer alone, fires in Whitman, Stevens, Spokane and several other counties raced through acres of land and caused evacuations. The year before, in September 2021, a fire almost totally destroyed the town of Malden and left most of its residents displaced.

As weather pattern La Nina keeps most of the western United States in drought, the chance that fires will continue and grow in intensity looms over much of the state. Farmers have lost crops, people have lost homes and firefighters literally have worked around the clock against walls of fire in largely rural communities.

Prescribed burning provides a chance to circumvent some of the worst effects, Norris said. The idea is firefighters not only will get a chance to work with their equipment before the worst of fire season, but they also get a chance to work as a team with their crews, he said.

In restarting the program, Washington state is following federal and other states. The National Interagency Fire Center in 2019 reported 6 million acres underwent planned burns by state and local firefighting agencies.

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Body scanners used to ensure the security of hundreds of thousands of American travelers every year will be improved through software designed at Sandia National Laboratories. Credit: Andrea Starr, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Imagine moving through airport security without having to take off your shoes or belt or getting pulled aside while your flight boardswhile keeping all the precautions that ensure the safety of passengers and flight crews.

This is the challenge tackled by a team including researchers from Sandia National Laboratoriesa challenge that led to development of the Open Threat Assessment Platform, which allows the Transportation Security Administration to respond more quickly and easily to threats to air travel safety.

"When we wanted to change how we screen in response to new threats," said Andrew Cox, a Sandia R&D systems analyst who leads the OTAP project. "The technology was too rigid. TSA compensated by adding procedures. There's a shoe bomber and you have to take your shoes off; liquid explosives arrived, and TSA had to limit liquids and gels."

The platform designed for TSA and Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate will work similarly to Apple's iPhone, providing a common set of interfaces and data standards, which allow a variety of vendors to provide security upgrades and programs that will integrate seamlessly into the OTAPlike building blocks that can be changed out when needed for a specific threat. The intent is to promote innovation, evolve towards a non-proprietary approach to technology, and expand the number of vendors participating in the aviation security market.

Sandia optical engineer Ed Jimenez said that TSA will be able to work through OTAP to collect data continuously and improve algorithms every few months. The standardization and modularized design with an open architecture should not only benefit the travel industry but make a better experience for air travelers.

"When you put an object in your bag that's mistakenly flagged as a threat, the enhanced algorithm has the potential to not ring as a false positive alarm," Jimenez said. "You won't have to open the bag and slow down the line."

The OTAP project, led by Sandia, gathered together a dozen aviation security industry partners including algorithm developers, X-ray vendors and software specialists to create Open Platform Software Library (OPSL). In parallel, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory created a High-Definition Passenger Imaging System, which scans a body. In 2017, Sandia joined forces with PNNL, as well as several algorithm programmers, to combine the scanner with OPSL, creating a new full body machine that will more effectively detect threats. Additionally, OPSL could be combined with PNNL's shoe scanner and other algorithms to allow travelers to keep their shoes on.

That work earned Sandia an Interagency Partnership Award, Mid-Atlantic Region in October, from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for collaboration with PNNL, NASA, TSA and DHS's Science & Technology Directorate (Screening at Speed Program and Transportation Security Laboratory). The OTAP project was sponsored by the TSA, which was looking for a system that could be used throughout the airline industry, and by DHS's Science and Technology Directorate, through the Screening at Speed Program.

The team is using automated threat recognition software to look at improving sensorsCT and AIT systemsby testing with real bags, toiletries and laptops, and simulated explosives, to demonstrate system accuracy. They hope to be in select airports conducting tests and evaluations later this year.

Explore further Opening architecture to make air travel safer and easier
As the world's need for large amounts of portable energy grows at an ever-increasing pace, many innovators have sought to replace current battery technology with something better.

Italian physicist Alessandro Volta tapped into fundamental electrochemical principles when he invented the first battery in 1800. Essentially, the physical joining of two different materials, usually metals, generates a chemical reaction that results in the flow of electrons from one material to the other. That stream of electrons represents portable energy that can be harnessed to generate power.

The first materials people employed to make batteries were copper and zinc. Today's best batteriesthose that produce the highest electrical output in the smallest possible sizepair the metal lithium with one of several different metallic compounds. There have been steady improvements over the centuries, but modern batteries rely on the same strategy as that of Volta: pair together materials that can generate an electrochemical reaction and snatch the electrons that are produced.

But as I describe in my book "Spark: The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life," even before humanmade batteries started generating electric current, electric fishes, such as the saltwater torpedo fish (Torpedo torpedo) of the Mediterranean and especially the various freshwater electric eel species of South America (order Gymnotiformes) were well known to produce electrical outputs of stunning proportions. In fact, electric fishes inspired Volta to conduct the original research that ultimately led to his battery, and today's battery scientists still look to these electrifying animals for ideas.

Copying the eel's electric organ

Prior to Volta's battery, the only way for people to generate electricity was to rub various materials together, typically silk on glass, and to capture the resulting static electricity. This was neither an easy nor practical way to generate useful electrical power.

Volta knew electric fishes had an internal organ specifically devoted to generating electricity. He reasoned that if he could mimic its workings, he might be able to find a novel way to generate electricity.

The electric organ of a fish is composed of long stacks of cells that look very much like a roll of coins. So Volta cut out coinlike disks from sheets of various materials and started stacking them, in different sequences, to see if he could find any combination that would produce electricity. These stacking experiments kept yielding negative results until he tried pairing copper disks with zinc ones, while separating the stacked pairs with paper disks wetted with saltwater.

This sequence of copper-zinc-paper fortuitously produced electricity, and the electrical output was proportionate to the height of the stack. Volta thought he had uncovered the secret of how eels generate their electricity and that he had actually produced an artificial version of the electric organ of fish, so he initially called his discovery an "artificial electric organ." But it was not.

What really makes eels electrifying

Scientists now know the electrochemical reactions between dissimilar materials that Volta discovered have nothing to do with the way an electric eel generates its electricity. Rather, the eel uses an approach similar to the way our nerve cells generate their electrical signals, but on a much grander scale.

Specialized cells within the eel's electric organ pump ions across a semipermeable membrane barrier to produce an electrical charge difference between the inside versus the outside of the membrane. When microscopic gates in the membrane open, the rapid flow of ions from one side of the membrane to the other generates an electrical current. The eel is able to simultaneously open all of its membrane gates at will to generate a huge jolt of electricity, which it unleashes in a targeted fashion upon its prey.

Electric eels don't shock their prey to death; they just electrically stun it before attacking. An eel can generate hundreds of volts of electricity (American household outlets are 110 volts), but the eel's voltage does not push enough current (amperage), for a long enough time, to kill. Each electric pulse from an eel lasts only a couple thousandths of a second and delivers less than 1 amp. That's just 5% of household amperage.

This is similar to how electric fences work, delivering very short pulses of high-voltage electricity, but with very low amperage. They thus shock but do not kill bears or other animal intruders that try to get through them. It is also similar to a modern Taser electroshock weapon, which works by quickly delivering an extremely high-voltage pulse (about 50,000 volts) carrying very low amperage (just a few milliamps).

Modern attempts to mimic the eel

Like Volta, some modern electrical scientists searching to transform battery technology find their inspiration in electric eels.

A team of scientists from the United States and Switzerland is currently working on a new type of battery inspired by eels. They envision that their soft and flexible battery might someday be useful for internally powering medical implants and soft robots. But the team admits they have a long way to go. "The electric organs in eels are incredibly sophisticated; they're far better at generating power than we are," lamented Michael Mayer, a team member from the University of Fribourg. So, the eel research continues.

In 2019, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the three scientists who developed the lithium-ion battery. In conferring the award, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences asserted that the awardees' work had "laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society."

The "wireless" part is definitely true, since lithium-ion batteries now power virtually all handheld wireless devices. We'll have to wait and see about the "fossil fuel-free society" claim, because today's lithium-ion batteries are recharged with electricity often generated by burning fossil fuels. No mention was made of the contributions of electric eels.

Later that same year, though, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution announced their discovery of a new South American species of electric eel; this one is notably the strongest known bioelectricity generator on Earth. Researchers recorded the electrical discharge of a single eel at 860 volts, well above that of the previous record-holding eel species, Electrophorus electricus, that clocked in at 650 volts, and 200-fold higher that the top voltage of a single lithium-ion battery (4.2 volts).

Just as we humans try to congratulate ourselves on the greatness of our latest portable energy source, the electric eels continue to humble us with theirs.

Explore further Sustainable, implantable electronics move one step closer

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
What a GDF might look like. Credit: www.gov.uk

The U.K. is planning to significantly expand its nuclear capability, in an effort to decrease its reliance on carbon-based fossil fuels. The government is aiming to construct up to eight new reactors over the next couple of decades, with a view to increasing power capacity from approximately 8 gigawatts (GW) today to 24GW by 2050. This would meet around 25% of the forecast U.K. energy demand, compared to around 16% in 2020.

As part of this plan to triple nuclear capacity, also in the works is a 210 million investment for Rolls-Royce to develop and produce a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs). SMRs are cheaper and can be used in locations which can't host traditional, larger reactors, so this will give more options for future nuclear sites.

New reactors will inevitably mean more radioactive waste. Nuclear waste decommissioning, as of 2019, was already estimated to cost U.K. taxpayers 3 billion per year. The vast majority of our waste is held in storage facilities at or near ground level, mostly at Sellafield nuclear waste site in Cumbria, which is so large it has the infrastructure of a small town.

But above-ground nuclear storage isn't a feasible long term plangovernments, academics and scientists are in agreement that permanent disposal below ground is the only long-term strategy that satisfies security and environmental concerns. So what plans are underway, and can they be delivered safely?

The way forward

It has taken many decades of international collaboration between academic and scientific institutions and government regulators to identify a feasible route towards the ultimate disposal of nuclear waste. Previous ideas have included disposing of the extra waste in space, in the sea and below the ocean floor where tectonic plates converge, but each has been shelved as too risky.

Now, almost every nation plans to isolate radioactive waste from the environment in an underground, highly engineered structure called a geological disposal facility (GDF). Some models see GDFs constructed at 1,000 meters underground but 700 meters is more realistic. These facilities will receive low, intermediate or high level nuclear wastes (classified as such according to radioactivity and half-life) and store them safely for up to hundreds of thousands of years.

The process for creating such a facility is not simple. The organization responsible for delivering the GDF, which in the U.K. is Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), must not only overcome huge environmental and technical issues but also earn the public's support.

Will all GDFs look the same?

Although generic design concepts do exist, each GDF will have unique aspects based on the size and constitution of the waste inventory and the geology of where it is installed. Every nation will tailor its GDF to its individual needs, under the scrutiny of regulators and the public.

Underpinning all GDFs, however, will be what is known as the multi-barrier concept. This combines man-made and natural barriers to isolate nuclear waste from the environment, and allow it to steadily decay.

The multi-barrier concept. Credit: www.gov.uk

The system for preparing high-level waste for storage in such a system will start with spent nuclear fuel rods from reactors. First, any uranium and plutonium that is still usable for future reactions will be recovered. The residual waste will then be dried and dispersed into a host glass, which is used because glass is tough, durable in groundwater and resistant to radiation. The molten glass will then be poured into a metal container and solidified, so that there are two layers of protection.

This packaged waste will then be surrounded by a backfill of clay or cement, which seals the excavated rock cavities and underground tunnel structures. Hundreds of meters of rock itself will act as the final layer of containment.

How is the UK program going?

The U.K. GDF program is in its early stages. The siting process operates on a so-called volunteerism approach, in which communities can put themselves forward as potential sites to host the facility. At present, a working group (Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire) and three community partnerships (Allerdale, Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria) have formed. Whilst working groups are at earlier stages of the siting process, the next steps for community partnerships are to begin more extensive geological surveys, followed by drilling boreholes to assess the underlying rock.

Public support is the basis of the entire GDF program. While some nations may take a more heavy-handed approach and choose a site regardless of public support, the U.K. GDF mission has community and stakeholder engagement at its core.

Why would residents volunteer? This is a 100+ year project that will require a lot of people working very close by. At the community partnership stage, an investment of up to 2.5million per year, per community, is expected.

The U.K. program is some way behind certain other nations. The world leader is Finland, which has almost finished the world's first GDF at Onkalo, several hundred kilometers west of Helsinki. Preferred sites for GDFs have also been selected in the U.S., Sweden and France.

The U.K. government aims to identify a suitable site within the next 1520 years, after which construction can start. The timescale from siting to closing and sealing the first U.K. GDF is 100 years, making this the largest U.K. infrastructure project ever. The technology to deliver the GDF is ready; all that remains is to find a willing community with a suitable geology.

Is there another way?

It is the scientific consensus, internationally, that the GDF approach is the most technically feasible way to permanently dispose of nuclear waste. Onkalo is an example to the world that scientific collaboration and open engagement with the public can make safe disposal of nuclear waste possible.

The only other approach that has received any traction is the deep borehole disposal (DBD) concept. At face value, this is not too dissimilar from a GDF approach; drilling boreholes much deeper than a GDF would be (up to several kilometers) and putting waste packages at the bottom. Countries such as Norway are considering this approach.

Explore further Nuclear waste is piling up: Governments need to stop dithering and take action

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Facial recognition software such as that used at a fast-track gate at Dubai international airport are becoming increasingly common, but the potential for amassing databases that could be abused has privacy advocates troubled.

Startup Clearview AI has agreed to limit access to its controversial facial recognition database in the United States, settling a lawsuit filed by privacy advocates, a court filing showed Monday.

The deal, which needs approval by the court to become final, would resolve litigation filed two years ago by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and rights groups accusing Clearview of violating a strict biometric privacy law in the state of Illinois.

A main provision of the settlement permanently bans Clearview from making its "faceprint" database available to most businesses or other private entities in the country, according the ACLU.

"Clearview can no longer treat people's unique biometric identifiers as an unrestricted source of profit," said ACLU speech, privacy and technology director Nathan Freed Wessler.

"Before this agreement, Clearview ignored the fact that biometric information can be misused to create dangerous situations and threats" to lives, said Linda Xochitl Tortolero, chief executive of Chicago-based nonprofit Mujeres Latinas en Accion.

"Today that's no longer the case."

Clearview will also stop its practice of offering free trial accounts to police officers without the knowledge or approval of their employers, the ACLU said.

The ban does not limit Clearview from working with federal or state agencies other than those in Illinois, the lawsuit said.

Clearview admits no wrongdoing in the settlement.

Clearview AI says it has built up a database of more than 10 billion facial images taken from public websites, ranging from social media to news portals, which it touts as a tool for law enforcement.

Still checking faces

Clearview chief executive Hoan Ton-That said the company has told the court that it intends to make its facial recognition software available to commercial customers, without the database of images.

"Clearview AI's posture regarding sales to private entities remains unchanged," the chief executive said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Facial recognition is used to unlock smartphones, verify identities, board aircraft and more, he noted.

The settlement does not require any "material change" in the Clearview business model," said Cahill Gordon, an attorney representing the company.

Campaigners have condemned Clearview's use of images for being open to abuse, and a number of groups including Privacy International last year filed complaints with data regulators in France, Austria, Italy, Greece and Britain.

Italy's data privacy watchdog in March fined Clearview 20 million euros (almost $22 million) over its facial recognition software.

The watchdog ordered the company to delete data relating to people in Italy and banned it from further collection and processing of information there.

France's privacy watchdog as well in December ordered Clearview to delete data on its citizens and cease further collection.

Meanwhile in June last year, Canada's independent parliamentary watchdog ruled that both Clearview's database and the use of it by federal police were illegal.

Explore further Canada probe concludes Clearview AI breached privacy laws

 2022 AFP
Enough Chicago aldermen are in agreement on a new map of the citys 50 wards that they will avoid a ballot referendum next month that would have let voters choose from between competing maps, sources said Monday.

The proposed map will create 16 wards with Black majorities and 14 with Latino majorities, sources said. Thats one fewer Latino ward than the City Council Latino Caucus spent months fighting to secure.

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Faced with a May 19 deadline to have at least 41 aldermen vote to approve a single map in order to avoid having their competing maps go to voters, council members have been negotiating to try to reach some kind of consensus.

Southwest Side Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, said it appears the various factions have crossed that threshold.

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A referendum wouldnt have been good for anybody, so something had to happen and weve done that, Cardenas said.

But the Peoples Coalition, whose map was backed by the Latino Caucus, put out a statement late Monday calling the proposed deal highly gerrymandered.

So-called reformers made backroom deals and decided that voters shouldnt be allowed to choose their map, the groups statement read. As a result, Latinos lost for the second decade in a row. The largest minority population in Chicago wont be fairly and accurately represented as such. The voices of immigrant populations remain on the fringes.

Were disappointed some of our colleagues chose to save themselves over the Latino community. This Welcoming Citys elected representatives have proven that theyll let us in, but our voices do not count.

[ Check out how your ward looks on the new proposed map. ]

The once-per-decade fight had grown increasingly bitter as the deadline approached, but in the end, Latino aldermen who had been holding out started making deals to join the 35 aldermen who backed a map constructed by the council Rules Committee and favored by most of the councils Black Caucus.

Both the maps backed by the Latino Caucus and Rules Committee included the citys first an Asian-American-majority ward.

The central point of tension has been Latinos wanting as many new wards as possible to give them added political power to reflect the fact Chicagos Latino population continues growing, according to the latest U.S. census. Black aldermen have wanted to hold on to as many wards as possible after decades of working to grow their strength on the council, in spite of the fact the citys Black population is declining precipitously.

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In the latest twist, the Latino Caucus hoped to get the council last month to suspend its rules and for a majority of aldermen to pass either their map or the one backed by the Black Caucus and others. Doing so would have allowed the Latino Caucus to then amend its map for the June referendum in order to reflect changes it agreed to this year with the good government groups, including CHANGE Illinois.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th, and members of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus call for transparency in the redistricting map process in December. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

But the Latino Caucus failed to gain enough support to do so, leaving them without the allegiance with CHANGE Illinois that they hoped would help them convince voters their map was more fair to people across the city.

Various Latino aldermen began negotiating deals to tweak their ward boundaries in the Rules Committee map and join in supporting that one, with Northwest Side Ald. Felix Cardona, 31st, recently announcing he had done so.

The coalition could still fall apart before aldermen vote on it, but it seems likely the political uncertainty of the referendum will convince enough of them to join together to avoid it.

The last time a map referendum happened, following the 1990 census, it spurred a federal lawsuit that cost taxpayers $20 million. Backers of the Rules map have relentlessly positioned their proposal as the best way to avoid a repeat of that costly episode.

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Voters should be aware of road construction before they head to a few polling places today, says Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet.

People should think about their routes before casting their ballots at the Southern Public Power office, Heartland Lutheran School, Peace Lutheran, Resurrection Catholic Church, First-Faith United Methodist and Third City Christian.

Southern Public Power, Resurrection and First-Faith are among the new polling sites this year. The other ones mentioned above have been used before.

About 40% of Hall County voters have a different voting site for 2022s elections, a change that will affect more than 13,000 voters.

Normally, about 30% of Hall County voters cast ballots in a primary election.

Im hoping that well be a little bit higher than 30% because of the mayors race, Overstreet said.

Two people, Doug Brown and Julie Wright, are challenging incumbent Roger Steele for the Grand Island mayors job.

Hall County has about 8,000 registered nonpartisan voters.

Overstreet reminds those people that they need to take an extra step today if they want to vote in the third district congressional race.

Nonpartisan voters will be given a nonpartisan ballot, but they also need to ask for a second sheet to vote in the Congressional race. Because the Constitution says that every American has the right to vote for their federal representation, which is the House and Senate, Overstreet said.

There are no Senate races in Nebraska this year.

Every nonpartisan voter receives a nonpartisan ballot at the polling site.

To vote in the congressional race, they must also ask for either a Republican, Democratic, Libertarian or Legal Marijuana Now Party ballot.

Poll workers are not allowed to offer one of those sheets to nonpartisan voters unless theyre requested, because that would be considered influencing at the polling site. They have to ask for it, Overstreet said.

We have signs up at the polling site but not everybody reads those, Overstreet said.

About 2,300 early voting ballots have been distributed. Those need to be returned by 8 p.m. today.

If people put those ballots in the mail Monday or today, theyll arrive too late to be counted, Overstreet said.

She recommends using the drop box outside the Hall County Election Office, or dropping the ballots off in person at 121 S. Pine St.

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This months drive-through mobile food pantry in Grand Island is set for Saturday, May 14, at College Park, 3180 Highway 34.

Food distribution will begin at 9:30 a.m. When arriving, enter on Tech Drive. The best time to arrive is between 9 and 11 a.m.; please do not arrive before 7:30 a.m.

Trinity United Methodist Church, with help from First Presbyterian Church and the Grand Island Senior High ROTC, will host the monthly Loaves & Fishes food bank. Drivers should remain in their vehicles. No appointment and no identification are required.

There also are no income requirements, but basic information on the households receiving the food will be collected. Volunteers will put one box of food in each vehicles trunk or backseat.

The food is provided by Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha.

For more information, contact Trinity UMC at 308-382-1952.
YORK  An arrest warrant has been issued for a man who failed to show up for his arraignment in York County District Court in a drug-related case.

Melvin Small Jr., 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, was first bound over on two Class 4 felonies  possession of a controlled substance and having no drug tax stamp. These charges stemmed from a traffic stop in York County during which Small was allegedly found to be in possession of a substantial amount of marijuana.

Following his failure to appear in court this past week, while he is out on bond, a new Class 4 felony has been filed against him.

Class 4 felonies carry possible maximum sentences of two years in prison with 12 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine, upon conviction.

Once Small is taken into custody, a new arraignment date will be set.
MARION  During its regular meeting Monday night, the Marion City Council passed three ordinances that formally create a second residential Tax Increment Financing District in the city.

The district has been talking about this for months and hearings have been held on creating the district, according to Mayor Mike Absher.

Ordinance 3803 approves the redevelopment plan and projects for Marion Residential TIF District II.

Ordinance 3804 designates the project area for Marion Residential TIF District II.

Ordinance 3805 adopts Tax Increment Allocation Funding for Marion Residential TIF District II.

The council also approved purchasing five Ford Explorer Interceptor police vehicles from Morrow Brothers Ford for $225,000. Morrow Brothers was the smallest bid on the vehicles.

They also approved purchasing a Laser Tech Total Station at a cost of $8,251 for the Marion Police Department. The equipment and software can be used for crash reconstruction and in investigating crime scenes.

The council also approved the sale of 2.25 acres of property in Butler Industrial Park to S.I. Properties LLC. Darrell Ross owns a business that manufactures mining parts and ships them out. Currently the manufacturing part of the business is in Galatia.

In March, the council discussed zoning request for property at 700 Old Creal Springs Road. The request would allow Darrell Ross to consolidate his business that currently operates out of Galatia and Marion. After the request was denied, Absher met with Ross and talked about other property available for the business in Marion.

Then business plans to build on this parcel in Butler Industrial Park.

The council also had a lengthy discussion about the contract for electrical services at city-owned facilities. Eventually, they voted to go with Constellation Energy on a four-year contract at a cost of 9.676 cents per kilowatt hour. The contract was approved with Absher voting no and the rest of the council voting in favor of the contract.

During the public comments section of the meeting, two residents spoke to the council.

Aaron White spoke to the council about the shape of roads in the city. He has changed the way he drives to work because of potholes. The city will look into the issue and see what can be done about it.

Charlotte Dunning spoke to the council about a skunk in her neighborhood. The city currently is not licensed to remove and relocate wild animals, but Mayor Absher said they are working on the problem. A class is scheduled, which is the first step.

Officials from animal control will meet with her to discuss the issue further.

In other business, the council:

Approved issuance of general obligation bonds to aggregate a principal amount of not more than $1.7 million.

Approved an agreement with Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission for grant consultation and professional services related to a $1 million Community Development Block Grant Agreement for Readerlink to bring equipment into the building they bought that was previously owned by Circuit City.

Approved a financing agreement with Banterra Bank for two IT department vehicles.

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Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie Rivers Network announced Tuesday they are appealing the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to Williamson Energy LLC, the owner of the Pond Creek coal mine in Franklin County.

The groups say the NPDES permit, which was granted by the IEPA on April 15, does not remedy major flaws in the 2019 draft permit, does not protect the environment, and does not adhere to Illinois or federal law.

In the appeal, Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie Rivers Network, who are represented by Albert Ettinger and Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, ask the Illinois Pollution Control Board to order the IEPA to reconsider the permit in order to establish conditions necessary to protect the Big Muddy River and other Illinois waters.

The IEPA granted this new NPDES permit to Williamson Energy LLC, a subsidiary of companies that emerged from the Murray Energy bankruptcy, despite the companys long history of permit violations.

In the newly granted permit, the IEPA declined to even consider placing a proper limit on chloride releases from the Pond Creek coal mine, despite the harmful impact excess chloride can have on wildlife in the river and allows level of iron, sulfate and other pollutants that will harm the environment and potentially public health.

Amanda Pankau, energy campaign coordinator with Prairie Rivers Network, said despite making some improvements to the original draft permit, the NPDES permit issued by the IEPA still falls short of the critical protection needed for the Big Muddy River and its tributaries.

The contaminants allowed in this permit are harmful to aquatic life, and overall the permit fails to adequately mitigate the impacts this dirty mine water will have on local waters, wildlife, and communities. The IEPA must at the very least strengthen the permits conditions, Pankau said.

The permit decision also fails to consider the impact to the community at large, despite requirements in Illinois state law that these potential impacts be considered.

Local community members and environmental advocates explicitly brought these concerns to the IEPAs attention as early as 2019 by submitting hundreds of comments on the draft permit and raising concerns during a public hearing.

Advocates have also highlighted Williamson Energy LLCs repeated inability to adhere to its relatively lax current permit. Since it began operation in 2005, the company is responsible for 78 water quality discharge violations at Pond Creek Mine alone.

Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous, and increasingly outdated practice. For a century, Illinois has sacrificed water quality, farmland, and communities to allow coal mining, but it's time to turn to a better future, Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin said. Were acting today to protect these communities now and for future generations.

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SPRINGFIELD  Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith has faced nine cases of contempt of court in recent weeks for failing to comply with a judges order to place the states most vulnerable children in an appropriate setting.

In a recent interview with Capitol News Illinois, he outlined the scope of the problem and why its not new or easy to solve.

The contempt charges center around children in state care that are held in psychiatric or other facilities beyond medical necessity. The children represent a small but challenging population for the child protection agency, Smith said. Of the 20,000 children in the care of DCFS, Smith said about 0.2 percent qualify as being held beyond medical necessity  often referred to as stuck kids.

These children are the outliers of the outliers, Smith said.

Children who are psychiatrically hospitalized are in secure facilities, behind locked doors for most of the day, going outside for an hour a day. Most do not receive schooling and cannot participate in extra-curricular activities.

The difficulties in placing the children in more appropriate facilities, Smith said, have been compounded by prolonged state disinvestment in DCFS, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the deficiencies at other state agencies.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has repeatedly pointed to the fact that 500 placements for high-need children were erased amid a two-year budget impasse under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Thats partially because DCFS supportive services are run through private sector groups and non-profits, which cut specialized programs, including programs for mentally ill or developmentally delayed children, in response to funding uncertainty.

Smith took over at DCFS in 2019 at a time when the agency was trying to convince the outside groups to consider reinvesting in Illinois and adding programs to support children and their families.

Then, the pandemic hit, increasing the number of children in need of specialized care and further straining the system.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that COVID-19 impacted disabled children by keeping them out of congregate settings, such as school. Students with disabilities may not have had access to necessary supports during the pandemic, leading to disruption in their behavioral therapies and education.

And their parents, who, the data show, are generally experiencing higher rates of stress, depression and anxiety than other parents, were dealing with providing around-the-clock care for their children amid other pandemic stressors.

From March to October 2020, mental health-related emergency department visits increased 24 percent for children ages 5 to 11 and 31 percent for those ages 12 to 17 compared with 2019 emergency department visits, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Despite those increases, the state was still behind in the supportive services available for children ready to be discharged from hospitals to residential care or family-like settings.

As a result, Smith said, children lingered in these settings rather than time-limited, treatment-intensive intervention programs that would allow them to stabilize then return to their families with needed supports and services.

Even with recent budget increases  Pritzker and lawmakers have increased the DCFS budget by at least $100 million each year since 2019, including by $250 million this year  the effort to build back the lost placements has been slower than the decline. From 2019 to 2021, DCFS added 90 specialized placements. So far this year, DCFS added 37 more. Within the next 60 days, 24 more placements will be available, Smith said.

We are working very hard to identify qualified residential treatment providers, increasing the skill set of providers and making sure that there is enhanced case management and educational and development areas for these children, Smith said.

As well, Smith said, more than one-third of these children come into care because their parents are unable to find supportive services for the children to come home. These are parents that want to care for their child, are not accused of abuse, but lack the help they need to provide that care after their children are discharged from a medical facility.

As a parent, it would be heartbreaking to surrender your child to a government agency because you could not provide appropriate care, Smith said.

That means the states approach must go beyond DCFS, he said.

A group from DCFS, the State Board of Education and the departments of Human Services, Healthcare and Family Services, and Juvenile Justice are studying ways to improve childrens behavioral health through interagency communication, creating new programs and improving existing ones.

In October, Illinois was approved for participation in a new federal program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Childrens Bureau. The Family First Title IV-E Prevention Program was created by the Federal Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. Illinois is among 17 states and the District of Columbia to submit its plan in compliance with the act and have it approved.

Smith said it will increase Illinois funding and flexibility to operate programs aimed at strengthening and supporting families to keep children safely at home and out of foster care.

The five-year plan, developed with DCFS and 200 service providers, will create programs for parenting skills, drug abuse treatment and mental health services, among others. The goal is to keep children out of foster care while improving the quality of care and shortening the amount of time spent in state care.

It will allow us to reimagine child welfare in Illinois, Smith said.

The nine contempt charges from Cook County Judge Patrick T. Murphy, who presides over the stuck kids docket, have drawn headlines and scrutiny, including calls for audits of DCFS and for Smiths ouster.

Agency sources, however, said Smiths departure may undermine private agencies confidence at a time when the state is engaged in negotiations for increased programing.

Pritzker continues to support Smith, saying his resignation wouldnt solve anything.

While Smith has faced a $1,000 daily fine for each day a child remains locked in an improper facility, an appellate court has stayed those citations and fines. Its been over two weeks since Smith has received a new contempt citation.

The stuck kids docket, meanwhile, continues to meet every Thursday in Cook County Court for children in the states custody who are in psychiatric facilities for weeks, months and, for at least one child, for almost a year after doctors discharged them.

Charles Golbert, Cook Countys Public Guardian, is one of the states most vocal critics of DCFS. Hes given voice to the extreme placement shortage crisis. Last year, DCFS forced 356 of its children to languish in locked psychiatric hospitals unnecessarily for an average of 55 days each, totaling more than 50 years of childrens lives in just a year.

bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

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A month after the first Black female justice was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, similar history is being made on Illinois highest court.

Fourth District Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White was named Tuesday to replace Justice Rita Garman on the Illinois Supreme Court, becoming its first Black female justice. Garman, 78, on Monday announced shes retiring on July 7, and Holder White will take her place on the bench the next day, the court said.

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Firsts are nothing new for the 54-year-old jurist, who was both the first Black judge in central Illinois 6th Judicial Circuit and the states 4th District Appellate Court in Springfield.

In the past, many Blacks have not had the opportunities that Ive had, the opportunity to get my education, to get a law degree, to work as an attorney, to serve as a judge, Holder White, who was born and raised in Decatur, said in an interview.

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Im grateful. And this is important not just for the Black community but for the community as a whole, she said. It shows the importance and value of coming together and helping each other.

Holder White, like Garman, is a Republican, so the court will maintain a 4-3 Democratic majority. Both women have been trailblazers in the Illinois judiciary.

Holder Whites appointment follows the Senate confirmation on April 7 of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Holder White said, as a justice, she didnt really take a position on Jacksons nomination to the high court, but noted it was historic and an exciting time for the country to see the progress made.

After earning her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign, Holder White started her legal career as an assistant states attorney in Macon County. After working in private practice for several years, she was appointed as an associate judge in Illinois 6th Judicial Circuit.

She was sworn in by Garman, who had been appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court just a month earlier. Garman subsequently appointed Holder White to be a circuit judge in 2008 and to the appellate court in 2013.

Garman, who first donned judicial robes in 1973 and is the states longest serving judge, was only the second woman appointed to the states highest court two decades ago and later was the second woman to serve as chief justice.

By tradition in Illinois, the outgoing Supreme Court justice selects their replacement, who then still must be approved by the full court.

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Justice Garman is a brilliant jurist and an exceptional human being, Holder White said. Since I first met her, shes been an inspiration, a mentor and someone I admire in every way.

In February, Holder White and the 4th District Appellate Court upheld a ruling that blocked Gov J.B. Pritzkers executive orders mandating masks in schools.

In that decision, Holder White agreed in part with the ruling but argued the decision didnt fully address the question of whether Pritzker had authority to issue the executive orders under the Illinois Emergency Management Act, and the lower court may not have properly prohibited enforcement of those orders.

Holder White declined to comment further on the decision, citing a code of judicial conduct.

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She serves on the state Supreme Courts Judicial Conference Committee on Education, which is responsible for providing continuing education for Illinois judges. She is a member of the Illinois Judges Association, the Central Illinois Womens Bar Association and the Decatur Bar Association.

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Garman was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2001 and was then elected the following year. She was the courts chief justice from 2013 to 2016.

The Danville resident would have faced a once-a-decade retention vote in November. Holder White will hold the seat until the 2024 election.

Garmans departure comes amid some upheaval on the court, which in 2020 saw a sitting justice, Democrat Thomas Kilbride, rejected for retention by voters  the first time thats happened since retention elections were adopted in 1964.

Last year, the Democratic-controlled legislature redrew a map of the states Supreme Court districts, which hadnt been done since 1964. Lawmakers also instituted new campaign finance restrictions for those running for the bench, both efforts to maintain the Democrats 4-3 majority on the high court.

Holder White is the exact right person to serve on the supreme court, said Erika Harold, executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, created by the court to promote civility and inclusiveness in the profession.

In a time when peoples confidence in our legal system and judicial system need to be reinforced, Holder White brings empathy, thoughtfulness, leadership and thoroughness to the states highest court, said Harold, who was the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general in 2018.

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Justice Garman made such historic contributions in opening up doors and opportunities for women in the legal profession and the judiciary, Harold said. Its only fitting to see another historic person take her place on the court.

cspaulding@chicagotribune.com
DENMARK -- Ninety-six students became the first graduates of Voorhees University Saturday, May 7, during in-person commencement exercises on campus where South Carolina Congressman James E. Clyburn encouraged graduates to use good manners, practice the golden rule and never give up. Approximately 1,000 persons attended to ceremony.

Clyburn told graduates always to remember to say thank you and pardon me as a show of good manners. He also told them to respect the differences of others.

Learn to respect the backgrounds and experiences of all people that you come in contact with because those backgrounds and experiences will make them different, will make them see the world differently, he said. It doesnt mean that they are wrong or you are wrong. It means simply that you are different. When we learn to respect our differences, we can grow together as one people.

The final thought he left with the graduates was never give up.

You must understand that when you attempt to do things, sometimes you will get it right the first time, he said. More often than not, it will take more than the first time to get it right. Keep trying until you get it right.

Clyburn mentioned that he ran for public office three times without winning. However, today, he is the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives and the majority whip. Serving in Congress since 1993, he represents the sixth congressional district of South Carolina.

Voorhees University President Ronnie Hopkins presented Clyburn with a Presidential Citation during commencement. He also presented a Presidential Service Recognition Citation posthumously to Dr. Emily England Clyburn, the congressmans late wife.

Hopkins conferred the doctorate of humane letters, honoris causa, degree to the Rev. Dr. Solomon Jackson Jr. He conferred the doctorate of laws, honoris causa, degree to South Carolina state Sen. John L. Scott.

Three students were recognized as honors graduates. Donald Lauer IV was the first academic honors graduate with a 3.97 GPA. The second academic honors graduate with a 3.81 GPA was Henriadam Brower. The third academic honor graduate with a 3.76 GPA was Keyanna Odom.

The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. presented a $5,000 check to the university to support student scholarships.

On May 6, the institution held its baccalaureate service. The Rev. Canon Calhoun Walpole of the Episcopal Church challenged graduates to remember to put together again, during the service. She reminded them that there are those who died for peoples rights to an education.

You are worthy, valuable and worth someone giving their life for you, she said. Your great work is to become the person God has planned for you to become.

The Voorhees University Class of 1972 was acknowledged for its 50th class reunion during the baccalaureate service and commencement.

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An Orangeburg County charter school is asking the Orangeburg County School District to transfer unused federal COVID relief money to the schools new sponsor.

The school district says it is working to ensure the funds are handled appropriately and legally before formally voting to proceed with the transfer.

The High School for Health Professions is a charter school sponsored by the Orangeburg County School District. The Columbia-based Limestone Charter Association will become the HSHPs new sponsor on July 1.

The HSHP Board of Trustees sent a letter to OCSD Board Chair Ruby Edwards on May 2 requesting the district transfer almost $2.1 million in unused federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to the association.

We have submitted a formal request to be placed on the May 10 agenda for action to be taken on our request to transfer ESSER funds from the Orangeburg County School District to Limestone, HSHP Board Chair Henry Jenkins said.

The funds are still there, Jenkins said. There have been some funds used, but there are some funds that are available and will be available. It is a multi-year grant.

The HSHP was awarded almost $2.6 million in ESSER funds and has thus far received $486,608 from the OCSD, Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the district received the ESSER money to help students that may have fallen behind because of the COVID pandemic and the loss of in-person learning.

The South Carolina State Department of Education has stated that it is lawful to transfer these funds, Jenkins said. He said it is up to the local sponsor to do so.

The money follows the child  in this case the money stays with OHSHP. The funds will be used to help students who have fallen behind during the pandemic. The unused funds will be used for the same purpose. This is a multi-year grant, he said.

Jenkins said the HSHP applied for relief money and it was included in the application submitted by the OCSD.

Representatives from the HSHP board met with the entire school district board in closed session in April to discuss the matter of the ESSER funds, he said. No action was taken at that meeting.

The district said in a statement that, throughout the last 10 years, our administration and board have been faithful supporters of the High School for Health Professions, upholding the best interest of its students and school through its charter.

Students and families throughout our county, including those who attend the HSHP and other schools, should rest assured that our administration and board will take appropriate measures to legally and fairly appropriate funds in their best interest.

The OCSD says it is working with the high school, the State Department of Education and its attorneys on the matter.

ESSER funding is disbursed as reimbursements, and purchases must follow appropriate processes, the district said. Any delays in ESSER support have been related to the HSHPs noncompliance with federal and state guidelines for request and receipt of funding. Our staff has and will continue to support the HSHP through this transition.

The district says it does have concerns about the transferal of the remaining funds at this time.

ESSER funding reimbursements and allocation management extend beyond the end of this fiscal year and into the HSHPs transition to their new charter sponsors authorization, the district said. There are contractual matters that have yet to be executed and our attorneys are investigating with due diligence to ensure whatever action the school board decides can be legally implemented as it relates to these new federal funds that have been requested to be transitioned to a new charter association that was not established at the time funds were awarded.

In the interim, the district said the matter is not going to be voted on during its May 10 meeting.

The district said, The board will receive an update from its attorneys during closed session to discuss the legal matters and proposed contractual arrangements that are being developed to ensure fair distribution of resources to the HSHP that will also allow the district to appropriately account for resources in future audits following the HSHPs transition.

The superintendent anticipates that during a future meeting, Orangeburgs school board will discuss the HSHPs request and known liabilities before voting on the matter in open session.

The OCSD announced in March that its 10-year affiliation with the HSHP will end June 30.

The High School for Health Professions, which was founded as a charter school in 2012, did not submit a charter renewal application with the school district, opting to go with Limestone.

The high school currently has about 130 students.

Charter school and HSHP officials say the transition will have no impact on students currently participating in interscholastic afternoon activities with the OCSD, such as band and ROTC.

The change will also have no impact on academic offerings, workforce training and dual-credit attainment, according to LCA officials.

As it relates to the school's new sponsorship, Jenkins said overall the board and the school are moving forward and excited about the future.

They are doing fantastic things, Jenkins said of Limestone. They have a super team working together with charter schools. The Orangeburg High School for Health Professions has demonstrated that we are about a vigorous student instruction and high student achievement. They embrace that. It is a win-win situation.

Jenkins said he does not believe the issue related to the outstanding ESSER funds will negatively impact the school's relationship with Limestone.

Jenkins said the high school will continue to serve the Orangeburg community.

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An Orangeburg man on probation for assaulting a female is facing two new charges after a deputy allegedly found him staggering in the middle of the road.

Bowen Turner, 19, was taken to the Orangeburg County Detention Center where he allegedly threatened to bite the finger of a deputy who told him jail policy requires him to wear a mask.

Turner was charged Monday with disorderly conduct and violating a probation warrant, according to the Orangeburg County 1st Judicial Circuit Public Index.

He posted a $257.50 cash bond on the disorderly conduct charge and was denied bond on the violation of probation charge.

A bond hearing will be held for Turner's probation violation charge in June, according to Sarah Ford, legal director at the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network. The network represents the accusers in incidents.

If it's determined to be a willful violation, it will go in front of a General Sessions judge to determine if probation will be revoked, Ford said.

Turner was allowed to plead guilty in April to first-degree assault and battery instead of his original charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in an Orangeburg County case.

He was sentenced to five years of probation. Hes not required to register as a sex offender unless he violates probation during those five years. Ford is appealing his sentence.

If Turners found guilty of violating his probation, "based on previous rulings, it's likely that the defendant will have to register as a sex offender, Ford said.

Turner was also accused of raping a different female on Oct. 7, 2018 in Bamberg County. She took her life on Nov. 14, 2021 and the 2nd Circuit Solicitors Office dropped that criminal sexual conduct charge.

The 2nd Circuit Solicitors Office has previously said the Bamberg County matter could be revisited.

In the latest incident, deputies responded to the intersection of North Road and Kennerly Road around 11:44 p.m. Sunday due to a pedestrian in road, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office incident report.

Deputies said the pedestrian was in the fast lane, walking toward Orangeburg.

Turner allegedly smelled of alcohol and was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct.

Deputies allege Turner admitted to drinking three alcoholic beverages at a bar, which he purchased using his credit card.

When he arrived at the detention center, a deputy advised Turner he had to wear a mask.

Turner allegedly said If you try to put that mask on me, I will bite your f - - - ing finger off.

He was then advised he was being recorded at that time. He then stated the mask could be placed on his face, the report said.

The 1st Circuit Solicitors Office is looking into claims that Turner violated the terms of his bond while he was awaiting trial on the criminal sexual conduct charges.

A review of Turners GPS monitoring records showed repeated alleged violations of his bond, including ignoring curfews and going to places not approved by the court.

Solicitor David Pascoe has filed paperwork asking the court to make Illery Bonding Company explain why it shouldnt be held in contempt of court for not reporting the alleged bond violations.

Reginald Illery, owner of the Orangeburg bonding company, has previously said he has no comment on the allegations.

Calls placed to the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Orangeburg office were transferred to the Columbia headquarters. Calls placed there were not returned Monday.

Turner's attorney, Sen. Brad Hutto, also could not be reached for comment by press time on Monday.

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April ended on a good note for those concerned about the health of South Carolinas horseshoe crab population  and also about the viability of the endangered red knot shorebirds that depend on the crabs eggs for sustenance during their annual migration along our coast. But we need still more action from the state to put all our related concerns to rest.

First, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources decided not to issue a special permit to harvest horseshoe crabs in part of the ACE Basin, a pristine coastal habitat south of Charleston  a decision that never should have been in question but unfortunately was. Just days later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would not permit contractors for Charles River Labs to collect horseshoe crabs in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, another pristine habitat just north of Mount Pleasant.

The latter decision was especially welcome because protecting shorebirds is one of the main reasons that the Wildlife Refuge was established here in the first place. Two environmental groups had sued the Fish and Wildlife Service when it allowed harvesters to collect crabs there; a judge stopped the practice temporarily, and federal officials eventually decided to require permits for crab harvesting, ending the lawsuit. Just recently, the agency concluded that issuing such a permit would not be appropriate.

While both the state and federal steps were laudable and prudent, the state still needs to do more to distance our wildlife regulators from Charles River Labs, a pharmaceutical and animal breeding company that pays contractors to harvest crabs. The company bleeds the crabs to obtain a lucrative ingredient in an extract that can detect deadly toxins in vaccines and medical equipment. The main problem with this is that the state agency that regulates the company has no definitive data about whether crab harvesting has dipped below a sustainable level. While bled crabs are returned to the ocean, their survival rates are unclear, and the Department of Natural Resources doesnt even release information on how many horseshoe crabs are collected.

The other big problem is that DNR has an apparent conflict. Charles River Labs also leases Monkey Island from the agency, and its $1.5 million annual lease payments provide the agency with revenue to hire about 30 employees, creating at the very least the appearance of a conflict of interest  a conflict detailed thoroughly in The Post and Couriers Uncovered project, Monkeys and Blood.

State Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, has filed a bill that would require the DNR to release information about horseshoe crabs and other species, and while its too late for S.1246 to pass this year, Campsen and other lawmakers should explore other vehicles for requiring DNR to compile and share more information.

We also need further action to address the conflict between DNR and Charles River stemming from the Monkey Island lease. The agency should not have to depend on a private company for a significant chunk of its operating revenue if it also is in charge of regulating a separate aspect of that companys work.

As weve noted before, crab harvesting along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts has risen 63% since 2004, and crab populations are in decline off some Northeastern states. Horseshoe crab harvesting here has more than doubled since 2004, but only until we see better data about the health of horseshoe crabs in the states waters can we form an educated opinion about whether the state is doing enough to protect them.

This editorial is from The Post and Courier via The Associated Press.

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ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine  Russian President Vladimir Putin marked his countrys biggest patriotic holiday Monday without a major new battlefield success in Ukraine to boast of, as the war ground on through its 11th week with the Kremlins forces making little or no progress in their offensive.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscows Red Square, watching as troops marched in formation and military hardware rolled past in a celebration of the Soviet Unions role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

While Western analysts in recent weeks had widely expected Putin to use the holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, he did neither. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

The danger was rising by the day, Putin said. Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely and the only correct decision.

He steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word Ukraine.

On the ground, meanwhile, intense fighting raged in Ukraines east, the vital Black Sea port of Odesa in the south came under repeated missile attack, and Russian forces sought to finish off the Ukrainian defenders making their last stand at a steel plant in Mariupol.

Also on Monday, Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Putin, who seized on V-E day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Putin has long bristled at NATOs creep eastward into former Soviet republics. Ukraine and its Western allies have denied the country posed any threat.

As he has done all along, Putin falsely portrayed the fighting as a battle against Nazism, thereby linking the war to what many Russians consider their finest hour: the triumph over Hitler. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm Kyiv over a month ago, Moscows forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog, and many analysts had suggested Putin might use his holiday speech to present the Russian people with a victory amid discontent over the countrys heavy casualties and the punishing effects of Western sanctions.

Others suggested he might declare the fighting a war, not just a special military operation, and order a nationwide mobilization, with a call-up of reserves, to replenish the depleted ranks for an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is headed or how he might intend to salvage it. Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia cant fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine, tweeted Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: Russia has not won this war. Its starting to lose it.

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favor of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated Western military equipment.

Despite Russias crackdown on dissent, antiwar sentiment has seeped through. Dozens of protesters were detained around the country on Victory Day, and editors at a pro-Kremlin media outlet revolted by briefly publishing a few dozen stories criticizing Putin and the invasion.

In Warsaw, antiwar protesters splattered Russias ambassador to Poland with what appeared to be red paint as he arrived at a cemetery to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Ukrainian capital. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in his own Victory Day address that his country would eventually defeat the Russians.

Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine, he said in a video. He added: We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagons assessment. Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas hasnt achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

The Ukrainian military warned of a high probability of missile strikes around the holiday, and some cities imposed curfews or warned people not to gather in public places.

More than 60 people were feared dead over the weekend after Russian bombardment flattened a Ukrainian school being used as a shelter in the eastern village of Bilohorivka, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia is perhaps closest to a victory in Mariupol. The U.S. official said roughly 2,000 Russian forces were around Mariupol, and the city was being pounded by airstrikes. As many as 2,000 Ukrainian defenders were believed to be holding out at the steel plant, the citys last stronghold of resistance.

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A rally and march are planned for Saturday in Casper in protest of the U.S. Supreme Courts likely reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Organizers plan to start gathering at Veterans Park on Second Street around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. A march from there to the Healing Park on Conwell, across from Wyoming Medical Center, is set to start at 1 p.m.

A rally at Conwell is planned to begin at 2 p.m. Julie Burkhart, founder of Wellspring Health Access and the planned Casper abortion clinic, is set to speak.

Other Casper community members will also take the mic to share their personal experience or draw attention to local lawmakers votes on the issue, organizers said. Holly Thompson, one of the events coordinators, said organizers may also reach out to see if any Natrona County legislators want to speak at the rally.

Flyers and social media posts for the event urge attendees to wear white.

The Casper event is one of hundreds of rallies and marches planned Saturday across the U.S., part of a national Bans off our Bodies day of action coordinated by groups including Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet, Womens March and MoveOn.

According to a Planned Parenthood database, Caspers rally is the only Wyoming event planned for the day of action.

Its a day of massive protest, and we want to be a part of it, said Thompson.

Thompson said she feels its important for people to show opposition to Wyomings abortion ban that would likely go into place here if Roe is overturned. The Wyoming Legislature passed a law earlier this year that would trigger an automatic ban on most abortions if Roe falls.

Organizers said they plan to station people with signs at busy Casper intersections from 10 a.m. to noon before gathering at Veterans Park. Those locations include Poplar Street and CY Avenue, First Street and Poplar and Second Street and Wyoming Boulevard.

I think that anything you can do to try and get the public to start thinking about this stuff is a good idea, said Mary Ann Budenske, a member of the Casper clinics local advisory board.

A leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court last week indicated the court is likely set to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark opinion protecting abortion rights. The final decision should come in June, and in the meantime activists on both sides of the abortion debate say theyre hesitant to act on only a leaked draft.

Burkhart said last week that Wellspring intends to move forward with its plans to open the Casper clinic this summer. Even if Roe is overturned, she said, the clinic is still set to provide its other services, including family planning and OB/GYN care.

The rally and march will take place on public sidewalks and in public parks, and Casper police spokesperson Rebekah Ladd said no extra staffing or patrol is planned for the event.

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Tribal officials removed St. Stephens Indian School Superintendent Frank No Runner as well as other administrators and the entire board governing the school following an investigation that found widespread wrongdoing of school leadership.

The council voted to fire the administrators and school board members after the Bureau of Indian Education found they had engaged in the use of drugs and alcohol on school property and at school functions, sexual misconduct and harassment, bullying, nepotism and financial exploitation, according to a statement. School officials also failed to ensure that employees maintained valid state teaching certification, according to the investigators report.

St. Stephens Indian School is a K-12 school on the Wind River reservation. Part of its funding comes from the Bureau of Indian Education, which conducted the independent federal investigation.

The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone business councils requested the bureau open an investigation following various allegations against No Runner, including that he had engaged in sexual harassment, bullying, consumption of alcohol on school property, and creating a toxic environment, the report states. The bureau conducted the investigation in March and April.

In addition to the former superintendent No Runner, the council also fired K-8 principal Greg Juneau, high school principal Matthew Mortimer, food services supervisor Pattee Bement and school board members William CHair, John Goggles, Ronnie Oldman and Eugene Ridge Bear. Former school board member Dominic Littleshield was not a member at the time of the investigation itself, but was part of the board during the period covered by the investigation.

No Runner had been the schools superintendent since July 2015 and lived with his family, including his wife and St. Stephens employee Bement, on property leased by the St. Stephens Indian School, the report states.

Multiple witnesses said that No Runner had sexually harassed or bullied them and others and created a toxic work environment where employees were threatened with termination, according to the report. The report states that some of the harassment and bullying took place over social media. One former employee said she left the school because of this behavior from No Runner and Juneau, the schools former K-8 principal. Witnesses who testified for the investigation said No Runner asked current and former students for sexual favors, sometimes in exchange for money.

The investigators found that No Runner used his position as superintendent to influence his subordinates and to give his wife, Bement, a salary and position that was inappropriate. Bement also had frequent absences, the report found. One witness said that when he complained of this, No Runner told him, You are not going to fire my wife.

The investigation also concludes that No Runner had consumed alcohol and used marijuana on school premises or at school-related events, sometimes with other St. Stephens employees. The report states that Juneau and Bement also used marijuana on school property.

School board members signed off on inappropriate pay increases for employees, and both board members and employees used school funds for personal expenses, the report states. The investigators also found that the board had failed to dismiss employees with expired state certifications.

The Inter-Tribal Council handed its authority over the school to the Bureau of Indian Education after the investigation and firing of the administrators and board members.

Eastern Shoshone Business Council Chairman John St. Clair said in a statement that this action was a precautionary effort aimed at protecting our children and community.

Our children deserve the best possible education, but that hardly seems possible with the kind of misconduct discussed in this report by the Bureau of Indian Education, Northern Arapaho Business Council Chairman Jordan Dresser said in the statement.

St. Clair emphasized that the report is only an administrative investigation. It doesnt address criminal misconduct.

Its not clear how the school plans to move forward or how the Bureau of Indian Education will take over the responsibilities of these former employees and board members. St. Clair, Dresser and the school did not respond to the Star-Tribune by press time for further comment.

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U.S. Rep. Michael Quigley on Tuesday endorsed Alexi Giannoulias in a highly contentious race for the Democratic nomination for Illinois secretary of state.

Like me, Alexi is committed to restoring the publics trust in government, according to a statement from Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, released by the Giannoulias campaign. Thats why when he was State Treasurer, he put in tough ethics laws and ended pay-to-play right out of the gate.

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Quigley, a former Cook County commissioner who has represented Illinois 5th Congressional District since 2009, flirted with a run for Chicago mayor before ruling that out last month. His endorsement is the latest in a heated contest between the Democratic front-runners in the secretary of states race, Giannoulias and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia.

Former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, now a candidate for secretary of state, appears at the Illinois Democratic County Chair's Association brunch before Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 18, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Giannoulias also has endorsements from Democratic U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Hoffman Estates, Jan Schakowsky of Evanston, Brad Schneider of Deerfield and Jesus Chuy Garcia and Bobby Rush, both of Chicago.

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Valencia is backed by the states top Democrats, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, whose reelection campaign Valencia ran in 2014, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker. She has also secured the endorsement of the man shes trying to replace, Jesse White, who will be retiring after serving as secretary of state since 1999.

The two candidates have questioned each others fitness for the job. The Giannoulias campaign has raised allegations that Valencias husbands lobbying practice has come in conflict with her role as city clerk. Valencias campaign has accused Giannoulias of failing to disclose names of his clients at an investment firm where he was wealth director following his term as state treasurer, even as he stresses transparency in government.

Also seeking the Democratic nomination for secretary of state is Ald. David Moore, 17th, who has the endorsement of another longtime congressman, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat who has represented Illinois 7th Congressional District since 1997.

Sidney Moore of south suburban Homewood is also on the Democratic ballot.

Beyond the battle for endorsements, Giannoulias has a commanding financial advantage over his opponents. Through March, his campaign had $4,403,133.39 on hand, more than Valencia and David Moore combined, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Valencia had $1,116,365.49 on hand through March and Ald. Moore had $38,663.90, board of elections data show.

On the Republican side, state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington and John Milhiser, a former U.S. attorney from central Illinois, are seeking the nomination for secretary of state. Bradys campaign has announced endorsements from several Republican state legislators as well as from three GOP congressmen, U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, Darin LaHood of Peoria and Mike Bost of Murphysboro.

Milhiser, who is from Springfield, is running for secretary of state as part of a slate of candidates promoted by billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
The Fremont County GOP voted Monday evening to censure Sen. Cale Case for acting contrary to the will of the governed and the Wyoming Republican Party platform.

Case, whos known for his libertarian leanings and willingness to deviate from the party line at times, seemed unfazed after the 11-7 vote.

Truly, I believe the high-water mark for their movement has passed, Case told a reporter the morning after the vote. People realize the emperor has no clothes. Im very heartened by that.

Case has been a key Republican proponent of expanding Medicaid, which has been long opposed by the state party and batted down repeatedly in the Legislature. The censure cited Cases support for the measure, which it called government overreach. It also accused him of spreading misinformation in the media about the infighting over the Laramie County Republican Convention.

Case, an economist whos been in the Legislature since 1993, has not supported many of the bills and platforms that have been pushed by more far-right Republicans in recent years. He also angered the far right by penning a recent op-ed that called Republicans the party of exclusion while also criticizing state GOP leaders.

The censure also noted that Case had provided a character reference at a sentencing hearing for the former Pavilion town clerk who stole from the municipality.

Backers of the Fremont County censure want the state party to take the same action.

Theyre intolerant of dissent, said Case, who attended Mondays meeting.

Cases censure takes place amid a broader conflict between traditional and hard-line Republicans in Wyoming. Other Republicans that have clashed with the hard-liners have experienced similar push back.

State Rep. Evan Simpson, R-Afton, was censured in March of last year by the Lincoln County Republican Party for not voting conservatively enough, according to members of Lincoln Countys Republican leadership at the time. The censure was later rescinded for technical reasons.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney was also censured last year by several county parties and the state party over her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.

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Face masks. Hand sanitizer. Tickets from postponed high school graduations.

Wyoming historians are on a mission to collect and preserve artifacts from the COVID-19 era.

Its a joint effort by the Wyoming State Museum and Wyoming State Archives in Cheyenne, and the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.

Back in 2020, the three institutions realized they didnt have any historical collections from the 1918 flu pandemic, said Jennifer Alexander, supervisor of collections for the Wyoming State Museum. They didnt want that to happen again.

We want to remedy that for the future, and just collect things representative of what people are going through now, Alexander said.

Over the past two years, the groups have amassed dozens of relics. One day, theyll provide a window back into early 2020s Wyoming, Alexander said.

What counts as an artifact? Anything that speaks to how people lived at a certain time, in a certain place. That can include everyday objects, or media such as documents, photos and videos.

If it captures life during the pandemic, and it has to have some sort of connection to Wyoming, itll probably be a good fit, Alexander said.

Nows the time to collect stuff, so people in the future can learn from it, she said.

The organizations are uploading pictures, scans and videos of the artifacts to their shared website, COVID-19 in Wyoming.

The site separates the collection into six categories:

We led it  videos, documents and that show how the state responded to the pandemic;

We tracked it  screenshots of data dashboards that kept tabs on COVID-19 cases in Wyoming;

We talked about  interviews with Wyomingites about life during the pandemic;

We did it  news coverage of public events, from protests, to graduations and canceled rodeos;

We made it  masks, signs and artwork from the past two years;

We wrote it  written accounts of the time;

We saw it  a series of photos Wyomingites took around the state during the pandemic;

Each artifact includes context about where it came from, and what it was used for.

Anna Bechdel, who teaches third grade in Cheyenne, asked her class to reflect on their experiences after schools shut down from March 2020 to May of that year.

She donated some of her students responses to the project to show what the pandemics been like for elementary schoolers.

Name as many good things you can think of about being in quarantine these past two months, read the assignment.

The things that have been fun is that I can be with my family, one student named Dwayne wrote. and I can play with vidoe (sic) games and play with my sister.

What about some of the challenges?

The hard things Ive faced are concentrating on school work while at home because I have 3 younger brothers and 1 younger sister, another student, Reese, responded.

The state museum, archives and American Heritage Center are also interested in artifacts that show how people spent their free time during lockdown  things like art projects, yoga mats or board games, for instance. They havent gotten much of those yet, Alexander said.

Theres no deadline to donate. If you have an artifact you want to contribute, you can get in touch with any of the three institutions by visiting the COVID-19 in Wyoming website: www.sites.google.com/wyo.gov/covidinwy/home.

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As global oil prices continue to skyrocket due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this country is using the revenue to pay bills which it incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thats according to Energy Minister Stuart Young, in an interview with CNNs International business anchor, Richard Quest, during a Quest Means Business segment yesterday.
College Boy Jesse (Jesse Stewart) is the new leadeer of the legendary D All Starz soca band.

Jesse, the 2020 International Soca Monarch (Groovy), will fill the void left by his late cousin, soca icon Blaxx (Dexter Stewart) on the legendary Roy Cape-founded bands frontline. Blaxx, a huge supporter of Jesses relatively young career, passed away from Covid-19 on March 28.
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A Guayaguayare mother of three was chopped to death at her home during a domestic altercatio
An alleged drunken motorist, who police said tested at three times the legal limit, drove into a construction work zone in Lake County early Tuesday.

State police identified the driver as Aubrey A. Allee, 28, of DeMotte. She was taken to Franciscan Health Hospital in Crown Point for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

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The driver of the Indiana Department of Transportation truck was not injured.

Police said INDOT workers were doing road repairs about 3 a.m. and the roadway was reduced to one lane  the left lane.

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Trucks with impact attenuators and arrow board blocked the right two lanes and state troopers were at the location with their emergency lights activated to alert drivers.

Police said Allees 2017 Jeep Wrangler stuck one of the impact attenuators at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing one of the police cars.

Police said Allee made a lane change from the far-left lane to the right where the roadway was closed. She failed to yield to the arrow boards and emergency lighting and struck the impact attenuator and her vehicle spun into the center median guardrail.

A state trooper found Allee unconscious and unresponsive, but first responders revived her at the scene.

Allee told police she didnt realize she had been involved in a severe crash.

She refused a chemical test and police obtained a warrant to take a blood sample.

Police said her alcohol level was .245%, three times the legal limit of .08%.

Once cleared by the hospital, Allee was taken to the Lake County Jail where shes facing two felony charges  reckless driving in a work zone and operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction.

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Shes also charged with two misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated.

 Carole Carlson
Can Stuart Young tell me how to become a citizen, as he seems to be one from the country he 
Its been a little over three months since jazz/R&B diva Dianne Reeves was slated to take the stage for HSL Properties Tucson Jazz Festival  one of many events hampered by rising COVID-19 infection rates at the time.

Just as Jon Batiste made up his date with the festival and Arizona Arts Live on March 4, and Herb Alpert and Lani Hall are making good on their missed date June 5 at Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., now its Reeves turn on Friday, May 13.

The Star spoke with Reeves in January ahead of her originally scheduled show.

As was the case with many musicians, the pandemic postponed all of her shows, with her first in-person concert coming in May 2021 at the Saratoga Jazz Festival in New York. By January, she saw early signs things were going south again; she was starting to see some gigs pushed back due to the rising omicron variant.

But the shows she was able to do, she said, were heaven-sent.

Just having that fellowship with your musician friends and being out. Music is always a place where you can release a lot of stuff and people were really happy, the five-time Grammy winner said. It was kind of a party atmosphere so it was really wonderful in terms of being able to tour again.

For me it was like I didnt even want to get off the stage. It was like medicine; I really needed it, she added. It really, really supported my hope for things to open up. OK, maybe were getting through this. 2020 and the beginning of 2021 was like, sheesh, what is this. So were out here but at the same time with so many people getting sick. Even in 2020, 2021, I didnt have this many people who were close to me who have gotten this.

But the beginning of 2022 had a black cloud hanging over live performances, including the Tucson Jazz Festival and overlapping Tucson Desert Song Festival. It was as if everyone was holding their collective breath waiting for the next shoe to fall.

It did.

The Jazz Festival had a number of events canceled including concerts with its three big-name headliners  Reeves, Batiste and Alpert. The song festival lost its opening concert with soprano Ailyn Perez, who pulled out over fears she would not be able to return to Europe; and a signature recital with soprano Susanna Phillips performing the world premiere of Jocelyn Hagens I Am Here, commissioned by True Concord Voices & Orchestra. That concert was pushed back to Jan. 27, 2023  almost exactly a year to the day when it was supposed to be performed.

During that early January conversation, Reeves said she was excited to get back out with her band to road test some of the Brazilian jazz she was working on for her latest album.

Im really excited to come back with my band. And they are all excited to be able to perform, as well, she said. When I saw that this one came up, I was like, Ah, great. Were going back to Tucson.

Reeves said the Brazilian jazz, like the Cuban-inspired jazz she has done in her career, takes her out of her comfort zone and puts me in other places where I feel a charge. Expect that charge to spark some energy in the audience, she said.

The music is like a celebration, Reeves said, adding that after the turmoil we had been through with the pandemic, everyone was overdue for a big party.

2022 is the year that the dreams come true. Hopefully we are starting to move out of this craziness, she said.

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch

If you go What: Dianne Reeves in concert When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13 Where: Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets: $65 and $75 through ticketmaster.com

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It is truly a labor of love: For almost half her life, Judy Goddard has been a volunteer for Ronald McDonald House Charities Southern Arizona.

They call the Ronald McDonald House the house that love built, and I see love all around me, said Goddard, 83, who received the Governors Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award last week for devotion that has resulted in more than 10,000 volunteer hours over the last 34 years.

Goddard began volunteering just six years after the Tucson Ronald McDonald House opened in its original location on Speedway. She supported the house through several renovations and through the 2004 move to the newly built location at 2155 E. Allen Road. Over the years, she has filled a variety of roles ranging from house manager and kitchen manager to receptionist, housekeeper, taxi driver, and fundraiser, but her favorite job is simply assisting house guests  which average 12 to 15 families or 25 to 35 guests weekly  in any way possible.

I really, really enjoy meeting all the families that come through the door. Being able to talk to them and encourage them during their hard times and rejoice with them in their happy times just means so much, said Goddard.

The mother of five and grandmother of nine emphasized that the families have taught her a great deal about people and about herself.

Just by being with these families, I think, Oh my goodness. I never had to go through anything like this. What would I do in those circumstances? These are exceptional individuals. I have learned a lot from them and try to apply that to myself and my life. I see their strength, their compassion for their children and their love for family, and it is a beautiful thing, she said.

Goddard emphasized that she is grateful to work with the talented staff and hundreds of generous volunteers each year who support guests while their children are in the hospital or receiving hospital treatment.

I have observed so many volunteers and different groups over the years  the groups who make quilts for guests and people who make dinners for families and so many other people  and the one thing that sticks out is that they care: They all care for others, she said.

She believes that philosophy makes the Ronald McDonald House a home away from home for guests.

We do our best to make the house a home. We get families from all different economic situations, and lots of them have never been in a place like the Ronald McDonald House. When we show them to their rooms, it is inspiring to look at their faces: They are overwhelmed, she said.

For her part, Goddard plans to continue her twice-weekly volunteering, which she thinks is mentally, emotionally and physically beneficial for people of every age.

It is just such a good place, and I feel like I have a place there. I dont know what I would do if I didnt do this, she said.

Goddards continued commitment is priceless, according to Kate Maguire Jensen, president and CEO of RMHC Southern Arizona.

How many people volunteer for 34 years? What Judy has done is absolutely amazing. Someone asked her last week when she received her award if she plans on retiring, and she said, Absolutely not! She represents the heart of our House, and this is part of her family, said Jensen.

RMHC of Southern Arizona is powered by more than 5,000 volunteer hours each year, paired with support from local McDonalds owner-operators and community donations, which represent 85% of funding, according to Jensen.

In order to ensure that everything is free for families, we continue to raise money dollar by dollar from the community, said Jensen.

Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net

How to help For more information about volunteering for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona or supporting the organization through in-kind or monetary donations, visit rmhctucson.org.

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OCILLA, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia man charged with murdering a popular high school teacher who vanished in 2005 went on trial Monday with prosecutors and defense attorneys clashing over whether the jury should believe the defendant's confession to investigators.

Ryan Duke's trial opened more than 16 years after Tara Grinstead was last seen leaving an evening cookout in rural south Georgia. Her disappearance lingered as an unsolved mystery in Irwin County for more than a decade until Duke told Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents in 2017 that he killed Grinstead after breaking into her home to steal money for drugs.

He confesses with his words. He confesses with his writings," prosecutor J.D. Hart told the jury Monday in his opening statement. "He confesses with his actions by walking them out there and showing them where he burned the body.

Hart also told the jury that evidence will show Duke was the primary contributor of DNA left on a latex glove in Grinstead's front yard.

Weve had his DNA since 2005, Hart said. We just didnt know.

Ashleigh Merchant, one of Duke's defense attorneys, told jurors her client was coerced into confessing while under the influence of drugs and his statements to investigators can't be trusted.

She also said the jury will hear evidence that investigators tried very hard to find DNA on the glove matching a second man already convicted of helping dispose of Grinstead's body, but test results were inconclusive.

Ryan did not harm Ms. Grinstead," Merchant said, and at the end of this trial you will agree with us.

Grinstead, who taught history and was a former beauty queen, was just 30 when she went missing. Before Duke's confession. her family held out hope that she might return home safe.

Her body was never recovered. Duke told investigators he and an accomplice took Grinstead's body to a pecan orchard in a neighboring county and burned it to ash.

Superior Court Judge Bill Reinhardt seated 12 jurors and six alternates last week after just four days of jury selection.

It happened quickly considering the pervasive publicity that has surrounded the case ever since Grinstead's disappearance. The court clerk mailed out 800 jury duty notices for the trial to ensure a better chance of finding enough impartial jurors.

If convicted of murder, Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. A court fight over funding for his legal defense and the coronavirus pandemic contributed to long delays in the case going to trial.

A second person with a similar name, Bo Dukes, was convicted in 2019 for helping move and burn Grinstead's body. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Two men accused of taking two migrants hostage in exchange for a ransom of $16,000 are facing the possibility of life in prison.

Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 29, and Ivan Heriberto Borboa-Ruiz, 28, both Mexican nationals, were indicted on eight counts of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, hostage-taking, conspiracy to commit transportation of migrants for profit, transportation of migrants for profit and prohibited possessors of firearms following a Homeland Security Investigations Tucson investigation.

An indictment alleges that from a date unknown until April 8, Lares-De La Rosa and Borboa-Ruiz, conspired together to detain two migrants to compel family members to pay money as a condition for their release, a media release said.

It was also alleged that a relative of the migrants was contacted by a man who said they would be held until $8,000 per person was paid in cash, the media release said. The migrants were released after a payment was made at a Home Depot parking lot.

Lares-De La Rosa and Borboa-Ruiz were later arrested and found in possession of firearms, the media release said.

A conviction for the crime of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. The remaining charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine or both.

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Evacuations are lifted in Patagonia as red flag conditions dissipate over the San Rafael fire area, allowing firefighters to catch a break.

On Tuesday, firefighters were able to keep the San Rafael fire within its current footprint and kept it from pushing through the established containment lines, a media release from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said. The fire is currently at 11,611 acres and is 12% contained.

The fire remains active on the northern and southwestern sides with hot spots being reported within the fires interior, the media release said. Pockets of interior fuel continue to burn and, as afternoon winds increase, smoke may be visible to nearby communities.

A helicopter remains assigned to the fire to help with bucket work to suppress any hotspots. While there is no critical fire weather forecast for the area, afternoon winds could gust up to 30 mph.

Nearly 200 personnel are assigned to the fire, including hand crews, engines, water tenders and aircraft resources, the media release said.

All "go" and "set" notifications have been lifted as of Tuesday morning and residents have been placed back to "ready," with the exception of the Canelo South area. Forest Road 799 is closed for firefighter safety as crews continue to work along the roadway.

Crews are also finding people in the burn area and are asking that people stay out of hazards, such as ash pits.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Photos: San Rafael Fire burning south of Tucson San Rafael Fire San Rafael Fire San Rafael Fire San Rafael Fire San Rafael Fire San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022 San Rafael Fire, 2022

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A longstanding Tucson office building that doesnt require directions beyond explaining that its an upside-down pyramid is for sale.

Vantage West Credit Union currently occupies about 3,800 square feet on the first floor of the 11,379-square-foot building at 1101 N. Wilmot Road.

The second floor is vacant and is being marketed by former tenant Picor commercial real estate.

Broker Richard Kleiner said an ideal tenant would be an office or medical user.

It certainly has high visibility and high recognition, he said of building that was designed by local architect Robert Swaim of Swaim and Associates in the late 1970s.

The asking price is $1.9 million.

Another inverted pyramid exists in Arizona  the Tempe Municipal Building.

What prompted that design, Kleiner said, I dont know.

Other local real estate activities include:

Rhino Realty of Nevada LLC bought 99,858 square feet of industrial space at Eastside Research Commerce Center, 1800 S. Research Loop, from Java Property Investments LLC for $9.3 million. Ron Zimmerman, with Picor, represented the seller, and Grant Traub, with Colliers International AZ, represented the buyer.

BLW Holdings LLC bought a two-building, multi-tenant industrial property on 1.74 acres at the northwest corner of Runway Drive and Weymouth Street, near Prince Road and Interstate 10, for $1.8 million from the Howard S. Feldman Testamentary Trust, Harriet S. Feldman Revocable Living Trust, Trust A under the Forrester Family Trust. Paul Hooker, with Picor, represented the buyer, and John G. Yarborough and David Carroll, with Romano Real Estate Corp., represented the seller.

QOF LLC sold the 20-unit Flores Apartments at 225-255 W. Flores St. to 225 W Flores LLC and Colonia Properties TIC I LLC and the three-unit Ventura Apartments at 244 W. Ventura St. to Colonia Investments LLC for $1.5 million. Allan Mendelsberg and Conrad Joey Martinez, with Picor, represented both parties.

Diego Dominguez and Gerardo Dominguez leased 15,355 square feet of retail space from CRE Strategic Investments LLC in Santa Cruz Plaza, 3662 S. 16th Ave. Ron Zimmerman and Andy Seleznov, with Picor, represented the landlord.

The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation leased 9,007 square feet of office space at The Trinity, 434 E. University Blvd., from Trinity Project Investors LLC. Molly Mary Gilbert and Richard Kleiner, with Picor, represented the landlord. Chris Tsighis, with Coldwell Banker Realty, represented the tenant.

Photos: 6 significant buildings in Tucson Murphy-Wilmot Library Wllmot Branch Library Wllmot Branch Library Wllmot Branch Library Murphy-Wilmot Library Wllmot Branch Library University of Arizona Poetry Center University of Arizona Poetry Center University of Arizona Poetry Center UA Environment & Natural Resources 2 Bldg UA Environment & Natural Resource 2 Building UA Environment & Natural Resource 2 Building Ft. Lowell Commissary Ft. Lowell commissary Ft. Lowell Commissary El Presidio Park Fountain El Presidio Park Fountain Arizona Inn, 1979 Arizona Inn, 1979 Arizona Inn, 1957 Arizona Inn, 1957 Arizona Inn, 1957 Arizona Inn Arizona Inn Arizona Inn

Information for Tucson Real Estate is compiled from records at the Pima County Recorders Office and from brokers. Send information to Gabriela Rico, grico@tucson.com

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Iaroslava Soboleva slips into a peaceful world when she works on her craft of felt art  a craft she taught herself by taking classes over the internet.

"I was inspired by the art that uses wool fabric and a special needle to shape the wool," said Soboleva while working in her studio at her home on Tucson's southeast side.

Soboleva, a native of Ukraine, began felting seven years ago and over time perfected her work using the needle that has tiny barbs on the end. The barbs go in one direction and when the needle is stabbed into the wool the barbs pull the wool in, causing the wool fibers to tangle and their scales to lock together and felt.

"I was inspired to try felting and I love what I am doing," she said, pointing to shelves where her unique creations are displayed. Her motifs use Ukrainian styles of bright colors and imagery. No creation is the same said the crafter of her work, including fairies, Easter eggs, Christmas ornaments, dolls, framed landscapes, gnomes or mermaids.

"The easiest to make are felt hearts or Christmas tree hangers," said Soboleva, 44, whose family lives in Dnipro, Ukraine. "Dolls or gnomes with a house will take more time and effort," said the artist who sells her creations on Etsy, a global online marketplace where people sell, buy and collect unique items.

Sales include shipping and fees. Soboleva's art can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/ALXSO and prices can range from $25 to $140. In addition to buyers from the United States, her work attracts buyers from Switzerland, England and Germany.

Her work occasionally can be found at the local United Nations Association of Southern Arizona Center and Gift Store at 6242 E. Speedway. Soboleva is invited to demonstrate her craft at the store on occasion and takes pieces to sell.

She and her husband, Aleksey Sobolev, 52, of Kyiv, are naturalized U.S. citizens and are sending money to relatives in Ukraine, talking to them every night and worrying about their safety during Russian missile attacks in Kyiv and Dnipro. "Our parents and relatives are elderly, over 60 years old, and my mom had a stroke that left her disabled," said Aleksey.

"My mom lives in a high-rise apartment building with her sister and they stay in the safest area of the apartment when they hear sirens warning about missile attacks. They are too old to leave their home and go to a shelter where they would be safer," said Aleksey, who came to Tucson as a refugee in 1999.

"They are trying to be strong for us, and trying to show us they are not depressed," said Aleksey, an employee of the U.S. Census Bureau. His wife is employed as a home health care worker. The couple met in 2005 in Kyiv when Aleksey went to visit family, and they married in 2006.

Her relatives live in a house on spacious land where they have dogs, chickens and ducks. "But everyone is under a lot of pressure. No one knows when or what part of town will be struck by missiles," Aleksey said.

So when Soboleva works on her art, she said she escapes the terror of the war and experiences "kind and good emotions" that she wants to share with people through her felting.

"I have hope that the world will get better, and the war will end soon," she said.

Photos: Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva in Tucson Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist Iaroslava Soboleva, Ukrainian felt artist

Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at cduarte@tucson.com or on Twitter: @cduartestar

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A virtual event opened here on Monday to mark the United Nations (UN) Chinese Language Day and promote the Chinese language and culture.

The event, themed "Colorful Yunnan, Showcase for Global Development," was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna, UN Information Service Vienna and the government of China's Yunnan Province.

More than 200 delegates, including officials, scholars and representatives from international organizations, attended the opening ceremony of the event virtually.

Wang Qun, China's Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna, said at the ceremony that this year's event is aimed to promote cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties and to highlight the value of diversity and solidarity.

Wang added that Yunnan Province boasts beautiful natural sceneries, diverse cultures and green ecology, and offers a window into China's high-quality development in recent years.

Ghada Waly, director-general of the UN Office at Vienna and executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said at the ceremony that Chinese, as one of the official UN languages, plays an important role in multilateral diplomacy at the UN in Vienna and she welcomed the focus of this year's event on Yunnan and sustainable development.

The opening ceremony also featured singing and ethnic dance performances by artists from Yunnan.

This year's event will run through Friday, according to the organizers.
Two kids were home when a man killed his wife and step-daughter, and then himself. They were unharmed and went to a neighbor's home where 911 was called.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A murder suspect and the jailer who helped him escape from an Alabama lockup were carrying $29,000 in cash, four handguns and an AR-15 rifle and were prepared for a shootout when they were captured, an Indiana sheriff said Tuesday.

Authorities caught up with the pair Monday, more than a week after the breakout and nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) away, and rammed their car into a ditch after a brief chase. Escaped inmate Casey White, 38, surrendered, while jail official Vicky White, 56, was found with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said.

Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said in an email to The Associated Press that an autopsy was completed on White. The manner of death has been ruled a suicide.

The end of the manhunt left authorities trying to piece together what happened during the 11 days that elapsed after Vicky White escorted Casey White from a Florence, Alabama, jail for what she falsely claimed was a mental health evaluation.

The inmate and Vicky White appeared to have had a jailhouse romance, Alabama authorities said last week. They were not related.

As for her role in the escape, the sheriff said: He was not forcing her. It was a mutual relationship.

At the time of the breakout, Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other offenses and was awaiting trial on charges of stabbing a woman to death during a 2015 burglary. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.

Investigators believe the pair spent about six days holed up at a motel in Evansville. Authorities discovered wigs intended to hide their identities. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said investigators do not believe the two had relatives or other contacts in the city of 120,000.

They thought theyd driven long enough. They wanted to stop for a while, get their bearings straight and then figure out the next place to travel, the sheriff said.

Authorities closed in on them after the manager of a car wash reported that a man closely resembling the 6-foot-9 (210-centimeter), 260-pound (118-kilogram) Casey White had been recorded by a surveillance camera getting out of a pickup truck.

Investigators said they located the pickup, then learned that the pair may have switched to a Cadillac, which was then spotted outside a motel nearby. When the couple left the motel, police chased them down, authorities said.

Casey White told investigators after his capture that "he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives, the sheriff said.

The inmate appeared by video Tuesday in an Indiana courtroom, where he waived extradition.

White was brought back to the courthouse in Lauderdale County, Alabama, by police late Tuesday. Video showed him ignoring questions shouted by journalists.

An attorney representing White in the murder case, Jamy Poss, declined to comment.

Vicky White, assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County jail, had put in for retirement ahead of the escape, and the day of the breakout, April 29, was her last day of work.

A woman who worked with her for 16 years could barely speak through tears Tuesday.

I know she did wrong and made a terrible mistake, but shes still your friend, longtime jail employee Sherry Sylvester said.

She said that White often tried to help prisoners, particularly ones without family. But Sylvester said she never saw White do anything that crossed the line: She did everything by the book.

Connie Moore, Casey White's mother, said she last spoke with him by phone the day before the escape. She said her son may not have known what was about to happen.

Everything was just as normal as it could be. I doubt he even knew he was leaving when she came in there to get him, Moore said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape. Authorities said the plan appeared to have been in the works for some time. She sold her house for about half its market value and bought an SUV that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

Reeves reported from Florence, Alabama. Associated Press writer Rick Callahan contributed from Indianapolis.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Pillen beats Trump's candidate in Nebraska governor primary

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska hog farm owner and veterinarian Jim Pillen has won the states crowded Republican primary race for governor, overcoming another conservative endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Pillen defeated the Trump-backed Charles Herbster, an agribusinessman with strong ties to the former president. He also beat state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser who emerged as a strong contender late in the contest and was generally viewed as a more moderate choice. Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne.

Trump-backed US Rep. Alex Mooney wins W.Va. GOP primary

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Congressman Alex Mooney has won the Republican nomination for one of West Virginias two seats in the U.S. House. Former President Donald Trump had endorsed Mooney instead of another Republican incumbent, congressman David McKinley, who has represented West Virginia in the House since 2011. Trump and Mooney sharply criticized McKinley for being one of 13 Republicans to vote in favor of President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. McKinley bet that infrastructure improvements would matter more to voters than Trumps endorsement in one of the nations poorest states. The incumbents were pitted against each other after population losses cost West Virginia a House seat.

Russia pummels port of Odesa in attempt to disrupt supplies

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments. Meanwhile, Ukraines foreign minister appeared Tuesday to suggest that the country could expand its war aims. With the war now in its 11th week, Kyiv has bogged down Russian forces and even staged a counteroffensive. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion. The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

Musk says he would reverse Twitter's ban of Donald Trump

LONDON (AP)  Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters ban of former President Donald Trump if his deal to buy the social media company goes through. Musk, speaking virtually at an auto conference, said Twitters Trump ban was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme. He said bans of Twitter accounts should be rare and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots. Musk earlier gave his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the blocs single market chief.

House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House has emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package that beefs up President Joe Bidens initial request. The measure signals a magnified U.S. commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion. The bill won wide bipartisan support. It contains $7 billion more than Bidens plan from last month, evenly divided between defense and humanitarian programs. The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust crop production.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct

BOSTON (AP)  Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been cleared of sexual misconduct following a criminal trial in Boston. A Boston Municipal Court judge found him not guilty Tuesday after a two-day trial in which the chef had waived his right to a jury trial. A woman had accused Batali of forcibly kissing and groping her while taking a selfie at a restaurant in 2017. But Batalis lawyer argued the accuser had a financial incentive to lie. Batali faced up to 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted. The 61-year-old former Food Network fixture's career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations from four women in 2017.

Political reality: Congress can't save  or end  abortion

WASHINGTON (AP)  After fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the political limits of its ability to act in either direction on the issue. President Joe Biden has called on Democrats to enshrine the Roe v. Wade abortion access protections into law. But a test vote Wednesday in the Senate is expected to fail, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster. At the same time, Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell face similar political problems trying to ban abortions nationwide, even if they wrest control of the chamber in the midterm elections. Instead, the Supreme Court's pending decision on the issue is igniting a new era of political fighting in Congress over abortion policy

Biden pushes 'ultra-MAGA' label on GOP as he defends record

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is warning voters unhappy with soaring inflation and his stalled domestic agenda against turning power over to ultra-MAGA Republicans in the midterm elections. The president is increasingly trying to cast former President Donald Trump and his adherents as a political foil. Speaking at the White House less than six months before the elections, Biden acknowledged that he could taste the countrys dissatisfaction with Washington, particularly over rising prices. The president sought to channel the anger against the GOP. Republican Sen. Rick Scott, a prime target of Biden's criticism, responded that it's the Democrats agenda that is "hurting American families and no amount of spin can change that.

Haitian gang leader charged in kidnapping of US missionaries

WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have charged the leader of a notoriously violent Haitian gang with conspiracy to commit hostage taking for his alleged role in the kidnapping of 16 Americans last year. Germine Joly, 29, is accused of leading the 400 Mawozo gang and is the first person charged in the U.S. in connection with the kidnapping of the missionaries last fall. He was extradited to the U.S. last week and faces separate charges in a firearms trafficking case. Prosecutors say Joly was in a Haitian prison during the kidnapping but had directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages release.

Most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian government scientists say 91% of the Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth mass event in seven years. Coral becomes bleached in warmer-than-usual waters, and scientists worry about potentially lasting damage to the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority says this year's bleaching is the first during a La Nina weather pattern, which is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures. Bleaching was more damaging in some years than others, and the authority's chief scientist David Wachenfeld says scientists hope that most of the coral bleached this year will recover.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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PHOENIX (AP)  The planned execution of an Arizona man remained on track Monday after two last-minute court efforts ended without decisions that would sidetrack the state from putting 66-year-old Clarence Dixon to death.

Early in the day, the state Supreme Court declined to overturn a lower court ruling that found Dixon is competent to be put to death. And late in the day, Dixon's lawyers dropped a challenge in federal court to the drug the state planned to use after agreeing that a new batch mixed by a pharmacist negated their argument that the drugs had expired.

Dixon is set to be executed at the state prison in Florence on Wednesday morning, a move that will end decades of waiting for the family of the 21-year-old Arizona State University student he killed in 1978.

Leslie James, the older sister of the victim, Deana Bowdoin, was in federal court Monday morning as the proceedings unfolded and plans to be at the prison on Wednesday. Because of the ongoing legal wrangling over the case, she declined comment through her attorney.

In the state Supreme Court action, the high court without comment declined to review last week's decision from a judge in Pinal County that rejected arguments that mental illness made Dixon unable to understand why he was being put to death.

While the judge found Dixon does suffer from schizophrenia, he said Dixon is rational and understands the proceedings in his case well enough to show he is competent.

Dixon's lawyers are now expected to ask a federal judge in Phoenix to consider whether his mental illness means it would be unconstitutional to execute him. That had not yet been filed Monday evening.

Dixon's attorneys had challenged the state's planned use of a batch of the sedative sodium pentobarbital that was mixed in February. They contended it had expired and that using it would violate Arizona's execution rules.

Attorneys for Arizona denied that the drug had expired, but offered instead to mix up the new batch and have it tested for potency. Because it will be used within three days, there is no concern it will be out of date.

Whether the expired drug challenge claim would have been successful was in doubt.

At a Monday morning hearing to consider that claim, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa said she struggled to see how the argument raised a valid constitutional issue in light of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that said courts should not meddle in the details of state lethal injection decisions.

The question that I struggle with is: Does that rise to a constitutional right? she asked Dixon attorney Jennifer Moreno.

Moreno told the judge that a 2017 settlement agreement required Arizona to use non-expired drugs, and that helps build their claim that using expired pentobarbital would equate to cruel and unusual punishment.

Without a proper test, those drugs should have been disposed of and we shouldnt even be talking about this, Moreno said.

But she acknowledged that if the state is able to mix the new batch and get it tested before the scheduled 10 a.m. Wednesday execution that resolves the outstanding issues in this case.

That happened Monday evening, when Humetewa called court back into session and Moreno and Assistant Arizona Attorney General Jeff Sparks told her they had agreed that using a new batch would end the litigation.

Arizona and many other states have struggled to get execution drugs in recent years after drug-makers refused to sell their products for that use. Arizona obtained the pentobarbital it plans to use from an unidentified compounding pharmacy.

Dixon, who is blind and in declining health, is set to be the first person put to death in Arizona in nearly eight years, mainly because of problems with the previous execution. The state had to give Joseph Wood 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours before he died in July 2014 in an execution that his lawyers said was botched. The state now is using just one drug.

Dixon was serving life sentences for a 1985 attack on a 21-year-old Northern Arizona University student when DNA testing linked him to Bowdoin's unsolved rape and murder.

Dixon had was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1977 assault case in which the verdict was delivered by then-Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sandra Day OConnor, nearly four years before her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bowdoin was killed on Jan. 7, 1978, two days after that verdict, according to court records.

Bowdoin was found dead in her apartment, and had been raped, stabbed and strangled. Dixon had been charged with raping Bowdoin, but the charge was later dropped on statute-of-limitation grounds. He was convicted, though, in her death.

Defense lawyers said Dixon has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia on multiple occasions, has regularly experienced hallucinations over the past 30 years and should not be executed.

Last Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a warrant for a second execution. Frank Atwood is set to die June 8 for killing an 8-year-old girl in 1984. Authorities say Atwood kidnapped the girl, whose body was found in the desert northwest of Tucson.

This story has been corrected to show that Dixon's execution is set for 10 a.m., not 11 a.m., on Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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LONGWOOD, Fla. (AP)  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."

The bill, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Rather than reprinting the yearbook at substantial cost and delay, we have elected to cover that material that is out of compliance with board policy so that yearbooks can be distributed as soon as possible," the principal's statement said.

In an email Tuesday, Seminole County Public Schools spokesman Michael Lawrence said the issue wasn't with the protest but how its depiction in the yearbook could be interpreted as being endorsed by the school, which would be in violation of the school board's policy.

Lawrence noted that the yearbook dedicates a separate page to the school's Gay Straight Alliance Club and elsewhere shows students at a pride march and holding rainbow flags. He said those depictions do comply with the policy.

The issue at hand here is not the photos or the topic for which the students were protesting," Lawrence said. If these items were caught earlier prior to print, some simple editing/tweaking likely couldve occurred to make that section in compliance prior to print."

When asked what would have needed editing, Lawrence said, specifically making it clear that this particular event was a student'-led event that was not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the district or school wouldve solved the issue."

School officials determined that the least costly solution would be to cover up that section so that the yearbooks could still be distributed to seniors before graduation and the rest of the student body prior to summer break, he said.

The yearbook's faculty advisor Danielle Pomeranz told the Orlando Sentinel that she was asked to check into putting stickers over the photos and captions depicting the walkout. She said it would cost $45,000 to reprint the 600 yearbooks.

This really shouldnt be happening because all we did as journalists was document what was happening at our school on our campus, Skye Tiedemann, one of the yearbooks editors-in-chief, told the Sentinel. To have that covered up isnt right. ... This is censorship.

Tiedemann told WKMG that students were supposed to have a party Monday to have yearbooks signed by their classmates, but that was canceled.

Students at the school in Longwood, which is near Orlando, have created a hashtag #stopthestickers," which is circulating on social media. They also planned a peaceful protest at Tuesday night's meeting of the Seminole County School Board, WKMG reported.

Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a Democrat who is the state's first LGBTQ Latino legislator, said in a tweet that the censorship is a direct result of the law these students were protesting. #WeWillNotBeErased in this so-called free state.'"

DeSantis frequently refers to the free state of Florida in his news conferences.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from the Orlando area, said in a letter to school board members that she was disappointed by the decision.

Students were empowered to craft a yearbook that reflects their lived experience of the academic year and did so with professionalism  sharing a piece of history on Lyman's campus, one that should be reflected upon," Eskamani said. Not censored."

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)  A Libyan military commander who lived for decades in northern Virginia failed to show up for a deposition Monday in a federal lawsuit in which he is accused of war crimes.

Khalifa Hifter had been scheduled to appear for seven hours in a long-sought video deposition where he would be asked about his role in alleged extrajudicial killing and torture of Libyan civilians in the country's decade-long civil war.

He is a defendant in three separate civil lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Hifter tried unsuccessfully to have the lawsuits tossed out, claiming immunity as head of state. Then, on the eve of his deposition last year, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema put the lawsuits on pause, saying she wanted to ensure they were not being used to interfere with scheduled elections in the country.

Earlier this year, Brinkema reinstated the lawsuits after the elections were indefinitely delayed.

Hifters failure to appear Monday was confirmed by Esam Omeish with the Libyan American Alliance, which supports one group of plaintiffs, as well as by Mark Zaid, a lawyer representing another group of plaintiffs.

Monday was to be the day lawyers in all three cases were to be allowed to question Hifter to gather information relevant to their case. Lawyers met Friday at the federal courthouse in Alexandria to hash out the rules for conducting the deposition.

Over the weekend, though, Hifter said his official duties made it impossible to sit for a deposition and asked for a one-month delay, Omeish said.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said that was unacceptable and said they will seek a default judgment against him for failing to appear.

Once a lieutenant to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Hifter defected to the U.S. during the 1980s and spent many years living in northern Virginia, where he and his family continue to own extensive property, according to the lawsuits. He is widely believed to have worked with the CIA during his time in exile.

He returned to Libya to support the anti-Gadhafi forces that revolted against the dictator and killed him in 2011. Over the last decade, he led the self-styled Libyan National Army, which has controlled much of the eastern half of the country, with support from countries including Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

A U.N.-supported government has controlled the capital in Tripoli, with extensive support from Turkey. A cease-fire between the warring sides in 2020 was supposed to lead to elections in December 2021, but they never occurred. Negotiations to set a new election date ended last month without success.

Hifter's lawyer in the U.S., Jesse Binnall, did not immediately return an email Monday seeking comment.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Tornado season is here which has us thinking how people react to bad conditions.

Kim Klockow-McClain from the University of Oklahoma studies how people respond to severe weather alerts, and joins us to discuss the risks of over-warning and how social media has impacted the communication of critical weather information.

Klockow-McClain is a research scientist and Societal Applications Coordinator with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) at the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

Her research involves behavioral science focused on weather and climate risk, and specifically explores the effects of risk visualization on judgment, and perceptions of severe weather risk from place-based and cognitive perspectives.

Before joining CIMMS/NSSL, Klockow-McClain was a UCAR Postdoctoral Researcher and Policy Advisor at the NOAA OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality. She completed her undergraduate education at Purdue University and graduate education at the University of Oklahoma.

About the Across the Sky podcast

The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by 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.

Listen now: Our 'potcast' returns, crypto for your 401(k) and tornado season  The latest episode of Here Weed Go! looks at marijuana initiatives as well as the economics of pot. Also, is crypto a good idea for your retirement savings?

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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho Republican Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Janice McGeachin on Monday demanded that Republican Gov. Brad Little call a special legislative session to eliminate rape and incest as legal exceptions to Idahos abortion law.

The Idaho law will go into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.

McGeachin is running against Little in the Idaho Republican gubernatorial primary and in a statement said the potential Idaho law is insufficient because of numerous exceptions. Besides rape and incest, it also allows abortions to save mothers' lives.

It is shameful that Idahos abortion laws are not the most pro-life in our country, said McGeachin, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. No child should ever be murdered because of the circumstances surrounding his or her conception.

Little signed the so-called trigger law in 2020. Earlier this year, he signed another abortion ban modeled after a Texas law that would be enforced through lawsuits to avoid constitutional court challenges.

The latter law is on hold while the Idaho Supreme Court considers a lawsuit from a regional Planned Parenthood group contending it violates the Idaho Constitution regarding separation of powers.

Little's office didn't immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment on McGeachin's demand for the special legislative session.

Early in-person and mail voting is happening now for the May 17 Idaho Republican gubernatorial primary.

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WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Aquatic exports surge nearly 44 percent in first four months

Vietnam earned 3.57 billion USD from aquatic exports in the first four months of 2022, posting a year-on-year increase of 43.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.













Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)



In April alone, the export value was 1.05 billion USD.



The US, Japan and China were the three leading import markets in the first quarter, accounting for 49.5 percent of total aquatic export value.



Of note, export values in all markets saw expansion, and revenue from China doubled.



Exports of tra (pangasius) fish were estimated at 263 million USD in April, bringing the four-month figure to 894 million USD, up 89.4 percent against the same period last year.



Meanwhile, shrimp exports expanded 38.6 percent year-on-year to nearly 1.34 billion USD after adding 385 million USD in April.



According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), demand in import markets is pointing towards a robust recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, and Vietnamese firms have seized opportunities to bolster exports and seal high-value contracts.
You are here: Arts

A train loaded with herbs from Dong Dang in northern Vietnam arrived in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Sunday, marking further cooperation in the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).



The train carried more than 95 tonnes of Jixueteng, or Caulis Spatholobi, worth nearly 480,000 yuan (about 71,400 U.S. dollars), according to the Pingxiang port authority in Guangxi.

The ASEAN is a significant import and export market of TCM products. Cardamom and senna leaves from Indonesia, Caulis Spatholobi from Vietnam, and Scaphium scaphigerum from Thailand are well-received herbs among Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises.

China exports TCM products such as extracts, healthcare foods, and herbal medicines to ASEAN countries.

Guangxi, as a vital gateway for the exchange and cooperation of traditional medicines between China and the ASEAN and a major channel for TCM herb imports, has seen a rapid increase of TCM herbs imported from ASEAN countries in recent years.

Customs data showed that the region imported over 6,809 tonnes of TCM herbs from ASEAN countries in 2021, an increase of 329 percent from a year ago.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russias invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this, Pelosi said. Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country, Pelosi said.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day

 Russian ambassador to Poland hit with red paint

 Russia marks WWII victory overshadowed by Ukraine

 More than 60 feared dead in bombing of Ukrainian school

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Europe, as it did in World War II, once again has to think about the price to be paid for peace on the continent.

Zelenskyy added that Europe has to think about the price to be paid by Russia for bringing the evil of total war to Europe again.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said history will hold Russia responsible.

And we, Ukrainians, will continue to work toward our defense, our victory and on restoring justice. Today, tomorrow and any other day that is necessary to free Ukraine from the occupiers, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy ended his radio address by thanking all those defending the country and promising that the Ukrainian flag will one day once again fly over all of its cities.

The Ukrainian flag will return. Because this is our country. A free European country, Zelenskyy said.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles from the air at Odesa on Monday night, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse.

One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

While seeking strategic targets, obsolete missiles managed to hit an extremely dangerous shopping center and a warehouse for consumer goods, Natalya Gumenyuk, a military spokeswoman, said on Facebook.

Photos on the post showed what appeared to be the warehouse engulfed in flames.



WASHINGTON  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine on Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on V-E day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender and Russias biggest patriotic holiday, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, not even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together in a rare bipartisan fashion. Other measures, including calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support.

WASHINGTON  Lithuanias top diplomat said Monday that removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the U.S. and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Putins annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the Ukraine war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place, Landsbergis said.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger, he said. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in Ukraine started, it is that Russia is an aggressive country. Thats very clear.

Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states that among NATO allies are particularly concerned about possible Russian designs on forcefully returning them to Moscows rule. Lithuanian officials, including Landsbergis have been especially outspoken about their fears but his overt calls for regime change go beyond what most NATO allies have been willing to express.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  The first telephone call Jill Biden made from her black SUV after an unannounced meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart inside the embattled country was to her husband, President Joe Biden.

Biden and Olena Zelenska, who had not been seen in public since President Vladimir Putin sent Russias military into her country nearly 11 weeks ago, had just spent about two hours together at a school in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

With her visit to the Ukraine war zone, the U.S. first lady was able to act as a second pair of eyes and ears for the president, who so far has been unable to visit the country himself.

Sometimes the first lady is able to do things and get into places where the president cant, said Myra Gutin, author of The Presidents Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century.

Jill Biden wrapped up her four-day trip to Eastern Europe on Monday after meeting in Bratislava with Zuzana Caputova, Slovakias first female president. Her trip over the border on Sunday to meet with Zelenska and refugees from elsewhere in Ukraine was a highpoint of the visit.

Seated across from Caputova, Jill Biden said she told her husband in their phone call just how much I saw the need to support the people of Ukraine and about the horrors and the brutality that the people I had met had experienced.

BERLIN  The leaders of Germany and France welcomed the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin didnt announce any steps to expand the war in Ukraine, including to other countries, in his speech marking the end of World War II.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that it important there had been no escalation, at least as far as the rhetoric is concerned in Putins Victory Day speech. What actually happens in Ukraine is something well see in the next days and weeks.

His comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that the goal of diplomatic efforts remains a cease-fire in Ukraine.

In effect, today was marked by no verbal escalation nor a geographic escalation nor an escalation in the use of arms he said. Is this sufficient for us? No.

We will remain concentrated on our only goal, do all to get a cease-fire and help Ukraine to negotiate under the terms it decides for itself, because we are on the side of sovereignty and Ukrainian territorial integrity, Macron said. No more, no less.

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russias war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldovas capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russias war in neighboring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The U.N. chiefs visit to Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldovas pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the regions state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-meter-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldovas sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

WASHINGTON  The United States is suspending 25% import taxes on Ukraines steel in a show of support for the countrys beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1% of U.S. steel exports.

Some of the countrys largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill thats the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people  we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being, Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel.

The steel levies were imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration, which deployed a little-used provision in U.S. trade law to call foreign steel a threat to American national security. The move outraged U.S. allies, and critics said they did little address the real cause of stress for U.S. steel producers: massive overproduction by the Chinese, whose steel shipments to the U.S. are already limited by other trade barriers.

The Biden administration has removed most of the tariffs on steel from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, allowing their metals to come in duty-free up to a quota. No such quota applies to the Ukrainian imports in the move announced Monday.

WARSAW, Poland  Polish officials say the country is ready to increase its energy assistance to neighboring Ukraine and provide steady deliveries.

Polands government ministers made the declaration Monday during a Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum attended also by other countries and by the International Energy Agency. Climate and Environment minister, Anna Moskwa, said a round-the clock effort is being set in motion to ensure energy security to Ukraine.

Poland has been supplying Ukraine with some energy and fuels ever since Russias Feb. 24 invasion. The level of the support is to be increased.

Ukraines first deputy minister for the economy, Yulia Sviridenko, said the country urgently needs diesel fuel and gasoline because Russias invading troops are destroying its fuels infrastructure, including a refinery.

Poland is in the process of cutting its dependence on Russian energy sources and increasing deliveries from other countries.

BRUSSELS  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to Hungary in a bid to secure unanimity on the EUs executive arms proposal to ban oil imports from Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said von der Leyen will meet with Hungary Prime minister Viktor Orban on Monday to discuss issues related to European security of energy supply.

Hungary has blocked progress in discussions to adopt the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine, and ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the new round of measures.

Von der Leyen has proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Hungary says it will not vote for the proposed sanctions, saying it would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and would destroy its stable energy supply.

ODESA, Ukraine  The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has lamented that silos full of food for export is blocked in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which he visited on Monday.

The Ukrainian city has been the target of Russian missile attacks over recent days.

In a tweet, Michel said he was with Ukraines prime minister examining the wars effect on the port.

I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, Michel wrote. This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response.

Ukraine is a global grain exporter, and U.N. officials have warned that failure for those products to ship will hurt food security in importing countries, especially poorer ones in Africa and elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement said he spoke with Michel during the Odesa visit. It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russias aggressive actions, Zelenskyy said. Immediate measures must be taken to unlock Ukrainian ports for wheat exports.

ROME  The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow patriarch has made a personal and faith-based appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for safe passage to Ukrainian soldiers defending the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Metropolitan Onufry recalled in an open letter Monday that Putins own family survived the siege of Leningrad in the 1940s. He said Putins relatives experienced what it is like to live in isolation from the great land, under constant bombardment, without food, water, medicine, when death can come at any moment from the impact of a heavy weapon, hunger or lack of medical care.

He said the civilians and soldiers of Mariupol are in the same situation today, a reference to the Ukrainian troops still defending the Azovstal steel mill. He wrote: We hope that you will Christianly agree to the extraction procedure for the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol, and give the opportunity to surrounded civilians, police, border guards and the military to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine or the territory of third countries.

Onufrys church enjoys broad autonomy but is loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church and its patriarch, Kirill. It is separate from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which split into an independent church in 2019.

BERLIN  The Russian ambassador in Berlin used a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the end of World War II to repeat Moscows claims that it is fighting against Nazism in Ukraine.

Sergey Nechaev told reporters Monday that Ukraine will be de-nazified for sure.

It will succeed, he said. We need a peace without Nazism, in Ukraine and in Europe.

The diplomat also cited a need for good cooperation, of course, but at eye level, without ultimatums and without threats and without sanctions.

The occasion was the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germanys defeat, traditionally celebrated by Russia on May 9.

A small group of people waved Russian and Soviet flags, despite a ban on doing so by Berlin police, imposed to prevent violence between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters.

WARSAW, Poland  Protesters threw what appeared to be red paint, to symbolize blood, at the Russian ambassador as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Ambassador Ambassador Sergey Andreev came to the Soviet soldiers cemetery to lay flowers. A group of activists opposed to Russias war in Ukraine were waiting for him.

The protesters carried Ukrainian flags, while some were dressed in white sheets smeared with a red color, symbolizing the Ukrainian victims of Russias war. Other men in the diplomats entourage were also seen splattered with what appeared to be red paint.

BRUSSELS  The European Commission will aim to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraines bid to become a member of the European Union.

The 27 EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Moscow since the start of the war in February. But leaders are divided on how fast Brussels could move to accept Ukraine as a member.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on Twitter that she discussed Monday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy EU support and Ukraines European pathway. Looking forward to receiving the answers to the EU membership questionnaire.

For now, Ukraine has an Association Agreement with the EU, which includes a far-reaching free trade pact and helps to modernize Ukraines economy.

The Ukrainian fast-track bid could take years, with unanimity among current members required to include a new member.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video address to the war-ravaged nation on Monday, marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in the World War II, and promising that Ukraine will soon have two Victory Days.

We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II. Where more than 8 million Ukrainians died. And every fifth Ukrainian didnt return home. In total, the war claimed at least 50 million lives, Zelenskyy said. We dont say we can repeat.

Zelenskyy stressed that soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then, we will win now, too, he said, in reference to Russias war against Ukraine.

MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast Moscows military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies.

Speaking Monday at a military parade marking the World War II victory over the Nazis, Putin drew parallels between the Red Armys fighting against the Nazi troops and the Russian forces action in Ukraine.

He said the campaign in Ukraine was a timely and necessary move to ward off what he described as an absolutely unacceptable threat just next to our borders.

The danger was rising he said, adding that Russia has preemptively repulsed an aggression in what he described as a forced, timely and the only correct decision by a sovereign, powerful and independent country.

The Russian leader again scolded the West for failing to heed Russian demands for security guarantees and a rollback to NATOs expansion, arguing that it left Moscow no other choice but to launch an action in Ukraine.

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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  A man found floating on a raft off the coast of New England in 2016 after his boat sank was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with killing his mother at sea to inherit the family's estate.

The eight-count indictment released in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, also says Nathan Carman shot and killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, at his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013 as part of an effort to defraud insurance companies, but he was not charged with that killing.

Carman was found in an inflatable raft eight days after leaving a Rhode Island marina to go fishing with his mother, Linda Carman, who was never found.

Carman, 28, of Vernon, Vermont, was arrested Tuesday. Hes due in federal court Wednesday in Rutland, Vermont. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.

William Michael, an attorney for Carmans mothers sisters, said Tuesday the family had no immediate comment.

The indictment that was handed down May 2, but made public after Carmans arrest, describes what prosecutors said was a scheme to defraud the estate of John Chakalos.

As a central part of the scheme, Nathan Carman murdered John Chakalos and Linda Carman, the indictment says.

Authorities claim in the indictment that on Nov. 11, 2013, Carman used his New Hampshire driver's license to purchase a rifle that he used on Dec. 20, 2013, to shoot Chakalos while he slept.

After Chakalos death, Carman received $550,000 from different accounts. He moved to Vermont in 2014 where he was unemployed and by the fall of 2016 was low on funds.

In September 2016, Carman arranged to go on a fishing trip with his mother on his boat named the Chicken Pox."

Nathan Carman planned to kill his mother on the trip, the indictment says. He also planned how he would report the sinking of the Chicken Pox and his mothers disappearance at sea as accidents.

Seven of the eight counts of the indictment are related to what prosecutors say were fraudulent efforts to get money from his grandfather's estate or insurance companies.

The other count alleges that Nathan Carman killed his mother. If convicted of the murder charge, he faces life in prison.

In 2019, a federal judge in Rhode Island decided that Carman contributed to the 2016 sinking of the boat from which his mother was lost at sea.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a written decision in favor of an insurance company that had refused to pay an $85,000 claim to Carman for the loss of his 31-foot fishing boat.

Carman denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy. He told the Coast Guard that when the boat filled quickly with water, he swam to the life raft and called for his mother but never saw her again.

The judge found, among other things, that shortly before the fishing trip with his mother, Carman made improper repairs to the boat. Witnesses testified that he removed two stabilizing trim tabs from the stern, near the vessels waterline, leaving holes that he tried to seal with an epoxy stick.

He was found floating in the raft off the coast of Marthas Vineyard, a Massachusetts island, by the crew of a freighter eight days after the boat was reported missing.

Chakalos, who was a real estate developer, left behind an estate that was worth nearly $29 million, which was to be divided among his four daughters. Carman is in line to get about $7 million of the estate, as his mothers only heir.

Chakalos three surviving daughters sued Carman in New Hampshire probate court, seeking to bar him from receiving any money from Chakalos estate. A judge dismissed the case in 2019, saying Chakalos was not a New Hampshire resident. The probate case was refiled in Connecticut, where it remains pending.

This story has been corrected to show that Carman is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Rutland, not Burlington.

AP reporters Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Ray Scott, a consummate promoter who helped launch professional bass angling and became a fishing buddy to presidents while popularizing the conservation practice of catching and releasing fish, has died, a longtime aide said Monday.

Scott died of natural causes late Sunday at a rehabilitation center near Montgomery, said Jim Kientz, who worked for Scott for more than two decades. He was 88.

A member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Scott founded the first professional bass fishing tournament in the late 1960s. Anglers could win money based on the weight of the fish they caught over several days on a lake or river, and they were penalized if a fish died.

Pro fishing caught on and Scott's Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or BASS, grew into what it describes as the world's largest fishing organization. Its signature tournament, the Bassmaster Classic, includes equipment shows that draw thousands of spectators.

For years, Scott  with an ever-present cowboy hat and a wide grin  emceed the tournament weigh-in shows where anglers pull live, flapping fish out of holding tanks as thousands watched.

He was one of the few who could just walk on and light up a stage like no ones business, Kientz said. He was the ultimate showman."

Scott's vision for bass fishing created an entire industry, said Chase Anderson, the current chief executive of BASS, which Scott sold in 1986.

Rays contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and our sport set the standard for tournament fishing and are something we will always strive to uphold, he said in a statement.

At the height of his success, Scott had a rural spread with a stocked fishing lake in the tiny central Alabama community of Pintlala that attracted former Presidents George H.W. Bush and son George W. Bush.

The late first lady Barbara Bush came along on a New Year's trip in 1990 and held up a gigantic mounted bass in a boat as Scott laughed nearby. Through the years, Scott played host to a slew of other politicians and celebrities along lifes highway, Kientz said.

Interested in conservation, Scott helped popularize the now-common practice of catch-and-release fishing in which sport anglers hook a fish and return it quickly to the water once caught through tournaments. He also advocated for safer boating by requiring tournament participants to wear life preservers and pushed for boating safety laws before founding a company that sells deer-hunting supplies.

Scott retired from business several years ago and still lived in Pintlala, Kientz said. Survivors include his wife, Susan, and four adult children, he said.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A well-known West Virginia restaurant chain is facing a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board after an investigation found evidence the company unlawfully disciplined and threatened employees who tried to form a union.

Tudor's Biscuit World managers are accused of violating federal labor laws when they suspended two employees leading the unionization effort at the store's franchise location in Elkview, West Virginia, according to a complaint signed by National Labor Relations Board Regional Director Matthew Denholm. Denholm's office investigates unfair labor practice charges for the federal government in parts of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.

The complaint also alleges that Elkview Tudor's managers repeatedly told employees involved in the union effort they could lose their jobs or see their pay docked if they formed a union. One supervisor is accused of saying anti-union employees could give the pro-union employees as much hell as they wanted.

Tudor's Biscuit World did not respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking comment. In a response to the complaint filed last week, an attorney for Tudor's denied all allegations of unfair labor practices.

The complaint against Tudor's franchise in Elkview, a town of fewer than 2,000 people, echoes a larger national movement of organizing among retail and food service workers. Federal labor officials filed a sweeping complaint Friday accusing Starbucks of unfair labor practices at its stores in Buffalo, New York, including retaliation against pro-union employees.

Denholm told the AP on Monday that an investigation of the charges at his regional office found probable cause to believe Tudors violated federal law. The case will now go to trial before an administrative law judge in Charleston on June 13 in U.S. District Court. The judge will then issue a decision and can recommend remedies to the full National Labor Relations Board in Washington, Denholm said.

Relatively unknown outside the region, Tudors Biscuit World is a staple of West Virginia where diners can get made-from-scratch biscuits doused in gravy; country-fried steak and sandwiches including the Miner or the Mountaineer. Founded in Charleston in 1980, the chain now has more than 70 locations, mostly in West Virginia and in parts of neighboring states Ohio and Kentucky.

Elkview Tudor's employees announced their intention to form a union after they said the company failed to alert them when a worker tested positive for COVID-19, and one worker who questioned the policy saw her hours cut. They said employees often had to work past their scheduled hours to cover shifts and then were reprimanded for incurring overtime, among other allegations.

Once they began organizing, they said their employers aggressively tried to discourage their efforts. When workers failed to garner enough votes to form a union during a January election, organizers announced they had filed unfair labor practice charges against the company and urged that the vote should be thrown out.

Tudor's employee Cynthia Nicholson, a 64-year-old prep cook who has been leading the Tudor's union effort, said Monday she was excited to hear about the complaint.

I really want to see some good come out of this, said Nicholson, who was one of the employees suspended by Tudor's. If I didnt proceed on and take this to the end, I would feel that I was just as guilty as they were. I hope they learn you can't treat people like theyre replaceable. We are human beings."

Nicholson was inspired to form a union because of her father and late husband, who were both union men working in coal mining and pipefitting in West Virginia.

Right before he passed away, he said, Cynthia, you're gonna do great things,'" she said of her husband, who died of cancer. "At that moment, I didnt know what he was talking about, but then it hit me when we started organizing and getting out there. He would be so proud.

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Organizing Director Alan Hanson, who helped the Tudor's employees file unfair labor practice charges against the company, said it was immediately clear to him that Tudor's tried to discourage workers from organizing in the lead-up to the election.

Companies have a playbook and they follow it all across the country  whether its Tudor's in Elkview or Starbucks in Buffalo, he said. Unfortunately, companies who are desperate to keep the union out are willing to use any and all tactics.

More often than not, companies are not held accountable for the actions they take to stop organizing campaigns, he said.

Its hard to get workers, particularly in small towns, particularly with employers like Tudors who loom large in the cultural significance in places like West Virginia, to stand up against them and say: What is happening to me is not right, he said. The workers themselves were the ones who bravely stood up and said, Were not going to be silent when the company violates our rights."

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  The president of a historically Black college accused sheriff's deputies in Georgia of intimidating and humiliating the school women's lacrosse team when deputies pulled over the athletes' bus and searched it for drugs.

Delaware State University President Tony Allen said he's incensed by the April 20 traffic stop along Interstate 95 south of Savannah as the team returned from a game in Florida. In a letter to students and faculty, Allen said nothing illegal was found and campus officials were exploring options for recourse  legal and otherwise.

We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by, Allen said in the letter posted Monday on the university's social media pages.

Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman, who is Black, said Tuesday his office is conducting a formal review of the traffic stop. He said deputies had stopped other commercial vehicles the same morning along I-95 and found drugs on a different bus. The team's chartered bus was stopped because it was traveling in the left lane, which is a violation of Georgia law, he said.

The sheriff said deputies decided to search the team's bus when a drug-sniffing dog alerted alongside it.

I do not exercise racial profiling, allow racial profiling or encourage racial profiling, Bowman told reporters. The sheriff added that based on what he already knows, "I believe the stop was legal.

No one was arrested or charged. The sheriff said the bus driver was given a warning.

Video posted online by one of the Delaware State lacrosse players shows two white deputies on the bus. One of them tells the bus passengers that possessing marijuana remains illegal in Georgia.

If there is anything in yalls luggage, were probably going to find it, OK," the deputy says. Im not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but Im pretty sure you guys chaperones are probably going to be disappointed in you if we find any.

The deputy continues : You guys are on a lacrosse team, correct? If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now. Because if we find it, guess what? Were not going to be able to help you.

Sydney Anderson, the student who posted the video, wrote in the campus publication The Hornet Newspaper that team members felt there was underlying racism behind the search.

The team members were in shock, as they witnessed the officers rambling through their bags," Anderson wrote. They brought the K-9 dog out to sniff their luggage. The cops began tossing underwear and other feminine products, in an attempt to locate narcotics.

Georgia courts have held that the odor of marijuana is enough to give police probable cause to search vehicles without a warrant.

The sheriff said he welcomed feedback from the lacrosse team.

We realize that in this current environment, even a traffic stop can be alarming to citizens," Bowman said, especially African Americans.

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PHOENIX  An attorney for Senate President Karen Fann is making a last-ditch effort to let her keep secret more than 700 records related to the audit of the 2020 election.

Legislators have broad latitude in keeping confidential the conversations they have about matters that could end up as future legislation, Kory Langhofer told the Arizona Supreme Court Tuesday. That legislative privilege, he said, is based on the premise that lawmakers and those who work for them will be more frank in their discussions if they are assured it wont become public.

And in this case, Langhofer said, what came out of the review could result in new laws affecting how elections are conducted.

But some of the justices appeared to be less convinced by Langhofers argument that courts should accept, as a question of trust claims by lawmakers that documents or communications they say are policy discussions that need not be disclosed.

It doesnt allow a trial judge to fairly determine whether or not, in fact, that particular communication does fall within the proper ambit of legislative privilege, said Justice William Montgomery. I dont think it helps a trial court judge if the Legislature or any particular party reaches the ultimate legal conclusion that this is not something you need to worry about. 

Andy Gaona, arguing for American Oversight, which has sued for the records, said such a conclusion would leave groups like his without an ability to seek judicial review when a public body withholds records on some claim of privilege.

We have no idea of exactly what is being withheld here, he told the justices. And that makes it impossible for anyone seeking records to make the case in court that records are being wrongfully withheld.

Arizonas public records law does not require those seeking documents or communications to prove that they are, in fact, public, Gaona said.

The burden is on the public body to establish that a record that is presumptively public  should be withheld because it is detrimental to the best interests of the state, he said.

That point was not lost on Montgomery who also noted that the Legislature, in adopting the public records law, did not exempt itself from its provisions.

What the justices ultimately decide will affect more than those disputed audit records. It will create new legal precedents that will govern all future public records requests of all agencies at all levels of government.

Fann, a Prescott Republican, ordered the audit after official election results  certified by state officials, including Gov. Doug Ducey  showed that Democrat Joe Biden beat Republican Donald Trump by 10,457 votes in the state. And that was fueled in large part by Biden beating Trump in Maricopa County by 45,109 votes.

There were charges of irregularities  all unproven  including that the Dominion Voting System hardware and software used was either programmed or hacked in a way to move Trump votes into the Biden column.

Fann said at the time she ordered the audit to address concerns of constituents.

As it turned out, Cyber Ninjas, the firm Republic lawmakers hired for the audit, reported that its own hand count of Maricopa ballots confirmed Bidens win  and by a slightly larger margin than the official count.

American Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group, sued for documents related to the audit.

The Senate surrendered some. But it claimed a right to withhold various documents, including all the communications involving Fann, Sen. Warren Petersen who chairs the Judiciary Committee, the liaisons Fann chose to interact with Cyber Ninjas and even communications with that company and its own subvendors.

A trial judge and the state Court of Appeals both rejected the Senates arguments, leading to Tuesdays Supreme Court hearing.

Ordering the Senate to produce more documents would allow Arizonans to know what their government was up to in conducting this audit that has done nothing but needlessly sow distrust in our elections officials and the systems that they administer, Gaona told the justices.

The justices made it clear they believe legislative immunity exists. And Justice James Beene said that at least part of the purpose of the audit was to prepare recommendations for lawmakers on what changes are needed to prevent problems in future elections.

But some were struggling with Langhofers assertion that senators, in refusing to disclose communications, need provide only a basic explanation to both those who request the documents and to judges who adjudicate such disputes of why each of the withheld records fits within that protection.

How is American Oversight or the court supposed to know if something falls within that privilege when you say in the privilege log things like Email concerning internal legislative discussions regarding audit, which is pretty much what is said through most of the privilege log, asked Justice Ann Scott Timmer.

And she pointed out that these emails could concern administrative or even political discussions, subjects she said are not protected by legislative privilege.

Langhofer, however, urged a broader protection.

We think, if anything, there should be more deference for the Legislatures representations on this than there should be for a doctor or a lawyer or a priest, he told the court, reminding them of other situations where documents and communications can be shielded.

He also said the legislative record speaks for itself, pointing out there have been many bills to amend election laws introduced in the wake of the audit report. And that, Langhofer said, shows that the withheld documents were and are related to planned legislation, something that lawmakers can keep confidential.

Timmer said that is too broad an exemption.

Everything could end up in legislation, she said.

Gaona also argued that the audit was never proposed or promoted by Fann as a method of exploring weaknesses in state election laws but instead as a method of restoring public confidence in the results of the 2020 race.

Theres never been a tie between the audit and the election laws, he said.

Thats also the conclusion reached earlier this year by the Court of Appeals.

Nothing in the record shows that the prime purpose of the audit was to identify changes required to Arizonas voting laws, wrote appellate Judge Michael Brown.

The audits primary objective was to verify that election procedures were sufficiently observed, the judge said. And Brown noted that the statement of work outlining what was to be done by Cyber Ninjas was to validate every area of the voting process to ensure the integrity of the vote.

In fact, the judge suggested, the audit looks much more like an administrative action than anything related to crafting state laws.

The audits stated purpose reflects no promise to propose legislation in the future, Brown said. And while the audit might have revealed areas in Arizonas election process that could be the subject of new legislation, the connection between the audit and any future legislation is too tenuous to conclude that the audit could reasonably qualify as a legitimate legislative act.

Brown said all that is backed up by the September 2021 public hearing where the results of the report were released.

No sworn or questioned witnesses were at the hearing, nor did any debate or deliberating occur, he said, noting only Fann and Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, were present.

The court did not indicate when it would rule.

+1

Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com .

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REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP)  The endangered California condor returned to soar the skies over the states far northern coast redwood forests on Tuesday for the first time in more than a century.

Two captive-bred birds were released from a pen in Redwood National Park, about an hours drive south of the Oregon border, under a project aimed at restoring the giant vultures to their historic habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

The two male condors were moved into staging area at late morning and a remotely controlled gate was opened. After a few minutes of warily eyeing the opening, the birds stepped one by one through the opening, spread their giant wings and took off.

They just jumped up and took flight off into the distance, Tiana Williams-Claussen, wildlife director for the regions Yurok tribe, said in a webcast.

Condors were last spotted in the park area around 1892, authorities said. The California condor is the largest native North American bird, with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet. The scavenger was once widespread but had virtually disappeared by the 1970s because of poaching, lead poisoning from eating animals shot by hunters and destruction of its habitat.

The birds can live for 60 years and fly vast distances in search of carrion, so their range could extend into several states.

Federal and local fish and wildlife agencies are involved in the restoration project headed by the Yurok tribe, which traditionally has considered the California condor a sacred animal and has been working for years to return the species to the tribes ancestral territory.

For countless generations, the Yurok people have upheld a sacred responsibility to maintain balance in the natural world. Condor reintroduction is a real-life manifestation of our cultural commitment to restore and protect the planet for future generations, tribal Chairman Joseph L. James said in a statement.

Two more condors were set to be released later  after biologists determine that the two birds who took to the skies Tuesday have displayed appropriate behavior, authorities said.

The condors, including one female and three males, are between 2 and 4 years old. Two were hatched at the Oregon Zoo and two at the Peregrine Funds World Center for Birds of Prey in Idaho.

In the early 1980s, all 22 condors remaining in the wild were trapped and brought into a captive-breeding program that began releasing the giant vultures into Southern Californias Los Padres National Forest in 1992.

That flock has been expanding its range while other condors now occupy parts of Californias Central Coast, Arizona, Utah and Baja California, Mexico. The total population now numbers more than 500 birds in captivity and in the wild.

Two years ago, California condors were spotted in Sequoia National Park, in Californias Sierra Nevada, for the first time in nearly 50 years.

However, that same year, a dozen adults and two chicks died when a wildfire set by an arsonist ravaged their territory on the Big Sur coast.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Idaho Fish and Game Department is investigating how many illegally-stocked walleye fish are in Lake Cascade after a second walleye catch was reported in four years.

Regional Fisheries Biologist Mike Thomas was fishing while off duty with another angler, Chris Weber, when Weber landed the nearly 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) fish, Boise television station KTVB reported. Another angler reported catching a walleye in the lake in 2018.

We know that the only way walleye could have gotten into Lake Cascade is through one or more individuals illegally transplanting them there, Regional Fisheries Manager Jordan Messner said.

State wildlife officials have said walleye are incompatible with the perch in Lake Cascade and its fisheries downstream, such as the Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon reservoirs. Walleye commonly prey on other fish.

It is illegal to release live fish or their eggs in Idaho without the permission of the Fish and Game Department director. It is also illegal to possess or transport the live fish or their eggs without permission.

"Two reports over a four-year span means Walleye could very well be established in the lake, but the fact that we havent encountered them during extensive fish population surveys or angler surveys means they are likely not very abundant yet, Thomas said. Our fisheries program will be shifting gears over the coming weeks to try to determine the extent of their occurrence in the lake, and well develop a game-plan for moving forward.

Regional Fisheries Manager Joe Kozfkay said Lake Cascade lacks forage fish like smelt, shad or minnows, so an established walleye population in the lake could create a threat to the perch population. The lake is a popular destination for perch fishing.

Citizens Against Poaching is offering a reward for information about the case.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, KTVB-TV.
Taylor Thompson, with the Oklahoma State Dept. of Health District 4, visited the Wagoner Rotary Clubs weekly meeting to speak about the services they provide that many in Wagoner County dont know are available.

There are two health departments in Wagoner County. One is in Wagoner on 212 N. Pierce Ave. The other is in Coweta at 28596 E. 141st St S. The Coweta location just underwent a complete remodeling and will have a grand reopening in mid-June. It is unique to have two health departments in one county, he said.

Thompson said despite the national nurse shortage, Wagoner County was recently able to land two, new nurses to work within the area.

Thompson oversees the community planning in district 4, consisting of eight counties.

Like many people, Thompson admits that COVID-19 has been a tiresome subject, as its been going on for over two years. However, if there is any good news in a dark situation, he said COVID-19 transmission rates are low in Wagoner County, and in Oklahoma as a whole. Higher transmission rates are happening in northeast states with denser populations, he explained.

Later into his speech, Thompson went through the services the health department provides to folks in Wagoner County, and beyond.

A lot of times the community doesnt realize what we have. They are familiar with our vaccines and things like that, but we also do a lot of other things, Thompson said.

He started with the Childrens First Program, explaining how it can be useful to first time parents. Its a free program where first time parents can enroll, and a certified nurse can guide them through their first year in parenthood. Whether parents cant get their baby to sleep or have trouble breast feeding, nurses can go into the home and support the new families along the way.

They also do communicable disease surveillance. An epidemiologist will always be on staff to do surveillance so the disease does not become wide-spread. He wanted to be clear that does not just pertain to COVID-19.

The health department also does carseat checks, and some people can even qualify for a free car seat. Their family planning services consist of birth control options, and medications for STDs and similar issues. They also offer pregnancy testing and fertility counseling.

Thompsons forte is health education, and that is something the health department offers, as well. A county health educator will go into the schools and conduct health education pertaining to healthy eating, physical activity, hygiene and tobacco prevention. They work with Kindergarten students all the way up to second graders in Wagoner, and up to third grade in Coweta.

Its important to teach these kids about these very important subjects that the classroom teachers maybe dont have a chance to get into, Thompson said.

The health education team also conducts yoga and modified yoga classes to relieve stress and pain.

In addition, the health department offers hearing, speech and language screenings via a program called, Guidance. They also offer a wide range of immunizations and school physicals.

In their newest venture, the health department also just started their mobile health units. These thirty five foot trailers are mobile clinics that can get pulled via a truck. Everything they do in their building locations can also be done in their mobile units. The goal of the mobile units is to come to patients so they can get the adequate care they need without having to travel far.

It removes a barrier for them to get services, he said. Its our best attempt to get to people where they are it. Through the mobile clinics, the goal is to get patients connected to other clinics to get additional support.

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The $2.5 million in proposed funding for a Real Time Information Center for the Tulsa Police Department would pay for approximately 25 to 50 video cameras, 18 new employees and the hardware and technology necessary to get the facility up and running, Police Chief Wendell Franklin said.

It gives us what we need to get going, Franklin told the Tulsa World during a recent interview. It allows us an opportunity to try and prove that this will work for Tulsa.

The cameras will initially be used in high-crime areas, Franklin said, and the hope is to purchase more cameras and expand their use into other areas, including at special events that draw big crowds.

Its all going to depend on cost, Franklin said of TPDs initial camera purchase.

Mayor G.T. Bynum included the funding in his proposed fiscal year 2023 budget, which would have to be approved by the City Council at least seven days before the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.

The goal is to have the Information Center operational by next June.

Bynum and Franklin have said they see the cameras as force multipliers that can help keep Tulsans safe during a time when police departments across the country are struggling to retain officers and grow their workforces.

What we are trying to do is to look at: How can we create a sustained reduction in crime in a specific area? Franklin said. We know that we can put officers out there, and we know that when officers are there, crime is reduced because there is a patrol car. People arent going to sell drugs or have a shootout with a cop car being right there.

But when that car leaves, things return to normal. And so the question is: How can we sustain that and keep an area safe without having to be present all of the time? And we think that technology is a great way to do some of that.

Franklin said the Real Time Information Center will operate out of City Hall because it's unknown how long the Police Department will operate out of the Police Courts Building near Sixth Street and Denver Avenue.

The building has been in poor condition for years, and the citys Arena District Master Plan envisions removing it and putting a hotel in its place.

Ideally, we did want it here (at police headquarters), Franklin said, but its just cost prohibitive to invest millions of dollars into a building that we think may not be here. And so I think it is just trying to do what is best for taxpayer money and not make an initial investment into a building that is falling apart.

The 18 new employees will be civilians because the Police Department cant afford to move officers off their current assignments, Franklin said.

Franklin noted that sworn officers eventually will need to have a presence in the Information Center because police cannot act on misdemeanor crimes unless they are witnessed  in person or on real time video  by an officer.

The Police Department held a series of public meetings last month on its plan to install 25 license plate reader cameras in high-crime neighborhoods. The city is participating in a one-year national pilot program to test the effectiveness of the technology, which is being provided by Flock Safety at no cost to the city.

The license plate readers are expected to be installed soon.

After the pilot program is over, the city could choose to purchase license plate readers and incorporate them into the Real Time Information Center, Franklin said, but he stressed that the still image cameras are different from the 25 to 50 video cameras TPD plans to purchase as part of next year's budget.

It takes a photo of the tag, and it takes a photo of the vehicle, Franklin said of the Flock cameras. So we know that it is a red vehicle, and we know that here is the license plate, and the person in the Real Time Information Center verifies that that plate did read accurately and then can dispatch an officer to the area to look for the red vehicle.

That is totally different from the other cameras. The other cameras are just cameras, PTZ  pan, tilt, zoom. They can run all the time.

Franklin said he understands that some people dont like the idea of the government using cameras to monitor residents' actions, but he noted that camera systems are commonly used by police departments across the country as well as by businesses and homeowners.

There is not a place that you can go when you leave your house that you are not on someones camera, whether that is a business or an individual homeowner or someones car, he said. So this is all out there; this is technology that is out there.

The cameras will be marked as TPD equipment and in most instances will have lights attached to ensure that the public knows where the cameras are and to whom they belong. Some cameras might not have lights if the light could create problems near an intersection, for example, Franklin said.

In addition, the Police Department  as it did last month for the Flock cameras  will meet with neighborhood residents before cameras are installed.

The way Las Vegas put it is, they really had a very open process, and that is what we want for us, as well, he said. They allow the media to go into their locations, and theyve shot video in there. We want to do the same thing.

Bynum and Franklin have indicated previously that they intend to work with organizations such as the ACLU or others to create policies for the Real Time Information Center that protect residents privacy and civil liberties.

Franklin said the video camera system the city plans to purchase for the Information Center is designed to ensure that footage cannot be used improperly by those with access to it.

The software that we are looking at to run these systems, they have auditing software in them so you cant do something and not leave a trail, he said.

The videos themselves, Franklin said, will be stored for no more than 14 days.

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China has freed up the coastal piggyback system for shipping of foreign trade containers between ports within China, enabling foreign logistics giants such as A.P. Moller-Maersk and Orient Overseas Container Line to plan first voyages by the end of this month, analysts said on Monday.



The move highlights China's willingness to further its opening-up policy, they said.

Meanwhile, the administrative committee of Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone said at a news conference on Monday that China will introduce a container freight forward rate contract trading platform.

Despite a complex international situation and given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Shanghai has encouraged enterprises to resume production, and the business in the bonded zone has operated smoothly in the first quarter, the committee said.

"The new service (for shipping of foreign trade containers between ports within China) is expected to help cut the logistics costs for both exporters and importers, improve the utilization rates of container ships, and relieve the tightness of shipping capacity to a certain extent," said Zhou Zhicheng, a researcher at the Beijing-based China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

Jens Eskelund, China chief representative of Danish shipping and logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, said the permission for foreign carriers to carry out international relay is very welcome news and represents a tangible step for foreign carriers in China toward achieving market access on reciprocal terms.

"International relay will allow us to improve services, giving our customers more flexibility and options for their shipments. We are preparing the first shipment in Yangshan terminal in Shanghai, together with the Lin-gang Special Area Administration and other relevant stakeholders," Eskelund said.

Hong Kong-based Asia Shipping Certification Services Co Ltd has been officially approved to carry out statutory ship inspection work in the Lin-gang Special Area as the first inspection agency that is not incorporated in the Chinese mainland.

In March and April, the daily average container throughput in Yangshan terminal reached 66,000 and 59,000 twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs, each accounting for 90 percent and 85 percent, respectively, of the average level seen in the first quarter.

"Despite the recent resurgence of local COVID-19 cases, operations at ports have been relatively stable. With more companies resuming their business in late April, operations are foreseen to improve further this month," said Lin Yisong, an official of the Lin-gang Special Area Administration.

As of Sunday, 193 companies operating in the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone, or 85 percent of the total, had resumed operations. About half of total employees who work in the bonded zone arrived at their workplaces physically.

"The coastal piggyback system will help boost logistics capacity, improve efficiency and provide more business opportunities for global companies to further expand their market presence in China," said Bai Ming, deputy director of international market research at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

"The move is more advanced than the coastal transportation policies being practiced in some countries. Major economies such as the United States and Japan have not opened up coastal transportation for global shipping firms yet," Bai said.

China's total imports and exports of goods expanded 1.9 percent year-on-year to a record 32.16 trillion yuan ($4.77 trillion) last year, despite a worldwide slump in shipments due to the pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden and Italian Premier Mario Draghi met in the Oval Office on Tuesday for a visit intended to showcase allied unity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it also provided a window into divergent approaches to the conflict.

Draghi said leaders should work toward the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting, again, some credible negotiations. He added that in Italy and Europe now, people want to put an end to these massacres and this violence, this butchery."

Biden did not echo Draghi's comments, and U.S. officials appear openly skeptical that there's a way to restart talks at this point.

Avril Haines, Bidens director of national intelligence, testified earlier Tuesday that both Ukraine and Russia believe they can make progress on the battlefield at this point, so we do not see a viable negotiating path forward, at least in the short term.

She also said Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared for a prolonged conflict.

The different tones over Ukraine reflect Italys geographic proximity to the war and deeper economic ties to Russia, which provides 40% of the countrys natural gas. Theres also growing skepticism in Italy about sending weapons to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been ramping up its military assistance for Ukraine with bipartisan support from Congress, and administration officials have used more aggressive rhetoric when talking about the war. For example, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently said the U.S. wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Biden and Draghi still emphasized their two countries' deep ties and their work on Ukraine.

Youve been a good friend and a great ally, Biden said, adding that the allies had all stepped up to confront Russia.

Draghi responded by saying, The ties between our two countries will always be strong. And if anything, this war in Ukraine has made them stronger."

Echoing comments that Biden has often made, Draghi added that Putin thought he could divide us. He failed.

Ali Wyne, a senior analyst with the Eurasia Group, said shock-induced unity can be difficult to sustain" as the war continues.

Geography means that the escalation of tensions between NATO and Russia poses a more immediate threat to Europes security than to Americas  and means, therefore, that de-escalation is a more pressing imperative for Brussels, he said. In addition, the more pronounced the externalities of the war become, including energy disruptions and food insecurity, the more pressure the American public and European publics are likely to place on their leaders to make a renewed push for a negotiated settlement.

Associated Press staff writers Colleen Barry in Milan and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Tornado season is here which has us thinking how people react to bad conditions.

Kim Klockow-McClain from the University of Oklahoma studies how people respond to severe weather alerts, and joins us to discuss the risks of over-warning and how social media has impacted the communication of critical weather information.

Klockow-McClain is a research scientist and Societal Applications Coordinator with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) at the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

Her research involves behavioral science focused on weather and climate risk, and specifically explores the effects of risk visualization on judgment, and perceptions of severe weather risk from place-based and cognitive perspectives.

Before joining CIMMS/NSSL, Klockow-McClain was a UCAR Postdoctoral Researcher and Policy Advisor at the NOAA OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality. She completed her undergraduate education at Purdue University and graduate education at the University of Oklahoma.

About the Across the Sky podcast

The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by 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.

Listen now: Our 'potcast' returns, crypto for your 401(k) and tornado season  The latest episode of Here Weed Go! looks at marijuana initiatives as well as the economics of pot. Also, is crypto a good idea for your retirement savings?

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A highly touted makeover of the states system for issuing drivers licenses and vehicle registrations is only Gov. Kevin Stitts signature away from implementation following final adoption by the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday.

House Bill 3419, by Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, would combine components of the Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Tax Commission into a new division within the Office of Management and Enterprise Services called Service Oklahoma.

Service Oklahoma will administer functions associated with drivers licenses, state identification cards and motor vehicle registrations and oversee the states private tag agencies.

The long-term objective is to bring the issuance of other state documents, such as copies of birth certificates, under the Service Oklahoma umbrella. This years legislation, though, addresses only functions currently performed by tag agents and drivers license examiners.

Stitt and others say the reorganization will result in better service for taxpayers.

Current personnel from the Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Tax Commission will move to the new entity, as will budgets for those functions. Total staffing is not expected to change much, but $18.6 million for one-time costs will be required, according to a House analysis.

HB 3419 and two related bills all passed with little opposition. All would become law upon Stitts signature.

Also Tuesday, the House passed and sent to the governor an elections reform bill that makes no major changes but would forbid candidates from mailing absentee ballot applications to voters using campaign or office letterhead.

HB 3321, by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, also would require the state to have in place by Jan. 1 a new unitary integrated voting system capable of reporting official election returns of each election by precinct, including, but not limited to, all votes cast in person and by absentee.

Oklahoma and Tulsa counties currently can tabulate absentee ballots only countywide, which became an issue for some after the sharp uptick in absentee ballots cast in 2022.

HB 3321 also would provide for private, in-person voting for the visually impaired and would codify some current practices.

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Motor vehicle owners whose cars and trucks have been targeted during the rash of catalytic converter thefts of recent years no doubt believe the perpetrators are deserving of a special place in Hades.

That being beyond its purview, the Oklahoma Legislature created a special place in the criminal code.

House Bill 4373, by Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, was among a half-dozen measures given final approval and sent to the governor by the House of Representatives on Monday.

The bill specifies that stealing "tires, wheels, and catalytic converters" is third-degree burglary, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

The new law would become effective Nov. 1 if signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Although HB 4373 was not debated or discussed Monday, a few members have in the past pointed out that stealing tires, wheels and catalytic converters is already illegal, but Ford said some authorities think the law needs more specificity.

Current law classifies "breaking and entering" vehicles for the purpose of theft as burglary. Apparently some have argued that stealing tires, wheels and catalytic converters doesn't actually involve breaking and entering, only lifting and taking.

HB 4373 addresses that by adding to the definition the words "climbs under, or uses any jack stands or any other item to raise a" vehicle.

Also Monday, the House passed and sent to the governor Ford's HB 4374, the Stephen Bernius Memorial Act.

Bernius was a Tulsa homeowner who was murdered last year by boarders in his home after he could not get a protective order against them because they were not relatives. HB 4374 addresses such situations.

One bill the House did not adopt was Speaker Charles McCall's HB 3349, which would suspend the state sales tax on groceries for two years beginning July 1. Instead, on Monday the House rejected Senate amendments  which were not substantive  and sent the bill to conference committee, a procedural move that dumps HB 3349, with its $287.2 million-a-year price tag, into the bubbling pot known as budget negotiations.

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Dr. Do Van Khanh, aged 33, is among the top 30 young scientists in the U.S. Now she has published more impressive studies regarding the development of early diagnostic tools for Alzheimer's and other common diseases in Vietnam.

After receiving the National Institute of Health (NIH) award for the top 30 young scientists in neuroscience in the U.S. in 2020, Dr. Khanh was invited by the NIH to work and received research support from the institutes development fund.

However, she opted to return to Vietnam to teach and research in the hope of forming her own research group on lipidomics and its applications in the country.

Now she has become the leader of a potential research group at Phenikaa University.

Early diagnosis of Alzheimers based on eye retina

Khanh returned to Vietnam in April last year when the fourth wave of COVID-19 began hitting the country.

Her research on Alzheimers started with a study about early detection of the disease based on abnormalities found in the retinal layer of the eye.

The results of this study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific journals in the U.S.

She also carried out research in collaboration with Swedens Karolinska Institute, a global leading medical research institute that is responsible for setting up a council to select scientists who win the Nobel Prize in Medicine annually.

One impressive study undertaken by Khanh is the use of bioactive lipids (lipid mediators) derived from DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) as nasal drops to help slow the progression of Alzheimers disease.

This method is believed to be a widely applicable therapy as it does not invade the body of the patient.

The results of this study were published in the Nature  Communications Biology scientific journal in March this year.

Her most recent study is on early screening of memory loss through the use of tools to analyze lipidomics in the cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimers patients in Sweden at different stages

This study was published in the Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology journal last month.

Professor Bazan, Khanhs mentor, said: This tool helps detect the risk of the disease 20-30 years before the symptoms of memory loss develop. Thanks to that, treatment therapies could be timely provided to help slow down the progression of the disease, prolong the lifespan of the patient, especially help them retain the best memories with their loved ones.

Coming home to fulfill dreams

I got back to Vietnam during the peak of the pandemic, so when I saw Phenikaa University posting a job advertisement, I spent time researching about the school and decided to apply, she said.

Dr. Do Van Khanh can be seen in her laboratory in the U.S. in this supplied photo.

With the support of the Faculty of Medicine, the Department of Science and Technology, and colleagues, I finished a project to develop a research team, proposed to build a laboratory, and connected with international scientists to create new avenues of research, Khanh continued.

Studying and living in the U.S. for nearly a decade, Khanh wishes to return to Vietnam to share knowledge she has acquired with the younger generation.

Aside from her research goals, she also teaches at the universitys Faculty of Medicine and other faculties under the health sciences department.

Prof. Dr. Pham Thanh Huy, principal of Phenikaa University, said he was impressed when reading Do Van Khanhs profile and the research results she had achieved during her time studying and researching in the U.S.

I shared with Khanh about obstacles that she could face when becoming the first person to open up a whole new avenue of research in the country, and I was surprised when she decided very quickly and determinedly to accept these challenges, Huy said.

Prioritizing research on early detection of diseases for Vietnamese

Upon returning home, Khanh realized that the number of patients dying of cancer and heart disease in Vietnam every year was on the rise.

Therefore, she aspired to be able to develop and apply early diagnosis tools for the two terminal illnesses as soon as possible.

In the U.S., I attended many conferences on lipids and found that there has been a lot of research done.

As a pioneer, I hope to be able to connect with leading cancer and cardiovascular researchers in the U.S., Vietnamese scientists at home and abroad to support and join hands in the upcoming projects in my homeland, Khanh said.

Apart from that, Khanh and her colleagues studied the development of models on disease risk prediction and early diagnosis of these diseases by linking unchangeable factors (genomics) and temporal factors (lipidomisc) to optimize and improve the accuracy of the models.

Further, traditional analytical methods such as biochemistry, hematology and medical imaging will also be integrated to evaluate this disease prediction model.

I hope to inspire students with the learning spirit and passion for research, especially female students, so that they can be more confident and proactively participate in scientific research, said Dr. Do Van Khanh.

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COVID-19 vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months.

Executives at the biggest COVID vaccine makers including Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc said they believe most people who wanted to get vaccinated against COVID have already done so - more than 5 billion people worldwide.

In the coming year, most COVID vaccinations will be booster shots, or first inoculations for children, which are still gaining regulatory approvals around the world, they said.

Pfizer, which makes its shot with Germany's BioNTech SE, and Moderna still see a major role for themselves in the vaccine market even as overall demand declines.

Upstart U.S. vaccine maker Novavax Inc and Germany's CureVac NV, which is working with GlaxoSmithKline, are developing vaccines they hope to target at the booster market.

The roles of AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, whose shots have been less popular or effective, are expected to decline in this market.

"It becomes a very competitive game with companies battling it out with pricing and for market share, even for vaccines that are considered to be the best, like Pfizer and Moderna," said Hartaj Singh, an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co.

It is not known yet how many booster doses will be needed. Second booster shots are currently recommended in some countries for only a subset of the population.

It is also unclear if vaccine makers will sell a redesigned shot this fall and each fall afterward, as flu vaccine makers do to match circulating strains, and what impact that might have on waning demand.

Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said in an interview that adults who are still unvaccinated are unlikely to seek out shots now, more than two years into the pandemic.

It will be the already vaccinated who account for demand, Bourla said.

Moderna executives recently said those who would benefit from annual boosting include people over 50 and adults with other health risk factors or high-risk occupations, including healthcare workers.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel estimated this population to be around 1.7 billion people, or some 21% of the global population.

Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, which make messenger RNA vaccines that can be updated somewhat quicker than those from competitors, said they are developing vaccines targeting the Omicron variant of the virus.

A 50 years old and immunocompromised resident receives a second booster shot of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in Waterford, Michigan, U.S., April 8, 2022. Photo: Reuters

The United States and Western Europe - where about 600 million people are vaccinated - will remain important markets, but sales may be a fraction of what they have been, Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren said.

"The low hanging fruit is that 20%-25% of people who are so-called high risk for various reasons, and I think that is the population that is most likely to get it every year," he said.

That would be significantly less than the roughly 49% of adults in the United States and 62% of adults in Europe who have received at least one booster so far, or about 335 million people.

Analysts have forecast revenue of over $17 billion for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot and $10 billion for Moderna's in 2023, about half of the $34 billion and $23 billion they expect this year, respectively. Sales are expected to drop further from there.

The other players

Johnson & Johnson, whose vaccine has been limited by a side effect that causes rare but sometimes fatal blood clots, declined to comment on whether it plans to push its shot as a booster in the fall. In April, the company rescinded its 2022 COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast, citing uncertainty.

South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare, which makes J&J's shot in Africa, warned of weak demand.

Aspen CEO Stephen Saad in an interview said, "there is going to be a place for boosters ... but it is not at the volumes you had before."

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said in late April that its shot will still have a role in fighting the pandemic.

"We believe this vaccine still has a potential, it's very easy to administer and distribute," he said. "The volume in the future will be less because people probably will only need one booster per year and not everybody will take it."
The U.S. and Vietnam are constantly promoting their comprehensive partnership in diverse fields with a shared commitment to peace and prosperity, and the bilateral ties should be upgraded to a strategic level to match the current cooperation, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper said.

The ambassador made the statement in an exclusive interview with the Vietnam News Agency recently, ahead of Prime Minister Pham Chinhs week-long trip to the U.S. to attend an ASEAN - U.S. special summit in Washington, D.C. from May 11 to 17.

Our partnership is strong, and the breadth and depth of cooperation between our two great countries is making our partnership even stronger, Ambassador Knapper was quoted as saying.

He emphasized that the U.S. and a strong and independent Vietnam are working together in diverse areas like trade, development, education, healthcare, energy, and security, with a shared commitment to peace and prosperity.

Talking about his expectations of the future relations between the two countries, the ambassador commented that the U.S. - Vietnam partnership has never been better and, as the prime minister has said, Vietnam has never enjoyed higher international prestige.

Moving from a history of conflict and division, both nations have gradually built up a comprehensive partnership that covers political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties, as well as efforts to address war legacies, Knapper said.

It is a partnership that is strengthening each day and we sincerely hope to upgrade it to a strategic partnership," the diplomat said.

"We believe that 'strategic' more accurately describes the work we are already doing together."

He underlined that Washigton's Indo-Pacific Strategy and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework make it clear that this partnership and Vietnam are central to the U.S.s engagement in this vital region.

Commenting on PM Chinh's coming visit to the U.S., the ambassador said the premiers busy schedule for this trip represents the importance of the Hanoi-Washington relationship, including in health, education, security and defense, trade, and development.

The PM will meet not only with the U.S. leadership but also with private sector partners who are leading the way in innovation, digital transformation, and green production, Knapper added.

Asked about the prospects for cooperation between the U.S. and ASEAN in the future, the ambassador said Washington will deepen its long-standing cooperation with the bloc by launching new high-level engagements on health, climate and environment, energy, transportation, and gender equity and equality.

The U.S. remains the number-one investment partner in ASEAN member countries, he stated, adding that the U.S. is also a proud partner of Vietnam within the grouping.

Vietnam is a major player on the world stage, as evidenced by its successful two-year term on the United Nations Security Council that just ended, the ambassador commented.

The U.S. has worked with Vietnam on a series of issues related to the shared goals of regional and global peace and prosperity, with Washington's support for Hanoi's deployments to UN peacekeeping missions being a prominent example.

We are proud of our work with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center to help provide equipment, training, and exchange expertise with Vietnamese peacekeepers, Knapper stated.

In respect of economic and business relations, Vietnam - U.S. bilateral trade neared US$113 billion in 2021, up 26 percent from 2020, despite COVID-19, the ambassador said.

Enterprises from both sides have invested, and will continue to invest, billions of dollars in each other's critical sectors that impact peoples lives, such as healthcare, energy, technology, and infrastructure.

The U.S. has been a strong partner for Vietnam throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the former having donated nearly 40 million doses of vaccines to the latter, said the diplomat.

We are very proud of these efforts to save lives not just in cities, but in far-reaching rural towns and provinces, Knapper said.

In addition, the U.S. is also a solid and committed partner to help Vietnam achieve its ambitious COP26 goals, including the target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, he added.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

COVID-19 Updates

-- Vietnams Ministry of Health documented 2,175 COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the national tally to 10,678,359, with 9,322,165 recoveries and 43,057 deaths.

Society

-- Three people were killed after a boat carrying six people capsized in Da Ton Lake in southern Dong Nai Province on Monday afternoon.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee has given a nod to a proposal of competent authorities to stop leasing an anti-flooding pump on Nguyen Huu Canh Street as the road is no longer susceptible to inundation following its upgrade.

-- A 65-year-old man from south-central Phu Yen Province has gone missing for over a month after he went to a local forest to look for agarwood, local authorities confirmed on Monday.

-- The bodies of a six-year-old boy and his four-year-old sister were found along a canal in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday evening after they went missing for several hours.

-- The number of children with hand-foot-mouth disease in Ho Chi Minh City recorded last week increased by nearly four times compared to the average of the previous four weeks, according to the citys Center for Disease Control.

-- Police in northern Thai Binh Province confirmed they had broken up an online gambling ring with transactions accumulating to about VND6.6 trillion (US$287.5 million) from 2018 to 2022.

-- Police in south-central Binh Thuan Province coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security on Monday to examine the swimming pool of a local resort where an 11-year-old Japanese boy drowned last week.

Business

-- Vietnam earned $3.57 billion from aquatic exports in the first four months of 2022, posting a year-on-year increase of 43.7 percent, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying.

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An inspection team has examined the swimming pool of a resort in Phan Thiet City, in Vietnams south-central Binh Thuan Province, to clarify the cause of death of a Japanese boy who died while bathing in the pool last month.

The examination was conducted by the provincial police and the Institute of Criminal Sciences, under the Ministry of Public Security, at the pool of the Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne on Monday morning.

More than a month ago, Hanawa Yukiji, an 11-year-old boy from Japan, died in the facility on April 5.

The municipal Procuracy and other agencies concerned were also present in the inspection.

Hanawa, along with his family, arrived in the resort on the morning of April 5 for a vacation, Huynh Thi Anh Thu, the boys Vietnamese mother, said.

At 10:00 am the same day, the boy and three other children were playing in the part of the pool intended for kids.

After swimming for about 35 minutes, Hanawa was found by his friends drowning in the pool.

After being brought out of the pool, the boy was found to have suffered suffocation from the water and cardiac arrest, along with many bruises seen on his back and arms.

The family took the boys body home and notified the deadly incident to the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City.

After the incident, the provincial police asked for an autopsy of the victim.

They also requested the aforementioned institute to conduct a scene examination to clarify the cause of the fatality, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

In a diplomatic note issued to Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations, and the Public Security Department and the Peoples Committee of Binh Thuan Province, the Japanese Consulate General requested that appropriate measures be taken to shed light on the cause of death for the victims family.

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On Sunday, L'Oreal founded its first investment company in China, Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., Ltd., at Lingang Nanqiao Sci-Tech City in the Oriental Beauty Valley, Fengxian District, Shanghai.

Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oreal North Asia Zone and CEO of L'Oreal China, told China.org.cn that at present, they do face some uncertainties but have seen steady growth and have solid and long-term confidence in the Chinese beauty market. He also noted that over the past 25 years, L'Oreal has witnessed the Chinese market becomes more stable, more transparent, and fairer, and it has contributed to the entire world's prosperity.

"As the number one beauty group both in the world and in China, L'Oreal is committed to the co-evolution of the Chinese beauty ecosystem and the transformation of the global beauty industry," he said.

He added, "Our investment also firmly proves L'Oreal's undoubted commitment to Shanghai and the Chinese market, L'Oreal's sincerity to co-create with industry partners the ecosystem, and L'Oreal's confidence in the Chinese market. We will leverage all resources to continuously empower technology, promote consumption upgrades in Shanghai and China, enhance economic development capability, deliver innovative momentum to the global market, and simultaneously contribute to pursuing a better life for all Chinese people. Co-Evolution answers to the future."

L'Oreal, the world's largest beauty company, entered China in 1997. L'Oreal China is headquartered in Shanghai and currently has 31 brands and one R&I center in China, as well as two factories in Suzhou and Yichang, employing more than 14,000 people. Last year, the Shanghai-based China headquarters was promoted to North Asia's regional headquarters to oversee operations in China, Japan, and South Korea, which indicates China's vital strategic position for L'Oreal Group, Megarbane noted.

The newly established investment company will be dedicated to promoting China's open innovation through investing in innovative beauty technology, with support from BOLD (Business Opportunities for L'Oreal Development), L'Oreal Group's strategic innovation venture capital fund company, L'Oreal stated in its press release.

The company's executives and Shanghai's local officials attended the online signing ceremony, held at the "2022 Fengxian District Shanghai Online Business Importing and Online Contract Signing Conference." With this project, L'Oreal Group proves its long-term commitment to investing in China by becoming the first Fortune 500 company to invest in the country since the recent progress in fighting Shanghai's epidemic.

Christophe Babule, CFO of L'Oreal Group, said BOLD is "a key component" of L'Oreal Group's Beauty Tech Transformation and is committed to investing in high-growth potential innovative technology companies among marketing, digital, R&I, data, supply chain, packaging, and other areas. It aims to support the development of start-ups financially while providing access to L'Oreal's global ecosystem.

"China possesses a strategically important position for the L'Oreal Group. Our development during the past 25 years has proven that due to China's unique digital and technology ecosystem, China is not only a key growth engine but also one of the inspiration cradles of future innovation for the group. For the 25th anniversary of L'Oreal China, we bring in our open innovation investment, demonstrating our commitment to the Chinese market and our determination to empower the Chinese innovation ecosystem and accelerate its business application," he said.

"Fengxian is developing rapidly in southern Shanghai. Facing the upcoming new trends, we have been learning, planning, and winning in the new track as accelerating our evolution," said Zhuang Mudi, Party secretary of Shanghai's Fengxian district. "With a specific focus on the Oriental Beauty Valley together with L'Oreal's open innovation advantages as the industry leader, we will accelerate building the Oriental Beauty Valley Cosmetic City and making further contributions to establishing Shanghai as the International Consumption Center City as well as the Technology Innovation Center."

The cooperation with the Oriental Beauty Valley is an example of how L'Oreal promotes open innovation cooperation with its partners. L'Oreal initiated the BIG BANG Beauty Tech Start-up Challenge three years ago in China and co-supported the second edition with the Oriental Beauty Valley. They also cooperated with China International Import Expo (CIIE) and Business France to extend BIG BANG internationally. This program has already achieved results by attracting more than 1,000 domestic start-ups and more than 50 French start-ups to participate, together with more than 30 projects being accomplished. The program has become a benchmark for Sino-French cosmetic industry cooperation. The third edition was just officially launched in March.

Furthermore, with the support of the new investment company, L'Oreal said it would cooperate with more partners and talents in China to explore more potential innovative companies, nurture forward-looking innovations and promote their commercialization.
A man from Phu Yen Province, south-central Vietnam has been missing for over a month after he went to a local forest to look for agarwood.

Nguyen The Xuan, 65, hailing from Son Thanh Dong Commune, Tay Hoa District, lost contact with his family on April 8, Do Van Cap, the district chairman, confirmed on Monday.

On April 8, Xuan and three other people headed to a forest in My Lam Village, Hoa Thinh Commune to collect some fruits.

However, the man later separated from the group and said he would look for agarwood.

The other three people later returned home, while Xuan went missing.

A local resident recalled meeting Xuan in the forest when he was lost.

This person showed Xuan the way to a path leading to the village, but it is unclear why Xuan did not make it back home, chairman Cap elaborated.

Competent authorities exerted their best efforts to look for the man over the past days, but he is still nowhere to be found, the official added.

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Google featured a Doodle, a temporary alteration of the search engines logo, on its homepage on Tuesday to honor the 110th birthday of Dr. Ton That Tung, the innovative Vietnamese surgeon who revolutionized the approach to liver resection surgery for doctors around the world.

The doodle, illustrated by guest artist Chau Luong, demonstrated Dr. Tungs portrait and some highlights of his medical career.

Dr. Tung was born on May 10, 1912 in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa and grew up in central Thua Thien-Hue Province.

He was a surgeon renowned in the field of liver research and the author of the 'dry liver cutting method,' otherwise called the 'Ton That Tung method.'

Tungs innovative surgery method minimizes bleeding by tightening the hepatic veins before the operation, shortening the duration from three to six hours to only four to eight minutes.

His groundbreaking technique is known by surgeons globally for its ability to reduce blood loss and save countless lives.

Vietnamese surgeon Ton That Tung is seen in this file photo.

In addition, Dr. Ton That Tung published 63 works in French medical journals between 1936 and 1945.

He was given the title of Hero of Labor, Academician of the Academy of Medicine of the USSR, member of the National Association of Surgeons of the German Democratic Republic, Academician of the Paris Academy of Surgery, member of the Lyon Association of Surgeons, and member of the Algerian National Association of Surgeons.

Dr. Tung is also the former head of the Faculty of Surgery at the Hanoi University of Medicine and Pharmacy, training generations of talented doctors.

He held the position of Deputy Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and former director of Phu Doan Hospital, which is Vietnam German Friendship Hospital now.

Dr. Tung passed away on May 7, 1982 in Hanoi.

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Documentary Ithaka: A Fight to Free Julian Assange will screen in two parts on ABC in June.

Filmmaker Ben Lawrences portrayal of one fathers fight to save his son, captures the campaign to free Julian Assange. This also screened in cinemas as a feature.

Written and directed by the award-winning Ben Lawrence (Ghosthunter, Hearts and Bones), produced by Assanges brother Gabriel Shipton and with an original score by Brian Eno, Ithaka was filmed over two years across the UK, Europe, and the US, and follows 76-year-old retired builder, John Shiptons tireless campaign to save his son, Julian Assange.

The worlds most famous political prisoner, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has become an emblem of an international arm wrestle over freedom of journalism, government corruption and unpunished war crimes. Now with Julian facing a 175 year sentence if extradited to the US, his family members are confronting the prospect of losing Julian forever to the abyss of the US justice system.

This David-and-Goliath struggle is personal  and, with Julians health declining in a British maximum-security prison and American government prosecutors attempting to extradite him to face trial in the US, the clock is ticking.

Weaving historic archive and intimate behind-the-scenes footage, this story tracks Johns journey alongside Julians wife Stella Moris, as they join forces to advocate for Julian. We witness John embark on a European odyssey to rally a global network of supporters, advocate to politicians and cautiously step into the medias glare  where he is forced to confront events that made Julian a global flashpoint.

Ithaka provides a timely reminder of the global issues at stake in this case, as well as an insight into the personal toll inflicted by the arduous, often lonely task of fighting for a cause bigger than oneself.

A Shipton House Production. Principal Production funding by Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Produced by Gabriel Shipton and Adrian Devant. Written and Directed by Ben Lawrence. Executive Producer Roger Savage. Original Music by Brian Eno. ABC Manager of Documentary Stephen Oliver. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.

2x60mins Tuesday 7 June at 8.30pm on ABC with both episodes available to stream on ABC iview the same day.
Mark Riley hosts Sevens The Great Debate: The Final Showdown on Wednesday night between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.

The debate will also feature questions from The West Australians Federal Political Editor Lanai Scarr.

In an Australian television first it will feature The Pub Test to determine the winner. Seven has assembled a panel of approximately 150 undecided voters who will judge the debate and cast their votes live from pubs in seven marginal seats Macquarie in NSW, Chisholm in Victoria, Lilley in Queensland, Boothby in South Australia, Hasluck in Western Australia, Solomon in the Northern Territory and Bass in Tasmania.

Immediately following the debate, Michael Usher will anchor a special edition of Seven News, joined by Mark Riley, Lanai Scarr and Professor Simon Jackman  a leading expert on Australian politics, foreign policy, public opinion and polling.

They will cross live to the marginal seats to hear from Pub Test as a winner is announced.

9:10pm Wednesday on Seven, 7plus and The West Australian.
What compels a young college student to work all four years in the same department?

For Hannah Cola 22, this was one of the easiest questions she's encountered at the University of Dayton.

I truly found a family and support system at the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives, she said.

Following her graduation as a Criminal Justice and Security Studies major, with a minor in Political Science, Cola recalls her time at the Institute and her four years of work to serve the Global Church.

My parents are extremely Catholic, so I grew up going to church every Sunday, Cola said. I would participate in as many retreats and events as possible, so this was a good fit.

Cola assisted with many projects for the institute, especially those involving online classes for faith formation through the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation, where 7,000 adult students a year are deepening their faith online.

I think college was the best experience for my faith because I got to make it my own, and I feel my relationship with God is so much stronger now, Cola said.

As for her studies at the University of Dayton, Cola arrived here from Twinsburg, Ohio. She chose UD because of all the opportunities offered, including studying in Hawaii, interning at the Ohio Statehouse and the Montgomery County Prosecutor Office and working at the Institute.

I feel like I found a family at Curran Place (where the Institute is located)," she said, "and that has continued to prove to be true all four years.

Thank you, Hannah. You will be missed!

Hannah will be moving to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend law school at Elon University School of Law with aspirations of becoming a prosecutor. VLCFF online classes continue year-round. Check out our calendar for start dates and descriptions of three or five weeks e-courses.
By Aidan Mornhinweg '24, Haochun Ling '22

In late fall 2021, the University of Daytons Human Rights Center, its Mann Chair in Natural Sciences, and its Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, along with the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program undertook a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and human rights investigation at the request of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC). SJAC is a non-profit justice and legal documentation organization that monitors and reports on violations by various actors in the Syrian conflict.

For more than a decade, Syria has suffered from internal conflict that has been further complicated by the engagement of international players, including Iran and Russia (allies of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad), Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia (which support opposition forces against Assads government), and a U.S.-led multinational coalition. Between 2013 and 2017, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) controlled northern Syria, with Raqqa as their nominal capital. According to SJACs interactive map of ISIS grave and prison locations, approximately 6,000 bodies have been exhumed from dozens of mass graves created by ISIS in northeast Syria and retrieved from buildings destroyed by Coalition airstrikes.

The projects objective was to establish a satellite-based chronology of events surrounding the creation of eight mass graves in Raqqa city and province in northeast Syria which were initially identified through the exhumation efforts of the Syria Missing Persons and Forensic Team (SMFT). The work was intended to assist Syrian groups in identifying the victims from the exhumed remains, ensuring that families of the missing know the truth and ideally holding perpetrators accountable for the killings.

How did we join the GIS & HR project on Syria?

Aidan: I first learned about the project via a campus-wide email. I was curious about the opportunity to be trained in the use of GIS software and technology to identify potential human rights violations, particularly in Syria. The chance to get hands-on experience with new technology was what hooked me. After attending the first training session and orientation with the GIS team, I was confronted with the grim reality we would be researching mass graves, but that didnt daunt me.

Haochun: I am in my third year of law school at the University of Dayton and am interested in international human rights law and immigration law. I joined the HRC as a graduate student researcher. Part of my responsibility was to support the HRC in implementing this GIS project. I was very excited to join the project and attended the training on the application of GIS technology to human rights cases.

What have we learned?

Aidan: Since joining the project, I learned a lot about both GIS and the situation in Syria. Ive been working with an amazing team of student and professional researchers and human rights practitioners. The data we gathered is crucial for identifying persons who have gone missing due to violence and conflict caused by war and ISIS fighters in Syria. According to the data we received from SJAC, known missing persons included civilians as casualties of the war, ISIS fighters, prisoners from ISIS camps and soldiers from the Syrian army. The sites we were investigating are all located in northeast Syria, primarily the desert province of Raqqa and the city of Raqqa.

In this project, my task was to analyze satellite images and collect quantitative data. I was part of an image analysis team that consisted of two other members and me. Each member was assigned a section of images. At least two images were analyzed, one that revealed the first appearance of potential burial sites and one that indicated the most recent burial sites and soil disturbances. Doing this allowed us to make a timeline of events so we could pinpoint when and where potential burial sites emerged.

SJAC gave us a list of sites of interest, asking us to help establish a probable timeframe of when the mass graves were created as a means of assisting the search for missing persons. Exploring precisely what, how, and why someone was buried is the responsibility of our partners who have boots-on-the-ground connections and can confirm the accuracy of our data. As researchers, we collected data and quantified each data point as a point or object-of-interest to be investigated later by our partners. Thus, it was crucial we didnt speculate about the data we were quantifying. An example of the work I did with my team is below in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Site 24 in Tell Zeidan, near al-Hamrat just east of the city of Raqqa.

This example shows Site 24 which is a pre-existing mass grave site, with excavation work initiated on April 13, 2020 and continuing today. SJAC has reported 234 exhumed human bodies, of which most are believed to be missing soldiers from the Syrian Army (all bodies were young men in army uniform). Our team searched through an online archive of satellite images and established the most likely timeline of events concerning the creation of these mass graves, which was September 27, 2014 to November 25, 2020. As of 2014, I determined approximately 607 points-of-interest and approximately 1,032 points-of-interest by November of 2020. This means that between 2014 and 2020 there were 425 new points-of-interests. In Figure 1, nearly every visible depression, hole and mound is a potential grave or part of a larger network of graves. While I examined Site 24 from an aerial perspective, I utilized ArcMaps and supplemental software to precisely pinpoint potential graves by zooming in on them while retaining a very high resolution of the image. While in ArcMaps I created a digital layer that allowed me to collect data points on every potential grave by marking my image with thousands of annotations. These annotations can simply be small triangles, circles, or any shape that is embedded into the layer. This means that when I analyzed Site 24 there were over 1,000 different annotations that littered the image. The images used here dont show all the annotations, but the red arrows shown in Figure 1 are an example of the type of annotation.

Haochun: When I first signed up for the GIS project, I was very excited to explore this completely foreign study area. I took this opportunity to develop my technical skills, and traditional legal and writing skills as my research informed the human rights implications section of the brief analysis we produced. After the initial excitement, I became aware of the stakes of this work. Our GIS project is of great importance to the local Syrian families. As I marked up the mass graves on the map, I could visualize people buried in these graves, a representation of the atrocities of the war. As I pinpointed locations on the map, I could hear the "boom" of the bombs that destroyed so many families: mothers who lost their sons and daughters; wives who lost their husbands; and many children who lost their parents. The research I did on the human rights implications helped me acquire knowledge about the practical implications of the war and human rights violations in Syria, which has broadened my worldview. It also strengthened my goal of contributing to the protection of human rights after graduation.

The potential value of our work

Our project's work to establish a satellite-based chronology of events surrounding the creation of eight mass graves within Raqqa city and province was incorporated by SJAC in its latest report, Unearthing Hope: The Search for the Missing Victims of ISIS. We hope that our satellite imagery analysis will assist in identifying the exhumed remains, eventually allowing families to recover the remains of their loved ones and perhaps one day hold perpetrators accountable.

We encourage you to read our brief analysis, Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights: Analyzing Mass Graves in Raqqa, Syria, here.

Aidan Mornhinweg is a second-year undergraduate and Flyer Promise Scholar in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in History and minoring in Computer Science. At the Human Rights Center (HRC), Aidan works as an intern with the GIS and Human Rights Project. His interests in human rights focuses on people affected by local and global conflict, particularly wars, genocide, and other instances of mass violence inflicted against civilians and combatants alike.

Haochun Ling is in her third year of law school at the University of Dayton. Her focus is on international human rights law and immigration law. She joined the Human Rights Center as a graduate student researcher. She intends to utilize her understanding of immigration law and international human rights law after her graduation in 2022 to assist persons in the process of getting US immigration benefits or to assist asylum seekers in the United States.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, May 09, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ARCO) ("Arcos Dorados" or the "Company") today announced its intent to redeem $123,000,000 of its outstanding 6.625% senior notes due 2023 (the "Notes"). A notice of redemption will be sent to the holders of the Notes in accordance with the requirements of the indenture governing the Notes (the "Indenture"). Pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, the Notes will be redeemed at a redemption price equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, and (2) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semiannual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the applicable Treasury Rate (as defined in the Indenture) plus 50 basis points, plus in each case accrued and unpaid interest (including Additional Amounts, if any) from March 27, 2022 to, but excluding the redemption date.

The anticipated redemption date is June 10, 2022.

This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, the Notes or any other securities in the United States or any other country, nor shall it or any part of it, or the fact of its release, form the basis of, or be relied on or in connection with, any contract therefor.

About Arcos Dorados

Arcos Dorados is the worlds largest independent McDonalds franchisee, operating the largest quick service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has the exclusive right to own, operate and grant franchises of McDonalds restaurants in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories with more than 2,250 restaurants, operated by the Company or by its sub-franchisees, that together employ over 90 thousand people (as of 03/31/2022). The Company is also committed to the development of the communities in which it operates, to providing young people their first formal job opportunities and to utilize its Recipe for the Future to achieve a positive environmental impact. Arcos Dorados is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ARCO). To learn more about the Company, please visit the Investors section of our website: www.arcosdorados.com/ir.

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Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often are proceeded by words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," "assumes," "will" or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements contained herein include statements about the Companys intentions, beliefs or current expectations, and include, but are not limited to, those regarding the Companys strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, including such statements related to the terms, timing and completion of the redemption of the Notes. These expectations may or may not be realized. Some of these expectations may be based upon assumptions or judgments that prove to be incorrect. In addition, Arcos Dorados business and operations involve numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Arcos Dorados, which could result in Arcos Dorados expectations not being realized or otherwise materially affect the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of Arcos Dorados. Some of the factors that could cause future results to materially differ from recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements are described in Arcos Dorados filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Arcos Dorados does not undertake any obligation to (and expressly disclaims any obligation to) update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date such statements were made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, and the potential for variation of actual results from the assumptions on which certain of such forward-looking statements are based, investors should keep in mind that the results, events or developments disclosed in any forward-looking statement made in this document may not occur, and that actual results may vary materially from those described herein, including those described as anticipated, expected, targeted, projected or otherwise.

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Contacts

Investor Relations Contact

Dan Schleiniger

VP of Investor Relations

Arcos Dorados

daniel.schleiniger@ar.mcd.com

Media Contact

David Grinberg

VP of Corporate Communications

Arcos Dorados

david.grinberg@mcd.com.uy
A logo of Equinor, formerly known as Statoil, is seen at the company's headquarters in Fornebu

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian oil major Equinor said on Tuesday it had agreed to sell its 7.6% stake in Norway's giant Ekofisk field as well as a 19% stake in the Martin Linge field to private equity-backed Sval Energi.

"The agreement includes a cash consideration of $1 billion and a contingent payment structure linked to realised oil and gas prices for both assets for 2022 and 2023," Equinor said in a statement.

Sval, which is owned by private equity firm HitecVision, said the deal adds output of 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) to its portfolio, putting the company on track to reach overall production of 100,000 boed in 2023.

Equinor said it will no longer have any ownership interests in the greater Ekofisk area but will retain a 51% ownership share in Martin Linge and continue as the operator of the field.

Divesting from Ekofisk, where ConocoPhillips is the operator, allows Equinor to redirect capital to other core areas of it business, the company said.

Adding Sval as a partner in Martin Linge makes further scope for value creation, Equinor added.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
Company Logo

Global Backscatter X-ray devices Market

Global Backscatter X-ray devices Market

Dublin, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Backscatter X-ray Devices Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Type (Handheld and Non-handheld), Application (Customs and Border Protection, Law Enforcement, Airport/Aviation, Military and Defense) and Geography - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The backscatter X-ray devices market was valued at USD 132 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 174 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2027.

The key factors driving the growth of the backscatter X-ray devices market include increase in number of terrorist attacks and illegal immigration, increasing deployment of security solutions at public gathering spaces, rise in smuggling of narcotics, and reduction in passenger waiting time.



The backscatter X-ray devices market includes major Tier I and II manufacturers and distributors such as Rapiscan Systems (US), Nuctech Company Limited (China), Viken Detection (US), LAURUS Systems, Inc. (US), Scanna MSC Ltd. (UK), Autoclear LLC (US), and Tek8, Inc. (US). These companies have their manufacturing facilities spread across various countries across North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. A number of scheduled product launches and related developments have been postponed due to the pandemic. However, the impact of COVID-19 is expected to reduce during the forecast period.



Non-handheld segment to account for the largest share of backscatter X-ray devices market during the forecast period



On the basis of type, the backscatter X-ray devices market has been segmented into handheld and non-handheld. The handheld segment of the backscatter X-ray devices market is projected to witness a higher growth rate than the non-handheld segment owing to the increasing acceptance of handheld devices globally due to low-price and portability.



Customs and border protection application to account for the largest share of backscatter X-ray devices market during the forecast period



On the basis of application, the backscatter X-ray devices market has been segmented into customs & border protection, law enforcement, airport/aviation, military & defense, and others. The customs & border protection segment is projected to account for the largest size of the backscatter X-ray devices market from 2022 to 2027. The fast and effective features of backscatter X-ray devices in scanning people, baggage, and vehicles are fueling their demand in the customs and border protection application segment.



APAC to account for the largest growth of backscatter X-ray devices market during the forecast period



Among all regions, APAC is expected to register the highest growth in the backscatter X-ray devices market during the forecast period. The market in APAC has been classified into China, Japan, South Korea, and the Rest of APAC. The market in APAC is mainly dominated by China and Japan as the majority of players have their presence in these countries. In the recent times, several countries in APAC have experienced terrorist attacks, such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and others, which has compelled the governments in these countries to upgrade their security measures by investing a significant amount in developing and installing advance and multi-technology security systems.

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Thus, the backscatter X-ray devices market is expected to grow at the highest rate in APAC region. There is a huge threat of terrorist attacks, and civil unrest/community riots in countries such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Philippines. To curb terrorism, governments in various nations have laid down multiple policies and have adopted advanced security measures for homeland security, and at airports and seaports. Moreover, many public events and gatherings that are likely to take place in APAC countries will boost the demand for backscatter X-ray devices market in APAC.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

4.1 Opportunities in Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market

4.2 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market, by Type

4.3 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market in North America, by Application and Country

4.4 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market, by Country

4.5 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market, by Application

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics for Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Increase in Number of Terrorist Attacks and Illegal Immigration

5.2.1.2 Increasing Deployment of Security Solutions at Public Gathering Spaces

5.2.1.3 Rise in Smuggling of Narcotics

5.2.1.4 Reduction in Passenger Waiting Time

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Privacy Concerns Associated with Backscatter X-Ray Body Scanners

5.2.2.2 Health Concerns Related to Use of Backscatter X-Ray Devices

5.2.2.3 High Installation and Maintenance Costs

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Technological Advancements in X-Ray Screening Systems

5.2.3.2 Development of Low-Cost Products

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Inclusion of Artificial Intelligence for Digital Transformation of Security Applications

5.2.4.2 Improving Effectiveness of Existing Scanners

5.3 Value Chain Analysis

5.4 Tariff and Regulatory Landscape

5.5 Ecosystem Analysis

5.6 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.7 Technology Analysis

5.7.1 Multi-Energy Backscatter X-Ray Technology

5.8 Case Study Analysis

5.8.1 Viken Detection Helped Us Customs and Border Protection (Cbp) Agency in Securing Southern Border

5.9 Trends and Disruptions Impacting Businesses of Customers

5.10 Pricing Analysis

5.11 Patent Analysis

5.12 Trade Data

6 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market, by Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Handheld

6.2.1 Portability and Flexibility Features of Handheld Backscatter X-Ray Devices to Fuel Their Demand

6.3 Non-Handheld

6.3.1 Ability of Non-Handheld Backscatter X-Ray Devices to Identify Contraband Items Without Making Physical Contact to Increase Their Demand

7 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market, by Application

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Customs and Border Protection

7.2.1 Growing Adoption of Handheld Backscatter X-Ray Devices by Customs and Border Protection Agencies

7.3 Law Enforcement

7.3.1 Increased Adoption of Backscatter X-Ray Devices by Law Enforcement Officers During COVID-19 Period

7.4 Airport/Aviation

7.4.1 Increased Deployment of Backscatter Devices at Airports and Aviation Centers

7.5 Military and Defense

7.5.1 Growing Use of Backscatter X-Ray Devices for High-Risk Security or Explosive Detection

7.6 Others

7.6.1 Industrial

7.6.2 Mining

7.6.3 Ports

7.6.4 Event Security

8 Geographic Analysis

9 Competitive Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.1.1 Introduction

9.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win

9.2.1 Overview of Strategies Adopted by Key Players in Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market

9.3 Market Share Analysis of Key Players in Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market in 2021

9.4 Backscatter X-Ray Devices Market: Company Footprint

9.5 Competitive Scenario and Trends

9.5.1 Product Launches

9.5.2 Deals

10 Company Profiles

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Key Players

10.2.1 Rapiscan Systems

10.2.2 Nuctech Company Limited

10.2.3 Viken Detection

10.2.4 Laurus Systems Inc.

10.2.5 Scanna Msc Ltd.

10.2.6 Autoclear LLC

10.2.7 Tek84, Inc.

11 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cpgqxj

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You are here: China

A train loaded with herbs from Dong Dang in northern Vietnam arrived in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Sunday, marking further cooperation in the Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The train carried more than 95 tonnes of Jixueteng, or Caulis Spatholobi, worth nearly 480,000 yuan (about 71,400 U.S. dollars), according to the Pingxiang port authority in Guangxi.

The ASEAN is a significant import and export market of TCM products. Cardamom and senna leaves from Indonesia, Caulis Spatholobi from Vietnam, and Scaphium scaphigerum from Thailand are well-received herbs among Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises.

China exports TCM products such as extracts, healthcare foods, and herbal medicines to ASEAN countries.

Guangxi, as a vital gateway for the exchange and cooperation of traditional medicines between China and the ASEAN and a major channel for TCM herb imports, has seen a rapid increase of TCM herbs imported from ASEAN countries in recent years.

Customs data showed that the region imported over 6,809 tonnes of TCM herbs from ASEAN countries in 2021, an increase of 329 percent from a year ago.
The graphic body cam video shows Quadry Sanders being shot multiple times while following the officers commands

Two former police officers with the Lawton Police Department in Comanche County, Oklahoma, are charged with first-degree manslaughter for killing an unarmed Black man during a shooting that was caught on camera.

Police released the disturbing body camera footage that shows former Lawton police officers Nathan Ronan, who is white, and Robert Hinkle, a Black man, fatally shooting Quadry Sanders on Dec. 5, the New York Times reports. The cops were responding to reports of a protective order violation when they shot Lawton 12 times near N.W. 18th St. and N.W. Lincoln Ave.

No mother wants to outlive their child. #QuadrySanders unarmed with his hands up, was shot 12 times and killed by the police in December 2021. With todays release of video footage, his mother will be mourning on a day set aside to celebrate moms. pic.twitter.com/Hr8m50pWIZ  Community Justice Action Fund (@CJACTIONFUND) May 7, 2022

According to a statement issued by Lawton Police Chief James T. Smith, the caller said Sanders was waving a gun inside the residence at 1806 N.W. Lincoln Avenue. He also allegedly refused to let one of the residents leave, local news station KSWO reported. When the two responding officers arrived at the scene, they requested that Sanders come out of the house. Once he exited the home, police claim that during their confrontation with Sanders he was shot.

The Lawton Police Department posted the bodycam footage on their YouTube page here. (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)

The video shows Sanders following the officers commands and raising his hands multiple times. Each time his hands go up, he is shot by both officers. Once Sanders falls to the ground, arms still raised, hes shot again. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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Quadry Sanders (KSWO)

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the district attorneys office concluded that the shooting of Quadry Sanders was not justified, District Attorney Kyle Cabelka said in a statement to KSWO.

Ronan and Hinkle were fired from the police force in January after an internal investigation into Sanders killing was launched. Six months after Sanders death, both men are now facing criminal charges.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the parents and those in our community who lost a loved one in Quadry Sanders, Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said in a statement Friday, adding that the loss of life in our community is always a difficult matter to grasp.

Attorney Lee Merritt is representing Sanderss family, and he noted on Instagram that he couldnt find a single redeemable factor that mitigates any aspect of this shooting.

It was just murder, Merritt added. There was no justification.

Sanders leaves behind eight children.

According to multiple reports, Ronan was cleared of killing a Black man named Zonterious Johnson less than a year ago.

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

The post Former Oklahoma police officers charged with manslaughter in death of man shot 12 times appeared first on TheGrio.
The leaders of France and Germany have reiterated Europe's full support for Ukraine. This comes as members of the UN security council prepare to meet for the 16th time since the Russian invasion to address the worsening situation.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Ukraine has the "full support" of Europe as they visited Berlin's symbolically important Brandenburg Gate on Monday,

Asked about the message he wanted to send with the leaders' visit, Macron replied "full support for Ukraine" as he and Scholz approached around 200 people gathered nearby.

Some were draped in Ukraine's blue and yellow national colours and chanted the name of "Mariupol", a southeastern Ukrainian city that has been devastated by Russian air strikes.

The Brandenburg Gate formed a central part of the wall that separated east and west Berlin. It symbolised the Cold War's "Iron Curtain" that divided the world into capitalist and communist blocs.

Macron's visit coincided with Europe Day. Among the other issues discussed was the question of admitting new members into the European Union was discussed.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed Macron's suggestion for a wider European club of countries beyond the EU that could include Ukraine or Britain, rather than pursuing a fast-track membership process that "could take decades", according to Macron.

Deterioration of humanitarian situation

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to hold a new public meeting on Thursday on Russia's war in Ukraine, in light of the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation, diplomats said.

The session, requested by France and Mexico, will be the 16th held by the Security Council since the Russian invasion of 24 February as part of an effort by western states to maintain pressure on Russia, which as a permanent member of the council has the power to block measures it disapproves of.

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France and Mexico have requested briefings from the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), a diplomat said.

The meeting comes after the bombing at the weekend of a school in eastern Ukraine, in which 60 civilians were killed, according to Kyiv.

It will be held on the same day as an extraordinary session in Geneva of the UN Human Rights Council, requested by Ukraine, on "the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine."

The new Security Council meeting will follow the adoption last Friday of a unanimous Security Council statement, initiated by Norway and Mexico, offering "strong support" to the UN Secretary General in his search for "a peaceful solution" to the conflict.

That first demonstration of unity since the invasion began won the support of Moscow, which had hitherto blocked the initiatives of the Security Council.

World War II measure

Meanwhile, as Russia stepped up its fight to seize Ukraine's east over the weekend, US President Joe Biden resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other powerful Western materiel.

The United States has sent some $4 billion in military aid to Ukraine already but "caving to aggression is even more costly," Biden said as he signed the act, passed with unusual bipartisan support.

The Pentagon also said Monday it has seen indications that those caught up in Russia's invasion are being forcibly removed from their homeland.

"I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about statements from Kyiv that some 1.2 million Ukrainians were being sent across the border and placed in camps.

Russian forces intensified their fight in Ukraine's east and fired missiles over the port city of Odessa on Monday.

The southern city was hit by a series of missiles, destroying buildings, setting ablaze a shopping centre and killing one person, its city council said, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

(with wires)
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane looks at play Credit: PA Images

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has warned Liverpool not to sell Sadio Mane amid links with Bayern Munich.

The Senegal international has been key to the Reds success that has seen them win the Champions League and Premier League in recent seasons, while helping them to a shot at an unprecedented Quadruple this campaign.

Mane has scored 21 goals in 47 appearances this term for Liverpool who are currently three points behind Man City in the Premier League title race, while they are in the Champions League and FA Cup finals after already winning the League Cup.

Big Midweek: Spurs v Arsenal, Gerrard faces Liverpool, Leeds, City depleted in defence

There was a report last night that insisted Mane  who is out of contract in 2023  is the subject of interest from German champions Bayern Munich as they look to improve their forward line ahead of next season.

The contract extension talks between Liverpool his representatives have become difficult and the Bundesliga giants are hoping to make the most of the situation.

A Spanish newspaper has also claimed today that Mane has set his sights on a dream move to Barcelona in the summer if he leaves Liverpool.

However, Jordan thinks Liverpool should do everything they can to keep hold of him after more impressive performances this term.

Jordan said on talkSPORT: If it isnt broke then dont fix it. Mane is an outstanding player and you dont let him go anywhere.

Why would Mane want to play for Munich over Liverpool? Im sure there will be a group of German fans saying because we are going to win the league and were this that or the other.

Its about the economics of what hes being paid then theyll have to match those expectations, or theyll have to replace him.

He will be very difficult to replace. You are going to replace what you bought him for from Southampton all those years ago, because hes a really, really good player.

They just won the Africa Cup of Nations and Liverpool are on the cusp of doing something very significant. I dont think it will be the quadruple, but theres a distinct possibility they will do the treble.

They dont need to break this up.

The article Jordan explains why Liverpool cant afford to let Mane go anywhere amid Bayern Munich links appeared first on Football365.com.
Ben Davis in action on his only competitive appearance for Oxford United Picture: Ric Mellis

OXFORD United midfielder Ben Davis scored a penalty as Thailand Under 23s thrashed Singapore Under 23s.

The 21-year-old converted the spot-kick on the stroke of half-time in the Southeast Asian Games Group B fixture.

It helped seal a 5-0 win for Thailand as they went top of the table after two matches, having lost 2-1 against Malaysia on Saturday.

READ MORE: Oxford United winger leaves club by mutual consent

Davis lived in Singapore as a child and represented the country at Under 16 and Under 19 level, before he was conscripted for national service aged 18.

His application to defer was denied, so he was considered a defaulter when he did not report for national service.

Davis chose to represent Thailand, the country of his birth, in October 2019. He joined United from Fulham on a two-year deal on summer transfer deadline day 2021.

The midfielder then sustained an ankle injury while playing for Thailand Under 23s against Mongolia last autumn.

He started the 1-1 draw on October 25, but was forced off before the break.

It came after Davis made two ten-hour flights to join up with his country, first from London to Bangkok and then from the Thai capital to Mongolia. He then had to isolate in Germany before returning to the UK.

The youngster made one club appearance in 2021/22, as a late substitute in Uniteds Papa Johns Trophy defeat to Stevenage in October.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said celebrating the centenary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) is to encourage its members to forge ahead on the new journey to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CYLC in Beijing.

A nation that places high hopes on its youth and maintains its youthful vigor can prosper, said Xi.
With such an application, about 1 billion people can have an opportunity to access bank capital.

Solution for millions of financially invisible people

Nguyen Trang, who has an an online business in Hanoi, needs capital to invest in securities, but she cannot borrow money from banks as she cannot prove her income.

Ritz Tahamata, a driver in Indonesia, needs 10 million IDR (VND16 million) to buy a car to work as a Grab driver, but he doesnt have assets to use as collateral for loans.

Kalpit Agate, a farmer in India, needs 70,000 INR (VND21 million), to prepare for a new crop, but he doesnt have a credit history.

They are among the 90 percent of of total population in four countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, India and Indonesia, who cannot access bank loans because they cannot prove their solvency. They are hired workers and freelancers, and are described as financially invisible.

In such a situation, big data companies can persuade banks to entrust such people and provide loans to them, because the companies can analyze their data. The data includes daily consumption behavior, phone usage behavior and shopping behavior.

The data gives a picture of the trustworthiness of every person and a mark. With this method, 1 billion people can receive marks, or a credit rating, and have opportunities to access banks micro capital.

We help the banking system appraise 25-30 million loans a year. The value of each loan is $800 on average. The refusal rate is just 20 percent, and most of the cases have a bad credit history, said Nguyen An Nguyen, CEO of Trusting Social.

Digital banking

The rating is based on the power of Big Data and AI. One bank officer working with a high capacity can only handle 50 dossiers a day, but AI can read citizens behavior with a calculation capability 20 million times faster than humans. And unlike humans, AI is unbiased when considering credit applications.

The Masan Group has completed an investment agreement worth $65 million to buy 25 percent of shares of Trusting Social, a subsidiary in Vietnam of Trust IQ Pte based in Singapore. The deal shows its ambition to access clients in rural areas, where there are fewer financial services available and people cannot meet the requirements for bank loans.

With a plan to access 1 million clients who dont have bank accounts, Nguyen Dang Quang, President of Masan Group, said in 2022 the business will deploy digital banking kiosks, allowing consumers to top up, withdraw money and access financial products such as credit cards and insurance.

Offline sale points will act as service points and online information portals, ensuring connections between people and ordered services. A bank will also participate.

Vietnam Banking Associations Secretary General Nguyen Quoc Hung said that commercial banks are promoting the development of retail banking services (deposits, accounts, loans and credit cards) on digital platforms. There are multi-utility distribution channels, such as mobile banking, internet banking and QR Code that help clients easily access and use services anytime and anywhere.

A report found that non-cash payment activities achieved high growth through the Internet in 2021, up by 48.8 percent in quantity and 32.6 percent in transaction value. The number of people using payment methods via mobile phones rose by 76.2 percent and QR Codes by 87.5 percent.

A McKinsey survey on personal financial services in 2015-2021 of 20,000 people in 15 countries in Asia Pacific found that in 2021, 82 percent of individual clients in Vietnam used digital banking, an increase of 41 percentage points, and 75 percent of clients used both digital banking and physical branches.

Le Hong Viet, CEO of FPT Smart, said commercial banks are competing with each other in technological solutions to create business advantages. AI is present throughout all banking operations, including client exchanges and credit activities that help officers perform more effectively.

Deputy Director of the Payment Department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Le Anh Dung noted that consumer behavior is changing and this has forced banks to change.

Its expected that non-cash payment value in Vietnam will be 25 times higher than GDP by 2025. State management agencies estimate that non-cash payments in e-commerce will reach 50 percent, and 80 percent of people aged 15 and higher will have bank accounts.

Tran Chung
The fake Molnupiravir medicine discovered in Switzerland.  Photo courtesy of the Drug Administration of Viet Nam

HA NOI  Vietnamese authorities on Tuesday announced that fake Molnupiravir discovered by Swiss Customs could not be traced back to the address in Viet Nam that was printed on the label.

Swiss Customs discovered the fake Molnupiravir medicine had labels with this part on the label "Manufactured by Cong ty TNHH, Chi nhanh 1 so 40 dai, P. An Phu, Tx. Thuan An, Tinh Binh Duong, Vietnam", with mixed Vietnamese and English phrases.

Huynh Minh Chinh, deputy director of the Binh Duong Department of Health, said that after receiving the information, the department launched an investigation, which showed there is no such address in the province.

The counterfeit Molnupiravir 400mg medicine was found in Switzerland in the form of hard capsules, with 20 tablets per bottle.

The case was transferred to the police for further investigation.

On May 5, the Drug Administration of Viet Nam, under the Ministry of Health, received a notice from the World Health Organisation about the fake Molnupiravir discovered in Switzerland.

Its labels, printed in Vietnamese, said the drug was produced by a company in Binh Duong Province.

Laboratory testing in Switzerland said that the drug did not contain the active ingredients it claimed. The medicine is an antiviral COVID-19 treatment drug.  VNS
A vehicle pulling up to State Highway 6 at Woodway Drive on Monday would see three orange-and-black signs stating that road work along the highway continues for three miles, the right lane is closed and utility work looms.

It was as if the Texas Department of Transportation was rubbing it in.

Make no mistake, the $55 million mall-to-mall project will inflict pain on motorists and businesses alike. Webber, the Houston company upgrading I-35 through Waco, is streamlining that stretch of State Highway 6, also called West Loop 340, between Richland Mall and Central Texas Marketplace.

The work is meant to improve traffic flow along the corridor that includes car dealerships on Wacos Motor Mile, as well as the Legends Crossing mixed-use development, and the Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center.

An entrance to Allen Samuels Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat, at Broad Avenue and Loop 340, appears to have lost a shoving match with a rock slide.

Today is the first day they closed Broad down, and it will stay closed maybe a week, said dealership general manager Ted Teague. Theyre doing a pretty good job of making us accessible, but closing Broad down makes it inconvenient for all the businesses behind us, Shelton Plumbing and Darden Building Supplies. But communication between contractor, the city and us has been really good. We get forewarning of whats going to happen.

Teague said not all dealerships must endure having heavy equipment parked in their driveway, digging and stirring up dust, but he doubts any business along West Loop 340 will escape unscathed as traffic patterns change.

I know Mr. Karr has been affected, said Teague, referencing Richard Karr Motors at 900 W. Loop 340. Where theyve been trenching out a ditch in front of my place, theyve been trenching in his parking lot. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Sales in general, were good. Business is good. Were selling roughly 200 new and used cars month in and month out, making a nice living. Were keeping the sales people happy.

Karr Motors did not return calls seeking comment.

James Barron, general sales manager at Jeff Hunter Toyota, 1440 W. Loop 340, said other than a couple of wrecks life in the construction zone has remained uneventful. He said he did not know if the accidents were related to construction, but believes the project benefits dealerships long term.

Oh, absolutely, he said. It will make life simple for us.

The project will add continuous frontage roads, add U-turn bridges, reconfigure entrance and exit ramps, and reconstruct existing bridges, according to a TxDOT press release explaining its design and goals.

These are all good changes that need to happen. Weve seen a lot of accidents on that road, and we hate to see people getting hurt, said Claire McDonald, president of Bird-Kultgen Ford, 1701 W. Loop 340. Our business is great. Waco is growing, and were growing right along with it.

Though the project carries the mall-to-mall name, Richland Mall and Central Texas Marketplace are not really the main characters, John Habermann, a Texas A&M Transportation Institute research engineer, told the Tribune-Herald. Habermann has served as a consultant to TxDOT since 2013.

Movement between the two malls will pretty much stay open the whole time, Habermann said. The most concentrated work will involve construction bridges over railroad tracks for the new service roads. Once this is complete, traffic wont have to get on Highway 6, then immediately get off.

They can stay on the service road from Bagby Avenue to Waco Drive.

TxDOT spokesman Jake Smith provided updates Monday, saying in an email the contractor is making significant progress as they continue work along State Highway 6. The U-turns at Bagby Avenue are set to be complete in early June, providing increased mobility for traffic in the area.

Smith said crews will work at night, and motorists can expect closures within the project corridor the next few weeks related to completing U-turns.

Next week, the contractor will begin drainage work along Exchange Parkway that will last through May and into early June, Smith said. Wacos new Amazon fulfillment center is located at 2000 Exchange Parkway. It will employ a thousand people making at least $15 an hour when it opens.

Asked about keeping business informed, Smith said, TxDOT reaches out to impacted businesses on a weekly basis. The utility work within the project corridor is being conducted by the city of Waco, and the city and TxDOT communicate regularly to coordinate on the various work being performed.

The project is scheduled to continue through early 2024.

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Tornado Remembrance Walk

Waco Walks will host a Tornado Remembrance Walk at 6 p.m. Wednesday starting from the tornado memorial at Fourth Street and Austin Avenue. Baylor University libraries spokesperson Eric Ames will retrace the path through downtown of the May 11, 1953 tornado that killed 114 people and share some of the facts, stories and legends associated with the storm.

MCC graduation Tuesday

McLennan Community College will host its spring commencement at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Universitys Ferrell Center. Harrison Keller, commissioner and CEO of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will give the keynote speech.

For more information, call Highlander Central at 254-299-8622.

Type 2 diabetes class

Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes, a program for people with Type 2 diabetes, begins a five-week session Tuesday at the McLennan County Extension Office, 4224 Cobbs Drive.

Classes will be held Tuesdays through June 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The classes are free of charge.

For more information, call 254-757-5180 or email Colleen Foleen at colleen.foleen@ag.tamu.edu.

Aluminum can fundraiser

The Waco-McLennan County Retired Teachers Association will hold a drive-by event from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday to collect aluminum can pull-tabs, childrens books and membership renewals on the sidewalk behind Stilwell Retirement Residence on Lake Haven Drive, behind West Waco Library and Target.

Waco Confederate Veterans

Waco Sons of Confederate Veterans meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Poppa Rollos Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive.

For more information, call 254-717-1186.

Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com.
During their 20 years in control of the Texas Legislature, Republican lawmakers have steadfastly worked to chip away at abortion access.

Bound by the limits of Roe v. Wade, which stopped them from enacting an outright ban on the procedure, lawmakers got creative. They required abortion clinics to have wide hallways and deputized private citizens to sue providers in an effort to shut down facilities that offer the procedure.

Future lawmaking on the topic will likely not require such ingenuity. A leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion, published last week by Politico, suggests the court will reverse the landmark abortion ruling in the coming weeks, allowing states to regulate abortion as they see fit. Texas has a trigger law that would make performing an abortion a felony, which would go into effect 30 days after the Supreme Court overturns Roe.

Their decadeslong goal achieved, Republican lawmakers said theres still work to be done. Texas GOP leaders and members of the Legislature said it is now time to turn their attention to strengthening the social safety net for women and children and investing in foster care and adoption services.

It only makes sense, said Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands. The dogs caught the car now.

At least some of the more conservative members of the House said they also want to ensure strict enforcement of the abortion ban and to prevent pregnant Texans from seeking legal abortions in other states.

I think I can speak for myself and other colleagues that align with my policy beliefs  well continue to do our best to make abortion not just outlawed, but unthinkable, said Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus.

Texas already has an arsenal of statutes to punish virtually anyone involved in the procurement of an abortion, said University of Texas at Austin law professor Liz Sepper. These include last years Senate Bill 8, which empowers private citizens to sue anyone who abets an abortion after six weeks of gestational age, as well as unenforced pre-Roe abortion statutes criminalizing a person who gets the procedure, which the Legislature never repealed  some dating to the 1850s.

If Roe is overturned, theres already a criminal ban, theres already an aiding and abetting ban, theres already a ban on mailing medication abortion, Sepper said. In terms of laws ability to change behavior, theyve almost filled all the gaps  with the exception of criminalizing the pregnant person involved in an abortion.

Cain said he has a particular interest in going after abortion funds, which seek contributions from donors to help defray the cost of out-of-state trips for pregnant Texans to receive the procedure, citing a state law that prohibits furnishing the means for procuring an abortion.

In a March letter to one such group, the Lilith Fund, Cain threatened to file a bill in the coming legislative session that would empower district attorneys to prosecute abortion-related crimes across the state even when local authorities refuse to do so.

Attempts to prohibit individuals from contributing to abortion funds would likely violate the First Amendments protections on free speech, said South Texas College of Law Professor Charles Rocky Rhodes.

Helping people go get abortions is going to be one of these difficult questions thats going to arise in a post-Roe world if a legislature tries to criminalize the ability of a pregnant person to get an abortion someplace where its legal, Rhodes said.

Cain said he is in discussions with fellow Republicans about other abortion-related legislative priorities but that it is premature to discuss them. The next legislative session is scheduled to begin in January.

Texas Democrats, who are vastly outnumbered at the Legislature, characterized the leaked opinion as bleak but said they would not stop fighting for access to abortion.

This will only power our fight to codify the right to abortion at the federal level, Hannah Roe Beck, the Texas Democratic Partys co-executive director, said in a news release. Its more important than ever that we elect leaders who are ready to put everything on the line to get this through Congress. We cannot tolerate anything less.

An effort in Congress to do this, however, failed to pass the Senate in February. Another vote scheduled for this week is also expected to fail.

Austin state Rep. Donna Howard spoke of expanding the safety net in terms of pregnant Texans who still will be seeking abortions.

How do we provide enough health care to those who we are going to be forcing to have pregnancies and carry them to term? Howard said. Its more going to be a focus, I think, on that now, if theres a way to look at how people can access medication abortion that is a way to get around the law.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a staunchly conservative Republican, said in a statement Tuesday that the Legislature would continue to strengthen adoption programs in the state.

"Texas has led the way to protect innocent life in the womb, and we will continue to do so moving forward in the Texas Senate, Patrick said.

Gov. Greg Abbott did not respond to questions from The Texas Tribune about abortion-related legislative priorities for the coming session in January. House Speaker Dade Phelan said in a statement that he was confident the Legislature would rise to the occasion and redouble our commitment to maternal health care in our state.

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, the author of SB 8, did not respond. He posted on Twitter on Thursday that Texas would lead the way in a post-Roe world.

Republicans have good reason to avoid discussing enforcing Texas pre-Roe laws, said Renee Cross of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston: A full abortion ban is broadly unpopular with voters.

Just 15% of respondents in a University of Texas at Austin poll released this week said they support prohibiting all abortions. More troubling for Abbotts reelection bid this year, Cross said, is the fact that a majority of independents said they believe abortion should be available in most circumstances.

The Republican Party has been able to rely often on independent voters, but not on this issue, Cross said. We saw some Republican voters, particularly suburban women, not vote for President Trump in 2020. A lot of those women will probably think twice about voting for Gov. Abbott.

Other Republican lawmakers spoke about pitching nonpunitive measures in the upcoming legislative session. Toth said if abortion is outlawed in the state, Republicans in the statehouse will focus on expanding social programs to help pregnant women and their children.

Now more than ever, the pro-life community and legislators need to step up and make sure we help out women in a crisis pregnancy, he said. It means prenatal care, helping them stay in school. It means making sure that we help women once the baby is born, it means adoption services.

Toth said the expansion of safety net programs would be a moral response to the outlawing of abortion in the state. Such an expansion would require an increase in state funding for adoption services, foster care and welfare programs, which Republicans have been hesitant to support in the past. But Toth, a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus, said he believes GOP lawmakers would now support the increased funding.

Joe Pojman, executive director of the anti-abortion group Texas Alliance for Life, said he would also support an increase in funding for the Alternative to Abortions program, which the Legislature funded with $100 million this two-year budget cycle. The program pays a far-flung network of nonprofits  many of them ardently anti-abortion  for counseling, classes on prenatal nutrition and newborn care, and the provision of baby items.

But Pojman says lawmakers need to better promote the program so more pregnant people have access to it.

For a lot of women who find themselves pregnant, they dont even know that those exist, he said.

State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, who is a member of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, said he would support an increase in funding for social safety net programs for pregnant women and young children.

He said hed push for an increase in Medicaid coverage for low-income new mothers. That coverage was increased last year from 60 days to six months, but experts had recommended extending it by a whole year.

House lawmakers agreed to extend it by a year, but the Senate brought the coverage back down to six months during final negotiations in the 2021 legislative session.

We have to now work really hard to help these new moms and these new babies, Capriglione said. Im going to be pushing for it.

But Republicans are also preparing for a protracted fight with Democrats in Congress who will be reenergized to push for access to abortion at the federal level.

This is not going to go away, Toth said. Nothing really changes.

Rhodes, the South Texas law professor, said the potential overturning of Roe could also weaken federal protections ensuring access to contraceptives. He said states could consider reclassifying emergency contraception such as Plan B, the pill that prevents pregnancy by the delaying the release of an egg from the ovary, as forms of abortion.

Its pretty wide open, with how creative our Legislature has been lately, for creating additional restrictions on our reproductive freedoms, Rhodes said.

Disclosure: Politico, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Houston and its Hobby School of Public Affairs have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/09/texas-republicans-roe-wade-abortion-adoptions/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
With a near-total abortion ban looming in Texas, advocates and experts say the states support systems for low-income mothers and children are already insufficient  and wont easily bear an increase in need.

When you say social safety net in Texas, it sounds like a joke, said DAndra Willis of the Afiya Center, a North Texas reproductive justice group. Everything they could have set up or increased to protect people if they really cared, theyre not doing it here.

Pregnant women in Texas are more likely to be uninsured and less likely to seek early prenatal care than the rest of the country. Theyll give birth in one of the worst states for maternal mortality and morbidity. And low-income new parents will be kicked off of Medicaid sooner than in many other states.

This would make many Texans want to avoid pregnancy altogether. But learning about, let alone accessing, contraception can be a challenge in a state that does not require sex education and has narrowed family planning options in recent years.

Republican lawmakers, many of whom have focused on restricting abortion access in recent years, have said strengthening the states social safety net will now become a top priority. But advocates who have been working on these issues for years say any help will likely be too little, too late.

People fail to realize that this is bigger than abortion access, Willis said. Were going to be setting people up for generational poverty.

Maternal mortality in Texas

Texas consistently ranks in the 10 worst states for maternal mortality, in a country that already ranks worse than its peers in that category.

Maternal mortality and morbidity  death or serious illness or injury  disproportionately impact Black women. The states Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee found that Black women made up 31% of pregnancy-related deaths, but only 11% of live births.

The rate of severe maternal morbidity for Black women in Texas is nearly double that of white women, according to a study from the University of Texas.

This is the worst place and the most dangerous place to have a baby, said Willis. Its safer to get an abortion in Texas than it is to have a baby in Texas.

Willis also worries about a potential increase in pregnancy-related deaths and injuries as desperate people turn to self-managed abortion care.

One of the causes of Texas maternal mortality numbers, according to experts and advocates, is the states staggering rate of uninsured residents. Texas is one of just 12 states that has not expanded Medicaid and has one of the lowest eligibility standards in the country: A single parent with three children would have to earn less than $400 a month to qualify for Medicaid.

As a result, in 2019, nearly 1 in 5 Texans had no health insurance, double the national average. And the stats are worse for women of childbearing age  in 2017, more than a quarter had no health insurance, the highest rate in the nation.

Texas also has the lowest rate of women accessing prenatal care in the first trimester, according to an investigation from ProPublica and Vox. Babies are five times more likely to die if their mothers did not access prenatal care, according to the U.S. Office on Womens Health.

Pregnant Texans can qualify for Medicaid at a much higher income level  up to $4,579 a month for a single parent of three. As a result, half of all births in the state are financed by Medicaid, among the highest rates in the nation.

For years, that program covered women through pregnancy and two months postpartum. But last year, as part of the American Rescue Plan, the federal government allowed states to easily expand coverage through the first 12 months postpartum.

On the recommendation of the states maternal mortality task force, Texas House lawmakers approved a bill that expanded coverage to 12 months after birth.

It was the first time that there was that much bipartisan support for the issue, said Diana Forester, director of health policy for advocacy group Texans Care for Children. It was amazing. We were so excited.

But then the state Senate rolled it back to six months postpartum. While the feds automatically approved states that extended coverage to 12 months, the new six-month plan will require Texas to go through the lengthy and cumbersome waiver process.

Texas has not yet submitted the waiver application, according to Texas Medicaid Director Stephanie Stephens at a hearing last Thursday. While the state hopes to begin offering six months of postpartum Medicaid coverage in October, it will depend on when their waiver is approved.

She said the federal government has at least 120 days to review the waiver but weve seen waivers that they have not acted on for much longer than that.

Right now, due to the federal public health emergency, no one is being moved off of Medicaid when their eligibility expires. That declaration is set to end in July, though it could be extended, as it has several times already.

The choice to approve only six months of postpartum Medicaid expansion was a huge disappointment for maternal health advocates.

If you want healthy babies, youve got to have healthy mommies, Forester said. How do you have healthy mommies? You provide them coverage.

Access to contraception, sex education

Uninsured and low-income Texans who would prefer to not become pregnant also face challenges in accessing contraception and reproductive health care.

Starting in 2011, Texas began a yearslong effort to defund Planned Parenthood, in part by slashing the budget for womens health care and family planning.

By 2014, more than a quarter of family planning clinics in Texas had closed, most of which were not affiliated with Planned Parenthood. While some have reopened, access to contraception, cancer screenings, STI testing and other sexual health care remains much more sparse than it was before.

The remaining clinics that receive family planning funding from the state struggle to keep up with the demand for services.

This program has never left money on the table, said Erika Ramirez, policy and advocacy director for the Texas Womens Healthcare Coalition. We really want to ensure that lawmakers know that our womens health programs are  not currently meeting that need, and that need is only going to increase.

The states reproductive health care programs are additionally stretched, Ramirez said, because Texas is one of just two states that dont cover contraception on its Childrens Health Insurance Program. Teens on this program who want to access contraception have to go through the state-funded Family Planning Program clinics.

Thats an easy fix, said Ramirez. Theres actually evidence that this would produce cost savings for the state, and presumably if CHIP covers comprehensive care, to be able to access something as essential as contraception should be considered comprehensive care.

Texas has among the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, and the highest rate of repeat teen births  teens having multiple children before their 18th birthday. Texas does not require high school students to take sex education to graduate.

We cant get birth control. We cant get adequate health care. Were not given comprehensive sex education, so were not being educated on birth control or naturally preventing pregnancy, and now you cant get an abortion, said Willis. You take away all of this  and you dont have any plan in place.

Lawmakers and abortion opponents have argued that the plan, as it were, rests on the Alternatives to Abortion program, which the state has invested over $100 million into in recent years. The program funds a network of nonprofits intended to support people in continuing their pregnancies, often with little government oversight.

But even some of these programs say theyre unprepared to support the influx of need.

Vincent DiCaro, chief outreach officer of Care Net, told the Texas Tribune last week that the groups 82 Texas crisis pregnancy centers have not been able to keep up with demand since the state banned abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

We think crisis pregnancy centers are awesome, of course, he said. But if thats the only solution, were not going to have enough manpower to help all of the people who are going to need help if Roe v. Wade gets overturned.

Other barriers for new parents

These centers typically only offer material support, counseling or parenting classes through the early months of a babys life. But an unplanned pregnancy can have lifelong consequences for mother and child.

And many of the most significant changes that advocates are pushing for will have to come through future legislative action.

Texas does not require employers to offer paid time off of any kind, though federal regulations mandate that qualified employees be given 12 weeks of unpaid job protection offered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

Unlike neighboring New Mexico, which just debuted a program that offers a free year of child care to most families, Texas offers a limited child care scholarship program for children of low-income parents who are working or pursuing education.

And if the state decides that a parent cant adequately care for the baby they had as a result of an unplanned pregnancy, the foster care system intervenes. The state is in the midst of a decadelong lawsuit over its inability to adequately care for children in the foster system, often with troubling consequences.

Willis, with the Afiya Center, said children often end up in the foster care system because of circumstances far beyond their control  or the control of their parents. And whether those children are in foster care or at home with parents, many of those factors are only going to get worse.

You have young women who do not have control of their bodies to even access birth control, she said. And then these same women are living in areas that are food deserts, that are heavily impacted by air quality and environmental issues, that are dealing with poor school systems.

When she thinks about the systems in place to support low-income Texans who will have to carry their pregnancies to term as a result of the forthcoming abortion bans, she said she feels hopeless.

Black women in Texas have never had hope that any of this would come through, she said. And now it feels like were almost all the way back to square one.

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood, Texans Care for Children and Afiya Center have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/09/texas-abortion-law-medicaid-contraception/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
BRACKETTVILLE  After spending eight months in a Texas prison, Lester Hidalgo Aguilar walked into a small-town community center near the United States-Mexico border on Monday and waited for his trial to begin.

Sitting in a vast, warehouse-like chamber, he listened for hours as a team of attorneys winnowed down a jury pool of about 75 local residents to six. After a lunch break, Aguilar, the jury and a swarm of county employees and attorneys from across the state moved into the local courthouse to hold trial.

The court proceeding was a big event in this 1,600-person town in Kinney County, a rural border region about 100 miles west of San Antonio. With the popular local restaurant closed, a gas station clerk had to step behind the counter of the Subway during the courthouse lunch rush to help an overwhelmed employee whose coworkers were part of the jury pool.

In another time or place, such a spectacle wouldnt be thought of for a case like Aguilars. After all, the 39-year-old was accused only of a misdemeanor: trespassing on private ranch land.

But this case was unique among trespassing charges. Aguilar was the first migrant to stand trial in Gov. Greg Abbotts catch-and-jail initiative under Operation Lone Star, a multibillion dollar border security crackdown launched last March in response to a sharp rise in illegal immigration.

In an attempt to deter border crossings, state police have arrested more than 3,000 men in Kinney County on trespassing charges since July. The county accounts for the vast majority of Operation Lone Stars trespassing arrests, with migrants typically picked up on its many hunting ranches or at a remote railyard.

The mass arrests, funneled through the court system of a town used to handling a few dozen misdemeanors a year, caused a litany of problems. Errors and delays by the local prosecutor and judge have led to illegal detentions, and the trespassing initiative has led to constitutional challenges in both state and federal courts. Other pieces of Operation Lone Star have also faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike over deaths of Texas National Guard members and its ever-increasing price tag.

With the operations increasing backlash, as well as continuously rising levels of immigration, securing a conviction out of the first jury trial for the trespassing arrests wasnt necessarily about Aguilar. It was a win the state and the county needed.

Out of Kinney Countys more than 3,100 reported trespassing arrests through April, 860 men have pleaded guilty, typically after spending weeks or months in prison before their first court appearance. But Aguilars was the first trespassing case to go to trial, and the county wasnt taking any chances.

A large swath of local residents were called in to find six jurors. Three prosecutors sat on the bench at trial, and a fourth often stood up from the first row of public seating to whisper into their ears. And the case was heard by the areas felony-level judge, not the Kinney County judge, who typically handles misdemeanor cases.

Aguilar was arrested in September about 15 miles from the Texas-Mexico border. U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted him and more than a dozen other men walking in the remote ranch land and called in the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest the men under their new trespassing enforcement orders, according to the arrest report.

I dont think I ever have been as impassioned about trying a case in a long time, Tony Hackebeil, a San Antonio attorney who led the prosecution for Kinney County, told jurors about the low-level charge Monday.

Send that message, he added. Send the message to not just your community that you agree this should not be allowed to happen. But send a message as loud as you can to all of those people who are continually doing this. We just happened to pick Lester Hidalgo Aguilar.

Aguilars court-appointed defense attorney, Bryan Owens, pressed the jury to remember the migrants case was not about immigration laws or border enforcement.

A guilty verdict is not going to deter even one person from trying to cross the border, the attorney said.

This case was only about Aguilar trespassing, he argued, and the state couldnt prove Aguilar had breached a fence to enter private property. Owen also pointed out that the woman pressing charges was not the landowner, but the landowners sister.

Still, six jurors, all of whom had Spanish surnames, found Aguilar guilty of trespassing on a fenced ranch land Monday evening after deliberating for less than 20 minutes.

During jury selection Monday morning, the most vocal residents made clear they were sick of an increase in migrants crossing their properties. Some told attorneys their fences had been cut or gates left open, letting their livestock out. One woman reported her sisters house had been broken into. A man said his cattle were killed. And a handful expressed a general dislike of illegals.

After the jury was discharged, the Honduran national told the court that he was brought to the United States by his family when he was 6 and was raised in Florida. After a stint in jail in his early 20s, he said he was given the choice of voluntarily going back to Honduras or extended probation, and he left.

There, Aguilar said, he became a family man, eventually fathering five children. But he was forced to flee from political persecution about five years ago, he said, and sought asylum in Mexico. He was trying to stay in Mexico five years to gain citizenship so he could more easily apply for a visa into the United States, he said. But he fled to Texas after four years because he said he was being targeted by cartels.

While the judge weighed an appropriate jail sentence for his conviction, Aguliar showed what he said was a machete-inflicted scar on his forehead. He raised his hands to reveal only nine fingers, explaining his pinky was taken when he was kidnapped and tortured by cartel operatives.

State District Judge Roland Andrade gave Aguilar the maximum punishment for trespassing: a year in jail. But, against the wishes of the three prosecutors on the bench, Andrade declined to issue an accompanying fine, the maximum of which would be $4,000.

By Monday, Aguilar had already served about eight months of that jail sentence in the two state prisons Abbott cleared out to make room for Operation Lone Star arrestees. The migrant had remained in jail before trial, unable to post $1,500 in cash to bond out.

But it was not immediately clear how much longer Aguilar will actually serve. Many counties offer good time credit for misdemeanor jail sentences. In Kinney County, inmates are given a credit of three days for every one that is served, essentially turning a year sentence into four months in jail. But the sheriff was unsure how that would transfer to migrant detainees, as they are held in state prisons, not his jail.

Whenever Aguilar is released, Owens assured the court the end result will be the same. After a costly imprisonment and extensive trial procedure, he said the Honduran migrant will be deported.

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/10/texas-border-migrant-trespassing-trial/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
GRAND ISLAND  A 38-year-old Ravenna man was found dead Saturday night while in custody at the Hall County Jail, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Starkey was found guilty of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, possession of child pornography and the intent to take an image or video of a person without his or her consent following his arrest in August 2021 for recording two juveniles in the mens room at Menards in Grand Island, according to court records.
WEBSTER CITY  The last moments of Sgt. Jim Smiths life were captured on video.

On Tuesday, jurors watched the brief footage as the state began presenting evidence in the trial of Michael Thomas Lang, the man accused of shooting Smith with a shotgun during standoff at Langs Grundy Center home following a traffic stop for speeding and a chase in April 2021.

Smith, a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol and the lead for a patrol tactical team that went to detain Lang when he wouldnt come to the door, wasnt equipped with a body camera.

But a Grundy County sheriffs deputy who was providing cover near him was.

The footage shows officers standing inside Langs attached garage as they warned him there were about to send in a police dog and telling him he would get bit.

There is barking, some yelling, officers calling Mike and telling him to put his hands up.

Smith can be seen standing at the door to the house, his rifle raised. He backs up. The camera pans away as there is commotion. When it pans back, hes on the ground.

Shots fired, shots fired, send medical, send medical, an officer yells.

Assistant Attorney General Douglas Hammerand said deputies, trooper and police had announced their presence and had given Lang several opportunities to come to the door.

This case is about a senseless killing, he told jurors.

Sgt. Smith is in the lit garage.  As hes looking in that kitchen, the defendant is standing in the dark coming forward, Hammerand said.

He said Lang fired a 12-gauge slug into Smiths chest, the round impacting around the shoulder strap for his body armor, near the collarbone area and tearing into his lungs.

Sgt. Smith was able to get off, before he fell, two rounds from his gun, Hammerand said.

A second blast from the pump-action shotgun hit Smiths leg.

Another deputy fired a few rounds into the kitchen, missing.

Defense attorney Aaron Hawbaker told jurors Smiths death was tragic but didnt amount to murder.

He asked jurors to pay attention to the significant amount of time that passed between the traffic stop and when officers began to enter his house.

During that entire time while they are surrounding his house, not a shot comes out a window. No attempt to harm a peace officer, no shots going through doors, no shots going through walls, Hawbaker said. The first two (shots) were when that kitchen door was opened.  Two shots, nothing more.

He noted there was a second long lapse before officers began approaching with an armored vehicle and tried to rip the front off his house, and then there were two more shots.

Jurors also saw video from a second body camera Tuesday, this one showing what led up to the deadly standoff.

Officer Cody Niehaus with the Grundy Center Police Department said he was driving through town two hours earlier when Langs blue F150 pickup truck passed him on the towns main drag doing 38 mph in a 25 mph zone.

A chase ensued, heading out into the country at speeds of 90 mph. Niehaus said Lang pulled over on a gravel road, exited and walked up to the squad car telling the officer to shoot him.

Come on, boy, Lang told Niehaus as they struggled. Neihaus said he Tasered Lang, but Lang pulled out the barbs and they went to the ground with Lang ending up behind him with his arm around the officers neck.

I felt that my radio cord was wrapped around my neck. I wasnt able to see what was going on because the defendant was behind me. All I knew was I could not breathe. I honestly thought at the moment I was going to die, Niehaus said.

A passerby, Michael Dorothy of Waterloo, had followed the chase and intervened, giving Niehaus a chance to get to his feet. Sheriffs Deputy Samuel Broome pulled up, and Lang drove off.

Earlier in the day, the judge has ruled the defense attorneys cant ask witnesses about whether law enforcement had warrants when they went to Langs home.

Defense attorneys indicated they would like to argue self-defense.

The state countered, requesting that the defense be precluded from inquiring about warrants, noting they werent needed because the original encounter  a struggle with a police officer during a traffic stop  was witnessed by law enforcement.

The state also argued that the law doesnt allow for the resistance of an arrest.

In a tentative ruling handed down Tuesday morning, Judge Joel Dalrymple said the warrant issue was a matter of law for the court to decide and a not question to put in front of the jury.

Hawbaker asked if the defense could question witnesses if officers told Lang about any warrants or told him he was under arrest during the standoff.

The judge did allow for the defense to make offers of proof, which is testimony outside the presence of the jury, to allow the defense to make further argument and to preserve the record.

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WATERLOO  A Waterloo man pled guilty Monday to breaking into a womans apartment and threatening her with a knife earlier this year.

Julius Eugene Grulkey, 50, of 309 E. Second St., was arrested for first-degree burglary in the incident but pled to the lesser included charge of second-degree burglary. He agreed to waive a pre-sentence investigation and was sentenced to a 10-year suspended prison term with two to five years of probation. Fines were also suspended, but he will have to pay any restitution.

Authorities allege Grulkey forced his way into the womans apartment at 76 Mulberry St. shortly before 4 a.m. Jan. 30, punched her in the face and threatened her with a knife. Officers responding to the attack found Grulkey in the area of the building, and discovered two knives in his pockets.

Defense attorney Allen Richards said his client was entering an Alford plea.

He can admit that he was there. He cant admit to exactly everything happening there, he told Black Hawk County District Court Judge Andrea Dryer.

Initially, Assistant County Attorney Alisha Stach came with an agreement that Grulkey also plead as a habitual offender, meaning he would have a 15-year suspended sentence. Dryer objected to proceeding with the proposal because she said more information was needed to confirm alleged out-of-state felony convictions. Stach and Richards then proposed proceeding without the habitual offender enhancement, which reduced the suspended sentence to 10 years.

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CEDAR FALLS  The Schmidt Brothers will headline Spectrum JamFest on May 21 in downtown Cedar Falls.

The outdoor concert also will showcase local youth and school bands performing music ranging from rock, country and hip-hop to pop, metal, punk and alternative. Hours are from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at River Place Plaza, 100 E. Second St.

Admission is free, but donations are requested to benefit the UNI Spectrum Project. There will be a silent auction and raffle. Master of ceremonies is Gary Kroeger.

Rain location is Maucker Union on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

In addition, the Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitors Bureau will be celebrating the Cedar Falls Beer Trail in conjunction with National Bike Month. Information will be available on the Cedar Valley Trails and city trail systems and participating breweries and taprooms. Those attending the concert are encouraged to pick up their beer trail passport when making a donation to the Spectrum Project. The Spectrum Project is a movement, music, drama and art opportunity for children with differing abilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, hearing and vision impairments and Down syndrome. During the pandemic, children were unable to attend the program and create productions, said Kevin Droe, Ph.D., associate professor of music education.

We havent been able to have our in-person Spectrum Project since 2019. Weve done what we could to keep our kiddos connected with each other. We thought it would be fun to have an outdoor festival that could benefit the project. Lots of schools are starting modern bands in elementary schools, playing rock and country and other kinds of music. Its very artistic and the bands are very inclusive.

Schools were excited by the opportunity, Droe said. Theyre excited for these kids to have an opportunity play somewhere, especially the smaller communities.

Featured bands are from Denver Elementary School, Janesville Elementary and Middle schools, Excel and Hansen, Lincoln, North Cedar and Southdale schools, all in Cedar Falls.

The Schmidt Brothers are from Vinton. The three brothers performed with many bands for the last 15 years throughout Iowa before forming their own band. Stephen (vocals/drums), Sam (vocals/guitar) and Gabriel Schmidt (vocals/bass guitar) perform in a range of genres, as well as 1980s rock n roll.

I heard them play, just graduated from UNI, and they sound awesome. Theyre really good, and we thought for our first year hosting Jamfest, we needed a group that could play a lot of songs. The school bands will be doing one song each, Droe explained.

Hes anxious about once again providing children in-person opportunities beginning with registration Oct. 1 Rehearsals for a spring Spectrum Project begin in January.

The program provides children with artistic fun on Saturday mornings. There are opportunities for socialization and to practice communication skills, along with the putting on a show. UNI, Hawkeye Community College, Allen College and other students volunteer as Buddies during rehearsals to assist performers. Paid staff members design and direct the show and activities and keep the project safe and on track, said Droe.

These kids are like the rest of us. They have enthusiasm and creative spirit and want to be creative and have fun. Our goal is to let the community and greater society see that and welcome them.

He recognizes that some children liked it better being at home and being involved through Zoom calls to make art projects and have music and dance activities. So, we might continue something like that for kids who find it really hard to come in person. We want to keep that inclusive spirit.

There is a cost involved in the project; scholarships are available. For more information, visit spectrumproject.org.

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CEDAR FALLS  People tend to think dementia is just about memory loss.

However, after they visit the newly assembled Dementia Simulation House put together by Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh, a University of Northern Iowa gerontology professor, and her team, one hope is that myth and others will be debunked.

Dementia changes how you experience the world, said Eshbaugh.

Throughout the simulation, those completing daily household tasks in what is said to be your home wear vision-altering glasses, touch-altering gloves and headphones that cloud and intrude on ones thoughts with confusing noise.

We tend to think this is just about old people getting forgetful. Number one, its not just about old people. Number two, its not just about being forgetful, she added.

What makes Eshbaughs creation unique and possibly the first in Iowa, is that her simulation resembles not only the experience of someone who has dementia but who also continues to lives at home  which is four out of every five people with the condition  as opposed to inside nursing homes or memory care facilities.

A lot of (the other simulations) are transportable, she said. Its like someone comes with a briefcase with the equipment, and you do it in place of where you are, like in a conference room.

The ranch style home is located at 8712 University Ave. near the college campus and over time, more and more furniture and household goods have been donated and added to make it feel like someone actually lives there.

When I got a key to this house on Jan. 11, Eshbaugh said, all I had in this house was a couch and an ottoman. Now it is full. And we intentionally want it full. We want it a little bit cluttered. Maybe if you would go into your aunts or your grandmas house, it just feels like a normal Midwestern ranch home.

Art display, signs to be unveiled in remembrance of Waverlys Third Street SE 'Green Bridge' The iconic structure, which was a connection to the southeast part of the city, was removed at the end of last year after much debate about its fate.

Its intentionally not a dementia-friendly, Eshbaugh pointed out. That makes her cringe, but she knows the reality is that most who have the condition arent catered to.

She also notes the house will simulate various types of dementia. Alzheimers disease happens to be 60% to 80% of cases of dementia, according to Eshbaugh.

The house will be open indefinitely, at least through the summer and into next year, she said. Sessions are booked through May, with the first availability being in June. People can sign up online at: https://calendly.com/248/dementia-simulation-house-experience?month=2022-05.

A person is placed in the simulation with a group of four. If needing to book multiple individuals, Eshbaugh can accommodate.

After the simulation, her team will ask participants to describe their experience with one word or phrase on a sheet of paper. That sparks a conversation and questions around dementia.

The whole experience lasts about 40 minutes.

Eshbaugh said in the three months since the house opened in early February, there have been more than 300 people who have come through it.

One of the most influential people in putting together the experience was Kevin Dill, the former Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs director, who has been open about his life with Lewy body dementia.

He came over and put on the equipment and helped us out in terms of talking about what he experiences, she said.

Another goal has been building a sense of empathy within people.

She doesnt want it to be a negative experience, with people coming away saying: Dementia is horrible and I had no idea. Its about them reacting and responding to their experiences for the greater good.

Ive worked more and more in the dementia community and we talk a lot about how difficult it is to be a caregiver, and it is absolutely difficult to be a caregiver, she said. But we dont talk a lot about how difficult it is to have dementia.

This is a disease, where people will say: Its harder on the family. And sometimes I want to ask people, Well how do you know that? One thing I just want to try and do is increase empathy a little bit, and I want people to understand that there are very, very small and very easy things you can do to make the world a little bit more approachable and accessible for people who are living with dementia.

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Wartburg College will host a hymn festival, after celebrating the Wartburg Chapel's 25th anniversary of the Dobson organ.

The festival, "From Generation to Generation: Hymns for Life's Journey," will be on May 15 at 4 p.m. in the Wartburg Chapel. It is free for the public.

The festival will be led by Robert A. Hobby, a composer of more than 250 hymns. Hobby is the director of music at Trinity English Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Dobson organ was installed in 1996 by the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, saying it is particularly important for the two countries to better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship.

Xi noted the ongoing complex changes in the international landscape and the marked rise in difficulties and challenges for global security and development, and highlighted the pressing need to bring more stability and certainty to an age of instability and transformation.

Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence. Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship. This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, said Xi.

Xi stressed that China-Germany relations have seen high-quality development over the past five decades, during which the two sides have developed together and contributed to each other's success through deepening practical cooperation. This is essentially attributable to a commitment to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, a valuable piece of experience and important principle that should be upheld all along.

Xi said there is no change in China's commitment to developing ties with Germany; there is no change in China's sincere wish for closer cooperation with Germany; and there is no change in China's conviction that China and Germany can make greater differences together. It is important that the two sides stick to the keynote of dialogue and cooperation, make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and conduct dialogue in such areas as climate change, macroeconomic policy, financial stability, energy security, food security and the stability of industrial and supply chains, so as to further enrich this bilateral relationship.

The two sides should tap the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, and actively explore cooperation in new technologies including environmental protection, trade in services, artificial intelligence and digitalization. China is speeding up efforts to foster a new development paradigm, which means broader market opportunities for Germany and all other countries, he said.

The two sides should stand for true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, defend the UN's central role in international affairs, safeguard basic norms governing international relations, promote an open world economy, and make global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, Xi said.

Xi expressed his hope for Germany's active support for and participation in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, with a view to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences. China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU. The China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party. This is a strategic consensus that both sides must follow in the long run. It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust.

In face of geopolitical crises, the two sides need to advocate dialogue and cooperation and offset complex changes in the international landscape with the stability of China-EU relations. In face of challenges to post-COVID recovery, the two sides need to seek greater synergy between their development strategies, step up policy coordination, and promote the stability and growth of the world economy with the openness of China-EU cooperation. In face of global challenges, the two sides need to focus on areas that bear on the future of humanity such as climate change and sustainable development, and promote further development of global governance through their wide-ranging dialogue. Xi expressed his hope for Germany to play a positive role in the steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

Scholz noted the very good development of Germany-China relations in recent years, and called on the two sides to carry forward the good tradition and keep up the sound momentum of bilateral relations. Germany will work with China on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, maintain close communication and exchanges at all levels, ensure the success of the next round of inter-governmental consultation, have dialogue on maintaining stable global supply chains, macroeconomic policy coordination and other important topics, and step up cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and investment, climate change, COVID-19 response, health and medical care, and education and culture.

Germany welcomes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, which will bring more opportunities to Germany. Germany is prepared to enhance communication and coordination with China on the multilateral front and promote the sound development of Europe-China relations, he added.

The two leaders also had an in-depth and candid exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine. Xi stressed that China always stands on the side of peace and makes its conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter, and that China has been working in its own way to promote peace and defuse tensions. The Ukraine crisis has once again brought European security to a crossroads. It is important to make every effort to prevent the conflict from intensifying or magnifying to a point of no return.

Xi said the European side needs to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe, and promote a solution in a responsible manner. The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves.

China supports Europe in playing a positive role in promoting peace talks and in the eventual establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. China welcomes all international efforts conducive to promoting peace. Relevant parties need to support Russia and Ukraine in realizing peace through negotiations, Xi added.




ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments as Ukraines foreign minister appeared to suggest the country could expand its war aims.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces and even staging a counteroffensive, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion.

The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

One of the most dramatic examples of Ukraine's ability to prevent easy victories is in Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters remained holed up at a steel plant, denying Russia's full control of the city. The regiment defending the plant said Russian warplanes continued bombarding it, striking 34 times in 24 hours.

In recent days, the United Nations and the Red Cross organized a rescue of what some officials said were the last civilians trapped at the plant. But two officials said Tuesday that about 100 were believed to still be in the complexs underground tunnels. Donetsk regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said those who remain are people that the Russians have not selected for evacuation.

Kyrylenko and Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupols mayor, did not say how they knew civilians were still in the complex  a warren of tunnels and bunkers spread over 11 square kilometers (4 square miles). Others said their statements were impossible to confirm.

Fighters with the Azov regiment released photos of their wounded comrades inside the plant, including some with amputated limbs. They said the wounded were living in unsanitary conditions with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile remnants of bandages, without the necessary medication and even food.

In its statement on Telegram, the regiment appealed to the U.N and Red Cross to evacuate the wounded servicemen to Ukrainian-controlled territories.

The photos could not be independently verified.

In another example of the grisly toll of the war, Ukrainian officials said they found the bodies of 44 civilians in the rubble of a building destroyed weeks ago in the northeastern city of Izyum.

New U.N. figures, meanwhile, said that 14 million Ukrainians were forced from their homes by the end of April, including more than 5.9 million who have left the country.

In Washington, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Tuesday that eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war. Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a Senate committee that because Russia lacks a noncommissioned officer corps, its generals have to go into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian forces fired seven missiles at Odesa a day earlier, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse in the country's largest port. One person was killed and five wounded, the military said.

Images showed a burning building and debris  including a tennis shoe  in a heap of destruction in the city on the Black Sea. Mayor Gennady Trukhanov later visited the warehouse and said it had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects.

Ukraine alleged at least some of the munitions used dated to the Soviet era, making them unreliable in targeting. Ukrainian, British and U.S. officials say Russia is rapidly using up its stock of precision weapons, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on.

Since President Vladimir Putin's forces failed to take Kyiv early in the war, his focus has shifted to the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas  but one general has suggested Moscows aims also include cutting Ukraines maritime access to both the Black and Azov seas.

That would also give it a swath of territory linking Russia to both the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014, and Transnistria, a pro-Moscow region of Moldova.

Even if Russia falls short of severing Ukraine from the coast  and it appears to lack the forces to do so  the continuing missile strikes on Odesa reflect the citys strategic importance. The Russian military has repeatedly targeted its airport and claimed it destroyed several batches of Western weapons.

Odesa is also a major gateway for grain shipments, and its blockade by Russia already threatens global food supplies. Beyond that, the city is a cultural jewel, dear to Ukrainians and Russians alike, and targeting it carries symbolic significance.

Russian forces have made slow advances in the Donbas, but there have been multiple setbacks. Military analysts suggest that hitting Odesa might serve to stoke concern about southwestern Ukraine, thus forcing Kyiv to put more forces there. That would pull them away from the eastern front as Ukraine's military stages counteroffensives near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv and the surrounding area has been under sustained Russian attack since the early in the war. In recent weeks, grisly pictures testified to the horrors of those battles, with charred and mangled bodies strewn in one street.

Russian aircraft twice launched unguided missiles Tuesday at the Sumy area northeast of Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian border guard service. The region's governor said the missiles hit several residential buildings, but no one was killed. The Chernihiv region, along the Ukrainian border with Belarus, was hit by mortars fired from Russian territory. There was no word on casualties.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the military was gradually pushing Russian troops away from Kharkiv. The Ukrainian military's general staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, meanwhile, appeared to voice increasing confidence  and expanded goals  amid Russia's stalled offensive. He told the Financial Times that Ukraine initially believed victory would be the withdrawal of Russian troops to positions they occupied before the Feb. 24 invasion.

Now if we are strong enough on the military front, and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories.

The comments seemed to reflect political ambitions more than battlefield realities: Many analysts acknowledge that although Russia isnt capable of making quick gains, the Ukrainian military isnt strong enough to drive the Russians back.

Zelenskyy used his nightly address to pay tribute to Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of an independent Ukraine, who died Tuesday at 88. Zelenskyy said Kravchuk showed courage and knew how to get the country to listen to him.

That was particularly important in crisis moments, when the future of the whole country may depend on the courage of one man, said Zelenskyy, whose own communication skills and decision to remain in Kyiv when it came under Russian attack have helped make him a strong wartime leader.

In the U.S., President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure Monday to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and its allies. On Tuesday, the U.S. House approved a new $40 billion Ukraine aid package for defense and humanitarian programs in Ukraine.

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Yesica Fisch in Bakhmut, David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Kelvin Chan in London and AP's worldwide staff contributed.

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.

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On May 9, Russia will celebrate Victory Day, marking the 77th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, the struggle against Nazi ideology continues to this day and, sadly, the United States finds itself on the wrong side of history, supporting those whom we once were sworn to defeat, while fighting against those whom we once called allies. I cant help but think that Tom Brokows Greatest Generation would be ashamed by the actions of those for whom they sacrificed everything, and who have still proven insufficient for the task of honoring their memory in action and in deed.

Source: An open letter to the American people, as Russia celebrates its WW2 victory over the Nazis  RT Russia & Former Soviet Union

Thanks to Scott Ritter for a well done letter and much needed thoughts about what is happening

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Today, as usual, the Russian armed forces set up recruiting stations near military-themed exhibitions, these images are from Tomsk. There were queues lined up at both points.

In general the whole issue of forcing people to join is not needed, there is no shortage of reservists or even better, volunteers properly trained and turned into professional soldiers.

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Fellow citizens of Russia, veterans, comrade soldiers, sailors, naval officers, army officers, corporals, members of the office of corps. I would like to congratulate you on this, the day where we remember the great victory. The moment when the country defended itself against an existential threat, that innate patriotism, that resistance spirit that was in the fighters in Kiev, Minsk, Stalingrad, Moscow, Kursk, Sevastopol, and Kharkov. Even today, you are fighting for our citizens, for our people in the Donbas region to defend Russia. On the 9th of May, 1945, on that historic date our people triumphed together.

This was a perfect achievement on the front lines and behind. This day of victory is important to everyone in Russia. There is not a single family in Russia that was spared by the war. The regiment of Immortals today honors ancestors. They bear the portraits of their fathers and grandfathers, veterans who are no longer with us. We are proud of the fighting spirit. Our duty is to protect The memory of everyone who fought The Nazis and to do everything we can to make sure that never again, shall we see the atrocities of that war. Despite issues, Russia has always fought for the security that is required for the international community.

In December last year, we offered to create a system. This was a security system and we called on the west to join us in this endeavor. But everything was in vain, the west did not heed us. This means that the west was more interested in other projects, as we saw openly at that time. They were preparing for reprisals in crime and Donbas. In Kiev there was talk of nuclear weapons, and things moved closer to our borders. Little by little, an unacceptable threat made its way closer to our borders. Everything showed that the Banderas and neo-Nazis were inevitable. I say it again: we clearly saw the deployment of military infrastructure. We clearly saw the supplies of military equipment and the threat was growing every day.

Russia did everything to prevent the advance of the aggressor. It was the only correct decision, the sovereign decision of an independent country. The United States, especially after the fault of the Soviet Union, Started talking about American exceptionalism, humiliating the rest of the world in doing so, including their allies, satellites who closed their eyes to what was being done and swallowed everything. But we in Russia are different. We will never give up on our love of our country. We will never give up on our values, on our traditions, our ancestral traditions. In the west, these thousand year old traditions have been done away with. History has been rewritten in the west.

The victims of the Second World War are disregarded. We know that the veterans of the Second World War who wanted to be with us today to commemorate the Second World War were not given permission to come to Russia. But know that today, we pay homage to every veteran from America, from France, resistance, Chinese people, everyone who fought against Nazism. Today, the militia in Donbas, alongside the Russian army are fighting for their land. [inaudible 00:06:02] of the Potemkin soldiers, this is where the fighters of the Second World War fought hand in hand. I would like to speak to the militia in Donbas. You are fighting for the future of your country. You are fighting so that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War. Today, we pay homage to the sacrifice of all those who fell. The sons, the daughters, the husbands, the wives, the sisters, family members, grandfathers, grandmothers. Today, we bow to their memory.

People who were burnt alive in 2014, the civilians in Donbas who fell to neo-Nazi fire. We bow to the memories of the fighters who fought in this, just fight for Russia. Now hold a minute of silence.

The death of every one of our officers and soldiers is a loss for their loved ones, is a loss for civilian society, for regions, and we will do everything to help those families. We will support them, and we will especially support the children of others who fell for our country. I have just assigned a law in order to do that. I commend the soldiers who are wounded, as well as the medical staff, the doctors and nurses for their devotion. I commend you for your efforts to defend and save lives while risking your very own. Comrades, here on Red Square, the soldiers and officers stand side by side. Soldiers and officers from the different regions of our country, including those who come from the front line, from the Donbas. We remember that our enemies tried to turn international terrorist bands against us in order to divide us, in order to break us, but they failed.

Today, our fighters from all the different nations of our country are United and fight together side by side to defend us, and that is our strength, the strength of the unity of our great people. We are fighting to defend what was defended by our ancestors. Because above all, they cherished independence and the security of our homeland. All of those who defeated Nazism in the great patriotic war, they all gave us a lesson to learn, and we will always follow the example. Glory to our troops. Glory to Russia and glory to victory.

source:

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/putin-addresses-nation-at-victory-day-parade-in-moscow-5-09-22-transcript

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Ukrainian soldiers robbed people and dragged bags and sacks with loot at night so that no one would see

Volnovakha resident Lyudmila Matvienko told the Donbass channel about this.

What a shame for Ukraine! I saw their soldiers, 30 people walking past the window  weapons at the ready, bags and sacks on their shoulders. From whom did you steal, whom did you rob, whom? exclaims the pensioner.

According to her, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were engaged in theft and robbery in Volnovakha for 8 years.

We had a Ukrainian military man living on the second floor in that entrance. You should have seen how many cars he drove. Brings one, it stands for three days  gone. Brings another, it stands for three days  gone. Where did he take them? They robbed, of course, they robbed, says Lyudmila Matvienko.

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 The sky above Moscow

 Broadcast of the Victory Day salute

#Ministry of Defence #Russia #Day of Victory @mod_russia

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 Military parades marking the 77th anniversary of the Victory Day were held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Tula, Kaliningrad, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Vladikavkaz, Kaspiysk, Stavropol, Sevastopol, Kerch, Simferopol, Novocherkassk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Samara, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Belogorsk, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Murmansk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Severomorsk, Novorossisk and Ussuriisk.

 Artillery salutes erupted across Russia. More than 70 self-propelled launchers and more than 11,000 fireworks were used for the festive salute and fireworks display in Moscow.

 The President signed Executive Order On Additional Measures of Support for Families of Servicepeople and Personnel of Certain Federal Agencies.

 Russian air defence means have shot down 3 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force.

 Missile troops and artillery units have hit 318 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration.

 Footage of the Army Aviation combat operations during the special military operation has been published.

 Russian Defence Ministry launched multimedia section At the mercy of deprived unconsciousness dedicated to crimes of Ukrainian authorities against historical memory of fraternal peoples, the destruction and desecration of memorials and monuments in Ukraine and attempts to obscure heroism of Red Army soldiers and commanders.

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_enjoy

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VID_20220510_171255_156.mp4

An emotional video from the residents of Donbass about how the whole world turns a blind eye to Ukrainian aggression.

According to the UN, during the conflict in Donbas, 13,000 people died, including more than 100 children. But neither these victims, nor other sufferings of the population of the LDNR due to the shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 8 years of hostilities were not awarded the attention of the world.

It is much more fashionable to regret Ukraine, and everything else, as they like to say now, is fake. It so happened that a whole region with a population of 4 million people became a fake.

A must for distributions

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China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road.



The project, for which an official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, forms part of Namibia's regional trunk routes and includes the construction of a 21.3 km dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges, two river bridges, and drainage structures, Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa said during the ceremony held in Windhoek.

"Namibia is positioned as a gateway for imports and exports to and from landlocked neighbors in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region and China is assisting us with strides in expanding our road network in efforts to achieve the sub-vision and goals for transport as set out in Vision 2030," he said.

The Phase 2B project funded by the Chinese government is expected to take 36 months to complete, he said while commending China for its immense support.



Speaking on the same occasion, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Yang Jun, said the Phase 2B project was proposed by the Namibian government and was supported by the Chinese embassy in an effort to help Namibia become a logistics hub in southern Africa.

"The project was officially confirmed and signed between our governments in Beijing on March 29, 2018," he said, adding that upon completion, the project will improve transport and contribute to the development of Namibia at large.

The project being undertaken by Namibian-registered Chinese firm, Zhong Mei Engineering Group, together with local subcontractors, will create more than 300 jobs and provide technological advancements through skills transfer.
Dunn recalls one very low day when Minnie was on the edge of a meltdown and she was trying to get her to eat, pick up her prescription and meet her husbands needs. She suddenly realized it was her 25th wedding anniversary. All day I kept telling myself that things would be better and wed find something that worked. There are days I cling to the hope that Minnie will be able to go to college or we could live someplace where they wont take her health care away, Dunn says. And on other days, she developed a mantra that was more common sense than aspirational. I would tell myself that it didnt matter how bad it gets  I was badder. It was less about keeping hope alive; some days were more about telling myself that I could do this job and I didnt have to like it.

Caregiving with secrets

Diane Urban, 77, of Long Island, New York, discovered toward the end of her husbands life that he had been leading a dual existence. After he suffered a stroke at 91, she became his full-time caregiver while nursing the recent knowledge that hed been unfaithful.

I got to a point where I didnt want to care for him anymore, Urban admits. I had such conflicting feelings of resentment, and I knew I was taking it out on him. People noticed I was being snotty, and that made me feel worse. She was angry at her husband for having confessed and also angry at him for the betrayal. At first she decided to keep it a secret, but then she revealed the truth to her daughter. That act of unburdening opened the door for Urban to describe and deal with her feelings in a helpful and cathartic way.

Wed been married more than 50 years, and I was embarrassed about the whole thing, Urban relates. But when I began to be able to talk about my feelings, I also began to understand that this wasnt my fault. That ability to be honest with friends, and even the social worker, about how I felt made me feel so much lighter.

During the end stages of tending to her husband, a friend whose spouse had multiple sclerosis gave Urban a piece of advice that she would frequently call upon: Its a matter of attitude, he said. You can do this, and its not the rest of your life.

Caregiving through resentment

Sometimes sharing your true feelings can feel like a slap in the face. Rebecca Nellessen, 50, of Algonquin, Illinois, is the full-time caregiver for her partners mother, Frances. Nellessen once shared a raw emotion on a private caregiving social media site about her resentment at being woken numerous times a night by the motion alarm in the older womans bedroom. Someone then commented that it sounded like elder abuse.

Talking about your negative feelings around caregiving or feelings about your loved one at certain times is something that seems to be largely frowned upon, Nellessen says. But nothing about caregiving is black-and-white. Its all tough, and people need to understand and respect the strains.

Frances, 87, is almost completely blind and suffering hallucinations with late-stage Alzheimers disease. Nellessen has been her caregiver for nine years, with no vacation and few breaks. She derailed the pursuit of a career after getting a degree in medical billing and coding in order to care for her partner Richs mother, who had ceased being able to look after herself after her husband died.

It was a giant sacrifice to give up my career after Id just gotten my degree, Nellessen recalls. The technology has now changed so much that Id probably have to go back and take more classes. There are many days, she admits, that she simply doesnt like Frances, and there are times they dont speak for a week because something sets them off. Ill think to myself, She is never going to die, Nellessen says. There are mornings when Im entering her room and its quiet, I find myself hoping that she has died in her sleep. If someone tells you theyve never had any of those thoughts, they are lying.

There are frequent occasions, too, that Nellessen has felt zero appreciation from extended family members, including Rich. There are so many days I am simply going through the motions. I have no empathy left, and if anyone came up to me and patted me on the head to say good job, I might punch them. The mantra she chooses to repeat on the bleakest days (sometimes out loud) is, I have no expectations, and I cannot fix her.

Part of what keeps Nellessen sane is visualizing the time after Frances has passed and she is able to go back to work and have time for herself. Thinking about the future can bring me joy, she says. After ongoing practice at feeding, changing and providing medication, Nellessen is actually considering becoming a professional caregiver. She understands that the emotional demands will be very different from those of a round-the-clock, unpaid family caregiver.
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Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in on Monday, saying China-South Korea relations have made significant progress over the past five years.



Wang, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, arrived here to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and the China-South Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges, Wang said the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, deepened practical cooperation and maintained smooth multilateral communication and coordination.

The Chinese and South Korean economies are highly integrated, Wang said, adding that in particular, economic cooperation between the two countries managed to grow amid the sluggish global economy last year, demonstrating the resilience and great potential of bilateral economic cooperation.

Wang said China and South Korea are close neighbors and major cooperative partners with broad common interests.

"No matter how the international and regional situation changes, the fundamentals of China-South Korea friendly cooperation will not change and cannot be changed, which is an important inspiration from the history of bilateral relations," he noted.

Wang said China is willing to join hands with South Korea in pushing forward the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to benefit people of the two countries.

China appreciates South Korea's important contributions to improving inter-Korean relations and promoting the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said, noting that China stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with South Korea to make joint efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace and stability in the region at an early date.

For his part, Moon said that over the past five years, South Korea-China relations have overcome difficulties and achieved development, expressing his hope that the next government will maintain such a momentum.

South Korea speaks highly of China's constructive role in the Korean Peninsula affairs, Moon said, adding that the country is ready to work with China to take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further strengthen communication, expand cooperation and continuously enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, so as to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.
COVID's Long and Pervasive Impact

Many Americans over age 50 have been hard hit by the pandemic: A new AARP survey finds nearly three in 10 have had COVID and many have suffered lingering effects without seeking medical attention.

The national poll conducted in late March reflects the varying toll of the virus.

The poll found that 66% of older adults infected with the virus had moderate to severe symptoms, and 6% were hospitalized; 6% had no symptoms. Women more than men reported severe symptoms, and there also were differences by race and ethnicity. Significantly more older Latino individuals (50%) got COVID than their white (29%) and Black (10%) counterparts, and people of multiple races (21%), according to AARP. Infection rates were higher for those ages 50-64 (34%) compared to adults 65+ (23 percent).

Three-quarters of adults over age 50 who had symptomatic COVID continued experiencing effects after the typical 1-2 week period, at least to a small extent. Most common were fatigue, cough, and cognitive problems such as brain fog. Most adults (60%) did not see a physician to address their ongoing COVID-related symptoms.

Dealing with long-term COVID translated into hardship on the job for about one-third of those surveyed. Some respondents said they had to quarantine without pay or reduce their work hours. Yet, about half said lingering symptoms had no impact on their employment.

Vaccination protection played a big role in who got sick.

Of adults 50+ who had COVID, 58% were not vaccinated at the time of infection. Another 25% had some vaccine protection, and 18% were fully vaccinated and boosted, the AARP results show. Americans age 65+ are more likely to have been fully vaccinated (75%) than those age 50-64 (58%). Vaccination status among older adults is highest in the Black community (79%), followed by white (64%) and Latino people (59%).

Peak transmission was in the past six months, when 51 percent of respondents said they tested positive; 63 percent said they became infected within the last year.

To better understand the relationship between COVID and access to health care, the AARP report suggests more research is needed into why more individuals with lingering COVID-19 effects did not seek medical attention. While the majority of age 50+ people said they are at least somewhat familiar with "long COVID," one in five are not familiar at all with the term.

The survey of 1,018 adults age 50 and older was conducted for AARP by NORC at the University of Chicago. The nationally representative and balanced sample of Americans was reached by telephone and online March 24-28, 2022.

For more information, please contact Laura Mehegan at lmehegan@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.

Suggested citation:

Mehegan, Laura. The Long Road of Long COVID: An Exploratory Survey of Adults Age 50-Plus. Washington, DC: AARP Research, May 2022. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00542.001
NOTICE is hereby given that on March 8, 2022 and again on April 6, 2022, Miguel Gallegos c/o WaterBank, 610 Gold Ave SW, Suite 111, Albuquerque, NM 87102, filed with the STATE ENGINEER Application No. SD-04678 into RG-A0337 POD1 for Permit to Change Point of Diversion, Place and Purpose of Use from Surface Water to Groundwater within the Rio Grande Underground Basin of the State of New Mexico.

Bernalillo County is the county affected by the diversion and in which the water has been or will be put to beneficial use. This notice is ordered to be published in the Albuquerque Journal.

The applicant proposes to discontinue the Farm Delivery Requirement (FDR) of 58.080 acre-feet per annum (afa) of surface water, inclusive of a Consumptive Irrigation Requirement (CIR) of 40.656 afa from the Los Padillas Acequia, with a point of diversion on the Rio Grande at the Angostura Diversion Works of the MRGCD, on land owned by the MRGCD, at a point where X = 363,856 and Y = 3,916,198, meters, UTM Zone 13N, NAD83, for the irrigation of 19.36 acres described as Tracts 28A (19.17 acres) and 28B (0.19 acre) on MRGCD Map 56, within Section 26, Township 9 North, Range 2 East, NMPM.

The applicant further proposes to begin the Consumptive Use of 40.656 afa from well RG-A0337 POD1 to be drilled at a point where Latitude is 34 58 33.27 N and Longitude is 106 41 38.72 W for the sprinkler irrigation of 19.17 acres described as Tract 28A on MRGCD Map 56, within Section 26, Township 9 North, Range 2 East, NMPM.

The move-from and move-to lands and well are on land owned by Miguel Gallegos and are generally located 0.12 mile south of the intersection of Isleta Blvd and Raymac Rd SW, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

Well RG-A0337 POD1 was permitted to be drilled as an exploratory well on March 17, 2022. The well has not been drilled as of the writing of this notice.

To view the application and supporting documentation contact the State Engineer District Office to arrange a date and time for an appointment located at 5550 San Antonio Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.

Any person, firm or corporation or other entity asserting standing to file objections or protests shall do so in writing (objection must be legible, signed, and include the writers complete name, phone number, email address, and mailing address). If the protest does not include the complete name, phone number, email address, and mailing address, it may be deemed invalid and not accepted for filing unless Protestant provides with the protest an affidavit stating that it does not have one of the above-listed elements/requirements (phone number, mailing address, email address, etc.). The objection to the approval of the application must be based on: (1) Impairment; if impairment, you must specifically identify your water rights; and/or (2) Public Welfare/Conservation of Water; if public welfare or conservation of water within the state of New Mexico, you shall be required to provide evidence showing how you will be substantially and specifically affected. The written protest must be filed, in triplicate, with the State Engineer, at 5550 San Antonio Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, on or before June 24, 2022. Facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted as a valid protest if the hard copy is hand-delivered or mailed and postmarked within 24-hours of the facsimile. Mailing postmark will be used to validate the 24-hour period. Protests can be faxed to the Office of the State Engineer, 505-383-4030. If no valid protest or objection is filed, the State Engineer will evaluate the application in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 72 NMSA 1978.

Journal: April 25, May 2, 9, 2022
WASHINGTON  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The signing comes as the U.S. Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against Russia  with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.

It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on Victory in Europe Day  the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender in 1945 and Russias biggest patriotic holiday  to rally his people behind the invasion.

This aid has been critical to Ukraines success on the battlefield, Biden said in a statement.

Biden said it was urgent that Congress approve the next Ukraine assistance package to avoid any interruption in military supplies being sent to help fight the war, with a crucial deadline coming in 10 days.

We cannot allow our shipments of assistance to stop while we await further Congressional action, he said. He urged Congress to act  and to do so quickly.

In a letter delivered to Capitol Hill on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress to act before May 19, when the existing drawdown funds run out. The Pentagon has already sent or committed all but $100 million of the $3.5 billion in weapons and equipment that it can send to Ukraine from its existing stockpiles. And that final $100 million is expected to be used no later than May 19, they said.

In short, we need your help, they said in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The ability to draw upon existing DoD stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, allowing us to quickly source equipment and ensure a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine.

The resolve from Biden and Congress to maintain support for Ukraine has been lasting, but also surprising. Still, as the months-long war with Russia grinds on, the bipartisan showing for Ukraine will be tested as the U.S. and allies are drawn closer toward the conflict.

The House could vote as soon as this week on the bolstered Ukraine aid package, sending the legislation to the Senate, which is working to confirm Bidens nominee Bridget Brink as the new Ukrainian ambassador. The Houses Tuesday schedule mentioned the Ukraine legislation, but it was unclear how firm that was.

With the presidents party holding only the slimmest majorities in the House and Senate, Republican cooperation is preferred, if not vital in some cases, for passage of the presidents strategy toward the region.

I think we will be able to do it as quickly as possible, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said over the weekend about an emerging aid package. We have great bipartisanship in terms of our support for the fight for democracy that the people of Ukraine are making.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach to foreign policy and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together to support the presidents strategy.

The lend-lease bill that Biden signed into law Monday revives the strategy to more quickly send military equipment to Ukraine. Launched during World War II, lend-lease signaled the U.S. would become what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the arsenal of democracy helping Britain and the allies fight Nazi Germany.

Before signing the bill, Biden said Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had widespread bipartisan support. It sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, without even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

One of the bills chief Republican sponsors, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said in a statement the measure will give Ukraine the upper hand against Russia, and Im glad America could act as the arsenal of democracy for this critical partner.

Other measures, including efforts to cut off Russian oil imports to the U.S. and calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support, though some lawmakers have pushed Biden to do even more.

While President Putin and the Russian people celebrated Victory Day today, were seeing Russian forces commit war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, as they engage in a brutal war that is causing so much suffering and needless destruction, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said Putin was perverting history to attempt to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war.

Biden acknowledged his request for more in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine would have to be separated from money he also sought from Congress to address the COVID-19 crisis at home.

Decoupling the two funding requests would be a setback for the presidents push for more COVID-19 spending, but a nod to the political reality of the Congress.

Republicans in Congress are resisting spending more money at home as the pandemic crisis shifts to a new phase, and Biden did not want to delay money for Ukraine by trying to debate the issue further.

Biden said he was told by congressional leaders in both parties that keeping the two spending packages linked would slow down action.

We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort, Biden said in the statement. Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away.

As the now bolstered Ukraine package makes its way through the House and Senate, with votes possible soon, lawmakers are showing no signs of flinching. Countless lawmakers have made weekend excursions to the region to see firsthand the devastation of the war on Ukraine and surrounding countries, as more than 5 million refugees flee the country.

Rather than fight the spending overseas  as had been an increasingly popular viewpoint during the Trump era  some lawmakers in both parties want to boost the amount of U.S. aid being sent to Ukraine.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Lolita C. Baldor and Will Weissert contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  As more doctors prescribe Pfizers powerful COVID-19 pill, new questions are emerging about its performance, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug.

Paxlovid has become the go-to option against COVID-19 because of its at-home convenience and impressive results in heading off severe disease. The U.S. government has spent more than $10 billion to purchase enough pills to treat 20 million people.

But experts say there is still much to be learned about the drug, which was authorized in December for adults at high risk of severe COVID-19 based on a study in which 1,000 adults received the medication.

WHY DO SOME PATIENTS SEEM TO RELAPSE?

Doctors have started reporting rare cases of patients whose symptoms return several days after completing Paxlovids five-day regimen of pills. Thats prompted questions about whether those patients are still contagious and should receive a second course of Paxlovid.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration weighed in. It advised against a second round because theres little risk of severe disease or hospitalization among patients who relapse.

Dr. Michael Charness reported last month on a 71-year-old vaccinated patient who saw his symptoms subside but then return, along with a spike in virus levels nine days into his illness.

Charness says Paxlovid remains a highly effective drug, but he wonders if it might be less potent against the current omicron variant. The $500 drug treatment was tested and OKd based on its performance against the delta version of the coronavirus.

The ability to clear the virus after its suppressed may be different from omicron to delta, especially for vaccinated people, said Charness, who works for Bostons VA health system.

Could some people just be susceptible to a relapse? Both the FDA and Pfizer point out that 1% to 2% of people in Pfizers original study saw their virus levels rebound after 10 days. The rate was about the same among people taking the drug or dummy pills, so it is unclear at this point that this is related to drug treatment, the FDA stated.

Some experts point to another possibility: The Paxlovid dose isnt strong enough to fully suppress the virus. Andy Pekosz of Johns Hopkins University worries that could spur mutations that are resistant to the drug.

We should really make sure were dosing Paxlovid appropriately because I would hate to lose it right now, said Pekosz, a virologist. This is one of the essential tools we have to help us turn the corner on the pandemic.

HOW WELL DOES PAXLOVID WORK IN VACCINATED PEOPLE?

Pfizer tested Paxlovid in the highest-risk patients: unvaccinated adults with no prior COVID-19 infection and other health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. The drug reduced their risk of hospitalization and death from 7% to 1%.

But that doesnt reflect the vast majority of Americans today, where 89% of adults have had at least one shot. And roughly 60% of Americans have been infected with the virus at some point.

Thats the population I care about in 2022 because thats who were seeing  vaccinated people with COVID  so do they benefit? asked Dr. David Boulware, a University of Minnesota researcher and physician.

Theres no clear answer yet for vaccinated Americans, who already have a hospitalization rate far below 1%.

That may come from a large, ongoing Pfizer study that includes high-risk vaccinated people. No results have been published; the study is expected to wrap up in the fall.

Pfizer said last year that initial results showed Paxlovid failed to meet the studys goals of significantly resolving symptoms and reducing hospitalizations. It recently stopped enrolling anyone whos received a vaccination or booster in the past year, a change Boulware says suggests those patients arent benefitting.

At a minimum, the preliminary data should be released to federal officials, Boulware said. If the U.S. government is spending billions of dollars on this medicine, whats the obligation to release that data so that they can formulate a good policy?

CAN PAXLOVID BE USED TO HELP PREVENT COVID-19 INFECTION?

Pfizer recently reported that proactively giving Paxlovid to family members of people infected with COVID-19 didnt significantly reduce their chances of catching it. But thats not the end of the story. Pfizer is studying several other potential benefits of early use, including whether Paxlovid reduces the length and severity of COVID-19 among households.

Its a high bar to protect against infection but Id love to see data on how Paxlovid did against severe disease because it may be more effective there, said Pekosz.

___

Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter

___

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.
 Flash

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which takes orders directly from the U.S. government and manipulates NGOs through the provision of funding to conduct subversion, infiltration and sabotage to serve U.S. strategic interests, is actually the "second CIA" of the United States, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked about the Fact Sheet on the National Endowment for Democracy released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

The fact sheet, with about 12,000 words in six sections, lays bare the true face of NED through hundreds of specific incidents gathered from public reports, Zhao said.

He said the United States has long used democracy as a tool and a weapon to undermine democracy in the name of democracy, to incite division and confrontation, and to meddle in other countries' internal affairs, causing catastrophic consequences.

"NED, as one of the U.S. government's main 'foot soldiers' and 'white gloves', has subverted lawful governments and cultivated pro-U.S. puppet forces under the pretext of democracy," Zhao said.

NED was seen behind color revolutions instigated and orchestrated by the United States, including the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Arab Spring, Zhao said, adding that NED has been stirring up protests and demonstrations in Thailand, inciting the opposition parties in Nicaragua to seize power by force, funding anti-Cuba forces to manipulate public sentiment against the government, and long interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs through various means.

"Hellbent on disrupting the world, NED has not brought social stability and development or contented lives and good work to other countries. On the contrary, it has caused a host of issues including withered livelihood, languishing economy and social confrontation," Zhao said.

NED also extends its evil hand to China and invests heavily in anti-China programs every year to incite "Xinjiang independence," "Hong Kong independence," and "Tibet independence" activities by various means, said the spokesperson.

"It also colludes with 'Taiwan independence' forces and attempts to incite division and disrupt stability across the Taiwan Strait, which has been met with indignation and opposition from the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait," Zhao said.

Noting NED is actually the "second CIA" of the United States, Zhao said it is by no means an NGO that provides support for democracy abroad.

"We believe the international community will see its true face more and more clearly, and more countries will expose its ugly track record in various forms," said the spokesperson.

Noting peace and development remains the theme of our times, Zhao said those that meddle in other countries' domestic affairs are doomed to fail no matter what disguise they use.
Graduation week is like a holiday season for Albuquerque Public Schools staff. This year, the best present is getting to celebrate in person.

After two years of graduation ceremonies being limited to virtual or outdoor events by the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors will once again be able to walk in person to receive their high school diplomas this year. Most graduation ceremonies happen this week.

For larger schools, like Valley, La Cueva, and Eldorado high schools, ceremonies will be held at Tingley Coliseum, located at Expo New Mexico, or the state fairgrounds.

The district will hold two to three ceremonies per day at the coliseum Monday through Saturday. The ceremonies will happen at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with two happening at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

Officials said smaller ceremonies, like for New Futures and Freedom high schools students, will take place at the Berna Facio Professional Development Complex at 3315 Louisiana NE.

One to two will be held from Monday through Thursday at the professional development center.

College and Career High School seniors graduated before everyone else, on April 29.

APS said its graduation rate has steadily gone up for the last seven graduating classes, improving from the Class of 2015s 61.7% to 75.7% for the Class of 2021. When excluding charter schools, over which APS said it has limited academic control, the rate in 2021 is an unprecedented 80.3%.

Thats because (of) the efforts of the people at the schools, said Superintendent Scott Elder in a video posted to the APS website. The families are buying in and theyre saying, No, I want my kid to graduate. They recognize that it makes a difference in their future life and its just so important. And so Im really pleased to get here and I hope we continue to improve.

APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said the district doesnt yet have a graduation rate for the Class of 2022. Some students will earn their diplomas over the summer after completing recovering credits, Elder said.

APS graduations at Tingley Coliseum

Tuesday, May 10: Atrisco Heritage Academy at 2:30 p.m.; Del Norte at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 11: eCADEMY at 10:30 a.m.; La Cueva at 2:30 p.m.; Rio Grande at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 12: Manzano at 2:30 p.m.; Highland at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, May 13: Eldorado at 2:30 p.m.; Albuquerque High at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 14: Volcano Vista at 10:30 a.m.; West Mesa at 2:30 p.m.; Sandia at 6:30 p.m.

Graduations at Berna Facio

Tuesday, May 10: Freedom at 2:30 p.m.; School on Wheels at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 11: nex+Gen Academy at 1:30 p.m.; Early College Academy at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 12: Career Enrichment Center Nurse Pinning Ceremony at 6 p.m.
SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is on track to start her reelection campaign with a healthy financial advantage once Republican voters choose their nominee in next months primary election.

The Democratic governor reported about $3.7 million in her campaign account Monday, more than twice as much as the nearest Republican candidate.

She benefits, of course, from not facing any opposition in the primary.

On the Republican side, former KRQE meteorologist Mark Ronchetti continues to enjoy a financial advantage.

He took in about $355,000 in recent cash contributions  more than the rest of the GOP field as a whole  and had $1.4 million left in his campaign account. Among those donating to Ronchettis campaign were several oil industry executives and former KRQE anchor Dick Knipfing.

New Mexicans are ready for the change that our campaign for governor represents, Ronchetti said in a statement, and Im grateful for their support.

State Rep. Rebecca Dow raised the next-most among Republican candidates for governor. She accepted about $153,000 in new contributions and had $495,000 in cash on hand.

Theres tremendous energy surrounding our movement and its imperative that we get the job done, said Dow, who has clashed with Ronchetti over her voting record in the Legislature and his past comments about former President Donald Trump.

Among Dows largest donors Monday were people or companies involved in ranching or the oil and gas industry.

Lujan Grisham, who was elected governor in 2018 and is seeking a second four-year term, entered this years election cycle with more than $2 million in her campaign account.

During the recent four-week reporting period, the governor got a $10,000 contribution from fellow Democrat Karen Bass, a congresswoman who is running for mayor of Los Angeles. She also reported hefty donations from several labor unions.

But Lujan Grisham also faced limitations in her fundraising, as she was barred from soliciting contributions during an April 5 special legislative session and for 20 days after adjournment. Thats due to a state blackout period law aimed at preventing campaign donations that might be intended to sway governors during bill-signing periods.

Among the other Republican candidates for governor, Greg Zanetti reported $51,000 in contributions this period, Jay Block about $40,000 and Ethel Maharg about $6,000.

Libertarian candidate Karen Bedonie raised about $7,000.

The campaign finance reports filed Monday are the second of four mandatory reports covering the primary election cycle.

They come as New Mexico enters the final four-week stretch before the June 7 primary, when voters will choose nominees for governor and other statewide executive offices. All 70 seats in the state House are also on the ballot.

Absentee balloting and limited early voting begin Tuesday. County clerks throughout the state will begin mailing absentee ballots to voters who have requested them.

All 33 New Mexico county clerks will also offer in-person voting at one site. In Bernalillo County, the clerks annex at 1500 Lomas NW in Albuquerque will be open for people who want to cast a ballot in person.

Expanded early voting begins May 21.

Other races

The figures outlined in Mondays reports cover the 27-day period ending May 2.

They show:

 A political committee backed by lawyers poured about $88,000 into campaigns this period, delivering a number of contributions to Democrats in contested primaries.

Among those receiving donations from the Committee on Individual Responsibility were state Reps. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, Kristina Ortez of Taos and Susan Herrera of Embudo, all progressive Democrats facing primary challengers.

Each received $5,200, the maximum donation allowed for a legislative race in the primary.

 The Democratic candidates for state auditor each raised over $20,000 this period.

Public Regulation Commissioner Joseph Maestas took in $23,000 and has about $85,000 in his campaign account, while Zack Quintero, a former state ombudsman, raised $27,000 and has $60,000 on hand.

The only other person in the race is a Libertarian write-in candidate.

 Democratic attorney general candidate Raul Torrez reported $120,000 in recent contributions and $382,000 in his campaign account. The report of his opponent in the primary, Brian Colon, hadnt been published on the state site by 9 p.m.

Republican attorney general candidate Jeremy Gay reported $15,000 in contributions and $70,000 in cash on hand.

At a glance

Absentee voting for New Mexicos 2022 primary election begins Tuesday. Visit Absentee voting for New Mexicos 2022 primary election begins Tuesday. Visit NMVote.org to request an absentee ballot online.




Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Six months pregnant at the age of 23, Keisha Atkins spent the final week of her life trying to get an elective legal abortion in 2017 in Albuquerque.

She died midway through the dayslong outpatient process.

For that, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and a private late-term abortion clinic in Albuquerque agreed to pay her estate a total of $1.26 million in exchange for the dismissal of a politically charged wrongful death/medical malpractice lawsuit, according to state and court records obtained by the Journal.

UNM, which state records show paid $365,000 of the total, was accused of negligently referring Atkins to the private Southwestern Womens Options clinic near downtown Albuquerque after she was deemed ineligible for an elective abortion at UNMs Center for Reproductive Health.

Southwestern Womens Options, founded by Dr. Curtis Boyd, agreed via a court mediation to settle for $900,000 the claims that its subsequent treatment of Atkins fell below the standard of care and was negligent, court records show.

The lawsuit filed by Atkins mother and sister alleged clinic providers failed to identify, diagnose and provide care for the young woman after she showed signs of sepsis two days into a medical induction abortion procedure. Such procedures require a woman to be administered medication to stop the fetal heartbeat, go home, and then return to a medical provider to undergo labor and delivery of the fetus.

The clinic and its doctors denied any wrongdoing in response to the claims.

Lawyers representing UNMH and the private abortion clinic didnt return Journal phone calls seeking comment.

Southwestern Womens Option clinic, in settling its part of the lawsuit, sought a confidentiality provision to bar the parties from discussing the settlement. They are specifically not permitted to disparage the clinic or its doctors, according to the settlement agreement, which was filed as an exhibit in the lawsuit.

The settlements were reached last fall; the case was formally dismissed in April.

Safety concerns

The Albuquerque attorney who brought the case on behalf of the estate of Keisha Atkins, her mother Tina Atkins and her sister Nicole Atkins had little to say about the case when contacted by the Journal.

I can only say that its settled, said attorney Michael Seibel of Albuquerque, who was described as an active pro life advocate in court records. Im not going to disparage them over this case.

But Jamie Jeffries, of the advocacy group Abortion on Trial, told the Journal she believes Atkins death and settlement underscores the need for providing safe procedures and counseling to women seeking abortions.

What were trying to say and do, especially for the women of New Mexico, is just finding that common ground, regardless of whos for or against abortion rights, we all want women to be safe, we want women to live and referring women out for outpatient induction abortion is not a good way to protect women.

Jeffriess organization recently publicized the settlement with UNM on its website, including providing excerpts of videotape depositions in the case.

Beyond the politically charged abortion rights issue, she said national experts who perform abortions who believe late-term induction abortions, such as occurred in Atkinss case, should be done in a hospital where they are constantly monitoring.

New Mexico permits elective abortions at any phase of a pregnancy, and Boyds clinic has been one of the few providers nationwide to offer late-term abortions. The clinic website states abortions are performed up to 32 weeks, and on a case-by-case basis after that time.

Asked about UNMHs current policy on performing elective abortions, UNMH spokesman Mark Rudi responded by email, UNM Health prioritizes patient care and puts patients first. We cannot discuss specific cases or patients.

However, a woman who answered the phone at the UNM Center for Reproductive Health said last week that elective abortions are performed at up to 22 weeks.

Asked whether UNMH still refers patients to Southwestern Womens Options, Rudi responded in an email, UNM Health provides a wide range of options and support networks for patients based on that patients needs.

Desperate situation

Legal abortion is considered a fairly safe medical procedure, according to experts. The risk of maternal death among pregnant women is estimated to be 8.8 per 100,000 live births, compared to less than one death for every 100,000 abortion procedures, according to court filings from experts in the case.

In 2017, the year Atkins died, two women died in the U.S. as a result of complications from legal induced abortion, according to data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because not all states report to the CDC, it wasnt clear whether Atkins death was counted in the national report. A spokeswoman told the Journal last week that CDC disclosure of state-level information on such deaths isnt permitted.

In the U.S., abortions occurring at or after 21 weeks gestation are rare. According to the CDCs Abortion Surveillance Data, the vast majority of abortions (91%) occur at or before 13 weeks gestation and just 1.2% of abortions are performed at or after 21 weeks.

Why Atkins, who worked at a local restaurant, waited so long into her pregnancy to seek an abortion wasnt addressed in court filings in the case.

Records in the case show she went to UNM Center for Reproductive Health to seek an elective abortion on or about Jan. 23, 2017, and returned for an exam a week later. At that point she was 24 weeks into her pregnancy, and was referred to Southwestern Womens Options.

UNM Medical Group staff contacted the private clinic, confirmed the availability of an appointment time and scheduled the appointment for her, hand delivering their ultrasound results to the clinic on Jan. 31, 2017, the lawsuit alleged.

The next day, Atkins began the three- to four-day abortion process at the clinic. Two days later she returned to the clinic, and was administered fluids. Nine hours later, her vital signs and her troubled breathing had not improved since her arrival, the lawsuit stated.

An ambulance was summoned and she arrived at the emergency department of UNM Hospital with a fever, respiratory distress and a fast heart rate. She deteriorated further over the next five hours, and late that night was transferred to the operating room to finish the abortion process.

During the procedure she suffered cardiac arrest and became pulseless, the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit initially sued the Office of Medical Investigator for ruling the cause of death as natural due to pregnancy, claiming the real cause of death was septic abortion. The OMI autopsy determined her cause of death was a pulmonary thromboembolism due to pregnancy. Legal claims against the OMI and the physicians named in the case were later dropped.

Her mother, Tina Atkins, couldnt be reached for comment. But a portion of her 2019 videotaped deposition in the case appears on Abortion on Trials social media pages.

Asked to describe her relationship with her daughter, Atkins testified, She was one good kid, man.

She recalled seeing her daughter in the emergency room fighting for her life.

Keisha was combative, and a little bit delirious, Atkins said.

But she could still talk.

The first thing that came out of her mouth was, Mom, Im going to die.'

Boyd couldnt be reached for comment for this story. In an excerpt of his Oct. 24, 2019, deposition, Boyd said his clinic offered a full range of second- and third-trimester abortions.

Boyd began performing late-term abortions in New Mexico in 2010 after the fatal shooting of his friend, Dr. George Tiller, in Wichita, Kansas, a year earlier by an anti-abortion activist. Tiller had been medical director of one of only three abortion clinics nationwide that offered late-term abortions.

I dont want to say no to someone whos in a desperate situation, Boyd testified. I come from a religious background. Im an ordained minister and I believe in compassion and service  service above self. Thats my calling.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

TAOS  For weeks, Andi Garcia chose to stay at her Guadalupita home to feed sheep, chickens, rabbits and dogs, despite evacuation orders and the wildfire raging nearby.

Electricity has been shut off for at least a week.

Garcia had to haul water for the animals instead of pumping from a well.

But when the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire jumped N.M. 518 north of Mora on Sunday, she figured it was finally time to leave.

You see those big orange clouds, and thats when you know its close, Garcia said. Its ominous.

Garcia loaded up what animals she could and, along with many other Mora County neighbors displaced by the nations largest wildfire, fled to Taos on a dark and smoky road.

Five injured

The fire complex by Monday evening had swelled to 197,371 acres and remained 43% contained.

Fire officials said there were five injuries during the firefight on Monday. Four of the injuries were minor, such as rolled ankles. But Todd Miranda, the medical section chief, said there was one firefighter who was more seriously hurt in the northwest section of the fire and required an ambulance.

It wasnt clear what happened and no other details were provided.

More than 1,700 people are assigned to the blaze.

Throughout the day on Monday the northeast section of the fire stretched east from N.M. 518 to close to N.M. 434. Dan Pearson, a fire behavior analyst, said embers were flung into the air as far as two miles.

Bladen Breitreiter, the fire meteorologist, said the Las Vegas Municipal Airport recorded a 66 mph gust on Monday afternoon.

Breitreiter said a red flag warning that had been in effect for days was set to expire late Monday. And the winds are expected to slow down beginning Thursday and stay calm for several days.

That will be a breath of fresh air, Breitreiter said.

San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez said some people in communities that had been under evacuation orders on the east side of the fire, such as Montezuma, can start to return to their homes. Thousands of homes have been evacuated since the fire started about a month ago.

But Lopez cautioned those who would be returning to their communities. During a fire briefing, he gave the states crisis hotline number to those who were given the OK to return.

Property, it can be rebuilt, he said. Its a trying time. Theres a lot of homes that were destroyed and we want to help you through this.

Repeat moves

Many Mora County residents have had to evacuate more than once.

The towns that are hosting evacuees have been welcoming, said Dale Schaeffer, who has lived in El Oro near Ledoux for more than 20 years.

Hes staying in a camper at the Taos County Sheriffs Posse rodeo arena to be near his horse Inquieta, which translates to restless in Spanish.

Klondike the farm dog helps keep an eye on a dozen horses, mules and ponies. Many belong to Schaeffers neighbors.

Schaeffer first went to the Mora rodeo grounds after evacuating his home.

But when the blaze moved closer, it was time to leave again.

At this point we dont know what anything is going to look like when we go back there, he said. Were just here until somebody tells us we can come back.

Schaeffer is keeping a list of friends, neighbors and strangers who have helped him in recent weeks so he can thank them when this is all over.

You know, you get out in the world and everybodys divisive and people have all their opinions, he said. But when this came, that just disappeared, and it was neighbor helping neighbor.

Life goes on, if at a slightly different pace, for residents who have endured a month of fires.

Juan and Sophia Archuleta left Holman about three weeks ago.

The couple had been looking forward to their grandchildrens graduation ceremonies at West Las Vegas High School and New Mexico Highlands University. Instead they have found themselves bouncing around to Las Vegas, Sipapu and now Taos to avoid the fire.

Its been awful, Juan said.

The Archuletas sold most of their horses and cattle a few years ago. Fire crews had to cut the fence of the landowner that the family had sold their horses to in order to build a fire line.

I still have a lot of farm equipment, Juan said. Hopefully it will still be there when I get back  who knows.

About 25 miles away at Penasco High School, water bottles, food and donated clothing line the bleachers.

The team overseeing an evacuation shelter in the gymnasium calls the area the grocery store, said Red Cross volunteer Emma Empey.

Local volunteers are also feeding firefighters three meals a day.

We take care of all the beds, but as far as everything else, the community does it all, Empey said. Ive never seen anything like it.

FEMA representatives sit under the scoreboards, helping people sort through paperwork and assistance applications.

President Joe Biden last week declared the fires a federal disaster.

The declaration opens up financial assistance for individuals in several counties.

William Sandoval, a Navy veteran from Chacon, has evacuated his mobile home twice because of the fire.

Sandovals family has lived in adobe homes on the same property for several generations.

Now he is staying at the Penasco gym with his small dogs.

Ill probably know my fate in three or four days, Sandoval said. Im trying to stay positive.

The last that Sandoval heard from fire officials, extreme winds had put the blaze on a direct path to his front door.

Those are our memories, he said.

The tight-knit communities are doing whatever it takes to support each other, said Davina, a Mora teacher who declined to give her last name.

Davina has been helping out at the Penasco shelter since school shut down.

We try to make them as comfortable as possible, especially the kids because we know them on a personal level, she said. Whether its a student that likes to paint or theres a favorite snack that they like, we try to get those things for them.

Back in Taos, Garcia goes to work in town and feeds her animals at the local evacuation center.

The longtime Guadalupita resident knows it may be days or weeks before she can return home.

She checks in with family, like a nephew who is working near Mora with a volunteer fire department.

They fight real hard, Garcia said. Ive seen my nephew, and he goes out early in the morning and then doesnt come back until after dark. But you know, we all know each other in these small communities. And so they fight like heck to save their friends and neighbors places.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
SANTA FE  Almost six months after a Santa Fe police officers 2-year-old son was accidentally shot and killed in his home, state prosecutors are conducting an investigation into possible charges.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Sunday the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office confirmed theyre in the process of an independent review.

Jerri Mares, a spokeswoman for the AG, said they are following the process when asked if the involvement of a police officer was impacting the pace.

The Dec. 8 shooting in officer Jonathan Harmons Rio Rancho home occurred while Harmon was still in bed and his wife was tending to their newborn in another bedroom.

Harmons 4-year-old son climbed onto a kitchen counter to get to a cabinet, according to an incident report. He found Harmons off-duty gun and accidently discharged it, striking 2-year-old Lincoln.

Harmon has not faced any charges and remains on administrative duty with Santa Fe police. Deputy Chief Ben Valdez says the department will conduct its own investigation after Rio Rancho police finish theirs.

Sandoval County District Attorney Barbara Romo requested the AG Offices assistance in March. She cited a conflict of interest because of Harmons previous job with Bernalillo police. He often worked with her office.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Most of the worlds rhinos live in South Africa, but their numbers in that country decrease dramatically each year.

Poachers kill rhinos at a terrifying rate because the horns of the massive animals are ground into a powder believed by some cultures to have powerful medicinal properties capable of curing everything from arthritis and gout to sexual dysfunction. A large rhino horn might sell for as much as $1 million on the black market.

Albuquerque veterinarian Diana DeBlanc, a staunch advocate for rhino conservation, said that in 2017 there were 18,000 white rhino and 2,500 black rhino living at South Africas Kruger National Park, one of Africas largest game reserves. Last year that number was down to less than 4,000 white and black rhinos combined.

Now they are estimating less than 1,000 combined, DeBlanc said. Aerial surveys (of Kruger) are seeing more carcasses than living animals.

Saving rhinos from extinction must often seem like a losing battle, but people such as DeBlanc are unwilling to give up the fight.

It is not our place as humans to think it is OK to eliminate a species from the Earth, she said. We cant give up hope.

Desperate measures

Raising awareness of the rhinos plight is a major weapon in the arsenal of those who battle to save the creature.

Thats why DeBlanc is presenting a video/lecture titled The Last Rhinos in several cities in New Mexico. Its part of the Southwest Environmental Education Cooperative endangered species lecture series.

The Albuquerque lecture is at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Guild Cinema, 3405 Central NE. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Any money raised will benefit the Council of Contributors, an organization devoted to funding efforts to protect and preserve rhinos.

DeBlanc, 51, a New Mexico native, is a large-animal veterinarian. Her practice, Performance Equine Veterinary Services, focuses on horses and mules. But since 2017, she has made three trips to South Africa to work with rhinos. Her most recent trip was a monthlong excursion this past October.

It was a very special trip, really good, she said. We worked at the smaller game reserves such as Kragga Kamma, Balule, Insimbi, Makalali, Mankwe. Rhino numbers at these reserves range from six to hundreds. I realized thats where the efforts need to be. These small reserves spend so much money on anti-poaching that they dont have money in case something else happens, a rhino gets hurt.

Desperate situations require desperate measures. A major effort made by people passionate about the protection of rhinos is dehorning, cutting off rhinos horns so poachers dont have a reason to kill them. DeBlanc has done her share of that.

Some of the bigger game parks have been leery of dehorning because the feeling was that the rhinos needed their horns to protect themselves against predators, she said. But now the feeling is rhinos are at much greater risk from poaching.

Hope for future

DeBlancs lecture will include video and discussion of her experiences with rhinos in South Africa, but it will also delve into the prehistoric ancestors of rhinos, which lived many millions of years ago.

Research has shown that (prehistoric) rhino were very common in (what is now) Florida, as far west as Nebraska and as far south as Panama, DeBlanc said. Some bones associated with rhino have been found in the Hillsboro (New Mexico) area.

Those prehistoric rhino and other mammals became extinct due, probably, to a failure to adapt to a changing climate and new kinds of vegetation. But todays rhino are being poached out of existence.

The death rate is exceeding the birth rate by a hundred fold, DeBlanc said. But some rhinos orphaned by poachers are maturing, mating and reproducing. We have to be excited by every baby. Every baby rhino born is hope for the future.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Four New Mexicans have been named as 2022 recipients of the New Mexico Humanitarian Awards for their commitment to humanitarian goals, welfare, social reform, philanthropy and values-based investing.

Recipients are the Rev. Charles E. Becknell Sr., Lee Blaugrund, Lenya Heitzig and Claudia Medina.

In addition, Shlomo Karni will receive the Harold B. Albert Jewish Community Service award for representing the best of Jewish family and community ideals and for his outstanding service to the Jewish community.

A steering committee made the selection from a field of community-submitted nominations.

Created in 2008 by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque, the New Mexico Humanitarian Awards program will be held Aug. 14 at the JCC.

Becknell

Becknell, a native New Mexican and lifelong civil rights activist and community leader, was born and raised in Hobbs, when segregation was still common. He rose above that experience through education and had a long career as a professional educator.

He attended Duke, Columbia and the University of New Mexico, from where he received his Ph.D. in American studies and was the founding director of the Africana Studies program. He was a founding member and chairman of the Albuquerque Human Rights Board, and is currently the state president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and sits on the SCLCs national board.

An author of five books and a poet, Becknell has long advocated for nonviolent social change and racial reconciliation.

Blaugrund

As head of the American Home furniture and accessories stores, Blaugrund donated to a wide range of nonprofit community and religious organizations. His contributions have promoted education, sports, arts and social services. Among the institutions that have benefitted are United Way, Albuquerque Community Foundation, Adelante, the Storehouse, Lovelace Respiratory Research, National Institute of Flamenco and the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Blaugrund also assisted in projects to resettle Russian Jews and Tibetans who were fleeing persecution in search of better lives for themselves and their families.

Heitzig

Heitzig uses tangible acts of love as a way to reach out to people affected by severe trauma.

In 2014 she launched Reload Love, which touches the lives of children affected by terrorism. The organization provides relief supplies, childrens programs, and safe spaces such as playgrounds for children caught in the crossfire of terrorism throughout the world. Among Reload Love projects has been melting spent bullet casings and turning them into brass jewelry.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Heitzig launched Mercy B.A.N.D.s (Bearing Anothers Name Daily), silver bracelets inscribed with the names of individual casualties of terror. Over 60,000 people, including 2,000 family members directly affected by 9/11, have worn these bands.

Heitzig is the wife of Skip Heitzig, senior pastor of the 14,000-member Calvary Church.

Medina

Since arriving from her native Colombia 30 years ago, Medina has been involved in efforts to enhance immigrant rights and gender equality.

In 2000, she co-founded Enlace Comunitario, to aid immigrant woman and children traumatized by domestic violence. She served as the organizations executive director for nearly two decades.

She is also one of the founders of the nonprofit organizations, El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos (The Center for Equality and Rights), Mujeres en Accion (Women in Action) and Plaza de Encuentro, which were designed to increase the economic, political and social impact of Latino immigrant families in New Mexico.

Medina is currently the CEO of consulting firm, Transformar, which works to enable nonprofit organizations and their leaders to develop competencies and skills that can make them more effective and sustainable, as well as enhance equity in disenfranchised communities.

Medina has a law degree as well as M.A. degrees in family studies and Latin American studies.

Karni

A pillar of the Albuquerque Jewish community for more than 60 years, Karni is recognized as a knowledgeable service and prayer leader, Torah reader, biblical scholar and teacher. He is also a volunteer tutor and lecturer.

He is responsible for founding two enduring local Jewish institutions: In 1971, he started The Link, a monthly publication for the Jewish community; and in 1973, he helped establish Chavurat Hamidbar, a lay-led group of Jewish religious practitioners, who assemble for prayer on the Jewish Sabbath, Jewish holidays and for Jewish life cycle and learning events.

Born in 1932, in Lodz, Poland, Karnis family immigrated to Israel in 1936. He subsequently received electrical engineering degrees from the Israel Institute of Technology, Yale University, and in 1960 he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

He was on the faculty of the University of New Mexicos department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1961 until his retirement in 1999. Simultaneously, from 1972 until 1999, he was a professor in UNMs department of Religious Studies.

The 2022 New Mexico Humanitarian Awards will be held starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Jewish Community Center, 5520 Wyoming NE. The event is a fundraiser for JCC programs and scholarships. Tickets are $150, or $1,500 for a table of 10. To purchase tickets go to nmhumanitarian.org, where there is also an option for viewing the event remotely. For further information call 505-418-4471.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

The two Democrats vying to become the states top prosecutor clashed at every turn Monday night, attacking each other during a television debate that focused on which candidate had the experience and leadership needed to help combat New Mexicos crime problem.

The contest for the Democratic nomination for state attorney general pits Raul Torrez, two-term Bernalillo County district attorney, against state Auditor Brian Colon. Republican lawyer Jeremy Gay will face the winner of the June 7 primary election.

The one-hour debate on KRQE-TV on Monday devolved into a finger-pointing exercise in which Colon went on the offensive to call out Torrez for his failed prosecution rates.

The numbers are abysmal, Colon added.

Torrez faulted Colon as a career politician who lacks experience in public safety.

One of the things that defines this race is whether you want a career prosecutor or a career politician, Torrez added.

Torrez, a former federal prosecutor, defended his leadership in tackling an 8,000 case backlog in pending criminal cases when he took office in 2017, and accused Colon of misrepresenting the facts.

He has not prosecuted a single case, not even a parking ticket, Torrez said.

Colon, who has served as state auditor since winning a four-year-term in 2018, is the former head of the state Democratic Party. He noted his 20 years of public service and touted his knack for coming up with solutions.

I have a lifetime of relationships. Theres a reason that when I walk in the Roundhouse were warmly embraced, he said.

Torrez, along with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, unsuccessfully pushed legislation to reform pretrial detention of violent offenders earlier this year. On Tuesday, Torrez vowed to try again during next years 60-day session.

Colon said he believes in a multi-pronged effort to fighting crime, including pretrial detention reform, but said leadership he would provide is important to bringing key stakeholders together to consider solutions, adding, you cant hang your hat on one piece (of criminal justice reform).

Torrez said he was a little puzzled that Colon would say he supported pretrial detention reform when Torrez never heard him step out and support publicly the proposed legislation aimed at keeping more violent criminals in jail pending trial.

This is somebody who lives and dies by politics, Torrez said. Its a difficult issue for the Democratic Party. We cant have people who are guided by politics and who run away from difficult issues.

Colon said Torrez talks about his big-name political support during the failed legislative fight for pretrial detention reform, but if he had that support he should have been very embarrassed when he walked out of the Roundhouse (after the past session).

I would say Ive got a failed prosecutor standing beside me, said Colon, who repeatedly echoed what he said were New Mexicans fears about crime. At the end of the day, Colon added, were not safe.




WASHINGTON  Taliban forces had taken the Afghan capital. Crowds of panicked people thronged the airport. And a young man who had worked as a subcontractor for the U.S. military faced a terrible choice.

Hasibullah Hasrat, after having navigated the chaotic streets and Taliban checkpoints to make it inside the airport, could either go back for his wife and two young children or board an evacuation flight and get them later. Not taking the flight likely meant none of them would get out of Afghanistan.

Hasrats decision haunts him. He is in the U.S., one of more than 78,000 Afghans admitted into the country following the U.S. troop withdrawal in August that ended Americas longest war. But his family hasnt been able to join him. Theyre still in Afghanistan, where an economic crisis has led to widespread hunger and where Taliban repression is on the rise.

My wife is alone there, he said, his voice breaking as he describes nightly phone calls home. My son cries, asks where I am, when am I coming. And I dont know what to say.

Its a reminder that the journey for many of the Afghans who came to the United States in the historic evacuation remains very much a work in progress, filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future.

Afghan refugees, some of whom faced possible reprisals for working with their government or American forces during the war with the Taliban, say in interviews that they are grateful to the U.S. for rescuing them and family members.

But they are often struggling to gain a foothold in a new land, straining to pay their bills as assistance from the government and resettlement agencies starts to run out, stuck in temporary housing, and trying to figure out how to apply for asylum because most of the Afghans came under a two-year emergency status known as humanitarian parole.

We are not sure what may happen, said Gulsom Esmaelzade, whose family has been shuttled between hotel rooms in the San Diego area since January, after spending three months at a New Jersey military base. We dont have anything back at home in Afghanistan and here we also dont have any future.

Its taken a toll. Esmaelzade said her mother has had to be rushed three times to the emergency room when her blood pressure shot up to dangerous levels. The younger woman attributes it to the stress of their lives.

Then there are more mundane challenges that are nonetheless daunting for many Afghans. They include learning English, navigating government bureaucracies and public transportation, and finding a job.

There is also the isolation for those, like Hasrat, who came alone. I dont know anyone here, he said in the apartment outside Washington he shares with two other evacuees. I have no friends, no family, no relatives. I just live with my roommates and my roommates are from other parts of Afghanistan.

Some have managed to get established. But there are many more who are not doing fine than are doing well, said Megan Flores, executive director of the Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center in McLean, Virginia.

The experience of the evacuated Afghans is not unlike what refugees have historically faced in coming to the United States. In some ways its a preview for the up to 100,000 Ukrainians who President Joe Biden says will be welcomed, also in many cases on two years of humanitarian parole.

Afghans on humanitarian parole must apply for a way to stay in the country such as through asylum. Its a time-consuming process that typically requires finding an immigration attorney, at a cost of thousands of dollars not readily available to most refugees unless they can find someone to do it pro bono.

The Department of Homeland Security says about half of the 78,000 likely will ultimately qualify for the special immigrant visa, or SIV, program. It grants permanent residency to people, along with their immediate family, who worked for the U.S. government. Hasrat hasnt been able to secure an SIV, at least not yet, despite his work as a subcontractor setting up transmission lines for the U.S. Army.

Congress could resolve the situation by passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would enable evacuees to apply for permanent residency after a year in the country, similar to relief granted in the past to people from Iraq, Cuba and Vietnam. Biden recently gave the effort a boost when he endorsed the idea of adding it to an upcoming Ukraine aid bill, a move welcomed by a coalition that includes veterans, religious organizations and resettlement agencies.

They are facing a ticking time bomb of what happens if they dont get SIV or asylum status, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Do they get deported back to Afghanistan and into harms way?

In the meantime, Afghans are trying to stitch together new lives as public attention has shifted to Ukraine and other matters. At a recent job fair in Alexandria, Virginia, there were hundreds of evacuees, including Arafat Safi, a former senior official in Afghans foreign affairs ministry who came to the U.S. with his wife, four children and mother.

Hes hoping to land a job in project management or international development, to use an education that includes a masters degree from the U.K. So far, hes landed a position as a Pashto-English interpreter and is delivering packages for Amazon on the side while his wife, Madina, works in the bakery section of a supermarket.

Safi said he still hopes to find a better job and is eager to get permanent residency. But he never complained in a lengthy interview at the familys apartment in Alexandria. An intricate and vibrant Afghan rug  the only possession the family brought from home  occupies a prominent place in the living room.

Im very lucky to be here, to be welcomed by the U.S. society. I met a lot of friends here who are checking on me almost every day, said the 35-year-old Safi. And its amazing. But theres a small part of me that misses Afghanistan and that misses my people.

Hasrat said he has little time to think about anything other than his family back home and the danger they face from the Taliban. A 29-year-old former competitive boxer, he rides a bike to his job as an administrative assistant at a medical office. After taxes and the money he sends home, he barely has enough to pay his bills. His roommates, who are still learning English, have even less and have trouble making the rent.

Most nights, Hasrat waits until its late enough to have a video chat with his family. On one recent call, he tried to join the celebration of his kids birthdays but was sad to realize his daughter doesnt even know him.

I am telling them that, yeah, I am happy, because if I told them my situation here they will be sad, he said. But if no one is there to take care of your wife, how can you be happy?

___

Watson reported from San Diego.
A former Alabama jail official on the run with a murder suspect she was accused of helping escape shot and killed herself Monday as authorities caught up with the pair after more than a week of searching, officials said. The man she fled with surrendered.

The death of Vicky White, 56, only deepened the mystery of why a respected jail official would leave everything to help free Casey White, 38, a hulking inmate with a violent and frightening history.

The two fugitives were caught  following a manhunt through three states  in Evansville, Indiana, when U.S. Marshals chasing them crashed into their vehicle, authorities said. Casey White gave himself up and Vicky White shot herself and was taken to a hospital, authorities said. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said she died from her injuries.

Before Vicky Whites death, authorities celebrated the fugitives apprehension.

We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. Thats a good thing for our country, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said.

The manhunt began April 29 when Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped engineer the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case. Vicky White had told co-workers she was taking the inmate from the jail for a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but the two, who are not related, instead fled the area.

The car they took off in was later found abandoned in Tennessee, but there was no trace of the pair until U.S. Marshals received a tip Sunday that surveillance photos from an Evansville car wash showed a man who closely resembled Casey White exiting a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Marshals Service said. White stands 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms).

On Monday, officials learned that the pair was spotted near the sheriffs office, said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding in Indiana. As officers arrived, the pair fled in a vehicle and led police on a pursuit, he said. U.S. Marshals collided with them to try to end the pursuit, he said. Casey White was injured, not too seriously, in the crash and Vicky White then shot herself, causing very serious injuries, he said.

Were lucky that no law enforcement was injured, no innocent civilians were injured, the pursuit was short in nature and we have both people in custody, Wedding said.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape. He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said that he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals Service said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

Before her death was announced, the Alabama sheriff said he hoped to get answers from his once trusted jail employee about her actions but acknowledged those answers might not come. I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world provoked her, prompted her to pull a stunt like this? I dont know. I dont know if well ever know, Singleton said.

Vicky Whites family members and co-workers said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton said it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates.

In the past several months, she bought a rifle and a shotgun and also was known to have a handgun, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said.

She sold her house for about half of market value and bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, Singleton said.

The escape happened on what Vicky White said was going to be her last day at work. She told co-workers that Casey White had a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but none was scheduled. She did not have a second officer accompany them, which was against jail policy.

Video showed the pair went from the jail to the shopping center, where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said. Their flight was not discovered for much of the day.

Investigators believe the pickup truck Casey White had at the car wash was stolen in Tennessee and then driven about 175 miles (280 kilometers) to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Kusmer contributed from Indianapolis.
Xi calls on China, Germany to better harness stabilizing, constructive, steering role of ties

Xinhua) 08:11, May 10, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, saying it is particularly important for the two countries to better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship.

Xi noted the ongoing complex changes in the international landscape and the marked rise in difficulties and challenges for global security and development, and highlighted the pressing need to bring more stability and certainty to an age of instability and transformation.

Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence. Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship. This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, said Xi.

Xi stressed that China-Germany relations have seen high-quality development over the past five decades, during which the two sides have developed together and contributed to each other's success through deepening practical cooperation. This is essentially attributable to a commitment to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, a valuable piece of experience and important principle that should be upheld all along.

Xi said there is no change in China's commitment to developing ties with Germany; there is no change in China's sincere wish for closer cooperation with Germany; and there is no change in China's conviction that China and Germany can make greater differences together. It is important that the two sides stick to the keynote of dialogue and cooperation, make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and conduct dialogue in such areas as climate change, macroeconomic policy, financial stability, energy security, food security and the stability of industrial and supply chains, so as to further enrich this bilateral relationship.

The two sides should tap the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, and actively explore cooperation in new technologies including environmental protection, trade in services, artificial intelligence and digitalization. China is speeding up efforts to foster a new development paradigm, which means broader market opportunities for Germany and all other countries, he said.

The two sides should stand for true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, defend the UN's central role in international affairs, safeguard basic norms governing international relations, promote an open world economy, and make global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, Xi said.

Xi expressed his hope for Germany's active support for and participation in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, with a view to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences. China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU. The China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party. This is a strategic consensus that both sides must follow in the long run. It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust.

In face of geopolitical crises, the two sides need to advocate dialogue and cooperation and offset complex changes in the international landscape with the stability of China-EU relations. In face of challenges to post-COVID recovery, the two sides need to seek greater synergy between their development strategies, step up policy coordination, and promote the stability and growth of the world economy with the openness of China-EU cooperation. In face of global challenges, the two sides need to focus on areas that bear on the future of humanity such as climate change and sustainable development, and promote further development of global governance through their wide-ranging dialogue. Xi expressed his hope for Germany to play a positive role in the steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

Scholz noted the very good development of Germany-China relations in recent years, and called on the two sides to carry forward the good tradition and keep up the sound momentum of bilateral relations. Germany will work with China on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, maintain close communication and exchanges at all levels, ensure the success of the next round of inter-governmental consultation, have dialogue on maintaining stable global supply chains, macroeconomic policy coordination and other important topics, and step up cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and investment, climate change, COVID-19 response, health and medical care, and education and culture.

Germany welcomes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, which will bring more opportunities to Germany. Germany is prepared to enhance communication and coordination with China on the multilateral front and promote the sound development of Europe-China relations, he added.

The two leaders also had an in-depth and candid exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine. Xi stressed that China always stands on the side of peace and makes its conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter, and that China has been working in its own way to promote peace and defuse tensions. The Ukraine crisis has once again brought European security to a crossroads. It is important to make every effort to prevent the conflict from intensifying or magnifying to a point of no return.

Xi said the European side needs to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe, and promote a solution in a responsible manner. The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves.

China supports Europe in playing a positive role in promoting peace talks and in the eventual establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. China welcomes all international efforts conducive to promoting peace. Relevant parties need to support Russia and Ukraine in realizing peace through negotiations, Xi added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
 Flash

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses a press conference after an informal meeting of EU heads of state at the Chateau de Versailles, near Paris, France, March 11, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

French President Emmanuel Macron believes that a "European political community" should be built that would be broader than the European Union (EU) and would include non-EU nations.

He outlined his vision in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday.

"How should we organize Europe in a political manner?" he asked. "And how can we go further than the European Union? It's our historic obligation now to respond to that question."

The ultimate goal, he said, is to maintain stability on the continent. Relying on the EU only is not enough.

"Given its level of integration and ambition," the EU could not be Europe's only organizing body, he said.

This new organization would allow democratic European nations to "find a new space of political cooperation" in the areas of security, energy, transport, infrastructure investment and freedom of movement.

To become a member state of the EU is a lengthy process, often taking years if not decades, Macron said, as the EU's membership criteria are very strict.

His proposal comes as Ukraine, currently in conflict with Russia, is seeking the EU's support and asking to be admitted as a candidate country to enter the Union.

The proposal complements the 49 proposals of the Conference on the Future of Europe that will be presented to the leaders of EU institutions.

These proposals cover climate change and the environment; a stronger economy, social justice and jobs; the EU in the world; values and rights, rule of law, security; digital transformation; migration; and education, culture, youth and sport.
STATE OF NEW MEXICO

COUNTY OF VALENCIA

THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL

DISTRICT

No. D-1314-CV-2019-00677

FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION,

Plaintiff,

vs.

MARTIN MANNING,

Defendants.

NOTICE OF SALE





NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on May 26, 2022, at the hour of 11:30 a.m., the undersigned Special Master will, at the main entrance of the Valencia County Courthouse, 1835 Highway 314 S.W., Los Lunas, New Mexico, sell all the right, title and interest of the above-named Defendants in and to the hereinafter described real estate to the highest bidder for cash. The property to be sold is located at 210 Desoto Avenue, Belen, and is situate in Valencia County, New Mexico, and is particularly described as follows:

LOTS NUMBERED FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, AND SEVENTEEN (15, 16, 17) IN BLOCK NUMBERED ONE (1) OF THE EAST SIDE ADDITION, IN BELEN, VALENCIA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO, AS THE SAME IS SHOWN AND DESIGNATED ON THE PLAT OF THE ABOVE SAID ADDITION, FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK OF VALENCIA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO, ON THE 30TH DAY OF JULY, 1926, IN BOOK B, PAGE 383

THE FOREGOING SALE will be made to satisfy a judgment rendered by the above Court in the above entitled and numbered cause on April 15, 2022, being an action to foreclose a mortgage on the above described property. The Plaintiffs Judg ment, which includes interest and costs, is $86,636.96 and the same bears interest at 3.750% per annum from December 30, 2021, to the date of sale. The Plaintiff and/or its assignees has the right to bid at such sale and submit its bid verbally or in writing. The Plaintiff may apply all or any part of its judgment to the purchase price in lieu of cash. The sale may be postponed and rescheduled at the discretion of the Special Master.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the real property and improvements concerned with herein will be sold subject to any and all patent reservations, easements, all recorded and unrecorded liens not foreclosed herein, and all recorded and unrecorded special assessments and taxes that may be due. Plaintiff and its attorneys disclaim all responsibility for, and the purchaser at the sale takes the property subject to, the valuation of the property by the County Assessor as real or personal property, affixture of any mobile or manufactured home to the land, deactivation of title to a mobile or manufactured home on the property, if any, environmental contamination on the property, if any, and zoning violations concerning the property, if any.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the purchaser at such sale shall take title to the above described real property subject to a one month right of redemption.

Electronically filed

/s/ David Washburn

David Washburn,

Special Master

8100 Wyoming Blvd. NE

PO Box 91988

Albuquerque, NM 87199

Phone: 505-433-4576

Journal: May 2, 9, 16, 23, 2022
BEIJING  The city of Shanghai is doubling down on pandemic restrictions after a brief period of loosening up, frustrating residents who were hoping a more than monthlong lockdown was finally easing as the number of new cases falls in Chinas financial center.

On Tuesday, service was suspended on the last two subway lines that were still operating, marking the first time the citys entire system has been shut down, according to The Paper, an online media outlet.

Teams in white protective suits have begun entering the homes of coronavirus-infected people to spray disinfectant, prompting worries among some about damage to clothes and valuables, and about leaving their keys with a community volunteer when they are taken to quarantine  a new requirement so disinfectant workers can get in.

In some areas, people have been ordered to stay in their homes again for a quiet period after being let out for limited shopping in recent weeks.

Chinas adherence to a zero-COVID strategy, as many other countries loosen restrictions and try to live with the virus, is exacting a growing economic and human cost. Evermore extreme measures have been required to bring outbreaks under control because the omicron variant spreads so easily. Chinas ruling Communist Party, with an eye on a major party congress this fall, is showing no signs of backing off anytime soon.

Fengxian district, a suburban area in southern Shanghai, entered a quiet period on Monday, with permits for residents to leave their compounds suspended and shops and supermarkets closed except for delivery, the Shanghai Media Group reported.

Workers at one supermarket filled bags with celery, cooking oil and other groceries in a designated area, where delivery persons picked them up. Xie Yu, the manager, said the store is also trying to restock goods in high demand. When offline sales are resumed, customers will be able to buy what they need immediately, he said.

Escape from Shanghai is all but impossible, but that didnt stop an unofficial how-to guide  detailing how to navigate lockdown controls and nab a seat on the few trains and planes leaving the city  from circulating widely on social media. Many in the city of 25 million people shared their frustrations over the renewed restrictions in chat groups.

The daily number of new cases in Shanghai had fallen to about 3,000 by Monday, down from a peak of 26,000 in mid-April. Six more COVID-19-related deaths were reported, raising the toll from the outbreak to 553.

Meanwhile, Beijing began another round of three days of mass testing for millions of its residents Tuesday in a bid to prevent an outbreak in the nations capital from growing to Shanghai proportions. The city, which recorded 74 new cases on Monday, has locked down individual buildings and residential compounds, shut about 60 subway stations and banned dining at restaurants, allowing only takeout and delivery.

The outbreak has not exploded but it also has not stopped spreading. Beijing spokesperson Xu Hejian described the situation Tuesday as a stalemate and said the city needs to continue its strict measures.

While traffic is sparse in Beijing, it is almost non-existent in Shanghai, where the lockdown has been going on longer and is citywide. AP video shot Monday showed a silent and deserted city, with only a very occasional vehicle and a few food delivery drivers on scooters moving down empty roads. Most people are confined to their apartments or residential complexes, though there has been some easing in outlying suburban areas without new cases in their communities.

But notices issued in several Shanghai districts in recent days ordered residents to stay home and barred them from receiving nonessential deliveries as part of a quiet period lasting until Wednesday or longer. The measures could be extended depending on the results of mass testing, the notices said. The sudden re-tightening took residents by surprise.

Shanghai official Jin Chen appeared to acknowledge Tuesday the complaints about the disinfecting of peoples homes, thanking them for their cooperation and saying the government would analyze and fix any problems. He said that residents can inform the teams about any items that need protection.

Carrying out household disinfection is an important part of the overall epidemic prevention and control, he told a daily virus news conference.

A constitutional law professor, Tong Zhiwei, posted an article recently calling for Shanghai to end what he called excessive pandemic prevention measures such as quarantining residents and forcing them to surrender their house keys, saying the requirements contravene the rule of law.

The article has been removed from the internet as the government censors criticism of its response.

Thousands of people have been forced into quarantine centers after testing positive or having been in contact with an infected person, standard procedure in Chinas zero-COVID approach.

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Associated Press researchers Si Chen in Shanghai and Yu Bing in Beijing and video producer Caroline Chen in Guangzhou, China, contributed to this report.
LONDON  Britains Conservative government set out its agenda for the next year on Tuesday with sweeping promises to cut crime, improve health care and revive the U.K.s pandemic-scarred economy  but no new help for millions of Britons struggling to pay their bills as the cost of living soars.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had caused economic turmoil, but said no government can realistically shield everyone from the impact.

The government set out its legislative plans during a ceremony steeped in tradition, but without Queen Elizabeth II, who was absent for the first time in six decades.

The 96-year-old monarch pulled out of reading the Queens Speech at the opening of Parliament because of what Buckingham Palace called episodic mobility issues. Her son and heir, Prince Charles, stood in, rattling through a short speech laying out 38 bills the government plans to pass.

The speech, which is written by the government, promised Johnsons administration would grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. There were plans to invest in railways, create a U.K. infrastructure bank and level up economic opportunity to poorer regions, as well as bills on education and health care funding.

Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine had created huge disruptions to the global economy. But the speech included no immediate measures to relieve households struggling with soaring prices for domestic energy and food.

We cannot simply spend our way out of this problem, Johnson told lawmakers. We need to grow out of this problem by creating hundreds of thousands of new high-wage, high-skill jobs across the country.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the government of being too out of touch to meet the challenges of the moment. He called for an emergency budget and a windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

Many business groups and unions also were disappointed.

The Confederation of British Industry was encouraged by the speechs ambition, but the British Chambers of Commerce said its measures will come too late to help many firms.

Christina McAnea, general-secretary of the Unison trade union, said the government had not grasped the seriousness of the situation. Families are being forced into debt and are going hungry.

Some of the planned laws appeared aimed at pleasing the governments right-leaning voter base, including promises to seize Brexit freedoms by cutting red tape for businesses and overhauling financial services and data regulation now that Britain has left the European Union.

Law-and-order measures included a law to outlaw disruptive protest tactics favored by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, a proposal condemned by civil liberties groups. Human rights groups also criticized plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace current rights laws based on the European Convention on Human Rights.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the European security order, was reflected in plans to beef up spying laws, introduce a U.S.-style foreign influence registration scheme and toughen money-laundering laws  though the mild-sounding measures are unlikely to eradicate Londons reputation as a hub for ill-gotten gains.

Despite rumors beforehand, there was no legislation to alter post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that would worsen already tense relations between Britain and the EU. But the government hinted it could act, stressing the importance of the internal economic bonds between all parts of the U.K., a key theme for Northern Irelands British unionists.

Johnsons Conservatives hold 358 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, which should ensure easy passage of all its legislation. But the government has been repeatedly sidetracked by ethics scandals and internal Conservative dissent.

The opening of a new session of Parliament came days after Johnsons Conservatives suffered a drubbing in local elections across the U.K.

Johnsons personal popularity has been hurt by months of headlines over parties in his office and other government buildings that breached coronavirus restrictions. The prime minister was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police last month for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

Johnson has apologized, but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties, a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior and a possible no-confidence vote from his own lawmakers.

The parliamentary opening ceremony is a spectacular pageant steeped in the two sides of Britains constitutional monarchy: royal pomp and political power. Traditionally the monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage and reads the speech to lawmakers from a golden throne, wearing a crown studded with 3,000 diamonds.

The queen has only missed two previous state openings during her 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward, respectively.

Prince Charles travelled by car, rather than carriage, and did not wear the crown, which got its own cushioned seat. Charles was accompanied by his wife Camilla and his son Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.

Other symbolic elements were unchanged, including scarlet-clad Yeomen of the Guard and an official known as Black Rod who summoned lawmakers from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, where the ceremony takes place.

That, too, is symbolic. Ever since King Charles I tried to arrest lawmakers in 1642 and ended up deposed, tried and beheaded, the monarch has been barred from entering the Commons chamber.
BOSTON  Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, following a swift trial in which the celebrity chef waived his right to have a jury decide his fate in a criminal case that arose from the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.

The 61-year-old former Food Network personality quickly strode out of the courtroom with his lawyers without commenting on the case, which centered on allegations that he aggressively kissed and groped a Boston woman while taking a selfie at a bar in 2017.

In delivering the verdict, Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton agreed with Batalis lawyers that the accuser had credibility issues and that photos suggested the encounter was amicable.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, he said.

But the judge also rebuked Batali while suggesting the former star of shows like Molto Mario and Iron Chef America has already paid a high cost in terms of his diminished reputation and financial losses.

Its an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question, Stanton said after prosecutors argued he was visibly drunk in the photos. His conduct, his appearance and his demeanor were not befitting of a public person of his stature at that time.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he was disappointed in the verdict but grateful Batalis accuser had come forward.

It can be incredibly difficult for a victim to disclose a sexual assault, he said in a statement. When the individual who committed such an abhorrent act is in a position of power or celebrity, the decision to report an assault can become all the more challenging and intimidating.

Batali, who pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in 2019, took a calculated gamble that Stanton, a former Republican candidate for state representative appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, would rule more favorably than a Boston jury.

Seeking a non-jury, or bench trial, is often a strategy employed when a defendant can come across as unlikeable to jurors.

Such was the case for Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts teen infamously charged with manslaughter for urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in text messages and who was the subject of The Girl from Plainville, a 2022 Hulu show starring Elle Fanning.

In Carters case, though, the strategy didnt pan out and she was convicted and sentenced to more than a year in jail.

Batali faced up to 2 1/2 years in jail and wouldve been required to register as a sex offender if convicted.

His accuser, who also exited the courtroom without speaking with reporters, had testified how she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali at the time.

But in his closing statements, Batalis lawyer Antony Fuller portrayed the 32-year-old Boston-area resident as an admitted liar who is financially motivated because shes filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Batali.

In her world, truth is a flexible concept, he said, referencing the womans recent admission of attempting to avoid jury service by claiming to be clairvoyant, which was a focus of the two-day trial.

Prosecutor Nina Bonelli countered in her closing statement that Batalis lawyers were trying to demonize the woman, when it was their client on trial over his conduct.

She said the woman tried to de-escalate the unwanted touching by simply smiling it off in the photos.

The kissing, the groping. She never asked for it. She never consented to it, she said. She just wanted a selfie.

Batali was arguably the most prominent chef and restauranteur charged with sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement, which particularly roiled the food and beverage industry.

After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, he stepped down from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire and left the since-discontinued ABC cooking show The Chew.

Batali also apologized, acknowledging the allegations match up with ways he has acted.

I have made many mistakes, he said in an email newsletter at the time. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.

Last year, Batali, his business partner and their New York City restaurant company agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve a four-year investigation by the New York attorney generals office into allegations that Batali and other staff sexually harassed employees.

In Boston, he had opened a branch of the popular Italian food marketplace Eataly and a Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca in the citys Seaport District. But he has since been bought out of his stake in Eataly, and the Babbo restaurant in Boston has closed.
NEW ORLEANS  President Joe Biden legally called for suspending new and gas lease sales while considering their effect on climate change, and onshore and offshore sales were legally postponed, a federal attorney argued Tuesday.

The current offshore lease sale plan states specifically that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior may reduce or cancel lease offerings on account of climate change, Department of Justice attorney Andrew B. Bernie told a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel.

Land-based sales were not postponed by the executive order. They were postponed because of a need to comply with NEPA  the National Environmental Policy Act, he said.

Arguing for 13 states that challenged Bidens January 2021 order, Louisiana Deputy Solicitor General Joseph Scott St. John said laws passed in response to the 1970s oil crisis require lease sales.

The Biden administration failed to grapple with prior analyses of the planned sales to give a valid reason for postponing or canceling them, he said.

Judges James L. Dennis, Patrick E. Higginbotham and James E. Graves Jr. did not indicate when they will rule.

Louisiana is joined in the suit by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

The state challenge to Bidens order has not yet gone to trial but a federal judge blocked the order in a preliminary injunction, writing that since the laws did not state the president could suspend oil lease sales, only Congress could do so.

Bernie said, It is routine for individual lease sales or proposed lease sales not to be held for various reasons. The federal brief said nine five-year leasing plans have been approved and all had fewer sales than originally scheduled.

We dont know why prior lease sales were withdrawn, St. John responded. Presumably there was some kind of rationale. That was not the case here.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty found that states which challenged the order were likely to prove the Interior Department violated the Administrative Policy Act by acting without any rational explanation.

After Doughty ruled for the states, the Interior Department held an offshore lease sale, which a federal judge in Washington canceled. Four onshore lease sales are scheduled next month  for land in Nevada on June 14; New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado on June 16; Wyoming on June 22 and Utah, Montana and North Dakota on June 28.

However, the administration scaled back the amount of land originally on offer and raised royalty rates 50% from 12.5% to 18.75%. Thats the amount usually charged for desirable deep water offshore leases, while those in less than 656 feet (200 meters) of water are charged the 12.5% minimum.

Biden has come under pressure to increase U.S. crude production as fuel prices spike because of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. From within his own party, the Democrat faces calls to do more to curb emissions from fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

Oil companies have been reluctant to ramp up, saying there are not enough workers, scant money for new drilling investments and wariness that todays high prices wont last.

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Associated Press writer Matt Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
DEVELOPING... Story will be updated as new information can be verified. Updated 4 times

OMAHA, Neb.  Republican voters in Nebraska picked Jim Pillen as their nominee for governor, siding with the University of Nebraska regent backed by the states outgoing governor over a rival supported by former President Donald Trump and accused of groping multiple women.

Pillen, a hog farm owner and veterinarian, defeated eight challengers, including Charles Herbster, a businessman who faced groping allegations late in the campaign, and Brett Lindstrom, a state senator and Omaha financial adviser who was generally viewed as a more moderate choice.

We live in the greatest place on the planet, right here in Nebraska, Pillen said in a victory speech late Tuesday as a crowd cheered and chanted, Lets go, Jim! He said his opponents had called to concede.

While Trump-endorsed candidates won primary races in West Virginia for the U.S. House on Tuesday, the statewide loss in Nebraska was a setback for Trump. He has issued hundreds of endorsements and staged his signature campaign-style rallies in support of his preferred candidates, including Herbster, all in an effort to bend the GOP in his direction ahead of another possible presidential run in 2024.

Herbsters loss raises the stakes on other high-profile races this month in Pennsylvania and Georgia, where Trump has also intervened in campaigns.

In this Republican stronghold, Pillen will be a favorite in Novembers general election against his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Carol Blood. Nebraska hasnt elected a Democrat as governor since 1994.

Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne. Ricketts was prevented by term limits from running again.

In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trump, didnt stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month.

I really think hes going to do just a fantastic job, and if I didnt feel that, I wouldnt be here, said Trump, who has denied sexual misconduct allegations of his own.

Herbster alluded to the groping allegations in a concession speech late Tuesday.

This is one of the nastiest campaigns for governor in the history of Nebraska, and may have affected the results, Herbster said, adding that it was in Gods hands.

Lindstrom congratulated Pillen on his victory and said he would support him in the general election.

In a story last month, the Nebraska Examiner interviewed six women who claimed Herbster had groped their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants. A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly.

One of the accusers, Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, said Herbster reached up her skirt and touched her inappropriately at the Douglas County Republican Partys annual Elephant Remembers dinner in 2019. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Slama has done.

Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama, saying she falsely accused him in an effort to derail his campaign. Slama responded with a countersuit against Herbster, alleging sexual battery.

Some voters said the allegations didnt dissuade them from backing Herbster.

As she voted at an elementary school in northwest Omaha on Tuesday, Joann Kotan said she was upset by the stories, but I dont know if I believe them. Ultimately, the 74-year-old said, she voted for Herbster because President Trump recommended him.

Lindstrom faced a barrage of attacks as well, with third-party television ads funded by Ricketts that portray him as too liberal for the conservative state. One digitally altered ad shows Lindstrom standing in front of a rainbow flag with a coronavirus mask superimposed over his face.

Devon Leesley said he backed the 41-year-old Lindstrom because its time to hand over the politics to the next generation. Pillen and Herbster are both in their 60s.

The 45-year-old Leesley, who lives in Omaha, said he didnt pay much attention to the various endorsements in the race.

I dont trust any politician talking about any other politician. Its all dirt, he said. We would never vote for anybody if we listened to their opponent.

Carol Bruning, 59, of Omaha, said she went into Election Day debating between Pillen and Lindstrom, but went with Pillen because of his age and experience. She said she liked that Ricketts and Osborne endorsed Pillen. The fact that Trump endorsed Herbster may have even been a little bit of a turn-off at this point, Bruning said, even though she had voted for Trump.

The allegations against Herbster werent much of a factor, she said. You dont know what to believe. Thats the hard part, Bruning said.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, a Republican who also won renomination on Tuesday, predicted that 35% of registered voters would cast ballots in the primary, the highest percentage since 2006, based on what he had seen so far.

Nebraska Republicans and Democrats also picked their candidates for the seat previously held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned from office and ended his reelection bid in March after he was convicted of federal corruption charges.

State Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, won the Republican nomination, while state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks won the Democratic nod. Flood will enter the race as a strong favorite in the Republican-heavy 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln, small towns and a large swath of eastern Nebraska farmland.

Despite Trumps loss in the Nebraska governors race, his influence proved decisive in West Virginia, which also held primary elections Tuesday. In a race pitting two Republican incumbents against each other, Trumps candidate, Rep. Alex Mooney, defeated Rep. David McKinley, who had angered Trump by voting for President Joe Bidens bipartisan infrastructure package and the creation of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed to this report.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
STOCKHOLM  Key decision-makers in non-aligned Finland and Sweden are set to announce their positions on NATO membership this week in what could be a serious blow to Russia as its military struggles to make decisive gains in Ukraine.

If Finlands president and the Social Democrats who govern both countries ignore Moscows warnings and come out in favor of accession, NATO could soon add two new members right on Russias doorstep.

Such an expansion by the Western military alliance would leave Russia surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, as well as represent a serious setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin cited NATOs previous expansion in Eastern Europe  and the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance  among the reasons for Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. On Monday, he marked Victory Day  the holiday when Russia commemorates Nazi Germanys surrender in World War II  without being able to celebrate any major breakthroughs in Ukraine.

Belonging to NATO would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviet Union in World War II.

NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine more than 10 weeks ago. Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from Why should we join? to How long does it take?

Along with hard-nosed Ukrainian resistance and wide-ranging Western sanctions, its one of the most significant ways in which the invasion appears to have backfired on Putin.

There is no going back to the status quo before the invasion, said Heli Hautala, a Finnish diplomat previously posted to Moscow and a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the Western leader who appeared to have the best rapport with Putin before the Ukraine war, is expected to announce his stance on NATO membership on Thursday. The governing Social Democratic parties in both countries are set to present their positions this weekend.

If their answer is yes, there would be robust majorities in both parliaments for NATO membership, paving the way for formal application procedures to begin right away.

The Finnish Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin are likely to join other parties in Finland in endorsing a NATO application. The situation in Sweden isnt as clear.

The Swedish Social Democrats have always been staunchly committed to nonalignment. But Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, the partys leader, has said theres a clear before and after Feb. 24.

Andersson and other top Social Democrats are believed to be leaning toward NATO membership, but several subgroupings of the party have come out against, including the womens faction, led by Climate and Environment Minister Annika Strandhall.

We believe that our interests are best served by being militarily nonaligned, Strandhall told Swedish broadcaster TV4. Traditionally, Sweden has been a strong voice for peace and disarmament.

Neither Finland nor Sweden is planning a referendum, fearing it could become a prime target of Russian interference.

Sweden and Finland have sought  and received  assurances of support from the U.S. and other NATO members in the application period should they seek membership.

Both countries feel they would be vulnerable in the interim, before theyre covered by the alliances one-for-all, all-for-one security guarantees.

The Kremlin has warned of military and political repercussions if the Swedes and Finns decide to join NATO.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is deputy head of Russias Security Council, said last month it would force Moscow to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic region.

However, analysts say military action against the Nordic countries appears unlikely, given how bogged down Russian forces are in Ukraine.

Many of the Russian troops stationed near the 1,300-kilometer (830-mile) border with Finland were sent to Ukraine and have suffered significant losses there, Hautala said.

She said potential Russian countermeasures could include moving weapons systems closer to Finland, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, economic countermoves and steering migration toward the Russian-Finnish border, similar to what happened on Polands frontier with Belarus last year.

There are signs that Russia already has increased its focus on Sweden and Finland, with several airspace violations by Russian military aircraft reported in recent weeks and an apparent campaign in Moscow with posters depicting famous Swedes as Nazi sympathizers. Putin used similar tactics against Ukraines leaders before launching what the Kremlin called its special military operation.

After remaining firmly against membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted rapidly this year. Polls show more than 70% of Finns and about 50% of Swedes now favor joining.

The shocking scenes playing out in Ukraine made Finns draw the conclusion that this could happen to us, said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, while Sweden already had a tradition of neutrality dating to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. But both countries built up robust conscription-based armed forces to counter any Soviet threat. Sweden even had a nuclear weapons program but scrapped it in the 1960s.

The threat of a conflict flared up in October 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground off the coast of southwestern Sweden. Eventually the sub was tugged back out to sea, ending a tense standoff between Swedish forces and a Soviet rescue fleet.

As Russias military power declined in the 1990s, Finland kept its guard high, while Sweden, considering a conflict with Russia increasingly unlikely, downsized its military and shifted its focus from territorial defense toward peacekeeping missions in faraway conflict zones.

Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted the Swedes to reassess the security situation. They reintroduced conscription and started rebuilding defensive capabilities, including on the strategically important Baltic Sea island of Gotland.

Defense analysts say Finland and Sweden have modern and competent armed forces that would significantly boost NATOs capabilities in Northern Europe. Finnish and Swedish forces train so often with NATO that they are essentially interoperable.

Adding new members typically takes months, because those decisions need to be ratified by all 30 NATO members. But in the case of Finland and Sweden, the accession process could be done in a couple of weeks, according to a NATO official who briefed reporters on condition that he not be identified because no application has been made by the two countries.

These are not normal times, he said.

___

Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico began absentee and early voting for the June 7 primary election on Tuesday as wildfires filled the air with smoke and forced the relocation of at least one polling site.

Election administrators also said they are preparing contingency plans as mandatory evacuations hit more communities. They also encouraged people to vote early.

In Mora County, the clerks office moved its polling location to Wagon Mound, a village about an hours drive from the county seat. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver also encouraged voters in San Miguel, Los Alamos, Taos and Sandoval counties to vote as soon as they can, in case fires disrupt government services.

At more than 200,000 acres, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire northwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico, is the largest now burning in the United States. Another fire  the Cerro Pelado Fire in the Jemez Mountains  is also threatening parts of northern New Mexico.

Were asking our community members to be prepared and start planning  make a voting plan  so theyre not caught unexpectedly if we have to evacuate, Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas said in an interview.

The warnings come as New Mexico enters the crucial four weeks before election day. Voters in next months primary are choosing nominees for governor, attorney general and all 70 seats in the state House, in addition to local races.

County clerks throughout the state on Tuesday began mailing absentee ballots to voters who requested them. Each of the 33 counties is also offering an early-voting site for people who want to cast a ballot in person.

Expanded early-voting sites go into effect May 21.

While absentee voting numbers surged during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, turnout is off to a slow start this year.

Bernalillo County Clerk Linda Stover said her office mailed out all 2,600 ballots that had been requested Tuesday  a figure more in line with a municipal election than a statewide primary.

So far, she said, its not a good amount, in my opinion. Were going to have to try to get the message out on that.

Stover is taking an all-of-the-above approach to turnout, encouraging voters to cast a ballot in whatever way is most convenient.

This years primary election is the first that will allow New Mexico independent voters to participate, if they change their affiliation at the polls to register with a major party.

Independent and minor party voters are free to show up at a voting location and register with the major party they want to cast a ballot for.

Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians  the states three major parties  cannot, however, switch affiliation at the polls to participate in a primary.

Toulouse Oliver said voters who have left home because of the wildfires are free to have an absentee ballot mailed to their current location.

The last day to request an absentee ballot is June 2.

Though the situation with the fires is rapidly evolving, Toulouse Oliver said, my office and election administrators throughout the state have already deployed plans to help communities vote and are in the process of developing further contingencies to ensure all voter needs continue to be met.
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A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony held in the Afghan capital Kabul, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan Hu Guo'ai said China and Afghanistan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, with exchanges between the two countries dating back to more than 1,000 years ago. The Chinese government has been highly concerned about the Afghan people who are suffering from a humanitarian crisis, and has continuously provided them with humanitarian assistance such as food, clothing, vaccines, tents and medicines.

China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund provided funds for buying emergency relief supplies and supporting local education for vulnerable groups in Afghanistan. The batch of supplies purchased and distributed by the UNHCR includes kitchenware, blankets and gas tanks, the counselor said.

All the supplies have been distributed all over Afghanistan, Hu said, adding the needy Afghans will get relief with the supplies.

Kari, the representative of the recipient party and head of the Kabul Education Department, expressed his sincere gratitude to China for its long-term assistance to Afghanistan.

Kari noted that China's assistance has greatly improved the learning conditions of Afghan students and will inspire them to study with more enthusiasm.

Some 19.7 million Afghans were facing acute hunger, according to an analysis conducted in January and February by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and many non-governmental organizations.

The FAO and the WFP said on Tuesday that they have provided humanitarian assistance to millions of people in Afghanistan, and are scaling up their programs to assist and support needy families.
With an overwhelmingly successful season 1, Indias leading and most trusted parenting platform BabyChakra celebrates Mothers Day with the launch of the second season of India Ki Momstar Ki Khoj Season 2 - a nationwide hunt for the Face of BabyChakra amongst several moms who embody the values of being a BabyChakra MomStar.

A BabyChakra Momstar is a mom who helps, supports and empowers other moms to be their best self. She is someone who exemplifies the values and beliefs of BabyChakra. MomStar Ki Khoj is all about recognising the face that embodies all of these qualities. As the 2022 ambassador of this contest, BabyChakra has onboarded Sucheta Pal - Zumba Celebrity Trainer and Founder of Mom.Bod.Strong. She is an inspirational and fiercely passionate mom who empowers other women to look, feel, and move better through her own post-natal journey. She is also the recipient of the President's Award - "First Lady" for her work for Women Wellness in India.

Founded by Naiyya Saggi, BabyChakra is Indias most trusted parenting platform. The platform reaches 39 million moms and 10,000 doctors from across India that provides expecting & new parents with relevant information via intelligent communities & personalized content. It also creates a unique care network through access to trusted doctors and experts. BabyChakra is a part of beauty unicorn Good Glamm Group. Naiyya is also co-founder of the Good Glamm Group along with Founder & CEO, Darpan Sanghvi and Co-founder, Priyanka Gill.

The competition is highly engaging as it requires moms across the country to post a picture of themselves & share a small write-up on what makes them a superstar mom.

On the competition page, the posts will be eligible for voting. The winners will be chosen on the basis of the vote count. The winning & runner-up MomStars will get the golden opportunity to be a part of BabyChakras digital campaigns throughout the year along with exclusive photoshoots, makeovers, and features in partner publications/media sites. There is also a possibility for a Jury-Nomination winner determined by our advisory board of influencers moms & momstars.

As Indias most trusted community of moms and doctors, we are excited to celebrate real moms who consistently put themselves out there to help other families in their journeys of pregnancy and parenting. There are so many inspiring women to celebrate and what better day than Mothers Day to launch this nationwide hunt for the most inspiring moms across India. If you are a mom who wants to share your story with the world, please nominate yourself. If you know of a mom who deserves her moment to shine , please nominate her!  - Says Naiyya Saggi, Co-Founder, The Good Glamm Group and Founder & CEO, BabyChakra

In its previous season, the ntest received an overwhelming response from moms throughout the cities it was held in. This contest shows an incredible amount of love with a whopping 1Mn direct traffic to the brand's webpage during the contest fortnight with 5000 total contest entries and over 5Mn impressions through outdoor branding done on bus shelters. Likewise, this year BabyChakra will be launching the second season of the contest across these 10 of the most strategic cities in India: Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Lucknow.
Bonn Group, a leading manufacturer of world-class bread and bakery products in India, onboards award-winning actress Sonam Bajwa as brand ambassador for its Americana range of premium biscuits. As a part of this association, the actress will be promoting the Americana biscuit range on several multimedia platforms.

Amrinder Singh, director of Bonn Group of Industries, said, "We are exhilarated to welcome Sonam Bajwa into the Americana family. She is a brilliant actor and has recently built a strong fan-base with her amazing talent and back-to-back hit movies. Sonam has associated with us when we aggressively expand our manifestation and operations. I believe her charm and vibrant personality will certainly add more value to our brand."

Reflecting further, Singh said that Americana's premium digestive range of biscuits is made up of whole wheat for easy digestion and a happy gut. The brand also has a whole wheat multigrain cracker in its healthy product range. He proudly stated, "Americana is the market leader in the coconut biscuit segment in North India. Americana has become a leading brand with the stakeholders' joint efforts, including all the valued customers."

Americana brand biscuits are available in more than 1,50,000 outlets in North India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi NCR. Moreover, Americana biscuits are also available on Bonn Group's eCommerce platform- bonncart.in along with other online stores like Big Basket, Swiggy, Walmart, Nature Basket, and a few more. Also, the brand is taking forward its journey zealously by expanding to Hyderabad and Bangalore markets.

Sonam Bajwa is pleased to be a part of the Americana community. "Taste Jo Karde Deewana' is an innovative campaign I am associated with and goes quite well with the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of the biscuits range, which offers both quality and taste. The company has a decent range of premium biscuits in its product portfolio that is delectable yet affordable. Being a part of Americana's growth will be an enthusing journey that I'm looking forward to." added Bajwa.

Bajwa has a considerable fan base in Punjab and North India. Americana's association with her is slated to increase the brand's appeal among current and prospective customers. The collaboration will also provide the Americana Biscuit Range from Bonn Group with more excellent brand recall. The move aims to create a point of difference vis-a-vis competition for Americana.

The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is rapidly growing, and therefore, the retail industry is ready to follow an omnichannel strategy. According to a Nielsen report, eCommerce for FMCG will reach US$ 400 billion by 2022, representing more than 10% of the global market for bakery products.

BONN is a quality-driven FMCG company founded more than three decades ago in 1985 by visionary entrepreneur Manjit Singh. The brand 'BONN' has become synonymous with Bread and Bakery in many cities in North India, where the company enjoys a dominant market share. The Group produces a range of food products, including Bread, Biscuits, Cakes, Rusk, and Cookies sold in India and is exporting to about 55 countries on over three continents.

The company is also the winner of the National Award for Quality Products from the Government of India and has certifications like HACCP by 'DNV' (a certificate body of the Netherlands) and an ISO 9001:2000 certifications by DNV. It is also approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards and got the BRC certification. The company has 12 manufacturing plants spread all over north India.

Bonn is fully integrated, having a fleet of more than 500 trucks and an in-house setup for developing packaging. The company is a pioneer in starting the production of cookies on an industrial scale in India and is deemed the most preferred FMCG brand with a Pan-India presence shortly with bread, biscuits, cake, rusk, and other products.
Cheil India, a leading private marketing solutions company, has named Vikas Chemjong its new Chief Creative Officer (CCO), effective 17th May 2022. Chemjong will help set and implement the creative vision, bolster creative capabilities, spearhead the appointment of new talent, and guide new business creative efforts, working closely with the companys leadership team.

With twenty-four years of experience in the world of advertising, Vikas has worked with some of the best advertising agencies and creative minds in the country. Prior to joining Cheil, Vikas spent 15 years with Ogilvy. He has also been a part of agencies like Publicis, Bates, Capital, Saatchi and Rediff in various capacities. From cars to colas, milk to mobiles, fashion to fast-food, air-conditioners to airlines, Vikas has had a major influence in building some of the biggest brands like Motorola, Mother Dairy, Max Life Insurance, Limca, Vistara, Philips Lighting and Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. He has received numerous distinctions and awards at major national and international advertising festivals for his work.

Speaking on Vikas appointment, Sanjeev Jasani, Chief Operating Officer, Cheil India said It gives me great pleasure to welcome Vikas into the Cheil family. I am delighted to work once again with Vikas and recreate some magic like we did in the past. Vikas is an ideas person, but above all he is a great human being and is a perfect fit for Cheil India. I have no doubt that he will be instrumental in bringing people together, creating an inclusive atmosphere and delivering great work.

Vikas Chemjong said The sheer size, scale and structure of Cheil coupled with its vision and ambition were some of the key reasons that got me excited about the agency. And about how I plan to approach the new role, its not by changing a lot of things as much as reminding people about the old way of doing work (in this new age of platforms) - by making more and more trips to the altar of the idea. Thats the only way to make the work, the brands and in the process the agency stand out amidst the din of social clutter!

And equally important is having a great time doing that great work. Else we will only add to the industry trend of chronic ulcers, rising cortisol levels and people growing a beard before riding off to the hills without a forwarding address, he added.
Nikunj Garg gained editorial control of the news channel in October last year, with the goal of accelerating the station's growth. Garg is the Editor of Mirror Now and he is also the Head of Input and News Gathering at Times Network.



On Mirror Now's vision for the future of the channel and its strategy, Nikunj Garg said during the Goafest: "We want to take a national approach to local concerns. Our focus will remain on hyper-local and local concerns, but we will approach them from a national standpoint and discuss them. My focus is to widen the arc."



Mirror Now will become "a bolder brand" under his leadership, according to Garg. He emphasised that it would maintain the essential ideals that Mirror Now has always stood for  challenging the status quo and demanding responsibility from those in power  while being entirely independent of other Times Network channels.



The traditional bastions of the Mirror Now channel were urban and youth-centric viewers (aged 2240) who turned to the channel for understanding a wide range of topics such as bad infrastructure, women's safety, fuel price rises, and so on.



"The Mirror Now brand has a natural resonance in metros such as Goa and Delhi, which is likely due to our content concentration. Times Now and Mirror Now exist at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to news. While we may cover the same issues, such as Kashmir, Pakistan, and foreign policy, Mirror Now will do it from the perspective of the people, i.e., how these events will influence the lives of urban middle-class Indians, he said.



"Mirror Now will seek to challenge the status quo with its new visual identity and content portfolio. Mirror will be the destination of the thinking Indian in the coming days, going beyond the headlines and bringing truth to the fore in an era where conflicting agenda-driven narratives are pushed in the public sphere."



The channel touts a plethora of news anchors as 'people champion,' bolstering the prime-time band. Heena Gambhir, Tamanna Inamdar, Afrida Rahman Ali, Griha Atul, and Archana Solanki go on the air to discuss urban Indian issues.



Nikunj Garg claimed that these anchors were chosen for their talent, expertise, and critical thinking skills. "Our goal is to be the thinking citizen's go-to news source for timely and reliable information."
Indias leading SaaS-based logistics tech start-up Pickrr aims to unveil 25 new fulfillment facilities pan India to promote faster and more efficient last-mile deliveries. Pickrr Plus Fulfillment centers are a network of tech-enabled establishments strategically positioned in the near vicinity of the end-consumer, enabling more than 90% same-day deliveries at significantly lower freight costs.

Standing by its commitment to ensuring express deliveries, Pickrr Plus Fulfillment was introduced to help D2C brands and online businesses with their last-mile logistics needs. All the fulfillment facilities provide tailor-made solutions, including using WMS (warehouse management system) with smart technology, smooth palletization for in and outflow of bulk orders, customized packaging, refrigeration capability, etc.

With 25 new smart fulfillment centers, Pickrr aims to bridge the gap between D2C brands from their end-consumer regardless of the geographical distance. The smart technology used in the facilities assists the brands in gathering data about the consumption pattern. Sellers can strategize efficiently to ensure better inventory management by analyzing those data. These centers will also make last-mile operations swifter; hence, buyers and sellers in tier 2 and tier 3 markets will benefit from quicker deliveries.

Commenting on the launch plan, Gaurav Mangla, Co-Founder & CEO at Pickrr, said, The competition between digital-first businesses is increasing, and to build a competitive advantage, they need to serve their customers pan India, on time. By using Pickrr Plus fulfillment facilities, brands can associate with us and grow multi-fold by tapping a diverse range of untapped consumer pools and addressing all the last-mile barriers. Pickrrs upcoming fulfillment centers will also help D2C brands make their customer experience more frictionless and establish a trust to gain their loyalty.

Currently, Pickrr has thirteen smart fulfillment centers present across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, and Hyderabad. The new centers will increase the proximity of the sellers towards their end-consumer, ensuring faster Turnaround Time (TAT) with the deliveries in reduced transportation costs.
Prabhakar will be spearheading the entire media sales function for The Better India, driving strategic brand partnerships, purpose-driven marketing and initiating dialogues around sustainability and impact in the Indian corporate ecosystem.

The Better India is the worlds largest impact-driven, positive stories platform, reaching over 250 million readers each month, across languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bangala. The company adopts solutions-oriented features of changemakers and innovators, with a highlight on small enterprises, grassroots innovations, sustainability initiatives, and more. Inspired by the protagonists, thousands of readers have made positive changes to the community around them, each year.

Prabhakar has been a media veteran with nearly two decades of proven track record in establishing business ventures, achieving revenue, profit and business growth by creating synergies and driving operational excellence. He has extensive experience in Digital Media Sales & Marketing, steering Business Alliances and achieving revenue targets through successful deal execution and management of Key Accounts. In his most recent stint, Prabhakar was associated with the Hindustan Times where he was the Revenue Head of HT Digital Streams for more than half a decade and was leading all digital initiatives. Prior to that, he was the CRO at the India Web portal (a Zee group venture). He has also led significant roles in Saavn and Zapak earlier in his career.

Commenting on his appointment, Dhimant Parekh Co-Founder & CEO of The Better India stated We are really excited to have Prabhakar join us at The Better India! With his decades of experience in scaling revenues for large brands, we look forward to working with him to script the next big growth trajectory of The Better India.

Commenting on his appointment as the CRO of The Better India, Prabhakar, stated I am super excited to join TBI. In the content space, TBI is uniquely positioned as a platform that delivers stories of positivity, inspiration, courage, and sustainability to encourage people to learn, adopt and change for the better. There is no other platform, globally, that is making such an impact at scale. The platform gives me an opportunity to build partnerships with brands to share and deliver real impact at the ground level. I am looking forward to this journey that is giving me an opportunity to contribute back to society.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Katalin Novak on her taking office as the Hungarian president.

The development of China-Hungary relations, Xi said, has maintained at a high level in recent years, marked by frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful cooperation in various fields and sound cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations, adding that he is ready to work with Novak to deepen political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two countries.

Xi also called for joint efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two countries both at the bilateral level and within the Belt and Road cooperation, the China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation and other frameworks, and to promote the China-Hungary comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples.
Anyone skeptical about Zahorodnys claims just needs to look at the thousands and thousands of stories on Loss of Brain Trust. Theyre the proof. Theyre all about increases, more severely affected kids and more waiting lists.

We saw a very significant rise in prevalence between the 2012 and 2014 cycle. It was over 25 percent in a 2 year period. Thats very significant.

On the other hand, were seen autism escalating very progressively in the last 10 and 15 years, and Im a little bit concerned why nobody really sees this tsunami right there in front of us.

But when we saw autism prevalence go from one to two percent, nobody objected or seemed concerned, and now weve gone from two percent to three percent, and I also see no significant concern or urgency.

If theres a stronger term, Id be in favor of using it.

The cliche now to me, epidemic is a cliche. People talk about it in many different ways. The publics not sensitive to that term anymore.

So I do consider escalating autism prevalence to be a public health crisis.

Interestingly enough, weve seen the widest or the broadest increase among the children who have the highest level of impairment of autism, not the subtle, mild levels of impairment.

Autism is going up and has increased significantly across every group that we look at: boys and girls, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, all up significantly. Children from rich communities and poor towns, up significantly.

Im always struck by the fact that people think the prevalence is increasing because were just getting better at identifying subtly affected children.

Here was what Zahorodny had to say:

In his interview of top CDC autism researcher, Dr. Walter Zahorodny, in the film, Autism: The Missing Piece , Michael Smith asked him about the increases in autism.

How is it possible that story after story reveals the fact that there are more disable children and that the disabilities are more severe?

Looking at the stories Ive posted from the last week Im stuck by the common denominator all the officials and experts continue to ignore.

By Anne Dachel - visit Anne's site Loss of Brain Trust How can they ignore increasing complexity of need?

So where is anyone sounding an alarm? Why doesnt anyone seem worried that the increases will never stop until a typically healthy child is the exception? Who will be held responsible for ignoring what we see happening everywhere?

Here are a number of the statements in stories I found this past week. No one takes a second look. Its routine now.

Edina, MN: The Edina School Board passed a resolution last month urging the federal government to fully fund special education programming. ...

The number of children being served across the country through IDEA has continued to increase, leading to districts needing to adjust their general education budgets to accommodate that need, the board resolution states. Districts must meet state and federal mandates on providing those special education services.

In Edina Public Schools, the number of students seeking special education care has increased by 14% in the past three years, Jorgensen said.

Wales: Louie Lee has been waiting years for a diagnosis of his special educational needs and behavioural issues and his mum Michelle Cassemis feels he has been "let down by the system".

No school can be found for Louie, who can only count up to 20, until his diagnosis so, since July last year, he's been at home.

England: It said only 54% of pupils with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were getting their statutory annual review, and claimed that hundreds of SEND youngsters were being left without suitable full-time education.

Cornwall: Educational provision for children with special needs in Cornwall is broken with some children having to travel as far as Scotland to access provision whilst parents say they are struggling to get the support they need for their children.

She highlighted a new SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) school planned for Bodmin, which she welcomes, but said it would not meet the demand. ...

In terms of EHCPs the data shows that there were 3,324 children in Cornwall with EHCPs in December 2020 and that a year later that had increased to 3,568  a rise of 7.3%.

Yorkshire: While the number of children with education health and care plans in the county is set to rise by 24 per cent to 4,225 over the next five years, last week it emerged SEN children are travelling to North Yorkshire from as far as Kent to receive a suitable education for their specific needs.

The number of children and young people identified as having SEN in North Yorkshire has increased sharply since the introduction of reforms in 2014 through the Children and Families Act, partly due to changes in awareness, assessment and diagnostic criteria, and is predicted to continue to do so.

However, headteachers who have seen a rise in number of children with SEN, especially in the early years, have questioned if the additional funding will be sufficient to cope with the rise in demand for SEN classroom places. 

England: Schools say they do not receive enough funding to support pupils, while parents complain of having to jump through hoops and endure long delays to get the diagnoses and EHCPs which are necessary to get their childrens needs met.

A survey by the National Autistic Society (NAS) last summer found that 26 per cent of parents waited over three years to receive support for their child, while 74 per cent said their childs school place did not fully meet their needs  a figure which has almost doubled since 2017. 

A spokesperson for the DfE told i that local councils were responsible for school places for children in their area, with the Government increasing high needs funding by 1bn [$1.3B] this year.

Ireland: an Inclusion Ireland report published in March found more than 50 per cent of families of children with a disability were not in receipt of any service, 85 per cent said they had been waiting over a year for services and almost 20 per cent of the 1,013 families surveyed criticised the quality of services, citing high staff turnover and excessive caseloads as problems.

The report found some families had waited as long as nine years for services with 5 per cent reporting a wait of over six years, 16 per cent waiting four-six years and 27 per cent waiting two-four years. When asked about the type of services their children needed, 88 per cent said occupational therapy, 86 per cent said speech and language therapy, 62 per cent psychology and 55 per cent physiotherapy. ...

The families fighting for services for children with disabilities: Its a soulless system

England: Tilbury Douglas has completed the construction of Prospect House, a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school in Blackley, Manchester.

The new school, commissioned by the Department for Education, provides places for 100 pupils, aged from three to 11, of which 10 will be early-years places. The pupils attending have a wide range of special educational needs, including severe learning difficulties (SLD), profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and autism.

Finally, one story especially needs attention, which it sadly will never get.

From Lincolnshire was a report https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/school-to-benefit-from-6-5m-expansion-9252489/about an $8M extension to a special school, which is all part of a $106M investment into improving special schools.

The councils strategy seeks to create an extra 500 spaces across the county as existing SEND schools are suffering from increased demand.

More concerning were the national figures for England.

Government figures show that, in the 2020/21 academic year, over a million children across England required additional help with their learning and education, which has been steadily increasing since 2015.

In many parts of the country, the funding available is not adequate to keep up with the increasing numbers of children who need extra support. As a result, there is a growing financial black hole at the centre of the SEND system.

The data also reveals that the special needs deficit across England has reached at least 1.3bn [$1.6B] an increase of around 450m [$555M] since last year.

One single sentence demands immediate attention:

Councils blame rising demand and increasing complexity of need, issues exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and a shortage of local government-funded SEND provision for the deficit.

News reports harp about rising demand as if its no big deal. Its the result of better recognition etc. Its the second part that should scare us all: rising demand and increasing complexity of need.

Kids are more disabled. Their disabilities require greater accommodation. We could not have missed them in the past.

Ive seen it over and over in stories. The ultimate child abuse is the fact that no one in authority pays any attention. Why are children so disabled and dysfunctional?



Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.
Hello, friends. After many decades of admiring AHRQits mission, work, and peopleI am deeply honored to lead this organization. I have devoted my career to advocating for a healthcare system that delivers everyone the best possible patient care. So today, it feels like nothing less than the opportunity of a lifetime to help guide the only agency with Congressional authority to use science to pursue equitable healthcare improvement.

R. Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A.

Its quite a goal we embrace here at AHRQ: to improve the safety and quality of healthcare for everyone. And yet, at this moment, and with solid support from the Biden Administration, I am convinced that this ambitious objective is precisely as it should be.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need to make healthcare safer, higher quality, more affordable, and equitable. The crisis revealed for all to see the inequities of our society reflected in how healthcare is organized, financed, and provided.

While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of important innovations, it also exposed inequalities in how these advances were made available in disadvantaged and rural communities.

For example, in New Mexico, where I lived before joining the Administration, telehealthcare was shown to work well for those with high-speed internet access. However, those living in remote rural and frontier communities with poor internet access were often stranded without adequate options for care.

Similarly, the Nation benefitted enormously from mRNA-based vaccines that were thankfully available first to millions of seniors in nursing homes and then to the general population after decades of development. But these life-saving protections were often unavailable to elderly African Americans and Latinos who primarily lived at home or with family. Moreover, many minority communities declined vaccinations because of persistent mistrust in the biomedical research enterprise.

These and other lessons suggest clear paths for our most urgent social improvement efforts. But to be successful, we must consider the roles of all who participate in todays healthcarenot only physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, but also the many other medical professionals and non-clinical staff who are essential to the healthcare system enterprise. We must also re-ignite our relationships with social and behavioral scientists, pursuing an interdisciplinary approach necessary for systems change and professional acceptance of new knowledge.

Meanwhile, our focus on patient-centered care must evolve to recognize the traditional patient-health professional dyad where knowledge and experience dictate a successful encounter. I am delighted that we are deepening our understanding of the diverse societal factors that compromise patient well-beinglimited access to healthy foods and exercise, caregiving challenges, stresses related to work and transportation, and the race and gender biases that pervade so many parts of everyday life.

At AHRQ, we view our goal as not to build a new normal but to build a better normal. And I am pleased that the Biden Administrations proposed fiscal year 2023 budget would provide resources that support AHRQs mission and priority areas while taking great strides toward addressing the challenges revealed by the pandemic.

Overall, $415.9 million is requested in discretionary funds in FY 2023. That amount is $65.5 million more than allotted in FY 2022 and would continue to support current priorities. Among them:

$62 million for investigator-initiated health services research.

$10 million for research on opioids and polysubstance abuse prevention, management, recovery, and integration.

$10 million on primary care research.

$8 million on research to reduce diagnostic error.

$7 million for maternal healthcare initiatives.

In addition, the Presidents FY 2023 budget includes three new investments:

$19 million to improve Long-COVID care.

$5 million to create an all-payer claims database.

$2 million to establish Centers of Excellence in Telehealth Implementation.

Finally, AHRQ is slated to receive $111 million in mandatory funds from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) Trust Fund, increasing by $6 million from FY 2022. These investments support an exciting area of our work in 2023. We are currently seeking feedback on a draft strategic framework to guide AHRQs future investments in PCOR dissemination and implementation projects. Research findings must find their way into becoming innovative therapies rather than simply publications.

President Biden supports AHRQs mission to transform our healthcare system to serve all Americans with better care. Relying on our core competencieshealth systems research, practice improvement, and data & analyticsI do not doubt that working together with our partners in the months ahead will achieve significant progress toward this vision.

Robert Valdez is director of AHRQ.

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Elon Musk and Donald Trump have a lot in common -- wealthy entrepreneurs who actually get thing things done. Personal peccadilloes aside, both are successful businessmen who work for a living, innovate, and actually create well-paying jobs in the private sector for many folks up and down the economic spectrum. Both are also outliers; marching to a different political drummer, as cliche wisdom would have it.

Unfortunately, out in California and inside the Beltway; candor, change, and innovation can be dangerous.

Ironically, Musk and Trump are joined also by what they are not. Neither is a professional politician, nor deep state apparatchik, nor academic, nor media mandarin; that is until recently. Seems both Donald and Elon have jumped into the dot.com/social network/media scrum motivated by self-defense. Trump has financed and created Truth Social and Musk has bought Twitter. Heretofore, Twitter was a kind of global, albeit curated, town square.

To understand outsiders like Musk and Trump today, we should be clear about their opponents; those insiders, groomers, and gatekeepers who create, manipulate, and propagate convenient facts and dot.com trash talk.

For the most part; Trumps  and now Musks -- critics are the liberal nomenklatura, bipartisan urban apparatchiks employed at the academy or at some level of government or working for some government contractor. This public sector is allied with a large liberal electronic and print media; embedded in urban one-party cultures, mostly coastal municipal archipelagos, with notable landlocked allies like Minneapolis, Portland, and Atlanta.

Government, the academy, and related contractors are the largest employee demographic in the nation today. In short, Gotham America is a permanent political majority. Surely San Francisco and Washington, D.C. are Americas ideological bookends, both with now monolithic one-party (D) monocultures.

As Colin Powell liked to put it, urban America is also where the votes are.

Some journalistic luminaries, Glenn Greenwald for example, now argue that national conversation and narrative have been hijacked by a more select elite; a corrupt deep state, an unholy alliance between the Intelligence Community, Big Tech, and so-called social media moguls. Motives for Big Data collection cum manipulation clearly vary with the gatekeeper. Federal censors are driven by partisan bias, draped in national security. Commercial dot.com deceit and secrecy are driven by bipartisan greed.

Clearly, government and industry have reached a real, if not transparent, accommodation where privacy and transparency are exchanged for a laissez faire commercial regulatory regime. Greenwald and CIA/NSA veteran Edward Snowden argue that collusion between Intelligence Community agencies and Big Tech is no longer a conspiracy theory. Big brother is an everyday fact, a voyeur monitoring every American household that possesses a linked computer, cell phone, or laptop.

Calling U.S. intelligence operatives or analysts spies today is quaint if not romantic fiction that minimizes domestic corruption, deceit, and influence peddling. Theres nothing charming or patriotic about the Clapper/Brennan/Comey partisan sedition of 2016 or the ongoing obsession with Trump that still energizes liberal prosecutors and neocons critics alike.

Problems here arent just unregulated surveillance or constitutional violations so much as the systemic corruption of Intelligence and the law by Beltway fixtures in a mix of insider manipulation and market tyranny that would make Davos devotees proud. Culturally; facts and truth are now forfeited on altars of profit, faux security, and cooked political books.

In the kind of incestuous irony only possible inside the Beltway, the absence of trust in federal institutions was analyzed recently at taxpayer expense in a 2020 Brookings Study. The author was Fiona Hill; NSC veteran, Christopher Steele gal pal, and star witness for the prosecution in the 2016-2020 putsch against Trump. Brookings, like the RAND Corporation, is the lead dog in that rich cluster of Beltway think tanks that provides analysis to policymakers and an American Civil Service that cant think for itself.

With two unique social platforms, Musk and Trump are trying, with the help of like-minded users, to break the American establishments monopoly on facts, narratives, and truth; all under the flag of the First Amendment and free speech. If nothing else, you have to believe both men have egos, and political bollocks, the size of melons.

Neither Trump nor Musk can be bought. Unfortunately, the advent of open, or named, thought police at the Department of Homeland Security to backstop intelligence and commercial gatekeepers now presents a truly unique challenge to free speech advocates.

Indeed, Elon Musk is likely to encounter the same kind of official hostility in California that Trump encountered in 2016 when he tried to reform the Washington, D.C. swamp. When the news of Elon Musks purchase of Twitter broke recently, team Bidens Department of Homeland Security immediately clapped back with the Disinformation Governance Board. The DGB is to be chaired by Nina Jankowicz, hereafter surely to be known as Big Sister.

No small coincidence that DGB rhymes with KGB.

The DGB is probably a kind of political prophylactic for the impending 2022 elections. Woke demographics care about institutional integrity when they lose. The recent leak of a draft Supreme Court ruling says all we need to know about progressive tactics inside the Beltway.

Meanwhile, Twitter and an Azov regiment of pubescent commercial thought police are still grooming speech in California, worse still in San Francisco. The Left Coast is ground zero for snowflakes; all that is woke, globalist, and, indeed, a species of dot.com bias and partisan collusion that now defies description. In short, the puerile employee pool in places like D.C. and San Francisco is just one of many urban political monocultures bound to subvert fairness or candor at Twitter or indeed in any government office staffed by liberal malcontents. The truth of American governance today is that subversive civil servants have more real power than any Congress or any hapless voters.

Musk has an even tougher row to hoe than Trump did in 2016 because San Francisco is a progressive political, social, and cultural swamp, that makes skid row in Los Angeles and war zones in Portland or Seattle look like destination resorts. Need we mention that Nancy Pelosi (D) is the patron saint au gauche on the Barbary Coast.

If Musk believes he can change Twitter culture in situ, he must also know that any semblance of Golden State tolerance, fairness, and free speech has already moved to less censorious states like Texas, Florida, and Idaho.

Truth and our national narrative are about elections, power, and money. Many Big Tech and affiliated social platforms are ideological and geographic neighbors of Twitter in California and so far, none have endorsed Elon Musks candor and transparency campaign. Indeed, the same media smear tactics that brought down Trump are now used by legacy media moguls against Musk. Witness the ongoing Twitter feud between Bill Gates and Musk. Neither Silicon Valley nor the Intelligence Community is likely to suffer reformers like Trump or Musk gladly.

Gatekeeper truth has never been American truth.

If Donald Trump and Elon Musk are to succeed in their uphill free speech campaigns, they will not do so with media stages located on hostile political turf like Washington, D.C., or San Francisco, California.

Odd as it may sound, the biggest barrier to truth and transparency at Twitter or anywhere on the West Coast is toxic political geography. Ofttimes, you need to change where you sit first for the world to understand where you really stand.

Texas has already made Musk an offer.

In any sensible business model, who you are willing to fire is always more important than who you hire.

G. Murphy Donovan writes about the politics of national security.

Image: Duncan Hull, Gage Skidmore
Certain words from an old Britney Spears song go, "Oops! I did it again."

President Biden just did it again: telling a fictitious, mendacious story about himself, one that has been fact-checked repeatedly as false.

This latest time happened in Hamilton, Ohio last Friday. Biden was visiting a small factory there to hype up support for his latest bill, the "Bipartisan Innovation Bill," which is now making its way through Congress. It sounds like an extension of last year's Infrastructure Bill.

Sitting behind Biden in attendance were both of Ohio's senators, Robert Portman and Sherrod Brown.

At around the 27:30 mark of his speech, Biden got into the Angelo Negri story again. All dialogue is guaranteed verbatim.

27:33  ... I, you'll you'll get a kick out of this, Sherrod [Sen. Sherrod Brown], I was, uh  the Secret Service doesn't like me taking the train, because it stops too many places, and de, and so I was ridin' home though to see my mom, who was living with me because she was in hospice ...

The lie then proceeded as it always does, with Angelo Negri pinching "Joey, baby!" on his cheek and then asking him rhetorically, in a rhythmical Italian-American accent that Biden affects when telling the story, if he knows how many miles Biden has ridden over the years on Amtrak. He proceeds to tell him  1.2 million miles in total.

First of all, the way Biden told the story on this latest occasion makes no arithmetical sense. In Biden's latest version, Negri assumed that Biden had commuted 222 times a year, every year, for the entire 36 years that he'd been in the Senate.

The presumption therefore must be, MondayFriday, daily, 52 weeks a year, every year  which, however, brings us to 210 MF days a year.

But go with 222 days. If the "round trip" were 270 miles, and if Biden did this on every single MF for 36 years, then, including leap years and the odd day that goes on the end of every year, that means, in 36 years, there are about 7,592 MFs (7,560 + 7 + 25). 7,592 x 270 miles = 2,049,840 miles, not 1.2 million.

But this ignores the fact that there are numerous federal holidays and frequent Senate recesses, including the entire month of August; it also ignores the times Biden might have overnighted in D.C. or Senate absences to campaign or the out-of-town or out-of-country junkets Biden made on numerous occasions. Without knowing Biden's exact schedule for 36 years, and it's inconceivable Negri had this, it is impossible to calculate the miles.

Furthermore, the Amtrak round trip Washington-to-Wilmington isn't 270 miles; it's 197.6 miles.

In short, the story is already gibberish. But this is minor in comparison to the fact that Angelo Negri retired in 1993, 1422 years before Biden has claimed that the incident happened.

There is no doubt that Negri retired in 1993. Here is his obituary and funeral home announcement.

On April 30, 2021, speaking at the Amtrak station in Philadelphia, Biden claimed that Negri told him it was 1.5 million miles, and Biden "guessed" that Negri pinched his cheek in the fourth or fifth year of his vice presidency. Also, this story couldn't have happened because the fourth year of Biden's vice presidency was 2012, but his mother died early in 2010.

On June 29, 2021, Biden repeated the story in a speech given in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Biden told this story to Boris Johnson at the White House on September 21.

On October 20, Biden traveled to Avoca, Pennsylvania, and repeated the same story, but this time estimated that it happened around the seventh year of his vice presidency, which would be around 2015, 22 years after Negri retired and 5 years after his mother passed on.

Five days later, Biden traveled to Kearney, New Jersey, and in a speech there retold the tall tale, this time saying, "True story, I swear to God."

On December 8, Biden spoke in Kansas City and repeated the same story.

All in all, on May 6, The New York Post said Biden has made this false claim seven times since he's been president. I guess I must have missed one of the times.

Last June 30, the day after Biden iterated the lie in Wisconsin, CNN  hey, give the devil credit where it is due  fact-checked the story and found it to be FALSE. Its headline read, "Fact check: Biden keeps repeating a false story about an Amtrak conductor he knew."

As I said, Senator Rob Portman attended the speech. He sat not ten feet from Biden. He missed a golden chance to attain immortality on his way out the door into retirement next year.

When Biden uttered this lie again at the Ohio speech last Friday, Portman should have quietly walked up to Biden, speaking to the mic that Biden was holding in his hand, and said, "Mr. President, you have just told a lie. Angelo Negri retired in 1993. Your story is impossible and false.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The juxtaposition of recent news stories about Mother Teresa, the Catholic saint, and Dr. Robert D. Spencer, an abortionist from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, could not be more revealing about the pro-abortion movement and its media allies. The U.K. Daily Mail led the way with a story based on a new Sky News documentary about the "darker side" of Mother Teresa, a strong and vocal opponent of abortion, claiming that she promoted pain and suffering; thought being poor is good; and helped shield a pedophile priest, which "left him free to abuse hundreds of boys for another decade."

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer portrays a Pennsylvania abortion doctor as the "angel of Ashland," who is credited with having committed between 40,000 and 100,000 abortions before the Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the country in Roe v. Wade. As the story's subtitle explains, "[t]he Schuylkill County doctor performed safe, clean and cheap abortions before the Supreme Court made them legal." Dr. Spencer is depicted as a hero "beloved by locals" who helped women "in trouble," and the writer laments that while there is a massive statue in Ashland dedicated to motherhood, there is no statue devoted to the "angel of Ashland" who killed tens of thousands of unborn babies. Dr. Spencer, the writer brags, was "a man of science" and an "atheist," and he was "arrested several times, including once after a woman died while under anesthesia," but he was never convicted.

Mother Teresa was one of the world's most outspoken opponents of abortion. She called abortion "the greatest destroyer of love and peace" and a "war against the child." The Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, she said, "deformed a great nation." "The so-called right to abortion," Mother Teresa continued, "has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. ... It has portrayed the greatest of gifts  a child  as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience." A child's life, she said, "does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign."

In her ministry, Mother Teresa and her fellow sisters pleaded with mothers: "please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child."

Dr. Spencer died in 1969, after committing abortions that inflicted pain and suffering on thousands of unborn babies for decades. The Philadelphia Inquirer and the pro-abortion movement lionize him as a man of compassion. Meanwhile, Mother Teresa is smeared as a promoter of pain and suffering for caring for the poor and viewing and treating every life  even the most vulnerable  as precious and a gift from God.

It is no coincidence that the Inquirer chose to praise the legacy of Dr. Spencer in the wake of the leak of Justice Alito's draft opinion in the Mississippi case that would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It is also probably no coincidence that the pro-abortion movement and its media allies are attacking Mother Teresa at this time. Indeed, it is open season on Catholics. The five Supreme Court Justices who make up the majority for overturning Roe and Casey have been called "extremist Catholics," and pro-abortion protesters are holding demonstrations at their private residences.

We have returned in this country to open, unabashed anti-Catholicism, and the leading "Catholic" Democrat politicians (President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and others) are refusing to condemn it, and in some instances openly supporting it.

Perhaps the Philadelphia Inquirer and other pro-abortion media will do a revisionist profile of convicted abortionist Kermit Gosnell, too. After all, he was in the same "business" as Dr. Spencer. Who knows? Maybe Philadelphia's politicians will erect a statue of Gosnell and herald him as the "angel of Philadelphia."

Mother Teresa portrait by Saptarshinghosh, CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
The slavery virus was alive and well in America when our new nation was born on July 4, 1776. Our founding fathers understood the dangers that particular virus presented, but they realized that independence was not attainable without support from colonies where slavery was practiced.

We Americans like to think General Lee's surrender eighty-nine years later at Appomattox Court House, which ended the Civil War, meant the end of slavery in America. The suffering and expenses the Civil War caused were enormous, but even with that, the evil of slavery took other forms in America by suppressing black rights until Dr. King and others emerged in the 1960s.

Beyond our borders, slavery has re-emerged under the banner of communism. America's ongoing love affair with cheap labor in 2022 is enabling slavery to thrive overseas. The legacy of slavery is still with us as long as we support it in other countries.

One of the greatest minds in America's history, Ben Franklin, wrote in 1751, "The Whites who have Slaves, not laboring, are enfeebled." Franklin, a slave-owner, had the self-awareness to know that he too was infected by too many Americans' reliance on cheap or slave labor.

One of America's adopted sons, General Lafayette, saw the danger that slavery posed to America. He strongly advised his friend and mentor, General Washington, to use his influence to abolish slavery. In a telling response, Washington asked, "Who will work if we have not slaves?" The enfeeblement Franklin spoke of is evident in Washington's reply to Lafayette.

Those in America who support "open borders" or call for mass amnesty for all the illegal aliens in this country claim that we need these people to do work that citizens are unwilling to do. The enfeeblement that Franklin described is also evident in this argument.



Image: Chinese factory workers. YouTube screen grab.

I grew up hearing that work, any work, is noble. When we tell ourselves there are jobs that are beneath us, we sound like the entitled nobles of Europe whom our ancestors wanted to escape. As we buy Chinese goods, we are enriching the biggest slave plantation in human history. We are also enriching the Chinese communists, who are eager to replace our democratic ideals with their form of slavery.

I honor Franklin, Lafayette, Washington, Grant, and Lincoln. They did pretty well with the hand they were dealt. Slavery in America existed before any of them was born.

Leftists will dispute my claim that communism is a sugar-coated name for slavery. They will call it "a workers' paradise." They will brag about Cuban health care. These same people overlook reports that well over 90 million people died in the 20th century, under the rule of socialism's misbegotten children, communism and fascism. They sound like the dwindling number of Southerners in this country who wistfully claim that many slave-owners treated their slaves well.

But I ask you, are people trying to emigrate to Cuba, North Korea, or China? Why are the Chinese trying to get Sony to remove scenes from a recent movie showing the Statue of Liberty? Why is Chinese access to the internet so restricted? What are they afraid of?

The most ironic aspect of communism is that no one is free. Shakespeare said, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." Imagine what it is like for the Chinese rulers to enslave over a billion people. What would happen if a large portion of them decided to revolt? People yearn to be free, and that knowledge must give the Chinese leaders fitful nights.

Our system is far from perfect, but most of us still aim for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Most of us still believe that all men are created equal. Meanwhile, China and its minions are coming up with new and improved ways to control people. Sadly, some American politicians and tech billionaires are helping them.

The ongoing fight against slavery continues. Which side are you on?
A week ago, Politico leaked a draft opinion by Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito that provides the rationale on why Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion nationwide, has to be overturned.

It was merely a draft, not an official ruling or a press release. Drafts often evolve, and so do judges' votes.

So what actually happens if Roe v. Wade is indeed overturned?

Will abortions be illegal across the nation? Will abortionist doctors and women suffering miscarriages or seeking abortions be arrested? Will women be compelled to apply primitive methods to abort their children?

To quote Margaret Thatcher: "no, no, no."

The overturning merely leaves that decision on abortion to individual states.

This is how federalism works. This is exactly what the Founding Fathers intended. Hamilton, Madison, and Washington advocated for the federal system in order to balance order with liberty, prevent tyranny, and allow more participation in politics. They knew that states passing laws according to their requirements were closer to the spirit of democracy than the capital passing federal laws that uniformly apply to citizens living in disparate conditions in various states.

But the Democrats and their rabid activist base are not going to allow facts to interfere with their narrative.

In response to the leak, there were "demonstrations" outside the Supreme Court. Far-left groups such as Planned Parenthood, MoveOn, UltraViolet, and the Women's March led "protests" across the U.S. Several other "protests" are planned in at least 200 additional cities, from Anchorage to Wilmington. A virtual event is also scheduled.

Pro-abortion radicals also "protested" outside the homes of the conservative Supreme Court justices.

On Monday evening, "protests" occurred outside Judge Samuel Alito's residence in northern Virginia. Leftwing activist group Shut Down DC organized the event and will have both speakers and a candlelight vigil "at the foot of his driveway."

Profanity-ridden slogans were shouted and appeared on protest placards.

Pro-abortion protesters shout Fuck you, Alito and abort the court as they leave his house. pic.twitter.com/g5dnB7TcIm  Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 10, 2022

A few days earlier, "protests" erupted outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home, with loud chants of "no uterus, no opinion!"

Protesters have arrived to Justice Brett Kavanaughs home chanting No uterus, no opinion @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/yyeShldmC0  Rafael Sanchez-Cruz (@rafasanchezcruz) May 7, 2022

"Protesters" with chants that "the world is watching" also occurred outside Justice John Roberts's home.

Stop #2: Chief Justice Roberts home with people chanting, the whole world is watching! @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/OZF98vbqXX  Rafael Sanchez-Cruz (@rafasanchezcruz) May 7, 2022

The United States Senate on Monday night passed a bill to enhance security for Supreme Court justices amid threats.

But there was more violence to come. Catholic churches and pregnancy centers were vandalized by Democrat activists.

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 #MothersDayStrike pic.twitter.com/v2vtpd12Gp  Ruth Sent Us  (@RuthSentUs) May 3, 2022

Antifa thugs hurled a Molotov cocktail into the offices of a Wisconsin pro-life group and sprayed the words "If abortions aren't safe you aren't either" on their walls.

In the coming days, expect the noises to get louder and the actions to get more brazen.

The mainstream media continue to whitewash the violence and threats of the "protesters," claiming that these pro-abortion radicals are exercising their democratic rights by engaging in protests.

Some media pundits have claimed that the Supreme Court justices appointed by President Trump are not there by popular will and are therefore illegitimate since Trump lost the popular vote.

Investigating the leak should have been the highest priority of everybody in Washington. The discourse within the courts must always be confidential until there is a ruling. This leak and the attempts to pressure the justices obstruct the judicial process.

Under 18 U.S. Code 1503, "whoever corruptly or by threats or force ... endeavors to influence, intimidate, or impede any grand or petit juror, or officer in or of any court of the United States ... in the discharge of his duty ... [or whoever] influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due administration of justice shall be punished." This applies to both the leaker and the "protesters."

As expected, few are talking about the need to identify and punish the leaker and the mobs.

It must be remembered that the Democrats still hold the White House and have majorities in both the Senate and the House.

If the Democrats want to legalize abortion nationwide, they can author laws and work relentlessly to have them passed in the House and the Senate before they lose in November. They could even attempt to convince "moderate" Republicans to vote with them. They may not have the numbers, but that is their job: to convince others to go along with them.

In fact, if pro-abortion activists are serious about their cause, they should protest outside the homes of House speaker Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer as well as the White House to demand that abortion be legalized while they still have the power.

But the goal was never, ever to resolve the issue. What they want is to keep it burning until November. The objective is to sow fear and polarize and cause chaos and disorder. The Democrats hope the chaos will persuade people to vote based on fear.

If the justices do not overturn Roe v. Wade, the Democrats will claim that their words and demonstrations had the desired effect and ask for votes. If Roe v. Wade is indeed overturned, the Democrats will urge voters to elect them so they can legalize abortion across the nation.

The GOP will also benefit from both scenarios, as pro-lifers will be reminded how important it is to elect conservatives to the Senate and the House.

The question is, where does it stop?

What if the Democrats refuse to accept defeat after the midterms, claiming that voter suppression or disinformation made the contest unfair? What if they dispatch their "protesters" to target the homes of GOP House members and senators?

What if "demonstrations" and "protests" are conducted each time the courts issue a ruling that is against the Democrat agenda?

What if "protests" are conducted outside the homes of GOP House members and senators after January 2023, when they pass laws that the Democrats disapprove of? Perhaps it is against climate change or gun control.

In a representative democracy, citizens lend their power through elections to chosen representatives to make laws and govern. The loser of the electoral contest has to accept the public verdict and allow representatives who won to govern and pass laws. The only opportunity to unseat an elected representative is during the next electoral cycle. In a democracy, the loser can unsparingly criticize the representative, but what the loser cannot do is interfere, intimidate, or obstruct the representatives from doing their job.

Supreme Court justices are confirmed after following due process. They are subjected to rigorous and at times unfair questioning by senators who also vote to confirm or deny the appointment. The ruling of the Supreme Court is therefore democratic because the judges are approved by democratically elected representatives.

If the mob is allowed to subvert the functioning of government by intimidation and violence, there is anarchy.

The GOP had better realize that the Democrats, irrespective of their name, do not believe in democracy. The modern Democrats resort to anarchy when they lose elections or when any item on their agenda is challenged.

Anarchists will always be a force of violence, chaos, and destruction. If the GOP, which claims to be the party of law and order, relegates itself to being passive bystanders, then Republicans deserve equal blame for the chaos.

The GOP must remember that winning the midterm election in November is the beginning of the battle against the unruly mob wing that is part of the Democrat party.

The question is, are the Republicans up to the challenge?

Image: Screen shot from video posted on Twitter.
Last week, The Daily Bruin, UCLA's student-run newspaper, carried a column that made the case for segregation.

The authors began by challenging MLK's dream of a colorblind society:

For many, Black students' desire to have a space designed to serve our unique needs seems antithetical to the celebration of multiculturalism and diversity. "Isn't that the opposite of what Dr. King fought for?" some may ask. To the uncritical thinker, creating spaces designed to serve one particular race of students may seem like an indication that we are making a backward slide away from the supposed racial progress that's taken place since the civil rights movement.

The authors alleged that racism is rampant in all educational institutes.

The pervasive nature of anti-Blackness in Black students' collegiate experiences creates unique obstacles for Black students and cultivates a campus racial climate in which Black students are unable to find reprieve from persistently dehumanizing experiences and the trivialization of our struggles.

The authors claim that racism in current times is covert:

[T]he anti-Blackness that defined the schooling experiences of Black students prior to federal desegregation has simply transformed to adapt to a new racial regime, shifting from overt discrimination to covert, colorblind discrimination.

The authors allege that questions such as "Do you go here?" or "Which sport do you play?" when asked to Black students imply racism since they "communicate[] to Black students that their peers do not believe they are capable of being admitted into UCLA on their own intellectual merits."

The authors conclude the following:

The creation of the BBRC (safe space for Black people) is certainly not the long-awaited solution to ending anti-Blackness at UCLA, its continued support is an obvious means of mitigating the suffering of Black students on campus by providing us with a pro-Black space in addition to creating a centralized location for Black students to seek community and campus resources vital to our retention.

To sum it up, the piece attempts to make the case that segregation in educational institutions is a justifiable method to confront racism.

When matters go completely awry, it is worth revisiting the fundamentals to understand how far we have trudged from our core values.

Educational institutions must always be forums where absolute freedom of expression is not just allowed, but welcomed and celebrated.

This freedom must be applicable to issues that are considered taboo or impolite or problematic. A student should feel empowered to express these ideas without fear of repercussions. A climate of freedom should cause students to be eager to seek opposing perspectives.

Freedom of expression emanates from freedom of thought, and it is these thoughts that have led to progress.

What is hateful to one may be compelling to another. What is bigoted to one may be a fresh viewpoint to another. What is obscene to one may be artful to another. What is rude to one may be honest to another. It is therefore essential that taste not be the criteria in imposing restrictions on ideas.

The great inventions, discoveries, and even the fine works of art and literature, which have changed our worlds forever, were possible because individuals had the freedom to express different ideas.

Students should be trained from a young age to engage in debates where they judge the merits and demerits of an idea dispassionately and objectively without getting personal.

A healthy debate that involves exposure to contrarian perspectives could be enlightening and life-changing. It also could facilitate empathy.

How do students get exposed to new ideas?

Apart from one's facial features, what is unique to individuals is their perspective. Quite often, people in the same family, even identical twins, have distinctly different perspectives. Fresh ideas and perspectives also emanate from people in the individual's surroundings. It is not just race or sex or other attributes that are rooted in one's gene pool, but also political persuasion, ideology, and the quality and education of peers and parents.

Human beings are creatures of habit. This applies particularly to young people, who usually prefer to be surrounded by like-minded individuals. It is hence incumbent on educational institutions to desegregate these individuals and have programs that facilitate healthy and frequent interactions.

Let's consider the scenario where the students' demands are accepted and not only UCLA, but all educational institutes have safe spaces for black students.

Soon universities will be divided into a cluster of echo chambers based on race. This will apply to teachers, as well, because the segregationists will claim that only teachers from the same race can empathize with that student's life experience and hence is qualified to educate them. This segregationist thinking will apply to books and other information consumed  i.e., only material "approved" by segregationists will be allowed. The other races will be vilified based on lies and stereotypes.

Soon other groups will demand their safe spaces. There will also be demands for subgroups within any safe space.

The question remains: where does this quest for purity end?

The indoctrination performed during formative years usually leaves a lifelong impression on the mind.

When these brainwashed students are released back into society, they perceive people from other races as adversaries. They struggle to interact or work with a person of another race. They see racism in the most innocuous of remarks and actions. They chose their place of work, residence, and friends based on race. The hate passes from one generation to another.

Race-baiting groups such as BLM are always willing to exploit divisions for pecuniary gains. There will be violence, which will lead to a civil war. Someday, a demand to divide a nation according to race will be made.

That simply cannot be allowed

The UCLA newspaper must not be faulted for carrying the article that demanded safe spaces for blacks. The student-authors were merely exercising their right to express themselves.

Students are young, impressionable, and often not fully informed. When abhorrent ideas such as segregation enter the minds of the gullible, the adults  i.e., teachers  must take charge.

The newspaper must invite other students to counter the assertions and claims made in the article. There must be debates and discussions which should be moderated by teachers. Teachers must apply the Socratic method to challenge students such that they voluntarily see the light that unity in diversity is the only way to prosper.

It is said that the surefire way to destroy a nation is to strike at its foundation. The foundation of any nation is its educational institutions that shape young minds.

It is essential to save educational institutions to save the nation.
If the Supreme Court is, in fact, going to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the time its term ends in late June and allow states to regulate the practice, the ruling will, for practical purposes, not impact most abortions in the U.S.

According to the pro-abortion rights Alan Guttmacher Institute, about 54 percent of all abortions in the U.S. are done through drugs, not surgery  notably the abortifacient Mifeprex (generic name mifepristone and often called RU-486, its experimental name). In 2017, it was 39 percent.

For 2019, 566,378 abortions were reported from the states, and about 277,000 were induced by drugs (i.e., Mifeprex).

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates about 2.75 million drug-induced abortions since FDA approved Mifeprex in 2000. Its use in abortions is clearly growing. The highest number of abortions reported for all time was in 1990  about 1.6 million (all surgical).

Mifeprex is approved for use in abortions at 10 weeks of pregnancy. On Dec. 16, 2021, the FDA removed the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone and expanded the distribution to certified pharmacies in addition to certified clinicians. This change allows for the distribution of medication abortion by mail in states that do not restrict telehealth for medication abortion. Despite the change to the in-person requirement, prescribers are still required to be certified by the manufacturers.

As a result, the FDA has liberalized the drug's use in recent years, and state legislatures are powerless to stop the use of the drug. They can regulate which providers prescribe it, as do 33 states, but they cannot outright ban the product, at least without a serious court challenge.

That's because prescription and over-the-counter drugs are protected under the Constitution's Commerce Clause.

Congress has asserted federal control over the approval and distribution of prescription and over-the-counter drugs via the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and a number of subsequent amendments. The drug industry  which has some of the best lobbyists money can buy  has successfully been able to ensure federal "pre-emption" of a panoply of efforts by states to ban Rx and OTC drugs. Big Pharma would likely put an army of lawyers on any state that tries to curtail the use of abortion drugs or any medical product.

Noah Feldman, a liberal pro-abortion professor at Harvard Law School, stated that "the constitutional justification for this federal authority is that drugs affect interstate commerce[.] ... Congress and the FDA have occupied the field of drug regulation, thus preempting states from legislating in a way that bars a drug approved by the federal government."

Although the Guttmacher Institute notes that up to 26 states could adopt some restrictions on abortion if Roe is overturned, the reality is that 24 states (largely more populous and with liberal legislatures) will not restrict abortion.

Pro-abortion groups are already discussing providing transportation to poor women who have to go across state lines to get a surgical abortion. Feldman writes: "Some states are going to try to bar travel for abortion purposes, but such bans are likely to be held unconstitutional even by the current court."

In addition, in the 12 or so "red states" that have not adopted anything yet, but may have dormant laws from pre-1973, my political sense tells me their legislatures will be hard pressed to implement many restrictions on abortion, as they will be besieged by the pro-life and pro-choice forces on either side. Many will limit abortion to the three-pronged "save the life of the mother, rape, incest" line. So this can exempt a lot of surgical abortions from whatever ending laws.

In Virginia, there will likely be no action on restricting abortion, given the Democrat-Republican split in the General Assembly.

According to the latest CDC data, over the past ten years, approximately three-fourths of abortions were performed at under nine weeks' gestation, and this percentage increased from 74.8% in 2010 to 77.4% in 2019. Planned Parenthood, the abortion advocacy group, acknowledged this in one of its pamphlets, noting that only 8% of abortions are conducted beyond 13 weeks of pregnancy when a surgical abortion is the only option.

So, based on current statistics, about 48,000 women could be impacted by this decision annually  and most of them will be in or near states that are blue and will likely not make any changes in the law.

Hence, it is fiction and political posturing to say women in need will have to return to the "back alleys" and coat hangers to induce abortion. But I suppose it makes for higher news ratings and viewership and gins up donations for both camps.

But based on the facts, it would seem that abortion will continue to occur in the U.S. whether Roe is repealed or not.

Ken Reid cover the FDA and pharma from 1986 to 2021 for his own trade newsletters. He also is a Republican activist in Virginia, where he served in local elected office for 10 years -- www.KenReid.org

Image: Elvert Barnes.
Along with faster 25W charging, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 could also get a bigger battery. The upcoming clamshell foldable from Samsung will include a 3,700mAh battery, noted tipster Ice Universe claims. The source of the information is 100 percent sure about it. If true, this will be a notable upgrade from a 3,300mAh unit found inside the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

The latest piece of information about the Galaxy Z Flip 4s battery capacity contradicts previous information though. The device was said to include two battery units with rated capacities of 2,400mAh and 903mAh for a total of 3,303mAh, which could mean a typical capacity of 3,400mAh. But Samsung may have somehow created extra space inside the clamshell foldable for additional battery juice.

The Korean media recently reported that Samsung is looking to introduce stacked-type smartphone batteries soon. Currently used for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, this technology allows for a higher battery capacity in a smaller package thanks to tighter packaging of components. Reports claim as much as ten percent extra battery juice in a similar-sized unit. Maybe Samsung is using this packaging technology for a bigger battery inside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 while keeping the same size. Even the reported 3,700mAh battery unit is in line with that. We will likely find it out in the coming months.

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The Galaxy Z Fold 4 will not get any notable battery upgrade

While the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is getting some much-needed upgrades both in terms of battery capacity and charging speed, Samsung isnt treating its other 2022 foldable model likewise. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 was previously rumored to include a combined battery capacity of 4,400mAh, which is unchanged from the Fold 3 last year. Perhaps a Safety Korea certification had revealed that. Ice Universe is now corroborating that information with 100 percent accuracy.

This model is undergoing a shape change this year. The device will come squarer than its predecessor. Its unclear whether this redesign has eaten up a little extra space inside the device or if theres some other reason for it keeping the same battery capacity. A 4,400mAh battery is not too bad though. Just that a bigger battery would have ensured longer endurance, which everyone would love.

Nonetheless, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 arent expected to arrive before August this year. Among other things, the devices could get camera and display upgrades. We expect to hear a lot more about the new foldables until then. Stay tuned.
Google I/O 2022 Developers Conference is slated to start on May 11 and run through May 12, and the companys Android team wants to know what youre excited about via a poll. The poll was spotted on Twitter via the official Android handle and certainly isnt solely centered around hype though. It also hints at whats to come at Google I/O 2022.

Whats in the poll for Google I/O 2022 from Android?

The question posed is fairly straightforward. Android asks users to vote for which topic theyre most excited to hear about at the event. There are four options to choose from. Three of those, Security, Messaging, and Cross-Device, pertain to updates. The fourth option is New Partnerships.

In terms of the winning topic, as of this writing, thats Cross-Device Updates, which holds 36.4-percent of the vote. Security and Messaging Updates follow close behind, at 24.6-percent and 28.7-percent, respectively. New Partnerships is, of course, the least voted for, with 10.2-percent of the take.

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Whats coming at the event, then?

Now, Google already unveiled a number of the topics it hopes to discuss for the event prior to the tweet. But the new poll does expound on the schedule thats already been released.

Its schedule includes keynotes covering Firebase, Flutter, Web, AR, Google Play, Chrome OS, Google Home, and Google Pay. But it will also be discussing some more Android-specific topics stemming from the impending launch of Android 13. As well as potential news for gadgets such as a Pixel Watch, the Pixel 6a smartphone, and rumors regarding smart home products.

The poll on Twitter, conversely, seems to indicate some incoming changes to how messaging works on Android. Likely referring back to earlier announcements regarding interoperability between iMessage and Androids Messages app. Namely, changes to show iPhone reactions as emoji, as well as nudges for unresponded-to messages, message sorting, and Google Photos integration.

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Thats in addition to impending security changes, which surface at every I/O event. This time around, potentially with some new controls put at users fingertips.

Cross-Device Updates and partnerships are still very much a mystery. Although the latter may point to new hardware releases while the former is likely referring to improvements with regard to Android integrating with other operating systems. For example, with Windows or Chrome OS.
Razers engineers are at it again, defying the possibilities of design with the release of the Viper V2 Pro. This is Razers latest gaming mouse and surprisingly, its also now the companys lightest mouse ever made. A title previously held by the Viper Mini, which weighs 61 grams.

With the Viper V2 Pro, Razer has shaved off a whopping 15 grams from the size of the Viper Ultimate. Going from 74 grams to just 59 grams. To get to this reduced weight Razer did have to cut out a few things. The companys signature Chroma RGB lighting is gone. As are the right-side buttons and the built-in grips. All together this dropped the weight by 8.8 grams. Though, Razer does include optional grip tape for those that want to keep that grippy feel.

Razers Viper V2 Pro is not just ultra-light, its also wireless

Going from 74 grams to 58 grams is an achievement to say the least. Even with some of the cut features. Its a pretty sizeable downscale which is impressive in its own right. But whats more impressive is that Razer was able to achieve this without getting rid of the wireless connectivity.

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The mouse also now includes a lighter battery that lasts longer than the Viper Ultimate. Razer claims that users will get up to 80 hours on just one charge. Where the Viper Ultimate would only get 70. The mouse also uses USB-C instead of micro USB for the cable connector.

Other improvements include the increase to 90 million clicks with Razers third-generation optical mouse switches. In addition, Razer is now using what its calling the Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor. Giving the Viper V2 Pro a 30,000 DPI for increased sensitivity.

Razers Viper V2 Pro retails for $149.99 which is a bit more expensive than the Viper Ultimate considering it comes with the charging dock. Which is going to make charging the mouse a little less convenient and flashy. Still, the improvements in weight and battery life seems to be worthy tradeoffs.

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You can pick up the Viper V2 Pro starting today from Razer directly in Black or White color options. You can also find the mouse on Amazon in both colors.

Razer Viper V2 Pro
The White House has announced the details of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) for providing low-cost broadband Internet to U.S. citizens. The plan aims to either increase speeds or cut prices.

The high price of broadband Internet in the United States compared to Europe has been one of the challenges facing government and internet service providers (ISPs). A 60 Mbps connection in European countries like France and Italy costs around $30 per month. In the United States, users have to pay around $67 per month for such a connection.

However, the White House aims to collaborate with 20 ISPs in the country to bring low-cost and high-speed broadband Internet to U.S. citizens. The plan was announced last year, and the FCC approved it in January. Now is the time for the government to do its share.

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Through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), 20 of the countrys largest ISPs are committed to offering low-cost broadband connections. Also, the minimum speed would be of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps). The program has targeted those who were at risk of digital disconnection. Moreover, ISPs can cover 80% of U.S. households.

The White House also launched a new website that allows people to check their eligibility for the program. Eligible users can even sign up for the program through this website. The FCC is also subsidizing $14.2 billion for the program.

Here are the ISPs that take part in the ACP program: Altice (Optimum and Suddenlink), Astound, AT&T, Breezeline, Comcast, Comporium, Cox Communications, Frontier, IdeaTek, Jackson Energy Authority, MediaCom, MLGC, Spectrum (Charter), Starry, Verizon (Fios only), Vermont Telephone Company, Vexus Fiber, Wow! Internet, Cable, T.V.

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The White House wants to bring down the cost of broadband access

The United States now offers one of the most expensive Internets globally. The ACP program could be one of the best Internet programs that have ever been executed in the country. The program will cost no more than $30 per month and provide U.S. citizens with a stable, high-speed, and low-cost Internet connection.

From large providers like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon serving dozens of states, to smaller providers serving rural areas like Jackson Energy Authority in Tennessee and Comporium in North Carolina, the commitments will allow tens of millions of ACP-eligible households to receive high-speed internet at no cost. The White House said in their announcement.
The developer of apps like Hinge and Tinder, Match Group, is suing Google in a California federal court. The company alleges that Google is violating state and federal antitrust laws through its Play Store guidelines.

More specifically, the lawsuit is in response to Googles proposed policy change which will come into effect on June 1, 2022. This policy change would require all developers in the Android ecosystem to process payments for their digital goods and services via the Play Store billing system.

This shift was quite unpopular when it was first announced. In response, Google delayed its implementation from September 30, 2021, to June 1, 2022. According to the lawsuit, Google previously promised Match that it could use its own payments system. However, Match has reportedly received a warning to adhere to the new policy change or risk removal of its apps.

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Match Group claims this lawsuit is a measure of last resort

Furthermore, Match alleges that Google also rejected app updates that kept the existing payment methods. Ten years ago, Match Group was Googles partner. We are now its hostage, the company said in the lawsuit.

This lawsuit is a measure of last resort. We tried, in good faith, to resolve these concerns with Google, but their insistence and threats to remove our brands apps from the Google Play Store by June 1st has left us no choice but to take legal action, CEO of Match Group, Shar Dubey, told Engadget.

Google defended its policy revision in a statement to Engadget, claiming that Match is only liable to pay a 15% commission on in-app purchases. A company spokesperson told the site that this is the lowest compared to other major app platforms.

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This is just a continuation of Match Groups self-interested campaign to avoid paying for the significant value they receive from the mobile platforms theyve built their business on, the spokesperson added. Additionally, Google pointed toward the openness of Android, which permits developers to distribute apps through unconventional means, such as APK sideloading.

Its clear that the pressure is mounting on major app hubs such as the Play Store and Apples App Store. In March, the company said it is testing a third-party billing system with Spotify. However, Match Group claims that Google rejected its request to join the testing program.
With its last quarterly earnings report, Netflix announced that it was working on an ad-supported tier of its service. This is was kind of surprising, as Netflix had been adamant about not having ads, only to bring in an ad-supported tier.

Now, according to the New York Times, Netflix has told employees that it will have ads available by the end of 2022. Thats much sooner than expected.

In the note to employees, Netflix executives said that they were aiming to introduce the ad tier in the final three months of the year. That is according to two people who shared details of the communication. The note also explained that Netflix is looking to begin cracking down on password sharing among its subscriber base around the same time.

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Why is Netflix doing ads?

Theres two main reasons for Netflix to add ads to its platform. One is more revenue, and two is adding a cheaper plan to continue growing its subscriber-base. In the first quarter of 2022, Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers. Thats the first time it has lost subscribers in over a decade.

Netflix is also expecting to lose another two million in the coming months. Because of this, Netflixs share price has also dropped quite substantially. Wiping out about $70 billion from its market cap.

By including ads, Netflix can offer its service at a lower price, while still bringing in revenue by using ads to offset those costs. Netflix is really the only streaming service that doesnt have ads right now  Showtime and Starz is the only others. Its unclear how low the price would be for ad-supported Netflix, but considering the standard plan is $15.49, it likely would be around $10. That would make it similar to HBO MAX. Which offers its ad-supported tier at $9.99 and ad-free tier at $14.99.

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Subscribers are going to be upset about Netflix adding ads, no matter the case. Whether that means Netflix is cheaper or not. But it will also depend on how well those ads are placed. Are they going to be every few minutes like Hulu? Or only at the beginning and end like HBO MAX? Well have to wait and see.
(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 10 - Premier Mario Draghi is set to meet United States President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday.

The meeting will start at around 2 pm eastern time, or eight o'clock in the evening in Italy.

"The meeting will focus on coordination with Allies on measures to support the Ukrainian population and to counter Russia's unjustified aggression," a premier's office statement said.

"The two leaders will also discuss the excellent bilateral relations and underline the solidity of the transatlantic bond.

"Cooperation in the management of global challenges will be addressed, from energy security to the fight against climate change, from economic revival to the development of transatlantic security. "The two leaders will also exchange views on regional issues and on the preparations ahead of the G7 and NATO summits in June".

Unease at the policy of sending weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russia, meanwhile, is growing within Draghi's broad coalition government, especially from the 5-Star Movement (M5S).

On Sunday Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that, while Italy "must support Ukraine and its army for legitimate self defence... we cannot contemplate supplying weapons to hit Russian soil".

The Washington Post said Tuesday the meeting between Draghi and Biden is taking place at another "whatever it takes" moment, this time for Ukraine, referring to the former European central banker's famous pledge on saving the euro. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 10 - An alarming report released on Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a wake-up call for humanity to take immediate action to tackle the climate crisis, the Italian section of the Fridays for Future movement has said.

The WMO report said there is a 50:50 chance of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5 C above the pre-industrial level for at least one of the next five years, adding that the likelihood is increasing with time.

There is a 93% likelihood of at least one year between 2022-2026 becoming the warmest on record and dislodging 2016 from the top ranking, according to the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, produced by the United Kingdom's Met Office, the WMO lead centre for such predictions.

The chance of the five-year average for 2022-2026 being higher than the last five years (2017-2021) is also 93%, it said.

"Governments and fossil fuel companies all over the world have delayed climate action, convincing the public that we have time until 2050 to act on climate change" Filippo Sotgiu, a mathematics student and climate activist with Fridays For Future Italia, told ANSA.

"This report brings us back to reality: we don't have that much time.

"Huge emissions reductions must be achieved by 2030 - and rich countries like Italy and the UK must get close to zero emissions by that date - because otherwise, nothing will stop the temperature rise that is bringing us near to dangerous tipping points, earlier than expected".

As in the rest of the world, the climate crisis is already having a massive impact in Italy.

Northern Italy, for example, is suffering a major drought that, among other things, has caused big problems for farmers and affected hydroelectric energy production.

Italy is being hit with intense heat waves with increasing frequency, which is affecting people's health and contributing to a rise in the number of wildfires the nation suffers.

A European record temperature of 48.8 degrees C was recorded in Sicily last August.

The WMO report said that the chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5C has risen steadily since 2015, when it was close to zero. For the years between 2017 and 2021, there was a 10% chance of exceedance. That probability has increased to nearly 50% for the 2022-2026 period.

"This study shows - with a high level of scientific skill - that we are getting measurably closer to temporarily reaching the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.

"The 1.5C figure is not some random statistic. It is rather an indicator of the point at which climate impacts will become increasingly harmful for people and indeed the entire planet.

"For as long as we continue to emit greenhouse gases, temperatures will continue to rise.

"And alongside that, our oceans will continue to become warmer and more acidic, sea ice and glaciers will continue to melt, sea level will continue to rise and our weather will become more extreme.

"Arctic warming is disproportionately high and what happens in the Arctic affects all of us." (ANSA).


(by Michele Esposito) (ANSAmed) - STRASBOURG, 10 MAG - The requirement of EU unanimity for voting should be changed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her closing speech for Europe Day.

She noted that a few sceptics should not be able to keep the entire 27-nation bloc from moving forward.

In a European Parliament chock full of youths for the Conference on the Future of Europe as part of Europe Day 2022, Von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday tried to sketch out the lines of a new European Union.

With the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, Strasbourg was feeling acutely the echoes of a veto on sanctions against Russia that had been reiterated only a few hours before by Hungary.

"I have always argued that unanimity voting in some key areas simply no longer makes sense if we want to be able to move faster," the Von der Leyen said.

Macron went beyond in proposing a new format parallel to the EU that would include countries including Ukraine and the UK.

However, to change these things will be very difficult.

While in Strasbourg Von der Leyen was speaking about the need for reform, 13 member states were instead drafting their refusal.

"We do not support unconsidered and premature attempts to launch a process towards treaty change," said the text signed by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia and Sweden.

The idea of changing a need for unanimity is especially disliked by the smallest countries.

However, refusals are also coming from the base of the European Parliament.

The ECR and its co-president Raffaele Fitto underscored that the solution for the future of the EU is not the "creation of a European super-State".

In September, as part of her State of the Union address, Von der Leyen will try to respond to the first 49 proposals from the Conference on the Future of Europe. (ANSAmed).


France says EU deal on Russia oil embargo possible this week Part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion

(ANSA-AFP) - PARIS, MAY 10 - An EU accord on halting oil imports from Russia by the end of the year, the latest response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, could be secured this week, France's Europe Minister said Tuesday. The embargo, part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion, is being resisted by some member states that rely on Russian oil to keep their economies running and are seeking guarantees of alternative sources. "I think we can have an accord this week, we're working flat out on it," France's Clement Beaune told LCI television. "It's probably a matter of days." "We have to move quickly, and I say with confidence that there will be a sixth package of European sanctions, they will be very strong and we will gradually get out of using Russia oil at first, but also Russian hydrocarbons in general," he said. New discussions will be held between European leaders by telephone on Tuesday, involving French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Beaune added. Orban in particular is insisting on EU funding guarantees for building new pipelines and other infrastructure needed to wean his country off Russian oil, and wants to be able to keep importing from Russia for several more years. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been offered permission to continue importing Russian oil until the end of 2024 in the sanctions talks that began last week.



(ANSA-AFP).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
(by Michele Esposito)

STRASBOURG - The requirement of EU unanimity for voting should be changed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her closing speech for Europe Day in Strasbourg.



She noted that a few sceptics should not be able to keep the entire 27-nation bloc from moving forward.



In a European Parliament chock full of youths for the Conference on the Future of Europe as part of Europe Day 2022, Von der Leyen and French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday tried to sketch out the lines of a new European Union.



With the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, Strasbourg was feeling acutely the echoes of a veto on sanctions against Russia that had been reiterated only a few hours before by Hungary.



"I have always argued that unanimity voting in some key areas simply no longer makes sense if we want to be able to move faster," the Von der Leyen said.



Macron went beyond in proposing a new format parallel to the EU that would include countries including Ukraine and the UK.



However, to change these things will be very difficult.



While in Strasbourg Von der Leyen was speaking about the need for reform, 13 member states were instead drafting their refusal.



"We do not support unconsidered and premature attempts to launch a process towards treaty change," said the text signed by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia and Sweden.



The idea of changing a need for unanimity is especially disliked by the smallest countries.



However, refusals are also coming from the base of the European Parliament.



The ECR and its co-president Raffaele Fitto underscored that the solution for the future of the EU is not the "creation of a European super-State".



In September, as part of her State of the Union address, Von der Leyen will try to respond to the first 49 proposals from the Conference on the Future of Europe.




ROME - A little-known Italian story of heroism and solidarity involving the Jews of Libya during the 1967 pogrom returned to the fore on Monday evening during an event in the Italian capital dedicated to employees of flagship carrier Alitalia and their descendants.



The chance was given by the distribution of a book entitled 'Fermi, non Sparate, Sono Walter!' ('Stop, Don't Shoot, I Am Walter!'), which details the life of Walter Arbib.



Arbib is a Jew who was born in a family of Libyan origins who became a successful businessman in Canada and a philanthropist of international fame.



The biography, written by the journalist Yossi Melman, who for years was the senior editor-in-chief of the Israeli daily Haaretz, narrates through the life of Arbib what happened in Libya in 1967 when the Six Days' War began and pogroms were carried out against the Jewish community in the country, which had been in the country for over 2,000 years.



Editor-in-chief of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and moderator of the event Maurizio Molinari noted that Italians - with support from the Italian government and the active interest of Rome's chief rabbi, Elio Toaff - had helped Jews to flee a country that had become hostile.



The heroism of the employees of the Italian flagship carrier made it possible to save people from Libyan persecution and "represents something that deeply links Italy to the Jews of the Mediterranean", Molinari said.



In a speech full of emotion, Arbib commemorated "the heroes of Alitalia, who in those days showed extraordinary courage and generosity, from the managers to the company drivers who, despite being at risk, continued their work of taking Jews from their offices to the airport".



Arbib then named the man who 55 years ago saved his life and that of his mother: Renato Tarantino, the now defunct former Alitalia foreman in Tripoli.



"Helping Jews meant helping people in serious difficulty. We risked a lot because solidarity came before all else," Umberto Vaccarini, Tarantino's assistant during the pogroms, said on the sidelines of the event.



Vaccarini estimated some 2,500 Jews had been saved.



Dror Eydar, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, underscored the coincidence between the date of yesterday and the Jewish one of the 8th of Iyar: when, 102 years ago, the Jews of Jerusalem were the victims of an Arab pogrom in the Old City.



It was on April 4, 1920, he noted, and had begun three weeks after the insertion of the Balfour Declaration - on a national homeland for Jews in Palestine - in the Conference of Sanremo, "the embryo of which, 28 years later, became the State of Israel".



The ambassador noted that, "among all the countries of the world, Italy was chosen to host this event of Biblical proportions of the Return to Zion, in which the world invited Jews to put an end to their long exile and return home to their ancient homeland".




EU embargo on Russia oil 'could come this week', says France Despite Hungary's opposition

(ANSA) - PARIS, 10 MAG - France on Tuesday seemed optimistic that an agreement would be reached between EU member states on an embargo on Russian oil, current blocked by Hungary under Viktor Orban.



France's Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune told the LCI radio that the deal could come this week.



"I think that there will be an agreement this week. We are working non-stop. And there is no doubt that it is only a question of days," he said.



France currently holds the EU presidency. (ANSA).




EU allocates 1.5 billion euros in aid to Syria Donors conference without Russia, 'No reconstruction with Assad'

(ANSAmed) - BRUXELLES, 10 MAG - "I am pleased to announce that an additional 1 billion euro pledge for a calendar year of 2022 and this will make collated our contribution to more than 1.5 billion euros," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday "For 2023, the EU will provide the same financial support  1.56 billion euros. This funding will be for the benefit of Syrians in Syria and for the benefit of refugees in their host communities in the region," he added during a Donors Conference to which Russia was not invited.



"While war rages in Ukraine, the conflict in Syria is entering its twelfth year. We must make sure that we do not forget the Syrian people and to continue pushing for a peaceful Syria," Borrell noted.



He added that there would be no EU funding for reconstruction in Syria prior to a political transition.



"Both Russia and the Syrian regime must understand - and this Conference is the way for them to understand - that we will not reduce our commitment to UNSCR 2254 and the efforts of United Nations Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen. Geir, congratulations for your work. We will not relax our sanctions to maintain pressure on the Assad regime nor normalise relations before people will be safe to go back home," he said.



He noted on Russia that it had not been invited because the EU had invited partners that have a "genuine interest" in contributing to peace in the world and that the EU and its partners would continue to exclude Russia from international forums. (ANSAmed).




King Abdullah of Jordan to see Biden in US At the weekend, talks to include Palestinians and Jerusalem

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 10 MAG - King Abdullah of Jordan will be meeting this weekend with US president Joe Biden as well as other leaders and members of the US Congress.



The announcement was made by Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, who was quoted by the news agency Petra.



Safadi told Sky News Arabia on Monday that "the visit is part of ongoing consultation and coordination between Jordan and friends of the kingdom." The discussions, he continued, "will be on bilateral relations and especially the Memorandum of Understanding on which the US and Jordan are working and which includes US aid to the kingdom".



He added that regional issues and especially Palestinians and the situation of occupied Jerusalem would be focused on.



"The end of tension begins with finding a political horizon for the return to serious and effective talks to achieve peace on the basis of a two-state solution," he stressed. (ANSAmed).




The Prime Minister is set to visit allies Sweden and Finland to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Boris Johnson is scheduled to meet leaders of both countries during a whirlwind 24 hours.

With Queens Speech debates in the Commons meaning there is no Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson will take the opportunity to refocus the spotlight on Europes response to the war in the east of the continent.

The visit comes as Sweden and Finland consider whether to apply for Nato membership in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

No 10 said it was disinformation to suggest Mr Johnson was seeking to put pressure on them to join the western military alliance.

Prime minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson in Downing Street following her meeting with Boris Johnson in March (James Manning/PA)

It is about not just Ukraine but the security of Europe more broadly, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said.

We understand the positions of Sweden and Finland and that is why the Prime Minister is going to discuss these broader security issues.

Support for joining Nato has risen sharply in both countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, despite their previous tradition of neutrality.

In her Mansion House speech last month, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that if they did apply for membership, they should be admitted as soon as possible.

Mr Johnson held talks with Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson and the Finnish president Sauli Niinisto in March as part of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force nations, which includes Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.

After the meeting Downing Street said the two leaders agreed that Putins invasion had dramatically changed the landscape of European security.

Finland shares a lengthy land border with Russia and is only about 250 miles from St Petersburg.
More than 150 people caught up in a backlog of visa applications have reportedly not been told how long delays might be.

BBC News says British couples kept in separate countries by the backlog have contacted the broadcaster to raise the issue of delays, with complaints of some applications taking twice the usual processing time of three months.

The BBC says British citizen Deon Barnard and his wife Heather, who both grew up in South Africa, applied for a visa on December 23, with Mr Barnard moving to London to start a new job.

He told the broadcaster: We were expecting, according to our calculations and according to our [immigration] agents as well, about March 28 wouldve been our date of receiving our [visa].

Heather wouldve been on a plane the next day.

The Vigil For Visas group protest outside the Houses of Parliament (James Manning/PA)

On about March 26, we got a letter from the [Home Office] that, due to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, visa applications were now paused.

And there was no information, no date, no expectations set, nothing  that was just the end of the story.

And weve been waiting ever since.

A Home Office official told the BBC: We are prioritising Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by [Russian President Vladimir] Putins barbaric invasion of Ukraine, so applications for study, work and family visas have taken longer to process.

We are working at pace to ensure these are issued as quickly as possible.

It comes as the Government looks set to face legal action over unreasonable delays in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Would-be hosts have sent a legal letter to the Home Office over unexpected, unexplained and unreasonable delays in processing hundreds of visa applications made in March.

They suggest either the Home Office may be prioritising more recent, simpler applications to boost the numbers, and then boast about these, or that the policy is just so incoherent and disorganised that there is no pretence of processing claims chronologically.

Other areas of concern include MPs being told visas in certain cases have been granted when this is not the case, and sponsors being told cases will be expedited when they have not been.

They also say there are cases where visas and permission-to-travel letters have been granted, but refugees have not been informed or the documents have not been sent or made available to collect.

On Friday the groups Vigil 4 Visas and Taking Action Over The Homes For Ukraine Visa Delays sent a pre-action letter, shared with the PA news agency, informing the Home Office and Government Legal Department they may apply for a judicial review of the policies.

When the legal action was initially announced earlier last week, the Government said it had streamlined the visa system, simplified forms and boosted staff numbers, and it is now processing visas as quickly as they come in.

The groups have requested a response by 4pm on Tuesday.
FILE - Bill Gates discusses his book "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic" at the 92nd Street Y on May 3, 2022, in New York. Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates posted on Twitter on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, that he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was experiencing mild symptoms and was following the experts' advice by isolating until he is healthy again. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

SEATTLE (AP)  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.

Via Twitter, the billionaire philanthropist said he will isolate until he is again healthy.

Im fortunate to be vaccinated and boosted and have access to testing and great medical care, Gates wrote.

The Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the most influential private foundation in the world, with an endowment of about $65 billion.

Bill Gates has been a vocal proponent for pandemic mitigation measures, specifically access to vaccines and medication for poorer countries. The Gates Foundation in October said it will spend $120 million to boost access to generic versions of drugmaker Mercks antiviral COVID-19 pill for lower-income countries.
New benefits for non-union Starbucks (SBUX) employees is upping the stakes between the coffee giant and union organizers who recently visited the White House, with potential legal implications.

When interim CEO Howard Schultz recently rolled out a $1 billion investment in employees that included perks such as wage increases and new store equipment, he made it clear that the benefits would only be available to employees at nonunion stores.

"We must reintroduce joy in the customer and emotional connection back into the partner experience," Schultz said Starbucks Q2 2022 earnings call. "We do not have the same freedom to make these improvements at locations that have a union or where union organizing is underway."

(Source: Starbucks)

Starbucks Workers United, the union representing the baristas nationwide, alleged that Schultz's comments would have an immediate "chilling effect" on organizing campaigns and impending votes nationwide.

Starbucks workers have been organizing at stores at a rapid speed: More than 250 of nearly 9,000 company-operated locations have taken steps toward unionization in recent months, according to a tracker by the Law360, and a flurry of union election filings are added daily. (The tracker estimates that 43 stores have voted against unionization while 10 votes voted against unionization)

The timing is notable: Once workers vote to unionize and the tally becomes certified, the employer would technically have to freeze the current levels of benefits and wages in what is called the "status quo period."

"I couldn't give a $3 pay raise without bargaining it with the union first  that would be unlawful to do that because the union now is... the exclusive bargaining agent for all of those bargaining unit members," Joseph McConnell, an attorney specializing in labor and employment law as a partner at the Morgan, Brown & Joy, told Yahoo Finance. "The employer's hands are tied on anything having to do with wages, hours, and working conditions for those bargaining unit members."

Former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, and United States 2020 presidential candidate Howard Schultz visits Fox & Friends at Fox News Channel Studios on April 2, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)

At the same time, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) prohibits employers from promising benefits to employees on the condition that they reject a union.

Marion Crain, a law professor at Washington University, told Yahoo Finance that Starbucks seems to be making the "good side" of their argument about benefits, "not the side that the workers need to hear from the union, which is [the company] can take them away unilaterally, just like you can give them unilaterally if you don't have a union."

In a letter from Starbucks Workers United's counsel to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency tasked with enforcing U.S. labor law, the union claimed that Schultz's comments are in violation by "threatening to withhold newly-devised benefits from employees who decide to unionize."

The letter further asserted that "Starbucks has always been able to pay its partners much more and to provide more generous benefits, but it wasn't until the workers started this movement to unionize that the company is finally offering some improvements."

Attorney Ian Hayes and Starbucks workers speak during a news conference to react to a decision by the National Labor Relations Board to postpone a scheduled union vote count in Buffalo, New York, U.S., February 23, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

'Starbucks will continue bargaining in good faith as required by federal law'

Since returning to the Seattle-based coffee giant in April as interim CEO, Schultz has sought to create a new employee experience at Starbucks as the company combat's the growing unionization push.

Federal law prohibits us from promising new wages and benefits at stores involved in union organizing," Schultz said during the earnings call. "And by law, we cannot implement unilateral changes at stores that have a union."

The company expects to give at least 5% increases to employees with two-to-five years of experience and at least 7% raises to employees with five years experience. The company is also planning additional changes such as the ability for more customers to tip workers when they're not paying with cash.

These benefits include "student loan refinancing, additional skills recognition programs, enhanced in-app tipping and new profit-sharing initiatives," Schultz said on the call, adding that eligible employees will also have the opportunity to increase sick time, implement a new "financial stability toolkit benefit," and access credit card tips.

"Starbucks is permitted by law to offer these benefits to workers at unionized stores," Starbucks Workers Union argued in their letter. "Our bargaining committees will demand that these modest improvements be given immediately to all the partners." '

(Source: Starbucks)

Starbucks defended Schultz's comments.

"We have a responsibility to inform our partners of their compensation and benefits and the federal laws related to such benefits during unionization," Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges said in a statement to Yahoo Finance. "We fully disagree with the mischaracterizations, baseless accusations and the falsehoods presented and are concerned with the impact such statements may have on our partners who disagree with the Workers United Organizers."

Borges added that at locations "where workers have union representation, Starbucks will continue bargaining in good faith as required by federal law."

On Friday, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told Yahoo Finance Live (video above) that three-time Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz should invest "in all of his workforce," not just the stores without unions.

I don't think he can just invest in the people, the dozen shops that organize. That just doesn't seem like a good business model," Walsh said. "I commend him for investing in their salaries, and I also would recommend that the stores that organize to sit down and have a conversation with them.

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @daniromerotv

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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For the millions of Americans that use menstruation tracking apps and services to track their periods, the potential end of nationwide legal abortion in the U.S. is revealing gaping questions of who owns intimate, personal health data and spurring calls for better privacy legislation.

A leaked draft ruling from the Supreme Court last week revealed the bombshell that Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that made abortion legal in the U.S., could be overturned.

For now, the ruling is not official, meaning abortion is still currently legal in the U.S. Nevertheless, the news sent shockwaves throughout the nation, particularly generating fears among those who use apps to track menstruation cycles around whether such data could be used to prove if a user was pregnant or whether an abortion was done.

Data privacy for menstruation apps is coming into question. (Screenshot: Apple App Store)

According to several data privacy experts, menstruation data provided to an app is treated the same way as your Facebook photos or posts, the posts you like or share, and your search history.

There is no difference between menstruation information provided to an app and any other type of info provided to an app, India McKinney, director of federal affairs at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), told Yahoo Finance. Like social media [exercise tracking app] Strava, or anything else you have given permission to track location or put cookies on your browser, all that data under federal law is treated the same.

'The devil is in the details'

In states like Texas with laws that make it illegal to aid and abet in abortions, such data could be used to help prove whether a user had an abortion.

Some apps say they are taking measures to protect their users' data.

Biowink, which makes a popular app called Clue Period & Cycle Tracker, stated in an email to Yahoo Finance that its reproductive health data is used in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law in the European Union, where the company is headquartered.

Abortion is currently legal on a federal level but the extent of it varies by state. (Map: The Fuller Project)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), meanwhile, told Yahoo Finance it advises users to compare the privacy protections each app provides and try to find apps that explain in simple terms what health information the app collects, how it uses and shares that information, and whether it limits what other parties can do with the information.

Still, while there are some steps people can take to mitigate some of the risks, the ultimate decision of what to do with such data is bound by the terms and conditions of each individual app, creating a rude awakening for users about where health data is being stored and who the owners and gatekeepers for that data truly are.

For the vast majority of people and circumstances, there is no way to un-ring the bell once youve shared data, Zach Edwards, a data supply researcher and boutique analytics agency, told Yahoo Finance. He stated that such information about menstruation can even be sent to advertising technology companies and associated with where users live and work and their daily patterns.

Until Congress passes a federal privacy bill that gives Americans a right to know who is sharing their data, a right to say no to that sharing (along with a right to deletion,) no one will be able to truly protect themselves, Edwards added.

Demonstrators in support of reproductive rights protest outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S., May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

According to EFFs McKinney, the pending Supreme Court case is a great example of why there's a need for federal consumer data privacy laws.

If we dont make systemic changes, it will create problems for vulnerable people at vulnerable times of their lives, she said.

McKinney said that in the meantime, the 2018 California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the 2020 California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) are steps in the right direction that give users more control over whether personal digital data is sold, stored, or deleted.

But time for further legislation is running short, she cautioned: What it feels like at the moment, everyone wants a federal privacy bill, but the devil is in the details. There are a ton of those details, and people dont want to get down in the weeds.

Mike is a producer for Yahoo Finance.

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(Reuters) - Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tuesday he would reverse Twitter's ban on former U.S. President Donald Trump, while speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference.

Musk, who has called himself a "free speech absolutist," recently inked a $44 billion deal to acquire the social media platform.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suspension of Trumps account, which had more than 88 million followers, silenced his primary megaphone days before the end of his term and follows years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders.

Trump was permanently suspended from Twitter shortly after the Jan. 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol. Twitter cited "the risk of further incitement of violence" in its decision.

The decision amplified his views among people on the political right, Musk said, calling the ban "morally wrong and flat-out stupid."

Trump previously told Fox News that he would not return to Twitter even if Musk purchases the platform and reinstates his account, and said he would use his own social media app called Truth Social, which launched on the Apple app store in late February but was glitchy until more recently when it began letting more users in.

There was no immediate comment from a Trump spokesperson.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has not wrecked the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at Cop26 but has presented a challenge to it, according to US climate envoy John Kerry.

Mr Kerry said the Russian president had spurred on Europe to increase its renewable energy by using gas supplies as a weapon.

The former US secretary of state spoke to the BBC for a podcast called No Hot Air.

The Glasgow Climate Pact called on countries to phase down unabated coal power and inefficient fuel subsidies as part of action on climate change.

John Kerry said Europe is going to try to deploy renewable energy, such as wind, much faster than originally planned (PA)

Asked if the Russian president had wrecked the Glasgow Pact, Mr Kerry said: He hasnt wrecked it but hes presented a challenge to it.

He continued: What Vladimir Putin has done by using gas energy as a weapon, is to convince Europe that it has to move faster.

So, in fact, Europe is going to try to move to deploy renewable energy  wind, solar, etc  much faster than they originally had planned.

The key will be finding greater levels of finance on an international basis to accelerate the transition to those renewables so that investment begins to move there faster.

Chinas investment in new coal plants remains a problem, he said, though the countrys agreement to reduce its methane output is a big deal.

Mr Kerry said it was still possible to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5C, though this would not completely eliminate the impacts of the climate crisis.

He said: We need to get to work.

We need to deploy far more renewables. We need to be accelerating research and development. We need to be living up to the promises that weve made.

We still can do that, and we have to get about the business of enforcing it.

Mr Kerry also said the UK and Glasgow did a spectacular job of hosting the Cop26 summit amid the pandemic.

Asked if he had tried haggis or Irn-Bru, he laughed and said: I did and I found a favourite restaurant and we had a few brews and it was really wonderful.

Got to Edinburgh for an afternoon and enjoyed enormously being there, it was great.
FILE - This undated booking file photo provided by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department shows former Jared Foundation executive director Russell Taylor. A federal judge, Monday, May 9, 2022, sentenced Taylor, who led former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle's charitable foundation, to 27 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting girls. Taylor, had pleaded guilty to 30 child pornography and sexual exploitation crimes involving nine children. (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A divorced Indiana couple who prosecutors say shared sexually explicit photos and videos of children with former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle were sentenced Monday to decades in prison.

A federal judge sentenced Angela Baldwin, 40, of Connersville, to 33 years and four months in prison, the Justice Department said. A jury convicted her in October of two counts of producing child sexual abuse material, one count of conspiracy to produce such material, and one count of possessing it.

Her ex-husband Russell Taylor, who ran a nonprofit Fogle founded, pleaded guilty last year to 30 child pornography and sexual exploitation counts for his acts against nine children. Taylor, 50, was sentenced earlier Monday to 27 years behind bars, the Justice Department said.

The victims were ages 9 to 16 when the crimes occurred.

The couple shared with Fogle videos and photos of the girls that were captured by hidden cameras Taylor installed in the then-couple's Indianapolis home, prosecutors said.

Fogle, who became a Subway pitchman after shedding more than 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) as a college student, in part by eating the chains sandwiches, was sentenced in 2015 to 15 years in prison for possession or distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor.

Taylor was executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit that Fogle started to raise awareness and money to fight childhood obesity. He provided evidence that led to the criminal case against Fogle, his one-time boss and close friend.

Taylor was originally sentenced in 2015, but U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt in 2020 found that he had received ineffective legal assistance because his lawyer had failed to challenge three criminal charges against him for which there was no factual basis.

Taylors attorneys asked Pratt to sentence him to 19 years, while prosecutors sought a prison sentence of 35 years. Pratt gave him a lesser sentence because he provided important information to federal law enforcement that helped them bring charges against Baldwin and Fogle.

During Taylor's sentencing hearing, Pratt described the four-year grooming, exploitation and molestation of the children from 2011-2015 as a mutual perversion between Taylor, Baldwin and Fogle.

Taylor told the court Monday that he was a vile, selfish, self-loathing, sorry excuse for a human, but that time in prison had changed him. He said he had taken advantage of a sex offender rehabilitation class while incarcerated.

Federal prosecutor Kathryn Olivier read statements during Taylors sentencing from some of the victims  some of whom are Taylor and Baldwins relatives  who said they expect to need mental health help and medication for the rest of their lives. One victim said she checks for cameras anytime shes in the bathroom at a house that isnt hers.
MILAN  What Moncler is for the down jacket, we want to be for sun care, said Alberto Giacobazzi about the ultimate goal for the beauty label Darling, which he cofounded with Ilenia Gebennini in 2018.

Launched with the mission to make SPF products cooler to raise awareness of the importance of skin protection, especially among younger consumers, Darling is part of a new wave of Italian indie brands that rose to popularity thanks to a focused assortment; pastel-toned, recyclable packaging winking to Millennials and Gen Zers, and an engaging digital communication.

The brands main point of difference compared to the plethora of beauty labels launched in the past few years in Italy resides in targeting a specific category, often seen as complementary to skin care rather than as a separate entity. It is also among the emerging players that has bet big on brick-and-mortar distribution in addition to its e-commerce and that has already expanded beyond national borders, planning to decisively step up its game Stateside in 2023.

If so far the brand has only a limited presence in the U.S.  partially due to the registration procedures for its SPF products  the distribution expansion is seen key not only for the potential of the market but for personal reasons, too.

This brand was born during a trip we took in California, and even in the choice of the name, we already wanted to telegraph our international ambition, recalled Giacobazzi. The founders are planning to launch in more than 300 premium doors in the first half of next year, as well as partner with online retailers.

Both passionate about beauty and spending time at Sephora finding out new products, Giacobazzi and Gebennini realized in 2017 that there was a gap in the sun care market.

We love life at the beach, but when it came to sunscreens available, the choice was between drugstore labels or brands such as Sisley, recalled Giacobazzi. Influenced by American brands, the duo decided to fill that price positioning and launched Darling after establishing its parent company AG Cosmetics.

The brands assortment hinges on five products, including medium and high-protection lotions, a face cream, an after-sun and a tan activator, all priced between 31 euros and 45 euros and based on formulations rich in vitamin E, aloe vera and jojoba oil.

This month, the company expanded its portfolio by launching its first spray product, the most expensive item yet at 49 euros for the 150-ml size.

Giacobazzi underscored the launch will be strategic in attracting new customers looking for a different method of application while respecting the lightweight texture and fast absorption qualities the company has been promoting since its inception. Available in two SPF values  SPF 30 and SPF 50+  the Darling Screen-Me Spray formula includes ingredients such as Moringa seed oil, hyaluronic acid, squalene and niacinamide, and is scented with the Monoi de Tahiti fragrance that identifies all the brands products.

In countries like Italy and Spain, where the olfactory experience is still important, this is appreciated, while we see that markets such as the U.K. or the U.S. prefer fragrance-free options, noted Giacobazzi, eyeing future tweaks in formulations to adapt to local demands.

Theres a huge potential in this category, with new necessities and many product facets to explore, also based on the different markets, he added.

The goal is to reach an assortment of roughly 15 skus and then close the range and start moving it around the world, said the cofounder, ensuring that the brands core focus will always remain sun care. Potential additions might target SPF products specific to sensitive body areas as well as complementary after-sun care, among others.

At the moment, the top markets for the brand are Italy and Spain  which Darling entered in 2020 through a distributor. The company aims to surpass the 100 doors in Spain  where it recently launched in the new WOW concept store in Madrid  as well as to cover all of Europe in terms of distribution by the end of 2022.

Darling launched last year in Liberty in London with a six-month exclusive for the brick-and-mortar channel, which followed an 18-month exclusive for online inked with Cultbeauty.com in 2019. The same year, the brand signed an exclusive with Niche Beauty for the German market, where it recently launched at KaDeWe. Last month, the company debuted at de Bijenkorf units across all main cities of the Netherlands, while in France it is present exclusively at Galeries Lafayette.

While the company is in talks to expand its physical footprint in the French market as well as in Switzerland  where it aims to be distributed through 80 doors by 2023  in the second half of this year, Darling will debut in Israel and Thailand, Giacobazzi said.

Meanwhile, the company will implement a roving pop-up format across Italy this summer, touching base in popular local seaside destinations. These will add to the strong distribution in the domestic market, which includes premium niche retailers such as the Zhor perfumery in Milans Golden Triangle or the citys Fragrans in Fabula, 50 ml and Ylang Ylang stores, as well as at the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano and on the LuisaViaRoma online platform.

Although the company considers physical distribution its priority  investing in securing premium placement and visibility in-stores  its e-commerce and social media are key channels, too, especially in enhancing brand awareness. To this end, influencer marketing activities, which have grown organically so far, will be boosted with the help of dedicated budgets in the future, Giacobazzi said.

So far, all the financial resources have been purely ours, the Millennial entrepreneur said. We launched the company with our capital and got contacted by funds already after two months, but the truth is that we have always had a good relationship with banks and shied away from getting investors because we want to be more agile in our choices and dont diminish the value of the brand.

He also highlighted that the company has been approached by financial players rather than beauty ones and if I have to open the capital, I would like to have an added value like real know-how in this industry and not just money.

His determination and resolute approach toward financing might adapt to enable the brand to not only make the investment needed to expand significantly in the U.S. next year but also long-term plans. To this end, Giacobazzi revealed there are already other beauty label founders registered under the AG Cosmetics umbrella.

Darling was born with a precise target, but its also a seasonal offering. The idea is to compensate this aspect through other sister brands with different identities in the future, he teased.
Women living in maternal health care deserts will face greater health and well-being risks if a draft opinion from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade leads to state abortion bans, experts say.

People who are pregnant or recently gave birth in areas lacking maternal health care  obstetricians, hospitals with delivery units or birth centers  already face a greater risk of death than mothers who live in areas with more robust medical access, research has shown.

And experts say the risks are even greater in these areas for moms of color, who already have disproportionate maternal health outcomes.

An abortion rights supporter protests in support of abortion rights near the Supreme Court of Ohio. The protest comes a day after a U.S. Supreme Court draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. The 1973 landmark ruling protects a woman's right to choose to have an abortion.

Abortion bans could make things even worse, said Maeve Wallace, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Tulane University who conducted the research on women, which focused on Louisiana. Shes also found that across the U.S., states with more abortion restrictions had greater maternal mortality risk.

"What we can anticipate seeing is that women who are forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy because they cannot access abortion within their state, are then put in a position where they potentially have nowhere to go for maternity care as well, she said, forcing them into an even higher-risk pregnancy."

Maeve Wallace

Across the nation, more than 2 million women live in a county with no obstetric care  no birth center, hospital with obstetric care or private practice provider. Even more live in areas with a limited number of centers and providers in proportion to the population.

An analysis from Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health policy research organization, identified 26 states that are likely to ban abortion without Roe. Throughout those states in the South, Midwest and Plains exist swaths of areas lacking maternal health care.

In a post-Roe United States, about 100,000 women wont be able to reach an abortion provider, and 75,000 will need to give birth as a result, estimates Caitlin Knowles Myers, a Middlebury College economist who researches gender, race and reproductive policies.

Such numbers raise questions about the nations maternity care capacity, said Dr. Lisa Harris, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who studies social and medical issues around abortion.

In some areas where there is already a lack of maternity care in Michigan, we may have a 20 to 30% upturn in demand, she said.

Experts like Harris are concerned about more births amid a lack of social supports for moms and babies.

When people are talking about ending abortion, theyre not talking about the corollary of more births," she said. "But you dont just end abortion and nothing else changes. Everything else changes. We dont have a good safety net in this country for child care, for maternal health and for family leave policies.

Tulanes Wallace, whose home state of Louisiana advanced a bill last week that classifies abortion as homicide, worries the nations maternal mortality and violent death crisis, especially among Black and brown women, could worsen.

"(There are) higher concentrations of women of color in places that lack access to abortion and lack access to maternity care," she said.

Dr. Allison Bryant

Thats part of the reason Dr. Allison Bryant, a Massachusetts General Hospital obstetrician and gynecologist, says the move to restrict or eliminate abortion is an example of structural, systemic inequity and racism.

They are abandoning the patient, Bryant said. There's nothing that is random about this. There are no coincidences here.

MATERNAL CARE: Pregnancy-related deaths could rise 20% or more in states that outlaw abortion, experts say

Women of color already face disproportionate maternal health outcomes, and Bryant worries it will get worse if more women see their choices and health care further limited.

We are leaving them really high and dry in this circumstance, Bryant said. It's going to be inequity compounded on top of inequity that was already there. We know that the maternal health infrastructure in many places around the country is in jeopardy.

Elizabeth Weise contributed to this story.

Reach Nada Hassanein at nhassanein@usatoday.com or on Twitter @nhassanein_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion bans would be riskiest on women in maternity care 'deserts'
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 24: People gather in front of the Kenosha County Court House to protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake, who is Black, was shot by police multiple times in the back as he entered the driver's side door of a vehicle, a video of the incident appears to show. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson via Getty Images)

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Jacob Blake has dropped his federal civil rights lawsuit against the Wisconsin police officer who shot him during a domestic disturbance and left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Neither attorneys for Blake, whose August 2020 shooting sparked the protests in which Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and wounded a third, nor Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey indicated in their court filings why the lawsuit was being dropped, including whether a settlement had been reached.

A man who answered the phone at the office of Blakes attorney, Patrick Salvi II, hung up when asked about the decision to drop the lawsuit, and Sheskeys attorney, Kenneth Battle, didnt immediately respond to a voicemail or email.

Sheskey, who is white, shot Blake, who is Black, after Blake resisted arrest during the disturbance and appeared to turn toward Sheskey with a knife. Blake was wanted on a felony sexual assault warrant at the time.

Prosecutors cleared Sheskey of any criminal wrongdoing and later dropped the sexual assault charges against Blake as part of a plea deal. Blake filed the civil rights lawsuit in March 2021 alleging that Sheskey had used excessive force on him.

Court records indicate that attorneys for the two men filed notice on Friday that they had agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, which means Blake can't refile it. U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller ordered the case dismissed Monday.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 and living in nearby Antioch, Illinois, when he shot the three protesters, was acquitted on all charges in November.
Chinese President Xi Jinping took a thinly veiled swipe at the U.S. Tuesday over its involvement in aiding Ukraine amid Russias deadly invasion.

"China has been working in its own way to promote peace talks," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in readout of Xis call with French President Emmanuel Macron. "China supports European countries in keeping the security of Europe in their own hands."

RUSSIA POUNDS ODESA WITH MISSILE FIRE, ZELENSKYY WARNS OF GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS AMID PORT CITY BLOCKADE

China's President Xi Jinping speaks during the joint opening ceremony of the 8th round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the 7th round of U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, in Beijing. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

The comments echoed statements made by the leader of the communist nation Monday while discussing the "situation in Ukraine."

"The European side needs to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe, and promote a solution in a responsible manner. The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves," Xi reportedly told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

China has drawn international ire for its refusal to condemn the illegal invasion by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has resulted in the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II by displacing millions and killing at least 7,000 Ukrainian civilians.

But Beijings refusal to cross Moscow appears to be moving beyond turning a blind eye to its war.

Russia has ramped up its rhetoric in recent weeks and the Kremlin has accused the U.S. and NATO of fighting a proxy war against Russia by supplying defensive aid to Ukraine.

CHINA SLAMS STATE DEPARTMENT CHANGES TO WEBSITE DETAILING TAIWAN RELATIONS, DISTANCING TAIPEI FROM BEIJING

President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Feb. 4, 2022. Alexei DruzhininTASS via Getty Images

Ukraines ministry of dense on Tuesday claimed that Russias inability to achieve a major military victory in Ukraine after nearly 11 weeks of fighting means it will look to change the narrative.

"[Despite] having numerous advantages in manpower and equipment, the army of the occupying country is suffering catastrophic losses," the ministry claimed. "To change the Russians perception of the military invincibility and prepare society for possible defeat, the Russian media has been instructed to [describe] the Russian-Ukrainian war as Russias armed confrontation with all countries of European Union and NATO."

Over 140 countries have condemned Russias invasion and several nations along with the UN have attempted to facilitate peace talks and urge the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

The French readout of the Macrons call with Xi said that both China and France "reiterated their commitment to respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and agreed on the urgency of reaching a ceasefire".

But Xi reportedly also argued for "vigilance against bloc confrontation" and claimed it "poses a bigger and more persistent threat to global security and stability."
A young man rescued from a life raft in 2016 was charged with killing his mother on the ill-fated fishing trip off the coast of Rhode Island.

Nathan Carman, now 28, was charged with murder on the high seas and several other crimes, the Justice Department announced Tuesday in a press release.

The feds said Carman did it all for money that originally belonged to his grandfather. Though the charging documents say Carman also killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, in 2013, he was not formally charged with the crime.

Nathan Carman attends a court hearing in New Hampshire in May 2018.





Nathan Carman attends a court hearing in New Hampshire in May 2018. (Elise Amendola/)

Carman mysteriously returned from the fishing trip in 2016 without his mother, 54-year-old Linda Carman. He claimed that he made a beeline for the lifeboat when their vessel began taking on water, and when he turned around his mom had simply disappeared.

The Coast Guard searched several days for the Carmans but came up empty. Nathan was found by a commercial vessel off the coast of Rhode Island two days after the Coast Guard gave up.

The feds said Carman intentionally made his family fishing boat, the Chicken Pox, unseaworthy prior the trip. They cited his removal of two forward bulkheads and two trim tabs at the stern, according to the Boston Globe. Investigators said Carman tried to fill the holes with an epoxy stick.

The exact nature of Linda Carmans death remains unknown because her body was never found. In a 2018 court appearance, Nathan Carman said even if you were to believe that he left his mother behind, thats not a crime.

The infamous Chicken Pox vessel is pictured in an evidence file.





The infamous Chicken Pox vessel is pictured in an evidence file.

Carman filed an $85,000 insurance claim on the boat, but in 2019 a judge sided with the insurance company that denied the payout. On Tuesday, Carman was charged with insurance fraud.

Family members have also said for years that Carman killed Chakalos in 2013 at Chakalos home in Windsor, Conn. Carman was the last person to see Chakalos before he was shot dead.

Police said Carman bought a firearm matching the one used in the killing, the Connecticut Post reported. They also said he threw out his computer hard drive and the GPS in his vehicle to avoid any digital trail.

Upon Chakalos death, $550,000 ended up in Carmans hands. Carman then moved to Vermont in 2014, apparently without his mother. Hed previously run away from home in 2011 but was tracked down after four days.

Police said that when he returned to Middletown, Conn., to meet his mother in 2016, he was running out of money and was hoping to obtain the remaining $7 million inheritance that his mother received upon Chakalos death, according to the Connecticut Post. Those circumstances led to the tragic fishing trip, the feds said.

Carman once again moved to Vermont after his mother died, and he was arrested in the tiny town of Vernon in the states southeast corner, the Justice Department said. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

With News Wire Services
Gun rights activists carrying semiautomatic firearms gathered in 2020 at the Kentucky Capitol. (Bryan Woolston / Getty Images)

California has long played a pivotal role in the study of gun violence, maintaining a unique repository of detailed information on gun owners that it shares with researchers.

The National Rifle Assn. and other gun rights groups have filed lawsuits challenging that long-established practice. The lawsuits  which come as researchers confront an uptick in gun-related injuries, driven by a surge in homicides  were filed a year after the NRAs research director acknowledged at a private meeting that the groups opposition to gathering such data has severely hampered gun violence studies in the United States.

With narrow exceptions, all firearms transactions in California must go through licensed dealers, who relay information on purchasers  including name, address and date of birth  to the California Department of Justice.

A display of pistols in the exhibition hall at the National Rifle Assn.'s 2019 annual meeting in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

For more than 30 years, the DOJ has shared this data with public health researchers, who have used it to try to untangle the connections between gun ownership and homicides, suicides and other violence. They say this baseline information is key to understanding the risks and benefits of having a gun and, ultimately, to reducing injuries and deaths.

California is special, said David Studdert, a professor and gun researcher at Stanford Law School who focuses on the intersection of law and public health. Its not possible to do this kind of work elsewhere in the country. You need to be at the individual and household level to make the connection between the gun and a violent outcome. You cant measure what you cant see.

In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a law that formalized standing practice and authorized the DOJ to share the data with accredited researchers.

This prompted the NRA and other gun rights groups to file their lawsuits  one in state court and one in federal court  to end the arrangement.

The Second Amendment Foundation and a coalition of California gun rights groups filed the state court case. While five anonymous California residents are plaintiffs in the federal case, the NRAs main lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, claims credit for bringing the lawsuit.

The lawsuits claim that the privacy rights of gun owners  already forced to divulge personal information to the state  are further violated when that information is shared with researchers. The suits also argue that the practice increases the risk of buyers' identities becoming public.

The NRA did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

For decades, the NRA has pressured lawmakers to block the collection of ownership data  and denied that its position stifles legitimate firearms research. But in a January 2021 report to board members gathered in Dallas, Josh Savani, the NRA's director of research and information, acknowledged that the groups lobbying has created a major obstacle.

All firearms research suffers from one problem: we do not know how many firearms are in the United States or how they are distributed, Savani wrote in a brief report titled "Assessing Firearm Research." [The] NRA has long supported various federal laws and appropriation riders as well as laws at the state level to prohibit the collection and centralization of firearms records. While these laws are intended to prevent the creation of firearms registries, they also prevent researchers from conducting accurate studies with the number and distribution of firearms as a variable.

Savani's comments are likely to prove contentious on an issue fraught with political, legal and public health implications.

Garen Wintemute, a physician and professor at UC Davis who has studied gun violence for four decades, called Savanis statements an admission of what the NRA has denied for 25 years.

Studdert, the Stanford professor, said Savanis acknowledgement was shocking but not surprising. He added that he was impressed by the astuteness of the observation. In my view, thats the number one problem with gun violence research in the United States.

Savanis report was included in minutes of the January 2021 meeting that were filed last year in a Texas bankruptcy court during the NRAs unsuccessful attempt to secure Chapter 11 protection. It was given just after the close of 2020, a year when gun-related injuries claimed 45,222 American lives  a record high, representing a 14% increase from 2019 and a 25% increase from 2015. Gun-related injuries were the 13th leading cause of death in 2020, surpassing car crashes by the biggest margin ever recorded.

Law enforcement investigators comb the scene of a shooting Saturday along Blakley Ave. in Willowbrook. Two people were killed and four were injured. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

A homicide surge drove the record number of gun deaths, according to a Pew Research Center review of figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The review found that in 2020, nearly 8 in 10 murders were committed with a gun  the highest percentage since at least 1968. Although the number of gun deaths tallied in 2020 was a 43% increase from a decade prior, per capita figures were highest in the 1970s.

With ownership data so hard to come by, researchers who want to identify ways to reduce gun deaths typically rely on surveys and area-wide studies. A major weakness of survey data is that, for several reasons, people dont always self-report accurately  an obstacle that Savani touched on in his comments. Area-wide studies involve taking a jurisdiction  for instance, a county  and looking for associations between a new policy and outcomes. For example, researchers may try to determine whether accidental gun deaths involving children decrease after a county enacts strict storage requirements. This approach,though, can invite false inferences about individuals based on aggregate group data.

Andrew Morral, a behavioral scientist and director of a RAND Corp. initiative to assess firearms research, said having comprehensive ownership data would make gun violence research substantially better and more likely to deliver important insights. You need only look at the very valuable research coming out of California.

Researchers have used the California data to track groups over time and to link gun ownership to criminal records and mortality statistics. Studdert is now leading a study, one of the largest of its kind, that is using more than two decades of the DOJ data to examine gun homicides, suicides and accidents. His group has published five papers, including one in 2020 that found that the firearms suicide rate among male handgun purchasers in California was eight times greater than for non-purchasers.

Wintemute, the emergency physician, is on Studderts team and is founding director of the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis. Wintemute has been a focus of NRA criticism for decades, though last year the group cited a paper he co-authored that found no association between increased firearms sales early in the pandemic and greater gun violence.

One Wintemute study found that Californians with a prior misdemeanor conviction  even one that was nonviolent or did not involve a gun  who became handgun owners were five times as likely to commit a violent or firearms offense than purchasers with no such convictions.

Studdert and Wintemute said they are unaware of any other large state that collects information on all firearms sales and shares this data with researchers. Gun rights activists have railed against California's amassing such data and researchers access to it for years.

In a court filing , the state contends that fear of identification is overblown and describes a protocol that requires research applicants to apply for access, pass a background check and demonstrate that they have strict data-handling procedures in place.

In over 30 years of data being provided to researchers, the filing states, there has never been a data breach, let alone a public disclosure.

The NRA has long denied being an impediment to research.

"In the wake of the tragedy in Parkland, Fla., the media are claiming that the NRA and our supporters in Congress are opposed to government-funded research on criminal violence perpetrated with firearms, said a 2018 column by Chris Cox, at the time the director of the group's lobbying arm. Nothing could be further from the truth. We, along with a majority of Americans, believe that research is important in identifying the root causes of violence."

The most well-known case of the NRA putting a brake on firearms research involves whats known as the Dickey Amendment . In 1996, then-U.S. Representative Jay Dickey of Arkansas, an NRA ally, inserted a rider in a budget bill that, while not being an outright ban on research, barred funding work that could be used to advocate or promote gun control.

With the aid of allied politicians, the NRA has kept the amendment and related riders in place. Partly as a result, the study of gun-related mortality has been significantly underfunded relative to that of other leading causes of death. Dickey would come to regret his role, writing in a 2015 letter , Research could have been continued into gun violence without infringing on the rights of gun owners, in the same fashion that the highway industry continued its research without eliminating the automobile.

When there are calls for increased study, the NRA has been quick to attack. In 2013, after the National Academy of Sciences issued a report that argued for better gun violence research, NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre published a column blasting the work and what he described as the Obama administrations junk science agenda.

Although the authors had suggested removing identifying information on gun owners from existing federal government data and using it for research purposes, LaPierre wrote that the most dangerous element of the report was a demand for the collection of personal, private information on all law-abiding firearm owners and our guns.

In their lawsuits against California, the gun advocates invoke the rights of law-abiding owners. A central tenet of the gun movement holds that widespread, lawful firearms ownership is a net benefit to society. They argue that those truly concerned about firearms violence should leave legal gun owners alone and focus on the real problem: criminals packing illegal guns.

Only a small fraction of guns sold in this country are ever used in a homicide or suicide. There is consensus that most gun crime is committed with illegally possessed firearms; however, research to determine what percentage is limited . Researchers have consistently found that a gun in the home is associated with greater risk of suicide and homicide, but the frequency with which guns are used in self-defense is hotly disputed .

There are instances where a gun is used to defend the home, Studdert said. How often? We just dont know.

Savanis report makes no mention of addressing such questions. He described the work of his research and information unit as primarily focused on informing NRA advocacy by using arguments and messaging that resonate with the largest number of Americans.

Van Sant writes for the Trace , a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A firefighter works near a destroyed building on the outskirts of Odesa, which was hit by heavy Russian missile fire. (Max Pshybyshevsky / Associated Press)

Moscows ambitions to overtake southern Ukraine appeared to grow Tuesday with reports that Russia had fired hypersonic missiles on the Black Sea city of Odesa, and the Ukrainian leadership warned of a global food crisis if Russia does not lift a naval blockade that has decreased grain shipments leaving the nations ports.

Ukraine said firefighters were battling blazes in Odesa after seven missiles struck targets, including a shopping center and a warehouse, killing at least one person and injuring five. Video posted on Facebook by the Ukrainian army showed rescue groups surrounded by smoking rubble.

Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa regional military, said in an update that a separate strike by three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles had also hit "tourism" locations in Odesa.

The Kinzhal is more destructive than conventional missiles because its speed  several times that of sound  enables it to better evade antimissile systems. Its use on Odesa could not be verified, though Russia first claimed to unleash the new weapons in March on targets in western Ukraine.

Odesa, a strategic port city on the Black Sea, was targeted by Russian hypersonic missiles, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday. (Max Pshybyshevsky / Associated Press)

Pentagon analysts have noticed an uptick in Russian manpower and sorties by fighter jets deployed in Ukraine since Monday.

A senior Defense official said Tuesday that an estimated 2,000 additional Russian troops were moved into the battlefield, probably by air. He could not say what part of the country they were deployed to but noted most Russian offensive attacks remain concentrated in the Donbas region and the ports of Mariupol and Odesa.

Air sorties, which have averaged 200 to 300 per day, totaled more than 300 in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby told reporters that he could not cite any evidence that Russia used hypersonic missiles in its attack on Odesa, as Ukrainian officials have claimed. But he noted that Moscow has already fired such weapons in this war and that Russian forces are running through their precision-guided missiles "at a pretty fast clip."

Also Tuesday, U.S. officials sounded the alarm over their ability to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III wrote Congress this week to urge lawmakers to approve up to $40 billion in weapons and other aid for Ukraine before the current $13.5-billion package is depleted. Tuesday evening, the House did just that, emphatically approving the $40 billion, in a bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin's nearly 11-week-old war.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that the final $100 million in that package runs out next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, called on world powers to break a Russian blockade of his nation's ports.

Citing the key role that Odesa, in the southwest near Moldova, plays in the global agricultural trade, Zelensky said in a video address that shortages of grain exports were bound to get worse if attacks continued and Western powers did not put an end to the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports. Nations around the world depend heavily on grain from the fertile Black Sea region, which some call the "breadbasket of Europe."

"For the first time in decades, there is no usual movement of the merchant fleet, no usual port functioning in Odesa," Zelensky said. "Probably this has never happened in Odesa since World War II.

"Without our agricultural exports, dozens of countries in different parts of the world are already on the brink of food shortages. And over time, the situation can become downright terrible."

Ukraine is sitting on 8 billion euros' worth [about $8.4 billion] of wheat that cannot be exported amid the war and Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports, the president of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, said Tuesday.

They are sowing like crazy right now, and they will expect probably a good harvest, maybe 70% of last years harvest, in a couple of months, Hoyer said. And then what to do with it?"

In a report released this month, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development predicted a greater economic slowdown and more inflationary pressure in its regions as a result of the war. The banks research suggests that Ukraines economy will shrink 30% this year.

On the other side of Ukraine, in the southeast, officials said Tuesday that Russian attacks continued to hit the port city of Mariupol, where dramatic scenes have unfolded in the last week of civilians rescued from a vast steelworks where they and a group of fighters were sheltering.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by military leaders, attends a wreath-laying ceremony after a parade in Moscow on Monday. (Anton Novoderezhkin / Kremlin Pool Photo)

Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor, said on Telegram that he believed 100 people remained in the Azovstal steel complex's underground tunnels. Andryushchenko said that the area was still under fire Tuesday.

The situation in the plant has been hard to ascertain even for Ukrainian authorities, who in earlier days said they believed all or most civilians had been evacuated.

Mariupol, under near-total Russian control, was the site Monday of a Russian military observation of Victory Day, a Russian holiday marking the Soviet triumph over Nazis during World War II.

Some analysts had predicted that Putin, who presided over a highly orchestrated celebration in Moscow complete with military marches and music, would use the occasion to declare all-out war on Ukraine. Instead, he lashed out against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S., saying Russia was responding to "aggression" by Western powers.

In Mariupol, Andryushchenko said that while Russian troops held celebratory exercises in the city, "no excitement or joy on the street was particularly noticeable. ... Something went wrong with the holiday because Mariupol is Ukraine, not Moscow."

With Moscow having declared victory over Mariupol  which would give it one piece of a desired land corridor linking Russia, Crimea and western Ukraine  and military gains somewhat stalled along the eastern Donbas battlefront, American and British military analysts say attacks on Odesa and the west could increase as a way to lure Ukrainian firepower from the east.

In the nation's northeast around Kharkiv, which has been under near-daily assault since the beginning of the war but remains in Ukrainian control, a local leader said Tuesday that bodies were still being recovered from attacks in March.

The Ukrainian military was gradually pushing Russian troops away from Kharkiv, Zelensky said in his nightly address.

Regional administrator Oleh Sinegubov said in a Telegram post that dozens of bodies were found in Izyum in the rubble of a residential building that collapsed under missile fire in March. Izyum is about 75 miles from Kharkiv, which is the second-largest city in Ukraine.

This is another horrible war crime of the Russian occupiers against the civilian population," Sinegubov said.

Air-raid sirens were also reported to have sounded Tuesday in Luhansk and Dnipro.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said on social media that the region was hit with Russian attacks 22 times over the last day.

"The Russians fired en masse on all possible routes out of the region," Haidai said.

Zelensky, who since March has received various Western leaders eager to show their support for Ukraine, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), hosted the foreign ministers of Germany and the Netherlands on Tuesday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock toured Kyiv and bombed-out suburbs, including Irpin, with Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

The visit by Baerbock, the first German government official to travel to Ukraine since the war began Feb. 24, could mark a shift in a tense relationship that has seen Kyiv accuse Berlin of being too slow to send military aid and to formulate a ban on Russian energy imports. Germany is among the European Union nations with the strongest trade relationships with Russia.

Pro-Russia militiamen patrol a street during a celebration of the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Alexei Alexandrov / Associated Press)

In April, Kyiv said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was not welcome to visit. Last week, Zelensky relented and invited Steinmeier and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the capital.

Speaking in Bucha, the suburb where the discovery of mass graves last month brought international condemnation of Russia, Baerbock said Germany was committed to supporting Ukraine.

"We owe it to the victims that we dont just commemorate them here but that we hold the perpetrators to account, she said.

Zelensky also spoke via video Tuesday to the Slovakian parliament. He repeated a warning he has given other nations that Russia's ambitions do not stop at Ukraine's borders.

"If we fail to stop the Russian troops, they will come everywhere they can, including to the territory of Slovakia," Zelensky said.

The United Nations has confirmed at least 3,381 civilian deaths during the war. Speaking Tuesday at a news conference in Geneva, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Mission in Ukraine said the real number is substantially higher.

The war has caused nearly 6 million Ukrainians to flee for other nations, according to the U.N. Eight million have been displaced internally.

After meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that "it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories."

"This tragedy demonstrates that war is a senseless thing, and that this war must stop," he said.

King reported from Lviv, Kaleem from London and Parvini from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
As states across the country prepare for the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, attention has shifted to the forthcoming efforts to outlaw abortion in Republican-controlled states. And, despite the unpopularity of such measures, it seems that many red states are planning to ban abortion without any exceptions for rape or incest.

Of the 22 states with abortion bans that will instantly take effect if the landmark Supreme Court ruling is overturned, 10 have passed laws that make no exceptions for rape or incest: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

The majority of these measures were passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures, suggesting that the issue may become an albatross for the party. When Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, appeared on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday, he falsely asserted that his states abortion ban has an exception for rape and incest. When host Chuck Todd noted that it doesnt, Reeves avoided taking a position on whether such an exception should be added to the law.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

That decision was made by the Mississippi Legislature, and I think there is certainly a conversation, Reeves said. Well see what happens based upon the ultimate outcome of the Dobbs case that is before the Supreme Court.

Republican senators, meanwhile, are mostly ducking the question when asked. Youre asking me a hypothetical question, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters, according to Insider. Come back and see me after the Supreme Court rules.

Im not projecting ahead, said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the only woman in the Republican Senate leadership. We need to go through the process with the Supreme Court.

Most of the American public supports legal abortion in general, and banning abortion without exceptions is especially unpopular  even among Republicans.

The latest Yahoo News/YouGov poll, which was conducted from May 3 to May 6, found that 31% of U.S. adults want Roe v. Wade to be overturned. The 1973 Supreme Court ruling established a constitutional right to an abortion in the early months of pregnancy. A draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, written by Justice Samuel Alito and leaked to Politico last week, would remove that protection, paving the way for states or the federal government to outlaw abortion.

The Yahoo News/YouGov poll also found that only 22% of Americans support a national ban on abortion  which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said last Thursday may be passed if the GOP takes control of Congress  versus 48% who would support a federal law protecting abortion rights.

But the unpopularity of an abortion ban without exceptions is even starker: 71% said abortion in cases of rape or incest should be generally legal, while just 15% said it should be generally illegal. Eighty percent of Democrats, 60% of Republicans and 74% of independents said abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest. Only 25% of Republicans said abortion should be illegal in cases of rape or incest. Eighty-eight percent of people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 said it should be legal, as did 61% of those who voted for former President Donald Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to the press after reports that the Supreme Court could overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Other polls have found similar results. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March found that just 8% of American adults think abortion should be illegal with no exceptions, whereas 29% said it should be illegal but with exceptions.

For the last four decades, most Republican elected officials have been broadly anti-abortion, but the lack of exceptions is a newer phenomenon. While every Republican president since Ronald Reagan has favored exceptions for rape and incest, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who chairs the National Republican Senate Committee, recently declined to comment to Insider on whether he will support such exceptions after Roe is overturned.

Not all Republican politicians are as reticent: In Pennsylvania, the frontrunner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, favors outlawing all abortions without exceptions.

Something has changed, at least in Arkansas, and I perceive nationwide, Arkansas state Sen. Jim Hendren, who left the GOP and became an independent after the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, recently told the Guardian. Hendren identifies as a pro-life legislator, but he voted present on Arkansass blanket abortion ban after determining that an amendment he drafted creating exceptions for rape and incest would not have the support to pass.

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, an anti-abortion hard-liner, is a candidate for governor. (Matt Rourke/AP)

The fact is, its a different ethical dilemma when youre talking about a 10-year-old girl who is a rape victim being responsible for the actions of a criminal, versus someone who is responsible for their own actions, Hendren said. He added that some of his Republican colleagues privately told him they agreed with his proposal but feared being branded as pro-abortion by a primary opponent.

Despite the unpopularity of no-exception abortion bans, even among Republican voters, the legislators responsible for such laws have not faced repercussions at the ballot box.

Weve seen state legislatures adopt restriction after restriction and ban after ban, and these legislators remain in power, Elizabeth Nash, a policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion-rights think tank, told the Atlantic. It doesnt feel like there are any consequences for them.

Under Roe, these laws were essentially symbolic. Once they take effect, the public may react. According to the Yahoo News/YouGov poll, Democrats led Republicans by 5 percentage points when survey respondents were asked which party they will vote for in the upcoming congressional elections, but the Democrats advantage widened to 13 points when the question was framed as a pro-choice Democrat versus a pro-life Republican.

Demonstrators outside the Supreme Court on May 4. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Abortion rights advocates, meanwhile, argue that legal exceptions for rape and incest do not actually protect all victims of rape, as they typically require rape survivors to file a police report, which most rape victims  often feeling shame or fearing being ostracized  fail to do. (The Associated Press recently reported that just one-third of sexual assaults are reported to police, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.)

Idaho and Utah both have abortion bans with exceptions for rape or incest on the books, but they require the pregnant woman to have filed a police report and shown it to the abortion provider before getting the procedure.

Nash of the Guttmacher Institute told the AP last week that of 86 proposed state-level abortion restrictions this year, only a few include rape and incest exceptions.

"You might think these exceptions are helpful, Nash said. But in fact theyre so restricted, theyre very hard to use.
WASHINGTON  The offensive Russia launched last month was supposed to be a devastating show of force, a counterpunch against a resilient Ukraine that would consolidate Kremlin gains in the eastern Donbas region.

And then, on Victory Day  May 9  Russian President Vladimir Putin would declare victory, at least in this second round of the war, as emboldened Russian forces perhaps prepared for a renewed attempt to take Kyiv.

So far, though, the Russian offensive appears to have fallen far short of what were understood to be Kremlin expectations, which had already been revised downward since February. If Russia once sought to capture the entire nation in the kind of quick assault it launched against Ukraine in 2014, Putin now faces the humiliating prospect of barely hanging on to the gains made eight years ago.

A man climbs over a destroyed Russian tank near Makariv, Ukraine, on May 2. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Ukrainians are going to drive them back to that 02/24 line, probably by the end of summer/September, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, now the policy director at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Yahoo News in an email, referencing the Russian occupation of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions made during the first invasion of Ukraine.

But the second invasion has been an exact opposite of the first, with each day seemingly exposing how little Russia had done to modernize its military, better prepare its troops and establish a Western command structure. Those faults were all present in 2014 but are much more obvious, and to many more observers, in 2022 than they were then.

The second offensive has been a symbol of those shortcomings, with Russian soldiers struggling to conquer soil they once wrested from Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

They're certainly trying to get better, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of Russia's military problems during a Monday briefing. But there's  theres not an indication here that they've solved all their problems.

Those problems include an inability to integrate ground and air forces for a synchronized attack. They're falling a lot back on their doctrine, which is to shell an area you want to get to, soak it with artillery to soften up the defense and then move your ground forces in only when they're able to do that, a U.S. military official told reporters on Monday.

Ukrainian forces, on the other hand, are learning to use the 85 M777 howitzers sent by the Pentagon last month, allowing them to answer Russian shelling with their own. The shipment also included 110,000 rounds of ammunition.

Some of the new equipment, including the howitzers, has been used to repel a Russian attempt to take Kharkiv, a city in the north close to the border between the two nations. Its pretty clear Russias Kharkiv front is collapsing rather quickly now, Russia expert Michael Weiss told Yahoo News.

Meanwhile, in the southern city of Mariupol, a Russian effort to take the Azovstal steel plant stalled, as the Ukrainian fighters inside the giant facility vowed to fight to their deaths.

Spanish soldiers fire an M777 howitzer artillery cannon during military exercises in Germany in May 2021. (Lennart Preiss/Getty Images)

Similar zeal has not been evident among the Russian forces in Ukraine, who continue to face heavy losses from the increasingly more powerful weapons supplied to Ukraine by the United States and other Western sources.

An assessment by the Institute for the Study of War said that Russian battalion tactical groups, or BTGs, fighting in Ukraine had been so heavily degraded that counting BTGs, an ordinary assessment of military strength, was no longer a useful metric of Russian combat power. (There are now 90 battalions in Ukraine.)

Morale among troops is low. Troops frequently abuse alcohol, and shoot at their own vehicles in order to avoid going to the frontline, the ISW assessment said. The senior military official who briefed reporters on Monday said the Pentagon was aware of anecdotal reports that Russian officers have either refused to obey orders or [are] not obeying them with the same measure of alacrity that you would expect an officer to obey.

Russian tanks near Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 17. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

It is perhaps unsurprising that Russia could fix few of the problems ingrained in its military and power structures in the mere days between the first offensive and the second. The second offensive was not launched after a broad reconsideration of Kremlin priorities or a frank look at force readiness. The same ill-prepared troops were fighting the same war, the reasons for which had not been adequately explained to them. And the West was still supplying the Ukrainians as avidly as ever.

Russian forces were making like single-digit-kilometer kind of progress, cause the Ukrainians keep pushing them back, and keep fighting them back, the Pentagon official said Monday. So not a lot of progress at all.

Im pretty pessimistic that were going to see much in the way of Russian progress anytime soon, and thats why Putin couldnt declare any sort of victory yesterday, Samuel Ramani, an Oxford expert in Russian politics and history, told Yahoo News the day after Putins address on Victory Day, which neither claimed victory nor committed more forces to that goal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on Monday. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Putin's counterpart in Kyiv, meanwhile, shot a dramatic Victory Day video that quickly went viral on the internet, as has often been the case with social media posts from former actor and current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

This time he was walking along a barricaded Kyiv street, a stark contrast to Red Square in Moscow, where a predictable military display took place on Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazism.

There is no occupier who can take root in our free land, Zelensky said of the Russian invasion, which was launched under the guise of pan-Slavic kinship.

Now it is Russia that has been cast as the global foe, despite desperate attempts by the Kremlin to paint Zelensky  who is Jewish  as a Nazi sympathizer beholden to extremist forces.

The stalled Donbas offensive is only the latest example of the bad planning, confused leadership and unprepared military that have frustrated the Kremlin from the start. And the deft media and political strategy that Zelensky has been using since the war began has turned Ukraines freedom into a global cause.

Volodymyr Zelensky in his Victory Day video. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service)

Zelensky has been blunt about his needs and, as a consequence, has seen them largely satisfied by Western leaders eager to show that they stand against the kind of autocracy symbolized by Putin. The Western support of Ukraines self-defense has all but ensured that there will not be a broad collapse of the Ukrainian front that Putin and his generals envisioned.

On Monday, President Biden signed a Ukrainian lend-lease provision into law, making it easier for the United States to send weapons to Ukraine if the war with Russia continues, as many expect it to. In a White House ceremony, he renewed his commitment until the fighting ends.

The cost of the fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is even more costly, Biden said. Thats why were staying in this.

_____

What happened last week in Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.
Abortion-rights protesters display flags during a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate passed legislation Monday to beef up security for Supreme Court justices, ensuring they and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access and whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The bipartisan bill, which passed by voice vote with no objections, did not provide additional funding, which could come later. But it aims to put the court on par with the executive and legislative branches, making certain the nine justices are provided security as some protesters have gathered outside their homes. The bill now moves to the House for its consideration.

Protests have erupted in front of the Supreme Court Building and around the country after a leaked draft opinion suggested a majority of conservatives on the court are prepared to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

The Senate legislation is a technical change that allows Supreme Court law enforcement to provide around-the-clock security to immediate family members, in line with protection for some people in the executive and legislative branches. It was sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Cornyn said threats to Supreme Court justices and their families are disgraceful and attempts to intimidate the independence of the judiciary branch shouldn't be tolerated.

The House must take up and pass it immediately, Cornyn said.

Passage of the legislation came as more than 100 people gathered Monday night outside Justice Samuel Alitos home in Virginia, lighting candles and chanting, Abort the court!

Dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Monday that President Joe Biden "strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.

Police have set up a tall fence and blocked off streets this week as people have protested in front of the Supreme Court Building, which is across from the U.S. Capitol. They have also shut down the plaza and steps in front of the building.

Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of normal First Amendment speech or protest," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the vote.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
President Biden's intelligence director downplayed Russia's recent threats to use nuclear weapons Tuesday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin would only resort to nuclear war if he perceives an existential threat to Russia.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines made the statement while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Putin has repeatedly suggested that Western interference in his invasion of Ukraine could lead him to use nuclear weapons.

RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY CHIEF BOASTS NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES, CLAIMS NATO WOULD LOSE IN 30 MINUTES

Haines argues that such rhetoric is more an effort to curb Western sanctions and aid to Ukraine than a direct threat.

"We believe that Moscow continues to use nuclear rhetoric to deter the United States and the West from increasing lethal aid to Ukraine and to respond to public comments from the U.S. and NATO allies that suggest expanded Western goals in the conflict," she said in her opening statement.

Haines went on to say that it is very possible that Putin would order further displays of Russian nuclear power as the conflict in Ukraine continues. She said such a display could include a dispersal and mobilization of nuclear weapons across Russia.

"We otherwise continue to believe that President Putin would probably only authorize the use of nuclear weapons if he perceived an existential threat to the Russian state or regime," Haines said.

Haines' testimony comes days after Putin held a nuclear-themed parade celebrating "Victory Day," the holiday marking the end of World War II in Russia.

Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russias Space Agency Roscosmos and former deputy prime minister, boasted of Russia's nuclear prowess to the press on Sunday. He said a nuclear war would see NATO-allied countries destroyed "in 30 minutes." But he acknowledged that such a conflict would be a catastrophe for the world.
Plans to legislate for the Irish language have been announced in the Queens Speech.

There had been an expectation that the Westminster Government would introduce the legislation before the Stormont election last week.

It fell to the Northern Ireland Office after the Stormont parties were unable to agree to introduce cultural and language legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly which was part of the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal.

The plans include an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to promote respect for diversity as well as an Irish Language Commissioner and a commissioner to develop language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (PA)

The Queen, 96, pulled out of the ceremonial occasion  when she reads out the Governments legislative programme for the forthcoming parliamentary session  as she continued to experience episodic mobility problems.

In the Queens absence, the Prince of Wales announced plans to deliver a package of identity and language measures, as promised in the NDNA deal that restored powersharing in early 2020.

The move had been flagged in advance of the speech, but delays in bringing forward the measures had been criticised by Irish language campaigners.

Earlier this year campaigners said that they walked out of a meeting with UK junior minister Conor Burns, citing a lack of clarity on when legislation would be brought forward.

The promised legislation will also place a duty on the Northern Ireland Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use of Ulster Scots, with the Secretary of State empowered to step in to ensure the commitments are followed by the Executive.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she had raised the issue in a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis on Monday.
The UK, US and EU have publicly blamed Russia for a cyberattack on communications company Viasat an hour before Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine.

The attack was aimed at the Ukrainian military but hit civilian internet users in Ukraine and central Europe.

Intelligence from the UK and US indicated Moscow was behind a series of cyber incidents in the run-up to the invasion.

The UKs National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has assessed that Russian military intelligence was almost certainly involved in the January 13 attacks on Ukrainian government websites and the deployment of Whispergate destructive malware.

Uncovered: Deliberate & malicious cyber attacks were launched by Russia before their invasion of Ukraine, causing severe consequences for people & businesses across Europe. We continue to call out Russias malign behaviour across land, sea & cyberspace https://t.co/lxJg4FurZQ  Liz Truss (@trussliz) May 10, 2022

The NCSC also assesses it is almost certain Russia was responsible for the subsequent cyberattack affecting Viasat on February 24 as Moscows forces prepared to invade.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: This is clear and shocking evidence of a deliberate and malicious attack by Russia against Ukraine which had significant consequences on ordinary people and businesses in Ukraine and across Europe.

We will continue to call out Russias malign behaviour and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences.

The attack on Viasat, while primarily aimed at Ukraines forces, had a knock-on effect on personal and commercial internet users, and even wind farms in central Europe.

The decision to publicly blame Russia for the attacks came as cybersecurity leaders from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance  the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand  the EU and other allies met at an NCSC conference in Newport, South Wales.

Russia behind cyber-attack with Europe-wide impact an hour before Ukraine invasion https://t.co/bqwW05WEUU#CYBERUK22  NCSC UK (@NCSC) May 10, 2022

Meanwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to visit Sweden and Finland on Wednesday as they consider whether to apply for Nato membership in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Downing Street rejected suggestions he was seeking to pressurise them into joining the western military alliance as disinformation.

It is about not just Ukraine but the security of Europe more broadly, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said.

We understand the positions of Sweden and Finland and that is why the Prime Minister is going to discuss these broader security issues.

Support for joining Nato has risen sharply in both countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, despite their previous tradition of neutrality.

In her Mansion House speech last month, Ms Truss said that if they did apply for membership, they should be admitted as soon as possible.
FILE PHOTO: The United States Department of the Treasury is seen in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on what it said was a network of five Islamic State financial facilitators working across Indonesia, Syria and Turkey in support of members of the extremist jihadist group in Syria.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement accused those designated of playing a key role in facilitating the travel of extremists to Syria and other areas where Islamic State operates, and of conducting financial transfers to support the group's efforts in Syria-based displaced persons camps.

The Treasury said the network collects funds in Indonesia and Turkey, "some of which were used to pay for smuggling children out of the camps and delivering them to ISIS foreign fighters as potential recruits."

"The United States, as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, is committed to denying ISIS the ability to raise and move funds across multiple jurisdictions," Brian Nelson, the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.

Monday's move, which targeted Dwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna and Dini Ramadhani, freeze any of their U.S. assets and generally bar Americans from dealing with them.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis)
Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable.
China-aided infrastructure project boosts Namibia's gateway position

Xinhua) 08:27, May 10, 2022

Guests attend an official groundbreaking ceremony of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 9, 2022. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

WINDHOEK, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road.

The project, for which an official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, forms part of Namibia's regional trunk routes and includes the construction of a 21.3 km dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges, two river bridges, and drainage structures, Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa said during the ceremony held in Windhoek.

"Namibia is positioned as a gateway for imports and exports to and from landlocked neighbors in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region and China is assisting us with strides in expanding our road network in efforts to achieve the sub-vision and goals for transport as set out in Vision 2030," he said.

The Phase 2B project funded by the Chinese government is expected to take 36 months to complete, he said while commending China for its immense support.

Speaking on the same occasion, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Yang Jun, said the Phase 2B project was proposed by the Namibian government and was supported by the Chinese embassy in an effort to help Namibia become a logistics hub in southern Africa.

"The project was officially confirmed and signed between our governments in Beijing on March 29, 2018," he said, adding that upon completion, the project will improve transport and contribute to the development of Namibia at large.

The project being undertaken by Namibian-registered Chinese firm, Zhong Mei Engineering Group, together with local subcontractors, will create more than 300 jobs and provide technological advancements through skills transfer.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan received today Ambassadors of several member states of the European Union to Armenia, the Ambassadors of the USA, UK and Switzerland, as well as the representatives of Embassies, the Parliaments press service said.

The sides discussed the process of normalization of the Armenia-Turkey relations and the regional developments. In this context Ruben Rubinyan presented Armenias positions and priorities, highlighting the necessity of the international communitys support to these matters.
YEREVAN, 10 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 10 May, USD exchange rate down by 1.74 drams to 472.64 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.26 drams to 498.82 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.27 drams to 6.81 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.96 drams to 583.90 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 583.00 drams to 28277.73 drams. Silver price down by 17.24 drams to 332.25 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.
The incident is being seen as a major intelligence failure as the office houses the state counter intelligence wing, special task force

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said strictest punishment will be given to those who tried to spoil the atmosphere in the state by attacking the Intelligence Wing headquarters of Punjab Police in Mohali and highlighted that some arrests have been made in the case.

Mann also held a meeting with Punjab Director General of Police V K Bhawra and top officials of the Intelligence Wing here and sought a report on the incident.

Mann's statement comes a day after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the third floor of the highly-guarded building in sector 77 on Monday night, following which an alert was sounded.

The incident is being seen as a major intelligence failure as the office houses the state counter intelligence wing, special task force and some other units.

No one, however, was injured in the explosion, which political parties termed "disturbing" and "shocking".

After the meeting on Tuesday, Mann said, I held a meeting with the DGP and officers of the Intelligence in the wake of the incident that happened in Mohali yesterday. All the details are coming out. Some arrests have been made and more will be made.

I want to say that whosoever tries to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab will not be spared and they will get strictest punishment which their coming generations will remember, he added.

Mann further said that the matter was being probed and things will become clearer by evening.

Very soon, the culprits will be behind bars, said Mann.

Earlier, Mann in a tweet had said that the Punjab Police is investigating the explosion in Mohali.

Anybody who tries to spoil the atmosphere in Punjab will not be spared, said Mann in a tweet in Punjabi.

The incident took place days after the arrest of four suspected Pakistan linked terrorists in Haryana's Karnal and the arrest of two people with recovery of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) packed with 1.50 kg RDX from Tarn Taran district in Punjab.

The explosion also came close on the heels of the recovery of an explosive device near Burail Jail in Chandigarh on April 24.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha dubbed the incident as an act of cowardice and said strongest possible action will be taken against those who were behind it.

Explosion in Mohali is an act of cowardice by those powers who want to disrupt the hard-earned peace of the state. Punjab government will not spare those involved and strongest possible action will be taken, tweeted Chadha, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.

Another AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said the attack was despicable.

Attack at Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali is despicable. I strongly condemn this vicious attack. The incident is being investigated by police, and not a single culprit should be spared," said Pathak in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties targeted the AAP government in the state over the explosion and asked Mann to focus on the deteriorating law and order situation.

Congress MLA and leader of opposition in the state assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said the attack was worrying and poses a threat to the hard-earned peace in the state.

RPG attack on Punjab Police intelligence wing office in Mohali is worrying. This after RDX was found few days back in Tarn Taran. Punjab has been through dark times already, we can't afford to damage the hard-earned peace of Punjab, said Bajwa in a tweet.

Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira condemned the Mohali blast incident and demanded action against those behind it.

Mohali blast is condemnable and those responsible should be punished. But it must be ensured that innocents are not harassed. There have been instances in past where innocent Sikh youths were falsely implicated to cover failures of the police and intelligence and also to deflect public wrath, he said in a tweet.

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said the blast at the building of the intelligence headquarters is a matter of concern and also expressed surprise over the local police describing it as a minor explosion.

The Mohali police had on Monday said that a minor explosion was reported at the headquarters.

The chief minister needs to pay attention to the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, said Sharma in a tweet.

Spokesperson of the ruling AAP, Malvinder Singh Kang, said the perpetrators of the crime will not be spared.

Blast in Mohali is unfortunate however the situation is under control, matter is being investigated, the perpetrators of the crime will not be spared, nobody will be allowed to fiddle with hard earned peace and harmony. An uneasiness of anti-Punjab forces is understandable, said Kang in a tweet.

Mohali grenade attack cowardly act, culprits will get strictest punishment: Kejriwal

New Delhi: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal termed the explosion in Mohali "a cowardly act" of those who want to disturb peace in Punjab and asserted that his party's government in the state will ensure the culprits get the "strictest punishment".

"Mohali blast is a cowardly act of those who want to disturb the peace of Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) government in Punjab will not let wishes of those people be fulfilled," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Peace will be maintained under all circumstances with the cooperation of all the people of Punjab and the culprits will be given the strictest punishment,'' the AAP leader, who is also the chief minister of Delhi, said.

Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that "anarchic elements" have become active in Punjab to disturb its peace ever since the Arvind Kejriwal-led party formed its government in the state.

"Ever since the government of @AamAadmiParty was formed in Punjab, the anarchic elements, who disturb peace, have become active," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Those who spread hatred and violence in Punjab will be behind bars," he added.

Co-in charge of the AAP's political affairs and newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak condemned the rocket-propelled grenade attack in Mohali, calling it "vicious and despicable". Not a single culprit should be spared, he said.

"Attack at Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali is despicable. I strongly condemn this vicious attack. The incident is being investigated by the police, and not a single culprit should be spared," Pathak tweeted.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the grenade attack was an act of cowardice by those powers who want to disrupt the "hard-earned peace" in the state.

"Explosion in Mohali is an act of cowardice by those powers who want to disrupt the hard-earned peace of the state. Punjab government will not spare those involved and strongest possible action will be taken," Chadha tweeted.
Jagan Mohan Reddy reject family politics, refusing to allow any other member in his family from joining his government

In the brief five-year interregnum during Mughal emperor Humayuns reign, visionary ruler Sher Shah Suri took many pioneering steps, built marvels and achieved remarkable results, most of which we continue to use even today. He was most renowned for extending the Grand Trunk Road from modern-day Bangladesh to Afghanistan, introducing the currency we use today called rupee, creating and implementing the mansabdari (revenue) and modernising the postal systems.

But what he could not leave as a best practice for other Indian rulers who followed him in the highest seat of power in Delhi was his viewpoint on law  make easy laws, implement them ruthlessly and spare no one. He famously punished his own nephew for insulting an ordinary citizen.

Until Monday.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the son of late chief minister of united AP, was born to be a typical political inheritor, who wanted to be nominated as the successor to his father when he passed away in a tragic helicopter accident in September, 2009. But destiny willed otherwise, and he was forced down a path of extreme struggle for a decade, rebelled against the Congress Party, went to prison, formed his own party and won power from the people.

Having rejected the family inheritor path, he has strongly decided to reject family politics, refusing to allow any other member in his family from joining his government, which forced his sister Y.S. Sharmila to migrate to Telangana to set up her own party.

And with the conviction of a Sher Shah Suri, Mr Reddy on Monday has his own kin, a cousin, Y.S. Konda Reddy, arrested in an extortion case. There was an allegation against his cousin for seeking and forcing bribes out of a construction company, in his capacity of YSRC party in-charge in the YS family home district of Kadapa.

By not hesitating to arrest his own party leader and cousin over an allegation of corruption, and for refusing to allow family members take ministerial positions in his government, with unprecedented intrepidity, Mr Reddy has set on a path seen to be sui generis in our politics.
The Centres latest position is in sharp contrast with the stance it took in its response filed on Saturday

New Delhi: Just one day ahead of the hearing on whether the challenge to the constitutional validity of the sedition law (Section 124A IPC) should be heard by a larger five-judge Constitution Bench, the Central government on Monday told the Supreme Court it had decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of the colonial-era law, and urged the court not to go ahead with the hearing of the matter.

Urging the Supreme Court not to hold a hearing on the petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 124A till the government finishes its reconsideration process, the Centre, in its affidavit filed on Monday, said: The Government of India, being fully cognizant of various views being expressed on the subject of sedition and also having considered the concerns of civil liberties and human rights, while committed to maintain and protect the sovereignty and integrity of this great nation, has decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, which can be done only before the competent forum.

The Centres latest position is in sharp contrast with the stance it took in its response filed on Saturday, when it stated that the 1962 five-judge Constitution Bench judgment in the Kedar Nath Singh case, that upheld the validity of 124A IPC, was binding and continues to be good law and needs no reconsideration, and added that the ruling upholding the sedition law had stood the test of time and applied till date in tune with modern constitutional principles.

On Monday, the Union home ministry indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was behind the shift in the governments position, and said in an affidavit referred to his views on shedding colonial baggage, and said he was in favour of the protection of civil liberties and respect of human rights. It said the Prime Minister has said India, as a nation, has to work even harder to shed colonial baggage, that include outdated laws and practices which have passed their utility.

The government said concerns had been raised about the application and abuse of the sedition law for purposes not intended by its provisions. The Prime Minister has been cognizant of various views expressed on the subject and has also periodically, in various forums, expressed his clear and unequivocal views in favour of the protection of civil liberties, respect for human rights, and giving meaning to the constitutionally cherished freedoms by the people of the country, it said.

On Saturday, the Central government had told the court: It is a settled position in law that a judgment which withstood the test of time and has been followed not mechanically but in the context of changing circumstances cannot be easily doubted. Asserting that only a bench of five judges can raise any doubt on the Kedar Nath Singh verdict, it had said: The Kedar Nath Singh judgment has been the law of the land for more than six decades. The judgment balances constitutional rights and principles, and the needs of the State, to provide a reasonable interpretation.

At the last hearing, a special bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, was told by attorney-general K.K. Venugopal, who was requested by the court to assist it, that the Centre favoured retaining the law with guidelines to prevent its misuse. He had cited the instance of misuse when in Maharashtra a person was charged with sedition for reciting Hanuman Chalisa. The A-G had also said that there was no need to refer the matter to a five-judge Constitution Bench.

The court is hearing pleas by the Editors Guild of India and Maj. Gen. S.G. Vombatkere (Retd) challenging the constitutionality of Section 124A IPC. The court said its main concern was misuse of the law leading to the rising number of cases.
The windowpanes on one of the floors of the building were shattered because of the explosion

Chandigarh: A rocket-propelled grenade hit the Intelligence Wing headquarters of Punjab Police in Mohali near here on Monday night, shattering windowpanes on one of the floors of the building, police said. No one, however, was injured in the explosion, which political parties termed "disturbing" and "shocking". The explosion took place at around 7.45 pm at the office located at sector 77 in Mohali.

The windowpanes on one of the floors of the building were shattered because of the explosion. A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar at around 7.45 PM. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done. Forensic teams have been called, the Mohali police said in a statement. The police have cordoned off the area and an alert has been sounded. A police official told reporters that there was no casualty in the incident. A minor blast took place at the intelligence building. The investigation is going on and our senior officials are on the spot, the police official said. The blast took place with a rocket type fire. There is no casualty, said the official. He further said the forensic teams have also reached the spot. He said an FIR was being lodged over the incident. Asked if it was a terror attack, he said the investigation was going on.

A quick reaction team of the Chandigarh police was also deputed near the Intelligence office building. Senior officials of the Punjab police have reached the spot. Police said a search operation has been launched to nab the culprit.

The explosion came close on the heels of the recovery of an explosive device near Burail Jail in Chandigarh on April 24.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed shock over the explosion and urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take strict action against those who were behind this incident.  Shocked to hear about the blast at the @PunjabPoliceInd Intelligence headquarter in Mohali. Thankfully nobody was hurt. This brazen attack on our police force is deeply concerning and I urge CM @BhagwantMann to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice at the earliest, said Singh in a tweet.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, Disturbing news of a blast at the @PunjabPoliceInd intelligence bureau building in Mohali. Praying for everyone's safety and well-being. Former Punjab Home Minister and Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa dubbed the explosion as a sign of deep communalism. The bomb blast in Mohali is a sign of deep communalism. I strongly condemn this incident and urge the @PunjabPoliceInd to investigate and take stern action against those who are intent on disturbing the peace of Punjab, said Randhawa who is also a legislator from Dera Baba Nanak.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said he was deeply shocked at the blast. Deeply shocked at the blast at Punjab Police's Intelligence Bureau HQs, Mohali, exposing serious security lapses and highlighting once again the deteriorating law & order situation in Punjab. Thorough probe required to expose & punish those responsible, said Badal in a tweet.
Political empires and the papacy of course dont sail in the same boat any longer, as was the case in the Middle Ages in Europe

The war in Ukraine poses a major crisis for the political Christianity of the West. How else would one explain the recent intervention of Pope Francis, who wields enormous influence as head of the Roman Catholic Church, despite the fact that the Vatican is no longer the custodian of temporal (worldly) power in the political arena. Was the Pope sending a message to the United States and the West, all of which are Christian-majority nations, though not necessarily professing a state religion?

Political empires and the papacy of course dont sail in the same boat any longer, as was the case in the Middle Ages in Europe and some other times. But even today, if the Pope speaks on any global issue, particularly on inter-state conflict in Europe, the world is all ears.

What is one to make of the 85-year-old head of the Holy See proclaiming that the real scandal of Putins war is Nato barking at Russias door, which caused the Kremlin react badly and unleash the conflict? The Popes comments cannot be ignored or overlooked. The Holy Father deserves to be commended for his forthright, fair and frank views, going beyond the call of papal duty, to speak for mankind and try to transform negativity into positivity.

Since the widespread perception in the West and much of the world is that President Vladimir Putin is to blame for the current conflict, for launching the invasion of Ukraine and all that followed, natural justice demands that the points the Russian leader had raised are given due consideration before pronouncing verdict. What made Mr Putin do what he has done or is doing, which triggered the sanctions and other measures against his country? Has he lost his sense of judgment? This is what he had said: Over the past 30 years we (Russians) have been patiently trying to come to an agreement with the Nato countries on the principles of equal and indivisible security in Europe. In response we have faced either cynical deception and lies or pressure and blackmail, while the Nato alliance has continued to expand despite our protests and concerns. Its military machine is moving and approaching our borders.

Mr Putins statement was on February 24. Pope Francis statement was on May 2, exactly 67 days after the beginning of hostilities in the heart of Europe, where in past centuries four fighting empires had met in battle: Vienna, Berlin, Moscow and Constantinople/Istanbul. Where all four had vied for political power, prestige, position, trade, territory and conquest  leading to ceaseless conflict.

Was the Pope then raising the flag for the US-led Nato alliance, and signalling them to resort to self-introspection, and chiding Moscow for its avoidable over-reaction?

The Popes point is piercing and poignant. It deserves a fresh look, for the possible fallout in the ecclesiastical as well as the temporal domain of political Christianity. Psychologically, the Pope appears distraught at the possible repeat of the European heartlands white Christian versus white Christian conflagration escalating, imperilling the very existence of the West-led Christian world. From politics to the economy, from military to monetary domination, MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) looms large. For the first time since the Second World War, blood is oozing out of two Christian belligerents, with the entire political white Christians developed world punishing Christian Russia. Its like seventeenth-century Thomas Hobbes Leviathan war of all against all.

Does it need revisiting past belligerents? The Germany of the two world wars, the Habsburgs Vienna and the Romanovs Moscow? Doesnt the present scene resemble the age-old provocation-reaction-action history of warfare? In the same breath, isnt the history of the Church too one of division and dispute? For that matter, can religions such as Islam and Hinduism claim a spanking clean record due to numerous intra-religious differences, disputes and discord? There wouldnt have been centuries of conflict between Muslims and Muslims and Hindus versus Hindus all over. Religion, used for political dispute resolution or restitution, always took politics by storm, thus dragging the ecclesiastical, ethics-preaching priests into the vortex of violence and vitriolic virulence.

The history of endless intra-political Christian conflicts in Europe had led Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell to deliver his prophet-like verdict: Unfortunately, as soon as Christians acquired political power, they turned their zeal against each other. (A History of Western Philosophy) Russells twentieth century view was supplemented by the twenty-first century statement of another top Western scholar, Diarmaid MacCulloch, in his magnum opus A History of Christianity: For most of its existence, Christianity has been the most intolerant of all faiths, doing its best to eliminate all competitors.

The two European-origin world wars of the past century stand out as the direct and corroborative testimony to poignantly reveal, remind and reignite reality: the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict is proving the two great Western minds of Russell and MacCulloch as the best sample and example of their wisdom, which eventually compelled a deeply perturbed Pope Francis to come out of his ecclesiastical cloister to express his views and join the debate. The Church entered the States arena, despite the theoretical separation of powers between the two. The Holy See is well aware that despite Romes primacy, the Church stands divided today between East and West. Christianity, though born in the Middle East, went westwards after the rocky days of initiation towards Greece and Rome. Later, from the headquarters of the (Byzantine) Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople, there emerged the Eastern Orthodox Church of Russian Christianity.

Like in matters ecclesiastical, Western Europes polity too was usually at odds with Moscow, and vice versa. This then was the hiatus in every issue between the nations of Western Europe and the labyrinth centred around the Moscow landmass, which saw both Napoleon and Hitler first losing their way, and then getting buried under their own power play. The two mega-invasions of Russia  by France (1812) and then Germany (1941), and now the 2022 reverse conflict  prove there is little hope for a permanent rapprochement between the Washington-Brussels alliance and Moscow any time soon. Despite Pope Francis open criticism of the West and his willingness to undertake a peace mission to Moscow, which indicates the Vatican is ready to try for a resolution and bridge the gap between the Holy See and the Russian Church at a critical juncture, the power elites and arms merchants on both sides are in no mood to give the Hand of God a chance.
Rajapaksa has been accused by the Opposition of inciting the ruling party mobs to attack peaceful protesters by making a defiant speech

Government supporters and Police clash outside the President's office in Colombo on May 9, 2022. - Violence raged across Sri Lanka late into the night on May 9, 2022, with five people dead and some 180 injured as prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit after weeks of protests. (Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Colombo: Sri Lanka's former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing calls for his arrest from Opposition politicians for inciting violence against peaceful anti-government protesters that claimed at least eight lives, left over 200 people injured and saw arson attacks on the homes of several politicians.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy Army troops in the capital.

The resignation of the prime minister has automatically annulled the Cabinet and the country is currently being run by his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused by the Opposition of inciting the ruling party mobs to attack peaceful protesters by making a defiant speech while addressing several thousands of his supporters to deflect calls for his resignation.

Rajapaksa (Mahinda) must be arrested and brought before the law," M A Sumanthiran, the main Tamil legislator, said in a message.

The same sentiments were expressed by former President Maithripala Sirisena and the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party's leader Ranjith Madduma Bandara.

He must be arrested for encouraging violence. There was no reason to attack the peaceful protesters," Sirisena said.

At least eight people were killed in the violence. The Colombo national hospital said at least 217 people had been admitted for treatment.

One of the protesters who had been brutally assaulted by the Rajapaksa supporters remains in a very critical condition.

Mahinda Rajapaksa later resigned, saying he was making way for his brother president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to set up an all-party interim government.

There were reports from all parts of the island of arson attacks on the homes of ruling party politicians, including on the ancestral house of the Rajapaksa family in the deep southern district of Hambantota.

Meanwhile, Mahinda Rajapaksa vacated the Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, Tuesday morning, according to media reports.

The police on Monday used tear gas and fired in the air to stop a mob which was trying to break into Temple Trees, the office cum residence of the prime minister.

An all-island curfew, which was scheduled to be lifted on Tuesday, was extended last night until Wednesday as arson attacks were reported from most parts of the country.

Army chief General Shavendra Silva called for calm and said the necessary action would be taken to maintain law and order.

In the current state of emergency, the troops are given extensive powers to arrest people.

The Opposition parties urged the reconvening of Parliament before the scheduled date of May 17.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena also requested the President to immediately summon Parliament.

The trade unions announced that they would launch a continuous strike from Tuesday to protest against the government-backed crackdown on the peaceful protests.

The violence occurred as pressure mounted on the embattled government led by President Gotabaya to form an interim administration to overcome the worst economic crisis facing the country.

Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka since April 9 seeking the resignation of President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda, 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.

In a special Cabinet meeting on Friday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight. This is the second time that an emergency was declared in Sri Lanka in just over a month as the island nation was in the grip of the worst economic crisis.
The 59-year-old suffered a heart attack induced by work-related stress. Ordained bishop in 2010, he had been approved by both the Holy See and Chinese authorities. Bishop Shao Zumin reappeared in a Beijing nursing home controlled 24/7 by police.

Rome (AsiaNews)  Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Yuncheng, a diocese in Shanxi, died this morning at 10 am (Beijing time) from a heart attack; he was only 59 years old. The local Catholic community has called on all the faithful to pray for him (see videos 1 and 2).

Ordained a priest in 1990, he became bishop in 2010, dedicating himself to evangelisation, working hard on the issue of Church-owned property, organising catechesis for the faithful, and building new places of prayer.

Bishop Wu had been ill for some as a result of his work leading the local Church, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under heavy pressures, hard work undermined his health. In recent years, many Catholic religious, even young ones, have died due to work-related stress.

Born in a village near Taiyuan (Shanxi) in 1963, Bishop Wu entered the junior seminary in 1982, one year after high school. Eight years later he was ordained a priest in the local diocese.

From 1991 to 1996 he served as parish priest in Shagou, then was in charge of diocesan affairs until 2001. Between 2001 and 2009 he was rector of the Shanxi major seminary.

In September 2009 he moved to Yuncheng, and a year later he was appointed ordinary bishop in the local diocese, consecrated with the approval of the Holy See and Chinese authorities.

At his investiture Mass, Bishop Wu publicly thanked Pope Benedict XVI for his appointment and trust in him, and vowed to remain firm and faithful to the Holy Father.

He also urged the faithful to follow Saint Matthews example and renounce everything to follow Christ and dedicate themselves to the cause of evangelisation.

He was the eldest of six siblings from a fervent Catholic family: one brother became a priest while a sister joined the orders.

His great-uncle, Saint Peter Wu Anbang, suffered martyrdom during the Boxer rebellion of 1899-1901, and was canonised in 2000 as one of 120 holy Chinese martyrs.

His death comes at a delicate moment for Chinas Catholic community. Last week reports indicated that police took into custody at least 10 priests in the diocese of Baoding (Hebei) since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Catholic sources told AsiaNews that underground Bishop Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou (Zhejiang) was seen in Beijing.

Detained several times over the past few years, Bishop Shao underwent an operation recently and is currently in a nursing home, monitored day and night by policemen.

Despite the 2018 Sino-Vatican Agreement on episcopal appointments, which was renewed in October 2020, the persecution of Chinese Catholics continues unabated, especially those who are outside the official Church controlled by the Communist Party of China.
The Lebanese government announced the postponement of the papal visit even before the final details were worked out. For Bishop Aoun, this was expected given the pontiffs health. There was also little time to organise it. Still a future visit "remains important because the countrys very identity is at stake as is its mission.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis's trip to Lebanon wont go ahead next month. Both Lebanon and the Holy See had initially announced the visit without providing any details.

The pontiff has had to put off the visit to a later date for health reasons, Bishop Michel Aoun of Jbeil-Byblos said.

Set for 12-13 June, it was supposed to be followed by a visit to Jerusalem and a second ecumenical meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. The latter was replaced last week by a 40-minute talk centred on Russias war in Ukraine.

When the Lebanon visit was first talked about unofficially last month, it was met with a certain confusion in Lebanon, a mirror of the mess in which the country finds itself at present.

Still the pope is eager to visit multi-ethnic and multireligious Lebanon, a place of interfaith coexistence and dialogue, which he wants to buttress with his visit. Unfortunately, his health has come in the way and is preventing him from undertaking long trips and intense activities.

Recently, the 85-year-old pontiff has appeared three times in a wheelchair at audiences and meetings. Although his spirits are still high, pain in one knee appears to be getting worse. Surgery has not been ruled out despite possible complications.

Lebanese government sources reported the postponement yesterday, but we heard about it a little earlier, Bishop Aoun explained. We were told that the Holy Father's health was not good, that he is suffering in one knee and struggling to walk.

Within Lebanons Church and among the bishops, it was known that the visit would be postponed on health grounds, and not for any other reason.

What is more, there was precious little time to organise it and as APECL[*] president I faced quite a few difficulties to work out the schedule and protocols in 40 days.

We can still hope for a visit in the near future because the trip has not been cancelled, only postponed. His visit is very important because the countrys very identity is at stake right now. As Saint John Paul II said, its mission is to be a 'message' of coexistence to the world. This is why we want Pope Francis to come.

Lebanon is in fact at a crucial stage in its history. Parliamentary elections begun last week-end for Lebanese abroad, while at home voters will cast their ballot next Sunday.

On the one hand, some people are looking forward to the vote in order to make things change; others are disenchanted and see no new light at the end of the tunnel, especially among Sunnis, after Hariri pulled out.

For the prelate, the greatest enthusiasm is probably found among Christians who are very keen to push for changes in the political leadership.

[*] Assemblee des patriarches et des eveques catholiques au Liban (Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon).
by Nirmala Carvalho

Mangalore (AsiaNews) - In the Indian state of Karnataka, new religious tensions are being fuelled by Hindu fundamentalists in the village of Renjilady in the district of Dakshina Kannada, targeting the evangelical community. Already in recent days a cross on top of a prayer room was damaged and replaced with a saffron flag (the color of Hindu nationalists) in the village of Peradka. The building was broken into and a portrait of Hanuman, a Hindu deity, was left inside in an act of provocation.

Jose Verghese, local head of the Immanuel Assembly of God, also filed a police report for the theft of materials including the electricity meter, newly installed water pumps and new light bulbs. In response, activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal-two of the main entities in the Hindutva galaxy-have in turn filed a complaint demanding that the "illegal church structure" in Predaka be cleared.

They claim it is located on land belonging to a poor farmer named Shobharaj, which has been abandoned for eight years. "They belong to another faith, perform prayers and other activities to make that building a center for conversions," they write, claiming that there would also be another building under construction without the permission of the local government. "Shobharaj - they go so far as to declare - must be given protection because church leaders and other politicians have threatened him with death." Karnataka is one of the Indian states governed by the BJP, where in recent months the legislation against religious conversions, a measure flagged by Hindu nationalists, has been tightened.

Meanwhile, also in Tamil Nadu, the local High Court has accepted the request to discuss a petition on the issue of "forced conversions" in schools. The news has dismayed the local Catholic community, because the petition is exploiting the tragic death of a 17-year-old girl, a guest in a Catholic hostel, who took her own life a few weeks ago. The incident led to the arrest of the Sister Sahaya Mary of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who was later released on bail.

Hindu nationalists used a video in which - years earlier - the girl spoke of alleged pressure for her conversion, while keeping silent about the existence of serious problems in her family that would be at the origin of her extreme gesture. Fr. Devasagayaraj M Zackarias, former secretary of the office for the protection of disadvantaged castes of the Indian Episcopal Conference, denounced to the Catholic website MattersIndia: "they are using the death of this girl to create unnecessary problems with the sole purpose of obtaining a political return".
The Cayetanos, the Binays and the Villars are but some of the rich clans that run the country. After yesterday's elections, a quarter of the Senate is controlled by only three families. Leni Robredo pledges firm opposition. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa warns that disinformation endangers other world democracies as well.

Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Politics in the Philippines remains a family affair. The victory of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the late dictator, brings the Marcos clan back to the Malacanan Palace, the presidential residence; however, some of the countrys leading families have also made a comeback in Congress and local governments.

Ferdinand Marcos Jrs victory was a landslide. According to unofficial results, Bongbong, a nickname given to him by his father, is expected to lead his closest rival, outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo, by 30 per cent.

The latter is doing better than expected, but not enough to win the presidency, this despite the many appeals by the countrys Catholic Church, which backed Robredo.

Speaking of political dynasties, Sara Duterte, daughter of the outgoing president, won the vice presidency. This was expected given the substantial popularity her father enjoys after six years in office.

In Metro Manila, which includes 16 cities and one municipality, only one major position, that of Manila mayor, went to someone who was not a member of an established political dynasty, namely outgoing Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna

The city of Makati remained in the hands of the Binay dynasty thanks to the re-election of Mayor Abby Binay, while the Cayetanos held on to Taguig, where Lino Cayetano was replaced by his sister-in-law Lani Cayetano. In Caloocan, Oscar Oca Malapitan succeeded his father. The same pattern is set to be repeated across Metro Manila.

Same story in the Senate, where a quarter of the seats, six out of 24, are now held by three families. House speaker Alan Peter Cayetano will join his sister, Pia, while Mark Villar, in his first term as senator, will join his mother, Cynthia.

The Estradas are also back in Congress, after a momentary exit during the 2019 mid-term elections.

Despite pre-election polls that predicted his victory, former Vice President Jojo Binay just fell short of the 12th spot by a few votes, and so wont be joining the upper house.

For several analysts, these results are "disturbing". Various studies note a strong correlation between dynastic politics and weakened democratic checks and balances

Power concentration in the few favours high income inequalities (a well-known fact in the Philippines) and is self-reinforcing, at the expense of democracy.

In the Philippines, the latter has been greatly weakened under President Rodrigo Dutertes violent and authoritarian administration; human rights groups note that his war on drugs probably cost up to 30,000 lives.

The only hope now lies with Leni Robredo, who despite her defeat, seems poised to lead a firm and forceful opposition.

Yesterday, after thanking her voters, she spoke of the birth of a new movement, which in recent weeks turned streets and squares pink, the colour of the opposition.

We started something that was never witnessed before in the countrys entire history: a campaign led by people, she said. Thus, unlike Duterte, Marcos will have to deal with pink wave.

A few hours after the polls closed, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, journalist Maria Ressa, reacted to the election results.

She said she expects disinformation to grow in the Philippines, which painted the 20 years of the Marcos dictatorship as a golden age, thus helping her son. This is of extreme importance not only for the Philippines, but also for the rest of the world.

For Ressa, we only need only go back to Dutertes election in 2016. This is a global information ecosystem. Like in 2016, we were the first domino to fall followed by Brexit, Trump, Bolsonaro  well here you go again. Brazil has elections in October, the U.S. has elections in November. So if we fall, stay tuned, its coming for you, she said.
Francis' message for the World Day for Grandparents and Elders to be celebrated on July 24. No "coincidence that war is returning to Europe at a time when the generation that experienced it in the last century is dying out." To parishes: "Visiting the elderly alone is a work of mercy in our time."

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Grandparents are called to be "artisans of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can set the world free from the spectre of loneliness and the demon of war," writes Pope Francis in the message addressed to them for the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly that the Church celebrates this year on July 24, the Sunday closest to the liturgical feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus.

Entitled "In old age they will still bear fruit," the message returns to the theme very dear to Francis of old age as a time to be freed from fear and the "culture of waste" to rediscover it on the contrary as a "blessing" and propitious time "even from the spiritual point of view." This is an idea that the pontiff has been declining extensively in recent weeks in his Wednesday general audiences, but in the message released today he specifically relates it also to the tragic experience of war that the world is experiencing today.

The pope writes, "Our world is passing through a time of trial and testing, beginning with the sudden, violent outbreak of the pandemic, and then by a war that is harming peace and development on a global scale. Nor is it a coincidence that war is returning to Europe at a time when the generation that experienced it in the last century is dying out. These great crises risk anaesthetizing us to the reality of other epidemics and other widespread forms of violence that menace the human family and our common home."

The pontiff continues, "We grandparents and elderly people have a great responsibility: to teach the women and men of our time to regard others with the same understanding and loving gaze with which we regard our own grandchildren. We ourselves have grown in humanity by caring for others, and now we can be teachers of a way of life that is peaceful and attentive to those in greatest need.This attitude may be mistaken for weakness or resignation, yet it will be the meek, not the aggressive and the abusive, who will inherit the earth."

Pope Francis cites the human experience of the child on the lap of his own grandparents. "now is the time for us to carry on our own knees  with practical assistance or with prayer alone  not only our own grandchildren but also the many frightened grandchildren whom we have not yet met and who may be fleeing from war or suffering its effects. Let us hold in our hearts  like Saint Joseph, who was a loving and attentive father  the little ones of Ukraine, of Afghanistan, of South Sudan...". But the awareness that in the world we are not saved alone also has another face in the lives of the elderly. "Our very letting ourselves be cared for often by people who come from other countries," Francis recalls, "is a way of saying that living together is not only possible, but necessary.

Here then is the invitation to all grandparents to be "artisans of the revolution of tenderness." First of all - comments the pope - with "the most precious tool we have, and which is the most appropriate for our age: that of prayer. Let us also become a little poets of prayer: let us take pleasure in seeking our own words, let us re-appropriate those that the Word of God teaches us. Our confident invocation can do a lot: it can accompany the cry of pain of those who suffer and can contribute to changing hearts".

The message closes with an invitation to all parish communities this World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly remembering also those who are more alone at home or in residences: "Let us make sure that no one feels alone on this day. Expecting a visit can transform those days when we think we have nothing to look forward to; from an initial encounter, a new friendship can emerge. Visiting the elderly who live alone is a work of mercy in our time!."
by Melani Manel Perera

Card Malcolm Ranjith reiterated the right to protest peacefully, urging President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to follow his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and resign. Several cars and homes owned by politicians were set on fire. A curfew is in place across the country until 7am tomorrow.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Following Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas resignation, Sri Lankas main religious leaders met with his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They urged him to step down as well and condemned yesterday's attacks on protesters.

The president held an emergency meeting yesterday with Ven Omalpe Sobhitha Thero, a former member of Sinhala Urumaya party, the Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo J.D. Anthony and Maxwell Silva, Fr Cyril Gamini Fernando, as well as other Buddhist priests and monks.

We clearly saw horrific thugs attacking peaceful protests near Temple Trees and Galle Face Green. It was shown by all the media around the world, the religious leaders said.

They explained to the president that the country needs a non-partisan figure as prime minister to head a small cabinet, and that an advisory committee should be created in that regard.

At a press conference, Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo, condemned the violence and reaffirmed the right to protest peacefully.

We are amazed that the police, with full knowledge of the government, did not act properly to stop the clashes, the cardinal said. We express our opposition to the prime minister.

Similarly, Fr Gamini Fernando, editor of a Sinhala language Catholic newspaper, said: We are deeply saddened by what happened yesterday. This government must take full responsibility for attacking the protesters.

In his view, This tragic situation arose because the government did not think about the people, but about its own greed for power. In fact, most people in the country blame the Rajapaksas for plunging the country in its current economic situation.

Over the past few years, the ruling clan have turned the government into a family affair with nine family members appointed to positions of authority.

As a result, Sri Lanka defaulted in mid-April and is currently negotiating with the International Monetary Fund ways to rescue its economy.

In yesterday's street clashes, a Catholic priest, Fr Thilakasiri, and two Anglican clergymen, Revs Andrew Devadasan and Niroshan were caught up in the violence that included a tear gas attack.

So far, at least eight people have been killed and another 219 have been hospitalised.

Meanwhile, the Rajapaksa family home in Medamulana, Hambantota, was torched by protesters. The homes of other Rajapaksa siblings were also set on fire as were those of former ministers Chamal and Basil, along with the cars and properties of several politicians.

Protesters are blocking the roads leading to the countrys ports and airports in order to capture members of the Rajapaksa family who might try to flee.

A curfew has been imposed throughout the island until 7 am tomorrow morning.
Today's headlines: Marcos is the new president of the Philippines; Thailand's army boycotts leading regional online retailer; Singapore bans a controversial Indian film; Japan waits for the new U.S. economic plan; Candidate opposed to Russian annexation wins South Ossetian elections.

SRI LANKA

Protesters in Sri Lanka burned down the homes of the Rajapaksa family and several other parliamentarians following the prime minister's resignation yesterday. President Gotabaya is still in power. Seven people have been killed and more than 190 injured so far in the clashes. Authorities have extended the curfew in an attempt to quell the violence.

PHILIPPINES

It will still take several days for official results, but Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos will be the new president of the Philippines. According to a still-partial count by the Electoral Commission, the son of the former dictator got about 30 million votes compared to 14 million for outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo.

THAILAND

Thailand's military has decided to boycott e-commerce giant Lazada, the largest online retailer in Southeast Asia, after the release of an advertisement that appears to mock the royal family. Thailand has strict rules against lese majesty that can result in up to 15 years in prison.

SINGAPORE

The city-state government has banned the screening of the film Kashmir Files, which chronicles the exodus of Hindus from the disputed region between India and Pakistan. The screening could "cause enmity between different communities," the Singaporean government said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised the film while critics said it fuels anti-Muslim sentiments.

JAPAN - UNITED STATES

U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to Japan and South Korea - May 20-24 - is expected to coincide with the launch of a new economic strategy for the Indo-Pacific, Japan's ambassador to Washington said. In 2017, Donald Trump had abandoned a trade pact with Asian nations, leaving room for Chinese economic expansionism.

RUSSIA

The formation of a brigade called "Free Russia" within the Ukrainian Armed Forces, composed of Russian soldiers who have switched to the Ukrainian side, is being quickly completed. Among them are also some pilots, who told of having often fired on uninhabited fields, in order not to kill unarmed citizens.

GEORGIA

In the separatist republic of South Ossetia in Georgia the ballot for the presidency was won by opposition leader Alan Gagloev, opposed to annexation to Russia, over outgoing president Anatolij Bibilov, who acknowledged defeat.
Earth is, of course, not the only planet to have quakes . In fact, chances are they happen on all rocky worlds, and we know that because on at least one of them we humans have gear in place able to detect these motions.Mars is the planet in question, and the specialized gear sent there to measure the ground motions of the planet is called InSight . Having arrived there in 2018, the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport gear, by its full name, has already revealed previously unconfirmed things about the planet.This month though, InSIght entered the history books by detecting a quake NASA calls the biggest ever detected on another planet. It took place on May 4 and is believed (confirmation is still pending) to have had a magnitude of 5.That may not seem like much here on Earth, as our planet gets plenty of those on a daily basis, but according to NASA thats close to the upper limit of what scientists hoped to see on Mars during InSights mission.So far, InSight has felt more than 1,313 quakes on Mars, with the previous most powerful one rated at magnitude 4.2 in August 2021.Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, weve been waiting for the big one, said in a statement Bruce Banerdt, InSights principal investigator at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission.This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come.
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According to what the companies disclosed, Bollinger will produce all the components and deliver them to Roush, which will be in charge only of assembly. Roushs facility is in Livonia, Michigan, only 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Bollingers headquarters.Thestartup plans to offer its customers four chassis options, from Class 3 to Class 6. Class 3 chassis have a(gross vehicle weight rating) between 10,001 pounds (4,536 kilograms) and 14,000 lb (6,350 kg). Class 4 goes from 14,001 lb to 16,000 lb (7,258 kg), while Class 5 starts at 16,001 lb until 19,500 lb (8,845 kg), and Class 6 encompasses vehicles from 19,501 lb up to 26,000 lb (11,793 kg).According to Bollinger , Roush was not chosen because the EV startup could not make the chassis on its own right now. The companys CEO said It is actually essential for it to hit its quality and production targets confidently.The companies did not disclose when the first deliveries to customers would happen. We only know that Bollinger is developing a Class 3 walk-in van for Con Edison, which would integrate this vehicle into its fleet by 2024. Thats still quite a wait. EAVX is another client willing to integrate its commercial work truck bodies into Bollinger's chassis.The sooner Bollinger starts making money selling its electric chassis, the earlier the B1 and B2 may see the daylight. The electricand the pickup truck need Bollinger with deeper pockets to stand the production ramp-up that all EV makers need to have. Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian examples show it is not an easy path. Multiple other companies also testify that as bad examples: they bit the dust before we could even remember them.
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Chinese Geely Automobile Holdings will purchase about a third of Renault's Korean unit for $207 million, a strategic move to help it boost exports in the U.S. market. This also frees up funds for Renault, whose sales fell by a third for the third time in a row in 2021.Geely, which also owns Swedish Volvo Cars and has a 9.7% stake in Daimler AG , is looking to expand its global reach by tapping into the South Korean market. The deal with Renault in South Korea also puts it closer to critical players in themarket, including Samsung SDI, SK Innovation Unit, and LG Energy Solution.Company insiders told Reuters the deal also goes beyond just selling vehicles in South Korea. It's a strategic move for the Chinese company to export cars made in South Korea to America.The U.S. and South Korea have a free trade agreement . Therefore, Renault and Geely would be exempted from tax burdens exporting vehicles made in South Korea. The only downturn for the partnership is it would face high labor costs and tough competition from Hyundai and Kia, which currently dominate the market.Renault isn't popular in China (the world's largest car market), an important market and profit pool for leading automakers including Volkswagen, Tesla, and General Motors. The automaker is planning a turnaround to help increase its margins and bolster its EV business to be on par with industry leaders.The decision to sell the South Korean unit stake comes a couple of weeks after Bloomberg reported company would lower its stake in Nissan, where it is the leading shareholder.
Nordic Aviation Company (NAC) has agreed to have ten of the E190 and E195 jets from its fleet converted to freighters by Embraer. This is part of the companys strategy for increased sustainability and circular economy. Instead of discarding them, these aging airplanes will be given a new life.This is the concept behind Embraers new launch . On one hand, the typical narrowbody freighters that are currently in operation cant withstand the increased demand for cargo aircraft while also respecting the standards for green operations. On the other hand, more and more passenger airplane operators are becoming aware of the need to replace their fleet with a new generation of greener models. Embraer is responding to both of these issues by turning two of its older models into cargo versions The conversion processes are carried out at the companys facility in Brazil, and they include adding a cargo handling system, a front cargo door, as well as adequate smoke detection systems, and safety features for hazardous material transportation.The resulting freighters will be more fuel-efficient than their larger counterparts and able to operate with significantly fewer costs without diminishing the typical payload capacity -the E190F will boast a payload of 23,600 lb (10,700 kg), and the E195F will be able to carry 27,100 lb (12,300 kg). Embraer even claims that theyll have 50% more volume than large turboprops while also exceeding their range.The first deliveries are set for 2024 when NAC will start replacing its aging fleet of polluting cargo aircraft with these efficient P2F conversions.
Not long ago, rapper Fat Joe (whose real name is Joseph Cartagena) made an appearance on the red carpet at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. The annual event, which features members of the U.S. political class mingling with celebrities or journalists, aims to raise money for WHCA scholarships and honor professional recipients of the WHCA awards.Fat Joe was among the guests of this years WHCA, and he wanted to make an impression since the event is black-tie only. So, he accessorized with a $4 million Pristine timepiece called Avalanche Since then, the rapper has been wearing it a lot, even if there wasnt any special occasion. His latest post on social media proves just that. With the Avalanche around his wrist, Fat Joe leans against a black Rolls-Royce Phantom. It might not be a special occasion, but Fat Joe surely knows how to seize the moment, as he captioned it: Another day another Billion.One might say that Rolls-Royce is the rappers favorite brand, and his collection seems to indicate that. He owns not just one, but two Rolls-Royce Cullinans Since the British luxury manufacturer is all about status, it seems to fit the rapper perfectly. In 2017, Rolls-Royce introduced the Phantoms eighth generation. The luxury saloon is put in motion by Rolls-Royces 6.75-liter V12 twin-turbocharged engine. The power mill sends 563 horsepower (571 ps) at 5,000 revs and a torque of 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) at 1,700 rpm to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.When it comes to performance, the Phantom can sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) from a standstill in just 5.3 seconds and reach a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph (249 kph).Combined with the Pristine Avalanche timepiece, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is absolutely everything Fat Joe needs for a successful display of wealth.
In the span of just a year or so, weve had a 90-year old man fly to orbit (Star Treks William Shatner , on a Blue Origin flight), an 82-year old woman, Wally Funk , do the same (also on a Blue Origin rocket), and a cancer survivor, Hayley Arceneau x, spend a few days out there (on SpaceXs Crew Dragon).The above has made one thing incredibly clear: you dont have to necessarily be perfectly fit and healthy, or young, or specifically trained to be able to survive a trip to space and back.All this incredible push to expand humanitys horizons will soon see the first African American, and the first woman, land on the Moon as part of the NASA Artemis program. Until that happens though, a few more barriers need to be taken down.One of these barriers will suffer such fate as soon as Blue Origin launches its fifth human flight in the near future (official date was not yet made public) - Jeff Bezos company just announced the crew that will make up the NS-21 mission, with six people on the manifest.First up is Evan Dick, now at his second trip to space after the NS-19 mission, seconded by business jet pilot Hamish Harding. Civil production engineer Victor Correa Hespanha will also take a seat on the New Shepard, as will adventurer Jaison Robinson and explorer Victor Vescovo.The star of this crew, if you will, is 26-year old former NASA test lead Katya Echazarreta, who, according to Blue Origin, will become the first Mexican-born woman and youngest American woman to fly to space.She is making the trip as part of Space for Humanitys sponsored Citizen Astronaut Program, says Blue Origin.
Colorado-based company Lightning eMotors provides zero-emission-vehicle solutions for commercial fleets and Perrone Robotics (which is based in Virginia, U.S.) specializes in fully automated vehicle systems. The latter is renowned for its AI (artificial intelligence)-powered TONY (to navigate you) technology, described by the developer as a vehicle-independent retrofit kit designed to enable vehicles to transport people and goods in geofenced and dedicated driving routes."Lightning eMotors, which boasts of offering the widest range of electric commercial vehicles in North America, plans to embed Perrones technology into its vehicles for both passenger and cargo uses. Now, through the new agreement, Lightning eMotors also has an autonomous vehicle solution for its products, ranging from ambulances to campus shuttles and other commercial applications, as explained by CEO Tim Reeser.Perrones technology will first be used for fully autonomous Level 4 applications, with those vehicles only being able to operate in geo-fenced areas, on dedicated routes, and for Level 2 applications for commercial vehicles. Level 2 autonomous vehicles include advanced safety features such as lane-keeping capability, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision avoidance. Lightnings vehicles offer all these features, being powered by LiDAR technology fused with radar, for added safety.The first customer to benefit from the self-driving electric vehicles from Lightning eMotors and Perrone is PIDC, Philadelphias public-private economic development corporation, which is going to buy an all-electric shuttle. The shuttle will be used to transport visitors and employees within the 1,200-acre Philadelphia Navy Yard.Lightning eMotors boasts of its partnership with Perrone making it the only all-electric commercial vehicle provider to offer Class 3-7 medium-duty vehicles that are fully autonomous and certified by the departments of transportation, local transit agencies, and other commercial organizations, as stated by Reeser. You can watch a Lightning electric van equipped with Perrone Robotics autonomous system here
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Expansion to European markets will begin this year. Stay tuned for country-specific delivery information.  Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) January 4, 2022

Lucid Motors, headquartered in California and closely competing with Tesla Motors , announced that it would begin expansion to Europe this year. The luxuryautomaker is looking to expand its global footprint outside the United States as the demand for electric vehicles heightens.In a statement, Lucid Motors said it plans to launch the Lucid Air Edition P and R sedans in Europe in limited numbers to customers in Germany, Netherland, Switzerland, and Norway by the end of the year, Reuters reported.According to the statement, the Lucid Air Dream Edition P/R would retail at about 218,000, which would be approximately $230,000.Last week, the automaker said in a tweet that the expansion for the European market would begin this year, and their clients should stay tuned for country-specific delivery information. The tweet responded to a Twitter user who sought to find out if an image of new Lucid owners were in the United Kingdom.Earlier on, Peter Rawlinson, Lucid Motors CEO, said the company was looking to reach Europe and the Middle East by the end of 2022 and later on, China in 2023.Germany seems to be the automaker's most important market since it plans to open its first European location in Munich, on May 13th. The Lucid Air automaker is also looking to open several studio and service centers in the region in 2022.Like its rivals, Lucid announced it would raise the prices of most of its models from June due to scarcity and the rising cost of raw materials. However, it would still honor reservations before June.
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The fully electric vehicle market has some visible teething problems, with the most pressing being the scarcity of raw materials and batteries . As it is, leadingbrands like Tesla are pushing unit prices higher to cushion the skyrocketing manufacturing cost.During FT Future of the Car 2022 conference, Stellantis head Carlos Tavares disclosed that he anticipates the automotive industry could suffer from supply problems with batteries in 2025 and 2026, Reuters reported.If the industry evades the shortage, then there would be a significant dependence on western and Asian countries, he added. His statement comes when China is harnessing all its resources to turn the country into one of the leading producers of electric vehicles and components.According to figures published by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the Asian state is leading in the race for world dominance in the electric vehicle market. In 2021, the Asians dominated the global EV market with 53% global sales The CEO of the fourth largest automaker also warned that raw materials supply could also pose structural challenges in the future since EVs are about 500 kilos (1,102 pounds) heavier than the outgoingvehicles. As a result, manufacturers will need more material which leads to scarcity and eventually geopolitical risks.Automakers are channeling all their resources on dumping more EVs in the market with little concern over infrastructure and raw materials. In the UK, lobby group SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) has already cited disparity over charging points distribution across the region.In the U.S., protestors are up in arms citing environmental concerns over an EV brand building a manufacturing plant over a clean water reserve serving residents in Georgia. As Carlos Tavares warns, these are issues regulators and automakers are not looking into.
The Italian name of this 269-foot (82 meters) masterpiece, the Alfa Nero, suggests dominance and power. Built in 2007 by the Oceanco luxury shipyard, it has gained iconic status in the industry, thanks to the work of the acclaimed Nuvolari & Lenard (for the exterior) and Alberto Pinto (for the interior).A multi-award-winning yacht, the Alfa Nero flaunts a unique infinity pool thats 12-meter (39.3 feet) long, not only one of the longest ones ever integrated on a superyacht but a convertible one. Through a hydraulic system, it turns into a dancefloor or a helipad, and Oceanco claims that this was the first statement rear pool ever seen on a luxury yacht. The owners suite is no less impressive, boasting two hot tubs, an indoor and an outdoor one, in addition to a private office and dressing room.The stunning vessel was reportedly built for a Greek shipping tycoon and sold years later to a Russian billionaire for $120 million. This is how it became the luxury toy of Andrey Guryev, the founder of the biggest fertilizer producer in Europe, PhosAgro. The billionaire resigned from his position at the company soon after the first sanctions against oligarchs were announced, although his family owns stakes in it as well.Thats also when the Alfa Nero apparently went dark . Legally, all ships have to communicate their location and route at all times through a dedicated system, but this superyacht seems to have made no move since it was last tracked in the Caribbean back in March. Like other Russian-linked pleasure crafts, its possibly trying to avoid being seized, but it cant go dark forever.
Reuters discovered that fewer than 200 vehicles would be manufactured at the Chinese facility due to supply shortages. To be more specific, Tesla needs wire harnesses provided by Aptiv. The problem was a COVID-19 outbreak in its plant. Tesla and General Motors were affected by the situation.It is not clear if Tesla is facing other supply issues, but it is not unlikely. The Chinese government has a zero-infection policy that led to suicides in Shanghai, with people desperate to leave their homes or get food. This prompted Tesla to house all its workers at the plant to try to curb these restrictions.The company planned to increase production with a new shift and reach 2,600 vehicles daily by May 16. According to Reuters , it was making about 1,200 units per day since the company put Giga Shanghai back to work after a 22-day interruption. With the supply chain break Tesla is currently experiencing, theres no perspective for when things will get back to normal.Theoretically, China could be almost back to normal with a high vaccination rate and people effectively protected against COVID-19. Chinese authorities have used vaccines developed in the country. It may be the case that they were not as effective as the others used in Europe and the U.S. They may also be concerned with the impact on their health system, regardless of whether it is public or private.In many countries, it is not mandatory to wear masks anymore. People are already discussing if contaminated individuals should not carry on with their lives only by wearing masks instead of isolating themselves at home.The truth is that Tesla must have realized that it has to dance according to the music and that manufacturing is a song that you can not dance alone. Its suppliers also have to ensure distribution to keep assembly lines at work. In the end, putting people to sleep in the factory may become an expense rather than a clever solution to keep things going.
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Since I've seen it mentioned, we're aware of a weekend incident near Bridgewater, MA involving a truck transporting a Lucid Air. Initial report suggests the fire originated in the engine compartment of the truck during transport. We await the formal report from local authorities.  Len Devanna (@LenDevanna) April 26, 2022

News of the fire broke first on social media, where an eyewitness told of the hours-long effort on the part of firefighters to put out the blaze on the Lucids battery pack. In the end, they had to dump the wreck into a container and drown it to keep it from reigniting, initial reports said.Because word about-related fires tends to spread like wildfire (ha!) and is often politicized, Len Devanna, Lucids head of digital experience, immediately chimed in to urge restraint. The incident was still under investigation, he said, but all signs pointed to the fact that the fire had started in the engine bay of the towing truck and had not been caused by the luxury EV sitting in the trailer.This is confirmed by the police incident report obtained by Carscoops . The driver of the towing truck had just pulled in for a restroom and coffee break and, while inside, noticed smoke coming out of the engine bay of the truck. He went outside to check it, saw that smoke was coming from the air intake to the turbo and used a dry chemical extinguisher. Even though he could see no flames , he went to retrieve his dog and wallet from the cabin and stepped back inside to call 911.By the time first-responders arrived, the entire rig, including its $170,000 cargo, was engulfed in flames. The fire spread from the engine bay towards the rear, exploding a spare tire and then engulfing the Lucid. The battery pack on the EV made putting out the blaze all the more challenging because of its position and the fact that it was protected by a carbon fiber panel. Once firefighters had access to the batteries, they cooled them off and, as an extra precaution and put what was left of the Lucid into a roll-off dumpster.More than 8,000 gallons (36,368 liters) of water were used during the 4-hour operation. The already difficult intervention was made even more so by the fact that there was no fire hydrant nearby and that firefighters lacked the resources needed for future events of this type, according to Lt. Craig Nedell, who signed the incident report.
In approximately one decade, Plymouth rolled out three different generations of the Satellite, with the third series introducing the most notable overhaul since the car got to see the daylight.Launched in 1971, the third-generation Satellite aligned its styling with the rest of Chrysler C-body models, with the car also being offered as a 2-door coupe, 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, and 4-door station wagon.In case youre wondering why were talking about the Satellite when the photos clearly show a Road Runner, its because the car youre looking at is actually a tribute. Thats right, this is a Satellite that has undergone a massive transformation to become a Road Runner tribute. And in many ways, this extensive build reached its goal, though, on several occasions, the car is actually stepping into restomod territory.The paint looks pretty good, with just two dents that would have to be fixed, according to eBay seller fla_girl . The interior looks amazing, with the original seats still in place.As said, the Road Runner wannabe also comes with a series of custom upgrades, including Vintage American Racing wheels, air shocks, and an aluminum radiator for the cooling system.In charge of helping the Road Runner Tribute get you from where you are to where you want to go is a 340 V8 paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission, and of course, the engine is starting and running just flawlessly.Despite being a Road Runner tribute, its pretty clear many people out there appreciate the quality of the build, and this is why the bidding has already reached $25,500. However, the reserve is yet to be met, and given the auction is set to end in less than one day, theres a chance this Satellite fails to find a new home this time.
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The information is almost hidden in a document about five main aspects of the bZ4X. In a footnote, Toyota clarifies some of the variables involved with charging and warns that DC charging themore than twice a day would negatively affect charging times. Toyota also warns that temperatures below 50F (10C) would increase it significantly.That is a massive problem for a vehicle that will be sold in cold-weather countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Even China and the U.S. have some regions where cold temperatures are typical, although Toyota did not seem willing to sell the electricin high numbers in any of these markets.As we mentioned in the presentation of the bZ4X, it did not come with an 800V system and did not offer any new feature that would make it stand out from the competition. The only thing that seemed extraordinary about it was the warranty. However, it is now clear that it carries a cost that few EV drivers will be willing to pay in places with cold temperatures. Mind you that they do not need to be extreme: anything below 50F (10C) will already negatively impact the bZ4X This is not the first complaint about the charging performance of the bZ4X. Kyle Conner, from the Out of Spec Reviews channel, said that it is the slowest charging EV he has ever tested by a very large margin. Curiously, Conner mentioned that this bad charging curve is related to the larger battery pack, which comes with CATL cells and delivers 72.8to the AWD version.The 71.4-kWh battery pack used by thederivative comes with Panasonic cells and is much faster to charge: it does so at up to 150. The CATL battery pack can only deal with 100 kW. In other words, the Panasonic battery pack is 50% faster to charge.It is a strong element for customers to prefer the EV with a Panasonic battery pack. At this point, it prompts the question of whether this is a technical limitation with CATL batteries or just something Toyota came up with to restrict the demand for the cell from the Chinese company. Well make sure to ask.
Of all of Americas military branches, the Air Force ( USAF ) is the most present in the public space, constantly keeping the world informed on what its up to, where, and in case of need, even how.Later this month, the USAF's efforts to make itself a constant presence in our lives will get a major boost thanks to the release of the long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick movie (May 24 in the U.S.). We already know to expect a wealth of Navy-bred military aircraft coming into the spotlight, and Tom Cruise to return in the pilot seat, but the movie was too good of an advertising opportunity for the Air Force to pass on.So, it devised a new commercial, which will run in theaters during the projection of the flick. Titled Own the Sky, its about a minute long, and features in extraordinary settings and stances all of the most potent hardware the USAF currently fields: Raptors, Lightnings, Warthogs, Ospreys, and Spirits.They all come together, says the USAF in a statement it released along with the video (check press release section below), to show interested parties what it might feel like to be on the receiving end of the Air Forces might,The ad evend gives Russia and other potential enemies a subtle poke, stating that The Earth is 70 percent water, and 30 percent land. But the entire sky belongs to us.You can watch the breathtaking action and hear all that in the clip attached below.
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It will be a tight race, but we wont give up on it, said the VW Group boss just yesterday, at the FT Future of the Car 2022 conference. I have to say we didnt expect our main U.S. competitor to be so fast and well-prepared.Diess has already been criticized for benchmarking VW against Tesla, putting pressure on his companys well-established structures to work even faster and accelerate growth. Meanwhile, Tesla has opened its first European Gigafactory near Berlin, a strategic move that isnt going to sit well with Volkswagen, or its peers (BMW & Mercedes-Benz).The VW CEO also said that he expects Teslas ramp-up to be challenging, which is why he still believes in his companys chance that it can overtake the American brand and become the worlds no. 1-maker by 2025  spurred on by its bigger product offering (volume brands, premium cars and luxury segment).In the United States, Volkswagen wants to more than double its market share to 10%, with Diess stating that such an achievement would require an additional plant as well as local battery production, as reported by Reuters . He then dismissed the idea that such a move was due to his company being over-exposed in China.The Volkswagen Group is well represented in the U.S. with regards to battery electric models, through the likes of Audi, Porsche and the Volkswagen brand itself. The latter currently sells the ID.4 crossover (with the ID. Buzz coming in 2024), Porsche has the Taycan, Taycan Sport Turismo and Taycan Cross Turismo, while Audi is offering the e-tron, e-tron Sportback, e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron.
Choosing a Godmother for a ship is a longstanding maritime tradition, one that the cruise line operator intends to honor with all its newly launched vessels. And while in the past this role was only attributed to public figures, nowadays everyday heroes also get nominated for the job. This is why now moms from all over the U.S. get the chance to become the Godmother of the worlds largest cruise ship.It will all happen via a contest (#SearchForWonderMom) organized on TikTok, which kicked off a few days ago. Submissions are open through May 16, at 11:59 p.m. ET, and anyone can nominate a mom who inspires those around them to discover, wonder and make memories, as specified by Royal Caribbean. The winner will be announced on Royal Caribbeans TikTok page this summer.The chosen Godmother will get to bless the ship and the people wholl sail on it, from crew members to visitors. It will happen this December, during the naming ceremony of the Wonder of the Seas, with the event being scheduled to take place in Port Canaveral, Florida.And there are some other, juicier incentives to enter the contest. Royal Caribbean will offer the Godmother and her family an exclusive cruise to its private island destination, Perfect Day, at CocoCay in the Bahamas. The Wonder Mom and her family will also get an epic, 7-night vacation, sailing on a Caribbean cruise onboard the Wonder of the Seas. The cruise includes first-class flights, three nights in a five-star hotel before the voyage, and up to $1,000 in spending money. Four finalists who enter the contest also get to enjoy a 7-night cruise onboard the ship, in a balcony stateroom.The construction of the Wonder of the Seas took 30 months, with the ship totaling 18 decks, of which 16 are dedicated to guests. Close to 7,000 passengers can be accommodated, plus a crew of 2,300. The ship cruises at a speed of 25 knots (28.7 mph/46 kph). Over 100 performers are always ready to entertain the guests, who can also enjoy more than 40 restaurants, bars, lounges, and a plethora of activities and adventures onboard the memory-making vessel.You can find all the rules and details you want on the Royal Caribbeans contest here
Deputy parliament speaker Ruben Rubinian discussed the talks with Yerevan-based diplomats from the U.S., European Union member states as well as Britain and Switzerland.

The parties touched upon the process of normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations and regional developments, read a short statement on the meeting released by the Armenian parliaments press office.

Ruben Rubinian presented Armenias positions and priorities in this context, stressing the need for the international communitys support in these issues, added the statement. It gave no other details.

Rubinian, 32, represents Armenia in the negotiations on normalizing its relations with Turkey that officially began in January. He and veteran Turkish diplomat Serdar Kilic held a third round of the talks in Vienna on March 3.

In identical statements on that meeting, the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministries described it as sincere and productive. They also said the two envoys reaffirmed their intention to continue the process without preconditions.

Ankara has for decades linked the establishment of diplomatic relations with Yerevan and the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has repeatedly said that his government coordinates the Turkish-Armenian dialogue with Baku.

Armenian leaders have said, for their part, that they want an unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties.

Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian Service last week, the spiritual leader of Turkeys small Armenian community, Patriarch Sahak Mashalian, suggested that Ankara is seeking a package deal with Yerevan that would also cover the Karabakh issue.

The ongoing dialogue between the two neighboring countries has been welcomed by the U.S., the EU and Russia. Visiting Washington on May 2, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan praised U.S. support through the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.
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China works to build the BRI into an initiative of peace, prosperity, openness, green development, and innovation that brings different civilizations closer.

Eight years have passed since President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in September 2013. This proposal was a move by China to deepen its reform on all fronts, widen its opening-up more actively, and promote common prosperity for all of humanity. It is a platform for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

As is stated in the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century, Adhering to the principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration, China has promoted high-quality development of the BRI. We have advanced a large number of cooperation projects that can fuel economic development and improve peoples lives in countries along the BRI routes, and worked to build the BRI into an initiative of peace, prosperity, openness, green development, and innovation that brings different civilizations closer, and a widely welcomed public good and platform for international cooperation in todays world.

Over the past eight years, joint efforts by all parties involved have turned the BRI from an idea into reality. As international consensus extends, new infrastructure is built, and trade and investment have increased. Countries and regions along the BRI routes are making remarkable progress in high-quality development, financial integration and people-to-people connectivity. This has made the BRI a widely welcomed public good, the largest platform for international cooperation in todays world, and an important avenue for promoting world peace, development and cooperation, and realizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A worker is stacking goods at a warehouse in the supply chain base for BRI in Lian-yungang, east Chinas Jiangsu Province, on August 9, 2021.

Fruitful Results

The BRI aims at promoting win-win cooperation by strengthening policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds.

The BRI covers Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe. The combined land territories of those regions account for more than one third of the world total, population around 60 percent, and GDP 32 percent. When meeting the press during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held in April 2019, President Xi reiterated that though the BRI was first proposed by China, the opportunities and benefits it generates will be shared by the entire world.

Policy coordination is a precondition for connectivity along the BRI. When working with other countries in advancing the initiative, China pays close attention to aligning the initiative with the development strategies of participating countries, as well as regional and global development initiatives. For example, synergy has been established between the BRI and the Bright Road Initiative of Kazakhstan, the Connecting Europe and Asia strategy of the European Union, and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Through effective communication and coordination, China has expanded consensus with other BRI participating countries and won broader support from them and international organizations. China earnestly performs its international responsibilities, and seeks closer cooperation with international organizations under the BRI framework. As a result, the initiative and its core ideas have been embraced by the UN, G20, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Infrastructure connectivity is a priority of the BRI. Particularly to developing countries, economic takeoff cannot happen without the development of infrastructure. Over the last eight years, the BRI has seen China and Russia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Laos, India and other countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and Eastern Asia and Europe connected by a network of economic corridors. A cross-border transportation system covering land, sea, air and oil pipelines have taken shape. Flagship projects include railways connecting China and Laos, China and Thailand, and Hungary and Serbia, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Gwadar Port, Hambantota Port, as well as cross-border oil and gas pipelines built by China, Myanmar, Russia and other countries. Infrastructure connectivity saves transportation time and cost, unleashes trade and investment potential, and lends impetus to global economic recovery from the pandemic.

Unimpeded trade is a focus of efforts in advancing the BRI, and a strong driving force for sustained growth of the world economy. At the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, China put forward the Cooperation Initiative of Promoting Belt and Road Trade Connectivity, which was aimed at liberalizing and facilitating trade and investment, and reducing trading costs so as to involve more countries in economic globalization. Currently, more than 80 countries and international organizations have joined the initiative for trade connectivity.

By 2020, China had reached free trade agreements with 13 countries along the BRI routes. Several platforms for international trade have been established. They include the China International Import Expo, China Import and Export Fair, and China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services. Trade in both goods and services between China and other BRI countries has registered steady growth. Cooperation and exchanges under the BRI have also led to emerging new technologies, new forms of business and new models of trade.

Despite the heavy blow dealt by the COVID-19, imports and exports through cross-border e-commerce platforms have increased, keeping countries connected, creating jobs, and bringing convenience to peoples lives as well as more development opportunities.

Financial integration fuels the advancement of the BRI. Infrastructure construction needs huge investments, which will be recovered over a long period of time. To meet the demand of financing infrastructure projects, four multilateral financial institutions of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the New Development Bank, the SCO Development Bank, and the Silk Road Fund have been created. Investments by multilateral financial institutions significantly lower risks.

People-to-people bonds are the social foundation of the BRI. Over the past eight years, countries along the routes have carried out cooperative programs on culture, tourism, education, think tanks, poverty reduction, and epidemic control, all of which have brought their peoples closer. China and countries along the routes launched activities including the year of culture, and art, film and music festivals, along with book fairs, joint archaeological research, and joint bid for world heritage inscription.

In addition, the BRI boosts international cooperation on education. By February 2019, China had signed agreements with 24 other BRI countries on mutual recognition of academic certificates and degrees in higher education, and 60 Chinese universities had launched academic programs in partnership with local institutions in 23 BRI countries.

China has also worked with other participating countries to tap into the tourism potential of the BRI, by launching tourism years and the Silk Road Tourism Promotion Union among other efforts.

Seeking high-quality development of the BRI, China offers assistance to countries along the BRI routes in combating poverty.

In fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been making the vaccines a public good for the international community. By September 2021, China had provided 500 million doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, a good number of which are along the BRI routes.

Chinas latest government work report stressed, We will promote high-quality cooperation under the BRI. We remain committed to the principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration. We will, on the basis of consolidating cooperation on enhancing connectivity, move steadily to open up new areas of cooperation.

As the BRI moves forward, China will continue to lead the way, coordinate with other countries along the routes, and remain committed to win-win cooperation, common prosperity and development, and the building of a community of shared future for humanity. The goal is to make the BRI a shining example of regional cooperation that will bring tangible benefits to all countries involved.

Bright Prospects

The BRI connects Chinas development more closely to that of the world.

Collaboration is a defining element of the BRI, as the initiative is not about China or its development alone. The BRI is an inclusive initiative that is open to all parties. It is an initiative to share development opportunities with the world. The fundamental driving force for the initiative comes from peoples common desire for development and a better life. Therefore, the BRI represents a common aspiration shared by all beyond national borders.

The BRI also opens a window for the rest of the world to better understand China.

To ensure high-quality development of the initiative, amity among peoples is essential, allowing participating countries to understand, respect, and engage with each other. The BRI puts social benefits first while also stressing economic returns. Harmony within diversity is the cornerstone of a peaceful world. By building the BRI, the world will become a closely-knit community of a shared future.

XIA YIPU is an associate research fellow with the Research Center of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Food-delivery workers protesting meager pay and inadequate protections have walked off the job across Dubai, their company confirmed Tuesday, marking the second strike in as many weeks in an emirate that outlaws dissent.

The foreign workers contracted by Talabat, the Middle East unit of Delivery Hero, began their walkout late Monday after organizing on social media, crippling the application's services.

As fuel prices surge, many said they were pressing for a modest pay increase from their current rate of $2.04 per delivery  a wage less than what sparked another extremely rare strike among contractors for delivery service Deliveroo last week.

Deliveroo drivers now make $2.79 per delivery after the walkout forced the U.K.-based company to backtrack on its plans to slash workers pay and extend their hours. Strikes and unions remain illegal in the United Arab Emirates, where the subject of labor standards has grown contentious in recent years.

Videos shared on social media showed scores of Talabat riders gathering in lots beside their parked motorcycles at dawn. It was not clear how many riders took part in the strike, which caused Talabat to acknowledge some operational delays on Tuesday.

Talabat, owned by Germany-based Delivery Hero, confirmed the work stoppage in a statement to The Associated Press, saying the company was committed to ensuring riders can continue to rely on our platform to provide for their families.

Up until last week rider pay satisfaction was well above 70%, the company added, without disclosing how it came to that number. "Yet, we understand economic and political realities are changing constantly, and we will always continue to listen to what riders have to say.

Several striking Talabat riders say they hoped to secure a raise to roughly $2.72 per delivery, especially as they're squeezed by spiking gas prices that they pay out of pocket. Many drive some 300-400 kilometers (190-250 miles) a day.

Riders also described a mountain of other costs draining their salaries, including visa fees to contractors who secured them jobs in Dubai, toll charges, regular motorcycle maintenance costs like oil changes and hospital expenses. Contractors do not provide drivers with adequate accident insurance, drivers say, even as many frequently crash on Dubai's dangerous roads.

That leaves delivery workers, part of Dubai's vast foreign work force mainly from Africa and Asian countries such as India and Pakistan, with little cash to pay rent and send back home to families they support.

As it seeks to burnish its image as a cosmopolitan haven for expat workers, the UAE has faced persistent criticism from human rights groups over the long hours, tough conditions and relatively low pay endured by the country's manual laborers. Strikes over pay disputes have occurred sporadically in the past, although workers face deportation and prosecution for outbursts of dissent.

Authorities say the country has made labor reforms and offers many workers better money than they would find amid poverty, and sometimes conflict, back home.

With companies struggling to find staff after the pandemic triggered mass lay-offs of manual laborers across Dubai, delivery contractors are feeling emboldened in the emirate's tight labor market, analysts say. Gulf Arab countries are also increasingly competing to attract expat workers and professionals.

The full extent of the damage to the labor market has not been reckoned with, said Ryan Bohl, a senior Middle East analyst for U.S. risk intelligence firm RANE. Striking workers know they can't be quickly replaced.

Khan, a 24-year-old Talabat driver and breadwinner for his family of nine in Peshawar, Pakistan, said he can barely make ends meet in Dubai  even though he hasn't taken a day off in three months and works 15 hours a day. He has been struck by cars twice and injured his foot on the job, he said, but could never afford to get treatment.

I'm not striking for me or for my friends. I know it's not good for us, he said, asking that he only be identified by his family name for fear of reprisals. It's for the future. For guys like us, coming here to Dubai.
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A 10-day manhunt for an escaped inmate and a corrections officer from a north Alabama jail ended in a police chase in Evansville, Indiana Monday night, authorities said. Casey Cole White was arrested, while Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, Alabama, was rushed to a hospital where she later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The pair, who were not related, were found at a hotel after a tip from a citizen led to their whereabouts on Sunday night, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. A chase ensued, which led to the Cadillac the pair was driving being wrecked. United States Marshal Matt Keely told CNN Vicky White was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound, with Casey telling authorities that she shot herself in the head and I didnt do it.

The pair disappeared after leaving the Lauderdale County Jail the morning of April 29 with Vicky reportedly saying she was taking Casey to a mental health evaluation at a local courthouse. But Singleton said Casey didnt have any evaluation and Vicky  a 16-year veteran of the corrections department  was escorting Casey alone in violation of department policy.

We got a dangerous man off the streets today, Singleton said on Monday. Evansville is around 278 miles away from Lauderdale County. Its unclear what led them to that area.

I wanted to get them off the streets, Singleton said, adding that he always expected this outcome. He said that this particular escape was challenging because it was well-planned and well-calculated. The pair had access to cash and vehicles. During the press conference, he praised the U.S. Marshals and said there was no evidence that I know of that anyone else was involved.

Casey White was serving a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes, including home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. In 2020, he confessed to a 2015 murder, but later pleaded not guilty when charged with two counts of capital murder. He now faces charges related to his escape, and will be arraigned and immediately, according to Singleton.

Vicky White, who was already facing charges for permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree, was also facing charges of forgery in the second degree and identity theft before her death, authorities said. The new charges were related to her alleged use of an alias to purchase a 2007 Ford Edge used in the pairs escape.

What in the world provoked [Vicky White] to pull a stunt like this, I dont know, Singleton said of the officer, who was reportedly getting ready to retire, before her death. You just dont know people sometimes.
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Phillip M. Goldfarb, a longtime television and film producer who won two Emmy Awards for his work on L.A. Law, died April 7 in Los Angeles, Calif., according to the Telluride Daily Planet. He was 82.

Goldfarbs career in film and television began more than 55 years ago and included producing credits on films such as the military drama Taps, starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton, the 1976 film Taxi Driver, the comedy-drama My Bodyguard and the Gene Hackman-led 1970 film I Never Sang For My Father. His TV production credits included more than 50 episodes of L.A. Law, 10 episodes of the early 2000s USA series Monk, 20 episodes on the TNT series The Librarians and more than 30 episodes of Knots Landing.

Phil was my first boss when I was 15 years old, producer-director Dean Devlin told the Daily Planet. He was the production manager on a film and I was his PA. He mentored me and taught me so much. Many years later I was able to hire him to work for me as my line producer. Reuniting with him was such a joy and it began a new working relationship that lasted over 15 years. And in that time I watched him mentor others, again and again, with kindness and wisdom.

Devlin continued, He always had an illustrative story that was entertaining, comforting and informative. He was never rattled. He brought calm and wisdom to our productions. Watching him work with others was not only a joy for me, but also part of my continuing education. Phil was my teacher, my friend, my co-worker, my support, my guru. The world is a less beautiful place without him in it.

The Directors Guild of America honored Goldfarb in 2015 with the 29th Frank Capra Achievement Award, for his contributions to the film and television industry as a producer, coordinating producer, unit production manager and assistant director.

With more than 30 years of continuous service as a trustee for the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans, Phil was an exceptionally dedicated leader, a strong advocate for DGA members and a thoughtful, gentle and kind man, DGA national executive director Russell Hollander said in a statement. His loss is deeply felt by us all.

According to the Daily Planet, Goldfarb is survived by his wife, Jane Marshall; his children Fidel and Trace Paniagua, Jeffrey Griffin, Chris Griffin, Alexandra Goldfarb and Harmony Patricio; his brother Ken Goldfarb; and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Donations in his honor can be made to World Central Kitchen at wck.org.

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TEHRAN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Tuesday dismissed the allegations against the Iranian national Hamid Nouri as "baseless" and his trial by a Swedish court as "politically motivated."

The lawsuit against Nouri lacks international and even Sweden's national legal standards, Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Zabihollah Khodaian was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.

The spokesman said Nouri has been deprived of a "fair trial and his human rights," adding the Iranian has not been able to contact his family for seven and half months.

Also on Tuesday, Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy chief of the Iranian Judiciary and secretary of the High Council for Human Rights, told the national TV that the Swedish government seeks to "put Iran on trial" through Nouri's case because Sweden has adopted "a hostile approach for several years" against Iran.

Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official, was arrested upon arrival in Sweden at Stockholm Airport in November 2019 over the charges of prisoner abuse in Iran in 1988. Nouri denies the accusations.

Sweden has claimed universal jurisdiction in making the arrest and launching the trial, saying accusations against Nouri amounted to "war crimes." 
A bond reduction has been requested for a Jefferson County jail inmate accused of killing a man earlier this year.

A virtual bond hearing was held on Monday in the Jefferson County Criminal District Court for 21-year-old Charles Ray Moss III, who has been held on a $1 million bond since Feb. 26, according to Jefferson County jail records. The judge intends to review the case and make a decision on Tuesday.

Defense Attorney Ryan Gertz told Judge John B. Stevens that Moss had no prior criminal history and had voluntarily turned himself in once he became aware that there was a warrant.

Gertz, who was hired by Mosss family, said he does not have the funds to make a $1 million bond and asked the court to reduce his bond to $200,000.

It is a serious matter, Gertz said. We understand the seriousness of the allegations. Im not sure he will be able to afford a $200,000 bond either, but at least given his lack of criminal history, his ties to the community, those other factors that the court has other mentioned, we believe that bond level from $1 million to $200,000 reduces it from being an instrument of oppression.

Related: Three indicted for Port Arthur mans killing

The state confirmed there are codefendants on the case and that Moss did not have a prior criminal history. The state told the judge he could not confirm if he turned himself into police.

The state is of the opinion that anytime we are dealing with a charge this serious that, as your honor usually does, it involves the safety issue for the community as well, the states attorney said.

Moss, who has lived in Port Arthur his entire life, was arrested by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office after a murder warrant was issued for him following the alleged killing of 21 year old Christopher Lionel Thomas, Jr. on Feb. 17.

Related: Two arrested, one at-large in Port Arthur killing

Officers with the Port Arthur Police Department previously reported that a citizen found Thomas Jr. face down in a canal with multiple gunshot wounds on Feb. 18 in the 400 block of W. 53rd St. in Port Arthur.

Officers with the Port Arthur Police Department, Jefferson County Warrant Division and the U.S. Marshals later arrested Jakobi Damond Broussard, 20, and Arthur Small Jr., 18, on warrants on Feb. 25 while Moss was still at-large a week following the alleged homicide, police previously said.

A Jefferson County grand jury indicted on three men on first-degree murder charges. According to court documents, Moss and Thomas had allegedly been in a fight prior to the shooting. The documents said Thomas returned as the three men were leaving in a vehicle. Police said the vehicle stopped and an individual reportedly heard gunshots but no longer saw Thomas.

Broussard and Small Jr. originally had bonds set at $1 million. The state said the judge has already reduced Broussards bond to $750,000 since his arrest.

They are beginning to point the finger at each other, the states attorney said.

Related: Police identify man killed in Port Arthur

The Enterprise found that there are currently 66 inmates with murder charges listed on the Jefferson County jail roster. The roster shows a range with the lowest bond set at $100,000 and the highest bond set at $1.5 million. For the majority of the inmates who have been charged with murder, the bond has been set at $1 million, according to the jail records.

There are 32 inmates whose bond is set at $1 million, nine bond amounts are not listed, eight are set at $500,000, seven are set at $750,000 and two are set at $300,000. There is only one inmate each for bond amounts set at $100,000, $200,000, $250,000, $650,000, $800,000, $950,000, $1.25 million, and $1.5 million.

Prior to the discussion during the hearing, Stevens provided information about criminal procedures and bonds. The nature of the offense, circumstances in which they are allegedly committed, the future safety of the victim of the alleged offense are considered.

"It must be reasonable, it cannot be used as an instrument of oppression, other factors in case decisions are also included, including family ties, defendant's work record, length of residency, prior criminal record whether he has complied with bond conditions successfully in the past, other outstanding bonds and also any other relevant factors that may factor into the defendant's ability and history of following bond conditions," Stevens said.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
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Summer is fast approaching. Schools will be dismissed, and children will be looking for activities to fill their days. Planning a vacation for the summer break can provide many opportunities for a day adventure or even time for a cross country road trip. Depending on budget and time, planning a genealogy vacation can help to build relationships and gain better understanding of family heritage.

Family trees have many branches, but our focus is usually on a few ancestors with whom we identify or whose lives we find most interesting. You may be looking for more information about a person's area of birth, residence or search for a burial place. Any of these reasons are good enough to plan a road trip!

These questions should be considered when thinking of a genealogy trip: What information do you hope to add to your research? Do you want to visit distant relatives, explore your ancestors homeland or way of life?

By identifying your goals, you can plan a memorable trip that will expand your knowledge of family history.

Begin by identifying the ancestor or family line you want to explore. Where will the adventure take you? This might be a family cemetery, the Colonial Americas, or overseas to The Homeland.

Once you have decided on a destination, the next step to consider is how to get there.

There are many tour companies that focus on heritage travel. You can reach out to a travel agent or conduct a simple Internet search to help narrow down some choices for independent travel. Secure your passport and, if traveling overseas, look up Covid Travel Regulations. Whether traveling by plane, train or automobile, the adventure that awaits you will be exciting!

Im currently in the planning stages of a trip to England. My husband and I have been saving to venture across the pond by plane to London.

We plan to explore the Cotswolds by car, thus gaining insight into how ancestors may have spent their days and lived their lives. After spending some time in England, we are looking to make reservations on the train into Scotland. Purchasing tickets early usually secures a cheaper price. Look ahead, be flexible with dates, and then create an agenda to plan your trip.

With Scotland being the origin of my maiden name, Calhoun (Colquhoun), I have researched the area where the Colquhouns lived and fought battles along Loch Lomond.

I discovered the Colquhoun family still owns land in the area as well as a Bed and Breakfast. I quickly sent an email to the Bed and Breakfast to verify ownership and learn more about accommodations. The response I received back confirmed my discovery!

Just the idea of walking on the same lands where my ancestors lived as far back as the 15th Century is enthralling for me. This spot will be a must see visit before returning home.

So, start now, identify your area of passion, then go exploring on a fun filled trip to meet your ancestors!
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NEW YORK (AP)  Joshua Cohen's The Netanyahus, a comic and rigorous campus novel based on the true story of the father of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking a job in academia, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Benzion Netanyahu, who died in 2012, was a medieval historian and ultra-nationalist who taught at several American schools, including the University of Denver and Cornell University. The Netanyahus is set around 1959-60 and centers on a Jewish historian at a university loosely based on Cornell who is asked to help decide whether to hire the visiting Israeli scholar. The novel, subtitled An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family, has been highly praised for its blend of wit and intellectual debate about Zionism and Jewish identity.

It is an infuriating, frustrating, pretentious piece of work  and also absorbing, delightful, hilarious, breathtaking and the best and most relevant novel Ive read in what feels like forever, The New York Times' Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote last June.

Many of the winners in the arts Monday were explorations of race and class, in the past and the present. Winners were also announced in several journalism categories.

James Ijames' Fat Ham, an adaptation of Shakespeares Hamlet set at a Black familys barbecue in the modern South, received the Pulitzer for drama. Raven Chacon, the first Native American composer to win a Pulitzer, was honored in the music category for Voiceless Mass.

The late artist Winfred Rembert won in biography for Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artists Memoir of the Jim Crow South, as told to Erin I. Kelly. Rembert, who survived years in prison and a near-lynching in rural Georgia in the 1960s, died last year at age 75.

In an interview Monday, Kelly spoke of the book's long and unexpected back story. She is a professor of philosophy at Tufts University and had come across his work several years ago while working on a different project, on criminal justice. She contacted Rembert, who was living in New Haven, Connecticut, and found him so compelling that she wanted to make sure his life was properly documented.

He was both charismatic and down to earth, she said. He had an incredible grasp of language and an incredible visual memory.

Rembert had been in poor health and died before Chasing Me to My Grave came out, although he did get to see an edited manuscript.

We both felt a great sense of urgency to get the book done, Kelly said.

Andrea Elliott's Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City, which builds upon her New York Times investigative series about a homeless Black girl from Brooklyn, received a Pulitzer for general nonfiction. Elliott's book has already won the Gotham Prize for outstanding work about New York City.

Two prizes were awarded Monday in history: Nicole Eustace's Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America and Ada Ferrer's Cuba: An American History," which traces the centuries-long relationship between U.S. and its Southern neighbor.

Diane Seuss won in poetry for frank: sonnets. Her collection, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Prize, draws in part on her roots in rural Michigan and features her fierce and lyrical reflections on gender, class and substance abuse among other subjects.

My father died very young. My mom raised my sister and me. Young me came to poetry by instinct alone, Seuss said Monday, also citing influences ranging from Frank O'Hara to Amy Winehouse. I consider frank: sonnets a collaborative effort  with the living and the dead.

Chacon created Voiceless Mass specifically for the pipe organ at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee, where it premiered in November 2021. Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from the Navajo Nation. His art work, currently on display at the Whitney Biennial, is inspired by those who gathered near the Standing Rock reservation in the Dakotas to protest an oil pipeline.

This was my first time writing for a church organ and I wanted to make a statement about the space that this organ is housed in, said Chacon, who is Dine, the Navajo word for the people. I wanted to think about the churchs role in the forming of the country, particularly as it pertains to Indigenous people.

His 2020 opera, Sweet Land, co-composed with Du Yun, was performed outdoors at the Los Angeles State Historic Park earned critical praise for its revisionist telling of American history using different narratives simultaneously. The opera was awarded best opera by the Music Critics Association of North America for 2021.

Chacon has been mentoring hundreds of Native high school composers in the writing of string quartets through the Native American Composer Apprenticeship Project since 2004.

Chacon told The Associated Press in an interview after learning of the Pulitzer win that he wants his work to stand as a reminder that Indigenous people are involved in chamber music and classical music.

I am happy that this work was heard. I think overall chamber music is not something that can always be accessible to a broad audience, Chacon said. Theres an opportunity for anyone to listen to chamber music and I am happy I am able to contribute to that.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez congratulated Chacon, saying the artist exemplifies the tremendous potential of Navajos.

His award showcases the talent, innovation and creativity of Indigenous people and shows our young people that anything is possible through hard work and prayer, Nez said in a statement to the AP.

Chacon graduated from the University of New Mexico and the California Institute of the Arts and is scheduled to start a residency at the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage in Philadelphia in 2022.

His solo artworks have been displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institutes American Art Museum and National Museum of the American Indian and many more.

Drama finalists included Selling Kabul by Sylvia Khoury and Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord by Kristina Wong.

The drama award, which includes a $15,000 prize, is for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life. Ijames is a Philadelphia-based playwright and Wilma Theater co-artistic director whose Fat Ham production was streamed last summer.

___

AP Entertainment Writers Kristin M. Hall and Mark Kennedy contributed to this report. Writer Felicia Fonseca from Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Republican Senate hopefuls Adam Laxalt and Sam Brown clashed Monday over Laxalts performance as chairman of then-President Donald Trumps 2020 campaign in Nevada and whether he did enough to combat voter fraud when he was attorney general.

Few philosophical differences emerged between the two conservatives during an hour debate taped for broadcast this week on Nevada Newsmakers as they seek the GOP nomination to face Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in November.

At one point, Brown did voice opposition to outlawing same-sex marriages, something Laxalt has advocated in the past.

The series of sharp exchanges came in the final minutes after Laxalt touted his record as Nevada attorney general from 2015-19 and current endorsements from Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others.

Brown then went on the offensive against the perceived front-runner in the GOP primary.

Mr. Laxalt relies on endorsements because Nevadans cant rely on him, Brown said, listing "election integrity as an example of where he failed us.

Calling that claim pretty comical, Laxalt said that as chairman of Trumps Nevada campaign he sounded every alarm imaginable as the Democrats radically altered our election.

Unfortunately, they gave us a system that created the opportunity for fraud and made voters feel like we got a much less safe system, he said. He said the secretary of state, not attorney general, is responsible for investigating voter fraud in Nevada.

Brown said that while Laxalt was attorney general he knew that non-citizens registered to vote and voted in Nevada elections.

When President Trump, Nevadans and Americans were relying on you to be the one to challenge any sort of issues in the 2020 election, the only thing you did was file a lawsuit, that by your own admission was late, Brown told him. Nevadans deserve better and you need to be honest about your record.

Laxalt then took a swipe at Browns decision to move to Nevada after he lost a state legislative primary in Texas in 2014.

Sam, you need to be honest with the voters, Laxalt said. You were running in Texas and living in Texas when you are accusing me of not doing these things I never had power to do.

Laxalt said Trump endorsed him because he knows I did the best I possibly could standing up for our election. He said Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Democratic-controlled Legislature changed the rules for voter registration and unfortunately, there was nothing much we could do about that.

Laxalt described himself as a co-chair of the campaign who was not in charge of litigation.

That was the Trump campaign  they hired lawyers, they filed the lawsuits, he said.

Brown countered: As the chairman of the Trump campaign, at what point do you accept responsibility for the lack of lawyers performing or the failure of lawsuits to be filed on time?

Laxalt said it was a national effort coordinated by the Republican National Committee. They got caught flat-footed, and we simply did not get the resources that we needed here, he said.

Brown said it showed a lack leadership that underscored Laxalts refusal to take responsibility for his actions.

Nevadans deserve better. We are not going to settle for people who blame everyone else when they fail, he said.

Both candidates are U.S. military veterans. Laxalt, the grandson of the late Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, served in Iraq. Brown served in Afghanistan, where his face was badly burned in an explosion.

Both criticized the Biden administration's handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said they would not send U.S. troops there.

On social issues, each described himself as pro-life.

Moderator Sam Shad asked whether they thought the recent leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting the justices might overturn abortion rights under Roe v. Wade could also eventually bring an end to same-sex marriages.

Laxalt said it was a hypothetical question that Democrats were trying to capitalize on in an effort to divide Americans, but declined to say whether hed support such a move.

Brown said he didnt think there was any chance that would happen, but that the broader question is why is government in the business of marriage to begin with?

I think this is what Americans are tired of: A government that wants to get further and further involved in peoples lives, he said.
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Shoppers at a new H-E-B in New Braunfels will have access to a two-story True Texas BBQ restaurant, a home department highlighting all things Texas and more.

The new grocery store replaces the former New Braunfels location on Walnut Ave., according to an H-E-B press release, noting that the expansion is approximately 40,000 square feet larger with a multilevel, two-story design.

Highlighting the company's BBQ restaurant, the release states that the True Texas BBQ restaurant was named the best barbecue chain in Texas by Texas Monthly and the top barbecue chain in the nation by Thrillist, and said the New Braunfels location will feature indoor seating on both the first and second floors of the restaurant.

We are thrilled to bring a new H-E-B store to New Braunfels, which introduces our customers to some exciting features and departments that are firsts for our company, said Julie Bedingfield, H-E-B Public Affairs Manager in the press release.

The new store also features the first H-E-B home department offering two new collections, the press release stated, noting that the Texas Proud brand will "celebrate Texas style and feature many similar items" produced by Lone Star State-based artisans and businesses.

The new collections from Haven + Key and Texas Proud will offer home textiles, home decor, and furniture and accent pieces, per H-E-B. The Texas Proud brand will feature similar items made by Texas-based artisans and businesses, such as wood and antler art from Broken Antler in Converse, leather goods from Lucio Tailoring Co. in San Antonio, cowhide benches from Texas Bench Worx in Luling and hand-poured candles from Rustic Swank in New Braunfels, according to the press release.

Other on-site offerings include handmade sushi, an in-store tortilleria, a large craft beer and wine section, a full-service pharmacy, a floral department, a healthy living section and fruits and vegetables from Texas farmers, the release said.
The Port Arthur Police Department has asked the City Council to consider bringing youth inside one hour earlier.

The council recently voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing regarding amending the juvenile curfew ordinance. The current curfew stipulates minors must be inside by 11 p.m. and has been in place since 2020.

The curfew was originally scheduled to be revisited in 2023, but, in response to trends, police asked the council to set curfew at 10 p.m.

Due to the number of incidents involving juvenile offenders, the police department is taking proactive measures to address some of those concerns, said Deputy Chief Jermey Houston. Our hope is that by making those modifications to the ordinance that this will cause a decrease in incidents involving juvenile offenders here in our city.

According to Houston, the department has seen an increase in theft, burglary and neighborhood disturbances. There also have been incidents with firearms and weapons being taken out of vehicles.

And one of the things that we can do to ensure theyre okay is by changing the curfew, Houston said. (Then) its not our kids involved in these murders, because they actually should be where? They should be in the house.

The ordinance would not restrict youth from commuting for school functions, work or being with their parents in the late evening hours. Any new restriction would specifically target minors outside without adult supervision for purely recreational purposes.

What it does is it provides an excuse to be home at a decent time, possibly getting ready for school that (next) morning, Houston said. You know there's not much that you should be doing after 11 oclock anyway on those days that you know are school nights.

Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie said the situation is unfortunate, but he understands that the council has to step up.

I wish we could be as involved as the courts and enforce parenting, but that is beyond my jurisdiction. We do have jurisdiction over enforcing a curfew, he said. Our children need to be in at a decent hour, even if their parents won't make them, so we have to involve the government, so to speak. I hate that we have to do that, but our parents are not being parents in a lot of situations.

There will be two public meetings  10 a.m. May 24 and 6 p.m. June 7. The council likely will then meet for a vote.

Houston believes the new ordinance could become official in June.
JERUSALEM (AP)  "The Netanyahus," which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this week, recounts a very funny anecdote about Israel's famous family that unfolds more than a half-century before one of them became it's longest-serving prime minister.

But Joshua Cohen, the book's 41-year-old author, says the novel is about identity and illiberalism, fathers and sons, autocrats and politics-as-entertainment  and that he had another recently dethroned leader in mind when he wrote it.

I wanted to write something about what it felt like to live the Trump years," he told The Associated Press in an interview in Jerusalem.

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, like former President Donald Trump, comes from a family that became essentially a reality show family, Cohen said.

"We were living their show. And so I thought that if I looked at the origins of this authoritarian figure reality show as it developed in another country, it would be possible to say certain things about liberalism and about what it meant to be free and to think freely in a culture where youre bombarded with this spectacle.

Cohen was visiting from New York in hopes of having a quiet week of writing ahead of the Jerusalem International Writers Festival. His retreat was interrupted late Monday by the news that he had won the prize.

The novel is loosely based on a real-life visit by Ben-Zion Netanyahu, a medieval historian and the former prime minister's father, to the United States around 1960. The story on which the novel is based was related to Cohen by the eminent literary critic Harold Bloom, who hosted the real-life Netanyahus.

Netanyahu showed up for a job interview and lecture with his wife and three children in tow and proceeded to make a mess," Cohen writes in the author's note. The book's subtitle refers to the series of events as a minor and ultimately even negligible episode in the history of a very famous family.

Benjamin Netanyahu was a young boy at the time and is a minor character in the novel, which focuses on Ben-Zion and the narrator, a fictional professor of American history named Ruben Blum.

The novel paints the Netanyahus as a crude and brash lot who crash into the Blum familys quiet life in a quaint college town. The thoroughly Gentile department chairs assumption that Blum  the sole Jewish member of the faculty  will hit it off with Ben-Zion turns out to be spectacularly unfounded.

Ofer Golan, a spokesman for the real Netanyahu family, declined to comment on the book.

Ben-Zion, a respected if controversial historian of the Spanish Inquisition who died in 2012 at the age of 102, espoused a bleak worldview in which Jews are perpetually at risk of another Holocaust  their best hope being a militarily strong and uncompromising Jewish state.

But he was politically sidelined in the early decades of Israel's existence and toiled away in obscurity at American universities, instead investing his hopes in his sons.

Its in these father-son relationships that these authoritarians get made," Cohen said, comparing the elder Netanyahu to Fred Trump, the real-estate developer and father of the former president.

Ben-Zion's oldest son, Yonatan, perished in a commando raid at Entebbe Airport in Uganda in 1976, in which more than 100 Jewish hostages were rescued from Palestinian hijackers. Yonatan is celebrated as one of Israel's greatest war heroes.

Benjamin, who was first elected prime minister in 1996 as a staunch opponent of the peace process with the Palestinians, returned to office in 2009 and went on to become the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history. His long rule ended last year, but he is eyeing a comeback even as he is on trial for corruption.

Netanyahu was a close ally of President Trump and emulated his style of rule. He presented himself as the only leader capable of shepherding Israel through dangerous times, dismissed critical media coverage as fake news and accused law enforcement of waging a witch hunt against him.

Like Trump, his rule left the country bitterly divided between supporters who view him as an almost messianic savior and opponents who see him as a corrupt fascist threatening the foundations of democracy.

But everyone tuned in for the spectacle.

They are mascots in a way, hated mascots, and I resented the omnipresence of this saga that I didnt sign up for, Cohen said. "I wanted to take some of its powers of projection and use it for my own purposes.

In the process, Cohen also contrasts the Jewish-American experience of assimilation in a multi-cultural nation, despite a certain level of antisemitism, and the nationalism of the Israeli right, which is personified by Ben-Zion and is now the dominant strain in Israeli politics.

Anshel Pfeffer, the author of a biography of Benjamin Netanyahu and a columnist for Israel's Haaretz newspaper, says the novel captures two separate stories of Jewish success that contradict and rebuff each other.

"All of a sudden, after 2000 years of exile and persecution, the Jews had become a success story, but not with just one success," he wrote in a column last fall. American Jews were finally proving that, in the land of the free, there was no need for a Jewish homeland and Israeli Jews were proving that only in their homeland could Jews be truly free.

The novel has increased relevance at a time when the Jewish communities in the United States and Israel  the world's two largest  seem to be drifting apart.

Israel has lurched to the right over the past two decades and is now dominated by nationalist parties opposed to Palestinian statehood, even as American Jews are increasingly divided over the conflict. Religious affairs in Israel have long been dominated by the ultra-Orthodox, who refuse to recognize the more liberal strains of Judaism to which most American Jews adhere.

Cohen said he was conscious of the gaps and breakages everywhere"  between his generation's views of Israel and its parents', and between American and Israeli Jews. But he shies away from discussing his own politics and identity, aside from saying he had a religious Jewish upbringing in the United States and has spent considerable time in Israel.

Im a writer. Thats a different nationality, its a different identity, its a different religion," he said. As to his relationship with Israel, he says he comes from a Jewish tradition in which biting satire is "an act of love.

The book was really written as a comedy," he said. To me that is its politics.
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A report released earlier this month highlights the top Mexican fast-food restaurants in the United States as well as the top five options in each state. So, what's America's Mexican restaurant of choice and does this trend align with the top spot in Texas?

The report from the TOP marketing agency presents many key findings related to the hospitality industry both nationally and at the state level. Beneath a chart titled "US Taco Craze," a graphic in the report details taco consumption across the country noting that 21.4% of respondents said they consume at least 24 tacos per month. Although about one-quarter (23.3%) said they consume zero tacos monthly and 42% stated that they consume four to 12 tacos each month.
God's angels are truly watching over us. He makes this point clear in Scriptures throughout the Bible. Read on for six Bible verses that remind us there are angels watching over you.

In this article:

As humans, we typically imagine Gods protection as a magical force field that keeps us from all harm. While God has the ability to stop evil, we have to remember that we live in a fallen world where we have free will. Because of this, sometimes God works in ways that we do not understand. Instead, Gods protection can come in the form of peace and strength in the middle of despair, possibly in the form of angels.

As believers in Jesus, we are promised a new life covered under the protection of God and His angels in which nothing can ever separate us from His love. We can rest easy knowing that no matter what hardship we face, God is our provider and protector. He sends down His angels to watch over us and protect us from the harm of the world. These angels can give us peace so we can focus on knowing there is a bigger plan that God has chosen us for.

Angels have been cited all throughout the bible for their amazing ability to protect those in harm. Here are words straight from the Book of God that remind us that we are protected by Gods angels.

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.

This translates literally to mean that God will instruct His angels to watch over individuals. God will give each of His angels a purpose: to guard His children. Those who are faithful will be under the constant care of His angels.

For it is written, He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully.

In this chapter of Luke, Satan challenged Jesus to throw Himself off the highest point of the temple by citing that God would protect Jesus with His angels. However when citing the Psalm 91:11 verse, Satan purposefully omitted in all your ways thus changing the meaning. The fact is that God sends His angels to protect those who have committed themselves to His loving care, not to those who want to put Him to the test.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.

The angel of the Lord can mean any one of Gods angels. In this passage, it is noted that God would send His angels down to His true loyal children and rescue them from danger. His angels will lift us up and keep us from harm if we choose to trust in Him.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Here, Jesus speaks of how God values each of His children. Because He loves each of us so much, God assigns angels to each of us for our protection. No matter who you are, how low you may feel in life, God doesnt discriminate who gets angels to watch over them. Instead, He tells others to not despise one another. In addition, the angels have direct access to God and are a helpful communication liaison between heaven and earth.

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Angels are sent by God to protect us so that we are able to inherit Gods kingdom in heaven. Angels are servants of God that carry out His will and work for our good. Here, we are given protection and shelter by the angels by their ability to assist us in our deliverance from sin and being gifted by eternal life in heaven.

See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

This is a great example of God showing how He can use His angels to protect His children. The Lord was promising the Israelites that they would be guided by an angel to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Israelites were protected during their journey through the wilderness because they trusted in God and His promises.

These bible verses serve as reminders that Gods angels will always watch over us. If we trust in God and His plan for us, we will be protected by His angels as we walk throughout life. Angels are a direct way for us to connect with the Lord, so we should accept their protection and trust in their abilities.

Megan Bailey is the Social Media Specialist and Content Producer for Beliefnet. She attended James Madison University where she received a degree in psychology.
Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with Suchart Tancharoen, first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, via video link in Beijing, capital of China, May 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with Suchart Tancharoen, first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, via video link on Tuesday.

Wang said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the China-Thailand traditional friendship has become more profound and flourishing, and the two countries have firmly supported each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns.

He added that China is ready to work with Thailand to give full play to the positive role of the legislatures, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning in rule of law, and advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, contributing to the development of bilateral relations and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.

Suchart Tancharoen said Thailand firmly upholds the one-China policy, expressing hopes to deepen exchanges between the legislatures of the two countries and provide a sound legal environment for bilateral practical cooperation. 

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with Suchart Tancharoen, first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, via video link in Beijing, capital of China, May 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
An Indonesian family who escaped from the Islamic State group in Raqqa gather inside their tent at a refugee camp in Ain Issa, Syria, July 24, 2017.

Five Indonesian nationals who had their assets frozen by the United States are suspected of being involved in financing the Islamic State militant groups efforts to recruit teens to fight in Syria and other countries, Indonesias counter-terrorism agency confirmed Tuesday.

Two of the suspects are in Indonesia while the other three are at Camp al-Hol in Syria near the Turkish border, the BNPT agency said. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department named five Indonesian suspects, saying the United States had frozen their U.S. assets and was prohibiting people from engaging in certain transactions with them.

The five individuals  have played a key role in facilitating the travel of extremists to Syria and other areas where ISIS operates, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release, using a different acronym for Islamic State (IS).

The Treasury identified the five as Dwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna and Dini Ramadhani.

By designating them, we aim to expose and disrupt an international ISIS facilitation network that has financed ISIS recruitment, including of vulnerable children in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.

In Jakarta, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Nurwahid, the BNPTs director of prevention, confirmed that the five were foreign terrorist fighters, the term for people who join militant groups abroad. Nurwahid declined to disclose how much money the five had allegedly raised to support the IS.

We cant reveal the figures because its part of the investigation, Nurwahid told BenarNews. Furthermore, the government, in this case, BNPT, will follow up in accordance with the existing authorities and powers based on the law.

The U.S. government identified Susanti as an IS financial facilitator since at least 2017, saying she assisted members of the militant group with money transfers involving individuals in Indonesia, Turkey, and Syria. It said Susanti had helped her unnamed husband deliver nearly U.S. $4,000 and weapons to an IS leader in 2017.

As of early 2021, Susanti has facilitated money transfers from Indonesia to Syria to provide funds to some people in displaced persons camps, according to the Treasury. In some cases, it said, these funds were used to smuggle teens out of the camps to the desert where IS foreign fighters received them.

Susanti, Ramadhani and Adhiguna are at the al-Hol camp on Syrias border with Turkey, according to BNPT.

Densus 88

Heryadi was deported from Turkey on Sept. 27, 2019, and had been sentenced to three years and six months before being released on parole on Monday, the same day the U.S. announced its sanctions, according to BNPT. Kardian, who was arrested in 2016 on charges linked to efforts to assist Indonesians traveling to Syria to join IS, has been released from custody as well.

Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, the spokesman for the Indonesian national police, said the counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 had been monitoring the suspects.

We will be in contact with the NCB-Interpol to find those who are allegedly abroad, as well as with the Interpol in the countries where they are allegedly located, Dedi told BenarNews, referring to the National Central Bureau, which links police to the global Interpol network.

Al Chaidar Abdurrahman Puteh, a terrorism analyst at Malikussaleh University, confirmed the allegations.

Dini Ramadhani and Dwi Dahlia Susanti were in and out of Turkey and Syria to take ISIS children from the Deir Al-Azur and al-Hol camps, Al Chaidar told BenarNews.

Meanwhile, Dyah Ayu Kartika, an analyst with the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), said the U.S. government had issued statements that essentially barred its citizens from carrying out transactions with those aiding the IS and other militant groups.

For individuals, its actually quite rare, so we are still investigating these five names, Dyah told BenarNews.

She noted that the World Human Care, an NGO formed by the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, was sanctioned in February 2021 for allegedly funding militants in Syria under the guise of humanitarian aid. Luki Abdul Hayyi, secretary general of the NGO, rejected the U.S. allegations.

In a recent report, IPAC said many Indonesians on global terrorism lists, in particular the U.S. Treasury list, automatically get a similar designation from the United Nations. Still, the lists are perpetually out of date, leaving out some of the most notorious terrorists while including people who were never involved in violence, the report alleged.

This may be in part because of the bureaucratic procedures involved in placing new names on the list (let alone removing old ones), but also because enforcing sanctions against those listed could complicate government efforts at rehabilitation and reintegration, the report said.
Malaysia plans to increase exports of palm oil by 30 percent this year to meet a growing global demand following a decision by neighboring Indonesia last month to ban foreign shipments of the product, the minister for plantation industries and commodities said Tuesday.Malaysia is recruiting foreigners for the plantation sector to meet the demand after a similar effort in February that brought in 30,000 workers, Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said.

Both upstream oil palm growers and downstream oil producers in Malaysia should join hands to reap the benefit of the void following neighboring Indonesias decision to halt its palm oil exports, Zuraida said.

Last September, the Malaysian government approved plans to recruit 32,000 migrant workers for palm oil plantations  a move that led to an influx in mid-February. A new batch of foreign workers is expected to arrive through June to meet the manpower needs to harvest palm fruit and produce oil.[I]n the longer term, the ministry projects palm oil production and export to rise by 30 percent by the end of 2022, which comes against the backdrop of Malaysia having reopened its international borders, Zuraida said in a statement.

The announcement follows the Indonesian governments decision to halt palm oil exports, beginning on April 28, to control prices and address domestic shortages of the commodity.

[T]his is nonetheless the best time for Malaysian palm oil players to enhance their innovation capability while exploring the best possible strategies to meet a spike in demand by palm oil importing countries, Zuraida said.

Malaysia is the worlds second largest oil producer, trailing only Indonesia. It exported 17.2 million tons in 2021, a figure expected to increase to more than 22 million tons by the end of the year.

Tax-cut proposal

Zuraida said her ministry had proposed temporarily slashing the export tax on palm oil to 4 percent to 6 percent from the current 8 percent, Reuters news service reported.

During these times of crisis, probably we can relax a little bit so that more palm oil can be exported, Zuraida told the news service, adding that the request came from importing countries.

Despite the ministrys upbeat projection, local players remained cautious because of manpower concerns.

The reality is we can increase our production, but this still would not be enough to meet world demand, given the huge market size left by Indonesia, said Mohd Nageeb Abdul Wahab, the chief executive officer of the Malaysian Palm Oil Association.

He said Indonesias ban added urgency to addressing the labor crunch.

Unless the government expedites the process to bring in the migrant workers as soon as possible, Malaysia may not be able to fill the supply gap to meet global palm oil demand, he told BenarNews.

Swapping rice and warplanes for palm-oil?

Zuraida noted that Indonesias move to ban its exports left a huge vacuum for the Indian market.

India is currently the biggest consumer of Indonesian palm oil  importing around 13 million to 13.5 million metric tons of edible oils  of which palm oil makes up around 8 million to 8.5 million metric tons, she said. Almost 45 percent of the quantity was expected to come from Indonesia while the remainder is sourced from Malaysia.

B.N. Reddy, the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, said his country was in talks with the Malaysian government to raise its annual imports from Malaysia by 2 million tons.

He told local media that India had proposed paying for the additional palm oil with commodities such as rice and sugar along with military technology, manufacturing and services.

Indias Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has sought to sell 18 Tejas fighter-jets valued at about 4 billion ringgit (U.S. $912 million) to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) which announced plans in mid-2021 to purchase trainer/light combat aircraft.

A Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities spokesperson said a working committee had been established to discuss Indias proposal.



No decision has been made yet, the spokesperson said.

Indias proposal to acquire Malaysian commodities in exchange for military could be expected, said Mohd Nazari Ismail, a professor at the University of Malayas Department of Business Strategy and Policy.

This is quite normal. We have also acquired military equipment from Russia in exchange for palm oil. Countries that want to preserve their foreign exchange reserves will normally ask for countertrade arrangements, he told BenarNews.

I think Malaysia should accept the offer, depending on the quality of military equipment being offered, but it is for our military experts to decide.

While India is the biggest customer, Malaysia is receiving inquiries from Europe and China following Indonesias announcement.

Noah Lee in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a Philippine presidential candidate and son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., speaks to the members of the media at his party headquarters in Manila, May 9, 2022.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late Filipino dictator and presumed winner of this weeks Philippine presidential election in a landslide, will likely seek to turn the country to an ally of China, despite lingering anti-Beijing sentiment, analysts said.

Bongbong Marcos garnered more than 30.8 million votes by an unofficial count on Monday, and looks likely to take office in June.

Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, is expected to serve as Marcos vice president.

Marcos has already said he wants to pursue closer ties with China, including disregarding a 2016 ruling from The Hague that invalidated Chinas massive territorial claims to the South China Sea.

Marcos has sought to distance himself from the ruling, which has been rejected by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing, and said he would likely continue to develop Dutertes policy of closer ties with China.

Marcos election is a milestone in the political life of the Philippines, according to Zhuang Jiaying, associate professor of politics at Singapores National University.

During Marcos presidential campaign, there was also a campaign of harassment targeting supporters of rival candidates that raised questions about whether democracy is taking a backward step, and whether [Marcos] will continue the current wave of authoritarian leadership, Zhuan told the Mandarin Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA).

[Marcos] comments seem to favor a more pro-China stance, but whether those ideas can be realized in terms of policy is another matter, Zhuang said. When Duterte came to power, China promised a lot of investment, but it didnt live up to expectations.

That gap caused disappointment in the Philippines, whose defense and security forces have become more suspicious of China because of its unrelenting pressure regarding the South China Sea dispute, he said. Even if Marcos himself wants a good relationship with China, he will meet with a certain amount of doubt and resistance.

US ties run deep

Jeremy Chiang, of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, said there had been a certain amount of popular support for the Marcos regime among Filipinos, despite the former dictators ouster by a peaceful People-Power revolution in 1986.

When Marcos fell, not all Filipinos opposed him, Chiang said. In particular, the Marcos family had a positive image in their political heartland, and also in the popular imagination, and some still miss being part of a strong nation and economy at that time.

This image has been fed to young people via social media, so young people have a fairly good impression of Marcos, he said.

It could be hard, he said, for Marcos to wean his country off military and security reliance on the United States.

Military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States has evolved into a long-term strategy, with many people in the Philippines military and diplomatic service cherishing that relationship, Chiang said.

That kind of relationship with such a solid foundation was hard to shake off during Dutertes term, despite the fact that China had [offered] more financial resources and aid programs, he said.

Analysts have also cited anti-Chinese government sentiment among much of the Philippine population who see their fishermens livelihoods being threatened and lives being endangered by alleged harassment on the part of Chinese navy and coast guard ships.

Manila is Washingtons biggest ally in Southeast Asia, where an increasingly assertive China is encroaching on other claimant nations exclusive economic zones in the disputed South China Sea.

During his term, Duterte tested the U.S.-Philippines relationship, threatening to drop one of many bilateral security agreements and vowing never to set foot in the United States while president.

Domestically, the Philippine economy is just recovering after being in one of the worlds longest lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marcos might well try to revive Dutertes early outreach to Beijing, but he is unlikely to toss the U.S. alliance overboard as part of the effort, Greg Poling, a Southeast Asia analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think-tank, said in an article published Monday.

There will be rough patches for the alliance to manage. But they must be managed. In the face of a revisionist China, the United States oldest Asian alliance is more vital than ever before, regardless of who Filipinos (or Americans) choose as their president.

This report was produced by the Mandarin Service of Radio Free Asia, the parent company of BenarNews.
A participant experiences 5G service demonstrations during the launching ceremony of pre-commercial 5G services trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 9, 2022. Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Ethiopia's first 5G services, which was launched across six mobile stations in Addis Ababa, is said to be part of the Ethiopian government's digital transformation aspirations.

"We are pleased and honored to launch the world's advanced fifth-generation network. We are committed to seeing a digital Ethiopia, which will uplift our people's overall living conditions," Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio-Telecom, said during the launching event.

Tamiru said the 5G network service, characterized by the fastest speed and low latency and massive communication capability that offers service for up to 1 million connections within 1 square km, can unlock blazing fast speeds in more places, real-time responses and massive connectivity.

Tamiru noted that Ethio-Telecom will expand its pre-commercial trial service across the capital and regional cities, reaching up to 150 sites over the coming 12 months.

With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will impact industries such as critical services requiring real-time decisions, manufacturing plants, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, as well as facilitate the Internet of Things (IoT), said Tamiru.

"This 5G service will provide our customers with best-in-class solutions, improve their experience and allow our enterprise customers to boost productivity, enhance operational efficiency, and introduce new solutions to their customers," Tamiru said.

Ethio-Telecom, which is the sole telecom services provider in Ethiopia so far, said the pre-commercial trial of the 5G service was launched after a temporary 5G Spectrum approval by the Ethiopian Communication Authority while its strategic partner Huawei technologies deployed the 5G network.

Hou Wei, Vice President of Huawei Northern Africa, said as one of Ethio-Telecom's strategic partners, Huawei will keep focusing on cooperating with Ethiopia's state-owned telecom service provider through the provision of state-of-the-art solutions, reliable delivery, fast response and trustable maintenance.

"Huawei has been devoting (itself) to this market for more than 20 years, and we have observed the fast development and great evolution of the telecom industry in this country," he said.

Ethio-Telecom said the full commercialization of the 5G service is dependent on the readiness and demand from the players in the ecosystem, which includes customers' readiness to use the service as well as availability of 5G-enabled devices and smartphones.

The company, which is recognized as one of Africa's oldest telecom service providers, has more than 60.8 million subscribers, with about 25 million data and Internet users.

As part of its ambition to provide modern telecom service to its users, the company partners with Chinese tech companies, mainly Huawei and ZTE.

The company said it has already expanded 3G and 4G networks throughout the East African nation effectively, achieving 97 percent telecom services coverage while densifying the network and upgrading the earlier technologies to the latest ones. 

A 5G technology supported robot interacts with participants during the launching ceremony of pre-commercial 5G services trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 9, 2022. Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

A 5G technology supported robot interacts with participants during the launching ceremony of pre-commercial 5G services trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 9, 2022. Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

A participant experiences 5G service demonstrations during the launching ceremony of pre-commercial 5G services trial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 9, 2022. Ethiopia's state-owned Ethio-Telecom on Monday evening launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in the capital Addis Ababa in partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
A university student protesting Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s lead in the presidential polls faces off with riot police outside the Commission on Elections in Manila, May 10, 2022.

Updated at 2 p.m. ET on 2022-05-10

Filipino human rights activists and other protesters faced off with riot police Tuesday as they gathered outside the election commission here to reject the likely landslide victory of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of their countrys late dictator, in this weeks presidential polls.

The protesters turned out to vent their anger over the starkly real prospect that Marcos Jr. was poised to govern the country for the next six years and become the first Marcos to do since his fathers tyrannical rule ended 36 years ago. They accused the younger Marcos of whitewashing and legitimizing the atrocities and other abuses of power committed during the Marcos regime (1965-86).

Marcos and Sara Duterte-Carpio, his running mate who is the popular daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, epitomize bad politics, the activists alleged.

The two represent the worst brand of traditional politics and governance in our nations history  one that promotes authoritarianism as a response to the legitimate exercise of political dissent [and] upholds mendicancy to foreign interests over national sovereignty, said Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan, a local human rights group.

As in previous years, Marcos Jr. has not only refused to publicly acknowledge the crimes of his father and his familys role as direct beneficiaries of such crimes, [but] he has [also] whitewashed, even legitimized, the atrocities of his fathers dictatorship, she said Tuesday.

The people who joined the non-violent protest outside the headquarters of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) included university students and supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo, the oppositions main presidential hopeful in the May 9 general election, who was polling far behind Bongbong Marcos in second place, according to an unofficial tally of votes.

Late in the day, the Marcos camp issued a statement in which the presidential candidate urged the Filipino people to judge me not by my ancestors but by my actions, according to Reuters.

This is a victory for all Filipinos, and for democracy, the news agency quoted Vic Rodriguez, the spokesman for the Marcos campaign, as saying.

An anti-Marcos protester holds up a placard in front of police in Manila, May 10, 2022. [Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews]

On Tuesday, both the presidential and vice-presidential candidate commanded big leads, according to unofficial vote counts, and appeared to be on the verge of winning in their respective races. In the Philippines, the president and vice-president are elected separately.

In the tally of unofficial counts that covered 95 percent of voting precincts nationwide, Marcos Jr. had obtained 30,367,737 votes by noon on Tuesday, while his close rival Leni Robredo, who defeated him in 2016 for the post of vice president, had garnered 14,478,817 votes.

Duterte-Carpio received 30,735,256 votes in the vice-presidential race, well ahead of her closest opponent with just 9,021,444 votes.

Later in the day, two of the other top five presidential candidates, Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao and Francisco Domagoso, the mayor of Manila, both bowed out of the race and conceded defeat, newswire services reported.

For many who voted against Marcos Jr., the win is a dark reminder of the times when his father, Ferdinand E. Marcos, ruled the country with an iron fist for 14 years under martial law before being forced from office in a popular revolt in 1986.

During the dictatorship, Marcos is believed to have imprisoned, tortured and killed thousands of his political critics. The Marcos family also deepened the general hardship of Filipinos by plundering billions of dollars from state coffers.

In 1989, the patriarch died in Hawaii, where he lived in exile. His wife, Imelda, and children were permitted to return home three years later, and where, little by little, they began to mount a remarkable political comeback in an effort to rehabilitate the name of a dynasty hated by many Filipinos.

The Marcos-Duterte tandem

Marcos Jr. strengthened his position in the 2022 presidential race, analysts say, after forming a coalition with Duterte-Carpio. Since taking office in 2016, her father has overseen the war on drugs, in which thousands of alleged drug users and dealers have been killed.

It has been internationally condemned, and Rodrigo Duterte faces an ICC investigation over the killings. While Marcos Jr. vowed to continue the drugs war, he has said he would do it differently and with fewer killings.

He has committed to ensuring Dutertes protection from accountability for his bloody drug war by his public expression of rejection of the International Criminal Courts jurisdiction on the investigation of these crimes, Palabay alleged, adding the presidents daughter has also remained unapologetic, defending and promising to continue her fathers policies.

We call upon the Filipino people to strongly reject the notorious tandem and to stand strong against possible and further suppression and violation of peoples rights, Palabay said.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said that Marcos Jr., once in office, should declare an end to the war on drugs and order an impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of officials responsible for killings related to the crackdown.

The incoming president should fully cooperate with the ICC investigation, Robertson said, and support the Philippines in rejoining the Rome Statute, which Duterte unilaterally withdrew the country from in 2018 after accusing the ICC of attacking him.

Meanwhile, the Comelec dismissed four appeals seeking to bar Marcos Jr. from the presidential race due to his tax conviction in the 1990s, according to online news Rappler. The ruling was released on Tuesday. The petitioners can take it to the Supreme Court. The election body has already dismissed several cases, while two more remain.

Anti-Marcos protesters face off with crowd-control police near the election commission in Manila, May 10, 2022. [Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews]

Mood of the times

Ronnie Holmes, president of polling firm Pulse Asia, which had predicted the win, told online news Rappler that Marcos Jr.s victory defuses the extent his opponents perceive him as a polarizing figure.

By expressing himself as the unity candidate, what he does is tell people who are open to support him that I will not anymore be the person who will polarize the nation, Holmes said.

Julio Teehankee, a political analyst affiliated with the De La Salle University, described Marcoss apparent tsunami win as part of the mood of the times.

Given the pandemic, we were thinking, after what we experienced ... and how the government handled the pandemic, we would [be longing] for a more technocratic good governance, reformist approach, but instead the opposite happens, Teehankee said.

People are tired. They dont have patience, so what is the solution? Lets unite. It may be illogical for us, but theres that inherent logic; theres a rationale with the masses.

Policemen guard form a line guarding the perimeter of the headquarters of the elections commission in Manila, May 10, 2022. [Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews]

For one leading politician from the opposition, Marcos Jr.s victory is a sign of worse things to come.

This is bad for the country. There would be no good governance as we know it. Cronyism and dynasty will thrive, said Sen. Leila De Lima, a jailed arch critic of President Duterte.

De Lima is running for re-election from her prison cell. She has been incarcerated since 2017 on what she insists are trumped-up charges that she had received funds from illegal drug syndicates when she was the countrys justice secretary.
With victory almost certain in the Philippine general election, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. will become the first Marcos to occupy the Malacanang Palace in Manila since a peaceful Peoples Power uprising in 1986 toppled his father, one of Asias most infamous dictators.

During his campaign for president, Marcos Jr., the 64-year-old only son of Ferdinand E. Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos shunned public debates with other contenders and kept his distance from reporters, while preaching the theme of unity as the main plank in his electoral platform.

Along the way, he refused to apologize for alleged widespread abuses committed by his namesake father, and during the campaign portrayed his dynastic familys notorious past as a golden age in Philippine history.

[T]o all of those who have been with us in this long and sometimes very difficult journey for the last six months ... I want to thank you for all that you have done for us, he told his supporters at Marcos campaign headquarters on Monday night.

There are thousands of you out there, volunteers, parallel groups, political leaders that have, that cast their lot with us, because of their belief in our message of unity, because of their belief in the candidate.

Anyone wondering why Filipinos would elect the son of an iron-fisted ruler blamed for thousands of deaths and plundering his countrys coffers need look no farther than Marcos Jr.'s mother, Imelda, who once said: Perception is real and the truth is not.

And while on the campaign trail, Marcos Junior, his critics say, managed to whitewash the perception of his fathers brutal legacy through his judicious use of social media  by employing legions of keyboard warriors to paint Marcos Senior as the best president the country ever had.

Bongbong, as he is popularly known, or BBM (for Bongbong Marcos), nostalgically refers to his fathers rule as a golden era and has called his mother the best politician Ive ever seen  opinions that many Filipinos seem to now share.

By extension, then, he has made his campaign all about uniting the country, implying that the opposition was doing otherwise  also a position that a majority of those who eventually became voted for him seemed to buy into.

Marcos Jr. was around 28 when the entire clan was forced to flee the country 36 years ago, ending Marcos Seniors 21-year rule.

It later emerged that Ferdinand E. Marcos had stolen more than U.S. $10 billion from the nations coffers and his wife Imelda had amassed a collection of some 3,000 designer shoes, as well as racks upon racks overflowing with luxury gowns and clothes  many with their labels still on them.

Bongbongs father died in Hawaii three years later. Imelda and the children were allowed to return home in 1991.

Since then, Marcos Jr, has served as governor, congressman and senator. In 2016, Marcos Jr. ran for vice-president but narrowly lost to Leni Robredo who he has a huge lead against as of Tuesday evening in the May 9 general election.

Bongbong did not graduate from college but has a special diploma in social studies from Oxford University, and in the 1970s attended the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business.

His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps but worried about him, according to Seniors diary entries from June1972 widely reported in the media.

Bongbong is our principal worry. He is too carefree and lazy.

[T]he boy must get character. The boy must realize his weakness  the carefree wayward ways that may have been bred in him, Ferdinand E. Marcos reportedly wrote in his diary.

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 File Photo]

According to one expert on Philippine politics, Bongbong was well positioned to win big in the May 9 election, because his campaign got a boost from his vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, the mayor of Davao City and the popular daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, the incumbent president who is leaving office due to term limits. Duterte-Carpio, in fact, had been widely expected to declare her own run for president in 2022.

Lest we forget, the reason why Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is there is not because of his personal achievements, its also not necessarily because his father was the best president we ever had as some people want it. Its because hes part of a tandem, The Duterte-Marcos axis, Richard Javad Heydarian, of De La Salle University in Manila, said during a webinar last week.

Heydarian noted that Marcos started in third place in polls before the campaigns began. His climb in the polls comes from Sara Duterte who actually was the leading candidate in pre-election surveys.

Observers said Marcos likely would protect Rodrigo Duterte from investigations into the thousands of killings linked to the drug war, including by the International Criminal Court, when he leaves office and loses immunity from prosecution.

While Marcos Jr. has vowed to continue the war on drugs, he has said he would do it differently and with fewer killings.

Fears for a free press

Meanwhile, another analyst, Sam Chittick of the Asia Foundation, also noted that through his campaign Marcos Jr. gave the media no access, any interviews he granted were very controlled and he participated in no debates.

Journalists and media observers had also noted that Marcos Jr. had been the least open of all the 10 candidates in the race. However, he had defended himself recently in a television interview, wondering why journalists were complaining about the lack of access to him, when videos of journalists struggling to get near him had circulated widely online.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) said last week that these were signs that a Marcos victory would not bode well for the fourth estate.

All these restrictive actions undermine a critical and free press in an Asian bulwark of democracy and have sparked fears on how independent media would be treated under another possible Marcos presidency, FOCAP said.

It is for reasons such as these that many analysts called Mondays election a watershed one for the Philippines.

I have called this not once  I think multiple times  as the most consequential election in Philippine history at least since 1969, analyst Heydarian said, referring to an election that then-incumbent Marcos Sr. won a few years before he declared martial law in 1972.

Heydarian said he feared Marcos may push to amend the constitution, but he didnt elaborate.

He can set the tone for Philippine politics for a generation to come, Heydarian said.
South Africa: DWS hosts workshop in N Cape to improve sanitation

The Department of Water and Sanitation will on Thursday host a faecal sludge management workshop with all Northern Cape water and sanitation stakeholders.

The workshop will be held in the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality in Upington.

The department in a statement said it had made strides in developing the National Faecal Sludge Management Strategy (NFSMS) for non-sewer sanitation systems, the National Sanitation Integrated Plan (NSIP) and the National Sanitation Framework (NSF).

The consultative workshop will be a platform to share and solicit inputs from all stakeholders in the Northern Cape to further advance the framework.

As a result of disparities and inequity in access to sanitation services, the unintended consequences of sewer spillages and other sanitation challenges, the NFSMS, NSF and NSIP will be geared to implement radical changes in the water and sanitation sector, it said.

The department said some of the issues under scrutiny are sanitation norms and standards that needed to be revised and tailored to address faecal sludge removal, dignity, especially of women, the elderly and the girl child.

Another thorn in the flesh has been the eradication of bucket toilets that have morphed into a moving target due to the mushrooming of informal settlements. Better forms of sanitation in terms of norms and standards will have to be implemented and enforced to ensure the total eradication of bucket toilets.

The department said there is a need to strengthen support to Water Service Authorities such as municipalities, which can be done through water and sanitation sector collaboration and partnerships.

Participation by communities will also be strengthened by further enhancing water and sanitation forums.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Engagement with China to continue in post-Duterte era despite US factor

(Global Times) 08:49, May 10, 2022

Manila needs to deal with rising pro-US forces and their pressure: expert

Supporters of presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are seen during his final campaign rally for the 2022 national and local elections in Paranaque City, the Philippines, May 7, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

As millions of Philippine voters lined up at polling stations on Monday, the country will either have Vice President Leni Robredo or former senator and congressman Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as their new leader. Observers said that in the post-Duterte era, China-Philippine relations may face some twists and turns amid US interference especially over the South China Sea issue. But any leader with political wisdom would take a mutually beneficial approach in dealing with relations with China.

Some 67.5 million Filipinos aged 18 and over are eligible to vote. Polling stations in the Philippines opened at 6 am and closed at 7pm. Once the polls close, counting gets underway immediately and the candidate with the most votes wins, and the inauguration take place in June, Philippine media reported on Monday.

Marcos, Jr., son of former president Ferdinand Marcos, is the frontrunner. Sara Duterte, daughter of the current president Rodrigo Duterte, is running for vice-president alongside Marcos. His main opponent is Robredo. Celebrated boxer Manny Pacquiao, who is now a senator, is also running with seven other candidates.

Opinion polls suggested Marcos, Jr. remains in the lead although Robredo appears to be closing the gap and analysts said that until the last minute, any result can come out due to the fluid political situation in the Philippines.

Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of Philippine-BRICS Strategic Studies, believes that Marcos, Jr. will win, given his 60 percent preference in all credible and legitimate polls.

But the campaign of Robredo "has done almost everything it can" to erode the overwhelming advantage of Marcos, Jr., including hyping threats of "People Power," the Philippine expert told the Global Times, noting that US media have hyped the criticism of the family of Marcos, Jr., especially his father and called him the "son of a dictator."

Marcos, Sr. was the president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial law from 1972 until 1981 and kept most of his martial law powers until he was deposed in 1986. As one of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century, Marcos' rule was criticized by opponents for "corruption and extravagance."

Differ on China issues

The election has drawn considerable attention as the two leading candidates differ on policies especially toward China and the South China Sea, and analysts from the Philippines, China and the US as well as from ASEAN discussed its influence on bilateral relations and the region in the post-Duterte era.

Laurel gave high praise to outgoing President Duterte. Duterte led the Philippines through his six-year term to a very successful and beneficial practice of an "independent foreign policy," particularly on the engagement with China and economic development through trade and infrastructure development.

Laurel told the Global Times that Marcos, Jr. "will definitely continue to engage China in dialogue and negotiations" to arrive at "win-win" solutions.

Duterte has insisted on a pragmatic attitude to keep cooperation with China and properly deal with maritime disputes, and he is also known for maintaining close exchanges with Chinese leaders.

Marcos, Jr., who is known for his pragmatic political views, stressed that he may carry on the policies of Duterte to focus more on domestic affairs, which may attract supporters of his father and Sara Duterte's father, Chen Xiangmiao, an assistant research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times.

But Robredo, who is deemed as a pro-US politician, has her own advantages - former Cabinet members and government officials of the late former president Benigno Aquino III backed Robredo and she has earned support as a female candidate, Chen said, noting that the result is hard to predict.

Unlike Robredo, who once claimed to use the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling as a "weapon" to deal with the sea row with China, during the presidential debate hosted by media in February, Marcos, Jr. said he will push for the crafting of a code of conduct between ASEAN and China to resolve the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Some US media noted that a Robredo government would deepen ties with Washington especially when the US is building up an Indo-Pacific framework with the Philippines and ASEAN.

In the post-Duterte era, Philippine leaders need to deal with the rise of pro-US forces and their pressure on the government to take a tough tone toward China, especially on the South China Sea issue.

Aside from rising nationalism, in facing soaring oil prices, the development of oil and gas in the South China Sea may also trigger disputes between China and the Philippines. How the new Philippine government will deal with these tough issues remains unknown, Chen said.

The US has always planned to make the Philippines a major player in its island-chain strategy to contain China. A pro-US government is what the US wants and it has never stopped using intelligence agencies and other organizations to influence some groups in the Philippines and its military, Chen said.

"Marcos is the only son of the former president, who, although a controversial figure that ran a military junta, had always wanted to shake off US control and turned to China to help its country realize socioeconomic development," Sun Xiaoying, a research fellow at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

"Marcos, Jr. knows that the corruption issue during his father's term has long been spoiled by the US, but was later used as a tool to target and attack," Sun said, noting that his father's encounters have left him with contradiction toward the US that is difficult to resolve.

However, Marcos, Jr. is unlikely to be tougher than Duterte amid pressure from the US, but rather, he may go around and use another approach to deal with the US.

On the South China Sea issue, experts said that the key lies in whether China is determined on its stance. As long as China clearly states its principles and draws its red lines, the Philippines would not overturn the issue to a great extent, even with constant interference from the Western world.

"Take the South China Sea Arbitration as an example. Filipino scholars have discussed with us that they know the arbitration has no real legal effect, but with the incessant hype of Western media and extreme pressure from the US, the Philippines has been put in a dilemma," Sun said.

The expert added that the Philippines' role is somehow similar to Ukraine as they both have an important strategic location to the US. "The US and Japan have been 'bombarding' the Southeast Asian country with continuous meddling using disinformation and that has caused a serious impact on the Philippines. Some Filipino scholars told me that what the US has done is neocolonialism, taking control of their politics, economy, and their lifeline," Sun noted.

Chen suggested that in the post-Duterte era, no matter who leads the government, he or she should know the importance of keeping engagement with China, especially on trade since this also fits the interests of the Philippines.

For possible twists and turns on relations and on the South China Sea issue, Chen noted that China should deal with it with greatest sincerity but also prepare for a worse situation. "We seek cooperation on the South China Sea issue and also hope the Philippines meet China half way amid outside forces' interference."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) to remain as the strongest bond between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the youth.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when addressing a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CYLC.

The greatest strength of the CYLC, as the youth's own organization, lies in its broad reach at the grassroots and its deep involvement with young people, Xi said.

He asked the CYLC to continue serving young people, fulfill its responsibility in consolidating and expanding young people's support for the Party's governance, and offer solid help to the young people. 
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.
A Salvadoran man who claims he was jailed, beaten and tortured after being wrongfully deported from the United States has filed a lawsuit against the federal government seeking damages for his treatment
People lay flowers to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, Belarus, May 9, 2022. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

MINSK, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Belarus hosted a series of commemorative events on Monday, dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union in the Eastern Front of World War II.

On the streets of the Belarusian capital Minsk, officials, veterans, students and other residents of the city marched in a column with flowers, balloons and photographs of their relatives who took part in the war, and participated in the flower-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument.

The residents of Minsk also observed a minute of silence in front of the Victory Monument.

Speaking at the ceremony, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the victory in World War II preserved the Belarusian nation, and determined the path of development for all generations of Belarusians.

The fallen soldiers know that Belarus remembers the Victory Day and will always remember it, he said.

Lukashenko expressed his concern about the current NATO actions on the western border of Belarus, saying that he would closely monitor the situation. The situation of 1941 should not be allowed to repeat, he said.

Commenting on the situation in Ukraine, Lukashenko said Belarus would not be an aggressor, but as an ally and strategic partner of Russia, would make every effort to support Russia. At the same time, Belarus is making efforts for an early ceasefire in Ukraine, he added.

Speaking about anti-Belarusian sanctions, Lukashenko noted that the sanctions make the country stronger, while their negative impact on Western countries is hard to ignore.

Nazi Germany officially signed the act of unconditional surrender in a suburb of Berlin on the night of May 8, 1945, Berlin time, which was the early hours of May 9 Moscow time. The Soviet Union declared May 9 "Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War." Today, Victory Day is one of the most important holidays in Russia and Belarus. 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (C) lays flowers during a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, Belarus, May 9, 2022. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

Veterans attend a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, Belarus, May 9, 2022. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

People attend a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, Belarus, May 9, 2022. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

People attend a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Minsk, Belarus, May 9, 2022. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)
Jury selection is underway in Berkshire Superior Court for the trial of two men, including the alleged gunman, accused in the August 2018 shooting of Nick Carnevale at October Mountain State Forest.
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.
LEE  A larger-than-life photograph of Meghan Marohn now graces two area billboard messages, part of an effort to keep her disappearance in the public eye.

Marohns brother, Peter Naple, purchased space on the Center Street outdoor advertisement board and one on the Pittsfield-Lenox Road in Lenox, near Burger King.

The billboards are an attempt to ensure Marohns disappearance doesnt fade from the public consciousness. She has been missing in Lee since late March.

People had recommended I do billboards and it was on my radar. As the search continues, this keeps Meghan on peoples minds, Naple said.

The billboard messages inform those passing that the Delmar, N.Y., woman was last seen March 27. She is described as 5-foot-6, weighing 120 pounds with auburn hair.

Naple last spoke with his sister on the last Saturday in March, after she checked into the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for a weekend getaway. It was their last talk before Marohn, 42, an English teacher, poet and activist, went missing.

The next day, residents spotted her black Subaru in the trailhead parking area at the 46-acre Janet Longcope Park in South Lee. On March 29, seeing that the car hadnt been moved, police began searching the Church Street area. Marohn was an avid hiker and the park has a marked loop trail.

The first two weeks saw almost daily searches in the South Lee area by local and state police, other first responders and Berkshire Mountain Search and Rescue.

The number of searches, according to Naple, have been scaled back, with the next one scheduled for Thursday.

Lee Police Chief Craig DeSantis said there have been no significant developments in the search.

The matter remains under investigation and other incidents in the in the county involving searches for evidence or missing persons have no connection to the Meghan Marohn case, he said.

Two weeks ago, Krisann Rufo, 52, of Lenox, was found dead near October Mountain State Forest. The Berkshire District Attorneys Office said there was no foul play involved. Last week, the FBI led a search of the Housatonic River in Sheffield for the body of an out-of-state person, sources have told The Eagle, but the search came up empty.

Naple says he has conducted his own unsuccessful search for his sister.

Its been frustrating. She has just disappeared. Just finding her car and having some cell phone information is all the clues we have and thats the frustrating part, he said.

Naple says he and others who know Marohn may now have to face a grim reality.

Everything points to the woods and that likely she is no longer with us. But I still hope to find her alive, he said.

Police said this week they do not believe there was foul play involved with Marohns disappearance and that there is no evidence to suggest the public is in danger.
Reporter

Greta Jochem, a Report for America Corps member, joined the Eagle in 2021. Previously, she was a reporter at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. She is also a member of the investigations team.
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
RICHMOND  Winter is over, spring finally came, the frost is out of the ground. And were still playing chicken on Tamarack Road.

While a crew raked patch into quite a few potholes on Barker Road, they drove right past dozens of others. So, its still bumpety-bump on two Pittsfield roads that are admittedly small but very well-traveled.

I learned about the wisdom of losing the chicken game in Scotland where we drove on a number of single-lane roads. Once I lost to a cow who had stretched her length across the road while her calf nursed. Several times I lost to a flock of sheep. But the major lesson was that Scots have a rep for being stubborn, and it was always best to head in at the nearest lay-by, even if you thought you could make it to the next one, when an oncoming car or truck was in sight.

On Tamarack Road, everyone is a loser. And everyone so far is friendly and absolutely exuding empathy, moving onto shoulders and waving and smiling. Its the were-all-in-it-together thing.

Admittedly, the introduction of a giant tree surgeon companys truck and crew on a mission to trim and cut down quite a lot of roadside trees created one more challenge. They carefully directed traffic, but we basically didnt require much instruction. We drivers have learned a lot on that road.

One thing we learned is that our optimism about the fact that the patching truck was practically adjacent to Tamarack while on Barker was misplaced. Weeks ago, some loose stony material was dumped into the worst holes on Tamarack, but traffic sent most of it onto the shoulder within days. Speaking of shoulders, theyre in perpetual use now and quite rutted.

So we continue to bob and weave, driving right down the middle or, British style, on the left side if no ones coming. One of the hazards is that when you are illegally on a smooth stretch and you see an oncoming car, you are tempted to gun it so you dont have to pull right into a crater. Weve turned into the people who speed up when a yellow light looms.

Tamarack Road is on the list of roads designated for work this year, all 8,125 feet of it, from the end of Dan Fox Drive to Barker Road. When Dan Fox was first built, we ignorantly called it the Road to Nowhere  its turned out to be a major cog in car travel from the west and, interestingly, from Stockbridge and Great Barrington for people avoiding the less scenic and more crowded Route 7. The planners knew what they were doing.

The Pittsfield road list covers less than 11 miles, and Tamarack is one of the longer stretches on the schedule. One can only hope that enough of the funds designated for road rehab includes really digging this one out and fixing the drainage. Some of the holes this year are several inches deep, and many of them are old friends from previous winters.

One also hopes the work isnt done alphabetically. Were not looking forward to months of what we have now and would prefer to dodge construction crews as we cross the county to reach Pittsfield, Bousquets restaurant, the bank, pharmacy, dog shop and chocolate emporium. Its proved the Road to Somewhere, and every driver on Tamarack looks as if he/she/they are drunk or using a cellphone.

Not so. Were just doing the Tamarack slalom.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attends a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, May 9, 2022. (Kazakhstan's presidential press service/Handout via Xinhua)

Soldiers lay flowers during a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, May 9, 2022. (Kazakhstan's presidential press service/Handout via Xinhua)

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (1st R) shakes hand with a veteran during a ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, May 9, 2022. (Kazakhstan's presidential press service/Handout via Xinhua)
A homely, Christian man who owned a diesel repair shop never worried about dressing up for work. Anything he wore while there ended up covered in engine grease. After one week of service, his work shirts were so soiled with soaked-in grease, his wife threw in the towel and threw the shirts in the trash. He used to joke he made more money than the president, but one would never know of his wealth by his appearance and his countenance. He was a humble man who loved the Lord, was kind, and loved his family and others until he died.

When he went before God after his death, do you suppose God asked him about his money? Or his power because of his wealth? We may chuckle because we know the answer. God looks at a persons heart, not at their status, family, wealth, etc. In fact, 1 Samuel 16:7 says But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Lets take a look at why this is so important.

What Is the Context of 1 Samuel 16:7?

In 1 Samuel 16:1, God told the prophet Samuel to stop mourning for Saul since He rejected Saul as king of Israel. God then sent Samuel to Jesse the Bethlehemite, For I have provided Myself a king among his sons

When Jesse brought forth the oldest, Samuel thought his appearance and stature was what singled him out as the Lords choice for the next king of Israel. But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

What we need to remember about this passage is the kings heart. The nation of Israel had rejected God as their king and instead, the people wanted a king like all the other nations (1 Samuel 8:5-6). God chose David as king because he was a man after His own heart, so it is a look at Gods king (David) vs. the peoples king (Saul). (cf. Genesis 17:6, Deuteronomy 17, and Judges 21:25)

What Does This Verse Mean?

Even the best of men look at a persons outward appearance; Samuel is no exception. In 1 Samuel 13:14, God told Saul through Samuel He sought for Himself a man after His own heart. Thats the benchmark for us as we review 1 Samuel 16:1. For what is Gods heart like?

In the Bible, the heart is deemed the center of life or potency. Therefore, it is a summation of Gods entire Being. God can never be fully understood by us, but the things He reveals belong to us and our children forever (Deuteronomy 29:29, 30:11-14). His heart is an open book to us as we read the Bible  what many call Gods love letter to us.

God is love (1 John 4:8), and it is His love for us that brought Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). He is righteous in all His ways. That reveals Gods heart, and for a person to be considered as after Gods own heart speaks of one who seeks to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5). God firstabove all else. All the person desires is to be agreeable with Gods will, and not his own. Such was David, whom God chose to be king.

1 Samuel 16:7 agrees with the above passage in that it says our omniscient God knows our hearts  every one of our hearts. He knows each persons heart condition and the motives behind everything we think, say, and do. Man cannot see anothers heart; only God can see a mans heart  the seat of who he intrinsically is.

Why Does It Matter That God Looks at Our Hearts?

Our hearts matter to God for eternity. We humans are fallible, changeable, and sinful. Our hearts are wicked, and, as Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Man cannot, but God can.

We, as humans, were born into sin. In Psalm 51:5-6, David acknowledged, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. David ascribed all knowledge and salvation to God alone.

No matter how hard we strive to be righteous, we cannot do it of our own volition and strength. We can assess another persons heart only by outward appearances, which lie. Actually, we have no business doing that because we dont know anyone elses heart condition but our own, and at times we even lie to ourselves in an effort to feel better about who we are.

King David exalted the Lord God throughout the Psalms, and the many ways David spoke to God about his and our hearts populate the psalms. Here are a few:

- The Lord put joy in his heart. (Psalm 4:7)

- God saves the upright in heart. (Psalm 7:10)

- He would give thanks to God with his whole heart. (Psalm 9:1)

- God will strengthen the heart of the afflicted. (Psalm 10:17)

- Lies come from a dishonest heart. (Psalm 12:2)

- His heart rejoiced in salvation from the Lord. (Psalm 13:5)

- God tries our hearts. (Psalm 17:3)

- Gods laws bring joy to our hearts. (Psalm 19:8)

- God is the One who judges our hearts, and we pray to please Him by their meditations. (Psalm 19:14)

- Our hearts take courage as we wait for the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

- When we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4) When we delight in Him, we want what He wants.

- He is fearfully and wonderfully made by God. (Psalm 139:14) The word, soul, used in this verse is akin to saying his heart knows it very well.

How Should This Impact the Way We Live?

People can lie to themselves about their own sinful, sorry state. They might do something they know is wrong but pass it off as something they had to do to fix someone elses actions or attain a selfish desire, etc.

All things are best left up to God, because when God acts, His whole character is within each action. His heart (and actions) are perfect, holy, just and loving. We only make a hash of things due to how wicked our human hearts are, and God does not accept mere lip service (Matthew 15:8; Colossians 3:23; Ephesians 6:5-8).

We humans cannot do anything with complete purity because our sinful hearts lead us into areas of vast sin, and there is only one way they can be fixed: Jesus Christ.

He is the only way toward a pure heart, and He is the only One whose nature (heart) is perfect. So, salvation is the first action we enjoy as God draws us to Himself through Jesus (John 6:44).

Thank God for Jesus, for when God looks at us (Christians), He sees Jesus and his perfect atonement for us. Was there ever another perfect man with a perfect heart? No. Jesus is the only perfect God-man (John 1:18).

Look at Davids life, the one God called a man after My own heart. What did he do that made him attain such a commendation from the Lord God? David sinned, yes, but his first actions were acknowledgment, confession, repentance, and exalting God for His forgiveness. Psalm 51 is a sterling example of this. In verse 10, David said, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. David knew the Lord is the only One who could cleanse his heart.

A good lesson for all of us.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Aaron Amat

Lisa Loraine Baker is the award-winning author of Someplace to Be Somebody (End Game Press, February 2022). Lisa writes fiction and nonfiction and is currently co-writing a Christian living book with her husband, and a suspense novel.

Lisa is a member of Word Weavers, Intl (as a critique partner and mentor), AWSA, ACFW, Serious Writer Group, and BRRC.

Lisa and her husband, Stephen, inhabit their home as the Newlyweds of Minerva with crazy cat, Lewis.
Of the sixty-six books of the Bible, some books are more widely read than others.

Unfortunately, many readers avoid certain books of the Bible, not because they see them as less important, but often because they dont know very much about them or dont know where to start.

For some Christians, Numbers is one of these books.

The book of Numbers, named for the two numberings of Israel following the Exodus from Egypt, is set in the thirty-eight-year period of Israels wandering in the desert. Though many Christians may gloss over the book of Numbers because of the extensive list of names and numbers found in chapters 1 and 26, the fourth book of the Bible explores several important and beautiful theological themes that Christians today should study.

Of course, there are some Christians who also downplay the significance (or relevance) of the Old Testament altogether, choosing instead to focus solely on the gospels, fulfillment of the Law, and New Covenant established through Jesus Christ.

While the Gospel is the center of the Christian life and faith and should be the starting point of Christian study, discounting or disregarding the Old Testament robs the believer of important context for Christs ministry and mission in the New Testament.

It would be like reading the final book in a trilogy and skipping the first two novels entirely. Yes, the last book may detail the ultimate triumph of the heroes and final victory over the forces of evil, but without the previous books and their set up, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully understand or even appreciate what the final victory really means.

The same is true of the Bible.

We must remember that Scripture exists as one narrative, inspired by God and told in many parts. Old and New Testaments must, therefore, be studied together.

So how does this influence our reading and understanding of the book of Numbers?

What Is Numbers Really About?

By all historical accounts, the book of Numbers begins about a year after the Israelite Exodus from Egypt, as recorded in the book of Exodus.

In their first year free from slavery, the Israelites had journey to Mt. Sinai and there entered into a covenant with God, receiving the Law handed down though Moses.

Authorship of the book of Numbers, the Bible and most scholars affirm, belongs to Moses, who likely wrote the bulk of the text in the final year of his life (Joshua 8:31; 2 Kings 14:6; Nehemiah 8:1; Mark 12:26; John 7:19). Remaining portions were likely completed and edited by Hebrew scribes after Moses death. The main text, however, came from Moses hand.

However, where the book of Leviticus covers about a month in Israels post-Exodus history, the book of Numbers spans closer to forty years (1444-1405 B.C.).

Although the book of Numbers is named in the English language for the numbering of Israels fighting forces as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, the original Hebrew title focuses more on Israels wandering in the desert as the prominent theme of the book, more than the actual census taking.

In many ways, Israels wandering might be a more appropriate starting point to frame our understanding of the book of Numbers.

But why did an 11-day journey to the Promised Land become a nearly 40-year experience of wandering in the desert?

Disbelief and Punishment

As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land (Numbers 1:1-10:10), God instructed Moses to number the fighting men for battle (Numbers 1:2). If the count presented is to be read literally, Israels army could have numbered close to 600,000 fighting men, putting the actual Hebrew population in the range of 2 to 2  million.

With the army counted and final preparations in order, the generation of Israelites whod been delivered from Egypt was now ready to begin the conquest of Canaan and enter the land God had promised them.

However, in Numbers 14, doubt and disbelief got the better of Gods people, who now refused to cross the Jordan River.

It did not matter that God had parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-31), struck the Egyptians with plagues (Exodus 7:14-12:51), and defeated Israels enemies. It did not matter that Israel had entered into a covenant relationship with the God of Abraham, been handed the divine Law of God, or been led to their destination by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. It did not matter that God had delivered His people from Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deuteronomy 4:34). It did not matter that the report of the land was as good as promised (Numbers 13:27).

When ten of the twelve spies saw the people of Canaan, they reported back, we are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us the land through which we have gone to spy out is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:32-33).

Rather than turning to the more accurate report of Joshua and Caleb, who encouraged the people to be courageous and trust in the power and promises of God, the Israelites trembled, refusing to take another step.

As punishment for their disobedience and disbelief, all adults over the age of twenty, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, would be forbidden from ever entering the Promised Land. They would wander the desert until every member of the older generation whod been delivered from Egypt had died off (Numbers 14:26-38).

Thus, a people who had seen the miracles and wonders of God firsthand, forfeited their inheritance and never got to see the fulfillment of Gods promises. They instead would spend the rest of their lives wandering through sand and rock rather than enjoying a land flowing with milk and honey. That land would be reserved for their children.

From then on (Numbers 15-25), the older generation would begin to die off as a new generation came of age, a span of roughly thirty-seven to thirty-eight years.

Most of the events, therefore, recorded in the book of Numbers take place in the second and fortieth year following the Exodus from Egypt.

According to John MacArthur, the lack of material devoted to this thirty-seven-year-period, in comparison with the other years of the journey from Egypt to Canaan, communicates how wasted these years were because of Israels rebellion against the Lord and His consequence judgment. (166)

That being said, God was not done with the nation of Israel.

Only after the previous generation had died off would the next generation be given the opportunity to finally enter the Promised Land as they settled on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River (Numbers 26:64-65).

In Numbers 26, a second numbering of Gods people begins the history of the second generation. This group, led by Joshua, would hold to the promises of God, trust in Gods power, and act in obedience to Gods Word.

Their story and the story of Israels conquest of Canaan continue into the books of Deuteronomy and later Joshua.





Photo credit: Getty Images/Christoph Auer

Why Is Numbers Worth Reading?

The book of Numbers is an important chapter in Israels history and the relationship God shared with His covenant people. Its easy, however, for Christians today to get lost in the names and numbers, genealogies, and customs of the Old Testament, particularly the Hebrew Torah.

Historical context is always key to understanding a book like Numbers. Studying the law, sacrificial systems, and customs of ancient Israel, as outlined by God during this time, is also important to identifying the various ways Christ Himself fulfilled the Law, ushered in a new covenant, and became the ultimate (and final) sacrifice for mans sin in the New Testament.

Of course, the book of Numbers includes important foreshadowing of Christs sacrifice in the story of the Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:9-20) as well as Gods ability to turn what man meant for evil into good in the story of Balaams donkey (Numbers 22:22-41).

However, the pattern of human sin and disobedience, in contrast with Gods faithfulness, is a resounding theme throughout the Bible and human history; and there are several important takeaways from the book of Numbers that Christians of all generations should pay attention to.

God Is Faithful and True to His Promises

Long lists of names and numbers may not be that interesting to most contemporary readers; and some readers arent as interested in ancient histories as they probably should be.

Its worth noting that, as Israel began to forget its history and the goodness and faithfulness of God, they soon forgot who they were and all God had promised to do in and through them.

However, the history and numbering of Israels population in the book of Numbers should, at the very least, be recognized as a testament to Gods faithfulness and the ongoing fulfillment of His promise to the nation of Israel.

Failure to learn from the past often proves calamitous for the present and future.

God Himself had promised in His covenant with Abraham that He would make him into a great nation and bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you (Genesis 12:2-3).

He would, establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God (Genesis 17:7-8).

Furthermore, God promised that He would, multiply your (Abrahams) seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies (Genesis 22:17).

From Egypt to Canaan, God remained faithful and true to His promises from even generations past.

There Are Consequence for Disobedience and Disbelief

On the flipside, as God was faithful in His end of the bargain, Israel often rebelled against God and doubted Him even after He had proven Himself time and time again.

The memories of Gods people, even those who have seen the miracles of God at work in their lives, are often short. And as we see in the book of Numbers, there are consequences for disobedience and disbelief.

Theres a reason why, after Moses had passed away and Joshua had been called to step into the mantel of leadership, that God frequently told His servant to be strong and courageous and do not fear or be dismayed (Joshua 1:9).

Fear and doubt are often what cause us to turn our attention away from God or forget His promises. In doing so, we begin to see the world through what we can and cannot do, not what God wants to do and can do in and through us. We make our situation about ourselves, and we trust, not in Gods power or promises, but in our own achievements and abilities.

Taken to one extreme, we become the god of our own lives, governed by pride and not submission; taken to other, we begin to see ourselves as grasshoppers in a world of giants. Both fail to acknowledge God as just, powerful, and faithful lord and king.

In any case, pride and rebellion often lead to defeat, fear and doubt often lead to despair, and disbelief and disobedience often lead to wandering and wasted years.

Courage and obedience, on the other hand, allow us to enter, experience, and enjoy Gods promises in our lives.

These are lessons Christians today can learn and apply from the book of Numbers, a book that is insightful, relevant, and useful for teaching and encouraging believers in their faith.

Photo credit: SparrowStock

Joel Ryan is a childrens book author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Crosswalk, Christianity.com, Stand Firm Mens Magazine, and others. He is passionate about telling great stories, defending biblical truth, and helping writers of all ages develop their craft. Joel discusses, analyzes, and appreciates the great writings of the past and present on his website, Perspectives off the Page.
LEWISTON - The May 17 primary election will reshape Idaho politics for years to come, requests from school districts will also be on the ballot.

With all top state offices up for grabs, voters in at least nine districts will consider requests to funnel local funds to schools. The bulk of those requests  nearly $15.6 million statewide  comes in the form of one- and two-year supplemental levies districts use to help cover anything from salaries to textbooks.

The amount represents a decline from what districts asked for in March, which came in at just over $288 million. By comparison, March 2017s election featured a mammoth $715 million in bonds and levies.

Still, the requests are part of a continued trend in Idaho, as the amount of money K-12 schools receive via supplemental funds has grown for six years and counting. The states supplemental levy bill set a new record in 2021-22. In all, Idaho property owners will have bankrolled more than $218.2 million in supplemental levies this school year alone, up about $1.6 million from the record-setting year prior.

A look at districts in our region running supplemental levies, and their amounts:

Salmon River: a one-year, $495,000 supplemental levy.

Whitepine: a one-year, $880,000 supplemental levy.

Nezperce: a one-year $445,000 supplemental levy.

Cottonwood: a one-year, $250,000 supplemental levy.

Plummer-Worley: a two-year, $1,254,000 supplemental levy.

Genesee: a one-year, $1,185,000 supplemental levy.

Other Idaho districts:

Wendell: a two-year $1.2 million supplemental levy

Teton: a two-year, $9,864,000 supplemental levy.

A new law that kicks in July 1 of this year requires districts to spell out how they plan to spend a supplemental levy. Districts will have to list a detailed description of their plans for levy dollars on the ballot.

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this story.
Clarkston, WA (99403)

Today

Sunny early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain this afternoon. High around 65F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Rain ending this evening. Partial clearing overnight. Low 43F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
A prison riot in north-central Ecuador's Pichincha province has left at least 41 inmates dead and another 13 injured, the nation's prison management agency said Monday.



The National Comprehensive Care Service for Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) updated an earlier report from the Attorney General's Office that had placed the death toll at 43 in the Regional Prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas.

The agency added that members of the National Police force were able to regain full control of the prison and a specialized team from the government's Human Rights Secretariat was dispatched to the city's Crime Unit Forensic Center to provide support to the relatives of inmates killed in the melee.

In addition, 112 prisoners who had escaped from the prison amid the chaos were recaptured, the agency said.

Ecuador's prison system is in crisis due to constant clashes between rival drug trafficking rings vying for control of the prisons.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
SPOKANE, WA - Work ground to a halt at Spokane's Veterans Affairs hospital Thursday after an update to a troubled computer system left patient data corrupted and unusable, according to patients and internal emails.

In an email sent Thursday morning and obtained by The Spokesman-Review, Robert Fischer, director of the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, told employees to stop using the electronic health record system they rely on to coordinate health care and "Assume all electronic patient data is corrupted/inaccurate."

Services would continue for patients already admitted to the hospital, he wrote, but no new patients would be admitted "until further notice" and the hospital's chief of surgery would make an assessment about the safety of continuing surgeries.

Fischer directed staff to use "downtime procedures," which involve writing patients' information by hand and entering it into the system when it comes back online. A Spokesman-Review investigation in December found the system has seen multiple outages since it was launched in October 2020 at Mann-Grandstaff, but Fischer wrote Thursday's downtime was "unlike previous episodes insofar as all data" in multiple software programs "may be corrupted."

Problems with the system, developed by Missouri-based Cerner Corp. under a $10 billion contract, have delayed care, threatened patient safety and left VA employees exhausted and demoralized at the Spokane hospital and its outpatient clinics in Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint, Wenatchee and Libby, Montana.

The rest of VA's 171 hospitals and more than 1,100 clinics still use a different health record system that employees say works better, but the department has not reverted Mann-Grandstaff to the older system, opting instead to collect "lessons learned" in the Inland Northwest to help other parts of the country avoid similar problems.

In his email, Fischer told employees they should "provide only those healthcare services you are comfortable providing assuming all electronic sources of data are unreliable."

"It is understood healthcare delivery, until these problems are rectified, will be very limited," the email continued. "Empathy and an apologetic approach to patients will be very important."

The director noted that many patients would need their appointments rescheduled, but he also wrote that employees may not have access to schedules in the system.

Health care workers should "make every effort to limit" ordering medications, laboratory tests and imaging studies such as X-rays, Fischer wrote. All mailings, including prescriptions sent to veterans by mail, were also suspended.

Joe Harmer, a 76-year-old Army veteran who lives in Greenacres, said he called Mann-Grandstaff on Thursday for help with his prescriptions and was told, "No prescriptions can be filled today."

"Theyre not able to pull up our records," Harmer said. "The computers are completely down. They dont know when theyll be back up.

Jason Ernsting, a Navy veteran who lives in Nine Mile Falls, said he called the medical center to talk with his doctor and was told by another employee they could not help him because the system had been down all day.

"Because they cannot pull up any medical records everyone cannot reach anyone," Ernsting, 53, said in a text message. "This is truly unacceptable."

VA Press Secretary Terrance Hayes confirmed in an email that the electronic health record system at Mann-Grandstaff and its associated outpatient clinics, as well as a VA facility in Las Vegas that manages patient accounts, "experienced a service outage March 3, 2022, due to an issue with patient demographic data."

"In an abundance of caution, the EHR (electronic health record) system was taken offline to prevent any impact to patient care areas," Hayes wrote. "VAs health care teams were notified and are following standard downtime procedures until the issue is corrected."

In a separate email obtained by The Spokesman-Review, a supervisor at Mann-Grandstaff told employees not to use the system Thursday or Friday and to expect an update by the end of the week. Until the system is restored, the supervisor wrote, employees would need to write down veterans' information by hand.
Looking for something to do? The Stay Local events calendar publishes a list of nonprofit and community events Tuesdays and Fridays. Please check with your club or organization to be certain of meetings, outings and classes, as they may be canceled due to bad weather or COVID-19. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, contact Julie Norwood at 231-592-8358 or julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com.

Ferris State University's Police Memorial Ceremony: 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, in the north stage area of the Robinson Quad. Rain location, University Center, 805 Campus Drive, Big Rapids. Pay respect and tribute to officers who have died in the line of duty.

GFWC Big Rapids "Another Woman's Treasures" Garage Sale: Noon-4 p.m. Thursday, May 12; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, May 13; and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 14; at the Mecosta Twp Hall on 19729 11 Mile Road, Rogers Heights. The proceeds from the Garage Sale will be donated to our local food pantries and a portion will go toward future charity projects of GFWC.

AAUW Cocktails and Convo's: 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids. Big Rapids. American Association of University Women is hosting a social event for anyone to learn about our organization and discuss womens equity. Light refreshments provided. To reserve a seat or for more information, email aauwbigrapids@gmail.com.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic: 9 a.m. until noon Friday May 20 at the Mecosta County Commission On Aging & Activity Center. District Health Department No. 10 will have all 3 brands of vaccinations available. Open to the public.

Wine and Canvas: 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 20, at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids. Big Rapids. A social painting experience. Bring your own beverages and snack and relax. No experience necessary; all materials provided

Spectrum Mobile Mammogram: Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 21, at the Morley Community Center, 151 E. 7th St. Morley. Free mammograms will be available for uninsured or under-insured women. Call 616-4866022 to see if you qualify. To schedule your appointment call 877-495-2626.

Mecosta VFW Post 2335 Cornhole Tournament: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, at Mecosta VFW Post 2335, 1050 W. Main St., Mecosta. Contact Dave at doerrda@gmail.com to register. Entry fee is $30 per team. RSVP at facebook.com/VFWPost2335.

Mecosta VFW Post 2335's 90th Anniversary Open House: 3-6 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Mecosta VFW Post 2335, 1050 W. Main St., Mecosta. Ice cream, cake, hot dogs, coffee and punch will be provided. RSVP at facebook.com/VFWPost2335.

ONGOING PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES

Big Rapids Farmers' Market: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays from May 6 through October 28, at downtown Big Rapids city lot, 226 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Contact: Josh Pyles, 231-592-4038.

Growing Up Wild: 3:15-4:15 p.m. Thursdays, April 28-May 19, at The Salvation Army, 325 Linden St., Big Rapids. Exploring nature for young children, ages 3-7. Topics include: Hiding in Plain Sight, Tracks, Lunch for a Bear, Hands on Wilderness. Contact: 231-796-5597, mibigrapids@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Groove: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 4-June 2, at Big Rapids Middle School cafeteria, 500 N. Warren in Big Rapids. Dance to all styles of music to keep in shape. Cost is $2 per person. No class March 29.

Latin Fusion Dance Fitness: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 6-June 4, at Big Rapids Middle School cafeteria, 500 N. Warren in Big Rapids. Improved flexibility, strength, balance and endurance through dance. Cost is $2 per person. No class March 29.

Mecosta Co. Genealogical Society: 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday each month, at 424 N. Fourth Ave., Big Rapids, next to Recycle, or by appointment. Volunteers needed to help with sorting and indexing. Public is welcome to stop in and view any of our holdings. Call Maureen Nelson at 231-250-5555 for more information.

Reed City Heritage Museum: Open from 1-4 p.m. Friday through Tuesday at 138 W. Slosson Ave., Reed City. Free Admission. Groups are welcome.

Mecosta County Sheriff Posse: 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Mecosta County Jail basement training room, 225 S. Stewart Ave., Big Rapids. This volunteer group is always looking for more members. For more info call 231-250-9241

Morley Community Center: The center, at 151 7th St., Morley, hosts weekly pickleball, open gym, indoor garage sales and outdoor market, in addition to monthly ancestry class, craft night and blood drive. For a list of activities, visit morleycenter.org/events or call 231-856-4496.

Community Meal: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday nights at Big Rapids First United Methodist Church, 304 Elm St, Big Rapids.

Community Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Third Avenue United Methodist Church, 226 N. Third Ave., Big Rapids. The community lunch program has re-opened.This is a free meal service, although donations are appreciated. For more information call 231-796-4157 or 231-796-6779.

Lord's Table Food Pantry: Open 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays at Faith Community Church, 610 Green St., Big Rapids. Everyone is welcome. Contact: 231-796-8389. (Hours will change to 1-5 p.m. Wednesdays beginning in April.)

Reed City Food Pantry: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 831 S. Chestnut St., Reed City. For questions or emergency food needs, call 231-215-6996.

ARTWORKS ONGOING CLASSES, EXHIBITS

106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids / 231-796-2420 / artworksinbigrapids.org

After School Arts: 3:45-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Drop-ins welcome on a first come, first serve basis, but registration recommended. Register at Artworks gift shop or by calling 231-796-2420 the Monday before each session.

Open Pottery: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10 per session, $60 for an eight-session punch card. (Additional firing fees apply. Clay may be purchased in bulk for $20 per 25 lbs.) Call 231-796-2420 to schedule your session.

Exhibit  Pencil, Paint and Pottery: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, April 11-May 14, at the Batdorff Gallery, Artworks. Features art by Chris LaPorte, Tom Woodhouse, and Jamey Limbers.

Exhibit  Tattoo Art: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, April 11-May 14, at the Lower Gallery, Artworks.

Exhibit  Bloomin' Crazy: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 19-22, in Batdorff Gallery. Opening reception is 5 p.m. May 19.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, don't know much about history.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
KYAN Therapeutics uses small data AI in a proprietary phenotypic drug sensitivity assay to guide patient treatment for cancer patients with high and unmet needs

KYAN Therapeutics (a Delaware Corporation headquartered in Singapore) teams up with Curie Oncology to offer its novel and innovative approach to truly personalized cancer treatments. The partnership will start with the launch of clinical studies employing KYAN Therapeutics proprietary Quadratic Phenotypic Optimization Platform (QPOP) for patients suffering from Colorectal and Gastric cancers.

This initiative aims to further generate data toward offering QPOP as clinical decision support in cancer care. KYAN Therapeutics plans to launch its commercial assay in Singapore by the end of 2022.

Traditional standard of care for cancer is to treat the condition instead of the patient even though each patients cancer is unique. Only around 25% of cancer patients benefit from this one-size fits all therapy. Most cancer patients still suffer from the lack of effectiveness, requiring multiple lines of treatment, and toxicity causes many adverse events. For some cancer types, response rates are dismal by the third line and clinicians struggle with the lack of guidelines and clinical data, leaving patients with little to no options.

"Curie Oncology will collaborate with Kyan Therapeutics to identify patients suitable for this new technology through clinical research. This is the type of technology that we want to identify to help advance cancer care for our patients," remarks Dr Toh Chee Keong.

Image caption- From left to right: Dr Toh Chee Keong (Curie Oncology), Hugo Saavedra (KYAN CEO), Masturah Rashid (KYAN Head of R&D) and Bo Hong Tay (Curie Oncology)
CEPI partners with consortium of Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney and ExcellGene

Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is providing funding of up to $19.3 million to support the development of a variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to an international multidisciplinary consortium comprising Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), India, the University of Sydney, Australia and ExcellGene SA, Switzerland.

CEPIs funding will support the consortium as it seeks to establish preclinical and clinical proof of concept for an adjuvanted subunit vaccine designed to provide broad protection against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, as well as future variants of the virus which have not yet emerged. CEPI will fund the researchers to conduct activities including immunogen design, preclinical studies, manufacturing process development and a Phase 1 clinical trial.

In this new vaccine design, modified trimeric spike immunogens will be produced in a robust and scalable process with high purity and yield at low cost, based on a biomanufacturing approach that has provided significant quantities of protein therapeutics to the world. This strategy could also be used to enable rapid development of broadly protective vaccines against other betacoronaviruses, as well as vaccines against Disease Xunknown pathogens with pandemic potential that emerge in the future.

"BBIL has successfully commercialized a universal COVID-19 vaccine for adults and children. While current generation of vaccines are safe and effective, against currently known variants, it is imperative that we focus on innovation for multi-epitope vaccines, where a single vaccine can protect against all future variants", said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, BBIL.
Indian biopharma industry HITS Rs 33K Cr WITH 13% GROWTH in 2020-21

Amidst the pandemic, the Indian Biopharma Industry, with over 300 companies, has witnessed a good growth of 13 percent, 2 percent less than the previous years 15 percent growth rate. This growth was largely driven by the performance of the Indian biopharma companies which have done very well as against multinational companies. As a result, the Indian Biopharma Industry has crossed the Rs 33,000 crore mark for the year 2020-21 over the previous years figure of Rs 29,176 crore. The Indian Biopharma industry, comprising hormones, insulin, blood products, and vaccines recorded a sales revenue of Rs 33,067 crore for the year 2020-21.
Eka 360 Degree Clinic Management suite is integrated with Google MyBusiness which gives doctors tremendous online visibility

Eka Care, a connected healthcare platform, has forayed into Lucknow.

We are excited to expand in Lucknow. Eka Self-Assessment Module and AI-Driven Prescription Pad are the key innovations which are helping doctors to save and spend more time with their patients. Eka 360 Degree Clinic Management suite is integrated with Google MyBusiness which gives doctors tremendous online visibility, driving direct appointments and offering a better experience to their patients. We look forward to working alongside the doctors in Lucknow, helping them to help us," said Mohit Rajpal, Founding Member at Eka Care.

In order to issue a Health ID to an individual, Eka Care will require basic demography and contact details and pass them on to the ABDM system. The ID will be used for uniquely identifying persons, authenticating them and maintaining their own and familys health records across multiple systems and stakeholders.

The platform which is available in 12 languages enables every Indian family to create multiple health profiles, and store health records such as vaccination charts for kids, developmental milestones, prescriptions, lab reports and scans.
Launched in Association with USAID, Rockefeller Foundation, and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

The Catalyst Group, in an innovative collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Rockefeller Foundation, has announced the launch of the Green Health Alliance (GHA) in New Delhi. The Alliance is set to focus on identifying and scaling up solutions to help reduce the carbon footprint of the health system and thereby minimise the negative health impacts of climate change.

Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, said, We are pleased to extend our support to Green Health Alliance through various possibilities of partnerships. To scale up such partnership efforts, the division of Strategic Alliances is developing a collaboration platform, Manthan centred around SDGs and took innovative solutions to scale. We would encourage all GHA partners to utilise this platform after it goes live.

As an action-oriented community of diverse stakeholders like Swasti, Vrutti, Fuzhio, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), The Skoll Foundation, the Green Health Alliance will integrate private and public sector expertise to build strong and resilient health ecosystems through affirmative climate action. The focus of GHA includes the identification of proven climate-neutral solutions and support these to scale across the health ecosystem; and developing a credible platform to convene, ideate, and scale innovative solutions at the intersection of health ecosystem and climate impact.
BUDAPEST, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Katalin Novak, the first female president of Hungary, took office here on Tuesday.

Her predecessor, former head of state Janos Ader, greeted the new president at the entrance to the Sandor Palace, the residence of the Hungarian president.

Ader and Novak marched together on the red carpet up to the entrance of the residence, where they entered together.

The Parliament elected Novak as President of Hungary on March 10.

Following her election, Novak said that she wanted to be a "President of peace."

The official inaugural ceremony will take place on Saturday morning at the Kossuth Square in front of the Parliament.

Novak has been elected for a mandate of five years, and can be re-elected once according to the Fundamental Law.

Ader held the office for two terms. 
The Digital Global Biogas Cooperation (DiBiCoo) project hosted a study tour and capacity building workshop in South Africa from 22-24 March 2022.

The current context and impact of digestate on biogas project development and implementation in South Africa.



An overview of current and upcoming activities of South African Biogas Industry Association with regards to the management and usage of digestate in South Africa.



Argentina shared the learnings and insights of their life cycle assessment studies for biogas and digestate.



Case study of digestate management and beneficiation practices within South Africa.



Identifying utilisation pathways for digestate management and beneficiation within South Africa.

The events were hybrid attended both online and in-person by international delegates from Argentina, Indonesia, Ghana, Belgium, Ethiopia and Austria.DiBiCoo is a cooperation project between biogas technology developed and developing market countries, with the overall objective to support the European biogas/biomethane industry by preparing markets for the export of sustainable biogas/biomethane technologies from Europe to developing and emerging markets. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 857804 (DiBiCoo - Digital Global Biogas Cooperation).The study tour was aimed at business delegations, interested stakeholders and project partners looking to gain insights and learnings from four existing biogas project sites within South Africa's developing biogas market. "The study tour enabled stakeholders from developing and developed biogas markets to see existing technologies in operation under real life conditions and to learn more about challenges and barriers that were overcame to establish these projects," said Yaseen Salie, Bio-energy Analyst, leading the DiBiCoo project for GreenCape.The study tour in South Africa had two instalments. The first instalment of the tour kicked off in Tshwane (Gauteng) at the Bronkhorstspruit biogas plant. The plant produced its first power that fed into the national grid on 10 October 2015. An independent commercial enterprise with an initial life cycle of 20 years, it will contribute to diversifying the South African energy mix away from coal. The second site visit was at Riverside Piggery biogas project plant. The plant produces enough biogas to generate its own electricity.On 23 March, GreenCape hosted a capacity building workshop which discussed the current and future potential of digestate management and valorisation. Yaseen Salie presentated the current context of digestate in South Africa. Dr Gamuchirai Mutezo, SABIA, provided an overview and strategy for digestate management and valorisation in RSA. Jorge Hilbert, Researcher at INTA, presented on the life cycle assessment (LCA) studiesconducted in Argentina for biogas and digestate. Jaryd Ridgeway, Founder of Green Matter Organics, presentation presented a digestate value add solution case study.The second instalment was hosted in the Western Cape on 24 March 2022. The study tour started at the Tecroveer biogas plant (Worcester) a small-scale packaged plants as well as large-scale sewage solutions. They offer wastewater treatment, drinking water solutions, innovative anaerobic products and mining water including sewage treatment. The second site visit was at NHE biogas project plant.The following knowledge sharing points were discussed:The target audience for these hybrid events includes turnkey providers, project owners, municipalities and investors and off take clients interested in the management and beneficiation of digestate produced by biogas plants. The secondary audience would be agriculture stakeholders and regulators keen to gain a better understanding on how the de-risk the usage of digestate within agriculture sector.All the content from the study tour and capacity building workshop on 22-24 March 2022 is available on-demand to watch again. To access the content, visit https://www.enlit-africa.com/register-for-dibicoo-studytour
Financial experts warn old-fashioned, manual payment processes cost twice as much Many start-ups fail because of poor planning Demand for automatic processes and efficiency is driving development in SA's professional financial services industry

Bashier Adam, CEO of Nexia SAB&T

If your small business (or Covid-19 side-hustle) has outgrown your home garage or dining room table and you can no longer manage the overwhelming administrative and financial reporting burden each month, it might be time to consider automation.Automated systems are designed to simplify routine tasks, as well as old-fashioned paper-based systems that are labour intensive. There are solutions for just about any task or challenge, from cash-flow projections to data capturing and invoicing.According to Nexia SAB&T CEO, Bashier Adam, small business owners often feel reluctant to hand off administrative tasks, especially invoicing, despite the promise of time and cost savings. However, its one of the fastest-growing areas of the business.Adam said: Our automation and digitisation department is one of our largest growing departments because of the demand. Technology is a part of our lives and harnessing and developing systems early is one of the more exciting journeys we are on.Cash flow management can also make or break any business, let alone a start-up, said Adam, many small businesses dont take the time to do financial projections and implement budgets. Often successful side hustles start without a bank account making the accounting process very complicated in the long run, so first things first, open a bank account.If youre not sure where to begin, Adam suggested: Look at your processes and see what can be automated vs manual. Its also critical that businesses look at their staff complement, their skill set and ability to take on the work or client requests. Dont over promise and underperform!Businesses could also be significantly undervaluing the labour costs of outdated manual processes.Start-ups are also very often distracted by the work of scaling up their business, which Nexia SAB&T has experienced first-hand. The origins of our firm are humble. We started in a local garage in Laudium, Pretoria. Our path was littered with challenges which required careful navigation throughout the journey and so our experiences are real, said Adam.Our South African client base includes a high number of micro-businesses; however, every entrepreneur wants to go it alone. No business is too small to seek professional help in guidance and benefitting from the experience of others, comments Adam, this will offer the opportunity to streamline processes and maximise the benefits.The brand is sharing more advice for local start-ups via a new OURstory campaign, based on the companys inspirational, 25-year history.The idea for OURstory was to showcase our firm culture and insight into what makes us unique  that is the origins of the firm, the obstacles and opportunities weve encountered, and how we got to where we are today. We hope to inspire others like us.Watch how Nexia SAB&Ts OURstory unfolded here: https://www.nexia-sabt.co.za/campaigns/
With only one recommendation relating to the evidence on what he calls the attempted capture of the National Treasury in 2015 - for Rajesh Gupta to be investigated for corruption - state capture commission chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo describes the treasury's rescue from the "tentacles" of the Guptas as a miracle.

Image source: Andriy Popov  123RF.com

Finance minister shuffle

Gupta plants

Bribery allegations

Zondos latest report of the commission, released end April, has findings on, among others, the attempted capture of the National Treasury, at the insistence of the Guptas and with the blessing of former president Jacob Zuma. Unlike with other state institutions whose capture he has comprehensively described, Zondo had less than usual to say about the National Treasury, except that all efforts lined up for its capture failed because of resilient public officials, and the end of Zumas term and influence at the ANCs elective conference in December 2017.Our National Treasury nearly fell into the wrong hands, particularly during the four days in December 2015 following [former finance] minister [Nhlanhla] Nenes dismissal and the appointment of Des van Rooyen as minister of finance  it is almost a miracle that the national treasury was saved from the tentacles of the Guptas!Zondos evidence covered the period in December 2015 when Van Rooyen was appointed by Zuma to replace Nene, just 18 months after the latters appointment as finance minister. Zuma subsequently made a public announcement that Nene would join the BRICS bank, but both Nene and former treasury director-general Lungisa Fuzile disputed this, on the basis that it would have been unprocedural. Van Rooyens stay in the position did not last more than four days, but had significant consequences, as the testimonies of Fuzile and communications director Pumza Macala indicated.On his first day as finance minister, Van Rooyen appointed a new advisor  Mohamed Bobat  as well as a new chief of staff, Ian Whitley, neither of whom he had officially vetted or was familiar with, Zondo found.It is legitimate to say Mr Van Rooyen appointed as his advisors people that he really did not know, Zondo notes in the report. With regard to Mr Whitley, he met him for the first time on 11 December 2015 and yet he appointed him on the same day  he had not done any background check on this person, he did not know his background and he did not know if he was the person his CV said he was and yet, on his own version, he offered him a job as his chief of staff and took him on the same day to national treasury as his first day of work.On Bobat, who was at the time in the employ of Regiments, a company through which the Guptas allegedly amassed large-value state contracts during the period under the commissions investigation, Zondo found: Mr Van Rooyen may or may not have known that Mr Bobat was employed at Regiments, but it is Mr Tony Gupta or one of the Gupta brothers who must have arranged for him to appoint Mr Bobat. So, Mr Van Rooyen knew that he got the appointment as minister of finance through the Guptas and that he got Mr Bobat and Mr Whitley through the Guptas. They were all Gupta people.The two men had been imposed on the department by the Guptas, the report further notes, because they were meant to help advance the familys agenda of capturing it. Soon after their appointment, Bobat and Whitley had begun to send confidential National Treasury documents to the Guptas and their associates.Nene had been conveniently removed because he was seen as an obstacle to this agenda, Zondo concludes.President Zuma had already shown himself as someone who was prepared to remove a person from a position if that person was not prepared to cooperate with the Guptas.Zondo praises civil society, the media and National Treasury staff who resisted the efforts of Van Rooyen and his appointees, in their alleged attempt at capture. It is appropriate to say that the fact that the Guptas and president Zuma failed to capture our National Treasury even after relentless attempts to do so over a long period of time is due largely to the ministers of finance that South Africa had during those years, namely ministers Nhlanhla Nene and Pravin Gordhan.He further recommended that Rajesh Gupta be investigated for his alleged offer of a bribe to then deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas in October 2015. According to Jonas, Gupta offered him R600,000 in cash, with the promise of a further R600m later, if he would agree to being appointed as finance minister. Jonas was cross-examined by the legal representatives of Duduzane Zuma, whom he claimed had been in the same meeting when the offer was made. Both Duduzane Zuma and the Guptas have denied Jonass claims.
King James is a 24-year old, multiple award-winning South African agency - now part of the global Accenture Song network.
BEIRUT, May 10 (Xinhua) -- When Zeinab Jouni fell ill, all hopes seemed lost because she couldn't afford her surgery and medical treatment.

Luckily for the elderly woman from Lebanon's southern city of Nabatieh, a mutual aid fund established by the Jouni family came to her help and paid the medical bill of 30 million Lebanese pounds (1,112 U.S. dollars).

Similar stories happened to Ajwad Maddah, a young man who lived in the southern town of Hasbaya and had been out of work for more than one year. He got a loan of 5 million pounds from the fund of the Maddah family to start a small business of selling fruits and vegetables, which would secure a monthly income to save him from poverty.

Lebanon is seeing family mutual aid funds sprouting in the south and east of the country to help vulnerable family members overcome the unprecedented financial crisis facing Lebanon, which has caused a surge in the rates of unemployment and poverty.

Munir Muhanna, head of the Muhanna fund which covers 200 family members, told Xinhua that such funds have proved effective by helping some of the family members establish productive projects and creating job opportunities for others.

They've also helped finance weddings and funerals, and given soft loans to the needy in place of exhausted banks, he added.

Muhanna said families usually agree on a committee consisting of a group of members entrusted with the task of managing the funds.

"These members get in touch with residents and expatriates, determine the amount of the monthly subscription, and then collect contributions and donations which are kept in a treasury," he explained.

Muhanna noted that his family's aid fund has pooled more than 100,000 dollars.

Jalal Hamdan, a man in his 50s, told Xinhua that his family fund was so far able to cover several funerals amid the increase in the cost of such occasions by more than tenfold in less than a year.

For his part, Jad Maddah said his family created a fund around a year and a half ago, with a monthly subscription of 200,000 pounds from each domestic household and around 3 million pounds from expats.

"The family now owns 400 chairs, 50 plastic tables and a refrigerator to store dead bodies before burial, an ambulance to transport patients, and musical instruments and sound equipment for wedding occasions," said Maddah, adding the fund also finances recreational trips for the elderly and provides financial aid to widows, the poor, and the unemployed.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs, the establishment of family financial funds does not require an official license because such funds do not aim for profit.

Families only need to apply to the Ministry of Interior for a license to establish a charity, it added. 
LA PAZ, May 9 (Xinhua) -- At least four students died and some 50 were injured after an apparent tear gas grenade exploded, causing a stampede in the Bolivian city of Potosi, local police said on Monday.

The incident occurred at the Tomas Frias Autonomous University when students were holding an assembly in the university arena regarding the upcoming student council election.

Pedro Lopez, the rector of the university, told reporters that several of the injured students were in intensive care unit. He did not rule out a higher death toll.

An investigation was already underway to confirm the preliminary information about the gas grenade detonation in the arena, Lopez added. 
The Biden administrations new disinformation chief says that parents who are upset about critical race theory (CRT) making its way into public school classrooms are disinformers who weaponize the issue for profit.

[ZH: let's not forget the US Attorney General's son makes millions selling CRT materials]

Nina Jankowicz, who was appointed to lead the newly established Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security, dismissed the pushback against CRT indoctrination at an event in Ohio last October, when the debate over parents right to direct their childrens education had taken center stage in high-profile elections, including Virginias gubernatorial race.

Critical race theory has become one of those hot-button issues that the Republicans and other disinformers, who are engaged in disinformation for profit, frankly,  have seized on, she said in a video that has recently regained attention.

Jankowicz added that she lived in Virginia, where parents in Loudoun County fiercely resisted attempts to inject leftist political activism into local school curricula and policies. She called Loudoun one of the areas where people have really homed in on this topic.

But its no different than any of the other hot-button issues that have allowed disinformation to flourish, she said. Its weaponizing peoples emotion.

Jankowicz then told her audience to be alert when they read news articles that make them feel emotional, adding that she supports government-funded, left-leaning institutions such as NPR and PBS, because these media outlets get into the nuance of the issues and provide a balanced, nonpartisan source of information.

Jankowiczs speech at the City Club of Cleveland took place on Oct. 29, 2021, weeks after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland released a memo bringing together a coalition of federal and local law enforcement to address alleged threats of violence against teachers and school board members from unruly parents.

Garland has conceded that his memo was based in part on a September 2021 letter to President Joe Biden by the National School Boards Association. The now-notorious letter characterized disruptions at school board meetings as a form of domestic terrorism and hate crime, and urged the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and the FBI to invoke counterterrorism laws to quell angry mobs of parents, who sought to hold school officials accountable for promoting CRT and for imposing COVID-19 restrictions such as mask mandates on their children.

Jankowiczs comments resurfaced as her new post, tasked with addressing disinformation that imperils the safety and security of our homeland, has generated much scrutiny. Many have since compared the disinformation board to George Orwells fictional Ministry of Truth, the main purpose of which was to rewrite history to manipulate and control the population.

The Biden administration wants a government agency dedicated to cracking down on what its subjects can say, an idea popular with Orwellian governments everywhere, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a May 3 statement. This board is unconstitutional and un-American.

Cotton has introduced a proposal that would bar any federal funds from going to the board. He was joined by 18 Republican senators as co-sponsors.
A historic settlement filed in court on Monday highlighted the power of Illinois' strong privacy law and will result in new nationwide restrictions on a controversial technology company infamous for selling access to the largest known database of facial images.

"This represents one of the biggest victories for consumers to date."

The deal permanently banning Clearview AI from providing most private entities with free or paid access to its database stems from a lawsuit that the ACLU and partners f in 2020, arguing that the company violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

"This settlement is a big win for the most vulnerable people in Illinois," declared Linda Xochitl Tortolero, president and CEO of the Chicago-based nonprofit Mujeres Latinas en Accion, one of the plaintiffs in the case.

"Much of our work centers on protecting privacy and ensuring the safety of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault," she added. "Before this agreement, Clearview ignored the fact that biometric information can be misused to create dangerous situations and threats to their lives. Today that's no longer the case."

In addition to permanently banning Clearview from granting private companies and individuals access to the database, the settlement has some state-specific limits. For the next five years, Clearview can't allow private companies with exceptions under BIPA or state or local government entities in Illinois, including law enforcement, access to the database.

Under the settlement, Clearview will also maintain an opt-out request on its website for Illinoisans, end its free trials for individual police officers, and continue its efforts to remove photographs that were taken in or uploaded from the state.

As The New York Times reported:

In a key exception, Clearview will still be able to provide its database to U.S. banks and financial institutions under a carve-out in the Illinois law. Hoan Ton-That, chief executive of Clearview AI, said the company did "not have plans" to provide the database "to entities besides government agencies at this time." The settlement does not mean that Clearview cannot sell any product to corporations. It will still be able to sell its facial recognition algorithm, without the database of 20 billion images, to companies. Its algorithm helps match people's faces to any database that a customer provides. "There are a number of other consent-based uses for Clearview's technology that the company has the ability to market more broadly," Mr. Ton-That said.

Floyd Abrams, an attorney for Clearview, said the company was "pleased to put this litigation behind it."

Meanwhile, lawyers representing the plaintiffs and other experts celebrated the settlement as a victory.

J. Eli Wade-Scott of Edelson PCwhich recently obtained a $650 million settlement in a BIPA case with Facebooknoted that the case was part of a broader fight.

"There is a battle being fought in courtrooms and statehouses across the country about who is going to control biometricsBig Tech or the people being tracked by themand this represents one of the biggest victories for consumers to date," he said.

Nathan Freed Wessler, a deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said that "by requiring Clearview to comply with Illinois' pathbreaking biometric privacy law not just in the state, but across the country, this settlement demonstrates that strong privacy laws can provide real protections against abuse."

"Clearview can no longer treat people's unique biometric identifiers as an unrestricted source of profit," he said. "Other companies would be wise to take note, and other states should follow Illinois' lead in enacting strong biometric privacy laws."

Rebecca Glenberg, staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, echoed that advice for other states.

"Fourteen years ago, the ACLU of Illinois led the effort to enact BIPAa groundbreaking statute to deal with the growing use of sensitive biometric information without any notice and without meaningful consent," she said. "BIPA was intended to curb exactly the kind of broad-based surveillance that Clearview's app enables. Today's agreement begins to ensure that Clearview complies with the law. This should be a strong signal to other state legislatures to adopt similar statutes."

Surveillance Technology Oversight Project executive director Albert Fox Cahn told Gizmodo that "this is a milestone for civil rights, and the ACLU deserves our thanks for once again safeguarding our Constitution."

"Banning Clearview AI in one state is not enough; we need a national ban," Fox Cahn asserted. "Illinois has long been ahead of the curve in protecting residents from biometric surveillance, but it's time for the rest of the country to catch up."

"It's only a matter of weeks before we start seeing police use technologies like Clearview AI to enforce bans on abortion," he warned, alluding to a battle that's been heightened due to a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. "We shouldn't allow this sort of technology to target pregnant people in any state."

As Common Dreams reported earlier this year, the fight over Clearview isn't contained to the states; progressive lawmakers have also urged federal agencies to end the use of Clearview's facial recognition technology.
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said the founding of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) is a milestone in the history of the Chinese revolution and the history of youth movement.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony held in Beijing marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CYLC.

The CYLC was founded on May 5, 1922 under the direct leadership of the CPC.

Xi said the founding mission of the CYLC is to unwaveringly follow the CPC and strive for the Party and the people. 
In 1598, the English clergyman John Darrell was brought before the High Commission at Lambeth Palace to face charges of fraud and counterfeiting. The ecclesiastical authorities alleged that he had "taught 4. to counterfeite" demonic possession over a ten-year period, fashioning himself into a miracle worker. Coming to the attention of the public through his dramatic and successful role as an exorcist in the late sixteenth century, Darrell became a symbol of Puritan spirituality and the subject of fierce ecclesiastical persecution. The High Commission of John Darrell became a flashpoint for theological and demonological debate, functioning as a catalyst for spiritual reform in the early seventeenth-century English Church.

John Darrell has long been maligned by scholars; a historiographical perception that this book challenges. The English Exorcist is the first study to provide an in-depth scholarly treatment of Darrell's exorcism ministry and his demonology. It shines new light on the corpus of theological treatises that emerged from the Darrell Controversy, thereby illustrating the profound impact of Darrell's exorcism ministry on early modern Reformed English Protestant demonology. The book establishes an intellectual biography of this figure and sketches out the full compelling story of the Darrell Controversy.
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg (L) meets with Rashad Al-Alimi, president of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (R) in Aden, southern Yemen, on May 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Str)

ADEN, Yemen, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Tuesday arrived in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden for a two-day visit, amid efforts to push the country's warring parties to uphold a fragile UN-brokered ceasefire.

Grundberg held meetings with Rashad Al-Alimi, president of the Presidential Leadership Council and other high-ranking officials of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government in Aden over the recent breaches to the UN-brokered truce.

The meetings focused on upholding the current ceasefire and reviving peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia to end the years-long military conflict.

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg (3rd L) meets with Rashad Al-Alimi, president of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (4th R) in Aden, southern Yemen, on May 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Str)

According to the state-run Saba news agency, "Al-Alimi affirmed his support for the humanitarian truce sponsored by the UN in all its provisions, including the requirement to lift the Houthi militia's siege on the city of Taiz."

Al-Alimi "assured the UN envoy of his government's readiness to provide everything necessary in order to facilitate the success of the UN efforts to bring peace."

The UN-brokered ceasefire, meant to last two months, went into effect on April 2, marking the first major breakthrough in years to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country on the brink of starvation.

So far the ceasefire has been largely held despite occasional accusations of breaches traded between the Yemeni warring sides.

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 out of the capital Sanaa. 
JERUSALEM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday denied it has approved Jordan's request to increase the number of waqf staff at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, also known to Jews as Temple Mount.

Jordan requested to add 50 waqf staff at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound about a month and a half ago, and "Israel did not find it appropriate to accede to the request," Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said in a statement.

"There is no change or new development in the situation on the Temple Mount -- Israel's sovereignty has been preserved," the office said.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located in East Jerusalem, a territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed shortly later, claiming it part of its "indivisible" capital, in a move unrecognized by most countries across the world.

The site, which has long been a focal point of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has been administered by Jordan's Muslim waqf but secured by the Israeli police.

Under a long-held status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not to pray there.

Bennett's office stressed that all decisions on the site "will be made by the Israeli government out of considerations of sovereignty, freedom of religion and security, rather than pressure from foreign or political factors."

The remarks came a day after Kan Public Radio reported that Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev had agreed to Jordan's request to increase the workforce of waqf at the site.

Jordan's move came amid tensions and frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. 
Enhancing strategic autonomy serves interests of Europe

08:51, May 10, 2022 By Zhang Jian ( People's Daily

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has broken the peace of Europe, which is a pernicious consequence of the containment strategy implemented by the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward Russia over the past decades.

As a product of the Cold War, NATO should have been dissolved when the Cold War ended. However, in order to maintain its global hegemony, the U.S. has stuck to the Cold War mentality, willfully pursued group politics, and continued to use NATO as a strategic tool for controlling Europe and containing Russia.

Europe, caught in the vortex of bloc confrontation, has become one of the main victims of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine will exert a serious impact on the European economy. In 2008, the U.S.-originated global financial crisis severely impacted Europe, plunging many European countries, especially countries in Southern Europe, nto austerity due to soaring fiscal deficit and debt.

Fourteen years later, the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against Russia and Russias counter-sanctions following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have again made a massive impact on the European economy.

Prices have already skyrocketed in many countries in Europe. EUs policies on decoupling from Russia have increased its reliance on more expensive liquefied natural gas from the U.S., significantly elevated production costs of European companies, and weakened the long-term competitiveness of European industry, which will disrupt Europes energy transition and climate policies and once again raise the levels of fiscal deficit and debt in Europe.

The combined impacts of the Ukraine crisis and other structural factors have rendered the long-term economic prognosis for Europe rather bleak. The gaps between Europe and the U.S. in terms of both economic growth rate and size are believed to become wider.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict will escalate Europes political and social division. Over the past more than 10 years, Europe has been plagued by increasingly prominent social and political division and polarization besides economic slowdown, which is largely a consequence of unsatisfactory economic conditions and declining living standards.

Europe has lost 10 years to the global financial crisis. Socially and politically, the continent's countries would suffer irreparable harm if the Russia-Ukraine conflict were to drag on for another decade.

Continuation and escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will pose serious risks to the security of Europe. The U.S. and NATO are currently escalating confrontation with Russia. As they significantly increase military spending, the possibility of a new Iron Curtain in Europe goes straight up.

Many European countries are close neighbors of Russia. Hostility, antagonism, and confrontation between them and Russia can easily spiral up and worsen, which is detrimental to Europes security. This can hinder Europes development and cause accident and misjudgment that lead to new conflict or even war.

The strategic goal of the U.S. is to maintain its global hegemony. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has severely damaged Europes economic and security interests, but served the strategic intentions of the U.S.

If Europe stops getting its energy from Russia, U.S. energy, which was not competitive before, will be able to quickly take over European markets.

Besides, a large portion of the substantial increase in military expenditure in European countries will flow into the U.S. and help improve the capabilities of U.S. military enterprises to develop and produce new equipment and weapons, which eventually increases Europes military dependence on the U.S.

With tensions between Europe and Russia mounting, the U.S. can not only use security guarantee as a pretext for further tightening control over Europe, but realize the goal of containing Russia through Europe.

Affected to different degrees by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe have clearly different strategic intentions in responding to the conflict. In the long run, Europe needs to handle its relations with Russia on the basis of its own interests, carry out more active and productive dialogue with Russia and build a new security framework that can truly help realize lasting peace and stability in Europe. Such a new security framework will also enhance Europes strategic autonomy to a great extent.

Europe has tried to pursue strategic autonomy for a long time, but the endeavor has been openly or secretly obstructed and opposed by the U.S.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has not only brought the fact of Europes lack of strategic autonomy under the spotlight, but further demonstrated the necessity for it to enhance strategic autonomy.

Facts have shown that hegemonism, power politics, and bloc confrontation pursued by the U.S. will only undermine Europes interests, and only a stable UN-centered international system that sticks to multilateralism can serve its interests.

In recent years, many farsighted personages in Europe have become keenly aware that the U.S. is not a reliable ally of Europe. While the extremely selfish America First policy advocated by the previous U.S. administration strained the relations between the U.S. and Europe, the current U.S. administration has only changed the wording, rather than the America First essence of the countrys foreign policy.

Many of Washingtons actions, including insistence on the restrictive Buy American provisions over the past years, the hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and the establishment of the so-called trilateral security partnership with Britain and Australia, have made Europe more alert to the America First policy.

Zhang Jian is Assistant President of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) and Director of the CICIR Institute of European Studies.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
NAIROBI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- There is a need for the sub-Saharan African region to initiate robust reforestation programs in order to boost response to the continent's ecological crisis, a Kenyan official said Tuesday.

Chris Kiptoo, the principal secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said that Africa was in the grip of an environmental crisis that required innovative measures like reforestation to solve.

"Forests and land restoration efforts are the only capable approaches to securing our current and coming generations from these ravaging challenges," Kiptoo said during the launch of Forestry and Land Restoration Action for Kenya's Nationally Determined Contribution (FLaRAK) project in the capital, Nairobi.

Kiptoo noted that re-afforestation and land restoration efforts are proven nature-based solutions that contain the silver bullet toward helping the globe meet sustainable development goals. He said that Kenya is investing in the environment and forestry sectors because they are the foundation of a growing economy by supporting the manufacturing, energy, health, and agriculture sectors.

According to the official, the East African nation has set ambitious land degradation neutrality targets to achieve no net loss of healthy ecosystems by 2030 and restore almost 5.1 million hectares of land. And the updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) that aims at reducing the country's emissions by 32 percent, equivalent to 45MtCO2e, by 2030 had been prioritized.

Kiptoo said that FLaRAK, an NDC project, is expected to help restore and address forest cover and degraded land with the aim of enhancing tree and forest cover in the country.

Walid Badawi, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative to Kenya, said the world body is seeking to scale up support to turn NDC targets into concrete action in at least 100 countries.

Badawi noted that FLaRAK is aimed at supporting resource mobilization to help Kenya meet and even surpass forestry and land restoration targets, leveraging on available global climate finance as well as private sector capital.

Badawi committed that the UNDP will continue to support such efforts to sustain resilient forest ecosystems that benefit local economies, protect biodiversity, and address the root causes of climate change through technical advice.

He said that the UN will further facilitate learning and south-south exchanges, designing innovative finance platforms as well as strengthening governance in developing countries.

He commended Kenya for its efforts toward a greener and cleaner country, that is spurring massive reforestation and land restoration efforts nationally, even as the country seeks to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The year-long FlaRAK project targets three important ecosystems in Kenya that play an important role in the country's economy and provide critical services to sustain human life. 
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A flight carrying approximately 300 Ukrainian refugees will arrive in Manitoba sometime next week, Premier Heather Stefanson announced Tuesday.

The flight is one of three charters arranged by the federal government to transport people fleeing the war in Ukraine from Warsaw, Poland to Canada.

The travellers have been approved for travel under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.

No firm date for the refugees' arrival has been set. The province has not yet said if any of these refugees will be settled in Brandon or Westman.

"Since the beginning of this brutal war of aggression, we have been preparing for the potential arrival of thousands of Ukrainians seeking safety and refuge here in Manitoba," Stefanson stated in a release.

"We will continue to welcome Ukrainians suffering unimaginable loss with open hearts and open arms, and will support them with a full range of provincial support services including housing arrangements, health and mental health care, education, child care, social assistance, language services and labour market assistance."

Upon arrival, the refugees will be taken to the Ukrainian Refugee Reception Centre established by a provincial task force and the Manitoba branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, where their settlement will be processed.

"We have been receiving countless communications from those uprooted by the war currently being waged by Russia in Ukraine and anxious to find safety," Ukrainian Canada CongressManitoba Provincial Council president Joanne Lewandosky said.

"Many have fled with only the clothes they were wearing and cannot access the financial resources to enable them to travel to Canada. The charter flight being organized will enable up to 300 displaced persons to come to Manitoba, where the Ukrainian community in partnership with governments are providing much-needed supplies and services to help these newcomers settle and adjust. We look forward to their arrival and are prepared to welcome them with all our hearts."

The centre will provide intake services, temporary accommodations and food, access to health-care and access to language, work and other kinds of training.

To date, the province says 340 people have gone through the reception centre, of whom 20 per cent are children.

For more information on the effort to assist Ukrainian refugees and to learn how to assist those efforts, visit manitoba4ukraine.ca.

 The Brandon Sun
The hunt for invasive swine continues to unfold with the provinces new Squeal on Pigs campaign created in partnership with Manitoba Pork.

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The hunt for invasive swine continues to unfold with the provinces new Squeal on Pigs campaign created in partnership with Manitoba Pork.

Its an issue that hasnt been taken lightly by Manitobas agricultural sector.

"The issue with these animals are they eat anything and they are extremely destructive to the environment and ecosystem," said Wayne Lees, co-ordinator of the Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project.

Lees described the project as a continuation of Phase 1 of what was announced in January. The first phase of the project, which is anticipated to wrap up in March 2023, is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

He said there is currently a small group of people working on the preliminary phase of the eradication plan, to understand where the issues are and what are the techniques that are going to work to trap the invasive swine.

"[This work is done] so that the next program can be expanded to the whole population," Lees said.

Keystone Agricultural Producers president Bill Campbell said the threat invasive swine pose is a public safety concern, and its time for action.

"The amount of risk they pose to ecosystems and wildlife and even the domestic pig population is quite concerning. We believe agriculture needs to work together to eradicate this threat," Campbell said.

As previously reported by the Sun, Campbell is especially worried about the potential for these wild pigs to carry diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) and African swine fever. While African swine fever has not arrived in Manitoba, Campbell said control measures to stop the spread would be minimal.

"I think we need to realize the ability of these wild pigs to increase their population and give birth and adapt to the environment."

Each sow can have up to two litters a year, and up to four to 12 piglets in the litter, according to Lees. With a lack of pig predators on the Prairies, the population is rapidly growing.

Campbell is urging people to go to the Squeal on Pigs website and report any sightings, noting the location and time. Lees said traditional means of hunting have not worked well to control the situation despite the enthusiasm for targeting the animals.

"Hunting tends to disperse them and you can never remove enough from a recreational hunting program," Lees said.

"In Texas, hunting has been allowed for many years, and their population is exploding rather than decreasing. You need to trap the whole group."

Quintin Pearce, general manager of P. Quintaine & Son Livestock Dealers based in Brandon, said the manoeuvrability of the animals is a key concern as they can target corrals, damage crops and display aggression toward other animals and people.

"They are definitely the vector for spreading pig diseases around because they roam around, undetected," Pearce said.

Recently, Manitoba Pork featured Ryan Brook, an associate professor from the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, as a guest speaker. His research has been instrumental over the past decade in the study and removal of these animals.

Brook said a push for wild boars in Canadian agriculture started in the 1980s to diversify the industry. Elks, emus and wild boar farms started popping up across the Prairies, and it wasnt until 2001 in what he describes as the peak for boar use, after the animal was brought over from Europe.

He said problems began by the late 1990s following the flood of 1997 in Manitoba that released many wild pigs from flooding incidents. Noting their ability to swim, Brook said people used to cut fences and release them, as many as up to 300 at a time.

In recent years, Brook has zeroed in on Spruce Woods Provincial Park as a hot spot for invasive swine in Manitoba. Using between one to three airplanes and a helicopter, his research team makes use of an infrared camera to track sounders, which are groups of wild pigs.

"There is no one magic solution to dealing with wild pigs; you need to have multiple tools in your toolbox," Brook said.

The procedure his team uses to catch the animals involves a judas pick, which implements a GPS-style collar on one of the pigs that will track the other wild swine and lead them to a group.

After releasing the pig embedded with the GPS-style collar, the team makes use of a system of trail camera networks that they have continued to implement for more than 12 years, collecting occurrences and sighting across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the rest of the country.

"We are currently looking at the impacts of wild pigs on the prairie skink, which is a small lizard that you will only find in the Spruce Woods area, and looking at spatial overlap," Brook said.

"We are interested with how they interact with livestock as well."

While working up close and personal to the animals, Brook said his research on their fondness of Spruce Woods has led them to understand forest cover is vital for them to survive as hunters try to shoot the animals.

"Where they have survived best is where they can find large chunks of forest," he said.

"Pigs will come out of the park, feeding on wheat, canola and especially corn and potatoes and do a tremendous amount of damage. Then they will go back into the park and hide."

The animals will even sleep in the ditch during the day, and researchers are continuing to learn more from the GPS satellite collars. The use of an Iowa hog snare while restraining the animals head is combined with a net shot out of the helicopter his research team will fly from above.

It is not a job for everyone.

"These things have razor-sharp tusks and they are not afraid to use them," he said.

"The biggest one weve handled was 638 pounds. They can be very large and strong. When you release it, thats the moment of truth when your heart is beating really fast."

Brook and his research team continue to advise Manitoba Pork and the provincial government on sightings while working to bring down the population of these dangerous animals, one pig at a time.

 jbernacki@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @JosephBernacki
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Norwegian health authorities said Tuesday that the country has a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines and has already discarded more than 137,000 doses because there is declining demand in low-income countries.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Norwegian health authorities said Tuesday that the country has a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines and has already discarded more than 137,000 doses because there is declining demand in low-income countries.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it plans a further disposal of doses if global demand does not change. In Norway there is high vaccine coverage while globally a demand for donations has fallen.

For the first time during the pandemic, the supply now exceeds the demand for COVID-19 vaccine doses, the agency said, adding that situation also applies to most European Union countries. Norway is not a member of the EU.

Norway has donated 7.4 million doses to more than 25 countries, chiefly via the UN-backed program known as COVAX but also via bilateral donations.

Earlier this month, health officials in neighboring Denmark said that 1.1 million excess COVID-19 vaccines would be discarded because their expiration date is near, and efforts to donate them to developing countries have failed.

According to the Norwegian agency, 93.1% of people older than 18 years of age have received a first dose of a vaccine while 90.7% have gotten a second shot.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Many homes near Americas largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexicos governor said Tuesday the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar.

The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burns in the hills outside of Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Robert Browman/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Many homes near Americas largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexicos governor said Tuesday the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar.

Two more days of strong winds and dangerously bone-dry conditions are in the forecast before some relief is expected Friday.

Crews were most concerned Tuesday night about the potential for the massive fire east of Santa Fe to spread farther north toward rural towns and mountain resort communities closer to Taos  about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from its current northern edge.

Gusty winds that grounded aerial attacks Tuesday were pushing flames that direction along the the Sangre de Cristo Range on the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains stretching out of Colorado.

The main highway north from Holman to Taos was closed and additional communities were placed on alert for potential evacuations.

Smoke from the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire drifts over Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. (Robert Browman/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

It is very active. This is a big push, a lot of energy right now, fire spokesman Todd Abel warned Tuesday night.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a briefing earlier Tuesday that she has not received any reports in recent days of widespread damage to homes amid the latest round of fierce winds that fanned the blaze and created challenges for firefighting crews.

Crews have been trying to direct flames around homes in numerous small villages on the northern and southern ends of the fire  bulldozing firebreaks, putting up sprinklers, clearing trees and raking pine needles. A force of nearly 1,800 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the blaze, including specially trained teams.

A sunset is seen through plumes wildfire smoke in Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Area residents have been on and off of evacuation orders of the past month as fires grow and move with intense and unpredictable winds. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

The cost of fighting the blaze and another smaller fire burning near Los Alamos National Laboratory has topped $65 million.

The cost is expected to grow with wind predicted through Wednesday, and Lujan Grisham said the cost to reconstruct homes, prevent post-fire flooding and restore the forest charred by the larger fire after it is out will likely reach billions of dollars.

When you think about rebuilding communities, it is not an overnight process, Lujan Grisham said. So we should be thinking in terms of significant resources and those resources in my view should largely be borne by the federal government given the situation.

Reddened by wildfire smoke, the sun is seen reflected off windows at the train station in Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Area residents have been on and off of evacuation orders of the past month as fires grow and move with intense and unpredictable winds. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

The nearly 320-square-mile (830-square-kilometer) wildfire has burned about 300 structures, including homes, since it started last month. Some areas remain under evacuation orders, but authorities on Monday started letting some residents on the fire's eastern flank return home.

A federal disaster already has been declared due to the blaze, which is partly the result of a preventative fire set in early April that escaped containment. The flames merged with a separate fire a couple of weeks later, and as of Tuesday the jagged perimeter stretched more than 356 miles (573 kilometers).

Structure protection was focused Tuesday night around Mora and Holman, where Highway 518 north to Taos was closed. Authorities stressed there was no immediate threat to communities around Taos but new alerts about potential evacuations stretched as far north as the Angel Fire ski resort east of Taos.

A sunset is seen through plumes of wildfire smoke in Las Vegas, N.M., on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Area residents have been on and off of evacuation orders of the past month as fires grow and move with intense and unpredictable winds. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

Coming up toward Taos, Black Lake, Angel Fire, there is the possibility with the models we are running that those areas are going to see fire, Abel, an operations chief on the fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, said at a briefing Tuesday evening.

The governor said she'd challenge anyone who didn't believe the federal government should accept significant liability.

Its negligent to consider a prescribed burn in the windy season in a state that is under an extreme drought warning, she said.

Kenneth Bachicha poses in his empty classroom as his students work remotely from home on video writing about video games in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Monday, May 9, 2022. In Las Vegas, school officials in the district closest to the fire announced Monday afternoon that in-person school would resume Tuesday, with exceptions for children displaced by the flames or health conditions that make them vulnerable to smoke. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and others have called for an investigation. While forest officials have yet to release planning documents related to the prescribed fire, they have said forecasted weather conditions were within parameters for the project.

Meanwhile, the smaller blaze burning in the Jemez Mountains prompted officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear research is conducted, and the nearby town of Los Alamos to prepare for evacuations as a precaution.

Nearly 900 people were fighting that fire, with its price tag nearing $16 million on Tuesday.

Towering columns of smoke from both fires could be seen from miles away as the winds picked up Tuesday afternoon.

Wind and low humidity levels continue to be big wildfire threats around the West as the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of New Mexico and parts of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Forecasters said New Mexico is outpacing most other recent years for the number of red flag days in April and so far this month.

Crews also were battling smaller fires elsewhere in New Mexico and Arizona.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.
In this campaign we face a bewildering array of problems needing attention: the punishing cost of homes, the appalling treatment of people in aged care, the high cost of childcare, the neglect of every level of our education system, the continuing destruction of our natural environment and the pressure on our hospitals, not to mention the cost of living.

Illustration by Glenn Campbell. Credit:Fairfax Media

But theres one problem thats the most threatening to life, livelihood and lifestyle, the most certain to get a lot worse, the most imminent and the most urgent.

Its not the cost of living, nor the risk of war with the Solomons (I joke), nor even the dubious behaviour of Scott Morrison and his ministers and their refusal to establish a genuine anti-corruption commission.

Ill give you a clue: as I write, my fifth grandchild is on the way. I find it hard to believe anyone could be so self-centred and short-sighted as to think any problem could be more important or more pressing than action to limit climate change.
This seems to be a preoccupation for the Washington, D.C., native, who still lives in the area with his wife of more than 35 years, Emily. At 65, Pelecanos still looks youthful, despite some grey in his beard and a bit of weather to his deep, lightly Southern-accented voice. But more than once over the course of an hour-long interview, he wondered aloud whether he was running out of time to get together with old friends and make television. Novelist and screenwriter George Pelecanos. Credit:Jared Soares/New York Times Pelecanos got a late start as a TV writer, just as he got a late start as a novelist. He attended the University of Maryland, initially studying then abandoning journalism because I felt hemmed in by all the rules. Inspired by what was happening in cinema in the 1970s, Pelecanos transferred to the film department, where I found my family, he said. He also took a class on crime fiction that set him on what would become the defining professional course of his life. After graduation, he got married and worked a series of low-wage jobs to pay the bills while pursuing his passion for detectives and mysteries, trying to learn how to be a novelist. I read like two novels a week for 10 years, trying to figure it out, Pelecanos said. I guess you could say I was adrift, he added. But while I cant claim that I knew it at the time, all the bars I was working in and the kitchens and the sales floors  all that stuff gave me a hell of a lot of material that I continue to mine.

At age 31, as the 1980s wound down, Pelecanos quit his job and got to work on his first novel, A Firing Offense, which introduced his amateur detective character Nick Stefanos. I was into the punk movement here in D.C. Pelecanos said. Those guys were making art and they didnt go to Juilliard. Why cant I write a book? He sent the manuscript, unsolicited, to New York publishing houses. An editor at St. Martins Press found it in the slush pile. The novel was released in 1991, and Pelecanos was on his way. He wrote two more books featuring Stefanos, and he created other recurring characters, including private investigators Derek Strange and Spero Lucas. He started attracting more critical attention by the end of the 1990s thanks to his D.C. quartet series, which told loosely connected stories tracing the lives and legacies of a handful of fictional locals across the second half of the 20th century. Pelecanos books are known for their tight plotting, colourful dialogue and rich characterisations  as well as for their wealth of details about the locations, cars, sports, food, music and movies that define his Washington. While crimes and mysteries drive the story, hes generally more interested in drawing pictures than solving puzzles. Cops and robbers: a scene from We Own this City. Credit:HBO/Binge

In 2002, Pelecanos joined the writers room for The Wire during the first season  Simon was a fan of the authors work and they travelled in some of the same social circles. Simon said the two writers were in sync from the very first moment we met. We were both thinking with the same mind about what was happening to cities, he said. Whether it was Baltimore or D.C., we were chasing the same stuff. The two mens skills proved complementary. Simon often approached the shows narratives about labour and crime from a journalists point of view, while Pelecanos thinks more like a storyteller. Ive always admired Georges capacity to find the dramatic, Simon said. We kept giving him the penultimate episodes of The Wire seasons, where there would be a dramatic death. In some respects, that was more the grist for a novelist. Even as he was coming into his own as an author, Pelecanos had never lost his desire to be a filmmaker. But the Sidney Lumet films that I love so much are not being made as movies anymore, he said. Theyre being made as television.

So Pelecanos continued to work with Simon and HBO after The Wire ended, first on Treme and then The Deuce. (Weve done so many hours of television together, we communicate in sentence fragments, Simon said.) With We Own this City, the usual dynamic in their partnership has flipped, with Pelecanos becoming what Simon called first among equals. Loading The project reached both men in a roundabout way. Simon read Fentons articles in The Baltimore Sun about the city police departments Gun Trace Task Force, and how some of its celebrated officers had been secretly planting evidence and skimming cash. Simon suggested to Fenton that he turn his investigative reporting into a book, and then HBO offered Pelecanos the chance to adapt that book and be the primary showrunner for the first time. Pelecanos accepted the offer on the condition that he could bring in Simon and their frequent co-producer Nina Kostroff Noble. (She doesnt get enough credit, Pelecanos said.) As they did with The Wire, Simon, Pelecanos and their cast and crew ventured into the Baltimore streets to listen to the people  police included  and to tell their stories. You learn a city when you do these shows, Pelecanos said. Ive been places in Baltimore that most Baltimoreans have never been and will never go.

Bernthal, the series star, was struck by Pelecanos investment. George was on set literally every second of every single day, Bernthal said. This clearly was enormously important to him. Bernthal added that Pelecanos intense attention to detail extended to all corners of the production, from the deeply descriptive stage directions in the scripts to the makes and models of the cars in each scene. (Simon recalled that he received a quintessential George Pelecanos note during sound mixing on We Own this City, when his partner complained that one particular cars engine sounded too high-performance.) Loading Theres a reason for that meticulousness. Pelecanos said, I sweat as much blood writing a script as I do writing a novel. A lot of novelists dont. A lot of novelists dont make it as screenwriters because of that, and also because they dont really like working with people. Pelecanos has plenty lined up afterward. He has been developing an HBO adaptation of the John D. MacDonald novel The Last One Left with his friend and fellow novelist Megan Abbott (Dare Me). He said he would also like to get back to his film school roots and give directing a shot. (He directed one segment of the 2019 anthology film DC Noir, based on his own stories.) His three children are all grown  two of them work in the movie and TV business, while the third manages a kennel. So he has the time to get more done, and he plans to take advantage of it.
ABUJA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police on Tuesday confirmed that security operatives thwarted an attack by suspected bandits in the north-central state of Niger, rescuing at least 15 abducted victims.

Scores of bandits were injured and escaped into a forest in the gunfight with joint security tactical teams during the rescue operation late Monday, the police in the state said in a statement.

The security teams had got a tip-off that the suspected armed bandits were sighted around Jellako village in the state's Rafi local government area and swooped on them, according to the police.

"While the hoodlums scampered for their lives, they abandoned two of their motorcycles, and 15 victims who were abducted at different locations in the state," the police said, noting the victims were rescued unhurt by the teams and taken to a nearby hospital.

The police added the victims will later be reunited with their families after the medical attention.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. 
Fake IVF doctor faces new charges in Melbourne

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Roberts-Smith is suing the newspapers for defamation over a series of stories in 2018 that he says portray him as a war criminal who was involved in the unlawful killing of Afghan prisoners. Under the rules of engagement that bound the SAS, prisoners could not be killed. He has told the Federal Court any killings were carried out lawfully in the heat of battle.

The newspapers are seeking to rely on a defence of truth and allege Roberts-Smith was involved in six unlawful killings, including the execution of the man at Darwan. The newspapers have previously called SAS and Afghan witnesses who have given evidence about that alleged killing.

Person 11 said the mission to Darwan in September 2012 was part of a sustained effort to track down and locate a defector from the Afghan National Army, Hekmatullah, who had murdered three Australian soldiers, Stjepan Milosevic, James Martin and Robert Poate, as they played cards at the soldiers base in Tarin Kowt in August.

We had received intelligence ... that this area was either known to be the actual location of our objective, or that he had passed through there, or that there were people who were harbouring him in this area, he said.

Person 11 said he did not recall taking any Afghans prisoner during the Darwan mission and it was not the responsibility of his patrol, led by Roberts-Smith. He also said he did not see any fighting-age males as his patrol cleared compounds in the village.
The state government has signed off on plans to dramatically transform western Sydneys skyline, enabling 70-storey towers to be built across an expanded Parramatta central business district.

It has taken nine years for the Parramatta CBD Planning Proposal to come to fruition, though Lord Mayor Donna Davis indicated there may be further debate over the governments tweaks to reduce building heights and floor space ratios and exclude North Parramatta from the plan.

Parramatta City Councils original concept design for the CBD, which will need to be revised following state government approval.

The future of our CBD hinges on getting these plans right, so we wont rest until our vision for the city is realised, Davis said.

The ambitious 40-year vision by Parramatta City Council  now approved by the state government  expands the CBDs boundaries and allows skyscrapers of up to 69 storeys for mixed-use residential buildings and 52 storeys for commercial offices. The heights are lower than the councils original proposal for residential towers of 75 storeys and commercial offices of 60 storeys.
The Queensland government will launch a royal commission into police responses to domestic and family violence, and provide a $363 million package to roll out coercive control laws.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed the decision during a sitting of state parliament on Tuesday morning, as part of the governments response to the Womens Safety and Justice Taskforce report handed to it five months ago.

Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk attend a march earlier in 2021 calling for action against gendered violence in Parliament. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty

Let me make this very clear: our police service does an exemplary job, Palaszczuk said. Countless lives have been saved because of the men and women of our police service.

But many survivors report that they did not receive an adequate response at their particular point in time.
Queensland accounts for more than half the medicinal cannabis prescriptions dispensed since it was made legal in 2016, new research shows, but other states are now expected to close the gap.

A major study led by researchers at the University of Sydney has, for the first time, examined all the medicinal cannabis prescriptions issued since 2016, when the national scheme began, to late 2021.

The medicinal cannabis industry in Australia was estimated to be worth $51.8 million in 2021. Credit:Stuart Layt

Senior author Dr Elizabeth Cairns said the rate of prescriptions was slow in the weeks and months after the therapies were legalised, but increased significantly after that.

It was initially quite slow, but the significant rise in the past few years has been quite astonishing, she said.
Former Queensland premier Campbell Newmans wife, Lisa, could be forgiven for never wanting to go near a polling booth again.

But by about 11am on Monday, as the rain tumbled down, she was among the many people sheltering under umbrellas on Ann Street handing out how-to-vote cards outside City Hall.

Lisa Newman campaigns for her husband, former lord mayor and premier Campbell Newman, as he tries to enter federal politics. Credit:Tony Moore

Hundreds of voters moved past Ms Newman as she advocated for Mr Newman to be voted into a third level of government, via the Senate and the Liberal Democrats.

For seven years  from March 2004 to April 2011  Mr Newman was running City Hall as lord mayor, before jumping to become premier, helping the LNP win state government in 2012 in a massive swing.
The Liberal Party is trying to paint federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese as Daniel Andrews puppet. The pandemic, the Liberals theory goes, has left the Victorian premiers brand so toxic that it will harm Labors chances federally.

This had led to the belief Albanese would not be seen with Andrews during the federal election campaign. On Tuesday morning in the ultra-marginal Melbourne seat of Chisholm, though, the belief was laid to rest.

Albanese went to Box Hill and stood side by side with Andrews while pledging $2.2 billion in federal funding for the premiers favourite infrastructure project, the Suburban Rail Loop. The planned train line will run through Chisholm and its busiest suburb, Box Hill.

The problem for Albanese was not that Andrews was pulling his strings, but that the premier stole the show. He outshone his federal counterpart as a political communicator.
Labor will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in a final fortnight advertising blitz portraying Prime Minister Scott Morrison as anti-Victorian  a move the party hopes will lead to the government losing four seats in the state.

The primetime TV ad campaign will begin on Tuesday evening after Premier Daniel Andrews labelled Morrison a desperate politician who treated funding to Victoria like foreign aid.

Why doesnt Victoria matter to Scott Morrison? the ads will ask.

Attack ads can be an effective tool to win votes in a campaign. Labors will highlight Victorias meagre share of federal infrastructure funding and the Coalitions reluctance to meet Victorias demand for $1.5 billion of extra hospital funding.
The results of the first trials of alternative Brisbane Airport flight paths  and noise over the suburbs  will be presented to the public in June.

Alternative take-off and landing routes have been trialled for both runways at Brisbane Airport since late February after air-traffic consultancy firm Trax International called for major changes to flight paths.

Findings of alternative flight paths to reduce noise from aircraft will be made public in June 2022.

The firms interim report, released in April by federal LNP member for Brisbane Trevor Evans, subsequently called for a complete shake-up of the way flights operated from the airport.

Brisbane air-traffic controllers previously managed flights using compass operations, enabling a mix of arrivals and departures on both runways.
London: Youd be forgiven for feeling somewhat disjointed. The mainstay of British public life for generations was not there for an event which still bears her name.

It was a Queens speech without a queen. In her place sat two future kings and a queen consort in waiting. It was a glimpse of things to come.

Charles may be the next monarch, but he was not afforded the throne. Instead, dressed in Admiral of the Fleet uniform rather than the robes of state, he sat in the chair his father, Prince Philip, occupied for decades  the inch-shorter consorts throne.

Prince Charles is seated next to the Queens crown during the State Opening of Parliament. Credit:AP

Instead of My Government he repeatedly referred to Her Majestys Government throughout the ancient House of Lords ceremony. This was no Prince regent. His mother still has her full faculties, which is stressed by all those around her. She has not surrendered her authority.
ABUJA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan has rejected a nomination to contest for president in 2023, according to his media office.

The presidential nomination and expression of interest forms were purchased Monday on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party which defeated him in the presidential election of 2015 after five years in office.

The form was purchased and donated to Jonathan by a supporters' group in the country, creating a puzzle about when and how the former Nigerian leader jumped ship from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC.

His media office said in a statement late Monday that the former president rejected the nomination offer "because he did not authorize it."

The majority of politicians seeking to replace President Muhammadu Buhari following next year's presidential election had been purchasing their parties' nomination forms through proxies.

"We want to state that if the former president wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door," the Jonathan media office said.

The statement said the former president had not in any way committed himself to the requests by a cross-section of Nigerians to make himself available for the February 2023 presidential election.

Nigeria's two major political parties, the APC and PDP, are expected to conclude their nomination exercise later this month, ahead of the Independent National Electoral Commission's early June deadline for all parties to present their candidates for the presidential election. 
In Mike Feltons opening speech at the 2022 MFAA National Conference, the CEO announced his retirement after five-and-a-half years in the role.

I believe that now is the time for me to announce my retirement as CEO of the MFAA and I have informed the board of my decision in this regard, Felton (pictured) said at the conference, being held in Melbourne.

When I took on this role, I felt it was a perfect role to my skillset. I have run my life and the way I have done my role with one simple rule, always focused on doing what is right rather than what is simply popular.

Felton said he believed now was the right time for him to end his full-time working career, to retire. He would continue on as head of the peak industry body until spring.

Read more: Labor might consider limiting clawbacks

To reduce my workload and to start doing some things I have sacrificed and havent had enough time to do. In representing you all, I can honestly say I have given 1000% to this role and treated it as my own business.

Despite some trying personal circumstance at times and without a shadow of a doubt, the last five and a half years is the pinnacle from a personal perspective the highlight of my working career to represent such a great industry.

Felton said the industry was now in the strongest position it has ever been and more importantly was in a sustainable position, which was a tremendous testament to mortgage brokers and the amazing work they do.

Feltons tenure leading the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia was focused heavily on industry advocacy, bookended by the ASIC Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration in 2016 and the MFAAs advocacy surrounding the 2022 Review.

Read more: What's happening with property investment in Australia?

MFAA chair Rose De Rossi said Felton had led the association through the industrys most challenging period with professionalism, dedication and great determination.

During his time with the MFAA, Mike has unrelentingly championed the Associations advocacy efforts on behalf of brokers and the industry, which not only had a significant influence on the policy outcomes achieved for broker businesses and the customers they serve, but also allowed the industry to lean into scrutiny and thrive in a sustainable manner, De Rossi said.

Over the past five-and-a-half years, Mike has led the MFAA from the front with great passion and effectiveness. He guided the industry through its response to the ASIC Review, the formation of the Combined Industry Forum and its associated reforms, and the industrys responses to various subsequent challenges.

This included an incredibly successful response to the Royal Commission and now the 2022 Review outcome. It was fitting that it was Mike who was the one to receive the news about the cancellation of the 2022 Review from the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing. 

Under his leadership, our professional development and learning programs have continued to be enhance.

At the end of his opening speech, Felton received a standing ovation from the entire audience at the conference.
Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of Ashok Leyland, is all set to invest around Rs 1,000 crore for setting up a new manufacturing unit in South India. The company is also in talks with financial investors to raise over $200 million for its expansion.

Switch had last month lined up investments of about 300 million pound across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles. We are planning an integrated facility in India. All the left hand drive vehicles will be made in Spain and right hand drive in India, said Mahesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer of Switch Mobility. The company said that already orders for around 1,200 buses are in the pipeline. It is planning to launch its light commercial vehicle (eLCV) -- Bada Dost  by the end of this financial year. Bada Dost will be followed by the launch of Dost brand of eLCVs.

Switch had already got orders for around 300 twelve-metre electric buses for BMTC (Bengaluru cMetropolitan Transport Corporation). Switch, a combined entity of Ashok Leyland's electric CV operations and the former bus manufacturer Optare of the UK, was formed during the same time last financial year. We are in talks with financial investors to raise over $200 million, Babu said talking about the funding plans. In July last year, US-based drivetrain-maker Dana had picked up 1 per cent stake in Switch for $18 million.

The company that had 60 buses when it started operations now has more than 600 buses with a reported value of around Rs 800 crore. It had won operate 300 twelve-metre electric buses for BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation). The fleet and charging infrastructure will be supplied, operated and maintained by Switch for 12 years under a gross cost contract (GCC) model under the FAME II Scheme. It won a deal to introduce electric double decker buses in Mumbai.

In India, the exponential 10-fold increase in order book with 600 buses and almost 1200 in the pipeline is a testament of the trust built on our brand and our products. Switch EV buses in India have clocked over 7 million kilo meters across the country, saving 4500 tonnes of CO2, with a significant uptime of over 97 per cent, Babu added.

Switch, through a subsidiary Ohm Global Mobility is also on track in the eMaaS (e-mobility as a service) space, and will look at the operational side, including maintenance, installation of charging points at depots and other on-ground work. Ohm will do all the operational works, which technical aspects be run by Switch, he added.

The company said that will also gain from the Governments Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme as parent is among the selected applicants under the initiative to promote local manufacturing by automotive industry players.
By Nupur Anand

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian state-owned lender is investigating fraud in its housing finance unit Can Fin Homes, after a complaint highlighted irregularities in certain accounts, said a direct source.

The letter, sent at the end of December and also addressed to and the National Housing Bank, said there were irregularities at one of the branches.

"We decided to act on this complaint given the severity of the situation and found out that there were frauds in 37 accounts worth 39 million rupees ($504,149.54). We have made provisions of an equal amount," said the source, who declined to be named as the discussions were private.

Fake income tax return documents had been submitted for those accounts, the source said. An internal committee was still probing the matter to find out more about the nature of the fraud.

Canara Band and did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment.

Stocks of and Can Fin Home fell 8% and 7% respectively after media reports suggesting the central bank may also investigate the fraud. However, in a regulatory filing, said it had not received any intimation from the regulator about such an investigation.

did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Earlier this month, Canara Bank posted a net profit of 16.66 billion rupees for the quarter through March, compared to 10.11 billion rupees a year ago.

($1 = 77.3580 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nupur Anand; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chennai-based Dr Agarwals Health Care Ltd.(DAHCL) has raised Rs 1,050 crore from and existing investor .

The investment round, which was Indias largest fund raise in the eyecare space, will also provide significant capital to fuel the companys expansion plans and pave the way for an exit for the existing investor, ADV Partners. The company also raised Rs 270 crore investment from in 2019.

We are very excited to partner with and and look forward to the next phase of growth of our company. Backing from such world-renowned marquee investors further strengthens our ideology of providing quality eye care to the people and bringing advanced technology to far-reaching corners of the country. The new investments will be used to expand our Indian and international footprint and deploy latest technologies for super-specialty eye care, said Amar Agarwal, chairman, Dr Agarwals Group of Eye .

Dr Agarwals Group of Eye has added more than 60 units to its network in the past five years alone. It plans to deploy capital to expand the current network of 105 to over 200 hospitals in the next three to four years. The company notched a revenue of over Rs 700 crore in FY22.

The sector in India is a core focus for TPG, and we are proud to be partnering with the number one private eye care chain in the country to continue delivering critical eye care to a market that has a disproportionately high incidence of visual impairment, said Ankur Thadani, managing director of TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity platform of alternative asset firm Texas Pacific Group which is one of the leading investment firms based out of the US.

Dr Agarwals Eye Hospitals now has a total network presence of 105 hospitals spread across India and Africa. The groups presence spans across 11 countries and over 12 states in India. Its facilities are staffed by a team of over 400 ophthalmologists and 3,000 employees.

The new investments will enable us to double our network in the next 3 years and we will be pursuing acquisitions in key markets such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, AP, Telangana, etc. as well as a rapid greenfield expansion of our network across the country. Africa is another important geography for us where we have an existing network presence of 15 hospitals. We will be deepening our presence in countries such as Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Ghana, said Adil Agarwal, chief executive officer, Dr Agarwals Goup of Eye Hospitals.
assistance platform ForeignAdmits has raised Rs 3.26 crore from Unicorn India Ventures and other investors like SEA Fund, Beerud Sheth (Founder CEO, Gupshup, Zishaan Hayath (Founder CEO, Toppr) and Keshab Panda (Former CEO, L&T Infotech) also participated in the round.

This is the second investment by UIV in Foreign Admits. The company raised a seed round from Unicorn India recently, taking the total raised to over $1 million. The Funds raised in the current round will be used for enhancing the tech platform to provide better experience to the students and partners and ongoing business development efforts.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, ForeignAdmits has demonstrated a strong growth track record since we last invested in the company. As the world opens up and students look for higher education opportunities in top global universities, we want to back the company as it goes full steam ahead with foreign admission season."

ForeignAdmits has grown 10X in the last 12 months across various business growth parameters. Currently, the platform sees 2 lakh monthly traffic organically, which is growing at 25% m-o-m. The Company has over 250 agents partners network in place to meet the growing demand of data driven and peer to peer admission counselling in India. ForeignAdmits with a team size of close to 100 is currently serving students in India and 10 other countries and has over 35 universities partnerships.

Ashwini Jain, Co-founder CEO, ForeignAdmits, says, We want to become a global leader in the overseas education space and help anyone, from any country, access the Worlds best education to achieve their full potential using our technology. Students especially in tier 2 and 3 towns don't enjoy exposure and guidance when compared to their metro counterparts. This is true for countries across the World. With the use of technology, we aim to transform the overseas study industry with better, efficient and trusted technology products. This will also enable counsellors and agents to help students with a better admission and post admission experience.

ForeignAdmits intends to help over 1,00,000 students over the next 12 months. The Company has also launched Indias first Integrated Guidance Product which offers financial & career counselling, admission and post admission support in one place.
Indian metals-to-cement conglomerate will make a $7 billion bid for Holcim AG's Indian subsidiaries Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The company will offer $4.5 billion in its own equity and $2.5 billion from undisclosed private equity partners for the bid, Chairman told the newspaper, adding that it will acquire 63% stake in Ambuja Cements. The move comes as Switzerland's Holcim tries to diversify away from its core business of cement and aggregates to focus more on building technology amid increased emphasis on sustainability. Bloomberg had reported last month Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate was also in talks to buy Ambuja from Holcim. JSW Group, Holcim, Ambuja Cements, and ACC did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside business hours.

(Reporting by Shivam Patel in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.

V)

(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.)
NAIROBI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya should come up with robust measures to strengthen the protection of migratory birds amid growing threats linked to climatic stresses and urbanization, scientists said on Tuesday ahead of World Migratory Bird Day to be marked on Saturday.

Titus Imboma, a research scientist at National Museums of Kenya (NMK)'s Ornithology Department said that conserving migratory birds will help stabilize ecosystems besides stimulating the growth of eco-tourism in the country.

"As a country, we have an obligation to protect migratory birds that have become niche tourism products, generating revenue to local communities. These birds are also key to maintaining ecosystems' balance," Imboma told Xinhua in an interview in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Kenya is a strategic passageway for migratory birds, escaping from winter in Europe and Asia and destined for warmer climate in the tropics, according to Imboma.

He said the migratory birds arrive in the country from late September, land in different ecological zones ranging from savannah grasslands, coastal strip, the Rift Valley and mountainous landscapes before returning to their native countries in late April.

According to Imboma, about 117 migratory bird species that land in Kenya spread across important bird areas like national parks, wetlands, coastal mangroves where they feed on micro-organisms and insects but do not breed.

He added that Nairobi is also an important feeding station for migratory birds adding that they are also attracted by its green spaces.

Kenya is a signatory to international legal instruments like the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) which aim to strengthen the protection of iconic migratory bird species, says Imboma.

Imboma said that major threats facing migratory birds include habitat destruction and fragmentation, light pollution, hunting for sport, erratic weather patterns and trapping by power transmission lines.

The scientist said that it was crucial to reconfigure infrastructure development and urbanization, ensure corridors for migratory birds are not encroached while raising awareness on their economic and ecological value at the grassroots.

He called for enlarging green spaces in cities, adoption of ecologically friendly farming practices like agro-forestry in order to shield migratory birds from the threat of pollution and climatic shocks.

Richard Kipngeno, the birding officer at Nature Kenya stressed that as a prized destination for migratory birds due to its expansive natural habitats, Kenya has a duty to enhance its conservation in order to sustain rural livelihoods.

Kipngeno said that some of the iconic migratory birds found in Kenya include willow warbler, blackcap, Eurasian roller, steppe eagle, Eurasian bee-eater and common sandpiper.

He added that Kenya is also playing host to migratory birds from the African continent adding that green urban development was key to halting the depletion of their habitats.

The World Migratory Bird Day, which is marked on May 14, aims to raise awareness of their critical ecological value and the threats facing them on a rapidly urbanizing planet. 
Ltd has filed a suit in seeking to restrain Hindustan Auto Industries Ltd in relation to a dispute on purported infringement and device marks.

The dispute is already pending before a trial court, stated the petitioner Lumax.

Justice Jyoti Singh, while allowing the petition on Monday, clarified that the court has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and the trial court shall decide the applications independent of any observations or narrative of facts given in the present order, which are limited to the disposal of the present petition.

Further, it directed the trial court to take up the petitioner's application under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 CPC for ex parte ad interim injunction as well as an application for appointment of Local Commissioner on Tuesday.

The petition contended that the suit was listed on various dates before the trial Court where, for one reason or the other, while summons was issued, applications were filed, however, the appointment of the Local Commissioner was not being heard.

It is averred that thereafter, the matter was listed 'for orders' on the multiple pending applications but the same was not passed and the trial court again issued summons and notice in the applications.

In the order, the court stated that the affidavit filed by petitioners indicates that the respondent is unserved to date, which is apparently for the reason that despite the order of the trial court dated April 30, petitioners have not taken any steps as directed.

While this court deprecates the non-compliance of the court order by the petitioners in not taking steps to serve the respondent, however, considering the fact that several dates have passed and to date, for one reason or the other, respondent is unserved, this court deems it fit to request the learned trial court to hear the two applications before the summons in the suit and notice in the applications are served on the respondent, it read.

--IANS

jw/shb/

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Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said the AAP-led government in the state would give a big push to the industry so that its dwindling economy could be revived, paving a way for holistic development in all sectors.

While interacting with the industrialists of Doaba region regarding 'Janta Budget' here, the Finance Minister said each and every suggestion being received for the budget would be meticulously examined to be incorporated in the state's fiscal document.

The minister also emphasised the need to further strengthen the industrialisation in the region, which was the backbone of development and growth, besides creating job opportunities for youngsters, according to an official release.

He said the led by Chief Minister would sympathetically listen to all the issues pertaining to industry as well as taking requisite steps to resolve all such issues within a minimal time.

The industrialists and traders welcomed the state government's initiative of seeking suggestions from all sections of the society for the state budget 2022-23.

The minister also assured them that their valuable suggestion would be immensely helpful for the state to bring out a people-oriented budget.

Referring to some of the issues being faced by the industry as highlighted by the industrialists, Cheema reiterated that their demands and concerns would be sorted out shortly so that the industry could be further strengthened.

Lashing out at the previous governments, the minister said during the last 25 years, no adequate heed was given to industry, consequently, industry suffered a lot and also said the industrial focal points lacked basic amenities.

He said now the AAP-government would give a fillip to the industry, besides establishing new infrastructure as per the current needs.

The minister also stated that anyone could send suggestions regarding the budget at portal "http://finance. .gov.in"finance. .gov.in and they can also submit these with their MLAs or deputy commissioners.

(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.)
Coastal districts in were Tuesday put on alert in view of Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Asani' in Bay of Bengal changing its course as it nears the coast.

Amid reports quoting a weather observation station in the US that the may cross the coast by Wednesday evening near Machilipatnam, authorities in all the districts along Andhra coast went on alert.

After crossing the coast, the is likely to recurve and reemerge in Bay of Bengal near Visakhapatnam.

Heavy to very heavy rains are likely in Krishna, Guntur, Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. The coastal region is likely to experience gusty winds with 75-95 kmph speed.

District administration in the districts likely to be affected have opened control rooms. People in coastal and low-lying areas have been alerted.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is closely monitoring the situation and has kept its teams on standby for rescue and relief operations.

The Indian Navy is also on alert for rescue and relief. Senior officials of the Eastern Naval Command, which has its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, are in regular contact with the authorities in and Odisha.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reviewed the situation through a video conference with disaster management authorities in and Odisha

From Andhra Pradesh, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, G. Sai Prasad and Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority Director B. R. Ambedkar participated in the video conference and briefed the Union Home Secretary on the preventive steps taken.

Sai Prasad said nine teams each of NDRF and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been sent to the districts likely to be affected.

He, along with Ambedkar, is continuously monitoring the situation from the state emergency operation centre and issuing necessary directions to the districts concerned.

State Home Minister Taneti Vanitha also reviewed the situation with top officials in view of the forecast heavy to very heavy rains across the state under the impact of the cyclone.

Parts of north and south coastal Andhra received heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds on Tuesday. Machilipatnam also experienced rains and gusty winds. Authorities stopped electricity supply in some areas as a precautionary measure.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone lay centered at about 210 km south-southeast of Kakinada and 310 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam. It is very likely to move nearly northwestwards and reach west-central Bay of Bengal close to Kakinada-Visakhapatnam coasts by May 11 morning. Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve slowly north-northeast wards and move along Andhra Pradesh coast between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam and then emerge into Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. It is likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm and subsequently into a depression.

Storm surge of about 0.5 m above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of Krishna, East and West Godavari and Vishakhapatnam districts, an IMD bulletin said.

The IMD has suggested total suspension of fishing operations and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till May 12.

In Krishna, East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts, damage to thatched huts, minor damage to power and communication lines due to breaking of branches and major damage to Kutcha and minor damage to Pucca roads is likely. Some damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards is also anticipated.

--IANS

ms/vd

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister, Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday blamed low-quality construction material for the collapse of a bridge in Bhagalpur district of .

A section of the bridge which connected Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district to Khagaria in Munger district collapsed on April 29.

The government officials submitted a report to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wherein it mentioned that the bridge had collapsed due to strong wind and fog.

"Recently, a bridge collapsed in Bihar's Bhagalpur district. When I asked my secretary about that incident, he, on the basis of the report, said the bridge collapsed due to wind and fog," Gadkari said while addressing people at an event in New Delhi.

"Would you believe in the theory of wind and fog? You are an IAS officer. How could a bridge collapse due to wind and fog? There must be some other reasons. The construction material used in the bridge must be sub-standard. Hence, it had collapsed," he added during an interaction with his secretary which he shared during the event.

The construction of the bridge measuring 3.16 km in length was started on March 9, 2015, with the estimated completion time of December 2019.

The construction company has breached several deadlines and the bridge is yet to be completed.

The estimated cost of the bridge is Rs 1,710 crore and is one of the ambitious projects of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, connecting Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district to adjoining Khagaria along the Ganga river.

The Bihar road construction department is constructing this bridge and has also prepared approach roads from both the sides.

(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 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday conducted searches at eight locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Mumbai in a case related to irregularities in the purchase of office space of approximately 65,000 sq ft area by J-K Bank at Mumbai.

A senior official informed that multiple raids were conducted at the residences of Haseeb Drabu, then Chairman of J-K Bank, members of the Estates Committee of the board of directors of the Bank including AK Mehta, then Executive Director, and the then Directors Mohammed Ibrahim Shahdad and Vikrant Kuthiala.

During the raids, incriminating documents, articles and electronic evidence, several bank account details and bank locker keys have been recovered.

had registered a case on November 11, 2021 on the allegations of irregularities in the purchase of the Akruti Gold building for Rs. 180 crores (approx) by J & K Bank for its integrated office in Mumbai in 2010.

The said case was referred by J & K Government to .

CBI had also conducted searches earlier at various locations including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata in the case.

The raids are underway at several locations, the officer 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.)
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a partnership between public, private, philanthropic organisations to develop vaccines against future epidemics, has partnered with Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech, the University of Sydney and ExcellGene of Switzerland to develop a variant-proof Covid-19 vaccine.

Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney and ExcellGene consortium is the latest award that CEPI made under its $200 mn programme to advance the development of vaccines that would provide broad protection against the Sars-CoV-2 variants and also other betacoronaviruses.

CEPI has till date announced funding for nine such projects including the one.

Under this initiative, CEPI will provide funding of up to $19.3 mn to support the development of a variant proof Sars-CoV-2 vaccine candidate. The consortium is seeking to establish pre-clinical and clinical proof of concept for an adjuvanted sub-unit vaccine designed to provide broad protection against all known Sars-CoV-2 variants of concern, as well as future variants of the virus that have not yet emerged.

CEPI will fund the researchers to conduct activities including immunogen design, preclinical studies, manufacturing process development and a Phase 1 clinical trial. The vaccine candidate is aimed to work against other betacoronaviruses as well as vaccines against Disease X  unknown pathogens with pandemic potential that emerge in the future.

Betacoronaviruses are one of the four genera of coronaviruses  alpha, beta, gamma and delta. The natural reservoirs for betacoronaviruses are bats and rodents. There have been multiple betacoronavirus outbreaks in humans since the early 2000s.

Indias Panacea Biotec along with the public sector institute Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) have begun work on developing a vaccine that would offer broad protection against not only the Sars-CoV-2 virus, but also its cousins - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The idea is to develop a pre-emptive vaccine for future outbreaks. Their programme has also received funding from CEPI.

said that under the terms of the funding agreement, the consortium partners have committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project.

Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI said: As repeated waves of COVID-19 infection remind us, we will be living alongside the virus for many years to come. The threat of a new variant emerging that might evade the protection of our current vaccines is real, so investing in R&D for variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is a global health security imperative. Our partnership with Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney and ExcellGene will advance the development of a vaccine candidate to protect against future variants of COVID-19, potentially contributing to the long-term control of the virus.

Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, said that while current generation of vaccines are safe and effective against the currently known variants, it is imperative that we focus on innovation for multi-epitope vaccines, where a single vaccine can protect against all future variants.

University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australias early phase clinical trial community.

Meanwhile, ExcellGene, a privately-owned company offering research, development and manufacturing services to academia and industry partners, will provide the technology platform.

Dr Maria J Wurm, CEO, ExcellGene said: Our technological platform for innovative protein designs was used in the past to identify and manufacture an antigen for an Ebola candidate vaccine, resulting in sterilizing immunity in pre-clinical challenge models. For the current COVID-19 project we are using similar approaches to generate numerous antigen preparations derived from spike protein variants of SARS-CoV-2, focussing eventually on the most promising antigen for vaccine purposes.

This work forms an important part of CEPIs next 5-year plan which aims to reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics.

CEPIs 5-year plan lays out a $3.5 billion roadmap to compress vaccine development timelines to 100 days, develop a broadly protective vaccine against COVID-19 and other betacoronaviruses, and create a library of vaccine candidates for use against known and unknown pathogens
There may be more fires in electric scooters in the future, but such incidents are very rare, Electrics Chief Executive Officer Bhavish Aggarwal said at a private company event, after safety concerns were heightened by a fire in one of its scooters in March.

Olas e-scooter fire was among a spate of similar recent incidents that triggered an uproar on social media and an investigation by the Indian government.

The company has recalled more than 1,400 e-scooters and appointed external experts to investigate the cause. Will there be occurrences in the future, there might be, Aggarwal responded, when asked a question about the fires at a private event on Sunday. But our commitment is that we will make sure we analyse every issue and if there are fixes to be done we will fix them, he said, according to a recording from the event reviewed by Reuters.

He described the fires as being very rare and isolated in a recording from the event, at which the company previewed a new operating system for its e-scooters.

Fire safety in the automotive industry was a broader issue beyond electric vehicles (EVs), Aggarwal said, adding that petrol-fuelled vehicles had greater need of quality control regulations than the EV industry. More gasoline-based scooters have caught fire compared with electric models, and this issue pertains to the two-wheeler industry as a whole, Group's chief financial officer Arun Kumar told Reuters.

Initial findings of the government investigation of the e-scooter fires revealed an issue with Olas battery cells and battery management system, Reuters reported last week, though the firm said its battery management system was not at fault.

Incidents of fires involving e-scooters from start-ups Okinawa and PureEV are also being investigated.

There will be, sometimes, some minor defects in, maybe the cell, maybe something else, which will cause some internal short circuit, Aggarwal said.

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The has seized three cars belonging to IAS officer Pooja Singhal's Chartered Accountant (CA) Suman Kumar in connection with the prevention of money laundering case pertaining to the scam of around Rs 18 crore.

On Tuesday, Singhal appeared before the ED's team in Ranchi. Her questioning is still going on. She is being asked about the recovery of the huge cash and her possible involvement in the matter. CA Kumar, who works for Singhal and her husband, was placed under arrest on Saturday following several raids. Kumar was then sent to five days' ED custody. On Tuesday, the ED seized three cars belonging to him, terming them as proceeds of crime.

The ED had on Friday recovered Rs 19.31 crore and a few incriminating documents from the premises of Kumar.

Kumar, a CA of IAS official and mining secretary of Jharkhand Pooja Singhal, came on the radar during the course of investigation. Kumar also handles accounts of Singhal's husband.

The (ED) had on Friday morning conducted raids at more than 18 places.

The raids were conducted at Ranchi, Chandigarh, Noida, Mumbai, Kollata, Mujjafarpur, Saharsa, and in several parts of NCR including Faridabad and Gurugram.

The ED had also recorded the statements of the CA after seizing the whole cash. They had to take help of bank officials and a currency counting machine.

It is important to be note that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is also mining minister.

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Union Finance Minister on Tuesday appealed to states to build infrastructure and do "energy planning" thereby ensuring uninterrupted, quality supply of power is made available to industries at reasonable rates, enabling them to grow their businesses.

At an event here, she said the Centre would extend all its support to help states build the necessary infrastructure and this does not pertain to but also to others.

Referring to her budget announcement of allotting Rs 7.50 lakh crore to infrastructure sector in the country, she said it was comparatively higher to the Rs 5.50 lakh crore that was allotted last year.

"My appeal to states is that they should ensure electricity and it should be made available 24 hours, all 365 days at reasonable rates. Industries should get quality power...," she said.

Sitharaman said every stakeholder should work towards ensuring uninterrupted so that 'power shortage' does not occur since it poses as a major hurdle for the industry's growth.

The Finance Minister was speaking at the Stakeholder's Outreach Programme organised by Directorate General of Foreign Trade on the occasion of India signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates and the Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA) with Australia.

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LAGOS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian official on Tuesday called on all states across the country to develop and implement their cholera response and preparedness plans for preventing outbreaks as the rainy season begins.

Ibiyemi Olu-Daniels, a deputy director in charge of water sanitation affairs at the ministry of water resources, said at a water sanitation meeting in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, that the rainy season is an avenue for the occurrence of water-related diseases like cholera and diarrhea.

Olu-Daniels said with awareness through continuous advocacy, the year of 2022 may record lower cholera cases in comparison with the 2021 cholera outbreak, in which more than 110,000 cases with about 3,600 deaths were reported in 33 states and Abuja.

He said the minister of water resources had written to all state governors to take proactive measures to reduce possible outbreaks of cholera, saying the availability of budgets was crucial.

"We are also calling on states to preposition cholera response kits in case of emergencies, things like hygiene kits, Aquatabs, disinfectants, and chlorine," he said.

Cholera is a highly virulent disease, characterized in its most severe form by the sudden onset of acute watery diarrhea that can lead to death by severe dehydration.

The outbreak is frequently reported in Nigeria due to the lack of potable water supply, especially in densely populated areas. 
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday has conducted nationwide search operation covering 40 locations in multiple cities against offcials of (MHA), non-profit organisations and others for allegedly violating foreign grant rules, sources privy to the development told Business Standard.

The action follows the first information report filed against these offcials, NGOs and middle-men for breaching Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) norms.

The searches have been continuing in multiple cities including Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Mysore and some places in Rajasthan, sources quoted above said.

At least six officials of MHAs division (which approves registration and grants) along with NGO representatives and middlemen were found involved in illegal clearances of foreign donations in lieu of hefty bribes, it has been learnt.

During the searches, the agency held some government officials for taking bribes from NGOs through middle-men. It also found Rs 2 crore of hawala transactions, trails of which they examining. The federal agency could book some more offcials later in the night, source indicated.

Sources said that the searches will continue this week as several more are under CBI radar, they said.

The central agency is learnt to have acted on the complaint by the MHA regarding the issue. The agency is also probing a possible money laundering angle.

It came to light that several public officials from the MHA, NGO representatives and middleman exchanged money to facilitate the foreign donations in violation of FCRA, 2010, they said.

The Centre amended the in 2020 allowing conducting an enquiry before a renewal and giving organisations of surrendering the licence if an organisation doesnt want it. There are about 16,000 registered organisations under .
on Tuesday reported 33 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 12,24,563, while the death toll remained unchanged at 10,944, a state health department official said.

So far, 12,13,446 persons have been discharged post recovery, including 12 during the day, leaving the state with an active caseload of 173, he said.

The new cases comprised 24 from Ahmedabad, eight from Vadodara and one from Jamnagar, the official said.

A government release said 45,073 people were given COVID-19 vaccine jabs during the day, taking the overall number of doses administered in the state to 10.82 crore.

The adjoining Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu continues to be coronavirus-free, a local official said.

Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,24,563, new cases 33, death toll 10,944, discharged 12,13,446, active cases 173, people tested so far - figures not released.

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Even as heat wave conditions were observed at some pockets of west and at isolated places over west Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha on Monday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heat wave conditions in north-west Indian plains, including Haryana and from Tuesday.

Highest maximum temperature at 46.2 degrees Celsius was reported from Bikaner in . Akola in Vidarbha recorded 45.8 degrees Celsius.

Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are very likely in isolated/some pockets over west till May 13 and heat wave conditions in isolated/some pockets over on May 10, east Rajasthan, Vidarbha, and Madhya Pradesh till May 13, and south Haryana and south Punjab during May 10-13 and over during May 11-13.

"Heat wave conditions in some parts with severe heat wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over west Rajasthan, heat wave conditions in some parts over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and in isolated pockets over south Punjab, south Haryana, Delhi, east Rajasthan and Gujarat," the bulletin said.

Similar heat wave/severe heat wave conditions would continue on May 11 and 12, it said.

Thanks to Western Disturbance earlier in the month, the NW Indian plains received a respite from the massive back-to-back heat waves since March and April. The current spell would continue till pre-monsoon showers.

--IANS

niv/vd

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India was looking at tapping new markets for import of edible oils, following the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Union Finance Minister said here on Tuesday.

According to her, the country was facing various hurdles on import of edible oils due to the conflict.

"Everyone knows there is a war going on between Russia and Ukraine. There are various hurdles in terms of importing oils. You know we are not able to import edible oil, we were getting sunflower oil. Now, we are not," she said at an event here.

"Now, we are importing edible oils from various other markets and are also looking at newer markets," she said.

Sitharaman said due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, an opportunity has also arisen for industrialists in terms of tapping those markets for exports from India.

"Earlier, they (Ukraine and Russia) were exporting to some markets. Now, they are not exporting (due to the conflict). We have got an opportunity to export to those countries (where Ukraine and Russia were exporting). You (as industrialists) should also look at opportunities in every challenge and the Central government was always ready to offer its support," she said.

The Finance Minister was speaking at the Stakeholder's Outreach Programme organised by Directorate General of Foreign Trade on the occasion of India signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates and the Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA) with Australia.

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Union Home Minister on Tuesday exuded confidence that will soon be revoked from entire Assam, as improved law and order and peace accords with militant outfits during the last six years have already led to its partial withdrawal in the state.

He said that due to the efforts of the Centre and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements and the day is not far when the entire state will be completely free from insurgency and violence.

Shah was addressing a gathering after presenting the President's Colour, a special flag, to the Police. It is the highest honour to be given to any military or police unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and war.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been revoked from 23 districts, and partially from one district. I am confident that it will be completely withdrawn from the entire state soon, he said.

The Act was extended 60 times in the state since 1990 but now, instead of special laws, youths can look forward to development and a bright future, the union minister said.

He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.

Shah said accords were signed with all four factions of the NDFB and militant outfits in Karbi Anglong, while 274 cases against 427 cadres of them were withdrawn by the state government.

The Police has a glorious history and has successfully tackled insurgency, border issues, smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle, rhino poaching and social issues like witchcraft to emerge as one of the foremost police forces of the country, Shah said.

The force also successfully dealt with partition, the communal clashes that followed, refugee problems, infiltration and the Bangladesh Liberation War, he said.

Assam Police has tackled banned insurgent bodies like ULFA, NDFB, NSCN and other outfits for three decades within the constitutional framework and under the Unified Command has helped the army effectively to ensure both border and internal security, Shah added.

It rightly deserves to be honoured with the President's Colour and I, as the home minister, am very proud of the force, he said.

The union minister who inspected a guard of honour before the presentation of the President's Colour said the state government has embarked on the path of modernisation of the police force.

Shah presented the honour to the state police in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta at the 'Alankaran Parade' ceremony held at the Nehru Stadium here.

The flag is engraved with Assam's map with 36 stars representing the districts of the state, a one-horned rhino and the insignia of Assam Police with the motto 'Janahitjanaswarthe' (for people's welfare and interest).

Assam is the 10th state in the country to receive the President's Colour. Three heads of Vaishnav monasteries blessed the flag before the presentation.

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Elon Musk, who is offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc's single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the bloc's online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal will be forbidden in the digital space, which Musk fully agreed with.

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a great discussion" and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year. It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

Musk's plan to buy for $44 billion has raised fears he would make changes to the platform that would prioritize free speech over online safety potentially putting him at odds with the looming rules in Europe, which has led a global movement to crack down on the power of tech giants.

The 65-second clip indicates Musk's and the EU's views may be closer than they appear. Breton says in the video that he explained the Digital Services Act to Musk in a meeting at Tesla's Texas headquarters. Musk responds by saying it's exactly aligned with my thinking.

I agree with everything you said, really, Musk said. I think we're very much of the same mind and, you know, I think anything that my companies can do that can be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that.

The attempted acquisition by Musk, a billionaire and self-described free speech absolutist, had raised concerns that he would take a hands-off approach to content moderation.

Breton told AP he explained to Musk that the new law means we need also to have more moderators, and in the language where we operate. So he fully understood."



The pair agreed on the importance of being able to inspect algorithms that determine what social media users are being shown, Breton said.

The Digital Services Act requires more transparency for algorithms, and Musk has called for opening them up to public inspection.

Another topic of discussion was President Donald Trump's ban from for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol insurrection, which Musk has reportedly opposed.

Breton said he told Musk the EU law includes provisions to maintain the rights of users, such as giving them the right to appeal bans.

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Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday reviewed preparedness for severe Asani, which is moving over Bay of Bengal, off Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts, where rescue troops were deployed for assistance of civilians, officials said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed nine teams and kept seven more teams on standby in Andhra Pradesh while one team has been deployed and 17 units are on standby in Odisha.

As many as 12 teams were deployed and five teams were on standby in West Bengal while additional teams are also in readiness if required.

"The union home secretary today reviewed preparedness of central ministries, agencies and administrations of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in view of 'Asani' in Bay of Bengal," a home ministry spokesperson said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the is likely to reach west central Bay of Bengal close to Kakinada-Vishakhapatanam coasts by May 11 noon and then move along Andhra coast between Kakinada and Vishakhapatanam (Krishna, East and West Godavari and Vishakhapatanam districts).

The cyclone would have wind speeds of 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph on the Andhra Pradesh coast and 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph on Odisha coast.

Suspension of fishing operations has been suggested.

The union home secretary directed central ministries and agencies to keep a regular watch and be in touch with administrations of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for any help, the spokesperson.

The IMD has been keeping a close track of the cyclone and has issued 20 national bulletins so far, updating local administration about the storm and suggesting measures to save lives.

Under the influence of the cyclone, Odisha and West Bengal had received heavy to moderate rainfall on Monday.

The weather office said that very high sea conditions were likely to prevail over west-central and adjoining south Bay of Bengal.

In Odisha, two to three spells of rain occurred in districts such as Khurda, Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack and Bhadrak.

The cyclone is likely to cause heavy rain in the southern part of West Bengal including Kolkata, Howrah, Purba Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts between Monday and Thursday, the weather office had said.

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Road transport and highways minister on Tuesday inaugurated a facility in Nuh district of Haryana.

The minister said that the automobile scrapping policy brought by the Union government will reduce pollution, while increasing the production capacity in the sector at lower cost.

Gadkari was speaking at the inauguration of the facility at Fatehpur village in Nuh district, a state government statement said.

According to the statement, Gadkari said that the biggest benefit from this policy will be that copper, steel, aluminum, rubber and plastic will be easily available.

The automobile sector is providing employment to crores of people in the country. By the end of 2024, this new policy will generate a large number of jobs and this policy will also play an important role in cleaning the environment, he said.

Haryana transport minister Mool Chand Sharma, who was also present on the occasion, praised the Union minister for "creating a network of roads not only in the state but in the entire country".

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The findings from a seven-year research project suggests that there could be a new approach to treating one of the most common and devastating forms of brain cancer in adults, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM).

In a peer-reviewed study published by BMC Cancer, scientists from the University of Surrey show that a short chain of amino acids (the HTL-001 peptide) is effective at targeting and inhibiting the function of a family of genes responsible for the growth of GBM - Hox genes. The study was conducted in cell and animal models.

The HTL-001 peptide used in the study has undergone safety testing and is suitable for patient trials. These trials are now being considered in GBM and other cancers.

Hardev Pandha, project lead and Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Surrey, said:

"People who suffer from Glioblastoma Multiforme have a five per cent survival rate over a five-year period - a figure that has not improved in decades. While we are still early in the process, our seven-year project offers a glimmer of hope for finding a solution to Hox gene dysregulation, which is associated with the growth of GBM and other cancers, and which has proven to be elusive as a target for so many years."

Ironically, Hox genes are responsible for the healthy growth of brain tissue but are ordinarily silenced at birth after vigorous activity in the growing embryo. However, if they are inappropriately 'switched on' again, their activity can lead to the progression of cancer. Hox gene dysregulation has long been recognised in GBM.

The project was carried out in collaboration with the universities of Surrey, Leeds and Texas, and HOX Therapeutics, a University of Surrey start-up company based on the University's Surrey Research Park.

Professor Susan Short, co-author of the study from the University of Leeds, said:

"We desperately need new treatment avenues for these aggressive brain tumours. Targeting developmental genes like the HOX genes that are abnormally switched on in the tumour cells could be a novel and effective way to stop glioblastomas growing and becoming life-threatening."

James Culverwell, CEO of HOX Therapeutics, said, "HOX Therapeutics is excited to be associated with this project and we hope that with our continuing support, this research will eventually lead to novel and effective treatments for both brain and other cancers where HOX gene over-expression is a clear therapeutic target.

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The on Tuesday granted interim bail to MLA in a case related to alleged grabbing of enemy property for his Jauhar University project.

The bail order was passed by Justice Rahul Chaturvedi.

The interim bail has been granted on the condition that Khan has to return the entire enemy property to paramilitary forces and has to furnish personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

However, Khan will not be able to walk out of the jail as a Rampur district court last week issued a warrant against him in another case, his lawyer said.

Khan's lawyer Khaleel Ullaha Khan said over phone from Rampur that the high court has granted him bail.

But the Rampur MLA wouldn't be able to come out of the jail because the police have served him a warrant at Sitapur jail in another case, he said.

An FIR was lodged at Azem Nagar police station in Rampur against Khan and others in 2019 for alleged grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than hundreds of crores of rupees.

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.

The interim bail to Khan comes after the Supreme Court on May 6 expressed displeasure over the delay in hearing his bail application in the land grabbing case, saying this is a "travesty of justice".

A bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai noted that Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases, and said it would hear the matter on May 11.

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People attend the Huawei Ethiopia forum, organized in collaboration with Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 9, 2022. Huawei Ethiopia held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Huawei Ethiopia has held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector.

The two-day Huawei Ethiopia forum, the second of the kind, was organized in collaboration with Addis Ababa University and ran until Tuesday, with the purpose of promoting jobs to newly graduating students. The forum coincided with Addis Ababa University's annual Research and Job Fairs Week which began Monday.

Tamire Dawud, the manager for ICT Ecosystem Development at Huawei Technologies Ethiopia Plc, said the forum is part of Huawei's continued commitment to train and certify new graduates and equip them with the latest trends in the industry including data communication, artificial intelligence, big data, wireless LAN.

"Huawei, as a leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices, offers training on the latest technologies, eventually creating job opportunities for the trained youth," Dawud said.

Noting Huawei's special internships trend that gives a chance to new graduates to join an internship program at its Ethiopian head office, Dawud said new graduates will acquire work experience and familiarize themselves with the work environment, among others.

Huawei Ethiopian head office last year offered internship opportunities to more than 250 new graduates and hired more than 200 interns. The company planned to accept up to 300 new graduates this year, according to Dawud.

Dawud said that the forum offers a unique opportunity for students who would have otherwise encountered various difficulties in order to get the rare internationally acclaimed training as well as job opportunities.

Huawei, which works in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, has opened an ICT academy across 42 higher education institutions in Ethiopia. 

Tamire Dawud, the manager for ICT Ecosystem Development at Huawei Technologies Ethiopia Plc, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 9, 2022. Huawei Ethiopia held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

An Ethiopian employee of Huawei Technologies Ethiopia Plc poses for photos during the Huawei Ethiopia forum, organized in collaboration with Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 9, 2022. Huawei Ethiopia held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

People attend the Huawei Ethiopia forum, organized in collaboration with Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 9, 2022. Huawei Ethiopia held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

People attend the Huawei Ethiopia forum, organized in collaboration with Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 9, 2022. Huawei Ethiopia held a forum that is aimed at linking new university graduates into Ethiopia's information communications technology sector. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
The on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to notify the programme for local body elections in the state within two weeks.

The apex court observed that election is due in respect of over 23,000 local bodies across .

A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said until the triple test exercise, which was mentioned in a Constitution bench verdict of 2010, is completed in all respect, no reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) can be provisioned.

The top court said that election process cannot be delayed as it would result in creating a hiatus situation upon expiry of the five-year term and it is the constitutional obligation of the authorities to hold elections on time.

As aforesaid, the SEC need not wait any further but shall notify the election programme without any further delay in respect of local self government whose elections had become due and in the present case, as aforesaid, overdue in respect of 23,263 local bodies across the state of as of now, the bench said, adding the SEC must do so within two weeks.

The apex court posted the matter, which pertained to local body elections in the state of Madhya Pradesh, for hearing in July.

On May 4, the top court had directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to notify the programme for local bodies elections within two weeks.

The bench had said the delimitation as it existed prior to March 11, 2022, in respect of local bodies concerned be taken as notional delimitation for the conduct of overdue elections and to conduct the same on that basis in respect of each of such local bodies.

While hearing the matter earlier, the apex court had referred to the Constitution bench verdict of 2010 which had mentioned the triple condition, including setting up a dedicated commission to conduct a contemporaneous rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness qua local bodies within the state, which is required to be followed before provisioning such reservation for the OBC category.

It had said that later, a three-judge bench had reiterated the same.

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The Tuesday sought the Centre's response on protecting citizens' interests by putting at abeyance the lodging of sedition cases till re-examination of the colonial era penal law.

The apex court agreed that the re-look of the provision be left to the Centre which has filed an affidavit in this regard.

It, however, expressed concern over the continuous abuse of the provision and even suggested that guidelines may be issued to stop the abuse or a decision to keep the law at abeyance till the exercise of re-look of the law is completed.

The top court, which was to decide whether a three or five-judge bench should hear the batch of pleas challenging the validity of the sedition law, took note of the fresh stand of the government that it wanted to "re-examine and reconsider" it.

Quoting the Centre's recent affidavit, which referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's views on issues like the shedding of colonial baggage, protection of civil liberties, and respect of human rights, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said, What we feel is that the State has said they want to do something..We should not be unreasonable.

The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said our specific query is on two issues. One is about the pending cases and the second is, how the government will take care of future cases till the reconsideration. These are two issues. Nothing else. It asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to apprise the stand of the Centre on Wednesday when it may pass some orders.

Referring to the possible misuse of the provision, the bench said even the attorney general had said as to how the law was invoked even for chanting Hanuman Chalisa' and asked the Centre to come up with some response.

We are making it very clear. We want instructions. We will give you time till tomorrow. Our specific queries are: one about pending cases and the second, as to how the government will take care of future cases..., said the bench.

The law officer said the filing of FIR and the investigation are done by the states and the Centre has no role in them and there are constitutional courts for granting remedies against any misuse of the provision based on the facts of each case.

"We cannot ask everyone to go attend the courts and be in jail for months. When the government itself has shown concerns about misuse then how will you protect them? We have to balance. There are people who are jailed and people who are going to be booked ... Please make your stand clear on this," the bench said. The bench also asked how much time the government will take in reconsidering the law.

To this, the solicitor general said he cannot give the accurate time, but the process has been initiated and from the tenor and spirit of the affidavit, it was evident that there was an application of mind involved in the process.

"You have used the word competent forum' and will re-examine it. Why not the Central government through its ministry issue a direction to the states that the matters under Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC be kept in abeyance till the issue is under reconsideration, the bench said.

The law officer said such an order has not been passed by the apex court in the history of this country directing that a penal provision be not used.

"We are not talking about all provisions. Section 124A only," the bench said.

The bench said that even in the 1962 judgement of the Kedar Nath Singh case, the provision was melted down, but, at ground level, local police are operating. Unless you issue a direction that you are reconsidering the provision and no cases be registered. They will not act, the bench said.

At the outset, the senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for petitioners, opposed the Centre's response saying that the court cannot be asked to stop hearing a constitutional challenge.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs in an affidavit filed on Tuesday said the decision was in tune with the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on shedding colonial baggage, noting he has been in favour of the protection of civil liberties and respect of human rights and in that spirit, over 1,500 outdated laws and over 25,000 compliance burdens have been scrapped.

The PM believes that at a time when the country is marking 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' (75 years since independence), we need to, as a nation, work even harder to shed colonial baggage that has passed its utility which includes outdated laws, colonial laws, and practice, it said.

Various offences which were causing "mindless hindrances" to people have been decriminalised, it added.

Asserting that it was cognizant of various views and concerns about civil liberties, the Centre at the same time said it was committed to protecting the sovereignty and integrity of this great nation.

In the earlier written submissions on May 7, the Centre had defended the and the 1962 verdict of a Constitution bench upholding its validity, contending that it had withstood "the test of time" for about six decades and the instances of its abuse would never be a justification for reconsideration.

The top court has been hearing a clutch of pleas challenging the validity of the law on sedition which has been under intense public scrutiny for its alleged misuse to settle political scores by various governments.

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Slain photojournalist Danish Siddiqui is among four honoured with the prestigious 2022 in the feature photography category.

Siddiqui and his colleagues Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo and Amit Dave from the Reuters news agency won the award, announced on Monday, for "images of COVID's toll in India that balanced intimacy and devastation, while offering viewers a heightened sense of place", according to The Pulitzer Prizes website.

Their work was moved from the breaking news photography category by the judges.

Siddiqui, 38, was on assignment in last year when he died. The award-winning journalist was killed in July last while covering clashes between Afghan troops and the in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city.

This is for the second time that Siddiqui has won the . He was honoured with the prestigious award in 2018 as part of the Reuters team for their coverage of the Rohingya crisis. He had extensively covered the conflict, the Hong Kong protests and other major events in Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

Siddiqui graduated with a degree in Economics from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. He had a degree in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia in 2007.

He started his career as a television news correspondent, switched to photojournalism, and joined Reuters as an intern in 2010.



Marcus Yam of the Los Angeles Times bagged the award in the Breaking News photography category "for raw and urgent images of the US departure from that capture the human cost of the historic change in the country".

Yam's work was moved from Feature Photography by the jury.

Win McNamee, Drew Angerer, Spencer Platt, Samuel Corum and Jon Cherry of Getty Images also won the award in the Breaking News photography category for their "comprehensive and consistently riveting photos of the attack on the US Capitol".

The Washington Post bagged the in public service journalism for its coverage of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

According to the award committee, the newspaper "compellingly told and vividly presented account of the assault on Washington on January 6, 2021, providing the public with a thorough and unflinching understanding of one of the nation's darkest days".



The Pulitzer Board awarded a special citation to the journalists of Ukraine for their "courage, endurance, and commitment to truthful reporting during (President) Vladimir Putin's ruthless invasion of their country and his propaganda war in Russia".

"Despite bombardment, abductions, occupation, and even deaths in their ranks, they have persisted in their effort to provide an accurate picture of a terrible reality, doing honour to Ukraine and to journalists around the world," the committee said.

The Pulitzer Prizes were established by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, who left money to Columbia University upon his death in 1911. A portion of his bequest was used to found the School of Journalism in 1912 and establish the Pulitzer Prizes, which were first awarded in 1917.



The 19-member Pulitzer Board is composed of leading journalists and news executives from media outlets across the US, as well as five academics or persons in the arts. The dean of Columbia's journalism school and the administrator of the prizes are non-voting members. The chair rotates annually to the most senior member or members.

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Union Minister here on Tuesday promised a polytechnic student, who wants to become a scientist, a visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation next month.

Irani asked a Jagdishpur polytechnic student Neetu Maurya about her future aspirations and when the girl replied that she wanted to become a scientist and work at the national space agency, the minister promised to take her to next month.

"She (the girl) wanted to go to and become a scientist. I will take her to next month," Irani said.

"It is a matter of pride for Amethi that this girl wants to become a scientist. She will one day bring fame to Amethi," the BJP leader said.

The minister further assured other students that she will help them in whatever way she can for their success.

Irani was in her constituency to inaugurate a private institute and distribute tablets to students.

In Amethi so far 11,672 students have been given tablets, she said and thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the same.

The UP government had announced free smartphones and tablets for one crore youth to make them technically sound. Adityanath had kickstarted the tablet distribution last year with a mega event in Lucknow on December 25.

(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 vaccine think-tank has asked several public sector institutions, including the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to submit data on their analysis of immunity amongst young children against the Covid-19 virus.

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) will hold its crucial meeting on vaccine for children next week.

We plan to take up the issue on childrens in next weeks meeting, and review data on the three childrens vaccines available now. However, before that we have asked institutions to submit their analysis of immunity among young children who were widely exposed in the Omicron-led third wave, said a senior member of NTAGI.

During the third wave of infections in India, several children were exposed and infected, as that was also the population cohort without any vaccine coverage. It is estimated that children are already widely exposed to the virus through their adult caretakers. Therefore, before the national immunisation mission is expanded, NTAGI wants to understand the level of immunity  both at cellular level (memory cells) and also through antibodies  that exists among Indian children.

Several institutions, including the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, have done studies to understand the level of infection and immunity among young children. We now seek to see those analyses, the source said, adding that the next meeting would focus on how to further achieve a higher rate among the overall Indian population.

States, too, are doing sero-surveys independently to understand the impact of the third wave on children.

For example, Karnataka has begun field-work for the third round of Covid-19 sero-survey involving unvaccinated children between the age group 6-14 years in the first week of May. The states Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) had recommended that a third round of the state-level sero-survey be commissioned in April.

Earlier sero-surveys had shown a high proportion of children already have antibodies. A study of over 10,000 citizens conducted by Pimpri Chinchward Municipal Corporation last year had shown that almost 70 per cent of children in the age group of 6-18 years had antibodies for Covid.

Similarly, a study by PGIMER, Chandigarh, had shown last September that 71 per cent samples from 2,700 children showed presence of antibodies.

The third wave of Covid-19 then occurred in January 2022 led by the Omicron variant, and experts pointed out that wide sections of the Indian population have already been exposed to the virus now.

In the last week of April, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had granted emergency use approval for Corbevax (Biological E) and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech) for 5-12 year olds, while Zydus Lifesciences ZyCoV-D was approved for use in 12 year olds and above.

Clinicians feel vaccines for younger children are necessary. Pramod Jog, pediatrician from Pune, former president of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, said: Though Covid-19 in children is comparatively less severe, we found around 11 per cent of cases during the second wave in children younger than 10 years of age. There were cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome and long Covid cases in our state. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics expert group on strongly endorses the vaccines for those below 12 years also.
to make $7 bn bid for Holcim's India cement business: Report

Indian metals-to-cement conglomerate will make a $7 billion bid for Holcim AG's Indian subsidiaries Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The company will offer $4.5 billion in its own equity and $2.5 billion from undisclosed private equity partners for the bid, Chairman Sajjan Jindal told the newspaper, adding that it will acquire 63% stake in Ambuja Cements. Read more here

Taxing digital companies: UN tax panel working on new set of rules

The United Nations (UNs) tax committee, of which India is part, is developing a set of rules to tax digital services in a way that is distinct from global tax deals for large multinationals, including Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Microsoft. The committee is looking to absorb these rules in tax treaties multilaterally.

The committee -- comprising representatives from 25 countries, including India -- met two weeks ago, when it discussed the contours and implications of the UN model and whether it could be implemented multilaterally. Read more here

Centre bets on coal and mineral mining to lead asset monetisation in FY23

After an admirable performance in 2021-22 (FY22), the Centre is sanguine about coal and mineral mining leading its asset monetisation drive in 2022-23 (FY23).

The government has apportioned a target of Rs 33,281 crore from coal and mineral mining for the current fiscal year (FY23)  the highest for any ministry  since policy reforms have enabled greater private sector participation in the sector, said an official. Read more here

Govt may save Rs 9,000 crore in claims under export promotion schemes

The may save around Rs 9,000 crore out of the Rs 56,000 crore allocated to settle pending claims for merchandise as well as service exports under various export promotion schemes.

Our cumulative requirement will not be Rs 56,000 crore, which has been sanctioned. We may not require Rs 8,000-9,000 crore. We were more generous and liberal in our initial estimate. Read more here

CAG vs govt: The growing tussle between the auditor and the audited

In a first, the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (CAG) officers reached out to several ministries in the last week of April as part of a confidence-boosting measure. The meeting brought the CAG officials and those from the ministries across the table to discuss the pain points in their relations.

CAG of India Girish Chandra Murmu took this novel step because of growing tensions between those audited and the auditor. Read more here
As many as 1,500 projects worth more than Rs 70,000 crore are likely to be launched at an event in on June 3, an official spokesman said on Monday.

Prime Minister is expected to attend the ground-breaking ceremony.

Many honchos, including those of Adani Group, Microsoft India, Reliance Industries, Hiranandani Group, Birla Group and ITC, are also likely to attend the event, the spokesman said.

Chief Minister held a meeting with top officials on Monday to take stock of the preparations for the event.

The chief minister said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the best destination for industrial investment in the country in the last five years under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi.

"Uttar Pradesh, which was ranked 14th till 2017 in the ranking of 'Ease of Doing Business', is at the second position today. Now 'Team UP' is working assiduously to achieve the top ranking," Adityanath said.

In the last UP Investor Summit, the state had received investment proposals worth more than Rs 4.68 lakh crore.

Two such ground-breaking ceremonies had taken place in the first stint of Adityanath as chief minister, the spokesman said.

"Now this third ground-breaking ceremony will give flight to the aspirations of 'New India's New Uttar Pradesh'," the spokesperson said.

Major projects that will be launched in the third ground-breaking ceremony include Adani Group's projects worth Rs 4,900 crore and Hiranandani Group's two data centres in Noida with an investment of Rs 9,100 crore, Microsoft's Rs 2,100-crore software development centre, and Dalmia Group's Rs 600-crore cement manufacturing plant in Mirzapur, Hamirpur, the spokesperson said.

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Semiconductor self-sufficiency by all accounts should be Indias top priority. It has been more than a year since the shortage of semiconductor chips hit various sectors hard. From automobile to defence, India has been reeling under the shortage of semiconductor chips.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had anticipated the impending global supply chain disruption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic much in advance. That had been the basis for Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. Now, the Russia-Ukraine war appears protracted, with signs that it may drag on for months or even years. A large number of districts in China are facing extensive phases of Covid-19 lockdown. The two events together are likely to further intensify the global supply chain disruption of essential commodities and supplies of critical inputs, including semiconductor chips.

While the corporate sector is also searching for solutions, the government has been on an overdrive to find ways to achieve self-sufficiency for the country. It also became incumbent upon the state governments to show equal urgency with necessary steps to provide solutions to a national challenge.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai brought to his office his rich administrative experience and understanding of the states unique position in Indias new economic ecosystem. Indeed, incubated and nurtured Indias information technology entrepreneurs in the 1990s. True, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for years had been graduating the tech leaders who subsequently dreamt big to give India a leadership position in the IT space.

That moment appears to have arrived once more for . The Bommai government has moved with agility to ensure that the entrepreneurs face no hassles in setting up facilities in Karnataka for engineering infrastructure to manufacture semiconductor chips for electronics, flat panel displays for computers, smartphones, televisions, solar products and others.

Karnataka had in fact unveiled its semiconductor policy long back, in 2008-09. At the policy level, it was well documented that the state has to take a lead in attracting the investment in the semiconductor space. But much did not happen afterwards, and the challenge took monstrous proportions with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bommai seemed to have taken the semiconductor policy lying somewhere in the state secretariat to his main desk in his office. This looks most appropriate since within months of his taking the oath as the Chief Minister of the state, Karnataka signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel-based ISMS Analog Fab Pvt. Ltd. for setting up a $3 billion semiconductor fabrication plant in the state. The facility will come up over the next seven years.

The Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government could attract the mega investment despite other states also leaving no stones unturned to attract semiconductor investment, solely because of the agility of the state administration and the past track-record as technology incubator.

Bommai has stated that its the ecosystem that made all the difference in bagging the big-ticket semiconductor investment. The chief minister while speaking after the signing of the MoU said that the semiconductor shortage is a big challenge, but asserted that challenges are to be converted into opportunities.

The Chief Minister has spoken that he had been working in tandem with the Centre in attracting investments in the semiconductor space. The Central government is also working in a mission mode to create the right ecosystem to attract the foreign semiconductor giants to set up plants in the country, and help India achieve Atmanirbharta in the manufacture of the critical chips.

Bommai has also stated that the state government is currently in talks with a couple of more potential investors.

It has been estimated that the Indian domestic semiconductor market will be over $110 billion in a few years. The size may only get bigger with India going on an overdrive to make Atmanirbharta a bedrock of the defence sector, which has also become incumbent since the over-reliance on the Russian defence equipment supplies could not be sustainable when the western world is imposing crippling sanctions against Moscow. Besides, India has already embarked on a major expansion in the use of drones in agriculture and international border management.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also tasked the IT Ministry to work on a mission mode to bring self-sufficiency in the critical semiconductor space. The Central government is driving its Rs 76,000 crore semiconductor mission in high gear by roping in technology veterans from the industry, the corporate houses and the state governments. The Central government has come out with a suitable package for the semiconductor ecosystem with incentives for silicon semiconductor fab, display fabs, compound semiconductors, silicon photonics, sensors fabs, besides semiconductor packaging and design.

The IT Ministry had earlier said that the government is in receipt of investment applications worth over $20 billion. The $3 billion MoU with Israel-based ISMS Analog in this context is the beginning of Indias semiconductor Atmanirbhar journey.

While the Central government gets the semiconductor global giants to explore setting up bases in India, the state governments will have a critical role to play in executing the mission on the ground by quickly giving the necessary clearances, besides land in the industrial parks so that India truly becomes a reliable partner in the global supply chain.

Basavaraj Bommai knows well that Karnataka faces tough competition from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other states in taking the large size of the semiconductor investment pie. But his agility in leading the Karnataka administration in sync with the Central mission could help the state build on its profile for being the IT bellwether of India, and its capital Bengaluru being the only Silicon Valley of the country. The talent pool among entrepreneurs and the trained human resources in the state could be the force multipliers for Karnataka.

Electronic goods account for the second largest imports in the country after petroleum products, and PM Modi is working hard to cut down the import bills substantially by promoting ethanol-blending and renewable energy. In recent years, India has taken significant strides in Make in India manufacturing of smart phones, television sets, and now the time has come for it to become a reliable global source for semiconductor chips as well.

Sumeet Bhasin is director, Public Policy Research Center, the principal think tank of the BJP.
At a time when the country is reeling from power crisis, Finance Minister has urged the states to have a relook at their energy planning. This is to ensure 24 hours of quality power to the industry and the people.

Indicating that the crisis is a major roadblock for the development of jobs and the industry, she said, We should all take a call so that electricity shortage should not come to anyone, anywhere. Electricity should be there and it should be at a reasonable rate. The minister also urged the states to look at both renewable and non-renewable sources of power.

The country had seen its worst in several years by the end of April with a maximum demand of 204.65 Gw on April 28 and energy shortage of 192 MU. Several states, including Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP and Bihar even faced blackouts. Based on the May 10 data, the country is seeing a demand of 191 Gw and energy shortage of 14.45 MU.

I am telling everyone, every state to relook at their energy planning ...... from all sources. Power should be available 24 hours and throughout the year. People should also get quality power, without drop or voltage shortage, she added.





ALSO READ: Power sector stocks may see lot of volatility even as demand remains strong

The minister added that the manufacturing sector should also ensure that backward and forward industries are in place for a particular sector. Also, talking about dependency on one country (China) for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), the minister batted for raw material investments in all manufacturing sectors.

Taking the case of chip manufacturing, she asked the industry to look at investment in raw materials for the sector. She added that this needs support from both the Centre and the states. Regarding the rise in cotton and yarn prices, Sitharaman said that the government is looking into the concerns of the industry.

The price of cotton has more than doubled to around Rs 95,000 per candy, up from around Rs 48,000 during the beginning of this season in October.

Commerce, industry and textiles minister Piyush Goyal has already called for a stakeholders meeting on May 17 to look into the issue. She also indicated that a mutual trust is required between the industry and the government.

On February 18, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is the first free-trade agreement finalised by the Narendra Modi government.

Talking about the deal and the UAE governments commitment of investing around $75 billion in sovereign funds in India, the minister asked Indian companies to expand their business.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A total of 63 militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) outfit have laid down arms and surrendered to security authorities in eastern Afghanistan, said an official statement released Tuesday.

Pardoning the surrendered insurgents for their activities in the past, a senior security official, Mohamad Bashir, said that the former militants will be severely punished if they violate the law or disrupt security in the area.

More than 600 alleged militants affiliated with the hardliner IS group have surrendered to security authorities in the eastern Nangarhar province over the past six months, the statement said. 
The Indian partner of global money manager Schroders Plc is under investigation by the countrys capital regulator for alleged front-running by two of its officials, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India is scrutinizing funds that Viresh Joshi and Deepak Agarwal managed at Axis Asset Management Co., the people said, declining to be named as they arent authorized to speak to the media. is Indias seventh-largest asset manager with Rs 2.5 trillion ($32 billion) in assets.

didnt respond to an email seeking comment. Schroders, which holds a 25 per cent stake in through Schroders Singapore Holdings Pvt., declined to comment. Joshi didnt respond to calls and messages, and Agarwals phone was switched off. on Friday said it had suspended two unnamed fund managers pending an internal investigation. It declined to comment when reached on Monday.

There are no restrictions on redemptions, Chandresh Nigam, managing director at Axis Mutual Fund, said in a letter to investors on Sunday, a copy of which was seen by Bloomberg News. In any event, we believe that the available liquidity with our funds and the quality of our portfolio will enable us to meet redemption requests from investors, if any.

Indian equity mutual funds have lured billions of dollars in inflows over the last couple of years amid a retail-investing boom. The benchmark S&P BSE index of stocks hit an all-time high in October.

The increased participation of retail savings boosts pressure on new chair to crack down on irregularities.

She has dealt with similar front-running incidences very sternly in the past. In a June 2021 order, Buch, then wholetime director at Sebi, banned 20 entities including dealers at Reliance Securities Ltd. from trading for front-running trades in Tata Absolute Return Fund.

Fund Details

The plans handled by Joshi and Agarwal included Axis Arbitrage Fund, Axis Banking ETF, Axis Consumption ETF, Axis Nifty ETF, Axis Quant Fund, Axis Technology ETF and Axis Value Fund.

Axis Arbitrage Fund is the biggest that was managed by either of the two managers, with assets worth nearly 58 billion rupees. Cash and liquid assets made more than half of it. The actively managed funds, Axis Value Fund and Axis Quant Fund, have more than 3 per cent of their portfolio in cash.

At this point, we want to have a fine balance. We are not going very aggressive on white listing nor downgrading any, said Nirav Karkera, head of research at Fisdom, an investment advisory firm, referring to the funds managed by Axis MF.

Shares of companies in which Axis MF holds more than 4 per cent have been hit on concerns over the regulatory action. These include Coforge Ltd., which shed 7.5 per cent in two sessions, Torrent Power Ltd., which has lost over 7 per cent, and Info Edge India Ltd., which is down 7.8 per cent.
The Tuesday held that Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) regulated by the Reserve Bank of India cannot be regulated by state enactments.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and V Ramasubramanian said play a very vital role in contributing to the financial health of the country whose operations are controlled by .



Therefore, to say that has no say in such a matter of vital interest, will strike at the very root of the statutory control vested in RBI, it said.

It may be true that many times may not be controlling the rate of interest charged by on the loans advanced by them. It does not mean that they have no power to step in, the bench said.

The top court was examining a question as to whether regulated by RBI could also be regulated by State enactments such as Kerala Money Lenders Act, 1958 and Gujarat Money Lenders Act, 2011.

Once it is found that Chapter IIIB of the RBI Act provides a supervisory role for the RBI to oversee the functioning of NBFCs, from the time of their birth (by way of registration) till the time of their commercial death (by way of winding up), all activities of NBFCs automatically come under the scanner of RBI.

As a consequence, the single aspect of taking care of the interest of the borrowers which is sought to be achieved by the State enactments gets subsumed in the provisions of Chapter IIIB, the bench said.

The top court said it was of the considered opinion that the Kerala Act and the Gujarat Act will have no application to NBFCs registered under the RBI Act and regulated by RBI.

Therefore, all the appeals filed by NBFCs against the judgment of the Kerala High Court are allowed. Likewise, the appeals filed by the State of Gujarat against the judgment of the Gujarat High Court are dismissed, the bench said.

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African are clubbing together to negotiate better prices and a steady flow of jet fuel, a move to help stave off a potential crisis caused by supply issues and soaring costs.

A committee has been formed -- including major carriers such as South African Airways and Airways -- to secure deliveries for 12 months starting in July, African Association Secretary-General Abderahmane Berthe said during a briefing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

We are in the last round of negotiations, the process will end in June, he said.

The talks started even before a weekend of turmoil in Nigeria, Africas most populous country, where threatened to stop flying until further notice in response to surging fuel prices following Russias invasion of Ukraine. They later called off the plan after the government agreed to hold talks with The Airline Operators of Nigeria trade group to try and seek a resolution. Nigeria has 23 carriers, mostly very small.

In South Africa, the countrys airports operator said some airlines have been cancelling flights due to fuel-supply issues and pledged to remedy the situation.

Jet-fuel prices have escalated to an average of almost 30 per cent of operating costs for African airlines from 20 per cent previously, Airways Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka said during the Nairobi briefing.

We are looking at other areas where we can control costs, the CEO said. Airways was already struggling to survive before the recent upheaval, suffering years of losses and rising debt.

The African Airlines Associations Berthe said one of the continents long-standing aviation problems is there are too many airlines for the amount of travel demand.

Every country wants to have a national carrier, they want to create a hub  this is not possible, he said. We may need six or seven global operators and some intra-African operators with the two systems working together to create code share agreements.
A "big decision" is on the cards as Pakistan Prime Minister will be meeting his elder brother and PML-N supremo in London, media reported.

Senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi - who is already in London - confirmed the visit, with sources saying that PM Shehbaz will likely leave for the visit tonight, Geo News reported.

Ex-prime minister Abbasi said that Prime Minister Shehbaz and other party leaders had requested to call a consultative meeting, but did not specify when the recently-elected premier would be reaching the English capital.

But in contradiction to Abbasi's statement, sources said PML-N supremo Nawaz had summoned an urgent meeting of the party's leadership in London.

According to the sources, Nawaz has to consult the party leadership over some important issues he has reservations over and the PML-N is expected to make a "big decision", which is why he rejected the proposal to have an online meeting, Geo News reported.

The party sources further reported that during the meeting, a discussion regarding the strategy on the prices of petroleum products will be held with Nawaz and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The discussion holds special importance as a delegation of the Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to begin talks with Pakistani officials on May 18 in Doha.

--IANS

san/svn/

(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.)
on Tuesday said it is closely following the violent turn of events in Sri Lanka, where it has substantial investments, and asked the Chinese nationals working in the island nation to be alert and on guard against risks.

Beijing, while watching warily the fast unfolding of events in Sri Lanka, has not yet commented on the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who paved the way for large-scale Chinese investments, including in his hometown Hambantota port, which took over on a 99-year lease as a debt swap.

Rajapaksa's resignation was seen as a setback for as he promoted the Chinese investments, disregarding concerns from India and criticism from the US and western countries.

The bloodshed and conflict took place in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo and other places, causing relatively large casualties, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here on Tuesday while commenting on the dire situation in the island nation.

Sri Lanka's police have enforced curfew so far. The Chinese side is closely following the development of the situation. We believe that with the joint efforts of all sectors of Sri Lanka, the country will regain peace and stability as soon as possible, Zhao said.

Despite its high-profile investments stretching over USD 8 billion in the last few years, China conspicuously kept silent on Sri Lanka's leading to the declaration of pre-emptive default of all its foreign debt totalling USD 51 billion.

Beijing announced about USD 33 million (200 million yuan) assistance to but is so far silent about its Ambassador to Colombo Qi Zhenhong's statement that China is considering a USD 2.5 billion credit facility to .

The Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is reportedly considering a USD 100 million loan for Colombo.

Weeks before his resignation, Mahinda Rajapaksa spoke to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for assistance and his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last December to reschedule Sri Lanka's debt owed to China.

While maintaining silence on Sri Lanka's debt deferment, Qi was quoted in the Sri Lankan media criticising Sri Lanka's decision to approach the Washington-based Monetary Fund (IMF).

Under the current uncertainty in Sri Lanka, Chinese enterprises will be more cautious in the long run when considering investment and expansion in projects, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Qian stressed that prospects for cooperation between China and are still good, and the two sides are complementary in many aspects, but the current priority for Sri Lanka is to overcome the difficulties.

Chinese market watchers said that the majority of investments and projects that involve Chinese enterprises in Sri Lanka are those in infrastructure, and they will continue when the local improves, for the country still needs improvement in infrastructure even amid the turmoil.

Liu Zongyi, secretary-general of the Research Centre for China-South Asia Cooperation at the Shanghai Institutes for Studies, told the daily that the political factor depends on the ruling party's attitude towards cooperating with the Chinese enterprises.

This will significantly affect the local business environment, although the overall prospect for Chinese enterprises remains positive.

Liu said that the influence of regional and global powers will also be an important factor. For instance, the US and India have formed a joint posture against China in South Asia, so further cooperation between China and other South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, might be disrupted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Food-delivery workers protesting meager pay and inadequate protections have walked off the job across Dubai, their company confirmed Tuesday, marking the second strike in as many weeks in an emirate that outlaws dissent.

The foreign workers contracted by Talabat, the Middle East unit of Delivery Hero, began their walkout late Monday after organising on social media, crippling the applications services.

As fuel prices surge, many said they were pressing for a modest pay increase from their current rate of $2.04 per delivery.
Former Prime Minister has launched an all-out attack on the current government and warned that all plans against arresting him would backfire.

Speaking to his party workers at a rally, said criminals were sitting in the Parliament and said his party only wanted early elections - which had been the PTI's demand, the Daily Times reported.

Alleging that Shahbaz Sharif plans to arrest him, Imran said he would give a call for the Islamabad march after May 20 and asked the workers to protest in their respective cities once the march begins.

The PTI chairman said it was incumbent on his party workers to reach out to the people, engage them, and ask them to participate in the anti-government protest.

Addressing the Abbottabad public gathering, on Sunday warned Shehbaz Sharif's government that no power could stop them from entering the federal capital during the long march to be held on May 20.

He warned the federal government led by Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) that over 2 million people will reach Islamabad to get real independence and to protest against the "imported government", ARY News reported.

Imran Khan said two million people will come to the federal capital irrespective of how many containers are put up to create hindrances.

The former Pakistan Prime Minister told his supporters that the incumbent government "fears" their passion and added that 11 parties had gathered to remove him from power.

(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.)
and want to achieve an early ceasefire in Ukraine that will allow the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow to be brought to a conclusion in order to achieve peace, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

"What we want to achieve is an early cease-fire that will allow bringing to an end the negotiations that have begun between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in order to achieve peace and a sustainable withdrawal of Russian troops. That is our goal. We want to help Ukraine negotiate on the terms it will determine," Macron said during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, adding that the only way to achieve peace is "at negotiating table with both Russia and Ukraine taking part."

Macron also said that together with Scholz, he will discuss with Volodymyr Zelenskyy the idea of creating a new European political community that would be able to accept Ukraine into its ranks.

"It (the idea of creating a new European political community) will be one of the topics that we, together with Chancellor Scholz, will discuss with President Zelenskyy," Macron added.

Earlier in the day, Macron said that it could take years or even decades for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union unless the bloc lowers its accession standards.

The Russia-Ukraine peace talks began at the end of February. Since then, the delegations of both countries have met twice in Belarus and agreed to continue online consultations. At the end of March, the delegations met in Turkey, where the Ukrainian side submitted its written proposals for a future ceasefire agreement.

However, the negotiations have since stalled. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed the talks stalemate on the inconsistency of the Ukrainian position, especially on the issues related to Crimea and the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

(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.)
Italy will face short-term energy supply problems if opts to cut gas sales to the country, Italian Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the City Enterprise Festival in Vicenza, Cingolani said Italy's transition away from had already started, but will take time.

Like other European Union member states, Italy is seeking to reduce its dependency on Russian natural gas due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Previously, Italy imported around 29 billion cubic meters of gas from every year.

Italy has now struck deals that will replace most of those imports.

"Imports of 25 billion cubic meters of gas are ensured from 2024 onwards," Cingolani said.

The gap between previous levels of Russian imports and the new supply deals will be covered by imports of liquified natural gas, alternative energy sources, and conservation initiatives, he explained.

--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.)
ISLAMABAD, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appreciated the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI), dubbing it a useful platform to accelerate and coordinate efforts for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While addressing the high-level virtual meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI on Monday, Zardari expressed concerns over the reversal of progress in the implementation of SDGs, owing to multiple crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and geopolitical conflicts, according to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan.

He urged the Group of Friends of the GDI to address the challenges faced by the developing world and support emergency actions to increase cooperation in public health and vaccine equity, ensure food security, enhance energy production, promote a global green economy, stimulate trade and industrialization, and eliminate the digital divide, the ministry said in a statement.

Multiple crises have enlarged the gap in financing for development, he said, adding that the international community should mobilize adequate resources for SDGs and fulfill the commitment of providing at least 100 billion U.S. dollars annually in climate finance.

In his address, Zardari reaffirmed his country's resolve to further strengthen its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, including through the rapid implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the statement added.

"Pakistan will continue its efforts to enhance cooperation with China through CPEC, to advance its national implementation of SDGs, in addition to participating actively in the work of the GDI Group of Friends to promote the common aspiration of a peaceful, prosperous and shared future for all mankind," he said. 
leader Carrie Lam said on Monday that Chinese patriots are now firmly in charge of the city following the election of its new leader, who ran unopposed in a process controlled by .

Lam's comments came a day after a carefully vetted election committee voted overwhelmingly to approve John Lee, a hard-line security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement after massive protests turned violent in 2019.

The protests led to the imposition by of a sweeping National Security Law and the reorganisation of the city's legislature. Political opponents were subsequently jailed, dissenting voices silenced and the organised opposition quashed.

Appearing with Lee, Lam said such changes were necessary to restore order and stability in the Asian financial hub.

I want to thank the central government again for taking resolute measures when faced unprecedented challenges," said Lam, who is stepping down after a single five-year term as leader.

It formulated the National Security Law, which helped transform from chaos to order, and also improved Hong Kong's electoral system so that we can achieve long-term peace and stability, Lam said.

Lee won more than 99 per cent of the vote cast by the 1,500 members of the election committee.

While cited the need to restore order as the motivation for political change in Hong Kong, the demand that only patriots defined as those loyal to the ruling Communist Party could hold office was a central theme.

The establishment of the political system of patriots running Hong Kong is vital for Hong Kong's future, Lam said.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized countries Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US called the selection process part of a continued assault on political pluralism and fundamental freedoms.

The current nomination process and resulting appointment ... further erode the ability of Hong Kongers to be legitimately represented. We are deeply concerned about this steady erosion of political and civil rights and Hong Kong's autonomy, they said in a joint statement.

Lee will replace Lam on July 1 and take over a city that has in the past five years been through the tumultuous days of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, the ensuing crackdown and a recent coronavirus outbreak that overwhelmed Hong Kong's health care system and prompted to send in medics and build temporary quarantine facilities.

The handover of power will incorporate the formation of a new government, the continuation of epidemic control measures and preparations for the 25th anniversary celebration of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony.

Lee said he and Lam exchanged views on forming the new government during their Monday morning meeting, but gave no indication of any new direction for his administration.

Lee has said he wants to ensure Hong Kong's position as a center for financial deal-making while improving quality of life for the 7.4 million citizens of one of the world's most expensive cities. However, national security concerns are expected to trump all other issues, fuelling speculation about a further deterioration of civil rights, free speech and the rule of law.

Lam said her government would render all the necessary assistance and support for the handover, ensuring Lee will lead Hong Kong to a greater height in the next five years.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian fired back at criticism of the election from the European Union, whose foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Lee's selection violates democratic principles and political pluralism in Hong Kong.

Borrell said the election furthered the dismantling of the one country, two systems" principle under which Hong Kong was supposed to retain its own political, legal and economic system for 50 years after the end of British rule.

The election shows that the new electoral system is a good system in line with the principle of one country, two systems' and the reality in Hong Kong, and reflects the mainstream public opinion and consensus of staying in solidarity and striving for prosperity of all walks of life in Hong Kong," Zhao said at a daily briefing. He spoke before the G-7 statement was issued.

It is believed that the new chief executive will lead the new (Hong Kong) government and people to create a new prospect of good governance in Hong Kong," Zhao 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.)
Asked if would rule out a preemptive tactical on Ukraine, Russias deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday that a decision on the possible use of was clearly set out in Russias military doctrine, RIA reported.

We have a military doctrine - everything is written there, Alexander Grushko was quoted by state news agency RIA as saying.

Russias official military deployment principles allow for the use of if they - or other types of weapons of mass destruction - are used against it, or if the Russian state faces an existential threat from conventional weapons.

The decision to use Russias vast nuclear arsenal, the biggest in the world, rests with the Russian president, currently .

Russias invasion has killed thousands of people, displaced nearly 10 million, and raised fears of a wider confrontation between and the United States - by far the world's biggest nuclear powers.

The three-month-long war in is at a bit of a stalemate and Putin appears to be preparing for a long conflict, top US intelligence officials said.

said on Tuesday its forces had recaptured villages from Russian troops, pressing a major counter-offensive in the northeast of the country that could signal a shift in the war's momentum and jeopardise Russia's main advance.

Tetiana Apatchenko, press officer for the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, the main Ukrainian force near Kharkiv, confirmed that Ukrainian troops had recaptured the settlements of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshki, Borshchova and Slobozhanske, in a pocket north of Kharkiv in recent days.

Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The signing Monday came as the US Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against  with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.

Democrats are pushing to boost global food aid to $5 billion in an emergency assistance package, and Senator Chris Coons, a key lawmaker on foreign aid issues, said he is optimistic Congress will pass it.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia launched cyber attacks in late February against commercial satellite communications networks to disrupt Ukrainian command and control during Moscows invasion of its neighbour.

Meanwhile, Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff.
Lithuania's top diplomat has said that removing Russian President from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the US and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russia's invasion of .

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington on Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Putin's annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place, Landsbergis said.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger, he said. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in started, it is that is an aggressive country. That's very clear.

Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states that among NATO allies are particularly concerned about possible Russian designs on forcefully returning them to Moscow's rule. Lithuanian officials, including Landsbergis have been especially outspoken about their fears but his overt calls for regime change go beyond what most NATO allies have been willing to express.

___



Bratislava (Slovakia): The first telephone call Jill Biden made from her black SUV after an unannounced meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart inside the embattled country was to her husband, President Joe Biden.

Biden and Olena Zelenska, who had not been seen in public since President sent Russia's military into her country nearly 11 weeks ago, had just spent about two hours together at a school in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

With her visit to the Ukraine war zone, the US first lady was able to act as a second pair of eyes and ears for the president, who so far has been unable to visit the country himself.

Sometimes the first lady is able to do things and get into places where the president can't, said Myra Gutin, author of The President's Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century.

Jill Biden wrapped up her four-day trip to Eastern Europe on Monday after meeting in Bratislava with Zuzana Caputova, Slovakia's first female president. Her trip over the border on Sunday to meet with Zelenska and refugees from elsewhere in Ukraine was a highpoint of the visit.

Seated across from Caputova, Jill Biden said she told her husband in their phone call just how much I saw the need to support the people of Ukraine and about the horrors and the brutality that the people I had met had experienced.

___



Berlin: The leaders of Germany and France welcomed the fact that Russian President didn't announce any steps to expand the war in Ukraine, including to other countries, in his speech marking the end of World War II.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that it important there had been no escalation, at least as far as the rhetoric is concerned in Putin's Victory Day speech. What actually happens in Ukraine is something we'll see in the next days and weeks.

His comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that the goal of diplomatic efforts remains a cease-fire in Ukraine.

In effect, today was marked by no verbal escalation nor a geographic escalation nor an escalation in the use of arms he said. Is this sufficient for us? No.

We will remain concentrated on our only goal, do all to get a cease-fire and help Ukraine to negotiate under the terms it decides for itself, because we are on the side of sovereignty and Ukrainian territorial integrity, Macron said. No more, no less.

___



Bucharest: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldova's capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The UN chief's visit to Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldova's pro- breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the region's state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-meter-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

___



Washington: The United States is suspending 25% import taxes on Ukraine's steel in a show of support for the country's beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1% of US steel exports.

Some of the country's largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill that's the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We can't just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people - we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraine's economic well-being," Commerce Secretary Gina M Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel."



The steel levies were imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration, which deployed a little-used provision in US trade law to call foreign steel a threat to American national security. The move outraged US allies, and critics said they did little address the real cause of stress for US steel producers: massive overproduction by the Chinese, whose steel shipments to the US are already limited by other trade barriers.

The Biden administration has removed most of the tariffs on steel from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, allowing their metals to come in duty-free up to a quota. No such quota applies to the Ukrainian imports in the move announced Monday.

___



Warsaw: Polish officials say the country is ready to increase its energy assistance to neighbouring Ukraine and provide steady deliveries.

Poland's government ministers made the declaration Monday during a Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum attended also by other countries and by the Energy Agency. Climate and Environment minister, Anna Moskwa, said a round-the clock effort is being set in motion to ensure energy security to Ukraine.

Poland has been supplying Ukraine with some energy and fuels ever since Russia's Feb 24 invasion. The level of the support is to be increased.

Ukraine's first deputy minister for the economy, Yulia Sviridenko, said the country urgently needs diesel fuel and gasoline because Russia's invading troops are destroying its fuels infrastructure, including a refinery.

Poland is in the process of cutting its dependence on Russian energy sources and increasing deliveries from other countries.

___



Brussels: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is travelling to Hungary in a bid to secure unanimity on the EU's executive arm's proposal to ban oil imports from Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said von der Leyen will meet with Hungary Prime minister Viktor Orban on Monday to discuss issues related to European security of energy supply.

Hungary has blocked progress in discussions to adopt the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine, and ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the new round of measures.

Von der Leyen has proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Hungary says it will not vote for the proposed sanctions, saying it would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and would destroy its stable energy supply.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The national capital reported 799 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health bulletin by the Delhi government on Monday. As many as 1,366 Covid patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic in the city to 18,63,502. There are 5,369 active Covid cases in the city at present. With 14,107 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the positivity rate on Sunday has been 4.94 per cent.

UN Secretary General wants Sri Lankans to find a solution through dialogue to the crisis in their country, whose Prime Minister resigned amid violent clashes spurred by an economic crisis, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday. "We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind," Haq said.
French President believes that a "European political community" should be built that would be broader than the (EU) and would include nations that are not members of the 27-member bloc.

He outlined his vision in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

"How should we organise in a political manner?" he asked.

"And how can we go further than the It's our historic obligation now to respond to that question."

The ultimate goal, he said, is to maintain stability on the continent. "Relying on the EU only is not enough."

"Given its level of integration and ambition," the EU could not be Europe's only organising body, the French leader said.

This new organisation would allow democratic European nations to "find a new space of political cooperation" in the areas of security, energy, transport, infrastructure investment and freedom of movement.

To become a member state of the EU is a lengthy process, often taking years if not decades, Macron said, as the bloc's membership criteria are very strict.

His proposal comes as Ukraine, currently in conflict with Russia, is seeking the EU's support and asking to be admitted as a candidate country to enter the Union.

The proposal complements the 49 proposals of the Conference on the Future of that will be presented to the leaders of EU institutions.

These proposals cover climate change and the environment; a stronger economy, social justice and jobs; the EU in the world; values and rights, rule of law, security; digital transformation; migration; and education, culture, youth and sport.

--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.)
Nobel Prize laureate has expressed fear for women and girls in after the issued a decree making the compulsory for women in .

She urged world leaders to hold accountable for violating the human rights of Afghan women.

"The want to erase girls and women from all public life in - to keep girls out of school and women out of work, to deny them the ability to travel without a male family member, and to force them to cover their faces and bodies completely," tweeted Malala.

She urged world leaders to take collective action to hold the Taliban accountable for violating the human rights of millions of women and girls.

"We must not lose our sense of alarm for Afghan women as the Taliban continue to break their promises. Even now, women are taking to the streets to fight for their human rights and dignity - all of us, and especially those from Muslim countries, must stand with them," added Malala.

Earlier, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday aired his concerns about a recent decision by the Taliban to obligate Afghan women to cover head-to-toe, a decision that has led to severe criticism from human rights observers.

Step by step, Taliban is obliterating Afghan women's human rights, UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett said a day after the Taliban issued the latest edict on making full-body veil a mandatory compounding with restrictions on education, movement, employment and public life.

"Step by step Taliban is obliterating Afghan women's human rights with the latest edict on mandatory face coverings compounding restrictions on education, movement, employment and public life. There must be consequences for human rights violations - time for the int comm to act," Richard Bennett said in a tweet.

Unrecognized by most of the community, the Taliban-led government has committed to respecting the human rights and rights of women.

The UN mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern about the announcement, saying that this decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding respect for and protection of all Afghans' human rights, including those of women and girls.

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Inc could introduce its lower-priced ad-supported subscription plan by the end of the year, earlier than originally planned, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The streaming pioneer is also planning to start cracking down on password sharing among its subscriber base around the same time, the report said, citing an internal note to .

did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company last month posted its first loss of subscribers in more than a decade and signaled deeper losses ahead, a stark shift in fortune from the boom it recorded during the pandemic.

The lagging subscriber growth prompted to contemplate offering a lower-priced version of the service with advertising, citing the success of similar offerings from rivals HBO Max and Disney+.

Chief Executive Reed Hastings said in April's earnings call that the company would "figure out (the plan) over the next year or two."

Netflix has also said it would crackdown on users sharing passwords as competition and password sharing were making it harder to grow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States believes that Russian President is preparing for a long conflict in and a Russian victory in the Donbas in the east of the country might not end the war, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Tuesday.

Russia's assault on Kyiv was beaten back in March by strong Ukrainian resistance.

Russia, which calls the invasion "a special military operation," poured more troops into for a huge offensive last month in the eastern part of the country but its gains have been slow.

"We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas," Haines told lawmakers.

She added that Putin was counting on the Western resolve to weaken over time and as the conflict continued, there was concern about how it would develop in the coming months.

"Combined with the reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities, likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory," Haines added.

During the same hearing, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said the war was at a stalemate.

"The Russians aren't winning and the Ukrainians aren't winning and we're at a bit of a stalemate here," said Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, the head of the DIA.

President exhorted Russians to battle in a defiant Victory Day speech on Monday but was silent about plans for any escalation in Ukraine despite Western warnings he might use his Red Square address to order a national mobilisation.

Russia's war has killed thousands of civilians, sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing and reduced cities to rubble.

Moscow has little to show for it beyond a strip of territory in the south and marginal gains in the east.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ukrainian military is warning that could target the country's chemical industries.

The claim by Ukraine's general staff wasn't immediately explained in a report Tuesday. However, it comes after oil depots and other industrial sites have been targeted by Russian shelling in the war.

The military said, The possibility of sabotage at the of Ukraine with further accusations of units of the armed forces of Ukraine is not ruled out.

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Russian forces are committing war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine as they engage in a brutal war that is causing immense suffering and needless destruction, the White House has said.

Addressing reporters at her daily news conference on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US is continuing to do what it can to provide support for Ukraine at this pivotal moment -- flowing security, economic and humanitarian assistance.

"Today, the President (Joe Biden) signed the Lend-Lease Act into law, which adds to our suite of tools as we provide Ukraine with the weapons and equipment they need, Psaki said.

While President (Vladimir) Putin and the Russian people celebrated Victory Day today, we are seeing Russian forces commit war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine as they engage in a brutal war that is causing so much suffering and needless destruction, she said.

The Victory Day, Psaki said, is supposed to be about celebrating peace and unity in Europe and the defeat of Nazis in World War-II.

"Instead, Putin is perverting history, changing history to try -- or attempting to change it, I should say -- to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war, which has brought catastrophic loss of life and immense human suffering, she said.

A day earlier, Psaki said, First Lady Jill Biden visited Ukraine in a historic visit to meet with the First Lady of Ukraine.

She did that purposefully on Mother's Day to be there and recognise the sacrifices of so many mothers during this time in Ukraine and send an important message of solidarity, she said.

Earlier in the day, the US announced a new round of actions to ratchet up the pain on Putin.

This includes banning US services that help Russian elites and companies build wealth and evade sanctions, additional restrictions on a broad range of inputs and products like bulldozers and industrial engines that Putin needs for his military, and sanctions on big executives at Russia's largest banks and Russian military officials, Psaki said.

The US also sanctioned the top three most-watched TV stations in that bolster Putin's war by spreading his propaganda. For the first time ever, the G7 agreed as a whole to ban or phase out Russian oil, she said.

We will keep building on our unprecedented sanctions that are enacting a heavy toll on Russia's economy, with GDP expected to collapse by double digits. Our export controls with more than 30 other countries have throttled Russia's access to critical technology it needs to maintain its military, Psaki added.

Responding to a question, Psaki said the Russian forces have not been able to occupy Ukraine as Putin had claimed earlier.

President Putin and the Russians are not marching through Kyiv. They are struggling to fight in other parts of the country. And the Ukrainians are bravely and courageously fighting every day.

"So, we look at what's happening on the ground, though it is important to note and to call out the revisionist history that we saw in this speech and the fact that any such statement that we we've seen for months from President Putin that the war was prompted by the West is just patently false and inaccurate. And we can't state that too often, she said.

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ISLAMABAD, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) of Pakistan seized over 26 kg of drugs in separate operations in different areas of the country and arrested at least eight peddlers, according to an ANF spokesperson on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said a team from the ANF conducted an operation at Islamabad International Airport and seized 1.5 kg of ice heroin from the possession of a passenger.

The drugs were tactfully concealed in the trolley bag of the passenger leaving for Bahrain through a private airline, he said, adding that the culprit was arrested and shifted to an undisclosed place for further investigation.

In another operation, a raiding party supported by an intelligence agency conducted a joint operation in a locality in Islamabad and recovered nearly 19 kg of drugs while arresting three persons.

Meanwhile, the ANF also arrested four smugglers in the country's eastern Punjab and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and seized narcotics.

Separate cases have been registered against all the accused while further investigations are under process, said the ANF spokesperson. 
Saudi Arabia's authority of has announced its initiative to prepare a framework that would make travelling easier.

The initiative aims to unify procedures to ease work associated with travel through establishing one digital source that provides the latest information and developments, and identifies the entry requirements for all participating countries, according to the General Authority of (GACA) of .

The initiative was highlighted during the opening of the three-day Future Aviation Forum, which is organised by GACA, Xinhua news agency reported.

GACA President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej noted that the pandemic has revealed the low level of coordination among countries.

At the forum, Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser revealed that the kingdom will enhance its investments in the transport and logistics sector by more than $100 billion.

It also seeks to transport over 300 million passengers and five million tons of goods and connect with 250 destinations around the world by 2030, he said.

A total of 60 countries with over 2,000 participants are participating in the forum.

--IANS

int/shs

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South Korea's new president says he'll present an audacious plan to improve North Korea's economy if it denuclearises.

Yoon Suk Yeol made the offer during a speech at his inauguration ceremony in Seoul on Tuesday.

Yoon says the door to dialogue will be open to resolve North Korean nuclear threats. He says his government will be ready to work with the community to present an audacious plan that will significantly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve its citizens' livelihoods.

Yoon, who has previously vowed a tougher stance on North Korea, appears to have avoided tough words amid concerns is preparing for a nuclear test. But it was unclear if would accept his overture as the North has previously rejected similar offers to provide incentives linked to progress in its denuclearisation.

(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.)
gave emergency powers on Tuesday to its military and police to detain people without warrants, after a day of clashes that killed seven people and injured more than 200, in violence that prompted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign.

Sri Lankas Defence Ministry on Tuesday said those found damaging public property or harming could be shot, after a day of clashes that killed eight.

A protest began in front of Sri Lankas Trincomalee Naval Base after reports emerged that former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members were there after leaving the official residence in Colombo, a media report said.

As the Indian Ocean nation battles its worst in history, thousands of protesters had defied curfew to attack government figures, setting ablaze homes, shops and businesses belonging to ruling party lawmakers and provincial politicians.

Despite sporadic reports of unrest, the situation calmed by Tuesday, said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa, adding that about 200 people had also been injured in violence that led to an islandwide curfew until 7:00 am today.

The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the prime minister, outlined broad powers for the military and police to detain and question people without arrest warrants.

The military can detain people for up to 24 hours before handing them to police, while private property can be searched by force, including private vehicles, the government said in a gazette notification on Tuesday.

Any person arrested by a police officer shall be taken to the nearest police station, it said, fixing a 24-hour deadline for the armed forces to do the same.

Some analysts expressed concern over the potential for abuse of the emergency measures.

In a situation where there is both a state of emergency and curfew who can monitor to ensure these regulations are not abused? said Bhavani Fonseka, of the Centre for Policy Alternatives think tank based in Colombo.

The attacks on government figures came in reprisal for an incident just hours before Rajapaksas resignation.

Rajapaksa spoke to hundreds of supporters gathered at his official residence on Monday.

After his remarks, many of them, armed with iron bars, stormed a camp of those protesting against the government, beating them and setting fire to their tents.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse the skirmishers, after having initially done little to hold back the government supporters, according to witnesses.

Protesters and a key trade group in called for a new government to take control as the president called for calm.
Sri Lanka's Attorney General on Tuesday asked the police chief to conduct an urgent and full-fledged investigation into the violent clashes between anti- and pro-government protesters in the country that has killed at least eight people and injured over 200 others.

erupted in on Monday after supporters of former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked peaceful anti-government protesters demanding his ouster over the country's worst economic crisis that led to acute shortages of staple food, fuel and power.

Over 200 people have also been injured in the in Colombo and other cities.

Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam has advised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the incidents of unlawful interference into the people's constitutional rights, the circumstances that led to them; and, the consequent commission of penal offences in the process, News First news portal reported.

In a letter to the IGP, the Attorney General said that as the incident in metropolitan Colombo triggered sporadic acts of of serious nature involving people and their property all over the country, he advised the police chief to further investigate the aftermath of the incidents, the report said.

He urged the IGP to complete the investigation on an urgent priority basis.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy Army troops in the capital.

The violence saw arson attacks on the homes of several politicians, including the ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota.

Video footage showed the entire house of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Medamulana in Hambantota city was burning.

Prime Minister Mahinda's House in Kurunegala was also set on fire by protesters while a mob also destroyed D A Rajapaksa Memorial - constructed in the memory of the father of Mahinda and Gotabaya - in Medamulana, Hambantota.

There have been protests over soaring prices and power cuts since last month. is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining 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.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankan Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana on Tuesday asked embattled President Gotabaya to summon the House as soon as possible to discuss the current situation amid unprecedented violence and widespread protest against the government over the country' worst economic crisis in decades, according to a media report.

There are provisions for the Speaker to summon the House just to discuss the present crisis only, Serjeant- at Arms Narenda Fernando told Daily Mirror.

It was reported that the House will be resolved on Tuesday or any day this week. The death toll rose to eight on Tuesday in the unprecedented violence in that erupted after supporters of former prime minister Mahinda attacked peaceful anti-government protesters demanding his ouster over the country's worst economic crisis that led to acute shortages of staple food, fuel and power.

Over 200 people have also been injured in the violence in Colombo and other cities. Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy Army troops in the capital.

The violence saw arson attacks on the homes of several politicians, including the ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota.

Mahinda is facing calls for his arrest from Opposition politicians for inciting violence against peaceful anti-government protesters.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight. This is the second time that an emergency was declared in in just over a month as the island nation was in the grip of the worst economic crisis.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary General wants Sri Lankans to find a solution through dialogue to the crisis in their country, whose Prime Minister resigned amid violent clashes spurred by an economic crisis, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday.

"We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind," Haq said.

turned in his resignation to his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the nation was rocked by clashes between the supporters of the Rajapaksa family and its opponents, and by police attempts to contain the protests.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa placed the island nation under curfew.

"We've also been concerned about the recent violence against peaceful protesters, and we urge calm and restraint, as well as respect for democratic rights, including the right... the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly," Haq said.

A member of parliament from the ruling party, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, was found dead after he fired into a crowd of protesters blocking his way and fled the place.

About 200 people were reported injured in the clashes around the country, including in front of the President's residence.

is in dire economic straits caused by foreign exchange shortages.

It has sought financial arrangements with India and Bangladesh to import vital food supplies and oil to make up for shortages that have fuelled the protests.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

--IANS

al/vd

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U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldova's capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The U.N. chief's visit to Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldova's pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the region's state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-metre-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova.

Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

(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.)
Shares of hit a 52-week low of Rs 3,548, down 5 per cent on the BSE in Tuesdays intra-day trade. The stock has fallen below its previous low of Rs 3,760 touched on August 24, 2021.

Thus far in the month of May, in the past six trading sessions, the stock of the consumer electronics company has slipped 19 per cent despite the company clarifying that there is no adverse impact on the business of the company due to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) seizure of assets of Chinese mobile manufacturing company . The stock has also been under pressure due to concerns over decline in operating margin mainly due to sharp increase in the raw material costs.

The significant movement in the price of the security of can be consequence of recent circulated widely in the media regarding one of our key customer in LED TV business, the company said in exchange filing on May 2, 2022. We would like to submit to the exchange that there is no adverse impact on the business of the Company and the Company perceives no impact on its receivables, it added.

Dixon is a company engaged in inter-alia manufacturing of the products in the consumer durables, lighting, home appliances, mobile phones and other electronic items in India. The company caters to global as well as domestic brands as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and an original design manufacturer (ODM).

Dixons mobile & electronic manufacturing services (EMS) division accounted 31 per cent of the companys overall revenue and 27 per cent of operating profit contribution for the quarter ended March 2022.
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has mandated state-run Ltd to import gas and buy from local difficult fields to meet growing demand growth from household and transport sectors as cheaper supplies from old blocks is not enough, a government order said.

City gas distributors (CGD) have set up sales network to supply gas to transport and households across the country, buoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim to raise the share of gas in India's energy mix to 15% by 2030 from 6.7% now.

These companies gets a priority in half yearly allocation of gas from the old fields, sold at a cheaper rate of $6.1 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), and the shortfall is met through imports.

The distribution companies pass on the costs of gas purchases to their customers leading to differential pricing of fuel in the country.

Now, the oil ministry has asked GAIL to buy gas produced from the fields in difficult areas at the ceiling price fixed by the government or actual price which ever is lower.

The current ceiling price of the gas from difficult fields is $9.92/mmBtu, lower than the spot prices of the liquefied natural gas.

"For any further requirement, GAIL will also source long-term regassified liquefied natural gas failing which spot RLNG may be sourced" for mixing with domestic gas to arrive at a uniform base price of the fuel across India, the order said.

Current gas allocation to the transport and household sectors is about 19 million cubic metres a day (mcmd) while the demand is about 21 mcmd, said Bhanu Patni, senior analyst with India Ratings and Research, a Fitch Group Company.

"Gas pooling will evenly spread the risk of higher prices to all the customers and create a level playing field for the distributors," Patni said.

At present, base price of gas is lower in low demand growth areas as the distributors' reliance on imported gas is low.

The new rules allows quarterly allocation of gas for transport and households sector on the basis of demand in the previous three month, compared to the current norm of allocation in April and September.

Two government sources said the new rules for gas supplies to the transport and household sectors will be applicable from May 16. The oil ministry did not respond to Reuters request for comments.

To account for demand growth, GAIL will supply 2.5% additional gas for a geographical area, the order said.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; editing by David Evans)

(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.)
Merrill Lynch India Equities Fund Mauritius Ltd on Tuesday sold 4.80 lakh shares of private lender worth Rs 34 crore through an open market transaction.

According to block deal data available with the BSE, Merrill Lynch sold 4,80,440 shares at an average price of Rs 714.65 apiece, taking the transaction size to Rs 34.33 crore.

BlackRock Global Funds India Fund picked up the same amount of shares at the same price.

The scrip of closed 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 711.25 on BSE.

(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.)
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China congratulates the Philippines on the smooth holding of the presidential election and also congratulates the leading candidates, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on the issue. Initial results show that presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio are poised to win.

China hopes and believes that all political forces in the Philippines will continue to work together for national renewal and development, Zhao said.

Calling the two countries "good partners of mutually beneficial cooperation," Zhao said under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, bilateral relations have been steadily upgraded and have taken on a new look of vigorous development, benefiting the two peoples and making positive contributions to regional peace and stability.

China is ready to work with the Philippines to continue to uphold good-neighborliness and friendship, focus on post-pandemic development, expand win-win cooperation, and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples, the spokesperson said. 
Rainbow Children's Medicare (RCML), a multi-speciality pediatric hospital chain, made a weak stock market debut with its shares listed at Rs 506, a 7 per cent discount when compared to its issue price of Rs 542 per share on the BSE on Tuesday.

At 10:04 am, the stock traded at Rs 492.30, down 9 per cent against its issue price. The stock so far hit a high of Rs 519.35 and a low of Rs 482 on the BSE in intra-day trade. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.04 per cent at 54,449.

"The muted can be attributed to volatile and negative market sentiment and a lack of investor interest in hospital businesses. The company has a specialized nature of business, an experienced management team, proven ability to attract, train and retain high-caliber medical professionals. However, the hospital is a highly competitive business and normalization of profitability post Covid makes it suitable only for aggressive investors for the long-term. Those who applied for gains can maintain a stop loss of Rs 500," said Santosh Meena, head of research, Swastika Investmart.

RCMLs initial public offering (IPO) garnered good response and the issue was subscribed 12 times. The institutional investor portion of the issue was subscribed 38.9 times, high networth individual portion garnered 3.73 times subscription and the retail portion was subscribed 1.4 times.

Hyderabad-based Rainbow Medicare raised Rs 280 crore from the IPO. The issue also consisted of secondary share sale worth Rs 1,300 crore. The issue was priced at 43 times the companys trailing 12-month (Dec 21) earnings. Analysts said this was attractive compared to peers such as Apollo Hospital Enterprise and Fortis Healthcare, which are trading at price-to-earnings multiples of 77 times and 57 times, respectively.

The company proposed to utilize the net proceeds from the fresh issue towards funding the early redemption of NCDs issued by the company, in full. The company will also use the funds for capital expenditure towards setting up of new hospitals and purchase of medical equipment for such new hospitals and general corporate purposes.

The Hospitals leadership position in pediatrics, especially in relation to complex diseases, provides it with a significant competitive advantage. It is expected that the pediatric healthcare market in India to grow from Rs 1,010 billion as of March 31, 2021 to Rs 2,100 billion by the end of the financial year 2026, at a CAGR of 13 per cent. RCML is well placed to benefit from this expected growth in the industry, HDFC Securities had said in IPO note.

Dependent on medical professionals as RCMLs business and financial results could be impacted if it is not able to attract and retain such medical professionals. RCML engages doctors primarily on a consultancy service contract basis and there is no assurance that these doctors will not prematurely terminate their agreements. The companys revenues are highly dependent on hospitals in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It is also significantly dependent on certain specialties for a majority of its revenues are among key concerns said the brokerage firm.
Shares of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries slipped over 2 per cent lower at Rs 860.05 on the BSE in Tuesday's intra day trade. The decline comes after the company receieved 10 observations from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) after inspection of Sun Pharma's Halol (Gujarat, India) facility. In the past five days, the stock has fallen over 5 per cent. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex declined 3.75 per cent during the same period. Earlier, the stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 966.90 that it had touched on April 29, 2022, whereas, slipped to 52-week low of Rs 652.75 on 18 June, 2021. The Halol facility was classified as Official Action Indicated (OAI) in March 2020, and was awaiting re-inspection from the US regulator. OAI means that the regulator expects more corrective actions should be taken by the company for that facility. However, due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic related travel restrictions, the re-inspection got delayed, and now the has issued Form 483 with observations, which is an improvement over the OAI status. READ MORE HERE

Given this, the has conducted a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inspection of the pharma giant's Halol facility from April 26 to May 9, 2022.

Meanwhile, the company notified to stock exchanges that it will submit a response soon to the US drug regulator over the 10 observations.

"The company is preparing the response to the observations, which will be submitted to the within 15 business days. The company is committed to addressing these observations promptly. The company remains committed to working closely with the USFDA and continues to enhance its GMP compliance on an ongoing basis," said the company in an exchange filing. READ MORE HERE

Sun Pharma's Halol facility (one of the plants used to manufacture complex drugs for US) has been in trouble since 2015. Later, the USFDA had changed the site's designation to voluntary action needed (VAI) in 2018, after the company undertook corrective measures. However, after the regulator inspected the site in 2018 and 2019, issues started to crop up.

manufactures and distributes products to the US from this facility. An OAI status, however, implies that the FDA may not allow new approvals from the Halol facility till the status is changed.
Shares of hit over two-month low of Rs 1,163.60, down 7 per cent on the BSE in Tuesdays intra-day trade. The decline comes on the back of heavy volumes due to concerns around weak outlook for current quarter (Q1FY23).

In the past five trading days, the stock has declined 10 per cent after the company announced its January-March quarter (Q4FY22) results. Shares of were under pressure despite the board announced a hefty dividend of Rs 51 per fully paid equity share and 10:1 .

With the recent fall, the stock has corrected 24 per cent from its 52-week high level of Rs 1,534.60 that it had touched on August 16, 2021. Earlier, it had hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,050.50 on June 18, 2021.

At 02:56 pm; traded 6.7 per cent lower at Rs 1,168.70, as compared to 0.16 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter jumped 1.5 times as 13.01 million equity shares changed hands on the NSE and BSE.

Tata Steel reported 46.8 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in consolidated net profit at Rs 9,756 crore for Q4FY22, led by european business. On the other hand, net profit was up by 1.9 per cent, sequentially. Besides this, the company reported 37.32 per cent jump in consolidated profit after tax at Rs 9,835 crore.

Meanwhile, total revenue for the quarter was higher by 38.6 per cent at Rs 69,324 crore compared to Rs 50,028 crore in the year-ago period. CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT



On the balance-sheet side, Tata Steel continued to reduce its debt levels, which augured well for the consolidated entity. "As on FY22, on a consolidated basis, Tata Steels net debt to EBITDA was at 0.8x (2.44x in FY21) and net debt to equity was at 0.52x (0.98x in FY21)," analysts at ICICI Securities said.

Moreover, analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services believe that though Q4, traditionally, is the strongest quarter in terms of demand, sales volumes, prices, and profitability; the company witnessed a complete breakdown of this trend in Q4FY22. "Prices remained sluggish in the first half of Q4FY22 as international prices continued to slide. A fresh wave of COVID-19 cases in China and a slowdown there impacted steel prices, which continued to correct in January22, before recovering in February22," the brokerage firm added.

On the other hand, the company had undertaken a strong price push in Mar22 due to massive jump in coking coal prices and resurgence in domestic demand. "Steel mills have been able to pass-through a majority of the cost push in Q4FY22, though the outlook for Q1FY23 looks murkier," the brokerage firm said.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 353.1, down 0.08% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The stock tumbled 23.61% in last one year as compared to a 9.98% rally in NIFTY and a 42.68% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd dropped for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 353.1, down 0.08% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.19% on the day, quoting at 16333.45. The Sensex is at 54647.08, up 0.32%.Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has lost around 9.08% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has eased around 4.41% in last one month and is currently quoting at 27570.25, down 2.1% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 18.85 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 40.95 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark May futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 353.4, down 0.17% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd tumbled 23.61% in last one year as compared to a 9.98% rally in NIFTY and a 42.68% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 5.97 based on TTM earnings ending December 21.

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Union Home Minister will visit on May 14 to address a public meeting to mark the culmination of the second leg of state President Bandi Sanjay's 'Praja Sangrama Yatra'.

BJP's unit announced on Monday that Shah will address the public meeting at Tukkuguda in Rangareddy district near .

The saffron party is planning a massive show of strength by mobilising people in large numbers for the public meeting.

State leaders expect that the meeting will boost the morale of the party and gear up the cadre for the next year's Assembly elections.

BJP's show of strength comes close on the heels of Congress party holding a massive public meeting in Warangal on May 6. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed the meeting, which made a slew of promises for farmers.

will be the second key leader of the to address a public meeting as part of Bandi Sanjay's padyatra, aimed at highlighting the afailures' of Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government.

BJP national president J.P. Nadda had addressed a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on May 5. He claimed that people of Telangana want a change in the state by bringing BJP to power so that the state is benefited from double-engine growth.

Nadda said that the BJP's victory in the Dubbaka and Huzurabad Assembly by-elections reflect the people's mood.

Some central ministers had also participated in the second leg of the padyatra launched on April 14 from Alampur in Jogulamba Gadwal district.

During the month-long foot march, Bandi Sanjay is scheduled to cover 385 kilometers in five districts. He will pass through 105 villages in 10 Assembly constituencies.

Sanjay, who is also a Member of Parliament from Karimnagar, is covering 10-15 km every day to interact with people to know their problems.

The BJP leader alleged that there is corruption and family rule in the state and all sections of people including youth, employees and farmers are not happy.

The first phase of the yatra had started in in August 2021.It lasted for 36 days covering 19 Assembly constituencies and half a dozen Parliamentary constituencies in eight districts.

--IANS

ms/arm

(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.)
leader on Tuesday expressed confidence that his party will form the next government in Gujarat, as he attacked the BJP-led for creating one India for the rich and one for the poor.

In the model, which has created two Indias, one for the rich and one for the poor, resources of the country belonging to poor people are being given to a few rich people, he said.

Addressing a tribal rally, the leader also said that the BJP-led government in the state had deprived tribals of their rights.

The government will not give you anything, but take away everything from you. You (tribals) have to snatch your rights and then only you will get what is yours, he said.

Tribal people through their hard work build roads, bridges, buildings and infrastructure in . But what did you get in return? You got nothing. Neither good education nor health service, he said.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, PM Modi is doing in India what he did in as chief minister: creating two Indias, one for the rich and another for common people.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ukrainian PM, European Council president discuss issues of Ukraine's agri exports

Xinhua) 09:02, May 10, 2022

KIEV, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and visiting European Council President Charles Michel on Monday discussed steps to solve the issues concerning Ukraine's agricultural exports, the government press service reported.

During the talks in Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa, Shmyhal said that the shipping of goods through the Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea was suspended since February 24 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Currently, about 70 vessels are blocked in the seaports of Ukraine, including 10 in the port of Odessa, Shmyhal said.

"The vast majority of ships are bulk carriers and mixed cargo vessels. Some 90 million tons of agricultural products that Ukraine planned to supply to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe have been blocked," he said.

Shmyhal warned that a global food crisis may start due to the blockade of Ukraine's ports, and urged Michel to intensify joint efforts to prevent it.

For his part, Michel stressed that Odessa plays a key role in ensuring food security around the world, and that the European Union would do everything possible to solve the problem of a food crisis in the world.

Michel arrived in Odessa earlier in the day.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
HANOI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Two men in central highlands Vietnam's Kon Tum province have been arrested for trafficking one kilogram of methamphetamine, Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The two men, aged 28 and 35, are from Kon Tum's Sa Thay and Ngoc Hoi districts respectively, and were caught red-handed on Monday while transporting the drug, the news agency reported.

The 28-year-old man was already on the wanted list for obstruction charge, according to the report, which noted that the authorities are further investigating the case.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs could also face the death penalty. 
Slamming Maharashtra Chief Minister over the loudspeakers-on-mosques issue, MNS president on Tuesday cautioned the Shiv Sena-led MVA government against "testing the patience" of his party in the matter.

In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Raj, who perhaps for the first time addressed his estranged cousin as Uddhav Thackeray, said over 28,000 MNS workers have been served preventive notices, while thousands have been externed.

This (police action) is for what? To not remove loudspeakers from mosques that are leading to noise pollution? he questioned.

He said the police are looking for leaders of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena as if they are Pakistani terrorists or 'Razakars' under the erstwhile Nizam rule.

It makes me ponder whether the same high-handedness was shown by the police to find out terrorists or arms hidden in mosques, the MNS chief wondered.

He said Marathi people and Hindus are watching this stance of the state government.

had earlier given the May 4 ultimatum to the state government to remove loudspeakers atop mosques and warned that 'Hanuman Chalisa' will be played outside mosques at a higher volume if it is not done.

I have only one thing to tell the state government. Do not test our patience. No one has come with the ('tamrapat') copper plate of power. Even you have not, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj stated.

On Raj Thackeray's ultimatum, the state government had said that the Union government should come out with a policy on the use of the public address system.

The Thackeray cousins share a frosty relationship, especially since Raj's exit from the Shiv Sena, founded by his uncle the late Bal Thackeray, in 2005.

Maintaining a defiant position over playing Hanuman Chalisa, on May 4 asserted that his party will continue with the protests till all sound systems atop mosques are silenced.

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Former Union Law Minister has said that in a free country seems "absolutely unnecessary" and supported its repeal or comprehensive revision by the central government.

"Today the extent of abuse of the # has come to a point where in the consciousness continuing with colonial #law in a free country seems to be absolutely unnecessary. We should support the repeal of this law or its comprehensive revising," Kumar said in a tweet.

He also said the is not obligated to stay the process of hearing the petitions concerning the on the Centre's plea.

"Decision to review the sedition law will be leading to a repeal of this law. And in the process, the SC is not divested of the opportunity to determine the constitutional validity of this archaic & colonial law. This law has no place in free India," he said.

"The way sedition law has been abused over the years, particularly in last months and recent years is compelling our govt in favour of the repeal of the law...Meanwhile, the SC is not obligated to stay its process, and can continue to hear arguments," he added.

The central government informed the on Monday that it has decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A which criminalises the offence of sedition and requested it not to take up the case till the matter is examined by the government.

The Centre, in a fresh affidavit, said that Prime Minister is of the firm view that the baggage of colonial-era laws, which outlived their utility, must be scrapped during the period of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' (75 years of independence).

In that spirit, the government of India has scrapped over 1,500 outdated laws since 2014-15, it said.

"It has also ended over 25,000 compliance burdens which were causing unnecessary hurdles to the people of our country. Various offences which were causing mindless hindrances to people have been de-criminalised. This is an ongoing process. These were laws and compliances which reeked of a colonial mindset and thus have no place in today's India," the Centre said.

"The Centre being fully cognizant of various views being expressed on the subject of sedition and also having considered the concerns of civil liberties and human rights, while committed to maintain and protect the sovereignty and integrity of this great nation, has decided to reexamine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A of the IPC which can be done only before the competent forum," the affidavit said while requesting the apex court to await the outcome of the Centre's exercise to re-examine Section 124A.

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Dismissing the "farmhouse CM" criticism against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his son and ruling TRS Working President on Tuesday said false information was being spread about the house built in a farm.

Chief Minister Rao, popularly known as KCR, has often been accused of being a "farmhouse chief minister" by opposition BJP and Congress leaders for allegedly staying at his "farmhouse" at Erravelli village in Siddipet district and remaining inaccessible.

" garu was born in a family that had hundreds of acres. One says 'farmhouse chief minister'. What farmhouse? A farm is there and a house is built in it. False information is spread by describing it as farmhouse. Because, we have a farmer's son as chief minister, so many welfare programmes are happening for ryots," Rama Rao, also a state minister, said, addressing a gathering in Kamareddy district.

Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for a new government school building at Konapur in Kamareddy district which would be built with his personal funds in the memory of his grandmother.

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): The German entrepreneur Peter Stromberger and Sunil Kulkarni have come together to establish 'K und S solutions' (Kulkarni and Stromberger solutions). The company has the vision to work in the Process Plant Engineering space and serve the needs of Chemical, Petrochemical and Pharmaceutical sectors.

The company will be based in Pune and intends to recruit 100 engineers in its first year of operations. Kulkarni and Stromberger were the Founder Directors of TRIPLAN India Pvt Ltd which they established as a 100 per cent subsidiary of German company TTP in which they both were also a part of the global leadership team.

The new company will offer full range of Engineering and Project Management services for the sectors mentioned. It intends to support clients right from the developmental stage in the lab to commercial production. This will allow them to work closely with clients in the early project phases to carry out feasibility studies and concept design and to provide the engineering and project management services for the following phases of a project till the plant is commissioned.

During an interview, the founders mentioned that the company will support European and global organizations to outsource their engineering activities to the company as a dedicated partner, so it can help them to relieve from the resource constraints in engineering and the cost pressure in Europe.

The company will not only provide services for complete project life cycle but further keep its engagement thought the plant lifecycle to optimize and upgrade the plant they have designed, including de-bottlenecking, improving product quality, repeatability, and also increase the production by optimizing batch cycle times. The founders further mentioned that they intend to leverage their extensive and decades of experience and knowledge to benefit the owners of the manufacturing plants.

K und S will take lead in implementing Industry 4.0 in Process industry i.e. Chemical, petrochemical and Pharmaceutical industries. In their view the term is vaguely used by the industries and at present it is being only used for dashboarding/MIS purpose. Its not really being used to the full-scale capabilities to make real improvements. K and S solutions stand out different because it focuses on its core domain expertise of process industry for implementing AI and ML techniques. Its right implementation can improve repeatability, reduce manufacturing time, cost reductions and improvement in yield and quality of products.

Apart from this, the company will be focused on implementing the entire Process Automation and Manufacturing IT systems (PA and MITS). Since it is currently being done by multiple agencies, it lacks synchronization, that leads to inefficiencies and underutilization of the large investment made in automation and IT.

They have a vision to develop their own IP in terms of software platforms required in our industry.

Geographically the company will address the South East Asian market along with the Indian market. They aim to become a 200 people company in next two years and make it one of the top firms in this sector in India. The reason they have established their headquarters in Pune is the availability of talent and resources. Nevertheless, they will also establish offices in other parts of country subsequently. The company is looking at opportunities of acquisitions and collaborations with the existing players. There are already demands from some of its clients and they are hoping to grow in its field and accomplish their vision.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 10 (ANI/NewsVoir): For the first time in India, Onest Limited has come up with a concept "Onest EasyLife" for quality products in Personal Care and Home Care Segment which will give relief to common man from the stress and pressure mounted during last 2 years of pandemic.

Launch of an android app "Onest EasyLife" and web shop (https://onesteasylifeshop.com) enables every individual to order even a single piece of any products from any corner of India and it will be delivered to them without any delivery cost.

Introduction of Onest EasyLife in Modern Trade Outlets like SPAR, Spencer, V2 Retail etc. has given a very good & convincing response for the concept.

Onest Limited believes there should be an option for price & quality to all socio-economical classes and not only for those who don't need to see budget before spending for their basic daily need. Key points to the success of this concept of Half MRP is by only investing in products manufacturing and not in heavy paid promotions which do not add any value to the product directly. Second main factor being working on very thin margin unlike other players of same field.

Onest has started this revolution in India after a vast experience into 30 plus International markets since last 4 years where response has been very good and consumer is getting awareness about why he should pay for quality and not for promotion.

In India, where major part of population is still struggling to meet out their household budgets, Onest believes there should be an option of "Generic Cosmetics" like "Generic Medicine" for affordability.

Onest Limited which has crossed Rs100 Cr revenue in its 4th year of business is poised to make the products available Pan India across all channels and providing affordable options to all classes of society leading to a good quality life.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indias seventh biggest mutual fund house, Axis Mutual Fund, suspended two fund managers last Friday pending the completion of an investigation it has been conducting over the last two months.

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While the nature of the irregularities was not revealed, media reports say the fund managers were allegedly involved in front-running the trades of the mutual fund on their personal accounts.

Front-running is a dubious market practice in which an insider -- who is privy to a big future transaction by a fund or big investor -- takes advantage of the information. Large orders usually move a stocks price and the insider buys shares just before the big order hits the market and sells them once the price moves up. It can adversely affect the investor in the fund and is banned in India. Several cases of have come to the fore earlier too.

Last year, Sebi had taken action against three dealers of Reliance Securities for front-running the trades of Tata Absolute Return Fund, an alternative investment fund.

In 2006-07, the markets regulator found that an equity dealer at HDFC Mutual Fund was passing on trading information to an outsider entity.

The suspended fund managers allegedly informed brokers about stocks that they intended to buy in large quantities. The modus operandi was to benefit from a potential movement in stocks due to large orders from the fund house.

The fund house has now reassigned their responsibilities to other fund managers in seven schemes, which have combined assets under management of over Rs 7,700 crore.

A financial daily reported that a preliminary investigation pointed to in as many as nine stocks that led to ill-gotten gain to the tune of Rs 170 crore.

Business Standard on Monday reported that Sebi is examining allegations of front-running and other irregularities against a number of domestic fund managers.

Developments at have reportedly prompted Sebi to speed up the probe to ensure that there is no drop in confidence in the Rs 39-trillion domestic mutual fund (MF) industry.

Axis Mutual Funds MD and CEO Chandresh Nigam tried to play it down, saying the recent developments do not impact the portfolios held by any of the schemes of .

In a letter to investors, he said the fund house has not put any restriction on redemptions. manages assets worth Rs 2.59 trillion.

India has more than 2.4 crore mutual fund investors with 10.3 crore folios. Should they worry over the recent events?

According to Deven Choksey, Managing Director, KR Choksey Investment Manager, possible front-running does not impact fund management, but investors should judge based on the performance of the fund. He says, front-running is a common problem in this industry across the globe and there are existing checks and balances which will be strengthened further.

Shriram Subramanian, founder and MD of InGovern Research Services, says that need not react in a knee jerk manner but should demand more transparency from the fund house

Speaking to Business Standard, Subramanian says, investors do not need to have a knee jerk reaction to Axis MF episode, as it doesnt seem to be a systemic issue within Axis MF. But so far Axis MF and Sebi were not forthcoming about what transpired, and investors should seek an explanation from Axis Mutual Fund. A detailed explanation is necessary from the fund house, he says.

Experts say that the Axis Mutual Fund episode should be treated as an isolated incident and should not be too worried. However, in order for the mutual fund industry to hold on to the trust it has built over decades, transparency from the regulator as well as fund houses is paramount. Sebi should also take stringent steps against front runners. Barring erring entities from markets for a short period may not be enough.
Indias power consumption spiked to an all-time high of 132.98 billion units in April amid the rise in mercury level in the country.

According to Indias power ministry, the countrys electricity demand is expected to rise to 220 gigawatts in the next two months as meteorological department forecasts above normal maximum temperatures in west-central, north-west, north and north-eastern regions.

Its not surprising then, that power-related stocks have been the favourable destinations with investors this year.

The stock prices of power sector companies, including power generation and power distribution, have done materially better than benchmark indices.

Shares of companies like Adani Power, Tata Power, Power Grid, NTPC have surged from 2 to 175%, so far, this year.

In comparison, the S&P BSE Power index has gained over 35%, while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex index declined over 7% during the same period.

However, despite the rally, analysts remain bullish on related stocks and expect power utilities to benefit from the spread between rising power demand and acute energy crisis.

Speaking to Business Standard, AK Prabhakar, Head of Research, IDBI Capital, said NTPC will be the biggest beneficiary of coal-shortage crisis. He is positive on NTPC, Tata Power and Torrent Power. While power demand is likely to remain elevated till June, Coal India will be a beneficiary from peak power demand, he said. However, higher employee costs a worry for Coal Indias margin.

That said, some industrial units in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, are reportedly considering production cuts amid power outages.

Moreover, the dwindling inventory of coal, which contributes nearly 80 per cent of Indias power generation, has also failed to keep pace with the elevated energy demand.

Though stated-owned Coal India has ramped up supplies to power plants by 6.7 metric tons from a year ago, analysts remain uncertain whether the increased output would cater to both international as well as domestic demand.

Analysts assume Coal India to benefit from higher volume growth due to accelerated dispatches of coal to power plants at domestic front.

According to Abhijeet Bora, Senior Analyst, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas says Coal India a beneficiary from higher volume growth YoY. Fixed costs dent outlook, while earnings outlook for power-generation companies remains intact, he says adding that he is bullish on NTPC, Power Grid and Tata Power.

Meanwhile, high prices of imported coal due to geopolitical uncertainties are expected to send power tariffs through the roof.

In March, merchant power prices surged to 8.2 rupees per unit as against an average of 4 rupees per unit.

According to a report by CRISIL Ratings merchant tariffs could remain over 6 rupees per unit this quarter  the highest in the past five fiscals.

Overall, with production reviving to pre-pandemic levels, the need for clean power supply also gives immense scope of growth for the power sector. Therefore, analysts expect the momentum in power stocks has more steam left.

Lastly, investors saw shut on a choppy note, as frontline indices Nifty 50 and Sensex closed 0.67% lower each.

However, primary were abuzz as the mega LIC IPO was subscribed over 2.91 times on the final day.

As regards today, investors will watch out for earnings report card of Asian Paints, Cipla, Vodafone Idea and Gujarat Gas.
Hong Kongs success as a business hub has always been based on its open borders and unrestricted movement of people, particularly by air travel.

However, the regions ongoing isolation, which has been enforced by some of the strictest quarantine and testing regimes the world has seen, is threatening its global status as a finance centre. The region has even slipped to 77th place on a liveability ranking, dropping 19 places since last year. Many are blaming the ongoing stringent Covid-19 restrictions.

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Industry insiders believe that Hong Kongs business aviation sector is at the lowest point it has ever been and needs government help to survive. While this is related to public health policy, lobbying of the Hong Kong Government for immediate relief measures and to ease quarantine restrictions for flight crews continues.

Pre-pandemic

Despite the bleak current outlook, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, Hong Kong was enjoying a steady increase in flight activity. During 2018 business aviation flight movements were 20% more than in 2017.

Pre-Covid, the various holiday seasons and summer vacation periods were quite hectic. Hong Kong in general terms was always busy as a financial and business hub, tourist location and a gateway to mainland China, says Gary Dolski, CEO of Hong Kong-based business jet operator Metrojet.

Life with Covid-19 is very different and the past two years has been quiet, with negligible spikes in travel driven largely in part by the lifting of quarantine restrictions and limits, both in and out of Hong Kong.

Madonna W. Y. Fung, general manager of the FBO Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (HKBAC) agrees.

The volume of business aviation decreased dramatically due to the social unrest in the second half of 2019 in Hong Kong. Then it was affected by the pandemic, she says.

Though there are relatively few business aviation flights in and out of Hong Kong compared to commercial and cargo air traffic, business aviation supports the finance and business leaders that have helped grow and establish the city. To us in the industry and to those that use private aircraft, business and general aviation in Hong Kong is very important, says Dolski.

Our sector supports business, and the aircraft are really an extension of the owners and used as an important tool to grow companies.

Pre-Covid the sector was growing at a good pace, believes Dolski. Business aviation was only limited by the available ramp space and access to slots in pre-pandemic days. Most of the flights that were handled by HKBAC were for business purposes.

Passengers were entrepreneurs or the senior executives of listed companies, multinationals, and financial institutions using business aviation to connect to second-tier mainland Chinese cities, says Fung.

There has been no growth recently because of the Covid-19 Omicron variant outbreak. Instead there has been a significant reduction of aircraft being positioned in Hong Kong and a sharp decline in the number of flights.

The quarantine regulations incurred by Covid-19 have significantly impacted the usage of business aircraft in the region, says Dolski.

I believe that there will be a strong resurgence in business aviation once we have Covid under control or as a minimum, adapted to a new Covid world, he says.

Restrictions

Hong Kongs anti-pandemic measures are focused on preventing the virus entering the city. Quarantine restrictions for international inbound travelers are among the most stringent in the world.

Understandably, that may cause travelers to avoid us in the pandemic, says Fung. However we are bullish that, given the vibrant development of the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kongs business aviation patronage will resume and improve when the pandemic calms.

But, chartered flights have been sought after, especially when local lockdowns started and international commercial flights were suspended.

If you are planning on traveling to Hong Kong, Dolski advises regularly checking the latest Covid-19 restrictions for the passengers and crew.

Foreign pilots are for instance not permitted to join the community and will need to isolate in an airport hotel until their departure. It is also worth noting that there are no limitations with obtaining slots or parking, but hangarage is not available.

A drop-off and positioning to Clark Airport in the Philippines would be a solution  with a pick-up of the passengers from Hong Kong when required, says Dolski.

Flying less

The prolonged and bumpy road to the removal of restrictions in Hong Kong has caused many owners to consider selling their aircraft, believes Dolski. We are seeing some owners disposing of or considering selling their aircraft to save on crew, maintenance, storage, parking, and asset depreciation costs, he says.

The pre-owned market has been very hot this past 12 months, especially in the USA, and aircraft are getting a premium price.

For clients that have significantly reduced their flying, selling an expensive asset that is not being used is worthy of consideration. The downside of this will be that less aircraft will be available when the skies open again.

According to Dolski, aircraft OEMs are being cautious by controlling production pipelines, adding to the issues. He says, For the business aviation operators in Hong Kong, the past and current quarantine policies negatively impact the aircraft management and MRO business because they greatly restrict and impede movement of clients and crew resulting in significantly less flights and maintenance work.

Charter market

Like elsewhere around the world, the health and safety concerns related to Covid-19 have increased interest in the charter aircraft market, including in fractional and shared ownership models.

There are definitely new customers trying out business aviation. There has been a growth of ultra high-net-worth individuals in the world and this region, says Dolski.

Many individuals that previously flew first class with regularity and have the financial wherewithal are willing to pay a premium for the opportunity to fly privately and benefit from higher safety and security features.

There will also be some charter / fractional owners that will move up to buy a pre-owned or new aircraft after being exposed to the benefits of flying in this manner.

A brighter future

Although the current travel restrictions in Hong Kong are bad for the business aviation industry, the people in the sector remain hopeful for the coming months.

The North American and European markets are rebounding well with the future remaining quite bright. I believe that Hong Kong and the region will also bounce back, albeit later, says Dolski.

The biggest impediment I see is the strict quarantine regulations and travel restrictions, which are contrary to what is happening in the rest of the world. The zero-Covid approach to the Omicron variant is proving extremely challenging and may require a reboot in the approach being taken by the government.

Fung agrees, Despite the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are confident in the long-term prospect of our business, Hong Kongs fundamentals and our position in the high growth Greater Bay Area.

Regardless of the current challenges the region is facing, Hong Kong will continue to harness its position as an international aviation hub in Asia, while business aviation will continue to play a vital role in helping draw entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, as well as high value business activities from all over the world.
Texas Medical Center (TMC) has announced a strategic partnership with Enterprise Ireland which aims to provide gateway opportunities for Irish companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians, and industry partners to collaborate with Texas Medical Center, the worlds largest medical city, to solve global health challenges.



The partnership is designed to bolster collaboration and improvement of patient health and care experience through innovative medical devices, digital health solutions, and therapeutics. Research collaboration will focus on identifying opportunities for clinical research and clinical trial activities.



TMCs BioBridge programme facilitates the exchange of ideas and research at a global scale to better the patient experience and provide groundbreaking solutions for complex health care problems. The TMC I Ireland BioBridge is TMCs fourth international partnership. Other global partners include Australia, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Over 80% of TMC Innovations current HealthTech Accelerator cohort are composed of international companies, showing the reach of TMCs international partnerships.



Over the past few months, TMC has worked with LifeLet Medical, a start-up company from Galway, that is developing a novel biomimetic leaflet material for heart valve replacements. Lifelet is part of TMCs HealthTech Accelerator programme and is supported by Enterprise Ireland. High Potential Start-Ups, InVera Medical and Aurigen Medical are also past participants of the Health Tech Accelerator Programme. LifeLet Medical and Aurigen Medical have also been awarded collaborative funding under Irish governments Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland.

Welcoming todays announcement, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said, "Years of investment by Government and industry has created a concentrated community of innovation and expertise within Ireland that is breaking new ground and making a major contribution to international healthcare. Todays announcement by Texas Medical Center and Enterprise Ireland is a very positive development and will drive further integration and opportunities to bring Irish healthcare innovation to the world."

CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo Clancy added, "The size, scale and reputation of Texas Medical Center brings new opportunities for Irish companies to innovate and scale and enter the US market. I am delighted to officially launch this partnership with TMC. Enterprise Ireland places a strong focus on driving innovation in the medtech industry and facilitating successful partnerships between Irish companies and influential global healthcare systems."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Diamantis Zournas, a fourth-generation livestock farmer, poses for a photo in front of his farm at Kleitoria village in southern Greece, April 20, 2022. (Photo by Angelos Tsatsis/Xinhua)

KLEITORIA, Greece, May 10 (Xinhua) -- While tending to his sheep, goats and chicken on the family farm in the village of Kleitoria in southern Greece, livestock breeder Diamantis Zournas is constantly calculating his costs.

The recent massive increases in energy and animal feed prices caused by the Ukraine crisis have put an unbearable burden on livestock farmers across Greece, making their business barely viable, they told Xinhua in recent interviews.

Zournas is a fourth-generation livestock farmer. He has a flock of 350 sheep and goats, as well as chicken, and sells his produce in his butcher shop on the village's square.

"The situation has become unbearable," he said, as everything is more expensive.

Even a few months ago he still paid 250-300 euros (264-316 U.S. dollars) for electricity. The most recent bills were close to 1,000 euros.

Transport costs have also increased due to the ever higher fuel prices.

"Each week prices are galloping, not just rising. They have already doubled and kept rising. Corn today costs more than 40 cents a kilo, while we used to buy it for 18-19 cents," he explained.

According to the Hellenic Livestock Association, the prices of barley, clover, hay, soy and wheat have also doubled in the past few months.

Domestic production cannot cover the farmers' needs. Greece imports around 250,000 tons of animal feed annually from Russia and Ukraine, but the conflict there has created a bottleneck on the export pipelines, the Hellenic Feed Industry Association said.

Meanwhile, the costs of production are skyrocketing, Zournas said.

"I doubt that livestock breeders who do not produce their own feed will be able to make ends meet. They will be forced to sell their herds. It has already started. It is happening," he said.

Zournas grows part of the feed for his farm, but he is struggling.

During a tour of their silos in Kleitoria, where the local livestock farmers get their animal feed, Pavlos Satolias, president of the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece - ETHEAS and the local Agricultural Dairy Cooperative, told Xinhua that the situation has been difficult, but it "got so much worse in the past two months" due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Production costs for the cooperative's 1,200 members have risen by approximately 30 percent in recent months, he said.

"This year, the livestock breeders will probably work without making a living, without making any profit," Satolias said. "We fear that many of us will leave the industry, which would be a catastrophic development. Here in the countryside, people do not have anything else to make a living. Our villages would become deserted."

The associations consider the subsidies announced by the government inadequate. They call for more generous support measures so that the sector remains sustainable.

In absence of adequate support in times of crisis, Zournas fears that many of Kleitoria's 1,000 residents -- who depend on their animals -- would leave for the urban centers.

Zournas has three sons, but without incentives targeting the younger generations in particular to stay in the industry, he fears that there will not be a fifth generation of breeders in his family. (1 euro = 1.06 U.S. dollars) 

Aerial photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows the animal feed silos at Kleitoria village in southern Greece. (Photo by Angelos Tsatsis/Xinhua)

Photo taken on April 20, 2022 shows sheep grazing in Diamantis Zournas's farm at Kleitoria village in southern Greece. (Photo by Angelos Tsatsis/Xinhua)
A Tibet Airlines with 113 passengers and nine crew members aborted its takeoff before bursting into flames at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport on Thursday morning. There were no deaths among those onboard, but 36 people were injured during the evacuation, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Flight TV9833 is an Airbus A319 aircraft, which has been in service for nine and a half years

May 12, 2022 08:22 PM
NICOSIA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus' Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Tuesday criticized the European Commission (EC) for its proposal that tankers registered in EU countries be banned from carrying Russian oil.

"It is inconceivable that sanctions imposed on Russia by the EC would rather punish member states than Moscow," Kasoulides told state run Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation radio in an interview.

He added that the EC, in formulating its sixth sanction package against Russia, ought to know the special characteristics of the economy of each member.

However, Kasoulides said that Cyprus had no intention to veto the EC's package of sanctions, implying that it would rather prefer either an exception for the Cypriot registered ships or some kind of compensating arrangements.

The issue is also of concern to Greece and Malta, which along with Cyprus, have raised objections during discussions on the sixth sanctions package in Brussels.

Kasoulides implied that the three countries are coordinating on the issue.

"The Cypriot economy has some special features which are not to be found in the economies of other EU member states, as it is dependent on tourism, services and shipping," Kasoulides said.

He added that if these three sectors are hit as a result of sanctions imposed on Russia, a big problem would arise and Cyprus has to act to protect them.

He also said that there is an ongoing tough negotiation with the EC, with the aim of finding through mutual understanding a solution to the issues relating to Cyprus.

Such a measure would pose a hurdle to Russian oil reaching countries outside the EU, though its effectiveness is hard to judge beforehand, as insurance experts have said that affected countries could use their own national insurance arrangements to sidestep EU measures.

The sixth sanctions package proposed by the EC contains another clause affecting Cyprus, as it concerns a proposed ban on the sale of property to Russians. 
MINSK, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Belarus and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on the permanent deployment of Russian S-400 air defense systems and Iskander missile systems, which are currently deployed in Belarus, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

According to the BelTA News Agency, Lukashenko announced plans such as training the Belarusian military to work with S-400 systems and buying Iskander missile systems.

These weapons can be used for defense in the event of a conflict with NATO, he said. 
COPENHAGEN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A 1.5 billion Danish kroner (212.7 million US dollar) deal on the Arctic Capacity Package was signed in Copenhagen on Tuesday by the Danish Minister of Defense Morten Bodskov and Greenland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Business, and Trade, Vivian Motzfeldt.

The funding is aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic defense efforts, as well as funding for Greenland to help "focus on the ability to support civil society in cooperation with local fire preparedness, police, defense, and health care."

The provisions for civil society come after a year of political wrangling over the Greenlandic government's policy of demilitarization.

"With the changing threat picture in Europe and with the generally increasing activity we are seeing in the Arctic, it is an agreement that benefits the entire Commonwealth, " said Bodskov.

Under the agreement, 750 million Danish kroner (106.3 million US dollars) will be spent on two long-range surveillance drones to monitor the Arctic.

Greenland is a self-governing region within the Kingdom of Denmark, with two seats in the Danish Parliament. 
ABUJA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian expert slammed the recent killing of a 26-year-old refugee from Congo in the U.S. state of Michigan by a white police officer as another example of systematic pattern of police violence and brutality targeted at minority communities.

In a column article on the website of Nigeria's daily the Blueprint on Sunday, Charles Onunaiju, an international affairs analyst based in Abuja, said despite the global outrage and protests that trailed the gruesome murder of the 46-year-old African-American, George Floyd, on May 25, 2020, by a white American police, nothing seemed to have changed in "the systematic pattern of police violence and brutality targeted at African-American or blacks in the United States."

"Between the brutal murder of Floyd in a heart-wrenching manner and the latest murder of a 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya, when a white police officer wrestled him down and shot him at the back of his head in an execution-style manner, police violence, brutality and abuses have not abated," said Onunaiju.

He said the institutional process of policing in the United States, with obvious bias against minority communities, especially the African-Americans have continued.

"Each brutal murder of African-Americans by the police which are almost and evidently un-provoked, the measures to prevent or avoid the next of such brutal murder appear modest and half-hearted as if to suggest that police violence targeted at black people are embedded in the policing framework in the United States," Onunaiju said.

He said most of the white police murder and violence against the blacks always seemed premeditated and consequence of bottled-up racial prejudice.

"The long enduring bile of racial intolerance and prejudice long-simmering in the United States but camouflaged by expansive rhetoric on equality, human rights and democracy feeds into the mental frame of any white police officer that blacks are quite expendables whose lives could be brutally cut short with a considerable degree of institutional acquiesce," he said.

The expert urged Africa governments and African voices including political parties, trade union movements and other civic groups not to remain aloof and unconcerned while African-Americans and the black community in general are relentlessly brought under the pressure of police violence and brutality in the United States.

He said the U.S. government makes a ritual of publishing records of human rights abuses in Africa and yet it remains of huge concern and even worry that no African government has so far documented and published escalating cases of rights violations in the United States.

"While such peer reviews of rights violations might unnerve the arrogant U.S. political establishment, such efforts by African governments to track, document and publish annual reports on human right violations in the United States, may actually spur a ground breaking institutional and systemic reform ... for racial prejudice and the abuses," the expert said. 
Photo: Contributed

"I want to see the radar / laser reading!"

This was always a signal to me (as a police officer) that the traffic stop was going to be a difficult one. The demand for a printout of the radar reading was a similar request.

Depending on the tone of voice, it was often simpler to refuse outright and explain later on in traffic court, letting the justice be the referee.

In British Columbia, the police are not required to show radar or laser readings to the driver being ticketed. Further, I have never used a radar or laser that created any sort of printout to hand to the person receiving the ticket, and failing to do so will not make any difference to the case in traffic court.

When the request was a polite one, I would show the readout of the device and explain it. Often, I would also detail how the unit was tested for accuracy and then do the tests on the spot.

In the case of a tripod mounted laser, I would sometimes allow the driver an opportunity to use it themselves. This probably reduced the chance of a dispute because the person understood how their vehicle's speed had been measured.

It always seemed I either had not locked in a violators speed or had locked in a following vehicle's speed when the driver's tone was belligerent. No amount of explanation would satisfy the person that I couldn't recall their speed on the instrument after they had passed by and I had measured the vehicle behind them.

The sight of a blank display virtually guaranteed a dispute.

Rather than suffer prolonged verbal abuse, I would refuse and wait for court.

For evidence to the contrary, your own speedometer will be the source of the reading that is important to your defence. Testing to make sure that your speedometer is accurate immediately following the receipt of a speeding ticket will reinforce the importance of that reading.

Your GPS enabled dash cam may be of some assistance in traffic court as well. However, like your speedometer, you will need to be able to testify about the accuracy of the GPS. Presenting the video evidence will also require preparation for your trial.

The evidence that your vehicle's speed was above the speed limit when measured is what concerns the judge in traffic court.

Arguing the point that you were only doing 120 km/h in the posted 90 km/h zone, instead of the officer's alleged speed measurement of 130 km/h is simply agreeing you were speeding.

How much you exceeded the limit by is important for applying the penalty after conviction.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed

Its funny how sometimes we take the simple things in life for granted. Cooking oil, or vegetable oil, is certainly one of them.

Our appreciation for vegetable oil will likely reach new levels in months to come. Oil prices have increased by 25 per cent in just the last six months. While palm oil went up 50 per cent, canola oil is up 55 per cent on average.

The world is slowly running out of vegetable oils.

Vegetable oils arent just about frying things. This ingredient is in many things we eat. All household kitchens and restaurants use vegetable oils. Major companies will buy vegetable oils to manufacture the food we buy daily. Pasta, cookies, chocolate, mayonnaise  many dry and baked goods contain vegetable oil. Its one of the most universal and versatile ingredients we have at our disposal.

Palm oil is the big one, given how affordable it is. Recently, Indonesia, the largest producer of palm oil in the world, announced it would no longer export its oil. The embargo started on April 28. Indonesia accounts for 55 per cent of palm oil exports. Thats huge. Since the price of palm oil had increased by 40 per cent in Indonesia, the government believed it had no choice.

Malaysia, the second-largest exporter, is experiencing unprecedented labour shortages affecting palm oil production. The country accounts for 31.2 per cent of palm oil exports, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Although many condemn the use of this oil for environmental reasons, the fact remains that several companies buy this product. Nestle, Mondelez, Ferrero Rocher  most big food companies need it and we eat it every day.

For sunflower oil, the situation is even worse. Ukraine, the victim of a brutal invasion, is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world. The country exports around 5.4 million tonnes of the oil, half of the quantities found across the globe. Russia, responsible for 25 per cent of sunflower oil exports, will have difficulty finding customers due to sanctions imposed against it.

For canola oil, Canada, the largest exporter, must contend with last years abysmal growing season. The drought was so severe that our country had to import canola to meet our demand for vegetable oil. So there are hardly any reserves to start 2022.

And finally, theres soybean oil. Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil are among the largest exporters of soybean oil. These countries have also been hit by major droughts and anemic production in recent years, creating supply problems everywhere.

Even if other major exporting countries like Holland and Germany have good harvests in 2022, it wont be enough to cover the anticipated deficit this year and possibly next year.

The importance of an ingredient that we have all taken for granted in our kitchens will then become much more evident.

What could help is to lessen the amount of vegetable oil used for energy. About 15 per cent of all vegetable oils are used to support the production of biofuels. We could see some countries divert some of that production for more food-related vegetable oil use, but thats not a given  far from it.

As we navigate this global food crisis, we expect more countries to instinctively ban exports and even hoard commodities to secure supplies. Each decision will add more pressure to the market, raising prices across the board.

Over the next several months, things will most certainly get ugly to the point where many people will experience famine or acute hunger. In fact, more than 100 million people could suffer, and that would be devastating.

Despite all of this, Canadians are the lucky ones. Our grocer may ration vegetable oils, but we should feel lucky just to have access to them.

Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Stefan Labb?/Glacier Media An employee at a poultry plant in Coquitlam, B.C., patrols the gate after an outbreak in April 2020 led to the infection of dozens of low-income workers and their families around Metro Vancouver.

The first wave of COVID-19 to hit Canada led to higher death rates in neighbourhoods with more immigrants, low-income families and seniors, a new Statistics Canada study has found.

Across Canada, neighbourhoods with a high proportion of elderly people living in seniors homes, hospitals or long-term care homes saw the highest mortality rate.

These neighbourhoods collectively reported 148.4 deaths per 100,000 population in Canada, noted StatsCan analysts Raj Subedi and Nicole Aitken, which is almost six times higher than the neighbourhood type reporting the lowest mortality rates.

The lowest mortality rates, meanwhile, were found in higher-income suburban communities, where residents tended to have higher education, lower unemployment rates, smaller family sizes, and higher rates of people owning their own homes.

But in densely populated urban neighbourhoods, high concentrations of immigrants, single-parent families and relatively low incomes led to COVID-19 death rates surging 2.6 times higher than in Canadas suburban neighbourhoods.

In cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, neighbourhoods with large South and East Asian populations also tended to have higher COVID-19 death rates.

The researchers said the high COVID-19 death rates in poorer urban neighbourhoods could be because of higher infection and transmission rates driven by dense living and relatively less open space and greenery.

Risk of dying from COVID-19 was also likely due to some combination of compliance with public health restrictions and the fact that low-income households tend to work in occupations that require more contact with the public.

Men were found to have higher death rates due to COVID-19 no matter what neighbourhood they lived in in 2020. In senior or institutionalized populations, the mortality rate for men was 1.7 times higher than for women.

Whats driving that gap is less clear, but the researchers speculate its some combination of differences in immune responses or the fact men are more likely to engage in risky habits such as smoking or drinking.

Among Canadian cities, the 2020 waves of the virus hit Montreal hardest, leading to death rates 2.7 times higher than the national average.

Torontos COVID-19 mortality rates were 1.2 times higher than the national average, the study found.

The researchers did not analyze other Canadian cities and how COVID-19 death rates hit neighbourhoods differently. However, multiple outbreaks in long-term care homes led to scores of deaths in 2020 as staff and management struggled to contain the virus. And reporting from Glacier Media has documented how the virus can disproportionately impact low-income immigrant workers and their families when an outbreak hit a poultry plant early in the pandemic.

Statistics Canada did not analyze national mortality data since 2020 as it often takes a year to get finalized, Subedi said.
Photo: The Canadian Press Nine year old Zoriana greets her sister, Sofiia, as her and their mother, Natalia, arrive from Ukraine in St. John's, Monday, May 9, 2022. Newfoundland and Labrador received its first plane load of refugees from Ukraine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Locke

Nine-year-old Zoriana Shapoval had barely rounded the corner at the St. John's International Airport Monday night when she saw her big sister Sofiia Shapoval waiting in the crowd, and ran straight for her outstretched arms.

Zoriana and her mother, Natalia Shapoval, were among 166 Ukrainian refugees who'd just arrived in Newfoundland aboard a plane chartered by the provincial government. Sofiia Shapoval is a genetics student at Memorial University in St. John's, and she said it was an enormous relief to have her family close by in Canada, after months of fear and uncertainty.

"It feels so good," Sofiia Shapoval said. "You don't know where is your family or how you can help them, because they're on the other side of the world."

The plane Monday night arrived from Poland, where the Newfoundland and Labrador government has set up a satellite office to help Ukrainians fleeing Russian attacks on their homeland resettle in Canada's easternmost province. The people working there have been handing out flyers, meeting with Ukrainians and helping them get paperwork in order. They chartered two buses to carry the 166 passengers on Mondays flight from Warsaw to the airport in Katowice, which is about 300 kilometres away.

Immigration Minister Gerry Byrne and Premier Andrew Furey were beaming Monday night as they shook hands with the Ukrainians coming through doors flanked with the country's blue and yellow flags.

A crowd of a few dozen people erupted in whoops and applause each time one came through the curtained-off entranceway. People waved Ukrainian flags and held up signs of welcome, written in both English and Ukrainian. Shapoval, her mother and her sister stood off to the side, hugging one another tightly, and holding up their phones to take selfies, their smiles wide and joyful.

The provincial government kept the flight's landing time quiet, so the welcome wasn't too overwhelming for the travel-weary refugees.

Byrne says Monday night's flight is the first government-chartered plane to bring Ukrainians refugees to Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador's successful efforts to transport and welcome the refugees -- from the office in Warsaw to the generous residents on the ground offering whatever they can -- is now the "gold standard" for other provinces and countries to follow, he said in an interview earlier Monday.

Stanislav, a tall, 28-year-old Ukrainian was one of the first to emerge from the flight. He smiled and laughed, and told reporters to call him Stan. The engineer said he's heading to the small town of Baie Verte, about 600 kilometres away from St. John's, where there are jobs in the local mining industry.

"I'm worried a lot about my father, who is an officer now," he said. "Not anyone from my family is in occupied territory, but of course ... everyone is worried that tomorrow Russians will be (causing) violence."

Marjorie Williams was in the crowd holding up a brightly coloured welcome sign. She was waiting to meet a woman who'd be living in her apartment, after the two met through a local Facebook group aimed at pairing Ukrainians coming to Newfoundland with locals offering housing, supplies and jobs.

"I am so excited," Williams said. "Today I said to myself, 'I think I might be a little bit crazy, but ... why not?'"

Everyone getting off the plane in St. John's Monday night had somewhere to stay, whether through volunteers like Williams or through more official efforts, like those led by the province's Association for New Canadians.

"This is a pretty big deal right now, it's incredible," said Megan Morris, the association's executive director, who was at the airport helping co-ordinate a team of volunteers who had a school bus waiting to take the refugees where they needed to go.

There's been a massive effort supporting the government's initiative to bring Ukrainians to the province, she said, but many involved already had experience  last October, the province welcomed over 100 refugees from Afghanistan, for whom Morris's team helped co-ordinate rides, supplies and places to stay.

Adilya Dragan has also been volunteering behind the scenes, putting together boxes of clothes, shoes, toiletries and even dishes for everyone on the plane. The 32-year-old from Russia lives just outside St. John's, and she moderates a Facebook group for Newfoundlanders wanting to help Ukrainians.

Several rooms of her home are overrun with piles of donated supplies, and she's arranged public drop-off sites where more stuff awaits, Dragan said in a recent interview.

"People are great here," she said. "I love Newfoundlanders; they are the greatest people. You cannot find these people anywhere else in the world."
Photo: Glacier Media

When it comes to the level of red tape at Vancouver City hall, few people have been as wrapped up in it in recent months as Michael Jagger.

Jagger is the founder and CEO of Provident Security Corp. and a leading entrepreneur in the city. But his latest encounter with the maze of municipal bureaucracy came not as a business owner, but instead in his role as an organizer of a long-running Little League parade.

The Kerrisdale Little League Parade was held as planned on April 30, but it almost didnt happen. Thats because, when organizers at the Kerrisdale Business Improvement Association tried to apply for a permit at the beginning of the year  as they have done for decades  they were told it was too late.

This just felt like this is the opposite of what the city should be doing, said Jagger, the parades marshal, who added that the city told organizers they needed to apply back in November. The city should be, if anything, going out of their way to help nurture and support events like this.

And the fact that that people seemed willing to just say, Oh, well, thats too bad but the rules did change so sorry, you cant do it,  its just a great example of what I think needs to be fixed at city hall.

The city did eventually approve the permit for the parade after the Kerrisdale BIAs story become public (with Mayor Kennedy Stewart offering support for the application), but the reason for requiring organizers to apply as early as last November  a new set of rules introduced last spring  was poorly communicated to local communities and too rigid to consider the scale and impacts of events big and small, Jagger noted.

I mean, were talking about the whole parade, which takes 25 minutes, he said. Its a few hundred kids with a few bands, walking down the street. This isnt the Santa Claus parade or some gigantic event. This is a small community event, and its run by volunteers.

Jagger is far from alone in his experience.

Residents ranging from homeowners and builders applying for residential projects to businesses applying for patios and other post-COVID measures have said theyve been bogged down, confused or otherwise affected by red tape at city hall  and the issue is much worse in Vancouver than in surrounding Lower Mainland municipalities.

In March, restaurant and brewery industry groups decried the citys return this year to charging fees and resuming regulatory assessment processes for patios after two years of expedited approvals during the pandemic. Officials from trade associations say that some small-business owners will have to pay $5,000 or more for a patio of six square metres because of the fees and required engineering and architectural documents.

Then, when Steward proposed the city explore imposing a new empty stores tax in late April, groups like the Mount Pleasant BIA said the move highlighted a disconnect between the economic situations on the ground and the rules and fees being instituted to address the empty storefronts issue.

Community groups say the increase in vacancies reflects rising property tax levels and long wait times for permit approvals, an observation shared on the residential side by Ron Rapp, CEO of Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN).

Rapp, who said the application times for permits in Vancouver frequently stretch to several months rather than weeks, noted that the issue of the backlog was already apparent pre-pandemic. But when COVID-19 drove municipal office staff to work from home, the combination of slowdowns in application approval and a spike in the number of home-improvement projects created a recipe for disaster.

The underlying problem is that youve got a system  particularly in the City of Vancouver  that has become increasingly layered and complex over the course of the last number of years, Rapp said.

Perhaps surprisingly, the current backlog in Vancouvers municipal departments is an improvement from last year. In June 2021, city council approved a number of moves aimed at unclogging the system. They ranged from implementing a task force to monitor the issue and fast-tracking permits under tree bylaws and laneway homes applications.

In the citys spring 2022 update, officials say they have now cleared an intake backlog of more than 500 low-density housing applications, with 450 now in line for processing. Initial contact wait times have been reduced by up to 16 weeks, the city said, and some renovation permits can now be approved in two weeks using the direct-to-inspection process.

So far, we anticipate that with the changes weve made  weve sort of saved about 14,000 weeks of processing time and more than 10,000 hours of review time, said Andrea Law, general manager of development, buildings and licensing at the City of Vancouver. Weve had to shift our model and really look at how we do our work.

The current efforts are more focused on cutting delays in small project applications  low-density housing and commercial renovations, for instance, and Law added that a key goal is to also make the process more transparent.

Its about connecting with customers early in the process, she said. I think the frustration from customers was often the sense that, We submit an application, and we dont hear from staff. So weve implemented process changes specifically to engage with customers right away, as soon as we received their application. That has helped us shave off approximately 16 weeks before we connect with customers. So thats been huge.

Rapp agreed that the situation has improved since last summer, but he reiterated that  because the backlog began well before the pandemic started  the current measures can only go so far without a more fundamental rethink of how municipal bureaucracy can be made more efficient.

To their credit, they are chipping away at it, he said. Theyre making an active effort to try and find the means by which to streamline and to try and expedite the process. But you know, this scenario did not evolve overnight. And its not going to be rectified overnight.

That Vancouver has more to do to address the red tape and delays in various departments isnt lost on city council. Both councillors who co-introduced the initial motion last year to trigger the red tape task force  Couns. Lisa Dominato and Sarah Kirby-Yung  acknowledged that while they commend what city staff has done up to this point, more is needed.

Kirby-Yung noted that a local study said that a delay of seven to eight months in permitting approval may cost a Vancouver business up to $720,000  a significant amount that adds up quickly for a city now looking to rebound economically from COVID.

She added that, if the issue isnt addressed adequately, the damage to Vancouver may be greater than even the existing numbers suggest.

I worry that if we dont expedite the improvements, Vancouver becomes less and less competitive, Kirby-Yung said. A common thing you hear is, Its so much easier to do this in Burnaby or Surrey or somewhere else or Ive just shifted my business and Im now doing a project south of the border in the U.S. or in other municipalities. Ive heard that quite a bit. And the other outcome can be, if it takes way too long, that you create more of an underground economy.

Dominato agreed.

She said she has heard many stories from constituents  which spurred the original motion addressing red tape last year. Dominato said the city should clarify departmental responsibilities to expedite applications and take advantage of technology to allow people to track the progress of applications online.

Navigating our system right now is like being a mouse in a maze, looking for the cheese at the end, she said. What I would like to achieve is a very open, transparent, seamless process if youre seeking a business licence, a change of use for your business or some sort of renovation  and an underpinning philosophy for me is that every door should be the right door. When you approach the city, you shouldnt have to worry about different departments.

Jagger, who views the roadblock faced by the Kerrisdale Little League Parade as symptomatic of the ills at city hall, said such red tape and the empty-store tax idea underscore how deep the disconnect is between municipal government and a city in need of economic rejuvenation after the COVID malaise.

These are good people [at city hall] trying their best, but it just seems like the culture is set up so that the easiest answer is to say no, Jagger said. And then the amount of effort to figure things out is just, I think, unreasonable.

This isnt about the Little League Parade. This is about a systemic cultural issue as to how we approach figuring out what are the important things, how do we operate, and is the citys role to put roadblocks up and make things harder  or to make those things easier?
Photo: CTV News

Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters permanent ban of former President Donald Trump if the Tesla CEO follows through with his plan to buy the social media company.

Musk, speaking virtually at a Future of the Car summit hosted by the Financial Times, said Twitters Trump ban was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme. He said permanent bans of Twitter accounts should be rare and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots.

Twitter banned Trump's account in January 2021 for incitement of violence following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump had previously said that he had no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account was reinstated, telling Fox News last month that he would instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth, Trump told the network. I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to Musks remarks.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the blocs online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal will be forbidden in the digital space, which Musk fully agreed with.

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a great discussion" and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year. It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

Musk's plan to buy Twitter for $44 billion has raised fears he would make changes to the platform that would prioritize free speech over online safety  potentially putting him at odds with the looming rules in Europe, which has led a global movement to crack down on the power of tech giants.

The 65-second clip indicates Musk's and the EU's views may be closer than they appear. Breton says in the video that he explained the Digital Services Act to Musk in a meeting at Tesla's Texas headquarters. Musk responds by saying it's exactly aligned with my thinking.

I agree with everything you said, really, Musk said. I think were very much of the same mind and, you know, I think anything that my companies can do that can be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that.

The attempted Twitter acquisition by Musk, a billionaire and self-described free speech absolutist, had raised concerns that he would take a hands-off approach to content moderation.

Breton told AP he explained to Musk that the new law means we need also to have more moderators, and in the language where we operate. So he fully understood."

The pair agreed on the importance of being able to inspect algorithms that determine what social media users are being shown, Breton said.

The Digital Services Act requires more transparency for algorithms, and Musk has called for opening them up to public inspection.

Another topic of discussion was President Donald Trump's ban from Twitter for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol insurrection, which Musk has reportedly opposed.

Breton said he told Musk the EU law includes provisions to maintain the rights of users, such as giving them the right to appeal bans.
Photo: DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST Nurses arrive at the B.C. legislature for a rally on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

Hundreds of nurses will rally on the steps of the B.C. legislature at noon Tuesday over staffing concerns, working conditions and patient care.

With two public health emergencies in the province, the B.C. Nurses Union is using National Nursing Week to highlight the conditions and the impact on their mental health.

B.C. nurses dont feel like celebrating this week, said BCNU president Aman Grewal. Instead, hundreds have travelled to Victoria from communities across the province with a somber message that the health-care system is buckling under the pressure.

Enough is enough. We need action now.

On Monday night, the union hosted a Vigil to Heal Heath Care where nurses, first responders and family members reflected on the impact the overdose crisis and the pandemic have had on them, on communities and on the health-care system as a whole.

More than 3,200 people have died related to COVID-19 since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.

The act of holding a dying patients hand while they lay intubated and alone or balancing an iPad so family members can say their final good-byes is something that stays with you, Grewal said.

She said nurses are facing an unmanageable number of patients and are burnt out, with 82 per cent of BCNU members surveyed last year saying their mental health has worsened over the pandemic.

As well, 2,224 people died in 2021 alone of a suspected illicit drug overdose. Toxic drug poisonings were declared a public health emergency in 2016.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix welcomed the nurses in the B.C. legislature on Monday and noted their extraordinary work every day but especially over the duration of the public health emergencies. Liberal Health critic Shirley Bond did the same, acknowledging issues would be raised and discussed in the gallery Monday.

During question period, B.C. Liberal MLA Todd Stone said we can all agree that B.C.s health-care system is in crisis. He quoted one nurse describing feelings of moral distress, panic, sobbing, making errors as he asked the health minister what hes going to do to address the concerns of nurses.

Dix said B.C. is leading in Canada in the recruitment of new licensed practical nurses; it was last in 2017. B.C. is third of 10 provinces in recruitment per capita of new registered nurses, just added 602 nursing spaces, and has added 299 new surgical nursing positions since the the surgical renewal plan was announced two years ago.

Dix said hed meet with the nurses union Monday on working together to address what has been an extraordinary period in health care in B.C. But we obviously, we clearly, need to do more.

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will meet with Dix today for a press conference scheduled inside the legislature at 12:30 p.m. for an update on COVID-19 vaccinations.
Like so many Canadians, my husband and I have watched the brutal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian invaders.

We have great respect for the people who have remained behind to continue the fight for democracy and self-government. However, there are millions of people who have fled with basic possessions, and are cramming into already full shelters in neighbouring countries.

We found a website called Ukraine Take Shelter that was created in late March by some Harvard university students. It's a hosted, vetted website that connects people seeking shelter to people with short-term and long-term accommodations all over the world. It's a great way to help out in a very Canadian waygiving shelter and hope to people that have been upended and displaced.

We told the website what our parameters were (family friendly, pet friendly, short term stay, non-smokers, bedrooms, bathrooms etc) and within 1 week, we had a family from the Chernobyl area in Northern Ukraine contact us.

They applied for a Canadian foil less Visa in their refugee centre in Warsaw and have purchased flights to Vancouver. They are to arrive in June. The husband has already found employment in Kelowna as a glazier. We are very excited to introduce this nice family to our beautiful country.

The problem right now is the lack of accommodations (for others). Before I had a chance to delist my ad, I received two more emails from desperate families fleeing Mariupol. I wish my home was big enough to accommodate them all.

If anyone in the Okanagan wants to help, has spare rooms, a basement suite or summer accommodation that you can offer for a short-term stay for a family in desperate need, please sign up at Ukraine Take Shelter. It vets you. It vets the refugees. It gives you great instructions on how to make sure the family is legitimate and that everyone is safe.

You may be saving the life of strangers and offering them a safe place to regroup and figure out their next steps.

The government of Canada has amazing supports set up for (those arriving.) They just need to get their foil less Visa and get here safely.

(We are) doing what we can to help the world, one family at a time.

Leighanne Hebein
Pakistans cement dispatches decline in April and 9MFY22

10 May 2022

Pakistan's cement industry is facing weaker dispatches issues due to the unstable business and economic situation prevailing in the country. Even the Pakistan stock exchange witnessed a several losses on 9 May 2022, due to further devaluation of the Pakistani rupee against US dollar, uncertainty regarding debt repayments and depletion of foreign exchange reserve, leading investors to remain sidelined from the market as they await a positive trigger by IMF revival programme.

The total cement dispatches in April 2022 declined by 28.6 per cent to 3.52Mt against 4.94Mt in the same month of last fiscal year. The breakdown reveals that local cement dispatches were 3.37Mt compared to 4.06Mt in April 2021, which showed a reduction of 17.1 per cent. While exports of cement and clinker also suffered a massive decline of 82.2 per cent as the volumes reduced from 877,163t in April 2021 to 156,613t in April 2022.

Experts say the holy month of Ramadan, when the construction industry slows down, and political unrest during the last two months, have affected the local dispatches. The exports have also remained thin during the period.

An official of All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) emphasised that the industry needs immediate relief from the government to reduce the cost of production and increase its sales in domestic and international markets. He urged the government to address industry issues in the coming budget and formulate policies to increase capacity utilisation.

Accumulative dispatches

During the 10MFY22, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 44.3Mt, which is 8.2 per cent lower than 48.27Mt during the corresponding period of last fiscal year. Further analysis indicates that domestic uptake reduced by 1.8 per cent to 39.5Mt from 40.24Mt during July-April 2021. In contrast, exports during the same period declined by a massive 40.2 per cent to 4.8Mt from 8.02Mt in July-April 2021.

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OTTAWA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Racialized men are less likely to get paroled in Canada when eligible, Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail said in a recent article.

"An analysis of seven years of federal prison data has found that Indigenous, Black and other racialized men are 26 percent, 24 percent and 20 percent less likely than their white peers to be paroled in the first year they're eligible," said the article published in late February.

The analysis, carried out by the newspaper, found that throughout the process of incarceration and rehabilitation, which the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is mostly responsible for, "the odds (of being released) are notched further and further against racialized people."

"By Law, nearly all non-life prisoners who have reached the two-thirds mark of their sentence have to be released back into the community to complete the remainder of their sentence, with varying levels of restrictions," the article said. But in reality, "you're better off being white."

The analysis has reflected "systemic and institutional racism" in Canada's parole process, which is "based on fundamental inequality," Sarah Turnbull, professor of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo, was quoted as saying by the article.

"These things have been going on for a really long time. The institutions have known about it," Turnbull said, adding that differences in parole outcomes have lingered partly because the conditional release system -- the final step in a prisoner's return to society -- is far less scrutinized.

In 2020, the newspaper did a similar analysis on the CSC's risk assessment tools used to assess a prisoner's risk to public safety and odds of reoffending, and they were found "systemically biased against Black men, Indigenous men and Indigenous women." 
Col. James Anderson Whiteside lived in the first brick house that was erected at Chattanooga - at 415 Poplar St. on the side of Cameron Hill.

It was Col. Whiteside who almost single-handedly led in the effort to steer the all-important Western and Atlantic Railroad in the direction of the old Ross's Landing and away from Harrison and other points that also sought it. He rode his horse to Milledgeville, which was then the Georgia capital, on one occasion to argue Chattanooga's merits. Col. Whiteside later joined with Vernon Stevenson of Nashville to tirelessly push for the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad to be built along a daunting course of mountains, rivers and streams.



He was born near Danville, Ky., in 1803, the son of Jonathan and Thankful Anderson Whiteside. While he was "yet a boy and small for his age his manliness secured him employment as a mail carrier between Somerset, Ky., and Hilham, Tn. - a 70-mile horseback trip along a dangerous trail.

Jonathan and Thankful Whiteside moved to a Pikeville farm in 1826, and Jonathan Whiteside was chairman of the Bledsoe County Court. James Whiteside first studied to become a physician, then he switched to the law. It was at Pikeville that he read law and was first admitted to practice. He was elected to the Legislature at 24. At Nashville, he met Mary Jones Massengale of Grainger County, who was in the state capital for boarding school. At the time they met she was "a beautiful girl of 16." They were married Feb. 5, 1829. Their children were John Bridgeman, Penelope, Anderson, Foster and Thankful Anderson.

Col. Whiteside moved his family in September 1838 to Ross's Landing "being strongly impressed by the beauty of the place and its fine location for the building of a city." Mary Whiteside died on April 12, 1843, after the family had lived for several years at Chattanooga. Col. Whiteside, the following year, married Harriet Straw, who had been hired as a music teacher for his children. By the second Mrs. Whiteside, he had James Leonard, Florence, Helen, Ann Newell, Vernon Stevenson, Hugh, William Mowbray, Charles and Glenn.



The two-story brick Whiteside home, with twin columns and a portico in front, was constructed around 1840 by Thomas Crutchfield. The Whitesides at the time occupied an entire block. The house was on Poplar Street near Fifth. The kitchen was located 20 feet away from the wide back porch and two family servants occupied a house near the kitchen. Another family of servants lived across the street from the well lot and adjoining cow lot, where each evening four or five cows were driven up to be milked. The 80-foot deep well had been located by William Crutchfield, who had water witching skills. The water was very cold, hard limestone. There was a brick bath and spring house with a roof extending over the well. The little children always bathed at home in green hat-shaped tins. Later, a cistern was dug between the house and kitchen. The well lot was an enclosure about 80 feet square. Every fall it was nearly filled with oak and hickory cordwood piled high in the open. Usually eight fires were kept going all winter in the big house. In the kitchen a crane and hooks hung in the wide stone kitchen. Beaten biscuit and all sorts of good food was baked and fried in iron holloware on the 10-foot square stone hearth. As soon as coal began to be mined at Chattanooga, the fireplaces were bricked up for grates, the brass andirons given away, "and Aunt Mahala was persuaded to use a cook stove reluctantly. There was no cellar for fuel so a new coal and carriage house was built on Fifth Street, near the log barn, more than 200 feet from the house.

The first parish of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Chattanooga was held Jan. 17, 1853, at the Whiteside home on Poplar Street. Col. Whiteside funded the construction of a small chapel at Chestnut and Fifth until the St. Paul's Church could be built further down the street on a lot he donated.

In the autumn of 1857, Col. Whiteside moved his family to Nashville so he could devote himself to operating the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. He retained his property in Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain.

Col. Whiteside became the chief patron of the artist James Cameron. One of Cameron's paintings depicted the Whiteside couple, two slaves and young Charles Whiteside at the point of Lookout Mountain, with Moccasin Bend and Chattanooga in the background. Col. Whiteside deeded to Cameron a 33-acre tract on the hill that was named in his honor. Cameron later died in California when his wife accidentally poisoned him.



Col. Whiteside was back in Chattanooga when he died in November of the first year of the Civil War. Federal soldiers seized the Whiteside home and sent Mrs. Whiteside and her children north. Prior to leaving, she hastily sold many of the family possessions, including Col. Whiteside's prized law library that went to a Federal officer for $150. Mrs. Whiteside kept the Cameron painting of the Whitesides on Lookout Mountain with her through the long war ordeal.

The Whiteside widow decided to try to stay at home on Cameron Hill. She invested her Confederate money in tobacco and filled one of the servant houses with the boxes piled to the ceiling. The tobacco was sold for greenback money, which was invested by her friend Benjamin Chandler. The return was more than enough to send her two daughters to school in New England in January 1864.

The Whitesides were still in Chattanooga at the time of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, and Harriet Whiteside headed an effort to provide make-shift mattresses for the wounded soldiers brought into town after the battle. She sent messengers to the family hotel on Lookout Mountain for sheets and pillow cases. She and other women sewed the items into bags, and the children scoured Cameron Hill for moss and dried leaves to go inside. The wounded and dying men were lifted onto these emergency mattresses. Mrs. Whiteside and other women still left in the town held the hands of dying soldiers and took messages for family members. The only men there to help were one minister and four surgeons.

In July of 1864 Mrs. Whiteside received an order that she and the five remaining children still at home would be shipped north. She protested, pointing out she had taken the Oath of Allegiance and abided it. But she was only given 24 hours in which to raise money by selling things from the house. One of the best private libraries in Tennessee, including Col. Whiteside's law library, was bought by a Federal officer for $150. The money was thrust into a bureau drawer as the hasty sales were made. That night she counted over $300. One of the boarders boxed up the family portraits. Mrs. Whiteside stayed up burning many documents that she did not feel were important, but she did not want to leave in the house. Most of the following year she spent at the Episcopal Rectory at Springfield, Ohio, with her children.

At Louisville, Ky., Mrs. Whiteside was put into prison "without any charge being leveled against her." She was freed through the efforts of Benjamin Chandler. She was finally allowed to return to Chattanooga in June 1865, though she was required to prove that she had kept the Oath of Allegiance and to put up $20,000 additional security that she would continue to keep the oath.



Harriet Whiteside, in the years after the war, was involved in many disputes over the far-flung Whiteside estate - especially since many of the family documents were lost in the war. She was also embroiled in disputes on Lookout Mountain after instituting a policy to charge tourists for the privilege of enjoying the famous view from the Point. The Whiteside property eventually was bought by the government for Point Park.

Florence Whiteside said, "Years after the slaves were freed, the practical Mrs. Whiteside decided to sell the old mansion and build a modern and convenient residence. The place was antiquated as soon as the slaves were gone, a relic of a social order that could never return."



The Whiteside mansion on the side of Cameron Hill was sold to W.L. Dugger in 1887 for $10,000. The Ross's Landing pioneer recalled that he had carried mortar when the house was being built. He noted that it displayed markings from over 50 shells that had struck the house as the two armies exchanged fire. Dugger said he had lived for many years "within a stone's throw of the house." He said he bought it with a desire to "leave it to show how our fathers builded before the war."

However, the historic Whiteside home was torn down around 1926. An apartment complex was built at the site.

Mrs. Whiteside settled just to the south on College Hill. Many of her children lived nearby. Harriet Whiteside in 1871 married Vernon A. Gaskill at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, but they were later divorced.



The Cameron painting remained in the Whiteside family for many years, but it is now displayed at the Hunter Museum of Art.




A man at 203 West Aquarium Way told police he and his wife got into an argument and she got into the cash box in their van and stole $2,500 in cash. He explained that he had just done a show in Alabama and they were both in Chattanooga for him to do a show that night. He said, "All this arguing is over him taking a smoke break and not apologizing for it." He said his wife was wearing a black Carhart jacket, turquoise shirt, jeans, and gray Asics shoes. She has long brown hair with bangs. He was unsure of where she would go as their motel was at least four miles away. When asked if he wanted to press charges against his wife, he said he didnt. He said all he would like is $400 and the change from the cash box and his wife could just keep the rest and do whatever it is she would like to do. Police drove around the area but were unable to find the wife.

* * *

An anonymous caller told police there was an older lady in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Bridge Circle who appeared to be in need of medical attention. Upon arrival police found the woman who said she was having issues with her back. She said she would be better if police could assist her into her residence. The woman said she didnt need medical attention and that she was fine once she was inside. She called her son and he responded to the scene.

* * *

An officer was dispatched to North Hickory Street to check on an improperly parked car. The silver Kia Sorrento had clearly been ransacked. The cars windshield was shattered along with the rear drivers-side window busted out with a trash bag over the top. The vehicle was parked against the flow of traffic and surrounding neighbors said it had been there since November of 2021. A violation sticker was placed on the car in an attempt to give the owner a chance to recover it. The officer returned on a later date and the vehicle was still there so it was towed by Expressway Towing.

* * *

A woman and man were in a verbal disorder on O'Grady Drive. The man told police he was trying to leave after the argument ended but the woman was refusing to give him his car keys and would not let him get his belongings without police being present. The officer assisted the transaction and kept the two people separated. The man left and the woman went to her relatives house for the night.

* * *

Police responded to East 32nd Street on report of a stolen vehicle recovery. An officer found a red 2014 Ford Taurus abandoned and unoccupied next to a residence in an alleyway. The car was confirmed stolen. Dispatch attempted to contact the owner but it went to voicemail. The car was towed by Yates Towing Service.



* * *

A woman on West 21st Street told police someone keyed her car overnight. She said they keyed all of the passenger side. She said her car was not the only one keyed.

* * *

An officer was called to the Fast Stop at 2285 Wilcox Blvd. for a person who was acting strangely. An officer arrived and spoke to a woman in the entrance to the store. The store owner wanted her to leave the property. The woman asked for a ride to Erlanger Hospital and was transported without incident to Erlanger.

* * *

Officers received a call about a man that had been discharged earlier from Memorial Hospital at 2051 Hamill Road who had come back and was causing a disorder in the emergency room. Officers arrived on scene and located the man matching the description. He was told that he was trespassed from the property and if he were to return, he would be arrested. He was negative for warrants. Officers saw the man leave the property without issue.

* * *

An employee of AutoZone at 4307 Rossville Blvd. told police sometime overnight someone cut the catalytic converters ($1,000 each) off of two of the company work trucks.

* * *

A man on Crescent Club Drive told police sometime in the past few weeks, someone cut the catalytic converter ($1,000) off of his 1995 Ford Bronco.

* * *

A man with Hope for the Inner City Church at 1800 Roanoke Ave. said someone stole the two catalytic converters from the church vehicle.

* * *

A woman on Janeview Drive told police someone stole two flower pots. She said the pots border her yard and contained flowers and a light.

* * *



A woman said she definitely had her bracelet on her wrist at Best Buy at 2290 Gunbarrel Road. She then went to Walmart on Gunbarrel Road about a half an hour after that and then realized she didnt have it. She has checked with both places and no one has turned it in.

* * *

A woman on East 11th Street told police the neighbor in the hut next to her yells at all hours of the night keeping her awake. She has asked why her neighbor yells the way she does and her neighbor informed her because she can and that she is the only one who can yell in this area. The woman asked what she needed to do about this and the officer informed her to call back when the incident is occurring so that police could talk with the neighbor about it. The woman said she would do that.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who I admire a lot, signed a bill into law on Monday that will make the states high schools observe a Victims of Communism Day every Nov. 7. The bill passed unanimously through the Florida House and Senate earlier this year and I, for one, hope Floridas HB 395 will become copied all across America.

Nov. 7 is the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917) which put Vladimir Lenin in power and has led to millions upon millions of deaths, violence and oppression in Communist countries throughout the world. Florida is home to many Cuban families who were forced to flee in 1956.

We want to make sure that every year folks in Florida, but particularly our students, will learn about the evils of communism, the dictators that have led communist regimes, and the hundreds of millions of individuals who suffered and continue to suffer under the weight of this discredited ideology, DeSantis said Monday morning.

The Victims of Communism organization has estimated that communist regimes have caused the deaths of at least 100 million people via political purges, religious persecutions, mass starvation, and other crimes against humanity during the 20th century.

Chief among those regimes is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is believed to have left around 80 million Chinese people dead.

Over 100 years have passed since the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the formation of the first communist government under Vladimir Lenin, leading to decades of oppression and violence under communist regimes throughout the world, the bill reads.

The bill also notes that based on the economic philosophies of Karl Marx, communism has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to such infamous totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot.

Jack Phillips, writing in the Epoch Times yesterday, pointed out it is estimated by some historians that Maos regime may have killed upward of 80 million people between 1949 and his death in 1976 via the failures of the Great Leap Forward-triggered mass famine, the Cultural Revolution, various political purges, and other campaigns. Human rights groups and dissidents say that the CCP, which is officially atheist, are continuing Maos legacy by persecuting groups including the Falun Gong, Uyghurs, and Christians.

Last year, DeSantis told The Epoch Times the CCP - the largest communist party in the world -should be held responsible for how it handled and exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on in the pandemic, Western governments blindly followed the CCPs zero-COVID approach to the virus, he argued.

The West did a lot of damage to itself by adopting some of these policies, which have proven to not work to stop the spread, but to be very economically destructive, DeSantis said at the time.

* * *

HUANG PING TELLS HARVARD COMMUNIST CHINA A GREAT PARTY

(FROM Fox News) A Chinese government official who previously claimed the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a "great party" and said that human rights violations in China were "lies" gave a speech this past weekend at Harvard University.

Huang Ping, who has been the consul general of Chinas New York Consulate since 2018, attended the 25th annual Harvard College China Forum at Harvard Business School on Saturday, where he gave a speech celebrating Chinas efforts to "build a great modern socialist country."

"Over the past 100 years, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people to achieve world-renowned achievements in developing our country and improving peoples lives," Huang said, according to a transcript by Chinas ministry of foreign affairs. "China will unswervingly be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order, and will continue to make unremitting efforts for human development and progress."

* * *

ETHICS GROUP QUESTIONS CHINAS DONATIONS TO PENN

(from The Blaze website) An ethics watchdog group is calling for the federal government to expand its investigation into Hunter Biden. The group demands that the U.S government also examine tens of millions of anonymous donations from China to the University of Pennsylvania  where there is an academic center named for his father: President Joe Biden.

The National Legal and Policy Center  an ethics watchdog group  wants to find out if relationships between the Bidens and these organizations violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The original NLPCs 12-page complaint filed in October 2020 with the Department of Justice states:

The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) hereby files this complaint against Hunter Biden; the Truman National Security Project; and the University of Pennsylvania and its Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, because there is reason to believe that one or more of them or their agents may have failed to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), 22 U.S.C. 611, et seq. regarding their political activities on behalf of a foreign country or principal. NLPC requests a full investigation of this matter, which we believe may lead to other civil or criminal violations of federal law, including conspiracy, money laundering, tax evasion, and wire fraud, that may have been committed by Hunter Biden and his associates, including his uncle James Biden, and his father Joe Biden.

royexum@aol.com
Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley assisted living and Alzheimers memory care community celebrated its official Grand Opening on Thursday, alongside a group of residents, associates, community leaders and supporters at the campus at 2449 Reagan Road in Hardin Valley. This is the fifth Morning Pointe community built in the Knoxville area by the regional senior living company headquartered in Ooltewah. Founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living develops, owns, and operates 36 Morning Pointe assisted living and Alzheimers Center of Excellence communities in five southeastern states.

Tennessee is experiencing enormous growth across the state, and Morning Pointe is proud to play a big part in this success, said Mr. Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. We are making a firm stance in our commitment to the Knoxville and East Tennessee region with Morning Pointes now fifth senior campus in the heart of Hardin Valley, a bustling, thriving community where we expect to contribute mightily to the local economy.

The formal dedication ceremony began with local dignitaries from the Knox County area speaking, including Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Janice Wade-Whitehead from Alzheimer's Tennessee, Inc., Ashleigh Christian with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, and Knox County Commissioner at-large Kim Frazier. The University of Tennessee Dragoons performed the flag ceremony and the Hardin Valley Chamber Choir opened and closed the program. Resident Pat Matucci addressed the audience, letting everyone know she felt right at home from day one!

Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley executive director Ben Stiefela 15 year veteran of the senior living industryrecognized his team of associates who will serve the campus residents in the months and years to come, and food service director Gary Harper prepared a beautiful display of heavy horsd'oeuvres for guests to enjoy. A ribbon cutting capped off the dedication ceremony and the community was officially declared open.

We are so proud to be serving the Hardin Valley community today and for generations to come, said Mr. Stiefel.

Nestled between Oak Ridge and west Knox County just minutes from Pellissippi State Community College, Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley is now open and welcoming new residents daily! For more information on this assisted living and Alzheimer's memory care community, visit

www.morningpointe.com/hardin-valley.
The men of the Delta Theta Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity at UTC will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding this weekend.

A gala, more than 14 months in the planning, is slated for the Westin Hotel on Cherry Street on Saturday. Organizers of the gala said that more than 300 alumni, active chapter members and friends are anticipated to attend.

The party will kick off at 5 p.m. with registration. Rob Robinson will welcome everyone to the event and introduce several esteemed speakers including, David Everett, whose father Malone, was one of the founders of the chapter; Dr. Joel Cunningham, past president of the University of the South; and former Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court William M. Barker.

Those attending will be entertained by The Beaters, one of the finest rock and roll bands to ever emerge from Chattanooga.

Over Delta Thetas long and storied history, more than 1,600 men have been initiated into Sigma Chi. The chapter has produced seven Significant Sigs such as Lee Anderson, former editor of the Chattanooga News-Free Press; The Honorable William M. Barker; Gavin Maloof, current owner of the Sacramento Kings and Palm Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; and Dr. Cunningham.

Two current Chattanooga City Councilman, Darrin Ledford and Ken Smith are alumni of Delta Theta, and the chapter has produced some stalwart athletes such as Gary Stich, David Atkins, Joe Lee Dunn and Roger Catarino.

Delta Theta has distinguished itself by winning seven Peterson Significant Chapter awards and received numerous Grand Consul Citations.

The active chapter and its alumni have given back to the community by donating more than $125,000 to local charities over the past five years.

For more information about attending the event go to https://utcsigmachi.com/75th-anniversary.
Summer break used to give kids time to explore  camping trips, games of hide and seek, and picnics in the park. But as of late, students with free time on their hands have traded adventure for more screen time. School is almost out, and before the last bell rings, parents and caretakers need to study up on how to keep kids safe online.

Its no secret that the digital world is dangerous for kids and teens. The risk of online child exploitation rose to an all-time high last year, and more predators are creating fake digital profiles to lure underage victims into risky interactions. But even among their peers, kids suffer in a toxic environment of online bullying, constant comparisons, and never ending viral challenges. Moms and dads have shared with me heartbreaking stories of their children attempting suicide after enduring online torment from classmates, and kids as young as nine years old dying during viral video challenges.

As the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, I have questioned Big Tech leaders on their responses to these heartbreaking stories; but over the past year it has become clear to me that the vulnerabilities and mental health impacts their platforms foster arent coincidental  they are by design.

Leaked documents showed that Facebook executives knew back in 2020 that their popular Instagram app creates a perfect storm of intense social pressure, addiction, body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts in young girls. Instead of immediately searching for solutions, Facebook chose to keep quiet and rake in more advertising cash. Snapchats auto-delete feature and inability to turn on parental controls make the platform nothing short of a predators dream. Still, they refused to make any substantive changes that would impact their bottom line.

We cannot let Big Tech off the hook for this. In the Senate, I introduced the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act to require platforms to give parents more safety controls, provide kids with greater ownership over their data, and stop the promotion of harmful content. But while legislation is needed to reform the toxic environment created by virtual platforms, Tennessee moms and dads already know that the best way to keep their kids safe is by getting involved at home. Last week, I released a one page guide to jump start kitchen table conversations that will give our children the tools to engage safely.

Summer break is just a few weeks away, which means the risks to kids are ramping up. I am working alongside parents, industry professionals, and my colleagues in the Senate to stop Silicon Valley from exploiting childhood curiosity. Together, well make the internet a safer place for the next generation.

Senator Marsha Blackburn
Cleveland City Schools announces that both Blythe-Bower Elementary School and Cleveland Middle School have received Tennessee Department of Education STEM School Designation. Both schools were recognized in Nashville today at the Tennessee STEM Innovation Summit.

This designation was developed with the guidance of the Tennessee Department of Education and the STEM Leadership Council to identify and recognize schools in their commitment to teaching STEM and/or STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and integrating strategies that ultimately prepare students for post-secondary college and career success in the 21st century. Additionally, each school will receive $30,000 from the Tennessee Department of Education for being STEM Designated.



Officials said, "STEM and/or STEAM education is a unique approach to teaching and learning that fosters creativity and innovative thinking in all students. STEM and/or STEAM is focused on building

critical and creative thinking and analysis skills by addressing how students view and experience the world around them. Strong STEM and/or STEAM teaching and learning opportunities rest on inquiry, technology and project-based learning activities and lessons that are tied to the real world. STEM and/or STEAM education is a diverse, interdisciplinary curriculum in which activities in one class complement those in other classes.



"Each school awarded the Tennessee STEM School Designation is evaluated through a rigorous

application process. Schools were asked to complete a self-evaluation, participate in interviews and host site visits with the Tennessee STEM Designation review team. The designation rubric included five focus areas: infrastructure, curriculum and instruction, professional development, achievement and community and post-secondary partnerships."



Dr. Russell Dyer shared this about Tuesdays announcement, We are so proud of the innovative

and creative work taking place at both Blythe-Bower and Cleveland Middle. Each school is committed to providing their students with the best in STEM education and they both deserve to receive this special honor from the Tennessee Department of Education. Congratulations to both schools on a job well done.
The Dalton Police Department is wishing a fond farewell to one of its longest-serving officers. Captain Mike Wilson is retiring from the agency after more than 29 years of service and the department honored him Tuesday morning with a reception.

I wont miss the job as much as Ill miss the people, Mr.

Wilson said when it was his turn to speak during Tuesday mornings ceremony in front of his fellow officers, family, and friends. Thats what its all about, the friendships and the family that I have here. I just appreciate yall.

Mr. Wilson joined the police department in April of 1993 after his graduation from Georgia Southern University. His career with the department eventually saw him serve in virtually every capacity in the agency, both as a patrol officer and a detective, as well as a supervisor in each of the departments three divisions. He moved up the ranks, eventually earning promotion to the rank of captain in 2018. Mr. Wilson earned a masters degree in public administration from Columbus State University.

He has leaving the department to work in sales in the private sector, but he noted that he wont be a stranger as his work will keep him in the area.

Youll see me around, Mr. Wilson told his fellow officers.

The Dalton Police Department and the City of Dalton thank Mike Wilson for his years of dedicated service and wish him well in the next chapter of his career.
PHNOM PENH, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States should not use its special summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create a rift and instability in the region, Cambodian scholars said here on Tuesday.

U.S. President Joe Biden is due to meet with ASEAN leaders, including Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is the ASEAN chair for 2022, in Washington D.C. later this month.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Biden should use the meeting to express support for ASEAN's post-COVID-19 socioeconomic recovery, rather than to press the bloc to follow its scenarios or agendas against other countries.

"What the U.S. should do is encouraging ASEAN to adhere to its principle of centrality, solidarity and unity," he told Xinhua.

Phea said the U.S. should respect ASEAN's rights in making decisions and should not use economic, political or security pressure to bargain with ASEAN or to force ASEAN to make decisions in its favor.

"The U.S. must respect the common interests of the ASEAN, the region and the world, and should not put forward any scenarios or agendas that lead to ASEAN's rift and instability in the region," he said.

It is essential for the bloc to stay united against the U.S. interference for the sake of regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, Phea said.

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said Biden should use the platform to focus on digital technology, global energy crisis, climate change, economic sustainability, strategy and cooperation in the post-pandemic era, further investment opportunities, and human resources development in the region.

"These are the main issues and hot topics, and all member states are looking forward to working closely with the U.S. to overcome these shortcomings in the region," he told Xinhua.

"Bringing up controversial issues, forcing and coercing ASEAN member states to support its approach and agenda in the region, and trying to divide ASEAN on any issues will undermine the credibility and authenticity of the whole summit, so the U.S. should be mindful of it," he said.

Matthews also urged ASEAN leaders to be vigilant over the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the U.S., Japan, Australia and India, and the Australia-U.K.-U.S. pact, saying both military-cum-security alliances are posing a major security threat to ASEAN and the whole Asia region.

"These alliances will trigger a conventional and nuclear arms race in the region, and thus destabilize peace and security, undermine economic development and destroy the ASEAN's centrality," he said.

"It is the Cold War mentality that is still in action, so ASEAN (members) and other Asian countries should jointly guard against this Cold War mentality in order to protect peace, stability and development in the region," Matthews added.

Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, said the U.S. should continue its cooperation with ASEAN through providing financial and technical assistance, medical equipment and vaccines to fight COVID-19.

"The U.S. should not impose sanctions on other countries with the aim of weakening their economies and inciting insurrection because these acts could cause social instability and lead to civil war in those targeted countries, and innocent people would suffer most," he told Xinhua.

"Using sanctions and strategic deterrence against other countries is not a smart option," Mengdavid said. 
Chattanooga States Economic & Workforce Development Division is offering a Heavy Equipment Operator Training program with expert instruction and hands-on experience, certified by the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER).

Beginning May 16, 2022, this six-week comprehensive curriculum will provide students with all aspects of earth-moving heavy equipment operations and procedures to ensure safety. The program uses the latest equipment and follows specific OSHA safety standards and manufacturers requirements. The NCCER curriculum in the classroom is reinforced with hands-on application sessions in the field.

Students will need to provide steel toe boots and Carhartt or equivalent coveralls.

Chattanooga State will provide work gloves, safety glasses, ear protection, a hard hat and all required books. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, have a high school diploma or GED, and be able to pass a drug screen and background check that will take place during the first week of class.

Participants must complete at least 220 of the total 240 hours of classroom and laboratory time, pass all written examinations in the NCCER curriculum, and demonstrate competence, as defined by the curriculum, on each piece of heavy equipment.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Acct (WOIA) funding is available. Please call the American Job Center at 423.894.5354 for information.

Call the Economic & Workforce Development Division at 423 697-3328 with questions.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) following his "slanderous comments, intimidation, and threats" against Supreme Court Justices. This letter comes ahead of the Senate vote to codify Roe v. Wade before the final Supreme Court ruling is released.

View the full letter here:

"We are writing to express my grave concern about the manner in which you have responded to the recent leak of the Supreme Courts draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Immediately after this draft was leaked, you attacked the Supreme Court justices from the floor of the Senate, and again from the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Specifically, during your May 3, 2022 remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate, you stated, Several of these conservative justices . . . have lied to the U.S. Senate, ripped up the Constitution, and defiled both precedent and the Supreme Courts reputation. I have serious concerns about your decision to slander our Supreme Court justices in order to achieve your preferred policy results.

"Your accusation that the so-called 'conservative' justices lied to the U.S. Senate not only is inappropriate but also patently misrepresents the facts. Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett all acknowledged during their hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Roe v. Wade is an important precedent of the Supreme Court. But as all judicial nominees in recent history have doneincluding, most recently, Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksonthey declined to comment on how they would rule in specific cases, including any case seeking to overrule or narrow Roe. Indeed, it would have been inappropriate for any of them to prejudge the issue of abortion. This is exactly the kind of neutrality that Americans expect in their Supreme Court justices.

"Furthermore, your suggestion that overruling precedent is tantamount to 'rip[ping] up the Constitution' and 'defil[ing] . . . the Supreme Courts reputation' is deeply troubling. Under your logic, states could discriminate against Black Americans and ban interracial marriage. I have no doubt that you would oppose such laws, and we are sure you believe that Brown v. Board of Education and Loving v. Virginiaboth of which overturned precedents of the Supreme Courtwere rightly decided. There is no question that you support the Court overturning precedent where the Constitution and principles of stare decisis so require ityou just dont want the Court to overturn the precedents you happen to like. But it is not the role of our Supreme Court to make decisions based on politicians preferred policy results.

"Unfortunately, this is not the first time you have attacked the integrity of our Supreme Court and attempted to intimidate the Court into ruling the way you want. On March 3, 2020, you stood at the steps of the Supreme Court and threatened Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch that they would 'pay the price' if they did not reach the Lefts desired result in another case involving abortion that was pending before the Supreme Court. This kind of inflammatory rhetoric is toxic to our democratic system of government.

"In the past, you have voiced concern that our democracy is at risk, but the leaked draft opinion would restore the democratic process that the Supreme Court eroded in Roe. Overturning Roe would put decisions regarding the legality of abortion back in the hands of American votersexactly where they belong in our democratic republic. If the Supreme Courts ultimate opinion in Dobbs mirrors the draft that was leaked earlier this week, I would expect you to celebrate the Courts decision as a victory for democracy. It appears, however, that your primary concern is not preserving democracy; your concern is achieving your political agenda and enshrining the right to an abortion, regardless of the will of the people or the text of the Constitution.

"My concern in this regard is substantiated by your caucuss threatened legislative response to the leaked draft opinion. Because the draft opinion conflicts with the Lefts agenda on abortion, your Democratic colleagues have renewed your call for the Senate to destroy the filibuster and pack the Supreme Court, and you have not renounced this proposal. Make no mistake: these are tactics of authoritarian leaders. Dictators change the rules and shatter norms when they cannot achieve their political goals through the democratic process. It should give all Americans pause to know that Senate Democrats are attempting to fundamentally alter the structure of our Supreme Court simply because a case might not go their way. Ironically, this attempt to pack the Court with radical progressives will have the precise opposite effect of what you and your colleagues have claimed to wantit will politicize and undermine the legitimacy of our nations highest court.

"I urge you to make very clear to the American people that all threats and intimidation tactics against our Supreme Court justices are abhorrent. I further urge you to pledge that you will respect the independence of the Supreme Court, regardless of how it rules in Dobbs, and that you will refrain from trying to exert political pressure to influence the decisions of the Court.

"'It is emphatically the duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is.' Those words are no less true today than they were when Chief Justice Marshall first wrote them in Marbury v. Madison. The Supreme Court is not a political tool. Our Supreme Court first and foremost must interpret the Constitution, free from the influence of the political branches of government. To preserve the separation of powers in our constitutional system, we must do everything we can to ensure that our justices remain free to decide cases in accordance with the rule of law."




United States Senator Bill Hagerty on Tuesday joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and nine other colleagues to introduce the Public Servant Protection Act, which protects public officials and employees and their families from having their home addresses displayed publicly online. Text of the bill may be found here.

Maintaining the safety and security of our public officials and their families is not only the right thing to do, but critical to the functioning of our government. As intimidation tactics and threats of violence against judges and other public officials continue to escalate, the Senate must take action to protect those being targeted, said Senator Hagerty.

Judges and other government officials should not be subjected to angry protests and violent threats at home simply because they serve the public at work. Our bill will protect public servants and their families by allowing them to remove their home addresses from any public website, said Senator Cotton.
When schools let out for summer and families set off on vacation, the American Red Cross typically sees a decline in donors, which can impact patient care. Its critically important that donors make an appointment to give now before heading out for summer activities to help maintain a stable blood supply in the coming months, said officials.

Unfortunately, the need for blood doesnt take a summer break. Volunteer donors are the only source of blood and platelets for patients with blood disorders, trauma victims and those experiencing difficult childbirths.

In thanks for helping boost the blood supply, all who come to give through May 19 will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice and will also be automatically entered to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps eight. Details are available at rcblood.org/camper. Those who come to give May 20-31 will receive an exclusive 20-ounce Red Cross aluminum water bottle and customizable sticker set, while supplies last.

Donors can help save a life in just an hour. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, platelets or plasma, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).



Upcoming blood donation opportunities May 15-31:

May 25, 1-6 p.m., Orchard Park Church, Orchard Park Seventh Day Adventist Church, 951 N Orchard Knob Ave.

May 26, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m., Southeast Tennessee American Red Cross Blood Drive, 4115 S. Access Road






The Dalton Police Department on Wednesday said the woman who shoplifted cologne and perfume worth more than $3,000 from a local store has been identified. The thefts happened across two separate days. A young man who was with the suspect is considered a person of interest in the case. Both were recorded by store surveillance.

The incidents happened on Thursday and Friday at the Ulta store at 1310 W. Walnut Ave. On Thursday, the female suspect entered the store shortly before 1 p.m. and began to walk around the store browsing shelves and taking items. While this was taking place, the young male who entered the store at approximately the same time appeared to be distracting store employees from what the suspect was doing. The suspect was able to get away with 14 bottles of designer colognes and perfumes including multiple bottles of Dolce & Gabanna and Gucci products. The stolen products were valued at $,1086. The two individuals then left the store in a blue Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback.

The next day, the female suspect returned to the store alone, still traveling in the blue Mitsbubishi vehicle. This time, the suspect was able to shoplift more than 30 bottles of colognes and perfumes valued at a total of $2,186.99.

The suspect was described as a white, heavyset woman who carried a large tan bag. Employees said that the suspect appeared to have a star tattoo above her right eye that she had attempted to conceal with makeup. She wore a blue patterned top. Her hair was in a tight bun. The young man who appeared to distract store employees was described as having dark curly hair and wearing a yellow shirt with a red lanyard around his neck.
Chattanooga Gas employees volunteered Tuesday at the Pot Point Nature Trail near Signal Mountain in partnership with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Employees pruned trees, spread gravel and cleaned up the hiking trail along the 4.1-mile trail loop.

This is the 13th year in a row Chattanooga Gas partnered with TRGT to help clear trails and restore riverside areas. The company also brings its own tools and machinery to assist with each project along the trail.

Chattanooga Gas is committed to partnerships and projects that work towards conservation, restoration and awareness, so that future generations will have a prosperous and beautiful place to call home here in Chattanooga, said Tiffany Callaway-Ferrell, vice president of operations for Chattanooga Gas. We are proud to partner with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust and are committed to being good stewards of Tennessee to help ensure a sustainable future for the beautiful areas Chattanoogans call home.

Chattanooga Gas support for the TRGT is just one way in which the company is helping to maintain the regions vibrant community. For more information about Chattanooga Gas, visit www.chattanoogagas.com.
Be The Change Youth Initiatives (Be)Kind Initiative is a recipient of the 2022 Call For Kindness, sponsored by Rileys Way Foundation in New York. With this recognition comes a yearlong fellowship for BTCYI founder, Sydney Guerrette, and a grant to fund a project of their own that inspires kindness and strengthens their local, national, or global communities.

BTCYI is a Chattanooga-based organization that uses music and conversations to engage with students and teach them about mental health. But they also have several community projects like Concert For a Cause, a concert series that raises funds for other local nonprofits through music and business collaborations. Sydney and her younger brother, Brayden, are a dynamic musical duo, exemplifying how to be young leaders and excel at showing how to stay positive and be vulnerable. Their talent and compassion for their community has allowed them to grow the organization quickly, and they are beloved by everyone with which they work, said officials.

Rileys Way Foundation chose BTCYIs (Be) Kind Initiative as one of only 10 youth-led, mental health projects for the 2022 Call For Kindness, a special category created for this year. The (Be)Kind Initiative is a collaboration with local drive thru coffee business (Be) Caffeinated where Sydney and Brayden partner with local schools as they share their own personal stories centered around mental health, and the importance of creating relationships that encourage positivity, accountability, and a willingness to share with others what they are feeling. Students are then given the opportunity to write encouraging words and phrases of coffee sleeves that will be given to customers at (Be) Caffeinated, creating a ripple of kindness in the Chattanooga community.

Brody Scott, the Community School coordinator at Soddy Daisy Middle School, shared the following about their experience with the (Be) Kind Initiative: The (Be) Kind Initiative was an incredible experience for our students. Through the power of music and vulnerability, Brayden and Sydney gave voice and language to students who are hurting. Students were not left with themselves, however, and were empowered to do something fun and simple to love people in their community as a response. The entire experience was grounded in Sydney and Braydens gift for connecting with the students who needed it. Our students felt seen and heard because they were willing to sit at the kids feet and listen.

To be a part of the change, find BTCYI online at www.bethechangeyi.com or on Instagram @bethechangeyi. They accept donations to allow them to continue to impact local youth and support other nonprofits and small businesses, and are regularly holding events and performing in the area.
Call the Midwife Season 11 has come to an end. Fortunately for fans of the heartwarming period drama, the show has already been renewed for season 12 and 13. But new episodes likely wont air on PBS until sometime in 2023. Until then, stream one of these 12 shows like Call the Midwife, which will fill the gap until we return to Nonnatus House.

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small | Courtesy of Playground Television (UK) Ltd.

RELATED: All Creatures Great and Small Cast: Producer Talks About Replacing the Late Diana Rigg in Season 2

A young vet named James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) takes a job at a small Yorkshire practice in this 1930s-set series that premiered in 2021 on PBS. All Creatures Great and Small delivers the kind of heartwarming moments that Call the Midwife fans have come to love, though in this cast the patients are dogs, cows, and sheep rather than people.

Two seasons streaming on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece channel on Prime Video.

Doc Martin

A successful but prickly doctor (Martin Clunes) abandons his life in London after he develops a fear of blood. He sets up a practice in a small coastal village in Cornwall and has to adjust to life in his surroundings in this long-running series, which is due to come to an end with its 10th season, airing in the U.K. later in 2022.

Streaming on Hulu, Acorn TV, Tubi, and Pluto TV.

Bramwell

This 1990s period drama tells the story of Victorian-era physician Eleanor Bramwell (Jemma Redgrave) who opens a clinic in a London slum after shes fired from her job at a hospital. Like Call the Midwife, its set in the impoverished East End and explores social issues such as racism, abortion, and domestic violence through a medical lens.

Streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, and BritBox.

Virgin River

In Netflixs Virgin River, a nurse and midwife moves from Los Angeles to a small town in Northern California following a personal tragedy. Unlike Call the Midwife, this series is set in the present day. But with storylines that focus on medical drama, romance, and the power of community, there are plenty of parallels between the two shows.

Three seasons streaming on Netflix.

Harlots

On the surface, Harlots, a lavish 18th-century-set drama that focuses on a group of prostitutes working in London, doesnt seem to have much in common with Call the Midwife. But viewers in the mood for more strong female characters will appreciate this warts-and-all look at the lives of sex workers and its depiction of powerful, supportive friendships between women.

Three seasons streaming on Hulu.

London Hospital

Another period medical drama set in the East End, London Hospital (aka Casualty 1900s) follows doctors and nurses as they deal with various challenging cases, many inspired by real-life (via The Guardian). With just 10 episodes in total, this show is also a quick binge.

Two seasons streaming on BritBox.

The Knick

Clive Owen stars in this stylishly gory medical drama from Steven Soderbergh thats set in early 1900s New York City. Owen plays Dr. John Thackerary, the chief surgeon at the Knickerbocker Hospital, who is also a drug addict. Andre Holland plays Dr. Algernon Edwards, a skilled doctor who must deal with persistent racism as he does his job.

Two seasons streaming on HBO Max.

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Tony Esparza/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

A few years after the end of the Civil War, a female doctor (Jane Seymour) from Boston sets up shop in a small frontier town, where she has to win over the skeptical locals. This popular series ran for six seasons from 1993 to 1998 and still airs in reruns on Hallmark Drama and StartTV.

Six seasons streaming on FreeVee and Pluto TV.

Mercy Street

Like Call the Midwife, PBSs Mercy Street is based on real life. The show takes its inspiration from the memoirs of Mary Phinney von Olnhausen, a Civil War nurse who worked at a hospital in Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia. Mary, who is from New England, is firmly on the side of abolition. Emma Green (Hannah James), another volunteer nurse, is loyal to the Confederate cause.

Two seasons streaming on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece channel on Prime Video.

The Crimson Field

More wartime medical drama unfolds in The Crimson Field. This single-season drama from creator Sarah Phelps (A Very British Scandal, Dublin Murders) focuses on a trio of British volunteer nurses working at a field hospital during World War I.

Streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Channel on Prime Video.

Good Girls Revolt

Call the Midwife is firmly in the midst of the swinging 60s in its most recent seasons, a decade of massive political and social change in both the U.S. and the U.K., especially for women. For a look at how things were unfolding in the United States, stream Good Girls Revolt. This canceled-too-soon Prime Video series is about a group of female researchers at a weekly newsmagazine who stand up and demand equal treatment from their employers. Its based on the real fight for pay equity among the female employees at Newsweek.

One season streaming on Prime Video.

Ms. Fishers Modern Murder Mysteries

Another 1960s-set series, Ms. Fishers Modern Murder Mysteries is a spinoff of Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries. It follows Peregrine Fisher (Geraldine Hakwill) the niece of Phyrne Fisher, who takes up mystery-solving in mid-century Melbourne following her aunts mysterious disappearance.

Two seasons streaming on Acorn TV.

Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook!

RELATED: Who Is the Call the Midwife Narrator?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living in California with their two kidsArchie (born 2019) and Lilibet (born 2021). The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been mostly keeping their young children away from the spotlight, but Harry recently gave a sweet nod to daughter Lilibet while working to promote his charity organization.

Prince Harry | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been raising their kids away from the media

Although Harry and Meghan are two of the most famous royals in the world, the couple has been doing what they can to protect their childrens privacy.

For example, when Meghan gave birth to Archie in the United Kingdom, information about the event was kept private. Afterward, Harry and Meghan released photos to share the news with the press. Archies christening was also very intimate, and the couple did not release information about his godparents.

Lilibets birth was even more private as the couple had already stepped down as senior royals at that time and had been living in California. Fans have only seen one photo of her so far, which was the familys Christmas card.

Prince Harry gave a sweet nod to Lilibet in new comedy sketch

Harry recently appeared in a video promoting his charity initiative Travalyst. The initiative aims to promote sustainable traveling, and the videowhich is a comedy sketch with Maori television channel Te Aoshows the duke being rated on the environmental impact of his trip to New Zealand in 2018.

In the video, Harry is seen wearing a shirt that says Girl Dad. This is a slang term often used to describe a father who has daughters.

The late Kobe Bryant, who has four daughters, even took pride in being a girl dad. SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan recalled that Bryant once said (via E! News), I would have five more girls if I could. Im a girl dad. When asked for advice on raising daughters, Bryant told Duncan to just be grateful that youve been given that gift because girls are amazing.

Prince Harry wants to create a better future for his children

Harrys work with Travalyst is just one of the ways in which he is helping to fight climate change. He has especially been open about his wish to create a better future for his two kids.

Its not going to be easy, but I will never, ever, ever rest until I as a parent have at least tried to make the world a better place for them, because it is our responsibility that the world is the way that it is now, he said in an interview with Dutch childrens channel Kindercorrespondent.

He also shared he would like for them to see a fairer world, a safer world, a more equal world.

He added, I dont think we should be bringing children into the world unless we are going to make that commitment to make it better for them. We cannot steal your future.

RELATED: Prince Harry Showed Animosity When Asked About Prince Charles and Prince William, Body Language Expert Says
by Xin Ping

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- With less than 5 percent of the global population, the United States is home to one-fourth of the world's prison inmates, the highest proportion of the world's prison population. With its heavy financial burden, the U.S. government outsources prison management to private companies, transforming it into a profitable industry.

However, the prison industry has devolved into an "industry" of coercion and monopoly, where the legitimate rights and interests of detainees are often trampled upon. Criminal law enforcement has given way to the commercial law of making money.

MAXIMIZE REVENUES

There are thousands of ways to turn prisoners into cash cows while in private hands. Journalist Shane Bauer documented his undercover work as a guard at a Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) prison in Louisiana.

He witnessed the following: one inmate was forced to stay in prison for 30 extra days simply for removing a broom from a closet at the wrong time, and "for which CCA will be paid more than 1000 U.S. dollars."

According to a Berkeley study, "detained immigrants must work or face sanctions like solitary confinement or interference with their immigration cases" under the policies of private prison giant GEO Group's Housing Unit.

To maintain profits, private prisons even resort to wage theft. Detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center were paid 1 dollar per day for their labor, significantly less than the federal and state minimum wage.

In his book The American Trap, former senior manager of Alstom, Frederic Pierucci, describes his time in a Rhode Island private prison as follows: "nothing here is free of charge. To drink water, you must buy plastic cups. There are TV sets, but they are silent, and you must buy headphones."

MINIMIZE EXPENSES

In a fair and regulated market, cost-effectiveness is not considered unethical. However, the private prison industry is a different story. In a monopolized, unregulated industry endorsed by the executive power, prison management companies become so motivated to minimize expenses that they leave inmates in harsh living conditions.

According to Bauer, the cells in CCA Louisiana "look like tombs ... Many are lit only by the light from the hallway." Inmates bear most consequences of prison staff shortage: hobby shops were deserted, access to the library limited, recreation yard emptied.

A 2019 Department of Homeland Security inspection also found that the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center in Texas housed up to 900 migrant detainees despite having the capacity for only 125 inmates.

In his report, Bauer also noted that at a CCA facility in Idaho, the company ceded control to prison gangs and even collaborated with them to discipline inmates to save money on guard wages.

POLITICAL LOBBYING

Since 2000, the number of detainees in private prisons in the United States has increased by 32 percent, compared to a 3 percent increase in the total prison population. Private prison company expansion is made possible by lucrative government contracts -- campaign contributions in exchange for political favor.

According to a Justice Policy Institute report, the two largest profit-seeking prison companies and their associates have funneled more than 10 million dollars supporting political candidates since 1989 and nearly 25 million dollars on lobbying.

The marriage of politics and business harms inmates and taxpayers, whose money could have been spent on better public policies.

Although U.S. President Joe Biden has signed an executive order to phase out private prisons, the move is considered symbolic. Prison companies use complex maneuvers to stay open, and states can still choose with whom they work.

After all, the prison industry has been highly profitable, with two of the largest private prison companies in the United States earning 2.48 billion dollars and 1.98 billion dollars, respectively, in 2019.

However, as Pierucci put it, "this 'prison capitalism,' this race for profit at the expense of the most basic human rights, is degrading." Enditem

(Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for the Global Times, China Daily, etc. He can be reached at xinping604@gmail.com.)
The emission of various greenhouse gases threatens the global environment, and scientists around the world are increasingly involved and committed to address this issue. While many research groups focus on carbon dioxide (C02) or methane (CH4) revalorization strategies, a team led by Dr. Josep Cornella at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Kohlenforschung has placed attention to a rather unknown gas that also contributes significantly to global warming: Nitrous Oxide (N2O), also known as laughing gas.

Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential about 300 times higher than that of carbon dioxide, as is known to be an ozone depletion agent. As a result of the human activities, emissions of nitrous oxide increased up to two percent in recent decades.

The group of Josep Cornella, however, considered this molecule far too valuable to be blown into the air. N2O is indeed a great source of O atoms, and the byproduct generated is N2, molecular nitrogen, which is conceivably harmless. The challenge however was that for a long time, N2O was considered an inert gas, which required drastic measures to grab the O atom from its structure. However, in their work, which has now been published in "Nature," a team at the Cornella Lab has shown that this can be achieved by reacting N2O with a simple catalyst under mild conditions to make phenols, valuable compounds for industry.

The 37-year-old Josep Cornella from Spain has been working at the Kohlenforschung since 2017. In his young career, he has already received numerous awards, including an ERC Starting Grant and the Bayer Early Excellence in Science Award. Most recently, he received the Organometallics' 2022 Distinguished Author Award. With this award, the American Chemical Society honors scientists who have attracted attention with exceptionally good articles in the field of organometallic chemistry over the past two years.
Image for insiders: the graphic shows a copper surface of the catalyst covered with a small amount of zinc, which was studied during the reaction of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen to methanol using photoelectron spectroscopy.

An international research team led by researchers of Stockholm University has for the first time been able to study the surface of a copper-zinc catalyst when carbon dioxide is reduced to methanol. The results  obtained at DESYs brilliant light source PETRA III  are published in the scientific journal Science. A better knowledge of the catalytic process of methanol synthesis and the possibility of finding even more efficient materials opens the door for a green transition in the chemical industry.

Methanol  the simplest alcohol  is currently one of the most important petrochemical basic chemicals, with an annual production of 110 million tones. It can be converted into tens of thousands of different products and used for the manufacture of, for example, plastics, detergents, pharmaceuticals and fuels. Methanol also has the potential to become a future energy carrier where, for example, aviation fuel can be produced using captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen from electrolysis of water instead of using natural gas. A future green transformation of the chemical industry, similar to the one with green steel, where wind or solar energy drives electrolytic cells is therefore a possibility.

The industrial production of methanol takes place in a catalytic process where a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) reacts to methanol (CH 3 OH). The catalyst consists of a mixture of copper, zinc oxide and aluminium oxide. However, the underlying function and the chemical state of the catalyst constituents during the reaction has never been solved  till now. The challenge has been to experimentally investigate the catalyst surface with surface-sensitive methods under real reaction conditions at relatively high pressures and temperatures. Those conditions have for many years not been achievable and different hypotheses about zinc being available as oxide, metallic or in alloy with copper arose but could not be unambiguously verified, says Anders Nilsson, professor of Chemical Physics at Stockholm University.

It is fantastic that we have been able to shed light into this complex topic of methanol formation over copper-zinc catalyst after many years of effort. says Peter Amann, first author of the publication.

The studies have been performed at PETRA III beamline P22, dedicated to study the electronic and atomic structure of surfaces, interfaces, and bulk materials via photoelectron spectroscopy. What is special is that we have built a photoelectron spectroscopy instrument in Stockholm that allows studies of catalyst surfaces under high pressures and thereby directly been able to observe what happens when the reaction takes place,, says David Degerman, PhD student in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University. We have opened a new door into catalysis with our new instrument.

The combination of the PETRA III beam parameters with the the innovative spectroscopy instrument allows in-operando experiments of catalysts at pressures ten times higher than at other synchrotron light sources, says DESYs Christoph Schlueter, beamline scientist at P22.

We have succeeded using our instrument to demonstrate that zinc is alloyed with copper right at the surface and this provides special atomic sites where methanol is created from carbon dioxide, says Chris Goodwin, researcher in Chemical Physics at Stockholm University. During industrial processes, a small amount of carbon monoxide is mixed in, which prevents the formation of zinc oxide from carbon dioxide.

To have our Stockholm instrument at one of the brightest x-ray sources in the world at PETRA III at DESY in Hamburg has been crucial to conduct the study,says Patrick Lomker,Postdoc at Stockholm University. We can now imagine the future with even brighter sources when the machine upgrades to PETRA IV.

In the study the researchers were able to determine different behaviours of the catalysts surface depending on the fraction of CO and CO 2 in the gas mixture  a starting point to optimize existing of even find new better catalysts. We now have the tools to conduct research leading to possible other catalyst materials that can be used better to fit together with electrolysis-produced hydrogen for the green transition of the chemical industry, which today is completely fossil-based and accounts for 8% of the world-wide carbon dioxide emissions, says Anders Nilsson.

The study was conducted by a collaboration of University of Stockholm with the University of Innsbruck and Vienna Technical University, DESY and the Fritz-Haber Institute in Berlin.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks during a Tribal Nations Summit during Native American Heritage Month, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, on Nov. 15, 2021, in Washington. Haaland on Thursday, May 5, 2022, announced the members of a commission that will craft recommendations on how the federal government can better tackle unsolved cases in which Native Americans and Alaska Natives have gone missing or have been killed.
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 10, 2022 (Morning Star News)  Two Christians died when Muslim extremists on Thursday (May 5) set fire to a church building in southern Uganda, sources said.

Most of the Christians holding an all-night prayer vigil had left when the structure of Holy Healing Ministry International Church in the city of Jinjas Mpumudde ward was set ablaze at about 4 a.m., said church Pastor George Kato.

The fire weakened the church structure and forced it to collapse, Pastor Kato told Morning Star News. I managed to escape with other remaining few members, but two elderly members were trapped inside, and the fire burned them beyond recognition.

As he came out of the church building, Pastor Kato said, he found jerry cans of gas near the door.

I made an alarm while running away, he said. I saw three Muslims dressed in long Islamic attire taking off. I couldnt identify them.

Hardline area Muslims accusing the Christians of being too loud in their worship services and prayer meetings had told them many times to remove the church building, he said.

As the building burned, Pastor Kato called police who arrived quickly, but the wooden structure was already engulfed in flames.

One of the two church members who died was identified as Jonathan Kalyecheru, 70. The identity of the second victim was unclear. The bodies were taken to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital mortuary as police investigated.

Jinja is in Jinja District on the north shore of Lake Victoria, about 80 kilometers (49 miles) from Kampala, the capital.

Bishop Attacked

Near eastern Ugandas Mbale town, hardline Muslims on April 28 intercepted a church leader and cut him with knives after he left an open-air evangelistic event where he had debated Muslims, sources said.

Bishop Amon Sadiiki was receiving treatment for wounds on his head, stomach and legs. He was ambushed after four days of debates with Muslims in Mbale.

On the fourth day of the debate, 11 Muslims converted to Christianity, an area contact said, adding that as the bishop left Mbale at about 8 p.m., many Muslims were shouting at him.

Believing Sadiiki might not be safe traveling alone, organizers of the event arranged for two Christians on motorcycles, Peter Wabukoma and Moses Werikhe, to escort him. On the Mugiti-Kabwangasi road, they noticed two motorcycles with three riders following them, who then passed by brandishing knives and shouting the jihadist slogan, Allahu Akbar [God is greater], the source said.

The men jumped off their motorcycles, stopped them and immediately began hitting and cutting Sadiiki before he could be defended, one of the escorts said.

We made a loud alarm shouting for help for the bishop needing rescue, for he was at the point of death, which brought the attention of some nearby students from Mugiti High School, a Christian-founded school, and the school management managed to chase the attackers away, but the bishop was seriously injured, Wabukoma said. The bishops stomach, head and legs were cut with sharp knives, and he lost a lot of blood.

Sources said Sadiiki was on a Muslim wanted list because he left Islam to put his faith in Christ, built a church in the middle of a predominantly Muslim village and carried out healing services that led many Muslims to Christ. He was also targeted, residents said, because he organised an evangelistic event in Mbale, considered a Muslim stronghold, during the Islamic month of Ramadan at which many Muslims embraced Christianity.

Sadiiki received first aid from the high school nurse, who bound his wounds, while he waited for a rescue team called from Mbale. The team arrived at about 10:45 p.m. and took Sadiiki to a private clinic in Mbale.

The bishops condition is stable, but he will need another two weeks in the hospital because he suffered a deep cut on the head, the contact said.

Church leaders planned to file a police report when the bishop is discharged from the hospital.

On May 3, Muslim extremists attacked his son, 21-year-old Frank Amon Sadiiki, as he returned home from taking food to his father at the hospital, the area contact said.

While on his way back on a motorbike, two people stopped him at around 8 p.m. and then hit him with an object on his legs, the source said. Immediately a vehicle appeared with bright lights, and the attackers fled.

Frank Sadiiki was rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment for cuts on his legs.

The bishop told Morning Star News that he and his family were unsafe and need prayer.

The assaults were the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: Max Kukurudziak/Unsplash
Nearly a year has passed since World Relief, a US refugee resettlement agency, offered me a job in my own city of Greenville, SC, just before I graduated with my Masters in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership from Wheaton College. I was thrilled to accept this opportunity because my goal of working with refugees had been the reason I pursued my masters in the first place.

For the last year, I have been privileged to play a part in offering relief to people directly impacted by two major international crisesthose of Afghanistan and Ukraine. As a Resettlement Specialist, my job is to assist refugees who are assigned to our office with housing, documents, medical appointments, government benefits, and numerous other basic needs.

Sometimes my small team only has a few days to prepare for arrivals, and we have to be available for middle-of-the-night airport pickups. Nothing ever seems to go as planned, as flight delays or cancellations are not rare and problems related to housing or documents frequently arise. The task before us requires patience, flexibility, and above all, faith.

World Relief is a faith-based organization, and we pray each morning for God to meet the needs of our refugee clients. We depend heavily on our church partners to provide temporary housing, furniture and material needs, transportation to appointments, and friendship to these people who have lost everything and are trying to rebuild their lives in a foreign country. I wont liemy job is overwhelming most of the time, and I sometimes feel weak and helpless with the weight of responsibility of so many people who depend on me, their caseworker. But the Lord has not failed them once, and I am daily challenged to put my trust in him when I have nowhere else to turn.

No two days at work are the same. On a typical day, I may start by conducting cultural orientation in a Sudanese familys home with an interpreter; then I may need to take an Afghan family to their first medical appointment. After that I might need to call the Social Security office, or Medicaid, or a dentist, depending on the needs of the Ukrainian family that just texted me. The following day may find me taking a Guatemalan mother grocery shopping and teaching her how to use food stamps. I might need to hurry then to the airport to pick up a Congolese family whose flight is set to arrive earlier than scheduled. Another big part of my job is documenting all of these interactions to ensure no needs fall through the cracks.

The degree program at Wheaton challenged me to rethink my preconceived notions about poverty, immigration, and aid work. Ones approach should be holistic, aimed at uplifting people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. At World Relief, we seek to provide for refugees materially, but we also understand that they need to become self-sufficient as well as integrated into their new community. Some of the people we receive come to the US as refugees so they can join family already living here, but many others are fleeing violence, torture, and oppressive regimes. Still others come to the US after spending 20+ years in a refugee camp, where their work opportunities are extremely limited and their movement restricted.

Many, if not most, refugees can never return to their origin country and are therefore forced to part with some members of their families forever. Of the millions of displaced people around the world, very few can hope to be resettled in the US. And while resettlement may offer initial feelings of relief and security, it is only the beginning of a long and very difficult road. For these reasons and more, refugees should not be stereotyped or condescended. Rather, Christians are called to love their neighbors (Galatians 5:14). And make no mistake, refugees are your neighbors.

Though it was my job to welcome them, they welcomed me.

In November and December, we welcomed several Afghan families, and the week of Christmas, four of these women had babies. We worked with our church partners to take them grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and to their medical appointments. Though it was my job to welcome them, they welcomed me, inviting me to drink tea, to share in their meals, to have my hands canvassed in henna, and to hold their newborn babies. In March we put on an Afghan tea in order to get all of our Afghan families together at the same time.

I love seeing Upstate South Carolina becoming a refuge to a group of people who previously had little to no representation in this area. I have so enjoyed being a friend and offering some rest to these amazing people who escaped an extremely dangerous situation.

The Better Samaritan blog is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, a research institute which specializes in resilience and spiritual fortitude. To learn more and apply for a M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership, visit our website

Suzanna Edwards graduated from Wheaton in August 2021 with her MA in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership. She lives in Greenville, SC, where she works as a Refugee Resettlement Specialist at World Relief.
For all the talk these days about the dangers of Christian nationalism, there seems to be scarcely any consensus among believers on what building (or restoring) a genuinely Christian nation would actually entail. This makes Jake Meadors new book, What Are Christians For?: Life Together at the End of the World, especially noteworthy, in that one could characterize it as a quest to envision a country truly guided by biblical beliefs.

Mind you, this is no attempt to take America back for God or to portray the Land of the Free as Christs chosen nation. Instead of pining for a lost golden age, Meador charges the church today to live by the biblical values we say we exalt, even at the cost of leaving behind our cultures golden calves. As he puts it, What would it mean for America to be an authentically Christian nation? It will mean a repudiation of the beliefs and views that assail the cause of life and threaten justice.

Meador, editor in chief at Mere Orthodoxy, has written a hard-to-pigeonhole book, one that does not fit easily along any simplistic ideological spectrum. He is less interested in seeking a moderate balance between the warring poles of Left and Right than in rejecting the inhumane and deeply anti-Christian assumptions of our tribalized thinking.

Plenty of readers will appreciate Meadors strong defense of the family or his careful and compassionate explanation of the classical Christian position on sexuality and marriage. But his not-so-subtle criticism of the American way of life will not sit well with those seeing the world through red-white-and-blue-colored glasses. You could say that he does not play nice with others, but he provokes in the ...

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Pulse Issues Historic Call for Americans to Come Together This June to 'Make Jesus Known' at Together '22 Ministry Invites People Across the Country to Gather at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on June 24-25th Echoing Explo '72 Held in Same Venue 50 Years Prior



Free event to feature speakers, artists, pastors, and leaders from various backgrounds to create the largest evangelistic training event in American history







NEWS PROVIDED BY

PULSE

May 10, 2022



MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., May 10, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Six years after a significant major event in D.C. at the National Mall drawing hundreds of thousands, evangelist and Pulse founder Nick Hall is inviting people across the country to gather again at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas for TOGETHER '22, a free event June 24-25. Inspired by Explo '72 hosted by Billy Graham also at the Cotton Bowl, TOGETHER '22 will be the largest evangelistic training event in history.



TOGETHER began as the calling of a Millennial evangelist, Nick Hall, and through a coalition of friends who longed for revival and true John 17 unity. While people thought this group was crazy for calling for a million people to "the largest Jesus gathering in American history," on July 16, 2016 in D.C., hundreds of thousands of people from all 50 states flooded the National Mall in the sweltering heat for one of the largest Next Gen Jesus gatherings ever. The crowds were so large that the infrastructure of the National Parks became overwhelmed because of the heat, causing the gathering to be shut down five hours early while buses were still arriving from across the country!



Since Hall first launched his ministry, God has continued to movefilling stadiums in the United States and massive squares abroad. This June, TOGETHER '22 aims to activate a generation to share Jesus and be sent home with the courage, community, and tools to share the Good News. TOGETHER '22 will feature some of the best artists and speakers in the world. However, the singular aim of this event is that attendees would not be entertained, but instead experience Jesus in such a way that both motivates and equips them to take the Gospel home.



"History is defined by historic gatherings, and we believe this will be a generation-defining catalyst for students and people from all 50 states to not simply fill the Cotton Bowl Stadium, but be equipped and unleashed to share Jesus back home," said Hall. "Imagine bus loads of people being sent home with the plans, resources, and connections to shake their communities for Jesus."



Confirmed speakers and artists include (*video message): David Platt*, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Dr. Tony Evans*, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Dick Eastman, Paul Eshleman, Ebony Small, Jonathan Evans, Josh McDowell, Preston Perry, Shane Pruitt, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Miel San Marcos, Evan Craft, Israel Houghton & New Breed, and more.



To Learn More/Register to Attend: https://pulse.org



Interview Opportunities:



To discuss advance coverage opportunities or to speak with Nick Hall, contact Katie Bell at katie@epic.inc.



Media Credentialing: Applications for media passes are available by contacting Brittney Peek at brittney@epic.inc.



About PULSE

Founder and President Nick Hall started Pulse in 2006 on his college campus. Since then, Pulse has seen 318 million people impacted by the Gospel and two million people have responded to Jesus through their initiatives. Pulse is a prayer and evangelism movement on mission to empower the Church and make Jesus known. Since Pulse's founding, they have linked arms with hundreds of ministries and churches around the world to fuel evangelistic movements. Whether hosting a big outreach event or providing the evangelistic voice at another organization's event, training evangelists on American college campuses, or overseas in Africa, the common goal of everything they do is to share the hope of Jesus. Learn more at https://pulse.org/nick-hall/.



About Nick Hall

Nick Hall is the visionary of TOGETHER, author of the book Reset, and the President of Pulse. As an evangelistic voice to this generation, Nick Hall has shared the Gospel at hundreds of events to more than five million people and is regularly featured as a speaker for pastors gatherings, student conferences, training events, and festivals around the world. Nick is also the President and CEO of The Table Coalition and sits on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has been featured on major media outlets including the Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News, US News & World Report, Washington Post, Christianity Today, Moody Radio, Christian Broadcasting Network, Trinity Broadcast Network, and The Christian Post. Nick is married to his best friend, Tiffany, and they are proud parents of Truett, Ruby, and Jude. They live in Minneapolis, MN. Nick has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from NDSU and a Master's in Leadership and Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN.



SOURCE PULSE



CONTACT: Katie Bell, katie@epic.inc



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Tennessee voters will decide this fall whether to lift a ban on clergy serving in the state legislature. The ban hasnt been enforced since 1978, when the United States Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, but its still written in the state constitution, as it has been since Tennessee was founded.

The state senate and assembly have put an amendment on the November ballot so voters can change that. Tennesseans will be asked if they would like to strike section 1 of article IX, which says that no minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature.

The change was proposed by Republican state senator Mark Pody, a conservative evangelical from outside of Nashville. Pody believes Our fore fathers founded this nation on Christian biblical values. Its one of the five core issues he lists on his website. I adhere to such principles, he writes.

But when he was asked why Tennessees forefathers barred Christian ministers from becoming lawmakers when they founded the state in 1796, Pody didnt have an answer.

Thats a great question, he told the Chattanooga Free Times Press. I don't know the back story or why they put it in originally.

Hes not alone. The history of the constitutional clause keeping clergy out of the legislature is obscure, even among scholars who study the separation of church and state. Section 1 of article IX isnt a part of anyones standard historical narrative.

The strange story of why Tennessee is only now considering changing the constitution to allow ministers into the state legislature involves Anglican oaths, Presbyterian effigies, fighting Methodist, and Baptists breaking tradition.

A tool for religious disestablishment

The legal language originally comes from England. Because England had an established church, its ministers were vested with the authority of the state and so couldnt be involved in electoral politics, just as today it would be seen as a problem if an active-duty soldier ran for Congress.

But when the newly independent American states started to disestablish religionworking out the legal ways to separate church and statethis establishment rule seemed useful. Instead of abandoning the old law, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New York all incorporated it into their new constitutions.

Not all advocates of the separation of church and state approved. James Madison, who drafted the US Bill of Rights, thought disqualifying ministers from representative government was a travesty.

Does not the exclusion of ministers of the gospel, as such, violate a fundamental principle of liberty by punishing a religious profession with the privation of a civil right? he wrote to his friend Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson wasnt swayed. Though he believed that all men shall be free to profess  their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities, he included the line disqualifying ministers from the state legislature in his draft of the Virginia state constitution.

Jeffersons position carried the day.

One reason was widespread animosity toward Anglican clergy. Most opposed the American revolution. Anglican priests took an oath to the king in their ordinations, and in every service prayed that God would save him. This put them at odds with the new nation, freshly free from that same king. A lot of them fled. In Virginia, more than two-thirds of the Anglican churches closed. In North Carolina and Georgia, the once-dominant church dwindled to one priest and once parish each. And the new states, drafting their new constitutions, were not eager to give them a way to gain back any power.

After the revolution, half a dozen additional states, including Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee, adopted the same legal language about ministers.

Stuck between fighting Presbyterians

The founders of Tennessee may have also been influenced by what happened in the state of Franklin (or, as it was sometimes called, Frankland). A group of white settlers attempted to separate from North Carolina and establish a new state in what is now East Tennessee in the mid-1780s. A proposed constitution was drafted by a Presbyterian ministerand then successfully shot down by another.

The first, William Graham, proposed that only orthodox and moral men should make laws. He drafted a constitution that required representatives agree that there are three persons in the Godhead, co-equal and co-essential, along with other theological statements. But Graham wasnt picturing where his fiercest opposition would come from: another Presbyterian.

Hezekiah Balch, on the other hand, was used to fighting his fellow Presbyterians. He was an advocate for evangelical revivals and continually clashed with the Old School Calvinist leaders who disapproved of the excess and emotions. In the process, Balch developed a strong personal aversion to religious authorities. He went out of his way to oppose Grahams constitution, arguing it didnt sufficiently protect religious liberty in the new state.

The disagreement started with dueling speeches. That led to a volley of aggressive pamphlets and expanded to include theological issues such as election and revivalism.

And it got personal. Graham said Balch was trying to make room for evil in local politics.

It is objected that [the constitution] excludes some men of great ability and experience who might do good, Graham wrote in one pamphlet. The devil has great ability and long experience.

He was subsequently burned in effigy.

The escalating dispute was brought before a church judiciarywhere it threatened to split the regional synod.

A decade after the dispute divided the unborn state of Franklin, the state of Tennessee was founded with a constitution that was mostly borrowed from North Carolina. The founders decided to keep that line barring clergy from the state legislature.

They thought of Methodists

Over the next 100 years, almost all the other states got rid of the prohibition on clergy in the legislature. But not Tennessee. In Tennessee, when state leaders thought about pastors becoming politicians, they didnt think of their own pastors or people they liked. They thought of Methodists.

Methodists like William Gannaway Brownlow. A circuit-riding Wesleyan who was once shot in the leg in a theological dispute, Brownlow earned the nickname the fighting parson. After years preaching he switched from pulpit to press and became a sarcastic newspaper editor and fierce opponent of secession and the Confederacy. Then he became governor during Reconstruction. (The constitution might have prohibited him from taking a seat in the state assembly or senate, but it never said anything about governor.)

Brownlow was a force as governor. He was racist by the standards of his own time, but he hated Tennessees Confederate traitors more than anything, so he became a radical Republican and dedicated his political career to punishing Confederates and securing civil rights for Black people.

It didnt make him popular. And it didnt persuade many state leaders to make it easier for ministers to go into politics.

After Brownlow and the end of Reconstruction, Tennessee saw a flood of politically active Methodists as the church grew rapidly. One preacher at the time claimed there were nearly 3,000 preachers who would not hesitate to be called political partisans. They picked up the banner of prohibition, and one Methodist minister from north of Nashville ran for governor on the Prohibition Party ticket.

For those opposed to prohibitionand its related reform effort, womens suffrageit was obvious why Tennessees forefathers had prohibited ministers from becoming lawmakers.

Methodist preachers divert themselves, one prominent state judge complained at the end of the 19th century, from the care of souls to the task of amending constitutions.

Judge Jere Black hurried to clarify he didnt have any problem with the people in the pews or preachers who didnt advocate for womens right to vote. But, he said, politically active Methodists were undermining democracy and eroding the separation of church and state.

Christ and his apostles kept them perfectly separate, he wrote. They expressed no preference for one form of government over another. They provoked no political revolutions, and they proposed no legal reforms.

Other states at this time revised their constitutional provisions against ministers in the legislature. Tennessee kept section 1 of article IX in place.

Used to stop Black Baptists

It was Baptists who finally broke the constitutional ban on ministers in the legislature. Two Black Baptists in particular: Roy Love and Paul McDaniel.

Love was pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Memphis, and he got involved in the civil rights movement, fighting poll taxes and registering Black people to vote. In 1954, he decided he could do more as a state senator and announced he was going to run for office.

The initial reaction was surprise. It was the first time in the memory of local political observes that a Memphis Negro has presented himself as a candidate for political office, a Memphis paper reported.

Journalists asked him if he didnt think he would lose, but Love was undeterred.

It wont be the first time weve lost, he said.

Then someone in power remembered the constitutional prohibition, and Love was told he was disqualified. Even if he took a leave of absence from the church, the state said, he couldnt serve in the legislature.

Paul McDaniel, pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church in Chattanooga, tried again 23 years later. He ran to be a delegate to the 1977 constitutional convention, where Tennessee would consider amendments to end segregated schools and a ban on interracial marriage. Delegates had to meet the same standards as legislators to qualify, however, and his opponent sued to keep McDaniel off the ballot.

The case went to the Supreme Court. The Southern Baptist Conventions public policy arm and the American Civil Liberties Union both wrote to the court to support McDaniel, defending the rights of ministers to get involved in politics.

On the other side, an assistant attorney general for the state of Tennessee argued the constitutional ban wasnt an arbitrary discrimination against ministers but had an important purpose: the separation of church and state.

Victory for political ministers

The court disagreed. Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote that Tennessee was making the ability to exercise a civil rightthe right to run for officeconditional on the surrender of a religious right, the right to be a minister. Seven justices signed on to the opinion and one abstained, giving McDaniel a unanimous 80 victory.

The first minister was elected to the Tennessee legislature the next year. Ralph Duncan was a white Pentecostal from Western Tennessee. He ran as a Republican, won, and served four years before he decided to leave politics and start a new church.

He was followed by more ministers in the legislature, some of whom served with distinction and some who were little noted outside their districts, until the sight of clergy at the capitol became, for the most part, unremarkable. But section 1 of article IX of the Tennessee constitution stayed on the books, a vestigial reminder of the complicated and confusing history of religious liberty and the ongoing fights over the relationship of churches and states.

State legislatures may not know the whole backstory, and voters most likely have never heard of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans who ran up against that constitutional rule. But theyll decide in November whether they finally want to get rid of it.
John Piper: Some pastors avoid preaching on holiness due to 'morally compromised' personal lives

John Piper, founder and teacher of DesiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, took the stage at the Together For The Gospel conference to warn that some pastors avoid preaching about the importance of holy living because they live secret, sin-filled lives.

Some pastors avoid preaching on the urgency and necessity of holiness because their own secret lives are morally compromised," the 76-year-old pastor contended. "They are wasting time on trifles. They are watching movies that fill their minds with worldliness and ungodliness. They are dabbling in pornography or worse."

They are dishonest in their financial dealings. They continually overeat in bondage to food. They neglect the teaching of their children in things of the Lord and they don't pray with their wives. They are starting to medicate with wine at night, which they once called freedom. Their casual mouth has become crude.  And they are becoming second-handers [by] using other people's sermons.

The T4G conference took place in Louisville, Kentucky, from April 19 to 21. The event featured sermons from multiple preachers and was attended by pastors from over 25 denominations, all 50 states and 62 nations, for the purpose of hearing Gods Word in order to edify, uplift and grow in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as stated on its website.

This year's conference marked the final T4G after 16 years of the biannual conference.

During his sermon, Piper said some pastors only preach about how Jesus sacrificial shedding of blood means that there is grace for forgiveness. He said many of the pastors in such scenarios often avoid sharing sermons about how grace is also supposed to conquer sin and should lead to holier living.

[Some pastors] have grown weary of fruitful Bible study.  Is it any wonder that these pastors preach grace to forgive and not grace to conquer anyone? There's no mystery there, Piper preached.

They lift high the cross covering all their sins and never make the biblical connection with the crucified One.  He was crucified to conquer your pornography. He was crucified to conquer your laziness. He was crucified to conquer our gluttony. He was crucified to conquer our dishonesty. He was crucified to bring back the joy of creating your own sermons.

Piper warned about pastors who tend to avoid anything approaching the kind of preaching that would confront people with their sin and would risk making them unhappy.

There are pastors that are so deeply infected with the coddling culture that we live in [within] contemporary America. They're not only hypersensitive to being offended, but in the pulpit, they're fearful of stirring up anybody's displeasure, he emphasized.

There are reasons for this reluctance to preach the urgency of holiness, and one of them is deep-seated insecurity in the pastor, [that they never grew out of]. Our insecurities can come from a lot of different places.

Piper inferred earlier in the sermon that some pastors might only preach about grace and not on the urgency of Christians living holy lives because they simply have not seen the connection between the sin burying work of Christ and the sin killing work of the Christian.

The theologian added that some pastors struggle with being reluctant to press the conscience of their people with biblical demands for holiness because they fear the rebuke of Jesus.

To such pastors, I would plead [with you] that you not try to address a real biblical danger in an unbiblical way. The point of this message is that the Christian fight for holiness is connected to the forgiveness of sins in a gloriously unique Gospel way, he said.

No other religion in the world comes close to what I'm talking about. In the connection between the sin-bearing work of Christ, finished, perfect, effective and the warfare that you have against sin.  Brothers, get to know this strange, wonderful, unique Gospel dynamic for how to move from the sin-bearing work of Christ to the sin-killing work of the Christian and show your people.  Show your people how to live it.

The pastor added that some religious leaders are fearful of being labeled conservative, fundamentalist, progressive or woke.

Theyre going to avoid any kind of biblical command that would put them in some camp that they dont want to be a part of. Thats bondage, Piper said.

For example, theyre not going to deal with racial discrimination because theyre going to get called woke. Theyre not going to deal with modesty or nudity in movies because theyre going to get called fundamentalist. Theyre not going to deal with the fact that we are citizens of heaven before were citizens of America because theyre going to be called unpatriotic by the veterans in the congregation.

According to Piper, there is a solution to the bondage of insecurity that many pastors face today.

The remedy for this kind of bondage to the opinions of others is first: become more like Jesus.  Dont you want to be free like that? Piper asked.

And the second part of the remedy is to be so radically committed [to] all that the Bible teaches so that just when people think that they have you pegged and in some camp, you bring something out of your Bible treasure that just throws them totally off balance.  You got to displease everybody sometimes, or youre probably not getting it right.

Earlier in the sermon, Piper said he urges church leaders and pastors to get to know your insecurities really well. He noted that when a pastor knows their insecurities, they are able to overcome any bondage that involves fear rooted in being overly fixated on pleasing others.

Be honest about [your insecurities] and dig deep into sovereign grace. And if necessary, get a counselor to help you so that you become a free person; free from bondage to people-pleasing, he advised.
New 'Harbinger' movie details America's prophetic history, warning of rebellion against God

A new movie based on Messianic Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Cahns bestselling book, The Harbinger, which explores Americas spiritual history and destiny, will be released this week.



"The Harbingers of Things to Come" will be in select theaters nationwide on May 12 and May 19.

Were at a much more dangerous time. And so, the object is to get the word out to as many people as possible to people who have not read the books or might not read the books, he said of the film in an interview with The Christian Post, adding that he considers the movie a trumpet call in a critical hour for believers in Jesus and non-believers alike.



Cahn's 2012 book, The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future, compares the United States to ancient Israel before its destruction.

In ancient Israel, there appeared nine specific warnings and omens of national demise, the same harbingers that have appeared in the U.S. that portended significant implications for the nation's future. In September 2020, Cahn released The Harbinger II: The Return, which continued with those same themes.



The Messianic rabbi, who leads Beth Israel at the Jerusalem Center, just outside New York City in Wayne, New Jersey, further explained that the mystery of The Harbinger is that it hasnt stopped. One of the warnings is that the U.S. has followed the pathway of ancient Israel and has continued to race away from God, particularly since Sept.11, 2001.



Yet, much of what is in the movie is not in either of TheHarbinger books and details what has come afterward. In what he described as a prophetic explosion on the screen, Cahn explores several sites where numerous important and mysterious events have taken place in Americas spiritual history.

Featured in the movie are foreshadows of coming events and archival footage that the filmmakers found of politicians speaking of judgment coming on the U.S.



Cahn takes viewers to an island in Massachusetts Bay, where he explains how a mystery that has been embedded for 400 years exists as a warning to the nation, particularly what would happen if the people ever turned away from God. Viewers also go on a journey to places of great significance, including Lower Manhattan in New York City, the Supreme Court, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the greater Boston area.

Cahn noted that Boston is an especially significant place in the history of the U.S. as it was where English Puritan lawyer and preacher John Winthrop declared in 1630 that the U.S. should be a shining city on a hill and that if the nation followed Gods ways, it would become the most blessed and powerful nation that has ever existed. Winthrop was one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony.



Winthrops words about the trajectory of the nation have materialized, Cahn told CP, adding that what people miss is that he also gave a warning, that if we dont [follow God's ways], that if we turn away from God, then the judgments that came upon Israel will come upon us. And thats exactly what is all happening.

The land upon which Winthrop uttered those famous words is now the site of Boston's Logan International Airport, which was the starting place of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, both of which were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.



Cahn maintains that Winthrop was alluding to Moses warning the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28:49, which reads: The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand.



Coincidentally, Cahn recounted, the first 9/11 plane happened to have an image of a downward swooping eagle on the side of the aircraft.

Also coincidentally, he stressed, just a few days before 9/11, all around New York City, the appointed Scripture-reading in the synagogues was that an enemy shall come from a far-away land and come like an eagle if you turn away from Me,' he said, referring to that exact Deuteronomy passage.

We are in a further, more dangerous part of this template of judgment because we have not turned back from God, Cahn explained.

Shakings are coming upon this land. So ... revival is the only thing that can save America. If we dont, we, as a nation, are headed to decline, disorder and breaking apart. It couldnt be more critical for where we are and where we are heading, he said.

The U.S. has been the leader on the international scene in the post-World War II era, and if it falls, the entire global order the world has known will be replaced by something else, Cahn warned.

The Messianic rabbi continued that, according to the paradigm of ancient Israel, it was 19 years between the first Babylonian strike on Jerusalem that came in 605 B.C. and when the greater shakings came upon the land in 586 B.C. occurred, when Jerusalem was conquered, the temple was destroyed, and the Jews were sent into exile. Likewise, in a modern parallel to the U.S., between the 9/11 attacks and 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic besieged the nation, was also a 19-year span.

God is real, and Hes still in control, but America is in trouble. It ends with a trumpet call. We need to be awake. We cannot be complacent. We need to be ready. We need to be light as it is getting darker, and we have to become brighter, Cahn said.

This is not a thing to fear. This is a thing to rise to our calling. To me, this is the most exciting time for a believer [in Jesus] who says yes, full out. The time of being gray is over. Its time to be a light in the dark.
Taco Bell launches a 'Drag Brunch experience' in select cities featuring local 'queens and kings'

Taco Bell has announced a new "Drag Brunch" campaign to promote mental health awareness for LGBT people and invite customers at Taco Bell Cantinas in select cities to watch drag performances while they eat.

The campaign was launched last month by the corporation and its Taco Bell Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to "educate and inspire the next generation of Americas leaders."

Each show is hosted by drag performer Kay Sedia and features performances from local drag queens and kings, and individuals ages 18 and up are invited to reserve a spot at the brunches. In addition to the drag show, the Mexican fast-food chain is offering attendees a new $5 Bell Breakfast Box, Cinnabon Delights coffee and mimosas.

Every brunch is also intended to highlight the It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit organization that exists to "empower" LGBT people around the globe. The group's work includes educating others about the LGBT experience and using media programming to "spark" sexual orientation and gender identity conversations.

We understand the importance of creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community and are thrilled to provide a unique experience that spotlights and celebrates the wonderful artform of drag and its influence in culture with their chosen families, said Taco Bell's Chief Brand Officer Sean Tresvant in a statement included in a now archived press release.

As USA Today reported last week, Taco Bell held its first drag brunch on May 1 at its flagship Cantina in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vegas show featured local drag performers Coco Montrese, Mirage Amuro and Anetra.

Taco Bell plans to bring the drag brunch to its Chicago Cantina on May 22, then Nashville on May 29. Its last two known tour dates are June 12 and June 26 in New York and Fort Lauderdale, respectively.

The idea for the drag brunch came from Taco Bell's LGBT employee resource group, Live Mas Pride, which contains over 100 members. The group launched in 2020 to help foster "positive environments" for LGBT people and "elevate" the voices of the community.

"Taco Bell Drag Brunch was concepted by Live Mas Pride, Taco Bell's LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group, which has played a major role in driving awareness of and meaningfully supporting LGBTQIA+ communities both within Taco Bell and the communities we serve and operate in," Tresvant said.

Brian Wenke, executive director of the It Gets Better Project, also expressed excitement, stating that the campaign is designed to "celebrate the LGBT community" and "engage LGBTQ+ youth around their career aspirations and future potential."

Taco Bell and the Taco Bell Foundation did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

In recent years, numerous corporations have voiced their support in various ways for the LGBT community.

On June 1, the Discovery+ service will air a new series produced by Tyra Banks called "Generation Drag." The series will center around teenagers exploring their gender identities and participating in a drag show.

During Pride Month last June, the fast-food chain Burger King took a swipe at competitor Chick-fil-A when it announced that it would donate nearly half of the proceeds from its sales of chicken sandwiches to the LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign.

On March 11, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek apologized to employees via a letter for not taking a firmer stance against Florida's HB 1557. The law prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity instruction in kindergarten through third grade and requires schools to notify parents about any healthcare services their child receives on campus.

Disney was initially neutral about the legislation, but the company joined critics in deriding it as a "Don't Say Gay" bill after LGBT employees and supporters criticized the company for not taking a harder stand. The company released a March 28 statement condemning the bill, declaring that it "should never have passed and should never have become law."

In the days following the corporation's calls for the bill's repeal, leaked video footage obtained by the Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo showed Disney employees discussing their efforts to promote an LGBT message in its children's programming.

Another video features Disney Diversity and Inclusion Manager Vivian Ware sharing how "last summer, we removed all of the gendered greetings in relationship to our live spiels."

"We no longer say 'ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls' but instead use phrases like, 'Hello, everyone' or 'Hello, friends,'" she said.

In April, Disney aired a "Protect Our Families" public service announcement from LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD on its channels. The video featured a family with a daughter who identifies as a boy. The mother in the video accused politicians of "trying to tear [her] family apart" because her daughter is a trans-identifying woman.
107 Florida congregations leaving UMC to join new conservative church network amid LGBT debate

A staggering 107 United Methodist congregations based in Florida plan to leave the mainline denomination for the newly launched conservative Global Methodist Church.

The Florida chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a theologically conservative Methodist group, announced Tuesday that 107 churches in the state had chosen to initiate the process to depart the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church.

The number of congregations planning to leave represents nearly 20% of the total number of churches belonging to the UMC Florida Conference, according to WCA.

This broad group of churches include both large and small congregations along with Anglo, African American, Latino, Korean, and other ethnic communities of faith. These churches will align with the new Global Methodist Church, stated the WCA chapter.

Keith Boyette, a leader in the WCA who served as a Transitional Connectional Coordinating Officer for the Global Methodist Church, told The Christian Post that he believes there will be additional churches that will emerge as we move forward.

It is my understanding that all of these churches have taken votes to leave, Boyette said when asked how firm the congregations were in leaving the UMC.

The Transitional Leadership Council of the GMC will organize local churches like the 107 from Florida into regional conferences. The regional conferences are called annual conferences.

Meant to serve as a conservative alternative for the UMC, the Global Methodist Church was originally planning to launch after General Conference, which had been slated to take place this fall.

However, the GMC opted to launch this month after UMC leadership announced that the General Conference would be postponed until 2024 due to ongoing pandemic concerns.

Boyette told CP that he anticipates the departing congregations will face early challenges, contending that the Florida Conference is certainly not an easy conference for a congregation to disaffiliate from.

CP reached out to the Florida Conference to get a response to this development and to confirm that 107 congregations had begun a formal disaffiliation process. However, the regional body did not respond by press time.

For decades, the UMC has been debating whether to change its official stance labeling homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching. This stance includes banning the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and barring clergy from blessing same-sex marriages.

Although the stance has survived numerous attempts to change it, theological liberals have continued to resist the Book of Discipline's rules and refused to enforce them in some instances.

In January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began, a theologically diverse group of UMC leaders announced a proposal to have the UMC fund the creation of a new Methodist denomination that conservative churches could join.

Known as the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation, the proposal would have allocated $25 million to create the new denomination, but it had to be passed at General Conference first.

Although three annual conferences had voted to send the Protocol to General Conference for consideration in early 2020, the pandemic prompted UMC leaders to postpone the General Conference multiple times.
Anti-CRT candidates overwhelmingly win school board races in Texas

School board candidates opposed to critical race theory won nearly every election in the largest counties in Texas as concerns about the direction of public education continue to loom large in American politics.

The group 1776 Project PAC, which works to elect school board candidates who want to reform our public education system by promoting patriotism and pride in American history by abolishing critical race theory and The 1619 Project from the public school curriculum, announced on Twitter Saturday that every single one of our endorsed candidates just won their school board races in Texas.

1776 Project PAC endorsed 15 candidates in Texas and all but one of them won their races outright, with one race headed to a runoff.

Encyclopedia Brittanica defines critical race theory as an intellectual and social movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category designed to oppress and exploit people of color.

We are the 1776 Project PAC and every single one of our endorsed candidates just won their school board races in Texas.



Do you want to rid your kids school of CRT and other left-wing agendas?



Run for school board and apply for our endorsement here: https://t.co/YKiXLINFJipic.twitter.com/BBsuldnLRI  1776 Project Pac (@1776ProjectPac) May 9, 2022

According to the Dallas Morning News, in Southlake Carroll Independent School District in the Dallas area, candidates supported by the 1776 Project PAC beat their challengers by more than 2-1 to win both of the seats on the ballot. The strong performance by conservative candidates extended to other school districts based in the populous counties including and/or surrounding Dallas.

In Frisco Independent School District, two of the three seats went to candidates supported by the 1776 Project PAC, who beat their opponents by smaller margins. In Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, a 1776 Project PAC-backed challenger defeated an incumbent school board member in one of two contested races.

Three candidates supported by the 1776 Project PAC defeated their challengers outright in school board races for Mansfield Independent School District. A fourth race headed to a runoff election will feature a 1776 Project PAC-backed candidate facing off against another candidate at a later date. All three 1776 Project PAC candidates won contested school board races in the Keller Independent School District.

In the Spring Branch Independent School District in the Houston area, three candidates supported by the 1776 Project PAC received twice as many votes as the closest competitors in their respective school board races. While the 1776 Project PAC endorsed 15 candidates in this years school board elections, additional conservative organizations threw their support behind candidates who also performed well in Saturdays elections.

True Texas Project, which exists to educate and motivate citizen engagement in all levels of government and believes in Constitutional government, national sovereignty, fiscal responsbility, personal responsibility, and rule of law, also saw several of its recommended candidates perform well in school board races. Both of the group endorsed candidates in the Dripping Springs Independent School District in the Austin area won their school board races.

True Texas-backed candidates won one of two races in the Houston-area Clear Creek Independent School District, all three races in the Dallas-area Allen Independent School District, two of three races in the Dallas-area Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District and one of three seats in the Lewsiville Independent School District. One of the organizations preferred candidates is heading to a runoff in a race in the Dallas-area Richardson Independent School District.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in on the election, citing the results as evidence that parents are more involved and active in school elections and school policies than ever before. Maintaining that no one cares more about children than their parents, he predicted that the power of parents will continue to expand in Texas.

Conservatives won school board elections across Texas.



Parents are more involved and active in school elections and school policies than ever before.



No one cares more about children than their parents.



The power of parents will continue to expand in Texas. https://t.co/yg2giHfPD6  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 8, 2022

The Texas school board elections come as parents and community members across the United States have confronted school boards about sexually explicit material available in school libraries and included as part of school curriculum and school districts embrace of critical race theory.

Concerns about the curriculum in public schools have led states to take action. In states including North Dakota and Idaho, lawmakershave banned their schools from teaching critical race theory. In contrast, Florida has passed a measure banning school officials from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity topics with students in kindergarten through third grade.

Launched last year, 1776 Project PAC has previously endorsed school board candidates in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. In each state, most of the groups endorsed candidates emerged victorious in their respective elections.
Church of England urges Christians to 'repent' for 'anti-Judaism', anti-Semitism

The Church of England is calling for Christians worldwide to repent for what it calls centuries of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism.

A special service held Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford marked the 800th anniversary of the Synod of Oxford, which forbade interactions between Christians and Jews in England, along with imposing tithes and requiring Jews to wear special identifying badges.

Archbishop Justin Welby wrote on Twitter the service was an opportunity to remember, repent and rebuild.

Let us pray it inspires Christians today to reject contemporary forms of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, and to appreciate and receive the gift of our Jewish neighbours," Welby stated.

During his remarks at the service, Bishop Michael Ipgrave of Lichfield spoke of how some have questioned why the church should apologize for something that happened before it existed.

"This is not really a question of apologizing, it is a matter of repentance," he said. "And repentance is described by the Church of England in its most recent report [as] ... 'Where the continuing effects of past sins by members of the one Body of Christ continue to be felt and where those sins have not come to an end, then members of Christ's body here and now are bound to seek God's mercy."

"That is where we are as Christians today, needing to recognize how our history has contributed to the teaching of contempt which generated hostility towards and suffering for our Jewish brothers and sisters," he added.

In addition to Welby and a Roman Catholic bishop, the special service drew the presence of Orthodox rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi for the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.

Mirvis reportedly did not enter the Oxford Cathedral for the service but told a crowd gathered outside he was hopeful Christians and Jews could work together to fight hatred, racism and bigotry.

Let us not forget that we are still on a journey. There is still so much that needs to be done, Mirvis said at the event.

"Let us ensure that we will strengthen Jewish-Christian understanding, that we will celebrate what we have in common," he added, according to a video shared by .

Around 3,000 Jews were expelled from England by King Edward I in 1290 and were not permitted to return for nearly 400 years later. The Church of England was established in the 1530s, centuries after the 1222 Synod of Oxford.

A request for comment from Welbys office was not immediately returned.

A 2019 document issued by the Church of England says that Anglicans should reject any view of Judaism which sees it as a living fossil, simply superseded by Christianity.

Titled Gods Unfailing Word, the document said: Christians have in the past repeated and promoted negative stereotypes of Jewish people, thereby contributing to grave suffering and injustice. They have used Christian doctrine in order to justify and perpetuate Jewish suffering, for instance teaching that Jewish people are suffering and should suffer because they are guilty of the murder of Christ, the divine Son of God, or because they have refused to welcome the Messiah."

The document calls for Christians [r]epentance for the sins of the past and to reject such misuses of Christian doctrine.
EU pressures member countries to ensure abortion access for Ukrainian refugees

The European Parliament passed a resolution calling for all countries within the European Union to provide Ukrainian refugee women and girls access to emergency contraception and abortion, including countries with stricter restrictions like Poland and Hungary.

The resolution, which also condemned gender-based violence and human trafficking of Ukrainian refugees, passed last Thursday with 462 votes in favor, 19 against and 89 abstentions.

Members of the European Parliament said offering emergency contraception and abortion access is a way for the EU, alongside host and transit countries, to guarantee female refugees and victims of rape access to "sexual and reproductive health and rights" (SRHR) services.

"For those women who are still in Ukraine, Parliament urges the EU to use all the measures and funds at its disposal to respond to their SRHR needs, and to send dignity kits, including contraceptives and sexual reproductive health kits, in humanitarian packages and convoys to Ukraine and to host countries," the European Parliament said in a Thursday statement.

The resolution contends that the European Parliament should supervise how the EU's funding to countries that accept Ukrainian refugees is spent, "particularly in countries with ongoing rule of law violations such as Poland and Hungary." The document claims this "reiterates" how things like "gender mainstreaming" in the budgeting process are a "core principle" of the EU.

The document states that emergency contraception access is "hampered" in Poland and Hungary due to prescription requirements and that restrictions on abortion in those countries have also prevented abortions for pregnant Ukrainian women.

The European Parliament insists that legal abortion is "crucial" during this conflict perpetuated by "Russian aggressors," claiming many women have been raped. It also states that EU member nations should provide access to abortion "in all circumstances," not just in cases of rape.

Countries like Poland are urged to "fulfill their obligation, including under national law, to guarantee access to abortion care for women who became pregnant as a result of rape."

The European Parliament did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

According to UNHCR data accessed Monday, over 5.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbor country. The statistics also show the total refugee influx from Ukraine is over 3 million in Poland and more than 500,000 in Hungary.

On April 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed when addressing the Parliament of Lithuania that there have been hundreds of reports of Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian women.

Last month, the United Nations highlighted numerous reports of violence and instances of rape committed by Russian soldiers, stating that the news raised "red flags" about a "potential protection crisis."

From March 1 to April 19, the Abortion Support Network, an organization working to procure abortion for women by assisting with finances and travel, sent abortion pills or arranged surgical terminations in Germany or the Netherlands for 267 Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

As Metro.co.uk reported Sunday, ASN Founder Mara Clarke said the majority of Ukrainian women her group helps undergo abortions in "closed facilities" like refugee centers.

Clarke expects the number of Ukrainian women seeking abortions to "skyrocket," claiming they hear from over 500 Ukrainian refugees every month through ASN's "Polish helpline."

In 2020, a top court banned most abortions in Poland, ruling that pregnancies cannot be aborted due to fetal defects but still permitting abortions in cases of rape, incest or if the mother's health is at risk. The previous law dating from 1993 allowed for abortions in fetal anomaly cases.

According to Angloinfo, Hungary permits abortion up until the 12th week of pregnancy and allows late-term abortions in fetal anomaly cases. Women must undergo two mandatory counseling sessions about state support and adoption.

Before the abortion, a woman must obtain a letter from a gynecologist stating how far along the pregnancy is and visit a social worker twice to receive a hospital referral for the abortion. Surgical abortions are the only abortion method legally permitted in Hungary.

As the European Consortium for Emergency Contraception reported, Poland and Hungary require a prescription to obtain emergency contraception. Neither country covers or provides reimbursement for it through social security.

This is not the first time there has been a push for European countries to repeal abortion restrictions and procure abortions and contraceptives for Ukrainian women and girls.

In March, groups including Amnesty International, the Center for Reproductive Rights, International Planned Parenthood Federation, and Women's Link Worldwide released a call to action, insisting that humanitarian packages to Ukraine and host countries include the abortion pill. The document also requested the removal of laws restricting abortion in countries that have welcomed Ukrainian refugees, including Hungary and Poland.

In 2020, Hungary and Poland were among 32 countries that signed a document spearheaded by the U.S. government under the administration of former President Donald Trump declaring there is no international right to abortion" nor "any international obligation on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion." The statement proclaimed that "each nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with their laws and policies.
Religious freedom law firm threatens to sue pro-abortion activists who disrupt church services

A religious freedom law firm says it will represent any church or person of faith that seeks legal recourse against a group that has threatened or disrupted services in the wake of a leaked draft majority opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

In a blog post Saturday, the conservative Catholic legal group Thomas More Society stated that its attorneys have contacted the group Ruth Sent Us to put them on notice that trespassing, violence, and vandalism will not be tolerated.

Ruth Sent Us describes itself as a group working to force accountability using a diversity of tactics from the 6-3 extremist Supreme Court." Last week, the group urged abortion supporters to stand at or in a local Catholic Church this past weekend as a show of support for Roe, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The groups anger at the Catholic Church stems from the church's outspoken opposition to abortion and the fact that four of the five justices who signed on to the draft opinion that would overturn Roe are Catholic.

The law firm notes that videos and accompanying rhetoric on social media have documented these fanatics attacking churches and committing damages in their chosen uniform of white caps and red capes.

"[A]ny breach of the law or violation of the constitutional rights of religious believers will not be tolerated, and that what may pass as civil disobedience on the public right of way is totally out of bounds in a house of worship," the blog post reads.

Thomas More Society sent a warning letter to Ruth Sent Us on Friday.

Since the police brutality protests in May 2020, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been tracking hate crimes committed against Catholic properties, the letter states. To date, the Bishops have identified 129 incidents of vandalism, arson, and other hate crimes directed at Catholics. The most recent of these occurred on the evening of May 3, 2022, and appears to have been a direct response to the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

The Ruth Sent US website states that the 6-3 extremist majority on the Supreme Court routinely issues rulings that hurt women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights.

We must rise up to force accountability using a diversity of tactics, the website reads.

A video accompanying a May 3 tweet by the pro-abortion group calls on abortion advocates to stage protests inside churches. It shows protesters dressed in Handmaids Tale costumes yelling abortion on demand and without apology at churchgoers as they storm through the pews of a Catholic church.

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

For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has been an institution for the enslavement of women, one of the protesters can be heard saying in a second video posted by Ruth Sent Us Tuesday.

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 Thomas More Society attorneys say that the groups supporters could face significant legal liability under both California and federal law for their actions and obstruction of or interference with a persons First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship is illegal.

The firm recounts the disruption of a Feb. 28 Catholic Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco and its disruption.

The intruders recorded the abusive event and then promoted it on various social media platforms, including Twitter, the blog post states.

Ruth Sent Us has also threatened to burn the Eucharist to show their disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches have condoned for centuries.

Stuff your rosaries and your weaponized prayer.



We will remain outraged after this weekend, so keep praying.



Well be burning the Eucharist to show our disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches have condoned for centuries. pic.twitter.com/1UxAkyuXTg  Ruth Sent Us ???? (@RuthSentUs) May 7, 2022

Meanwhile, the White House on Sunday defended peoples fundamental right to protest while warning against intimidation of others during protests planned at Catholic churches and near the homes of Supreme Court justices.

Fox News Digital quoted a White House official as saying that President Joe Biden opposes any attempts to intimidate by protesters.

As [White House Press Secretary] Jen [Psaki] reiterated last week, the President has made clear throughout his time in public life that Americans have the fundamental right to protest under the Constitution, whatever their point of view. But protests must be peaceful and free of violence, vandalism, or attempts to intimidate, all of which he condemns in any case, the official was quoted as saying in a statement.

The president believes in peaceful protest, Psaki said at the time. He believes thats part of our democracy and part of the history of the United States and this country. But he also respects and understands the independence of the third branch of government, and  I mean, obviously, the Justice Department  but also the role of the Supreme Court and what they play.

Ruth Sent Us has also encouraged people to protest outside the homes of Supreme Court justices in Virginia and Maryland after doxing them.

The New York Post previously noted that the planned protests could be illegal.

According to 18 U.S.C. 1507, which relates to Obstruction of Justice, anyone who has the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the tent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer or pickets or parades in or near a court building or residents occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness or court officer will face a fine or imprisonment of one year.

Amid threats and protests, Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the leaked draft opinion, and his family have been moved to an undisclosed location for safety.
Ukraine hands over 2nd part of EU membership questionnaire

Xinhua) 09:32, May 10, 2022

KIEV, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday submitted the second part of the questionnaire for Ukraine's candidate status of a European Union (EU) membership to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Zelensky's press service.

The document was handed over during an online meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the EU, the press service said on Telegram.

During the meeting, Zelensky thanked von der Leyen for the "clear signals of support" for Ukraine on its path towards the EU membership.

On Feb. 28, Zelensky signed an official appeal to the EU asking for the accession of Ukraine via a new special procedure.

The European Commission president gave a questionnaire to Zelensky during her visit to Kiev in April. The first part of the document was submitted to the EU on April 18.

According to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, the first part of the questionnaire covers political and economic issues, while the second part contains questions to assess the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the EU laws.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Police Departments in Meridian and Boise, Idaho, Will Increase Patrols Around Stanton Healthcare After Recent Attacks, Threats and Vandalism Against Pro-life Centers Across the Country NEWS PROVIDED BY

Stanton Healthcare

May 10, 2022



BOISE, Idaho, May 10, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Stanton Healthcare, based in Meridian, has life-affirming clinics in Idaho and affiliates across America and internationally. Stanton provides compassionate and professional women's healthcare along with holistic services to women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy.



Stanton has taken extra steps to ensure the safety of their clients, volunteers, and staff  including securing the assistance of local law enforcement to increase patrols around their Boise and Meridian clinics which are located steps away from Planned Parenthood abortion facilities.



Stanton's Director of Operations, Nancy Ferris, shared: "We have reviewed our safety procedures with staff and volunteers regarding harassment and violence. We had our alarm systems tested and spoke with the Meridian and Boise Police Departments who will increase patrols around both clinics. It is horrific to know some people choose violence to express their opinions and disappointment in a decision that saves the lives of babies." Stanton Healthcare is encouraging all life-affirming clinics to be extra cautious during the coming weeks.



Linda Thomas, Director of Community Outreach, stated: "There is nothing more important to us at Stanton than valuing and protecting life  the lives of mothers and the lives of their children. Unlike the abortion industry and its allies, we never pit a mother against her child. Instead, we love them both and protect them both. We are thankful to our local law enforcement for their responsiveness and duty to protect, as well.



"We urge all life-affirming pregnancy clinics to contact your local police department and ask for increased patrols around your center. The safety of the women and children we serve is paramount." For more information, contact:

Rev. Patrick Mahoney (540) 538-4741



SOURCE Stanton Healthcare



CONTACT: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741



Related Links



www.StantonInternational.org



www.StantonHealthcare.org



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Man dressed in suit and tie killed by police after shooting up Washington church

A nattily dressed man who fired shots into the Living Hope Community Church in downtown Wenatchee, Washington, on Saturday morning and then wounded an officer was shot dead by police on the churchs doorstep, the churchs pastor said.

A release from the North Central Washington Investigation Unit said the suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, began shooting at the church located at the corner of Chelan Avenue and Palouse Street around 8:27 a.m.

When Wenatchee Police confronted the suspect at the scene, the suspect wounded an officer in the leg before he was killed.

When contacted by The Christian Post for further details on the shooting and the suspect on Monday, a Wenatchee police official said they were unable to comment or investigate the shooting due to laws in Washington that require an independent investigation of all officer-involved shootings.

While our agency had the shooting officers, we cant investigate the shooting, the official told CP.

The case was passed to the Douglas County Sheriffs Office. Douglas County Undersheriff Tyler Caille told CP Monday that the case is still being investigated but that investigators have identified the suspect and informed his family. However, they will not be releasing any further details on the shooting until mid-week. Callie could not say if the suspect had a history of mental illness or if the suspect had any connection to the church.

The investigators are still working on it, trying to determine motive and what reasoning he would have to have been at the church that day. But it has not been determined at this time, Caille said.

The undersheriff said there were witnesses because vendors were preparing for the annual Apple Blossom Festival parade at a park across the street from the church at the time. He could not confirm who fired first.

Living Hope Community Church did not immediately respond to calls from CP on Monday. But during Sundays worship service broadcast on YouTube, Lead Pastor Jeremy Peyton shared what he knew.

He said a few hours before the Apple Blossom Festival parade began, there was a man that was not familiar to us  who was dressed in a suit and tie and, for whatever reason, decided he wanted to enter the church building from the south door.

People gathered across the street from the church for the festival started hearing shots.

He tried to enter using firearms and tried to come in the door. And, of course, it was parade day. So there were lots of officers around ready to respond. And so when they heard that coming in, obviously they encountered a man who was firing into a building, Peyton continued. Not knowing what was going on inside, who may or may not have been inside the building, they drew their weapons and told him to put his down, at which point they exchanged fire. An officer was struck, and the man was fatally wounded right on the scene.

Peyton said the man reportedly died very quickly.

There is a lot of misinformation that was throwing around. We dont really know motives or anything like that. So I mean, there are some people who have kind of spread a lot of things that we just dont know about, he said.

The pastor said he was called into the church pretty soon after the shooting and arrived at about 9 a.m. Peyton said the churchs door and windows were damaged.

Thats a really sad, yucky thing that happened on our doorstep, he said. It wasnt what I expected to walk into.

Peyton allowed members of the church to share their thoughts on the shooting. One elderly parishioner said he hoped that the suspect had come to the church seeking hope and offered prayers for his soul.

When I first heard about this, I thought about the many times in my job [when] I was out in the remote areas of Alaska, and I would go into small towns and at night. I would seek out a church, and the doors would be open, and I could just go in and seek hope, the parishioner said. If nothing else, I pray that this man was seeking hope and I hope he found it, and just pray for his soul.

A female parishioner said she was happy that no one else was killed except for the poor man who probably had mental illness and was not in his right mind.

I feel bad for his family. So I mean, instead of demonizing him  [lets] be compassionate because thats not normal, she said.

In the meantime, police say they are still trying to find out why the man dressed in a suit and tie turned up at Living Hope Community Church with a gun on Saturday morning.

We are trying to figure out why the suspect went there, Caille said. We cant find any correlation to the parade either.
Wisconsin pro-life office set on fire in Molotov cocktail attack after Supreme Court draft leak

Police have yet to identify or arrest any suspects after the headquarters of a Wisconsin pro-life organization was set on fire Sunday and rejected the notion that the fire was an "inside job" perpetrated by the organization itself.

The office of the pro-life group Wisconsin Family Action, located in Madison, Wisconsin, was vandalized with graffiti and had Molotov cocktails thrown through a broken window.

The vandalism follows the publication of an initial draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, where a majority of justices expressed support for the idea that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, must be overruled.

According to an incident report published by the Madison Police Department, Flames were seen coming from the facility shortly after 6 a.m." The Madison Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, and arson investigators are working to "determine an exact cause.

A molotov cocktail, which did not ignite, was thrown inside the building. It also appears a separate fire was started in response. Graffiti was also found at the scene. No injuries have been reported, the report added.

The Madison Police Department provided an update on the investigation Monday, indicating that No arrests have been made, and we do not have any suspects at this time.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the media that Shortly after 6 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, a passerby headed to Madisons airport noticed flames coming from the Wisconsin Family Action office.

The areas very close to the Madison Police Departments North District and our officers arrived to the scene moments before the Madison Fire Department," Barnes said. "Our responding officers observed smoke coming from the building and a ground-level window, which had been breached. Madison Fire Department was able to put out the fire within five minutes after their response.

Investigators collected multiple pieces of evidence from the scene and these items were turned over to our federal partners for processing. Barnes stressed that as much as we wish we could be able to solve this case today, the forensic process must take time.

In response to questions from reporters, Barnes clarified that there were two Molotov cocktails at the scene and rejected the idea that the attack was an inside job perpetrated by the pro-life organization.

A tweet from Wisconsin State Journal reporter Alexander Shur, posted Sunday, included pictures of the damage.

One of the pictures showed the graffiti painted on the exterior wall of the groups headquarters, which read, If abortions arent Safe then you arent either. The second picture documented the conditions in the office. Books were scattered across a fire-damaged floor while the window was boarded up.

BREAKING: Somebody vandalized and allegedly threw Molotov cocktails into Wisconsin Family Actions  an anti-abortion rights group  Madison office, writing w/ graffiti, If abortions arent safe, then you arent either.



Story TK pic.twitter.com/6Wfnyeh9hQ  Alexander Shur (@AlexanderShur) May 8, 2022

In a statement, Wisconsin Family Action noted that Anarchy 1312 took responsibility for the attack, leaving its logo on an outside wall. Julaine Appling, president of the pro-life group declared the "attack fails to frighten us, and instead steels the resolve of law-abiding, common-sense, every-day folks to stand up and push back.

While this attack was directly provoked by the leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court in the Dobbs case earlier this week, this has far broader implications, she added. Apparently, the tolerance the left demands is a one-way street. Violence has become their answer to everything. This is what happens when leadership is missing or when leadership implies that violence is ok.

Appling criticized Wisconsins Democratic Gov. Tony Evers response to the attack, which she maintained said nothing about demanding a full investigation and criminal prosecution but instead reassured that hed keep supporting abortion.

Evers took to Twitter Sunday to condemn violence and hatred in all forms, including the actions at Wisconsin Family Action in Madison last night and proclaim that we reject violence against any person for disagreeing with anothers view.

We condemn violence and hatred in all forms, including the actions at Wisconsin Family Action in Madison last night. We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with anothers view.



Violence is not the way forward. Hurting others is never the answer.  Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) May 8, 2022

At the same time, Evers vowed to work against overturning Roe and attacks on reproductive rights by leading with empathy and compassion and defend what we believe with our words and our voicesin the streets, in the halls of government, and at the ballot box.

Appling believes Sundays violence is a consequence of Evers non-response to violence in the Wisconsin cities of Kenosha and Milwaukee in the summer of 2020. Appling argues that because Evers looked the other way, Wisconsin citizens who disagree with his policies find themselves extremely vulnerable to similar violence.

"[T]oday it is Wisconsin Family Association getting Molotov cocktails tossed through broken windows and fires ignited, but tomorrow it could be anyone in our state or another state who is attacked because we disagree with a policy or action, give voice to the voiceless, or stand up for whats right," Appling said.

Wisconsin has had enough of this kind of terror condoned by current state and national leaders. But we are still standing. We still support freedom. We love our republic and care for our neighbors. We will repair our offices, remain on the job, and build an even stronger grassroots effort. We will not back down. We will not stop doing what we are doing. Too much is at stake.

Tony Perkins, president of the national Christian conservative lobbying organization Family Research Council, predicted in a statement that the Lefts violence and intimidation designed to silence the voice of Americans who stand for life will not succeed.

"[T[he violent and illegal actions of abortion supporters only reveal the true nature of abortion to America, Perkins argued, adding that abortion on demand until birth unleashed violence and a culture of death.

Abortion is not a political issue, and its not even a policy issue at its core. Abortion is a profoundly moral and spiritual issue that cuts to the heart of who we are as a people, Perkins said. We are grateful for the unwavering leadership of Wisconsin Family Action and the dozens of family policy councils around the country that are committed to the sanctity of all human life.

Pro-abortion activists announced their intentions to protest the possibility of overturning Roe last week. The group Ruth Sent Us organized Mothers Day protests at Roman Catholic Churches over the weekend.

Video footage of a Sunday mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, revealed protesters dressed in "Handmaids Tale" costumes interrupting the liturgy. While the protesters had signs and were shouting chants at the congregation, they were escorted out and no one was hurt.

Marxists try to disrupt Mass at Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels. Security, ushers and parishioners said they were not having it.#cathedral#Catholicpic.twitter.com/HlN8yHxPKL  Romangod7 (@Romangod7) May 8, 2022
Texas pro-life group evacuated by police over bomb threat, suspicious package

A pro-life activist organization based in Texas that advocated for the states new abortion law received a bomb threat last Friday, leading police to evacuate the office as a precaution.

Texas Right to Life received an email last Friday that included a bomb threat, with a suspicious package being delivered to its headquarters in Bellaire later that day.

The Bellaire Police Department sent The Christian Post a statement about the situation on Monday, noting that the suspicious package ultimately did not include an explosive device.

While Bellaire police officers were one scene, a U.S. Postal Service employee was delivering the mail and in that delivery was a suspicious package. Officers recognized the suspicious nature of the packaging and cleared the offices and the building, stated the police department.

Houston Polices Bomb Squad was contacted and technicians responded to evaluate the package. After X-raying the package, it was discovered that the contents were inert.

The Bellaire Police Department is continuing its investigation into the incident, explaining that bomb threats are a criminal offense classified as a Terroristic Threat and can be punishable with a fine of up to $4,000 and as much as a year in jail.

Texas Right to Life did the right thing in contacting the police, continued the police department's statement. It was fortunate that our officers were on scene when the suspicious package was delivered and we appreciate the occupants of the building working with police to quickly clear out in the event that this was an actual bomb.

Soon after the incident, the pro-life group released a statement tying the bomb threat and other disparaging acts against them to the newly enacted Texas heartbeat abortion ban.

A lot of people are still FURIOUS about the Texas Heartbeat Act. Theyre trying to silence us. They despise us for even talking about a life-saving law, stated Texas Right to Life.

Their ire and vitriol wont stop us from protecting pregnant women from the same lies. Their clamors wont silence us from protecting babies.

On Sept. 1, a Texas law that prohibits abortions in most circumstances after a baby's heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks into a pregnancy, took effect.

Known as Senate Bill 8 or the Texas Heartbeat Act, the law allows private citizens to sue anyone who performs illegal abortions or helps a woman obtain an illegal abortion.

Last Thursday, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit against the Texas Heartbeat Act in district court, arguing that the legislation is in defiance of the Constitution.

It is settled constitutional law that a State may not prohibit any woman from making the ultimate decision to terminate her pregnancy before viability, reads the lawsuit in part.

The United States  seeks a declaratory judgment that S.B. 8 is invalid under the Supremacy Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment, is preempted by federal law, and violates the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity.

Earlier this year, a declassified report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security named both pro-life and pro-choice abortion-related domestic violent extremists" as one of the categories of domestic violent extremists identified by the intelligence community.

Domestic violent extremists are defined as U.S.-based actors who conduct or threaten activities that are dangerous to human life in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state; appearing to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; and influence the government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

The report didn't mention any specific group or organization by name.
White Evangelicals twice as likely as other groups to support bans on abortion: Pew

A new poll reveals that white Evangelicals are twice as likely as other religious groups to support the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which looks increasingly likely following the leak of a draft United States Supreme Court opinion in a case surrounding Mississippis 15-week abortion ban.

Pew Research Center released the results of a survey examining Americans attitudes on abortion Friday, four days after Politico published a draft majority opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. The draft opinion, authored by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, indicates that a majority of justices have found that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, was egregiously wrong and must be overruled.

Pew conducted the survey from March 713, three months after oral arguments in the Dobbs case had concluded and about a month after Alito authored the draft opinion in the case centered on Mississippis 15-week abortion ban. The survey found that overall, 8% of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases with no exceptions, while 19% of Americans thought the killing of preborn babies should be legal in all circumstances with no exceptions.

Broken down by religious demographic, the results revealed that 21% of white Evangelicals wanted to completely ban abortion while 5% expressed a desire for abortion to be legal in all cases. Among Catholics, 13% indicated support for legal abortion in all cases compared to 10% who wanted a complete ban. Black Protestants supporting legal abortion with no exceptions outnumbered those who wanted to ban abortion with no exceptions by 20% to 7%.

Thirteen percent of white mainline Protestants reported support for legal abortion without exceptions compared to 6% who wanted a complete ban. The gap between those who want abortion to be legal in all circumstances and those who want a total ban on the procedure was highest among the religiously unaffiliated, with 34% indicating support for the former position and 2% agreeing with the latter.

A majority of white Evangelicals (53%) think that abortion should be illegal in most cases, along with 32% of Catholics, 31% of white mainline Protestants, 21% of black Protestants and 13% of the religiously unaffiliated. A majority of the religiously unaffiliated (51%) believe that abortion should be legal in most cases, along with pluralities of white mainline Protestants (47%), black Protestants (46%) and Catholics (43%). Just 19% of white Evangelicals told Pew that they wanted abortion to remain mostly legal.

Members of each religious demographic surveyed elaborated on what specific exceptions to abortion bans they favored. Majorities of all religious subgroups agreed with a statement declaring that abortion should be legal if pregnancy threatens womens life/health. The religiously unaffiliated demonstrated the highest support for allowing abortion if a womans life or health is in danger at 87%, followed by 77% of white mainline Protestants, 71% of black Protestants, 69% of Catholics and 51% of white Evangelicals.

An equal share of religiously unaffiliated Americans (87%) reported that abortion should be legal if the pregnancy resulted from rape, while support for the rape exception was lower among white mainline Protestants (75%), black Protestants (71%), Catholics (66%) and white Evangelicals (40%). At least half of all religious subgroups maintained that how long a woman has been pregnant should matter in determining whether it is legal or illegal to have an abortion.

White mainline Protestants (64%) and Catholics (63%) were the most likely to agree with the aforementioned statement, while smaller shares of white Evangelicals (56%), black Protestants (50%) and the religiously unaffiliated (50%) did. When asked if their religious views were extremely or very important in shaping their position on abortion, 73% of white Evangelicals answered in the affirmative.

By contrast, 51% of black Protestants, 41% of Catholics, 28% of white mainline Protestants and 7% of the religiously unaffiliated cited their religious beliefs as extremely or very important in influencing their views on abortion.

Overall, 36% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most cases. Twenty-seven percent think the procedure should be illegal in most cases, 19% want to see abortion legal in all cases with no exceptions, 8% said that abortion should be illegal in all cases with no exceptions, 6% wish to see abortion legal in all cases with some exceptions when abortion should be against the law, and 2% expressed support for the idea of making abortion illegal in all cases with some exceptions when abortion should be legal.

Support for legal abortion among the American public as a whole decreases the further a woman gets into her pregnancy. Pew asked the 71% of respondents who think abortion should be legal in some cases/illegal in some cases whether they supported legal abortion at six weeks, 14 weeks and 24 weeks gestation.

Including the 19% of respondents who think abortion should be legal in all cases and the 8% who believe abortion should be illegal in all cases, support for legal abortion drops from 44% at six weeks to 34% at 14 weeks and 3% at 24 weeks. At the same time, support for keeping abortion illegal rises from 20% at six weeks to 27% at 14 weeks and 54% at 24 weeks.

Should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade as expected, the states will be responsible for determining their abortion laws. Twenty-one states will restrict abortions to either the first six weeks of pregnancy or completely ban the procedure, 16 states will continue to permit abortions as the right to abortion has been codified into state law, 10 states will continue to enforce existing abortion laws, and three states might soon have referendums where voters will have the opportunity to amend or affirm existing abortion laws.
Christian Author Supports Roe V. Wade, Protests At Supreme Court Justices Homes, Pastor Donates Life-Saving Kidney

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Christian author Jen Hatmaker, a mother of five, has voiced her support for Roe v. Wade after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggests that the landmark decision that legalized abortion appears set to be overturned.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the states police are monitoring the protests planned for this week outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who were doxxed by pro-abortion activists as they are poised to release their decision in a Mississippi abortion case.

A Nebraska pastor will donate a life-saving kidney to one of his associate pastors who has been waiting for months to find a donor after it was discovered that his organ was a perfect match.
Mike Pence urges Biden to speak out against disruption at churches, potential violence against justices

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in a media interview that President Joe Biden should speak out forcefully against the planned demonstrations at Catholic churches amid the fallout from the recent leaking of an initial draft majority opinion that could overturn the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.

President Biden should speak out forcefully, make it clear that those who support his view on abortion, on the Supreme Court, let their voice be heard, but heard peacefully and respect the law, Pence told The Daily Wire in an interview Saturday.

The pro-abortion group 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 calling on abortion advocates to stage protests inside churches shows pro-abortion protesters dressed in "Handmaids Tale" costumes yelling abortion on demand and without apology at churchgoers as they storm through the pews of a Catholic church.

Pence added, The president of the United States is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America. And he ought to make it very, very clear that anyone who would engage in violence or threaten violence or disrupt religious services would be held to the strictest account.

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-week gestation.

Pence also responded to White House Press Secretary Jen Psakis refusal to criticize the pro-abortion groups call for protests.

At a White House press briefing last week, Psaki was asked, A Catholic church was just vandalized with pro-abortion slogans in Colorado. It just happened recently. Is the White House aware of that, first of all?

Psaki responded, Ive not seen that report. Obviously, we dont condone vandalism. We condone peaceful protest, and thats something certainly were encouraging with everybody who feels passionate.

When asked, What would you say to those vandals going after  targeting Catholic churches, especially when it involves Roe? Thats what theyre basically focusing on, Psaki said, Again, we dont condone vandalism. We condone peaceful protest.

Psaki added, I think its important to note that 60 percent or 70 percent, depending on the poll you look at, of the American people do not want Roe to be overturned.

Pence said, I dont accept that. Americans can be passionate without breaking the law. And theres no excuse for violence against persons or property in the name of any political causes.

Psaki was also asked, These activists posted a map with the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices [who live in Virginia and Maryland]. Is that the kind of thing [President Biden] wants to help your side make their point?

Psaki responded, 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.

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, as are Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, who 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 2,000 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.

In a statement, Joshua Mercer, communications director of the group CatholicVote, 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.

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.

Pence called the leak of the draft opinion a despicable act.

But I hope and pray that the draft opinion becomes adopted as the majority opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States and we send Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history where it belongs, he said.
'Abortion Saves Lives': Catholic church vandalized 2nd time with anti-church, pro-abortion graffiti

Vandals graffitied a Colorado Catholic church with anti-church and abortion messages earlier this week, prompting some to suspect the church's pro-life stance, and the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, made it a target for a second time.

Police were called out to Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Boulder on Wednesday morning for a report of vandalism. Investigators believe the incident took place on Tuesday night and that multiple suspects were involved.

That same morning, crews worked to remove painted messages from the church building that read," Abortion Saves Lives" and "My Body My Choice." In addition to the main building, crews also cleaned graffiti from church statues and removed broken glass from windows shattered by the vandals.

"We're disappointed that we can't have a peaceful conversation about such a hot topic and instead, people resort to violence. But we kind of understand, at least I do," parishioner Charlie Danaher said in a Wednesday interview with KMGH.

Danaher said the church displays a pro-life memorial every October, which he suspects might have something to do with the incident.

"For Respect Life Month, we put out 3,000 crosses, signifying how many abortions there are in the United States every single day," he said. "The first time this type of an attack occurred at our parish happened the first few days of October of last year. So this is a repeat."

The parishioner also believes the vandalism at Sacred Heart of Mary was related to the possibility that the Supreme Court might soon overturn Roe v. Wade. The court is expected to issue a decision in the coming months about whether to uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case.

If the court rules in favor of the Mississippi ban, that could undermine the precedent set by Roe. A leaked draft opinion released earlier this week suggests that a majority of the justices are leaning toward overruling Roe.

Danaher, who has attended the church for years, contended that the church is not living in fear, despite the vandalism.

"We don't really dwell on that," he said. "Although we know, of course, that's the price that we may pay for being in this conversation and in this cultural battle, but we don't really dwell on that."

The sheriff's office also noted similarities between this year's vandalism and a previous incident at the church.

"The graffiti is similar in nature to what we saw at the church in September 2021 (anti-church, pro-choice messaging)," BCSO said in a statement to KMGH. "We can't yet conclusively say that it is related to September's incident, but the crimes are very similar in nature."

While no arrests have been made related to last year's vandalism case, the sheriff's office is reviewing surveillance video of the most recent incident and gathering evidence.

Last September, vandals spray-painted abortion slogans and anarchist symbols on a truck in the church parking lot and signs on the church property.

Church members also believe this incident was related to the white crosses the church puts on its lawn to symbolize the number of children in the U.S. who have been killed by abortion.

"It was way worse than I had pictured in my mind," Mark Evevard, the church's youth director, said in a 2021 interview with KMGH. "We care about the unborn, the sanctity of life all the way to death."

The youth director said that he did not expect everyone to agree with the church's pro-life views. But he did expect people to refrain from expressing their opinions through vandalism.

"It's sad because they obviously tried to do as much damage in as little time as possible," he said. "Even pro-choice people saying, 'we're pro-choice but this is ridiculous and this is wrong."

Sacred Heart of Mary estimated at the time that repairs for the damage would likely cost thousands of dollars. If the vandals were caught, BCSO said they could face criminal charges, including criminal mischief, trespassing, bias-motivated crime, or defacing property.

Still, Evevard revealed that he had encouraged those at Sacred Heart of Mary to pray for the vandals.

"We do love people and we care about that person. I really do hope that the person or persons, you know, would get the help that they need, the healing that they need."
Gov. Glenn Youngkin says police monitoring Supreme Court justices homes after doxxing

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the states police are monitoring the protests planned for this week outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who were doxxed by pro-abortion activists as they are poised to release their decision in a Mississippi abortion case.

The governor is aware and Virginia State Police will monitor the situation, The Epoch Times quoted the governors spokeswoman Macaulay Porter as saying in an email. VSP will assist federal and local law enforcement as needed to ensure the safety of our citizens, including Supreme Court justices, who call Virginia home.

Pro-choice group Ruth Sent Us, which is named after the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, recently posted a map with the addresses of six justices, three of whom live in Virginia, encouraging people to protest outside their homes. The other three justices live in Maryland.

Google Maps had removed the map as of Sunday. This map is no longer available due to a violation of our Terms of Service and/or policies, it said on the groups website.

ANNOUNCING: Walk-by Wednesday, May 11, 2022! says the groups website. 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.

Appointed by Republican presidents, some of these justices are set to overturn the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision, which usurped state law on abortion and legalized the practice nationwide.

One of the three justices who live in Virginia is Justice Samuel Alito, a George W. Bush appointee who wrote the recently leaked draft majority opinion.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would join Alito to form a majority, said Politico, which published the draft opinion.

The pro-abortion group also called for protests outside Catholic churches on Sunday.

The New York Post noted that the planned protests could be illegal.

According to 18 U.S.C. 1507, which relates to Obstruction of Justice, anyone who has the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the tent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer and pickets or parades in or near a court building or residents occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness or court officer will face a fine or imprisonment of one year.

Also raising concerns about the intimidation tactics, The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote, Everyone has the right to protest, but assailing the families of judges at home is a blatant attempt at intimidation. If the leaker wanted to mobilize public hostility to the Court, he is succeeding.

They added, The threats against the Court are enough that a fence has gone up around the Supreme Court building, and new security has been laid on. A violent act by a fanatic cant be ruled out, and this warrants the attention of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Federal law makes it a crime to threaten federal judges, and that includes threats of vigilantism.

The WSJ editors also noted that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has not criticized the pro-abortion group's call for protests or the leak of the draft opinion. What happened to President Bidens concern for declining public trust in government institutions? they asked.
Discovering your blind spots through divine intervention

Lets face it. We all have blind spots. Each one of us has issues we fail to see clearly. You know, problem areas that remain out of focus. So how can we identify blind spots within our soul, especially since we tend to be clueless to their existence?

The first step is to recognize that no matter how hard we try, we still miss things. Important things. Our human understanding is flawed. It is mystifying how we can see some things so clearly, and yet completely overlook other things that should be apparent to us.

And dont assume that those closest to you will be quick to point out your blind spots. Dr. Assegid Habtewold wrote, The people who care about you may not tell you your blind spots fearing to offend you. Open up and ask their feedback and get enlightened.

Solomon presented this rich insight: Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise (Proverbs 19:20).

How good are you at listening to advice? Do you hunger for wise counsel, or do you avoid constructive correction at any cost? Are you too proud to be corrected and critiqued?

He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers (Proverbs 19:8).

Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge (Proverbs 19:27).

Unless you and I are eager to discover our blind spots, we will probably experience little personal growth.

Solomon wrote, Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public square...How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? (Proverbs 1:20,22)

Do you hear the voice of wisdom calling out to you? Are you ready to take the next step in your personal development, even if that step involves turning to your Creator as the source of all knowledge and truth? Are you willing to call upon the One who formed you in your mothers womb?

James wrote, If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5). Blind spots are often discovered through divine intervention. To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are His (Job 12:13).

One of our natural tendencies as human beings is to think we already know everything we need to know. Meanwhile, most of our blind spots involve relationship issues; either with God, or with others. I suspect that interpersonal shortcomings account for at least 75% of our blind spots.

And if you think your opponents are eager to help you discover your blind spots, think again. Dr. Habtewold wrote,

The people who would like to manipulate and use you wont tell you your blind spots. They may plan to continue using them to their advantage.

This dynamic plays out not only in human relationships, but also in the spiritual realm. Believe it or not, demons exist and want you to remain in spiritual darkness. The spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12) take their orders from Satan, who directs fallen angels according to his twisted agenda. The devil is a master at using our blind spots against us. In fact, he recognizes problem areas in our soul long before we do. When was the last time you became surprisingly aware of one of your blind spots? Dr. Lucas Shallua said, Accept your flaws in order to grow in your areas of weakness. Blind spots have been known to be dangerous from ancient days; let others help as they can see you better than you do by yourself.

God connects his children to each other in congregations of believers. Since the church is the bride of Christ, the Lord wants His followers to love and serve not only Him but also His bride. It is extremely difficult to serve Christs bride unless we are meeting regularly with other Christians, where we can grow in our faith and serve one another.

Gods Word declares: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another  and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

As we grow in wisdom and understanding, we discover more of our blind spots. And as we feed our soul on the Word of God, the Holy Spirit makes necessary adjustments in our life of discipleship.

Even with spiritual growth, however, there will still be times when we do not fully understand why God allows certain agonizing circumstances to take place. The Lord says: As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

The biggest blind spot human beings have is spiritual blindness. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Unbelievers typically do not see the gravity of their sin. And due to their unbelief, they fail to recognize the only solution God has provided in order to rescue them.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Are you blind to your need for Jesus? Are you living in spiritual darkness? If so, you are in grave danger my friend, and you probably dont even realize it.

This prayer can help you reach out to the Savior for wisdom and salvation:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and cannot save myself. I humbly ask you to wash away my sins with the blood you shed on the cross. Please show me my blind spots, and grant me wisdom and power to live according to your Word. Thank you Jesus for being my Savior and my friend. Amen.
When Bill Maher and Joe Rogan make the pro-life case

A recent article posted on Red State pointed to abortion-related comments made by podcast giant Joe Rogan, suggesting that we can win the pro-life argument by listening to his approach. In the same way, recent comments by the very liberal Bill Maher point to ways that we can have a discussion with pro-abortion friends and colleagues without using religious-based arguments.

To be sure, in order to change hearts and minds, we need Gods help. And under no circumstances should we ever back away from our deeply-held, biblically-based convictions about the humanity of the baby within the womb.

At the same time, when talking with people who do not share our religious values or do not hold the Bible in esteem, there are common-sense, logical arguments we can raise that might just get people to rethink their position.

At the least, these arguments, especially when tied to people like Rogan and Maher, who are anything but Bible-thumping Christian fundamentalists, might just lower the temperature in the room, allowing for cooler heads to prevail.

Interestingly, it was the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, herself staunchly pro-abortion, who had warned back in 1992 that Roe was built on a flimsy foundation.

As pointed out by New York Times columnist David Brooks on the PBS NewsHour on May 5,

Ruth Bader Ginsburg made this point back in 1992, that that decision was so big, she said its fragile. Its  and then law professors, even very pro-choice law professors, have always said, were worried about this decision. Its not a great decision. They liked the outcome. They worried about the decision. So, it was fragile. And so, hanging all that on that decision was always going to be  it was waiting to go off. And then Alito just ran through it. I  personally  there are two separate issues here: Should abortion be a right that people get to enjoy? Should  does the Constitution guarantee that right? And its important to separate those two things.

In Ginsburgs own words, Doctrinal limbs too swiftly shaped, experience teaches, may prove unstable. The most prominent example in recent decades is Roe v. Wade.

Boom!

As for saying that Justice Samuel Alito ran through it, I take Brooks to mean that Alito exposed these very weaknesses in his devastating, leaked opinion. (Prof. Jay Richards rightly noted that, Because of the outrage of the leak, etc. Alito's opinion has not [yet] gotten enough credit for being an utterly persuasive and accessible piece of legal reasoning. Notice the social media screamers aren't engaging his arguments.)

To quote Alito directly,

Although the Court acknowledged that States had a legitimate interest in protecting potential life, it found that this interest could not justify any restriction on pre-viability abortions. The Court did not explain the basis for this line, and even abortion supporters have found it hard to defend Roe's reasoning. One prominent constitutional scholar wrote that he would vote for a statute very much like the one the Court ended up drafting if he were a legislator, but his assessment of Roe was memorable and brutal: Roe was not constitutional law at all and gave almost no sense of an obligation to try to be. . . . As Justice Byron White aptly put it in his dissent, the decision represented the exercise of raw judicial power, and it sparked a national controversy that has embittered our political culture for a half-century.

And as a legal colleague of mine mentioned after reading Alitos 98-page document in full, Alito also cites the views of other liberals who recognized the deficiencies of Roe. Those arguments should be part of our arsenal as well.

Getting back to Joe Rogan, he said, I am 100% for a womans right to choose. But as a human being, just a person observing things, theres a big difference between a little clump of cells and a fetus with an eyeball and a beating heart. And for anybody to pretend theres not.

Rogans guest, comedian Doug Stanhope asked, Where do you draw the line?

Rogan replied, Right. Where do you draw the line? Yeah, thats the question. Its what I call a human issue. Its a very complicated issue. Its so fraught with emotion. And its so political.

Again, Rogans musing represents just one step in the right direction in the midst of his other statements, with which we strongly differ as pro-lifers. But his words do point to the fact that a strong majority of Americans want some limits on abortion. (On a related note, I believe that if Americans were asked if the states should make their own abortion laws, thereby representing the will of the people in each state, most Americans would agree with this. When theyre asked if Roe should be overturned, most say no, but in my opinion, its because they think that would mean a national ban on abortion.)

As for Bill Maher, he said on his Real Time broadcast on May 5, This whole [expletive] argument about, well, its settled law, so was segregation. Plessy v. Ferguson was settled law in 1896 and thank God somebody said, lets unsettle it. So, its not  thats a [expletive] argument. Its what you think, if you like babies, then youre pro-life, and if you like women, youre pro-choice. I like women.

So, even Maher recognizes that, if your emphasis is on the wellbeing of the baby, then youll be pro-life.

He added, I just  I feel likeabortion is unique. It is. Because people either  you just have this view that its murder  I could put the argument on a hat when people talk about a womans right, murder isnt a right. If you think its murder  I dont  again, crazy me.

At the least, using his logic (and quoting him directly), we can ask, So, what do you think about what he said? What if you really believe theres a little baby in there? Would that affect your viewpoint?

Again, theres nothing new in these arguments at all, nor do they provide unique insights into the controversies surrounding abortion.

But they do remind us that plenty of non-religious people recognize the complexity of abortion and that more and more Americans recognize that the standard pro-abortion talking points are not aging well.
French Guyana: Pastor shot dead, church set on fire after meeting delegation of Evangelicals

The pastor of an Evangelical church in French Guyana was shot to death and his church burned down the day after he met with a delegation from the National Council of Evangelicals in France that was visiting to discuss the implementation of a law on separatism, according to a report.

The 44-year-old slain pastor, identified as Pastor A. Kalloe of the Gado Lobi church in the town of Saint-Laurent du Maroni, was a member of the Guyana branch of the National Council of Evangelicals in France, or CNEF, according to the Evangelical Focus Europe, which said his church was also set on fire and destroyed a few hours after the shooting Tuesday night.

At least seven other people, including two sons of Pastor Kalloe, were injured in the shooting and two others were taken to a hospital in critical condition, it added.

Clement Diedrichs, the CNEF director, was quoted as saying that when he reached the spot, the church was still smoking.

I had never seen a church totally destroyed by fire, we are completely puzzled, Diedrichs said, adding that the pastor was very involved in his church and community.

All our prayers and fraternal condolences to the family and loved ones of this brother in Christ, the CNEF wrote on Facebook.

A local politician, Lenaick Adam, recalled that Kalloe was a man of faith, adding that he supported me in my political battles.

I honor his memory, my sincere condolences to his family. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. May the perpetrators be quickly found, he said.

French Guyana, also spelled as French Guiana, is governed by the provisions of the French constitution, which sees it as an integral part of the French Republic. There have been protests against a lack of investment from the mainland.

The CNEF delegation was in French Guyana to discuss the implementation of the French separatism law, which seeks to combat Islamist separatism as the enemy of the Republic.
Islamic militants kill 8 Christians, including children, in Nigeria

Radical Islamic militants killed at least eight Christians, including children younger than 5, and wounded several others in an attack in Nigerias Borno state, according to reports.

A picture from the scene shows two deceased victims, each appearing to be young children, lying side by side, said the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern about the attack in Borno states Kwal area.

ICC added that one of its representatives met with a 2-year-old gunshot wound survivor whose mother was killed in the attack.

According to various reports, the attackers were Islamic Fulani herdsmen or militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province.

The attackers had AK-47 rifles and shouted, Allah Akbar [Allah is the greatest] while firing indiscriminately, according to ICC, which said a community member who was given intel about a possible attack had issued a security alert.

In response to this warning, an ICC representative went to the community before the attack began and rescued 15 children, whom he hid in his home beyond the scope of the assailants, the watchdog said.

Despite an early warning, we told government officials, but they kept silent and allowed Fulani militants to kill us, a leader in the community was quoted as saying. The government is silent over the killings in my region because we are Christians, not Fulani Muslims.

There has been an increase in attacks by suspected Fulani radicals against farming communities in Nigerias Middle Belt states in recent years that have reportedly led to thousands of deaths.

Weapons are being made available to militants in Nigeria through war-torn Libya. And in the countrys Northeast region, the terrorist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have killed thousands and displaced millions in recent years.

In a report released last year, the Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) estimated that about 10 million people had been uprooted in northern Nigeria, where extremist violence was most severe, from July 2009 to July 2021.

The report added that about 2,000 Christian schools were attacked during that time.

The atrocities included massacres, killings, mutilations, torture, maiming, abductions, hostage-taking, rape, girl-child defilements, forced marriages, disappearances, extortions, forceful conversions and destruction or burning of homes and sacred worship and learning centers, Intersociety reported.

Intersociety said the mass violence had resulted from the propagation of radical Islamism.

The Nigerian government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, who comes from a Fulani background, attributes the violence in the Middle Belt states to decades-old farmer-herder clashes. However, Christian human rights advocates have accused the government of overlooking religious elements and not doing enough to protect Nigerian citizens.

Last year, the U.S. State Department removed Nigeria from its list of countries of particular concern for tolerating or engaging in egregious violations of religious liberty after it was placed on the list in 2020 by the Trump administration. The removal of Nigeria from the list drew backlash from some human rights activists.

Many have raised concerns about what they perceive as the governments inaction in holding terrorists accountable for the rising number of murders and kidnappings, which some groups warn have reached the level of genocide.

ICC identified Nigeria as one of its 2021 Persecutors of the Year.

Nigeria is one of the deadliest places on Earth for Christians, as 50,000 to 70,000 have been killed since 2000, the ICC Persecutor of the Year report states.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, reported that at least 4,650 Christians were killed between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. That is an increase from 3,530 the previous year. Additionally, more than 2,500 Christians were kidnapped, up from 990 a year earlier.
SEATTLE (AP)  A federal judge in Seattle has declined to order Sen. Elizabeth Warren to retract statements she made criticizing a book that promotes misinformation about COVID-19 and suggesting that companies that sold it might face liability.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein on Monday issued an order rejecting the request by the publisher and authors of the book The Truth About COVID-19, which accuses the global elite of using the pandemic to grab unprecedented power.

The publishing company, Chelsea Green of White River Junction, Vermont, and the authors, including prominent anti-vaccine propagandist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sued the Massachusetts Democrat last fall. Kennedy is a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother, former U.S. attorney general, civil rights activist and Democratic presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy.

The lawsuit said a letter Warren sent to Amazon complaining about the company's sale of the book amounted to censorship. The plaintiffs sought a preliminary court order requiring Warren to publicly retract her letter and banning her from issuing further such letters.

The book is by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a Florida osteopath who has a long history of selling unapproved health products, and Ronnie Cummins, an activist against genetically modified food. It features a foreword by Kennedy.

It promotes unproven and possibly dangerous treatments for the coronavirus, Warren said, while falsely suggesting COVID-19 vaccines approved by the government have not been properly tested. The Food and Drug Administration has warned Mercola to stop offering vitamin D and other products as safe and/or effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19.

In a letter last September, Warren accused Seattle-based Amazon of peddling misinformation, saying the company's search algorithms promoted the book. Warren suggested Amazon's actions were unethical, unacceptable, and potentially unlawful, and she asked the company to review its algorithms.

Two days later, another bookseller, Barnes & Noble, stopped sales of the work.

Chelsea Green, along with the books authors, sued, saying the book contains factual information and reasonable opinions protected by the First Amendment. Warrens veiled threats that Amazon or other booksellers could face legal repercussions for selling the book amounted to unlawful government censorship, the lawsuit said.

But in her order denying the request for a preliminary injunction, Rothstein noted that Warren is just one senator, far removed from the power to legally punish booksellers for continuing to sell the book.

The threat of legal sanctions can act as an unlawful restriction on speech, but a threat will only be perceived as such if there is a realistic chance the threatened action can be carried out, Rothstein wrote. Defendant Warren does not have any unilateral investigative authority, and there is no immediate statutory basis for her statement that Amazons practices are potentially unlawful.

The lawsuit continues but the judge wrote that the plaintiffs were unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim that Defendant Warrens letter constitutes a prior restraint on speech.

The book continued to be offered for sale on Amazon's website.
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WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

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WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

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MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

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VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

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KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

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BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

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WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

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HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

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GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.
As our world grows more connected, franchise brands are finding more opportunities to expand beyond borders. Even the travel restrictions and shutdowns of the last two years couldnt stop many brands international growthand now that those roadblocks are lifting, expansion efforts will likely accelerate even more.

Entrepreneurs Top Global Franchises ranking celebrates the top 200 franchise brands expanding outside the U.S. All together, they represent more than 459,000 total units worldwide  almost half of which are international  and they added more than 7,900 international franchise units from July 2020 to July 2021.

Heres a closer look at how just a few of these franchise brands are making their mark on the global stage.

Image Credit: Courtesy of KFC

KFC, No. 1:

KFC was one of the earliest fast-food franchises to expand internationally in the 1960s, and in 1987 became the first Western fast-food company to open in China. Today, the brand that began in a roadside gas station in Kentucky has more than five times as many international restaurants as domestic ones. It even continued growing internationally at the height of the pandemic. Its 25,000th store opened on New Years Even 2020, in Hyderabad, India, and is led and operated by an all-woman team.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Papa Johns

Papa Johns, No. 21:

Papa Johns has entered 15 new countries in recent years, and last year alone it announced deals to expand into Cambodia, Germany, Kenya and Uganda. It also continues to grow its presence in countries that already know the brand. In January, Papa Johns announced a partnership with private equity firm FountainVest Partners to open more than 1,350 new stores across South China by 2040. The franchise development agreement in China is the largest in the companys history and will grow its global unit count by 25%.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Focus Brands

Cinnabon, No. 34:

Last year, on top of opening 215 new stores, Cinnabon sold more than 225 international development commitments, including a deal with a master franchisee to open 130 stores in the Kingdom or Saudi Arabia in the next five years. That will make it the brands largest market outside the U.S.  and its already seeing success. Increasing online ordering and delivery has been a focus for all Cinnabon restaurants around the world over the last year, and Saudi Arabias existing stores saw delivery grow by 193% in 2021 compared to 2020.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Freedom Boat Club

Freedom Boat Club, No. 85:

Freedom Boat Club was primarily a North American franchise, but since opening its first U.K. location last April, it has rapidly expanded its presence in Europe. It recently added a second location in the U.K., a third in France, and through the acquisition of Fanautic Club, it now has 23 locations across the coast of Spain. The boats available at each location vary with the local culture and waterways: While the companys U.S. fleets employ few sailing boats, they are plentiful in Spain, and rapid inflatable boats are especially popular in the U.K.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Club Pilates Spain

Club Pilates, No. 179:

The first Club Pilates in Spain opened in Barcelona in September, helmed by the regions master franchisees, brothers Fernando and Horacio Rosentgberg. Horacio also owns multiple Club Pilates locations in South Florida, and the brothers familiarity with the brand helped them successfully launch in the Spanish market. Theyve made adaptations like a sleeker, more sophisticated interior design and an increased presence on Instagram, which is more popular with members in Spain than Facebook. Theyve already opened two additional locations, with more in the pipeline.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Chronic Tacos

Chronic Tacos, No. 186:

When some brands dip their toes in to international waters, they stick to markets close to home. Chronic Tacos first foray outside the U.S. and Canada went much further  all the way to Japan. The company has opened five franchises there over about five years and learned to adjust its offerings to fit local tastes along the way. Mexican food is still relatively new in Japan, to the Japanese stores help customers by promoting suggested orders over the customization thats popular in the U.S., and they also offer smaller portions.

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HONOLULU (AP)  Federal investigators blamed a deadly 2019 helicopter crash in Hawaii on the pilots decision to keep flying into worsening weather, and in a report Tuesday they accused regulators of lax oversight of air tours that are popular among tourists to the islands.

The National Transportation Safety Board said that the Federal Aviation Administration had delayed installing aviation weather cameras that might have alerted the pilot to the fog-shrouded conditions in a mountainous region on the island of Kauai. The board also said the FAA failed to do enough to ensure that tour pilots in Hawaii are trained in handling bad weather.

Safety board Chair Jennifer Homendy said some will be quick to single out the pilot for causing the crash, which killed all seven people on board, but that she was troubled more by the FAAs role.

The fact is that this tragedy should never have occurred. It was 100% preventable, Homendy said. There was minimal FAA oversight of the safety of air tour operations in Hawaii. The FAA should be leading on safety, not ceding their responsibility to the industry that they are charged with regulating.

Kauai, with its steep sea-side cliffs and mountainous terrain, often experiences fast moving weather systems that can change conditions quickly, especially in winter months.

The tour helicopter operated by Safari Aviation was carrying the pilot and six passengers  three adults and three children, the youngest was 10  when it crashed in turbulent weather near the famed Na Pali Coast. Witnesses and other pilots reported fog, rain and low visibility around the time of the crash, and some pilots had turned around.

The pilot, 69-year-old Paul Matero, had his license revoked in 2010 after testing positive for marijuana, but his certificate was reinstated in 2012. A toxicology report after the crash found no drugs in Materos system. Matero was not licensed to fly solely by instruments.

The FAA said it has installed weather cameras at five locations in Hawaii including two on the island of Kauai  although none in the area of the crash  and it plans to install 21 more across six islands by the end of next year. The FAA has been operating weather cameras in Alaska for more than 20 years.

The NTSB said it found no mechanical problems with the helicopter, but it said Safari Aviations lack of a formal process to identify safety hazards contributed to the accident.

The FAA said it has started writing regulations to require tour and charter operators to adopt safety-management systems to identify and minimize risks  a longtime NTSB recommendation.

Air tour operators today can apply to the FAAs voluntary Safety Management System program, and we have rule making underway to make these systems a requirement, the FAA said in an emailed statement.

The safety board voted 4-0 to adopt a staff-written outline of the probable cause of the crash, along with 10 safety recommendations, eight of them directed at the FAA.

The board also renewed nine other past recommendations to the FAA, including requiring tour helicopters to be retrofitted with so-called black boxes that would aid investigators after crashes.

Currently, FAA requires the devices on air ambulance helicopters, and manufacturers include them on some models. The agency said it encourages air tour operators to equip their aircraft with flight data recorders and is considering requiring the devices.

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Koenig reported from Dallas.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia voters nominated candidates Tuesday in primaries for the U.S. House and the Legislature. The overall ballot in the midterm election may be smaller, but the voting landscape changed after the state's once-a-decade redistricting was completed last fall. There are a dwindling number of seats contested by Democrats in a state that has turned sharply Republican.

U.S. HOUSE

U.S. Reps. Alex Mooney and Carol Miller, two incumbent West Virginia Republicans backed by former President Donald Trump, won their respective primaries Tuesday.

Mooney defeated fellow incumbent Rep. David McKinley in the 2nd District GOP primary.

McKinley was sharply criticized by Trump when he broke with his party as one of 13 Republicans to vote with Democrats to support President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Trump called McKinley a RINO, or Republican in Name Only and endorsed Mooney the day President Joe Biden signed the infrastructure law.

Mooney is seeking his fifth term. McKinley was seeking his seventh. Others candidates in the GOP primary were Susan Buchser-Lochocki of Morgantown, Rhonda Hercules of Wheeling and Mike Seckman of West Union.

Mooney will face Democrat Barry Lee Wendell in November. Wendell defeated security operations manager Angela Dwyer of Falling Waters on Tuesday.

Miller, also endorsed by Trump, easily won the Republican nomination in West Virginia's 1st District, defeating four little-known candidates and setting herself on a clear path to reelection.

Miller will vie for her third term in the House in the fall against Democrat Lacy Watson, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Watson, of Bluefield, lost in the 2020 Democratic primary in the former 3rd District.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Millers campaign raised more than $676,000, exponentially more than her GOP challengers combined: Scott Fuller of Kenova, James Edwin Houser of Mount Nebo, Zane Lawhorn of Princeton and Kent Stevens of Milton.

Miller had voted against the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. She also voted against President Joe Bidens massive infrastructure bill.

West Virginia lost one of its three U.S. House seats based on results of the 2020 U.S. census, which showed a 3.2% decline in the state's population over the past decade  the biggest drop of any state in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES

The entire 100-member state House of Delegates is up for election. Republicans hold a 78-22 supermajority. More than half of the incumbents have no opposition in Tuesday's primary while 15 incumbents, including 10 Republicans, did not seek reelection.

For the first time, the chamber is split into 100 single-member voting districts after the passage of a 2018 restructuring bill. Previously, the House had 67 districts with more than half of the chamber elected from multiple-member districts. Because of redistricting, some incumbent lawmakers will face each other in their new districts.

There are no Democrats running in 27 of the 100 House districts. Only 16 of the Democratic primaries involve contested races.

STATE SENATE

Half of the 34-member Senate was up for election. Republicans hold a 23-11 supermajority in the chamber, where eight incumbents have no primary opposition and four others are not seeking reelection.

Democratic candidates were absent in six of the 17 Senate primaries. Only two Senate primaries had contested Democratic races.

VOTER TURNOUT

With no presidential, gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races this year, the lines at the polls were generally light. In nonpresidential election years, the primary election turnout statewide was 26% in 2018, 20% in 2014 and 24% in 2010.

According to the Secretary of States office, nearly 59,000 people voted early in person and about 3,900 returned an absentee ballot.

Among registered voters statewide, nearly 39% are Republican, about 34% are Democrats and 23% have no party affiliation. Other parties make up the rest.

ANNULLED CANDIDACY

West Virginia's Supreme Court on Friday let stand a lower courts disqualification of a Republican state Senate candidate over a residency requirement.

A Kanawha County judge ruled in a voters challenge last week that 8th District candidate Andrea Garrett 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. On Friday the justices declined a motion to temporarily stay the circuit courts order and refused a motion as moot for expedited consideration.

OTHER CHOICES

Democrats and Republicans werent the only parties on the primary ballot. The Mountain Party has two candidates running in the House of Delegates. Bud Anderson will take on Democratic incumbent Doug Skaff and Republican Ernest Blevins in a Charleston-area district this fall, while Dylan Parsons will face Democratic incumbent Lisa Zukoff and Republican Charles Sheedy in a Northern Panhandle district. All were unopposed in their respective primaries Tuesday.
5 fast facts about Rice Village's new modern Israeli restaurant Hamsa, from the team behind Doris Metropolitan and Badolina Bakery, opens May 11 in Houston.

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WEST FARGO, N.D. (AP)  Bobcat Company has announced plans for a new assembly plant in Minnesota.

The West Fargo-based manufacturer of farm and construction equipment says it expects the plant in the Twin Cities suburb of Rogers will be fully operational by the fourth quarter. Bobcat will hire more than 100 people for the new plant, the company's third location in Minnesota.

It also has a manufacturing facility in Litchfield, where it recently invested in a $26 million expansion, and an office in downtown Minneapolis.

This investment further demonstrates our commitment to our presence in Minnesota, while supporting the growth we are experiencing in the marketplace, said Mike Ballweber, president of Doosan Bobcat North America. We are dedicated to continuing to expand our capabilities and equipment product lines to empower our customers, and this new location will be an important part of this success.

Bobcat said it will initially concentrate on hiring material handlers, assemblers and warehouse associates for both first and second shifts.

The company said Rogers is an ideal spot given the benefits of its unique location at the intersection of two regional roadway systems  Interstate 94 and Highway 101. That will help the company streamline its supply routes alongside other locations in the region, officials said.

The company makes skid steer loaders, compact excavators and tractors, and other small hydraulic equipment under the Bobcat brand name.
HANFORD, Calif. (AP)  Prosecutors in central California on Monday dropped a murder charge against a woman in connection with the death of her unborn child through drug use.

The decision by the Kings County district attorney's office to dismiss the charge against Adora Perez was a victory for justice and the rule of law, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

Perez gave birth to a full-term, stillborn baby on Dec. 31, 2017, at a hospital in the San Joaquin Valley. Perez acknowledged that she had used methamphetamine during the pregnancy.

Perez was charged under Californias murder law, which was amended in 1970 to include the death of a fetus. In 2018, she pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and the murder charge was dismissed.

However in January, Bonta issued a legal interpretation that said the fetal murder law was only intended to criminalize violence done to pregnant women that caused fetal death  not the women themselves.

Otherwise addicted women might avoid health care services for fear their substance abuse could lead to criminal prosecution, he said.

In March, a judge overturned Perez's conviction and 11-year prison sentence, saying California's voluntary manslaughter law doesn't apply to the unborn. The original murder charge was reinstated so Perez, who had spent four years in prison, could argue the charge in court.

Bonta applauded the DA's office for dropping the case.

Suffering a miscarriage or a stillbirth can be deeply personal and traumatic. We owe it to all Californians to ensure the pain of loss is not compounded by violation of privacy and unjust prosecution," Bonta said in his statement. "California law is clear: We do not criminalize people for the loss of a pregnancy.

Last year a judge dismissed a murder charge against another Kings County woman, Chelsea Becker, who delivered a stillbirth after consuming methamphetamine.
PERRY, Iowa (AP)  The police chief of the central Iowa city of Perry was shot in the leg Tuesday morning while trying to apprehend a man with a gun, police said.

Police Chief Eric Vaughn was shot in the upper leg after he and officers from several agencies responded to a call of shots fired and then found a man with a handgun. Officers negotiated with the man, identified as Jeremiah Messner, and convinced him to place the gun on the ground.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  President Joe Biden legally called for suspending new and gas lease sales while considering their effect on climate change, and onshore and offshore sales were legally postponed, a federal attorney argued Tuesday.

The current offshore lease sale plan states specifically that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior may reduce or cancel lease offerings on account of climate change, Department of Justice attorney Andrew B. Bernie told a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel.

Land-based sales "were not postponed by the executive order. They were postponed because of a need to comply with NEPA  the National Environmental Policy Act, he said.

Arguing for 13 states that challenged Biden's January 2021 order, Louisiana Deputy Solicitor General Joseph Scott St. John said laws passed in response to the 1970s oil crisis require lease sales.

The Biden administration failed to grapple with prior analyses of the planned sales to give a valid reason for postponing or canceling them, he said.

Judges James L. Dennis, Patrick E. Higginbotham and James E. Graves Jr. did not indicate when they will rule.

Louisiana is joined in the suit by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

The state challenge to Biden's order has not yet gone to trial but a federal judge blocked the order in a preliminary injunction, writing that since the laws did not state the president could suspend oil lease sales, only Congress could do so.

Bernie said, It is routine for individual lease sales or proposed lease sales not to be held for various reasons. The federal brief said nine five-year leasing plans have been approved and all had fewer sales than originally scheduled.

We don't know why prior lease sales were withdrawn, St. John responded. Presumably there was some kind of rationale. That was not the case here.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty found that states which challenged the order were likely to prove the Interior Department violated the Administrative Policy Act by acting without any rational explanation."

After Doughty ruled for the states, the Interior Department held an offshore lease sale, which a federal judge in Washington canceled. Four onshore lease sales are scheduled next month  for land in Nevada on June 14; New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado on June 16; Wyoming on June 22 and Utah, Montana and North Dakota on June 28.

However, the administration scaled back the amount of land originally on offer and raised royalty rates 50% from 12.5% to 18.75%. That's the amount usually charged for desirable deep water offshore leases, while those in less than 656 feet (200 meters) of water are charged the 12.5% minimum.

Biden has come under pressure to increase U.S. crude production as fuel prices spike because of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. From within his own party, the Democrat faces calls to do more to curb emissions from fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

Oil companies have been reluctant to ramp up, saying there are not enough workers, scant money for new drilling investments and wariness that todays high prices wont last.

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Associated Press writer Matt Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
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HAVANA (AP)  The elegant Hotel Saratoga was supposed to reopen in Havana on Tuesday after a two-year pandemic break. Instead, it was a day of mourning for the 43 people known to have died in an explosion that ripped the building apart.

Emergency workers continued to hunt through the ruins for other victims as experts began to consider the fate of 19th century building, a former warehouse that had been converted into hotel early in the last century.

Roberto Enriquez, a spokesman for the military-owned Gaviota tourism company that operates the Saratoga, said experts' initial estimates are that 80% of the hotel was damaged by Friday's explosion, which hurled tons of concrete chunks into the busy streets just a block from the country's Capitol and seriously harmed neighboring structures.

He said that when rescue efforts finish, authorities would look more deeply into what to do with the structure.

Officials reported Tuesday evening that a 43rd body had been found, but it was not immediately known if the latest victim worked at the hotel.

Enriques said earlier in the day that 51 people were working to get the hotel ready for its re-inauguration, and 23 of them were among the confirmed dead  executives and maids, cooks and reception desk workers, security personnel and technicians. He said three workers remained missing, believed to be buried under the debris.

Authorities have said they suspect the cause was a leak of gas as a tank truck was servicing the building.

The Ministry of Health said Tuesday evening that the overall death toll had risen to 43, including at least one Spanish tourist. Seventeen people remained hospitalized.

The head of the Communist Party for Havana, Luis Antonio Torres Iribar, said that 38 homes had been affected by the explosion and 95 people had to be relocated, according to the official Cubadebate website.

He said one of the neighboring buildings would have to be demoished.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  A condemned Ohio prisoner scheduled for execution next year for killing his 3-year-old son in an arson fire has died of a heart attack, the state said.

Michael Webb, 73, was sentenced to die for setting a 1990 fire at his Clermont County house in southern Ohio. Authorities said Webb meant to kill his wife and children and collect insurance money to be with his mistress.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  A court in El Salvador has sentenced a woman who suffered an obstetric emergency that ended her pregnancy to 30 years in prison for aggravated homicide, according to a nongovernmental organization assisting in her defense.

The Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion said Tuesday in a statement that a woman they identified only as Esme was sentenced Monday. The woman had already been in pre-trial detention for two years following her arrest when she sought medical care in a public hospital.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Fighters of the Azov Regiment, the Ukrainian unit holed up in the besieged Azovstal steel mill in the devastated port city of Mariupol, have released photos of their wounded comrades in arms who they say are in the plant, along with an appeal to the United Nations and Red Cross to arrange for their evacuation.

In a statement accompanying the photos posted on a Telegram channel titled Azov  Mariupol Tuesday, they said the wounded, who they noted were no longer combatants, were living in unsanitary conditions with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile remnants of bandages, without the necessary medication and even food.

The statement said that the whole civilized world must see the conditions in which the wounded, crippled defenders of Mariupol are and act.

We demand the immediate evacuation of wounded servicemen to Ukrainian-controlled territories, where they will be assisted and provided with proper care, the statement concluded, noting there were several hundred wounded fighters in the plant.

The series of 10 photos shows fighters with severe injuries, including two standing on crutches who have had their left legs amputated, one with his left arm amputated at the shoulder and another with his right arm amputated above the elbow, with the stump bandaged. Two others are shown being treated by medics, and another has an external fixation device, which is screwed into broken limbs to stabilize them, on his right arm.

It was not possible to independently verify where the photos were shot or the identities of those depicted.

The seaside steel mill is the only part of the strategic port city that has not been taken over by Russian forces. With a warren of tunnels and bunkers extending deep beneath the plant, hundreds of civilians had taken shelter there from the intense bombardment of their city. Ukrainian and Russian officials had said the last remaining women, children and the elderly were evacuated from the plant earlier this week, but confusion remained as to whether all civilians had been evacuated after two Ukrainian officials on Tuesday estimated that some remained.

The Azov Regiment has a controversial past. It derives from a group called the Azov Battalion, which formed in 2014 as one of many volunteer brigades in the fight against Russia-backed separatists in Ukraines east. It drew its initial fighters from far-right circles and elicited criticism for its tactics. Later in 2014 it splintered into two groups, with one folded into the National Guard as the Azov Regiment, and another becoming a far-right political movement.

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
LONGWOOD, Fla. (AP)  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."

The bill, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Rather than reprinting the yearbook at substantial cost and delay, we have elected to cover that material that is out of compliance with board policy so that yearbooks can be distributed as soon as possible," the principal's statement said.

In an email Tuesday, Seminole County Public Schools spokesman Michael Lawrence said the issue wasn't with the protest but how its depiction in the yearbook could be interpreted as being endorsed by the school, which would be in violation of the school board's policy.

Lawrence noted that the yearbook dedicates a separate page to the school's Gay Straight Alliance Club and elsewhere shows students at a pride march and holding rainbow flags. He said those depictions do comply with the policy.

The issue at hand here is not the photos or the topic for which the students were protesting," Lawrence said. If these items were caught earlier prior to print, some simple editing/tweaking likely couldve occurred to make that section in compliance prior to print."

When asked what would have needed editing, Lawrence said, specifically making it clear that this particular event was a student'-led event that was not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the district or school wouldve solved the issue."

School officials determined that the least costly solution would be to cover up that section so that the yearbooks could still be distributed to seniors before graduation and the rest of the student body prior to summer break, he said.

The yearbook's faculty advisor Danielle Pomeranz told the Orlando Sentinel that she was asked to check into putting stickers over the photos and captions depicting the walkout. She said it would cost $45,000 to reprint the 600 yearbooks.

This really shouldnt be happening because all we did as journalists was document what was happening at our school on our campus, Skye Tiedemann, one of the yearbooks editors-in-chief, told the Sentinel. To have that covered up isnt right. ... This is censorship.

Tiedemann told WKMG that students were supposed to have a party Monday to have yearbooks signed by their classmates, but that was canceled.

Students at the school in Longwood, which is near Orlando, have created a hashtag #stopthestickers," which is circulating on social media. They also planned a peaceful protest at Tuesday night's meeting of the Seminole County School Board, WKMG reported.

Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a Democrat who is the state's first LGBTQ Latino legislator, said in a tweet that the censorship is a direct result of the law these students were protesting. #WeWillNotBeErased in this so-called free state.'"

DeSantis frequently refers to the free state of Florida in his news conferences.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from the Orlando area, said in a letter to school board members that she was disappointed by the decision.

Students were empowered to craft a yearbook that reflects their lived experience of the academic year and did so with professionalism  sharing a piece of history on Lyman's campus, one that should be reflected upon," Eskamani said. Not censored."
It may not be that Marilyn Monroe dress, but several gowns she donned for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Theres No Business Like Show Business are going up for auction this summer along with 1,400 other pieces of Hollywood history.

Over three days in July, Turner Classic Movies and Juliens Auctions are teaming up to auction off items like Captain Americas shield from Captain America: The First Avenger, a two-piece Givenchy ensemble worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys and Jules Winnfields bad mother (expletive)'' wallet from Pulp Fiction, the organizations said Tuesday.

One of the six original Stormtrooper helmets from Star Wars: A New Hope is among the items being auctioned off. The helmet was used during the Tunisia shoot and later restored by Star Wars expert Gino Sabatino. A variety of props used in the Harry Potter films, like Draco Malfoys Nimbus 2001 broomstick and Voldemorts Elder Wand, are also up for bidding, as is the hammer used by Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World.

There will be special collections from the estates of James Garner, Robert Stack and Doris Day, as well as legendary editor Anne V. Coates marked scripts, including a never-before-seen glimpse into her Oscar-winning decision-making on David Leans Lawrence of Arabia. Other Coates items include her lined scripts for The Elephant Man and Out of Sight.

Our fans crave a tangible connection to their passion and now they can satisfy that desire with these iconic costumes and unique memorabilia from the movies we air on TCM, said TCMs general manager Pola Changnon.

One of the biggest ticket items is a yacht once owned by JP Getty that was used in the exterior scenes of the film Pal Joey, starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. There are also costume jewelry options worn by Monroe, Hayworth, Judy Garland, Olivia de Havilland and Barbara Stanwyck from Joseff of Hollywood.

Today marks an exciting milestone for Juliens Auctions as our new collaboration with TCM will bring our world class collection of important Hollywood artifacts and our premium auctions to new heights and build on our reputation as the leading auction house to the stars, said Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Juliens Auctions.

The auction will run July 15 through July 17 at Juliens Actions in Beverly Hills and online at https://juliensauctions.com.
UMUIDA, Nigeria (AP)  As Anayo Mbah went into labor with her sixth child, her husband battled COVID-19 in another hospital across town. Jonas, a young motorcycle taxi driver, had been placed on oxygen after he started coughing up blood.

Jonas would never meet his daughter, Chinaza. Hours after the birth, Mbahs sister-in-law called to say he was gone. Staff at the hospital in Nigeria soon asked Mbah and her newborn to leave. No one had come to pay her bill.

Anayo began the rites of widowhood at the home where she lived with her in-laws: Her head was shaved, and she was dressed in white clothing. But just weeks into the mourning period that traditionally lasts six months, her late husbands relatives stopped providing food, then confronted her directly.

They told me that it was better for me to find my own way, Mbah, now 29, said. They said even if I have to go and remarry, that I should do so. That the earlier I leave the house, the better for me and my children.

She left on foot for her mothers home with only a plastic bag of belongings for Chinaza and her other children.

Across Africa, widowhood has long befallen great numbers of women  particularly in the continent's least developed countries where medical facilities are scarce. Many widows are young, having married men decades older. And in some countries, men frequently have more than one wife, leaving several widows behind when they die.

Now, the pandemic has created an even larger population of widows on the continent, with African men more likely to die of the virus than women, and it has exacerbated the issues they face. Women such as Mbah say the pandemic has taken more than their husbands: In their widowhood, its cost them their extended families, their homes and their futures.

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This story is part of a yearlong series on how the pandemic is impacting women in Africa, most acutely in the least developed countries. The Associated Press series is funded by the European Journalism Centres European Development Journalism Grants program, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The AP is responsible for all content.

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Once widowed, women are often mistreated and disinherited. Laws prohibit many from acquiring land or give them only a fraction of their spouses wealth. In-laws can claim custody of children. Other in-laws disown the children and refuse to help, even if they're the familys only source of money and food. And young widows have no adult children to support them in impoverished communities with few jobs.

In Nigeria, Africas most populous nation, some 70 percent of confirmed COVID-19 deaths have been men, according to data tracked by the Sex, Gender and COVID-19 Project. Similarly, more than 70 percent of deaths in Chad, Malawi, Somalia and Congo have been men, according to figures from the project. Other countries likely show similar trends but lack the resources to gather detailed figures.

Experts say some of the widows left behind have nothing while others are pressured to remarry brothers-in-law or be cut off. Widows can start experiencing mistreatment by their in-laws before their husbands are even buried.

Some are treated as outcasts, accused of being responsible for the death of their husband, said Egodi Blessing Igwe, of WomenAid Collective, which has aided thousands of widows with legal services and family mediation.

In Congo, Vanessa Emedy Kamana had known her husband for a decade before he proposed marriage. She worked for the scholar as a personal assistant. By the time their friendship turned romantic, Godefroid Kamana was in his late 60s; she, a single mother in her late 20s.

When he died, relatives came to the family home where Kamana had just begun her period of mourning. Generally, widows are required to stay in their homes and can receive visitors. Mourning lengths vary by religion and ethnic group. Kamana, whose family is Muslim, was supposed to stay home for four months and 10 days. But her husbands relatives didnt wait that long to force her and her young son out on the street, showing up the night of his burial.

She feared her husbands family would seek custody of her son, Jamel, whom Kamana had adopted and given his surname. Ultimately the relatives did not, because the boy  now 6  wasnt his biological child. They did, however, move swiftly to amass financial assets.

She and her son now live in a smaller home her mother kept as a rental property. Kamana sells secondhand clothing at a market. She initially received 40% of her late husbands salary, those funds will soon stop entirely.

It's painful, Kamana said, when her late husbands relatives insist they've lost more than she did: "No one will be able to replace him.

In West Africa, widowhood is particularly fraught in the large swaths where many marriages are polygamous. The first wife or her children usually lay claim to the family home and financial assets.

Saliou Diallo, 35, said she'd have been left with nothing after a decade of marriage had her husband not thought to put her home under her name instead of his. Under Guinean law, a mans multiple wives share a small percentage of his estate, with nearly all of it  87.5 percent  going to his children.

Diallos husband, El Hadj, 74, had been building the home just for her and their 4-year-old daughter when he fell ill.

Diallo already knew the burden of losing a spouse: At 13, she became a second wife, only to be widowed in her early 20s. Then, El Hadj already had had several wives but wanted to marry Diallo and raise her three kids as his own.

They'd spent a decade together before the virus hit El Hadj. In his final conversations with his wife, he lamented that her home didnt have windows yet. That he hadn't lived long enough to build a well so she wouldnt have to carry water on her head. That other relatives would try to chase her off once he was gone.

Family asked Diallo for the papers of the house El Hadj had built for her. She provided photocopies but secretly kept the originals.

Her extended family ultimately helped raise money to put windows on her house. Still, she feels her husbands absence. There's electricity, but no light fixtures. She has just a few plastic chairs as furniture in her unpainted living room.

I am sure God is saving a surprise for me. I surrender to him, she said. I keep my faith.

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Larson also reported from Goma, Congo and Conakry, Guinea. Associated Press journalists Jerome Delay, Justin Kabumba and Moses Sawasawa in Goma, Congo and Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea, contributed.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The Idaho Fish and Game Department is investigating how many illegally-stocked walleye fish are in Lake Cascade after a second walleye catch was reported in four years.

Regional Fisheries Biologist Mike Thomas was fishing while off duty with another angler, Chris Weber, when Weber landed the nearly 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) fish, Boise television station KTVB reported. Another angler reported catching a walleye in the lake in 2018.

We know that the only way walleye could have gotten into Lake Cascade is through one or more individuals illegally transplanting them there, Regional Fisheries Manager Jordan Messner said.

State wildlife officials have said walleye are incompatible with the perch in Lake Cascade and its fisheries downstream, such as the Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon reservoirs. Walleye commonly prey on other fish.

It is illegal to release live fish or their eggs in Idaho without the permission of the Fish and Game Department director. It is also illegal to possess or transport the live fish or their eggs without permission.

"Two reports over a four-year span means Walleye could very well be established in the lake, but the fact that we havent encountered them during extensive fish population surveys or angler surveys means they are likely not very abundant yet, Thomas said. Our fisheries program will be shifting gears over the coming weeks to try to determine the extent of their occurrence in the lake, and well develop a game-plan for moving forward.

Regional Fisheries Manager Joe Kozfkay said Lake Cascade lacks forage fish like smelt, shad or minnows, so an established walleye population in the lake could create a threat to the perch population. The lake is a popular destination for perch fishing.

Citizens Against Poaching is offering a reward for information about the case.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Sailors deployed to secure travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday made Indonesia's biggest cocaine seizure after finding plastic packages of the drugs floating at sea, the navy said.

Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and has strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad.

The four black packages containing 179 kilograms (nearly 400 pounds) of cocaine worth 1.2 trillion rupiah ($82.6 million) were found floating near Merak port on Java island on Sunday, the navys deputy chief of staff said at a news conference Monday.

Smuggling drugs by throwing packages and a buoy into the sea is a common tactic, Vice Adm. Ahmadi Heri Purwono said. Smugglers likely put the drugs in the water near a port for them to be moved by a speedboat and were monitoring the packages when they were seized by the navy, he said.

This is a spectacular seizure of cocaine, considering its huge value and the impact on the people as a result of the illicit drugs, Purwono said. No one has been arrested, and authorities are still investigating, he said.

The officers who spotted the package were among 5,000 navy personnel deployed to secure Eid al-Fitr homecomings. Millions of Indonesians celebrate the holiday at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by traveling to see their families across the vast archipelago.

The U.N. drug office says Indonesia is a major smuggling hub in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. Indonesias National Narcotics Agency estimates there are 5.6 million drug users in the country of 270 million people.

Most of the more than 150 people on Indonesia's death row were convicted of drug crimes. About one-third of them are foreigners. Its last executions were in 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by a firing squad.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden and Italian Premier Mario Draghi met in the Oval Office on Tuesday for a visit intended to showcase allied unity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it also provided a window into divergent approaches to the conflict.

Draghi said leaders should work toward the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting, again, some credible negotiations. He added that in Italy and Europe now, people want to put an end to these massacres and this violence, this butchery."

Biden did not echo Draghi's comments, and U.S. officials appear openly skeptical that there's a way to restart talks at this point.

Avril Haines, Bidens director of national intelligence, testified earlier Tuesday that both Ukraine and Russia believe they can make progress on the battlefield at this point, so we do not see a viable negotiating path forward, at least in the short term.

She also said Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared for a prolonged conflict.

The different tones over Ukraine reflect Italys geographic proximity to the war and deeper economic ties to Russia, which provides 40% of the countrys natural gas. Theres also growing skepticism in Italy about sending weapons to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been ramping up its military assistance for Ukraine with bipartisan support from Congress, and administration officials have used more aggressive rhetoric when talking about the war. For example, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently said the U.S. wants to see Russia weakened to the point where it cant do things like invade Ukraine.

Biden and Draghi still emphasized their two countries' deep ties and their work on Ukraine.

Youve been a good friend and a great ally, Biden said, adding that the allies had all stepped up to confront Russia.

Draghi responded by saying, The ties between our two countries will always be strong. And if anything, this war in Ukraine has made them stronger."

Echoing comments that Biden has often made, Draghi added that Putin thought he could divide us. He failed.

Ali Wyne, a senior analyst with the Eurasia Group, said shock-induced unity can be difficult to sustain" as the war continues.

Geography means that the escalation of tensions between NATO and Russia poses a more immediate threat to Europes security than to Americas  and means, therefore, that de-escalation is a more pressing imperative for Brussels, he said. In addition, the more pronounced the externalities of the war become, including energy disruptions and food insecurity, the more pressure the American public and European publics are likely to place on their leaders to make a renewed push for a negotiated settlement.

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Associated Press staff writers Colleen Barry in Milan and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
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COSOLEACAQUE, Mexico (AP)  The director of an online news site in southeastern Mexico had been threatened in recent weeks over her journalism before being killed with a colleague, her brother said Tuesday.

Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera, the director and a reporter, respectively, of the online news site El Veraz in Cosoleacaque were shot Monday afternoon while sitting in a vehicle parked outside a convenience store.

Fear gripped the town after the slayings, and only some friends finally dared to visit the Mollinedos house to give condolences Tuesday evening. Then, the women of the family opened the coffin, put on her low-heeled shoes and said goodbye to the journalist with the open coffin.

They were the 10th and 11th media workers killed in Mexico so far this year and their deaths came just days after another journalist was killed in the northern state of Sinaloa.

Ramiro Mollinedo Falconi, also a journalist, said his younger sister had received threatening phone calls ordering her to remove crime-related stories from her news site and that more recently she had dedicated her coverage to Cosoleacaque city hall.

She was telling us 15 days ago that she had received threats, that they were going to finish her, that they were going to kill her, Ramiro Mollinedo Falconi said. Then on April 30, his sister was leaving an event when unidentified men began following her in a car and on a motorcycle. They told her, We know who you are, he said. Something similar happened to her on May 4, he said.

Still wearing the shirt that identified him as a reporter for his own political news site Ahora 30 30, he said his sister did not have political enemies.

El Veraz  which translates as the truthful one  operated a Facebook page and appeared to almost exclusively post notices about events or public information from the municipalitys government. El Verazs motto was Journalism with Humanity. Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi founded it five years ago.

Here it was organized crime, he said. Some criminal group from this area ordered the execution of Yessenia for some publications she had been doing for her work. He said he suspected stories related to the state police were to blame and believed that local authorities were protecting criminals.

Still, Yessenia did not make a formal complaint about the threats to authorities or register with state or federal journalist protection programs, her brother said. She thought the menace would just go away like it had more than a year and a half ago when she also received threats, but nothing came of them.

He said that even Monday night while the family was waiting for authorities to release her body, unknown men made several passes on a motorcycle and in a car with tinted windows.

Of course we fear for our lives, Ramiro Mollinedo Falconi said. Our family has been the object of kidnapping, our family has been object of extortion. My family has been the object of constant repression, of death threats.... My siblings have had to leave this state to avoid being killed.

Garcia Olivera had been working for his sister for less than year, he said.

Mexicos state and federal governments have been criticized for neither preventing journalists killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

Pedro Vaca, special rapporteur for freedom of expression for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said via Twitter: By conviction -- or reputation -- it cannot be tolerated that a democracy coexists with a slaughter of journalists.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday that the case would be investigated.

While organized crime is often involved in journalist killings, small town officials or politicians with political or criminal motivations are often suspects as well. Journalists running small news outlets in Mexicos interior are easy targets.

Cosoleacaque sits on a major east-west artery in southeast Mexico. Organized crime moves drugs and migrants, but also runs extortion rackets.

On Monday night, the town appeared deserted. No businesses were open, no people walked outside, no taxis cruised the streets.

Authorities released the bodies of both women to their families before dawn Tuesday. For most of the day, just a few relatives sat with the caskets. Burials were scheduled for Wednesday.

The Veracruz State Prosecutors Office promised a thorough investigation, including looking at whether the victims journalistic work was a motive in their killings.

Israel Hernandez Sosa, executive secretary of the Veracruz State Commission for Attention To and Protection of Journalists, said he was insisting that authorities make that possibility their first line of investigation.

He described the situation in the area for journalists as very difficult, but he said the commission had had no prior contact with Mollinedo Falconi or Garcia Olivera.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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CLEVELAND (AP)  A hearing has begun in federal court in Cleveland for a judge to determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies should pay two Ohio counties to help them ease the ongoing costs and problems caused by the opioid crisis.

A jury in November found the pharmacy chains responsible for recklessly distributing massive amounts of pain pills in Lake and Trumbull counties. It was the first time pharmacies in the U.S. have been held responsible for the opioid crisis.

Plaintiff's attorneys said before trial that each county needs about $1 billion to repair the damage caused by the flood of pills, which caused hundreds of overdose deaths.

Around 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County between 2012 and 2016  400 for every county resident  while 61 million pills were dispensed in Lake County during that five-year period  265 pills for every resident.

Dr. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiologist from Columbia University, testified Tuesday that her estimates show nearly 6,000 people were addicted to opioids in 2019 in Lake County and nearly 7,600 suffered from opioid use disorder in Trumbull County that year. Thousands of children in the two counties suffer from mental illness, learning problems and other issues like PTSD because their parents use illicit opioids, Keyes testified.

Drug overdose deaths increased since 2015 because of synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the two counties, Keyes said, and some of those users' drug problems began after initially becoming addicted to prescription opioids. Children of parents who illegally use opioids are at a higher risk for addiction as well, she testified.

Attorneys for the pharmacy chains questioned Keyes at length about the methodology she used to arrive at her estimates.

Back in November, a jury in U.S. District Judge Dan Polsters courtroom sided with the counties and agreed that the way the pharmacies dispensed pain medication played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance.

Now, the counties are expected to present testimony from doctors to discuss the harm suffered by those communities, the opioid crisis' impact on child welfare and other county agencies, and an abatement plan created for the counties.

The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America, Mark Lanier, the lead attorney for the counties, said after Novembers verdict.

Across the U.S., many lawsuits filed by governments over the toll of the drugs have been resolved in recent years  most with settlements, and some with judgments or verdicts in trials. So far, drug makers, distributors and pharmacies have agreed to settlements totaling well over $40 billion, according to an Associated Press tally.

Trials are underway in courts in West Virginia, Florida and California. A decision has not yet been issued after another trial last year in West Virginia.

According to an April 25 court filing, the abatement plan created for Lake and Trumbull counties by Dr. Caleb Alexander of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, are reasonable and necessary to abate the public nuisance found by the jury.

The plan focuses on prevention, treatment, recovery and measures intended to specifically address the needs of special populations who have been uniquely affected by the opioid epidemic, the court filing said.

Attorneys for Walgreens and Walmart argued in a court filing that the counties $878 million abatement plan should be limited to one year and not the minimum of five years the counties argue they need. One of the pharmacy chains experts has estimated the actual cost at $346 million while another expert said its less than $35 million, the filing said.

Defense attorneys also argued that damage caused by other entities who contributed to the public nuisance of opioid addiction should be excluded from any amounts awarded by Polster and that those costs should be limited to the pharmacies appropriate share of contribution to the nuisance.

Pharmacy chain Rite-Aid settled with the counties in early October before the start of trial. Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle reached a settlement with the counties in late October after the trial started.

There were nearly 500,000 deaths caused by legal and illegal opioids between 2000 and 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s apparent landslide victory in the Philippine presidential election is raising immediate concerns about a further erosion of democracy in Asia and could complicate American efforts to blunt growing Chinese influence and power in the Pacific.

Marcos, the namesake son of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos, captured more than double the votes of his closest challenger in Monday's election, according to the unofficial results.

If the results stand, he will take office at the end of June for a six-year term with Sara Duterte, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, as his vice president.

Duterte  who leaves office with a 67% approval rating  nurtured closer ties with China and Russia, while at times railing against the United States.

He walked back on many of his threats against Washington, however, including a move to abrogate a defense pact, and the luster of China's promise of infrastructure investment has dulled, with much failing to materialize.

Whether the recent trend in relations with the U.S. will continue has a lot to do with how President Joe Biden's administration responds to the return of a Marcos to power in the Philippines, said Manila-based political scientist Andrea Chloe Wong, a former researcher in the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

On the one hand you have Biden regarding the geostrategic interests in the Philippines, and on the other hand he has to balance promoting American democratic ideals and human rights, she said.

If he chooses to do that, he might have to isolate the Marcos administration, so this will definitely be a delicate balancing act for the Philippines, and Marcos' approach to the U.S. will highly depend on how Biden will engage with him.

His election comes at a time when the U.S. has been increasingly focused on the region, embarking on a strategy unveiled in February to considerably broaden U.S. engagement by strengthening a web of security alliances and partnerships, with an emphasis on addressing Chinas growing influence and ambitions.

Thousands of American and Filipino forces recently wrapped up one of their largest combat exercises in years, which showcased U.S. firepower in the northern Philippines near its sea border with Taiwan.

Marcos has been short on specifics about foreign policy, but in interviews he said he wanted to pursue closer ties with China, including possibly setting aside a 2016 ruling by a tribunal in The Hague that invalidated almost all of Chinas historical claims to the South China Sea.

A previous Philippines administration brought the case to the tribunal, but China has refused to recognize the ruling and Marcos said it wont help settle disputes with Beijing, so that option is not available to us.

Allowing the U.S. to play a role in trying to settle territorial spats with China will be a recipe for disaster, Marcos said in an interview with DZRH radio in January. He said Dutertes policy of diplomatic engagement with China is really our only option.

Marcos has also said he would maintain his nation's alliance with the U.S., but the relationship is complicated by American backing of the administrations that took power after his father was deposed, and a 2011 U.S. District Court ruling in Hawaii finding 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.

The court fined them $353.6 million, which has never been paid and could complicate any potential travel to the U.S.

The United States has a long history with the Philippines, which was an American colony for most of the early 20th century before gaining independence in 1946.

Its location between the South China Sea and western Pacific is strategically important. And while the U.S. closed its last military bases on the Philippines in 1992, a 1951 collective defense treaty guarantees U.S. support if the Philippines is attacked.

The U.S. noted their shared history in its remarks on the election. We look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.

Even though the Biden administration may have preferred to work with Marcos' leading opponent, Leni Robredo, the U.S.-Philippines alliance is vital to both nations' security and prosperity, especially in the new era of competition with China, said Gregory B. Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Unlike Leni, with her coherent platform for good governance and development at home and standing up to China abroad, Marcos is a policy cipher, Poling said in a research note. He has avoided presidential debates, shunned interviews, and has been silent on most issues.

Marcos has been clear, however, that he would like to try again to improve ties with Beijing, Poling said.

But when it comes to foreign policy, Marcos will not have the same space for maneuver that Duterte did, he said. The Philippines tried an outstretched hand and China bit it. That is why the Duterte government has reembraced the U.S. alliance and gotten tougher on Beijing over the last two years.

Marcos Sr. was ousted in 1986 after millions of people took to the streets, forcing an end to his corrupt dictatorship and a return to democracy. But the election of Duterte as president in 2016 brought a return to a strongman-type leader, which voters have now doubled-down on with Marcos Jr.

Domestically, Marcos, who goes by his childhood nickname Bongbong, is widely expected to pick up where Duterte left off, stifling a free press and cracking down on dissent with less of the outgoing leader's crude and brash style, while ending attempts to recover some of the billions of dollars his father pilfered from the state coffers.

But a return to the hard-line rule of his father, who declared martial law for much of his rule, is not likely, said Julio Teehankee, a political science professor at Manilas De La Salle University.

He does not have the courage or the brilliance, or even the ruthlessness to become a dictator, so I think what we will see is a form of authoritarian-lite or Marcos-lite," Teehankee said.

The new Marcos government will not mean the end of Philippine democracy, Poling said, though it may accelerate its decay.

The countrys democratic institutions have already been battered by six years of the Duterte presidency and the rise of online disinformation, alongside the decades-long corrosives of oligarchy, graft, and poor governance, he said.

The United States would be better served by engagement rather than criticism of the democratic headwinds buffeting the Philippines.

Marcos' approach at home could have a spillover effect in other countries in the region, where democratic freedoms are being increasingly eroded in many places and the Philippines had been seen as a positive influence, Wong said.

This will have an impact on Philippine foreign policy when it comes to promoting its democratic values, freedoms and human rights, particularly in Southeast Asia, she said. The Philippines is regarded as a bastion of democracy in the region, with a strong civil society and a noisy media, and with Bongbong Marcos as president, we will have less credibility.

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Rising reported from Bangkok.
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  The mayor of Bend, Oregon, a mountain town that has seen a population boom due to its recreational opportunities and scenery, called it quits on Monday, citing stresses from the pandemic, wildfires and homelessness.

So many historic changes in such a short time. I am simply exhausted, Mayor Sally Russell wrote in an open letter. It is in my own  and my familys  best interest to leave."

Bend used to be a quiet mill town, but after the lumber mills closed it revived as a destination for skiers, retirees and beer lovers  with the area having one of the highest per capita microbreweries in the nation. In recent years, homeless encampments have sprung up on the outskirts and some days the nearby snowy peaks of the Cascade Range have been obscured by wildfire smoke.

Just this month, the City Council announced it has purchased a motel near downtown, to be initially used as a temporary shelter for the homeless.

Both Deschutes County, and Bend, the county seat, have exploded in population, with the county growing by 25% in 10 years, to roughly 200,000 people, according to a study by Portland State University. It's the fastest-growing county in the state.

Some 100,000 people now live in Bend, with the population having almost doubled in two decades.

Russell announced last month she would not seek another term. A member of the city council will serve as mayor until Russell's term ends in December. She said her resignation becomes effective after the city council meets on May 18.

My job as Mayor has affected me and my family in numerous ways, as we have -- just like you  navigated such huge social, environmental, and economic pressures, and the effects of a pandemic. Fires, smoke, heat domes, homelessness, Russell wrote. She asked residents to participate in city governance, saying: "Its the only way Bend will continue to thrive.
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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president said Tuesday that he would not attend next month's Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles if the Biden administration excludes Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua  adding his voice to increasing warnings of a boycott by some leaders across the region.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been saying in recent weeks that the U.S. government should not exclude anyone from the summit, but he had not previously threatened to stay home.

If they exclude, if not all are invited, a representative of the Mexican government is going to go, but I would not, Lopez Obrador said during his daily news conference, fresh off a visit to Cuba. He said his foreign affairs secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, would go.

The Mexican president's absence would be a blow to the summit expected to deal heavily with the issue of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Biden administration has worked for months to build regional consensus. Cabinet members have been visiting the region urging allies to shore up immigration controls and expand their asylum programs.

Our goal is ... to sign a regional declaration on migration and protection in June in Los Angeles when the United States hosts the Summit of the Americas, President Joe Biden said in March, when he hosted Colombia President Ivan Duque at the White House.

He called for "a new framework of how nations throughout the region can collectively manage migration in the Western Hemisphere.

Such cooperation will be critical as the U.S. wrestles with the problem of high numbers of migrants arriving at its southern border and prepares to lift a restriction of asylum applications there later this month that is expected to draw even more migrants north.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols has previously said that the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have shown that they do not respect democracy and would be unlikely to receive invitations. And the U.S. does not even recognize Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro as the country's legal leader.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was noncommittal when asked about the invitations on Tuesday, saying a final decision has not been made.

We havent made a decision yet about who will be invited and no invitations have been issued yet, Psaki said during her daily media briefing.

Leaders of Caribbean nations have also discussed a collective boycott of the summit if nations are excluded and criticized the U.S. plan to invite Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. The U.S. recognizes him as that country's legitimate president, but many Caribbean nations do not.

We do not believe in the policy of ostracizing Cuba and Venezuela. We do not recognize Juan Guaido as the president of Venezuela. In those circumstances, Antigua and Barbuda will not participate," said that country's prime minister, Gaston Browne.

He said that a consensus to boycott the summit if countries were excluded had emerged from Caribbean foreign ministers meeting in Belize in March, but I am not sure if the consensus will hold.

St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves had a similar take: If Guaido goes to represent Venezuela, if the Americans were to do that it would be an act of folly, Gonsalves told a weekend radio program, saying St. Vincent may not attend if Maduro is excluded.

Cuba is an active member of the Caribbean Community of nations and the Communist-governed island has provided thousands of free scholarships to Caribbean medical, engineering and other students since the mid 70s. Successive Venezuelan governments have assisted Caribbean countries with prefabricated housing and cheap oil.

A senior Biden administration official said the blowback is largely posturing in response to a strong diplomatic push from Cuba  a perennial touchstone for the Latin American left  and that the U.S. expects few leaders to follow through on threats to skip the summit.

Behind the scenes, several Caribbean leaders signaled they plan to attend, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications.

The official said the administration expects both Lopez Obrador and Brazils Jair Bolsonaro to attend.

Cuba was excluded from first six hemispheric summits, held from 1994 to 2012. But Cuba was invited to the 2015 gathering in Panama following growing threats of a boycott by leftist Latin American leaders if it was excluded  as well as a thaw in relations with the U.S. under President Barack Obama, who met Cuban leader Raul Castro at the event.

Cuba also was invited to the last summit in Peru in 2018, but Castro sent his foreign minister instead because Venezuela's Maduro had not been invited. U.S. President Donald Trump did not attend either.

Argentina, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, also issued an appeal this month to avoid excluding any governments.

In a tweet, it called the summit a great opportunity to build a space for encounters in which all the countries of the hemisphere participate and urged organizers to avoid exclusions that impede having all the voices of the hemisphere in dialogue and being heard.

Lopez Obrador left open the possibility that he could attend if the Biden administration invites all countries. He noted that previous summits had not excluded any countries and blamed the current situation on political minorities in the U.S. backing a hostile policy.

Theres still time before the summit and we could arrive at an agreement, but we have to all unite, look for Americas unity, he said.

___

Goodman reported from Cleveland, Ohio. AP writers Will Weissert in Washington and Bert Wilkinson contributed to this story from Georgetown, Guyana.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Minor league players and Major League Baseball have reached a settlement in a lawsuit alleging teams violated minimum wage laws.

Terms of the settlement were not filed with the court Tuesday and details were not released. Two people familiar with the negotiations, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the release of details was not authorized, said the sides in recent weeks had been discussing a possible settlement in the $200 million range.

We are pleased to report that the parties have reached a settlement in principle in this over eight-year-old case, subject to court approval," lawyers for the players said in a statement. "We look forward to filing preliminary approval papers with the court and cannot comment further until then.

The two sides asked the court for permission to file by July 11 for approval of the settlement.

The suit was filed in 2014 by first baseman/outfielder Aaron Senne, a 10th-round pick of the Marlins in 2009 who retired in 2013, and two other retired players who had been lower-round selections: Kansas City infielder Michael Liberto and San Francisco pitcher Oliver Odle. They claimed violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime requirements for a work week they estimated at 50 to 60 hours.

A trial had been scheduled to start June 1 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Several classes of players are part a of case involving laws in different states.

A letter filed with the court by lawyers for both sides asked Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero to postpone a conference scheduled for Tuesday and the trial.

The parties are pleased to inform the court that they have reached a settlement of the matter in principle, the letter said. The parties have agreed upon a confidential memorandum of understanding. The settlement is subject to ratification by the respective parties, and we are in the process of preparing the settlement documents."

The letter was signed by Elise M. Bloom of Proskauer Rose on behalf of MLB and by Clifford H. Pearson of Pearson, Simon & Warshaw and Stephen M. Tillery of Korein Tillery on behalf of the players.

Spero wrote in a pretrial ruling in March that minor leaguers are year-round employees who work during training time and found MLB violated Arizona's state minimum wage law and was liable for triple damages. Spero also ruled MLB did not comply with California wage statement requirements, awarding $1,882,650 in penalties.

He said minor leaguers should be paid for travel time to road game s in the California League and to practice in Arizona and Florida.

These are not students who have enrolled in a vocational school with the understanding that they would perform services, without compensation, as part of the practical training necessary to complete the training and obtain a license, Spero wrote.

The case was sent back to the District Court by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 after lawyers for the players and MLB spent years arguing whether it should receive class-action status.

Spero ruled MLB is a joint employer with teams of minor league players; that those players perform work during spring training; that travel time on team buses to away games is compensable under FLSA, Florida and Arizona law and that travel time by California League players to away games is compensable under California law.

In 2017, the players suing were defined as those with minor league contracts who played in the California League for at least seven straight days starting on Feb. 7, 2010 or Feb. 7, 2011, depending on state or federal claims; those who participated in spring training, extended spring training instructional leagues in Arizona starting Feb. 7, 2011; and those who participated in spring training, extended spring training instructional leagues in Florida starting Feb. 7, 2009.

___

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP)  Many of the earliest Black leaders of a Mississippi city were celebrated as part of the community's Eighth of May Emancipation Day.

Students from the Mississippi School for Math and Science on Monday highlighted some of Columbus' key African American leaders buried at Sanfield Cemetery, some of whom include Robert Gleed, a state senator from 1870 to 1876; publisher and businessman Richard D. Littlejohn; Jack Rabb, a businessman who bought his own freedom; W.I. Mitchell, an educator who served from 1907 to 1913 as president of the Penny-Savings Bank, the city's first African-American bank; and Simon Mitchell, a Justice of the Peace during the Reconstruction Era.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Republican-led House on Monday voted down a proposed constitutional amendment for parent control and restrictions on how teachers talk about race and racism.

Lawmakers voted 60-81 to kill the bill, a rarity in the chamber.

The legislation would have enshrined parent rights to direct their childrens public school education in the Missouri Constitution.

Bipartisan critics warned that enacting the proposal would lead to overregulation and micromanaging of public school teachers and said parents and guardians already have the option to homeschool their children.

You want that much control? Take the control into your own hands, become a teacher yourself and do it yourself, Democratic Rep. Ashley Aune said. You have that right.

Republican Rep. Rudy Veit said legislators should try enacting the sweeping education policy through state law. He argued against adding it to Missouris Constitution, a practice that Republicans have disparaged voters for doing through the initiative petition process with increasing frequency.

If we want to talk about initiative petitions and making them harder to file, we also have to exercise that same restraint, Veit said.

If enacted by voters, the proposal also would have put constitutional restrictions on how teachers discuss race and racism.

It would ban schools from making teachers and students adopt, affirm, adhere to or profess ideas" that violate the federal Civil Rights Act, including that individuals, by virtue of their race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, bear collective guilt and are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.

The provision is aimed at critical race theory, an academic framework that examines how racism has shaped public policy and institutions such as the legal system, and how those have perpetuated the dominance of white people in society.

While the provision would not have banned discussing critical race theory outright, critics said it would have had a chilling effect and might scare educators away from having difficult discussions about race and American history.

You do not have a right to dictate my childs education because youre uncomfortable with the subject matter, Aune said.

Supporters of the measure pointed to a provision aimed at protecting teachers who discuss potentially offensive or controversial public policy issues.

This is not limiting teachers to be able to have a conversation in the class that might be upsetting, Republican Rep. Doug Richey said.
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP)  A former respiratory therapist who worked at a northern Missouri hospital where nine people died under suspicious circumstances 20 years ago has been charged in one of the deaths.

Jennifer Anne Hall, 41, was charged last week with first-degree murder in the 2002 death of Fern Franco, who was one of nine people who died of cardiac collapse between Dec. 16, 2001, and May 18, 2002, at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Missouri, KCUR reported.

The Livingston County Sheriff's office said Tuesday authorities continue to search for Hall, who might be using the name Semaboye.

Hall worked as a respiratory therapist at the 49-bed hospital when the patients died. Doctors and nurses at the hospital viewed the numbers of deaths as medically suspicious, according to a law enforcement record supporting the probable cause for her arrest.

The case was revived after an analysis of Francos tissue samples found succinylcholine and morphine, which were not prescribed or ordered for her by her doctors, according to a probable cause statement by Chillicothe Police Officer Brian Schmidt.

Some staff at the hospital believed Hall was responsible because of her proximity to the stricken patients, her access to deadly pharmaceuticals, and because she notified staff of every patient's cardiac emergency, according to the probable cause.

She was placed on administrative leave on May 21, 2002, three days after Francos death.

An overdose of succinylcholine causes slow suffocation. At least nine suspicious deaths and 18 suspicious medical emergencies at Hedrick Medical Center during that time period were suspected overdoses of succinylcholine or other drugs.

Hall denied involvement in the deaths during an interview with the Kansas City Star in 2015.

Matthew OConnor, a Kansas City attorney who represented Hall in the past, said the murder charge was based on conjecture and speculation.

This isnt lawyer talk  there arent facts in support of it because Ms. Hall did not commit these acts, he said.

Before she worked at Hedrick Medical Center, Hall was convicted of setting fire to Cass Medical Center in Harrisonville, Missouri, where she was hired as a respiratory therapist. She spent a year in prison before an appeals court vacated her conviction because she received ineffective counsel at trial. A jury acquitted her at a subsequent retrial.

The families of five of the nine patients who died during that period filed wrongful death lawsuits against the hospital in 2010, claiming the hospital covered up possible foul play in their relatives' deaths. An appeal filed in 2013 alleged that employees at the hospital believed they would be fired if they raised suspicions about the deaths.

In 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court threw out the lawsuits, ruling that the families had filed their actions after the statute of limitations had run out.
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A split New Jersey Supreme Court granted parole Tuesday to a former militant convicted in the 1973 death of a New Jersey state trooper, in a case that has resonated for decades and been a thorny issue in U.S.-Cuba relations.

Sundiata Acoli is in his mid-80s, and several parole bids were previously rejected. His attorneys argued he's been a model prisoner for nearly three decades and has counseled other inmates.

The state parole board contended Acoli is still a risk to commit future crimes and hasnt taken full responsibility for Trooper Werner Foersters death.

Acoli's more-famous co-defendant, Joanne Chesimard, was convicted and sentenced to a life term but escaped from a New Jersey prison in 1979. Now known as Assata Shakur, she was given asylum in Cuba by then-President Fidel Castro and remains a fugitive.

In a tweet Tuesday, Patrick Colligan, head of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, called the ruling an outrage and a slap in the face to every officer.

In Tuesday's 3-2 ruling with Chief Justice Stuart Rabner not participating, the court held that the state parole board didn't meet its required burden of demonstrating there was a substantial likelihood of Acoli committing another crime.

No member of the Court disputes that Acoli committed a horrific crime, Justice Barry Albin wrote for the majority. The issue, however is whether Acoli, after nearly five decades of imprisonment, has satisfied the statutory demands that govern his parole eligibility.

Albin noted that if the crime had occurred today, Acoli would have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, but that New Jersey law at the time allowed for parole.

However despised Acoli may be in the eyes of many because of the notoriety of his crime, he too is entitled to the protection of the law  and to the fair and impartial administration of justice, Albin wrote.

In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he was deeply disappointed by the ruling. State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement, I am grateful to the attorneys in my office who opposed the release of Sundiata Acoli and I am disappointed that he will be released on parole.

Bruce Afran, an attorney who has argued on Acoli's behalf for more than a decade, praised the ruling.

After 50 years of imprisonment, the Supreme Court has brought an end to a tragic episode from the civil rights era and recognized that we have to be humane in our parole process and not practice vengeance, Afran said. The court said today that the parole board has to follow the rule of law and cannot deny parole unless it can prove that an inmate is a threat to society.

Acoli was known as Clark Edward Squire in 1973 when the car he was riding in was stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike for a broken tail light. According to court documents, Acolis gun went off during a struggle with Foerster, who had responded as backup.

The state contended Shakur shot Trooper James Harper, wounding him, then took Foersters gun and shot him twice in the head as he lay on the ground. A third person in the car with Acoli and Shakur died from his injuries at the scene. The three were members of a group known as the Black Liberation Army.

Acoli has claimed he was grazed by a bullet and blacked out, and couldnt remember the exact sequence of events. At his most recent parole hearing, in 2016, he speculated for the first time that Foerster could have been shot accidentally by Harper.

In a dissenting opinion, Justices Lee Solomon and Anne Patterson wrote that the parole board's decision was supported by the evidence and should be left undisturbed.

Our only role is to ensure that the Parole Board does not abuse its discretion in making decisions, Solomon wrote. In light of the Board's evident consideration of the record as a whole, we cannot say we are in a better position than the Parole Board to decide Acoli's fate.

Foerster's death and Shakur's continued fugitive status have resonated over the years and spurred bipartisan agreement in Congress.

In 2013, state and federal authorities announced a $2 million reward for information leading to her capture, and the FBI made her the first woman on its list of most wanted terrorists.

Then-President Donald Trump demanded that Cuba return her in 2017 when he announced plans to reverse some Obama administration Cuba policies, an approach that was hailed in New Jersey by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and then-Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

In 2005, Castro referred to Shakur as a victim of the fierce repression against the Black movement in the United States and said she had been a true political prisoner.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The decision to parole a man who served less than 25 years of an 80-year sentence for stabbing his wife to death has angered her sisters and daughter and is becoming an issue in Wisconsin's governor's race.

Douglas Balsewicz, 54, is slated to be released from prison on May 17, just days before the 25th anniversary of the crime. He is being released despite the opposition of the family of the victim, Johanna Balsewicz. The parole was approved by an appointee of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is facing pressure from Republicans to take action.

He killed someone and they're not even giving him half of his sentence? said the victim's daughter, Nikkole Nelson, on Tuesday. She was 2-years-old and in the house when her mother was killed.

Balsewicz was convicted in 1997 of stabbing his 23-year-old wife to death in her West Allis home and was sentenced to 80 years in prison in a plea deal. He stabbed her more than 40 times.

Balsewicz was first eligible for parole in 2017 and was denied. The Wisconsin Parole Commission said in a statement that he came before the panel for a fifth review on April 14.

Balsewicz has not had any major conduct reports while in prison, satisfied all of his programming needs and earned a minimum security classification, the parole commission said.

The Commission has determined that the amount of time served is sufficient so as not to diminish the seriousness of the offense, it said in a statement.

The commission's chairman, John Tate, reviewed the case and approved parole on April 27. The Fox Lake Correctional Center has 30 days from the scheduled date of his release, May 17, to set him free.

Balsewicz's parole was first reported by WISN-TV last week.

The victim's family started an online petition to reverse the decision, but Nelson said Tuesday that she has lost hope he'll be kept behind bars.

I'm at the point where it is what it is, she said. It's very unfortunate.

The commission said Tuesday that Balsewicz will be carefully monitored by his assigned probation and parole agent and ordered to have no contact with the victims or their family members.

Still, family members and Republican candidates for governor have appealed to Evers to intervene. But Evers' spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said the governor did not have the authority to review or reverse the decision. She referred all other questions to the commission.

Republican gubernatorial candidates Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson and Tim Michels all criticized the parole on Tuesday after the issue drew attention on conservative news websites. Nicholson sent Evers a letter calling on him to remove Tate from his position. Cudaback did not respond to questions about whether Evers would remove Tate.

Evers appointed Tate, a former social worker and Racine alderman, as chair of the commission in 2019. Tate told Wisconsin Public Radio at the time that one of his goals was to increase the number of people paroled.
BOSTON (AP)  A 25-year-old woman punched and robbed an 84-year-old man who uses a wheelchair near a Boston bus station after he refused to give her money, transit police said Tuesday.

The woman was arrested at about 1:30 p.m. Monday after boarding a bus at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Nubian Square station, according to a statement from police.
Jeff Reinitz/AP

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP)  A man accused of killing an Iowa state patrol trooper last year had plenty of opportunity to surrender before the fatal shooting, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Douglas Hammerand made the remarks during opening statements in the first-degree murder trial of 42-year-old Michael Thomas Lang. His attorney, Aaron Hawbaker, told jurors that the troopers death was tragic but did not amount to murder, the Waterloo-Cedar Rapids Courier reported.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is calling for the U.S. Congress to codify Roe v. Wade in response to a leaked majority Supreme Court opinion striking down the landmark 1973 decision. The Democratic judge unveiled a resolution she presented at the commissioner's court strongly opposing the draft.

The initial draft majority opinion signed by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked via an article by Politico last week. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Alito wrote. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives." Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts later confirmed the draft was authentic but not final.

During a press conference Tuesday, Hidalgo called the draft "draconian" and "extreme," adding that a woman's right to privacy is under severe threat. "At the core, it's a decision that assaults the right to privacy in America and cherished right for our community and in our history," Hidalgo said.

"Today I will introduce a resolution that not only stands in support of women's rights here in the largest county in Texas, but also calls on Congress to take immediate action to codify Roe v. Wade and forever protect the long-established right outlined in that momentous 1973 decision," Hidalgo said.

The resolution, which passed in a 3-2 vote, states that Harris County "vows to stand in support of womens rights, and in opposition to the extreme draft opinion being considered by the United States Supreme Court."

Commissioner Rodney Ellis also spoke at the conference in favor of the resolution being passed and said the leaked opinion is a continuation of attacks on constitutional rights. He pointed to the impact Texas' new voting law had on recent elections as an example.

"No judge or politician should ever block personal medical decisions or set the course of our lives," Ellis said. "We do respect this as an individual person's decision to make a decision based on what advice they get from their doctor, their family and their faith."

Should Roe be overturned, Ellis said it would be a "bad decision" for health care and the economy. "The people who will be impacted most are the people who can least afford to get out of the state or get out of the country in order to address serious healthcare needs," he said.

Ellis also noted a 2021 analysis by the Institute of Women's Policy Research, a think tank that advocates for women from marginalized communities, showing that abortion restrictions cost the U.S. about $105 billion annually due to reduced earnings, increased job turnover and necessary time off for women between 15 and 44 years old. "This draft opinion is a bad opinion and I hope it has not become a decision," Ellis said.

Those against Hidalgo's resolution on Tuesday included Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who characterized the Harris County judge's proposal as "very sad" and voted against it. "This is not about some right to vote issue, the Republican commissioner said. This is [about] life and I'll be voting against it and I'll be thinking of 63 million lives lost since 1973. And I don't think God is gonna bless America until we deal with this issue. And for that reason, I'll be voting no." Republican Commissioner Jack Cagle also voted against the resolution.

Should Roe be overturned, a trigger law would take effect in Texas outlawing the procedure, making abortion a felony, even in cases of rape and incest. Hidalgo warned via Twitter last week that the trigger will cause women to "seek back-alley procedures that killed so many before the Court recognized abortion as a right."

A University of Texas at Austin poll conducted in April found that 78 percent of Texans believe access to abortion in some form should remain available while only 15 percent said it should never be permitted. "This just shows how out of touch the far right is and how far right and how extreme the Supreme Court seems to be becoming," Hidalgo said Tuesday. "It seems to be operating in some ways, as a political body rather than an arbiter for the most challenging decisions in our country."

Hidalgo pointed to how difficult it currently is to get an abortion in Texas under the state's Senate Bill 8, which bans the procedure after about six weeks of pregnancy. Hidalgo said these laws are "confusing and deter women to seek their right to an abortion" and have also made it more difficult for abortion clinics to operate. "Now it's outlawing the procedure altogether," Hidalgo said, warning of what other measures might be next.

"Some of these ideas are already being thrown out outlawing traveling out of state for women who need abortions, limiting access to Plan B or birth control," she said. "What is next? That is the path we're on and we can't let that happen."

This story is developing.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

It appears that Sen. Ted Cruz's past comments about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 are coming back to haunt him, again. Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News this week, the Houston Republican condemned pro-choice activists protesting outside the homes of Supreme Court justices as "goons."

Protesters over the weekend gathered in front of the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the leaked draft opinion revealing the high court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Cruz said the demonstrations showed "complete hypocrisy" by Democrats and the media and compared the protesters to rioters at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection that led to the deaths of five people.
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Cochran County in northwestern Texas...

* Until 515 PM CDT.

* At 437 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Lehman, or 7

miles southwest of Morton, moving north at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Morton, Bledsoe and Lehman.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

West central Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 545 PM CDT.

* At 438 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 27 miles southwest

of Fort Stockton, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

Fort Stockton, Firestone Test Track, Fort Stockton-Pecos County

Airport and Sierra Madera.

This includes Interstate 10 between mile markers 244 and 267.

Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground

lightning is occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately.

Lightning is one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can

hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM CDT

FOR NORTHEASTERN ARMSTRONG...EASTERN CARSON...GRAY AND NORTHWESTERN

DONLEY COUNTIES...

At 438 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Groom, or 16

miles east of Claude, moving north at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible. Hail

damage to vehicles is expected.

Locations impacted include...

Pampa, White Deer, Groom, Lefors, Skellytown, Howardwick, Lake

Mcclellan, Kingsmill, Greenbelt Lake and Goodnight.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lubbock TX

609 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL BAILEY COUNTY IS

CANCELLED...

The storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the warned

area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

the Panhandle of and northwestern Texas.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHEASTERN PARMER...SOUTHERN CASTRO AND LAMB COUNTIES...

At 608 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 7 miles south of Lazbuddie to 6 miles southeast of

Earth to 6 miles west of Littlefield, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...West Texas Mesonet. At 550 PM CDT, the West Texas Mesonet

at Amherst measured a wind gust of 66 mph.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile

homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

Locations impacted include...

Littlefield, Olton, Hart, Earth, Sudan, Amherst, Fieldton, and

Springlake.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Eastern Armstrong County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Southeastern Carson County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Southern Gray County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Donley County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 609 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Goodnight to Clarendon, moving north at 25 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible.

Hail damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...

Clarendon, Mclean, Groom, Howardwick, Lelia Lake, Lake Mcclellan,

Alanreed, Greenbelt Lake and Goodnight.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

TORNADO WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...

Central Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 516 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado

was located 17 miles south of Fort Stockton, moving east at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and ping pong ball size hail.

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

central Pecos County, including the following locations... Sierra

Madera.

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.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the

tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT

FOR BAILEY AND NORTHWESTERN LAMB COUNTIES...

At 519 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Needmore, or 12

miles south of Muleshoe, moving north at 35 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...

Muleshoe, Needmore, Enochs, Progress, Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge, and

Maple.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside

should move to a shelter, inside a strong building and away from

windows.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

AREAL FLOOD ADVISORY

Flood Advisory

National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX

611 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is

expected.

* WHERE...A portion of southwest Texas, including the following

county, Brewster.

* WHEN...Until 915 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

Some low-water crossings may become impassable.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 611 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to

thunderstorms. This will cause small stream flooding. Between

1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen.

- Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are expected

over the area. This additional rain will result in minor

flooding.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Panther Junction, Big Bend National Park and Chisos Basin.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Flooding is occurring or is imminent. It is important to know where

you are relative to streams, rivers, or creeks which can become

killers in heavy rains. Campers and hikers should avoid streams or

creeks.

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northern Hockley County in northwestern Texas...

Southeastern Lamb County in northwestern Texas...

* Until 715 PM CDT.

* At 610 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 6 miles southwest of Littlefield to 4 miles

northwest of Levelland, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to

mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...

Levelland, Littlefield, Anton, Pep, Spade and Whitharral.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT

FOR NORTH CENTRAL PECOS...SOUTHEASTERN WARD AND SOUTHERN CRANE

COUNTIES...

At 611 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 17 miles northeast

of Fort Stockton, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Emergency management reported wind damage in Fort Stockton

associated with this storm.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile

homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

Locations impacted include...

Grandfalls, Imperial, Imperial Reservoir and Cordona Lake.

This includes Interstate 10 between mile markers 269 and 275.

To report severe weather contact your nearest law enforcement agency.

They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in

Midland.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

FOR SOUTHEASTERN PARMER...SOUTHERN CASTRO AND LAMB COUNTIES...

At 611 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 6 miles south of Lazbuddie to 5 miles southeast of

Earth to 5 miles west of Littlefield, moving northeast at 30 mph.

THESE ARE DESTRUCTIVE STORMS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN LAMB

COUNTY, INCLUDING AMHERST, SPRINGLAKE, OLTON, AND EARTH.

HAZARD...90 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...West Texas Mesonet. At 602 PM CDT, the West Texas Mesonet

at Amherst measured a wind gust of 87 mph.

IMPACT...You are in a life-threatening situation. Flying debris may

be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes

will be heavily damaged or destroyed. Homes and businesses

will have substantial roof and window damage. Expect

extensive tree damage and power outages.

Littlefield, Olton, Hart, Earth, Sudan, Amherst, Fieldton, and

Springlake.

This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION with tornado like wind

speeds expected. Mobile homes and high profile vehicles are

especially susceptible to winds of this magnitude and may be

overturned. For your protection move to an interior room on the

lowest floor of a building. These storms have the potential to cause

serious injury and significant property damage.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

FOR WESTERN RANDALL AND EASTERN DEAF SMITH COUNTIES...

At 614 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Hereford,

moving north at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect some tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile homes,

roofs, and outbuildings. Hail damage to vehicles is

expected.

Amarillo, Hereford, Canyon, Mescalero Park, Buffalo Lake, Dawn,

Umbarger and Timbercreek Canyon.

Northeastern Parmer County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Northern Castro County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 615 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Summerfield to 13 miles northeast of Dimmitt,

moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

Dimmitt, Summerfield, Easter and Nazareth.

_____

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
Immigration Canada's backlog of PR, TR, and citizenship applications grew by nearly 99,000 people in 18 days.

IRCCs application backlog grows beyond 2.1 million people Immigration Canada's backlog of PR, TR, and citizenship applications grew by nearly 99,000 people in 18 days.

IRCCs application backlog grows beyond 2.1 million people Immigration Canada's backlog of PR, TR, and citizenship applications grew by nearly 99,000 people in 18 days.

IRCCs application backlog grows beyond 2.1 million people Immigration Canada's backlog of PR, TR, and citizenship applications grew by nearly 99,000 people in 18 days. Kareem El-Assal Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

Canadas immigration backlog has grown beyond 2.1 million across all lines of business as of April 29, according to the latest Canadian government data obtained via email by CIC News.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)s backlog has progressed as follows since last summer:

The number of persons in IRCCs inventory has grown by 98,796 in the 18 days between April 11 and April 29. This increase is largely driven by the temporary residence inventory. Over this same period, the permanent residence backlog increased by 638 persons. Between April 12 and May 2, IRCC reduced its citizenship backlog by 258 people.

IRCC Backlog: April 11 - May 2

Line of Business Persons as of Apr. 11- Apr. 12 Persons as of Apr. 30 - May 2 PR 529,631 530,269 TR 1,102,375 1,200,791 Citizenship 399,583 399,325 Total 2,031,589 2,130,385

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

The evolution of the backlog since the start of the pandemic

The following table displays IRCCs inventory growth since the start of the pandemic. CIC News has submitted a data request to IRCC on Canadas temporary residence inventory as of April 2020. The table shows that over the past two years, the permanent residence inventory has grown from 410,000 people to 530,000 people. The temporary residence inventory has doubled since last April. The citizenship inventory has grown from 240,000 people to 400,000 people. IRCC has struggled to manage its inventory during the pandemic, for a variety of reasons, such as the social distancing and travel restrictions put in place at the start of the pandemic.

Backlog in persons by IRCC line of business

Line of Business Apr. 2020 Apr. 2021 Apr./May 2022 PR 410,000 550,000 530,000 TR N/A 590,000 1.2M Citizenship 240,000 395,000 400,000 Total N/A 1.535M 2.130M

Improvements in Express Entry as all-program draws resume in early July

Despite the slight overall increase in the permanent residence inventory, IRCC has reduced its Express Entry backlog by 4,292 persons since mid-April.

Express Entry Program Persons as of April 11 Persons as of April 29 Canadian Experience Class 8,363 7,522 Federal Skilled Worker Program 36,281 32,883 Federal Skilled Trades Program 537 484 Total 45,181 40,889

The reduction in the Express Entry backlog will allow IRCC to resume all-program draws in early July. Candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) have not been invited to apply for immigration since December 2020. Before the pandemic, the FSWP was the main Express Entry pathway. Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates who have not been drawn since September 2021 are also set to receive Invitations to Apply (ITAs) again.

IRCC had been holding off on inviting these candidates, as the backlog had driven up processing times in excess of the six-month standard for Express Entry-managed programs. Starting in July, the vast majority of new Express Entry applications will be processed within the six-month service standard, according to IRCC.

Improvements to the permanent residence inventory were offset by gains among other immigration categories, such as the Temporary Residents to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) Program that briefly existed in 2021. Meanwhile, there were slight increases across the board for Canadas Family Class, Humanitarian and Compassionate, and Protected Persons permanent residence categories.

The backlog increased across all temporary residence categories between April 11 and April 29.

IRCC had previously said in an email to CIC News the inventory for temporary resident visas and work permits has increased with the introduction of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET). The CUAET is a program that allows IRCC to bring Ukrainians to Canada by leveraging existing temporary resident visa processes. The CUAET is not a refugee stream.

As of May 6, IRCC has received 204,227 CUAET applications and approved 91,482. Between January 1 and May 1, a total of 24,645 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada, according to the IRCC website.

Temporary residence inventory: April 11 - 29

Application type Persons as of April 11 Persons as of April 29 Study Permits 122,145 132,280 Study Permit Extensions 34,242 36,310 Temporary Resident Visas 558,498 621,451 Visitor Records 73,450 76,847 Work Permits 172,796 189,061 Work Permit Extensions 141,244 144,842 Total 1,102,375 1,200,791

The Canadian government recognizes the challenges IRCCs growing inventory has caused over the past two years. In late January, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a host of measures aimed at tackling the backlog, including adopting new technology and hiring more processing staff.

Last Thursday, the Canadian Parliaments Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) began a study evaluating IRCCs backlogs that will culminate in a written report available to the public containing recommendations on how to improve IRCCs application processing.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Consultant national pentru elaborarea conceptului unui program guvernamental de stagii pentru tinerii din diaspora - studenti sau absolventi ai institutiilor universitare de peste hotarele tarii
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Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele
Charities are on the frontline in the fight against legacy fraud, said Daniel Pepper last Friday.

Pepper was speaking at the Institute for Legacy Management (ILM) Annual Conference. He is the senior legacy income manager at Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and has been in the role for seven years.



The most important thing your charity has to deflect and identify fraud is you, Pepper said.

He urged charities to talk to each other and share experiences in the fight against legacy fraud.

Pepper told the audience about legal cases the RNIB has dealt with. He spoke of one case where RNIB and Blind Veterans UK (then St Dunstans) were both owed money from a womans will.

When RNIB contacted the charity, they were sent a differing set of accounts that showed that 250,000 was missing. It became apparent that a solicitor had stolen money from the womans will.

He said: The only way this guy got found out is because my colleague spoke to another charity that got the information. Youre on the frontline against fraud in legacy work.

Make sure to ask questions

Pepper went on to discuss another legacy case where he identified fraud by asking a simple question.

One case stood on two words and a figure on a set of accounts that didnt look right. And it was legal costs, 350, he said.

Pepper said after asking the solicitor for a copy of the relevant legal advice he became very defensive.

RNIB then discovered that the solicitor had altered the will of the woman who had left the money to charity.

Five days before the woman died, the solicitor had changed her will to give himself her house, which was valued at 500,000.

The charity ended up taking the solicitor to the High Court for his crimes. His two offices in Hampshire were shut down.

Pepper said: Two words and one figure in a set of accounts, which you could pick up. If youre unsure, phone one of the other charities or email.

He reassured the audience of charity professionals that they should feel comfortable asking questions about the legacy income they receive.

He continued: Its our charitys money, were entitled to that. This is not something there should be an argument about. Someone has taken that time to say 'I want these charities to benefit and I want them to benefit a lot.' There is no question about it.

Fraud particularly affects the charity sector

Bates Wells, the headline sponsor of the ILM event, also had speakers on the panel about fraud.

Mindy Jhittay, senior associate at Bates Wells, said: Fraud happens across the board and particularly affects the charity sector.

Jhittay said that approximately 40m per year is lost to legacy fraud. Charities lost 8m to fraud in 2020, according to Action Fraud.

She continued: Because it doesnt happen all the time its easy to forget that it can happen so its important to be alive to those issues.

Jhittay warned the audience to be wary of legal claims.

She said: Though it might not be fraud as such, it could be that theres an element of bad faith involved in notorious claims.

For example, if someone claims that a deceased family member verbally committed assets to them without having any witnesses or written evidence to confirm it.

She urged charities to remain aware of these issues when conducting legacy work.

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The Philippines will soon have a new president, and it looks like his name will be Ferdinand Marcosnot the countrys former dictator, who died in exile in 1989, but his namesake son, who also goes by Bongbong. The count continuesand claims of irregularities, including ballot tampering, have flooded inbut preliminary election results show Marcos with a clear lead over his opponent, Leni Robredo, the current vice president. Rodrigo Duterte, the current president, backed Marcos; Dutertes daughter Sara ran for vice president on Marcoss ticket and looks set to win as well. The two families have effectively formed a dynasty cartel that could share power for decades to come, Aries Arugay, a political science professor, told the New York Times. The Philippines is heading more and more toward an electoral autocracy.

This is an ominous prospect for journalists in the country, who were already working in perilous conditions. When I last wrote at length about press freedom in the Philippines, nearly two years ago, the prominent journalist Maria Ressa and a former colleague at Rappler, her news site, had just been convicted of cyber-libel after retroactively fixing a typo in an article published before the cyber-libel law was even in effecta significant development in Dutertes broader war against the press. Since then, Ressa, who has appealed her conviction, and her site have faced a further barrage of legal complaints, while Rappler and other newsrooms have faced cyberattacks. In the same period, no fewer than six journalists have been shot dead, one of them by soldiers at a military checkpointpart of a much broader pattern of murders in the Duterte era. The Philippines remains high on the Committee to Protect Journalists impunity index of countries where the killings of journalists have gone unsolved. Late last year, Ressa and the crusading Russian editor Dmitry Muratov shared the Nobel Peace Prize as representative examples of the threats facing journalists worldwide.

ICYMI: The ongoing information war over Ukraine

In addition to Rappler, Duterte waged war on ABS-CBN, the Philippines biggest broadcaster, with allied lawmakers forcing it off air two years ago this week after refusing to renew its license. The network had gone dark once beforein 1972, when Marcos Sr. declared martial law shortly before his mandated term was set to expire. He alleged that ABS-CBN was in cahoots with communists and arrested Geny Lopez, the networks president, on charges of conspiring to assassinate him. And such tactics were not reserved for ABS-CBN. The Marcos Sr. regime squelched the independent-media landscape, shuttering some outlets and placing others under pliant ownership; many journalists were thrown in jail, while some foreign correspondents were expelled or denied visas. Toward the end of the Marcos Sr. era, independent outletsled by smaller papers that kept running and were dismissed by Marcos Sr. as the mosquito pressstarted to reassert themselves. In 1986, as a popular uprising swept Marcos Sr. and his family out of power, many of the key street battles centered on radio and television stations, CPJ has reported, with the regime collapsing after it lost control of its main television station, Channel 4.

The younger Marcos served as governor of Ilocos Norte province under his fathers dictatorship, and was also named chair of a national satellite-communications company; after going into exile alongside his father, Marcos returned to the Philippines, becoming governor of Ilocos Norte again in the nineties before serving as a national lawmaker. According to Rappler, Marcos shied away from the press as governor, with surrogates, including a sometime radio broadcaster, speaking on his behalf. His approach, it seems, did not change as a presidential candidate, with Marcos avoiding debates and routinely dodging reporters on the campaign trail (Rapplers Lian Buan says that a Marcos guard manhandled her as she tried to ask a question); at his first press conference, in late April, his campaign controlled access and screened questions in advance. (He did sit for an interview with CNN, during which he denied dodging scrutiny and said he would engage directly with the press if elected.) According to Buan, the campaign gave privileged access to friendly media figures, including influencers and vloggers.

Reporters who were able to ask tough questions of Marcos were often trolled on social media; after Howard Johnson, a BBC correspondent, asked Marcos if he could be a good president if you dont answer serious questions, he found himself on the receiving end of death threats and claims of foreign meddling. This all reflects a continuation of Dutertes tactics. The outgoing president leveraged online troll farms to spread lies and pound on his critics; Marcos has denied doing likewise, but has, in reality, been a huge recent beneficiary of disinformation in a country that is very online. Much of this has cast the dictatorship as a golden age, whitewashing its rampant human rights abuses and corruptiona narrative that has taken root not just on Facebook, the locus of Dutertes viral power, but across Wikipedia, YouTube, and TikTok, where footage of Marcos Sr. and his wife, Imelda, has been glamorized and set to modern music; in one viral challenge, users have recorded older relatives bopping to an old martial anthem. As the Washington Posts Regine Cabato and Shibani Mahtani have noted, TikTok is not only harder to moderate than text-centric platforms, like Facebook, but has a younger user base with no direct memories of the dictatorship.

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As Sheila Coronel, a professor at Columbia Journalism School, put it in a recent interview with GMA News, in this internet age, authoritarian leaders, and not just in the Philippines, have been able to develop new strategies for controlling the flow of information. Its no longer withholding of information, no longer censorship as it was during Marcos [Sr.]s time when there were literally censors sitting in newsrooms and saying, You cannot do this, Coronel said. Its no longer controlling the flow of information, but flooding the information space with so much disinformation and untruths and propaganda, so people are no longer able to discern what is fact and what is not. Journalists, she added, get drowned out in that deluge.

Of course, this is not to say that old-school censorship tactics have gone away; as Coronel noted, restrictive statutes like the cyber-libel law remain a gun in the holster for the authorities to use. If there are chilling parallels between the rule of Marcos Sr. and the impending rule of his son, both politically and for the press, its also possible to see then and now as being tangled up together in an ongoing process of memory manipulation, with new technologies weaponized to rewrite old truths. As Ressa put it in a recent interview with CNN, the election result is showing not just Filipinos but the world the impact of disinformation on a democracy. Marcos, she added, will determine the future of this country but simultaneously its past.

Below, more on the Philippines and press freedom worldwide:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: The coverage of Rodney King and unrest in LA, thirty years on

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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 New York state appeals court on Tuesday dismissed state Attorney General Letitia James lawsuit accusing Amazon.com Inc. of failing to adequately protect thousands of workers at two New York City facilities against COVID-19.

The Appellate Division in Manhattan said federal law preempted James claims that Amazon violated state labor law by retaliating against two employees, Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, who protested against working conditions.

It also said James effort to require Seattle-based Amazon, the second-largest U.S. private employer, to comply with state COVID-19 workplace guidelines was moot, because the state has withdrawn the guidance that she sought to enforce.

The attorney generals office had no immediate comment. Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

James sued Amazon in February 2021 over the online retailers health and safety protocols for workers at its JFK8 fulfillment warehouse in Staten Island and DBK1 delivery center in Queens, both in New York City.

A state trial judge rejected Amazons bid to dismiss the case in October.

But the appeals court said protests against unsafe working conditions relate to the workers participation in concerted activities for the purpose of  mutual aid or protection, and were protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act.

The four-judge panel also said issuing a ruling could pose a substantial risk of interference with the National Labor Relations Board, which is considering essentially the same allegations of retaliation.

Amazon fired Smalls for allegedly violating a paid quarantine to lead a March 2020 protest, and gave Palmer a written warning for allegedly violating social distancing rules.

Smalls and Palmer later formed the Amazon Labor Union, which workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted by a roughly 5-4 margin to join, according to results released last month. Turnout was about 58%.

The vote was a major victory for U.S. organized labor, which has seen union membership rates fall by about half since the early 1980s, and viewed Amazon as a threat to workers because of its practices and reach across many industries.

The case is New York v Amazon.com et al, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, No. 2021-03934.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Potter)
A Florida power company has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for a 2017 explosion that left five workers dead.

Tampa Electric Co. has pleaded guilty to violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard, causing death, according to a plea agreement filed Friday in Tampa federal court. It was one of two accidents at one of its power plants that year that seriously injured workers.

The agreement outlines safety procedures that TECO must follow in the future. The agreement also notes that the company previously reached confidential civil settlements with the families of the victims and others injured by the explosion.

All of us at Tampa Electric hold the families of our late colleagues and coworkers in our hearts, TECO president and CEO Archie Collins said in a statement. We have accepted full responsibility, and we hold ourselves accountable as we continuously work to improve our safety programs and safety culture.

The explosion occurred at TECOs Apollo Beach power plant, located just off Tampa Bay, in June 2017. Workers had been performing maintenance on a slag tank when the substance unexpectedly poured out, officials said. One TECO employee and four contractors died following the blast.

Hot slag is a molten byproduct created when coal is burned for electricity. Chunks of it fall into cooling tanks and the remnants, which are black and glasslike, are recycled and used in sandblasting and roofing.

The accident was the first of two incidents at a TECO facility that year. In October 2017, two contract employees were seriously injured at TECOs Big Bend Power Station south of Tampa.

Donald Gansner and James Carter were working for Zachary Industrial when they were sent to repair a leak. The two were about to perform work on an access door on one of the condenser units at the plant when the door blew open, slamming the workers with a massive column of water, the court explained.

Gansner was unable to return to work, one lawsuit said. Carter fractured his spine. The men received workers compensation benefits through Zachry Industrial, but they and their families also filed a negligence lawsuit against TECO, charging it had caused the mishap at the power station.

Floridas 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled in November that the utility company was shielded by the workers comp statute. The court had initially held that TECO was liable. But after rehearing the case last fall, the appeals court found that TECOs obligation to maintain its Big Bend Power Station was required by regulation and, thus, the company may be considered a statutory employer, immune from high-dollar lawsuits and bound only by the exclusive remedy of workers comp.

Another contract employee was killed in an incident at a TECO power station early in 2021.

Photo: Visitors to the Tampa Electric Companys manatee viewing site in Apollo Beach. An outflow of warm water from the power plant attracts the manatees in winter. (AP Photo/Chris OMeara)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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 victims  including 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.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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 by way of an area not normally associated with fighting wildfires: artificial intelligence. And space.

Lockheed Martin Space, based in Jefferson County, Colorado, 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 fires 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. Its a dynamic environment across multiple activities and responsibilities, said Dan Lordan, senior manager for AI integration at Lockheed Martins 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 Spaces Mission Solutions.

The quicker you can react, hopefully then you can contain the fire faster and protect peoples 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. 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. Crews have quickly contained wind-driven fires that forced evacuations along the Front Range and on the Eastern Plains. But six families in Monte Vista lost their homes in April when a fire burned part of the southern Colorado town.

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 agencys multi-mission aircraft program. I dont know if any of those 200 fires would have become big fires. I know they didnt 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 dont 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, its very much a manual process.

Something like the 2020 Cameron Peak fire, which at 208,663 acres is Colorados 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 fires 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 Martins experiences aboard the aircraft and how the AI might help the state, he added.

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 its 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. Were 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 thats 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 were 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 blazes intensity and changed the flames movement in spots.

Unfortunately, they hadnt 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 areas 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 fires 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 isnt 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 cant sort through it fast enough. Thats where this is coming from.

Photo: San Miguel County Sheriffs Officers patrol N.M. 94 near Penasco Blanco, N.M. as the Calf Fire burns near by Friday, April 22, 2022. Destructive Southwest fires have burned dozens of homes in northern Arizona and put numerous small villages in New Mexico in the path of danger, as wind-fueled flames chewed up wide swaths of tinder dry forest and grassland and towering plumes of smoke filled the sky. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NED is actually "second CIA" of U.S.: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:33, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which takes orders directly from the U.S. government and manipulates NGOs through the provision of funding to conduct subversion, infiltration and sabotage to serve U.S. strategic interests, is actually the "second CIA" of the United States, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked about the Fact Sheet on the National Endowment for Democracy released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

The fact sheet, with about 12,000 words in six sections, lays bare the true face of NED through hundreds of specific incidents gathered from public reports, Zhao said.

He said the United States has long used democracy as a tool and a weapon to undermine democracy in the name of democracy, to incite division and confrontation, and to meddle in other countries' internal affairs, causing catastrophic consequences.

"NED, as one of the U.S. government's main 'foot soldiers' and 'white gloves', has subverted lawful governments and cultivated pro-U.S. puppet forces under the pretext of democracy," Zhao said.

NED was seen behind color revolutions instigated and orchestrated by the United States, including the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Arab Spring, Zhao said, adding that NED has been stirring up protests and demonstrations in Thailand, inciting the opposition parties in Nicaragua to seize power by force, funding anti-Cuba forces to manipulate public sentiment against the government, and long interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs through various means.

"Hellbent on disrupting the world, NED has not brought social stability and development or contented lives and good work to other countries. On the contrary, it has caused a host of issues including withered livelihood, languishing economy and social confrontation," Zhao said.

NED also extends its evil hand to China and invests heavily in anti-China programs every year to incite "Xinjiang independence," "Hong Kong independence," and "Tibet independence" activities by various means, said the spokesperson.

"It also colludes with 'Taiwan independence' forces and attempts to incite division and disrupt stability across the Taiwan Strait, which has been met with indignation and opposition from the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait," Zhao said.

Noting NED is actually the "second CIA" of the United States, Zhao said it is by no means an NGO that provides support for democracy abroad.

"We believe the international community will see its true face more and more clearly, and more countries will expose its ugly track record in various forms," said the spokesperson.

Noting peace and development remains the theme of our times, Zhao said those that meddle in other countries' domestic affairs are doomed to fail no matter what disguise they use.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
The effort to end anonymous donations of sperm and eggs passed the Colorado legislature on Tuesday, and it now only needs the governors signature to become law.

If signed, Senate Bill 224 would, beginning in 2025, require that donors agree to have their identity be released to children conceived from their donations when they turn 18. The bill would also increase the minimum age of donors to 21, limit them to contributing to no more than 25 families, and give families access to donor's updated medical records.

Sponsors said the measure  the first of its kind in the U.S.  comes from the rise of commercial DNA technology, such as 23andMe and Ancestry, that allows donor-conceived people to easily and often accidentally identify their donors and unknown family members.

We want to make clear that someone whose donating sperm or egg will no longer be anonymous, said Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, who is sponsoring the bill. Through technologies that are out there, they need to understand what the ramifications are of making the decision to be a donor.

Bill sponsors said the current anonymity of the assisted reproduction industry promotes fraud, encouraging donors to lie on their applications and allowing nefarious actors to take advantage of blind donations.

A Grand Junction fertility doctor, Paul B. Jones, was recently accused of using his own sperm to father at least 17 children with 12 women from 1975 to 1977. The victims said they were told the sperm came from anonymous donors  before DNA tests connected their now-adult children to Jones. In April, a jury awarded $8.75 million to the families.

Similarly, in 2014, an Indiana woman identified more than 50 half-siblings through commercial DNA tests, all of whom were fathered by a fertility doctor, Donald Cline.

The state House passed the bipartisan-sponsored bill in a 53-12 vote on Tuesday, following the Senates unanimous approval last week. Of the 12 opponents, 11 are Republican and one  Rep. Meg Froelich of Greenwood Village  is a Democrat.

Its going into uncharted ground, said Rep. Shane Sandridge, R-Colorado Springs, who voted against the bill. We cant look at other states and see how they did it or what unintended consequences are associated with this.

Sandridge said he is concerned about the bill turning people off from donating sperm and eggs in Colorado  a worry members of the assisted reproduction industry share. During a public hearing on the bill, multiple owners of sperm banks said the bill lacks protections for donors.

Bill sponsor Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood, argued that commercial DNA testing means donors are already not anonymous, and the bill would solidify the importance of transparency and accountability in donating.

This is really best practice for both sides, Tipper said. We cant guarantee anonymity. Its very disruptive to donors' lives to 18, 20 years down the road be contacted by some children or a lot of children that are genetically theirs.

The bill received significant support from donor-conceived children and their families, as well as from some donors. Organizations backing the bill include the U.S. Donor Conceived Council, We Are Egg Donors, GSMoms and Advocate Genetics.

During the hearing, donor-conceived people spoke about struggling to contact donors to learn about genetic medical issues. One mother said her donor-conceived daughter was born with a genetic birth defect from her donor that was not reported on the medical record. She said she later found out the medical history was self-reported and never updated.

The bill would require licensing for sperm banks, egg banks and fertility clinics beginning in 2025, and the facilities would be required to maintain updated contact information and medical history of all donors.

Jonathan Pollack said he discovered he was conceived by a sperm donor at age 41 after taking a commercial DNA test. When he tracked down his biological father, he learned that he had donated sperm multiple times per week for seven years. So far, Pollack has found 16 half-siblings, but he believes he likely has closer to 100.

That number makes me feel like a science experiment and a commodity, Pollack said during the hearing. Plus, the risk of accidental incest in a sibling group like mine is a very real concern.

Pollack praised the portion of the bill that would cap the number of families donors can contribute to. The bill originally limited the number to 10 but increased it to 25 as a compromise with the industry, bill sponsors said.

In Colorado, there are 42 fertility clinics and four gamete banks, according to the state. Nationally, an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 children are conceived using donors every year.
The Colorado legislature approved a bill Monday to crack down on lead-contaminated drinking water in Colorado schools and child care centers, funding free mandatory testing and remediation.

Senators approved House Bill 1358, 28-7, which followed the Houses 43-19 vote last week. The House still needs to consider changes made by the Senate, and then send it to Gov. Jared Polis.

In Colorado, 72% of children under 6 have detectable levels of lead in their blood  much higher than the national average of 51%, according to a national analysis. Even low levels of lead exposure can negatively affect a childs IQ, behavior, learning ability, growth and hearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This cannot be tolerated. We need to do something, said bill sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. We know if lead is in the water, it can have a negative effect on the development of a childs mind. ... (This bill) gives us the ability to test water and make sure that were taking action.

If signed into law, the bill would provide $18 million to pay for the testing and remediation for facilities that test positive for lead contamination, such as filters or bottle filling stations. Preschools and elementary schools would be tested first, followed by middle schools, if funding is still available. Home-based child care centers are included in the bill but can opt out if they so choose.

Though the bill received bipartisan support, all 26 lawmakers who voted against the bill are Republicans. Some of the critics argued that it is unclear whether lead contamination is an issue within Colorados schools and child care centers.

In 2017, the legislature created a fund for voluntary lead testing programs for schools. Only 64 schools utilized the tests, but of them, 40 tested positive for lead. No such tests have been conducted for child care centers.

It is $20 million worth of money that you could argue may or may not be absolutely necessary, said Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument. I reached out to CDPHE to ask what their perspective was on drinking water in the schools and in Colorado, and their response is, We believe the drinking water in Colorado is the healthiest its been in the states history.

The version of the bill passed on Monday is significantly narrower than the bill as drafted as a result of changes made by lawmakers in the House.

Originally, the bill would have required schools and child care facilities to install filters on all drinking water sources, provide bottle filling stations and annually test drinking water for lead. Bill sponsors said they watered down the bill after conversations with child care centers and schools, which, during public testimony, described the bill as burdensome and overreaching.

Opponents said the original bill would be nearly impossible to comply with because it defined acceptable lead levels as less than 1 part per billion  compared to the amended 5 parts per billion. Regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allow up to 15 parts per billion, although the EPA says there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Others said schools and child cares couldnt afford the ongoing costs of annual tests and equipment maintenance.
Investigations into missing and murdered Indigenous people may soon improve in Colorado  thanks to a bill legislators passed on Tuesday.

More than four out of five Indigenous people in the U.S. have experienced violent crime, according to national data. Those are some of the highest rates of violence for any demographic, with Indigenous women nearly three times more likely to be murdered than white women.

Senate Bill 150 aims to address this disparity by creating the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives to facilitate the investigations and provide other support. The bill would also create an emergency alert system to report active crimes and a community advisory board to help lead the office.

Far too often, Native women and relatives are completely unseen and unheard, said bill sponsor Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver. Every single Indigenous family has been touched by this issue. They have gone missing, they have gone murdered and their families cries for help to solve the cases have gone unheard.

The state House passed the bill in a bipartisan 45-20 vote on Tuesday, following the Senates 24-9 approval last month. The Senate still needs to approve the changes and send it to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration.

Under the bill, the new office would assist on investigations involving Indigenous victims, review cases and develop best practices, data collection and training for law enforcement agencies. The office would also assist families and tribes in how to navigate the criminal justice system and would coordinate between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and organizations.

The bill would require the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to publish a database on missing Indigenous people and notify tribes and media outlets when it gets a report of a missing or murdered Indigenous person.

Denver is rated 7th in the U.S. for most missing and murdered Indigenous women not included in law enforcement databases, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. In 2016, the institute found that only 2% of 5,712 Indigenous women and girls who were missing were found in the Department of Justices federal missing persons' database.

Thats only 2% of daughters, sisters, granddaughters reported in the missing persons database, said Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, who is also sponsoring the bill. It is time to address the ignorance and move towards combatting the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

During a public hearing, more than two dozen people testified in support of the bill, including numerous members of local Indigenous tribes, such as the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Navajo Nation and the Northern Arapaho Tribe. No one testified against the bill.

Leaders of Indigenous tribes said they cannot access the states emergency alert systems, such as AMBER Alert, making it difficult to spread the word when someone goes missing. Because these crimes usually also lack mainstream news coverage, the families of victims can only turn to social media for help, they said.

Chairman Manuel Hart of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council said his tribe also struggles with law enforcement jurisdiction. The tribe falls under the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, in addition to local law enforcement agencies of three different states. He said crimes also occasionally spill into their neighboring tribe, the Navajo Nation, which has its own systems.

Vice Chairman Ramona Eagle from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe said her tribe has been left to investigate missing and murdered cases itself, a task she said they do not have the capacity to handle.

In the past 15 years, our tribe has worked on 10 cases dealing with missing and murdered persons. ... The tribe is currently investigating three suspicious cold case deaths, Eagle said during the hearing. This epidemic has impacted my family personally. My daughter, Sadie R. Frost, was murdered in 1995.

All 29 lawmakers who voted against the bill are Republicans. Though none commented on their vote, several conservative lawmakers recently raised issue with Colorados expanding government. In the last three years, the state has added more than a dozen new state offices, a new state department and other governmental structures.
The Colorado legislature approved a bipartisan proposal Tuesday to fund $30.5 million in grant programs for state law enforcement, sending the measure to the governor for final consideration.

If signed into law, Senate Bill 145 would establish three grant programs to fund prevention and crisis intervention in high-crime areas; law enforcement recruitment, retention, tuition and training; and, improving law enforcement diversity.

The grant programs  sponsored by two Democrats and two Republicans  seek to address rising crime and increase public trust in law enforcement, the sponsors of the bill said.

This comes as priority for us to deal with both the increases that were seeing in crime across the state, but also making investments in ensuring our police departments look more like the neighborhoods they serve, said Rep. Alex Valdez, D-Denver. It really is a great bill thats going to make some great investments in our communities.

Under the bill, the funds would be distributed over two years with $15 million for the crime prevention program and $7.5 million going to each of the workforce programs. Another $400,000 would pay for oversight from the Department of Public Safety and $100,000 would fund a statewide forum to solicit suggestions on crime prevention measures.

Of the $15 million for crime prevention, at least $5 million would be reserved for community-based organizations and another $5 million for law enforcement and local governments. At least 20% of the grant funds would be required to go to rural communities if they apply.

Lawmakers in the state House voted 52-13 in support of the bill on Tuesday, following the Senates unanimous approval last month. Outside of the Capitol, some activists have said the grant programs will not address issues like brutality and misconduct by police officers.

This bill, and other similar ones around the nation, is window dressing for a deeper issue regarding the real training officers should receive, said Dr. Robert Davis, co-lead of Denver's task force to reimagine policing. We need a stronger collective will to overhaul how we approach policing and policing training.

Public perception of law enforcement has taken a hit in recent years. In 2020, only 48% of U.S. adults said they had confidence in the police, according to a Gallup poll. That is an all-time low, and down from the historical high of 64% in 2004. In 2021, confidence slightly increased to 51%, but for Black adults, it stood at 27%.

This change came in the wake of several high-profile incidents in which unarmed Black people were killed by police officers, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Colorado resident Elijah McClain. Protests and calls to defund the police ensued throughout the country.

Sponsors of the bill said most people dont want to decrease police funding, pointing to a 2021 Pew Research survey, which found that 47% of Americans want police funding to increase and 37% want it to stay the same.

This is a fund the police bill, said bill sponsor Rep. Perry Will, R-New Castle. It helps for training, retention and it really helps rural Colorado. ... Everyone knows crime is on the rise in Colorado. This is a way to address it.

Opposition also came from Rep. Kim Ransom, R-Littleton, who criticized the bill for creating three new grant programs that would be automatically funded each year. Ransom said this means the legislature will have no oversight over them.

Ransom, who voted against the bill, introduced an amendment to remove the bills continual spending authority. Valdez opposed the amendment, saying lawmakers could run a bill to take away the funding at any time if the programs arent going well. The amendment failed.

I just want these departments to come back every year, give us a status report of where theyre at, and let us know theyre on track to spending the money the way they told us they will, Ransom said. If its being spent wrong in ways that we wouldnt approve of, if theres money thats being left over that maybe could be directed to another area or to another department.

Violent crime has spiked in Colorado over the years. In 2021, there were 30,282 reports of murder, assault and robbery, compared to 21,743 reports five years prior, according to state data. This is part of a national trend  the nation's murder rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, the largest single-year increase in more than a century, according to the Pew Research Center.

Concern over crime has similarly increased, hitting a four-year high late last year, according to a national Washington Post-ABC News poll. Of respondents, 59% said crime is an extremely or very serious problem in the U.S., the highest level since 2017.
After four months of heated debate, state senators on Tuesday killed a bill that seeks to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in Colorado.

House Bill 1064, one of the most high-profile bills of the session, met an unceremonious end when the Senate Appropriations Committee voted, 5-2, to shut the bill down. The meeting featured no public comment and little debate, unlike the other six votes on the bill that saw hours of discussion and dozens of community members testifying in support and opposition to the measure.

Tuesdays vote came after Gov. Jared Polis said he opposed the bill, spurring concerns of a veto. Though Polis said the issue is better left to local governments, the ban would have slashed funding for his new universal preschool program funded by state tobacco and nicotine taxes. Polis office declined to comment on the bill Tuesday.

Contemplating this continued, intentional addiction of this years eighth graders to pay for the next years preschoolers is just plain wrong, said Sen. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, who sponsored the bill.

Sponsors of the bill said it intends to curb youth tobacco and nicotine use by prohibiting the sale of flavored products, such as vapes, e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes and chewing tobacco beginning in 2024. The bill was changed to exempt hookah products, premium cigars and pipe tobacco.

In Colorado, 28.9% of high school students use electronic vapor products, such as vapes and e-cigarettes, according to the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2019. Of tobacco users between 12 and 17 years old, 81% said they started by using flavored products and 79% said they use a product because it comes in flavors they like, according to a federal study.

Our kids cant wait. Were in an epidemic right now, said bill sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. Ignoring this process because we want to continue to tax this product when the end result is a dead body somewhere  that doesnt sound appropriate to me.

Though the bill passed the state House in a 35-27 vote last week, seven lawmakers ultimately decided the bills fate. Democrat Sens. Chris Hansen and Julie Gonzales voted in favor of the bill, while Republican Sens. John Cooke, Bob Rankin and Jerry Sonnenberg, as well as Democrat Sens. Rachel Zenzinger and Robert Rodriguez voted to kill it.

Opponents in the Appropriations Committee raised concerns about decreasing state revenue and specifically mentioned funding for the universal preschool program. The ban, as drafted, would have decreased state revenue by $37.1 million in 2022 and $38.6 million in 2023, according to state estimates.

The senators also said the ban would just lead to tobacco and nicotine users buying flavored products online or out of state, describing youth tobacco use as inevitable but improving.

Smoking in schools has been going on since before I was born and I dont know if this is going to stop that, Rodriguez, D-Denver, said. Over my four years here, we have done so many things to reduce this and the data shows us it is reducing.

In 2020, roughly 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students used e-cigarettes nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, use decreased to roughly 1 in 9 high school students and 1 in 35 middle school students.

Outside of the Capitol, critics have said the ban is unfair to adult users and it would push small vape shops out of business. During a public hearing on the bill, several owners and employees of local vape and tobacco stores said 98% of their tobacco and nicotine products are flavored, arguing the ban would force them to close.

Ive been in this industry for 13 years ... this bill would put us out of business, said Jason Casados, president of Vapor Source. Have we done absolutely everything possible accomplish the issues before we go to extremes with a full prohibition?"

The bill's supporters, who include doctors, parents and teenagers, described a dire state in Colorado with frequent vaping in middle and high schools.

Some youths who testified during the public hearing spoke of children vaping during class and blowing smoke into their backpacks, while others said theyve heard rumors of their peers providing sexual favors to adults over 21 in exchange for vape cartridges.

Jodi Radke, director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, criticized the governors local control stance on the ban, saying it is too easy for youth to access the products in neighboring cities. While cities, such as Boulder and Glenwood Springs, have passed flavor bans, last year, Denvers mayor vetoed a ban passed the City Council approved because he said it must be statewide to be effective.

We are committed to working on this issue at the local level, but we need his commitment to making this a state priority, as well, Radke said. His campaign promises around supporting the health of our communities, as well as his stated commitment to lowering health care costs argue for the proposal were putting forward, not against it.
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The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Latestviews.com 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 27 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the latestviews homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the latestviews homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if latestviews has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the latestviews homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the latestviews homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the latestviews homepage on Twitter + the total number of latestviews followers (if latestviews has a Twitter account).

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PAGE TITLE Latest Views | Latest Products Specifications, Reviews, Video Reviews, Gallery, Rating, Top 10 Produ DESCRIPTION Latest Products Specifications, Latest Product Reviews, Products Specifications, latest product launches, Product Video Reviews, Product Gallery, Product Rating, Top 10 Products and Costomer reviews KEYWORDS Latest Products Specifications, Latest Product Reviews, Products Specifications, Product Video Reviews, Product Gallery, Product Rating, Top 10 Products, Costomer reviews, latest product launches OTHER KEYWORDS



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Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache (PHP/5.4.9) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. The language of latestviews.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for latestviews.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. 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.

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Continue Reading Below Advertisement Show Creator Greg Daniels has said he doesnt think Michael Scott could be on TV today due to his political incorrectness. Daniels elaborates, You could feel that the content was sort of helping people see things as being offensive that they might not have seen as offensive before, because they were just used to it. Now, everybodys much more aware of how offensive certain things are.

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Shawshank Redemption isn't your typical Stephen King story. Many people dont even know its based on a novella he wrote in 1982. King tells an anecdote of how he was in a supermarket one time when a woman recognized him, "obviously one of the kind of women who says whatever is on her brain." The old woman said, "I know who you are, you're the horror writer. I dont read anything that you do, but I respect your right to do it. I just like things more genuine, like that Shawshank Redemption."

"I wrote that," said King. "No you didn't," said the woman, and then she walked away.

Whether or not people have read King's "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," they like The Shawshank Redemption, and today, many fans do a pilgrimage to the place where the film was shot, Mansfield Reformatory. Mansfield was a prison with a pretty strange history. The architect, Levi Scofield, designed it to look more like a castle than a jail, and at the start, it served as a sort of halfway house and aimed to reform prisoners by treating them better than traditional prisons. This did not last long.

In 1930, the main Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus caught fire, and the state moved its violent prisoners to Mansfield. They overcrowded the entire facility. Over the next few decades, hundreds of prisoners died in Mansfield. Starting the '70s, inmates filed class-action lawsuits against the prison, and one suit actually won and forced the state to shutter the prison in 1990.
Microsoft announced Monday that it's getting into the managed security services business. The company's Microsoft Security Experts program includes three new managed services.

Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting is for its customers who have robust security operations centers but would like Microsoft to hunt for threats in data from endpoints, Office 365, cloud applications, and identity sources. Microsoft's experts will hand off any actionable alerts they discover to security operations center (SOC) personnel, along with remediation recommendations. Microsoft experts are also available on-demand to answer security questions about anything from incidents to action by nation-state actors to updates on the latest attack vectors. The projected launch window for the service is in the summer of 2022.

Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR is for customers who need to extend the capacity of their SOC. It extends beyond endpoints to provide detection and response across Microsoft 365 Defender. It will investigate alerts and use automation and human expertise to respond to incidents alongside a local security team. Preview of the service is expected to roll out in the fall of 2022.

Microsoft Security Services for the Enterprise combines proactive threat hunting and managed XDR. It leverages Microsoft's complete security information and event management (SIEM) and XDR stack to protect all cloud environments and all platforms. The service uses Microsoft security experts to manage onboarding, daily interactions, practice modernization, and incident response for an organization. The service is sold through a custom statement of work and is available today.

Incident response, modernization services rolled into Experts program

Microsoft will be rolling two existing offerings into the Experts program. Microsoft Security Services for Incident Response provides experts who can be consulted before, during, and after a data breach. The Microsoft pros can help an organization remove a bad actor from its environment, remediate its defenses after a breach, and build resilience against future attacks.

Microsoft Security Services for Modernization is aimed at customers engaged in a security transformation of their organization. It provides consulting services to help customers at any stage of their security journey, including embracing a Zero Trust approach to security.

"[T]echnology alone is not enough to defend against cybercrime," Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management Vasu Jakkal wrote in a company blog. "Technology is critical, but it's the combination of leading technologies, comprehensive threat intelligence, and highly skilled people that makes for a truly effective security posture."

Harder for organizations to build security teams

The challenge in this critical moment when cybersecurity has reached an inflection point, Jakkal noted, is that organizations are facing a cybersecurity talent shortage, with nearly one in threeor 2.5 millionsecurity jobs vacant in the United States. That's pushing the time of detection for a breach to an alarming 287 days. Even when talent is available, access to highly skilled expertise remains a challenge. "Its getting harder every day for organizations to build and maintain a full security team, let alone one with the ever-expanding skillset required to meet the range of today's security demands," he wrote.
Zero-click attack definition

Zero-click attacks, unlike most cyberattacks, don't require any interaction from the users they target, such as clicking on a link, enabling macros, or launching an executable. They are sophisticated, often used in cyberespionage campaigns, and tend to leave very few traces behindwhich makes them dangerous.

Once a device is compromised, an attacker can choose to install surveillance software, or they can choose to enact a much more destructive strategy by encrypting the files and holding them for ransom. Generally, a victim can't tell when and how they've been infected through a zero-click attack, which means users can do little to protect themselves.

How zero-click attacks work

Zero-click attacks have become increasingly popular in recent years, fueled by the rapidly growing surveillance industry. One of the most popular spyware is NSO Group's Pegasus, which has been used to monitor journalists, activists, world leaders, and company executives. While it's not clear how each victim was targeted, it is believed that at least a few of them have received a WhatsApp call they didn't even have to answer.

Messaging apps are often targeted in zero-click attacks because they receive large amounts of data from unknown sources without requiring any action from the device owner. Most often, the attackers exploit a flaw in how data is validated or processed.

Other less-known zero-click attack types have stayed under the radar, says Aamir Lakhani, cybersecurity researcher at Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs. He gives two examples: parser application exploits ("while a user views a picture in a PDF or a mail application, the attacker is silently exploiting a system without user clicks or interaction needed") and "WiFi proximity attacks that seek to find exploits on a WiFi stack and upload exploit code into [the] user's space [in the] kernel to remotely take over systems."

Zero-click attacks often rely on zero-days, vulnerabilities that are unknown to the software maker. Not knowing they exist, the maker can't issue patches to fix them, which can put users at risk. "Even very alert and aware users cannot avoid those double-whammy zero-day and zero-click attacks," Lakhani says.

These attacks are often used against high-value targets because they are expensive. "Zerodium, which purchases vulnerabilities on the open market, pays up to $2.5M for zero-click vulnerabilities against Android," says Ryan Olson, vice president of threat intelligence, Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks.

Examples of zero-click attacks

The target of a zero-click attack can be anything from a smartphone to a desktop computer and even an IoT device. One of the first defining moments in their history happened in 2010 when security researcher Chris Paget demonstrated at DEFCON18 how to intercept phone calls and text messages using a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) vulnerability, explaining that the GSM protocol is broken by design. During his demo, he showed how easy it was for his international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catcher to intercept the mobile phone traffic of the audience.

Another early zero-click threat was discovered in 2015 when the Android malware family Shedun took advantage of the Android Accessibility Service's legitimate functions to install adware without the user doing anything. "By gaining the permission to use the accessibility service, Shedun is able to read the text that appears on screen, determine if an application installation prompt is shown, scroll through the permission list, and finally, press the install button without any physical interaction from the user," according to Lookout.

A year later, in 2016, things got even more complicated. A zero-click attack was implemented into the United Arab Emirates surveillance tool Karma, which took advantage of a zero-day found in iMessage. Karma only needed a user's phone number or email address. Then, a text message was sent to the victim, who didn't even have to click on a link to be infected.

Once that text arrived on an iPhone, the attackers were able to see photos, emails, and location data, among other items. The hacking unit that used this tool, dubbed Project Raven, included U.S. intelligence hackers who helped the United Arab Emirates monitor governments and human rights activists.

By the end of that decade, zero-click attacks were being noticed more often, as surveillance companies and nation-state actors started to develop tools that didn't require any action from the user. "Attacks that we were previously seeing through links in SMS, moved to zero-click attacks by network injections," says Etienne Maynier, technologist at Amnesty International.

Amnesty and the Citizen Lab worked on several cases involving NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, which was linked to several murders, including that of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Once installed on a phone, Pegasus can read text messages, track calls, monitor a victim's location, access the device's mic and camera, collect passwords, and gather information from apps.

Khashoggi and his close ones were not the only victims. In 2019, a flaw in WhatsApp was exploited to target civil society and political figures in Catalonia. The attack started with a video call made on WhatsApp to the victim. Answering the call wasn't necessary, as the data sent to the chat app wasn't sanitized properly. This allowed the Pegasus code to be executed on the target device, effectively installing the spyware software. WhatsApp has since patched this vulnerability and has notified 1,400 users who have been targeted.

Another sophisticated zero-click attack associated with NSO Group's Pegasus was based on a vulnerability in Apple's iMessage. In 2021, Citizen Lab found traces of this exploit being used to target a Saudi activist. This attack relies on an error in the way GIFs are parsed in iMessage and disguises a PDF document containing malicious code as a GIF. In its analysis of the exploit, Google Project Zero stated, "The most striking takeaway is the depth of the attack surface reachable from what would hopefully be a fairly constrained sandbox." The iMessage vulnerability was fixed on September 13, 2021, in iOS 14.8.

Zero-click attacks don't only target phones. In 2021, a zero-click vulnerability gave unauthenticated attackers full control over Hikvision security cameras. Later the same year, a flaw in Microsoft Teams was proved to be exploitable through a zero-click attack that gave hackers access to the target device across major operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux).

How to detect and mitigate zero-click attacks

Realistically, knowing if a victim is infected is quite tricky, and protecting against a zero-click attack is almost impossible. "Zero-click attacks are way more common than we thought," says Maynier. He recommends potential targets encrypt all their data, update their devices, have strong passwords, and do everything in their power to protect their digital lives. There's also something else he tells them: "Consider that they may be compromised and adapt to that."

Still, users can do a few things to minimize the risk of being spied on. The simplest one is to restart the phone periodically if they own an iPhone. Experts at Amnesty have shown that this could potentially stop Pegasus from working on iOSat least temporarily. This has the advantage of disabling any code running that has not achieved persistence. However, the disadvantage is that rebooting the device may erase the signs that an infection has occurred, making it much harder for security researchers to determine whether a device has been targeted with Pegasus.

Users should also avoid jailbreaking their devices, because it removes some of the security controls that are built into the firmware. In addition to that, since they can install unverified software on a jailbroken device, this opens them up to installing vulnerable code that might be a prime target for a zero-click attack.

As always, maintaining good security hygiene can help. "Segmentation of networks, applications, and users, use of multifactor authentication, use of strong traffic monitoring, good cybersecurity hygiene, and advanced security analytics may prove to slow down or mitigate risks in specific situations," says Lakhani. "[These] will also make post-exploitation activities difficult for attackers, even if they do compromise [the] systems."

Maynier adds that high-profile targets should segregate data and have a device only for sensitive communications. He recommends users keep "the smallest amount of information possible on their phone (disappearing messages are a very good tool for that)" and leave it out of the room when they have important face-to-face conversations.

Organizations such as Amnesty and Citizen Lab have published guides instructing users to connect their smartphone to a PC and check to see whether they have been infected with Pegasus. The software used for this, Mobile Verification Toolkit, relies on known Indicators of Compromise such as cached favicons and URLs present in SMS messages. A user does not have to jailbreak their device to run this tool.

Also, Apple and WhatsApp have both sent messages to people who might have been targeted by zero-click attacks that aimed to install Pegasus. After that, some of them reached out to organizations such as Citizen Lab to further analyze their devices.

Yet technology alone won't solve the problem, says Amnesty's Maynier. "This is ultimately a question of policy and regulation," he adds. "Amnesty, EDRi and many other organizations are calling for a global moratorium on the use, sale, and transfer of surveillance technology until there is a proper human rights regulatory framework in place that protects human rights defenders and civil society from the misuse of these tools."

The policy answers will have to cover different aspects of this problem, he says, from export control to mandatory human rights due diligence for companies. "We need to put a stop on these widespread abuses first," Maynier adds.
As detailed in NETSCOUTs 2H 2021 Threat Report, the total number of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks decreased from 5.4 million in the first half of 2021 to 4.4 million in the second half of the year, totaling 9.8 million DDoS attacks for all of 2021. Most geographical regions experienced decreases in attacks during the second half of 2021. But a notable exception was the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, which had more than 1.2 million attacks during this timeframe  a 7% increase from the second half of 2021. This becomes even more significant in light of the fact that the past three Threat Intelligence reports chronicle back-to-back declines in this region.

One likely reason is the geopolitical tensions between China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan  as well as hostility against countries that support democratic governments in the APAC region. To better understand the ways cyberattacks are used in relation to geopolitical events, consider the following attacks or incidents related to the APAC region during this period.

In mid-July, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was publicly condemned for a series of cyberattacks, including ransomware, cyberextortion, and cryptojacking, in an effort to steal trade secrets, business information, intellectual property, and vaccine research. The US. government, the European Union (EU), NATO, and the Five Eyes- the intelligence alliance made up of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand  leveled the charges against four Chinese nationals believed to be part of APT40, a group linked to the PRC Ministry of State Security.

In November, the director for Taiwan's cybersecurity department said that the countrys government agencies were being hit with 5 million cyberattacks and probes every day. Taiwanese officials claim China has increased cyberattacks targeting Taiwans government and businesses in direct proportion to Chinas efforts to make democratic Taiwan part of its own territory.

In December, the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) announced it had been given the authority to seize websites related to Nickel, a China-based hacking group that was attacking organizations in the US and 28 other countries. A US District Court approved shutting down the sites, blocking Nickels access to victims and preventing it from using websites to launch attacks. The move was made in response to evidence the attacks were waged to gather intelligence from government agencies, think tanks, and human rights organizations.



Also in December, at least 13 organizations in sectors that include defense, healthcare, energy, and transportation were targeted by a suspected Chinese cybersecuritycampaign that was investigated by the National Security Agency (NSA) and our partner organization, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 division. The breach was made possible via vulnerable software used by more than 600 US organizations, including universities, state and local governments, and healthcare organizations.

As these examples illustrate, DDoS attacks are often forms of geopolitical protest and waged to impact governments and vital organizations of countries around the world.

Note: At the time of this blog post, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is still happening. Prior to and during this time, the NETSCOUT ATLAS Security Engineering and Response Team (ASERT) has been monitoring DDoS attacks targeting both Russian and Ukrainian assets.

Learn more about the regional attack trends in the 2H 2021 Threat Report
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BEIJING (AP)  The city of Shanghai is doubling down on pandemic restrictions after a brief period of loosening up, frustrating residents who were hoping a more than monthlong lockdown was finally easing as the number of new cases falls in China's financial center.

On Tuesday, service was suspended on the last two subway lines that were still operating, marking the first time the citys entire system has been shut down, according to The Paper, an online media outlet.

Teams in white protective suits have begun entering the homes of coronavirus-infected people to spray disinfectant, prompting worries among some about damage to clothes and valuables, and about leaving their keys with a community volunteer when they are taken to quarantine  a new requirement so disinfectant workers can get in.

In some areas, people have been ordered to stay in their homes again for a quiet period" after being let out for limited shopping in recent weeks.

China's adherence to a zero-COVID strategy, as many other countries loosen restrictions and try to live with the virus, is exacting a growing economic and human cost. Evermore extreme measures have been required to bring outbreaks under control because the omicron variant spreads so easily. China's ruling Communist Party, with an eye on a major party congress this fall, is showing no signs of backing off anytime soon.

Fengxian district, a suburban area in southern Shanghai, entered a quiet period on Monday, with permits for residents to leave their compounds suspended and shops and supermarkets closed except for delivery, the Shanghai Media Group reported.

Workers at one supermarket filled bags with celery, cooking oil and other groceries in a designated area, where delivery persons picked them up. Xie Yu, the manager, said the store is also trying to restock goods in high demand. "When offline sales are resumed, customers will be able to buy what they need immediately, he said.

Escape from Shanghai is all but impossible, but that didn't stop an unofficial how-to guide  detailing how to navigate lockdown controls and nab a seat on the few trains and planes leaving the city  from circulating widely on social media. Many in the city of 25 million people shared their frustrations over the renewed restrictions in chat groups.

The daily number of new cases in Shanghai had fallen to about 3,000 by Monday, down from a peak of 26,000 in mid-April. Six more COVID-19-related deaths were reported, raising the toll from the outbreak to 553.

Meanwhile, Beijing began another round of three days of mass testing for millions of its residents Tuesday in a bid to prevent an outbreak in the nation's capital from growing to Shanghai proportions. The city, which recorded 74 new cases on Monday, has locked down individual buildings and residential compounds, shut about 60 subway stations and banned dining at restaurants, allowing only takeout and delivery.

The outbreak has not exploded but it also has not stopped spreading. Beijing spokesperson Xu Hejian described the situation Tuesday as a stalemate and said the city needs to continue its strict measures.

While traffic is sparse in Beijing, it is almost non-existent in Shanghai, where the lockdown has been going on longer and is citywide. AP video shot Monday showed a silent and deserted city, with only a very occasional vehicle and a few food delivery drivers on scooters moving down empty roads. Most people are confined to their apartments or residential complexes, though there has been some easing in outlying suburban areas without new cases in their communities.

But notices issued in several Shanghai districts in recent days ordered residents to stay home and barred them from receiving nonessential deliveries as part of a quiet period lasting until Wednesday or longer. The measures could be extended depending on the results of mass testing, the notices said. The sudden re-tightening took residents by surprise.

Shanghai official Jin Chen appeared to acknowledge Tuesday the complaints about the disinfecting of people's homes, thanking them for their cooperation and saying the government would analyze and fix any problems. He said that residents can inform the teams about any items that need protection.

Carrying out household disinfection is an important part of the overall epidemic prevention and control, he told a daily virus news conference.

A constitutional law professor, Tong Zhiwei, posted an article recently calling for Shanghai to end what he called excessive pandemic prevention measures" such as quarantining residents and forcing them to surrender their house keys, saying the requirements contravene the rule of law.

The article has been removed from the internet as the government censors criticism of its response.

Thousands of people have been forced into quarantine centers after testing positive or having been in contact with an infected person, standard procedure in China's zero-COVID approach.

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Associated Press researchers Si Chen in Shanghai and Yu Bing in Beijing and video producer Caroline Chen in Guangzhou, China, contributed to this report.
Nestled in a small glass case in a New Windsor, N.Y., museum is a faded piece of heart-shaped purple satin. When Gen. George Washington held that cloth in his hands on May 3, 1783, it was a fledgling nations way of honoring a special soldier. Now, that original Purple Heart is a silent reminder of heroic deeds in a dramatic time of American history  and Connecticuts role in those events.

Memories of the three Connecticut soldiers who wore these badges have faded, too, almost lost to history. We still have military heroes, honored by a wide range of medals. But these three, part of the generation that formed our country, lived when gallant acts were commonplace, but often unrecognized. When Sgt. Elijah Churchill, of the Second Continental Regiment, Light Dragoons, stood in front of Washington in Newburgh on that Saturday, he was the first enlisted soldier to receive an award in the U.S.

Until the American Revolution, awards had been reserved almost exclusively for officers. France had instituted an award for enlisted soldiers but none had been awarded. Washington, however, saw the need to honor special acts of bravery. In November 1782, he authorized creation of the Badge of Military Merit for any member of the American military who had performed any singularly meritorious action. The General Order authorizing the award further said this action had to reflect instances of unusual gallantry or extraordinary fidelity and essential service.

The three soldiers who are known to have earned that honor, all Connecticut residents, could tell a story of heroism, of daring, and of bravery under fire. There may have been other recipients, but no official records exist. In many ways, the three symbolize what the American military represents  as Gen. Douglas MacArthur said  duty, honor and country.

Churchill, who enlisted in Enfield, led two daring assaults behind the lines on British-occupied Long Island. What made his efforts so special was that the raid was carried out in November, using open whaleboats. He and his soldiers, under the heavy skies of a late New England autumn, rowed across treacherous Long Island Sound, leaving from Black Rock, then part of Fairfield. In two raids, they surprised and defeated superior forces at Coram, at Fort St. George (near Shirley) and at Fort Slongo (near Huntington). In the process, they captured prisoners and destroyed a significant amount of enemy supplies. When their missions were completed, they rowed back, with their prisoners and captured supplies, across the wintry Sound. Churchill was wounded in the Fort Slongo battle.

His award also honored bravery later in Westchester County, N.Y.

The second recipient, who also received the award from Washington on that May day in 1783, was perhaps even more daring. At the siege of Yorktown  the victory that effectively ended the Revolution  two British fortifications blocked the allied advance. The French assaulted the fortification on the left of their advance, while the Americans, commanded by Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton, took the one on the right.

Ahead of the advancing American forces was a group of 20 soldiers, called a forlorn hope, the term used at that time for a suicide mission. Sgt. William Brown, of Stamford, a member of the 5th Connecticut Regiment, was that groups enlisted leader. Their task: at night, with unloaded muskets and using only their bayonets, surprise and break through the strongest British fortification to allow Hamiltons force to follow.

Brown was wounded in the attack, but recovered in time to receive the award from Washington.

Even less is known about the third recipient  and for good reason. Sgt. Daniel Bissell was a spy. Operating in the same area where Capt. Nathan Hale had failed, was captured and hanged, Bissell worked for 13 months. Spies often work behind the enemys lines. Bissell, of Windsor, worked in the enemys lines.

Painting from the Army Historica

Although he had joined the Continental Armys 2nd Connecticut Regiment, he had  as far as anyone knew  deserted in August 1781, and joined the British Army in New York City, serving under Benedict Arnold. Washington, to help with the deception, listed him as a deserter and placed a bounty on his head  dead or alive.

Bissell survived and passed messages back to Washington. When he reported personally to Washington after more than a year in the British Army, he provided detailed reports to the commander on British forces, tactics, supplies and fortifications. The General Orders of June 8, 1783, shed little light on his activities, noting only that he had performed some important services, within the immediate knowledge of the Commander in chief.

Washington had intended the award to remain part of the American military after the Revolution. His original order authorized the award for actions from the beginning of the conflict and said it was to be considered as a permanent one. After the Revolution, however, the Badge of Military Merit was never awarded again and there were no awards for valor until the Medal of Honor was created during the Civil War. The Medal of Honor evolved to become the most prestigious U.S. military award.

In the 1920s, however, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur reinstated the badge and, on the bicentennial of Washingtons birth  Feb. 22, 1932  it became the Purple Heart. Authorized for military merit, as well as to replace the chevrons, worn on the left uniform sleeve, that honored wounds received during World War I, it was presented for such varied merit as marksmanship and horsemanship. At the beginning of World War II, the Purple Heart was designated solely as the award for wounds, and its use was expanded to include the other services.

The General Order awarding the badge to Churchill echoed Washingtons original reason for creating it: Whereas it hath even been an established maxim in the American Service that the Road to Glory was open to All  and that distinguished Merit should not pass unnoticed or unrewarded.

In 1983, to celebrate the awards bicentennial, the Army Reserves 76th Division  based in West Hartford  took the national lead in the celebration. It outfitted a trailer with original artwork and another with Purple Heart memorabilia; they toured the state for five months. At the same time, the unit staged a multimedia presentation before as many as 5,000 people in Stamford, Black Rock and Enfield. Working with the Navy and Coast Guard, the Division coordinated flotillas of ships in Stamford and Bridgeport harbors, led by the USS Petersen, a Navy destroyer, hosting military and political dignitaries. A highlight of the celebration was an international, multi-service military ball aboard the USS Intrepid in New York City.

The Purple Heart is not an award anyone seeks. One Marine, during the Purple Heart Bicentennial, said that, in his basic training, his instructors had said Marines seek the Medal of Honor and did not want the Purple Heart. That Marine had been wounded by a sniper on Iwo Jima during World War II and later became a leader in the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the organization for all recipients. The organizations Chapter 1 is based in Derby.

Another recipient  no one wins the Purple Heart  making light of his wounds, referred to the Purple Heart as an enemy marksmanship badge.

Even though it is not sought, it has been presented more than any other medal, so often, in fact, that no records exist within the military listing all those who have received it.

Those who have earned the Purple Heart would make Churchill, Brown and Bissell proud. They wear the nations oldest decoration and, although the rationale for the award has changed, might be heartened by the final instruction in the General Order awarding the Badge of Military Merit to Churchill. It said that Churchill was hereby further Recommended to that favorable Notice which a Brave and Faithful Soldier deserves from his Countrymen.

The cloth on the original Badge of Military Merit has faded, dim with the memories of those who received it. The tradition and honor, marked by a heart of purple, remain vibrant.

NYS Parks

The Meritorious Three

Sgt. Elijah Churchill

A 32-year old carpenter from Enfield, Elijah Churchill entered the 8th Connecticut Regiment as a private on July 7, 1775. On May 7, 1777, he re-enlisted for the duration of the war as a corporal in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoon Regiment, later the 2nd Legionary Corps, and was promoted to sergeant on Oct. 2, 1780. He was cited for gallantry at Fort St. George (near Shirley) and at Coram, N.Y., on Nov. 21, 1780, and at Tarrytown, N.Y., in July 1781. At Fort St. George, the group he led captured 300 prisoners, destroyed the fort, burned several heavily laden cargo vessels moored offshore and more than 300 tons of hay. Then, on Oct. 2, 1781, he led 100 Light Dragoons and infantry from Westport to Long Island. They launched a surprise attack on Fort Slongo (near Huntington). In addition to destroying the fort, they captured 21 prisoners, and again destroyed a great quantity of military stores and tons of hay.

His citation reads, in part:

That Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons, in the several enterprises against Fort George and Fort Slongo on Long Island, acted in a very conspicuous and singularly meritorious part; that at the head of each body of attack he not only acquitted himself with great gallantry, firmness and address; but that the surprise in one instance, and the success of the attack in the other, proceeded in a considerable degree from his conduct and management.

After the Revolution, he moved to Massachusetts. Hedied on April 11, 1841, and is buried in the Bell Cemetery at Middlefield, Mass.

Some accounts suggest he may be a distant relative of Winston Churchill.

Sgt. William Brown

A native of Stamford, the 16-year-old William Brown enlisted in the 5th Connecticut Regiment as a corporal on May 23, 1775, and re-enlisted as a private on April 9, 1777, for the duration in the 8th Connecticut Regiment. He was promoted to corporal on May 8, 1779, and to sergeant on Aug. 1, 1780, transferring with the consolidation of units to the 5th Connecticut Regiment on Jan. 1, 1781, and to the 2nd Connecticut Regiment on Jan. 1, 1783. Praised for his bravery in the storming of Stony Point, N.Y., in 1779, he was cited for gallantry at Yorktown, Va.

His citation reads, in part:

That Sergeant Brown of the 5th Connecticut Regiment in the assault on the enemies redoubt at Yorktown, in Virginia, on the evening of the 14th of October 1781, conducted a forlorn hope with great bravery, propriety, and deliberate firmness, and his general character appears unexceptionable.

After the war, he moved west to the newly developed river town of Cincinnati. When President George Washington sent Gen. Anthony Wayne to Cincinnati in the spring of 1793 to take charge of subduing Native Americans, one of Waynes first acts was to call upon Brown to furnish him with a company of spies. It is possible Brown joined the general at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

He died in Cincinnati on Oct. 22, 1804, and probably was buried in what is today the Fulton-Presbyterian Cemetery, but his original tombstone was lost, possibly stolen or destroyed. On July 24, 2004, at the Columbia Baptist Cemetery in Ashbury, Ohio, a new tombstone was dedicated in his memory.

Sgt. Daniel Bissell

Daniel Bissell, from East Windsor, enlisted on July 7, 1775, as a fifer in the 8th Connecticut Regiment, and, on April 1, 1776, signed on for the duration as a corporal in the 5th Connecticut Regiment. Promoted to sergeant on Sept. 1, 1777, he ended the war with the 2nd Connecticut Regiment. He fought at White Plains, N.Y., Trenton and Monmouth, N.J., where he was wounded.

On Gen. George Washingtons direct orders, he posed as a deserter and served in the British Army in New York City from Aug. 14, 1781, to Sept. 29, 1782, relaying valuable information to the Continental command. In the British military, he served under Benedict Arnold.

His award was presented at Washingtons Newburgh, N.Y., headquarters on June 8, 1873, by Johnathan Trumbull Jr., the generals military secretary, who later served as Connecticuts governor. The town of Trumbull is named for his father, who also served as governor.

His citation reads, in part:

Whereas it hath ever been an established maxim in the American Service, that the Road to Glory was open to all, that Honorary Rewards and Distinctions, were the greatest Stimuli to virtuous actions, and whereas Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the Second Connecticut Regiment, has performed some important service, within the immediate knowledge of the Commander-in-Chief, in which his fidelity, perseverance and good sense, were not only conspicuously manifested, but his general line of conduct throughout a long course of service, having been not only unspotted but highly deserving of commendation.

During the Quasi-War with France (17981800), Bissell was commissioned a first lieutenant in the 16th Infantry Regiment on March 3, 1799, and was discharged on June 15, 1800.

Bissell died in Richmond, N.Y., where he is buried in Allens Hill Cemetery. His tombstone is inscribed, In memory of Daniel Bissell, Who died August 21st, 1824, Aged 70 Years, He had the confidence of Washington and served under him.

Washington often is given credit for designing the Purple Heart, but the design originates with Bissell. At a ball with Washington, Bissell was dancing with his future wife, stepped on her purple dress and ripped off a piece. He took the piece of fabric, folded it into a heart and told her to keep it. When Washington learned of this, he was inspired to make the Purple Heart.

Bissells award was lost in a house fire in 1813.

The Bissell Bridge in South Windsor is not named for him, but for Capt. John Bissell, who was active in the 1600s and may be an ancestor.

Other Purple Heart recipients

While there is no complete list of Purple Heart recipients, some notable Connecticut residents have received the honor, including these Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame members:

Michael J. Daly, Fairfield; World War II (also Medal of Honor)

John Jack Dougherty, Branford; Vietnam

Bruce Hults Ey, Wethersfield; World War II, Korea, Vietnam

Evans Edward Kerrigan, Rocky Hill; Korea

John J. King, Hartford; World War II

Howard L. Luppi, North Haven; World War II

Anthony Mammola, Westbrook; World War II

The Rev. William D. McGee, Winsted; Vietnam

Alfred A. Meadows, Huntington; Vietnam

H. Richard Newell Jr., Hartford; Vietnam

Roger G. Paulmeno, Old Greenwich; Vietnam

Ernst Virgil Plantz, Gales Ferry; World War II

Darrell D. Stark, Stafford; World War II

Homer L. Wise, Stamford, World War II (also Medal of Honor)

Left, Michael Cummo/Hearst Connecticut Media; right: courtesy photo

An honor not just for humans

A small dog wandered onto the fields near the Yale Bowl in New Haven in 1917, was adopted by the 102nd Infantry of the U.S. Armys 26th Yankee Division which was training there, and served  heroically  on the battlefields of Europe during World War I. He was awarded the Purple Heart, among many other honors, and is forever known as Sgt. Stubby.

Gerard J. Monaghan is a retired Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who served as the 76th Division (Training) public affairs officer during the Purple Heart Bicentennial. He is the co-founder and retired president of the Association of Bridal Consultants, an international professional organization serving the wedding industry. He and his wife, Eileen, live in New Milford; they have four children and nine grandchildren.
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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  A man found floating on a raft off the coast of New England in 2016 after his boat sank was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with killing his mother at sea to inherit the family's estate.

The eight-count indictment released in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, also says Nathan Carman shot and killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, at his home in Windsor, Connecticut, in 2013 as part of an effort to defraud insurance companies, but he was not charged with that killing.

Carman was found in an inflatable raft eight days after leaving a Rhode Island marina to go fishing with his mother, Linda Carman, who was never found.

Carman, 28, of Vernon, Vermont, was arrested Tuesday. Hes due in federal court Wednesday in Rutland, Vermont. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.

William Michael, an attorney for Carmans mothers sisters, said Tuesday the family had no immediate comment.

The indictment that was handed down May 2, but made public after Carmans arrest, describes what prosecutors said was a scheme to defraud the estate of Chakalos.

As a central part of the scheme, Nathan Carman murdered John Chakalos and Linda Carman, the indictment says.

Authorities claim in the indictment that on Nov. 11, 2013, Carman used his New Hampshire driver's license to purchase a rifle that he used on Dec. 20, 2013, to shoot Chakalos while he slept.

After Chakalos death, Carman received $550,000 from different accounts. He moved to Vermont in 2014 where he was unemployed and by the fall of 2016 was low on funds.

In September 2016, Carman arranged to go on a fishing trip with his mother on his boat named the Chicken Pox."

Nathan Carman planned to kill his mother on the trip, the indictment says. He also planned how he would report the sinking of the Chicken Pox and his mothers disappearance at sea as accidents.

Seven of the eight counts of the indictment are related to what prosecutors say were fraudulent efforts to get money from his grandfather's estate or insurance companies.

The other count alleges that Carman killed his mother. If convicted of the murder charge, he faces life in prison.

In 2019, a federal judge in Rhode Island decided that Carman contributed to the sinking of the boat.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a written decision in favor of an insurance company that had refused to pay an $85,000 claim to Carman for the loss of his 31-foot fishing boat.

Carman denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy. He told the Coast Guard that when the boat filled quickly with water, he swam to the life raft and called for his mother but never saw her again.

The judge found, among other things, that shortly before the fishing trip with his mother, Carman made improper repairs to the boat. Witnesses testified that he removed two stabilizing trim tabs from the stern, near the vessels waterline, leaving holes that he tried to seal with an epoxy stick.

He was found floating in the raft off the coast of Marthas Vineyard, a Massachusetts island, by the crew of a freighter eight days after the boat was reported missing.

Chakalos, who was a real estate developer, left behind an estate that was worth nearly $29 million, which was to be divided among his four daughters. Carman is in line to get about $7 million of the estate, as his mothers only heir.

Chakalos three surviving daughters sued Carman in New Hampshire probate court, seeking to bar him from receiving any money from Chakalos estate. A judge dismissed the case in 2019, saying Chakalos was not a New Hampshire resident. The probate case was refiled in Connecticut, where it remains pending.

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This story has been corrected to show that Carman is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday in Rutland, not Burlington.

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AP reporters Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
FAIRFIELD  A Bridgeport man was arrested last week after he spat in a Hispanic mans face and yelled racial slurs at him, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

Stephen Saint Raymond, 58, of Bridgeport, was charged with second-degree intimidation based on bigotry/bias and second-degree breach of peace. He was released on a written promise to appear and is scheduled to appear in court in Bridgeport on May 17.

Police were called to Villa Avenue around 5:20 p.m. on May 3 for a crash involving a 2013 Volkswagen GTI and Saint Raymonds 2007 Acura TSX. There, police saw Saint Raymond actively yelling and hitting the front of the other drivers car.

Police asked Saint Raymond to stop yelling and hitting the Volkswagen. Saint Raymond refused and was very uncooperative as he continued to scream and hit the Volkswagen with his fists, police said.

After Saint Raymond did not comply, police put him in handcuffs. The Bridgeport man then appeared to throw himself on the ground and said an officer pushed him. One witness told police that Saint Raymond was acting and fell to the ground on his own.

Saint Raymond told police he was not injured. An officer then put Saint Raymond in a police cruiser.

The driver of the Volkswagen told police that he was driving east on Villa Avenue and attempted to move into the left turn lane. Saint Raymond, in his Acura, was actively blocking him from moving to the left turn lane and being aggressive driving close to his vehicle, police said.

Saint Raymond then pulled up beside the man, rolled down his window, yelled a racial slur at the man and spat in his face, the man told police.

The man then attempted to pull in front of Saint Raymond, causing the crash, police said. Saint Raymond got out of his car and started hitting the front of the Volkswagen, according to police.

Saint Raymond admitted to calling the man the racial slur to police and said he didnt know it was illegal, the police department said.
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NORTHFIELD - Wind and rain buffeted emergency responder Dave Carrolls vehicle as he pulled up next to a disabled car in front of the old Beacon Grange on Route 254.

It was the summer of 2020, and tropical storm Isais had knocked out power throughout Northfield. Carroll, a captain with the Northfield Fire Company, was waiting for a tow truck to arrive when he glimpsed the old grange hall, at first a soggy blur and then a clear image after a swipe of the windshield wipers. An idea began to form in his mind.

This is the spot, he said to himself.

For years, Carroll had nurtured the idea of somehow bringing back the old Northfield General Store, which closed more than a decade earlier.

The lack of a general store has always been kind of a sore subject in Northfield, he said, his voice echoing from the walls of the former Beacon Grange No. 118.

He stood beside his wife, Marie, where shoppers will soon select items from coolers and shelves. Power tools and stepladders were scattered here and there in the space where the once and future Northfield General Store is being resurrected. The growl of earth-moving machines outside bore testimony to ambitious landscaping efforts to make the store more customer-friendly.

I grew up in this community, Carroll said. I love it to death. As a kid, I would ride my bike to that store on Main Street. It was always just there. When its there you take it for granted. And when something is gone, you miss it.

When he was 14, he joined the Northfield Junior Firefighters, and remained a volunteer until he left town to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He met his future wife, Marie, in Boston, where she was studying business at Bentley College. Ironically, Marie hails from New Preston, just a few miles from Northfield. They returned to Connecticut and are raising theirtwo sons, Conor, 5, and Declan, 2, in Northfield.

This wont be my full-time job, Carroll said. I do have a manager who will be running the operation. I am a cyber security executive in the insurance industry.

This is a pet project for me, but its a very important pet project. This is about the neighborhood and the community, he said.

He is conscious not only of the absence of a general store, which helped bind the community together; but also of former grange members who no longer have a grange hall in town.

Grange organizations in general have been suffering mainly because of a lack of funds, he said. Its a farmers organization, and over time the farm footprint in Litchfield County has continued to shrink. Grange 118 has been disbanded. The last thing I wanted to see was this building torn down and a house being put up. You know, there is one shot to do something with this building, and we are going to try. We are going to make it work.

He said the general store will have plenty of room for former grange members and others to gather and socialize. Several tables are planned for the interior, where people can sit and enjoy a beverage and a sandwich.

In addition, the building will have a 170-square-foot front porch, with room to accommodate several tables.

You cant have a general store without a good front porch, Carroll said.

Downstairs from the store will be another area to gather - that is, when the space is not being rented by vendors with food trucks and other food outlets.

It will function as a commissary kitchen, Carroll said. In the state of Connecticut, if you have a food truck or food business, you are required to prepare that food in a commercial kitchen. So that kitchen is available for rent on demand. We will have online scheduling, and folks can basically come and go.

A large gas stove once used by the grange will be reconditioned and will remain in the kitchen, he said.

That downstairs area has special significance for Carroll. I actually had my college graduation party here back in 2004, he said.

Marie is fully supportive of her husbands ambitions, and he calls her the brains of the operation.

I am vice president of the fire companys auxiliary, so we are both active members of the community, she said. I also have a full-time job in healthcare finance. Im just here supporting the dream.

Part of that dream, he said only half-jokingly, is to bring back one special item that the old Northfield General Store was famous for.

All of the folks that I grew up with, they stop me all the time and ask, Are you gonna have the grinders? Got to have the general store grinders, he said.

He chuckled and added, Now the pressure is on me to re-create it. Thankfully, I know the people who owned the general store, so we are going to sit down and we are going to make sure that we get that general store grinder just the way it used to be.

He said there is a running joke that reopening the store is an extreme measure to save townspeople from driving to Thomaston to pick up milk.

Its nice to go right down the road and pick up a loaf of bread or pick up a gallon of milk or get a couple of sandwiches and go up to Nystroms Pond for a day, he said.

The new Northfield General Store in the old Beacon Grange building at 670 Northfield Road is on track to open in September, complete with grinders, he said.

We want to make this place home, he said.
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LONDON (AP)  Britains Conservative government set out its agenda for the next year on Tuesday with sweeping promises to cut crime, improve health care and revive the U.K.s pandemic-scarred economy  but no new help for millions of Britons struggling to pay their bills as the cost of living soars.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had caused economic turmoil, but said no government can realistically shield everyone from the impact.

The government set out its legislative plans during a ceremony steeped in tradition, but without Queen Elizabeth II, who was absent for the first time in six decades.

The 96-year-old monarch pulled out of reading the Queen's Speech at the opening of Parliament because of what Buckingham Palace called episodic mobility issues. Her son and heir, Prince Charles, stood in, rattling through a short speech laying out 38 bills the government plans to pass.

The speech, which is written by the government, promised Johnsons administration would grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. There were plans to invest in railways, create a U.K. infrastructure bank and level up economic opportunity to poorer regions, as well as bills on education and health care funding.

Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine had created huge disruptions to the global economy. But the speech included no immediate measures to relieve households struggling with soaring prices for domestic energy and food.

We cannot simply spend our way out of this problem, Johnson told lawmakers. We need to grow out of this problem by creating hundreds of thousands of new high-wage, high-skill jobs across the country.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the government of being too out of touch to meet the challenges of the moment. He called for an emergency budget and a windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

Many business groups and unions also were disappointed.

The Confederation of British Industry was encouraged by the speech's ambition, but the British Chambers of Commerce said its measures "will come too late to help many firms.

Christina McAnea, general-secretary of the Unison trade union, said the government had not grasped the seriousness of the situation. Families are being forced into debt and are going hungry.

Some of the planned laws appeared aimed at pleasing the governments right-leaning voter base, including promises to seize Brexit freedoms by cutting red tape for businesses and overhauling financial services and data regulation now that Britain has left the European Union.

Law-and-order measures included a law to outlaw disruptive protest tactics favored by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, a proposal condemned by civil liberties groups. Human rights groups also criticized plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace current rights laws based on the European Convention on Human Rights.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the European security order, was reflected in plans to beef up spying laws, introduce a U.S.-style foreign influence registration scheme and toughen money-laundering laws  though the mild-sounding measures are unlikely to eradicate Londons reputation as a hub for ill-gotten gains.

Despite rumors beforehand, there was no legislation to alter post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that would worsen already tense relations between Britain and the EU. But the government hinted it could act, stressing the importance of the internal economic bonds between all parts of the U.K., a key theme for Northern Irelands British unionists.

Johnsons Conservatives hold 358 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, which should ensure easy passage of all its legislation. But the government has been repeatedly sidetracked by ethics scandals and internal Conservative dissent.

The opening of a new session of Parliament came days after Johnsons Conservatives suffered a drubbing in local elections across the U.K.

Johnsons personal popularity has been hurt by months of headlines over parties in his office and other government buildings that breached coronavirus restrictions. The prime minister was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police last month for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

Johnson has apologized, but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties, a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior and a possible no-confidence vote from his own lawmakers.

The parliamentary opening ceremony is a spectacular pageant steeped in the two sides of Britains constitutional monarchy: royal pomp and political power. Traditionally the monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage and reads the speech to lawmakers from a golden throne, wearing a crown studded with 3,000 diamonds.

The queen has only missed two previous state openings during her 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward, respectively.

Prince Charles travelled by car, rather than carriage, and did not wear the crown, which got its own cushioned seat. Charles was accompanied by his wife Camilla and his son Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.

Other symbolic elements were unchanged, including scarlet-clad Yeomen of the Guard and an official known as Black Rod who summoned lawmakers from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, where the ceremony takes place.

That, too, is symbolic. Ever since King Charles I tried to arrest lawmakers in 1642 and ended up deposed, tried and beheaded, the monarch has been barred from entering the Commons chamber.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative political neophyte, took office Tuesday as South Koreas new president with a vow to pursue a negotiated settlement of North Koreas threatening nuclear program and an offer of an audacious plan to improve its economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.

Yoon is starting his single five-year term during one of the most challenging situations of any recent new president, facing a mix of significant security, economic and social problems that are besetting the worlds 10th largest economy. Theres widespread skepticism that an increasingly belligerent North Korea will give his offers much consideration, and South Koreas deep political and social divides, as well as growing worry about the state of the pandemic-hit economy, are reflected in a recent poll showing that Yoon faces lower popularity numbers than the departing liberal president, Moon Jae-in.

Yoon had promised a tougher stance on North Korea during his campaign, but he avoided harsh rhetoric during his inaugural speech amid growing worries that the North is preparing its first nuclear bomb test in nearly five years. North Korea has rejected similar overtures by some of Yoons predecessors that linked incentives to progress in its denuclearization.

While North Koreas nuclear weapons programs are a threat, not only to our security but also to Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat, Yoon told a crowd gathered outside parliament in Seoul.

If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Koreas economy and improve the quality of life for its people, he said.

Yoon also addressed South Koreas growing economic problems, saying the decaying job market and a widening rich-poor gap are brewing a democratic crisis by stoking internal strife and discord and fueling a spread of anti-intellectualism."

He said he would spur economic growth to heal the deep political divide and income equalities.

North Koreas advancing nuclear program is a vexing security challenge for Yoon, who won the March 9 election on a promise to strengthen South Koreas 70-year military alliance with the United States and build up its own missile capability to neutralize North Korean threats.

In recent months, North Korea has test-launched a spate of nuclear-capable missiles that could target South Korea, Japan and the mainland United States. It appears to be trying to rattle Yoons government while modernizing its weapons arsenal and pressuring the Biden administration into relaxing sanctions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently warned that his nuclear weapons wont be confined to their primary mission of deterring war if the North's national interests are threatened.

In a policy briefing earlier Tuesday, South Korean military chief Won In-Choul told Yoon that North Korea can conduct a nuclear test soon if Kim decides to do so. Yoon then ordered military commanders to maintain firm readiness, saying that the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is very grave.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute said theres little chance North Korea will accept Yoons conditional support plan because the North believes South Korea must first abandon its hostile policies, by which it means regular military drills with the United States, before talks can resume.

Yoon must also deal with a destabilizing U.S.-China rivalry and disputes over history with Japan. South Korea is also bracing for the fallout of Russias war on Ukraine in global energy markets.

South Korea must accept that it cannot force North Korea to denuclearize or ease the U.S.-China standoff, according to Chung Jin-young, a professor at Kyung Hee University. He said South Korea must instead focus on strengthening its defense capability and boosting the U.S. alliance to make North Korea never dare think about a nuclear attack on us. He said South Korea must also prevent ties with Beijing from worsening.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Tuesday that Beijing is ready to work with Yoons government to boost strategic partnership and jointly promote regional peace and stability. China sent Vice President Wang Qishan to Yoons inauguration ceremony.

Yoon didnt mention Japan during his speech. After the inauguration ceremony, he met visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who told him that ties need to be urgently repaired. Yoon expressed his willingness to work together with Japan to improve their relations, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

During his campaign, he accused Moon of exploiting Japan for domestic political reasons and stressed Tokyos strategic importance. But some experts say Yoon could end up in the same policy rut as Moon, considering the countries deep disagreements over sensitive history issues such as Tokyos wartime mobilization of Korean laborers and sex slaves.

Some of Yoons major domestic policies may face an impasse in parliament, which will remain controlled by liberal lawmakers ahead of general elections in 2024. Yoon must also rebuild South Koreas pandemic response, shaken by a massive omicron surge in recent months.

He has also been denied a honeymoon period. Surveys show less than 60% of respondents expect he will do well in his presidency, an unusually low figure compared to his predecessors, who mostly received about 80%-90% before they entered office. His approval rating as a president-elect was 41%, according to a survey by Gallup Korea released last week that put then President Moons rating at 45%.

Yoons low popularity is blamed in part on an acute divide between conservatives and liberals and on contentious policies and Cabinet picks. Some experts say Yoon also hasnt shown a clear vision for how to navigate South Korea past the foreign policy and domestic challenges.

Yoon won the election by a historically narrow margin after catering to public frustration over Moons setbacks in economic policies, which were criticized for letting house prices and personal debt soar out of control and failing to create enough jobs. Yoon focused much of his message on young males who resented the loss of traditional privileges in a hyper-competitive job market and their dimmed prospects for marriage and parenthood, although his campaign was criticized for ignoring the plight of women.

The challenges that Yoon has at the start of his presidency are the toughest and the most unfavorable ones among South Korean presidents elected since the late 1980s, a period viewed as the start of the countrys genuine democracy after decades of dictatorship, said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership.

In recent weeks, Yoon has invited criticism  even from some of his conservative supporters  by moving his offices from the mountainside Blue House presidential palace. Yoon said moving to the capitals center is meant to better communicate with the public, but critics question why he has made it a priority when he has so many other urgent issues to tackle.

Yoon, 61, was prosecutor-general for Moon before he resigned and joined the main conservative opposition party last year following internal feuding with Moons political allies.

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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ESSEX  The Essex Burning of the Ships Commemoration Parade and Concert will take place beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14. The parade, comprised of 10 fife and drum corps, starts at Essex Town Hall and wends its way along Main Street to the town landing and grounds of the Connecticut River Museum.

The Commemoration event marks the historic British raid on Essex ships and shipyard on April 8, 1814, during the War of 1812, the largest naval loss that the United States had until Pearl Harbor, according to a news release. The Sailing Masters continued an oral tradition started by Austin Lay, who witnessed the raid and told the story to school children until his death, at 93, in 1891, according to the Connecticut River Museum.
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BRUSSELS (AP)  International donors on Tuesday pledged $6.7 billion to help Syrians and neighboring countries hosting refugees but fell well short of a U.N. target for assistance to millions of people from conflict-torn Syria who rely on aid to survive.

European Union Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi acknowledged that the war in Ukraine and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic weighed heavily on donors' economies.

Still, donors are sending now a very strong signal to Syria and this region that we are ready to do even more than before," he said.

The United Nations had been seeking $10.5 billion for 2022. It says that 14.6 million people in Syria rely on aid  1.2 million more than in 2021  and that over 90% of Syrians live in poverty. About 3.9 million people in Syria go hungry every day.

Its the second year in a row that pledges have not lived up to expectations. Last year, the EU, the United States and other nations pledged $6.4 billion, with the U.N asking for $10 billion to meet vital needs.

Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Russias invasion of Ukraine is making the plight of poverty-stricken Syrians far worse. Borrell said that 60% of Syria's population suffer food insecurity, and barely know where the next meal is going to come from.

The Russian war will increase food and energy prices and the situation in Syria will become worse, he said.

Borrell said the 27-nation bloc would provide an additional 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for Syria this year, bringing the annual total to 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion). He said the EU would also provide 1.56 billion euros ($1.65 billion) next year. The U.S. pledged over $800 million.

Borrell vowed that the EU would maintain sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and stressed that there can be no normalized relations until Syrian refugees are safe to go back home.

Food prices around the world were already rising, but the war in Ukraine  a major wheat supplier  has made things worse. The impact is worsening the plight of millions of Syrians driven from their homes by the countrys 11-year war. Many rely on international aid to survive.

The war in Ukraine has also created a whole new group of refugees. European nations and the U.S. have rushed to help more than 5.5 million Ukrainians who have fled to neighboring countries, as well as more than 7 million displaced within Ukraines borders.

Half of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million people was displaced by the conflict.

Aid agencies had hoped to draw some of the worlds attention back to Syria at Tuesday's conference, which was hosted by the EU. The funding also goes toward aid for the 5.7 million Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries, particularly Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Non-EU country Norway pledged 1.5 billion kroner ($156 million) for 2022 **should this be 2022?.

Imogen Sudbery, from the International Rescue Committee aid group, urged the EU to do more, noting that even if donors pledge the same as previous years, they will not fill this alarming and rapidly increasing funding gap.

Syrias foreign ministry criticized the Brussels event, saying neither the Syrian government nor its ally Russia are taking part in it. It said the conference is being organized by countries that are imposing sanctions on the Syrian people and blocking reconstruction.

Countries organizing or participating in this conference occupy or support the occupation of part of the Syrian territories and loot the resources of the Syrian people, the ministry said. The term occupation" was a reference to hundreds of U.S. troops present in oil-rich eastern parts of Syria.

Borrell said Russia was not invited due to the war in Ukraine.

We are inviting those partners who have a genuine, a real interest to contribute to peace in the world, he said. The U.N. decided not to co-host this year's conference because the EU refused to invite Russia.

___

Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.
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MILFORD  Jose Morales has a new lawyer, but he doesnt yet have a defense.

Morales, 45, has been behind bars for more than two years while suspected of murdering 43-year-old Christine Holloway in an Ansonia home  and the couples daughter Vanessa, then 15 months old, has been missing ever since.

Last November he asked a judge for more time to hire a new attorney after becoming dissatisfied with his previous representation.

He appeared at Superior Court in Milford Tuesday standing next to his new lawyer, Edward Gavin, before Judge Peter Brown.

Gavin told Brown that he and his staff have done yeomans work reviewing roughly 90 percent of nearly quarter of a million pieces of evidence in the case.

But he has yet formulated a strategy.

Its still too early, he said after the brief court appearance, at the end of which the judge continued the case to July 12.

Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Howard Stein said in court that his office was working diligently to resolve any technical issues with Gavin.

The states been fully compliant with my requests, and I appreciate that very much, Gavin told the judge.

Members of Holloways family, who come to court consistently for Morales court dates, declined to comment Tuesday.

Morales has been charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Holloways death. He has pleaded not guilty to both offenses.

Morales also faces two unrelated felony charges of criminal possession of a firearm, to which he has also pleaded not guilty.

He has not been charged with Vanessas disappearance. The toddler went missing the same night of her mothers death.

At a court appearance for Morales in May a prosecutor said investigators had received many leads in the disappearance, but none had panned out.

Morales was identified early on as a suspect in Holloways death, which was determined to be from blunt-force trauma.

During an interview with investigators, Morales claimed he was in the Myrtle Avenue home when he saw men running toward the front door, police said. Morales said he was on PCP and was punched in the face and knocked out as he tried to call 911, police said.

Morales arrest affidavit indicates he told police he had nothing to do with Holloways death or his daughters disappearance.

Police in Ansonia have said they believe the child will be found and continue to search for her, chasing down leads as far away as California.

Morales is being held in lieu of more than $5 million bond.
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A former Alabama jail official on the run with a murder suspect she was accused of helping escape shot and killed herself Monday as authorities caught up with the pair after more than a week of searching, officials said. The man she fled with surrendered.

The death of Vicky White, 56, only deepened the mystery of why a respected jail official would leave everything to help free Casey White, 38, a hulking inmate with a violent and frightening history.

The two fugitives were caught  following a manhunt through three states  in Evansville, Indiana, when U.S. Marshals chasing them crashed into their vehicle, authorities said. Casey White gave himself up and Vicky White shot herself and was taken to a hospital, authorities said. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said she died from her injuries.

Before Vicky Whites death, authorities celebrated the fugitives apprehension.

We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. Thats a good thing for our country, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said.

The manhunt began April 29 when Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped engineer the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case. Vicky White had told co-workers she was taking the inmate from the jail for a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but the two, who are not related, instead fled the area.

The car they took off in was later found abandoned in Tennessee, but there was no trace of the pair until U.S. Marshals received a tip Sunday that surveillance photos from an Evansville car wash showed a man who closely resembled Casey White exiting a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Marshals Service said. White stands 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms).

On Monday, officials learned that the pair was spotted near the sheriffs office, said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding in Indiana. As officers arrived, the pair fled in a vehicle and led police on a pursuit, he said. U.S. Marshals collided with them to try to end the pursuit, he said. Casey White was injured, not too seriously, in the crash and Vicky White then shot herself, causing very serious injuries, he said.

Were lucky that no law enforcement was injured, no innocent civilians were injured, the pursuit was short in nature and we have both people in custody, Wedding said.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape. He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said that he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals Service said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

Before her death was announced, the Alabama sheriff said he hoped to get answers from his once trusted jail employee about her actions but acknowledged those answers might not come. I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world provoked her, prompted her to pull a stunt like this? I dont know. I dont know if well ever know, Singleton said.

Vicky Whites family members and co-workers said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton said it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates.

In the past several months, she bought a rifle and a shotgun and also was known to have a handgun, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said.

She sold her house for about half of market value and bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, Singleton said.

The escape happened on what Vicky White said was going to be her last day at work. She told co-workers that Casey White had a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but none was scheduled. She did not have a second officer accompany them, which was against jail policy.

Video showed the pair went from the jail to the shopping center, where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said. Their flight was not discovered for much of the day.

Investigators believe the pickup truck Casey White had at the car wash was stolen in Tennessee and then driven about 175 miles (280 kilometers) to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Kusmer contributed from Indianapolis.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

John Logan, San Francisco State University

(THE CONVERSATION) Good news greeted Starbucks workers on May 3, 2022, in the shape of a promise of new pay increases. But there was a catch: Employees at unionized stores  or those planning to unionize  shouldnt expect to see a dime of this hike.

As far as efforts to discourage workers from supporting union drives go, the move by Starbucks appears pretty blatant. And it comes as the coffee chain sees a massive surge of union activity.

Since its first victory at two stores in Buffalo in December 2021, Starbucks Workers United has now filed for union elections at over 250 stores  comprising over 6,600 employees  in over 30 states, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Moreover, the union has won 54 of the 64 elections conducted to date, many by overwhelming margins.

As a scholar of organized labor, I find the growth of the union movement at Starbucks remarkable. But it has also prompted what I would characterize as a remarkably aggressive stance against unions among executives at the coffee chain. Starbucks management appears intent on halting unionizing momentum among employees  even if that means risking sanction from the federal watchdog. Indeed, on May 6, a regional director of the NLRB issued a complaint against the coffee chain over prior instances of anti-union tactics that the labor official deemed to have strayed across the line of what is legal.

Anti-union or pro-Starbucks?

In announcing the promised pay raise to nonunionized workers, Howard Schultz, who returned to Starbucks as interim CEO in March 2022, suggested that federal law prohibits Starbucks from promising new wages and benefits at stores involved in union organizing. Union representatives counter that nothing in law stops Starbucks from offering such benefits to workers at unionized stores.

Moreover, they say that threatening to withhold wage increases amounts to an illegal attempt to coerce workers and have filed a formal complaint with the NLRB.

It is not the first time Schultz, who says he is not anti-union but pro-Starbucks, has picked a fight with workers looking to unionize. In April, he told workers at a public forum that if they are unhappy working at Starbucks, they should seek employment elsewhere and claimed that American corporations nationwide are under assault by unions.

The CEO also blamed organizing at Starbucks stores on so-called workers and an outside force  comments that appear at odds with the reality of what is going on at his stores. A quirk of the recent spate of unionizing efforts at Starbucks is that it is worker-driven, in that it is young employees spearheading the drive and spreading the word to other stores.

This grassroots approach is nullifying many of the traditional anti-union tactics. Not only does it counter the claim that unionizing is being forced on workers from outsiders who may not have their best interests in mind, it also makes it harder for anti-union messages to go unchallenged. For example, group captive audience meetings  in which employees are mandated to attend sessions at which they are urged not to join a union  have proved less effective in part because pro-union workers have ensured that at least one activist is present to counter what is being said. And I have been told by organizers that at several Starbucks stores, workers have made a collective decision to refuse to attend such meetings.

Reputational risk

In the face of diminishing returns for traditional efforts to persuade workers against unionizing, Starbucks appears to be upping the intensity. But going to war with its pro-union workers involves significant reputation risk for Starbucks  something the company itself has seemingly acknowledged. In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company warned investors: Our responses to any union organizing efforts could negatively impact how our brand is perceived and have adverse effects on our business, including on our financial results.

Starbucks is already facing uncomfortable headlines over its anti-union practices and the mounting number of complaints that they have prompted.

Since the union campaign started in August 2021, Starbucks Workers United has filed 112 separate unfair labor practices charges against the company, prompting former NLRB chair William Gould to note, I cant think of anything that has generated this many cases.

Then on May 6, 2022, a director for the NLRBs Buffalo region issued a sweeping complaint against Starbucks. It covered over 200 instances of what it claims to be unlawful anti-union behavior. They included allegations of terminating, disciplining and surveilling pro-union workers; closing pro-union stores for several months and promising increased benefits to staff who refuse to unionize.

Such NLRB complaints follow an investigation into claims of labor violations and indicate that the board has found merit in the complaints.

To provide relief, the complaint requires Starbucks to put in place what amounts to a laundry list of remedies, including reinstating fired workers, providing training for Starbucks managers on workers rights and allowing equal time for unions to address employees.

It also calls on Schultz or Starbucks executive vice president Rossann Williams  who ran the anti-union campaign in Buffalo last year  to record themselves reading a notice explaining to staff that they have a right to form a union, and for that recording to be distributed to every store in the U.S.

Starbucks has indicated that it will contest the regional NLRB complaint. In a statement, the company said, We believe the allegations contained in the complaint are false, and we look forward to presenting our evidence.

An NLRB with more bite?

Regardless of what the NLRB complaint says, or what the board rules in regard to the denial of promised pay increases, Starbucks apparent efforts to slow union momentum may have some success.

The Starbucks union recently suffered unexpected losses in Hawaiiand Florida.

Part of the problem facing worker-organizers is that it can take time to make charges of unfair anti-union practices stick.

The NLRB has for decades been hampered by delays in its processes. It can take months for a ruling to come down, and if a company appeals the boards decision to a federal court, it can take years  by which time the damage to a union campaign may have already been done.

Labor organizers will be hoping that the recent complaint against Starbucks will portend a decisiveness and desire to move more quickly at the NLRB under the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden likes to tout his pro-union credentials. Indeed, he recently welcomed a pro-union Starbucks worker to the White House, prompting the company to demand that it get a similar invitation.

But Bidens credentials as the self-proclaimed most pro-union president in American history may hang on how his administration, through the NLRB, is able to crack down on anti-union practices when they cross over the line.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/starbucks-caffeinated-anti-union-efforts-may-leave-a-bitter-taste-but-are-they-legal-182549.
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STRATFORD  Dozens of teachers, students and parents rallied outside Town Hall ahead of the monthly Town Council meeting Monday night, advocating for a fully funded Board of Education budget in 2022-23.

After an hour of near constant noise as cars honked in support, chatter and some occasional chanting, one resident stood at the podium and did not say a word for a full minute.

I thought we should observe a moment of silence because thats what it will sound like if a school is closed, Lawrence Haddad said in the public comment portion of the Council meeting.

Superintendent Uyi Osunde said the district could consider closing a school in town among significant reduction measures in a letter to teachers obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media on May 4. The BOEs budget proposal from the town may force the district to cut staff and programs.

Mayor Laura Hoydicks budget proposed a $123.2 million budget, representing a 2.5 percent increase but more than $2 million short of the $125.7 million figure the BOE passed in its budget recommendation. Her budget lowers the mill rate from 39.47 in 2021-22 to 36.46 in 2022-23.

In a procedural vote, the Ordinance Committee voted 5-4, along party lines, to send the proposed budget to the Town Council, which will conduct a special meeting on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers. The town charter requires a budget be passed by the Council by Thursday.

The vote forwarded a townwide budget of $249.1 million, which includes $125.5 million for the town in addition to the BOE allocation. The towns portion of the budget fully funds all departments at their requested figures.

Michael Fiorello, teacher and president of the Stratford Education Association teachers union, said a school closure could result in students being moved, longer bus rides for some students and losing the location connection of having school in your neighborhood.

There's no way we should shutter a school building. The families deserve more, the students deserve more, Fiorello said before the rally.

Jocelyn Miranda, a young district student, was one of three students who came to the podium to speak in support of a funded BOE.

I am speaking because I think if the budget gets cut more then we wont have the resources we need to learn properly and to better Connecticuts future and the world, Miranda said.

Former district student Hillary Rivera, who went to middle school in Stratford but now attends Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, advocated for funding for mental health support and programs for youth, in schools specifically for LGBT youth.

I am here for the kids who never feel safe with their sexual identity, Rivera said.

Rivera struggled in middle school with her sexual identity and said she did not feel a level of support from the district at the time.

There were a few members of the public who did not advocate for more funding, including Republican BOE member Mike Henrick and Republican Town Committee Chair and Town Registrar Lou DeCilio.

We look forward to obviously passing a budget and then the seven elected members of the Board of Education decide whether they decide to close a school or to cut teachers or to actually fully fund the programs our kids need, DeCilio said.

Council chair Chris Pia, R-1, highlighted additional numbers from the state legislature that factor into the budget. The district was designated as an Alliance District and is in line for over $1 million in funding. The state also passed an amendment to the budget that exempts Stratford from the requirement that towns do not decrease education spending from the previous year.

"The Councils task is running a budget for 55,000 people, theres a good block of taxpayers that dont have kids in the school system, that dont want their taxes going up, Pia said. So, its not an easy thing for anybody but we have to weigh this and hopefully find a nice middle ground.

The Ordinance Committee held budget workshops and a public hearing on the budget ahead of its vote Monday.

mike.mavredakis@hearstmediact.com
HOMER, Alaska (AP)  A Utah man has been accused of raping, torturing and murdering a vulnerable adult when he lived in Alaska.

Kirby F. Calderwood, 32, was arrested Monday by police in Ogden, Utah, the Homer Police Department said. He was charged Saturday in Alaska with first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of Anesha Duffy Murnane, the Homer News reported.

Murnane went missing Oct. 17, 2019, when she set out for a mile walk from her apartment to a Homer medical clinic for an appointment but was never seen again.

Authorities allege Calderwood picked her up and drove her to the unoccupied home of his then-girlfriends parents, where he assaulted and tortured her for hours before killing her. The girlfriend was out of town, according to an affidavit from an investigator with the police department.

Murnane's body has not been recovered.

Calderwood is being held on $1 million bail in Utah. Authorities say he lived in Homer at the time Murnane disappeared and knew her from working at her supported housing complex and other social programs.

His attorney, Michael Bouwhuis in Ogden, did not immediately return a call Tuesday to The Associated Press seeking comment.

Police said Calderwood was already a person of interest and interviewed about the case in 2021 before a tipster called Kenai Peninsula Crimestoppers in Alaska in April, saying he talked to them about the kidnapping and death of Murnane.

The tipster also said Calderwood had a womans Timex watch he took from the victim. When Ogden police executed a search warrant at Calderwoods home, they said they found a Timex that matched a description that Murnanes parents gave police.

Ogden police said they also found one of the missing person flyers distributed with Murnanes photo on it.

Calderwood fled to Utah after being questioned by detectives in Alaska, Utah prosecutors said in court documents.

Homer Police Investigator Matt Haney said in the affidavit that he and Ogden police officers executed multiple search warrants related to Calderwood in Ogden on May 5.

The warrants were for Calderwoods residence as well as hair samples and buccal swabs.

The first warrant was served on Caldwell during a traffic stop as he left the residence.

Despite a protective order against him barring him from having guns, police found two rifles in his car. They also found a machete and other large knives that appeared to have dried blood on them during a search of his home, court documents state.

Murnane was 38 when she left her supported housing complex and disappeared.

In subsequent searches, dogs tracked her scent to an area near a college campus, where it stopped. Authorities said at the time that was an indication she had been picked up in a car. Murnane's parents have said she would not get in car with someone she did not know.

Unsuccessful searches continued throughout the fall, and Murnane was declared dead June 17, 2021, in a presumptive death jury hearing. The jury determined she most likely died by homicide.

Calderwood had worked at the supportive housing complex where Murnane lived, and he would sometimes eat meals with her in a program at the South Peninsula Behavioral Services, the mental health agency that runs the supported housing unit, Homer Police special investigator Matt Haney wrote in an affidavit.

When Calderwoods then-girlfriend was out of town, he prepared a crawlspace in her parents unoccupied home to torture someone, according to the affidavit.

He then allegedly drove around Homer looking for a victim. He chanced upon Murnane, who got in the car, and he drove her to the house, according to both the affidavit and the tipster.

A Loved and Lost Bench, a sculpture in memory of Murnane and missing and murdered people, will be dedicated June 12 at the Homer Public Library.

___

Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
STAMFORD  The evidentiary portion of 26-year-old Hakeem Atkinsons murder trial came to a close Monday with testimony from an ex-girlfriend who claims to have overheard him admitting to the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Norwalk man in 2012.

Kira Jordan, 26, told a half-full courtroom that she had overheard Atkinson, a Bridgeport resident, confess to the homicide while talking on the phone at some point following the fatal shooting of Joseph Jabs Bateman on Feb. 3, 2012, in the area of the Avalon Norwalk apartment buildings, now known as The Confluence at Norwalk.

I cant remember exactly when I overheard a conversation Hakeem was having. I cant remember who he was having the conversation with, Jordan said in a documented statement to police.

Jordan went on to say in the statement that Atkinson had heard Bateman walking near the Avalon Apartment complex that day.

Jordan said that she heard Atkinson say he got in a car with three people, drove to the area and then confronted Bateman on the walk path to the rear of the apartment buildings.

Hakeem said they exchanged words and then Hakeem pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired shots at Jabs. Hakeem said he saw Jabs fall to the ground and then Hakeem ran toward Cross Street, Jordan said in a statement sworn under penalty of perjury.

Prior to Jordans testimony, defense attorney John Gulash raised an objection to the statement being read on the record, claiming that her account was hearsay.

Judge John Blawie ultimately overruled Gulashs objection, finding that the sworn statement would be admissible as evidence.

Despite losing the motion, Gulash still took aim at gaps in Jordans memory of what she had heard that day.

Gulash pointed out that Jordan had testified twice before a grand jury in New Haven - once in March 2017 and again in April 2017 - during which time he claims her account of events appeared inconsistent.

Do you remember whether or not, after signing that document and then when you went to New Haven in March, you admitted to them that you really werent sure whether or not what you put in that statement was what you heard him say, as opposed to what you heard other people say? Do you remember saying that? Gulash asked.

After I was nervous, thats what I told them. Yep, Jordan replied, adding that her memory was clouded at the time. All I said was I wasnt sure.

Gulash then pointed out that Jordan did not tell Norwalk police anything about Atkinsons alleged involvement in the shooting when she was first interviewed in 2012, but only came forward with a sworn statement when asked in 2016, nearly four years after the incident.

On redirect, Senior Assistant States Attorney David Applegate asked Jordan to explain the fluctuations between her sworn statement in November 2016 and her later testimony before the grand jury five months later.

You were reluctant that first time we brought you (to testify), werent you? asked Applegate. Do you remember why? What had changed in those five months?

Jordan responded that Atkinson had been away from Norwalk when she gave her statement, but when he returned to the city, she began having concerns about her safety.

Despite those concerns, however, Jordan later testified that everything in her statement was true at the second grand jury inquiry, according to Applegate.

Jordans testimony comes days after two other eyewitnesses identified Atkinson out of a photo lineup as the shooter that day. An FBI agent also detailed an analysis of historical cell site information that placed Atkinsons cellphone in the rough area of the homicide that day.

On Tuesday, Applegate and Gulash will make their closing arguments in the case. A jury will then decide whether to find Atkinson guilty or not guilty of murder.
Partnership members, from left: Jim Zelter, Charles Phillips, Michael A. Peterson, Kewsong Lee, Catherine Engelbert, Henry Kravis, Rob Speyer, Steven R. Swartz, Kevin P. Ryan, and Christiana Riley. Photo: Victor Llorente

For the past couple of years, the corporate members of the Partnership for New York City have been fond of paraphrasing Mark Twain in stating that reports of the metropoliss demise, as measured by vacant storefronts and empty office buildings, are greatly exaggerated. Now, as masks in the city have largely come off indoors and out, the executives in the organization are trying to broadcast another message: Its high time New Yorkers go back to work in person.

Many of them have already issued a similar directive to their own employees, whether as an ultimatum or something softer. We have a lot of type A people, and they figure out pretty quickly what it takes to get ahead here, says Henry Kravis, executive co-chairman of KKR, the private-equity giant, who sits on the Partnerships executive committee. If everyone else is around the table and youre sort of sitting there on a Zoom call, that doesnt make a lot of sense.

On any given weekday, about 35 percent of Manhattan workers are in the office, according to the Partnership, up from 28 percent six months ago. But thats still far below pre-Omicron forecasts that about 75 percent of workers would be coming in by now.

In conjunction with mandates, bosses are offering perks. Much of Wall Street is providing free lunches and coffee. Google is promoting private concerts featuring the likes of Lizzo. Still, some employers are learning that such benefits mean little to their staffers, who would likely trade them all just to hold on to the ability to sometimes work from home. What we really found was that people werent looking for balance per se, says Jim Zelter, co-president of Apollo Global Management, meaning the work-life kind. They were looking for flexibility. While most of the private-equity firms staff commute to the office most weekdays, Apollo struck a compromise that will allow them to work remotely for the month of August. Theres a war on talent, Zelter explains. Talents probably won.

Yet even at companies that preach flexibility, employers are having to address workers fears that their attendance is being tracked. Weve had a lot of conversations with managers around trust, says Christiana Riley, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. At KKR, for one, Kravis maintains that we dont have a time clock. But he receives regular reports on how many key cards were swiped to enter the building. Its how he knows people are now spending a majority of their time in the office. Should employees be wary? Not at all, he says. The swipe just records binary data. There are no times on it.
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New Zealand Dollar Outlook:

The major NZD -crosses have been hit hard, a knock-on effect from Chinas entrenched zero-COVID strategy.

Despite sharp losses in recent weeks, technical support looms nearby for both NZD/JPY and NZD/USD rates.

According to the IG Client Sentiment Index , the New Zealand Dollar has a bullish bias in the near-term.

Blame China?

The New Zealand Dollar has been brutalized since the start of 2Q22. What happened? Its not the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which still retains extremely hawkish expectations through the end of 2022. Nor can you point a finger at New Zealands terms of trade, as commodity prices  dairy and grains  have remained relatively firm over the past six weeks. Instead, the root cause for the Kiwis underperformance may be China, New Zealands largest trading partner.

Chinas insistence on continuing its zero-COVID strategy is wreaking havoc on global supply chains, and in turn provoking a repricing of assets tied to the Chinese economy. Much like the Australian Dollar, which has seen its own streak of significant losses, the New Zealand Dollar may be struggling because of the expected string of disappointing that may soon emerge as a result of reduced Chinese demand for foreign goods  like those from New Zealand.

But the selling may soon find a reprieve. The charts suggest that significant technical levels loom nearby in both NZD/JPY and NZD/USD rates, that soon may offer traders a chance to trade a short-term bottom.

NZD/JPY RATE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: DAILY CHART (March 2020 to May 2022) (CHART 1)

Momentum remains bearish at present time for NZD/JPY rates. The pair is still below its daily 5-, 8-, 13-, and 21-EMA envelope, which is in bearish sequential order. Daily MACD is now trending lower below its signal line, while daily Slow Stochastics are holding in oversold territory. NZD/JPY rates have dropped through the 2021 high as well as the rising trendline from the March 2020 and August 2021 lows around 82.20/52, suggesting that more losses may be on tap in near-term.

But the April 2021 high at 80.18, coupled with a cluster of Fibonacci retracements near 80.77 and 80.85  the 23.6% retracement of the 2020 low/2021 high range and the 61.8% retracement of the 2014 high/2020 low range, respectively  are not too far away. A drop into the 80s may soon represent a short-term exhaustion point for NZD/JPY rates that could ultimately produce a tradeable bottom.

NZD/USD RATE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS: DAILY CHART (March 2020 to May 2022) (CHART 2)

NZD/USD rates have been hit harder than their NZD/JPY counterpart, thanks to the US Dollar outperforming the Japanese Yen considerably in recent weeks. The pair is closer to reaching a significant cluster of Fibonacci retracements that may serve as an area to look for a short-term bottom: the 23.6% retracement of the 2014 high/2020 low range at 0.6364 and the 61.8% retracement of the 2020 low/2021 high range at 0.6231, respectively.

Daily MACD is trending lower below its signal line, while daily Slow Stochastics are holding in oversold territory. While bearish momentum remains strong, with the daily EMA envelope in bearish sequential order, the selling may soon run its course.

IG Client Sentiment Index: NZD/USD RATE Forecast (May 10, 2022) (Chart 3)

NZD/USD: Retail trader data shows 66.10% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 1.95 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 2.35% higher than yesterday and 2.51% lower from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 3.47% higher than yesterday and unchanged from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests NZD/USD prices may continue to fall.

Yet traders are less net-long than yesterday and compared with last week. Recent changes in sentiment warn that the current NZD/USD price trend may soon reverse higher despite the fact traders remain net-long.

--- Written by Christopher Vecchio, CFA, Senior Strategist
Chinese vice president meets with S. Korean president

Xinhua) 09:43, May 10, 2022

Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in in Seoul, South Korea, May 9, 2022. Wang, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, arrived here to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

SEOUL, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in on Monday, saying China-South Korea relations have made significant progress over the past five years.

Wang, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, arrived here to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and the China-South Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges, Wang said the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, deepened practical cooperation and maintained smooth multilateral communication and coordination.

The Chinese and South Korean economies are highly integrated, Wang said, adding that in particular, economic cooperation between the two countries managed to grow amid the sluggish global economy last year, demonstrating the resilience and great potential of bilateral economic cooperation.

Wang said China and South Korea are close neighbors and major cooperative partners with broad common interests.

"No matter how the international and regional situation changes, the fundamentals of China-South Korea friendly cooperation will not change and cannot be changed, which is an important inspiration from the history of bilateral relations," he noted.

Wang said China is willing to join hands with South Korea in pushing forward the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to benefit people of the two countries.

China appreciates South Korea's important contributions to improving inter-Korean relations and promoting the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said, noting that China stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with South Korea to make joint efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace and stability in the region at an early date.

For his part, Moon said that over the past five years, South Korea-China relations have overcome difficulties and achieved development, expressing his hope that the next government will maintain such a momentum.

South Korea speaks highly of China's constructive role in the Korean Peninsula affairs, Moon said, adding that the country is ready to work with China to take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further strengthen communication, expand cooperation and continuously enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, so as to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.

Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in in Seoul, South Korea, May 9, 2022. Wang, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, arrived here to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
'Come on, vogue; Let your body move to the music hey, hey, hey.'

Long before Madonna sang those words or brought Voguing into mainstream culture, Willi Ninja, Paris Dupree and other young dancers were striking a pose at underground Balls in Harlem.

On Thursday, May 5th, Film Director, Myra Lewis, premiered her documentary, Love is in The Legend, the true story of the artistry that introduced Voguing and Harlem Ball culture to the world, told by living legends.

Long before Madonna's "Vogue," Willi Ninja, Paris Dupree and other young dancers were striking a pose underground at the Harlem Ball scene

Myra Lewis premiered her new documentary - Love is in The Legend - the true story of the artistry that introduced Voguing and Harlem Ball culture to the world, at the Harlem Film Festival

Underground LGBTQ ballroom competitions started in the 1970s as a safe haven for black and brown, trans, and queer young people.

'I walked Balls and won in the Red Era of ballroom in Harlem, which is pre-1990,' Myra told DailyMail.com.

'I was a multi-grand prize winner for face and body back then; they embraced me and welcomed me, so then over time I got their blessing and brought the ball scene downtown and introduced it to the fashion world.'

At the time, Myra was working for legendary stylist Patricia Field at her clothing store on Eighth Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

'Pat gave us freedom,' revealed Myra. 'I started working for her in the mid '80s, I met her at the Paradise Garage.'

Pat and her entourage were regulars at the Garage. It was the convergence place for the youth to dance the night (and morning!) away.

'I told Pat that I was smart and hard working and that I wanted to work for her and she said come tomorrow morning at 10am and that is how it started.

'We then created the House of Field together.'

'I walked Balls and won in the Red Era of ballroom in Harlem, which is pre-1990'

The House of Field Ball in 1988 is known as "the Ball that changed it all"

'It was an attitude and a fashion competition, explained Myra who narrates the film

Pat (pictured left) had invited her celebrity friends including the likes of Andre Leon Talley, Debbie Harry, Steven Meisel, Betsey Johnson, Dianne Brill, Malcolm McLaren, Mary McFadden to be the distinguished panel of judges

Founded in 1982, the House of Xtravaganza is one of the most publicly recognized houses to emerge from the New York City underground ballroom scene, but the House of Field Ball in 1988 is known as "the Ball that changed it all."

Pat had invited her celebrity friends including the likes of Andre Leon Talley, Debbie Harry, Steven Meisel, Betsey Johnson, Dianne Brill, Malcolm McLaren, Mary McFadden to be the distinguished panel of judges.

'It was the first time the fashion world had ever seen this before,' revealed Myra.

In the film, Patricia reveals that her high profile friends didn't even know what they were judging but that they all were so happy to be there.

'It was an attitude and a fashion competition, explained Myra who narrates the film.

'It wasn't about labels, it wasn't about a multi-thousand dollar prize, it was about showing off your best attitude and personal creations.'

Marc Jacobs (featured in the film), said walking the Ball scene was one of the most freeing times in his life.

After the House of Field Ball, Voguing (a dance inspired by model poses inside the pages of Vogue magazine) made headlines.

'It was the first time Voguing and ballroom was Page Six News... ever,' said Myra. 'And it made Vogue magazine for the very first time in December 1988.'

After the House of Field Ball, voguing (a dance inspired by model poses inside the pages of Vogue magazine) made headlines. Pictured: Connie Fleming

In the film, Patricia reveals that her high profile friends , like Debbie Harry (pictured with Willi Ninja) , didn't even know what they were judging but that they all were so happy to be there

'Over time I got their blessing and brought the ball scene downtown and introduced it to the fashion world,' said Myra (left)

Artist Richard Alvarez said: 'It was the merging of uptown and downtown, where the hip-hop kids started hanging out with the gay kids, with the white kids, with the ball kids. '

Adding: 'It was a renaissance of New York across the cultural landscape.'

After the archival footage of the '80s Ball days was unearthed, Myra thought the story of how all of our communities came together needed to be told.

'It's not just a Ball, its not just about Voguing, it's not just about carrying on,' said the Love Is In The Legend's film director.

'What I discovered is that is was a story of outsiders finding belonging through fashion, dance and music in the true freedom of 1980s New York.'

All the original downtown NYC kids attended the premiere held at New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem

'This film is a love letter from my heart to the community,' said Myra. For more information on the award-winning documentary, go to myrocproductions.com

Yanni Feder, Director & Co-Founder of One Route Media with his partner Menna Olvera, said, 'The film talks about an underground element of New York that's very real and a lot of people don't know about it, and I think it also speaks truths that people in all communities can use to feel inspired and be happier people.'

Yanni had the arduous task of sharpening the vintage camcorder footage. From color correction to sound quality, he told DailyMail.com that the job was 'borderline digital forensics.'

Through intimate interviews and electrifying recordings of ball icons like Jose Xtravaganza and Cesar Valentino, the film has won a number of awards, including Best First Time Filmmaker from the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards and an Award of Merit from the IndieFEST Film Awards.

All the original downtown NYC kids attended the premiere held at New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

'This film is a love letter from my heart to the community,' said Myra.

For more information on the award-winning documentary, go to myrocproductions.com.
A woman described her horror after claiming that her Samsung smartphone burst into flames setting her hair on fire as she slept.

Shocked Kyomi Kershaw, 23, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, awoke at 4.30am to find her hair ablaze and her bedside cabinet, bedding and pillow alight.

She claims that her brand new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which was not on charge at the time, had exploded into flames.

Care worker Kyomi was with partner Jon Hibbert, at their home in when the blaze started on Monday morning last week, and they immediately called the fire brigade.

Kyomi Kershaw, pictured, from Lupset, Wakefield, awoke at 4.30am to find her hair ablaze and her bedside cabinet, bedding and pillow alight

She claims that her brand new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, pictured, which was not on charge at the time, had exploded into flames

Kyomi who hurt her hands while dealing with the fire, was also taken to hospital where she was treated for second-degree burns.

She shared her nightmare on Facebook and says she is in touch with tech giant Samsung to seek compensation for the damage which she claimed was caused by the phone.

She wrote: 'What a f**king morning, woke up at 4.30, My hair was on fire, cabinet and pillow.

'Shouted Jon. We got the fire to stop within 30 minutes. 'DONT GET THE NEW SAMSUNG S22 Ultra. Burnt my f**king hands. COULD OF BEEN A LOT WORSE IF I DIDN'T HAVE WOKEN UP..... ( NO IT WASN'T EVEN ON CHARGE).'

The 23-year-old shared photos of the burned bedside cabinet, pictured, in the aftermath of the incident

She shared her nightmare on Facebook, pictured, and says she is in touch with tech giant Samsung to seek compensation for the damage, which she claims was caused by the phone

Care worker Kyomi was with partner Jon Hibbert, when the blaze started on Monday morning and they immediately called the fire brigade, pictured are her bedside cabinet, bedding, pillow and phone charred after the inferno

Kyomi said she was shaken by the incident and shared several photos of the melted Samsung handset and burned bedding and cabinet. She added: 'Now (not) even two weeks old Samsung Galaxy S22 Ulltra (sic) was in flames.

'Luckily we managed to put the fire out. The fire brigade attended to get rid of the smoke. I've got second degree burns.'

Concerned friends and family asked Kyomi if she was ok and sent her their best wishes.

Kyomi replied: 'I am a bit shook up by it and the fact if I didn't hear my hair burning then I wouldn't of woken up. Samsung have a lot to pay for.'

The 23-year-old had to go to hospital for treatment for second degree burns, pictured, on her hands

Concerned friends and family asked Kyomi if she was ok after the fire in her bedroom which she claimed was caused by her new phone, pictured

She later added after her hospital visit: 'Thanks everyone, had to go to the burns unit at pinders, for my hands luckily only two fingers needed medication attention and one finger X-ray to make sure there was nothing stuck in it.'

A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We were called to reports of a fire at a property on Gargave Place in Wakefield at 04.35 on 2nd May.

'One crew from Ossett attended but the fire was already extinguished.'

A spokesperson for Samsung said: 'Samsung takes customer safety extremely seriously. We have been in regular contact with the customer and following analysis of the device by our quality assurance team, we have concluded that the reported damage was the result of an external heat source and not from the device itself.'

Samsung has faced controversy in the past after it had to recall 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 handsets after they exploded.

A viral clip was posted on YouTube by Ariel Gonzalez and showed a handset which reportedly caught fire after its charger was unplugged.

The 23-year-old later said that she needed medical attention on two of her fingers after the phone blaze, pictured is the charred mobile afterwards

In the video, captured in an unknown location, Mr Gonzalez displayed a melted Galaxy Note 7 which he said was around two-weeks old.

'I came home after work, put it to charge for a little bit before a hard class. I went to put it on my waste and it caught fire,' he says.

Mr Gonzalez said he was using the official Samsung charger.

Other customer reports of scorched phones prompted Samsung to conduct extra quality controlling tests and delay shipments of the Note 7s before the recall.

A viral clip was posted on YouTube by Ariel Gonzalez in 2016 and showed a Galaxy Note 7 handset, pictured, which reportedly caught fire after its charger was unplugged

And another charred Galaxy Note 7, pictured, caught fire in October 2016 in Richmond, Virginia

South Korean high school teacher Park Soo-Jung said she had rushed to buy the new phone, pre-ordering and then activating it on August 19, 2016, its official launch date.

The 34-year-old living in the port city of Busan said that she was bruised when she rushed out of bed after her phone burst into flames, filling her bedroom with smoke stinking of chemicals.

Samsung found that a battery cell made by one of its two battery suppliers caused the phone to catch fire.

This further photo, pictured, shows a customer's charred replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in Farmington, Minnesota

The company refused to name the supplier.

'There was a tiny problem in the manufacturing process, so it was very difficult to figure out,' Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business told reporters at a news conference.

'It will cost us so much it makes my heart ache. Nevertheless, the reason we made this decision is because what is most important is customer safety.'
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The Queen's cousins Flora Vesterberg and Zenouska Mowatt were among the blue-blooded guests at the first socialite wedding of the summer on as PR director Sophie Elliott married her beau.

Sophie, who started the PR agency SE: Comms and is co-founder of tableware brand The Sette, tied-the-knot with her businessman boyfriend Dominic La Motte in a church ceremony before partying at The Wallace Collection in London over the weekend.

The bride wowed in two different ensembles during her big day, including a pretty billowing white gown for a church ceremony.

Zenouska Mowatt, granddaughter of the Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra of Kent, and the Queen's distant cousin Flora Vesterberg both shared snaps of the happy couple on social media.

Other prestigious guests in attendance at the event included Sophie Goodwin and luxury travel magazine founder Serena Guen.

The Queen's cousins Flora Vesterberg and Zenouska Mowatt were among the blue-blooded guests at the first socialite wedding of the summer on as PR director Sophie Elliott married her businessman boyfriend Dominic La Motte

The bride opted for two different ensembles for the big day, initially wearing a high neck white gown with a long train (left), before donning a sixties-style dress for the reception (right)

Looking effortlessly elegant, the bride opted for a billowing wedding dress, featuring a high-neckline and t-shirt style design.

With her blonde hair pulled back into a stylish up-do, Sophie donned a fashionable veil, boasting white edging. Her dress was teamed with a bouquet of white flowers.

Zenouska shared a snap alongside the bride ahead of the ceremony, posing in a baby blue midi dress with matching accessories.

Meanwhile the groom opted for a smart pair of black tails for the occasion, along with a yellow waistcoat and a blue tie.

At the reception, which took place at the Wallace Collection in London, guests were serenaded by a harpist (right) before they dined on tables adorned with white flowers and candles (left)

Snaps shared on social media from the big day showed huge white and blue floral displays outside the church where the pair were married.

After tying the knot in a church in an unknown location, the couple walked through a huge floral arch where guests greeted them with a shower of white confetti and flower petals.

Dominic drove his new wife away from the church in a green convertible while guests continued to cheer them on.

The couple went on to slice into a white four-tiered wedding cake, with snaps shared by Flora showing the duo beaming with joy.

Dominic drove his new wife away from the church in a green convertible while guests continued to cheer them on (left) Zenouska went on to share a snap of a huge bouquet of blue hydrangeas in the passenger seat of her car (right)

The couple went on to slice into a white four-tiered wedding cake, with snaps shared by Flora showing the duo beaming with joy

Upon arriving at The Wallace Collection in London, both Sophie and her new husband Dominic had opted for an outfit change.

For her second outfit of the day, the bride changed into a floor length, sixties style white dress, which she sported for her black tie wedding reception.

Meanwhile Dominic donned a smart black tuxedo for the occasion.

Guests were initially serenaded through the gallery by a harpist, before taking their seats at elegant tables which were decorated with white flowers and candles.

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a black tie reception at the Wallace Collection in London (pictured)

Sophie traded her conservative white gown for a trendy sixties-style dress with beaded detailing across the bodice and skirt (left and right)

Meanwhile the bride let her blonde locks down for the evening reception at the Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection was left to the nation by Lady Wallace in 1897. Her will stipulated that it must be kept together unmixed with other works of art.

It displays the art collections collated by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, and then bequeathed by Lady Wallace.

Sophie, who was born in London, attended Parsons, the New School.
Victoria Beckham and Sarah Burton are among the British designers who have honoured the Queen ahead of her Jubilee by crafting colourful gowns inspired by monarch's wardrobe for the first ever fashion shoot at The Tower Of London.

To mark the monarch's Platinum Jubilee, Harpers Bazaar UK has revealed a unique digital cover featuring the model Kukua Williams, 25, wearing a host of designs inspired by royal style.

On the cover, the model, who is known for raising the issue of racism in the fashion industry, can be seen posing in a vibrant latex design by Richard Quinn.

Speaking to the magazine, the designer explained his inspiration behind the look, saying: 'The Queen once wore an amazing matching hat and coat in acid green, with patent black shoes; to me, thats daring and subversive.

'So, I wanted this Tudor mini-dress at the Tower of London. Its a play on the royal look  crystals, silk duchesse satin, a little crinoline... and then a bit of latex.

Victoria Beckham and Sarah Burton are among the British designers who have honoured the Queen ahead of her Jubilee by crafting colourful gowns inspired by monarch's wardrobe for the first ever fashion shoot at The Tower Of London (pictured, Burton's design)

The black structured body features large off the shoulder sleeves with a silk crystal inset, giving way to a crinoline yellow floral patterned mini skirt, paired with matching tights and long black gloves.

Other designers featured in the shoot included Victoria and royal wedding dress designer Sarah Burton.

Victoria's gown was a sleek regal affair - an all purple slim fitting, long sleeve, neck dress.

The designer said: For this historic shoot, we wanted to honour Her Majesty with a traditionally regal colour, so I reimagined an A/W 22 runway look in a rich purple shade.

Victoria Beckham designed a purple dress with a 'truly refined aesthetic' which she said was 'fit for a Queen'

'A sequined dress forms the base of the outfit, sitting underneath a delicate, fine knit that is wrapped around the body, distorting the shine of the sequins to give a truly refined aesthetic, fit for a Queen.

Meanwhile Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen created a flamboyant striking frock in ruby red with skirt full of ruffles, puff sleeves and a thick black belt pinching in the middle.

Sarah said: The red rose is quintessentially feminine and timelessly beautiful  a symbol of romance, passion and love.

'It is also resilient and strong; there is a power and a dignity to this queen of flowers.

Black British model Kukua Williams, 25 (pictured) has been revealed as the face of Harper's Bazaar unique digital cover. Wearing a Richard Quinn design inspired by royal style

Meanwhile Philip Treacy, Andreas Kronthaler, and Bora Aksu, were also selected by the magazine for the photoshoot.

Milliner Treacy commented: The Queen has done more for the hat than anyone else, and has kept it alive in the imagination of people all over the world.

'It was irresistible to have this 17th-century sailing-ship hat photographed at the Tower of London, given the epic backdrop near the river.

And Bora Aksu summed up the shoot poetically, saying: I am an incurable romantic, and my aim is to seek and define beauty on my own terms.

'Its about mixing traditional elements with newer ones  the perfect design language for the Queen, who has always shown timelessness and regal elegance.

It comes as the Queen announced she will use her Platinum Jubilee to emphasise national unity, sending members of her family to all four corners of the realm

Highlights of the royal-themed edition include an interview with the organiser of the Jubilee Pageant, perspectives on our monarch from notable figures including Helen Mirren and Clare Balding, and an exploration of our monarchs beauty regime.

It comes as the Queen announced she will use her Platinum Jubilee to emphasise national unity, sending members of her family to all four corners of the realm.

The monarch has agreed for senior members of the Royal Family to visit the nations of the United Kingdom over the extended bank holiday weekend in June.

They will be led by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who will visit Wales. Meanwhile the Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Northern Ireland, while Princess Anne will go to Scotland given her particularly affinity with the country.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will remain in London with the Queen.

There will, of course, be no roles for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York, both of whom have now stepped down a working royals.
A mum-of-one has revealed how her rapist husband attacked her during her pregnancy and on their wedding day.

Amanda Walker, 24, was a virgin when she was raped by her work colleague, Mihai Savescu, 34, in February 2018.

After falling pregnant, vulnerable Amanda was coerced and manipulated into a relationship with Savescu  before eventually marrying and having a daughter, Charlotte.

A year and nine months after he first raped her, Amanda reported Savescu to the police when he beat her while their daughter lay sleeping.

Savescu was been jailed for 17 years for his campaign of abuse against Amanda, after a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Amanda Walker, 24, (pictured right) was raped by her husband Mihai Savescu, 34, (pictured left) during her pregnancy with their child Charlotte, now three, and on their wedding night

On their wedding day (pictured) Amanda says that she plastered on a smile for the photos but in reality she was holding back the tears

Now, Amanda has bravely waived her anonymity in the hopes of encouraging women to escape their abusive partners.

Amanda, a carer, says: 'What Mihai did to me has made me a shell of a woman.

'But I am determined to move forward with my life and to be the best mum to my daughter.

'I'll wait for the right time to tell her about her dad.'

Mihai manipulated Amanda in marrying him after she found out she was pregnant with his child, after her raped her. They are pictured here on their wedding day

In August 2017, Amanda, then aged 20, was a care coordinator at a care home.

She says: 'Mihai was a new carer at work and he was really friendly.

'He'd just come from Romania and had a son from a previous relationship.

'At the time I had no friends and had never had a boyfriend.

As a Jehovah's Witness Amanda (pictured here with her daughter) couldn't stop crying after Savescu took her virginity. She confided in elders who told her she had to either report Savescu or live with him

In August 2017, Amanda, then aged 20, was a care coordinator at a care home. She says: 'Mihai was a new carer at work and he was really friendly. He'd just come from Romania and had a son from a previous relationship. At the time I had no friends and had never had a boyfriend.' She was also depressed and lacked self confidence

'I struggled with depression, was very shy and lacked confidence.

'Mihai was lovely to me and was the first person to bring me out of my shell.'

From then on, Amanda and Savescu became good friends.

He gave her lifts to work every day and she often confided in him about her problems.

The following year, in February 2018, Savescu was meant to drop Amanda home one afternoon.

Instead, he stopped outside of a hotel.

In November 2018, Amanda gave birth to their daughter, Charlotte, now three. Days later, Mihai proposed. Desperate to give her daughter a new life, Amanda reluctantly agreed. On their first together as husband and wife, he forced himself on her again

When Mihai found out that the pair were having a girl, when he wanted a boy, he abused Amanda even more for it. She said that she felt like she was trapped

Amanda says: 'I began to freak out but he told me to trust him and that everything would be okay.

'Panicking, I followed him into a room and before I knew it, he was forcing me to undress and pinning down my arms.

'I begged him to stop but he didn't listen and raped me.

'Afterwards, I couldn't stop crying. Not only had he taken my virginity, but I was also a Jehovah's Witness.

'It was against our beliefs to have sex outside of marriage.

'Mihai begged me not to tell anyone or report him, because he had a son. I didn't want to take a child's father away so I agreed not to.'

In November 2019, Savescu attacked Amanda on their bedroom floor while Charlotte was on the bed, crying

After their wedding day Amanda tried to run away numerous time and if he didn't stop her or empty out her bags Savescu would send messages of him holding knives against himself, saying that he would kill himself if she didn't come back and terrified she would

After that, back at work, Savescu pretended like nothing had happened.

Still traumatised and numb, Amanda did her best to pretend the same.

Two months later, in April, she discovered she was pregnant.

Amanda says: 'I was petrified and confided in my mum, who I lived with. She didn't ask too many questions but promised to support me.

'I was devastated. I wanted my child to be made from love, not rape.'

Soon after, Amanda told Savescu the news, who was delighted.

At 12 weeks pregnant Amanda said that was having many darks thoughts and found herself at the edge of a bridge

When they first met Savescu would give Amanda lifts to work every day and she often confided in him about her problems

She also confided in her Jehovah's Witness elders, who told her she had to either report Savescu or live with him.

Amanda says: 'It all became too much and dark thoughts filled my mind. I found myself 12 weeks pregnant at the edge of a bridge.

'I didn't want to worry Mum, and that only left Mihai, so I called him in tears.

'He rescued me and that day, I agreed to move in with him.

'I knew I'd be filled with shame if I didn't and I didn't want to disappoint anyone.'

Amanda hoped Savescu would treat her better, but just days later, he raped her again.

Amanda says: 'Mihai manipulated, groomed and terrorised me when I was at my most vulnerable. But I can't imagine my life without my little girl, Charlotte.'

The next month, she had her first pregnancy scan.

She says: 'In that moment I fell in love. It wasn't my baby's fault.

'But as my belly grew larger back at home, the abuse only got worse.

'Mihai found out we were having a girl when he wanted a boy, so he abused me even more for it. I felt trapped.'

In November 2018, Amanda gave birth to their daughter, Charlotte, now three.

In February 2018 he was meant to drive Amanda home but instead he stopped outside a hotel, she was scared but he told her to trust him. This was before he raped her for the first time

Days later, Mihai proposed. Desperate to give her daughter a new life, Amanda reluctantly agreed.

The next month, Amanda and Savescu got married at a local register office in front of their family and friends.

Amanda says: 'I did my best to plaster on a smile for the photos but I was fighting back tears.

'That night, Mihai left me at home while he went drinking. And on our first night together as man and wife, he forced himself on me again.

Amanda agreed to marry Savescu as she was desperate to give her daughter Charlotte a new life

Amanda has a message for women who are going through abuse. She begs them to reach out, insisting that it's never too late

'After our wedding day I tried to run away numerous times.

'If he didn't stop me first, emptying out my bags, he sent scary messages of him holding knives against himself.

'He said he'd kill himself if I didn't come back home. Terrified he'd do it, I always ran back.'

In November 2019, Savescu attacked Amanda on their bedroom floor while Charlotte was on the bed, crying.

Amanda says: 'He'd done it before, but this time, something in me changed.

Savescu was arrested in October 2021 and was found guilty of 10 counts of rape against Amanda and has been jailed for 17 years. He will be deported when his sentence is over

'I knew Charlotte deserved a better life. And so did I.

'I finally confided in my mum about everything and she convinced me to call the police to report Mihai.'

He was soon arrested and in October 2021, Mihai Savescu, 34, of Chaplin Road, Longton, was found guilty of 10 counts of rape against Amanda at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

He was jailed for 17 years and will be deported when his sentence is over.

Detective Constable, Diane Sproston from the force's Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: 'Savescu was predatory and manipulative and took advantage of his victim's trustful nature and kindness.

'I'd like to commend the victim who bravely came forward and reported these appalling crimes. She has shown incredible bravery and cooperation throughout the court process.'

Amanda said: 'Mihai manipulated, groomed and terrorised me when I was at my most vulnerable.

'But I can't imagine my life without my little girl, Charlotte.

'If you are going through this right now, please, reach out to someone. It's never too late.'
Sun-loving Aussies chasing the last few weeks of warm weather are flocking to a secluded group of rock pools with crystal clear water perfect for swimming, snorkeling and catching a glimpse of the native marine life.

Bushrangers Bay is a rocky aquatic reserve just south of Shellharbour village in NSW and is said to be one of the best diving and snorkelling spots in the state.

Less than a two hour's drive from Sydney, the sheltered site is the perfect day trip escape for nature lovers.

Sun-loving Aussies chasing the last few weeks of warm weather are flocking to a secluded group of rock pools with crystal clear water perfect for swimming, snorkeling and catching a glimpse of the native marine life

Less than a two hour's drive from Sydney, the sheltered site is the perfect day trip escape for nature lovers

Tourists to the area have been capturing incredible snaps of the rugged coastline's glass-clear turquoise waters that jut out from the rocky shore.

Visitors have called Bushranger Bay a 'true treasure' for its incredible rock pools swimming with native fauna.

'Beautiful doesn't do the place justice. Some of the most amazing snorkelling on the south coast. Plenty of aquatic life and crayfish to be seen,' one person wrote while another simply called the spectacular beach a 'hidden gem'.

Some lucky beachgoers may spot the resident Port Jackson or Grey Nurse sharks, rays, fish, invertebrates and coral in the shallows or the whales and seals further offshore.

Visitors have called Bushranger Bay a 'true treasure' for its incredible rock pools swimming with native fauna

Adventurers can also explore the Bushrangers Bay reserve's nearby walking trails through the lush forest and site seeing spots to take in the picturesque views of the stunning coastline.

The reserve has a 'no take' rule so there's no fishing or shell collecting allowed and touching the delicate coral is prohibited as they can break easily.

Visitors are also advised to wear proper shoes as the rocky shore can sharp and difficult to walk on in some places.
Your tatty old trainers are suddenly the height of fashion if this new launch by celebrity favourite Balenciage is anything to go by.

The French fashion house, popular with A-listers like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber, has released a new range of 1,290 'fully destroyed' footwear, covered in holes and scuff marks.

Fans were quick to mock the brand after the shoes went viral when they launched on Monday.

Available to pre-order, the shoes are a limited edition version of the brand's Paris high top trainers, which usually cost 450.

Balenciaga has launched a new range of 450 trainers that are full of holes, with fans mocking the range

The high-top range come in different colours and have the Balenciaga name look like graffiti on the the side

The fully destroyed versions come in black, white or brown and are littered with holes across the cotton sides, top and back.

The fashion giant's brand name is daubed on the side of the soles to look like marker pen graffiti.

And ironically, Balenciaga says if they get dirty just 'wipe with a soft cloth.'

Shoppers were quick to poke fun at the scruffy sneakers. One said: 'I was having a good day until I saw this. Shaking my head.'

It's another range of shoes from the Paris Fashion House that have gone viral despite their unusual look. The label - popular with A-listers like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber - call the design 'fully destroyed.'

Another quipped: 'I was just about to throw out my 12-year-old Vans. But I guess they are high fashion.'

Another joked: 'Need these for my collection. Or I just won't pay rent and in a month or so my shoes should look the same.'

One mum said: 'Are they having a laugh?'

Another said: 'Pre-f****d up shoes, what a world.'

Shoppers were quick to poke fun at the scruffy sneakers. Fuming Dan Howe said: 'I was having a good day until I saw this. Shaking my head.'

The Balenciaga website reads: 'A dedicated campaign shows the shoes extremely worn, marked up, and dirtied.

'These still life portraits, by photographer Leopold Duchemin, suggest that Paris Sneakers are meant to be worn for a lifetime.

'A limited edition of 100 pairs of these extra destroyed sneakers will be available on balenciaga.com in either black or white while supplies last.'
They're usually spotted in glamourous attire on foreign holidays and in swanky night clubs.

But Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy swapped cocktail dresses and bikinis for a smart business style today as they arrived at London High Court to battle out the 'Wagatha Christie' case.

The explosive 3million libel battle marks the culmination of a bitter feud between the high-profile WAGS.

Coleen has been at war with Rebekah since October 2019 after accusing her of leaking 'false stories' about her private life to the media, before claiming that she uncovered the culprit after carrying out a social media 'sting operation'.

Today, Coleen, 36, opted for a stylish black suit with a 1,565 Mugler blazer and navy T-shirt, which she paired with a 615 Gucci loafer.

She has been sporting an air boot on her foot since suffering a fracture after a fall at home in March.

Meanwhile Rebekah, 40, paired opted for full Duchess style in a trendy midi shirt dress from a from British-Canadian designer Edeline Lee, who marks Kate Middleton among her fans.

Today, Coleen, 36, opted for a stylish black suit with a 1,565 Mugler blazer and navy T-shirt, which she paired with a 615 Gucci loafer. While Rebekah, 40, paired opted for full Duchess style in a trendy midi shirt dress from a from British-Canadian designer Edeline Lee, who marks Kate Middleton among her fans.

Turning up for the first day of proceedings, Coleen wore her brown hair down while tying part of it back and opting for a natural make-up look with a light layer of foundation and lick of mascara.

She added small golden hoops to the look which otherwise had minimal jewellery.

The mother-of-four, who was wearing a medical boot on her left leg for an injury paired the look with one velvet Gucci loafer from the Italian fashion houses SS22 collection which costs 615.

Coleen clutched two leather handbags as she walked into court and rolled up her blazer sleeves exposing a diamond bracelet.

Turning up for the first day of proceedings, Coleen wore her brown hair down while tying part of it back and opting for a natural make-up look with a light layer of foundation and lick of mascara.

The mother-of-four, who was wearing a medical boot on her left leg for an injury paired the look with one velvet Gucci loafer from the Italian fashion houses SS22 collection which costs 615.

Coleen clutched two leather handbags as she walked into court and rolled up her blazer sleeves exposing a diamond bracelet.

Meanwhile Rebekah, who has five children as well as a step-daughter from Jamie's previous relationship, sported a midi navy dress from British-Canadian designer Edeline Lee, who marks Kate Middleton among her fans.

The Duchess of Cambridge recently sported the up-and-coming designers dress to the present The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design at an event hosted by the British Fashion Council at the Design Museum in Kensington.

While Kate , 40, opted for a 785 green dress from the designer, Rebekah instead paired her 890 number with towering white leather court shoes.

Adding a touch of WAG-glamour, she added oversized Dior sunglasses costing 320 and a 650 'London' leather tote from Aspinals of London.

Meanwhile Rebekah, who has five children as well as a step-daughter from Jamie's previous relationship, sported a midi navy dress from British-Canadian designer Edeline Lee, who marks Kate Middleton among her fans.

Rebekah paired her look with Dior sunglasses and white shoes, she is pictured climbing out the taxi

In October 2019, Coleen accused Rebekah 40, (pictured today) of leaking 'false stories' about her to the press.

In October 2019, Coleen accused Rebekah 40, of leaking 'false stories' about her to the press.

She explained that she had posted a series of fake stories about herself to her personal Instagram account.

Three stories had been shared with The Sun newspaper - including one about travelling to Mexico to find out about gender selection, another regarding a return to TV and a final story about the basement flooding at her new home.

Hoping to find the account responsible for sharing these false stories, Mrs Rooney explained that she had changed the privacy settings of her posts so it was visible to just one person's account - Mrs Vardy's.

On October 9, 2019, Coleen Rooney, now 36, accused Rebekah Vardy, 40, of leaking 'false stories' about her to the press in an Instagram post (above)

Shortly after Mrs Rooney's public accusation, Mrs Vardy - who was pregnant and on holiday in Dubai at the time - denied any involvement (above)

Mrs Rooney's social media post revealing her operation quickly led to her being labelled 'Wagatha Christie' in a nod to the renowned British crime author Agatha Christie.

For a few years now someone who I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been consistently informing The SUN newspaper of my private posts and stories.

Who is Caroline Watt? Former Virgin Atlantic hostess credited with boosting her friend Rebekah Vardy's profile Caroline Watt is a former Virgin Atlantic air hostess who has been Rebekah Vardy's agent for the past seven years, helping to build her profile in the national media. Reports that she no longer represents her following the current controversy engulfing the two have been dismissed as inaccurate with Ms Watt remaining close to Ms Vardy both professionally and personally. Ms Watt, 39, is married to former footballer Steve Watt, who played briefly for Chelsea, making one Premier League appearance for two minutes in 2005 and Swansea City. He is currently manager of Kent non-league side Hythe Town and they have two children. After leaving the airline industry, Ms Watt began working as an agent in the world of entertainment, quickly developing a reputation for her communication skills and ability to network. She was formerly employed by talent agency The Frontrow Partnership but left in 2019 to go it alone and took her main client and close friend, Ms Vardy with her. Ms Watt has been credited with building Ms Vardy's public profile by ensuring that she regularly featured in the national media and also brokered the deal for her to appear on the hit reality TV show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in 2018. Ms Watt started representing the high-profile WAG in 2015, when her husband, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy shot to fame. She is a regular visitor to the Vardy's Lincolnshire home and also socialises with Ms Vardy, attending glitzy parties and bars. Her other clients include the former Page 3 girl Nicola McLean but it is Ms Vardy that has been the biggest asset in her career as an agent. Advertisement

There has been so much information given to them about me, my friends and my family  all without my permission or knowledge. After a long time of trying to figure out who it could be, for various reasons, I had a suspicion.

To try and prove this, I came up with an idea. I blocked everyone from viewing my Instagram stories except ONE account. (Those on my private account must have been wondering why I havent had stories on there for a while.)

Over the past five months I have posted a series of false stories to see if they made their way into the Sun newspaper. And you know what, they did! The story about gender selection in Mexico, the story about returning to TV and then the latest story about the basement flooding in my new house.

Its been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all, especially when the stories have been leaked, however I had to. Now I know for certain which account/individual its come from. I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them.

Its.......... Rebekah Vardys account.

But shortly after Mrs Rooney's public accusation, Mrs Vardy - who was pregnant and on holiday in Dubai at the time - denied any involvement.

She hit back on social media, writing: As I have just said to you [Rooney] on the phone, I wish you had called me if you thought this.

I never speak to anyone about you, as various journalists who have asked me to over the years can vouch for. If you thought this was happening you could have told me and I could have changed passwords to see if it stopped.

Over the years various people have had access to my Insta and just this week I found out I was following people I didnt know and have never followed myself. Im not being funny but I dont need the money, what would I gain from selling stories on you?

But in April, Mrs Vardy sensationally appeared to accept that her agent had been leaking stories about Mrs Rooney in a dramatic development to the 'Wagatha Christie' libel battle, the High Court heard.

In documents submitted to the court, Mrs Rooney's legal team claimed Mrs Vardy's case had 'collapsed' after an 'abrupt change of position to her pleaded case' following a second statement made by her in which she alleged that her agent and close friend Caroline Watt had leaked stories to The Sun.

The document compiled by Mrs Rooney's lawyers David Sherborne and Ben Hamer, and seen by the Hight Court, states: 'The collapse of Mrs Vardy's case over the last day has been remarkable.

'As of the evening of 27 April 2022, in an abrupt change of position to her pleaded case since the outset, Mrs Vardy appears now to accept Mrs Rooney's case: that Caroline Watt, Mrs Vardy's close friend and PR, was the conduit by which stories from the Defendant's Private Instagram Account were leaked to The Sun through her access via Rebekah Vardy's account (@beckyvardy).'

It adds: 'It is only now-over two weeks later and on the eve of trial-that Mrs Vardy has been forced to come clean.'

The Duchess of Cambridge (right) recently sported the up-and-coming designers dress to the present The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design at an event hosted by the British Fashion Council at the Design Museum in Kensington.

Rebecaa Vardy arrives for the opening day of there Libel appeal against Coleen Rooney today

The High Court in London has also heard that Ms Watt is not fit to give oral evidence to the trial.

Mrs Rooneys lawyers previously claimed that Mrs Vardy had leaked information to The Sun either directly or through Ms Watt 'acting on her instruction or with her knowing approval'.

Ms Watt was referred to at an earlier hearing after the High Court in London heard that WhatsApp messages between Mrs Vardy and Ms Watt had been disclosed.

Texts heard in court included Mrs Vardy referring to someone, whose identity is disputed, as a 'nasty b****'.

Ms Vardy's legal team say Ms Watt is in a 'fragile state' and has been expressing concerns about giving evidence.

They have asked the judge for Ms Watt's statement to be admitted as 'hearsay' evidence, so that she does not have to appear in person, following the 11th hour psychiatric report.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was the picture of elegance as she reopened one of Amsterdam's oldest museums for the first time in 75 years.

The Dutch royal was over the moon as she was presented with a key to the ARTIS-Groote Museum on Artisplein, which has been closed to the public for more than seven decades.

Sporting a stylish gold gown, Maxima, 50, was seen beaming as she clutched a bouquet of flowers on her way to the museum - which has been restored after closing in 1947.

Maxima's fashionable dress was decorated with a tonal pattern and featured a boat neckline, blouson sleeves and fitted waist, while the gown's seasonal skirt was slightly flared.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was the picture of elegance as she reopened one of Amsterdam's oldest museums for the first time in 75 years

The Dutch royal was over the moon as she was presented with a key to the ARTIS-Groote Museum on Artisplein, which has been closed to the public for over seven decades

Maxima was seen placing the key, attached to a necklace, on her neck as she opened the ARTIS-Groote Museum after seventy-five years of being closed to the public

The royal teamed the gown with a matching gold headpiece, with her blond tresses styled into a neat updo and added some glamour to the look with a pair of teardrop pearl earrings.

The monarch attended the museum's opening program before being given a tour of exhibits, which now explore the connection between humans, animals and nature.

The national monument ARTIS-Groote Museum dates back to 1855. At the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the museum played a prominent role in collecting and researching scientific knowledge.

The historic museum has now been sustainably restored and will become the second ARTIS museum on the freely accessible Artisplein after the ARTIS-Micropia, also in Amsterdam.

Maxima's fashionable dress was decorated with a tonal pattern and featured a boat neckline, blouson sleeves and fitted waist, while the gown's seasonal skirt was slightly flared

Sporting a stylish gold gown, Maxima, 50, was seen beaming as she clutched a bouquet of flowers on her way to the museum - which has been restored after closing in 1947

The monarch attended the museum's opening program before being given a tour of exhibits, which now explore the connection between humans, animals and nature

The royal teamed the gown with a matching gold headpiece, with her blond tresses styled into a neat updo and added some glamour to the look with a pair of teardrop pearl earrings

Maxima opted for a pair of sand-coloured block heels, decorated with a bow, while opting for a glamorous make-up look using a dark smokey eye, touch of bronzer and a dash of highlighter.

It's been a busy month for Maxima, who last week carried out a string of engagements following the King's Day festivities, which officially marked Willem-Alexander's birthday across the Netherlands.

King's Day festivities see the country take part in games, concerts and street parties to celebrate Willem-Alexander turning 55.

'The celebration of King's Day in Maastricht is about to start,' an enthusiastic captions shared on the Dutch royal family's official Instagram read.

'The Royal family is on their way to the Sint Servaasbrug, the starting point of the day. The route takes the family past the different 'lives' of Maastricht and the province of Limburg,' it continued.
Fans of Normal People, the BBC's hugely successful adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel about star-crossed teen lovers, are already salivating at the prospect of another novel by the author hitting screens this week.

Conversations With Friends, a 12-part drama led by director Lenny Abrahamson and co-writer Alice Birch, and based on Rooney's 2017 novel begins on BBC Three at 10pm this Sunday - but it hasn't quite sold all of the nation's TV critics.

While The Telegraph's Marianka Swain lavished five stars on the series, which sees former couple Frances and Bobbi end up enjoying a tangled affair with writer Melissa and her boyfriend Nick, The Independent's Nick Hilton offered a more caustic appraisal, suggesting it was as slow as the late Captain Tom's charity walking.

The BBC are keen to emulate the success of Normal People; which aired during lockdown, and saw the tale of Connell and Marianne rack up an astonishing 62 million views on iPlayer. Its stars, Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, shot to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic soon after.

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Conversations with Friends launches on BBC Three this week, telling the story of how former couple Frances and Bobbi end up enjoying an affair with writer Melissa and her boyfriend Nick. Pictured from left: Bobbi (played by Sasha Lane), Nick (played by Joe Alwyn), Frances (played by Alison Oliver) and Melissa (played by Jemima Kirke)

Despite the promise of a racy menage a quatre, reviews for the 12-parter have been mixed. While The Telegraph suggests it's a 'sensational follow-up' to Normal People, The Independent called it 'soporific'

The drama sees millennial couple Nick and Melissa enticed by art student Frances (centre) and her former girlfriend Bobbi

Critics have given it mix reviews with many hailing it a success, and better than 2020's Normal People

Conversations With Friends might yet win over TV audiences but some critics were less than sold on it.

The Independent's Nick Hilton wrote: 'Though it is undoubtedly slow, solipsistic, and self-satisfied, the show has an ambient appeal. It is television designed to be watched out of the corner of your eye while scrolling through Instagram, peering in at strangers on two screens simultaneously.'

The Telegraph's Marianka Swain disagreed, writing: ''The creative band is back together, led by director Lenny Abrahamson and co-writer Alice Birch, and they've reprised their winning format: 12 extremely moreish half-hour episodes which sensitively tease out everyone's fraught feelings via charged silences, cryptic text messages and intimate, authentic sex scenes.'

And The Irish Times' Ed Power went one step further, describing it as 'superior' to Normal People, writing: 'It feels more substantial than Normal People. Rooney fans will lap it up. For everyone else, the wow factor of a prestige television take on Dublin  albeit empty and lockdown-grim  is sure to bring is own pleasures too.'

Here, FEMAIL shares a selection of reviews of Conversations With Friends, so you can make up your mind whether it is worth tuning in to watch.

THE TELEGRAPH

Rating:

Marianka Swain writes: 'The team behind Normal People reunite to bring another soulful, sexy and complex Sally Rooney creation to life on screen. Can the BBC's second Sally Rooney adaptation possibly live up to Normal People mania? Well, if there's any justice, this sensational follow-up should be just as big of a hit  if not bigger.

Marianka Swain was a fan of show ahead of its release on Sunday on BBC Three (Pictured: Frances and Bobbi)

'Admittedly, it's not as voraciously carnal as Normal People, but that's because we've moved on from teen lust. Although Conversations with Friends (BBC Three) is actually Rooney's debut novel, it's a much more complex and challenging premise. Frances (played by magnetic newcomer Alison Oliver) is a bisexual student at Trinity College Dublin who performs spoken-word poetry with her ex-girlfriend, Bobbi.

It's an inventive ticking time bomb of a menage a quatre, and the fallout is thrilling  and constantly surprising.'

EVENING STANDARD

Rating:

Phoebe Luckhurst writes: 'As a novel, Conversations With Friends is extraordinary: intense; cerebral; political; exhilarating; a quiet tour-de-force that coined a genre of acerbic copycats. It experiments with form and text; its characters experiment with unconventional relationships. This adaptation is a watered down version of it.

'The dialogue is sharp and the universe beautiful, and the whole show is in moments exhilarating, although often a little too pared back. At 12 episodes it is also long and can feel rather baggy.'

METRO

Rating:

Metro's Charlotte Manning said the chemistry was 'all bang on' in the latest adaptation of Rooney's work (Pictured: The character of Melissa)

Charlotte Manning writes: 'It's one of a recently revived BBC Three's biggest hopes of 2022, so it's no surprise the broadcaster realise just how key Conversations With Friends will be in determining it a success.

'The main four are all bang on with the chemistry, yet Oliver and Alwyn deliver a particular spark as Frances and Nick, perfectly encapsulating the frustration and deep emotional conflict amid the moral dilemma of starting an affair, with the exact person you really want to be with.'

RADIO TIMES

Rating:

Flora Carr writes: 'Sally Rooney's bestselling novel Conversations with Friends opens with the phrase 'Bobbi and I', introducing our narrator Frances as one half of a package deal: there is no Frances without Bobbi.

'Likewise, the new, melancholic TV adaptation from BBC Three and Hulu opens with a shot of the two best friends sitting together, their heads bent over a new poem Frances has penned, as Bobbi reads it aloud.

'Although the ex-lovers-turned-friends spend most of the series falling for other people, its their mutual love and will-they-won't-they relationship that provides the cornerstone of the series.

INDEPENDENT

Rating:

Nick Hilton writes: 'Though it is undoubtedly slow, solipsistic, and self-satisfied, the show has an ambient appeal. It is television designed to be watched out of the corner of your eye while scrolling through Instagram, peering in at strangers on two screens simultaneously.

Nick Hilton suggested: 'It is television designed to be watched out of the corner of your eye' (Pictured: Bobbi, played by Sasha Lane)

'And if the prospect of watching the lives of a group of rather entitled millennials unravel at a pace closer to Captain Tom than Mo Farah doesn't excite you, there are plenty of close-ups of beautiful people kissing to keep you distracted.

'The problem of protraction (or compression) is endemic in the adaptation of novels, but the pacing of Conversations with Friends feels so indulgently languorous, the milieu (whether in Ireland or Croatia) so oppressively repetitive, that the effect is, at best, hypnotic, and, at worst, soporific.

Conversations with Friends is released on Sunday 15th May 2022, appearing on BBC One, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers. Viewers based in the US can watch the 12-part series on Hulu.
The Countess and the Earl of Wessex were greeted by crowds of children as they visited a school in Guernsey.

Sophie Wessex, 57 and Prince Edward, 58, started the last day of their visit to the Channel Islands by visiting Forest Primary School this morning.

The couple travelled to the islands on Thursday to mark Liberation Day and took part in Jersey's Liberation March yesterday,

For the last day of her trip to the island, Sophie donned a stylish green jacket with trendy checked flare trousers.

Sophie Wessex, 57 and Prince Edward, 58, started the last day of their visit to the Channel Islands by visiting Forest Primary School in Guernsey this morning

The mother-of-two wrapped up in the tweed jacket cinched at the waist with an oversize built-in belt.

The ruffled sleeves of the white blouse she wore underneath peeked out at her wrist.

She matched both the jacket and the top with a pair of white trousers with a green checked details and white espadrilles.

Stylish Sophie paired the look with a cream clutch bag, a discreet pair of stud emerald earrings and a silver necklace.

The uniforms of the school's pupils happened to match Sophie's stylish green tweed jacket and trousers

Sophie look trendy in the colourful jacket and flared trousers. Meanwhile, Edward looked dapper in a navy suit

Her blonde locks were styled into a neat blow-dry and tied at the ack of her head with a pin.

The mother-of-two opted for a tasteful makeup, with a dash of blush on the cheek and a splash of mascara to add some peps to her blue gaze.

She completed the look with a discreet rosy lipstick.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward looked dapper in a navy suit, which he paired with a light blue shirt.

The couple were greeted by the school's star-struck pupils, whose green uniforms happened to match perfectly with Sophie's look.

Not your average school day! The Countess and Earl of Wessex arrived at the school and were greeted by staff and pupils this morning

A timid schoolgirl handed Sophie a bouquet of fresh blooms, which the Countess kept with her during the introduction.

Both Sophie and Prince Edward took the time to get to the know the schoolchildren, pointing to their uniforms and asking them about their day.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived in the Channel Islands, on Sunday, and yesterday they watched the march to celebrate Guernsey and Jersey's national day.

They went on to visit to take part in a Liberation Tea Dance at Beau Sejour with the islands Occupation Generation and special guests.

Sophie took the time to speak to the pupils, who greeted her with flowers and the island of Guernsey's flag

A royal wave! Sophie paired her outfit with discreet emerald stud earrings and a cream leather clutch bag

The Countess opted for a stunning emerald green midi dress, sweeping her blonde locks into a neat up-do for the occasion.

During the outing, she could be seen giggling as she chatted with other attendees fo the event.

Earlier in the day, Sophie, donned her favourite Erdem flower dress paired with an 'Indiana' Jacket from Altuzarra, while Edward wore a grey suit and a purple shirt as they laughed and smiled while waving to the crowds as they stood on the hotel balcony.

The march today marked the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Channel Islands were the only United Kingdom territories to be occupied by the German Forces.

Prince Edward took the time to chat to some of the school's young pupils, asking about their day
The Queen's great-grandchildren are set to ride in a horse-drawn carriage as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations - in a rare public appearance together.

According to royal editor Roya Nikkhah, writing in The Sunday Times, all of Her Majesty's UK-based great-grandchildren will take part in the special event at the final performance of 'Gallop Through History' during the Royal Windsor Horse Show, on 15th May.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, Savannah and Isla Phillips, Princess Eugenie's son August Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice's daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, and Zara Tindall's children Lena, Lucas and Mia Tindall will take part.

It comes after undated footage of George, Charlotte and Louis climbing into a horse-drawn carriage at Windsor Castle while their mother watched on was shared on social media last month, which could have been a practice run for the event.

Prince Harry and Meghan's children Archie and Lilibet will not feature in the show, but it was confirmed last week that the couple will join the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June with their young son and daughter.

Ten of the Queen's twelve grandchildren are set to ride in a horse-drawn carriage at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 15. Her Majesty and Prince Philip with great-grandchildren Prince George, Prince Louis, Princes Charlotte, Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Lena Tindall and Mia Tindall

The news comes after undated footage of some of the young royals getting into a horse-drawn carriage, pictured, was shared last month

'Gallop Through History' will bring together 500 horses and more than 1,000 performers over four nights to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth I's monarchy.

Elsewhere, the Queen's 'favourite' grandchild, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, is said to be paying tribute to Prince Philip at the same performance, reportedly preparing to drive his carriage at the horse show.

Prince Philip had taken up carriage driving in the 1970s and taught the sport to his granddaughter.

The report comes weeks after the Queen's great grandchildren were spotted in a carriage at Windsor Castle alongside their parents.

Lady Louise Windsor, 18, pictured, is said to be paying tribute to Prince Philip at the same performance in Windsor, reportedly preparing to drive his carriage at the horse show

It is reported that Savannah and Isla Phillips, pictured, will also ride in the horse-drawn carriage at Windsor for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on May 15

Princess Eugenie, 32, appeared to be nearby, holding the hand of her son August, one, while he took some toddling steps on the gravel.

The clip also appeared to show other members of the royal family including Zara and Mike Tindall. It was unclear if their children, Mia, eight, Lena, three, and Lucas, one, were in attendance.

In the undated footage, it is not clear which of the Queen's other 12 great-grandchildren were present, or whether the Duke of Cambridge was there.

In the front row of the carriage appeared to be two blonde haired children, who could be the Queen's eldest great-grandchildren Savannah and Isla Philips.

Meanwhile Zara and Mike appeared to hold a baby between them as they watched the carriage of children.

The Royal Horse Show May 15 event featuring the young royals will be a gala performance including Helen Mirren and Stephen Fry which will be broadcast live on television.

The celebrations at Windsor to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee will take place from 12-15 May in the grounds of the castle, where her Majesty is living.

The Royal Horse Show begins on Thursday and the May 15 event will be a gala performance including Helen Mirren, pictured and Stephen Fry which will be broadcast live on television
A gruesome new medical programme showed stomach-churning scenes of a painful buttock abscess being drained for half an hour.

Footage shot for Quest Red's new medical show, This Came Out Of Me, showed Texas-based doctor Petter Vaagenes treating a patient who came in with an abscess which had taken root in his left buttock.

Willis, 35, had been putting off visiting the SignatureCare's Odessa clinic with the sensitive medical problem, which had been triggered by a bacterial infection.

Both Dr Vaagenes and Dr Rose warned that if left untreated, abscesses can cause serious health complications, and could even be fatal if infection spreads to the bloodstream.

Footage shot for Quest Red's new medical show, This Came Out Of Me, showed Texas-based patient Willia, 35, having an abscess which had taken root in his left buttock being drained

The gruesome new medical programme showed stomach-churning scenes of the painful buttock abscess being drained for half an hour

Dr Rose explained that abscesses are small, localised infections that can cause a patient an enormous amount of pain.

'An abscess is triggered by a bacterial infection,' she said. 'Sometimes they're caused by an infected hair follicle or sweat gland, or maybe there is a break in the skin that allows bacteria to enter the body, and then the infection goes wild.

'If you let an infection go too long, you could die if it enters into your bloodstream and spreads through your body.

'Antibiotic-resident infections kill over 35,000 Americans every year. That's about one person every 15 minutes.'

Dr Rose warned that if left untreated, abscesses can cause serious health complications, and could even be fatal if infection spreads to the bloodstream

Willis had been putting off treatment of the sensitive medical problem, which had been triggered by a bacterial infection, before visiting the SignatureCare's Odessa clinic

After meeting Willis, Dr Vaagenes started by examining the infected area and formulating a plan of action to treat his patient.

With his patient laid face-down on the bed, Dr Vaagenes cleaned the area with povidone-iodine, a topical antiseptic solution used to prepare the skin for small procedures.

Dr Vaagenes then injected Willis with a local anaesthetic and made his first incision.

'As soon as Dr Vaagenes makes his incision, it doesn't take long for the waterworks!' Dr Rose said. 'As the scalpel pierces Willis' skin, a massive gush of putrid pus seeps out of the wound, covering the doctor's fingers and his medical equipment!'

With the pus pouring out, Dr Vaagenes warned: 'You're going to smell a little odour here, okay? When you get an infection like that, you get a significant smell that can be a little uncomfortable.'

After meeting Willis, Dr Vaagenes started by examining the infected area and formulating a plan of action to treat his patient

With his patient laid face-down on the bed, Dr Vaagenes cleaned the area with povidone-iodine before he injected Willis with a local anaesthetic and made his first incision

Dr Rose explained that the potent smell comes from a build of us pus in the cavity created by the abscess.

'Bacterial infections can develop into an abscess, and when bacteria take residence in the body the immune system fires off white blood cells to fight off that infection,' she said.

'The surrounding tissue dies off, the infection site swells up and the cavity forms filled with pus. And that's your abscess, and the pus is basically a gooey cocktail of that dead tissue, white blood cells and bacteria.'

As Dr Vaagenes continued he explained: 'These have the tendency to wall themselves off a little bit, so we've got to go in and then kind of break up all those little what we call loculations.

'You can see quite a bit of pus coming out. This is another waterfall; the gift that keeps on giving!'

The doctor described the pus coming out of the abscess as 'a waterfall' and a 'gift that keeps on giving'

With the pus pouring out, Dr Vaagenes warned: 'You're going to smell a little odour here, okay? When you get an infection like that, you get a significant smell that can be a little uncomfortable'

After nearly half an hour of draining Willis' abscess, Dr Vaagenes irrigated the area and explained to Willis that the wound will need to be packed in order to keep any other infections at bay

After nearly half an hour of draining Willis' abscess, Dr Vaagenes irrigated the area and explained to Willis that the wound will need to be packed in order to keep any other infections at bay.

'Packing the cavity with gauze will help soak up any remaining pus, prevent infection and stops the incision from closing so that the abscess can continue to drain,' Dr Rose said.

With the procedure coming to a close, Dr Vaagenes prescribed his patient a course for oral antibiotics and patched him up.

'The risk is that the infection goes into the bloodstream, his heart rate goes up and his blood pressure drops,' he said.

'That's the end of any potential infection where the patient becomes septic and very, very sick. That is potentially lethal.'

And no one was more relieved than Willis himself, with the patient saying: 'I was in some serious pain, and as soon as he started, I got to feeling better. Just like a pressure relief, because everything was really tight and uncomfortable.'

This Came Out Of Me airs 10pm Tuesdays on Quest Red
Queen Letizia of Spain opted for a very daring look today as she attended a Commemorative event for the World Day of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Valencia today.

The royal, 49, opted for a full length flowing fuchsia number with cut outs in the stomach exposing her well-toned midriff.

She paired the dress - which included flowing sleeves and a scoop neckline - with small gold hoop earrings and crocodile-leather style heels.

Proving her penchant for coordination, she added a fuschia bag with an oversized silver buckle to complete the look.

Queen Letizia of Spain opted for a very daring look today as she attended a Commemorative event for the World Day of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Valencia today

The royal, 49, opted for a full length flowing fuchsia number with cut outs in the stomach exposing her well-toned midriff

The mother-of-two opted for a light make-up look showing off her glowing tan under a light layer of foundation and nude lip.

Adding a further touch of glamour she wore a smokey eye look and completed her style with golden hoop earrings.

Her husband King Felipe, , 54 who recently returned to duty after testing positive for Covid-19 early last month, is expected to enjoy her later in the day.

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is a global day to celebrate the uniqueness and unity of our International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

She paired the dress - which included flowing sleeves and a scoop neckline - with small gold hoop earrings and crocodile-leather style heels.

Queen Letizia Ortiz during a Commemorative event for the World Day of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Valencia on Tuesday,

Letizia is a longtime supporter of the charity, and recently visited the Red Cross crisis unit for Ukraine in Madrid.

It's been a busy week for the royal, who yesterday met with officials for a round table meeting organised by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, ICEX-Invest in Spain and the Spain Film Commission to discuss the competitive advantages of filming in the country.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the royal to learn more about plans to make Spain the main audiovisual Hub in Europe by promoting production and attracting investment that will strengthen the sector.

Attention to detail! Proving her penchant for coordination, she added a fuschia bag (right) with an oversized silver buckle to complete the look as well as crocodile style shoes (left)

Letizia met Felipe VI at a dinner party in 2002, and the pair enjoyed an instant connection, leading to their royal wedding in May 2004.

The former newsreader is the granddaughter of a taxi driver and the eldest daughter of Jesus Jose Ortiz Alvarez, a journalist, and first wife Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez, a nurse and hospital union representative.

She attended public high school and did a degree at the Complutense University of Madrid. She later gained an MA in Audiovisual Journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism.

King Juan Carlos abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son, now King Felipe VI.
A savvy woman has revealed how she has saved a staggering $24,000 on her groceries thanks to her obsession with couponing  and she is so good at finding deals that stores sometimes pay her to shop.

Emily Shetler, 27, got hooked on couponing five years ago after she moved from Texas to Buffalo, New York, with her younger husband so that he could attend college, making her the sole earner for the household.

'When I started, couponing was literally how I got by,' she said. 'Without it, I wouldn't have been able to afford my own bills.'

Emily Shetler, 27, got hooked on couponing after she moved from Texas to Buffalo, New York, with her younger husband so that he could attend college

The home insurance rep spends two to three hours a week scouring the internet to find the best coupons and saving them on her shopping apps.

'Many people get overwhelmed by couponing as they picture the old-fashioned way of cutting them out from newspapers, but it's so easy now,' she explained. 'You can just download them.'

Emily is now financially stable and no longer needs to coupon, but she has no plans on quitting because she enjoys it so much.

'I just love it and can't even fathom having to buy something for full price,' she said. 'It's like a high. I love watching the numbers as they smoothly go down. It's a thrill really.'

The home insurance rep spends two to three hours a week scouring the internet to find the best coupons and saving them on her shopping apps

'I just love it and can't even fathom having to buy something for full price,' she said. 'It's like a high. I love watching the numbers as they smoothly go down. It's a thrill really'

When she goes shopping  armed with a phone full of coupons  her $60 basket of essentials will sometimes cost just $4.

EMILY'S COUPONING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS Emily Shetler, who is known as CouponQueenEm on her social media platforms, has shared her top tips for couponing. She advises beginners to 'start small.' 'Don't try and do big coupon shops straight away as you can often be left spending more than you mean to,' she explained. Emily noted that couponing is 'so easy now' because people can download coupons on their phones instead of cutting them out of newspapers. The home insurance rep spends two to three hours a week scouring the internet to find the best coupons and saving them on her shopping apps. Emily is also a fan of Ibotta, a coupon and cashback app. Advertisement

Emily's biggest bargains include a haul of beauty and household products from CVS worth $69, which earned her $0.73.

Her coupons reduced the cost to $8.27, and then she used $9 in CVS ExtraCare bucks  electronic cashback  to pay, meaning she got nearly $1 back.

Emily estimates that she has cut her shopping bills by around $400 to $500 dollars a month since she started her coupon habit five years ago. She now only spends around $50 a month.

With her extra cash, she has managed to go on multiple holidays with her husband, including the Bahamas and Martha's Vineyard.

Emily, known as CouponQueenEm on her social media platforms, has amassed thousands of followers after sharing her coupon secrets.

'I get a lot of people thanking me online, saying that they wouldn't have been able to afford their shops if it wasn't for my help,' she said.

'Another reason why I still coupon is to help people.'

Emily's top tip for couponing beginners is to 'star off small.'

'Don't try and do big coupon shops straight away as you can often be left spending more than you mean to,' she said.

She also advised to 'frequently check the sales that the stores are having as you can stack your coupons on top of them.'

Most of the coupon deals are 'buy one get same free' or require the shopper to spend a certain amount, which often leaves Emily with more products than she needs.

Emily's biggest bargains include a haul of beauty and household products from CVS worth $69, which earned her $0.73

Emily, known as CouponQueenEm on her social media platforms, has amassed thousands of followers after sharing her coupon secrets

Although Emily admitted to having 'a small stack of products' in her one-bedroom apartment, she doesn't believe in stockpiling items.

Instead, she donates 80-85 percent of the products she buys to local charities.

'I'm still saving money and am keeping the household going so there's no need to hoard unnecessary items,' she said.

Emily has even managed to make an income from her consistent couponing after becoming a consistent user of Ibotta, a coupon and cashback app.

Every time someone uses her referral code for a $10 coupon, Ibotta pays her $10, so most of her shopping is now done for free.
Eleven medical professionals at a single Missouri hospital are all pregnant at the same time  with two nurses even due to give birth on the same day.

At Liberty Hospital in Liberty, Missouri, ten nurses and one doctor are all expecting babies this year.

Coincidentally enough, most of them work in obstetrics and labor and delivery.

'They always do things in groups, but weve never had 10 at the same time,' Birthing Center Director Nicki Kolling told Fox4 KC. 'So, its been fun.'

Ten nurses and one OB-GYN at Liberty Hospital in Liberty, Missouri are pregnant

The women are all set to give birth this year, with the soonest deliveries expected in the next couple of weeks and the latest one expected around Thanksgiving

The women are all set to give birth this year, with the soonest deliveries expected in the next couple of weeks and the latest one expected around Thanksgiving.

'There's a lot of nurses saying they won't drink the water,' Hannah Miller, a 29-year-old postpartum nurse who is expecting her first child, told Good Morning America.

'One of the nurses actually brought her own water bottle the other night and I was joking with her. I was like, "Oh, you're really not drinking the water."'

Labor and delivery nurse Katie Bestgen is due July 20, while obstetric float nurse Therese Byrum, 27, is due in late November.

Most of them work in obstetrics and labor and delivery - and there have been jokes about something being in the water

Christen Burns and Cheyenne Beaty, two 26-year-old labor and delivery nurse, are both pregnant with their first children.

'I think it's really unique because it's all in the same unit  and especially like our population ratio, I think is quite high. So sure it happens, but it's pretty exciting when it's this big,' Dr. Anna Gorman, an OB-GYN expecting her second child, said.

With so many women expecting all at once, some have found it helpful to have colleagues to reply on for tips and advice  and commiserating.

'Its helped so much with my pregnancy and helped me feel so much more comfortable,' said Burns.

Some have found it helpful to have colleagues to reply on for tips, advice, and commiserating

'This is definitely a great experience and it's something that I feel like we'll probably bond over for a lifetime, having the babies due around the same time,' said one nurse

'This is definitely a great experience and it's something that I feel like we'll probably bond over for a lifetime, having the babies due around the same time,' Alex Atcheson, a 29-year-old labor and delivery nurse who is expecting her third child, told GMA.

'It's been great to have each other for support and go through pregnancy together.'

Atcheson is actually due on May 27  the same day as fellow labor and delivery nurse Alison Harrell, 30.

'Weve made jokes that some of our nurses that arent expecting should open a daycare,' Liz Bishop told KMBC.

In 2019, nine nurses working in the labor and delivery unit at Maine Medical Center were all expecting at the same time. Pictured here from left to right, Erin Grenier, Rachel Stellmach, Brittney Vervill, Lonnie Souci, Amanda Spear, Samantha Giglio, Nicole Goldberg, Nicole Barnes and Holly Selby

Other hospitals have experienced nurse baby booms similar to this one.

In 2019, nine nurses working in the labor and delivery unit at Maine Medical Center were all expecting at the same time, with due dates spanning from April until July.

WMTW-TV reported that they planned to be there for each other's deliveries.

'After each one of us started to say, "We're pregnant," I think it was a happier announcement each time, and we're all there for each other,' nurse Erin Grenier said.

'There's been times where we've been the patient. So it's been great to have each other either being our nurse or just being there for us, sending us a message, checking in on us making sure everything is okay,' she said.

'It's really nice coming to work and seeing other people who are just as pregnant and watching their bellies pop and just talking about these experiences that we are going through together,' nurse Amanda Spear added.

'After each one of us started to say, "We're pregnant," I think it was a happier announcement each time, and we're all there for each other,' nurse Erin Grenier said

'I think that they tend to feel comforted and they also tend to find that it's a common ground between us,' Registered Nurse Nicole Goldberg said to WGME.

'I don't think it hit home until we took a picture and it was on social media and we were getting all this attention,' Registered Nurse Lonnie Soucie said. 'And then it was like, 'Whoa, you weren't kidding!'

Registered Nurse Rachel Stellmach, who was pregnant with her fourth, added: 'It's great to talk to everyone. Troubleshoot and answer questions too, since I'm kind of a pro.'

'I think we're looking forward to raising our babies together. To having friends, playdates and continuing the support of having shared experiences of all having babies together,' Registered Nurse Holly Selby said.

Eight Illinois women who all worked in the same obstetrician department at Anderson Hospital's Pavilion for Women were also all pregnant at the same time in 2018

Seven of the eight Illnois women posed for a photo with their babies after the were born

'The Pavilion for Women had their own baby boom going........and it exploded!!!! We are loving all of our babies!' the hostpial wrote on social media

Meanwhile, eight Illinois women who all worked in the same obstetrician department at Anderson Hospital's Pavilion for Women were also all pregnant at the same time in 2018.

Seven of the eight OB nurses  Susan, Britaney, Ashley, Sara, Rebecca, Gwen, and Michele  posed together with their pregnant bumps, and gathered again to pose with their children after their births.

The eight nurse did not participate.

'The Pavilion for Women had their own baby boom going........and it exploded!!!! We are loving all of our babies!' the hostpial wrote on social media.

'The Elite 8 are here and ready to rule the world!!!!!!!! Meet Anna, Reese, Logan, Holden, Daniel, Charlotte, and Charlotte.....(#3, Jewel, is not pictured). Welcome to the world, little ones! We LOVE YOU!!!'
UK mum Natasha Dauncey (pictured)

A 'game-changing' five-star serum that can be shipped to Australia is earning well-deserved accolades online for being the perfect defence when your skin needs some hydration.

UK mum Natasha Dauncey, 45, founded her skincare brand Apothaka in 2016 in response to the growing need for skincare which puts the skin barrier first.

The ex pharma industry employee was becoming increasingly concerned with the overemphasis on high-strength actives and exfoliation and the resulting increase in damaged skin barriers.

The brand's Barrier Support Serum 10ml (24.00/$42.74AUD) is one of its best-selling formulations with a unique combination of niacinamide, ceramide complex and hyaluronic acid. It can also be purchased in a 30ml and 50ml container.

'Skin health isn't a trend to me so my products are all about encouraging your skin to function at its best,' she said.

'I started work on barrier support serum back in 2017 and at that time there was little focus on skin barrier health and preservation from brands (how many "barrier repair" products do you see now?!)'

Customers have been applying the serum before their more active ingredients to ensure there is no moisture loss during the process.

Customers have been applying the serum before their more active ingredients to ensure there is no moisture loss during the process

What are the key features in the serum? Niacinamide: Strengthens barrier function (among a wide variety of other benefits), resulting in better water retaining abilities of the skin Ceramide complex: Key components of your skin's natural lipid mix, this skin-identical lipid complex contains three different types of ceramides, cholesterol and the ceramide precursor phytosphingosine to help form a protective layer and reduce moisture loss from the skin's surface Hyaluronic acid: Instantly hydrates, plumps and smooths the skin thanks to the multi-molecular weights used Advertisement

'I'm not hugely into serums but this is a game changer. Light on the skin, absorbs well and worth every penny. I've had compliments on my skin too! Will definitely be repurchasing,' one woman wrote.

'Saw this on a random Instagram ad and I'm so glad I followed it through. I'll make sure to stock up, can't wait to try all the others. Super hydrating, doesn't pill under make up or moisturiser, my skin just drinks it all in,' said another.

A third added: 'The barrier support serum is a must if using a retinol. It stops any form of dryness and peeling'.

Apothaka sells a number of other cleansers, moisturisers and even an essence that work to balance the skin's outer layer, with similar accolades from loyal consumers.

Apothaka sells a number of other cleansers, moisturisers and even an essence that work to balance the skin's outer layer, with similar accolades from loyal consumers

Australian customers can still get their hands on Apothaka but packages will take up to four weeks to arrive from the UK, so it's worth stocking up when you do

'Before starting Apothaka I had a long career in the pharma industry - in clinical and marketing research positions - so health has always been a focus for me,' Natasha said.

'Since launching I've been able to build on additional perspectives like formulating and skin health/science specifically, which has helped me approach things in a more rounded way.

'Having worked in marketing I'm well aware of the kind of BS tactics that go with the territory and I prefer to stay well clear of them.'

Australian customers can still get their hands on Apothaka but packages will take up to four weeks to arrive from the UK, so it's worth stocking up when you do.
A woman has stunned the internet with a relatively easy question about time but not everyone is so sure of the answer.

Erica Mallett, who goes by @erica_mallett on TikTok, shared the innocent-sounding question with her followers to gauge their reaction: 'You don't truly know someone until you've asked them'.

'You could have known them for 10, 15 years. You could feel like you know them inside out but the answer to this question will change everything you think you knew about them.'

So what was the question?

Erica Mallett, who goes by @erica_mallett on TikTok, shared the innocent-sounding question with her followers to gauge their reaction: 'You don't truly know someone until you've asked them'

'If I say we have a meeting at midday and then I say, "Can we move it forward two hours?", what time is that?' She said.

Viewers were extremely torn between the answers 10am or 2pm, with some arguing moving the time forward meant 2pm but bringing it forward meant 10am.

'People saying 2pm actually don't understand how time works,' one woman said.

'Anyone not saying 10am is just wrong,' said another.

Poll What answer do you get to the simple question? 10am 2pm What answer do you get to the simple question? 10am 1461 votes

2pm 922 votes Now share your opinion





Erica created a secondary video to explain why she thought her fans were coming to different conclusions.

'If you see yourself as moving through time, then you're moving towards 2pm and you will say 2pm,' she said.

'If you see time as moving through you, you will say 10am.'

One woman hilariously replied: 'I'm trying to figure out how I got 4pm'.

'I'm Finnish, just tell me the new time you are proposing,' said another.
A vaccine that could dramatically improve the treatment of multiple types of cancer is being given to patients for the first time.

The potentially game-changing jab is being trialled in Britons with prostate, lung and ovarian cancers.

Together these claim 51,000 lives a year in the UK  almost a third of all cancer deaths.

Although we usually think of vaccines as preventing diseases, the term can also be applied to drugs that harness the power of the immune system to treat them.

This new vaccine directs the immune system to fight a protein that normally keeps cancer cells safe from harm.

The potentially game-changing jab is being trialled in Britons with prostate, lung and ovarian cancers. A file photo is used above

Our immune system is constantly destroying small cancers as they develop. But cancer cells have a variety of strategies to avoid being attacked, allowing the disease to grow and spread. These include making a protein called survivin.

Found on the surface of the cells of many cancers in large quantities, it helps the cancer hide from the immune system.

Exactly how it does this isnt clear. One theory is that because it is also found on some healthy cells, albeit in much smaller amounts, the immune system doesnt realise the cancer cells are dangerous and so doesnt attack them.

The new vaccine, which has been developed by Oxford Vacmedix, a spin-out company from Oxford University, contains a synthetic form of survivin thats designed to stimulate a stronger response from the immune system. The hope is that this will destroy the cancer cells.

The jab, which is known as OVM-200, is being trialled on people for the first time, in a study involving up to 35 patients with cancer at University College Hospital in London and four other centres in the UK.

The participants will receive three doses of the vaccine, two weeks apart, and will be monitored for six months for changes in their cancer, as well as any side-effects.

The trial is focusing on three cancers, although it is hoped that the vaccine will be effective against multiple types of cancer.

The jab, which is known as OVM-200, is being trialled on people for the first time, in a study involving up to 35 patients with cancer at University College Hospital in London and four other centres in the UK. Health Secretary Sajid Javid is pictured visiting the hospital on World Cancer Day in February

Dr Martin Forster, a consultant in medical oncology at the UCL Cancer Institute and the trials chief investigator, said: Survivin is highly expressed in many cancers and therefore a great target for therapies such as this novel vaccine.

This exciting UK-developed treatment introduces a new vaccine technology into clinical trials and has the potential to dramatically change outcomes for our patients. There is a huge unmet need and these are exciting times.

Commenting on the trial, Professor Raj Persad, a consultant urologist at Bristol Urology Associates, said: New targeted treatments such as this promise to be much more specific and less toxic in their side-effects by simply boosting the bodys own immune system.

But he adds that research into long-term side-effects and the treatments impact on patient survival is important before we rejoice too much.

From initial studies, however, this approach looks very encouraging indeed, he adds.

Clothes call

How what you wear can affect your health. This week: Wearing red could encourage mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, and now research by scientists at the University of Washington in the U.S., suggests the insects are more likely to head towards people if they are also wearing red, orange or pink.

These are the dominant colours reflected in our skin, said Jeff Riffell, a professor of biology and lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Communications.

Interestingly, the mosquitoes were also more attracted to green-blue shades  possibly because both male and female mosquitoes feed on sugar like the nectar from a flower. Many flowers and nectar sources occur on the green-blue wavelength, explains Professor Riffell.

He says that, as a result, the best colours to wear to avoid attracting mosquitoes are white or purple.

Did you know?

Pasta has a lower impact on blood sugar levels than carbs such as couscous or bread, reports the Journal of Nutrition. Scientists at the Technical Research Centre of Finland asked 26 adults to chew 50g of semolina-based versions of pasta to find how many chews were needed before swallowing. The rest of the digestive process was simulated in a lab. The team found pasta needed chewing more, broke down into larger particles and was less easily digested  maybe due to the way starch forms when pasta is dried  leading to fewer blood sugar spikes.
Confused and concussed, I came to at the bottom of the stairs in my small cottage to see a huge bearded man with a sledgehammer looming over me.

Hed broken down the door of my home in Faversham, Kent, and was shouting: Are you OK? Talk to me! Ive called an ambulance.

Im an insulin-dependent diabetic and had come from the gym after a workout, injected insulin, eaten and had a snooze.

While asleep, I had experienced a massive drop in my blood sugar (or glucose) level, hypoglycaemia (or hypo)  a life-threatening condition that caused me to fit and flail while slipping into a coma.

The man, my next-door neighbour, had heard crashing and shouting. He knew I lived alone and thought I was in trouble, so he hammered down my front door and found me crumpled in my hallway.

Im an insulin-dependent diabetic and had come from the gym after a workout, injected insulin, eaten and had a snooze. A file photo is used above

This was what my life had been like since 1983 when I was diagnosed, aged 15, with type 1 diabetes (meaning I dont produce any of the hormone insulin, which the body needs to maintain the right amount of sugar in the blood).

This particular incident was an extreme but in no way isolated event. Many times before and since (this event happened 25 years ago), my life has depended on good Samaritans, friends and, after I got married in 2005, my wife, Glenda, to bail me out.

But all this is now in the past thanks to an artificial pancreas that I made myself.

The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin, and  like a growing number of people with type 1 diabetes  Ive put together a system whereby a standard insulin pump and a blood glucose monitor talk to each other via an algorithm downloaded on my phone.

This then administers a constantly re-calibrated insulin dose. The results have been life-changing. And now the NHS is piloting a scheme to see if more patients like me can benefit from a similar system. Before I began using this DIY pancreas in 2020, I injected myself with insulin up to ten times a day.

This hormone mops up the glucose released from the carbohydrates you eat (contained in sugar and starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta and bread) from your bloodstream. It then takes the glucose into your muscle cells for fuel, stashing the excess in your liver as a reserve.

Currently, if you are diagnosed with type 1, you will typically be given two forms of insulin: a long-acting one that you inject morning and night, plus a quick-acting insulin that you inject pretty much every time you eat carbs.

You also get a blood glucose monitor. You prick your finger, squeeze out blood and put it on a strip that is read by an electronic device. This gives you the measurement for that moment but, crucially, cant tell you whether your blood sugar level is rising or dropping.

While asleep, I had experienced a massive drop in my blood sugar (or glucose) level, hypoglycaemia (or hypo)  a life-threatening condition that caused me to fit and flail while slipping into a coma. A

Getting the level right is like walking a tightrope across Niagara Falls: one slip could be fatal.

If levels go too high  known as hyperglycaemia (or a hyper)  this can lead to severe dehydration and even a coma as your body tries to get rid of the excess sugar.

If your blood sugar levels go too low, the brain is deprived of fuel and you go into a coma even more quickly. Left untreated, this hypo can kill you in a matter of hours.

Such highs and lows hurt our loved ones. Some years ago, after Id had a horrendous hypo in the middle of the night, Glenda posted on a social media forum about the effect my diabetes had on her. It breaks my heart to read it.

She wrote: I have been with my partner for 20 years. I am at the end of my tether with trying to care for him through hypos that leave me in bits and my young daughters traumatised.

Weve had two massive hypos in the past six weeks, resulting in paramedics coming. Hes a foot taller than me and gets violent in a hypo, which means I have to restrain him as paramedics cant.

Ive woken up a few times in hospital with a glucose drip in my arm and my head stitched up. Ive also woken up at home with my wife restraining me. But those days are gone now.

For ten years, Ive had an insulin pump  a small electronic device with a thin tube which goes under the skin and releases regular insulin day and night.

But while the amount of insulin it pumped out was constant, this was not matched to what I was doing or what Id eaten, so I still had many hypos and hypers.

Then, two years ago, I paired this up to a system that constantly reads my blood sugar level via a small monitor on my arm  and, using a sophisticated algorithm on my phone, that reading controls my pump automatically, giving me the right dose of insulin.

The system was developed in 2013 by Dana Lewis, an insulin-dependent diabetic from America. She hacked into her blood glucose monitor and fed in an algorithm to get it to make accurate calculations about her insulin dose.

She could then apply these herself rather than make educated guesses, as most diabetics do.

She shared this online with other diabetics, and together this community developed a system that got the algorithm to control her insulin pump directly. They called it closing the loop. They have posted this algorithm online, and anyone can download it for free.

I got hold of it after a fellow diabetic told me about it.

To use it, first you need to be on an insulin pump, rather than use injections. You also need a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a device with a tiny sensor under the skin. These are available on the NHS. Finally, you need a phone with the app.

The CGM updates your phone app every few minutes and predicts whether your blood sugar is stable or going up or down, and how fast. The algorithm uses this information to increase or decrease the insulin coming from your pump.

The system I use, known as DIY looping and Android Artificial Pancreas System, is incredibly liberating  yet still only a handful of the 400,000 insulin-dependent diabetics in the UK use it, according to The Lancet.

However, this is changing, with commercial versions of the systems in development. The NHS has just launched a closed-loop pilot scheme involving more than 800 diabetes patients, too.

My doctor, Dr Sufyan Hussain, a consultant diabetes specialist and senior lecturer at Kings College London, who has type 1 diabetes himself, has researched the system I use and recently co-authored guidelines for NHS colleagues recommending that they support patients who also want to use it.

It could spell a new dawn for insulin-dependent diabetics.

As Dr Hussain told me: The medical and legal position of do-it-yourself and citizen science approaches have been subject to a lot of debate and uncertainty.

Our paper clarifies the position for do-it-yourself artificial pancreas systems in diabetes as a safe and effective treatment.

Hilary Nathan, policy director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, also says DIY looping is clinically acknowledged to be a safe and effective treatment.

It has changed my life. No roller-coaster highs or lows, no fear of having to grab food or inject insulin to keep myself balanced, no guesswork and no stress. And if theres an issue, my system alerts me. My hope is that the NHS will grab this and share it with fellow diabetics as soon as possible.

Jargon Buster Scientific terms decoded. This week: Cryotherapy Also known as cold therapy, cryotherapy includes an array of treatments that employ extremely low temperatures. One of its best known uses involves removing areas of skin such as warts and basal cell carcinomas (a common form of skin cancer). The affected skin is frozen with a liquid nitrogen spray for five to ten seconds, which kills off the rogue cells. Some major cancers can also be treated. In prostate cancer, for example, a needle inserts freezing gas (in this case, argon) into the prostate to kill cancer cells. Whole-body cryotherapy, which involves standing in a chamber cooled to less than -100c, is sometimes recommended for certain muscle and joint-related conditions. Advertisement
A newborn died just 16 hours after being born due to a catalogue of errors by NHS maternity staff, an investigation has found.

Giles Cooper-Hall died in October last year after inexperienced and 'distracted' staff failed to adequately care for his mother Ruth, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) ruled.

Staff at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust failed to measure Mrs Cooper-Hall's bump, a key indicator of healthy baby development, three times after the expectant mother felt her baby wasnt moving as much as normal 41 weeks into her pregnancy.

Problems with Giles's health were only spotted five days later when Mrs Cooper-Hall came in for an induction.

But further miscommunications and errors from staff meant the newborn's heart rate inside the womb was not monitored correctly. If done correctly, investigators said it 'could have led to a different outcome'.

In total, Giles's heart rate was below a minimum level, where senior NHS staff should have been called, for 21 minutes.

After he was born, medics had to resuscitate him immediately and it was 20 minutes before his heartbeat was detected.

Giles was unable to breathe on his own, suffered blood loss and brain damage from being starved of oxygen during labour. He died later that same day.

Reacting to the report, Mrs Cooper-Hall and her wife, Allison Cooper-Hall, said: 'We should have come home with our baby  we will grieve for him forever.'

The heartbreaking case comes a month after the independent Ockenden Report into England's worst ever maternity care scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The devastating five-year inquiry warned childbirth will remain unsafe until changes are made.

Couple Ruth (left) and Allison (right) Cooper-Hall were due to welcome their son Giles into their family in October last year

The Cooper-Halls had raised concerns with maternity staff after Ruth felt her son was not moving as much as normal

Today a Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch found a catalogue of errors and missed opportunities meant key chances to save Giles Cooper-Hall were missed

AT A GLANCE: KEY POINTS FROM THE OCKENDEN REPORT The Ockenden report, released in March, was the result of a damning five-year inquiry into two decades of appalling care at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust. Maternity expert Donna Ockenden, who led the review, said the trust 'failed to investigate, failed to learn and failed to improve'

Some 201 babies and nine mothers could have - or would have - survived if the trust had provided better care

Staff were frightened to speak out about failings amid 'a culture of undermining and bullying'

Medics were advised by trust managers not to take part in a 'staff voices' initiative set up to assist the investigation into what went wrong

Issues were also identified with staffing levels, the management of patient safety, patient and family involvement in care and investigations, and the complaints processes

The review team identified 15 'immediate and essential actions which must be implemented by all trusts in England providing maternity services'

Ms Ockenden said it is absolutely clear that there is an urgent need for a robust and funded England-wide maternity workforce plan starting right now, without delay, and continuing over multiple years

The inquiry, which examined cases involving 1,486 families mostly from 2000 to 2019, found 'repeated errors in care' which led to injury to either mothers or their babies Advertisement

Mrs Cooper-Hall, then 37, first alerted staff at Derriford Hospital, in Plymouth, that her baby wasnt moving as much as normal when she was 41 weeks pregnant in October last year.

But staff reassured the expectant mother that they were 'not concerned at all' about her and the baby and discharged her.

However, the HSIB report said staff failed to carry out appropriate checks because the unit was 'busy', including measuring her bump, a key a key indicator of healthy baby development.

Midwives then missed two more opportunities to measure her bump at appointments in the next four days.

This meant a reduction in Giles's growth was only noticed five days after Mrs Cooper-Hall first raised the alarm when she came to the hospital for an induction.

A senior doctor, who did not see Mrs Cooper-Hall face-to-face, was concerned Giles's heartbeat may have slowed and asked for his heart rate to be monitored throughout labour.

However, the HSIB report found this plan was not passed on to staff adding it was likely the 'multiple tasks' being carried out by the responsible clinician had acted as a 'source of distraction'.

Instead, the babys heart rate was checked only intermittently and without the recommended equipment.

Additionally, new staff coming on duty failed to check Mrs Cooper-Halls written records so she was wrongly treated as a 'routine' case, the investigation found.

'Had the full plan of care been handed over between the clinicians caring for the Mother there may have been a different outcome for the baby,' the report said.

'Care provided was not in line with local or national guidance, which meant that there was a delay in recognising the baby's abnormal heart rate.'

Staff also failed to recognise the significance of blood loss, which was a sign of damage to the placenta, and did not act as if there was an emergency when they struggled to find the babys heartbeat.

Instead, records showed his heart rate had been below the minimum level for 21 minutes before any senior staff were called.

'Had an emergency been declared when there was uncertainty about the babys heart rate [there would have been] opportunity to deliver the baby earlier,' the report said.

Giles Cooper-Hall died 16 hours after he was born, with senior medics only being alerted to his dangerously low heart rate 21 minutes after the alarm should have been raised

Mrs Cooper-Hall originally raised the alarm with maternity staff five days prior after feeling Giles wasn't moving as much as she expected, but medics told her they were 'not concerned at all'

Medics spent 20 minutes resuscitating Giles after he was born. He was unable to breathe unaided having suffered blood loss and had brain damage from being starved of oxygen during labour

Allison Cooper-Hall pictured here with Giles. Shorty after his birth his parents had to make the heartbreaking decision to place him on palliative care. They were with him when he died, about an hour after his breathing tube was removed.

After senior staff finally arrived, Giles was delivered by forceps and had to be resuscitated for 20 minutes before his heartbeat was heard.

He was unable to breathe on his own, suffered blood loss and had brain damage from being starved of oxygen during labour.

Later that day, his parents agreed he should begin palliative care and were with him when he died at 8.30pm on October 28, an hour after his breathing tube was removed.

The couple said the investigation highlighted 'the failures in care, missed opportunities and delay in recognition of the severity and urgency of the situation'.

'Our utter sadness and despair at losing Giles has been joined by anger and hurt as we now know that human error contributed to his death. We should have come home with our baby  we will grieve for him forever,' they added.

Mrs Cooper-Hall has been unable to return to her work as a registered childminder since her sons death.

Her wife has also had to take extended leave from her role as a secondary school teacher after being diagnosed with PTSD from witnessing the distressing events.

The family said they have not received any apology from the Trust but were grateful to a consultant neonatologist who visited them at home four days after Giles death to talk them through what happened.

'He told us: You should have come home with your baby. His words will never leave us,' Mrs Cooper-Hall said.

In total, the report issued five safety recommendations to the Trust in a bid to prevent future deaths.

Giles death was referred to the coroner and a date for the full inquest is expected to be released shortly.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said all the safety recommendations from the report will be fully implemented.

The spokesperson also paid tribute to the Cooper-Halls.

'We have been honoured to have the opportunity to be involved with the family and maintain an open dialogue whilst the investigation has progressed; explaining how we will develop services reflective of the HSIB findings,' they said.

'May we again reiterate our most sincere condolences upon the sad loss of their son, Giles. The pain and distress they have experienced is immeasurable.'
Reimplanting cryogenically frozen testicle cells into infertile men could give them the ability to conceive again, a study suggests.

Scientists were able to kick-start the production of healthy sperm in infertile mice inserted with testicular tissue harvested 20 years earlier.

Previous research on monkeys had shown it was possible using cells frozen for months  but the latest study suggests long-term freezing is also viable.

The find could pave the way for a new type of treatment for pre-pubescent boys with cancer, who are often made infertile by powerful drugs used to treat the disease.

Adult men in the UK and US can pay to have their sperm frozen, but young boys who cannot produce functional sperm yet have little options to preserve their fertility.

In 2019, the first macaque was born using cryogenically preserved testis cells in an important breakthrough for getting human trials approved.

Reimplanting cryogenically frozen testicle cells into infertile men could give them the ability to conceive again, a study suggests (stock)

There are no mature sperm inside young boys' testicles but there are lots of 'sperm stem cells'. These cells produce sperm but only after puberty.

The latest study involved sperm stem cells that had been extracted from rodents.

They had been frozen for three different time periods  23 years, up to four months and one day.

Indian surgeon plans to transplant womb into a TRANS woman in world-first op A surgeon in India will attempt to transplant a womb into a trans woman who was born a man  with the view to making them pregnant. The risky procedure will involve taking the reproductive organs from a dead donor or a patient who has transitioned the other way and had theirs removed. There has only been one documented case of a womb being inserted into a trans woman in the past  but she died from complications just months later. Impregnating a trans woman would be an even bigger feat, and would require the use of IVF and a C-section, because they do not have a fully functioning vagina. Dr Narendra Kaushik, who runs a gender reassignment clinic in New Delhi, has said he is 'very, very optimistic' he can make a success of the procedure. Advertisement

The cells were kept in liquid nitrogen to prevent the natural breakdown that happens when biological tissue is removed from the body.

They were then injected into mice which had been genetically engineered to prevent their bodies from rejecting the foreign tissue.

All three groups went on to generate viable sperm within months of the transplant.

However, cells that had been frozen for years were less robust than those preserved for shorter periods.

Mice that received cells frozen for more than 20 years made fewer elongating spermatids, which go on to form swimming sperm.

But importantly 'viability is by no means lost during long-term cryopreservation', according to the team from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr Eoin Whelan, a stem cell expert and lead researcher, said: 'Our study showed that rat spermatogonial stem cells can be successfully frozen for over 20 years, transplanted into an infertile recipient animal and regenerate the ability to produce sperm, albeit at a reduced rate.

'This could provide a method to recover the loss of fertility in prepubertal boys treated for cancer.'

The researchers say the find is more important than ever because child cancer survival rates have improved in recent decades.

In the UK, the five-year survival rate for all types of cancer has soared from 36 per cent to 84 per cent since the 1970s due to treatment advances.

While clearly a step in the right direction, one of the most serious side effects of modern treatments is a loss of fertility.

Chemotherapy  especially alkylating drugs  can damage sperm in men and sperm-forming cells, known as germ cells, in young boys.

Radiotherapy can also lower sperm counts and testosterone levels.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Biology.

Testicular tissue harvesting has been available on the NHS as part of a trial at a limited number of sites since 2015.

It is offered as an 'experimental' technology to boys about to go through cancer treatment that could impact their fertility.

It is not clear how many patients have had the tissue reimplanted after turning 18.

And to date there are no known cases of a child being born to someone who was reimplanted with testicular cells that were cryogenically frozen.
Chronic stress could harm a womans fertility by reducing the number of eggs in her ovaries, a study has suggested.

Chinese researchers made female rats listen to six hours of screaming every day for three weeks to mimic stress, while others listened to either white noise or background sounds.

Rats who were screamed at had significantly fewer pups on average for at least two litters after the experiment.

Scientists blamed the decline on lower levels of the hormones estrogen  which is involved in the menstrual cycle  and Anti-Mullerian, which is involved with fertility cells in the ovaries.

It is well established that stress can affect fertility in women by inhibiting the release of key hormone, which in some cases leads to periods stopping.

Men can also face reduced fertility due to stress, as it may lead to a reduction in testosterone levels which could lower sperm counts.

The above graph shows the number of pups produced in the first and second litters among female rats who were exposed to screams (green), white noise (red) or background noise (yellow). Scientists said there was a significant drop in the group exposed to screams

How could stress cause infertility? Chronic stress is known to trigger a loss of fertility. Doctors say it can trigger functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) in women, where they stop getting their periods because of an imbalance in hormones. The condition can also be brough on by excessive exercise, weight gain, or an eating disorder such as anorexia. Stress can also decrease fertility in men, doctors say, as it can reduce testosterone levels leading to a lower sperm count. Source: CDC Advertisement

In the study  published today in the journal Endocrinology  scientists at Xi'an Jiao Tong University in Northern China looked at the impact of stress on about 100 female rats.

They exposed a third of them to a recording of screams from one of the researchers for three hours in the morning and evening every day.

Another third listened to white noise  sound from all frequencies  at the same time, while the last group heard just background noise.

After 21 days, some of the rats were euthanized to examine their ovaries and hormone levels.

The rest were placed with male rats a day after and 24 days after the experiment.

Rats in the scream group had about nine pups on average in their first litter and eight in the second.

For comparison, those in the white noise group had 13 pups in the first and 11.8 in the second.

While rats that heard just background noise had 13.9 and 12.4 pups in each.

The scientists said the number of pups in the scream group was significantly lower than in the others.

This drop was likely down to the reduction in hormone levels triggered by stress, they suggested.

Studies on the ovaries also showed there were more damaged cells in the scream group, further inhibiting their litter size.

'Based on these findings, we suggest stress may be associated with a diminished ovarian reserve,' Dr Wenyan Xi, a fertility expert who led the study, said in a statement.

'It is important to determine an association between chronic stress and ovarian reserve because doing so may expand our appreciation of the limitations of current clinical interventions and provide valuable insight into the cause of diminished ovarian reserve.'


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The prevalence of the new BA 2.12.1 Covid strain - the most infectious version of the virus being sequenced by U.S. health officials - is continuing to grow, and while deaths from the virus are still low, some officials are warning that these infectious strains are setting up America for second half of the year dominated by the virus.

The strain, which was first detected in New York last month, now makes up 42.6 percent of sequenced Covid cases in America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday. It is an increase from the 33 percent of cases the strain made up the prior week.

This newly detected version of the virus is a sub-lineage of the BA.2 'stealth' variant, which remains the dominant strain as it makes up 56 percent of cases. The new strain is believed to have around a 27 percent growth advantage over its predecessor, and will likely take over as the nation's dominant strain by the end of the month.

While these strains may be the most infectious versions of Covid the country has had to deal, they are also more mild than previous versions of the virus, and have not translated into deaths at the same rate.

According to most recent data from Johns Hopkins University, the nation is recording 76,975 cases per day, a 30 percent increase over the past week. Deaths are rising as well, up 80 percent to 587 per day, though the mortality of the virus remains low.

The BA 2.12.1 variant (red) now makes up 43% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., up from 33% the previous week. The BA.2 'stealth' variant remains dominant, making up 56% of cases

The BA 2.12.1 variant (red) is the dominant strain in the New York and New Jersey region, making up 66% of case

Every single Covid case sequenced by the CDC falls under the umbrella of the Omicron variant, with the Delta variant now having been totally snuffed out by its successor.

The BA.1 strain of the virus, which caused record case outbreaks across the world over the winter, now only makes up 0.6 percent of cases in the U.S., as its sub-variant have almost entirely overtaken it.

While the BA 2.12.1 strain has taken time to take over from the stealth variant as the dominant strain nationwide, it already makes up two out of every three cases in the New York and New Jersey region of the U.S., the CDC reports.

It is the only region of the country where the strain is dominant. It is also the part of the country where officials first detected this new strain in the U.S.

The new strain makes up nearly half of cases, 48 percent, in the Mid-Atlantic region of Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, according to the CDC.

It also makes up over 40 percent of cases in New England and in the deep south regions of America.

Like previous strains, this version of the virus seems to be making its way across the country east-to-west, with prevalence dropping in further westward regions of the country.

In the Midwest, the variant makes up around one in three cases, just as it does in the Great Plains states out west. BA 2.12.1 makes up less than one-in-four cases in both the Southwest and the Pacific west, and only makes up 13 percent of cases in the Pacific Northwest.

The Midwestern Plains are an outlier, with the variant making up 46 percent of cases in states like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

Newer versions of Omicron may be on their way to America as well

There are growing concerns about the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the virus, which are now making ground in South Africa, causing another surge in the nation. The country was also the first to suffer from the original version of Omicron in late November.

Last month, the World Health Organization announced that it is officially tracking the two strains of the virus as potential concerns.

A pre-print study out of South Africa also found that the two variants may have the ability to evade immunity to the virus provided by previous infection.

That could be a grave concern for officials, as the massive spread of Omicron during the winter months - giving a vast portion of Americans immunity to the virus in the process - will no longer protect people going forward, opening the door for yet another large surge.

These new threats have the White House worried that America could be in for a dark fall and winter months in the second half of 2022.

A senior official in the Biden administration told CNN that the White House is currently projecting around 100 million infections of the virus to occur during the upcoming fall and winter months - a time of the year where new case records have been set during both years of the pandemic.

For comparison, according to Johns Hopkins University data, around 40 million Covid cases were reported in America from September 1 to February 28. While this is likely a severe undercount because of the highly infectious, yet mild, nature of the Omicron variant, it means the White House believes case figures could reach even further heights this year when compared to last.

The White House projections assume that there are no vaccine mitigation measures - like more lockdowns or mask mandates - put in place between now and then, no new variants that significantly change the complexion of the pandemic, or that the administration does not receive any new funding to keep some virus programs in place, CNN reports.

There are also fears that a lack of funding could lead to vaccine eligibility being slashed, as the government would no longer be able to purchase enough of the shots for its population.
GPs today voted against a radical motion to slash their opening hours to between 9am and 5pm following a backlash over the 'unacceptable' plans.

Family doctors have, however, demanded the NHS introduces a safe working limit into their contracts.

Both controversial motions, leaked to the press last month, were fielded at a British Medical Association conference in York today.

GPs complained their workload is now 'intolerable' and that appointment limits were needed 'before it's too late'. They warned squeezing in so many appointments raises the risk of missing diseases and prescribing the wrong drugs.

No actual limit was put forward in the motion, but the BMA already says that doctors shouldn't see more than 25 patients a day.

Campaigners argue GPs  who are paid 100,000 a year, on average  are currently seeing almost double that.

Despite asking for an immediate plan to help ease the crisis in general practice, GPs rejected the radical call to reduce their core working hours.

A controversial motion for GPs to reduce their core hours to nine to five from the current current 8am to 6.30pm was defeated today

MailOnline analysis shows Hastings Old Surgery in Hastings has nearly 15,500 patients for every full-time GP as of February 28, the latest date official figures go up to. In contrast, Sampford Peverell Surgery in Devon has only 218 patients registered for every family doctor working at the practice. *Sussex NHS Commissioners, which commissions the Hastings Old Town Surgery, disputes the figure provided to NHS Digital by the practice. It says the practice has 7.5 FTE GPs, rather than the 1.56 recorded by the health service. East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which runs the Leven and Beeford Medical Practice, disputes the NHS figure. The practice actually has five times as many GPs as it reported, with another joining in May. North East London CCG, which runs the Gough Walk Surgery, also said the practice has nearly five times as many GPs as it reported to the NHS ** practices cater to care home residents only *** practices cater to homeless people only

The patient-doctor ratio across the country has jumped a quarter from 7,465 in September 2015 to 9,457 in February this year, according to NHS Digital data

Before the virus hit the UK, around eight in 10 GP appointments  only half of which are actually with family doctors  took place face-to-face. The figure plummeted to 46 per cent at the start of the pandemic as phone and video call appointments were hailed as a way to reduce the spread of Covid. But despite the easing of restriction, the proportion of consultations that are in-person has only bounced back to 61 per cent

Map shows: The proportion of GP appointments that were made face-to-face in NHS clinical commissioning groups across England in February, the latest date data is available for

Nearly 60% of family doctors now only work three day weeks Nearly six in 10 GPs are working three-day weeks and a third want to retire within the next five years, figures show. A survey of more than 2,200 family doctors in England shows 58.4 per cent are working six half-day sessions or less per week  equivalent to three days. And 33 per cent are planning to hang up their stethoscopes by 2026, according to the research led by the University of Manchester. The team warned that a 'worrying' 16 per cent of GPs  who earn around 100,000 per year  under the age of 50 were already making plans to leave the profession. GPs highlighted problems with rising workloads, increased demands from patients and having 'insufficient time to do the job justice'. The poll found that paperwork was causing stress as were long working hours and dealing with 'problem patients'. Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said the figures should be a 'wake-up call' for the Government to take action to keep family doctors in the profession. Advertisement

England has around 6,800 surgeries, all of which routinely operate between 8am and 6:30pm.

Practices do not currently have to be open during their core hours but they must provide enough services to meet patient need and ensure arrangements are in place throughout these hours in case of emergency.

Outrage was sparked when details of the motion to reduce their opening hours were released last month.

'Urgent action' is needed to manage the imbalance between doctors' workload and their workforce,' the original motion stated.

The motions were debated at the BMA's Annual Conference of Representatives of local medical committees (LMCs)  which represents GPs and surgeries  in York today.

NHS England  which controls the funding of GP practices  would have to sign off on any move.

After a fiery debate, 61 per cent of GPs voted against the motion, but shockingly over a third backed it.

In proposing the surgery hours motion, Dr Shaba Nabi, a family doctor in Bristol, claimed pressure to withdraw the motion showed how 'gaslit' the profession was.

'Our hours are completely at odds with any sort of family life  so we continue haemorrhaging the GP workforce,' she said.

She said a reduction in opening hours would not deny patients access to care but would, in-fact, make them safer.

This, she said, is because more GPs would want to stay in work rather than seeking a better work-life balance.

However, Dr L-J Evans, a GP in Southampton, urged her fellows to reject the motion, saying it would make the current situation worse.

'Patients are really struggling to see their GPs, they're not happy, there are just not enough GP appointments,' she said. 'How on earth is reducing core GP hours going to help?'.

Speaking as an out-of-hours GP, she also argued practices reducing their opening hours would just shift the issue of patients seeking help to other medics.

'We cover all the hours that practices don't, do you think we don't have a workload workforce mismatch?' she said.

'How are we possibly going to resource the extra 12-and-a-half hours every week?'

However, another motion calling on BMA leaders across the UK 'to use data on safe workload to renegotiate' GP's contracts with workload limits 'to protect all general practice staff and patients', did get their backing.

Dr Rachel McMahon, a GP in Teesside who proposed the motion, said the pressures being put on GPs are 'inhuman' with the expected workload 'intolerable'.

'Funding hasn't kept up with demand, and we work harder and harder,' she said.

'There is guidance on safe work in general practice. It tells us we should be having 15-minute appointments and a maximum of 25 contacts per day. The average is 37.

'Perhaps we need contractual working limits similar to lorry drivers. Perhaps we need mandatory rest periods and maximum work imposed on us.'

In total, 70 per cent of the voting GPs backed motion, with 24 per cent against, and the remainder abstaining.

The GP Worklife survey found more than half of family doctors worked for six sessions a week or less every week in 2021, with each session being four hours and 10 minutes. Nearly a fifth of the workforce saw patients for four sessions or less, while 12.4 per cent worked for five sessions and 27.9 per cent worked for six

The graph shows the number of GP appointments per day in January. Since 2019, GPs have been asked to work evenings and weekends. But just 22,000 patients were seen on the average Saturday in January, compared to around 1.2million per week day

Overall, only 51 per cent of patients in the country were seen by their actual GP. 46 per cent were seen by other practice staff, including nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists

As part of a drive to boost access levels, the same contract orders surgeries to open on Saturdays and offer weekday evening appointments from October.

Dennis Reed, the director of Silver Voices, a campaign group for the over-60s, told MailOnline he was 'relieved' the vote on reducing hours hadn't passed.

He said: 'It would be extremely bad publicity, and would be unfair on many hard-working GPs either who do work beyond the hours of nine-to-five.

'Core hours here isn't the big issue. The big issue is that there is insufficient coverage to provide reassurances about patient safety.'

Mr Reed said both Government and GPs needed to negotiate a broader solution to improve patient access to services, particularly in areas where patient to doctor ratios were high.

The debate on GP hours and patient access has raged since Britain emerged from lockdown to find some services, particularly face-to-face appointments with doctors, have struggled to recover.

Just last month it was revealed two-thirds of GP appointments were not conducted by patients' actual doctors in parts of England, according to the latest NHS data.

NHS figures show just 36 per cent of patients were seen by a qualified GP in North East Lincolnshire in March, with the rest seen by other staff, including nurses, physiotherapists or even acupuncturists.

Additionally, just 62 per cent of GP appointments were made face-to-face in March.

While this was up on the previous month (61 per cent) it is far below the more than 80 per cent of appointments that were face-to-face pre-pandemic.

And the figures also show nearly one in six appointments  whether with a GP or not  were over within five minutes.

GPs have moaned about rising workloads and paperwork, increased demands from 'problem patients', and having 'insufficient time to do the job justice'.

They also say the row over a lack of face-to-face appointments has caused morale to drop.

Official figures show the patient-doctor ratio across England had jumped since 2015, following a staff exodus, closure of surgeries and an ever-increasing patient list. Practices now deal with around 9,500 patients each, compared to 7,465 seven years ago.

Experts have repeatedly begged No10 to 'make good on its manifesto promise of 6,000 more full-time equivalent GPs by 2024' in order to solve the general practice crisis.

The number of family doctors working in England has fallen consistently since the former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt first pledged to boost the workforce in 2015.
Massachusetts officials have reported they are investigating two cases of mysterious pediatric hepatitis, its Department of Health announced Tuesday, making it the 26th state to report such cases.

The two unnamed children reportedly tested negative for the adenovirus, which is the most speculated cause for this recent spike in cases of the devastating lung condition.

Officials did not reveal the condition of the children, or when the suspected infections occurred.

Across the country, there are more than 100 confirmed or suspected cases of the liver disease - for which the normal causes hepatitis virus A, B, C, D and E have all been ruled out - with five resulting in death and 15 requiring a liver transplant.

Cases have been reported elsewhere in the world as well, including 116 cases in the UK. Indonesia is the only other nation that has confirmed pediatric deaths as part of this outbreak - logging three. Another death was reported to have occurred in an unnamed European country.

More than 300 cases have been reported worldwide with most in the UK and U.S. , although this is likely because the country's have better surveillance than their peers.

Scientists are puzzled as to what is causing the outbreak, but the leading theory suggests it could be due to adenovirus  a cause of the common cold  with the majority of America's cases testing positive for this.

Other hypotheses being investigated include that lockdowns have weakened children's immunity, or that a previous Covid infection or even exposure to a pet dog could be to blame.

The above map shows the 26 states that have confirmed or suspected hepatitis cases according to the CDC. Massachusetts and Hawaii became the 25th and 26th states to reveal they are probing suspected cases of the illness (yellow), with Puerto Rico also having reported at least one case

Hawaii became the 25th state to begin probing a case of mysterious hepatitis, when it reported a suspected case on Monday evening in a child less than ten years old  after five deaths and more than 100 cases were reported across America.

The state's Department of Health said the child was hospitalized with abdominal pain and fever on Maui, its second largest island, at the end of April.

It was unclear whether the child  who has not been named  was still in hospital or had been discharged.

Revealing the case late Monday, Hawaii's Department of Health said: 'An extensive medical investigation was performed and there are a number of laboratory test results outstanding.

'At this time, no cause has been determined. DOH is collaborating with the CDC to identify the cause of the hepatitis case.'

Q&A: What is the mysterious global hepatitis outbreak and what is behind it? What is hepatitis? Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that is usually caused by a viral infection or liver damage from drinking alcohol. Some cases resolve themselves, with no ongoing issues, but a fraction can be deadly, forcing patients to need liver transplants to survive. What are the symptoms? People who have hepatitis generally have fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools and joint pain. They may also suffer from jaundice  when the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow. Why are experts concerned? Hepatitis is usually rare in children, but experts have already spotted more cases in the current outbreak than they would normally expect in a year. Cases are of an 'unknown origin' and are also severe, according to the World Health Organization. It has caused up to two deaths and 18 liver transplants. What are the top theories? Co-infection Experts say the cases may be linked to adenovirus, commonly associated with colds, but further research is ongoing. This, in combination with Covid infections, could be causing the spike in cases. The WHO reported adenovirus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. At least 20 of the children tested positive for the coronavirus. Weakened immunity British experts tasked with investigating the spate of illnesses believe the endless cycle of lockdowns may have played a contributing role. Restrictions may have weakened children's immunity because of reduced social mixing, leaving them at heightened risk of adenovirus. This means even 'normal' adenovirus could be causing the severe outcomes, because children are not responding to it how they did in the past. Adenovirus mutation Other scientists said it may have been the adenovirus that has acquired 'unusual mutations'. This would mean it could be more transmissible or better able to get around children's natural immunity. New Covid variant UKHSA officials included 'a new variant of SARS-CoV-2' in their working hypotheses. Covid has caused liver inflammation in very rare cases during the pandemic, although these have been across all ages rather than isolated in children. Environmental triggers The CDC has noted environmental triggers are still being probed as possible causes of the illnesses. These could include pollution or exposure to particular drugs or toxins. Advertisement

Cases of the mysterious hepatitis have now been detected in 26 states, including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

At least one case has also been reported in the territory of Puerto Rico.

The CDC has refused to reveal where the five U.S. deaths occurred, citing 'confidentiality issues'.

But at least one was in Wisconsin, where the Department of Health confirmed last month it was probing a fatality linked to the illness.

In a press conference last week, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, Dr Jay Butler said most of the youngsters had 'fully recovered' following the illness.

He said scientists were still probing cases to establish a cause but that adenoviruses were 'top of the list'.

However, Butler added it was unclear whether an adenovirus infection alone was causing the illness or if it was linked to an immune reaction to a particular strain or something the children had been exposed to.

He stressed, however, that the CDC was not recording a significantly higher number of hepatitis cases in children than it expected for this time of year.

'I think we are seriously considering whether or not this may be something that has happened ata low level for a number of years, and we just haven't documented it,' he said.

Last week the World Health Organization said it was investigating 50 possible causes of the illness.

Hepatitis is normally rare in children, but earlier this year the UK raised the alarm over a mysterious outbreak in children after spotting more cases in January than it would normally expect.

Other countries quickly followed, with the U.S. reporting its first nine cases in Alabama last month. Each of those children required hospital care.

CDC chiefs admitted they had been aware of the cases but did not raise an alert initially because it appeared to be an isolated incident.

They have since issued a health notice asking any states with mysterious hepatitis cases to report them.

Top experts fear health officials will not get to the bottom of what is behind the outbreak for at least another two months, however.

Parents are being told that despite the spate of cases there is an 'extremely low' risk of their child coming down with hepatitis.

They are being advised to keep an eye out for the key warning signs, however, been told that their children face a very low risk of coming down with hepatitis.

Jaundice  the yellowing of the skin and whites of eyes  is the most common sign, followed by vomiting and pale stools.

Dr Meera Chand, the director of emerging infections at the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'It's important parents know the likelihood of their child developing hepatitis is extremely low.

'However, we continue to remind everyone to be alert to the signs of hepatitis  particularly jaundice, look for a yellow tinge in the whites of the eyes  and contact your doctor if you are concerned.

'Our investigations continue to suggest that there is an association with adenovirus and our studies are now testing this association rigorously.

'We are also investigating other contributors, including prior SARS-COV-2, and are working closely with the NHS and academic partners to understand the mechanism of liver injury in affected children.'

Most of the cases have been detected in the UK (163) and U.S. (109), which have some of the strongest surveillance systems.

The liver inflammation condition has also been spotted in Spain (22), Israel (12), Italy (9) and Denmark (6), among other countries.
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Bentley is today launching a stretch version of its best-selling Bentayga model that bosses say delivers first-class airline levels of comfort.

Priced from around 180,000  but likely to exceed 300,000 for the most highly specced versions - the new Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB) is designed to improve wellness and well-being for passengers and leave them arriving at their destinations more refreshed than when they set off.

This means it gets the creature comforts of airline-style reclining seats, posture massages and enhanced interior air quality  from what is claimed as the world's first climate sensing system - designed to enhance comfort within the cabin of what it calls its grand-touring SUV.

A stretch too far? This is the new Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase, which brings limo-like comfort to the brand's 2.5-tonned SUV

Pricing is broadly 15 per cent above the equivalent conventional-length Bentayga.

First deliveries are expected from autumn this year.

Bentley says the EWB is 'so much more than just a stretch' and 'the best rear cabin experience since a Mulsanne'.

Clearly designed for well-heeled owners who will be chauffeured rather than driving themselves, it will be sold at launch with a burbling 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet.

Linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, it produces a massive 550 horsepower and can catapult this opulent vehicle and its deep-pocketed occupants from rest to 60mph in just 4.5 seconds and to 100mph - where legal - in 10 seconds, with a top speed of 180mph.

A more frugal 3.0-litre V6 plug-in hybrid version is likely to follow but has not yet been confirmed.

For enhanced cornering, the EWB - which tips the scales at two and a quarter tonnes - also features electronic all-wheel steering to navigate tight corners and narrow inner-city streets, which was first introduced by Bentley on the new Flying Spur.

Changes to the underfloor, side panels, doors and roof (including changing the position of the sunroof) increase the wheelbase from 2,995mm to 3,175mm and to an overall length of 5,322mm

The Bentayga EWB is stretched an extra 180mm in length over the conventional SUV, which translated to an additional seven inches in rear leg room. Bentley says its the longer than any rival by over 40mm

It will be available from launch with a burbling 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet that's linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox

While the cockpit is an ultra-classy and opulent setting, most customers won't spend a second up front. This is a car designed for those who like to be driven, not take to the controls themselves...

What's this stretched-SUV like inside?

Changes to the underfloor, side panels, doors and roof (including changing the position of the sunroof) increase the wheelbase from 2,995mm to 3,175mm and to an overall length of 5,322mm.

With a tape measure at the ready, the new Bentayga EWB is stretched by an extra 180mm in length over the conventional SUV, which translated to an additional seven inches in rear leg room.

Bentley adds that it is longer than any other luxury SUV competitor on the market by over 40mm.

Buyers can choose either 4 or 5-seat arrangements to suit their requirements for chauffeured travel

There strictly will not be a 7-seat option, though, because Bentley customers 'value luxury over practicality', the brand says

In true airline fashion, the rear can be specced with tray tables and TV screens so passengers can enjoy being transported from one destination to the next

Owners can choose from three seating configurations.

The first is a standard 4+1 layout, with two outer rear seats with 16 adjustments and a massage facility, along with an occasional middle seat large enough to accommodate a third adult, and giving access to a ski-hatch.

A second option is a four-seater setup, with the rear console between the two rear seats  allowing or space for extra stowage or a Mulliner console bottle cooler for champagne, complete with two hand-crafted Cumbria Crystal flutes.

Finally, customers can choose a five-seater, if they want to fold down the rear backrests.

There'll be no seven seater version as customers said that for the stretch model they valued greater luxury over practicality - and there's certainly a lot evidence of this when it comes to the comforts in the back.

The new Bentley Airline Seats are claimed to be 'the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car' and have automatic adjustments for the climate settings and the position to ensure the passenger's posture is perfect

The seats offer 22-ways of adjustment that can be controlled using a compact touch screen remote device (pictued)

In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40 degrees. As the passenger seat motors forwards a leather-trimmed footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat. Those in the back don't even have to wait for their driver to close their door behind them - all they need to do is press the button on this central console that sits between the backrests of the front seats

It features new Bentley Airline Seats that are claimed to be 'the most advanced seat ever fitted to a car', with 22-ways of adjustment controlled using a compact touch screen remote device.

Will it fit in my mansion's underground garage? Bentley Bentayga EWB On sale: Now Price: From approx 180,000 Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 Max power: 550 horsepower Transmission: 8-speed automatic ZF 0 to 60mph: 4.5 seconds 0 to 100mph: 10 seconds Top speed: 180mph Seats: Choice of: four-door/ 4+1 / five seat Turning circle: 11.8m / 38.7ft Fuel economy: TBC CO2 emissions: TBC Dimensions Length: 5,305mm Width (inc mirrors): 2,222mm Height: 1,739mm Wheelbase: 3,175mm Front legroom: 1,058mm Rear legroom: 1,039mm Front headroom: 976mm Rear headroom: 972mm Kerb weight: 2514kg Gross vehicle weight: 3,250kg

In Relax mode, the seat can recline to 40 degrees. As the passenger seat motors forwards a leather-trimmed footrest deploys from the back of the front passenger seat.

We've taken a seat in the back for ourselves, though not in motion, and in full stretch mode it's certainly a great place for a snooze.

In Business Mode the seat moves into its most upright position to make working on the move more comfortable whether from a laptop or making phone or Zoom calls in transit.

The chairs also come with a new auto climate seat technology that senses the temperature and surface humidity and then decides whether to apply heat, ventilation or both simultaneously to keep the occupant at 'optimum thermal wellbeing'.

Posture is important too. To ensure the rear passenger remains comfortable throughout the journey, the seat's postural adjustment system automatically measures pressure across the seat surface and makes micro adjustments to the seating position and pressure points.

Over a three hour period, the system can apply 177 individual pressure changes across six fully independent pressure zones to improve the passenger's comfort and minimise fatigue throughout a journey.

It's an incredible level of attention to detail to your comfort and surpasses the seats you'd find in any first-class flight.

Another handy feature are the power rear doors, which can be closed with a press of the button in the centre console, rather than having the indignity of having to reach out and pull it closed yourself.

The British motor brand says: 'The result is a spacious, luxurious, light-filled cabin, exhibiting both Bentley's traditional skills and the most up-to-date technology.'

Bosses predict the EWB will account for up to 45 per cent of all Bentayga sales when the car hits showrooms from the third quarter of this year.

Last year Bentley sold a record 14,659 cars of which just over a third were Bentaygas.

Chairman and chief executive Adrian Hallmark added: 'The Bentayga Extended Wheelbase is our first car truly dedicated to the on-board wellness of its occupants.

'Every Bentley gets you to your destination feeling more relaxed than when you started your journey, and yet with the Extended Wheelbase we've been able to go even further thanks to the adoption of world-first wellness technology embedded within our unrivalled interior cabin design.'
Future has bought digital womens lifestyle publisher Who What Wear

Future has tightened its grip on the magazine publishing industry after snapping up a third firm this year.

The FTSE 250 company behind The Week and Country Life has looked across the Atlantic to buy the digital womens lifestyle publisher Who What Wear.

Future hailed Who What Wear for its strong social presence and diverse revenue streams in a deal which will provide greater scale and reach in North America.

Who What Wear, which has 12million online users and 10million social followers, makes around 90 per cent of its revenue from the US.

The magazine publisher, whose content reaches one in three adults online in the US, said it will become the sixth largest beauty and fashion publisher in the country following the deal.

Future said this will be financed using its existing debt facilities.

We are delighted to welcome the Who What Wear team to Future, said chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne.
Production at Teslas factory in Shanghai has stalled amid Covid restrictions and a shortage of parts.

The electric car maker was set to manufacture less than 200 vehicles at the plant yesterday, according to a memo seen by news agency Reuters.

Tesla built around 1,200 cars every day shortly after it reopened on April 19 following a 22-day closure due to coronavirus lockdown rules.

Production slump: Tesla was set to manufacture less than 200 vehicles in one day at its Shanghai plant - down from 1,200 a day

The company aimed to scale up its output at the plant to 2,600 cars a day from next Monday.

But with Shanghai  a city of more than 25million  in its sixth week of a lockdown that has hampered manufacturers ability to operate amid strict controls on the movement of people and materials, demand in China for new Tesla cars has also taken a hit.

Sales in the country  the worlds largest car market  fell 98pc in April from March, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

The electric car maker also failed to export any China-made Model 3s and Model Ys from the Shanghai plant last month, according to the CPCA data.

The problems in China are another headache for chief executive Elon Musk, who has seen the Tesla share price fall 30 per cent since he took a stake in Twitter before agreeing a 35billion takeover.
Experts have blasted the Governments audit industry reform plans as a missed opportunity.

Industry bosses complained that Prince Charles made no mention of the shake-up when he read out the Queens Speech to Parliament yesterday  implying it was low down on Boris Johnsons agenda.

And the reference to audit reform in the Governments background notes was brief and narrow, they added.

Industry bosses complained that Prince Charles (pictured) made no mention of audit reform when he read the Queen's speech to Parliament

Investors, company directors and auditors themselves were hoping ministers would use the Queens Speech to kick off a root-and-branch overhaul of the troubled audit sector.

The industry has been brought into disrepute by auditors failure to spot impending scandals such as the collapse of Carillion and Patisserie Valerie.

But the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said the reforms neglected broader concerns about auditors roles, and how central they should be in helping to uncover such disasters.

The mention of audit reform in this Queens Speech is doubly disappointing, ICAEW chief executive Michael Izza said.

First, the proposed scope of change is modest, and in particular it constitutes a missed opportunity to address wider issues in corporate governance.

But the second disappointment is more serious  timing. There seems to be no chance that this Bill will pass in the forthcoming Parliamentary session.

In its background notes, the Government said its draft Audit Reform Bill would establish a new, more aggressive regulator for the industry to replace the Financial Reporting Council.

More of the UKs largest companies will also be classed as public interest entities, meaning their audits would be subject to more stringent oversight.
All aboard: Rolls-Royce Submarines said it will launch a Nuclear Skills Academy based in Derby

Rolls-Royce has set its sights on the future by pledging to fund 200 nuclear apprenticeships every year for at least the next decade.

In a major investment in the next generation of recruits, Rolls-Royce Submarines said it will launch a Nuclear Skills Academy based in Derby.

The engineer, which is based in Derby, has provided the power for all of the Royal Navys nuclear submarines for 60 years.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Defence awarded defence contracts worth more than 2billion to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to begin the third major phase of Dreadnought, a future submarine nuclear deterrent programme.

Steve Carlier, president of Rolls-Royce Submarines, said: The UK is embarking on a nuclear renaissance and we are determined to make the East Midlands the home of nuclear expertise for decades.
Rich Ricci (pictured) who ran Barclays investment bank, is now Panmure's chief exec

City stockbroker Panmure Gordon has turned its first profit since ex-Barclays bosses Bob Diamond and Rich Ricci took the helm.

The business, which dates back to 1876, bagged a 3.1million profit last year. That followed a 5.5million loss in 2020 and a 28.8million loss a year earlier.

Diamond, who was boss of Barclays between 2011 and 2012, bought a majority stake in Panmure along with the Qatari family in 2018.

He later roped in Ricci his former right-hand man who ran Barclays investment bank, to be chief executive. They and Jerry del Missier, were known as the three musketeers during their time at Barclays.

But they suffered a fall from grace when Diamond was branded the unacceptable face of banking by then-business secretary Lord Mandelson due to his enormous salary, exploitation of tax loopholes and oversight of the Libor rigging scandal.

Panmures change in fortunes last year was due to a rise in its number of corporate clients, which almost doubled from 53 to 91, Ricci told the Financial Times.
The owner of British Gas is set for another year of bumper profits as it cashes in on soaring energy prices  sparking fresh calls for a windfall tax.

Just days after BP and Shell posted bumper profits, FTSE 250 listed Centrica said earnings for 2022 would be at the top of the range of analyst expectations.

That put it on course for operating profits of 1.4billion  a 55 per cent increase from last year when it doubled its profits to 948million. Centrica shares rose 3.9 per cent, or 2.82p, to 74.76p.

Bumper profits: Just days after BP and Shell posted bumper profits, FTSE 250 listed Centrica said earnings for 2022 would be at the top of the range of analyst expectations

The update was met with renewed calls for a windfall tax on energy companies  including from Tesco chairman John Allan who said the case for one was now overwhelming.

But Centrica chief executive Chris OShea, pictured right, said a windfall tax would be akin to burning the furniture to stay warm as it would hit investment and future energy supply.

Centrica defended itself against talk of a tax, saying it was spending 50million helping customers manage the cost of living crisis.

It is also in discussions with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng about re-opening Rough, pictured, Britains biggest gas storage facility, off the Yorkshire coast, to boost energy reserves.

Centrica is best known as the owner of British Gas, which supplies gas and electricity to more than 7million customers.

Centrica also trades and produces gas, with facilities in the North Sea, and has a 20 per cent stake in Britains existing nuclear plants.

Business has been boosted by sky-high energy prices, which began rising as the global economy emerged from the Covid pandemic and shot up after Russia invaded Ukraine.

But higher energy prices have also pushed household bills to record highs.

The cost of living crisis is mounting  the energy price cap rocketed to 1,971 in April  and calls for a windfall on oil and gas producers have intensified amid accusations of profiteering.

Allan, a former president of the CBI and now chairman of Barratt Developments as well as Tesco, said the supermarkets customers were extremely stretched and called for action to help people cope with a very, very sharp increase in energy prices.

He told the BBC: Theres an overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits from those energy producers fed back to those most in need of help with energy prices.

'I think the energy giants are expecting it and I doubt they would be much fazed by it. It should be short-term only. A lot of people are feeling a pinch, and lots are extremely stretched.

His comments came despite Tesco posting profits of 2.2billion last year and revenues of 61bn.

But OShea told The Times: Youve got to look and say, What will it do longer term? What if it does impact investment?

Prices are going to go up long term. You have to be careful you dont burn the furniture to stay warm. Youve got to think strategically.

AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson said: There is political will from certain quarters for a tax. This is a headache that will not go away.

The Government has resisted calls for a one-off levy. Last week BP and Shell hoped to quash the idea by pledging billions of pounds of investment into the UK.

Centrica also hopes to deflect the tax by re-opening Rough, which has the potential to house 70 per cent of the UKs natural gas reserves. It was shut in 2017 for being too expensive to maintain.

Centrica is looking for 1.5billion in investment and is in talks with the Government about implementing a regulated asset structure  similar to the Thames Tideway scheme. It would be boost the countrys energy reserves and create 4,000 jobs.
Money Mail today calls for new laws to force Britains big businesses to pick up the phone  or face costly fines.

Service standards plummeted in the pandemic as call centre staff worked from home and staffing was affected by coronavirus and the subsequent government restrictions.

But they have still not recovered, and as we face a cost of living crisis and rocketing energy bills, the nation deserves better.

Our campaign: We believe that nobody should be left on hold for any longer than ten minutes. And if they are, the firms responsible should be penalised with hefty fines

Customers are now being left on hold for hours at a time, firms are concealing their helplines on their websites and automated voice recordings have replaced real human beings. At the same time, more companies are starting to charge us for calling.

That is why we are launching our campaign to end shoddy customer service.

We believe that nobody should be left on hold for any longer than ten minutes. And if they are, the firms responsible should be penalised with hefty fines.

We are calling on the Government to make this law by updating existing consumer protection legislation.

We also want to see regulators such as Ofgem and Ofcom given the powers to fine firms who do not comply.

It comes as a Money Mail audit found that leading consumer-facing companies were leaving their customers on hold for up to 51 minutes.

To make matters worse, many firms hung up after several minutes as an automated voice said the high number of calls meant they could not answer.

Callers were told to ring back.

And the vast majority of companies had clunky and confusing automated processes: callers were forced to key in endless answers to multiple choice questions about the nature of their query.

Waiting times: Service standards plummeted in the pandemic as call centre staff worked from home and staffing was hit by coronavirus and restrictions

The problem has become so rife a newspaper reported last week that a widow in her 80s was left needing anti-anxiety medication because she could not get through to her leading energy supplier amid skyrocketing bills.

This is not good enough. Customers should be able to speak to a human being and relay their concerns in a matter of minutes.

Time of need

Energy firms are by far the worst offenders as they struggle to cope with the influx in customer enquiries since wholesale gas prices soared.

Millions of households saw their energy bills rise by 54 per cent last month to an average of 1,971.

It has prompted a rise in vulnerable customers desperately trying to get to grips with the crisis by contacting their provider.

But firms are making it deliberately difficult to get through to a customer service representative.

Numbers are buried behind several pages on their websites and when you ring through on their helplines, the processes are overly long and convoluted. Callers would be forgiven for hanging up to avoid the confusion.

According to Citizens Advice, customer service ratings for energy firms are the worst they have been since 2017, with the highest-performing suppliers scoring less than four out of five stars.

Heating hike: Millions of households saw their energy bills rise by 54% last month to an average of 1,971

The organisation said low scores were being driven by the rise in call waiting times.

But the trend is not just limited to energy firms.

Telecom providers, banks and government services such as HMRC and the DVLA are all just as guilty for failing to pick up.Money Mail was unable to get through to the DVLA or the HM Passport office yesterday morning. Each one said the lines were too busy.

We tried to call back hours later on the same day but were met with the same response.

Many companies had pre-recorded messages in place urging customers to resolve queries either online or via text.

Money Mail first highlighted the customer service crisis at the end of last year when we relaunched our Wooden Spoon awards.

We invited readers to vote for the firms they believed offered the worst customer service. British Gas got the most votes, shortly followed by Virgin Media.And since then the complaints have only continued to roll in.

So how could the guilty firms be made to pay? Money Mail is calling for a new consumer protection law which would make sure that customers never spend any longer than ten minutes on hold to Britains biggest businesses. It would then be up to individual regulators to fine companies who are found to not comply. Regulators currently enforce rules and impose sanctions, however they do not monitor or penalise companies for their call waiting times. Who would be responsible? Government bodies such as HMRC are overseen by agencies, though none have the power to issue fines. We want to see the Government do more to hold these bodies accountable. The FCA would monitor all major financial service providers, while Ofgem would be responsible for energy suppliers. Watchdog Ofcom would oversee telecoms giants such as BT and Sky. How much could they fine? Fines could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Ofgem can already fine energy suppliers up to 10 per cent of their turnover if they break licensing conditions. The FCA can issue unlimited fines to firms in its remit. Ofcom says it fines companies a fixed sum or a percentage of turnover, depending on the scale of the breach. How would we monitor it? Money Mail believes that businesses should publish their average call waiting times daily so breaches of the time limit could be tracked. What do regulators say? The FCA says it has already proposed a new consumer duty designed to ensure that customers do not face unreasonable barriers when they contact financial service providers. But our proposal goes further by specifying a time limit on how long callers can expect to wait. Ofgem says it would have to launch a consultation on any changes to the rules. Ofcom agrees that companies must prioritise delivering a high standard of customer service. Government bodies such as HMRC, whose fines the taxpayer would only end up paying, should be held to higher standards and senior executives held accountable for unacceptable call waiting times.

No excuses

Our readers have told us businesses still use the pandemic as an excuse for long waiting times  despite it being more than two years since the first national lockdown was announced.

In March 2020, providers found their customer service operations were severely disrupted as they had to adapt to having call centre staff working from home.

But since then restrictions have been lifted and there is no reason that employees cannot return to the office.

The Time test How firms fared when we called them this week... British Gas: Recorded message warned of waiting time of up to 51 minutes;

Recorded message warned of waiting time of up to 51 minutes; E.On 38 minutes 8 seconds on hold;

38 minutes 8 seconds on hold; HMRC 34 minutes;

34 minutes; Scottish Power 20 minutes 4 seconds on hold;

20 minutes 4 seconds on hold; BT: Cut off after six minutes;

Cut off after six minutes; BA: Disconnected within two minutes due to high volume of calls;

Disconnected within two minutes due to high volume of calls; HM Passport Office: Disconnected after two minutes due to high volume of calls;

Disconnected after two minutes due to high volume of calls; DVLA: Call ended after 30 seconds due to the high volume of calls.

We asked dozens of companies what proportion of their staff were still working from home and most refused to answer the question.

Whats more, many big firms are also stripping back on their free telephone services, as we revealed a week ago.

Nationwide is going to charge for eight of its helplines by the end of the year, while Santander is axing ten free numbers from July.

These issues are causing unimaginable stress to Britains most vulnerable households.

It is little wonder that consumer champions and politicians are lining up to back our campaign.

Writing in todays Money Mail, Conservative MP Robert Halfon says he will raise the issue in parliament.

He says: Why should anybody have to wait more than a few minutes to get through to a company on the phone? It is very shoddy stuff.

Martyn James, from financial complaints service Resolver, says: Customer service is under attack on all fronts in all sectors as a result of cost-cutting, the aftermath of the pandemic and, most worryingly of all, some businesses simply not wanting to talk to their customers.

The Daily Mails campaign is vitally important to turn the tide of the customer service catastrophe that is rapidly becoming the single most complained about issue Ive ever seen in my two decades as a consumer rights champion.

Giovanna Speciale, who runs the South East London Community Energy group, says: I have been saying for years that there needs to be a limit to how long customers should have to wait on the phone.

A lot of people in need of help often have more than one job. They only have half an hour on their lunch break to call firms  they do not have the time to wait on hold to sort out often urgent issues.

Many firms also agree that new laws are needed to put an end to long waiting times.

An Octopus Energy spokesman says: We totally agree with Money Mails campaign. Its awful to see so much reported in the press about incredibly long wait times, or customers unable to get through at all.

On hold: The vast majority of companies had confusing automated processes: callers were forced to key in endless answers to multiple choice questions about the nature of their query

Lives on hold

A change in law could not come sooner for the customers Money Mail has spoken to.

Retiree Russel Weisberg has been trying to get hold of Neo Energy for nine months but has been unable to speak to anybody on the phone or via email.

Around three or four months ago, the 62-year-old, who lives in Manchester, says Neo Energy introduced an automated message saying his call could not be answered.

He says: Following a number of mistakes made by Neo Energy, I am being billed twice because I have two accounts and it has the wrong address for me. It has cancelled my direct debit so I am paying by standing order but it is not being credited to my account.

I cannot switch to another supplier  but I cannot speak to anyone at Neo Energy.

Neo Energy did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Similarly, business owner Tasnime Rotherham has spent around five hours on hold to HMRC. The 37-year-old had been trying to chase up a 253 refund since May last year, but every time she rang she spent at least 20 minutes listening to the hold music before she could speak to anyone. The longest she had to wait was 36 minutes.

Our Manifesto Today we are calling on the Government to introduce new consumer protection laws which would penalise firms that do not answer the phone quickly enough. Our demands are simple: Companies must answer the phone within ten minutes. Firms found to be leaving customers any longer must pay a fine. Providers should offer to call back customers within hours if they cannot answer the phone. Businesses must publish their average daily call waiting times on their website. Firms must provide a working phone line service for customers.

Tasnime, who lives in Peterborough and runs a tea company, says: There was no explanation for the delay. There wasnt even a Your call is important to us, please stay on the line.

It was just the music over and over and over. When the agent answered, they didnt acknowledge it either.

HMRC says it needs to balance its performance across different areas, including processing payments as well as answering calls.

It says it continues to improve its helpline service and is currently recruiting extra staff.

Meanwhile, pensioner Gloria Spencer has been struggling to speak to someone at the Court of Protection for more than a year.

Her father, who has dementia, is currently in a care home and desperately needs to sell his house to pay for the fees.

As Gloria, 70, who lives in Lincolnshire, does not have power of attorney, which would allow her to manage her fathers affairs, she applied to the Court of Protection for permission to sell his home 12 months ago.

But the departments lack of communication means that he has had to take out a loan to cover the cost of his care, putting him in debt for the first time in his life.

Gloria says: You feel so angry and frustrated.

They do not answer their phone lines or correspondence except to write back to say that the appropriate department is dealing with it.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice says: We apologise for the issues families have faced when trying to contact the Court of Protection by phone.

We are hiring more staff to deal with enquiries by phone or other means  part of a 324 million investment to reduce waiting times in the civil and family courts  which will improve response times.

I plan to tackle this problem with a new law, says MP Robert Halfon

Consumer protection law: Robert Halfon MP for Harlow

Commentary by ROBERT HALFON MP for Harlow

Whats one of the worst phrases in the English language? Sorry, were rather busy right now, but your call is important to us. Please hold the line.

How many millions of customers hear these dreadful words when they phone service and utility companies? How many more wait 15, 20, 30, 40 minutes plus on the phone to get through? And that is after spending the first five minutes being asked to press 1, 2, 3, or 4, 5, and 6 with the phone usually being cut off in between.

The companies that do this earn billions of pounds in profits, pay their chief execs multimillion pound salaries and yet think it is OK to keep customers waiting on the phone for up to 30 minutes or more.

There is always one excuse after another: Covid or efficiency savings. All nonsense. This has gone on for years. Companies such as EDF can spend millions on TV advertising, yet cant provide a proper phone service for their customers.

Enough is enough. Consumers deserve a quality telephone service.

The internet is not good enough, especially for those vulnerable people who dont have access to it.

I intend to propose in Parliament a new consumer protection law which would guarantee the following: no one would have to wait longer than ten minutes on the phone, they would get through to a real human and companies would get rid of press 1, 2 or 3 options which are all about trying to get customers off the phone rather than on it.

If businesses fail on this, they should be given huge fines with money being given back to consumers through rebates.

Only with a change in the law will these big businesses wake up and realise that their job is to serve the paying customer, rather than themselves.
A forest-dwelling cult leader whose followers worshipped corpses and consumed his faeces and urine has been arrested after police found 11 bodies in his jungle camp.

The thatched home of Thawee Nanra, 75, from Thailand, was raided by police yesterday in Chaiyaphum province.

Supporters screamed and jostled with the officers in the chaotic scenes as they tried to save their bearded, shirtless leader who claims to be the 'father of all religion' before he was led to a police car.

Cult leader Thawee Nanra has been arrested after police found 11 corpses in his jungle camp in Thailand

Police said they found 11 corpses on the premises and local media said they were believed to be the bodies of his followers

Supporters screamed and jostled with the officers in the chaotic scenes as they tried to save their bearded, shirtless leader

Police said: 'We have dead bodies, and we will have to work with all agencies to establish facts surrounding these individuals'

Police said they found 11 corpses on the premises and local media said they were believed to be the bodies of his followers.

Thawee said he stored the dead bodies to wait for the spirits to return to heaven.

Provincial Gov. Kraisorn Kongchalad said Thawee had at least a dozen followers living with him, while coffins containing bodies were scattered around the house.

Devotees reportedly told authorities that the leader's urine and phlegm were believed to be cures for diseases.

Five coffins were found outside the shelter, one of which was of a dead infant and another, of his dead mother. All of the coffins were drilled to allow the lymph fluid to flow out.

Devotees reportedly told authorities that the leader's urine and phlegm were believed to be cures for diseases

The thatched home of Thawee, 75, from Thailand, was raided by police yesterday in Chaiyaphum province

Thawee said he stored the dead bodies to wait for the spirits to return to heaven

Thawee told officers that all his followers were there willingly, saying: 'I didn't force anybody to stay here or do anything they didn't want to.'

Devotee Mana, 45, said: 'We have papers showing that the relatives have given consent with a death certificate. Some of them have practised meditation in this place.

'As for the burial, we follow the process of the medical team. The body is put in a sealed bag and injected with formaldehyde to prevent the corpse from rotting.'

The authorities believe the group existed for more than four years without anyone noticing because of the remote location of the leader's forest house.

But their anonymity ended after a daughter of one of the followers complained to a social media celebrity whose speciality is exposing unscrupulous religious figures.

Khun Jenjira, 53, from Khon Kaen province, also complained to officials that her 80-year-old mother at the site was being barred from returning home.

Police say they are looking into other charges, including unlawful disposal of bodies, as the leader was denied bail

Five coffins were found outside the shelter, one of which was of a dead infant and another, of his dead mother

The authorities believe the group existed for more than four years without anyone noticing because of the remote location

Devotees reportedly told authorities that the leader's urine and phlegm were believed to be cures for diseases

She said: 'I went to visit my mother. I saw how women were forced to follow a dress code by wearing a knee-length sarong and men had to wear formal trousers. Everybody had to remove their shoes before entering the site.

'But what was even more shocking was that I watched my mother rub the leader's phlegm on her face and ate the man's scurf. There were 11 dead bodies of the devotees on the premises. My mother had also instructed me to leave her body in the same place.

'The followers defy all Covid rules. They said that, once you have devoted your life to following the man's teaching, you will be safe from Covid-19.'

Thawee was initially charged with encroaching on a forest area -- his house was said to be on public land -- and illegal gatherings prohibited under disease control laws that have been used in the past two years to battle Covid.

Thawee told officers that all his followers were there willingly, saying: 'I didn't force anybody to stay here or do anything they didn't want to'

Kraisorn said he was shocked to discover such practices still went on in the modern age

Local media reported that he was denied bail on Monday.

Police say they are looking into other charges, including unlawful disposal of bodies.

Kraisorn said he was shocked to discover such practices still went on in the modern age.

'It's quite disturbing to see that there are people who believe in such superstition. But this is not only about a personal belief anymore.

'We have dead bodies, and we will have to work with all agencies to establish facts surrounding these individuals,' he said by phone.

Thailand's population is overwhelming Buddhist, but many people hold beliefs outside the religion, such as the worship of local spirits and fear of ghosts.

Police Colonel Wattanachai Chanthathum added: 'Officers have already confirmed that there are 11 bodies on the premises. So far, there were trespassing charges against the religious sect. There will be a thorough investigation so the right legal procedure can be followed.'
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At least six bodies were removed from the rubbles of the neoclassical-like Cuban hotel, raising the death total of the buildings explosion to 41.

The Health Ministrys chief of hospital services, Dr. Julio Guerra, said that there were still 18 people hospitalized for injuries sustained from the powerful blast at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana on Friday.

Five of the victims who were pulled out Monday were identified as Maylen Quesda, 31; Aivis Chang, 45; Yaser Diaz, 38; Claudia Castellanos, 30; Misael Sanchez, 48; and Leaney Hechevarria, 45.

The sixth person, whose name has not been released, was removed from the hotel Tuesday before dawn, online news outlet Ciber Cuba reported.

Workers removed debris from the 19th century Hotel Saratoga on Monday as efforts to find people trapped in the building into Tuesday morning

Red Cross workers joined Cuban authorities in searching for people at the Hotel Saratoga in Old Havana on Monday. So far at least 41 people have been reported dead as a result of the explosion reportedly caused by a gas leak

Cuban rescue workers continue the search Tuesday for people who are believe to be still trapped inside the Hotel Saratoga, which was destroyed by an alleged gas leak explosion Friday. Five bodies were removed Monday and a sixth was pulled out Tuesday before dawn, raising the death total to 41

Cristina Lopez-Ceron Ugarte (left) is among the 41 people who were killed by the Cuba hotel blast Friday. Her boyfriend, Cesar Roman (right), was injured and remains hospitalized

Cristina Lopez-Ceron Ugarte (left) is among the 41 people who were killed by the Hotel Saratoga blast in Havana, Cuba

Crews deployed sniffer dogs to go through the debris at the 19th Century hotel in the Cuban capital, searching for four people who are reported to be trapped. Three of them have been identified as employees.

Construction Minister, Rene Mesa, said work was being done pump out water from the hotels basement area so that rescue workers can go further inside in search for victims.

The 96-room, five-star hotel in Old Havana was preparing to reopen Tuesday after being closed for two years when an apparent gas leak ignited, blowing the buildings facade into the busy, midmorning streets just a block from Cuba's capitol.

Several nearby structures also were damaged, including the historic Marti Theater and the Calvary Baptist Church, headquarters for the denomination in western Cuba.

Yanisleidy Morales Almenteros was killed in the alleged gas leak explosion at the Hotel Saratoga in Cuba on Friday. The blast left 41 people dead, including four children, the youngest a 10-year-old boy

A member of the Cuban Red Cross takes a break after working in the rubble at the site of a deadly explosion that destroyed the five-star Hotel Saratoga in Old Havana, Cuba, on Monday

Beatriz Cespedes shows a photo on her phone of her 27-year-old sister, Shaidis Cobas, who works as a waitress at the Hotel Saratoga and who is still unaccounted for

At least 38 homes were affected by the explosion. At least 22 families had to be relocated to a hotel.

Authorities said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion at the hotel, which is owned by Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA, one of the businesses run by the Cuban military.

Among 40 of the 41 people who have been identified by Cuban authorities are 10-year-old Jonef Chapman, the youngest victim; Yanisleidy Morales, 34, who was pregnant; and Cristina Lopez-Ceron, a 29-year-old tourist from Spain who was visiting with her boyfriend, who was injured.

Authorities said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion at the hotel, which is owned by Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA, one of the businesses run by the Cuban military.

Rescue workers look on after recovering a body from the rubble Monday at the site of a deadly explosion that destroyed the five-star Hotel Saratoga

A relative of one of the persons still missing from a deadly explosion that destroyed the five-star Hotel Saratoga, holds his head as he waits for news near the site of the explosion
Four students were killed in a stampede after a tear gas grenade was set off during the middle of an assembly inside a university arena in Bolivia.

Authorities said 83 students were injured as they attempted to flee the building at Tomas Frias Autonomous University in the mountainous city of Potosi on Monday.

Some of the students were treated for fractures and least five students were in intensive care.

Potosi prosecutor Roxana Choque told reporters that the students' deaths was caused by asphyxiation due to the inhalation of gas.

As of Tuesday, the only victim identified was Raisa Vania Colque, a 23-year-old civil engineering major.

Students run for cover inside an arena at Tomas Frias Autonomous University after a gas grenade was tossed into the crowded floor

Students had gathered at a campus arena at Tomas Frias Autonomous University to elect new leaders of the student body

Manfred Flores (top left), Ariel Quispe (top right), Mauricio Quintanilla (bottom left) and Milton Fuentes (bottom right) were taken into custody Monday in connection to their roles in the stampede that left four students dead and 83 others injured at Tomas Frias Autonomous University in Bolivia. Authorities say Flores tossed a gas grenade into the crown during the assembly that was held to elect new student body leaders

Tomas Frias Autonomous University rector Tomas Frias University Rector Pedro Lopez told Radio Panamericana that the students had gathered to elect new student body leaders at the school before the tragic events unfolded.

'In the middle of the assembly, a tear gas grenade was detonated, which created a stampede,' he said. 'Many students were trampled.'

Police took four suspects into custody after the incident, including Manfred Flores, 25, who was identified as having tossed the grenade into the crowded hall.

'He is the person who had launched this artifact,' a Potosi police chief said Tuesday after the defendants were paraded before the press.

'We are awaiting for the expert opinion regarding the gunpowder in the hands of this device in the hand of this citizen to confirm the actions of this person.'

The Bolivian police paraded Mauricio Quintanilla, Ariel Quispe, Milton Fuentes and Manfred Flores before the press Tuesday, a day after they were arrested for their role in a stampede that left four students dead and 83 others injured

An assembly was held inside a gym at Tomas Frias Autonomous University on Monday and was interrupted after a gas grenade was tossed into the crowd

Mauricio Quintanilla, Ariel Quispe, Milton Fuentes and Manfred Flores have been arrested by Bolivian authorities for their role in the stampede that killed four students and injured 83 others during an assembly at Tomas Frias Autonomous University on Monday

Flores, Mauricio Quintanilla, 25; Milton Fuentes, 35; and Ariel Quispe, 40, are being investigated for homicide and possession of a gas grenade.

Quintanilla holds the executive secretary position for business administration department's student union and was 'mainly responsible for the events.'

Mendoza, the president of the electoral committee, organized the assembly.

Investigators learned the four defendants obtained the grenade early Monday and were looking into how they obtained it.

Bolivian police commander general Jhonny Aguilera revealed that four suspects met together Monday around 1am and were in Quispe's car when the grenade was placed in a backpack that was brought into the gym before it was thrown into the crowd.

It's unknown if any of the suspects has a family member who is a member of the police force or in the military, and may have provided one them the gas grenade.

'It is not easy (to find the gas grenade for sale), it is not for private use,' a police official said, as quoted by La Razon. 'We are investigating to determine who has sold (that device).'
A senior director at Apple has quit his job in protest at the company demanding staff return to the office three days a week.

Ian Goodfellow, the director of machine learning, is believed to be the most senior employee to resign so far as a result of the plan.

On April 11, the company began mandating one day a week in the office - a requirement that rose to two days on May 2. By May 23, all staff had to be at their desks three days a week.

A survey of Apple workers from April 13-19 found 67 percent saying they were dissatisfied with the return-to-office policy, Fortune reported.

And Goodfellow, in his resignation note, said he would not do it.

'I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team,' he said, according to The Verge.

Ian Goodfellow, Apple's director of machine learning, has quit in protest at their policies forcing people back to their offices three days a week

Apples's headquarters in Cupertino, California, are pictured

One Apple staffer speculated that Goodfellow's departure comes ahead of a potential announcement that the company will increase the in-person work requirement up to five days per week.

'Everyone and their grandma knows Apple is using the pilot as a stepping stone to 5 days back in office,' the Apple employee wrote on Blind, which verifies employment through corporate email addresses.

'Ian probably got inside scoop that this is coming and left.'

The tech news site described Goodfellow as the most-cited expert in machine learning - a type of artificial intelligence, which involves the study of computer algorithms that can improve automatically both through experience and by the use of data. As a result, the applications become better at predicting outcomes.

Goodfellow joined Apple in March 2019, and describes himself on LinkedIn as 'an industry leader in machine learning.'

The tech analyst is referred to as 'the father of general adversarial networks, or GANs,' according to the website 9to5Mac - pioneering technology which can be used generate fake media content.

His salary is unclear, but he is likely to earn in excess of $270,000 a year according to Insider and Glassdoor.com, given his director status and high profile within the tech world.

After graduating from Stanford in 2009 with a degree in computer science, Goodfellow studied for a PhD in machine learning at the University of Montreal.

He worked at Google on their 'Google Brain' team, then joined OpenAI, a research institute founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and several others.

Goodfellow returned to Google, then joined Apple.

At the time he joined Apple, he was 34 and described by The Verge as 'young to be an AI researcher with so much clout.'

They described his hiring as a coup for Apple.

He is likely to be in high demand following his resignation from the Cupertino-based company.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is seen at the company's headquarters in Cupertino

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has been adamant about the return to office of his employees - unlike other Silicon Valley firms.

In early March, he wrote to staff saying they needed to prepare to return.

'In the coming weeks and months, we have an opportunity to combine the best of what we have learned about working remotely with the irreplaceable benefits of in-person collaboration,' Cook said in the memo, according to Bloomberg.

'It is as important as ever that we support each other through this transition, through the challenges we face as a team and around the world.'

Cook acknowledged that not everyone was excited at the prospect.

'For many of you, I know that returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone and a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives,' Cook said.

'For others, it may also be an unsettling change.'

After the announcement, employees in internal forums vowed to quit.

'I don't give a single f*** about ever coming back to work here,' one Apple employee ranted on corporate message board Blind, according to The New York Post.

'I'm going to go in to say hello and meet everyone since I haven't since I started and then sending in my resignation when I get home.

'I already know I won't be able to deal with the commute and sitting around for 8 hours.'

Another Apple employee responded with a laughing emoji and wrote: 'I'm gonna do the same.'

A third replied: 'Hell YEAH my man let's do this! F*** RTO.'

Twitter, by contrast, decided to allow staff to work remotely forever, if they choose - although that may change under Musk's new ownership.

In March, Parag Agrawal, the CEO, told staff that the policy of his predecessor Jack Dorsey, allowing staff to work remotely forever, would remain.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal (left) and co-founder Jack Dorsey (right) have both been supportive of remote working

Elon Musk, who has agreed a deal to buy Twitter, has mocked the company's policy of allowing staffers to work remotely forever, and some believe he may reverse it when he takes over

'As we open back up, our approach remains the same,' Agrawal said.

'Wherever you feel most productive and creative is where you will work and that includes working from home full-time forever.

'Office every day? That works too. Some days in office, some days from home? Of course.'

Slack has followed suit, allowing remote working permanently.

At Facebook, the parent company Meta announced in the summer of 2020 that all full-time employees could apply to work from home if their jobs allowed it.

Facebook's executives have been making the most of the arrangement, The Wall Street Journal reported, with Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg spending significant amounts of time away from the Menlo Park headquarters and more time in Hawaii.

Alex Schultz, chief marketing officer, plans to move to the United Kingdom, according to a company spokesperson, while Guy Rosen, the company's vice president of integrity, will be moving to Israel.

Naomi Gleit, Meta's head of product and one of its longest-tenured employees, has relocated to New York, while Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been working remotely from locations including Hawaii, Los Angeles and Cape Cod, the paper said.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is demanding a return to the office of all staff three days a week

Apple and Google are the outliers, with Google also demanding in March that workers had to come back into the office three days a week from April 4.

The offer includes the caveat that employees could take pay cuts if they leave the San Francisco Bay Area or New York City for less expensive parts of the country.

An open letter signed by more than 1,050 Apple employees past and present urged leaders at the company to rethink their plans.

'You have characterized the decision for the Hybrid Working Pilot as being about combining the 'need to commune in-person' and the value of flexible work,' the letter states.

'But in reality, it does not recognize flexible work and is only driven by fear. Fear of the future of work, fear of worker autonomy, fear of losing control.'

They write that working remotely allows them to engage with colleagues in Europe and Asia effortlessly, and argue that allowing remote work encourages diversity in the workforce. They also complain about the commute to the office, and the frustration at the waste of time.

'We tell all of our customers how great our products are for remote work, yet, we ourselves, cannot use them to work remotely?' they write.

'How can we expect our customers to take that seriously? How can we understand what problems of remote work need solving in our products if we don't live it?'
The dizzying pace of killings has made Mexico the deadliest country for journalists to work outside of war zones this year

Their killings come four days after journalist Luis Ramos was murdered in Sinaloa

essenia Mollinedo Falconi, director of the online news site El Veraz, and Sheila Garcia, a reporter for the site, were murdered in eastern state of Veracruz

Two more journalists have been shot to death in Mexico's violent eastern state of Veracruz, raising the number of reporters killed in the country this year to 11.

Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi, director of the online news site El Veraz, and Sheila Garcia, a reporter for the site, were murdered outside a convenience store in the municipality of Cosoleacaque on Monday.

Veracruz State Prosecutor Veronica Hernandez Giadans said the investigation into the killings would be exhaustive and would consider the women's work as journalists as a possible motive in their slayings.

Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said a search was underway for those responsible.

'We will find the perpetrators of this crime, there will be justice and there will not be impunity like we have said and done in other cases,' Garcia said.

The murders of Falconi and Garcia come just four days after journalist Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was found dead, his battered body wrapped in black plastic, by a dirt road in the northern state of Sinaloa, the stronghold of notorious narco kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's cartel.

Prosecutors said Ramos, who was found by security forces near a junkyard in the state capital of Culiacan in Sinaloa, had died from multiple blows to the head.

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.

The dizzying pace of killings has made Mexico the deadliest country for journalists to work outside of war zones this year.

Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi, director of the online news site El Veraz, and Sheila Garcia, a reporter for the site, were murdered outside a convenience store in the municipality of Cosoleacaque on Monday

Relatives of video-journalist Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera carry her coffin to her family's home for her wake in Minatitlan, near the Lazaro Cardenas oil refinery where gas burns in the background, in Veracruz state, Mexico, early Tuesday

Aurora Mollinedo shows old photos of her slain daughter, journalist Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi, during her daughter's wake in Minatitlan, Veracruz state, Mexico, on Tuesday

A black ribbon hangs outside the family home of video-journalist Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera where her remains lay during her wake in Minatitlan, Veracruz state, Mexico, on Tuesday

Police officers stand near the crime scene where journalists Yessenia Mollinedo and Sheila Garcia were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Cosoleacaque on Monday

Members of the civil force speak with people from the area where the two women were killed on Monday at a store in the municipality of Cosoleacaque

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

On Monday evening, Griselda Triana, the wife of journalist Javier Valdez who was killed in 2017, joined some 200 journalists gathered at Mexico City's Angel of Independence Monument to protest against the number of journalists killed in Mexico.

The demonstration had originally been scheduled to protest the killing of Ramos and the eight other journalists who died before him this year. But just as they prepared to start the protest, word came that Falconi and Garcia had also been murdered.

Triana, surrounded by journalists who held up the photographs of their murdered colleagues, told the demonstrators: 'In all this time I haven't stopped thinking about how easy it is for them to kill a journalist in Mexico.

'I feel hurt each time they take the life of so many colleagues.'

Triana's husband Valdez, one of Mexico's best-known journalists killed in recent years, was an award-winning reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime in the northern state of Sinaloa.

'There's so much anger, indignation, powerlessness knowing that we come here to protest the murder of Luis Enrique Ramirez, (that happened) a few days ago in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and the news of the killing of two women journalists in Veracruz reaches us here,' Triana said.

'It's a whirlpool. The crimes against freedom of expression keep occurring every day. We shouldn't tolerate it. We have the authority to ask the authorities to put a stop to this slaughter of journalists.'

Members of the press and relatives attend a protest against the murder of journalists in the framework of the National Meeting of Journalists, at the Angel de la Independencia monument in Mexico City on Monday

On Monday evening, Griselda Triana (pictured), the wife of journalist Javier Valdez who was killed in 2017, joined some 200 journalists gathered at Mexico City's Angel of Independence Monument to protest against the number of journalists killed in Mexico

Members of the press and relatives display pictures of slain journalist Luis Enrique Ramirez during a protest against the murder of journalists in Mexico City on Monday

In only five months, 11 Mexican journalists have been killed, including Garcia, Falconi and Ramos.

Before them, in March, the Monitor Michoacan director and reporter Armando Linares was shot dead by gunmen at his home in Zitacuaro, a city in the western state of Michoacan.

Linares' murder came six weeks after his colleague Roberto Toledo, a camera operator and video editor at Monitor Michoacan, was shot to death as he prepared for an interview in Zitacuaro on January 31.

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 murdered 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.

In March, the Monitor Michoacan director and reporter Armando Linares was shot dead by gunmen at his home in Zitacuaro, a city in the western state of Michoacan. Linares' murder came six weeks after his colleague Roberto Toledo , a camera operator and video editor at Monitor Michoacan, was shot to death as he prepared for an interview in Zitacuaro on January 31

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 murdered in late February

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.

In early February, Heber Lopez , director of the online news site Noticias Web, was shot dead in the southern state of Oaxaca. Reporter Jose Luis Gamboa was killed in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz on January 10

More than 150 journalists have been murdered since 2000 in Mexico, one of the world's most dangerous countries for the media, with only a fraction of the crimes resulting in convictions.

The victims are often reporters working for local media in states plagued by drug cartel-related violence, many of whom combine journalism with other jobs because of the low pay.

Mexico's state and federal governments have been criticized for neither preventing the killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

While organized crime is often involved in journalist killings, small town officials or politicians with political or criminal motivations are often suspects as well. Journalists running small news outlets in Mexico's interior are easy targets.

Mexico has a protection program for journalists and human rights defenders, but it was not immediately known whether either Falconi or Garcia were enrolled.

Participants receive support, such as electronic devices or 'panic buttons' to alert the authorities to any threat; surveillance systems in their homes; even bodyguards in some cases.

Often authorities recommend that threatened journalists move to another state or the capital to lessen the threat, but that means separating them from their work, livelihood and families.

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

While President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised a 'zero impunity' program to investigate such slayings, journalists' murders, like most homicides in Mexico, are never resolved by authorities. Lopez Obrador has also kept up his regular verbal attacks on journalists critical of his administration.

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.'

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.'

Late Monday, presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez said via Twitter that the federal and state governments would work together to investigate the killings. 'The commitment is that there is not impunity.'
A Jack Russell named Lexie is an Australian farmers right-hand woman after he taught her how to drive.

Footage shows the one-year-old dog helping out with jobs after climbing behind the wheel.

She was trained by her best mate Cameron Zschech, 21, who says theres no reason she cant do it, just because shes a dog.

Mr Zschech said Lexie will often drive the ute around the paddock while he feeds hay out the back from the ute's tray.

He keeps an eye on the steering wheel and handbrake in case she gets distracted.

Mr Zschech told ABC he and Lexie were out doing chores one day when he figured the pup needed to start pulling her weight.

Scroll down for the video.

Lexie, a one-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, has learnt to drive on her family's farm in Hamilton, Victoria

'We were driving down the laneway moving a mob of sheep and I thought "now's the time I could teach the dog to drive". That's how I learnt to drive, just in first gear and letting it idle along,' he said.

Using the same method as his dad used to teach him, he said he put the vehicle in first gear, and then let it idle along as Lexie steered.

I thought if weve got that much time, we might as well give Lexie a go, he said.

'She went alright,' Mr Zschech explained.

The dogs promotion to driver came after she was injured as a puppy on the farm.

There was an 80kg ewe and Lexie took off after it and it took back off after her, stood on her leg, Mr Zschech explained.

She was yelping, couldnt chase sheep anymore but shes recovered since then and shes become a little bit smarter.

Lexie uses the ute to chase after sheep after realising she was too small to chase then as a pup

'Lexie thinks shes a sheep dog,' he continued. 'Shes got the right attitude for the role but her size lets her down a bit. Shes about one-tenth the size of a ewe'

'Now she'll jump into the farm ute and drive that around, chasing the sheep. It's a lot safer for her.

'She loves the sheep that much that she points the ute in that direction.'

Lexie now helps with quite a few jobs around the farm, steering the car as Mr Zschech feeds out hay - something the farmer describes as 'pretty good teamwork'.
An Australian beach has hosted a record-breaking 'penguin party' with more than 5,000 of the birds - the highest number in 54 years.

In less than one hour, some 5,219 little penguins swam onto the shores at Victoria's Phillip Island beach on May 3 and waddled across the stretch of sand known as 'Penguin Parade' to their burrows.

The record event was the highest number of penguins recorded since 1968 and was unexpected given it occurred outside the usual spring and summer breeding period.

Phillip Island Nature Parks' spokesperson Paula Wasiak said the penguins' preparation for a record breeding season may be the reason for the soaring numbers.

'It appears an abundance of food close to shore is allowing the penguins to gear up for the biggest Autumn breeding attempt we've even seen,' she said.

Some 5,219 little penguins swam to the shores of Victoria's Phillip Island beach (pictured) and waddled across to their burrows

Ms Wasiak said staff 'could not believe their eyes' as they watched the penguins waddle across the beach.

'It's been a penguin party night after night, which is unusual for this time of year, let alone in record numbers like we are seeing now,' Ms Paula Wasiak said.

'While penguins usually breed during Spring and Summer, older, more experienced birds are known to take advantage of a secondary peak in marine productivity in Autumn, which can result in an increase in colony attendance and breeding behaviour.'

Scientists believe an abundance of food near the shore, conservation efforts and an Autumn breeding attempt may be behind the record-breaking event (pictured, little penguins crossing 'Penguin Parade' at Phillip Island Nature Parks)

The previous record happened the week before with over 4,500 penguins counted in one night. The nature park's researchers counted between 3,000 and 5,000 penguins each night that week.

The average number of penguins that returned to Phillip Island's shores last year ranged between 700 and 2,300.

Phillip Island boasts the largest little penguin colony in the world - numbering 40,000 strong.

Excellent breeding conditions and conservation efforts by the authority to improve dune structure and restore habitats has likely also contributed to the increase.

'One of the main areas we're seeing an increase in penguin attendance is to the east of the colony,' Ms Wasiak said.

'In the past poor habitat and erosion in this area meant penguins had difficulty accessing and nesting there.

'A lot of work has gone into improving dune structure, creating penguin pathways and restoring habitat, which is now paying off.'

The Easter school holiday break marked the park's busiest period yet with the penguin parade booked out, as visitors packed stands by the beach to catch a glimpse of the cute animals as they arrived every night.
A man has been plucked from floodwaters in northwest Queensland and calls for help are rising as a massive downpour sets in over the state's north.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services swiftwater rescue team helped the man in his 20s to safety after he got trapped in floodwaters in Soldiers Hill, a suburb of Mount Isa, about 11pm on Monday.

The man managed to cling to reeds along the river for half an hour.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services swiftwater rescue team (pictured) helped the man in his 20s to safety after he got trapped in floodwaters in Soldiers Hill, a suburb of Mount Isa, about 11pm on Monday

A severe weather warning has been issued from Townsville west to Cloncurry, and from Croydon in the north and south to Blackall.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned flash-flooding is likely with six-hour rainfall totals of 60-100mm forecast from Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall is unusual outside the wet season, and some areas are set to be hit with 10 times the monthly average for May in just 24 to 48 hours.

The BOM says six-hour falls of up to 150mm are also possible in the Central West and North West districts.

'Locally intense rainfall with embedded thunderstorms which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is also possible for the Central West and parts of the North West districts,' the forecaster said in an alert.

QFES assistant commissioner Andrew Short says emergency services had responded to 39 calls for help in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning, but the most intense downpours are yet to come.

'We think that that's going to go up over the coming ... two to three days, we know that in fact,' he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

QFES assistant commissioner Andrew Short says emergency services had responded to 39 calls for help in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning, but the most intense downpours are yet to come

'And we had a single rescue out at Mount Isa, where a person found their way into floodwaters.

'So that's where we are right now. But we believe that because of the what's playing out in front of us, then we're going to see those numbers go up.'

He said QFES crews have been pre-deploying and towns had been getting ready ahead of the rain, but hopefully it would only last three days.

Mr Short said people could still get themselves into trouble and urged people not to drive into floodwaters.

'Think about your family, think about those around you, think about the rescuers who actually are going to have to come and help you in that event,' he said.

'So we're looking for people to be a bit considerate of others (before) getting involved in these situations.'
A remote fisherman's utopia is up for grabs for the first time after its long-term owners decided to sell up.

Sweers Island, an 8km-long by 2km-wide stretch of land that sits off the coast of North Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria, regularly attracts those combining a holiday with fishing.

The island's 30-hectare 'resort' was listed for sale since last week and includes two houses for management and staff, various-sized cabins and hire boats.

The large fish bounty is the resort's drawcard. Pictured, fisherman at the Sweers Island Resort after a big day on the rods

The 1,100 hectare-island (pictured) has miles of beaches with plentiful marine and bird life on and around it

Accommodation (pictured) at the Sweers Island Resort ranges from two-bed cabins to six-bed family rooms in the quiet paradise off the coast of North Queensland

Fishing is the island's major attraction, with a realtor saying, 'they've got some of the biggest coral trout in Australia - the ones they are catching up there are just huge'

There are two private airstrips and a private aircraft hanger on the island site

Richard Vanhoff from Private Islands Online told Daily Mail Australia the biggest drawcard was the fish - some as long as 60cm.

'They've got some of the biggest coral trout in Australia, which I think is the trophy fish for most fisherman - the ones they are catching up there are just huge,' Mr Vanhoff said.

Tex and Lyn Battle, who were granted a perpetual lease over the island 34 years ago, are selling the tourism business for a cool $3.95million.

Mr Vanhoff said the resort had so far attracted about 50 enquiries, of which 15 were considered as serious about acquiring the property.

The realtor said the property works well as a five-months-a-year business, bringing in revenue 'as good as a 12-month year'.

'One thousands nights this year so far have been booked - that's huge,' Mr Vanhoff said.

The owners of the resort manage the 1,100-hectare island as caretakers.

Sharks are seen in the area, but are pretty well fed with the abundant fish in the waters, while only one crocodile has been spotted in the last five years.

The island offers a perpetual lease for tourist operators with minimal outgoings and no rates need to be paid.

Garbage facilities are taken care of by a barge that comes regularly, as well as providing the island with all their goods from the mainland.

It is off the grid, and relies on solar-and gas-powered hot water services, and power which is created and stored through a generator.

The owners of the resort would have access to the rest of the 1,100 hectare island (pictured) as caretakers, which has seen only one crocodile in the last five years

The island is off the grid and relies on solar-and gas-powered hot water services, with power created and stored through a generator - yet internet is readily available

It has a licensed bar and open-air dining facilities. There are two private airstrips and a private aircraft hanger on site - plus sheds, workshops, quad bikes, two Toyota utes and a ride-on mower as part of the deal.

internet and mobile reception is available for Telstra users.

Local competition is scarce with no other land for lease as a resort business on the islands within the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The island has miles of beaches and plentiful marine and bird life.

It has a dry tropical climate with the average daily maximum temperature ranging from 24C in June to 35C in December.

Mr Vanhoff expects to wrap up the sale next month.

The sale includes hire boats for visitors (pictured), a private aircraft hanger, sheds, workshops, quad bikes, two Toyota utes and a ride-on mower

Up to 1,000 bed nights have been booked already for 2022, attracting mostly serious fishing enthusiasts (pictured)

Facilities include an open-air dining area (pictured), and a licensed bar
Covid doomsayer Norman Swan has warned 2022 is the 'worst year' of the Covid pandemic as new subvariants mean Australians are becoming more vulnerable to the virus.

The ABC health commentator said more than 5,000 Australians died with the virus this year already, and that could grow to 13,000 in another 12 months.

'With these new subvariants coming out we're increasing our vulnerability, lots of people are getting infected,' he told ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.

'This is the worst year of the pandemic and nobody's talking about it.'

Dr Swan said the government should provide better access to Covid antiviral treatments.

Antiviral drugs Paxlovid and Lagevrio are available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Both drugs are intended for those suffering severe effects of Covid and are aimed at reducing the risk of hospitalisation.

'People who could be getting them aren't. This is a system issue, trying to get health care out to people,' Dr Swan said.

The physician said though Australia's high level of vaccination was helping, the cases and deaths were still worrying.

Dr Norman Swan has warned 2022 is the 'worst year' of the Covid pandemic as new subvariants mean Australians are becoming more vulnerable to the virus

'There's no transparency at the moment. We have got no idea who's dying, whether they've had antivirals or not, we don't see systemic studies of these deaths to find out how we could actually prevent them,' he said.

'We're not talking about going back to lockdown but this is a health system issue.'

Three new Omicron sub-variants known as BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 recently made their way into Australia.

The sub-lineages have also been detected in Europe and the US and appear to be more transmissible. But there isn't any evidence to suggest they are more severe.

Dr Swan said more than 5,000 Australians with Covid had already died this year (pictured commuters at Sydney train station)

Australians have also been put on alert about a new virus circulating that combines both the flu and Covid, dubbed 'flurona'.

An unvaccinated Victorian woman in her 90s has been the first death linked to the illness in Australia, after she caught the flu and coronavirus at the same time.

There is some evidence to suggest flurona can lead to more severe health effects, with Australians urged to receive both the flu and Covid jabs.

Western Australian recorded a new high of daily Covid cases on Monday with 10,394 new infections.

Australia recorded more than 38,000 Covid infections on Monday, with six deaths.
A violent brawl captured on video has been blamed on a group of knife-wielding teenagers who gatecrashed a suburban party.

One shirtless partygoer was filmed holding down another reveller on a front lawn before repeatedly punching them during the fight on Saturday night in the Gold Coast suburb of Elanora.

Two women can be seen trying to pull the man away, with one witness saying the gatecrashers began attacking people with weapons when they were asked to leave.

'They were asked to leave before they got violent,' the witness told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

A woman tried to break up the fight (left) as two men scuffled on the front lawn of a Gold Coast house (right) after a group of teenagers allegedly gatecrashed a party

'What is seen in that video is nothing, we're talking about 16-year-olds attacking people with knives... If you cannot defend yourself in your own house then something has to change.'

Queensland Police said they have charged a teenager as a result of the brawl.

'Around 10:45pm, a verbal argument broke out between a 48-year-old Elanora man and three teenagers, after he instructed them to leave his home,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'It will be alleged that the teenagers refused to leave, before one of them presented a knife and made threats to the man.'

'It will be alleged that a physical struggle ensued between the man and two of the boys, during which, the man sustained a laceration to his left hand.'

'The man's 50-year-old wife was also allegedly injured during the struggle, sustaining grazes and bruising to her hand.'

One 17-year-old boy has been charged with assault and wounding after the brawl

Police said a 17-year-old teenager from nearby Currumbin Waters is charged with one count of wounding and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

He has been bailed to appear at the Southport Children's Court.

A second fight also later happened in the street allegedly between the homeowners and a 16-year-old teenager from Palm Beach.

Police said the investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Stephen Lambert, who criticised the Governments destructive plan to privatise Channel 4 at the Baftas, is behind some of the channels biggest shows including Four In A Bed and Gogglebox.

So it is hardly surprising that he used his speech on Sunday night to defend the broadcaster as he accepted Goggleboxs second award of the evening.

Lambert, 63, chief executive of Studio Lambert, said: Gogglebox might have ended when it started nine years ago because it had modest ratings but a publicly owned risk-taking Channel 4 believed in it and they stuck with it.

Stephen Lambert, who criticised the Governments destructive plan to privatise Channel 4 at the Baftas, is behind some of the channels biggest shows including Four In A Bed and Gogglebox

If the Government goes ahead with its destructive plan to end Channel 4, these kinds of risks will not be taken and a big part of what makes British TV great will have ended for no good reason.

Lambert, reportedly worth 5million, is a television producer and executive who has made a fortune launching some of Channel 4s biggest programmes, including Wife Swap, Undercover Boss and Secret Millionaire.

However, his position as one of Channel 4s favourite providers could be at risk should the broadcaster be privatised.

So it is hardly surprising that he used his speech on Sunday night to defend the broadcaster as he accepted Goggleboxs second award of the evening (Channel Four Television Centre)

If a private owner takes over they will be likely to make their own programmes rather than relying on independent production companies such as Lamberts.

Lambert is married to Times columnist Jenni Russell, with whom he has two children.

The Government gave the go-ahead for Channel 4s privatisation in its White Paper at the end of last month.
The Australian Navy has banned China and Russia from a major international military summit in a bitter snub amid rising tensions with the two powers.

The Indo Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition begins in Sydney on Tuesday, with arms dealers from more than 700 defence companies across the globe showing off the latest cutting-edge Navy technology in a bid to win a piece of Australia's $270billion military budget over the next decade.

Navy chiefs from 40 countries will rub shoulders at the biennial event, but unlike on previous occasions China and Russia's armed forces will not be represented.

Australia tore up Russia's invitation after Vladimir Putin ordered the bloody invasion of Ukraine, while China's dis-invite came much earlier, after Australia was put in the deep freeze by the communist superpower in the early days of the Covid pandemic.

The Australian Navy has banned China and Russia from a major international military summit in a bitter snub amid rising global tensions. Pictured: Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Sheean

The Indo Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition begins in Sydney on Tuesday (event pictured in 2019)

Tensions between Canberra and the communist superpower erupted back in April 2020 when the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid.

Beijing reacted with fury and imposed $20billion worth of bans and tariffs on key Australian exports as punishment.

Adding to the collapse in relations is China's newly-penned security arrangement with Solomon Islands last month, that will open the door to a military base 2000km off Australian shores.

Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, appeared to direct a thinly-veiled comment at the authoritarian power when he announced the launch of the maritime trade show on Monday.

'In this increasingly uncertain environment, our Navy must grow in size, shape and capability in order to effectively shape our environment, deter actions against Australia's interests and, if necessary, respond with military force to fight and win at sea,' he said.

'Our Navy's fleet is evolving significantly over the next two decades to meet the challenges of our strategic environment.'

Australia tore up Russia and China's invitation amid rising hostilities between authoritarian powers and the West. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left). Russian President Vladimir Putin (right)

Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan (left) shows Defence Minister Peter Dutton (right) inside a Naval vessel

Vice Admiral Noonan also outlined that a key focus of the three-day event would be the evolving nature of 'grey-zone' activities in the Indo-Pacific - something Moscow and Beijing have become notorious for.

'While these activities don't meet the threshold of something that would trigger conflict, they involve coercive activities such as the militarisation of disputed features or the coercive use of trade and economic levers,' he said.

'These tactics are a common concern for Australia and other countries in the region, and we cannot respond to them alone.

'Our Navy works collaboratively with other regional navies to respond to these challenges as part of our shared commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.'

Also set to be widely discussed at the event is Australia's newly-formed AUKUS pact with the US and UK, which will see the navy acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in decades to come. Pictured: Defence Minister Peter Dutton (left) and Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right)

Running alongside the international trade show will be the Indo-Pacific Sea Power Conference, where top navy brass from 13 nations in the South-West Pacific will meet to discuss the challenges facing the region.

Among them is the head of Solomon Islands Maritime Department, Nevol Soko, who was set to fly out for the event but will now take part via video link.

Another key talking point widely at the event is Australia's newly-formed AUKUS pact with the US and UK, which will see the navy acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in decades to come.

It is the first time the conference has been held since 2019 after it was cancelled in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
Huw Edwards raked in at least 25,000 on top of his huge BBC salary in one month for work outside the corporation.

The News at Ten host, who last year was paid up to 429,999 by the broadcaster, worked at four external events in March, documents have revealed.

For one of these, working as an awards host for the magazine Business Matters, Edwards, 60, was paid more than 10,000.

For the other three, the corporations best-paid news host received between 5,000 and 10,000, so he might have got more than 40,000 in total.

Welsh broadcaster Huw Edwards has worked for the BBC since 1984

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, 47, earned at least 15,000 from four engagements in the first three months of the year, according to the latest disclosures from the BBCs external events register.

But the figure could have been as high as 31,000 because she worked at three events in the 5,000 to 10,000 bracket and one which paid below 1,000. Last year, Miss Munchetty was paid up to 259,999 by the BBC.

Her BBC Breakfast colleague Dan Walker, 45, earned between 20,000 and 40,000 from four outside events in the first three months of the year.

Walker, who last year was paid up to 299,999 by the corporation, carried out two outside engagements in one day in February, earning up to 20,000.

Edwards was the only news star in the latest disclosures to have been paid more than 10,000 for one event, the highest pay bracket on the register.

But nine of his colleagues received between 5,000 and 10,000 for one event where they acted as hosts, speakers, presenters or moderators for outside companies.

They included Nick Robinson, Frank Gardner, Amol Rajan and Kirsty Wark.

A BBC spokesman said: All the events listed were approved prior to being undertaken and meet the BBCs rigorous editorial guidelines.
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Tributes have been pouring in for 'courageous' BBC podcast host Deborah James, who has incurable bowel cancer. Earlier this evening she shared a heartbreaking 'goodbye' message after moving to hospice care with her family.

The former deputy head teacher turned cancer campaigner, 40, from London, has been living with stage four bowel cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016, and was told early on that she might not live beyond five years  a milestone that passed on Christmas of 2021.

After posting on Instagram about moving into a hospice, tributes have poured in for the mother-of-two, celebrating her work raising awareness of bowel cancer, and helping 'break the stigma'.

Her podcast co-host, Lauren Mahon, from You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

And her JustGiving page for the newly-announced Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK has raised more than 600,000 in less than 24 hours since it was set up.

At the start of the year, Deborah, who shares her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, announced she had 'nearly died' in hospital, calling it the 'hardest' part of her 5-year cancer battle, and was admitted as an in-patient earlier this month.

She shared an Instagram post earlier this evening saying 'nobody knows how long she has left', writing: 'The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isnt playing ball.

'My active care has stopped and I am now moved to hospice at home care, with my incredible family all around me and the focus is on making sure Im not in pain and spending time with them.'

BBC podcast host Deborah James, who has incurable bowel cancer, has said she has stopped active treatment for her disease and moved to hospice care at home

In an emotional post shared to Instagram earlier tonight, Deborah said her body 'was not playing ball' and she was spending 'most of the day sleeping'

The mother-of-two, who has been battling cancer for five years, said she was surrounded by her 'incredible' family at home (pictured with her children)

Deborah and her husband Sebastien Bowen in April 2019. The mother-of-two said she had left 'no stone unturned' when it came to her treatment

Tributes have poured in for Deborah James, who tonight announced that she is moving into hospice care after living with bowel cancer for the last five years. People have called the mother-of-two 'brave' and 'courageous' with others saying she has helped break the stigma around the cancer

Tributes have poured in for Deborah James, who tonight announced that she is moving into hospice care after living with bowel cancer for the last five years. Her podcast co-host Lauren Mahon, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram

She continued: 'Nobody knows how long Ive got left but Im not able to walk, Im sleeping most of the days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams. I know we have left no stone unturned.

'But even with all the innovative cancer drugs in the world or some magic new breakthrough, my body just cant continue anymore.'

'In over 5 years of writing about how I thought it would be my final Christmas, how I wouldnt see my 40th birthday nor see my kids go to secondary school - I never envisaged writing the one where I would actually say goodbye.

'I think its been the rebellious hope in me.'

Tributes to Deborah called her a 'true inspiration' and a 'force to be reckoned with' when it came to talking about bowel cancer.

Her podcast co-host, Lauren Mahon, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

Ms Mahon said that she is 'not ready to accept what's happening right now' and asked for people to keep Deborah's parents, siblings and family in their 'hearts, thoughts and prayers'.

She also urged people to support the new fundraising campaign, Bowelbabe Fund, for Cancer Research UK.

Philip Counsell tweeted: 'Deborah James, as been a complete legend, for raising awareness for Bowel Cancer and raising millions. I have followed her journey in fighting it five years ago. What as been the overriding theme is absolute stoicism to fighting it. I am so proud of her, and family.'

Val Hill said in a tweet: 'DeborahJames has been a force to be reckoned with when it came to Bowel Cancer & breaking the stigma associated with this condition. Please donate to this important charity in her name if you can.'

'One of the bravest, most courageous people I am ever likely to come across. Someone who made every second count and continues to inspire many thousands of people. Sending much love to you and your lovely family. Thank you for being you,' tweeted Emma Santer.

Sarah Mortiboys commented: 'This is so very sad & upsetting to read. I have followed Deborah James cancer journey for yearsand now we have reached the final chapter. To celebrate her life & the contribution she continues to make please donate via the link below.'

'The energy Deborah James has put in to changing the conversation around cancer, chemo & death wont be forgotten. What an amazing legacy she will leave behind. Lots of love to her family & friends,' tweeted Ally Farrell.

The mother-of-two, who has faced a challenging six months with her cancer treatment, said she felt 'heartbroken'

HOW DEPUTY HEAD TURNED SOCIAL MEDIA STAR HAS TRANSFORMED BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS In 2018, Deborah (left) joined Lauren Mahon (front) and Rachael Bland (right) to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live. Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show In December 2016, the West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe'

In 2018, she became one of three presenters on Radio 5 Live's You, Me and the Big C, which was conceived by her late co-host Rachael Bland

On September 5th 2018, Welsh journalist and presenter Bland, diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, died at the age of 40 Deborah and her co-host Lauren Mahon continue to present the show, with Steve Bland, Rachael's husband, joining the duo On social media and in her column for the Sun newspaper, Deborah has documented the many chemo, radiotherapy sessions and surgery she's had since During her treatment, Deborah told followers on Instagram 'By my general lack of being on here (dancing!), that Things have moved (in the wrong direction) very quickly cancer wise.' Pictured: Deborah James undergoing a scan at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London In 2019, she had a procedure known as CyberKnife, a highly targeted form of radiotherapy to attack an inoperable lymph node close to her liver

The pandemic's impact on cancer services saw her campaign for care to continue as normal and, earlier this year, she launched the ITV's Lorraine's 'No Butts' campaign, raising awareness on bowel cancer symptoms

Since last year, she has been taking new experimental drugs as part of a trial after her oncology team gave her the green light to do so

August, Deborah revealed that scans she's had in recent days have revealed her cancer has gone in the 'wrong direction very quickly'

She told followers she would be taking a break on social media over the weekend to 'snuggle' with her family ahead of more scans

The mother-of-two said a new 'rapidly-growing' tumour near her liver had wrapped itself around her bowel

On October 1, Deborah celebrates her 40th birthday

By October 18, the mother-of-two told her followers her chemotherapy is working

Days later, she was rushed to A&E with 'spiking 40 degree temperatures'

In November, she reveals she is unable to walk for more than 20 minutes and remains 'very weak'

By December, Deborah said she was 'not sure what her options were' after her liver stent 'stopped working'

In January, she had five operations in 10 days after nearly dying in an acute medical emergency

January 25, Deborah returns home from hospital after three weeks

March 14, the mother-of-two is back in hospital as an in-patient after suffering from septic infection

In April, she concerned fans with snaps after suffering 'a rough few days'

April 14, the mother-of-two tells fans she has been discharged from hospital but calls the situation 'very tough'

April 27, she tells Lorraine that she has spent '80 per cent' of the year in hospital

May 9 - Deborah announces she has moved to hospice care Advertisement

Continuing her Instagram post, Deborah said: 'But I dont think anyone can say the last 6 months has exactly been kind! Its all heartbreaking to be going through but Im surrounded by so much love that if anything can help me through I hope that will.'

She went on to share news of a 'Bowelbabe fund' which is being set up in her name, writing: 'I always knew there was one thing I always wanted to do before I died.

'I have always over the years raised as much awareness and money for the charities that are closest to me. @cr_uk @royalmarsden @bowelcanceruk.

'As a result, the @bowelbabefund is being established and Id love nothing more than for you to help it flourish. Please visit bowelbabe.org for all the info and to donate (link in Bio).'

It has since raised more than 617,500 in less than 24 hours after it was launched, and will be spent on funding clinical trials and research into personalised medicine that could result in new treatments for cancer patients, and continued support to raise awareness of cancer.

The mother-of-two also announced the news she was launching a fund in her name in order to help others who were suffering from similar diseases

Deborah continued in her social media post: 'All I ask if you ever read a column, followed my Instagram, listened to the podcast or saw me dressed as a poo for no reason.

'Please buy me a drink to see me out this world, by donating the cost to @bowelbabefund which will enable us to raise funds for further life saving research into cancer. To give more Deborahs more time!'

As she finished the post, she wrote: 'Right now for me its all about taking it a day at a time, step by step and being grateful for another sunrise.

'My whole family are around me and we will dance through this together, sunbathing and laughing (Ill cry!!) at every possible moment!

'You are all incredible, thank you for playing your part in my journey. No regrets. Enjoy life. Deborah.'

The mother-of-two has spent months recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency

BBC podcast host Deborah James, who has incurable bowel cancer, revealed in April after she was discharged after more than a month in hospital. Pictured, leaving the Royal Marsden Hospital

It's been a difficult year so far for the mother-of-two, who spent much of the last six months receiving in-patient treatment in hospital.

She has spent months recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency.

In January, she said the 'trauma' of nearly dying was still 'very raw and real' as she returned home after three weeks in hospital.

Posting on Instagram earlier this year, the mother-of-two spoke of enduring the 'hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest' period of her cancer battle in the last week, which has involved three operations and 'a lot more procedures' to come.

She told how her husband watched as doctors fought to save her life after she 'crashed' in resuscitation.

Deborah, who has incurable bowel cancer, revealed how she 'nearly died' in January in an 'acute medical emergency'. She shared this photo from hospital

Posting on Instagram, the mother-of-two spoke of enduring the 'hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest' period of her cancer battle in the last week, which has involved three operations and 'a lot more procedures' to come

BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN'T IGNORE Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom

Blood in stools

A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks

Unexplained weight loss

Extreme, unexplained tiredness

Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50

Have a family history of the condition

Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel

Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease

Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement

'A week ago at this time in the evening I nearly died in what was an acute medical emergency,' she wrote. 'I'm not ready to discuss what happened yet as the trauma of it all has been incredibly intense - but it's thanks to an unbelievable team of NHS specialists who worked all through the night and the next day to save me.

'I cannot be more grateful. I'm still not out of danger and I have a lot more procedures to deal with. But I'm now out of intensive care. And for the first time felt able to briefly update you.'

Sharing a photo of her giving a thumbs up from a hospital bed, she continued: 'This is me yesterday having just come round from my 3rd operation this week. I have another operation tomorrow.

'In 5 years of having stage 4 Cancer - this has been the hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest of them all. I'd always prepared for my death, but I wasn't prepared for something so blindsiding and traumatic to happen.

'I can't quite believe I'm here to write this. A week ago my whole family was praying I'd pull through the night. I'm getting a lot of help and support to come to terms with the trauma I've been through.

'My family have been incredible. I don't know how my husband held it together seeing me crash as an army of doctors stabilised me in resus.'

After thanking followers for their support, she added: 'Do me a favour and go tell your loved ones how much you love them. To realise in a sudden split moment that you are unlikely to see the next day is utterly heartbreaking. Have no regrets.'

Discussing how difficult the last six months have been, James said while she was really happy that the 'big gun chemo' she endured has slowed her cancer's growth, which had been 'on the march', it had been an exhausting time.

In the summer, James was told she had an aggressive new tumour that had wrapped itself around her bile duct - requiring a life-saving stay in hospital - and a stent fitted to stop her liver from failing.

The stent fitted to stop her liver failing 'stopped working' in December.

She explained to her followers at the time how hopes at having a 'quick replacement operation' had turned into a 'nightmare'.

She said: 'I'm now at the mercy of hopefully some super 'magic medicine miracle' - but then I always have been, and any chance is a chance right?

'All I ever say Is all I want is hope and options.'

Last year, James shared that her cancer, which has been kept at bay by pioneering treatment, was back again and she was forced to endure a 12th operation.

The West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer in 2016.

She has frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease.

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe' and began writing a column for the Sun.

In 2018, Deborah joined Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live.

Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show.
The father of former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, who returned to Texas after being freed in a surprise prisoner swap with Russia last month, has revealed how Texas States Senator Ted Cruz did nothing to help bring him home.

Reed was detained in Russia in 2019. He was accused of assaulting a police officer while visiting his girlfriend in the country - something he has always denied.

His father, Joey Reed, made a point of thanking Senator John Cornyn and Reps. August Pfluger and Michael McCaul, but Cruz, perhaps the most high profile of Texas names, was missing from the list.

Joey Reed, left, father of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and recently released Russian prisoner Trevor Reed, claims Texas Senator Ted Cruz 'didn't do anything' to help their cause

Trevor Reed arrives back in Texas on last month. He is shown with Rep. August Pfluger, who helped secure his release

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz said he was hesitant to speak out in public on the matter for fear of harming Reed's case noting that he was advised it would be 'counterproductive'

U.S. Marine Trevor Reed was detained in Russia in 2019

Reed has since given a frank assessment of Cruz's efforts in an interview to the Dallas Morning News.

'He didn't do anything. He's an embarrassment to the state of Texas, let me just say that. I don't care what or who runs against him, I will work for their campaign to defeat that son of a b****.'

Cruz's office has confirmed Reed's account in part, noting that the senator did not take a stance in public out of concern that he might antagonize Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Cruz's aides have suggested that he was in fact working behind the scenes.

'We were repeatedly advised by Administration officials that my taking a public role in this specific case would be counterproductive, and that because of my role fighting to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, leaders in Russia may well have linked the two issues. That would have endangered Trevor and delayed his release,' Cruz said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.

Paula and Joey Reed are shown outside their home in Granbury, Texas, last month after receiving the news that their son would be freed

Footage posted online showed the moment Russian forces escorted Reed out of a dark-colored van, last month as he made his first steps toward freedom

Trevor Reed (center in navy shirt) with his mother and father, Texas Rep. August Pfluger and others, pictured on April 28, after arriving back in Texas

Trevor Reed (left) is shown arriving back in Texas last month. He was freed in a dramatic prisoner swap. The Marine was jailed in Russia in 2019 while visiting a girlfriend. He was accused of assaulting a police officer but has always denied it

Cruz went on to defend the Reed family's interpretation that he did nothing to secure Trevor's release.

'[I am] very sorry that Trevor's family interpreted this as not prioritizing his release, and my heart breaks for them for having to endure all the pain of Trevor's imprisonment... Fighting to free American hostages wrongly held by tyrannical governments is a deep personal passion, and I have spent my entire Senate career fighting to release Americans in captivity.

'I would have eagerly taken a public role loudly calling for Trevor's release, but I believed that the best way for me to help was to vigorously press the Administration behind the scenes and work through the State Department to bring Trevor home as soon as possible,' he said.

The Reed family see things differently and as far as they are concerned, Cruz was not involved whatsoever in securing their son's freedom, unlike the various other Texas politicians.

Ex-Marine Trevor Reed was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers. He is pictured inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow in March 2020

Reed inside a defendant's cage in a courtroom during a Moscow hearing in July, 2020

Reed's parents, Joey and Paula Reed, demonstrated outside the White House in March. They would later be granted a meeting with President Biden to discuss the situation

White House officials revealed that concerns of Trevor's deteriorating health largely motivated a ramping up of efforts to see him released. He appeared gaunt during the prisoner exchange

Cruz called the Reeds at home congratulating them following their son's release

Reed recalled how shortly after his son's arrest in Moscow in 2019, he got in touch with Cruz's office.

His son, Trevor, had been arrested having been accused of assaulting a police officer. It was also further alleged that as he was being taken to the station and following a heavy drinking session, he grabbed one of the cops causing the police car to swerve.

It soon became apparent that he was going to face a nine-year jail term.

When the Reeds called Cruz's office, they were told there was little the senator could do with one member of staff saying that he would be unable to help, at least publicly.

'Because Senator Cruz is such an enemy of Putin, he's afraid that if he says anything, it will hurt your son,' Reed claims the staffer said.

'We said, "Are you serious?" "Well, yeah." "Okay. Thanks a lot.'" So he's never said another word.'

Trevor Reed and his girlfriend Alina (Lina) Tsybulnik

Once Trevor Reed was released, Cruz released a statement.

'I'm relieved that Trevor Reed has been freed from his wrongful detention by Russia. This Marine will now be reunited with his family and get the medical treatment that he needs. It is imperative that Russia release the other Americans who they continue to wrongfully detain.'

He then called the Reeds at home to congratulate them following their son's release.

'And I told him right on the phone, I said, "Where have you been for the last two and a half years?"' Joey Reed said.

'I hit him point blank: "We are not appreciative." He said, "Well, anything I can do," and I said, "We said we needed your help two and a half years ago, not now."'

Cruz claims that his team discussed Trevor Reed with both the Trump and Biden administrations as well as the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan.

But Joey Reed claims to be unaware of any behind-the-scenes efforts by Cruz, nor of his staff informing him that they were doing so.

In contrast to Cruz, Reed says Rep. August Pfluger repeatedly called for Putin to end Reed's imprisonment even sponsoring a resolution last year that called for Trevor's release. It passed in the House with bipartisan support.

Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, who is the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee has been a 'a giant, loud, outspoken critic of Putin and he's been a giant, public voice for our son.'

'We've been so thankful, and we believe that the public voice is what made the difference in our son's case, not the traditional go behind the scenes and just check on people,' Joey Reed said.
Air hostess and single mum Jenna Leigh Cross, 31, was left 'shocked and disappointed' at her rejection for a HomeBuilder's grant - and embarrassed because she personally thanked Josh Frydenberg for the grant on a flight

A young Australian mum is reeling after being denied a $25,000 government grant to buy her first home by a cruel technicality - and she's far from alone in having her dreams ruined.

Jenna Leigh Cross, a 31-year-old flight attendant, is 'shocked and disappointed' after being refused the HomeBuilder grant she was planning to put toward building a $400,000 house in Cairns.

The rules say no grants can be paid to an applicant if they built on their block before June 4, 2020.

Even though Ms Cross signed for the house and land package in October 2020, and the slab for her home was only laid in January 2021, Queensland authorities rejected her, citing aerial photos of work before June 2020.

That was four months before she even owned it.

A frustrated Ms Cross, who hasn't been shown the satellite photos, says they can only show work done prior to sale by the developer.

It cleared and subdivided the land which was previously cane fields, to make it ready for sale.

The Queensland government also rejected at least three of Ms Cross's neighbours on a new Mount Peter estate in Edmonton, Cairns.

Ms Cross and her neighbours are far from alone in being turned down for the home grants over building work that had nothing to do with them.

It is understood hundreds of people have been knocked back for the $25,000 and $15,000 HomeBuilder grants by Queensland treasury staff claiming construction had commenced on blocks before the June 4, 2020 eligibility start date.

Ms Cross with her son on the Cairns block she bought in December 2020. Queensland Treasury rejected her application for the HomeBuilder grant because it said construction had commenced on the site before June 4, 2020

Hundreds of Australians who battled to buy their first home expecting government grants to get them over the line have been denied by a cruel technicality (pictured, the Cairns home Jenna Cross built - although promised government help was denied)

Their evidence is also understood to be satellite images of applicants' blocks - in almost all cases, showing land-clearing and sub division work prior to sale.

None of the satellite images cited by Daily Mail Australia show construction in progress on blocks.

Ms Cross is adamant she met the criteria to receive the Federal government's $25,000 HomeBuilder grant. Her developer agreed and wrote a letter supporting her claim.

But her appeal was rejected with the government claiming 'excavation and site preparation works on the site on which the new home is located commenced prior to 4 June 2020'.

'I'm shocked and disappointed,' Ms Cross told Daily Mail Australia.

'My neighbours had their grants approved and we're all on the same land, registered at the same time.

'They said they had evidence from satellite photos but theyve never sent me the evidenceI can't get my head around it.'

She went ahead and built a $400,000 four-bedroom house on the block but has had to make several sacrifices.

Ms Cross bought a block on the Mount Peter Estate in Edmonton, south of Cairns, in October 2020 from a developer. But the Queensland government used aerial photos showing the developer sub-divided the land to reject her claim for a $25,000 grant

The state government rejected grant applications for several people who bought blocks on Ms Cross's street - Mount Peter Estate in Edmonton, south of Cairns - because it said construction had commenced before June 4, 2020. This photo was taken on September 1, 2020

Ms Cross had to cancel an overseas holiday for her and her son Jailen, 11, and shelved plans to upgrade her car because the grant was denied.

She also cancelled the installation of solar panels on her new home.

She feels embarrassed that she 'personally thanked the treasurer Josh Frydenberg for the grant on one of my flights'.

'This grant would have helped me so much. Obviously that was before I was rejected.'

Ms Cross said she'd had to make sacrifices after being knocked back for the HomeBuilder grant

Richardson Plant wrote a letter of support stating it had only prepared the ground subdivision as required by law. It didn't start building Ms Cross's home until August 28, 2020.

Another woman, disability support worker Melissa Bloomfield, had her grant rejected after she worked extra shifts and spent a year couch-surfing in order to raise a deposit.

She bought a unit off the plan in Redlands, south of Brisbane.

The Queensland government claimed a satellite image showed the site where her home was built showed construction was underway before June 4, 2020.

But the image simply showed a cleared patch of land after the house on it previously had been demolished.

Melissa Bloomfield applied for a HomeBuilder grant to build a home on this Redlands block, near Brisbane, but her application was rejected because the Queensland government decided construction had begun before the cut-off date for eligibility

'When I first read the letter I was thinking 'surely not'. I couldn't believe it,' Ms Bloomfield told 9News.

'I was very, very taken aback because I was just waiting for the grant to come through. I thought there was no way it would be rejected.'

Gold Coast single dad Clint Calman, who set up a Facebook page for rejected HomeBuilder applicants, claims Queensland is the only state using satellite photos to reject applications.

'I'm dirty about this, they're just getting it wrong,' Mr Calman told Daily Mail Australia.

'You go to purchase a home-bare block of land if you want to build, the previous people subdivided and cleared the land - that has nothing to do with your purchase.

'But someone in a government department seems to be making the decision that this is enough to reject the grant.

'I'm seeing on other Homebuilder grant pages around Australia and they're approving the applications in a few weeks. The team we're dealing with here are the only state doing this.

'I'm frustrated that we have to go through this garbage when we know we qualify.'

He applied for the grant when building his first home, a Southport townhouse, and was rejected.

Mr Calman has an appeal before the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal over his case.

A satellite photo of a vacant Hervey Bay block that Queensland Treasury used to justify rejecting an application for a housing grant on the basis that building had commenced

Another satellite photo showing what looks like a vacant block that Queensland Treasury claimed shows construction activity. Angry grant applicants say their blocks were not being built on but had just been cleared by developers or previous owners

While 85 people have joined the page he said there are probably hundreds more in the same position.

'I know of a lot more and I'm sure there's a lot I don't know about. Just in my block of 30 townhouses there's 13 people who were knocked back.'

He claimed dozens of families have been caught out after taking short-term loans or borrowing money from family to get their deposit together.

'I dont understand what the Queensland state government has got to gain from knocking back a federal grant anyway?' Mr Calman said.

'Is it one person in the office deciding on their own to try and save the federal government some money?'

Mr Calman said he'd contacted federal housing minister Michael Sukkar and had no reply.

A spokesman for Queensland Revenue Office said the organisation 'uses the best information available in assessing grant applications.

'As new information becomes available, QRO will use this to confirm an applicants eligibility.'

He added that 'where an application is found to have incomplete or inaccurate information', QRO will ensure the process is 'fair' for applicants.

The federal Treasury spokeswoman responded that the department did not comment on policy during the caretaker period before the election.

She also added: 'The States and Territories are responsible for making the necessary arrangements to administer HomeBuilder.'
Russia is struggling to make significant military gains in Ukraine's Donbas region because it is fighting Kyiv's forces one-on-one, a pro-Moscow reporter has said.

War correspondent and Putin propagandist Aleksandr Sladkov made a rare admission of Russia's military struggles in Ukraine, speaking in a video posted to social media late on Monday.

He said that Vladimir Putin's so-called special military operation was 'shamefully indecisive', that Russian troops 'can't push out Ukrainian forces', and that Moscow's armies are 'making a feat out of something that should be routine'.

Sladkov, a journalist for Russia's state-run Russia-1 TV channel, has in the past been deployed with Putin's forces to make pro-Kremlin military propaganda.

The video - showing Sladkov speaking negatively about Russia's approach to its invasion, to a camera in a dark room - marks a change in tone from the reporter.

The footage also appears to confirm the assessment of a US official on Monday, who said the Russian effort in the Donbas hasn't achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

A senior US official also said on Monday that some Russian officers are even disobeying military orders, according to report.

Pictured: Destroyed Russian military vehicles, taken out by Ukrainian forces defending Kyiv and now pictured dumped outside Bucha in a makeshift 'tank graveyard'

Russia is struggling to make significant military gains in Ukraine's Donbas region because it is fighting Kyiv's forces one-on-one, Russian propagandist Alexander Sladkov said on Monday

Sladkov's video began with him decrying 'scumbags from the Ukrainian armed forces,' who he claimed were responsible for shelling the Leninskiy district in Donetsk - where he was recording the video.

The shelling killed a woman and a 16-year-old boy, he claimed.

'You know why [these attacks] are happening?' he asked rhetorically.

'We can't push out Ukrainian forces from the city. We can't push them out. Because... I don't know. We shouldn't criticise but... we are assaulting with one to one ratio, their villages and their strongpoints... one to one.'

He continued: We are making a feat out of something that should be routine. You see? Their forces keep coming, we can't close the sailient (a military term that can also be called a bulge into military territory).

'I understand it's difficult to talk about this, but at least some fool needs to announce it! Even if today. Even if it's me.'

It was unclear whether Sladkov was saying Ukrainian or Russian forces had made a salient into the other's territory, but by saying 'we can't close the the sailient', it suggested Russian forces had been unable to encircle Kyiv's troops.

He said that despite Russia's lack of progress, morale was 'not decreasing', before accidentally calling Moscow's attack on Ukraine a war - quickly correcting himself to the Kremlin's official 'special operation' line.

'The morale is not decreasing, it's positive, no, we're ready to fight! We're going forward, assaulting, even those who to say it softly we're quite undecisive at this war... em... special operation. Shamefully undecisive.

Sladkov, a journalist for Russia's state-run Russia-1 TV channel, has in the past been deployed with Putin's forces to make pro-Kremlin military propaganda.

Pictured: Two men inspect the wreckage of a Russian armoured military vehicle in Ukraine

Pictured: The twisted metal of destroyed Russian tanks is seen in a tank graveyard in Bucha

Pictured: The wreckage of a Russian tank is seen amongst the twisted metal of other destroyed Russian military vehicles in Bucha, UKraine

'Even they are moving forward, they start feeling that [they] can win, but... I don't know what sort of sportlike approach this is when this proportion is being held - god forbid more troops would fall onto the enemy! They killed a woman, and a 16-year old boy. That's how it is,' he said, finishing the video.

Due to Putin's authoritarianism, it is rare to see pro-Kremlin figures speaking negatively about Russia's shortcomings, particularly since the Russian president launched his invasion on February 24.

It has been widely reported that Putin was expecting his forces to rapidly advance across Ukraine and overthrow the country's elected government within days.

Instead, his forces have been drawn into a protracted conflict - which is showing no signs of abating. Ukraine is being supplied by its Western allies, and intelligence updates have suggested Moscow's armies are running low on equipment.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm Kyiv over a month ago, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog.

Ukrainian servicemen are seen in the trenches as fighting against Russian troops continues near to the Cherkaske City, on eastern Ukraine, May 3, 2022

A man walks past a residential apartment block damaged one day before by a Russian missile strike on May 06, 2022 in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment.

Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas hasn't achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Meanwhile, Putin marked his country's biggest patriotic holiday Monday without a major new battlefield success in Ukraine to boast of.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square, watching as troops marched in formation and military hardware rolled past in a celebration of the Soviet Union's role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

While Western analysts in recent weeks had widely expected Putin to use the holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, he did neither. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

'The danger was rising by the day,' Putin said. 'Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely and the only correct decision.'

He steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word 'Ukraine.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2022

In his speech, Putin steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word 'Ukraine'

On the ground, meanwhile, intense fighting raged in Ukraine's east, the vital Black Sea port of Odesa in the south came under repeated missile attack, and Russian forces sought to finish off the Ukrainian defenders making their last stand at a steel plant in Mariupol.

Putin has long bristled at NATO's creep eastward into former Soviet republics. Ukraine and its Western allies have denied the country posed any threat.

As he has done all along, Putin falsely portrayed the fighting as a battle against Nazism, thereby linking the war to what many Russians consider their finest hour: the triumph over Hitler. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

Many analysts had suggested Putin might use his holiday speech to present the Russian people with a victory amid discontent over the country's heavy casualties and the punishing effects of Western sanctions.

Others suggested he might declare the fighting a war, not just a 'special military operation,' and order a nationwide mobilization, with a call-up of reserves, to replenish the depleted ranks for an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is headed or how he might intend to salvage it. Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

'Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia can't fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine,' tweeted Phillips P. O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: 'Russia has not won this war. It's starting to lose it.'

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, 'the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favor of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated Western military equipment.'

Despite Russia's crackdown on dissent, antiwar sentiment has seeped through. Dozens of protesters were detained around the country on Victory Day, and editors at a pro-Kremlin media outlet revolted by briefly publishing a few dozen stories criticizing Putin and the invasion.

In Warsaw, antiwar protesters splattered Russia's ambassador to Poland with what appeared to be red paint as he arrived at a cemetery to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Ukrainian capital. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in his own Victory Day address that his country would eventually defeat the Russians.

'Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine,' he said in a video. He added: 'We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.'

The Ukrainian military warned of a high probability of missile strikes around the holiday, and some cities imposed curfews or warned people not to gather in public places.

More than 60 people were feared dead over the weekend after Russian bombardment flattened a Ukrainian school being used as a shelter in the eastern village of Bilohorivka, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia is perhaps closest to a victory in Mariupol. The U.S. official said roughly 2,000 Russian forces were around Mariupol, and the city was being pounded by airstrikes. As many as 2,000 Ukrainian defenders were believed to be holding out at the steel plant, the city's last stronghold of resistance.

A view shows an explosion at a plant of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 8, 2022

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to complete a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas. It would also give the Kremlin a badly needed success.

Odesa, too, has increasingly been bombarded in recent days. Ukrainian officials said it came under repeated fire from missiles Monday. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, and authorities did not say what was struck.

The war in the country long known as the 'breadbasket of Europe' has disrupted global food supplies.

'I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export,' Charles Michel, president of the European Council, lamented in a tweet after a visit to Odesa.

'This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries.'

Last week, Sladkov advocated dropping an atomic bomb to cause 'a crater the size of several regions' in a 'demonstrative way' 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.

The Russian president placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after its invasion of Ukraine began February 24.

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.

'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.

'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.'

A graveyard for tanks: Hundreds of Vladimir Putin's mangled military vehicles are rusting in fields after botched Kyiv assault

By Michael Powell For The Daily Mail

While Vladimir Putin showed off columns of tanks in Red Square, the reality on the ground in Ukraine is that hundreds of his mangled military vehicles are now rusting in fields after his botched attempt to capture Kyiv.

The Daily Mail discovered a vast tank graveyard full of charred military hardware yesterday in Bucha, a middle-class suburb 20 miles from the capital, which was the scene of fierce battles and the mass murder of civilians by Russian forces before they made a humiliating retreat.

Ukraines military estimates it has destroyed 1,145 tanks and 2,764 armoured fighting vehicles since Russia invaded on February 24.

One destroyed Russian BTR armoured personnel carrier in Bucha had half-melted ration packs containing meat paste and a tin of goulash with made in Russia written on the sticky label.

A damaged tank is seen as unusable due to the artillery attack in Mariupol, Ukraine

The mass wreckage left after Russian attack has been left to rust

Thousands of tanks and amoured vehicles have been left in a vast 'tank graveayard'

A destroyed Russian tank was found with ration packs and a tin with made in Russia on it

Nearby there were also dozens of ordinary family cars riddled with bullet holes, including a red Mitsubishi Colt which still had its occupants bloodied clothes inside.

I remember seeing this car on the main road with the bodies of two elderly people lying next to it, said Anatolii, 44, a gym instructor from Bucha, who was among locals visiting the site yesterday.

He said that Putins invaders did not care about peoples lives, adding: They killed people for absolutely nothing.
Britains top general has admitted the Army is simply not big enough to tackle threats to the UKs security.

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, a decorated former SAS commander, said he was not comfortable when he learned the Ministry of Defence (MoD) intended to cut the size of the regular Army by 9,000 soldiers.

Sir Mark, who will soon step down as Chief of the General Staff, told Soldier magazine: Im not comfortable with an Army of just 73,000 [full-time troops].

'It is too small.

It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace criticised the state of the Armys vehicles yesterday, saying its land fleet was woefully behind its peers.

He said: You can lay the blame at all sorts of reasons, but fundamentally it needs definitely to modernise.

General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, a decorated former SAS commander, told Soldier magazine he is not comfortable with plans to cut the size of the Army by thousands of troops

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured during a Defence of Europe conference in London on Monday) has also criticised the state of Army vehicles, saying they are in need of modernisation

The warnings by such senior members of the UKs defence establishment will heap pressure on the Treasury to find more funds.

The Army is at its smallest since the 1700s and has lost 30,000 troops in the past two decades.

Last night the MoD said: We are investing an extra 24billion in defence  the biggest investment in the UKs Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War.

While advances in mechanisation and unmanned fighting systems can compensate for fighting with fewer soldiers, General Sir Mark is in no doubt manpower cuts have gone too far.

The latest cuts were made as part of the governments Integrated Review of defence spending and priorities.

He suggested the cuts came as an unpleasant surprise.

He said: Im not comfortable with an Army of just 73,000. It is too small. That was never part of our proposition going into the review.

In fact, I was working to direction that we regrow the Army to 82,000 - as we have done that successfully over the past four years.

So being limited to 73,000 people was quite a surprise - and it is a bit of an arbitrary figure because it is just a price point.

In a public address yesterday Mr Wallace admitted: I mean, the Armys land fleet is woefully behind its peers. You can lay the blame at all sorts of reasons, but fundamentally it needs definitely to modernise.

The Army has invested 3.5 billion in the high-tech Ajax light tank but it is yet to be introduced into service due to technical issues.

Troops testing the vehicle suffered such severe ear damage due to the noise created by Ajax they were forced to medically discharge from the armed forces.
The NHS is facing shortages of blood pressure pills, painkillers and anti-depressants as drug producers are hit by supply problems, an industry body has warned.

Companies providing widely used medications face unprecedented pressure with supply chains and red tape, it is claimed.

Manufacturers of dozens of the UKs most commonly used drugs are struggling with a perfect storm of rising costs of raw materials and delays of up to 18 months to secure approvals from the medicines regulator.

Some anti-depressants, blood pressure tablets, steroids and pills used to relieve arthritis pain could be affected, according to the i newspaper.

The NHS is facing shortages of blood pressure pills, painkillers and anti-depressants as drug producers are hit by supply problems, an industry body has warned (stock image)

British Generic Manufacturers Association chief executive Mark Samuels said there was a real risk the NHS and pharmacies will face further shortages in the coming months  similar to the current HRT crisis.

Generic medicines have been taken for granted, Mr Samuels said.

It is a complex industry and it is under unprecedented pressure and that does bring a real risk of shortages at the moment.

The UK regulator  the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency  said it regularly accelerates approval processes where a product could be the subject of a shortage.

British Generic Manufacturers Association chief executive Mark Samuels said there was a real risk the NHS and pharmacies will face further shortages in the coming months  similar to the current HRT crisis (stock image)

Figures indicate there are nearly 50 generic medicines supplied to the NHS in a particular size or strength that are listed as having supply issues - a 25 per cent increase in the last month.

Of these, 44 have no equivalent alternative.

A source at one of the UKs major generic manufacturers said there are very fine margins in a drug being viable to produce or not.

Separate figures from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, which represents 11,000 NHS pharmacy contractors, showed 67 drugs were listed in March as medications for which the Government was willing to pay a higher price due to problems such as supply issues.

Another industry body, the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said the number of patients facing issues with obtaining medications is likely to be at least 500,000.
While Vladimir Putin showed off columns of tanks in Red Square, the reality on the ground in Ukraine is that hundreds of his mangled military vehicles are now rusting in fields after his botched attempt to capture Kyiv.

The Daily Mail discovered a vast tank graveyard full of charred military hardware yesterday in Bucha, a middle-class suburb 20 miles from the capital, which was the scene of fierce battles and the mass murder of civilians by Russian forces before they made a humiliating retreat.

Pictured: Destroyed Russian military vehicles, taken out by Ukrainian forces defending Kyiv and now pictured dumped outside Bucha in a makeshift 'tank graveyard'

Pictured: The wreckage of a Russian tank is seen amongst the twisted metal of other destroyed Russian military vehicles in Bucha, UKraine

Pictured: Two men inspect the wreckage of a Russian armoured military vehicle in Ukraine

A damaged tank is seen as unusable due to the artillery attack in Mariupol, Ukraine

The mass wreckage left after Russian attack has been left to rust

Ukraines military estimates it has destroyed 1,145 tanks and 2,764 armoured fighting vehicles since Russia invaded on February 24.

One destroyed Russian BTR armoured personnel carrier in Bucha had half-melted ration packs containing meat paste and a tin of goulash with made in Russia written on the sticky label.

Thousands of tanks and amoured vehicles have been left in a vast 'tank graveayard'

A destroyed Russian tank was found with ration packs and a tin with made in Russia on it

Nearby there were also dozens of ordinary family cars riddled with bullet holes, including a red Mitsubishi Colt which still had its occupants bloodied clothes inside.

I remember seeing this car on the main road with the bodies of two elderly people lying next to it, said Anatolii, 44, a gym instructor from Bucha, who was among locals visiting the site yesterday.

He said that Putins invaders did not care about peoples lives, adding: They killed people for absolutely nothing.
The BBC has been accused of appeasing woke warriors after a Countryfile presenter said 'people' menstruate.

Describing how farmers tell when a cow is ready to give birth, Adam Henson said: 'A cow cycles every three weeks like a person, and the gestation period from mating to birth is the same as a person, nine months.'

The use of 'person' angered viewers of Sunday night's episode.

Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies tweeted: 'People don't have monthly cycles, BBC, females do... bulls don't have monthly cycles BBC!

'It's like infant school biology class.'

Another viewer wrote: 'Countryfile informing us that cows have monthly cycles, ''just like a person''. Woman. Like a woman.'

Describing how farmers tell when a cow is ready to give birth, Adam Henson (pictured) had said: 'A cow cycles every three weeks like a person, and the gestation period from mating to birth is the same as a person, nine months.'

A third wrote: 'Oh dear... he's telling us how similar timings the cow has to ''humans who give birth''.

'Come on Adam, you know they are women. Don't go woke on us.'

One even called for the BBC to be defunded, tweeting: '@BBCCountryfile when talking about calf being born and relate to human birth it's women not a person. Stop the woke. #DefundTheBBC.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'Adam was not making a specific point about sex or gender, he was talking about farm animals on a programme about the countryside.'

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced two years of abuse and death threats since publishing an essay on her website in which she argued that biological sex is real.

It comes days after Anne Robinson (pictured centre) told the Mail that she twice rejected an offer to return as host of BBC quiz show The Weakest Link because 'wokeness has taken the heart out of comedy'

She was labelled a TERF - trans-exclusionary radical feminist - after taking issue with the term 'people who menstruate'.

It also comes days after Anne Robinson told the Mail that she twice rejected an offer to return as host of BBC quiz show The Weakest Link because 'wokeness has taken the heart out of comedy'.

She said: 'Times have really changed. I wouldn't want to be a cheesy gameshow host, and that is what the BBC wanted.

'Where's the fun if you can't ask, 'What do you do when you're not eating?' or 'Have you had that hair cut for a bet?'

'No one saw anything wrong with it, but you couldn't say it today.'
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Protesters chanting 'abort the court' gathered outside the Virginia home of Justice Samuel Alito on Monday night as the Senate passed legislation to beef up security for Supreme Court justices.

Demonstrators marched up and down his street in Alexandria, lit candles and shouted slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice'.

The bipartisan bill, which passed by voice vote with no objections, aims to ensure justices and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access and whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

It did not provide additional funding, which could come later. But it aims to put the court on par with the executive and legislative branches, making certain the nine justices are provided security as some protesters have gathered outside their homes. The bill now moves to the House for its consideration.

Protests have erupted in front of the Supreme Court Building and around the country after a leaked draft opinion suggested a majority of conservatives on the court are prepared to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

Pro-abortion rights advocates stage a protest outside the house of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito in the Fort Hunt neighborhood, in Alexandria, Virgina

Protesters carrying a 'Repro Freedom For All!' sign are seen demonstrating outside Justice Samuel Alito's home

Demonstrators marched up and down his street, lit candles and shouted slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice'

A police officer stands outside the home of Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito as pro-abortion protesters gather in Alexandria

The Senate legislation is a technical change that allows Supreme Court law enforcement to provide around-the-clock security to immediate family members, in line with protection for some people in the executive and legislative branches. It was sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Cornyn said threats to Supreme Court justices and their families are 'disgraceful' and attempts to intimidate the independence of the judiciary branch shouldn't be tolerated.

'The House must take up and pass it immediately,' Cornyn said.

Dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

The protest in Virginia came as the Senate passed legislation to beef up security for Supreme Court justices

The bipartisan bill, which passed by voice vote with no objections, aims to ensure justices and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access and whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision

A woman carrying a candle is seen protesting outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito o Monday night

Pro-abortion rights advocates stage a protest outside the house of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito in the Fort Hunt neighborhood, in Alexandria, Virgina

Candles are left on the street during a pro-abortion rights protest outside Justice Alito's house

'I think we're at serious risk,' the press secretary replied when asked how likely a ban on abortion across the nation was, apparently not optimistic about Democrats' chances in the midterms of holding on to power in Washington

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Monday that President Joe Biden 'strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.'

Earlier on Monday, Psaki warned how the nation is at 'serious risk' of a nationwide abortion ban if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

'I think we're at serious risk,' the press secretary replied when asked how likely a ban on abortion across the nation was, apparently not optimistic about Democrats' chances in the midterms of holding on to power in Washington.

Psaki said that the White House Counsel's Office, the White House Gender Policy Council, and the Department of Justice are looking at a 'range of considerations' to take 'every step we can to protect women's fundamental rights and protect rights beyond that.'

'You heard Mitch McConnell and other Republicans in Congress are talking about a national ban on a woman's right to choose,' she said.

Police have set up a tall fence and blocked off streets this week as people have protested in front of the Supreme Court Building, which is across from the U.S. Capitol. They have also shut down the plaza and steps in front of the building.

'Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of normal First Amendment speech or protest,' Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the vote.

Law enforcement officers stand between abortion-rights advocates and the home Justice Alito

Many of those gathered held candles and also signs with pointed questions in order to make themselves heard

Candles are left on the street during a pro-abortion rights protest outside the house of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito

Neighbors of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito watch demonstrators in support of reproductive rights marching through their neighborhood

The political group Shut Down DC said it would be organizing a vigil outside Justice Alito's home because 'it's been impossible to reach him at the Supreme Court.'

The demonstration came after the Senate passed legislation to beef up security for Supreme Court justices, ensuring they and their families are protected, with police officers positioned outside his home

Abortion-rights advocates stage a protest outside U.S. Associated Justice Samuel Alito's house

Many of the pro-abortion protesters held signs that make their position clear

One member of the crowd held a sign that read: 'History will remember you as an oppressor and murderer'

The Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that for nearly 50 years has guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion

Demonstrators were seen outside the home of the Supreme Court Justice as dusk fell

Demonstrators rallied outside the Northern Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Monday evening to protest his draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade

Rene H., right, holds a sign in support of abortion rights as Mark Lee Dickson, of Texas, left, and Mauricio L., of California, hold anti-abortion signs outside of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, on Monday

Abortion-rights activists demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on Monday in Washington, DC

A smaller number of people were gathered outside the Supreme Court on Monday
Two Australian women were blocked from boarding their Jetstar flight to Bali because they took their PCR tests two hours too early.

Jessie Carr, 22, and her sister Angie Carr, 23, were left at Sydney international airport on Monday night because they would have been denied entry to Indonesia.

Australians travelling to Indonesia need to be vaccinated against Covid and take a PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

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Jessie Carr, 22, and sister Angie Carr, 23, were left stranded at Sydney international airport on Monday night after being unable to board their Jetstar flight to Bali

PCR tests are available at the airport but take an hour and a half to complete, too long for the sisters to make their flight.

'When you get denied to catch your flight to Bali because the PCR test expired two hours before check in,' Jessie wrote in a video she shared online.

The sisters were travelling to Bali to reunite with their father after being unable to see him for several months due to Covid restrictions.

'We could have completely missed our opportunity to visit him and also lose our money and total holiday,' Jessie told Daily Mail Australia.

Jessie Carr (right) said her and her sister Angie (left) were unable to board their flight to reunite with their father due to confusion over a PCR test

The TikTok star said she and Angie took the test 50 hours before the flight on Saturday afternoon and received their tests results 40 hours before departure.

It was only once the pair arrived at the airport that they realised the 48 hour deadline was from when the tests were taken, not when they received their result.

They said confusing instructions from Jetstar led to the mishap.

'The instructions were not clear. The text message from Jetstar stated that we needed negative test results within 48 hours before departure,' Jessie said.

Jetstar sent the above text message to Jessie Carr stating the girls would need to provide a 'negative test result within 48 hours before departure', leading the girls to think the deadline started from when they received the test result not when they took the test

Jessie Carr (pictured) said the confusing message cost the sisters $700 in accomodation, new tests, and transport

'They did not specify that this started from the time you complete the test, it just said we need the "result" 48 hours prior, which we provided.

'The results were from 40 hours prior to the departure in time.'

After spending an hour on hold with Jetstar's reservation office the Carr sisters were able to transfer to a flight on Tuesday.

While the girls didn't have to buy new plane tickets, they did have to pay for new tests, accommodation, and transport.

'We both had to pay for a hotel to stay at near the airport for the night - $170 for the hotel and Uber - to ensure wed get the next flight on time,' Jessie said.

'We live 2.5 hours away. To trek it back home with all our luggage, not to mention doing it all again in the morning, would've been a major inconvenience.

Angie Carr (pictured) and her sister Jessie were unable to board their flight from Sydney to Bali because their PCR test had expired two hours before departure

Jessie (pictured) and her sister were able to secure a flight with Jetstar the following day after being stranded at Sydney airport

'We also had already paid for accommodation in Bali for that night so we lost our money for that as well, $70 for one night. We didnt receive reimbursement, which is totally understandable.

'Plus, by that point our PCR tests would be expired before the new flight so we had to pay again $79 each for new ones, after already paying $150 for the first ones.

'Therefore we lost about $700 overall due to the unclear information provided.'

Jetstar have told Daily Mail Australia they have had no other customer complaints regarding their messages but have updated their text messages to avoid future confusion.

The company new text message reads:

'IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please meet all entry requirements before you arrive at the airport for your Bali flight. Requirements include a negative RT-PCR test result for all passengers (test must be taken within 48 hrs before departure)'.

INDONESIA COVID TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS To travel to Indonesia, you must be vaccinated with at least 2 Covid vaccine doses. You must also provide evidence of a Covid (PCR) test taken within 48 hours of departure to Indonesia. Children under 6 are not required to be vaccinated to enter Indonesia. Partially vaccinated 6-17 year olds may be required to complete vaccinations by local authorities. Source: Smart Traveller Specific paid PRC tests are required for international travel. For more information on tests and documentation see here. Advertisement

Jessie recently made headlines for a 'botched' trendy eyebrow lift.

The procedure involved lifting the corners of the eyebrows with a biodegradable thread to create a 'fox eye' look.

Jessie was swollen for two weeks following the $2,000 surgery last October but said the results faded quickly and the threads were still visible eight weeks after the procedure.

'My eyebrows were completely uneven,' she said in a video.

'I had lumps on my face but they didn't poke out that much and didn't look inflamed.

Jessie Carr recently made headlines for a 'botched' trendy eyebrow lift that left 'threads' visible either side of her forehead

'It's definitely not worth it, it doesn't work and it left me looking botched like this!'

She said if she pressed hard enough on the threads she could feel 'liquid transferring from side to side.'

Jessie went back to her doctor to receive a $1,100 refund and 'dissolve' the threads.

Seven months later Jessie is still suffering from the surgery and has a lump on her right temple.
A fired up Daniel Andrews crowded Anthony Albanese out of the campaign spotlight during the Victorian Premier's first joint campaign event with the federal Labor leader.

Mr Andrews was unexpectedly called from the side of to answer a question about his relationship with Scott Morrison on Tuesday at a campaign event in which the federal Labor leader pledged $2.2billion to support the Victorian government's suburban rail loop project in Surrey Hills, Melbourne.

However, it was Mr Andrews - who became a national figure during the pandemic as Victoria became the most locked-down jurisdiction in the world - who stole the limelight, blasting the 'the miserable Morrison Government' for offering Victoria 'zero dollars' for the rail project.

Mr Andrews took three minutes and40 seconds of precious press conference time from Anthony Albanese - with the Opposition Leader seen in the background awkwardly peering anxiously over his shoulder.

Daniel Andrews (pictured right) took over Anthony Albanese's (second left) press conference in Melbourne on Tuesday as Labor MPs Jim Chalmers and Catherine King looked on

Eventually, after a bit of ducking and diving around trying to let Mr Andrews know who was supposed to be the star of the show, Mr Albanese managed to take back control.

Mr Andrews continued to rip into the Prime Minister and the Coalition government until he finally got the idea that the launch was supposed to highlight the federal Opposition leader's commitment to Victoria.

Mr Andrews even said: 'At the end of the day, this is Albo's press conference and back to him!'

This was followed by uneasy laughter from the would be PM, the Premier and the other Labor MPs on stage, including Jim Chalmers and Catherine King.

Before being forced to hand the reins of the press conference, Mr Andrews had lambasted the federal Coalition government.

'Every federal dollar that Victorians get from the miserable Morrison Government, where we ought to bow our head and treat it like it's foreign aid, we have been ripped off by this Liberal-National Government,' he said.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese (pictured right) and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (left) are pictured during a visit to the Surrey Hills Level Crossing removal project on Tuesday

Anthony Albanese (right) and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (left) are pictured together on their first joint day of campaigning for the federal election

'Mr Morrison ... ought to have been here delivering for Victorian workers and families.'

Referring to a local rail project, Mr Andrews said 'I've had a conversation with the Prime Minister about suburban rail loop, and zero dollars. Zero dollars.

'The contrast could not be clearer. Anthony Albanese is about building things. He's about partnership.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured left) speaks to the media after taking over centre stage from an unimpressed looking Anthony Albanese (right)

Anthony Albanese (right) inspects the Surrey Hills Level Crossing removal project in Melbourne on Tuesday

'He's about creating jobs. He's about making sure that our cities and regions, our nation, actually works,' he said.

Mr Andrews then said Mr Morrison is 'a bloke who is so desperate, because he's been there for a decade and done precisely nothing ... (he has) got an excuse for everything and a plan for nothing'.

'This is the sort of stuff that comes out of prime ministers who have just run out of time,' he said.

And seconds after that, Mr Andrews realised he had run out of time himself, when Mr Albanese finally managed to catch his eye and let him know who was the real boss.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews greet workers during a visit to the Surrey Hills Level Crossing removal project in Melbourne on Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Elon Musk has said Twitter 'obviously has a strong left wing bias' as he hit back at a liberal reporter calling for violence against anti-abortion groups.

Caroline Reilly, a reporter for Rewire News Group, had shared a New York Times story about the burning and attempted bombing of a Wisconsin pro-life group's office.

'More of this,' she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. 'May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground.'

Reilly was slammed by conservatives on the site in the immediate aftermath, and Mike Cernovich - a conspiracy theorist known for his propagation of the baseless Pizzagate theory that high ranking Democrats were running a pedophilic sex-trafficking ring out of a D.C. pizza shop - made sure Musk knew about the tweet.

He tagged the Tesla CEO in a tweet accusing the platform of allowing verified accounts to incite violence in the name of liberal causes on Sunday evening.

'Here you go @elonmusk, when Twitter employees invariably lie to you about enforcement policy, maybe they can explain why a verified account is allowed to incite terrorism without any care in the world about being banned.'

Musk later replied to Cernovich, writing: 'Twitter obv has a strong left wing bias.'

He later clarified that he believed that speech on Twitter should be governed by the laws of the country in which it is being used.

'Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates.

'If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a tweet that Twitter 'Obvs has a strong left wing bias,' on Monday

Musks's comments were in response to far right conspiracy theorist Michael Cernovich (above), who called out the platform for allowing liberals to 'incite terrorism' on the platform

Cernovich is a far-right conspiracy theorist known for propagating the Pizzagate theory

Minutes after saying that Twitter leans strongly left, Musk followed up with a tweet saying he believed the platform should conform to the speech laws of the country it is being used in

The reporter turned abortion rights activist who erased her online presence after Musk tweet... who is Caroline Reilly Caroline Reilly is an award-winning reporter currently working as a reporting fellow for Rewire News Group. She holds a JD from Boston College Law school, and spent a semester practicing law at the ACLU of Massachusetts. She also interned with the Victim Rights Law Center and If/When/How. Among the articles that Reilly has written are several related to reproductive health including birth control, endometriosis, and 'medical misogyny and the disbelief of female pain,' according to the news group's website. She also writes about culture, mens fashion, sex and dating. A scholarly she wrote about minors access to abortion has previously earned national recognition. Reilly has now deleted her online presence, following backlash for a tweet calling for violence against anti-abortion groups. Advertisement

Reilly is described as a reporting fellow at Rewire News Group, who has written about issues related to reproductive health including birth control, endometriosis, and 'medical misogyny and the disbelief of female pain,' according to the news group's website.

Her tweet on Sunday seemed to have cheered on the attack on the headquarters of Wisconsin Family Action, which was found to be on fire early Sunday morning, with vandals spray painting a message outside reading: 'If abortions aren't safe, then you aren't either.'

It immediately sparked outrage among conservatives who accused her of calling for violence against anti-abortion activists after she shared the story of the attack at the Wisconsin Family Action headquarters and called for 'more of this.'

Republican strategist Matt Whitlock tagged the Twitter Support Team as he replied to Reilly's tweet, writing: 'This feels a bit like calling for violence.'

And Republican Florida congressional candidate Vic DeGrammont used the opportunity to also call out Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz, who was criticized last month for trying to out the person behind a popular right-wing Twitter account.

Tweets claimed she had approached the user's family members, with pictures apparently showing her on the doorstep of Chaya Raichik, who runs the account Libs of Tik Tok.

'How would they feel if the public started to Dox reporters that call for violence and arson? What if it came to their doorstep instead?

'People with a voice need responsibility when using it.'

Rewire News Group later said in a statement to FOX News: 'A recent post on the personal social media account of one of our reporters does not reflect our values, and has been removed.

'Rewire News Group does not condone violence, including vandalism or threats. That includes threats to our staff.'

Reilly later deleted her account, made her website private and took down her Instagram page.

Cernovich tagged Musk in a tweet calling out Twitter for not flagging journalist Caroline Reilly's (above) verified account after she wrote a tweet about the deaths of anti-abortionists

She had tweeted a New York Times story about an attack on an anti-abortion group in Madison, Wisconsin writing, 'More of this. May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground.'

After conservatives called her out for inciting violence, Reilly deleted her account

Meanwhile, authorities confirmed on Monday that two Molotov cocktails were used to firebomb the offices of the anti-abortion group, with one failing to ignite.

Nobody was injured in the attack, but Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said at a news conference on Monday that if someone had been in the office at the time, 'it could have gone differently.'

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is facing re-election in November, later decried the attack saying: 'It was a horrible, horrible incident.

He added that whoever is responsible 'should be arrested and put on trial. This is unacceptable.'

'Violence does not solve the issues were facing as a country,' Evers said.

No suspects have been arrested for the arson yet, and officials from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.

Barnes also encouraged anyone who may have seen anything to contact police, and area businesses were being contacted to see if they have any evidence or captured anything on surveillance cameras, he said.

Reilly's tweet was in support of the burning and attempted bombing of a Wisconsin anti-abortion group's office, which was set on fire on Sunday

'If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either,' the arsonists spray-painted on the wall of the building after setting fire to the office

But Sunday's attack on the anti-abortion group's headquarters was just one of the more violent protests that have sprung up around the country since Politico first released a Supreme Court draft decision last week showing it would overturn the landmark Roe v Wade decision - which gave women a Constitutional right to an abortion.

In Washington DC, security officials have had to install large fencing around the Supreme Court following days of protests from both anti-abortion and pro-abortion activists.

A group called 'Ruth Sent Us' then doxxed the Washington, D.C.-area addresses of the six conservative Supreme Court Justices and organized 'walk-bys' of their residences this week to protest the impending opinion that will overturn Roe v. Wade.

And on Saturday, dozens of demonstrators gathered in the rain in DC to march towards the homes of conservative Justices Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh, where they chalked images of coat hangers in an apparent attempt to reinforce the pro-choice argument that overturning Roe v. Wade will not put an end to abortion, but instead will end safe abortions.

'Keep abortion safe and legal,' the pro-abortion protesters chanted while they stood in the streets holding candles and signs.

Others shouted: 'Your life is a lie!' and 'We will not go back!'

Cops stood guard outside the justices' homes and, after what appeared to be a clash with demonstrators, ordered the activists to leave. At least one officer threatened to arrest and charge the protesters for violating Maryland law.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has now decried these increasingly violent protests, saying that President Joe Biden condemns the demonstrators who descended on the Supreme Court justice's homes.

'[President Joe Biden] strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest,' the outgoing White House press secretary tweeted on Monday after warning materialized of violent protests.

'But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism,' Psaki continued in her tweet. 'Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.'

A group of pro-abortion activists were seen staging a protest outside the house of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday night

The protesters marched to the houses of the Supreme Court justices after their addresses were released online

One protester carried a sign reading 'Oh sorry, does this feel intrusive?'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted on Monday that while President Joe Biden does 'believe in the Constitutional right to protests,' it 'should never include violence, threats, or vandalism'

Musk, meanwhile, has drawn political lines and embroiled himself in international conflicts since he successfully purchased Twitter in April, claiming a mission of making the platform a refuge of free speech in America. His takeover is expected to be completed later this year.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has said he wants to 'authenticate all humans,' enhance the platform with new features and make the algorithms open source to increase trust.

He has previously been careful not to publicly comment about his views on abortion, even after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested that Musk supported the state's abortion ban.

Musk simply tweeted in response: '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,' he added, according to CNBC.

On Friday, though, Tesla joined ranks with major companies offering travel compensation for employees seeking to get an abortion but live in states where they are banned.

Many of Musk's fans responded to a tweet suggesting he might die under mysterious circumstances following threats from Russian officials, including his own mother, Maye Musk

Internationally, though, Musk has revealed that he was threatened by the head of Russia's space agency over his attempts to provide Ukraine with internet service.

Musk has been using Starlink - an array of more than 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit - to beam internet connections to dishes around the world.

The service has a large presence in Ukraine, which was introduced with the explicit intention of keeping the country online amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

The billionaire said SpaceX had 'resisted hacking and jamming attempts' from the Russians back in April and were focusing efforts on counter measures - at the expense of other projects.

Musk tweeted out a statement that Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, sent Russian media.

In the statement, Rogozin - who just yesterday boasted that Russia could destroy all NATO countries 'in half a hour' - accused Musk of giving Starlink equipment to what they refer to as the 'Nazi Azov Battalion' as well as branches of the Ukrainian military.

'From the testimony of the captured chief of staff of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Dmitry Kormyankov, it follows that the ground-based subscriber equipment of the Starlink satellite company Elon Musk was delivered to the militants of the Nazi Azov Battalion and the Marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to Mariupol by military helicopters,' Rogozin wrote.

'Elon Musk is thus involved with supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communications,' Rogozin adds. 'And for this you will have to answer in an adult way, Elon, no matter how much you'll play the fool.'

'If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin' ya,' Musk tweeted.

'That's not funny,' Musk's mother responded.
A 12-year-old boy is fighting for life after sneaking into a building site and climbing on the half-finished home.

The child was playing at the site in the southern Perth suburb of Maddington with siblings when he plunged from a scaffolding about 8pm on Monday.

Homicide detectives arrived at the scene on Virginia Avenue on Tuesday morning, along with forensics officers, to investigate.

The boy was rushed to Perth Childrens Hospital with serious injuries head and remains in a critical condition

Distraught neighbours said the boy jumped from scaffolding and was relatively uninjured, but a metal beam then dislodged and fell on his head.

A man who witnessed the freak accident rushed to his aid and stayed with him until paramedics arrived, the West Australian reported.

The boy was rushed to Perth Childrens Hospital with serious injuries head and remains in a critical condition.

The site was cordoned off with scaffolding as well as police tape.

A man who witnessed the freak accident rushed to his aid and stayed with him uuntil paramedics arrived (stock image)

Police were forced to tell workers to leave the site after builders arrived to continue the contraction early on Tuesday morning.

WorkSafe officers attended the scene and took photos of the construction site.

Bouquets of flowers were left at the block by well-wishers as locals were visibly upset by the tragedy.

Anyone who may have information is encouraged to come forward.
Tucker Carlson's viewers got more than they bargained for on Monday night, when the Fox News anchor had to swiftly cut a live feed from outside Justice Samuel Alito's house after a protester launched an expletive-filled chant with her middle finger aloft.

Carlson was describing the protests against the recent draft Supreme Court ruling, written by Alito, that would overturn Roe v Wade.

Protests have erupted in front of the Supreme Court Building and around the country after the leaked draft opinion.

Other demonstrators, angry at the prospect of abortion being prohibited in multiple states, have taken to protesting outside the homes of the conservative justices who voted in favor of overturning the 1973 legislation.

Dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

'So it used to be like, before Joe Biden was president that Supreme Court justices were allowed to write opinions because that's how the system worked,' Carlson said.

Tucker Carlson on Monday night showed a live feed of protesters outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito in Virginia

Protesters are seen on Monday evening outside the home of Alito

Pro-choice protesters numbering over 100 gathered on Monday outside the Virginia residence

'Now we're gonna take you to Alexandria, Virginia outside Justice Samuel Alito's house to show you what it looks like when you write an opinion the mob doesn't like. Those are live pictures.'

More than 100 people were outside the home, lighting candles and chanting: 'Abort the court!'

A woman in an orange t-shirt that read 'not your uterus, not your choice' and a purple face mask stating 'bans off our bodies' was in the shot.

Holding a bullhorn, she began shouting: 'F*** Samuel Alito. And f*** everybody who thinks that they can they can tell someone that they aren't -'

Carlson, realizing what was happening, as the woman lifted the middle finger towards Alito's home, hastily said: 'Ah, so let's turn that off. Too much.'

He added: 'It pains me to even put stuff like that on television, but people should see, you know, what this actually looks like.'

Justice Samuel Alito is pictured with Donald Trump inside the White House in July 2019

Pro Choice activists hold a protest in support of abortion rights in front of the Massachusetts State House on Sunday

On Monday the Senate passed legislation to beef up security for all Supreme Court justices, ensuring they and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access.

The bipartisan bill, which passed by voice vote with no objections, did not provide additional funding, which could come later.

But it aims to put the court on par with the executive and legislative branches, making certain the nine justices are provided security as some protesters have gathered outside their homes.

The bill now moves to the House for its consideration.

The Senate legislation is a technical change that allows Supreme Court law enforcement to provide around-the-clock security to immediate family members, in line with protection for some people in the executive and legislative branches.

Abortion-rights protesters display flags during a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Sunday

John Cornyn, who co-sponsored it, said threats to Supreme Court justices and their families are 'disgraceful', and attempts to intimidate the independence of the judiciary branch should not be tolerated.

'The House must take up and pass it immediately,' Cornyn said.

Police have set up a tall fence and blocked off streets this week as people have protested in front of the Supreme Court Building, which is across from the U.S. Capitol.

They have also shut down the plaza and steps in front of the building.

'Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of normal First Amendment speech or protest,' Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the vote.
Tinder's parent company is taking Google to court for 'abuse of power' over its move to force all app makers to use their own 30-per-cent-fee-taking payment system.

Match group, which also include dating apps such as OkCupid and PlentyofFish, are suing the makers of the Android operating system in a San Francisco federal court for breaking antitrust laws by making the demand in order to use its Play Store marketplace.

Google had previously allowed developers to use other payment systems to collect revenue from customers but reversed that policy last year, forcing companies to use their own system to collect customer payments and charging up to 30 per cent on each transaction.

The litigation comes as part of an ongoing battle by Match, Epic Games and others to force Google-parent Alphabet and iPhone maker Apple to loosen their grips on their respective app stores and curb the power the tech giants have accumulated over the past two decades.

Google has made it clear that it will remove Match apps from the Play store if they don't comply with the rule, Match said in the filing, saying such punishment would be a 'death knell.'

Tinder parent Match Group says in a lawsuit that its apps getting booted from the Google Play Store would be a 'death knell.'

'This is a case about the strategic manipulation of markets, broken promises, and abuse of power,' Match said in the suit. The app-makers rely on Google and Apple app marketplaces for the majority of their revenue.

Google did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously defended its Play Store fees as in line with industry norms and reasonable for running a secure, global platform for digital content.

'Like any business, we charge for our services,' a Google spokesperson said, 'and like any responsible platform, we protect users against fraud and abuse in apps.'

Google contends that the fees - of up to 30 per cent - are only fair payment for maintaining the marketplace and keeping it secure from hackers and malware.

While the App Store is the only gateway for content to get onto Apple mobile devices, users of Android-powered smartphones or tablets can download apps at their own risk from online venues other than Google's Play Store.

Match's lawsuit contended that despite having options, users get content for Android devices from the Play Store more than 90 percent of the time.

Match called on the court to order Google to let it sidestep the Play Store billing system while keeping its apps on the virtual shelves.

CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook delivers remarks during the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit 2022 in Washington, where he argued that efforts to regulate Apple's App Store could violate customer's privacy

Match is also asking for unspecified monetary damages and legal fees.

Match, Epic Games and other companies have banded together in the Coalition for App Fairness to lobby for just marketplaces.

Apple has clashed in court with Fortnite creator Epic Games, which has sought to break Apple's grip on the App Store, accusing the iPhone maker of operating a monopoly in its shop for digital goods or services.

A federal judge in November ordered Apple to loosen control of its App Store payment options, but said Epic had failed to prove that antitrust violations had taken place.

Apple head Tim Cook in April attacked moves to regulate his company's App Store in a rare speech in Washington, arguing that new rules could threaten iPhone users' privacy.

'We are deeply concerned about regulations that would undermine privacy and security in service of some other aim,' Cook told an International Association of Privacy Professionals gathering.
The Liberals have released a counter-advert blasting Labor's commercial featuring Scott Morrison saying 'that's not my job' three times.

The Labor TV and radio advert, regarded as among the most effective of the election campaign, slams the Prime Minister for making mistakes and excuses over the past three years.

But the Liberals say the clips used were taken out of context and mashed together for dramatic effect.

They are so furious about the advert they have released a counter-ad - first seen by Daily Mail Australia - explaining why they think it's so unfair.

The first clip (above) showing Mr Morrison saying 'that's not my job' is from a Today show interview with Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon on August 19, 2020

The first clip showing Mr Morrison saying 'that's not my job' is from a Today show interview with Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon on August 19, 2020.

Stefanovic asked: 'Why haven't you personally lost patience with Dan Andrews' and the PM replied: 'Because that's not my job.'

Mr Morrison says the response was not an excuse but an explanation of why he was not criticising the Victoria premier over the state's huge Covid outbreak.

The second clip is from a press conference in Queensland on October 11, 2020.

The Prime Minister was defending his policy allowing Aussies to access their superannuation early when he said: 'I'm not going to go around telling Australians how to spend their own money, that's not my job.'

The second clip (above) is from a press conference in Queensland on October 11, 2020

In the third clip, the Prime Minister was being interviewed by Tara Brown on 60 Minutes on March 22, 2020.

Asked if he was frightened by the pandemic, he replied: 'It's not my job to do that'.

Coalition campaign spokesman Simon Birmingham claimed Labor has been 'caught out lying to the Australian public' by falsely implying the PM was making excuses for mistakes.

The advert, released on April 21, slammed Mr Morrison for his Hawaii holiday during the 2019 bushfires and blamed him for the slow Covid vaccine rollout and rapid test shortage.

Asked if the commercial was frustrating, Mr Morrison told Ray Hadley on radio 2GB on Tuesday: 'Well, yes.

In the third clip the Prime Minister was being interviewed by Tara Brown on 60 Minutes on March 22, 2020.

'I mean, the three quotes they're using. I was asked, should I be afraid of the pandemic? No, no, that isn't my job to be afraid of the pandemic.

'Is it, is it my job to shout down the phone at a state premier while you're trying to manage a pandemic?

'No, I don't think that's a smart idea when we're all trying to work together and get through the pandemic.'

He added: 'This is what Labor does, they don't have a plan for government.'

A Labor spokesman said: 'We make no apologies for highlighting the Prime Minister's record because Australians know Scott Morrison has a problem with taking responsibility.

'It's a fact that Scott Morrison failed Australians when it came to quarantine, the vaccine rollout and ordering enough RATs.

'Scott Morrison is more interested in spinning a story to make himself look good than taking responsibility for his failures that have cost Australians throughout this pandemic.'

Labor's advert is remarkably similar to a TikTok video uploaded in February featuring Mr Morrison repeatedly saying 'that's not my job.'
Grammy Award-winning rapper Young Thug was arrested on Monday and booked on gang-related charges into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, 30, was charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of participating in criminal street gang activity after authorities accused him of renting a car that was used to carry out a 2015 drive-by shooting that claimed the life of 26-year-old Donovan Thomas.

He was also charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Video footage posted to TikTok and Twitter showed several police vehicles outside a home in the upmarket Atlanta suburb of Buckhead on Monday afternoon.

The man, believed to be the Williams, can be seen being led away by police with his hands bound by zip tie handcuffs.

Rap star Young Thug has been arrested on gang-related charges. He is pictured in a mugshot taken b the Fulton County Sheriff's office on Monday night

A photojournalist from Atlanta station WSB-TV captured this image of authorities taking Young Thug into custody earlier on Monday

Young Thugs home in #Buckhead was reportedly raided this afternoon. #FreeThugga pic.twitter.com/IRwrVR4h0W  ATL Uncensored - Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) May 10, 2022

The rapper was taken into custody by Atlanta police - although few details have been shared about the arrest. One photographer at the scene noted that 10 people were handcuffed and detained during the raid on Williams' home.

Agents also tore Williams' home apart, according to TMZ, breaking down walls and digging up his backyard.

Williams is accused of conspiring to associate with others for the common purposes of illegally obtaining money and property through a pattern of racketeering activity, according to the Fulton County District Attorney's office.

A grand jury indictment identified him and 27 others as members of the same street gang.

The indictment runs a whopping 88 pages long, according to The New York Times.

It alleges Williams is a founder of a criminal gang that has been operating in Atlanta since 2012, known as Young Slime Life or YSL. Authorities said YSL is affiliated with the infamous Bloods, which operate across the country.

The indictment also alleges Williams and YSL member engaged in the activities including:

Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise through acts of racketeering activity including murder, assault and threats of violence;

Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise by the posting of messages, images, videos and songs, demonstrating allegiance to the enterprise and a willingness to engage in violence on its behalf;

Maintaining armed individuals ready and willing to preserve, protect and enhance the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise through the use of violence;

Obtaining money, weapons and other property through acts of racketeering activity, including robbery, theft and the unlawful sale and distribution of drugs;

Obstructing law enforcement investigations and court proceedings through witness intimidation and attacks upon law enforcement officers.

Other video showed the rapper being walked to waiting patrol car with his hands in zip ties

The rapper could be seen being walked to a police car in handcuffs on Monday in Buckhead

Several police cars were seen lining what would otherwise be a quiet residential Atlanta street

A list of indictments and names including aliases is revealed in the court documents

56 charges were listed in the the court documents

Some members have been charged with violent crimes including murder and attempted armed robbery.

Williams' RICO Act charge stretches back to an alleged offense in January 2013, while his count of gang activity comes from allegations made in May 2018, according to jail records seen by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

According to the indictment, Williams is accused of renting a 2014 Infiniti sedan Hertz that was allegedly used in the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas Jr., who was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Two other YSL associates, Christian Eppinger and Antonio Sumlin, are also accused of seeking Thug's permission to make a second murder attempt on fellow rapper YFN Lucci while he was imprisoned in Fulton County Jail.

Lucci was allegedly stabbed while at the facility in February.

'I'll tell you the response to any allegation; Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,' his defense attorney Brian Steel said to WSB on Monday night.

The RICO law has been a popular strategy for prosecutors to target the members of organized crime in the past.

Williams is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, is reportedly facing one count of conspiracy to violate (RICO) - while Thug's charges are much more serious.

Williams' arrest comes as the District Attorney, Fani Willis, vowed last week to crack down on street gangs in Atlanta.

We expect that in coming days weeks and months that we will bring RICO indictments against gang members even top level gang members to make sure that we rid them from our society, Willis said during an interview.

A Rappers Young Thug and Gunna, right, were both arrested. The pair are pictured during an album release party in Atlanta, Georgia in February 2019

Gunna, left, and Young Thug, right are seen arriving at Jimmy Kimmel Live in March 2019

Young Thug's Young Stoner Life (YSL) record label had been doing well over the past couple of years. Those associated with the label are referred to as being part of the 'Slime Family'.

Young Thug released his debut album at the end of 2019 entitled So Much Fun and earned first number one album.

In the years that followed, the label's success continued with four more chart-topping releases: Gunna's Wunna and DS4EVER.

In total, he earned three No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart and has collaborated with stars both in and outside of the rap world.

The label released a 2021 compilation album called Slime Language 2, and Thug's Punk.
Mr De Sa and his family are now facing deportation from Australia

A former cafe boss and convicted teen sex predator has been found guilty of raping another teenage employee on her very first day at work.

Former renowned restaurateur Miguel Dantas De Sa, 30, faced the District Court in Adelaide on Monday and was found guilty of two counts of rape.

The court heard how the South Australian cafe owner, under the guise of teaching his newest employee about the trade, plied the 18-year-old with alcohol for four hours.

De Sa then took the teen to a number of bars before sending her home with a text message claiming she 'got quite drunk at work training,' The Advertiser reported.

District Court jurors found Miguel Dantas De Sa, 30, (pictured) guilty of raping his 18-year-old employee while she was intoxicated. The former cafe owner, under the guise of teaching her the trade, plied the worker with alcohol for four hours and raped her on her first day of work

The victim began working for Mr De Sa after she applied for a job via social media.

'Her first shift primarily involved learning how to pour beers and mix various drinks  De Sa asked her to try some of the drinks  she began to feel extremely intoxicated,' the prosecution said.

Prosecutors told the court that the victim had 'significant blanks' but recalled De Sa standing 'naked from the waist down' in front of her 'in a bedroom she did not recognise'.

Prosecutors allege the victim vomited after being forced to perform a sex act.

De Sa then called an Uber to drive her to her parents' home and sent a text message to her phone.

'Are you okay darling? Please let me know when you get home safe, you got quite drunk at work training, I had to call you an Uber,' the message read.

Jurors found the former Rundle Street cafe boss guilty of raping his employee while she was intoxicated - a crime committed just months before he was convicted for sexually assaulting another teenage worker.

He was sentenced to two and a half years jail in July 2020 after he forced a 16-year-old waitress to expose herself and offered her money to have sex with him at a cafe in Adelaide on November 12, 2016.

De Sa cornered the young girl in a locked cool room with him before he asked her if she would have sex with him for $200.

When the teenager insisted she needed to get back to work he looped his fingers in her underwear and forced her to pull down her pants.

After messaging the employee to reconsider his offer she again turned him down only for him to later ask what size underwear she wore.

The new charge will see his existing sentence extended and almost guarantees the Portuguese immigrant and his family will be deported.

De Sa previously begged the court not to jail him as it could see his whole family deported because their visas are dependent on the 'good character' clause of his own.

The crime occurred just months before De Sa was convicted and sentenced to two and a half years' jail for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old waitress at a cafe in Adelaide on November 12, 2016

During the sentencing, Judge Liesl Chapman told the District Court the punishment needed to send a message to other potential predators, according to The Advertiser.

While presiding over his first conviction, Judge Chapman said De Sa had shown no remorse for his crimes and the sentence would allow his victim to heal.

'You sexually exploited the imbalance of power between yourself and your employee she did the brave and right thing and went to the police,' she said.

Without the backing of De Sa's visa as a sponsor, the temporary visas of his mother, father and sister could be revoked ahead of deportation to Portugal.

Judge Chapman said she understood the situation was fragile but but determined that public safety came first.

'A strong message must be sent to the community that behaviour like this will be met with strong penalty,' she said.

Mr De Sa was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on a later date.
Andy Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' sold for a cool $195 million on Monday, making the iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe the most expensive work by a U.S. artist ever sold at auction.

The 1964 silkscreen image shows Monroe in vibrant close-up - hair yellow, eyeshadow blue and lips red - on a rich blue background.

It's also the most expensive piece from the 20th century ever auctioned, according to Christie's auction house in New York, where the sale took place.

In a statement, Christie's described the 40-inch by 40-inch portrait as 'one of the rarest and most transcendent images in existence.'

'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' is a 1964 Andy Warhol silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe, has been sold at auction for $195million

Christie's auctioneer ends the auction of 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' by Andy Warhol for $170 million dollars during an Evening Sale of works from The Collection of Thomas and Doris Amman at Christie's Auction House in New York on Monday night

Staffers work phones for bids on 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' by Andy Warhol during the auction

A Christie's auctioneer claps after ending the auction as the painting sold for a record $195m

The Warhol sale unseated the previous record holder and another modern master, Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose 1982 painting 'Untitled' of a skull-like face sold for a record $110.5 million at Sotheby's in 2017.

Dozens of Christie associates were in the room clutching their phones as they took orders from potential buyers.

The auction house owned by French magnate Francois Pinault said in a brief press conference that the winning bid for the 'Marilyn' was made from within the room.

Christie's said an unnamed buyer made the purchase Monday night.

Andy Warhol stands in front of his double portrait of the Hollywood film star Marilyn Monroe at the Tate Gallery

When the auction was announced earlier this year, they estimated it could go for as much as $200 million.

'It's an amazing price,' said Alex Rotter, chairman of Christie's 20th and 21st century art department. 'Let it sink in, it's quite something.'

'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is the absolute pinnacle of American Pop and the promise of the American Dream encapsulating optimism, fragility, celebrity and iconography all at once,' Rotter said. 'The painting transcends the genre of portraiture, superseding 20th century art and culture.'

At an unveiling at Christie's headquarters, Rotter said the portrait stood alongside Sandro Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus', Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' and Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' as 'categorically one of the greatest paintings of all time.'

'This is where we wanted to be, clearly,' said Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Christie's. 'It proves we are in a very resilient art market.'

Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one in a series of portraits Warhol made of the actress following her death in 1962

The 1964 painting Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol is carried into Christie's showroom in New York City on Sunday

The Evening Sale of works from The Collection of Thomas and Doris Amman at Christie's Auction House in New York, on Monday night

WARHOL COINED PHRASE '15 MINUTES OF FAME' Born in Pittsburgh in 1928, Andy Warhol worked as a successful commercial illustrator until his art began to take off during the 1950s. His pop art images of mundane objects or well-known photographs of celebrities initially shocked art fans, but quickly took off. He created a New York City studio, The Factory, which became known as a mecca for movers-and-shakers of the Big Apple, including David Bowie, Halston, Debbie Harry, Madonna, Mick Jagger and Keith Haring. Much of The Factory's artwork was sexually-explicit, and the studio is credited for helping move homosexuality and transgenderism into the main stream. Warhol was out of the closet and proud before the gay liberation movement took off, and was almost killed after being shot by radical feminist Valerie Solanis at The Factory in 1968. Solanis sought revenge after Warhol had refused to produce a script she'd written. Warhol also coined the term '15 minutes of fame,' writing in a program in 1968: 'In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.' Despite his burgeoning success throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol was deeply-insecure. He had surgery on his nose to improve its appearance. His boyfriend Jon Gould died of AIDS aged just 33 in 1986. Advertisement

The proceeds of the sale will go to the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation Zurich, which put the painting up for auction. The foundation aims to help children with health care and educational programs.

Warhol began creating silkscreens of Monroe following the actress's death from a drug overdose aged just 36 in August 1962.

The pop artist produced five portraits of Monroe, all equal in size with different colored backgrounds, in 1964.

This particular painting has been exhibited in museums around the world.

The work is built on a promotional photo of Monroe from the 1953 film Niagara, directed by Henry Hathaway, screened with bright colors over her eyes, hair and lips.

Warhol's silk-screen work is part of a group of his portraits of Monroe that became known as the 'Shot' series after a visitor to his Manhattan studio, known as 'The Factory,' apparently fired a gun at them, although 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' was not struck by a bullet.

According to pop-art folklore, four of them gained notoriety after a female performance artist by the name of Dorothy Podber asked Warhol if she could shoot a stack of the portraits.

Warhol said yes, thinking she meant she would photograph the works. Instead, Podber took out a gun and fired a bullet through the forehead of Monroe's image.

The story goes that the bullet pierced four of the five canvasses, with Warhol barring Podber from The Factory and later repairing the paintings -- the 'Shot' series.

Monroe was one of Hollywood's best-known stars before her death of an overdose at her home in Los Angeles on August 4, 1962.

This particular painting was produced two years after the death of the glamorous star and beats the previous record for a 20th century work, Pablo Picasso's 'Women of Algiers,' which was brought for $179.4 million in 2015.

The all-time record for any work of art from any period sold at auction is held by Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi,' which sold in November, 2017 for $450.3 million.

American artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) pictured in 1981 sitting in a red velvet chair
Sex workers are free to operate on Victoria's streets, as new laws kick in with a view to making those in the industry safer.

The rules came into effect on Tuesday, making street-based sex work legal except for in a small number of circumstances.

The government said workers would feel more confident reporting crimes against them and accessing support because of the change.

Consumer Affairs Minister Melissa Horne said the shift was 'an important milestone for sex work decriminalisation in Victoria'.

Sex workers are free to operate on Victoria's streets, as new laws kick in with a view to making those in the industry feel safer by allowing easy access to crime reporting services

Workplace Safety Minister Ingrid Stitt said everyone deserved to feel safe at work.

'With a dedicated Sex Work Safety Team within WorkSafe, we'll make sure sex work is regulated appropriately, with the best guidance and procedures in place to keep workers safe,' she said.

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten, a longtime advocate for sex workers who was a key proponent in the changes happening, said she was pleased to see the laws come into force.

She said she did not expect street-based sex work to grow in the state, given 'we have a very small cohort of street-based sex workers in Victoria and Melbourne'.

The second round of Victoria's sex work reforms is due to come into effect in late 2023, when the sex work licensing system will be scrapped

'Overseas and internationally and interstate... shows us that it doesn't increase sex work, it just makes it safer,' she said.

'It just enables those sex workers to be able to report crimes against them and, given the nature of the work, they can often be vulnerable to that.'

The change falls under the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2021.

Under the reforms, people and organisations are also prohibited from discriminating against or refusing someone service on the basis they are a sex worker.

The legislation makes it an offence for sex work to be carried out near schools, care services and places of worship between 6am and 7pm and on holy days.

The second round of Victoria's sex work reforms is due to come into effect in late 2023, when the sex work licensing system will be scrapped.

Victoria is the third jurisdiction to decriminalise sex work after New South Wales in 1995 and the Northern Territory in 2019.
One of Australia's most famous politicians has posted a picture of himself as a schoolboy - and you'll be very hard pressed to guess who he is.

This 59-year-old has had a long career in politics, and with the federal election campaign in full swing, is rarely out of the headlines.

Sometimes what he doesn't say - or isn't able to say - makes more headlines than what he does say.

He is a single dad, a party leader and regularly mentions how much of a rugby league fan he is.

Do you recognise this very famous Australian politician from a schoolboy picture of him?

He went to a religious school, which is where this picture was taken, and often professes his faith is a big part of who he is.

Poll Who did you think this VERY famous Australian politician was as a schoolboy? Barnaby Joyce Anthony Albanese Scott Morrison Who did you think this VERY famous Australian politician was as a schoolboy? Barnaby Joyce 51 votes

Anthony Albanese 530 votes

Scott Morrison 104 votes Now share your opinion





If you haven't guessed yet, it's time to let the cat out of the bag. The mystery boy pictured above grew up to be Labor leader Anthony Albanese.

The religious school he went to was the Catholic St Mary's Cathedral College in Sydney's city centre.

He has been a South Sydney rugby league fan since he was a child and has always been a Labor supporter.

Mr Albanese once famously said that he was raised with three faiths - 'the Catholic Church, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Labor Party'.

After finishing school, he worked for the Commonwealth Bank for two years before studying economics at the University of Sydney.

He has been the MP for the inner west Sydney seat of Grayndler since 1996.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese (pictured in his 20s) is hoping to be Australia's next prime minister
A Queensland grandmother will be forced to pay back hundreds of thousands after her 'deceitful' plan to steal from Centrelink was uncovered.

Karen Delores Swartz, 59, received over $108,000 in government assistance she wasn't entitled to between January, 2014 and March, 2019.

She was sentenced to three years in jail after the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) discovered she was still receiving Centrelink carer's payments.

The 59-year-old pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception and was released on a five-year good behaviour recognisance.

Maroochydore nurse Karen Delores Swartz, 59, (pictured) received over $108,000 in government assistance she wasn't entitled to between 2014 and and 2019

The prosecution told the Maroochydore District Court the local nurse had received $108,753.76 in payments over a period of five years, the Courier Mail reports.

The court heard Ms Swartz had failed to notify Centrelink that she had gained employment and was therefore no longer entitled to the carer payments.

The social security fraud was only discovered after the ATO did a data match on the Maroochydore nurse back in August, 2018.

Ms Swartz had only paid $4,729.20 of her debts at the time.

Her defence lawyer Mark Dixon said his client had been caring for her elderly mother while also fighting her own mental health battles.

The court heard Ms Swartz had failed to notify Centrelink (pictured) that she had gained employment and was therefore no longer entitled to the payments

Mr Dixon said the nurse 'buried her head in the sand' by ignoring her offending due to her depression.

He added that if his client served jail time she would be forced to sell her home, which would have repercussions for her family.

Judge Nathan Jarro described her actions as 'greedy conduct' and 'deceitful'.

He highlighted the fact she had used a separate bank account where she was receiving additional income.

Ms Swartz was ordered to pay back the remaining $104,024.56 she owed and was put on a five-year good behaviour recognisance.

Convictions have been recorded.
Scott Morrison is standing by controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves after she refused to apologise for her transgender remarks, arguing more women are needed in politics.

Ms Deves has doubled down on her description of trans teenagers as 'surgically mutilated'.

When asked on Monday if she would apologise, the Liberal hopeful insisted the label was 'correct' medical terminology.

Katherine Deves doubled down on her description of trans teenagers as 'surgically mutilated'

Quizzed by reporters at a press conference in the marginal Sydney seat of Bennelong, the prime minister defended his pick for the nearby electorate of Warringah, held by independent Zali Steggall.

'Not everybody may agree with her point of view,' Mr Morrison said.

'I was very determined to ensure that I would have more female members representing the Liberal Party at this election and where I've had the opportunity to have a direct say in that, I have ensured that that has been delivered and that is consistent with my approach.'

Mr Morrison was 'absolutely pleased' he had recruited and appointed strong female Liberal candidates who would 'stand up for what they believe in'.

'That's what being a Liberal is all about,' he said.

Ms Deves apologised for how 'people might have received' her comments.

Scott Morrison was supportive of Ms Deves when grilled about her latest comments at a press conference

'The fact that it is confronting and it is ugly, and I certainly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But that is the correct terminology,'' she said.

While campaigning in Bennelong, Mr Morrison pledged a 50 per cent federal contribution to the building of a $220 million bridge at Epping that aims to address a longstanding traffic bottleneck in the suburb.

Later, the prime minister and Employment Minister Stuart Robert visited the Western Sydney Jobs Fair in the seat of Reid, held by the Liberals on a 3.2 per cent margin.

Mr Morrison toured the stalls, speaking with job seekers and taking selfies.

One woman approached the prime minister and asked him how he would improve wages for women in non-traditional trades.

Mr Morrison said the government was investing about $10 million in supporting digital and manufacturing jobs for women, among other measures.

He noted the gender pay gap had come down from 17.4 per cent, when the coalition won government in 2013, to 13.8 per cent.

'There's still a pay gap,' the woman responded.

Mr Morrison said there was 'more to do'.
Pedro Cintron, 55, has been named as a 'person of interest' in the shooting of 51-year-old Migdalia Ortega, believed to be his girlfriend, and her 48-year-old neighbor. Ortega died, and the neighbor is in a critical but stable condition

Police in New York on Monday named a 55-year-old man as a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a veteran civilian employee of the NYPD, who died in what is believed to be a domestic dispute.

Migdalia Ortega, 51, was shot in the head inside a Queens apartment building on Monday, with the gunman also wounding her neighbor, 48, twice in the torso when she rushed in to help.

NYPD later issued a request for help in tracking down Pedro Cintron, who reports suggested was Ortega's boyfriend.

They said he was 'being sought for information in connection to an ongoing homicide investigation within the confines of the 104 Precinct.'

The gunman fled the scene in a car after both women were shot around 8:15am inside a third-floor residence on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood.

NYPD released this image of Cintron and are asking for help in tracking him down

Police are seen on Monday night outside the Queens apartment where Ortega was killed

An officer leaves the apartment on Monday night, as the manhunt for the 'person of interest' continues

The sidewalk in front of the building remained cordoned off on Monday night

Ortega, a veteran civilian employee of the NYPD was shot and killed inside a Queens apartment building Monday, allegedly by her boyfriend, who police say also wounded her neighbor

The shooting happened around 8:15 a.m. inside a third-floor apartment building on Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood, Queens

'Preliminary investigation indicates that this began as a domestic incident between the 51-year-old female and a male in the third floor apartment,' said NYPD Deputy Chief Julie Morrill, Commanding Officer Detective Bureau Queens.

'During the dispute, the 48-year-old second floor neighbor went to check on the third floor occupants.

'She was then shot and fled back to her apartment. The male suspect followed her and continued shooting.'

Both women were taken to a local hospital where Ortega was pronounced dead.

The neighbor is in critical but stable condition.

NYPD Deputy Chief Julie Morrill said they believe the shooting began as a domestic incident between the gunman and victim

The third-floor apartment is above an electronics store off Palmetto Street

Ortega was a civilian NYPD employee with 11 years of service.

She recently worked for the information technology bureau based at police headquarters in Manhattan.

Her daughter also worked with her at the NYPD, a colleague of the pair told The New York Post.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and other NYPD officials went to the hospital to meet with Ortega's family.

Police are still searching for the suspect.
A California mom has admitted to killing her three children - allegedly with the help of her 16-year-old son.

Angela Dawn Flores, 38, told authorities that she killed her daughter Natalie, 12, and her twin boys Nathan and Kevin, 8.

Flores is being held on $6 million bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her son and alleged accomplice is being held without bail at Sylmar Junevile Hall on a single count of murder.

The mom-of-four previously lived in the Kansas City area and worked at a construction company there, according to her Facebook.

Police responded to the Woodland Hills home shortly before 8am on Mother's Day. Paramedics declared Flores' children dead at the scene.

The night before the murders, she was heard screaming, 'My family is abusing me!' She then walked to her next-door neighbor's front yard, opened a Bible and lit candles, according to another neighbor.

Paramedics got there at around midnight and put Flores on a stretcher. She allegedly tried to free herself and screamed, 'Wheres my Bible? Where's my Bible?'

It remains unclear what happened between the mother's outburst and the children being found the next day.

Angela Dawn Flores, 38 admitted to killing her three children with the help of her teenage son. The former real estate agent recently lived in the Kansas City area

Three children were found dead Sunday. The mom had been put on a stretcher by paramedics the night before after she allegedly lit candles and opened a Bible in a neighbor's yard

Flores had just moved to the home about three months ago, neighbors say

On Monday, flowers and stuffed animals were left outside the one-story ranch style home

It is unclear what happened between the mother's outburst and her children being found. Above, LA County worker Tiana Baudin leaves toys at a makeshift memorial at the home

Authorities got a 911 call about an incident at the home at about 7.40am on Sunday.

They responded to the reports of assault with a deadly weapon at the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley.

Flores had just moved to the home about three months ago.

Three children were found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. They were Flores' 12-year-old daughter 8-year-old twin boys, CBS News reports.

Police sources said that the kids appeared to have died on Saturday, a day before they were discovered.

The two boys attended a charter school in the area.

Flores and her son allegedly sought refuge at two different neighborhood homes before police arrived Sunday morning, according to KTTV.

The children's cause of death has not been released.

Police were seen going in and out of the one-story ranch style home on Sunday. The night before, a neighbor heard the mother scream, 'My family is abusing me!'

The mom then walked into her next-door neighbor's yard for a solo religious ceremony, said neighbor Prisila Canales (above). The next morning, her kids were found dead

The home is in the Woodland Hills neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley

On Sunday, police were seen going in and out of the one-story ranch style house.

'No other suspects are being sought at the moment,' said LAPD Public Information Officer Matthew Cruz.

The mother had her own run-in with paramedics the night before her three children were found dead.

Neighbor Prisila Canales told KTTV that she heard Flores screaming.

'I couldn't see anybody and I kept hearing, "My family is abusing me!" And just kept hearing screaming, but I couldn't make out what she was saying,' Canales said.

'I can hear her saying, "Ow, ow, ow." I guess they were trying to arrest her or restrain her. They brought her out on the stretcher and she was laying down and would just pop up out of nowhere and yell, "Where's my bible? Where's my Bible?'"

She told the Los Angeles Times that she saw Flores walk to her next-door neighbor's yard to open a Bible and light candles.

The police were called and paramedics arrived at midnight. Flores was put on a stretcher and asked for her Bible as she tried to shake herself free.

'The screaming you heard; you knew she was not OK,' Canales said. 'I can still hear her screaming.'

The abused child unit in the LAPD's Juvenile Division is investigating the cause and manner of the children's deaths, according to the LA Times

A neighbor who live a block away said he heard muffled cries from a child Saturday night. Above, an unidentified man pits a wooden bath brush in the trash at the Woodland Hills home

Neighbor Stephen Hayes, 71, said he saw the family riding bikes. 'They look like nice, normal people. It is one of the nicest looking houses in the block,' he said

Neighbor Stephen Hayes, 71, said he saw the family riding bikes.

'They look like nice, normal people. It is one of the nicest looking houses in the block,' he said.

A neighbor who live a block away said he heard muffled cries from a child Saturday night.

'I thought I was just dreaming,' he said. 'I thought West Hills was supposed to be safe. Nothing is safe nowadays.'

The mother was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation and was later taken into custody by the LAPD along with her 16-year-old son.

Both have been charged with murder.
About 100 Orthodox Jews from New York City on a religious pilgrimage to Hungary say they were barred from boarding their connecting flight in Germany last week because a few of them had not worn masks on their first-leg flight.

The group had left from JFK and were traveling to Budapest, Hungary, on May 4 with a connection in Frankfurt, Germany, according to the Jewish news outlet Hamodia.

Though the large group was flying on the same flights, they were not all associated with one another.

When they arrived in Frankfurt the groups proceeded to their connecting flight, where Lufthansa agents boarded all passengers but the Orthodox Jews.

They then reportedly announced that the Jewish passengers would not be allowed to board.

The groups were blocked from boarding their connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany, by armed guards (pictured above)

Tense video from the incident shows police blocking the way of the group of Orthodox Jews, while somebody in the crowd calls the officers 'Nazis'

'Due to operational reasons coming from the flight from New York, for all passengers here we have to cancel you on this flight,' Lufthansa agents told the Jewish passengers, according to Jewish news outlet Hamodia.

Lufthansa agents claimed that the Jewish passengers were not allowed to board the flight because they said several of them had not been wearing masks on their flight from JFK. While the U.S. has dropped its mask mandates on flights, Germany still requires passengers to mask up.

Multiple witnesses from the flight told Hamodia that only one or two Jews from the groups barred from flying had not been wearing masks on their flight from JFK.

When passengers protested, they say they were told by Lufthansa agents that they were all being barred because of the actions of a few individuals.

'They explicitly said that nobody who is dressed alike on that [JFK] plane is going to board the Lufthansa plane to Budapest,' Nachman Kahana, one of the barred passengers, told Hamodia.

The Orthodox Jews were traveling to Budapest, Hungary, for a religious holiday. Though they had travelled from JFK on the same flight, they were not all affiliated with one another

Video from the incident, posted online by DansDeals, shows a male passenger speaking with a female Lufthansa agent. The passenger insists that he was wearing a mask, and that nobody in his group of travelers had been maskless, but the Lufthansa agent tells him that Jewish people made the problem, and they all needed to 'pay' for the actions of a few of them.

'I'm not with the group,' the man tells the agent. 'Is this a Lufthansa decision that all Jewish people can't go on any flight today? Because this is 2022, and this is a western country, so this has to go up to upper management because this is anti-Semitism.'

'This is gruesome,' he continues, 'This is gruesome. this is unbelievable.'

The agent responds, 'It would have been if you were African, or if you were Polander.'

'It was Jewish people who were the mess, who made the problems,' she says.

'So Jewish people on the plane made a problem, so all Jews are banned from Lufthansa for the day?' the man asks.

Lufthansa agents told the Jewish passengers that none of them could not board their connecting flight because a few of them had not worn masks on their flight from JFK

Passengers accused Lufthansa of anti-Semitism. In a statement to the Jewish news outlet Hamodia, Lufthansa acknowledged the incident but denied any anti-Semitic motivations

'Just for this flight,' the agent responds.

Kahana told Hamodia that the Jewish groups from the flight were even barred from speaking to customer service over the incident.

'I tried going to the customer service counter,' he said, 'But the agent at the gate he said he got the message that no one from this flight can go to customer service.'

Tense video from the incident shows armed German police barring the Jewish groups from boarding, while somebody calls the officer a Nazi.

The groups reportedly all made it to their destination, but were delayed several hours by the incident.

In a statement to Hamodia at the time, Lufthansa acknowledged that a group had been blocked from boarding a connecting flight, but pushed back against the accusations of anti-Semitism.

'We find the claim of anti-Semitism unwarranted and without merit,' the airline said, 'We confirm that a larger group of passengers could not be carried today on Lufthansa flight LH1334 from Frankfurt to Budapest, because the travelers refused to wear the legally mandated mask on board.'

On Tuesday, Lufthansa released an updated statement, saying it 'regrets the circumstances surround the decision to exclude passengers' from the flight, and apologized.

Lufthansa released a statement on Tuesday, saying it has zero tolerance for racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination
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Anthony Albanese received a rockstar welcome when he visited his former school on the campaign trail, but the rousing reception may not be such a positive sign if history is any guide for Labor leaders.

Paul Keating was famously swamped by schoolgirls in the lead-up to the 1996 election in a welcome that would rival the Beatles, and Bill Shorten was also met by adoring students in 2019.

It did neither of them any good as Mr Keating was routed by John Howard and Mr Shorten lost the 'unlosable' election to Scott Morrison.

They both lost their respective elections despite the appearance of popularity and significant leads in the polls going into their campaigns.

Anthony Albanese visited his former high school, St Mary's Cathedral College, on Monday as part of his campaign tour

The opposition leader was swarmed by cheering young fans who demanded selfies and hi-fives

The Labor opposition leader now finds himself in a similar position with the latest Newspoll showing Labor ahead 54-46 on two-party preferred, up one point from the previous week.

Ipsos polling two under two weeks out from the May 21 race has Labor gunning for 35 per cent of the primary vote, while the coalition has dropped to 29 per cent.

While there has been a few slips - including his failure to recite the cash rate and national unemployment figures on the first day of the campaign, as well as last week's almost identical blunder where he was unable to name his own six-point plan for the National Disability Insurance Scheme - Mr Albanese remains the hot favourite.

The opposition leader was swarmed by hordes of young fans St Mary's Cathedral College, in Sydney's CBD, as he campaigned on Monday, announcing a $150 million plan to boost the education sector.

Dozens of teenagers called him over for selfies and high-fives, with Mr Albanese happily obliging, grabbing hold of their phones to take photos with the crowd.

He told the youngsters he met one of his lifelong best friends at the school and his highest HSC marks were in chemistry and math.

The iconic photo shows Prime Minister Paul Keating getting mobbed by schoolgirls in 1996 at the Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta

Fans not old enough to vote also cheered on Bill Shorten when he campaigned at St Joseph's Catholic College in East Gosford on the Central Coast in 2019

During the door stop, a brief press conference with frontbencher Tanya Plibersek was interrupted by bells - leading Mr Albanese to quip: 'The bells are tolling for the Morrison government because early voting starts today.

'Time is up.'

The scenes will remind many voters of Paul Keating getting mobbed by schoolgirls in 1996, where students at the Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta chanted 'Paul, Paul, Paul'.

The former PM even joked afterward that he would have stayed longer but he feared the girls might have ripped off his shirt.

Fans not old enough to vote also cheered on Bill Shorten when he rocked up at St Joseph's Catholic College in East Gosford on the Central Coast just four days before polling day.

Young woman screamed and reached out their hands to touch the Opposition Leader as he walked past.

'No one ever famous comes to our school so its exciting. Its cool a politician of Australia is here. Its just cool,' one young student named Gabrielle said at the time.

He was odds-on favorite to beat Scott Morrison in a landslide but in the end, Mr Shorten was famously trounced in what later came to be dubbed 'the unlosable election'.

Mr Keating was also romped by Liberal prime minister John Howard, who led Australia for 11 years, winning three more elections during a dark period for Labor.

Mr Howard was finally knocked off in 2007 by Kevin Rudd, who is the only Labor leader in recent memory to buck the trend of adoring school-aged fans not translating into electoral success.

He toured Eumemmerring College in Melbourne where students couldn't get enough of the popular leader. Days later he was swept to power in a landslide.
A former SAS soldier has backed up Ben Roberts-Smith's account in court that an Afghan insurgent was lawfully shot in a cornfield and not an unarmed prisoner kicked off a cliff.

The witness codenamed Person 11 gave evidence in the Federal Court on Tuesday about a mission in Afghanistan under his good friend Mr Roberts-Smith who was his patrol commander at the time.

The troop in September 2012 had just cleared a village in Darwan in the Uruzgan province and had walked across a dry creek bed when the former elite soldier says he spotted an individual among cornfields.

'This individual was moving in a very suspicious manner ... (I) saw this person was carrying a radio which led me to make the assessment that this was a spotter.'

He said the person appeared trying to remain concealed and assessed the individual posed a direct threat, as spotters observe coalition movements and actions, and then report to other insurgent groups.

A former SAS soldier has backed up Ben Roberts-Smith's account in court that an Afghan insurgent was lawfully shot in a cornfield in 2012

'So I engaged.'

Mr Roberts-Smith was also firing from behind him at the enemy target, but he was 'not in my line of view,' he said.

The body was quickly searched, 'head to toe, back to front,' and an Icom radio was retrieved close to where the man fell, he said.

The Victoria Cross recipient in evidence also said the Taliban spotter was shot in a cornfield.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing for defamation The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald over 2018 media reports claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan including murder, and acts of bullying and domestic violence.

Media outlets have accused Roberts-Smith of committing murder, and acts of bullying and domestic violence while serving in the Afghanistan war

The 43-year-old denies all claims of wrongdoing, while the mastheads are defending them as true.

The media outlets he is suing allege the former SAS corporal kicked a handcuffed prisoner named Ali Jan off the side of a steep cliff after finding him inside the compound they were clearing.

Another patrol member dubbed Person Four testified seeing Person 11 holding the prisoner by his right shoulder with his back towards the large drop-off before Mr Roberts-Smith allegedly 'catapulted' him over the edge.

Down in the dry creek bed below, either Person 11 or Mr Roberts-Smith is accused of shooting dead the injured man before placing a radio on the body to legitimise the engagement in photographic evidence.

Before clearing the Darwan compound, Person 11 recalled seeing a man across a river bed with an AK47 rifle slung across his body 'looking to evade or escape from our forces'.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing for defamation The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald over 2018 media reports claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan

The witness then engaged 'the threat' alongside Mr Roberts-Smith before he disappeared behind a rocky area.

After volunteering to cross the river Mr Roberts-Smith 'insisted he would do it and to me that made sense as well'.

The war veteran removed his body armour and other equipment and entered the fast flowing water before he emerged on the other side and eventually dragged the body from behind the rocks, he said.

Mr Roberts-Smith held the dead man up for identification before returning to the other side of the river and briefly speaking with his comrade.

'It's all good. This is what we got,' Person 11 recalled him saying.

He remembers his leader retrieved a damaged rifle and a dozen military-grade electronic detonators, and disagreed with a document shown in court that stated an Icom radio and other objects were also found.

'I don't recall seeing any of those items.'

The newspapers allege that a radio taken from the dead body across the river was subsequently planted on Ali Jan.

The trial continues.

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Shafquat Ali, 55, has apologized for going to the bathroom while on a parliamentary Zoom

A Liberal MP representing the Canadian constituency of Brampton Center has apologized after he was caught entering a bathroom during a live parliamentary Zoom session.

Shafqat Ali, a 55-year-old former real estate agent elected last year, on Monday said he was profoundly sorry for Friday's incident, which was seen by fellow MPs but was not visible to the public.

Some MPs were attending a session in parliament remotely, and during the meeting Conservative MP Laila Goodridge rose in the House and noted that one of her fellow MPs 'might be participating in a washroom.'

The Speaker of the House, who could not see the live stream, was taken aback.

The incident was not visible on the public parliamentary feed, and could only be seen by other MPs on an internal stream.

The Speaker consulted her clerks, who confirmed the incident.

Ali (top right) frequently participates in meetings via Zoom, such as this one. Colleagues in parliament were therefore shocked on Friday when he went to the bathroom with his camera on

Laila Goodridge, a Conservative MP, on Friday pointed out her Liberal colleague's unfortunate mistake

On Monday, another Conservative gave a detailed account of the scene.

John Brassard described the 'distressing occurrence', and asked the Speaker whether it was potentially contempt of Parliament, and whether virtual parliament sessions should be ended.

'Those who witnessed the events quite clearly saw the Liberal MP enter what appeared to be a toilet stall in one of the men's washrooms located on this very floor of this very building,' Brassard said.

'The visible stonework, wooden door, and the stainless-steel door hinges and coat hook on the back of that door, which is part of the long side of the stall, all looked quite familiar.'

Brassard said that the camera was sitting on a 'ledge or ridge on the wall, just above the back of the toilet.'

He said he was shocked and horrified.

'A Member of Parliament was literally using the washroom while participating in a sitting of this House of Commons, the cathedral of Canadian democracy.

'I cannot believe that I just said those words,' Brassard said.

The Speaker of the House looked taken aback on Friday as she was informed of what others were seeing

Ali was deeply apologetic.

'I want to take this opportunity to apologize sincerely and unreservedly to all members of the parliament for the unfortunate event that transpired last Friday,' he told the House of Commons via Zoom.

'I ask that the House and its members to forgive me for my lapse in judgment.

'I take this matter extremely seriously and I promise never to repeat this error again.'

Deputy Speaker Chris D'Entremont ruled that he considered the matter closed following the 'sincere apology' from Ali.

Canada's parliament is pictured, in Ottawa

'I do take this opportunity to, again, encourage all members to always be vigilant when participating remotely in proceedings of the House,' said D'Entremont.

'If you don't have to have the camera on, turn it off.

'If you don't have to be in voting, turn it off.'

Yet critics of the system pointed out that it was not the first time a Liberal MP was caught in a compromising situation while attending virtual Parliament.

Will Amos, 47, representing Pontiac in Quebec, was caught naked on camera while changing and then admitted to urinating in a mug while attending a committee session.

He did not run again in the 2021 election.
A manhunt is underway for a brazen thief who broke into a supermarket in the middle of the night and stole a charity box filled with $500.

CCTV footage shows a mystery man dressed in black plucking a Guide Dogs Australia and children's hospital donation piggy bank from a store in Melbourne's northeast, about 4am on Wednesday April 20.

Police have been told the man drove to the Ivanhoe supermarket on Upper Heidelberg Road and entered a car park in a year 2005 or 2006 model silver Mazda 2.

A police hunt is underway after a man stole a Guide Dogs donation container from a supermarket in Melbourne's northeast last month (pictured)

It is believed the offender forced entry to the supermarket via a door before snatching the collection boxes.

He carried the items back to his car and fled the scene.

Security camera images show the man rolling the dog-shaped container through the carpark.

The donation-box bandit then returned to the store and grabbed a large orange bucket before lugging it back to his car.

Security camera images show the man doing two separate trips through the car park to take the donation containers to a car

Victoria Police are calling on the public's help to identify the offender, believed to be Caucasian in appearance with a slim build and possibly aged in his 20s or 30s.

He was wearing a black hooded jumper and black track suit pants.

Anyone with further information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Pedestrians have been randomly embracing each other after a resident chalked 'hug here' on a path outside his home.

Social media footage of passersby stopping to hug on the spot in a street in Surry Hills, Sydney has gone viral, attracting 1.2 million views so far.

The man who created the heartwarming street scene, Paul Grech, told Daily Mail Australia the video is one of two that have gone viral globally, attracting a slew of kind comments.

The 'hug here' spot, chalked out by Mr Grech, drew thousands of social media comments as members of the public stopped in their tracks to embrace - throughout the day and night

Two men embrace outside Mr Grech's home, as part of his 'social experiment'

TikTok users from around the world were overjoyed to see people stopping to hug (pictured) on the Sydney street, with some saying it was 'wholesome' and 'adorable' footage

'Normally when you get a lot of [social media] comments, you get a lot of people being nasty, but I've just been getting thousands of comments loving what I've done,' the auctioneer said.

'I did videos on TikTok, just mucking around ... and these videos have gone crazy all around the world, been getting all sorts of comments in all different languages.'

He also attracted attention from a video distributor in the US, who wanted to sign a contract with him.

Footage of the 'hug here' video was taken with a motion camera and caught different people cozying up together.

Inspiration for the stunt came when Mr Grech was sitting outside his house one morning watching people passing by.

'Everyone was just walking past with their heads down on their mobile phones, or with their coffee in their hands - and I just thought 'I wonder if I can do something here,'' he said.

'Maybe people would do something silly, like snap out of their mobile phones ... I did it as a social experiment really.'

His first idea saw him draw a hopscotch on the pavement, which prompted walkers -from elderly women to young kids - to hop on the traditional kids' outdoor game.

One family stood in a line as they each took turns, and Mr Grech could even hear the stomping sounds in the dead of night. He had to wash it off as it kept him awake.

The footage of this went viral, and so he came up with the 'hug here' spot.

Within minutes of him chalking the words and setting up his video, two men stopped and hugged on the spot for a lengthy period of time.

A child makes the most of the hopscotch Mr Grech drew on the footpath outside his home (pictured)

One hugging moment that surprised the auctioneer was when a group of young men stopped to give each other hugs.

'A lot of people are saying all around the world it is so nice to see guys, mates, stopping there and give themselves a hug,' Mr Grech said.

One commenter to the post said, 'my favorite thing is the dudes hugging it out', while another said, 'so nice to watch people just hug and show love to one another, especially the men'.

Other words to describe the interactions were 'adorable' and 'wholesome'.

One joker wrote, 'imagine someone from above drops water on that spot'.

In terms of any new ideas for the future, Mr Grech said 'my mind is ticking, believe me... watch this space'.

Mr Grech wanted people to stop looking at their phones or coffees, and have a play on the hopscotch outside his house (pictured) in Surry Hills, Sydney
Mystery still surrounds the identity of a diver who drowned while trying to retrieve around $20million worth of cocaine in an area known as Australia's 'cocaine superhighway'.

The body of the man, who was wearing technical dive gear, washed up in Newcastle, NSW, on Monday, with police suspecting he was trying to bring ashore a 50 kilogram haul of cocaine using 'old school' smuggling tactics rarely used by modern drug syndicates.

The unidentified diver was recovered from the water along with more than 50kg of cocaine off Heron Road, alongside the Port of Newcastle.

'These people have fled so it's quite disgusting that this man's been left to die regardless of what he was involved with,' said Police Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow.

The body of a man wearing technical dive gear (pictured) has washed up at a busy port with police suspecting he was trying to bring ashore a $20million-haul of cocaine using 'old school' smuggling tactics that are rarely seen by modern drug syndicates

Det Supt Critchlow said the port had been under police scrutiny for some time.

'There have been some indications in the past of (outlaw criminal motorcycle gang) involvement around the docks,' he said.

'It remains a point of risk ... and organised crime definitely look for weaknesses to target those ports.'

Australia's largest coal port has long been a beacon for international drug importers, with the nation's most lucrative market for illicit substances - Sydney - just a two-hour drive south.

The map shows Australia's 'cocaine superhighway'

The route is often referred to among seasoned organised crime detectives as Australia's drug 'superhighway'.

Police are now investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death including which crime cartel the man may have working for as they focus in on nearby Panama-flagged ship which sailed from Argentina.

NSW Police investigator turned private sector consultant Peter Moroney recently revealed to Daily Mail Australia that an old tactic of drug traffickers was to train in deep-water scuba diving.

'Someone would fly to places such as Indonesia, identify a cargo ship then dive down and secretly attach drugs to the hull of the vessel,' the veteran ex-cop of 25 years said.

'When it arrived and was under anchor they would then unattach it and bring it back to an Australian port.'

He said the smuggling tactic is rarely seen anymore with drug lords now opting to move illicit product into Australia by using a 'mothership'.

Port of Newcastle has long been a beacon for international drug importers with the nation's largest market for illicit substances - Sydney - just a two-hour drive south

'These days they send out a 'mothership' somewhere into the South Pacific where there's little attention from local authorities and a vast amount of ocean to patrol,' Mr Moroney said.

The vessel will then meet a cruising yacht and fill it up with either Colombian cocaine or Mexican meth.

Police said members of the public and NSW Ambulance paramedics tried desperately to save the man, but he died at the scene.

'The person was wearing full scuba gear and very technical scuba gear,' Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow told 2GB radio.

'Port officials noticed what appeared to be a body. Water police came over to assist and then they located what appeared to be drugs, not far away from where the person was found.'

The drugs were bricks of cocaine covered in thick plastic in a bundle that had been secured with ropes and plastic.

He said the Australian Border Force are now closely examining a nearby ship and its crew.

The drugs were bricks of cocaine covered in thick plastic (pictured) in a bundle that had been secured with ropes and plastic

'It is a ship that is registered in Panama and it last left port in Argentina before it came to Australia,' Detective Superintendent Critchlow said.

'We are talking to all the sailors on board and the Captain as well as offshore authorities.'

He admitted the road between Newcastle and Sydney has become a major target of drug cartels able to hide their dangerous product amongst the constant flow of sea traffic.

'Anywhere we have large movements of shipping it makes it really open to organised crime,' Detective Superintendent Critchlow said.

Police are now investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death including who which crime cartel the man may have working for as they focus in on nearby Panama-flagged ship which sailed from Argentina. Pictured: Port of Newcastle

Police are yet to reveal if the drugs were floating in the water or recovered from the hull of a vessel.

But the various packages of white powder believed to be cocaine is in excess of 50kg with a potential street value of $20million.

A large-scale investigation is now underway involving officers from Newcastle City Police District, specialist forensic teams, Marine Area Command, the Australian Border Force and Organised Crime Squad detectives.

Police divers are pictured in a recovery operation after a diver was found dead close to a massive cocaine haul

Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed something unusual in the area to come forward.

'At about midnight on Sunday, May 8, an inflatable boat - a rubber ducky for lack of a better description and a Quintrex runabout with a green stripe - was seen in the vicinity of the ship which was a berth 2 at Heron Road at Kooragang Island which is in the south arm of the Hunter River,' Detective Superintendent Critchlow said.

'So we are asking anyone who may have been in the port, in the river, who saw some strange activity on Sunday evening or Monday morning to call Crimestoppers.'

Police divers will continue to scour the bottom of Australia's largest coal port on Tuesday.
Are you stuck in the airport queues today? Share your experience - Contact: tom.pyman@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

Heathrow bosses revealed today some 7.5 million more travellers than expected are set to fly this year, sparking fears of further disruption at the terminals.

The announcement came after flyers faced more lengthy queues in the early hours this morning, off the back of chaos on Monday which saw lines for security stretch back more than a mile.

And the west London airport said it was increasing its passenger number forecast for 2022 from 45.5 million to nearly 53 million. This 16% rise follows a 'strong' April, with 5.1 million people using the travel hub.

Heathrow said outbound leisure travellers and people cashing in airline vouchers obtained for trips cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic are driving the recovery in demand, which it expects to last throughout the summer.

The forecast means Heathrow expects passenger numbers to reach 65% of pre-pandemic levels this year - a 'realistic assessment', the airport insisted.

Airlines have accused Heathrow of playing down the recovery of demand as part of efforts to convince the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow it to raise fees further.

The regulator is in the final stages of setting a five-year cap on the airport's charges.

Heathrow expects to remain loss-making through the year and does not forecast paying dividends to shareholders in 2022.

Holidaymakers and commuters flying from Bristol experience lengthy queues early this morning

Passengers departing from Birmingham Airport today (May 10) are warning others to 'arrive five hours early'

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: 'We all want to see travel get back to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible, and, while I am encouraged by the rise in passenger numbers, we also have to be realistic.

'There are significant challenges ahead. The regulator can either plan for them with a robust and adaptable regulatory settlement that delivers for passengers and withstands any shocks, or they can prioritise airline profits by cutting back on passenger service, leaving the industry to scramble when things go wrong in future.'

It comes as fed-up flyers took to social media this morning to share pictures of the mayhem at Birmingham in the early hours, with many warning others to allow as much as five hours to get through queues.

There were also delays for holidaymakers in Bristol, while in Manchester, one passenger told of waiting 40 minutes for the airbridge to get off the plane.

Elsewhere, there were also questions over baggage, as another traveller reported losing their wallet in the chaos.

On Twitter, one frustrated flyer said: 'The queues at Birmingham Airport are worse than the media are reporting! Give yourself at least 5hrs before your flight!'

Another wrote: 'OMG queues for security are ridiculous!!! Anyone flying from here at the moment I'd suggest turning up at least 4hrs before your flight is due to depart.'

A third said: 'Yet another ridiculously poor experience at BHX this AM. Security queue both upstairs and downstairs. Time for the management team to resign.'

A spokesman for Birmingham airport told MailOnline: 'Queues were managed and steadily moving this morning as we helped many of the more than 14,000 customers booked to fly out of BHX today.

'As always, we ask customers to arrive at the airport exactly when your airline advises - and to help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners.'

A spokesman for Bristol airport apologised for the delays, also blamed on staffing issues, which bosses said lasted around 40 minutes.

It came as holidaymakers were accused of causing the horrendous scenes witnessed yesterday amid the airports' ongoing staffing crisis.

One employee was said to have blamed the bedlam on flyers failing to remove liquids from their hand luggage, as thousands faced waits of several hours at check-in and security.

British Airways was also forced to axe 128 flights, although the flagship carrier said passengers had at least a few days' notice.

The chaos has seen some families taken to turning up six hours early while at Manchester Airport, one woman was left 'in tears' after missing her flight.

Passengers in Manchester said they were facing a two-hour wait at security check-in this morning, with queues leading outside the terminal and into a nearby car-park.

There were also delays to flights, while at Stansted, there were also claims of two-hour delays at passport control last night.

Passengers waited in queues stretching for more than 300 yards to pass through airport security at Manchester Airport.

Holidaymakers adhered to flight operators' advice to arrive in plenty of time  only to be told they were too early to check-in.

It comes as airports up and down the UK continue to face staffing issues in the wake of Covid restrictions.

Travel chiefs say the issues have been exacerbated by a huge increase in demand for travel following two years of Covid-enforced disruption.

Some have warned the staffing issues, which came to a head last month as people rushed away for the first restriction free Easter Bank Holiday in more than two years, could last as long as a year.

And last week EasyJet announced plans to remove seats on some of its planes this summer so that it can operate flights with fewer cabin crew as it too battles staffing issues.

Bosses of both Manchester and Birmingham airports yesterday said the queues were due to the ongoing staffing problems.

It is also understood that Manchester has suffered additional problems, including passengers arriving up to six hours before their flight in the hope of beating the queues - creating bottlenecks at already busy times.

However there did not appear to be queues at Heathrow and Gatwick, though passengers at the UK's two biggest airports, did face delays over Easter - when millions jetted off for a four-day weekend.

A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said: 'We apologise to customers impacted by above average queue times during early morning peak operations on Tuesday 10 May; airline check-in/bag-drop did not exceed 35 minutes with security experiencing a maximum queue time of 40 minutes.

'We work closely with all business partners to ensure staffing levels are sufficient to provide a good service to passengers with an average queue time of 30 minutes for security during peak times.

'However, on some occasions staff shortages can impact on waiting times and service standards. We constantly review resourcing across all areas and adapt plans to meet demand and build in resilience where possible.

'We have seen a strong increase in passenger numbers since the end of all COVID-19 travel restrictions. There is a huge pent-up demand for travel which has built up over the past two years during the pandemic and we are expecting a busy summer.

'Whilst recruiting and training new colleagues for the airport can take time, the Bristol Airport team and business partners will be working hard to ensure all customers have a smooth and easy journey through our terminal.

'We advise all customers to arrive in the terminal a minimum of two hours before scheduled flight departure time to allow sufficient time to complete all the necessary check-in, bag-drop, security, and boarding processes ahead of their flight.'
In a tweet, the Press Information Bureau Fact Check handle said, "A FAKE notice issued in the name of the National Board of Examinations claims that the NEET PG exam has been postponed & will now be conducted on 9th July 2022. The exam has not been postponed." - Representational Image/DC

New Delhi: The Press Information Bureau Saturday said this year's NEET PG exam has not been postponed, and will happen on the scheduled date of May 9, terming "fake" a notice issued in the name of the National Board of Examinations that the paper has been rescheduled to July 9.

The National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) Saturday also cautioned stakeholders against "false and bogus information" being circulated in its name.

This comes after a section of the media reported that NEET PG exam this year was postponed to July 9.

In a tweet, the Press Information Bureau Fact Check handle said, "A FAKE notice issued in the name of the National Board of Examinations claims that the NEET PG exam has been postponed & will now be conducted on 9th July 2022. The exam has not been postponed."

The exam will be conducted on 21 May 2022 only, it added.

The NBEMS at present conducts postgraduate and postdoctoral examinations in approved specialties leading to the award of Diplomate of National Board (DNB) and Doctorate of National Board (DrNB) respectively.

In a notice issued on Saturday the NBEMS said it publishes various notices pertaining to its activities on its websites https://natboard.edu.in only.

"Stakeholders are advised to visit the above indicated website for the current and authentic information regarding NBEMS," it said.

"It has come to the notice of NBEMS that some unscrupulous elements are circulating false and bogus information using spoofed notices in the name of NBEMS.

"All NBEMS notices issued July 2020 onwards bear a QR code. Scanning the QR code will redirect the user to the said notice on NBEMS website," the NBEMS communication stated.

The notice advised stakeholders not to be allured or misled by any unverified notice and to cross verify any information regarding NBEMS through its website. For any query, contact NBEMS Candidate Care Support at 011-45593000 or write to NBEMS at its Communication web portal, it said.
Supercheap Auto has been bombarded with hundreds of abusive comments and calls for a boycott from outraged Aussies after the retailer stood down a shop assistant who confronted an alleged thief.

Supercheap deleted hundreds of comments that flooded their Facebook page on Tuesday, which slammed the chain for standing down the employee.

Footage shows the worker had stopped a woman outside a Supercheap Auto store in Ashmore, on the Gold Coast, after she allegedly tried to flee with items stashed in the pram.

Supercheap Auto has been bombarded with hundreds of abusive comments online and calls for a boycott after the automotive retailer stood down a shop assistant who confronted a woman (pictured) for allegedly stealing from his store

After an expletive-ridden showdown, the employee managed to recover some of the allegedly stolen goods before the woman allegedly fled the scene.

Supercheap said the worker was stood down pending an investigation, sparking fury as dozens of Aussies flocked online to criticise the decision and demand he be rewarded for his efforts.

'Standing down a worker because he caught a shop lifter in the act and tried to stand up for your biz is just plain unaustralian! Hire him back!' said one user.

'Shame on you for sacking a worker that stopped a shop lifter and got your products back,' commented another.

A third wrote, 'Firing a guy for doing his job...yeah great work supercheap. 90% of your staff are nothing bit potato's with no clue and when you do have a good staff member that does their job you fire them.'

'Give that guy's job back. What a hero. He did what anyone would do. He was not violent to her he [was] just looking after the company,' a fourth person noted.

Supercheap has deleted hundreds of comments that flooded their Facebook page which slammed the chain for standing down the employee

Several users on social media called for a boycott of Supercheap Auto and asserted they'd never shop at the retailer again.

'No more shopping at Supercheap Auto for me. Seriously, you fire an employee for looking after YOUR business? Bad move...real bad move,' one shopper said.

'We need to boycott supercheap until the worker is reinstated,' a man posted with a visual.

A third added: 'Sad to see that the employee caught up in the shoplifting incident has been stood down from his job.'

'The message seems to be that its ok to shoplift and you won't get charged. I've lost faith in Supercheap Auto and will definitely shop elsewhere form now on.'

'You guys should be ashamed of yourselves! No wonder criminals do what they do! Never shopping in your stores again!' another remarked.

One person slammed the chain and stressed the employee should have been 'rewarded' as he was saving the retailer from 'losing money'.

Several users called for a boycott of Supercheap Auto and wrote they'd never shop at the retailer again

A few people said they they would be taking their business to Supercheap Auto's competitor, Autobarn.

Others took a more lighthearted approach to the matter.

'I heard a rumor Supercheap Auto is having a new type of sale?? Anything you can fit in a Pram with a blanket over the top is FREE,' joked one .

Another user responded to a Supercheap Auto promotion with a picture of a kitted out vehicle, writing, 'How big are these beasts? Do you think one would fit in a pram? I would love to get one for free!!!'

A fourth stated it was 'clear' Supercheap 'condoned' shoplifting and tried to enquire what store the worker was fired from so they could take items for 'free'.

'I just wanted to say thank you for firing the employee who confronted the shop lifter in Queensland,' one person quipped.

'As a thief myself it meals a lot to me to have your full support and knowledge that if I get caught you will fire the employee for confronting me.'

A few people said they they would be taking their business to Supercheap Auto's competitor, Autobarn. Others took a more lighthearted approach to the matter

Since being stood down, the former Supercheap Auto shop assistant has had two local companies offer him a position after being impressed at how he handled the situation.

Autobarn, in nearby Burleigh Heads, has offered the man a position.

'On behalf of our team in Burleigh, we would like to offer this man a job,' the business wrote in an online post. 'If anyone knows his name, please help us get in touch.'

The store's owner, Michael Farrar, said his business has lost around $15,000 worth of goods over the past two years and the man in the video was the kind of employee he wanted on his team.

'His actions showed to me that he is a loyal person and someone we would want on our team,' he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

It remains unclear whether the man has contacted the business to take up the offer.

Local car wreckers Southport Auto recyclers have also posted a job opportunity for the worker.

The man has been offered a position at Autobarn, in Burleigh Heads (pictured)

The rival automotive company issued a post calling on the man to contact them over a job proposal

'If anyone knows him tell him to DM us or tag him, we would like to interview him for a position should he require one!' they wrote on Facebook.

'After watching the video it's crazy that supercheap have stood him down after the commitment to them he demonstrated!'

Supercheap Auto confirmed on Monday the employee had been stood down, telling Radio 2GB: 'While the situation is being investigated, the employee will not be able to work'.
Ukraine has destroyed Vladimir Putin's special 'parade boat' which he uses to inspect his naval fleets, its forces have claimed.

A white-coloured Raptor-class patrol vessel was reportedly obliterated by a laser-guided bomb dropped from a Ukraine-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone near Snake Island in the Black Sea.

The Russian leader has used such a boat with the designation 001 for fleet inspections in Sevastopol and St Petersburg.

He also uses the patrol boat to deliver speeches and conduct military parades.

Ukraine's navy shared drone footage of the alleged strike on their official Facebook channel, although it has not been independently verified.

The suspected sinking of the Russian leader's patrol boat comes as two other 55-ft-long Raptors were hit in recent days in similar attacks.

Ukraine's armed forces also destroyed a Serna class landing craft with a Tor surface-to-air missile system onboard suspected of targeting Snake Island, some 80 miles south of Odesa.

Ukraine is claiming that it may have destroyed Vladimir Putin's special 'parade boat' which he uses to inspect his naval fleets (Putin pictured on board the Raptor-class patrol vessel in St Petersburg in 2020)

Ukrainian Armed Forces showed a video of Bayraktar military drones destroying Russian Raptor patrol boats near Snake Island on May 8. The 'white-coloured' vessel is suspected to be Vladimir Putin's parade boat

The vessel was obliterated by a laser-guided bomb dropped from a Ukraine-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone near Snake Island in the Black Sea

Putin is believed to have started the war in Ukraine with a total of eight Raptor class vessels, but up to five of them have now been destroyed in Ukrainian strikes

Russia's President Vladimir Putin inspects vessels taking part in a military parade in the Kronstadt roadstead on Russian Navy Day, on the Raptor boat (July 28, 2019)

Ukraine Now Telegram channel reported: 'We received information that one of the destroyed boats of the Raptor type in the Snake Island area was Putin's parade boat.'

The vessel is 'distinguished by the white colour of its hull', and the successful strike took place on Sunday, May 8.

The Kremlin leader's vessel is a 'specially equipped parade boat with tail number 001,' said the report.

'On board, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has hosted military parades in St. Petersburg and Sevastopol several times.'

Another Ukrainian report said: 'Among its sister ships, the vessel stands out by the white colour of its hull.

'This is a specially equipped parade boat with tail number 001.

'The Kremlin's dwarf conducted military parades in St Petersburg and Sevastopol several times on the boat.

'If the assumptions are correct, then the reaction of the bunker grandfather to such news can only be imagined.'

Raptors are typically supplied in camouflage rather than white - a second clip shows a separate Ukrainian strike which targeted a camouflaged Raptor.

Footage supplied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows fire and a plume of smoke rising from the vessel following the drone strike on Sunday

Vladimir Putin is pictured aboard the Raptor vessel designation 001 at the main naval parade in St Petersburg in 2021

Putin is believed to have started the war in Ukraine with a total of eight Raptor class vessels, but up to five of them have now been destroyed in Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine also claims to have destroyed multiple troop landing vehicles and outposts on the Russian-occupied Snake Island.

Footage released on Saturday showed a pair of Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 aircraft flying low over the island and bombing its main complex, which was seized by Russian forces earlier this year.

On the same day, a second strike, this time conducted by a Ukraine-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone, destroyed a landing craft which appeared to contain several Russian troops thought to be supplying the island with anti-aircraft missile systems.

Footage appeared to show the destruction of a large Serna-type landing craft in an air strike.

'Enemy units remaining on Snake Island remain without air cover and will be destroyed and burned out like cockroaches or locusts,' said Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko.

A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone captured two Su-27s fly in low from the south, dropping multiple bombs as well as infrared countermeasure flares

Ukraine today showed a video claiming to be a military drone hit on a Russian landing ship supplying a TOR anti-aircraft missile system to Snake Island

Satellite image showing the jetty where the landing ship was sitting when it was hit by a Ukrainian drone on Snake Island off the coast of Ukraine

The 100 acre outpost has proved to be a valuable strategic position, sitting some 80 miles off Ukraine's southern coastline in the Black Sea.

Russia seized the island early in the war and has largely managed to maintain control of it, but its forces there have been subject to bombing raids ever since.

Russia also lost its flagship vessel, the Moskva, in the seas close to Snake Island following a Ukrainian missile strike.

Almost one month later, Moscow has not disclosed the true death toll from the warship, which was targeted by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.

In February, Ukrainian border guard Roman Hrybov on Snake Island famously radioed 'Russian warship, go f*** yourself' to Russian officers aboard the Moskva.

Hrybov and his crew were thought dead after the Moskva bombarded the island with artillery fire, but they miraculously survived and were given awards upon being returned to Ukrainian soil in a prisoner transfer last month.
Over the past few years, President Joe Biden has made the news for things he's said and done - but not related to policy.

Rather the 79-year-old has had a knack for gaffes.

During speeches or while answering questions, Biden is known to make mistakes, have mix-ups or even digress.

The commander-in-chief has even been caught tripping a time or two, raising speculation about his physical health.

DailyMail.com has compiled many of Biden's notable mis-speaks, foot-in-mouth moments and slips.

REPEATEDLY MIXING UP LIBYA AND SYRIA

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, in the Middle East. Biden is pictured in Cornwall, United Kingdom on June 13

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to

WATCH: Joe Biden confuses Syria with Libya THREE TIMES. pic.twitter.com/8iewTindfr  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2021

Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on June 13.

The 78-year-old gaffe machine spoke of working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide economic assistance to the people of Libya, prompting some confused glances from the press pack at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East.

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that the president was indeed referring to Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war.

TRIPPING WHILE BOARDING AIR FORCE ONE

Over the years, President Joe Biden has made numerous gaffes and mix-ups and has even been caught falling. Pictured: Biden falling while walking up the stairs of Air Force One on March 19

On March 19, he was caught tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

On March 19, video captured Biden tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.

In the clip, Biden stumbles as he walks up the airstairs. He grabs the hand railing to catch his balance, but then loses his footing two additional times.

During the third stumble, he falls to his knees. However, after brushing off his leg, he reaches the top of the plane and gives a salute before disappearing inside.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later told reporters that Biden was '100 percent fine' and preparing for his trip in Atlanta.

'It's pretty windy outside. It's very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself,' she said.

CALLING KAMALA 'PRESIDENT HARRIS'

Just one day earlier, during a press conference on March 18 (pictured), he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as 'President Harris'

Just one day earlier, Biden accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as 'President Harris.'

The gaffe occurred during a press conference on March 18, during which he lauded his administration for being close to meeting their goal of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.

'Now when President Harris and I took a virtual tour of a vaccination center in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that, on that tour injecting people, giving vaccinations, said that each shot was like administering a dose of hope,' Biden said.

Harris was standing behind Biden as the president carried on with his speech, but did not correct himself.

Later that day, when the White House released the transcript of his speech, Harris's proper title was inserted with brackets.

FORGOT NAME OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

On March 9, while making a speech, Biden seemed to forget the name of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (above)

In a speech on March 9, Biden seemed to fumble with his words and forget the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

'I want to thank Sec - the former general - I keep calling him "General,"' Biden said.

'My - the guy who runs that outfit over there. I want to make sure we thank the Secretary for all he's done to try to implement what we've just talked about, and for recommending these two women for promotion.'

The slip-occurred despite the fact that just a few minutes earlier, he had mentioned Austin's name in the speech without an issue.

INTRODUCES GRANDDAUGHTER AS HIS SON

On Election Day, in November, Biden introduced a crowd to his granddaughter, but referred to her as his son

During an Election Day speech in Philadelphia, Biden stumbled over his words and confused his granddaughter with his late son, Beau Biden.

Biden told the crowd: 'I want to introduce you to two of my granddaughters...this is my son, Beau Biden who a lot of you helped elect to the Senate in Delaware.'

The commander-in-chief had meant to introduce the crowed to Natalie, Beau's daughter, but hadn't just mixed up the name but the person - he also put his arm around Finnegan Biden, Hunter's daughter.

He finally corrected himself as he draped his arm around Natalie's shoulder and said: 'This is Natalie, this is Beau's daughter.'

Beau Biden passed away in 2015 after a months-long battle with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest types of brain cancer.

TOLD STATE SENATOR IN WHEELCHAIR TO STAND UP

In 2008, Biden told then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham to stand up for the crowd at a rally, before realizing he was in a wheelchair

Not all of Biden's gaffes occurred in the 2020s or even the 2010s. In fact, some happened in the early aughts.

In September 2008, after Biden had been named former President Barack Obama's running mate, he attended a campaign rally in Missouri.

It was there that he called on then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham, who passed away last year. to stand up for the crowd.

'I'm told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up Chuck, let 'em see you,' Biden said.

It was at that moment he realized Graham was in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy.

'Oh, God love you. What am I talking about. I'll tell you what, you're making everybody else stand up, though, pal.'

According to the Columbia Tribune, Graham said he was never offended by the mistake.
The Costa del Sol is set to crackdown on 'scandalous' hen and stag parties and is considering installing noise monitors in tourist apartments.

Malaga is leading the way after hoteliers and local residents said they were fed-up with 'Magaluf-style drunken tourism' in the historic city.

They are particularly incensed about the large groups of men and women who dress up in 'outrageous costumes' carrying phallic symbols and taking over high-class restaurants for their celebrations.

Local mayor, Francisco de la Torre has confirmed the city council is fighting against 'party tourism' and pledged: 'We are not going to tolerate an uncontrolled city.'

And he added: 'Whoever comes has to comply with the rules of coexistence of the city.'

The Costa del Sol is cracking down on stag parties, with authorities considering installing noise monitors in tourist apartments

He has promised tough action, including sound controls and heavy fines for breaches.

The number of hen and stag parties has soared over the last few months following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and the resurgence of tourism.

Local residents say Malaga seems to be 'consolidating itself as a destination for this drunken tourism' and hoteliers share their view, saying the image of the destination is being stained.

Carlos Carrera, president of the Residents' Association of the Historic Centre, said 'Malaga has all the necessary characteristics to attract this Magaluf-type drunken tourism' especially as there are so many tourist flats in the main residential area.

'Places for leisure and terraces have increased, as well as the number of bars, music venues and nightclubs, so they can do what they do on the street,' he said.

'People come here to do what they want because nothing is going to happen to them. The police do little or nothing, they seem deaf, blind and dumb. This type of tourism is very harmful, benefits very few and drives away quality tourism.'

The association says bachelor parties, both national and international, 'are armed with megaphones and sound-reproducing equipment' and were spoiling 'the jewel in the crown of the city'.

The direction being taken by the historic centre had to be 'corrected', in order to regain control of the situation.

Mr. Carrera welcomed the measure of noise meters in tourist apartments but questioned who would monitor them.

British tourists have fun in Punta Ballena street, Magaluf in Mallorca. The number of hen and stag parties has soared over the last few months following the easing of coronavirus restrictions and the resurgence of tourism

Javier Frutos, president of Mahos, the Malaga hoteliers' association, said the hospitality sector rejected 'all kinds of public scandals that are not very edifying for the city'.

'Not all people who decide to celebrate a bachelor party behave in the same way but it is true that many of them choose to dress in a flashy way, which many hoteliers do not support. Some restaurants don't allow them to enter their premises with these clothes.'

'The fact that people want to come and have fun is correct, as long as they do so out of respect for the city where they arrive, for the clients, visitors and passers-by around them.'

It's estimated that around 300,000 hen and stag parties are celebrated in Spain every year but the nuisance they can cause has led a number of cities and tourist resorts to ban them in public.

These locations include Madrid, Salamanca and Tossa de Mar.
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Putin's propagandists have begun openly criticising the state of Russia's military as even the Kremlin's most-hardened of supporters struggle to ignore the scope of its failings in Ukraine.

Vladimir Solovyov, one of Putin's most-prominent puppets, moaned last week about the 'shameful' length of time it takes for weapons to reach the front while guests on Russian state TV talk shows complained that men are being sent into battle 'with weapons of yesteryear' and the Russian economy cannot sustain the war.

Mikhail Khodaryonok, a retired Russia colonel, told viewers that even a much-feared general mobilisation of Russian forces would do little to turn the war in Moscow's favour because it lacks equipment and men to build new units. 'We don't have the reserves,' he told viewers.

Meanwhile Solovyov himself fumed that Russian troops are unable to get drones because so few are being produced, and even those that are made take too long to get into battle. 'Just try to bring something to the Donbas,' he said, 'it's easier to bring it in via Ukrainian customs in Lviv. They let any weapons through.

'But to bring something to our guys is near-impossible. We complained about it hundreds of times!'

Aleksandr Sladkov, a so-called 'war correspondent' who pumps out pro-Kremlin content on social media, spoke out against Russia's tactics - saying commanders have been 'shamefully indecisive' and their attacks 'can't push out Ukrainian forces' because they are fighting 'one-to-one' with no numerical advantage.

The shift in tone is dramatic for state media networks that are usually keen to trumpet the might of Russia's armed forces, praise Putin's leadership as strong and decisive, slam Ukraine as weak and dismiss any defeats they suffer as being part of a masterplan - the true goal of which will only become apparent later.

But, more than two months into what was supposed to be a days-long 'special military operation' to overthrow the Ukrainian government, even Putin's stooges appear to be running out of excuses for the lack of progress.

It came as Joe Biden admitted he is worried that Putin 'doesn't have a way out' of the war and that his administration is 'trying to figure out what we do about that'.

Ukrainian troops survey the remains of a warehouse struck by Soviet-era Russian missiles in the port city of Odesa overnight, as western analysts say Moscow's stockpiles of munitions are running low

The sun rises over a destroyed warehouse in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa after an overnight strike by Russia, which hit eight targets in the city killing one person

Vladimir Solovyov, one of Putin's chief propagandists, used his show last week to complain about the 'shameful' length of time it takes for weapons to reach troops on the frontline compared to Ukraine

Konstantin Sivkov, an analyst appearing on Solovyov's show, complained that the Russian economy will not be able to sustain the war effort unless the government takes control of key industries

Heavy fighting is underway between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Donbas with few gains made by either side, while Kyiv's men continue to hold out inside the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol. But Ukrainian counter-attacks are underway north of Kharkiv towards the Russian border, threatening to cut supply lines

A Russian tank column moving west out of the rebel-held area of Donetsk is slammed by Ukrainian artillery as Putin's forces continue to suffer punishing losses in the battle for Donbas

Russian armoured vehicles burn after being shredded by Ukrainian artillery near Donbas, after western shipments of heavy weapons began arriving at the front

There are fears about how far a cornered Putin could escalate if it becomes obvious that there is no path to victory in Ukraine, including using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Many of the same propagandists now bemoaning Russia's shortcomings have spent recent weeks threatening nuclear strikes on the West - singling out the UK, France, Germany and America as targets.

Russia's attack on Kyiv had to be abandoned after Russia's forces stalled, Mariupol remains unconquered despite a siege lasting weeks, there have been no major gains in the Donbas and no move out of Kherson towards Mykolaiv or Odesa despite Putin's generals saying that the capture of the Black Sea coast was one of their main objectives.

Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, the deputy commander of Ukrainian forces holed up inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, said on Monday night that his men continue to hold it despite repeated attempts by Russian forces to storm inside the sprawling industrial complex.

'We will continue to fight as long as we are alive to repel the Russian occupiers,' he said in a video message.

'Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said Russian forces continue to try and advance in the east of the country, describing the situation as 'difficult' even as the frontline largely holds intact.

In fact, the majority of territorial gains have been made by Ukrainian forces counter-attacking out of Kharkiv towards the Russian border - threatening supply lines into the Donbas. Strikes on Russian soil, believed to be from Ukraine, also hamper reinforcement efforts as do dozens of mysterious fires around the country.

On Monday, it was reported that Ukrainian forces had seized the towns of Rubizhne and Lyptsi to the north of Kharkiv, which would put them around 10 miles from the Russian border. Putin's troops were said to be counter-attacking out of Belgorod, but it remained unclear how soon the reinforcements would arrive.

If Kyiv's troops can reach the border, it will open up the prospect of cutting Russia's main supply route from Belgorod to its forces around Izyum - where some of the heaviest fighting is taking place - which could mean units stationed there running out of fuel and ammunition.

Advances out of Izyum have been progressing, but in a slow and peicemeal fashion. Putin's men captured the town of Velyka Komyshuvakha on Monday, some 14 miles from where they started, but were still struggling to take control of the city of Lyman, which sits close to a strategically important river.

Elsewhere, Ukraine repelled an attempted Russian crossing of the river at Bilohorivka by destroying a pontoon bridge and taking out several armoured vehicles in the process.

That is perhaps what prompted Sladkov to take to social media, where he decried the 'scumbags from the Ukrainian armed forces,' who he claimed were responsible for shelling the Leninskiy district in Donetsk - where he was recording the video.

The shelling killed a woman and a 16-year-old boy, he claimed. 'You know why [these attacks] are happening?' he asked rhetorically.

'We can't push out Ukrainian forces from the city. We can't push them out. Because... I don't know. We shouldn't criticise but... we are assaulting with one to one ratio, their villages and their strongpoints... one to one.'

He continued: We are making a feat out of something that should be routine. You see? Their forces keep coming, we can't close the sailient (a military term that can also be called a bulge into military territory).

'I understand it's difficult to talk about this, but at least some fool needs to announce it! Even if today. Even if it's me.'

Alexander Sladkov, a 'war correspondent' who produces social media propaganda, admitted last night that Russia's commandeers have bene 'shamefully indecisive' and their troops cannot push out Ukrainian defenders

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles are stacked in a military graveyard outside of Kyiv, after Ukraine's army managed to thwart and attempt to take the capital and force a retreat

Smoke rises from the Azovstal steel works, in the city of Mariupol, where a last band of Ukrainian defenders continue to hold out against Russian attempts to storm the industrial complex

A man walks past a residential apartment block damaged one day before by a Russian missile strike on May 06, 2022 in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine

It was unclear whether Sladkov was saying Ukrainian or Russian forces had made a salient into the other's territory, but by saying 'we can't close the the sailient', it suggested Russian forces had been unable to encircle Kyiv's troops.

He said that despite Russia's lack of progress, morale was 'not decreasing', before accidentally calling Moscow's attack on Ukraine a war - quickly correcting himself to the Kremlin's official 'special operation' line.

'The morale is not decreasing, it's positive, no, we're ready to fight! We're going forward, assaulting, even those who to say it softly we're quite undecisive at this war... em... special operation. Shamefully undecisive.

'Even they are moving forward, they start feeling that [they] can win, but... I don't know what sort of sportlike approach this is when this proportion is being held - god forbid more troops would fall onto the enemy! They killed a woman, and a 16-year old boy. That's how it is,' he said, finishing the video.

In Izyum itself, Ukraine said the bodies of 44 people had been found in the rubble of a building that collapsed after Russia attacked it - with officials describing it as 'another war crime'.

US officials said last night that the Russian effort in the Donbas hasn't achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

A senior US official also said on Monday that some Russian officers are even disobeying military orders.

Frustrated on the battlefield, Russian commanders are increasingly resorting to long-range missile strikes to cripple Ukraine's logistics and fix troops in place to stop them joining the fighting elsewhere.

Odesa was hit by eight strikes overnight using a mixture of Soviet-era missile and state-of-the-art hypersonics, which could suggests that stockpiles of rockets typically used in the strikes are running low.

As part of the barrage, a Russian supersonic bomber fired three Kinzal hypersonic missiles, according to the Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank tracking the war.

Ukrainian, British and American officials warn Russia is rapidly expending its stock of precision weapons and may not be able to quickly build more, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on.

That could result in more civilian deaths and other collateral damage.

Ukraine alleged at least some of the munitions used dated back to the Soviet era, making them unreliable in targeting.

The Ukrainian military also warned on Tuesday that Russia could target the country's chemical industries.

The claim was not immediately explained in the report, but Russian shelling has previously targeted oil depots and other industrial sites during the war.

Also, satellite pictures analysed by The Associated Press showed two ships off Ukraine's Snake Island on Monday afternoon. One of the ships seen in the images from Planet Labs PBC appeared to be a landing craft.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian positions there recently, suggesting Russian forces may be trying to re-staff or remove personnel from the Black Sea island.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm the capital Kyiv over a month ago, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog.

Some analysts suggested President Putin might have used Monday's Victory Day parade in Moscow to declare the fighting a war, not just a 'special military operation', and order a nationwide mobilisation with a call-up of reserves to fight an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is heading or how he might intend to salvage it. Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

Ukrainian troops wounded in heavy fighting around Popansa, in the east of the country, are transported to hospital after the city fell into Russian hands - one of only a few locations captured after weeks of fighting

A Ukrainian military medic prepares to receive patients at a makeshift ward near the city of Popansa, where heavy fighting has been ongoing with Russian forces that have now taken control of it

Military medics talk to a wounded soldier receiving treatment after withdrawing from the city of Popansa, in the Donbas, which has now fallen into the hands of Russian troops

'Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia can't fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine,' tweeted Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: 'Russia has not won this war. It's starting to lose it.'

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, 'the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favour of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated western military equipment'.

As Mr Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Kyiv.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in his own Victory Day address that his country will eventually defeat the Russians.

'Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine,' he said in a video.

He added: 'We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.'

An adviser to Mr Zelensky interpreted Mr Putin's speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with Nato.

In Washington, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the Second World War-era 'lend-lease' programme, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and eastern European allies.

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment. Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas has not achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.
Jetstar has overhauled its contact system with passengers after a TikTok star and her sister were left stranded at the airport after taking their mandatory PCRs two hours too early.

Jessie Carr, 22, and her sister Angie, 23, were left at Sydney International Airport on Monday night because they would have been denied entry to Indonesia.

Australians travelling to Indonesia need to be vaccinated against Covid and take a PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

The sisters were subsequently blocked from boarding their Jetstar flight to Bali because of the premature tests, with the company confirming to Daily Mail Australia it has since changed its pre-check in text messages to ensure the situation doesn't happen again.

'We've now changed our SMS to be as clear as we possibly can. Also the SMS included a link to our website where the requirements are listed, however we still need customers to check in government websites as sometimes information and requirements can be updated on a short notice,' a spokesperson said.

Scroll down for video

Jessie Carr, 22, and sister Angie Carr, 23, were left stranded at Sydney international airport on Monday night after being unable to board their Jetstar flight to Bali

PCR tests are available at the airport but take an hour and a half to complete, too long for the sisters to make their flight.

'When you get denied to catch your flight to Bali because the PCR test expired two hours before check in,' Jessie wrote in a video she shared online.

The sisters were travelling to Bali to reunite with their father after being unable to see him for several months due to Covid restrictions.

'We could have completely missed our opportunity to visit him and also lose our money and total holiday,' Jessie told Daily Mail Australia.

The TikTok star said she and Angie took the test 50 hours before the flight on Saturday afternoon and received their tests results 40 hours before departure.

It was only once the pair arrived at the airport that they realised the 48 hour deadline was from when the tests were taken, not when they received their result.

They said confusing instructions from Jetstar led to the mishap.

'The instructions were not clear. The text message from Jetstar stated that we needed negative test results within 48 hours before departure,' Jessie said.

Jessie Carr (right) said her and her sister Angie (left) were unable to board their flight to reunite with their father due to confusion over a PCR test

Jetstar sent the above text message to Jessie Carr stating the girls would need to provide a 'negative test result within 48 hours before departure', leading the girls to think the deadline started from when they received the test result not when they took the test

'They did not specify that this started from the time you complete the test, it just said we need the 'result' 48 hours prior, which we provided.

'The results were from 40 hours prior to the departure in time.'

Jetstar have now changed the wording to confirm the test must be taken 48 hours before the flight, rather than receiving a negative result within 48 hours of boarding.

'RT-PCR test result for all passengers (test must be taken within 48 hrs before departure),' the airline's message now reads.

Angie Carr (pictured left) and her sister Jessie (right) were unable to board their flight from Sydney to Bali because their PCR test had expired two hours before departure

After spending an hour on hold with Jetstar's reservation office the Carr sisters were able to transfer to a flight on Tuesday.

While the girls didn't have to buy new plane tickets, they did have to pay for new tests, accommodation, and transport.

'We both had to pay for a hotel to stay at near the airport for the night - $170 for the hotel and Uber - to ensure we'd get the next flight on time,' Jessie said.

'We live 2.5 hours away. To trek it back home with all our luggage, not to mention doing it all again in the morning, would've been a major inconvenience.

'We also had already paid for accommodation in Bali for that night so we lost our money for that as well, $70 for one night. We didn't receive reimbursement, which is totally understandable.

'Plus, by that point our PCR tests would be expired before the new flight so we had to pay again $79 each for new ones, after already paying $150 for the first ones.

'Therefore we lost about $700 overall due to the unclear information provided.'

Jessie (pictured) and her sister were able to secure a flight with Jetstar the following day after being stranded at Sydney airport

Jetstar told Daily Mail Australia they have had no other customer complaints regarding their messages but have updated their text messages to avoid future confusion.

The company's new text message reads: 'IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please meet all entry requirements before you arrive at the airport for your Bali flight. Requirements include a negative RT-PCR test result for all passengers (test must be taken within 48 hrs before departure)'.

Jessie recently made headlines for a 'botched' trendy eyebrow lift.

The procedure involved lifting the corners of the eyebrows with a biodegradable thread to create a 'fox eye' look.

Jessie was swollen for two weeks following the $2,000 surgery last October but said the results faded quickly and the threads were still visible eight weeks after the procedure.

Jessie Carr recently made headlines for a 'botched' trendy eyebrow lift that left 'threads' visible either side of her forehead

'My eyebrows were completely uneven,' she said in a video.

'I had lumps on my face but they didn't poke out that much and didn't look inflamed.

'It's definitely not worth it, it doesn't work and it left me looking botched like this!'

She said if she pressed hard enough on the threads she could feel 'liquid transferring from side to side.'

Jessie went back to her doctor to receive a $1,100 refund and 'dissolve' the threads.

Seven months later Jessie is still suffering from the surgery and has a lump on her right temple.
The EU's border chief has quit after a row with 'pro-migrant politicians and NGOs' who wanted to quash his attempts to strengthen the continent's borders.

Fabrice Leggeri, 54, stepped down as head of Frontex, the bloc's border control and coastguard agency.

Under his hardline management, it became the first uniformed EU agency with officers allowed to carry handguns paid for by the central budget.

His resignation letter stated: 'It seems that the Frontex mandate on which I have been elected and renewed in June 2019 has silently but effectively been changed.'

It came on the same day as the results of a probe into alleged illegal pushbacks by border guards under his control of migrants who were trying to reach Europe.

Fabrice Leggeri quit after a row with 'pro-migrant politicians and NGOs' who wanted to quash his attempts to strengthen the continent's borders, it has been revealed

A girl cries as migrants are rescued by crew members of the Abeille Languedoc ship after their boat's generator broke down in French waters

Investigations group Lighthouse Reports found Frontex had repelled at least 957 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea between March 2020 and September 2021. Pictured: Afghan refugees off the coast of Lesbos

The rules state that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger

Pushbacks  forcing would-be refugees away from a border before they can reach a country and claim asylum  are considered violations of international refugee protection agreements.

The rules state that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or being members of a social or political group.

But investigations group Lighthouse Reports found Frontex had repelled at least 957 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea between March 2020 and September 2021.

An official told Le Figaro: 'We expected this resignation. The pressure of pro-migrant politicians and NGOs, who were leading the charge in Brussels against the Leggeri line, was too strong.'

The source also said 'Brussels did not look kindly' on Frontex which receives a budget of 758million.

A group of 19 Sub-Saharan migrants are rescued off the coast of Andalusia on Sunday

A group of migrants are seen off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France, on Monday

Leggeri had led Frontex since 2015, when well over a million people, many of them refugees fleeing war in Syria, entered the bloc

Leggeri, a Frenchman who had been under mounting pressure to resign for months, had a history of criticising pro-migrant NGOs and campaigners.

In 2017, he said charities trying to rescue migrants off Libya should 're-evaluate' their work which was encouraging traffickers to take riskier routes.

A day before he left the post, a media report alleged that Frontex's database recorded the illegal pushbacks as 'prevention of departure' incidents. Mr Leggeri had previously denied wrongdoing.

Last year, the EU's anti-fraud watchdog, OLAF, opened an investigation into Frontex over allegations of harassment, misconduct and migrant pushbacks, which it closed recently.

It has not yet been made public but German MEP Erik Marquardt said it 'reveals that Frontex's management was aware of human rights violations and deliberately avoided reporting them'.

German Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said replacing Leggeri offers the border agency an opportunity for a 'fresh start'.

Leggeri had led Frontex since 2015, when well over a million people, many of them refugees fleeing war in Syria, entered the bloc

'It offers the possibility of fully resolving the allegations, creating complete transparency and ensuring that all missions by Frontex occur in full conformity with European law,' he said.

The Commission said 'Frontex fulfils a critically important task to support member states, manage common European Union external borders, and to uphold fundamental rights in doing so.'

Leggeri had led Frontex since 2015, when well over a million people, many of them refugees fleeing war in Syria, entered the bloc.

According to a joint investigation this week by Lighthouse Reports, Der Spiegel, SRF Rundschau, Republik and Le Monde, Frontex has been involved in the pushbacks of at least 957 asylum-seekers in the Aegean Sea between March 2020 and September 2021.

In contrast, the European Court of Human Rights has held that undocumented migrants should be provided with information, care and have their asylum claims processed.

European lawmakers have asked for part of Frontex's budget to be frozen until improvements are made, including setting up a mechanism for reporting serious incidents on the EU's external borders and establishing a system for monitoring fundamental rights.

Birgit Sippel, a home affairs spokesperson for the Socialists and Democrats group at the European Parliament, called Leggeri's departure 'a long overdue development, after years of constant allegations of pushbacks and violations of human rights'.
A Texas judge who regularly oversees drink driving cases was arrested for drink driving after trying to reverse his car into a parking spot that already had a car in it, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office.

Travis County Judge John Lipscombe was arrested for DWI in the lobby of the Homewood Suites by Hilton in North Austin a little after midnight on Saturday May 7, telling deputies that he had only had 'a couple of drinks at his house but not even to get messy'.

Deputies were called to the parking lot of the hotel after a verbal argument had broken out between Lipscombe and a witness who had intervened to stop him backing in to the parked car in the spot he was trying to take.

After the dispute Lipscombe, who has been a presiding judge in the county for over ten years, drove around the parking lot and parked in a disabled space right next to the hotel entrance.

Arresting officers found the judge sitting in the hotel lobby 'appearing slow to answer questions and was overall disorientated'. They also reported that Lipscombe slurred his speech and smelling faintly of alcohol.

Travis County Judge John Lipscombe (pictured in mugshot, left) was arrested for DWI in the lobby of the Homewood Suites by Hilton in North Austin a little after midnight on Saturday May 7. Deputies were called to the parking lot of the hotel after a verbal argument had broken out between Lipscombe and a witness who had intervened to stop him backing in to the parked car in the spot he was trying to take. He has served the County Court at Law #3 since January 2011, overseeing Class A and B misdemeanors, including drunk driving cases

the Homewood Suites by Hilton in North Austin, where Travis County Judge John Lipscombe was arrested for DWI

On first questioning he could not tell officers when he had started or stopped drinking that day, but later said he was at home between 5.30pm and 7pm, where he claimed to have had two double shots of rum and Coke.

According to an affidavit, Lipscombe believed he had arrived at the Homewood Suites hotel at 'dusk' on Friday May 6. But the arresting time was midnight on Saturday May 7.

Throughout the entire exchange, the Travis Country judge was 'argumentative' and struggled to remember instructions from officers, including counting down from 76 to 51 when he was requested to only count until 56.

Lipscombe refused to take a breath test due to having an 'injured ankle'. He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI), a Class B misdemeanor.

The judge was booked into Travis Country jail around 9am on Sunday, jail records show.

He has served the County Court at Law #3 since January 2011, overseeing Class A and B misdemeanors, including drunk driving cases.

He was due to preside over more than two dozen drink driving (DWI) cases today, according to public records.

'Judge Lipscombe will not be making a statement at this time. We have a visiting judge covering his docket and other matters starting today and until he returns. At this time, we do not know when he will return,' the office of the Honorable John Lipscombe told KVUE.
Protesters have chanted 'black lives matter' outside the inquiry into how a father-of-two dubbed 'Scotland's George Floyd' died in police custody.

Campaigners gathered outside as family members, witnesses and Police Scotland officers attended the opening day of the inquiry into the death of father-of-two Sheku Bayoh.

Mr Bayoh, 31, stopped breathing in May 2015 after he was cuffed by officers responding to a call in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

His family say that race played a part in his death and criticised the subsequent investigation into the officers' conduct on the night of Mr Bayoh's death.

The police, their watchdog and the Crown Office operated an 'unholy trinity of dishonesty, racism and incompetence' it was claimed ahead of the opening.

As an inquiry into his death opened on Tuesday, the Bayoh family solicitor, Aamer Anwar, challenged the police officers involved to give a full testimony if they had nothing to hide.

The public inquiry, chaired by Lord Bracadale, is set to examine the circumstances leading up to the incident, and the following management process and investigation into the death.

It will also look to establish the role the father-of-two's race may have played in his death.

Protesters outside Capital House in Edinburgh ahead of the start of a public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh

Sheku's mother Aminata Bayoh wipes her eyes outside Capital House in Edinburgh ahead of the start of the public inquiry

The public inquiry looks at the death of Sheku Bayoh, pictured here with partner Collette Bell

Mr Anwar said the inquiry would have never happened had it had not been for the 'courage and perseverance of Sheku's loved ones who have refused to walk away, be silenced, bullied or patronised'.

'Over the years, it has become clear to the family that the police, Pirc (the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner), and Crown Office, has operated an unholy trinity of dishonesty, racism and incompetence, betraying the word justice,' he told a press conference.

'Kadi Johnson (Mr Bayoh's sister) has no doubt that the way Sheku or her family were treated by the justice system would not have happened had Sheku been white, their treatment was compounded by repeated attacks from those who remain in a child-like denial about the existence of racism in policing today.

'Kadi has described Skeku as Scotland's George Floyd, but taking the knee and Black Lives Matter will mean nothing if Scotland fails to support justice for Sheku.'

The father-of-two's family have dubbed him 'Scotland's George Floyd' after he died in custody

Lawyer Aamer Anwar said Mr Bayoh's loved ones waited a 'very long time' to hear the truth

Mr Anwar added: 'In less than 50 seconds of the first police officers arriving, Sheku Bayoh was brought to the ground, he was handcuffed and retrained with leg and ankle cuffs, and would never get up again, losing consciousness and dying.

'As Kadi said when they put her brother's lifeless body in the ambulance, he was still shackled like a slave, with over 24 separate injuries, cuts, lacerations, bruises and a broken rib.

'Within minutes, the process of criminalising, smearing and stereotyping began to enforce an image of a mad and dangerous black man, wielding a knife and with stereotypical characteristics of extraordinary strength in an attempt to blame Sheku for his own death, but he was unarmed and never deserved to die.'

No charges have been brought because of his death, but Mr Anwar said the family felt if the police officers involved had nothing to hide they had 'nothing to fear from coming and giving a full and frank testimony to the inquiry'.

He said the 'real test of this inquiry' would be 'whether this country acts to ensure that real change takes place in an unaccountable, all powerful justice system'.

'Sadly, Sheku is not by any means to first man to die in police custody but, if anything, I hope that his name does not fade from memory and that one day the name of Sheku leaves us a legacy that his children can be proud of,' he said.
Three Italian men who were accused of rape by a British au pair in Naples have been cleared of all charges.

The woman, who was just 18 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she was raped three times by three different men as she attempted to make her way home from a party in the southern Italian city's historic centre in March 2018.

She claimed she was offered a lift home from the Erasmus party close to the University of Naples by two men, who instead drove her to a secluded alleyway near Via Mezzocannone before sexually assaulting her.

Then a third man, who the au pair approached for help following the incident, allegedly told her 'it's my turn now' and also chose to rape her instead of alerting the authorities.

But Judge Tullio Morello last month acquitted two men of gang rape charges and the third man of a rape charge because 'there was no case to answer'.

The court found the accuser had been drinking heavily at the time and decided any sex that took place was consensual.

The British au pair claimed she was offered a lift home from a Erasmus party close to the University of Naples by two men, who instead drove her to a secluded alleyway near Via Mezzocannone (pictured) before sexually assaulting her

The woman, who was just 18 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she was raped three times by three different men as she attempted to make her way home from an Erasmus party close to the university in Naples (pictured)

The woman, who is now aged 22, first brought the case to Italian police in July 2018, roughly four months after the alleged rapes took place.

A special investigative hearing was set up in Naples' city centre to hear her case, where she alleged her 'bogus rescuer' also raped her moments after she had been sexually assaulted by two men in a secluded spot close to the university.

The accuser was working as an au pair and was in Naples on a student exchange programme.

All three defendants, who are of the same age as their accuser, insisted the sex was consensual and pleaded not guilty to charges of group sexual violence and rape.

Police identified the men through CCTV footage and phone records in the weeks and months following the accuser's decision to bring her case forward.

The accuser was working as an au pair and was in Naples (pictured) on a student exchange programme

Prosecutor Francesca Falconi, who oversaw the investigations according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, demanded that the two men accused of gang rape were each given a prison sentence of 5 years and 4 months, though she accepted the third man would be acquitted.

But the judge ultimately acquitted all three defendants of all of their charges, citing minimal evidence.

The court chose not to name any of the defendants or their accuser given the nature of the case.
China's economy to roar back despite lockdown: British media

Xinhua) 09:45, May 10, 2022

LONDON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- By autumn, with temporary lockdowns in China forgotten, the ports reopened and restrictions lifted, China's economy will roar back once again, according to an opinion piece in The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, the United States and Europe "are back in recession and working out how to pay for the ruinous cost of closing down society in 2020," said Matthew Lynn, a financial columnist, in the article published on Friday.

Noting that the "China bears are out in force," Lynn said their pessimistic predictions about China are tempting but "fundamentally flawed."

"Lockdowns might be harsh, but they will make sure the healthcare system is able to cope while vaccination delivers enough immunity to deal with the virus," he said, adding that by the autumn, the rise of the Chinese economy "will be back on track."

Lynn noted that the latest evidence suggests three doses of vaccine by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac are "at least as effective as the Pfizer and Moderna shots, and possibly even better for the over-80s, the most crucial sector of society to protect."

"When the final tally is reckoned, China's death rate will probably be lower than most other countries, and at far lower cost," he added.

"The rise of China, and its powerhouse economy, remains by far the most important story of the 21st century," he said, noting that COVID-19 and a few weeks of lockdown in major cities "won't prove its undoing. It is far too strong for that, and has too much momentum behind it."

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
The students are under pressure from their peers, parents and teachers and also reportedly getting panic attacks.  Representational image/DC

HYDERABAD: More than 23,000 students were absent for the first year Intermediate public examinations on Monday, the highest number of absentees marked this year.

As many as 4,64,685 first year Intermediate students registered for English Paper  I exam on Monday, of which, 23,311 students were marked absent.

Cases of malpractices have been reported in Nizamabad district, where a case was also registered against a first-year student on Monday. The absentee percentage recorded on Friday among first year students and Saturday among second year students was 4.7 per cent, which rose to 5 per cent among first year students on Monday.

When questioned about the number of students marked absent for being late, the officials replied that they did not have any official data recorded. The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education launched a toll-free number and also numbers of a few psychologists for students to approach them in case of exam related stress and anxiety. But, a few students have, however, mistaken these helpline numbers and are asking important questions to psychologists.

Dr Rajini Tenali Bhushan, a psychologist said, Students think that the helpline numbers shared are directly related to the board and are asking important questions about the exam. They are also asking us to appeal to the board to correct the answer scripts in a lenient manner. She added that students were ready to accept challenges and were worried about the results as they could not focus because of online and offline classes.

The students are asking us how to calculate the marks and percentage based on the answers they have written. They have agreed that they could not give their 100 per cent and are doing last-minute preparation, she added.

The students are under pressure from their peers, parents and teachers and also reportedly getting panic attacks. This was because they are systematically writing board exams after a long time and the pressure on second-year students is more as these exams could well decide their future, added another psychologist, Dr Anita Are.

A few other psychologists also received calls from students who appealed to write online exams as they are suffering from high fever and cold and cough.

However, the students are told that no online exams would be conducted and they can wait for the supplementary exams if they are not in a condition to write the offline exam.
Anti-vaxxers have blasted Peppa Pig for 'brainwashing' children after an episode about the famous cartoon pig getting a health check was turned into a book, which also sees her getting a vaccination.

Furious parents have accused the animated favourite of promoting vaccinations in the popular storybook before denouncing the Covid jab as a 'toxic injection' that is the equivalent of 'child abuse'.

The fury was sparked following the novelisation of an episode of the cartoon, Peppa Gets a Health Check, that debuted on television screens last year and comes weeks after the NHS started Covid vaccinations for younger children.

In the animated episode, Mummy Pig takes her daughter, Peppa, to see a doctor - who measures her height and weight, looks in her ears, listens to her heartbeat, and asks questions about whether she likes broccoli - as well as taking note of the loudness of her 'oink'.

But in the book version, Peppa Gets a Vaccination - which appears to be virtually the same plot - Peppa is also told by the polar bear character medic: 'Now it's time for your vaccination, do you know why we have vaccinations Peppa?'

Alongside regular vaccinations for children, which include Diptheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, the NHS has rolled out the Covid vaccination programme to children aged 5-11 from April 2022.

Almost five million children in this age group are eligible for two doses of the vaccine following updated JCVI guidance, which recommended children can benefit from a 'non-urgent' offer of the vaccine.

However, official figures released last month showed one in eight (12.8 per cent) Covid jabs earmarked for youngsters aged between five and 11 in Wales have already had to be dumped - and insiders also told MailOnline the problem is unlikely to be unique to Wales.

The statistics, which also show the weekly vaccine uptake for children aged five to 11 is under 10 per cent, are based on the number of doses that had to be binned out of all the jabs the country has received.

Anti-vaxxers have blasted Peppa Pig for 'brainwashing' children after a cartoon episode about going to the doctors to have a vaccine was turned into a book called Peppa Gets a Vaccination (Pictured)

The book features Peppa receiving a vaccination and was a novelisation of an episode called Peppa Gets a Health Check, that debuted on television screens last year

Furious parents have accused the animated favourite of promoting vaccinations in the popular storybook before denouncing the Covid jab as a 'toxic injection' that is the equivalent of 'child abuse' (Pictured)

The book comes after official figures released last month showed one in eight (12.8 per cent) jabs earmarked for youngsters aged between five and 11 in Wales have already had to be dumped (file image)

Government sources said while the exact reason for the jabs needing to be binned is not clear, children failing to attend appointments had exacerbated the issue.

The book sees the famous cartoon character holding what appears to be her personal child health record - also known as the red book - that is given to new parents once their child is born.

It was published on September 30 last year - 10 days after the NHS rolled out the vaccination programme to children aged 12-15.

The book continues: 'Peppa put her hand up. "Yes! They stop us from getting ill, and that helps people around us, too."'

The doctor impressively replies: 'That's right. Sometimes vaccinations are given as a little spray in your nose and sometimes a tiny pinprick in your arm'.

The book sees the famous cartoon character holding what appears to be her personal child health record - also known as the red book - that is given to new parents once their child is born (pictured)

A graph showing the UK's weekly Covid vaccine uptake by age for the first dose

A graph showing the UK's weekly Covid vaccine uptake by age for the second dose which 5-11 year olds receive 12 weeks after their first dose

What vaccinations do children have in the UK? Children have to be immunised for several diseases from the time they are eight-weeks old up until the weeks before they turn 18. The current UK children's vaccination programme includes: Eight weeks old: Diptheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus, whooping cough Pneumococcal infections Rotavirus Meningococcal B Three months: Diptheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus, whooping cough (2nd dose) Rotavirus (2nd dose) Four months: Diptheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus, whooping cough (3rd dose) Pneumococcal infections (2nd dose) Meningococcal B (2nd dose) Age one: Measles, mumps, rubella Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and meningitis C Pneumococcal infections (3rd dose) Meningococcal B (3rd dose) Age three and four months: Diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio Measles, mumps, and rubella (2nd dose) Age five and over: Covid-19 vaccine Age 12-13: Human papilloma virus (HPV) Age 14: Tetanus, diptheria, polio Meningitis, septicaemia (blood poisoning) Source: NHS Advertisement

In the animated version, Peppa is asked to jump up and down before the doctor asks: 'Is Peppa up-to-date with her vaccinations?' before Mummy Pig replies: 'Yes, she is.'

A voice-over then says: 'A vaccination stops you getting ill.'

Children have to be immunised for several diseases from the time they are eight-weeks old up until before they reach 18.

On average, a child in the UK is vaccinated over 17 times to protect them against different diseases including whooping cough, which is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes, and measles, mumps and rubella.

However, in a blog on the Health Advisory and Recovery Team website, Peppa is accused of being 'unwittingly and unethically weaponised in a 'drive by' vaccine product placement advertisement'.

HART describes itself as 'a group of highly qualified UK doctors, scientists, economists, psychologists and other academic experts' who 'came together over shared concerns about policy and guidance recommendations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic'.

The description on their website cites 'concern' over 'the lack of open scientific debate in mainstream media and the worrying trend of censorship and harassment of those who question the narrative'.

In the blog, an unnamed poster cites the episode and subsequent book, claiming that Peppa and Mummy by-pass the informed consent stage of the medical procedure.

The blog describes the alleged stunt as 'hogwash,' adding: 'This not-so-subtle change begs various questions.

'Why would one go to such lengths to take an existing story and republish it under a new title?

'This second version of the story was published on 30 September 2021, the same month which saw the UK Chief Medical Officers' inexcusable and unexplainable decision to proceed with Covid-19 injections for 12-15 year-olds.

'Unfortunately, UK authorities have a track record of using misleading information to promote these injections.

'Who would have thought Peppa Pig, the loveable and effervescent porcine character that has been a huge favourite of many a youngster for the last couple of decades, might be utilised by big pharma in an attempt to normalise a potentially dangerous and most likely unnecessary medical procedure?'

And online, Peppa's trip to the docs has been subject to more scrutiny.

Children have to be immunised for several diseases from the time they are eight-weeks old up until before they reach 18. Pictured: The Peppa Pig book

On the Amazon page for the curly pink tale, some 42 per cent of its reviews are just one star (pictured)

Another angry parent, Z Hart, who titled his review 'indoctrination at its finest' adds: 'Sick world we're living in' (Pictured)

When is YOUR child eligible for their Covid vaccination in the UK? Children aged 5-11: Pfizer-BioNTech - Children in this category are offered the Pfizer vaccine as a series of two doses at least 21 days apart from one another. No booster Children aged 12 and over: Pfizer-BioNTech - Children in this category are offered the Pfizer vaccine as a series of two doses at least 21 days apart. Moderna - Alternatively, you can be offered the Moderna vaccine as a series of two doses 28 days apart. Third primary dose - 8 weeks after second dose Booster  91 days after third primary dose Aged 16-17: This age group is offered two doses plus a booster 91 days after their second dose. Boosters: A booster dose of the Covid vaccine is available for everyone aged 16 and over, and some children aged 12 to 15, who have had a second dose of the vaccine at least three months ago. Source: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Advertisement

On the Amazon page for the curly pink tale, some 42 per cent of its reviews are just one star.

Jo Lovetees blasts: 'Disgusting brainwashing of our children.

'This is so wrong. Let's encourage our kids to take medical treatments still in clinical trial phases with no long term safety data, no studies into effects on fertility, when in the UK alone over 1600 people have died from the covid shot and over one million adverse reactions (just look up the government Yellow Card reporting system).

'These are a mere 1-10% of the actual figures. Our kids don't need toxic injections, or face masks, it's child abuse. Just stop, leave our kids alone.'

Jo's review has been marked as 'helpful' 434 times.

In another review, Matt Stevens asks: 'Is this some sort of sick joke?'

Another angry parent, Z Hart, who titled his review 'indoctrination at its finest' adds: 'Maybe one where Daddy pig has some adverse reactions or Grandpa pig dies alone in a care home slowly poisoned by Midazolam?

'How about teaching children that? Sick world we're living in.'

Another reviewer, Jim, adds: 'Very bad taste given the current circumstances.

'Daddy pig is a complete half wit so probably would rush out to get his kids 'vaccinated' with any old 'vaccine' which has no long term safety data for a virus that has little to no effect on children and looks like it doesn't reduce transmission which is the whole argument.

'Absolutely disgraceful! I am never letting my kids watch or read any of this crap after this.'

Hasbro, the parent company behind the Peppa Pig series, and Penguin - who publish her books - have been contacted for comment by MailOnline.
A grieving family has recalled the harrowing final moments of their teenage daughter's life after she died while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

Bernard and Corine Anseline's 14-year-old daughter Lydia suffered a severe asthma attack on April 13 at their home in Pakenham, Victoria.

Mrs Anseline first rang triple zero at 1.07am as her husband began performing CPR.

He contiuned doing CPR, trying to keep as much air in her lungs until paramedics arrived. As time passed Lydia lost conciousness.

'I grabbed her hand and lifted her head up and I go, "Lydia!" And she opened her eyes and goes, "dad, I love you",' he told A Current Affair.

Grieving parents Bernard and Corine Anseline have recalled the final moments of their teenage daughter Lydia (pictured) as they waited for an ambulance to arrive to take her to hospital

Those were her final words. Lydia died after waiting 30 minutes for paramedics to arrive at her home.

Her parents said it is the longest they have ever waited for an ambulance.

Ambulances are often called to the property as the Anseline's three other children also suffer from asthma attacks.

'Seven minutes, that's the longest we've ever had to wait. But on the 13th (of) April, it was a totally different story,' Mr Anseline said.

The first call to triple zero was made at 1.07am, another was then made at 1.25am.

An ambulance eventually got to the property at 1.41am - 34 minutes after the first call - but Lydia had tragically died before the ambulance had arrived.

The family only lives 13km - or a 12 minute drive - from the nearest hospital to their home.

They believe Lydia would've probably survived if they had rushed her to the hospital instead.

Lydia (left) had suffered a severe asthma attack at their family home in Pakenham, Victoria. Her parents called triple zero as her father performed CPR

Mrs Anseline said if they were aware of the ambulance's estimated time of arrival they 'could have saved her, she'd still be here'.

Lydia had experienced another asthma attack just six weeks prior to her tragic death and had been rushed to hospital by her mother.

At that time, Mrs Anseline claimed the doctors and medical staff advised her to call triple zero to their home next time Lydia had an asthma attack.

Her parents are now calling on triple zero call takers to provide accurate estimated arrival times for ambulances.

'Just be honest. If the ambulance is going to run late, let the person know. Because if that person has enough time to save a life, it makes a big difference,' Mr Anseline added.

Mr and Mrs Anseline (pictured) believe Lydia would've survived if they had rushed her to hospital instead. They are now calling on triple zero call takers to provide accurate estimated arrival times for ambulances

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said they were undertaking a full investigation into the incident to better understand what happened and why.

'We extend our deepest condolences to the patient's family and loved ones in this extremely difficult time,' the spokesperson said.

'We are undertaking a full investigation into this tragic incident to better understand what happened and why.

'We take very seriously our work providing the very best care we can to every patient, and we'll continue to work hard to serve the community during this period of increased demand.'
A 'devastated' online marketer has banned men from becoming clients after claiming 'sexists' bombard her with creepy messages as she tries to build her business.

Mindy Sidhu from Berkshire said she has felt 'violated' since her first client contacted her digital marketing company My Pretty Marketing in March 2021.

The 32-year-old was finally able to quit her full-time job last month after promoting her company on a variety of social media accounts, sharing contact details, including a mobile number, for prospective clients to contact her on.

She says some men then try to 'taken advantage of' being able to contact her by sending inappropriate messages to her on Instagram and WhatsApp and 'treating her differently' because she is a woman.

Mindy knows she will 'lose money' since around 45 per cent of her clients are men but says she cannot face being harassed any more.

She put a 'business update' on social media last week saying she will 'only work with female clients'.

Mindy Sidhu (pictured) launched digital marketing company My Pretty Marketing in March 2021, building up her business so she could quit her full-time job last month

The 'devastated' business owner has 'banned' men (her Instagram post) from becoming clients after claiming 'sexist' blokes bombard her with creepy messages as she tries to build her business

But Mindy (pictured) claims since her very first client, she has felt 'violated and taken advantage of', with some men sending inappropriate messages to her on Instagram and WhatsApp

However she later conceded that she will 'select a handful of male clients' - ones she's worked with previously with no problems or those who are couples.

The senior marketing director claims she has even been told by one client he only works with pretty women, while others have asked her out for drinks during out-of-office hours and make her feel really uncomfortable.

Her 'last straw' came a week ago when an inappropriate potential client claimed he was only working with her so he could flirt with her.

Mindy, from Maidenhead, said: 'This is sexist. I can't put my finger on it, they're treating me differently than they would a male.

'I started my business a year-and-a-half ago. As you can imagine, I was so excited it was my first ever client.

'I sent him a quote and out of the blue, he randomly messaged me to send him pictures of my feet and asked what shoe size I was.

'I was devastated when it first happened, I was going to quit my business.

'I put a post up on social media and said it wasn't appropriate, that if people are going to do business with me then don't [do it].

'I had a few people who then carried on and I just used to ignore them.

'Or I carried on working with clients who I thought were being a bit inappropriate but would carry on and ignore their advances, hoping they'd stop.

'This is all from men, I don't get this from women. I'll work with males I have worked with before or ones who have come with their partner, for example their wife or girlfriend is just as involved in the project. I have a few couples who I work with.'

Mindy (left) claims a prospective client also looked up her personal social media accounts last week and started 'liking' all of her social media pictures. Another man (right on WhatsApp) who said 'they studied together' after she said she thinks they should keep it professional messaged her on WhatsApp asking her if she likes 'bags' and they could have 'some fun' together

Mindy claims a prospective client looked up her personal social media accounts last week and started 'liking' all of her social media pictures.

When she politely requested he keep things professional, he apparently messaged back revealing he wanted to 'flirt' with her.

Frustrated, she posted on her Instagram story warning customers that she would now 'only work with female clients' - before clarifying she would take on a handful of men she could trust.

The post read: 'Clients flirting with me or just taking my business so they can talk to me. This is usually male clients and I'm sick of it. It's so unfair anyway.

'I've decided I'm only working with female clients. I will select a handful of male clients that I don't mind working with but my niche is mainly females. It's a shame because I don't think men have to deal with this c**p.'

She says that last week another 'inappropriate' potential client claimed he was only working with her so he could flirt with her. This proved to be the final straw, prompting her to post a damning 'business update' stating she will 'only work with female clients'

Mindy said: 'I had someone message me and ask if I'd help them with their business. I didn't reply to him because I could see he'd been liking all my photos on my personal Instagram.

'He messaged me again saying "I'm serious about business if you're available. I don't want you to think that I'm flirting with you".

'I replied saying "no, that's fine. As long as you're sure because I keep my business very professional".

'He replied to say he did want to flirt with me and that's why he was doing business with me.

''I've had people flirting, telling me I look good. I've had another client saying he only works with pretty women.

'He asked me to get influencers for his business and to make sure they're all pretty. I understand he was trying to build an image but I felt a bit taken aback.

'Those are the sort of advances I was looking past, then when the most recent incident happened I was like "I can't do this anymore". It was making me really uncomfortable to talk to these people.

'Men make up between 30% and 45% of my clientele. I'm going to be losing money but now I just don't think it's worth my mental state of mind.

'When you start a business, you have loads of negative thoughts about your business anyway. Adding this negativity on top of it is such a burden.'

Another post asking people to stop sending her 'inappropriate' messages on social media

Screenshots from the man 'flirting' with her on social media

After posting about her stressful experience, Mindy claims other female entrepreneurs contacted her about experiencing the same thing

She has now accused the men behaving inappropriately of 'making it very difficult' for her to 'grow' and urged them to stick to dating apps.

She added: 'I've had a few people, especially men, come up to me saying they're sorry I'm going through this and that it's not all of them. I don't want to generalise - I will take on a handful of male clients.

'I've got to the point where I don't have the energy to sift through whose intentions are good and whose aren't.

'I took a risk, I quit my job a month ago to do this full-time. I just say "put yourself in my shoes". I'm trying to make my bread and butter. I'm trying to make money so that I can live my life.

'We live in a world now where you have dating apps, options where you can go out and meet someone. Go and utilise those.

'Don't take advantage of females who are trying to do something for themselves. So many women go through this. It's easier to ignore it than raise it, but I want to raise it.'

After posting about her stressful experience, Mindy claims other female entrepreneurs contacted her about experiencing the same thing.

Mindy said: 'Do these guys not understand this is somebody's dream they're playing with?

'It's making it very difficult for me, or other women in my position, to grow and succeed. I can imagine how many women stop what they're doing because of this.

'Many say they were shocked, many say they're shocked that they're not as shocked as they should be.

'I want to make it clear I don't want to generalise. Not all men act this way and I will take on a handful of male clients in particular circumstances.'

Mindy says she does not want to 'generalise' and said it is only a 'handful of male clients in particular circumstances'

A man who messaged her on social media later apologised after she called out his behaviour

On social media, Mindy says she's been inundated with messages of support, including from other men claiming such behaviour is 'prevalent'

On social media, Mindy says she's been inundated with messages of support, including from other men claiming such behaviour is 'prevalent'.

One user said: 'I am so saddened that this has happened to you Mindy.

'At the same time, watching the world around us and just scrolling through here on LinkedIn, not as shocked as I should be - this kind of toxicity is so prevalent.

'I think you've taken a very sensible approach to dealing with the issue and my gut feel is that you will still be very successful with your choice - I wish you all the luck.'

Another marketing professional said: 'It's a shame you've to go through this experience. No one should ever have to endure it. Don't ever let it get you down. Those that commit these vile acts hopefully get their due punishment. Stay strong!'
A parking space in one the capital's most upmarket areas has gone on the market for a whopping 85,000 - but its barely wide enough for a car to fit in.

The covered, garage spot is just a stones throw from Harrods in Knightsbridge, central London.

But it is sandwiched between two thick walls and is just two metres wide by five-and-a-half-metres long.

But the average UK car is 1.82 metres wide meaning it is a very tight squeeze to even get in the space even for the most careful of drivers.

And if they do they barely have any space to get in and out of their motor.

A tight parking space is selling for 85,000 in London (pictured), though any future owners must be confident in their close quarter manoeuvring skills

The Knightsbridge garage is only about two metres wide, giving the average car just 20cm clearance

The current owner has covered some of the sharp corners on the parking space to avoid any unwanted scratches

Property hunters were left stunned at the price and bemused by how narrow it is.

Donna Ball, of Bolton, said: 'Having great fun coming back from London looking at house parking prices on Rightmove.

'How about 85k for this parking spot.'

'North forever.'

Liam O'Toole added: 'Can you actually get out of that car, when parked?

'Sun roof exit only.'

Cathy Growney said: 'How do you reverse into that space without dorking your wing mirrors.

'And how can you reverse without them.'

The small garage (pictured) is sandwiched between Rutland Gate and Ennismore Mews

The parking spot's 960 year lease is far from the most expensive space in the garage, despite being the best part of 100k

The garage space is being in Rutland Gate in the posh district is just 250 metres from Harrods.

It is being sold by estate agents Nicolas van Patrick and advertised on Rightmove.

The listing reads: 'A single allocated parking space with in a small garage which is sandwiched between Rutland Gate and Ennismore Mews.

'The space is approximately two metres wide by 5.5 metres long, with good height.

'With two automated gates operated by fobs, and CCTV the garage is considered to be very secure.

'It also benefits from access to water.'

Another parking spot nearby is for sale with a large price tag of 350,000, which is more than the average price of a home in Britain

The parking spot is part of a large underground car park and sits alongside several other vehicles

A small garage was sold for 350,000 and then converted into a home two years later in London (pictured)

Though small the home is now worth 1.2 million, nearly four times what it was sold for as a garage

Parking spaces in London are often in very high demand, particularly among car owners with valuable vehicles that need protecting from theft.

The most expensive parking space for sale on estate agents Nicolas van Patrick's website is more than four times the price of the narrow spot in Knightsbridge, at 350,000.

The lot, which is more expensive than many four-bed detached houses up north, is also located near to Harrods, but in a different parking lot.

However this space boasts an area of 3.18 by 6.30 metres, or 10 ft 4 inches by 20 ft by 6 inches - equivalent to more than 1,500 per square foot.

In 2019 a run-down garage in Kensington was bought for 350,000 is now worth a whopping 1.2 million after being converted into one of the country's most eco-friendly homes.

While London is not the only place affected by expensive parking spaces, in South Devon a single space went on sale with a price tag of 100,000.
Boris Johnson's high profile plan to make gay conversion therapy illegal will not actually outlaw an often violent practice previously condemned by the Prime Minister, Downing Street admitted today.

The Queen's Speech contains plans for a bill that would 'ban abhorrent conversion therapy practices intended to change sexual orientation' in England and Wales.

But in a move likely to set up a new culture war battle, it also says that the ban would only apply to all children, and adults who did not consent to it being carried out.

No 10 today confirmed that the bill would allow over 18s to consent to the practice, often carried out by religious groups and which has no scientific basis.

The UN has said the practice amounts to torture and should be outlawed, with bans already in place in Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada and New Zealand.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters it was 'important that the freedom to express religious teachings is not affected' by the new law.

The Conversion Therapy Bill will also set up a clash between Boris Johnson and his backbenchers over trans rights, with no proposed ban on gender-based therapy.

Instead the plan says there will be 'separate work to consider the issue of Transgender Conversion Therapy further' due to the 'complexity of issues and need for further careful thought'.

The Conversion Therapy Bill will also set up a clash between Boris Johnson and his backbenchers over trans rights, with no proposed ban on gender-based therapy.

The Queen's Speech contains plans for a bill that would 'ban' conversion therapy. But No10 today admitted it was not a complete ban

People hold up signs reading 'no ban without trans' during a protest outside Downing Street in London, over transgender people not being included in plans to ban conversion therapy

The bill will also include protection for 'freedom of speech, ensuring parents, clinicians and teachers can continue to have conversations with people seeking support'.

The passage of the legislation is likely to provoke yet more protests. When the proposed law was announced last month it led to criticism from Tory MPs and demonstrations in Westminster.

After the speech, Milton Keynes Tory MP Ben Everitt tweeted: 'Conversion therapy is absolutely abhorrent and we need to ensure the ban is trans-inclusive.'

Conversion therapy can, in extreme forms, include physical violence and torturous practices.

It is not clear yet that the Government will be able to get the law through without including trans conversion therapy, with scores of Tory MPs prepared to rebel against it and force a change.

Reacting to the plans, former LGBT Government adviser Jayne Ozanne said it is an 'utter disgrace' for trans people to be 'purposefully omitted' from the ban, and that it creates a 'loophole of consent'.

The promise of legislation follows multiple changes in position and comes more than three years after the Conservative party pledged to eradicate conversion therapy.

In late March, Boris Johnson dramatically dropped plans for legislation, with a Government spokesman saying it would look at how the existing law could be applied more effectively and explore other measures.

Within hours, a furious backlash forced a hasty retreat and a senior Government source was quoted as saying legislation would be included in the Queen's Speech.

The Prime Minister is said to have 'changed his mind' after seeing the reaction to the earlier announcement.

But he defended the decision not to include trans people, saying there are 'complexities and sensitivities' which need to be worked through.

Critics told the Government to stop making 'pathetic excuses', protesters took to the streets, and so many LGBT+ groups pulled out of the Government's landmark LGBT conference that it had to be cancelled.

In a background briefing note accompanying the Queen's Speech, the Government said the Bill will apply to England and Wales and have six main elements.

It will ensure that violent conversion therapy can be recognised as an aggravating factor when people are sentenced for existing violent offences, and make non-physical conversion therapy illegal for all minors, regardless of circumstance, and over 18s who do not consent.

Perpetrators found guilty will have any profit they obtained from their crimes seized, and civil measures such as protection orders - which could see passports taken off those in danger of being taken abroad for conversion therapy - will be introduced.

The legislation will protect freedom of speech for parents, clinicians and teachers and recognise clinicians' independence, the briefing said.

The document adds: 'Robust, exploratory and challenging conversations which are part of regulated care do not fall within the scope of the ban.'

Former LGBT Government adviser Ms Ozanne tweeted: 'Whilst I'm naturally relieved to see that the Government are still committed to banning 'conversion therapy', it is of great concern that they are creating so many loopholes and leaving so many people unprotected.

'The Government's own research shows that trans people are twice as likely to be offered 'conversion therapy' and it is an utter disgrace that they have purposefully omitted them from the ban.'

She added that the Bill will create a 'loophole of consent' which will continue to put 'many lives' at risk.

The Ban Conversion Therapy coalition said there are 'two giant loopholes' - so-called 'consent' and trans people not being protected.
A rare satellite image of a Chinese shipyard has revealed a new nuclear-powered hunter-killer attack submarine, military analysts have claimed.

A Pentagon report in November said the People's Liberation Army Navy was preparing new attack submarines with vertical launch tubes for cruise missiles, possibly based on the existing Type 093 submarine.

Images obtained by Reuters from private satellite imagery provider Planet Labs and others circulating on social media show the submarine in a dry dock in Huludao Port in Liaoning province.

It is not clear whether the submarine is a new model, an upgrade of an existing vessel or something else.

Greenish covers shroud areas behind its superstructure and stern - parts of the vessel that could house missile launch tubes and a new, quieter propulsion system, analysts said.

A rare satellite image of a Chinese shipyard could show a new nuclear-powered hunter-killer attack submarine, military analysts have said

Such clear images of submarines in dry dock are seldom seen.

The submarine was out of the water between April 24 and May 4, and was later seen mostly submerged in the same place after the dry dock was flooded.

Vertical launch tubes would add considerable flexibility to China's 'hunter killer' submarine fleet, arming the vessels with more guided missiles.

Singapore-based security scholar Collin Koh said there was a great deal of interest in the prospect of a new class of Chinese Type 093 'hunter-killer' submarine with vertical launch tubes.

But he said the recent satellite images were too limited to definitively identify the vessel.

The images 'are very interesting but it is still very hard to be sure yet whether we are looking at some kind of refit for testing or a whole new class of submarine,' said Koh, of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Koh said he and others were watching closely to see whether new Chinese submarines would shift to quieter pump-jets instead of conventional propellers for propulsion.

The existing Type 093 Submarine is a nuclear-powered attack submarine which has a payload of 22 torpedo sized weapons

Because the stern is shrouded, it is not possible to tell what sort of propulsion the ship in the image uses.

The Chinese Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

China's attack submarines are evolving to tackle a growing range of potential demands, from protecting ballistic missile submarines and the People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carrier battlegroups to tracking enemy ships.

Jeffrey Lewis, a professor in arms control at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, said the latest images raised more questions than answers as to whether they revealed a new class of vessel.

'It's plausible, but there are questions I'd want answered. It wasn't in dry dock very long and it is unclear how they may have reconfigured this submarine,' he said. 'Given the Pentagon report, there is certainly a lot of interest.'

The Pentagon stated China could quadruple its nuclear-warhead stockpile to 1,000 by 2030 in their September report Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2021.

Security chiefs said Beijing's priority was to continue a modernisation programme rather than increasing the size of its submarine force.
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Prince Harry has been accused of 'appropriating' Maori culture after he appeared in a bizarre advert to plug his eco-travel firm Travalyst.

The Duke of Sussex appeared in the five-minute video yesterday and delivered several phrases in Te Reo Maori. Launching his campaign on Maori Television's current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana, Harry described New Zealand as a country of 'sustainability pioneers' and called his project his 'new kaupapa' - the Maori word for work that is considered principled and for public good.

He went on to praise Maori culture, which he said 'inherently understands sustainable practices and how to take better care of our life-giving-land, which are critical lessons which we can all learn'.

However, he has come under fire from royal fans who have accused him of appropriating Maori culture to plug his eco-firm.

Taking to Twitter, one wrote: 'Usually a white man launching a global brand would be accused of appropriating Maori culture. Not sure Prince Harry will get the same treatment.'

Another said: 'So Prince Harry is now appropriating Maori culture to cash in on mental health.'

While a third added: 'How does it feel for Maori to be used by Harry to market his business. Did he ask first?'

In another potential embarrassment for the duke, his video comes just weeks after the Maori party called for the Queen to be removed as New Zealand's head of state.

Calling for a 'divorce', co-leader Rawiri Waititi said the Crown has failed in its duty of care: 'What we've had until now is a one-sided relationship, completely defined by the Crown. That looks more like a dictatorship than a partnership.'

Last night it emerged that a Kiwi comic who starred alongside Prince Harry in the advert once called Jewish people 'expendable', said Hitler 'had a right' and that HIV sufferers deserved to be 'roasted' in a brutal comedy roast more than a decade ago.

In the advert, Prince Harry described New Zealand as a country of 'sustainability pioneers' and called his project his 'new kaupapa ' - the Maori word for work that is considered principled and for public good

Prince Harry has come under-fire from royal fans who have accused him of appropriating Maori culture to plug his eco-firm

In another potential embarrassment for the duke, his video comes just weeks after the Maori party called for the Queen to be removed as New Zealand's head of state. Pictured are Maori Party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

Dave Fane, the creator of animated TV series Bro'Town, appears in Harry's five-minute video as a 'rating agent' who ambushes the British royal as he jogs through California, which doubles as the backdrop for New Zealand woodland.

In the clip, Fane claims he is meant to be assessing the duke, saying: 'I'm supposed to be rating Harry. You've got Harry Styley and I've got the stylish Harry.'

It has since reemerged that the 56-year-old came under fire for making a string of allegedly racist and homophobic comments at the inaugural Radio Roast in 2010.

Fane told an audience at the comedy event that 'Hitler had a right', that 'Jews were expendable', and that HIV sufferers deserved to be 'roasted', Stuff reported.

At the event, he said: 'Would you roast an HIV person? You'd roast them because they're expendable, like the Jews. Hitler had a right, you know.'

The jokes were so incendiary that at the time, Fane was suspended from his position as host of breakfast radio show Flava for a week, with Radio Network chief executive John McElhinney saying that the remarks were inappropriate even in the context of a 'roast'.

Apologising to the New Zealand Aids Foundation and New Zealand Jewish Council, Fane said: 'They were dumb words, said by a dumb man.'

A spokesman for Fane told MailOnline: 'Those words were taken out of context at the time and were deeply regretted. They did not then and do not now reflect his personal beliefs. Dave made an abject apology both to the Jewish council and to the public at the time, this event took place over 12 years ago.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for the Duke of Sussex for comment.

In the five-minute video, published on the YouTube page of Harry's non-profit organisation Travalyst today, the Queen's grandson is ambushed by 'rating agent' Rhys Darby and accused of dropping a lolly wrapper four years earlier on a trip to the country with Meghan.

The bizarre skit, which also features Kiwi actor Rena Owen, launches the first-ever initiative launched in New Zealand for the British prince's non-profit Travalyst organisation, founded in 2019, in which holidaymakers, rather than holidays, are rated for how sustainable they are. Kiwis now have access to a rating tool on the Travalyst website as part of a pilot initiative encouraging travellers to consider sustainable options during planning for their next trip.

It is unclear why the duke chose New Zealand for the project, but Harry is known to love the country and considered moving there with his wife when they acrimoniously quit as frontline royals, before opting for LA instead.

Dave Fane, left in Auckland, New Zealand in 2009, and right in Prince Harry's new Travalyst campaign video

Undated handout videograb of the Duke of Sussex as he plays a starring role in a sustainable travel campaign sketch in which he jogs through a forest before being accused of dropping a lolly wrapper four years earlier on a trip to New Zealand

Asked how he is, Harry responds 'Kei te pai' [I am fine] and admits the rating 'has got me thinking'

Prince Harry has chosen to speak Maori to announce a new project in New Zealand today

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit Te Papaiouru Marae on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand

Harry, who served in the British military, joined fellow soldiers during his 2015 trip to the country, and learned the army's Haka

A who's who of the Kiwi actors who starred in Harry's bizarre skit RHYS DARBY Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby is best known for his role as the band manager in hit TV series Flight of the Conchords, as well as a string of appearances in movies including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Yes Man, What We Do in the Shadows and The Boat That Rocked. Born in Auckland on March 21, 1974, former soldier Darby left the New Zealand Army in 1994 and began studies at the University of Canterbury, where he formed comedy duo Rhysently Granted with Grant Lobban. The pair began performing at local venues before Darby pursued more solo shows first in Auckland, and then the UK - where he then appeared in the Flight of the Conchords BBC radio series. As of July 2014, Darby lives in Los Angeles, California with his family. Rhys Darby and Jim Carrey in 2008 movie Yes Man RENA OWEN Rena Owen is of Welsh, English, Irish and Maori descent. She starred as Beth Heke in Once Were Warriors and in George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Born in New Zealand's Bay Of Islands on July 22, 1962 Owen pursued a medical career and trained as a nurse at Auckland Hospital before moving to London as a registered nurse. There, she trained at the Actors Institute in London in the mid-1980s before returning to New Zealand and starring in a string of theatre productions and television series. Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen in Once Were Warriors DAVID FANE David Fane, a Kiwi actor of Samoan descent, will perhaps be known in Britain for Bro'Town, The Tattooist and The Strip. A founding member of comedy group Naked Samoans, Fane, 56, first appeared on TV in sketch comedy show SKITZ alongside future Naked Samoans Oscar Kightley and Robbie Magasiva. In 2010, Fane found himself at the centre of controversy when he said that 'Hitler had a right', people living with HIV deserved to be 'roasted', and 'Jews were expendable' at the inaugural Radio Roast. Fane apologised to the New Zealand Aids Foundation and New Zealand Jewish Council, with both organisations accepting his apology. Writer and performer David Fane arrives for the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil 'Dralion' at Alexandra Park on July 9, 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand Advertisement

He told Maori television's current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana: 'The Maori culture inherently understands sustainable practices and taking better care of our life-giving land, which are critical lessons we can all learn and that is why I'm here with you to share a new kaupapa.'

In the skit, Harry - who is dressed in a grey 'Girl Dad' t-shirt and sporting Apple Airpod headphones - is at first given three stars out of five, and then three and a half - as stamps on his arm - for only using one towel and for buying local honey. He is also praised for not leaving the tap running while brushing his teeth.

'I never do... Hang on a second. How do you know that?... That's really weird,' Harry quips.

The duke insists the wrapper is not his, with comedian Darby saying: 'It might have been a confusing time, it was windy.' Harry responds: 'I don't think it was confusing. It was an incredible time. We had an amazing time in New Zealand. It's beautiful.'

Fane, who plays another rating agent, arrives claiming he is meant to be assessing the duke, saying: 'I'm supposed to be rating Harry. You've got Harry Styley and I've got the stylish Harry.'

The duke delivers several phrases in Te Reo Maori as he chats with Star Wars actress Owen, who pulls up in a van to check on the disorganised agents during the skit which was filmed in California. Asked how he is, the duke responds back in Maori with 'Kei te pai' [I am fine] and admits the rating 'has got me thinking'.

Launching his campaign on Maori Television's current affairs programme Te Ao with Moana, Harry described New Zealand as a country of 'sustainability pioneers' and called his project his 'new kaupapa' - the Maori word for work that is considered principled and for public good.

He went on to praise Maori culture, which he said 'inherently understands sustainable practices and how to take better care of our life-giving-land, which are critical lessons which we can all learn'.

Travalyst CEO Sally Davey said New Zealand was an 'obvious fit' for the new project, telling Stuff Travel: 'We really wanted to start this journey in a place where sustainability is already embedded in the destination - particularly in the local community.

'The Duke in particular is very aware of Maori culture and kaitiakitanga [guardianship] and felt very strongly, as we all did, that Aotearoa was just an ideal setting for the pilot.'

In a statement, Harry said: 'In a world where we're tasked with rating so many things, we're now asking: what if your destination rated you?

'Starting in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand, we're launching our first campaign. There is a well-known Maori proverb: Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini (success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many) - we invite you to be a part of our many.'

Referring to the country in its Maori-language name Aotearoa, Harry told Te Ao with Moana: 'A few years ago I founded Travalyst, a non-profit dedicated to making sustainable tourism mainstream for all of us, and through that making systemic change.

'Every year more and more of us want better options, and for the first time Travalyst is striving to make that reality for everybody who wants to support local communities and looking after nature and wildlife.

'For our first campaign, we are encouraging people to flip the script. We're always being asked for our feedback on our trips and experiences, but what would happen if our holiday rated us? It's an important question to ask, and we want all of you to help us answer it.'

Harry added: 'I've been to Aotearoa a number of times throughout my life, and I've always felt a deep connection and respect towards the Maori people, who make me feel so welcome every time.

'Most recently when I visited with my wife, we were touched by the connections we built and the incredible memories we have from our time there.

'We were particularly honoured to meet with young people, who are dedicated to the Maori culture and to giving back to their communities and their country. They are rightly determined to make this world a better place for the next generation.

'Guided by Maori knowledge and practices, Aotearoa is a country of sustainability pioneers. The Maori culture inherently understands sustainable practices and how to take better care of our life-giving-land, which are critical lessons which we can all learn.'

'It's interesting to hear someone who's a royal speak about Maori values, given our history but also given the current debates about having Maori values at the forefront of decision making and relationships,' she said.

'We are open to talking to anyone anything that particularly resonates with our values as Maori - whether we agree or not. We talk about the Crown every week. I'm hoping that we will have an interview further down the track to tease out that relationship between Maori and the Crown.'

Te Ao with Moana host Moana Maniapoto said Harry had been inspired by Maori values around kaitiakitanga, which translates to 'guardianship and protection'.

In 2018, the Prince returned to New Zealand with Meghan Markle.

The pair discussed moving to there according to the Queen's representative in the country.

That was more than a year before they stepped back from royal duties and moved to the US.

Former governor-general Dame Patsy Reddy recalled the couple saying they 'could imagine living in a place like this' and questioned whether it would be 'theoretically possible'.

She told Associated Press in an interview: 'They were looking at how they might raise their family. And obviously they've made some decisions since.'

Harry and Meghan, shocked the world when in January 2020 they announced their intent to step back from senior royal roles, become financially independent and spend more time in North America.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the Queen all pose for a picture during the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London on June 26, 2018

Recalling the couple's trip to New Zealand, and how they appeared tired, Dame Patsy, 67, said: 'I remember they'd just been down to the Abel Tasman National Park when we sat down and had a drink.

'They said that they could imagine living in a place like this and wondered whether we thought it would be theoretically possible. Even possible for them to have a place in New Zealand.

'Of course, we said, 'Sure. It would be fine'. There are lots of opportunities to live in New Zealand, but that would be something that they'd have to explore.'

The discussion suggests the couple were considering options outside Britain less than six months after they married and well before their eventual move to the US.

Dame Patsy said she did not view it as a formal request for assistance but more of an informal discussion about the couple's hopes for the future.

She said they seemed impressed with access to the outdoors and their interactions with New Zealanders.

During a widely watched interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Harry and Meghan said they had offered to take a step back from royal life in a Commonwealth country such as South Africa or New Zealand.

Dame Patsy said she watched the interview but did not want to comment on internal royal family business.

'I thought they were a lovely couple and I hope they've got a great future where they are,' she said.
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Sadiq Khan has faced a furious backlash from Londoners concerned about spiralling crime rates and outstanding projects in the capital as he continues his taxpayer-funded tour of the United States.

London's mayor was slammed by social media users who berated the whistle-stop tour as a 'waste of money', instead recommending those funds were allocated to the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge.

Others said more pressing issues included knife crime and murder rates in the capital, while eco-campaigners pointed out the hypocrisy in Mr Khan pleading for international tourists while being quick to praise his own green credentials as mayor.

Mr Khan's office pledged 10m in tourism promotion in the Greater London Authority's proposed 2022/23 budget, while it is understood millions have been raised by industry contributors and value-in-kind contributions for the 'Let's Do London' campaign.

Although it's not yet clear exactly how much his US trip will cost and how it has been funded, past mayoral excursions to Pakistan and India in 2018, and Davos in 2017, were paid for by the taxpayer.

Mr Khan also shared a tweet thanking United Airlines for 'getting me to NYC safely', prompting speculation the 12bn airline provided free or discounted flights for the trade mission.

The 7m 'Let's Do London' international marketing campaign will attempt to drive foreign tourists back to London for 2022 - who accounted for up to 84 per cent of the capital's tourism spend prior to the pandemic.

The developments come as Mr Khan was described as the 'rock star of world mayors' by his New York City counterpart Eric Adams on the second of a four-day trip which will see him visit New York, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in a bid to boost London's post-pandemic tourism industry.

Khan had earlier reassured Americans on television that 'Covid cases numbers are down, vaccination numbers are up' and that London was safe to visit on NBC's Morning Joe.

He added that the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations and open air gigs made it a 'good time' for potential tourists to visit London.

Sadiq Khan (pictured in Central Park, New York on Monday) has faced a furious backlash from Londoners concerned about spiralling crime rates and outstanding projects in the capital as he continues his whistle-stop tour of the United States

Sadiq Khan also shared a tweet thanking United Airlines for 'getting me to NYC safely', prompting speculation the 12bn airline provided flights for the trade mission free of charge. His office did not immediately clarify if this was the case

London's mayor was slammed by social media users who berated the trip as a 'waste of money', while others said more pressing issues included knife crime and murder rates in the capital

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: 'The Mayor is in America this week to bang the drum for London. A big part of our continued recovery from the pandemic will be attracting international tourism, business and investment to our city once again.

'Tourism accounts for as many as one in five jobs in London and contributes almost 12 per cent of the citys Gross Domestic Product.

'The Mayor is committed to keeping the costs of the visit to a bare minimum and maximising value for money. Flight arrangements, including the Mayors, are part of a broader agreement between the Greater London Authority and United Airlines.'

MailOnline understands the total cost of his trip to America will be calculated upon his return to London.

Mr Khan will today head to California to meet representatives from Google and LinkedIn in San Francisco, before travelling to Los Angeles to promote London's film industry.

After a press conference with Adams yesterday, Mr Khan went to Times Square and was flanked by Coldstream Guards and the cast of the Broadway Musical, Six, based on the wives of Henry VIII.

He then met with former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on Sunday as he began a tour of the US meant to promote London's ailing post-pandemic tourism industry - which lost 7.4billion in 2020 alone.

The Labour mayor has launched a 10 million tourism campaign, 'Let's Do London', in a bid to attract high-spending US tourists back to the UK capital after Covid.

London welcomed more than 3million US tourists in the year running up to the first lockdown in March 2020. In 2019, these visitors contributed 2.45bn to London's tourism, hospitality and cultural industries alone.

Mr Khan yesterday used his Twitter account to post a picture of him crossing a New York street with the iconic Chrysler building in the background.

The image was accompanied with a picture of Khan and Bloomberg - who was NYC mayor from 2002 to 2013 - in a coffee house catching up.

The mayors of London and New York City were full of praise for each other as they held a joint press conference in NYC

Eric Adams (left) called Sadiq Khan (right) 'the rockstar of world mayors' in a gushing tribute to his opposite number

Khan met Adams as he continues his trip to the United States intended to boost London's post-pandemic tourism industry

The Mayor of London pictured today walking on the streets of New York City during a five- day visit to the US in a bid to boost London's tourism industry

Khan smiles for cameras as attends the 'Let's Do London' US tourism campaign, launched in New York's Time Square today

Khan pictured posing with the Coldstream Guards at the 'Let's Do London' US Tourism Campaign Times Square Takeover today

Khan looks out over the Avenue of The Americas in New York City today. He is visiting New York before making his way to San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles

Khan used his Twitter account to post a picture of him crossing a road with the iconic Chrysler building in the background

He also posted a picture of him meeting his 'good friend' and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg in a coffee house

The meeting was part of the first day of a 5 day visit to the US in a bid to boost London's tourism industry after Covid

Khan spoke of the affection between the mayors and called the media mogul billionaire a 'good friend'.

The Mayor of London has said he hopes to use the trip, which will also include visits to California, to attract investment to the capital.

He will also discuss pandemic recovery with senior politicians.

London was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, losing 7.4 billion of international tourist spend in 2020 alone.

Khan will then travel to the West Coast of the United States to meet representatives from Google and LinkedIn in San Francisco, before travelling to Los Angeles to promote London's film industry.

Khan said he intends to use the trip to 'bang the drum for London'.

'We're doing four regions in four days, New York, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles,' he said.

'It's really important that I bang the drum for London, that's what I intend to do.'

The senior Labour figure and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 seemed in good spirits

After meeting the former mayor, Khan will meet current NYC mayor Eric Adams in the city later today

The pictures come as part of a 10million PR blitz by the Mayor to promote London's economic interests abroad

The move comes just days after Sadiq Khan wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, published in the Independent, to renew his campaign for rent controls in the capital.

In the letter, Khan implores his predecessor to implement a two-year rent freeze for residents in the capital.

Renting in the capital has continued to become more expensive with many London properties now as expensive as New York City to rent.

New York City already has a form of rent control with caps on rent for a small number of buildings supplemented by a larger number of apartments which are only allowed to increase by a small amount each year - known as rent stabilization.
Greek pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos broke down in tears today as excerpts of his British wife's diary in which she detailed their troubled relationship before he killed her were read out in court.

In the entries it was revealed that Caroline Crouch told him she wanted to end their relationship in July 2020, when their baby was a month old.

Anagnostopoulos had to be comforted by his lawyer as the court heard Caroline also admitted that she wanted to leave before she fell pregnant but changed her mind, saying: 'I didn't want my daughter to grow up without her parents'.

The heartbreaking entries also told of bitter fights between the pair, with Caroline recalling one where she 'hit him' before he 'broke down a door'.

One entry read by the judge stated: 'I fought with Babi again. This time it was serious.

'I hit him, I cursed at him and he broke down the door.

A psychiatrist has told a court in Athens where a Greek helicopter pilot (pictured arriving in court today) is on trial for killing his young British-born wife that the defendant exhibits signs of both narcissistic and anti-social personality disorders

Greek helicopter pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos arrives at an Athens court escorted by armed police officers, where he is accused of killing his British wife Caroline Crouch

A family photo of Anagnostopoulos, Caroline and their young daughter Lydia taken shortly before Caroline's death

British national Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled to death by helicopter pilot Babis Anagnostopolous, 33 (pictured)

'All I wanted was for him to ask how I am when I woke up. I woke up so weak and tired.'

It was at this point that the pilot started sobbing. Ironically, he appeared unmoved earlier during the hearing when Caroline's autopsy was read to the court.

It revealed that she was smothered for five minutes by Anagnostopoulos and died 'in agony.' Her official cause of death was given as asphyxiation.

After the hearing, Thanasis Harmanis, the lawyer for the Crouch family said: 'Babis's crocodile tears just underline how heartless he is and are an insult to the memory of Caroline.

'He weeps when he hears about him being attacked by Caroline but does not shed a single tear after horrible details about her death are revealed. This is why her parents didn't want to be at the case because they don't want to be confronted by this charade.'

Anagnostopoulos is to give evidence on Wednesday.

Earlier, a psychiatrist told the Athens court where the Greek helicopter pilot is on trial that the defendant exhibits signs of both narcissistic and anti-social personality disorders.

The expert witness, Alkistis Igoumenaki, testified this morning that Anagnostopoulos, 33, had a 'psychopathic personality' and a 'lack of empathy' for his 20-year-old spouse and their young daughter Lydia.

Anagnostopoulos is on trial for murdering Caroline and her pet dog Roxy - crimes he attempted to cover up with an elaborate burglary-gone-wrong ruse.

The trial resumed today after a three-week recess.

Igoumenaki said: '[The defendant] has an absence of sentiment and empathy, but his mind is perfectly capable of understanding the wrongdoing he has done.

'He suffers from a number of anti-social behaviour traits and is also a narcissist. But that is not an excuse for saying that he was not in control when he carried out his crimes.

The psychiatrist continued: 'He killed his wife and the mother of his child without thinking how much the child would suffer from this loss, so the lack of empathy concerns the child as well.

'We see a man who does not think about the baby... All this contributes to a psychopathic personality.'

Anagnostopoulos does not deny killing Caroline but insists that it was not premeditated and that it was a 'crime of passion' caused by her behaviour.

In addition to the murder of Caroline, Anagnostopoulos is also on trial for the murder of her pet dog Roxy and two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Animal murder is now considered a prosecutable crime in Greece.

Following the killings, he concocted an elaborate ruse that they were the result of a botched burglary.

He faces a possible 30-year sentence if convicted of murder at the Athens Mixed Jury court, where his case is being heard before three full-time judges and four jurors.

Igoumenaki later claimed that Anagnostopoulos' personality meant he was unable to deal with rejection and posited he wanted to be 'admired' when he entered into a relationship with a much younger woman, highlighting the 13-year age gap between Caroline and her killer.

'We see a quest for the admiration of others... Most of us in the world have experienced rejection and we know that emotion is bad. But fortunately this does not lead to murders,' the psychiatrist decalred.

Anagnostopoulos does not deny killing Caroline but insists that it was not premeditated and that it was a 'crime of passion' caused by her behaviour

The couple began dating when Caroline was still a teenager. They married in Portugal in 2019

Anagnostopoulos faces a possible 30-year sentence if convicted of murder at the Athens Mixed Jury court, where his case is being heard before three full-time judges and four jurors

The trial resumed following a three-week break for the Greek Orthodox Easter and Anagnostopoulos was led into court surrounded by armed police officers.

The court has already heard how Caroline's body was discovered next to her then 11-month-old baby Lydia while Roxy's hanging torso was the first thing police officers saw when they stormed the house they shared in an Athens suburb last May.

For more than a month, Anagnostopoulos played the 'grieving husband' and sobbed and cried at Caroline's memorial service, where he hugged his baby and her mother Susan.

Anagnostopoulos's defence is that he was 'triggered' into committing the crimes because Caroline 'mistreated' their baby on the night they argued and that he acted in 'self-defence' because of her martial arts skills.

The court also heard from a number of witnesses from an animal association which helped Caroline adopt her beloved dog Roxy.

Lawyer Evangelia Tsanopoulou, who is representing the dog said: 'The killing of Roxy was the action of a cold-blooded hitman. He used the dog to help stage a scene that burglars had carried out the crime.

'He killed the dog because he wanted to kill all that was associated with Caroline, who loved Roxy dearly. And he did this in the cruellest way by hanging her pet.

After suffocating Caroline as she slept, Anagnostopoulos then smothered puppy Roxy (pictured) and hanged the pup's lifeless body on the banister of their first floor flat in Athens. Anagnostopoulos is also being charged with animal murder - something made possible following a new law introduced last year that forbids their unlawful killing

Believing he had got away with the elaborate cover up, Anagnostopoulos even asked her parents to shell out 3,500 - about 4,000 Euros - for her coffin (pictured)

The court has already heard how Caroline expressed a desire to leave Anagnostopoulos because she felt 'suffocated' and 'trapped' by his controlling behaviour.

Eleni Mylonopoulou, who was providing couples counselling said at an earlier hearing: 'The moment Babis would leave the room Caroline would tell me that she wanted to leave their marital home, take the baby and start all over again.

'She felt controlled, suffocated and trapped by him. She wanted to go back to university and become a pastry chef. But he didn't give her any freedom and she had no choice in how she lived her life.'

She added: 'On paper, Caroline was in love with the idea of Babis but hated the person who he really was.'

The hearing continues.
Shocking photos of the unsightly state of one of Bali's much-loved beaches have emerged just weeks after the holiday island welcomed back international tourists, including flocks arriving from Down Under.

Canggu's once pristine shoreline is strewn with debris, rubbish and plastic waste following the annual monsoon season.

An influx of thousands of holidaymakers flocking back to the popular tourist hotspot following two years of closed borders due to Covid-19 have added to the problem.

Photos of Canggu this week show the beach resembling more like a rubbish tip than the idyllic beach it's known for.

Tourists, locals and dogs are pictured surrounded by mountains of debris and plastic waste discarded by beachgoers and washed up onto the shore.

Tourists walk along Bali Canggu beach scattered with debris and discarded plastic waste

This is what Canggu beach looked like on Tuesday, six months out from Bali welcoming world leaders for the G20 Summit

Much of the trash will end up back in to ocean due to Bali having no centralised waste management system.

Photos of the same beach taken just 18 months ago show locals and expats enjoying the pristine shoreline without the influx of tourists.

Up to 60 tonnes of trash is being collected from Bali's beaches every day with the problem at its worst from December to March each year, where seasonal winds and heavy rain wash up rubbish onto the beaches.

Bali's Kuta beach had the same problem early last year, despite the island being off-limits to international tourists.

There are growing calls for the issue to be addressed and return beaches to their pristine best ahead of Bali hosting world leaders at the G20 Summit in November.

It comes less that five years after Bali declared 'garbage emergency' across a 6km stretch of coast that included popular beaches Jimbaran, Kuta and Seminyak.

Canggu's once pristine beach looked much different in September 2020 (pictured)

The return of of travellers has been partly blamed for the trash problem on Bali's beaches

A US expat living in Bali recently posted a video showing grey, filthy grey water spewing onto the beach at trendy Seminyak and rubbish being washed onto popular Kuta Beach.

The footage shows hundreds of items of discarded plastic, including drinking straws, pack rings, and an old tyre on the beach.

A local river near Seminyak also 'turned red' because of dyes from clothes making businesses for tourists being dumped in the water.

'Any influx of people overburdens [Bali's] already overflowing waste infrastructure,' she told Daily Mail Australia last month.

Indonesia is the second biggest polluting county in the world and produces 130,000 tons of solid and liquid waste each day

Canggu beach is scattered with washed up debris and plastic cups discarded by tourists

Canggu beach resembles more like a rubbish tip than the idyllic beach it's known for

Local environmental group Zero Waste Centre says half of the waste will end up in landfills while the rest will be burned or illegally dumped and bleed into the ocean.

'Bali's trash problem is getting worse day by day,' the group posted recently.

'We look forward to the seriousness of the government in dealing with this Bali's trash problem. It will be a major challenge.'

Pre-Covid, more than a million Australians travelled to Indonesia each year and made up more than a quarter of Bali tourists.

Around 1.23 million Australians visited Bali in 2019 - a rise of 5.24 per cent on 2018 figures.

Around 20,000 Australians visited Bali at any one time before the pandemic before the number of foreign tourists arriving in Indonesia plunged 60 per cent in March as the outbreak spread worldwide.

Thousands of Australians have flocked to Bali since the borders reopened on March 14.

The trash problem on Bali's beaches isn't a new issue. Pictured is Kuta Beach in January 2021 during the annual monsoon season
TIRUPATI: TDP leader and former minister Ponguru Narayana, who is also the head of Narayana Educational Institutions, has been arrested by the Andhra Pradesh Police in Hyderabad. The police reached his residence in Kondapur and detained him in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Mr. Narayana was detained in connection with the SSC Class 10 exam paper leak at Narayana School in Tirupati owned by the ex-minister. Narayana schools Vice Principal -Giridhar Reddy and six others including private and government school staff were arrested in connection with the case.

Though the former ministers family members acknowledged his arrest, they informed that the police did not disclose the reason for arrest. Sources said that the TDP leader is being shifted to Andhra Pradesh in his own vehicle by a special police team, and he is expected to be produced before the court later in the day.

Meanwhile, reports also claim that Mr. Narayana was arrested for his involvement in Amaravatis Capital Region Development Authority affairs. However, the recent statement of chief minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy that TDP leaders and the educational institutes owned by them are responsible for question paper leakage, hints that the arrest was made in connection with the case.

It may be recalled that following a complaint lodged by the Chittoor District Education Officer, the Chittoor I town police busted the gang of corporate schools and arrested seven persons including Narayana School Vice-Principal Giridhar Reddy, who were indulging in malpractices in the SSC board exams. The irregularities were part of the attempt to get all the students appearing for the board examinations from their schools get passed.
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One of Britain's most distinguished private schools has apologised after it served pupils raw chicken in a school dinner.

Cheltenham College - which charges boarding fees up to 40,000 a year for sixth formers- has launched an urgent investigation after a mishap in its kitchens on April 29.

In a letter to parents, bursar Phil Attwell explained that uncooked chicken goujons were served to five sixth formers after the chef mistook them for fish goujons - which look similar but take less than half the time to cook.

Mr Attwell said he was 'extremely sorry' for the error. He also apologised after a larva initially thought to be a maggot was served to a pupil on the same day.

The bursar said: 'Cheltenham College is extremely sorry that this lapse has occurred. We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure that the food that we serve aligns with the standards that our pupils and you as parents expect from us.

'Even though 90 more fish portions had been produced than the previous Friday, the dining hall counter was running out of fish as the end of service approached.

'A member of the chef team cooked off what they believed to be fish goujons, which require five minutes cooking time.

Raw chicken goujons were served to Sixth Form pupils at Cheltenham College, who informed staff their dinners were uncooked

Cheltenham College is housed in Grade I-listed Thirlestaine House, which dates from the 1820s. Described by Pevsner as 'the grandest Neo-Greek house in Cheltenham', it was purchased by the college in 1947

'However, they had in fact cooked chicken goujons which require 12 minutes cooking time. The member of staff took a shortcut by not properly checking (using a probe) that 75 degrees had been reached; the chicken was sent to be served, in a significantly undercooked state.

'Five Upper College pupils received the chicken but notified staff as soon as they spotted the mistake; the meals were quickly recalled, and a replacement meal provided.'

The Victorian school, which opened in 1841, currently has around 640 pupils.

It is housed in Grade I-listed Thirlestaine House, which stands on Bath Road and dates from the 1820s. Described by Pevsner as 'the grandest Neo-Greek house in Cheltenham', it was purchased by the college in 1947.

Famous alumni at the school include England rugby international Tom Beim, racing driver Jamie Chadwick, former Deputy Speaker of the Commons Sir Alan Haselhurst, writer Iain Sinclair and Chris Hill, the CEO of Hargreaves Lansdown.

Mr Attwell said the school and its caterer Holroyd Howe are reviewing their internal processes to prevent a repeat incident and the member of staff responsible is being 'managed through Holroyd Howe internal processes'.

Cheltenham College bursar Phil Attwell apologised for the mishap and says the school (pictured) is reviewing its internal processes as a result

Addressing the larva complaint, Mr Attwell wrote: 'A larva, initially thought to be a maggot was found in the meal of one pupil at the same lunch service on Friday.

'On 5 May, our sweetcorn supplier Bidfood wrote telling us, based on the photograph that it appears to be a corn borer, a typical pest of corn, which possibly arrived with the raw material and unfortunately escaped control."'

'While it is understood that fresh salad and vegetable items may carry bugs of various types, we of course do not expect these to make it through to serving points.

'Once again, Holroyd Howe are reviewing their processes and those of their suppliers to reduce the likelihood of fresh items carrying unexpected surprises which can then make it through to the plate.'

Mr Attwell's letter also revealed that a survey last year included complaints about about hair in food, while a number of parents had written to the College over the last few days, with general comments 'about the food not being good enough'.

He added: 'Staff eat daily in the Dining Hall, and while it may be true that many pupils might be reluctant to make a complaint about food, we know that staff would quickly let us know of any slip in standards.

'We will continue to work with Holroyd Howe and with our pupils to ensure that there are timely and frequent opportunities to secure feedback on food provision, so that we can narrow down general issues to specific ones that can either be corrected or explained.

'The November 2021 survey contained several comments about hair in food.

'Holroyd Howe have reviewed their systems, and while hair covering is not mandatory in catering, it has been reintroduced into all food environments to ensure that opportunities for contamination from farm to plate are reduced.'
Tory MP Jamie Wallis today denied four traffic offences after appearing in court.

The 37-year-old pleaded not guilty to failing to stop, failing to report a road traffic collision, driving without due care and attention and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position at Cardiff Magistrates' Court.

Wallis, from Cowbridge, South Wales, was arrested on suspicion of 'driving whilst unfit' following a late-night crash when a car hit a lamppost in Llanblethian on November 28.

At the time, Wallis, the representative for Bridgend, said he was 'assisting police with their inquiries'.

In a highly public statement released in March, Wallis revealed he had been raped and blackmailed, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He also said he wants to transition to be a woman.

Conservative MP for Bridgend Jamie Wallis arrives at Cardiff Magistrates Court after being charged with four traffic offences

In a highly public statement released in March, Wallis revealed he had been raped and blackmailed, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He also said he wants to transition to be a woman

In court today, Wallis, dressed in a blue suit and striped tie, denied all four charges.

Prosecutor Mike Williams told the court the Mercedes car was found with 'electrical wires in disarray' and the airbag deployed.

Mr Williams said: 'The Mercedes has collided with a lamppost and also a wall.'

In his powerful public statement, Wallis wrote he had been targeted by a blackmailer who threatened to out him to the public unless he paid 50,000.

The MP said the offender was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after admitting his guilt.

He also disclosed he was raped by a man he 'hooked up' with after meeting online, saying after the experience he 'felt very ashamed and empty inside', and suffered nightmares and flashbacks as a result.

He was praised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other MPs after posting the message online shortly before 3am on March 30, following a gathering for Tory MPs at which Mr Johnson reportedly made a joke about trans issues.

In an interview with Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Wallis gave advice to young people struggling with their gender identity.

He said he 'wouldn't wait as long as I've waited', but there was 'nothing wrong with just taking some time and discovering yourself'.

'When you know who you are, you are ready and you want to tell the world, there are people like myself who are waiting and we're welcoming, we're friendly and we're here to help and support,' he added.

Wallis, who was smiling at the judge, was told the hearing would take place without him if he failed to attend

Wallis won his seat in December 2019, managing to oust Labour's Madeleine Moon, who had held the constituency for 14 years.

The following month there were calls in the House of Commons from opposition MPs for him to apologise after company records showed he had held a business interest in a so-called 'sugar daddy' website called Sugar-Daddy.net which was branded 'exploitative and demeaning'.

In February this year, Wallis was fined 270 and received three points on his licence at Cardiff Magistrates' Court after admitting the offence of crossing a solid white line while driving a Mercedes on the A48 in August 2021.

A trial date for the current charges before District Judge Tan Ikram has been set for July 11.

Wallis, who was smiling at the judge, was told the hearing would take place without him if he failed to attend.
A multi-millionaire property mogul dubbed Britain's worst landlord has been ordered to pay a six-figure sum after a ten-year campaign of vile abuse against local council staff.

Last year Fergus Wilson, 72, was banned for life from contacting Ashford Borough Council (ABC) directly, after he continually abused its staff members for a decade, and last week the High Court ordered him to pay 125,000.

This figure is only a part payment ordered by the courts while the full amount is being considered.

It is thought to be just under 75 per cent of the total value, with the council believing 170,000 is a reasonable sum total.

The buy-to-let landlord, from Maidstone, sent hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls complaining about councillors and legal representatives and even told one councillor to kill himself.

ABC's representative, Adam Soloman QC, handed in a staggering 454 copies of correspondence to the High Court, sent by Wilson to council officials between February 2016 and July 2020.

Some workers had received daily messages of abuse, the court heard, leading to some feeling bullied and distressed, being unable to respond to allegations and breaking down in tears.

Included in the council's evidence was a letter, sent to Council Leader Gerry Clarkson's home address, calling him a 'buffoon', 'an a******', 'a bag of ****' and said he should 'do all the young people in Ashford a service and commit suicide'.

Multi-millionaire property mogul, Fergus Wilson, 72, (pictured in 2019) dubbed Britain's worst landlord, has been ordered to pay a six-figure sum after a ten-year campaign of vile abuse against local council staff

Wilson also referred to a female member of staff as an 'objectionable lady' and 'Michelin lady' in an email where he called for her to be sacked.

When handing down the permanent injunction, Daryl Allen QC, sitting as Deputy Judge of the High Court, said: 'The defendant's conduct repeatedly went far beyond merely irritating and annoying, it was deliberately offensive.

'It included numerous unfounded allegations of professional misconduct and criminal conduct.

'It included multiple threats of criminal or other legal proceedings which were never pursued.'

Wilson had tried to defend his actions by submitting a photograph of himself with the hashtag 'Fat ****' written underneath.

Last year Fergus Wilson, 72, was banned for life from directly contacting Ashford Borough Council (ABC) after he continually abused its staff members for a decade, and last week the High Court ordered him to pay 125,000. Pictured with wife Judith

Last week he objected to paying costs arguing that his barrister, Alexander Deakin, had come off the case months ago and therefore had no authority.

The notorious landlord also tried to argue that he should not have to pay anything until after the appeal he intends to make.

However, Mr Allen said the barrister, who was instructed under the Direct Access Scheme, had agreed to the order and Wilson was bound by it.

He also praised the council's action saying it was the right thing to do.

He explained: 'They were perfectly proper proceedings designed and intended solely to protect the welfare of the First Claimant's current and former officers, employees, councillors and agents.

Ashford Borough Council's (pictured) representative, Adam Soloman QC, handed in a staggering 454 copies of correspondence to the High Court, sent by Wilson to council officials between February 2016 and July 2020

The 125,000 figure is only a part payment ordered by the courts while the full amount is being considered. It is thought to be just under 75 per cent of the total value, with the council believing 170,000 is a reasonable sum total (Wilson pictured)

'It is a significant step for a public body, particularly a local council, to seek an injunction restraining the behaviour of one of its residents.

'In my judgment it was appropriate to issue proceedings in the High Court and to instruct leading counsel.

'In any event, those factors go to the level of costs, not the incidence of costs.'

The previous temporary injunction to ban Wilson from contacting ABC was made permanent in September 2021, meaning Wilson will only be able to contact the council workers through a named legal advisor.

Wilson must pay the 125,000 to ABC by 4pm on May 17.
A toddler has been left with burns to 40 per cent of his body after being pulled from a horror blaze at his family home.

Two-year-old Elijah was fast asleep in his bed in the regional Victorian town of Mildura on May 1 when a fire erupted in the laundry of his house just after 3:30am.

The child was rescued by his hero mother, who retrieved her son from the flames and pulled him to safety.

'My mum came through and she pulled him out of the fire. Elijah was still lit. His left leg was still lit as he was pulled out of the fire,' sister Alyia told Ten.

Two-year-old Elijah was fast asleep in his bed when a fire erupted in the laundry of his house just after 3:30am - he remains in a critical condition at Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital

Fire crews who attended the scene last week believe it originated from the tumble dryer which burst into flames in the early hours of the morning.

The family fled the house, as Elijah's mother pulled her son from his room who was engufled with flames.

He was airlifted to Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital and placed in an induced coma, which horrific images from his hospital bed showing the two-year-old's body wrapped in bandages.

Elijah is fighting for his life in a critical condition in intensive care where it's expected he will remain for months.

Elijah has burns to 40 per cent of his body - with horrific images showing him wrapped in bandages in his hospital bed

The fire is believed to have started in the family's tumble dryer

Alyia has started a GoFundMe page to help her family raise money to pay for the toddler's ongoing medical bills, with already $8,000 in donations coming through.

'The focus right now is getting him through the process and hoping for the best,' she said.

'It's definitely a miracle. He is a strong fighter. It's amazing to see how much he's already fought through this.'
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The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a building destroyed by Russian airstrikes in eastern Ukraine, according to officials.

The civilians were inside a five-storey building that collapsed amid a bombardment in the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region in March, said Oleg Synegubov, the head of the regional administration.

'This is another horrible war crime of the Russian occupiers against the civilian population,' he said, confirming the news on his official Telegram channel - though he did not give an exact location for the site of the tragedy.

Putin's forces have been holding Izyum as a key position in its battle along the eastern front, but Ukraine's armed forces have mounted counter offensives in towns and villages around the city and regional capital Kharkiv in recent days.

On Monday it was reported that Ukrainian forces had seized the towns of Rubizhne and Lyptsi to the north of Kharkiv around 10 miles from the Russian border.

If Kyiv's troops can reach the border, it will open up the prospect of cutting Russia's main supply route from Belgorod to its forces around Izyum - where some of the heaviest fighting is taking place.

Images from the village of Drobysheve, a town not far from Izyum and close to the strategically important town of Lyman, showed emergency services helping elderly women who had been injured by shelling into the back of an ambulance.

It comes as Ukraine's vital Black Sea port of Odesa was repeatedly bombed overnight, with several Russian missiles - some thought to be hypersonic - destroying a shopping centre and several warehouses.

One person was killed and five hurt, the military said, as footage of the incident showed huge fires lighting up the night sky.

 Slide me  A firefighter surveys the destruction at the site of a Russian missile attack in Odesa last night. The same view is pictured this morning showing the extent of the devastation after firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze

A handout photo released by the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on 10 May 2022 shows firefighters putting out a fire at the site of a missile strike in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Ukraine, 09 May 2022

A first responder works at the site of a missile strike, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout image released May 10, 2022

The smouldering, twisted ruins of a shopping trolley are pictured lying outside the remains of a shopping centre hit by Russian airstrikes

A shopping mall is destroyed as a result of missile strikes launched by Russian aircraft in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, southern Ukraine

A dog is seen at a site of a shopping centre destroyed by shelling amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, May 10

Odesa city council released images of the devastation caused by the missile strikes this morning on their Telegram channel

A Russian supersonic bomber fired three hypersonic missiles as part of the barrage according to Ukrainian think tank Centre for Defence Strategies

One person was killed and five hurt in the overnight missile attacks according to officials

The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a building destroyed in March by Russian airstrikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, according to officials (rubble at a hospital in Izyum is pictured)

A total of seven strikes were launched on targets where Ukrainian forces were storing weapons and ammunition, according to Russian authorities.

A Russian supersonic bomber fired three hypersonic missiles as part of the barrage according to Ukrainian think tank Centre for Defence Strategies.

The centre identified the weapons used as Kinzhal, or 'Dagger', hypersonic air-to-surface missiles.

The Kinzhal can fly at five times the speed of sound and has a range of 1,240 miles.

Using advanced guided missiles allows Russia to fire from aircraft at a distance without being in Ukrainian air space and exposed to potential anti-aircraft fire.

But Ukrainian, British and American officials warn Russia is rapidly expending its stock of precision weapons and may not be able to quickly build more, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on.

That could result in more civilian deaths and other collateral damage.

Ukrainian sources claimed the remaining missiles fired in the attacks on Odesa last night were Soviet-era weapons with poor guidance systems.

An Ukrainian firefighter works near a destroyed building on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles a day earlier from the air at the crucial Black Sea port of Odesa, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse

Emergency services work at a site of a shopping centre destroyed by shelling amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, May 10, 2022

According to Ukrainian authorities, one person was killed and at least two others wounded as a result of shelling in Odesa on 09 May evening. A shopping center and three warehouses were hit by shelling, emergency services added

One person was killed and five more were injured as Russians fired seven missiles on Odesa, Monday, May 9 (aftermath pictured today)

Ukrainian investigators work near a destroyed building on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Putin's forces have been holding Izyum as a key position in its battle along the eastern front, but Ukraine's armed forces have mounted counter offensives in towns and villages around the city and regional capital Kharkiv in recent days (A Ukrainian serviceman near his position near the city of Izyum, Kharkiv area, Ukraine, 02 May 2022)

Rescuers carry a woman, wounded by Russian shelling, in Drobysheve, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 9, 2022

Law enforcement officers find a woman wounded during Russian shelling, according to the police, in the basement of her home in Drobysheve, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 9 2022

Emergency workers move a person wounded during Russian shelling, according to the police, from one stretcher to another in Drobysheve, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 9 2022

The strikes came after Russian President Vladimir Putin marked his country's biggest patriotic holiday without being able to boast of major new battlefield successes.

He watched troops march in formation and military hardware roll by in a Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square in a celebration of the Soviet Union's role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

Many Western analysts had expected Putin to use the Victory Day holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, but he did neither.

Instead, he sought to again justify the war as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

'The danger was rising by the day,' Putin insisted in yesterday's speech.

'Russia has given a pre-emptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely, and the only correct decision.'

Intense fighting also raged in Ukraine's east, and Russian forces sought to end the resistance of Ukrainian defenders making their last stand at a steel plant in Mariupol.

One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out at the steel plant said they were still defending the city.

Valeri Paditel, who heads the border guards in the Donetsk region, said the fighters were 'doing everything to make those who defend the city in the future proud'.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military warned on Tuesday that Russia could target the country's chemical industries.

The claim was not immediately explained in the report, but Russian shelling has previously targeted oil depots and other industrial sites during the war.

Thousands of Russian troops formed up in the Red Square as Russia marked the day Nazi Germany surrendered in 1945, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe

Monday's Victory Parade was designed to project an image of Russian strength, despite the war in Ukraine grinding towards a stalemate

Smoke rises from the Azovstal steel works, in the city of Mariupol, where a last band of Ukrainian defenders continue to hold out against Russian attempts to storm the industrial complex

One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out at the steel plant (pictured on Sunday) said they were still defending the city. Valeri Paditel, who heads the border guards in the Donetsk region, said the fighters were 'doing everything to make those who defend the city in the future proud'

Satellite pictures analysed by The Associated Press showed two ships off Ukraine's Snake Island on Monday afternoon.

One of the ships seen in the images from Planet Labs PBC appeared to be a landing craft.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian positions there recently, suggesting Russian forces may be trying to re-staff or remove personnel from the Black Sea island.

Footage released by Ukraine's Armed Forces over the weekend showed a similar landing craft being destroyed in a Bayraktar TB-2 drone strike, while two Ukrainian jets dropped bombs on the island's main complex.

Ukraine's forces also claimed to have destroyed several Raptor-class patrol ships, including one which may have been used by Putin to inspect naval fleets and conduct military parades.

It comes as pictures emerged of the wreckage of a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter - one of the Russian army's most versatile and widely used aerial vehicles - which was shot down in the Kharkiv region.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm the capital Kyiv over a month ago, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog.

Some analysts suggested Putin might declare the fighting a war, not just a 'special military operation', and order a nationwide mobilisation, with a call-up of reserves, to fight an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is heading or how he might intend to salvage it.

The vessel was obliterated by a laser-guided bomb dropped from a Ukraine-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone near Snake Island in the Black Sea

Ukraine is claiming that it may have destroyed Vladimir Putin's special 'parade boat' which he uses to inspect his naval fleets (Putin pictured on board the Raptor-class patrol vessel in St Petersburg in 2020)

A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone captured two Ukrainian Su-27s flying low from the south, dropping multiple bombs on the Russian-held Snake Island

Ukrainian armed forces also posted a video claiming to show a military drone hit on a Russian landing ship supplying a TOR anti-aircraft missile system to Snake Island

Satellite image showing the jetty where the landing ship was sitting when it was hit by a Ukrainian drone on Snake Island off the coast of Ukraine

Pictures emerged of the wreckage of a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter which was shot down in the Kharkiv region

The Mi-28 'Havoc' attack helicopter is one of the Russian army's most versatile and widely used aerial vehicles

This image shows the remains of the tail of an Mi-28 RF-13654 attack helicopter that was destroyed somewhere in the Kharkiv region

Military medics talk to a wounded soldier receiving treatment after withdrawing from the city of Popansa, in the Donbas, which has now fallen into the hands of Russian troops

A Ukrainian military medic prepares to receive patients at a makeshift ward near the city of Popansa, where heavy fighting has been ongoing with Russian forces that have now taken control of it

Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

'Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia can't fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine,' tweeted Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: 'Russia has not won this war. It's starting to lose it.'

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, 'the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favour of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated western military equipment'.

As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Kyiv.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in his own Victory Day address that his country will eventually defeat the Russians.

'Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine,' he said in a video.

He added: 'We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.'

An adviser to Zelensky interpreted Putin's speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with Nato.

In Washington, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the Second World War-era 'lend-lease' programme, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and eastern European allies.

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment.

Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas has not achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.
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Social media users were today left baffled by the role of Black Rod during the State Opening of Parliament as the official followed hundreds of years of tradition by banging on the door of the House of Commons before demanding MPs' presence in the Lords.

Sarah Clarke, who is the first woman to hold the role since taking over from Lieutenant-General David Leakey in 2018, performed her customary duties before Prince Charles - sitting beside Prince William - read the Queen's Speech in absence of his mother.

However, after being allowed into the Commons after banging three times on the door with her ceremonial rod, her words this time were slightly different to those uttered in nearly every previous year of the Queen's reign.

Because of Her Majesty's absence due to mobility problems, Ms Clarke - whose full title is Lady Usher of the Black Rod - referenced Charles and William when she said: 'Mr Speaker, the Queen commands this honourable house, to attend her Counsellors of State immediately in the House of Peers.'

The ceremonial mace that lies in the centre of the Commons was then picked up by the Serjeant-at-Arms before the Speaker and the rest of those in the chamber followed Black Rod to the Lords to hear Charles deliver Her Majesty's speech.

Viewers on social media were quick to question Ms Clarke's duties, with one bluntly commenting: What the f*** did I just watch'.

Another demanded: 'Why is "Black Rod" dressed as a bloke - it's a woman now! Didn't anyone think of giving her a dress?'

Others noted the absence of veteran former Labour MP Dennis Skinner, who on most years would utter a quip after Black Rod's speech, until he lost his seat at the 2019 election.

Social media users were today left baffled by the role of Black Rod during the State Opening of Parliament as the official followed hundreds of years of tradition by banging on the door of the House of Commons before demanding MPs' presence in the Lords. Above: Sarah Clarke in her role as Black Rod

Sarah Clarke, who is the first woman to hold the role since taking over from Lieutenant-General David Leakey in 2018, performed her customary duties before Prince Charles - sitting beside Prince William - read the Queen's Speech in absence of his mother

The office of Black Rod stretches back to 1350, when it was originally known as Usher of the Order of the Garter.

Letters of Patent were then issued by King Edward II in 1361 to create the Usher as a position in the Royal Court, involved in meeting with Parliament.

However, by the 16th-century, as the power of the monarch diminished, the role became a position entirely associated with Parliament, rather than the Royal Court.

It made Black Rod the monarch's representative in the House of Lords. The office was reformed further in the 19th-century, with officials reducing staff and abolishing a system of fees that supplemented Black Rod's salary.

As with many other Parliamentary officials, Black Rod wears a distinctive uniform that consists of black shoes with black buckles, silk stockings, black breeches and a black coat. Their rod is made of ebony.

The present rod dates from 1883 and carries the Anglo-norman motto 'Honi soit qui mal y pense', which translates as 'Shame be to him, who evil thinks.'

The rod is three and a half feet long and is decorated with a gold lion and garter and has a gold orb as its centre piece.

Viewers on social media were quick to question Ms Clarke's duties, with one bluntly commenting: What the f*** did I just watch'. Another demanded: 'Why is "Black Rod" dressed as a bloke - it's a woman now! Didn't anyone think of giving her a dress?'

Other social media users were excited by the role of Black Rod, with one saying it was 'one of the highlights' of the parliamentary calendar'

Others noted the absence of veteran former Labour MP Dennis Skinner, who on most years would utter a quip after Black Rod's speech, until he lost his seat at the 2019 election

Because of Her Majesty's absence due to mobility problems, Ms Clarke - whose full title is Lady Usher of the Black Rod - referenced Charles and William when she said: 'Mr Speaker, the Queen commands this honourable house, to attend her Counsellors of State immediately in the House of Peers'

Charles is seen alongside the Duchess of Cornwall with Black Rod behind him as he walks into the House of Lords at today's State Opening of Parliament

Black Rod is responsible for organising access to the House of Lords and also maintaining order within it and its precincts. Their office is also in charge of police services and fire safety.

As well as the State Opening of Parliament, as secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain Black Rod also participates in Royal and State visits, as well as other ceremonial events.

Because she is the Queen's representative, she is also in charge of looking after the monarch's estate in the Palace of Westminster, which consists of the Robing Room and Royal Gallery.

The famous custom of Black Rod banging on the door of the Commons after it has been slammed shut dates back to King Charles I's attempt to arrest five members of Parliament in 1642.

The tradition has been continued to symbolise the Commons' independence from the monarch and the House of Lords. It is a reminder of the right of the Commons to exclude everyone but the Sovereign's messengers.

This tradition is a reminder of the right of the Commons to exclude everyone but the Sovereign's messengers.

In modern times, Black Rod has been appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of a selection panel chaired by the Lord Speaker.

Speaking about the ancient tradition of entering the Commons, Lieutenant-General Leakey told Sky News today: 'The purpose of the theatre of the ceremony is quite symbolic.

'Because at the State Opening of Parliament, it is the unique time - usually once a year - when all three elements of the Constitutional legislature come together.

Labour MP Dennis Skinner pictured in the House of Commons in a file picture from April 2016. Former Labour MP Mr Skinner's quips became part of the pomp and circumstance of the State Opening of Parliament

'That is, the Queen - the head of state - the House of Lords, [which] some people call the advisory chamber or revising chamber, and the House of Commons.

'And all three come together as you can see here... the House of Commons having been commanded by Black Rod on behalf of the Queen as the Queen's messenger... to attend the Queen in the House of Lords chamber.'

Former Labour MP Mr Skinner's quips became part of the pomp and circumstance of the State Opening of Parliament.

In 1992, following calls for Her Majesty to pay income tax, he shouted: 'Tell her to pay her tax!' In 2006, he joked: 'Have you got Helen Mirren on standby?'.

Before the State Opening in 2017, Mr Skinner sent MPs into hysterics after he told Black Rod to get his 'skates on' so the Queen can get to Ascot.

As Black Rod invited MPs to the House of Commons to hear the Queen, Mr Skinner yelled: 'Yeah - better get your skates on, the first race is at half past two'.

The previous Black Rod was Lieutenant-General David Leakey (left), who served from December 2010 until December 2017. His predecessor was Sir Frederick Viggers (right), who served for 18 months

The first Black Rod of the Queen's reign was former British Army officer Sir Brian Horrocks, who served from 1949 until 1963

MPs roared with laughter and even Black Rod, Lieutenant General David Leakey, smirked at the quip about Theresa May disrupting Her Majesty's racing plans.

In 2016 the Bolsover MP received cheers from some Opposition MPs as he shouted: 'Hands off the BBC,' in the Commons as MPs were summoned to hear the Queen's Speech.

But in 2015 he opted to stay silent in a break from tradition, having shouted the previous year: 'Coalition's last stand.'

He won widespread laughs in 2013 when he shouted: 'Royal Mail for sale. Queen's head privatised,' in reference to the planned Royal Mail privatisation.

In 2012 he angered Tory MPs by drawing attention to the country's economic difficulties, saying: 'Jubilee year, double dip recession, what a start.'

In one of his earliest interventions about Her Majesty, Mr Skinner said in 1987: 'Tell her to sell up!'
A four-year-old girl stuck beneath the Azovstal steel works as Putin's troops bombarded it has been rescued - but separated from her medic mother who has been deported into Russia, Ukrainian troops have said.

Alice, who made headlines around the world when she was filmed inside a bunker on the Azovstal complex saying she wanted to be evacuated, was brought out at the weekend as the last civilians trapped there were allowed to leave.

But the Azov battalion, which is holed up inside the steel works, now claims that she has been separated from her mother - Viktoria Obidina - who has been sent into Russia via a filtration camp.

Alice, a four-year-old girl trapped in bunkers beneath the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, was rescued during operation to take last civilians out at the weekend

But the toddler has been separated from mother Viktoria Obidina (pictured together) who has been deported to Russia via a filtration camp

Alice arrived in Zaporizhzhia, the Ukrainian city where Azovstal evacuees are being taken, on Sunday, according to Azov's social media posts.

But Viktoria was forced to remain behind in a region of Donetsk which is currently occupied by Russian-backed rebels after passing through a filtration camp.

Ukraine says Putin's troops are using such camps to root out anyone with links to the Ukrainian government or military and deport them deep into Russia.

Viktoria is thought to have been singled out because she worked as a military medic, tending to soldiers who were wounded in the battle for Azovstal.

Her exact whereabouts are now unknown, though Kyiv has previously said people are being sent as far as Sakhalin - an island just off the coast of Japan.

Viktoria is thought to have been singled out due to her work as a military medic, and her current whereabouts are unknown

Ukrainian officials have raised doubts over whether she will ever be allowed to come back to the country to care for her daughter.

Alice will instead be cared for by relatives living away from the frontlines.

Lyudmila Denisova, the Ukrainian parliaments human rights commissioner, said: Alice is now safe.

She was temporarily sheltered by an employee of the Zaporizhzhia Military Administration [in Ukraine].

Alices relatives have [now] been found. In the near future, the child will be transferred to relatives in a safe region of Ukraine.

Denisova accused Rashists - meaning Russian fascists - of grossly violating the rights of Ukrainian children guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Geneva Convention.

I appeal to the UN Commission for Investigation Human Rights Violations during Russia's military invasion of Ukraine to take into account these facts of Russia's violations of children's rights in Ukraine.

Azovstal is a four-square-mile industrial complex at the heart of Mariupol where the city's final Ukrainian defenders are holed up.

It is built on top of a nuclear-proof network of tunnels which fighters are using as a base to repel Russian forces that surrounded the complex more than two weeks ago.

Hundreds of civilians had also fled there for safety during the siege of the wider city, and ended up trapped alongside the troops as Russia attacked.

After days of appeals to get them out, a final evacuation took place on Saturday when around 300 were rescued by Red Cross and UN workers.

Some 300 civilians including children and the elderly who had been stranded inside Azovstal were rescued at the weekend, leaving just fighters behind

The evacuated Ukrainians (pictured) were sent to the city of Zaporizhzhia via Russian-held territory, where Kyiv says some civilians are being filtered out

President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Saturday that all civilians, children and elderly were now out of Azovstal and he was working on evacuating the wounded and medics as well as opening humanitarian corridors in the wider city.

Fighting has since resumed in the wake of the evacuation, with fierce battles reported Monday along a bridge that was used to evacuate the civilians just two days beforehand. Ukraine said it repelled the attack.

Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov battalion, said late Monday that around 600 wounded soldiers are inside the plant and called for them to be given safe passage out.

It is not clear exactly how many troops are there in total. Russian estimates put the figure as high as 2,000 while Kyiv has not commented.

Russian commanders are said to be desperate to capture Azovstal because it would given them full control over Mariupol - a key port city that has been besieged since the early days of the war.

British intelligence suggested Putin's generals were trying to seize the plant before May 9 to give the Russian leader a symbolic win to brag about on Victory Day.

In the event, the Victory Day parade passed off without anything to boast about - with Putin instead resorting to justifying his war by branding Ukrainians 'Nazis'.

British intelligence also believes commanders want to take out Azovstal so they can move troops further north, to join the battle for Donbas.

Russia has been making slow gains in the region in recent weeks, but has yet to achieve a major breakthrough of Ukrainian lines.
Two drunk revellers beat an Uber driver to death after he dropped them off at a dessert bar instead of a similarly named nightclub, a murder trial has been told.

Connor McPartland, 20, and, Martin Treacy, 18, wanted a lift to Ko-Ko Lounge nightclub in Rochdale town centre in October last year.

But the pair instead ordered the Uber to Coco's - a grill house and deserts bar on the outskirts of town and a mile away from their intended destination.

A court heard McPartland and Treacy became 'angry' at driver Ali Asghar following the mix up and a row broke out at a nearby petrol station.

Prosecutors allege the pair then unleashed a 'ferocious, brutal and totally unforgiving attack' on Mr Asghar.

The 38-year-old suffered a fractured skull during the incident and died in hospital two weeks later.

McPartland and Treacy, both of Oldham, both deny Mr Asghar's murder and are on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Mr Treacy has admitted manslaughter but denies he intended to cause the taxi driver serious harm, the jurors were told.

McPartland also denies manslaughter and two counts of making threats with an offensive weapon.

Two drunk revellers beat an Uber driver to death after he dropped them off at a dessert bar instead of a similarly named nightclub, a murder trial has been told. Pictured: Police at the scene of the incident in October last year

Prosecutors allege the pair then unleashed a 'ferocious, brutal and totally unforgiving attack' on Mr Asghar outside a petrol station on Queensway, Rochdale. Pictured: Police at the scene

The pair had hoped to go to the Ko-Ko Lounge in Rochdale town centre, but ended up ordering an Uber to Coco's Grill House and Desserts on the outskirts of the town

Opening the case for the prosecution at Manchester Crown Court on Monday afternoon, Guy Gozem QC said Mr Asghar 'had the misfortune' of collecting the two defendants from Oldham town centre on Saturday, October 29, last year.

The two young men were 'extremely drunk' when they got into the back of Mr Asghar's Mercedes at 4.30am, the jurors were told.

But the car stopped opposite a Shell garage on Queensway near Coco's following an argument on board, according to the prosecutor.

The pair had wanted to be taken to Koko's which was in the centre of Rochdale town centre, the court was told.

The jurors were told the argument woke one resident who was said to have heard one of the defendants shouting 'come on then' before she heard someone say 'get the police, phone the police then'.

The resident reported hearing a banging noise and forensic analysis later matched a dent in Mr Asghar's car door which left a mark which matched Mr McPartland's trainers.

The prosecutor told the court: 'Tragically, though, what was done to the car pales into insignificance, because once all three of them were out of the car, the argument all too soon became a ferocious, brutal and totally unforgiving attack by the two drunken young men on the taxi driver.

'They broke bones in his face by punching or kicking him, then by pushing him over so that he fell and cracked his head, fracturing his skull.

'All because of their unwillingness to accept that they had make a mistake. As a consequence of their attack, he suffered head and brain injuries that led to his death.'

A passing taxi driver tried to stop the attack but 'his words of advice, his efforts to calm them down and stop their attack was like water off a duck's back', said Mr Gozem.

The QC continued: 'They punched him to begin with. They threatened to stab him. He ran and they chased after him.

'When he stumbled and fell over, they pounced on him, kicking him repeatedly to his head and body as he lay defenceless on the floor.'

The defendant McPartland is said to have attempted a martial arts move, a 'spin kick', but when a multitool fell out of his pocket he picked it up and shouted at Mr Asghar 'I'm going to stab you!', according to the prosecutor.

CCTV captured Mr Asghar running away but he stumbled and fell and the two defendants resumed their attack 'kicking him in the head and the face', said the QC.

Connor McPartland, 20, and, Martin Treacy, 18, wanted a lift to Ko-Ko Lounge nightclub (pictured) (pictured) in Rochdale town centre in October last year

But the pair instead ordered the Uber to Coco's - a grill house and deserts bar on the outskirts of town and a mile away from their intended destination

The 'peacemaker' taxi driver who had arrived on the scene tried to intervene again but the two 'were not for stopping', the jurors were told.

When Mr McPartland then turned his attention to Mr Asghar's car his alleged victim managed to get to his feet and tried to stop his taxi from being taken, the court was told.

But the attack continued and Mr Asghar fell again, his head striking the alloy wheel of his taxi, said Mr Gozem.

The Uber driver was heard to scream and one of the defendants was heard to say 'come on, run, run, run' before they were seen jogging away down Queensway.

Mr Asghar was taken to hospital but died two weeks later. His family wept in the public gallery as upsetting details of his injuries were read out to the court.

When police arrested Treacy, he was said to have told the officer: 'Mate you can check the cameras he hit me first, I don't give a f**k.

'He hit me first, you can check the cameras, he will have cameras in his car, check that, he hit me first, I don't give a fuck.'

Mr Gozem told the jurors: 'You will get the chance to check the cameras and you won't see what he suggested.'

The trial continues.
Craig McLachlan's defamation trial has been shown photos of the actor posing backstage with co-star Christie Whelan.

The pictures, which were released by Sydney's Supreme Court on Tuesday, were taken during a 2005 production of the musical Grease, where the pair reportedly met.

The court was also shown footage of The Rocky Horror Show 'bed scene' where he has been accused of misconduct.

The pictures, which were released by Sydney's Supreme Court on Tuesday, were taken during a 2005 production of the musical Grease, where the pair reportedly met

The images were released on Tuesday after being tendered as evidene on Monday during the trial

McLachlan was shown photos of the pair taken backstage, likely in Sydney, describing them as 'quasi porno shots' of them in their 'fabulous' 1950s costumes

The Gold Logie winner is suing the news outlets and Ms Browne for defamation over claims made in 2018 reports of assault, indecent assault, harassment and that he exposed himself to female cast members during a 2014 production of the rock musical.

The 56-year-old is also suing over claims about his conduct in other shows.

The media outlets are defending the claims on the basis of truth.

On Tuesday, the NSW Supreme Court jury trial was played a scene from the musical's Act Two where McLachlan, as Frank N Furter, performs underneath the covers of a king-size bed placed vertically on the stage.

The trial has been told there will be evidence from women who played Janet in the scene that the actor would 'kiss down' their bodies while hidden from audience view.

McLachlan testified that in the scene he kissed the deltoid, shoulder and back of the tricep of the Janet character, but denied kissing elsewhere on the body.

Asked if he ever kissed lower than on the Janet character's arm during the 'bed scene', McLachlan said: 'No, I did not'.

Quizzed about Frank's 'spitting motion' in the scene, the actor described the action as a 'fairly course joke about Frank having performed cunnilingus, and he's coughed up a hair', testifying it was a performance aspect workshopped in rehearsals.

There will be evidence from three women - including Whelan Browne (above) - who played Janet in the 2014 Rocky Horror Show production, with their testimony expected to include that he would 'kiss down the body' of actresses during 'the bed scene' while hidden from view

He said there were physical displays of affection backstage on the production including actresses in a 'comical lesbian routine', 'smacks on the bottom', 'wedgies', 'spectacular vampire kisses' and 'goosing', which he described as a 'poke up the buttocks'.

Whelan Browne would flick the elastic of people's pants, try to 'whip' down cast members' warm-up pants and talked about the penis size of Rob Mills, he said.

On one occasion McLachlan said the actress asked him: 'Can you see my vag?'

Earlier, McLachlan said he met Ms Browne on a 2005 stadium production of Grease, with him playing lead Danny Zuko and her as cheerleader Patty Simcox.

McLachlan was shown photos of the pair taken backstage, likely in Sydney, describing them as 'quasi porno shots' of them in their 'fabulous' 1950s costumes.

The trial has previously been told the photos showed the pair simulating sex.

Defence barrister Michael Hodge QC told the NSW Supreme Court that McLachlan behaved inappropriately to six women who worked on a 2014 Rocky Horror Show production

Asked by his barrister Kieran Smark SC about his relationship with Whelan Browne during Grease, McLachlan replied 'terrific'.

He said there were lots of laughs and 'Christie and I got on fabulously well'.

In his opening, defence barrister Michael Hodge QC told the court that McLachlan behaved inappropriately to six women on the 2014 Rocky Horror Show production, with five of those women being performers and one a crew member

Another five women alleging misconduct worked with McLachlan on Neighbours, City Homicide and The Doctor Blake Mysteries, and a 2018 Rocky Horror Show production.

Craig McLachlan (pictured with partner Vanessa Scammell) is suing Fairfax Media, the ABC and actress Christie Whelan Browne for defamation over claims made in 2018 reports of

The court was told that the defence case included that McLachlan, in the bed scene, on one occasion 'traced down' part of Whelan Browne's vagina with his finger after telling her earlier that he could 'see her little slit' through see-through stage underpants.

McLachlan, on another occasion during the same scene, pulled her stage underpants to the side and kissed her on the buttock, the barrister said.

Other actresses, one of whom cannot be identified, would tell of uncomfortable encounters with McLachlan, including him running his hand up an actress's leg when she was on a hidden platform, and forced kissing in a dressing room, Mr Hodge said.

Witnesses set to appear for the plaintiff include his longtime partner, conductor Vanessa Scammell, several actors and around 10 reputational witnesses.

McLachlan will continue his evidence on Wednesday.
Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. They have yet to

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. They have yet to release a suspected motive in the killings

purchased by Taverner within the past week was found on her person

Police revealed that a Glock 43X handgun purchased by Taverner within the past week was found on her person discovered by detectives searching the area

Her body was discovered by police Monday morning in woods near the crime scene. She reportedly died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound

A transgender woman wanted for fatally shooting her brother and also-trans lover over the weekend has been found dead, cops say, following a daylong manhunt by police.

Michigan police had warned citizens to be on the lookout for 22-year-old Ruby Taverner Sunday, after finding the bodies of Ray Muscat, 26, and Bishop Taverner, 25, in the suspect's Independence Township apartment early Sunday morning.

According to the sheriffs office, Taverner formerly went by Martin, and Muscat previously used the first name Amber. The pair had been living together in the suspect's apartment.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Sunday that 5-foot-two, 115-lb. Taverner was 'armed and dangerous' and 'highly dangerous to themselves or someone else,' as police combed the area in search of the purple-haired suspect.

Her body was discovered by police Monday morning in woods near the crime scene. She reportedly died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.

'An Independence Township woman who fatally shot her live-in boyfriend and her brother Sunday was found dead today of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near the apartment complex where the fatal shootings occurred,' the Oakland County Sheriffs Office said Monday in a statement.

Police did not release a motive for the killings, but said Monday that they were likely premeditated, citing the fact that Taverner's brother had been shot once in the head.

'You don't typically find someone shot in the head one time unless they just kind of coolly and calmly walked up and did it,' Bouchard said.

Michigan police found the body of 5-foot-two, 115-lb. Ruby Taverner - formerly Martin Taverner - Monday following a daylong manhunt for the double homicide suspect, wanted for the murders of her 25-year-old brother and transgender boyfriend. She died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say

Cops found the bodies of Taverner's 26-year-old live-in boyfriend Ray - formerly Amber - Muscat (at left) and older brother Bishop Sunday morning in the pair's apartment. Bishop's body was found in the living room, and Muscats body was found in a rear bedroom, police said

Police also revealed that a Glock 43X handgun purchased by Taverner within the past week was found on her person, discovered by detectives searching the wooded area near Independence Square Apartments.

Authorities added she also had two other handguns registered in her name.

'This tragic situation has now been brought to a close, and our investigators will now pivot to see if we can answer the question on everyones mind - why,' Bouchard said in a press release sent after the discovery.

The suspect had been living with Ray Muscat - formerly known as Amber Muscat - cops said Sunday. It is unknown how long they had been in a relationship.

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting.

'It's a terrible situation,' Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Monday. ' It always seems to be magnified when you get someone who commits something horrible like that - a homicide - and then kills themselves.

The shooting transpired early Sunday morning around 3 am at an apartment the suspect shared with live-lover Muscat. Pictured is the complex, Independence Square Apartments

Oakland County cops said Sunday that purple-haired Taverner was 'armed and dangerous' and 'highly dangerous to themselves or someone else'

'You almost wonder "what was the point" to this whole thing? You never get any answers that satisfy those questions because, now, all parties are deceased.'

Deputies had responded to reports of gunshots at the Clarkston apartment complex around 3:20 am Sunday, cops said. The call came from an unidentified female resident of the apartment.

'The caller, who lived in the apartment with Taverner, said she was awaken[ed] by what she believed were gunshots,' police's statement Monday read.

Bishop Taverners body was found in the living room, and Muscats body was found in a rear bedroom, The Detroit Times reported.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Bouchard said Monday. The sheriff also revealed that Bishop Taverner had been shot once in the head.

Taverner (at right) is pictured with now dead brother Bishop in graduate garb in this undated image. Cops said the transgender suspect shot her sibling once in the head before turning the gun on herself

Police the mobilized a force of more than two dozen deputies, supported by drones and K-9 units, to search for Taverner Sunday. Her remains were found after the sheriffs office resumed its search Monday morning.

Investigators say that after allegedly committing the homicides, Taverner likely fled the apartment on foot, leaving behind her cell phone and car, which were recovered by police at the crime scene.

Bouchard said detectives are working to determine a motive for the double slaying, and said an autopsy will be performed on Taverner.

'This tragic situation has now been brought to a close, and our investigators will now pivot to see if we can answer the question on everyones mind - why.'

An investigation is currently underway.
HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those who were killed in a road accident in Kamareddy. The Prime Minister also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 to those injured in the accident.

The death toll in the accident increased to nine on Monday while 17 others who were injured are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

In a media statement, the Prime Minister expressed deep grief over the loss of lives. The Prime Ministers Office (PMO), in a tweet, said, "Distressed by the loss of lives due to an accident in Kamareddy district, Telangana. Condolences to the bereaved families and prayers with the injured. Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000: PM Modi (sic).

In the major road accident on Sunday evening, nine people were killed in a head-on collision between a lorry and a minivan at Hasanpalli in Kamareddy district of Telangana while 17 others sustained injuries.

The occupants of the minivan were returning from a function in Yellareddy when the accident took place at the Hasanpalli Gate in the Nizamsagar zone. Kamareddy superintendent of police Srinivas Reddy informed that a case was registered and the accused lorry driver was identified. We will catch him soon, he told media persons on Monday.

The police also found drunken driving was the reason for the ghastly mishap. "The post mortem was conducted on nine bodies that were handed over to family members on Monday. The bodies were shifted to Chilargi village where the final rites were performed on Monday evening," the police said.

At least 17 persons are still undergoing treatment and some of them are stated to be serious. The victims are kept in ICU by providing medical assistance.
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Casey White, the escaped Alabama inmate who went on the run with his prison guard lover for 11 days before being arrested last night, is now back in jail and can be seen for the first time in his new mugshot today.

US Marshals finally caught up with White and his lover Vicky White on Monday, bringing an end to a nationwide manhunt that began on April 29. Vicky died after being shot in the head during a dramatic police chase last night in Evansville, Indiana.

Initially, police said she killed herself. Audio of a dispatch call between 911 operators reveals that Vicky told them she was holding the gun and had her finger on the trigger.

However on Tuesday, it remained unclear if she killed herself or if Casey shot herself. An autopsy is pending.

'When we made the arrest yesterday afternoon, when we were taking Casey into custody he said "help my wife, she just shot herself." Obviously, there's an ongoing investigation to determine just that.

'That's the information we were given from Casey White,' US Marshals said in an interview with Good Morning America. He is now in custody in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, but is due to be transported back to Alabama.

It has also emerged that the pair had been hiding out in Indiana since May 3 and their vehicle was reported to local police on May 4 by a member of the public who saw it parked at a strange angle.

James Stinson, who operates a car wash in Evansville, says he called police and suggested that the vehicle might belong to the pair after they dumped it at his business last week.

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Casey White is seen in his new mugshot after being taken into custody in Indiana yesterday, bringing an end to an 11 day manhunt

The pair were caught Monday afternoon after leading US Marshals on a car chase that lasted 'less than a few minutes'. They had been in Evansville, Indiana, since May 3

The two were found 219 miles away from the jail they left in Alabama on April 29. The manhunt spanned three different states

Car wash owner James Stinson told NewsNation's Brian Entin that he reported the pair's vehicle on May 4, the day after they dumped it, but that police did nothing. He ended up towing it

Because it hadn't been stolen, the authorities said there was nothing they could do.

Stinson told NewsNation that he towed the vehicle on May 4.

'I walked up to the truck and went, Oh my God, its probably this guy from Alabama. I walked and looked in the truck because I think he could be dead, passed out, who knows? So I backed up. I opened the door, the keys are in it. I start it up. I Googled the local police departments number because I didnt want to call 911.

'They send a cop out. The cop says, Well there aint nothing I can do. Its not reported stolen. He ran the plates. Then he left and came back. He looked in it again. He found a gun lock in the seat and said, Oh my God, theres a gun lock but there aint no guns around. So he left. He just said, Do what youve got to do. I towed it.'

On Sunday, May 8, police finally contacted Stinson and asked about the truck. That is when he checked surveillance camera footage from his business and found video footage of Casey.

'Im just glad its over and nobody got hurt. I was more concerned about one person trying to confront them. It took a team, and Im glad it ended this way. This guy has nothing to live for; hes dangerous. Any one of us couldve said something wrong and hed have went off. I couldve got on him for leaving the car in the wash bay, but I chose not to,' he added.

Initially, police believed Vicky shot herself in the car after the chase ended in a crash.

However Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Sheriff Singleton said he would not be surprised if Casey was the one who pulled the trigger. He was awaiting trial for the murder of a different woman when Vicky helped him escape on April 29.

'He will never see the light of day again. He will be in a cell by himself. He will stay in handcuffs and shackles while he's in that cell and if he wants to sue me for violating his civil rights, so be it.

'He's not getting out of this jail again. I'll assure you that,' Singleton said.

Vicky was driving the pair's vehicle when it crashed after a police chase. When officers surrounded the car, Casey told them to help his 'wife' who had been shot.

On Tuesday morning, Singleton said she was the 'mastermind' of their logistical escape plan, but it's unclear who came up with the idea to get Casey out.

'To go from day one, thinking she's been kidnapped and maybe in danger then finding out she took him out willingly, then trying to determine was she threatened or coerced in some way...then finding out that she was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan. It's been an emotional roller-coaster.

'Obviously, he was behind bars - he couldn't have planned too much behind bars. Personally, I think she was the one who put the plan together. She was in a position of knowledge. She made sure the other armed deputies were out, she arranged to purchase the getaway car, she sold her house got her hands on cash, went shopping.

'She obviously put the plan together,' he told CNN.

Audio of a dispatch call reveals that Vicky told police she was in the vehicle with her 'finger on the trigger' before the pair crashed.

When police swarmed the car, Casey told them that she had shot herself. An autopsy has not yet proved that.

The pair fled the Lauderdale County Jail on April 29 then changed vehicles, driving to Tennessee before dumping that car and picking up another. It's unclear what their plan was before they were caught.

Vicky White, who was driving, was found pinned inside with a gunshot wound to the head, said US Marshal Matt Keely

The capture comes after Casey White was spotted at a car wash in Evansville, where they abandoned a Ford F-150, on May 3. The owner of the car wash called police on May 4 to report their vehicle but nothing was done until Sunday, he says

'I noticed the car hanging out of the bay, which was unusual. It kept sitting there  Every time I left and came back, the truck was still there.'

He said he notified the authorities last Wednesday but nothing was done.

'I walked up to the truck and went, "Oh my God, its probably this guy from Alabama. I walked and looked in the truck because I think he could be dead, passed out, who knows? So I backed up. I opened the door, the keys are in it. I start it up. I Googled the local police departments number because I didnt want to call 911.

'They send a cop out. The cop says, Well there aint nothing I can do. Its not reported stolen. He ran the plates. Then he left and came back. He looked in it again.

'He found a gun lock in the seat and said, "Oh my God, theres a gun lock but there aint no guns around. So he left. He just said, Do what youve got to do. I towed it.'

Vicky had been seen entering and exiting the motel room in a wig. She and Casey had been having a secret affair for more than two years.

In the months leading up to the escape, Vicky sold her home and withdrew $90,000 in cash from her bank account.

Video posted on Facebook by Joey Medicis shows local Evansville police cruisers speed into a business, followed by police SUVs and pickup trucks with emergency lights.

The footage was filmed moments after Vicky White crashed her gray Cadillac into a ditch.

Casey White is then led away in handcuffs.

'He went through the gate at work where we're usually at,' says a voice behind the camera. 'They spun him out into the grass.'

Regarding Vicky, another person says, 'She's probably dead.'

The jail guard was found in the car with a gunshot wound to the head. She died in the hospital a couple hours later.

Casey and Vicky were in a 'romantic relationship' and that Vicky was 'just as concerned about coming back and facing her family and her co-workers as she was the charges.'

Vicky was a widow and had no children.

Before she died, Singleton said of his employee, 'I hope she survives this. She has some answers to give us.'

He continued: 'You don't know who you can trust. I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world prompted her to pull off something like this, I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever know.'

Vicky was set to be put in a different facility than the Lauderdale County jail where she worked for 17 years and helped Casey escape . Casey will be sent back to state prison.
A 51-year-old man has been arrested after a schoolboy was raped in public toilets just yards from Bournemouth Pier.

The 14-year-old was attacked at the seaside resort in Dorset between 8.30am and 8.45am on Saturday.

Police were alerted later in the day and arrested the man from Bournemouth on suspicion of rape.

There is an increased police presence in the area and the boy and his family are receiving support from specially trained officers.

An investigation is under way after a 14-year-old boy was raped in the public toilets at one of Britain's most popular seaside resorts

The horrific incident took place at Bournemouth Pier in Dorset between 8.30am and 8.45am on Saturday

Detective Chief Inspector Ross Graham, of Bournemouth CID, said: 'We are doing all we can to support the victim in this case and his family is being kept fully updated.

'We are carrying out a detailed investigation into this matter and our enquiries remain ongoing.'

Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Darren Harris said: 'We are continuing to work collaboratively with BCP Council and other partner agencies to ensure we have an increased visible presence along the seafront and these efforts will continue throughout the rest of the spring and summer.

'Police officers, police community support offices, Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) officers and council staff can be approached by members of the public with any concerns.

'RNLI lifeguards and staff can also be approached, with their beach towers serving as a safe place to address concerns or seek further help.'

Last July, a 15 year-old girl was dragged into the sea and raped by a teenage boy in front of thousands of people at Bournemouth Beach on one of the hottest days of the year.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
A weightlifting teacher accused of raping two women he'd never met before at a gym Christmas party 'couldn't care less if they were consenting', a court has heard.

Jack Crosse, 32, is alleged to have attacked the pair at the Willpower Weightlifting gym in Pontypool, South Wales, on December 13 and in the early hours of December 14, 2019.

He is also said to have told one of the alleged victims: 'I'm not forcing you', before having intercourse with her.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how on the night of the incident, the gym had been turned into a makeshift bar and dancefloor for a Christmas party.

Crosse - a teacher at Llanishen High School in Cardiff where he has worked for five years - had been drinking at the party and was described by witnesses as 'acting in a sexually inappropriate way', the court was told.

The defendant, of Heol Ysgubor, Caerphilly, denies three counts of rape.

Weightlifting teacher Jack Crosse, 31, is accused of raping two women at a Christmas party

Addressing the jury, prosecutor Clare Wilks said: 'Neither of these two women consented to those actions and the defendant would have known that from their behaviour, from what they were saying and what they were doing.

'The defendant, drunk as he was, couldn't care less if they were consenting or not and was determined to do what he wanted with them. Those actions amounted to rape and he knew that.'

The first alleged victim had driven to the gym and had only had a couple of drinks during the night when she was introduced to the defendant, who she described as 'tactile, drunk and stumbling' but overall she thought he was a 'nice guy'.

They parted ways but later found themselves in each other's company and they started kissing.

She said Crosse asked her to 'go with him' but she said she had to find her friend.

Ms Wilks said Cross initially accepted this but he grabbed her again and kissed her before asking her to perform oral sex on him.

She agreed but after a short while she said she needed to find her friend. But she said Crosse became 'rough and forceful', grabbed her waist and pulled down her trousers before raping her.

The victim said she told the defendant to stop a number of times but he refused.

In her police interview played to the court, the first victim said: 'He penetrates me four times before I can move away. I put my hands on his chest and I said 'Stop'.'

She said she managed to get away from him. The court heard she then found her friend and waited in her car.

The second victim said she became aware of Crosse after he kept coming up to her and dancing before touching her and grabbing her.

She said she found the defendant 'persistent' and tried to move away from him.

She later saw Crosse outside and said he pulled her into a dark storage room where he cornered her and began kissing her.

The woman said she told Crosse she wanted to go back to the party but he grabbed her face and held her chin in a firm grip. She tried to pull away from him and leave the room.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how on the night of the incident, the gym had been turned into a makeshift bar and dancefloor for a Christmas party

Ms Wilks said: 'He was much larger than her and overwhelmed her, he was relentless but said he was not forcing her.'

The victim said the defendant proceeded to push her trousers down, turned her around and raped her from behind. She said she somehow managed to pull away from him and told him again she didn't want to have sex.

She said Crosse told her he wanted oral sex and pushed her head down before sexually assaulting her. The victim said she heard people calling her from outside and managed to get away.

On the journey home, the second complainant became upset and told the first complainant about what had happened.

The first alleged victim asked who it was and when she gave Crosse's name, she said he had also done something to her.

The woman later contacted the police and Crosse was arrested later that day.

During his police interview, Crosse admitted he didn't know either of the women before the party but claimed all sexual acts with both women were consensual.

He said he couldn't remember having oral sex with the first victim but admitted having sexual intercourse with both women at the gym, denying he had raped either of them.

The trial continues.
Former President Donald Trump's clout within the Republican Party will again be on the ballot Tuesday as Republican voters head to the polls in Nebraska and West Virginia.

In Nebraska, Trump has backed gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster, who has been accused of groping at least eight women - allegations he denies.

In West Virginia, Trump put his weight behind GOP Rep. Alex Mooney, who is running against GOP Rep. David McKinley to represent the newly-formed 2nd Congressional District, after the state lost a House seat due to the population shrinking.

NEBRASKA: Former President Donald Trump (right) shakes the hand of his chosen Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster (left), who is facing a bevy of groping allegations

WEST VIRGINIA: Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Alex Mooney in a Republican primary against Rep. David McKinley, as the two incumbents go head-to-head to represent the newly-formed 2nd Congressional District

In both cases, Trump's picks have gone against the endorsement of the governors of the states.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who can't run for re-election due to term limits, has put his weight behind Jim Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent who runs a large hog operation in the state.

Also among the top-tier candidates in the crowded GOP gubernatorial primary is state Sen. Brett Lindstrom - who could benefit from Pillen and Herbster going after one another.

On May 1, Trump appeared in Nebraska to officially endorse Herbster.

Trump initially announced the rally just five days after the Nebraska Examiner reported that eight women have similar stories about being groped or fondled by the politician.

Republican state Sen. Julie Slama told the paper that in 2019 Herbster reached up her skirt, without her consent, and touched her inappropriately.

The incident happened in public - in a crowded ballrom at the Doublas County Republican Party's annual Elephant Remembers dinner, she said.

Another attendee saw Herbster reach up Slama's skirt and reported it to the Examiner.

That witness and two additional ones saw the GOP hopeful grope another young woman in the buttocks at the same dinner.

Overall, six women - including the woman eyewitnesses saw get groped in the buttocks - told the Examiner that Herbster touched them inappropriately when they were saying hello or goodbye to him, or were posing for photos.

The woman said that Herbster would grab them on their butts, outside of their clothes. The woman also told the newspaper that they were grabbed by the politician - and didn't feel like it was an unintentional graze.

A seventh woman told the Examiner Herbster cornered her and kissed her forcibly.

The incidents happened at either political events or beauty pageants and between 2017 and this year. The women's ages ranged from in their late teens to mid-20s, the paper said.

Herbster's Campaign Manager Ellen Keast said the candidate denied the women's allegations 'unequivocally,'

'This is a political hit-piece built on 100 per cent false and baseless claims,' Keast said, blaming the 'political establishment' for 'smearing and trying to destroy him with lies.'

Trump defended Herbster at the Sunday night rally earlier this month.

'He's been maligned. He's been badly maligned and it's a shame,' Trump said. 'That's why I came out here. I defend people when I know they're good.'

But West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said in recent days that Trump 'made a mistake' by choosing Mooney over McKinley in the West Virginia Congressional race.

'Now I don't have a dog in the fight against Alex Mooney in any way,' Justice said on Thursday, sitting alongside his own dog, Babydog. 'But I can tell you I have been close with the Trump family, and I am friends with Trump. From time to time, he can make a mistake. And this time, he has made a mistake.'

'This man did something that probably agitated the president when he voted for the infrastructure bill,' Justice said of McKinley. 'Just think about it - what kind of guts did it take to do it? At the end of the day, don't we in West Virginia need that? Are you kidding me?'

Justice also characterized McKinley as a harder worker than Mooney.

'He drives me crazy with stuff all the time. He won't quit doing it - all the time. I've talked to Alex Mooney since I've been in office one time.'

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia also endorsed McKinley.

McKinley has nicknamed Mooney 'Maryland Mooney,' as Mooney was a member of the Maryland state legislature for 12 years before running for office in nearby West Virginia.

But in the run-up to Tuesday's primary, West Virginia voters seemed to be following Trump lead, with a MetroNews West Virginia Poll showing Mooney with a 12-point lead over McKinley.

Mooney appeared at Trump's rally Friday night in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and called McKinley a 'total RINO.'

'In order for our party to be successful, we need to take these RINOs out in the primaries,' Mooney said.

Mooney was among the 147 Republicans who voted to contest the 2020 presidential election on January 6, while McKinley was not.

A week ago, Trump's chosen candidate in Ohio for the U.S. Senate - Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance - beat his Republican rivals in a packed primary, giving the former president some early momentum.
Prince Charles hid his nerves behind an arrival marked with bravado on the most momentous day of his Royal service so far, a body language expert claimed.

An emotional Charles today stepped in for his mother at the 11th hour to read the Queen's Speech after the 96-year-old monarch was forced to watch on from home on TV due to ongoing mobility problems.

The heir to the throne 'reflectively' gazed at the crown before he announced 38 of Boris Johnson's Bills for the coming year, including new laws to punish eco zealots, capitalise on Brexit and ensure Britons can pay their soaring bills.

Prince Charles had addressed the House of Lords after the monarch, 96, obeyed doctor's orders to miss the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years.

But a body language expert has claimed that despite arriving 'with bravado', his involuntary head actions and 'shaky' hands betrayed his nerves ahead of the historic moment.

Judi James also shared how Charles' expression became more reflective once he approached his 'consort' throne and looked on at the Imperial State Crown.

Charles appeared emotional as he looked at this mother's crown as he became the first royal to read the Queen's Speech in his mother's absence, supported by his wife Camilla

Prince Charles and Camilla have attended the State Opening in recent years but this is the first time he will deliver the Queen's Speech - a fact that the Palace have been stressing is not preceding a regency being established

Prince Charles and Camilla, who was recently announced to be styled as Queen Consort when Charles ascends to the throne, arrive at Parliament

Speaking to MailOnline, Ms James explained: 'For his first formal assumption of the Queens role Charles arrived full of what looked like bravado, using one hand to steer and direct his hosts and his rather anxious-looking wife into the building and smiling and chatting in the foyer.

'Then came a moment when he seemed to steel himself to walk in his mothers footsteps.

'He breathed in air and he jutted his lower jaw with a small side-to-side wobble as though bracing himself for what was to come.

'He barely, if ever, glanced at Camilla and his son William walked some paces behind him, emphasizing the air of this being a rather isolated appearance.

'As he walked towards the arch leading to the throne room his head seemed to jerk up slightly as though just seeing either the room or the dais with the empty gap where his mothers throne would be.

'Taking his own "Consort" throne he sat with a confident enough leg splay but his eyes seemed to fix on the crown in front of him and his expression looked reflective.

'It was when Charles read the Queens speech that his nervousness appeared more obvious.

'The pages of the speech itself seemed to flap throughout and it appeared his hands were shaking.'

This is the historic moment Prince Charles gave the Queen's Speech after his mother the Queen was forced to miss it for just the third time

Both Prince William and his wife Camilla flanked the Prince of Wales as he delivered the speech from the consort's throne in a major constitutional moment for the UK.

His mother's larger throne was left poignantly empty nearby as power continues to slowly transition from Britain's longest reigning monarch to her son and grandson.

Charles' speech was drawn up by Boris Johnson and his No 10 team as the PM battles to regain the political initiative after damaging rows over lockdown parties and the heavy losses suffered by the Tories in the local elections and left the Tories trailing Labour in national polls.

The Prince of Wales said the Government's priority is to 'grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families'.

'My Government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work,' he said.

Delivering the Queen's Speech he promised that in the 'challenging times' the Government would continue to support the people of Ukraine.

Standing in for the Queen, Charles told Parliament: 'Her Majesty's Government will drive economic growth to improve living standards and fund sustainable investment in public services.
A speeding driver and two pedestrians were killed after an SUV 'easily going 100 miles per hour' crashed into a Philadelphia subway station.

The driver jumped a curb and hit three pedestrians on a sidewalk before crashing into the Allegheny Avenue SEPTA station, police confirmed to DailyMail.com.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the crash was 'really gruesome,' noting that one victim's body was left completely dismembered.

'One of the pedestrians  clearly decapitated and parts of his body dismembered,' Small told FOX 29. 'And parts of the body were actually burned because immediately after this accident, the engine compartment of the vehicle caught on fire.'

Small said another pedestrian, believed to be a woman, was severely mangled and crushed in the accident.

'All three of these victims were pronounced dead immediately on location,' he said of the two pedestrians and driver. A third pedestrian, a 53-year-old man, was transferred to nearby Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

A speeding driver and two pedestrians were killed after an SUV 'easily going 100 miles per hour' crashed into a Philadelphia subway station

The driver jumped a curb and hit three pedestrians on a sidewalk before crashing into the Allegheny Avenue SEPTA station around 2.45am Tuesday

One pedestrian was 'decapitated and parts of his body dismembered' after being struck. His caught was also burned after the SUV burst into flames

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the crash was 'really gruesome,' noting that one victim's body was left completely dismembered

The horrific crash took place around 2.45am Tuesday when a patrol officer saw a Honda Pilot 'obviously traveling at a very, very high rate of speed' near Kensington and Allegheny Avenues.

The SUV hopped the curb, struck a turnstile and crashed into the train station, hitting three people standing on the sidewalk along the way. Witnesses say the vehicle 'immediately burst into flames.'

'As soon as it smacked something, just flames came up,' a bystander told NBC 10. 'I was hoping it didn't blow up.

'Like d**m man, this is catastrophic man,' he added.

Little is known about the driver, believed to be a man, but note the SUV is registered outside of Philadelphia. He was reportedly dead by the time paramedics approached the vehicle.

Officials are currently reviewing video footage of the crash and intend to speak to the hospitalized pedestrian about the incident. The crash remains under investigation.

nother pedestrian, believed to be a woman, was severely mangled and crushed in the accident

The driver and two pedestrians were immediately pronounced dead at the scene

A third pedestrian, a 53-year-old man (not pictured), was transferred to nearby Temple University Hospital in stable condition. Investigators plan to speak with him about the incident

Meanwhile, the Allegheny Station is being bypassed while authorities investigate.

Shuttle buses will run in both directions between Somerset and Tioga as an alternative option for commuters.

Police say the crash caused 'severe damage' to the building and left a 'large crack in the station' that spans several feet.

The metal turnstile outside the building was torn off at its base.

It is unclear when the station will reopen. Small said the Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections would likely need to check the stability of the facility before the public can use it again.
Parents in Barrington, Rhode Island have slammed a woke school district for cancelling honors classes as part of a move to increase inclusivity and equity amongst students.

Barrington Public Schools were among the best in the state and known for equipping students for Ivy League colleges but have plunged 119 spots in official rankings since it changed its approach to teaching in 2020.

Parents voiced their outrage at a March 30 meeting, claiming the new structure of de-leveling - a system of universal learning - had impacted grades and access to merit scholarships for college.

De-levelling involves keeping all students, regardless of their learning abilities and strengths, in the same class by removing specialized programs.

A dentist father, who said he came from immigrant parents, acknowledged that de-leveling was was made for 'someone like me,' but said it will harm children, like his son, six, who also wants to be a dentist.

'My parents came from Mexico, they didn't speak English. I went to school, I started off from kindergarten to third grade before my parents could actually read my assignments. You guys have your own idea of what diversity, equity, and inclusion means,' he said in a video obtained by Fox News.

'It doesn't take into account an actual person that has been through some of the worst public schools in Chicago, lives in neighborhoods where people are shooting each other, drug dealers and gang members. That's where I grew up till I was about 12. So how come no one is asking me? I have a lot to share.

The father said for his son to follow in his footsteps 'it sounds like he's going to have to take honors classes'.

Scroll down for video

Barrington Public Schools in Rhode Island have removed honors classes as part of a woke agenda to keep students regardless of their learning abilities and strengths in the same class - much to the dismay of parents including a dentist father (pictured) who said it would leave the world with 'average' workers

Another father (pictured) said the board's claim that the move would 'increase access' to honors classes had failed as 'it went from 50 percent of kids taking honors in this school, to less than 25 percent this year, to zero next year until you've made that change'

He said it 'didn't bother' him to pay the high Barrington taxes to send his child to the schools, but said he 'wasn't going to sit through a school district that's not going to give my son a chance to fulfill his dream of following in his daddy's footsteps'.

The father slammed the notion of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' as 'radical left language' and said it doesn't 'take into account what I think' and it was the school board's way to 'shut someone up'.

He went on to suggest that taking away honors courses will leave the world with 'average' workers.

'All of you guys probably have dentists, if you guys really believe in [equity], then pick and average or below average dentist, and see what you get. But that's not what you guys do, you guys look at ratings and you pick the best that's available,' he said.

A mother (pictured) even demanded the school apologize and admit that 'de-levelling' - which involves removing specialized teaching programs and courses - was a 'mistake'

Another parent, who admitted his family moved to Barrington 'for the schools', claimed the move had decreased the number of students in honors classes to zero, despite the move designed to 'increase' that number.

'The move to "honors designation" was supposed to increase access, but guess what? It went from 50 percent of kids taking honors in this school, to less than 25 percent this year, to zero next year until you've made that change. How is that opening it to more students?' the second father asked.

He also slammed the board's shift - which he claimed cost the school 'tens of thousands of dollars' - for not thinking about how this would effect 'kids who are applying for financial aid or for college admissions.'

'Not one top school in our state or Massachusetts has gotten rid of honors. Not one. And our consultant that you hired is all proud that we were going to be the first one. I'm not sure that's something we want to be proud of,' he said, before he told the board he had 'no confidence in this administration'.

Another mother slammed the data the board cited as 'manipulative' and said the super-independent is 'pushing her agenda'.

'The school committee has failed again and again to listen to this community or to ask smart questions of the administration,' she said.

'And I now ask you to do what it is right, and it's easy. Let me walk you through it. First, have the humility that this did not go as planned. It takes real leadership to admit you messed up. Give it a try.'

Students also spoke at the meeting, with one airing his anger about why honors classes for English were removed while honors classes for science and math remained - though one claimed they would eventually end too.

'I don't understand why English honors classes are being eliminated. Is English less important than math and science?' the male student slammed. 'In fact, all de-leveling has been protested by the students and parents...All this change does is sabotaged students' education and backstab the families that move to Barrington so their children could get the best public education in that state.'

Schools in the district (pictured: Barrington High School) were among the best in the state and known for equipping students for Ivy League colleges but have plunged 119 spots in official rankings since 2020

Katie Novak, a consultant with the school, said: 'Too many individuals and schools support oppressive and ableist structures where access to advanced coursework is a privilege that students have to earn.'

'All students deserve opportunities to access grade-level instruction and become expert learners and this is not possible when we continue to track students in different levels based on antiquated models of school success,' she said, according to Fox News.

However, a mother who has children with a special learning plan, said the 'inclusive' approach is harming her daughter, whose grades have dropped.

'It [took away] any kind of individuality orpersonalized education plan for kids. It's: "You're just going to be some homogenized like education factory where they raise everybody's the same."'

'I don't think I would ever be a fan of de-leveling, but the timing [to implement it during COVID] is what makes it very suspicious to me. So it just felt like it was an easy way for them to get their agenda through without pushback because people were so busy dealing with other stuff.'

Since de-levelling was introduced, first with the removal of Individualized Education Programs for students with disabilities in February 2020, the school has dropped from 189th to 308th in the nationwide school rankings.

Barrington Public Schools declined to comment to DailyMail.com until the next meeting takes place on May 19.
Police are hunting a Staffordshire Bull Terrier which viciously mauled a nine-year-old boy in the face.

The boy needed surgery after his lip was torn during the attack in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on April 20.

The unnamed youngster was walking close to a school at around 5.45pm, when he was pounced on by the hound whose owner failed to bring it under control.

Staffordshire Police have now released photographs of his injuries in an appeal to track down the woman spotted with the animal.

The nine-year-old boy need needed surgery after his lip was torn by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in Stoke-on-Trent on April 20

A force spokesman said: 'Officers are appealing for information after a nine-year-old boy was bitten by a dog in Stoke-on-Trent.

'At approximately 5:45pm on Wednesday 20 April, a boy was bitten on the face by a dog on Belgrave Road, Dresden, at the rear of Belgrave St. Bartholomew's Academy.

'He suffered facial injuries and was transported to hospital for treatment.

'Police are conducting enquiries locally and would like to speak to the owner of a large brown/ginger coloured Staffordshire Bull Terrier.'

The owner of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - a breed which is not banned by the Dangerous Dogs Act - is described as being a white woman, around 5ft 6in tall, aged late 30s to early 40s and of a slim build with light brown shoulder length hair.

She was wearing sunglasses on her head at the time of the incident.

The boy was walking in this street (pictured) behind a school in Stoke-on-Trent when he was viciously attacked by the dog

The attack took place at the rear of Belgrave St. Bartholomew's Academy in Stone-on-Trent

She was with a man who is described as white, roughly 6ft tall, in his 40s, of medium build with grey crewcut hair and a full grey beard.

He was wearing slim blue jeans and a black polo with blue and red lines on the collar.

The UK is in the midst of a dog mauling epidemic, say experts, with a sharp rise in fatal cases.

Two-year-old Lawson Bond was mauled to death by his family's three rottweilers - nicknamed 'the beasts' by locals - at home in the village of Egdon, Worcestershire, on March 28 and died in hospital two days later.

Earlier in March, an eight-year-old boy was rushed to hospital after being bitten on the face by a dog in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, while a girl and a woman were also injured.

Anyone with information about the attack in Stoke-on-Trent is advised to contact Staffordshire Police on 101, or the force's Facebook or Twitter profiles, quoting incident 679 of April 20.
Boris Johnson today warned he is ready to 'take action' over post-Brexit rules for Northern Ireland amid claims Britain could scrap key parts of an EU agreement within days.

In a phone call with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin this morning, the Prime Minister cautioned the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol had become 'very serious'.

Mr Johnson also hit out at the EU for failing to take the 'steps necessary' to address the disruption the post-Brexit agreement is causing in Northern Ireland.

The historic result of last week's Northern Ireland Assembly elections has piled the pressure on both the UK and EU to come up with a solution to their ongoing dispute.

The DUP, who have now been replaced by nationalist Sinn Fein as the largest party at Stormont, yesterday turned up the heat on the Protocol row.

The unionist party confirmed they won't re-enter a powersharing administration in Northern Ireland without 'decisive action' on the post-Brexit trade rules.

Following the dramatic developments at Stormont, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is now claimed to be preparing to unveil legislation that would scrap key parts of the Protocol in British law.

According to The Times, the action could be announced next Tuesday after Ms Truss concluded that discussions with Brussels over the Protocol had hit deadlock.

It led to increased speculation that Britain and the EU are now headed for a bitter trade war.

Boris Johnson hit out at the EU for failing to take the 'steps necessary' to address the disruption the post-Brexit agreement is causing in Northern Ireland

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is claimed to be preparing to unveil legislation that would scrap key parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol in British law

The Protocol was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit and imposed checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

In his phone call with Mr Martin this morning, Downing Street said both Mr Johnson and his Irish counterpart agreed on the 'vital importance' of restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland.

As well his condemnation of EU efforts to reach a compromise, the PM also reiterated his warning that the UK could act alone if a deal isn't reached.

'The Prime Minister made clear that the situation in respect of the Northern Ireland Protocol was now very serious,' said Number 10 in a readout of the call.

'The balance of the Good Friday Agreement was being undermined and the recent elections had further demonstrated that the Protocol was not sustainable in its current form.

'Despite repeated efforts by the UK Government over many months to fix the Protocol, including those sections related to the movement of goods and governance, the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground.

'The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK Government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found.'

Today's Queen's Speech, in which the Government unveiled its new legislative agenda, also hinted at possible unilateral action from Westminster.

Ministers noted how the problems caused by the Protocol 'continue to stand in the way' of a Stormont executive being formed.

'We will continue to talk with the EU but we will not let that stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland,' they added.

'As any responsible government would, we will take the steps necessary to protect all dimensions of the Good Friday Agreement and meet our obligations under the "New Decade New Approach Deal" to protect Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market.'

The Protocol was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit and imposed checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

But the EU's 'dogmatic' and 'rigid' implementation of the Protocol has been blamed by British ministers for causing significant trade disruption.

The DUP and other unionists are also concerned the agreement has been detrimental to Northern Ireland's status within the UK.

Ms Truss and EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic have been holding talks over potential solutions to the dispute.

But the Foreign Secretary is now said to have concluded that Mr Sefcovic does not have the mandate to agree an acceptable deal, without getting new instructions from EU leaders.

A government source told The Times that Ms Truss was keen to press ahead with unilateral action after losing faith in 'computer says no' negotiations with the EU.

According to the newspaper, legislation drafted by her officials would unilaterally remove the need for all checks on goods being sent from Great Britain for use in Northern Ireland.

The laws are claimed to go further than previously reported plans, by explicitly scrapping large parts of the Protocol rather than simply giving ministers the power to do so in the future.

The Foreign Secretary is said to have been warned that pushing ahead with her plans will see the EU suspend all cooperation with the UK, except on Ukraine, and prompt Brussels to take legal action as well as potentially impose tariffs on UK exports or even terminate the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal.

It emerged this week that Cabinet ministers are split over whether to take unilateral action over the Protocol.

But claims that Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove are less keen than Ms Truss on the UK acting alone have since been dismissed as part of posturing among rivals hoping to replace the PM.
U.S. military officials have opened an investigation into an alleged text message exchange in which a black senior airman was told he was not being considered for a promotion because 'the Air Force is looking for somebody of white complexion'.

The texts, posted on a U.S. Air Force news page on Facebook, begins with a message from a white technical sergeant at the Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona, letting the black airman know he won't be considered for a job in the Unit Fitness Assessment Cell, Task and Purpose reported.

When the black airman asks for a reason, the sergeant allegedly wrote: 'We personally do not feel as if you are a good choice for the squadron. You currently have a shaving waiver which isn't a professional image, and I think the air force is looking for somebody of white complexion and with the image that the air force needs.'

The chief of media relations for the Luke-based 56th Fighter Wing, Sean Clements, said officials were currently investigating the alleged texts.

'Without going into specifics of the investigation, we can categorically say that Luke Airmen are held to a high standard of conduct and that we maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding acts of discrimination based on race,' Clements said in a statement.

A screenshot of the exchange (above) allegedly shows a white technical sergeant at the Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona, letting a black senior airman know he was not being considered for a promotion because 'the air force is looking for somebody of white complexion'

The black airman was reportedly applying to o join the Unit Fitness Assessment Cell, which would have him conduct and oversee physical fitness tests. Pictured, service members at the Luke Air Force Base receiving instructions

The black airman was looking to join the Unit Fitness Assessment Cell, which would have him conduct and oversee physical fitness tests in the Luke Air Force Base.

The airman appeared frustrated by the message he received from the white sergeant, who was reportedly his flight production superintendent.

The black airman claimed this was the third time he had been overlooked for a job based on his appearance.

'This is the 3rd job that has been held over my head due to my looks, and something that's based on personal preference, I will not talk about it any further that what was just said,' he texted back.

'I know the commander would not agree with this.'

The incident follows claims from other black airmen in the Air Force who have said they too faced discrimination over their appearance, particularly for obtaining a shaving waiver which was mentioned in the white sergeants text message.

A shaving waiver allows male members of the Air Force to grow beards for medical or religious reasons, with many more black men opting for the wavier as they suffer razor bumps at a higher rate than their white counterparts, according to a July 2021 study led by Air Force Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie.

The study involving 798 airmen found that despite black men making up less than 13 percent of the survey sample, they made up nearly 65 percent of those who had shaving waivers.

Ritchie's team concluded that the presence of beards had a negative effect on black men's career opportunities in the Air Force, which appeared to favor men with a more clean-cut look.

U.S. Air Force officials said 'Luke Airmen are held to a high standard of conduct and that officials maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding acts of discrimination based on race'

The incident, which also highlighted the black airmen's facial hair, comes after a 2021 study found that the Air Force appears to favor men with clean-cut faces over those with beards. Black men make up the majority of those in the force with beards because they tend to suffer razor bumps at a much higher level than other racial groups

'[T]he promotion system is not necessarily inherently racially biased, but instead biased against the presence of facial hair which will likely always affect the promotions of Blacks/African-Americans disproportionately because of the relatively higher need for shaving waivers in this population,' Ritchie wrote.

The Air Force has been contending with sweeping changes to curb bias within the military branch after an internal 2020 report found that black service members were being disproportionately punished and promoted more slowly than their white peers.

After months of evaluations, the Air Force launched Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Accessibility Strategy offices to promote diversity and root out racist behavior throughout the agency.
Bandi said his padayatra was receiving good response from the people and large numbers were turning up to meet him, as was also seen in Palamuru area.  DC file image

HYDERABAD: People in Telangana are yearning for a change and are fed up with the TRS government  and the BJP will come to power in the state after the next elections, claimed its state chief Bandi Sanjay here on Monday.

A sign of that change will be the public meeting on May 14 near Thukkuguda in Maheshwaram constituency, Sanjay said in a reference to the culmination of his present Praja Sangrama Yatra. The meeting would be addressed by Union home minister Amit Shah.

Sanjay held a meeting at Maktapally Gate in Jadcherla mandal with BJP corporators from Hyderabad, and those who contested but lost the last Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation council elections. He sought their views on the ways to make the May 14 public rally a big success.

He said his padayatra was receiving good response from the people and large numbers were turning up to meet him, as was also seen in Palamuru area.

This region has turned into a desert and people poured their woes out in these meetings, Bandi said.

Sanjay said BJP leaders and corporators in the GHMC area would bring in thousands of people from the city for the May 14 public meeting.

Among those who attended Mondays meeting were BJP general secretaries Dugyala Pradeep, Premender Reddy, Mantri Sriniv-asulu, Bangaru Shruti, padayatra convener Manohar Reddy, party trea-surer Shanthi Kumar, SC Morcha national secretary Kumar, former MLAs Yendala Lakshminarayana, Chinthala Ramachandra and padayatra co-convener Virender Goud.
Plans to give staff 'default' rights to flexible working have been left out of the Queen's Speech.

The move, which could have put more pressure on companies to agree requests for home working, was initially promised in the 2019 Tory manifesto.

However, unions claimed the absence of an Employment Bill from the new legislative programme meant the idea might be 'ditched for good'.

A senior Government source told MailOnline that the agenda was packed and Kwasi Kwarteng's Business Department had to 'prioritise' - deciding the Energy Security Bill was more pressing.

The source denied that the omission had anything to do with business concerns, and stressed that firms would retain the right to say no if they had good reasons.

They insisted the flexible working change remains a manifesto commitment, even though time is running out before the next general election.

A senior Government source told MailOnline that the Parliamentary agenda was packed and Kwasi Kwarteng's (pictured) Business Department had to 'prioritise' - deciding the Energy Security Bill was more pressing

However, another senior government source said the decision 'reflects an agreement to resist adding more regulations when we need to go for growth'.

Currently staff have the right to request flexible working after being employed for 26 weeks, but the proposal has been for default rights to start from day one.

Protections against discrimination for pregnant women, and rights for staff to keep all tips were among the other moves mooted in an Employment Bill.

TUC chief Frances O'Grady said: 'No Employment Bill means vital rights that ministers had promised - like default flexible working, fair tips and protection from pregnancy discrimination - risk being ditched for good,' she said.

'And it means no action on the scourge of insecure work and ending exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.

'But by shelving the Employment Bill, ministers have sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers' rights.'

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: 'Boris Johnson is failing Britain's workers yet again with more broken promises.

'It's been three years since the Tories first announced an Employment Bill to tackle working conditions in warehouses run like Victorian workhouses.

'After the scandal of P&O, action for fair work is needed now more than ever, but instead the Government is fobbing off working people.

'This Prime Minister promised enhanced rights and protections at work, but instead he is dragging Britain's workers into a race to the bottom.'
The House of Representatives will vote Tuesday night on an additional $40 billion in aid to the Ukraine that includes $67 million for the Justice Department to sell off the seized yachts of Russian oligarchs.

'Time is of the essence  and we cannot afford to wait,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in announcing the vote. 'With this aid package, America sends a resounding message to the world of our unwavering determination to stand with the courageous people of Ukraine until victory is won.'

Lawmakers increased President Joe Biden's original $33 billion request, adding $3.4 billion in military aid and $3.4 billion in humanitarian assistance, for the Ukrainians.

The money includes $67 million for DOJ's General Administration section to help cover the costs of seizing, retaining, and selling forfeited property - such as the yachts of Russian oligarchs -r elated to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden administration plans to sell off the seized assets of Vladimir Putin's cronies and give the money to the Ukraine to help them fight off the Russian invasion.

The United States already has sezied a $90 million yacht owned by Viktor Vekselberg, called the Tango. And that is just a portion of the $1 billion in yachts, planes and artwork  not to mention hundreds of millions in cash  that the United States has identified as belonging to Putin's wealthy friends. Americans, working in Fiji, have also sezied a $300 million yacht beloning to Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian gold magnate.

The seized yatch 'Tango', which belongs to Renova Group head Viktor Vekselberg, moors in the port of Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The $300 Million yacht of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, seized in Fiji at the request of the United States

The legislation also includes $8.7 billion to replenish US stocks of equipment sent to Ukraine through drawdown authority.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is getting $300 million for operations, security and relocation. The embassy was closed with Russia's invasion but administration officials have said they want to reopen it.

There is $900 million for refugees, which will fund housing, English language classes, trauma and support services, community support (including school impact grants), and case management.

The Senate could take up the package next week.

'After the House passes the legislation, it is my intention for the Senate to act on it as soon as we can,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

But lawmakers split off $10 billion in funding for the covid pandemic in order to rush through money for the war-torn country, which is entering its second month of fighting off Russia's invasion.

While the Ukraine aid is expected to sail through, there is no clear outlook for the covid funds that Democrats had originally tied to the foreign aid.

Biden signed off on the deal that dropped covid funding.

'Previously, I had recommended that Congress take overdue action on much needed funding for COVID treatments, vaccines and tests, as part of the Ukraine Supplemental bill,' Biden said in a statement on Monday.

'However, I have been informed by Congressional leaders in both parties that such an addition would slow down action on the urgently needed Ukrainian aid  a view expressed strongly by several Congressional Republicans,' he noted.

House of Representatives could vote as soon as Tuesday afternoon on an additional $40 billion in aid to the Ukraine - President Joe Biden signed off on separating covid funding from the foreign aid package

Senate Republicans wanted to tie to covid funding a vote that would keep Title 42, the public health order being used to turn away migrants at the Southern border, in effect. The CDC announced it will expire on May 23. States are also suing to stop the Trump-era order from being rescinded.

Some Democrats have expressed concern about rescinding Title 42 without a plan in place to combat the expected surge in migrants.

Republicans have made it clear they will not vote for covid funding without a Title 42 vote. Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to vote with to advance the legislation.

Some Senate Democrats said they were disappointed the covid aid would be considered separately.

'It would have been so much better for us to protect the United States as well as worked to protect Ukraine,' No. 2 Senate Democrat Dick Durbin told reporters.

Asked if separating Ukraine aid hurts prospects for covid aid, Durbin said, 'It doesn't help. Putting those two together would have been a positive.'

In his statement, Biden called on Congress to move quickly approve more covid funding.

'Without timely COVID funding, more Americans will die needlessly,' he said.

'We will lose our place in line for America to order new COVID treatments and vaccines for the fall, including next-generation vaccines under development, and be unable to maintain our supply of COVID tests.'

The money would be used for booster shots, theraputics and testing.

A shopping mall is destroyed as a result of rocket strikes launched by Russian troops in Odesa in Southern Ukraine

A car destroyed by Russian attacks is seen in the middle of a road in the northern region of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine

The administration has warned the US could potentially see 100 million Covid-19 infections this fall and winter.

Officials told CNN this estimate is based on an underlying assumption of no additional resources or extra mitigation measures being taken, including new Covid-19 funding from Congress, or dramatic new variants.

Separately, Biden on Monday signed legislation that revives the 'Lend-Lease Act,' a World War Two-era program that helped defeat Hitler's Germany by allowing Washington to lend or lease military equipment to U.S. allies more quickly.

In this case, it will help those affected by Russia's invasion, such as Poland and other eastern European countries as well as Ukraine.
Comancheros enforcer Tarek Zahed is fighting for life in hospital after being shot in a hail of bullets while at the gym with his younger brother.

Zahed and his brother Omar were shot multiple times inside the Bodyfit gym in Sydney's Auburn on Tuesday night, leaving both men with catastrophic injuries.

Omar, believed to be in his 20s, went into cardiac arrest after suffering several gunshot wounds to his stomach, arms and legs - later dying at the scene.

His bikie enforcer brother, 41, was hit by 10 bullets to his body, including to his head, before being rushed to Westmead Hospital where he was still in an 'extremely' critical condition as of 3am on Wednesday.

Underworld figures say the high profile bikie boss had been warned to 'play it safe' by changing his daily routine - with friends even begging him to stop going to the gym where he was shot - after learning a $1million bounty had been put out on him by rivals.

But he ignored the grave warnings that his life was in danger, and is now paying the price.

Tarek Zahed (pictured, right) and brother Omar (left) were gunned down outside a gym on Tuesday night - with Omar dying at the scene after being shot in the head

Police were called to the Bodyfit Gym on Parramatta Road around 8pm on Tuesday night (pictured) where paramedics battled to save the brothers' lives

Police and paramedics are seen trying to save the two men at the gym on Tuesday night after the shooting - with pools of blood seen across the foyer

The pair were known to frequent the gym and even posted multiple pictures to social media showing them working out.

Confronting footage shows paramedics attempting to revive the bloodied pair in the gym's foyer.

The deadly shooting is the latest incident in the ongoing feud between the Hamzy and Alameddine crime clans and comes two weeks after the shooting death of Mahmoud Ahmad, who was gunned down in Greenacre a fortnight ago.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has announced 30 additional police will be deployed to crackdown on the escalating gang war in Sydney's west.

It's understood those close to him had recently warned Tarek to 'play it safe' as he had a $1million bounty on his head.

'They warned him the other week: "Stop going to the gym, change your routine", but he didn't listen. They are fuming,' a bikie source told the Daily Telegraph.

Police and underworld sources confirmed they were aware of the bounty.

'Everyone's talking about the whispers around Tarek, but no one knows who is behind it,' an underworld source claimed.

Takek Zahed (seated) and his brother Omar (standing) were gunned down outside a gym in Sydney's west on Tuesday night. One is dead while the other is fighting for life

A white Audi station wagon was found engulfed in flames nearby, with police investigating its links to the shooting

The gym's front door has been shattered with bullet holes after the men were shot at 10 times on Tuesday night

The publication reported earlier this week Tarek was regarded as a marked man by heavyweight of the Hamzy crime network long before the bounty was recently placed on his head.

It comes as unlikely union formed between the Alameddine family and the Commancheros, with Zahed under increasing pressure from arch-rivals the Hamzy crew.

Police intercepted a call between jailed Brothers 4 Life gang boss Bassam Hamzy and his brother Ghassan Amoun on October 14, 2020.

Hamzy called his brother from Goulburn Supermax jail asking for Tarek's phone number, according to NSW Supreme Court documents.

'Hamzy asked Amoun to contact Emad Sleiman and 'tell him straight out is he speaking with Tarek Zahed, if he is, get Tarek Zahed's number off him,' the court

'Amoun said Zahed was in jail, but Hamzy said Zahed was definitely not in jail.

'It was highly likely Zahed was at risk from Hamzy and Hamzy's associates in the community.'

Fifteen months later, Amoun was gunned down as he left a beauty salon at Wentworthville in Sydney's west.

Several days after Ahmad's death, Zahred, known as the 'Balenciaga Bikie', was arrested and charged with two counts of contravening serious crime prevention order as NSW Police continued its crackdown on organised crime.

Tarek Zahed (pictured) and his brother Omar were shot at 10 times outside Bodyfit Gym on Parramatta Road just after 8pm on Tuesday night

The brothers (pictured) are believed to be close with recent photos on social media and TikTok showing the pair going to the gym and holidaying together

The pair were known to frequent the gym, with those close to Zahed warning him to alter his normal routine after a $1million bounty was placed on the head of the high-profile Commancheros member (pictured, police at the scene on Tuesday night)

The 41-year-old had been widely tipped to be the next national president of the outlaw motorcycle club after former leader Mick Murray was also arrested last week.

It's understood he had been aware his life had been in danger for almost a year and was granted a travel exemption to flee NSW lockdown to travel to Turkey last September.

He continued his lavish lifestyle upon return to Australia, despite warnings from police his life was under threat.

Tarek moved to Melbourne, where he was infamously caught interrupting play at the Australian Open men's final in January.

Police have launched an investigation into Tuesday night's shooting with the assistance of police attached to the State Crime Command's Raptor and Criminal Groups Squads.

Paramedics found Tarek and Omar with bullet wounds 'all over their bodies'.

Inspector Kevin McSweeney said it was an horrific and confronting scene that unfolded in front of several witnesses and it was lucky no other members of the public were injured.

'They were both found to be in extremely critical conditions. At the scene we stabilised the patients as best we could.'

The brothers were shot while going to the gym in Auburn on Tuesday night (pictured, police outside after the attack)

Paramedics are seen treating the brothers at the scene - with one confirmed dead and the other in a critical condition

A woman sits with her head in her hand inside the gym on Parramatta Road in Auburn after a Commanchero leader and his brother were sprayed with bullets

Another man sits on a workout ball inside the gym as police cordon off the area around the fitness centre on Tuesday night

A white Audi station wagon was found engulfed in flames in nearby Berala, with police investigating its links to the shooting.

Zahed, his brothers Abdul and Omar and their associate Raouf Mousawel were also busted by police breaking lockdown laws in August last year after they were spotted walking in Drummoyne in the city's inner-west about 2am.

The men allegedly became angry when police questioned why they were outside, and claimed they lived together and were 'just exercising'.

Abdul and Omar are believed to live in Yagoona in Sydney's south-west - more than 20km away from where they were allegedly spotted by police.

Public health orders at the time banned anyone in Greater Sydney from travelling more than 5km from their home for exercise.

A prominent Commancheros bikie and his brother have been sprayed by bullets outside a Sydney gym - with one dead and the other fighting for his life (pictured, paramedics at the scene)

Zahed had been living within 5km of the Bay Run but was alleged to have broken lockdown rules by exercising with more than one other person.

The Comanchero enforcer, who was regularly seen wearing high-end designer clothing, once told journalists outside of court he wanted the record to state about one of his offences.

He then said he was wearing a Versace shirt and not Gucci as some stories wrongly depicted.

In another high-profile incident at the at the swanky a'Mare restaurant, in Sydney's Barangaroo casino, CCTV footage captured Zahed punching another man in the bathroom.

The 41-year-old Zahed had been widely tipped to be the next national president of the outlaw motorcycle club after former leader Mick Murray was also arrested last week (pictured being extradited from Melbourne to Sydney in March, 2021)

A man vapes while standing alongside police outside the Bodyfit Gym in Sydney's south-west

During the assault on this occasion, he was wearing a Balenciaga shirt, earning his nickname 'Balenciaga Bikie'.

Recently family members had encouraged Zahed to stop living his flashy and public lifestyle after the bounty was placed on the head of the man set to take over the violent group.

The 41-year-old was the frontrunner due to his close relationship with exiled drug lord Mark Buddle and links to criminals in both NSW and Victoria.
French President Emmanuel Macron was today mocked by Tory Brexiteers for trying to make post-Brexit Britain a 'satellite of Brussels' with his plans for a new 'European political community'.

Speaking in the European Parliament, fresh from his re-election last month, the French President outlined his vision for a new EU-dominated organisation.

The proposal, which has been dubbed 'EU-lite', would include both members and non-members of the EU.

Mr Macron suggested Ukraine could become part of an outer ring of EU cooperation while it waits for full membership of the bloc.

In a reference to Britain, he also floated the possibility of 'those who have left' the EU becoming part of such an organisation.

However, the French President's plans were quickly dismissed by Downing Street, who stressed there were no plans for the UK to join.

And they also prompted the ire of Conservative MPs who campaigned for Britain to quit the EU at the 2016 EU referendum.

Emmanuel Macron's proposal, which has been dubbed 'EU-lite', would include both members and non-members of the EU

The French President set out his plans in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday

Boris Johnson's official spokesman said there were 'no plans' for the UK to join an EU-lite group, adding: 'We believe that post Brexit the UK is best placed to work in co-operation with our European partners'

Mr Macron's comments prompted the ire of Conservative MPs David Jones (left) and Andrew Bridgen

Ex-Brexit minister Lord Frost blasts mandarins who 'regret' EU vote Former Brexit Minister David Frost has blasted Foreign Office civil servants who still 'regret' Brexit, six years since the referendum. Appearing on GB News with Nigel Farage he said the anipathy toward leaving was 'still there' although it had weakened since 2016 as 'people have got used to the idea'. 'I think what people are finding hard now in the Government and in the civil service is, having to be in charge, when we were in the EU, you didn't have to think,' he said. 'Now, all of a sudden, our destiny is in their own hands, and they're hesitating a little bit, that's probably underlining some of the issues we've got at the moment.' Lord Frost, who was made a peer by Boris Johnson so he could become Brexit Secretary, also admitted he was ready to swap the House of Lords for the 'real politics' of the House of Commons today - but refused to stand in an upcoming by-election for the Tories. A vote is expected in the summer in the seat vacated by Neil Parish, who quit after being outed for watching pornography while in the Commons while surfing the internet on his phone for tractors. The peer, who has become an outspoken critic of former boss Boris Johnson over his handling of the economy, said: 'I don't think the Lords is a particularly brilliant place to do real politics from. I think you need to be in the Commons to do real politics, that's obvious.' Advertisement

Former Brexit minister David Jones told MailOnline that Mr Maron's plans would be 'received very badly in the UK'.

'People didnt vote to leave only to be stuck in the orbit of a sclerotic European Union,' he said.

'We are a nation with a global outlook, not a satellite of Brussels.'

Fellow Tory Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen pointed to Britain's membership of NATO as of greater significance to Western security cooperation.

'We are already members of another organisation that has guaranteed the security of European democracy for the last 70 years,' he told MailOnline.

'Its called NATO and we are a major participant in it. France at times, not so much.'

Mark Francois, the chair of the European Research Group of Conservative eurosceptic MPs, told MailOnline: 'The British people have not spent years wrenching themselves free of the overbearing EU, only to rejoin it, at the behest of President Macron.

'His recent pandering to Vladimir Putin may also explain why the countries of Eastern Europe dont favour his plans for an aggrandised EU either.'

Meanwhile, asked about Mr Macron's comments, senior Conservative backbencher and long-time eurosceptic Peter Bone made use of a vomit emoji, adding: 'Probably sums up my view on this idea.'

Downing Street said today there were 'no plans' for the UK to join an EU-lite group.

Boris Johnson's official spokesman said: 'We believe that post Brexit the UK is best placed to work in co-operation with our European partners.'

In his speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday, the French President said he was in favour of creating what I would call a European political community'.

This new European organisation would allow democratic European nations adhering to our core values to find a new space for political cooperation, and security,' he added.

Joining it would not prejudge future membership of the European Union, and it would not be closed to those who have left the latter.

During a trip to Berlin later in the day, Mr Macron confirmed that Britain would be invited to take its full place in the new community.

He admitted that Ukraines wish to join the EU could take decades, so the new organisation might act as a stop-gap measure.

Ukraine by its fight and its courage is already a heartfelt member of our Europe, of our family, of our union, said Mr Macron.

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.
Rebekah Vardy branded Coleen Rooney a 'c***' and said she should 'get over herself' in a string of foul-mouthed texts seen by the High Court as part of the 3million 'Wagatha Christie' trial.

Coleen, 36, accused Rebekah, 40, of leaking 'false stories' about her private life to the media in October 2019, after she said she carried out a months-long 'sting operation'.

She publicly claimed Rebekah shared three fake stories she had posted on her personal Instagram with The Sun, a claim Rebekah vehemently denied - leading her to launch the costly libel action which finally reached trial today.

The messages show Rebekah and her agent, Caroline Watt, discussing Coleen's bombshell claim.

JANUARY 2019: Ms Vardy texts Miss Watt and is said to have described Coleen as a 'nasty b****... I've taken a big dislike to her! She thinks she's amazing...Would love to leak those stories'

FEBRUARY 2019: Ms Watt and Ms Vardy realise Rooney has unfollowed them on Instagram. In a series of messages, Rebekah, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie, 35, is said to have described Coleen as a 'nasty b****' and a 'c***', while Ms Watt brands the wife of former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney as 'trash' and 'up her own ar**'

OCTOBER 2019: The pair discuss their response to Coleen's now infamous Wagatha Christie claims. The text messages are said to show Rebekah describing Mrs Rooney as a 'b***' and a 'c***'

Rebekah writes: 'She thinks it's me that's been doing stories on her! Of all the people on her Instagram ffs!

'That c*** needs to get over herself' and added: 'What a joke! All I've ever been is nice to her though! Even when Wayne was being a c***.'

In other messages, Rebekah, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie, 35, is said to have viciously described Coleen as a 'nasty b****' and a 'c***', while Ms Watt brands the wife of former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney as 'trash' and 'up her own ar**'.

Within the exchanges, which began in February 2019, Rebekah twice calls Coleen a 'c***' after she realises she was unfollowed on Instagram on February 6.

Rebekah later warns: 'Not having her bad mouth me to anyone...if she's doing that my god she will be sorry.'

A month earlier she had texted Ms Watt and is said to have described Coleen as a 'nasty b****... I've taken a big dislike to her! She thinks she's amazing... Would love to leak those stories.'

Rebekah with her agent, Ms Watt, who had been due to give evidence in the trial but was recently found to be 'not fit' to take part, also withdrawing her written evidence

Hugh Tomlinson, acting for Rebekah, said these were private conversations between two friends and 'show that in private Mrs Vardy often uses strong language', adding: 'What those exchanges show was that Mrs Vardy was sometimes irritated by Mrs Rooney, rightly or wrongly.'

And commenting on a message in which Rebekah said she would 'love to leak those stories', he said: 'They are not stories about Mrs Rooney.'

'It's accepted that on some occasions the leaking of stories was discussed between Mrs Vardy and Ms Watt,' Mr Tomlinson said.

He added that 'none of those discussions', with one exception, related to any of the stories at the centre of the libel action.
Outspoken parent Amy Boldt K has demanded that Milford High School fire a 10th grade teacher who required students to read aloud passeges from 'In the Time of Butterflies', which she says is filled with 'sex and wickedness'

A group of furious Ohio parents want a high school teacher fired after their children were given a historical book to read, which they claim is filled with 'sex and wickedness'.

The 10th grade students at Milford High School, in Milford, were required to read passages of 'In The Time of Butterflies' by Julia Alvarez aloud in class, according to one parent.

The book is a fictional account of the Dominican Republic's Trujillo dictatorship in the 1960s, and follows the Mirabel sisters. The novel was adapted into a film in 2001, and was rated PG-13.

In a Facebook post, irate parent Amy Boldt K wrote: 'THIS CONTENT IS EXPLICIT! Our 10th graders are being forced to read this pornography in school! I am disgusted beyond words.

Boldt told parents, who were just as appalled as she was, to contact the principal. She also demanded that the teacher be removed from the school.

She also posted an excerpt of the book, which includes the female protagonists being sexually assaulted, and another girl banding her breasts to keep them from growing, out of fear it would bring unwanted attention from men.

'This is only a small content of the book [sic],' Boldt wrote. 'Are you concerned yet, parents?? Time for action.'

An exterior photo of Milford High School. Furious parents want a 10th grade teacher, who was not named, fired for asking children to read 'In The Time of Butterflies'

'In The Time of Butterflies,' written by Julia Alvarez is a fictional account of the Mirabel sisters and their opposition during Trujillo's dictatorship set in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s

Boltd's post garnered mixed reaction with some furious like she was, while others showed support for the school and calling out those ridiculing parents to stay more on top of their kids.

Darba Bowers said: 'This requires immediate corrective action! You don't have to have a child in school to protest. Your taxes support our public schools!'

Ro Wilson said: 'Wow! That was rated R I can see why kids would be uncomfortable to read this! Wtf.'

America Mink said, in part: 'This material is not okay on many levels for 10th graders. Let them be kids for as long as they can. Some of those same kids could be dealing with that horror.'

Other parents were supportive of the teacher, with Patty Carlson writing: 'The reading list was provided, parents did not check out what books their kids were going to read and now want to blame teachers, administrators and school board. Sounds like it was transparent to me. Read the books parents! Discuss them with your child.'

Jena M. Thacker, another parent in support of the school said: 'The English teachers at Milford High School have always responded nicely when I have contacted them about the reading material for a class. My children have never been penalized or punished because I expressed concern. In fact, they were very agreeable and lenient. I'm sorry to hear this happened to that parent. Please act with grace and kindness, however, reaching out to the grade level administrator if your concern is not received well.'

On Tuesday, Krista M. Boyle, a Milford Exempted Village Schools spokesperson told the DailyMail.com that the committee is currently reading the book and plans to complete its review by Friday.

'The district administrators recently received a request for reconsideration of the novel used in 10th grade English language arts. Any time the district would receive such a request, the district follows Board Policy KLB, which calls for the Superintendent to convene a review committee,' Boyle said. 'The committee is composed of seven members, a mix of teachers, administrators and parents.'

She added that the book, 'In the Time of the Butterflies' was published in 1994 and was part of the board curriculum adoption in 2014-2015. She explained that since that time Milford teachers have been working from those documents and are utilizing the district-adopted materials.

She told the DailyMail.com that parents and guardians always have the right to choose an alternative text, as outlined in the same KLB policy, should they so choose.

The alternate reading options were: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, A Separate Peace, or Station Eleven.

In Boldt's initial Facebook post, she also referenced how the president of neighboring schools district's longtime president, John Gray, resigned after allegations were made that he appeared in a child sex sting video.

Gray, who resigned last month, has not been charged. However, local news station WLWT reported that he is the focus of two criminal investigations.
President Joe Biden is warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't have a 'way out' of his war on Ukraine  as the nation's top intelligence official predicted a 'prolonged conflict' there.

Biden made the remarks at a Maryland fundraiser Monday evening, as lawmakers were preparing to fund another multi-billion aid package to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion.

He said Putin 'doesn't have a way out right now, and I'm trying to figure out what we do about that.'

He is one of many people inside the administration how has been trying to assess Putin's motives  including a U.S. intelligence apparatus that spend months debating whether he intended to invade Russia's neighbor and what his end-game might be.

Vladimir Putin 'doesn't have a way out right now, and I'm trying to figure out what we do about that,' President Joe Biden said Monday evening

More than two months' worth of losses of troops and equipment in Ukraine do not appear to have persuaded the Russian leader to call off the invasion.

'We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas,' Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified Tuesday.

She spoke while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

US officials are trying to figure Putin's next moves.

Russian officers carry Soviet and Russian flags during the Victory Day Parade at Red Square on May 9, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. The Red Square military parade marking the Victory Day gathered 11 000 solders, officers and 131 military vehicles. Putin did not declare victory at the event in what he calls a 'special operation' in Ukraine

That follows a warning Saturday by CIA Director Bill Burns. Putin is 'in a frame of mind in which he doesn't believe he can afford to lose,' said at a Financial Times event.

'I think he's convinced right now that doubling down still will enable him to make progress.'

Russia continues to pound Ukraine after a May 9th parade in Moscow marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. That included continued shelling of Odessa and a school in eastern Ukraine.

The House is preparing to vote on $40 billion package to aid Ukraine  $7 billion more than Biden requested. The additional funds in the latest version are split between military and humanitarian aid.
Talks between Iran and the EU have stalled after it failed to clarify questions about the presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in Iran.

The UN atomic energy watchdog chief said Tuesday that he was 'extremely concerned' about Iran's lack of cooperation as the EU seeks to unblock talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Talks between world powers and Iran have stalled since mid-March as negotiators seek to return to the landmark accord that curtailed the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

EU diplomat Enrique Mora, who chairs the negotiations, will visit Tehran this week, Iran announced Monday.

Iran is not cooperating with the EU after it failed to clarify questions about the presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in Iran

The United States, seeking to come back to the deal it unilaterally left in 2018, voiced hope for progress.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is 'trying to clarify a number of still open matters with Iran', agency head Rafael Grossi told a European Parliament committee.

'I am referring to the fact that we, in the last few months, were able to identify traces of enriched uranium in places that had never been declared by Iran as places where any activity was taking place,' he said.

'The situation does not look very good. Iran, for the time being, has not been forthcoming in the kind of information we need from them... We are extremely concerned about this,' he said.

The IAEA and Iran announced in March that they had agreed an approach for resolving issues crucial to reviving the 2015 nuclear accord.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi (on screen) speaks online during hearing on current international developments of concern by European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence in Brussels. Grossi said that Iran 'should be at the top of our preoccupations in spite of the drama that is unfolding in the Ukraine'

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi, right, speaks with Mahdi Khosravi of state-run TV in a live interview

At the time, Grossi said the UN agency and Iran had 'decided to try a practical, pragmatic approach' to overcome 'a number of important matters'.

Some documents are to be exchanged between the two sides by May 22.

The aim is to settle outstanding questions that the IAEA has about the past presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in Iran.

Iran 'should be at the top of our preoccupations in spite of the drama that is unfolding in the Ukraine,' Grossi said on Tuesday, referring to Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

He said talks to revive the nuclear deal were 'at a sort of pause' but the Vienna-based IAEA was 'of course still hopeful that some agreement is going to be reached within a reasonable timeframe'.

'Although we have to recognise that the window of opportunity could be closed anytime,' he added.

The UN's nuclear watchdog said it had detected nuclear material at undeclared sites in Iran.

Talks to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers have been on hold since March, chiefly over Tehran's insistence that Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its elite security force, from the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the Financial Times he was seeking a 'middle way' to end the impasse, which threatens to scupper more than a year of European diplomatic efforts.

Borrell is considering a scenario whereby the designation is lifted on the IRGC, but kept in place on other parts of the organization, which has several arms and a sprawling business empire, the FT reported.

The foreign policy chief also said he wanted Mora to visit Tehran to discuss the issue, but added that Iran 'was very much reluctant' and described the diplomatic push as 'the last bullet'.

The report also cited Borrell as saying negotiators would not give Iran an ultimatum.

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the European Union Hossein Dehghani is pictured. The IAEA and Iran announced in March that they had agreed an approach for resolving issues crucial to reviving the 2015 nuclear accord

Iran's president said Monday the country is exporting twice as much oil as when he took office in August, despite heavy sanctions on oil exports imposed by the US.

Ebrahim Raisi made the claim in a live interview on state-run TV without elaborating, including on the amount of oil being exported.

'Oil sales have doubled,' he said. 'We are not worried about oil sales.'

But at the same time, China - Iran's biggest oil export market - is importing less oil than usual following lockdowns across the country.

Initial assessments by Vortexa Analytics showed China imported nearly 650,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude in April, slightly less than the nearly 700,000 bpd discharged in March.

China's independent refiners, also known as teapots and situated mostly in the eastern province of Shandong, are key Iranian oil buyers.

The refiners have since February reduced crude imports, operating under half their capacity in April as soaring prices, tighter import quotas and Covid lockdowns squashed margins, traders said.

Meanwhile, Russian crude, displaced by falling demand in Europe on growing concerns about sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is heading to China.

Iran's crude, with a similar composition to Russia's grade, compete in the oil market.
Police will be given powers to stop eco 'hooligans' blocking roads and inflicting misery on motorists, under plans announced today.

A Public Order Bill to tackle disruptive action by groups such as Extinction Rebellion was unveiled in the Queen's Speech.

The Government had attempted to bring in the measures in January, but they were blocked by Labour and others in the House of Lords

A criminal offence of 'locking on' will be created to prevent activists chaining themselves to buildings, vehicles and other protesters.

It will carry a maximum penalty of six months and an unlimited fine.

Stop and search powers will allow police to detain campaigners carrying bike locks and other equipment designed to make themselves difficult to remove.

A new offence will also be introduced to specifically ban the obstruction of key national infrastructure such as airports, railways and newspaper printing presses, which will be punishable by up to 12 months in prison and an unlimited fine.

Eco-activists on top of a fuel tank truck during a protest at a roundabout in west London last month

A law to tackle disruptive action by groups such as Extinction Rebellion was announced in the Queens Speech today. Priti Patel visiting the Metropolitan Police specialist training centre in Gravesend, Kent

The Prince of Wales read the Queen's Speech for the first time as the monarch missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in almost 60 years. Prince William also attended (left)

It will also be illegal to obstruct major transport works, including disrupting the construction or maintenance of projects such as HS2.

And new Serious Disruption Prevention Orders will allow police to ban suspected troublemakers from attending specified events.

Groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil have used guerrilla tactics to wreak havoc in recent years  stopping people getting to work and costing taxpayers millions because of the mammoth police operations.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse said the measures are designed to stop 'hooligan' protests.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We have seen a number of very, very prolific, persistent offenders who decide to just flagrantly ignore the courts and so we'll be bringing in a new serious disruption prevention order which we can place on them as individuals to deter them, if you like, from this kind of hooligan way of protesting.

'We believe that protest is fundamental to our democracy but it has to be balanced against the rights of others to go about their business, and indeed keeping us all safe.

'I'm afraid some of the tactics we've seen recently haven't done that.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'The law-abiding, responsible majority have had enough of antisocial, disruptive protests carried out by a self-indulgent minority who seem to revel in causing mayhem and misery for the rest of us.

'The Public Order Bill will give the police the powers they need to clamp down on this outrageous behaviour and ensure the British public can go about their lives without disruption.'

Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer have clashed bitterly over Partygate, Beergate and other issues - but appeared to share a joke as they walked from the Commons chamber to hear the speech in the Lords
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has put in his resignation, had to seek refuge in a naval base in the north of the island while his younger brother Gotabaya is still holding fort as the President. The political dynasty from Hambantota, which had lorded it over the country for decades, also gaining the popular vote again last year, is facing its worst-ever crisis. With the economic catastrophe having overtaken their country to the extent of making it the first nation to default on debt as its foreign exchange reserves are down to $50 million, the day of reckoning may have come and gone for the clan, which at one time had as many as 40 Rajapaksas in government.

The Colombo Spring has been in the air for a while with public protests ratcheting up the pressure on those who were deemed totally responsible for the grave economic situation. It may have burst on the day that Mahinda crossed a line in ordering his supporters into the capital in buses to take on the anti-Rajapaksa protesters who have been occupying prime spots in the capital outside buildings symbolising the enormous political power the family wielded.

Violence by the public this week, directed against the clan and their ministers and MPs, has been on a scale unprecedented for a country that had seen worse only in three decades of sectarian strife with the militant movement of the minority Tamils.

Clearly, its time for the President Gotabaya also to go and leave the countrys management to a non-Rajapaksa to run a national government that can attempt to douse the fires and tend to the economy with the helping hand of the IMF and World Bank, which alone are in a position to help with ways out after India had lent a big helping hand this year with $3.5 billion in credit. IMF intervention would mean further tightening of the belt for the suffering Sri Lankan people as their rupee would fall more and cost of imports will rise phenomenally.

As the first domino to fall in the face of the double whammy of the pandemic years and the Ukraine war taking the cost of food, fertiliser and fuel to mammoth highs besides shortages, Sri Lanka is like the canary in the mine signalling dire warnings for the world itself. But then the decision-making of the Rajapaksas, from allowing tax cuts and ruining agriculture with a bizarre ban on non-organic fertiliser to promoting family interests above that of the nation, was the primary cause of the situation tipping towards economic chaos.

The wrath of the Sri Lankan people, including that of the Buddhist clergy who historically supported the Rajapaksas for their tilt towards looking after the interests of the majority Sinhalese, is being directed at ministers and legislators, many of whom are in hiding at the moment. With the Cabinet of Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolved, the way ahead can only lie in a national government but if Gotabaya insists on staying as titular head, he might further fuel the peoples uprising though its clear he wishes to stay only to control the Army and the police in order to ensure the safety of his clan.

The road back to a modicum of normalcy would be a hard one for a country that imports a lot of food items, including sugar. With tea exports hit and crops languishing, the climb back will be an onerous task that even a unity government would struggle to cope with.
The State Department has given its Taiwan summary on its website a massive overhaul amid heightened threats of invasion from Beijing.

Among other upgrades that depict a much stronger U.S.-Taiwan relationship, the State Department removed a portion of the summary declaring that 'Taiwan is a part of China.'

As recently as May 3, the State Department had begun a summary on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship: 'The U.S. and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship.' The first sentence now reads: 'As a leading democracy and technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific.'

The previous summary then went into Beijing's claims over Taiwan. 'In the Joint Communique, the United States recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.'

The old State Department summary of U.S.-Taiwan relationship included the explicit statement: 'The United States does not support Taiwan independence'

The new summary depicts a much stronger U.S.-Taiwan relationship

'The U.S. does not support Taiwan independence,' the previous statement read.

The summary now reads: 'The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form the bedrock of our friendship and serve as the impetus for expanding U.S. engagement with Taiwan.'

'Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship as well as an abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available defense articles and services as necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,' the summary continues.

China tore into the change, accusing the U.S. of 'political manipulation.' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the U.S.'s changing of its fact sheet amounted to a 'petty act of fictionalizing and hollowing out the one-China principle.'

'This kind of political manipulation on the Taiwan question is an attempt to change the status quo on the Taiwan Strait and will inevitably stir up a fire that only burns [the U.S.]'

In July 2021, President Biden's coordinator for the Indo-Pacific emphasized the U.S.'s strong 'unofficial relationship with Taiwan but added 'we do not support Taiwan independence.'

But in November of last year Biden himself took a much bolder approach, telling reporters of Taiwan: 'It's independent. It makes its own decisions.'

Just one hour later he walked back the comment, saying the U.S. was not officially recognizing Taiwan independence. 'They have to decide  Taiwan, not us. We are not encouraging independence.'

On Tuesday morning U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a Senate Armed Services hearing that China wants reunification with Taiwan 'without armed conflict,' but 'Beijing is prepared to use force if necessary.'

China has been increasingly encroaching on Taiwan territory, over the weekend sending aircraft into Taiwan's defense zone to 'test and improve combat capability,' according to Beijing.

A Chinese military H-6K bomber is seen conducting training exercises over the South China Sea

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the U.S.'s changing of its fact sheet amounted to a 'petty act of fictionalizing and hollowing out the one-China principle'

Taiwan had scrambled aircraft and readied missile defences when 18 Chinese jets violated its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday. The People's Liberation Army maneuvers were repeated on Saturday and Sunday.

Living in constant fear of a Chinese invasion, the self-ruled island 100 miles off the mainland raised its alert after Russia entered Ukraine in late February.

It suspects a copycat invasion by Beijing, which has not condemned Putin's actions.

Taiwan has complained for the past two years about Chinese military activity around the southern and south-western part of its air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China deployed bombers, fighters and anti-submarine aircraft.

No shots were fired and the Chinese aircraft had not been flying in Taiwan's air space.

Its ADIZ is a broader area monitored and patrolled by Taiwan in the hope it will provide more time to respond to military threats.

Japan reported last week that eight Chinese naval vessels including an aircraft carrier passed between its islands in the Okinawa chain near Taiwan.

Taiwan also carried out pre-announced missile and other drills off its southern and southeastern coasts last week.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

The contested Taiwan Strait remains a potential military flashpoint.

Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's 23million people can decide their future.
New footage has emerged showing Russia's most expensive and up-to-date tank getting destroyed by Ukrainian forces during fighting in Donbas.

Drone footage, issued by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence today, shows the T-90M - a 4million latest-generation war machine - exploding after being hit during the battle for Stary Saltiv, to the north of Kharkiv, last week.

More footage then shows what appears to be the burned-out husk of the same tank, with a large hole through the tracks on its right side and evidence of an explosion at the rear with its armour plating bent outwards.

The Ukrainian MoD claimed the tank was taken out by a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle - a Swedish-made rocket launcher that costs around 18,500, including the rocket.

'The pride of the Russian tank industry was destroyed by the Swedish hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher Carl Gustaf,' the ministry said in a tweet.

Footage released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence shows the moment a Russian T-90M tank - a 4million latest-generation war machine - was blown up near Kharkiv

Ukraine claims its territorial defence troops destroyed the tank using a Swedish-made Carl Gustaf rocket launcher that costs just 18,000

'We thank the Swedish people and the King for their help.'

Footage of the wreck suggests the rocket evaded the T-90's advanced armour and defence systems by smashing through the wheels.

It then exploded inside the engine compartment, appearing to detonate ammunition along the way which produced a large blast.

The video emerged as Ukrainian forces push out from Kharkiv in a sweeping counter-attack towards the Russian border.

Having recaptured Stary Saltiv from Putin's troops on May 3, Ukraine's forces have now pushed six miles further up the road to Rubizhne in a move that puts them less than 10 miles from the Ukraine border.

It is unclear exactly when the T-90M tank was destroyed, though Russia launched a failed counter-attack on May 5 which is around the same time footage first emerged.

The T-90M is an upgraded version of Russia's most-common battle tank - the T-72, which has led the fighting in Ukraine - and is equipped with technology which is supposed to make it more difficult to destroy.

Shtora - or 'curtain' - is an electrical jammer fitted to T-90 tanks that deploys smoke grenades when the tank is being targeted by a missile to make it harder to hit, and infrared lights designed to 'dazzle' the guidance system and throw it off target.

T-90s are also fitted with reactive armour tiles that are similar to Russia's other tanks and are designed to explode when struck - throwing incoming projectiles off target.

It also features composite armour that is supposed to be tougher than its predecessors and an improved engine that gives it better manoeuvrability.

Close-up footage of the tank shows how the projectile was able to evade the tank's defences by punching through one of its wheels (bottom centre)

The missile then exploded inside the tank, ripping apart its rear engine compartment with such force that its armour plating was bent outwards

The burned-out tank husk was filmed near the town of Stary Saltiv, which was re-captured by Ukrainian forces last week

The T-90 entered service in 1992 but has been upgraded several times since, with the T-90M being available for combat missions from 2016.

It replacement - the T-14 Armata - has not yet entered production, making the T-90M Russia's most-up-to-date tank.

'The T-90M was introduced in 2016 and includes improved armour, an upgraded gun and enhanced satellite navigation systems,' the UK MoD said after footage of the tank exploding first emerged.

'Approximately 100 T-90M tanks are currently in service amongst Russia's best equipped units, including those fighting in Ukraine.

'The system's upgraded armour, designed to counter anti-tank weaponry, remains vulnerable if unsupported by other force elements.'

Western nations have supplied thousands of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine since Russia began building its forces on the border late last year and have used them to destroy thousands of vehicles since the invasion went ahead.

By Kyiv's latest count, Russia has lost 1,170 tanks or a little over 40 per cent of its entire tank force, according to the Institute for Strategic Studies.

Oryx, which has been analysing images of the conflict to confirm losses, says Russia has seen at least 643 of its tanks blown up, or 12 per cent of the total.

The T-90M is Russia's latest-generation battle tank, and only entered active service in 2016

Russia has not given an accurate estimate of its losses.

Ukrainian counter-attacks from Kharkiv have managed to recapture a swathe of territory from Russia - putting troops within striking distance of the border and threatening supply lines down into the Donbas.

If their forces can capture or disrupt the Russians' main supply route using artillery strikes, then it puts troops involved in bitter fighting around Izyum in danger of getting cut off and isolated.

Similar counter-attacks around Kyiv earlier in the war saw the Russian offensive stall and then turn into a retreat.

It is far from certain that the result will be the same in the battle for Donbas - the outcome of which is seen as pivotal to winning the war - but it does give Ukraine a plausible path to victory.

Russia's path is less easy to see, as its offensive along a stretch of frontline hundreds of miles long grinds on without major breakthroughs.

Putin's troops captured the city of Popansa last week - after raising it to the ground - and are now fighting for control of Lyman, around 35 miles to the north.

Like Ukraine, their aim is to surround and cut off troops in the region - first around Severodonetsk and then Kramatorsk.

Capturing these two cities - along with Mariupol, where Ukrainian defenders are still holding out - would allow them to claim control over the Donbas which Putin now says is the real objective of his 'special military operation'.

But the task is daunting for a military that has so-far shown itself to be lacking in manpower, resources, technical know-how and good leadership.

Should it prove a failure, then it is hard to see how Putin will be able to claim any kind of victory - and it is unclear what would happen then.
A British passenger has died of a suspected heart attack on a TAP Air Portugal flight from London to Lisbon.

The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at Santiago de Compostela Airport in Spain's northwestern Galicia region after the man was found to be unconscious.

Staff at the airport notified the emergency services and paramedics were dispatched to the scene before the plane touched down.

A British passenger has died of a suspected heart attack on a TAP Air Portugal flight from London to Lisbon (file image)

After the flight landed, the medical staff tried to revive the man, but their efforts were in vain and he was pronounced dead at around 9.30pm on Friday.

His initials were given as I. S. Y. and he was 71 years old.

No further details about him were reported.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced a wave of criticism after tweeting a 'call to arms' for the LGBTQ community who she claimed the Supreme Court would target next if they overturn Roe V. Wade.

On Monday night, Lightfoot - Chicago's first openly gay, black female mayor - warned the LGBTQ community that an end to Roe V. Wade would pave the way for the court to limit their own rights and called on the community to 'fight.'

'To my friends in the LGBTQ+ communitythe Supreme Court is coming for us next. This moment has to be a call to arms,' Lightfoot tweeted.

'We will not surrender our rights without a fighta fight to victory!'

The message was slammed for allegedly provoking violence while the Department of Justice was criticized for failing to stop protesters who continue to camp outside the homes of three Supreme Court judges.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted a 'call to arms' (above) as the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe V. Wade, writing on Monday night, 'We will not surrender our rights without a fighta fight to victory!'

Lightfoot (left), pictured with Chicago leaders in support of keeping Roe V. Wade, warned the LGBTQ community that the Supreme Court would target them next if the community doesn't fight to defend the landmark abortion case

It comes as protesters lined up over the weekend and on Monday to demonstrate outside the homes of three Supreme Court Justices. Pictured, protesters marched outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the court's leaked draft opinion

Twitter user Tim Young bashed the mayor's 'call to arms' while referencing the city's high shooting and murder rate.

'The Mayor of the most violent city in America is here to worry about woke nonsense instead of people literally dying in the streets there,' he wrote.

Mark Dice echoed the criticism, tweeting 'Isn't there already enough shootings and murders in your city, mayor?'

So far, the city has reported 194 murders in 2022, only a six percent drop from the same time last year.

Chicago police also reported 779 shooting incidents so far this year, a 13 percent drop. Overall crime in the Windy City has skyrocketed by 35 percent in the past year.

Other Twitter users, such Viva Frei, also called out the apparent hypocrisy in Lightfoot's tweets after she slammed former president Trump Donald Trump's tweets during the January 6 riot, where his supporters stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election win.

Frei wrote, 'a call to arms'. 'a fight to victory'. Trump was impeached for saying 'fight like hell'.

Buzz Patterson, another Twitter user, suggested Lightfoot should be banned from Twitter like Trump had been.

Patterson wrote, 'Sounds like an incitement to insurrection to me. Twitter?'

Many on Twitter slammed Lightfoot's tweets, likening it to Donald Trump's tweets on January 6 while also bashing the mayor for Chicago's high crime rate

Lightfoot's 'call to arms' comes as pro-choice activists began demonstrating outside the homes of the three conservative justices following a leak from the Supreme Court last week that revealed that five-Republican appointed judges were willing to overturn Roe V. Wade.

Over the weekend, the protesters showed up outside the homes of Chief Justice Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh, and on Monday, protesters showed up outside Samuel Alito's home.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has not issued a statement as to why protesters have not been arrested despite the law dictating that it is illegal to 'picket or parade' with the intent to 'interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer' near a U.S. court or 'near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer' will be fined, or 'imprisoned not more than one year, or both.'

The DOJ did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The protests came as far-left Antifa protesters threw a Molotov Cocktail into the offices of a pro-life group, Wisconsin Family Action, in Madison, on Sunday.

The group also scrawled a chilling message on the wall that read, 'If abortions aren't safe you aren't either,' as well as the Antifa Symbol  a capital 'A' inside a circle  and the number 1312, which is a code that stands for ACAB, meaning 'All Cps are Bastards.'

Officers were positioned outside the home of Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday as protesters called on the Supreme Court to keep Roe V. Wade in tact

One protester was pictured with a pro-choice sign outside Robert's home, in Maryland

Demonstrators also appeared by the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday

The protests continued into Monday night as demonstrators made their way to the home of Justice Alito, in Virginia. Pictured, protestors and officers standing by outside Alito's home

Andy McCarthy, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, called out the DOJ for remaining quiet over the protests while previously directing the FBI to investigate 'threats of violence' at heated school board meetings over Critical Race Theory debates.

'Not only was it untrue that schools were under siege; the relationship between parents and schools is a state and local issue, not a federal one  hypothetically, if a parent were to assault a teacher, it would be a state crime, not a federal one,' McCarthy told Fox News.

'By contrast, the protection of the Supreme Court as an institution, and of the justices' security, are patently federal matters over which federal law-enforcement has clear jurisdiction.

'It is inexcusable that the Justice Department is so silent and passive now, when it was loud and active over a manufactured controversy as to which it had no jurisdiction,' he added.

Following the protests at the justice's home and attack in Wisconsin, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while Biden supports American's right to protest, the administration condemns any form of violent demonstrations.

'POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest,' Psaki tweeted. 'But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism,' Psaki tweeted. 'Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.'

Far-left Antifa protesters threw at least one Molotov cocktail into the offices of a pro-life group in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend - discovered on Mothers' Day Sunday

The extremist group wrote in graffiti on the outside of the building a warning: 'If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either'

Psaki tweeted on Monday that while President Joe Biden does 'believe in the Constitutional right to protests,' she added it 'should never include violence, threats, or vandalism'

The rising tension over abortion issues and responsibility of officials fanning the flames on Twitter triggered Elon Musk to comment that the platform, which he is purchasing for $44 billion, 'obviously has a strong left-wing bias' as he hit back at a liberal reporter calling for violence against anti-abortion groups.

Caroline Reilly, a reporter for Rewire News Group, had shared a New York Times story about the burning and attempted bombing at the Wisconsin pro-life group's office.

'More of this,' she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. 'May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground.'

Reilly was slammed by conservatives on the site in the immediate aftermath, and Mike Cernovich - a conspiracy theorist known for his propagation of the baseless Pizzagate theory that high ranking Democrats were running a pedophilic sex-trafficking ring out of a D.C. pizza shop - made sure Musk knew about the tweet.

He tagged the Tesla CEO in a tweet accusing the platform of allowing verified accounts to incite violence in the name of liberal causes on Sunday evening.

'Here you go @elonmusk, when Twitter employees invariably lie to you about enforcement policy, maybe they can explain why a verified account is allowed to incite terrorism without any care in the world about being banned.'

Musk later replied to Cernovich, writing: 'Twitter obv has a strong left wing bias.'

He later clarified that he believed that speech on Twitter should be governed by the laws of the country in which it is being used.

'Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates.

'If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.'

Cernovich is a far-right conspiracy theorist known for propagating the Pizzagate theory
Vladimir Putin is preparing for a 'prolonged' war in the Ukraine, President Joe Biden's spy chief warned on Tuesday, and he will grow more 'unpredictable' and 'escalatory' in his invasion.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned the fighting will grow worse and that Putin will expand his reach beyond the Donbas region in southeast Ukraine. His targets could include neighboring Moldova, which is mostly encircled by Ukraine and, in its east, has Transnistria, a breakaway region controlled by pro-Russian separatists with the help of around 1,500 Russian troops.

'The next month or two of fighting will be significant as the Russians attempt to reinvigorate their efforts,' Haines said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Lt. General Scott Berrier, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Directory, described the war in Ukraine as at a 'stalemate.'

'I think I would characterize it as this. The Russians aren't winning. And the Ukrainians aren't winning. We're at a bit of a stalemate here,' he said in his testimony.

Vladimir Putin is preparing for a 'prolonged' war in the Ukraine, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, President Joe Biden's spy chief, warned

Russia has stepped up its attacks in Odesa, Ukraine, as it tries to disrupt supplies sent in via the port in the southern part of the country

Russia is pushing to make gains on the east front in Ukraine and both Biden administration officials warned that Putin's ambitions could grow beyond that region.

'We are not confident that the fight in the Donbas will effectively end the war,' Haines said. 'We assess President Putin is preparing for prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbass.'

'The uncertain nature of the battle which is developing into a war of attrition, combined with the reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory,' she said.

She noted that Putin was counting on the United States and its western allies to lose its resolve over time.

And, she said, the U.S. didn't see a 'viable negotiating path forward at least in the short term' between the two sides.

Russian missiles have pounded the port of Odesa in an effort to disrupt the supply lines and weapons shipments that have been critical to Kyiv's defence.

The war is entering its 11th week. Ukraine's ability to fend off a larger and better armed Russian military has surprised many observers, who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Lt. General Scott Berrier, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Directory, testified before Senate Armed Services Committee

Haines said President Joe Biden's administration assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was using nuclear rhetoric to deter the U.S. and its allies from giving more 'lethal' aid to the Ukraine

Emergency services work at a site of a shopping centre destroyed by shelling amid Russia's attack on Odesa, Ukraine

Haines had other warnings about Russia in her testmony.

She said the U.S. assessed that the Moscow was using nuclear rhetoric to deter the U.S. and its allies from giving more 'lethal' aid to the Ukraine.

She said it was their belief that Putin 'would probably only authorize the use of nuclear weapons if he perceived an existential threat to the Russian state or regime.'

She warned Moscow could hold a large nuclear exercise if Putin thinks the Biden administration doesn't buy his threats.

She also warned Russia could present a 'serious cyber threat' to the U.S. to both 'amplify discord inside the United States and influence us voters and decision making.'

Finally, Haines warned China wants reunification with Taiwan'without armed conflict.' But she adds 'Beijing is prepared to use force if necessary.'

'It's our view that [China's PRC is] working hard to effectively put themselves into a position in which their military is capable of taking Taiwan over our intervention,' she said.

However, she said the administration does not believe the conflict in Ukraine would accelerate China's plans on Taiwan.

She said it is accurate to say there is a thrate ofTaiwan being invaded between now and 2030.
A British Army soldier joked about 'molesting' two female colleagues hours before sexually assaulting them both, a court heard today.

Private Joshua Rideout allegedly groped his fellow soldiers while watching a film with them and is claimed to have even ripped apart the jeans one woman was wearing.

A court heard one of the women was on the phone to a male soldier when Pt Rideout 'butted in' and said, 'do you want to help me molest these two girls?'

Later that evening, he is accused of sexually assaulting the same woman and her friend, while the three of them watched an Ice Age movie in her room.

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard evidence from the female soldier, who said she and the other woman were 'best friends'.

Private Joshua Rideout allegedly groped his fellow soldiers while watching a film with them and even ripped apart the jeans of one of the pair

Speaking about the 'molest' comment, she told the hearing: 'I just thought it was a joke. I didn't take it personally or seriously at the time.

'After that I went back to my room and was just chilling.'

But the woman said she was joined later by her friend and Pt Rideout. She then went out to have a cigarette and make a phone call before returning to find the male soldier on top of her friend.

She said: 'I came back into the room. I saw Pt Rideout with her phone in his hand. He was on top of her, he had his legs either side of her and with his legs he was pinning down her arms.

'She said 'help'... she was trying to get him off.

'I just thought it was play-fighting. I walked out of the room, I didn't think anything of it and went out to carry on my phone call.'

But when she came back and carried on watching the film, the other woman messaged her to say Pt Rideout had tried to sexually assault her and ignored her pleas for him to get away from her.

Despite this revelation, the three of them laid in bed together and carried on watching the film, as the female soldier told the court: 'I find it hard to tell people to get out of my room.'

Pt Rideout allegedly 'butted in' one of the women's phone calls by saying, 'do you want to help me molest these two girls?'

Later, when the other woman had left the room, Pt Rideout turned his attention to this female soldier.

She said: 'I already had massive holes in my jeans because that was the design of them. He said "I've got the urge to rip your jeans" or something like that and I said "don't".

'We were sat on the bed and he literally just grabbed my jeans and started ripping them.

'I told him to stop but he just carried on. He ended up ripping them from the top all the way down to the bottom.

'[The other female soldier] came back in when he got to the bottom and she was trying to stop him from doing it.

'It made me feel uncomfortable, I didn't really know what to do... when I stood up to get changed he grabbed the leg of my jeans and you could see the bottom of my arse.'

Despite this incident, she got changed she returned to the bed with her friend and Pt Rideout and carried on watching the film.

As he lay next to her, she said he put his hand on her hip and then started touching her.

She said she told her friend by quietly typing it on her phone and showing her, so her friend put her arm around her to stop him touching her hip.

But the woman said Pt Rideout then started 'thrusting' at her. She told her friend again and they left to go for a cigarette.

The case is being heard at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, where one of the woman gave evidence

They discussed what happened and called a friend to get Pt Rideout out of the room, then went and reported the incident to military police.

Jessica Clarke, defending, claimed there were differences between what the female soldier told police and what she had said in court.

Ms Clarke told the hearing: 'The reason you are having difficulties remembering the detail is because in fact what you told the police happened isn't true.

'I suggest there was some sexual contact in the bed but that you initiated it... I suggest that this turned into a sexual assault allegation when you were outside talking.

'I suggest that what happened in that room wasn't sexual assault, it was consensual activity, but when you were retelling the story outside you said it was unwanted sexual attention from Pt Rideout.

'Once you told that story once, you had to keep retelling it again and again and again.'

Pt Rideout, of 27 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, denies four charges of sexual assault by touching.

The trial continues.
Vladimir Putin scrapped his Victory Day flypast at the last minute because 'he was afraid of an aerial strike', it has been claimed.

The military parade was scheduled to include 77 planes in the display of military might over Moscow's Red Square yesterday.

Among the planes were his 'Doomsday' Ilyushin Il-80 which allows the Kremlin leader to continue ruling Russia during a nuclear war.

But Putin pulled the plug on the flypast abruptly before the parade, blaming poor weather.

Airshows were also aborted or curtailed in at least ten other cities.

The Russian Ilyushin Il-80 'Doomsday' plane flies over Moscow during a Victory Day rehearsal on Saturday

The military parade was scheduled to include 77 planes in the display of military might over Moscow's Red Square yesterday (pictured: Putin watching on the celebrations)

Yet the sun came out in Moscow during the parade, and in Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg there were completely clear skies.

'We need to explain why the aerial part of the Victory Parade was cancelled,' reported General SVR Telegram channel, an anti-Putin Russian outlet that claims to have an insider source in the Kremlin.

'The reason in Moscow is simple. Russian president Vladimir Putin was afraid of a possible strike from the air.'

The report does not make clear whether it was claiming he feared sabotage by a kamikaze attack or a missile during the low flypast.

The news source claimed Putin's entourage was aware he was 'paranoid' over the possibility of an attack amid the war in Ukraine.

Russian MiG-31bm fighter jets, a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber and Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling tanker fly over Red Square in a rehearsal last week

The Moscow parade was cancelled for this reason, said the channel.

'In other regions the aerial part of the parade was axed for 'company', so that the cancellation in Moscow would not cause undue attention.'

The 77 planes - including strategic bombers - had rehearsed extensively for the show.

In previous years, if bad weather was an issue, Putin, 69, sent up a fleet of 'weather-changing' aircraft to spike the clouds with a chemical cocktail of silver iodide, liquid nitrogen and dry ice to ensure rain stayed away from Red Square and instead fell on villages outside Moscow.

But the An-26 planes were not deployed on Monday.

Russian analyst and investigative journalist Christo Grozev acknowledged the sabotage version and said in an interview: 'We will soon find out.

The 77 planes - including strategic bombers - had rehearsed extensively for the show

'All these conspiracy theorieshave the right to exist because this is a special year which attempts to sabotage Russian troops and power.

'It is logical during a war.

'That's why more paranoid measures were taken, although any hint that some pilot misbehaved yesterday, well, it could cause it all to be cancelled.'

There were also claims that Putun's Doomsday plane had a 'technical malfunction', said Grozev, who is associated with British-based Bellingcat open source research group which has run investigations on Russian corruption.

'I am sure that we will most likely find out the [real] cause in the coming days.'

Kyiv sources today said the Russian cancellations were due to fears of strikes against the plans by hand-held Ukrainian missiles.

The 'bad weather' pretext was bogus, said a report by Ukrainian outlet UNIAN.

General SVR channel first made claims about Putin's health - including abdominal cancer, Parkinson's disease and a schizoaffective disorder - some 18 months ago, and now says the Russian president is due to face surgery soon.

Recently such reports of oncology and possible Parkinson's have gained more credence but the Kremlin insists he is healthy.

The channel has been linked to Professor Valery Solovey, 61, who in February, was held for a seven hour interrogation apparently possibly linked to the regular claims about Putin's supposed medical and mental condition .

Solovoy was a professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) - attended by future top diplomats and spies.
The military intelligence officer believed to have orchestrated the 2018 poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury has now been tasked with leading Russia's intelligence operation in Ukraine.

Vladimir Alekseev, a leading officer of a heavily militarised branch of the GRU - Russia's military intelligence directorate, has now assumed command of Russia's spy operations in Ukraine after Putin reportedly dropped the FSB - Russia's domestic intelligence service - from its role following the disastrous start to the war.

The strategic change represents a significant shift in the leadership of Moscow's 'special military operation', and was publicly acknowledged for the first time last week when the pro-Putin Tsargrad TV channel identified Alekseev as the top spy general overseeing intelligence operations.

Lieutenant General Alekseev, who is Ukrainian-born, was a former Spetsnaz special forces operative and has a reputation for brutality during Russian military action in Syria and the Donbas region, according to Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) senior fellows Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence lists Alekseev as a 'Ukrainian-born international criminal involved in the massacre of Syrian children and women who continues to faithfully serve the Putin regime and is directly involved in the destruction of his homeland'.

But the Lieutenant General was awarded the title of 'Hero of the Russian Federation' by Putin in 2017 for 'courage and heroism displayed in the course of military duties'.

Alekseev's appointment to head of intelligence operations in Ukraine is the latest in a series of personnel changes.

His promotion comes almost a month after the 'Butcher of Syria' - Captain General Aleksandr Dvornikov - was drafted in to lead Russia's faltering war effort in early April.

Vladimir Alekseev, a leading officer of a heavily militarised branch of the GRU - Russia's military intelligence directorate, has now assumed command of Russia's spy operations in Ukraine after Putin reportedly dropped the FSB - Russia's domestic intelligence service - from its role following the disastrous start to the war

Alekseev is now leading intelligence-gathering operations in Ukraine, where Putin's forces are launching an all-out assault to seize territory in the eastern Donbas region (Ukrainian firefighters putting out a fire after Russian missiles hit a school in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region in the Donbas on May, 7, 2022)

Women stand next to a damaged apartment building after the recent Russian airstrike, in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, 06 May 2022

Captain General Aleksandr Dvornikov, dubbed by some as the 'Butcher of Syria', has been ordered by the Kremlin to seize the whole of Ukraine's eastern Donbas

Servicemen of Russian Army and Donetsk People's Republic militia guard the camp where local residents who left a shelter in the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal temporary staying in Bezimenne, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Friday, May 6, 2022

Besides his fearsome reputation for brutality in Syria and military operations in the Donbas region from 2014 onwards, Alekseev is widely believed to have ordered the poisoning of Russian double agent Skripal with the now-infamous chemical weapon Novichok in Salisbury in 2018.

Three GRU operatives, going by the aliases of Sergei Fedotov, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were accused of attempted murder when they smeared Novichok on Skripal's front door.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia both survived but were taken seriously ill following the attack.

British police officer Nick Bailey and Salisbury resident Charlie Rowley also sustained injuries, while Rowley's partner, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, died from exposure to the nerve agent.

Who is Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev? Vladimir Stepanovich Alekseev is the First Deputy Chief of the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service. He was born on April 24, 1961 in the Ukrainian village of Golodki in the Vinnytsia region. But he went into build a military career in the former Soviet Union and is now a leading figure overseeing Russia's war in Ukraine. He graduated from Russia's V.F. Margelov Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School in 1984, before entering into service as an operative with the Spetsnaz - Russia's feared special forces. He later served as head of the intelligence departments of the Moscow and Far Eastern military districts, before being appointed head of the GRU's 14th department and becoming the First Deputy Chief of the organisation in 2011. Advertisement

Fedotov, Petrov and Borishov - whose real names are Denis Sergeev, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga - were all high-ranking GRU officers but operated under the command of Alekseev at the time of the March 2018 attack.

CEPA senior fellows Borogan and Soldatov said Alekseev and the GRU were brought in to replace the FSB as the lead intelligence-gathering service for the war in Ukraine because Putin was dissatisfied with the quality of the information on which his invasion was based.

'Until now, Ukraine had been the responsibility of the 5th service of the FSB... The disastrous start to the war and by the absence of popular uprisings by Russian speakers - which Putin was told would occur - cast a dark shadow over the department,' they said.

Putin was said to be enraged by the poor intelligence sourced by the FSB - so much so that he ordered the arrest and detention of the organisation's general Sergei Beseda.

Beseda spent several weeks languishing in the infamous Lefortovo prison, where Stalin's secret police interrogated and tortured their captives and where Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was recently sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence on trumped-up charges of corruption.

The disgraced chief has since been spotted back at FSB, according to CEPA, but his apparent reinstatement is likely nothing more than a Putin ploy to save face, as the Russian leader could not afford to admit that his 'special military operation' in Ukraine was failing.

In addition to promoting Alekseev, Putin appointed Captain General Aleksandr Dvornikov, dubbed by some as the 'Butcher of Syria', to lead the Russian offensive on Ukraine's eastern Donbas region after the first disastrous six weeks of Moscow's invasion saw thousands of Russian troops sent to their deaths and scores of tanks destroyed.

Officers identified the third Salisbury poisoning suspect as Sergey Fedotov (real name Denis Sergeev) and said he was a Russian national, aged about 50. This image is taken from his travel documents

Alexander Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov (right), the two other Russian military intelligence officers accused of carrying out the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter

Sergei Skripal - seen with his daughter, Yulia - served as a double agent for the UK's intelligence services during the 1990s and early 2000s

Skripal's house, where the door handle was smeared with Novichok as part of the hit which shocked the world

From 2016, Dvornikov oversaw Russia's brutal intervention in the middle east that helped Syrian president Bashar al-Assad crush his enemies in the civil war.

During that time, chemical weapons and indiscriminate air strikes were used - resulting in thousands of civilian casualties.

His battlefield intelligence is apparently highly regarded among western generals, and he is believed to be familiar with the Donbas theatre of war - where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014.

Dvornikov has also been given the responsibility of overseeing the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula, which was seized by Russia in 2014.

Analysts believe Putin wants to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea - one of the main reasons behind the utter destruction of Mariupol, where a small contingent of Ukrainian fighters are desperately defending a final holdout in the Azovstal steel plant.
GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn has proven himself as a lawmaker who delights in disregarding the laws of the road.

Now video obtained by DailyMail.com shows Cawthorn, who lost the use of his legs in a 2014 auto accident, flouting all laws of safety as he speeds along in a powerful Mercedes C class that has not been modified for hand control driving.

The video was filmed in 2019 just months before he filed his candidacy for North Carolina's 11th congressional district.

Today Cawthorn, 26, is facing a legal reckoning for his traffic violations with court dates looming for the most recent of his slew of offenses  'extreme speeding' and driving on a revoked license.

Video obtained by DailyMail.com shows Madison Cawthorn flouting safety laws as he speeds in a Mercedes C class that has not been modified for hand control driving

Cawthorn addresses the camera as he breaks a stick from a hedge and explains, 'I've got my old trusty Zero Tolerance knife right here'

In the text accompanying the video Cawthorn states, 'The only thing that limits us from a good life is our attitude and lack of imagination. So much fun taking this winery by storm and ripping through the beautiful dirt roads'

In the video, which he posted on his Instagram page three years ago, the smiling representative is seen excitedly demonstrating how he plans to rig the controls so that he can manipulate the pedals using a stick  torn from a hedge and whittled with his 'trusty old Zero Tolerance knife.'

He immediately seems to lose partial control of the car as he drives off one-handed, bringing criticism to his actions.

Lindsey Granados, senior managing attorney at the law offices of Wiley Nickel  a Democrat who is running for Congress in a different district in North Carolina  called Cawthorns actions in the video reckless and dangerous.

'Utilizing a stick, just a regular old stick, to operate gas and brake pedals is reckless and shows a complete disregard for the law and safety of others,' Granados, who has represented thousands of people charged with driving offenses, told DailyMail.com.

'Ive been watching in the news his frequent encounters with law enforcement in North Carolina,' Granados added.

'Obviously in this instance, it appears he may be driving in Italy based on the title of the video and the vineyard in the background. I dont know that anybody in the states can necessarily hold him accountable for this, legally speaking, due to a lack of jurisdiction.

'But common sense would tell you this is not a good idea.'

Cawthorn's spokesman joked about the video. 'The rumors are true,' he said. 'Congressman Cawthorn can drive stick.'

Cawthorn has been in a wheelchair since 2014 when he was in the passenger seat of a vehicle that went off the road when his then best-friend driver Bradley Ledford, 26, fell asleep at the wheel.

The two were on spring break in Florida at the time. Cawthorn, who had been sitting with his feet on the dashboard suffered serious injury including a spinal fracture at his T11 vertebrae leading to partial paralysis.

Cawthorn gives the location for the newly emerged video as the five-star luxury resort of L'Andana in Tuscany, Italy, and is apparently expressing his disappointment over his rental car.

Passing a Mercedes C class in a parking lot he explains that he regrets that he did not request that model of car with hand controls.

He says, 'It's something I've always wanted to drive but I didn't order with hand controls because we were supposed to kind of get more of a not-fun car.'

He continues 'Because we don't have any hand controls we're just going to see if we can find a good old-fashioned stick.'

Smiling, Cawthorn addresses the camera as he breaks a stick from a hedge and explains, 'I've got my old trusty Zero Tolerance knife right here.'

Cutting the stick he makes, 'some little notches' so he can have, 'the perfect handle on it.'

Cawthorn is then seen accelerating off in the car after boasting, 'Okay so we got launch control on, we got the stick, let's see what we can do with this bad boy. Here we go.'

At one point he says, 'It's really difficult with one hand,' and whoops as he 'loses [control of] the back end' of the car before grinning and saying, 'This is so much fun'.

Cawthorn has a history of reckless driving that spans a decade and encompasses more than a dozen citations in North Carolina and others

An earlier video first reported by DailyMail.com shows Cawthorn talking about wanting to 'see a naked body beneath my hands' before his staffer and second cousin Stephen Smith puts his hand on Cawthorn's crotch

Cawthorn and second cousin Stephen Smith, who is also the congressman's scheduler, were seen at their campaign headquarters in North Carolina last month

In the text accompanying the video Cawthorn states, 'The only thing that limits us from a good life is our attitude and lack of imagination. So much fun taking this winery by storm and ripping through the beautiful dirt roads.'

'The upgrade from the car service was a cool wink from God. Then the @zerotoleranceknives knife is always my trusty sidekick for adventure.'

Sen. Thom Tillis called the recent leaks starring the congressman 'absurd to embarrassing,' adding that he will be 'disappointed for his constituents' if Cawthorn wins his primary

In a tone-deaf disclaimer, and in stark contrast to what he is so clearly practicing, Cawthorn then preaches, 'I by no means advocate for people to drive without the proper equipment needed out on open roads, cars are weapons and should be treated with respect in honor of our fellow man.'

The post has emerged at the end of weeks of scandal and opprobrium which began with Cawthorn inadvertently attempting to take a loaded handgun on to a plane at Charlotte's Douglas Airport.

Senator Tom Tillis has called for an investigation into allegations that Cawthorn may be guilty of insider trading after it was reported he was linked to 'pump and dump' meme cryptocurrency 'Let's Go Brandon.'

He had written on a December 29 Instagram post of himself with LGB leader James Koutoulas, 'LGB legendsTomorrow we go to the moon!'

The following day NASCAR driver Brandon Brown announced that the cryptocurrency would be his primary sponsor for the 2022 season and its value spiked by 75 percent.

Revelations in recent weeks include leaked photos that show Cawthorn at a party and possibly intoxicated while wearing women's lingerie and a recorded phone-call with a former staffer released by political group PAC American Muckrakers aka Fire Madison Cawthorn.

The fired caseworker has filed a complaint against Cawthorn claiming she was not permitted by his office to take leave after her husband had a heart attack and that the congressman closed all but one of his North Carolina voter outreach locations.

An earlier video first reported by DailyMail.com shows Cawthorn talking about wanting to 'see a naked body beneath my hands' before his staffer and second cousin Stephen Smith puts his hand on Cawthorn's crotch.

Another video was released showing Cawthorn, naked, screaming and chanting as he started thrusting against an unknown man's face. Someone else  presumably the person taking the video  could be heard laughing in the background and telling Cawthorn to 'stick it in his face.'

Cawthorn hit back, saying the video was a joke.

'A new hit against me just dropped,' he tweeted last week, explaining: 'Years ago, in this video, I was being crass with a friend, trying to be funny.'

Cawthorn has become an increasingly embattled figure in recent weeks during which there has been that 'deluge' of scandal.' Leaked pictures emerged in which he was seen, possibly intoxicated, wearing women's lingerie at a party

Cawthorn brushed off the photos on Twitter, and claimed it was all part of a cruise ship game and was another attack from the left

A video posted on social media shows Cawthorn naked and thrusting his pelvis at another man's head. In the video, Cawthorn could be heard screaming and chanting as he started thrusting against an unknown man's face

In the often-rambling post he accuses 'one RINO senator,' widely thought to be Tillis, of waging a war on his re-election bid. The North Carolina primaries are May 17

For his part Cawthorn has gone on the offensive posting a two-minute thirty-two second video on Instagram accusing the political establishment of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to take him down.

In the often-rambling post he accuses 'one RINO senator,' widely thought to be Tillis, of waging a war on his re-election bid. The North Carolina primaries are May 17.

Tillis has made no bones about his disapproval of Cawthorn since the younger man went on a podcast and claimed that he had been invited to orgies by members of the Washington elite and witnessed Republican lawmakers snorting cocaine.

According to Tillis, 'Madison Cawthorn has fallen well short of the most basic standards Western North Carolina expects from their representatives,' citing Cawthorn's 'consistent pattern of juvenile behavior, outlandish statements and untruthfulness.'

On October 18, Cawthorn was stopped for going at 89 in a 65mph zone in Buncombe County, the second occurred on January 8 when he was clocked driving at 87 in a 70mph zone in Polk County.

Then on March 3, he was charged with a misdemeanor for driving his father's car on a revoked license. He was originally stopped by North Carolina Highway Patrol for crossing the centerline.

These are just the latest in a history of reckless driving that spans a decade and encompasses more than a dozen citations in his home state of North Carolina and others.
This is the moment a tourist plunged from a bungee platform over an Argentine dam - only for the cord to detach sending the jumper plummeting into the water below.

The 36-year-old, from Buenos Aires, fell from a height of around 131 feet at the Cabra Corral Dam in the northern Argentine province of Salta.

In the footage, the man, identified only as M.M., is seen preparing to jump from the platform Seconds later, he jumps head first towards the water as a filming companion whoops in delight.

However, as the cord tightens, it detaches from the platform and the man plummets into the water with a thunderous splash. A woman can be heard crying out in Spanish, asking what happened.

A 36-year-old tourist from Buenos Aires prepares for the drop after paying for the bungee jump at the Corral Dam in the northern Argentine province of Salta.

But after he jumps, the rope suddenly snaps, leaving him to fall from a height of around 131 feet

The tourist appears to be uninjured in the water as a rescue vessel that was stationed at the scene immediately approached him.

According to local media, the man was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for polytrauma, hypothermia and muscle pain.

The Buenos Aires resident was also invited to file a complaint against the excursion company at the Coronel Moldes police station.

Police officers went to the dam after the emergency report and reconstructed the events based on statements from the victim and an employee of Extreme Games Salta, the company offering the bungee service.

Initial tests indicated that the cord was not properly attached due to human error, however, the incident remains under investigation.
Students in school districts that relied more heavily on remote learning during the pandemic fell behind in math at a far greater rate than students in states, like Texas and Florida, that stuck to in-person classes, according to a Harvard study.

Nationally, all students have seen a decrease in academic achievement because of the disruption from the pandemic, an issue that has been exacerbated by poverty and race.

But Prof. Thomas Kane, an economist and director of Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research, found that kids that were allowed to come to school faired far better than those who were forced to learn over video feed.

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The impact of remote learning hit kids in high poverty areas far harder that more financially secure students, according the Harvard study

Researchers found that states that limited remote learning saw far less learning loss than in states that were remote for a half a year or more

'We estimate that in high poverty schools students lost about half a year of learning if their schools were remote for half a year or more last year,' Kane told CNN's Jake Tapper. 'That's a large effect.'

The study looked at test scores for 2.1 million American students in 49 states.

Math scores suffered more than reading, according to the report.

'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,' Kane told the Harvard Gazette. 'Where schools remained in-person, gaps did not widen. Where schools shifted to remote learning, gaps widened sharply.'

CNN's Jake Tapper pointed out the teachers' unions across the country held up the back-to-the classroom effort, vilifying any effort to curtail remote learning.

'The push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny,' Chicago Teachers Union, Local 1, tweeted in December 2020.

Academic achievement losses for black and Hispanic students was far greater during remote learning than for white students

A sign taped to the front door of Pulaski International School of Chicago on Wednesday reads: School Closed

But Prof. Thomas Kane, an economist and director of Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research, found that kids that were allowed to come to school faired far better than those who were forced to learn over video feed

'There was a lot of uncertainty to what the public health benefits would be to being remote and cancelling in person classes,' Kane said. 'We know that the costs to kids were large.

He said that the ripple effect of remote learning will reduce, not only academic achievement, but graduation rates and college entrance for students in lower economic brackets and black and Hispanic students.

That in turn will have an impact on future earnings.

'Students in high-poverty schools that were remote for more than half of 2020-21 would be expected to see a five percent decline in average earnings over their career, given past relationships between test scores and earnings,' he told the Harvard publication. '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.'

Kane said that 30 percent of the 50 million students in the U.S. spent more than four months in remote learning, severely handicapping their ability to learn.

Remote learning threatens to undo the progress that black and Hispanic students have made closing the gap in test scores between their white counterparts.

The MailOnline reported in January that teachers unions forced remote learning in 4,783 schools across the country, according to the Burbio tracker.

In Illinois, the Chicago Teachers' Union voted to shutdown 653 schools to remote learning, bucking Mayor Lori Lightfoot's effort to return to in-class learning.

Kane warned that if the federal government doesn't invest enough funds to help students make up for the their learning loss, the effect could be permanent.

There was $190 million earmarked under the 2021 American Rescue Plan to help schools across the country, but Kane says a lot of those funds don't got to academics.

'Thats not going to be nearly enough in the lower-income districts that spent much of 2020-21 in remote instruction' he told the Ivy League publication. '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.'
Elon Musk has joked that he will leave Twitter to a YouTube star in the event of his untimely demise, soon after musing that he might 'die under mysterious circumstances.'

Musk made the remark in a brief tweet on Monday, responding to YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, who has a massive following of 95 million on the video streaming platform.

'If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya,' Musk wrote in a tweet.

Donaldson responded by tweeting 'If that happens can I have Twitter', to which Musk responded simply 'Ok'.

Elon Musk has joked that he will leave Twitter to YouTube star MrBeast (right) in the event that he dies unexpectedly

Seemingly recognizing that Musk's succession-planning remark was a joke, Donaldson responded: 'Jokes aside, be safe! I wuv u.'

Although the exchange seemed to be a joke, Musk in 2019 once casually agreed on Twitter to donate $1 million to a charity drive spearheaded by Donaldson, and followed through with the promise.

Donaldson had launched the #TeamTrees campaign in conjunction with the Arbor Day Foundation, soliciting donations to plant 20 million trees around the world to celebrate his 20 millionth subscriber.

After asking a question about the campaign on Twitter, Musk said that it 'seems legit' and vowed to donate $1 million, and even briefly changed his Twitter name to 'Treelon'.

The Team Trees website confirmed that Musk made the donation for 1 million trees (at $1 per tree) soon after his tweet.

Donaldson, who has built a huge only following with his zany stunt videos, has also gained a reputation for charitable giving.

He launched his Beast Philanthropy channel in 2020, and it donates 100 percent of its advertising revenue, brand deals and merchandise sales to food drive charities.

YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, has a massive following of 95 million on the video streaming platform

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is seen during a turkey giveaway at Pitt County Fairgrounds in Greenville, N.C. last November

Seemingly recognizing that Musk's succession-planning remark was a joke, Donaldson responded: 'Jokes aside, be safe! I wuv u'

Donaldson reportedly makes about $1 million per month from his YouTube videos, though that is a drop in the bucket compared to Musk's net worth of roughly $240 billion.

Musk made headlines on Monday by tweeting that he been threatened by the head of Russia's space agency over his attempts to provide Ukraine with internet service.

Musk, 50, has been using Starlink - a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit - to beam internet connections to dishes around the world.

The service has a large presence in Ukraine, introduced with the explicit intention of keeping the country online amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

The billionaire said they had 'resisted hacking and jamming attempts' from the Russians back in April and were focusing SpaceX efforts on counter measures - at the expense of other projects.

He then added: 'If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin' ya.'

Many of Musk's fans responded to the missive, including his own mother, Maye Musk.

Many of Musk's fans responded to a tweet suggesting he might die under mysterious circumstances, including his own mother, Maye Musk

'That's not funny,' Musk's mother wrote with a few angry-faced emojis to go along with it.

'Sorry! I will do my best to stay alive,' Musk replied.

Musk is pursuing plans to purchase Twitter for $44 billion in a deal that is expected to close sometime this year.

Although he vows to elevate free speech on the platform, Musk has also given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc's single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the blocs online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal 'will be forbidden in the digital space,' which Musk 'fully agreed with.'

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a 'great discussion' and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year.

It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

Musk's plan to buy Twitter for $44 billion has raised fears he would make changes to the platform that would prioritize free speech over online safety - potentially putting him at odds with the looming rules in Europe, which has led a global movement to crack down on the power of tech giants.

The 65-second clip indicates Musk's and the EU's views may be closer than they appear. Breton says in the video that he explained the Digital Services Act to Musk in a meeting at Tesla's Texas headquarters. Musk responds by saying it's 'exactly aligned with my thinking.'

'I agree with everything you said, really,' Musk said. 'I think we're very much of the same mind and, you know, I think anything that my companies can do that can be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that.'
A male nurse has been jailed for more than a decade after he was found guilty of secretly recording patients while they were still unconscious following hospital operations.

Paul Grayson, 51, also admitted sexually assaulting multiple women as he abused his position of care in the 'grossest' possible way.

He took advantage of the four female patients at their most vulnerable when they were still under general anaesthetic following surgery, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

All four were filmed beneath their underwear and two were sexually assaulted by touching at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

As he was jailed for 12 years by presiding judge Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, Grayson was told he had 'brought shame on an honourable profession'.

Paul Grayson, 51, admitted sexually assaulting multiple women as he abused his position of care in the 'grossest' possible way

Grayson, from Nether Edge, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to 23 offences of voyeurism, sexual assault, taking indecent images of a child and possessing indecent images of children. Pictured leaving Sheffield Magistrates' Court

The senior nurse pleaded guilty to a string of charges that also included taking and possessing indecent images of children.

And he committed offences of voyeurism against five female colleagues by secretly filming them in hospital toilets.

The judge described how four patients were targeted as they recovered from surgery at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital - one of whom has never been identified from the footage.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Grayson - a charge nurse with more than 25 years' experience - also pleaded guilty to filming five nurses using a toilet at the hospital, and also videoed two other young women who were not connected to the hospital using hidden cameras.

Sentencing Grayson on Tuesday, Judge Richardson said: 'You have betrayed every ounce of trust reposed in you.

'You have already been stripped of your status as a nurse by your professional body. So you should be.

'You have brought shame on an honourable profession by your egregious criminal conduct.'

Grayson, from Nether Edge, Sheffield, was in tears for during his pre-sentence hearing yesterday.

In all, he pleaded guilty to 23 offences of voyeurism, sexual assault, taking indecent images of a child and possessing indecent images of children.

Michael Smith, prosecuting, said the shocking crimes came to light when a young woman who knew him personally became suspicious of him filming her and found a 'library' of images of her on hard drives and memory sticks he had hidden.

She had been recorded naked by hidden cameras, including some when she was a child, the court heard.

Grayson, 51, sexually assaulted patients while they were still unconscious following hospital operations. Pictured leaving Sheffield Magistrates' Court

She explained to the court how she had been 'torn to pieces' after uncovering Grayson's 'sick and disgusting perversions'.

Images of other women were also found and police launched an investigation. At least one of Grayson's victims was left feeling suicidal after she found out about the covert recordings.

The offences spanned a period of a decade up to his arrest in December 2020, the court was told.

Mr Smith said Grayson started at the hospital in 1994 and rose to become a charge nurse  the male equivalent of a sister.

He worked on a one-to-one basis with patients both before and after surgery.

Grayson started at the hospital (pictured) in 1994 and rose to become a charge nurse  the male equivalent of a sister

Judge Jeremy Richardson, QC, said he was in a position of 'very considerable responsibility'.

Videos handed to police showed Grayson touched two unconscious patients while moving their underwear to film their bodies.

One victim said she is due to have another operation at another hospital but 'can't bring myself to go because I will have to be unconscious'.

Alex Menary, defending, said his client 'appears in the dock a broken man', adding: 'It was the grossest abuse of trust.'

Speaking after the sentencing Prof Chris Morley, chief nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'What Paul Grayson did was truly despicable and the fact that he deliberately abused the trust he was given as a nurse and work colleague is unforgivable.

'We have worked tirelessly with the police on the investigation and whilst today's sentence will not make what happened any less distressing for those women he abused, I hope it goes someway to deliver justice on their behalf.

'Whilst this was an incredibly rare occurrence, we never want it to happen to anyone else and as a result we are examining all of the information now available to determine if there are any further measures, we can take to limit the opportunity for someone to do this in the future.'
Animal welfare campaigners reacted with fury today after the Government confirmed it had dropped plans to ban imports of fur and foie gras.

The Queen's Speech, which set out the Government's legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session, included a post-Brexit ban on live animal exports.

It also restated the Government's commitment to outlawing the import of hunting trophies.

But it did not include previous commitments to prevent fur and foie gras being sold in Britain.

Depsite ministers putting forward 38 bills in the Queen's Speech, there was no sign of an Animals Abroad Bill.

Such legislation had previously been proposed by ministers as a means of introducing a slew of measures to prevent animal cruelty, including on imports of fur and foie gras.

Ministers were accused of a 'betrayal of animals' by campaigners, while Tory MPs asked why Boris Johnson had junked past manifesto pledges.

The absence of action on fur and foie gras will also lead to speculation about the views of the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, on the Government's new direction.

Mrs Johnson - who works for the Aspinall Foundation conservation charity - was reported to have been away from Downing Street when a Cabinet U-turn on the plans was pushed by Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob-Rees-Mogg earlier this year.

Her close friend Zac Goldsmith, an environment minister, has been a strong supporter of import bans and previously criticised moves to drop the plans.

As the Queen's Speech was unveiled today, Lord Goldsmith was more than 6,500 miles away in Singapore.

The Government had previously promised to look into a post-Brexit ban on 'the import or sale of foie gras and other products derived from low-welfare systems'

Ministers had also vowed to 'explore potential action' on banning the import of all fur products to Britain

The absence of action on fur and foie gras will also lead to speculation about the views of the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, on the Government's new direction

The Queen's Speech plans at a glance Cost of living The Queen's Speech promises to 'grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost-of-living crisis for families'. But the package of legislation merely reiterates measures that have already been announced - and decried by critics as not going far enough. Public order Police will be given powers to stop eco 'hooligans' blocking roads and inflicting misery on motorists, under plans announced today. A Public Order Bill will revive previous vows to tackle disruptive action by groups such as Extinction Rebellion. Planning Local residents are set to get rights to be consulted on 'design codes' spelling out the standards that housing developments must meet. The move is part of a new pared-back approach to planning reforms, intended to soothe Tory backbench alarm that changes will hit them in the shires. Brexit red tape bonfire A 'super seven' of post-Brexit Bills is designed to exploit the benefits of leaving the EU, from slashing red tape to bolstering protection for animals. The Tories hope the new agenda can ease the cost-of-living crisis and deliver a 'Brexit dividend' in time for the next general election. Advertisement

The now-abandoned Animals Abroad Bill formed part of the Government's 'Action Plan for Animal Welfare'.

This promised to look into a post-Brexit ban on 'the import or sale of foie gras and other products derived from low-welfare systems'.

Ministers vowed to 'explore potential action' on banning the import of all fur products.

And the bill also included provisions to ban the advert and sale of 'low animal welfare experiences' abroad, such as elephant rides,

A coalition of 38 organisations, including the RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, Four Paws UK, Humane Society International and Save the Asian Elephants, today condemned the failure to bring forward the Animals Abroad Bill.

Recent national polling for the #DontBetrayAnimals campaign found that more than three quarters (77%) want to see the Government ban the import of products that are farmed or made in ways that are already banned in the UK, such as fur.

Speaking on behalf of the campaign, Emma Slawinski from the RSPCA, said: 'We are deeply dismayed that the Government has gone back on its word to prioritise animal welfare by abandoning the Animals Abroad Bill, so that animal protection laws such as bans on imports of foie gras and fur will no longer go ahead, nor will bans on adverts for animal tourism practices involving cruelty such as elephant riding and tricks.

'The Government's abandonment of the Animals Abroad Bill speaks for itself; it is a betrayal of animals and shows contempt for public opinion.'

In response to the absence of the bill in the Queen's Speech, senior Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale posted on Twitter: 'Where is the Government's commitment to manifesto pledges on animal welfare in the legislative programme?

'I trust that 'other measures will be laid before us'. It's called ' keeping your word' and we must do that.'

Earlier this year, Mr Rees-Mogg and Mark Spencer, the Leader of the House of Commons, were reported to have led a Cabinet revolt against import bans on the basis that consumers should be free to choose whether or not to purchase fur or foie gras.

Lord Goldsmith said at the time: 'The public are strongly in favour of measures to curb the fur trade and foie gras.

'There are some who view the issue as a matter of personal choice, but no one would extend that principle to things like dog-fighting or bear-baiting, so it's not clear why fur farming or force-feeding geese, which arguably are associated with far greater levels of cruelty, should be any different.'

Although the Animals Abroad Bill was missing from today's Queen's Speech, ministers confirmed the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will return to Parliament after being carried over from the last session.

The Givernment ran out of time to complete the passage of that bill - along with a number of other pieces of legislation - in the last parliamentary session.

The need to deal with large amounts of Covid legislation was blamed for the lack of progress in other areas.

As part of the bill, ministers are seeking to use the UK's Brexit freedoms to ban the export of livestock abroad for fattening and slaughter.

This will prevent thousands of animals having to face journeys of more than 18 hours from Britain to the Continent.

The legislation will also ban the keeping of primates as pets without a licence and include measures to tackle puppy smuggling, such as raising the minimum age that pets can travel into Britain and banning imports of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails.

There will also be the creation of a specific new offence for pet abduction and updates to laws concerning zoos.

Downing Street said today that the Government had a 'strong record when it comes to protection of animals'.

Number 10 added that a ban on foie gras imports was being kept under review.
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Just 9,700 positive Covid tests were logged in England in the past 24 hours, as the Government dashboard stops reporting the UK-wide figure for the first time since early in the pandemic.

After weeks of experts calling for the daily statistics to be scrapped, infections, hospital admissions and deaths are now being updated only on a country-by-country basis.

While ministers have stopped short of ditching the daily stats completely, today marks another small step towards learning to live with Covid. The Government stopped publishing them at weekends in February.

Scientists welcomed the move today, telling MailOnline the daily infection numbers had become 'redundant' now that free testing has been stopped for the vast majority of people.

Health officials are now relying on the Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey, which uses random sampling to get a more accurate picture of the virus' trajectory.

In total, there were 9,751 new infections in England today, which is technically a 66 per cent fall compared to last Tuesday. There were also 272 deaths today, down a quarter on last week. And there was just 669 hospitalisations on Sunday  the most recent day figures are available for, down by 17 per cent on the week before.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, called for the daily stats to be ditched altogether.

'Those daily case numbers do not have any relationship to the actual number of infections in society, they don't tell us anything,' he said.

'Before they were an indication of how much Covid was in society but now they are redundant [because of mass testing being stopped]. From a medical point of view I suppose it is important to keep a record of Covid hospital admissions and deaths but we only need to focus on them if we see trends going up in the ONS.'

ENGLAND In total, there were 9,751 new infections in England today, which is technically a 66 per cent fall compared to last Tuesday. There were also 272 deaths today, down a quarter on last week. And there was just 669 hospitalisations on Sunday  the most recent day figures are available for, down by 17 per cent on the week before.

Fourth Covid jab boosts immunity 'over and above' third dose, UK study finds A fourth dose of Pfizer or Moderna's Covid jabs provide an 'substantial' boost to immunity against the virus, UK Government-funded research shows. The study of around 160 Britons aged 50-80 found the quadruple-vaxxed had up to seven times more T cells and two times more antibodies 'over and above' triple-jabbed people. There were also no clear signs vaccines are getting weaker with each dose, allaying fears that 'over-vaccinating' could cause the jabs to lose their potency. The finding paves the way for millions more Britons to get a fourth dose later this year. While countries like Israel and Germany have been rolling out fourth doses to their entire population since March, currently only over-75s, care home residents and severely ill patients are being invited in the UK. British health chiefs have confirmed an autumn Covid vaccine scheme will go ahead, although they have not decided which groups will be eligible. The study did, however, reveal people who had high levels of antibodies and T cells before they were given a fourth dose only got a small boost to immunity. These people may have recently been infected recently or have had their third dose more recently, meaning their immunity had not had as long to wane. Professor Saul Faust, chief investigator of the Cov-Boost study, said this suggests there is a 'ceiling effect' on 'how high you can go' with immunity which needs to be further studied. The researchers said still have doubts about whether a fourth dose should be rolled out to younger groups, as they are at lower risk from the virus. Advertisement

Northern Ireland today reported 394 cases, 60.7 per cent fewer than last week. The country logged nine Covid hospitalisations and three deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Another 268 positive tests were logged in Wales, up 133 per cent compared to last Tuesday. Hospital data shows eight infected patients were admitted, while nine deaths within a month of testing positive were recorded.

The nation-level data is all that can be reported after Scotland yesterday announced it was moving to twice-a-week data releases for the rest of this month, before moving to weekly statistics in June.

In response, the UKHSA confirmed Covid statistics are changing, with the UK figures only available on Monday and Thursday.

Clare Griffiths, head of the UK Covid dashboard, said: 'As we move forward in the pandemic, changes to reporting across the four nations means Covid metrics will be updated on different dates and schedules.

'Variations in reporting schedules should be considered when looking at reported Covid figures and day-to-day comparisons may therefore be misleading.'

It adds to the fragmentation of the daily numbers, as Wales now only publishes its vaccine data on Monday, meaning UK-wide updated immunisation data is only available once a week.

It comes after Ireland's Department of Health last month confirmed it will 'no longer' publish daily Covid figures. Instead, outbreak figures will be 'updated regularly' on the country's Covid dashboard.

The country's health chiefs said they will continue to monitor all information relating to the epidemiology of the virus, including case numbers, local outbreaks and trends, as well as the emergence and detection of new variants in Ireland and abroad.

But UK health bosses have insisted that there are 'currently no plans' to scrap the daily numbers. Data for England continues to be published daily under each topic area  testing, cases, healthcare, vaccinations and deaths.

It follows pressure from both Tory MPs and top experts, who warned the infection numbers have become hugely unreliable now free Covid tests have been stopped for the majority of Britons.

Both hospitalisation and death numbers have been skewed for several months because they do not necessarily reflect people who are ill, only ones who have tested positive.

The UKHSA will still publish daily England figures but headline UK numbers  used throughout the pandemic to justify implementing restrictions  will be affected.

It comes after a study found pregnant women who were vaccinated against Covid were at a 'significantly' lower risk of a stillbirth compared to the unvaccinated.

There had been widespread safety concerns about the jabs among expectant mothers, which saw them become one of the least vaccinated groups in the country.

NORTHERN IRELAND today reported 394 cases, 60.7 per cent fewer than last week. The country logged nine Covid hospitalisations and three deaths within 28 days of a positive test

WALES logged another 268 positive tests, up 133 per cent compared to last Tuesday. Hospital data shows eight infected patients were admitted, while nine deaths within a month of testing positive were recorded

Their fears were seized upon by anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists, who claimed the jabs were linked to stillbirths and other problems during pregnancy.

But British researchers who reviewed the findings of more than 20 studies involving 120,000 pregnant women found those who had the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine had a 15 per cent decreased risk compared to un-jabbed women.

The researchers say this may be down to unvaccinated pregnant women becoming more severely unwell with the virus, which then raises the risk of harming their baby.

And there was no difference in the rate of miscarriages, premature births or heavy bleeding during pregnancy between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

The findings provide 'much-needed assurance' to women on the safety and benefits of getting jabbed when pregnant, the experts said.

The meta-analysis looked at stillbirths when Delta was world-dominant, so it's not clear if the findings still apply to the milder Omicron variant.

In early 2021 pregnant women were not offered the jab in the UK out of caution because the original trials did not include them due to ethical reasons.

But by April last year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) invited pregnant women to come forward after real world data from the US and Israel threw up no causes for concern.

But uptake has remained sluggish among expectant mothers, with only half of pregnant women in England being vaccinated, citing unfounded concerns about the effect of the jab on their baby.
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Escaped inmate Casey White and his jail guard lover Vicky planned to fight cops until the bitter end in a Bonnie and Clyde-style blaze of glory shootout, and were armed with four guns including an AR-15 when US Marshals rammed their truck into a ditch in Indiana yesterday.

The pair had been laying low at an old Motel 6 in Evansville, Indiana, for a week and planned to spend another seven days there 'getting their bearings' after fleeing Lauderdale County Jail in Alabama on April 29. As cops closed in on the pair yesterday, Vicky and Casey fled the hotel in a Cadillac.

Their plan was to fight the police officers chasing them in a gunfight, even if it ended in both of their deaths, sheriffs revealed on Tuesday.

They were armed four weapons including a 9mms handgun and an AR-15. They also had $29,000 in cash and multiple wigs in the car.

In the end, they were rammed into a ditch by US Marshals. Vicky shot herself before police swooped on the vehicle and Casey surrendered.

On Tuesday morning, he waived his right to an extradition hearing in Indiana, telling a judge: 'I want to go back to Alabama.'

It's unclear when he will be extradited. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said at a press conference on Tuesday that he would be transferred into the custody of Alabama sheriffs secretly, out of the view of the media.

He confessed to investigators that he planned to fight officers in a shootout.

'He said he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives. Their plan was pretty faulty - they're criminals. It failed. Thank god,' Sheriff Wedding said.

They had reserved their motel room for two weeks and planned to 'lay low', wearing disguises, until they knew what to do next, he added.

'He said he was just trying to find a place to lay low, hide out. They thought they'd driven long enough and they wanted to stop for awhile and get their bearings.

'We don't believe they had any relatives, friends in the area,' he said.

Scroll down for video

Casey White is seen in his new mugshot after being taken into custody in Indiana yesterday, bringing an end to an 11 day manhunt

These are all of the weapons the couple had in their Cadillac when they were rammed into a ditch by police yesterday

The couple had just $29,000 of the $90,000 Vicky had withdrawn when they were caught on Monday

The pair were caught Monday afternoon after leading US Marshals on a car chase that lasted 'less than a few minutes'. They had been in Evansville, Indiana, since May 3

The two were found 219 miles away from the jail they left in Alabama on April 29. The manhunt spanned three different states

Car wash owner James Stinson told NewsNation's Brian Entin that he reported the pair's vehicle on May 4, the day after they dumped it, but that police did nothing. He ended up towing it

Initially, police said she killed herself. Audio of a dispatch call between 911 operators reveals that Vicky told them she was holding the gun and had her finger on the trigger. However on Tuesday, it remained unclear if she killed herself or if Casey shot herself. An autopsy is pending.

'When we made the arrest yesterday afternoon, when we were taking Casey into custody he said "help my wife, she just shot herself." Obviously, there's an ongoing investigation to determine just that.

'That's the information we were given from Casey White,' US Marshals said in an interview with Good Morning America. He is now in custody in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, but is due to be transported back to Alabama.

It has also emerged that the pair had been hiding out in Indiana since May 3 and their vehicle was reported to local police on May 4 by a member of the public who saw it parked at a strange angle.

James Stinson, who operates a car wash in Evansville, says he called police and suggested that the vehicle might belong to the pair after they dumped it at his business last week.

Because it hadn't been stolen, the authorities said there was nothing they could do.

Stinson told NewsNation that he towed the vehicle on May 4.

'I walked up to the truck and went, Oh my God, its probably this guy from Alabama. I walked and looked in the truck because I think he could be dead, passed out, who knows? So I backed up. I opened the door, the keys are in it. I start it up. I Googled the local police departments number because I didnt want to call 911.

'They send a cop out. The cop says, Well there aint nothing I can do. Its not reported stolen. He ran the plates. Then he left and came back. He looked in it again. He found a gun lock in the seat and said, Oh my God, theres a gun lock but there aint no guns around. So he left. He just said, Do what youve got to do. I towed it.'

On Sunday, May 8, police finally contacted Stinson and asked about the truck. That is when he checked surveillance camera footage from his business and found video footage of Casey.

'Im just glad its over and nobody got hurt. I was more concerned about one person trying to confront them. It took a team, and Im glad it ended this way. This guy has nothing to live for; hes dangerous. Any one of us couldve said something wrong and hed have went off. I couldve got on him for leaving the car in the wash bay, but I chose not to,' he added.

Initially, police believed Vicky shot herself in the car after the chase ended in a crash.

However Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Sheriff Singleton said he would not be surprised if Casey was the one who pulled the trigger. He was awaiting trial for the murder of a different woman when Vicky helped him escape on April 29.

'He will never see the light of day again. He will be in a cell by himself. He will stay in handcuffs and shackles while he's in that cell and if he wants to sue me for violating his civil rights, so be it.

'He's not getting out of this jail again. I'll assure you that,' Singleton said.

Vicky was driving the pair's vehicle when it crashed after a police chase. When officers surrounded the car, Casey told them to help his 'wife' who had been shot.

On Tuesday morning, Singleton said she was the 'mastermind' of their logistical escape plan, but it's unclear who came up with the idea to get Casey out.

'To go from day one, thinking she's been kidnapped and maybe in danger then finding out she took him out willingly, then trying to determine was she threatened or coerced in some way...then finding out that she was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan. It's been an emotional roller-coaster.

'Obviously, he was behind bars - he couldn't have planned too much behind bars. Personally, I think she was the one who put the plan together. She was in a position of knowledge. She made sure the other armed deputies were out, she arranged to purchase the getaway car, she sold her house got her hands on cash, went shopping.

'She obviously put the plan together,' he told CNN.

Audio of a dispatch call reveals that Vicky told police she was in the vehicle with her 'finger on the trigger' before the pair crashed.

When police swarmed the car, Casey told them that she had shot herself. An autopsy has not yet proved that.

The pair fled the Lauderdale County Jail on April 29 then changed vehicles, driving to Tennessee before dumping that car and picking up another. It's unclear what their plan was before they were caught.

Vicky White, who was driving, was found pinned inside with a gunshot wound to the head, said US Marshal Matt Keely

The capture comes after Casey White was spotted at a car wash in Evansville, where they abandoned a Ford F-150, on May 3. The owner of the car wash called police on May 4 to report their vehicle but nothing was done until Sunday, he says

'I noticed the car hanging out of the bay, which was unusual. It kept sitting there  Every time I left and came back, the truck was still there.'

He said he notified the authorities last Wednesday but nothing was done.

'I walked up to the truck and went, "Oh my God, its probably this guy from Alabama. I walked and looked in the truck because I think he could be dead, passed out, who knows? So I backed up. I opened the door, the keys are in it. I start it up. I Googled the local police departments number because I didnt want to call 911.

'They send a cop out. The cop says, Well there aint nothing I can do. Its not reported stolen. He ran the plates. Then he left and came back. He looked in it again.

'He found a gun lock in the seat and said, "Oh my God, theres a gun lock but there aint no guns around. So he left. He just said, Do what youve got to do. I towed it.'

Vicky had been seen entering and exiting the motel room in a wig. She and Casey had been having a secret affair for more than two years.

In the months leading up to the escape, Vicky sold her home and withdrew $90,000 in cash from her bank account.

Video posted on Facebook by Joey Medicis shows local Evansville police cruisers speed into a business, followed by police SUVs and pickup trucks with emergency lights.

The footage was filmed moments after Vicky White crashed her gray Cadillac into a ditch.

Casey White is then led away in handcuffs.

'He went through the gate at work where we're usually at,' says a voice behind the camera. 'They spun him out into the grass.'

Regarding Vicky, another person says, 'She's probably dead.'

The jail guard was found in the car with a gunshot wound to the head. She died in the hospital a couple hours later.

Casey and Vicky were in a 'romantic relationship' and that Vicky was 'just as concerned about coming back and facing her family and her co-workers as she was the charges.'

Vicky was a widow and had no children.

Before she died, Singleton said of his employee, 'I hope she survives this. She has some answers to give us.'

He continued: 'You don't know who you can trust. I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world prompted her to pull off something like this, I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever know.'

Vicky was set to be put in a different facility than the Lauderdale County jail where she worked for 17 years and helped Casey escape . Casey will be sent back to state prison.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday warned that eliminating abortion rights would damage the U.S. economy and 'set women back decades.'

'I believe that eliminating the right of women to make decisions about when and whether to have children would have very damaging effects on the economy and would set women back decades,' she said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.

Yellen was asked about the draft Supreme Court opinion that indicated justices support overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion, and the effect such a decision would have on the economy.

'It enabled many women to finish school that increase their earning potential and allowed women to plan and balance their families and careers,' Yellen said of the case. 'And research also shows that it had a favorable impact on the well being and earnings of of children.'

'There are many research studies that have been done over the years looking at the economic impacts of access or lack thereof to abortion. And it makes clear that denying women access to abortion increases their odds of living in poverty,' she added.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that eliminating abortion rights would damage the U.S. economy and 'set women back decades'

After the draft Supreme Court opinion was published, protests spread around the country, including at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home in Alexandria, Va.

Politico's publishing of the draft opinion - which could be changed before officially announced at the end of the Supreme Court's session this summer - set off a national uproar.

Democrats have pushed for abortion to secured by federal law. Republicans claimed the leak was done to try and use public opinion and protests to pressure the justices.

Protests have risen up around the country and protesters are staking out the Washington D.C. homes of the Supreme Court judges. The high court itself has become ground central with daily protests. Fences have been raised around the building.

In Tuesday's hearing, Republican Senator Tim Scott pushed back at Yellen's assertion, however.

He said framing abortion around labor force participation 'feels callous to me.'

'It means that children will grow up in poverty and do worse themselves,' Yellen told him. 'This is not harsh. This is the truth.'

Scott pointed out he was raised in poverty and was glad to be there.

'I'll just say that as a guy raised by a black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States senator,' he said.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are working to codefy abortion rights into law.

The House has already passed legislation with the Senate looking to take it up this week.

The question mark for Senate Democcrats remains moderate Senator Joe Manchin, who voted against similar legislation in the past.

He said Monday he will 'wait and see' what Democrats have to say before announcing how he'll vote on the lagest bill.

With Manchin on the fence, it's unclear if the Democrats will even get all 50 senators in their own caucus to vote for the Women's Health Protection Act - far short of the 60 needed from members of both parties to override a Republican filibuster threat.

Republican Senator Tim Scott pushed back at Yellen's assertion: 'I'll just say that as a guy raised by a black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States senator,' he said

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he'll 'wait and see' what Democrats say before deciding how he'll vote on the Senate abortion bill

Fencing has gone up around the Supreme Court building

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture Monday on the Women's Health Protection Act, which 'prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services,' the text of the bill says.

A Senate vote is expected Wednesday - and with the filibuster intact the legislation will fail.

'I want to be clear: this week's vote is not an abstract exercise, this is as real and as high stakes as it gets, and Senate Republicans will no longer be able to hide from the horror they've unleashed upon women in America,' Schumer said.

Republicans want the issue decided by the states, which is where it would end up if the Supreme Court ultimately strikes down Roe v. Wade.
A doctor who was appointed as a senior medical officer responsible for blood disorders at the Department of Health received 'zero' training for the role, an inquiry has heard.

Dr Andrzej Rejman was senior medical officer (SMO) from March 1989 to July 1997.

The Infected Blood inquiry is examining how thousands of patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

About 2,400 people died in what has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

The Infected Blood Inquiry is being led by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff after two previous inquiries were branded whitewashes by campaigners.

Dr Andrzej Rejman (pictured) was senior medical officer (SMO) from March 1989 to July 1997

Dr Rejman told the inquiry people were 'friendly' and if he wanted to know something he just had to ask.

He added there was 'no backstabbing' and people were 'helpful'.

Many of the infected products were imported from countries overseas, such as the US, after the UK failed to meet demand from patients, particularly from those with the blood-clotting condition haemophilia.

On Tuesday, lead counsel Jenni Richards QC asked Dr Rejman: 'What, if any, training did you receive on taking up your role as SMO?'

He replied: 'Zero.'

Ms Richards then asked if it was a question of being 'thrown in at the deep end and expected to get on with the job'.

Dr Rejman replied: 'In the department people were friendly to each other. There was generally speaking no backstabbing.'

He said the principal medical officer, who he reported to, welcomed him and said 'if you have any problems, my door is there'.

Dr Rejman added: 'People were helpful. If I wanted to know something I could ask them, whether they were a medic, or an administrator.'

Dr Rejman, who has worked as a senior registrar and honorary consultant in haematology, was asked if he could recall any meetings he attended with the Health Secretary to discuss the HIV litigation.

He said minutes of meetings would have to be checked and that it is 'quite likely' that he did but that he would be 'very low down the scale' and 'an add-on'.

The Infected Blood Inquiry is being led by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff (pictured) after two previous inquiries were branded whitewashes by campaigners

Dr Rejman said 'important people' for the Secretary of State to speak to would be the permanent secretary, possibly the CMO, solicitors and deputy secretaries who had day-to-day experience of what was going on.

Dr Rejman was asked if the Department of Health suggested holding any form of public inquiry into the events that led to people being infected in large numbers with HIV and hepatitis C during his employment there.

He said the concept of an inquiry or commission was raised but he thought no action was taken.

Dr Rejman said it might be mentioned as a possibility in a submission but 'nothing ever came back'.

He added: 'The impression I had was there was nobody in the department pushing for it, or nobody at senior enough level for it to happen.'
A five-year-old boy has died following a 'medical emergency' outside a shopping centre in east London.

The Metropolitan Police were called to Heathway Shopping Centre in Dagenham by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) just after 9pm on Monday.

Alongside the LAS, Met officers attended to a 'child taken unwell' before rushing him to an east London hospital.

It was reported by MyLondon that witnesses reported seeing eight police cars and four ambulances at the address.

The Metropolitan Police were called to Heathway Shopping Centre in Dagenham by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) just after 9pm on Monday

The five-year-old child died in hospital at 10.52pm, but the incident 'is not thought to be suspicious'.

A spokesperson for the Met Police told MailOnline: 'Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 9.09pm on Monday, 9 May to reports a child taken unwell at an address off Heathway in Dagenham.

'Officers attended. The five-year-old child was taken to an east London hospital where he died at 10.52pm.

'The death is currently being treated as unexplained but is not thought to be suspicious.'
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said former President Donald Trump wanted to recall retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Adm. William McRaven to active duty to start court-martial proceedings after they criticized him.

'Doing this "will backfire on you, Mr. President," we said,' Esper recalled in his new book, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, after Trump floated the plan to Esper and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley.

Esper wrote that Trump only backed down after Milley 'promis[ed] that he would personally call the officers and ask them to dial it back.'

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper (right) writes in his new book that former President Donald Trump (left) wanted to recall retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Adm. William McRaven to active duty to start court-martial proceedings after they criticized him

Trump was angered that Gen. Stanley McChrystal (left) and Adm. William McRaven (right) were 'so disloyal' and told Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley he wanted to see them court martialed

Trump had complained to Esper and Milley that the two retired generals were 'so disloyal.'

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper wrote about the May 2020 meeting with Trump in his new book

Trump voiced his cour martial plot in May 2020, as he was running for re-election.

Breitbart News ran a story on May 4 that said McChrystal was advising a group that was using DARPA-developed technology designed to 'identify and counter online narratives from Islamic extremists' to target Trump's supporters instead.

Breitbart said the tool was being used to 'track down and counter Trump supporters on social media.'

McChrystal had retired from the military in 2010 after giving an interview to Rolling Stone and criticizing government officials including then Vice President Joe Biden.

McChrystal didn't endorse Biden, by then the Democratic 2020 nominee, but Trump was still upset.

'This spun the president up,' Esper said in his book.

'The next thing I knew, Mark Milley and I were sitting in front of the president trying to talk him out of recalling McChrystal to active duty,' he explained.

McRaven, who oversaw Operation Neptune Spear, the 2011 raid where Osama bin Laden was killed, also attracted Trump's ire over a number of critical statements of the then president.

McRaven, for instance, penned a New York Times op-ed in October 2019 blasting Trump for attacking the U.S. 'from within.'

'As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, "I don't like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!"' McRaven recalled in the piece.

Esper wrote, 'The president told Milley and me that he "want[ed] to call them back to active duty and court-martial them" for what they said.'

Talking Points Memo reported that McChrystal, reached by email, had no recollection of getting a call from Milley to tone down his rhetoric about Trump.

The retired general told the website, 'there was no call I remember ' and I would have remembered that.'

McRaven couldn't be reached for comment by the publication.
Russian pilots fighting in Ukraine are taping basic GPS devices to their dashboards because they cannot rely on their fighter jets' inbuilt navigation systems, Britain's defence minister has revealed.

Speaking on Monday, Ben Wallace painted a picture of a Russian army that is under-equipped for its on-going war in Ukraine that is now in its 11th week.

He said Russia has failed on multiple fronts, and outlined a 'charge sheet' that should be 'laid at the feet' of Moscow's generals, including poor preparation and planning, inadequate equipment and support, and moral corruption.

He said that downed fighter jets have often been found with paper maps that date back to the 1980s, despite Moscow parading its supposed next-generation equipment on Monday to mark Russia's 'Victory Day' on May 9.

'Almost none of their vehicles contain situational awareness and digital battle management,' Mr Wallace said during a speech at London's National Army Museum. 'Vehicles are frequently found with 1980s paper maps of Ukraine in them.'

GPS receivers have been found taped to the dashboards of downed Russian SU-34s so the pilots knew where they were, due to the poor quality of their own systems.'

Russian pilots fighting in Ukraine are taping basic GPS devices to their dashboards because they cannot rely on their fighter jets' inbuilt navigation systems, Britain's defence minister revealed during a speech a London's National Army Museum (pictured)

SU-34s are Soviet-era fighter jets that have been used since the 1990s - several of which have been shot down in Ukraine, according to reports.

'The result is that whilst Russia have large amounts of artillery and armour that they like parading, they are unable to leverage them for combined arms manoeuvre and just resort to mass indiscriminate barrages,' Mr Wallace added.

'Their limited stockpiles of air-delivered precision weapons, demonstrated by a steep drop off in use after the second week, has meant that the Air Force has also fallen back on dropping imprecise dumb munitions on urban areas.'

It has been widely reported that Putin was expecting his forces to rapidly advance across Ukraine and overthrow the country's elected government within days.

Instead, his forces have been drawn into a protracted conflict - which is showing no signs of abating. Ukraine is being supplied by its Western allies, and intelligence updates have suggested Moscow's armies are running low on equipment.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm Kyiv over a month ago, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog.

Mr Wallace said: GPS receivers have been found taped to the dashboards of downed Russian SU-34s so the pilots knew where they were, due to the poor quality of their own systems.' Pictured: A Russian Soviet-era SU-24 fighter jet, seen on April 20, 2022

This handout picture released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on April 3, 2022 shows the burning wreckage of a downed Russian fighter jet in the Kharkiv region. Mr Wallace said Ukraine's forces have found 1980s paper maps in downed Russian planes

Putin marked his country's biggest patriotic holiday Monday without a major new battlefield success in Ukraine to boast of.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square, watching as troops marched in formation and military hardware rolled past in a celebration of the Soviet Union's role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

While Western analysts in recent weeks had widely expected Putin to use the holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, he did neither. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

'The danger was rising by the day,' Putin said. 'Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely and the only correct decision.'

He steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word 'Ukraine.'

Mr Wallace accused Putin and his 'utterly complicit' generals of 'hijacking' the memory of Russian troops repelling the Nazis in the Second World War.

Pictured: The twisted metal of destroyed Russian tanks is seen in a tank graveyard in Bucha

He also swiped that the dictator had already suffered a long-term defeat because his precision weapons are running out and he will not be able to restock.

In Moscow, Putin claimed that his attack on Russia's neighbour was necessary to ward off 'an absolutely unacceptable threat just next to our borders'.

He reportedly added at the Victory Day celebrations that the West has been 'preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea'.

But, asked by journalists after a speech at London's National Army Museum in Chelsea, south-west London, Mr Wallace bluntly denied that NATO and western allies have ever planned to attack Russia.

'President Putin has made a number of fairy-tale claims for months and years now,' the Cabinet minister said.

'If it wasn't so tragic it would be amusing, but it isn't.

'One of his claims is that he is surrounded. NATO accounts for 6% of his land border. That's not being surrounded if only 6 per cent of your land border is NATO countries.

'I think he is believing what he wants to believe  a slight shine of desperation. But let me put on the record categorically: NATO, Britain, eastern Europe is not planning to invade Russia and never has done.'

Mr Wallace accused the Russian regime of 'mirroring (the) fascism and tyranny' of Nazi Germany as the Moscow parade to celebrate the 1945 victory over Hitler's forces was under way.

The Defence Secretary also said Russian suffering was used under the Soviets 'as it is now, to cover up the inadequacy of those ruling in safety and comfort from behind the Kremlin walls'.

'Fear and sycophancy dictated behaviours then, and today's Russian armed forces still carry that Soviet imprint  the imprint of amorality and corruption,' he said.

'They are the ones who truly insult the memory of the Immortal Regiment. So let's call out the absurdity of Russian generals resplendent in their manicured parade uniforms, weighed down by the gold braid and glistening metals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia May 9, 2022

In his speech, Putin steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word 'Ukraine'

'They are utterly complicit in Putin's hijacking of their forebears' proud history of defending against the ruthless invasion, of repelling fascism and sacrificing themselves for higher purpose.

'And now they are the ones inflicting needless suffering in the service of lowly gangsterism and for them, and for Putin, there can be no victory day, only dishonour and surely defeat in Ukraine.'

Responding to questions from the media after the speech Mr Wallace said: 'He (Vladimir Putin) is running out of his precision stock fairly quickly.

'You know, that's the lesson for us all. I mean, we mustn't forget that they are showing us lessons, sadly at the expense of what's happening Ukraine.

'We all have highly complex weapons that, funny enough, don't take a couple of days to replace, it can take months.

'Once you fire them all in the way Russia has done, they have a real challenge and I think in the long term my point about 'has Putin already won or lost in the long run', you know, Putin trying to refurbish that armed forces is going to be incredibly hard. A lot of the components come from the West, he won't be able to get hold of those.'

Mr Wallace's speech came after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss accused Russia of war crimes over the bombing of a school in eastern Ukraine where civilians were sheltering.

Up to 60 are feared dead after the school in Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine was bombed and caught fire on Saturday.
The 38-year-old mom who shot her two school-aged sons while they slept last week is now facing first-degree murder charges following the boys' death Friday, with cops revealing she planned the killings for more than a week.

Philadelphia police said Tuesday that Trinh Nguyen acted premeditatedly when she carried out the killings of sons JT, 13, and Nelson, 9, last Monday at the family home, in affluent Upper Makefield, revealing she penned a note a week prior describing what she wanted done with the kids' ashes.

'Please call 911!' one unsettling message, obtained by the Bucks County District Attorneys Office, penned by Nguyen reads. 'My children are Dead in their bed.'

Officials Monday also revealed Nguyen had left another signed, handwritten note inside the family home dated April 25 - seven days before the murder - stating what to do with her sons' remains.

The letter also instructed its recipient what to do with her own remains as well, confirming cops' previous suspicions that the mom had planned to take her own life once the deed was done.

Nguyen then provided the address of the family's house, where she would eventually commit the inexplicable crime - which cops say may have stemmed from a disagreement concerning back rent Nguyen owed to the family of her ex-husband, who owns the house.

Trinh Nguyen, who shot her two school-aged sons while they slept last week, is now facing first-degree murder charges after the boys' death Friday, with cops revealing she planned the killings for more than a week

Philadelphia police said Tuesday that Nguyen acted premeditatedly when she carried out the killings of 13-year-old JT (at right) and nine-year-old Nelson (at left) last Monday, revealing she penned a note a week prior describing what she wanted done with the kids' ashes

Cops recovered the damning correspondence after executing a search warrant on Nguyen's minivan last week, district attorneys said Monday, during an arraignment held a week after the murders and two days after the boys' deaths.

Detectives also located .38-caliber ammunition, multiple bags heroin, and swabs of what was suspected to be blood in the vehicle, a criminal complaint against Nguyen reveals. The note was found sitting on the vehicle's passenger-side dashboard.

Nguyen's sons had been on life support for roughly five days before being pronounced deaths Friday at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

The pair had been kept alive despite doctors' grim prognosis as to the children's fate following the shooting, so that their organs could be donated to those in need.

After their deaths, Nguyen - who cops said fled the family home in her white minivan at roughly 7 am May 2 immediately after the shooting but was tracked down at a nearby parking lot less than four hours later - saw her charges upgraded to murder.

'I have been praying for these boys and their surviving family for days,' District Attorney Matt Weintraub said Monday of the boys' passing three days prior.

'This defendants murder of two of her sons is unconscionable and horrific. We will do what needs to be done to seek justice for all of them.'

The note, cops said, spurred district attorneys to deal Nguyen the first-degree distinction, as it provided proof she planned the killings, officials said.

Nguyen shot her only two sons last Monday around 7 am as they slept the family home (pictured) in affluent Upper Makefield. Cops say may have stemmed from a disagreement concerning back rent Nguyen owed to the family of her ex-husband, who owns the house

Nguyen pictured with her two slain sons and her ex-husband Ed Tini. Cops said Monday that the double homicide suspect immediately after the slayings tried to give her ex's nephew - who lives in an apartment attached to the family home - a box with photos meant for her ex

Nguyen - who cops said was under the influence of drugs when she was apprehended last Monday - will now face two counts of first degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and possession of a controlled substance, court documents show.

She also faces one count of attempted murder, for allegedly trying to shoot her ex-husband Ed Tini's 22-year-old nephew, Gianni - who lives in an attached apartment of the family duplex - minutes after shooting the children.

Nguyen's ex was the father of the deceased, officials said Monday.

During Monday's hearing, Nguyen told a judge that she drove to nearby New Jersey immediately after the slayings to obtain narcotics which she ingested in an attempt to kill herself, a criminal complaint updated Monday reveals.

She asserted that she had not used drugs in the past, the document shows.

Nguyen was denied bail Monday given the severity of the charges against her, which could see her put to death under Pennsylvania law.

A preliminary hearing is slated for May 23.

Police had responded to reports of gunshots shortly after 7 am Monday and found Nguyen's sons severely injured but still alive, cops said last week.

They were not expected to survive.

The boys had been hospitalized despite doctors saying they would likely not survive, so their organs could be donated to those in need

'Upon entry both boys were found still alive but in their beds with gunshot wounds to their heads,' District Attorney Weintraub said.

Upon tracking down Nguyen at the parking lot of Washington Crossing Methodist Church, authorities said the woman appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

The mother-of-two was charged with three counts of attempted criminal homicide - charges that were upgraded Monday.

Cops say the tragedy came amid a dispute with Nguyen's ex-sister-in-law, Corinna Tini-Melchiondo, who was trying to evict Nguyen from the five-bedroom duplex, owned by her ex-husband's family.

Upon tracking down Nguyen at the parking lot of Washington Crossing Methodist Church less than four hours after the murder, authorities said Nguyen appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Cops revealed they had found heroin in her car following her arrest. She said she used the drug to try to kill herself

Nguyen also faces one count of attempted murder, for allegedly trying to shoot her ex-husband 22-year-old nephew, Gianni - who lives in another unit in the duplex - after shooting her sons

The pending eviction notice was set to be enforced last Tuesday, the day after the shooting.

Tini-Melchiondo alleged she had failed to pay $11,000 in rent after divorcing from Tini-Melchiondo's brother Ed last year.

On Monday morning, police said Nguyen shot her children in the head before approaching Gianni and giving him a box with photos meant for her ex husband.

According to authorities, Gianni turned around and when he faced Nguyen she was holding a gun.

'...but by the grace of God, the gun did not fire,' Weintraub said during a press conference on Monday.

Gianni then wrapped her in 'a bear hug' and disarmed her before alerting authorities, Weintraub said.

Nguyen allegedly fled the scene before police arrived but was arrested about four hours later in the parking lot of Washington Crossing Methodist Church.

Church staff alerted authorities after seeing a wanted bulletin issued earlier. Weintraub claimed Nguyen was under the influence of drugs at the time.

She was apprehended and booked into the Bucks County Correctional Facility. Nguyen was charged with three counts of attempted homicide.

The children, found by an officer and Gianni, were taken to St Mary Medical Center in Middletown but it is very unlikely they will survive, Weintraub said.

Police said there was evidence Nguyen had attempted suicide but did not elaborate on what exactly they had found aside from the bags of heroin, many of which cops said were empty.

This case is currently being investigated by Bucks County detectives and Upper Makefield Township Police, cops said Monday. Nguyen will remain incarcerated until her hearing later this month.

Nguyen fled the scene before police arrived but was arrested about four hours later in the parking lot of Washington Crossing Methodist Church
Thousands of people were evacuated from East Midlands Airport this afternoon after a suspicious device was found in hand luggage.

Hordes of travellers were evacuated alongside staff as a police cordon was put in place, and the device was inspected.

The evacuation, which happened after 3pm when the device was reported to police, has impacted 3,000 passengers, with eight planned flights not departing.

Three planes that were due to arrive at the airport were also diverted to land in other locations, due to the incident.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from East Midlands Airport this afternoon after a suspicious device was found in hand luggage

Hordes of travellers were evacuated alongside staff as a police cordon was put in place, and the device was inspected

The evacuation happened after 3pm when the device was reported to Leicestershire Police

Leicestershire Police said that the suspicious package was found in the airport's main building.

A spokesperson for the force said: 'In the interest of officer and public safety the terminal has been evacuated.

'Explosive Ordnance Disposal were called to assist officers and determined the item did not pose any risk of harm to the public.

'No criminal offences were identified, no-one has been arrested and the call was made in line with appropriate protocol.'

Explosive Ordnance Disposal were called to the scene to assess the potential security threat

A spokesperson for the force said that the terminal was evacuated in the interest of officer and public safety

Leicestershire Police said that the suspicious package was found in the airport's main building

Passenger Sarah Hartles, who was due to fly to Rhodes, told ITV that they were given no information as the evacuation began.

'All we were told was "Get Up and Move", she said.

Passengers were relocated to a safer part of the airport, she added.

Concern about what was happening spread on social media this afternoon.

One person tweeted: 'Any idea what is happening at East Midlands Airport? Airport departures evacuated. In a lounge and told to stay put. East Midlands airport (where I am currently) being evacuated #traveldramas no idea what is causing this disruption'

Another said: 'First flight since Covid and a threat so had to evacuate  holidays are fun they said!'

One traveller described the evacuation as 'mayhem'.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Airport said: 'Following reports of a suspicious package, East Midlands Airports terminal was evacuated this afternoon as a precaution to enable police to carry our necessary enquiries.

'It has now re-opened and we are working with the airlines to get passengers away on their flights. We thank customers for their patience and understanding.'

Concern about what was happening spread on social media this afternoon, with one passenger describing the evacuation as 'mayhem'

Passengers were evacuated from the building and waited outside on the grass as police entered the building

A spokesperson for the airport said that the terminal was evacuated this afternoon as a precaution

One traveller at the airport described the evacuation as 'mayhem', as travellers were asked to leave the terminal

Holidaymakers stood outside this afternoon as officers instigated the suspicious package

A spokesperson for the airport said that it has now re-opened, with staff working with the airlines to get passengers away on their flights
Elon Musk has revealed that he would reverse Twitter's permanent ban of Donald Trump if he completes his $44 billion acquisition of the social media platform.

Speaking virtually at a Financial Times conference in London on Tuesday, Musk said that Twitter's move to ban the former US president 'was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme'.

'I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump,' added Musk, specifically addressing Trump's removal from Twitter for the first time since launching his takeover of the company last month.

Trump was banned from Twitter in January 2021, in response to his supporters storming the US Capitol and attempting to block the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.

Elon Musk has revealed that he would reverse Twitter's permanent ban on Donald Trump after completing his acquisition of the social media platform

Trump, who recently launched his own competing service dubbed Truth Social, has previously claimed that he would not return to Twitter even if he was invited back.

Appearing virtually at the conference in London, Musk called Twitter's ban of Trump a 'mistake'.

'It alienated a large part of the country, and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice. He is now going to be on Truth Social,' said Musk. 'So I think this may end up being frankly worse than having a single forum where everyone can debate. I guess the answer is that I would reverse the permanent ban.'

Musk said that he had discussed the subject of permanent bans, or 'permabans' with Twitter, co-founder Jack Dorsey, whom he said shared his opinion.

'He and I are of the same mind, which is that permanent bans should be extremely rare, and really reserved for accounts that are bots, or spam/scam accounts,' said Musk.

'I would reverse the permaban [of Trump],' he said, adding: 'Obviously I don't own Twitter yet, so this is not something that will definitely happen.'

Trump was banned from Twitter in January of 2021, in response to his supporters storming the US Capitol

Trump, who recently launched his own competing service dubbed Truth Social, has previously claimed that he would not return to Twitter even if he was invited back

'But my opinion, and I want to be clear that Jack Dorsey shares this opinion, is that we should not have permabans,' said Musk.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Musk also said that his acquisition of Twitter, which is still subject to a shareholder approval, could close well before the October deadline.

'Just objectively it is not a done deal,' he said. 'The best case scenario is that it would perhaps be done in two or three months.'

Trump launched his Truth Social app in February, but the service's debut was plagued by technical issues.

Musk previously mocked the Twitter clone, calling Truth Social a 'terrible name' and joking that it should be called Trumpet instead. He has said that Truth Social only exists because Twitter 'censored free speech'.

Trump had previously said that he had no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account was reinstated, telling Fox News last month that he would instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social.

'I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth,' Trump told the network. 'I hope Elon buys Twitter because he'll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.'

Trump's final two tweets, which resulted in his ban from Twitter, are seen above

Trump was originally banned from Twitter for allegedly inciting violence with his unsupported claims that the election had been stolen.

Twitter said at the time that after a review of how Trump's tweets 'are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter' that it had banned his account 'due to the risk of further incitement of violence.'

The ban was handed down on January 8, 2021, two days after Trump loyalists attacked the US Capitol.

His final tweet read: 'To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.'

Twitter said in a statement at the time that they interpreted this remark as a potential call to violence, by further calling into question the legitimacy of the election and signaling to supporters that the inauguration would be a 'safe' target for violence.

Conservatives, who have accused San Francisco-based Twitter of bias against right-leaning views, have cheered the prospect of Trumps return.

'He (Trump) ought to be everywhere he can,' Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters when asked about Musk's comments.

'We ought to have free speech in this country. We shouldn't have social media companies that are restricting people's ability to get their message out,' added Scott.

Democrats have said Trumps potential reinstatement could constitute a threat to democracy, although some hope that a frequently-tweeting Trump could upset their base and rev up turnout in the November midterm congressional elections.

Earlier on Tuesday, Twitter shares fell to a level that indicated the stock market took the view for the first time that it was unlikely that Musk would make the acquisition for $44 billion, as he originally agreed.

Minutes after saying that Twitter leans strongly left, Musk followed up with a tweet saying he believed the platform should conform to the speech laws of the country it is being used in

Musk's comments on unbanning Trump from the social network comes after he said Twitter 'obviously has a strong left wing bias'.

He later clarified that he believed that speech on Twitter should be governed by the laws of the country in which it is being used.

'Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates.

'If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.'

His remarks came as he hit back at a liberal reporter calling for violence against anti-abortion groups.

Caroline Reilly, a reporter for Rewire News Group, had shared a New York Times story about the burning and attempted bombing of a Wisconsin pro-life group's office.

'More of this,' she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. 'May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground.'

Reilly was slammed by conservatives on the site in the immediate aftermath, and Mike Cernovich - a conspiracy theorist known for his propagation of the baseless Pizzagate theory that high ranking Democrats were running a pedophilic sex-trafficking ring out of a D.C. pizza shop - made sure Musk knew about the tweet.

He tagged the Tesla CEO in a tweet accusing the platform of allowing verified accounts to incite violence in the name of liberal causes on Sunday evening.

'Here you go @elonmusk, when Twitter employees invariably lie to you about enforcement policy, maybe they can explain why a verified account is allowed to incite terrorism without any care in the world about being banned.'

Musk later replied to Cernovich, writing: 'Twitter obv has a strong left wing bias.'
Furious EU leaders today warned Boris Johnson against ripping up post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland after it emerged Britain could take action within days.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led the backlash against UK plans to scrap key parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He spoke out after the Prime Minister attacked the EU for failing to take 'necessary' steps to address disruption caused by the post-Brexit agreement.

Mr Johnson warned he is ready to 'take action' as he cautioned the row over the Protocol had now become 'very serious'.

A strong indication that unilateral action on the Protocol might soon come from Westminster was also delivered in a briefing document on the Queen's Speech.

In the note accompanying the Government's legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session, ministers highlighted how problems with the Protocol 'continue to stand in the way' of a Northern Ireland government being formed.

It followed claims Foreign Secretary Liz Truss could unveil legislation as early as next week that would scrap key parts of the Protocol in British law.

This is despite warnings that such action could lead Britain into a bitter trade war with the EU.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz led the backlash against UK plans to scrap key parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol

EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic, who has been holding talks with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the Protocol, also hit out growing suggestions the UK is ready to abandon those discussions

Former Prime Minister Theresa May joined those cautioning Mr Johnson against taking unilateral action on the Protocol as she spoke in the House of Commons

Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Scholz urged the UK against going it alone in overhauling the Protocol.

'We have found a good way for Northern Ireland and no one should unilaterally override the arrangement which we have agreed together,' he said.

His warning was echoed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who said: 'Our message is quite clear: Don't touch this.

'If that agreement would be revoked, then I would think that the whole system will be revoked. I would not see any other solution.'

Ms Truss has held ongoing discussions with EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic in recent months over the Protocol.

He also today hit out at growing suggestions the UK is gearing up to abandon those talks and unilaterally set aside the Protocol.

In a statement, Mr Sefcovic said: 'Only joint solutions will work. Unilateral action by the UK would only make our work on possible solutions more difficult.'

He added: 'With political will and genuine commitment, joint solutions to legitimate practical issues raised by people and businesses in Northern Ireland can be found within the framework of the Protocol.'

But Mr Sefcovic also reiterated the EU's stance that renegotiating the terms of the Protocol 'is not an option'.

In Westminster, former Prime Minister Theresa May joined those cautioning Mr Johnson against taking unilateral action on the Protocol.

Speaking in the debate on the Queen's Speech in the House of Commons, Mrs May warned about the 'wider sense of what such a move would say about the UK and its willingness to abide by treaties which it has signed'.

The ex-premier also lauded her own Brexit deal she reached with the EU in relation to Northern Ireland - despite this being roundly rejected by MPs before her exit from Number 10.

Boris Johnson hit out at the EU for failing to take the 'steps necessary' to address the disruption the post-Brexit agreement is causing in Northern Ireland

Ms Truss is claimed to be preparing to unveil legislation that would scrap key parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol in British law

The Protocol was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit and imposed checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

The historic result of last week's Northern Ireland Assembly elections has piled the pressure on both the UK and EU to come up with a solution to their ongoing dispute.

The DUP, who have now been replaced by nationalist Sinn Fein as the largest party at Stormont, this week turned up the heat on the Protocol row.

The unionist party confirmed they won't re-enter a powersharing administration in Northern Ireland without 'decisive action' on the post-Brexit trade rules.

Speaking in the Commons today, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the Protocol 'needs to be dealt with' and was 'undermining political stability in Northern Ireland'.

In a phone call with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin this morning, the Prime Minister hit out at the EU for failing to take the 'steps necessary' to address the disruption the post-Brexit agreement is causing in Northern Ireland.

Downing Street said both Mr Johnson and his Irish counterpart agreed on the 'vital importance' of restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland.

'The Prime Minister made clear that the situation in respect of the Northern Ireland Protocol was now very serious,' Number 10 said in a readout of the call.

'The balance of the Good Friday Agreement was being undermined and the recent elections had further demonstrated that the Protocol was not sustainable in its current form.

'Despite repeated efforts by the UK Government over many months to fix the Protocol, including those sections related to the movement of goods and governance, the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground.

'The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK Government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found.'

Today's Queen's Speech, in which the Government unveiled its new legislative agenda, also hinted at possible unilateral action from Westminster.

Ministers noted in a briefing document how the problems caused by the Protocol 'continue to stand in the way' of a Stormont executive being formed.

'We will continue to talk with the EU but we will not let that stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland,' they added.

'As any responsible government would, we will take the steps necessary to protect all dimensions of the Good Friday Agreement and meet our obligations under the 'New Decade New Approach Deal' to protect Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market.'

The Protocol was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit and imposed checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

But the EU's 'dogmatic' and 'rigid' implementation of the Protocol has been blamed by British ministers for causing significant trade disruption.

The DUP and other unionists are also concerned the agreement has been detrimental to Northern Ireland's status within the UK.

Following the Northern Ireland elections, Ms Truss is claimed to be preparing to unveil legislation that would scrap key parts of the Protocol in British law.

According to The Times, the action could be announced next Tuesday after the Foreign Secretary concluded that discussions with Brussels had hit deadlock.

She is said to have decided that Mr Sefcovic does not have the mandate to agree an acceptable deal, without getting new instructions from EU leaders.

A government source told the newspaper that Ms Truss was keen to press ahead with unilateral action after losing faith in 'computer says no' negotiations with the EU.

The legislation is claimed to go further than previously reported plans, by explicitly scrapping large parts of the Protocol rather than simply giving ministers the power to do so in the future.
Succession star James Cromwell has superglued himself to a Starbucks counter in protest at the coffee company charging more for vegan milk.

The actor, who plays Cousin Greg's grandfather on the show, took part in the PETA demonstration Tuesday.

Cromwell famously became a vegetarian and animal rights activist after he starred in 1995's Babe as farmer Arthur Hogget.

The 82-year-old actor, donning 'Free the animals' t shirt, superglued one of his hands to the counter of a New York City Starbucks.

He blasted the coffee chain's upcharge of vegan milk, claiming it was harmful for the environment and discriminatory against lactose intolerant customers of color.

Actor James Cromwell took part in a PETA protest on Tuesday which was livestreamed on the organization's Facebook page

The actor, donning 'Free the animals' t shirt, superglued one of his hands to the counter of a New York City Starbucks

Cromwell read a statement from a paper with his free hand, demanding the company do the right thing.

'More than 13,000 customers have asked you, now were asking you. Will you stop charging more for vegan milk?

'When will will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer?' he asked. 'When will you stop penalizing people for their ethnicities, their morals?'

Cromwell went on to say the 'senseless' upcharge effects mother cows- who are forced to reproduce to keep up with the demand of milk and then are separated from their calves.

'These mothers must endure the loss of their child over and over again,' Cromwell said. 'They suffer no less than human mothers would'

As Cromwell read his statement business seemed to go on as usual, with the staff still serving customers and seemingly ignoring the peaceful protest.

'The company claims to be committed to inclusion and diversity but it still discriminates against those who cannot have dairy,' he continued.

'This exorbitant fee disproportionately effects people of color with a much higher rate of lactose intolerance.

'Up to 95 percent of Asian Americans and 80 percent of African Americans cannot digest cows milk, Starbucks makes them pay more!'

Cromwell, who plays Cousin Greg's grandfather on Succession (pictured) said the coffee chain's upcharge of vegan milk was harmful for the environment and discriminatory

As Cromwell read his statement business seemed to go on as usual, with the staff still serving customers and seemingly ignoring the peaceful protest

This is not Cromwell's first protest, the actor has previously been arrested fighting for animal rights

After he reads his statement Cromwell was joined by a handful of other protesters who chanted: 'Save the planet, save the cows. Stop the vegan upcharge now!'

At one point the police arrive and shortly after Cromwell uses nail polish remover to unglue himself from the counter and calmly leaves the establishment.

This is not Cromwell's first protest, the actor has previously been arrested fighting for animal rights.

In 2019 the actor was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct over a PETA protest against animal testing at a university in Texas.

In a video of the demonstration, Cromwell could be heard telling the room to 'show some compassion' and to 'do the right thing'.

He then shouted as he was being marched from the room by officers: 'Free these dogs, send them to adopted homes that will take care of them. Shut down this lab! Shut down the lab!'

In 2017 Cromwell was charged with trespassing at Seaworld San Diego during PETA protest calling for the theme park to release all the animals into sanctuaries.

That year he was thrown in jail for defying police at a sit-in environmental protest.

Cromwell, who is also an environmental activist, was protesting on the site of Competitive Power Ventures' prospective natural gas-fired power plant in December 2015.

At the time he told DailyMail.com the he is not scared of returning to prison for his beliefs.

'We did everything possible...nothing helps, because there is no interface between an ordinary citizen and the state. You have to go through gatekeepers.

'And the only way to get the attention of the media, which is what gets our issue across, because if you tell a politician, it dies right there; the only way to get across is to get arrested. Even when we were arrested: no publicity.

'Even when we were found guilty: no publicity. But when celebrities go to jail, of wow it's a story suddenly.'
Reality star Paris Hilton returned to Washingon Tuesday to again take on the 'troubled teen' industry, this time making an appearance at the White House alongside husband Carter Reum.

Hilton has been on a quest to get the government to provide better oversight of what are called congregate care facilities, which range from foster care facilities to boarding schools advertised to wealthy families to manage troubled teens.

During a trip to D.C. in October, Hilton chronicled her own abuse starting at age 16 while living in a congregate care facility, the Provo Canyon School in Utah.

'I was strangled, slapped across the face, watched in the shower by male staff, called vulgar names, forced to take medication without a proper diagnosis, not given a proper education, thrown into solitary confinement in a room covered in scratch marks and smeared in blood, and so much more,' she told reporters then.

Hilton posed for pictures as she headed into the West Wing Tuesday morning, but didn't make a statement to the press.

Paris Hilton poses in front of the White House Tuesday morning, where she arrived for meetings about congregate care facilities with Biden administration officials

Paris Hilton (center) and her husband Carter Reum (right) walk to White House meetings on Tuesday in Washington

Paris Hilton gets photographed as she arrived at the White House Tuesday for meetings. She's trying to get the congregate care industry more heavily regulated by the federal government

Paris Hilton departs the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Tuesday during her visit to the White House

She was seen walking out of Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where many White House staff offices are located.

Her representatives did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

The White House told DailyMail.com Paris was 'on campus as part of her advocacy efforts to improve protections of youth residential programs and facilities.'

'She met with policy staff where she and other survivors shared their powerful stories and discussed issues pertinent to the protection of institutionalized youth in America,' a White House official also told CNN.

Hilton also spent time on Capitol Hill Tuesday, meeting with Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Grassley posted a picture with the socialite, saying they discussed 'how we can stop abuse of children in residential care facilities.'

The group Hilton works with, Unsilenced, said the federal legislation they were set to introduce this week wasn't ready.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (left), an Iowa Repulblican, shared a photo Tuesday posing with Paris Hilton (right)

Paris Hilton is captured arriving at the Hart Senate Office Building. She met Tuesday afternoon with Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley

Paris Hilton walks through the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building for meetings with lawmakers Tuesday afternoon

'First, while we know this may raise feelings of concern or disappointment, note that this decision in no way means that this bill is done,' said a message on the group's Instagram page. 'In fact, quite the opposite.'

'In today's political climate, to pass a bill of any kind, it needs to have bipartisan support. Right now, we're looking to get conservative members of Congress to sign on to our bill - meaning it's more important than ever that we go to DC and share with the world how the lack of federal action on this industry has affected each and every one of us,' the message said.

Even if all 50 Democratic senators signed on, the legislation would need the support of 10 Republicans to override a filibuster.

In April 2021, Hilton helped get a bill passed in Utah, where Provo Canyon is located, which would provide the industry with more regulation in that state.
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Celebrity chef Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery during his sexual misconduct trial in Boston on Tuesday.

Batali, 61, who had elected for a non-jury trial, was acquitted by of the charged which stemmed from a woman who accused Batali of sexually assaulting her at a Boston bar in 2017 while he posed with her for a selfie.

The 32-year-old Massachusetts resident was one of a handful of women who accused Batali of sexual harassment and misconduct amid the #MeToo movement, which exposed widespread patterns of abuse of women in multiple spheres of American life.

Judge James Stanton of Boston Municipal Court found Batali not guilty of the charge brought on in 2019, saying his accuser had 'significant credibility issues' after the defense revealed she claimed to be clairvoyant, joked about the alleged assault with her friend and continued to dine at the restaurant where she was allegedly attacked.

Batali left the courtroom surrounded by reporters without making a comment. If convicted, Batali could have faced up to 2-1/2 years in jail and registration as a sex offender.

Despite rumors about Batali's alleged misconduct having circulated for decades, this trial was the only criminal case brought against the chef, once a fixture of the popular Food Network and a star of the ABC cooking and talk show The Chew.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery during his sexual misconduct trial on Tuesday

Batali, who had elected for a non-jury trial, was acquitted by of the charged which stemmed from a woman who accused Batali of sexually assaulting her at a Boston bar in 2017 while he posed with her for a selfie. The selfie is pictured above

Mario Batali walks outside Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday following his not guilty verdict

Mario Batali reacts after being found not guilty of indecent assault and battery at Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday, the second day of his sexual misconduct trial

In the trial, his accuser testified on Monday that Batali forcibly groped her breasts, buttocks and crotch area before inviting her back to his hotel room while drunkenly posing for selfies with her at a bar near Boston's Eataly, the Italian market and restaurant he at the time part owned.

'It all happened so fast,' the 32-year-old testified on Monday, the first day of Batali's trial. 'Essentially the whole time there was touching of my sensitive feminine areas.'

The woman said was initially 'shocked' and 'embarrassed' about the incident and came forward only after the website Eater.com in December 2017 detailed allegations by four women who also said Batali had touched them inappropriately over at least two decades.

'I want to be able to take control of what happened and come forward, say my piece, get the truth out there - and everybody be accountable for their actions,' she testified.

Batali's lawyer, Anthony Fuller, countered that the assault never occurred.

Fuller accused the woman of fabricating the assault with 'self-serving, biased testimony' in order to 'cash in' with her pending civil lawsuit against the chef seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

'She lied for fun and she lied for money,' Fuller told the judge in closing arguments.

However, prosecutor Nina Bonelli countered that case was never about money and that the accuser decided to come forward after reading the stories of other alleged victims.

'[She] realized she wasn't alone,' Bonelli told the judge. '[She] couldn't be silent anymore, and she spoke up. And that was and is her motive.'

Batali listens to the evidence presented during the second day of his sexual misconduct trial

Mario Batali arrives at Boston Municipal Court for his sexual misconduct trial on Tuesday. He was charged with indecent assault and battery for allegedly groping a woman in 2017. He was found not guilty

Batali is surrounded by reporters as he departs Boston Municipal Court following the verdict of his sexual misconduct trial

Fuller sought to undermine her credibility by questioning her about text messages with a friend in which she joked about meeting Batali and discussed selling her photos.

'Oh wow, I have a good story for you,' Fuller said, reading aloud a text message the accuser sent her friend on December 11, 2017. The message included a picture of Batali.

The text continued with the accuser saying: 'He assaulted me.'

'Be like, I have a pimp and I want to be compensated,' the woman's friend replied.

'Yeah right,' the accuser replied. 'Like, is that how it works?'

Fuller questioned why the woman joked about the alleged assault.

'I definitely present myself in some of these text messages as being very flippant, making it seem like it's not a big deal, in this message of texts,' she told Fuller. 'But it's a pretty serious thing.'

Batali is seen smiling after the judge announced the verdict of his sexual misconduct trial

Batali walks outside Boston Municipal Court following his not guilty verdict

Batali and defense attorney Anthony Fuller are followed by press as they leave Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday

The defense, trying to poke holes in the timeline of the woman's allegations, pointed out that, according to her phone records, she never claimed Batali assaulted her until she read an article detailing allegations from other women.

'Pay me $10K or I post them all,' Fuller read in court, claiming she sent that text on December 11, 2017.

'You wanted to get paid for the pictures. That was your first reaction when you saw the article, right?' he questioned.

'That's how I thought this worked,' she replied. 'I had never been assaulted - I shouldn't say that. I never knew what to do when a celebrity violates you.'

Further messages revealed the woman talked to her friend about suing the chef.

'Well at least we will get some excitement about suing Mario Batali, thankfully,' the accuser wrote on December 12, 2017 to her friend.

'F*** yes! Take them all down. 2017, the year we get every last one of these f***s,' the friend responded before asking if the accuser tried coordinating with the other accusers.

The accuser then allegedly told her friend she emailed a reporter to share her story.

Her friend advised her to withhold the photos so the reporter wouldn't use them without compensating her and said 'just play up the story.'

She responded: 'Omg queen, of course.'

Batali's accuser denied having any recollection of sending the messages, but admitted she clearly did.

Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton is pictured in court Tuesday. He found Batali not guilty of indecent assault and battery after alleging his accuser had 'significant credibility issues'

Despite rumors about Batali's alleged misconduct having circulated for decades, the May 2022 trial was the only criminal case brought against the chef. Batali is pictured at the Food Bank for New York City Can-Do Awards Dinner in April 2017

The defense also revealed bank records showing the accuser dined at Eataly weeks after the event.

'You go to the restaurant of the guy who you claimed brutally assaulted you?' Fuller questioned. 'That doesn't make sense.'

The woman said she didn't recall going to Eataly and maintained she isn't speaking out for financial gain.

She also strongly pushed back at Fuller for questioning why none of the many photos taken with Batali that night showed the alleged assault.

The woman said the photos were all taken relatively close up and didn't show how Batali, who she said was visibly drunk, was grabbing her private areas, touching her face and even sticking his tongue in her ear. She said he also invited her up to his hotel room afterward, which she declined.

'I have never been touched before like that,' the woman said. 'Squeezing my vagina to pull me closer to him, as if that's a normal way to grab someone.'

Defense attorney Anthony Fuller argued Batali's accuser isn't a credible witness. He is pictured Tuesday during his closing arguments

Batali is pictured departing the Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday following his trial

But Fuller argued the accuser isn't a credible witness. He honed in on her recent admission of attempting to avoid jury service by claiming to be clairvoyant.

She was also accused in that case of violating the judge's orders to keep an open mind and not discuss the case with others. In court on Monday, however, she maintained that she can predict major events before they happen 'to a certain extent.'

Batali opted not to testify during the trial.

Soon after the website Eater.com report, Batali was fired from The Chew and later cut ties with restaurants including New York's Babbo and Del Posto that he partly owned.

He denied allegations of sexual assault but apologized for 'deeply inappropriate' behavior.

'I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team,' he said in an email newsletter at the time. 'My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.'

Last July, Batali and his former business partner agreed to pay $600,000 to at least 20 former employees to resolve claims by New York's attorney general that their Manhattan restaurants were rife with sexual harassment.

The 2017 explosion of the #MeToo movement exposed patterns of sexual harassment or abuse of women in multiple spheres of American life. U.S. celebrities convicted in #MeToo-era criminal trials have included film producer Harvey Weinstein and comedian Bill Cosby, though Cosby's conviction was overturned on appeal.

From cooking at the White House to the court in Boston: How Croc-wearing celebrity chef Mario Batali, 61, fell from TV icon to #MeToo scandal

Rumors about celebrity chef Mario Batali's alleged misconduct have circulated for decades but it wasn't until 2017, when a slew of women accused him of assault, that his successful career started crashing down.

Batali, 61, was once a Food Network fixture on shows like 'Molto Mario' and 'Iron Chef America.' But the ponytail-sporting and Croc-wearing personality's high-flying career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations.

He has now been found not guilty by a jury at Boston Municipal Court after being accused by a female fan who said he forcibly kissed and groped her at a Boston restaurant in 2017.

The 32-year-old Massachusetts resident was one of a handful of women who accused Batali of sexual harassment and misconduct amid the #MeToo movement, which exposed widespread patterns of abuse of women in multiple spheres of American life.

The woman's claims formed the basis of the only criminal case to result from the various allegation against Batali.

Rumors about celebrity chef Mario Batali's alleged misconduct have circulated for decades but it wasn't until 2017, when a slew of women accused him of assault, that his successful career started crashing down. He is pictured at his arraignment on a charge of indecent assault and batter in May 2019

Batali, originally of Seattle, was one of America's most celebrated chefs and beloved television personalities.

The chef opened six highly successful restaurants in New York City - including Esca, Del Posto and Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca in Greenwich Village - and a partial owner in Italian chain Eataly.

At his peak, Batali's food industry empire was worth an estimated $250 million. He and his former business partner Joe Bastianich were involved with dozens of restaurants and food businesses in the U.S., Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Batali, who had cooked at the White House for the Obamas, also hosted a variety of shows including Food Network's Molto Mario and the PBS series SpainOn the Road Again. He also made several appearances as a competitor on Iron Chef America.

He was the recipient of many awards, including being named GQ Magazine's Man of the Year, in the chef category, in 1999.

He won the James Beard Foundation awards for Best Chef: New York City and Outstanding Chef of the Year in 2002 and 2005, respectively. In 2001, the he was the recipient of the foundation's prestigious lifetime achievement award, Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America.

Batali (pictured in 2010) was once a Food Network fixture on shows like 'Molto Mario' and 'Iron Chef America.' But the ponytail-sporting and Croc-wearing personality's high-flying career crumbled amid sexual misconduct allegations

Mario Batali, 61, arrived at the Boston Municipal Courthouse on Monday wearing Crocs for his sexual misconduct trial

However, Batali's accolades and professional successes took a nosedive in December 2017 when Eater.com detailed allegations by four women who said Batali touched them inappropriately over at least two decades.

The article, which was published while Batali was co-hosting The Chew, outlined allegations of sexual harassment towards his employees and fellow chefs.

The women cited alleged instances of groping, close-contact touching and an instance where he 'compelled [a woman] to straddle him.'

The Eater report, among others, prompted ABC to fire Batali from The Chew, a cooking and talk show. He also stepped down from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire and later cut ties with restaurants he partly owned, like New York's Babbo and Del Posto.

Food Network immediately froze Molto Mario despite having ordered six additional episodes of the show. Production insiders alleged the episodes had already been filmed and were set to air in 2018.

Although he denied the allegations of sexual assault, the chef also issued an apology for his 'deeply inappropriate' behavior and acknowledged the accusations 'match up' with ways he has acted.

'That behavior was wrong, and there are no excuses,' he said at the time. 'I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation, or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends, and family.'

Batali was one of America's most celebrated chefs and beloved television personalities. His food industry empire was worth an estimated $250 million at its peak. The chef, pictured in October 2016, also cooked at the White House for the Obamas

Batali is pictured alongside former President Bill Clinton at a New York City Food Bank awards dinner in April 2017

He was the recipient of many awards, including being named GQ Magazine's Man of the Year, in the chef category, in 1999. Batali is pictured promoting his Big American Cookbook in 2016

The Eater article - which was published on December 11, 2017 - prompted negative response from other industry members.

Chef Anthony Bourdain, whose partner Asia Argento, was one of the many women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, took to Twitter addressing the allegations against Batali.

'It's Batali. And it's bad,' Bourdain tweeted at the time, adding that he had been in the industry cooking business for nearly 20 years but 'only started hearing s** a few weeks ago'.

Fellow Chef Tom Colicchio shared Bourdain's tweet, saying: 'And no one should be surprised.'

The Eater article - which was published on December 11, 2017 - prompted negative response from other industry members

The next day, on December 12, 2017, further allegations against Batali were made public by The Washington Post. At this point, nine women had made claims against the chef.

The newspaper article detailed the testimony of Holly Gunderson, who served as the special events director at Batali's Los Angeles restaurant Osteria Mozza.

Gunderson claimed Batali made drunken advances towards her during the week of the 2010 Academy Awards, a very busy time for the establishment.

'I want to see you naked in my hot tub back in the hotel,' Batali told Gunderson as she was escorting him to greet his guests, she alleged.

Gunderson claimed bystanders 'looked at me like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe he said that about you.''

She also alleged that Batali put his hand 'between my legs, up and under, so his hand went on my vagina outside of my clothes. And then he moved his hand backward. So, you know, under my butt. And then continued walking.'

Gunderson said she didn't take action against Batali because she was so surprised by the alleged assault.

The chef issued a statement to the paper saying: 'I take full responsibility for my deplorable actions and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation, or anguish I caused.'

Batali's accolades and professional successes took a nosedive in December 2017 when Eater.com detailed allegations by four women who said Batali touched them inappropriately over at least two decades. Batali is pictured in August 2010 at Eataly's grand opening in NYC

The Eater report, among others, prompted ABC to fire Batali from The Chew, a cooking and talk show. He is pictured on the show in October 2017

After the first women came forward, the allegations against Batali started to flood.

In May 2018 a group of Batali's former employees, who worked at The Spotted Pig in New York City, appeared on an episode of 60 Minutes and claimed he harassed and assaulted them.

Two women claimed he assaulted them while they were unconscious, including one who claims she spoke with a detective with the New York Police Department's Special Victims Division who encouraged her to file a report.

The women declined to file the police report, fearing repercussions at her workplace. According to the news outlet, due to this choice, the woman's rape kit was never processed and the hospital records were expunged.

Batali, in wake of the interview, issued a statement saying: 'I vehemently deny the allegation that I sexually assaulted this woman.'

The day after the 60 Minutes segment, The New York Times reported that police were investigating another complaint against Batali.

The woman, whose story had not yet been reported, told the Times the chef had raped her at his restaurant Babbo in 2004.

Batali 'vehemently denied' the allegations that he 'engaged in any nonconsensual sex'.

In response to the May allegations, the Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group ousted Batali from the company.

The group announced on May 22, 2018 it was 'actively negotiating with Mr. Batali to buy his interests in the restaurants' and wanted him removed by July 1.

Three days later Joe Bastianich confirmed three of Batali's Las Vegas restaurants - Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, B&B Ristorante and Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria - would close on July 27.

'These restaurants have continued to succeed, and they are a tribute to every one of you who works in them and brings great dining experiences to our guests,' Bastianich wrote in a statement at the time. 'Unfortunately, our partner in these restaurants, Las Vegas Sands Corp., has decided to end our relationship.'

Batali and Ayesha Curry are pictured during at a Family Ice Cream Fun-dae event in New York City in October 2017

Carla Hall, Mario Batali, John Leguizamo, Michael Symon and Clinton Kelly appear on an October 2017 episode of The Chew. The stars are pictured left to right

In May 2019, Batali appeared in a Boston courtroom and plead not guilty to a criminal assault charge of indecent assault and battery. The charged stemmed from allegations that he forcibly groped and kissed a woman at a restaurant in 2017. He is pictured at his May 2019 arraignment

On May 30, 2018 Eater published another article sharing the stories of seven more women who claimed to be assaulted by Batali, including that of the plaintiff in Batali's sexual misconduct trial.

The woman, who was named in the article but has since requested anonymity, claims Batali drunkenly assaulted her shortly after midnight on April 1, 2017, while posing with her for selfies at a bar in Boston.

The woman alleged Batali forcibly kissed her, grabbed her private areas, touched her face and even stuck his tongue in her ear. She filed a lawsuit against Batali in August 2018.

Eater also published video clips and photos that allegedly supported the accusations made by the seven women.

Batali declined to comment for the article and, to date, only one of the women's claims have resulted in trial.

In May 2019, Batali appeared in a Boston courtroom and plead not guilty to a criminal assault charge of indecent assault and battery.

The charged stemmed from allegations that he forcibly groped and kissed a woman at a restaurant in 2017.

At the time, Batali denied wrongdoing and said he 'intends to fight the allegations vigorously.'

His trial was delayed until May 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Batali still maintains his innocence.

In August 2019, likely in response to his trial, Eataly purchased Batali's minority interest, formally ending their relationship with the chef. Batali did not have any direct involvement with the restaurant chain since December 2017 and had already given up financial stakes in all his restaurants.

(Left to right) Adam Saper, Alex Saper, Eric Garcetti, Nicola Farinetti, Mario Batali, Valentina Gambelunghe, Dino Borri, Sophia Bush and Marino Monferrato attend Eataly Los Angeles Grand Opening Celebration at Eataly LA on November 3, 2017 in Los Angeles

Batali is currently on trial in Boston Municipal Court over accusations from a female fan who said he forcibly kissed and groped her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. He is pictured in court on Monday

Mario Batali is pictured walking into his sexual misconduct trial in Boston on Monday

New York launched an investigation into Batali in January 2020 after a business associate of his agreed to compensate former employees over sexual harassment allegations.

The state attorney general's probe of restaurateur Ken Friedman had unearthed information regarding Batali's alleged behavior at The Spotted Pig.

Friedman, the majority owner of The Spotted Pig, agreed to $240,000 to 11 women and give them a share of his restaurant's profits for ten years under a settlement. He also agreed to no longer manage the restaurant.

Batali was an investor in The Spotted Pig and, like Friedman, had also been accused of harassment and unwanted touching.

The restaurant was forced to shut its doors just week after Friedman paid the settlement.

In July 2021, Batali and his former business partner, Bastianich, agreed to pay $600,000 in a settlement to 20 former employees over sexual harassment allegations.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement following a four-year investigation into the alleged culture of rampant sexual harassment at the restaurants.

The investigation found a culture rife with sexual harassment at the Manhattan restaurants Babbo, Lupa and Del Posto, which closed permanently in April, with employees reporting that managers and colleagues groped them, kissed them against their will, or made sexual comments.

'Batali and Bastianich permitted an intolerable work environment and allowed shameful behavior that is inappropriate in any setting,' James said in a statement. 'Celebrity and fame does not absolve someone from following the law.'

'Every individual deserves to work in a safe environment, and today's agreement marks one more step towards remedying workplace harassment,' she added.

Later that year it was revealed that Batali would face criminal trial in 2022 on the sexual misconduct charge stemming from the 2017 alleged groping in Boston.
Four men have been arrested and charged for plotting and carrying out a hit against a business rival who was shot in the back of the head while leaving a New York City karaoke bar in 2019.

Qing Ming Yu, 54, also known as 'Allen Yu,' Antony Abreu, 34, You You, 34, known as 'Eddie,' and Zhe Zhang, 34, were charged on Tuesday for the death of Xin Gu, 31, a business rival of Yu.

Prosecutors said Yu, the former CEO of Amaco Management & Consulting Inc., had order his nephew, Eddie, to kill Gu, who was once Yu's apprentice but had broken out on his own and won over several contracts allegedly promised to Yu's firm.

Yu was arrested on Tuesday inside his eight-bedroom mansion on Long Island, estimated to be worth $2.4 million, according to Zillow.

U.S. Prosecutor Breon Peace condemned the hit job, saying in a statement: 'As alleged, the defendants callously used gun violence to resolve a business dispute, reducing the value of a man's life to a dollar figure, and bringing trauma and mourning to the community.'

'Prosecuting killers will always be a top priority for this officewhether the defendant pulls the trigger, or pays someone else to do his dirty work for him.'

Four men were arrested and charged for the murder of Xin Gu, 31, who was shot in the back of the head while leaving a Queens karaoke bare in 2019 (pictured)

Prosecutors said Antony Abreu was the masked gunman who was captured on video stalking Gu. Abreu allegedly worked to Zhe Zhang on the request of You You, the nephew of Qing Ming Yu, who prosecutors said put out the hit on Gu, a business rival

Yu was arrested at his mansion in Oyster Bay (above), which is valued at more than $2.4 million

According to court filing on the FBI's investigation into the case, Gu began working for Yu in 2015 at Amaco, a Manhattan-based development company which managed the renovation of retail projects.

Investigators said that Gu worked at the firm for three years but ultimately felt undercompensated by Yu, so the upstart went on to form his own company where many of Yu's clients followed.

The court filings revealed that Yu was especially upset over the loss of a $1 million contract referred to as the 'Project,' which he had already sunk $900,000 into.

Four days after Gu's resignation on August 17, 2018, Yu wrote a message to an associate about the loss of the 'Project,' where he claimed that he treated Gu like a son and felt betrayed and angered by him.

'I will continue to keep my business way. Loyalty, honest and open talk,' Gu wrote in the message obtained by investigators.

'Even yesterday I mentioned I did something. I am so sorry about that. But pls understand that moment my feeling.

'[The name of the Project] I put extra $900,000 in and make all process speed. Use all my source to support it and the result this set up and lose $900,000 money. [$] 1m profit is small for u and me. But for [Gu] is crazy #.

'I am upset for [Gu] not u. I treat him much better than my son. Can't believe. Also I am upset myself trust him too much.'

Investigators said that Yu had attempted to cancel building permits, block lines of supply and lure subcontractors away from Yu to hinder the success of the 'Project,' but the efforts failed and Amaco shut down by 2018.

Prosecutors said that Yu then reached out to his nephew, who enlisted the help of Zhang and Abreu to tail Gu on February 12, 2019, as the successful developer was celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year with more than 100 people.

Gu went on to attend an after party at a karaoke bar in Flushing, and when he decided to head home and called for an Uber to pick him up, Abreu allegedly ran up behind him and shot Gu in the back of the head.

Surveillance footage of the incident shows the moment Gu stepped outside to catch his Uber on February 12, 2019, as a man investigators believe is Abreu watched

As Gu was about to step into the Uber, the gunman races towards him and shoots him in the head. The man proceeds to shoot Gu several times before fleeing the scene

The horrifying scene was captured on a surveillance camera, which showed a masked man who was walking on the sidewalk suddenly run towards Gu and shoot him just as he was about to get into the Uber.

When Gu hit the ground, the man stood over him shot him multiple times as the Uber driver sped off.

Following the incident, the gunman fled and reportedly climbed into a white 2003 Honda Accord, which was allegedly driven by Zhang.

Twenty minutes after the murder, Zhang sent a text message to Abreu saying, 'Bro I left stuff in there. Hit me,' according to court filings.

The car Zhang drove had fake license plates matching those used by Abreu in the weeks before and after the murder.

Abreu was already in custody for an unrelated crime when he was charged with Gu's murder. Eddie was arrested in his home at Plainview, New York, and Zhang in his in Arcadia, California.

Prosecutors asked the court to hold the men without bail given their wealthy connections.

If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, or the death penalty.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll said in a statement about the investigation: 'As alleged, Qing Ming Yu hired his nephew to murder his perceived business rival. His conduct went well beyond poor business practice demonstrating a callous disregard for human life.

As a direct result of the action we have taken with our partners today, Qing Ming Yu and everyone involved in the plot won't have to worry about business anymore - as they face justice for their alleged crimes and the possibility of life in prison.'
An art student whose death has been linked to serial killer Peter Tobin may have been tied to a tree with her bra by a sexual predator, an inquest heard yesterday.

Jessie Earl disappeared from a bedsit in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in 1980.

The 22-year-olds naked body was only found nine years later hidden in undergrowth at nearby Beachy Head.

Her clothing had vanished, save for her bra which had been used to bind her wrists and knotted in such a way that it could have been used as a restraint, gag, weapon or ligature, the inquest heard.

Jessie Earl, 22, disappeared near Beachy Head, East Sussex, back in 1980 without a trace

Tobin was living nearby in Brighton when Jessie disappeared and she had described meeting a middle-aged Scottish man at Beachy Head to her mother

Despite potential evidence of restraint, police did not regard the death near the well-known suicide spot as a murder until a review in 2000 concluded she had been killed.

Now a new inquest has heard that the key piece of evidence had been destroyed.

Today, Miss Earls parents, John and Valerie, who are in their 90s, told of their anger at the flawed 1989 investigation.

And a detective who worked on the original case suggested their daughter had been tied to a tree and sexually assaulted.

The bra was destroyed by Sussex Police as per their routine disposal policy, to the fury of her family who had hoped DNA testing could link the clothing to Tobin, 75.

Retired Sussex Police detective sergeant Anne Capon claimed potentially vital evidence into the suspected murder of Jessie Earl, 22, was 'destroyed' by police. Pictured outside Eastbourne Town Hall today

He was said to be living nearby in Brighton at the time of her disappearance. The killer is serving a whole life sentence in Edinburgh for the murders of three other women.

Miss Earl had described meeting a middle-aged Scottish man at Beachy Head to her mother shortly before her disappearance.

Today, retired Sussex detective sergeant Anne Capon told the inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall: We had a view that she had been restrained in some way by her bra, and because it was found near a tree.

But it was impossible to verify whether a sex assault took place due to the time gap before she was found.

Ms Capon told the coroner she believed Ms Earl had 'probably' been tied to a tree, perhaps using her bra, and said there was 'possibly' a sexual element involved.

Ms Capon said Ms Earl's bones were 'scattered' but a 'number of bones were closer to the tree' and the bra, the only item of clothing recovered, was 'found very close to the base of the tree'.

Ms Capon, who has been involved with the case in its various stages over the decades, said this bra was 'disposed of' by police.

Miss Capon added: It had always been my opinion Jessie had been murdered.

After the investigation into Ms Earl's death was reopened in 2000, Ms Capon said she learned that some evidence, such as the bra, had been 'destroyed some time previously'

The appalling crimes of serial killer Peter Tobin Tobin is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol. In 2008, the 75-year-old was caged for the murder of Vicky Hamilton, 15, after she disappeared in Bathgate in 1991. Her body was found next to that of 18-year-old Dinah McNicol, of Tillingham in Essex, who also disappeared in 1991. In 2017, both bodies were discovered in the garden of a house in Margate, Kent, that Tobin moved to from Bathgate. Tobin also raped and murdered Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, whose body was found under the floorboards of a church in Anderston, Glasgow. Advertisement

She was involved in the initial 1981 investigation and was seconded to the inquiry after Miss Earl's body was found in 1989. She also worked on a 2000 investigation, Operation Silk, that ultimately concluded Ms Earl had been murdered.

She said this was due to the 'circumstances', such as 'the way the bra was tied' and 'the fact that she was in such dense undergrowth'.

She said she 'just couldn't see how Jessie could have got into dense bushes like that, and there were various other things that made me think she had been murdered', such as the fact it was 'off her normal walking route'.

After the investigation into Ms Earl's death was reopened in 2000, Ms Capon said she learned that some evidence, such as the bra, had been 'destroyed some time previously'.

She told the inquest that this was like part of Sussex Police's 'disposal policy' where items are 'disposed of after a certain period of time'.

She said: 'I think it was one of those cases where, because it wasn't regarded as a murder in 1989, I don't think anybody made a point of stressing that these exhibits must be retained for ever more.'

Ms Capon said 'terrific advances' in forensic testing since the body was found means there is 'every chance' police could have found DNA evidence on the bra, which she believes the suspected killer would have touched.

She later added: 'At the very least a note should have been left, a very prominent note, with those exhibits, saying these should never be disposed of.'

A second inquest into Jessie's death, which had been ordered by the High Court in December, opened today at Eastbourne Town Hall, East Sussex. Pictured, Jessie's parents John and Val

She said the 'majority' of people working on the inquiry shared her view that Ms Earl was likely to have been murdered.

But she claimed the senior investigating officer 'insisted' they did not air such views, the inquest heard.

She added: 'He made a policy decision it wasn't going to be crimed as a murder.

'I can recall some time after the inquiry had started being told in no uncertain terms we were not to refer to it as a murder or not to talk about it as a murder.'

Despite Ms Capon's testimony to the 1989 inquest, the coroner recorded an open verdict. A second probe was ordered by the High Court in December after the victims parents argued the original investigation as woefully inadequate.

Stephen Kamlish, QC, for the family, called for original police documents in the case to be released.

No arrests have ever been made and the case remains open. Sussex Police argued that releasing certain information from reports could tip off the killer.

The inquest continues on Wednesday.


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Casey and Vicky White were aided by a local man who checked them into the motel in Evansville, Indiana, where the couple planned to lay low for two weeks, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

The fugitive lovers reached the end of the line Monday night when their 11-day-stretch on the lam came to a tragic conclusion after a car chase that resulted in Vanderburgh County Sheriff's officers ramming the couple's stolen Cadillac off the road and into a ditch.

Moments later, Sheriff Dave Wedding said at a press conference held Tuesday morning, Vicky, 56, shot herself. She later died from the injuries that he described only as 'grave.'

Sheriff Wedding held a picture of Casey White, 38, aloft as he told how the felon intended to engage in a shoot-out had his vehicle not flipped, thwarting his plan. The couple were heavily armed with four semi-automatic 9mm handguns and an AR-15 recovered from the car.

This is a general view of the Motel 41 in Evansville, Indiana, where prison guard Vicky White, 56, and her inmate lover Casey White, 38, spent six days holed up after fleeing Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama on April 29

Images obtained by DailyMail.com show the simple rooms with an open clothes rack for hanging garments, small table and wall mounted television like the one in which White and Vicky stayed

The pair were staying in room 150 on the ground level of the motel, where accommodation costs about $44 a night not including a $25 cash deposit required upon booking

Casey White is seen in his new mugshot (left) after being taken into custody in Indiana on Monday, bringing an end to an 11 day manhunt. His prison guard lover Vicky White, meanwhile, died of a gunshot wound upon being cornered

The sheriff said that prison escapee showed 'no remorse' for the death of the woman he described as his 'wife.'

Now DailyMail.com has exclusively learned that the couple, who share a last name but are not related, arrived in Evansville on May 3 and received assistance by a local man whose identity remains unknown.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Motel 41 manager Paul Shaw revealed: 'They stayed in a room not in their name. Somebody else rented the room and checked them in.

Motel 41 manager Paul Shaw told DailyMail.com the runaway couple was staying in a room booked under a third party's name

'A local man with a local ID checked in and signed the stub. I never saw them  I wish I had  but they stayed in the room.'

According to Shaw: 'People come and go here, we don't keep track.'

There were few cars in the motel parking lot when DailyMail.com visited the two-story facility Tuesday.

Rooms are all accessed independently by exterior doors and guests need never walk through the small reception area except to use the vending machine or to check in  a process that White and Vicky avoided.

'The police have all of the information and the ID. They have been here and spoken to everybody,' Shaw said.

Shaw, an electrical engineer by trade, said that he works the morning shift and never saw White or Vicky who, police say, attempted to disguise herself with a variety of red and blonde wigs.

Sheriff Wedding revealed that $29,000 in cash was recovered from White and Vicky's vehicle, money which, he said, was 'what was left' of the $90,000 cash that Vicky got from the sale of her house and reportedly withdrew over several weeks.

The Motel 41 demanded cash deposits for guests. A local man paid 'a few hundred bucks' to secure the room for Vicky and Casey White for two weeks

Investigators recovered $29,000 in cash of the $90,000 Vicky had withdrawn from her account in the months leading up to their escape

These are all of the weapons the couple had in their Cadillac when they were rammed into a ditch by police yesterday

Asked where the bulk of the money had gone, Sheriff Wedding told DailyMail.com: 'They spent it. They spent it on multiple vehicles, equipment, a gun, hotel, meals, clothes$60,000 can go pretty quick if you're spending $6,000 a pop.'

Vicky used some of the cash and an alias to purchase the bronze 2007 Ford Edge in which they initially fled before abandoning it on a rural road in Tennessee about two hours north of the Florence, Alabama, jail from which White was sprung.

According to US Marshalls the couple then spent $6,000 on a Ford F-150 which was spotted parked at an odd angle at an Evansville carwash where White was also pictured on surveillance footage.

US Marshals Commander Chad Hunt said at Tuesday's press conference that the couple are believed to have purchased another vehicle.

But the grey Cadillac in which they ultimately fled and that was spotted by a patrol officer at the Motel 41 came up as stolen when the officer ran its plates on May 4.

Shaw said that the local man who reserved Room 150 for the couple booked it for 14 days and paid in cash. Rooms at Motel 41 cost approximately $44 a night along with a $25 cash deposit required upon booking.

The pair were caught Monday afternoon after leading US Marshals on a car chase that lasted 'less than a few minutes'. They had been in Evansville, Indiana, since May 3

Vicky White, who was driving, was found pinned inside with a gunshot wound to the head, said US Marshal Matt Keely

The two were found 219 miles away from the jail they left in Alabama on April 29. The manhunt spanned three different states

Ultimately the couple spent only six days there, and according to Shaw, the man who made the booking has now taken occupancy of the room.

Speaking to DailyMail.com Sheriff Wedding confirmed that a third party had made the booking and said that the man who had been paid, 'a few hundred bucks' had not broken any laws.

He said that the man had no prior connections to the couple who appeared to have chosen him for the task at random.

Images obtained by DailyMail.com show the simple rooms with an open clothes rack for hanging garments, small table and wall mounted television like the one in which White and Vicky stayed.

Shaw would not give details of the man but said: 'The police know everything. Casey and Vicky were never technically here, they were never on the books, and they didn't check in under false names. You cannot check in here without a valid ID. This man checked in for them.'

According to Sheriff Wedding, White and Vicky had 'no connections' to the area and had simply intended to lay low while they figured out where to go next.

Surveillance video previously released showed Vicky helping Casey escape from the Lauderdale County Jail, where he had been incarcerated on April 29. The pair then fled together before being found 11 days later nearly 300 miles away

CCTV footage released last Wednesday showed Vicky and Casey driving to the Florence Square shopping center on Friday where they abandoned the sheriff's car used during the escape

The couple then switched getaway vehicles, using Vicky's a rust-colored SUV that was later found abandoned in College Grove, Tennessee

Former correctional officer Vicky White was seen checking out of the Quality Inn in Florence, Alabama, the morning she was seen helping her convict lover escape jail

He said that as much as they had a plan it was 'a faulty plan' and that White had given no indication that they had been headed to any particular destination.

Timeline of Vicky White and Casey White's escape April 18: Jail guard Vicky White sold her Lexington home. Public records revealed she sold the property for $95,550, which was below market value. She started living with her mother after the sale. April 28: Vicky submits retirement paperwork to officials at Lauderdale County Jail. According to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton, she had been discussing her retirement for many months and 'talked about going to the beach'. Pre-prison break: In the week ahead of the escape (specific dates unknown) Vicky purchased men's clothing at a Kohl's store and visited a sex shop. It is unclear if she bought anything at the adult toy store. Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly claims she also withdrew $90K in cash out of a series of bank accounts. April 29 at 5.21am: Vicky checks out of a Quality Inn Florence, Alabama. 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. Approximately 11pm: College Grove, Tennessee resident Jackie Adams finds Vicky's SUV - with tinted windows and no tags - abandoned by her home. She reported the vehicle to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, which had it towed. May 1: Us Marshals offer a $10,000 bounty - now up to $25,000 - for Casey May 3: US Marshals issued a warrant for Vicky. charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree in connection with capital murder May 4: Vicky and Casey were seen driving around Florence in a police cruiser on gas station surveillance May 6: Tennessee cops discover the impounded SUV belonged to Vicky, spurring a force of US Marshals, Williamson County Sheriff's Officers, and SWAT members to circle back to Adams' property. Drones and helicopters descended on Adams' home - where they remained for hours and into the evening. 2.15pm: The Williamson County Sheriff's Office tweets 'there is NO sign the two are still in our area.' May 7: Connolly reveals investigators' theory that Vicky is rolling Casey, dressed as a woman, around in a wheelchair. Officials also suspect Vicky might be disguising herself as an elderly woman with a grey wig. May 9: US Marshals search for the couple in Evansville, Indiana after authorities locate a vehicle that had been reported stolen in the area of Tennessee where Vicky's SUV was abandoned. The couple is then caught after a brief car chase in Evansville, Indiana. Casey White surrenders. Vicky White is taken to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Source: WAAY-TV, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, NewsNation, TODAY and DailyMail.com Advertisement

Ironically the motel, formerly a Motel 6, and situated on Old Highway in the shadow of a now abandoned shopping plaza, is only a stone's throw from Vanderburgh County Sheriff Department Headquarters and the jail in which White is currently being held awaiting extradition back to Alabama.

In the end, they were rammed into a ditch by US Marshals. Vicky shot herself before police swooped on the vehicle and Casey surrendered.

Initially, police said she killed herself. Audio of a dispatch call between 911 operators reveals that Vicky told them she was holding the gun and had her finger on the trigger. However on Tuesday, it remained unclear if she killed herself or if Casey shot her. An autopsy is pending.

'When we made the arrest yesterday afternoon, when we were taking Casey into custody he said: "Help my wife, she just shot herself." Obviously, there's an ongoing investigation to determine just that,' Marshal Chad Hunt told Good Morning America Tuesday.

White is now in custody in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, but is due to be transported back to Alabama.

On Tuesday morning, he waived his right to an extradition hearing in Indiana, telling a judge: 'I want to go back to Alabama.'

It's unclear when he will be extradited. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said at a press conference on Tuesday that he would be transferred into the custody of Alabama sheriffs secretly, out of the view of the media.

White confessed to investigators that he had planned to fight officers in a shootout.

'He said he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives. Their plan was pretty faulty  they're criminals. It failed. Thank god,' Sheriff Wedding said.

'He said he was just trying to find a place to lay low, hide out. They thought they'd driven long enough and they wanted to stop for awhile and get their bearings.

'We don't believe they had any relatives, friends in the area,' he said.

Vicky was said to have been driving the pair's getaway vehicle when it crashed during a police chase.

On Tuesday morning, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Sheriff Singleton said she was the 'mastermind' of their logistical escape plan, but it's unclear who came up with the idea to get Casey out.

'To go from day one, thinking she's been kidnapped and maybe in danger then finding out she took him out willingly, then trying to determine was she threatened or coerced in some way...then finding out that she was basically the mastermind behind the whole plan. It's been an emotional roller-coaster.

'Obviously, he was behind bars  he couldn't have planned too much behind bars. Personally, I think she was the one who put the plan together. She was in a position of knowledge. She made sure the other armed deputies were out, she arranged to purchase the getaway car, she sold her house got her hands on cash, went shopping.

'She obviously put the plan together,' he told CNN.

The pair had been on the run since April 29, when former assistant director of corrections Vicky helped White break out of Lauderdale County Jail in Alabama under the guise of taking him for a mental health check.

Vicky was initially seen in her police cruiser, but later changed vehicles and took off to Tennessee before dumping that car and picking up another. It's unclear what their plan was before they were caught.

In the months leading up to the escape, the prison guard sold her home and withdrew $90,000 in cash from her bank account. She was due to retire the day after the prison break.

Vicky had been seen entering and exiting the motel room in a wig. She and Casey are believed to have been having a secret affair for more than two years.
This is the moment Ecuadorean security forces rounded up half of the inmates who escaped from a prison where at least 44 others were killed in a riot.

Agents were able to secure 112 of the 220 detainees who fled from the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas on Monday. The rest of the prisoners remained on the run as of Tuesday.

At least six prisoners, who were identified as leaders of the R7 and Los Lobos gangs that were involved in the rebellion, were transferred to two detention facilities in the nation's capital of Guayaquil.

Among them is Freddy Anchundia, a R7 leader who was previously held at the La Roca maximum security prison before he was transferred to the Bellavista jail after a court judge ruled in favor of a petition filed by his legal defense team because he had received death threats.

His transfer, authorities said, may have sparked the latest deadly prison clash to rock the South American country.

One of the 112 inmates who were captured after fleeing the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, is escorted back to the penitentiary after 44 prisoners were killed during a clash Monday. At least 108 remained at large as of Tuesday

Security forces round up over a dozen inmates who were among the 220 who escaped the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, on Monday following a riot sparked by the Los Lobos and R7 gangs that left 44 prisoners dead

Security forces in Ecuador guard a group of inmates that fled the overcrowded Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas following a rebellion that left 44 detainees dead

At least 41 of the 44 inmates who were killed at the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, were members of the R7 gang

Most of 44 inmates who were killed were stabbed to death, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo said.

Forty-one of the victims were identified as members of the R7 gang.

Efforts to remove all of the bodies were initiated Tuesday around 1:30 local time. At least thee of the victims were not identified

The riot was the latest incident of violence in Ecuadorean prisons, which the government attributes to fights between gangs over control of territory and drug trafficking routes.

Security forces guard six leaders of the R7 and Los Lobos gangs who were transferred from the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, following Monday's riot that left 44 inmates dead

Ecuadorean security forces escort one of the six gang leaders who were transferred out of the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, to two prisons in Guayaquil on Monday

One of the six leaders of the two gangs involved in Monday's riot that left 44 inmates dead at a prison is led into a helicopter before he was taken to another jail

Relatives of inmates wait outside the Bella Vista prison after a riot, in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, on May 9,

Soldiers guard outside Bellavista prison where a deadly riot broke out overnight in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador

Last year, 316 prisoners died during riots in various prisons across Ecuador.

Los Lobos and rival gangs were also involved in a clash a prison in Turi that left 20 inmates dead on April 3.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has said the system is blighted by state abandonment and the absence of a comprehensive policy, as well as poor conditions for inmates.

The country's prisons house have more than 36,000 people and are overcrowded at about 15% beyond maximum capacity.

Conservative President Guillermo Lasso has promised to reduce prison violence through a gang pacification process, early release for prisoners and political and social reforms.

'We will not give in to the mafias,' Lasso tweeted Monday. 'Our commitment to restore order in prisons is firm.'

Ecuadorean security forces have recaptured 112 of 120 prisoners who fled the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador, during Monday's rebellion

A family member of an inmate is being helped by a nurse and a friend after she received confirmation of the death of her relative who was one of the 44 prisoners killed during Monday's jail riot in Ecuador
Gun murders skyrocketed in the United States in 2020 and reached their highest rate since 1994, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection.

The US racked up 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, as calls to defund the police were sweeping the nation, marking a nearly 35 percent increase from 2019, the CDC said in a report on Tuesday.

The national also recorded 24,245 gun suicides, an annual increase of 1.5 percent but in line with recent trends, and the surge in gun deaths was driven largely by an increase in murders.

'The tragic and historic increase in firearm homicide and the persistently high rates of firearm suicide underscore the urgent need for action to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths,' said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

'By addressing factors contributing to homicide and suicide and providing support to communities, we can help stop violence now and in the future,' she said.

Gun murders skyrocketed in the US in 2020 and reached their highest rate since 1994, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection

Firearms were involved in 79 percent of all homicides and 53 percent of all suicides in 2020, the CDC data showed.

The highest gun homicide rates and increases occurred among black persons, the CDC said.

From 2019 to 2020, the overall firearm homicide rate increased 34.6 percent, from 4.6 to 6.1 per 100,000 persons and the highest rate in more than 25 years.

Geographically, gun homicide rates increased across the country in large and small metro areas, as well as non-metro and rural areas.

The overall firearm suicide rate remained nearly level between 2019 and 2020. Rates of firearm suicide increased most notably among Native American males aged 1044.

The CDC said in a statement: 'Long-standing systemic inequities and structural racism may contribute to unfair and avoidable health disparities among some racial and ethnic groups.'

The agency called for a 'comprehensive approach' to 'reduce disparities and the risk for violence.'

NYPD personnel respond to a shooting in Brooklyn last month. The US racked up 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, as calls to defund the police were sweeping the nation

CDC experts claimed that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic could be to blame for the soaring increase in gun deaths.

'One possible explanation is stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that could have played a role' in the rise, said Tom Simons, an expert in violence prevention at the CDC.

'These include changes and disruptions to services and education, social isolation, economic stressors such as job loss, housing instability, and difficulty covering daily expenses,' he told reporters.

The report also acknowledged tensions between the public and law enforcement, noting the wave of protests in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

'Firearm deaths are preventable, not inevitable,' said Debra Houry, director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, recommending 'a comprehensive approach focused on reducing inequity.'

Police investigate a fatal shooting in Chicago in a file photo. CDC experts claimed that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic could be to blame for the soaring increase in gun deaths

She cited the 'promising' work of street outreach workers in reducing tensions in high-crime neighborhoods, as well as mediation programs set up in some hospitals to help young people wounded in the streets 'break the cycle of violence,' and the work of suicide prevention programs.

Houry also noted the need to address underlying economic factors by offering housing aid or tax credits, and ensuring 'livable wages' to lift disadvantaged families out of poverty.

Another avenue being explored is the role of improving the environment, with the creation of green spaces or the cleaning-up of waste lots.

'Revitalized vacant lots in communities have been associated with reduced firearm assault, with particular benefits in areas with the highest poverty,' she said.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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The View co-host Joy Behar cheered on the protestors who rallied outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home.

On Monday night more than 100 people gathered outside Justice Samuel Alito's home in Virginia after a leaked draft opinion written by the Justice suggested a majority of conservatives on the court are prepared to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

Demonstrators marched up and down his street in Alexandria, lit candles and shouted slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice'.

During a segment on The View on Tuesday the panel of hosts discussed the implications of the protests, with Behar firmly backing the protestors.

'But it also shows Alito what it feels like to lose your freedom of choice,' Behar said. 'He cannot leave the house easily, so maybe that's a good lesson for them'

During a segment on The View on Tuesday the panel of hosts discussed the implications of the protests

Demonstrators marched up and down his street in Alexandria, lit candles and shouted slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice'

Many of those gathered held candles and also signs with pointed questions in order to make themselves heard

Demonstrators marched up and down his street, lit candles and shouted slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice'

Former Trump White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin said that while the first amendment gives Americans the right to peacefully assemble, taking protests to the lawns of Justices might be crossing the line.

'I will say this, I think the more appropriate have been you is the steps of the Supreme Court. I worry it could begin to look like intimidation at someone's doorsteps,' Griffin said.

But co-host Whoopi Goldberg was not impressed and said what Griffin said was 'so funny' and added she believes the protests were okay because conservative Justice's were intimidating women by trying to overturn Roe v. Wade.

'So does what Alito wrote. Looks the same way to me,' she said. 'It looks like intimidation. And yeah, it's kind of the same thing.'

Co-host Joy Behar chimed in saying Alito is getting a taste of his own medicine.

'But it also shows Alito what it feels like to lose your freedom of choice,' Behar said. 'He cannot leave the house easily, so maybe that's a good lesson for them.'

A police officer stands outside the home of Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito as pro-abortion protesters gather in Alexandria

A woman holds a pro-abortion sign while posing for a photo next to a chalked coat hanger

Protesters gathered outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house, screaming: 'We will not go back!'

The protests outside Alito's home on Monday took place days after dozens of people gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

On Saturday protestors carrying signs that read 'An abortion saved my family' and 'Abortion is Healthcare, Healthcare is a right' first arrived at Justice Roberts' home where protestors drew multiple chalk outlines coat hangers, a famous symbol of illegal abortions.

Protestors chanted 'Keep abortion safe and legal!' and 'Pro-life is a lie! You don't care if people die!'

Then as the sun went down the pro-choice advocates lit candles and marched to Justice Kavanaugh's home where they packed the streets slowing down traffic and were captured shouting multiple chants angrily.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to condemn protests outside of conservative Supreme Court justices' homes.

'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.'

Protestors across the nation started assembling just hours after the opinion was leaked. Pro-choice rallies, spearheaded by organizations like Planned Parenthood, are slated to continue the upcoming week and weekend

In Alito's leaked document, conservative Justice Alito wrote that Roe v Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which found that excessive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional - was 'egregiously wrong from the start' and 'must be overruled'

Protestors across the nation started assembling just hours after the opinion was leaked. Pro-choice rallies, spearheaded by organizations like Planned Parenthood, are slated to continue the upcoming week and weekend.

In Alito's leaked document, conservative Justice Alito wrote that Roe v Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which found that excessive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional - was 'egregiously wrong from the start' and 'must be overruled'.

Alito, who was nominated to the court in 2006 by George W Bush, argues that Roe's 'reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. Far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.'

But there were few signs that the new ruling will do anything to heal those divisions, with protesters gathering outside the court in Washington DC last night.

If the ruling is overturned by the conservative-dominated court - with Republicans having a 6 - 3 majority - it would give individual states the power to decide on whether to ban abortion. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, has said that 26 states are 'certain or likely' to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Abortion rights have been under threat in recent months as Republican-led states move to tighten rules - with some seeking to ban all abortions after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.

These include Arizona, where the Republican Governor in March signed a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy; and Idaho where the governor signed a six-week abortion ban that allows family members of the fetus to sue providers who perform abortions past that point, similar to a Texas law enacted last year.

As it stands in the US, abortion can take place until about 24 weeks into pregnancy - but the exact period varies between states. For example, Texas bans abortion after about six weeks but Florida has a 15-week abortion ban.
Having sat through a seminar on constitutional history at Queen Mary and Westfield College during her visit in 1992, the Queen turned to one of our greatest authorities on the subject, Professor Peter Hennessy, and remarked: 'The British Constitution has always been puzzling  and always will be.'

For proof of that, we only had to look at Parliament yesterday.

There, her officials, her parliamentarians and her judiciary were merrily tying themselves up in knots as they attempted to reproduce that greatest of constitutional rituals, the State Opening of Parliament, minus that crucial ingredient  the head of state.

Was this a 'State Opening' or an 'Opening'? No one seemed sure.

Should we be calling this the 'Queen's Speech' or not? Or even the 'Prince's Speech'? Again, the jury was out.

Last night, Downing Street couldn't make up its mind and, bizarrely, had posted a transcript of the wrong speech on its website.

Such are the joys of our unwritten constitution. Little wonder the Queen finds it 'puzzling', given that it can befuddle so many of her senior advisers.

However, she had been very clear about one thing. In her absence, due to 'episodic mobility' issues, she had wanted the Prince of Wales to read her speech. And no one was minded to quibble with our longest-reigning monarch in her Jubilee year.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, sits by the The Imperial State Crown, in the House of Lords Chamber, during the historic State Opening of Parliament today

Tradition and precedent dictate that, when the sovereign is absent, Parliament is opened by a panel of 'Lords Commissioners' with the Lord Chancellor reading the speech.

That is what happened when Queen Victoria, George V and the Queen's father had all failed to attend for one reason or another. It is what happened on the two occasions she was absent during pregnancy.

Yesterday, the Queen had wanted to break that tradition, thus depriving Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab of his moment in the constitutional sun.

She had issued Letters Patent laying down new arrangements for her eldest son and heir to read the speech and for him to open Parliament along with the Duke of Cambridge.

This was, unquestionably, a very big moment in personal, historic and, of course, constitutional terms. Yet there was nothing remotely incongruous about hearing those deep, mellow tones reading out the Government's new programme, instead of the more clipped diction we have heard for as long as most of us can recall.

The prince carried out his task with the polish, gravitas and confidence we might expect from the longest-serving heir to the throne in history.

Though bare-headed and not dressed in robes of state  he was in his Admiral of the Fleet uniform with Garter collar and Thistle sash  he looked and sounded the full regal part. Of course, he was born to it. But he has now been playing an active role in public life for longer than anyone else in the Chamber yesterday.

He attended his first State Opening in 1967, before many of those on parade had even been born. Sitting alongside him, in plain morning dress, the Duke of Cambridge looked older than some of the MPs at the back.

Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the Queen's Speech in the House of Lord's Chamber during the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Lords on May 11, 2021

Cars with dignitaries leave Buckingham Palace for the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London

There were a few other modernising touches, including the Duchess of Cornwall's stunning navy dress, coat and hat. For the first time, the procession boasted a female herald, Professor Anne Curry, a medieval historian from the University of Southampton. From now on, at state occasions, however, she will be known as 'Arundel Herald Extraordinary'.

The proceedings included the Household Cavalry's first husband-and-wife State Trumpeters, Kate and Julian Sandford. Yet as their fanfare sounded, it did feel peculiar not to see the solemn, serene personification of permanence coming into view.

In the absence of the Queen, the authorities were keen to weed out anything which might smack of 'regency' (even if the prince's presiding role as Counsellor of State was arranged under the terms of the Regency Act 1937).

The outward symbols were designed to stress the prince's role as a deputy, not a replacement. So, the Queen's usual position was occupied by the Imperial State Crown. She has not worn it for six years because the last few State Openings were reduced, dressed-down affairs for various reasons.

It has always been an ordeal due to the need to carry 2.3lbs of jewels (think two bags of sugar) on one's head and read a speech without looking down.

For most of her reign, the Queen would summon it from the Tower of London a day early so she could wander around the house getting used to the weight. Yesterday, it had pride of place while the prince sat on the throne previously occupied by the Duke of Edinburgh and, before him, by Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.

Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2nd R) reads the Queen's Speech as he sits by the Imperial State Crown (2nd L), Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (R) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) in the House of Lords chamber

Prince Charles, centre, reads the Queen's Speech as he sits next to the Imperial State Crown with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, right, and his son Prince William, left

There was no sign of the Prince of Wales's standard flying above Parliament. While the Royal Standard would have been 'broken' when she arrived, yesterday there was just the Union flag.

The wording of Black Rod's message to the Commons had been carefully rewritten, too. On previous occasions, when the monarch has been absent, Black Rod would always tell MPs their presence was 'desired' in the Upper House.

Yesterday, Black Rod told them they were 'commanded' by Her Majesty to attend her Counsellors of State. No matter that she was not waiting for them in person.

Interestingly, the Palace had also observed the tradition that an MP (always a senior whip) is held 'hostage' at Buckingham Palace to ensure the safe return of the sovereign.

Conservative MP James Morris duly spent the morning as a captive at the other end of the Mall, even if there was no chance of Parliament locking up a monarch who was watching the proceedings on TV down at Windsor. So, would the prince recite the Queen's text in the first person  'My government'  as the Lord Chancellor has done when standing in?

Or would he have to read it in the third person? It turns out that parliamentary law officers were still debating the prince's correct legal persona yesterday morning until shortly before the start.

The answer duly came ten words into his speech as he made the first of many mentions to 'Her Majesty's Government'

The heir to the throne follows the crown after the historic speech from a gilded throne in the House of Lords

On either side of Charles were William, in a morning coat, at his first State Opening, and the Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a day dress and hat, in the Chairs of State

The Lords, it must be said, was not looking its best. Not so long ago, the State Opening was so oversubscribed that peers would hold a ballot for tickets. Yesterday, there were plenty of gaps and one entirely empty bench, save for the unopened order papers.

Lords insiders pointed out some of the newer breed of Labour and Lib Dem peers are simply uninterested in what they, presumably, regard as outdated tradition.

The MPs, as custom dictates, arrived as noisily as ever and filled every available space at the back.

Afterwards, House of Lords and Buckingham Palace officials were still calling it the 'State Opening'. Yet, Parliament's new and extensive guide to the State Opening, by David Torrance of the House of Commons Library, is clear enough: 'If the Queen is not present, there is no State Opening.'

No 10 published the text of the speech online, calling it: 'Her Majesty's most gracious speech'. It added: 'Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered'

Yet it was not. All the way through, for some reason, it referred to 'My government'  which is not what was delivered.

They might seem minor points. Yet, on a day such as this, these things matter. 'Puzzling' indeed.
Both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed off concerns of protesters making their way to the homes of Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in a leaked draft opinion.

'I know that there's an outrage right now, I guess, about protests that have been peaceful to date -- and we certainly continue to encourage that -- outside of judge's homes,' the press secretary said.

'No one should resort to violence, of course, your threats or intimidation, nor vandalism,' Psaki added.

'What's also important to note here is what I would call the hypocrisy of the silence on the other side, when there have been intimidation, protests, outside of the homes of school board members, the Michigan Secretary of State, there have been countless women who have dealt with and navigated through threats made as they're seeking reproductive reproductive health care, which by the way, has been legal for 50 years and there has been no outcry about that.

'There has been outcry about about protests that have been peaceful outside of judges homes, which again, you know, have been peaceful.'

A reporter reminded the press secretary that the protests were in response to a pending court case, and thus could run up against federal law.

'I know that there's an outrage right now, I guess, about protests that have been peaceful to date -- and we certainly continue to encourage that -- outside of judge's homes,' the press secretary said

Under a federal law, 18 U.S.C. 1507, any individual who 'pickets or parades' with the 'intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer' near a U.S. court or 'near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer' will be fined or 'imprisoned not more than one year, or both.'

'This is a pending court case though, thats where the federal law comes into place- this is a pending court case,' the reporter said.

'I think that intimidation and protests and intimidation outside the homes of school board members, the Michigan secretary of state, intimidation and threats against people seeking legal reproductive healthcare and against our Capitol and democracy also warrant some outrage and we haven't really seen that,' Psaki shot back.

On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called the police after protesters left a chalk message on the sidewalk outside her home.

'Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA > vote yes, clean up your mess,' the message read, according to a Bangor police report.

On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called the police after protesters left a chalk message on the sidewalk outside her home. 'Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA > vote yes, clean up your mess,' the message read, according to a Bangor police report

WHPA refers to the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill the Senate will vote on on Wednesday that would codify abortion rights, but Collins has said goes too far.

Schumer was asked in his own daily briefing if he was 'comfortable' with protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.

'If protests are peaceful. yes. My house, there's protests three to four times a week outside my house,' the Democratic leader said.

But pro-abortion activists aren't just coming for conservative Supreme Court justices anymore; on Tuesday evening, the pro-abortion group Ruth Sent Us and other groups are leading demonstrators to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Pacific Heights mansion to protest the California Democrat's 'careless and cowardly' leadership against Republicans' 'scorched-earth strategy.'

The activists will demand Pelosi 'investigate justices' and 'save abortion.'

'Don't like me at your house? Get out of my uterus' one woman's sign reads as she demonstrates outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito

Candles are left in the street as a cop keeps guard outside Alito's house in the Fort Hunt neighborhood of Alexandria, Va.

'History will remember you as an oppressor and murderer,' another woman's sign reads

'When nauseating Kavanaugh was nominated in 2018, Dems knew he was a Bush campaign operative who had perjured himself in previous confirmation hearings. He was also a known alcoholic and gambler. Then his serial sexual assaults came to light. He was still seated on SCOTUS,' the group wrote on Twitter. 'Through Herculean efforts of grassroots volunteers, @SpeakerPelosi was reinstated in 2019. She held ZERO hearings into Kavanaugh's crimes and perjury. Imagine if she had. Would this creep be on the Court, daring to overturn Roe?'

'Ruth Sent Us' doxxed the Washington, D.C.-area addresses of the six conservative Supreme Court Justices and organized 'walk-bys' of their residences this week to protest the impending opinion that will overturn Roe v. Wade.

The group announced a so-called 'walk-by Wednesday' for May 11, 2022, saying marches will take place 'at the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland.'

On Monday, protesters rallied outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito in Virginia, after dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

Both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed off concerns of protesters making their way to the homes of Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in a leaked draft opinion

'There has been outcry about about protests that have been peaceful outside of judges homes, which again, you know, have been peaceful,' Psaki said

Roberts has said that he doesn't support a full overturn of Roe v. Wade, but claimed he would be in favor of allowing a Mississippi law that makes abortion illegal at the 15-week point of a pregnancy.

Demonstrators marched up and down Alito's street in Alexandria, chanting 'abort the court' while holding lit candles and shouting slogans like 'Alito is a coward', and 'our bodies, our choice.'

Images of coat hangers were chalked on the street outside the justices' homes, an apparent attempt to reinforce the pro-choice argument that overturning Roe v. Wade will not put an end to abortion, but instead will end safe abortions.

'Keep abortion safe and legal,' the pro-abortion protesters chanted while they stood in the streets holding candles and signs.

Others shouted: 'Your life is a lie!' and 'We will not go back!'

Cops stood guard outside the justices' homes and, after what appeared to be a clash with demonstrators, ordered the activists to leave. At least one officer threatened to arrest and charge the protesters for violating Maryland law.

The Supreme Court draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito and published by POLITICO, was leaked on Monday. The document revealed the court has voted to strike down the landmark 1973 ruling Rove v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.

On Monday the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to beef up security for justices and their families.

Last week, law enforcement erected wire fencing outside the Supreme Court and justices canceled their public outings after the leaked opinion sent shock waves across the nation.

Protesters also appeared outside churches over the weekend and violence ensued at the office of pro-life groups.

Antifa vandals hurled at least one Molotov cocktail into offices of Wisconsin Family Action in Madison, an anti-abortion group in the state. The group also scrawled a chilling message on the wall that read, 'If abortions aren't safe you aren't either,' as well as the Antifa Symbol  a capital 'A' inside a circle  and the number 1312, which is a code that stands for ACAB, meaning 'All Cops are Bastards.'

The damage was discovered on Mother's Day morning Sunday when a passerby called police and reported seeing smoke coming from the headquarters of the pro-life group.

Julaine Appling, president of the lobbying and advocacy organization, told the Wisconsin State Journal that a window was broken, books were burned, and there was graffiti on the walls, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday Russia hasn't been willing to negotiate with Ukraine, echoing a dim U.S. intelligence view of a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine as the Italian Prime Minister called for a cease fire.

'Well, I think to be clear, we've long supported ceasefires. It requires both the parties  including the party that is invaded the other country  to be a part of that and they haven't shown a willingness to sit at the negotiating table,' Psaki said.

She was asked about a comment by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi referencing 'the possibility of bringing a ceasefire.'

Psaki then referenced talks early in the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as talks over humanitarian corridors amid Russia's continued bombardment of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Washington. Draghi brought up 'the possibility of bringing a ceasefire' to Ukraine, in comments Biden did not echo

'So I think there have been efforts as you know, humanitarian ceasefires and others in a limited fashion in the past and the past couple of months, which the Russians have failed to implement,' Psaki said at the White House press briefing.

She spoke after Draghi made an insistent call for a cease fire during his meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

'In Italy and Europe now, people want an end to this violence; these massacres, this butchering that's happening,' Draghi told reporters, speaking in English.

'And people think about what can we do to bring peace,' Draghi continued. '

'We've long supported ceasefires. It requires both the parties  including the party that is invaded the other country,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said

Vladimir Putin is preparing for a 'prolonged' war in the Ukraine, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, President Joe Biden's spy chief, warned

A Ukrainian serviceman inspects a site after an airstrike by Russian forces in Bahmut, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Maxim stands in the crater of an explosion after Russian shelling next to the Orthodox Skete in honor of St. John of Shanghai in Adamivka, near Slovyansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Russian main battle tank T-90M Proryv destroyed by Ukrainian Armed Forces is seen near the village of Staryi Saltiv, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine May 9, 2022

'People think that -- at least they want to think about the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting again some credible negotiations. That's the situation right now. I think that we have to think deeply on how to address this,' he added.

Biden spoke after Draghi, but did not repeat his comments about a ceasefire  which comes as the U.S. is rushing weapons to Ukraine and pushing through a new $40 billion aid package for the besieged country.

'I believe that a strong European Union is in the interest of the United States. Granted, that's competition, economically, but it's good. It's good,' Biden said.

The Italian's remark came on a day when Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified that the U.S. didn't see a 'viable negotiating path forward at least in the short term' between the two sides.

She also sketched out a view of a stalemate and a 'war of attrition' between the two sides that could be prolonged.

'The uncertain nature of the battle which is developing into a war of attrition, combined with the reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory,' she said.
Airports would function so much better if they did not have to deal with that annoying thing called PASSENGERS.

So would trains for that matter.

The scenes of the kilometre long queues at Birmingham airport this week shame the travel industry. The 5.45am queue outside Manchester airport. The chaos at Leeds which caused a woman to miss not one, but two flights as she patiently queued.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled over the past month. Airports are understaffed. Intercity trains are still being cancelled without any warning.

Who is to blame?

Travel has stopped being a joyful pleasure and become an experience designed to test our patience and physical strength to the limit. And were paying plenty to be treated shabbily.

Those shuffling careworn folk at dawn outside British airports are valued customers being treated appallingly - mugs who have paid millions of pounds for a service (a holiday flight) which will probably be a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

For almost two years during the pandemic- as passengers plummeted to 1950s levels - transport bosses whined and whinged about going out of business, begging for government bailouts.

BIRMINGHAM: Huge queues formed outside Birmingham airport as early as 5:45 on Tuesday

MANCHESTER: Queues also formed at Manchester airport on Monday (pictured)

STANSTEAD: Travellers flying from London's Stanstead airport took to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction on Tuesday

Then, when we were allowed to travel again, confusing and complicated restrictions imposed by the government (and to be fair, by popular destinations like Spain and Italy) didnt exactly bring passengers back in a hurry.

The travel industry finally had their prayers answered last February when Boris decided to throw caution to the winds and declare there was no need to isolate any more and pre-flight testing for most countries came to an end in time for the Easter holidays.

Starved of foreign travel, Brits booked millions of flights, desperate to get away from the horrible in-fighting in Whitehall, Partygate, Beergate, soaring energy and food prices and a plethora of lies and waffle from our elected leaders.

A few days of mindlessly loafing on a lounger was what we needed.

And then

Airport bosses seemed astonished that hundreds of thousands of passengers would be using their facilities. Yes, people who would need to check in, and pass through security.

Flights would have to be operated by pilots and staffed by crew members.

Baggage would need to be loaded and unloaded in acceptable time frames.

Easter is always busy, so it wasnt unexpected that airports all over the UK would be throbbing with activity for the first time in two years.

Sadly, they did not rise to the challenge.

During Covid, airlines laid off thousands of highly trained, expert staff who had passed security vetting procedures and safety protocols- from pilots to cabin crew.

Airports got rid of baggage handlers, and huge numbers of operating staff who had been vetted and passed all the necessary safeguards.

Now there was a desperate scramble to recruit them back.

Many core workers didnt want to know because theyd found other employment or didnt fancy getting up at 3am for a measly salary under 11 an hour.

The result?

The current chaos. Queues that shame our travel industry. Passengers treated worse than cattle.

At Easter, British Airways and Ryanair cancelled over 1,000 flights, claiming staff shortages along with covid.

On the day before I flew to Australia, Heathrow was in chaos as hundreds of flights were cancelled without notice and families were pouring into every hotel in the area.

There were similar scenes at Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds, 30-hour delays for take-offs, 2 hour waits at passport control.

Now, over five weeks later, passengers are still being forced to queue for up to two hours on popular travel days. Being told to get to the airport at least three hours before their flight departs. In some cases, 5 hours is recommended.

BRISTOL: Holidaymakers and commuters flying from Bristol airport experience lengthy queues early Tuesday morning

Queues are shown snaking through Birmingham airport on Tuesday morning

Passengers queue in Manchester airport's departures hall on Monday

How can a family with small children manage? Are they truly expected to patiently shuffle forwards in a queue for two hours to board a flight which they have paid for- knowing they will not get a refund if they dont manage to get through security in time?

I was so worried about missing my fight to Melbourne, I booked a room at the airport the night before, adding another unnecessary cost to my trip.

Airport bosses have reacted in a variety of ways. The boss of Manchester airport- Karen Smart, resigned. It emerged she was paid 2.5 million in 2021, a 500,000 rise on 2020 - at a time when the airport wasnt operating anywhere near capacity.

Now, interim Managing Director Ian Costigan says he is focused on bringing in extra resources we need to continue operating our full fight schedule.

Unions say that drivers are only being offered 13,000 a year and security ambassadors (whatever that means) are being recruited at 10,53 an hour, which doesnt sound very enticing for one of the most challenging jobs going, with 3am starts and night shifts.

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates there will be over 200,000 unfilled jobs in the industry in 2022. So, the problem is not going to disappear overnight.

Passengers queue at the departures terminal to get through security at Manchester Airport

Manchester airport's departure hall is shown on April 30, with queues of passengers filling the large room

The travel industry bosses have sleepwalked out of covid and into a catastrophe. Nick Barton, the boss of Birmingham airport, reckons the crisis will last several weeks, blaming the length of time (12 weeks) it takes to recruit and train staff. He whimpered its still the legacy of the industry being turned back on by the government removal of the rules in mid-February.

I think hes trying to complain that the travel industry got what they were begging for- the ending of restrictions and freedom to leave the UK by plane for a holiday!

He seemed aggrieved that 14,000 people had booked to fly out of his airport on one day at dawn. A day when some passengers were told to get there FIVE HOURS before take-off.

People book the flights that are on offer. Passengers dont write the timetables. Most budget airlines offer the best deals early in the morning and late at night, with few other flights at more palatable times.

At Manchester airport, 550 staff have started since January, with another 500 going through vetting and security training. Thats hardly going to solve matters in time for the summer holidays.

Travellers are told not to check in luggage. Not to arrive too early. Carry water so we dont collapse in the queue. But not drink too much so we need to go to the loo and lose our place.

Is the root of all these woes the new WFH culture? Getting a passport will now take up to ten weeks as civil servants struggle to meet a huge surge in demand following two years when we couldnt go anywhere, and no one bothered to renew their old passport.

Has travel ever seemed more grim? And why do we put up with being treated so badly? Anyone might think the airlines are doing us a favour by taking our money and giving us very little in return.

We regularly complain about poor service in shops and restaurants, but when it comes to air travel, were long-suffering mugs.
An Australian woman reached out for help to overcome her addiction to chocolate after finally admitting to her family she often eats two or three family blocks a day.

Luana Tyne, 48, said she has long been able to keep up appearances as a Melbourne-mum because her addiction is 'socially acceptable'.

She told A Current Affair 'no one looks twice' at someone having a cheeky chocolate in the car or at work , but for her the 'bad habit' was taking a significant toll on her life.

Scroll down for the video.

Luana Tyne, 48, reached out for help after admitting to her family she has an 'out of control' chocolate addiction that sees her eat a pack of Tim Tams and several family blocks a day

Ms Tyne said since her chocolate addiction began she has been battling chronic joint pain but even the toll on her health wasn't enough to make the mum stop.

'I keep eating it and get no benefit from it, it's not like I keep feeling better, or keep feeling happier,' she said.

Her 'out of control' addiction saw Ms Tyne eat a pack of Tim Tams and two to three family blocks everyday.

On top of that she'll also enjoy a bucket of M&Ms, a bowl of Maltesers, or her personal favourite: a few Ferrero Rochers.

After a 20 minute appointment with Mark Stephens - a hypnotherapist and habit-breaking specialist - the chocoholic Melbourne-mum said she'd sworn off chocolate forever

Ms Tyne said she had only recently told her family about her problem and shared some of the places she hides her 'stash'.

The clever mum would hide chocolate in secret corners of the pantry, under her bed, between DVDs, and among the TV remotes.

She even went as far as finding hiding holes for her rubbish so her family wouldn't know how bad the situation was.

'I have other areas where I'll hide the rubbish. I hate it, it's out of control. I don't know how it got this bad,' she said.

Ms Tyne said she was 'embarrassed and ashamed' of her addiction and is determined to never touch chocolate again

Fortunately A Current Affair was able to put Ms Tyne in touch with Mark Stephens, a hypnotherapist and habit-breaking specialist who would change her life forever.

After just a 20 minute appointment with him Ms Tyne was determined she would never touch a chocolate again.

Ms Tyne was shown the mound she would usually eat in a month and said she was 'embarrassed and ashamed'.

'I just see damage now. I don't want to look at it. I'm angry at myself now for what it's done to me,' she said.

If you need help or support for an eating disorder or body image issue, please call Butterfly's National Helpline on 1800 334 673 or email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au
Many couples trying for a baby turn to technology to work out the perfect window in which to conceive.

But instead they should just focus on having sex every other day, according to a leading fertility expert.

Women have increasingly been using trendy phone apps and test kits to track when they are ovulating  releasing an egg.

This has raised concerns that focusing on ovulation may mean they neglect having sex at other times.

Professor Adam Balen, former chairman of the British Fertility Society, told the Daily Mail: Couples should ideally be having sex every other day to maximise their chances of having a baby.

Many couples trying for a baby turn to technology to work out the perfect window in which to conceive (stock image)

If men do not have sex regularly, older sperm building up in their body can release chemicals which may cause other sperm to die.

He added: Women sometimes get too hung up on ovulation, wait only for that day to have sex, and do it less often as a result.

Professor Balen, an NHS consultant in reproductive medicine in Leeds, said: Couples trying to conceive often focus just on the time of ovulation to have sex. But you need to have sperm there waiting for the egg.

Women tend to ovulate around 14 days after their period. But this is not an exact science and by the time a woman has a positive result using an ovulation test not much time is left to have sex.

Many experts say it is best to have sex shortly before ovulation as sperm can survive in the female body for up to five days. They will therefore be already there waiting for the egg  making pregnancy more likely.

Professor Balen told the Fertility Show in London that long gaps between ejaculations are bad for the health of sperm. He told the Mail: We have become too hi-tech in our approach to life generally and that extends to getting pregnant.

People want a sense of control and something they can track on an app. But actually focusing so much on ovulation can lead to men having to have sex to order, which is stressful and bad for their emotional wellbeing.

Women should be aware of when they are ovulating but not tie themselves in knots over it and forget the importance of having sex generally.

But instead they should just focus on having sex every other day, according to a leading fertility expert (stock image)

The femtech industry, which includes ovulation trackers, is booming and is expected to be worth 44billion by 2027.

Women can keep track of their cycle and ovulation dates on an app. They can confirm they are ovulating by urinating on a stick, similar to a pregnancy test.

Current chairman of the British Fertility Society, Dr Raj Mathur, backed the advice for couples to have sex regularly when trying for a baby.

He said: Couples trying to conceive should not restrict sex to a specific time in their cycle. Ovulation can occur at different times and, of course, sex shouldnt be just for conception. A frequency of every other day is great if they can achieve it.

Another fertility expert, Professor Allan Pacey, of Sheffield University, this week raised concerns that couples increasingly need artificial help to conceive such as IVF because they are not having enough sex.

nTickets are still available for an online version of the Fertility Show. Details at www.fertilityshow.co.uk/london
A leading barrister is said to have sent a text message saying he would 'sh*g' the boss of Rape Crisis Scotland 'just to have something over her'.

Complaints: Mr McConnachie

Brian McConnachie QC, a former High Court prosecutor in Scotland, has been found guilty of 'unsatisfactory' conduct after also allegedly making an obscene comment about a client.

Sanctions have yet to be decided but under the rules of the Faculty of Advocates he could face a fine of up to 3,000.

A disciplinary committee of the investigating body found there was insufficient evidence to prove more serious 'professional' misconduct.

Mr McConnachie, 63, is said to have made the 'distasteful' sexual comment about Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, on October 27, 2020.

A spokesman for the charity said: 'We are shocked and extremely disappointed to see such sexist and misogynistic behaviour directed towards our chief executive. For senior members of the faculty to discuss our staff in such a sexist and demeaning way is completely unacceptable.'

The disciplinary committee found Mr McConnachie guilty of 'unsatisfactory professional conduct' (L) Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland (R) Brian McConnachie

Complaints were first sent to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC), an independent body that handles disputes between the public and lawyers.

It decided there were grounds to refer six to the Faculty, The Daily Record reported.

The disciplinary committee also found Mr McConnachie guilty of 'unsatisfactory professional conduct' due to allegedly calling a client a 'lying c***'.

It said this insulting conduct fell beneath the standard expected of 'reputable advocates'.

A Faculty spokesman said: 'As the process is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for [the] faculty to comment on this matter, beyond confirming it is correct to say that a finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct had been determined regarding Brian McConnachie QC.'

Mr McConnachie declined to comment yesterday, saying only 'Cheerio' when approached at his home near Burrelton, Perthshire.

Last night Scottish Tory deputy leader Meghan Gallacher said: 'These vile comments would be totally unacceptable coming from anyone  that they came from a senior QC defies belief.'

And Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: 'These are appallingly derogatory comments to come from a senior lawyer.'

Mr McConnachie has acted in some of Scotland's most high-profile cases, including the defence of Aaron Campbell, who was 16 when he was convicted of abducting, raping and murdering six-year-old Alesha MacPhail in 2018 on the Isle of Bute.

He was the eighth highest legal aid earner in 2020-21 with earnings of 147,000, down from 333,000 in 2019-2020.

On the Faculty's website, Mr McConnachie is described as 'one of Scotland's busiest Queen's Counsel'.

After a successful period as junior counsel he joined Crown Office as an Advocate Depute in 2002.

He remained there until 2009 and was the Principal Advocate Depute with practical responsibility for the prosecution of all High Court crime in Scotland.

Since returning to private practice he has been 'regularly instructed in a wide variety of serious and regulatory crime'.
Confronting images have emerged from inside the gym where a Comanchero bikie was gunned down alongside his brother, with paramedics seen desperately trying to revive the bloodied pair.

The outlaw motorcycle club's boss Tarek Zahed is now miraculously in a stable condition in hospital after being shot in a hail of bullets during a workout with his younger brother - also a notorious gangland figure.

Zahed and Omar were shot multiple times inside the Bodyfit gym in Sydney's Auburn on Tuesday night at about 8pm, leaving both men with catastrophic injuries.

Omar, 39, went into cardiac arrest after suffering several gunshot wounds to his stomach, arms and legs - later dying at the scene.

His bikie enforcer brother, 41, was hit by 10 bullets to his body, including to his head, before being rushed to Westmead Hospital where he is understood to have gruesome injuries.

In the weeks leading up to the horror shooting Zahed was warned by organised crime detectives to 'stop going to the gym, change your routine'.

His friends even begged him to 'play it safe' and stop after learning that $1million bounty had been put out on him by rivals.

Investigators are now probing whether the latest shooting in Sydney's tit-for-tat crime saga is linked to the execution of Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad two weeks earlier - as police sources reveal to Daily Mail Australia that 'retaliation' for the hit will be 'huge'.

Police and paramedics are seen trying to save the two men at the gym on Tuesday night after the shooting - with pools of blood seen across the foyer

Tarek Zahed (pictured, right) and brother Omar (left) were gunned down outside a gym on Tuesday night - with Omar dying at the scene after being shot in the head

Police were called to the Bodyfit Gym on Parramatta Road around 8pm on Tuesday night (pictured) where paramedics battled to save the brothers' lives

Considered the 'heaviest hitter in Australia,' insiders say there will be further escalation in the gangland war gripping Sydney's southwest.

'Whoever has done this is game to go toe-to-toe with the Comancheros. Nobody does that,' the police source said. 'It's the biggest hit of the year.'

Whoever carried out the contract shooting will be 'sweating on updates about his condition'.

'They'd be hoping Tarek dies, so at least they got the job done. The retaliation from this will be huge,' the source said.

But detectives don't yet have any solid leads or ideas as to who might have been behind the hit.

While the deadly shooting is thought to be retaliation for the killing of Hamzy-linked Ahmad on April 27 in Greenacre, investigators and underworld sources say the the situation is not that clear cut.

Over a dozen bodies have lined Sydney's streets as part of the long-running feud between the Hamzy and Alameddine crime clans - but both networks have many enemies.

'Some of these people are in conflict with a number of other groups so it can be hard to determine whether if it is a direct retaliation or not. But that is certainly a key line of inquiry,' NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told 2GB radio.

Forensic investigations scour the scene at the Bodyfit Gym in Sydney's Auburn after underworld figures Omar and Tarek Zahed were both shot

Bullet holes can be seen in the glass window of the Bodyfit Gym in Auburn after the shooting

A forensic investigator examines evidence outside the Bodyfit Gym in Sydney's Auburn

Bags of evidence are collected from the murder scene by forensic police at the Bodyfit Gym in Sydney's Auburn

Tarek was regarded as a marked man by heavyweights of the Hamzy crime network long before the bounty was recently placed on his head.

That's largely because the Comancheros are in bed with the Alameddine crime family and act as muscle for their drug network.

By extension of that relationship, the Alameddine's rivals the Hamzy family are considered enemies of the Comancheros.

But the Hamzy network is in a world of pain itself as top members have been 'picked off like flies' in recent months.

'The trouble is these figures in these crime gangs have so many enemies there are just so many potential suspects,' forensic criminologist Dr Xanthe Mallett told the Today show.

'There are several rival gangs involved in this and several reasons why this happens. It is about control of territory, control of the drug trade and it is also about those family and gang ties.

'One of the others issues is that people don't speak, there is a code of silence around these events.

'Even If police have a suspect or a witness it is unlikely they will speak. That makes it very hard to investigate and understand.'

Takek Zahed (seated) and his brother Omar (standing) were gunned down outside a gym in Sydney's west on Tuesday night. One is dead while the other is fighting for life

A white Audi station wagon was found engulfed in flames nearby, with police investigating its links to the shooting

The gym's front door has been shattered with bullet holes after the men were shot at 10 times on Tuesday night

But NSW Supreme Court documents highlight the spiraling tensions between the two gangs.

Police intercepted a call between jailed Brothers 4 Life gang boss Bassam Hamzy and his brother Ghassan Amoun on October 14, 2020.

Hamzy called his brother from Goulburn Supermax jail asking for Tarek's phone number, the court documents reveal.

'Hamzy asked Amoun to contact Emad Sleiman and 'tell him straight out is he speaking with Tarek Zahed, if he is, get Tarek Zahed's number off him.'

Amoun said Zahed was in jail, but Hamzy said Zahed was definitely not in jail.

'It was highly likely Zahed was at risk from Hamzy and Hamzy's associates in the community.'

Fifteen months later, Amoun was gunned down as he left a beauty salon at Wentworthville in Sydney's west.

Several days after Ahmad's death, Zahred, known as the 'Balenciaga Bikie', was arrested and charged with two counts of contravening serious crime prevention order as NSW Police continued its crackdown on organised crime.

Tarek Zahed (pictured) and his brother Omar were shot at 10 times outside Bodyfit Gym on Parramatta Road just after 8pm on Tuesday night

The brothers (pictured) are believed to be close with recent photos on social media and TikTok showing the pair going to the gym and holidaying together

The pair were known to frequent the gym, with those close to Zahed warning him to alter his normal routine after a $1million bounty was placed on the head of the high-profile Commancheros member (pictured, police at the scene on Tuesday night)

The 41-year-old had is believed to have taken over as national president of the Comancheros after former leader Mick Murray was recently arrested.

It's understood he had been aware his life had been in danger for almost a year and was granted a travel exemption to flee NSW lockdown to travel to Turkey last September.

He continued his lavish lifestyle upon return to Australia, despite warnings from police his life was under threat.

Tarek moved to Melbourne, where he was infamously caught interrupting play at the Australian Open men's final in January.

Police have launched an investigation into Tuesday night's shooting with the assistance of police attached to the State Crime Command's Raptor and Criminal Groups Squads.

The brothers were shot while going to the gym in Auburn on Tuesday night (pictured, police outside after the attack)

Paramedics are seen treating the brothers at the scene - with one confirmed dead and the other in a critical condition

A woman sits with her head in her hand inside the gym on Parramatta Road in Auburn after a Commanchero leader and his brother were sprayed with bullets

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb promising that more specialist officers will be assigned to target organised crime and bikie groups.

'We have already had many resources committed to this... but we are going to increase our resources particularly with Strike Force Raptor. We will increase the strength of Raptor by 30 officers,' she told 2GB radio on Wednesday.

'Enough is enough. Sydney has had enough.'

The state's top cop confirmed that police had tried to warn Zahed about the danger he was in but he failed to heed the advice.

'Some of these people think they are invincible. We try to warm them but what do you do. They just live their lives like they are larger than life,' she said.

'A life of crime is not worth it.'

Seemingly unconcerned, the pair were even known to frequent the gym and post pictures to social media showing them working out.

A prominent Commancheros bikie and his brother have been sprayed by bullets outside a Sydney gym - with one dead and the other fighting for his life (pictured, paramedics at the scene)

Another man sits on a workout ball inside the gym as police cordon off the area around the fitness centre on Tuesday night

WHO IS BIKIE BOSS TAREK ZAHED AND WHY WAS HE TARGETED? By Brittany Chain Tarek Zahed is 'the heaviest hitter in Australia' and the attack on he and his brother as they left the gym overnight is being touted as 'the biggest hit of the year', police sources say. There is no doubt in the mind of investigators this will further escalate the gangland war in Sydney's southwest. Tarek, who is the boss of the bikie gang Comancheros, and his younger brother Omar, were targeted in a late night hit out the front of the Body Fit gym in Auburn, in Sydney's south west, on Tuesday. Omar died while Tarek remains in Westmead Hospital in a stable condition with 10 bullet wounds to his body and head. Police sources tell Daily Mail Australia whoever carried out the hit will be 'sweating on updates about his condition'. 'They'd be hoping Tarek dies, so at least they got the job done. The retaliation from this will be huge,' the source said. Detectives don't yet have any solid leads or ideas as to who might have been behind the hit. 'Whoever has done this is game to go toe-to-toe with the Comancheros and nobody does that,' the police source said. It's understood the Comancheros are in bed with the Alameddine crime family and help to supply the network. By extension of that relationship, the Alameddine's rivals the Hamzy family are considered enemies of the Comancheros. But the Hamzy network is in a world of pain itself as top members have been 'picked off like flies' in recent months. Police remained at the scene of the crime on Wednesday morning, collecting bags of evidence and examining the surrounds. A Volkswagon GTI sport model remains parked in the cordoned off area of the complex, while more detectives are at a second site several blocks away, believed to be where a burnt out luxury getaway car was found. Bullet holes riddle the entrance of the gym, which is closed for business while the investigation is underway. Advertisement

A white Audi station wagon was found engulfed in flames in nearby Berala, with police investigating its links to the shooting.

Zahed, his brothers Abdul and Omar and their associate Raouf Mousawel were also busted by police breaking lockdown laws in August last year after they were spotted walking in Drummoyne in the city's inner-west about 2am.

The men allegedly became angry when police questioned why they were outside, and claimed they lived together and were 'just exercising'.

Abdul and Omar are believed to live in Yagoona in Sydney's south-west - more than 20km away from where they were allegedly spotted by police.

Public health orders at the time banned anyone in Greater Sydney from travelling more than 5km from their home for exercise.

Zahed had been living within 5km of the Bay Run but was alleged to have broken lockdown rules by exercising with more than one other person.

The 41-year-old Zahed had been widely tipped to be the next national president of the outlaw motorcycle club after former leader Mick Murray was also arrested last week (pictured being extradited from Melbourne to Sydney in March, 2021)

A man vapes while standing alongside police outside the Bodyfit Gym in Sydney's south-west

The Comanchero enforcer, who was regularly seen wearing high-end designer clothing, once told journalists outside of court he wanted the record to state about one of his offences.

He then said he was wearing a Versace shirt and not Gucci as some stories wrongly depicted.

In another high-profile incident at the at the swanky a'Mare restaurant, in Sydney's Barangaroo casino, CCTV footage captured Zahed punching another man in the bathroom.

During the assault on this occasion, he was wearing a Balenciaga shirt, earning his nickname 'Balenciaga Bikie'.

Recently family members had encouraged Zahed to stop living his flashy and public lifestyle after the bounty was placed on the head of the man set to take over the violent group.

The 41-year-old was the frontrunner due to his close relationship with exiled drug lord Mark Buddle and links to criminals in both NSW and Victoria.
The son of legendary Australian performer Nick Cave had been stealing food to survive in the months before his tragic death.

Jethro Lazenby died aged 30, the star musician said on Tuesday - seven years after the star's 15-year-old son Arthur fell to his death from a cliff in the United Kingdom.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Lazenby was in a terrible downward spiral before his sudden death in Melbourne.

Jethro Lazenby had been reduced to stealing food from a 7-Eleven store in his tragic last months of life

Once a high profile catwalk model, Lazenby descended into Melbourne's gritty drug culture

Legendary performer Nick Cave didn't meet Lazenby until the boy was aged about 7

The former catwalk model had only been released from jail on Thursday after being locked-up over a serious assault on his own mother.

Court documents released to Daily Mail Australia provide insight into the utter despair Cave's tormented son had experienced before Victoria Police detectives took him into custody.

On November 1 last year, police arrested Lazenby after he was caught shoplifting from a CBD 7-Eleven.

A desperate Lazenby had stolen a packet of chili beef jerky and a bag a Smith's chips, worth a paltry $12.50.

Later that day he was busted stealing food again, this time helping himself to two meat pies and a Smoothie.

The total of his illicit bounty cost just $11.

Lazenby would be jailed in March amid allegations he bashed his Melbourne-based former model mother Lee-Anne 'Beau' Lazenby after she refused to buy him a pack of smokes.

The brutal attack inside her Collingwood home had left left her bloodied and bruised.

He had already been free on bail when he assaulted his long suffering mum, who had hooked up with Cave in about 1990.

The court heard Lazenby was on bail when his mum found him on her front porch just after midnight on March 7, the Herald Sun reported at the time.

Ms Lazenby made up a bed for him after he convinced her to let him stay the night.

Sources have told Daily Mail Australia Lazenby had struggled with drug addiction for most of his adult life.

Jethro Lazenby had used his famous surname to score gigs on catwalks across the globe

Nick and Suzie Cave at the UK premier of the True History of the Kelly Gang in 2020

The court heard his concerned mum had locked herself in her bedroom that night, but things went bad the following morning when Lazenby demanded she go and buy him cigarettes.

'While standing in front of the victim, the accused has then reached forward and grabbed both the victims shoulders with his hands,' a police summary read.

'He lunged forward and kneed the victim to the face and nose, causing bleeding and bruising.'

His terrified mum ran to a nearby pub and called police upon him leaving her home.

Lazenby, who had been held within Melbourne's notorious Melbourne Remand Centre, was granted bail on the condition he undergo substance abuse treatment and avoid contact with his mum for two years.

'I do say to you that its entirely in your best interests to participate with all support services that Ive set-up for you,' Magistrate Donna Bakos told him.

'Its very very important that your path to rehabilitation will be a much more positive one and therefore you will be less of a risk to the community at large and in particular to your mother.'

In a deal with prosecutors, Lazenby pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful assault and breaching court orders.

He was due to front court again to face sentence on June 29, but had a series of other matters listed on the court system at the time of his death.

Lazenby had the world at his feet in the early 2000s when he managed to score some top modelling jobs on the back of his famous father's name.

He opened the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in April 2006 when he was just 15-years of age.

Lazenby had previously spoken about his tough upbringing on the streets of Collingwood

Lazenby had been caught stealing food from a 7-eleven in Melbourne's CBD

Lazenby had stolen beef jerky and pies before bashing his mum. Pictured shortly before his death

He had debuted a year earlier in his hometown of Melbourne at at Melbourne Fashion Week.

By 2009 Lazenby had made waves across the ocean in Paris and Milan and appeared destined for greatness.

'The scion of legendary rocker Nick Cave surfaced on the scene last year with an impossible-to-miss look  namely, his half-shaved/half-long-locked coif that mimics it-girl Alice Dellal,' fashion mags wrote about him.

In 2012, Lazenby, then aged 19, spoke of his rough life growing up without a father, whom he only met at age 7.

'I haven't had the easiest life,' he told the Evening Standard then. 'It didn't start off that great, having all this shit with my dad and being in his shadow.'

It was the same year Myer dumped him from its fashion show due to his 'erratic behaviour' at a rehearsal.

In the years that followed, Lazenby dropped off the fashion world's radar as he sank into the grime of Melbourne's grubby drug culture.

On Tuesday, mourners were seen entering the home of his mum's Collingwood home.

Lazenby is expected to be farewelled in a private ceremony over the coming weeks.

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An estranged husband found guilty of murdering his ex-wife and then trying to make her death look like a suicide had been facing rape charges against her.

The real reason Adrian Basham, 44, murdered his estranged wife Samantha Fraser can now be revealed after Daily Mail Australia fought a court imposed gag order that had hidden the grim truth.

A Supreme Court of Victoria jury had last month found Basham guilty of Ms Fraser's murder.

The hulking brute had long denied murdering Ms Fraser in her fortified Phillip Island home on July 23, 2018.

Adrian Basham has been found guilty of murdering his estranged wife Samantha Fraser

Samantha Fraser was a loving mum who would never have taken ger own life, a court heard

It took the jury a little over a day to find Basham guilty of the calculated murder.

For weeks they had been told Basham had been accused of repeatedly raping his ex-wife and had faced a court hearing over the rapes just seven days after he committed the murder.

The details of the rape had been suppressed in the lower magistrates' court back in 2019, but was allowed to stand by Supreme Court Justice Lesley Taylor.

On Tuesday, Daily Mail Australia brought the gag order before the original magistrate, who dumped it on the spot.

What can now be revealed is Basham faced multiple charges of raping Ms Fraser both in 2014 and 2016.

'The Crown case is that there are several motives in this matter, the primary one being the upcoming court case concerning the rape allegations seven days away from when she died,' Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC told the jury during her closing address.

Basham, who claimed Ms Fraser was alive after he assaulted her and must have committed suicide after he left, had pleaded not guilty.

Ms Fraser had alleged Basham had first raped her in 2014 while she was grabbing food out of their pantry.

Samantha Fraser fought hard for her life, but could not overpower the hulking beast who murdered her

Basham makes his getaway after murdering the mother of his children and making it look like she had suicided

'When the accused locked the door of the pantry from the inside and undid Samantha's jeans and had sexual intercourse with her. He then unlocked the pantry and left,' Ms Rogers told the jury.

Basham would allegedly rape her again that very same year, this time while she slept.

'He ejaculated, rolled over and fell asleep and she got out of the bed,' Ms Rogers said.

The third rape allegedly took place in 2016, also while Ms Fraser was fast asleep.

'She froze for a moment before pushing him off and she said to the accused, "You can't do that. I was asleep. That is rape", and she went and slept elsewhere,' the jury was told.

Ms Fraser's bloody and bruised dead body was found by police with a rope tied around her neck and a step ladder kicked over beside her.

Ms Rogers told the jury Ms Fraser had been terrified of how Basham would react to her fronting him at court about the upcoming rape case.

'It's inconceivable that Adrian Basham was unaware that on 30 July Samantha Fraser was required to give evidence,' Ms Rogers said.

While the jury heard other reasons why Basham had motive to murder his estranged wife, they were advised it was the rape allegations at the front of his mind.

'The prosecution case is that he killed her to prevent her from giving evidence against him about the rape charges at the committal hearing on 30 July 2018 at La Trobe Valley Magistrates' Court. Seven days away,' Ms Rogers said.

What the jury was not told is that Basham still faces a separate rape trial, which will proceed in the County Court of Victoria despite Ms Fraser's murder.

Samantha Fraser told her new boyfriend in a text message the night before her death that she had been looking forward to her future

Adrian Basham bashed and murdered his wife before attempting to make it look like a suicide

The jury heard Basham had repeatedly threatened harm against his ex-wife, allegedly telling Ms Fraser 'If I can't have you no one will'.

Ms Fraser was so worried about Basham in the months before her death she had moved in with her parents at Seagrove Way on Phillip Island - south east of Melbourne.

It was there, in her parents' garage, that she died while they were away on a trip to the United States.

Police had alleged Basham had snuck into the garage as Ms Fraser returned home after meeting with friends.

She had been due to pick-up her kids from school that afternoon but never turned up.

DNA evidence shows that Basham's biological material was found under both fingernails of Ms Fraser's hands, the jury heard.

'Which is indicative, we say, of her actively struggling with and defending herself against the accused,' Ms Rogers said.

The jury heard a forensic expert found deep bruising to the left and right fingers and hands of Ms Fraser, which suggested punches being thrown by her.

When done, prosecutors claimed Basham attempted to clean up the bloody crime scene.

'Adrian Basham also wet Samantha Fraser's hair ... he wet her hair to remove what he could of her blood. He may well have used her white top to do this, but her hair was wet, and it shouldn't have been,' Ms Rogers said.

Adrian Basham is accused of killing Samantha Fraser (pictured) inside her Phillip Island home in 2018

The court heard Ms Fraser Samantha weighed just 57kgs and was considerably smaller in height than Basham.

'She fought desperately for her life. There was deep bruising to her hands and wrists, consistent with being restrained and she managed to scratch his nose and or arm,' Ms Rogers said.

'She suffered rotational force and velocity applied to her head when she was assaulted, and her head was spun round.'

Ms Rogers urged the jury to reject any notion Ms Fraser could have tied the complex knot used to hang her from the garage door, branding the defence 'absolute rubbish'.

'This was not a suicide. Samantha Fraser did not kill herself after being assaulted so extensively by the accused. It was a cold and brutal murder, and it was Adrian Basham who did it,' she said.

Samantha Fraser had been expected to pick-up her children from school, but never arrived

In closing the defence case, Basham's barrister Ashley Halphen told the jury they ought have a reasonable doubt in the case against him, because Ms Fraser may have killed herself.

'We submit Mr Basham left the garage at Seagrove Way when Samantha Fraser was still alive. Nothing has changed since this was raised when we first addressed you way back when,' he said.

'It is a possibility, that we submit is reasonable, and cannot be excluded on the evidence.

'The only possible explanation then for the death of Samantha Fraser is suicide.'

The court heard Basham had been sighted on Phillip Island in the days leading up to the alleged murder.

The home where Ms Fraser was staying has been described as a 'fortress', the jury heard.

'This house was fortified, for want of a better word,' Ms Rogers said.

'There was no means of access at all to the house by the would-be burglar, fortified by the pieces of timber in the window tracks and door tracks.'

The Cowes home where Samantha Fraser was allegedly murdered in 2018

Basham was captured on CCTV lurking around the home where his ex-wife was living

Ms Fraser was certain Basham had been tracking her phone.

Although Basham had an active intervention order out on him, she feared it would not stop him from doing her harm.

While Basham had been upset about pending court proceedings involving his ex-wife, the jury heard he had another motive to kill.

'There is a third and lesser motive that the Crown says, for why he killed Samantha Fraser, and it's jealousy,' Ms Rogers said.

Ms Rogers told the jury there was 'no way on earth' she would have committed suicide and abandoned her young children.

'She was a loving mother, loved and devoted to her children,' she said.

'This was a staged suicide by the accused with the nice touch of the knocked over step ladder, very close to the hanging body,' she said.

Mr Halphen admitted his client had caused his ex-wife some 'nasty injuries'.

'There is no doubting that Mr Basham conducted himself poorly from time to time and on a number of occasions,' he said last week.

'Take for instance the fact that by his very own admission, he assaulted Ms Fraser.'

Mr Halphen told the jury Basham was not to be judged on his alleged bad behaviour leading up to Ms Fraser's death.

'Members of the jury, you don't have to like Mr Basham. That is not what this case is about,' he said.

'You might think, Samantha Fraser was a very nice person, and that's understandable. But keep that thought (out) of the equation, you must judge with your heads and not your hearts.'

Mr Halphen said Ms Fraser had spoken to her new boyfriend about having suicidal thoughts back in 2017.

'The fact that she considered taking her own life in 2017 should not be lost in the overall equation or the possibility of suicide at another time, in this case one year later,' he said.

He dismissed Basham's various threats made after the breakdown of his marriage.

'We submit that his bark is without bite,' Mr Halphen said.

He told the jury there was no evidence indicating Basham made a threat to Ms Fraser in 2018.

'In the context of the intervention order proceedings, he has never admitted to behaving towards Samantha Fraser in any improper way and there has never been a court finding of wrongdoing,' Mr Halphen said.

Basham will return to court for a pre-sentence plea hearing in September.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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Demand for overseas homes in Portugal has soared amid easier passport control access and flexible working.

The number of buyer enquiries for a home in Portugal was up 24 per cent in April compared to the same time last year, new figures from Rightmove show.

At the same time, experts say there has been a shift among potential British buyers who previously looked to the country for a potential holiday home but are now increasingly looking there to relocate full time.

It comes after Portugal became the first EU country to allow those with a British passport to use electronic passport gates, with the aim of speeding up entry.

The areas that have seen the biggest increases in demand in Portugal among overseas British buyers have been revealed by Rightmove

This four-bedroom house in Porto Santo, in Portugal's Maderia, is for sale for 590,000, or 503,501, via Sotheby's International

David Rowat, of estate agent OliveHomes.com, said: 'The demand from British buyers is unceasing. This year has seen unparalleled demand as people wish to pursue the dream of having a home in Portugal.

'One of the biggest changes we have seen is the demand for relocation full time or remote working part-time.

'Historically the demand was weighted 80 per cent holiday homes and 20 per cent relocation. This has shifted to 50/50 and many clients are now asking for information on residency and schools.'

He added that the highest growth in enquiries is for stand-alone villas that are new, modern and family orientated, based in resorts such as Vale Do Lobo, Quinta do Lago, Vila Sol and Vilamoura.

'In terms of locations, we can see the Algarve remains extremely strong with increased interest in the outskirts of Lisbon - Setubal - and Madeira,' he said.

'Madeira is a beautiful island that is becoming more in-focus due to the extra value gained compared to mainland Portugal.

'British buyers remain extremely confident about the future prospects of Portugal, in terms of an investment and the quality of life.'

Rightmove also revealed that buyer enquiries increased 25 per cent in the last week of April compared to the previous seven days after faster entry requirement for Britons were announced.

The property website said that the most popular destination in Portugal is the island of Porto Santo, near Madeira, with searches more than tripling compared to last year.

Searches there are up 267 per cent, the biggest jump in searches of any area in Portugal.

It is followed by the picturesque village of Comporta in Alcacer, with searches more than doubling, up 129 per cent, while the city of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, in the Algarve, is third, up 82 per cent.

Rachel Beaton, of Rightmove, said: 'The move to make it easier and quicker for Britons to enter Portugal will give further confidence to British buyers who are interested in buying a home abroad, but are perhaps still hesitant about different travel regulations that are still in place since the pandemic or post-Brexit.

'We're seeing strong demand from British buyers for properties in Portugal, and this will only make it easier for these potential buyers to get over there to view properties for sale.'

Rightmove declined to quantify the demand and how many buyers were now looking to buy in Portugal.

Interest was also likely to be considerably lower last year due to lockdowns and a lack of travel of overseas last April.

What you can buy in Portugal...

This luxury two-bedroom villa in Portugal's Vila Real de Santo Antonio is for sale for 1.6m or 1.36m via Laws Property estate agents

This three-bedroom house in Portugal's Maderia is for sale for 795k, or 679k, via Sotheby's International
The rental market will be 'irreparably damaged' by proposed new laws in Scotland that extend pandemic protection measures for tenants, campaigners for landlords have warned.

The new laws are currently only being proposed in Scotland, but experts claim that the rest of Britain will be watching the changes closely, particularly if landlords are prevented from repossessing homes for rent arrears.

The proposed changes are to the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill, and concern the circumstances in which a landlord can gain possession of their property.

Changes were initially implemented during the pandemic as a temporary and emergency measure to protect tenants in exceptional circumstances - but they would become permanent with the change in the law.

The proposed changes in law could stop landlords regaining possession of their property

There are several proposals that are causing alarm among campaigners for landlords.

These include landlords no longer automatically being to regain possession of a property if they want to sell it.

For example, a landlord may need to sell a property to help fund their retirement.

This was previously mandatory, meaning that if such a case went to a tribunal and a landlord could prove that they were selling the property, the tribunal would automatically find in the landlord's favour and instruct the tenant to leave.

However, under the plans this mandatory ground will now become discretionary, leaving a landlord potentially more exposed financially.

A Scottish government spokesperson insisted that giving the tribunal discretion does not prevent a landlord from taking action if that is necessary or where they have good reason.

There is also the issue of rental arrears, and under the new proposals, there is no guarantee that a landlord would get their property back if a tenant had fallen behind with their rent.

Previously, once a landlord could prove three consecutive months of rental arrears or more, eviction would have been guaranteed.

Under these latest plans, no eviction will be guaranteed, regardless of circumstance or grounds. It will be all discretionary.

The Bill proposes that a tribunal will still be able to grant an eviction if it considers it reasonable, including where late or no-payment of rent is the reason why the landlord is seeking an eviction. But campaigners have questioned what is deemed reasonable.

The plans are from the Scottish Government and it is John Swinney MSP's Bill. He is the Deputy First Minister and also the Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery.

Campaigners argue that the changes could devalue rental properties and would make them a more illiquid type of investment - and so less appealing to landlords. It may mean that some investors may quit the market altogether.

Scottish Land & Estates, the Scottish Association of Landlords and NFU Scotland said that the changes could lead to thousands of homes being lost from the rental market, as landlords sell up.

They claimed that the proposed changes in law would have an impact on all types of landlords - whether they own a single property or multiple homes they let out - and could lead to a substantial loss in the value of a property where a landlord could not regain vacant possession.

A tenant could have fallen into arrears and be allowed to remain in a property under the proposed changes

The letting body Propertymark suggested that although the Bill is only at its first stage, that it is likely to go through.

Daryl Mcintosh, a Propertymark manager based in Edinburgh, added: 'Generally, a landlord will have a reason to recover their property and once they've evidenced their grounds, they should be entitled to recover it.

'It is unclear what - if any - evidence the Scottish Government are analysing to consider the removal of mandatory grounds for possession.

'Abusing temporary provisions to satisfy a long-term policy objective appears to be an underhand tactic and the intention to permanently make all grounds for possession discretionary simply highlights the Scottish Government's wilful and continued disregard of the value of the private rented sector.'

He concluded: 'Other nations keep an eye on these reforms taking place in Scotland and may consider adopting them.'

A scottish Government spokesperson said: 'It simply means a Tribunal can take into account all of the circumstances of both landlords and tenants relating to a case before making a decision," it said.

And it added: 'Good landlords recognise the case for keeping tenants in their homes where possible, so adding a final check from the tribunal will support responsible management, recognise financial and other pressures that tenants can face and help prevent homelessness.

'Over the last 20 years there have been a range of necessary changes to the private rented sector aimed at improving quality and accountability and, although stakeholders have routinely predicted that such changes would lead to a reduction in supply of private rented homes, the private rented sector has more than doubled over that time.

'Our policies continue to seek improvements in the sector to ensure tenants are treated fairly and can access good quality properties and we will continue to seek views.'
The head of the GCHQ has said the UK needs to boost its cyber defences amid a growing threat from Russia  after the security agency took down a record number of online scams in 2021.

On Tuesday, Sir Jeremy Fleming told the CyberUK conference in Newport that the current 'serious global economic situation' means 'the need to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online is ever more relevant'.

The UK and other countries are at risk from Russia's cyber operatives for the simple reason that they are standing with Ukraine against Russias ongoing invasion, he said.

GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also revealed today that it took down a record 2.7 million online scams last year.

The hefty figure is four times higher than the amount removed in 2020  a more modest 700,595.

A record 2.7 million online scams were taken down last year by the National Cyber Security Centre. Scammers tried to trick people with fake messages about the vaccine rollout and certificates

Strong cybersecurity is needed to protect the UK, now more than ever, because of global economic concerns and Russia's war in Ukraine, Sir Fleming said.

GCHQ has seen indications that 'Russia's cyber operatives continue to look for targets in countries that oppose their actions,' according to the GCHQ boss.

'There's plenty of cyber about, including a range of activity we and partners have attributed to Russia,' Sir Fleming told the CyberUK conference, which kicked off today in Newport.

'We've seen what looks like some spillover of activity affecting other countries.

'That's why we have increased our efforts to ensure UK businesses and Government urgently improve levels of cyber resilience.

'And why, with our allies, we will continue to support Ukraine in shoring up their cyber defences.'

Sir Jeremy Fleming told the CyberUK conference in Newport that the current 'serious global economic situation' means 'the need to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online is ever more relevant'. Sir Fleming is pictured here in 2019

Speaking at the two-day conference, the intelligence chief said the UK is constantly working at domestic level to protect the public and businesses from cybercriminals.

'Alongside our partners, we have mounted operations to undermine their networks, and prevent them from profiting from their crimes, as well as denying them access to their cyber tools and malware,' he said.

'In real life, this means tens of millions of pounds in potential fraud against the UK economy avoided, hundreds of thousands of stolen credit cards made worthless to the criminals, and countless potential victims of crime around the world with their data and accounts safeguarded. That's cyber power on an immense scale.'

According to the new NCSC figures, a record number of scams were removed from the internet in 2021 thanks to the agency's Active Cyber Defence programme.

Celebrity scams and bogus extortion emails were the most commonly removed, but other themes used by scammers included NHS vaccines and vaccine passports.

The NCSC said more than 1,400 phishing schemes themed around the NHS were taken down last year  an 11-fold increase on 2020  as scammers looked to prey on public concern around the pandemic.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) acts as a bridge between industry and government, providing advice, guidance and support on cyber security. Its parent organisation is GCHQ

Received an email which youre not quite sure about? Is it asking you to login to your account, or maybe to "confirm" your payment details?



If you are suspicious, you should report it by forwarding the email to: Report@phishing.gov.uk #CyberProtect pic.twitter.com/J34ORBvvdO  Action Fraud (@actionfrauduk) May 5, 2022

Amazingly, one brazen scam that was expunged last year involved criminals posing as NCSC chief executive Lindy Cameron.

The scammer claiming to be Cameron sent an email informing the recipient that the NCSC had stopped 5 million of their money being stolen and to get the funds back they were required to reply with personal information.

'As we kick off CyberUK, the latest ACD figures shine a light on how the NCSC has responded to emerging cyber threat trends and security issues to keep the UK safe at scale,' Cameron said.

'We know that scammers will go to great lengths  and indeed my name has been used to try to trick people  but as we continue to expand our defences we can see the tangible impact this is having.'

Fake celebrity endorsements and extortion emails were named as the most common type of scams taken down.

Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million domains linked with the Android malware Flubot were blocked.

This malware was distributed to the public via fraudulent missed delivery messages or notifications, which might impersonate Royal Mail and tell victims they need to pay a delivery fee.

Watch out for these FAKE Royal Mail emails. They've been reported to us over 1,700 times.



We followed the link in one of the emails and heres where it leads...



Help us remove malicious emails and websites like these by forwarding suspicious emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk pic.twitter.com/cTzc2SFM1y  Action Fraud (@actionfrauduk) March 2, 2021

NCSC said the rise from 2020 to 2021 was the result of it expanding its services to tackle a broader range of scams, including fake celebrity endorsements, rather than an overall increase in malicious content targeting the UK public.

The agency's efforts were helped by reports from the public of suspicious emails, texts and websites.

Dr Ian Levy, the NCSC's technical director, said the statistics show the 'crucial interventions' the organisation can make to 'take down online threats, deter attackers and improve our collective cyber resilience'.

He encouraged more businesses to 'work even more closely with us' to improve the NCSC's services that 'take down and block malicious websites'.

NCSC has also announced a new online tool designed to help organisations check whether their email security is adequate.

Called Email Security Check, it analyses a users email domain and recommend any security measures to stop scammers and protect privacy.
A solar eruption from the sun at the weekend could deliver a 'glancing blow' to Earth and spark minor geomagnetic storms, scientists have warned.

Our star has been experiencing heightened activity for some months and last month unleashed its most powerful solar flare seen in five years.

The sun appears to be moving into a particularly active period of its 11-year cycle of activity, which began in 2019 and is expected to peak in 2025.

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are powerful bursts of energy that can direct dangerous blasts towards the Earth.

Last month's flare  the strongest in this solar cycle  did not do any damage to Earth, nor is the latest one expected to affect our satellites and the power grid even if it does hit.

A solar eruption from sun may deliver a 'glancing blow' to Earth and spark minor geomagnetic storms, scientists have warned. Pictured is an image taken by the Solar Orbiter probe

WHAT ARE CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS? Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth. They tend to be much slower than solar flares, as they move a greater amount of matter. CMEs can be triggered when a storm on the surface of the sun causes a whirlwind to form at the base of plasma loops that project from the surface. These loops are called prominences and when they become unstable they can break, releasing the CME into space. Advertisement

But scientists are concerned that the sun's increased activity could lead to potentially dangerous solar weather which may damage electrical grids, knock out satellites, and harm astronauts and space equipment on the International Space Station.

Experts at SpaceWeather.com said the latest CME, which is slightly different to a solar flare, erupted from the sun on Saturday (May 7).

They added that analysts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) believed it 'might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field' today (May 10).

'This is a low confidence forecast. Minor geomagnetic storms are possible if/when the CME arrives,' the SpaceWeather.com experts said.

A minor storm can confuse migrating animals that rely on the Earth's magnetic field for a sense of direction.

Solar eruptions, or prominences, are large structures of tangled magnetic field lines that keep dense concentrations of solar plasma suspended above the sun's surface, sometimes taking the form of arching loops.

They are often associated with CMEs, which if directed towards Earth, can wreak havoc with our technology.

CMEs only impact to Earth when they're aimed in our planet's direction.

They tend to be much slower than solar flares, as they move a greater amount of matter.

CMEs can be triggered when a storm on the surface of the sun causes a whirlwind to form at the base of plasma loops that project from the surface.

These loops are called prominences and when they become unstable they can break, releasing the CME into space.

Solar Orbiter is a European Space Agency mission to explore the Sun and the effect our host star has on the solar system

Flares and CMEs have different effects at Earth as well. The energy from a flare can disrupt the area of the atmosphere through which radio waves travel, which can lead to temporary blackouts in navigation and communications signals.

On the other hand, CMEs have the power to jostle Earth's magnetic fields, creating currents that drive particles down toward Earth's poles.

When these react with oxygen and nitrogen, they help create the aurora, also known as the Northern and Southern Lights.

Additionally, the magnetic changes can affect a variety of human technologies, causing GPS coordinates to stray by a few yards and overloading electricity grids when power companies are not prepared.

There hasn't been an extreme CME or solar flare in the modern world  the last was the Carrington Event in 1859  creating a geomagnetic storm with an aurora appearing globally, as well as fires at telegraph stations.
There's nothing more annoying than indulging in a delicious cheese board at a restaurant, only to forget what the varieties in front of you are.

But the days of scrambling to find the menu could be a thing of the past, thanks to a new app called Cheezam.

Cheezam was inspired by the music-finding app, Shazam, and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify different cheeses from a single photo.

Cheezam was inspired by the music-finding app, Shazam, and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify different cheeses from a single photo

240,000 robot chef can whip up the perfect CHEESE FONDUE Served in a simmering pot with a selection of dunkable ingredients, cheese fondue is without a doubt one of the most popular dishes among cheese lovers around the world. Now, the famous Swiss dish can be prepared, stirred up and served by a robot chef. A Swiss team has been working away on Bouebot, the robotic creation putting a futuristic twist on an Alpine tradition. The robot cost up to 240,000 ($325,000) to develop. Advertisement

Users simply snap a photo of a cheese they'd like to identify, and within seconds, a range of suggestions will pop up.

The Cheezam app works by comparing photos against its database of 9,000 images of different cheeses.

It looks to identify key features, including the size and shape of the mould, and the way that any spots are arranged in the cheese.

Speaking to Liberation, Isabelle Mashola, CEO of Isahit, which annotated thousands of cheeses for the app, explained how the algorithm works.

'Let's take a Fourme d'Ambert and a blue cheese,' she said.

'For the algorithm to be able to determine the photo, it must be given indications which are supplied in the form of annotations.

'On a blue cheese for example, we will notice that the spots are arranged in such a way.

'The algorithm will then make the effort to recognise this feature by comparing it to other pre-annotated images.

'And this is how we manage to refine the calculation to the right cheese.'

Cheezam's answer will always be hypothetical and takes into account a margin of error, Ms Mashola added.

Alongside the answers, the app also gives users suggestions for pairing wines  ideal for a cheese and wine night

For example, in response to a photo of a cheese with starry greenish spots, the app suggests there's a 95 per cent chance it's Fourme d'Ambert, and a five per cent chance it's Bleu des Causses.

Alongside the answers, the app also gives users suggestions for pairing wines  ideal for a cheese and wine night!

At this early stage, Cheezam's developers are encouraging users to point out any mistakes, so that they can improve the app.

Cheezam is currently only available in France, and it remains unclear, when or if it will roll out to cheese lovers worldwide.

Speaking to MailOnline, a data.ai spokesperson said: 'Cheezam, a French cheese detector app launched in April 2022, saw 8.1K cumulative downloads on iOS and 4.2K cumulative downloads on the Google Play Store in France as of May 8, 2022.'

However, it's already been warmly received by cheese lovers on Twitter.

One user tweeted: 'Can't do more French tech than this. Shazam for cheese. Recommends wine to go with it.'

Another added: 'You thought the US, or China, was leading in AI? France just produced an app that can instantly recognize any cheese.'

And one joked: 'Quite possibly we have hit peak evolution.'
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It may look similar to the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, or perhaps a hidden path to the mythical lost city of Atlantis.

But deep-sea researchers who spotted the incredible rock formation say it is actually an example of ancient active volcanic geology on the ocean floor near Hawaii.

The strange-looking feature, which resembles a road paved in cobblestones, was located in the Liliuokalani Ridge in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) in the Pacific Ocean.

PMNM is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world  bigger than all the national parks in the US combined  and researchers have only explored about three per cent of its sea floor.

The crew of Exploration Vessel Nautilus research ship caught sight of the formation and described it as a 'yellow brick road' and 'the road to Atlantis' in a video of the discovery.

This may look similar to the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, or perhaps a hidden path to the mythical lost city of Atlantis

But deep-sea researchers who spotted the incredible rock formation say it is actually an example of ancient active volcanic geology on the ocean floor near Hawaii

The yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz, which looks similar to the rock formation discovered, is pictured above

'It's the road to Atlantis,' a researcher on the radio can be heard saying.

'The yellow brick road?' another adds, while a separate member team member calls it 'bizarre' and 'crazy'.

The team said: 'What may look like a "yellow brick road" to the mythical city of Atlantis is really an example of ancient active volcanic geology!

'Our Corps of Exploration have witnessed incredibly unique and fascinating geological formations while diving on the Lili*uokalani Ridge within Papah*naumokuakea Marine National Monument.'

Nautilus spent most of April studying the geology and biological systems of 'seamounts'  underwater mountains with volcanic origins.

The team added in a statement: 'At the summit of Nootka Seamount, the team spotted a "dried lake bed" formation, now IDed as a fractured flow of hyaloclastite rock (a volcanic rock formed in high-energy eruptions where many rock fragments settle to the seabed).

'The unique 90-degree fractures are likely related to heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin.

'Throughout the seamount chain, the team also sampled basalts coated with ferromanganese (iron-manganese) crusts from across different depths and oxygen saturations as well as an interesting-looking pumice rock that almost resembled a sponge.'

The strange-looking feature, which also resembles a road paved in cobblestones, was located in the Liliuokalani Ridge in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Pacific Ocean

The crew of Exploration Vessel Nautilus caught sight of the bizarre-looking rock formation while exploring Hawaii

They said: 'What may look like a "yellow brick road" to the mythical city of Atlantis is really an example of ancient active volcanic geology!'

The image above shows an artist's impression of the mythical lost city of Atlantis which researchers mentioned in their discovery

The E/V Nautilus research ship is pictured above. The rock formation was spotted during Ocean Exploration Trust's Expedition NA138 to explore the Papah*naumoku*kea Marine National Monument (PMNM), in partnership with the NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

The formation was found at the Liliuokalani Ridge in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Pacific

The exploration vessel is operated by the non-profit Ocean Exploration Trust, which livestreams what its remote-operated diving vehicles see in the deep.

The bizarre rock formation was spotted during Ocean Exploration Trust's Expedition NA138 to explore the Papah*naumoku*kea Marine National Monument (PMNM), in partnership with the NOAA Ocean Exploration and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Nautilus has recorded all sorts of unusual sea life, including dumbo octopuses and 'piglet squids'.

The team said the primary objective of their latest expedition was to gather samples to determine the geologic origin and age of seamounts to gain a better understanding of the formation of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

They added that the seamounts would also be surveyed for biodiversity, in the hope of finding rich coral and sponge communities commonly found at these depths.

'Considering the presumed Cretaceous age of the Liliuokalani Ridge seamounts, it is expected that relatively thick ferromanganese crusts have formed on exposed rock surfaces, particularly on the flanks of the seamounts where sedimentation is minimised,' they added.

An E/V Nautilus spokesperson said: 'Our exploration of this never-before-surveyed area is helping researchers take a deeper look at life on and within the rocky slopes of these deep, ancient seamounts.

'These studies will help provide baseline information on the living communities of seamounts which can inform management and conservation measures.'
Thomas Tuchel has reportedly irritated Chelsea's squad by hauling players into training on what was supposed to be their day off.

The Blues manager is doing everything he can to arrest the club's recent slump - which has put their participation in next season's Champions League in some doubt - with the FA Cup final against Liverpool to come this weekend.

Chelsea threw away a two-goal lead and conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in their 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday, which left them with just one win in their last five matches.

Thomas Tuchel has reportedly irritated Chelsea players by making them train on their day off

According to The Sun, players were unhappy at being called in on Sunday as they are exhausted following a season which has seen them play 59 games in all competitions so far.

It is also reported that defender Marcos Alonso feels he was made a scapegoat in the Wolves game and believes he was having his effort questioned by being substituted at half-time.

In addition, the report claims that some of the squad think their chances of fighting for the league title next season are in jeopardy because of the impending exits of leaders such as Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger.

The Blues conceded a 97th-minute equaliser as they drew 2-2 against Wolves on Saturday

Marcos Alonso is said to feel that he was made a scapegoat after being taken off at half-time

Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League table, but their recent form means that they are in danger of letting that spot slip. They are just one point ahead of Arsenal and five ahead of Tottenham.

The Blues travel to relegation-threatened Leeds on Wednesday evening, before they have the chance to lift silverware in Saturday's cup final at Wembley.

'If you sign for Chelsea and play on this kind of level it's not always easy, and it's not always enjoyable,' Tuchel said after the draw against Wolves.

'It's tough, it's tiring, it's draining. That's what you need to accept and that's what we demand from everybody.'
Toto Wolff has admitted that Lewis Hamilton was left with a '50-50' decision to change tyres or not in the Miami Grand Prix.

Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington asked the seven-time world champion whether he wished to pit during a late safety car, but he opted not to.

Team-mate George Russell did decide to take on new tyres during the period and ended up overtaking Hamilton to eventually finish fifth, while the 37-year-old placed sixth as his frustrating season continued.

Lewis Hamilton opted not to take on new tyres during a late safety car in the Miami Grand Prix

Toto Wolff admits that Hamilton was left with a '50-50' decision whether to pit or not

'I think he was between a rock and a hard place because the safety car clearly came out in a situation that wasn't favourable for him and was favourable for George in the back,' Mercedes chief Wolff said.

'George had a window with no one behind him. He was able to switch on a practically new medium and Lewis had to decide "Do I keep the position on a hard or do I go on a soft?"

'That would have also been tricky so that was probably a 50-50 decision and in the end, it didn't work out for him. It is not the first time this season that he has been unlucky with the safety car.'

After the race, Hamilton questioned why his team left the strategic decision down to him

Hamilton was left exasperated after the race and questioned why his team left a crucial strategic decision down to him.

'In that scenario, I have no clue where everyone is, so when the team say "it is your choice", I don't have the information to make the decision,' he said.

'That's what your job is. Make the decision for me as you have all the details and I don't. I rely on the guys for that, but today they gave the decision to me and I didn't understand it.

George Russell did change his tyres and then overtook Hamilton to finish fifth in the race

'When you are given that responsibility it feels like gambling and I don't like that. It was just a bit unfortunate.'

Russell quickly overtook Hamilton after his tyre change but was instructed to give the place back as he had made the move with four wheels off the track.

But the 24-year-old caught Hamilton on the following lap and has now amassed 23 more points more than his team-mate after five races.
Gemma Collins can add to her thriving list of career accomplishments after launching her first collaboration with high street retailer New Look.

The former TOWIE star, who last month completed the tour of her one-woman show, is no stranger to the world of fashion as she manages her own, self-titled collection.

And now, businesswoman Gemma, 41, has joined forces with New Look in a deal reported to be worth 1million, to curate a gorgeous line, which she has promised shoppers will leave them 'looking and feeling amazing.'

Exciting! Gemma Collins, 41, (centre) has launched her debut collaboration with New Look and promises shoppers that her range will leave them 'looking and feeling amazing'

The launch, which marks the start of the GC's ambassadorship with the fashion brand, boasts a collection of over 30 items, including clothing, swimwear and accessories.

It has been branded 'bright, empowering and unapologetic - just like Gemma.'

A source has revealed that the 'lengthy and lucrative' deal has banked the former TOWIE star 1million, telling The Sun: 'Gemmas contract with New Look will go on for a long time, which is how she is easily going to make over 1million'.

With the summer months looming, Gemma's range features pops of lemon, sunny prints and glamorous shapes - with sizes ranging from 8 to 28.

Stylish: With the summer months looming, Gemma's range features pops of lemon, sunny prints and glamorous shapes - with sizes ranging from 8 to 28

Jam-packed schedule: It has been a busy time for Gemma, who last month completed the tour of her one-woman show

Pretty: The range boasts a collection of over 30 items, including clothing, swimwear and accessories

Upcoming: The items will be shoppable online and in-store from 17 May, with prices up to 55.99

The items will be shoppable online and in-store from 17 May, with prices up to 55.99.

Alongside the launch, Essex's most famous diva will be searching for the next New Look campaign star to join her as part of her AW22 campaign.

Auditions will be held virtually via TikTok from 11 May, as well as physically at New Looks Liverpool One store on 19 May.

Competition: Alongside the launch, Essex's most famous diva will be searching for the next New Look campaign star to join her as part of her AW22 campaign

Only last week, it was announced that Gemma has teamed up with Durex to release a range of sex toys to break down the stigma of self-love.

The reality star took to Instagram to announce the sex-positive partnership with a short video on Friday evening.

In the clip, a glamorous Gemma spoke to the camera and questioned: 'Guys it's 2022, why do we get so awks about self-love huns?'

'It's so important to take some time for yourself, if you know what I mean', she cheekily quipped.

She signed off: 'Let's talk about toys baby!'

She revealed she's working with the brand with the launch of three new vibrators and wants to destigmatize the use of sex toys.
She's known to turn heads with her incredible work wardrobe.

And Myleene Klass, 44, didn't disappoint on Monday as she departed the BBC's The One Show after a promotional spot about her new book.

The star strutted her stuff in an eye catching mixed animal print dress which highlighted her gorgeous curves.

Print: Myleene Klass, 44, strutted her stuff in a mixed animal print dress as she made her way The One Show on Monday

The wrap dress sported a V-neckline and elegant slit as she stepped out in the English capital wearing a pair of white mules.

Her brunette blonde locks were parted in the middle and were styled in stunning soft curls as she opted for a full face of glamorous makeup and a glossy lip.

Gold necklaces were stacked around the host's neck as she clutched onto her new book - They Don't Teach This at School while making her way to the studio.

Stepping out: The wrap dress sported a V-neckline and elegant slit as she stepped out in the English capital wearing a pair of white heeled mules

Stunner: The star strutted her stuff in an eye catching mixed animal print dress which highlighted her gorgeous curves

Radiant: Her brunette blonde locks were parted in the middle and were styled in stunning soft curls and she opted for a full face of glamorous makeup with a glossy lip

Myleene has stressed the importance of teaching first aid in schools after saving both her daughters from choking.

The radio presenter, recalled the moment she was caught off-guard when her daughter Ava, 14, choked on calamari while on holiday four years ago, and when Hero, 11, got a plastic star stuck in her throat when she was 18 months old.

Excerpts of her new book They Don't Teach This At School were published in The Sun last week ahead of the it's release this Thursday, with the former Hear'Say star outlining the importance of basic survival skills in the text.

Walk the walk: Mylene looked effortlessly chic as she strutted through central London

Safety first: Myleene has stressed the importance of teaching first aid in schools after saving both her daughters from choking (pictured in November)

She wrote : 'A couple of years ago we were relaxing on holiday and my defences were down, so when Ava started to choke on calamari I didnt immediately realise.

'Hero choked on a small plastic star when she was one and a half.'

The Smooth Radio host went on to describe the mechanics of what to do if someone is choking, and even shared a step-by-step guide to performing CPR.

Scary: The musician, who recently shared a video of her family learning CPR on Twitter, recalled the moment daughter Ava, 14, choked on calamari, and when Hero, 11, chocked a star

Myleene's book also touches on treating jellyfish stings and recognising the signs of a stroke.

She also reminds people to 'stop, drop and roll' if they become engulfed in flames, recalling the moment she jumped to the assistance of a woman when her hair extensions caught fire at the launch of one of her classical albums, and when the same happened to a member of a rival pop band at a nightclub.

The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! campmate has also shared her advice in some handy video explainers on Twitter, recreating emergency scenarios with her children.

Family: In a post to her 430,000 Twitter followers last month, Myleene spoke of the importance of being prepared for dangerous situations in a video (pictured with daughters Ava and Hero and son Apollo, two)

In a post to her 430,000 followers last month, Myleene spoke of the importance of being prepared for dangerous situations.

She wrote: 'Just found out we helped a Mother save her babys life yesterday after she watched our video on choking.

'We are all feeling very emotional and relieved after hearing this news.

'All my safety vids are on TikTok but going to post here too. My book contains all this information BUT *DISCLAIMER* This is a DEMONSTRATION. DO NOT attempt or try this on anyone that doesnt require actual CPR.

'Stay safe, informed and empowered.

'NB. The rescue breaths are most relevant to children regarding CPR as the majority of accidents where this is required/used happens around water/pools.'

Myleene, who also shares Apollo, two, with beau Simon Motson, has been vocal about the importance of teaching first aid in schools in the past and was a part of an awareness campaign with St John Ambulance last year.
It's nearly half a century since she burst on to our screens in Charlie's Angels. Yet Jaclyn Smith seems hardly to have aged a day.

The 76-year-old looks just as youthful as she did when she began playing glamorous private investigator Kelly Garrett in the US TV series in 1976.

Jaclyn, who is married to heart surgeon Brad Allen, her fourth husband, has been impressing fans with her age-defying looks on Instagram, sharing pictures showing off her smooth complexion and trim frame.

Stunning: Charlie's Angels actress Jaclyn Smith, 76, has stunned fans with her age-defying complexion on Instagram, 46 years after rising to fame as private investigator Kelly Garrett

In December she posted a picture with her son Gaston Richmond, leading some fans to suggest she looks like she could be his sister.

The former pin-up has put her youthful look down in part to 'great lighting' in the photos.

One image shows her posing casually in blue denim jeans, while another shot sees her modelling a loose-fitting white blouse and matching trousers as she cosies up to Dr Allen.

'Ready for a night on the town,' she wrote.

Wow! The actress (pictured far right) starred in the iconic drama alongside Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson

Gaston who is a cameraman on TV shows, most recently worked on the American family drama, Party Of Five revival.

He has also worked behind the camera on the shows Shameless, Fresh Off The Boat, Hawthorne and Three Rivers.

Talking about the picture of her with Gaston, she told Page Six: 'I'll tell you it was a good photo. Right place, right time. That's the luck of the draw. Great lighting.

'I'm with a person that I adore, my son, and it was a going-away party, so my eyes were probably glistening with tears there, sparkling because he's one of the humans I worship.'

Jaclyn was best known for playing Miss Garrett in Charlie's Angels.

She starred alongside Kate Jackson and Farrah Fawcett and was the only Angel to make a cameo in the films.

She is a young-looking lady: In December she posted a picture with her son Gaston Richmond, leading some fans to suggest she looks like she could be his sister

Jaclyn has been married to brain surgeon Brad since 1997, and they share a stunning 3,000 square foot, four bedroom, five bath, beachfront home worth an estimated $10.7million in nearby Summerland, California, just a few miles south of Montecito.

She has been married four times: to Roger Davis (1968-1974), Dennis Cole, (1978-1981), Tony Richmond (1981-1989) and finally to Dr. Brad Allen.

She has two children from her third marriage, Gaston, 40, and Spencer, 36, Richmond and is a grandmother.

Even though it has been decades since she was a TV pinup, Jaclyn has still managed to maintain her youthful complexion.

Together: Jaclyn has been married to her fourth husband, heart surgeon Brad Allen, since 1997, and she recently shared a loved-up snap with him ahead of enjoying a date night

In February the clothing designer took to Instagram to share one of her tricks for keeping that young glow.

The brunette bombshell, who exercises regularly and practices yoga, said a green smoothie can do wonders.

'Here's a recipe for one of my favorite green smoothies!' began the star.

'It's delicious and gives me a boost of energy! Ingredients: 1/2 cucumber 1/2 apple 1/4 lemon 1 stalk celery 1 slice ginger 1/4 cup of spinach 1/4 cup of kale Instructions: Add water to cover 1/2 of ingredients & blend. Enjoy!'
Hilary Duff was spotted while stepping out during a solo outing in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.

The 34-year-old performer kept her belongings close as she took a phone call while spending a bit of time in the radiant California sun.

The actress is currently involved in the production of a streaming series that was recently renewed for its second season.

Out and about: Hilary Duff was spotted while stepping out during a solo outing in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon

Duff kept it casual in a plain white shirt that was tucked into a set of black pants during her outing.

The Lizzie McGuire star also sported a set of yellow Converse high-top sneakers and kept a pair of sunglasses hanging from her top.

The performer accessorized with a set of bracelets and slung a light green purse over her shoulder as she stepped out.

Her gorgeous blonde hair remained free-flowing and fell onto her shoulders and chest.

Staying comfortable: Duff kept it casual in a plain white shirt that was tucked into a set of black pants during her outing

Duff's outing occurred just a few months after the renewal of How I Met Your Father, in which she stars.

The show serves as a spinoff of the hit NBC sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which aired from 2005 until 2014.

The series is centered on Sophie, portrayed by the Agent Cody Banks actress, who searches for her soulmate while navigating her early adulthood.

The program is also narrated by an older version of the character, who is also portrayed by Kim Cattrall.

Back for more: Duff's outing occurred just a few months after the renewal of How I Met Your Father, in which she stars

Other performers featured in the program include Chris Lowell, Francia Raisa and Suraj Sharma, with Josh Peck and Leighton Meester appearing in recurring roles.

How I Met Your Father's first season premiered this past January on the Hulu streaming platform.

The program has primarily received mixed to negative reviews from critics and audiences alike.

The show was successful enough to be renewed for a second season this past February.

Down in the dumps: The program has primarily received mixed to negative reviews from critics and audiences alike

Hulu Originals' Head of Scripted Content, Jordan Helman, told Deadline that the streaming giant was 'thrilled to bring more of this group's journey to our viewers with a supersized second season.

Duff spoke about her character during an interview with Cosmopolitan, where she discussed why exactly she was interested in the role of Sophie.

The actress noted that 'she's very much not a whole person yet. That's why she hasn't found her person, because she's got some figuring out to do. But she just keeps trying, and I love that.'

Opening up: Duff spoke about her character during an interview with Cosmopolitan, where she discussed why exactly she was interested in the role of Sophie

The performer went on to describe the personal connection that she felt to the program's main character.

'She wholeheartedly believes in love, and I didn't think that I believed in that until Matt Koma, my husband, and I got serious,' she stated.

Duff added: 'I feel settled and peaceful, and I feel like the fact that Sophie's not quite there but she believes in that with her whole heart is this nice connection between the two of us.'
Bindi Irwin, 23, and Chandler Powell, 25, just celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

And the couple are clearly still in honeymoon mode.

Bindi shared her favourite moment ever captured on camera with her husband on Tuesday.

Making memories: Bindi Irwin has revealed her favourite moment ever captured on camera with husband Chandler Powell at Australia Zoo

The photos show the couple with their arms wrapped around each other as they cuddle meerkats at Australia Zoo.

'One of my favourite moments ever captured on camera. Love, love, love our cheeky meerkat girls and the handsome guy sitting next to me,' she wrote.

Chandler gushed over his wife in the comments, writing: 'Some of my favorite pictures we've gotten and still puts a smile on my face. I love you.'

Too cute: The photos show the couple with their arms wrapped around each other as they cuddle meerkats at Australia Zoo

The couple tied the knot in 2020 and welcomed their daughter Grace Warrior in March 2021.

Bindi shared a sweet tribute to Grace as she celebrated Mother's Day in Australia on Sunday.

She posted a photo on Instagram of herself with her baby girl, and wrote: 'Grateful every minute of every day that this beautiful girl chose me to be her mama.'

'One of my favourite moments ever captured on camera. Love, love, love our cheeky meerkat girls and the handsome guy sitting next to me,' she wrote

'Grace Warrior, I'm in awe of your kind heart, thoughtful mind and strong soul. You're going to achieve incredible things in this world, my little love,' she added.

'I'm thankful that I get to walk beside you on your journey. And I'll always be here to hold your hand along the way. I love you.'

Chandler also posted a gushing message for his wife to mark the special day.

Fun times: Chandler gushed over his wife in the comments, writing: 'Some of my favorite pictures we've gotten and still puts a smile on my face. I love you'

It's only your second Mother's Day and yet it feels like you've been Grace's mama forever. We love you so much and appreciate the selfless things you do for us every day. Grace and I love you so much,' he wrote on Instagram.

Bindi and Chandler welcomed their daughter on March 25, 2021, which coincidentally was the couple's first wedding anniversary.

'March 25, 2021. Celebrating the two loves of my life. Happy first wedding anniversary to my sweetheart husband and day of birth to our beautiful daughter,' the proud mum said at the time.
Leah Remini says she's satisfied after finishing her first semester at New York University.

The Emmy-winning actress, 51, took to Twitter Saturday to tell more than 751,000 followers that she was inspired after completing her initial semester at the educational institution.

'Going to college for the first time at 51 after living most of my life in a cult and only having an 8th grade education hasn't been easy,' said the New York City native, who had a well-publicized departure in 2013 from the Church of Scientology.

The latest: Leah Remini, 51, says she's satisfied after finishing her first semester at New York University. The actress was snapped at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in LA in 2019

Remini continued: 'But I took my first NYU final exams this week and I'm glad I decided to educate myself.'

The King of Queens urged her followers that 'it's never too late,' and that 'it's tough, but it's worth it.'

The Kevin Can Wait star subsequently posted a photo of herself posed outside the university's Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Monday.

She wrote: 'Thank you for all the lovely replies over the weekend. Its never too late!'

The Emmy-winning actress took to Twitter Saturday to tell more than 751,000 followers that she was inspired after completing her initial semester at the educational institution

The Kevin Can Wait star posted a photo of herself posed outside the university's Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Monday

Remini detailed her educational path in a May 20, 2021 Instagram post which featured her acceptance letter into the university's Liberal Arts program, where she's working toward earning an associate's degree.

'I am so excited, in tears and wanted to share this with you guys,' Remini said. 'For someone like me, a person who desperately wanted a higher education and options in my life, coming from a cult and a family who didnt value an education, this is a very big day for me. This didnt come easy. This is one of the last chunks of my life that I am taking back for myself from Scientology.

'It took a lot for me to take this step, for fear that I was not smart enough, not worthy enough, not able to do the work that will be required, my age.... I did it anyway with a lot of encouragement from a very special person in my life. I am ready to do the work and honestly, Im scared s***less!'

Remini detailed her educational path in a May 20, 2021 Instagram post which featured her acceptance letter into the university's Liberal Arts program, where she's working toward earning an associate's degree

The actress was seen making an appearance on Ellen last year

Remini said at the time that she was 'excited to start on [her] journey' and thankful to NYU 'for believing in' her.

Remini in February chat with People about balancing her collegiate schedule with her career and family life.

'It's been difficult when I'm working because sometimes I'll work from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then have to come home and read chapters and do a quiz when my brain is shutting down,' Remini told the publication. 'But I'm doing it, and I am proud of myself. With my degree, I might eventually want to go into politics, but who knows? I would like to be of some kind of public service.'

Remini has been outspoken about her past with the Church of Scientology since her departure almost nine years ago, detailed in her 2015 book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and her 2016 docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
Gillian McKeith is allegedly in 'advanced talks' to return to I'm A Celebrity's All Stars series next year... despite claiming that she suffers from PTSD following her 2010 stint.

The TV personality, 62, is expected to sign on the dotted line in just a matter of days and producers are keen to get her involved, according to a new report.

A source told The Sun: 'Gillian's performance in 2010 was nothing short of legendary.

'It'll be telly gold!' Gillian McKeith is allegedly in 'advanced talks' to return to I'm A Celebrity's All Stars series next year... despite claiming that she suffers from PTSD following her 2010 stint

'She was high on the hit list when producers decided they were going to do the Best Of series next year.

'Talks are still ongoing and advanced, but everyone is confident she will put pen to paper and head to South Africa for filming in the next few months. It'll be telly gold.'

The nutritionist memorably fainted after being told by hosts Ant and Dec that the unforgiving public had voted for her to take part in her seventh bushtucker trial.

The dramatic scenes came after viewers earlier saw her reveal she was feeling 'mentally exhausted' after refusing to take part in her sixth unforgiving challenge.

Hilarious: The TV personality, 62, is expected to sign on the dotted line in just a matter of days and producers are keen to get her involved, according to a new report (pictured in 2010)

Indeed it was: A source said: 'Gillian's performance in 2010 was nothing short of legendary'

It's been disputed down the years whether Gillian's faint was real, with Britt Ekland declaring: 'She's maybe as good of an actress as I am.'

The writer proved to be one of the series' standout stars as she was exposed for smuggling condiments into camp using specially-made underwear.

Telling the Daily Star last year that she 'definitely' still suffers from PTSD last year, Gillian went as far as to call her condition 'uncontrollable'.

She said: 'Since that jungle trial, the one where I was buried under the ground in a coffin and rats landed on top of me, it still feels like yesterday.

Fingers crossed: 'She was high on the hit list when producers decided they were going to do the Best Of series next year' (pictured in 2019)

'What has happened is, every time I have to go into a small space like a lift, I feel like I'm going to start screaming.

'I feel an intense rising panic that I simply can't control. I went in without claustrophobia and came out with it.'

Gillian and her representative have been contacted for comment by MailOnline.

A brand new all-stars version of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is set to be filmed in South Africa, running in addition to the usual annual ITV programme.

The new stand alone show will run in addition to the usual annual ITV programme - which is set to return to the Australian jungle this year after two years in Wales - and is likely to air next summer.

Hope so! 'Talks are still ongoing and advanced, but everyone is confident she will put pen to paper and head to South Africa for filming in the next few months. It'll be telly gold' (pictured in 2010)

Channel bosses have signed up Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 46, to host the show and legendary contestants from the past will compete, taking part in trials while living in camp.

A source told MailOnline: 'The team behind I'm A Celebrity are making a brand new spin off of the hit series featuring the most loved, favourite campmates from previous years.

'The campmates will be doing trials and living in the camp environment, but with fresh and exciting new twists, and they will have a hand in their own destiny through a series of internal votes and challenges.

'The new edition is likely to air in 2023 but before that viewers will get to enjoy the show's much anticipated return to Australia in November.'

The spin-off won't have any sort of public vote as in other series.

A source told MailOnline: 'The show is still very much based in the world of I'm A Celebrity - the camp mates will be doing trials and living in the camp environment, but with fresh and exciting new twists on the format.

'The camp mates will have a hand in their own destiny through a series of internal votes and challenges.'

It's thought the new spin-off will be a slightly shorter format of two weeks instead of the usual three.

The new pre-recorded show will either air in November, if plans for filming the live series Down Under are hit by Covid restrictions, or kept back to be broadcast in early 2023.
Superstore star Lauren Ash wrote struck back at online trolls criticizing her over her recent weight loss with a stunning photo she posted to Instagram on Friday.

The 39-year-old actress and comedian showcased her toned tummy and trim legs in a sizzling ensemble while calling out her critics in a lengthy caption.

She lambasted people who had been messaging her to criticize her for no longer being a 'role model' because she had lost weight compared to her days starring on the popular NBC comedy.

Defending her body: Lauren Ash, 39, struck back at trolls for criticizing her weight loss in an Instagram post from Friday. She showed off her stunning figure in a crop top after slimming down considerably

In her photo, Lauren had on a white cropped tank top that was rolled up at the bottom to showcase her flat midriff.

She paired it with shiny black shorts, and she added some height to her 5ft7in stature with black open-toe heels.

The Canadian-born star wore her shoulder-length blond tresses parted down the middle and styled with delicate waves.

In her lengthy caption, she lamented how there was simply 'no winning' when it came to her weight.

'You know whats fun? When youre living in a larger body, people post that theyre concerned for your health,' she began. 'Then, when you transition into a smaller body, people post that theyre concerned for your health. Starting to feel like theres no winning as a woman. (Big shocker given this past week in America.).'

What gives? In her lengthy caption, she lamented how there was simply 'no winning' when it came to her weight, as she was criticized for being too big and too small

No secret: The actress also asked her fans not to request her 'secret,' as she said she just lost weight by removing 'stress' from her life. She added that she looked 'hot AF in this pic'; still from Superstore

She singled out users who had been messaging her to complain that she was 'longer a role model' due to her weight loss.

'I guess my question is, why was my body the only thing that gave me value as a role model?' she continued, noting that she had never promoted her weight loss and never would.

'I just happen to be in a body thats smaller right now than it was a year ago. And god willing, if Im privileged enough to walk this earth for a long life, my body will expand and contract and change many times over.'

Ash also urged her fans who were complimentary about her physical change not to pester her for a 'secret' to burning off the weight.

'And to the COUNTLESS people asking me my secret, please stop. There is no secret. I removed stress from my life. Thats it. Its amazing what our bodies hold onto when in a prolonged state of stress,' she wrote.

Speaking out: She singled out users complained she was 'longer a role model' due to weight loss. 'I guess my question is, why was my body the only thing that gave me value as a role model?' she continued, noting that she had never promoted her weight loss and never would

Lauren concluded her post by stressing that she was going to celebrate her body just as much now as she did before her weight loss, though she felt 'more confident' and 'happier' now.

'Finally, let me just say this: I have always posted photos celebrating my body. Im not going to stop now. Im more confident and happier than ever before in my life and I enjoy commemorating that with fashion posts and all that fun stuff,' she wrote. 'If you dont like it, and its upsetting to you, please unfollow and no need to inform me that you did.

'I honestly never expected the vitriol Ive experienced over the past week simply because Ive lost weight. You have no ownership over my body. Nor do you over any person in the public eye. And honestly? Would you ever tell a man he was no longer a role model because he lost weight? Exactly. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Also, I look hot AF in this pic and am unashamed,' she concluded.

Lauren is best known for her breakout role on NBC's Superstore as Dina Fox, an assistant manager at a big box store inspired by elements of Target and Walmart.

More recently, she voiced the title character in the Netflix animated comedy Chicago Party Aunt.
China's foreign trade shows resilience amid pandemic

Xinhua) 09:47, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade sustained resilience and growth momentum in the first four months of the year despite COVID-19 resurgences in many provincial-level regions.

In the January-April period, China's total imports and exports expanded 7.9 percent year on year to 12.58 trillion yuan, the General Administration of Customs said Monday.

In U.S. dollar terms, total foreign trade came in at 1.98 trillion U.S. dollars in the period, up 10.1 percent year on year.

Exports grew 10.3 percent year on year to 6.97 trillion yuan, while imports rose 5 percent to 5.61 trillion yuan in the period, leading to a trade surplus of 1.36 trillion yuan, the data showed.

China's trade with its top three trading partners -- the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, and the United States -- maintained growth momentum.

During the period, the growth rates of China's trade value with these three trading partners stood at 7.2 percent, 6.8 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, customs data showed.

Private enterprises saw a fast growth rate as imports and exports increased by 11 percent to 6.1 trillion yuan in the first four months, accounting for 48.5 percent of the country's total.

The imports and exports of foreign-invested firms and that of state-owned enterprises rose 2.2 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products expanded by 6.7 percent to account for 57.9 percent of the total, while exports of labor-intensive products increased 9.2 percent in the first four months.

In April alone, the country's foreign trade volume edged up 0.1 percent year on year to 3.16 trillion yuan, with the exports up 1.9 percent year on year while imports dropping by 2 percent from a year ago.

On a monthly basis, China's foreign trade contracted 1.5 percent last month, with exports down 0.6 percent and imports declining 2.5 percent.

"China's foreign trade faces a grim and complex development environment," said Zhuang Rui, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics. She attributed the slowdown in foreign trade growth to a high comparison base and unexpected factors such as the epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"The resurgence of the pandemic in major export cities directly affected exports," said analysts with Hongta Securities in a research note.

However, virus-caused disturbances to China's foreign trade will diminish as the pandemic is gradually brought under control and domestic supply chains and industrial chains recover, according to the note.

On Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang specified policy steps to stabilize foreign trade amid efforts to smoothen industrial and supply chains while chairing a State Council executive meeting.

The meeting decided to ensure stability in the production and circulation of foreign trade, work out lists of key foreign trade enterprises and support their production, logistics and employment.

"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 at the meeting.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Australian superstar Hugh Jackman has been nominated for a Tony Award for his critically-acclaimed lead role in the smash hit Broadway show, The Music Man.

The Tony Awards are considered Broadway's most prestigious prize - the American theatre's version of the Oscars.

In 2004, Hugh, 53, took home the same award - Best Leading acting - for playing the role of Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz.

Going for gold! Australian superstar Hugh Jackman has been nominated for a Tony Award for his critically-acclaimed lead role in the smash hit Broadway show, The Music Man. He is pictured here with co-star Sutton Foster

First staged in 1957, The Music Man has been nominated for six other Tony Award, including Best Revival of a musical and Best Leading Actress for Hugh's co-star Sutton Foster.

Billy Crystal has also been nominated in Hugh's category for his acclaimed role in Mr Saturday Night.

Other nominees competing in the category are Myles Frost, in MJ, Jaquel Spivey, in A Strange Loop and Rob McClure, in Mrs Doubtfire.

In the famous toe-tapping musical, which was made into a film in 1962, Hugh plays a cheerful, but unscrupulous con man Harold Hill.

Another gong? In 2004, Hugh, 53, took home the same award - Best Leading acting - for playing the role of Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz

Hill manages to persuade the little town of River City to buy musical instruments they do not know how to play. In return the charmer promises to keep River City free of 'sin'.

Landing the role was a dream come true for the Wolverine star.

Hugh said he first appeared in The Music Man in a high school production in 1983 while he was attending Knox Grammar in Sydney.

Rave reviews: The Music Man and Hugh received raves when the curtain first went up back in February

Even though he was only a member of the chorus, Hugh was bit by the theatre bug.

'That was probably the moment when the magic of theatre was born in me,' he recalled.

The Music Man and Hugh received raves when the curtain first went up back in February.

Respected U.S. trade paper Daily Variety called hunky Hugh 'dazzling' and capable of 'acting up a storm'.

Tickets for the show cost as much as US $240 (AU $345) - some of the most expensive seats on Broadway.
Married at First Sight brides Ella Ding and Domenica Calarco are certainly lapping up their time in the spotlight.

The reality TV stars couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces while out for dinner in Sydney on Monday.

Ella, 28, went braless in a tight white crop top and matching-coloured pants for the outing.

Out and about: Married At First Sight's Ella Ding (right) went braless in a crop top as she stepped out with her co-star Domenica Calarco (left) in Sydney on Monday

The beautician completed her look with white sneakers and a black bag, and wrapped a jumper around her waist.

She tied her brunette locks in a low bun and opted for a neutral palette of makeup.

Meanwhile, Domenica looked stylish in a striped buttoned shirt and black jeans.

The makeup artist, 29, accessorised with a pair of white runners with black laces, and carried her belongings in a chic handbag.

Final look: The 28-year-old beautician completed her look with white sneakers and a black bag, and wrapped a jumper around her waist

Domenica and Ella have formed a tight-knit friendship since filming Married At First Sight last year.

Ella has been labelled the 'new Martha Kalifatidis' thanks to her stunning looks and glamorous wardrobe on the Nine dating show.

She 'married' financial planner Mitch Eynaud, 27, on the program, but he ghosted her after failing to make a commitment at their final vows.

Last month, Ella told Now to Love she learned from the break-up that she has a habit of giving 'people too many chances' instead of listening to her gut.

Chic: Domenica (left) looked stylish in a striped buttoned shirt and black jeans

'I give people too many chances. Even though my gut's always right. I should probably stop doing that to be honest,' she said.

Ella said she is a 'patient person' by nature and was serious about giving Mitch time and space when he found himself unable to make a decision at the final vows.

'I was going to give him some more time. I was really putting all my eggs in one basket with him,' she said.
Fergal Keane: Living with PTSD

Rating:

The Spy Who Died Twice

Rating:

The ITN cameraman Jon Steele, in his memoir War Junkie, said that some nights he sat in the dark and replayed his memories of genocide and terrorism.

Innocent men and women, the ones he had filmed but been unable to help, returned in his minds eye with their stories: They burned down my house . . . my baby has no food . . . weve nowhere to hide.

The BBCs Fergal Keane is a self-confessed war junkie.

The ghosts of his past follow him too, faces from Sri Lanka and Rwanda, Iraq and Kosovo, stretching back decades to the Northern Ireland Troubles.

War reporter Fergal Keane shares his struggle with PTSD in new BBC documentary

John Stonehouse also known as the spy who died twice was a cad, a philanderer, a bully, a forger, a thief and a cabinet minister who faked his own death

Archive footage from those conflicts illustrated his nightmares vividly in Fergal Keane: Living With PTSD (BBC2), his account of the mental health problems that are the legacy of his long career.

He wakes some nights unable to breath, dreaming that he is buried under a pile of corpses.

Some of the footage that underpinned his words was horrific beyond description.

His analysis of his depressions and breakdowns, brought on by the human barbarity he has witnessed, was lucid, frank and courageous.

If it was sometimes couched in the language of the therapy session, it was probably inevitable: he has undergone a lot of counselling over the years.

Keane recognised the hopelessness of his addiction.

Idealism and ego drove him, he said, and a craving for adrenaline.

As Jon Steele put it: Normal life just cant compete.

The effect of Keanes work on his family was scarcely mentioned.

They didnt appear in the hour-long programme.

He admitted that at home he could be jumpy and suspicious to the point of paranoia, and that loved ones tiptoed around him.

He barely touched on his alcoholism, merely noting that in the 1990s he drank heavily to unwind but had been sober for 20 years.

His father was an alcoholic too, and he wondered aloud whether an unstable childhood predisposed him to a life of high drama and risk.

Instead of exploring these deeply personal aspects, the second half followed the usual format for documentaries on mental health.

Keane sat in on therapy sessions and talked to other sufferers, before letting himself off the hook with a bland conclusion: Im a reporter and war is my subject.

This was a valuable programme, examining a type of trauma that is not discussed in public often enough.

But war reporting is a traditionally ruthless business, putting raw truth above all else. Keane could have been more ruthless with himself.

Raw truth had nothing to do with the life of John Stonehouse, the Cabinet minister in Harold Wilsons Labour government who faked his own death in a bid to avoid bankruptcy.

Director Keely Winstones jaunty, lightweight profile The Spy Who Died Twice (C4) plundered the filing cabinets of the Czech security services, predating the fall of the Iron Curtain.

The documents revealed Stonehouse was recruited at the start of his parliamentary career, selling information for perhaps 50 a time.

The cash would be left in his parked car, and he passed off the payments as presents.

Wilson and his successor as Prime Minister, Jim Callaghan, both suspected Stonehouse was a traitor.

He was also a cad, a philanderer, a bully, a forger and a thief  and too smugly stupid to get away with any of it.

While he was supposedly dead, his poor wife Barbara told the BBCs Robin Day: His memory has been absolutely besmirched.

Later, police who arrested him in Australia recorded his phone call to her.

It began: You will realise I have been deceiving you.

Talk about English understatement.
An Australian reporter has hit out after being snubbed in a Variety article about female journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine on the ground.

Sarah Williamson has been reporting on the war in Ukraine daily since early February for conservative U.S. network Newsmax, but was notably left out of Variety's piece.

Instead, the publication chose to highlight CNN's Clarissa Ward, Martha Raddatz of ABC News, the BBC's Lyse Doucet, Fox News' Alex Hogan and many others.

Snubbed: Australian reporter Sarah Williamson (pictured) has hit out after being snubbed in a Variety article about female journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine on the ground

Reacting to the snub, Williamson tweeted: 'I mean I've only been on the ground in Ukraine, travelling the entire country, reporting seven days a week since February 8.'

'Maybe my invitation for comment got lost in the mail?' she added, before tagging Variety's Twitter account.

Newsmax viewers on social media were quick to throw their support behind Williamson, with many saying her omission from the article was unfair.

'You forget @SaWilliamson9,' one fan tweeted at Variety.

'She has been on the ground in Ukraine since Feb 8th and has been reporting first hand every day! She is a veteran war correspondent who tells it like it is!'

Frustrated: Reacting to the snub, Sarah tweeted, 'I mean I've only been on the ground in Ukraine, travelling the entire country, reporting seven days a week since February 8. Maybe my invitation for comment got lost in the mail?'

Another wrote: 'You're amazing and brave! I watch you every night on Newsmax! Thanks for your service! God bless and stay safe... more importantly come home safe. Prayers to you and everyone involved in this tragedy.'

Williamson received support from her Newsmax colleagues, with John Huddy tweeting: 'Sarah is one of the most dogged, intrepid and indefatigable reporters I've ever worked with.

'She has covered every angle of this war, from even before it began. She deserves high praise and credit for her work. Respect.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Williamson for comment.

Dedicated: Williamson has been reporting on the war in Ukraine daily since early February for conservative U.S. network Newsmax

For the last three months, Williamson has reported for Newsmax from Ukraine to provide viewers with all the latest updates on the conflict.

The Melbourne-born journalist has been wowing American audiences since she joined the right-wing populist network last year.

Following a live broadcast from Kyiv in early March, viewers flocked to social media to praise her professionalism.

'Wow, she needs to be on prime time,' wrote one, while another commented: 'Love your reporting, Sarah. Your stunning beauty goes hand in hand with your intellect!'

'Great job, Sarah, keep it up! And may I say, you look simply amazing,' wrote a third.

Support: Newsmax viewers on social media were quick to throw their support behind Williamson, with many tweeting that her omission from the article was unfair

'She is a veteran war correspondent who tells it like it is!' Fans flooded Twitter with support

'She deserves high praise': Newsmax reporter John Huddy also vouched for Williamson

In March, she opened up about the 'terrible murder' of documentary filmmaker and 'brave journalist' Brent Renaud by Russian forces.

Renaud died on March 13 after Russian soldiers opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine, where he was gathering details for a report about refugees.

Williamson explained that the checkpoint in Irpin where Renaud was killed was often used by members of the press and was generally considered to be safe.

'He was killed in Irpin, where I have been multiple times and the majority of journalists here in Kiev have been going to that evacuation point at the bridge,' she said.

Popular: The Melbourne-born journalist has been wowing American audiences since she joined the right-wing populist network last year

'He was killed whilst at a checkpoint by Russian soldiers who were hiding in the bushes and were attacking cars and civilians who were crossing that bridge.

'I got this information from a soldier who spoke very, very good English.'

Williamson added that the checkpoint had been considered 'one of the only safe corridors' for people to evacuate through prior to the attack.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death.
Zoe Saldana let her hair down and enjoyed the Miami sunshine on Monday.

The Colombiana star, 43, wore a mini skirt and t-shirt combination that showed off her lithe figure.

The fashionable entertainer wore a pair of red-tinted aviator sunglasses to shield her eyes from the Southern sun.

Enjoying some down time: Zoe Saldana let her hair down and enjoyed the Miami sunshine on Monday

The New Jersey-born beauty's long and lustrous locks blew in the breeze as she savored her leisure time.

The ends of her thick, textured hair had a golden color and they flowed down her back as she tucked the front behind her ears.

The longtime silver screen siren wore a pair of multicolor beaded hoops that coordinated with a stack of multicolor beaded bracelets.

Her light pink, short-sleeved top bared her tattooed arms and she went makeup free for the casual day at the shore.

Summer style: The Colombiana star, 43, wore a mini skirt and t-shirt combination that showed off her lithe figure

Zoe was all smiles as she soaked up the sun and took a walk to get her feet wet at the shoreline.

She was barefoot while luxuriating during the much-deserved break from set life working on Guardians of the Galaxy.

In other professional news, a new trailer for her upcoming movie Avatar 2 was recently released.

Cooling off: At one point the Avatar actress pulled her hair back into a low and loose bun

Jewelry: The longtime silver screen siren wore a pair of multicolor beaded hoops that coordinated with a stack of multicolor beaded bracelets

The 20th Century Studios film will finally hits US theaters on December 16, 13 years after the original movie.

In it, Na'vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe) and disabled former Marine-turned-Na'vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) are now proud parents of four children on the alien moon of Pandora.

Fans that need a refresher can catch the critically-acclaimed original Avatar in theaters on September 23 - 13 years after it became the top-grossing film of all time by amassing $2.84B globally.

'I can get choked up just talking about it. I was able to see just 20 minutes of the second installment, right before the year ended, last year. And I was speechless. I was moved to tears,' Zoe said back in March.

Tatted: Her light pink, short-sleeved top bared her tattooed arms and she went makeup free for the casual day at the shore

Flowy: The ends of her thick, textured hair had a golden color and they flowed down her back as she tucked the front behind her ears

Saldana, who's married to Italian artist and former athlete Marco Perego, took to social media on Mother's Day to acknowledge the holiday.

In her Stories she shared a photo sitting on an outdoor couch with her and her husband's three sons - Bowie and Cy, seven, and Zen, five.

She looked beautiful in a black sundress with her hair pulled back neatly into a ponytail.

'Mommy things,' she captioned the image in which the trio of boys were making silly faces.
Chris Evans revealed the before and after for his mustached look on the upcoming Netflix action-thriller The Gray Man.

The 40-year-old actor took to his Instagram on Monday, sharing an undated photo from him before filming began on the film, with a full mustache.

He also shared an undated after photo, after filming had wrapped, with the actor returning to his usual clean-shaven look.

Before: Chris Evans revealed the before and after for his mustached look on the upcoming Netflix action-thriller The Gray Man

They Gray Man is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, with the adaptation setting an expensive new record for the streaming service.

The film is reported to have a budget of $200 million, which makes it the most expensive feature film that Netflix ever made.

The Gray Man centers on Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), a CIA black-ops mercenary who unwittingly uncovers some of the agency's deepest and darkest secrets.

After: He also shared an undated after photo, after filming had wrapped, with the actor returning to his usual clean-shaven look

Evans plays Lloyd Hansen, an, 'unhinged former colleague' of Gentry who leads the international manhunt to kill him.

The star-studded cast includes Ana de Armas, Rege-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard.

Evans reunites with directors Anthony and Joe Russo on The Grey Man, who directed them in 2014's Captain America; The Winter Soldier, 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame.

Unhinged: Evans plays Lloyd Hansen, an, 'unhinged former colleague' of Gentry who leads the international manhunt to kill him

The Russo Brothers direct from a screenplay by their Marvel collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, along with Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel.

The Russo's will also produce alongside Mike Larocca, Chris Castaldi, Palek Patel and Joe Roth, with Markus and McFeely among the many executive producers.

Netflix will give the film a limited theatrical release on July 15, before arriving on the streaming service July 22.

Russo Brothers: The Russo Brothers (center and right) direct from a screenplay by their Marvel collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, along with Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel

Evans also has another highly-anticipated summer movie, Lightyear, where he voices the title character, in theaters June 17.

He is currently filming Ghosted with Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Amy Sedaris, Tim Blake Nelson and Tate Donovan.

He is also attached to star in Red One alongside Dwayne Johnson for director Jake Kasdan.
Retired NRL star Benji Marshall and his podcast host wife Zoe have bought a stunning house in Sydney's Hunters Hill.

The couple purchased the property for $4.75million, just two months after selling their former home in Canada Bay.

The Marshalls' new family home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a spacious open plan living area, reports Realestate.com.au.

New home: Retired NRL star Benji Marshall and his podcast host wife Zoe have bought a stunning home in Sydney's Hunters Hill

The house also boasts a modern kitchen with a huge island bench and walk-in pantry, as well as a cinema room.

The previous owner bought the place for $2.48million in 2014 before renovating it.

The purchase comes after Benji and Zoe sold their property in Canada Bay, in Sydney's inner west, in March.

Spacious: The home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a spacious open plan living area

Modern: The house also boasts a modern kitchen with a huge island bench and walk-in pantry, as well as a cinema room. (The living room is seen here)

The Marshalls' old home has four bedrooms, three of which are spacious double bedrooms, and three bathrooms.

One of the bedrooms opens to a gorgeous tree-lined view and is decorated in cool slate tones.

A modern kitchen with high-end appliances also leads out to a small courtyard ideal for outdoor entertaining.

History: The previous owner bought the place for $2.48million in 2014 before renovating it

The Canada Bay property, which was built in the 1940s, was purchased by Benji and Zoe for $1,535,000 in 2014.

When the couple sold it in March, the median house price in the area was $2.285m.

Zoe and Benji are parents to 11-month-old daughter Ever and son Benjamin Fox, four.

Benji, formerly of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, announced his retirement from rugby league in October 2021.

Going, going, gone! The purchase comes after Benji and Zoe sold their property in Canada Bay, in Sydney's inner west, in March. (The kitchen of the Marshalls' old home is seen here)
Phoebe Burgess had a prized front-row seat at the Oroton runway show at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney on Tuesday.

But the former rugby league WAG, 33, attracted an unwanted neighbour when ex-Married At First Sight star Nasser Sultan pinched a recently vacated seat next to her.

Sultan, 55, who has been described by former MAFS cast members as a 'fame-seeking troll', slipped into racing royalty Kate Waterhouse's seat when she moved away and tugged on Burgess' designer coat to try to get her attention.

Sliding in: Phoebe Burgess (right) attracted unwanted attention at Australian Fashion Week on Tuesday when MAFS star Nasser Sultan (left) pinched a recently vacated seat next to her

However, the ex-wife of retired NRL star Sam Burgess turned her back on Sultan as he repeatedly asked for a photo and tried to start a conversation.

A snubbed Sultan 'eventually gave up and walked off,' an onlooker told Daily Mail Australia.

But he buttonholed Burgess once again after the Oroton show when he walked up to her outside the Carriageworks venue in Eveleigh.

Ignored: Sultan slipped into racing royalty Kate Waterhouse's seat when she moved away and tugged on Burgess' designer coat to try to get her attention. The influencer turned her back on the 55-year-old reality star as he repeatedly asked for a photo and tried to start a conversation

Pals: Burgess is seen here with socialite Kate Waterhouse moments before Nasser swooped in

The look: Burgess recycled her accessories from last year's Australian Fashion Week by carrying her favourite $3,100 green Bottega mini Jodie handbag and wearing matching $1,340 lace-up leather-trimmed mesh pumps

Burgess posed with Sultan before giving him a polite nod and quickly walking away.

Since starring in the fifth season of MAFS, Sultan has become a divisive figure and has been called a 'troll' and a 'narcissist' by former co-star Michael Brunelli.

Meanwhile, Burgess recycled her accessories from last year's Australian Fashion Week by carrying her favourite $3,100 green Bottega mini Jodie handbag and wearing matching $1,340 lace-up leather-trimmed mesh pumps.

The mother of two was spotted with the unmissable items as she sat front row at the Oroton show with racing heiress Waterhouse.

Unmissable: The former magazine journalist was spotted with the unmissable items as she sat front row at the Oroton show

So nice, she wore them twice! Burgess also wore the show-stopping heels and handbag last year at Australian Fashion Week

Future's so bright: The mother of two tucked her designer sunglasses - a Fashion Week staple - into the collar of her frock and carried her trusty iPhone to document the show

This time she paired the pricey accessories with a colourful houndstooth trench coat worn over a silk dress.

The podcaster tucked her designer sunglasses - a Fashion Week staple - into the collar of her frock and carried her trusty iPhone to document the runway.

Burgess had worn the show-stopping heels and handbag last year at Fashion Week, and paired them with a retro leather coat.

He's back! Sultan got his prized photo after the Oroton show when he 'photobombed' Burgess outside the Carriageworks venue in Eveleigh
Two OnlyFans stars who met on a Melbourne radio show have released a sex tape.

Lucy Banks and Jake Ryan hooked up after Perth-based Lucy appeared on KIIS FM's Jase and Lauren Morning Show to discuss her raunchy career move to the adults-only platform.

The segment took a twist when male escort Jake, otherwise known as Mr Jake, heard the show and privately got in touch with her to see if the pair would hit it off.

Raunchy: Two of Australia's biggest Only Fans stars, Lucy Banks and Mr Jake, aka Jake Ryan, who met and fell in love on a Melbourne radio show have released a sex tape

Despite initially teasing a sex tape to listeners, Lucy and Jake confirmed last week they had indeed made 'OnlyFans magic' together.

'We sent the radio station a preview of our content; we were shocked when they actually watched on air!' Lucy said.

'They were literally screaming and giving the listeners a censored 'play-by-play' of the content they were watching.'

Twist: Lucy Banks, pictured here, and Jake Ryan first hooked up after Perth-based Lucy appeared on KIIS FM's Jase and Lauren Morning Show to discuss her raunchy career move to the adults-only platform

The pair went on to thank Jase and Lauren for introducing them and help create a connection between the pair.

'Jake and I are planning our next encounter in Melbourne soon, and we look forward to sharing our adventures with KIIS listeners,' Lucy said.

Entrepreneurial Lucy bills herself on OnlyFans as 'girl next door, behind close doors.'

More to come: The segment took a twist when Jake, otherwise known as Mr Jake, heard the segment and he privately got in-touch with her to see if the pair would hit it off

According to her website, she sells her OnlyFans videos $49.

She also has a 'chat' feature for $9.99.

According to his website, British star Mr Jake also offers 'escort' services, including the 'boyfriend' experience.
She's cultivated a reputation over the year as a mast momager in charge of the details of her family's business.

But Kris Jenner made it clear that her lips are sealed when it comes to her eldest daughter Kourtney Kardashian's upcoming wedding to Travis Barker.

'I have been sworn to secrecy,' the 66-year-old Kardashians star told People in a chat published Monday.

Going silent: Kris Jenner, 66, said she was 'sworn to secrecy' about daughter Kourtney Kardashian's upcoming wedding with Travis Barker, according to People; seen May 2 in NYC

'If I say one thing about a wedding, I am gonna be in so much trouble!' she added.

Kourtney seems to want to keep her second trip down the aisle with Travis much more private than their first low-key wedding.

After they made a PDA-filled splash at the Grammy Awards on April 6, the lovebirds got married later that night in Las Vegas.

However, they weren't able to get a marriage license in time for their casual vows, so they settled for a ceremony that wasn't legally binding.

Her lips are sealed: 'If I say one thing about a wedding, I am gonna be in so much trouble!' she added; Kourtney and Travis seen May 2 in NYC

Wedding take one: After Kourtney and Travis made a PDA-filled splash at the Grammy Awards on April 6, the lovebirds got married later that night in Las Vegas

Whoops! They weren't able to get a marriage license in time for their casual vows, so they settled for a ceremony that wasn't legally binding

Days afterward, Kourtney shared some of the photos of the couple beaming ear-to-ear while wearing matching black leather biker jackets as they did their dry run.

She and Travis looked as if they could barely contain their passion as they kissed in the images.

'Once upon a time in a land far, far away (Las Vegas) at 2am, after an epic night and a little tequila, a queen and her handsome king ventured out to the only open chapel with an Elvis and got married (with no license). Practice makes perfect,' she captioned the snaps.

The couple will now have plenty of time to plan their ideal wedding with as many guests as they want, but Kris will be guarding the details with her life and staying out of the way.

'I'm just gonna sit in the background,' she added. 'And not say a word because I don't want to get in trouble.'

Out of the spotlight: 'I'm just gonna sit in the background,' Kris added. 'And not say a word because I don't want to get in trouble'

Though Kris is cleared keyed in to her daughter's future nuptials, she put the spotlight on a younger family member on Monday.

The celebrity momager shared some sweet snaps featuring her daughter Kim's youngest son Psalm to mark his third birthday.

'Happy Birthday to our sweet yummy Psalm who has the smile that lights up our hearts!!! Psalm, you are such a special part of our family and the most amazing son, grandson, brother, cousin and nephew!!!! Such a bright light every single day!!' she wrote on Instagram while sharing cute photos of the little boy. 'I wish you the most magical birthday and feel so so blessed that God chose me to be your Grandma!!!! I love you Psalmy Lovey xo @kimkardashian.'

The day before, it was Kris who was being serenaded by her children online to celebrate Mother's Day.

Birthday boy: The celebrity momager shared some sweet snaps featuring her daughter Kim's youngest son Psalm on Monday to mark his third birthday
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 5 "Jaish al-Nasr" mercenaries, affiliated with the "National Liberation Front", were killed and 5 others were wounded, some of them seriously, as a result of a vehicle targeting them by Damascus government forces, with a guided missile on the axis of the village of Cairo in the al-Ghab Plain area. northwest of Hama.

And the Damascus government forces had fired rocket shells after midnight on Saturday - Sunday and at dawn today, at areas in Sfuhun, Falifel, al-Fateera, al-Bara, Kansafra and Benin within Jabal al-Zawiya in the southern countryside of Idlib, amid the hovering of Russian UAVs in the sky.

The Kabana axes in Jabal al-Akrad in the northern countryside of Lattakia witnessed mutual attacks with heavy machine guns, between the forces of the Damascus government and the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation.

T/S

ANHA
One of the biggest headlines coming out of the first annual Netflix Is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles was the brazen attack of Dave Chappelle, but don't expect to see that on the streaming service anytime soon.

Before even the festival began - which ran in various venues in Los Angeles from April 28 through May 8 - Netflix made it clear that Chappelle's four sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl were not being filmed for a future Netflix special.

Chappelle did have his own cameras there to film his performances, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which were filming the comedian as he worked out new material during the performances.

No special: One of the biggest headlines coming out of the first annual Netflix Is a Joke Festival in Los Angeles was the brazen attack of Dave Chappelle, but don't expect to see that on the streaming service anytime soon

Netflix: Before even the festival began - which ran in various venues in Los Angeles from April 28 through May 8 - Netflix made it clear that Chappelle's four sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl were not being filmed for a future Netflix special

The report adds that, 'professionally shot footage of the attack likely does exist,' and it's possible Netflix could utilize it in some way.

Still, there are no immediate plans to use the footage of the attack, which happened last Tuesday night.

Chappelle was in the middle of his set when a 23-year-old man named Isaiah Lee, jumped on stage and tackled the comedian.

Attack: The report adds that, 'professionally shot footage of the attack likely does exist,' and it's possible Netflix could utilize it in some way

He was quickly pulled off Chappelle by security and taken into custody by the LA County Sheriff's office.

He was booked on a single felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, since he had a weapon in his bag, though he didn't use it on Chappelle.

His bail has been set at $30,000, though it was later revealed that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon refused to charge Lee with a felony.

Custody: He was quickly pulled off Chappelle by security and taken into custody by the LA County Sheriff's office

Chappelle: He was booked on a single felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, since he had a weapon in his bag, though he didn't use it on Chappelle

Instead, he was charged with several misdemeanor counts including 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.

The festival featured 336 comics performing 288 shows across 35 venues in Los Angeles, with Netflix announcing some of the specials that are coming from the festival, one of which will feature Chappelle in a different capacity.

The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up will debut on May 19, which honors legendary comedians that have passed away.

Charged: Instead, he was charged with several misdemeanor counts including 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

The Hall will feature John Mulaney honoring Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle honoring Richard Pryor, Chelsea Handler honoring Joan Rivers and Jon Stewart honoring George Carlin.

Bill Burr: Friends Who Kill debuts on June 6, while June 7 and June 12 will debut That's My Time with David Letterman, with each of the six episodes honoring a different comedian, including a five-minute stand-up set and a conversation with Letterman.

Other specials include Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration (June 9), described as, 'the largest-ever gathering of LGBTQ+ comics,' with A Tribute to Bob Saget (June 10) featuring, 'a celebration of Bobs life in comedy with his friends and family.'

Dave: The Hall will feature John Mulaney honoring Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle honoring Richard Pryor, Chelsea Handler honoring Joan Rivers and Jon Stewart honoring George Carlin

Amy Schumer's Parental Advisory debuts on June 11, followed by Pete Davidson Presents: The Best Friends on June 13, 'a multi-comic special hosted and curated by Davidson.'

Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin: Ladies Night Live (June 14) features, 'Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda introduce an all-female lineup of comedians.'

Snoop Doggs F*cn Around Comedy Special (June 16) is an, 'original comedy from Snoop, along with sets from legendary black comedians performing at the festival.'

The final announced special is June 23's Best of the Festival, featuring highlights throughout the Fest, though the biggest special has no date yet - Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias' sold-out show at Dodger Stadium.
Filming is well and truly under way on John Ibrahim's much-anticipated TV drama Last King of the Cross.

On Monday, Lincoln Younes - who will play the nightclub identity - was pictured shooting scenes for the new series in Sydney.

The former Home and Away heart-throb looked serious as he filmed scenes alongside co-star Callan Mulvey.

He means business! A serious-looking Lincoln Younes filmed scenes for the upcoming television drama Last King of the Cross in Sydney on Monday

Lincoln wore one of John's signature outfits: a black T-shirt and dark jeans.

The 10-part series will tell the story of brothers John and Sam Ibrahim, who are prominent figures in the Kings Cross nightclub district.

The series may also explore key events in John's life, including surviving a near fatal stabbing and other attempts on his life.

They mean business: The former Home and Away heart-throb looked serious as he filmed scenes alongside co-star Callan Mulvey

In character: Lincoln wore one of John's signature outfits: a black T-shirt and dark jeans

Sources close to the production say that John - who was 'very particular' about the actor playing him - was impressed with Lincoln's acting ability and his similarly dark complexion and light eyes.

The Lebanese-born entrepreneur migrated from Tripoli to Australia with his family as a young child before securing his first nightclub at age 19.

He has been dating model Sarah Budge, whom he met after buying the Potts Point building where she operated a restaurant, since 2015.

Storyline: The 10-part series will tell the story of brothers John and Sam Ibrahim, who are prominent figures in the Kings Cross nightclub district

Featured: The series may also explore key events in John's life

Impressed: Sources close to the production say that John - who was 'very particular' about the actor playing him - was impressed with Lincoln's acting ability and his similarly dark complexion and light eyes

The couple welcomed their first child together in August last year.

A friend of the couple confirmed Elvis' birth to Daily Mail Australia in early September and it's understood the baby arrived on August 31.

John has two other children from past relationships, including a grown-up son, Daniel, and a seven-year-old child whom he shares with his long-time friend.

Life story: John Ibrahim (pictured on the cover of his autobiography) migrated from Tripoli to Australia with his family as a young child before securing his first nightclub at age 19
Uma Thurman was spotted on the Hoboken, New Jersey set of The Kill Room on Monday afternoon.

The 52-year-old performer appeared to be enjoying her time on set as she posed for a set of photos while making her way around the forthcoming project's production area.

The actress is set to reunite with her Pulp Fiction costar Samuel L. Jackson in the upcoming feature, which is currently in the middle of filming.

Hard at work: Uma Thurman was spotted on the Hoboken, New Jersey set of The Kill Room on Monday afternoon

Thurman was costumed in a white shirt worn underneath a pinstripe vest during the shooting process.

The Kill Bill star vol. 1 and 2 star also rocked a slightly wide-legged set of black pants and a pair of dark blue shoes.

The Academy Award-winning performer added a bit of color to her look with a blue-and-red tie and accessorized with a set of earrings.

Her gorgeous blonde hair cascaded onto her shoulders and contrasted perfectly with the neutral tones of her outfit.

Dressed by the occasion: Thurman was costumed in a white shirt worn underneath a pinstripe vest during the shooting process

Development on The Kill Room was initially announced last month by The Hollywood Reporter.

The forthcoming feature is centered on an assassin who becomes an overnight avant-garde art sensation while also being involved in a money-laundering scheme.

The hitman is then forced to play the forces of the world of art against the criminal underworld at large.

Thurman will portray an art dealer in the forthcoming feature, while Jackson is set to play the assassin's boss.

Storyline: The forthcoming feature is centered on an assassin who becomes an overnight avant-garde art sensation while also being involved in a money-laundering scheme

Joe Manganiello joined the cast of the feature last month, although his role is unknown at this time.

Director and producer Nicol Paone gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter to express his excitement for the forthcoming film.

'Getting to make The Kill Room...with Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson is beyond my wildest dreams,' he said.

The filmmaker also made a point of highlighting the talent of the former costars.

Being honest: Director and producer Nicol Paone stated that 'Getting to make The Kill Room...with Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson is beyond my wildest dreams'

'Every moment they're onscreen, they are both enviable and eye-catching. I am eternally grateful to both of them for saying yes, and I am thrilled to bring this to life,' he said.

Producers Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman also spoke to the media outlet and noted that the project's team was highly talented and ready to begin working on the movie.

'The combination of Uma and Sam for this project is a dream come true. We are certain that Nicol is going to deliver a special film, and one that strikes the perfect balance between dark humor and edge-of-your-seat thrills,' they said.

The Kill Room's prospective release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet.
This year's Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in Sydney brought out a variety of newly minted reality stars and D-list celebrities.

Married At First Sight's Ella Ding, Domenica Calarco, Selin Mengu and Tamara Djordjevic were just some of the stars in attendance on the second day.

And some stars ensured all eyes were fixed firmly on them, stepping out in a variety of daring ensembles.

Newcomers: This year's Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in Sydney brought out a variety of newly minted reality stars and D-list celebrities. Pictured, Tamara Djordjevic

Imogen Anthony attended in a pair of torn jeans, which she wore undone and folded over at the waist.

The 31-year-old model and former girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands also donned a black corset, which she paired with a denim bralet.

She also wore denim boots, while a faux fur coat hung loosely off her shoulders, and she carried a black denim handbag.

Get waisted: Imogen Anthony (pictured) attended in a pair of torn jeans, which she wore undone and folded over at the waist

Famous friends: She mingled with Selin Mengu (left), with the two women happily posing together for photos inside the event

Imogen rounded out her quirky ensemble with a pair of futuristic wrap-around sunglasses, while her long blonde hair sat loose.

She mingled with Selin, 32, with the two women happily posing together for photos inside the event.

The MAFS bride left little to the imagination with a white eyelet pencil skirt, which she teamed with a matching bralet under a white coat.

Top of the crops: The MAFS bride left little to the imagination with a white eyelet pencil skirt, which she teamed with a matching bralet

Mixing it up: Selin kept warm under a white coat, which she wore draped over her shoulders, while she switched up her handbags throughout the day

Selin rounded out her ensemble with a pair of clear heels and carried a small black handbag, while her long brunette hair was styled loose.

Fellow MAFS bride Tamara, 30, also stepped out for day two of Fashion Week, opting for a long black skirt with a thigh-high split.

She also wore a long-sleeve cropped black top, while a black rope was wrapped artfully around her torso.

Thigh's the limit: Tamara also stepped out for day two of Fashion Week, opting for a long black skirt with a thigh-high split

All tied up: She also wore a long-sleeve cropped black top, while a black rope was wrapped artfully around her torso

Tamara rounded out her revealing ensemble with a pair of black boots and gold hoop earrings, and she carried a black faux fur jacket.

Domenica, 28, and Ella arrived together, with the MAFS brides posing for photos together ahead of the fashion show.

Ella, 27, stepped out in a dark blue denim mini shirt-dress, which she paired with bright green platform slides.

Sticking together: Domenica Calarco (right) and Ella Ding (left) arrived together, with the MAFS brides posing for photos together ahead of the fashion show

Keeping it short: Ella stepped out in a dark blue denim mini shirt-dress, which she paired with bright green platform slides

She also carried a small silver cross-body bag, and rounded out her ensemble with a pair of oversize green aviator sunglasses and hoop earrings.

Meanwhile, Domenica paired high-waisted dark blue trousers with a matching blazer, which she wore over a graphic white T-shirt.

She wore a pair of Gucci monogram heels, which she teamed with a matching handbag, and her bobbed blonde hair was worn loose.

Fashion fixture: Controversial MAFS groom Nasser Sultan (left) was also in attendance, landing a front row seat alongside Phoebe Burgess

Controversial MAFS groom Nasser Sultan was also in attendance, landing a front row seat alongside Phoebe Burgess.

The 55-year-old paired black pants with a black button-up shirt, pink denim jacket and black and white striped sneakers.

Nasser was also spotted greeting fellow MAFS star Tamara, leaning in to give the blonde beauty a hug as she sat in the front row.
The Neighbours finale will air on Channel 10's digital offshoot channel 10 Peach, and fans are not happy.

The Australian soap, which first aired in 1985, was spectacularly axed in March this year following the loss of its main UK broadcast partner Channel 5.

The last-ever episode will air on August 1 - and in Australia, it will appear on 10 Peach, where the show moved to back in 2011.

Final outing: The Neighbours finale will air on Channel 10's digital offshoot channel 10 Peach, and fans are not happy. Pictured: Tammin Sursok

It had previously aired on Channel 10 since 1986, after the network took over the soap from Channel Seven in its second season.

Some fans had hoped that Neighbours would return to 10 for the finale - but it was not to be.

'Surely if this show was so beloved, warranting a once off move back to the main channel (after being shafted for many years), it wouldn't be being axed to begin with?!' complained one fan in a Neighbours forum.

Moves: Neighbours' last-ever episode will air on August 1 - and in Australia, it will appear on 10 Peach, where it moved to back in 2011. Pictured: Daniel MacPherson

'If they aired that and then a massive two hour special I'd be the first one to say it better be on 10 but for now, with the information we have, it's just ending on Peach as normal with a normal episode. No fanfare,' another said.

'Final should be on the main channel regardless. It was an Australian institution. If 10 won't fund the show the least they can do is show it respect in finishing in HD rather than people having to suffer awful SD channel quality,' someone else chimed in.

'Agree they could even produce an hour for the final episode and play it on the main channel at 7.30 on a Sunday night. A lot of people would tune in for the send off,' yet another agreed.

Over: The Australian soap, which first aired in 1985, was spectacularly axed in March this year following the loss of its main UK broadcast partner Channel 5. Pictured: Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan on the show

In March, TV Tonight revealed that the final episode will screen in Australia in sync with Britain.

From June 13, double episodes are screening on 10 Peach in order to catch Australians up with the pace of the UK air dates and avoid spoilers.

'From Monday June 13, friends of Ramsay St can tune into double the fun, double the action with double episodes to celebrate the final season of Neighbours. The ultimate series finale will air on Monday August 1,' a Channel 10 spokesperson told TV Tonight.
Alice Evans and her two daughters have tested positive for Covid.

The actress, 53, shared an update on Monday night as she battled through a bad night of symptoms, revealing she has been suffering from 'nose bleeds and continuous vomiting.'

Sharing a series of selfies Alice, who is mum to Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight, warned others that she had spent days with 'sniffles' before her symptoms worsened, 'and then suddenly I felt like I was going to die.'

Tough time: Alice Evans and her two daughters have tested positive for Covid. The actress, 53, shared an update on Monday night as she battled through a bad night of symptoms

Pouting for the camera, Alice told her 85k followers: 'Covid so bad tonight I cant even think. Or speak! ( dont clap!)'

'Coughs, sweats, nose-bleeds, continuous vomiting and alternate shivering and then boiling hot,' she said as she listed her symptoms.

'It just makes me think of all those who had it so much worse than me. Who were on ventilators for weeks, who never properly recovered. ( I shouldnt speak so soon!)'

'But mostly to those who cared for a person who started off just like me thinking it may have been just a colossal flu and then ending losing them. Its heart-breaking.'

'I felt like I was going to die': Sharing a series of selfies Alice, who is mum to Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight, warned others that she had spent days with 'sniffles' before her symptoms worsened

Feeling rough: 'Coughs, sweats, nose-bleeds, continuous vomiting and alternate shivering and then boiling hot,' she said as she listed her symptoms'

Alice also gave an update on her eldest daughter, as she continued: 'On the better side, Ella is seemingly better and out of bed. Although we couldnt take her to the doctors today because they would allow me to come with Covid and we could t find anyone else to do it!'

'Hug your loved ones. Take those home tests even when you think its a cold. Mine was a sore throat and sniffles for days and days and then suddenly I felt like I was going to die. Check in with people if you are on your own. You are all loved.'

Alice ended her lengthy post by referencing her hair quiff: 'Ps: the Tin-Tin hairdo has only just occurred to me. Its nice when comic relief inserts itself without you having to create it.'

Ill: Alice also gave an update on her eldest daughter, as she continued: 'On the better side, Ella is seemingly better and out of bed (L-R: Elsie and Ella)

Three days previously Alice uploaded a photo of her positive covid test as she wrote: 'two runny-nosed girls slumped on a setee, Thinking DAMN you C-O-V-I- D!!'

She explained she caught it from her daughter 'because nobody else wanted to isolate with her!!'

She went on to point out the logistical problems of single parenting 'in an LA -style open plan house ( which I now loathe by the way - when we move I want my space back!)'

'The problem is what do you do? I cant ask a friend to look after a potentially sick kid.'

Positive: Three days previously Alice uploaded a photo of her positive covid test as she wrote: 'two runny-nosed girls slumped on a setee, Thinking DAMN you C-O-V-I- D!!'

In January 2021, Alice publicly confirmed in a string of angry tweets that her marriage with estranged husband Ioan Gruffudd had broken down.

Last month she shared a makeup-free but heavily edited selfie to her Instagram as she detailed occasionally seeing her true self coming back.

The actress admitted: 'A big shock takes a while to get over!' as she touched on having been 'fooled' and thinking about what she 'did wrong' while coming to terms with the split.

Split: In January 2021, Alice publicly confirmed that her marriage to Ioan Gruffudd had broken down. Last month she shared a selfie as she detailed seeing her true self coming back

Alice wrote alongside her selfie: 'The real me. Almost 18 months later. No make up, just a bit of help erasing the flaky patches.

These things change slowly, i'm afraid ( unless you're on one of those Home Maintenance shows. Those girls seem to move from partner to partner with greatest of ease and procreate like rabbits.) I hand it to them!

But me? No. A big shock takes a while to get over and necessitated a lot of thinking. Waft I did wrong, what I can improve.

'Because you know at the end of the day: Fool me once, shame on.. shame on.. what is it? Godamnit! YOU FOOLED CAN CANt GET FOOLED AGAIN! Ya get it!! Now take this goddamn microphone off before it strangles me.

Candid! The actress admitted: 'A big shock takes a while to get over!' as she touched on having been 'fooled' and thinking about what she 'did wrong' while coming to terms with the split

'Apologizes. This was meant to be a serious and sensitive post. And it still is, I took a picture of myself almost every day since it happened to see if I could see 'me' coming back

'Occasionally I do! But I guess not today! Love to ALL OF YOU.'

102 Dalmatians star Alice announced her split from Welsh actor Ioan in a series of angry tweets last January. He subsequently a new romance with Bianca Wallace, 29, in October.

Alice dramatically quit Twitter recently after slamming Bianca over a perceived 'lack of empathy'.

The ex: 102 Dalmatians star Alice announced her split from Welsh actor Ioan in a series of angry tweets last January

In March, Alice claimed that she and her daughters 'will be homeless in two months', amid her legal battle with her ex.

The actress shared the update as she alleged that her children, Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight, will be losing 'the only house they have ever known.'

Taking to Instagram, the mother-of-two shared a candid photo before explaining her situation to her followers.

Alongside a photo she penned: 'Rough, rough day today. The girls and I found out we are going to lose the only house they have ever known. In two months we will be homeless.'

'I hesitated about sharing, because when your ex has paid good money to have you gagged and you risk jail by speaking out. (Communist China, anyone?) it gets really scary.

Family: In March, Alice shared a candid photo to Instagram before explaining that she and her daughters are facing homelessness (pictured with Ella and Elsie in 2018)

Heartbreaking: She penned: 'The girls and I found out we are going to lose the only house they have ever known. In two months we will be homeless'

'But driving home tonight after hacking dropped both girls at different play dates/ parties, arranged to pick them up, been told how much they'll miss me and that they can't wait to have 'family day at home' tomorrow, I feel the tears starting again. Tears of fear. Tears of the possibility of breaking their hearts.

'They love this house. It wouldn't be the end of the world. We can find a condo to rent somewhere I'm sure.

'Just feeling wistful tonight! Bear with me, I'll be back! I promise!'

Alice's applied for legal and physical custody of her children following her legal battle with her ex-husband.

Exes: Alice's update follows the news that she applied for legal and physical custody of her children following her legal battle with her ex-husband, Ioan

In court documents obtained by People, the actress asked that visitation rights be granted to Ioan.

She also requested 'spousal support, termination of the court's ability to award spousal support to Gruffudd, and for her attorney fees to be paid by her estranged husband', while citing 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason for their split.

The 102 Dalmatians star previously asked the court to determine the rights to their family home in Los Angeles.

Ioan had been married to Alice for 14 years before he filed for divorce in March last year, later applying for a restraining order in February 2022.

Alice and Ioan's representatives have been contacted for comment by MailOnline.
Jodie Comer was met with adoring fans once again after performing in Prima Facie at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London on Monday.

The Killing Eve actress, 29, who scooped the Leading Actress gong at this years BAFTA Television Awards, signed autographs for the crowd after her one-woman show and looked overwhelmed by the crowds.

She put on a low-key display in a chic ensemble as she donned a black baker boy cap and a protective facemask.

Star power: Overwhelmed Jodie Comer, 29, was met with adoring fans once again following her Prima Facie theatre performance on Monday

Jodie showed off her incredible complexion as she went fresh-faced upon her departure, tucking her blonde locks beneath her hat.

She wore an effortlessly stylish blue pinstriped shirt with wide leg jeans and layered over a long black coat to complete her ensemble.

The actress appeared to have yet another successful night as huge crowds of fans greeted her outside the venue.

Adoring fans: The Killing Eve actress, who scooped the Leading Actress gong at this years BAFTA Television Awards, signed autograph's as she exited at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Jodie's new venture sees her play idealistic young barrister Tessa, who specialises in defending rape suspects.

Her character, who is described as 'thoroughbred', vilifies the victims until she is sexually assaulted and forced to go up against the system she had taken advantage of during her career.

Prima Facie, directed by Justin Martin, was written by Australian-British lawyer turned playwright Suzie Miller.

Chic: She wore an effortlessly stylish blue pinstriped shirt with wide leg jeans and layered over a long black coat to complete her ensemble

The Daily Mail's Patrick Marmion awarded Jodie's 'ferocious yet forensic performance' a strong four stars out of five.

He wrote: 'Comer blows us away in a ferocious yet forensic performance that's related in a blizzard of quickly shifting perspectives.

'She gets us onside as the high-flying barrister with her native Liverpool accent and anti-Establishment attitude  at one point tossing rubbish into the audience.

'But her abrupt disintegration into fevered, ashen-faced confusion is seriously distressing. Although her performance runs a stunning gamut from cocky joy to despair and humiliation, it's the subject matter that dominates the evening.'

Role: Jodie's new venture sees her play idealistic young barrister Tessa, who specialises in defending rape suspects

There are already rumours that Prima Facie could head to Broadway. The play will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre until June 18.

James Bierman, the play's producer and general manager, told Deadline Prima Facie has the 'potential to be something' and revealed that he and the production would like to transfer to New York.

James added that Jodie would also like to take the play to her hometown of Liverpool. He said: 'It would be amazing to take it to Liverpool, schedules permitting, and Broadway deserves to see the piece.'

Congrats! Jodie picked up the Leading Actress gong for her role in Channel 4 's Help at this year's BAFTA Television Awards held at London's Royal Festival Hall at the weekend

At the weekend, Jodie picked up the Leading Actress gong for her role in Channel 4's Help at this year's BAFTA Television Awards held at London's Royal Festival Hall.

The star, who won the category in 2019 for Killing Eve, admitted she was 'very nervous' as she took to the stage to receive her award for her outstanding performance in the pandemic drama.

The star, who looked stunning in a plunging tuxedo inspired gown which clung to her incredible figure also revealed how she directly messaged one of the shows bosses hoping to work with them.

Jitters: She admitted she was 'very nervous' as she took to the stage to receive her award for her outstanding performance in the pandemic drama

Accepting her award Jodie said: 'Hello! I'm so nervous! I want to say a huge thank you to Channel 4, I slid into the screenwriter's DMs years ago to say I wanted to work with him.

'Thank you Stephen Graham who I'm gonna thank for the rest of my life. Thank you most of all to all the carers and to the people from the Dementia Society.

'It was such a privilege to be a part of. And thank you mum!'

The awards recognise and celebrate the very best in television craft and television programmes broadcast in the UK in 2021 and are back to having a full live audience after the pandemic.

Winner: The star, who won the category in 2019 for Killing Eve, looked stunning in a plunging tuxedo inspired gown which clung to her incredible figure
Cynthia Nixon threw her support behind a new one-woman show, entitled Oh God, A Show About Abortion, at the opening night at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.

The actress, 56, looked sensational in a pink dress as she walked the red carpet of the comedic new show.

Elevating her height in a pair of beige pointed heels, she added a pair of spiral gold earrings and styled her short tresses combed to one side.

Eye-catching: Cynthia Nixon threw her support behind a new comedy play entitled Oh God, A Show About Abortion, as she attended the opening night at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York

Bold: The actress, 56, looked sensational in a pink dress

She was joined by Vogue editor Anna Wintour who looked typically stylish in a floral printed dress.

Also in attendance at the event was actor Tituss Burgess who cut a stylish figure in a white T-shirt and black polka dot trousers.

V Ensler and Sunsara Taylor made a political statement as they posed together wearing green bandanas for pro-choice group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights.

There for them: Cynthia was keen to show her support for the new show

Creator of the show and comedian Alison Leiby proudly posed for photos.

Her play has lauded by critics for its powerful message, relatability and timely relevance to the current political situation.

The show's run comes as the US Supreme Court looks set to overturn a landmark ruling that effectively legalised abortions across America, handing the power to decide whether or not to permit the procedure back to individual states.

Powerful figure: She was joined by Vogue editor Anna Wintour

Proud moment: Creator of the show and comedian Alison Leiby proudly posed for photos

High praise: Her play has lauded by critics for its powerful message, relatability and timely relevance to the current political situation

Relevant: The show's run comes as the US Supreme Court looks set to overturn a landmark ruling that effectively legalised abortions across America, handing the power to decide whether or not to permit the procedure back to individual states

A draft legal opinion, which was leaked to Politico, reveals five Republican-nominated judges - a majority of the court's nine judges - are in agreement on the issue which would be enough to force a change in the law  though their decision is not final until the ruling is officially published.

Partisan fighting over the issue began almost immediately after the leak, with Democrats vowing to defend abortion rights while Republican lawmakers demanded a probe into the leak as they denounced it as an attempt to 'intimidate' the justices into changing their minds.

Neal Katyal, a former acting US Solicitor General under former President Barack Obama, said: 'This is the biggest step back for women in decades. It will have proven consequences. You can have now a flat ban on abortion in any state.'

In the leaked document, conservative Justice Samuel Alito writes that Roe v Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court ruling which found that excessive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional - was 'egregiously wrong from the start' and 'must be overruled'.

On trend: Also in attendance at the event was actor Tituss Burgess

Statement: Eve Ensler and Sunsara Taylor made a political statement as they posed together wearing green bandanas for pro-choice group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights

Casual: Politician Chi Osse looked casual in a blue jacket, black T-shirt and navy pants
Lorraine Kelly held back the tears as she faced her fear of horses on Tuesday, ten years on from the horrific accident where she was trampled during a training event.

The presenter, 62, bravely got back in the saddle as she was joined by Paralympic Games gold medallist, Sir Lee Pearson in the emotional footage.

Lorraine admitted she hasn't been 'near a horse' since the accident in February 2012, which saw her forced to undergo a four hour long emergency surgery and a blood transfusion after losing three pints of blood.

Brave: Tearful Lorraine Kelly, 62, faced her fear of horses as she got back in the saddle on Tuesday, ten years after she was trampled in a horrific accident

Lorraine hadn't been 'near a horse' since the accident in February 2012, which saw her forced to undergo a four hour long emergency surgery and a blood transfusion

Speaking to Sir Lee, she confessed: 'I still havent been able to go near a horse ever since Ive not really had any experience with horses.'

14-time gold winner, Sir Lee, added: 'That unfortunate, terrible accident is enough to put anyone off horses. It was very traumatic, it was totally understandable.'

He continued: 'I do understand that fear. I probably have a degree of fear every day I ride, because they are three-quarters of a ton of horse and I still think everyday that its amazing that they allow me to sit on their backs.'

Horrific: Lorraine pictured after coming out of hospital (pictured in April 2012)

Facing fears: The presenter bravely got back in the saddle as she was joined by Paralympic Games gold medallist, Sir Lee Pearson (pictured left) in the emotional footage

Lorraine responded: 'I obviously trust you implicitly, but I have to get over that [fear]. You cant have that fear, you have to confront it sometimes and get over it.'

Sir Lee introduced Lorraine to the horse, named Zion, who she was going to ride, Lorraine revealed: 'Im feeling a wee bit anxious, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I think thats because Ive got Sir Lee beside me and hes given me a lot of confidence.

'This is a massive step forward, just actually standing here so close [to a horse]. I havent done that for ten years.'

Courage: Lorraine added: 'This is a massive step forward, just actually standing here so close [to a horse]. I havent done that for ten years'

Scary: Sir Lee introduced Lorraine to the horse, named Zion, who she was going to ride, Lorraine revealed: 'Im feeling a wee bit anxious'

Emotionally she continued: 'Im just not sure if I can get on though, Ill try I still feel a little bit uncomfortable, so well just see what happens.'

The footage saw Lorraine slowly ride around the paddock alongside Sir Lee, before tearfully admitting: 'I'm not going to feel frightened anymore.'

Lorraine underwent emergency surgery in February 2012, after being trampled by a horse during a training event.

The television personality was attempting a jump when she fell from the horse, which then stamped on her thigh.

Proud: The footage saw Lorraine slowly ride around the paddock alongside Sir Lee, before tearfully admitting: 'I'm not going to feel frightened anymore'

Paramedics were called to Chessington Equestrian Centre where they found the star bleeding heavily.

Lorraine was rushed to St Georges Hospital in Tooting, South London, where doctors ruled that she needed surgery for the wound.

Speaking on the phone to her stand-in host Nadia Sawalhashe, a month after the accident, she said: 'It was a complete accident, it wasnt the horses fault but I did lose an awful lot of blood - about three pints in all and I was rushed to hospital.

'The paramedics were brilliant, they gave me oxygen and pain killers and at St Georges Hospital  it really was the NHS at their finest.'

Ouch: Speaking at the time of the accident, she said: 'It wasnt the horses fault but I did lose an awful lot of blood - about three pints in all and I was rushed to hospital' (Pictured in April 2012)

She continued: 'I was taken to A & E and got an emergency operation. I was in there for about an hour and a half and I was all stitched up.

'My leg was in a bit of a state as you know. And then I was in hospital for about a week and after a couple of days my blood count kept going down so they had to give me a transfusion but I managed to get out after a week.'

Lorraine was attempting to carry out a challenge for Sarah Brown's charity PiggyBankKids.

But Lorraine admits she was an unexperienced horse rider and the accident occurred when she attempted to do a jump.
Neve Campbell wowed in a plunging blazer and flashed a hint of her bra as she attended the Netflix premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer in Los Angeles on Monday.

The actress, 48, looked sensational as she posed in a brown suit at The London in West Hollywood to celebrate her new series launch.

She showed off her incredible figure in the fitted trousers and matching jacket.

Stunning: Neve Campbell, 48, flashed her lingerie under a plunging brown suit as she attended the Netflix premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer in Los Angeles on Monday

Neve added some height to her frame in a pair of leopard print pointed toe heels and accessorised with a pair of eye-catching earrings and a gold pendant necklace.

She opted for a radiant face of makeup including a smoky nude eyeshadow and pink lipstick as she left her brunette tresses down cascading past her shoulders in waves.

The star seemed in high spirits as she posed alongside her actor husband JJ Feild, 44.

Wow: The actress seemed in high spirits as she posed alongside her actor husband JJ Feild, 44, who looked dapper in a grey blazer as he coordinated with his wife wearing a brown V-neck top

Looking good: The actress, 48, looked sensational as she posed in a brown suit at The London in West Hollywood to celebrate her new series launch

The Austenland actor looked dapper in a grey blazer and blue jeans as he coordinated with his wife wearing a brown V-neck top underneath.

Neve, who plays Maggie McPherson in the new legal series, beamed alongside her co-stars Manuel GarcAa-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Michael Graziadei and Angus Sampson.

Becki, 43, flashed her toned legs in a blue high waisted pair of shorts which she paired with a white top and matching vibrant blazer.

Stylish: She showed off her incredible figure in the fitted trousers and matching jacket revealing a black lace bra

High spirits: Neve added some height to her frame in a pair of leopard print pointed toe heels and accessorised with a pair of eye-catching earrings and a gold pendant necklace

The blonde beauty, who is known for her roles as Amanda Tanen on Ugly Betty and Quinn Garvey on How I Met Your Mother, styled her shoulder length tresses in beach waves.

She added some height to her frame in a pair of shinning blue Christian Louboutin heels and completed her look with several necklaces.

Angus, 43, cut a casual figure in a denim ensemble as he sported a denim jacket over a matching shirt and jeans as he accessorised with a tan hat.

Chic: She opted for a radiant face of makeup including a smoky nude eyeshadow and pink lipstick as she left her brunette tresses down cascading past her shoulders in waves

Co-stars: Neve, who plays Maggie McPherson in the new legal series, beamed alongside her co-stars (left to right) Manuel GarcAa-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Michael Graziadei and Angus Sampson

Coordinated: Becki, 43, flashed her toned legs in a blue high waisted pair of shorts which she paired with a white top and matching vibrant blazer

American actor Michael dressed smart in a blue check suit which he paired with a crisp white shirt and trainers.

Manuel, 41, looked dapper as he beamed in a navy suit which he rocked over a white open collar shirt.

The new Netflix show is based on the 2008 novel The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly.

It stars Manuel as Mickey Haller, a defense attorney in Los Angeles who works out of a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car rather than an office.

Sensational: The blonde beauty, who is known for her roles as Amanda Tanen on Ugly Betty, styled her shoulder length tresses in beach waves
On April 17, the Turkish occupation state, backed the Kurdistan Democratic Party, attacked the areas of Zab, Avashin and Matina in Basur (southern Kurdistan), and during the past 23 days, the Turkish occupation army received strong and painful blows in lives and equipment.

In a related context, the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Kurdistan Communities Unions (KCK) Besi Hawzat responded to the questions of "Yeni Ozgur Politika" newspaper regarding the attacks of the Turkish occupation state and the cooperation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party with it.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party is moving in the name of the federal government of Basur and it has increased its relations with Ankara. What is behind these relations...?

Before answering your question, I want to remember in the person of the great martyrs of the Kurdish and remember all the martyrs of the Kurdistan Liberation Revolution with appreciation and respect, as we embrace their memories with solemn struggle.

At the same time, May 6th is the anniversary of the 1996 plot against the Leader Apo that continues until now through isolation and genocidal attacks. I strongly condemn the conspirators.

Also, May 4th is the eighty-fifth anniversary of the Dersim massacre in 1938. I remember all those who honorably resisted and were martyred in this massacre in the person of Seyed Reza, Basi, Ali Sher, Zarifa and Nuri Dersim, with all appreciation and respect, sooner or later the murderous and fascist Turkish state will pay the price for its actions , And these same policies of extermination continue today in an effort to complete the extermination, through the attacks on the Zab, but the resistance of the people and the guerrilla will fail its calculations, and begin with a stage in which the fascist Turkish state faces its deadly reality for a century.

We will come to answer your question. It is no longer a secret that the Kurdistan Democratic Party has made a serious agreement with the Turkish state. It is clear that it wants to extend the gas and oil pipeline from Basur (South Kurdistan) through Turkey to Europe and with the support of America and Europe, there are some discussions that the resulting gas crisis On the war between Ukraine and Russia, it can be resolved with some parties in this way, but it is part of the truth. The Kurdistan Democratic Party has for years been selling oil and gas to the Turkish state, and made it clear publicly that they made an agreement in this regard for fifty years, and this is the main reason for the problems between Iraq and the Patriotic Union. Kurdistan (YNK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Turkey relies on these agreements to rule over Mosul and Kirkuk politically and militarily. In this way, it wants to reach the limits of the Mithaq al-Mili, which has been their goal for a century. It wants to occupy all of Basur and Rojava, and to occupy the places it controlled if suitable political conditions were available. This is Turkey's strategic goal, and because it sees the PKK as an obstacle to its goal, it seeks to eliminate it. Of course, the PKK stands in front of its murderous and occupying policies as a great barrier.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party supports the Turkish states plan to reach the limits of the MM. It is clear that they agreed on this scheme, so that Basur would be turned into a Turkish state, and for this secret agreement, the KDP provides effective support to the Turkish occupation to give legitimacy to the occupiers.

Turkey, backed by PDK occupied an important part of Basur (South Kurdistan), where it increased its military bases two or three times. The Turkish occupation army entered Kore Jahru through Shiladze, and its planes fly from its bases in Bashur (southern Kurdistan), the Kurdistan Democratic Party is clear has actively participated in the plan to eliminate the PKK.

The recent meetings of Masrour Barzani in Britain and the talk about the confederation and their attempts to do so. How can the Barzani family's attempts be explained...?

It is interesting that this thing entered Britain and took place after Masrour Barzanis meetings with Erdogan. It is clear that he wants to obtain support from Britain and Europe regarding the agreement he concluded with Erdogan. On the other hand, this meeting shows Britains role in this war. We have to evaluate a Masrour Barzani talk about the confederation, as an attempt to cover up the dirty agreement with Turkey and his cooperation with the genocidal attacks of the Turkish state.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party participates in the genocidal attacks carried out by the Turkish state, and in order to plan the occupation attacks, Masrour Barzani met with Erdogan, this is the truth, and in order for Masrour Barzani to hide his dirty plans from the Turkish state and deceive the Kurdish people, he said: Iraq becomes a confederation of several divided states and tries to hide the truth. This statement should be considered as a sign of an attempt to separate Basur from Iraq and link it with Turkey as a vassal state.

The purpose of Masrour Barzani from the confederation is to divide Iraq in the form of small states, give a new political form to the confederate states and link the state of Bashur (South Kurdistan) In Turkey, this is what Barzani says, as if Basur (South Kurdistan) is not within the Iraqi borders, and in order to be able to completely separate Basur (South Kurdistan) from Iraq and link it with Turkey.

There is no Kurdish issue for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, its goal is to present the wealth of Kurdistan to the murderous and fascist Turkish state, and to increase its wealth. Of course, we see that the Barzani family has entered into a race with the worlds rich in terms of their money, property and wealth in America, Europe, Turkey and the Gulf states.

There is information that the Kurdistan Democratic Party is carrying out military logistics to the legitimate defense areas, it is said, that it is trying to enter some points in Kouri Jahro and Matina, and as the (KCK) despite the calls you made, how do you evaluate these attempts...?

In all areas that the Turkish state cannot reach, he deploys his special forces from the Peshmerga Zervan, Gulan and Roj Peshmerga, in order to besiege the guerrilla forces, cut off roads, and provide intelligence information to the Turkish state in order to strike the guerrilla groups, the occupation forces are trying to position themselves on the mountain tops, On the slopes, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) is also trying to establish itself along the surrounding roads and valleys, and to stand by the Turkish army to eliminate the Guerilla fighters and thus open the way for the occupation of Basur (South Kurdistan). The KDP is not responding positively to our calls because in this war, there is the fact for the KDP that it participates in the concept of eliminating the PKK and has actively participated in the occupation attacks in Kurdistan.

The policies of extermination are the cause of the occupation, and betrayal and labor support them. The cooperation and betrayal of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Basur (South Kurdistan) hinder and threaten national unity, and constitute an obstacle to the democratization of Basur, poisoning every step that is taken, and failing, trying to become like the ruling class in Turkey, he made oppression and injustice two essential elements of his rule, spreading Turkish culture in Basur in an attempt to make Kurdistan an arena for spreading the Turkish nation. In light of the oppression and injustice of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the failure to protect democratic values and the failure to implement democratic policies is the greatest failure of these parties, in any case, if the opposition parties, led by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, can take steps towards democracy. They carry out a strong democratic struggle, they will discourage the influence of the policies of the KDP and its cooperation with the Turkish occupying state, not Basur (South Kurdistan) will be occupied by the Turkish state and there will be problems of freedom, democracy, justice and poverty in society.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the forces of Basur (southern Kurdistan) made statements against the occupation, what is the opinion of the KCK about this..?

The people of Basur (South Kurdistan) are very angry with the occupation attacks launched by the Turkish state in cooperation with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), the anger of the people against the occupation. The forces in the people of Basur expressed a strong condemnation against these attacks, led by the Left Alliance in Hawler. In the lead of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Goran movement and the other movements issued statements against the occupation and treason, and their position was all very good.

Of course, Our people must rise up in anger against the occupation and treason in a comprehensive manner against the murderous Turkish state and its ally, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and the leadership of the people's resistance, history hopes such responsibility from everyone.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party establishes a dictatorial regime in Basur (southern Kurdistan), there are many Bahdinan journalists imprisoned in its prisons, and many of them have embarked on a hunger strike, the people of Basur (South Kurdistan) are facing extraordinary injustice, oppression and poverty. Now as a result of the attacks of the Turkish occupation state with the support of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the people cannot return to their villages, how do you assess this situation in Basur...?

In the depopulation of hundreds of villages, where the people were forced to leave their paradise-like villages and condemned to a miserable life, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) handed over Basur (South Kurdistan) to the fascist Turkish state, its nature is poisoned with chemicals, dozens of bombs were dropped every day at the invitation and intelligence of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), stones, mountains, trees, plants and water were poisoned, paradise-like Kurdistan turned into a wasteland, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) causes this brutality against Kurdistan by his betrayal and cooperation.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) concluded an agreement on gas and oil with the Turkish occupying state for a period of fifty years. It sells Basur (South Kurdistan) oil and gas to the Turkish state and with the money it earns, buys real estate, property and buildings in America and many countries with billions of dollars, and deposits money In the banks of the world, the people suffer from poverty, the agricultural lands have become barren, for years the employees have not received their monthly salaries, the students are humiliated, there is unemployment, poverty and hunger at the highest level, violence against women amounts to the level of brutality, the people have become as if they are a remnant of Turkey, Subsisting on Turkeys garbage, Kurdistan has become a market for cheap houses and rubbish for Turkey, the citizen cannot get a piece of bread, teachers have not received their salaries for years, young people leave Kurdistan because they have lost hope, but the elites of the Kurdistan Democratic Party filled their pockets and coffers with money, running behind the purchase of palaces, villas and real estate .

Many intellectuals, politicians and journalists who show the reality of the Kurdistan Democratic Party are languishing in prisons, and in order to hide its dirty truth, the KDP silences all its opponents and throws them in prison, as the fascism of the Justice and Development Party and the National Movement does with its opponents, as it liquidates those who pose a threat him via conspiracies.

Another interesting topic, Iran's bombing of Hawler with missiles, why is Iran doing this...? After the missile attack in the month of March from Tabriz on Erbil, the Iranian media announced that this is a message to Turkey at the same time. How do you assess that...?

Turkey pursues the policy of neo-Ottoman hegemony in the region, trying to influence all the geography that was under Ottoman rule, at the same time it seeks to reach the limits of the Milli Charter, and it has taken the occupation of Mosul and Kirkuk as its main strategy, and with the support of its ally the Kurdistan Democratic Party, it wants to achieve this goal This strategy and policy for Turkey is undoubtedly a source of nuisance to Iran, which is engaged in a struggle to control the region. There has always been a regional struggle for hegemony throughout history between Iran and Turkey. The spread of Turkey in the region, a country in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is trying to With the support of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK), this is certainly not in Iran's interest.

It is clear that the policy of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) in Baghdad also annoys Iran, and considers it against its own interests. It turns the United States and Turkey into a dominant power in Basur (South Kurdistan), and it is known that at the insistence of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) America deployed its soldiers in Basur (South Kurdistan) when it withdrew them from Iraq, America reinforced its military presence in Basur (South Kurdistan) At the same time, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) turned the fascist Turkish state, which is a member of NATO, into an influential force in Basur (South Kurdistan). There are currently about fifty Turkish military bases in Basur. These bases are also NATO bases, in Everywhere the Kurdish intelligence of the government of Basur (South Kurdistan) (Parastin) moves with the Turkish intelligence (MIT), the American intelligence (CIA) and the Israeli intelligence (MOSSAD), Iran may view all these events negatively as against it. Therefore, the missile attack on Hawler is directly related to these events.

It is clear that Iran sees the strengthening of America, Turkey and Israel in Iraq at the hands of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) as a threat and a danger to its interests. Iran in the global capital, the United States of America has imposed an economic and political siege on Iran for years, the assassination of Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad was an interesting message to Iran about what the United States of America and Israel can do, and the missile attack on Hawler can be considered as an Iranian message to the United States Israel, Turkey, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK).

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Tom Parker's widow Kelsey paid tribute to Deborah James on Tuesday, after the cancer-stricken podcaster announced she's been moved to hospice care following her five-year battle with incurable bowel cancer.

Taking to Instagram Stories, the mother-of-two lauded the 'earth angel' for being a 'pillar of strength' to her late husband, who died last month after a two-year battle with a brain tumour.

Sharing Deborah's own Instagram post on her Stories, Kelsey wrote: 'Deborah you are an Earth Angel you've raised so much awareness and money you're a hero.'

Sweet: Tom Parker's widow Kelsey paid tribute to Deborah James on Tuesday, after the cancer-stricken podcaster announced she's been moved to hospice care

She added 'Your courage is inspiring. You were a pillar of strength for my Tommy Boy always there with advice. I know you were both members of a club that you didn't wanna be in. I wish we all couldn't met under different circumstances.'

Kelsey reposted a link to Deborah's GoFundMe, which has so far raised over 1 million for the Bowelbabe fund for Cancer Research UK.

'Like Tom... you've never let cancer define you and what a legacy you've created,' she said.

Sad news: The BBC podcaster, who was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016, revealed on Monday she has been moved to hospice care

Important: Taking to Instagram Stories, Kelsey lauded the 'earth angel' while sharing a link to her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than 1 million

Illness: Kelsey's husband Tom died last month after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020 (pictured with children Aurelia and Bodhi)

Kelsey's husband Tom died aged 33 last month following a battle with brain cancer after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors.

Since Deborah shared her devastating 'goodbye' post revealing she's been moved to hospice care, tributes have poured in for the BBC podcaster.

Susanna Reid fought back tears as she lauded the 'inspirational' mother-of-two, for making a 'terrific' impact with her campaigning for bowel cancer awareness.

Touching: Susanna Reid fought back tears as she lauded the 'inspirational' mother-of-two, for making a 'terrific' impact during Tuesday's Good Morning Britain

Revealing Deborah has raised over 900,000 through her GoFundMe page for the newly-announced Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, Susanna added that she had also contributed to the vast amount.

Fighting back tears she added: 'Absolutely terrific the impact she is having and we send our love to you.'

Calling Deborah 'hugely inspirational and hugely influential,' Susanna added: 'Raising that amount will have an extremely positive effect.'

Charlotte Hawkins said: 'Deborah, we salute you,' while GMB's medical expert Dr Hilary Jones noted campaigner has 'undoubtedly saved many lives' by raising awareness of bowel cancer.

'She is an extraordinary person. She has always tried to remove the stigma of bowel cancer with humour and good humour,' he said.

'She has fought against all odds and exhausted all active treatments. She's beloved by the nation now, she really has made it fun.'

Lorraine Kelly also fought back tears while admitting she thought that Deborah would 'bounce back' despite her cancer diagnosis.

'She's amazing, isn't she? Absolutely astonishing,' she said, before referring to Deborah's campaign to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

'She'll be absolutely thrilled and overjoyed with that! I thought, as I always do, that she would bounce back... but she's getting very well looked after by everybody that loves her. So we'll be talking about that today.'

After posting on Instagram about moving into a hospice, tributes have poured in for mother-of-two Deborah, celebrating her work raising awareness of bowel cancer, and helping 'break the stigma'.

Susanna herself also offered her support, commenting: 'You are the most incredible person. Sending my love to you and your family.

'The fundraising will mean lasting change for others going through what you have borne with such strength and optimism. Outcomes will be different. Donating now.'

Important: Following the news that Deborah's GoFundMe had raised over 900,000 in 24 hours, Susanna shared that she had also contributed to the vast amount

Her podcast co-host, Lauren Mahon, from You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

And her GoFundMe page for the newly-announced Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK has raised more than 600,000 in less than 24 hours since it was set up.

At the start of the year, Deborah, who shares her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, announced she had 'nearly died' in hospital, calling it the 'hardest' part of her 5-year cancer battle, and was admitted as an in-patient earlier this month.

Important: Calling Deborah 'hugely inspirational and hugely influential,' Susanna added: 'Raising that amount will have an extremely positive effect'

Touching: Lorraine Kelly also fought back tears while admitting she thought that Deborah would 'bounce back' despite her cancer diagnosis

She shared an Instagram post earlier this evening saying 'nobody knows how long she has left', writing: 'The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isn't playing ball.

'My active care has stopped and I am now moved to hospice at home care, with my incredible family all around me and the focus is on making sure I'm not in pain and spending time with them.'

She continued: 'Nobody knows how long I've got left but I'm not able to walk, I'm sleeping most of the days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams. I know we have left no stone unturned.

In an emotional post shared to Instagram, Deborah said her body 'was not playing ball' and she was spending 'most of the day sleeping'

Tragic news: In an emotional Instagram post on Monday, Deborah shared her 'active treatment has stopped' and she's been moved to hospice care

'But even with all the innovative cancer drugs in the world or some magic new breakthrough, my body just can't continue anymore.'

'In over 5 years of writing about how I thought it would be my final Christmas, how I wouldn't see my 40th birthday nor see my kids go to secondary school - I never envisaged writing the one where I would actually say goodbye. I think it's been the rebellious hope in me.'

Tributes to Deborah called her a 'true inspiration' and a 'force to be reckoned with' when it came to talking about bowel cancer.

Her podcast co-host, Lauren Mahon, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

HOW DEPUTY HEAD TURNED SOCIAL MEDIA STAR HAS TRANSFORMED BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS In 2018, Deborah (left) joined Lauren Mahon (front) and Rachael Bland (right) to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live. Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show In December 2016, the West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe'

In 2018, she became one of three presenters on Radio 5 Live's You, Me and the Big C, which was conceived by her late co-host Rachael Bland

On September 5th 2018, Welsh journalist and presenter Bland, diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, died at the age of 40 Deborah and her co-host Lauren Mahon continue to present the show, with Steve Bland, Rachael's husband, joining the duo On social media and in her column for the Sun newspaper, Deborah has documented the many chemo, radiotherapy sessions and surgery she's had since During her treatment, Deborah told followers on Instagram 'By my general lack of being on here (dancing!), that Things have moved (in the wrong direction) very quickly cancer wise.' Pictured: Deborah James undergoing a scan at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London In 2019, she had a procedure known as CyberKnife, a highly targeted form of radiotherapy to attack an inoperable lymph node close to her liver

The pandemic's impact on cancer services saw her campaign for care to continue as normal and, earlier this year, she launched the ITV's Lorraine's 'No Butts' campaign, raising awareness on bowel cancer symptoms

Since last year, she has been taking new experimental drugs as part of a trial after her oncology team gave her the green light to do so

August, Deborah revealed that scans she's had in recent days have revealed her cancer has gone in the 'wrong direction very quickly'

She told followers she would be taking a break on social media over the weekend to 'snuggle' with her family ahead of more scans

The mother-of-two said a new 'rapidly-growing' tumour near her liver had wrapped itself around her bowel

On October 1, Deborah celebrates her 40th birthday

By October 18, the mother-of-two told her followers her chemotherapy is working

Days later, she was rushed to A&E with 'spiking 40 degree temperatures'

In November, she reveals she is unable to walk for more than 20 minutes and remains 'very weak'

By December, Deborah said she was 'not sure what her options were' after her liver stent 'stopped working'

In January, she had five operations in 10 days after nearly dying in an acute medical emergency

January 25, Deborah returns home from hospital after three weeks

March 14, the mother-of-two is back in hospital as an in-patient after suffering from septic infection

In April, she concerned fans with snaps after suffering 'a rough few days'

April 14, the mother-of-two tells fans she has been discharged from hospital but calls the situation 'very tough'

April 27, she tells Lorraine that she has spent '80 per cent' of the year in hospital

May 9 - Deborah announces she has moved to hospice care Advertisement

Continuing her Instagram post, Deborah said: 'But I don't think anyone can say the last 6 months has exactly been kind! It's all heartbreaking to be going through but I'm surrounded by so much love that if anything can help me through I hope that will.'

She went on to share news of a 'Bowelbabe fund' which is being set up in her name, writing: 'I always knew there was one thing I always wanted to do before I died.

'I have always over the years raised as much awareness and money for the charities that are closest to me. @cr_uk @royalmarsden @bowelcanceruk.

'As a result, the @bowelbabefund is being established and I'd love nothing more than for you to help it flourish. Please visit bowelbabe.org for all the info and to donate (link in Bio).'

It has since raised more than 800,000 in less than 24 hours after it was launched, and will be spent on funding clinical trials and research into personalised medicine that could result in new treatments for cancer patients, and continued support to raise awareness of cancer.

Important: Since she publicly shared her bowel cancer diagnosis, Deborah made several appearances on ITV's Lorraine

Tough time: Deborah spent months in hospital recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency

Deborah continued in her social media post: 'All I ask if you ever read a column, followed my Instagram, listened to the podcast or saw me dressed as a poo for no reason.

'Please buy me a drink to see me out this world, by donating the cost to @bowelbabefund which will enable us to raise funds for further life saving research into cancer. To give more Deborah's more time!'

As she finished the post, she wrote: 'Right now for me it's all about taking it a day at a time, step by step and being grateful for another sunrise.

BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN'T IGNORE Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom

Blood in stools

A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks

Unexplained weight loss

Extreme, unexplained tiredness

Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50

Have a family history of the condition

Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel

Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease

Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement

'My whole family are around me and we will dance through this together, sunbathing and laughing (I'll cry!!) at every possible moment!

'You are all incredible, thank you for playing your part in my journey. No regrets. Enjoy life. Deborah.'

It's been a difficult year so far for the mother-of-two, who spent much of the last six months receiving in-patient treatment in hospital.

She has spent months recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency.

In January, she said the 'trauma' of nearly dying was still 'very raw and real' as she returned home after three weeks in hospital.

Posting on Instagram earlier this year, the mother-of-two spoke of enduring the 'hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest' period of her cancer battle in the last week, which has involved three operations and 'a lot more procedures' to come.

She told how her husband watched as doctors fought to save her life after she 'crashed' in resuscitation.

A week ago at this time in the evening I nearly died in what was an acute medical emergency,' she wrote. 'I'm not ready to discuss what happened yet as the trauma of it all has been incredibly intense - but it's thanks to an unbelievable team of NHS specialists who worked all through the night and the next day to save me.

'I cannot be more grateful. I'm still not out of danger and I have a lot more procedures to deal with. But I'm now out of intensive care. And for the first time felt able to briefly update you.'

Sharing a photo of her giving a thumbs up from a hospital bed, she continued: 'This is me yesterday having just come round from my 3rd operation this week. I have another operation tomorrow.

'In five years of having stage four Cancer - this has been the hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest of them all. I'd always prepared for my death, but I wasn't prepared for something so blindsiding and traumatic to happen.

'I can't quite believe I'm here to write this. A week ago my whole family was praying I'd pull through the night. I'm getting a lot of help and support to come to terms with the trauma I've been through.

'My family have been incredible. I don't know how my husband held it together seeing me crash as an army of doctors stabilised me in resus.'

Last year, James shared that her cancer, which has been kept at bay by pioneering treatment, was back again and she was forced to endure a 12th operation.

The West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer in 2016.

She has frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease.

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe' and began writing a column for the Sun.

In 2018, Deborah joined Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live.

Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show.
Chris Evans was spotted filming near Tower Bridge in London on Tuesday morning for his new movie Ghosted.

The actor, 40, was seen exiting a London black taxi cab and wheeling a suitcase, while sporting facial hair and taking pictures on his phone.

Also spotted on the set was director of the film Dexter Fletcher, 56, who was joined by his wife Dalia Ibelhauptaite as he set out his vision for the flick.

Handsome: Chris Evans was spotted filming near Tower Bridge in London on Tuesday morning for his new movie Ghosted

Chris was later seen in the taxi on a trailer being driven around all London landmarks until 5am.

Ghosted is an upcoming action romance film, in which the Captain America actor stars opposite Ana De Armas, with Adrien Brody and Amy Sedaris filling out the rest of the cast.

On Wednesday, Chris and Ana, 34, were seen filming the movie across the pond in Washington, DC.

In charge: Also spotted on the set was director of the film Dexter Fletcher, 56

Arrival: The actor, 40, was seen exiting a London black taxi cab and wheeling a suitcase

Starring role: He sported facial hair and took pictures on his phone in between takes

Their sizzling new scene saw the smoldering movie stars leaning toward each other and locking lips on a pier during a picturesque sunset.

The heartthrob appeared to be in bright spirits between takes, laughing uproariously as Ana gazed out to sea.

Principal photography began this Valentine's Day on the project, which is slated to be released on Apple TV+ at a currently unannounced date.

Supportive: Dexter was joined by his wife Dalia Ibelhauptaite as he set out his vision for the flick

Hard at work: Chris looked serious as he stepped into his role

In character: He sported a khaki jacket and a brown messenger bag

Taxi! His character arrived in London in a black cab on the deserted streets of London

At the helm: Between scenes Dexter directed his leading man

Ana and Chris starred together in 2019's Knives Out and will next be seen alongside each other in the upcoming Netflix action-thriller The Gray Man.

The Gray Man is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, with the adaptation setting an expensive new record for the streaming service.

The film is reported to have a budget of $200 million, which makes it the most expensive feature film that Netflix ever made.

Hitching a ride: Chris was later seen in the taxi on a trailer being driven around all London landmarks until 5am

And action! The taxi cab was mounted on a trailer and driven around

Coming soon: Ghosted is an upcoming action romance film, in which the Captain America actor stars opposite Ana De Armas, with Adrien Brody and Amy Sedaris filling out the rest of the cast

Already begun: Principal photography began this Valentine's Day on the project

Online release: The film is slated to be released on Apple TV+ at a currently unannounced date

The Gray Man centers on Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), a CIA black-ops mercenary who unwittingly uncovers some of the agency's deepest and darkest secrets.

Chris plays Lloyd Hansen, an, 'unhinged former colleague' of Gentry who leads the international manhunt to kill him.

The star-studded cast includes Ana, Rege-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard.

Chris reunites with directors Anthony and Joe Russo on The Grey Man, who directed them in 2014's Captain America; The Winter Soldier, 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame.

The Russo Brothers direct from a screenplay by their Marvel collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, along with Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel.

The Russo's will also produce alongside Mike Larocca, Chris Castaldi, Palek Patel and Joe Roth, with Markus and McFeely among the many executive producers.

Netflix will give the film a limited theatrical release on July 15, before arriving on the streaming service July 22.
Dave Hughes couldn't resist poking fun at Ed Kavalee's shirtless Men's Health magazine cover on Instagram on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old comedian recreated Ed's headline-grabbing cover shoot, in which he showed off his newly buff physique.

Striking an identical pose to his radio co-host, Dave spoofed Ed's cover shoot for the fictional 'Hughesy Health'.

Same but different: Dave Hughes couldn't resist poking fun at Ed Kavalee's shirtless Men's Health magazine cover on Instagram on Tuesday

'The @hughesyedanderin team are the wind beneath my wings. P.S. felafel also plays a role,' he captioned the post.

'P.P.S. thanks to @erin_molan for the fake tan. P.P.P.S. thanks to @therealedkavalee for editing the magazine. You can check his cover out at @menshealthau'.

Dave also shared his mocked up magazine cover on Instagram Stories, and jokingly captioned it: 'How do I do it?'

Flexing: The 51-year-old comedian recreated Ed Kavalee's headline-grabbing cover shoot, in which he showed off his newly buff physique

A clearly amused Ed, 42, shared Dave's version on his own Instagram, and wrote: 'Fifty and thriving @dhughesy'.

In addition to recreating Ed's cover photo, Dave also tweaked the headline, with the original reading: 'Laugh Yourself Buff with Ed Kavalee'.

Dave's version read, 'No Teeth, No Problem with Dave Hughes', while other coverlines included, 'Vegan treats the whole family will hate'.

'The @hughesyedanderin team are the wind beneath my wings. P.S. felafel also plays a role,' Dave captioned his post

Meanwhile, their breakfast radio show, Hughesy, Ed & Erin, is already capitalising on Ed's newly unveiled fit physique.

The 2Day FM radio show has already created adverts reading: 'Sydney's sexiest radio show? Hughesy, Abs & Erin'.

The advert features a shirtless Ed lifting a weight high above his head as he stands alongside his fully clothed co-hosts, including Erin Molan.
Salma Hayek cut a very stylish figure on Monday as she was joined by Channing Tatum on the set of Magic Mike 3 in London's affluent Mayfair.

The American actress, 55, replaced Thandiwe Newton as the film's female lead after she was forced to exit the film following 11 days of shooting amid a string of personal woes.

Stunning in a multicoloured dress while exiting rainforest-themed restaurant Amazonico, Salma looked a vision as she chatted to her co-star.

On set: Salma Hayek put on a vibrant display alongside Channing Tatum on Monday as filming continued for Magic Mike 3 in Mayfair - after the actress replaced Thandiwe Newton

The Hollywood icon pulled her dark locks into a glamorous up-do to accentuate her character's chic attire and rounded off her look with platform sandals.

Meanwhile, leading man Channing, 42, was decked out in a dapper suit and kept his top shirt button undone.

The pair were greeted by a Rolls Royce on their departure from the eatery, which is situated in the heart of Mayfair on Berkeley Square.

Stepping up: The American actress, 55, replaced Thandiwe as the film's female lead after she was forced to exit the film following 11 days of shooting amid a string of personal woes

Filming: Stunning in a multicoloured dress while exiting rainforest-themed restaurant Amazonico, Salma looked a vision as she chatted to her co-star

Film star: The Hollywood icon pulled her dark locks into a glamorous up-do to accentuate her character's chic attire

Handsome: Meanwhile, leading man Channing, 42, was decked out in a dapper suit and kept his top shirt button undone

Exit: The pair looked as though they were enjoying a conversation as they moved on to the next scene

Filming for Magic Mike 3 resumed after Thandiwe exited the film last month, following an alleged bust-up with the movie's producer and star Channing over Will Smith 's Oscars slap - she has denied the incident.

Thandiwe, 49, was recently pictured 5,000 miles away in Malibu, seemingly confirming the end of her 23-year marriage to Ol Parker with a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25.

The award-winning actress has joined her estranged husband in removing her wedding ring, as the director was spotted without his earlier this week as he left his London home.

New love: Thandiwe, 49, was recently pictured 5,000 miles away in Malibu, seemingly confirming the end of her 23-year marriage to Ol Parker with a very public display of affection with musician Lonr, 25 (pictured right in August 2021)

Lonr told The Post that all parties involved were focused on the welfare of Thandiwe's children when approached for comment on the new relationship, explaining:

'From the relatively short time I've been fortunate to spend with her, I know Thandiwe and Oliver care deeply about the welfare of their children. That's all I care about right now.'

Thandiwe has reportedly been urged to seek mental health support following the break-up of her marriage - and an alleged bust-up with Channing.

Intriguing: Amazonico 'creates a blend of tropical & Latin American cuisine to transport you to South America'

Glam exit: The pair were greeted by a Rolls Royce on their departure from the eatery

Prime spot: The restaurant is situated in the heart of Mayfair on Berkeley Square

First instalment: The original Magic Mike movie premiered in 2012 and was loosely based on Channing's experience working as a stripper in Tampa, Florida

New direction: Channing and his producing partner Reid Carolin revealed in an interview with Variety in February that the film will centre on the female lead

The star has previously told how she has suffered 'a number of breakdowns' in her troubled past, as well as discussing her heartbreaking experiences of sexual abuse, racism and bulimia during her time in the industry.

She has denied claims though that she was sacked from her Magic Mike leading role over a heated argument with Channing.

The original Magic Mike movie premiered in 2012 and was loosely based on Channing's experience working as a stripper in Tampa, Florida. A sequel followed in 2015.

Channing confirmed that he would reprise his role for Magic Mike's Last Dance in November 2021.

Warner Bros. has yet to release official plot details, but Channing and his producing partner Reid Carolin revealed in an interview with Variety in February that the film will centre on the female lead, and is in part inspired by Magic Mike Live - the hugely popular live strip show based on the movies.
Radio personality Sami Lukis shared the devastating news that her beloved dog Lolli had died this week.

On Tuesday, the 51-year-old took to Instagram to confirm that the pooch, who was almost 16, 'passed away in her arms' seven days ago after being unwell for a while.

In a statement alongside a photo of the pair, Sami wrote: 'My heart is broken.

Heartache: Radio personality Sami Lukis has shared the devastating news that her beloved dog Lolli has died

'My darling Lolli, you fought so hard these last few years, but your little body just couldnt fight anymore and now you are finally resting in peace.

'The pain of your loss is unbearable and I still cant fathom my life without you in it. But I do know that being your Mumma was the greatest honour of my life.

'Thank you for the love and loyalty you brought into my world every single day since we found each other almost 16 years ago.'

'My darling Lolli, you fought so hard these last few years, but your little body just couldnt fight anymore and now you are finally resting in peace,' she wrote alongside this photo

Sami went on to say that all of her friends knew that the little dog was 'the love of my life' with the most 'gentle, sweet soul'.

'Weve known for a long time that you were seriously ill, so I treasured every moment with you, silently dreading that each day might be your last,' she continued.

'I kept praying for a miracle, hoping that you would somehow live on for many more years.

'The pain of your loss is unbearable and I still cant fathom my life without you in it. But I do know that being your Mumma was the greatest honour of my life,' she added in the statement (pictured)

'But now that the worst has actually happened, I realise it didnt matter how long you lived, because it was never going to be long enough.'

She concluded by saying that having Lolli in her life had been 'such a gift'.

'You really were the best girl in the world. I loved you for your whole life,' she said.

'And now I will miss you dearly for the rest of mine. Thank you for choosing me to be your Mumma.'

Sami had regularly shared social media photos of her beloved dog with fans, often describing the pooch as her 'best friend'.
Lorraine Kelly fought back tears as she lauded 'inspirational' Deborah James during Tuesday's Lorraine for raising over 1 million on her GoFundMe.

The broadcaster, 62, said the podcaster, 40, who has been living with stage four bowel cancer for five years, is 'amazing' for raising the money in the wake of her announcement she's been moved to hospice care.

On Monday, Deborah shared a 'goodbye' message with her followers after revealing she had stopped receiving 'active treatment,' and as she moves to hospice care 'no one knows how long she has got left.'

Touching: Lorraine Kelly fought back tears as she lauded 'inspirational' Deborah James during Tuesday's Lorraine for raising over 1 million on her GoFundMe

Lorraine admitted she thought that Deborah would 'bounce back' despite her cancer diagnosis, after visiting her in hospital.

'She's amazing, isn't she? Absolutely astonishing,' she said, before referring to Deborah's campaign to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

'She'll be absolutely thrilled and overjoyed with that! I thought, as I always do, that she would bounce back... but she's getting very well looked after by everybody that loves her. So we'll be talking about that today.'

Sad news: The BBC podcaster, who was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016, revealed on Monday she's 'stopped active treatment' and has been moved to hospice care

Lorraine later told viewers: 'I know she is watching now, and she wants to say thank you. She is about to get to 1million, so thank you."

'What shes doing is asking everyone to buy her a drink. Well you dont actually do that, but what you do is donate to her Bowel Babe fund.

"Ive been looking at this all morning, and its really cheered me up. Its astonishing it really is. I think shell definitely get to a million, fingers crossed.

'Well never know how many lives she saved.'

After posting on Instagram about moving into a hospice, tributes have poured in for mother-of-two Deborah, celebrating her work raising awareness of bowel cancer, and helping 'break the stigma'.

Her podcast co-host, Lauren Mahon, from You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live, shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

And her GoFundMe page for the newly-announced Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK has raised more than 600,000 in less than 24 hours since it was set up.

Tough news: Lorraine admitted she thought that Deborah would 'bounce back' despite her cancer diagnosis, after visiting her in hospital

Incredible amount: The broadcaster, 62, said the podcaster, 40, who has been living with stage four bowel cancer for five years, is 'amazing' for raising the money in the wake of her announcement she's been moved to hospice care

At the start of the year, Deborah, who shares her children Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, with her husband Sebastien, announced she had 'nearly died' in hospital, calling it the 'hardest' part of her 5-year cancer battle, and was admitted as an in-patient earlier this month.

She shared an Instagram post earlier this evening saying 'nobody knows how long she has left', writing: 'The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my body simply isn't playing ball.

'My active care has stopped and I am now moved to hospice at home care, with my incredible family all around me and the focus is on making sure I'm not in pain and spending time with them.'

She continued: 'Nobody knows how long I've got left but I'm not able to walk, I'm sleeping most of the days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams. I know we have left no stone unturned.

In an emotional post shared to Instagram, Deborah said her body 'was not playing ball' and she was spending 'most of the day sleeping'

Tragic news: In an emotional Instagram post on Monday, Deborah shared her 'active treatment has stopped' and she's been moved to hospice care

'But even with all the innovative cancer drugs in the world or some magic new breakthrough, my body just can't continue anymore.'

'In over 5 years of writing about how I thought it would be my final Christmas, how I wouldn't see my 40th birthday nor see my kids go to secondary school - I never envisaged writing the one where I would actually say goodbye. I think it's been the rebellious hope in me.'

Tributes to Deborah called her a 'true inspiration' and a 'force to be reckoned with' when it came to talking about bowel cancer.

Lauren shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram, saying that hearts have been 'shattered into thousands of pieces' by Deborah's announcement and are simultaneously 'completely bursting with pride'.

HOW DEPUTY HEAD TURNED SOCIAL MEDIA STAR HAS TRANSFORMED BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS In 2018, Deborah (left) joined Lauren Mahon (front) and Rachael Bland (right) to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live. Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show In December 2016, the West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe'

In 2018, she became one of three presenters on Radio 5 Live's You, Me and the Big C, which was conceived by her late co-host Rachael Bland

On September 5th 2018, Welsh journalist and presenter Bland, diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, died at the age of 40 Deborah and her co-host Lauren Mahon continue to present the show, with Steve Bland, Rachael's husband, joining the duo On social media and in her column for the Sun newspaper, Deborah has documented the many chemo, radiotherapy sessions and surgery she's had since During her treatment, Deborah told followers on Instagram 'By my general lack of being on here (dancing!), that Things have moved (in the wrong direction) very quickly cancer wise.' Pictured: Deborah James undergoing a scan at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London In 2019, she had a procedure known as CyberKnife, a highly targeted form of radiotherapy to attack an inoperable lymph node close to her liver

The pandemic's impact on cancer services saw her campaign for care to continue as normal and, earlier this year, she launched the ITV's Lorraine's 'No Butts' campaign, raising awareness on bowel cancer symptoms

Since last year, she has been taking new experimental drugs as part of a trial after her oncology team gave her the green light to do so

August, Deborah revealed that scans she's had in recent days have revealed her cancer has gone in the 'wrong direction very quickly'

She told followers she would be taking a break on social media over the weekend to 'snuggle' with her family ahead of more scans

The mother-of-two said a new 'rapidly-growing' tumour near her liver had wrapped itself around her bowel

On October 1, Deborah celebrates her 40th birthday

By October 18, the mother-of-two told her followers her chemotherapy is working

Days later, she was rushed to A&E with 'spiking 40 degree temperatures'

In November, she reveals she is unable to walk for more than 20 minutes and remains 'very weak'

By December, Deborah said she was 'not sure what her options were' after her liver stent 'stopped working'

In January, she had five operations in 10 days after nearly dying in an acute medical emergency

January 25, Deborah returns home from hospital after three weeks

March 14, the mother-of-two is back in hospital as an in-patient after suffering from septic infection

In April, she concerned fans with snaps after suffering 'a rough few days'

April 14, the mother-of-two tells fans she has been discharged from hospital but calls the situation 'very tough'

April 27, she tells Lorraine that she has spent '80 per cent' of the year in hospital

May 9 - Deborah announces she has moved to hospice care Advertisement

Continuing her Instagram post, Deborah said: 'But I don't think anyone can say the last 6 months has exactly been kind! It's all heartbreaking to be going through but I'm surrounded by so much love that if anything can help me through I hope that will.'

She went on to share news of a 'Bowelbabe fund' which is being set up in her name, writing: 'I always knew there was one thing I always wanted to do before I died.

'I have always over the years raised as much awareness and money for the charities that are closest to me. @cr_uk @royalmarsden @bowelcanceruk.

'As a result, the @bowelbabefund is being established and I'd love nothing more than for you to help it flourish. Please visit bowelbabe.org for all the info and to donate (link in Bio).'

It has since raised more than 800,000 in less than 24 hours after it was launched, and will be spent on funding clinical trials and research into personalised medicine that could result in new treatments for cancer patients, and continued support to raise awareness of cancer.

Important: Since she publicly shared her bowel cancer diagnosis, Deborah made several appearances on ITV's Lorraine

Tough time: Deborah spent months in hospital recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency

Deborah continued in her social media post: 'All I ask if you ever read a column, followed my Instagram, listened to the podcast or saw me dressed as a poo for no reason.

'Please buy me a drink to see me out this world, by donating the cost to @bowelbabefund which will enable us to raise funds for further life saving research into cancer. To give more Deborah's more time!'

As she finished the post, she wrote: 'Right now for me it's all about taking it a day at a time, step by step and being grateful for another sunrise.

BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN'T IGNORE Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. Symptoms include: Bleeding from the bottom

Blood in stools

A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks

Unexplained weight loss

Extreme, unexplained tiredness

Abdominal pain Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they: Are over 50

Have a family history of the condition

Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel

Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease

Lead an unhealthy lifestyle Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy. More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis. This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages. According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement

'My whole family are around me and we will dance through this together, sunbathing and laughing (I'll cry!!) at every possible moment!

'You are all incredible, thank you for playing your part in my journey. No regrets. Enjoy life. Deborah.'

It's been a difficult year so far for the mother-of-two, who spent much of the last six months receiving in-patient treatment in hospital.

She has spent months recovering after she almost died in January due to a medical emergency.

In January, she said the 'trauma' of nearly dying was still 'very raw and real' as she returned home after three weeks in hospital.

Posting on Instagram earlier this year, the mother-of-two spoke of enduring the 'hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest' period of her cancer battle in the last week, which has involved three operations and 'a lot more procedures' to come.

She told how her husband watched as doctors fought to save her life after she 'crashed' in resuscitation.

A week ago at this time in the evening I nearly died in what was an acute medical emergency,' she wrote. 'I'm not ready to discuss what happened yet as the trauma of it all has been incredibly intense - but it's thanks to an unbelievable team of NHS specialists who worked all through the night and the next day to save me.

'I cannot be more grateful. I'm still not out of danger and I have a lot more procedures to deal with. But I'm now out of intensive care. And for the first time felt able to briefly update you.'

Sharing a photo of her giving a thumbs up from a hospital bed, she continued: 'This is me yesterday having just come round from my 3rd operation this week. I have another operation tomorrow.

'In five years of having stage four Cancer - this has been the hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest of them all. I'd always prepared for my death, but I wasn't prepared for something so blindsiding and traumatic to happen.

'I can't quite believe I'm here to write this. A week ago my whole family was praying I'd pull through the night. I'm getting a lot of help and support to come to terms with the trauma I've been through.

'My family have been incredible. I don't know how my husband held it together seeing me crash as an army of doctors stabilised me in resus.'

Last year, James shared that her cancer, which has been kept at bay by pioneering treatment, was back again and she was forced to endure a 12th operation.

The West London mother-of-two, a deputy head, was diagnosed 'late' with incurable bowel cancer in 2016.

She has frequently said that as a vegetarian runner, she was the last person doctors expected to get the disease.

After sharing her experiences on living with the disease on social media, Deborah became known as the 'Bowel Babe' and began writing a column for the Sun.

In 2018, Deborah joined Lauren and Rachael Bland to present the award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C on Radio 5 Live.

Bland tragically died of breast cancer on September 5th that year; her husband Steve Bland now co-presents the show.
She confirmed her relationship with boyfriend Nyonisela Sioh in December.

And on Sunday, Nene Leakes was spotted heading to date night with Nyonisela in Miami.

The reality star, 54, wowed in a sheer bodysuit with jeans as they made their way to Bar One restaurant in the Floridian city.

Out and about: She confirmed her relationship with boyfriend Nyonisela Sioh in December. And on Sunday, Nene Leakes was spotted heading to date night with Nyonisela in Miami

Nene showcased her cleavage in a racy one-piece; the see-through bodysuit flashed her cleavage as well as her midsection.

The Bravo star added ripped denim bottoms with the waist folded down for an edgy touch.

Nene hit the pavement in pink colored heels featuring a silver accent; she added a structured beige and black handbag slung across her torso.

The star rocked large hoop earrings and two diamond rings with a jacket over one arm.

Racy: The reality star, 54, wowed in a sheer bodysuit with jeans as they made their way to Bar One restaurant in the Floridian city

Beaming: Nene showcased her cleavage in a racy one-piece; the see-through bodysuit flashed her cleavage as well as her midsection

Nyonisela donned a green linen suit with furry slippers, adding a white T-shirt.

In December, Nene confirmed her relationship with Nyonisela to The Shade Room, revealing that her late husband Gregg Leakes gave her permission to move on.

She said: 'I will love Gregg forever & ever! Grieving is hard! Even harder & depressing alone.'

'Gregg and I had a very tearful conversation before his passing. His words to me were, "Be happy, keep smiling and he who finds you has found a good one."'

Her husband Gregg died in September 2021 at the age of 66 following a long battle with colon cancer.

Rest in peace: Her husband Gregg died in September 2021 at the age of 66 following a long battle with colon cancer; seen in 2017

Earlier this month, Nene claimed she faced professional repercussions for standing up for herself amid conditions she's described as discriminatory on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

She spoke to TMZ about the lawsuit, which she filed last month against Real Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal, as she claimed they oversaw a hostile and racist workplace.

'Yes I've been blacklisted - when you haven't worked in three years when all of a sudden you're working and sought after, and suddenly you're not working, it's being blacklisted,' she said.

'I haven't caused any problems on any set, everybody I've ever worked with I had a good working relationship with, except for his group of people.'

Nene claimed she was punished for reporting hearing racist remarks from white RHOA co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann to higher ups with the companies.

She told the outlet her goal of the lawsuit is 'to stop discriminating against black women.
Sundance Special Jury winner Melanie Lynskey brought her husband - two-time Emmy nominee Jason Ritter - to the premiere of her Hulu series Candy at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Monday.

The New Zealand native - turning 45 next Monday - looked lovely in a cleavage-boosting red dress featuring ruffled sleeves, gold clutch, and silver peep-toe heels.

Hairstylist Marcus Francis coiffed Melanie's wavy updo and nail artist Shigeko Taylor painted her dark manicure.

Date night! Sundance Special Jury winner Melanie Lynskey brought her husband - two-time Emmy nominee Jason Ritter - to the premiere of her Hulu series Candy at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Monday

Make-up artist Stephen Sollitto brought out Lynskey's natural beauty for the red carpet festivities.

Last month, the Yellowjackets star celebrated her belated second wedding anniversary to the 42-year-old son of John Ritter.

On Monday, Jason tweeted a rare snap of Melanie and their three-year-old daughter in honor of Mother's Day.

'A cuddle from @melanielynskey is about the most wonderful thing in the world, and my daughter has a lifetime supply,' Ritter wrote.

Lady in red! The New Zealand native - turning 45 next Monday - looked lovely in a cleavage-boosting red dress featuring ruffled sleeves, gold clutch, and silver peep-toe heels

Glam: Hairstylist Marcus Francis coiffed Melanie's wavy updo and nail artist Shigeko Taylor painted her dark manicure

Pretty: Make-up artist Stephen Sollitto brought out Lynskey's natural beauty for the red carpet festivities

'I'd be jealous but I'm too busy looking at these sweet faces and wondering how I came to be so lucky. Happy Mother's day to the greatest person I know! I love you!'

Lynskey said the Raising Dion actor is 'so helpful, so supportive, and he's willing to travel with me so the family can be together.'

'I do the same for him, but I've been working a lot recently, so he's been making the sacrifice more often than I have,' the Don't Look Up actress admitted to People last Friday.

'On the weekends, it's just me and him. But when I'm away on location, we'll have our amazing nanny come to work with us, and she's my daughter's favorite person. When I'm working, I have the support.'

Still going strong! Last month, the Yellowjackets star celebrated her belated second wedding anniversary to the 42-year-old son of John Ritter

'A cuddle from @melanielynskey is about the most wonderful thing in the world': Jason tweeted a rare snap of Melanie and their three-year-old daughter in honor of Mother's Day

'I do the same for him!' Lynskey said Ritter (pictured February 17) is 'so helpful, so supportive, and he's willing to travel with me so the family can be together'

The look of love: The Don't Look Up actress (3-R) was still married to husband Jimmi Simpson and the Raising Dion actor (2-R) was dating Marianna Palka when they originally met in 2012 on the set of Thomas Beatty and Rebecca Fishman's comedy The Big Ask

Melanie was still married to husband Jimmi Simpson and Jason was dating Marianna Palka when they originally met in 2012 on the set of Thomas Beatty and Rebecca Fishman's comedy The Big Ask.

Lynskey portrays middle school teacher and mother-of-two Betty Gore in Nick Antosca and Robin Veith's crime drama miniseries, which airs Monday through Friday on Hulu.

And while the SAG Award nominee's character was famously killed by her friend Candy Montgomery with an axe in 1980, she could not have looked happier with her co-star Jessica Biel.

Candy currently has a 60% critic approval rating (out of 20 reviews) and an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Airing Monday through Friday on Hulu! Melanie portrays middle school teacher and mother-of-two Betty Gore in Nick Antosca and Robin Veith's crime drama miniseries

Gal pals: And while Lynskey's character was famously killed by her friend Candy Montgomery with an axe in 1980, she could not have looked happier with her co-star Jessica Biel (L)

Cast and crew pic: Candy currently has a 60% critic approval rating (out of 20 reviews) and an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes

The SAG Award nominee told EW on Monday: 'I just felt like I knew her, and parts of me were parts of her. You're living in this feeling and it can sometimes feel slightly repetitive, but that's what depression also feels like'

'I just felt like I knew her, and parts of me were parts of her,' Melanie told EW on Monday.

'You're living in this feeling and it can sometimes feel slightly repetitive, but that's what depression also feels like.'

Lynskey 'can't wait to see' HBO Max's rival production Love and Death, which cast Lily Rabe as Betty Gore and Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery.

The Heavenly Creatures alum will also reprise her role as stay-at-home mom Shauna when the second season of Showtime's critically-acclaimed drama Yellowjackets begins production in late summer.
Daisy Lowe put on a stylish display as she stepped out alongside her mother, Pearl, for lunch in Primrose Hill, London on Tuesday.

The model, 33, showed off her fashion credentials and looked casually chic in a busty black vest top and an electric blue corduroy two-piece.

She added a chunky pair of lace-up leather boots and wore a miniature Chanel crossbody bag in a quilted denim fabric with a gold chain strap.

Fashionable: Daisy Lowe, 33, looked as stylish as ever in a busty vest top and electric blue corduroy two-piece as she joined her mum Pearl for lunch in Primrose Hill, London on Tuesday

Daisy wore her raven locks in a sleek straightened style with her signature full fringe and kept her makeup to a minimum.

Fashion and textiles designer Pearl, 52, opted for a charcoal longline checked coat with a dress and black stockings layered underneath.

She added a pair of suede heeled ankle boots and accessorised with a sage green scarf and black handbag.

Mother-daughter day out: Daisy added a chunky pair of lace-up leather boots and wore a miniature Chanel crossbody bag in a quilted denim fabric with a gold chain strap

Recently, Daisy has given a candid insight her sex life and admitted she feels happiest when having sex 'two or three times a day'.

The model, who is dating property developer Jordan Saul, 28, also explained that orgasms are a great way to 'relieve stress'.

Daisy also discussed her turn ons during the open interview, which included cleanliness, good driving and buying new underwear.

Talking to The Sun she explained: 'I always knew good sex made me feel a lot better - orgasms are so good for stress relieving.'

Candid: Recently, Daisy has given a candid insight her sex life and admitted she feels happiest when having sex 'two or three times a day' (Pictured in September 2021)

Noting that she mainly has sex 'every other day', Daisy expanded: 'On a great day, two or three times a day if thats where it gets to.'

Detailing what get's her in the mood, the star said that lingerie from brand Agent Provocateur makes her feel 'sexiest', but comfy T-shirts also have a similar effect.

Further in the chat, Daisy pointed out her biggest 'turn-ons' - noting that good driving and kindness was the key to her heart.

Daisy, who has been dating beau Jordan for almost two years, often speaks candidly about body openness and positivity.

Personal: The model, who is dating property developer Jordan Saul, 28, also explained that orgasms are a great way to 'relieve stress'

In March, she revealed she felt like an 'elephant' during her career as she compared her curvy figure to other women's 'stick-thin' bodies.

The fashion model admitted that she 'constantly pulled myself apart' and said she was told by others that she was 'curvy' when she was in reality a size six or eight.

Speaking on the That Gaby Roslin Podcast, she said: 'Being a model full-time for ten years and throughout my career always being very conscious of wanting to champion real women's bodies and being curvy.'

Lingerie: Detailing what get's her in the mood, the star said that lingerie from brand Agent Provocateur makes her feel 'sexiest', but comfy T-shirts also have a similar effect

She continued: 'And being told you're curvy even though at the time I was six to eight which looking back is ridiculous, and feeling like an elephant in comparison to all these stick-thin - wonderful, beautiful in their own way - models.'

Daisy said that she loved her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as it was the first time in her career that she was told that her body was 'good'.

She said: 'For the first time in my career I was actually being told that what my body was doing is really good and being really proud of what my body could achieve - rather than constantly pulling myself apart.'
Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett has described his relationship with his girlfriend Melanie Vaz Lopez as his 'greatest achievement' after refusing to date for 10 years.

The business mogul, 29, who met the influencer in 2016, admitted that he never thought he'd find love due to his own parents 'toxic' relationship, and he even broke off his romance with Melanie before winning her back.

Speaking to The Sun, Steven he 'wasn't sure' whether he'd find love given everything he'd learned about it as a child 'wasn't very good,' and it took 'a lot of work' to find someone like Melanie.

Candid: Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett has described his relationship with his girlfriend, French influencer, Melanie Vaz Lopez as his 'greatest achievement' after refusing to date for 10 years

He said: 'I wasn't sure if that was going to be possible for me, because what I learned about love at a young age was not very good. It was quite toxic.'

'My early experience would be my parents shouting at each other a lot, so I thought relationships were going to be difficult. I kind of avoided relationships until I was about 25.

'But after doing a lot of work, I eventually found someone that I fell in love with and I've been mature enough to keep that relationship strong and grow with it.

Tough time: The business mogul who met the influencer, (pictured) in 2016, admitted that he never thought he'd find love due to his own parents 'toxic' relationship

Steven had previously admitted he broke off his relationship with Melanie due to his busy work schedule, admitting he couldn't commit to her between 'seven in the morning and nine o'clock at night.'

He confessed he's got 'total tunnel vision' regarding this work schedule, and struggles to acknowledge messages he received outside of his business.

Steven confirmed earlier this year he's now in a longterm relationship with Melanie after flying 22 hours to Bali in a desperate bid to win her back.

Serenading Melanie at the first night of his The Diary of a CEO Live show in February, he confessed his love for her, before the House Gospel Choir sang Stevie Wonder's I'll Be Loving You Always, as love heart confetti fell from the ceiling  leaving stunned audience members believing he was about to propose.

Open: Steven he 'wasn't sure' whether he'd find love given everything he'd learned about it as a child 'wasn't very good'

An audience member told MailOnline: 'It came as a real surprise given Steven has never opened up about his love life but he dedicated an entire segment of his show to Melanie.

'It was a huge romantic moment  everyone thought it was part of a big proposal, he didn't get down on one knee but it's clear Melanie is The One.

Steven and Melanie, who runs beauty and wellbeing business Auraya, met on Instagram in 2016 after bonding over one of the entrepreneur's relationship videos.

They were together for a year until Steven ended their romance after struggling to juggle his business commitments with having a girlfriend, something he now regrets.

He flew to Bali to win Melanie back after hearing she was there on holiday, only to be told she had been in a new relationship since their split.

Rekindled: The multi-millionaire businessman dated Melanie four years ago but split from the travel blogger because he couldn't commit to her, and later travelled to Bali to win her back

But after spending four days on the tropical island together, Melanie fell for him all over again, and the pair have been together ever since, keeping their romance under wraps until now.

Indeed, Steven admitted he even kept his romance secret from his fellow Dragons, who regularly mention him being single on his debut series of the BBC One show.

Steven, who moved to the UK aged two from Botswana, dropped out of university to pursue his dreams as a businessman.

He fell out with his parents, in particularly his mother, who was 'heartbroken' after believing Steven had thrown away his education, which she didn't have growing up.

But Steven found success with social media marketing agency The Social Chain that was valued at 300million when it first entered the stock market.

This year he became the youngest ever Dragon, and has quickly become the man to impress among budding entrepreneurs entering the den for investment.
During her participation via the Zoom application, the Head of the Executive Body of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, called on the people of Afrin to adhere to and struggle to liberate their occupied district.

Ilham Ahmed's intervention came in response to the first session of the International Dialogue Forum, which was called "Afrin Geographically and Historically", in which she began her speech by emphasizing that Afrin is primarily a Syrian issue.

She said: "The issue of Afrin is a Syrian issue that concerns all Syrian components, especially the Kurdish people. Afrin has a Kurdish identity, and therefore the targeting of this region by Turkey is a political issue. The Turkish state, through the occupation of Afrin, sought to expand its Ottoman project and focused on this geography in particular. Based on the Kurdish cultural depth that exists in the region, it targets the cultures, history, geographic, political and social composition of the region.

Ilham denounced the international silence during the Turkish occupation of Afrin, and said: "The Turkish invasion of this region took place before the eyes of the whole world. Afrin was under the tutelage of Russia, or in other words, the Russians were the ones who took responsibility for closing the airspace in that geography, but they allowed Turkey to start its attacks. air and land.

Pointing out in her intervention to the double international standards regarding the occupation attacks of the Turkish occupation army on the occupied canton of Afrin, she stated: "When it comes to the issue of Afrin and the violations that occur in it, the occupation process carried out by Turkey, and the crimes that occurred in it during the Turkish invasion and the crimes that occurred to the residents of the region, it happened before the eyes of the world, but everyone remained silent about these crimes that were and are still being committed against the residents of the region. The international community can talk about Assads crimes, but it does not talk about the crimes of the Turkish occupation.

She added: "The whole world supports Ukraine, but in Syria, that is, areas that are subjected to various types of demographic change, killing, torture, rape of women, and other crimes committed against humanity, there is still silence, and the position that expresses concern about what is happening in Syria, meaning the situation did not go beyond the level of concern."

She added, "Today, Erdogan is preparing to settle a large percentage of Syrians, with nearly one million Syrians in the northern Syrian regions. The Arab League is concerned about the settlements that Israel is doing, but it is not talking about the settlements that are being built in Afrin, with the support of countries in the Arab League." Double standards is an intentional political factor emanating from countries looking for their interests, meaning that these positions come to exploit international laws for the benefit of states and not for the benefit of peoples.

Ilham called on the people of Afrin to resist against the occupiers, and said: "Here I say it is necessary to reconsider these policies, especially since the people of Afrin were the ones who fought ISIS, and they were present in every area where there were ISIS mercenaries and they fought them, and a strong alliance occurred between the coalition countries and these units, but These same units that fought ISIS are considered terrorists in Afrin. This is the double standards. These standards have become exposed. This predicament that has become a burden on humanity must be completely eliminated, and the third world war we are currently experiencing is the result of double standards, and therefore I say to all the people of Afrin: Hold on to the land It is our main goal and insistence on returning and removing all strangers from that geography who were forcibly brought from their areas and resettled in Afrin, and we call on them to raise their voice to demand the return to their lands.

T/S

ANHA
Ryan Dorsey urged his followers to hug their 'mommas and grandmas' as he remembered his late ex-wife Naya Rivera in an emotional Mother's Day post.

Dorsey, 45, posted a lengthy message describing his painful Mother's Day, where he reflected on memories of his late ex and all the places in Los Angeles that reminded him of her.

Rivera died at the age of 33 on July 8, 2020 in an accidental drowning while she was out on a pontoon boat ride with her son Josey, now six, in Lake Piru, California.

'Un-f**king-believable, still that this is reality': Ryan Dorsey urged his followers to hug their 'mommas and grandmas' as he paid tribute to his late ex-wife Naya Rivera on Mother's Day

Dorsey's post included a slew of shots of Rivera doting on their son Josey, from story time to his birthday.

The post also included a shot of Naya's grave at Forest Lawn Memorial, where a bouquet of fresh flowers had been placed.

'I woke up thinking about so much. Josey with his grandma & me by myself,' Dorsey captioned the post. 'I don't text Happy Mothers Day b/c that seems like an insane thing to do considering. My mind full of so many thoughts. So many things. So many things to do this Sunday but first thing on the list was to get on with it & head to my least favorite place in the world.

'I tried to go back to sleep for a little longer as if I could just dream through reality and postpone real life a bit longer. But I just lay there staring up through the air in front of my eyes.

Tragedy: Rivera, pictured with Dorsey in 2014, passed away at age 33 in an accidental drowning in July 2020

Mommy and me: Dorsey's post included a slew of shots of Naya playing with their son Josey

'Flashes of memories of me as a little boy at his age w/ my mom turned into some gratitude for the years I've had & still have, turns into the times my son & I had with his and how they were stopped... I know how this day is going to go. Plenty of time for water works, but not now. I fight it & up I get.

'On the way there's places I pass that bring back times. This is where we took him when he was little that one timeDamn, we had dinner there. That's the street I used to live on when we first metshe used to live there on Magnolia.

'Flowers sold out where I used to always get them. I'll just get some on the way I miss my exit as I feel like I didn't blink for 10 minutes as my mind was wandering with so many flashes. The harder I think about things, it's harder to believe. Un-f**king-believable, still that this is reality. That this is our real life and I have to blink hard & shake my head as if to snap out of it & grasp the facts of it all once and for all.

'The thing about LA for me is its like every mile or so I drive is a memory of an experience that stings bc it's gone.

Aww: The youngster blew out the candles to his birthday cake with the help of his mother

Family ties: Dorsey was married to Rivera from 2014 to 2018. They welcomed a son Josey, their only child together, in 2015

'Turning onto Forest Lawn Drive will alway bring the memory of two summers ago. But the memories prior to that I have to be grateful for & our son.

'So I have my time & my talk & shed my tears. Talk about the dumb s**t that set us apart.

'Thinking about regrets & how life could be, but how it is. Then I have to go on with my day andthats all we can do is go on, go on while we can.

Story time: Naya read her son a Dr. Seuss book

Heartbreaking: The post included an image of Naya's grave, where a bouquet of fresh flowers had been placed

'Josey with his grandma & me by myself': Dorsey started off the post with a shot of his son bonding with his grandmother

Touching: Dorsey showed off a bouquet of flowers in his post

'Hug your mommas and grandmas, and love em while you can. Forgive & forget, if you can. You dont wanna maybe wish what if you did one day.'

Dorsey was married to Rivera from 2014 to 2018. They welcomed a son Josey, their only child together, in 2015.

Dorsey and Rivera's family recently came to a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit with Ventura County, California in connection with Rivera's death.

Dorsey initially filed the suit against the county in November of 2020 for their son Josey, about four months after Rivera's passing.

'Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru,' the family's lawyer Amjad M. Khan of Brown Neri Smith & Khan said in a statement, The Blast reported in March. 'Though the tragic loss of Josey's mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy.'
Leila George cut a casual figure as she went for a stroll with her father Vincent D'Onofrio on the set of Netflix's Lift in Venice, Italy on Tuesday.

The actress, 30, who recently parted ways from her ex-husband Seann Penn, opted for a laid back look as she sported a grey hoodie and a pair of blue denim jeans.

Leila, who is also the daughter of actress Greta Scacchi, sported a pair of white trainers and added to her outfit with a brown bag.

Family: Leila George cut a casual figure as she went for a stroll with her father Vincent D'Onofrio on the set of Netflix's Lift in Venice, Italy on Tuesday.

Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, the star completed her look with a pair of sunglasses.

Vincent, also went for a casual look in a black T-shirt with matching tracksuit bottoms and dark navy trainers.

The actor is starring in Lift opposite Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Billy Magnussen about an international heist crew recruited to prevent a terrorist attack mid-flight.

The outing comes after Leila's divorce from actor Sean Penn was finalised in April after just over a year of marriage.

Style: The actress, 30, opted for a laid back look as she sported a grey hoodie and a pair of blue denim jeans

The two-time Academy Award winner and the Animal Kingdom star dated for four years before tying the knot in July 2020.

They would separate about a year later, with Leila filing for divorce this past October.

In a recent interview with Hollywood Authentic, Sean expressed that he wasn't happy about the split.

The actor was honest about their relationship issues going as far as saying he 'f----d up the marriage' because he was 'very neglectful.'

He said: 'There's a woman who I'm so in love with, Leila George, who I only see on a day-to-day basis now, because I f---ed up the marriage. We were married technically for one year, but for five years, I was a very neglectful guy.'

Split: The outing comes after Leila's divorce from actor Sean Penn was finalised in April after just over a year of marriage (pictured in 2021)

The star, who said he never cheated, added that he 'allowed myself to think that my place in so many other things was so important, and that included my place in being totally depressed and driven to alcohol and Ambien at 11 o'clock in the morning, by watching the news, by watching the Trump era, by watching it and just despairing.'

Sean 'doesn't know' what the future will hold for him and Leila, but he said he's worked on what he sees as the problems with himself during their relationship.

The acclaimed actor and director submitted a 'settlement package to the L.A. County Courts' on March 17, according to The Blast.

It's unclear who received what in the split, but the couple did have an iron-clad prenuptial agreement that laid out specifics of their finances if they were to break-up.
Soap actress Katherine Kelly Lang is on the mend after shattering her ankle on Mother's Day and undergoing surgery.

The Bold & The Beautiful star revealed her injuries in a new Instagram post, telling fans that she now has 'rods, pins, and screws' in her ankle and will be off her feet for the next six weeks.

Lang, 60, had been horseback riding in Malibu on Sunday when she decided to give her horse a break and walk. However, she didn't make it far and ended up stumbling down steep and rocky terrain.

Healing: Soap actress Katherine Kelly Lang is on the mend after shattering her ankle on Mother's Day and undergoing surgery

Katherine told her 330K Instagram followers that she and friends had been on a 40 mile horseback ride through Malibu Creek Park when she injured herself.

'At around 16 miles I got off my horse to walk down a steep and very rocky trail to give her a break,' she penned. 'At the bottom of the trail I tripped on a rock and my left foot took the pounding. My ankle and foot dislocated off to the left at a 90 degree angle to my leg.'

I pushed it back into place. It was so gross but I had to do it. Thankfully this happened by a road and a nice stranger called 911,' continued. 'And thankfully I was with my friends who helped with my horse and my spirits.'

Lang posted videos of the picturesque day on horseback to her social media feed and then included some graphic shots of her mangled ankle from the hospital.

Yikes! The Bold & The Beautiful star revealed her injuries in a new Instagram post, telling fans that she now has 'rods, pins, and screws' in her ankle and will be off her feet for the next six weeks

'At around 16 miles I got off my horse to walk down a steep and very rocky trail to give her a break,' she penned. 'At the bottom of the trail I tripped on a rock and my left foot took the pounding. My ankle and foot dislocated off to the left at a 90 degree angle to my leg.'

An ambulance was called to the scene and the star was taken to the hospital where an X-ray of her foot revealed three broken bones.

'Had surgery late that night and now have rods, pins, and screws in my ankle. No weight bearing on my foot for 6 weeks,' she said.

The actress promised her BB fans that she would try to 'heal quick' and would be back to work as soon as she was out of the hospital.

'I am not a happy camper when things slow me down like this. And there is always a lesson to learn. Not sure what that lesson is yet but will have the time to contemplate,' she wrote.

Things took a turn: Katherine told her 330K Instagram followers that she and friends had been on a 40 mile horseback ride through Malibu Creek Park when she injured herself

'I am not a happy camper when things slow me down like this. And there is always a lesson to learn. Not sure what that lesson is yet but will have the time to contemplate,' she wrote.

The Bold and the Beautiful is the most watched daytime drama in the world and Katherine has been on the daytime drama since season one.

The series is set in Los Angeles and in the world of high fashion, centering on the Forrester family and their fashion company, Forrester Creations.

The blonde beauty has played fan-favorite Brooke Logan since 1987 and has kept the audience on the edge of their seat through the ups and downs of her tangled web with the Forrester clan.
On Tuesday, three-time Grammy nominee Halsey revealed she's suffering from four different health conditions - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, Mast Cell Activation syndrome, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of 13 hereditary disorders of connective tissue that affect your connective tissues - primarily your skin, joints, and blood vessel walls. Symptoms include pain, fatigue, overly flexible joints, and fragile/stretchy skin.

Sjogren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes extensive dryness and can cause fatigue, chronic pain, dysfunction of organs, neuropathies, and lymphomas.

'I'm on a treatment plan right now': On Tuesday, three-time Grammy nominee Halsey revealed she's suffering from four different health conditions - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, Mast Cell Activation syndrome, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia

Mast Cell Activation syndrome is a condition that causes increased risk of suffering Anaphylaxis (a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction).

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia is a disorder where most of your blood stays in your lower body when you stand up, and in response, your heart rate jumps and your blood pressure lowers.

The 27-year-old biracial pop star's dramatic diagnosis came after she was hospitalized with Anaphylaxis 'a few times' and saw '100K doctors' to help uncover the cause of her chronic illness.

'Obviously, my health has changed a lot since I got pregnant and gave birth and I started getting really, really, really sick. I've been kind of sick pretty much my whole adult life, but it started getting bad,' Halsey - who boasts 68.7M social media followers - admitted via Instastory.

'I know you're seeing the heart monitor': The 27-year-old biracial pop star's dramatic diagnosis came after she was hospitalized with Anaphylaxis 'a few times' and saw '100K doctors' to help uncover the cause of her chronic illness

Halsey admitted via Instastory: 'Obviously, my health has changed a lot since I got pregnant and gave birth and I started getting really, really, really sick. I've been kind of sick pretty much my whole adult life, but it started getting bad'

The New Jersey native added: 'I'm still looking for answers to the root cause of some of these things. They could potentially be another form of autoimmune disease. And I've known I've had autoimmune issues for most of my life, especially having endometriosis. It's kind of been exacerbated since having [my nine-month-old son Ender Ridley Aydin]' (pictured April 28)

'I'm in rehearsals': Halsey wanted to reassure her fans a week before she embarks on her 'f***ing crazy' 28-date Love and Power Tour from May 17-July 9

'I'm still looking for answers to the root cause of some of these things. They could potentially be another form of autoimmune disease. And I've known I've had autoimmune issues for most of my life, especially having endometriosis. It's kind of been exacerbated since having [my nine-month-old son Ender Ridley Aydin].'

The New Jersey native added: 'I'm keeping you guys updated because I know you're seeing the heart monitor and I'm sick all the time and I don't want anybody to be worrying. I'm on a treatment plan right now.'

Halsey (born Ashley Frangipane) already suffered from bipolar disorder and ADHD when her body started 'rebelling against me a little bit.'

The About-Face Beauty founder wanted to reassure her fans a week before she embarks on her 'f***ing crazy' 28-date Love and Power Tour from May 17-July 9.

Allergy skin test: On top of all that, the About-Face Beauty founder - who's also gluten intolerant - revealed on Monday that she recently discovered she was 'allergic to everything' (pictured Friday)

Halsey (born Ashley Frangipane) lamented in a TikTok video: 'Just found out I'm allergic to coffee so there goes my entire personality'

The I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God hitmaker continued: 'And also potatoes, corn, spinach, ginger, garlic, milk, wheat, crab, shrimp, carrots, peppers, almonds, peanuts, cashews, blueberries, apricot, cantaloupe, grapes, onions, grapefruit, turkey, cauliflower, squash, hempwater, mustard, nutmeg, mackerel, celery, pear, rye, yeast, lemons, coconuts, bananas, peas, and soy'

Secretly wed? Luckily, Halsey has support from her rumored husband Alev Aydin (L, pictured February 14), whom she originally met in 2018 when he was hired to write her Sony Pictures biopic, which never materialized

'I'm in rehearsals for the tour. I'm really excited. I'm really confident that I'm going to be able to do it in a way that's healthy where I can perform my best for all of you,' Halsey explained.

'Honestly, I'm just so excited to be going on tour because it just keeps my mind off of everything and it keeps my body health because I'm so active. I'm doing cardio and stuff everyday. And I get to see you guys and I haven't toured in so long.'

On top of all that, the I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God hitmaker - who's also gluten intolerant - revealed on Monday that she recently discovered she was 'allergic to everything.'

'Just found out I'm allergic to coffee so there goes my entire personality,' Halsey lamented in a TikTok video.

'So honored and excited!' On March 23, the Sing 2 actress wrapped her role as Mandy Starr in the South Dakota-set action crime drama National Anthem, which is now in post production (pictured March 10)

'Best cast ever': Tony Tost's (L) film about a Lakota Ghost Shirt hitting the black market in a small town also stars Sydney Sweeney (R), Paul Walter Hauser (M), Eric Dane, and Simon Rex

'And also potatoes, corn, spinach, ginger, garlic, milk, wheat, crab, shrimp, carrots, peppers, almonds, peanuts, cashews, blueberries, apricot, cantaloupe, grapes, onions, grapefruit, turkey, cauliflower, squash, hempwater, mustard, nutmeg, mackerel, celery, pear, rye, yeast, lemons, coconuts, bananas, peas, and soy.'

Luckily, the Sing 2 actress has support from her rumored husband Alev Aydin, whom she originally met in 2018 when he was hired to write her Sony Pictures biopic, which never materialized.

On March 23, Halsey wrapped her role as Mandy Starr in the South Dakota-set action crime drama National Anthem, which is now in post production.

Tony Tost's film about a Lakota Ghost Shirt hitting the black market in a small town also stars Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, and Simon Rex.
Gemma Atkinson has revealed that she's postponed her wedding to Gorka Marquez due to both of their busy schedules - after saying she'd rather try for another baby than plan lavish nuptials.

The actress, 37, and the professional dancer, 31, got engaged in February 2021, four years after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing and share daughter Mia, two.

She has now told how Gorka is busy for the rest of the year with the Strictly tour schedule which means they can't fit it in this year.

Couple: Gemma Atkinson has revealed that she's postponed her wedding to Gorka Marquez due to both of their busy schedules - after saying she'd rather try for another baby than plan lavish nuptials (pictured in 2019)

She told New magazine: 'Gorka is literally on tour all of this year. We've only got four days off together.

'He's got the two Strictly tours back to back, and then he'll be going on Strictly in the autumn. We don't even have a minute to sit down and begin making plans!'

When they do finally make it down the aisle however, Gemma said they don't intend go all out.

It comes after she previously shared how instead of a lavish wedding, they would prefer to try for another baby.

Love: The actress, 37, and the professional dancer, 31, got engaged in February 2021, four years after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing and share daughter Mia, two (pictured in 2019 while she was pregnant)

'We've said we would prefer to try for another baby rather than have a big, fancy wedding,' she said during a recent appearance on Vicky Pattison's podcast The Secret To.

'There are people who will spend 50k on a wedding and you think, 'Oh my God'.

'Twice we thought about going to the registry office and just doing it and then having a big party.'

She added on the podcast that they would like to have a small wedding abroad but admitted she's done 'zero planning' for it so far because of Covid.

Honest: Earlier this month on Lorraine Gemma admitted she 'resented' fiance Gorka because he was forced to go back to work just three days after she gave birth to their daughter Mia

Gemma also told how she hasn't picked her bridesmaids yet or her wedding dress.

The mum-of-one, who is currently a presenter on Hits Radio, said her and Gorka have almost gone to the registry office twice now and 'just done it' - but added that her family would be upset if they did that.

Last February Gorka got down on one knee on Valentine's Day for his romantic proposal.

Sharing the happy news on Instagram, Gemma wrote: 'Valentine's forever...Of course I said yes!'

Gorka shared the same picture, adding: 'The best day with my forever Valentine's. I asked and she said YES!!!!!!'

Opening up on what life is like with their busy schedules, Gemma recently shared how her and Gorka sometimes don't see each other for weeks on end.

In a recent Instagram post, she wrote: 'I haven't seen Gorks for 67 days now. To some that's ages, to others it's nothing. We all have different circumstances & situations That's not to say I don't miss Gorks, I miss him terribly & I can't wait to have him home.'

'But I've lived alone since I was 17, and since we met our jobs have always taken one of us away for a few wks at a time. I find what works for me is sticking to a routine that I know keeps me mentally strong.'

Earlier this month Gemma admitted she 'resented' fiance Gorka because he was forced to go back to work just three days after she gave birth to their daughter Mia.

Pairings: During 2017's Strictly Come Dancing Gemma was partnered with pro dancer Aljaz Skorjanec

Talking on Lorraine, the Hollyoaks star said that while it wasn't Gorka's fault that he had work commitments and that he wanted to be at home with her and their newborn, she realised 'this was her life now and nothing had changed for him.'

Gemma and Gorka welcomed their baby girl into the world in July 2019 and the actress is currently promoting a new book.

Speaking to presenter Christine Lampard, Gemma said: 'Gorka had so much grief for going back to work three days after we had the baby.

'But, he had a contract. It wasn't just his show. He had a production that he couldn't look down. He had to post stuff on social media to promote the show and sell tickets.'

'I was seeing all the stuff online looking down at the stitches with nurses coming round and Mia crying. I was like "This is my life now, nothing's changed for him."'

Gemma went on to reveal how the Spanish dancer who joined the hit BBC show in 2016 was so down he confided in one of his close friends on the tour.

She said: 'Giovanni texted me and said Gorka hasn't been himself. He got really upset saying "I don't wanna be here, I wanna be at home with you and our baby."

'It's just as hard for the person going back to work. You resent each other's situation a bit.'

Detailing how she's found being a new parent she noted: 'I take my hat off to anyone who parents because it's tough.

'It's so rewarding but it's tough - you look at this little human that you've got to keep alive.'

The radio host is releasing her second fitness and recipe book this week - The Ultimate Body Plan for New Mums.

The publication features healthy recipes, easy-to-follow workouts, and delves into Gemma's very own parenting journey.
Andy Cohen's newborn daughter Lucy made her television debut on his hit late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live on Monday evening.

Just 11 days after announcing the birth of his baby girl, the host, 53, shared a sweet home video of himself singing an original lullaby to his little one, who adorably wiggled her fingers at the camera while wrapped in her dad's arms.

'Lucy Cohen's got the 4-1-1, queen of midnight fun,' he sang the rewritten version of his series' own theme song. 'LC, MC, late night, on Bravo TV.'

A budding star: Andy Cohen's newborn daughter Lucy made her television debut on his hit late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live on Monday evening

Earlier in the episode, Cohen revealed the meaning behind his second child's first name and middle name.

Cohen, who says he has 'always loved' the name Lucy, noted that two of his great-grandfathers and dad's name is Louis.

Meanwhile, her middle name Eve is an abridged verison of his mother Evelyn's moniker.

TV debut: Just 11 days after announcing the birth of his baby girl, the 53-year-old producer shared a sweet home video of himself singing an original lullaby to his little one, who adorably wiggled her fingers while cradled in her dad's arms

'Lucy Cohen's got the 4-1-1, queen of midnight fun,' he sang the rewritten version of his series' own theme song. 'LC, MC, late night, on Bravo TV'

Monday's show also marked his return since Lucy's birth.

'As I held Lucy in the hospital, just she and I, late into her first night, I was so moved by all of your love and support,' he told the audience. 'I want you to know that your virtual cheerleading of my starting a family on my own has lifted me up when I most needed it.'

He went on to thank his 'incredible' surrogate, who he described as a 'partner and friend.'

A nod to his parents: Earlier in the episode, Cohen revealed the meaning behind his second child's first name and middle name

A family name: Cohen, who says he has 'always loved' the name Lucy, noted that two of his great-grandfathers and dad's name is Louis

'As I held Lucy in the hospital, just she and I, late into her first night, I was so moved by all of your love and support,' he told the audience. 'I want you to know that your virtual cheerleading of my starting a family on my own has lifted me up when I most needed it'

Cohen left fans stunned two weeks ago when he announced little Lucy's birth via surrogate.

The personality announced the news on Instagram with a sweet snap of him bolding his bundle of joy with the caption: 'HERE'S LUCY!!!!! Meet my daughter, Lucy Eve Cohen! She's 8 pounds 13 oz and was born at 5:13 pm in New York City!!!'

Back in February 2019, Andy welcomed his first child - a son named Benjamin, now three - via surrogate as he made sure to note in the caption that the youngster is excited about being a big brother.

Proud papa: Cohen left fans stunned two weeks ago when he announced little Lucy's birth via surrogate

Andy wrote: 'Her big brother can't wait to meet her! Thank you to my rock star surrogate (ALL surrogates are rockstars, by the way) and everyone who helped make this miracle happen. I'm so happy.'

Many of the television personality's famous friends hit the comment section to congratulate the star on his new bundle of joy including Billy Eichner, Billie Lourd, and several personalities from the Bravo universe.

Longtime pal Sarah Jessica Parker sent a sweet message which said: 'Oh Lucy Eve we are madly in love with you already. Congratulations Andy. All hands on deck and ready. Ben is a big brother!!!!! So much love from our family to yours!! Xxxxx'

'Can't wait to meet her!': Back in February 2019, Andy welcomed his first child - a son named Benjamin, now three - via surrogate as he made sure to note in the caption that the youngster is excited about being a big brother, the father and son are seen in February

'Oh Lucy Eve we are madly in love with you already': Many of the television personality's famous friends hit the comment section to congratulate the star on his new bundle of joy including Billy Eichner, Billie Lourd, and several personalities from the Bravo universe

Anderson Cooper wrote: 'Amazing! Congratulations! Welcome Lucy!!!!'

Khloe Kardashian sent well wishes as she said: 'Congratulations!!!!! How wonderful and blessed is your family!!! May God bless you all!! [three red hear emojis]'

'Hello sweet girl! [heart emoji] congrats Andy!,' John Mayer wrote before adding: 'Doing her star chart right now!!!'

The Bravo exec was so excited to share the news that he spanned social

Too cute! Cohen has been sharing adorable snaps of his little girl on his Instagram since her birth

In February 2019, he revealed that he had welcomed son Benjamin Allen Cohen also with an Instagram post.

'WOW! This is my son, Benjamin Allen Cohen,' Cohen said. He is 9 lbs 2 ounces !! 20 inches !! Born at 6:35 pm, PT.'

'He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen. I'm in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I'm a dad. Wow.'

In February, Benjamin sweetly joined Andy as he received a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cohen - who hosts late night talk show Watch What Happens Live on Bravo and Radio Andy on Sirius XM - had the support of his famous friends including Lisa Rinna, Garcelle Beauvais, and John Mayer who all spoke at the event.

Joyous: The Bravo exec was so excited to share the news that he tweeted: 'I'M A GIRL-DAD!!!!!'

The ceremony wasn't the only reason the day was special in the Cohen household as they also celebrated Ben's third birthday.

Andy ended his speech by saying: 'This is all my honor and my privilege and thank you so much all of you and thanks for coming out to my friends and family.

'And happy birthday Ben! Happy birthday Ben! It's your birthday! We've got cookies waiting for you man.'

Andy has worked hard to get to the place he is in as he began his career in the late 1980s working in television as an intern at CBS News where he spent 10 years and eventually served as senior producer for The Early Show.

Andy later shared a post celebrating his son's third birthday with the caption: 'Ben had the best 3rd birthday ever!!! [four heart and one cake emojis]'

He also served as a producer for 48 Hours and CBS This Morning.

He went on to join pop culture network Trio in 2000 which was bought out by Bravo in 2004 and Andy eventually became vice president of original programming.

In the summer of 2009, he began hosting a weekly late night chat show titled Watch What Happens Live which later expanded to a weeknight series and still is on air to this day.

The proud St. Louis, Missouri native made history with the gig as it made him the first openly gay host of an American late-night talk show.

As if that already wasn't enough, in September 2015 Sirius XM launched a new radio channel curated by him, known as Radio Andy.

More recently Andy joined pal Anderson Cooper as co-host of CNN's New Year's Eve coverage as he replaced Kathy Griffin in 2017.
Jana Kramer had a 'rebirth' after divorcing her ex-husband Mike Caussin.

During an appearance on Catt Sadler's Dear Media podcast, It Sure Is A Beautiful Day, Jana, 38, revealed she had forgiven her ex-husband and was 'happy' to have gone through her divorce as it taught her to be more 'mindful' of her desires.

'My divorce didn't kill me. Nothing is going to kill me after my divorce, you know, unless it has something to do with my kids... that was one of the hardest things I ever had to walk through that was excruciating and incredibly painful.

'I'm so happy that I did go through that': Jana Kramer said she experienced a 'rebirth' after divorcing her ex-husband Mike Caussin

'And I don't wish it upon anyone, but having said that, like, it has also been the most beautiful kind of like, rebirth and I'm so happy that I did go through that because now I can really be mindful of what I want.'

Jana was married to Mike for six years before filing for divorce in 2021. They share daughter Jolie, six, and son Jace, three.

In her filing she cited 'inappropriate marital conduct, irreconcilable differences and adultery.' She revealed the separation had been finalized in July 2021.

Jana also discussed how a letter her therapist had her write to herself from the perspective of Mike helped her in her healing journey.

'It was never real': 'What I was holding onto was a vision of a family that never existed,' Kramer said on the podcast

'I've definitely forgiven Mike,' she explained. 'I realized that for like a year I was holding on to waiting for an apology and I kind of realized that I'm never going to get it the way that I want it and the words that I want spoken.'

'Even though it wasn't his word, it's what I needed to hear,' she said of the letter. 'And it was so like healing and so helpful. And I remember like, just going like, okay, you know, I don't want to have to be the one to carry this stuff, like he doesn't care anymore...

'Forgiveness isn't for the other person, it is for me so that I don't have to be shackled down by the past and the infidelities and the lies and like the ruminating of it.'

She also said she would have 'fought forever' to keep their family together, but acknowledged she could not 'fight alone.'

'I'm working my butt off to support my kids': Kramer shares daughter Jolie, six, and son Jace, three, with her ex

'It's exhausting and it's mentally like, I'm sick of talking about it... I just have to let that piece go... Of course it sucks and there's days like tonight I don't have my kids... as much as I need some time alone, it's also like, I never would've wanted my family apart and I would have fought forever.'

'You can't fight alone and we weren't meant to live together forever. And it sucks that like, because of his choices, I had to file for divorce, but... I can't harp on things that could have been different because what good does that do? Like it doesn't do me any good.'

Jana also admitted she was holding onto a vision of a family she never really had.

'This is what we are. We're a family of three and I'm working my butt off to support my kids. And yesterday I wish I had my family 1000%, but I don't wish that I had that family. That's the thing too.

'What I was holding onto was a vision of a family that never existed. It was what I had in my mind. It was never real. So it's just what I believed and hoped and wanted and dreamt of. But the reality was is that's not who he was. That's not who we were.'

Jana, who is single again following her recent split from trainer Ian Schinelli, is now taking a break from dating.

'I just really want to focus on me, the kids, go to that retreat and just learn to love myself. And before I step in to any relationship, I have to know that I am like so strong.

'Knowing that there's going to be boundaries and consequences, like for the next ones, because I just keep doing myself a disservice and becoming somebody that I'm not when I allow certain things to happen over and over again.'
Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan put 'racist' trolls on blast in a scathing statement following the online harassment of 12-year-old Leah Jeffries, a black actress, who was recently cast in the TV adaptation of the fantasy series.

In a post shared to his website Tuesday, Riordan slammed a subset of fans upset that the role of Annabeth, which is 'described as white in the books,' will be played by a young Black girl. 'Friends, that is racism,' he wrote.

The 57-year-old expressed his sadness that he even had to defend the casting and said in no uncertain terms that the role went to the best actress for the part, adding: 'We should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong.'

'That is racism': Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan put 'racist' trolls on blast in a scathing statement following the online harassment of 12-year-old Leah Jeffries, a black actress, who was recently cast in the TV adaptation of the fantasy series (Riordan, left; Jeffries, right)

'This post is specifically for those who have a problem with the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase,' Riordan penned.

Last week Disney+ rounded out the cast of the upcoming series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, announcing Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri as Annabeth and Grover.

'The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth's strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be,' he continued.

'If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong,' the author wrote.

In a post shared to his website Tuesday, Riordan slammed a subset of fans upset that the role of Annabeth, which is 'described as white in the books,' will be played by a young Black girl. 'Friends, that is racism.'

The Annabeth character is 'described as white in the books' and was played by white actress Alexandra Daddario in the film series but to cast the television adaptation, Riordan explained that the team employed 'Disney's company policy on nondiscrimination.'

This meant that the casting department sought 'qualified performers, without regard to disability, gender, race and ethnicity, age, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis prohibited by law.'

Riordan, who was heavily involved in the process, called it 'long, intense, massive and exhaustive' but worth it because it led to finding the 'best of the best.'

'Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase,' he said point blank.

'Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist,' he explained.

'You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah's years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit.

'You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white. Friends, that is racism.' (Annabeth pictured in the film series as played by Alexandra Daddario)

'Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box,' he rebuked.

Riordan pointed out the critics believe that he - the creator of the characters - 'must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or I as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl.'

In the series, Percy Jackson - a demigod who is half mortal human and half immortal god - is accused by the sky god Zeus of stealing his master lightning bolt.

Percy must now go on a journey across America to find this lightning bolt and returning to Zeus on Olympus with the aid of his pals Annabeth and Grover.

'Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true,' Riordan wrote. 'You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white.

'Friends, that is racism.'

He went on to say that he is proud of this new series and that it 'honors the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.'

'Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase,' he said point blank. 'You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah's years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit.'

Adding: 'If you don't get that, if you're still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesn't matter how many times you have read the books. You didn't learn anything from them.'

Riordan will co-write the pilot script with Jon Steinberg, with James Bobin set to direct the pilot episode. Production is expected to start shortly in Vancouver, according to Variety.

Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz, who will also executive produce with Riordan, Bobin, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe and The Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg.

The first of Riordan's books - Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief - was adapted into a feature film back in 2010, starring Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase and Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood.

They also starred in the 2013 sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, though they other books in the franchise were never adapted.


Georgia Kousoulou has hit out at new mums who share snaps of themselves omce they quickly bounce back into shape after giving birth.

The Georgia & Tommy: Baby Steps star, 30, welcomed son Brody with fiance Tommy Mallet, 29, in May last year, with the couple celebrating his first birthday at the weekend.

The former TOWIE cast member, confessed that she used to break down when looking at her post-pregnancy figure in the mirror before being told not to worry and that she'd 'snap back' into shape.

Unrealistic: Georgia Kousoulou has hit out at new mums who quickly bounce back into shape after giving birth

Speaking to OK! Magazine, the reality star said: 'When I came out of hospital I still had a pregnant belly and that shocked me, because everyone said, "Oh you'll snap back". I didn't snap back at all  I had a full-on belly and I was so swollen.

'Then I decided to do a post with my belly out in just my bra and knickers. I was so nervous I texted Tommy asking if I should post it, and he said just do it, so I did, and it helped me and so many other mums.

'I mean, who else is doing that on Instagram? No-one. I am so sick of seeing girls with six packs straight after birth. It's not realistic and I don't want to see it.

'Going to the gym isn't my priority. I've raised a child for a year, let's celebrate that.'

Happy: The Georgia & Tommy: Baby Steps star, 30, welcomed son Brody with fiance Tommy Mallet, 29, in May last year, with the couple celebrating his first birthday at the weekend

Georgia was inundated with supportive messages from her followers after posting her original Instagram post showcasing her body eight weeks after giving birth.

Many new parents sought comfort in the post sharing their gratitude to Georgia for being so 'real' and making them feel better.

In June she showed off her post-baby body in candid snaps that she captioned: ' THE REALITY .. all I heard when I was pregnant was  youll bounce back  your young etc .. It got in my head & I prob did think I would to an extent .. So you can imagine the first time I looked in the mirror 8 weeks ago Im not going to lie .. I freaked out , my body wasnt my body I was used to no more , I had big stretch marks , I am wider & obviously a c section scar , I remember just crying ..'

Candid: Georgia was inundated with supportive messages from her followers last June after posting her original Instagram post showcasing her body eight weeks after giving birth

She continued: 'NOW 8 weeks on this is me.. Iv done no exercise & ate what I want , when I can .. I now look at my body. & im proud , Im proud I have grown a beautiful healthy baby, im proud I have got through the first 8 weeks..

'But of course I would love to get in my nice size 10 Zara bits but that can wait for now , im giving myself minimum a year , for now Im focusing on me & my baby. So BOUNCE BACK? the only place Im bouncing to is TO BED to sleep when I can.

'Lets stop using these phrases to women!! yes you will come out of hospital with a bump still- its taken us 9 months to grow a baby, why are we expecting our bumps to go straight away? lets just encourage mum to look after them self , there mental health & there babies , lets stop adding more pressure on women , its hard enough! I hope being honest will help any other mummies know this is the normal  [sic].#
She has been banned from Instagram several times because of her raunchy content.

And TikTok star Mikaela Testa pushed the envelope once again on Tuesday when she stripped down to a skimpy bikini on holiday in Bali, Indonesia.

The influencer, 21, struggled to contain her ample assets as she showcased her hourglass figure while dancing in her hotel bathroom.

Dream girl: Aussie TikTok star Mikaela Testa stripped down to a skimpy bikini while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia, on Tuesday

Her barely there two-piece appeared to be a few sizes too small as she jiggled and lip synced to a pumping techno track.

The metallic bikini top struggled to contain Mikaela's ample assets and offered a generous glimpse of underboob.

And the matching tie-side bottoms, which were pulled up high on her hips to emphasise her curves, provided only minimal coverage.

Daring display: The influencer, 21, struggled to contain her ample assets as she showcased her hourglass figure while dancing in her hotel bathroom

Busting out: Her barely there two-piece appeared to be a few sizes too small as she jiggled and lip synced to a pumping techno track

Minimal coverage: The metallic bikini top struggled to contain Mikaela's ample assets and offered a generous glimpse of underboob

Mikaela had set pulses racing on Sunday when she posted a similar video on TikTok of herself bouncing around her bedroom.

The OnlyFans model drew attention to her eye-popping cleavage and flat stomach as she sashayed in front of the camera in a tiny neon green bikini.

Mikaela, who performed a number of suggestive twists and turns in the clip, opted for a glossy makeup palette and styled her long dark hair in waves.

Flawless: Mikaela had set pulses racing on Sunday when she posted a similar video on TikTok of herself bouncing around her bedroom

Pulses racing: The OnlyFans model drew attention to her eye-popping cleavage and flat stomach as she sashayed in front of the camera in a tiny neon green bikini

It comes after Mikaela came clean about her various cosmetic surgeries.

She posted a link to a video of Gold Coast surgeon Dr Mitchell Kim explaining the procedures he had performed on her.

'Mikaela showing off her body contouring perfection,' Dr Kim explained.

Sultry: Mikaela opted for a glossy makeup palette and styled her long dark hair in waves

'Vaser lipo to her midsection and arms, and a fat transfer to her hip dips to create this jaw-dropping silhouette,' he said.

Vaser liposuction uses ultrasound technology to break apart fat cells and loosens them from deeper tissues.

It is considered more targeted than traditional forms of liposuction.

Oh, my! The bombshell certainly wasn't shy as she modelled the slinky swimwear

Mikaela previously had her Instagram account deleted due to her raunchy content with boyfriend Atis Paul, who later begged for it to be reinstated.

'My girlfriend's Instagram account has been deleted again. Does anyone here have true connections to someone at Instagram? If you do, please HMU,' he wrote.

The 21-year-old crypto bro followed this up with a second post that read: 'Please no one message me saying you know someone that's gotten accounts back, they're all BS [bulls**t]. Please only HMU if you have a real connection.'

Blacklisted: Mikaela previously had her Instagram account deleted due to her raunchy content with boyfriend Atis Paul, who later begged for it to be reinstated

According to Instagram's terms of service, accounts that violate the platform's community guidelines may be permanently banned without warning.

Mikaela, who makes more than $162,000 per month selling X-rated images and videos on OnlyFans, is no stranger to having her social media accounts deactivated.

In 2020, she was banned from TikTok for breaching 'multiple community guidelines'.

She publicly disputed the ban, telling News Corp she hadn't done anything wrong and insisting she had been unfairly penalised by TikTok's 'automatic scanner'.
Vicky White, an Alabama prison officer, and Casey Cole White, an escaped capital murder suspect, were found Monday following a 10-day manhunt, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton. Casey White has been taken into custody after both were caught alive in Indiana, according to Singleton.

They were apprehended after a citizen tip led officials to Evansville, Indiana, more than 200 miles from where they went missing. Before the vehicle crashed, authorities chased the pair in a Ford F-150, with Casey White driving and Vicky White riding along.

Alabama Jail Guard Vicky White Hit With New Charges

Casey White surrendered peacefully, according to Singleton. Vicky was hospitalized after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the US Marshals Service. Her condition is still unspecified.

CBS News reports that they will be extradited to Alabama and detained separately, with Casey White being arraigned promptly in Lauderdale County before being transported to the Department of Corrections. According to him, Vicky White will not be imprisoned in the facility where she previously worked.

Vicky White was charged with two new offenses, including identity theft, according to police. After she and capital murder suspect Casey White escaped from Lauderdale County Jail in Alabama on April 29, Vicky White was charged with enabling or assisting escape in the first degree. She used an identity to acquire the pair's initial getaway vehicle.

Per Newsweek, police have brought accusations of forgery in the second degree and identity theft against her as a result of her use of the pseudonym. Vicky White's alias is unknown, although the US Marshals Service had earlier issued an advisory that identified two possible aliases that had been exposed to the public.

However, it is known that she used the pseudonym to buy the pair's getaway car, a 2007 orange Ford Edge that was discovered abandoned outside of Nashville, Tennessee, last week. The automobile was located barely two hours after they were last seen, and police released images showing the two attempting to spray-paint the vehicle before leaving it.

Vicky White sold her home for $95,000 and withdrew over $90,000 from numerous local banks only days before assisting Casey White to flee, according to Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly.

After escaping the Lauderdale County, Alabama, jail at roughly 9:30 am on April 29, the accused lovers led authorities on a weeks-long manhunt. Vicky White was shown holding the door open for a cuffed Casey White, 38, on security camera, with a second perspective showing them getting into a marked police car and driving away.

Both Whites were nowhere to be located in the local shopping mall parking lot where the sheriff's police car was visible on the security footage. Despite sharing the same last name, they are not related.

Vicky White "was regularly around the cell blocks, had contact with all the convicts at one point or another" as the county's assistant director of prisons, Singleton told CNN. The Alabama jail guard had recently sold her home and was scheduled to retire from her work as a high-ranking female correctional officer on the day the two vanished, according to the inquiry.

Vicky White informed her coworkers at 9 am on the day of the jailbreak that she was escorting Casey White to the county courtroom for a mental health evaluation. She also informed her coworkers that she was feeling unwell and that she wanted to see a doctor later.

It wasn't until 3.30 pm that anyone noticed the two were missing. Police cautioned the public that the two were regarded as dangerous and may be equipped with an AR-15 rifle, pistols, and a shotgun while the hunt progressed.

Read Also: Lily Peters' Teen Cousin Charged for Her Death; Killer Reportedly Returned to Crime Scene To "Hide Her Better"

Did Vicky White Voluntarily Help Fugitive Casey White?

Vicky White was arrested on accusations of enabling or supporting escape in the first degree following their abduction in northwest Alabama. Singleton told reporters that she "participated" in Casey White's escape, although it's unclear if she did it willingly. This isn't the first time Casey White has tried to flee police custody.

White attempted to break out of the same jail in October 2020, according to the son of his accused victim, shortly after an alleged confession to the cold case murder of Connie Ridgeway, a 58-year-old mother of two who was stabbed to death during a home invasion in 2015.

According to the US Marshals, Casey White had previously been sentenced for a 2015 crime spree, including a house invasion, carjacking, and a police chase. He had confessed to Ridgeway's murder and was being held in the Lauderdale prison awaiting trial when he vanished. Ridgeway's son, Austin Williams, told The US Sun that he was concerned for his and the broader public's safety while Casey White's escaped from prison.

Related Article: Missing Alabama Jail Guard Vicky White Might Be the Mastermind in Casey White Escape, Lawyer Claims

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tina Fey has revealed she was once hit on by the disgraced Kevin Spacey.

The actress, 51, made the revelation during an appearance at the Netflix Is A Joke festival on Saturday with her frequent collaborator Amy Poehler, 50, where they were asked 'Who is the most famous person to ever hit on you?'

Fey claimed Spacey, 62, attempted to make a move on her after he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2006, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

'Who is this little performance for?' Tina Fey has revealed she was once hit on by the disgraced Kevin Spacey; Fey pictured L in May 2022 and Spacey R in 2017

'This is the kind of weird thing that used to happen to me. One time when he was hosting SNL, at the after-party, it was late and Kevin Spacey tried to hit on me,' Tina revealed of Spacey, who came out as gay in 2017 and has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

'I was like, "Who is this for? Who is this little performance for?" she continued.

In response to the revelation, Amy joked Tina 'really blew it', according to the New York Post.

Amy, meanwhile, revealed the late Arizona senator John McCain once expressed interest in her.

Tea time! The actress, 51, made the revelation during an appearance at the Netflix Is A Joke festival with her frequent collaborator Amy Poehler, 50, where they were asked 'Who is the most famous person to ever hit on you?'

'You're sort of his type': Poehler, meanwhile, revealed the late Arizona senator John McCain once expressed interest in her

'You're sort of his type,' Fey told her 'An Arizona blonde.'

Fey also revealed her failed attempt to set her former 30 Rock co-star James Marsden up with Poehler.

'You were newly single, and I knew he was newly single,' she said. 'We were at the [Emmys or Golden Globes] and we were going to an afterparty. I got it in my head that I was going to set you up.

'He's a gentleman. I wasn't': Fey talked about her failed attempt to set James Marsden up with Amy; pictured 2022

'I was walking out, and I was like, "Jimmy, you should come to our afterparty." He was like, "Oh, maybe I will," and I was like, "No, you should definitely come to our afterparty."

Marsden ultimately declined the invite, and Fey suspects it was because he may have believed she was the one attempting to get with him.

'I was drunk. Then he was like, 'I'm going to take off.' I realized in my drunkenness that he thinks I was trying to f**k him, and I'm a married lady, and he's a gentleman. I wasn't.'

The comic icons, who together were fan favorite hosts of the Golden Globes for several years, also dished on what they loved about each other.

'Tina is really, really good at quiet-talking in the moment. Women, you'll know what I'm talking about,' Poehler said.

'There are some people when stuff is going down, you go up to them and say, "Something's going down," and they say, "Where? Who? What? Why?" This b**ch knows how to talk [quietly] next to you. She's like a spy. She's so good. I trust you, Tina. That's what I love about you.'
Two reality stars had an almighty row at a celebrity-packed dinner party on the Gold Coast on Tuesday when one accused the other of being in a 'showmance'.

Fiery MAFS bride Cyrell Paule lost her temper when Big Brother star Skye Wheatley questioned if her three-year relationship with Love Island alum Eden Dally was genuine.

The person sitting next to Paule secretly recorded Wheatley ranting as they dined with other influencers and TV personalities at the Palazzo Versace hotel.

'Don't be a smart a**e b***h. I will put you in your place,' she warned Wheatley in the footage, which she shared on Instagram.

Angry: Fiery MAFS bride Cyrell Paule (pictured) and former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley had an almighty row at a celebrity-packed dinner party on the Gold Coast on Tuesday

In the video, Wheatley bluntly asked if her romance with Dally was 'fake' - despite the fact they share a son together.

'How did you guys meet?' the tipsy influencer began.

'Jules' birthday [party],' Paule dryly responded, referring to Jules Robinson.

Drama: The person sitting next to Paule secretly recorded Wheatley (centre) ranting as they dined with other influencers and TV personalities at the Palazzo Versace hotel

Star arrival: Paule was earlier pictured flying to the Gold Coast via private jet

Pals: She was joined by fellow MAFS star Jules Robinson on the flight

'That's so cute. So was he friends with Cam [Merchant, Robinson's husband]? I saw an article that said you guys had a fake relationship or something,' Wheatley said.

'Aww, sorry! But like, if you know the truth babe, who cares! I wanted to know who said that.'

An angry Paule told Wheatley her questions were inappropriate.

Brazen: In the video, a tipsy Wheatley bluntly asked Paule if her romance with Dally was 'fake' - despite the fact they share a son together

'Do I sit there and say, "Are your lips real?" No, that's an inappropriate question. I don't ask that. Don't be a smart a**e b***h. I will put you in your place... Eat your food or I'll shove your face in it. Shut up,' Paule snapped.

The mother of one later criticised Wheatley in a series of posts on Instagram Stories, calling her a 'fake b***h' and a 'bully'.

'Tonight... I experienced nothing but female b**ching and bullying from Skye, questioning whether or not my relationship of three years was to this day genuine! Is it so impossible for Eden to be with me?' she wrote.

Rant: The mother of one later criticised Wheatley in a series of posts on Instagram Stories, calling her a 'fake b***h' and a 'bully'

Paule claimed Wheatley had also asked her before the dinner party if she was 'still with Eden' and if they'd had their baby.

'If someone says something is inappropriate or shouldn't be discussed... know your place. If someone says the topic makes them uncomfortable and it's inappropriate, know your place! Don't sit there and laugh at my interracial relationship that I have had to justify for three years,' Paule said.

She then said Wheatley's actions 'affect her son', Boston.

'I pity you because for a person to claim to have it all, your actions tonight proved just how little you have! Goodbye. Love Eden, Cyrell and our son Boston,' she wrote.

Claims: Paule claimed Wheatley had also asked her before the dinner party if she was 'still with Eden' and if they'd had their baby

Furious: Paule, whose fiery temper earned her the nickname Cyclone Cyrell on MAFS, also called Wheatley (pictured) 'uneducated and two-faced'

Paule, whose fiery temper earned her the nickname Cyclone Cyrell on MAFS, also called Wheatley 'uneducated and two-faced'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Wheatley for comment.

Paule and Dally met in March 2019 after her TV 'marriage' to Nic Jovanovic on MAFS ended when they decided they were better off as friends.

The pair began dating officially within a matter of weeks, and she later moved into his Sydney home.

They welcomed their first child together, son Boston, in February 2020.
United States President Joe Biden's administration has issued a stark warning to Americans that the country could potentially see 100 million COVID-19 cases this fall and winter amid a lack of funding for coronavirus-related programs.

The projection of the grim possibility is an estimate based on a range of outside models that the Biden administration closely tracks. A senior administration official said they would include both the fall and winter.

COVID-19 Warning

Authorities said that the estimate was largely based on an underlying assumption that no additional resources or extra mitigation measures were being taken against the coronavirus pandemic. This includes COVID-19 funding from Congress or dramatic new variants that could accelerate the spread of the infection.

White House officials shared the estimates as they renewed their push to get Congress to approve additional funding to combat the health crisis. The House's COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, confirmed the warning in an interview on Sunday.

The health professional, however, stressed that whether the possibility occurs or not is largely up to the people of the country. He said that officials were monitoring internal and external models and predicted waning immunity among the people of the nation, as per CNN.

Negotiators were previously able to reach an agreement on a scaled-back $10 billion package, but in April, Congress left Washington without passing that bipartisan bill. The situation came due to a disagreement over the Title 42 immigration policy. This pandemic-era rule allowed migrants to be returned immediately to their home countries, citing a public health emergency.

Read Also: Severe COVID-19 Found To Cause Cognitive Impairment Equal to 20 Years of Aging, Loss of 10 IQ Points, Study Says

Biden's administration has been requesting $22.5 billion in supplemental COVID-19 relief funding since March, a provision that was stripped from a bill that was later passed. The money would have gone towards more testing, treatments, therapeutics, and preventing future outbreaks.

According to News12, officials said that the United States would be left unprepared for future waves without the new funding for coronavirus-related programs. The projection was made on Friday by a senior Biden administration official.

The Situation of the Health Crisis

Many experts agreed that a major coronavirus wave this fall and winter was completely possible with the current situation of the pandemic. They argued that loosened restrictions and the rise of variants that are better able to escape immune protections are some of the factors in play.

Several have also warned that the country's return to more relaxed behaviors, such as going maskless to participating in crowded indoor social gatherings, would lead to more infections. Data showed that the seven-day national average of new infections more than doubled from 29,312 on Mar. 30 to nearly 71,000 on Friday.

An epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Justin Lesser, said that the warning was reasonable. He added that it was just on the pessimistic side of what many projected in the COVID-19 scenario modeling run.

The expert said it would always be difficult to predict the future when it was about the coronavirus but noted that the country was now at a point where it was more difficult. He noted so much sensitivity in terms of long-term trends, the Washington Post reported.

Related Article: COVID-19 Deaths in the US Breach 1 Million Mark After Just 27 Months

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Russian Ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, was blasted with red paint by protesters during Moscow's celebration of Victory Day amid the continuing invasion of Ukraine.

The official was traveling to lay flowers at the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday when he was met by demonstrators who opposed the war. Some of the protesters were seen carrying Ukrainian flags and could be heard shouting "fascist" and "murderer" at Andreev.

Russian Ambassador Attacked

Video of the protest was captured by Russia's state-run Ria news agency and came as Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the demonstration served to "confirm what is already clear: The West has set a course to revive Nazism."

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly claimed, without any basis or evidence, that its neighboring country has been taken over by Nazis. It has continued to use this reasoning as an excuse to wage war on the nation.

A Polish member of parliament, Pawel Zalewski, said after the protest that his country should be prepared for Russian retaliation against Polish diplomats in Moscow. While images of the incident were captured, it was not clear who the protesters were, as per Business Insider.

In an interview, Andreev said that he and his team were not seriously hurt during the incident or after being hit by the red paint. The protesters also prevented the ambassador from laying flowers at the cemetery and forced police to escort the official away from the area.

Read Also: Is Putin Dying? Journalist Raises Fears About Health Status of Russian President

Russia's foreign ministry, after the incident, demanded Warsaw organize a new wreath-laying ceremony immediately and said Poland should "ensure complete protection against any provocations."

According to The Guardian, Russia's war against Ukraine has overshadowed this year's Victory Day when the former remembers the 27 million Soviet citizens who lost their lives in the second world war. Poland, which has accepted millions of Ukrainian refugees, has opted to cancel all official commemorations of the anniversary.

Russia-Ukraine War

The Russian embassy located in Poland said after the incident that it would file a formal protest against the attack. The country's ministry called the people responsible for the assault "admirers of neo-Nazism."

In a message on Telegram, Zakharova said that the demolition of monuments to the heroes of World War II, the desecration of graves, and the disruption of the flower-laying ceremony on a holiday proved what was already obvious. She said that the West has already set a course for the reincarnation of fascism.

Russia's claims that Ukraine was led by Nazis are contradicted by the fact that President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish. Moscow has also claimed that its forces were fighting the war in an attempt to "denazify" the nation.

Ukrainian on the other hand is resisting the invasion and said that Russian leaders and troops were "rashists," a coinage for Russian fascists. They added that Moscow's military forces were the ones who were acting more like Nazis.

The Russian embassy was forced to delay its plans for a march to mark Victory Day this year and opted to organize a wreath-laying ceremony. But even before Andreev arrived, pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protesters clashed, the Washington Post reported.



Related Article: Roscosmos Chief Warns Russia's Nuclear Power Can Destroy NATO Countries in 30 Minutes

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New Delhi: Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday engaged in a war of words on Twitter after the former union minister posted that 'Kashmir Files' film had been banned in Singapore for being "provocative" and "one-sided".

Earlier today the Thiruvananthapuram MP took to Twitter to say Tharoor took to Twitter to share a news article and wrote, "Film promoted by India's ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore."

To this the Agnihotri, the film's director shared a list of popular films that have been banned in Singapore but hailed worldwide, calling Singapore the "most regressive censor in the world."

Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor,



FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world. It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam)



Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned.



Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. https://t.co/QIxFjJW86U pic.twitter.com/kzodpI1CtL  Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 10, 2022

Further the director also asked whether the late wife of Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu and that the Congress MP should delete his tweet and apologise to Sunanda's soul.

Hey @ShashiTharoor,



Is this true that Late Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu?



Is the enclosed SS true?



If yes, then in Hindu tradition, to respect the dead, you must delete your tweet and apologise to her soul. https://t.co/3wgJQnkhVZ pic.twitter.com/98DPB4Gnj7  Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 10, 2022

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher too waded into the spat by sharing a screenshot of a Twitter thread of the late Sunanda Pushkar and asking Tharoor to "show some sensitivity towards Kashmiri Pandits for Sunanda's sake."

"Dear @ShashiTharoor! Your callousness towards #KashmiriHindus genocide is tragic. If nothing else at least for #Sunanda's sake who was a Kashmiri herself you should show some sensitivity towards #KashmiriPandits & not feel victorious about a country banning #TheKashmirFiles!," Kher posted along with a broken heart emoji.

Dear @ShashiTharoor! Your callousness towards #KashmiriHindus genocide is tragic.If nothing else at least for #Sunandas sake who was a Kashmiri herself you should show some sensitivity towards #KashmiriPandits & not feel victorious about a country banning #TheKashmirFiles!  https://t.co/YwEsgYWgc4 pic.twitter.com/b7XRL46tIG  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) May 10, 2022

'The Kashmir Files,' on the life of Kashmiri pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency, is based on first-generation video interviews of victims of the Kashmiri massacre, making an account of their pain, suffering, struggle and trauma.
New Delhi: Putting the ball back in the Narendra Modi governments court, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre if lodging of sedition cases under Section 124A Indian Penal Code (IPC) could be put in abeyance till the re-examination of the colonial-era law.

Giving time to the Centre to respond on specific issues -- putting the sedition law in abeyance and protecting the rights of those already charged under it -- Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, heading a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, adjourned the hearing and posted the matter for May 11 (Wednesday).

Expressing concern at the misuse of the sedition law, the CJI said: There are concerns. Cases are pending the law is being misused. How we are going to protect people against misuse?

Justice Kant said: Judgments are delivered, even in the Kedar Nath Singh case but who bothers? At the ground level, the police and lower-level state functionaries are operating (enforcing the law). You issue the direction that till it is under consideration, keep Section 124A in abeyance.

You will take two to three months for reconsideration. Till such time, why not the Union home ministry sends a directive to the states that matters under 124A be kept in abeyance, Justice Kant told solicitor- general Tushar Mehta.

Resisting the suggestion to keep the sedition law in abeyance till the process of reconsideration is over, the solicitor-general described the suggestion as hazardous to stop the use of the penal law, saying that it had never happened.

At which, Justice Hima Kohli said: That is why we are telling why you, as the Central government, dont indicate to the states that since you are applying your mind to it, not to take action under the sedition law.

The court, that was to decide whether a three-judge or five-judge bench should hear the batch of pleas challenging the validity of the sedition law, took note of the Centres fresh stand that it wanted to re-examine and reconsider it.

Quoting the Centres recent affidavit, which referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis views on issues like the shedding of colonial baggage, protection of civil liberties and respect of human rights, the bench said: Our specific query is on two issues. One is about the pending cases and the second is how the government will take care of future cases till the reconsideration. These are two issues. Nothing else.

It asked Mr Mehta to apprise the Centres stand by Wednesday. Referring to the possible misuse of the provision, the bench said even the attorney-general had said how the law was invoked even for chanting Hanuman Chalisa and asked the Centre to come up with its response.

We are making it very clear. We want instructions. We will give you time till tomorrow. Our specific queries are: one about pending cases and the second, as to how the government will take care of future cases, said the bench.

At the start of the hearing, referring to the Central governments decision to re-examine and reconsider the sedition law, the solicitor-general urged the court to defer its hearing till the reconsideration process was over. As senior advocate Kapil Sibal opposed Mr Mehtas request, Chief Justice Ramana, reading from the Central governments affidavit filed on May 9, said: They are doing a serious exercise (and) it should not appear that we are unreasonable.

Referring to the Centres affidavit stating its decision to re-examine and reconsider the colonial-era law, senior lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan said it was part of a disturbing trend where there was a change in the position of the government just before crucial hearings and mentioned the instance of the right to privacy.

Both Mr Sibal and Mr Sankaranarayanan appeared for the petitions challenging the sedition law.

When the solicitor-general sought to link the sovereignty and integrity of the country with Section 124A IPC, Mr Sibal said the sedition law related to the government and had nothing to do with the State, as such drawing a distinction between the government and the State. Mr Sibal that the State is only mentioned in Article 19(2) of the Constitution, providing for reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom of speech.

The court is hearing pleas filed by the Editors Guild of India, Maj. Gen. S.G. Vombatkere (Retd), veteran journalist-politician Arun Shourie and others challenging the constitutionality of Section 124A IPC (sedition). During the hearing, the court said its main concern was the misuse of the law, leading to a rise in the number of cases.
The youth, identified as C. Madhu, already rolling drunk, dialed 100 emergency number at 2 am on Monday. (Image credit: Social media)

HYDERABAD: In a bizarre incident, a youth got a good hiding from the police for his mischief, which angered the cops to the core in the early hours of Monday.

The youth, identified as C. Madhu, already rolling drunk, dialed 100 emergency number at 2 am on Monday and asked the Vikarabad police control room to get him help as he was in an emergency situation.

Though the police asked him the nature of the emergency, Madhu said he could not disclose it on the phone.

The PCR operator took his complete address with house number and landmark and sent the Vikarabad night patrol Blue Colts constables to Madhus house in Daulatabad, the police said.

When the patrol cops reached Madhus house, they got the shock of their lives as the caller, who was already in a drunken state, told the constables that all wine shops in Daulatabad were closed and asked them to get two chilled beer bottles for him.

The constables who lost their cool, thrashed him black and blue and booked a petty case against him.

Earlier on March 19, a man, Naveen, a native of Nalgonda district, also called dial 100 six times stating that it was an emergency.

But when the police reached his house he revealed that he had called to complain against his wife who had refused to prepare mutton curry.
When asked about the lack of update, director of public health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said the reason for the same was that no patients were being admitted to hospitals. (Representational image: PTI)

HYDERABAD: The health department has not been updating the data on the number of beds occupied by Covid patients in its daily bulletin on Covid-19.

Experts say the government needs to update the data frequently to be prepared for any eventuality. Every day, from April 6 to 28, data on the number of occupied beds remained unchanged.

On all these days, the bulletin showed that three beds in government hospitals and 22 in private hospitals were occupied by Covid patients. On April 29, when this correspondent brought this to the notice of the office of director of public health, Telangana, the data was immediately updated in that days bulletin itself, which showed that seven government beds and 14 private beds were occupied.

However, the data again remained unchanged from April 30 to May 9, showing that seven government beds and 12 private beds were occupied.

When asked about the lack of update, director of public health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said the reason for the same was that no patients were being admitted to hospitals. However, in that case, the data should have reflected the same, i.e. should have shown that no bed in the state is occupied by Covid patients.

President, Infection Control Academy of India, Dr Ranga Reddy Burri said the data needed to be updated on a regular basis.

If that is not done, we may miss the early signals about increase in the number of patients, which may finally result in a public health problem, Dr Ranga Reddy Burri said.

Dr Ranga Reddy added that as nobody had yet declared the pandemic to have ended, the state and Central governments should continue with measures like tracking, surveillance and frequent updation of information.

The purpose of accurate data is that it is the basis for all our decisions and strategies, he added.
An eighteen-year-old Intermediate second-year student died of cardiac arrest shortly before appearing for the examination at DRW College in Gudur town of Tirupati district. (Photo: Pixabay)

Nellore: In a sad incident, an eighteen-year-old Intermediate second-year student died of cardiac arrest shortly before appearing for the examination at DRW College in Gudur town of Tirupati district on Tuesday morning.

The deceased Yekollu Venkata Sateesh belonged to Sydapuram mandal and studied at Sri Swarnandhra Bharati Junior College in Gudur rural limits.

Sateesh came to the exam centre around 7.30 am to take the English exam conducted by the Intermediate board. After a police frisk at the main entrance, he moved ahead. Before entering the exam hall, he complained of chest pain to a constable on duty. The constable advised him to sit and relax for a while, police said.

The police said they immediately called 108 Ambulance service but did not wait for it to arrive. Sensing the emergency situation, the constable borrowed the car of the chief examiner and rushed Sateesh to the government hospital.

Sateesh was talking to the constable for some time, but breathed his last before reaching the hospital that was a kilometre away from the college. Doctors declared him 'brought dead', CI Nageswaramma said.

She said Sateesh had a hole in the heart since childhood and he had undergone heart surgery six years ago at SVIMS Hospital in Tirupati. He was visiting the hospital once in six months for checkup and using medicines. He hails from a farmers family that also has a daughter, who is elder to him, the CI said.
Mangaluru: Sri Rama Sene founder Pramod Muthalik will seek legal opinion regarding filing of contempt petition against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for failure in enforcing the court order on use of loudspeakers.

The Hindu outfit has initiated a Bhajan campaign urging the state government to remove loudspeakers installed at mosques.

We had started the campaign and will continue it. It is understood that the government has given deadline of 15 days for the removal of loudspeakers. But, there is nothing in writing. It might be just an assurance. We want the government to act. Hence, we intend to file a contempt petition, Pramod Muthalik told Deccan Chronicle.

The Court order is very clear. But the state government is not implementing it. I will have discussions with lawyers on filing the contempt petition, he said.

We also want to file contempt of court petition against the Chief Secretary and the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts as they have failed in enforcing the court order. We will discuss the matter during the meeting of Sri Rama Sene to be held at Bengaluru on May 11, he added.

The Hindutva groups mounting their campaign against loudspeakers in mosques while chief minister Bommai said that the onus of implementing the court order lay with police officers of the rank of DySP.
Hyderabad: CCTVs play a key role in crime detection and case-solving and they take less time. They are making policing easier to keep the society peaceful and crime-free, Education Minister Sabitha Indrareddy said here on Monday.

Law and order plays a vital role in the development of the state. I support the efforts of Rachakonda Police in providing impeccable services to the citizens, the minister said during the inauguration of the 284 CCTV sets sponsored by Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC). The event was held at SYR Conventions, Jillelaguda.

Sabitha noted that the city has many crime hotspots, gender offence hotspots and black spots that are not covered by any CCTV. I urge the citizens too to install CCTVs and be vigilant about their localities. As of now, out of these 284 cameras, 138 have been connected to police stations and to the main command control centre and the rest of the 146 cameras will be connected soon.

DGP Mahender Reddy said, I appreciate TSIICs noble contribution of 284 CCTVs to assist the police in crime detection, case-solving and daily patrolling.

One CCTVs work is equal to the work of 100 policemen round- the-clock, which scares criminals. So far, 9,20,000 CCTV sets have been installed across the state and many villages too have such cameras for their safety as well as public safety.

Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda, Mahesh Bhagwat thanked TSIIC for the donation and elaborated on the significance of CCTVs in crime detection. He said an amount of Rs 1.5 crore is allocated by TSIIC for the installation of CCTVs in Yadadri and this would play a vital role in ensuring the safety of the people, especially women and children.
Amid Russia's continuing invasion, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Monday that would make it simpler for the US to transfer military weapons to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden signed the bill in the Oval Office with Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress. The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 was passed by Congress last month with bipartisan backing.

Joe Biden Reaffirms Support For Ukraine

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) presented the measure, which authorizes the US to lend or lease military equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European allies while expediting the procedure. The law brings back a strategy from World War II that helped defeat Nazi Germany.

Last month, the law cleared the Senate on a voice vote and then the House on a bipartisan vote of 417-10. Republicans accounted for all ten no votes in the House. As Ukraine has fought back against Russian strikes on key cities such as Kyiv and southern and eastern Ukraine, the US has supplied military and other security aid at a rapid pace, The Hill reported.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Congress to act before the present drawdown funding run out on May 19, in a letter handed to Capitol Hill on Monday. All except $100 million of the $3.5 billion in weapons and equipment that the Pentagon may deliver to Ukraine from its current inventories have already been supplied or pledged. The remaining $100 million is likely to be consumed by May 19, according to the officials.

The bill's signing was praised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He thanked President Joe Biden for signing the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022, calling it a significant milestone in the country's history.

Read Also: House Speaker Pelosi Blasts US Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade Reversal, Calls It a Slap in the Face of Women

Aim To Help Ukraine May Be Tested Through Bipartisan Votes

President Joe Biden and Congress have shown a steadfast commitment to Ukraine that has been both surprising and long-lasting. Still, as the United States and its allies come closer to the fight with Russia, the bipartisan support for Ukraine will be tested.

The House might vote on the enhanced Ukraine assistance package as early as this week, sending the bill to the Senate, which is now trying to approve Biden's nomination of Bridget Brink as the next Ukrainian ambassador.

Because the president's party only has the tiniest majorities in the House and Senate, Republican participation is preferable, if not essential, in passing the president's regional policy.

Despite their differences about Biden's foreign policy approach and perceived blunders in facing Russia, lawmakers of the House and Senate have united to back the president's agenda in Ukraine, as per AP News.

Republicans refused to approve new money to fight the pandemic without a vote on Biden's decision to end a Trump-era border policy known as Title 42. Biden and Democratic leaders had hoped to move a coronavirus aid package alongside the Ukraine aid, using the Ukrainian assistance as leverage to secure additional COVID-19 funding.

President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders had little choice but to divide the two measures as a result. His decision to split the two legislation should help ease the way for Congress to approve roughly $40 billion in financing for Ukraine, but it puts a $10 billion pandemic relief package in limbo, which Biden and Democrats have said is a high priority as the US prepares for a possible winter spike.

Without further money for Ukraine, Biden has warned that shipments of guns and other help will have to be discontinued in approximately ten days. Later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stated that the House will take up the bill first and proceed rapidly, according to NBC News.

Related Article: Roscosmos Chief Warns Russia's Nuclear Power Can Destroy NATO Countries in 30 Minutes

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HYDERABAD: There would be a tectonic shift in Telangana politics after the May 14 public meeting to be addressed by Union home minister and BJP strongman Amit Shah, said president of the Telangana state BJP unit Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday.

Speaking exclusively with Deccan Chronicle after the second leg of his Praja Sangrama Yatra entered its 27th day, Sanjay said that Shahs public address will be a watershed moment in showcasing to the people in Telangana, who are both ready and eager for a change from the TRS government.

Earlier, hundreds of people waited patiently in the scorching sun to witness the yatras enter Ranga Reddy district to give him a warm welcome, with the older activists showering rose petals while women offered a traditional aarti and applied vermilion tilak even as youth jostled to take selfies with the marching leader.

The BJP confirmed that Shah would be addressing a public meeting near Tukkuguda in Maheswaram mandal of Ranga Reddy district on Saturday, for which the saffron party is expecting five lakh people to turn up.

The BJP in the state is growing in confidence with the massive increase of the party base and easily perceptible public support for its fight against the pink party, Sanjay, who is also the Karimnagar Lok Sabha member, said, fighting the heat and exhaustion with characteristic sangfroid.

Taking time off from the rough and tumble of his walkathon across several districts in the state to meet and understand the problems of people from different walks of life, Sanjay said that people are very eager to listen to what Shah has to tell them.

Our party leaders and workers are working enthusiastically to make the meeting into a watershed one, a success like no other political party meeting in the state so far. The very presence of over five lakh people would demonstrate the direction of the political winds in Telangana and show how the will of the people which is yearning for change from the TRS government is resolved to vote for a double-engine government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sanjay said.

The enthusiasm for the Amit Shah meeting, he said, was such that in some mandals people were getting new clothes stitched to wear for the event.

Our appeal to the people, who have given two consecutive terms each to the Telugu Desam, the Congress and the TRS, and are yet feeling deceived and betrayed, to consider us for just one term is resonating very well. People are increasingly of the belief that only when BJP is given an opportunity to govern in the state would they benefit from true good governance, he said.

Calling the TRS, an ek Niranjan party, Sanjay said the BJP was ready for polls no matter when they are announced. KCR is whimsical. He could just wake up one day and declare elections. The TRS does not have a collective leadership or a sense of responsibility towards people. We are ready for polls whenever KCR decides to have them, Sanjay said.

When asked how the BJP will approach the next elections, Sanjay said his party would go it alone and not have a truck with any party.

We have fought alone in the past two elections and will do so again. But the Congress, by declaring that it will not join hands with the TRS, actually revealed its real intention, which is to partner with the TRS. The Congress leadership believes, having seen how most of its elected MLAs jump ship and defect to the TRS, that the same could happen again after next elections. It seems the Congress has deducted that since its legislators will defect, why get into a fight with the TRS at all?

The Congress statement on not having an alliance with the TRS was for public consumption but their plan to partner with TRS became common knowledge and resulted in huge public resentment against both those parties, he said.

His party, Sanjay said, does not believe in making promises for the sake of making them, unlike Chandrashekar Rao. In 2014, he did not think he would win and come to power so made several promises, including three acres of land for Dalits, a Dalit CM, one job per family, drinking water to every home. He has no intention of doing so, he said.

The Congress promise of Rs 2 lakh farm loan waiver too fell into the same category, Sanjay quipped.

The BJP padayatra is to understand what people need by listening to and interacting with them. We are finalizing our plans based on what people need and want. We are finding out, first-hand, problems being faced by farmers, women, youth and the poor during this padayatra.

Decisions on what people need cannot be taken by a group of politicians sitting in an air-conditioned room. From what we are learning from this yatra, we will study and prepare plans to meet all needs of people, he said.

Sanjay said he was seeing farmers vexed with uncertainty that the TRS government brought into their lives by not fulfilling the Rs 1 lakh farm loan waiver and not ensuring MSP for crops, and not purchasing their produce on time.

They are sick with worry. They need to be given confidence, courage. The TRS government gave Rythu Bandhu and then took everything away leaving farmers in the lurch, he said. Farmers have told me they dont want false promises.

The state BJP president said it was not his individual padayatra but of the party, and added that the response has been tremendous, beyond what we expected.

We are explaining to people how the Centre gives funds for nearly everything, but the TRS government claims the schemes and programmes are theirs, be it construction of community halls, purchasing of crops. People have understood the truth of how PM Modi has been giving funds and KCR squandering them. Even TRS sarpanches are telling us that their fate would have been much worse but for the Modi governments programmes and support. People have realised Telangana needs a double-engine government. When the BJP government at the Centre is providing funds, they are not being used properly by the TRS government because KCR does not want Modi to get credit for programmes taken up for peoples welfare.

Sanjay took aim at the law and order situation in the state, saying every major incident of crime reported in the recent past, such as suicide by a family, death by suicide of a harassed by a BJP worker in Khammam district, a woman victimised in Kukatpally  all of them had some TRS leaders and workers as accused. This is why the TRS government is ignoring these cases. It does not bother because its leaders are involved and criminals of all kinds are being supported by TRS leadership, he said. Even when a Dalit man was killed for marrying a girl he loved by workers of the MIM, the CM has not spoken a word. Is that what being a Bandhu for Dalits mean?
The complete surrender of Ukraines armed forces is the only formula for peace, Valery Fadeyev, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in an hour-long Zoom conversation.

Isnt this an invitation to the West to keep pumping advanced weapons and cash so that the Ukrainians can bleed Russia exactly as the US bled you in Afghanistan? Fadeyev thought the comparison with Afghanistan was wrong.

The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted 10 years. At the end all major Soviet Army equipment and weapons were taken back home. It was not a military decision; it was a political decision. After a pause: I think it was the wrong decision.

Will the Ukrainian war last for years? I didnt say this conflict can last for years. The conflict with the West can last for years, but this special operation in Ukraine will likely end soon. He said Mr Putin elevated his May 9 Victory Day speech to a high plane as he and Russias elite were dismayed at the way the West was trying to belittle and erase the memory of the sacrifice 26 million Russians made without which the war with Hitler would have been lost. Indeed, they were equating Nazism with the former Soviet Union. There is a very deep, harmful idea promoted by the West: It compares Hitlers Germany to Soviet Russia.

Fadeyev said: See how these harmful ideas have found a working laboratory in Ukraine. He added: A part of the Ukrainian population was already poisoned with this idea and the other part, turning its back on the Soviet Union, was developing an amnesia about our history. Russian and Ukrainian people fought against Fascist Germany together. The perplexing cocktail of Nazi nationalism led by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Jew, taxes credulity. Equally puzzling is the fact that Israeli mercenaries are fighting with Nazi nationalists in Mariupol and the Azov steel plant.

Asked if a Canadian general and some French officers were among those holed up in the steel plant, Fadeyev replied: I fully accept the importance of this question, but cant comment on French officers. President Emmanuel Macron has frequently talked with Mr Putin. Is Mr Macron nervous that revelations about French military participation in the war will affect the National Assembly elections in June? Frances Left parties have joined hands. If they win, Mr Macron will be a lame duck President. How can Mr Putin help Mr Macron? What is the mystery behind Mariupols Azov steel plant? I dont see any big secret in this. Theres a huge concentration of Nazi nationalist forces, mainly the Azov battalion, hiding in Soviet-era tunnels. These battalions are highly motivated. They study Nazi literature, follow fascist ideology and worship Hitler. There are two reasons why the Azov battalion and its Western advisers are not coming out of the steel plant: First, they are hoping mercenaries from third countries will come to their aid. Also, it is afraid they will have to face military war crimes tribunals.

On US defence secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin declaring Americas war aims (We want to weaken Russia), Fadeyev said: Putin had talked about exactly this at the Security Conference in Munich on February 10, 2007. He had said the West wants to weaken Russia. Austins statement was no revelation. In fact, Putins mind moved on a different track In 1990s as well as in 2000s, Putin openly declared he was ready to cooperate and integrate with Europe. He announced several far-reaching economic projects. He even expressed Russias desire to be part of Nato. On all our proposals, we got refusals from the West. They never understood that Russia has genuine security concerns. Fadeyev said he himself had served in a special rocket battalion. The flight time of a ballistic missile from Kharkiv to Moscow is five minutes. Today, the West is arming Ukraine to the teeth. Everyone blames the US military-industrial complex for being obsessed with the Russian enemy; but in reality, the entire US ruling class sees us as the enemy.

On the wars long-term effects, Fadeyev turns the tables. The sanctions on Russia are actually hurting Europe more, he says. The US has been against EU proposals for 30 years to build a European army outside Nato: Weakening of Europe is in the interest of America.

With the USSRs collapse, the West had hoped Russia would cease to be a great power. The re-emergence of Russia with the help of friends who dont want Western hegemony, is unacceptable to the West. In this geopolitical confrontation between China and the US, the Russian role will be critical for our friends. This, he says, explains the US desire to contain Russia by igniting the Ukraine war.

Once the dust settles, what will the wars effect be on the new global order? Pay attention to the fact that countries where two-thirds of the population are not supporting sanctions on Russia despite heavy pressure from the West and the US. This is the clear divide between the West and the majority of the world and leaders of countries who have a memory of colonial times and know how the West exploited them. This will be the new post-Ukraine war faultline.

He brushed off questions on President Putins health as malicious rumours.

The Ukraine story will certainly take a turn once the identity of senior Western officials, generals and mercenary groups at Azov are revealed. The Second World War yielded great escape stories. The Israelis Entebbe operation still resonates. What plots are now being hatched to extricate priceless Ukrainian assets from the steel plant? The screenplay writers are rubbing their hands.
The police has come under pressure as the accused who carried out the shocking acid attack on a working woman in broad daylight in Bengaluru, is still absconding even after two weeks. The incident took place on April 28.

The police, who have made 7 special teams for nabbing the acid attacker, have not been able to get any clue in the case.

The police have gathered inputs that accused Nagesh was in love with the victim for 7 years and recovered a photograph of the victim from his house.

The St. John's Hospital, where the victim is being treated, has stated that the victim had been operated on two times so far. She is still in the ICU and her vitals are normal.

The victim will be in hospital for one month and the acid attack had inflicted 36 per cent burn injuries on her body.

Read | Bengaluru cops release photos of acid attack accused

Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had stated that the accused would be arrested by last Saturday. The police teams have gone to neighbouring states in search of the accused.

The police have detained the accused's elder brother and parents in connection with the case. They have also taken 20 persons into custody. However, they have not succeeded in getting any clues regarding the accused. The police said that the accused and victim studied in SSLC (class 10) in the same school.

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar had visited the acid attack victim in the hospital and assured free treatment. He also announced that the government would provide her with a suitable job once she recovers. Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh Nirani had also announced all the support from the government to the family of the acid attack victim.

Nagesh waited in an auto with the acid bottle until the 23-year-old victim reached her workplace. When she waited for the workplace to open, the accused chased and poured acid on her.
India on Tuesday vowed its support for democracy and stability in Sri Lanka even as the island nations beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave emergency powers to the countrys military and police personnel to shoot at protesters looting public property or causing harm to others.

New Delhi was also quick to deny reports about Mahinda Rajapaksa fleeing to India with his family after resigning as prime minister of Sri Lanka on Monday amid widespread protest against the failure of the government to manage the economic crisis.

Also Read | India keeps its tabs on crisis-stricken Sri Lanka

India is fully supportive of democracy, stability and economic recovery in Sri Lanka, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in New Delhi.

Mahindas resignation could not pacify the protesters, who continued to demand the resignation of his brother Gotabaya from the office of the countrys President.

The incidents of attacks on former ministers and ruling partys lawmakers continued, with protesters setting ablaze their houses and business establishments too. Mahindas residence at Kurunegala in the north-western province was also set on fire, although he and his family had shifted to a naval base shortly after resigning from the office of the prime minister.

After reports started circulating in sections of media and social media that Mahinda and his family had left Sri Lanka and travelled to India, New Delhi moved fast to deny such rumours. Without directly referring to the former prime minister and his kins, New Delhis mission in Colombo dismissed the rumours about certain political persons and their families fleeing Sri Lanka and taking refuge in India. These are fake and blatantly false reports, devoid of any truth or substance. (The) High Commission (of India) strongly denies them, it posted on Twitter.

Also Read | Outgoing Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa evacuated by troops

A source in New Delhi said that India had issued the denial hurriedly in order to dissociate itself from the Rajapaksa Clan, which had found itself at the receiving end of public ire in the wake of the economic crisis.

India invoked its historical ties with Sri Lanka.

In keeping with our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year alone support worth over $3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka for helping them overcome their current difficulties, Bagchi said in New Delhi. In addition, the people of India have provided assistance for mitigating the shortages of essential items such as food, medicine etc.

He said that India would always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes.
India is cautiously watching the political developments in neighboring Sri Lanka, where Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned from the office of the Prime Minister in the wake of growing protests against the failure of the government to manage the economic crisis.

New Delhi is keen to make sure that the goodwill India gained in Sri Lanka over the past few months with its support to the people of the cash-strapped island nation is not squandered away and that is why it is likely to keep away from the political process that would unfold in the neighboring country after the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was the fourth of the Rajapaksa Clan to leave office. Mahindas son Namal and brothers Basil and Chamal quit last month. The only Rajapaksa left in power is Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself, although street protests against the regime are continuing and demand for his resignation is growing louder.

Also Read: Sri Lanka imposes nationwide curfew after 23 injured in clashes

A source in New Delhi told DH that India would continue to work with the Government of Sri Lanka and stand by the people of the island nation, no matter whoever would come to power in the coming days. India already provided two credit lines to Sri Lanka over the past few months  one worth Rs 1 billion to help it procure food, medicines, and other essentials as well as another worth Rs 500 million to help it buy fuel. Besides, India has over the past few months not only extended a $ 400 million currency swap to Sri Lanka under the SAARC Framework but also deferred the island nation's Asian Clearing Union (A.C.U.) settlement of $515.2 million.

Indias support to Sri Lanka to help it deal with the worst economic crisis it experienced since its independence helped it claw back the space it had lost to China in the strategically located Indian Ocean nation.

The second of Mahinda Rajapaksa's two consecutive terms (2005-2015) in the office of Sri Lankan President had seen China expanding its footprints in the Indian Ocean island nation, causing much unease to India. He had ignored the security interests of India and allowed China to develop strategic assets, like Hambantota Port, in the island. He had also allowed two nuclear submarines of the People Liberation Army Navy of China to dock at the Colombo Port, raising hackles in New Delhi.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected the President and Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to power as Prime Minister in November 2019, Sri Lankas drift toward China regained momentum. The government led by the Rajapaksas scrapped a trilateral treaty Sri Lanka earlier signed with India and Japan for the development of the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port, apparently at the behest of China. It also got the Sri Lankan Parliament to pass the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, which drew flak for allegedly allowing China to set up a colony in the Indian Ocean island nation undermining the sovereignty of the country. New Delhi is concerned over the CHEC Port City Colombo as it could eventually be turned into an overseas colony of China  less than 300 kilometers away from the southern tip of India.

New Delhis quiet and painstaking diplomacy with Colombo however paid off with India getting some success in clawing back the ground it lost to China in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka awarded the contract for the West Container Terminal to Adani Group of India in September 2021.
A special court in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday framed charges against eight accused, including Hurriyat leader Zaffar Bhat, in a case connected to selling Pakistani MBBS seats to Kashmiri students against huge payments.

The charges were framed against the accused in the Court of Special Judge Designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA). While six accused in the case have already been arrested, two against whom the charges were framed are currently residing in Pakistan.

The FIR (No 05/2020) was registered in police station Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) on receipt of information through reliable sources that several unscrupulous persons including some Hurriyat leaders were hand in glove with some educational consultancies and were selling Pakistan-based MBBS seats and seats in other professional courses in various colleges and universities, had registered a case in July 2020.

Huge amount of money was received in lieu of such admission from the parents of the students, and the money so earned was ploughed into supporting terrorism in J&K, the FIR reads.

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) searched the houses of accused persons during which documents and other material were seized which after analysis revealed that deposits in the account(s) of accused persons were made on account of providing admissions in various technical and professional course in Pakistan including MBBS, the investigation revealed.

During the course of investigation statement of witnesses were recorded and on the basis of other evidence collected it surfaced that the admissions in MBBS and other professional courses in Pakistan was preferentially given to those students who were close family member/relative of killed terrorists on the recommendations of Hurriyat leaders and received by their counterparts in Pakistan, it said

It was on the recommendations of Hurriyat that authorities in Pakistan provided admission in the professional colleges to the next of kins (NOKs) of a killed terrorist as a compensation to boost morale and keep the pot of terror boiling in the valley and infuse a new spirit into the terror fold, it added.

It was further established during the investigation that a part of a larger conspiracy accused persons through different valley-based consultancies without their knowledge used to motivate the gullible parents of students aspiring for professional courses especially for MBBS to apply through these consultancies for such courses in Pakistan with the assurance of cost-effectiveness in comparison with other south Asian or middle east countries offering such courses, the investigation revealed.

Recently, the Medical Council of India declared that any Indian student who wishes to pursue MBBS, BDS or any other equivalent medical degree from Pakistan shall not be eligible to appear for FMGE or seek employment in India on the basis of the educational qualifications gained from Pakistan universities.

Sources said wards of several high profile persons in Kashmir have pursued MBBS in Pakistani medical colleges in last more than a decade. Some of the reportedly include a son of the head of the department in the urology department of SKIMS hospital, a deceased government officers ward and the ward of a police officer.
Hanuman Chalisa, Suprabhata, Omkara and other devotional tunes at temples drowned the sound of the 5 am Azaan at mosques in various parts of Karnataka under a campaign that Hindu groups, chiefly the Sri Rama Sene, launched on Monday.

This happened in temples in Bengaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Yadgir, Mandya and Kolar among other places.

In some locations, the police even detained Hindu activists to prevent the situation from going out of hand.

For the last one year, we have been flagging issues caused by the use of loudspeakers and the disturbance to students and patients. We even told the Muslims, but nothing changed and no action was taken apart from issuing notices, Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik after flagging off the campaign at the Anjaneya temple in Mysuru.

Even today mosques have not stopped playing loudspeakers at 5 am, he said.

Muthalik claimed that the sound of Azaan during the day is not in accordance with permissible limits.

If no action is taken, we will file a contempt petition in the High Court as it violates Supreme Court orders, Muthalik said.

This is India, not the Taliban or Pakistan. Theres a Constitution and rule of law here, he said, adding that mosques are violating orders that restrict the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am. The anti-Azaan campaign took place at 16 locations of Gadag district.

In Belagavi, the Sri Rama Sene activists chanted the Hanuman Chalisa using a public address system with high volume from the Sonya Maruti temple.

In Hubballi, the activists launched their campaign at a Hanuman temple, which was damaged in a recent bout of violence, alongside other temples. A 20-member team divided into two groups started bhajans at 5 am.

The police took Sri Rama Sene activists into custody near the Jagat Circle in Kalaburagi as they were taking out a procession playing bhajans from a Hanuman temple.

Meanwhile, a group of Dalit activists and the police cordoned off a mosque located near a supermarket here.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said strict action will be taken in accordance with the court orders to control noise pollution.

Everyone should abide by the court orders, he said in a statement, warning action against people taking law into their hands.
Released: May 10, 2022

Delaware County Elections has finalized the list of polling places for the upcoming May 17, 2022 Primary Election. In total, Delaware Countys voters from 428 precincts will vote at 250 unique polling places, with many locations serving as a polling place for multiple precincts.

Voters can locate their polling place on the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/pollingplace. Polling places can be accessed through a look-up tool, an interactive map, and a list (available as a downloadable PDF). As a reminder, by law, voters must go to their designated polling location to vote in-person on election day.

While a small number of polling places change from election to election due to feedback from the community, construction, and other reasons, the vast majority of polling places typically remain unchanged. A total of 11 polling places for the May 17 primary have changed since the 2021 election.

These new polling places include:

Aston 2-W: PHCC of PA, 4072 Mount Rd., Aston

PHCC of PA, 4072 Mount Rd., Aston Chester City 1-4, 2-1: Chester Gateway Senior Apartments, 1115 Avenue of the States, Chester

Chester Gateway Senior Apartments, 1115 Avenue of the States, Chester Darby 5-1, 5-2: Darby Township Municipal Building, 21 Bartram Ave., Glenolden

Darby Township Municipal Building, 21 Bartram Ave., Glenolden Haverford 2-1: Llanerch Fire Company, 107 W. Chester Pike, Havertown

Llanerch Fire Company, 107 W. Chester Pike, Havertown Marcus Hook 1-P: Alan McIlvain Company, 501 Market St., Marcus Hook

Alan McIlvain Company, 501 Market St., Marcus Hook Middletown 4-1, 4-2: Middletown Township Annex (Old Library), 21 N. Pennell Rd., Media

Middletown Township Annex (Old Library), 21 N. Pennell Rd., Media Nether Providence 4-1, 4-2: Media (Acme) Shopping Center, 523 E. Baltimore Pike, Media

Media (Acme) Shopping Center, 523 E. Baltimore Pike, Media Springfield 2-1, 2-3: Volkswagen of Springfield, 300 Baltimore Pike, Springfield

Volkswagen of Springfield, 300 Baltimore Pike, Springfield Trainer Lennox, Lower, Upper: Trainer Borough Municipal Building, 824 Main St., Trainer

Trainer Borough Municipal Building, 824 Main St., Trainer Upper Darby 1-1, 1-2, 1-9: Bethany Evangelical Presby Church, 5 N. Concord Ave., Havertown

Bethany Evangelical Presby Church, 5 N. Concord Ave., Havertown Upper Darby 3-6: Upper Darby Kindergarten Center, 3200 State Rd., Drexel Hill

Upper Darby Kindergarten Center, 3200 State Rd., Drexel Hill Upper Darby 7-4: Upper Darby Township Municipal Building, 100 Garrett Rd., Upper Darby

Polling-place change notices were mailed to voters in these precincts.

Voters also are encouraged to review a sample ballot for their precinct before voting. Voters may bring notes with their picks to help simplify voting. Sample ballots are at delcopa.gov/sample.

Based on COVID-19 community-transmission data, social distancing is encouraged and wearing a mask is optional for both voters and poll workers.

Only registered Republicans and Democrats may participate at this Primary

There are only partisan contests on the 2022 Primary ballots, with no referenda questions. By law, that means that only voters already registered with the Democratic or Republican parties will be allowed to vote their respective partys primary ballot.

Additional Resources: The Election Hotline, Voter Service Center and the Delco Votes! website

Delaware County voters have several resources available to help simplify the voting process. The Delaware County Election Hotline (610-891-VOTE) is operational Mon. through Fri., 8:30 a.m.  4:30 p.m. The Delaware County Voter Service Center provides a variety of in-person voter services and is available Mon. through Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Wednesdays through 8 p.m.), Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon, and on Election Day only, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Delaware Countys election website  Delco Votes!  provides news, sample ballots, ballot drop box locations, polling location information, access to downloadable and online forms, livestreams and recordings of Board of Elections meetings, and more at delcopa.gov/vote.
The phrase 'good things come in threes' can certainly be applied to a young Derry principal.

Suzanne McCafferty, head teacher at Good Shepherd Primary School in the Waterside area of the city, is in her third principalship  at the age of 36.

Married to JP, the mother of two young children, Oliver and Hannah, lives in the countryside beside her parents home just outside of the city.

She said: I hold many titles which include mother and wife, but the one which I will be focusing on is my role as principal of Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School, all which I am very proud of.

Suzanne started teaching in 2007.

She recalled: I had left my CV around schools in the Waterside and Mr Brendan Bradley, principal of Scared Heart Primary School in the Waterside, rang me that day and offered me a temporary position teaching Primary 2.

I had never met Mr Bradley before, but he was to become one of the biggest influences within my career.

Good Shepherd PS Principal Suzanne McCafferty in conversation with Brendan Doherty, SENCO teacher.

Suzanne taught at Sacred Heart for a couple of years and applied for a permanent position but was unsuccessful at that time.

She added: On reflection, it was one of the best things to happen to me. It gave me the opportunity to teach in Ardnashee Special School, then named Foyleview.

There, I taught in a variety of classes throughout the school and learned a lot, not just about teaching, but about life, kindness, care and compassion. It was an extremely challenging role and I found it difficult but a very worthwhile position. Resilience is something which we must equip our children with for the future.

After a year, Suzanne returned to Sacred Heart, having secured a permanent position in 2010, being appointed SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator).

Having graduated in 2007, Suzanne had returned to university in 2009, part-time, to study for a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Management with Special Educational Needs Assessment.

Mrs Suzann McCafferty, Principal, Good Shepherd Primary School, pictured on a visit to Mrs Colleen McKinneys P1 class.

Suzanne said: This was very worthwhile and broadened my understanding of leading and managing a school and the influence of transformational and distributed leadership styles.

In 2014, I completed my professional headship qualification (PQHNI). Mr Bradley was very supportive and always encouraged me to pursue these additional qualifications.

Suzanne took up her first principals post in 2017 in St. Peters and St. Paul's Primary School in Foreglen.

She said: I was just 31-years-old. It certainly raised a few eyebrows. I believed in myself, and that I would strive to do my best for the children and families in my care. I relished the challenge and to lead a Catholic school is an honour and a privilege.

Suzanne then took up my second principals post in St. Finloughs Primary School, Glack.

Members of the Student Council at Good Shepherd PS pictured with Principal, Mrs. Suzann McCafferty this week. Front from left are Roise Gallagher, Ronan Williams and Oran Crossan. Back from left, Lila Crossan, Penny Evans and Dylan Harkin. (Photos: Jim McCafferty Photography)

She added: This was a larger school giving me a greater breadth of challenge and experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as principal in St. Finloughs Primary School and, in particular, the outstanding staff and community in Glack. Being a teaching principal is an extremely demanding, but rewarding role.

The opportunity then came along to apply for the principals post in Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School, and she was appointed in 2020.

She added: I am absolutely delighted to be leading this school. I feel so at home here in the Waterside Parish, where I taught for years previously.

I have been in the post now over a year and must commend the talented and nurturing staff here. I must remark on the friendly and happy children and the supportive school community which exists.

Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School seeks to create a happy, caring, stimulating and secure environment for each child to grow.

Our vision is to ensure that each and every child reaches their full potential; intellectually, spiritually, morally, socially and physically. We are a rights respecting school and this is central to all that we do. Child centred provision is paramount.

Our Mission Statement is 'Learn, Believe, Respect, Achieve.'

Mrs. McCafferty pictured with her daughter 4 years-old Hannah who is a nursery pupil at Good Shepherd PS.

Suzanne attended Stranmillis University College, Belfast and achieved a B.Ed (Hons), specialising in both Art and Music.

She added: I am a creative person and enjoy painting, textiles as well as playing the harp. My music has provided many opportunities for me to perform at so many special events and meet the most amazing people.

"I would like to thank my parents who gave me this opportunity and would encourage all our young people out there to pursue a hobby; do something which makes you happy, and meet as many people as you can to grow your circle of friends.

I always had an interest in leadership. I have been very fortunate in my life to have seen leadership in various aspects of everyday life. Being a farmers daughter, and being involved in the running of a busy family farm and, in particular, having to multi-task, prioritise and manage a budget was experience given to me from an early age.

"That, coupled with a wonderful learning experiences as a child within the education system in Derry, gave me the motivation and passion for my career to date.

Suzanne added: I entered into the role of principal during continuous industrial action and then a global pandemic. This has certainly been a challenge to what I initially thought principalship would look like. However, with the wonderful support from my team around me, the CCMS and my local principal cluster group, we would be able to problem solve together.

The message which I would like to share is that of the importance of friendship, for life-long learning and to always strive for happiness. Dont let others tell you that your goals are unachievable. My mother always says that 'nothing is impossible to a willing heart.'

Mrs Suzanne McCafferty, Principal, Good Shepherd Primary School.

As a woman, do not feel that having a position of responsibility means that you cannot have a family. With plenty of motivation, support and encouragement, anything is achievable.

I believe that having young children of my own within the primary education system has given me an invaluable insight into the expectations of our school community and ultimately the happiness of our children.
Globe Telecom said its towers are still on the market and it does not feel the pressure to sell assets immediately despite rival PLDTs recent billion-dollar deal.

Globe chief finance officer Rizza Maniego-Eala said: Weve always continued to look out for opportunities with respect to selling our passive assets, which include our towers, and the recent transaction from our competition has made the environment more friendly with respect to selling the towers, Philippine Star reported.

Globe's rival PLDT inked a PHP77 billion ($US1.4 billion) sale and leaseback deal in May, which saw 5,907 towers and other infrastructure gear going to Edgepoint and Edotco. This was the largest acquisition of assets by foreign companies ever in the Philippines.

But at the moment, we are continuing to focus on partnering with the same tower companies in a built-to-suit effort to help us with our continued build, Maniego-Eala said.

Globe currently has 12,194 towers as of the end of its first quarter after adding 252 to the total. The company has outlined PHP89 billion for CAPEX this year which will be used to upgrade 4G sites, accelerate its 5G deployment and boost its fibre broadband network.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, announced his resignation on Monday after continued violent protests between government supporters and opposition demonstrators threatened to worsen the region's economic crisis.

The official, who is the older brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, made the announcement that marked a concession from the ruling political family to mounting public fury over an unprecedented economic crisis. The situation has sent food and fuel prices in the region soaring high.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Resigns

For several months, protests have remained peaceful until the prime minister appeared to be determined to cling to power as recently as Monday morning. At the time, he rallied his supporters at his official residence in the capital, Colombo. Soon, chaos erupted and violent protests began.

Pro-Rajapaksa demonstrators, many of whom were bused in from the countryside, attacked peaceful protesters found outside the residence and stormed the protest movement's main gathering site. They then indiscriminately beat people using clubs, causing protesters gathered in the area to retaliate a few hours later, as per the Washington Post.

After the violent protests, a nationwide curfew was imposed to quell the anger of opposing supporters. Authorities announced the restrictions shortly before Prime Minister Rajapaksa revealed his resignation.

Read Also: Roscosmos Chief Warns Russia's Nuclear Power Can Destroy NATO Countries in 30 Minutes

There were at least 151 people who were admitted to the hospital following the violent protests in the area, said Colombo National Hospital. Armed military troops were deployed in the region to try and control the situation.

According to CNN, Rajapaksa's office released a statement that announced the 76-year-old prime minister and veteran politician was planning to resign. It read that Rajapaksa's letter of resignation was sent to his brother, the president.

Violent Protests

A lawmaker for the ruling party, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, allegedly fatally shot a 27-year-old man before taking his own life. The Rajapaksas have been the most powerful political family in the Southeast Asian nation for the past decades. However, the current economic challenges have turned into a political quagmire that has also included calls for the president to step down.

The region has been struggling to meet the basic needs of its people as imports, ranging from milk to fuel, have plunged. There have also been reports of dire food shortages and rolling power cuts which are only a handful of the escalating economic crisis.

In a Twitter post, the U.S. Department of States said that American officials are closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. They expressed their deep concern caused by the violence against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders. Authorities urged all Sri Lankans to focus on finding and enabling long-term solutions to the country's problems.

The Rajapaksa family's ancestral home located in the southern district of Hambantota was set on fire while local reports said that protesters tried to storm the prime minister's residence in Colombo's Temple Trees neighborhood.

The president, who has previously criticized international factors as being responsible for the crisis, is believed to have become more isolated amid the fast developments. He also issued a statement where he invited all parties in parliament to join together in a united national government to get through the crisis, the Hindustan Times reported.



Related Article: German Outlet Censors Video of Ukrainian Evacuee From Azovstal Plant Criticizing Azov Nazis, Kiev

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United Group and investment company PPF are the remaining bidders for Telekom Romania Mobile Communications (TRMC) from Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), reported Ziarul Financiar.

Sources speaking to the local paper said Bulgarian businessman Spas Roussev has also shown interest but pulled out after the invasion of Ukraine began. Roussev has connections to prominent Russian businessmen in private equity group VTB Capital, which seems to be the reason for the withdrawal.

United Group and PPF are reportedly pushing DT and OTE to lower the 200 million price tag for their Romanian operations, reported CommsUpdate.

OTE became the majority shareholder of TRMC after acquiring a sizeable 30% stake from Telekom Romania Communications in 2021, taking it to almost 100%.

CommsUpdate reported the divestment from OTE was a condition for Orange Groups 296 million acquisition of a majority stake (54%) in Telekom Romania (now Orange Romania Communications) from the Greece-based OTE last September.

Orange demanded a partial refund of the final price it paid for Telekom Romania Communications, claiming it had overpaid once it went through the firms books.
Motorola could launch the Moto Razr 3 in 2022 starting with its home market.

Two leaked images from Evan Blass (via 91mobiles) have given an insight into the 3rd generation of Moto Razr foldable that will supposedly go on sale in China in late July or August. Maven (codename for Razr 3), as it appears from the testing model leaks, will boast two upgraded cameras on its back: a 50MP (f/1.8) main sensor and a 13MP sensor for ultra-wide and macro shots.

On the front, the Motorola folding phone could sport a 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 32MP hole-punch selfie camera.

The new Razr appears to be getting rid of the chin that protruded outwards in its predecessor. Another noticeable change could be that the fingerprint sensor will now be part of the power button.

Unlock it, and internally, there could be up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB of storage. The Razr 3 is rumoured to be released in two versions, the base model of which will house a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 system-on-a-chip (SoC). As for the superior version, besides its Plus moniker, theres no news of the underlying chip or anything else, at the moment.

With previous editions of Razr not hitting the mark, Lenovo seems to have rearmed the design and galvanized the third edition to look and perform much like the foldable phone flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G. With the first two editions of the Razr, i.e., the $1499 priced first-gen model in 2019 with a creaky hinge and subpar screen and thereafter, not so redeeming 2020 5G Razr  Motorola has, according to the leak, come up with a device that is all set to compete against Samsungs best, Z Flip 3. Lets see if the third times the charm for Motorola.

The Moto Razr 3 will launch in China and could go on sale worldwide by the end of 2022.
Boise Cascade

Little

Barney

Boise Cascade announced the promotion of two of its business leaders. Joanna Barney has been promoted to vice president, Western Operations, Building Materials Distribution (BMD) division. Barney began her career at Boise Cascade in 2005 as an admin manager at the Salt Lake BMD branch. She was promoted to senior location controller in 2012, to branch manager in 2015, and to general manager of BMD Western Operations in 2021. Prior to joining the company, Barney worked at Novell and Ion Laser Technology. She holds a bachelor's degree in business finance from the University of Utah. Troy Little has been promoted to vice president, Finance and Commodity Sales, Wood Products division. Little joined Boise Cascade in 1990 as an internal auditor. He has a broad range of experience on both the financial side and the operational side, including serving as regional manager for six manufacturing facilities in Oregon. Little became Wood Products Division controller in 2016, division financial manager in 2018, and added commodity sales to his responsibilities in 2021. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the College of Idaho. Boise Cascade is one of the largest producers of engineered wood products and plywood in North America and a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products.




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SEATTLE (AP)  Seven people were rescued after a large yacht took on water and became disabled 25 miles off the Washington coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release Monday that workers at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River command center received a radio call from the crew of the vessel at 6 a.m. Saturday.





. . .
Hunter Biden's tax issues were supposedly paid off with a $2 million loan from a Hollywood lawyer, who is purportedly working on a documentary about the scandal-plagued first son's life since his notorious international business transactions.

The endeavor is reportedly part of Kevin Morris' legal and publicity strategy in the wake of a federal grand jury investigation into Biden's possible tax evasion, money laundering, and lobbying law breaches.

Hollywood Lawyer Pays Hunter Biden's $2 Million Tax Bill

According to CBS News, who originally reported on the two men's links, it was revealed by a Democratic Party source in Washington, DC. South Park founders Matt Stone and Trey Parker are among Morris' clients, and he was a co-producer of their Tony-winning Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon."

According to a person acquainted with their connection, Morris is referred to by Biden's friends as the latest sugar brother to President Joe Biden's kid. Morris covers the rent on Hunter Biden's $20,000-a-month home in swank Malibu, California, and other living expenses, in addition to floating the amount of Hunter Biden's IRS bills, which might make it more difficult for prosecutors to indict or jail the first son for tax evasion, according to reports.

He's also been counseling the first son on how to sell his artwork, which has aroused concerns about possible influence-peddling, according to the source. Morris is a founding member of the Los Angeles law firm Morris Yorn Barnes Levine, which has represented Matthew McConaughey, Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson, Liam Hemsworth, and Chris Rock, among others. He no longer works for the company.

When a reporter from The New York Post tried to call Morris at his Malibu home to inquire about his ties with Hunter Biden, his wife slammed the door in his face and refused to answer questions.

Read Also: China-Australia Tension Rises as Solomon Islands Ministers Discuss Beijing Pact

Lawmaker Presses if Joe Biden Knows Son's Transactions

Hunter Biden's taxes were investigated when his father was still Vice President of the United States during the Obama administration. However, once it was discovered that the 52-year-old may have used political clout to influence commercial agreements, the investigation was expanded to include alleged tax fraud, money laundering, and lobbying law crimes in 2018.

Then, in October 2020, the New York Post reported on the existence of the now-famous Hunter Biden laptop, a damaged MacBook Pro that the President's son had taken to a Wilmington, Delaware repair shop but never returned.

Since then, more than 20,000 emails have been retrieved from the laptop's hard disk, which is considered to include considerable proof of Hunter Biden's illicit business practices. The New York Times claimed that prosecutors may have a difficult time convicting Hunter Biden of tax fraud and that if convicted, he would likely receive a light term because the amount was eventually paid, although late.

However, the inquiry into his business transactions, which is backed up by a plethora of confirmed emails on his laptop, means the struggling son of the US president might face serious penalties.

Hunter Biden is one of the key targets for the Kentucky lawmaker who will head Republican investigations if the GOP retakes the House in 2022. Hunter Biden and his business colleagues have many questions to answer, according to Rep. James Comer, who is about to take over as head of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

He acknowledged that the White House would be questioned about whether the president was aware of any of the transactions, and he feels that American citizens are finally realizing that the Hunter issue isn't a conspiracy theory and are questioning the administration's ethics and openness, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Hunter Biden Probe: Lawsuit Filed Against President Joe Biden, Administration Officials Over Big Tech Pressure To Censor Issue

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A student with no previous convictions who acted as a money mule was given the benefit of the Probation Act at Dundalk District Court last week.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan had been told at the original court hearing 12 months ago that the defendant was at the lower end of an elaborate scheme and in the end didnt benefit from his role.

After being asked by a friend, Damilola Ekundayo (21) Rockfield Manor, Hoeys Lane, Dundalk, handed over his bank card and allowed his account to be used to transfer money.

He admitted one count of engaging in converting/transferring/handling/acquiring/possessing or using property that was the proceeds of criminal conduct, to wit 10,000 credited to his bank account, while knowing that or being reckless as to whether, the said property was the proceeds of criminal conduct, within the State, on May 25th 2020.

The court was also told the defendant had also been threatened not to go to the guards.

A detective outlined how the financial controller of a Dublin hotel sent 96,000 to what he believed was the account of a builders providers.

However, the details of the account had been compromised and 10,000 was subsequently transferred to the Mr. Ekundayos bank account.

Sums of 1,500 and 600 were withdrawn from this account at ATMs, and a further 2,100 was transferred to another account.

The defendant did not realise anything was wrong until he was informed that his bank account was being closed and he was not the individual on CCTV footage withdrawing money from the cash machines.

The remaining 5,800 was recovered from his account.

The student was promised a few hundred euros but got nothing.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan who said:A message has to go out. When we were in college we worked for money put back the case for a year and said the Probation Act would be applied if there was no trouble in the meantime.

The only reason (for this) is because he has a future ahead of him, Judge McKiernan said.
The Students' Union at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has said that the lack of detail on promised reductions to the student contribution charge is "unacceptable", and says it "is disappointing that the government have not adapted the fully publicly funded higher education system".

In a statement by DkIT Students' Union (DkITSU) President, Christopher ONeill, Mr O'Neill said that "DkITSU welcomes the much-anticipated announcement by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, on how higher education will be funded into the future."

It goes on to say however, that "the lack of detail on what reductions will be made to the Student Contribution Charge is not acceptable  this is a key area of concern for students across Ireland who face ongoing financial struggle while trying to get a third level education."

The DkITSU President continued, "Student representatives across the country have been calling for publicly funded higher education for manys of years, In my time as a student representative we have had manys of national campaigns calling for publicly funded education, Education for all and the cost of college being the most recent.

"While Ireland still has the highest student contribution charge in the EU, it is disappointing that the government have not adapted the fully publicly funded higher education system, which is free at the point of access, in order to make third level accessible to all and not just for those who can afford the significant costs."

Mr O'Neill added, "Minister Harris indicated in January that there would be a significant reduction to the Student Contribution Charge in the next Budget and despite no commitment today to do that, we will continue to campaign and lobby for that to happen."
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Two Irish food businesses have closed in April due to breaches of food safety legislation.

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), the enforcement orders were served to a food producer in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow called Mrs Beltons Farm Produce and a take away restaurant in Portarlington, Co Laois called The Chef's Counter.

Some of the reasons for the orders include failure to have effective traceability systems and procedures in place, inappropriate storage of raw materials and ingredients, a reliance on room temperature to cool foods, operating without registration or approval, and failure to implement and maintain food safety procedures.

Commenting today (Tuesday May 10), Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne, reminded businesses to ensure correct and proper food safety practices are in place.

She said, "The Enforcement Orders in April show that some businesses have committed serious breaches of food safety procedures. Food businesses must have the appropriate registration and/or approval in place before they start to produce and place food on the market.

"This requirement means that food businesses will be registered and/or approved with the appropriate inspection agency to ensure food safety and protect consumer health. Consumers have a right to safe food and food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure that the food they are processing, serving or selling is safe to eat."

During the month of April, three prosecutions of an off-licence and restaurant were taken by the HSE.

Cosmo Off-Licence on Circular Road, Tuam, Co Galway was prosecuted twice, while The Front Room (also known as Hibernia Inn) at 29 High Street, Tuam, Co Galway was also prosecuted.

Dr Byrne continued: "The three prosecutions taken by the HSE in April with support from the FSAI had a positive outcome for the protection of consumer health. The sale and supply of counterfeit alcohol is a very serious offence, as these products can cause dangerous adverse health effects and even death in some instances."
Domestic brands attract young consumers

Xinhua) 09:53, May 10, 2022

JINAN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Shu Qiuhong runs a store selling "hanfu" -- the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group -- in Jinan, the capital city of east China's Shandong Province.

Shu, a native of southwest China's Guizhou Province, has a profound affection for traditional Chinese garments dating back to her childhood.

"I have become friends with many customers as we have the same hobbies. We often exchange views on styles and production skills," said Shu, adding that young consumers make up a big part of her clientele.

Over the past few years, China has seen a surge in young consumers interested in domestic brands and products that incorporate traditional Chinese style and culture, a trend known as "guochao."

These are not merely flash-in-the-pan fads, but long-lasting trends that reflect the changing preferences and habits of Chinese consumers.

In China, there are around 260 million people born between 1995 and 2009, who are often dubbed "Generation Z," according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Growing up in a different environment from their elders, they have witnessed China's rise as a global economic powerhouse and formed a brand-new consumption concept.

Beijing's Palace Museum has been at the forefront of the nationwide guochao trend, with lipsticks and blushes engraved with traditional Chinese patterns being the perennial bestsellers on the shelves. These products have proven immensely popular with Generation Z consumers.

While maintaining tradition, constant innovation has revitalized domestic brands.

Biohyalux, a sub-brand of Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation Limited, a major hyaluronic acid producer in Shandong, has seen its sales volume soar as it strikes a balance between technology and culture.

Data show that in 2021, the revenue of Biohyalux increased 117.4 percent year on year, with young female consumers being an important part of its consumer base.

The secret of business growth is its technology research and development. "Extracting 1 kg of hyaluronic acid used to require more than 20,000 roosters," said Zhao Yan, chairman of Bloomage Biotechnology.

According to Zhao, hyaluronic acid in China used to mainly reply on imports. The import price per kilogram of products was as high as 1 million yuan (about 150,000 U.S. dollars).

Bloomage Biotechnology's self-developed microbial fermentation method has turned the tables, with lower costs and higher product purity.

Thanks to innovation and continuous upgrading of production technology, China has become the world's largest producer of hyaluronic acid.

With such a large and dynamic consumer group, experts believe the consumption power of Generation Z is pushing forward constant innovation in various sub-sectors in China and the modernization of the consumer market in years to come.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
A purported Russian airstrike destroyed a school supposedly acting as a bomb shelter in an eastern Ukrainian hamlet this weekend, killing dozens of people.

According to area governor Serhiy Haidai, more than 60 persons are likely to have died as a result of the bombing in Bilohorivka, Luhansk. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the tragedy in the eastern hamlet of Bilohorivka might rank among the bloodiest attacks on civilians in Ukraine.

Russia's Missiles Pound Ukraine's Odesa

It happened as President Vladimir Putin's military stepped up their efforts to secure territory ahead of Victory Day, Russia's traditional celebration of pomp and ceremony on May 9. On Sunday, fights could be heard along the route to Bilohorivka. Soldiers advised civilian automobiles to turn back as Ukrainian and Russian forces swapped missiles and artillery fire.

Firefighters were seen crawling through the wreckage as little flames licked the ruins in video footage from what was left of the school. It was unknown how many persons were inside and whether or not the military were present at the time of the attack.

The bombing horrified British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said that purposeful targeting of people and civilian infrastructure might constitute war crimes, on Twitter on Sunday. The attack on the school comes amid mounting worries that Putin may use Monday's Victory Day holiday to launch an even more brutal assault on Ukraine, even if just briefly, according to the Washington Post.

Buildings in Odesa were in ruins on Tuesday, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin led defiant festivities celebrating the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany in World War Two. While Putin remained silent on any intentions for escalation in Ukraine, the battle continued on Monday, with Russian forces renewing their assault on the remaining Ukrainian troops holding out in a damaged Mariupol steelworks.

Seven missiles hit a retail center and a warehouse in Odesa, a key Black Sea port for agricultural exports, killing one person and injuring five others, Ukraine's armed forces reported on Facebook.

Firefighters combed over mountains of rubble, dousing still smoldering wreckage, according to video footage from the area. Ukraine, a major maize and wheat producer and its allies have stepped up attempts to open ports or find other routes for grain, wheat, and corn exports.

On Monday, European Council President Charles Michel paid a visit to Odesa, calling for a worldwide reaction to help Ukraine. According to Shmyhal's official Twitter account, the missile assault disrupted a meeting between Michel and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Odesa, sending the men into a bomb shelter.

Four people were murdered and numerous residences were destroyed in Russian attacks in the village of Bogodukhov, northwest of Kharkiv, according to local media. Air raid sirens might be heard early Tuesday in Ukraine's eastern provinces, including Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, as per Reuters.

Read Also: Former Arizona Sheriff's Deputy Burglarizes At Least 11 Weddings, Steals Newlywed Gifts Worth $3,000 From Each Couple

Reporter Admits Russian Troops Are Struggling in Ukraine

Meanwhile, a pro-Moscow reporter claims that Russia is unable to achieve substantial military gains in Ukraine's Donbas area because it is battling Kyiv's army one-on-one.

In a video broadcast on social media late Monday, war journalist and Putin propagandist Aleksandr Sladkov made a rare acknowledgment of Russia's military challenges in Ukraine.

He said that Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" was pathetically indecisive, that Russian troops are unable to push Ukrainian forces out and that Moscow's army is "creating a feat out of something that should be commonplace."

Sladkov, a journalist for Russia's state-run Russia-1 TV station, has previously worked with Putin's troops to produce military propaganda for the Kremlin. The video, which shows Sladkov speaking harshly about Russia's invasion strategy to a camera in a dark room, is a departure from the reporter's usual tone.

The tape also appears to back with a US official's assessment from Monday, which stated that the Russian campaign in the Donbas has made no major advance in recent days and is still facing heavy resistance from Ukrainian forces. According to reports, a senior US official claimed on Monday that some Russian commanders are even defying military instructions, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Biden Administration Backs CIA in Undermining Putin by Encouraging Disgruntled Russians To Send Information Anonymously

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After the 96-year-old monarch withdrew owing to mobility issues, Prince Charles will read the Queen's Speech on her behalf for the first time. After the Queen granted special permission, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge will open Parliament.

It will be Prince William's first state opening, and the Duchess of Cornwall will accompany him and Prince Charles. The Queen will not deliver the address for the first occasion since 1963. Because she was expecting Prince Edward at the time, the Lord Chancellor read it instead.

Queen Elizabeth II To Make Important Decision During Platinum Jubilee

On Tuesday, the Queen's principal throne in the House of Lords will be unoccupied. On Monday, the decision was made for Prince Charles to take the Queen's place, and the monarch issued a fresh Letters Patent for the Counsellors of State to open Parliament.

The next four persons in the line of succession who are over the age of 21 falls under this type of royal. The decision to withdraw was made in conjunction with the Queen's doctors, according to Buckingham Palace, since she continues to have episodic mobility issues, according to BBC.

Meanwhile, following a significant decision made by his grandmother, the Queen, Prince William is due to make history on May 10th. In Her Majesty's absence, the Duke of Cambridge will attend the State Opening of Parliament for the first time. His father, Prince Charles, and stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, are expected to attend him.

With the Queen's permission, Charles, the heir to the throne, will also give the address. Prince William is going as a Counsellor of State, a senior member of the royal family with the authority to act on the monarch's behalf. Her Majesty will be absent from the State Opening at the Palace of Westminster for the first time in 59 years. When she was pregnant with her youngest child, Prince Edward, in 1963, she was unable to attend.

The Duchess of Cambridge, William's wife, will be conspicuously absent from the State Opening. Instead, Kate Middleton will be thousands of miles away, attending the formal unveiling of the Manchester Arena bombing monument ahead of the horrific attack's fifth anniversary. At a private ceremony, the mother-of-three will join bereaved families. Later in the day, Prince William will join her.

The announcement comes only four weeks before the Queen's Platinum Jubilee festivities begin. The king is expected to attend some of the numerous festivities planned over the four days, as per Hello Magazine.

Read Also: LOOK! Stunning James Webb Telescope Images Show Incredible Camera Power

Prince William Fears Prince Harry May Say Against The Royal Family

According to reports, Prince William is concerned that chats he has with Prince Harry during the Jubilee celebrations would be utilized in his Netflix documentary. The Duke of Cambridge, 40, is concerned about his brother's choice to attend the weekend festivities with his wife Meghan, 40, and their children Alfie, three, and Lilibet, 11 months.

It comes after the pair, who have made their new home in California, revealed on Friday that they will be visiting the UK for the Diamond Jubilee. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be able to join the Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour on Thursday, June 2.

The brothers last saw their other in July, when a Kensington Palace statue dedicated to their mother, Princess Diana, was unveiled. After the Oprah Winfrey interview in March of last year, insiders stated that an angry Prince William refused to attend the event.

Palace sources are also anxious that the presence of a Netflix film team accompanying Harry and Meghan as part of their multi-million dollar arrangement with the streaming giant would detract from the Jubilee celebrations. Aides are planning to prevent the Netflix team from capturing any Jubilee celebrations within the palace. They don't want the production team to 'exploit[e]' the festivities after the pair signed the contract in September 2020.

Netflix cameras will not be permitted at Royal buildings such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, according to courtiers. However, while the pair is in VIP zones at public events for the Jubilee, the film team might blend in with the people and shadow them, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Meghan Markle's Netflix Show Canceled: Here's What She Did Next

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Happy hearts make for happy minds

With World Mental Health Awareness Week starting on the 10th May, its an important time for people to surround themselves with what makes them happy  and according to new research, it is romantic partners who make Brits happier than anyone else in their lives.

A survey of 2,010 UK adults carried out by One4all Gift Cards, the UKs leading multi-store gift card, quizzed respondents on which people in their lives make them happiest.

More than half (53%) reported that it was their wife, husband or life partner who took the number one spot - trumping even their children (49%).

Men and women were more or less agreed on this subject, with only a slight (2%) majority of women confessing this to be the case.

Children (49%), friends (34%), parents (26%) and siblings (19%) followed in the top five people who made them happiest  showing for many, fun and laughter with your pals is more special than time with your immediate family.

In addition, while 32% said people being affectionate pleases them, 77% do not feel that they needed to be in a long-term or romantic relationship to feel happy - suggesting that despite this, many Brits are holding onto their independence until they find the right person.

Lou Hickey, Marketing Director at One4all Gift Cards commented: Its interesting to see that overall, the nations life partner relationships make them happier than anyone else - even more than their children. This could in part be down to the fact that their relationships with their partners are much more equal than those between parents and kids.

Whether its your children, partner, or even your friends, who make you happy, World Mental Health Awareness Week is an important time to check in on your loved ones and surround yourself with the people and things that give you the most joy.

Nottingham residents valued their partners more than any other UK city (63%) but were closely followed by those in Plymouth (61%) and Glasgow (60%).

Brummies (59%) and Leeds locals (57%) followed in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

The One4all Gift Card be spent in more than 55,000 stores across the UK and can be loaded with anything from 10 to 120. It is easy to buy from your local Post Office, Tesco, selected Morrisons, Co-op, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Iceland supermarkets nationwide, as well as online at one4all.com

For more information, visit: one4all.com.
First Aston Martin DBX707 customer car completed

Aston Martin DBX707, the worlds most powerful luxury SUV, has begun to roar off the assembly line at St Athan, Wales.

Inspected by the Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart MP and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, David Davies MP, the very first DBX707 customer car was completed today, with the benchmark-setting model set to be shipped to more than 50 countries around the world over the coming months.

Proudly hand built at the British ultra-luxury manufacturers facility in St Athan, Wales, DBX707 elevates Aston Martin to the pinnacle of the luxury SUV segment with a unique combination of blistering performance, supreme dynamics, unmistakable style, and absolute luxury.

Providing immense power with its signature 707 PS, DBX707 is capable of a maximum speed of 193mph and can reach 0-60mph in just 3.1 seconds. The new DBX707 is an SUV like no other, engineered with an abundance of character and compelling capability, DBX707 is the ultimate SUV in every respect.

More than 100 new skilled automotive technicians have been recruited by Aston Martin at St Athan to support the ramp-up of DBX707 production, with the DBX model the first Welsh-built production car for almost 50 years.

Michael Straughan, Chief Operating Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: Aston Martin is immensely proud to be manufacturing industry-leading products like DBX707 from a world-class facility in Wales, and we are delighted to see the very first model completed.

As the first car delivered through the product development cycle under the leadership of Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, DBX707 is a symbol of the new era for Aston Martin and the brands ability to combine ultra-luxury and high-performance.

The initial reaction from customers and media has been tremendous, and as we ramp-up DBX707 production at St Athan, it is fantastic that we have also had the opportunity to grow our team and create more employment opportunities for people from the local community. Wales has a rich tradition of industrial and engineering excellence and were excited to be forging the future and to support that proud heritage.

The Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, said: Its great to see the iconic Aston Martin brand roll off the production line in here in Wales, before being exported to countries around the world. The success of the DBX707 is testament to the highly skilled and hard-working team, and its fascinating to see how they work.

I want Wales to be a highly attractive location for cutting-edge automotive technologies and the UK Government will continue to work to secure and support the investment of companies, like Aston Martin, as they drive economic growth and create jobs.
Kosovos second-largest city set to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings

EBRD is lending 5 million to Prizren and the EU is providing a 1 million grant

Project signed at the EBRDs Annual Meeting in Morocco

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a 5 million sovereign loan to Kosovo to help it improve the energy efficiency of public buildings such as kindergartens, schools and primary healthcare facilities in the countrys second-largest city of Prizren.

The European Union (EU) will provide an accompanying 1 million investment grant to the project under the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme for the Western Balkans.

The financing package is similar to that provided to the Kosovan capital, Pristina, during EBRD President Odile Renaud-Bassos visit to the country last month.

The EBRDs portion of the financing agreement was signed at the Kosovo Investment Outlook Session of the EBRDs Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Morocco. Kosovo was one of six EBRD economies selected to host an investment session highlighting opportunities for foreign direct investment (FDI). Entitled Kosovo  From Coal to Renewable Energy, the session focused on the upcoming government programme to switch straight to renewable energy from coal by relying on technological solutions such as battery storage.

The project agreement was signed by Minister of Finance Hekuran Murati, who is also Kosovos representative on the EBRD Board of Governors.

We are pleased that, once again, the EBRD and EU are jointly supporting the decarbonisation of Kosovos economy, reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels, Minister Murati said. We are also building up domestic renewable energy. Through two EBRD-financed wind farms, Kosovo has added more than 15 per cent to the generation capacity of its grid.

Alain Pilloux, EBRD Vice President for Banking, signed the project on behalf of the EBRD.

For a country that until fairly recently could not imagine energy outside of lignite, the shift in Kosovos vision could not be more dramatic, he said. Kosovo is now working on a model that all other countries should adopt: energy efficiency plus renewables. I am proud that we are supporting a project to reduce the burning of coal in the historic city Prizren by insulating 100 of its public buildings and reducing their emissions by half.

Katarina Mathernova, EU Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, sent the following message: The European Union welcomes Kosovos steps towards a green transition. The decarbonisation of energy systems is one of the priorities of the EUs Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans and the joint efforts through the Western Balkans Investment Framework, a financial cooperation instrument established by the European Commission in partnership with financial institutions and EU member states, bilateral donors and Norway, bringing concrete results on the ground.

Kosovos green transition is being supported though a number of pre-agreed financing frameworks. For energy-efficiency projects such as the one in Prizren, grants are provided via the EBRD-run Regional Energy Efficiency Programme, which is backed by the EU, bilateral donors and the beneficiary countries themselves.

As part of the project, the EBRD is also helping Kosovo to develop a building renovation strategy. To this end, Prizren will be the first municipality in the country to introduce energy audits and energy performance certificates (EPCs) for buildings.

The EBRD is a key institutional investor in Kosovo. Since 2012, when Kosovo became a full EBRD member, the EBRD has invested almost 600 million in its economy.
In just a handful of years, a steady rise in business process and contact center outsourcing to the Philippines has made it one of the world's top outsourcing destinations. The Philippines is second only to India in business process outsourcing popularity, accounting for over 1.2 million mid- to high-skilled jobs in its economy.

A 2020 Deloitte survey found that cutting costs was still the top reason businesses outsource to third-party vendors, in part due to the financial impact COVID-19 had across organizations. But after a decade of increased growth and development around BPO to the Philippines, a pattern has emerged.

As it turns out, a primary focus on cost savings is not the approach that garners the greatest success.

Why a focus on quality and customer experience-not cost savings-is the key to successfully outsourcing to a contact center in the Philippines. Businesses with a top focus on cost savings will have a hard time keeping up with those whose mission is to improve customer experience (CX).

Overall cost savings are likely in an outsourcing scenario and certainly can be a factor in choosing to outsource to contact centers in the Philippines. But that goal should be balanced with even more critical business needs, like making sure the customer experience trends more and more positively over time.

At the very least, CX cannot suffer due to poor communication, unreliable technology, or something else as the result of a shift to a call center in the Philippines. The outcome of such failures is damaging to the business, as well as to the entire industry built around call center outsourcing to the Philippines.

Companies that opt to go the low-cost route are missing out on the long-term benefits of done-right offshore BPO to the Philippines. Cost savings are irrelevant if the customer experience takes a hit.

An outsourcing service provider that sells services on its ultra-low hourly rates leads to low-quality results. Low-quality results translate into far more than mere day-to-day operational frustrations and headaches-it ultimately affects ROIC and profitability.

The shareholders of any business are looking to data around customers to determine the business's potential-and the stake they are willing to put in it. Repeat business, customer retainment, customer satisfaction, and CX ratings are key indicators of success or failure in upcoming quarterly reports.

When customer experience is on point, enhanced shareholder value follows. Increased competitiveness among contact center service providers in the Philippines A growing outsourced BPO and contact center outsourcing industry means growing competition within its constituents: the third-party vendors and service providers themselves.

The lowest-cost vendor in the Philippines have less in terms of support, technology, reliability, and workforce skill than its competitors at a higher price point. As with anything, you get what you pay for. Offshore call center outsourcing to the Philippines works, but with the right goals and long-term strategy, its benefits multiply.

Unhappy customers come at a far greater cost than simply the savings incurred by going with the lowest bidder.

Choosing a vendor with deep domain expertise and a strong focus on quality people, processes, and technologies is the best way to ensure positive CX and long-lasting success with contact center and business process outsourcing (BPO) to the Philippines.

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No Russian gas exports to the EU could slow growth in the EBRD regions by 2.3 per cent

Short-term increase in energy prices would be the main brake on economic growth

Mid-term priority for industry is to convert to alternative energy or other gas sources

As policymakers and industry leaders brace for a reduction in Russian oil and gas supplies to the European Union and some other countries, in its latest Regional Economic Prospects report, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) explores the potential impact of such a move for its regions.

If the westward flow of Russian pipeline gas were to stop abruptly at the end of Q2 2022, the EBRD would expect an average 2.3 per cent slowdown in growth across its regions in 2022. In 2023, output would still be 2 per cent below the level that could otherwise be expected. Growth would then converge on the Banks baseline scenario by the end of 2023.

The slowdown would be driven by a rise in prices on global gas markets and the resulting impact on the competitiveness of heavy industry in western Europe.

The estimated reduction in output is based on an assumption that, in the short term, European gas prices would increase 40-50 per cent and that the Brent crude oil price would rise by 15 per cent (and that Russias Urals crude price would decrease by 15 per cent).

In the medium term, under this scenario, as consumers and firms start to look for alternative sources of energy (including renewables) and other sources of natural gas, the EBRD would expect to see a rise in investment in alternative energy sources, with a focus on less carbon-intensive technologies.

By the end of 2023, the economic growth generated by this new investment would almost fully offset the slowdown brought about by the end of Russian gas exports.

Shifting supply chains would present their own challenges to clean technology investors, however.

New investment in renewables and electric cars could be expected to drive demand for copper, chromium, manganese, zinc, nickel and silicon. Russia is a major producer of copper, zinc and nickel, the prices of which skyrocketed in a trading frenzy two weeks after its invasion of Ukraine.

Elsewhere in the EBRDs regions, Poland, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Ukraine could potentially benefit from increased demand for these minerals.

Clean energy generation also requires semiconductors, a key component of electronic devices. The supply chains of some materials used in the production of semiconductors have shifted over the past two months, including that of noble gases (Ukraine produces 35 per cent of the worlds purified neon) and palladium (Russia is the worlds largest exporter of the metal). Concerns that this might provoke semiconductor shortages have not materialised, however.

Prices for rare earth minerals, also needed for green energy technologies, leapt even before Russias invasion of Ukraine. China, which used to enjoy a near-monopoly on rare earths, accounting for 80 per cent of rare earth metal exports, continues to control the market with a 60 per cent share.
Another month in 2022, another announcement of record deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.

Last month, Brazils National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported that the tropical rainforest experienced record deforestation during the first three months of the year. Now, the agency says that deforestation rates for April broke the record for the month, reflecting the extractivist policies of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The cause of this record has a first and last name: Jair Messias Bolsonaro, Marcio Astrini, who leads the Brazilian environmental group Climate Observatory, said in a statement reported by Reuters.

New data shows the highest rate of Brazil's Amazon deforestation for the month of April. In April alone, at least 1,013 km of rainforest was cleared, larger than the size of the city of Berlin, a 74.6% increase over the record set last year for April.https://t.co/FIxbG4E2vX pic.twitter.com/dgH7oSMX8s  Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) May 6, 2022

The forest lost 390 square miles during the first 29 days of April, the agency said. It will report figures for the last day of the month later this week. Deforestation this April is up 74 percent from the same month last year, when the previous April record was set, AP News reported.

The April record is also the third monthly record set this year: January and February also saw record deforestation, according to Reuters. Further, the first four months of 2022 also broke a record for the first four months of a year, seeing 754 square miles of forest cleared, an area more than double the size of New York City. This is also 69 percent more than during the same period in 2021.

This amount of deforestation is especially disturbing because Brazil is currently in its rainy season, Al Jazeera reported. This is a time when it is typically harder for loggers to cut down trees.

This figure is extremely high for this period of the year, World Wildlife Fund Brazil science director Mariana Napolitano said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera. Its an alert of the immense pressure the forest is under.

Another alarming sign is the region where the deforestation is taking place, according to AP News. The Amazonas state saw more deforestation in April than Para and Mato Grosso states. This is worrying because Amazonas is more remote and has more pristine forest. However, Bolsonaro has promised to pave a 250-mile stretch of the BR-319 highway in the southern part of the state, where the deforestation is concentrated. This promise has led to illegal tree-clearing as speculators hope that cattle grazing or agriculture will become legal once the road is paved. This April marks only the second time on record that Amazonas has seen the most deforestation.

Amazonas is still a very preserved state. If deforestation explodes there, we will lose control of a region that is outside the traditional deforestation region, Climate Observatory senior public policy specialist Suely Araujo told AP News.

The Amazon rainforest is an important sink for carbon dioxide and preserving it is seen as essential for combating the climate crisis. However, scientists are concerned it could reach a tipping point if deforestation persists, converting to grassland and releasing carbon dioxide instead of storing it.

Bolsonaro has come under fire from the international community because of his policies weakening environmental protections and regulations as well as Indigenous rights. He is currently campaigning for reelection in October, according to Al Jazeera.

In response, actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio urged Brazilians to register to vote on Twitter late last month.

Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems critical to climate change, he wrote. What happens there matters to us all and youth voting is key in driving change for a healthy planet.

Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems critical to climate change.

What happens there matters to us all and youth voting is key in driving change for a healthy planet. For more on voter registration in Brazil before May 4, visit https://t.co/0mKrfxLdRR #tiraotitulohoje  Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) April 28, 2022

Amazon Environmental Research Institute science director Ane Alencar told Reuters that deforestation would likely continue to climb until the election, since officials tend not to crack down on illegal activities during election years out of fear of alienating voters.

It seems that the clearing of forests has become institutionalized in the country as something common, with record after record, she told Reuters.
By Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Rarely has something so precious fallen into such unsafe hands. Since Jair Bolsonaro took the Brazilian presidency in 2019, the Amazon, which makes up 10 percent of our planets biodiversity and absorbs an estimated 5 percent of global carbon emissions, has been hit with a record number of fires and unprecedented deforestation.

At the same time, those who have proved the most responsible guardians of the forest, are under increasing pressure and threatened by escalating violence. Since Bolsonaro came to power, there has been an increase in invasions of indigenous lands by loggers and miners, and seven indigenous leaders have been killed in land disputes.

In November, a group of Brazilian lawyers and human rights groups asked the International Criminal Court to indict Bolsonaro for inciting genocide against Brazils indigenous people. They argue that these communities are at increased risk of violence because the means of existence of the indigenous peoples are grounded on their relationships to the land, the forest, wildlife and water, and that threats to the forest put them at risk of falling victim to crimes against humanity.

Bolsonaro Is Taking Away Our Future Bolsonaro, who has compared indigenous people to zoo animals and accused indigenous leaders of working to promote foreign interests in the Amazon, has repeatedly threatened to end the policy of land demarcation, whereby indigenous communities are granted the right to clearly defined territories. He has also attacked the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI)  the governmental agency for indigenous interests  cutting its funding and powers and forbidding its employees from speaking to the press. At the same time, the right-wing president has scrapped environmental regulations and is set to legalize 300,000 illegally occupied rural properties  86 percent of them in the Amazon territory and many of them commercial farming or logging operations. Bolsonaro is taking away our future, indigenous conservationist Olinda Muniz told DW. A president who encourages genocide and does nothing to curb environmental disasters is a person who should never represent this country.

Indigenous Lifestyles vs. Economic Development A recent study comparing Brazil, Australia and Canada pointed to greater biodiversity in areas administered by indigenous peoples and is just the latest research to suggest these communities are exceptionally good at preserving the land they live from. Yet in Brazil, as elsewhere, their way of life has been under threat since colonialists first arrived from Europe and began exploiting the lands natural resources and imposing foreign ways of life on its people. Now, the lawyers argue in their action against Bolsonaro that indigenous lifestyles are being portrayed as a problem in themselves, hampering the national development plans, and infrastructure projects, mining enterprises, logging activities and agribusiness ventures in forested regions.

Muniz and her husband Samuel Wanderley, both of the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae ethnic group, founded the Kaapora project in the Caramuru Paraguacu indigenous territory in the Brazlian state of Bahia. They are restoring grazing land back to forest, protecting remaining trees and growing new ones, so the land can once more be a refuge for wildlife. Now she fears that efforts like hers are under threat. We have no guarantee of compliance with our constitutional rights, Muniz said. Social movements are being attacked head-on, indigenous, black, environmentalists, landless workers, fishermen, etc. The Kaapora project is one of many in Brazil through which indigenous communities, independently or in partnership with NGOs, are helping revive the forest and maintain traditional ways of life in the midst of modernity  combining traditional knowledge with new technologies and increasing independence from markets and governments that have rarely worked in their interests. The Ashaninka in Acre state, for example, have established cooperatives to grow food and provide for their community. They, and groups like the Pataxo in Minas Gerais state, are also teaching non-indigenous communities about sustainable agriculture. By creating a space for dialogue with the external community, and young people in particular, they hope to pass on their respect for nature.

Staking out Their Own Land Meanwhile, in southern Brazil, the Kaingang are working to reforest their land with araucaria, an indigenous tree which produces a fruit they can eat and sell, and that supports indigenous wildlife. For Marcio Kokoj of the Kaingang Guarani Indigenous Environmental Association, the Bolsonaro government feels like a throwback to Brazils military dictatorship that murdered thousands of indigenous people, drove thousands more from their lands, and tortured many and enslaved others between 1964 and 1985. The greatest concern today is with the attacks on the demarcations of our lands, we therefore need to make self-demarcation, Kokoj said. If it depends on Bolsonaro, he will open up areas for large-scale agricultural production, multinationals, mining. That worries us a lot. Self-demarcation is when indigenous communities draw the boundaries of their own territory, often expelling illegal occupants, such as loggers. Last July, the indigenous Munduruku from the Tapajos region in the Amazon state of Para, kicked out illegal loggers who had invaded their territory which they began to self-define in 2014. The Munduruku were armed with arrows, songs, war paint and the wisdom of our ancestors, they said in a note to the Indigenous Missionary Council that made clear their intention to continue defending their own land if governmental institutions fail to do so.

Calling on the International Community Kokoj too says the Bolsonaro government should not expect the forests guardians to step aside without a fight. We indigenous peoples, over the years and the governments, have created resistance that is still effective today, he said. In defense of their land and culture, Brazils indigenous communities have long allied with broader social movements, called out violations of their rights to international bodies, and above all, insisted on remaining in their territories despite threats and violence. Since Bolsonaro came to power, indigenous activists have taken the streets to assert their land rights and protest their treatment by the right-wing government.
Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have caught a particularly elusive deep-sea fish on camera.

The highfin dragonfish (Bathophilus flemingi) can grow to be seven inches long and usually lives at depths of 740 to 4,500 feet below sea level, according to NPR.

MBARI researchers have observed a few different dragonfishes in the depths of Monterey Bay, but this one is the rarest weve encountered, the institute wrote on Twitter May 3. In more than three decades of deep-sea research and more than 27,600 hours of video, weve only seen this particular species four times!

Dragonfish are a type of deep-sea predator that can grow to be up to 20 inches and live as far down as 14,800 feet below sea level, according to MBARI. They typically catch their prey  usually fish or crustaceans  by staying still in the water and catching them as they swim by. They are aided in this endeavor by their coloring: They are tinted with some of the blackest blacks in the natural world.

However, the highfin dragonfish is unique in that its scales have a bronze tint, Live Science reported.

They are just amazing animals, and part of what is appealing is that color pattern, MBARI senior scientist and discovery team leader Bruce Robison told Live Science.

Like the black of its deep-sea cousins, the highfin dragonfishs bronze might also help it to camouflage because it absorbs the bit of blue light that can still reach the fishs habitat.

But when we shine our white lights on it, its just gorgeous, Robison said.

The highfin dragonfish has another notable feature that allows it both to catch prey and stay safe from predators: bioluminescence. It uses a sort of bioluminescent fishing rod that dangles from its chin to attract smaller animals until they swim within reach of the dragonfishs jaws. At the same time, it protects itself with a series of light organs on its rear that disguises its silhouette from creatures swimming below.

Many predators hunt by looking upwards trying to spot the silhouette or the shadows of their prey against the light of waters above, Robinson explained.

The rare creature was spotted during an expedition in MBARIs Western Flyer research vessel, the institute wrote on YouTube. They found it just outside of Monterey Bay at a depth of around 980 feet.

Often the real joy of those trips comes from the stuff you dont anticipate, Robinson told Live Science.
A new report has found traders illegally selling donkey skins on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. According to the investigation, donkey skins are in high demand for ejiao, a traditional Chinese remedy.

Traders are ignoring bans on sales of donkey skins, including in Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, even listing the animal parts in high quantities on social media. On Facebook, a trader in Kenya listed 2,000 donkey skins for sale on Facebook at $40 per skin. Many sellers even acknowledge the illegality of the sales in their advertising and communications with potential buyers, outlining exactly how they avoid punishment.

Donkey skin is prohibited in Kenya as of now and we ship under total discretion alongside heavy bribery to the port authorities. Chinese residents are completely banned dealing with donkey skin in Kenya. We have 2,000 skins available now and priced at $40 per skin. If you are interested, we can start shipping smaller quantities to avoid too much questioning. We can start with 500 skins, a supplier told investigators from The Donkey Sanctuary, which published the report.

The donkey skins are sought after to make a form of gelatin for ejiao, which is believed to have medicinal properties, as reported by The Guardian. According to the report, published by The Donkey Sanctuary, 20 countries have trade deals with China to allow for donkey skin trading, but China is receiving donkey skins from over 50 countries.

The investigation also found over 382 individual vendors listing donkey skins for sale online, along with other wildlife parts. Over 20% of the vendors selling donkey skins online were selling parts from a total of 11 other species, including endangered species such as pangolins, elephants, and tigers. Aside from skins, traders were illegally selling furs, teeth, scales, tusks, and even live cheetah cubs.

Social media and online websites are failing to crack down on the illegal trading. According to the report, many platforms that joined the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online with a commitment to reduce these sales by 80% have not come close to meeting the target.

Online trading platforms have a greater role to play in detecting and addressing illegal activity occurring on their sites, the report said. Until they do, the donkey skin trade will continue to act as a Trojan horse for the sale and shipping of wildlife products.

Each year, an estimated 4.8 million donkeys are slaughtered for the donkey skin trade. The theft and murder of these donkeys hurts communities that rely on the animals for their livelihoods, and the unhygienic slaughtering process puts public health at risk. Further, the report noted that the donkey skin trade is often tied with other highly organized international crimes, including illegal selling of other wildlife, hardwoods, and Class A drugs.




University of Stirling team determine how Nigeria can fulfill aquaculture target

Researchers at the University of Stirling have determined how Nigeria can meet its target of producing 2.5 million tonnes of farmed fish each year, and said that their method could provide similar insights for 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.

Suleiman Yakubu, PhD researcher at the Institute of Aquaculture, said: "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 2.5 million tonnes 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?"

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 analysis  a mix of qualitative and quantitative modelling principles  to assess what combinations of factors would put Nigeria on track towards its target.

Yakubu said: "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% 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 areas  such as import policy, land use, water use and poverty alleviation  so 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."

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 said is more useful to understand and plan for the changes that need to happen.

"Our modelling 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 Yakubu.

Professor Trevor Telfer, PhD supervisor on the research, said: "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 research was funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.



- The Fish Site




Trouw Nutrition convenes young scientists at World Mycotoxin Forum in Italy

Selko, the feed additive brand of Trouw Nutrition (Nutreco's livestock feed business), will host a Young Scientist Forum during the World Mycotoxin Forum (WMF) 13th Congress in Parma, Italy, and a Dairy Day expert conversation following the forum.

During WMF, representatives of Trouw Nutrition and its Selko brand will present mycotoxin research findings including eight scientific posters. Findings from studies assessing mycotoxin prevalence in four geographic regions will be particularly relevant given the extreme volatility that global grain markets are experiencing.

During a keynote address, Dr. Swamy Haladi, technical manager for the mycotoxin risk management programme, will present his views on putting science into practice. "Understanding mycotoxin-specific effects will help to formulate a feed strategy that can not only bind certain mycotoxins but also effectively manage the negative effects of mycotoxins," said Dr. Haladi. "Although animal toxicity studies are limited in relation to emerging and masked mycotoxins, the feed industry is encouraged to investigate these toxins more seriously as unfolding their toxicity will explain much about the mystery surrounding mycotoxins."

The Young Scientist Forum, to be held from 5:30pm to 6:30pm CET on May 17, will convene young scientists, researchers and students to imagine and collaborate on strategies for managing mycotoxin risk.

During a brainstorming and idea exchange, participants will consider how emerging insights may lead to new solutions for sustainable livestock production. As extreme weather incidents become more frequent and commodity markets remain volatile, participants will explore sustainable solutions to manage mycotoxins amid these challenges.

During small group discussions, attendees will consider how climate change is influencing the increased formation of mycotoxins and look at how monitoring and prediction systems can support mycotoxin management efforts.

"During the forum, we aim to get young professionals' input on how industry stakeholders can collaborate to effectively and sustainably reduce mycotoxin risk," said Pedro Caramona, programme lead for the Feed Safety & Quality programme of Selko. "Their input will also provide valuable insights to drive future research priorities."

During WMF, Trouw Nutrition Italy is also organising a Dairy Day on May 19, which will bring a country-specific look to mycotoxins.

Dr. Sabrina Locatelli of CREA de Bergamo will share trends relevant to contamination levels in Italy's crops and provide perspective on toxins in primary grains and ruminant feed.

Professor Antonio Gallo from Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza will discuss the main mycotoxins in corn silage and total mixed ration (TMR), their effects on milk production and findings from university studies evaluating the efficacy of a solution to manage Fusarium mycotoxin contamination.

"As compared to monogastric animals, the antioxidant system of ruminant animals, especially in dairy cows seems to be under great threat from mycotoxins. Mitigation strategies in this species must look at this key area more closely," said Dr. Haladi, who will speak on mitigation strategies at this event.

Trouw Nutrition is a gold sponsor of the 2022 World Mycotoxin Forum.



- Trouw Nutrition
Underpinning for prosperity

Source : China Daily Global | Date : | 2022-05-10 19:54:57

Underpinning for prosperity

SONG CHEN/CHINA DAILY



Sound development of China-ASEAN relations is foundation for the long-term stability and prosperity in Asia

Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. At a commemorative summit in November, the two sides upgraded the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

As a result, China-ASEAN relations got off to a good start this year, with bilateral cooperation in various fields seeing positive progress. During a telephone conversation in March, President Xi Jinping reached a broad consensus on bilateral ties and China-ASEAN cooperation with this year's ASEAN chair, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen.

Some ASEAN leaders attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022.State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore, and the foreign ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar paid visits to China. These are indicators that China and ASEAN have deepened their political mutual trust. Both sides are committed to working together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, reopen businesses and production as soon as possible, maintain the momentum of economic and trade cooperation and properly handle complex issues and international disputes. The China-ASEAN trade volume, after its sustained growth in 2020 and 2021, increased by 8.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, with the bloc becoming China's largest trading partner once again despite the fresh outbreak of COVID-19 cases.

The enacting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and China's increase in agricultural imports from ASEAN have injected strong impetus into bilateral trade. The remarkable growth in trade between China and Indonesia has been encouraging as Indonesia, a member of the G20, has the largest population and economy within the bloc. The operation of the China-Laos Railway, inaugurated last year, has beaten expectations both in volume of passengers and cargo transport. The railway can play a key role in strengthening economic and trade cooperation and personnel exchanges between Southwest China and countries in the Indo-China Peninsula, thus driving the Belt and Road cooperation in the region. Meanwhile, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia, a China-Indonesia partnership project, is progressing smoothly, and is expected to be put into operation by mid-2023. The construction of the highway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville in Cambodia was completed as scheduled.

The two-way investment between China and the bloc has now exceeded $300 billion. The strong momentum and immense potential for economic and trade cooperation between China and the bloc, against the backdrop of the global economic downturn, has become a highlight of regional cooperation and is conducive to long-term regional prosperity.

Over the past three years, China and ASEAN have worked together in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and secured a host of outcomes. In his speech at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, President Xi reiterated China's commitment to provide another 150 million doses of vaccines in assistance to ASEAN. Meanwhile, China and the ASEAN members, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, have made important progress in the joint production of vaccines.

With the concerted efforts of all parties, the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable. China and the ASEAN members have maintained positive momentum in their consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. All parties have stayed highly vigilant against the irresponsible actions of non-regional major powers in the South China Sea, recognizing that a peaceful and stable South China Sea is in the fundamental interests of countries and people in the region.

Chinese leaders have on different occasions reiterated their support for the centrality of ASEAN in the regional architecture. It was with the active coordination of ASEAN that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership came into force on Jan 1, 2022. In the first quarter of this year, the China-ASEAN trade volume accounted for nearly half of the total trade volume between China and all RCEP members, indicating that the two sides have put the agreement in place and the trade pact is starting to pay off. The Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 is highly compatible with China's Belt and Road Initiative, a key factor for the progress in infrastructure development in the ASEAN members in recent years. ASEAN holds its own independent views on major international affairs and avoids taking sides, a position that China respects. China is glad to have ASEAN, an important force for maintaining peace and prosperity in the region, as its comprehensive strategic partner.

The healthy and sound development of China-ASEAN relations is beneficial to Asia and the world. The growth of bilateral ties has provided some insightful inspirations for the handling of other affairs in Asia.

Every effort should be made to maintain regional peace. Most developing countries in Asia have experienced foreign invasion and the colonial era, and have been victimized by the Cold War. The past 30 years have witnessed the most substantial growth in Asia. This is largely due to a peaceful and stable regional environment. A key experience from history is that we need to uphold peace. Asian countries must strengthen unity, safeguard the hard-won peace in the region and firmly grasp their own destiny.

It is also important to make every effort to expand win-win cooperation. Asia is now the fastest growing region globally, largely fueled by regional economic integration and cooperation in various fields. The upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and better implementation of the RCEP herald the furthering of mutually beneficial cooperation.

It is inevitable for Asian countries to have differences. The key is to proactively manage these differences and strive to find just and reasonable resolutions through peaceful negotiations. We should not let differences dent friendly cooperation. We believe that Asian countries have the ability and wisdom to come up with solutions to the relevant issues and jointly contribute to the building of a new Asia with long-term stability and prosperity.

The author is former Chinese ambassador to Malaysia. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Airport's new chosen parking app rated bad by users

Drivers wishing to use the car park at Isle of Man Airport will be required to use a cashless payment system from next week.

People will have to pay by using the RingGo app - which has been rated as poor by users in the UK - with 94% of Trust Pilot users rating the app as Bad.

The Manx Government says parking rates will remain unchanged but its understood App users will have to pay an additional fee.

The rollout of the pay-via-mobile service has angered those who do not own a smartphone, or those wary of putting their bank details into an app.
The management at Raven Software, the Activision Blizzard subsidiary that develops Call of Duty games, has reportedly been trying to convince its employees to vote against unionization. According to The Washington Post, the Raven management has been sending out messages and holding town hall meetings ahead of the election deadline on May 20th.

During a meeting held on April 26th, company leadership suggested that unionization might not only impede game development, but also affect promotions and benefits. After that meeting, The Post says management sent employees an email with a message that's more direct to the point: "Please vote no." The Raven employees the publication talked to said the company's efforts were ineffective, though, and that they still voted yes for unionization.

This saga began late last year when Raven suddenly laid off around a third of the group's QA testers after months of promising better compensation. Activision Blizzard workers staged a weeks-long strike in support of the QA employees, and unionization efforts started at the same time. Since then, Activision has been trying to dissuade workers from forming a union.

Activision VP of QA Chris Arends reportedly told team members in a Slack meeting that a "union doesn't do anything to help us produce world-class games, and the bargaining process is not typically quick, often reduces flexibility, and can be adversarial and lead to negative publicity." The National Labor Relations Board granted the quality assurance testers' permission to hold a union vote in April, though, and workers have been sending in their ballots by mail over the past month. We'll soon find out if Activision's alleged union-busting efforts are effective soon enough: The NLRB will be counting the ballots via video conference on May 23rd.
Elon Musk has finally confirmed what many have long suspected: that he would allow Donald Trump back on Twitter.

In an interview with The Financial Times, Musk said that he would reinstate Trump when his deal to acquire Twitter closes. I guess the answer is that I would reverse the perma ban, Musk said in response to a question about whether he would allow the former president back on the platform. Obviously, I don't own Twitter yet. So this is not a thing that will definitely happen because what if I don't own Twitter.

Though Musk has long made it clear he disagrees with Twitters decision to ban Trump, its the first time he has explicitly said he would reverse it. I think bans just fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter as a town square where everyone can voice their opinion, Musk said. He added that permanent bans should be reserved for accounts that are bots or spam scam accounts.

Whether Musk would bring back Trump has been a major question and the companys own executives have told employees they dont know what direction Musk will take the company. Employees have been concerned that Musk could reverse many of the companys policies around trust and safety and reverse progress they have made in combatting online abuse and misinformation.

Musk said that accounts that are "destructive to the world" could still be punished with temporary suspensions or having individual tweets deleted. But he said that he and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey believe that permanent bans should be extremely rare.

Twitter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company banned Trump in the wake of the January 6th insurrection, saying that the president had broken its rules around incitement of violence. Then-CEO Dorsey said at the time he believed permanent bans could set a "dangerous" precedent, but that the company had made the right decision in the face of "extraordinary and untenable circumstance." On Tuesday, following Musk's comments, Dorsey called Trump's ban a "business decision." "We should always revisit our decisions and evolve as necessary," Dorsey said.

Musk was more explicit. He called the ban a "morally bad decision," and cited the Trump-backed Truth Social as proof Twitter's ban did not have the intended effect. The former president has stated that he would not rejoin Twitter even if his ban is lifted.

"He is now going to be on Truth Social, as will a large part of the right in the in the United States," Musk said. "Banning Trump from Twitter didn't end Trump's voice. It will amplify it among the right and that is why it is morally wrong and flat out stupid."

Updated with comments from Jack Dorsey.
YouTube TV is adding two new Spanish-language plans, Google announced today. The first of those, the aptly named Spanish Plan, will offer customers access to more than 28 Spanish-language channels, including Univision and ESPN Deportes. Google has priced the package at $25 per month for the first six months, and $35 per month thereafter. New YouTube TV customers can subscribe to the plan without paying for the platforms base $65 per month package .

Now introducing... our new Spanish Plan! 



28+ Spanish channels of live sports, news, telenovelas & more at $24.99/mo for the first 6 months ($34.99/mo after). Tag @ the first person who needs to know.  https://t.co/68JUTU6MiO pic.twitter.com/ctIZgpuf1S  YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) May 10, 2022

For those who want to add to their existing subscription, Google has also introduced a Spanish Plus add-on. Priced at $10 per month for the first six months and then $15 thereafter, the package comes with access to more than 25 Spanish-language channels, including Cine Latino and Discovery en Espanol.
Lucid Air finally starts its deliveries in Canada, the luxury electric vehicle (EV) maker recently announced several months after it started shipping in the United States.

Lucid Air Deliveries Canada

As per a news story by Drive Tesla Canada, the first luxury EVs of Lucid Air is now shipping in the Canadian nation.

The official Twitter account of Lucid showcased the arrival of the Lucid Air Dream Edition to the second largest country on Earth.

Lucid Motors tweeted in its official account that it is "now delivering Dreams to our friends in Canada." It went on to welcome folks in the region to its Lucid Owners Club.

On top of that, the post also included the hashtag "DreamAhead," further highlighting that the Dream Edition of the luxury EV is finally shipping to another country.

Now delivering Dreams to our friends in Canada. Welcome to the #LucidOwnersClub. #DreamAhead pic.twitter.com/Ar4GRCiJph  Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) May 9, 2022

However, Drive Tesla Canada cautioned that the Dream Edition of the luxury sedan only comes in limited units of up to 520. One of them has now officially reached Canadian folks.

Although Lucid Motors kept mum about the location of the delivery of its EV featured in its tweet, the news outlet has a suggestion for it. It could likely be in Ontario, at least based on the background on the video, as well as the blurred license plate of Lucid Air in the clip.

Meanwhile, according to a recent report by Tesla North, Lucid houses two retail stores in Canada - one of which is in Toronto, whereas the other location is in Toronto.

That said, the deliveries could likely take place in the vicinity of the two retail locations of Lucid Motors.

Apart from the two current stores of the automaker in Canada, Lucid is also looking to debut its third location in the largest city of Quebec, Montreal.

Lucid Air Dream Edition

The luxury EV that started shipping in Canada, the Dream Edition of Lucid Air, is the top-of-the-line variant of the luxury car, as per the report by Inside EVs.

The initial Dream Edition only ships in limited numbers, roughly more than half a thousand, sporting an EPA range of 520 miles or 837 kilometers.

The is also a Performance option of the Lucid Air Dream Edition, which flaunts a powerful dual motor that performs 1,111 horsepower.

Its range estimate is slightly lower than the Range counterpart with 471 miles or 758 kilometers in a single top-up.

Read Also: Meet Lucid Air: All-Electric Sedan Equipped With the World's Most Advanced EV Technology

Lucid Air Price Canada

The Lucid Air Pure now sells in Canada for CAD 107,000. The Air Touring costs CAD 131,300, while the Air Grand Touring carries a CAD 191,300 price tag.

Related Article: Lucid Motors, Saudi Arabia Deal: 100K EVs To Be Purchased in the Next Decade
Now that the latest components from AMD, Intel and Nvidia are available, Lenovo is updating its 16-inch flagship gaming laptop with more lights, better performance and bigger batteries. And after getting a chance to go hands-on with the new Legion 7, I really appreciate that Lenovo made two slightly different versions to suit people's needs.

First up is the standard Legion 7, which is more of a desktop replacement-style gaming notebook designed to house the most powerful CPUs and GPUs you can put in a laptop right now. It's available in either Intel/NVIDIA (starting at $2,449) or all-AMD configurations (starting at $2,059), with Lenovo supporting up to a 12th-gen Intel i9 chip and RTX 3080 Ti or Ryzen 9 6900HX and Radeon RX 6850M XT.

While both systems have very similar designs, the Legion 7 Slim (left) weighs about a pound less but lacks support for some of the standard model's top-end components and most of its RGB lighting. Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Now those are some beefy specs, but the most important upgrade might be the addition of a new 99.9 WHr battery. That's the biggest power pack you can put in a laptop while still being able to carry it on a plane. On top of that, while Lenovo's included power adapter is a bulky 300-watt affair, the Legion 7 also supports USB-C power delivery. That means if you want to travel light, you can pack a smaller USB-PD adapter (up to 135 watts). However, it's important to remember that if you do so, the laptop won't charge as fast or get full performance when plugged into the wall.

That said, the most eye-catching part of the system is without a doubt all the RGB lighting scattered across its chassis. You get a light-up logo on its lid, a backlit keyboard with optional per-key adjustability, a big light bar in front and a ton of LEDs in its vents. Now I don't know if anyone keeps track of stats like this, but the Legion 7 may have the most RGB lighting of any gaming notebook.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

While it wasn't ready in time for my hands-on session, Lenovo says it's also planning to release its new Spectrum app that's designed to give users more control over lighting effects, including the ability to sync things with whatever music or videos theyre playing.

I'm not sure I love the system's brushed metal edges, but I have to give some props to Lenovo for including three USB-C ports on the laptop's left and right sides. This makes it easy to plug in things like thumb drives, while in back, there's additional connectivity for stuff you don't need to fiddle with as often such as power, Ethernet, HDMI and more. And alongside a new 1080p webcam (up from 720p), you also get a dedicated electronic shutter slider on the right for increased privacy.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

In general, the Legion 7s build quality felt good too. There wasnt very little flex on its lid or deck, and while touchpads are often an afterthought on gaming laptops, this one is both large and responsive. Unfortunately, there werent any games installed, so I wasnt able to get a sense of its thermals or fan noise. But I do like the laptop's updated power button, which now has a built-in fingerprint reader.

That said, while I respect a big, high-spec gaming laptop (and anyone who wants to carry one around), weighing in at 5.5 pounds, the Legion 7 isn't a great pick for frequent travelers. But that's where the Legion 7 Slim comes in. That's because while you still get a 16-inch display, support for a 99.9 Whr battery and a very similar design, Lenovo increased the Slim's portability by reducing its max specs a touch, deleting a lot of RGB lighting and trimming down the size of its chassis. The result is a thinner and lighter 4.5-pound laptop with a smaller hinge that's easier to toss in a bag.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Aside from its size, the biggest difference between the standard Legion 7 and the Legion 7 Slim is that the latter tops out with either an NVIDIA RTX 3070 or an AMD RX 6800S GPU. And unlike its bigger sibling, the Slim's refresh rate peaks at 165Hz instead of 240Hz. The upside is that with the Intel/NVIDIA version of the Slim starting at $1,589 for a Core i5 chip with an RTX 3050 Ti or just $1,519 for the AMD Advantage model featuring a Ryzen 5 6600H and RX6600S GPU, Lenovo's slightly smaller system is a lot more affordable.

So regardless of what type of gamer you are, Lenovo is looking to give you a few more choices among 16-inch gaming notebooks. And while I'm curious to see how those huge batteries fare in real life (especially when paired with a power-hungry 12th-gen Intel CPU), I really like what I've seen so far.

The Intel/NVIDIA versions of the Legion 7 and Legion 7 Slim will go on sale first sometime later this month, with the AMD Advantage models arriving slightly later in June.
The parent company of Tinder and Hinge has sued Google. In a complaint (PDF link) filed Monday with a federal court in California, Match Group alleges the tech giant broke federal and state antitrust laws with its Play Store guidelines.

The lawsuit concerns a policy Google plans to implement later this year. In the fall of 2020, the company clarified its stance on in-app purchases, announcing it would eventually require all Android developers to process payments involving digital goods and services through the Play Store billing system. Google initially said it would begin enforcing the policy on September 30th, 2021, but later extended the deadline to June 1st, 2022.

Match alleges Google had previously assured the company it could use its own payments systems. The company claims Google has threatened to remove its apps from the Play Store if it does not comply with the upcoming policy change by the June 1st deadline. Match further claims Google has preemptively started rejecting app updates that maintain the existing payment systems found in its dating services. Ten years ago, Match Group was Googles partner. We are now its hostage, the company says in its complaint.

This lawsuit is a measure of last resort, Match CEO Shar Dubey said in a statement the company shared with Engadget. We tried, in good faith, to resolve these concerns with Google, but their insistence and threats to remove our brands apps from the Google Play Store by June 1st has left us no choice but to take legal action.

In a statement Google shared with Engadget, the search giant said Match is eligible to pay a 15 percent commission on in-app purchases, a rate the company noted is the lowest among major app platforms. Google also pointed out that the openness of Android allows Match to distribute its apps through alternative app stores and sideloading if the company doesnt want to comply with its policies. This is just a continuation of Match Groups self-interested campaign to avoid paying for the significant value they receive from the mobile platforms theyve built their business on, a Google spokesperson told Engadget.

The lawsuit comes at a time when both Apple and Google face significant regulatory pressure from lawmakers around the world to change their app store policies. In February, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Open App Markets Act. Should the legislation become law as it stands, it would prevent both companies from locking third-party developers into their respective payment systems. At the same time, Match hasn't been free of scrutiny either. The company recently said it would stop charging older users more for its dating app subscriptions after a report from Mozilla and Consumers International found Match charged those individuals "substantially more."

In March, Google announced it was partnering with Spotify to test third-party billing systems. Notably, Match says that pilot offers nothing new for developers or users. The company also said Google rejected its request to be included in the program and would not share the criteria for inclusion.

Update 05/10/22 8:53AM ET: In a new blog responding to Match's allegations, Google calls the company's complaint "cynical," and accuses Match of "attempting to freeload off our investments rather than being a responsible partner." And in addition to highlighting many of the same points Google shared in its initial statement to Engadget, the blog post points to the fact the FTC sued Match in 2019 for using fake ads to trick consumers into paying for subscriptions.
On the north campus of Microsofts 500-acre headquarters, anticipation is quietly mounting. The company is gearing up to launch its new Inclusive Tech Lab, which sits in Building 86  one of 125 buildings in its Redmond, Washington grounds. This 2,000-square-foot room used to be a reception area, with a set of doors leading to the offices within and another pair facing the rest of the world. It only seems fitting, considering what Microsoft envisions this lab to be: a place to welcome members of the disability community, the tech industry and its own designers. Importantly, its close to key personnel in Microsofts product teams. Across the street is building 88, where youll find chief product officer Panos Panays office, while down the road is the Hardware Lab in building 87.

On a recent visit to the Inclusive Tech Lab, I met a few members of the team (and Panay briefly dropped in via video chat) ahead of the launch. They were eager to welcome the world into the carefully designed room. This is an embassy for people with disabilities, accessibility program manager Solomon Romney said, it is the connection between the community and our product making teams.

The new Inclusive Tech Lab is the successor to an earlier version on the West campus that the Xbox team opened in 2017, when it was developing the Adaptive Controller. But that wasnt a dedicated space. Senior director of hardware accessibility Kris Hunter described it as a grassroots effort.

Some of the team members came together, we built IKEA furniture over the weekend, she said. It was just this passion project. Though that was initially imagined to be an incubator for the Xbox team to work with designers and engineers, it evolved beyond gaming. Over the years, the lab in Studio B on the west campus hosted about 7,000 people, including clothing designers, members of congress and even competitors like Nintendo and PlayStation.

Microsoft

When Hunter was transferred from Xbox to the devices team, she was asked to replicate that experience  this time with a designated space. Panos came through one day and said, Theres a space over at 86, I think it would be perfect for you guys to show and expand your thinking here, she said.

The space at 86 is an open-plan square thats reminiscent of a childs playroom. Its bright and airy, with colorful toys and a giant fiber-optic jellyfish hanging from the ceiling in one corner. The lab is sectioned off into six general areas, including the welcome desk, a sensory stimulation corner, a demo classroom, a faux conference room and a work and play area. These are meant to simulate environments in which people use technology, to help product designers and members of the disability community have a basis for discussion and sharing experiences.

For that to be a conducive and welcoming environment for their guests, the Inclusive Tech Lab team had to take many different needs into consideration when designing the space, quite literally, from the ground up.

To start with, the floor of the room is divided into sections with visually distinct patterns and different tactile surfaces like wood and carpet, which makes them easier to tell apart by people using canes. Microsofts team was also careful to make sure the borders between them were flat to avoid potential trip hazards. It took about 12 different attempts to come in and re-level the floor perfectly, Romney said.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The labs ceilings have felt baffles, and the room uses felt walls that help suck sound so that we have much clearer audio in here, Romney explained. For people who have limited hearing, its much easier to hear whats being said. It also provides a more comfortable environment for individuals with neurodiversity who might feel overstimulated in a large echoey space.

The light system, which can be controlled by a wall panel or via an app that Romney ran on a Surface Duo, offers dimming and color settings. This is designed specifically to assist with sensitivities in neurodiverse individuals as well. If there are particular colors that are more soothing or others to be avoided, we can do that in real time, he said.

He also highlighted the double motorized doors leading into the room. Both doors open automatically when you push a button or wave your hand in front of a nearby motion sensor. That is the only place in Microsoft that youre going to find that. Its something we have been working on for months and months to make that a reality, Romney said. He pointed out that although some other doors may be ADA-width, people with wheelchairs can still have a hard time fitting through them if theyre carrying bags or bulky items.

The team also made an effort to ensure the bathrooms nearest to the lab could cater to the needs of people with disabilities. Around the corner from the lab is a gender-neutral bathroom that is not only wheelchair-accessible, but also contains the first adult-sized powered changing table on the campus. Romney mentioned that this was a priority after previously encountering cases where visitors had to resort to being changed on the floors of bathrooms. It was undignified and it was unsanitary, he said.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Bearing in mind people who may be moving around with walking aids or reaching out to objects for support, the Inclusive Tech Lab team chose furniture that would not topple over easily. None of the chairs or tables have wheels, although some of the heavier storage benches do. Thats in part because, as Romney explained, the lab is a living space that would evolve and adapt as needs arise. The team might move closets around or re-designate the sections, for instance.

For now, though, the six areas in the lab reflect the way our lives are today. The work and play area, specifically, is set up to show a home office, kitchen table and living room. Along the back wall is a desk with a Surface Studio, showing Windows accessibility features for people with low vision. On the kitchen table, the team has laid out not only a Surface Laptop Studio connected to a Braille display and audio scales, but also a mug with a Say When sensor that provides audible alerts to prevent overfilling.

What we showcase here is the best that Microsoft has to offer alongside the best that our partners have to offer, Romney said. We rely on a lot of other people to help fill out that ecosystem of accessibility. Both he and Hunter reiterated that accessibility is not a competition. When she was telling me about bringing Nintendo and PlayStation to the lab in Studio B, Hunter said, we believe that a rising tide floats all boats.

To the right of the faux dining area is a hypothetical living room, with a couch and a large TV. Here, the team has provided the Xbox Adaptive Controller and setups for one-handed Halo and no-hand Forza. Gaming is the teams heritage, Romney said, and since the new lab is twice the size of its predecessor, they havent had to reduce the footprint of the gaming area at all.

In the classroom space, three tables have been set up facing a Surface Hub. Each desk features different devices with assistive tech built in, including Microsofts Surface Adaptive Kit that was released last year. Theres also a Surface Laptop SE with a JCPal keyboard skin that brought increased visibility and tactility to its buttons. In the front row, there are augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices like a Surface Go 3 in a Targus case with speech-generating software as well as a computer with a Tobii eye-detecting sensor connected.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

But the gadgets themselves arent the only area of focus. The Inclusive Tech Lab team is aware that its set up an idealized version of a classroom, clarifying that desks like the ones theyve chosen arent available in all learning institutions. The team has deliberately designed its space this way to show what is possible when we normalize assistive technology, Romney explained.

A lot of times, not just in school but in the workplace as well, when your technology looks so different from everyone elses, that can be really off-putting, he added.

That principle applies to the conference room portion of the lab as well, although Romney acknowledged this is an area that is likely to evolve as the team learns more about remote work. Right now, it consists of a long oval table with six chairs set up around it with a screen on a wall behind one end.

Contemplating a hybrid workplace also involves thinking about telepresence robots. For members of the team who live in other countries, the Inclusive Tech Lab also has a robot with a screen and wheels to allow them to visit. This helps them have a physical presence in the space when we're doing things like inclusive design sprints so that they don't feel left out, Romney said.

Finally, in the back left corner of the room, anchored around a giant fiber-optic jellyfish suspended from the ceiling, is the Sensory corner. Its basically a section that Romney said has a lot of additional sensory options like lights, colors, textures and sound for individuals who need extra stimulation to transition between tasks or focus or to re-center. Here, the team has placed bean bag chairs with piles of colorful plush toys on them, a pair of approximately six-foot-tall bubbling lava lamps against a wall and a soft green bench with cushions in metallic hues on it. A soft, low-pile rug in Minecraft green spreads across most of this section, for people who might want a soft surface to crawl or lay on.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The main attraction of this corner, and arguably of the whole lab, is the jellyfish. Its really a domed light fixture with 300 strands of slightly wavy color-changing fiber optics dangling from it in a ring. When Hunter turned down the rooms lights and Romney fired up the so-called tentacles, I got inside the jellyfish and played with the soft, wispy wires.

Im not one for extra sensory stimulation  if anything I prefer reduced or hypostimulation  but I could see how the experience might be calming for some. The team had set up a makeshift version of this in the old lab, using a hula hoop as the base for the light cables. We found in the old lab [that] the tactility of touching the strands and the changing lights [gives] a very soothing element to the jellyfish, Romney said.

Like I said, though, hyperstimulation is not for everyone, and the Inclusive Tech Lab team is aware of that. This is one of the areas thats probably going to change the most, Romney said. This is an area that is new in our understanding, at Microsoft, of how neurodiversity and hardware interact. But, Romney assured me, the jellyfish would remain.

With this particular section, the team is exploring transitional spaces. Hunter explained that one use for sensory rooms is for children who need a place, before entering a classroom, where they can get calm or get ready to learn. Its not just for kids, either. People who are neurodiverse or have anxiety could potentially benefit from such transitional spaces, and the team wants to learn more about how to thoughtfully implement them.

Microsoft

To best understand how Microsoft will use its new Inclusive Tech Lab to engage the community, we can look back to what it did in the past. Hunter said that at the old facility in Studio B, the company not only hosted Nintendo and Playstation, but also brought in industry leaders to discuss topics like inclusive clothing, as well as members of Congress to look into building inclusive voting machines. We believe everyone wins when we can do this as a community, she said.

Thats one of many, many mantras that members of the team repeated during my time with them. I kept hearing variations of the saying Solve for the one and extend to the many, for example, or Nothing about us without us. The latter refers to the importance of including and engaging members of the disability community when creating products for them. This is clearly something thats important to the Inclusive Tech Lab team, who are spread out across Microsofts hardware, accessories, Azure and Windows departments. The company also employs people with disabilities and involves them in the design process.

Romney is looking forward to opening the lab. I imagine I am just going to get swamped with requests, he said. The challenge, ultimately, is getting the word out. We have decades of features in Windows, but people dont know about them, Romney said. He added that thinking about what conferences to go to, who to reach out to is part of the solution. One of the reasons the new lab is in building 86, he said, was to be closer to the tours conducted in building 87 and potentially be a stop on them to help spread awareness to visitors.

We believe accessibility isnt a one and done, Hunter said. Of all the sayings I heard the lab team repeat, this struck me as the one to leave with. The responsibility of making inclusive design an industry standard doesnt and shouldnt lie with Microsoft alone. More companies need to be proactive and persistent in making sure their products dont leave people out. A dedicated Inclusive Tech Lab may not be the approach for all businesses, but the determined mentality I saw (and in this case manifested as a physical space) is something they should all strive to emulate.
Yesterday, as Russia celebrated Victory Day, marking its role in defeating Nazi Germany, many of the countrys online platforms were defaced in protest of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to reports, Russians with smart TVs saw channel listings replaced with a message implicating them in the ongoing conflict. The blood of thousands of Ukrainians and hundreds of murdered children is on your hands, the message read. TV and authorities are lying. No to war.

According to The Washington Post, the hack apparently targeted several of the countrys largest internet companies, including Yandex and Rutube, Russias alternative to YouTube.

Russia passed a law this year that bans any efforts to discredit the countrys military, but that hasnt stopped some media outlets from protesting the war. Articles on Lenta.ru noted they had not been agreed with the editorial leadership and that the Presidential Administration will punish the publication for publishing this.

 Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

It only sold two million last quarter, confirming Sony hasn't overcome its supply issues.

Engadget

Sony announced it sold just two million PlayStation 5 units last quarter (Q4), bringing its overall total to 19.3 million. That's down considerably on the same quarter last year when it sold 3.3 million units. Game sales went up, though, with 70.5 million PS4/PS5 titles sold compared to 61.4 million a year ago.

While Sony contends with supply constraints, its expecting better days ahead. It forecast a 34 percent increase in sales next quarter to 929 billion yen ($7.13 billion) due to better parts supply and higher sales of third-party games. Sony is also launching PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, its take on Xbox Game pass, in June. While PS Plus subscriber levels were flat, the new tiers could help draw more subscribers  and some might pay more than they do right now.

Continue reading.

And more.

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamars new music video for The Heart Part 5 revolves exclusively around deepfake celebrity faces superimposed on Kendrick's body as he raps across topics including mental illness, murder and more.

Watch here.

Lincoln College was unable to access recruitment and fundraising systems for months.

Lincoln College says it will close this week in the wake of a ransomware attack that took months to resolve. While the impact of COVID-19 severely impacted recruitment and fundraising, the cyberattack seems to have been the tipping point for the Illinois institution.

Lincoln says it had "record-breaking student enrollment" in fall 2019. However, the pandemic caused a sizable fall in numbers. The college  one of only a few rural schools to qualify as a predominantly Black institution under the Department of Education  said it affected its financial standing. Barring a last-minute respite, the combination of the pandemic and cyberattack may have brought an end to the 157-year-old institution.

Continue reading.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says they're on the way to Facebook as well.

As promised (or threatened), NFTs are coming to Instagram. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the app will this week start testing a way for users to display non-fungible tokens on their profiles.

"We're starting building for NFTs, not just in our metaverse and Reality Labs work but also across our family of apps." Zuckerberg said in a post on Facebook. "We're starting to test digital collectibles on Instagram so that creators and collectors can display their NFTs."

A similar feature is coming to Facebook in the near future, and Meta is considering enabling NFTs in its other apps, such as Messenger and WhatsApp. Also in the works is a way for people to display 3D NFTs in Instagram Stories using augmented reality.

Continue reading.
Weather Alert

...National Weather Service Cold Water Safety Message... ...Please check with state and local authorities regarding guidelines for allowed activities... * The warm air temperatures today in the mid to upper 80s may cause people to underestimate the dangers of the cold water temperatures which are currently only in the upper 40s across Lake Champlain, and in the lower 50s in the regions smaller lakes and rivers. * The cold water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia to anyone immersed in the water. According to the US Coast Guard, when the water temperatures are below 50 degrees, the chance of immediate incapacitation due to cold shock is extremely high. Anyone on small boats, canoes or kayaks should plan accordingly if recreating this weekend and use extreme caution to avoid this threat. Paddle smart from the start and always wear your life jacket! && ...Fire Weather Concerns Exist Again Across Northern New York and; Vermont Today...; Fuels remain abnormally dry across the North Country according to; the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and the; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This,; combined with relative humidity values as low as 15% may have an; impact on fire weather conditions today. If any fires were to start; the weather and fuel conditions could cause fires to grow quickly.; For more information about the current fire danger rating, any burn; restrictions, and wildfire prevention and education, please visit; your state forestry or environmental protection website.; Remember, a burn ban is in effect for all of New York through May; 14th, which means no open burning is allowed.
The war in Ukraine has dramatically refocused attention on Euro-Atlantic security. As European nations  alongside the US  have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia and increased military support to Ukraine, this war will further complicate the already limited ability of Europeans to play a meaningful security role elsewhere.

It could be tempting to conclude that the renewed threat from Russia spells the end of Europes embryonic involvement in the Indo-Pacific. For example, the UKs Integrated Review in 2021 had identified Euro-Atlantic security and Russia itself as the priority for London  and the outbreak of war in Europe seems only to further confirm this. Given limited resources, some analysts see the current war as confirmation that the idea of a tilt to the Indo-Pacific was always a fantasy which now can no longer be sustained. Other analysts argue that the two theaters  the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific  are merging into one, especially if China and Russia become closer and as both regions roughly rely on US security guarantees. And because a growing threat from Moscow should not lead to complacency regarding other challenges, some form of European involvement in the Indo-Pacific is even more crucial.

A CHANGING DIVISION OF LABOUR - However, a more subtle analysis of the security role of different European countries in each theatre, and how they are being changed by the war in Ukraine, shows how these two opposing views can be reconciled. Before the war, some countries  in particular, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as well as the EU  had published Indo-Pacific strategies or guidelines and deployed naval resources to the region. Even then the European capacity to get involved in Indo-Pacific security was limited and the main challenge for Europeans was to be seen as reliable partners and achieve a persistent presence in the region. The real fault line in terms of resources and ambitions was between France and the UK on the one hand, and the rest of Europe on the other.

As the Ukraine war refocuses NATOs role onto its core task of collective deterrence and defense, it will certainly further restrict the ability of most small European states  already with limited assets, interest, and bandwidth  to contribute to Asian security. Even France and the UK may have to recalibrate their priorities and means  especially if the war escalates or as it leads to a revised defense and deterrence posture on the eastern flank. However, the shock of the Russian invasion has also led to a dramatic increase in German defense spending and, if the so-called Zeitenwende becomes a reality rather than an aspiration  with some increasingly frustrated it is moving too slowly  Germany could revert to something similar to the old West Germanys Cold War role as the backbone of NATOs conventional collective defense in Europe.

But despite this increased defense spending and willingness to confront Russia, Germany has not yet changed its approach to China  on which its manufacturing sector, especially the automobile industry, depends as an export market. Many in Berlin are likely to agree with the recent comment by Angela Merkels former foreign policy adviser Lars-Henrik Roller that China is not Russia. As it takes more responsibility for European security, Berlin could prove even more risk-averse in the rest of the world than it was before the war. Therefore, France and the UK should have limited expectations of what other Europeans, especially Germany, are now willing and able to contribute to Indo-Pacific security. However, a changing division of labour among European countries in Europe could create an opportunity for Paris and London to continue linking the two regions. A greater German contribution to European security may allow France and the UK to free up resources to lead a European contribution to Indo-Pacific security, which makes it even more important for the two countries to resolve some of their differences.

A SHARED SET OF SECURITY OBJECTIVES - Paris and London have roughly similar readings of what is at stake in the Indo-Pacific, as well as similar strategic interests at play which differentiate them from other Europeans. With more than 1.5 million citizens and five permanent military bases, France also has a direct interest in the region which will not be altered by the conflict in Ukraine. But cooperation between the two has remained limited because of ongoing political tensions over Brexit as well as national posturing and defense-industrial competition. The AUKUS agreement between Australia, UK and US led to an almost complete breakdown in bilateral relations between France and the UK.

Even if tensions and competitions can be managed  and the war in Ukraine has put things in perspective to some extent  there remains a big picture divergence between Paris and London around their role in the Indo-Pacific relative to US-led security frameworks and how Europeans can add value to the region. Whereas the UK is more at ease following and integrating with a US-led security architecture in the region as evidenced by AUKUS, France sees its role  and the EUs  as adding value by providing regional partners with a different and less confrontational set of options in order to respect sensitivities around great power competition and lower the risk of confrontation with China. These approaches are not incompatible and could even be complementary as both aim to provide security, stability, and options to roughly the same set of regional partners such as Japan, India, Korea, and the ASEAN countries.

CHARTING THE WAY FORWARD - Paris and London are likely to continue conducting big operational deployments separately, but should work more closely together on presence operations, sanctions enforcement, and regional diplomacy on areas such as arms control, capacity building, law of the sea, and nuclear proliferation. To achieve this, France and the UK must be creative and weave together different discussions on the Euro-Atlantic security order post-Ukraine  particularly the division of labour between NATO and the EU , how the war impacts Europes contribution to Indo-Pacific security, and how they wish to link the two theaters and do it together  or not. Despite competing priorities and tense bilateral relations, this should be on the agenda of the re-elected President Macron and Boris Johnson over the coming months. By resolving tensions and taking a joint leadership role, France and the UK can enable more coordination between Europeans, and therefore provide some much-needed visibility for their partners both in Europe and Asia.

How Ukraine Will Change Europes Indo-Pacific Ambitions  Expert Comment by Alice Billon-Galland and Hans Kundnani  Chatham House / The Royal Institute of International Affairs.

The Expert Commentary can be downloaded here
Under the terms of a settlement filed on Monday in federal court, Clearview AI, the controversial facial-recognition software company, will now be barred from selling its software to most companies in the United States.

Clearview AI became controversial in January 2020 for secretly scraping billions of photos from social media sites.

The settlement, in particular, applies only to most private companies. It still allows sales to law enforcement except in the state of Illinois, where Clearview AI is prohibited for five years from selling its software.

ACLU Filed Lawsuit on Behalf of the Vulnerable Communities

The settlement is a result of a lawsuit in which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was the plaintiff. The suit, according to the organization, was filed on behalf of "vulnerable communities uniquely harmed by face recognition surveillance" such as "survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, undocumented immigrants, [and] current and former sex workers," as per the report of Mashable.

In collecting people's photos from the internet, Clear AI allegedly violated the 2008 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). According to Mashable, the act explicitly requires companies to get consent from people before collecting or using their biometric information.

According to CNN, Illinois is one of just a few states in the U.S. that have such biometric privacy laws.

In a statement cited by CNN, Hoan Ton-That, CEO of Clearview AI, said: "Clearview AI's posture regarding sales to private entities remains unchanged. We would only sell to private entities in a manner that complies with BIPA. Our database is only provided to government agencies for the purpose of solving crimes."

In May 2020, Clearview AI claimed that it would stop working with private companies. Businesses like Coinbase affirmed that they had worked with the tech previously.

Read Also: Yahoo, ACLU Press US Government Declassify Secret Surveillance Orders

Fight With Clearview AI Is Not Yet Over

Monday's settlement was hailed by organizations advocating on behalf of people's digital privacy. However, it still needs to be approved by the court.

The settlement with Clearview AI is not yet over. In a statement, Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, stated that Monday's limited ban is only the first step of many, according to Mashable.

"This is a milestone for civil rights, and the ACLU deserves our thanks for once again safeguarding our Constitution," Cahn wrote.

Cahn added that banning Clearview AI in one state is not enough as we need a national ban to protect civil rights.

Clearview AI remains free to sell facial recognition technology to police departments across most of the county. However, the police don't exactly have a clean record when it comes to misusing such technology.

Across the country, facial-recognition software has become increasingly common in the past several years. However, it has also been blasted by privacy and digital rights groups over privacy issues and other real and potential dangers, according to CNN.

Since it was founded in 2017, Clearview AI has compiled billions of photos into a database for its software. CNN reported that the company has claimed to have scraped over 20 billion photos from the internet, including photos from popular social media platforms, news websites, websites of mugshots, and more.

Related Article: Clearview AI Facial Recognition Showcases Prowess in Ukraine
European leaders have voiced their support for Serbia and Kosovo in their aspirations to join the European Union and pledged additional military support to Moldova, to cope with the spillover from Russias aggression in Ukraine

Kosovos Prime Minister Albin Kurti then later Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met (4 May) with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Standing alongside Kurti, the German leader stressed that the Western Balkans belong in Europe. But Scholz also added that for Serbia, it is important that it continues its path of reforms and that includes on media freedom and fighting organized crime. Beyond the reforms each country needed to undertake, according to Scholz, progress on the issue of rapprochement between the two was paramount, calling it enormously important to their membership aspirations. All open questions must be clarified in this dialogue, Scholz said, referring to issues between the neighbors.

Berlin is trying to unite the fractious Western Balkans in the face of Russian influence that Kosovos Albin Kurti described as a threat to peace and security in the region. Largely ethnic Albanian, Kosovo broke away from Serbia in 1999 before declaring independence in 2008. Though most EU member states recognize Kosovos independence, Serbia does not and still claims it as its own territory. Kurti said that in the face of Moscows actions, Kosovo saw no alternative but to join the EU and NATO to secure its future. Moscows invasion of Ukraine and its suspected exploitation of unresolved conflicts in the Balkans to foster anti-European sentiment have in part motivated Berlins push to bring countries in the region into the EU. The invasion has put Serbia, for instance, in a difficult position. While it has condemned Russias invasion, its historical religious, ethnic and political ties with Moscow have kept it from signing on to sanctions.

Meanwhile, the 27-nation bloc is looking into how it can provide more military support to Moldova, squeezed between Romania and Ukraine, which is widely seen as a possible next victim of Russias aggression against Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel said on a visit to Chisinau (4 May) that the EUs help would include more assistance with building up the countrys forces. Just like Ukraine, Moldova is a former Soviet republic with ambitions to join the EU. Vladimir Putins Russia, however, has plans to restore as much as possible from the former Soviet Union. The Moldovan authorities are sensitive to signs of growing tensions in Transnistria, an unrecognized Moscow-backed sliver of land bordering southwestern Ukraine. Transnistria is officially Moldovan territory but has been controlled by pro-Russian forces since 1990. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to drag Moldova into war.
Cuban rescue workers combed through vast piles of rubble from the Hotel Saratoga in the early hours of Monday, uncovering four more bodies overnight after the hotel was hit by an explosion and bringing the death toll to at least 31.
Monday, May 9, 2022

Comparative AutocraticMethodologies

Not to be outdone byhis Chinese counterparts, Putin has boldly and brutally undertaken his ownBridge & Road Initiative (BRI), Russian style, with the ultimate objectiveof linking his two annexed pearls, Crimea and the Donbas region, andeventually landlocking Ukraine. The warm port cities along Ukrainian south arethe pearls in this critical path along the land-bridge corridor westward with Odesarepresenting the jewel in the crown.

China has a soft-powerapproach to developing its BRI albeit through aggressive diplomatic checkbookinitiatives with enticing yet usuary terms & conditions. These contractualagreements enable China to lock in partnerships that consist of heavy exit penaltiessuch as infrastructure forfeitures in case of loan payment defaults. In themeantime it continues to build up its blue navy fleet to support and defendthose interests.

China develops its BRIthrough construction while Russia develops through destruction. Russia intendsto secure Ukrainian southern ports through which 90% of agricultural exportspass through the Black Sea to squeeze political and commercial concessions fromthe west to end the conflict. The difference is the methodology: Chinas carrot& stick vs Russias hammer & sickle.

During its surge tobecoming a global economic superpower China, has prioritized securing essentialcommodities as part of its long-term security through commercial deals whichare buttressed afterwards by the military.

On the other hand Russia utilized its military to pre-positioningthemselves by targeting Ukraines southern region by annexing the Donbas regionto be used as an overland staging area and Crimea as military maritimestronghold and dominance over the Black Sea.

Russia has itsignominious history of developing roads through fire & brimstone mostnotably the 1,250 mile Kolyma highway called the road of bones constructedwith gulag labor under Stalin whose construction has resulted in an estimated250,000 deaths with allegations that the fallen slave labor were buried in theroad itself.

Despite their military blunders Russia need notactually physically occupy those pearls in the south rather prevent exporttrade which have already been achieved.

Furthermore, Russia has practicallyeliminated spring planting and summer/fall harvesting of Ukrainian cropsthrough the destruction of farm equipment, limited diesel fuel and thedeliberate mining of agricultural fields, more than enough to literally sowworld chaos with famine-level food shortages globally this summer.

Mafia State, Mafia Tactics

Akin to your localmafia, Putins mafia state has the insatiable thirst for only two things: moneyand power but with far more firepower and resources.

Russias militarygambit is the new Cold War Iron Curtain along the southern coast for thepurpose of controlling Russian and Ukrainian food exports from which dozens ofcountries are highly reliant. In the pure mafia spirit, this constitutesgeopolitical resource extortion.

Russia doesnt have theeconomic wherewithal to outspend the west on arms and R&D. As proven in theongoing campaign in Ukraine, their military is a paper tiger. Instead Russia seeksto level the playing field by controlling the logistical chokepoints and weaponizingessential commodities, specifically energy and agriculture, in their NearAbroad. Control the Ukrainian south and control the worlds food supply.

Although these commodities are fungible the present-day and near-future globalinventories are precariously low. For this reason, controlling a large energyand agricultural market share provides Putin an enviable amount of leverage notonly with the West but with developing countries that they can demand politicalsupport for Russian foreign policies in the international forum in exchange forfood exports.

For Putin this personal crusade of destiny is nothingmore than a business decision with the sacrifice of the Ukrainian people andRussian military conscripts for the creation and glory of a Greater Russia.

An Uncomfortable Post-Putin Aftermath

The more frightful possibility is that in apost-Putin world, the new Russian leadership, regardless how enlightenedthey might be to cooperation in the international community, may be slow oreven loathe to withdraw or surrender captured Ukrainian territory. Crimea wouldbe non-negotiable.

Firstly, the post-Putin Russianeeds to justify the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers to the Russiancitizens by maintaining control over some Ukrainian territory as political andeconomic leverage to ensure a durable internal and external peace.

Secondly, the post-PutinRussia would link a gradual and progressive withdrawal from Ukraine in exchangefor the easing and eventual elimination of sanctions and other western imposedrestrictions.

Regardless the West isunlikely to be forgiving of any new Russian government. As they did with theAxis powers, the west will insist on the unconditional surrender of allpre-February 24, 2022 occupied territory or risk the continuation of severeeconomic pressure. For this reason, the territorial unwinding will certainly befraught with tension.

 Copyright 2022 CeruleanCouncil LLC

The Cerulean Council is aNYC-based think-tank that provides prescient, beyond-the-horizon, contrarianperspectives and risk assessments on geopolitical dynamics and global urbansecurity.
From: Christopher Carosa For Immediate Release: Dateline: Rochester , NY Tuesday, May 10, 2022

T he moonless night trembled with eerie silence. Still, the veteran warriors waited with resigned anticipation. The now 54-day old siege had worn upon them. Yet, they stood, along with their courageous emperor, willing to confront their ultimate fate.

That final assault began shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the 29th of May, 1453. It would prove to be the last day of an Empire that had existed  in one form or another  for more than 20 centuries. Wave after wave of Ottoman attackers charged with relentless regularity. The 150,000 invaders far outnumbered the 7,000 war-weary defenders of Constantinople  the last capital of the Roman Empire.

Amid the battles cries and the shouts, the screams and the barking of orders, the first wave of attackers were massacred by the defenders. Next came a round of fresh invaders, more organized than the first. They ferociously fought, desperately trying to break through the compact ranks of the tough professionals defending the city. The attackers soon found themselves caught in the crossfire of close quarters, and the Emperor himself led the counter-assault. This second wave, too, failed.

But now, with ruthless guile, the Ottoman Sultan released his most prized troops. Disciplined and superbly trained, these men proved equal match to the guardians of Constantinople. As the night wore on, the persistent battle never broke  and neither did the will of the defenders.

Until, just before sunrise, an errant shot hit the Emperors leading general. Like the mercenaries he led, he hailed from the city of Genoa. Mortally wounded, his comrades removed him from the front lines, despite the pleas of the Emperor not to break ranks. Detecting this sudden shift in defense, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on the weakened position. Thousands rushed to the area and, eventually, into the city itself.

Sensing the end  and in true Hollywood style  Constantine XI  the Emperor of Byzantium and the last Roman Emperor  rips off his Imperial insignia. Knowingly  and silently, he glances at his three closest lieutenants. He raises his sword toward the advancing invaders. The three raise theirs in tandem. With a final cry of angry defiance, Constantine and his lieutenants make one last charge through the morning mists and into the heart of the enemy. They are never seen again.

Not only was Constantine lost to history, but the long Greek and Roman city of Constantinople, whose residents renamed from its original Byzantium, lost its historic name to the now ruling Turks in 1930. Todays maps refer to it as Istanbul.

What does this history lesson have to do with school elections?

Allow me to offer another example.

Are the surviving pre-colonial tribes of the Greater Western New York Region collectively known as Iroquois (whose modern pronunciation rhymes with boy but whose original French pronunciation rhymes with Ottawa)? Or are they known as Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), a term which first appeared in Lewis Henry Morgans 1851 book The League of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee or Iroquois? Or are they known as Ongwehonweh (real human beings), as the US National Park Service said they refer to themselves as in its March 2021 Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Feasibility Study.

Last week I spoke with local historians and educators from our portion of the Greater Western New York Region. They met together to promote the very laudable goal of incorporating the voluminous research of these historians into the New York State curriculum rubric. Indeed, Im tailoring some of my own local history and science research for this purpose.

I found a couple exchanges, however, a bit disconcerting. In one, a member of BOCES that caters to school districts on the west side of Rochester lamented that students in those rural districts had trouble finding local examples of redlining.

For those of you not familiar, redlining is a term associated with racism, although it is often confused with a method of financial analysis lending institutions use to reduce loan risks. In the example here, however, it is clearly meant to isolate and identify historic examples of outright discrimination through the use of deeds to exclude the sale of properties to specific ethnic and racial groups.

It turns out, the farther you get from centralized populations, the more difficult it is to find examples of this. Yet, the New York State curriculum appears to emphasize this exercise everywhere, even in rural areas where other issues may have more historical significance.

Then there was the example of the I word. Apparently, according to one city school district educator, one is prohibited to refer to those pre-Colonial tribes as Iroquois because it was an allegedly derogatory termed coined by the French based on what their Indian allies (who were at war with the Iroquois) called their enemy.

In fact, unlike the name Constantinople, there is no consensus as to the exact etymology of the term Iroquois. Ironically, the early French Jesuits who originated the name did not do so for a derogatory reason. Ironically, it was based on a word spelled Hero and it merely referred to the phrase I have said, which the Iroquois supposed ended their statements with. Much later (as early as 1883), etymologists disagreed with this interpretation. Suggested original meanings include man or snake, but there is not direct evidence of this.

In fact, Volume 15 of the Smithsonian Institutions Handbook of North American Indians (1978) concludes of the term Iroquois: No such form is attested in any Indian language as a name for any Iroquoian group, and the ultimate origin and meaning of the name are unknown.

And therein lies the real problem with the term. It refers primarily to a common language form among all pre-Colonial peoples. As a result, tribes outside the Five (or Six) Nations are also categorized as Iroquoian even though they were not part of the Iroquois Confederacy and often became genocidal victims of that alliance (both before and during the Colonial Era).

Forget about the sorrowfully misinformed teacher. She was only parroting what the New York State curriculum requires. Is the next I word to be sent down the memory hole Istanbul? After all, unlike the word Iroquois, stripping the name Constantinople represents a blatant case of cultural violation.

And thats why school elections matter. We cant expect teachers alone to stand up and fight for truth in the State curriculum. They need to be supported by and sometimes follow the lead of the School Board.

School elections often focus on the current budget. This year may be different. This year may focus on future budgets. There seems to be an inordinate interest in running for the school board this year. In years past, it was difficult to find candidates. (Many years ago, I was asked to run. I declined.) This year folks appear to be more aware of the consequences of Albanys one size fits all laws and how it will cost Greater Western New Yorkers, particularly those with large rural school districts.

Earlier this year, the entire roster of Livingston County School Districts signed and sent a letter to the Governor (with a supporting resolution from the Livingston County Legislature) asking that certain matters be decided at the local level. While this letter focused on health policies, when I spoke to the Superintendent of Livonia who helped spearhead this idea, he said theres another issue thats about to come up. The requirement to convert to an all-electric bus fleet is critically expensive and impractical for rural districts.

In talking with residents throughout the 17-County Greater Western New York Region, its clear that some districts might be able to meet this all-electric standard while others might not. Its equally clear that the era of the quiet, behind the scenes, traditional school board persona is over. Citizens want their school boards to stand up for their communities.

But its not that easy. The State, through the way it distributes aid, can extort school districts in ways that make school boards impotent.

Unless, like they did in Livingston County, school districts form alliances with themselves and with their local elected officials to make concise  and precise  statements challenging Albany.

School boards must take the lead on this.

And thats why school elections matter, too.

he moonless night trembled with eerie silence. Still, the veteran warriors waited with resigned anticipation. The now 54-day old siege had worn upon them. Yet, they stood, along with their courageous emperor, willing to confront their ultimate fate.That final assault began shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the 29th of May, 1453. It would prove to be the last day of an Empire that had existed  in one form or another  for more than 20 centuries. Wave after wave of Ottoman attackers charged with relentless regularity. The 150,000 invaders far outnumbered the 7,000 war-weary defenders of Constantinople  the last capital of the Roman Empire.Amid the battles cries and the shouts, the screams and the barking of orders, the first wave of attackers were massacred by the defenders. Next came a round of fresh invaders, more organized than the first. They ferociously fought, desperately trying to break through the compact ranks of the tough professionals defending the city. The attackers soon found themselves caught in the crossfire of close quarters, and the Emperor himself led the counter-assault. This second wave, too, failed.But now, with ruthless guile, the Ottoman Sultan released his most prized troops. Disciplined and superbly trained, these men proved equal match to the guardians of Constantinople. As the night wore on, the persistent battle never broke  and neither did the will of the defenders.Until, just before sunrise, an errant shot hit the Emperors leading general. Like the mercenaries he led, he hailed from the city of Genoa. Mortally wounded, his comrades removed him from the front lines, despite the pleas of the Emperor not to break ranks. Detecting this sudden shift in defense, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on the weakened position. Thousands rushed to the area and, eventually, into the city itself.Sensing the end  and in true Hollywood style  Constantine XI  the Emperor of Byzantium and the last Roman Emperor  rips off his Imperial insignia. Knowingly  and silently, he glances at his three closest lieutenants. He raises his sword toward the advancing invaders. The three raise theirs in tandem. With a final cry of angry defiance, Constantine and his lieutenants make one last charge through the morning mists and into the heart of the enemy. They are never seen again.Not only was Constantine lost to history, but the long Greek and Roman city of Constantinople, whose residents renamed from its original Byzantium, lost its historic name to the now ruling Turks in 1930. Todays maps refer to it as Istanbul.What does this history lesson have to do with school elections?Allow me to offer another example.Are the surviving pre-colonial tribes of the Greater Western New York Region collectively known as Iroquois (whose modern pronunciation rhymes with boy but whose original French pronunciation rhymes with Ottawa)? Or are they known as Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), a term which first appeared in Lewis Henry Morgans 1851 book The League of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee or Iroquois? Or are they known as Ongwehonweh (real human beings), as the US National Park Service said they refer to themselves as in its March 2021 Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Feasibility Study.Last week I spoke with local historians and educators from our portion of the Greater Western New York Region. They met together to promote the very laudable goal of incorporating the voluminous research of these historians into the New York State curriculum rubric. Indeed, Im tailoring some of my own local history and science research for this purpose.I found a couple exchanges, however, a bit disconcerting. In one, a member of BOCES that caters to school districts on the west side of Rochester lamented that students in those rural districts had trouble finding local examples of redlining.For those of you not familiar, redlining is a term associated with racism, although it is often confused with a method of financial analysis lending institutions use to reduce loan risks. In the example here, however, it is clearly meant to isolate and identify historic examples of outright discrimination through the use of deeds to exclude the sale of properties to specific ethnic and racial groups.It turns out, the farther you get from centralized populations, the more difficult it is to find examples of this. Yet, the New York State curriculum appears to emphasize this exercise everywhere, even in rural areas where other issues may have more historical significance.Then there was the example of the I word. Apparently, according to one city school district educator, one is prohibited to refer to those pre-Colonial tribes as Iroquois because it was an allegedly derogatory termed coined by the French based on what their Indian allies (who were at war with the Iroquois) called their enemy.In fact, unlike the name Constantinople, there is no consensus as to the exact etymology of the term Iroquois. Ironically, the early French Jesuits who originated the name did not do so for a derogatory reason. Ironically, it was based on a word spelled Hero and it merely referred to the phrase I have said, which the Iroquois supposed ended their statements with. Much later (as early as 1883), etymologists disagreed with this interpretation. Suggested original meanings include man or snake, but there is not direct evidence of this.In fact, Volume 15 of the Smithsonian Institutions Handbook of North American Indians (1978) concludes of the term Iroquois: No such form is attested in any Indian language as a name for any Iroquoian group, and the ultimate origin and meaning of the name are unknown.And therein lies the real problem with the term. It refers primarily to a common language form among all pre-Colonial peoples. As a result, tribes outside the Five (or Six) Nations are also categorized as Iroquoian even though they were not part of the Iroquois Confederacy and often became genocidal victims of that alliance (both before and during the Colonial Era).Forget about the sorrowfully misinformed teacher. She was only parroting what the New York State curriculum requires. Is the next I word to be sent down the memory hole Istanbul? After all, unlike the word Iroquois, stripping the name Constantinople represents a blatant case of cultural violation.And thats why school elections matter. We cant expect teachers alone to stand up and fight for truth in the State curriculum. They need to be supported by and sometimes follow the lead of the School Board.School elections often focus on the current budget. This year may be different. This year may focus on future budgets. There seems to be an inordinate interest in running for the school board this year. In years past, it was difficult to find candidates. (Many years ago, I was asked to run. I declined.) This year folks appear to be more aware of the consequences of Albanys one size fits all laws and how it will cost Greater Western New Yorkers, particularly those with large rural school districts.Earlier this year, the entire roster of Livingston County School Districts signed and sent a letter to the Governor (with a supporting resolution from the Livingston County Legislature) asking that certain matters be decided at the local level. While this letter focused on health policies, when I spoke to the Superintendent of Livonia who helped spearhead this idea, he said theres another issue thats about to come up. The requirement to convert to an all-electric bus fleet is critically expensive and impractical for rural districts.In talking with residents throughout the 17-County Greater Western New York Region, its clear that some districts might be able to meet this all-electric standard while others might not. Its equally clear that the era of the quiet, behind the scenes, traditional school board persona is over. Citizens want their school boards to stand up for their communities.But its not that easy. The State, through the way it distributes aid, can extort school districts in ways that make school boards impotent.Unless, like they did in Livingston County, school districts form alliances with themselves and with their local elected officials to make concise  and precise  statements challenging Albany.School boards must take the lead on this.And thats why school elections matter, too.


The city of New Braunfels could soon make it illegal for pet shops to receive and sell cats and dogs from commercial mass breeders.

The proposed ordinance amendment, which was given the green light by the citys Animal Services Advisory Board last week, would prohibit retail pet stores from the sale, lease or transfer of dogs or cats unless the animal was obtained by the shop from an animal shelter or animal welfare organization.

You might also like: As Hill Country animal shelters overflow amid human population boom, calls for change grow

If the city council approves the proposed amendment, pet stores in New Braunfels would also be required to keep a record of where each animal came from, city documents show.

The proposed changes are an attempt to alleviate overburdened shelters and crackdown on commercial breeders who dont always have the safety of animals in mind, advisory board members and residents said last week.

Many of these operations are inhumane and often forsake the health of dogs in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

The national nonprofit estimates there are 10,000 puppy mills active nationwide, and 500,000 dogs are kept solely for breeding purposes.

Puppyland New Braunfels, which began operating off Interstate 35 last summer, has been the major focus of public meetings in recent months, the Herald-Zeitung reported.

Some residents told the advisory board that animals purchased from Puppyland became ill soon after they adopted them. Others accused Puppyland of sourcing its animals from puppy mills.

Also on ExpressNews.com: After 25 years, San Antonio College lost a valuable tradition, ousted professor says

Store owner Kayla Kerr told the advisory board that it has high standards and receives its animals only from USDA-licensed breeders. Kerr asked board members to consider changing the ordinance language.

Weve worked really hard with you guys to propose different avenues of language that would both regulate us and other pet stores, Kerr told the board. You have that option. We dont use puppy mills. We dont source our puppies from puppy mills. Were not just any pet store, we have high standards. We care about our puppies and the parents that they are coming from.

As with a similar ordinance passed in San Antonio in 2020, private breeders who sell directly to the public will not be impacted if the new law passes in New Braunfels as written.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP)  A former Mississippi paramedic has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting patients in ambulances as they were being taken to hospitals.

The Sun Herald reported James Lavelle Walley, 57, of Leakesville, also admitted to fondling two children, ages 5 to 7. Walley pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of sexual battery and two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes.

District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said Walley committed the crimes between 2016 and 2019 while working as a certified paramedic for ASAP Ambulance. The company serves patients in Alabama and Mississippi, and it fired him.

Circuit Judge Robert Krebs will set sentencing later. Walley faces up to 30 years in prison on each sexual battery charge and 15 years on each molestation charge.

Each time the assaults occurred in an ambulance, Walley was in the back, the ambulance drivers did nothing to intervene and they denied knowledge of the attacks, court records showed.

Walley had no criminal history before his arrest.

More details were revealed in civil lawsuits filed on behalf of at least adults who said Walley assaulted them during emergency trips to south Mississippi hospitals. The civil cases have been settled and dismissed.

When we get in an ambulance, we expect to be taken care of, not sexually assaulted," attorney Joe Beard, who represented some of the plaintiffs in the civil suits, said Monday after hearing Walley had pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

In each criminal case, victims are described as vulnerable adults because they had a medical condition that required emergency care when Walley attacked them.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

___

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Russia pounds Odesa as civilian bodies uncovered elsewhere

 Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week

 Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder

 German minister: Civilian killings demand accountability

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

___

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited some good news Tuesday from the front, where he said the Ukrainian military was gradually pushing the Russian troops away from Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles pummeled the vital port of Odesa, apparently as part of efforts to disrupt supply lines and weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker conflict.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces in many places and even staging a counteroffensive in others, Ukraines foreign minister appeared to voice confidence that the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of Feb. 24 invasion.

__

WASHINGTON  Senators meeting Tuesday with Ukraines ambassador to the U.S. says her message was one of thanks and making clear more help will be needed in the future.

Senators from both parties met with Oksana Markarova to discuss the war in Ukraine. Congress is preparing to provide $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend against Russias military invasion.

Sen. Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says of the meeting: It was a message of thanks, a call to support us to the end.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware says Markarova told lawmakers that Ukraine had already depleted its stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and equipment and material, and that it was vital for the U.S. and others to resupply Ukraine.

Thank you, do more. We have a hard fight ahead, Coons said of Markarovas message to lawmakers. With your support, we can win.

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says members of his party were satisfied with the ambassadors explanation for how a previous bout of aid has been spent and describes the latest $40 billion initiative as a survival package.

___

BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with refugees from war-torn Ukraine in Moldova on Tuesday, saying after that it is impossible to meet refugees and not be deeply moved by their stories.

One couple was telling me of a bomb that fell in their yard. People that have abandoned everything, including parts of their families, Guterres told reporters outside the refugee center in Moldovas capital, Chisinau.

Guterres previously served as U.N. high commissioner for refugees. He noted during his two-day visit to Moldova, where he met with Moldovas leaders, that the small nation has absorbed the most refugees proportionate to its own population of about 2.6 million people.

The U.N. chief told Moldovan President Maia Sandu in a meeting Tuesday that the U.N. would bolster its support for her country to help it deal with the refugee crisis. More than 450,000 refugees from Ukraine have fled into Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries.

Before leaving Moldova, Guterres also visited the home of a local family hosting Ukrainian refugees, whom he thanked for their generosity in opening up their homes to those fleeing the war.

___

WARSAW, Poland  Polands prime minister said Tuesday that Russias ambassador to Poland could have avoided being doused in red paint at a Soviet military ceremony if he followed the Foreign Ministrys advice to steer clear of the event.

Ambassador Sergey Andreev was splattered Monday with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine at a Warsaw cemetery holding the remains of Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. He had hoped to pay his respects on the Russian patriotic Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Russian crimes in Ukraine are such a terrible experience for so many people that the ambassadors presence at the memorial to Soviet soldiers was provocative, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the Polish news agency PAP.

Andreev had to abandon the ceremony after the paint was thrown at him and he returned to his car under a police escort.

___

MILAN  The Italian Foreign Ministry says 63 Ukrainian orphans will be flown on Wednesday from Krakow, Poland to Trapani, Sicily.

The transport was organized by the Pope John XXIII Community, along with Italian diplomats in Ukraine and Poland.

This humanitarian evacuation confirms Italys commitment to assisting civilians hit by the conflict in Ukraine, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Some 37,000 minors, many accompanied by family members, have arrived in Italy since Russia launched its invasion.

___

VALLETTA, Malta  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Maltese lawmakers that despite pleas, Ukraine has not received the amount of weapons it would need to unblock the siege of Mariupol and free the city.

Zelenskyy said defenders still continue their resistance in the plant of Azovstal. We are using all possible diplomatic instruments to rescue them, but Russia doesnt allow for any of the proposed options. We have asked our partners to provide weapons in order to unblock Mariupol and rescue both civilians and military personnel.

But he said the amount of weapons needed has not been provided. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian cities and towns have been hit by 2,250 missiles over the 2 1/2-month invasion. The bombardment doesnt stop, neither during the day, nor the night, he said.

The president also said Russias blockade of ports on the Black Sea and Sea of Azov means Ukraine cannot export grains and sunflower, which will provoke a crisis in the global food market.

If we cannot export wheat, barley, sunflower, sunflower seed oil, then it means that people in North Africa and Asia will be lacking food and the prices will go up, Zelenskyy said. Later, there could be new chaos and a new migration crisis, and I think you can feel this crisis in the neighboring regions to Malta.

___

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

Odesa is a sister city of Baltimore. Russian troops pounded the vital Ukrainian port on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said, in an apparent effort to disrupt the supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyivs defense.

The governor was joined for the announcement at a warehouse in Hanover, Maryland, by Yaroslav Brisiuck, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Ukraine.

Additional medical supplies have been donated to the Paul Chester Childrens Hope Foundation, a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization, to support the treatment of children and adults wounded during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 12-14. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

___

BOSTON  The United States, Britain, the European Union and other allies are collectively blaming Russia for a cyberattack that disrupted satellite communications used by Ukraines military just as Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24.

In addition to knocking out vital Ukrainian broadband service, the attack disabled tens of thousands of satellite uplinks from France to Poland, cutting service to private citizens and remote management of wind farms in central Europe.

In a statement, Britain noted that the attack began about an hour before Russia invaded. We will continue to call out Russias malign behavior and unprovoked aggression across land, sea and cyberspace, and ensure it faces severe consequences, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a statement Tuesday that the attack on the satellite network of U.S.-owned Viasat was just one in a series of disruptive Russian digital assaults on Ukraine that began in mid-January. They have deleted and stolen data, disrupted telecommunications and attempted to knock out power to hundreds of thousands.

Tuesdays announcement came as allied cyber security leaders met in Newport, South Wales, for a conference sponsored by Britains National Cyber Security Center. Ukraine had previously blamed Russia for the Viasat attack.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

The operator said: The company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.

Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Russias state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom, said Ukraines request to route shipments through another hub would be technologically impossible and that the company sees no grounds for the decision.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

The assembly approved a U.S.-initiated resolution on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93-24 with 58 abstentions. The vote was significantly lower than on two resolutions the assembly adopted in March demanding an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, withdrawal of all Russian troops and protection for civilians. Both of those resolutions were approved by at least 140 nations.

After the General Assembly suspended Russia, its deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin told U.N. members that Russia withdrew from the Human Rights Council before the vote. Council spokesman Rolando Gomez said that by withdrawing, Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.

Since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost its spot on multiple U.N. bodies, including the executive boards of UN Women and the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It was also suspended from the World Tourism Organization.

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WASHINGTON  A top U.S. intelligence official says eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

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HELSINKI  The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

Recent polls show a support of over 70% among Finns for membership in NATO, a dramatic shift in support of 20-30% regularly recorded in the past few decades until Feb. 24 when Russias invasion of Ukraine started.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are believed to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia.

She said Germany will provide funds to pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock also stressed that Germany will reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies to zero, forever. The German government has said it will end imports of Russian oil and coal this year and of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

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GENEVA  The U.N.s top human rights body will hold a special session this week following a request from Ukraine to discuss the worsening human rights situation in the country stemming from the Russian aggression.

The 47-member Human Rights Council said more than one-third of member states, the required minimum, backed the call that will pave the way for Thursdays session at the U.N.s European headquarters in Geneva.

Supporters included many Western countries, as well as Gambia, Marshall Islands and Mexico. A total of 55 countries, including observer states, backed the call, but the list could grow.

The council also held an urgent dialogue during its last session to discuss Ukraine just days after the Feb. 24 invasion by Russian forces.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukraines foreign minister is suggesting that Kyivs goals in fighting the Russian invasion have expanded.

In an interview with The Financial Times published Tuesday, Dmytro Kuleba said the picture of victory is an evolving concept.

In the first months of the war, the victory for us looked like withdrawal of Russian forces to the positions they occupied before Feb. 24 and payment for inflicted damage, Kuleba said.

Now, if we are strong enough on the military front and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories, the minister said.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent of Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

Speaking through a translator, Zelenskyy also thanked Slovakia for its help in supplying his countrys military with the arms it needs. Acting at his request, Slovakia gave Ukraine its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out (of the plant) is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

It wasnt immediately clear how the two officials knew about the remaining civilians at the Azovstal plant and the fighters still there were yet to confirm this.

Hundreds of civilians had sheltered at the plant. Scores of them have been evacuated in recent days in a joint effort by Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

On Saturday, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that all women, children and elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal.
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STOCKHOLM (AP)  Finland and Sweden are nearing decisions on whether to ditch their long-standing policy of military nonalignment and join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

They would become the 31st and 32nd members of the trans-Atlantic alliance, which was founded by the U.S. and 11 other countries following World War II. Here's a timeline showing key developments in NATO's history.

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1949: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is founded to deter Soviet expansion and a revival of European militarism. The 12 original members are the United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.

1952: Greece and Turkey join in the alliance's first expansion.

1955: West Germany joins NATO. In response, the Soviet Union and seven countries in Eastern Europe form the eight-nation Warsaw Pact.

1982: Spain becomes the 16th member of NATO.

1991: The Soviet Union collapses and the Warsaw Pact is dissolved.

1994: Finland and Sweden join NATO's Partnership for Peace program. The following year they join the European Union, effectively ceasing to be neutral, but remaining military nonaligned.

1999: Three former Warsaw Pact nations  the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland  join NATO.

2001: Article 5 in the NATO treaty, which stipulates that an attack on any NATO member is an attack on all, is triggered for the first time after the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

2002: The NATO-Russia Council is formed to help NATO members and Russia to work together on security issues.

2003: NATO takes command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF).

2004: The biggest NATO expansion to date as seven countries become members: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The latter three are the only former Soviet republics to have joined the alliance.

2008: NATO countries welcome Ukraine and Georgias aspirations to join the alliance, angering Russia. In August, Russia wins a short war with Georgia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which Moscow recognizes as independent states.

2009: Croatia and Albania become NATO members.

2011: NATO enforces a no-fly zone over Libya. Sweden takes part with fighter jets on reconnaissance missions.

2014: NATO suspends most cooperation with Russia after its annexation of Crimea.

2015: NATO ends the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. The alliance remains in Afghanistan to train local security forces until the Taliban takeover in 2021.

2017: Montenegro joins NATO.

2020: North Macedonia becomes NATO's 30th member.

2022: Sweden and Finland explore the possibility of NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
One of the first times educators had to restrain Fransisco Frankie Trevino, the then-kindergartner ended up with a fractured elbow.

Sandra Trevino heard her son screaming from the nurses office when she frantically arrived at Loma Park Elementary School after administrators called her while she was at work.

She was later told that Frankie had been sent to the principals office for disrupting class, and the assistant principal was walking him back to class when he tried to run away from her. The administrator grabbed him and the child struggled. As Frankie pulled away from the adult, he fell to the concrete walkway on his arm.

I was so livid because Im leaving my son in their care so I know hes protected, Trevino said.

Several times since then, other teachers have physically held Frankie to keep him from acting out, his mother said. A Disability Rights Texas lawyer has helped Trevino demand special education services from Edgewood ISD. Frankie, who suffers from several diagnosed behavioral disorders, is now in third grade at Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School.

Across the state, schools have a mixed record in using physical restraint of disruptive students, with some disproportionately applying it to Black and disabled students, according to a recently published report from Disability Rights Texas.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy Calzada

The nonprofit analyzed data school districts reported to the Texas Education Agency for the 2018-2019 academic year, dividing a districts total enrollment by the number of incidents to create a percentage rate for comparison because school districts vary so much in size. Districts are required to report incidents of their use of restraints and seclusion as disciplinary tactics to both the state agency and the U.S. Department of Education.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

Texas allows schools to use restraints only in emergencies and in ways that protect the health and safety of students. Restraints could be adults using their own physical force or mechanical devices like straps to restrict a childs movement.

No San Antonio school districts landed on Disability Rights Texas list of worst districts for rates of restraints. But the report included rates for Northside and North East ISDs because they are among the states 10 largest districts. Northside ISDs rate of restraints as a percentage of total enrollment that year was 1.5 percent, while North Easts was less than 1 percent.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy Calzada

Black and disabled students were disproportionately represented in restraint incidents at Northside and North East, Disability Rights Texas Attorney Angel Crawford said.

Northside ISDs Black student population was about 6.4 percent in the 2018-19 school year, yet more than 14 percent of the total restraints involved Black students, Crawford said.

About 12 percent of Northsides students have a disability, but they were involved in 73 percent of restraints used that year, Crawford said.

The safety of students and staff are always our priority. Our protocols include training for identified staff on how to effectively de-escalate situations where a student may pose a threat to themselves or others, Northside ISD said in a prepared response.

Our protocols also include training on the appropriate use of physical restraint as a last resort. The use of any restraint is always used to prevent a child from hurting themselves or others.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Billy Calzada

North East ISD also used restraints on Black children at more than twice their percentage of enrollment. That year, about 7.3 percent of students were Black, but Black kids were involved in 15.6 percent of total restraints.

The percentage of all restraints that involved disabled students in North East, at 83 percent, is even higher than in Northside. About 10 percent of NEISD students have a disability, Crawford said.

Depending on a students disability and individual behavioral challenges, the student may be restrained more than once throughout the year, North East ISD responded in a statement that stressed that restraints are a last resort.

On ExpressNews.com: Northside ISD says it restrained hundreds of students but software didnt report it

Unfortunately, we have students who are experiencing a variety of mental health and disability related challenges that result in where their situation is deemed to be of imminent danger to themselves or others. In those instances, we are legally bound to restrain, the statement said.

The districts practice is to follow a de-brief process following restraint to discuss the antecedent to the behavior resulting in restraint, the behavior and staff response. This process is a part of the districts efforts toward continuous improvement in meeting the needs of our students through the most proactive means possible.

The district also challenged the completeness of the TEA data, saying school districts are only required to report restraint incidents for students who have individual education plans.

For years, Texas schools have struggled to provide special education services and advocates say parents have had to beg or threaten to sue in order to get their children evaluated for special needs. The federal government found the state in violation of federal disability laws and mandated changes, but the TEA has still been out of compliance despite making some progress.

Edgewood officials said their rate of restraints compared to enrollment for 2018-19 was 4.7 percent, still high but not enough to make the top 10 worst reporters list in the study.

The Edgewood ISD Special Education department, in collaboration with the Crisis Prevention Institute offers extensive training and re-certification every year. Use of restraints is always the last form of redirecting behavior with student safety being priority, they said in a statement provided in response to an interview request.

Frankie and his mom have dealt with long term effects of the incident when he fractured his elbow. Frankie fears the assistant principal and associates bad memories with Loma Park, which they still live close to.

Trevino believes the root cause of the incident was because educators initially declined to screen Frankie for mental and behavioral disabilities, so he was not getting special education services that might have prevented the situation. All the while, Trevino said, she was frequently called to pick up Frankie from school because he was acting out.

District officials have recognized the need for more special education screening, and in late 2019 collaborated with Texas A&M University San Antonio to create an autism assessment program.

Trevino, who graduated from Edgewoods Memorial High School, said she has been let down by her home district. Just this year and with the help of Disability Rights Texas, Trevino said Edgewood provided meetings with a formal committee to review Frankies special needs.

She knows Frankie isnt the only child who has been delayed services. Shes connected with other parents who have waited years, too.

I need Edgewood to make a difference, not just for Frankie, but for all of the special ed children that need that help, Trevino said. Because they are literally our future.

Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Krista, become a subscriber. Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva
A magnitude 5 'marsquake' was recorded by NASA's InSight Mars lander on May 4. This is the strongest quake ever detected on another planet, which easily surpassed the previous magnitude record of 4.2 detected also by InSight in August last year.

Mars' Magnitude 5 Rumble Considered as a 'Monster Quake'

NASA described the magnitude 5 quake, as a "monster quake." Further study is needed to help scientists determine the precise location of the quake and the nature of its source.

Scientists hope that the quake could also offer more information about Mars' interior.

On May 10, NASA InSight reported the powerful marsquake through their Twitter account.

Felt that one



After more than three years of listening to the soft rumbles of Mars, I just felt by far my biggest marsquake yet: looks like about magnitude 5. My team is studying the data to learn more. Science rewards patience!



More details: https://t.co/DKVy8tUrxU pic.twitter.com/bExr13Lkvw  NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) May 9, 2022

Marsquakes are caused by volcanic activities as the planet doesn't have the tectonic plates that Earth has, whose sudden movements can cause quakes.

Scientists found Mar's seismic activity interesting because the data that they can collect can contribute to a better discernment of the red planet's mantle and core.

InSight has detected more than 1,313 quakes in more than three years of monitoring Mars. Its highly sensitive seismometer operates beneath a dome that serves to block out the sound of the wind and protect it from the cold nights, as per Digital Trends report.

Digital Trends cited that according to Bruce Banerdt, InSight's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we've been waiting for 'the big one.'

Read Also: NASA News: See The Perfect Space Suit Design For Future Mars People

He added that the monster quake will provide a view into the planet like no other. To learn new things about Mars, scientists will be analyzing this data.

According to NASA, InSight is also currently experiencing issues with martian dust that's covering its solar panels. This leads to reduced efficiency. Using its robotic arm, InSight can attempt to remove dust.

Dust is also causing issues for NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which last year became the first aircraft to perform a powered, controlled flight on another planet.

More About NASA InSight's Mission

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

As part of NASA's Discovery Program, Insight is managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The InSight spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.

A number of European partners are supporting the InSight mission, including CNES and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

With the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris), CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA.

Significant contributions to SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL.

DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors.

Related Article: NASA InSight Offers First Glimpse of Mars; Molten Core: Seismometer Reveals More Mind Blowing Details of Red Planet's Interior
One incumbent and one new face will join the Medina Valley Independent School Board after voters decided the May election.

Jennilea Campbell narrowly defeated three challengers in District 4 to keep her seat with 39 percent of the vote.

One of her challengers, Phyllis Santleben, who served a short stint as mayor of Castroville, won 29 percent of the vote. Donnitta Seay, who previously worked at the district as an educator, won 20 percent of the votes, and David Lopez Orozco won 12 percent.

In the race for District 3, Matthew Castiglione defeated Darren Calvert, who previously served on the board, with 61 percent of the vote in Medina County and 31 percent of the vote in Bexar County.

Calvert, a principal at Northside ISD who previously served on the board, won 39 percent of the vote in Medina County and 69 percent of the vote in Bexar County. Because a majority of the votes were cast in Medina County, Castiglione came out on top.

Castiglione, who works as a facilities engineer at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, hopes to improve communication between the board, the administration and the parents.

He believes better communication would squash some of the rumors that are flying around the district about drug use and disciplinary policies. Other candidates, including Calvert and Seay, felt the district does not do enough to address disciplinary issues on campus.

Castiglione plans to advocate for more vocational programs for students and increase financial incentives for teachers and staff. He also believes there are problematic conflicts of interest among trustees who work in construction or real estate.

Campbell stood out among the candidates by stating the districts growth has not caused problems while all other candidates felt the growth is dividing the community. She does aim to work toward making sure all campuses have equal resources as the district grows.

A teacher for 30 years, most of which were at Medina Valley ISD, Campbell has served on the board for six years. She hopes to continue to be an advocate for teachers.

Both Campbell and Castiglione did not respond to phone calls Monday.

claire.bryan@express-news.net
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Gov. Greg Abbott pledged on Monday to fight for a school voucher measure that would allow students to use government funding to attend private schools rather than just their assigned public schools or charter schools.

Abbott pledged that public schools would receive equal per-student funding, and he couched his support for school choice as a tradition of empowering parents that includes his policies banning mask mandates on campus, letting parents choose when their students return to the classroom during COVID-19, and banning critical race theory in Texas schools.

Nothing is more critical to the development and success of our children than parents, the governor said. If you like the public school your child is attending, it will be fully funded.

Advocates for increased funding to public schools, traditionally Democrats and rural Republicans, typically oppose such voucher policies because they believe spurring enrollment to private schools or charter schools weakens the traditional public school system.

Abbott is already underfunding our classrooms by $4,000 per student, Beto ORourke, the Democrat who is challenging the governor, wrote on Twitter. The last thing we need is to have him take our tax dollars out of our kids schools and send them away to private schools.

Private schools, conservative groups such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and charter school networks would be likely supporters.

Monday night, Mandy Drogin, Texas state director for the American Federation for Children, thanked Abbott for his leadership.

Students  not teachers, not administrators, not systems or bureaucracies  are the reason we have a constitutional right to an education, and that right must extend to a clearly articulated and well-funded system that allows parents to pick the school which is best for their child, she said.

Calls for parents to have more power over their neighborhood schools has been an animating issue for conservatives over the last year, including across Texas school board races and in Virginia, where the issue helped propel Republican Glenn Youngkin to victory last year.

BACKGROUND: Gov. Greg Abbott joins national GOP push for Parental Bill of Rights for schools

In January, Abbott announced his support for a Parental Bill of Rights in the state constitution. The amendment would allow parents to review any education materials their children could access, to deny schools from advancing their child before parents deem them ready, and generally to exercise more control over what and how their children are taught.

Abbott also said that teachers who provide obscene educational materials to students should have their teaching licenses revoked and lose their right to retirement benefits. Throughout Texas and the rest of the country, many mainstream or award-winning books have been labeled as obscene, particularly childrens books that promote tolerance for LGBTQ people.

Many of the suggestions Abbott has made already exist in state laws or regulations. A constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote of both the Texas House and Texas Senate, plus voter approval. Republicans do not hold a supermajority in the state Legislature, so they would need to win over Democratic votes to pass a constitutional amendment.

The school voucher plan would be separate from the constitutional amendment, a spokeswoman for Abbott said in an email, so it could be passed with a majority vote in both chambers of the Legislature.

Monday nights event was held at PicaPica Plaza in South San Antonio, in the district of Rep. John Lujan, who won his seat in a special election last fall. Lujan is the first Republican to ever hold the Bexar County seat, and his win represented a significant victory for the GOP as it hopes to build support among Hispanic voters statewide.

There were about 150 people at the event. A food truck served tacos on paper plates, and dozens of people were still waiting in line for food even as Abbott took the stage.

A Mariachi band performed before the speakers started, and supporters waved Parents Matter signs that were painted with red and green letters on white card stock, evocative of the Mexican flag.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
BRACKETTVILLE  After spending eight months in a Texas prison, Lester Hidalgo Aguilar walked into a small-town community center near the United States-Mexico border this week and waited for his trial to begin.

Sitting in a vast, warehouse-like chamber, he listened for hours as a team of attorneys winnowed down a jury pool of about 75 local residents to six. After a lunch break, Aguilar, the jury and a swarm of county employees and attorneys from across the state moved into the local courthouse to hold trial.

The court proceeding was a big event in this 1,600-person town in Kinney County, a rural border region about 100 miles west of San Antonio. With the popular local restaurant closed, a gas station clerk had to step behind the counter of the Subway during the courthouse lunch rush to help an overwhelmed employee whose co-workers were part of the jury pool.

In another time or place, such a spectacle wouldnt be thought of for a case like Aguilars. After all, the 39-year-old was accused only of a misdemeanor: trespassing on private ranch land.

But this case was unique among trespassing charges. Aguilar was the first migrant to stand trial in Gov. Greg Abbotts catch-and-jail initiative under Operation Lone Star, a multibillion-dollar border security crackdown launched last March in response to a sharp rise in illegal immigration.

In an attempt to deter border crossings, state police have arrested more than 3,000 men in Kinney County on trespassing charges since July. The county accounts for the vast majority of Operation Lone Stars trespassing arrests, with migrants typically picked up on its many hunting ranches or at a remote railyard.

The mass arrests, funneled through the court system of a town used to handling a few dozen misdemeanors a year, caused a litany of problems. Errors and delays by the local prosecutor and judge have led to illegal detentions, and the trespassing initiative has led to constitutional challenges in both state and federal courts. Other pieces of Operation Lone Star have faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike over deaths of Texas National Guard members and its ever increasing price tag.

Out of Kinney Countys more than 3,100 reported trespassing arrests through April, 860 men have pleaded guilty, typically after spending weeks or months in prison before their first court appearance. But Aguilars was the first trespassing case to go to trial, and the county wasnt taking any chances.

A large swath of local residents was called in to find six jurors. Three prosecutors sat on the bench at trial, and a fourth often stood up from the first row of public seating to whisper into their ears. And the case was heard by the areas felony-level judge, not the Kinney County judge, who typically handles misdemeanor cases.

Aguilar was arrested in September about 15 miles from the Texas-Mexico border. U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted him and more than a dozen other men walking in the remote ranch land and called in the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest the men under their new trespassing enforcement orders, according to the arrest report.

I dont think I ever have been as impassioned about trying a case in a long time, Tony Hackebeil, a San Antonio attorney who led the prosecution for Kinney County, told jurors about the low-level charge Monday.

Send that message, he added. Send the message to not just your community that you agree this should not be allowed to happen. But send a message as loud as you can to all of those people who are continually doing this. We just happened to pick Lester Hidalgo Aguilar.

Aguilars court-appointed defense attorney, Bryan Owens, pressed the jury to remember the migrants case was not about immigration laws or border enforcement.

A guilty verdict is not going to deter even one person from trying to cross the border, the attorney said.

This case was only about Aguilar trespassing, he argued, and the state couldnt prove Aguilar had breached a fence to enter private property. Owen also pointed out that the woman pressing charges was not the landowner, but the landowners sister.

Still, six jurors, all of whom had Spanish surnames, found Aguilar guilty of trespassing on a fenced ranch land Monday evening after deliberating for less than 20 minutes.

During jury selection Monday morning, the most vocal residents made clear they were sick of an increase in migrants crossing their properties. Some told attorneys their fences had been cut or gates left open, letting their livestock out. One woman reported her sisters house had been broken into. A man said his cattle were killed. And a handful expressed a general dislike of illegals.

After the jury was discharged, the Honduran national told the court that he was brought to the United States by his family when he was 6 and was raised in Florida. After a stint in jail in his early 20s, he said he was given the choice of voluntarily going back to Honduras or extended probation, and he left.

There, Aguilar said, he became a family man, eventually fathering five children. But he was forced to flee from political persecution about five years ago, he said, and sought asylum in Mexico. He was trying to stay in Mexico five years to gain citizenship so he could more easily apply for a visa into the United States, he said. But he fled to Texas after four years because he said he was being targeted by cartels.

While the judge weighed an appropriate jail sentence for his conviction, Aguilar showed what he said was a machete-inflicted scar on his forehead. He raised his hands to reveal only nine fingers, explaining his pinkie was taken when he was kidnapped and tortured by cartel operatives.

State District Judge Roland Andrade gave Aguilar the maximum punishment for trespassing: a year in jail. But, against the wishes of the three prosecutors on the bench, Andrade declined to issue an accompanying fine, the maximum of which would be $4,000.

By Monday, Aguilar had already served about eight months of that jail sentence in the two state prisons Abbott cleared out to make room for Operation Lone Star arrestees. The migrant had remained in jail before trial, unable to post $1,500 in cash to bond out.

But it was not immediately clear how much longer Aguilar will actually serve. Many counties offer good time credit for misdemeanor jail sentences. In Kinney County, inmates are given a credit of three days for every one that is served, essentially turning a year sentence into four months in jail. But the sheriff was unsure how that would transfer to migrant detainees, as they are held in state prisons, not his jail.

Whenever Aguilar is released, Owens assured the court the end result will be the same. After a costly imprisonment and extensive trial procedure, he said the Honduran migrant will be deported.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
About 10,000 people gathered at the Freedom Bridge for a two-mile march Jan. 19, 1987. Residents of all races walked side-by-side with public officials in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Then-Mayor Henry Cisneros recalled looking back on the hill, near the Coleman Railroad Bridge Underpass, to see what hes called the best perspective of humanity.

When Cisneros formed the MLK City/County Commission in 1986, he chose community advocates to lead 13 committees. But when it came to naming the chair of the commission, several community advocates made a case for why they should hold the title. One such candidate was the Rev. Raymond A. Callies, who had led walks with family and friends on East Side streets.

Cisneros would select Aaronetta Pierce  whose resume included a tremendous sense of history about the African American community, accessibility to young people and a pinnacle of respect across San Antonio.

Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

On ExpressNews.com: The humble, and disputed, roots of the MLK march

The commission brought civil rights icon Rosa Parks to the march. Members also worked with VIA to resurrect a bus from the 1950s that Parks and other participants, including State Rep. Lou Nelle Sutton, would ride during the city-wide MLK March. Pierce visited local churches and invited congregations to build interest in the celebration.

I can tell you without a doubt that the modern version of the MLK March is because of Aaronettas original vision, Cisneros said. Aaronetta made it a broad endeavor that began with Dr. Kings leadership advocacy but extended to issues of broad justice, opportunity and gratitude from the entire community. Its one of my favorite manifestations of San Antonios sense of justice and inclusion. This march is evidence of it, and Aaronetta is the one who started it all.

For more than four decades, Pierce has advocated for African American art, the Black community and inclusiveness. Shes served on more than 30 national, state and local boards that include the San Antonio Museum Association, Fisk University Board of Trustees and the San Antonio Spurs Foundation. In 1988, Cisneros also chose Pierce as chair of the San Antonio Blue Ribbon Committee on the Arts.

On ExpressNews.com: Historical photos of San Antonios MLK March on display to honor longtime photographer Allee Wallace

Among her accolades are inductions into the San Antonio Womens Hall of Fame and the Texas Womens Hall of Fame. In 2007, Pierce was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the United Communities of San Antonio for promoting respect and understanding among all religions, races and cultures. She was also awarded the Girl Scout Trefoil Award as an exemplar for girls.

Courtesy / Courtesy

Pierce and her husband, Dr. Joseph A. Pierce Jr., live in a North Side townhome adorned with African American art and literature that reflect their passion. Framed portraits of their sons, Joseph Pierce and Michael Pierce, and their families line glass shelves. Bookcases swell with volumes by Black authors that Joe Pierce, a retired anesthesiologist, began collecting 30 years ago. Among the collection is Roots, by Alex Haley, who they met through a mutual friend, poet and playwright Maya Angelou.

Francine Prosser-Johnson, 63, grew up keenly aware of Pierces impact and influence. Pierce knew her parents, who taught Prosser-Johnson there is a requirement to make change happen. The chief operating officer for South Texas Center for Pediatric Care said Pierce often works behind the scenes, offering knowledge and a sense of history to young African American women.

She is never afraid to be the loudest voice in the room about what is right or equitable, Prosser-Johnson said. When I see her, she gives me an example of which to follow.

Born in Somerville, Tennessee, Pierce was 6 when her family moved to Nashville during the Jim Crow era, which she called an apartheid-like period. Still, Pierce said she witnessed greatness every day in her community, where she saw teachers, physicians, journalists and the first Black female surgeon.

Charles Barksdale / San Antonio Express-News

She grew up within walking distance of historically Black colleges and universities Meharry Medical College, Fisk University and Tennessee State University. Pierce recalled sitting in the front row at Tennessee State auditorium watching plays and concerts that included pianist Arthur Rubinstein and contralto Marian Anderson.

Her parents, Clementine Lofties Hamilton and David Aaron Hamilton, stressed the importance of education. At age 16, she attended Tennessee State University, where her father was dean of the school of agriculture. From 1959 to 1961, she studied French and then transferred to the University of Iowa, where she obtained a bachelors in English and social science.

Our lives were so rich, and that is what grounds our values, Pierce said. The richness of our legacy is so important for African Americans to know. That is what makes your back strong, what gives you dignity. For all of us here, some of our ancestors survived so we can do whatever we can do. Therefore its a joy, its not a hobby, its not a job, but a commitment so my people will be as strong and proud as anyone, against all odds.

Pierce met her husband in 1960 when Joe Pierce was a student at Meharry. They shared a love of art and growing up in communities of Black colleges.

They married in 1964. After graduation, Joe enlisted in the Army, and the couple moved to San Antonio for his three-year residency at Brooke General Hospital. During those years, Pierce taught at Riley Elementary, now Martin Luther King Academy.

Retired psychiatry professor Dr. Leonard E. Lawrence, 84, has known the Pierces since 1969 while assigned to Wilford Hall Medical Center as chief of psychiatry. They shared a capacity to plan ahead, and each, in their way, wanted to be helpful to the East Side community as a whole.

Its a commitment that originated within her family system  not by overt command but by demonstration, Lawrence said.

In 1980, Pierce volunteered as a docent at the San Antonio Museum of Art after her husband saw an ad in the paper and suggested she apply for a position.

Their first investment in African American art had been the purchase of four originals by artist John Biggers, who founded the art department at Texas Southern University, where Joes father had served as president. The artist became their inspiration and taught them about African American art.

JERRY LARA, STAFF / San Antonio Express-News

The role at the museum was a perfect mix of art and teaching. It was also a revelation. A girl stopped Pierce while escorting a middle-school class of African American students on a tour through the 19th-century portrait art gallery.

Theres something wrong in here, Ms. Pierce, the girl said. There are no Black people on the walls in this building anywhere.

That moment jolted Pierce.

I was proud to be working with the arts, Pierce said. Then I realized we send our children to museums by bus, not by choice. We reinforce their inferiority by saying this is a magnificent place, and by the way, youre not included  only as visitors. Its an injustice to Black children and to other children.

As a museum board member, Pierce was influential in bringing the first survey exhibition of African American art to San Antonio. In 1987, the exhibit Hidden Heritage: Afro-American Art, 1800-1950, curated by David Driskell  known as the dean of African American art, was featured.

Pierce said the little girls curiosity made her realize the importance of exhibiting African American art in museums for everyone to see. In 1990, they founded Premiere Artworks to showcase Black authors and artists across the nation.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamos ties to slavery stir debate; 'We want the truth ... But it needs to be the truth'

Now, Pierce is one of three tri-chairs of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee.

The story of slavery is analogous to the beginning of the Republic of Texas, Pierce said, and it must be recognized in order to understand how Texas became the biggest producer of cotton.

The Pierces work is a continuation of their ancestors legacy that education and knowledge are power. Pierce lives by a saying of Angelou, her close friend: History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived; but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

vtdavis@express-news.net
When the Alamo Colleges District board voted April 19 to uphold the firing of a tenured professor, it ended a murky argument over his two salaries that had raged for months.

But the firing also cemented the end of a 25-year relationship between San Antonio College and the Texas Academic Decathlon, a high school competition that moved this year to the University of the Incarnate Word.

The fired professor, Rickey Hopkins  who is also the executive director of the nonprofit that runs the decathlon  said he still cant fathom why SAC didnt try to keep the prestigious event.

The decathlons federal tax filings had labeled Hopkins side job a full-time position, which the college doesnt allow its full-time faculty to hold. Hopkins said that was a clerical error that he didnt notice for years.

The unanimous vote to finalize Hopkins termination, effective Nov. 21, came after he made his final appeal arguments in a public hearing. It ended his 35 years at SAC teaching court reporting.

He has never reported that he had full-time outside employment, states the termination recommendation signed by SAC President Robert Vela, Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Linda Boyer-Owens and Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores.

In addition, he has used College District property and resources, including SACs address as the business address of the Texas Academic Decathlon, it states.

Hopkins argued that college and district officials knew and approved of his job with the decathlon, which began in 2015, though he had worked on the event at SAC for years before that, beginning in 1996.

For one thing, Hopkins was given a pass from teaching classes in the spring semester for several years after he became executive director, so he could work on the event.

He pointed to amendments to the decathlons IRS reports made after his termination and letters from the organizations board as evidence that the job was part time, not full time.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this termination was the fact that the president of San Antonio College did not ask me directly about this, Hopkins told the board. This could have all been avoided by speaking man to man instead of relying on mediators.

Alamo Colleges and SAC officials declined to be interviewed on the firing and could not immediately confirm how many years SAC had hosted the decathlon.

In a written statement, however, they indicated that the decathlons paperwork problems werent limited to IRS forms.

The college district has a process for outside organizations to use its facilities and never had a signed agreement for the Texas Academic Decathlon to be housed or operated year-round at San Antonio College, the statement said.

Well before the firing, there seemed less enthusiasm about keeping the event at SAC after Vela became the colleges president, said Kathy Rollo, the head of the decathlons governing board.

On ExpressNews.com: Breathtaking and surreal: SAC wins Aspen Prize as top U.S. community college

The previous president of San Antonio College, they were very supportive of the Texas Academic Decathlon, said Rollo, who is the Lubbock Independent School Districts superintendent. My understanding is that with the change of leadership at the community college, they wanted to part ways, and we dont really know why.

Hopkins said the nonprofit and UIW officials are working on a draft memorandum of understanding to keep the event at the university. When it was held there in February, the university was very welcoming, Rollo said, visiting with participants, speaking at the event and offering scholarships.

Now, the firing, the termination, of Mr. Hopkins, that definitely was a shock to all of us, Rollo said.

Smartest kids in the state

In his appeal, Hopkins pointed out that the Texas Academic Decathlon had been held at SAC since 1996. He was first tapped to help on a volunteer basis that year by Robert Zeigler, at the time the colleges interim president, and it wasnt until 2015 that he became its executive director, Hopkins said.

I want to thank you for your helping to host the Small School Academic Decathlon, read a letter Zeigler sent him Feb. 28, 1997. Your efforts provided a wonderful experience for a number of deserving high school students.

Hopkins presented similar letters from campus staff through the years and district reports as recent as 2019 acknowledging the competition taking place at the college.

The program has grown to host about 350 students who compete as teams in a 10-event scholastic competition focusing on a different topic each year. They win medals, scholarships and recognition for mastering the subject.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo Colleges free tuition now pitched to 47 high schools

Hopkins began receiving release hours during spring semesters to coordinate the event  credit hours he wasnt required to teach  and was allowed to use his work email, phone and even campus space for decathlon purposes, he said.

He was assigned regular workloads for the fall and summer semesters, he said, when the event was not being coordinated on campus.

The district confirmed Hopkins received nine to 15 hours of release time, meaning he didnt have to teach three to five courses, in the spring semesters of 2016 through 2020.

In an interview, Hopkins said he wasnt made aware of any issue with his work for the decathlon prior to being summoned in November to Velas office, where the college president, human resources staff and campus police were ready to make his termination official.

The decathlon was bringing 360 of the smartest kids in the state to the campus, Hopkins said. In addition to that, it was bringing 100 faculty members from those high schools, who had exposure to far more than 360 of the brightest (students), who could talk about San Antonio College and what a beautiful campus it is.

Not all would be looking to start their higher education at a community college, Hopkins said, but some might  and theyd know about SAC, which made the event a great thing for the college.

In 2015, Hopkins said, he reported to SAC officials that he had been offered a part-time job as the decathlons state executive director, overseeing 12 regional directors. He took the job in 2016 and has led the coordination of the annual decathlon since.

If you check with other state directors throughout the United States, all of them are part time, Hopkins said. Theres not a single full-time state director anywhere in the United States, and that includes the state director for California, which has the largest program.

While the part-time work mostly could be done on nights and weekends, the oversight of hosting the event at SAC justified the release hours, he said.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

Rollo said Hopkins job with the decathlon has never been full time. It gets busy during competition season, but most of the time, it is quite quiet, she said.

Hopkins gathered letters to that effect from other board members, including Northside ISD Superintendent Brian Woods, who sent an email to Flores, the Alamo Colleges chancellor.

The board members were clear that Rick had a full-time job at the Alamo Colleges and we believed that the Academic Decathlon work could be accomplished part time, Woods wrote. We also created a compensation package that reflected the part-time nature of the work.

Hopkins compensation in 2020 from the decathlon was almost $80,000. Rollo said the pay was for a part-time job with no benefits.

Hopkins said his salary as a SAC professor has varied over the past few years. He said he earned $82,793 in 2021 and $79,510 in 2020.

But the salary the decathlon chose to pay him and how much it added to his teaching pay are not the question, Hopkins said. The college had a problem with the hours.

We dont take a vow of poverty to become a teacher, Hopkins said. Theres nothing wrong with supplementing our income. And yes, I am paid very well by the decathlon.

A bigger mistake

Because Hopkins had tenure, a panel of 12 faculty members and two administrators reviewed his appeal in February. It voted 7-4 to deny it.

Only after he was fired, the college districts lawyer noted, did Hopkins send the IRS amended financial statements since 2016 changing the 40 hours reported to 20 hours.

We are not disputing that he did a great job moving the decathlon to a great level, but he did it at our expense, at the college districts expense, by working full time, Roxella Cavazos, the districts associate general counsel, told the board.

Cavazos also brought up Hopkins pay increases from the decathlon over the years. In 2016 and 2017, he reported earning $70,000, the IRS filings show. In 2018 he earned $75,000, in 2019 it was $78,750, and in 2020, it was $79,775.

Those figures are correct, Hopkins said.

His appeal included a letter from ADKF, an accounting firm based in San Antonio that prepared the IRS statements, saying Hopkins predecessor had been a full-time employee in 2015 and the forms the firm prepared through 2020 didnt note the change to part time when Hopkins took over.

We have amended the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Forms 990s to reflect the change from 40 hours to 20 hours, the letter states. IRS regulations will not allow the amendments for the 2015-2017 returns. Therefore we cannot make the change for those years.

Hopkins said he blames himself for not alerting the accounting firm that he was working part time.

The former director, she was full time. Then, when I took over and I submitted the documents to my auditor, they just took the information from that and ran with it, Hopkins said. And they trusted me that the document I gave them to refer to was correct. I never thought about that at all. At all.

Obviously in hindsight, it was a bigger mistake than I thought.

The Texas Academic Decathlon has grown under Hopkins leadership, and its board has complete confidence in him, Rollo said.

Since he has taken over, the organization has not only thrived, but we transitioned quickly during COVID and were able to continue the program, she said. The organization is very sound fiscally, and he is responsible for that.

Hopkins now has an office at UIW. For the moment, hes not teaching court reporting, a well-paid, high-demand skill and a potential life-changer for students that he hopes SAC and other colleges dont take for granted, he said.

He was surprised that the Alamo Colleges board rejected his appeal, but added, Ive come to grips with it.

Ive moved on and Im perfectly happy with what Im doing at UIW. They are very welcoming of the program, Hopkins said. So who knows, maybe this is all for the best.

danya.perez@express-news.net | @DanyaPH
The Edwards Aquifers level is the lowest it has been since 2018, and without significant rain, it will continue to drop through the spring and into the summer.

On Tuesday, the Edwards Aquifer Authority marked the aquifer at 646.4 feet, nearly 15 feet below whats considered a healthy and sustainable level. Since the beginning of the year, the San Antonio region has not received enough rain to keep the aquifer level stable. Although some small storms have filled the underground karst system with recharge, drought conditions have prevented the aquifer from rebounding completely.

Weve been fortunate the last few years to have decent rainfall, and its not infrequent for it to fall into Stage 1 or Stage 2 for at least part of the summer, said Paul Bertetti, senior director of aquifer science and modeling at the Edwards Aquifer Authority, referring to the levels of restrictions implemented to conserve water. But what is a little bit unusual is that were in Stage 2 so early in the year, without any anticipated rainfall.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio implements Stage 2 water restrictions

The last time the Edwards Aquifer was much lower than 646 feet, San Antonio had experienced one of the worst droughts  which spanned 2011 to about 2014  since the drought of record in the 1950s. Today, meteorological conditions, such as the weather patterns caused by the atmospheric phenomenon La Nina, suggest that this year is likely to be drier than average and that the aquifer could be more stressed.

As a result, Bertetti expects the aquifers level to drop further, possibly requiring Stage 3 drought restrictions to be implemented by mid-May. For the Edwards Aquifer Authority, 640 feet triggers Stage 3 restrictions, meaning water authorities, such as the San Antonio Water System, would have to reduce usage by 35 percent, compared to a 30 percent reduction required during Stage 2 restrictions, which the city is under.

Meanwhile, SAWS has other means to possibly avoid having to implement Stage 3 restrictions, such as pulling from its underground aquifer storage and recovery reservoir, said Karen Guz, director of water conservation for SAWS.

The reservoir, which stores billions of gallons of excess water during wetter times, can be used during times of drought to prevent the water system from imposing harsher watering rules on San Antonio residents. SAWS said it would begin pumping from it on Monday.

SAWS has also diversified its water sources, reducing its reliance on the Edwards Aquifer. Other sources include the Carrizo Aquifer, Trinity Aquifer and Canyon Lake.

Residents should be concerned enough to follow their watering regulations, like watering once a week and such, Guz said. But they definitely dont need to worry that theyll run out of water, like water that they need for their homes or businesses. Thatll be there.

On ExpressNews.com: How do scientists measure the Edwards Aquifer?

Watering on designated week days is also better for SAWS infrastructure, since dry and hot conditions lead to more main breaks. Drying soils can contract against underground water pipes, causing issues in areas that normally dont have them.

Overall, its hard to predict what the year will look like, Bertetti said. The next couple months are typically when San Antonio gets the most rain. How much rain falls in May and June will determine how far the aquifer falls.

The aquifer can typically recover by midsummer as farmers harvest their crops around the Fourth of July and pump much less water than they do during spring. Still, Bertetti said its a long way to July and that Edwards Aquifer users, such as Bexar County residents, should be prepared for continued conservation and watering rules.

This has happened in San Antonio before when weve had unusually dry spring and summer periods, Guz said. And weve gotten through those times remarkably well.

Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net
The lack of communication between Texas child welfare agency and its juvenile justice system puts foster care children at risk, Texas foster care watchdogs said in a court filing after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a Bastrop shelter had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.

The watchdogs also expressed concern over whether Texas Department of Family and Protective Services fully investigated allegations that the same caretaker had trafficked children before and that she was dating another victims former trafficker.

The Refuge, a foster care facility for victims of sex trafficking in Bastrop, has come under fire in the last several weeks after a former employee, Iesha Greene, was accused of soliciting and selling nude photos of children in her care. The watchdogs, appointed by a federal judge to monitor Texas long-term foster care system as part of an 11-year-old lawsuit, are independently reviewing the situation. Greene has not been arrested. Attempts to contact Greene for comment have been unsuccessful.

The court monitors said they are particularly concerned that Greene was hired after being fired for misconduct at a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility, as The Texas Tribune previously reported. The Refuge leaders did not know about her history of misconduct because they didnt verify her previous employment with TJJD.

The state requires state-licensed child care facilities to conduct a criminal background check on all prospective employees but does not require them to verify all former employers before hiring new staff.

In last Wednesdays court filing, the monitors said the fact that Greene was hired at The Refuge despite being previously fired and barred from future employment at TJJD revealed gaps in reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation to the Texas Register that pose a significant risk to foster children.

The monitors pointed out that there were more than 100 findings of abuse or excessive use of force by staff in state and county facilities each year between 2019 and 2021. But those findings are not shared in a state database, meaning employees fired for abuse or neglect in that system can find employment serving children elsewhere  such as at a foster care facility.

This is deeply concerning, the monitors wrote. Because the agency does not report substantiated findings to the Texas Registry, a state or county juvenile justice employee who has abused a child in their care will only appear in the Texas Registry if they were also arrested or prosecuted for the abuse.

The monitors also said they encountered barriers to reviewing certain interviews related to the events at The Refuge. While the monitors have been granted access to several video interviews of children previously housed at the shelter, they said they havent had access to others and many of their questions remain unanswered.

In particular, the monitors said they had more questions after reviewing a half-page summary of one of the videos, which detailed an interview conducted by a child advocacy center with one girl at The Refuge. The child said Greenes boyfriend had trafficked her at least two years prior to the interview and that Greene was also a trafficker. Those accusations emerged during a Senate committee hearing in March.

The girl said she saw Greene collecting money from young girls, in an area in Austin known for criminal activity, according to the summary. The girl said she was afraid that Greene and her boyfriend would retaliate against her for revealing that information to investigators.

The monitors said its unclear how Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has responded to some of the allegations in the interviews with The Refuge residents, or whether the agency has fully examined all available evidence to emerge from them.

The monitors said DFPS responded to their request for a video of the interview saying the agency couldnt provide it because Bastrop County Sheriffs Office had the recording. DFPS officials said the sheriffs office responded that the video is unrelated to what happened at The Refuge and is part of an ongoing criminal investigation, Wednesdays court filing said. DPFS said it hadnt reviewed the footage either and couldnt confirm whether the Texas Rangers, who are also investigating the situation at The Refuge, had done so.

The monitors said DFPS investigators should have interviewed the child themselves to assess her claims that Greenes boyfriend was a former trafficker. They also noted that the half-page report doesnt say when the childs allegations first surfaced.

The half-page document fails to include information related to anything [The Refuge victim] may have conveyed as to who she made her outcry to at The Refuge  and when she made the outcry, the monitors wrote. Both are critical for determining whether The Refuge  should have reported the outcry and if so, when.

The monitors say even the short summary of the interview reveals concerns.

While law enforcement, rather than DFPS, would investigate the underlying allegations related to [the victims] trafficker and whether [Greene] sold drugs in Austin, [the victim] herself touched on an issue that DFPS could appropriately have investigated: whether information supported [the victims] claim that [Greenes] boyfriend (or someone associated with her boyfriend) was [the victims] trafficker and, if so, how The Refuge came to hire someone associated with a trafficker to supervise victims of trafficking.

Interviewing the child or at least viewing the recorded interview would be critical to this inquiry, the monitors wrote.

Ongoing investigations reveal significant safety concerns related to care provided to children at The Refuge prior to the suspension of its license, the monitors wrote in their report. There are troubling lapses in [DFPS] investigation into those safety concerns.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
More federal funds are on the way to protect San Antonio residents from getting evicted amid skyrocketing property values and inflation.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $20 million grant that will be distributed to nonprofit organizations and governmental bodies in areas with high eviction or prospective eviction rates across the country.

One of the recipients: the Alamo City.

We were notified this morning and are working with our partners on an approach to utilize this grant, said Elizabeth Mercado, spokeswoman for the San Antonio Neighborhood & Housing Services Department.

Roughly 95,000 households in Bexar County are having an increasingly hard time making ends meet, putting them at risk of being priced out of their houses or apartments, according to city estimates.

San Antonio tied with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Legal Services of New Jersey, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation and West Tennessee Legal Services for the largest award: $2.4 million. The remaining disbursements ranged from $1 million to $2.2 million.

The new HUD grant doubles the funding initially allotted to the departments Eviction Protection Grant Program when it was announced in November, three months after the federal eviction moratorium instated due to the pandemic ended Aug. 26. The funds will subsidize legal assistance for low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction, according to a HUD news release. They have been earmarked for 11 entities, mostly legal services providers.

We need to keep doing all that we can to help people maintain quality housing, Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said in the release. We know that access to legal services and eviction diversion programs works. It helps people avoid evictions and protects tenants rights. Legal services also help landlords access available resources to address rent arrears.

In response to the developing crisis, city officials included a $150 million housing affordability proposition in this years $1.2 billion bond program. The entire program passed Saturday, though the housing affordability proposition seemed to be most divisive among voters.

While the same costs are also rising in other big Texas cities such as Dallas, Austin and Houston, San Antonio is uniquely ill-equipped to address the fallout because of its widespread poverty and dearth of affordable housing infrastructure, according to Henry Cisneros, former mayor and HUD secretary.

Mercado said San Antonios share of the funds would be put toward expanding the citys Right to Counsel pilot, which she described as a partnership with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) and San Antonio Legal Services Association (SALSA.)

The goal of the Right to Counsel program is to reduce the number of evictions through legal advice and counsel, Mercado said. There is high demand for these services, and this grant will support outreach efforts, and the hiring of additional attorney and non-attorney staff, including navigators who operating full time out of the Justice of the Peace courts.

caroline.tien@hearst.com
Access Denied is the perfect name for San Antonio Express-News reporter Laura Garcias ongoing series on health disparities in the southernmost third of the county.

The area encompasses what we consider the citys South Side, the historic West Side and parts of the East Side, where Mexican Americans make up big swaths of the population.

What they also have in common is poverty, poor educational outcomes, lower income levels and lack of transportation.

Fewer have insurance coverage, thus arent accustomed to the ridiculous complexities of the nations health care system.

They lacked good coronavirus information in English and Spanish, werent as rapidly tested or vaccinated and couldnt help flatten the curve.

More of these residents were on the front lines and couldnt work remotely. They were exposed to the virus and suffered more than people from the countys richer northern sectors.

Garcias investigative journalism has made an impact.

Bexar County, for example, is using maps created for the series to change its approach.

To me, these two maps are a sort of visual mission statement for this new department that Im forming, said Bexar County Manager David Smith last week when he announced an initiative to revamp health care in outlying areas. It is to try and make these healthcare outcomes more evenly distributed throughout our community.

Bexar County will reorganize about 16 health-related county functions, put them under one structure and hire a county public health director for a new initiative that will cost $2 million a year in pandemic relief funds.

Garcias first piece was published April 24, the second on Sunday. A third and final installment will be published May 22.

Born in Pearsall, because her hometown of Cotulla had no hospital, Garcia grew up on the Southwest Side of San Antonio, was trained by the mighty San Antonio College journalism department and ultimately graduated from Texas State University, another great producer of Texas journalists.

She collaborated with data reporter Libby Seline, with support from the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, where Garcia was a 2021 national fellow.

USC will be a partner in an Access Denied community engagement health fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 28 at the Wesley Health and Wellness Center, 1406 Fitch St.

Access Denied describes an inadequate, broken health care system that ravaged areas where poor people of color already suffered from chronic conditions exacerbated by COVID, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

In one ZIP code on the South Side, Access Denied found a death rate 16 times higher compared to a zip code on the North Side.

Garcia told the Texas Standard the COVID mortality rate in parts of the South Side is double that of Bexar County, the state of Texas and the nation.

Mass vaccination sites were set up downtown and on the North Side  none on the southern end of the county. One of Garcias most powerful sentences: It didnt matter that they were free.

Today, in one North Side ZIP code, 99 percent of its eligible residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 compared to ZIP codes on the South Side, where about 50 percent of residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.

Its not an accident, but the result of more than a century of segregation followed by decades of redlining.

Many politicians, public servants and medical experts referred to the health care system as broken, and that the pandemic highlighted those problems.

At the time, I agreed that the crisis landed on top of an existing one, and as one doctor said, making a broken system worse.

But if theres an epilogue to this series, its this:

The health care system isnt broken. Its working exactly as intended, said political scientist Alicia Reyes-Barrientez, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.

It wasnt designed to care for the sickest or poorest, she said. The health care system was designed to provide optimal care to certain people. Its a racialized institution. We have to think of the health care system in that way.

Money and connections, plus healthcare insurance, those give you the best odds of getting you optimal healthcare in this country. Years of research shows this, Reyes-Barrientez said.

So, its not about reforming the health care system, though those in it are likely to protest.

Health care needs to be completely redone, she said. It has never cared about black and brown people.

This is a part of a much larger system in which we live, and why the president changes but the status quo remains.

Thats why so many people who are frustrated dont vote, Reyes-Barrientez said. They dont believe voting will change anything.

Do I vote? she said. Religiously. Do I think voting will create the radical change we need? Absolutely not.

At least 5,320 people in Bexar County have died because of COVID-19. In the United States, the number of deaths recently reached 1 million.

Its estimated each death affected nine close relatives, the Washington Post reported, thus 9 million in mourning.

Thats an awfully conservative number.

eayala@express-news.net
Re: Abbott wants to ban public ed for unauthorized immigrants, Metro, Friday:

Gov. Greg Abbott continued his re-election campaign on Thursday by announcing that he would seek to overturn a 1982 court decision obligating public schools to educate all children, including undocumented immigrants. This continues his efforts to deny state benefits for many thousands of Texas children.

Texas has more children with no health insurance than any other state, yet Abbott has consistently refused to accept expanded Medicaid for them, with the federal government paying 90 percent of the cost. And all this while spending billions of taxpayer dollars in futile attempts to politicize the Texas border with Mexico, resulting in thousands of state troopers and National Guard soldiers standing around on the border with little to do (because they have no authority to police the border) or arresting migrants on state trespassing charges and keeping them in Texas jails.

This history of willingness to spend whatever it takes of state resources to support his political objectives instead of figuring out ways to improve the conditions for Texas children does not bode well for our state.

Russell A. Simpson

Screaming over injustice

Re: Access to abortion now facing dark future, Front Page, Wednesday:

Thank you for announcing to America and the world that women here should not be allowed to make their own health decisions  that we are not capable, intelligent or worthy in the eyes of this country to know what is best for us. I am screaming!

Sheila Stein

Art should be free

Re: Texas woman made an unusual find at Goodwill. It turned out to be a Julio-Claudian-era Roman bust. ExpressNews.com, Wednesday:

How truly shocking to find an ancient Roman bust at an Austin Goodwill for $34.99. Whats more shocking is that the woman who bought it had to give it back, after consulting lawyers and, I assume, racking up lawyer fees. Now it is at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and you can see it  for a price.

It was looted, apparently during World War II, and will be returned to Deutschland. It seems obscene to charge people to see a bust looted during WWII. This should be on display for all to see for free. Perhaps it should have just stayed at Goodwill; you could have at least seen it for free.

Shannon Deason
After substantial challenges from COVID-19 and complications emanating from a recent cyberattack, Lincoln College in central Illinois is closing its doors after more than 150 years.

As per CNN, Lincoln College had approximately 1,200 students as of summer 2021.

Lincoln College Announced Its Closure

As per the news story of NBC News, Lincoln College is set to lock its doors, making it the first college in the U.S. to close due to a ransomware incident.

The Illinois Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission have been notified that the college would close permanently on May 13, Engadget reported.

According to a goodbye statement on the school's website, the school survived both World Wars, the Spanish flu, and the Great Depression, but was unable to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak and a major ransomware incident in December that took months to resolve.

The Illinois school, which was founded on President Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1865 and is named after him, is one of only a few rural American colleges designated as mostly Black by the Department of Education.

A Ransomware Attack Targeted Lincoln College

Engadget added that while COVID-19 had a massive impact on processes like recruitment and fundraising, the educational institution's months-long ransomware incident looks to have been the tipping point.

Read More: New Ransomware Gang 'Black Basta' Emerges - Here's How To Fight Them

In December, Lincoln was hit by a cyberattack that "thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of fall 2022 enrollment."

The college stated on its website that systems for "recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable." Luckily, no personal or identifying information was stolen.

Once fully restored in March 2022, the projections displayed significant enrollment shortfalls, requiring a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester."

The college said it will assist students who are not graduating this term in transferring to another college.

Ransomware Attacks Still Prevalent Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

The closure highlights the toll that ransomware attacks may take, according to Kim Milford, director of the Research and Education Networks Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), a nonprofit industry body that helps member colleges collect and share information about cyberthreats.

He noted that Lincoln was not a member of the Research and Education Networks ISAC, NBC News has reported.

CNN mentioned that during the coronavirus outbreak, cybercriminals have shown little restraint in locking down the computer networks of schools and institutions across the U.S. According to cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, ransomware hit 62 school districts and 26 college and university campuses in 2021. "All told, ransomware incidents disrupted learning at more than 1,000 schools in the US in 2021," the report read.

It was reported that ransomware attacks can render entire computer networks useless in severe circumstances, which can have disastrous financial ramifications for victims who cannot afford to repair them.

Related Article: Sports Brand Mizuno Suffers Ransomware Attack, Orders Delayed: Is There A Way to Prevent Malware?
A Texas town elected a dead man as mayor this week.

Incumbent Palmhurst Mayor Ramiro Rodriguez Jr., 68, died on April 5 while seeking re-election to a position he had held since 1999. His name remained on Saturdays ballot.

You might also like: Karaoke video shows car slamming into Oasis Lounge on San Antonios North Side

According to Texas law, if a deceased candidates name has been certified by the secretary of state for placement on the ballot, then it cannot be removed without their authorization.

Rodriguez defeated challenger Israel Silva in the small town that is near McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley, receiving 320 votes to Silvas 234. The city will hold a special election for a new mayor soon.

Following his death in April, Rodriguez was praised for his services to Palmhurst, a small town of about 2,700 people.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar announced Rodriguezs death in a Facebook post.

It is with an especially heavy heart that I write to convey my deepest sympathy and most sincere condolences for the passing of Mayor Ramiro Rodriguez, Cuellar wrote.

Cuellar added: Mayor Rodriguez served South Texas with pride and dignity during his many years of service  he was known as a passionate public servant and was a pillar of the community. His contributions will always be remembered.

The Hidalgo County GOP wrote in an April 7 Twitter post: Thank you for your unforgettable service to your community and your exceptional leadership within the grassroots.

The Rio Grande Valley has lost one of the greatest conservatives leaders of our time.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
In a national TV appearance, Democratic candidate for governor Beto ORourke voiced support for lifting pandemic-related restrictions called Title 42 on the Texas border even though it could lead to a dramatic increase in border crossings.

Tuesday on ABCs The View, ORourke said he wants order and the rule of law at the border but said Title 42 was keeping people with legitimate asylum claims from getting into the U.S. for their day in court. He said hes spoken to Border Patrol officers who warn those people are making repeated attempts to come across, taking up even more of their time as they turn back the same people over and over without being able to determine the veracity of asylum claims.

When we lift Title 42 and when we can process and where appropriate detain people, especially those who may pose a danger to us, were going to be safer and were going to be following our own asylum laws, ORourke said.

Department of Homeland Security officials have said they could face up to 18,000 migrants a day at the border once Title 42 is lifted.

It didnt take long for Gov. Greg Abbotts campaign to blast ORourke for saying the surge in migrants would make the state safer. Abbott has made border security a top priority in the campaign, dispatching 10,000 National Guard troops and Department of Public Safety officers to the border.

Betos comments today in New York City supporting the ending of Title 42 once again demonstrates that he is completely out of touch with the crisis at the southern border, said Mark Miner, communications director for the Abbott campaign. The fact that Beto made these comments in New York City while appearing on The View is a direct slap in the face to law enforcement and local officials on the border who are working daily to keep Texans safe.

ORourke said he hopes lifting Title 42 will put political pressure on Congress to rewrite the nations immigration laws.

Earlier in his appearance on The View, ORourke slammed Abbott for trying to be more like Donald Trump on immigration, abortion rights and transgender children.

In Texas, you see Greg Abbott trying to mimic Donald Trump, ORourke said. Hes not trying to be governor of the state of Texas. Hes trying to get that pole position in the Republican presidential primary.

He later told host Joy Behar that Abbott is competing with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the title of being the nations worst governor.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
WASHINGTON  Texas Republicans are going all in on theories that tech companies such as Google and Twitter are censoring conservatives, a growing gripe on the right that experts say is largely unfounded.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo was the latest, tweeting Tuesday that Gmail is actively suppressing Republican fundraising pitches: ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Big Tech is out of CONTROL!!

Jacksons office pointed to a North Carolina State University study that found that GOP pitches were sent to Gmail spam filters at a higher rate than Democratic emails, the basis for a recent Federal Election Commission complaint filed by the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee alleging that Google is putting its thumb on the scale to benefit one partys candidates over another, in violation of federal law.

Sen. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, has recently talked about mysteriously gaining hundreds of thousands of followers after news broke that Elon Musk was buying Twitter.

Its almost like they turned off the shadow bans   Cruz tweeted.

THIS WEEK: Trevor Reeds father says Cruz didnt do anything to free his son from Russian prison

Theyre the latest salvos in a growing battle between Republicans and tech companies that they believe unfairly target those with their viewpoints. Musk became a hero to many on the right when he reached a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion, vowing to do away with the perceived censorship.

On Tuesday, Musk said he would allow former President Donald Trump back on the site when he takes the reins in the coming months. Trump, who has said he would not return to the platform, was banned after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Musk said that move alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice, the New York Times reported.

But experts in computer science and politics say the situation is much more complicated than Republicans are making it out to be.

Tech companies such as Twitter are trying to accomplish a tricky task of serving as a sort of public square while also monitoring for offensive content and weeding out hordes of fake accounts used to boost certain content. Google is constantly reworking its filters to try to serve up the emails its users need to see, while cutting down on junk.

And at the end of the day, they are for-profit companies trying to make money on data and advertisements.

I dont think theyre trying to do anything nefariously anti-Republican, because their moneys green too, said Chris Bronk, an expert in online geopolitics and an associate professor at the University of Houston.

Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has testified before the Senate and advised congressional offices on potential tech legislation, was more blunt.

Even by wacky QAnon-style conspiracy theories, Rep. Jacksons claims about Gmail are absurd, Farid said. Republicans continue to push the lie that social media is anti-conservative, despite study after study showing that conservative voices dominate social media, are favored by recommendation algorithms that promote their content over more central content and are given preferential treatment in terms of rule-breaking posts.

But Republicans have seized on the recent North Carolina State study as evidence theyre being targeted. The study looked at how Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo filtered email in the run-up to the 2020 election. The study found that Gmail marked 59 percent more emails from Republican candidates as spam than emails from Democrats. Outlook marked 20 percent more Democratic emails as spam, while Yahoo marked 14 percent more emails from Democratic candidates as spam.

Based on the studys findings, Republicans claimed that Googles spam filtering caused their candidates to miss out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle.

A Google spokesperson said mail classifications are based on user behavior and feedback, rather than senders. The company has training resources and help centers meant to assist campaigns reach would-be supporters.

Political affiliation has absolutely no bearing on mail classifications in Gmail, and weve debunked this suggestion, which has surfaced periodically from across the political spectrum, for many years, the company said in a statement. Mail classifications in Gmail automatically adjust to match Gmail users preferences and actions. Gmail users can move messages to spam, or to any other category. Gmail automatically adjusts the classifications of particular emails according to these user actions.

Gmail and Twitter are different platforms that operate in significantly different ways, but both have algorithms they use to sift through content, said Dan Wallach, a Rice University professor of computer science and of electrical and computer engineering. The companies keep the algorithms secret, in part to avoid giving spammers a road map for circumventing them, he said.

Determining whether there is bias built into those algorithms is virtually impossible without access to the algorithms, as well as the data theyre filtering  all of the Republican and Democratic fundraising pitches in the case of Gmail, for instance.

Exactly nobody is going to give you all the Democratic data, all the Republican data and inside access to Google  nobody has that, Wallach said.

As for the North Carolina State study, he said, they had none of those things, and thats going to limit what they can accomplish.

Twitter, meanwhile, is trying to weed out huge armies of fake accounts that tweet and retweet content, often to boost a certain message or viewpoint, Wallach said. That ongoing battle with robot farms, as Wallach put it, may well have a visible effect on how many followers a certain account has.

When Cruz found that he gained 200,000 followers in a matter of days, it may well have been that someone launched a new robot army, possibly one meant to piggyback on the announcement that Musk was buying Twitter, Wallach said.

I find it unlikely that 200,000 people spontaneously subscribed to the senator from Texas, Wallach said. Those were robots, not people.

ben.wermund@chron.com
San Antonios hospitality industry is still climbing out of the hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but spring break revelers helped push March to a record.

The rebound is coming with planned construction of hotel rooms at the highest level in a decade.

The average occupancy rate during the first three months of this year was 60.6 percent, according to STR, a data firm that tracks the hospitality industry.

That was up from 49.9 during the same period in 2021 and 54 percent in 2020  but still below 66.4 percent during 2019s first quarter.

San Antonios hotels continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic, said Daryl Cronk, director of hospitality analytics, south, at CoStar Group.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio conventions are starting to return but uncertainty clouds outlook

Daytrippers and vacationers so far are driving the industrys rebound, and spring break travelers provided a welcome boost in March.

The average daily rate at hotels reached $144.60 in March alone, the highest monthly rate ever. The months occupancy rate was 72.6 percent, the highest since last summer.

Leisure travel related to spring break was the primary demand driver, Cronk said. But it was encouraging to see that both weekday occupancy and group occupancy in March reached their highest levels of the pandemic, suggesting the recovery in business travel is gaining momentum.

Hotel operators generated $321.7 million in revenue in the first quarter, up from $187.5 million a year earlier and $253.9 million two years ago but still lagging $335.6 million three years ago.

In March, unemployment in San Antonios leisure and hospitality industry  which employs as much as 13 percent of the citys workforce  fell for the first time since February 2021.

Courtesy of White Lodging

While there were 600 fewer employees in March, the sector had nearly rebounded from lows in spring 2020, at the start of the pandemic.

The spread of the omicron variant slowed business in January at Hotel Valencia downtown, but February and March were amazing months, said Stacy Seaborn, director of sales and marketing.

On ExpressNews.com: Omicron not slowing most hotels, restaurants  yet

If omicron hadnt happened, January, February and March would have been just a banner quarter, she said.

Leisure and business travelers both are returning, though there isnt quite as much pent-up demand as there had been, Seaborn said. Convention business is still lagging.

While COVID-19 is having less impact, staffing and getting flight routes back at San Antonio International Airport are continuing challenges.

Were going to continue to be a tier two city until we start getting more direct flights from major cities, Seaborn said.

Cronk said the coming months could be busy.

Leisure travel continues to perform well, business travel is improving and international travel has been slowly rebounding since the U.S. border restrictions were eased last November, he said.

Business travelers and convention attendees have been slower to return than leisure visitors. As of early March, Visit San Antonio, which markets the city to convention planners, had 327 meetings booked for 2022 with an estimated 460,664 attendees.

Thats far less than the 526 events with 574,842 attendees the organization scheduled in 2019, but an increase from 231 events with 242,979 attendees in 2021 and 160 events with 183,971 attendees in 2020.

Statewide, the hospitality industry is projected to end the year down about $1.2 billion in business travel revenue, 18.1 percent below 2019 levels, according to a report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Still, its not among the 10 states expected to end the year with the largest percentage declines. That list includes Wyoming, the District of Columbia, New York and Massachusetts.

On ExpressNews.com: From River Walks Hotel Contessa, GM Dan Waters predicts bright future for citys hospitality sector

While dwindling COVID-19 case counts and relaxed CDC guidelines are providing a sense of optimism for reigniting travel, this report underscores how tough it will be for many hotels and hotel employees to recover from years of lost revenue, said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the industry trade group.

In San Antonio, the pipeline of hotels in the works is increasing. About 1,432 hotel rooms are expected to be built this year, the highest number to be added in one year in the past decade.

The Bricton Group and Gettys Group Cos. of Chicago recently reopened a former Holiday Inn at 77 N.E. Loop 410 as a Marriott hotel after extensive renovations.

Another company, Merrillville, Ind.,-based White Lodging, recently resumed plans to overhaul the Marriott Plaza hotel across from Hemisfair downtown.

After renovations that will include upgrading guest and meeting rooms and adding a restaurant and bar, the 251-room hotel is anticipated to reopen in 2023 as The Otis Hotel San Antonio.

Starting this significant project reinforces the confidence we have in San Antonio as a destination, and the hospitality industrys recovery, said Jean-Luc Barone, CEO of hospitality management, in a statement.

madison.iszler@express-news.net


Trade Air has suspended its domestic flights operating under Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts after the Croatian government failed to conclude new ones with operators. The new agreements, involving twelve routes, were due to come into effect on May 1 and run until March 28, 2026. The Croatian government began tender procedures to select operating carriers back in November of last year. PSOs make European funds available for unprofitable, primarily domestic routes, which are considered vital for the economic development of the region they serve. The previous four-year contracts, held by Trade Air and Croatia Airlines, expired back in March 2020 but were extended until this May due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trade Air has suspended its domestic flights operating under Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts after the Croatian government failed to conclude new ones with operators. The new agreements, involving twelve routes, were due to come into effect on May 1 and run until March 28, 2026. The Croatian government began tender procedures to select operating carriers back in November of last year. PSOs make European funds available for unprofitable, primarily domestic routes, which are considered vital for the economic development of the region they serve. The previous four-year contracts, held by Trade Air and Croatia Airlines, expired back in March 2020 but were extended until this May due to the coronavirus pandemic.





The tendering process for the new PSO routes closed in late December 2021. The Croatian government has given no explanation for the delay nor when the contracts could be awarded. Trade Air has returned a Turbolet L-410 aircraft it has been wet-leasing for the short domestic routes. The value of the new PSO contracts has not been disclosed either. Under the previous deal, Croatia Airlines received roughly 11.4 million euros in annual compensation, while Trade Air approximately 2.5 million euros per year according to the European Commission. The routes which are subject to PSO funding are: Dubrovnik - Zagreb  Dubrovnik, Split - Zagreb - Split, Zagreb - Zadar - Pula - Zadar - Zagreb, Zagreb - Brac - Zagreb, Osijek - Dubrovnik - Osijek, Osijek - Split - Osijek, Osijek - Zagreb - Osijek, Rijeka - Split - Dubrovnik - Split - Rijeka, Osijek - Pula - Split - Pula - Osijek, Rijeka - Zadar - Rijeka and Osijek - Zadar - Osijek.





The airlines that took part in the latest PSO tender have not been disclosed, however, Trade Air and Croatia Airlines are both believed to have applied. Ryanair, which has a base in Zagreb and Zadar, previously said it would seriously consider taking part in the tender. Commenting on the potential of operating domestic flights in Croatia, Ryanair said last year, We are waiting for the tender call for the PSO routes to be published. We will undertake a serious analysis of the terms and conditions. At this point, we cant say definitively if we will take part in the procedure or not. Our decision will primarily depend on the proposed requirements. However, we would have to look into whether our aircraft, which have almost 200 seats, would be cost-effective on domestic flights within Croatia. In 2019, the former Slovenian national carrier, Adria Airways, was preparing to take part in Croatias 2020 PSO tender process. However, the airline went bankrupt in late September that year. PSO routes are restricted to a single operating carrier.




After a RealClearInvestigations' public records request, equity marching orders for all Cabinet-level agencies and more are now posted -- with costs still unknown.

By John Murawski, RealClearInvestigations

May 10, 2022

Under the Biden administration, more than 90 federal agencies have pledged their commitment to equity by adopting action plans that put gender, race and other such factors at the center of their governmental missions.

The Equity Action Plans, which have received little notice since they were posted online last month following a document request from RealClearInvestigations, represent a whole of government fight against entrenched disparities and the unbearable human costs of systemic racism.

The equity blueprints show that:

The U.S. State Department is keen on exporting American-style gender and race consciousness into foreign diplomacy and across the globe. Citing identity and intersections of marginalization as focal points, State Department officials acknowledge that promoting these Western concepts in foreign lands may clash with societal norms and elicit an unwillingness to cede power by dominant groups.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to tap into community science from tribal nations and other interest groups, in addition to relying on academic peer-reviewed research. As the agency shifts its enforcement focus from responding to complaints to proactively initiating its own investigations, the EPA plans to fund community scientists to supply evidence of what it calls environmental racism and other corporate practices to be targeted for federal investigation.

The Smithsonian Institution is embedding diversity and equity in everything we do across the labs and collections that make up the worlds largest museum complex. The Smithsonian has, like other agencies, enthroned a Head Diversity Officer position to coordinate these efforts, and will refocus its energies to explore how race has informed all our lives and affirm the centrality of race in America.

The Equity Action Plans are a response to an executive order President Biden signed on his first day of office in January 2021, committing his administration to pursuing a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.

The equity policies had been dribbling out piecemeal since last year, including the State Departments announcement of an X gender marker in U.S. passports for gender-nonconforming citizens; the Department of Homeland Securitys guidelines, announced on the International Trans Day of Visibility, that border patrol agents will be required to use gender-neutral language and pronouns specified by foreign travelers and migrants entering the country; and the Department of Agricultures plan to provide debt relief to black and other socially disadvantaged farmers, but not to white farmers.

But a more comprehensive picture did not emerge until the release of the Equity Action Plans, which describe the incorporation of race and gender concepts that, until several years ago, largely lived in academic journals as esoteric and niche interests. The plans  ranging from 2 to 26 pages  contain marching orders for all Cabinet-level federal agencies as well as dozens of smaller, independent agencies; they are sprinkled throughout with trendy terms like BIPOC, LGBTQI+, queer, power structures, marginalization, intersectional, and gender binary.

The Equity Action Plans are only the first step in what the Biden administration calls a generational commitment to redressing historical disparities between political identity groups. But the full implications of the Biden strategy are obscured by the fact that the documents are short on specifics and larded with standard governmentese and boilerplate language about promoting best practices, collecting data, reducing barriers to government procurement, and contracting with disadvantaged and underrepresented groups.

In a typical bureaucratic passage, the Justice Department's plan includes a commitment to ask each of its major procuring bureaus to identify at least two contracting opportunities for HUBZone small businesses each fiscal year for 4 years, or until the statutory goal of 3% is met, and to compete those contracts exclusively among HUBZone firms.

But the documents are also open-ended and can serve as a platform for significant change. In a sweeping, general statement, the Department of Agriculture vows to continue to integrate civil rights and equity in the design of its policies and programs that span the entirety of its mandate, including areas such as food security, nutrition, natural resources and conservation, rural development, and more.

Representatives of several groups that filed public comments described the comments as generic but promising an important first step toward empowering historically marginalized communities.

For the most part they say the right things, said James Goodwin, senior policy analyst with the Center for Progressive Reform, one of the nearly 500 groups that filed public comments to guide the creation of the Equity Action Plans.

But you know words on paper are very different from action. Whats most important is that an agencys culture changes to incorporate a lot of these things, Goodwin said. A lot of these things can be relegated to a check-the-box exercise which doesnt make a major impact in the day-to-day actions of an agency, or it can be fully integrated into an agencys DNA.

The Biden administration is already facing pushback on the publicized details of the equity agenda, which is not popular with conservatives. Not only did a federal judge block the farming program last summer on the grounds that using racial categories to exclude white farmers is abhorrent to the concept of equal protection, but Republicans in Congress are challenging the Transportation Security Administration policy to reduce pat-downs of transgender travelers at airports.

And after receiving some 35,000 public comments on a Department of Education proposal to fund civics education programs that emphasize bias, discrimination, and oppression, the agency last year removed references to The New York Times 1619 Project and to best-selling self-styled antiracist author Ibram X. Kendi as exemplars of this approach to historical research.

The 1619 Project, which has been distributed free-of-charge to thousands of K-12 classrooms across the nation, is controversial because, among other things, it states as an incontrovertible fact that the United States was founded not as a democracy but as a slavocracy and that anti-black racism runs in the very DNA of this country. Kendis ideas include the assertion that antiracism necessitates discriminating against white people to balance the scales of racial justice, and that anyone who balks at implementing his agenda is beholden to racist ideas.

The Office of Management and Budget, which is shepherding the Equity Action Plans, said that the equity strategy is an ambitious goal that will require long-term change management, a term that suggests something like a total overhaul of organizational culture in response to an external threat to the organizations survival. Large scale change becomes most feasible when a sense of urgency prevails, OMB said.

With federal agencies just getting started with the initial step of data collection, most of the equity changes to come over time haven't been conceived yet, so the potential costs of funding, contracting, staffing and other program expenses may not be known for years. But costs almost certainly will increase. Progressive groups are urging the federal government to embed equity standards in government contracting and grant-making by abandoning the use of the classic cost-benefit analysis to assess the impact of federal regulations.

These groups contend that the cost-benefit analysis is inherently politically biased because it focuses on the economic costs to corporations without taking into account the social costs and benefits to race, gender, and other identity groups. It is precisely this commitment to supposed moral objectivity that has left the practice vulnerable to producing racially disparate results, the Center for Progressive Reform wrote in its public comment.

In an interview, Goodwin described conventional cost-benefit analysis as a worldview and an ideology masquerading as a neutral, apolitical metric.

The Center for Progressive Reform also said in its public comment that federal agencies, when seeking input on proposed regulations, should consider accepting statements in the form of hip hop music, graphic novels, collages or street art, rather than limiting public comment to formal statements.

The Office of Management and Budget has issued a statement saying the Equity Action Plans are part of a broader equity agenda, which also includes implementing the first-ever national strategy on gender equity and equality.

Goodwin and Amit Narang, the regulatory policy advocate at Public Citizen, noted that a key prong in the Biden administrations strategy is the Modernizing Regulatory Review memorandum, also from January 2021, which says federal policy should be assessed not just for corporate cost but also for equity and justice.

Guidelines from that memo, due later this year, are expected to provide further details on how the Biden administration hopes to redistribute the costs and benefits of federal policy. In interviews, social justice advocates offered the example of the wheelchair access ramp as a social benefit that carries a corporate cost but also provides incalculable social benefits that cannot be quantified in dollar terms. They say that racial and gender equity should be viewed in the same way as a wheelchair access ramp.

But social justice advocates also noted that the administrations definition of equity in the original Executive Order and this years Equity Action Plans is disappointingly narrow compared with the more commonly accepted understanding of the term in the diversity and equity industry. The Executive Order defines equity as fair and impartial treatment of all people, including rural Americans, whereas the term has broadly come to mean preferential treatment for racial, sex, and gender identity groups deemed to have been historically marginalized and oppressed, in order to produce demographically representative outcomes.

The definition they put forward is basically saying: Going forward from here things are going to be procedurally fair and theyre going to be free from bias in the implementation of our programs, said Kyle Moore, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

Thats an important step but removing bias is not enough to close these [racial] gaps that were seeing, Moore said. There needs to be a policy of redressing past harms. That may mean developing policies that disproportionally benefit groups that have been disadvantaged in the past, not simply providing relief for those groups, but a leg up.

email: jmurawski@realclearinvestigations.com

Twitter: @johnmurawski
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Showers early, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Low around 35F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The UK's largest retailers have been invited to meet with egg producers at a crisis summit today amid a bleak outlook for the sector.

Scores of free range and organic producers will attend the summit, which will take place at the Pig & Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh Park on Tuesday morning (10 May).

Senior egg buyers from all the major supermarkets have been asked to attend in a bid to find ways to resolve the sectors cost of production crisis.

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) will ask them to outline what actions they are taking to support egg farmers.

BFREPA CEO Robert Gooch will lead the emergency meeting at 11.30am, where he will outline how desperate the situation has become.

Current market conditions threaten to halt egg production temporarily or put producers out of business entirely.

Huge hikes in production costs have impacted egg producers across the UK. Feeding hens is now 50% more expensive, while energy prices have surged by 40%.

Spending on fuel has rocketed by 30 percent, and labour and packaging costs have also increased.

A recent BFREPA survey revealed that more than half of egg producers are seriously considering stopping production until the price they are paid improves.

More than 70 percent warned that they would leave egg production within a year if a price rise did not happen.

Mr Gooch said the current situation was 'ruinous', adding: We have written to all the major retailers asking for their help but to date we have been largely ignored.

"If the UKs biggest supermarkets dont increase the price of free range and organic eggs to a level where farms can at least break even, there will be egg shortages by the end of this year."

He warned: Farmers cannot continue to produce eggs for nothing  the situation is so dire that scores of farms are considering stopping production at the end of their current flock.

Only the retailers have the power to prevent a mass exodus and keep British free range eggs stocked on supermarket shelves for their customers.

The summit is scheduled at 11.30am in the Poultry Forum Theatre at the Pig and Poultry Fair, taking place at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.

Representatives from Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose have been invited to the summit.
Scottish pig farmers will receive a final cash injection of 410,000 as part of the Pig Producers' Hardship Scheme, but concern remains that the sector could collapse without more support.

The Scottish government launched the scheme in August 2021 following the temporary closure of the abattoir at Brechin last year, as well as the subsequent suspension of its China export licence.

715,000 was issued to eligible producers who had supplied the Quality Pig Processors (QPP) plant at Brechin for the Covid-related price reductions they suffered.

It was extended in January 2022 by a further 680,000 and will now see an additional - and final - 410,000 of support made available, bringing the scheme total to just over 1.8 million.

While NFU Scotland has welcomed the announcement, the union warned that the wider Scottish pig sector "remains on the brink of collapse".

NFU Scotland pigs working group chair, Jamie Wyllie said: It will not take many more losses for some producers to give up for good.

"The funding must be judged against the scale of the losses that all Scottish pig producers, not just those supplying Brechin, are facing  something I discussed in detail with Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon on farm recently."

He said the fund alone would not solve the sector's crisis. Solutions were needed now to turn the sector around and address the problems within the supply chain, he said.

Mr Wyllie added: The Standard Pig Price has risen sharply to 167p per kg last week, but the reality is that, if pig producers are to stop haemorrhaging money, an SPP more than 200p per kg is needed if soaring costs of feed, labour, fuel, haulage and energy are to be covered.

I estimate that current cost of production is around 204p per kg, meaning that the SPP must break 200p per kilo soon just to allow producers to start breaking even after recording crippling losses for many months."

Feed prices alone have increased by 60% since February 2021, with more than one third of that being directly linked to the war in Ukraine.

With almost 70% of the cost to produce a pig being feed, this unforeseen increase in feed cost has had a devastating affect for the pig sector.

Mr Wyllie warned that pig producers across the UK were coming out of production for good due to the spiralling costs and losses.

We need retailers and processors to understand this and support their suppliers," he said.

"Pig farmers need a bigger share of the final price, and we need an increase to what we are paid now or there wont be a British industry left."

The National Pig Association (NPA) has again called on the UK government and supply chain to do more to support British pig producers.

The trade body urged Defra to take similar action to support producers in England who are also facing unprecedented challenges.

As well as Scotland, producers in Northern Ireland, Ireland, France and other EU countries have received direct support from government in recognition of the situation on pig farms.

However, Defra has repeatedly turned down requests for support for English pig producers.

Survey data published by the NPA 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.

NPA policy services officer, Lizzie Wilson said: "Whilst we are pleased for our Scottish members, yet again our pig producers members are frustrated to learn that their Scottish counterparts are being financially supported by their government.

"The pig industry has already lost an estimated 10% of the breeding herd as producers have left the industry or cut down on production.

"Polling of British pig farmers by NPA 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.

"Our pig producers need help now, either from government or the rest of the supply chain."
Farmers and landowners are being offered new funding options by Severn Trent to help protect the region's rivers and environment.

The move aims to reduce carbon emissions by at least 20% and is part of four programmes by Severn Trent to enhance 62,000ha of land.

Farmers in the region can apply for match funding of up to 30,000 to encourage environmentally friendly farming practices and protect water quality.

The package, available to around 9,000 farmers who farm in a priority catchment, will be for items that help protect water quality.

Severn Trent will also offer the Trees for Water scheme for all farmers and landowners in the region, tying into forthcoming farm legislative requirements.

The scheme will fully fund trees, planting and maintenance for 35 years, offering annual bonus payments for eligible sites.

After the initial 35-year period, farmers and landowners will have the ability to keep or sell the residual carbon credits.

Liv Garfield, Severn Trent CEO said: Agriculture and land management are the biggest contributors to rivers not achieving good ecological status.

"As such, we are redoubling our efforts to help farmers have more resources and financial support to care for rivers.

Funding for investments to improve water quality, tree planting and provision of green financing will be made available to incentivise regenerative farming practices."
Over the last few days, dozens of TikTok videos mocking Amber Heard have swept the internet. The videos, which received millions of views, have taken video or audio from Amber Heard's harrowing evidence in the Johnny Depp trial, with the creators dramatizing it, dancing to it, or otherwise insulting her.

TikTok Trend Mocking Amber Heard

The trend includes this video from @sansanjovs where the video creator was reenacting Heard's testimony. Her video garnered 9.9 million views and 2.1 million likes. The majority of netizens commended her skit, with some saying that @sansanjovs acts better than Heard, who by the way is a real-life actress.

Meanwhile, most of the netizens mocked Heard's "bad acting" in a video uploaded by @.johnnydepp1. They highlighted that Heard was crying with no tears, and questioned her capabilities as an actress. The video so far has 5.7 million likes and 30.8 million views.

In another video, @xerxes_013 claimed that Heard deliberately "paused for the media to take a photo" of her. Many TikTok users agreed that the actress indeed posed for the camera, and mocked her for seemingly forgetting that the whole court is being filmed.

Read More: Biden Successfully Pushes 20 ISPs To Provide High-Speed Internet to Low-Income Households

According to TikTok's website, the #justiceforjohnnydepp hashtag gained 10.1 billion views as of today, while the #amberturd hashtag has been viewed more than 1.3 billion times.

TikTok Removed Some Videos That Used Heard's Testimony

Variety reported that TikTok has removed multiple videos that contain Heard's testimony, claiming that they breached the company's anti-bullying regulations.

TikTok's Community Guidelines read that the company does not "tolerate members of our community being shamed, bullied, or harassed." The said guidelines also provide that abusive behavior will be enough ground for removal of the content or the user from the platform.

The reason is for TikTok to prevent its patrons from severe psychological stress.

To counter abusive behaviors, the social media giant said it will "remove expressions of abuse, including threats or degrading statements intended to mock, humiliate, embarrass, intimidate, or hurt an individual."

The company added that while critical comments by public figures may be allowed to allow for expression on matters of public interest, significant abusive behavior against public figures is prohibited.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Defamation Suit

The couple went separate ways after 15 months of marriage.

As per BBC, Heard filed for divorce and a restraining order in a Los Angeles court, claiming that her then-husband had "violently" assaulted and harassed her, but Depp denied the allegations.

As part of their divorce deal, Depp gave Heard $7 million, which she promised to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union - something Depp's lawyers now dispute.

It should be noted that Depp sued Heard for $50 million over an op-ed she penned in The Washington Post claiming she was a victim of domestic violence. Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp for $100 million.

The defamation trial is expected to include tragic allegations of domestic violence. It will be streamed live on the internet and will feature a number of high-profile witnesses, including James Franco, Paul Bettany, and Elon Musk.

Related Article: How to Become A Tiktok Star In 2022
British sheep producers have welcomed the UN's latest Global Land Outlook report which recognises farming's future role in feeding the global population as well as rebuilding biodiversity.

The report Land Restoration for Recovery and Resilience assessed the degradation of soils around the world, surmising that around half of the worlds population is affected by land degradation.

It found that worldwide food systems have been the single biggest cause of damage, but through sustainable agriculture farmers can be a part of reversing these effects.

Many regenerative agriculture practices have the potential to increase crop yields and improve their nutritional quality while reducing emissions and drawing down carbon from the atmosphere, it says.

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said modern agriculture had "altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity".

"We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80% of deforestation, 70% of freshwater use, and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss.

Investing in large-scale land restoration is a powerful, cost-effective tool to combat desertification, soil erosion, and loss of agricultural production.

"As a finite resource and our most valuable natural asset, we cannot afford to continue taking land for granted.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has welcomed findings from the report, with the body highlighting how UK farming is helping to boost biodiversity and habitats.

The group explained that UK sheep producers were also making strides in reducing pollutants through a range of compulsory and voluntary measures.

The NSA said there was 'living evidence' that nature and farming could successfully co-inhabit while feeding a growing population.

NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker said: What is encouraging is the recognition this latest report gives to farming providing many of the solutions through sustainable agriculture and land management approaches.

"In a pastoral nation such as the UK sheep farming is well placed to be at the centre of this revolution through continuing with many traditional practices at the same time as adopting new technology and innovation."

He added: "The UK is fortunate to be in a position where farming actions that actively worsen the landscape and ecological profile are becoming less and those that rebuild and regenerate are becoming more prevalent.

"What we need, alongside environmental and a host of other aspirational targets, are targets that ensure we maintain food production as a key component of sustainability.
A British oat producer took over the billboards in London's Victoria train station with a disruptive above-the-line campaign after its court battle against Oatly.

Glebe Farm's billboards, which were in place on Monday (9 May) for one day only, called out the recent court case it had with Swedish oat milk giant Oatly.

The campaign playfully asked customers to help us pay off our lawyers, while reminding them to do the right thing and support British oat milk.

In 2021, the Cambridgeshire family-run farm was faced with a court case from Oatly, which had made claims of brand and trademark infringement.

Oatly, which went public in the United States last year, claimed Glebe Farm's PureOaty brand was too similar to its own.

These allegations were rejected by the judge, leading to a victory for the UK oat producer.

Phillip Rayner, owner of Glebe Farm, said after that the business had the threat of the court case looming over the family for more than a year.

"We have always felt certain that we have done nothing wrong, and we were determined to fight Oatlys claims that our brands were similar - something that is now proven to be wrong.

You only need to look at the two products and packaging side by side to appreciate how different these brands are, and how unnecessary this legal action was."

The farm had received support from around the world, including 130,000 signatures on a change.org petition, and many comments online had described the case as a David and Goliath battle.
Lets just admit it  weve all fantasised and wished for (read: desperately coveted) international beauty products since forever. Back in the early 2000s, we craved for luxury beauty like Estee Lauder, M.A.C Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown and soon they made their way to India, leaving us spoilt for choices. Cut to 2010's decade when wed request our relatives travelling down from the USA to get us some Charlotte Tilbury, Aveda, Bath & Body Works and how can we forget  truckloads of all things Victorias Secret. Lucky for us, most of these wanted brands have launched in India and can be purchased in a finger snap. (Thank you God, the world finally seems to be understanding the demand and power of the Indian market). The last few months have played a key role in hosting the arrival of many more cult-favourite international brands; here is the round up you were looking for.

111Skin





Instagram: Instagram





If youre still yearning for skincare thats powerful than ever before, high chances are that you dont know about 111Skin  the uber-luxury skincare brand that brings the best-in-class formulations and products to the table in convenient product formats; think creams, serums, masks (they do so many of em) and the newly-launched ampoules too. 111Skin is the baby of London-based cosmetic surgeon Dr Yannis Alexandrides, that he built with the creative direction of his wife Eva Alexandrides. FYI, Kim Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra and Jennifer Anniston are amongst the many celebrities who swear by the brand.

Must try: Y Theorem Bio Cellulose Facial Mask





Milk_ Shake





Image: Instagram





Looking for a hair care brand that offers all things fun and yummy? Enter Milk_ Shake, an Italian hair care company that blends the power of superfoods with professional care. The result? Delicious-smelling products that are high-performing too. The unique after-shower products are a standout for me, that make managing unruly hair a cakewalk.

Must try: Incredible Milk

Victorias Secret





Image: Instagram



Im beyond elated to be saying that *drum rolls please* Victorias Secret is finally available in India. It brings back so many teenage memories where spritzing some of VS classic Pure Seduction or Love Spell was nothing short of sheer indulgence. From their bestselling Bombshell range to the body and lip care products, we have everything Victorias Secret at our disposal, and no, I cant keep calm.

Must try: Bombshell Gold Eau De Parfum

CAUDALIE





Image: Instagram



You see that grape sign on the bottles? They symbolise the rich legacy of vinotherapy that this brand is backed by, and transfers it into jars and bottles of effective skincare, combined with the best modern technologies and innovations for every skin type. Their serums are given the magical stature, all thanks to the unique ingredient complexes that they bet on.

Must try: Beauty Elixir (A cult since 1997)

Natasha Denona





Image: Instagram



Globally-acclaimed makeup artist Natasha Denonas eponymous brand is here in India and trust me  its a heaven for all makeup lovers. High-performing formulations and innovative products are the founding pillars of everything that the brand has to offer; their eyeshadow palettes being absolute winners from the line-up. Her award-winning range of makeup is a must-have, especially if youre passionate about makeup or belong to the industry.

Must try: Mini Eyeshadow Palette

Elemis





Image: Instagram



The UK-based skincare brand is a favourite of many from the beauty industry, and for all the right reasons. The brand brings that luxurious and calming spa-like experience at home, giving your skin all the love that it deserves to recover from the damage and fatigue caused by the modern lifestyle.

Must try: Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

Also read: Why Is Mushroom Exploding As An Ingredient In The Beauty World?
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With a decade-long span of versatile films in her filmography, Alia Bhatt has combatted all the usual conventional norms of how restricted the shelf life of a female superstar is. Her goal is simple and one at that  onwards and upwards.

The recent success of the female-led Gangubai Kathiawadi is a testament to the credibility that Alia Bhatt has as an actress. Carrying a film with such a radical and piercing storyline to the finishing line is no easy task. Thriving in a post-pandemic world, Alias passion project bore fruit in abundance, and it's no wonder people are now calling her the female superstar.

Raazi was Alias first female-led film to enter the much-coveted 100-crores club, but what makes Gangubai Kathiawadi's soaring success even sweeter is that this film turned out to be the biggest non-holiday opening in Bollywood led by an actress. To achieve a feat of such magnitude is no easy task, considering the many controversies that the film found itself embroiled in while it was being made.

If the box-office collections werent enough, the film was recently released on a leading OTT platform, and it easily bagged the top reigning position in no time and has been ranking first ever since. It shows the impression and impact that Alia has cultivated in such a short span of time, making her one of the biggest superstars in Indian Cinema today. At the age of 29, she has bagged herself a Hollywood film alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. She has also embarked on a new journey as a producer with her company Eternal Sunshine Productions and her first venture titled Darlings features respected names such as Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma.

As the youngest superstar keeps adding more feathers to her already gleaming hat, let us glance over her trajectory. Presenting a list of her top films that highlight the rise and rise of Alia Bhatt:

Student of the year (2012)

Alia Bhatt was not taken quite that seriously when she debuted in the company of other newbies Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. She was seen as a young girl with an impeccable taste in style. But, her overt flamboyance did have a certain ingenuity about it that made people remember her. People discussed whether she will be able to sustain herself in the cutthroat film industry. She was in the danger of being dismissed as yet another industry kid. Though viewers liked her in the songs, especially the Radha song, she actually didn't have much to do in the film which was more about the competition between the two boys. Student of the year was not the pedestal that put her on the map, but it was the beginning of a new era that dawned with her next film  Highway.

Highway (2014)

Then came the year that cemented Alias strong foothold in Bollywood. She really showed her mettle as a performer in this Imtiaz Ali directorial and people started taking her seriously as an actor. Highway saw Alia playing an unglamorous character of Veera  an abuse victim who had been combatting lifes trials amidst trauma and claustrophobia. Her nuanced portrayal opposite veteran Randeep Hooda was a startling refreshment for people who took a moment to believe that this was the same Alia Bhatt who had played the role of a spoilt girl in her debut film. The masses, critics as well as filmmakers now came to know about her versatile streak and she started getting bigger and better films.

2 States (2014)

With just 2 years into entering the industry, 2014 was a year of many firsts for Alia. Be it content-driven or commercial successes, every win was her to take, and she did so efficiently. 2 States was a book adaptation with the same title and written by Chetan Bhagat. Any remaining doubts questioning Alias versatility were washed out with this film as she played another diametrically opposite character from her last film. Here she was seen as a chirpy and confident girl  Ananya. Fun and intelligent but never forgoing the importance of standing for the truth. Alias portrayal of a girl in love but with a modern outlook was loved by the audience. Her cynicism became her biggest weapon as she waded her way through deep waters and became the shining star of the film which is one of her biggest hits to date.

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

She reunited with her debut co-star  Varun Dhawan in this out-and-out commercial blockbuster. She played the role of Kavya Pratap Singh in a classic Bollywood romance with a little flavoured essence of a new-age love story. Some even saw the similar patterns of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge being replicated on a modernised palette. It was an all-out entertainer replete with foot-tapping dance numbers to soulful music chartbusters. Alia did complete justice to playing this easy-breezy role of a chic and educated girl who wants to do right by her family but the tables seem to turn when she meets Humpty and love leads the way. Alia made her presence stronger in the commercial film universe as a thorough Bollywood entertainer.

Kapoor and Sons (2016)

A slice of life comedy-drama helmed by Shakun Batra, Alia had Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan as her cos-star and going by the trailer, people thought it was yet another love triangle. She played the role of Tia Malik in the film  a happy-go-lucky girl who unfortunately lost her parents in an accident. As she develops a relationship with both brothers who return home to their dysfunctional family after their beloved grandfather survives a cardiac arrest, Alia has more to offer than what meets the eye initially. She was a friend, philosopher, and guide to the people she cared for. The film was critically acclaimed, and it continued to show the uprising graph from playing a troubled character like Veera in Highway to a sorted character like Tia in Kapoor and sons.

Udta Punjab (2016)

An Abhishek Chaubey directorial, Udta Punjab was a black comedy as well as a crime drama. This film that focused on the relentless drug abuse by the young crowd in India had her play a young woman who goes through much in life but doesnt lose hope. As Kumari Pinky  a Bihari migrant living in Punjab, Alia was absolute perfection as she mastered the befitting body language and the Bihari accent. The most refreshing aspect of the film was that no one ever imagined that Alia would be doing such a challenging role at such a young age. As mentioned by Alia in a leading portal  that's probably what attracted her to do the film in the first place.

Dear Zindagi (2016)

There were more reasons to love Gauri Shindes coming-of-age drama  Dear Zindagi. Not only did the storyline focus on the importance of mental health, but it saw Alia Bhatt collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan for the first time on-screen. Alia was like a breath of fresh air as she displayed the mindset of a lot of young girls in todays age  a young and budding cinematographer who seems unable to find happiness. Then, she meets a life-affirming psychologist who reawakens a fresh perspective and outlook on life that alters her mindset forever. The relatability quotient of the film was astounding and with someone like Alia who is seen as a representative of the millennial crowd  her portrayal was all the more believable.

Raazi (2018)

Meghna Gulzars Raazi made Alia touch new heights both as a performer and a bankable star. Alia had previously shared her hesitation for this Indian spy thriller film, but it turned out to be her first 100 crore entry where she was the first billed star and she increasingly became unstoppable after its release. Alia Bhatt played the role of the real-life spy Sehmat Khan  a Kashmiri spy who gets married to a family consisting of military officers in Pakistan. The strong portrayal of a young woman who is ready to do anything for her country made the audience root for her character. It was yet another unglamorous role in a content-rich film. Alia won various accolades for her performance and cemented her versatility as an actor yet again.

Gully Boy (2019)

With Gully Boy  Alia Bhatt further proved that the time frame in a film is hardly of consequence when your role is as hard-hitting as it can be in the limited screen time given to you. She played the feisty Safeena Firdausi in this Zoya Akhtar musical. She matched her steps with that of Ranveer Singh and some even say she stole a march over him playing the jealous, possessive girlfriend. From a film with such a patriotic approach in Raazi, Gully Boy was yet another layer of the kind of characters Alia can play. It was nothing as sacrificing as Sehmat in Raazi, however, it was a character with a very headstrong approach. Safeena believes in speaking up and out loud, expresses her anger, and takes over control when the situation demands so. She's ambitious and unorthodox and totally believable. And it's indeed one of her most beloved characters among the films she has done so far.

Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

Based on a chapter in S Hussain Zaidi's book The Mafia Queens Of Mumbai, the SLB directorial was hailed as a larger-than-life portrayal of the life of Mumbai's prostitutes. Alia was her own competition in the film, and she outshone herself in it. Alia embodied every aspect of her character with aplomb. Her angst, her grief, as well as her determinaton to make things better for herself and other prostitutes was almost palpable. She comes from a privilged background and yet excelled both as a prostitute and later as the madam of the brothel and a politician. One couldn't say where life ended and acting began. She was the solo lead of the film, which was released just on the cusp of relaxation of covid norms. People were still hesitant to go to the theatres but strong word-of-mouth publicity about her power-packed performance turned the film into a 100 crore winner. Alia rose to a stature unattained by such a young actress for a long time.

Alia Bhatt is now on the rise as she has expanded her geographical footprint as well. Soon after Gangubai Kathiawadi, her short yet contributing role in SS Rajamoulis RRR was admired, and the film has broken several box-office records. Her upcoming film Brahmastra where she will be sharing screen space with her now-husband Ranbir Kapoor is also a multilingual project about to hit the screens.She is unstoppable and rightfully so  Alia Bhatt is indeed the undisputed queen of Bollywood, and she is here to stay.






The Delhi High Court has ordered the producers of Jayeshbhai Jordaar not to trivialise the illegal practice of foetal sex determination, adding that such practises cannot be shown as routine practise. Ranveer Singh plays the lead in the film, which also stars Shalini Pandey. Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah also play important roles in the film.

On Monday, the court heard a petition asking for the scene to be removed from the film and ordered producers Yash Raj Films to show the relevant portions. They also stated that they will not allow the scene to take place until they see the context for themselves.

According to a report, the bench, led by acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi, You take instructions. You come back. We will have to see or we will have to stay. Unless we see for ourselves, we will not permit this. We will take it up after lunch."

The judges pointed out that the film's trailer does not emphasise the fact that sex determination is illegal. They stated, "You see there is nothing to show that the lady is taken clandestinely or that this is not legal or actors are aware (in the scene) that it is an offence. What is coming out is that any pregnant woman can be taken to a centre with a sonogram machine and this can be done in a routine manner."

It continued, "Don't trivialise it to show that anybody can walk into any clinic and get it done. The dramatisation should be that they are aware (that it is illegal) but it is still being done." Before the statement, Navin Chawla sat on the bench and watched the trailer for Jayeshbhai Jordaar.

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing the producers, told the court that the "movie is about something illegal" and includes a disclaimer about the illegality of the act in question. However, the court ruled that the disclaimer in the trailer was not visible due to its small size.

The court also objected to the trailer's failure to depict the circumstances surrounding the lady's transport to the clinic. This may give an impression that the family takes that woman to the doctor and you come out. No message that it is illegal, no that it is wrong, it said.

Responding to the petitioner's claims that the film must not depict foetal sex determination, the court stated that a scene must be viewed in context and questioned whether the film was depicting the "ills of society" or advocating the use of foetal sex determination techniques. It is like saying you should not show murder or rape because it is a crime. It is the context... If it is shown in the context that it is illegal how can you say? How would you tell a story otherwise, it added.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Tuesday release March numbers for household spending, setting the pace for a modest day in Asia-Pacific economic activity. Spending is expected to rise 2.6 percent on month and fall 2.8 percent on year after slipping 2.8 percent on month and climbing 1.1 percent on year in February. New Zealand will see March data for electronic retail card spending; in February, spending was down 1.3 percent on month and 0.5 percent on year. Australia will provide March figures for retail sales, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.6 percent on month, slowing from 1.8 percent in February. South Korea will release March numbers for current account; in February, the current account surplus was $6.42 billion. Thailand will see April results for its consumer confidence index; in March, the index score was 42.0. 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.
A scene from "Broker" provided by CJ ENM. Yonhap



Cannes-winning Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda said Tuesday his latest drama "Broker" is a longtime dream-come-true project that allowed him to work with Korean actors and crew members.



"I've met superb Korean actors like Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won and Bae Doo-na in many film festivals and have kept in close contact with them for a long time," Kore-eda said through an interpreter during a press conference in Seoul. The Japanese director participated in the event online in Tokyo.



"About six years ago, a short plot popped up in my mind, and I thought this story would help me make a film with Korean actors. The idea includes a scene in which Song, dressed as a Catholic priest, holds a baby in his arms," he said. "I'm so pleased that I've completed the project, which was my longtime dream."



Starring renowned Korean actors like Song of "Parasite," "Broker" features the relationships of characters formed through a baby box, where people anonymously drop off newborns that they can't raise.



It is Kore-eda's first Korean-language project and one of the two Korean films to compete for the highest honor of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival next week. "Broker" is Kore-eda's eighth work that has been invited to the Cannes fest, including "Shoplifters," the winner of the Palme d'Or in 2018.





This image provided by CJ ENM shows a scene from "Broker." Yonhap
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 9, 2022) - Go Metals Corp. (CSE: GOCO) ("Go Metals" and/or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement with GloRes Securities Inc. acting as the lead finder. The Company has issued a total of 2,000,003 "Quebec" flow-through shares (each a "FT Share") at a price of $0.030 per FT Share for gross aggregate proceeds of $600,000.09.

Finder's fees of $42,000 cash and 140,000 warrants ("Warrants") have been paid to qualified parties. Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common share at a price of $0.30 for a period of 24 months from closing.

The gross proceeds from the sale of FT Shares will be spent on exploration that will qualify as Canadian exploration expenses (CEE) and flow-through mining expenditures for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), with the gross proceeds earmarked for the Company's HSP project in Quebec.

All securities issued in connection with the private placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

None of the securities issued in connection with the private placement have been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none of them have been offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.

About Go Metals:

Go Metals targets Canadian battery metal projects to help power a sustainable future. The company flagship project is a 100% owned nickel-copper sulphide in Quebec.

For further information, please contact:

Scott Sheldon, President

604.725.1857

scott@gometals.ca

Forward-Looking Information:

This press release may include "forward-looking information" (as that term is defined by Canadian securities legislation), concerning the Company's business. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company's management, including future plans for the exploration and development of its mineral properties. Although the Company believes that such expectations and assumptions are reasonable, investors should not rely unduly on such forward-looking information as the Company can give no assurance they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to publicly update any forward-looking information (whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise) other than as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123366
Heads sales in Asia-Pacific region as demand continues to grow for firm's trade surveillance, market risk solutions

NEW YORK and SYDNEY, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus, a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, announced today that Scott B. Leader has joined as Managing Director, APAC, heading the company's sales efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. Leader has nearly three decades of financial services, sales and management experience throughout APAC and Europe, hiring and building high-performing teams at large organizations, including financial exchanges and global business information services providers.

Reporting to Eventus Global Head of Sales Scott Schroeder, Leader is based in Sydney, where he has spent most of his career. The U.S.-based company has been steadily growing its presence in APAC, with staff now on the ground in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Australia, along with an expanding client base throughout the region.

Schroeder said: "Scott has a great record of driving growth as well as building and managing successful sales teams at major capital markets organizations. Given the very different approach to financial market regulation throughout APAC, there is a compelling need for our services and expertise, and Scott will play a key role in fueling our expansion. We've already established a strong foundation in the region and want to continue to add to our teams in sales, account management and support to serve an ever-increasing client base."

Leader said: "Eventus is a highly innovative, respected company that partners closely with clients to make markets safer and help meet their regulatory and compliance challenges. I'm looking forward to building on the talented team and delivering this complete solution to a diverse region with such a wide range of unique jurisdictions."

Leader previously served since 2020 as Executive Director, Large Enterprise for Workday, Inc. a provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. Prior to that role, he was Regional Vice President of cloud content management and sharing platform Box, Inc., where he founded and ran the Sydney office that ultimately served the firm's Southeast Asian region in sales, consulting, customer success, marketing and business development.

He has also held senior-level roles at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), NYSE Euronext, Bloomberg LP, SunGard Financial Systems (now FIS), Misys and Pegasystems.

Last year, Eventus won four awards specifically for its work in the APAC region:

Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence: Best Solution - Market Abuse & Surveillance

WatersTechnology Asia Award for Best Market Surveillance Tool

RegTech Insight Award APAC for Best Trade Surveillance Solution

FOW Asia Capital Markets Award for Best New Product - Market Surveillance

About Eventus

Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventus.com.

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New transaction paves the way for real-time, secure, and transparent cross-border carbon credit settlements.

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbonplace, the new carbon credit settlement platform jointly developed by some of the world's largest financial institutions, has announced the successful pilot transfer of carbon credits through its system in collaboration with global payments technology company Visa.

The transaction, which involved Visa purchasing Verra-certified credits from Sustainable Carbon, a leading carbon credit project developer, represents a major boost for carbon markets. It demonstrates the capability of Carbonplace's unique settlement technology to significantly increase the speed, efficiency, and security required to support the growing demand for voluntary carbon credits, and in doing so, to more effectively drive private sector capital towards global climate solutions.

The transfer was facilitated by two of Carbonplace's founding banks, National Australia Bank (NAB) on behalf of Visa and Itau Unibanco on behalf of Sustainable Carbon. It underscores how the institutions behind Carbonplace - which also include BNP Paribas, CIBC, NatWest Group, Standard Chartered, and UBS - can collaboratively leverage their existing infrastructure, including know-your-customer and anti-money laundering procedures, to address some of the challenges that have held back the development of the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

Last month's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted that decarbonization, and in turn, scalable carbon innovation is critical to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis[1]. Against this backdrop, corporations across the globe continue to set ambitious climate action pledges in the drive towards a net zero economy. Carbon credits will play an important, complementary role in these commitments by compensating for unavoidable emissions, and as a result, the VCM continues to grow rapidly, surpassing USD 1 billion in 2021[2].

This new collaboration is part of Visa's global aspirations to become a climate-positive company through new partnerships and initiatives. Last year, Visa pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal[3]. Together with Carbonplace, Visa will continue to explore delivering additional technology-led sustainable solutions for its customers.

The pilot will also inform the further development of Carbonplace, which has been likened to the 'SWIFT' system of the carbon markets, including the exploration of more innovative ways to settle transactions. It is currently expected that Carbonplace will be operational at the end of 2022.

"Visa is committed to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and to create sustainable business solutions for our clients, which will help them meet their net zero commitments," said Charlotte Hogg, CEO Visa Europe. "We're excited about the potential for this voluntary carbon market to leverage our capabilities and help to deliver on that commitment, and we're proud to support Carbonplace through this first pilot purchase of fully certified carbon credits in this market."

David Gall NAB Group Executive, Corporate and Institutional Banking, said: "Climate action is everyone's job, including NAB's. Carbonplace is creating new opportunities to help our customers as they take action to reduce their emissions and achieve their own targets. This successful pilot transaction with Visa is a significant step towards being able to help more of our customers tackle existing barriers and make carbon credits more accessible to everyone."

About Carbonplace

About National Australia Bank (NAB)

About Itau Unibanco

About Sustainable Carbon

Notes to editors

www.carbonplace.com

[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/

[2] https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/voluntary-carbon-markets-top-1-billion-in-2021-with-newly-reported-trades-special-ecosystem-marketplace-cop26-bulletin/

[3] https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/04/15/sustainable-commerce-and-1618453815474.html
Continued business growth, increasing cost efficiency and number of community members: Announcement of Equity Research Report

Ad hoc Announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

BAAR, Switzerland, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talenthouse AG (SIX:THAG or the "Company"), the leading technology platform connecting creatives and brands globally, today announces its operational and financial results for the three months ended 31stMarch 2022 ("Q1" or "the period"). This is the first formal earnings announcement since the listing of shares on SIX Swiss Exchange ("SIX") on 29thMarch 2022.

Q1 2022 Operational

Forty-five (45) bespoke productions completed on behalf of our clients

Over 1,900 assets produced including video, bespoke photography shoots and interactive comic strips for Snapchat

Almost 3 million assets added to the market place

Increased headcount by 16%

Q1 2022 Financial

Successful flotation of 418.3m shares on SIX

shares on SIX Pro-forma revenue 1 of $4.9m (reported $1.5m Q1 2021)

of (reported Q1 2021) Pro-forma gross profit 1 of $3.1m (reported $1.0m Q1 2021)

of (reported Q1 2021) Cost base reduced by $260,000 through modernisation and efficiency gains

Q1 2022 Review

The Company experienced continued growth in its key metrics across its three operational pillars throughout the period. Content Monetization accounted for 53% of reported revenue with the balance (47%) reported by Content Creation. This split reflects a shift in Q1 growth from Monetization to Creation, notwithstanding the impact of seasonal licensing revenue. Community Empowerment is nascent in revenue terms but the development of ElloU, Elloworks, and Media Foundry should see this strand contribute to the top line through 2022 with a consequent benefit to earnings given the relatively low level of on-boarding costs.

Pro-forma revenue growth in the period of 2.3x reflects the pace of organic and acquisition development year-on-year. Given this pace, like-for-like comparisons are less informative but do reflect the difficult macro-economic background to the Company's initiatives and actions through the last 12 months. Talenthouse remains intent on both organic growth and further acquisitions in its fast-moving market place which is estimated to comprise addressable economics of $700bn per annum. Linear growth at efficient cost is a core objective for the Company but this is best reviewed on an annual, rather than quarterly, basis.

Year-on-year overhead cost was reduced by $536,000, including efficiencies within the technology department which will provide annualized savings of $260,000. Overall, operating costs fell by over 10% to $3.5m during the period. While Talenthouse's model is operationally geared, costs of sales are likely to move in tandem with revenue over time and, in the short term, grow at a faster pace due to the costs of building out particular initiatives. Talenthouse completed two acquisitions this year with further acquisitions already planned for Q2.

The period saw Talenthouse secure key clients who have confirmed ongoing partnerships with the Company throughout 2022. Of note are the commitment from Snap, which will double its revenue with Talenthouse in Q2, and debut transactions for Media Foundry with, amongst others, Snowcastle and Directive Games. In total, these transactions are expected to result in a minimum of $500,000 of additional revenue in Q2.

Existing partners extended their relationships with the Company into 2022, including Warner Media (now including Warner Games), Activision (with a focus on Call of Duty), Henkel, BCG, and EY. These extensions underpin the Company's visibility of future revenue and allow it to further optimize its operational and financial structures.

Clare McKeeve, CEO, comments: "Talenthouse was created, and is run, for the Creator Economy. Our ethos, and that of our market, is 'can do'. The Company's first results as a listed entity are a testament to that ethos and a demonstration of our continued drive to establish the leading platform in a significant market place. There is more work to be done but we are confident that Talenthouse is sufficiently well placed, resourced, and regarded for the task ahead."

IR and media contacts:

Investor Relations: Scott Lanphere invest@talenthouse.com

Media Relations: Brigitte Kaps

Phone +41 43 344 38 38 or Mob +41 79 289 2042 Brigitte@talenthouse.com

About Talenthouse AG

Talenthouse AG is a technology platform company, working with the world's largest creative community of over 14m members, to produce the highest quality digital content for many of the largest companies globally, including Netflix and Snap. Talenthouse AG, which unites the creative platforms of Talenthouse, EyeEm, Ello, Zooppa and Jovoto, is leading a structural shift in the way that creative content is produced, employing a platform business model to source content at the scale and quality required to keep pace with consumer demand in the digital age. In doing so, it is also opening up opportunities for a much larger pool of creative talent. The company is registered in Switzerland and operationally headquartered in London with offices in LA, NYC, Berlin, Venice and Philadelphia. For more information visit: www.business.talenthouse.com

Stock exchange listing: SIX Swiss Exchange ( www.six-swiss-exchange.com ) Ticker symbol: THAG (CH) Security number: 1 081 986 ISIN: CH0010819867 Contact: Talenthouse AG, Zugerstrasse 8a, CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland





Notes to Editors

A comprehensive equity research report about the Company is due to be published shortly by Alster Research on the platform www.research-hub.de . After publication of the research report, the Company will hold a roundtable discussion in a virtual format. To take part in this roundtable discussion, please visit www.research-hub.de/events , where details of the upcoming event will be shown, once finalized.

The auditors of Talenthouse AG, BDO AG Zurich, informed the Board of Directors that they would no longer stand for election at the 2022 Annual General Meeting. Due to the decision of the Board of Directors to extend the financial year of Talenthouse AG until 31 December 2022 (see press release dated 31 March 2022), BDO AG has decided to resign from its mandate.

Details of the Financial Results Q1/ Q2022 are here

Presentation for analysts Q1/2022 results on 10.5.2022 at 9.30am CET.

Dial In Details here:

https://talenthouse.zoom.us/j/84390998314?pwd=K3phUEhFdlpWZEdST0VhSm0vMzFydz09

Passcode 943 718

Details of Alster Equity Research Report here

Analyst roundtable will take place on 19th of May at 9.30am CET

Disclaimer

This media release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation or an advertisement to buy any shares of Talenthouse AG in any jurisdiction. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 35 et seq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services. In addition, investors should seek advice from their bank or their financial adviser.

This media release contains forward-looking statements such as projections, forecasts, and estimates. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those anticipated in this media release. Readers should therefore not rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on the views and assumptions of Talenthouse AG as of this date and Talenthouse AG does not assume any obligation to update or revise this media release.

1 Unaudited combined figures Q1 2022, including Coolabi as if it was 100% owned during Q1 2022; we currently own 33% of Coolabi and intend to complete the acquisition in Q2 2022.

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SHENZHEN, China, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Huawei announced that it has been named a 2022 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for WAN Edge Infrastructure, receiving this distinction for a third straight year. According to the Voice of the Customer report, Huawei SD-WAN received a total of 102 reviews and an overall rating of 4.9/5 stars from customers across industries around the globe as of December 2021. Huawei SD-WAN is also named the "Customers' Choice" in three categories: Midsize Enterprise, Asia/Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in the same report. We think, such distinctions are a testament to the widespread endorsement of Huawei's SD-WAN solution from customers worldwide.

As of December 31, 2021, customers across a wide variety of industries, such as finance, manufacturing, and services, had comprehensively reviewed WAN edge infrastructure products and solutions from multiple vendors in terms of product functionality, deployment, O&M, and service support.

For the first time, Gartner has categorized WAN edge infrastructure vendors into four quadrants based on User Interest and Adoption (X-axis) and Overall Rating (Y-axis). Huawei received 100% score in Willingness to Recommend, and scored highest overall rating of 4.9/5 stars. In our opinion, these impressive results fully demonstrate global customers' recognition of Huawei SD-WAN in terms of industry position, deployment scale, and commercial maturity.

The overall messages from customers who chose Huawei's SD-WAN solution are extremely positive. Below are some excerpts:

"We are very glad that we choose Huawei SD-WAN finally. According to the deployment result, Huawei SD-WAN can provide very secure, safe and intelligent network connection solution. Their LAN-WAN convergence management helps us reduce a lot of OPEX." - A customer in the transportation industry [1]

"Huawei SD-WAN team is very professional and quick response. Huawei SD-WAN team always can provide very quick response and good solution to me. The solution itself is very useful to view the quality of the network." - A customer in the finance industry[2]

Huawei is an established player in the SD-WAN market, having served over thousands of customers around the world, including in Italy, Spain, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, and China. As of March 2022, Huawei had been named a Challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure for four consecutive years.

[1]https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/wan-edge-infrastructure/vendor/huawei/product/cloudwan/review/view/3921638

[2]https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/wan-edge-infrastructure/vendor/huawei/product/cloudwan/review/view/3894676

"We're thrilled to be named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for WAN Edge Infrastructure once again in 2022. This is a testament to Huawei's longstanding dedication and outstanding market performance in the SD-WAN field. We deeply appreciate the trust of all enterprise customers of our SD-WAN solution," said Tongqiang Cao, director of Huawei's SD-WAN solution. "Looking ahead, we will make continued innovation, provide faster, more stable, and smarter network connectivity, and help enterprises to accelerate digital transformation with our SD-WAN solution featuring better user experience."

For more information about Huawei's NetEngine AR routers and SD-WAN solution, visit Huawei SD-WAN website: https://e.huawei.com/en/solutions/business-needs/enterprise-network/sd-wan

Source:

1. Gartner Peer Insights 'Voice of the Customer': WAN Edge Infrastructure, 24 March 2022

2. Gartner, Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, 2021

Disclaimer:

1. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

2. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER, PEER INSIGHTS and MAGIC QUADRANT are trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

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OSLO, Norway, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Energy Company ASA ("Noreco" or the "Company") today announced its first quarter 2022 results. The quarter delivered both strong production of 28.5 mboepd and financial results with revenues of USD 179 million and EBITDA of USD 107 million.

Highlights:

Hydrocarbon production of 28.5 mboepd

Total Revenues of USD 179 million , which compares to USD 105 million in Q1 2021

, which compares to in Q1 2021 EBITDA of USD 107 million , compared to USD 29 million in the same period in 2021

, compared to in the same period in 2021 Net cash flow of USD 87 million and cash on balance sheet of USD 147 million

Net hydrocarbon production for the quarter of 28.5 mboepd is above the annual guidance range of 23.5 - 25.5 mboepd. The strong production was mainly driven by higher than expected performance on Dan and Gorm and a continued overall positive development of all the producing hubs with operating efficiency of 92.6%. Well interventions and optimisation initiatives will continue in 2022, and as such the Company raised its yearly production guidance to 24.5 - 26.5 mboepd.

The Tyra Redevelopment project made significant progress during first quarter, with sail away of the Tyra West topsides and the Tyra Utility- and Living quarters (the "accommodation unit" or "TEH") and a successful offshore lift- and installation campaign. Seven out of eight platforms are now in place moving the project closer to first gas expected in Q2 2023.

The financial result for first quarter shows a continued strong development over the previous quarter, with revenues of USD 179 million, and EBITDA of USD 107 million. The Company had total liquidity of USD 247 million at the end of the quarter, with cash on balance sheet of USD 147 million and available undrawn RBL capacity of USD 100 million.

During Q1, Noreco's financial position has strengthened significantly. In addition, the Tyra Redevelopment project continues to progress on schedule which further increases confidence regarding the start-up date in Q2 2023. Share price performance and volumes have also been strong. In addition to its RBL financing, Noreco's capital structure includes both the NOR14 senior unsecured bond and the NOR13 convertible bond. In light of the improved financial position and outlook of the Company, Noreco intends to in due course engage with investors in order to investigate measures to simplify and enhance its capital structure, involving inter alia making necessary bond amendments to facilitate a refinancing of NOR13, and has engaged Arctic Securities and Pareto Securities in relation thereto.

The report and investor presentation may be downloaded from the Company's website www.noreco.com or www.newsweb.no.

The Company will host an earnings call today at 11:00 CET.

To join audiocast: https://channel.royalcast.com/hegnarmedia/#!/hegnarmedia/20220510_10

Contact:

Cathrine Torgersen, EVP Investor Relations & ESG

Phone: +47 91 52 85 01

Email: ct@noreco.com

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation, and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The stock exchange announcement was published by Cathrine Torgersen, Executive Vice President Investor Relations & ESG, Norwegian Energy Company ASA, at the date and time as set out above.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/noreco/r/noreco-announces-first-quarter-2022-results,c3563724

The following files are available for download:
UV1 immune monitoring data from three Phase I/IIa clinical trials show dynamic T cell responses lasting up to 7.5 years



Measurable UV1-specific immune response in 91% of patients when combined with checkpoint inhibitor, as compared to 82% and 67% without checkpoint inhibitor

Immune responses induced more rapidly when UV1 was combined with a checkpoint inhibitor

Development of UV1-specific immune responses associated with longer survival time

Oslo, 10 May2022: Ultimovacs ASA ("Ultimovacs") (OSE ULTI), a clinical stage leader in immune stimulatory vaccines for cancer, announced the presentation of results from long-term follow-up data from three Phase I/IIa clinical. The data is substantiating the clinical relevancy of the UV1-specific immune response and the rationale for combining the Company's lead product, the universal cancer vaccine UV1, with checkpoint inhibitors.

The data will be presented as a poster at the upcoming Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) annual meeting in Mainz, Germany, 10-12 May 2022. The CIMT poster can be found on the Company website.

The poster reports on a long-term follow-up study of the use of the UV1 vaccine. The researchers looked every six months for up to 7.5 years for UV1-specific immune responses in 51 patients enrolled in three early trials of UV1 in malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and prostate cancer.

For patients with malignant melanoma, where UV1 was combined with the checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab, UV1-specific immune responses occurred earlier and more frequently than in patients with NSCLC or prostate cancer where no checkpoint inhibitors were involved. 91% of patients with malignant melanoma showed a detectable immune response within three months.

The high rate and rapid induction of immune responses provide support for synergy between UV1 vaccination and checkpoint inhibition. The data further demonstrate that UV1 vaccination leads to induction of memory T cells with an inflammatory cytokine profile. These cytokines produced by the UV1-specific T cells, including IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, are considered appropriate in terms of supporting anti-tumor activity. Immune response induction associated with longer survival time, with a median overall survival in immune responders of 54.8 months, compared to 23.4 months in non-immune responders.

"These data - from what we believe to be the longest immune monitoring study of a therapeutic cancer vaccine - are highly relevant to Ultimovacs' ongoing Phase II programs in which UV1 is combined with various checkpoint inhibitors, as well as to potential future clinical studies. The data shows that the patients' UV1-specific immune responses may be embedded in immune memory, providing the potential for dynamic long-term defenses against cancer" said Carlos de Sousa, Chief Executive Officer of Ultimovacs.



==ENDS==

About Ultimovacs

Ultimovacs is an immunotherapy company developing immune-stimulatory vaccines to treat a broad range of cancers. Ultimovacs' lead universal cancer vaccine candidate UV1 targets human telomerase (hTERT), present in 85-90% of cancers in all stages of tumor growth. By directing the immune system to hTERT antigens, UV1 drives CD4 helper T cells to the tumor to activate an immune system cascade and increase anti-tumor responses. With a broad Phase II program in five cancer indications enrolling more than 650 patients, Ultimovacs aims to clinically demonstrate UV1's impact in multiple cancer types, in combination with other immunotherapies, for patients with unmet needs. Ultimovacs' second technology approach, based on the proprietary Tetanus-Epitope-Targeting (TET) platform, combines tumor-specific peptides and adjuvant in the same molecule and entered Phase I studies in 2021.

For further information, please see www.ultimovacs.com or contact:

Carlos de Sousa, CEO

Email: carlos.desousa@ultimovacs.com

Phone: +47 908 92507

Anne Worse, Head of IR & Communication

Email: anne.worsoe@ultimovacs.com

Phone: +47 90686815

Mary-Ann Chang, LifeSci Advisors

Email: mchang@lifesciadvisors.com

Phone: +44 7483 284 853

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This stock exchange announcement was published by Joachim Midttun, Finance Manager at Ultimovacs ASA, on 10 May, 2022 at 08:00 CET.
Nordea Climate Engagement Fund to invest in Solvay

This recognizes Solvay's One Planet roadmap and accelerating energy-transition plan.

Brussels, May 10, 2022

Solvay has been featured in a new fund launched by Nordea Asset Management (NAM) called the Nordea 1 - Global Climate Engagement fund. The fund identifies companies that have the potential to transition their business models towards cleaner operations, and the opportunity to engage with management teams to support their sustainability initiatives.

Solvay was identified as having a well-defined energy transition plan whose focus is on switching energy sources, including opportunities for process innovations, particularly for emission-intensive sites, to reduce emissions to improve the Company's carbon footprint.

"We are proud that our plans have motivated Nordea's new thematic fund to invest in Solvay," said Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay. "It's a demonstrable recognition that our ambitious One Planet sustainability roadmap will contribute positively and significantly to the climate agenda. Our contribution to the sustainability journey of our customers is one of the cornerstones of our strategy. We've been working with our customers to produce more sustainable solutions along the value chain. And we are planning to deliver the progress on climate whilst also creating superior shareholder value, proving yet again that responsible value creation is very much within our reach."

In the past two years, Solvay has accelerated the rate at which it is cutting emissions thanks to its Solvay One Planet plans launched in 2020, having aligned its trajectory with the "well below 2C temperature increase" goal outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. In mid-2020, Solvay took this a step further by joining the Science-Based Targets initiativebefore 2050, in which all its businesses except Soda Ash & Derivatives are targeted to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. As part of this roadmap, Solvay raised its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to -30% (from -26% initially), building upon the 11% structural reduction achieved between 2018 and 2021.

Attachment
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / The Board of Atlantic Lithium Limited (AIM:ALL)(OTCQX:ALLIF), "Atlantic Lithium" or the "Company"), the African focused lithium exploration and development company, wishes to advise of the allotment and issue of 1,352,700 Ordinary Shares at a price of 30 pence per share as a result of the exercise of unlisted broker warrants.

Application will be made for the 1,352,700 Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM and admission is expected to take place on or around 17 May 2022 ("Admission").

On Admission of the 1,352,700 Ordinary Shares to trading the issued share capital of the Company will comprise 578,096,946 Ordinary Shares. When calculating voting rights, shareholders should use this figure 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 any further information, please contact:

Atlantic Lithium Limited

Neil Herbert (Executive Chairman)

Amanda Harsas (Finance Director and Company Secretary)

www.atlanticlithium.com.au

atlantic@yellowjerseypr.com Tel: +61 2 8072 0640 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

Nominated Adviser

Jeff Keating

Charlie Bouverat Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470 Canaccord Genuity Limited

Joint Company Broker

Raj Khatri

James Asensio

Harry Rees Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523 4500 Liberum Capital Limited

Joint Company Broker

Scott Mathieson

Edward Thomas

Kane Collings Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000 SI Capital Limited

Joint Company Broker

Nick Emerson

Jon Levinson Tel: +44 (0) 1483 413 500

Tel: +44 (0) 207 871 4038 Yellow Jersey PR Limited

Henry Wilkinson

Dominic Barretto

James Lingfield Tel: +44 (0)20 3004 9512

Notes to Editors:

About Atlantic Lithium

www.atlanticlithium.com.au

Atlantic Lithium (formerly "IronRidge Resources") is an AIM-listed lithium company advancing a portfolio of projects in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire through to production.

The Company's flagship project, the Ewoyaa Project in Ghana, is a significant lithium pegmatite discovery on track to become West Africa's first lithium producing mine. The project is fully funded to production under an agreement with Piedmont Lithium for US$102m and set to produce a premium lithium product. A robust update Scoping Study indicates Life of Mine revenues exceeding US$3.4bn.

Atlantic Lithium holds a 560km2 & 774km2 tenure across Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire respectively, comprising significantly under-explored, highly prospective licenses.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Atlantic Lithium Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700695/Atlantic-Lithium-Limited-Announces-Corporate-Update--Issue-of-Equity
Press contact:

Florence Lievre

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71

Email: florence.lievre@capgemini.com

Capgemini has been selected by Airbus to implement a large-scale cloud transformation programdrivinginnovation and sustainability

Capgemini will adopt a holistic 'sustainability by design' approach to enable the cloud services function to reach carbon neutrality by 2024.

Paris, May10, 2022 - Capgemini has been selected by Airbus to deliver a cloud-first transformation program for its global Commercial Aircraft and Helicopters businesses. As a strategic partner to Airbus, Capgemini will now provide a fully managed service of the core cloud infrastructure for the Airbus business.

Capgemini will drive transformation of existing services through unification and modernization, managing both private and public clouds as well as legacy infrastructure, along with infrastructure management, to achieve the flexibility needed to meet any future needs of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and Helicopters.

Capgemini will also facilitate the modernization of applications, moving the environment to a multi-hybrid cloud solution. A 'pay-per-use' model will be deployed to support the continuity of Airbus' activity, while allowing flexibility.

The hybrid cloud transformation program will accelerate new functionalities through advanced releases in Airbus' IT systems, while contributing to innovation at scale to support Airbus' production activities and supply chains.

In addition, Capgemini's dedicated platform enablement team will support the Airbus IT department in accelerating and scaling its innovation roadmap. A joint innovation fund with Airbus will be established to fund and test emerging technologies for the Airbus business - such as machine learning and artificial intelligence - to support the company's goal to be at the forefront of technology trends.

To align the delivery of services against Airbus sustainability ambition, Capgemini will provide a next-generation cloud and infrastructure platform, adopting a holistic 'sustainability by design' approach to achieve an infrastructure carbon impact reduction across the service lines. A sustainable cloud strategy will be implemented alongside an action plan. This will enable the cloud services function at the Airbus Commercial Aircraft and Helicopters to reach carbon neutrality by 2024.

"Innovation and sustainability are the top priorities for industry leaders today. We are fully mobilized to accompany Airbus' existing and future programs for sustainable aerospace and resilient operations, bringing together the best of Capgemini's expertise in cloud combined with transformation and innovation enablers," says Nive Bhagat, CEO of Capgemini's Cloud & Infrastructure Services and member of the Group Executive Committee. "This agreement reflects Capgemini's position as the key business partner for strategic programs of global players who are themselves leaders in their industry."

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of 18 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Attachment
China to have 5.5 million nurses by 2025

Xinhua) 09:55, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China will have 5.5 million nurses by 2025, according to a new plan released by the National Health Commission.

There will be an average of 3.8 registered nurses for every 1,000 people by 2025, the development plan for nursing showed.

At the end of 2020, the number of registered nurses in China was over 4.7 million, up 45 percent from 2015. Over 70 percent of the country's nurses have a junior college degree or above, said the document.

It added that the improvement of nursing is of great significance to improving people's health and actively responding to the aging of the population.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
A general view of the United Nations Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York City is seen in this Feb. 28 file photo. The United States has requested an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting for May 11, to discuss North Korea, according to diplomats, after Pyongyang tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile over the weekend. AFP-Yonhap





The United States has requested an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting for Wednesday to discuss North Korea, according to diplomats, amid fears that Pyongyang will resume nuclear weapons tests in the coming weeks.







Washington holds the Security Council presidency for the month of May, and has been considering calling a meeting since late last week, the same diplomats said Monday. The public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. (GMT).







It comes as Pyongyang has dramatically ramped up its sanctions-busting missile launches, conducting 15 weapons tests since January including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.







North Korea's latest test occurred Saturday when Pyongyang fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile, its second missile launch in just three days.







The Security Council meeting will be held one day after the swearing in of South Korea's hawkish new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to get tough on Pyongyang and bolster the U.S. security alliance.







Satellite imagery meanwhile indicates North Korea may also be preparing to resume nuclear tests, with the U.S. State Department warning Friday that a test could come "as early as this month."







No comment could immediately be obtained from the U.S. diplomatic mission to the U.N. on Wednesday's proposed meeting.







Washington has also recently proposed toughening sanctions on North Korea through the Security Council.







A draft Security Council resolution presented last month by the United States and seen by AFP would tighten sanctions, including reducing the amount of crude oil North Korea would be allowed to import each year for civilian purposes from four million to two million barrels.







But the resolution stands little chance of approval as diplomats say there is no support from China or Russia, which hold veto powers and have cordial relations with Pyongyang. (AFP)






Future NASA missions could rely on SES's multi-orbit expertise and proven non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) innovation

SES Government Solutions (SES GS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, in partnership with Planet Labs PBC (Planet), has been awarded a Funded Space Act Agreement from NASA's Communications Services Project (CSP) to support the development and demonstration of near-Earth communication services in support of the agency's future mission needs.

SES GS will partner with Planet to develop a real-time always-on low-latency connectivity solution enabled by SES's geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) constellations, including O3b mPOWER, to further NASA missions. Planet brings over a decade of experience in designing and manufacturing cutting-edge low-cost Earth observation satellites and radio communication systems.

SES GS has been awarded nearly USD 29 Million through NASA's Funded Space Act Agreement to demonstrate commercial radio frequency GEO C-band and MEO Ka-band relay networks for SATCOM services to spacecraft in low earth orbit. These services include routine missions, contingency operations, launch and ascent, and early operations phase communications.

The solution proposed by SES GS will deliver robust, reliable and cost-effective mission-oriented operations, enabling high-rate and high-capacity two-way communications. Under the agreement, the company will complete technology development and in-space demonstrations by 2025, with NASA intending to seek multiple long-term contracts to acquire services for near-Earth operations by 2030. The adoption of agile and innovative SATCOM service will support NASA in phasing out its proprietary systems, as well as other NASA-operated systems.

"We are excited to showcase our second-generation satellite constellation -- O3b mPOWER -- that will enable high data rates coupled with low-latency data relay communications to and from near-Earth orbit NASA assets," said President and CEO of SES Government Solutions, Brigadier General Pete Hoene, USAF (retired). "Combining the multi-orbit capabilities of SES, the global leader in delivering content and connectivity solutions via satellite, with that of Planet Labs, one of the world's leading commercial imaging companies, will create the world's first high-throughput commercial space relay service, enabling timely and data-driven decisions."

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About SES Government Solutions

SES Government Solutions (SES GS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions. SES GS operates under a proxy board allowing them to provide services through contracts with the U.S. Government, including classified work. SES GS is exclusively focused on meeting the satellite communications needs of the U.S. Government. Leveraging more than four decades of experience in the government SATCOM market, SES GS offers robust and secure end-to-end satellite communications solutions. Further information can be found at www.ses-gs.com.

About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world's only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries 8,400 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509006228/en/

Contacts:

For further information:

Jon Bennett

VP for Government Affairs, Marketing Communications Manager

Tel. +1 703 610 0998

jon.bennett@ses-gs.com
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the rising prevalence of CVDs, the cardiac monitoring market was valued at $7,965.7 million in 2021, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2021 to 2030, to reach $16,124.0 million by 2030. According the market research report published by P&S Intelligence. The continuous monitoring of heart health is essential due to lifestyle changes; as a result, medical technology businesses are introducing a variety of products.

Biotricity Inc. launched Bioheart, a heart monitor that allows for rhythm tracking for 48 hours on a full battery, in November 2021. According to the WHO, CVDs are the largest cause of death worldwide, killing 17.9 million people each year. Excessive smoking of cigarettes, obesity, high cholesterol levels, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, diabetes, and alcohol consumption directly impair heart health.

Get the sample pages of this report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cardiac-monitoring-market/report-sample

Key Findings of Cardiac Monitoring Market Report

In 2021, the North American cardiac monitoring market accounted for $2,998.3 million in revenue, which will rise at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2021 to 2030. The increasing healthcare expenditure, growing prevalence of CVDs, advancing disposable income, and increasing healthcare knowledge drive the market in the region

accounted for in revenue, which will rise at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2021 to 2030. The increasing healthcare expenditure, growing prevalence of CVDs, advancing disposable income, and increasing healthcare knowledge drive the market in the region Boston Scientific Corporation bought Preventice Solutions Inc. in January 2021 to offer portable ambulatory cardiac monitors and other devices that are essential to sound heart health.

to offer portable ambulatory cardiac monitors and other devices that are essential to sound heart health. Similarly, ZOLL Medical Corporation declared the purchase of Cardiac Science Corporation in August 2019 to increase AED production for cardiac monitoring and deliver related accessories and services.

to increase AED production for cardiac monitoring and deliver related accessories and services. The early identification of arrhythmias can help prevent serious heart events; as a result, the demand for cardiac monitoring devices is increasing since these devices can save patients in whom the risk of sudden cardiac arrest is high.

In 2021, hospitals produced approximately $3,070.3 million in cardiac monitoring market revenue, and it is expected to grow at a 7.8% CAGR in the forecast period. Every year, around 6.9% of the patients with ischemic heart disease or a history of myocardial infarction are hospitalized in the U.S. While, approximately 7.2% of the patients with heart illnesses end up in emergency rooms.

in cardiac monitoring market revenue, and it is expected to grow at a 7.8% CAGR in the forecast period. Every year, around 6.9% of the patients with ischemic heart disease or a history of myocardial infarction are hospitalized in the U.S. While, approximately 7.2% of the patients with heart illnesses end up in emergency rooms. In China and the U.A.E., 58% and 46% of the patients, respectively, send data to healthcare experts via connected devices. In contrast, the percentages are roughly 12%, 17%, and 26% in Germany , Sweden , and the U.K., respectively.

Browse detailed report on Global Cardiac Monitoring Market Size, Share and Demand Forecast Through 2030

To attain a prominent foothold in the cardiac monitoring market, companies have launched new products and acquired other companies in recent years. Major companies in the market are Boston Scientific Corporation, GE Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, BIOTRONIK, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Hill-Rom Holdings, Medtronic plc, and Asahi Kasei Corporation.

In 2021, the resting ECG category contributed roughly 38% of the sales revenue. This was due to the devices' ability to diagnose heart health more quickly and accurately than other monitoring technologies. These devices can also be utilized in conjunction with a variety of other telemetry monitoring equipment, diagnostic tests, and medical treatments.

Cardiac Monitoring Market Segmentation Analysis

By Product

Resting ECG

Stress ECG

MCT

Holter Monitoring

ICM Monitoring

Cardiac Event Monitoring

Cardiac Output Monitoring

By Mode

Standard

Ambulatory

By End User

Hospitals

Specialty Cardiac Centers & Clinics

Diagnostic Centers

Regional Outlook

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Spain



Italy

Asia-Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Australia

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina

Middle East and Africa

and Turkey



Saudi Arabia



South Africa

Browse Other Related Reports

Global Aortic Valve Market Revenue Estimation and Growth Forecast Report

Global Precision Cardiology Market Revenue Estimation and Growth Forecast Report

Global Organ-on-Chip Market Revenue Estimation and Growth Forecast Report

Global Defibrillator Market Revenue Estimation and Growth Forecast Report

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.

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P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.com

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

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TOKYO, May 10, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi High-Tech Corporation has entered into a strategic partnership (the Partnership) with Invivoscribe, Inc., a global provider of blood cancer testing kits and services, by undertaking a minority investment-based, third-party allotment of shares. The Partnership aims to accelerate the molecular diagnostics(1) and precision medicine businesses of both companies by combining Invivoscribe's technology, assay and bioinformatics development, global clinical testing, and international regulatory expertise with Hitachi High-Tech's core expertise in measurement and analysis systems technologies.In recent years, cancer treatments have begun to offer personalized medicine, in which genes and proteins are examined in detail and the treatment is tailored to the individual patient. In the medical field, there are growing expectations and demands for molecular diagnostics, including high-precision measurement devices that measure genes and proteins, and testing services that deliver highly reliable results to doctors and patients. These molecular diagnostic tests are being further developed as highly precise, sensitive, and affordable methods with minimal burden on the body. The use of molecular diagnostics is expected to expand from diagnostic and therapeutic drug selection to early detection and prognosis monitoring.Invivoscribe is a privately-held, California-based life science corporation with 7 wholly-owned subsidiaries in 5 countries, including clinical laboratories in 4 countries. Invivoscribe is engaged in three core business functions: 1) testing services for blood cancers, 2) global sales and distribution of test kits and licensing bioinformatics software, and 3) the development and commercialization of companion diagnostics(2) to support pharmaceutical approval of new oncology treatments.Hitachi High-Tech's Analytical & Medical Solutions Business aims to support emerging businesses in the life science and healthcare industries while building out its own in vitro diagnostics (IVD) business. This Partnership is part of Hitachi High Tech's growth strategy of strengthening this molecular diagnostics business, whose mission is to contribute to the early detection and treatment of cancer, and discover new drugs, by providing molecular cancer diagnostics to all people, thereby realizing a healthy and secure society.Through this strategic partnership, Hitachi High-Tech aims to cooperate across development, manufacturing, sales and testing services, while developing systems that provide solutions that better address the on-site needs of cancer diagnosis and monitoring throughout the course of treatment.Hitachi High-Tech will continue to strengthen and expand the IVD business including the molecular diagnostic business by incorporating digital and information technologies and contribute to improving the quality of medical care by providing solutions for early diagnosis and optimal treatments of cancers to improve people's QoL"Invivoscribe is excited at the synergistic opportunities, combining our core expertise in global standardization of tests and bioinformatics, our clinical lab services, and our processes for developing custom companion diagnostics from analytical/clinical validations through international regulatory approvals and commercialization, with Hitachi's expertise in instrumentation development and manufacturing," said Jeffrey Miller, CEO and founder of Invivoscribe. "Hitachi manufactures and distributes in vitro diagnostic instruments that we currently use to standardize testing for the international community; we are looking forward to further deepening our Partnership so we can advance precision medicine worldwide.""Hitachi High-Tech has been strengthening its molecular diagnosis business centered on genetic testing. By combining Invivoscribe's testing service business with our experiences gained from the equipment business, we aim to build a unique business model and provide a wide range of services to medical professionals," said Yoshimitsu Takagi, Vice President and Executive Officer, and General Manager, Analytical & Medical Solution Business Group of Hitachi High-Tech.(1) Molecular diagnostics business: A business that measures biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and protein contained in tissues and blood (body fluids) and provides information necessary for diagnosis and selection of therapeutic agents to healthcare professionals.(2) Companion diagnostics: In-vitro diagnostics to test the indication of a specific drug to improve the efficacy or safety of the drug.About InvivoscribeInvivoscribe has been Improving Lives with Precision Diagnostics for more than twenty-five years, advancing the field of precision medicine by developing and selling standardized reagents, tests, and bioinformatics tools to more than 700 customers in 160 countries. Invivoscribe also has a significant impact on global health working with pharmaceutical companies to accelerate approvals of new drugs and treatments by supporting international clinical trials, developing, commercializing companion diagnostics, and providing expertise in both regulatory and laboratory services. With its proven ability to provide global access to distributable reagents, kits, and controls, as well as clinical trial services through our international clinical lab subsidiaries (LabPMM), Invivoscribe has demonstrated it is an ideal partner. For additional information please visit: www.invivoscribe.comor contact Invivoscribe at: customerservice@invivoscribe.com.About Hitachi High-TechHitachi High-Tech, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is engaged in activities in a broad range of fields, including manufacture and sales of clinical analyzers, biotechnology products, and analytical instruments, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and analysis equipment. and providing high value-added solutions in fields of social & industrial infrastructures and mobility, etc. The company's consolidated revenues for FY 2021 were approx. JPY 576.8 billion [USD 5.1 billion]. For further information, visit http://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/Contact:Maya OkamuraBusiness Creation Dept., Business Strategy Planning Div.,Hitachi High-Tech Corporatione-mail: maya.okamura.yr@hitachi-hightech.comSource: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time this year, LEOTEK Corporation, a subsidiary of LITE-ON Technology, a world-leading provider of opto-semiconductor and power supply management, participated and competed with over 500 technologies and products worldwide in the innovative research and development indicator "Edison Awards." Winning gold and bronze medals for "LEOTEK Human-Centric Smart Lighting System" and "LEOTEK Ecological Conservation Smart Lighting," making it the only manufacturer in Taiwan to win awards for two technologies simultaneously.

The combination of advanced optical technology and AIoT is the key for LEOTEK to win the Edison Awards in the Critical Human Infrastructure Category. The "LEOTEK Human-Centric Smart Lighting System" uses AI image recognition, Internet of Things, and edge computing to automatically adjusts a luminaire's photometric configuration. It improves traffic safety in cities by increasing optical lighting performance, reducing glare reflected by wet roadway surfaces, and improving eye comfort for drivers.

"LEOTEK Ecological Conservation Smart Lighting" has the patented Optical Filter Front Mask with exclusive dyeing technology to filter out the radiant energy of under 460 nanometers of LED Blue Spectrum, dramatically reducing the Pedicel Ants' attraction to streetlights while maintaining the same brightness. In the future, LEOTEK will leverage AIoT to develop multi-functional intelligent lighting to meet great demand for outdoor lighting for some countries having relatively dark and long winters and to achieve multi-dimensional ecological conservation.

Mr. Torrent Chin, General Manager of LEOTEK, stated that we are proud to be recognized as a Gold and Bronze Award Winner for the 2022 Edison Awards for two exciting new technological developments. It indicates that the strength of innovative R&D of LEOTEK has received international recognition. Unlike traditional streetlights that simply illuminate the night, LEOTEK aims to promote intelligent traffic solution, roadway safety, and sustainable ecology, combined with AIoT, to expand multiple benefits of common streetlights.

In the future, LEOTEK will integrate software and hardware R&D, focus on program innovation, and expand into various traffic solutions to improve roadway safety and sustainability.

The Edison Awards was established in 1987 to commemorate Thomas Edison's pursuit of innovation and excellence. It aims to recognize outstanding innovative developers and innovative achievements and has become one of the highest honorary awards for R&D innovation in the global science and technology industry.

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Southampton-based coffee manufacturer remove paper-based check-in with Yardi technology

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BBC Coffee, an innovative coffee manufacturer in Southampton that produces 1.5 tonnes of roasted coffee per hour, has selected Yardi Bluepoint visitor management to provide a flexible solution that can scale to its needs.

Yardi Bluepoint will allow BBC Coffee to automate check-in and replace the existing paper-based registration experience. This will improve GDPR and let visitors self-check-in to the factory, which includes customers buying coffee, suppliers and contractors.

"The Yardi Bluepoint team were communicative and responsive and articulated how Bluepoint could be implemented and used to manage visitors without anyone having to be on reception," said Ewa Bellman, accounts and commercial manager for BBC Coffee. "It was important to us to have visitor notifications sent to the host, who could be anywhere on the factory floor. By having a self-check-in kiosk and using a QR code, we can streamline the check-in process, align with GDPR regulations and provide a better visitor experience."

"We're excited to work with BBC Coffee and improve their visitor management," said Paul Speariett, regional director for Yardi. "Bluepoint will allow them to automate the visitor journey and provide an enhanced experience to visitors, improve security and gain better efficiency."

See how Bluepoint can improve your visitor journey with visitor management.

About BBC Coffee



Specialising in 3rd party manufacturing, BBC Coffee fulfils bespoke coffee requirements from its facility located in Southampton. The company works directly with farmers to make sure they're fairly compensated for coffee whilst securing the best grades and origins for its customer's needs. For more information, visit bbccoffee.co.uk.

About Yardi

Yardi develops and supports industry-leading investment and property management software for all types and sizes of real estate companies. With 8,000 employees, Yardi is working with clients globally to drive significant innovation in the real estate industry. For more information on how Yardi is Energized for Tomorrow, visit yardi.co.uk.Media contact:

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WUHAN, China, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kitalpha, the brightest star in the Equuleus constellation, is 52.5 times more luminous than the sun, shining with a dazzling light, just like the new release, TK Gen2 Kitalpha thermal monocular from Guide Sensmart. This new arrival comes with the enhanced and new capabilities of night vision, laser indicating and outdoor lighting that enable users to absorbedly explore the world through the darkness.

Equipped with Guide's new self-developed infrared detector and the patented image processing technology, the new TK captures sharp imaging and is packed with powerful features like image and video recording, smooth zoom, approximate ranging and PIP. Personalized image observation is supported in different scene modes.

This Guide thermal monocular chose its first show at the HuntEx2022 from April 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Unexpectedly, the power failure left visitors in the dark across the hall last day and it did not enrage visitors who came to the Guide Sensmart's booth. The visitors took this thermal camera for night vision. The considerate ergonomic design makes it a comfort for one-hand operation and portability, and differential button design allows operation in total darkness. Visitors like the amazing imaging quality and they can't keep their hands off it. Detection up to 3km ensures the long-range view and safety, which can be used for animal observation.

Since thermal imaging camera is a passive non-contact recognition tool of targets, it is concealed and not easy to be discovered, making it convenient to observe fast animals in a safer place. Three scene modes give prominence to animals and its LCOS eyepiece prevents condensation or fogging and helps users maintain a clear view.

Except the TK Gen2, Guide Sensmart will showcase their newest products and solutions at MILIPOL QATAR exhibition taking place May 24-26, 2022, in Doha Exhibition & Convention Center.

At booth C070, Guide Sensmart will show innovative thermal imagers for petroleum & metallurgy, mechanical & electrical and law enforcement. Product and application specialists will be available to discuss users' specific requirements.

Enter the Guide Sensmart booth and discover all the company's offers.

About Guide Sensmart

Guide Sensmart is the subsidiary of Guide Infrared (SZ.002414), the world leading infrared thermal imaging systems manufacturer with over 20 years of experience in the infrared industry and mass production capacity. https://www.guideir.com/.

liyy07271@guideir.com

+86 13207192755

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Series of orders demonstrates Plurilock's continued sales growth across key industry verticals

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) and related subsidiaries ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aurora Systems Consulting, Inc. ("Aurora"), has received purchase orders from several organizations in April 2022 totaling US$1,417,000.

All but one of the orders received are part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Solution for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) program, a U.S. Government-Wide Acquisition Contract Vehicle (GWAC). All contracts and orders announced by PlurilockTM and its subsidiaries since January 1, 2022, including the latest orders, represent a combined total of roughly US$6.7 million in disclosed sales.

"This series of orders highlights Plurilock's role as a leader in the cybersecurity and IT space and demonstrates the Company's work in achieving our stated goal of securing contracts across key industry verticals, including military defense and financial services," said Ian L. Paterson, CEO of Plurilock. "As we continue to scale our operations, we intend to strengthen our business relationships with existing clients of Aurora while increasing cross-selling opportunities for our high-margin proprietary software products to their end customers."

The following list outlines the terms of the Aurora purchase orders:

a California state taxation agency, totaling US$167,000, for software subscriptions and maintenance support.

NASA through the SEWP V program, totaling US$130,000, for software renewal and maintenance support.

U.S. Air Force through the SEWP V program, totaling US$109,000, for software renewal and maintenance support.

U.S. Air Force through the SEWP V program, totaling US$124,000, for hardware.

U.S. Department of the Navy through the SEWP V program, totaling US$112,000, for software renewal and maintenance support.

U.S. Department of Commerce through the SEWP V program, totaling US$217,000, for software renewal and maintenance support.

U.S. Department of the Navy through the SEWP V program, totaling US$104,000, for hardware and software support.

U.S. Department of Defense through the SEWP V program, totaling US$203,000, for hardware and maintenance support.

U.S. Department of Energy through the SEWP V program, totaling US$251,000, for LinkedIn enterprise services.

About SEWP

The SEWP V program, launched by NASA in 2015, is the leading information technology (IT) contract vehicle, with government agencies spending $7.9 billion in fiscal 2020.1 Estimates anticipate that agencies will utilize SEWP V for $8.8 billion in contracted spending in fiscal 2021.2 The contract vehicle provides Plurilock with the opportunity to access downstream customers in the government sector.

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.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123372
Flowe, the environmentally-friendly Italian challenger bank, reaches 700,000 accounts

Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the cloud banking platform, announced that Flowe, the digital bank of Banco Mediolanum, has reached a major milestone with 700,000 accounts in its first 18 months since its launch. With Temenos open platform for composable banking, Flowe is growing twice as fast as its nearest competitor. It received 150,000 new sign-ups in one week with peaks of 30,000 new customers per day.

Flowe offers digital services at scale, paving the way for future profitability and bringing sustainable banking to over 60 million Italians. Supported by Temenos cloud technology, Flowe is the first bank in Italy to be certified as a B-Corp and become carbon neutral. Flowe's CEO will be speaking on the topic of ESG at Temenos Community Forum, 17-19 May in London.

Flowe's mobile banking app combines fully-automated onboarding, a first-class user experience and eco-friendly banking services. Its target market consists of young people who need to manage their money effectively to pay rent and other bills and prefer to use innovative, ethical service providers.

Through a fully remote implementation with Temenos, Flowe went live in a record time of just five months, in June 2020. Temenos pre-composed banking services and simple customization through open APIs significantly accelerated the process. The bank's highly differentiated value proposition has paid off in 2021, Flowe won the prestigious Prodotto Dell'Anno (Product of the Year), an Italian product innovation award based exclusively on consumers' votes.

Ivan Mazzoleni, Chief Executive Officer, Flowe: "We chose Temenos Banking Cloud because it enabled us to go live fast, scale massively, and provide a seamless onboarding experience to our customers. Flowe went live in a record time of just five months, and we onboarded 15,000 customers in our first week alone. With Temenos, we've been able to bring new products to market quickly and offer truly personalized experiences in line with our sustainable mission. Supported by Temenos Banking Cloud, we can grow sustainably, passing on benefits to customers for a cleaner, greener planet and a better society."

Max Chuard, Chief Executive Officer, Temenos, said: "Digital innovation in banking is thriving in Italy. And it's an important market for Temenos, where we have a strong and growing presence. Banks are ready to break free from the legacy core banking systems that have inhibited innovation, whereas new digital entrants are coming to the market. Flowe's success shows that Temenos open platform for composable banking can help Italian banks provide highly-differentiated, sustainable banking experiences at scale. Congratulations to the team for demonstrating that a powerful mission combined with leading technology can change the face of banking."

Cloud adoption has accelerated since the pandemic. A recent Economist Intelligence Unit report supported by Temenos finds that more than seven in ten banking respondents state that incorporating the cloud into their organization's products and services will help them achieve their business priorities. Challenger banks specifically look for agility, scale, and easily composable banking services that allow them to assemble best-of-breed providers into an open ecosystem. On Temenos Banking Cloud, pre-composed banking services can be consumed from a self-service portal, easily configured, extended, or deployed anywhere. Composed Temenos Banking Services consist of pre-configured and pre-assembled Temenos Banking Capabilities plus optional integrated third-party solutions from the Temenos Exchange.

About Temenos

Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN) is the world's leader in banking software. Over 3,000 banks across the globe, including 41 of the top 50 banks, rely on Temenos to process both the daily transactions and client interactions of more than 1.2 billion banking customers. Temenos offers cloud-native, cloud-agnostic and AI-driven front office, core banking, payments and fund administration software enabling banks to deliver frictionless, omnichannel customer experiences and gain operational excellence.

Temenos software is proven to enable its top-performing clients to achieve cost-income ratios of 26.8% half the industry average and returns on equity of 29%, three times the industry average. These clients also invest 51% of their IT budget on growth and innovation versus maintenance, which is double the industry average, proving the banks' IT investment is adding tangible value to their business.

For more information, please visit www.temenos.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509006301/en/

Contacts:

Jessica Wolfe Scott Rowe

Temenos Global Public Relations

Tel: +1 610 232 2793 +44 20 7423 3857

Email: press@temenos.com

Alistair Kellie Andrew Adie

Newgate Communications on behalf of Temenos

Tel: +44 20 7680 6550

Email: allnewgatetemenos@newgatecomms.com
Multi-year agreement leveraging EUTELSAT 172B satellite over the South Pacific Ocean confirming the unparalleled coverage of the 172 orbital position over Asia Pacific

Supporting corporate networks for government offices and main enterprises of Tuvalu, crucial to curb the digital divide

Regulatory News:

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and The Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) have signed a contract for capacity on EUTELSAT 172B satellite to support the extension of corporate networks for government offices and key enterprises of the Tuvalu Islands.

Under the terms of this multi-year agreement, Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation will be leveraging the unparalleled coverage of EUTELSAT 172B to fulfil its commitment to curb the digital divide in isolated areas. This agreement showcases yet again the full-fledge flagship role of satellite in providing a complete connectivity solution to end users.

Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation (TTC), the sole provider of telecommunications in Tuvalu, is a state-owned enterprise, which provides telecommunications and ICT services to subscribers on each of the islands and atolls of Tuvalu.

Commenting on the agreement, Christophe Cazes, Eutelsat's Regional Vice President for the Asia-Pacific region, said: "With this agreement, TTC will leverage the EUTELSAT 172B satellite to unlock corporate networks for government agencies and businesses on the islands. It exemplifies yet again how satellites today are an essential technology in ensuring governments, businesses and other institutions can meet their connectivity goals."

Mrs. Tenanoia Simona, CEO of TTC, concluded: "Satellites are extremely well adapted to connect islands that are, by their very definition, cut-off and isolated from terrestrial networks. We are delighted to be able to work with Eutelsat to bring this much awaited connectivity service into our Islands, that will push the development of Tuvalu forward."

About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Around 7,000 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Committed to promoting all facets of sustainable development across its business activities, Eutelsat leverages its in-orbit resources to help bridge the digital divide while maintaining a safe and uncluttered space environment. As an attractive and socially responsible employer, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005108/en/

Contacts:

Media

Marie Sophie Ecuer

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 37 91

mecuer@eutelsat.com

Daphne Joseph-Gabriel

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 37 91

djosephgabriel@eutelsat.com

Investors

Cedric Pugni

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 54

cpugni@eutelsat.com

Alexandre Illouz

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 81

aillouz@eutelsat.com
Corona Launches New Lightly Sparkling Drink with a Hint of Real Fruit Juice* Worldwide

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Corona, an AB InBev global brand, announced the launch of Corona Tropical, the brand's first lightly sparkling alcoholic drink made with a hint of real fruit juice* available worldwide. An inclusive beverage for consumers who embrace the Corona lifestyle but are looking for an alternative to beer, Corona Tropical is a highly refreshing new way to enjoy Corona. The newest innovation by Corona is currently rolling out globally in China, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Ecuador and the UK, with additional markets launching later this year, starting with Canada.

According to Research and Markets, the global alcoholic infused sparkling water market size is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 12% over the next several years. As more consumers around the globe look for alternative, low-calorie beverages, Corona created a product catered to consumers searching for that Corona lifestyle, beyond beer. Corona Tropical is a refreshing alcoholic beverage with no added sugar and less than 100 calories per can, available in several tropical flavors. With Corona Tropical, Corona is expanding its global beverage portfolio to offer a new, refreshing, and flavorful taste of paradise, by developing a completely unknown category in some markets around the globe.

"Corona is a brand that was born from the tropics and as we encourage consumers to embrace the lifestyle around the world, we're excited to offer a new Corona beverage to those who love the brand but are looking for options outside of beer," said Felipe Ambra, Global Vice President for Corona. "It is our mission to bring paradise to people everywhere and our newest innovation does just that. We created a more flavorful and very approachable alcoholic beverage so that everyone can enjoy the feeling of paradise done the Corona way."

To highlight the natural taste from real fruit juice*, Corona will install pickable, real fruit billboards in select cities, starting in London and expanding around the world in May, giving locals a chance to immerse themselves in both the taste and feel of a tropical paradise. The real fruit billboards will allow consumers to pick fruit straight from the ad and enjoy a slice in their own Corona Tropical sample in a nearby, relaxing tropical oasis. And some lucky Corona Tropical consumers will even have the opportunity to enjoy their next Corona Tropical in the ultimate real-life paradise destination, Corona Island - to truly unplug from reality and reconnect with nature. For a chance to win a trip for themselves and a friend, Corona Tropical drinkers in participating markets can share a photo on Instagram or Twitter enjoying Corona Tropical, follow @corona and include NewCoronaTropical or NuevaCoronaTropical for a chance to win. Promotion will kick off in select markets this month for two weeks starting in the UK on May 10.

In the UK, Corona Tropical is 4.5% ABV and available in three flavors - Guava & Lime, Raspberry & Lemon, and Grapefruit & Lemongrass. In Latin American markets, Corona Tropical is 4.2% ABV and available in four flavors - Lemon & Lime, Grapefruit & Lime, Pineapple Mango & Lime, and Strawberry Cherry & Lime. Corona Tropical is always enjoyed with Corona's classic lime ritual. Pricing and availability vary by market.

For more information about Corona Tropical please follow along on Twitter @corona.

*fruit juice from concentrate

About Corona Global

Born in Mexico, Corona is the leading beer brand in the country, the most popular Mexican beer worldwide exported to more than 180 countries. Corona Extra was first brewed in 1925 at the Cerveceria Modelo in Mexico City. Corona is a pioneer in the beer industry by being the first to use a transparent bottle showcasing its purity and high quality to the world. The artwork found on the bottle is painted, highlighting our commitment to quality in our packaging and our Mexican heritage. No Corona is complete without the lime. Naturally adding character, flavor and refreshment, the lime ritual is an integral part of delivering an experience that is truly unique to Corona. The brand is synonymous with the beach and celebrates time outdoors. It invites people to pause, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Corona has an ongoing commitment to reducing plastics. Since its partnership with Parley for the Oceans in 2017, they have exceeded its mission to protect 100 islands before 2020, and continue to deploy consistent global clean-up efforts.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life's moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois; multi-country brands Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Michelob ULTRA; and local champions such as Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 169,000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2021, AB InBev's reported revenue was 54.3 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1813427/Corona_Tropical.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1813428/Corona_Tropical_Logo.jpg
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his country's "firm solidarity" with Russia in a congratulatory message sent to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's celebration of its "Victory Day" holiday, the North's state media reported Tuesday.







In the message sent the previous day, Kim congratulated Putin on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, according to the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party, and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).







Russia celebrated the 77th anniversary of the holiday Monday.







Kim's message "extended firm solidarity to the cause of the Russian people to root out the political and military threat and blackmail by the hostile forces and safeguard the country's dignity, peace and security," the KCNA said in an English-language article.







"It expressed belief that the strategic and traditional relations of friendship between the two countries would steadily develop in conformity with the requirements of the times," it added.







The North has recently highlighted its traditional ties with Russia, which has drawn condemnation from many countries for its invasion of Ukraine.







In February, a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry blamed the Ukraine crisis on the "hegemonic policy" of the United States and the West. (Yonhap)






Qualibrate, the market-leading platform for SAP testing, training and documentation, to engage with and support the SAP community during this event.

AMSTERDAM, May 10, 2022, announced today that the company will present at SAP Sapphire, Europe's Premiere SAP Event, on May 17, 2022, at World Forum, The Hague, The Netherlands.

In February, Qualibrate achieved SAP certification for integration with SAP Solution Manager, which is one of the first steps toward building a long-lasting relationship with SAP and SAP technologies. SAP Sapphire will be another opportunity for Qualibrate to engage with and support the larger SAP ecosystem and community through its business process documentation and testing capabilities.

"Qualibrate is honored to be a part of SAP Sapphire and excited to show how our automation technology can truly enable digital transformation and help ease customers' journeys to S4/HANA," said Qualibrate Managing Director Alan Jimenez. "Automation is vital for business growth and efficiency and at Qualibrate, we have solutions that reduce effort and risk while increasing quality."

Teams across organizations, such as IT and business, require solutions that can align their objectives. With Qualibrate, teams can rely on one single source of truth for reinventing the way teams test, document and train end-users.

Qualibrate provides a modern, cloud-native platform that enables customers to deliver S/4HANA more efficiently. Qualibrate also offers native support for non-SAP technologies, including Salesforce, ServiceNow and Others, allowing customers to automate their end-to-end business processes. Qualibrate provides a native integration with SAP Solution Manager, aligning to SAP best practices.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense (MoD), a Qualibrate customer and longtime user of test automation, will join Qualibrate at SAP Sapphire to share its success with the audience.

The MoD is constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency of its IT processes while reducing costs. MoDs top priorities were finding a solution that was easy to learn, use and maintain. With Qualibrate, the MoD was able to:

increase its testing coverage to over 30 end-to-end complex scenarios that are now fully automated;

move from SAP releases every three months to every two weeks; and

save over 1500 hours for each technical release.

Qualibrate allows the MoD to test faster, document more efficiently and train its users more effectively on mission-critical systems without deep technical knowledge.

For more information, please visit https://www.qualibrate.com.

For more information on SAP Sapphire World Tour 2022, please visit: https://qa.go4.events.sap.com/sapsapphire/thehague

About Qualibrate:

Qualibrate is the 3-in-1 SaaS solution for enterprise software delivery that transforms the way teams test, document, and train end users. It offers native support for automating tests on SAP applications and 40+ non-SAP technologies such as Salesforce, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Oracle Cloud Apps, Mendix, etc.

Qualibrate's Cloud test automation platform integrates natively with SAP Solution Manager Test Suite to extend the customer's capability to automate SAP and non-SAP applications as part of their end-to-end testing strategy. Qualibrate is the tool of choice for customers such as AirFrance/KLM, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Bell Helicopter, Nouryon and more.

With a certified integration for SAP, your team can leverage Qualibrate to save up to 80% effort on testing and training while documenting business processes 7x faster than before.

Media Contact

Mike Albanese

mike.albanese@newswire.com

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Press Release - May 10, 2022

Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) and EDHECinfra announce strategic partnership agreement

This partnership between the GI Hub and EDHECinfra establishes a strategic framework for co-operation, communication, and information sharing.

EDHECinfra, the provider of indices and analytics for the infrastructure investment universe, and the GI Hub, the not-for-profit organisation, formed by the G20, that advances the delivery of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure, have announced the establishment of a strategic partnership.

Welcoming this initiative, Marie Lam-Frendo, Chief Executive Officer of the GI Hub, said, "We are delighted to formalise this partnership with EDHECinfra. In our capacity as a knowledge-sharing hub we produce data, insights, tools, and programs that enable our stakeholders to create positive infrastructure outcomes. We look forward to working with EDHECinfra on activities that will add value to the infrastructure ecosystem."

Frederic Blanc-Brude, Director of EDHECinfra, added, "EDHECinfra and GI Hub have been collaborating successfully for quite a while now, so we are delighted to be able to put the partnership on a more formal footing. We share a philosophy on closing the data gap for infrastructure as an asset class and EDHECinfra and GI Hub's vision, strategic priorities and scope of operations point to several synergistic areas of cooperation in data, analytics and policy actions to support an ambitious global agenda to deliver infrastructure in a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive manner."

About Global Infrastructure Hub.

About EDHEC Infrastructure Institute :

EDHECinfra is a venture of EDHEC Business School and a provider of indices and analytics for the infrastructure investment universe. Because the majority of infrastructure assets are not publicly traded, there has traditionally been a vast knowledge gap when it comes to gauging the prices of these assets and their evolution. We are closing that gap with analytics and calculated indexes that already cover 25 countries representing an investable universe of 7,000 companies. We are based in Singapore and London. Visit edhec.infrastructure.institute.

EDHECinfra maintains the infraMetrics platform: an online information system that gives access to key market indices including the infra300 and infra100 series. InfraMetrics also includes a wealth of valuation data and analytics, risk metrics, a fund strategy analysis tool providing robust performance quartiles for any segment, strategy or vintage, and peer group analyses allowing investors to compare themselves against comparable segments of the market.


DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DIDWW , a global telecoms operator that offers premium quality VoIP communications, today announced that its two-way SIP Trunking solution is compliant with key Avaya OneCloud solutions, helping customers securely and reliably expand their local and international business communications. Avaya has selected DIDWW for membership as a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program, which promotes the development, compliance-testing and co-marketing of innovative third-party solutions that are compatible with standards-based Avaya solutions. Avaya is a global leader in solutions that enhance and simplify communications and collaboration.

The powerful DIDWW SIP Trunking solution offers virtually unlimited call capacity and flexible VoIP trunk configuration options to assist businesses of any size in expanding their local or international communications. The two-way SIP Trunking service enables enterprise users to access the PSTN in more than 80 countries, providing customers with an extended global reach, premium call quality, a high standard of reliability and availability, and access to local routes with guaranteed CLI (Calling Line Identification). The service is now compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with Avaya Aura Communication Manager 8.1 using Avaya Session Border Controller for Enterprise 8.1.

"Technology partners like DIDWW make SIP Trunking with Avaya solutions simple and cost effective," said Susy Liem, Avaya Vice President of Product Management. "Successful completion of compliance testing provides customers with confidence that DIDWW SIP Trunking services work in conjunction with Avaya Aura deployments and help them save on deployment and operating costs."

Laura Pakamaniene, Business Development Manager at DIDWW, stated, "We are proud to become an Avaya DevConnect Technology Partner. More and more companies are relying on the BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) model to meet their connectivity requirements. Now, customers can confidently combine our high-quality SIP Trunking service with the Avaya platform and enjoy exceptional performance and a compelling communication experience."

DIDWW is a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program, part of the Avaya Experience Builders network of Avaya experts, partners, developers, and customers. This unique global collaborative is exceptionally positioned to deliver the next-gen customer and employee experiences businesses need through the Avaya OneCloud AI-Powered Experience platform. Partners in the DevConnect program develop, market, and sell innovative third-party products that interoperate with Avaya technology and extend the value of a company's investment in its network.

As a Technology Partner, DIDWW can submit products to Avaya for compliance testing, where a team of DevConnect engineers develops a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify its Avaya compatibility. This enables customers to confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure - helping speed the deployment of new applications and reduce both network complexity and implementation costs.

Learn more about how DIDWW is part of Avaya's DevConnect program and Avaya's other partner programs .

About DIDWW

DIDWW is a platform for telecommunication professionals with full self-service access and real-time provisioning, APIs and all the necessary building blocks for achieving the ultimate control over voice and SMS services.

The company offers the largest fully compliant international coverage of local, national, mobile, toll-free voice and SMS-enabled virtual phone numbers, two-way local and global SIP trunks, access to local emergency services, flexible capacity options, free global number portability, a number selection tool, and more.

DIDWW delivers premium quality services to thousands of operators worldwide through a private and fully geo-redundant network with mission-critical reliability and guaranteed SLAs. Their customers enjoy advanced solutions coupled with a unique service experience and superior value, all driven by a highly motivated team of professionals.

To learn more about DIDWW, please visit https://www.didww.com/ .

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and every day millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA). Avaya is shaping what's next for the future of work, with innovation and partnerships that deliver game-changing business benefits. Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud application ecosystem power personalized, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences to help achieve strategic ambitions and desired outcomes. Together, we are committed to help grow your business by delivering Experiences that Matter.

To learn more about Avaya, please visit http://www.avaya.com .

Press Contact:

Vilija Simkiene

Marketing Department

vilija.s@didww.com

+1 (212) 461 1854

www.didww.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814430/DIDWW_Avaya.jpg
HONG KONG, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yeahka Limited ("Yeahka" or the "Company", Stock Code: 9923), a leading payment-based technology platform in China, is pleased to announce business updates for the first quarter of 2022 (the "period").

During the period, the total gross payment volume of the one-stop payment services grew 18.2% year-on-year ("YoY") to reach approximately RMB544.6 billion, and the number of active payment services merchants reached approximately 7.48 million. The payment fee rate also increased, while the commission rate paid to distribution channels decreased when compared with the full year of 2021.

As for the in-store e-commerce services, the total gross merchandise value ("GMV") and the number of paying customers reached RMB560 million and 4.7 million respectively. The Company reaffirms its guidance of achieving RMB2.8 billion to RMB3.5 billion in GMV for the full year of 2022.

Mr. Luke Liu, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Company, said, "Despite the regional resurgence of the pandemic in China, our business maintained rapid growth under a disciplined and controlled investment policy, primarily due to our business coverage of small and medium offline merchants in over 300 cities in China, with a relatively low concentration in any single city. Our continuous efforts in scaling up and monetizing our commercial digitalized ecosystem encompassing digital payment, merchant solutions, and in-store e-commerce business for local lifestyle also contributed to the growth. The overall strategy for the Company this year will be more focused on striking a balance between continued growth and profitability, building on 2021's focus on traffic growth.

The Company also announced that from January 1, 2022 to April 30, 2022, the trustee of the restricted share unit scheme has utilized an aggregate of approximately HKD298.2 million to purchase 14,476,000 shares of Yeahka on market, representing 3.2% of Yeahka's total issued shares. The Company will continue to implement the share purchase scheme based on considerations including its growth prospects, capital market conditions, macroeconomic indicators, and employee incentives.

About YEAHKA LIMITED (Stock Code: 9923.HK)

Yeahka is a leading payment-based technology platform. The Company's goal is to build an independent and scalable commercial digitalized ecosystem. Yeahka seamlessly connects merchants and consumers through payment services of different kinds, including QR code and traditional bank card payment. And on this basis, it provides merchant solutions including SaaS digital solutions, precision marketing services, and fintech services to help merchants better manage and drive business growth. In addition, Yeahka launched in-store e-commerce services in December 2020, providing consumers with one-stop local lifestyle services that are value for money.

Investor and media enquiry:

Yeahka Limited

IR team

Email: ir@yeahka.com

Christensen China Limited

Antonio Yu

Telephone: +852 2232 3917

Email: antonioyu@christensenir.com
HELSINKI (dpa-AFX) - Finland's industrial production declined in March after rising in the previous month, data from Statistics Finland showed on Tuesday. Industrial production fell 1.2 percent month-on-month in March, after a 0.5 percent rise in February. In January, output had declined 3.1 percent. Manufacturing output decreased 0.7 percent monthly in March. Meanwhile, production of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply increased 1.9 percent and those of mining and quarrying grew 4.1 percent. On a yearly basis, industrial output increased a working-day adjusted 2.6 percent in March, after a 3.4 percent growth in the prior month. Separate data from the statistical office showed that the industrial orders rose 10.4 percent yearly in March. Orders in the chemical industry grew the most by 21.1 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.
~ A team of Researchers and Scientists in AI/ML, Earth Observation, and Agrisciences will focus on computing global agriculture assets, with a target to build intelligence for 1/3rd of the planet's cultivable lands by 2025 ~

To strengthen the existing Earth Observation & AI science research team, Cropin will hire experts from these domains in 2022

Cropin AI Labs to focus on bringing Earth Observation and AI-Science together to re-imagine agriculture and ensure sustainable usage of land and resources

Cropin's platform is capable of computing crop intelligence at planet scale, computing 0.2 billion acres of cultivable land so far in 13 countries including India , Nigeria , and Bangladesh covering 32 crops

, , and covering 32 crops Based in India and Europe , the Cropin AI Labs team will compute over 1.2 billion acres of cultivable lands across North America , Europe , Asia Pacific , LATAM, and Africa regions by 2025

BANGALORE, India, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cropin, the agritech pioneer, building the first global Intelligent Agriculture Cloud, announced that it has set up a new AI Labs. With an initial team of 30 members comprising Earth Observation Scientists, Data Scientists, Agronomists and AI/ML Researchers, the AI Labs will focus on studying and 'computing' cultivable lands worldwide. Leveraging the contextual convergence of earth-observation data, geo-fenced field data, AI models and knowledge built and tested over the years, Cropin's AI Labs scientists will bring intelligence to every acre of the world's farmlands.

The complex process of 'Agri asset computation' brings together hyper local historical and forecasted weather data, soil information, agro-climatic conditions, seed genetics, global crop sowing and harvesting patterns, management practices, agronomical knowledge, land records, farmer KYC and other farming insights, all under one umbrella. Cropin's proprietary knowledge graphs are created on trillions of farm pixel datasets that continuously grow and multiply in time & space, allowing the company to build and implement the various AI models in any country in the shortest possible time. Cropin is doubling down efforts in solving some of the most complex challenges and opportunities in this industry with the launch of this initiative.

In a first of its kind initiative in the global agriculture ecosystem, this move will help accelerate digital adoption in the sector and transform agriculture into a sustainable, efficient, and data-driven industry.

Commenting on the launch of Cropin AI Labs, Krishna Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO, Cropin, said, "At Cropin, we are constantly focused on building technology that can enable and transform the agriculture sector. Right from our founding in 2010, when no category called agritech existed, to today, we see the industry evolving from the digitization of farming to intelligent and data-driven agriculture. Over the past few years, our Earth Observation & AI science research teams have built global intelligence models for agriculture that are already unmatched in terms of accuracy and scalability in the real world. Cropin's AI Labs will help us accelerate this effort to compute and bring the benefits of predictive intelligence to every acre of the world's farmlands."

The company's AI/ML-powered predictive risk monitoring and mitigation solutions have registered a revenue growth of more than 110X between 2019 and 2022 and now account for 65% of Cropin's revenues. Cropin's Data and Insight Platforms provide businesses with actionable insights on crop identification and yield estimation; crop health monitoring, biotic and abiotic stress risk mapping, predicting harvest, irrigation & water usage management; and greenhouse gas emission monitoring and climate-smart agriculture advisories.

Praveen Pankajakshan - VP, Data Science & AI, Cropin, said, "The history of agriculture is replete with examples of continuous innovation and transformation. Technology adoption in the agriculture sector has been abysmally low in comparison with other industry segments. The primary reason being that these solutions were built elsewhere and retrofitted for agriculture use cases. Cropin's AI Labs is on a mission to solve the most complex and challenging research problems in Agriculture by custom-building these solutions as an intelligence stack for all the world's farmlands and help accelerate this transformation. These are foundational blocks that play a critical role in future-proofing agriculture and influence the future of food security. We are excited and determined to fuel the next wave of agriculture transformation for our planet. Cropin is revolutionizing the 'AICulture for Agriculture' and what is good for the planet is great for us!"

About Cropin

Founded in 2010, Cropin is a pioneer in the Agtech space, building the first global Intelligent Agriculture Cloud. Cropin's platform enables various stakeholders in the agri-ecosystem to leverage digitization and AI at scale to make decisions that increase efficiency, scale productivity, and strengthen sustainability. Cropin has worked with 250+ customers and has digitized 16 million acres of farmland, improving the livelihoods of more than 7 million farmers. It has built the world's largest and most diverse farming data insights over a decade, spearheading a global 'Ag-intelligence' movement with a knowledge of 488 crops, and 10000 crop varieties in 56 countries. With its AI/ML platform tailor-made for the agriculture ecosystem, Cropin has computed 0.2 billion acres of farmlands across the globe.
Seasoned executive brings more than 25 years of corporate, Wall Street and business strategy experience

Jumio, the leading provider of orchestrated end-to-end identity proofing, eKYC and AML solutions, today announced the addition of Susan Walker as chief financial officer.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005361/en/

Susan Walker, CFO of Jumio (Photo: Business Wire)

Walker was most recently the CFO at SaaS enterprise data loss prevention leader Digital Guardian through its recent sale to HelpSystems. Before that, she was CFO at video software firm Telestream and KYB firm Avention through its sale to Dun Bradstreet. Walker's 25 years of leadership experience includes managing a successful initial public offering (IPO), serving as CFO Americas for publicly traded Novell and extensive experience leading and managing investor relations. She holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School and bachelor's degrees in applied mathematics and economics from The University of California, Berkeley.

Walker's appointment is the latest development in a pivotal year for Jumio in which the company grew sales by over 140% in Q1 2022, completed its acquisition of 4Stop, welcomed Stuart Wells as chief technology officer and unveiled its new Innovation Lab in San Diego.

"Jumio is entering a new phase of growth and development and we are delighted to welcome Susan at such a critical moment in the company's evolution," said Robert Prigge, Jumio CEO. "Susan's experience in leading financial strategy in scaling technology organizations will support our high-velocity goals."

"Jumio is a leader in the identity market with well-established technology, and I see extreme value in the company's mission to eradicate online fraud," Walker said. "I am so proud to join at a time when the company is experiencing record growth and look forward to partnering with a deep bench of talented leaders and innovators."

To learn more about Jumio and its award-winning, AI-powered solutions, visit jumio.com.

About Jumio

When identity matters, trust Jumio. Jumio's mission is to make the internet a safer place by protecting the ecosystems of businesses through a unified, end-to-end identity verification, eKYC and AML platform. The Jumio KYX Platform offers a range of identity proofing and AML services to accurately establish, maintain and reassert trust from account opening to ongoing transaction monitoring.

Leveraging advanced technology including AI, biometrics, machine learning, liveness detection and automation, Jumio helps organizations fight fraud and financial crime, onboard good customers faster and meet regulatory compliance including KYC, AML and GDPR. Jumio has carried out more than 500 million verifications spanning over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions.

Based in Palo Alto, Jumio operates globally with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation. Jumio is backed by Centana Growth Partners, Great Hill Partners and Millennium Technology Value Partners.

For more information, please visit www.jumio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005361/en/

Contacts:

U.S. Media Contact

Diana Gallagher

10Fold Communications

jumio@10fold.com

408-656-9699

Europe Media Contact

Gemma Lingham

FleishmanHillard UK

gemma.lingham@fleishman.com

+44-752-569-9347

APAC Media Contact

Luke Nazir

FINN Partners

Luke.Nazir@finnpartners.com

+65 8139 2504

LATAM Media Contact

Karina Duran

Nasci Comunicacion

karina@nasci.com.mx

+52 55 5139 5482
Empowering more manufacturers to adopt industrial automation and robotics through its Cloud Manufacturing Automation Platform

MONTREAL, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vention, the leading digital manufacturing automation platform (MAP), announced today the closing of US$95M in Series C financing, led by existing investor, Georgian. New investor Fidelity Investment Canada ULC (certain funds) also joined the round alongside existing investors White Star Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, and Bolt Ventures.

Since 2016, Vention has empowered high-mix manufacturers to implement industrial automation through cloud software and a modular hardware ecosystem. The self-serve platform combines a suite of easy-to-use engineering software and plug-and-play automation components, enabling manufacturing professionals to design, order, and deploy automated equipment by themselves directly from their web browser.

Vention's clients save on costs associated with system integration services-typically a significant investment hurdle for small and medium businesses seeking to automate. Moreover, the single-platform approach to the design-to-deployment workflow cuts the usual project time from months to days, enabling clients to benefit from industrial automation much sooner than with traditional approaches.

By the numbers:

Since Series B funding closed, annual growth has reached 2.9x as of Q1 2022.

In the same timeframe, the company expanded its headcount from 100 to 260

Vention currently serves 3,000+ discrete manufacturing clients across five continents.

Over 12,000 pieces of manufacturing equipment have been designed and deployed using the Vention manufacturing automation platform.

Since the company's inception, the complexity of designs created on Vention has increased by 4x and now includes end-to-end robot cells, assembly lines, and automated equipment.

Proceeds from Series C financing will be used to grow Vention's go-to-market, expand the company's global distribution footprint, and accelerate the development of its hardware and software platform. The company expects to make some of those announcement's public in September 2022 at its annual product launch event, Vention DemoDay.

"Democratizing industrial automation is an ambitious mission considering the $180B market. With 80% of manufacturing plants in the US having little to no automation, we're at the dawn of a new era," said Etienne Lacroix, CEO of Vention. "Current manufacturing floors are made of a multitude of robot arms, conveyors, sensors, and tooling equipment. Each component has its own compatibility standards, programming language, and point of sales. Vention has emerged as the one platform where clients can do it all: Design, Automate, Order, and Deploy. Such integration lowers the barrier to accessibility that is needed to democratize the industry."

Today, Vention serves over 3,000+ clients through its offices in Montreal, Boston, and Berlin. Vention's platform has horizontal coverage across many industries, inducing aerospace, automotive, industrial goods and machinery, medical devices, food and beverage, and construction material. Vention clients have used the platform to create everything from robot cells and assembly lines to proprietary automated equipment and tooling.

Each year, Vention adds new capabilities to its platform to serve a wider range of use cases. Most recently, it released code-free robot programming capabilities, which let users program their robot in the cloud, order the entire robot cell, and deploy it on their manufacturing floor entirely through the Vention platform. Such a level of integration provides a user experience that is unmatched in the industry.

"We are excited to deepen our partnership with Vention as they create new opportunities for manufacturers of all sizes to access industrial automation and robotics like never before," said Emily Walsh, Lead Investor at Georgian. "We have seen first-hand how Vention delivers integrated software and hardware innovations, such as palletizing, conveyor and robot tending applications, that foundationally transform their customers' manufacturing operations. Georgian looks forward to continuing to support Vention as they expand globally and scale their world-class team."

About Vention

Vention helps some of the most innovative manufacturers automate their production floors in just a few days through a democratized user experience. Vention's online-first manufacturing automation platform allows clients to design, automate, order, and deploy automated equipment directly from their web browsers. Vention is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with new offices in Berlin and Boston. The 260-person company serves 3,000+ customers on five continents and across 25 manufacturing industries. To learn more, visit vention.io or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Georgian Partners

Georgian is building a platform to identify and accelerate the best growth-stage software companies. Georgian believes that a digital approach can provide a better growth capital experience for software company CEOs and their teams. Georgian invests in high-growth companies that harness the power of data and trust. Based in Toronto, Georgian's team brings together software entrepreneurs, machine learning experts, experienced operators and investment professionals. Learn more about Georgian at www.georgian.io.

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- QUANTRON Q-Days 2022 event fills order books

- Order intake of a multiple million amounts with double-digit order volume for QUANTRON zero-emission BEV and FCEV commercial vehicles from logistics industry

- US market activities get more traction through rising sales enquiries of Class 8 FCEV trucks - QUANTRON expands to cover the strong market demand

- A letter of intent has been signed with FRIEM, global leader in the electric energy conversion and green hydrogen, to leverage EYES and introduce a new QUANTRON site in Italy, as part of QUANTRON's expansion strategy for electrification for commercial vehicles.

AUGSBURG, Germany, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The development of a comprehensive ecosystem in the segment of zero-emission mobility in passenger and freight transport focused by Quantron AG is progressing according to the plan. Against this background, the specialist for sustainable mobility concepts and system solutions in the field of passenger and freight transport draws a very positive conclusion of its "Q-Days 2022". During the three-day event, which took place from April 26 to 28, more than 200 invited investors, customers and press representatives were given deep insights into current and future developments in sustainable mobility solutions and service offerings. On the part of both investors and neutral market eyes from the analyst and press landscape, QUANTRON's approach was unanimously described as positive and highly competitive. "Technologically and commercially pioneering ecosystems are characterized by a high level of protection against competitors", was the comment of one QUANTRON anchor investor, who described this factor as a key investment reason alongside a strong management team.

In addition, the Germany-based zero-emissions specialists were able to book new orders in the mid-single-digit million euro range at the Q-Days, both for converting commercial vehicles to electric drives and for new vehicles from the Quantron model range.

"The overall balance of the event clearly underlines the validity of our approach to build a comprehensive ecosystem together with leading international partners, offering pioneering concepts and solutions in the field of zero-emission mobility, covering a broad value chain of future passenger and freight transport," said Andreas Haller, founder and Chairman of the Board of Quantron AG.

QUANTRON takes further activities to prepare for the rising number of sales enquiries of Class 8 FCEV trucks in the strategic market USA. During the QUANTRON Q-Days the US plans were shared with a selected group of investors and partners to underline the importance of the region of North America. QUANTRON will expand with a focus on Class 8 trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells to cover the strong market demand in line with ESG goals and global investor requirements.

In addition, the letter of intent (LOI) between QUANTRON and EYES, a subsidiary of the Italian FRIEM Group, global leader in electric energy conversion and green hydrogen, was also signed during the Q-Days. The cooperation between the two specialists in electrification for commercial vehicles serves to introduce a new QUANTRON entity in Italy as part of QUANTRON's international expansion strategy.

Fabrizio Simoni, CEO of EYES as part of the FRIEM Group, commented: "I am looking forward to working together with QUANTRON. Both companies share the same vision and values and pursue the goal of reducing CO2 emissions through zero-emission vehicles in Italy as well. With this partnership, we combine our expertise in the field of electric conversion and thus bring even more e-commercial vehicles onto European roads."

You can find the original photo in low and high resolution here: Press releases from Quantron AG (https://www.quantron.net/en/q-news/press-releases/)

About Quantron AG

Quantron AG is a system provider of sustainable battery-electric and hydrogen-electric e-mobility for commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and vans. The wide range of services is based on the two business units Q-Retrofit (electrification of used and existing vehicles from diesel to zero-emission electric drive) and Q-Mobility (supply of own zero-emission vehicles of the QUANTRON brand). With the Q-Ecosystem, Quantron AG also offers an overall concept for zero-emission mobility. This includes the creation of individual overall concepts including the appropriate charging infrastructure as well as rental, financing and leasing offers and training courses and workshops at the QUANTRON Academy. The e-mobility pioneers also sell batteries and integrated customized electrification concepts to manufacturers of commercial vehicles, machinery and intralogistics vehicles. The German company from Augsburg in Bavaria has a network of 700 service partners and the extensive knowledge of qualified experts in the fields of power electronics and battery technology. As a high-tech spinoff of the renowned Haller KG, it combines over 140 years of commercial vehicle experience with state-of-the-art e-mobility know-how.

QUANTRON stands for the core values Reliable, Energetic, Brave. The team of experts at the innovation driver for e-mobility is making a significant contribution to sustainable, environmentally friendly passenger and freight transport. You can find more information at www.quantron.net

Visit the Quantron AG on its social media channels onLinkedIn and YouTube.

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / (OTC PINK:GNOLF) Genoil announces that it has completed the bankable feasibility study for the planned refinery in Oman. The company is proceeding to finalize the project. Ras Madrakah owns the only private refinery license ever granted by the Government of Oman and project has received strong local support. Eight hundred hectares of land has been reserved for the project. Government gas supply is in place, there are three crude feedstock agreements in place for up to 200,000 barrels per day and three refined product offtake contracts have been secured as well. Eight square kilometers of land has been secured in the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD). The local licenses allow for export and import of products, sea and coastal oil and gas water transport and construction of petrochemical complexes. The local licenses have no limitation on project capacity and will allow for expansion in the future.

The project will be very stimulative to the local economy and is estimated to create eighteen thousand jobs for the Sultanate of Oman and will utilize many existing contractors and local manufacturing vendors. It is expected that once the project is up and running it will be operated by Beijing Petrochemical and Yanchang Petroleum Limited.

About Duqm Port:

Port of Duqm, a joint venture between the Omani Government and Port of Antwerp, started operations in late 2012 and has since evolved into a world class deep sea port. SEZAD is the largest economic/free zone in MENA with an area of 2,000 sq km. Its location on the eastern coast of the Sultanate of Oman, 450km the south of Muscat, provides it with major strategic locational advantages in terms of being on the doorstep of some of the busiest global shipping routes linking into the Gulf, Asia, East Africa and Europe while being outside the Straits of Hormuz. Incentives for investing in SEZD include 100 per cent foreign company ownership, a corporate tax exemption for 30 years, no minimum capital requirements and renewable 50-year land infrastructure agreements at competitive rates.

About Ras Madrakah Petroleum:

RAS MADRAKAH PETROLEUM INDUSTRY COMPANY L.L.C. (RMPIC) is a major group in Oman established with a vision to be recognised as a world-class refinery & petrochemical businesses, delivering quality oil products across the world, driving growth of Duqm Free Zone and Omani prosperity in general.

About BPEC:

BPEC was founded in 1979 and is a first class engineering company based in Beijing and its parent company is Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Corp Ltd.. BPEC currently has about 1200 employees and holds a class A qualification of engineering consulting and engineering design. The company has been mainly engaged in engineering consulting, engineering design, EPC, engineering technology development and other related business in the fields of refining, petrochemical, coal-chemical, natural-gas-chemical, oil and gas fields, storage and transportation, etc.

About Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Corp. Ltd.:

Formerly "Yanchang Oil Plant" founded by the Qing regime in Yan'an in 1905, Yanchang Petroleum is China's only century-old oil enterprise and the driller of the first oil well on the Chinese continent. Shaanxi Province where Yanchang Petroleum is located is an emerging key oil & gas province in China, with rapid growth of 5 million tons oil & gas equivalent on average every year since the beginning of the "twelfth five-year" period. In 2012, Shaanxi province became China's largest oil & gas-producing province with oil & gas equivalent of over 60 million tons. They are also one of the largest producers of coal in China with 18 billion tons of coal reserves, and 300,000 bpd of oil production.

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements included in this release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties such as competitive factors, technological development, market demand, and the company's ability to obtain new contracts and accurately estimate net revenues due to variability in size, scope and duration of projects, and internal issues in the sponsoring client. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect the company's financial results can be found in the company's Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For further information, please contact:

David Lifschultz

Tel: +1 212 688 8868

Email: dklifschultz@Genoil.Ca

SOURCE: Genoil Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700674/Genoil-Completes-Bankable-Feasibility-Study-for-Refinery-Project-in-Duqm-Oman
gettyimagesbank



Seoul-based foreign ambassadors call for cooperation on pandemic, climate change



By Kwon Mee-yoo



President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony gained a lot of international attention, showing Korea's increased role and influence in the international community.



According to Yoon's inauguration committee, over 300 foreign guests attended the event, including 143 foreign diplomats in Korea with high hopes for working with the new administration in many aspects.



Korea's diplomacy often engages with what Koreans refer to as the "four great powers": the United States, China, Japan and Russia. But as Korea became the world's 10th-largest economy in 2018 and is considered a middle power in Asia now, ambassadors here ask Korea to diversify its relations with other countries.





Carlos Victor Boungou, ambassador of Gabon to Korea and Diplomatic Corps dean / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Carlos Victor Boungou, the Gabonese ambassador to Korea and dean of the Diplomatic Corps, identified the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change as the two formidable challenges of the times as President Yoon takes his oath, emphasizing Korea's responsibility in the international community.



"We therefore expect the Yoon administration to continue Korea's engagement in the fight against COVID-19, particularly since the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the Republic of Korea as a global bio-manufacturing training hub," Boungou told The Korea Times via email, Monday.



The ambassador expects the new administration to strengthen its partnerships with African countries by contributing more vaccines to Africa, training African experts and increasing Korea's Green New Deal official development assistance (ODA) to Africa.



"The new Korean administration should also deepen its economic cooperation with African countries by taking the opportunity of the recent African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a huge market of 1.3 billion customers," he said.





German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel / Korea Times file

German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel noted the significance of Korea-Germany relations from a larger perspective involving the Indo-Pacific region and Europe.



"We are convinced that our strong economic ties will prosper further in areas of common interest such as innovation, digitization, manufacturing or renewable energy. We both share the experience of national division. It is our sincere hope that Korea, too, will be able to enjoy reunification in peace and freedom in the not-too-distant future, and that the spirit of peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula will prevail," Reiffenstuel said.



"We are currently facing a watershed in the history on the European continent: President Putin's war against Ukraine, in blatant violation of international law, has been causing horrific suffering to millions of people. We are grateful for the solidarity shown by Korea. We are confident that in the future, Korea and Germany will strengthen efforts even further to promote peace, security and stability globally, in the Indo-Pacific and in Europe."





New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Philip Turner / Courtesy of Embassy of New Zealand
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks rebounded on Tuesday, as investors sought bargains following four straight days of steep losses on fears of a recession and aggressive policy tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Germany's 10-year government bond yield steadied close to an almost 8-year high amid expectations that traders might have gone too far in pricing future ECB rate hikes. Also helping underpin investor sentiment, the German ZEW headline numbers for May showed that the Economic Sentiment Index improved to -34.3 from -41.0 previous. Elsewhere, U.K. retail sales declined for the first time since January 2021 in April, new data showed. The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 1.2 percent to 422.32 after plunging 2.9 percent on Monday. The German DAX rallied 1.6 percent, France's CAC 40 index added 1.2 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.9 percent. Swedish Match shares soared 24 percent. The nicotine products company confirmed a takeover approach from larger U.S. rival Philip Morris. British precision-measurement specialist Spectris jumped 3.7 percent after it has agreed to buy California-based Dytran Instruments Inc. for $82 million. 3i Infrastructure gained around 1 percent after posting a rise in FY 2022 pretax profit. Renault was marginally higher. The French car manufacturer said it would soon decide on the future of its operations in Russia due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, the company said it would sell just over a third of its Korea unit to China's Geely Automobile Holdings for roughly $200 million. Fraport Group shares fell nearly 4 percent. The airport operator reported wider net loss in its first quarter, despite significantly higher revenues. Agriculture and pharmaceuticals firm Bayer rose half a percent after reporting better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter. Copper producer Aurubis declined 3 percent despite lifting its full-year operating profit forecast. 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.
Fintech scaleup adds 35 developers to its team, following period of exponential growth amid payments revolution

New hires bring extensive ecommerce and cloud infrastructure developer expertise to xpate as it builds out banking and data solutions for clients

xpate, the rapidly-growing simplified cross-border payment solution provider, has announced a significant expansion of its disruptive developer team, with 35 new team members onboard to speed up building services aimed to enhance flexibility and data processing for merchants and acquirers.

The new appointments, with extensive experience at leading ecommerce platforms AliExpress, and enterprise cloud infrastructure builder Mirantis, will bring unrivalled levels of technical agility and creative user-focused design strengths to xpate.

The company's ambitious growth plans, focused on helping customers to optimise payment flows and lower operational risk, have come to fruition over the last 12 months for the scaling company. The latest wave of developer hires takes xpate's headcount to 135, from just three employees at the firm's inception in 2018.

xpate's momentum has been fuelled by the launch of breakthrough services such as its acquiring platform Links, and its Core Banking Solution (CBS) which speeds up and streamlines integration with various acquiring systems to give clients access to real-time data processing.

Supporting these services is xpate's development of its own data warehouse, allowing the company to collect and store data in a centralised location to generate more deep analytics and reporting power for clients. Among the elevated service capabilities is the ability to offer businesses automatic reconciliation of third-party transactions, an internal monitoring and incident reporting system, and a customisable payment page for xpate's merchants.

Mihails "Mike" Safro, CEO of xpate, comments: "The past three years have been something of a whirlwind, in terms of both the success of our product offerings and the growth of our team specifically developers.

"Since xpate's inception, we have worked tirelessly to build a company that combines technical ingenuity with a simplified user experience, to empower merchants to capitalise on all the opportunities in cross-border ecommerce. Our people are at the heart of our culture, and as such, we have assembled a diverse team of talented individuals who not only understand the importance of this ethos, but also offer unparalleled expertise and experience across the financial sector.

"While xpate has witnessed an incredible start to the business, we will certainly not be resting on our laurels. We are constantly working on improving our products and services, and look forward to sharing these exciting and ambitious developments with our customers throughout 2022 and beyond."

These latest additions to the company's team follow xpate achieving Mastercard principal member status in 2021 a significant strategic partnership that has allowed xpate to enhance its platform, offer innovative solutions to new clients, bolster its merchant acquiring portfolio, and take advantage of an extended range of products and services to strengthen market offering.

For more information on xpate, go to: www.xpate.com.

About xpate

xpate is the payments platform that prioritises simplicity, speed and user experience.

We provide businesses with a single multi-fit solution that unites all of the desired payment methods to cover an extensive range of demands that otherwise require onboarding and integration with multiple partners.

ENDS#

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005806/en/

Contacts:

Press enquiries:

Jenna Walker

SkyParlour

jenna@skyparlour.com

07591 382 856
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Planet 13 Holdings Inc. (CSE:PLTH)(OTCQX:PLNHF) ("Planet 13" or the "Company"), a leading vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis company, announced the second location of its planned Florida dispensary network located in the city of Port Richey, a prominent suburb in the rapid-growth Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater region.

"We are continuing to execute on our Florida expansion in line with our budget and timeline. This is our second dispensary location of our initial six neighborhood dispensaries targeted towards major Florida population centers with underserved local residents," said Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13.

The location in Port Richey is on a busy retail corridor near a Home Depot and on the way to the popular waterfront destinations from downtown.

For more information on Planet 13, visit the investor website.

About Planet 13

Planet 13 (www.planet13holdings.com) is a vertically integrated cannabis company, with award-winning cultivation, production and dispensary operations in Las Vegas and in Orange County, California. Planet 13 also holds a medical marijuana treatment center license in Florida and a 49% interest in Planet 13 Illinois which won a lottery for a Social-Equity Justice Involved dispensing license in the Chicago-region of Illinois. Planet 13's mission is to build a recognizable global brand known for world-class dispensary operations and a creator of innovative cannabis products. Planet 13's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol PLTH and OTCQX under the symbol PLNHF.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of 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 to the Company's Florida expansion.

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: risks associated with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Nevada and California cannabis market or other states in which the Company may operate and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in states in which we operate or contemplate future operations; and employee relations. 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.

The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational and medicinal cannabis marketplace in the United States through licensed subsidiary entities in states that have legalized marijuana operations, however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business, including COVID-19, are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's Form 10-K dated March 28, 2022 as filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

For further inquiries, please contact:

LodeRock Advisors Inc., Planet 13 Investor Relations

mark.kuindersma@loderockadvisors.com

Robert Groesbeck or Larry Scheffler

Co-Chief Executive Officers

ir@planet13lasvegas.com

SOURCE: Planet 13 Holdings Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700714/Planet-13-Announces-Second-Florida-Dispensary-Located-in-the-Tampa-Bay-Market
Players operating in the global edible flakes market are launching new products in order to expand their product portfolio. Many companies in the global market for edible flakes are investing heavily in R&Ds to develop innovative products. For instance, enterprises are developing products in different flavors such as ginger, carrot, oats, muesli, and wholegrain. Such initiatives are prognosticated to help in the expansion of the global edible flakes market in the years to come, states a TMR study.

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.
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the report "Shipbuilding Anti-Vibration Market by Material, Product Type (Mounts, Bearing Pads, Bellows, Washers), Function Type (Engine Vibration, HVAC Vibration, Generators & Pumps), Application and Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Shipbuilding Anti-Vibration Market size is projected to reach USD 1253 million by 2027 from USD 958 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. The growing demand for shipbuilding anti-vibration from marine industry, as well as rising disposable income in emerging economies are the major drivers for the market. Intensifying need for mounts and others anti-vibration products from various shipbuilding application such as propulsion engine, HVAC, and compressors is also driving the shipbuilding anti-vibration market. Increase in activities such as ship repair & maintenance and shipbuilding in some economies such as India, China, South Korea etc. expected to provide huge opportunities for the growth of shipbuilding anti-vibration market.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=157578185

Browse in-depth TOC on "Shipbuilding Anti-Vibration Market"

116 - Tables

46 - Figures

183 - Pages

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The shipbuilding anti-vibration market includes major Tier I and II suppliers like Trelleborg, Continental, Hutchinson Paulstra, GMT Rubber, and Parker LORD. These suppliers have their manufacturing facilities spread across various countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and RoW. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Multiple manufacturing facilities of players have shut down due to COVID-19. This also translates into a snowballing effect on the shipbuilding anti-vibration market.

Based on product type, bearing pads product type is estimated to be the fastest-growing market in the overall shipbuilding anti-vibration market during forecast period.

The bearing pads product type segment is the largest and fastest growing segment from 2022-2027. Bearing pads have a wide range of applications in engines, motors etc. The key growth driver of the high consumption of these bearing pads is owing to the increasing demand from ship repair & maintenance industry.

Based on function type, Engine Vibration is estimated to be the fastest-growing market in the overall shipbuilding market during forecast period.

The engine vibration segment is the biggest and fastest-growing market during 2022-2027. The key growth driver of the high consumption in this segment is owing to their demand in various applications such as container ships, tugs, yachts, oil tankers etc. Generators and Pumps is the second-fastest growing market, the growth is attributed to increasing demand for power generation and supply.

Based on material, Others (Fiber) is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the overall shipbuilding anti-vibration market during forecast period.

The Others (Fiber) is the largest material segment of shipbuilding anti-vibration. Its growth is attributed to increasing demand from market players to improve/change the properties of raw material (rubber & plastic) through reinforcement.

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Based on application, Container ships is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the overall shipbuilding anti-vibration market during forecast period.

The Container ships application is the fastest-growing segment of shipbuilding anti-vibration. Its growth is attributed to the increase in containerized trade across globe. Tugs is the second fastest-growing segment in the shipbuilding anti-vibration market. The growth of this segment is attributed to the rising demand for large and bulky ships for transportation that will also fuel the demand for anti-vibration products for tugboats.

Based on region, APAC is projected to grow the fastest in the shipbuilding anti-vibration market during the forecast period.

APAC is the fastest-growing market for shipbuilding anti-vibration market. The scaling trade activities and infrastructural developments in the shipping industry-in the form of an increasing port network-are the key factors behind the high demand for shipbuilding anti-vibration. The Chinese and South Korean are the major consumers of anti-vibration products for shipbuilding.

The key players in the shipbuilding anti-vibration market include Trelleborg (Sweden), Parker LORD (US), Hutchinson Paulstra (France), GMT Rubber-Metal-Technic Ltd. (UK), Continental (Germany), AMC Mecanocaucho (Spain), Getzner Werkestoffe GmbH (Austria), Vibracoustics Ltd. (UK), Angst+Pfiser (Switzerland), and Bridgestone Industrial (Japan). These players have established a strong foothold in the market by adopting strategies, such as agreements & collaborations, and mergers & acquisitions.

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global surgical instruments tracking systems market size is anticipated to reach USD 513.09 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% over the forecast period. The increasing need for inventory management and implementation of Unique Device Identification (UDI) regulations formed by the FDA are some of the major factors supporting the market growth. Furthermore, surgical tool manufacturers are expected to track their products from manufacturing to distribution. The goal of device tracking is to ensure that instrument manufacturers set up mechanisms that allow them to quickly locate devices in commercial distribution. The proposed UDI regulations by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are projected to propel market growth.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

Barcode technology was the largest revenue-generating segment in 2021 owing to its several advantages, such as ease of handling and low installation cost.

The RFID segment is projected to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period due to the growing demand from end users for technologically advanced instrument traceability and inventory solutions.

In 2021, the hardware segment held the largest revenue share while software followed close behind.

The hardware segment is also expected to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period.

Hospitals held the largest market share of the end-use segment in 2021 owing to the increasing adoption of these devices for inventory management and their ability to facilitate better patient safety.

North America led the market in 2021 and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period.

led the market in 2021 and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. Highly developed healthcare infrastructure and availability of advanced products are projected to drive the regional market.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR over the forecast years.

Read 150-page market research report, "Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Hardware, Software, Services), By Technology (Barcodes, RFID), By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Growth & Trends

Labelers of surgical instruments, such as manufacturers, re-processors, specification developers, re-packagers, and re-labelers, are required by UDI guidelines to use direct marking at the individual instrument level. The U.S. regulations required surgical tools to be marked with a UDI (Unique Device Identifier) by 2021. Most surgical instruments are identified under class I devices by the U.S. FDA. As per the FDA's June 2021 guidelines, the agency postponed the compliance date for UDI labeling, Direct Mark, GUDID Data Submission, and Standard Date Format to September 2022. Surgical instrument tracking systems also enable better monitoring by competent authorities while reducing medical errors, thus propelling the demand. The usability of such solutions in inventory management and during the work cycle including surgeries, storage, sterilization procedures, and post-surgery are other factors contributing to market growth.

A large number of operating rooms and other departments in hospitals collectively require more than 1,000 instruments each day. This has led to a huge need for surgical instrument inventory management, which facilitates assembling and checking the set of tools while saving manpower and time. This is expected to fuel the market growth. Although the number of elective surgeries plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume is expected to return to pre-COVID numbers, which, in turn, is estimated to drive the market. Also, the pandemic has a neutral effect on the underlying need for surgical instrument tracking systems and highlights the need for such solutions to track and control infections at hospitals and safeguard patient health.

Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global surgical instruments tracking systems market based on product, technology, end use, and region:

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market - Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Hardware

Software

Services

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market - Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Barcodes

Hospitals



Others

RFID

Hospitals



Others

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Hospitals

Others

Surgical Instrument Tracking Systems Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Italy



Spain



Russia

Asia Pacific

Japan



China



India



South Korea



Singapore



Australia

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina

MEA

South Africa



Saudi Arabia



UAE

List of Key Players in Surgical Instruments Tracking Systems Market

Censis Technologies, Inc. (Fortive)

SpaTrack Medical Ltd.

Xerafy Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Fingerprint Medical Ltd.

Getinge AB

B. Braun Melsungen AG

BD

Haldor Advanced Technologies

Microsystems, Inc.

Ternio Group LLC

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Healthcare Automatic Identification And Data Capture Market - The global healthcare automatic identification and data capture market size is expected to reach USD 62.0 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 22.3% from 2021 to 2028. The growth is attributed majorly due to the increasing focus of pharmaceutical companies on optimizing the supply chain.

The global healthcare automatic identification and data capture market size is expected to reach by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 22.3% from 2021 to 2028. The growth is attributed majorly due to the increasing focus of pharmaceutical companies on optimizing the supply chain. Track And Trace Solutions Market - The global track and trace solutions market size is expected to reach USD 14.3 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 19.2% from 2022 to 2030. The market growth is majorly attributed to the increasing focus of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies on ensuring brand protection from counterfeit products and theft.

The global track and trace solutions market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 19.2% from 2022 to 2030. The market growth is majorly attributed to the increasing focus of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies on ensuring brand protection from counterfeit products and theft. Hospital Asset Tracking & Inventory Management Systems Market- The global hospital asset tracking and inventory management systems market is expected to reach USD 31.06 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period. Rising need to reduce healthcare costs coupled with high prevalence of Hospital-acquired Infections (HAIs) is anticipated to boost the growth.

Browse through Grand View Research's Healthcare IT Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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UTRECHT, Netherlands and GURUGRAM, India, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 53rd EMWA conference, held in Berlin, Germany from May 3 to 7, 2022, provided an excellent opportunity for the medical writing fraternity to network and participate in active discussions around a wide array of medical writing topics.

Dr. Namrata Singh, Founder and Director, Turacoz Healthcare Solutions and an active EMWA member, unravelled the updated 'Career guide on medical writing', together with other members of EMWA. Currently, the guide is being reviewed aiming to make it available for the newbies on the EMWA website before the Autumn EMWA conference at Riga, Latvia in November 2022.

Dr. Namrata Singh went on to chair the first BusDev Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting which will focus on small business owners in the medical writing industry in the European region. In another SIG on Medical Communications, Dr. Singh actively expressed her views on how digital medical communications are the need of the hour and the writers need to upskill themselves to communicate science in a lay language to the non-scientific professionals like graphic designers and web developers to get the message right.

Taking this discussion forward, Dr. Namrata Singh presented a poster titled 'Using Audio-video Abstracts to Enhance the Research Article - A Retrospective Observational Study'. The poster reiterated the role of audio-visual abstracts (enhanced publications) to enhance the scientific dissemination techniques and reach out to a larger target audience. She also spoke on how these metrics can be quantified and can help the medical affairs community to strategize their scientific dissemination better. Dr. Singh expressed her concerns over fewer professionals and agencies with the competence and expertise to operate on both sides of the spectrum involving the scientific/medical domain as well as digital technologies.

About Turacoz

Turacoz Group serves as a strategic partner to biopharma companies, medical technology firms, healthcare professionals, and research institutes to escort their product/service development journey. We create Clear, Cohesive, Complete, Concise, and Concrete scientific communication in a target-specific language and format (both print and digital) so that our clients can focus on core research and development to enhance and improve patient care.

Media Contact:

Pooja Parashar,

pooja@turacoz.com

+91 7042166399

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WHITE ROCK, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / TDG Gold Corp - (TSXV:TDG) (the "Company" or "TDG") is pleased to invite shareholders and the investment community to the 2022 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, on May 17 and 18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building to learn more about TDG's former-producing, high-grade, gold-silver Shasta, Baker and Mets mines located along the Toodoggone Production Corridor in north-central British Columbia. TDG's management will be at the Company's booth #802 throughout the conference and looks forward to greeting shareholders, investors and conference attendees to share news and updates about the Company, including results from TDG's 2021 drill program at Shasta, which have demonstrated the presence of halo-style mineralization surrounding the high-grade lenses of gold and silver that remain in situ at the project. TDG will also be discussing its fully funded exploration plans for the forthcoming 2022 field season.

To request a one-on-one meeting, investors are encouraged to contact the Company at info@tdggold.com.

Investors can register to attend the conference at: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference/register

About TDG Gold Corp.

TDG is a major mineral claim holder in the historical Toodoggone Production Corridor of north-central British Columbia, Canada, with over 23,000 hectares of brownfield and greenfield exploration opportunities under direct ownership or earn-in agreement. TDG's flagship projects are the former producing, high-grade gold-silver Shasta, Baker and Mets mines, which are all road accessible, produced intermittently between 1981-2012, and have over 65,000 m of historical drilling. In 2021, TDG advanced the projects through compilation of historical data, new geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and, for Shasta, drill testing of the known mineralization occurrences and their extensions. TDG currently has 96,343,142 common shares issued and outstanding.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Fletcher Morgan

Chief Executive Officer

For further information contact:

TDG Gold Corp.,

Telephone: +1.604.536.2711

Email: info@tdggold.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans to continue to be refined; possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing; and fluctuations in metal prices. There may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE: TDG Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700711/TDG-Gold-Corp-To-Attend-2022-Vancouver-Resource-Investment-Conference-May-17-18
President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, speaks to Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, right, during his visit to the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Chinese President Xi Jinping invited President Yoon Suk-yeol to China "at a time of convenience" for both sides, as well as asking Seoul to strengthen its ties with Beijing amid the escalating rivalry between the U.S. and China.



Yoon has been stressing the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance throughout his 10-month-long political career, while criticizing his predecessor Moon Jae-in's "strategic ambivalence" between the two superpowers. The invitation and the proposal for stronger Seoul-Beijing ties put Yoon, who started his presidency on Tuesday, in a difficult position.



During a courtesy visit to the presidential office in Seoul, Tuesday, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan told Yoon that Xi "welcomes" Yoon to visit China at a time of convenience for both sides.



"China and South Korea are friendly neighbors and strategic partners," Wang said. "Strengthening Beijing-Seoul ties amid the current difficulties that the world is facing is increasingly important for the two countries and the rest of the world."



Yoon's predecessor visited China in 2017 and 2019, but the Chinese leader did not pay a return visit to Seoul, triggering speculation that Beijing wants to display a stronger diplomatic presence. Xi has not gone on an overseas trip since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.



While inviting Yoon to China, Wang suggested five proposals for Seoul-China relations to Yoon  strengthening strategic bilateral communication, deepening practical cooperation on the economy, escalating friendship between the people of both countries, bilateral coordination in multilateral issues and enhanced cooperation with China in dealing with North Korea issues.



Of them, Wang stressed the importance of bilateral coordination in multinational issues.



"The fourth proposal is close multilateral coordination between China and South Korea," Wang said. "China is delighted with South Korea enhancing its role in international and regional matters, and will make efforts to protect multilateralism and free trade through strategic communication with Seoul. Through this we want to accelerate regional and global development and prosperity."



He added that China is seeking to promptly form a free trade agreement between South Korea, China and Japan.



Experts said the cordial remarks contain China's tactic to test the Yoon government's diplomatic strategies.



"The invitation and proposals are interpreted as China's diplomatic tactic to test whether the Yoon government will lean toward the U.S. as the president pledged in his campaigns," said Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.



"While inviting the new president to Beijing, China also made proposals which are seen as its efforts to set agendas for a potential summit between Yoon and Xi. Though detailed agendas will be discussed in working-level talks, the Yoon government should view those proposals as preconditions or possible agendas for the summit."



During the meeting, Yoon told Wang that he is delighted that Xi sent him a letter and congratulated him in a phone call after his election victory.



"I am also very happy that Vice President Wang has paid a visit to Seoul and I am well aware that China is cherishing the bilateral relations."




Recognizing the Year's Most Significant Contributions to Canada's Innovative Healthcare Industry

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Bloom Burton & Co. is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 Bloom Burton Award. Bestowed annually and nominated by the public at large, the Bloom Burton Award honours an individual who made the greatest contribution to Canada's innovative healthcare industry in the previous year.

The finalists for 2022, in alphabetical order, are:

Frank Baylis, Executive Chairman, and Kris Shah, President, Baylis Medical Technologies

Pieter Cullis, Co-Founder and Chairman, Acuitas Therapeutics

Jan Skvarka, former President and Chief Executive Officer, Trillium Therapeutics





The 2022 Bloom Burton Award Finalists (L-R): Frank Baylis, Kris Shah, Pieter Cullis, and Jan Skvarka



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6420/123301_bba%20-%20finalists.png

"I am pleased to share this year's exceptional nominees as selected by our esteemed judging panelists," commented Brian Bloom, Chairman and CEO of Bloom Burton & Co. "Frank Baylis and Kris Shah are being nominated for growing Baylis Medical into Canada's largest domestic medical device manufacturer, and for monetizing its core cardiovascular business to Boston Scientific for US$1.75 billion. Pieter Cullis developed lipid nanoparticle (LNP) systems that contributed to the approval of four novel, approved drugs, in addition to the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Finally, in late 2019, Jan Skvarka joined and turned around a struggling Trillium Therapeutics, which was ultimately acquired by Pfizer for approximately US$2.26 billion, a 46x increase in stock price and 140x increase in market cap during his tenure.""We look forward to celebrating this year's finalists - Frank Baylis and Kris Shah, Pieter Cullis and Jan Skvarka - at the 2022 Bloom Burton Award Gala!"

The Bloom Burton Award finalists and winner are chosen by an independent panel of judges, all of whom are respected international leaders in healthcare investment, entrepreneurship and journalism. This year's panel includes:

Michael Altman, Managing Director, Perceptive Advisors

Christopher Arendt, Head of Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit, Takeda

Karen Bernstein, Co-Founder and Chairman, BioCentury

Carl Gordon, Managing Partner, OrbiMed Advisors

Dennis Purcell, Founder and Senior Advisor, Aisling Capital

Melinda Richter, Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABS

Camille Samuels, Partner, Venrock

All finalists will be invited to and celebrated at the Bloom Burton Award Gala on September 29, 2022 at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. For more information, please visit: www.bloomburton.com/gala.

About Bloom Burton & Co.

Bloom Burton & Co. is a firm dedicated to accelerating returns in the healthcare sector for both investors and companies. Bloom Burton has an experienced team of medical, scientific, industry and capital markets professionals who perform a deep level of diligence, which combined with our creative and entrepreneurial approach, assists our clients in achieving the right monetization events. Bloom Burton and its affiliates provide capital raising, M&A advisory, equity research, business strategy and scientific consulting, as well as advisory on direct investing, company creation and incubation services. Bloom Burton Securities Inc. is a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and is also a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).

For more information:

Anna Jung

Event Coordinator

ajung@bloomburton.com

Karen Li

Manager, Marketing and Communications

kli@bloomburton.com

For table sponsorship inquiries:

Brian Bloom

Chairman & CEO

bbloom@bloomburton.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123301
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Infinitum Copper (TSXV: INFI) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #403 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Tuesday May 17 - Wednesday May 18, 2022.

Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and Former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon are two of the marquee speakers at the 2022 Resource Investment Conference. The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) will host over 100 international keynote speakers covering the hottest topics in finance, economics and geopolitics on May 17th and 18th, 2022.

Alongside the former Canadian Prime Minister and Mexican President are best selling finance author Robert "Rich Dad" Kiyosaki, dozens of globally respected economists, legendary money managers, and investors. The conversations on stage will cover the most important investment opportunities and key issues in macro-finance.

The VRIC will include a marketplace of 225 investment opportunities in the mining industry, spanning early-stage exploration to advanced producing mines.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

For further information:

Infinitum Copper

Anna Okopnaya

525534417980

anna@infinitumcopper.com

https://infinitumcopper.com/
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Moneta Gold (TSX: ME) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #216 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Tuesday May 17 - Wednesday May 18, 2022.

Former Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper and Former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon are two of the marquee speakers at the 2022 Resource Investment Conference. The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) will host over 100 international keynote speakers covering the hottest topics in finance, economics and geopolitics on May 17th and 18th, 2022.

Alongside the former Canadian Prime Minister and Mexican President are best selling finance author Robert "Rich Dad" Kiyosaki, dozens of globally respected economists, legendary money managers, and investors. The conversations on stage will cover the most important investment opportunities and key issues in macro-finance.

The VRIC will include a marketplace of 225 investment opportunities in the mining industry, spanning early-stage exploration to advanced producing mines.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

For further information:

Moneta Gold

Linda Armstrong

647-456-9223

larmstrong@monetagold.com

www.monetagold.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Abacus Mining & Exploration Corporation (TSXV: AME) ("Abacus" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be attending the VRIC conference at the Vancouver Convention Center, from May 18-19, 2022, booth #129.

Abacus holds a 20% ownership interest in the Ajax copper-gold porphyry project, located near Kamloops, British Columbia., which is managed by base metal major KGHM Polska Miedz S.A., who hold the remaining 80%. The Ajax Project contains significant quantities of copper and gold, within a NI 43-101 Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 426 Mt at 0.29% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au and 0.39 g/t Ag. Contained metal is in the order of 2.7 Bil lbs Cu, 2.6 Moz Au and 5.3 Moz Ag*.

Abacus is also exploring a significant porphyry Cu-Mo project in the Yerington camp of Nevada. Recent drilling returned significant composited intervals of low-grade copper and molybdenum mineralization within the Lurh Hill granite that hosts the other four known porphyry Cu deposits in the camp.

As there are no known instances of the Lurh Hill granite at Yerington without an associated porphyry, the discovery of this granite on Willow marks a key new discovery, which means that there is a very high likelihood of a Cu-Mo deposit being delineated on Willow. Recent drill results indicate that the Company is vectoring into a higher grade copper center and clearly indicate that further drilling is warranted.

The Company's target is essentially identical to the two largest porphyry deposits in the Yerington camp, namely the past-producing Yerington mine and the undeveloped Ann Mason deposit. Because the target at Willow is covered by later volcanism, prospecting by drill and sampling for geochemistry is the only effective means of trying to locate a porphyry center, and this often takes several drill campaigns to achieve, with each successive campaign vectoring closer to a porphyry center.

Of the porphyries in the camp, the Ann Mason deposit lies adjacent and east of Willow and is held by HudBay Minerals. In 2021, Hudbay announced an updated PEA on Ann Mason with a revised M&I resource of 2.2 billion tonnes at 0.34% Cu. Lion Copper and Gold (formerly Quaterra Resources) control the Yerington, Bear and MacArthur porphyries further to the east. Anaconda mined the Yerington porphyry between 1952 until 1978, producing 1.6 billion pounds of copper. MacArthur ((M&I of 159MT at 0.212% Cu) ** has seen some past production and is currently undergoing a Prefeasibility Study. In March of 2022, Lion announced that Rio Tinto had taken an option on the company's Yerington assets. Nevada Copper is in production to the southeast at its Pumpkin Hollow skarn (P&P of 572 MT at 0.4% Cu).

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul G. Anderson, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

* Wardrop Engineering Inc. 2012. Ajax Copper/Gold Project, Kamloops, British Columbia - Feasibility Study Technical Report. Doc. No. 1054610300-REP-R0004-02. January 2012.

** Data is from the respective Company websites. The Quaterra report is by M3 Engineering and Technology Corp, May 23, 2012. Amended NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment Lyon County, Nevada, US.

On Behalf of the Board,

ABACUS MINING & EXPLORATION CORPORATION

Paul G. Anderson, P.Geo.

President and CEO

pganderson@amemining.com

About Abacus

Abacus is a mineral exploration and mine development company currently focused on copper and gold in B.C. and Nevada. The Company's main asset is a 20% ownership interest, together with KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. (80%), in the proposed copper-gold Ajax Mine located southwest of Kamloops, B.C., which has undergone a joint provincial and federal environmental assessment process. On December 14, 2017, a decision was made by the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum resources to decline to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Project. KGHM have recently reopened an office in Kamloops, B.C. to facilitate First Nation, community and governmental engagement in order to advance the project towards a potential resubmission of the environmental application.

Abacus also holds an option on the Willow copper-gold property located near Yerington, Nevada in which it can acquire up to a 75% ownership interest, and the contiguous Nev-Lorraine claims subject to a ten-year lease agreement.

For the latest reports and information on Abacus' projects, please refer to the Company's website at www.amemining.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that are deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Abacus expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include changes to commodity prices, mine and metallurgical recovery, operating and capital costs, foreign exchange rates, ability to obtain required permits on a timely basis, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122042
BARCELONA, Spain, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Green Hydrogen Organisation is excited to announce the first-ever Green Hydrogen Global Assembly and Exhibition, to be held in Barcelona on 17 and 18 May 2022. Press passes are available for the assembly, where major announcements will be made and significant agreements reached to take forward green energy security in Europe and beyond. ?

The assembly, co-hosted by the Spanish government, comes at a critical moment in history. Energy security is more important than ever, and the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has confirmed the world needs to act fast to stave off climate disasters. ?

Groundbreaking new initiatives will be launched at the assembly, including announcing The 100 by 2030 Campaign, The Green Hydrogen Standard, The Green Hydrogen Contracting for People and Planet Guidance, The Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance and COP27 Call to Action. Details of these new ambitious programs will be announced at the assembly.

The Green Hydrogen Global Assembly is co-hosted by Spain's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera, and Green Hydrogen Organisation Chair and former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.?

Government speakers include Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribera, Oman's Minister of Energy and Minerals Dr. Mohammed Hamad Al Rumhy, Argentinian Minister of Productive Development Dr. Matias Kulfas, South African Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy Diego Mesa Puyo, Moroccan Minister of Investment Machine Jazouli, Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif, and video addresses from President of Colombia Ivan Duque, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China's Special Envoy on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua.?

Industry speakers include Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh, Enagas CEO Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, thyssenkrup CEO Martina Merz, Acciona Chair and CEO Jose Manuel Entrecanales, H2 Green Steel CEO Henrik Henriksson, Korea Zinc CEO Yun Choi, ACWA Power CEO Paddy Padmanathan, Fortescue Future Industries Founding Chair Dr. Andrew Forrest, and video addresses from Enel CEO Francesco Starace and Envision Group CEO Lei Zhang.

Speakers from international organisations include International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Director General Franceso La Camera, Energy Transitions Commission Chair Lord Adair Turner, and International Energy Agency (IEA) Renewable Energy Head Paolo Frankl.

The horrors of the Ukraine crisis have brought energy security to the top of the global agenda. Threats to cut off gas supplies and the EU's plans to end oil imports from Russia show the inherent problem with relying on the fossil fuel industry, and now is the time for the world to make a major energy shift into green energy. Dependence on fossil fuels produced in only certain parts of the world is a poor energy strategy, and something that we already have the technology to move away from. The G7 announcement that global leaders are committed to phasing out dependency on Russian oil and gas shows the urgency of our need for green energy.

The dire IPCC report shows how pressing an issue switching to green energy is. The report said it is "now or never" for climate change. ?

Green hydrogen is the solution the world needs, both in energy security, and in shifting to cleaner, greener energies in order to save our world and our environment.?

The assembly is bringing the right people together at the right time and several initiatives will launch to take green hydrogen to the next level including the new Green Hydrogen Standard.

It is likely that the European Commission's REPowerEU action plan and the contentious Delegated Act on additionality will both be adopted on 18 May during the assembly which will provide a crucial backdrop to the event.

The Green Hydrogen Global Assembly and Exhibition offers an important and unprecedented opportunity to discuss these issues in detail and provide global leadership on addressing the dual challenges of climate change and energy security.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Media Contact: Joe Williams, GH2 Director of Strategy and Communications, joe.williams@gh2.org / +447775751170


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden claimed Congressional support for his $33 billion supplemental budget request to provide security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine battling Russian invasion.



'I am pleased that, in my conversations with Congressional leaders, there appears to be strong support for the proposal I submitted, and Congress is likely to pass it in substantially the form I proposed,' Biden said in a statement released by the White House Monday.



Biden urged Congress to approve the Ukrainian Supplemental funding bill immediately.



The President had earlier recommended that Congress take overdue action on much needed funding for COVID treatments, vaccines and tests, as part of the Ukraine Supplemental bill. But Congressional leaders in both parties informed him that such an addition would slow down action on the urgently needed Ukrainian aid - a view expressed strongly by several Congressional Republicans.



Biden said since his administration cannot afford delay in this vital war effort, he is prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, 'So that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away.'



Out of the record aid package, $20 billion is aimed at providing military and other security assistance to keep weapons and ammunition flowing to the Ukrainian people. This includes $5 billion in additional drawdown authority, $6 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and $4 billion for the State Department's Foreign Military Financing program.



However, Biden reminded that as vital as it is to help Ukraine combat Russian aggression, it is equally vital to help Americans combat Covid.



He warned that without timely Covid funding, more Americans will die needlessly. 'We will lose our place in line for America to order new COVID treatments and vaccines for the fall, including next-generation vaccines under development, and be unable to maintain our supply of Covid tests. In the fall, if we are hit by new variants, it will be too late to get the tools needed for protection - critical treatments that will be available in Europe, but not the United States,' he added.



He urged Congress 'to move promptly' on the Covid funding bill.







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NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Drug major Pfizer Inc. (PFE) announced Tuesday a definitive agreement to acquire Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd. (BHVN) for $148.50 per share in cash.



In pre-market activity on NYSE, Biohaven shares were gaining around 71 percent to trade at $142.01.



Biohaven is the maker of NURTEC ODT, an innovative dual-acting migraine therapy approved for both acute treatment and episodic prevention of migraine in adults.



Pfizer will pay transaction consideration totaling around $11.6 billion in cash. Pfizer will also make payments at closing to settle Biohaven's third party debt and for the redemption of all outstanding shares of Biohaven's redeemable preferred stock.



Under the deal terms, Pfizer, which already owns 2.6 percent in Biohaven, will acquire all remaining shares for $148.50 per share.



Biohaven shareholders, including Pfizer, will also receive 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven, a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohaven's non-CGRP development stage pipeline compounds, per Biohaven common share.



The boards of directors of both Biohaven and Pfizer have unanimously approved the transaction.



The $148.50 cash consideration represents a premium of approximately 33 percent to Biohaven's volume weighted average selling price of $111.70 over the three months prior to the announcement of the transaction.



Pfizer's acquisition is subject to the completion of the New Biohaven spin-off transaction and other customary closing conditions. The companies expect the transaction to close by early 2023.



Following the closing, New Biohaven will continue to operate under the Biohaven name. New Biohaven will be led by Vlad Coric as Chairman and CEO, and include other members of the current management team of Biohaven.



Pfizer expects to finance the transaction with existing cash on hand.



In November last year, the companies entered into collaboration for the commercialization of rimegepant and zavegepant outside the United States, in connection with which Pfizer invested $350 million to acquire 2.6 percent of Biohaven's common stock at $173 per share.







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NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Owing to rising demand for non-invasive brain stimulation, the global cognitive decline market was valued at over US$ 2 Bn in 2020, and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.8 % over the forecast period (2021-2031).

Cognitive decline is a condition in which the brain does not work as well as it should. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the prevalence of cognitive decline in the U.S. is 11.1%. This rising prevalence of cognitive decline is one of the major factors driving the growth of the market

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is gaining traction as a clinically effective tool for identifying and treating a wide range of mental illnesses. Widespread use of NIBS will be contingent on its efficacy as demonstrated in sham-controlled multi-center trials, but current indications point to it having a significant impact on the treatment of disorders seen in a variety of specialties, including neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, physical therapy, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Because non-invasive brain stimulation carries minimal risk, it is associated with fewer side effects and consequences. This will be one of the primary driving forces in the market over the projected period of 2022-2032.

Request for sample copy report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/32968

Companies are focusing on developing innovative and competitive products to meet unmet market needs. There are multiple licensing and collaboration agreements for the development and commercialization of products in the areas of cognitive decline. New market entrants are working on an effective pricing strategy. Business units are restructuring initiatives to enhance business effectiveness. Diversification of companies' efforts is also leading to the development of other generic drugs.

Companies are entering into strategic alliances with other pharmaceutical companies and government bodies for faster development of present pipeline drugs.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

By product type, drug therapy held 53% market value share in 2020 .

. By indication, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) held 78% market value share in 2020.

Hospitals dominated the cognitive decline market with a share of 39.1% in 2020 , owing to more effective treatment within these facilities.

, owing to more effective treatment within these facilities. By region, North America dominated the global cognitive decline market with a value share of around 36.8% in 2020.

Know the methodology of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/32968

"Positive reimbursement paradigm for cognitive decline and innovative products & solutions for treatment will promote market growth," says an analyst of Persistence Market Research.

Market Competition

Key players are focusing on forming strategic partnerships through acquisitions and mergers to enhance their presence across the world, resulting in increased customer base.

In March 2021 , Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen and Eisai Co., Ltd. entered into a research agreement to create novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).

, Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen and Eisai Co., Ltd. entered into a research agreement to create novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In August 2019 , electroCore, Inc. announced a research collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital to explore non-invasive Vagus nerve stimulation in neuroinflammation.

Get full access of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/32968

What Does the Report Cover?

Persistence Market Research offers a unique perspective and actionable insights on the cognitive decline market in its latest study, presenting historical demand assessment of 2016 - 2020 and projections for 2021 - 2031.

The research study is based on the product type (drug therapy [cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA receptor antagonists], non-invasive stimulation devices [vagus nerve stimulators, deep brain stimulators, transcranial magnetic stimulators (TMS)]), indication (mild cognitive impairment (MCI) [amnestic MCI, non-amnestic MCI], dementia), and end user (hospitals, neurology clinics/centres, retail pharmacies, home care settings) across seven key regions of the world.

Related Reports:

Cognitive Brain Assessment Systems Market

Cognitive Impairment Disorders Treatment Market

About Persistence Market Research:

Persistence Market Research (PMR), as a 3rd-party research organization, does operate through an exclusive amalgamation of market research and data analytics for helping businesses ride high, irrespective of the turbulence faced on the account of financial/natural crunches.

Overview:

Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies'/clients' shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

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NEW YORK, May 10, 2022, a global leader in genomics and precision medicine, is pleased to announce the Italian Ministry of Economic Development has selected Dante to develop and pilot the first fully-CE-IVD, clinically approved whole genome sequencing (WGS) test for the citizens of Italy to be named the Dante Citizen Test.



The goal of the project is to introduce clinical whole genome sequencing with clinical reports in the standard medical care of the country's hospitals and healthcare system and is the first step to introduce whole genome sequencing in the national healthcare system of a European and G7 country. The test will leverage Dante's proprietary Extensa software for reporting, interpretation and analysis of whole genome and medical data.

"Clinical whole genome sequencing will finally become a standard solution in public healthcare systems, not as a luxury for the few but as a right for every citizen, thanks to the Dante Citizen Test," said Andrea Riposati, CEO of Dante Labs. "The effective use of whole genome sequencing in standard clinical care requires mastery at sequencing, interpretation and integration of medical information, at scale. This is what we have been doing at Dante. Now, with partnerships with forward looking governments, like Italy's, we can impact millions of patients worldwide."

The groundbreaking project will be overseen by the Dante's newly appointed European Medical Genomics Board, which is made of national and multinational world leaders in genomics, including geneticists, molecular biochemists and clinical experts in pharmacogenomics, nutrigenomics and oncogenomics, prenatal, neonatal and pediatric rare diseases.

About Dante Labs

Dante Labs is a global genomic information company building and commercializing a new class of transformative health and longevity applications based on whole genome sequencing and AI. The Company uses its platform to deliver better patient outcomes from diagnostics to therapeutics with assets including one of the largest private genome databases with research consent, proprietary software designed to unleash the power of genomic data at scale and proprietary processes which enable an industrial approach to genomic sequencing.

Contact:
Cutting Edge Robot Manufacturer Chooses Freshworks to Simplify and Optimise its IT Support

AUGSBURG, Germany, May 10, 2022, the German manufacturer of industrial robots and systems for factory automation is using the Freshworks suite of products to optimise its IT support function. KUKA has an annual revenue of 3.3 billion Euros and is one the world's leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions.

"Because our old IT-support setup was not able to fulfill our requirements anymore we needed a modern update. We wanted a much more flexible tool which is easy-to-use and has smooth administration processes. With Freshservice we found exactly that. It was especially important to us that the workflows were intuitive to configure. The effortless adoption of Freshworks API support to our already existing support landscape was additionally helpful for the transformation from the old to the new setup," said Roland Kratschmar, VP Infrastructure EMEA, KUKA.

KUKA selected Freshservice to optimise the estimation of support inquiries, improve the visibility of internal metrics (key service desk KPI's), streamline the employee onboarding and offboarding process and to control the workflows.

By implementing the analytics module of Freshservice for Team Leads, KUKA will have better visibility of key service desk performance indicators, for example service level agreements and number of tickets being handled.

In addition to this KUKA plans to use the data export feature available in the Freshservice module to sync data with QlikSense, an AI based data visualization tool, for KPI visibility to the IT leadership team. The Asset Management module in Freshservice will be used to integrate with the existing tools within KUKA to give IT agents a complete 360 view over their IT landscape while handling cases.

"We are very pleased how fast Freshservice was implemented and ready to be used. Our employees now are able to eliminate repetitive tasks and manual processes, as well as drive service efficiency. The Freshworks team was an enormous help in setting up the platform and after less than nine days the application worked perfectly. We are delighted to have found such an impactful partner in Freshworks," said Roland Kratschmar, VP Infrastructure EMEA, KUKA.

"Digital Automation is increasingly important in a fully digitalized world," says Jens Leucke, General Manager DACH, Freshworks. "KUKA provides robotic technology to leading manufacturers, who rely on it being delivered to an expected standard. Freshworks therefore is the ideal partner to empower KUKA to implement improved processes through its modern and intuitive Freshservice ITSM solution."

About KUKA

KUKA is a global automation corporation with sales of around 3.3 billion euro and roughly 14,000 employees. The company is headquartered in Augsburg, Germany. As one of the world's leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions, KUKA offers customers everything they need from a single source: from robots and cells to fully automated systems and their networking in markets such as automotive, electronics, metal & plastic, consumer goods, e-commerce/retail, and healthcare.

About Freshworks

Freshworks Inc .and follow us on Facebook , LinkedIn and Twitter .

 2022 Freshworks Inc . All rights reserved. Freshworks and their associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Freshworks Inc. All other company, brand, and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:

Martin Stummer / Katharina Lopez-Diaz / Nils Langewald

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freshworks@hbi.de

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The government will hold its first meeting of top military commanders under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration this week, sources said Tuesday, amid concerns about North Korea's apparent preparations for a nuclear test.







Lee Jong-sup, set to take office as new defense minister later in the day, plans to preside over the gathering Wednesday via video links, with the attendance of top officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and other military institutions, according to the sources. Yoon began his presidential duty at the start of Tuesday.







Seoul officials are paying keen attention to the possibility that the recalcitrant regime will carry out what would be its seventh known nuclear test ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul, May 20.







The top brass' gathering is expected to be an opportunity for Lee, a former three-star Army general, to highlight his mantle as the new minister, get a better grasp of the current security conditions and call for readiness against North Korean threats.







Lee is to take over from his predecessor, Suh Wook, who has led the defense ministry since September 2020. (Yonhap)






AI-powered SaaS solution will boost PMI revenue opportunities and customer service

NEW YORK, TEL AVIV, Israel, and MEXICO CITY, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ThetaRay, a leading provider of AI-powered transaction monitoring technology, today announced that PMI Americas, a leading global payment services provider, has chosen ThetaRay's AI-based SONAR SaaS solution to monitor global cross-border payments on PMI's platform.

SONAR's ability to detect the earliest signs of sophisticated money laundering activity will enable PMI to increase its growth opportunities by providing users with a trustworthy, secure service.

The agreement highlights ThetaRay's expansion into the Latin America fintech payments market.

PMI Americas enables cross-border payments for Latin America, including significant transactions from the US, Europe and Asia into Latin America. By using ThetaRay's solution, the company will be able to verify that processed transactions are isolated from illegal activity without affecting the quality of service their clients depend on.

"In the highly regulated ecosystem where we operate, it is important that our regulators and financial partners understand that we will always invest in state-of-the-art technology to protect our mutual interests," said Alex Pereira, PMI Americas CEO and founder. "ThetaRay is one such example of PMI's commitment to build a reliable and fraud-free ecosystem."

Cross-border transactions often involve a complicated sequence of banks operating across multiple currencies in different countries, creating a challenge for fintechs and banks to have full transparency into beneficiaries. By providing full visibility across complex, cross-border transaction paths, ThetaRay helps protect users against the risk of being exploited for money laundering, terrorist financing, human trafficking, and narco-trafficking while empowering partners to increase their volume of transfers.

"We are proud to help PMI Americas tap new revenue streams and provide its B2B and P2P clients with practical, secure, and reliable payments processing," said Mark Gazit, CEO of ThetaRay. "SONAR doesn't just protect against money laundering threats. It also allows fintechs and banks to improve customer service and reduce financial inequality by offering services in traditionally unbanked regions. We look forward to the benefits this partnership will bring to the cross-border payment ecosystem."

SONAR is the industry's most advanced financial crime prevention solution for cross-border payments. It is based on an advanced form of AI called Artificial Intelligence Intuition that can mimic human feelings, perceptions, inferences, hypotheses and reasoning to make better decisions. This enables the rapid discovery of both known and unknown money laundering threats, with a peerless 95% detection rate and 90% reduction in false positives compared to rules-based solutions.

About ThetaRay:

ThetaRay's, AI-powered SONAR transaction monitoring solution, based on "artificial intelligence intuition," allows banks and fintechs to expand their business opportunities and grow revenues through trusted and reliable cross-border payments. The groundbreaking solution also improves customer satisfaction, reduces compliance costs, and increases risk coverage. ThetaRay's technology is the only SaaS offering that analyzes SWIFT traffic, risk indicators and client/payer/payee data to detect anomalies indicating money laundering activity across complex, cross-border transaction paths in a single unified platform. Financial organizations that rely on highly heterogeneous and complex ecosystems benefit greatly from ThetaRay's unmatchable low false positive and high detection rates.

To learn more about ThetaRay, please visit: https://www.thetaray.com/

About PMI Americas:

PMI Americas, headquartered in Mexico City with operations in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay, is a leading global payment services provider, with country-specific solutions across the Americas. In alliance with leading financial institutions in the countries we operate in, we help our global business partners structure and implement customized payment strategies to suit their needs: from local pay-outs and pay-ins, to debit card issuing, to alternative payment collection strategies. We maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction, across our vast global coverage with one single integration.
The funding round, led by General Atlantic, values the institutional digital asset technology provider at $1.25 billion

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talos, the premier provider of institutional digital asset trading technology, today announced a $105 million Series B funding round that values the company at $1.25 billion. The round was led by global growth equity firm General Atlantic with participation from veteran investors in both the traditional finance and digital asset spaces. New investors including Stripes, BNY Mellon, Citi, Wells Fargo Strategic Capital, DRW Venture Capital, SCB 10x, Matrix Capital Management, Fin VC, Voyager Digital, Graticule Asset Management Asia (GAMA) and LeadBlock Partners joined the round.

"This funding round represents a major inflection point for the industry. We've long heard that 'the institutions are coming'. The institutions are now here, and we're extremely proud to be the digital asset trading platform of choice for leading institutions around the world," said Anton Katz, co-founder and CEO of Talos. "We believe that the digital assets infrastructure will have a wide-scale impact on the entire financial industry and ultimately, we will see traditional asset classes migrate to use this new technology as well. Our investors, which include some of the most storied institutions on Wall St., share this belief and we're honored to have their confidence and support."

Existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, PayPal Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, Fidelity Investments, Illuminate Financial, Initialized Capital, and Notation Capital also extended their partnerships with Talos through this newest funding round.

The funding comes on the heels of rapid growth for the firm, which has seen institutional trading volume explode over 20x year-over-year. The company intends to leverage this capital to scale and diversify the firm's industry-leading institutional-grade digital asset platform that powers both buy-side and sell-side firms and seeks to accelerate Talos's expansion into APAC and Europe. Additionally, the firm expects to expand its product lines to support the complete, end-to-end trade lifecycle and strengthen its powerful pre and post-trade tools.

"We believe the growth in digital assets is driving existing players and new entrants to seek out institutional-grade solutions. Talos provides enterprise grade order management, liquidity aggregation, algorithmic execution, reporting and compliance to market participants, which should allow for more efficient operations, better execution and lower total cost of ownership," said Aaron Goldman, Managing Director and Co-Head of Financial Services at General Atlantic. "Crypto market structure is still evolving, and Talos' vision to build a comprehensive toolkit for market participants across CeFi and DeFi positions the company as a competitive disruptor."

Since developing its platform in 2018, Talos has proven the product-market fit and viability of its institutional-grade technology, which powers the full trade lifecycle for trading, settlement, and more via a single point of access. The company's client base spans the entire digital asset ecosystem, from buy-side institutions to financial service providers, and includes broker-dealers, prime brokers, hedge funds, banks, OTC desks, custodians, exchanges and lenders.

"Talos has built the most powerful technology infrastructure stack aggregating connectivity across the crypto ecosystem, exemplifying Stripes' focus on truly amazing products and teams that are obsessed with disrupting dynamic and important markets," said Ken Fox, Founder and Partner at Stripes. "We are thrilled to partner with Talos as they further catalyze and accelerate the institutional adoption of digital assets."

"This investment is the latest example of BNY Mellon's commitment to the future of digital assets," said Jason Vitale, Global Head of FX, Fixed Income and Equities at BNY Mellon. "As a new advisor on Talos' Strategic Investor Forum, I look forward to collaborating with the leadership team to help deliver resilient, comprehensive institutional solutions to the market."

In addition to expanding its industry-leading product line, Talos also intends to leverage the funding to further expand its world-class team across the globe. The team has grown by over 400% during the past year and offers opportunities in New York, Europe and Singapore, as well as fully remote roles. If you're excited about building an entirely new generation of financial assets and would like to join the team, visit talos.com/join-talos for more information.

About Talos

Talos powers digital asset trading strategies globally. Engineered by a team with unmatched experience in building institutional trading systems, the Talos platform is trusted by the largest and most sophisticated market participants and their end clients for its performance, reliability, and security. Its growing network of services - trading platform, marketplace, data and analytics, and portfolio and settlement tools, all offered directly or through service providers on a white-label basis - enable clients of all types to transact end-to-end without concern for unnecessary intermediary risk or potential conflicts of interest. Talos has offices in New York, Europe and Singapore. For additional information visit www.talos.com .

Media Inquiries

Jed Hamilton

Forefront Communications for Talos

+1 212 380 7455

media@talos.com

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KellyOCG survey discovers businesses struggle to navigate shifting demands for life-work design - and identifies how some companies are getting it right

TROY, Mich., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic-era phenomenon known as the Great Resignation shows no signs of slowing with senior executives planning to leave their organizations in the next two years, according to a new report released today by KellyOCG, the outsourcing and consulting business of Kelly. The 2022 KellyOCG Global Workforce Report - Re:work uncovers the disconnect between evolving employee expectations and the support firms provide. It also spotlights the actions an elite group of companies, the Vanguards, are taking to attract and retain the talent they need to grow their business.

The report, a follow-up to the 2021 report, Next-level Agility: The Four Dynamics of a Resilient Workforce, identifies the greatest talent challenges and risks facing organizations as they emerge from the pandemic. It also explores how companies are transforming across four critical dynamics of success: workforce fluidity; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); employee experience; and adoption of tools and technologies.

"Our research signals there is significant talent demand for a life-work shift. Even senior leaders are experiencing it and acknowledge that employers could be doing more," said Tammy Browning, president of KellyOCG. "A shift in workplace culture is needed and organizations must evolve to remain competitive, profitable, and attractive to top talent. Organizations that aren't taking action across the four dynamics will continue to see employees at all levels walk out the door."

KellyOCG surveyed C-suite leaders, board members, department heads, directors, and managers in 12 countries and 10 industries. Key findings include:

Many senior executives are dissatisfied in their role and lack confidence in their employer. More than half of senior leaders worldwide (58%) are unhappy in their current position, and 72% plan to leave their employer within the next two years. These findings indicate the full force of the Great Resignation has yet to be felt - and this widespread "boss loss" will have significant implications for companies and the global economy.

More than half of senior leaders worldwide (58%) are unhappy in their current position, and 72% plan to leave their employer within the next two years. These findings indicate the full force of the Great Resignation has yet to be felt - and this widespread "boss loss" will have significant implications for companies and the global economy. Leaders are struggling to make hybrid work a success. Just two in ten firms believe that hybrid work is positively impacting organizational culture, and almost a third (28%) expect the complexity of managing a hybrid workforce will eventually require a return to the office for most employees. While 66% say their firms are redefining their culture to fit a hybrid working world, only a third provide employees with an avenue to share feedback on hybrid work policies.

Just two in ten firms believe that hybrid work is positively impacting organizational culture, and almost a third (28%) expect the complexity of managing a hybrid workforce will eventually require a return to the office for most employees. While 66% say their firms are redefining their culture to fit a hybrid working world, only a third provide employees with an avenue to share feedback on hybrid work policies. Hiring contingent talent is one of the biggest talent barriers firms face today. Just over 33% of leaders say their firms struggle to hire the contingent talent they need to remain agile in today's economy. More than a quarter (28%) plan to increase their use of contingent talent by at least 25% in the next five years, but few (36%) have a clear strategy for how they will use contingent talent to augment their permanent workforce.

Just over 33% of leaders say their firms struggle to hire the contingent talent they need to remain agile in today's economy. More than a quarter (28%) plan to increase their use of contingent talent by at least 25% in the next five years, but few (36%) have a clear strategy for how they will use contingent talent to augment their permanent workforce. Firms are not going far enough or fast enough to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion and support employees' mental health . Only around one-third have implemented innovative initiatives to improve DEI, such as advocacy groups and support programs (and only 19% provide DEI training for leaders). And even though more than 25% report an increase in employee absences due to poor mental health, 70% do not have a workplace culture where it's acceptable to disclose mental health challenges as a reason for taking time off.

. Only around one-third have implemented innovative initiatives to improve DEI, such as advocacy groups and support programs (and only 19% provide DEI training for leaders). And even though more than 25% report an increase in employee absences due to poor mental health, 70% do not have a workplace culture where it's acceptable to disclose mental health challenges as a reason for taking time off. Firms are lagging when it comes to adopting the right tools and technologies required to develop their workforce. Nearly two-thirds do not yet have data analytics tools that enable them to capture trends around employee retention and productivity - even though 76% of firms who have adopted such tools say have been positively received by employees. And 64% report a lack of knowledge-sharing tools that foster stronger collaboration among hybrid, remote, and in-office employees.

The Re:work report provides a blueprint for firms interested in following the lead of the "Vanguards" - a group of thriving organizations that report an increase in employee wellbeing, productivity, and revenue growth in the last year. The Vanguards represent 15% of global survey respondents and they share four key dynamics driving their approach to culture, technology, and talent management:

Vanguards are strengthening workforce agility. These leading organizations are 15% more likely to encourage the use of contingent talent to improve workforce agility (40% vs. 24%), suggesting a link between the use of contingent talent and higher employee productivity and wellbeing. Vanguards are taking concrete action on DEI.Senior leaders at these firms are more likely to engage with workers across the organization around DEI (82% vs. 60%) and are more likely to implement innovative initiatives to improve their DEI performance - but there is much more progress to be made to create an inclusive workplace environment. Vanguards are reinventing the employee experience. Senior executives at Vanguard organizations are 33% more likely to indicate they have a positive life-work balance and are happy in their current role. They are also more likely to say that their organization is respectful of employees as a whole person and is reinventing work in partnership with them. Vanguards are also implementing strategies to assess employee sentiment and engagement and report C-suite accountability for improving the employee experience (57% vs. 29%). Vanguards are adopting the right tools and technologies to empower today's workforce. They are implementing knowledge-sharing tools that enable collaboration among in-office, hybrid, and remote workers (46% vs. 34%) and utilize platforms that allow a clear view of the mix of permanent and contingent talent across their business (42% vs. 32%).

When these four dynamics are embraced together, businesses across industries can better attract, retain, and motivate talent to meet their business goals, the Re:work report finds. Independent experts cited throughout the report provide further insights and testimonials on how their organizations are navigating the life-work shift.

Read the full report for additional insights.

About KellyOCG

KellyOCG connects companies with the talented people they need to fuel and grow their business through our unrivaled global talent supply chain and leading workforce solutions including Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). We combine decades of people industry experience with proprietary insights and a continued focus on technology to produce world-class programs that meet an organization's unique workforce needs and can start them on their journey to total talent management. Our ability to anticipate what's next for talent solutions drives us to challenge the status quo making us a trusted partner for our global client portfolio, which spans leading industries across North America, APAC and EMEA. Visit kellyocg.com or connect with us on LinkedIn to learn more.

About the Survey

KellyOCG surveyed 1,000 senior executives, 20% of whom are in C-suite or board member roles, across 12 countries - Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States - and 10 industries.

Media Contact:

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cync752@kellyservices.com

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Building trust just got 50 million times smarter

VICTORIA, BC, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certn, leader in background screening solutions, today announced that it has secured USD $50 million in Series B funding, led by B Capital. This comes on the heels of last year's $34.1 million funding raise. With this latest round, Certn will further advance its mission of building trust in people - and invest in new markets worldwide.

Certn makes building trust simple by creating an expedited, frictionless background check experience that enables employers and candidates to embark on their working relationship with a positive foundation. Certn empowers employers to make better, faster hiring decisions in a highly competitive labor market.

Certn is rapidly expanding its global presence, building on the recent acquisition of Credence, a leading UK-based provider of global background checks. Certn plans to create 160 new roles this year and has made a number of strategic hires, including a new managing director for the U.S. market.

B Capital led the funding with seven other investors contributing, including BMO, Tribe, Inovia Capital, Telstra Ventures, Scribble, Moxxie Ventures, and Gaingels Covalent Ventures. B Capital, a strategic partner of Boston Consulting Group, plays a key role in Certn's success by helping the company secure the right partnerships and navigate business challenges.

Andrew McLeod, CEO and co-founder of Certn, said: "Our vision is to safely facilitate trust globally through frictionless identity management solutions by building infrastructure directly with sources of truth around the world. With this funding, we will further invest in our product, new markets, and our partnership program as we build and grow our global team. We're also committed to investing in our current and future Certn employees - Certonians - to provide the best background screening services possible."

Rashmi Gopinath, General Partner, B Capital, said: "Certn has taken the traditionally time-consuming, manual, and archaic experience of background screening and found a way to create a quick, accurate, and simple experience for employers and candidates. Its AI-enabled SaaS platform facilitates trust in the global workplace and provides essential hiring and background verification solutions for organizations who want to foster a culture of trust in their company. We look forward to partnering with the Certn team in this next phase of growth as they help organizations hire global talent with speed, transparency, and accuracy."

About Certn

Certn delivers fast, friendly, and comprehensive background screening that helps businesses make fact-based hiring decisions, lowers hiring costs, and improves the user experience for applicants and recruiters. Used by enterprise, mid-market, and small business leaders looking to hire the right candidates, Certn modernizes the background check process and builds a foundation of trust. The company's human risk intelligence solution uses AI and machine learning to streamline the candidate screening process, reduce costs, and boost total time to value (TTV) for HR and operations leaders around the globe. Learn more at https://certn.co/

Website: https://certn.co/

Facebook: @Certn.Co

LinkedIn: Certn

Twitter: @Certn

Instagram: @Certn.Co

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Major payment processing solutions market players include Adyen N.V., Authorize.Net, Due, Inc., Dwolla, Inc., First Data Corporation, Fiserv, Inc., Global Payments, Inc., and others.

SELBYVILLE, Del., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The payment processing solutions market size is expected to record a valuation of USD 180 billion by 2028, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc. The increasing demand for digital channels to perform secure and fast financial transactions is poised to contribute significantly to market growth.

The growing demand to streamline payment settlement methods between individuals and businesses is anticipated to support the payment processing solutions market expansion. The use of innovative payment processing solutions is helping merchants or enterprises in improving service quality, enhancing customer loyalty, and managing traditional & modern transactions effectively. A business can facilitate the necessary infrastructure and required services for digital payments in their business environment.

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The EMV technology segment in the payment processing solutions market is predicted to observe a 15% growth rate till 2028. EMV, a chip-based payment specification, is widely used for credit and debit card payment transactions. Payment processing solutions are also designed to help acquirers, card issuers, and chip vendors in transitioning as per EMV standards. Furthermore, these solutions allow secure customization and processing of EMV transactions. The growing penetration of EMV-enabled payment options to reduce fraud is projected to support the industry growth.

The payment processing solutions market for mobile deployment segment is slated to register substantial market share by 2028. The extensive smartphone adoption and upsurge in the use of internet services are contributing significantly to the acceptance of mobile deployment model. The emergence of mobile payment applications has resulted in increased peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transactions. The industry players are developing innovative mobile payment processing solutions by integrating NFC, QR codes, BLEs, and POS terminals.

The payment processing solutions market for e-wallet payment segment is estimated to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period. E-wallets provide customers a secure gateway to perform transactions on the go. The transactional information is securely encrypted, minimizing fraudulent incidents. The use of e-wallets for payments or transactions is relatively low compared to other available modes and options. However, companies offering these services are promoting and encouraging users to use e-wallet payment options by offering incentives and rewards.

The demand for payment processing solutions across large enterprises is increasing significantly due to the flexibility to offer customized and value-added payment services to their customers. Established enterprises process transactions from multiple channels. These participants use sophisticated payment solutions & gateways to streamline the processing of these diverse transactions. Moreover, advanced capabilities including data security, customer reporting, unified commerce. and others are propelling the acceptance of payment processing solutions.

The usage of payment processing solutions across the healthcare sector is set to grow rapidly during the forecast timeframe. Institutes are required to focus on enhancing the patient experience and providing secure payment gateways. Companies operating in the industry offer specifically designed payment solutions for the healthcare sector.

Europe is projected to hold above 20% share in the payment processing solutions market by 2028. Supportive government initiatives to enhance digital banking infrastructure and the usage of smartphones will spur the market progression. For instance, in July 2020, the European Central Bank launched the European Payments Initiative through a joint decision with 16 regional banks. The initiative focused on providing a unified payment solution for both merchants and individual customers. The offered unified payment solution supports digital wallet & payment cards used in P2P payments and online & in-store transactions.

Major players operating in the payment processing solutions market are ACI Worldwide, Inc., Adyen N.V., Authorize.Net, Due, Inc., Dwolla, Inc., Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), First Data Corporation, Fiserv, Inc., Flagship Merchant Services, Global Payments, Inc., Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., Mastercard Incorporated, PayPal Holdings, Inc., Paysafe Group Limited, PayU, Square, Inc., Stripe, Inc., and Visa, Inc. These leaders are focusing on strategic acquisitions and partnerships to expand business operations across unserved geographies.

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Some major findings of the payment processing solutions market report include:

The emergence of advanced technologies, such as AI, VR, and digitization, across the banking sector is supporting the industry expansion.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness exponential growth in the global market owing to the extensive proliferation of smartphones and technological evolution across the BFSI sector

is expected to witness exponential growth in the global market owing to the extensive proliferation of smartphones and technological evolution across the BFSI sector North America is anticipated to held a major industry share in the market on account of the adoption of innovative digital payment solutions in the region

is anticipated to held a major industry share in the market on account of the adoption of innovative digital payment solutions in the region These participants are focusing on the collaborative development of advanced payment solutions

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report

Chapter 3 Payment Processing Solutions Market Insights

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Impact of COVID-19 outbreak

3.2.1 Strategies by key players to achieve pre-COVID level growth

3.2.2 Impact on industry value chain

3.2.3 Impact on competitive landscape

3.3 Impact of Russia-Ukraine crisis

3.3.1 Impact on technology supply chain

3.3.2 Response of global enterprises

3.3.3 Region-wise impact of Russia-Ukraine crisis

3.4 Payment processing solutions industry ecosystem analysis

3.5 Technology & innovation landscape

3.5.1 Biometrics

3.5.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3.5.3 Application Processing Interface (API)

3.5.4 Blockchain

3.6 Regulatory landscape

3.7 Industry impact forces

3.7.1 Growth drivers

3.7.1.1 Increasing penetration of EMV cards

3.7.1.2 Surge in NFC / contactless payments

3.7.1.3 Rising number of online transactions

3.7.1.4 Growth in the retail and e-commerce industry

3.7.1.5 Spike in the use of m-commerce

3.7.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.7.2.1 Increasing cyberthreats and data breach incidents

3.7.2.2 Absence of a universal standard for international transactions

3.8 Growth potential analysis

3.9 Porter's analysis

3.10 PESTLE analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/payment-processing-solutions-market

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / BTU METALS CORP. ("BTU" or the "Company") (BTU-TSX:V; BTUMF-OTCQB) today announces the completion of drilling of four holes (Figure 1), totalling 1299 metres, in an area immediately south of the Kinross Dixie-BTU border and adjacent to Dixie Creek, which trends northwest from the drilling area towards the LP fault mineralization approximately 2 km away. The holes are targeting an interpreted structure which forms a series of breaks in geophysical features extending toward the LP fault and following the trend of Dixie Creek.

Paul Wood, BTU CEO, commented, "The most recent holes drilled adjacent to Dixie Creek continue to provide further geological data in a completely overburden covered area. We know that splays off of gold-bearing fault structures in greenstone belts can contain significant gold deposits. We have seen strong alteration and areas with pyrite and arsenopyrite and await assays from the four recent holes. While we await results from the lab our geological team is reviewing our expanding database and prioritizing the next targets on our very large property."

Figure 1: Collars and traces of the four recently completed drill holes, just south of the Kinross-BTU Metals border, and adjacent to Dixie Creek. The base maps show topography and the second vertical derivative of magnetics.

Drill core from the four holes is currently being logged and sampled in Red Lake. Logging and sampling will be completed in the next two weeks.

Geology of Tooth Holes

The rocks encountered in the drill program that have been logged to date range from metasediments in the north, into mafic to intermediate volcanics, and back to metasediments to the south. Strong to moderate shearing is ubiquitous. Quartz, quartz-carbonate, and calcite veins, veinlets and stringers are also ubiquitous, ranging from a few percent in most units and up to 25% in areas of stockwork veining. Alteration is variable, with many units exhibiting moderate to strong alteration. Alteration types observed include sericite, silicification, carbonate, chlorite, and biotite. Pyrite is the dominant mineralization seen in the drill holes, minor chalcopyrite also occurs in all holes, and minor arsenopyrite was noted in some holes.

Pakwash Drill Program

Four holes were drilled on the ice on Pakwash Lake in February, to test three separate geophysical targets (see BTU press release from February 9, 2022). Core from the holes has been logged and sampled. Assays results are pending for all holes. This drill program was partially funded by the Ontario Junior Exploration Program.

Figure 2: Drill holes PN-1, PN-1A, PN-2, PN-3 and PN-4 were drilled on the ice in February of 2022.

Fall 2021 Drill Program

Ten holes, totalling 1717 metres, were drilled in widely spaced holes in the Rose Lake, Hiewall Lake, and Tooth areas of the property. Hole 76 had the highest assay result of 682 ppb Au over 0.5 metres (41.3 to 41.8 m). Hole 76 had several other notable intercepts, including: 270 ppb Au (94-95 m); 184 ppb Au (95-96 m); 223 ppb Au (96-96.9 m); 448 ppb Au (113.85-114.3 m); and 166 ppb Au (146.75-148.05 m).

Table 1: Hole locations and highest assay result from each drill hole from the Fall 2021 drill program

Hole East North Max Gold (ppb) BTU-21-67 453613 5628815 91 BTU-21-68 453810 5629194 144 BTU-21-69 453578 5629444 44 BTU-21-70 452943 5628048 78 BTU-21-71 452834 5628149 273 BTU-21-72 446800 5626000 9 BTU-21-73 446800 5626000 16 BTU-21-74 445189 5626017 25 BTU-21-75 445177 5625818 84 BTU-21-76 457548 5630939 682

The holes provided useful geological information in areas which had never been drilled before and which are largely covered with overburden.

Bruce Durham, P. Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Paul Wood"

Paul Wood, CEO, Director

pwood@btumetals.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Andreas Curkovic, Investor Relations

Telephone 1-416-577-9927

BTU Metals Corp.

Telephone: 1-604-683-3995

Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and using information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and they are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM).

SOURCE: BTU Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700737/BTU-Drilling-Update
Building resilient supply chains through digital transformation is focus of technology conference

E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ETWO), a leading network-based provider of a cloud-based, mission-critical, end-to-end supply chain management platform, today kicks off its client conference, CONNECT 2022: The Europe Exchange, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The sold-out event brings together hundreds of logistics, global trade and commerce professionals from the world's leading organizations to explore solutions for today's complex supply chains.

"We are delighted to welcome our clients in Rotterdam for a second sold-out conference with the E2open community," said Michael Farlekas, chief executive officer of E2open. "As the name suggests, this event is an opportunity to learn and share new ways to build resilient supply chains through digital transformation. Our clients are the best companies in the world, and together, with E2open's innovative platform, we can help drive change toward a more networked economy."

With more than 25 educational sessions, CONNECT 2022: The Europe Exchange features interactive breakouts designed to help "movers, makers, and sellers" drive greater value in supply chain and optimize business processes that illustrate the powerful connectedness of a single platform. Attendees will hear from thought leaders, client peers, and inspirational speakers, like Jo Malone CBE, Founder and Creative Director of Jo Loves. Her session "Creating a Fragrance from the Ground Up" will highlight the importance of passion, resilience and creativity in overcoming adversity and achieving success.

Attendees will explore the latest trends, innovations, and best practices for maximizing functionality in supply chain technology across multiple tracks. Hands-on demos are available, along with breakout sessions covering content including:

Client-Led Case Studies

Collaborative Manufacturing and Supply Management

Demand Sensing and Business Planning

End-to-End Platform

Global Trade Management

Transportation Management

For more information, visit https://europeconnect.e2open.com/en.

About E2open

At E2open, we're creating a more connected, intelligent supply chain. It starts with sensing and responding to real-time demand, supply and delivery constraints. Bringing together data from customers, distribution channels, suppliers, contract manufacturers and logistics partners, our collaborative and agile supply chain platform enables companies to use data in real time, with artificial intelligence and machine learning to drive smarter decisions. All this complex information is delivered in a single view that encompasses your demand, supply, logistics and global trade ecosystems. E2open is changing everything. Demand. Supply. Delivered. Visit www.e2open.com.

E2open and the E2open logo are registered trademarks of E2open, LLC. Demand. Supply. Delivered. is a trademark of E2open, LLC. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005460/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

5W PR for E2open

e2open@5wpr.com

718-757-6144

Corporate Contact:

Kristin Seigworth

VP Communications, E2open

kristin.seigworth@e2open.com

Investor Contact:

Adam Rogers

AVP Investor Relations, E2open

adam.rogers@e2open.com

515-556-1162
Webhelp, a leading global provider of customer experience (CX) and business solutions, announced it has been named a Star Performer by leading global analyst firm Everest Group in its Trust and Safety Content Moderation Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022. Everest Group selects Star Performers based on YoY improvement on the PEAK Matrix; Webhelp was one of only two providers awarded this status.

"Webhelp, being experienced in addressing the trust and safety needs of buyers across all industries, has recently expanded its client portfolio significantly and enhanced its suite of services offered to clients," said Abhijnan Dasgupta, Practice Director, Everest Group. "Webhelp has expanded its delivery presence in LATAM, EMEA, and APAC and has invested in augmenting its proprietary tools (such as Proteus and Moderatus), which are leveraged by moderators for non-egregious content moderation. These are some of the factors that have contributed to Webhelp strengthening its positioning as a Major Contender and being recognized as a Star Performer in Everest Group's Trust and Safety Content Moderation Services PEAK Matrix 2022."

The report validates Webhelp's strength in multilingual support in its trust and safety practice, including the use of its proprietary translation technologies, helping deliver consistent, multilingual experiences at scale. This coupled with Webhelp's design and consulting capabilities, enables the business to build consistent and safe user experiences.

"We are very proud of our assessment and recognition as a Star Performer by Everest Group, validating the growth of our global Trust and Safety practice," said Chloe de Mont-Serrat, Webhelp's Co-CEO of Digital Content Services. "Whether a business is digital native or looking to transform and increase its online presence, trust and safety has become vital across industries. We support some of the leading brands, so we've invested heavily in moderation platforms, ensuring our clients' safety and reputation."

"The information landscape is continuing to change rapidly, and it's important we are involved in this conversation to inform and advise our clients. We're proud to have recently joined the Trust Safety Professional Association and will continue to implement industry knowledge and best practices across our global team," said Paul Danter, Co-CEO of Digital Content Services, Webhelp.

Everest Group's "Trust and Safety Content Moderation Services, PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022" evaluated 18 providers, positioning them on a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative criteria based on their vision capability, and market impact.

This announcement follows a series of accolades from top industry analysts, with Webhelp being positioned as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer Service BPO. Additionally, Webhelp was named the most innovative CX provider in Frost and Sullivan's 2021 Frost Radar report.

- END -

About Webhelp

Webhelp designs, delivers, and optimizes unforgettable human experiences for today's digital world creating game-changing customer journeys. From sales to service, content moderation to credit management, Webhelp is an end-to-end partner across all B2C and B2B customer journeys. Its over 100,000 passionate employees across more than 55 countries thrive on making a difference for the world's most exciting brands. Webhelp is currently owned by its management and Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (Euronext: GBLB), a leading global investment holding, as of November 2019.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005878/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

Abigail Blackburn

Abigail.blackburn@webhelp.com
TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company"), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions, has engaged international investor relations specialists MZ Group ("MZ") to lead a comprehensive strategic investor relations and financial communications program across all key markets.

MZ Group will work closely with Galaxy management to develop and implement a comprehensive investor relations strategy designed to increase the Company's visibility throughout the investment community. The campaign will highlight how Galaxy is working hand-in-hand with educators to help them evolve how teaching and learning happens in their 21st century classrooms, a new approach leveraging digital content, learning data, and one-of-a-kind technologies to create a uniquely immersive and interactive experience.

Brooks Hamilton, Director at MZ North America, will advise Galaxy in all facets of corporate and financial communications, including the coordination of roadshows and investment conferences across key cities and building brand awareness with financial and social media outlets.

Greg Falesnik, CEO of MZ North America, commented: "Galaxy's products are primarily sold into the rapidly evolving K-12 education market, which is in the early stages of a major technology turnover as schools and educators move toward technology solutions. The global education technology market is a high growth market, and at the federal level, the current administration's fiscal year 2023 request includes $88.3 billion for the Department of Education, an increase of 16% above the 2022 level. This commitment will provide schools additional funding for in-classroom technology solutions. We believe education will follow larger technology trends spurred by the pandemic and increasingly shift toward solutions that incorporate such as the communication devices and in-class touchscreens that Galaxy offers."

"Galaxy has reached an important inflection point with accelerating revenue growth and a robust pipeline," said Gary LeCroy, Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy. "We recently launched a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website that will further broaden and diversify our customer reach outside of traditional education sales as we continue to expand our footprint and reseller network. Operationally, we are focused on reducing our operating cost structure and recently passed the milestone of achieving positive shareholder equity. We look forward to working with Brooks and the team at MZ Group to communicate our vision for long-term growth to the broader investment community as we work to build sustainable value for our shareholders."

For more information on Galaxy, please visit the Company's website at www.galaxynext.us. To schedule a conference call with management, please email your request to GAXY@mzgroup.us or call Brooks Hamilton at 949-546-6326.

About MZ Group

MZ North America is the US division of MZ Group, a global leader in investor relations and corporate communications. MZ provides innovative, customized services to domestic and multinational private and public companies across all industries through a unique, fully-integrated "one-stop-shop" approach. By delivering a comprehensive suite of products and services through one point of contact, MZ offers services to all relevant markets geared to helping our clients build a sustainable public brand. MZ North America has a global footprint with offices located in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Aliso Viejo, Austin, Minneapolis, Taipei and Sao Paulo. For more information, please visit www.mzgroup.us.

About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

Galaxy Next Generation ( OTCQB:GAXY ) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales.

For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact

IR@GalaxyNext.us

P: 888-859-1274

Investor Relations

Brooks Hamilton

MZ North America

+1 949-546-6326

GAXY@mzgroup.us

SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700733/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Engages-MZ-Group-to-Lead-Strategic-Investor-Relations-and-Shareholder-Communication-Program
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY),(OTC PINK:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it continues with the trenching program for the upcoming drill program at the Wayka epithermal gold discovery at its 100% owned Fortuna Property ("Fortuna") in southern Ecuador.

Wall Zone trenching identifies additional altered mineralized structures that will be tested in upcoming drilling

Trenching in the Wall Zone (trenches T-22, T-23 and C-7) in weakly altered meta granites returned anomalous gold. The foliation in trench T-22 strikes 118 degrees and dips 38 degrees SE.

Kelly Zone trenching returns 1.21 g/t gold over 10 metres and also identifies anomalous altered structures

Trenching in the Kelly Zone which includes trench T-12 located approximately 700 metres north of trench T-5 (Discovery Zone) returned an average of 1.21 g/t gold over 10 metres (Please see news release October 25, 2021). Mineralization in this area is mainly of sericite-quartz type in contrast to that of mainly strong silicification found in the Discovery Zone trenches T-5 and T-6. Other trenches in the Kelly Zone, T-24 and T-25 are in silicified hydrothermal breccias and returned anomalous gold. Trench T-26 in silicified schists also returned anomalous gold.

First prospecting effort in area of significant soil anomaly yields 7.8 g/t gold over 1 metre

Approximately 1 km ENE of the Wall Zone a massive lens of magnetite with pyrite veinlets and disseminations was identified hosted in a leucocratic coarse-grained granite. The magnetite lens strikes northwest and has a vertical dip. A sample taken across one metre returned 7.81 g/t gold. The lens lies approximately 1.2 km east of the El Buitre porphyry prospect. See map below.

Map showing trench and channel locations by zones

Map showing Wall Zone trenches and location of magnetite lens

Francois Perron, CEO stated, "Field work continues to add information about the alteration systems at Wayka. The upcoming drilling campaign, slated to begin in June, will start to expand this knowledge to depth as we follow up our trenches in the Discovery Zone. Hopefully by understanding the intensity of alteration in all of these structures we will better understand how to direct our exploration efforts towards higher potential areas. The new sample from a magnetite vein located 1 km east of our current trenching efforts adds a new avenue of exploration as this type of mineralization is distinct from what we have encountered thus far.

Wayka - Next Steps

Mobilization for drilling campaign (underway)

Drilling (June)

Trenching (ongoing)

Prospecting in other areas to deepen our understanding of overall Wayka area (ongoing).

QA/QC Protocols

All exploration work is completed following QA/QC protocols and include the insertion of a coarse blank, a standard and duplicate sample on every batch of 25 samples.

Samples are submitted to ALS Chemex Labs in Quito for preparation work, and the analytical work is completed at their lab facility in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO certified and accredited laboratory.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Francois Perron"

Chief Executive Officer

About Lucky

Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna Property.

The Company's Fortuna Project is comprised of twelve contiguous, 550 km2 (55,000 Hectares, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concessions. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador.

Covid-19 Safety Protocols

Lucky has strict rules in place for all workers arriving to and from field sites. All personnel are tested upon arriving and leaving and are tested every two weeks. All personnel are following COVID protocols with permanent disinfection procedures in place and are following correspondent social distancing while being isolated from the surrounding communities.

Qualified Person

Victor Jaramillo, M.Sc.A., P.Geo., Lucky's Exploration Manager and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration

program at the Fortuna Project for Lucky Minerals and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Francois Perron, President and CEO, by email at investors@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484.

Or by contacting:

Renmark Financial Communications Inc.

Kerry Schacter: kschacter@renmarkfinancial.com

Tel: (416) 644-2020 or (514) 939-3989

www.renmarkfinancial.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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Adjacent Properties and Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related to exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will not update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements unless required by Canadian securities law.

SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700668/Trenching-Continues-At-Wayka-A-One-metre-wide-Magnetite-Lens-Returns-781-gt-Gold




A former chef, who was caught washing radishes and his feet together with the same scrubbing brush at a pork restaurant in southern Seoul last year, has been fined 10 million won ($7,850), court officials said Tuesday.







The Seoul Central District Court gave the monetary penalty to the 53-year-old, identified only by his surname Kim, after finding him guilty of violating the Food Sanitation Act, the officials said.







Kim was indicted after a video of him dipping radishes and his feet in a basin of water and washing them together with the same scrubbing brush at the braised pork dish restaurant went viral on social media last July, triggering a wave of outrage across the country.







The court also imposed a fine of 8 million won on the owner of the restaurant, located in Bangbae District, after he was indicted on charges of violating the storage standards for frozen pork feet and using sauce that had passed its expiration date.







Prosecutors demanded an eight-month prison sentence and a fine of 5 million won, respectively, for the former chef and the restaurant owner in a previous court hearing.







"The defendants deserve stern punishment, because their behavior undermined public health and food safety, and caused distrust in food and other restaurants," the court said. (Yonhap)






NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The North America fire pump market is anticipated to create an absolute dollar opportunity worth US$ 239.8 Mn by the end of 2032. US (NSPA 20) and Canadian (National Building code, Section 32) have rolled out standards and regulations for the installation and usage of fire pumps. During a fire, fire pumps are used to keep the water pressure in sprinklers and standpipes at a safe level. Building codes specify where fire pumps are required to be installed.

Building codes have been getting stricter with increasing urbanization and infrastructure development. Growing population concentration has further encouraged governments, both, state and federal, to focus on human life safety, which requires proper fire safety systems, in turn driving market growth.

Further, private and public investments in the commercial as well as residential sectors in North America will create significant opportunities for market players.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the commercial and manufacturing sector, which is vulnerable to North American economic cycles, and has been estimated to be impacted by 5%-10%. On the plus side, this sector has the potential to stimulate recovery from the crisis, which will support the transition to sustainability.

Request for sample copy of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/33069

Key Takeaways from Market Study

By product type, fixed pump sales are expected to increase at a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period (2022-2032).

By type, the horizontal split case segment is anticipated to dominate the market and account for around 70% market share.

By rating, the 1000 to 1500 gpm segment is projected to lead the fire pump market in North America and create an absolute dollar opportunity worth US$ 104.9 Mn .

and create an absolute dollar opportunity worth . In terms of country, fire pump sales in the U.S. are estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 3.7%.

"Investments in the commercial and residential sectors, coupled with stricter building codes, will have an optimistic impact on fire pump sales in the North American region," says a Persistence Market Research analyst.

Get customized report as per requirement: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/request-customization/33069

Competitive Landscape

The fire pump market in North America is a moderately consolidated space with the presence of key manufacturers along with regional manufacturing companies.

Some of the key market players included in the report are Xylem Inc., Pentair Ltd., Cummins Fire Power, Armstrong Fluid Company, Peerless Pump Company, W.S. Darley & Co., Wilo SE, Ruhrpumpen Group, and SPP Pumps.

Get full access of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/33069

Conclusion

Infrastructural developments and enhancing fire safety infrastructure are major factors that are paving the way for higher adoption of fire pumps in North America. Also, growth of the market is highly benefiting from government economic stimulus programs and ongoing projects in the manufacturing industry in the region.

More Valuable Insights Available

Persistence Market Research, a research and consulting firm, has published a new market research report on the North America fire pump market that contains an industry analysis of 2017-2021 and an opportunity assessment for 2022-2032.

The report provides in-depth analysis of the market through different segments, namely, type, rating, power source, product type, end use, and country. The report also provides supply and demand trends along with an overview of the parent market.

Related Reports:

Fire Pump Market

Water Pump Market

Vacuum Pumps Market

About Persistence Market Research:

Persistence Market Research (PMR), as a 3rd-party research organization, does operate through an exclusive amalgamation of market research and data analytics for helping businesses ride high, irrespective of the turbulence faced on the account of financial/natural crunches.

Overview:

Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies'/clients' shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

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Persistence Market Research

U.S. Sales Office:

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+1-646-568-7751

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Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com

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Gold sponsor Apiture can be found at booth #308

WILMINGTON, NC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Apiture , a leading provider of digital banking solutions, will be a Gold sponsor of FinovateSpring , being held May 18-20, 2022, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. The conference hosts 1,100+ senior attendees from financial institutions and fintech startups to reconnect face-to-face for networking, live demos on innovative solutions, and expert advice from industry influencers.

Apiture's EVP of Innovation Daniel Haisley will present on the main stage on May 19 at 9:20 am, with a presentation titled: Embedded Banking, Debunking the Myths . Haisley will dispel the biggest misperceptions around embedded banking, addressing who is best positioned to benefit, most appropriate applications of this strategy, and the impact on traditional financial institutions.

"We are thrilled to stake a presence at FinovateSpring and use this as an opportunity to knowledge share and forge meaningful connections," said Haisley. "We are eager to come together with some of the biggest disruptors in the industry to continue to mold the future of the digital banking industry."

Apiture will showcase its award-winning Apiture Digital Banking Platform in booth #308. Executives will be available to conduct in-booth demonstrations and discuss key capabilities of Apiture's solutions.

The FinovateSpring website shares more details and the full agenda .

About Apiture

Apiture delivers award-winning digital banking solutions to banks and credit unions throughout the United States. Our flexible, highly configurable solutions meet a wide range of financial institutions' needs, from leveling the playing field with larger banks to enabling unique, digital-only brands. Through our API-first strategy, our clients can maximize the capabilities of their platform while preserving a seamless user experience. Our exclusive focus on digital banking means we're dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients while providing a level of support that's unmatched in the industry. Apiture is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, with offices in Austin, Texas. To learn more, visit www.apiture.com .

Media Contact

Aarzoo Jena

Caliber Corporate Advisers

aarzoo@calibercorporateadvisers.com

SOURCE: Apiture

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/699964/Apiture-to-Debunk-Embedded-Banking-Myths-at-FinovateSpring-Conference
PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Centamin ("Centamin" or "the Company") (LSE:CEY)(TSX:CEE) announces that, at its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") held today, 10 May 2022, all resolutions set out in the Notice of AGM were put to the AGM on a poll and were passed with the requisite majority. The full results are detailed in the table below.

The Company's issued share capital eligible to be voted at the AGM was 1,156,450,695 ordinary shares and approximately 66% of the Company's issued share capital were voted at the AGM.

VOTES FOR[1] % VOTES AGAINST % VOTES WITHHELD[2] Ordinary Resolution 1 Adopt the annual accounts, strategic and governance reports and auditor's report on the accounts 757,176,021 100.00% 14,158 0.00% 10,192,572 Ordinary Resolution 2 Declare a final dividend of 5 US cents (US$0.05) per ordinary share 767,228,879 100.00% 9,286 0.00% 144,286 Ordinary Resolution 3.1 Approval of the Directors' remuneration report 745,341,893 97.16% 21,809,088 2.84% 231,470 Ordinary Resolution 3.2 Approval of Directors' remuneration policy 735,236,754 95.84% 31,894,529 4.16% 251,168 Ordinary Resolution 3.3 Approval of the rules of the Centamin Incentive Plan 743,604,217 96.93% 23,564,528 3.07% 213,706 Ordinary Resolution 4.1 Re-election of James Rutherford 741,597,436 96.98% 23,104,887 3.02% 2,680,128 Ordinary Resolution 4.2 Re-election of Martin Horgan 761,265,789 99.24% 5,868,441 0.76% 248,221 Ordinary Resolution 4.3 Re-election of Ross Jerrard 760,749,191 99.17% 6,388,032 0.83% 245,228 Ordinary Resolution 4.4 Re-election of Dr Sally Eyre 719,804,178 93.82% 47,376,183 6.18% 202,090 Ordinary Resolution 4.5 Re-election of Mark Bankes 759,430,275 99.00% 7,684,448 1.00% 267,728 Ordinary Resolution 4.6 Re-election of Dr Ibrahim Fawzy 739,244,668 96.36% 27,925,863 3.64% 211,920 Ordinary Resolution 4.7 Re-election of Marna Cloete 708,459,235 92.35% 58,723,989 7.65% 199,227 Ordinary Resolution 4.8 Re-election of Dr Catharine Farrow 721,859,308 95.25% 35,963,033 4.75% 9,560,110 Ordinary Resolution 4.9 Re-election of Hendrik Faul 742,065,681 96.73% 25,071,542 3.27% 245,228 Ordinary Resolution 5.1 Appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (auditor) 756,724,026 98.67% 10,192,401 1.33% 166,024 Ordinary Resolution 5.2 Authorise the Directors to agree the auditor's remuneration 767,019,571 99.98% 175,766 0.02% 187,114 Ordinary Resolution 6 Authority to allot relevant securities 744,618,502 97.06% 22,546,913 2.94% 217,036





Special Resolution 7.1 Disapplication of pre-emption rights 762,696,800 99.80% 1,559,380 0.20% 3,125,271 Special Resolution 7.2 Further disapplication of pre-emption rights 752,305,758 98.44% 11,946,373 1.56% 3,130,320 Special Resolution 8 Market purchase of ordinary shares 757,153,122 98.73% 9,774,773 1.27% 453,956

In accordance with LR 9.6.2R, a copy of the results of the AGM, along with a copy of resolutions passed other than those concerning ordinary business at the AGM, have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism. The scrutineers of the poll were Computershare Investor Services (Jersey) Limited. The full text of each of the resolutions is set out in the Notice of AGM, a copy of which is available on the Centamin website at www.centamin.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: please visit the website www.centamin.com or contact:

Centamin plc

Michael Stoner, Group Corporate Manager

investor@centaminplc.com Buchanan

Bobby Morse/ Ariadna Peretz/ James Husband

+ 44 (0) 20 7466 5000

centamin@buchanan.uk.com

-END

LEI: 213800PDI9G7OUKLPV84

Company No: 109180

[1] The "For" vote includes those giving the Chair of the AGM discretion.

[2] A "Vote Withheld" is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of the votes 'For' and 'Against' the resolution.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Centamin PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700754/Centamin-PLC-Announces-Results-of-the-AGM
Majority of IT Executives Say Their Organization is Considering Relocating or Expanding Existing Business and Prioritizing Faster, More Secure, and More Reliable Internet Access in a Post-COVID World

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / FiberLight , LLC, a fiber infrastructure provider with more than 20 years of experience building and operating mission-critical, high-bandwidth networks, today released the results of its inaugural Business Relocation Expansion Survey. The survey asked IT executives and business leaders about their post-COVID plans to move headquarters or add locations outside their current operating market, as well as scheduled upgrades to IT infrastructure and connectivity to accommodate operations in new markets.

According to FiberLight's 2022 Business Relocation Expansion Survey , 70% of IT and corporate decision makers say they are considering relocating their business or adding more locations within the next 3-5 years. Of those respondents, 78% said they are considering relocating their business to Texas. Executives cited market saturation and availability, followed by the expense of doing business in major metropolitan areas, and expanding their operations, as the primary factors driving the change.

Texas offers companies several advantages including a lower cost of living, favorable tax rates, and fewer regulations. Ranking high on the list of Texas cities decision makers are considering for relocation include: 1) Dallas / Ft. Worth, 2) Austin, and 3) San Antonio. More rural Texas markets are also in consideration.

"Our research confirms what we already know: Texas is a great place to live and work," said Will Sears, Chief Revenue Officer for FiberLight. "Companies are discovering the advantages to relocating and expanding across a wide variety of communities within the Lone Star State, not just the major metro areas. As Texas continues to grow, businesses will need faster, more scalable connectivity in order to execute their business strategies. FiberLight's deep roots and expansive network uniquely positions us to support growing organizations with secure and scalable connectivity."

FiberLight, a fiber infrastructure provider that builds and operates high-bandwidth networks, conducted the survey in March of 600+ executive leaders responsible for IT and corporate strategy to better understand their post-Covid relocation, expansion, and infrastructure plans.

In a post-Covid world, executives are planning, primarily, for Hybrid and Cloud infrastructure models. The survey revealed that to facilitate relocation or expansion, executives are prioritizing the following local infrastructure needs:

1) Data Center Access (29%)

2) Public Sector (22%)

3) Cloud Migration (20%)

4) Dedicated Internet Access (15%)

5) Dark Fiber (12%)

Additionally, leaders said their biggest priorities for connectivity upgrades include:

1) Speed / Low Latency

2) Security

3) Diverse Connections

"The past two years have dramatically changed how businesses across all sectors operate. Couple that with the changing demographics in major metropolitan areas due to employees having the flexibility to work from anywhere, we're seeing a seismic shift in where businesses are moving their operations," said Chris Rabii, Chief Executive Officer at FiberLight. "These moves have highlighted the core infrastructure requirements to support businesses that are moving to new locations. Traditionally, rural areas around our country have been ignored but these findings show that can't be the case any longer."

"Demands on networks are growing and evolving so rapidly, and ensuring our city is supported by this foundation of connectivity is essential as we look to enhance our reputation as an attractive destination for individuals and businesses alike. FiberLight was the ideal partner that met all of our requirements so that we can meet the needs of our residents and achieve our collective vision for Bastrop," said Jesse Miga, Director of Information Technology for the City of Bastrop, TX.

With existing backbone infrastructure and unmatched density, FiberLight is equipped to deploy a multitude of solutions in their communities to meet growing bandwidth needs. To learn more and to access the survey, visit www.fiberlight.com .

About FiberLight

FiberLight designs, builds and deploys mission-critical high bandwidth networks to ignite our client's digital transformation. With 14,000 route miles of fiber networks and 78,000 pre-qualified near-net buildings, FiberLight operates in over 30 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Our service portfolio includes high-capacity Ethernet and Wave Transport Services, Cloud Connect , Dedicated Internet Access , Dark Fiber and Wireless Backhaul serving domestic and international telecom companies, wireless, wireline, cable and cloud providers as well as key players across enterprise, government, and education. For more information, visit fiberlight.com or follow us on Twitter @FiberLight_LLC .

FiberLight Contact:

Escalate PR

FiberLight@escalatepr.com

SOURCE: FiberLight

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700715/New-Study-by-FiberLight-Reveals-Relocation-and-Expansion-on-the-Horizon-for-as-Many-as-70-of-IT-and-Corporate-Executives
MINNEAPOLIS (dpa-AFX) - Target Corp. (TGT) said the company is on track to meet goals established in 2021 to advance racial equity. In 2021, the company increased investments with Black-owned businesses by more than 50%. Also, it more than doubled the number of Black-owned brands available at Target, now offering more than 100. The company's beauty assortment saw a 65% increase in Black-owned brand offerings since 2020, and more than 200 books from Black authors were added over the last year. In 2021, the company pledged to invest $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025, including adding products across its multi-category assortment. Also, Target introduced a funding program from its in-house media company, Roundel, to increase exposure of diverse-owned brands through paid media. The Roundel Media Fund will award more than $25 million in media to diverse-owned and founded brands by the end of 2025. 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 10, 2022) - Cruz Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: CRUZ) (OTC Pink: BKTPF) (FSE: A3CWU7) ("Cruz" or the "Company") wishes to announce that it has received drill results from three holes of the phase II drill program on the 100-percent owned, 8,135 total contiguous acre 'Solar Lithium Project' in Nevada. Hole-3 achieved values as high as 900 parts per million Lithium (ppm Li), hole-4 achieved a high value of 790 ppm Li, and hole-5 achieved a high value of 820 ppm Li. Cruz is still awaiting further drill results from the phase II drill program, of which samples were 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, "Cruz has encountered further evidence of lithium present on the Solar Lithium Project, close to the border of American Lithium Corp.'s TLC project. We are still awaiting the reaming results of the phase II drill program. The data provided by the first two phases of drilling will allow the Company to plan a larger phase III program in the second half of 2022. Cruz has a large footprint and a similar size property to our neighbor, American Lithium. Cruz's goal is to locate and provide a new, domestically sourced, battery grade lithium deposit."





Figure 1: Cruz Ownership Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4754/123388_2f66499e6411fab9_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/123388
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Paxman announces its first signed contract under the new business model with a comprehensive healthcare system in New Jersey and the launch of enhanced Paxman HUB services.

Previously, in the U.S., scalp cooling has only been available to patients on a self-pay basis -to those who have the financial means to pay out-of-pocket, or those who qualify for foundation or grant assistance. Consequently, patient access to the treatment has been limited due to affordability. The new buy and bill business model can be adopted by existing and new Paxman Scalp Cooling providers, significantly expanding patient access to this important means of chemotherapy side-effect management.

Richard Paxman, CEO of Paxman comments, "Expanded patient access has always been the top priority for our organization. Paxman HUB Support Services will assist practices and patients with insurance benefit verification and prior authorization processes, and Paxman's enhanced Patient Assistance Program (PAP) will allow many more patients to access scalp cooling. The Company will continue to work with financial assistance foundations for those who may not qualify for the PAP, ensuring that scalp cooling is an affordable option for all who want the chance to avoid the devastating side effect of cytotoxic-induced hair loss."

Richard further adds, "Paxman's first customer to contract to the new buy and bill model and PAP program a comprehensive healthcare system in New Jersey and we are looking forward to many others following. We are engaged in discussions with a number of community and academic centres across the U.S. looking to transition to the new 'buy and bill' model."

This enhanced agreement is the first to be signed under Paxman's new business model in the US. The New Jersey healthcare system will now purchase Paxman Scalp Cooling Caps through Paxman's distribution partner and will file claims with health insurance companies on behalf of their patients for provision of Paxman scalp cooling treatment. The two new CPT codes are utilized for the initial fitting and calibration of the cap, as well as ongoing cooling treatment administered before, during and after chemotherapy as follows:

0662T: Scalp cooling mechanical; initial measurement and calibration of cap. This code is billed when the cap is fitted to the patient and may only be utilized one time per patient.

0663T: Placement of device, monitoring, and removal of device. This code is billed each time the patient receives scalp cooling during chemotherapy and is to be used in conjunction with chemotherapy administration codes 96409, 96411, 96413, 96415, 96416, and 96417.

The first healthcare system to contract to Paxman's new business model is the largest and most comprehensive in the state of New Jersey and is leading the way in patient access for scalp cooling, having collaborated with Paxman since 2018 to offer patients Paxman Scalp Cooling treatment to manage the side effect of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. In this time, cancer patients using Paxman Scalp Cooling have benefitted from an improved overall treatment experience at a number of the Health System's locations under the self-pay business model.

Upwards of 400 locations that already have Paxman equipment installed across the United States are now able prepare for the possibility of increased payer reimbursement opportunities for Paxman Scalp Cooling treatment in compliance with the laws and rules governing provision of items and services reimbursable by private insurance and federal programs including Medicare or Medicaid. Paxman Scalp Cooling will still continue to be offered at all locations on a self-pay basis during the transitional period. For providers interested in exploring the new business model please reach out to hcp@paxmanusa.com to find out more.

MEDIA CONTACTS

For more information please contact:

Julia Price, PR Consultant, julia@juliaprice.co.uk or call: +44 (0) 7737 864878

SOURCE: Paxman

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700746/Paxman-Launches-Enhanced-Provider-and-Patient-Assistance-Services-as-well-as-Offering-a-New-Business-Model-to-Health-Systems
A marketing agency launches a nationwide anti-sexism campaign.

Employers throughout Germany are speaking out against misogyny in the workplace. The campaign "Together Against Sexism" was launched on June 16, 2021. Two female executives from the Reutlingen-based and Berlin-based agency impulsQ are spearheading this initiative. In addition, over 80 well-known firms in the online marketing sector and other industries have already offered their support.

The founders and managing directors of impulsQ GmbH from Reutlingen and Berlin, Gesina Kunkel, Natalie Brosy, and Martin Brosy, would like to raise as much financial support as possible for the Relief organization "Wirbelwind Reutlingen." They hope to achieve this through a countrywide fundraising drive called "Together Against Sexism

The anti-sexism campaign started on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, with the launch of the corresponding campaign page https://impulsq.de/mega/gegen-sexismus/.

Up-to-date and representative statistics information from the Human Rights Channel, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), and even the Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes (Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency) will be included. Furthermore, more information regarding sexism on the site and participating firms are identified by name and logo.

At the moment, more than 80 companies, including several well-known online marketing representatives, have promised their support by displaying the campaign seal on their online platforms or websites and/or providing monetary contributions. Due to the overwhelming reaction, companies from different industries have already joined the campaign.

Discrimination is a daily issue in Germany, particularly for women at work. Above all, many women face sexist hostility in the digital universe of the Internet. However, sexist statements and acts are not unusual in close interaction with colleagues.

Gesina Kunkel and Natalie Brosy were personally affected by this, which prompted them to launch the anti-sexism campaign. Both will share their experiences on the campaign page and in YouTube interviews.

Visit https://impulsq.de/mega/gegen-sexismus/ for additional information and early access to the campaign site.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005937/en/

Contacts:

Fr. Kunkel

gk@impulsq.de

impulsQ GmbH I Heinestrasse 72 I 72762 Reutlingen
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Russian forces have made deadly missile strikes on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa. Reports quoting Ukraine's armed forces say one person was killed and five others were injured when hypersonic missiles hit two hotels and a shopping mall on Monday. As the air raid sirens sounded, European Council President Charles Michel, who was visiting the city along with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal took cover in a bomb shelter. President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with the top EU executive measures to avoid a 'global food crisis' caused by Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports that facilitate Ukraine's grain exports. Ukraine, which is a major supplier of the world's wheat, corn and sunflower oil demand, was 4.5 million tons of agricultural produce every month before the Russian invasion. Ukraine's defense ministry said Russian forces are conducting 'storming operations' at the massive Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where at least 100 civilians and injured soldiers are still trapped. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on Russia to stop the war. The appeal was made by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the end of a two-day visit of Ukraine. 'There is one medicine WHO cannot deliver, and which Ukraine needs more than any other, and that is peace,' he told reporters in Kyiv. The WHO chief said the UN agency has verified 200 attacks on healthcare facilities in the war-stricken country. 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, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / CMC Metals Ltd. (TSX-V:CMB)(Frankfurt:ZM5N)(OTC PINK:CMCXF) ("CMC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that advance field crews have been mobilized to our exploration projects in Newfoundland, Canada. In addition, the Company is working to reopen the access road to our flagship Silver Hart property in Yukon in advance preparations for crew mobilization in mid June.

The Company further wishes to announce that they have hired Mr. Brigido Campillo as Chief Geologist. Mr. Campillo has over 25 years of experience in mineral exploration and project management. He has worked in a senior capacity in numerous exploration and mine projects with companies including Vizsla Resources, Endeavour Silver Corp., Great Panther Silver, Orenex Silver Corp, Apex Silver Mines LDC, Monarca Minerals, Goldcorp and others. He has considerable experience in a broad range of deposit styles including extensive work in epithermal deposits (including veins, skarn and carbonate replacement style mineralization).

Mr. John Bossio, Chairperson noted, "We are pleased to initiate the most aggressive exploration program that CMC has ever attempted to undertake in the Company's history. This will be an exciting season for us, and we are confident that exploration efforts will enhance shareholder value."

Mr. Kevin Brewer, President and CEO stated: "We are extremely pleased to have Brigido join our team as he has a wealth of experience that is perfectly suited to our CRD/vein/skarn targets in Yukon/northern British Columbia. Brigido will utilize his first-hand knowledge to advance the understanding of mineralization at Silver Hart."

Mr. Brewer added, "We are launching an aggressive exploration program this season. Initially we are conducting a lot of geological mapping and prospecting activities on our early-stage Newfoundland properties namely Terra Nova, Bridal Veil and Rodney Pond. Our primary objective on these properties is to determine whether they warrant advanced exploration efforts. The crews will then be mobilized to Yukon in mid-June where advanced exploration efforts on Silver Hart are focussed on resource expansion. Also, at Amy and Silverknife we plan to advance both projects to drill ready stage. We have identified significant targets on all three projects. Permitting was filed in January for the properties in British Columbia and we will soon be initiating First Nations consultation efforts. Silver Hart is fully permitted."

Qualified Person

Qualified Person Kevin Brewer, a registered professional geoscientist, is the Company's President and CEO, and Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101). He has given his approval of the technical information pertaining reported herein. The Company is committed to meeting the highest standards of integrity, transparency and consistency in reporting technical content, including geological reporting, geophysical investigations, environmental and baseline studies, engineering studies, metallurgical testing, assaying and all other technical data.

About CMC Metals Ltd.

CMC Metals Ltd. is a growth stage exploration company focused on opportunities for high grade polymetallic deposits in Yukon, British Columbia and Newfoundland. Our polymetallic silver-lead-zinc CRD prospects include the Silver Hart Deposit and Blue Heaven claims (the "Silver Hart Project") and Rancheria South, Amy and Silverknife claims (the "Rancheria South Project"). Our polymetallic projects with potential for copper-silver-gold and other metals include Logjam (Yukon), Bridal Veil, Terra Nova and Rodney Pond (central Newfoundland).

On behalf of the Board:

"John Bossio"

John Bossio, Chairman

CMC METALS LTD.

For Further Information and Investor Inquiries:

Kevin Brewer, P. Geo., MBA, B.Sc. (Hons), Dip. Mine Eng.

President, CEO and Director

Tel: (709) 327 8013

kbrewer80@hotmail.com

Suite 615-800 Pender St.

Vancouver, BC

V6C 2V6

To be added to CMC's news distribution list, please send an email to info@cmcmetals.ca or contact Mr. Kevin Brewer directly.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

"This news release may contain certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, statements that address the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles and exploitation activities and developments. In this release disclosure regarding the potential to undertake future exploration work comprise forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks, including the ability of the Company to raise the funds necessary to fund its projects, to carry out the work and, accordingly, may not occur as described herein or at all. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, the impact of the constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for information on these and other risk factors, available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation."

SOURCE: CMC Metals Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700734/CMC-Announces-Exploration-Operations-Have-Commenced-on-Its-Newfoundland-Properties-and-the-Appointment-of-a-New-Chief-Geologist
President Yoon Suk-yeol receives a briefing from the Joint Chiefs of Staffs in the underground bunker of the new presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



People want President Yoon to focus on improving people's livelihood



By Lee Hyo-jin



Korean citizens expressed a wide range of hopes and expectations of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, from the easing of home mortgage regulations, to tailoring welfare policies to those in need, to making society safer for children. Though their expectations differ in the details, they all hope that the policies carried out by the Yoon administration will concretely improve their daily lives over the next five years.



Lee Ji-eon, a 31-year-old office worker in Seoul, said that she hopes to buy her own home during Yoon's presidency, as the new president pledged to relax mortgage loan requirements especially for young people and those who do not currently own a home.



Lee welcomed the presidential transition committee's recent announcement about raising the loan-to-value ratio up to 80 percent for those who are buying their first-ever homes. This change would enable an individual to take out a mortgage of up to 800 million won ($620,000) for a house that costs 1 billion won.



"In addition to the easing of mortgage regulations, I wish the new government would stabilize housing prices so that purchasing a home will no longer be a far-fetched dream for young people," Lee told The Korea Times.



Some people wished that the incoming government would improve social welfare policies and provide tailored support to the people most in need.



"Due to loopholes in the current welfare system, I've seen many people living in a decent condition become beneficiaries of government subsidies and cash handouts," said an office worker surnamed Bang. "Government funds that were taken out of taxpayers' pockets should be used for those in need."





Yoon Suk-yeol sworn in as South Korea's new president Yoon pays his respects at national cemetery ahead of inauguration ceremony Yoon begins term at midnight with military briefing She added, "Moreover, recent rallies held by people with disabilities in subways have revealed the absence of effective measures to guarantee their rights to movement. I hope this issue gets more attention from the new administration."



Then President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol greets people in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, during his visit to the region, May 4. Joint Press Corps

A housewife surnamed Kim in her 40s said that the government should do more to make the country a safer place for children.



"As a mother of two children attending elementary school, my top priority is the establishment of a safe environment for raising children. I feel devastated by the horrific child abuse cases and school bullying," she said.



Some people demanded Yoon to fulfill his election pledges.



"I hope Yoon fulfills his promises to support the self-employed," said a cafe owner surnamed Kim in Seoul's Yongsan District. The new president has promised to spend about 50 trillion won to compensate pandemic-hit small business owners.



A 21-year-old college student, who wished to stay anonymous, urged Yoon to keep his promise to guarantee enlisted soldiers with a monthly salary of two million won. "I'm planning to enlist in the mandatory military service in the latter half of this year. So I'm hoping that he realizes his promise before then," he said.



However, some were skeptical about whether Yoon would do a good job as the nation's new leader.



"My hopes for the new government are not so high. It already feels like it doesn't care much about public opinion, seeing how Yoon has pushed ahead with the relocation of the presidential office," said Lee Yoon-ji, a resident in Incheon.



Yoon's decision to begin his term in the former Ministry of National Defense's headquarters in Yongsan District sparked heated debate among the public, with many pointing out the lack of public discussion in the decision making process.




BANGALORE, India, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Infant Incubator Market is Segmented by Type (Transport Infant Incubator, Normal Infant Incubator), by Application (Public Sector, Private Sector): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Medical Devices & Equipment Category.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Infant Incubator market size is estimated to be worth USD 57 Million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 78 Million by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.4% during the review period.

Major factors driving the growth of the infant incubator market:

The infant incubators market is growing due to an increase in the number of premature babies born. Furthermore, the market's growth is fueled by an increase in the demand for NICU units and an increase in public awareness about neonatal care.

Get Your Sample Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-23B404/Global_Infant_Incubator_Market

TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF INFANT INCUBATOR MARKET

An increase in the number of Premature births is expected to drive the growth of the infant incubator market. Low birth weight, irregular temperature, and unstable vital signs can all affect babies who are born too early, before 37 weeks. The temperature of a baby can be controlled with the use of a baby incubator. They will also be given a high-calorie formula and will receive any other treatment they require. Incubators help your baby maintain a healthy temperature, preventing hypothermia. A baby incubator's temperature controls can be set manually or automatically based on your baby's temperature. Incubators for babies also serve as humidifiers. This helps to keep your baby's skin in good shape.

Furthermore, the infant incubator market is expected to grow due to an increase in demand for infant incubators in cases of breathing problems, infection, gestational diabetes effects, jaundice, long or traumatic deliveries, and recovery from surgery. In an incubator, infants can live in a safe, controlled environment while their vital organs develop. Unlike a simple bassinet, an incubator provides a controlled environment that can be adjusted to provide the ideal temperature, oxygen, humidity, and light. If they weren't in this carefully controlled environment, many infants, especially those born a few months early, would perish. An incubator protects against allergens, germs, loud noises, and potentially harmful light levels in addition to climate control. The ability of an incubator to control humidity protects a baby's skin from becoming brittle or cracking by preventing it from losing too much moisture.

The infant incubator market is expected to grow as people become more aware of the importance of neonatal care. The World Health Organization has developed a set of comprehensive recommendations to improve the health of newborns by intervening before conception, during pregnancy, shortly after birth, and in the postnatal period. According to the World Health Organization, neonatal deaths account for 45 percent of all deaths in children under the age of five. More than a third of these deaths happen within the first 24 hours of birth, and three-quarters of neonatal deaths happen within the first seven days.

Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-23B404/global-infant-incubator

INFANT INCUBATOR MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

The Normal Infant Incubator is the most lucrative segment, accounting for over 60% of the market. Due to factors such as an increase in the number of premature infants born with low birth weights and an increase in the number of NICUs installed by hospitals in both developed and developing countries.

In terms of application, the Private Sector is the most lucrative, followed by the Public Sector, and so on.

North America is the largest market, accounting for over 35% of total sales, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific, which each account for about 50% of total sales. The demand for this market is increasing due to rising disposable income and the need for high-quality treatment procedures.

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Key Companies:

GE Healthcare

Draeger

Atom Medical

Natus Medical

DAVID

Fanem

Shvabe

Dison

Mediprema

JW Medical

Phoenix

Cobams

Weyer

Beijing Julongsanyou

Medicor

Ginevri

Olidef

V-Care Medical

FYROM

Ertunc Ozcan.

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SIMILAR REPORTS:

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Click here to see related reports on Infant Incubator Market

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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.

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 11, 2022 / Luvu Brands, Inc. (OTCQB:LUVU) today announced that its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 will be released on Monday, May 16, 2022. Management will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. EST (10:00 a.m. CST; 8:00 a.m. PST) on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 to review and discuss the financial results.

The Company invites investors and analysts to listen and participate in the call by registering via https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2527/45552. A Q&A session will take place after the formal presentation, which shareholders and other interested parties can partake in through the aforementioned weblink or by dialing 888-267-2822 (international: 973-528-0011) using the participant access code 480267.

A recorded replay of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website, www.luvubrands.com, from May 17, 2022, until August, 15, 2022.

About Luvu Brands

Luvu Brands, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of consumer lifestyle brands through the Company's websites, online mass merchants, and specialty retail stores worldwide. Our brands include Liberator, an iconic product category for enhancing sensuality and intimacy; Avana, inclined bed therapy products, assistive in relieving medical conditions associated with acid reflux, surgery recovery, and chronic pain; and Jaxx, a diverse range of casual fashion daybeds, sofas, and beanbags. As a sustainability-focused Company, we use repurposed polyurethane foam and fabrics wherever possible and vacuum-compress all our foam-based products to reduce our carbon footprint. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the Company occupies a 140,000 square foot vertically-integrated manufacturing facility and employs over 200 people. The Company brand sites include: www.liberator.com, www.jaxxliving.com, www.avanacomfort.com, plus other global e-commerce sites. For more information about Luvu Brands, please visit www.luvubrands.com.

Company Contact:

Alexander Sannikov, CFO

770-246-6426

alexander.sannikov@luvubrands.com

SOURCE: Luvu Brands, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700969/CORRECTION-FROM-SOURCE-Luvu-Brands-to-Announce-Fiscal-2022-Q3-Financial-Results
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, today announced that it has extended its strategic agreement with Credit Agricole CIB, the corporate and investment bank division of Credit Agricole Group, to fuel Credit Agricole CIB's next stage of growth.

The engagement builds on Credit Agricole CIB and Wipro's decade-long relationship and will provide the Bank with a larger team of Wipro experts who will operate a robust and secure infrastructure.

Wipro will enable Credit Agricole CIB to embrace the latest cloud technologies and agile practices allowing it to achieve faster speed-to-market on new products and services, improving client satisfaction and unlocking new value streams.

Thierry Delaporte, CEO and Managing Director, Wipro Limited said, "This new agreement is an affirmation of our strong relationship with Credit Agricole CIB. We remain committed to strengthening it and advancing their ongoing transformation. Under the leadership of Graziella Neuveglise, Wipro's Regional Head for Southern Europe, we will continue to invest in capabilities that will help us deliver higher value, and greater innovation to Credit Agricole CIB, efficiently and sustainably."

Pierre Dulon, Deputy CEO and Head of IT and Operations Services, Credit Agricole CIB comments, "Wipro shares our vision of the role technology transformation will play in the corporate and investment banking sector, where efficiency, sustainability and innovation will be drivers of success. To realize this vision, we needed a dependable partner who has the strategic insight to co-create solutions to enhance our business agility. Wipro has proven itself to be that partner over the past ten years and will help us prepare for the next stage of our growth."

About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics, and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 240,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509005084/en/

Contacts:

Sanuber Grohe

Sanuber.grohe@wipro.com
Event features industry thought leaders, panel discussions, lightning-round consultations, professional headshots, networking opportunities and a vendor fair

ALBANY, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / NY Cannabis Insider, presented by Foley Hoag, will hold a professional cannabis industry conference from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., May 20, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany. A networking and cocktail reception will follow.

NY Cannabis Insider business-to-business conferences feature the best and brightest industry thought leaders, sharing their knowledge and expertise on topics critical for those looking to start their cannabis ventures. NY Cannabis Insider helps attendees seize this unprecedented opportunity with the same high-quality cannabis industry conversation as previous virtual conferences.

The schedule has been set for NY Cannabis Insider's full-day professional conference on May 20th. Attendees can expect to hear lively and informative conversations around the following topics:

A Deep Dive Into the Regulations for Conditional Adult Use Cannabis Licenses

Impact of Recreational Adult-Use Legislation on Medical Marijuana Providers

Get Started Now: Crafting a Successful Cannabis Business Plan

Veterans & Cannabis in the Broader NYS Landscape

Get Started Now: Developing Brand & Marketing Foundations for Your Cannabis Business

Understanding Legacy Market Transition and Impact

NY Cannabis Insider has curated top New York State cannabis experts to speak on this topics, providing attendees with the insider information that only NY Cannabis Insider can provide. Our roster of panelists includes:

Ngiste Abebe , VP of Public Policy at Columbia Care and President of the NY Medical Cannabis Industry Association

, VP of Public Policy at Columbia Care and President of the NY Medical Cannabis Industry Association Wei Hu , Attorney and Founder of MRTA Law

, Attorney and Founder of MRTA Law Charles Johnson , Attorney and Co-Founder of LeafSpotZ

, Attorney and Co-Founder of LeafSpotZ Erica Edwards , Founder and Accountant at The Number Grinder

, Founder and Accountant at The Number Grinder Paula Collins, Founder and Attorney at Law Office of Paula Collins

Founder and Attorney at Law Office of Paula Collins Meaghan Feenan , Attorney, Cannabis Industry Team Member at Harris Beach

, Attorney, Cannabis Industry Team Member at Harris Beach Allison Kirchhofer , Owner and CFO of Accounting by Design

, Owner and CFO of Accounting by Design Tiffany Yarde , Co-Founder of SHOKi Bev

, Co-Founder of SHOKi Bev Brittany Carbone , Conditional Cultivator Licensee and Founder of Tonic

, Conditional Cultivator Licensee and Founder of Tonic Gareth Charter , VP of Sales at MassLive

, VP of Sales at MassLive Joshua Alb , founder of Cannademix.

, founder of Cannademix. Jonathan Purow , Attorney at Zuber Lawler and host of the Cannabis Last Week podcast

, Attorney at Zuber Lawler and host of the Cannabis Last Week podcast Sarah Stenuf , Founder and CEO of Ananda Farms and Veteran's Ananda

, Founder and CEO of Ananda Farms and Veteran's Ananda Lee Buttolph , Veteran and COO of Tap Root Fields

, Veteran and COO of Tap Root Fields Jeremy Jimenez , CEO and co-founder Honest Pharm

, CEO and co-founder Honest Pharm Katie Neer , General Counsel at Lantern

, General Counsel at Lantern Geoffrey Brown, Dispensary Pharmacist and Editor-in-Chief of CannaBuff magazine

Dispensary Pharmacist and Editor-in-Chief of CannaBuff magazine Timothy Mitchell , Patient advocate

, Patient advocate Cecilia Oyediran, Attorney at Foley Hoag

The conference will also include a vendor fair, featuring service partners designed to help cannabis entrepreneurs find reliable business partners to build out their business team. Some of our vendors include Cannaspire, Cova, Reagan Companies and Cannabis360. Vendor space is still available. Please reach out to Lindsay Marlenga (lmarlenga@advancemediany.com) for more information.

Tickets for the all-day, in-person conference are $225 and include admission, a drink and appetizers during the happy hour and networking session. Complimentary headshots will also be provided throughout the day and are included in the ticket price. To purchase your ticket, visit https://www.cannabisinsiderevents.com/NYCImay2022. Limited space is available.

NY Cannabis Insider would not be possible without our sponsors. Thank you to Foley Hoag (presenting sponsor), Harris Beach, Cannabis360 and Beak & Skiff for their support.

NY Cannabis Insider's mission is to provide credible, reliable, and timely industry information to the state's cannabis industry. To further drive this mission, NY Cannabis Insider recently launched a paid subscription - providing comprehensive industry information for subscribers. Subscriptions are available here.

SOURCE: NY Cannabis Insider Live Conference

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700759/NY-Cannabis-Insider-In-Person-Professional-Conference-May-20th-in-Albany
TYSONS CORNER, VA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Sheeva.AI, the global technology platform enabling personalized in-vehicle commerce and payments, announced today the addition of Surendra Goel as its new Chief Operating Officer. Goel will work with the entire senior leadership team to manage the company's accelerating growth and ensure continued efficiency and advancement of its technology and footprint in the connected vehicle space.

Goel is a serial entrepreneur and was co-founder, CTO, and Chairman of Urgently, a leading Smart Mobility Assistance Platform providing services to global auto manufacturers, insurance carriers, and other big brands. Goel comes to Sheeva with decades of experience as an executive. He has vast knowledge of the entire process of applying technology to create solutions, scaling businesses to achieve success, and developing winning teams.

"I have been so impressed with the Sheeva.AI team's commitment to their technology and the challenges it solves that will make connected vehicle features much more beneficial and easier to use for the driver," said Goel. "This type of technology will be in vehicles in the near future, and it is such an exciting opportunity to join one of the companies poised to be the innovator in the space."

"Surendra is a proven leader in steering technology companies to greater success, and I am excited about our shared vision for the future of Sheeva.AI," said Evgeny Klochikhin, Sheeva.AI's Founder and CEO. "We have seen tremendous growth this year alone, and Surendra's addition will help us continue as we scale to provide the next generation of connected vehicle services for drivers around the world."

The addition of Goel as COO comes on the heels of the company announcing the hiring of his co-founding colleague at Urgently, Lokesh Kumar, as Chief Technology Officer, as well as the announcement of Adam Rouls as Chief Revenue Officer. With a pilot program recently kicked off in Chicago, as well as several other projects with major partners, Sheeva.AI is making major moves to advance its technology using precise location to provide intuitive solutions with seamless contactless payments for fueling, charging, parking, curbside pickup, drive-thru, tolling, and more.

About Sheeva.AI

Sheeva.AI provides a flexible, low-cost platform that uses precise (< 2-meter accuracy) geolocation of connected vehicles - even in deep urban canyons - to enable contactless, automatic payments in the cloud.

Sheeva.AI's platform integrates via open APIs to enable payments and automation for services like fuel, charging, toll payment, parking, curbside pick-up, and more. Unlike most Vehicle Location-Based Services (VLBS) systems, Sheeva.AI provides a low-cost and highly flexible way to enable vehicle-based payments and services extensible to existing mobile apps, in-vehicle apps, and location-based services without the need for new architecture or expensive hardware deployments. (www.Sheeva.AI)

Contact: Randy Brown

Phone: 215-500-2938

Email: rbrown@sheeva.ai

SOURCE: Sheeva.AI

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700769/SheevaAI-Announces-Surendra-Goel-as-New-Chief-Operating-Officer
Company's entrance into new talent region serves as part of continued global expansion strategy

SoftServe, a leading digital authority and consulting company, has opened a new delivery office in Bucharest, Romania as part of its strategy to extend global delivery capabilities. Following the recent opening of delivery centers in Latin America, SoftServe now has 31 delivery center locations globally across key IT sectors. The new office will offer customers key services ranging from product, applications, and systems engineering to cloud migration and development.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006067/en/

SoftServe Opens Delivery Center in Bucharest, Romania (Graphic: Business Wire)

SoftServe, which employs over 13,000 associates globally, has been operating in Eastern Europe since 2014. Statistically, Romania's IT market is currently among the fastest growing in the region, accommodating over 115,000 IT professionals, making it a strategic next step as the company continues to expand.

"This has been an important project in the works for over half a year, and we are elated to be opening this new office in Romania, one of the top countries for software engineering," said Volodymyr Semenyshyn, President, EMEA. "We are intentional in our local community investments, and we look forward to establishing new synergies with the Romanian IT industry."

Romania, a hub for technology investment and outsourcing, holds a highly skilled and diversified workforce, spotlighting competitive prices and a stimulating business environment for new and experienced talent.

"Romania's IT sector has seen significant and sustained growth over the past decade, and it was a logical next move for us to continue bringing top-tier service to our customers. Our new office will allow us to continue supporting the professional growth of our team members, and collectively go the extra mile to contribute to our clients' success," said Dan Adrian Paraschiv, SoftServe Romania Country Manager. "We are looking forward to sculpting an inclusive and solid engineering culture in this office."

The company will bring its best practices to new members in Romania, providing attractive benefits and offering associates competitive learning solutions powered by SoftServe University to foster their personal and professional development. The company will also engage employees in social responsibility initiatives, including Open Eyes charity activities and Open/Tech pro bono technology projects.

Please check here for job opportunities in Bucharest.

About SoftServe

Employing more than 13,000 associates in 41 centers, offices, and client locations globally, SoftServe has a proven track record in healthcare and life sciences, financial services, retail, high tech (ISVs), and energy, oil, and gas industries. The company offers deep expertise across software engineering, cloud and DevOps, big data and analytics, AI and machine learning, the Internet of Things, experience design, cybersecurity, experience platforms, extended reality (XR), robotics, and innovation platforms.

SoftServe delivers open innovation-from generating compelling new ideas, to developing and implementing transformational products and services. Our work and client experience are built on a foundation of empathetic, human-focused experience design that ensures continuity from concept to release. We empower enterprises and software companies to (re)identify differentiation, accelerate solution development, and vigorously compete in today's digital economy. No matter where you are in your journey.

Visit our website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006067/en/

Contacts:

SoftServe Media Contact

Andrew Kavka

Analyst and Public Relations Lead

akavk@softserveinc.com
Temple Bar Investment Trust Plc - Result of AGM

TEMPLE BAR INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

Result of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of Temple Bar Investment Trust Plc was held on Tuesday, 10 May 2022.

All resolutions as set out in the Notice of Meeting dated 24 March 2022 were passed.

The poll results on each resolution were as follows:

Resolutions Votes For % Votes Against % Total Votes Cast Votes Withheld ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS: 1. To approve the Company's Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 (together with the reports of the Directors and Auditor thereon) 20,101,344 99.40 120,375 0.60 20,221,719 37,787 2. To approve the report on Directors' remuneration for the year ended 31 December 2021 20,048,040 99.38 125,114 0.62 20,173,154 86,352 3. To elect Mr Charles Cade as a Director of the Company 20,161,339 99.77 46,584 0.23 20,207,923 51,583 4. To re-elect Mr Arthur Copple as a Director of the Company 19,028,801 94.15 1,181,797 5.85 20,210,598 48,908 5. To re-elect Dr Lesley Sherratt as a Director of the Company 20,141,526 99.66 68,745 0.34 20,210,271 49,235 6. To re-elect Mr Richard Wyatt as a Director of the Company 20,136,061 99.63 74,537 0.37 20,210,598 48,908 7. To re-elect Dr Shefaly Yogendra as a Director of the Company 20,145,910 99.68 64,688 0.32 20,210,598 48,908 8. To re-appoint BDO LLP as the Auditor to the Company, to hold office from the conclusion of this meeting until the conclusion of the next meeting at which financial statements are laid before the Company 20,129,682 99.61 79,468 0.39 20,209,150 50,356 9. To authorise the Audit and Risk Committee to determine the remuneration of the Auditor 20,153,901 99.76 47,915 0.24 20,201,816 57,690 10. To authorise that each of the ordinary shares of 25 pence each in the capital of the Company be subdivided into 5 ordinary shares of 5 pence each 20,111,046 99.52 96,206 0.48 20,207,252 52,254 11. To authorise the Directors generally to allot ordinary shares 20,157,070 99.73 55,424 0.27 20,212,494 47,012 SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS: 12. To authorise the Directors to allot shares for cash pursuant to sections 570 and 573 of the Companies Act 2006 otherwise than in accordance with statutory pre-emption rights 20,102,359 99.51 98,357 0.49 20,200,716 58,790 13. To authorise the Directors to make market purchases of the Company's own shares 20,135,656 99.63 74,210 0.37 20,209,866 49,640 14. To approve that a general meeting, other than an annual general meeting, may be called on not less than 14 clear days' notice 20,019,116 99.04 193,295 0.96 20,212,411 47,095

The number of shares in issue at close of business on 9 May 2022 was 66,872,765 and 1,181,105 Ordinary Shares are held in treasury. The total number of voting rights in the Company is therefore 65,691,660. Up to 30.78% of voting capital was instructed.

A copy of the full text of resolutions 10 to 14 will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

10 May 2022

LEI: 213800O8EAP4SG5JD323
Analyze, monitor, and predict operational performance across batch, continuous, and grade processes

Break down time-series and contextual data silos by making advanced analytics available to anyone in the organization

Available for deployment on AWS's infrastructure and offers the perfect complement to AWS industrial data and machine learning solutions

HOUSTON, TX, HASSELT, BELGIUM, and DARMSTADT, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Software AG is pleased to announce that its award-winning industrial analytics software solution, TrendMiner, is now available on the AWS marketplace.

TrendMiner, an industrial internet of things (IIoT) solution for the manufacturing process industry, empowers engineers to make data-driven decisions without the need for a data scientist. Companies looking to increase their analytics maturity level as they continue their digitalization journeys find the solution offers additional value to an ever-changing digital landscape.

"With AWS and TrendMiner, customers can really make data-driven decisions at a global scale," said Rob Azevedo, Product Manager at Software AG. "AWS already has a strong IoT solution with SiteWise. Industrial companies will absolutely love the way TrendMiner helps them organize data streams from multiple production lines and across facilities in multiple locations. TrendMiner enables process experts to get a full view of their operation and provides data to everyone in the organization, whether they are on the factory floor or not."

The software offers descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics capabilities for time-series and contextual data from other third-party systems. It features a Google-like search, pattern recognition for establishing "golden batches" and batch anomalies, a model-free predictive environment, and a Next Generation trend client.

The latest version available on AWS, 2021.R3, extends the reach of Python notebook integration for the toughest diagnostic analytics challenges and machine learning capabilities for applying prescriptive analytics. TrendMiner integrates seamlessly with SiteWise and AWS Timestream so end-users can explore and analyze data. Flexible subscriptions offer scalable options as companies work through their digitalization journeys.

About TrendMiner

TrendMiner, of Software AG, delivers advanced analytics software to optimize process performance in industries such as chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, food & beverages, metals & mining, water & wastewater, and other process manufacturing industries. TrendMiner unlocks the full advantage of their IIoT infrastructure, regardless of vendor, and taps into the available human intelligence for making data-driven decisions.

Media Contact

Dawn Fontaine

Ripple Effect Communications

dawn@rippleeffectpr.com

+1-617-536-8887

SOURCE: TrendMiner

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700777/Amazon-Web-Services-Lists-Software-AGs-TrendMiner-as-a-Subscription-Service-on-its-Marketplace
Greece and the United Arab Emirates signed new cooperation agreements this week, including deals focused on renewable energy. The Greek government also introduced a new draft law for energy storage and floating solar, as well as new licensing regime, while signalling plans for new renewable power auctions.Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the crown prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi signed a number of new cooperation agreements this week covering a range of economic sectors, showcasing their strong political and trade relationship. The two leaders agreed to set up a new 4 billion ($4.2 ...

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.
Caregivers to Experience the Relaxing and Therapeutic Benefits from Float Therapy in Celebration of Month of the Military Caregiver

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / To celebrate the Month of the Military Caregiver this May, True REST Float Spa is partnering with Yellow Ribbon Fund, a national veteran service organization for wounded, ill and injured post-9/11 service members, caregivers and families. True REST Float Spa will provide complimentary 60-minute float therapy sessions to its military caregivers. The world's largest float brand recognizes the tremendous efforts made by military caregivers who have sacrificed so much to support their loved ones. Yellow Ribbon Fund's military caregivers can float at any of the True REST Float Spa 39 open locations until the end of May.

As an organization prioritizing health and wellness, True REST Float Spa is taking a moment to offer support to an often-underrepresented group of individuals who go above and beyond to care for wounded or injured military members. Recognizing the mental and physical toll caregiving has on military families and their caregivers, flotation therapy from True REST Float Spa is the perfect opportunity to experience its unique holistic benefits focusing on total body relaxation and self-care.

"When you're a military caregiver, the primary focus isn't on yourself, but the loved one in your care. To celebrate and honor them for what they do every day, True REST Float Spa is proud to partner with Yellow Ribbon Fund to gift their military caregivers an experience unlike any other. We hope to encourage them to focus on themselves, destress and rejuvenate at one of our spas," said Mandy Rowe, president of True REST Float Spa.

As a veteran of the U.S. Marines and an individual who received support from Yellow Ribbon Fund as a caregiver, Tanya Lanas understands the first-hand challenges and emotions faced by the veteran and caregiver communities. Initially working with the nonprofit organization as its Keystone Program Manager and Coordinator in Central Florida, Tanya is now responsible for the strategic planning, community and educational events, communication with caregivers and day-to-day operations of all nine Keystone chapters across the country. To relax and address her post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tanya regularly floats for mental calmness, better sleep and to reduce symptoms of anxiety and chronic tension headaches. Because of her first-hand experience with floating, she's excited to connect military caregivers with float therapy to discover its all-natural healing benefits.

Lanas commented, "As a veteran with PTSD and OCD, float therapy has been a game-changer. I'm able to fall asleep and stay asleep much easier, and there's a definite reduction in my anxiety symptoms in the days following each float. When I float, I'm able to enter a state of relaxation and mental calmness that I cannot otherwise achieve."

Tanya Lanas, Keystone Program Manager at Yellow Ribbon Fund, uses float therapy to experience relaxation.

As an alternative method of well-being, float therapy is the practice of floating in a float pod filled with a skin-temperature solution made up of 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts mixed with 180 gallons of water. When guests float in a pod during a 60-minute session, they experience a sensory-free and zero-gravity environment, eliminating external distractions so the brain can fully rest; the body is also alleviated of stress, specifically on the muscles and joints. Floating has been an alternative therapy of choice for several decades and is scientifically proven to decrease symptoms of mental and physical health conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD, insomnia and more.

The partnership between True REST Float Spa and Yellow Ribbon Fund to provide holistic therapy to military caregivers continues both organizations' commitment to recognizing floating as a beneficial and complementary therapy. True REST Float Spa and Yellow Ribbon Fund also work in tandem to conduct flotation therapy research regarding its positive impact on PTSD, specifically within the active-duty military and veterans' communities.

Alongside Yellow Ribbon Fund's mission to fulfill an important role in military family members' lives, True REST Float Spa honors military members on the 11th day of each month, designated as U.S. Military Appreciation Day, where veterans and active-duty military are invited to float free. True REST Float Spa also shuts down its spas on Veterans Day annually to offer free floats. To date, True REST Float Spa has donated more than 18,000 free 60-minute float sessions to the men and women of the U.S. military. Additionally, True REST Float Spa offers a 10% discount on initial franchising fees for military members and veterans to uplift them as entrepreneurs and provide an opportunity to pursue their passion as small business owners.

True REST Float Spa's franchising journey began in 2010 after discovering its benefits from a veteran who floated to alleviate pain and the ramifications of substance misuse. Since then, the company has branched out to offer float therapy to communities across the country. True REST Float Spa's mission is to spread the word about floating to help more individuals, relying on its values of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

For more information about True REST Float Spa, visit truerest.com/about-us/. To learn more about flotation therapy and its benefits, visit truerest.com/float-therapy/. Additional details about Yellow Ribbon Fund, its mission and how it provides support to military caregivers are available at yellowribbonfund.org/story/.

About True REST Float Spa???

True REST Float Spa is the world's largest float spa brand. In 2021 True REST ranked No. 139 in Entrepreneur's Top 500. With over 85+ awarded locations, including 39 open locations and another 15 under construction, it is on its way to servicing 1 million floats. True REST Float Spa has created a luxury float spa experience in 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. Members float effortlessly in their float suite. Each location?is dedicated to providing?pain relief, relaxation and better sleep through a 60-minute float session. True REST Float Spa offers monthly memberships,?programs?and packages. For more information, go to truerest.com/about-us/. Or visit Facebook:?https://www.facebook.com/TrueREST, Twitter:? https://twitter.com/truerest ?or Instagram:?https://www.instagram.com/truerest. For franchising opportunities, go to?www.TrueRESTfranchising.com.???

About Yellow Ribbon Fund:

Yellow Ribbon Fund is a national nonprofit veteran service organization dedicated to serving severely ill and injured post-9/11 wounded service members and their families from every branch of the United States military following unexpected medical crises. With the help of donors, Yellow Ribbon Fund's Crossroads and Keystone programs enable them to have a significant impact on helping service members and their families navigate their life-long recovery journey. The Crossroads Program provides families with hotel stays for acute stays at Walter Reed National Medical Center. Fully furnished apartments local to the hospital for long-term stays and car rentals for families to have full access to transportation without restriction. The Keystone Program steps in and takes care of the family unit that experiences the long-term effects of injury and recovery. The Yellow Ribbon Fund's top priority is to keep families together during the recovery process. They accomplish this by providing housing and transportation along with caregiver support when and where it's needed. For more information on the Yellow Ribbon Fund, go to YellowRibbonFund.org or call 240-223-1180 or email at email@YellowRibbonFund.org.

Media Contact:???

Jo?Trizila, TrizCom PR on behalf of?True REST Float Spa?

Email:?Jo@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369?

Cell/Text: 214-232-0078

Noel Hampton, TrizCom PR on behalf of True REST Float Spa

Email: Noel@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369

Cell/Text: 940-230-9316

Amanda Hirschfeld, TrizCom PR on behalf of Yellow Ribbon Fund

Email: Amanda@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369

Cell/Text: 325-716-0104

SOURCE: TrizCom Public Relations

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700780/True-REST-Float-Spa-Gives-Military-Caregivers-60-Minute-Float-Therapy-Sessions-to-Honor-Their-Sacrifices
Regulatory News:

Latecoere (Paris:LAT), a "Tier 1" international partner of the world's major aircraft manufacturers, announces the upcoming arrival of Vincent Monziols as the new General Manager of the Interconnection Systems branch. He will succeed Thierry Mootz, who became Chief Executive Officer of Latecoere on August 2, 2021.

"We are very pleased to welcome Vincent Monziols as head of the Interconnection Systems Division and member of the Executive Committee. With nearly 15 years' experience within the industry and in various management positions, he will be able to bring his know-how and sector knowledge to the division and support it in all the challenges ahead. He will support Latecoere in its external growth strategy, having made strategic acquisitions for Saint-Gobain throughout his career," said Thierry Mootz, CEO of Latecoere.

An engineer by training, he graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique (1996) with a degree in mathematics and molecular biology, and also from AgroParisTech. He then joined Sciences Po Paris for a postgraduate degree in finance. He began his career at Ventech and then Proteus before joining Saint-Gobain in 2005. He became CEO of Engineered Components in 2016, 430M in sales, 25 manufacturing sites with 3,000 employees worldwide, 4 Business Units manufacturing high value-added components for various industries including automotive, aerospace, life sciences, energy.

________________________________________________________

About Latecoere

As a "Tier 1" international partner of the world's major aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault and Embraer), Latecoere serves aerospace with innovative solutions for a sustainable world. The Group is active in all segments of the aeronautics industry (commercial, regional, business and military aircraft), in two areas of activity:

Aerostructures (46% of turnover): fuselage sections and doors,

Interconnection Systems (54% of turnover): wiring, electrical furniture and on-board equipment.

As of December 31, 2021, the Group employed 4,764 people in 14 different countries. Latecoere, a French limited company capitalised at 133,912,589.25 divided into 535,650,357 shares with a par value of 0.25, is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment B, ISIN Codes: FR0000032278 Reuters: LAEP.PA Bloomberg: LAT.FP.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006100/en/

Contacts:

Taddeo

Antoine Denry Investor Relations

+33 (0)6 18 07 83 27

Marie Gesquiere Media Relations

+33 (0)6 26 48 97 98

teamlatecoere@taddeo.fr
10 May 2022

Capita plc

Announcement of AGM Results

At the Annual General Meeting of Capita plc held on 10 May 2022 at One Silk Street, London EC2V 7NQ, all the resolutions set out in the Notice of Meeting were approved by the shareholders which were voted by way of a poll. The Board would like to thank all shareholders who participated in the AGM. The results of the poll for each resolution are provided in the table below.

Resolution 11: Re-election of Lyndsay Browne as a Director

The Board notes, and is disappointed, that Resolution 11 received less than 80% of the votes cast in favour.

The Board is proud to have been the first FTSE250 Company since the late 1980s to have appointed Employee Directors. Lyndsay has been an Employee Director since July 2019, and the Board has valued her contribution. Lyndsay is a member of the Remuneration Committee and as an Employee Director is not considered independent. However, the Board continues to believe in the importance of bringing the contributions of its Employee Directors into Committee meetings and considers that the value of the employee perspective brought by Lyndsay is of considerable value to this Committee.

However, the Board notes the concerns of certain shareholders that Lyndsay as a non-independent director is a member of the Remuneration Committee. The Board will consult with shareholders on this matter to further understand and address their concerns.

A further statement detailing the outcome of the Company's discussion with its shareholders, including any actions taken as a result, will be published by the Company by no later than 10 November 2022 in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code 2018.

Resolution 2: 2021 Directors' Remuneration Report

Resolution 2 to approve the Directors' Remuneration Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 was approved by c.98% of votes cast.

However, following discussions between the Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a number of Capita's major shareholders, the Board confirms that it is the Company's intention to repay the furlough related income of c.5m received in 2021 under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The repayment will be made at the end of the Company's publicly stated disposal programme and no later than the end of H1 2023.

RESOLUTION VOTES

FOR % VOTES

AGAINST % VOTES

TOTAL % OF

ISC VOTED VOTES

WITHHELD 1 To approve the Report & Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 1,174,139,956 99.98 225,565 0.02 1,174,365,521 69.73% 1,670,882 2 To approve the Directors' Remuneration Report 1,148,723,621 98.01 23,356,565 1.99 1,172,080,186 69.59% 3,956,217 3 To re-elect Jonathan Lewis as a Director 1,140,623,934 97.09 34,233,861 2.91 1,174,857,795 69.75% 1,178,613 4 To elect Tim Weller as a Director 1,100,753,777 93.64 74,709,377 6.36 1,175,463,154 69.79% 573,249 5 To re-elect David Lowden as a Director 1,165,589,473 99.21 9,315,979 0.79 1,174,905,452 69.76% 1,130,951 6 To re-elect Matthew Lester as a Director. 1,174,991,853 99.96 476,704 0.04 1,175,468,557 69.79% 567,846 7 To re-elect Georgina Harvey as a Director 1,169,215,689 99.47 6,255,348 0.53 1,175,471,037 69.79% 565,371 8 To re-elect John Cresswell as a Director 1,174,369,496 99.91 1,107,783 0.09 1,175,477,279 69.79% 559,124 9 To elect Nneka Abulokwe as a Director 1,141,920,592 97.14 33,566,157 2.86 1,175,486,749 69.79% 549,659 10 To re-elect Neelam Dhawan as a Director 1,172,771,385 99.79 2,455,663 0.21 1,175,227,048 69.78% 809,355 11 To re-elect Lyndsay Browne as a Director 889,140,039 75.64 286,315,530 24.36 1,175,455,569 69.79% 580,834 12 To re-elect Joseph Murphy as a Director 1,153,839,991 98.16 21,626,448 1.84 1,175,466,439 69.79% 569,964 13 To re-appoint KPMG as Auditor of the Company 1,153,818,670 98.16 21,634,550 1.84 1,175,453,220 69.79% 583,188 14 To authorise the Audit & Risk Committee to fix the Auditor's remuneration. 1,064,239,707 90.57 110,863,994 9.43 1,175,103,701 69.77% 932,702 15 To authorise the Directors to allot shares 1,169,583,776 99.50 5,870,081 0.50 1,175,453,857 69.79% 582,546 16 To authorise the Company to dis-apply statutory pre-emption rights 1,141,807,298 97.14 33,657,075 2.86 1,175,464,373 69.79% 572,030 17 To approve the calling of a general meeting other than an annual general meeting on not less than 14 clear days' notice. 1,170,518,868 99.58 4,947,459 0.42 1,175,466,327 69.79% 570,076 18 To authorise market purchase of shares 1,175,016,279 99.97 410,660 0.03 1,175,426,939 69.79% 609,464

Please note a 'vote withheld' is not a vote under English law and is therefore not included in the calculation of votes 'for' and 'against' a resolution.

Capita plc further announces that, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 9.6.2 of the Listing Rules, copies of resolutions other than those concerning ordinary business passed at the Annual General Meeting, have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism, and can be viewed at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

Enquiries:Claire Denton, Chief General Counsel and Company Secretary, Telephone number: +44 (0) 20 7799 1525
Regulatory News:

GeNeuro (Euronext Paris: CH0308403085 GNRO) (Paris:GNRO), a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the severe neuropsychiatric consequences of COVID-19 (post-COVID), informs its shareholders that the 2022 Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday May 31, 2022 at 9.30am at its head office, 3, chemin du Pre-Fleuri, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland.

Based on article 27 of Ordinance 3 on Measures to combat the Coronavirus of 19 June 2020 (COVID-19 Ordinance 3, status as of May 2, 2022), the Board of Directors has decided that shareholders of the Company may exercise their rights at this Ordinary General Meeting exclusively through the Independent Proxy. The conduct of the Ordinary General Meeting remains subject to additional measures that may be issued by the Swiss authorities.

The notice for the meeting, including the agenda of the day as well as the motions put to the vote, has been published today in the Feuille Officielle Suisse du Commerce.

The documents and preliminary information concerning this meeting are being made available to the shareholders and can be consulted on the website of the Company: www.geneuro.com, under the section Investors Documentation Shareholders meeting.

It is also possible to consult the documents at the Company's headquarters, chemin du Pre-Fleuri 3, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates. Each shareholder has the right to request a hard copy of those documents.

About GeNeuro

GeNeuro's mission is to develop safe and effective treatments against neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, by neutralizing causal factors encoded by HERVs, which represent 8% of human DNA.

GeNeuro is based in Geneva, Switzerland and has R&D facilities in Lyon, France. It has rights to 17 patent families protecting its technology.

For more information, visit: www.geneuro.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006008/en/

Contacts:

GeNeuro

Jesus Martin-Garcia

Chairman and CEO

+41 22 552 48 00

investors@geneuro.com

NewCap (France)

Louis-Victor Delouvrier

Mathilde Bohin (investors)

+33 1 44 71 98 52



Arthur Rouille (media)

+33 1 44 71 00 15

geneuro@newcap.eu
Regulatory News:

MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT the "Company"), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of microbiome-based ecosystem therapies dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer announced today the resignation of Mrs. Martine George from her position as member of the Board of Directors for personal reasons, with effect from June 1st, 2022. Her mandate will therefore not be renewed at the Annual General Meeting scheduled on May 31st, 2022.

The Board of Directors of the Company would like to thank Mrs. George for her contribution to the Board throughout her time in office. Starting June 1st, 2022, the Board of Directors will be composed of 6 members, including 3 independent members, and will be looking to fill the open position with a member that meets the development needs of MaaT Pharma.

About MaaT Pharma

MaaT Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has established a complete approach to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. Committed to treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MaaT Pharma has launched, in March 2022, a Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with acute GvHD, following the achievement of its proof of concept in a Phase 2 trial. Its powerful discovery and analysis platform, gutPrint, supports the development and expansion of its pipeline by determining novel disease targets, evaluating drug candidates, and identifying biomarkers for microbiome-related conditions. The company's Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies are produced through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process to safely deliver the full diversity of the microbiome, in liquid and oral formulations. MaaT Pharma benefits from the commitment of world-leading scientists and established relationships with regulators to support the integration of the use of microbiome therapies in clinical practice.

MaaT Pharma is the first company developing microbiome-based therapies listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MAAT).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006158/en/

Contacts:

MaaT Pharma Investor Relations

Herve AFFAGARD

Co-Founder and CEO

Sian Crouzet, COO/ CFO

+33 4 28 29 14 00

invest@maat-pharma.com

MaaT Pharma Media Relations

Pauline RICHAUD

Senior PR Corporate Communications Manager

+33 6 07 55 25 36

prichaud@maat-pharma.com

Trophic Communications Corporate and Medical Communications

Jacob VERGHESE or Gretchen SCHWEITZER

+49 89 2070 89831

maat@trophic.eu
Royal DSM is a global, purpose-led company in Health, Nutrition & Bioscience, applying science to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM's products and solutions address some of the world's biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com.

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.
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Zion Market Research study, The global Portable Medical Devices Market was worth around USD 47.73 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 77.01 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.30 percent over the forecast period. The report analyzes the digital remittance market's drivers, restraints/challenges, and the effect they have on the demands during the projection period. In addition, the report explores emerging opportunities in the digital remittance market.

Key Industry Insights & Finding of the Portable Medical Devices Market Reports:

As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the Portable Medical Devices Market is expected to grow annually at a CAGR of around 8.30% (2022-2028).

(2022-2028). Through the primary research, it was established that the Portable Medical Devices Market was valued approximately USD 47.73 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly USD 77.01 Billion by 2028.

Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach to roughly Billion by 2028. North America is expected to have the largest share of the global portable medical devices market.

is expected to have the largest share of the global portable medical devices market. North American mobile medical device industry. Additionally, favorable government initiatives and developments in advanced medical equipment reimbursement rules will boost the portable medical equipment market ahead.

Zion Market Research published the latest report titled as"Portable Medical Devices Market By Product(CT scans, neonatal monitoring, diagnostic imaging X-rays, endoscopes, insulin pumps etc), By Application (medical therapeutics, diagnosis health, fitness & wellness, monitoring, etc), By End-Use (Hospitals, Homecare, Ambulance Surgery Centres & Others) and By Geography - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data and Forecasts 2022 - 2028." into their research database.

Portable Medical Devices Market: Overview

Wireless networking and thin product design are no longer limited to smartphones and music players. Still, they are also reshaping the healthcare industry, thanks to the ever-changing environment of portable gadgets. Researchers are developing new devices such as portable ultrasound equipment to simplify and improve patient care. Preference for less intrusive medical technology and portability has shifted focus to insulin pumps, oxygen concentrators, and other portable medical equipment, which are reshaping the mobile medical device market.

The portable medical devices market is predicted to grow fast in the following years due to increased demand for mobile medical devices and wearable electronics, an increase in the senior population, and technological improvements.

Get a Free Sample Report with All Related Graphs & Charts (with COVID 19 Impact Analysis): https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/portable-medical-devices-market

Our Free Sample Report Includes:

2022 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis

COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included

142 + Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research)

Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Request

2022 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends

Includes Updated List of tables & figures

Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis

Zion Market Research methodology

Industry Dynamics:

Portable Medical Devices Market: Growth Dynamics

Drivers: Rise in health and fitness education, accompanied by the introduction of new technology.

Advanced analytics and predictive modelling applications enable healthcare organizations to treat each patient individually to achieve the best possible outcomes. Analytics have increasingly been used to personalize cancer and other disease treatments. In this regard, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) announced a five-year initiative to sequence the genomes of large group of people. A new company called Genomics England Limited was formed to carry out this project, and a huge amount has been set aside for it. This project's findings will be applied to the treatment and research of cancer and other rare diseases.

Restraints: Inaccurate results and fluctuations in data.

Memory problems, erroneous results, and data variations are varied restrictions that can impact the growth of the portable medical devices industry.

Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/portable-medical-devices-market

Global Portable Medical Devices Market: Segmentation

The global Portable Medical Devices market is segregated based on product, application, end-use, and geography.

Based on product type, The global portable medical devices market has been segmented by CT scans, neonatal monitoring, diagnostic imaging X-rays, endoscopes, insulin pumps, image-guided therapy systems, nebulizers, ultrasound, smart wearable medical devices, stress monitoring devices, oxygen concentrators, and cardiac monitoring. During the forecast period, the smart wearable medical device category is expected to grow the fastest.

By application, the Global Portable Medical Devices Market is divided into medical treatments, diagnostic and health, fitness and wellness, monitoring, and others. The monitoring sector accounted for the most significant market value share due to the increasing adoption rate of monitoring equipment such as cardiac and neuromonitoring devices, vital sign monitoring, and foetal and neonatal monitoring. Furthermore, major improvements in smaller advanced platforms, as well as subsequent product approvals, are propelling market expansion.

By end-use, homecare is likely to grow greatly in the forecast time based on end-use. Because of their low cost and safety, home care products are becoming increasingly popular. Also, because of escalating hospital expenditures and the cost-effectiveness of home care goods, home care is an excellent choice for many people.

Get More Insight before Buying at: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/portable-medical-devices-market

List of Key Players of Portable Medical Devices Market:

Samsung Group

General Electric Company

Koninklijke Philips N.V

VYAIRE

Nox Medical

OMRON Corporation

Medtronic Plc

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Key questions answered in this report:

What are the growth rate forecast and market size for Portable Medical Devices Market?

What are the key driving factors propelling the Portable Medical Devices Market forward?

What are the most important companies in the Portable Medical Devices Market Industry?

What segments does the Portable Medical Devices Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Portable Medical Devices Market sample report and company profiles?

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 47.73 Billion Revenue forecast in 2028 USD 77.01 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 8.30 % 2022-2028 Base Year 2020 Historic Years 2016 - 2021 Forecast Years 2022 - 2028 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application, and By End Use Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2028 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa, and Rest of World Countries Covered U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others Companies Covered Samsung Group, General Electric Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V, VYAIRE, Nox Medical, OMRON Corporation, Medtronic Plc, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Report Coverage Market growth drivers, restraints, opportunities, Porter's five forces analysis, PEST analysis, value chain analysis, regulatory landscape, market attractiveness analysis by segments and region, company market share analysis, and COVID-19 impact analysis. Customization Scope Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs. https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/785

Free Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/portable-medical-devices-market

Regional Dominance:

North America is expected to have the largest share of the global portable medical devices market.

In 2021, North America is expected to have the largest share of the global portable medical devices market. This could be because the healthcare business spends a lot of money on research and development. This element will aid the growth of the North American mobile medical device industry. Additionally, favorable government initiatives and developments in advanced medical equipment reimbursement rules will boost the portable medical equipment market ahead.

Global Portable Medical Devices Market is segmented as follows:

Portable Medical Devices Market: By Product Outlook (2022-2028)

CT Scan

Neonatal Monitoring

Diagnostic Imaging X-Ray

Endoscopes

Insulin Pumps

Image-Guided Therapy Systems

Nebulizer

Ultrasound

Smart Wearable Medical Device

Stress Monitoring Devices

Oxygen Concentrator

Cardiac Monitoring

Portable Medical Devices Market: By Application Outlook (2022-2028)

Medical Therapeutics

Diagnosis Health

Fitness & Wellness

Monitoring

Others

Portable Medical Devices Market: By End Users Outlook (2022-2028)

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centres

Homecare

Others

Portable Medical Devices Market: By Region Outlook (2022-2028)

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Europe

France

The UK

Spain

Germany

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Press Release For Portable Medical Devices Market: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/news/global-portable-medical-devices-market

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The global Leadless Pacemaker Systems Market accrued earnings worth approximately 55 (USD Million) in 2021 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 98 (USD Million) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 10.1% over the period from 2022 to 2028. Bone Growth Stimulators Market - Global Industry Analysis : The global bone growth stimulators market was worth around USD 1.21 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about USD 1.85 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2 percent over the forecast period.

The global bone growth stimulators market was worth around in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.2 percent over the forecast period. Women's Health Rehabilitation Products Market - Global Industry Analysis: The global Women's Health Rehabilitation Products Market accrued earnings worth approximately 3.30 (USD Billion) in 2021 and is predicted to gain revenue of about 9.14 (USD Billion) by 2028, is set to record a CAGR of nearly 5.1% over the period from 2022 to 2028.

Browse through Zion Market Research's coverage of the Global Medical Device Industry

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Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the client's needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to us-after all-if you do well, a little of the light shines on us.

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HEERLEN, Netherlands, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal DSM, a global purpose-led science-based company, confirmed its resolution to declare a dividend for the financial year 2021 of 2.50 per ordinary share was passed today, 10 May 2022, at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. This represents an increased dividend versus the 2.40 paid for 2020. An interim dividend of 0.80 per ordinary share having been paid in August 2021, the final dividend thus amounts to 1.70 per ordinary share.

At the discretion of the shareholder, the final dividend will be made available in cash or, under the conditions set out below, in ordinary shares of DSM. The period in which this choice can be made is from 16 May 2022 to 27 May 2022 (3:00pm CET).

To the extent the final dividend is paid out in shares, these shares will be primarily transferred out of the own shares DSM holds in stock. Should the total number of own shares not be sufficient, additional shares will be acquired.

The stock dividend is paid from the tax-exempt share premium reserve and thus free from withholding tax in the Netherlands. Where shareholders have opted to receive their dividend in shares, the corresponding cash value of 1.70 per ordinary share will be deducted from the profit attributable to shareholders and added to the reserves. In order to avoid negative tax consequences for DSM, a maximum of 40% of the total dividend amount is available for stock dividend. If shareholders in total wish to receive in aggregate a distribution in shares which exceeds this maximum percentage of the total dividend, those shareholders who have opted for distribution in the form of shares will receive their stock dividend on a pro rata basis, with the remainder being distributed in cash.

The conversion rate of the stock dividend to that of the cash dividend will be determined on 30 May 2022 based on the Volume Weighted Average Price ('VWAP') of all DSM shares traded on Euronext Amsterdam ('Euronext') over a period of five trading days from 23 May 2022 up to and including 27 May 2022. The value of the stock dividend, based on this VWAP, will - subject to rounding - be equal to the cash dividend. There will be no trading in stock dividend rights.

The ex-dividend date will be 12 May 2022, the record date 13 May 2022 and the dividend will be payable as from 3 June 2022.

Timetable

12 May 2022 : Ex-dividend quotation

: Ex-dividend quotation 13 May 2022 : Record Date

: Record Date 16 - 27 May 2022 ( 3:00pm CET ): Period in which shareholders can indicate their choice

( ): Period in which shareholders can indicate their choice 23 - 27 May 2022 : VWAP determination (based on the period 23 May up to and including 27 May 2022 )

: VWAP determination (based on the period 23 May up to and including ) 30 May 2022 (COB): Announcement of the exchange ratio

(COB): Announcement of the exchange ratio As from 3 June 2022 : Delivery of shares or cash payment

Shareholders are requested to indicate their choice within the defined period, through their bank or broker, to ABN AMRO Bank N.V. ("ABN AMRO"). Shareholders registered in the Company's shareholder register will be separately informed.

Payment of the dividend on the ordinary shares and delivery of ordinary shares, with settlement of fractions in cash, if required, will take place as from 3 June 2022 based on the number of dividend rights delivered.

Paying agent: ABN AMRO Bank N.V., tel: +31 20 38 35 454, email as.exchange.agency@nl.abnamro.com.

DSM

Royal DSM is a global, purpose-led company in Health, Nutrition & Bioscience, applying science to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's purpose is to create brighter lives for all. DSM's products and solutions address some of the world's biggest challenges while simultaneously creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com.

Or find us on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DSMcompany

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DSM

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/3108

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/dsmcompany

For more information

DSM Media Relations Gareth Mead tel. +31 (0) 45 5782420 email media.contacts@dsm.com DSM Investor Relations Dave Huizing tel. +31 (0) 45 5782864 email investor.relations@dsm.com

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements with respect to DSM's future (financial) performance and position. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM and information currently available to the company. DSM cautions readers that such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore it should be understood that many factors can cause actual performance and position to differ materially from these statements. DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release, unless required by law. The English language version of the press release is leading.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/329419/dsm_logo.jpg
Regulatory News:

MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT the "Company"), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of microbiome-based ecosystem therapies dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer announces today, in the context of its combined Annual General Meeting on May 31, 2022, that the documents referred to in article R.22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code will be made available on its website.

The shareholders of MaaT Pharma are invited to participate in the combined Annual General Meeting (the "AGM"), which will decide amongst other things, the financial results for the year ending December 31, 2021. The AGM will be held on:

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 10:00 am CET

At the Company's headquarters

Located at 70 Avenue Tony Garnier 69007 Lyon

The meeting notice, including the agenda, the proposed resolutions and useful information on the conditions for the organization of and participation in the Combined General Meeting, was published in the French official Gazette (BALO) n 49 on April 25th, 2022. The Company hereby informs the shareholders that the agenda and proposed resolutions have changed since such publication of the meeting and invites them to acknowledge the preparatory documents for this AGM made available to the Company's shareholders in accordance with the legal and regulatory conditions and timeframes applicable. The documents covered under Article R.22-10-23 of the French commercial code (Code de commerce) are available on the investors' dedicated section of the Company's website. With written requests to be sent by post to the Company's registered office or by email to legal@maat-pharma.com until the fifth day (inclusive) before the Combined General Meeting on May 31, 2022, i.e. May 26, 2022, all shareholders may ask the Company to send them these documents. For bearer shareholders, they will need to include a certificate of registration in the securities accounts held by an intermediary mentioned in Article L. 211-3 of the French monetary and financial code (Code monetaire et financier)

In the changing context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conditions for holding and taking part in this Combined General Meeting may evolve depending on the health, regulatory and legal requirements in place. Shareholders are invited to regularly consult the dedicated section for the 2022 General Meeting on the Company's website: www.maatpharma.com/investors/GM

About MaaT Pharma

MaaT Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has established a complete approach to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. Committed to treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MaaT Pharma has launched, in March 2022, a Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with acute GvHD, following the achievement of its proof of concept in a Phase 2 trial. Its powerful discovery and analysis platform, gutPrint, supports the development and expansion of its pipeline by determining novel disease targets, evaluating drug candidates, and identifying biomarkers for microbiome-related conditions. The company's Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies are produced through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process to safely deliver the full diversity of the microbiome, in liquid and oral formulations. MaaT Pharma benefits from the commitment of world-leading scientists and established relationships with regulators to support the integration of the use of microbiome therapies in clinical practice.

MaaT Pharma is the first company developing microbiome-based therapies listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MAAT).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006127/en/

Contacts:

MaaT Pharma Investor Relations

Herve AFFAGARD

Co-Founder and CEO

Sian Crouzet, COO/ CFO

+33 4 28 29 14 00

invest@maat-pharma.com

MaaT Pharma Media Relations

Pauline RICHAUD

Senior PR Corporate Communications Manager

+33 6 07 55 25 36

prichaud@maat-pharma.com

Trophic Communications Corporate and Medical Communications

Jacob VERGHESE or Gretchen SCHWEITZER

+49 89 2070 89831

maat@trophic.eu
CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elopak has today welcomed new sites and team members in Casablanca, Morocco and Dammam, Saudi Arabia at the official celebration of its recent acquisition of Naturepak Beverage - the leading gable top fresh liquid carton and packaging systems supplier in the MENA region.

Following the acquisition, Elopak has added local production facilities in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to its extensive existing global network, which already encompasses customers across 70 countries. At the same time, annual production capacity has been boosted by more than 2.5 billion cartons, supporting the company's ambition to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.

The event took place in Casablanca, Morocco and included a ribbon cutting ceremony, a site tour of the production facility and a formal lunch. In attendance at the event were the Minister of Industry and Commerce Ryad Mezzour and Norway's Ambassador to Morocco Sjur Larsen.

Commenting on the event, Elopak CEO Thomas Kormendi stated, "We are delighted to officially welcome team members in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to the company. We look forward to working closely together and are excited by the opportunities that exist for us to deliver sustainable packaging solutions as part of a bigger and better team with a strengthened position in the MENA region."

Norway's Ambassador to Morocco, Sjur Larsen, also commented on the occasion, stating, "I am pleased to see Elopak investing in Morocco through this acquisition. I hope to see more Norwegian companies come to do business in Morocco and to invest. There are many possibilities in Morocco, and also for Norwegian companies that want to look at possibilities for access to new markets in Africa and the Middle East."

The acquisition of Naturepak Beverage is part of Elopak's growth strategy, enhancing its position in the MENA region showing great potential. Having listed on the Oslo stock exchange in 2021, Elopak is seeking to capitalize on its strong track record, growing geographical footprint and investment in sustainability-focused innovations to target organic growth of 2-3% per annum. It is pursuing new business opportunities across both traditional and non-traditional segments, as well as driving the plastic to carton conversion.

About Elopak

Elopak is a leading global supplier of carton packaging and filling equipment. The company's iconic Pure-Pak cartons are made using renewable, recyclable and sustainably sourced materials, providing a natural and convenient alternative to plastic bottles that fits within a low carbon circular economy.

Founded in Norway in 1957, Elopak was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2021. Today it employs 2,700 people and sells in excess of 14 billion cartons annually across more than 70 countries.

Elopak is a UN Global Compact participant with a platinum EcoVadis rating and has been carbon neutral since 2016. For more information, go to elopak.com or follow us @Pure_Pak on Twitter and @Elopak on LinkedIn.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814825/Elopak_Morocco.jpg

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President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee visit Seoul National Cemetery to pay their respects to fallen patriots, May 10. Yonhap





President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Seoul National Cemetery, Tuesday, to pay his respects to fallen patriots before moving on to his inauguration ceremony.







Yoon was accompanied by his wife Kim Keon-hee and aides, including presidential chief of staff designate Kim Dae-ki, on the visit, where he laid flowers and burned incense to honor the national heroes.






DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluix prides itself on doing everything possible to support its customers in doing their best work.

Today, the company is proud to announce that its no-code process management software is now available on the Android platform.

Fluix digitizes the paper forms and heavy manuals that commonly clutter workspaces. The software also streamlines document-based collaboration between remote and office teams, facilitates all kinds of inspections and checklists, and optimizes various other business processes.

A cross-platform presence on iOS and Android makes operational excellence even more accessible - regardless of the type of tablet or mobile device used by different teams.

"Over the past 10 years, I've seen Fluix make a real difference to our customers. We're thrilled to be able to make Fluix even more accessible to teams all over the world, via both iOS and Android Platforms." Julia Nikolayenko, Executive Director of Fluix

Before Fluix officially launched in 2014, Fluix's parent company, Readdle , launched PDF Expert - a document editing app for the first-ever iPad. Having used PDF Expert for some time, aerospace giant, Boeing, specifically asked Fluix CEO, Igor Zhadanov, to tailor the software to allow for greater flexibility in document management.

Initially, Igor said no to Boeing's request, as custom development wasn't part of Readdle's product-driven company vision. When Boeing insisted, Igor quickly realized that it was possible to expand on the existing features of PDF Expert to include workflows, automation tools and comprehensive user management options. Those features combined to create Fluix; dynamic software that can be applied to use cases across various industries, including aviation, construction, and renewable energy. Fluix has grown ever since, reaching another milestone today with its introduction to the Android platform.

"We aim to positively disrupt the way companies of any size work with their documents and tasks. Our vision has resulted in a platform that solves the main pain-points of office and field teams that keep safety and compliance as their top priorities."

Igor Zhadanov, co-founder of Readdle and CEO of Fluix.

- Press kit

- Read success stories of Fluix customers

- Try Fluix

About Fluix

Fluix helps 400+ companies in 40 countries to digitize and manage documents, automate routine tasks, and streamline business processes. The software scales from mid-size companies with agile teams, to Fortune 500 corporations across the sectors of construction, energy, aviation, and facilities management. Clients include BMW, Zurich Insurance, Alaska Airlines, Centuri, Emerson, SAS, Roche, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Fluix was recognized in Gartner's Digital Markets 2020 reports, and named a leader in G2's Winter 2022 Grid in the Best Workflow Management Software and Best Forms Automation Software categories, sealing its reputation as a leading solution in its field. The company is headquartered in Dublin, and also has offices in San Francisco, Berlin, Kiev and Odessa.

About Readdle
Regulatory News:

The appointment of Laurent Guillot as ORPEA's (Paris:ORP)Chief Executive Officer effective July 1, 2022, was announced by press release on May 2, 2022.

At its meeting on April 28, 2022, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Compensation Committee, the Board of Directors finalized the components of the new CEO's compensation for financial year 2022, as described below. Mr. Guillot will receive this compensation for his role as CEO beginning on July 1, 2022.1

These components of his compensation were decided upon with the assistance of a compensation expert in light of ORPEA's corporate interest, taking into account the recommendations of the Afep-Medef Code as well as market practices.

They remain subject to the approval by the 2022 General Shareholders' Meeting of the 2022 CEO compensation policy, which will apply to him and which will be described in the Company's 2021 Universal Registration Document.

Fixed compensation

In light of Mr. Guillot's experience and skills, his previous level of compensation, and the practices of comparable companies (in particular the companies making up the SBF120 index), his gross annual fixed compensation has been set at 760,000, divided into twelve monthly payments. For 2022, this compensation will be prorated.

This amount is expected to be reviewed at relatively long intervals, in accordance with the Afep-Medef Code's recommendations.

Annual variable compensation

Mr. Guillot's gross annual variable compensation in his capacity as CEO for financial year 2022 will be 100% of his gross annual fixed compensation (760,000) if the objectives are achieved at a level of 100% or higher2, with no guaranteed minimum.

The performance conditions applicable to his 2022 annual variable compensation will be determined and disclosed in the coming weeks. However, it has already been decided that:

- The performance criteria, which will be both quantifiable and qualitative, will be defined precisely and tied in a major part to the improvement of the wellbeing of the residents;3 and

- They will include a qualitative objective relating to the presentation to the Board of Directors of a plan for the improvement and transformation of the Group.

The Board of Directors will decide on the amount of his variable compensation for financial year 2022 based on the achievement of these performance conditions, and on a pro rata basis.

Payment of this compensation will be subject to the approval of the 2023 General Shareholders' meeting, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34 of the French Commercial Code.

Long-term compensation

The CEO may receive a long-term incentive plan for the 2022 financial year in the form of free share grants, subject to performance and presence conditions, in an amount representing 160% of his (pro rata) gross annual fixed compensation, as of the date of the grant.

The performance conditions applicable to his long-term compensation, with a minimum duration of three years, and the lockup conditions applicable to the CEO will be decided and disclosed in the coming weeks.

By way of exception, the Board of Directors will waive the continued presence condition applicable to the compensation plan granted to the CEO for the 2022 financial year in the event of Mr. Guillot's forced departure prior to December 31, 2022, due to a disagreement between Mr. Guillot and the Board of Directors regarding one or more essential components of ORPEA's improvement and transformation plan.

Severance payment

Beginning on December 31, 2023, in the event of a forced departure, whatever the form of his departure from the position of CEO, Mr. Guillot will have the right to a severance payment of a maximum of twice his gross annual compensation (fixed and variable) actually paid over the twelve months preceding the date of his departure from the position of CEO, it being specified that his removal as CEO due to gross negligence or serious misconduct will not be deemed a forced departure.

Mr. Guillot will receive no severance payment in the event that:

- He leaves ORPEA on his own initiative (hence, excluding forced departures) or changes position within the Group;

- He has the right to claim retirement benefits; or

- His departure is due to reaching the applicable age limit for serving as CEO.

Payment of this severance will be subject to compliance, duly recorded by the Board of Directors, with the conditions relating to Mr. Guillot's performance, assessed in light of the Company's own performance. The right to receive the severance payment, as well as its amount, will thus depend on the degree to which Mr. Guillot satisfies the performance criteria used to determine payment of the CEO's annual variable compensation, as set forth below:

- Mr. Guillot will have a right to the maximum severance payment if the average variable compensation that he has received over the two financial years preceding his departure was equal to or greater than 85% of his target annual variable compensation;

- This amount will be reduced proportionally in the event that the average variable compensation that he has received over the prior two financial years was between 70% and 85% of such target annual variable compensation; and

- No severance will be paid below a satisfaction rate of 70%.

By way of exception, in the event of Mr. Guillot's forced departure, whatever the form of his departure from the position of CEO, prior to December 31, 2023:

- In the event of a departure during the 2022 financial year, the amount of Mr. Guillot's severance payment will be equal to six months' total gross compensation (both fixed and target variable compensation), subject to performance conditions relating to (i) ORPEA's results, which will be defined and disclosed in the coming weeks, and (ii) Mr. Guillot's managerial performance. Mr. Guillot's managerial performance will be assessed solely with regard to his assignment to present a plan to the Board of Directors for the Group's improvement and transformation; his departure will be deemed a forced departure in the event of a disagreement between Mr. Guillot and the Board of Directors as to one or more essential elements of that plan.

- In the event of his departure during the 2023 financial year, Mr. Guillot's severance payment will be calculated on a pro rata basis4, subject to the degree to which he has satisfied the performance criteria applicable to the CEO's annual variable compensation for the 2022 financial year, as set forth below:

- If the performance criteria are satisfied at a level of less than 70%, no severance will be paid;

- If the performance criteria are satisfied at a level of between 70% and 85%, the CEO will receive between 70% and 85% of the maximum amount, calculated linearly based on the satisfaction rate;

- If the performance criteria are satisfied at a level of 85% or higher, the CEO will receive the maximum amount.

Other benefits

Moreover, Mr. Guillot will receive the following benefits in kind:

- A company car; and

- Coverage under the Company's health and pension plans, on the same terms as those applicable to the category of employees with which he is associated.

In accordance with the Afep-Medef Code's recommendations, Mr. Guillot will not have an employment agreement.

The CEO will not receive any types of compensation, including exceptional compensation, other than those described above. In particular, he will not receive a welcome bonus.

It is noted that Mr. Guillot's appointment to the Board of Directors will be proposed at the 2022 General Shareholders' Meeting, and that he will receive no compensation for his services as a director.

About ORPEA (www.orpea-corp.com)

Founded in 1989, ORPEA is one of the world leaders in Dependency care (nursing homes, assisted living, post-acute and rehabilitation hospitals, mental health hospitals, home care services)

ORPEA is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN code: FR0000184798) and is a member of the SBF 120, STOXX 600 Europe, MSCI Small Cap Europe and CAC Mid 60 indices.

1As compensation for the services that he will render to the Group beginning May 2, 2022, Mr. Guillot will receive gross annual fixed compensation of 750,000, on a pro rata basis.

2 Beginning in fiscal year 2023, his gross annual variable compensation may represent up to 150% of his annual fixed compensation if the relevant objectives are exceeded, as the CEO compensation policy has provided for up to now.

3 The performance criteria for 2023, which will be both quantifiable and qualitative, will also be defined precisely and tied in a major part to the improvement of the wellbeing of the residents.

4 One year of gross annual compensation (fixed and variable) in the event of departure before June 30, 2023 and eighteen months of gross annual compensation (fixed and variable) in the event of departure before December 31, 2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006203/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

ORPEA

Steve Grobet

EVP Communication and Investor Relations

s.grobet@orpea.net

Benoit Lesieur

Investor Relations Director

Investor Relations

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

orpea@newcap.eu

Media Relations

Image 7

Caroline Simon

Tel.: +33(0)6 89 87 61 24

Caroline.simon@image7.fr
Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

Regulatory News:

Corporate name of the issuer:

Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE)

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 May 2, 2022 (1) 700,571,716 Total number of theoretical voting rights (2): 739,869,100 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (3): 727,348,634

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) On May 2, 2022, Veolia Environnement's share capital was increased as a result of the vesting of the performance shares granted under the 2019 performance share plan, thereby increasing its share capital from 3,498,626,330 to 3,502,858,580.

(2) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of May 2, 2022 (39,297,384 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of May 2, 2022 (12,520,466 shares).

(3) 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 May 2, 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/20220510006225/en/

Contacts:

Veolia Environnement


Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

10 May 2022

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 32,773 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 783.40p 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 2,260,880; 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 222,730,423.

The figure of 222,730,423 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
Not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia or South Africa any other jurisdiction in violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction.

Announced on May 09, 2022, eureKING raises 150 million.

eureKING's ambition confirmed: creation of an European bio-CDMO (Contract Development Manufacturing Organization), a major player in the field of outsourcing of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

A solid project with seven founders, initiated and supported by eureKARE SA, an investment company specialized in the fields of synthetic biology and microbiome.

Regulatory News:

Mr. Michael Kloss, Mr. Gerard Le Fur (acting through and on behalf of its controlled affiliate Red Blossom Consultants), Mr. Alexandre Mouradian, Mr. Christophe Jean, Mr. Hubert Olivier (acting through a dedicated internal fund organised in the context of a life insurance policy under management, with respect to the Units (as defined below)), Mr. Rodolphe Besserve (acting through and on behalf of its controlled affiliate Muiscare SAS) and eureKARE SA, company specialized in the creation, financing and support of innovative biotech companies (the "Initial Founders"), announce today the success of eureKING's private placement, the first European SPAC1 in healthcare dedicated to bioproduction, raising 150 million (the "Offering").

eureKING (the "Company"), which will be listed from 12 May 2022 on Euronext Paris, aims to acquire or combine with companies and/or businesses specialized in the production and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products for other companies in the healthcare industry mainly in Europe

Michael Kloss, CEO and Co-Founder of eureKING, comments: " We are very pleased with the success of this financing which marks the first step in eureKING's development and confirms the strong interest of European investors in the biomanufacturing industry and its players in Europe. Present at every stage of the development of new therapeutic innovations, bio-CDMOs are a pillar of future treatments' research and development. The strong growth of the sector in Europe over the last few years and the increasingly rapid development of new scientific technologies highlight the important need for consolidation in the sector. Thanks to this fundraising, eureKING intends to participate in this consolidation and in the development of the biomanufacturing industry in Europe by creating the first European bio-CDMO capable of meeting the needs of biotech companies and accompanying them throughout the entire development chain of their product, whatever its stage of development."

Offering terms

As part of this transaction, eureKING has issued 15.0 million Units (an "Unit") (actions de preference stipulees rachetables assorties de bons de souscription d'actions ordinaires de la societe rachetables) for a subscription price of 10.00 euros per Unit. Each Unit consists of one redeemable preferred share ("Market Shares") and one redeemable ordinary share warrant ("Market Warrants"). The Offering was directed solely toward qualified investors (investisseurs qualifies) as defined in Article 2 point (e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 or other investors who do not meet this criteria but number less than 150, all in accordance with Article L. 411-2, 1 of the French Code monetaire et financier, inside or outside of France, and who belong to one of the following three categories:

a) qualified investors investing in companies and businesses operating in the biomanufacturing industry; or

b) qualified investors meeting at least two of the three following criteria set forth under Article D. 533-11 of the French Code monetaire et financier, i.e., (i) a balance sheet total equal to or exceeding 20 million euros, (ii) net revenues or net sales equal to or exceeding 40 million euros, and/or (iii)shareholders' equity equal to or exceeding two million euros; or

c) investors in Units who are otherwise investing in Founders' Units (as defined below).

The orders placed by these investors must be for a minimum amount of 50,000 Euros.

Two Market Warrants give the right to subscribe to one new ordinary share of eureKING for an exercise price of 11.50 euros. The Market Warrants will be exercisable as from the date of completion of the initial business combination ("IBC") and until the first (1st) business day after the fifth (5th) anniversary of the Initial Business Combination Completion Date or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as the case may be.

eureKING Market Shares and Market Warrants will be traded separately under the respective symbols "KINGS" and "KINGW".

Concomitantly to the offering, the Initial Founders of eureKING, who already hold 4,103,000 ordinary shares of the Company, have subscribed as part of a reserved capital increase for 507,000 ordinary shares together with redeemable warrants to subscribe for ordinary shares of the Company, for an amount of 5.07 million euros. These ordinary shares, which will be converted, together with the others eureKING ordinary shares, into preferred shares of three different classes upon settlement (the "Founders' Shares"), as well as the redeemable warrants (the "Founders Warrants" and together with the Founders Shares, the "Founders Units") held by the Founders, will not be traded. On the completion date of the IBC, the Market Shares held by the shareholders of the Company who have not requested the redemption of their Market Shares, as well as 50 percent of the Founders' Shares, will automatically be converted into ordinary shares and such ordinary shares will be admitted to trading. The remaining Founders' Shares will be converted into ordinary shares and admitted to trading subject to the eureKING share price reaching a certain level (respectively 12 euros and 14 euros).

eureKARE will subscribe to 390,000 additional Founders' Units at a price of 10.00 per Founders' Unit corresponding to the overfunding subscription to cover the Redemption Premium (as defined below), in a reserved issuance that will occur simultaneously with the completion of the Offering.

In addition, the Initial Founders and the Cornerstone Investors (as defined below, and, together, the "Founders") have participated in the Offering, for an amount of 20 million.

Immediately following the completion of the Offering, the Founders will hold a total number of shares of 35% of the capital (25.00% for their Founders' Shares and 10% for their Market Shares) and of the voting rights of the Company and, taking into account the Lagfin SCA additional order in the book allocated at 10 million euros, the Founders will hold a total number of shares of 40% of the capital (25.00% for their Founders' shares and 15% for their Market Shares) and of the voting rights of the company.

Immediately after the settlement and delivery of the Offering, pursuant to a promote transfer agreement, eureKARE will sell to VTT Fund Ltd, Aroma Health AG, Lagfin S.C.A., Lussemburgo, succursale di Paradiso, JAM Invest Sarl, Jacques Lewiner (acting through and on behalf of his controlled affiliated entity named SC LEV), Guillaume Destison and Stefan Berchtold (together, the "Cornerstone Investors"), 2,095,775 of its Founders' Shares and 249,428 Founders' Warrants.

Following the Offering and the sale to the Cornerstone Investors, eureKING's shareholding will be as follows

Number of outstanding

Shares and voting rights

after Offering Percentage of outstanding

Shares and voting rights after

Offering Michael Kloss........................................................ 339,266 1.70% Gerard Le Fur............................................................................ 339,266 1.70% Alexandre Mouradian........................................... 339,266 1.70% Christophe Jean.................................................... 27,026 0.14% Hubert Olivier....................................................... 33,926 0.17% Rodolphe Besserve............................................... 33,926 0.17% eureKARE............................................................. 2,440,375 12.20% Cornerstone Investors.......................................... 3,446,949 17.23% VTT Fund Ltd..................................................... 1,511,867 7.56% Aroma Health AG.............................................. 1,079,905 5.40% Lagfin S.C.A., Lussemburgo, succursale di Paradiso(1) 1,550,750 7.75% JAM Invest Sarl.................................................. 215,981 1.08% Jacques Lewiner................................................ 43,197 0.22% Guillaume Destison............................................ 32,397 0.16% Stefan Berchtold................................................ 12,852 0.06% Sub-Total Founders............................................... 8,000,000 40.00% Of which FoundersShares..................................... 5,000,000 25.00% Of which FoundersMarket Shares......................... 3,000,000 15.00% Market Shares...................................................... 12,000,000 60.00% Total 20,000,000 100.00%

(1) including the 10 million additional order from Lagfin S.C.A. in Market Units that has been fully allocated, i.e. 1,000,000 Market Units.

As further described in the Prospectus, prior to the completion of the IBC, the Founders will be bound by lock-up undertakings, subject to limited exceptions. From the completion of the IBC, the Founders will still be bound by lock-up undertakings, subject to limited exceptions, but to be released until the earlier of one year after completion of the IBC, which may be reduced to six months depending on the performance conditions of the trading price of eureKING.

Upon completion of the Offering, eureKING will transfer an amount corresponding to 100% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and the 3% redemption premium granted to the holders of Market Shares into a secured deposit account. The funds held in the secured deposit account will only be released if and only if the Company completes the IBC or if it is liquidated.

IBC deadline and approval, repurchase and liquidation

The Company will have 15 months from the listing date of the Market Shares and the Market Warrants to complete the IBC. Otherwise, the assets of the Company will be liquidated and substantially all of the liquidation surplus, after satisfaction of creditors' claims, will be distributed to its shareholders and to its Founders in accordance with an order of priority, as set forth in the Company's articles of association and the Prospectus.

The contemplated IBC will require an affirmative vote of the Board of Directors of eureKING, deciding at the majority of the members composing the Board of Directors, including approval by a two-thirds majority of the independent members composing the Board of Directors (the "Required Majority"). Following this approval, the Company will publish a notice describing the IBC (the "IBC Notice

Following the IBC, the Company will then redeem the Market Shares held by the shareholders who will request for such a redemption within a 30 calendar days period following the IBC Notice, subject to compliance with the conditions set forth in the Company's articles of association and the Prospectus. Market Shareholders asking for the redemption of their Market Shares (except for Market Shares hold by Cornerstone Investors) will be entitled to a redemption premium equal to 0.30 per Market Share in addition to a redemption amount of 10.00 per Market Share (the "Redemption Premium

EureKING is currently engaged in the early stages of a competitive, confidential, bidding process for a potential acquisition. Namely, eureKING has sent a non-binding letter of intent on April 27, 2022 for the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of a target that is fully within the target sector. EureKING has been informed that it will be invited to participate to the due diligence phase of the process. It has no information as to the number of other potential bidders.

This letter of intent is "non-binding" in the sense that, while it is proposing a valuation range for the target and an indicative offer and financing structure (which includes, as is traditionally the case in "de-SPACing" transactions, a capital increase), it is subject to the satisfactory results of the due diligence, the negotiation of full acquisition and financing documentation and regulatory approvals. In other words, eureKING could at any time unilaterally decide to withdraw its proposal, even if it would have been accepted by the sellers.

If eureKING decides to pursue this opportunity after completion of the due diligence, it will have to submit a binding offer on May 31st, as per the calendar set by the sellers. In this respect, it should be noted that neither the eureKING, nor any of the limited number of members of its management that are involved in this process, has had any prior discussions with the target or its selling shareholders, in particular on the calendar. At this stage, the following persons within eureKING are aware of this process, by reason of their role within eureKING (and eureKARE): Mr. Kloss, the CEO (and Initial Founder), Mr. Berchtold, the CFO (and Cornerstone Investor), Mr. Eckenberg, the CTO and Mr. Besserve, observer on the board of directors of eureKING and CEO of eureKARE (and Initial Founder). Following completion of the Offering, MM Kloss, Berchtold and Besserve will hold Founders' Shares, Founders' Warrants and Market Shares and Market Warrants they will have acquired in the Offering.

There is absolutely no guarantee that the Company will be successful in acquiring this target. Indeed, at this stage, it is impossible to assign any probability to a positive outcome.

J.P. Morgan SE and Societe Generale are acting as Joint Global Coordinators in connection with the Offering.

About eureKING:

Founded in March 2022, eureKING is a French SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) formed with the aim of acquiring European companies in the field of biomanufacturing, with the ambition of creating a leading bio-CDMO in Europe capable of meeting the growing outsourcing needs of this industry. eureKING raised 150m through its successful listing on Euronext Paris in May 2022.

eureKING has chosen to focus on three highly specialized and strategic segments of the biopharmaceutical industry: the production of biologics, in particular new generations of monoclonal antibodies or complex proteins, the production of cell and gene therapies and the production of live biotherapeutics (with applications in the microbiome).

Led by an international management team of experienced healthcare industry talent, 100% dedicated to the eureKING project and its development strategy and supported by a Board of Directors with complementary skills in the pharmaceutical and financial fields, eureKING aims at developing and promoting the promising biomanufacturing sector in Europe on an international scale.

For more information: www.eureking.com

Important information

This press release is not a prospectus but an advertisement provided for information purposes only. It does not constitute and should not be deemed to constitute an offer to the public of securities by eureKING, nor a solicitation of the public relating to an offer of any kind whatsoever in any country, including France.

A prospectus (the "Prospectus") has been approved by the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) on May 6, 2022 under no.22-134 solely for the purpose of listing of eureKING securities on the professional segment (compartiment professionnel) of the regulated market of Euronext Paris. A copy of the Prospectus is available on the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org) and on eureKING's website (www.eureking.com) and may be obtained free of charge from eureKING.

Potential investors should review the risk factors described in the Prospectus.

Investors should not subscribe for or purchase any securities referred to in this press release except on the basis of the information contained in the Prospectus.

The distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Prohibition of sales to European Economic Area, U.K. and Swiss retail investors

The Units (actions de preference stipulees rachetables assorties de bons de souscription d'actions ordinaires de la societe rachetables) are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (the "EEA"), the United Kingdom (the "U.K.") or Switzerland.

For the purpose of the present press release, a "retail investor" means a person who is one (or more) of the following:

a) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II");

b) a retail client as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "EUWA");

c) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2016/97/EU (as amended, the "Insurance Distribution Directive") where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II;

d) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended, the "FSMA") and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement the Insurance Distribution Directive, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "U.K. MiFIR");

e) not a qualified investor as defined in Article 2(e) of the regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of 14 June 2017 (as amended, the "Prospectus Regulation"), including as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the EUWA;

f) not a professional client as defined in Article 4 Paragraph 3 of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services ("FinSA");

g) a professional client that has opted to be treated as a retail client pursuant to Paragraph 5 of FinSA.

Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "PRIIPs Regulation"), including the PRIIPS Regulation as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPS Regulation"), for offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA, in the U.K. or in Switzerland has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Units or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA, in the U.K. or in Switzerland may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation the UK PRIIPS Regulation, or the FinSA.

MIFID II and U.K. MiFIR product governance

Solely for the purposes of the manufacturer's product approval process, the EEA target market assessments (the "EEA Target Market Assessments") have led to the conclusion that:

a) in respect of the Units:

the target market is eligible counterparties and professional clients only, each as defined in MiFID II; and all channels for distribution to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate;

b) in respect of the Market Shares and the Market Warrants:

the target market is retail investors, and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and all channels for distribution to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate.

Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the U.K. target market assessments (the "U.K. Target Market Assessments") have led to the conclusion that:

a) in respect of the Units:

the target market is only eligible counterparties, as defined in the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook ("COBS"), and professional clients, as defined U.K. MiFIR; and all channels for distribution to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate;

b) in respect of the Market Shares and the Market Warrants:

the target market is (a) retail clients, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the EUWA, (b) investors who meet the criteria of professional clients as defined in U.K. MiFIR and (c) eligible counterparties as defined in the COBS; and all channels for distribution to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate.

Notwithstanding the EEA Target Market Assessments and the U.K. Target Market Assessments, distributors should note that: the price of the Market Shares and the Warrants may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Market Shares and the Market Warrants offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Market Shares and/or the Market Warrants is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.

The EEA Target Market Assessments and the U.K. Target Market Assessments are without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the offering.

For the avoidance of doubt, the EEA Target Market Assessments and the U.K. Target Market Assessments do not constitute: (a) assessments of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II or COBS or (b) recommendations to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Units, the Market Shares or the Market Warrants.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessments in respect of the Units, the Market Shares and the Market Warrants and determining appropriate distribution channels.

France

In France, any offer of eureKING securities is addressed solely to investors acting for their own account in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 411-2, 1 of the French Code monetaire et financier

United Kingdom

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, this press release is for distribution only to and is directed only at (a) "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the EUWA which are (b) (i) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within the provisions of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) "high net worth entities", "unincorporated associations" and other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This press release must not be acted on or relied on, in the United Kingdom, by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is only available to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Persons distributing this press release must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.

United States of America

This press release and the information it contains does not, and will not, constitute an offer to the public to subscribe for or sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy, eureKING's securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), it being specified that eureKING's securities have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and eureKING does not intend to register securities or conduct an offer to the public in the United States.

Switzerland

The offering of eureKING's securities is exempt from the requirement to prepare and publish a prospectus under the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services ("FinSA") because such offering is made to professional clients within the meaning of the FinSA and eureKING's securities will not be admitted to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. This press release does not constitute a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and no such prospectus has been or will be prepared for or in connection with the offering of eureKING's securities.

Canada

This press release and the information it contains do not, and will not, constitute an offer to the public to subscribe for or sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy, eureKING's securities in any province or territory of Canada.

Securities may not be offered or sold in Canada except in a transaction exempt from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws or pursuant to a prospectus that qualifies those securities in the relevant provinces and territories of Canada, it being specified that the eureKING's securities have not been and will not be qualified by way of prospectus under the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada and eureKING does not intend to qualify any such securities or conduct an offering to the public in Canada.

Israel

The securities offered by this press release have not been approved or disapproved by the Israel Securities Authority (the "ISA"), nor have such securities been registered for sale in Israel. The securities may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in Israel, absent the publication of a prospectus that has been approved by the ISA. The ISA has not issued permits, approvals or licenses in connection with this offering or publishing this press release, nor has it authenticated the details included herein, confirmed their reliability or completeness, or rendered an opinion as to the quality of the securities being offered.

This press release and the information it contains do not, and will not, constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, as amended (the "Israeli Securities Law"), and no such prospectus has been or will be filed with or approved by the ISA. In the State of Israel, this press release may be distributed only to, and may be directed only at, and any offer of the securities may be directed only at, (i) to the extent applicable, a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum to the Israeli Securities Law (the "Addendum") consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and "qualified individuals", each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors will be required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

1 Special Purpose Acquisition Company

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006238/en/

Contacts:

eureKING

info@eureking.com

NewCap Media Relations

Nicolas Merigeau

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 nmerigeau@newcap.fr



Arthur Rouille

+33 (0)1 44 71 00 15

arouille@newcap.fr
NASHVILLE, TN / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Nashville Barrel Company earned four double gold medals at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, making it one of the few to receive this prestigious award multiple times in two years.

Opened in 2020, Nashville Barrel Company broke whiskey tradition with its concept, where its single barrel offerings become the face of a city. While whiskey geek loyalists have fallen in love with the brand, Nashville Barrel Company's critical acclaim and blind taste test victories humble the small business owners.

"In an ultra-competitive market where good whiskey is hard to find, we know we wouldn't be where we are without the people who've supported us since day 1. We are offering the best barrels and batches at the best value that we can offer," said Mike Hinds, Nashville Barrel Company's CEO & Founder. "Winning four Double Golds at San Francisco is a testament to our team and a nod to all those who've believed in us."

Since launching, there have been considerable wins beginning with the brand's back-to-back wins at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The launch of two new products including Cask Strength Batched Bourbon & Cask Strength Batched Rye gives more access and coverage, while expanding their distribution reach into fifteen states. James Davenport says "When it is ready, it is ready. We do not rush the process and it shows."

These new expressions helped their six-person in-house sales team and external partners catapult the brand onto shelves with some of the leading names in bourbon and whiskey. The awards and accolades have led to national coverage and put the company on the radar with other up and coming craft brands.

For more information on Nashville Barrel Company's products and services, visit nashvillebarrelco.com. Interviews with Mike Hinds, photography and additional product information are available upon request.

About Nashville Barrel Offerings : Nashville Barrel Company is offered in five core expressions Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, Single Barrel Bourbon, Single Barrel Rum, Cask Strength Small Batch Bourbon, Cask Strength Small Batch Rye as well as numerous limited-edition releases. Follow Nashville Barrel Company on Instagram (@NashvilleBarrelCo).

About Nashville Barrel Company : Nashville Barrel Company is in the heart of Nashville and just miles off Broadway. Fesslers lane is home to the brands founders Mike Hinds and James Davenport who were united by bourbon. Their team is quickly growing under the mindful leadership of "The Boss" Stella, President & HR, who also happens to be a 1-year-old miniature goldendoodle. Nashville Barrel Company has a core focus on the people, listening to what they want, by the people for the people. The passion and love for bourbon and sharing it with friends is the driving force behind the brand. Nashville Barrel Company is currently distributed in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. For more information visit nashvillebarrelco.com.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Hinds

jennifer@nashvillebarrelco.com

SOURCE: Nashville Barrel Co.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700640/Nashville-Barrel-Company-Kicks-off-2022-Award-Season-in-Golden-Fashion-with-their-Bourbon-Rye-and-Rum
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Broadcast Management Group (BMG) is expanding the capability of its New York Times Square facility. BMG will be adding an audio mix room along with workstations for replay, technical director, playback, graphics, master control, and teleprompting. Broadcast Management Group's business model enables clients to access the best production talent anywhere in the world, while providing redundancy for productions and lowering production costs compared to the legacy production model.

Following the company's REMI strategic plan, BMG is taking the next step and is building out its REMI hub and spoke network with a new spoke facility at its' Times Square location. This facility will allow the company to tap into the production talent in New York City, while leveraging its' Las Vegas REMI Broadcast Hub which is a cloud-based broadcast center. The New York City facility will have hard surface consoles for the switcher, audio, replay, playback, teleprompting, graphics, and master control. All will be connected to the REMI Broadcast Hub. Each workstation can support any control room at the Hub.

"For our New York City production team, a combination of full-time staff and contractors, it will be like they are physically at the Broadcast Hub" said Mark Ott, Director of Broadcast Operations. The New York City facility will be connected to the Las Vegas operation via a proprietary ultra-low latency, high quality audio and video transport, designed by BMG's engineering team. The way BMG designed the REMI Broadcast Hub, it can be operated with only an engineer, with the remaining production teams in a BMG REMI mobile unit, at home, or at one of its spoke facilities around the world.

"During the last two and a half years, BMG has been working with a variety of manufacturers perfecting the REMI production workflow which includes the design of our purpose-built REMI Broadcast Hub, REMI mobile units, spoke facilities and at home kits. BMG produces large scale complex live productions, enabling a remote workforce which increases quality, and redundancy, while lowering production cost" said Todd Mason, Chief Executive Officer of Broadcast Management Group. "The REMI Broadcast Hub has also been designed for client owned facilities to connect with the Hub, leveraging BMG's production teams and facilities. BMG currently has three client owned facilities in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. All are connected to its REMI Broadcast Hub. For some clients, they have no need to build out anything more than a local studio as they can utilize BMG's cloud production hub which lowers space needs, capital investment and staffing cost.

"We have plans to build a spoke facility in Chicago, and another REMI hub facility" said Megan Kirst, Senior Vice President of Systems Design and Integration. "The second REMI Broadcast Hub will be connected to the current REMI Broadcast Hub, providing redundancy to each other along with the spoke and client facilities connected to the hubs" Kirst continued. The company has designed two types of spoke operations, one for production teams and the other for clients and production teams. The second model enables clients to come into a control room that looks and functions like any other major control room. However, the back end of the control room is connected to Broadcast Management Group's REMI Broadcast Hub. The company is designing its hub and spoke network to support a global client base

About Broadcast Management Group

Broadcast Management Group is a full service global media company with six divisions: Live Production,Event Management, Creative Services, Broadcast Consulting, Managed Services, and Systems Integration. BMG operates a proprietary REMI Broadcast Production Hub and spoke network along with custom-built REMI Mobile Units. The company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C.

Contact:

Suzanne Kennedy

skennedy@broadcastmgmt.com

SOURCE: Broadcast Management Group, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700544/Broadcast-Management-Group-Expands-Proprietary-Workflow-Model-With-New-York-REMI-Production-Interface-Facility
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / ITOCO INC. (OTC PINK:ITMC) is pleased to announce it has acquired 49 % of Colorful Euphoria, Lda.

Colorful Euphoria, Lda is a Portuguese company that operates via joint venture 100 hectares of farm land in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Itoco intends to expand this land position and create an Agro Park focused on advancing a "Soil Rescue Program".

Nopal Cactus are being grown effectively and profitably in this region with a focus on producing Prickly Pear juice concentrate.

Itoco and Colorful Euphoria have mutually developed a program whereby Nopal Cactus is introduced into an area as the first step toward overall land rehabilitation while at the same time creating sustainable profitable farming operations - "Soil Rescue Program".

The roots of the Nopal Cactus help water retention in the soil, thereby creating a crucial first step for other plants to grow. In a relatively short period of time, entire ecosystems can recover as water supplies stabilize.

In addition, programs of this type can create significant Carbon Credits. Nopal Cactus is very effective at removing carbon from the atmosphere permanently.

Itoco is capitalizing on Nopal farming innovations that leverage the Cacti's superb adaptation to dry and arid landscapes, which include fixing carbon dioxide at night and closing the spores (stomata) during the day, thus potentially earning producers carbon credits at an accelerated pace.

Nopal Cactus is able to trap up to 30 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year.

The Cactus is also able to offer strong vegetative cover against erosion or desertification while being able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures and to thrive in water limited environments. It is characterized by a wide-spreading fibrous roots system allowing it to access surface water and its succulent stems and pads store large quantities of water per hectare.

Itoco has purchased 49% of the shares of Colorful Euphoria for EUR 5,000,000.00.

About ITOCO Inc:

ITOCO's mission is to be a global leader in developing, distributing, and producing Bio Tech related technologies and methodologies in a compliant environmentally friendly manner. ITOCO Inc. trades on the OTC Markets, symbol: ITMC. ITOCO is a 14-year-old publicly quoted specialty Bio Tech development, production and distribution company based in Toronto Canada and Nevada USA. ITOCO seeks to partner with outstanding individuals and companies within this field to joint venture, research, and co-develop Bio Tech related products and technologies to the market.

CONTACT:

Michael Paul, C.E.T.

President & CEO

ITOCO INC

ir@itoco.net

+1-800-805-1521

www.itoco.net

SOURCE: ITOCO Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700794/ITOCO-acquires-Colorful-Euphoria-Lda-to-launch-its-Soil-Rescue-Program-in-Europe-and-Africa
The Company will also host a live audio webcast of the conference call on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.centralpuerto.com. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the website and download any streaming media software that might be required to listen to the webcast. The call will be available for replay on the Company website under the Investor Relations section.

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.
Brentwood, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - RAB Capital Holdings Limited ("RAB Capital"), a private investment holding corporation controlled by Mr. Philip Richards, reports that, on May 6, 2022, it purchased 5,000,000 common shares ("Common Shares") of Viva Gold Corp. (TSXV: VAU) ("Viva Gold") pursuant to a private placement, at a price of C$0.12 per share for aggregate consideration of C$600,000.

Mr. Richards now beneficially owns and controls, directly and indirectly, 16,100,000 Common Shares and 8,600,000 warrants to purchase Common Shares ("Warrants") (representing approximately 17.57% of the outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 24.65% on a partially-diluted basis). Prior to this investment acquisition transaction RAB Capital and Mr. Richards beneficially owned or controlled 11,100,000 Common Shares and 8,600,000 Warrants.

The Common Shares were acquired by RAB Capital for investment purposes. Mr. Richards and RAB Capital have a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional securities of Viva Gold, including on the open market or through private acquisitions, or sell securities of Viva Gold, including on the open market or through private dispositions, in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors.

RAB Capital is a private company that invests in a wide range of assets based on fundamental analysis. RAB Capital currently targets investments in small companies, both listed and private, and real estate development opportunities.

Viva Gold is a British Columbia company having its registered office at 20th Floor, 250 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 3R8.

This news release is being issued in accordance with National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the filing of an early warning report. A copy of the early warning report with respect to the foregoing will appear on Viva Gold's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and may also be obtained by contacting its office at + 44 (0) 20 7389 7000 (PO Box 12996, Brentwood, United Kingdom CM14 9TB)

RAB Capital Holdings Limited

"Andrew Knatchbull"

Andrew Knatchbull

Finance Director

T: 02073897161

E: Andrew.Knatchbull@rabcap.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123496
Former President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, in the front row, former President Park Geun-hye, fourth from right in the row behind and foreign delegates attend President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Tuesday. Yonhap
Los Angeles, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Carrera Cafe is putting together a public art installation at their location on Melrose Avenue to help honor and aid Ukraine. Customers can purchase a padlock and attach it to their 'Fence Of Love' installation, and all proceeds will go towards the Ukrainian relief fund via the UNICEF charity. The event will run until the end of May.





'Fence of Love' Art Exhibit Goes Live at Carrera Cafe to Raise Donations for Ukrainians

Carrera cafe, a popular coffee shop destination known for its handcrafted modern latte designs, famous egg sandwiches, and pastries, cares deeply about giving back to its community. Therefore, they have leveraged over their 50,000 followers on social media to help spread the word about Ukrainian Relief Fund.

"We're grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and hope to bring more awareness to the cause of the Ukrainian People," says the founder Kia Iluiian.

Carrera cafe consistently tries to give back to its community, raising over $10,000 for various charities. Through this Art for Cause project, they hope to raise significant awareness and funds for Ukraine over the month.

About Carrera Cafe

Carrera Cafe is a popular coffee shop located in Los Angeles. It's famous for its modern latte art designs, house-made egg sandwiches, pastries, and customized merchandise. Up to date, Carrera Cafe has served over 400,000 customers and has over 50k followers on Instagram.

Media Contact:

Kia Illulian

Founder

Email: kia@illuliangroup.com

Address: 8251 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046

Phone Number: 323-653-8500

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123479
MONTREAL and SARASOTA, Fla., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intertape Polymer Group Inc. (TSX:ITP) ("IPG" or the "Company") announces the opening of its newest facility in Widnes, United Kingdom ("UK"). The facility will be fully operational in the second quarter of 2022. This facility will service the growing need for sustainable packaging solutions in the region with a focus on the production and distribution of IPG's Curby Mailer.



"Growing our global footprint with the addition of the Widnes manufacturing facility positions IPG to service the e-fulfillment market with sustainable packaging products in the UK market. This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is a great addition to the existing IPG suite of high performing facilities and sets the stage for IPG's growing presence in the European market," states Zach Kissel, VP of Global E-Fulfillment for IPG.

The Curby Mailer is a tri-laminated mailer employing a patented production process that allows for the mailer to use a paper honeycomb structure, encapsulated between an inner and outer layer of paper, to form a padded mailer. "This unique production methodology delivers cushioning performance from edge-to-edge and seam-to-seam, making the Curby Mailer the most effective form of sustainable replacement of bubble cushioning in the market," explained Kissel. Visit this link to learn more about the Curby Mailer - https://www.mycurby.com/en/curbyvideos.

IPG's Widnes manufacturing facility plans to install new Curby production lines to meet the needs of its customers in the market. As the business grows, the manufacturing facility will also serve as a distribution hub for the complete Curby line of sustainable packaging products to support the growing e-fulfillment market in the UK and Europe. In addition to the Curby Mailer, the complete Curby line includes IPG's water-activated tape, also known as gum tape, paper void fill solutions, and paper fragile wrapping solutions. IPG also intends to house machines designed to dispense its suite of sustainable packaging solutions and will serve as a service hub for its field service technicians in the UK.

ABOUT INTERTAPE POLYMER GROUP

Intertape Polymer Group Inc. is a recognized leader in the development, manufacture and sale of a variety of paper and film based pressure-sensitive and water-activated tapes, stretch and shrink films, protective packaging, woven and non-woven products and packaging machinery for industrial and retail use. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec and Sarasota, Florida, IPG employs approximately 4,200 employees with operations in 34 locations, including 22 manufacturing facilities in North America, five in Asia and two in Europe. For information about the Company, visit www.itape.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "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 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), which are made in reliance upon the protections provided by such legislation for forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's future use of the Widnes facility, the Company's future presence and performance in the UK and European markets, the Company's ability to have a service hub for field service technicians in the UK, the Company's installation of certain lines in the Widnes facility and ability to distribute certain products from the UK, may constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections made by the Company's management. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "continue," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "foresee," "believe" or "seek" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements, by their nature, involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements are also subject to assumptions concerning, among other things: the expected satisfaction of closing conditions to the acquisition of the Company by the Purchaser, business conditions and growth or declines in the Company's industry, the Company's customers' industries and the general economy, including as a result of the impact of COVID-19; the anticipated benefits from the Company's greenfield developments, and other restructuring efforts; the anticipated benefits from the Company's manufacturing facility capacity expansions; the impact of fluctuations in raw material prices and freight costs including the availability and pricing due to supply chain disruptions; selling prices including maintaining dollar spread due to higher raw material and freight costs; the impacts of new accounting standards, including the impact of new accounting guidance for leases; the anticipated benefits from the Company's acquisitions and partnerships; the anticipated benefits from the Company's capital expenditures; the quality and market reception of the Company's products; the Company's anticipated business strategies; risks and costs inherent in litigation; legal and regulatory developments, including as related to COVID-19; the Company's ability to maintain and improve quality and customer service; anticipated trends in the Company's business; the expected strategic and financial benefits from the Company's ongoing capital investment and mergers and acquisitions programs; anticipated cash flows from the Company's operations; availability of funds under the Company's 2021 Credit Facility; the Company's flexibility to allocate capital as a result of the Senior Unsecured Notes offering; and the Company's ability to continue to control costs. The Company can give no assurance that these estimates and expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual outcomes and results may, and often do, differ from what is expressed, implied or projected in such forward-looking statements, and such differences may be material. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. For additional information regarding important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and other risks and uncertainties, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements, you are encouraged to read "Item 3 Key Information - Risk Factors", "Item 5 Operating and Financial Review and Prospects (Management's Discussion & Analysis)" and statements located elsewhere in the Company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the other statements and factors contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Each of these forward-looking statements speaks only as of the date of this press release. The Company will not update these statements unless applicable securities laws require it to do so.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Zach Kissel

VP of Global E-Fulfillment



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65045a38-d064-4ac6-a1cc-a2be6095eab3
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / After establishing itself throughout the state of California, The Goody Law Group is expanding its practice into Wyoming.

Taly Goody, firm founder and an attorney specializing in personal injury and employment law, is teaming up with husband and firm partner Greyson Goody, who specializes in prosecuting personal injury cases, to establish a base of operations in Greyson's hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

"My life partner is now my business partner," Taly Goody said, "and together we want to build a law practice serving people in multiple states, beginning with our exciting expansion into Wyoming."

A Los Angeles native, Taly Goody was raised by Iranian immigrant parents in Torrance and is fluent in Farsi. After earning a bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of California, Irvine, she attended the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where she graduated cum laude in 2014.

After working for several years at a boutique law firm in Century City, where she specialized in art transactions and business litigation, Taly Goody resigned her position and launched Goody Law Group in September 2019, focusing primarily on personal injury and employment law.

Taly Goody created the firm, switching practices areas and entering a new industry. Along the way, she found passion in mentoring aspiring lawyers by creating content on social media and hosting webinars.

After graduating from Montana State University, Greyson Goody also attended Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor Summa Cum Laude. A partner and trial attorney, Greyson Goody specializes in prosecuting personal injury cases. Since becoming an attorney in 2013, he has tried more than 20 cases to verdict and recovered more than $50 million as a result.

His first trial as lead counsel was on the case of Pebley v. Santa Clara Organics, resulting in a $3.644 million verdict for a cervical fusion. Pebley was appealed and the appellate court's ruling finally gave clarity to the issue of determining reasonable value for lien-based treatment when the plaintiff is insured. Pebley is now binding law cited in every personal injury case in California.

Greyson's secret sauce is "honesty, openness, and humility." He models his trial tactics after family friend and fellow Wyoming native Gerry Spence, a legendary attorney who has never lost a criminal case, as well as Keith Mitnick, senior trial counsel for America's largest personal injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan, and his best friends at The Simon Law Group, with whom he cut his teeth trying cases.

Since becoming an attorney in 2013, Greyson Goody has hoped to expand the firm to return to his home state. One of his earliest memories is watching his father, Keith Goody, defend and try criminal cases around Wyoming. He wants to help people who have been injured due to the negligence of others.

While this is the first additional state Goody Law Group has added to its practice, Taly Goody assured it will not be the last. The firm has plans to add additional states soon. Just as it serves all parts of California from Los Angeles, the group will serve all parts of Wyoming from its base of operations in Jackson Hole.

The husband-and-wife team give personal attention to each of their cases, ensuring their clients get the justice they deserve.

"We have a unique dynamic team power, with our own unique strengths complementing one another to bring excellent results for clients," Greyson Goody said.

"We understand each case is unique and needs special attention," Taly Goody added. "We don't treat our clients like numbers. We treat our clients like family and provide personal attention to each case. We are personally with them through every step of the case."

ABOUT GOODY LAW GROUP

Taly Goody founded Goody Law Group in 2019 and brings a refreshing twist to the practice of law, rejecting old-school law firm techniques and outdated methods. Taly has a network of medical vendors and collaborates with the best in the legal industry to guarantee you get the resources and opportunities you need. Our areas of practice include two main categories: personal injury and employment law. Insurance companies fear us and settle your case for fair value. Call now and make the best decision for you and your family. Welcome to the good life.

At Goody Law Group, the main thing to know about our firm is that we are a family business. That means we treat our clients like they are a part of our family. We give personal attention to every client and every case, no matter how big or small. You will speak with an attorney at your initial case evaluation and that ensures your case is mapped out with attention to every detail. We love building authentic relationships with our clients and understand everyone is in a unique position. We keep you informed every step of the way without confusing legal jargon. Our goal is to fight for you and obtain 110% of the results you deserve.

With 10 years of collective experience, our attorneys have been honored with such awards as: Orange County Trial Lawyers Association 2021 TOP GUN "Young Gun" Trial Lawyer of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California Street Fighter of the Year in 2019, one of the youngest attorneys admitted to the American Board of Trial Advocates (a prestigious trial lawyer association that represents the top 1% of attorneys), and Super Lawyer Rising Star 2018-2022.

CONTACT: Taly Goody

PHONE: (310) 893-1983

EMAIL: taly@goodylawgroup.com

WEBSITE: http://goodylawgroup.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/goodylawgroup/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/talygoodyesq/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/goodylawgroup/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goodylawgroup/

LINKTR.EE: https://linktr.ee/goodylawgrop

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@talygoodyesq

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/GoodyLawGroup

SOURCE: Goody Law Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700169/Los-Angeles-Based-Law-Firm-Goody-Law-Group-Stakes-Its-Claim-in-Wyoming
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), announced today that, further to its press release on May 2, 2022 wherein it announced that it had entered into a share purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with certain vendor shareholders to acquire (the "Acquisition") a 67% equity interest in A&L Canada Laboratories East, Inc. ("A&L"), it has entered into an amendment to the Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement Amendment") dated May 10, 2022. Pursuant to the amended terms in the Purchase Agreement Amendment, the aggregate consideration payable by the Company to the vendor shareholders for the 67% equity interest in A&L shall remain $50.3 million but the cash consideration payable on the closing of the Acquisition shall be reduced by $8 million and, instead, the Company shall issue $8 million in promissory notes of the Company (the "Promissory Notes") to certain vendors.

In light of the Purchase Agreement Amendment, the Company intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of a minimum of $5 million and maximum of $10 million in unsecured convertible debentures (each, a "Debenture") at a price of $1,000 per Debenture (the "Offering"), as further detailed below. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund the Acquisition. Due to current market conditions, the Company has decided to withdraw its previously announced public offering of subscription receipts as set forth in the preliminary prospectus dated May 2, 2022.

Under the amended terms of the Acquisition, the aggregate consideration shall comprise of (a) $34.8 million in cash; (b) $8 million in Promissory Notes; and (c) $7.5 million in the Company's common shares. The cash component of the purchase price is expected to be financed through a $28 million credit facility to be provided by Toronto-Dominion Bank and a combination of funds raised through the Offering and up to $5 million from the Company's treasury cash. The Promissory Notes shall be unsecured, bear an interest of seven percent (7%) (payable on maturity) and mature on the three (3) year anniversary of issuance. The Acquisition increases Deveron's 2021 pro forma revenue to $35.3 million with EBITDA of $8.3 million, confirming Deveron as one of North America's fastest growing and most profitable agriculture data companies. For additional details in respect of the Acquisition, please refer to the Company's press release dated May 2, 2022.

"Given the Company's treasury cash position and evolving market conditions, we believe the Offering provides the most accretive means to fund the acquisition of A&L for our current shareholders," stated Deveron's President and CEO, David MacMillan. "The Debenture offering coupled with our current balance sheet, allows us the flexibility to fulfill the funding requirements for the acquisition of A&L as well as execute on our growth plans. The demand for high quality soil data continues to increase as we see more growers look to manage their input costs, improve soil health, and participate in carbon sequestration initiatives. A&L is expected to be a transformational acquisition for Deveron that will be an integral piece in helping us achieve our goals."

The Debentures will mature three (3) years following the closing date of the Offering (the "Maturity Date") and will provide interest at a rate of seven percent (7%) per annum, payable annually in arrears in cash or in common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") at the option of the Company.

The holder of a Debenture will have the right, from time to time and at any time on or prior to the Maturity Date, to convert all or any portion of the outstanding principal amount (but not any accrued and unpaid interest thereon) into Common Shares, at a conversion price of $0.50 per Common Share (the "Conversion Price"), subject to adjustment as herein provided. If, at any time following the second anniversary of the closing date of the Offering, the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") is greater than $1.00 for any 20 consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the option, on not more than 60 days and not less than 30 days prior notice, to (a) convert all of the principal amount of the then-outstanding Debentures at the Conversion Price or (b) redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, at a price equal to their principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest (the Company may elect neither option).

In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finder's fees of up to 6.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and/or may issue up to such number of finder's warrants equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering divided by the $0.50 Conversion Price, with each finder's warrant being exercisable to acquire a Common Shares for a period of 24 months after the closing date of the Offering.

The Offering is anticipated to close on or about May 17, 2022 and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals of applicable securities regulatory authorities, including the Exchange, and is conditional on the satisfaction of all material conditions precedent to the Acquisition (other than payment of the purchase price). It is expected that insiders of the Company will participate in the Offering. Additional details regarding such insider participation will be provided in subsequent press releases of the Company.

The Acquisition is anticipated to close on or about May 19, 2022 and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals of applicable securities regulatory authorities, including the Exchange.

About A&L

A&L is the one of the largest soil and tissue laboratories in Canada. Founded by Greg Patterson, and based in London, Ontario, A&L operates a 54,500 square foot laboratory with significant growth capacity and 106 employees, including a large R&D group that has produced patented, crop specific yield and disease solutions. A&L processes over 435,000 soil samples per year. Deveron and A&L have cooperated in Canadian soil testing and analysis since 2019 and jointly own and operate Wood's End Laboratory in the United States. During the 12 month period ended December 31, 2021, A&L had unaudited revenue of $26.7 million and EBITDA of $11.6 million.1 As at December 31, 2021, A&L had total unaudited assets of $19,835,475 and total unaudited liabilities of $6,747,983.

About Deveron

Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to better manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide, and other farm inputs. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drone, that build a basis of our best-in-class data layers. Our focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres of farmland are actively farmed annually.2

For more information and to join our community, please visit www.deveron.com .

David MacMillan

President & CEO, Deveron Corp.

dmacmillan@deveron.com

Tel: 647-963-2429

A&L Financial Statements and Information

All A&L financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP principles applicable to private enterprises, which are Canadian accounting standards for private enterprises in Part II of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada Handbook. The recognition, measurement and disclosure requirements of Canadian GAAP applicable to private enterprises differ from those of Canadian GAAP applicable to publicly accountable enterprises, which are IFRS.

A&L's EBITDA, as used herein, is defined by A&L as net earnings (as per Canadian accounting standards for private enterprises set out in Part II of the CPA Canada Handbook - Accounting, as issued by the Accounting Standards Board in Canada) less interest expense, depreciation and amortization, and income taxes.

Presentation of Financial Information

The financial information of Deveron referred to in this news release is reported in Canadian dollars and have been prepared in accordance with IFRS. All financial information of A&L referred to in this news release is reported in Canadian dollars and has been derived from audited and unaudited historical financial statements of A&L that were prepared in accordance with Canadian accounting standards for private enterprises. The recognition, measurement and disclosure requirements of Canadian GAAP applicable to private enterprises differ from those of Canadian GAAP applicable to publicly accountable enterprises, which are IFRS.

The financial information for A&L in this news release for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 are unaudited and were calculated by management by adding figures for six months ended December 31, 2021 (unaudited) to figures for year ended June 30, 2021 (audited) and subtracting figures for six months ended December 31, 2020 (unaudited).

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. This forward-looking information in this news release includes, among other things, statements relating to: the use of net proceeds of the Offering; the closing and timing of the Offering, including the satisfaction and timing of the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange; satisfaction or waiver of other conditions to closing of the Offering; the closing and timing of the Acquisition on the announced terms, including the satisfaction and timing of the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange; and the ability to finance the Acquisition; the anticipated sources of financing of the Acquisition; whether the Offering will be the most accretive option to fund the Acquisition; and completion of the loan from Toronto-Dominion Bank; the Company's ability to execute its growth plans and achieve its goals; the continued demand for soil data; the effect of Acquisition on the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: changes in the worldwide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward-looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and the "Risk Factors" section of the Base Shelf Prospectus and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements filed by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward-looking statements.

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.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

1 A&L figures for 12 months ended December 31, 2021 calculated by management by adding figures for six months ended December 31, 2021 (unaudited) to figures for year ended June 30, 2021 (audited) and subtracting figures for six months ended December 31, 2020 (unaudited).

2 Based on data collected through the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Statistics Service and Statistics Canada.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123504
The International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) is pleased to announce the success of the 2022 ICPC Virtual Plenary that recently took place online from 26th 27th April. Close to 300 ICPC Members registered to attend the event, along with 45 guest observers, and over 20 invited speakers, gathered online from around the globe for over two days to listen, learn, and discuss a diverse set of topics about the vital importance of submarine cables and their protection worldwide. From the opening presentation on maritime security from NATO to a Naval speech on marine spatial planning, and on to such topics as submarine cable permitting, fibre optic monitoring and ocean ecosystems, the Plenary remained fully engaged with its listeners and participants.

Newly elected ICPC Chairman, Mr Graham Evans commented: 'Although the ICPC Executive Committee had to make the tough decision to hold the 2022 ICPC Plenary online due to travel restrictions for many of our ICPC Members, we felt it was in the best interest to host this year's Plenary virtually. However, we had a great turnout with lively Member interactions, a wide array of presentations, and participation from government entities and those with an interest in the submarine cable community, including students attending as observers for research. We look forward to seeing you in-person next year.'

The ICPC is pleased to announce the 2023 ICPC Plenary will take place in Madrid, Spain from 18th 20th April 2023. Stay tuned later this year for full details regarding the 'Call for Papers', venue details, and registration. If interested in learning more about the ICPC, its annual Plenary, or how to become a Member, please send all enquiries to secretariat@iscpc.org. For a perspective on the variety of subjects presented at the 2022 Plenary, the full programme can be viewed via the following link.

About the ICPC. The ICPC is the world's premier submarine cable protection organisation. It was formed in 1958 to promote the protection of submarine cables against human-made and natural hazards. It provides a forum for the exchange of technical, legal, and environmental information about submarine cables and engages with stakeholders and governments globally to promote submarine cable protection. The ICPC has over 180 Members from over 60 nations, including cable operators, owners, manufacturers, industry service providers, as well as governments. For further information about the ICPC, see www.iscpc.org and www.linkedin.com/company/icpc-ltd/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006371/en/

Contacts:

ICPC:

Ryan Wopschall, ICPC General Manager

+1 541 306 1549

general.manager@iscpc.org


MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Match Group (MTCH), the company behind dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Match.com filed a lawsuit against Google on Monday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly in the Google Play Store. The lawsuit also said that the in-app payment policies, including some of its 30 percent cut of some in-app purchases, are anti-competitive.



This lawsuit is the latest anti-trust complaint against Google following years of scrutiny over its business practices. The suit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California and alleges that not only does the search engine have a monopoly on the distribution of Android apps, but it coerces app makers to accept contract language that makes them use Google's in-app payment technology. The app makers are also forced to pay fees to Google.



Match Group said in a statement, 'These exorbitant 'fees' force developers to charge users more for their services and utilize resources they would otherwise invest in our employees, technologies, and user-requested features. In addition, monopolizing the market for in-app payments will further cement Google's near-total control of the Android ecosystem.'



Match Group CEO Shar Dubey said in a statement that the complaint was a 'measure of last resort,' adding that the search giant had informed Match that its apps would be removed from the Google Play Store in June unless Match agrees with the 2020 rule that apps must exclusively use Google's in-app payment processing.



Responding to a lawsuit, Google put out a blog post on Monday that the Match Group is simply trying to avoid paying for the Google services as part of the program.



The search giant said that most of of the apps on Play Store do not pay any fees but the apps of Match Group belong to that 3 percent, which pay for their services. Google also said that the Match Group had enough time to adjust to the changes the search giant announced in 2020.



Wilson White, Google's VP of government affairs and public policy, said in a statement, 'As a platform, we're always looking to work in good faith with partners to grow and evolve the ecosystem, but we'll stand firm against false attacks on our business, especially when it puts users at risk and endangers our ability to continue investing in and serving our developer community.'



Major tech companies like Apple and Google reduced some of the app store fees they charge in recent years, amid rising complaints from app developers and policymakers. This year, for example, Google reduced its fees on in-app subscriptions from 30 percent to 15 percent.







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TORONTO and GATINEAU, Quebec, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Converge Technology Solutions Corp. ("Converge" or "the Company") (TSX:CTS) (FSE:0ZB) (OTCQX:CTSDF) is pleased to provide its financial results for the three month period ended March 31, 2022. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.



For the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 ("Q1-2022") Converge reports the following financial highlights:

Q1-2022 net revenue increased 77% over the same quarter last year ("Q1-2021") to $550.0 million

Organic gross revenue growth 1 for Q1-2022 compared to last year was approximately 7.2%

for Q1-2022 compared to last year was approximately 7.2% Q1-2022 gross profit increased 60.8% over last year to $ 109 million

Adjusted EBITDA 1 increased 58% to $29.6 million from $ 18.8 million last year and LTM Adjusted EBITDA 1 increased 53.4% to $104.9 million from $68.4 million last year.

increased 58% to $29.6 million from $ 18.8 million last year and LTM Adjusted EBITDA increased 53.4% to $104.9 million from $68.4 million last year. For Q1-2022, the Company generated Adjusted Free Cashflow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion 1 of $24.2 million and 82%, respectively

of $24.2 million and 82%, respectively Reported Adjusted EPS 1 of $0.10 per share for Q1-2022 increasing by 25% from $0.08 per share in Q1-2021 and LTM Adjusted EPS 1 of $0.38 per share, increasing by 27% from $0.30 per share in Q1-2021 LTM.

of $0.10 per share for Q1-2022 increasing by 25% from $0.08 per share in Q1-2021 and LTM Adjusted EPS of $0.38 per share, increasing by 27% from $0.30 per share in Q1-2021 LTM. Bookings backlog 2 increased to approximately $472 million in Q1-2022 compared to $350 million in Q4 2021 subsequent to clearing $250 million worth of backlog during the quarter

increased to approximately $472 million in Q1-2022 compared to $350 million in Q4 2021 subsequent to clearing $250 million worth of backlog during the quarter Achieved 111 net new logos in Q1-2022 compared to 95 net new logos in Q4-2021

Q1-2022 Business Highlights & Subsequent to Quarter

Acquired approximately $398.7 million of LTM gross revenue and $29.4 million EBITDA through five acquisitions year-to-date including Paragon Development Systems, Inc. (PDS); Visucom GmbH; Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. (CBI); and Interdynamix Systems (IDX)

Converge subsidiary Portage Cybertech completed the acquisition of 1CRM

Expanded company's senior leadership team through appointment of John Teltsch as Chief Revenue Officer and announced Richard Lecoutre to join Converge as Global Chief Financial Officer in Q3-2022.

Converge named to CRNManaged Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Elite 150 Category & 2022 CRN Tech Elite 250 List and placed eighth on 2022 CDN Top 100 Solution Providers

"I want to congratulate our team on a record quarter showing outstanding year-over-year growth across key financial metrics," said Shaun Maine, CEO. "Demand was extremely strong, as we generated approximately $575 million in product orders from customers throughout Q1, combined with an improvement in the supply chain, where $250 million of the $350 million backlog that we reported in Q4 was invoiced in Q1. With now over $472 million in product backlog entering Q2, accounting for 24% of Converge's total 2021 gross revenue, Converge is poised for strong double-digit organic growth as the supply chain normalizes."

Conference Call Details:

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Time: 8:00 AM Eastern Time

Participant Dial-in Details:

Webcast Link - https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/58mbfnht

Toll Free - North America (+1) 888 708 0720

Toll Free - International (929) 517 9011

Germany - 0800 181 5287

United Kingdom - 0800 028 8438

Conference ID: 5877301

Recording Playback Numbers:

Toll Free - (855) 859 2056

Alternative Number - (404) 537 3406

Conference ID: 5877301

Expiry Date: May 18th, 2022

A live audio webcast accompanied by presentation slides and archive of the conference call will be available by visiting the Company's website at https://convergetp.com/investor-relations/ . Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure time for any software download that may be needed to hear the webcast.

About Converge

Converge Technology Solutions Corp. is a software-enabled IT & Cloud Solutions provider focused on delivering industry-leading solutions and services. Converge's global solution approach delivers advanced analytics, application modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and digital workplace offerings to clients across various industries. The Company supports these solutions with advisory, implementation, and managed services expertise across all major IT vendors in the marketplace. This multi-faceted approach enables Converge to address the unique business and technology requirements for all clients in the public and private sectors. For more information, visit convergetp.com.

For further information contact:



Converge Technology Solutions Corp.

Email: investors@convergetp.com

Phone: 416-360-1495

Summary of Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)

March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 Assets Current assets Cash $ 216,664 $ 248,193 Restricted cash 63,493 - Trade and other receivables 468,512 416,499 Inventories 120,193 104,254 Prepaid expenses and other assets 13,369 11,762 882,231 780,708 Long-term assets Property, equipment, and right-of-use assets, net 40,096 30,642 Intangible assets, net 277,438 233,586 Goodwill 340,784 323,284 Other non-current assets 674 617 $ 1,541,223 $ 1,368,837 Liabilities and shareholders' equity Current liabilities Trade and other payables $ 528,325 $ 519,434 Borrowings 162,780 816 Other financial liabilities 26,920 29,407 Deferred revenue 36,623 27,581 Income taxes payable 16,790 13,977 771,438 591,215 Long-term liabilities Other financial liabilities 74,090 85,296 Borrowings 242 412 Deferred tax liability 54,409 43,086 $ 900,179 $ 720,009 Shareholders' equity Common shares 633,809 633,489 Contributed surplus 3,537 2,325 Exchange rights 2,076 2,396 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (6,259 ) 329 Deficit (26,844 ) (25,050 ) Total equity attributable to shareholders of Converge 606,319 613,489 Non-controlling interest 34,725 35,339 641,044 648,828 $ 1,541,223 $ 1,368,837

Summary of Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)

Three months ended March 31, 2022 2021 Revenues Product $ 453,389 $ 252,507 Service 96,648 57,695 Total revenue 550,037 310,202 Cost of sales 440,992 242,405 Gross profit 109,045 67,797 Selling, general and administrative expenses 80,412 49,643 Income before the following 28,633 18,154 Depreciation and amortization 14,480 6,488 Finance expense, net 1,818 2,420 Special charges 5,722 3,051 Share-based compensation expense 1,212 - Other expense 6,403 1,093 Income (loss) before income taxes (1,002 ) 5,102 Income tax expense 1,406 1,436 Net income (loss) $ (2,408 ) $ 3,666 Net income (loss) attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (1,794 ) 3,666 Non-controlling interest (614 ) - $ (2,408 ) $ 3,666 Other comprehensive income (loss) Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (6,587 ) (203 ) Comprehensive income (loss) $ (8,995 ) $ 3,463 Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to: Shareholders of Converge (8,381 ) 3,463 Non-controlling interest (614 ) - $ (8,995 ) $ 3,463 Adjusted EBITDA3 $ 29,649 $ 18,768 Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit3 27.2 % 27.7 %

Summary of Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars)

For the three months ended March 31, 2022 2021 Cash flows used in operating activities Net income (loss) $ (2,408 ) $ 3,666 Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash from operating activities Depreciation and amortization 15,340 7,240 Unrealized foreign exchange losses 6,669 1,012 Share-based compensation expense 1,212 - Finance expense, net 1,818 2,420 Change in fair value of contingent consideration - 597 Income tax expense 1,406 1,436 24,037 16,371 Changes in non-cash working capital items Trade and other receivables (27,773 ) 22,796 Inventories 6,549 (12,167 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (1,429 ) (565 ) Trade and other payables (29,383 ) (35,139 ) Income taxes payable (753 ) 496 Other financial liabilities 1,917 - Deferred revenue and customer deposits (3,385 ) 3,680 Cash used in operating activities (30,220 ) (4,528 ) Cash flows used in investing activities Purchase of property and equipment (11,356 ) (1,765 ) Proceeds on disposal of property and equipment 177 89 Repayment of contingent consideration (10,134 ) (3,420 ) Repayment of deferred consideration (1,740 ) (3,205 ) Business combinations, net of cash acquired (67,926 ) (10,194 ) Cash used in investing activities (90,979 ) (18,495 ) Cash flows from financing activities Transfers to restricted cash (63,493) - (49,671) - Interest paid (956 ) (2,460 ) Payments of lease liabilities (2,728 ) (2,285 ) Net proceeds from issuance of common shares and warrants - 80,940 Repayment of notes payable (121 ) (2,691 ) Net proceeds from borrowings 162,468 4,242 Cash from financing activities 95,170 28,075 Net change in cash during the period (26,029 ) 4,040 Effect of foreign exchange on cash (5,500 ) (1,387 ) Cash, beginning of period 248,193 64,767 Cash, end of period $ 216,664 $ 68,432

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

This news release refers to certain performance indicators including "Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Adjusted EBITDA)", "Adjusted Free Cash Flow", "Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion", "Adjusted Net Income (Loss)" and "Adjusted Earnings per Share", "Gross Revenue", and "Organic Growth" which are not recognized under IFRS and do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. Converge's method of calculating such non-IFRS measures and ratios may differ from methods used by other companies and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Management believes that these measures are useful to most shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders in analyzing the Company's operating results, and can highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. The Company also believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers.

Management also uses non-IFRS measures and ratios in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, prepare annual operating budgets and assess the ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. These non-IFRS financial measures and ratios are furnished to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to the consolidated income (loss) or any other measure of performance under IFRS. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's financial statements and disclosures in their entirety and are cautioned not to put undue reliance on non-IFRS measures and ratios and view them in conjunction with the most comparable IFRS financial measures.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA represents net income (loss) or income adjusted to exclude amortization, depreciation, interest expense and finance costs, foreign exchange gains and losses, share-based compensation expense, income tax expense, and special charges. Special charges consist primarily of restructuring related expenses for employee terminations, lease terminations, and restructuring of acquired companies, as well as certain legal fees or provisions related to acquired companies. From time to time, it may also include adjustments in the fair value of contingent consideration, and other such non-recurring costs related to restructuring, financing, and acquisitions.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized, defined, or standardized measure under IFRS. The Company's definition of Adjusted EBITDA will likely differ from that used by other companies and therefore comparability may be limited. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for or in isolation from measures prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The Company has reconciled Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows:

For the three months

ended March 31, 2022 2021 Net income (loss) before taxes $ (1,002 ) $ 5,102 Finance expense 1,818 2,420 Share-based compensation expense 1,212 - Depreciation and amortization 14,480 6,488 Depreciation included in cost of sales 751 695 Foreign exchange loss 6,668 1,012 Special charges 5,722 3,051 Adjusted EBITDA $ 29,649 $ 18,768

Adjusted Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion

The Company calculates Adjusted Free Cash Flow as Adjusted EBITDA less: (i) recurring capital expenditures ("Recurring Capex") and (ii) lease payments relating to the IFRS 16 lease liability ("IFRS 16 Lease Liability"). Management defines Recurring Capex as the actual capital expenditures which are required to maintain the Company's existing and ongoing operations in its normal course of business. Recurring Capex excludes one-time expenditures to support growth initiatives that the Company categorizes as non-recurring in nature. Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a useful measure that allows the Company to primarily identify how much pre-tax cash is available for continued investment in the business and for the Company's growth by acquisition strategy.

Management also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a good proxy for cash generation and as such, Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion is a useful metric that demonstrates that the rate at which the Company can convert Adjusted EBITDA to cash.

The following table provides a calculation for Adjusted Cash Flow and Adjusted Cash Flow Conversion for the Q1-2022 and Q1-2021:

For the three months

ended March 31, 2022 2021 Adjusted EBITDA $ 29,649 $ 18,768 Capex (2,734 ) (1,765 ) Payment of lease liabilities (2,728 ) (2,285 ) Adjusted Free Cash Flow $ 24,187 $ 14,718 Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion 82 % 78 %

Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit

The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA as a % of Gross Profit is a useful measure of the Company's operating efficiency and profitability. This is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by gross profit.

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings per Share ("EPS")

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) represents net income (loss) adjusted to exclude special charges, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and share-based compensation. The Company believes that Adjusted Net Income (Loss) is a more useful measure than net income (loss) as it excludes the impact of one-time, non-cash and/or non-recurring items that are not reflective of Converge's underlying business performance. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income (Loss) by the total weighted average shares outstanding on a basic and diluted basis.

The Company has provided a reconciliation to the most comparable IFRS financial measure as follows:

For the three months ended March 31, 2022 2021 Net income (loss) $ (2,408 ) $ 3,666 Special charges 5,722 3,051 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 11,316 4,287 Foreign exchange loss 6,668 1,012 Share-based compensation 1,212 - Adjusted Net Income: $ 22,510 $ 12,016 Basic 0.10 0.08 Diluted 0.10 0.07

Gross revenue and Gross revenue for organic growth

Gross revenue, which is a non-IFRS measurement, reflects the gross amount billed to customers, adjusted for amounts deferred or accrued. The Company believes gross revenue is a useful alternative financial metric to net revenue, the IFRS measure, as it better reflects volume fluctuations as compared to net revenue. Under the applicable IFRS 15 'principal vs agent' guidance, the principal records revenue on a gross basis and the agent records commission on a net basis. In transactions where Converge is acting as an agent between the customer and the vendor, net revenue is calculated by reducing gross revenue by the cost of sale amount. Gross revenue for organic growth is calculated as i) the actual gross revenue for companies owned by Converge for at least three months that is included in the Company's financial results for the year then ended, plus ii) for those acquisitions that occurred after January 1 and that have been under Converge ownership for at least three months, the pro forma gross revenue contribution had they been owned for the full fiscal year.

The Company has provided a reconciliation of gross revenue to net revenue, which is the most comparable IFRS financial measure, as follows:

For the three months ended March 31, 2022 2021 Product $ 453,389 $ 252,507 Managed services 33,983 20,430 Third party and professional services 186,557 135,163 Gross revenue $ 673,929 $ 408,100 Adjustment for sales transacted as agent 123,892 97,898 Net revenue $ 550,037 $ 310,202

The Company measures organic growth on an annual basis, at the gross revenue level, and includes companies that Converge has owned for at least three months. Once a company is acquired, there is lead time required to integrate and regionalize the acquired work force, align rebate programs, and begin to execute on cross-selling opportunities. Management believes that three months provides a good representation of the acquisition under Converge ownership and can begin to evaluate the acquired company from an organic growth standpoint. Organic growth is calculated by deducting prior year pro forma gross revenues from current year gross revenue for organic growth. Organic growth % is calculated by dividing organic growth by prior year pro forma gross revenues, as follows:

The following table calculates organic growth for Q1-2022:

For the three months ended March 31, 2022 Gross revenue $ 673,929 Less: gross revenues of Companies below three months ownership 57,192 Gross revenue included in actual results $ 616,737 Add: pro forma gross revenue - Gross revenue for organic growth $ 616,737 Prior period pro forma gross revenues 575,169 Organic Growth - $ $ 41,568 Organic Growth - % 7.2 %

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation regarding Converge and its business. 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. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while the Company considers reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Converge assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For a detailed description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's filings available on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.comincluding its most recent Annual Information Form, its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual and Quarterly Financial Statements.

1 This is a Non-IFRS measure (including non-IFRS ratio) and not a recognized, defined or a standardized measure under IFRS. See the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section of this news release for definitions, uses and a reconciliation of historical non-IFRS financial measures to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures.

2 Bookings backlog is calculated as purchase orders received from customers not yet delivered at the end of the fiscal period.

3 This is a Non-IFRS measure (including non-IFRS ratio) and not a recognized, defined or a standardized measure under IFRS. See the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section of this news release for definitions, uses and a reconciliation of historical non-IFRS financial measures to the most directly comparable IFRS financial measures.
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / The following abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds announced today that the closed end funds in the chart directly below will pay the distributions indicated on a per share basis on May 31, 2022 to all shareholders of record as of May 20, 2022 (ex-dividend date May 19, 2022). These dates apply to the Funds listed below with the exception of the Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. ("IAF"), the India Fund, Inc. ("IFN") and the Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. ("JEQ") which will pay on June 30, 2022 to all shareholders of record as of May 20, 2022 (ex-dividend date May 19, 2022).

Ticker Exchange Fund Amount ACP NYSE Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund $ 0.1000 AGD NYSE Aberdeen Global Dynamic Dividend Fund $ 0.0650 AOD NYSE Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund $ 0.0575 AWP NYSE Aberdeen Global Premier Properties Fund $ 0.0400 ASGI NYSE Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income Fund $ 0.1200 FAX NYSE American Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. $ 0.0275 FCO NYSE American Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc. $ 0.0700 IAF NYSE American Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. $ 0.1500 IFN NYSE The India Fund, Inc. $ 0.5300 JEQ NYSE Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. $ 0.1200

At the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders, which will state the amount and composition of each fund's distributions and provide information with respect to their appropriate tax treatment for the prior calendar year. You should not draw any conclusions about any of these Funds' investment performance from the amount of the distributions.

MANAGED DISTRIBUTION POLICY FUNDS

ANNOUNCE DISTRIBUTION PAYMENT DETAILS

Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income Fund ("ASGI")

Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. ("FAX")

Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. ("IAF")

The India Fund, Inc. ("IFN")

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. ("JEQ")

The above-noted abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds (the "Funds" or individually the "Fund"), today announced that the Funds will pay the distributions noted in the chart above on May 31, 2022, on a per share basis to all shareholders of record as of May 20, 2022 (ex-dividend date May 19, 2022). These dates apply to the Funds listed below with the exception of the Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. (IAF), the India Fund, Inc. (IFN) and the Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (JEQ) which will pay on June 30, 2022 to all shareholders of record as of May 20, 2022 (ex-dividend date May 19, 2022).

Each Fund has adopted a distribution policy to provide investors with a stable distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital in reliance on an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.

For the Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. ("IAF"), the India Fund, Inc. ("IFN") and the Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. ("JEQ"), this stock distribution will automatically be paid in newly issued shares of the Fund unless otherwise instructed by the shareholder. Shares of common stock will be issued at the lower of the net asset value ("NAV") per share or the market price per share with a floor for the NAV of not less than 95% of the market price. The valuation date for this stock distribution is June 21, 2022. Fractional shares will generally be settled in cash, except for registered shareholders with book entry accounts at Computershare Investor Services who will have whole and fractional shares added to their account.

Shareholders may request to be paid their quarterly distributions in cash instead of shares of common stock by providing advance notice to the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds their shares if the shares are in "street name," or by filling out in advance an election card received from Computershare Investor Services if the shares are in registered form. To receive the quarterly distribution payable in June 2022 in cash instead of shares of common stock, the bank, brokerage or nominee who holds the shares must advise the Depository Trust Company as to the full and fractional shares for which they want the distribution paid in cash by June 17, 2022 and written notification for the election of cash by registered shareholders must be received by Computershare Investor Services prior to June 17, 2022.

The following tables set forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distributions for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder. The tables have been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The tables include estimated amounts and percentages for the current distributions to be paid as well as for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date, from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated compositions of the distributions may vary because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.

Each Fund's estimated sources of the current distributions to be paid and for its current fiscal year to date are as follows:

Estimated Amounts of Current Distribution per Share Fund Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $0.1200 $0.0144 12% $0.0060 5% $0.0996 83% - - FAX $0.0275 $0.0160 58% - - - - $0.0115 42% IAF $0.1500 $0.0270 18% - - $0.0825 55% $0.0405 27% IFN $0.5300 - - - - $0.5300 100% - - JEQ $0.1200 $0.0144 12% - - $0.1020 85% $0.0036 3%

Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per Share Fund Fiscal Year* to Date Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $0.8898 $0.1068 12% $0.0445 5% $0.7385 83% - - FAX $0.1925 $0.1117 58% - - - - $0.0808 42% IAF $0.4600 $0.0828 18% - - $0.2530 55% $0.1242 27% IFN $1.1100 - - - - $1.1100 100% - - JEQ $1.2505 $0.1501 12% - - $1.0629 85% $0.0375 3%

* ASGI has a 9/30 fiscal year end; FAX, IAF and JEQ have a 10/31 fiscal year end; IFN has a 12/31 fiscal year end.

**includes currency gains

Where the estimated amounts above show a portion of the distribution to be a "Return of Capital," it means that Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in a Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides the Funds' total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information Fund Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 04/30/2022 Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV Cumulative Total Return on NAV Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV ASGI 12.02%4 6.23% 2.65% 3.50% FAX 0.54% 9.02% (12.54%) 4.51% IAF 8.32% 10.78% (7.22%) 5.48% IFN 7.06% 11.42% (10.88%) 2.85% JEQ 1.85% 6.38%3 (24.63%) 16.04%

1 Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.

2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of April 30, 2022.

3 The percentage shown does not include the Fund's annual distribution policy in place in 2021.

4 The Fund launched within the past 5 years; the performance and distribution rate information presented reflects data from inception (July 29, 2020) through January 31, 2022.

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., abrdn Australia Limited, abrdn Asia Limited, Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

https://www.abrdn.com/en-us/cefinvestorcenter/fund-centre/closed-end-funds

For More Information Contact:

abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds

Investor Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

SOURCE: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700826/Abrdn-US-Closed-End-Funds-Announce-Distribution-Payment-Details
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2022 / Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. ("Naturally Splendid" or "NSE" or the "Company" ) (FRANKFURT:50N)(TSX-V:NSP)(OTC PINK:NSPDF) announces it will be applying for approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") to extend the expiry date of 26,321,516 common share purchase warrants issued to subscribers (the "Subscriber Warrants") under the Company's private placement that closed on June 4, 2020. The Company intends to extend the expiry date of the Subscriber Warrants from June 4, 2022 to June 4, 2023.

The exercise price of $0.055 and all other terms of the Subscriber Warrants will remain unchanged for the extended exercise period. The extension is subject to approval from the Exchange.

About Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd.

Naturally Splendid is a plant-based food manufacturing and technology company that produces and distributes nutritious and delicious plant-based commodity products.



Founded in 2010, the Company operates a certified food manufacturing facility located just outside Vancouver, BC in Canada, focusing on producing an extensive range of plant-based entrees.



Naturally Splendid has an exclusive 10-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for Canada with a division of Australia's largest plant-based food manufacturer, Flexitarian Foods Pty. Ltd.

In addition to producing the Company's own branded products, Naturally Splendid provides contract manufacturing services and private labeling for a variety of nutritional plant-based food products destined for multiple distribution channels.



The Company has established healthy, functional foods under brands such as Natera Sport, Natera Hemp Foods, CHII, Elevate Me and Woods Wild Bar. The Company launched Natera Plant Based Foods, a line of delicious plant-based meat alternatives for the rapidly growing plant-based market segment.

Naturally Splendid maintains a relationship Plasm Pharmaceutical, a company that has been approved for conducting a phase 2 clinical trial approved by Health Canada for the treatment of COVID-19.

NSE has also developed proprietary technologies for the extraction of healthy omega 3 and 6 oils, as well as a protein concentrate from hemp.

For more information e-mail info@naturallysplendid.com or call Investor Relations at 604-570-0902 x 101

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Mr. J. Craig Goodwin

CEO, Director

Contact Information

Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd.

(NSP - TSX Venture; NSPDF - OTCQB; 50N Frankfurt)

#108-19100 Airport Way

Pitt Meadows, BC, V3Y 0E2

Office: (604) 570-0902

Fax: (604) 465-1128

E-mail: info@naturallysplendid.com

Website: www.naturallysplendid.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Naturally Splendid cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Naturally Splendid's control including, Naturally Splendid's ability to compete with large food and beverage companies; sales of any potential products developed will be profitable; sales of shelled hemp seed will continue at existing rates or increase; customers will complete on sales contracts; and the risk that any of the potential applications may not receive all required regulatory or legal approval. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Naturally Splendid undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE: Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700549/Naturally-Splendid-Amends-Warrant-Terms
This partnership propels Mark43 to the U.K. market, expanding impact of industry-leading cloud-native software

NEW YORK, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mark43 , the leading cloud-native public safety software company, today announced that it is expanding its reach to the United Kingdom with the signing of its inaugural customer, Cumbria Constabulary. By choosing Mark43's innovative data platform, Cumbria joins more than 135 agencies throughout the U.S. and Australia, including police agencies in New South Wales, Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, San Antonio and Atlanta.

Mark43 was the force's vendor of choice due to its innovative, resilient, and best-in-class technology for first responders. In particular, the user-friendly data platform is cloud-native, which means it updates in real time, and allows for users to remain constantly connected and share mission-critical data throughout day-to-day work to keep residents safe.

By selecting Mark43, Cumbria Constabulary is continuing to stay at the forefront of U.K. policing in its use of digital technology to serve its communities. This investment will mark a major milestone as Cumbria looks to maximize the time spent by 1,285 police officers and about 680 civilian staff. The officers and staff will use this data platform in everyday policing, including on the frontline, as officers aim to solve and deter crime and keep people safe. Specifically, this software will be used to write reports, undertake investigations, more efficiently deploy resources, support safeguarding and victim care, and for officers to maintain a dialogue with their community members.

This new system will reduce duplication, red tape and time officers spend doing deskwork and on computers - meaning officers can spend more time tackling crime, responding to the public and being out and about in the community. In addition, with dedicated customer support, Mark43 will provide 24/7, steadfast assistance that is second to none to address any customer needs and questions as they arise.

As part of the selection process, staff from Mark43 spent time with the force over the last year to find out how they work and how the systems would best serve the aims of solving and deterring crime and keeping people safe. Mark43 went out with response officers, visited police stations and sites, and participated in dozens of meetings to get to the bottom of what works best and what will be best for the future of policing.

Chief Constable Michelle Skeer said: "Our investment in new technology has one key aim - making sure we provide the best possible policing service to the people of Cumbria and those who work and visit our county. Improving the digital tools and systems with which our officers and staff do their jobs means they are able to work smarter and more efficiently, giving them more opportunity to be out and visible in our communities, which we know people want. Ultimately, this partnership will help our officers do their jobs better for the benefit of tackling and deterring crime and keeping the communities of Cumbria safe."

Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Blackwell said: "The system Mark43 will be providing us with will help us continually improve for the benefit of our workforce and the public. Our officers and staff use digital systems throughout their duties and having them as streamlined and free of duplication as possible means more officers out on the beat or spending time keeping people safe. This new technology is aimed at helping operational policing - the officers on the frontline keeping our communities safe. We're delighted to be working with Mark43 on this exciting partnership."

Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall said: "Mark43 is an innovative system which I expect will assist with reducing paperwork, improve essential information flow for officers and give them more time to be back in our communities. The system will of course need some time to settle and become fully effective, but it demonstrates yet again that Cumbria are right at the leading edge in policing technology. As PCC I know that Police visibility is really important to the public and I am keen to do all we can to see effective policing in our neighbourhoods, using technology to enable this is key. The face of Policing is always changing, and more crime occurs online and behind closed doors; this means we need more officers dealing with these crimes appropriately. Mark43 gives our officers more opportunity to walk the streets and be seen. I look forward to working with Mark43 and I will be monitoring to see the actual effect and positive impact for our communities supporting the work of Cumbria Constabulary."

Matt Polega, Co-Founder of Mark43 and Head of Marketing, Communications and Public Policy said: "We are thrilled to launch this partnership with Cumbria Constabulary to support their mission of employing modern technology to help keep residents safe. With this implementation, Mark43 is bringing proven technology that will undoubtedly save time, avoid duplication and equip first responders with the modern technology solution they deserve."

About Mark43

Mark43 builds the world's most powerful community safety data systems, and property and evidence platform while providing industry-leading customer care. Community safety has changed in the last 30 years. Technology vendors haven't. Mark43 provides a refreshing, proven, enterprise implementation experience and product for over 135 public safety agencies of all sizes, with a special competency for major agencies. The cloud-native products are built only with the most modern technologies and are constantly updated, improving safety and quality of life for all. For more information, visit www.mark43.com .

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814862/Mark43_and_Cumbria_Constabulary.jpg
South Africa: General Masemola thanks, encourages KZN floods rescue teams

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

Eskom Group Executive for Generation, Phillip Dukashe, has resigned from his position, following a 26-year association with the power utility. The power utility announced Dukashes resignation on Monday  just more than a year after his permanent appointment in April 2021. A true, loyal asset to Eskom and the country, Mr Dukashes las... See more
China-proposed GDI platform to accelerate implementation of SDGs: Pakistani FM

Xinhua) 09:59, May 10, 2022

ISLAMABAD, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appreciated the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI), dubbing it a useful platform to accelerate and coordinate efforts for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

While addressing the high-level virtual meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI on Monday, Zardari expressed concerns over the reversal of progress in the implementation of SDGs, owing to multiple crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and geopolitical conflicts, according to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan.

He urged the Group of Friends of the GDI to address the challenges faced by the developing world and support emergency actions to increase cooperation in public health and vaccine equity, ensure food security, enhance energy production, promote a global green economy, stimulate trade and industrialization, and eliminate the digital divide, the ministry said in a statement.

Multiple crises have enlarged the gap in financing for development, he said, adding that the international community should mobilize adequate resources for SDGs and fulfill the commitment of providing at least 100 billion U.S. dollars annually in climate finance.

In his address, Zardari reaffirmed his country's resolve to further strengthen its all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, including through the rapid implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the statement added.

"Pakistan will continue its efforts to enhance cooperation with China through CPEC, to advance its national implementation of SDGs, in addition to participating actively in the work of the GDI Group of Friends to promote the common aspiration of a peaceful, prosperous and shared future for all mankind," he said.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee walk to the podium during Yoon's inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly, May 10. Yonhap





First lady Kim Keon-hee made her first official appearance in public Tuesday, after keeping a low profile for months, accompanying President Yoon Suk-yeol on a visit to Seoul National Cemetery and then to his inauguration ceremony.







Kim first paid tribute to fallen patriots at the cemetery together with Yoon before moving to the National Assembly Plaza for the inauguration ceremony, where 41,000 people were gathered to witness the start of the new government.







It was the first time the couple has made a public appearance together since Yoon's election in March.







After arriving at the National Assembly, Kim, dressed in white, walked behind Yoon, greeting well-wishers lining the path to the podium with fist bumps.






Data breaches can happen at any time and no one is completely safe. If youve been a victim of a data breach, knowing what steps to take right after the incident can make a huge difference to your safety and wellbeing.

Data breaches have become a common occurrence in recent years, driven by our increasing reliance on technology and intense use of digital gadgets. From small businesses to high-profile companies and government institutions, anyone can fall victim to a data breach at any time, and the consequences can range from financial loss to reputational damage or major legal issues.

As much as we try to maintain our personal data and information safe, we have limited control over these matters, so its virtually impossible to keep all risks at bay. We provide our data to financial institutions, medical providers, retailers, and other entities that just like everyone else, are exposed to cybersecurity threats. Therefore, finding out that a business or organisation that holds your personal information has suffered a data breach is not an unlikely scenario. But the question is what should you do in this situation?

As a potential victim of a data breach, it can be difficult to figure out what to do next. The shock and distress created by the news can stop you from thinking clearly. However, its important to act quickly in order to minimise damages and prevent further complications. In this article, well discuss the steps you have to take in the aftermath of a data breach. Considering that data breaches come in all shapes and sizes, these steps will vary based on your specific situation.

Check if a breach really occurred

As Data Breach Law experts explain, a data breach is a release of private and confidential information to a third party without your consent. Data breaches can be caused by a human error, a security vulnerability, or a cyberattack. Regardless of the cause, a data breach can wreak havoc on your life, leading to emotional distress, physical and material damage.

Therefore, if you receive a notification saying that your personal information has been breached, you have to take immediate action. But before you get all stressed out and start worrying about how the event will affect your life, you have to check if the data breach really occurred. Theres plenty of fake news circulating these days, so you cant just trust anyone. In order to find out if a data breach did happen, you have to get in touch with the affected company and have them confirm the event.

Find out if your information was compromised

If the breach was real, the next thing you should do is find out if the incident has affected you as well. Just because a company holding your personal data was breached doesnt necessarily mean your information was also exposed. You might be one of the lucky fellows that were not affected by the event. Again, the only way to find out if you are among the victims is to contact the breached company.

If you receive confirmation that you are one of the victims, you have to find out exactly what type of information was compromised. This aspect is extremely important because it will determine the appropriate course of action. Different types of data have different degrees of sensitivity. For example, having your national insurance number, date of birth, or drivers license information stolen can lead to more damaging consequences than having your phone number or email address exposed.

Change your passwords

Having one of your accounts breached puts all your other accounts at risk. Hackers can use the information they have on you to break the passwords on all your accounts. Thats why you have to act fast and change all your passwords immediately after the incident to protect yourself from the potential side effects.

That will reduce the possibility of hackers gaining access to further sensitive information and limit the extent of the damage. Make sure your new passwords are strong and dont have any elements in common with the old ones.

Activate transaction alerts

The last thing you want is for hackers to gain access to your bank and credit card accounts. However, you have to take this possibility into consideration following a data breach. One way to protect yourself from fraudulent activity is to activate transaction alerts for all your bank and credit card accounts.

Every time someone makes a transaction using one of your cards, youll receive a notification on your phone or email. That way, you can receive timely updates on your account activities and catch fraudulent transactions early on, before they can wreak havoc on your financial life.

Stay in touch with the breached company

Sometimes, the breached company will offer to provide support and guidance to its customers and help cover the damages theyve suffered, at least partially. Most companies do that in an attempt to restore their reputation and win back customers trust after a data breach.

Considering theyre partly responsible for the incident, and a simple letter of apology doesnt help much, you should accept the assistance theyre offering. Also, the breached company is in the best position to keep you informed on the data breach response plan theyve set in place and the progress theyre making in this respect.

Contact the relevant authorities

Just because the breached company has taken immediate action and has offered to help you out, doesnt mean you should just sit and wait patiently for things to calm down and not get actively involved. Its up to you to take additional measures to make sure you wont suffer any more damages related to the data breach in the future.

Depending on the type of information that was compromised, you have to contact the relevant authorities and follow the steps they recommend. This might imply placing a fraud alert on your credit reports, putting a freeze on your credit, or filing your taxes early.
Brightseed, a San Francisco, CA- and Raleigh, NC-based based biosciences company and creator of Forager, a computational platform that illuminates the connections between nature and human health, raised $68m in Series B funding.

The round was led by Temasek, with participation from existing and new investors.

The company intends to use the funds to advance natural compound discovery and clinical validation, and launch its first FDA-GRAS ingredient from a new commercialization center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Co-founded by Lee Chae, PhD.; Sofia Elizondo; Jim Flatt, PhD., Brightseed provides Forager, which systematically identifies natural bioactives and maps their connection to human health benefits. This accelerated discovery of health-benefiting compounds has potential implications for food & agriculture, nutrition policy and nature-based drug design.

To date, Forager has mapped more than two million plant compounds  and dozens are in various stages of validation across multiple health territories, including metabolic health, digestive health, cognitive health, sugar management, maternal health and immunity.

Brightseeds first discovery, two bioactive compounds identified in upcycled hemp hulls, will launch later this year as an FDA GRAS whole-food ingredient for gut health. To support the launch of the ingredient business, the company is opening a second location in the Research Triangle Park of Raleigh, North Carolina. Brightseeds Science Center in South San Francisco will continue to be the home of its plant library, world-class technology stack, and compound discovery efforts  informed by metabolomics, bioinformatics, natural products chemistry, biomedicine, and translational and clinical research teams. The company is partnering with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. in both regions to customize facilities to support its growing life sciences footprint and specialized ingredient production.

Partners include Danone SA, Ocean Spray, ofi (olam food ingredients) and Pharmavite, makers of Nature Made vitamins.

FinSMEs

11/05/2022


Shine Interview, a UK-based provider of a video-based recruitment and HR Tech platform, received a 1.3m funding package.

The deal included:

a 500,000 investment from the North East Venture Fund (NEVF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia;

300,000 from Mercias EIS Funds; and

a 500,000 investment from the Finance Durham Fund, managed by Maven Capital Partners, established by Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham.

The company intends to use the funds to embark on a program of growth and relocate to County Durham, creating around 20 new jobs in the area in the next 18 months.

Led by David Copple, Founder, Shine provides a platform that facilitates a remote end-to-end recruitment process through live and pre-recorded video interviewing, alongside a suite of recruitment tools including scheduling, diary management, video CVs and video-based engagement tools. The company already supports an impressive client list including Royal Navy, RAF, Reed Specialist Recruitment, Capita Resourcing, University of London, Atom Bank and the NHS, and has users in 85 countries.

FinSMEs

10/05/2022
President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, right, waves as citizens, not seen in this photo, cheer after Yoon's inauguration ceremony held in National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Poll reflects desired image of first lady to support society's vulnerable



By Kang Hyun-kyung



Six out of every 10 Koreans surveyed believe that Kim Keon-hee  the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol  should not seek an official role as first lady. In a survey of 1,015 people by polling agency Media Tomato, upon request from the online media outlet, News Tomato, 66.4 percent responded that Kim should quietly focus on her role as a supportive wife of the new president, when asked what kind of role they think Kim should pursue after Yoon takes office.



Those who answered Kim should actively play a role as first lady, as her predecessors did, stood only at 24.2 percent. The poll was released on May 4, a week before Yoon was sworn in as the nation's new president on Tuesday, May 10.






President Yoon Suk-yeol salutes during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly Plaza, May 10. Yonhap









My fellow Koreans,







Seven and a half million fellow compatriots living overseas,







Fellow citizens around the world,







I stand before you today, humbled by the trust and responsibility that you have given me and mindful of my solemn duty to rebuild this great nation. It is our generation's calling to build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community, and a nation that truly belongs to the people.







Thank you, my fellow Koreans, for gracing this historic occasion with your presence.







I am also deeply grateful to former President Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, and Her Excellency Ms. Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency Mr. Faustin Archange Touadera, President of the Central African Republic, His Excellency Mr. Wang Qishan, Vice President of the People's Republic of China, Her Excellency Ms. Diah Permata Megawati Soekarnoputri, Former President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr. Douglas Craig Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States of America, His Excellency Mr. George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate of Canada, His Excellency Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and dignitaries who have come from abroad to celebrate this occasion and other distinguished guests for their presence.







I wish to thank and pay my utmost respect to the Korean people for enduring many difficulties for the last two years in the battle against COVID-19.







I also wish to thank all the doctors, nurses and care givers for their devotion. Their professionalism is what helped all of us overcome this unprecedented crisis.







My fellow Koreans and citizens around the world,







Today, we are faced with multiple crises. Pandemics that are fundamentally altering the way we live; fast-evolving trade regimes and rearrangements in the global supply chains that are impacting our economies; climate change, food and energy crises that are causing havoc around the world; armed conflicts and wars are complex crises that no one country or a group of countries can resolve on their own. Such complex, multi-faceted crises are casting a long and dark shadow over us.







Domestically, many countries, including Korea, are experiencing record-low growth and rising unemployment. Many countries are witnessing an ever-widening gap in wages and polarization within society. Internal strife and discord are deepening which has led many of our fellow citizens to lose their sense of community and belonging.







The political process which has the responsibility to address and resolve these issues has failed due to a crisis in democracy and one of the main reasons for such failure is the troubling spread of anti-intellectualism.







When individuals disagree on certain issues and seek to reach a compromise, they can only do so when scientific facts and the truth works as the basis of their discussions. This is rationalism and intellectualism that is the foundation of democracy.







Unfortunately, truth is oftentimes bent out of shape and grossly distorted due to conflicts between nations or because of animosity between different groups within society. When we choose to see only what we want to see and hear only what we want to hear; when the masses bludgeon and silence those who do not agree with them and do this through brute force  this is how anti-intellectualism gravely weakens our democracy and puts us in peril. This is what shakes our trust in democracy. When this happens, it makes it even more difficult for us to effectively resolve the many complex challenges that we collectively face.







However, nothing is impossible. We can overcome the challenges that we face today and the ones that we will undoubtedly have to face in the future. Koreans have a long and proud history that demonstrates our unshakable resolve. Throughout our history, we came together in times of crises. Each of us pitched in and contributed whatever we could. Koreans never succumbed; we became stronger and wiser.







President Yoon Suk-yeol greets former President Moon Jae-in during his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 10. Yonhap





As the new President, I am deeply humbled by the awesome duty to lead our nation out of the latest crises. I am also grateful to be entrusted by the people of this great nation. I am confident that once again, we will overcome.







I also look forward to working with our fellow citizens around the globe to solve problems not only within our own borders but also those that take place outside.







My fellow Koreans and citizens around the world,







Belief in shared values is paramount if we are to successfully overcome these challenges. And the most important core value is freedom. We must clearly define  and unequivocally reaffirm  the real meaning of freedom.







Human history shows that when political and economic freedom reigns supreme, that is where prosperity and abundance flourished. When prosperity and economic freedom flourishes, that is when freedom reaches even the darkest corners.






Former President Moon Jae-in waves before boarding a train to head to his retirement home, May 10, in this photo provided by Moon's side. Yonhap



Former President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook headed for their retirement home in the southeastern city of Yangsan Tuesday after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol.



Moon and Kim boarded a KTX high-speed train to head to their home in Yangsan, 420 kilometers south of Seoul, along with some of his former aides and lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party.



"I'm set free," Moon smiled as he waved to his supporters before boarding the train.



"As I promised when I became president, I went back to the rural town where we were," Moon said. "Don't be regretful about me leaving office and going back to the rural town."






I believe camping bans are unconstitutional and I think the city should do away with it.

I think the the city should look at developing a managed camp like Deltas.

I think it disincentivizes efforts to find real solutions to the homeless problem.

I think the ban needs to be coupled with greater efforts to expand shelter space and access to services.

I think its unfortunate but necessary. It provides incentive for people to get the help they need.

I think its a good thing. Urban camping strains resources and hurts local businesses and tourism.

Im conflicted. I dont know what the right answer is.

Vote

View Results
President Yoon Suk-yeol signs his first presidential bill at the new presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap









By Nam Hyun-woo







President Yoon Suk-yeol began his work as the country's chief executive by signing a motion asking the National Assembly to approve Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo, whose appointment has been delayed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).







Including the motion, Yoon had a grueling first day as president, taking over control of the military as the commander-in-chief and meeting overseas guests and leaders who attended his inauguration ceremony, held at the National Assembly earlier in the day.







According to the presidential office, Yoon signed the motion on Han's appointment as the first bill with his signature on it as president.







Following the motion, Yoon appointed seven Cabinet members  the ministers of the economy, science, national defense, environment, employment, agriculture and oceans  and presidential secretaries. Afterwards, the new president also appointed vice ministers.







Han's appointment has been a thorny issue for the president, because the DPK, which holds the majority of seats in the National Assembly, is making all-out efforts to prevent him from taking the position. Unlike other ministers, the president needs National Assembly approval to appoint the prime minister.







Despite the DPK's opposition, Yoon said he places his trust in Han, hoping his "bipartisan" background of having been prime minister and Cabinet minister in both conservative and liberal administrations will lead to smooth sailing for the Yoon government while the nation is deeply divided politically.



President Yoon Suk-yeol receives a letter from U.S. President Joe Biden, delivered by U.S. second gentleman Doug Emhoff, during his courtesy visit to the new president at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap









Yoon officially began his five-year term at midnight, Tuesday, by receiving a briefing on North Korea's movements and the South Korean military's readiness from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an underground bunker at the presidential office site in Yongsan District, Seoul.






Dreamachine immersive art experience opens

Dreamachine, a powerful new immersive experience exploring the limitless potential of the human mind, today premieres in London.

Dreamachine will open at Woolwich Public Market in London on Tuesday 10 May to 24 July 2022. It will be followed by presentations in Cardiff (12 May - 18 June), Belfast (25 July - 4 September) and Edinburgh (13 August - 25 September). The live event will be free, for ages 18+

Created by Collective Act, it brings together Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, Grammy and Mercury nominated composer Jon Hopkins, and a team of leading technologists, scientists and philosophers including the School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan's Professor Fiona Macpherson.

Dreamachine is commissioned and presented as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.

Dreamachine takes its audiences on a kaleidoscopic, visual journey through flickering light and sound, all experienced through closed eyes. Audiences take their seats in a space designed by Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, creating a shared multisensory experience that is both highly personal, and collective.

Grammy and Mercury nominated composer Jon Hopkins has composed a new score for the work in 360-degree spatial sound, creating a unique and enveloping sonic world.

A team of neuroscientists and philosophers from the University of Sussex and the University of Glasgow have collaborated with creative technology studio Holition to develop unique creative tools for audience reflection, all designed to encourage connection and conversation.

The experience is inspired by an extraordinary but little-known 1959 invention by artist inventor Brion Gysin. His experimental homemade device used flickering light to create vivid illusions, kaleidoscopic patterns and explosions of colour in the mind of the viewer.

Designed to be the first artwork to be experienced with your eyes closed, Gysin had a vision for his invention to replace the TV in every home in America. Instead of passive consumers of massproduced media, viewers of the Dreamachine would create their own cinematic experiences.

Over 60 years after its original invention, Collective Act has brought together a leading creative team, to radically reimagine the Dreamachine as a powerful new kind of collective experience, bringing this to audiences across the UK for free.

Every experience of the Dreamachine will be completely individual. Research into these differing audience responses will shed unique light on how the human brain gives rise to our subjective inner universe, exploring the ways we each encounter the world, how this shapes our lives, and who we are. Even with the tools of modern neuroscience, the question of exactly why such vivid experiences occur is still unanswered. Dreamachine offers an insight into the everyday miracle of consciousness.

The programme is delivered in partnership with Cardiff Council, Northern Ireland Science Festival, Edinburgh Science, and Edinburgh International Festival, and in association with Woolwich Works and W5 Belfast.

Alongside the live experience, a UK-wide schools programme developed by A New Direction in partnership with the British Science Association and UNICEF UK will connect thousands of schools and pupils with the questions, ideas and themes explored through Dreamachine, inviting young people in every nation to join together to explore the wonder of how we see, and create, the world around us.

Dreamachine Ticket Information

Tickets are free but must be booked in advance on the Dreamachine website.

Tickets are now available for London and Cardiff, with tickets for Belfast and Edinburgh available from June.

Venues

London

Venue: Woolwich Public Market Plumstead Road London SE18 7BZ

Dates: 10 May  24 July 2022

Cardiff

Venue: Temple of Peace King Edward VII Avenue Cardiff CF10 3AP

Dates: 12 May - 18 June 2022

Belfast

Venue: Carlisle Memorial Church 31 Carlisle Circus Belfast BT14 6AT

Dated: 25 July  4 September 2022

Tickets: Available to book from June on Dreamachine Tickets

Edinburgh,

Venue: Murrayfield Ice Rink Riversdale Crescent Edinburgh EH12 5XN

Dates: 13 August  25 September 2022

Tickets: Available to book from June on Dreamachine Tickets

The Collective Act Creative Team

The project is a collaboration between: A New Direction (Award-winning not for profit Education agency) Assemble (interdisciplinary collective, Turner Prize winners 2015) Jennifer Crook (Director of Collective Act) Holition (Award-winning Creative Technology Studio) Jon Hopkins (Grammy and Mercury nominated composer) Dev Joshi (Technical Director, technologist behind Rain Room, Random International) Professor of Philosophy Fiona Macpherson (Director of The Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, University of Glasgow) Professor of Computational Neuroscience Anil Seth and Dr David Schwartzman (from the Centre for Consciousness Science, leading international researchers on consciousness, University of Sussex) Christopher Shutt (Sound Designer, Winner of a Tony Award for War Horse)

UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK

Dreamachine is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. The UKs most ambitious showcase of creative collaboration - across science, technology, engineering, arts and maths - includes free large-scale events, installations and globally accessible digital experiences, and an extensive learning programme reaching millions of schoolchildren. UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is funded and supported by the four governments of the UK and is commissioned and delivered in partnership with Belfast City Council, Creative Wales and EventScotland.
Orange, CA, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CBT, a woman-owned Domain Expert Integrator, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Kelly Ireland, Founder, CEO, and CTO, to its 2022 Power 70 Solution Providers list, an elite subset of honorees chosen from the annual CRN Women of the Channel list.

Through strong business acumen, innovation, and strategic thinking, these extraordinary women support their solution provider businesses and customers with exceptional leadership. CRN celebrates these women, who are so deserving of recognition, for their constant dedication to channel excellence.

The annual Power 70 Solution Provider honorees, an incredible group of distinguished female channel leaders, are chosen by the CRN editorial team based on their expertise and contributions to building strong solution provider businesses. This exclusive list features elite industry professionals who drive success every day through leadership and a deep dedication to their organizations and the entire IT channel.

Kelly founded CBT in 2001 as a value-added reseller (VAR) focused on unparalleled client service. Having been in tech for most of her life and having a keen eye for technology trends and an open heart for listening to industry leaders, she assessed the impending changes in the industry and started pivoting CBT well ahead of their competition. She built up CBTs OT and IT engineering expertise, data science practice, and both OT and IT partnerships to revolutionize the companys offerings and make the difficult transition from VAR to Domain Expert Integrator.

CBT has accomplished bridging the gap between operational technologies (OT) and information technologies (IT) with groundbreaking projects like the Refinery of the Future (RotF) at Texmark Chemicals. Successful initiatives like RotF in Industrial IoT and High-Performance Computing have positioned CBT as a key partner to industry-leading companies such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ABB, PTC, Intel, Antea, AMD, NVIDIA, RealWear, GuardHat, and more. This has spurred explosive new-logo growth for CBT.

Kellys leadership has also led to a myriad of accolades, including the 2021 PTC Partner Network Award for Best Ecosystem Project, the 2020 Triple Crown Award from CRN, nine consecutive Boeing Performance Excellence Awards, five consecutive CRN IoT Innovators awards, and the 2020 Women Presidents Organizations 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. Kelly has also achieved numerous personal awards, including CRNs Women of the Channel and Power Solution Providers for the last several years.

It is always an honor to see my name listed with such a remarkable group of women. It is even nicer to know that we are all here to support each other to help accomplish great things together in this industry, said Kelly. It also takes a team to achieve the success we have at CBT, and as always, I believe I have the best. Without their unselfish pursuit of always delivering the ultimate level of service to all of our customers, we would not be where we are today and I would not be on this list.

We are proud to once again recognize the remarkable leaders on this years Women of the Channel list. Their influence, confidence, and diligence continue to accelerate channel success significantly, said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. Their accomplishments will inspire others, and we look forward to witnessing their future contributions to the channel.

CRNs 2022 Women of the Channel and Power 70 lists will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.CRN.com/WOTC.

About CBT

CBT is a premier, woman-owned Domain Expert Integrator breaking the mold of traditional technology solution design. Our digital transformation strategies bridge the gap between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) to provide business outcomes beneficial across the entirety of an organization. From the CIO to the COO, to Digital Transformation Leadership and everyone in between, we deliver solutions that unite these unique business cultures for collective success in todays data-driven economy.

At CBT, we take our tagline to heart: Delivering Technology with a Human Touch. We put people at the center of our process, products, and technology solutions. With the focus areas of Internet of Things, IT/OT Convergence, and HPC and Analytics, were ready to take your innovation initiatives from ideas to execution. Learn more at www.cbtechinc.com .

Follow CBT: Twitter and LinkedIn

Copyright 2022 CBT, Inc. All rights reserved.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end-users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn , and Facebook.

 2021. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Channel Company Contact:

Jennifer Hogan

The Channel Company

jhogan@thechannelcompany.com

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the premier SEO company in Auckland, Zib Digital, content and SEO cannot work successfully in isolation. Instead, both elements should complement each other, so there must be a focus on creating great content in order to improve a website's search engine results page ranking.

As Zib Digital explains, it takes effort to get organic search visibility, rankings and traffic. Google processes billions of searches each day and the algorithms used to sort results are constantly evolving to deliver the most useful and relevant results to users, but one thing remains the same: content is king.

Consistently creating optimised content for a website plays a key role in the success of any SEO strategy. There are a few steps that need to be followed when it comes to optimising content, says Zib Digital. While the main goal should be to create audience-centric content, keyword research is critical to ensure the content can be found through search engines. The leaders in SEO Auckland and beyond advise that to create the most useful and relevant content, the writing should be topic focused and target specific, applicable keywords.

Content needs to be formatted so that it's broken down into small, easy to read sections. Most online readers will skim read the content on a web page to determine if it provides them with the information they are looking for.

Once quality content has been created, there are various technical aspects that also need to be optimised, explains the leading digital marketing agency in Auckland. These include a title tag, meta description and URL and they help search engines understand what a page is about as well as prompting a user to click on the page.

Credibility is an important factor for SEO and Zib Digital explains that gaining high quality backlinks from high authority websites indicates credibility and trust to Google. In fact, the more quality backlinks a website has, the higher it will likely rank on the search engine.

When content is optimised for search engines, visibility and exposure of a website drastically increases. With an approach to SEO that is proven to deliver results, speak to the experts in digital marketing in Auckland today.

Contact us - https://zibdigital.co.nz

Katie McAleese + 64 272 757 059

Related Images











Image 1: Zib Digital









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Tokyo, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global solar tracker market size was estimated at US$ 19.94 billion in 2021. The increasing emphasis on clean and green energy is propelling the worldwide solar tracker market forward. The worldwide solar tracker market is also expanding as people become more conscious of environmental issues. A large increase in the number of solar panel installations around the world is one of the main factors driving the growth of the solar tracker industry.



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Furthermore, the solar tracker industry is expanding as a result of new government rules that encourage the development of various solar energy projects.Companies are focusing on developing advanced technology-based products as a result of the rising industry demand for sophisticated technology for tracking reasons. Manufacturing companies utilize a combination of organic and inorganic expansion strategies to expand their geographical reach and product portfolio.

Report Highlights

On the basis of product , single axis tracker segment holds the largest market share in the global solar tracker market. Single axis solar trackers take up more space than fixed panels since their movement might cast shadows on surrounding panels, reducing their efficiency.

, single axis tracker segment holds the largest market share in the global solar tracker market. Single axis solar trackers take up more space than fixed panels since their movement might cast shadows on surrounding panels, reducing their efficiency. On the basis of technology, solar photovoltaic (PV) segment holds the largest market share in the global solar tracker market. The increased use of solar photovoltaic (PV) in non-utility and utility applications will be aided by the growing cost of power due to the demand supply gap.

On the basis of application, utility segment holds the largest market share in the global solar tracker market. The usage of trackers in utility applications is likely to increase as electricity costs rise in relation with the demand for renewable energy sources.





Scope of the Report

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 19.54 Billion CAGR 15.6% from 2022 to 2030 Revenue Forecast by 2029 USD 56.69 Billion Base Year 2021 Forecast Data 2022 to 2030 Companies Covered NEXTracker, Array Technologies, Soltec, Convert Italia, Arctech Solar, SunPower, Sun Action Trackers, STi Norland, Scorpius Trackers, Exosun

Regional Snapshot

North America is the largest segment for solar tracker market in terms of region.The U.S. is dominating the solar tracker market in the North America region. Partnerships, joint ventures, product launches, and collaboration are among the strategies used by market players. These techniques are assisting in the expansion of the regional market. For example, the US Department of Energy launched the SunShot Initiative in 2011 with the goal of making solar energy cost competitive with conventional energy sources by 2020 by cutting prices to less than 1 USD/watt. The initiative has provided money to more than 350 projects.

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Europe region is the fastest growing region in the solar tracker market.The UK hold the highest market share in the Europe solar tracker market. The increased investment from government entities is credited with driving the expansion of the European solar tracker business. The expansion of the solar tracker market in Europe is being aided by technical improvements. In addition, the growing use of solar trackers to deploy solar panels is propelling the European solar tracker industry forward.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Surge in demand for green energy

The growing trend of carbon emissions is driving the demand for green and clean energy. The UK government tactics to producearound half of its electricity from renewables by 2025, as per the rapid carbon analysis. In addition, the growing investments in green energy projects is boosting the market growth. As a result, the surge in demand for green energy is propelling the growth of global solar tracker market.

Restraints

High capital investments

The installation of solar tracker requires high cost of investments. The cost of labor and space is adding to the cost of implementation of solar tracker. The preliminary large capital investments essential to install these devices are the prime limitation for the global solar tracker market.

Opportunities

Growing demand for renewable sources

The renewable energy sources currently account for roughly 29% of total global electricity generation. In the following years, it is predicted to rise significantly, boosting the market. For example, worldwide solar energy installed capacity was 217.34 GW in 2015, rising to 578.55 GW in just four years. Thus, growing demand for renewable sources is creating opportunities for the growth of global solar tracker market.

Challenges

Lack of infrastructure

The lack of awareness of the profits of fixed tilt installations over solar tracker installations has hindered expansion in regions such as Europe and Asia-Pacific. In addition, the lack of resources is also hindering the market growth. As a result, lack of infrastructure is a major challenge for the expansion of global solar tracker market.

Related Reports

Recent Developments

The TrinaTracker Agile 1P Dual Row, a dual row, one in portrait, single axis tracker compatible with 400 W to 670 W modules, was released in April 2021 by Trina Solar. Following the introduction of the Vanguard series in December, the Agile series is the newest addition to the TrinaTracker family.

STI Control debuted its new system, STI Control, in September 2021. This technology gives you complete control over solar tracking system, allowing to generate more power. Tracker smart controller, system network controller, and intelligent weather controller are three components included.

Market Segmentation

By Product

Single Axis Horizontal Vertical Polar Aligned Titled

Dual Axis Tip-Tilt Azimuth-Altitude



By Technology

Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV)





By Type

Active Solar Tracker

Passive Solar Tracker

By Application

Utility

Residential

Commercial & Industrial





By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa (MEA)





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Pune, India, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global metal fabrication service market size is set to gain momentum considering remarkable shift from manual fabrication services to automated fabrication. In its latest upcoming report titled, Metal Fabrication Service Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Service Type (Punching, Stamping, Forming, Welding, Cutting, Polishing, Others), By Material (Steel, Aluminum, Other), By End-User Industry (Oil and Gas, Construction, Aerospace, Marine, Automotive, Military, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026, Fortune Business Insights predicts a positive growth for the market during the forecast year.

The report for the metal fabrication service market highlights detailed research on new advancements implemented in the industry to bolster market development and gain lucrative opportunities to improve service demands. New services and products introduced by key players in major countries are discussed further in this report to analyze the company's business development strategies. The competitors' number of products and services are assessed to understand the potential scope for developing market performance in emerging competition.





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Metal fabrication is one of the integral part of industrial operations. It involves several processes that are used to cut, shape, or mold metal structures into final product. Aluminum, brass, copper, gold, and iron, are some of the examples of metal types involved in metal fabrication. The report offers detailed analysis and research during the forecast period (2019-2026) using research methodologies such as PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis. Furthermore, the report characterizes the market based on several growth parameters such as the drivers or trends, challenges. It further enlists the key competitors present in competitive landscape and the strategies adopted by them that include mergers and acquisitions, new product launches, collaborations, and other strategies to gain market presence.

Drivers and Restraints

Paradigm Shift to Automated Fabrication to Boost Market Growth

Presence of technological advancements is witnessed in the metal fabrication market. With an array of benefits over manual fabrication, automated fabrication is likely to propel the metal fabrication market growth in upcoming years. The benefits include lowering prices of metal fabrication services in industry operations using automated fabrication. Additionally, adopting to automated fabrication has resulted in increased efficiency in metal fabrication services around the world. Apart from this, automated fabrication results in fewer mishaps during fabrication process. Rise in alternate technologies such as the Additive technology that uses 3D designs to fabricate metals, is seen as a deterring factor in market growth to some extent.





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Regional Analysis

Asia-Pacific to Remain Dominant; Automation to Swell North America & Europe Market

In terms of region, the market is grouped into Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Out of these, Asia-Pacific comprising of India, Japan, China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, is expected to remain dominant and rise further owing to increasing industrial activities. Furthermore, government initiatives like the Make in India and Make in China 2025 is expected to help the metal fabrication market positively. On the other hand, North America and Europe is likely to grow steadily backed by adopting automated metal fabrication services. Low cost of automated fabrication services will further increase the market revenue in these regions. Moreover, rapid infrastructure growth in Middle-East and Africa would drive market growth in the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

Core Industrial Partners Acquires Cal-X Inc. to Strengthen its Position

Several key players in the metal fabrication service market are planning to adopt strategies such as mergers and acquisitions to achieve maximum market share in the forthcoming years. In addition to this, they are planning to launch automated fabrication services or products with an aim to increase efficiency and gain an edge in the competitive market. Below are a few key latest industrial developments:

Industrial Developments

August 2019: Appolo Heating, Inc. and J&J Sheet Metal Works, LLC are two subsidiaries of Moro Corporation. J&J is set to add fabrication, installation, and BIM modeling services to augment Appolo Heating. They together will provide an integrated service and product, which would help strengthen their position in the market.

July 2019: Smucker Laser has added a new Press Brake in order to add Metal Bending Service in the current Metal Fabrication and Laser Cutting Services. The Safan Darley E-Brake 200-4100 Ultra NS 6-axis was added for complex bending capabilities.

Prominent companies operating in the global metal fabrication service market. They are as follows:

Helander Metal

Schaumburg Specialties LLC

Metal-Fab Service Industries Inc.

Gothaer Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH

Ark Alloy, LLC

GG Fabrication Inc.

American Metal Fab, Inc.

AAP Metal Fabrication Services

Protolabs

P.G.L. Industries, Inc.

Miro Manufacturing Inc.

Global Metal Fabrication Service Market Segmentation:

By Service Type

Punching

Stamping

Forming

Welding

Cutting

Polishing

Others

By Material

Steel

Aluminum

Others

By End-User Industry

Oil and Gas

Construction

Aerospace

Marine

Automotive

Military

Others

By Geography:

North America (USA, Canada)

Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, Southeast Asia and Rest of Asia Pacific)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Rest of Latin America)

Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC, and Rest of Middle East & Africa)





Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/metal-fabrication-service-market-101425





About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

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Outgoing President Moon Jae-in, left, and his wife Kim Jung-sook attend President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido, Tuesday. Former President Park Geun-hye, right, is seated behind Moon. Yonhap





By Kwon Mee-yoo







President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly on Seoul's Yeouido was graced by a handful of domestic dignitaries who have witnessed the ups and downs of Korea's modern history, including former presidents and their family members.







Outgoing President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, who left Cheong Wa Dae Monday as the presidential office opened to the public on Tuesday, was on stage as the new president was inaugurated.







When Yoon entered the stage for the inauguration ceremony, he first greeted outgoing President Moon and then he moved to welcome former President Park Geun-hye, who was in the first row of honored guests, right behind Moon.







Park was released on Dec. 31 on a special pardon. Starting in March 2017, Park spent four years and nine months behind bars after being impeached on corruption charges. Park was sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment over a far-reaching corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving one of her confidants.






Dublin, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Contrast Agent Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global contrast agent market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.76% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$4.754 billion in 2027 from US$3.007 billion in 2020.



A contrast agent, often known as contrast media, is a substance used in medical imaging to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body. Unlike radiopharmaceuticals, contrast agents absorb or modify external electromagnetic or ultrasound waves, whereas radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation. The patient can be administered these drugs orally, rectally, or intravenously.



The rising prevalence of chronic disorders, increased authorization of contrast agents, the rising number of diagnostic imaging tests including ultrasound, X-rays, and advanced imaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans, expanding the number of diagnostic centres and hospitals, and the availability of reimbursement are all factors influencing market expansion.

Chronic diseases kill 41 million people each year, accounting for 70% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States has 34,540 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units per 100,000 inhabitants. With 55.210 units per 100,000 inhabitants, Japan had the largest number of units. The number of computed tomography (CT) scanner units in the United States was 42.430 per 100,000 inhabitants. On the other hand, the high cost and inaccessibility of advanced treatments can limit market expansion.



The global contrast agent market is dominated by the North American region. In North America, the United States is the largest consumer market for the contrast agent. In the United States, the rise in chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders is the primary driver of market growth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, 6 out of 10 adults in the country have a chronic condition, and 4 out of 10 have two or more. In the United States, chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the major causes of death and disability. They are also the main drivers of the $3.8 trillion in yearly healthcare spending in the United States.



Growth Factors:

The growing popularity of contrast agents

As the global prevalence of chronic disorders rises, the need for diagnostic imaging tests as well as contrast agents increases. Due to the growing demand for medical imaging, contrast agent companies are investing more in R&D in order to bring new products to market and gain approval for new indications.

For instance, in 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed hypersensitivity to blood and blood products from the list of contraindications for GE Healthcare's Optison echocardiography contrast agent. The Siemens Naeotom Alpha, the world's first photon-counting computed tomography (CT) scanner, also received FDA approval in September.



Restraints:

Side-effects and lack of specialised experts

Contrast agents are not dyes that discolour internal organs permanently. They are chemicals that alter the way x-rays and other imaging tools interact with the body for a short period of time. They're generally considered safe for use in diagnostic methods like MRI and CT scans. However, some of the negative side effects and allergic reactions linked to their use may limit the market's growth.

Rashes, skin redness, and skin swelling are common delayed adverse effects, which are frequently accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and disorientation. The reported incidence ranges from 1% to 23%. Following recent allergic reactions to certain ultrasound contrast agents that resulted in 11 cases of anaphylaxis and two fatalities, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to imaging providers in April 2021. There is also a lack of technically skilled experts to handle such advanced and sophisticated diagnostic imaging units.



COVID-19's Impact on the Global Contrast Agent Market

The COVID-19 outbreak had a detrimental impact on the contrast agent's market. Lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic prompted fewer patients to go for health check-ups, severely straining the healthcare industry. To restrict the spread of the disease and save healthcare resources for COVID-19 patients, healthcare institutes and professionals were instructed to stop performing elective surgical operations and medical tests. As a result, the volume of medical imaging patients in many radiology departments rapidly declined.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction1



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of End-Users

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Iodinated

5.3. Barium-based

5.4. Microbubble

5.5. Gadolinium-based



6. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Modality

6.1. Introduction

6.2. X-ray/CT

6.3. MRI

6.4. Ultrasound



7. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Route of Administration

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Intravascular

7.3. Oral

7.4. Rectal

7.5. Others



8. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Indication

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Oncology

8.3. Cardiovascular Disease

8.4. Neurological Disorders

8.5. Gastrointestinal Disorders

8.6. Nephrological Disorders

8.7. Musculoskeletal Disorders

8.8. Others



9. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Geography

9.1. Introduction

9.2. North America

9.2.1. USA

9.2.2. Canada

9.2.3. Mexico

9.3. South America

9.3.1. Brazil

9.3.2. Argentina

9.3.3. Others

9.4. Europe

9.4.1. Germany

9.4.2. France

9.4.3. UK

9.4.4. Italy

9.4.5. Spain

9.4.6. Others

9.5. Middle East and Africa

9.5.1. Saudi Arabia

9.5.2. UAE

9.5.3. South Africa

9.5.4. Others

9.6. Asia Pacific

9.6.1. China

9.6.2. India

9.6.3. Japan

9.6.4. South Korea

9.6.5. Taiwan

9.6.6. Thailand

9.6.7. Indonesia

9.6.8. Others



10. Competitive Environment and Analysis

10.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

10.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativenessness

10.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

10.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



11. Company Profiles

11.1. Guerbet Group

11.2. BIPSO GmbH

11.3. Bayer AG

11.4. Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.

11.5. Bracco Diagnostic, Inc.

11.6. GE Healthcare

11.7. Curadel, LLC

11.8. Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited

11.9. Magnus Health

11.10. Spago Nanomedical AB



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rfcvbb

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MONTAUK, N.Y., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Power broker and lifelong Hamptons resident Tim Davis has announced the listing of a new luxurious property in Montauk, New York. Located at 216 Old Montauk Highway, the asking price for the estate is $22,500,000. Currently owned by major real estate investor Steven Roth, the East Hampton township residence has undergone a complete metamorphosis to offer an unparalleled beachfront experience in a glorious setting.

The two-story, three-bedroom, three-bathroom Montauk hideaway comes in at just over 1.5 acres and features magnificent views of the pristine Atlantic Ocean. The home also comes equipped with four heat and air conditioning zones, a full fireplace, and an in-ground pool. Renovated in 2011, the property features a masterfully transformed modern design thanks to the vision of world-renowned architect and designer Thierry Despont.

"All they really wanted was a simple beach house," said Despont while discussing the property. "Somewhere they could just relax and entertain a few friends from time to time."

For more information about this new listing, click here

About Tim Davis

Power Broker and lifelong Hamptons resident Tim Davis boasts an accomplished 40+ year real estate career listing and selling some of the finest properties on the East End.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact:

Tim Davis, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker

Corcoran Group Real Estate

24 Main Street Southampton, NY 11968

T: +1 631.702.9211 or +1 516.356.5736

E: tgdavis@corcoran.com

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Dublin, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Algae Biofuel Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global algae biofuel market is estimated to show growth from US$5.022 billion in 2020 to US$9.033 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 8.75%.



The key factor driving the growth is the demand for algae biofuel as an essential energy source. Due to the rising prices of petrol and diesel, the demand for algae biofuel has increased. Moreover, increasing inclination towards eco-friendly lifestyles owing to their health benefits and fewer or no environmental hazards is boosting the demand for algae biofuel.

As a result, all biofuels are referred to as a replacement for oil or another environmentally hazardous fuel. Algae B bofuel has the potential to provide around 20 times the output of other conventional biofuels like sorghum, beet, corn, and corn stover. This feature of algae biofuel has the potential to open new pathways for industrial growth during the forecast period.



Algae biofuels are produced from biomass and are in the form of both liquid and gaseous forms. They are generated through the conversion of biomass material, which can be done thermally, chemically, or biochemically Algae Biofuel has various other qualities over other biofuels, such as high energy content, high biodegradability, and faster microorganism growth. These qualities make the algae biofuel's manufacturing practises. Some of the biofuel types made from algae biofuels are green diesel, biodiesel, bioethanol, methane, jet fuel, bio-butanol, and bio-gasoline.



Applications

Algal biofuel has applications in the automotive, transportation, aerospace, and defence industries.It has come up as the best third-generation alternative to the second-generation crop-based biofuel. Increasing research and developments in algae biofuel are making it more applicable in many sectors and making its production more economical and viable. Many industrial sectors have also started using algae biofuel commercially due to its increasing popularity since the last decade. Algae biofuel can be used to generate combined heat and power or can be used for pyrolysis oil. Algae biofuel is also preferred in transportation because it directly replaces petroleum without any changes in engine performance.



According to the United States Energy Department, if algae biofuel completely replaces petroleum fuel all over the USA, it will require only 15 thousand square miles, which is 0.42% of the total USA area. It is stated that this area would be less than 1/7 the total area of corn harvested in the USA. Whereas, in November 2022, an engineer in India started creating biofuel from microalgae in Jharkhand's Pond.



Convenient natural sources to produce algae biofuel

As light is the prime factor needed for the cultivation of algae, investors are more interested in investing in the production of algae biofuel as the requirements are comparatively lower. Additionally, as algae biofuel is a competitive alternative to petroleum and diesel, it will gain at increasing rates in the future, making algae biofuel a profitable investment. Countries that have huge waterbodies also prefer the production of algae biofuel.

Water temperature is what influences the growth of algae the most. Although the use of a few media can accelerate the production of algae biomass, the two most enriching mediums are Guillard's F/2 and Walne medium. These media reduce the time required for the preparation of the nutrients that are needed to grow algae. Thus, various nutritive solutions, viability, profit to the investors, and most importantly, increasing popularity among the consumers for algae biofuel are all contributing to the rising demand for algae biofuel globally. For instance, in November 2021, ExxonMobile announced the commercialization of biofuels from algae technology.



Thus, it is estimated that this will lead to an increase in the market size during the forecast period.



Challenges for the algae biofuel market

Due to a lack of knowledge regarding the cultivation of algae, not all manufacturers take the risk of its production. Moreover, according to the study by the Center for Algae Biotechnology, California University, the challenges that affect of algae biofuel production are nutrient sourcing and utilisation, strain isolation, production management, coproduct developments, and fuel extraction.

Key Topics Covered:



1. INTRODUCTION



2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4. MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY TYPE

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Jet fuel

5.3. Bioethanol

5.4. Methane

5.5. Biodiesel



6. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY APPLICATION

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Transportation

6.3. Aerospace

6.4. Others



7. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY GEOGRAPHY

7.1. Introduction

7.2. North America

7.2.1. USA

7.2.2. Canada

7.2.3. Mexico

7.3. South America

7.3.1. Brazil

7.3.2. Argentina

7.3.3. Others

7.4. Europe

7.4.1. Germany

7.4.2. France

7.4.3. United Kingdom

7.4.4. Spain

7.4.5. Others

7.5. Middle East and Africa

7.5.1. South Africa

7.5.2. Saudi Arabia

7.5.3. Others

7.6. Asia Pacific

7.6.1. China

7.6.2. Japan

7.6.3. South Korea

7.6.4. India

7.6.5. Thailand

7.6.6. Indonesia

7.6.7. Taiwan

7.6.8. Others



8. Competitive Environment & Analysis

8.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

8.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativenessness

8.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

8.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



9. Companies Mentioned

9.1. ExxonMobil

9.2. Manta Biofuel

9.3. Algenol

9.4. Synthetic Genomics

9.5. Cellana

9.6. ALFA LAVAL

9.7. Seambiotic



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1gv5oy

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English French

OTTAWA, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform how science and engineering is conducted and funded in Canada, bringing both tremendous opportunities and risks, according to a new expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). AI has the potential to spur innovation and further scientific understanding beyond the limits of human abilities but could also deepen existing inequities, perpetuate human biases, and even create new ones.



The cross-cutting nature of AI means that no field will remain untouched by this technology, said Teresa Scassa, SJD, Chair of the Expert Panel. To maximize its benefits, it will be critical that the social and ethical implications of AI are addressed at the earliest stages of development, through to application, and with greater collaboration among researchers across disciplines and sectors.

Canada could also risk losing its competitive advantage in AI unless it takes decisive steps to move beyond its existing strengths. To date, growth in AI has been focused heavily on research and talent, but theres a pressing need to better integrate knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines for the responsible development and use of the technology in a broader way.

AI is already used for a range of tasks in science and engineering, such as analyzing and interpreting data. Its anticipated that in the near future, AI will be developing novel scientific hypotheses and experiments, and creating new engineering design processes, with minimal human involvement. This rapid pace of technological development has created various legal and regulatory hurdles, including issues related to data governance, intellectual property, and the management of acceptable levels of societal risk.

AI can lead to significant advances in science and engineering, but not without recognizing potential pitfalls, said Eric M. Meslin, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. Realizing the promise and potential benefits of AI will require addressing possible biases, from the people who build it, the institutions and governments whose policies are intended to regulate it, and the organizations that use it.

The National Research Council of Canada asked the CCA to examine the legal, regulatory, ethical, social, and policy challenges associated with deploying AI technologies to enable scientific and engineering research design and discovery.

Leaps and Boundaries identifies the actors whose decisions will determine how the challenges will be addressed and how various fields and sectors could potentially integrate AI into their practices.

Visit www.cca-reports.ca to download the report.

Contact:

Heather Ennis

Director of Communications, Council of Canadian Academies

613-851-7723

heather.ennis@cca-reports.ca

About the Council of Canadian Academies

The CCA is a not-for-profit organization that undertakes independent, evidence-based expert panel assessments to inform public policy development in Canada. The CCA was founded by three independent organizations that represent some of the finest minds in Canada  the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Their Fellows and senior decision-makers sit on CCA's Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Committee, and they are a key source of membership for expert panels. The CCA's founding Academies also provide key guidance and input throughout the assessment process, including expert panel nominations and dissemination processes. For more information about the CCA or its assessments, please visit www.cca-reports.ca.

Follow us on Twitter: @cca_reports

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8e2e6d97-9c73-41c7-8cb4-005d3430d914




Dublin, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Optical Coherence Tomography Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Application; By Technology; By Type; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2022 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) market size is expected to reach USD 2.16 billion by 2030 according to this new study. The report gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.



Some of the important drivers driving the global demand are the growing use of the market in dentistry, cardiovascular medicine, ophthalmology, and other fields. The industry demand will be accelerated by the growing popularity of sophisticated imaging techniques in diagnostic health institutions. Furthermore, the rising frequency of eye illnesses, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, among others, has boosted device use in healthcare facilities and imaging institutes. As the number of instances of these conditions rises, industry participants are turning to sophisticated technology to build enhanced imaging equipment.



Regionally, the North American province dominates the global market, and is projected to continue during the projected timeline, due to the presence of major producers in the region, increased R&D activities, and growing preference for OCT among the general public.



Some of the players operating in the global market include Agfa Healthcare, Alcon, Abbott Laboratories, Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Carl Zeiss AG, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Danaher Corporation, Imalux Corporation, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V, NIDEK Co Ltd, Michelson Diagnostics, Nidek Co, Ltd, Novacam Technologies Inc, Optovue, Terumo Corporation, OPTOPOL Technology S.A, Thorlabs Inc, and Topcon Corporation.



Intense R&D efforts characterize the industry, the launch of various unique products, and the development of revolutionary hybridization technologies, as players are doing all possible strategies to strengthen their position.



Abbott released the first optical coherence tomography interactive virtual device in 2020. This will be used for cardiologists' training. Furthermore, TOPCON Canada Inc confirmed the release of 3D Maestro2 in 2019. It's a spectrum dimension optical coherence tomography device that may also be used for angiography.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Executive Summary



3. Research Methodology



4. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market Insights

4.1. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) - Industry Snapshot

4.2. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market Dynamics

4.2.1. Drivers and Opportunities

4.2.1.1. The rise in the number of cancer patients

4.2.1.2. Emerging advanced innovation

4.2.2. Restraints and Challenges

4.2.2.1. High cost

4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Moderate)

4.3.2. Threats of New Entrants: (Low)

4.3.3. Bargaining Power of Buyers (Moderate)

4.3.4. Threat of Substitute (Moderate)

4.3.5. Rivalry among existing firms (High)

4.4. PESTEL Analysis

4.5. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market Industry Trends

4.6. Value Chain Analysis

4.7. COVID-19 Impact Analysis



5. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Technology

5.1. Key Findings

5.2. Introduction

5.2.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Technology, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

5.3. TDOCT

5.3.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by TDOCT, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

5.4. FD-OCT

5.4.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by FD-OCT, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

5.5. Spatially Encoded Frequency Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

5.5.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Spatially Encoded Frequency Domain Optical Coherence Tomography, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)



6. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Type

6.1. Key Findings

6.2. Introduction

6.2.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Type, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

6.3. Catheter-based OCT Devices

6.3.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Catheter-based OCT Devices, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

6.4. Doppler OCT Devices

6.4.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Doppler OCT Devices, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

6.5. Handheld OCT Devices

6.5.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Handheld OCT Devices, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

6.6. Tabletop OCT Devices

6.6.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Tabletop OCT Devices, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)



7. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Application

7.1. Key Findings

7.2. Introduction

7.2.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Application, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

7.3. Ophthalmology

7.3.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Ophthalmology, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

7.4. Cardiovascular

7.4.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Cardiovascular, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

7.5. Oncology

7.5.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Oncology, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

7.6. Dermatology

7.6.1. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Dermatology, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)

7.7. Others

7.7.1. Global Other Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Region, 2018 - 2030 (USD Billion)



8. Global Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Market, by Geography



9. Competitive Landscape

9.1. Expansion and Acquisition Analysis

9.1.1. Expansion

9.1.2. Acquisitions

9.2. Partnerships/Collaborations/Agreements/Exhibitions



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Abbott Laboratories

10.1.1. Company Overview

10.1.2. Financial Performance

10.1.3. Product Benchmarking

10.1.4. Recent Development

10.2. Agfa Healthcare

10.2.1. Company Overview

10.2.2. Financial Performance

10.2.3. Product Benchmarking

10.2.4. Recent Development

10.3. Alcon

10.3.1. Company Overview

10.3.2. Financial Performance

10.3.3. Product Benchmarking

10.3.4. Recent Development

10.4. Boston Scientific Corporation

10.4.1. Company Overview

10.4.2. Financial Performance

10.4.3. Product Benchmarking

10.4.4. Recent Development

10.5. Braun Melsungen AG

10.5.1. Company Overview

10.5.2. Financial Performance

10.5.3. Product Benchmarking

10.5.4. Recent Development

10.6. Carl Zeiss AG

10.6.1. Company Overview

10.6.2. Financial Performance

10.6.3. Product Benchmarking

10.6.4. Recent Development

10.7. Danaher Corporation

10.7.1. Company Overview

10.7.2. Financial Performance

10.7.3. Product Benchmarking

10.7.4. Recent Development

10.8. Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

10.8.1. Company Overview

10.8.2. Financial Performance

10.8.3. Product Benchmarking

10.8.4. Recent Development

10.9. Imalux Corporation

10.9.1. Company Overview

10.9.2. Financial Performance

10.9.3. Product Benchmarking

10.9.4. Recent Development

10.10. KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V

10.10.1. Company Overview

10.10.2. Financial Performance

10.10.3. Product Benchmarking

10.10.4. Recent Development

10.11. Michelson Diagnostics

10.11.1. Company Overview

10.11.2. Financial Performance

10.11.3. Product Benchmarking

10.11.4. Recent Development

10.12. NIDEK Co. Ltd

10.12.1. Company Overview

10.12.2. Financial Performance

10.12.3. Product Benchmarking

10.12.4. Recent Development

10.13. Nidek Co., Ltd.

10.13.1. Company Overview

10.13.2. Financial Performance

10.13.3. Product Benchmarking

10.13.4. Recent Development

10.14. Novacam Technologies Inc

10.14.1. Company Overview

10.14.2. Financial Performance

10.14.3. Product Benchmarking

10.14.4. Recent Development

10.15. OPTOPOL Technology S.A

10.15.1. Company Overview

10.15.2. Financial Performance

10.15.3. Product Benchmarking

10.15.4. Recent Development

10.16. Optovue, Terumo Corporation

10.16.1. Company Overview

10.16.2. Financial Performance

10.16.3. Product Benchmarking

10.16.4. Recent Development

10.17. Thorlabs Inc.

10.17.1. Company Overview

10.17.2. Financial Performance

10.17.3. Product Benchmarking

10.17.4. Recent Development

10.18. Topcon Corporation

10.18.1. Company Overview

10.18.2. Financial Performance

10.18.3. Product Benchmarking

10.18.4. Recent Development

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7d95yh

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LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ahead of the summer travel season when bibliophiles start planning their vacation reading, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles  a Japanese cultural destination in the heart of Hollywood  announces the expansion of its library to include an extensive digital library with more than 900 titles. Readers can now explore their passions for Japanese art, culture, manga, food, and beyond with free access to the always open library from anywhere in the world. To access the digital library, simply sign up for a digital library card here, search for available books, and follow the steps to check them out.



The virtual library enhances the JAPAN HOUSE main library located on Level 5 at Ovation Hollywood (formerly Hollywood & Highland), which provides a relaxing physical space for visitors to browse a specially curated collection of 600 books uniquely categorized into eleven themes including art, food, and film.

While our physical library has always been a space to pause, contemplate, relax, and study, our new virtual library makes Japanese culture more accessible for readers, such as looking up a recipe, checking out the latest Japanese novel, or learning more about an anime series, said Yuko Kaifu, president, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. Our hope is that the digital library serves as a bridge leading people to further explore Japanese culture, including visiting our latest exhibition and learning more about our programs.

Both the digital and physical libraries are curated by esteemed book connoisseur and BACH representative, Yoshitaka Haba. Haba has created an extensive collection, connecting books with different industries, and providing patrons with a greater access to unknown books.

JAPAN HOUSEs digital library is available to those 13 and up with a valid U.S. mobile number. Books are available on loan for 14 days and one person can loan up to five books at a time. Parental discretion is advised. For first-time users, use the May to June campaign code: jhlareadspring22. (Use campaign code: jhlareadsummer22 for July to September.)

Those wishing to further their exploration of Japanese culture are encouraged to add a visit to JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles during their summer travel plans, not only to check out the physical library, but also to view The Art of the Ramen Bowl exhibit, showcasing the history and culture of Japanese ramen.

For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs  London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo  conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. Occupying two floors at Ovation Hollywood (formerly Hollywood & Highland), JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Website: www.japanhousela.com

Media Contacts:

Nerissa Silao | 310-874-9230 | nerissas@ca.rr.com

Lisa Nakanouchi | 323-904-9298 | lnakanouchi@japanhousela.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0727b03b-1367-42b0-91b3-16c19bdf1364
OLDSMAR, Florida, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For Sunbelt, connecting clients and professionals to their next steps in their healthcare and education career journeys isnt something they take lightly. The team is passionate about their work, embracing the role they play in empowering others to achieve the highest visions and goals they have for themselves. That passion has now earned the staffing company recognition from the City of Oldsmar as the Business of the Quarter, lauding the organization for the work it does in enhancing life, work, and play in the small Florida community.

Oldsmar Vice-Mayor Jarrod Buchman presented the Business of the Quarter award to Sunbelt during a city council meeting on April 19. Buchman noted Sunbelt's office expansion and continuous employment of great corporate citizens were the primary reasons for being selected for the award.

Sunbelt recently expanded their Oldsmar headquarters from a 16,000 sq ft space to a 35,000 sq ft space located at 501 Brooker Creek Blvd. The expansion will allow Sunbelt to add 100 additional team members to the Oldsmar office.

On behalf of the entire Sunbelt team, Id like to thank the City of Oldsmar for recognizing us with the Business of the Quarter award, said Ken Kistner, Vice President of Sunbelt. We strive to enhance the lives of our neighbors, friends, and colleagues in and around Oldsmar and nationwide, helping to connect them to opportunities to pursue their educational and employment goals. Being named the Business of the Quarter a second time is a great honor and demonstrates our passions are in the right place as we strive to be continuously involved in our community and dedicated to improving it."

To apply for positions in the newly expanded Sunbelt offices, visit sunbeltstaffing.com/about/careers. To learn more about the staffing company, visit sunbeltstaffing.com.

About Sunbelt

Sunbelt, headquartered in Oldsmar, FL, is a healthcare and educational staffing company connecting professionals to healthcare facilities and schools nationwide for 30 years. Sunbelt has been awarded the Business of Quarter in 2015 and 2022 by the City of Oldsmar as well as the Large Business of the Year in 2013 and 2019 by the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about Sunbelt, please visit sunbeltstaffing.com.

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NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CannabisNewsWire -- BizCann Expo, an elite business and networking event for everything cannabis, is pleased to announce its event at the Plaza Mayor in Medellin, Colombia, on May 21-22. For established cannabusiness providers, or those looking to get into this new, rapidly expanding market, BizCann Expo has everything needed to start or scale a canna-venture or to service the cannabusiness sector.



BizCann Expo Colombia is co-located with the Alternative Products Expo in the cannabis gateway to South America. With its surprisingly robust legislative framework, Medellin is hosting this event that will bridge the North American and South American markets and jumpstart cannabusiness opportunities in the region.

The two-day expo is designed for professionals who would like to add cannabis-specific services to their practices, and those businesses - like growers and retail shops - that want to add cannabis-related product lines. Panel discussions and keynotes will feature industry experts who share their insights and educate those who attend about the latest trends in cannabusiness.

Expo content and presentations have been carefully chosen to cover a wide range of subjects and deliver insightful material that will benefit all who attend. Among the topics to be addressed at BizCann Expo Colombia are:

International Cannabis Deals: USA, Europe, and Colombia

Raising Capital with NFTs for your CannaBusiness

Customs Logistics and Export of Colombian Cannabis Products

The Future of the Cannabis Plant

Agroecological Cannabis Against Climate Change

Low-risk nicotine products & their relationship with reducing smoking

The Tropicalization of Cannabis Cultivation



In addition to the impressive list of presentations, BizCann Expo Colombia will bring together on the exhibit floor some of the top brands in the South America cannabis market space, including Colombian Gold Extracts, Hemp Ecuador Labs, Naturola, Dimo, Naked100, Nebula, Miami Ice, Vaporesso, ZAZA THC, AstroNova Product Identification, Cali Pods, Colombia Hemp International, and many others.

Those who will benefit from attending the expo include attorneys, accountants, marketing firms, consultants and other providers of business services who want to begin servicing clients in the cannabis industry. Others who would benefit include agri-businesses, retailers and dispensaries that want to add new or expand existing cannabis product lines.

BizCannaExpo Colombia will also include virtually unlimited networking opportunities. Established professionals, vendors, and new businesses can connect with experts and established suppliers of cannabis products, accessories and services to build relationships that will contribute to the long-term success of their companies.

To purchase tickets, see accommodations near the expo venue, arrange exhibit space or get more information, please visit https://bizcannexpo.com/colombia/ .

About BizCann Expo

BizCann Expo, a production of ZJ Events, is a business and networking event for everything related to cannabis. Our founders were once exhibitors who, after attending countless tradeshow events, saw an opportunity to build upon their experience and create an event that combined the best they had seen with their own notion of what was missing in these business gatherings, thereby separating themselves from ordinary conventions. Since its beginning the expo has focused on gathering the industrys best under the same roof.

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Charlotte, NC, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NearU Services ("NearU"), a founder-led premier home services platform, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with George Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating and Patrick Riley Cooling Heating & Plumbing (George Brazil, Patrick Riley, or the Companies), renowned providers of home services, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1955 and 2006, respectively, George Brazil and Patrick Riley are nationally recognized industry leaders that operate in one of the most prolific home services markets in the United States.

"NearUs partnership with George Brazil and Patrick Riley is truly a milestone moment for our platform. For nearly 70 years, George Brazil has loyally served its customers, developing a peerless reputation in the home services industry. Patrick Riley has also enjoyed similar success providing exceptional customer experiences. Like NearU, the root of these companies success is their people. Both have exceptional, seasoned management teams with a deep bench of tenured employees. Their infectious enthusiasmcombined with their unwavering commitment to top-quality tradesmanshiphas won them glowing reviews from customers, decade after decade. The NearU family stands to learn so much from these great companies. We are grateful for their trust in our mission and vision, and we look forward to working with their talented team members to drive their iconic legacies to greater heights, said Ashish Achlerkar, Founder and CEO of NearU.

At George Brazil and Patrick Riley, we believe that an ethics-based approach is the only sustainable and surefire way to achieve business success. For decades, our team members have operated with three core principles in mind: honesty, integrity, and reliability. The consistent application of these principles has earned George Brazil and Patrick Riley the trust of hundreds of thousands of customers. When we first engaged in conversations with Ashish and the NearU team, we quickly recognized the cultural alignment. Their team members are dedicated to building their business the right wayby remaining laser-focused on improving all aspects of the employee and customer experience. Their proven track record gives us immense confidence that they will be a wonderful steward of our companies legacies. We are excited to hit the ground running with the NearU team, and we look forward to the bright future as part of the NearU family of companies, said Jim Probst, President of George Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating.

With this new partnership, the George Brazil and Patrick Riley teams will continue to operate under their current, reputed local brands, under the existing management team led by President Jim Probst, VP of Sales Cory Holman, VP of Operations Heather Robinson, and VP of Consumer Business Ann Lowe. NearU's operations, finance, and marketing teams have a well-defined plan to empower George Brazil and Patrick Riley to continued excellence in service to its employees and its customers.

NearU continues to be well capitalized and is actively seeking other long-standing, highly reputable brands to join the rapidly growing NearU family.

About NearU:

NearU is an employee and customer-centric provider of essential home services with a focus on HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services. NearU is well-capitalized and seeks to grow organically and through partnerships with leading HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other skilled trade contractors. More information is available at www.NearU-Services.com.

About George Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating:

George Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating is a leading provider of HVAC services to residential customers in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Founded in 1955, the Company has serviced hundreds of thousands of homeowners for their HVAC service needs. More information is available at www.georgebrazilhvac.com.

About Patrick Riley Cooling Heating & Plumbing:

Patrick Riley Cooling Heating & Plumbing is a leading provider of HVAC and plumbing services to residential customers in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Founded in 2006, the Company has serviced tens of thousands of homeowners for their HVAC and plumbing service needs. More information is available at www.patrickrileyservices.com.
North Logan, Utah, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A small satellite built and operated by Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory to provide NASA with vital climate information completed its mission and performed more than 22 months beyond its mission requirement. SDL built the HARP CubeSat to carry the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter payload developed by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, under the direction of Principal Investigator J. Vanderlei Martins.

Designed for a NASA mission lasting 90 days, the HARP CubeSat deployed from the International Space Station into low Earth orbit on February 19, 2020. The spacecraft deorbited recently, after two years of operations providing important information about the microphysical properties of cloud water and ice particles.

HARP represents the first attempt to fly a polarimeter on a CubeSat. CubeSats and other small satellites' size limits the volume and mass of science payloads that can be deployed on them. Although the HARP spacecraft measures only 10 centimeters wide, 10 centimeters high, and 30 centimeters longabout the size of a loaf of breadwith a mass of 6 kilograms, there is substantial technology wrapped up in this small package. The HARP payload includes new technology to expand scientists' ability to study clouds and aerosols. Measurements from HARP provide new information to help scientists better understand how aerosol particles affect weather, climate, and air quality.

"The success of the HARP spacecraft demonstrates SDL's commitment to NASA's vision to 'discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity,'" said Asal Naseri, head of satellite technologies for SDL's Civil and Commercial Space division. "SDL has been privileged to work under the visionary leadership of Dr. Martins and his team at UMBC to design, build, and operate a small satellite that performed well beyond its intended lifespan."

"The HARP CubeSat has provided a major benefit for the Earth Sciences community by demonstrating the accurate measurement of aerosol and cloud properties from space with a small hyper-angular polarimeter," said Martins. "HARP has opened the path for future NASA missions to continue these measurements on a global scale. This work is a testament of how state university organizations like the Space Dynamics Laboratory and UMBC can contribute to the global monitoring of our planet."

In August 2020, HARP was named the Small Satellite Mission of the Year by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which presents the award to the mission that has demonstrated significant improvement in small satellite capability.

SDL has been solving the technical challenges faced by the military, science community, and industry for over six decades and supports NASA's mission to drive advances in science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality, and stewardship of Earth. As one of 14 Department of Defense University Affiliated Research Centers, SDL serves as a subject matter expert in its core research areas to the U.S. Government, ensuring that essential engineering and technology capabilities are maintained. SDL is a research laboratory headquartered in North Logan, UT, and has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Colorado Springs, CO; Dayton, OH; Houston, TX; Huntsville, AL; Los Angeles, CA; Stafford, VA; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit http://www.sdl.usu.edu.

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Former President Moon Jae-in, left, and his wife Kim Jung-sook wave toward his supporters upon arriving at his new home in Yangsan, 420 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Former President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook arrived at their new home in the southeastern city of Yangsan on Tuesday after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol.



Moon and Kim boarded a KTX high-speed train at Seoul Station earlier in the day to head to their home in Yangsan, 420 kilometers south of Seoul, along with some of his former aides and lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.



"I'm set free," Moon smiled as he waved to his supporters before boarding the train.



"As I promised when I became president, I went back to the rural town where we were," Moon said. "Don't be regretful about me leaving office and going back to the rural town."



Putting his arm around his wife's shoulder, the immediate ex-president said he will "live well."






San Antonio, Texas, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endeavors is excited to welcome Kellie Washburn into the position of Protocol and Events Director, a role in which she will be responsible for leading the planning, execution and delivery of all official visits and corporate events held on behalf of Endeavors.

Washburn will be in charge of the logistical planning, organization and execution of all visits and events, ensuring they are professionally organized, staged and conducted in a dignified and professional manner.

With over 10 years of professional experience and expertise in protocol and event planning, Washburn brings a wealth of experience to the table. Prior to this role, she served as the Chief of Protocol for the 502d Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), Fort Sam Houston, TX. She has extensive knowledge and experience regarding military and government protocol, safety and security measures, and event planning.

In this brand-new Endeavors role, Washburn will bring her full scope of experience to the organization, providing a professional and thoughtful understanding of official interaction with high-level government and corporate officials.

With Endeavors significant growth over the past few years, we have experienced an increasing need to offer events where we serve, said Jon Allman, Endeavors President & CEO. Kellies vast experience will dramatically improve community engagement with our service offerings.

Im excited for the opportunity to give back to Veterans and serve and support those in need. I look forward to coordinating events that have an impact and help strengthen our ties in the local community, said Washburn.

Washburn received her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the University of Texas Tech and is a graduate of The Protocol School of Washington, among other supplementary educational training related to protocol and event planning. She also possesses thorough knowledge of governmental functions, policies, regulations and procedures. She will begin working at Endeavors on May 16th, 2022.

Washburn is a native of San Antonio and is married to Chris Washburn, a retired 26-year U.S. Navy Veteran. Her daughter Avery is pursuing a degree in Communication from UTSA, and her son Cole is deciding between a career in the military or one of the trades.

About Endeavors

Endeavors, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, is a longstanding national nonprofit agency that provides an array of programs and services in support of children, families, Veterans and those struggling with mental illness, disabilities, disasters, or emergencies. Endeavors has served vulnerable people in need since 1969 through personalized services. For more information, please visit www.endeavors.org.
Denver, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Chancellor Joe Garcia announced the selection of Dr. Colleen Simpson as the next president of Front Range Community College (FRCC).

Bringing decades of higher education experience to the role, Dr. Simpsons career reflects enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, teaching, and leadership of multi-campuses and regional learning centers. She will assume the FRCC presidency on August 1 following the retirement of the current president, Andy Dorsey.

Dr. Simpson is a proven leader with unequivocal commitment to the community college mission and plans to draw on her extensive expertise to energize and lead the FRCC community into the next era. Dr. Simpsons appointment makes her the first African American president at FRCC and the second African American woman president in CCCS.

I am excited and deeply honored to be selected to lead Front Range Community College, and as president, I will continue to live the values of service, integrity, transparency, and inclusiveness in decision-making, said Dr. Simpson. FRCC is a dynamic, forward-thinking institution, and I am excited to amplify my commitment to students first, excellence in teaching and learning, and equitable outcomes for students, faculty, and instructors.

Chancellor Garcia said Dr. Simpsons clear focus on student access and success and on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will further strengthen the college, which is on the cusp of becoming a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Dr. Simpson knows what it takes to run a successful multi-campus institution and is constantly finding new ways to support and engage students, employees, and the college community, said Chancellor Garcia. Her commitment to access and inclusion will strengthen the college and ensure we meet the needs of the Front Range region, home to many of Colorados emerging industries. We are thrilled to have her join our leadership team.

Dr. Simpson was selected among dozens of applicants with diverse backgrounds as part of a competitive, nationwide search for candidates with high-level academic qualifications and leadership experience. The selection process was led by a 17-member advisory search committee, which worked diligently to screen and interview candidates and host community forums.

I want to thank each member of the committee for dedicating their time and energy to the selection process, Chancellor Garcia said. Their rigorous search found us three highly-qualified finalists and a new president whose experience, vision, and values will move FRCC forward.

Dr. Simpson is currently the Vice President of Student Services and Regional Learning Centers at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, where she oversees multi-campuses and five regional learning centers. In this role, she has focused on leading academic innovation, designing student-ready experiences, and addressing the educational, economic and workforce development needs of the region. Prior to this role, Dr. Simpson served as the administrator overseeing retention and student success at Bronx Community College (CUNY) in her home state of New York, where she led and managed a comprehensive program of services promoting access, retention, engagement, and completion.

With 54 years of rich history, FRCC is an incredibly strong and vibrant institution, that has, and will no doubt continue, to provide exceptional educational and workforce opportunities that change lives and exceed the needs of the region, said Dr. Simpson. I am eager to work alongside FRCCs faculty, instructors, staff, students, and the community and immerse myself in this transformative work.

Dr. Simpson and her family look forward to joining the Front Range community this summer.

Chancellor Garcia has appointed Dr. Rebecca Wolfe, FRCC Vice President for Academic Affairs and Online Learning, as interim president to serve during the time between President Dorseys retirement on June 30 and Dr. Simpsons arrival on August 1.

###

About Front Range Community College

FRCC offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, Brighton, and online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.

About Colorado Community College System

The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the states largest system of higher education, delivering more than 1,000 programs to over 125,000 students annually through 13 colleges and 38 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. The System Office provides leadership, advocacy and support to the colleges under the direction of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). Join us in changing the way Colorado goes to college. Learn more at www.cccs.edu.

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DAYTON, Ohio, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan, announced today a collaboration with Clarigent Health to bring Artificial Intelligence (AI) to behavioral health providers in Ohio. Clairity, Clarigent Healths software tool, analyzes speech with artificial intelligence (AI) trained to identify patients at risk of suicide.

Every loss of life by suicide is a tragedy, especially when it involves one our youngest members said Steve Ringel, CareSource Ohio Market President. We at CareSource feel increasing access to new preventative behavioral health tools, like the app Clarigent has created, will provide new innovative options that along with treatment will save lives.

Clairity tracks vocal indicators over time alongside patient-reported symptoms and clinical impressions to support early detection for people at risk for suicide and, in addition, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Suicide is the leading cause of death in people ages 10-14 and the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-34. Suicide rates were increasing before the pandemic, and now mental health risks are reaching heights weve never seen said Don Wright, Clarigent President and CEO. We are proud to be working with CareSource to bring our much-needed technology to clinicians working every day to save lives.

Behavioral health providers in the Ohio Childrens Alliance (OCA) and Ohio Behavioral Health Provider Network (OBHPN) can now be reimbursed through CareSource when using Clairity. Between the two networks, more than 265K families and youth will have access to the technology.

CareSource goes beyond treatment of behavioral health issues to focus on prevention by targeting at-risk members prior to diagnosis. Additionally, the health plan has committed $3M to youth-empowered prevention programs including a program to increase resiliency led by young adults, a new respite care option and an app aimed at improving the mental health of teens.

For the Media: Responsible reporting on suicide, including stories of hope and resilience, can prevent more suicides. Please visit the Media as Partners in Suicide Prevention: Suicide Reporting Recommendations for more information. For additional information, please visit SuicideReportingToolkit.com.

About CareSource

CareSource is a nonprofit, nationally recognized managed care organization with over 2 million members. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio since its founding in 1989, CareSource administers one of the largest Medicaid managed care plans in the U.S. The organization offers health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare Advantage and dual-eligible programs. Through its network of health plans, CareSource serves members in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The company is leading the way in serving populations with complex needs and extended its presence into 12 additional states with the acquisition of The Columbus Organization, a trusted partner to health care agencies and provider organizations in improving coordination and support for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges through its staffing, quality improvement and care coordination services. As a mission-driven organization, CareSource is transforming health care with innovative programs that address the social determinants of health, health equity, prevention and access to care.

For more, visit www.caresource.com, follow @caresource on Twitter, or like CareSource on Facebook.

About Clarigent Health

Clarigent Health was founded in 2018 and backed by an experienced team of investors led by CincyTech. Clarigent Health is committed to improving mental health care and saving lives. Using our patented AI algorithms to detect vocal biomarkers, Clarigent Health designs products that are both easy to understand and easy to use. Our solutions are built to empower mental health professionals to provide better treatment for better outcomes. Clarigent Health is advancing scientific understanding and our own product capabilities through ongoing clinical trials and research. We are grateful to our many partners, scientific advisors, and clinician-scientists working with us on these efforts.

For more information, visit www.clarigenthealth.com and please follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.

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St. Petersburgh, FL, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Gulf Coast (AGC) an Associa company is pleased to announce that Annette Byrd, LCAM, CMCA, PCAM has rejoined the company as branch president to oversee its Associa Gulf Coast - North branch. Mrs. Byrd previously served as president of Associas Community Association Services of Indiana and as vice president with Associa Chicagoland.

In her new role Mrs. Byrd will develop strategy, manage operational business activities while supervising branch personnel. She returns to Associa with a broad range of community management experience, including demonstrated expertise in training and education, development of company procedures, and client retention. She is also a licensed community association manager in Florida and Illinois.

Mrs. Byrd has managed communities professionally for 30 years, 26 of which, have focused on common interest communities. During that time, she has earned a well-deserved reputation as a tireless leader in the community management industry. She is actively involved in the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and professional association Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies (CEOMC).

In addition, Mrs. Byrd is a frequent guest speaker and educator on industry related topics. This includes guest appearances on CAI Radio. Her work has been published in numerous industry publications, such as Common Interest magazine and the Florida Community Association Journal.

We are extremely pleased and fortunate that Annette Byrd will lead our new Associa Gulf Coast North branch, said John Tague, regional vice president, East region. She brings a vast amount of community management expertise and is intimately familiar with the value and commitment to service that Associa offers its clients. This makes Annette the ideal choice to lead our continued expansion in the Florida market.

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

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Bahrain, Manama, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In line with the global standards of quality medical education, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland  Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) received re-accreditation from the Medical Council of Ireland (IMC) for its undergraduate medicine programme in 2021, and revalidation from the Bahrain Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA) for its undergraduate nursing and MSc in nursing programmes in 2022. The undergraduate medicine programme has been accredited by the IMC since 2014 and the RCSI Bahrain School of Medicine is included in the World Directory of Medical Schools and listed on the International Association of Universities List of Universities of the World by the UNESCO.

To perform the re-accreditation process, the IMC visiting team chaired by the Medical Council Member, Professor Mary OSullivan, Dean of the University of Limerick, Ireland, and comprising of Council and external members, met with the RCSI Bahrain Executive Management Team, School of Medicine staff, the Universitys Student Council, students from all year groups and RCSI Bahrain interns. This being to carry out the undergraduate medicine programme accreditation in alignment with the World Federation of Medical Educations (WFME) Global Standards for Quality improvement in Medical Education framework. The IMC issued a five-year renewal of the accreditation of the undergraduate medicine programme, which is valid until November 2026.

The BQAs review panel led by Professor Erika Sirsch, acting Dean of the nursing science faculty at the Philosophical-Theological University of Vallendar, Germany, comprised of three regional and international healthcare professionals, in addition to the BQA members. The review involved meetings with the RCSI Bahrain Executive Management Team, staff from both the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, staff across the Universitys support units, as well as students and alumni. RCSI Bahrain received the decision of Full Confidence from the BQA and it continues to maintain its valid status as placed on National Qualifications Framework of Bahrain (NQF) for its Undergraduate Nursing and MSc in Nursing programmes.

Both visits from the IMC and BQA involved several meetings with RCSI Bahrain training leads and Clinical Lecturers and Tutors, programme Advisory Boards and employers from the Ministry of Health and the Universitys partner hospitals including King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain Defence Force Hospital  Royal Medical Services, Salmaniya Medical Complex, American Mission Hospital, multiple health centres across Bahrain and Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

President of RCSI Bahrain, Professor Sameer Otoom commented, With our accreditation standards and a world-renowned curriculum, RCSI Bahrain graduates attain a level of knowledge and clinical experience to compete for rewarding career opportunities worldwide, as well as supporting the development of national healthcare programmes in the Gulf Countries.

-Ends-

About RCSI Bahrain

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RCSI, which was established in Dublin, Ireland, in 1784. RCSI Bahrain, an independent private university, opened its doors to a cohort of 28 medical students in 2004. It is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide. Today, the purpose-built campus is home to a student body of more than 1,300 across Schools of Medicine; Nursing and Midwifery and Postgraduate Studies and Research.

For more information, please visit www.rcsi.com/bahrain

RCSI Bahrain Instagram

RCSI Bahrain Facebook

RCSI Bahrain LinkedIn

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TORONTO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. (iSIGN or Corporation) (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile proximity marketing and public security alert solutions is pleased to announce that further to the press release of April 28, 2022, it has received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange to close the two-year convertible note in settlement of previous convertible debt and related interest totaling $324,404.



Under the terms of this new two-year convertible note, the debt will be converted, at the option of the Noteholder, into 6,488,080 common shares on the Corporation at a price of $0.05 per share in the first year and $0.10 in the second year. The Corporation has also agreed to grant to the holders of the convertible New Debenture 6,488,080 warrants exercisable at $0.0625 per share for a period of two years, from the date of conversion of the debenture. The new debenture will bear interest at 12% per annum, payable upon maturity.

This concludes the Corporations transfer of all current debt into long-term debt and provides the Corporation with immediate payment relief while it continues with its business plan and moving forward with its new technology.

About iSIGN Media

iSIGN, a Canadian company based in Toronto (Richmond Hill), Ontario is an infrastructure-oriented, Software-as-a-service (SaaS) provided, specializing in proximity-centric location services. The wealth of data we collect, coupled with AI analytic tools and localized cloud environments, allow us to provide revolutionary solutions for some of the most complex problems being faced today. Included with our interactive mobile proximity marketing and public security alert solutions is its Passive Historical Contact Tracing (PHACT) technology including HALO and underlying framework, including SPE Asset Management System for smart location analytics and monitoring Intellectual Property (IP). The PHACT IP provides smart location analytics and monitoring. Conceived as a contact tracing platform, the overall platform enables the monitoring of the movement, congregation behaviors, and general movements of individuals within a monitored space, while maintaining connectivity and compliance with all public privacy policies. PHACT provides real-time and historical information regarding individual movement, dwell, and crowd and public behavior. www.isignmedia.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with iSIGN Medias business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions anticipate, believe, plan, estimate, expect, intend and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect iSIGN Medias current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. iSIGN Media assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 2022 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

Company contacts:

Alex Romanov

iSIGN Media Solutions Inc.

alex@isignmedia.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 accuracy of this release.
MARLTON, N.J., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Impulse Dynamics, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure (HF), is announcing today the first implants of its newly launched Optimizer Smart Mini, which delivers the companys proprietary CCM therapy. The company announced the launch of its new technology on April 29, and the first procedures with the new commercially-available system were subsequently completed simultaneously by physicians at two different U.S. centers.

I was able to attend the Heart Rhythm Societys annual scientific sessions in San Francisco last week and moderated a rhythm theater panel presentation on Impulse Dynamics CCM technology, said Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD, Martha M., and Harold W. Kimmerling, Professor of Cardiology, Chair, Division of Cardiology, and Director of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, VA. I was involved in some of the early research on CCM, and now its clear that this therapy has the potential to fill a significant unmet medical need for patients with heart failure.

Were excited to be one of the first institutions to implant this latest generation CCM therapy device, said Dr. Ameer Kabour, an interventional cardiologist and Director of Cardiology at Mercy Health St.Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, OH. The Optimizer Smart Mini provides convenience to both providers and many of their patients who suffer from heart failure. These patients may be suffering in spite of being on medications. This device can help relieve many of these patients symptoms in the short term, and the diagnostics it provides can help us manage their disease over the long term.

In the ambulatory surgical center setting, we strive to make our patients experiences as simple, safe, and effective as possible, said Andrew Kaplan, MD, a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist with Southwest Cardiovascular Associates in Mesa, Arizona. The reduced size, physiologic shape, and simplified programming that this new generation of device offers can help us meet all of those requirements. Dr. Kaplan completed his first commercial implant of the Optimizer Smart Mini on May 2, 2022.

The Optimizer Smart Mini incorporates a rechargeable battery with 20-year battery life, offering HF diagnostic monitoring that provides important clinical insights to providers to assist in managing their patients with heart failure. This latest generation also offers new internal technology with improved programming and a smaller size designed to make the implant procedure faster and easier for patients and physicians.

We are committed to continued innovation by not only including a 20-year battery but by also making this new device 25% smaller and 33% lighter than its predecessor. We announced late last month that over 7,000 patients have now benefitted from our CCM therapy, said Jason Spees, President and Chief Commercial Officer at Impulse Dynamics. It is great to know that the millions of patients that could benefit from our CCM therapy worldwide will now get an even better device.

The Optimizer Smart Mini delivers CCM therapy to the heart. CCM therapy delivers precisely timed electrical pulses to the heart that are intended to improve the hearts ability to contract, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to be pushed out through the body.[1] CCM therapy is indicated to improve 6-minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA (New York Heart Association) Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline-directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT(cardiac resynchronization therapy), and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.



About Impulse Dynamics

Impulse Dynamics, based in Marlton, NJ, is dedicated to helping healthcare providers enhance the lives of people with heart failure by transforming how the condition is treated. The company has pioneered CCM therapy, which is delivered by the companys Optimizer Smart Mini, an FDA-approved treatment verified to improve the quality of life for certain heart failure patients. CCM therapy is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive treatment option for many heart failure patients who otherwise have few effective options available to them. To learn more, visit www.impulsedynamics.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as may, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, could, intend, target, project, contemplate, believe, estimate, predict, potential or continue or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning: the potential benefits of our CCM therapy and the ability for CCM therapy and our products to fill a significant unmet medical need for patients with heart failure; and the short-term and long-term benefits of the Optimizer Smart Mini and our CCM therapy in patients with heart failure, as well as to the physicians treating those patients. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Other important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contemplated in this press release include, without limitation: our future research and development costs, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; commercial success and market acceptance of our proprietary CCM therapy; our ability to achieve and maintain adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for our Optimizer Smart and Optimizer Smart Mini systems or any future products we may seek to commercialize; competitive companies and technologies in our industry; our ability to expand our indications and develop and commercialize additional products and enhancements to our current products; our business model and strategic plans for our products, technologies and business, including our implementation thereof; our ability to expand, manage and maintain our direct sales and marketing organization; our ability to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for our CCM therapy and our products, or the effect of delays in commercializing or obtaining regulatory approvals; FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry generally, including healthcare reform measures in the United States and international markets; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; and our ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for our CCM therapy and products or avoid claims of infringement. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date hereof. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

###

[1] European Journal of Heart Failure (2021) doi:10.1002/ejhf.2202

Attachments
Mountlake Terrace, Wash., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premera Blue Cross through its Social Impact program today announced $2.3 million in grants and sponsorships made to 26 organizations in Washington and Alaska. Grant recipients include partners focused on improving access to behavioral health care, addressing health inequities, and supporting programs related to the intersection of homelessness and behavioral health.

This $2.3 million commitment builds on the companys investments in 2021, totaling $6.9 million to organizations focused on behavioral health, homelessness, rural health, and health equity.

Since 2017, Premera has worked with and through our partners to create deep, and meaningful changes, Paul Hollie, head of Premera Social Impact. There are no easy solutions to these incredibly complex problems, which is why we collaborate with organizations that are coming up with new and creative solutions to tackle the root cause of these issues. Together, we are reaching and supporting care services for the people and places that need it the most.

Among the grant recipients are:

Nome Community Center in Alaska will receive $125,000 to support HomePlate, a 15-unit housing complex providing a safe place for Nomes most vulnerable people who are chronically homeless. HomePlate will also offer residents a health care center and on-site behavioral health care services. In addition, Bethel Community Services Foundation in Alaska will receive $150,000 to build permanent supportive housing to keep people experiencing chronic homelessness stably housed and connected to supportive services.

in Alaska will receive $125,000 to support HomePlate, a 15-unit housing complex providing a safe place for Nomes most vulnerable people who are chronically homeless. HomePlate will also offer residents a health care center and on-site behavioral health care services. In addition, in Alaska will receive $150,000 to build permanent supportive housing to keep people experiencing chronic homelessness stably housed and connected to supportive services. NW Children's Foundation (NWCF) in Seattle will receive $125,000 to help address the significant health inequities and mental health concerns impacting children, particularly those from historically underserved communities. Every year, NWCF brings together schools, nonprofits, researchers, healthcare providers, therapists, judges, law enforcement, and more for a forum focused on delivering curriculum related to ending the intergenerational cycle of child abuse, neglect, and trauma. This grant will help NWCF broaden the reach of this educational programming and make it more accessible through online interactive learning modules.

Progress House Clubhouse in Pierce County, Wash., will receive a grant for $50,000 to establish a more visible and accessible presence in neighborhoods where homelessness, mental illness, and racial and economic inequities are most acute. According to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, 5 percent of adults in Pierce County report having a serious mental health illness compared to 3 percent of adults statewide, yet the ratio of mental health providers to residents in Pierce County is lower than the statewide average. Progress House Clubhouses efforts will help them connect more reliably with people experiencing homelessness in Tacoma and offer mental health services and support.

Transitions in Spokane, Wash., will receive a $175,000 grant to provide behavioral health support to more than 400 women visiting Transitions Women's Hearth and living at their transitional and permanent supportive housing campuses, which house individuals who have experienced poverty, trauma or homelessness. By offering whole-person care with consistent access to behavioral health services, Transitions aims to help their participants avoid homelessness and remain engaged with the organizations programming and services.

WA Therapy Fund Foundation will receive $50,000, which will help support their goal of providing 200 free therapy sessions to more than 60 people in the Black community in Snohomish, Pierce, and King Counties. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than those with more financial security. The WA Therapy Fund Foundation works to eliminate long-standing systemic barriers to healing by providing free therapeutic services to those in the Black community who are in need.

Additional grants, which support the organizations efforts to build or improve long-term programs, include:

Blue Mountain Heart to Heart , Walla Walla County, Wash., $50,000

, Walla Walla County, Wash., $50,000 Community Foundation of Snohomish County , Snohomish County, Wash., $100,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $100,000 Friends of Youth , King County, Wash., $125,000

, King County, Wash., $125,000 Hands On Childrens Museum , Thurston County, Wash., $20,000

, Thurston County, Wash., $20,000 Interfaith Works , Thurston County, Wash., $30,000

, Thurston County, Wash., $30,000 Kids Discovery Museum , Kitsap County, Wash., $25,000

, Kitsap County, Wash., $25,000 Providence Alaska Foundation , Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $15,000

, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $15,000 The Alaska Community Foundation , Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $750,000

, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $750,000 The Friendship Circle of Washington , King County, Wash., $20,000

, King County, Wash., $20,000 The Maternal Coalition , King County, Wash., $75,000

, King County, Wash., $75,000 The Salvation Army , King County, Wash., $25,000

, King County, Wash., $25,000 Tubman Center for Health & Freedom , King County, Wash., $200,000

, King County, Wash., $200,000 YES of Pend Oreille County, Pend Orielle County, Wash., $125,000

Sponsorships, which fund events or short-term projects, include:

Crisis Connections , King County, Wash., $27,000

, King County, Wash., $27,000 El Centro De La Raza , King County, Wash., $15,000

, King County, Wash., $15,000 Foundation for Edmonds School District , Snohomish County, Wash., $10,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $10,000 Leadership Snohomish County , Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000 Rainier Scholars , Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000 The Goodtimes Project , King County, Wash., $10,000

, King County, Wash., $10,000 Treehouse, King County, Wash., $10,000

Premera also released their annual Social Impact report today. In 2021, Premera committed $6.9 million to 86 organizations, bringing the programs total community investments to $77 million. Read more about the companys untraditional approach to giving and the strides partner organizations are making in improving the health of communities in Washington and Alaska.

Premera Social Impact is currently accepting applications from other 501(c)(3) community organizations. Learn more about grantmaking on its website.

About Premera Blue Cross

Premera Blue Cross, a not-for-profit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association based in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., is a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, providing comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to more than 2.6 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit www.premera.com.
DENVER, CO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  CBD Global Sciences Inc., dba Global Sciences Inc. (OTC: CBDNF) (CSE: CBDN) (Frankfurt: GS3.F) (Munich: GS3.MU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated April 19, 2022, the Companys principal regulator, the Alberta Securities Commission, has accepted the Company's application for, and granted, a management cease trade order (the "MCTO"). The application for the MCTO was made by the Company due to a delay in the filing of its audited annual financial statements, accompanying management discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certifications for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the Annual Filings). The Company is actively working with its auditors to file the Annual Filings, which the Company expects to be completed in due course.

During the period in which the MCTO is effective, the general investing public, who are not insiders of the Company, will continue to be able to trade in the Company's securities. However, the Company's CEO and CFO will not be able to trade the Company's securities until such time as the Annual Filings and all continuous disclosure requirements have been filed by the Company, and the MCTO has been lifted.

The Companys board of directors and its management confirm that they are working expeditiously to meet the Company's obligations relating to the filing of the Annual Filings. At this time, the Company anticipates being able to complete the Annual Filings on or before July 1, 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 - Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults 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.

The Company confirms as of the date of this news release that there is no insolvency proceeding against it and there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

For further information on the Company please contact:

Investor Relations: 720-881-2541 or by email at info@globalsciences.com

Website: www.globalsciences.ca

ABOUT GLOBAL SCIENCES INC.

CBD Global Sciences, Inc., dba Global Sciences Inc. has become a multifaceted company focused on utilizing the Industrial Hemp plant to create a Healthier Way of Living. Its website can be found at www.globalsciences.ca. Global Sciences, Inc. is a hemp-based CBD producer and branding investment vehicle which currently owns multiple brands like the name Aethics www.aethics.com and CANNAOIL www.cannaoilshop.com, offering CBD Oil tinctures (liquid products), CBD capsules, CBD topicals, Hydration products, and confectionery products. Global Sciences hemp-derived CBD extracts are sold online through select distributors and brick-and- mortar retailers.

Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Global Sciences Holdings, Resinosa LLC, www.resinosa.com, and Legacy Distribution Group, www.legacydistributiongroup.com, Global Sciences is delivering quality CBD products in retail and e-commerce formats nationwide. The Direct Store Delivery (DSD) provides distribution services for multiple vendors of CBD-infused products and non-CBD products throughout the Colorado and Wyoming territories servicing over 750 C-store and large box retailers with expansion plans to exceed 5,000 stores in the next 12-24 months. In addition to Legacy Distribution, it has a manufacturing division, Resinosa LLC www.Resinosa.com, with its capabilities to provide cGMP manufacturing to the CBD industry with both private label and white label CBD and non-CBD product lines.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future developments and the business and operations of the Corporation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.




NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, has launched an investigation into whether the officers or directors of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) breached their fiduciary duties or violated the federal securities laws in connection with the companys acquisition by Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE).



Click here to learn more and participate in the action.

On May 10, 2022, Biohaven announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Pfizer in a deal valued at approximately $11.60 billion. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Biohaven stockholders will receive $148.50 in cash for each share of Biohaven common stock owned. In addition, Biohaven stockholders, including Pfizer, will receive 0.5 shares of New Biohaven, a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohavens non-CGRP development stage pipeline compounds, for each share of Biohaven common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in early 2023.

Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that Biohavens board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate merger agreement. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for Biohavens stockholders.

If you own shares of Biohaven and are concerned about the proposed merger, or you are interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact Melissa Fortunato or Alexandra Raymond by email at mergers@bespc.com or telephone at (646) 860-9157, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
By Cho Hee-kyoung





One of my favorite TV dramas used to be a crime series called Law & Order. Following a now well-worn formula of a police procedural, the show began with the following narration: "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups: The police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."



Often based on real crimes ripped from headlines, each episode was split into two halves: the first half followed police detectives investigating a crime; the second half focused on the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the prosecutors, trying to convict the suspect in court.



This separation between the power to investigate and the power to prosecute a crime is another manifestation of the principle of separation of powers. It aims to prevent the concentration of power by providing for institutional checks and balances. Applied to the government, it divides the executive, legislative and judicial branches to provide checks and balances for each other.



Applied to the criminal justice system, it splits the power to investigate and the power to prosecute a crime between the police and the prosecution office, respectively, with each limiting the other's potential misuse or abuse of its powers.



In Korea, however, because of a historical legacy, the two powers of investigation and prosecution had been concentrated solely in the hands of the prosecution office for almost 70 years. When the Criminal Procedure Act was enacted back in 1954, the police department was so deeply mistrusted by the general public for having been the lackeys of Japanese colonial power that the legislature felt their power needed to be curbed and overseen by the prosecution.



Even then, some lawmakers voiced the concern that giving the prosecution too much power would lead to abuse of those powers. But in the end, the anti-police sentiment won out and the prosecution were given the power to exclusively begin and end criminal investigations, to oversee any investigation by the police and to indict any suspect.



The prosecutor-general who attended the legislative session testified that in theory it was right that investigation should be left up to the police and the prosecutors should only have the right to indict but that in Korea that would only be possible "in a hundred years' time."



Over the next decades, especially under the successive authoritarian regimes, the concerns voiced over such a concentration of power in one agency became realized. If the same person both investigates and prosecutes a crime, there is always a risk of confirmation bias.



One becomes so convinced of the guilt of the accused that one may fail to adduce exculpatory evidence even though it is one's duty to do so; or one may even go as far as concocting incriminating evidence to secure a conviction. There is also more pressure to bring an investigation to a successful conclusion through a conviction despite insufficient evidence that can be difficult to resist.



What is even worse is where the prosecution deliberately refrains from filing charges, either for personal or political gain, even though there is plenty of evidence pointing to the accused's guilt. This seems to happen a lot particularly when the suspect is one of their own. The numbers tell the story. In the five-year period up to 2019, there were around 11,000 cases where a prosecutor was accused of having committed a criminal offence.



Out of those, the prosecution filed charges only in 14 cases, a rate of only 0.13 percent. Compared to the charge rate of over 40 percent against ordinary people, the discrepancy is too vast to ignore. The case of Kim Hak-ui, the ex-vice minister embroiled in a sex bribery scandal whose likeness was captured on video in flagrante delicto but where the prosecution initially declined to press charges, is indelibly recalled.



There have been bipartisan efforts to reform the prosecution office over the years. Attempts to separate the power to investigate from the prosecution under both Kim Dae-jung and Ron Moo-hyun administrations failed due to strenuous opposition from the prosecutors. Under the Lee Myung-bak government, a partial reform occurred allowing the police to begin an investigation but the prosecution continued to grip on to their authority to conduct and supervise any investigation.



More substantive reform began under the Moon administration. All investigation power was given to the police except in six major crime areas together with the power to decide when to conclude an investigation. The prosecution's oversight of police investigations was also rolled back. A new agency, the so-called "Gongsucheo," or Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, was set up.



However, the prosecution still retained the power to investigate crimes relating to finance, corruption and bribery, defense industry, major disasters, elections and public officials. Despite President Moon Jae-in declaring the successful accomplishment of much-needed prosecutorial reform, there was a lot of criticism that this was an incomplete reform at best.



Two years later, spurred on by the prospect of a former prosecutor-general becoming the next president and restoring the prosecution office to its former glory, the Democratic Party of Korea sprang into action. It proposed to strip away all investigation powers from the prosecution office but after much procedural rule-bending and other legislative shenanigans, the compromise bills finally passed by the National Assembly still leave some investigation power with the prosecution office.



Yet more reform is needed for a proper oversight of police and better safeguarding of citizens' basic rights. Let's hope that we won't have to wait for another 30 years for a proper separation of powers in our criminal justice system.





Cho Hee-kyoung (hongikmail@gmail.com) is a professor at Hongik University College of Law.






Chicago, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According the Ariztons latest research report, the Vietnam data center market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% during 2022-2027. In terms of general construction, core & shell contributes to around 50% of the cost, followed by installation, design & engineering, project management, and commissioning contributing to around 30%-35%.

Vietnam Data Center Market Report Scope

Report Attributes Details MARKET SIZE (2027) $751 Billion MARKET SIZE (2021) $511 Billion CAGR (2022-2027) 6.6% MARKET SIZE (AREA) 145.5 thousand sq. Feet (2027) MARKET SIZE (POWER CAPACITY) 29.2 MW (2027) COLOCATION MARKET SIZE (REVENUE) $240 Million (2027) BASE YEAR 2021 FORECAST YEAR 2022-2027

Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report

Key Highlights

Vietnam has witnessed more than a 20% increase in investments in 2021 compared to 2020 due to investments from colocation providers such as CMC Telecom, NTT Global Data Centers, HTC Telecom International, Edge Centres, and Data Center First, among others.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are the primary data center hubs in Vietnam. With 12 third-party data center facilities, Hanoi contributed to around 40% of the overall existing capacity in the Vietnam market.

The introduction of the data localization law, which comes under the cybersecurity law and mandates that operators must establish a local data center in Vietnam, has been a major driving factor for the Vietnamese data center market.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese Government transformed the country digitally with various initiatives, including the National Public Services Portal, National Digital Transformation Roadmap 2025, and National e-document Exchange.

FPT Telecom, CMC Telecommunication Infrastructure Corporation (CMC Telecom), Viettel, NTT Global Data Centers, VNTT, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), Telehouse Vietnam, and HTC Telecom International (ECODC) are some significant data center operators in the country.

Vietnam aims to generate around 30% of its electricity via renewable sources and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8% by 2030. By 2045, renewable energy is expected to contribute to over 50% of the overall capacity.

Segmentation Analysis

IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure



Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Switches & Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure



Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure



Cooling Systems

CRAC and CRAH Units

Chillers Units

Cooling Towers, Condensers and Dry Coolers

Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Engineering & Building Design

Fire Detection & Suppression

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM))

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV



Why Should You Buy This Research?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and the Vietnam colocation market revenue.

An assessment of the data center investment in Vietnam by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

Datacenter investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country.

A detailed study of the existing Vietnam data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Vietnam data center market size during the forecast period.

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Vietnam Facilities Covered (Existing): 23 Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 03 Coverage: 4 Cities Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area) Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Vietnam Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027) Retail Colocation Pricing

The Vietnam data center landscape market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with size and forecast.

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.



IT Infrastructure Providers

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Fujitsu

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

Hitachi Vantara

IBM

Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ)

Juniper Networks

NEC Vietnam (NEC)

NetApp

Oracle

Construction Constructors & Sub-Contractors

Aurecon

Archetype Group

AWP Architects

Apave

Delta Group

GreenViet

Sato Kogyo

USDC Technology

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Cummins

Caterpillar

Cyber Power Systems

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Fuji Electric

HITEC Power Protection

KOHLER

Legrand

Rittal

Mitsubishi Electric

Rittal

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Trane Technologies

Vertiv Group

New Entrants

Data Center First

Edge data Centres

Explore our industrial machinery profile to know more about the industry.

Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report

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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 in 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.

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TORONTO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) today reported its first quarter (Q1) results for the period ended March 31st, 2022.

Production was 20,850 gold ounces and 336,500 silver ounces, or 25,100 gold equivalent ounces (1) ( GEOs )(see Table 1), compared to 30,600 GEOs during Q1 2021.



gold ounces and silver ounces, or gold equivalent ounces ( )(see Table 1), compared to 30,600 GEOs during Q1 2021. Average cash costs (2) per GEO sold from our 100%-owned mines in Q1 was $1,696 , below our guidance of $1,940 to 2,100 per GEO. Average all-in sustaining costs (" AISC ") (2) per GEO sold from our 100%-owned mines was $2,146 , below our guidance of $2,340 to 2,560 per GEO.





per GEO sold from our 100%-owned mines in Q1 was , below our guidance of $1,940 to 2,100 per GEO. Average all-in sustaining costs (" ") per GEO sold from our 100%-owned mines was , below our guidance of $2,340 to 2,560 per GEO. Management continues to work diligently to address operational challenges and reduce costs, while continuing to invest in exploration and the advancement of McEwen Coppers Los Azules project.





Our consolidated net loss in Q1 was $19.3 million , or $0.04 per share, which relates primarily to $14.4 million invested in exploration and advanced projects and a gross loss of $6.0 million from our operations.





, or per share, which relates primarily to invested in exploration and advanced projects and a gross loss of from our operations. Our 100%-owned mines generated a cash gross loss of $2.3 million (2 ) in Q1 and a gross loss of $6.0 million . Cash gross profit (loss) is calculated by adding back depletion and depreciation to gross profit (loss).





in Q1 and a gross loss of . Cash gross profit (loss) is calculated by adding back depletion and depreciation to gross profit (loss). Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at March 31, 2022 was $70.4 million , of which $35.6 million is attributable to McEwen Copper.





, of which is attributable to McEwen Copper. We completed a flow-through equity financing on March 2 nd for gross proceeds of $15.1 million , and a debt financing by way of an unsecured subordinate promissory note for $15 million (please see news releases dated March 2 nd and April 5 th ).





for gross proceeds of , and a debt financing by way of an unsecured subordinate promissory note for (please see news releases dated March 2 and April 5 ). Dr. Merri Sanchez has been appointed to the Board of Directors. Dr. Sanchez has over 40 years of spaceflight engineering and operations experience, and previously served as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force Space Command.





A webcast will be held on Friday, May 13th at 12:00 pm EDT. Please see the details further below.





Operations Update

Fox Complex, Canada (100% interest)

Fox produced 7,700 GEOs in Q1 at total cash costs and AISC of $1,193 and $1,729 per GEO sold, respectively. This compares to 5,200 GEOs at total cash costs and AISC of $1,262 and $1,560 per GEO sold, respectively, in Q1 2021.

The higher production level and lower cash costs quarter over quarter were primarily due to mining at the new Froome mine versus the Black Fox mine in Q1 2021. During Q1, the solid performance in the mine was offset by a labour shortage due to COVID-19, coupled with equipment failures at the Stock mill. Approximately 11,700 oz of gold was mined during the quarter from the Froome deposit, which would have resulted in production of 10,500 oz of gold if the mill had been able to process all the material as planned. Our team is in the process of implementing long-term solutions such as replacing aging equipment and de-bottlenecking to improve reliability going forward.

We announced the results of our Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Fox Complex. The PEA presents estimates for a positive business case for the Fox Complex expansion project, with potential average gold production of 80,800 gold ounces per year over nine (9) years, after the depletion of the current resources at Froome. The economic analysis estimates an after-tax IRR of 21% at a gold price of $1,650 per oz, and average cash costs and AISC per ounce of gold of $769 and $1,246, respectively. Additional exploration work on the Fox Complex properties will be conducted throughout 2022 to support the ongoing studies necessary to advance the expansion project.

In Q1, we incurred $1.7 million for exploration. Our exploration spend at Fox for 2022 & 2023 is forecasted to be $10.0 million and $15.0 million, respectively. During the remainder of 2022, exploration will focus on:

Stock property, where we expect to improve the business case for development of an underground ramp access to the Stock West and Stock East deposits; and

Grey Fox property, where the Whiskey Jack exploration target area returned high-grade intercepts in 2021, including 7.29 g/t gold over 15.35 m (hole 21GF-1350) and 4.75 g/t gold over 25.20 m (hole 21GF-1333) (please see news release dated April 25th, 2022).

Gold Bar Mine, USA (100% interest)

Gold Bar produced 6,300 GEOs in Q1 at total cash costs and AISC of $2,284 and $2,633 per GEO sold, respectively. This compares to 7,400 GEOs at total cash costs and AISC of $1,865 and $1,934 per GEO sold, respectively, in Q1 2021.

Mining from the Pick open pit was 44% below target in Q1 due to mining contractor employee turnover, lower blasting productivity, and the segregation of potentially preg-robbing carbon in mineralized material which could not be heap leached; further metallurgical testing is underway. Heap leach and process plant operations partially offset the deficit of ore mined by achieving 13% higher gold recovery and 8% higher gold grade than the corresponding targets for the quarter. We are evaluating if carbon will remain an issue during the current and future phases of mining at Pick.

Near-mine exploration drilling is underway around the Pick pit with encouraging oxide drill results, including: 1.93 g/t gold over 38.6 m (126.5 ft) in hole GBSW002, and 0.93 g/t gold over 19.5 m (64 ft) in hole GBSW006. This mineralization remains open along a trend to the southwest (please see news release dated April 25th, 2022).

We received regulatory approval to amend the plan of operations to include the Gold Bar South (GBS) deposit on April 1st, 2022. We are planning to start construction of the access road and heap leach pad expansion to accommodate the expected gold production starting in Q4 2022.

In Q1, we spent $1.5 million on exploration activities. One drill rig is currently operating at targets designed to extend the Pick deposit. Drilling is also planned at the Atlas pit, where drilling in 2021 returned 3.10 g/t gold over 27.4 m (90 ft) (please see news release dated April 25th, 2022).

San Jose Mine, Argentina (49% interest)

San Jose attributable production for Q1 was 6,450 gold ounces and 335,500 silver ounces, for a total of 10,700 GEOs. Total cash costs(2) and all-in sustaining costs (AISC)(2) for the quarter were $1,589 and $2,103 per GEO sold, respectively. This compares to 16,700 GEOs at total cash costs and AISC of $1,088 and $1,328 per GEO sold, respectively, in Q1 2021.

San Jose production was impacted by COVID-19-related employee absences, which resulted in fewer tonnes of ore processed during the quarter. Despite the slow start to the year, the San Jose mine is expected to meet production guidance of 69,500 to 77,500 GEOs (49%).

In Q1, 2,050 m (6,720 ft) of exploration drilling was completed around the mine area and the Saavedra vein. Drilling highlights include 6.0 g/t gold and 236 g/t silver over 1.5 m (hole SJD-2451) and 8.3 g/t gold and 561 g/t silver over 1.2 m (hole SJD-2453) in the Celina vein; and 2.8 g/t gold and 546 g/t silver over 1.1 m (also hole SJD-2453) in the Celina Piso vein. An additional 2,000 m of resource delineation drilling is planned in Q2.

McEwen Copper (81% interest)

The Los Azules project, located in San Juan, Argentina, is one of the world's largest undeveloped open-pit copper porphyry deposits.

During Q1 2022, approximately 5,340 m (17,500 ft) of drilling was completed in ten holes, and by the 10th of May 2022 approximately 10,780 m (35,360 ft) had been drilled. Drilling rates were impacted by equipment availability, productivity and reliability of drills assigned to the project. Drill contractor mobilization of crews, equipment, and parts supply were adversely affected by COVID-19 and industry-wide shortages of labor. Steps to remedy these challenges are resulting in improved performance during April and May. Seven drills are currently active, and good turnaround time for results is currently being maintained by the assay lab. The drill program will continue in Q2, weather permitting, followed by a winter break during the months of June to August. Drilling is expected to re-start in October.

Additional drilling is confirming the mineralization size and grade compared to historic intercepts used to estimate the 2017 PEA mineral resource estimate. To date, the results from core logging and sample analysis are very encouraging. In many holes, drilling was allowed to continue beyond the planned length where visible copper mineralization was observed. Often, primary mineralization in the hole was still apparent when drilling was stopped. Hole AZ22142 intersected 419.1 m of 0.79% copper, including an interval comprising 104.0 m of 1.00% copper in the supergene enriched zone and 46 m of 1.59% copper in the hypogene copper zone. Importantly, our updated geological model will reflect the sub-vertical structures and rock types that are thought to be key features controlling the distribution of mineralization. This points directly to the potential for significant mineralization to be discovered with additional drilling to depth (please see news release dated May 4th, 2022).

The critical issue of road access to the site has been resolved. We have developed a second road at a lower altitude that will allow for year-round access to the site. Our access will be extended, making it safer, less expensive and faster to advance and complete our fieldwork.

Whittle Consulting's Enterprise Optimization work, which will be outlined in our forthcoming updated PEA expected in Q1 2023. Their analysis has provided important focus and direction for the detailed work underway, including guidance for drilling programs, metallurgical test work and trade-off studies for mining, processing and infrastructure.

McEwen Copper spent $9.8 million in Q1 to advance the Los Azules project.

Director Appointment

Dr. Merri Sanchez was appointed to the Board of Directors effective February 25, 2022. She is a Technical Fellow with The Aerospace Corporation where she provides technical and strategic advice on matters concerning civil, commercial, and government spaceflight programs. She has more than 40 years of spaceflight engineering and operations experience. She previously served as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force Space Command, as a senior executive for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and as Senior Director of a commercial space company. She received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science in Physical Sciences (Planetary Geology) from the University of Houston  Clear Lake, a Master of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering (Human Factors) from the University of Houston. Our Board believes that Ms. Sanchezs expertise in cutting edge science and technology as well as her experience in operations, engineering, safety, risk management and decision making for both human and robotic spaceflight makes her an asset to our Board.

NYSE Listing

On January 5th, the Company was notified by the NYSE that the average price of its common stock for the previous 30 trading days was below $1.00 per share. Under NYSE regulations we had six months to bring the share price and 30-day average closing share price back above $1.00. The Board of Directors have not approved a reverse share split and will therefore seek other means of remaining on the NYSE. Should the Company become delisted it will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"). Additionally, the Company is exploring transitioning to an alternate exchange or quotation system in the United States.

Table 1 below provides production and cost results for Q1 2022 with comparative results for Q1 2021 and our guidance range for 2022.

Q1 Full Year 2022

Guidance Range

2022 2021 Consolidated Production Gold (oz) 20,850 23,300 118,000-133,000 Silver (oz) 336,500 493,200 2,520,000-2,800,000 GEOs(1) 25,100 30,600 153,000-172,000 Gold Bar Mine, Nevada GEOs(1) 6,300 7,400 38,000-44,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1) 2,284 1,865 AISC ($/GEO)(1) 2,633 1,934 Fox Complex, Canada GEOs(1) 7,700 5,200 44,000-49,000 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1) 1,193 1,262 AISC ($/GEO)(1) 1,729 1,560 San Jose Mine, Argentina (49%) Gold production (oz)(3) 6,450 9,500 34,500-38,500 Silver production (oz)(3) 335,500 492,300 2,520,000-2,800,000 GEOs(1)(3) 10,700 16,700 69,500-77,500 Cash Costs ($/GEO)(1) 1,589 1,088 AISC ($/GEO)(1) 2,103 1,328

Our El Gallo project produced 470 GEOs during Q1 and 1,300 GEOs for Q1 2021. Residual heap leaching is expected to cease by the end of June 2022.

Notes:

'Gold Equivalent Ounces' are calculated based on a gold to silver price ratio of 78:1 for Q1 2022 and 68:1 for Q1 2021. 2022 production guidance is calculated based on 72:1 gold to silver price ratio. Cash gross loss, cash costs per ounce sold, all-in sustaining costs (AISC) per ounce sold are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under U.S. GAAP. For definition of the non-GAAP measures see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section in this press release; for the reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures to the closest U.S. GAAP measures, see the Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed on Edgar and SEDAR. Represents the portion attributable to us from our 49% interest in the San Jose Mine.





For the SEC Form 10-Q Financial Statements and MD&A refer to: http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000314203

Conference Call and Webcast

Management will discuss our Q1 financial results and project developments and follow with a question-and-answer session. Questions can be asked directly by participants over the phone during the webcast.

Friday,

May 13th, 2022



at 12:00 pm EDT



To call into the conference call over the phone, please register here:

http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/1556038



Audience URL: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3731513/8B1AF5DA6C7E1C2409D5EB4DDF445357







The webcast will be archived on McEwen Mining's website at https://www.mcewenmining.com/media following the call.

Technical Information

The technical content of this news release related to financial results, mining and development projects has been reviewed and approved by Peter Mah, P.Eng., COO of McEwen Mining and a Qualified Person as defined by SEC S-K 1300 and the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

The technical content of this news release related to geology, exploration and drilling results has been reviewed and approved by Stephen McGibbon, P.Geo, SVP Exploration of McEwen Mining and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

Reliability of Information Regarding San Jose

Minera Santa Cruz S.A., the owner of the San Jose Mine, is responsible for and has supplied to the Company all reported results from the San Jose Mine. McEwen Mining's joint venture partner, a subsidiary of Hochschild Mining plc, and its affiliates other than MSC do not accept responsibility for the use of project data or the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING NON-GAAP MEASURES

In this release, we have provided information prepared or calculated according to United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("U.S. GAAP"), as well as provided some non-U.S. GAAP ("non-GAAP") performance measures. Because the non-GAAP performance measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Cash Costs and All-in Sustaining Costs

Cash costs consist of mining, processing, on-site general and administrative costs, community and permitting costs related to current operations, royalty costs, refining and treatment charges (for both dore and concentrate products), sales costs, export taxes and operational stripping costs, and exclude depreciation and amortization. All-in sustaining costs consist of cash costs (as described above), plus accretion of retirement obligations and amortization of the asset retirement costs related to operating sites, sustaining exploration and development costs, sustaining capital expenditures, and sustaining lease payments. Both cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are divided by the gold equivalent ounces sold to determine cash costs and all-in sustaining costs on a per ounce basis. We use and report these measures to provide additional information regarding operational efficiencies on an individual mine basis, and believe that these measures provide investors and analysts with useful information about our underlying costs of operations. A reconciliation to production costs applicable to sales, the nearest U.S. GAAP measure is provided in McEwen Mining's Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31st, 2022.

Cash Gross Profit (Loss)

Cash gross profit is a non-GAAP financial measure and does not have any standardized meaning. We use cash gross profit to evaluate our operating performance and ability to generate cash flow; we disclose cash gross profit as we believe this measure provides valuable assistance to investors and analysts in evaluating our ability to finance our ongoing business and capital activities. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with GAAP is gross profit. Cash gross profit is calculated by adding depletion and depreciation to gross profit. A reconciliation to gross profit, the nearest U.S. GAAP measure is provided in McEwen Mining's Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31st, 2022.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc.

ABOUT MCEWEN MINING

McEwen Mining is a diversified gold and silver producer and explorer focused in the Americas with operating mines in Nevada, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. It also has a large exposure to copper through its subsidiary McEwen Copper, owner of the Los Azules copper deposit in Argentina.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor Relations:

(866)-441-0690 Toll Free

(647)-258-0395



Mihaela Iancu ext. 320



info@mcewenmining.com



Join our email list for updates: https://www.mcewenmining.com/contact-us/





Website: www.mcewenmining.com



Facebook: facebook.com/mcewenmining

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150 King Street West

Suite 2800, P.O. Box 24

Toronto, ON, Canada

M5H 1J9








TORONTO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K; NYSE:KGC) (Kinross or the Company) is pleased to announce the publication of its 2021 Sustainability Report (the Report), providing a fulsome and transparent summary of the Companys progress over the past year in furthering its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.



Sustainability and mining responsibly are at the core of Kinross culture and we believe that to be successful in this area you need a strong on-the-ground approach along with a clear strategy and strong governance, said J. Paul Rollinson, President and CEO. Over the past year, we continued to perform well in major external ESG rankings and ratings and have made significant progress advancing our ESG goals. Kinross is committed to ensuring ESG continues to be at the core of our business and recognizes that we need to focus our efforts on material ESG topics which are key to both our Company and our stakeholders.

Kinross 2021 Sustainability Report, available at www.kinross.com/2021-Sustainability-Report , details the Companys approach to responsible mining, which is inseparable from its operational success. The foundation of Kinross ESG governance structure is its values and Safety and Sustainability Policy, which enshrines the Companys First Priorities and its commitment to environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance.

In 2021, Kinross enhanced its ESG oversight by updating the charter of the Board Corporate Responsibility and Technical Committee and established an ESG Executive Committee that reports to the Companys Senior Leadership Team and to the Board on a quarterly basis. Further, in 2022 Kinross Senior Leadership Teams short-term incentive compensation plan was enhanced to reflect two additional objectives linked to ESG strategy and diversity, and the weighting has increased to 25% from 20%.

Kinross obtained independent limited assurance of selected ESG performance metrics and, following its normal practice, have reported in alignment with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) frameworks. The Company is working on its 2021 Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Climate Report, which is scheduled for publication in Q2 2022. Kinross remains on track regarding conformance with the Responsible Gold Mining Principles and expects to complete external assurance in 2022.

Highlights from the Report, which is structured in line with Kinross Safety and Sustainability Policy, include:

Act Ethically and Transparently

Completed the assessment of approximately 98% of Tier 1 suppliers at operating sites since the launch of an updated supply chain due diligence process

Maintained top-tier governance record and was the highest ranked gold mining company in the Globe and Mails annual governance review.

record and was the highest ranked gold mining company in the Globe and Mails annual governance review. Reported zero substantiated cases of corruption or bribery.



Do No Harm

Overall safety performance remained in line with three-year averages, but was overshadowed by a fatal accident at the Chirano mine in Ghana and a serious mill fire at Tasiast. As a result of these incidents and other near-incidents, the Company has undertaken numerous steps to improve safety culture, with a strong focus on people and their individual and collective responsibility.

performance remained in line with three-year averages, but was overshadowed by a fatal accident at the Chirano mine in Ghana and a serious mill fire at Tasiast. As a result of these incidents and other near-incidents, the Company has undertaken numerous steps to improve safety culture, with a strong focus on people and their individual and collective responsibility. Recorded over 96,000 stakeholder interactions, which represents approximately 17% of the local area populations around our sites, with positive feedback 17 times greater than negative.

Efficient use of water with 80% of water recycled at operating mine sites.

recycled at operating mine sites. Maintained record of zero tailings breaches for the 29 th consecutive year.

for the 29 consecutive year. Announced the target of a 30% reduction in intensity of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, over the 2021 baseline, and to have net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Together with Trout Unlimited, established the Alaska Abandoned Mine Restoration Initiative and started its first project at Resurrection Creek, an area affected by historical placer mining.

Reclaimed more than 100 hectares of land during 2021 and in Paracatu, saw the return of endemic fauna in reclaimed areas.



Make a Positive Contribution

Generated $3.5 billion in economic benefits (Kinross benefit footprint) to host countries through taxes, wages, procurement and community support. Since 2010, the Company has contributed more than $40 billion to the economies of host countries.

(Kinross benefit footprint) to host countries through taxes, wages, procurement and community support. Since 2010, the Company has contributed more than $40 billion to the economies of host countries. Advanced inclusion and diversity targets including instituting a Global Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council, maintaining 33% female representation of Board members, and started a Women in Mining: Peer Networking Program connecting women across the Company.

targets including instituting a Global Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council, maintaining 33% female representation of Board members, and started a Women in Mining: Peer Networking Program connecting women across the Company. Achieved record high levels of local employment with 99% of total workforce and 92% of managers from within host countries.

with 99% of total workforce and 92% of managers from within host countries. Supported community programs that reached approximately 1,000,000 beneficiaries.

that reached approximately 1,000,000 beneficiaries. Sourced 84% of goods and services in country, working with approximately 6,000 suppliers globally.



The Company continued to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on its operations, prioritizing the health and safety of its employees. Access to vaccinations was facilitated for both employees and host communities, and a broad-based testing strategy for sites was implemented in line with regional and government guidelines.

About Kinross Gold Corporation

Kinross is a Canadian-based global senior gold mining company with operations and projects in the United States, Brazil, Mauritania, Chile, Canada, Russia and Ghana. Our focus on delivering value is based on our core principles of responsible mining, operational excellence, disciplined growth and balance sheet strength. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol:K) and the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:KGC).

Media Contact

Louie Diaz

Vice-President, Corporate Communications

phone: 416-369-6469

louie.diaz@kinross.com

Investor Relations Contact

Chris Lichtenheldt

Vice-President, Investor Relations

phone: 416-365-2761

chris.lichtenheldt@kinross.com

ESG Contact

Michal Kowalczyk

Vice-President, ESG Strategy

phone: 647-788-4150

michal.kowalczyk@kinross.com

Source: Kinross Gold Corporation




LONDON, Ontario, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BLES Biochemicals Inc. is an established global player in providing innovative solutions for treating neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS).

We are excited to offer a first-of-its-kind single-use, unique intratracheal catheter with an integrated stylet, designed by clinical experts who understand the practice and importance of delivering exogenous pulmonary surfactant to neonates.

BLEScathTM is intended for the administration of bovine lipid extract surfactant suspension (BLES) using minimally invasive surfactant therapy (MIST) / less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) technique for rescue treatment of infants with NRDS. BLEScathTM is approved by Health Canada for use in Canada.

BLES is intended for neonates at  28 weeks and or  1000 grams who do not require intubation or mechanical ventilation and meet the criteria for surfactant administration (i.e., oxygenation requirement met)1.

NRDS is a challenge mitigated by integrated scientific solutions.

With the combination of BLEScathTM and use with BLES, we are equipped to provide a broader range of product offerings and resources to address and lead innovation that compliments global surfactant delivery treatment to neonates experiencing NRDS.

These neonates are unable to inflate the alveolar sacs in their lungs, resulting in progressive and diffuse atelectasis and possible loss of life. Surfactant is an important component in treatment therapy.

The LISA/MIST technique uses a small diameter catheter inserted into the trachea to deliver exogenous pulmonary surfactant to a spontaneously breathing patient supported by continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) to avoid intubation. The use of cumbersome Magill forceps is often required to guide a thin catheter through the vocal cords and may impair the visual procedural landscape and may contribute to mucosal trauma3. BLEScathTM addresses these challenges with the integrated SS stylet2.

Need to Know

The use of BLEScath TM and bovine lipid extract surfactant suspension should be restricted to a highly supervised clinical setting with immediate availability of experienced neonatologists and other clinicians experienced with general care of premature infants. Transient episodes of bradycardia and decreased oxygen saturation may occur during dosing 3 .

and bovine lipid extract surfactant suspension should be restricted to a highly supervised clinical setting with immediate availability of experienced neonatologists and other clinicians experienced with general care of premature infants. Transient episodes of bradycardia and decreased oxygen saturation may occur during dosing . BLEScath TM and BLES  are contraindicated in infants with active pulmonary hemorrhage 3 .

and BLES are contraindicated in infants with active pulmonary hemorrhage . DO NOT use BLEScath TM to administer any surfactant other than BLES 3 .

to administer any surfactant other than BLES . BLEScathTM is intended for intratracheal use only, do not introduce the catheter into other body openings3.

About BLES Biochemicals Inc.

BLES Biochemicals Inc. is an established global player in providing innovative solutions for treating NRDS. With over 40 years of research and the development of bovine lipid extract surfactant BLES, the leading pulmonary surfactant solution in Canada, and now BLEScathTM , we strive to provide interventions that expand the standard of care practices.

Our researchers aim to complement existing practices and enhance neonatal care to alleviate NRDS-related mortality and morbidity. Many premature infants would not survive without treatment with an exogenous pulmonary surfactant, such as ours. We believe that everyone deserves access to this therapy, and we work hard to make that a reality around the world. The innovation of BLEScathTM results from a continued commitment to that mission. We want to live in a world where every neonate has access to life-saving pulmonary surfactant and associated delivery devices. Until this vision is realized, we continue to serve the underserved.

For more information, visit www.blesbiochem.com and www.blescath.com .

References

1.BLES Product Monograph, January 31, 2022.

2.BLEScathTM Instructions for Use (IFU) December 31, 2020.

3.Herting E, Hartel C, Gopel W. Less invasive surfactant administration. Current Opinion in Pediatrics.2020;32(2):22834.

Ben Reesor

General Manager

Contact:

Joan Slivocka

BLES Biochemicals Inc.

Product Marketing Manager

jslivocka@blesbiochem.com

519-457-2537 Ext 815

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/02172a7e-7d47-4325-870a-e818993599a5
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orano Canada Inc. (Orano) and Cameco Corporation (Cameco) have reached an agreement to jointly acquire Idemitsu Canada Resources Ltd.s (Idemitsu) 7.875% ownership in the Cigar Lake Joint Venture. Orano is pleased to announce that, upon closing, this transaction will increase its share by 3.353% to a total of 40.453% of the joint venture. Camecos ownership will also rise to a total of 54.547% and TEPCO Resources Inc. will maintain its current 5% interest.

Orano is pleased to increase its resource base in Canada where it has been present for more than 50 years through exploration and operation of industrial facilities. Canada is an essential asset in our strategy to diversify our production which is even more important today to guarantee to our customers a security of supply in the long term, said Nicolas Maes, President, Orano Mining.

We are excited to increase our ownership stake in the Cigar Lake mine, said Orano Canada President and CEO Jim Corman. As the original discoverer of the deposit in the early 1980s we know the asset very well and are committed to continue to work in co-operation with our partners on ensuring the continued success of the mine and our tandem operation, the McClean Lake mill.

Orano Canada will purchase the share of Idemitsus interest for approximately $80 million CDN. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions and should be closed in the second quarter of 2022.

About Orano Canada

Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Orano Canada Inc. is a leading producer of uranium, accounting for the processing of 12.2 million pounds of uranium concentrate produced in Canada in 2021. Orano Canada has been exploring for uranium, mining and milling in Canada for more than 55 years. Orano Canada is the operator of the McClean Lake uranium mill and a major partner in the Cigar Lake (currently 37.1% increasing to 40.453%), McArthur River (30.2%) and Key Lake (16.7%) operations. The McClean Lake joint venture is owned by Orano Canada (77.5%) and Denison Mines (22.5%). Orano toll mills the ore from the Cigar Lake mine at the McClean Lake mill.

The company employs about 420 people in Saskatchewan, including about 300 at the McClean Lake operation where over 49% of employees are self-declared Indigenous. As a sustainable uranium producer, Orano Canada is committed to safety, environmental protection and contributing to the prosperity and well-being of neighbouring communities.

Orano Canada Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of Orano Mining, part of the multinational Orano group. As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. With uranium mines in operation in Canada, Kazakhstan and Niger, Orano is one of the worlds leading producers of uranium, with competitive production costs and extraction techniques at the cutting edge of innovation. Every day, the Orano groups 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Visit Orano at www.oranocanada.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter: @oranocanada





Press Contact

Carey Hyndman

T: +1 (306) 343-4503

C: +1 (306) 291-4236

carey.hyndman@orano.group
gettyimagesbank



By Park Jae-hyuk



The newly launched Yoon Suk-yeol administration is expected to speed up its efforts for Korea's transition to a hydrogen economy, benefiting relevant companies such as Doosan Fuel Cell and Hyosung Advanced Materials, according to market analysts, Tuesday.



The hydrogen economy  which, if based on green hydrogen, is regarded as a path to achieving carbon neutrality  refers to an economy that relies on hydrogen as a commercial fuel.



When the presidential transition committee announced 110 national tasks last Tuesday, it vowed to stabilize the production and supply of "green" and "blue" hydrogen  which refer to hydrogen generated by renewable energy and hydrogen produced from natural gas, respectively  for Korea to become a global leader in the hydrogen industry.



"With the expanded use of various energy sources, such as renewable energies and hydrogen, we will enhance the self-sufficiency of energy and create more jobs," the transition team said.



Eugene Investment & Securities analyst Han Byung-hwa expected the nation's overall hydrogen industry to accelerate its growth, considering that the new Cabinet members have a solid understanding of the relevant businesses.



"The transition team also announced its plan to support hydrogen vehicles," the analyst said.



After a revision to the Hydrogen Economy Promotion and Hydrogen Safety Management Act was passed by the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee on May 4, uncertainties about the nation's hydrogen industry have been reduced further.



The revised bill is intended to offer financial support to the hydrogen industry and to obligate electric utility companies to use green and blue hydrogen.



Domestic companies have been urging lawmakers to pass the revised bill, so that they can make investments under specific guidelines.



However, it has not been passed since being proposed last July.



"The delayed passage of the revised bill has caused concerns over the uncertainties about the industry," the Federation of Korean Industries said in a statement. "For Korea to become among the top three leaders in clean energy technologies, the revised bill should be passed as soon as possible."



Analysts expect that the revised bill will be passed in the National Assembly's forthcoming plenary session without much difficulty, given that it was proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds the majority.



"Hydrogen-related stocks have shown sharp declines in their prices since the second half of last year, due to the delayed passage of the revised bill and uncertainties about the new government's support of the industry," Han said. "Now both problems have been resolved."






Eduardo Freitas will make his debut as Formula One race director at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. He will reportedly also take charge of the next race in Monaco, after which his schedule will be compromised due to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

His colleague Niels Wittich took the lead as race director in the first five races, and caused quite a stir especially at the Miami Grand Prix. A real riot started around Lewis Hamilton's jewelry and Sebastian Vettel's underpants, which will be strictly monitored from now on.

Freitas makes debut as race director

In Spain and Monaco, Wittich will act as deputy race director with Freitas in the lead role, according to Motorsport.com report. However, the subsequent Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Freitas is also attached to as race director in the WEC.

For the same reason, Freitas also missed the Grands Prix of Bahrain and Miami, where Colin Haywood took over as Wittich's deputy. Each of the two race directors can be used by the FIA and are therefore effectively interchangeable as it suits.
LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun gives a congratulatory speech at the opening of the LS EV Korea Gunpo plant in Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Courtesy of LS Group



By Kim Hyun-bin



LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun has selected electric vehicle (EV) parts and charging businesses to be future growth engines, as global demand for EVs is expected to show exponential growth in the coming years. LS Group plans to make active investments in the EV parts and charging businesses to accomplish its strategy.



"This year, after the third-generation transition to LS Chairman Koo Ja-eun, there has been an increase in new investments in future growth engines such as EVs and renewable energy," an LS Group official said. "The company is expected to grow even faster as changes to corporate culture and digital transformations are expected to produce better results."



Chairman Koo attended the LS EV Korea Factory Completion Ceremony held at the LS Knowledge Industry Center in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, and revealed its business strategy for the EV era. About 30 people attended the event, including Chairman Koo, LS Cable & System CEO Koo Bon-kyu, Executive Vice President of LG Energy Solutions Kim Dong-soo and LS EV Korea's major customers and partners.



LS EV Korea, a subsidiary of LS Cable & System mainly produces power supplies and sensors for EVs. It also supplies wiring, battery packs and energy storage system (ESS) parts. Its major customers include global automakers such as Volkswagen and Volvo.



The LS EV Korea Gunpo plant, which officially started operations on the same day, is a new building built on the site of LS Cable & System's central research center, and is equipped with state-of-the-art EV parts manufacturing facilities such as test labs and production lines.



"The EV and energy storage system (ESS) parts produced by LS EV Korea at the Gunpo plant are electric and power technologies that LS has strengths in and are now the new growth engines of the group and this will play a key role for the future," Chairman Koo said in his congratulatory speech. "LS EV Korea will play a leading role in the EV era by demonstrating its differentiated energy solution capabilities in specialized factories."



This year, a new corporation, LS E-Link, was established to build EV charging infrastructure in April. LS aims to use the company as a control tower for the EV business and consolidate the group's EV charging business capabilities.


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One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out in the Mariupol steelworks said Monday they were still defending the city.

Valeri Paditel, who heads the border guards in the Donetsk region, said the fighters were doing everything to make those who defend the city in the future proud.

In his video address, released by the national border guard service, Paditel said the fighters include border guards, soldiers, national police and members of the national guard.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day

 Russian ambassador to Poland hit with red paint

 Russia marks WWII victory overshadowed by Ukraine

 More than 60 feared dead in bombing of Ukrainian school

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

KYIV, Ukraine  An adviser to Ukraines president is interpreting Russian President Vladimir Putins Victory Day speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with NATO.

Oleksiy Arestovych pointed to Putins statement that Russia would honor the memory of those who fought in World War II by doing everything so that the horror of a global war does not happen again.

Translating from Kremlin speak into Russian, Arestovych said this means: There will be no nuclear war. There will be no war with NATO. What will there be? There will be a sluggish attempt to solve three main problems, which he identified as taking control of the entire Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson regions.

This would give Russia control of the eastern industrial Donbas, including Mariupol, and a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Speaking late Monday in an online interview, Arestovych said Russia would drag out the war while bleeding the Ukrainian economy with the aim of getting Ukraine to agree to give up these territories.

Arestovych He also said Ukraines ability to spoil these plans depends on whether the West supplies it with the heavy weapons it needs.

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MIAMI BEACH, Fla.  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russias invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this, Pelosi said. Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country, Pelosi said.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Europe, as it did in World War II, once again has to think about the price to be paid for peace on the continent.

Zelenskyy added that Europe has to think about the price to be paid by Russia for bringing the evil of total war to Europe again.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said history will hold Russia responsible.

And we, Ukrainians, will continue to work toward our defense, our victory and on restoring justice. Today, tomorrow and any other day that is necessary to free Ukraine from the occupiers, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy ended his radio address by thanking all those defending the country and promising that the Ukrainian flag will one day once again fly over all of its cities.

The Ukrainian flag will return. Because this is our country. A free European country, Zelenskyy said.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles from the air at Odesa on Monday night, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse.

One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

While seeking strategic targets, obsolete missiles managed to hit an extremely dangerous shopping center and a warehouse for consumer goods, Natalya Gumenyuk, a military spokeswoman, said on Facebook.

Photos on the post showed what appeared to be the warehouse engulfed in flames.



WASHINGTON  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine on Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on V-E day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender and Russias biggest patriotic holiday, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, not even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together in a rare bipartisan fashion. Other measures, including calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support.

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WASHINGTON  Lithuanias top diplomat said Monday that removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the U.S. and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Putins annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the Ukraine war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place, Landsbergis said.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger, he said. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in Ukraine started, it is that Russia is an aggressive country. Thats very clear.

Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states that among NATO allies are particularly concerned about possible Russian designs on forcefully returning them to Moscows rule. Lithuanian officials, including Landsbergis have been especially outspoken about their fears but his overt calls for regime change go beyond what most NATO allies have been willing to express.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  The first telephone call Jill Biden made from her black SUV after an unannounced meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart inside the embattled country was to her husband, President Joe Biden.

Biden and Olena Zelenska, who had not been seen in public since President Vladimir Putin sent Russias military into her country nearly 11 weeks ago, had just spent about two hours together at a school in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

With her visit to the Ukraine war zone, the U.S. first lady was able to act as a second pair of eyes and ears for the president, who so far has been unable to visit the country himself.

Sometimes the first lady is able to do things and get into places where the president cant, said Myra Gutin, author of The Presidents Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century.

Jill Biden wrapped up her four-day trip to Eastern Europe on Monday after meeting in Bratislava with Zuzana Caputova, Slovakias first female president. Her trip over the border on Sunday to meet with Zelenska and refugees from elsewhere in Ukraine was a highpoint of the visit.

Seated across from Caputova, Jill Biden said she told her husband in their phone call just how much I saw the need to support the people of Ukraine and about the horrors and the brutality that the people I had met had experienced.

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BERLIN  The leaders of Germany and France welcomed the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin didnt announce any steps to expand the war in Ukraine, including to other countries, in his speech marking the end of World War II.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that it important there had been no escalation, at least as far as the rhetoric is concerned in Putins Victory Day speech. What actually happens in Ukraine is something well see in the next days and weeks.

His comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that the goal of diplomatic efforts remains a cease-fire in Ukraine.

In effect, today was marked by no verbal escalation nor a geographic escalation nor an escalation in the use of arms he said. Is this sufficient for us? No.

We will remain concentrated on our only goal, do all to get a cease-fire and help Ukraine to negotiate under the terms it decides for itself, because we are on the side of sovereignty and Ukrainian territorial integrity, Macron said. No more, no less.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russias war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldovas capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russias war in neighboring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The U.N. chiefs visit to Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldovas pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the regions state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-meter-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldovas sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

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WASHINGTON  The United States is suspending 25% import taxes on Ukraines steel in a show of support for the countrys beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1% of U.S. steel exports.

Some of the countrys largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill thats the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people  we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being, Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel.

The steel levies were imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration, which deployed a little-used provision in U.S. trade law to call foreign steel a threat to American national security. The move outraged U.S. allies, and critics said they did little address the real cause of stress for U.S. steel producers: massive overproduction by the Chinese, whose steel shipments to the U.S. are already limited by other trade barriers.

The Biden administration has removed most of the tariffs on steel from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, allowing their metals to come in duty-free up to a quota. No such quota applies to the Ukrainian imports in the move announced Monday.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polish officials say the country is ready to increase its energy assistance to neighboring Ukraine and provide steady deliveries.

Polands government ministers made the declaration Monday during a Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum attended also by other countries and by the International Energy Agency. Climate and Environment minister, Anna Moskwa, said a round-the clock effort is being set in motion to ensure energy security to Ukraine.

Poland has been supplying Ukraine with some energy and fuels ever since Russias Feb. 24 invasion. The level of the support is to be increased.

Ukraines first deputy minister for the economy, Yulia Sviridenko, said the country urgently needs diesel fuel and gasoline because Russias invading troops are destroying its fuels infrastructure, including a refinery.

Poland is in the process of cutting its dependence on Russian energy sources and increasing deliveries from other countries.

___

BRUSSELS  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to Hungary in a bid to secure unanimity on the EUs executive arms proposal to ban oil imports from Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said von der Leyen will meet with Hungary Prime minister Viktor Orban on Monday to discuss issues related to European security of energy supply.

Hungary has blocked progress in discussions to adopt the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine, and ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the new round of measures.

Von der Leyen has proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Hungary says it will not vote for the proposed sanctions, saying it would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and would destroy its stable energy supply.

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ODESA, Ukraine  The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has lamented that silos full of food for export is blocked in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which he visited on Monday.

The Ukrainian city has been the target of Russian missile attacks over recent days.

In a tweet, Michel said he was with Ukraines prime minister examining the wars effect on the port.

I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, Michel wrote. This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response.

Ukraine is a global grain exporter, and U.N. officials have warned that failure for those products to ship will hurt food security in importing countries, especially poorer ones in Africa and elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement said he spoke with Michel during the Odesa visit. It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russias aggressive actions, Zelenskyy said. Immediate measures must be taken to unlock Ukrainian ports for wheat exports.

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ROME  The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow patriarch has made a personal and faith-based appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for safe passage to Ukrainian soldiers defending the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Metropolitan Onufry recalled in an open letter Monday that Putins own family survived the siege of Leningrad in the 1940s. He said Putins relatives experienced what it is like to live in isolation from the great land, under constant bombardment, without food, water, medicine, when death can come at any moment from the impact of a heavy weapon, hunger or lack of medical care.

He said the civilians and soldiers of Mariupol are in the same situation today, a reference to the Ukrainian troops still defending the Azovstal steel mill. He wrote: We hope that you will Christianly agree to the extraction procedure for the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol, and give the opportunity to surrounded civilians, police, border guards and the military to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine or the territory of third countries.

Onufrys church enjoys broad autonomy but is loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church and its patriarch, Kirill. It is separate from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which split into an independent church in 2019.

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BERLIN  The Russian ambassador in Berlin used a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the end of World War II to repeat Moscows claims that it is fighting against Nazism in Ukraine.

Sergey Nechaev told reporters Monday that Ukraine will be de-nazified for sure.

It will succeed, he said. We need a peace without Nazism, in Ukraine and in Europe.

The diplomat also cited a need for good cooperation, of course, but at eye level, without ultimatums and without threats and without sanctions.

The occasion was the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germanys defeat, traditionally celebrated by Russia on May 9.

A small group of people waved Russian and Soviet flags, despite a ban on doing so by Berlin police, imposed to prevent violence between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters.

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WARSAW, Poland  Protesters threw what appeared to be red paint, to symbolize blood, at the Russian ambassador as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Ambassador Ambassador Sergey Andreev came to the Soviet soldiers cemetery to lay flowers. A group of activists opposed to Russias war in Ukraine were waiting for him.

The protesters carried Ukrainian flags, while some were dressed in white sheets smeared with a red color, symbolizing the Ukrainian victims of Russias war. Other men in the diplomats entourage were also seen splattered with what appeared to be red paint.

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BRUSSELS  The European Commission will aim to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraines bid to become a member of the European Union.

The 27 EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Moscow since the start of the war in February. But leaders are divided on how fast Brussels could move to accept Ukraine as a member.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on Twitter that she discussed Monday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy EU support and Ukraines European pathway. Looking forward to receiving the answers to the EU membership questionnaire.

For now, Ukraine has an Association Agreement with the EU, which includes a far-reaching free trade pact and helps to modernize Ukraines economy.

The Ukrainian fast-track bid could take years, with unanimity among current members required to include a new member.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video address to the war-ravaged nation on Monday, marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in the World War II, and promising that Ukraine will soon have two Victory Days.

We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II. Where more than 8 million Ukrainians died. And every fifth Ukrainian didnt return home. In total, the war claimed at least 50 million lives, Zelenskyy said. We dont say we can repeat.

Zelenskyy stressed that soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then, we will win now, too, he said, in reference to Russias war against Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast Moscows military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies.

Speaking Monday at a military parade marking the World War II victory over the Nazis, Putin drew parallels between the Red Armys fighting against the Nazi troops and the Russian forces action in Ukraine.

He said the campaign in Ukraine was a timely and necessary move to ward off what he described as an absolutely unacceptable threat just next to our borders.

The danger was rising he said, adding that Russia has preemptively repulsed an aggression in what he described as a forced, timely and the only correct decision by a sovereign, powerful and independent country.

The Russian leader again scolded the West for failing to heed Russian demands for security guarantees and a rollback to NATOs expansion, arguing that it left Moscow no other choice but to launch an action in Ukraine.

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  A Salvadoran man who claims he was jailed, beaten and tortured after being wrongfully deported from the United States filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government seeking damages for his treatment.

Jose Daniel Guerra-Castaneda, 25, who has since been returned to the United States and lives in Massachusetts, said in the lawsuit filed on his behalf by the ACLU that he was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019 despite a court order allowing him to remain in the U.S. He said he had been wrongfully accused of being a gang member in El Salvador and committing murder.

Guerra-Castaneda alleges he spent nearly 300 days in a crowded and unsanitary jail upon his return to El Salvador, where he experienced torture and other forms of physical and emotional trauma. As a result, he said in the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts that he continues to suffer physical and emotional pain including lingering back pain.

"ICEs violation of federal court orders to keep our client in the country cost him horrifying physical and emotional trauma that will last a lifetime, said SangYeob Kim, an immigration staff attorney at the ACLU of New Hampshire which filed the lawsuit along with the Preti Flaherty law firm.

No human being should be sent by the United States to a country where they will be tortured or persecuted before they ever have an opportunity to challenge their removal," Kim said. "No one is above the law, and when the court issues an order, we are all bound to uphold it  specially the United States government.

A spokesman for ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal judge in Boston ruled in 2019 that Guerra-Castaneda could remain in the United States to fight deportation efforts over an alleged murder he committed in El Salvador. Guerra-Castaneda, who was living in Massachusetts but was detained in New Hampshire, has argued he would face persecution and torture in El Salvador.

The ACLU said Guerra-Castaneda had been sent to a detention center in Louisiana ahead of his pending deportation. After the court ruling, court records show ICE officials in Boston sent an email to their colleagues in Louisiana advising them that Guerra-Castaneda should not be deported.

Despite that correspondence, the ACLU said he was deported, two days after the second of two court orders staying his deportation.

In their lawsuit, the ACLU said that officials at ICE and the Department of Homeland Security should have been aware of the order to keep Guerra-Castaneda in the country. They also argue that Guerra-Castanedas treatment in El Salvador could be blamed on his wrongful deportation.

Guerra-Castaneda was returned to United States by ICE in November 2020, after his criminal charges were dropped in El Salvador. He ended up spending 417 days in the country. He is in the process of applying for a green card.

The ACLU said Guerra-Castanedas case is a part of a trend. Nationwide, it said, it has documented at least eight cases in which ICE attempted to deport someone after a court ruled the person could stay. In three cases, it said, the person was illegally removed despite a law prohibiting it. In five cases, an immigration lawyer intervened and prevented their deportation.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  A Taiwanese human rights activist who served five years in jail in China said that international pressure and the tireless advocacy by his wife worked to ensure his safe return to Taiwan.

I know that my life's safety and security was defended by many people, thanks to everyone, I have never felt abandoned or alone, Lee Ming-che said at a press conference Tuesday in his first public appearance since being released from prison.

Lee Ming-che was arrested by Chinese authorities in 2017 and charged with subversion of state power. His arrest was Chinas first criminal prosecution of a nonprofit worker since Beijing passed a law tightening controls over foreign non-governmental organizations in 2016.

His arrest marked a turning point as China showed that it would not hesitate to prosecute Taiwanese individuals for political activism, regardless of the harm it would bring to cross-Strait relations. It also raised public awareness in Taiwan of the tangible consequences of China's authoritarian rule on individuals as relations between Taiwan and China worsened with the election of President Tsai Ing-wen.

China claims Taiwan is a part of its national territory and has not ruled out force to bring the island under its rule. Taiwan is, in practice, self-ruled.

Lee had given online lectures on Taiwans democratization and managed a fund for families of political prisoners in China that some friends had set up.

I did what I could do, using my credit card to buy some books," he said, which he would send to friends in China. He would also give donations to the families of political prisoners. This is not to interfere with the country's internal affairs. All of this was simply a way of humanitarian caring.

Lee is the son of parents who were both born in China and had come to Taiwan with the ruling Nationalist Party. He had always thought of himself as a Chinese person growing up. That changed in high school with a history teacher who taught the students to learn about local history.

Instead of focusing on the Yangtze or the Yellow River, the two major rivers in China, the history teacher showed them documentaries about Taiwanese local history. Lee said he learned to appreciate what was around him.

That message was hammered in during his time in China, where he realized that he was a foreigner. Lee now identifies himself as Taiwanese, saying that his ethnic identity, as a Chinese person, is separate from his national, political identity as a person born in Taiwan.

Real revolution, as evidenced by history, must come from the land itself, Lee said. I know that how China democratizes and comes to value human rights, thats the Chinese peoples responsibility and work.

While Lee was able to come home, another prisoner, Lee Meng-chu, remains trapped in China. Lee Meng-chu has been accused of being a spy by Chinese authorities and is now serving the two years as part of his sentence which deprived him of political rights.

Meng-chu had been in Hong Kong in 2019, during the massive anti-government protests that rocked the city, according to the semi-official Central News Agency. He disappeared after crossing the border into Shenzhen.

Its uncertain how many Taiwanese are being held in Chinese prisons, as many families have chosen to remain quiet in the hopes of getting their loved ones release.

This stands in contrast with Lee, the human rights activist's case. In the last five years, Lees wife, Ching-yu worked with local nonprofit organizations to raise awareness about her husbands case. She also sought help from foreign democratic governments from the United States to the United Kingdom. Lee gave interviews in the press about whether she could send letters to her husband while in jail and how his health was.

That continued effort, both said, paid off.

International support can truly have a concrete change on the treatment of a political prisoner in China, said Lee Ching-yu.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. announced Monday that it is sanctioning five people accused of fundraising for the Islamic State group and using the funds to help traffic children to serve as fighters for the organization.

U.S. Treasury says the actors are pivotal to helping extremists travel to Syria and other regions where IS operates.

Dwi Dahlia Susanti and her accomplices are accused of facilitating money transfers from Indonesia, Turkey, and Syria, where the Treasury Department says Sustani used the funds to help smuggle teenage children out of the camps to the desert, where they were received by (IS) foreign fighters, likely as child recruits" for IS.

The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, block any property or other assets the individuals have in the U.S. and those who engage in business with the sanctioned people could receive secondary sanctions.

The announcement comes just two days ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from the global anti-IS coalition that is happening in Morocco on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to cancel his plan to attend because he tested positive for COVID-19, but the U.S. will be represented by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, who is the third highest-ranking U.S. diplomat.

Treasury says several of the individuals allegedly conducted a large portion of transfers through Syria-based refugee camps by collecting funds in Indonesia and Turkey, where some the funds were used to pay for smuggling children out of the camps and delivering them to (IS) foreign fighters as potential recruits, according to Treasury.

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said Treasury intends to expose and disrupt an international facilitation network that has supported (IS) recruitment, including the recruitment of vulnerable children in Syria.

Of the roughly 40,000 foreign IS members identified in Iraq and Syria, 12 percent were children under the age of 18, according to a 2019 United Nations report.

The United States, as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, is committed to denying (IS) the ability to raise and move funds across multiple jurisdictions," Nelson said in a news release. The U.S. government refers to the group as ISIS, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

__

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
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GREENWICH  A potential bombshell fell at a recent Board of Education meeting: Could the new Central Middle School also house the central office for Greenwich Public Schools?

There has been some discussion among board members about other opportunities to happen at Central Middle, board member Joe Kelly said.

School board member Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony was speaking of bringing the Havemeyer administration as part of the building project. Wouldnt that have to be discussed way early? Kelly asked at a meeting in April.

The district is set to build a new Central Middle School, which is slated to open January 2026. The educational specifications outlining the needs of the new building will soon be completed, but Kelly spoke with annoyance that the school board hadnt yet met with consultants regarding those educational specifications.

Meanwhile, the home of the districts central office, the Havemeyer Building on Greenwich Avenue, is aging, and First Selectman Fred Camillo has said that he has ideas for moving the district offices out of the aging building.

During the meeting, school board member Christina Downey said the possibility of building administrative offices at Central Middle School had been discussed with the consultants crafting the projects educational specifications. But the consultants said the idea wasnt practical, Downey said.

The discussion took a couple minutes of the four-hour meeting, only referencing behind-the-scenes conversations about the project.

Camillo told the Greenwich Time that the future of the Board of Education building was still to be determined, and Kelly said he doesnt believe the idea of bringing the central office to Central Middle School will come to fruition.

Havemeyer Building

More than 100 employees of the Greenwich Public Schools work in the aging Havemeyer Building, which also includes a warehouse and a print shop. The building, which was originally a school, was given to the town in 1892 by Henry Osborne Havemeyer, according to the Greenwich Historical Society.

Its in bad shape, and its the towns responsibility, Camillo told the Greenwich Time. Restoring the brick 19th-century building would cost about $50 million, according to an estimate the town received.

Havemeyer certainly needs a lot of TLC the Board of Education cant afford, Kelly told the Greenwich Time.

Now, Camillo is looking to private-public partnerships to pull off a renovation while dreaming up a new use for the building, which is in a prime location.

Its an extremely valuable piece of property, and its been underutilized for years. Certainly, having the Board of Education do something that works for them is of utmost importance, he said in an interview.

They dont need all that space. ... I think its a very bad use of what is prime real estate.

Camillo indicated that he has received bids for exciting possibilities for the building, but he is waiting for an official bidding process to begin. He did not confirm any intended future use for the Havemeyer Building.

The town is also reviewing any agreements made with the Havemeyer family about the donation of the building, Camillo said.

Board of Education

So in the meantime, the future home of the Greenwich Public Schools central office is up in the air.

At this point right now, as far as the educational specifications go right now, were not putting the Havemeyer employees on the Central Middle School campus, Kelly said.

Mercanti-Anthony said he had suggested Central as the site of central office about six months ago - before the school was condemned in February and closed for a few weeks and before the replacement project got the greenlight.

Ive purposefully not broached that subject since it was condemned, he said.

The school board has not reached a consensus about moving out of the Havemeyer building or finding a new home. Camillo said he is working in consultation with the Board of Education and Superintendent Toni Jones.

After the town budget is finalized this week, Camillo said he expected to announce a committee with district leaders that would guide the future of the districts headquarters and the Havemeyer building.

annelise.hanshaw@hearstmediact.com
JUBA, South Sudan (AP)  Many of South Sudan's civil servants have not been paid for months as the government has run out of funds, with income from oil exports allocated to servicing loans until 2027, the finance minister and affected workers said.

Government employees demanding salary arrears include members of the security forces, doctors and nurses, according to Finance Minister Agak Achuil.

The reason why we are not paying the arrears is that the oil money is going towards the payment of loans which have been taken before and paying for some of the priorities of the government, he told reporters in Juba, the capital. Where am I going to get the money if the oil has been sold in advance up to 2027?"

The government will allocate oil sales for 2028 and beyond in order to pay salaries for this year, he said.

The finance ministry recently paid the November and December salaries but now owes for the first four months of 2022.

President Salva Kiirs government depends on oil proceeds to pay salaries and finance other development projects. Internal revenue sources are not enough to support government expenditure.

But the government has borrowed heavily against the country's oil exports. In 2019 authorities agreed to allocate 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day as payment to Chinese firms building roads in the country.

Some spending is seen as profligate. A decision in 2018 to give each of the country's 400 legislators a $40,000 loan to buy personal cars was widely criticized in a country where most government employees live in relative poverty. Medical workers are among the least paid, with most nurses and midwives earning under $100 per month.

Some government employees who spoke to The Associated Press said they are finding it hard to look after their families amid rising commodity prices in Juba and elsewhere.

Food is expensive and children are stressing us for school fees, said a government office messenger, Tereza Akol. Our situation is bad.

Akol said she hasn't received a payment since January.

Mary Poni, who works as a cleaner in a government office, said she now has a side job as a vegetable seller in order to put food on the table. How can you serve a government which doesnt care about you? she said.

Kiir last year directed finance authorities to allocate 5,000 barrels of crude oil per day to regularize salary payments, but that has not yet been implemented.

South Sudan produces 3.5 billion barrels of oil annually. Monthly oil earnings of roughly $57 million cover just a fraction of the government's monthly expenditure of $200 million, according to official figures.

Achuil, the finance minister, gave no details about government debt when he spoke last week.

Some government critics accuse the government of taking corrupt loans as many are finalized without parliamentary approval.

These loans are very corrupt because there (is) lots of money being exchanged under the table," said Peter B. Ajak, an economist who previously worked for the government. "This is why money of five years is already spent.

There were high hopes for peace and stability in South Sudan when the country gained its long-fought independence from Sudan in 2011. But the country slid into civil war in December 2013 largely based on ethnic divisions when forces loyal to Kiir battled those loyal to his deputy president, Riek Machar.

Tens of thousands of people were killed in the civil conflict which ended with a 2018 peace agreement that brought Kiir and Machar back together in a government of national unity.

But South Sudan's oil production has not yet recovered fully.
Maria Falcon was arrested on April 29. Photo: Artane_33/Reddit

For years, New York City street vendors complaints about police harassment seemed to fall on deaf ears. There was hope that this could change during COVID, when many vendors found themselves unable to work and yet other unemployed workers turned to selling food on the streets. Another positive step forward came on June 8, 2020, the height of the George Floyd protests: With activists calling for the reallocation of funding for police departments, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the NYPD would no longer be involved in enforcement of street-vending laws. Instead, he promised, there would be a civilian agency to oversee vendors.

Still, the NYPD continued to ticket street vendors, even after the Department of Consumer Affairs took over inspection duties in January 2021. (That month, there was some especially good news: The City Council passed legislation lifting the outdated permit cap, which had not increased since the 1980s.) While ticketing dropped during COVID, it returned to pre-pandemic levels last summer, with the DCWP issuing 424 tickets between June 1 and August 31, City Limits has reported.

Police are still arresting vendors too. On April 29, subway fruit vendor Maria Falcon was at the Broadway Junction station when she was handcuffed by two officers and taken away. Her daughter was present and filmed the arrest in a video that was shared over the weekend by the advocacy organization the Street Vendor Project. It didnt go unnoticed that the arrest happened at the same station where a churro vendor was arrested in 2019. According to AM New York, that vendor, Elsa, was also present during Falcons arrest.

As the newspaper reports, Falcon was kept in the NYPDs Transition District 33 station for two hours, had her cart and goods confiscated, and was strip-searched for drugs and weapons before receiving a citation. All because she sold some mangoes. In a statement to the publication, an NYPD spokesman claimed Falcon was ticketed on April 5 and has refused to stop vending at the location after multiple warnings.

For years, New Yorks street vendors  who are largely immigrants and people of color  have complained of police harassment, and Falcons arrest has sparked a fresh round of outrage. What is the point of this? One obvious answer is that street vendors are victims of broken-windows policing. The way theyre described by some, such as BIDs, is as a scourge and a blemish on the citys streets. Last May, the NYPD ticketed sidewalk vendors allegedly at the behest of the developers behind Hudson Yards.

Current New York mayor Eric Adams has defended this most recent arrest, saying, Next day, its propane tanks being on the subway system, and the day after its barbecuing on the subway system. He stressed the importance of following rules.

In an interview with the news site Hell Gate NY, Falcon shared a little about her experiences street vending, saying she has been hassled by the police since she started selling in train stations. When asked about Adamss comments regarding the looming threat of subway-station barbecues, she conceded that she feels there are people taking advantage of the situation, specifically vendors who occupy too much space.

But street vendors exist because they provide a needed service. If people didnt want the food, the people selling it wouldnt be out there; the vendors would have to find some other way to make money. Most risk fines just for doing business. The SVP estimates that 71 percent of vendors dont have permits. Street vending is a rare pathway for these immigrants to own a business and have agency over their lives. The City Council said it wanted to do better by vendors by expanding the number of available licenses, and the city promised to do so by having civilians enforce vending laws. Nobody should be getting strip-searched for selling mangos.

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China renews blue alert for rainstorms

Xinhua) 14:08, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in various parts of the country on Tuesday.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, heavy downpours are expected to lash parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian, as some areas may experience up to 150 millimeters of rainfall.

Some regions are likely to encounter over 60 millimeters of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales and hail.

The center has advised local governments to make preparations for the rainstorms. Schools and kindergartens have been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children, and drivers have been alerted to watch out for flooding and traffic jams.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk-yeol, fifth from right, speaks during his meeting with representatives from startups at Signature Tower in Seoul in this December 2021 file photo. Joint Press Corps.





By Park Jae-hyuk







Domestic startups look like they will be freed from tough regulations imposed by the previous administration, as the newly inaugurated Yoon Suk-yeol administration has indicated its intention for them to have more autonomy, according to industry officials, Tuesday.







Since Yoon started running for the presidency last year, he has been claiming that regulations on startups should be minimized so that they can be more innovative.







Although the Moon Jae-in administration had also promised to ease regulations on them, its policies in favor of small business owners fell short of the expectations of local startups, most of which operate online platforms.







"Online platforms should play the leading role for the development of our society," Yoon said during his election campaign. "Regulations could obstruct the development of our society."






Apple today announced that it is discontinuing the iPod touch, and with it the iPod line itself. The iPod touch was the last remaining model in the company's celebrated line of media players. The company has said that the product will be available while supplies last.

Launched over two decades ago, the iPod followed in the Walkman's footsteps and re-revolutionized the way people listened to music. The series has been home to many great products from Apple, including the original iPod, the popular iPod nano, the iconic iPod Shuffle, and of course, the iPod touch, which was all but a smartphone.

The original iPod touch was launched back in 2007, the same year as the first iPhone. It had mostly the same hardware and software as the original iPhone, minus the parts that made phone calls.



iPod  iPod mini  iPod nano (2nd gen)  iPod touch  iPod nano (7th gen)  iPod shuffle (4th gen)

Since then, the iPod touch has had many revisions. The latest model was released almost exactly three years ago in 2019, although it was mostly similar to the model that came before it.

It's no surprise that this seminal product line is coming to an end. The writing has been on the wall for dedicated audio player for some time now, killed like many other product categories by the smartphone.

It's a surprise that it took this long for Apple to discontinue the iPod touch as the company had clearly lost interest in updating it a while back. The sales must have evaporated a very many years ago, as did any interest around the brand. It must have finally gotten too expensive or difficult to keep making it.

For its part, Apple is not too sad about killing off the iPod. The company is happy to direct you towards its many other products that can now play music. Of course, most of them don't have a headphone jack.

Needless to say, the iPod will always have a special place in our hearts. So long, and thanks for all the Phish.

Source
A man seen prying open private mailboxes told police he was looking for checks to steal, according to a complaint filed in the District Court of Guam.

Adrian Paul Quintanilla Cruz, 36, was charged with theft of mail on Tuesday afternoon after breaking into mailboxes at Mailbox Service, a commercial mail receiving agency located in Dededo, the complaint states.

After the postal inspectors were notified of the break-ins on Monday, surveillance footage showed Cruz using a pry tool to open the mailboxes on Saturday morning and Sunday evening before driving away with the stolen mail, the complaint stated.

At least 27 mailboxes were broken into between the two incidents, according to the complaint.

Cruz was arrested by the Guam Police Department under suspicion of forgery at the Gucci store in Tumon, and he was wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance videos during the mail theft, the complaint stated.

In an interview with a GPD detective, Cruz admitted to breaking into the mailboxes on both instances. He also said he did not know how many mailboxes he broke into, but he was looking for checks to steal, according to the complaint.

Cruz was recently charged in the Superior Court of Guam in March for allegedly cashing and depositing checks dropped off at the Tamuning Post Office, court documents state.

The total of all the stolen checks amounted to around $22,000, according to a magistrates complaint.

Upon apprehension, Cruz admitted he fished the checks from the Tamuning Post Office and altered them in order to cash or use them to pay off debt and other things, the complaint stated.

He was charged with two counts of theft of property and forgery, according to the complaint.

Prison records also show Cruz was confined at the Department of Corrections twice in 2004.
The ongoing military buildup is approaching its peak construction years, and the amount of spending and the number of construction workers is expected to increase significantly, according to an informational briefing Tuesday at the Guam Legislature.

The military plans to transfer as many as 5,000 Marines from Okinawa and elsewhere to Marine Corps Camp Blaz, which is under construction in Dededo, as part of a larger realignment of U.S. military forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

The first large group of Marines is expected to arrive in 2025, with others being gradually transferred to Guam through 2027.

The total relocation is expected to cost about $8 billion, with Japan providing about $2.8 billion. So far, less than $2 billion has been spent, according to a federal report released earlier this year.

Well be reaching peak of construction in fiscal year (2023) through (2025), with over $1 billion in construction being executed in those years, said Navy Capt. Steven Stasick, the officer in charge of construction for Marine Corps Marianas.

He said Naval Facilities Marianas, during fiscal 2021 and 2022, awarded 30 military construction projects worth about $1.8 billion.

In FY23 were planning to award approximately another $1 billion in construction projects, he said.

The Legislatures committee on Regional Affairs and the Guam Buildup held an informational briefing on the buildup, with four panel presentations, including a presentation by the military. The committee allowed lawmakers to speak after each panel presentation, but did not allow senators to ask any questions, which must instead be submitted in writing.

Projects underway

Stasick said military projects are being built in six different areas: the 563-acre Camp Blaz main cantonment; aviation facilities at Andersen Air Force Base North Ramp; family housing at Andersen; an urban combat training facility at Andersen South; and harbor improvements at Naval Base Guam to support the movement of Marines.

The projects that are currently underway were prioritized for award because they include the key facilities that are needed to relocate Marine forces, such as warehouses, berthing, fuel stations and other support facilities, Stasick said.

Stasick said contractors have nearly finished clearing and grading the Camp Blaz site and installing infrastructure, including telecommunications, sewer, water, electricity, roads and sidewalks.

There are a total of 30 vertical construction projects ongoing at Camp Blaz, he said, including the first of eight six-story barracks for enlisted Marines and a three-story administration building. Those are the large buildings that can be seen from Route 3, he said.

Over the next year, Camp Blaz will really start looking like a base, Stasick said.

Completed

He said nine projects have been completed at North Ramp, including the sites two main hangars. Three other projects there will be completed during the next few months, and contracts recently were awarded for magazines and an administration facility, which will be complete by 2024.

Stasick said five projects at Naval Base have been completed, and a new medical and dental facility will be completed in the next few months.

Were projecting an FY23 award for an Apra embark facility, which is designed to be a staging area to support Marine Corps offloads and unloads, Stasick said.

He said the combat training complex at Andersen South, which includes buildings to simulate a city environment, will be complete by October.

The first phase of the new firing range is 99% complete, he said, and the sites machine gun range is scheduled to be complete in 2024.

Representatives of Guam business organizations told lawmakers the island has benefitted from military spending and will continue to benefit after the military projects are complete.

Although this has been a long process, we on Guam have seen the benefits of this agreement and partnership over the past several years, with huge investments, in the millions of dollars, to improve our roads, bridges, power and water infrastructure, said Catherine Castro, president of the Guam Chamber of Commerce. Overall, the presence of Department of Defense assets in Guam and the region translates to an increase in growth opportunities for our residents.

James Martinez, president of the Guam Contractors Association, said small businesses have benefitted from the military construction projects, receiving about 23% of the money spent.

Martinez said, as military construction activity peaks, the current 6,600-member construction workforce is expected to increase to as many as 11,000 workers. About 4,000 of those workers are expected to be foreign laborers, he said.

The military construction program has provided this opportunity to provide jobs not only for the initial construction, but the opportunity for entrepreneurs to branch out and create their own companies for the maintenance work to follow, Martinez said.
The Judiciary of Guam, the District Court of Guam, and the Guam Bar Association are celebrating Law Month with the popular Fairy Tale Mock Trials this week.

The Fairy Tale Mock Trials have been part of Guams Law Month activities for students since 2008 and are finally back for an in-person event after being paused by COVID-19 restrictions for the past two years.

The mock trials take familiar stories and re-imagine them as trials of characters for alleged crimes, said Sophia Diaz, Director of Policy, Planning, and Community Relations at the Judiciary of Guam.

The mock trials are intended to educate Guams students on the rule of law.

All the activities that are part of Law Month are intended to commemorate and educate about the importance of rule of law in our community. We hope that the participating students learn about the courts and the roles they play in our form of government and that they have fun while doing it, said Diaz.

Performances will be held at the Guam Judicial Center by Adacao Elementary School and Agueda Johnston Middle School students.

This weeks remaining Fairy Tale Mock Trials events start at 6 p.m.

Schedule

Thursday: People v. Tarzan.

Friday: People v. Mary Witch (Hansel and Gretel).
A woman connected to criminal cases involving two former Guam officials was denied early release from a Saipan prison, despite being due to give birth.

Vickilyn Teregeyo is the ex-girlfriend of imprisoned former Yona Mayor Jesse Blas, and she is involved in a case against former Department of Corrections Deputy Director Joey Terlaje.

On May 6, Teregeyo appeared in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands on a motion for early release to give birth on her expected due date, May 12, outside of the Department of Corrections in Saipan.

The motion, however, was denied because of Teregeyos history of being unable to adhere to conditions of release.

In 2019, Teregeyo was sentenced to three years of probation for a drug conviction and ordered not to possess or use controlled substances.

Her supervised release was revoked twice, once in March 2021 and again in March of this year, for testing positive for methamphetamine.

Teregeyo was sentenced to three months in prison after her violation in March.

Pregnancy

Despite being close to her due date, Chief Judge of the Northern Mariana Islands Ramona Manglona denied Teregeyos motion based on a release given to Teregeyo during a previous pregnancy years ago.

When defendant later gave birth, both she and the baby tested positive for methamphetamine, Manglona wrote in her order.

In addition, the prosecution alleges Teregeyo had methamphetamine in her system on the day of her revocation on March 25 this year, and the drug was found inside her jail cell two days later, according to court documents.

The court is unpersuaded by defendants argument on the need to bond with her newly born child given her history of testing positive for methamphetamine while pregnant and even after giving birth  in complete disregard for the safety of her unborn and newly born children, Manglona said.

Blas

Teregeyo was the woman who first told FBI investigators that former Yona Mayor Jesse Blas allowed drug traffickers to use village mailboxes for meth packages. Teregeyo was Blas girlfriend at the time, according to PDN files.

Blas eventually pleaded guilty to extortion under color of official right charges and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. Blas is set to be released from the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in El Paso, Texas, on May 10, according to PDN files.

Terlaje

Throughout Blas proceedings in 2017, it also was alleged that both Blas and Joey Terlaje, former deputy director of the Guam Department of Corrections, hit and held Teregeyo against her will for three days, PDN files state.

Terlaje resigned from his position at DOC shortly after his name was mentioned in court, and he was indicted in December 2021, on charges of felonious restraint and official misconduct in connection to an incident that occurred at a barbecue in 2017. Teregeyo was later named in court as the victim in Terlajes case.

Terlajes trial in the Superior Court of Guam is set for May 31, but the judge in the case is considering dropping charges if the prosecution cant provide documents to Terlajes defense team.
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Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, from right in the second row, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae, Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, are seen during President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Chiefs of major business groups, some foreign CEOs attend Yoon's inauguration ceremony



By Baek Byung-yeul



Leaders of domestic conglomerates and overseas business executives attended the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol, Tuesday, pinning high hopes on the new administration to create a more business-friendly environment to help them overcome both internal and external risks.



Leaders of the country's five major conglomerates  Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin  attended the inaugural ceremony, held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.



The heads of conglomerates and business lobby groups were also invited to a dinner prepared after the inauguration ceremony.





President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of the Abu Dhabi government, during the first day of his term as president, at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap








Haiti - PNH : Hecatomb among the bandits 7 dead





Sunday, May 8 in the afternoon, during an operation carried out jointly by several units of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) in the Marecage area, communal section of Morne Rouge, commune of Plaine du Nord, 7 suspected bandits were mortally wounded.



Two bandits Joseph Rodson and Belizaire Richardson are both 21 years old and were arrested during this intervention.



This police operation also resulted in the seizure of 4 firearms including 1 9mm pistol, 1 38 caliber revolver, 2 homemade weapons and various ammunition. A motorcycle found in their possession was also confiscated.



Following the legal report of the Justice of the Peace of Plaine du Nord, the bodies were handed over to the authorities of the Town Hall of this city.



It should be noted that these armed bandits, having at their head the so-called "Boule" as well known, were specialized in acts of spoliation of land, armed robbery, and ransom of the population of this community whom they held hostage.



According to police information, they were reinforced by other thugs from Port au Prince, Limbe and Artinonite.



The Nort Police High Command has thanked the population for its frank cooperation and promises to unearth the bandits wherever they can hide, at a time when, according to rumours, other thugs from the West tend to come and settle in the department.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















More unaffiliated voters choosing Republican ballots

In a typical election year, the assumption is that Democrats will dominate early voting and Republicans will catch up on Election Day. But in 2022, at least during the primary, this usual pattern has gone out the window.



Republican ballots are running even with Democrat ballots as of May 9. And this elimination of Democrats early-voting gap seems due to unaffiliated voters being twice as likely to choose GOP ballots.

According to the N.C. Board of Elections, 247,354 voters have cast a ballot so far, with 124,316 of those voters requesting a Democrat ballot and 122,235 voters requesting a Republican ballot. This gives Democrats a 50.2 percent to 49.4 percent edge. But for context, in 2020, 68% of early ballots requested were for the Democratic primary.

While registered Democrats have a clear advantage in early-voting turnout over registered Republicans, 101,211 to 81,350, once unaffiliated voters are added in, the numbers even up. Among unaffiliated voters who have voted so far, 40,885 (63%) have chosen Republican ballots and 23,105 (35%) have chosen Democrat ballots. This all can be seen on the Civitas Institutes Vote Tracker site.

The early voting data so far is a sign that having an interesting race at the top of the ticket drives turnout, said Andy Jackson, director of the John Locke Foundations Civitas Center for Public Integrity. While Democrats traditionally vote early more often than Republicans do, around half of all voters have requested Republican ballots so far this primary. That is most likely because Republicans have an interesting race for U.S. Senate while the Democrats have a coronation.

Jackson was referencing the race for the GOPs U.S. Senate nomination among former Gov. Pat McCrory, U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, and others. The Democrats presumed nominee in the race, former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, does not have a serious primary and has secured support from key leaders in her party.

But this Republican advantage among unaffiliated voters is not uniform across the board.

There is significant variation by congressional districts, which reflects both differences in party registration numbers in different parts of the state and how interesting the races are in those areas, Jackson said. For example, 61% of all voters in the 11th District (in western North Carolina) have requested Republican ballots, while 70% of voters in the 1st District (in northeastern North Carolina) have requested Democratic ballots.

The 11th District features U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who is seeing an unusually competitive primary for an incumbent. Many Republicans have distanced themselves from Cawthorn, after a series of negative stories, and some have even endorsed a top rival in the race, state Sen. Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville. Potentially at play also is a campaign by a PAC working to defeat Cawthorn that has urged Democratic voters to switch to unaffiliated in order to vote against the first-term incumbent in the Republican primary.

With a larger percentage of Republican-registered voters still likely to vote on Election Day when compared with Democrat-registered voters, the current numbers could signal a larger overall turnout in the 2022 primaries. The trend of unaffiliated voters leaning Republican in the primaries could also portend a strong showing in general for Republicans in North Carolina.
In split votes, council OKs senior housing, upscale apartments

A rendering shows the proposed Southgate Apartments, which would go up between South Church and Israel streets. [SITEWORK STUDIOS/ROWHOUSE ARCHITECTS]

Proposals for 43 units of affordable senior housing on Sixth Avenue West and an upscale, gated apartment building behind the Fresh Market won approval from the Hendersonville City Council last week in a pair of 3-2 votes.

The council vote on the senior housing request across from Pardee UNC Health and the YMCA came after a long public hearing and presentation by the developer, Ohio-based Woda Cooper. The developer 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.

Also following a lengthy public hearing, the council granted a rezoning request from Southgate Shopping Center owner David W. Royster III to allow a 70-unit apartment building along Wash Creek between the Fresh Market and Israel Street. Although the developer is seeking to fill part of the floodplain, its engineer said that runoff would be contained on the property and would not result in worse downstream flooding.

Both the planning staff and council member Smith objected to the fact that the community would be gated. The developer declined to agree to forgo the gate, citing as factors the privacy and security of tenants and concerns about inviting cut-through traffic.

Royster and the development team, represented by attorney Craig Justus, also declined Smith's request to dedicate 10 parking spots on the property for use by Ecusta Trail visitors. The developer did agree to constructing a path linking the Southgate Shopping Center and the trail.

In his review of the rezoning request, the city's stormwater administrator noted that the development was likely to overburden an undersized culvert where Wash Creek and Mud Creek come together.

"That culvert is by far the smallest diameter culvert on the whole reach of Mud Creek from Laurel Park to the confluence," the report said. "Every other crossing is either a bridge, double or triple box culvert w/ 6x4 boxes, and the culvert at Fresh Market is a single 72 round pipe, 30 percent of which is filled w/ sediment. The current stream crossing on Wash Creek at the eastern entrance to the development is not designed to convey the 25-year storm event without overtopping."

"Based on past storm events this entrance is likely to be inundated at least twice a year, limiting the development to the single entrance onto Israel Street. ... While this development is not responsible for causing flooding in this area, it will contribute to the peak flow in Wash Creek upstream of the culvert, further increasing the possibility of the eastern entrance becoming inaccessible during severe rain events."

The applicant agreed to clean out the Wash Creek culvert, which is not its property, but not to replace it with a larger one. The city planning report also said the development addresses a much needed shortage of housing in the city and would be built at a priority in-fill development location near retail, offices and recreational amenities.
Man sentenced to prison in DuPont Estates murder

A 39-year-old Hendersonville man was sentenced to up to 46 years in prison on April 27 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend in 2018.

Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Terry Jason Brank to at least 38 years in prison, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

According to court trial records and testimony during a sentencing hearing, Henderson County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call for a welfare check concerning the defendants girlfriend, Laura Cox, around 10 p.m. on July 10, 2018. The caller, a neighbor of Cox's in the Dupont Estates community, reported being concerned for Cox's safety after Brank told a different neighbor that Cox was dead in their shared trailer. The caller reported Brank was intoxicated and belligerent.

The caller attempted to access the trailer where Cox lived but the door was locked, and Cox failed to respond to her repeated knocking. When deputies arrived, they were met by Brank who exited the trailer and was extremely impaired. Brank immediately blurted out that he had messed up and killed her and that he was sorry for what he had done and that he loved her, according to investigators' testimony. Branks clothes appeared to be blood spattered. Once Brank was secured by deputies, they entered the trailer and found Cox dead on the floor of a bedroom wrapped up in a sheet. She had been stabbed to death, and it was apparent to deputies that she had been deceased for quite some time.

Brank was evaluated for diminished capacity as a defense, and for his mental competency to stand trial. He was found to have significant mental impairments but ultimately found to be minimally competent to stand trial and participate in his own defense with appointed counsel.

Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy handled the prosecution and sentencing hearing. Murray thanked the Henderson County Sheriffs Office for professionalism in making a thorough murder investigation.
During stops in both states, the Secretary discussed youth mental health, the transition to 988 in July, and HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy with state and local leaders.

WASHINGTON  Last week, during the first week of Mental Health Awareness Month, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra traveled to the Pacific Northwest to discuss the Biden-Harris Administrations effort to tackle the nations mental health crisis.

During his trip to Oregon and Washington, two of 10 states he has visited as part of HHS National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health, he talked with state and local leaders, and everyday Americans, about the importance of youth mental health, Americas transition to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in July, and HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy.

HHS National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health was launched in March following President Bidens State of the Union address. The national initiative is focused on raising awareness about the importance of mental health, one of the four Biden-Harris Administration Unity Agenda priorities.

Over the past few years, we have seen large increases in the number of children diagnosed with mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, said Secretary Becerra. At HHS, we are making historic investments in our mental health and substance use prevention services, awarding states and territories billions in new funding so that they can help more Americans in need. Our goal is to get all Americans  especially our youth  the mental health services they need and full parity between physical and mental health care.

Secretary Becerra was joined by Ingrid Ulrey, HHS Regional Director for Region 10, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and 272 Federally Recognized Tribes.

It was an honor to join Secretary Becerra in Oregon and Washington to hear directly from groups and organizations providing critical support to youth and adults in need, said Region 10 Director Ulrey. We will continue to stand with providers and community organizations here in Region 10, and align with state and local government officials as we work to provide individuals most in need with the mental health and treatment services they need.

On Thursday, in Portland, Oregon, the Secretary visited Lines for Life, a regional non-profit crisis call center, to meet with staff and teen volunteers who provide 24-7 support for people struggling with substance use, thoughts of suicide, and other mental health challenges. As part of the visit, Secretary Becerra was joined by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-5), Governor Kate Brown (D-OR), and state and community leaders for a roundtable discussion on how Oregon is working to successfully transition to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in July. Watch the recording of the youth mental health roundtable in Portland.

On Friday, in Seattle, Washington, the Secretary visited Crisis Connections to discuss HHS work to support adults and teens in crisis. Crisis Connections, like Lines for Life in Portland, will be a key HHS partner in the success of the transition to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. As part of the visit, Secretary Becerra was joined by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-8), Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9), and state and community leaders for a roundtable discussion on plans for a successful nationwide transition to 988 and HHS commitment to improving access to behavioral health across the nation. Watch the recording of the 988 Lifeline roundtable in Seattle.

Next, Secretary Becerra toured Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, WA to see their emergency department, which like emergency departments around the country, is on the frontlines of the overdose crisis. After the tour, Secretary Becerra was joined by Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-2) for a roundtable discussion where he reaffirmed HHS commitment to prevention, harm reduction, and other priorities included in HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy.

In March 2022:

In April 2022:

HHS announced, through SAMHSA nearly $105 million to states and territories to strengthen crisis call center services in advance of the July transition to 988. Strengthening the nations crisis care infrastructure is a core priority of President Bidens Mental Health Strategy, which he announced at the State of the Union as part of his national Unity Agenda. Improving 988 readiness and responsiveness is a critical step to realizing this objective.

The Presidents FY 2023 budget makes additional record-breaking investments to further tackle mental health.

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From Left to Right: Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D-OR), Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-5) at Lines for Life in Portland, Oregon.

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After visiting with crisis hotline youth volunteers at Lines for Life in Portland, Oregon, Secretary Becerra wrote a message of hope and gratitude for the youth volunteers and the work they are providing to those in need.

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From Left to Right: Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-8), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Secretary Becerra at Crisis Connections in Seattle, Washington.

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Secretary Becerra touring the Crisis Call Center at Crisis Connections in Seattle, Washington.

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Secretary Becerra Touring the Providence Emergency Department in Everett, Washington.
A lyf LESS ORDINARY - The Ascott Limited opens lyf Collingwood Melbourne on May 14, 2022.

A place to stay? Check. A place to work. Check. A place to network, make friends, cook a meal, raise a glass, bring a pooch? Check off all the above at lyf Collingwood Melbourne from Saturday May 14th, 2022.

Pronounced 'life' or 'live your freedom', lyf Collingwood, Melbourne is the first lyf to open in Australia, and it's a hotel but not as you know it. It's a shared workspace but also a play space. It's a communal kitchen for fun hangs and a launderette that makes a chore a pleasure. All designed for next generation guests to forge connections and nurture a strong sense of community.

A lyf THAT HAS IT ALL

lyf Collingwood, Melbourne is envisaged as a place where leisure travellers can mix and mingle with business travellers, where friends can catch up over a coffee before going in search of a perfect lunch, where guests can do a load of laundry before their next adventure, where a start-up founder can pitch a potential investor in a tech meeting space.

Located in the hippest corner of the hippest neighbourhood in Melbourne, lyf Collingwood is two minutes' walk to Smith Street, the world's coolest street according to global culture bible Time Out, and a 10-minute tram to the CBD.

Its neighbours are Melbourne's chicest boutiques, edgiest galleries, quirkiest homewares stores and buzziest restaurants and bars.

lyf features 105 studio rooms with a choice of the One of a Kind studio or the Two of a Kind offering, custom-designed for mates or colleagues travelling together and featuring two side-by-side studio rooms with shared communal kitchen space decked out with SMEG appliances.

Through #lyfxart, guests can discover Melbourne's Street art right within the property. Think custom murals by contemporary artist Mysterious Al adorning the property's walls and most strikingly, a giant piece on the building's exterior which can't be missed. Each unit also boasts a bespoke wallpaper design by the artist.

There's a networking lounge, free barista made coffee for Ascott Star Rewards members, high speed Wi-Fi, a communal kitchen and a laundry space with an old school arcade-style games machine.

The 24-hour reception area is staffed with expert lyf guards who live to find a great pizza at 2am, the perfect afternoon wine bar or dog-friendly walking path for discerning hounds.

And that includes travelling doggos who are welcomed under the CollingWOOF Canines package with a bed, blanket and food bowl for their stay plus a welcome pack including a treat and toy.

For guests who want to take the stress out of coordinating their stay, there's the Once in a lyf Time Experience package which includes two nights in a One of a Kind studio, a welcome cocktail or brew on check-in and a bespoke local experience curated by the lyf Guards.

B now: https://www.discoverasr.com/en/offers/once-in-a-lyf-time-experience.

THE lyf Collingwood, Melbourne EXPERIENCE

A cool meeting room to pitch to a potential investor? A hip hang out to savour a drink between hitting the galleries and heading to the newest culinary experience to hit Collingwood?

From the Connect coworking lounge, to the light-filled courtyard, to the meeting rooms and sensory space decked out with vinyl records to the Bond communal kitchen, there's a space for every possibility at lyf Collingwood Melbourne.

And there's an apartment to suit every need too at the 105-unit coliving property.

The Two of a Kind studios are designed for friends or colleagues travelling together. They have side-by-side apartments with separate lockable entrances and a shared kitchen featuring stylish SMEG appliances.

The One of a Kind studios are perfect for singles or pairs. For those seeking a little more floor space there's One of a Kind Plus accessible apartments, featuring open format bathrooms with wheel-in shower and easy access counters and door handles.

KNOW THE lyf ESSENTIALS

SAY HI!: Staffed by expert "lyf Guards", the 24-hour reception offers complimentary barista-made coffee for members of Ascott's loyalty programme Ascott Star Rewards.

CONNECT: Social lounge at ground-floor lobby with high-speed Wi-Fi and charging outlets.

BOND: Communal kitchen equipped for making a simple breakfast or an impressive three-course meal.

WASH & HANG: Launderette with washers, dryers and an arcade-style games machine.

COLLAB & WHITE ROOM: Small meeting and multi-purpose rooms for hatching plans, hosting presentations and brainstorming.

COLLINGWOOF CANINES: Discerning doggos who enjoy travelling are welcomed with a bed, blanket, food bowl, treat and toy.

Hotel website
The Hotelier Middle East Awards 2020 winner for HR & Training Person, Feryal Haddon, is the hotel's cluster director of HR. She is responsible for talent acquisition, employee engagement and relations, training and development, rewards and recognition, and performance management amongst other various HR activities.

Haddon was previously being ranked second in the Women in Hospitality Power List.

At the time of her award win, across her three hotels, she introduced a 12-week maternity leave for team members, as well as a 14 day paternity period for male workers. The number of women at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, Hilton Dubai The Walk and Hilton Dubai Creek has grown to 36.8 percent, 31.9 percent and 28.4 percent respectively under Haddon's watch.
A 30-plus-year hospitality veteran, Vito joined HVMG in 2006 and most recently led the company's select-service portfolio while developing a team of general managers, regional directors and area general managers. In her new role, she will be responsible for three distinct areas: operational leadership of a portfolio of HVMG hotels; leading the on-boarding and stabilization process for new hotels joining the HVMG portfolio; and leading operational and training & development initiatives across the entire portfolio. Vito attended the University of the Cumberlands to earn a degree in liberal arts.

HVMG

Atlanta, Georgia

United States Website
Since 2021, Bell has served as the lead general manager for the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach and the Delta Hotel by Marriott Daytona Beach Oceanfront. During his tenure, the Hard Rock Hotel earned the prestigious AAA Four-Diamond Status, as well as numerous industry accolades. Prior to joining the Hard Rock as hotel manager, Bell held the same position at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Melbourne Beach Oceanfront in Fla. and was rooms division manager at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla., a AAA Four-Diamond rated resort. Bell joined HVMG's Circle of Excellence in 2019 and won HVMG's "General Manager of the Year" Award in 2020. He earned his MBA in business administration from Keiser University and his BS in hospitality management from Bethune-Cookman University. In his new role, Bell will continue as general manager at the Hard Rock Hotel with additional oversight of a handful of other resort and lifestyle properties.

Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG)

Daytona Beach, Florida

United States Website
HVMG's former regional vice president of operations, Mader has earned a reputation for mentoring and advancing the careers of dozens of company leaders. In his new role, he will oversee the company's full-service hotel portfolio. Mader is the recipient of HVMG's 2012 General Manager of the Year and was promoted to the role of HVMG's regional vice president of operations in 2013. Prior to joining HVMG, Mader worked with Lodgian and Interstate Hotels & Resorts as a general manager as well as in leadership roles in F&B management, rooms division management and sales & marketing.

HVMG

Atlanta, Georgia

United States Website
Kisker joined the Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Center as general manager in 2018 upon HVMG's acquisition of the hotel. Within the first year of his leadership and prior to a major renovation, Bob assembled and led a new team of leaders that grew RevPAR Index and passed the Hilton Quality Assurance Audit for the first time in six years. The hotel earned HVMG's "Most Improved Overall Service Score" in 2019. Prior to joining HVMG, Kisker held several positions with The Dow Hotel Company, starting as the regional director and general manager for the Sheraton North Houston at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In his new role, Kisker will continue as general manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Center, as well as oversee several of HVMG's Hilton branded hotels.

HVMG

Atlanta, Georgia

United States Website
General Manager Jeff Lidinsky currently oversees operations at Concord Hospitality's Courtyard Clearwater Beach property and is adding the new AC Hotel Clearwater Beach to his management responsibilities. With more than two decades in direct hospitality management, Lidinsky has worked within the Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott brands, most recently, as general manager of the AC Hotel Portland Downtown/ Waterfront.

AC Hotel Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach, Florida

United States Website
Dr. Robert O'Halloran is a professor and the director of the School of Hospitality Leadership at East Carolina University. He earned his doctorate from Michigan State and has taught courses in planning and development, financial feasibility and food and beverage operations. His publications include numerous articles, and case studies. Dr. O'Halloran has developed and presented workshops and seminars across the U.SA. and in over thirty-five countries around the world. His hospitality industry operations background includes management and training positions with The Harborside Inn on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Jolly Roger Restaurants Inc., in California, and Pannell Kerr Forster, a management and consulting company in Los Angeles and Boston plus other positions. Dr. O'Halloran has served on professional advisory boards including the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, the North Carolina's Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Board, the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation, the Certification Commission of the Educational Institute of the America Hotel and Lodging Association (Chair), and the Training and Education Advisory Council of AH&LA. Previously he served on state and local boards in Tennessee, Metro Memphis, and New York. He is author and or co-author of over one hundred articles, columns, cases, in professional and academic journals and publications.
BERLIN - The flow of hotel industry transactions in Europe has not increased since the start of the pandemic, and that has left hoteliers and investors grappling over asset valuations.

At the International Hotel Investment Forum's session titled Post-Pandemic Deal Flow and Valuations, Jane Lees, executive director at CBRE, asked how the industry is expected to compare values of hotels pre- and post-pandemic.

Panelists said there were some encouraging signs of life in the deals market.

In the last three months, the deal flow is back to 2015 levels, which is very exciting. This has all happened in the last four to six weeks, said Dominic Seely, director of acquisitions, Westmont Hospitality.

Most of it is in the [United Kingdom], followed by Spain and Germany. There is not much in Eastern Europe, which is understandable, he said.

Read the full article at HotelNewsNow (part of CoStar)
BETHESDA, Md. - Stayntouch, a global leader in cloud hotel property management systems (PMS) and guest-centric technology, has partnered with The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, a full-service hospitality management company, to power two boutique properties, Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, Iowa, and The Skyline Lodge in Highlands, N.C., with a flexible mobile PMS.

The Indigo Road Hospitality Group is an award-winning hotel and restaurant management group focusing on boutique properties that deliver authentic experiences for discriminating lifestyle travelers. Indigo Road chose Stayntouchs flexible and easy-to-use PMS to facilitate seamless integrations across their tech stack, providing a warm and organic hospitality experience for guests. They also benefit from a platform that empowers guests with a choice at check-in: from fully mobile and contactless, to a high-touch experience with an agent untethered from the front desk.

Scott Neslage, Director of Lodging Operations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, elaborated: If we do our jobs well, all of our guests should leave the property feeling genuinely welcomed, appreciated, and understood. But for that to happen, our technology has to work seamlessly in the background to support our staff and promote these positive interactions. Here, Stayntouch really excels. The user interface is super clean and very easy-to-use, and allows our staff to keep their focus on their guests rather than buried in a screen. Additionally, one of the unknowns when starting a new relationship with a tech vendor is support. With Stayntouch, the people supporting the product, from implementation onward, are absolutely fantastic, and have taken our specific business goals as their own.

Michael Helfin, Chief Revenue Officer of Stayntouch, replied, Its been exciting to embark on a partnership with a hospitality company whose philosophy on service aligns so closely with our own. Our role is to be more than just a tech vendor, but to be a strategic partner: Were excited to provide The Indigo Road with flexible technology and seamless integrations to help their properties deliver a memorable guest experience and reinforce the commitment to service that has helped them establish an award-winning business.

About Stayntouch

Stayntouch provides a cloud-native, guest-centric, and fully mobile hotel property management system (PMS) and over 1100+ integrations, enabling hotels to raise service levels, drive revenues, reduce costs, and ultimately captivate their guests. Backed by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry, Stayntouch is a trusted partner to many forward-thinking hotels and resorts, including the TWA Hotel, First Hotels, Conscious Hotels, Margaritaville, Valencia Hotel Group, and Modus Hotels. Stayntouch is also a preferred PMS partner to some of the leading independent hotel collections around the world including; Design Hotels, an Independent Marriott Brand, and Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. Visit Stayntouch at www.stayntouch.com

About The Indigo Road Hospitality Group

Founded in 2009 by Steve Palmer, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group owns, operates, and manages restaurants and boutique hotels throughout the country. Based in the Southeast, The Indigo Road is founded upon the core principle of serving with love and creating memorable experiences for all. In 2019, The Indigo Road marked its tenth anniversary by being named a Forbes Small Giant and appearing on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list, and in 2020 announced that hotelier Larry Spelts joined The Indigo Road as a partner and president of its new venture into lodging with a focus on food & beverage driven boutique hotels. The Indigo Roads dedication to excellence in food & beverage has been recognized by Palmer being named a semi-finalist by the James Beard Foundations award for Outstanding Restaurateur-US in 2018, 2019 and 2020. For more information on the portfolio, team, core values and services, visit theindigoroad.com.

Elliott Mest

MFC PR
The Great Resignation has produced employee exits in multiple industries as we've never seen before in our history. Specific industries have been impacted more than others, and the hospitality sector leads the pack among exiting employees.

Many of these exits can be blamed on the layoffs that happened during lockdowns because of travel restrictions. Another is the need for vaccines among many businesses - the resignations result from employee pushback.

Multiple employees decided to switch industries and upskill because of the uncertainty associated with the hospitality industry. To put it simply, people need more stability, and the volatile tourism industry, while experiencing recent surges, is anything but reliable.

The age with the highest amount of exiting employees is that of the Millenials. Employees between the ages of 30 and 45 experienced the highest turnover, while this honor usually belongs to the demographic between the ages of 20 and 25.

The Impact of Losing This Demographic

Why is this age group leaving in such high numbers? According to data, 21 percent of millennials have reported changing jobs within the last year. They show even less initiative to remain at their current positions.

What's the reason for such high exit numbers? This is especially detrimental for the hospitality industry, as some of the most vital employees among corporations fall into this age group.

To put it simply, millennials demand relevant, meaningful, and challenging work with high pay and a sense of satisfaction. In the hospitality industry, the retention rates are higher among the older demographics.

Millennials aren't afraid to speak their minds, and they certainly don't hesitate to talk about the truth about employers on social media platforms. If they feel there's a negative balance between work and personal life, you'll hear about it.

Additionally, low compensation levels have also led millennials to leave in droves.

They're seeking managers who challenge them but care about their well-being and the quality of the work environment. Co-worker collaboration is critical to them as well - they crave a healthy corporate culture and a certain level of pride in their organization. Personal development is high on the list, as training and education opportunities mean a lot to this age group.

The significant impact of losing high numbers of employees is damaging enough. However, in the hospitality industry, the millennial demographic contains most key players. We're talking about managers, sales directors, sales managers, financial planners, and plenty of other vital positions in the daily hospitality grind.

Losing employees in these types of positions leads to the following challenges:

A lack of leadership can end up leading to a lack of direction in any given location experiencing these losses

A lack of an efficient hiring manager

This age group also makes up a large part of the food and beverage team. This industry was already suffering along with the hotel sector. The two combined have seen disastrous results.

So what can be done to stop the bleeding for hotel owners? Are any of these employees able to be retained?

Hopes of Retaining

Are there any hopes of retaining some of these employees? Naturally, you're not going to be able to keep them all, regardless of the age group.

However, what you can do is increase the health of your work environment. Start making it a point to listen to your team members.

When you promote a healthy relationship between employees and management, this can give you a true advantage to retaining new employees as well as recruiting the most talented individuals in the industry. Another critical element for improving the sudden resignation of hospitality workers is placing new attention on performance management in regards to employee goals and growth.

Focus On Satisfaction, Not New Hires

Your current employee satisfaction is currently the bread and butter of your organization. During these turbulent times, your veteran employees are one of your most valuable assets.

Instead of focusing on hiring a handful of newcomers, focus on keeping your current team happy. Send a clear message that shows you're focused on their goals and growth outside of work as well as inside.

Helping them level up and investing in teaching them new skill sets shows that you plan on keeping them for the long term. It shows a certain level of compassion that's needed in an industry where all too recently, employees were just placed on the backburner during lockdowns, with many not knowing how their rent or bills were getting paid.

Organizations must also be careful when choosing not to hire and focus on retaining current workers. When this happens, most likely, you're giving your existing employees extended hours.

For most people, this isn't a bad thing, as it nets a higher paycheck. However, after some time, employees can get overwhelmed with work or burnt out because of repetition. It's important that you afford them a healthy level of the work/family dynamic.

One of the most important elements currently, if you ask most employees, is focused on their mental health and well-being. The top three areas of concern for the age 20-35 group are as follows:

Work/life balance

Supporting physical and mental health

Supporting the development and helping employees be the best version of themselves

This points directly toward the most important strategies: Proper respect for personal elements, concern for wellness, and the need for a collaborative environment.

New Hires

When it does come to new hires, the development stage is critical for retention. Leadership programs should be adopted that give fresh employees a certain level of guidance.

Not only does this benefit new team members, but also boosts engagement and promotes loyalty for your organization.

The current battle for top-level talent in the industry is fierce. Because of recent financial struggles, increasing pay isn't a realistic option.

Any strategy that includes retaining and recruiting new talent should be data-driven, as this gives all organizations the edge in making the most informed decisions. Regardless of what the specific strategy is, owners must start putting more effort into combatting the pitfalls of the Great Resignation.

It's been estimated that the sharp decline and exiting of employees can cost an owner up to 30% of their revenue over the course of a year. This is a huge negative outcome for something that could be remedied with the use of some simple strategy changes and upgraded attention toward human resources.

Taking a final look back, the most effective ways to approach the Great Resignation in a proactive manner include:

Improving manager/employee relationships

Show a renewed focus on employee wellbeing and personal goals

Increase the overall collaborative environment of the workplace

Give employees the opportunity to learn new skills

In the end, the solution is fairly simple. Treat employees like they matter - like they're a name and not a number - a human being and not just a worker. These are basic needs and wants of most humans - it's amazing what happens when you give them the proper attention.

Hotelogix Editorial Desk

Hotelogix's team of researchers and writers are constantly innovating to share the latest trends from the travel and hospitality space. Got suggestions? Write to us on [email protected]
London, UK - The World Travel & Tourism Councils latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) reveals the Travel & Tourism sector in the Middle East is expected to create nearly 3.6 million new jobs over the next decade.

The forecast from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which shows an average of 360,000 new jobs every year, also reveals the sector will lead the regions economic recovery, with its average annual growth set to outpace the overall economy for the next 10 years.

According to the report, Travel & Tourisms GDP is forecasted to grow at an average rate of 7.7% annually between 2022-2032, three times the 2.5% growth rate for regions overall economy, to reach nearly US$ 540 billion (10.1% of the total economy).

The sectors contribution to GDP is expected to grow more than 36% to over US$ 256 billion by the end of 2022, amounting to 6.5% of the total economic GDP, while employment in the sector is set to grow by 8.7% this year to reach over six million jobs.

The global tourism bodys annual report also shows further optimism for the regions Travel & Tourism GDP, which could almost reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 - just 2.5% below 2019 levels.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: After a very difficult couple of years, the future is looking brighter with Travel & Tourism expected to create 3.6 million new jobs across the Middle East over the next decade."

Looking to this year and the next, the outlook is more positive with both GDP and employment set to almost reach pre-pandemic levels."

The recovery of the sector in the Middle East last year was certainly slower than expected, due in part to the impact of the Omicron variant.

Before the pandemic, the Travel & Tourism sectors contribution to GDP was 8.4% (U.S.$323.6 billion) in 2019, falling to just 4.5% (U.S.$162.6 billion) in 2020, which represented a staggering 49.8% loss.

The sector also supported 6.9 million jobs across the region in 2019.

WTTCs latest EIR report also reveals that 2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the regions Travel & Tourism sector.

Last year, its contribution to GDP climbed 15.9% year on year, to reach US$188.5 billion.

The sector also saw a recovery of more than 390,000 Travel & Tourism jobs, representing a positive 7.6% rise to reach 5.6 million.

The sectors contribution to the economy and employment could have been higher if it werent for the impact of the Omicron variant, which led to the recovery faltering around the world, with many countries reinstating severe travel restrictions.

Since the start of the pandemic, governments across the Middle East have shown total commitment to Travel & Tourism.

Saudi Arabia in particular, has shown great leadership throughout the crisis, pushing for greater regional and global coordination, and making a major investment in Travel & Tourism not only in the country but around the world. The global tourism body believes this support and commitment will speed up the recovery of a sector which is critical to economies and livelihoods around the world.

About WTTC

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.

According to WTTC's 2021 Economic Impact Report, during 2020, a year in which it was devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Travel & Tourism made a 5.5% contribution to global GDP and was responsible for 272 million jobs.

WTTC Press Office

WTTC
CHICAGO - Hyatt Hotels Corporation ("Hyatt" or the "Company") (NYSE: H) today reported first quarter 2022 financial results. Net loss attributable to Hyatt was $73 million, or $0.67 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2022, compared to a net loss attributable to Hyatt of $304 million, or $2.99 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2021. Adjusted net loss attributable to Hyatt was $36 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2022, compared to Adjusted net loss attributable to Hyatt of $363 million, or $3.57 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2021.

We are optimally positioned at this stage in the recovery as demonstrated by the momentum in our results this quarter, said Mark S. Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Record levels of leisure demand fueled nearly 60% of our rooms revenue in the quarter with continued outperformance at our resorts and all-inclusive properties. We expect the rate of recovery to broaden and strengthen in the months ahead as evidenced by the strong pace of actualized and future bookings for business and group travel. Our outlook remains very optimistic for the remainder of the year with system-wide RevPAR in April accelerating further from March.

First quarter 2022 financial results as compared to the first quarter 2021 are as follows:

Net loss decreased to $73 million from a loss of $304 million.

Adjusted EBITDA increased to $169 million from a loss of $20 million. Apple Leisure Group ("ALG") contributed $56 million of Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA does not include ALG's Net Deferrals of $24 million and Net Financed Contracts of $7 million.

Comparable system-wide RevPAR increased 107% to $93.98 and comparable U.S. hotel RevPAR increased 126% to $104.45 in the first quarter of 2022.

Comparable owned and leased hotels RevPAR increased 217% to $143.50 and comparable owned and leased hotels operating margin improved to 26.9% in the first quarter of 2022.

All-inclusive Net Package RevPAR was $204.66 with an Average Daily Rate of $309.90.

System-wide Net Rooms Growth was 18.6% in the first quarter of 2022. Excluding the acquisition of ALG, Net Rooms Growth was 5.2%.

Pipeline of executed management or franchise contracts increased 13% to approximately 113,000 rooms. Excluding the acquisition of ALG, the pipeline increased 5% to approximately 105,000 rooms.

Mr. Hoplamazian continued, "We have made significant progress towards our new $2.0 billion asset disposition commitment we announced last year. In April of this year, we closed on the sale of three owned hotels and expect to close on the sale of a fourth hotel in the second quarter. Combined, the disposition of these four hotels results in $812 million in expected gross disposition proceeds, or over 40% of our $2.0 billion disposition target, at an implied multiple of 15.7x 2019 EBITDA, marking significant progress towards our fee-based earnings transformation.

Click here to view the full release.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose  to care for people so they can be their best. As of December 31, 2021, the Company"s portfolio included more than 1,150 hotel and all-inclusive properties in 70 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes the Park Hyatt, Miraval, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Thompson Hotels, Hyatt Centric, Caption by Hyatt, JdV by Hyatt, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, UrCove, and Hyatt Residence Club brands, as well as resort and hotel brands under the AMR Collection, including Secrets Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt loyalty program, ALG Vacations, Unlimited Vacation Club, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Franziska Weber

+1 312 780 6106

Hyatt
The new quarterly Travel Trend Report from Expedia Group Media Solutions highlights how 2022 is shaping up to be a year of rebuilding and renewal. Here we summarize the key findings about trends and behavior of North American travel shoppers during the first quarter of the year.

1. Traveler confidence surged as restrictions lifted

When reviewing the data for the first quarter of 2022, we see that North American travelers werent put off by the pandemic setbacks of January. In fact, search volume in the region was up 30%, which was higher than the global quarter-over-quarter increase. Looking at the year-over-year comparison, search volume increased even more significantly  it was up 70% compared to the same period in 2021. This aligned with the global trend, which saw search volumes increase 75% year-over-year. In addition, also on par with the global trend, North American searches saw week-over-week growth during the week of February 14, following announcements related to the loosening of vaccine and mask mandates around the world.

When it comes to search windows, we also saw the positive trends continue as restrictions continued to lift. The share of 0- to 21day search windows decreased for domestic searches, shifting primarily to the 91- to 180day search window, which increased 60% quarter-over-quarter  demonstrating that travelers were more confident in planning further out. Looking at only domestic travel, this trend was amplified, with a 70% increase in search share for the same window.

The 5 Key Trends for North American Travelers  Photo by Expedia Group Media Solutions

Expedia Groups Vacation Deprivation Report from earlier this year also suggests North American travelers are confident about seeing the world again. When asked how many vacation days they planned to take this year, U.S. travelers said they plan to take 14 days compared to 13 in 2021. Canadian travelers were even more eager, saying they plan to take 20 days this year compared to 16 in 2021.

2. North Americans want to visit neighboring countries

In Q4 2021, we shared that North Americans preferred to stay close to home, with only one city outside the regionCancunappearing in the top 10 booked destinations. In Q1 we did see another extra-regional city enter the top 10 list: Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic showing us that North American travelers are more eager to explore and looking at beach destinations for their upcoming travel plans.

Following extended border closures in 2021, we also saw positive gains for Canada throughout Q1. The country experienced the largest increase in searches and bookings, as both an origin country and a destination country. Compared to January 2022, inter-province searches were up 75% and bookings were up 150% in March 2022, while searches from Canada to the U.S. grew by triple digits during Q1. In a reciprocal trend, Q1 bookings from the U.S. to Canada increased 155% during the quarter.

The 5 Key Trends for North American Travelers  Photo by Expedia Group Media Solutions

3. Lodging performance is on the rise

As we saw in Q4 2021, hotels and vacation rentals are continuing to make a comeback, both in overall bookings and in length of stay. Lodging performance in North America jumped over 25% compared to Q4, and was up more than 15% compared to the same time last year. As for length of stay, North America saw the average hotel length of stay increase slightly, while vacation rental stays were consistent quarter-over-quarter in the region, at just over 5 days.

4. U.S. vacation rentals continue to be popular across the world

Also similar to Q4, vacation rentals continued to prove popular. With both winter breaks and spring vacations occurring in Q1, North America saw a substantial quarter-over-quarter growth for vacation rentals. As in Q4, Kissimmee, Florida, appeared in the top 10 Vrbo-booked destinations lists  not just for North American travelers, but for travelers outside the region, too. In fact, the U.S. city was the top-booked vacation rental destination for travel shoppers from Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA), as well as number 2 for North American and number 9 for Latin American travelers.

As of January 31, demand for U.S. Vrbo properties this summer was already outpacing summer 2021 by nearly 15%, and some of the most popular summer vacation destinations, such as those in New Jersey and North Carolina, already have more than 70% of properties booked for July. And unlike last year, when travel restrictions and testing requirements made international travel logistics confusing or overwhelming, travelers abroad are also booking U.S. vacation rentals. International demand for Vrbo vacation homes in the U.S. this summer, from travelers in countries such as the U.K. and Germany, has returned to near pre-pandemic levels.

5. Sustainable travel is increasingly important to North Americans

This Travel Trend Report also includes findings from our latest custom research on sustainable travel, based on a study of 11,000 consumers in 11 markets. Across the board, the results are encouraging, but around certain topics, North Americans indicated an above-average interest in pursuing more sustainable options.

For instance, globally, 50% of respondents said they want to buy from local stores and restaurants, rather than chains. But looking at NORAM, the numbers are even higher: 58% of U.S. travelers and 64% of Canadian travelers would like to buy locally on future travels. In addition, 54% of both Americans and Canadians said they wish to see recommendations for locally owned businesses at or near a destination  this is compared to 45% of the global average when asked the same question.

To uncover more insights, register for our upcoming virtual Insights Summit on June 21. Or to find out more about the trends covered here on a global scale, download the full Q1 2022 Travel Trend Report, based on 70 petabytes of first-party Expedia Group data and custom research.

Download the Report.

About Expedia Group Media Solutions

Expedia Group Media Solutions, the advertising organization of Expedia Group, offers industry expertise and digital marketing solutions that allow brands to reach, engage and influence its qualified audience of travelers around the world. Through its vast network of leading travel brands and global points of sale, Expedia Group Media Solutions provides marketing partners with proprietary data-driven insights about traveler behaviors during every stage of the purchase journey, along with dynamic advertising solutions, to deliver strategic campaigns and measurable results. For more information, visit www.advertising.expedia.com.

 2022 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50

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Houston-based Rimkus Consulting Group, a global provider of forensic engineering and technical consulting services, announced the acquisition of Commercial Construction Consulting, an international development advisory and engineering consulting company in Boston. Terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition strengthens Rimkus' presence in Boston and bolsters its building sciences practice area, focusing on real estate, development advisory services, vertical transportation services (such as elevators and escalators) and energy audits. The deal is among 11 acquisitions since 2020 by Rimkus, which has grown to more than 1,300 employees across 110 offices.
By late Monday afternoon, a 30-minute car ride around Matagorda Bay meant a $3,653.44 difference in the price of a megawatt-hour of electricity.

With demand sky high for power, transmission bottlenecks limited supplies to the Houston area, and the price for wholesale power in Harris County jumped as high as $5,500 per megawatt-hour, compared with prices that typically average about $30. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bottleneck, just south of Matagorda Bay, power that had no place to go flooded the market and pushed prices into negative numbers for much of the day  meaning generators had to pay customers to take the electricity.

Its hard to pinpoint the exact reason why power prices in several counties south of Matagorda Bay fell so low while prices to the north spiked, but Doug Lewin, president of power consultant Stoic Energy, said evidence points to congested transmission lines.

Even though demand for power was high in Houston, there likely was not enough space on transmission lines to carry it from the south, where supplies were plentiful. If power generators add too much power to transmission lines at once, Lewin said, they can risk overtaxing the system, which is one reason why the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the states electricity grid manager, lowers the price in those areas to encourage them to stop flowing power to the grid.

The power is caught behind congestion, Lewin said. Thats why the grid operator will curtail prices, just tell that power generator to shut down, to stop producing their power and sending it onto the lines. Because if it gets overloaded, they can get in a situation where you have a power outage.

As a result, power prices varied widely across the state.

On HoustonChronicle.com: No rest for Texas power plants as hot weather brings them back into operation from maintenance break

One generator in southern Matagorda County reported receiving more than $1,800 per megawatt-hour on the wholesale electricity market around 4:30 p.m. At the same time, in nearby eastern Calhoun County, a power generator said it was losing more than $1,800 per megawatt-hour of power it was putting onto the grid. The two generators were located about 30 miles away from each other.

ERCOT warned last week of potentially tight grid conditions as high temperatures Saturday and Sunday rose above 93 degrees in much of the Houston region and higher still in Central Texas. Demand on Monday reached 71,000 megawatts, a record for May. One megawatt is about enough electricity to power 200 homes on a hot day.

In the Houston area, the situation was complicated by a fire at the W.A. Parish power plant in Richmond. No one was injured in the fire, but it knocked a unit with a capacity to generate 610 megawatts out of operation.

The owner of the plant, Houston power company NRG, said it will begin an investigation of the fires cause and the extent of the damage to the unit once it is safe to enter. NRG did not have an estimate on when the unit will return to service. W.A. Parish has a total generating capacity of about 3,600 megawatts.

NRG has a number of generating units across the state, and we are working to ensure that all of those units are up and running to provide power to the region, the company said in a statement.

Above the cap

By 4:15 p.m., the wholesale price of power in most of the Houston region jumped above the maximum set by the Public Utility Commission after the February 2021 freeze. One power generator in northeast Harris County offered to sell power to the grid for $5,436.14 per megawatt-hour at 4:21 p.m., even though the price cap set by the PUC is $5,000 per megawatt-hour.

The prices did go above, but only at certain resource nodes, not system wide, ERCOT said in a statement. The cap is an offer cap, not a price cap, and consequently congestion can push prices at certain resource nodes above the offer cap.

Those high wholesale prices, however, will not lead to dramatically higher power bills for ratepayers, said Michael Lee, CEO of Octopus Energys U.S. operations. He said wholesale customers and electricity retailers settle on an average of a variety of broader prices. The wholesale prices reported by ERCOT represent what individual generators are paid through the system.

Retailers are no longer able to offer plans based solely on the wholesale power market after customers of companies such as Griddy received bills for thousands of dollars after the February 2021 freeze, when wholesale prices stayed at the previous cap of $9,000 per megawatt-hour for days. Octopus Energy once offered those types of plans but forgave the high bills after the freeze.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As rates rise for customers, CenterPoint CEO David Lesar's compensation triples

Now, Lee said, the vast majority of retail plans in Texas have fixed-rate components, giving customers more stability in their monthly bills. But if prices continue to spike throughout the year because of high wholesale prices, the costs of retail plans could also rise. He said the solution is building more generation in the state.

We have so much (demand) growth from people moving to this wonderful state to live and create large manufacturing plants, but thats creating a lot of natural usage on the grid, Lee said. The solution to high prices is to encourage (generation projects) to be processed on a faster time period. We have capital markets and developers ready to build these projects that we need.

shelby.webb@chron.com
Melissa Phillip, Staff / Houston Chronicle

Robust demand for residential land in Howard Hughes master-planned communities is helping to drive strong revenue growth for the Houston-based real estate investment trust.

The Houston-based developer behind communities such as The Woodlands, Bridgeland and Woodlands Hills said its revenues jumped about 10 percent to $210 million in the first quarter. Its profits hit $2.1 million in the first quarter Houston-based real estate investment trust, compared to a loss of $66 million in the same period the year before.
Prologis Inc., the giant warehouse owner, unveiled a roughly $24 billion all-stock offer to acquire Duke Realty Corp., taking its bid public after months of private pushback from the Indianapolis-based real estate investment trust.

The proposal values Duke at $61.68 a share, a 29% premium to its closing price on May 9, according to a letter from Prologis Chief Executive Officer Hamid Moghadam to Duke made public on Tuesday. Duke investors would own 19% of the combined company.

Duke owns about 165 million square feet of industrial real estate. The ongoing boom in e-commerce has driven demand for industrial space, fueling rent growth for those properties. Prologis has relied on new development to expand its portfolio in recent years, but is now looking to accelerate that build-out, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Lindsay Dutch said in an interview.

M&A gives you quick expansion and exposure to rising rents, compared to the time it takes to build new warehouses, Dutch said.

The Duke proposal, if accepted, would mark the latest deal for Prologis, which has previously acquired DCT Industrial Trust and Liberty Property Trust. Prologis emphasized that M&A track record, calling it incredibly strong with those two acquisitions materially benefiting investors in those two companies.

RELATED: Stream Realty partnership launches big industrial development in Baytown

San Francisco-based Prologis first approached Duke about a potential combination in November, according to the letter. After Duke spurned a series of offers, Moghadam concluded that a public approach may be more constructive.

Prologis called Dukes industrial holdings highly strategic and complementary to its own portfolio of logistics assets. Moghadam said the deal would add to Prologiss earnings and benefit shareholders of both companies. A representative for Duke Realty didnt immediately return messages seeking comment.

Houston, a large market for both companies, comprises 4.3 percent of Prologis' 705 million-square-foot portfolio in the U.S., according to a company report. Prologis owns and manages 868 million square feet globally.

Already the largest industrial property owner in Houston with 30.2 million square feet across 210 buildings in the local market, Prologis would gain 5.8 million square feet in 22 buildings with the acquisition of Duke Realty, according to the companies first quarter reports.

The combined footprint of the companies, totaling more than 36 million square feet, represents about 6 percent of the 569 million square feet of industrial space across the Houston region, based on total market size data provided by Transwestern Real Estate Services.

Prologis proposal to buy smaller, U.S.-exclusive Duke Realty reignites an acquisition streak thats been dormant since early 2020 and offers rapid expansion amid strong warehouse rent growth," said Liindsay Dutch, an industry analyst with Bloomber Intelligence.

Duke shares, which climbed as high as 26% in premarket trading Tuesday morning, was up 12% at 9:42 a.m. in New York. Prologis stock was little changed.

Katherine Feser contributed to this report.
The 2022 lineup of BLCK Market pop-ups start 1-5 p.m. on May 14 at the future site of Midways East River development, 49 Bayou St.

More than 50 local, national and international Black-owned small businesses selling clothing, art, candles, skin care and other products. Shoppers will hear a live performance by alternative hip-hop artist San/Sim and a live DJ, and enjoy craft cocktails from the Bubble OClock mobile bar and The Funnel Bar and Hype Juicery food trucks.
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The most sacred religious item in the Catholic church has been stolen from St. Bartholomew Catholic Church. The churchs sacred tabernacle was reported stolen Monday morning.

The tabernacle was discovered missing when staff opened the church. The monetary value of the item has not been disclosed.

The tabernacle is a small gilded box that holds the bread believed by Catholics to be the body of Jesus Christ. Said to contain "the Holy of Holies," the tabernacle is considered the most precious and holy item in the church. As such, the theft is devastating to the church for religious reasons.

"It is with deep sadness we share that last night, our Tabernacle was stolen, a statement from the parish said. "As the police are investigating the case, we come together as a parish family to pray unceasingly for this horrible act of desecration."

Katy Police Chief Noe Diaz said that his office is currently investigating the theft, but he could not offer specific details as the case is ongoing.

Fr. Christopher Plant called the theft sacrilege, requesting prayers for both the church and the thieves.

In a somber homily at the daily Mass, Fr. Ricardo Arriola denounced the unknown perpetrators. "And who is the thief in this case?" he asked parishioners. "It is the devil and his people. It's not only the fallen angels but also the human beings who collaborate with these fallen angels."

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston did not respond for comment as of press time.

St. Bartholomew's is asking anyone with information on the stolen tabernacle to call the parish at 281-391-4758.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Two men charged by U.S. prosecutors with racketeering and other crimes for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload said Tuesday they have reached a deal that will see them avoid being extradited to the U.S. in exchange for facing charges in New Zealand.

The deal by former Megaupload officers Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk means that only Megaupload's flamboyant founder Kim Dotcom, who also lives in New Zealand, still faces the possibility of extradition to the U.S. in the long-running case.

U.S. authorities shut down Megaupload in 2012, saying it raked in at least $175 million, mainly from people using it to illegally download songs, television shows and movies. The Department of Justice describes it as the largest criminal copyright case in U.S. history.

Facing the possibility of spending decades in U.S. jails if convicted, Dotcom and the other two men have fought against extradition through the New Zealand legal system for the past 10 years.

Last year, New Zealand's Supreme Court ruled the trio could be extradited. But it remained up to Justice Minister Kris Faafoi to make a final decision on extradition. And even that decision could be appealed.

In a statement issued through their lawyer Peter Spring, Ortmann and van der Kolk said the continuing uncertainty of the case had taken a heavy toll on their lives and the time had come to move on.

Accordingly, we have reached an agreement with the New Zealand Government and the United States of America under which we have agreed to be charged in New Zealand for offenses similar to those we face in the United States.

The pair added that New Zealand was now their home and we want to stay here.

Lawyers for Dotcom and the other men have long argued that if anybody was guilty in the case, it was the users of the site who chose to pirate material, not the founders. But prosecutors say the men were the architects of a vast criminal enterprise.

Dotcom and the two other men were once close friends but had a falling out after setting up a new company, Mega, following the closure of Megaupload.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Dotcom said his former friends would become witnesses against him as part of their deal but he didn't blame them.

I want to congratulate my former friends and partners to have found a case resolution, Dotcom wrote. They can avoid the terrible US Justice system. Im happy for them. After 10 years of US lawfare I understand why they have given up. I dont blame them and I sincerely wish them all the best.

Dotcom vowed to continue fighting the case.

I wont accept the injustice we have been subjected to, he wrote. If I have to go to jail for what Megaupload users did on our site then many Big Tech CEOs are in the same boat with me.

U.S. prosecutors had earlier dropped their extradition bid against a fourth officer of the company who was arrested in New Zealand, Finn Batato.

In 2015, Megaupload computer programmer Andrus Nomm, of Estonia, pleaded guilty in the case to conspiring to commit felony copyright infringement and was sentenced to one year and one day in U.S. federal prison.
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Republican voters in Nebraska picked Jim Pillen as their nominee for governor, siding with the University of Nebraska regent backed by the states outgoing governor over a rival supported by former President Donald Trump and accused of groping multiple women.

Pillen, a hog farm owner and veterinarian, defeated eight challengers, including Charles Herbster, a businessman who faced groping allegations late in the campaign, and Brett Lindstrom, a state senator and Omaha financial adviser who was generally viewed as a more moderate choice.

We live in the greatest place on the planet, right here in Nebraska, Pillen said in a victory speech late Tuesday as a crowd cheered and chanted, Lets go, Jim! He said his opponents had called to concede.

While Trump-endorsed candidates won primary races in West Virginia for the U.S. House on Tuesday, the statewide loss in Nebraska was a setback for Trump. He has issued hundreds of endorsements and staged his signature campaign-style rallies in support of his preferred candidates, including Herbster, all in an effort to bend the GOP in his direction ahead of another possible presidential run in 2024.

Herbster's loss raises the stakes on other high-profile races this month in Pennsylvania and Georgia, where Trump has also intervened in campaigns.

In this Republican stronghold, Pillen will be a favorite in Novembers general election against his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Carol Blood. Nebraska hasnt elected a Democrat as governor since 1994.

Pillen was endorsed by many top GOP leaders in the state, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, and renowned former University of Nebraska football coach and congressman Tom Osborne. Ricketts was prevented by term limits from running again.

In Nebraska, the allegations against Herbster, a longtime supporter of Trump, didnt stop the former president from holding a rally with him earlier this month.

I really think hes going to do just a fantastic job, and if I didnt feel that, I wouldnt be here, said Trump, who has denied sexual misconduct allegations of his own.

Herbster alluded to the groping allegations in a concession speech late Tuesday.

This is one of the nastiest campaigns for governor in the history of Nebraska, and may have affected the results, Herbster said, adding that it was in Gods hands.

Lindstrom congratulated Pillen on his victory and said he would support him in the general election.

In a story last month, the Nebraska Examiner interviewed six women who claimed Herbster had groped their buttocks, outside of their clothes, during political events or beauty pageants. A seventh woman said Herbster once cornered her privately and kissed her forcibly.

One of the accusers, Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, said Herbster reached up her skirt and touched her inappropriately at the Douglas County Republican Partys annual Elephant Remembers dinner in 2019. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly, as Slama has done.

Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama, saying she falsely accused him in an effort to derail his campaign. Slama responded with a countersuit against Herbster, alleging sexual battery.

Some voters said the allegations didnt dissuade them from backing Herbster.

As she voted at an elementary school in northwest Omaha on Tuesday, Joann Kotan said she was upset by the stories, but I dont know if I believe them. Ultimately, the 74-year-old said, she voted for Herbster because President Trump recommended him.

Lindstrom faced a barrage of attacks as well, with third-party television ads funded by Ricketts that portray him as too liberal for the conservative state. One digitally altered ad shows Lindstrom standing in front of a rainbow flag with a coronavirus mask superimposed over his face.

Devon Leesley said he backed the 41-year-old Lindstrom because its time to hand over the politics to the next generation. Pillen and Herbster are both in their 60s.

The 45-year-old Leesley, who lives in Omaha, said he didnt pay much attention to the various endorsements in the race.

I dont trust any politician talking about any other politician. Its all dirt, he said. We would never vote for anybody if we listened to their opponent.

Carol Bruning, 59, of Omaha, said she went into Election Day debating between Pillen and Lindstrom, but went with Pillen because of his age and experience. She said she liked that Ricketts and Osborne endorsed Pillen. The fact that Trump endorsed Herbster may have even been a little bit of a turn-off at this point, Bruning said, even though she had voted for Trump.

The allegations against Herbster werent much of a factor, she said. You dont know what to believe. Thats the hard part, Bruning said.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, a Republican who also won renomination on Tuesday, predicted that 35% of registered voters would cast ballots in the primary, the highest percentage since 2006, based on what he had seen so far.

Nebraska Republicans and Democrats also picked their candidates for the seat previously held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned from office and ended his reelection bid in March after he was convicted of federal corruption charges.

State Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, won the Republican nomination, while state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks won the Democratic nod. Flood will enter the race as a strong favorite in the Republican-heavy 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln, small towns and a large swath of eastern Nebraska farmland.

Despite Trumps loss in the Nebraska governors race, his influence proved decisive in West Virginia, which also held primary elections Tuesday. In a race pitting two Republican incumbents against each other, Trumps candidate, Rep. Alex Mooney, defeated Rep. David McKinley, who had angered Trump by voting for President Joe Bidens bipartisan infrastructure package and the creation of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Funk contributed to this report.

___

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
A 72-year-old man was fatally stabbed Sunday at his Kingwood apartment, Houston police said.

The mans relatives contacted authorities after they had not heard from him since he met with a suspicious person earlier that day, Houston police said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The most sacred item in a Catholic church, the tabernacle, has been stolen in Katy

Police went to his apartment at 6415 West Lake Houston Parkway around 5:40 p.m. and found him dead. He had been stabbed several times.

The man had visited relatives in the morning, then abruptly left to meet the person somewhere else, police were told.

The slain man has not been identified.

Police have no description of the attacker.
Naval submarine flotilla conducts combat training exercise

China Military Online) 14:33, May 10, 2022

Two towboats attached to a submarine flotilla with the navy under the PLA Northern Theater Command jointly tow a submarine off a port during a maritime combat training exercise on April 19, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Shi Jialong)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
On 25 February 1986, the infamously corrupt and brutal dictator of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, fled the country with his family from a revolutionary mass revolt. Yet on 9 May 2022, another Ferdinand Marcos was voted in as president: the son of the senior Marcos also known as Bongbong.

A chorus of liberal lamentation erupted on cue. There was an outpouring of fear and loathing for the supposed return of the dictatorship, and cries of anguish at the supposed stupidity of the Filipino voters, which flooded the pages of Filipino and International media. But what is the real perspective in the situation? Is the Filipino Rebolusyon dead and buried, or is it still impending?

Tables have turned

Bongbong Marcos father was internationally recognised as a brutal right-wing dictator and likely the second-most-corrupt head of government in human history, going by the wealth he embezzled. His overthrow by the masses in what was known as the 1986 EDSA revolution (also known as the People Power revolution) marked a turning point in the Philippines history. The bourgeois liberals who stepped into power after Marcos fall promised to build a thriving democracy, one that would never again produce another regime like that of Marcos.

Bongbong Marcos father was internationally recognised as a brutal right-wing dictator and likely the second-most-corrupt head of government in human history / Image: Bluemask, Wikimedia Commons

Yet this year, not only was Bongbong Marcos allowed to run on a platform of nostalgia for his fathers time in office, the junior Marcos enjoyed a commanding lead in the polls throughout the election campaign. He gained overwhelming support from the youth, with 71 percent of voters between age 18 to 24 supporting him. Bongbongs main opponent, Maria Leni Robredo, on the other hand, consistently trailed behind him by at least 30 percent in the polls. Long before election day, a new Marcos presidency was a foregone conclusion.

In the end, Bongbong obtained over 58 percent of the vote share, and received more than double the votes cast for Leni Robredo. Bongbongs vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is current president Rodrigo Dutertes daughter, similarly trounced her opponents, with 61 percent of the vote.

What explains this crushing triumph of Bongbong over the very same system that was supposedly designed to prevent the emergence of another Marcos? To answer this question, we must look at the conditions in the country that gave rise to Dutertes presidency.

The Duterte Factor

In actuality, Bongbong Marcos successful presidential run is nothing but a rehash of the very same conditions that the current president Rodrigo Duterte took advantage of: the collapse of the masses trust in the liberal political establishment that emerged after the EDSA revolution. The post-EDSA era was an abortion of a bourgeois democracy, with regional and political dynasties taking turn in plundering the country, while the masses faced an endless cycle of poverty, toil, disease, natural disasters, and crime.

The Congress of the Philippines is a naked thieves kitchen from the point of view of the masses. The politicians surnames usually carry more weight than the party or programme that they represent. These self-interested crooks frequently change parties, or form new ones, and votes are mobilised by the loyalty networks of each candidate, often through vote-buying.

Vote-buying is so rampant that even the respectable Leni Robredo advised voters that they might as well accept the bribery but still vote their conscience. Research conducted by the Institute of Philippine Culture showed that the poor often consider selling their votes to be a logical decision. How could it be otherwise when they live in a country with one of the lowest average wages in the world?

There is, of course, no political representation for the working class whatsoever, and thus establishment politics has no authority or meaning for the general masses, who continuously toil in absolutely horrible conditions irrespective of who leads. This is the context we need to keep in mind when deciphering the results of any election in the Philippines.

In 2016, a candidate emerged that finally found a degree of connection to the Filipino masses: Rodrigo Duterte. This scion of a Mindanao regional dynasty used brash language, tirades against crime and drugs, as well as occasional demagogy about being a socialist to drive a meteoric rise in the polls, eventually seizing the presidency. In the face of a deeply discredited liberal establishment, characterised by domination of corrupt fat dynasties, who are the stooges of US imperialism, Duterte filled a political vacuum.

While Dutertes posturing about being tough on crime and brash style horrified international bourgeois spectators, his brutal use of state violence was business as usual for the Filipino bourgeoisie. It is true that Duterte launched a campaign of extrajudicial killings that resulted in upwards of 12,000 deaths. He also used a phony reignition of war against the guerilla forces of the Communist Party of the Philippines  New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA)  as means to suppress his detractors among the masses and within the ruling class. But measures like these are not out of the ordinary for bourgeois politicians of all shades. According to Inday Varona, all previous administrations have used red-tagging or accusing someone of being linked to the CPP, to repress journalists such as herself.

Both the Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administrations used the pretext of all-out-war against either the CPP-NPA or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to repress critics. Arroyos administration was particularly murderous, with National Union of Journalists of the Philippines reporting that her administration is responsible for almost twice as many extrajudicial killings of journalists as under the Marcos dictatorship. The liberal Noynoy Aquino administration did very little to change the rampant violence, repression and abuse of democratic rights that have blighted the country.

Duterte is only different in style and scale than other administrations, the brutality is fundamentally nothing new. The Filipino state was already bloodthirsty and repressive. Duterte, whatever his personal ambitions might have been, did not wield a level of power that was qualitatively different from all the presidents after the EDSA revolution, and he certainly wasnt a bonapartist dictator.

He was, however, the favored candidate of a wing of the Filipino bourgeoisie who sought to preserve their interests by pivoting away from the US and towards China. His mandate strengthened the agenda of that particular wing of the capitalist class, at the expense of those who are still tied with a thousand and one threads to Uncle Sam. The Marcoses are also part of the pro-China wing, and were in close touch with the Chinese Embassy even before Bongbong officially launched his presidential bid.

After the Philippines has seen so many governments that failed to make even an iota of change in the situation, the agenda that Duterte represented for a time seemed to produce some results. A rapprochement to China as well as enlarged deficit spending coincided with a slightly higher level of economic growth than in the past. The level of unemployment rate went from 6 percent in 2015 to 4 percent by 2020. Universal health insurance coverage was established. These results, backed by Dutertes assertive demagogy over the war on drugs and communists, produced certain illusions that he is a wise steward for the country.

Duterte did attempt to amend the constitution to allow for a second term in office, but failed to do so ahead of this election. He thus yielded to a compromise in effectively supporting the next candidate from the camp he is aligned with: Bongbong, while consenting to having his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio run as the vice presidential running mate of Marcos. The fact that Bongbong clearly styles himself as a torch bearer of Dutertes policies, with the latters blessing, is the main source of his base of support, both among the masses and a section of the ruling class.

Status quo in ruins

But this popularity could not have been achieved without the utter impotence of Bongbongs opponent, Leni Robredo, erstwhile victor over Bongbong in the previous vice-presidential election. Robredo represents nothing but the pro-US wing of the Filipino bourgeoisie. Robredo herself has nothing to offer to the masses and never has.

She claims to champion a socially progressive agenda that will be beneficial to women, but the Liberal Party establishment from which she hails has done nothing to put forward this agenda, despite having been effectively in power for decades since the fall of the senior Marcos. She claims to want to root out the domination of dynasties in Filipino politics, but she herself only stepped into the limelight as the widow of Jesse Robredo, former Justice Minister with a clientele base in Naga, Camarines Sur. Her daughter Aika is also expected to step into politics.

Robredo represents nothing but the pro-US wing of the Filipino bourgeoisie  she has nothing to offer to the masses and never has / Image: public domain

Leni Robredos progressivism also rings hollow given that she is clearly the favoured candidate of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, whose reactionary intervention into social policies in the country, especially its staunch opposition to contraception, earned it justified resentment from the youth. Western and liberal media in the Philippines moved might and main to portray Leni as a progressive but the hypocrisy is only too apparent to the voters, who are particularly youthful in the country, with 52 percent of total voters aged between 18 and 40.

This election is thus a contest between two candidates that both represent the hypocritical, corrupt, and discredited Filipino establishment. One has styled himself as the continuity candidate of Dutertes demagogic Keynesianism, while the other lays claim to discredited liberalism. It is already understood by most of the masses that, no matter who wins, they wont actually be represented, so they might as well endorse the candidate whose predecessor yielded some small improvements.

This is the real reason for Bongbongs success in these elections, not a lack of education about the martial law era or culture of popularity contest, as the clueless liberals would have us believe. If there are some illusions in Bongbong, the school of a second Marcos administration could very well lead the Filipino masses to the same conclusions that pulled down Marcos Sr.

Will Bongbong be another dictator?

Naturally, there is a tendency to ask whether another Marcos dictatorship will emerge in the Philippines. In a country where the state (police system and military) already holds outsized power over the masses, the emergence of a new dictator in Malacanang Palace is a perspective that is worth carefully interrogating.

The landslide victory of Bongbong this year was a result of the deep discontent within the masses, who found no class expression due to the lack of a mass workers party with a revolutionary socialist programme. We have seen these conditions in many places in the world.

The landslide victory of Bongbong this year was a result of the deep discontent within the masses, who found no class expression due to the lack of a mass workers party with a revolutionary socialist programme / Image: Bongbong Marcos, Facebook

Whatever Bongbongs ambitions are, he faces an undefeated working class that is yet to be tested in the field of open class struggle. Many among the masses may have some illusions in Bongbong for now, but as soon as he begins to attack their interests, he will have to reckon with a titanic struggle from below, like those weve seen all over the world and throughout the Philippines' own history.

The Marcos-era totalitarian dictatorship following the declaration of martial law of 1972 emerged in very different conditions. For an in-depth analysis of these events, we refer readers to this 1987 document authored by our tendency. But the process of his rise to power can be summed up thusly: prior to the declaration of martial law, Filippino capitalism was in a state of collapse, while the radicalization of the masses resulted in huge protests and the swelling of the CPP-NPA guerillas into a force of tens of thousands.

The pressure in society at the time was so large that it even resulted in a fracturing within the bourgeoisie and the state. And yet there was no revolutionary leadership present capable of directing the masses towards the overthrow of capitalism. The prolonged stalemate eventually exhausted the masses, while some manoeuvring on Marcos Srs part eventually allowed him to rally the Filipino bourgeoisie and US imperialism behind him as the butcher-in-chief at the head of the counter-revolution.

Today, from the standpoint of the bourgeoisie as a class, there is at this time no need to change the totally rigged system that theyve built among themselves, which allows them to take turns in plundering the masses. A dictatorship like that of Marcos Sr. is not something that any of them is interested in for the moment. Only when they begin to feel sufficient existential threat from the masses would they feel a need to give power to an individual to impose bourgeois rule by the sword.

The prospect of a bonapartist Bongbong regime is thus ruled out in the near term. But even without such a phenomenon, the level of daily oppression experienced by the people, both directly via the state but also the decrepit living situation in the country, is already doubtlessly barbaric. A bourgeois dictatorship already exists in the Philippines, under a paper-thin veneer of democracy. Widespread poverty already forces the majority of the society into a ceaseless and humiliating fight for survival.

Looking ahead

Despite his success at the polls, Bongbongs regime will not be based on firm foundations. On the contrary, Malacanang is transforming into a house of cards.

Bongbong, carrying Dutertes torch, will inevitably have to carry on a regime of deficit spending to finance some superficial reforms and concessions. The general trajectory of pivoting away from the US towards China will likely continue. At the present stage, China simply offers a better deal than the West does, one that allows for the Filipino national bourgeoisie to maintain more autonomy for their own sake.

But whenever they sense that the US can once again make a better offer, then they will not hesitate to make a rapprochement, just as Duterte did when he suddenly cancelled his plan to forbid American troops from being stationed in the country, in exchange for the USs helping hand in fighting insurgents.

The upcoming Marcos administration will continue this balancing act between different imperialists to justify itself to the masses. Bongbong will want to show he is not beholden to any imperialists and can play the big powers off of each other for the benefit of the Filipino people. This is the very same game that the ruling class in countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and others tried to play. But the result is not going to be a more independent country that gets the best of both worlds, but a country that is indebted on all sides, while the masses are made by their ruling class to foot all of the bills. This is the fate of all dependent and exploited countries in a period of world capitalist crisis.

The same scenario will unfold in the Philippines. The debt-to-GDP ratio, which had been climbing steadily, has risen dramatically in recent years. Between 2021 and 2022 alone, the debt-to-GDP ratio rose from 54 percent to 60 percent. Government borrowing and interest payments both reached record highs.

Dutertes deep dependence on foreign investment set a precedent, and provided an impetus for future Filipino governments to repeat the same measures that paved the way to the crisis in Sri Lanka today. How quickly the contradictions will express themselves in the Philippines remains to be seen, but it is highly likely that it could happen under Bongbong, during his five-year term in office.

If this does happen, splits could emerge within the ruling class, along with mass movements from below, just as under the senior Marcos. What is ruled out is an intervention by the helping hand of US imperialism, which is relatively weakened. Meanwhile, China is not strong enough to prop-up the regime single-handedly.

The Philippines is also not immune to the instability affecting other ASEAN countries, above all Myanmar, but also countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. A superabundance of inflammable material (to use Lenins phrase) already exists in the Philippines thanks to the crisis of capitalism in general. Mass struggles in neighbouring countries could very well inspire the Filipino masses to follow suit.

The perspective, then, is one of protracted crises and sharp and sudden changes. In this process, conditions for Filipino masses will continually decline, fuelling an accompanying rise in the class struggle sooner or later. These will surely supersede the scale of the EDSA that toppled Marcos Sr.

The youth will play a particularly key role in this process. Despite their apparent enthusiasm for Marcos, 92 percent of young Filipinos indicate that they are still frightened about their future. Indeed, capitalism does not offer them any future.

Filipino workers and youth have experienced the bitter failures of liberal bourgeoisie, as well as the bankruptcy of CPP, its class-collaborationist leader Jose Maria Sison, and Stalinism in general. The immediate task of left-wing workers and youth in the Philippines is winning a party of their own, with a revolutionary programme.

This would provide a means to sweep away all the conniving bourgeois crooks and fight for the interests of working people and the poor. The ultimate objective must be the establishment of a workers government, which will facilitate the democratic planning of the economy for the good of all. This would be a tremendous impetus to revolution throughout Asia and the world. The rebolusyon depends on it.

We call on progressive Filipino workers and youth: if you agree with our analysis, or seek to clarify your views in comradely debate , please contact us, or consider attending our upcoming, online International Marxist University. We invite you to join us in the fight to build the forces of Marxism in the Philippines, and for socialist revolution!
A man believed to be homeless was fatally shot early Tuesday in Chinatown, Houston police said.

The man was shot around 3:30 a.m. in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 5900 block of South Gessner Road, south of the Westpark Tollway. He had multiple gunshot wounds, Houston police said.

Witnesses told investigators three men had an altercation with the man before shooting him and taking his shoes, HPD added. The attackers then got in a van and fled.

No other information is available at this time.

More on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston police union issues report saying Harris County defendants are skipping court

This scene is breaking and updates will be added.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
A man was fatally shot early Tuesday at a south Houston gas station, according to authorities.

The man was shot about 2:40 a.m. at the Shell gas station at 3755 North MacGregor Way near Scott Street in the Riverside Terrace neighborhood.

More on HoustonChronicle.com: Houston police union issues report saying Harris County defendants are skipping court

He was standing in the parking lot when a pickup truck pulled up to him, police said. One of the persons inside the truck shot the man and then the truck drove off.

He was found on the side of a car, Houston police said. A firearm was located at the location but authorities are unsure if it was the gunman's or the victim's gun, according to police.

The truck is described only as a 1984 to 1986 dark-colored Chevrolet C-10 with a large water tank and pressure washer in the back and unknown white lettering at the top of the windshield, police said. Police on Tuesday afternoon released surveillance video of the truck.

The man's identity is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Police have no motive for the shooting.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
Jane Armstrong faced an impossible choice.

In February 2021, the expectant mother underwent an anatomy scan that revealed her unborn child had spina bifida, clubbed feet and a combination of two brain conditions associated with severe cognitive impairment. She spoke to a Houston surgeon, who explained that her son likely would use a wheelchair for the rest of his life and would need help toileting himself. He could also face severe developmental delays.

On HoustonChronicle.com: What to know about Texas' abortion law, with Roe v. Wade reportedly in serious jeopardy

Armstrong longed for her first child, but she wanted to do what was best. After intense reflection, she decided to terminate the pregnancy.

It would have been very isolating and very heartbreaking on a daily basis to know that our son had to live his life in pain and suffering, and that we might not have the support we would need to properly care for him, said Armstrong, a 35-year-old Austin resident.

Armstrong still grieves for her child, but she feels grateful to have had a choice. That following September, a new Texas law eliminated the option to terminate a pregnancy because of severe fetal abnormalities, which can only be detected after the six-week term for which the state allows abortions. Now, Texas parents must choose whether to deliver a severely unhealthy baby, in some cases only to watch them die, or seek out-of-state options.

As the Supreme Court appears ready to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, grief counselors and abortion rights advocates say women in Armstrongs predicament have been largely ignored in the national conversation. Experts say the increasingly restrictive laws only exacerbate the pain of letting go of a desperately wanted child.

ABORTION BAN: Texas poised to outlaw nearly all abortions if Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade

Its disempowering, and it's a mental health crisis, said Sabrina Fletcher, a doula who specializes in helping bereaved parents deal with such loss. It's a grief that's not seen and not recognized. You're told youre a murderer or youre baby killer. You had an abortion. Who's going to then send you to a grief counselor? Theyre basically saying, you should be in prison. You're a criminal... And we internalize that in our community.

The kinder thing

Armstrong remembers a specific moment in her conversation with the surgeon that crystallized the importance of having a choice.

You are his parents, she recalled him saying. You are the only one who can decide what quality of life means to you, and for him, and where that line is.

The parents considered the toll on their own life and that of the child, whom they named Frankie. The delivery itself would require fetal surgery and a Cesarean section  a massively expensive combination involving weeks of bed rest. She likely would never work again to support his medical needs. And the time and financial commitment would dissolve the prospect of having other children.

The parents looked deeper into Frankies future. They would have to wait until his first birthday to measure the extent of his cognitive issues. Then, the frequent hospital visits. The reliance on others to perform basic tasks. Armstrong asked herself, how do you explain to a toddler that he needs surgery to replace a shunt in his brain?

Letting him go was the kinder thing for him, as hard as it was for us, she said.

Its unclear how many women in the United States terminate pregnancies because of fetal anomalies.

INTERACTIVE: Map shows where abortion would be banned, protected without Roe v. Wade

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not include a category for medical-related terminations in its surveillance data. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission collects information on abortions completed because of a medical emergency or to preserve the health of the pregnant woman. But that data is not readily available and does not specifically address fetal anomalies.

The dearth of information around this kind of abortion already creates a feeling of isolation among parents who go through it, experts say. The decision, and the associated grief, can be even more complicated for parents with so-called pro-life values.

One Houston woman, who asked to remain anonymous because of the subjects sensitivity in her family, said her son and daughter-in-law considered themselves pro-life when their child last year was diagnosed with bilateral renal agenesis at 20 weeks gestation. The fetus was not developing kidneys, leading to a lack of fluid that is essential for development.

The child would not survive. The parents were tortured by their options: carry the child to term, only to watch him die, or terminate the pregnancy.

Ultimately, they decided a labor-induced abortion was the most compassionate choice, the woman said.

It was with our support and agreement that it is more compassionate to abort, and the harder decision to make, that they decided on that option, she said, adding, Needless to say, this was not in the state of Texas.

Complicated grief

Like many parents who decide to terminate pregnancies for medical reasons, Armstrong initially felt alone in her experience. Then she realized most people hide their pain.

As a clinical social worker, she was inspired to re-direct her career to help parents work through layers of shame, fear and judgment associated with TFMR, or termination for medical reasons. She and Fletcher, the doula, are now part of an international collaborative of women who offer TFMR support services.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Even with Texas' strict abortion laws, some clinics have survived. Now, their time may soon be up.

Fletcher, an American living in Mexico, said her clients have been re-traumatized by laws that make them feel like criminals. The mental health impacts  depression, anxiety and postpartum OCD  can ripple into their work life and relationships.

In some cases, it extinguishes their desire to have other children.

It's just a huge amount of awful emotions that are thrown on top of what's already an immensely traumatic event for my clients, she said.

Fletcher noted that, among pregnant patients diagnosed with fetal anomalies, many do not have the financial means to afford an out-of-state abortion. Their options will become even more limited if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade.

Lacey Fisher, an Austin therapist who specializes in perinatal loss, worries about patients who feel forced to deliver medically fragile babies. She said they run an increased risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders associated with substance abuse, self-harm and suicide.

A lot of people do make this decision out of compassion for their baby, and if we could see it that way, then people wouldnt view it as Oh, youre just ending a life or murdering a baby, she said.

julian.gill@chron.com
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Margarita Villanueva, a mother of six adult children who live in Houston and other parts of the U.S., said she will celebrate Mothers Day on Tuesday in the Mexican tradition, but she has learned to be flexible about when the holiday is celebrated.

Some members of her family paid a little homage to her on Sunday because they have become Americanized. She said her 22-year-old U.S. born grandson brought her a bouquet and chocolates that day because he follows the traditions from here.

LEADERS OF HOUSTON: Extraordinarios! 10 Houston Latinos who are making a difference

Villanueva is part of a century-old tradition that has continued to flourish among the Latin American diaspora on U.S. soil. May 10 marks the centennial of Mexicos Dia de las Madres, Mexicos Mothers Day, which most Mexicans in the U.S. celebrate by following traditions from their country of origin.

But many mothers have learned to adjust to the back-to-back holidays.

Some from Mexico and Central American countries that celebrate May 10 as the official holiday opt to celebrate twice with children who have assimilated to U.S. culture. For others the holiday, it is clouded by sadness caused by immigration and distance from home and family.

Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer May 10 marks the centennial of Mexicos Dia de la Madre, Mexicos Mothers Day, which most Mexicans in the U.S. celebrate by following traditions from their country of origin.

We follow the Mexican tradition of Mothers Day in my family, says Karla Quintero, who is from Mexico and has spent 24 years in Houston. Our tradition is to get the family together at home and eat Mexican dishes like tamales or pozole, eat sweets and celebrate with mariachi music.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

In Mexico, Quintero said, celebrations in Mexico usually begin with folkloric dance and music performances by children at school. Later families treat mothers and grandmothers to a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant. And it is common for the day to end with a family gathering at home to share dessert while the honored mother recounts memories of her childrens younger years.

The U.S. holiday falls on the second Sunday in May, under an act passed by Congress in 1914. Mothers Day was the brainchild of women who had pushed since the aftermath of the Civil War for a holiday that would unify the country. In 1922, Mexico initiated its own holiday. It falls on May 10 based on the suggestion of Rafael Alducin, a journalist who owned the Excelsior Newspaper. He published a front-page request to the Mexican government to institutionalize a day to exalt, in life or memory, those who gave us our being.

SEWING: For Mothers Day, Houston moms in their 80s, 90s and 100s share motherhood superpowers

Adela Cedillo, a history professor at the University of Houston, said that mothers are worshiped in Mexico, a Catholic country where people venerate the virgin of Guadalupe. She said the day has different resonance because it falls in May, which is the month of the Virgin Mary.

She noted the contrast of an idealized mother who gives love and care, who also faces the remnants of oppression.

For Salvadoran Maria Torres, who also works at Panaderia Tierra Caliente, Mothers Day was a bit melancholic, she said. She immigrated to the U.S. around five years ago and hasnt seen her mother since.

Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

I miss my mother every day, there is no day that we dont communicate, but its not the same not being with her on Mothers Day, said Torres.

Torres said she always sends money to a sister in El Salvador to make sure her mother has a special day with gallina horneada or baked chicken served with bread. She added that she doesnt let a month pass without sending remittances. But the word mother has taken on a larger meaning since she immigrated.

Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Jose Angel Cabrera, a customer at the Panaderia who comes from Mexico, said he wished he could share the sweets he was buying with his mother in Tampico.

He was planning Monday to send money to the mother of his children and to his own mother, in a roundabout way. My mother always says no when I want to send her money, so I force it through my sister, he said.

Mothers gave us life, they made us who we are, he said.

olivia.tallet@chron.com
More than 700 people were seriously injured during Novembers Astroworld Festival tragedy, according to new court documents filed in Harris County this week.

Plaintiffs attorneys Jason Atkin, Richard Mithoff and Sean Roberts notified 11th Judicial District Judge Judge Kristen Brauchle Hawkins that theyd conducted a survey of people affected by the lethal Astroworld tragedy, which claimed the lives of 10 concertgoers late last year, including a 9-year-old boy and 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.

According to the attorneys survey, some 732 people filed claims tied to injuries requiring significant medical treatment. An additional 1,649 claims were tied to injuries that required less extensive treatment, and they were also reviewing 2,540 claims for injuries where the severity was not fully ascertained.

The filing provides the latest and most complete picture, so far, of the toll of the Astroworld Festival, a local music festival which drew tens of thousands of visitors to Houston from across the region and the rest of the country.

NO ESCAPE PLAN: How missed warning signs at Travis Scotts Astroworld Festival led to one of the worst U.S. concert tragedies

The high-energy festival, produced by local rap icon Travis Scott, devolved into chaos shortly after Scott took the stage and the 50,000-strong crowd compressed toward the stage as eager fans tried to get closer to the action.

The crowd crush left hundreds of concertgoers fighting for air and social media videos taken during the fracas caught images of concertgoers carrying unconscious spectators out of the concert or crowdsurfing them out of the dangerous event, which now counts as one of the deadliest concerts in American history.

All of the people who died during the concert suffered compression asphyxia, meaning those trapped were unable to expand their diaphragms, restricting blood flow to the brain and heart and causing cardiac arrest. The can cause death within minutes, a doctor told the Chronicle, even if a victim is upright.

After the incident, Chronicle reporters found a slew of problems or missed warning signs that contributed to the tragedy, including lack of adequate staffing; poorly trained security guards, inadequate operations plans, confusion over who was in charge of the actual site, concerns about adequate medical care; absence of key public safety resources, a dangerous venue layout, and missed warning signs about a possible crowd crush  among numerous other issues.

IN DEPTH: 8 biggest revelations from the Houston Chronicle's in-depth Astroworld investigation

The disaster has opened up a flood of litigation which will likely take years  if not longer  to reach conclusion.

A state taskforce formed after the tragedy also pointed to training and permitting failures contributed to the disaster.

The defendants in the lawsuit, Live Nation Worldwide, Scoremore Mgmt, ASM Global, Travis Scott, and others, generally deny the allegations, court records show.

One of the companies, Contemporary Services Corporation, has come under additional criticism, after a man successfully jumped onstage during a comedy show in Los Angeles last week and attacked Dave Chappelle.

Scott  who pleaded guilty to reckless conduct after urging fans to rush the stage during a 2015 show in Chicago and to a charge of disorderly conduct for similar behavior during a 2017 show in Arkansas  has consistently denied wrongdoing and asked to be removed from the lawsuits.

st.john.smith@houstonchronicle.com
A comedy festival where an armed man allegedly tackled Dave Chappelle onstage was staffed by security guards who work for the same company linked to the deadly Astroworld Festival in 2021, according to Buzzfeed News.

The guards last Tuesday at the Netflix is a Joke Festival at Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl were employed by Contemporary Services Corp., which is one of North Americas largest event-security companies, the outlet reported.

Buzzfeed found that CSC was among the vendors at events where hundreds of people have been injured and dozens have died over the past decade. The company has been sued dozens of times by employees, attendees and victims for personal injury and labor law claims. And CSC has often hired inexperienced people to staff its events and has sometimes failed to adequately train them, the reporting showed.

A Houston Chronicle investigation in December also referenced CSC's role in the Astroworld tragedy. Contemporary Services Corp. was the countys exclusive vendor for events at NRG Park, where the festival took place, and festival organizers were concerned about staffing ahead of the event.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 8 biggest revelations from the Chronicles Astroworld investigation

Those concerns led Harris County and Scoremore, the festivals promoter, to amend a contract just one day before Astroworld. Its unclear whether they followed through on the written mandate to hire supplemental staff, as the county and Scoremore declined to share which firms they hired and how many guards they provided.

On Nov. 5, during headliner and festival founder Travis Scotts set, 10 fans sustained fatal injuries in what would become one of the deadliest concert disasters in U.S. history. Hundreds more were injured.

The Chappelle incident

Isaiah Lee, who is accused of attacking Chappelle, allegedly brought to the show a replica handgun containing a knife. Chappelle told the packed audience just minutes before the attack that he had his own security onstage because of recent threats against comedians, according to Buzzfeed. Witnesses later said members of the comedian's personal detail caught the attacker.

One friend of Chappelles also told the news site that he flagged a young security guard to the suspect's suspicious behavior, and they shrugged him off.

Chappelle was uninjured. The Los Angeles city attorney's office has charged Lee with four misdemeanors, including battery, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Authorities are also investigating how the attacker breached security and reached the stage.

CSC did not respond to Buzzfeed's multiple requests for comment, according to the outlet.

samantha.ketterer@houstonchronicle.com
After Andre Jackson was convicted for the murder of an 11-year-old Near Northside resident, residents and officials gathered outside of the now-shuttered shelter where Jackson had lived, expressing their fears that it would reopen. On Monday the Salvation Army discussed its plans for the property, which it said wont reopen as a shelter.

The North Main Street facility, which had graffiti on its walls and a For Sale sign in front last week, will be partially demolished, according to Tom Forney, chair of the groups local advisory board.

Stella Mireles-Walters, who founded the neighborhood patrol program Safe Walk Home after Josue Flores death in 2016, said last week she did not want the facility to reopen, but that if it did, her group wanted 24/7 security and a client agreement not to camp or loiter in the area under penalty of losing access to Salvation Armys services.

Forney said the Salvation Army plans to tear down half of the roughly 60,000 square-foot building, which will be replaced by a park space for the community  with landscaping, benches and public art. The remaining three-story building would reopen with 24-hour security, a coffee shop, meeting spaces and open to the community and space for the Northside Boys and Girls Club. There would be a kitchen preparing food to be delivered to shelters in other neighborhoods, and the Salvation Army would move administrative offices to the location. And case workers and housing navigators would connect those without homes to much-needed resources, but by appointment only. Those attempting to walk in for resources would be transported to somewhere that provides the resources theyre seeking, Forney said.

Across the Houston area, the Christian organization provides a broad range of services  including resources, childrens programming, food and presents  to over 50,000 people a year, Forney said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Northside community members focus on closed Salvation Army shelter after conviction of former resident in killing of Josue Flores

We hear you, he said. Were implementing your concerns into your plan.

However, he acknowledged, that in the decades leading up to Floress murder, the facilitys relationship with its neighbors became less than ideal.

Weve lost their trust over time, he said. And Ive only been able to tell them: We will do all we can to gain your trust.

Those involved in the Near Northside community responded to the plans in different ways.

Debbie Tesar, who is a community organizer but was speaking on her own behalf, said that communication with the Salvation Army has vastly improved over the roughly 25 years shes lived in the neighborhood.

She remembered once not being able to get in touch with local, regional or national representatives of the Salvation Army. Now, she said, Theyve been much more receptive and open.

She welcomed the Salvation Armys pouring investment into the now-vacant space, saying the administrative offices were preferable to other potential uses for the property, such as a strip of bars.

But Mireles-Walters still felt concerned, in large part because of the neighborhoods history with the Salvation Army. In particular, she worried about the organizations ability to keep clients from camping or loitering in the park. She also said she would feel more reassured if an organization shes felt more supported by in the past  specifically Harris County Constable Precinct 6  were providing the 24 hour security.

Forney said the Salvation Army had met with several local officials, including people who had attended Fridays press conference outside the Salvation Army, to go over plans for the facility. Members of the Salvation Army will be attending the Historic Near Northside Civic Clubs community meetings in order to be available to the public.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
A Mothers Day call about a stolen flower bouquet led to reuniting a missing Bexar County dog with its owner.

On Sunday, Lytle police were called to the H-E-B in that town in response to a thief fleeing with a $15 floral arrangement.

While officers investigated, they noted that the perpetrator left a Shih Tzu in a shopping cart. And after animal control was called, they saw the dog was chipped and learned that it had been missing from a Bexar County home for two years.

The pooch, which was returned to its original owner, didnt find himself in the doghouse, as Police Chief Rich Priest joked that police couldnt prove he was in on the theft.

READ THIS: Mexican Mother's Day is celebrated in many ways in Houston

Hopefully, the dog hasnt been on a two-year crime spree and picked up bad habits, Priest said.

As for the stolen flowers, the police chief offered another bit of humor.

Nothing says I love you mom like stolen flowers, Priest said.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
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Things have changed on Harris County Commissioners Court since Jack Morman last served. The Republican candidate for Precinct 2 served eight years as commissioner before narrowly losing re-election to Adrian Garcia in 2018. That year was, we noted back in February, a tough one for Republicans generally and since then new precinct boundaries have cemented Garcias strong standing.

So what does this all mean for the two Republican candidates now facing a runoff? It will take a strong Republican candidate to make a stand in Precinct 2, which stretches from Aldine in the northwest toward Downtown before fanning out to East End all the way to Baytown in the east and Friendswood in the south. We think Morman is the man for the job. Mormans deep familiarity with the precinct, and nuanced positions on key issues, make him an ideal choice among a strong slate of primary candidates, we wrote in February. Since then, hes picked up the recommendations of the Houston Police Officers Union and the Houston Region Business Association.
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The crowded Democratic race for Harris County Precinct 4 commissioner has narrowed, but the runoff remains competitive. Because of new precinct boundary lines, which include most of western Harris County before reaching into the West University area and curving back up and around Interstate 10, Republican and incumbent Jack Cagle will face the Democratic runoff winner with perhaps less of an edge than usual for incumbents.

Our pick for the spot, Lesley Briones, secured 34 percent of the vote, impressive in a field with three other candidates that got vote shares in the double digits. She will face challenger Ben Chou, who got 25 percent of the vote. At least one internal poll now shows him neck and neck with Briones in the lead-up to the runoff.
Regarding Gov. Abbott wants to ban unauthorized immigrants from Texas schools, (May 5): Most people will agree that a good education is vital to every childs future. Without it, most children will have almost no chance of escaping a life of poverty or of living up to their full potential. That is why Gov. Abbotts act of deliberate cruelty in trying to deny an education to children who have already experienced upheaval, loss and violence is so hard to understand.

Aside from what denying them an education will do to these childrens lives and their chances for a good future, does the governor really feel that we will be better off as a state with a permanent class of people who are uneducated and unskilled? As a state, are we really so callous and uncaring that we can see children being figuratively thrown to the wayside and not care? Will we deny them the hope of a decent future just to score political points?

Gov. Abbott says we cant afford to pay for these childrens educations. I would disagree. For the sake of our souls, we cant afford not to.

Barbara Navarro, Houston

Regarding Editorial: Abbotts plan to slam school door on undocumented kids is heartless  and dumb. (May 5): How will the creation of an illiterate underclass benefit the state of Texas? Does Abbott really think that the uneducated masses will expand his voter base?

David Haim, Houston

I am distressed that Gov. Abbott wants to deny public education to unauthorized immigrant children. We should educate all children regardless of immigration status. Education is an investment that pays off with better, higher paying jobs and people making smarter decisions. No child should be denied access to public education. Abbott's position is cruel, racist and wrongheaded.

Education is the key to prosperity for individuals and for nations. Cheers to the several countries in Europe that offer higher education at little to no cost to non-citizens.

We should follow Senator Bernie Sanders goal of having free tuition in public colleges. The more education the better. We currently have free public education through high school. Let's add four more years in our public colleges.

Jimmy Dunne, Houston

Questionable investment

Regarding Costs for two-year Texas border security blitz hit $4 billion, (April 29): The $4 billion Abbott has budgeted for this current two-year cycle to police private property along the border should be a criminal offense against the taxpayers of Texas. It is roughly five times the amount we spent in 2019-2020. The National Guard does not want to be there, as previously reported, and many local leaders in the most heavily trafficked border areas haven't signed on to this program because there are more effective ways to police the border. This current influx of $495 million was appropriated from Texas agencies such as the Health and Human Services Commission, Juvenile Justice, State Health Services and Public Safety. I don't believe for a second that those agencies couldn't have used those dollars more effectively to improve the lives of Texans instead of lining the pockets of cronies who were awarded contracts without a bidding process. This stunt and the trucking fiasco at the border makes me think Abbott is nervous about his re-election. Four billion and counting. Taxpayers need to keep Abbott's follies in mind when they go to the polls.

Donna Cherry, Houston

Borders are used to define limits and establish ownership. And that is what Abbott has done with his failed border tactics.

Abbott has defined the limits of his investment in Texans by forcing a reduction in Medicaid staffing during the pandemic. He has pushed school districts to issue billions of dollars in bonds, some of which will raise taxes, owing to his inability to deal with the border, the power grid and the health crisis. Instead, he uses a whack-a-mole tactic: The issue comes up, he tries to reflexively beat it down. On to the next one.

What are the results of a $4 billion investment in border showmanship? National Guardsmen who think it's a joke, fruit and vegetables rotting in trucks, creating a disaster in the supply chain and pushing our prices up. And all the while drugs and other illegal transport keep on coming because checking truck tires doesnt stop drugs or human traffickers. They are smarter than that.

So what are we paying for? Funding teacher pensions, updating student equipment, providing holistic support for our children and keeping Texans healthy? No. Instead we have an ego that can't be satisfied and is requiring us to fund its addiction.

Is investing in Abbotts ego more important than investing in Texans? The numbers don't lie.

Patricia Garris, Spring

Regarding Abbotts political theater at the border has outlived any usefulness and is taking a toll on Texas, (April 30): Erica Grieder must have the longest rubber band in the world to stretch the drowning of Bishop Evans to Operation Lone Star. How can she stretch the action that attempts to stop or slow down illegal entry of immigrants to the death of a hero? If you follow her logic then neither Bishop Evans, nor anyone else, should have been there at all. The logic seems to be: Look the other way and let all immigrants in without any resistance. I am sure the relatives, coworkers and friends of Mr. Evans are repulsed at the article. I know I am! There is political theatre here, but its Erica Grieders.

Don Mendel, Fayetteville
WASHINGTON  A group of Texas Democrats in Congress is urging the Biden administration to investigate Gov. Greg Abbotts use of federal COVID-19 relief funding to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to the southern border.

The Democrats, led by U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and Veronica Escobar of El Paso, wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that Abbott is stripping funding from integral public sector resources and spending it on Operation Lone Star, his border initiative.

Abbott last month announced the state was pulling $495 million from various state agencies to fund the 10,000-member deployment. The agencies include the Health and Human Services Commission, the Juvenile Justice Department and the Department of State Health Services.

BACKGROUND: Costs for two-year Texas border security blitz hit $4 billion

It is negligent and irresponsible for Gov. Abbott to direct additional funding to Operation Lone Star, especially if the funding in question was intended to help Texans rebuild from the pandemic, the Democrats wrote.

On April 29 as the money was shifted, the governor referred to the border as a crucial public safety matter.

Texans safety and security is our top priority, and we will continue fighting to keep our communities safe, Abbott said. This additional funding ensures the Lone Star State is fully equipped to provide Texans the border security strategy they demand and deserve.

State officials have acknowledged that Texas has used COVID relief funding to help backfill funding for agencies that have had budgets tapped for the border program.

Abbotts budget director, Sarah Hicks, described using the federal funding for salary swaps during a Senate Border Security Committee hearing last month. She said that one of the eligible expenses for the federal relief funding was to pay for public health and safety salaries. At that time, she said there was at least $600 million more available for the swaps.

Renae Eze, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Texas spent more than $3.6 billion in COVID relief funds to surge medical personnel during the pandemic.

After ensuring these and other needs for Texans were met, we followed the same rules as every other state, city, and county, by using CRF to pay the salaries and benefits for public health and public safety state employees who were directly engaged in the states COVID response, she said.

But the Democrats contend the state is misusing the money. They wrote that the Treasury Department, which set rules for how the COVID money could be spent, restricted it to replacing lost public sector revenue due to the pandemic, responding to the far-reaching public health and economic effects of the pandemic, providing premium pay for essential workers, and investing in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.

Texas has struggled immensely during the pandemic, and these funds are critical to help our state recover from the devastation of the past two years, they wrote. Gov. Abbott must not be allowed to use federal coronavirus relief funds to further his political theater at the expense of Texas families.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday night he supports a school voucher measure that would allow students to use government funding to attend private schools or charter schools rather than just their assigned public schools.

Abbott pledged that public schools would be kept fully funded, and he couched his support for school choice as a tradition of empowering parents that includes his policies banning mask mandates on campus, letting parents choose when their students return to the classroom during COVID-19, and banning critical race theory in Texas schools.

Nothing is more critical to the development and success of our children than parents, the governor said. If you like the public school your child is attending, it will be fully funded.

Advocates for increased funding to public schools, traditionally Democrats and rural Republicans, typically oppose such school voucher policies because they believe spurring enrollment to private schools or charter schools weakens the traditional public school system.

Teachers unions and public school advocates have opposed voucher programs for years. Private schools, conservative groups such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and charter schools would be likely supporters.

Politically, the desire from parents to have more power over their kids education has been an animating issue for conservatives over the last year, including across Texas school board races and in Virginia, where the issue helped propel Republican Glenn Youngkin to victory last year.

BACKGROUND: Gov. Greg Abbott joins national GOP push for Parental Bill of Rights for schools

In January, Abbott announced his support for a Parental Bill of Rights in the state constitution. The amendment would allow parents to review any education materials their children could access, to deny schools from advancing their child before parents deem them ready, and generally to exercise more control over what and how their children are taught.

Abbott also said that teachers who provide obscene educational materials to students should have their teaching licenses revoked and lose their right to retirement benefits. Throughout Texas and the rest of the country, many mainstream or award-winning books have been labeled as obscene, particularly childrens books that promote tolerance for LGBTQ people.

Many of the suggestions Abbott has made already exist in state laws or regulations. A constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds vote of both the Texas House and Texas Senate, and voter approval of a ballot measure. Republicans do not hold a supermajority in the state Legislature, so they would need to win over Democratic votes to pass a constitutional amendment.

The school choice issue has emerged nationally as a dividing line within the Republican Party, with some saying it would allow greater equity, more competition in education, more flexibility for parents and more innovation, while others say it would handicap public schools.

The issue seems to put Sen. Ted Cruz and Abbott at odds, as the two Texas statewide elected officials have endorsed a handful of candidates on either side of the issue throughout this primary season.

Tuesday nights event was held at PicaPica Plaza in South San Antonio, in the district of Rep. John Lujan, who won his seat in a special election last fall. Lujan is the first Republican to ever hold the Bexar County seat, and his win represented a significant victory for the GOP as it hopes to build support among Hispanic voters statewide.

There were about 150 people at the event. A food truck served tacos on paper plates, and dozens of people were still waiting in line for food even as Abbott took the stage.

A Mariachi band performed before the speakers started, and supporters waved Parents Matter signs that were painted with red and green letters on white card stock, evocative of the Mexican flag.
Days before Politico reported that a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion indicates that a majority intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted an alarming claim about victims of rape in Texas.

Ocasio-Cortez was addressing the claim from right-wing politicians that "the extreme left is taking over." To that, Ocasio-Cortez asked "WHERE" in all caps.

"In Texas, Republicans passed a law allowing rapists to sue their victims for getting an abortion," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

Texas has some of the strictest laws restricting access to abortion. As discussion and concern rises for Roe v. Wade  the landmark 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion  and what this means for Texas, let's look at Ocasio-Cortez's claim.

Texas law targets abortion providers

We reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's media office and campaign email addresses but did not hear back.

She seems to be referring to Senate Bill 8, which took effect in September. The law prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and leaves enforcement up to the public, allowing any person to sue abortion providers or people who aid or abet illegal abortions. There are no exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.

But the law specifically prohibits a rapist from suing: "Notwithstanding any other law, a civil action under this section may not be brought by a person who impregnated the abortion patient through an act of rape, sexual assault, incest, or any other act prohibited by Sections 22.011, 22.021, or 25.02. Penal Code."

This provision is the only limit placed on who can sue under the law.

In addition, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that a victim's rapist could sue them. However, SB 8 permits people to sue providers and those who aid and abet someone who gets a prohibited abortion, not the person seeking an abortion.

In other words, University of Houston law professor Seth Chandler said, the person seeking an abortion could not be sued under this law, but anyone helping them could.

"Now, it is true that the defendant in an SB 8 action may need to prove that the plaintiff wasn't a rapist," Chandler wrote in a follow-up email. "It's not entirely clear (since there are no cases) on whom the burden of proof lies. But to go from that to saying that Texas allows the rapist to sue strikes me as a canard."

Our ruling

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on April 29, "In Texas, Republicans passed a law allowing rapists to sue their victims for getting an abortion."

The law specifically bars someone's rapist to sue because they sought a prohibited abortion. The law also allows actions against abortion providers, rather than the patient, for procedures past a pregnancy's six-week mark.

We rate this claim as False.

Sources
Lenox Returns Incumbents in Low Turnout

LENOX, Mass.  Barely 4 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the annual town election on Monday.

There were no races and only 140 out of 3,768 registered voters participated.

John McNinch was re-elected as moderator with 57 votes; Marybeth Frazier Mitts to the Select Board with 115; Dianne C. Romeo to the Board of Health with 130; Thomas J. Romeo as assessor with 125; and Deborah J. Prew to the Lenox Housing Authority with 125.

Also re-elected were Robert H. Vaughan and David C. Rimmler to the School Committee with votes of 114 and 84, respectively; and Susan Lyman was returned to the three-year seat on the Planning Board with 122 and Kathleen McNulty Vaughan to the five-year seat with 116.
The Planning Board on Monday discusses development of a zoning map that will prohibit commercial solar arrays in some areas.

BRPC to Help Lanesborough Develop Solar Overlay District

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  The town is seeking help from the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to creating a zoning overlay to restrict areas for solar fields.

Consulting Planner Andrew Groff told the Planning Board on Monday that a state District Local Technical Assistance grant was received after it was applied for in February. With this program, BRPC staff provides technical assistance to communities at no cost on eligible projects.

BRPC will conduct a mapping analysis of the risk of solar developments on certain parcels and with the information from the study, the board will develop a solar overlay district that puts acceptable limits on solar panel fields.



The planners would like to prohibit solar fields from places where they will have a negative impact on the landscape.



"We have a planner from Berkshire Regional Planning, Cara Farrell, is going to be helping us with this concept of an overlay district for these big large-scale solar developments like we've seen along Route 7 the past couple of years," Groff explained.



"We are working on this concept of an overlay based on mapping that identifies our development pressure and scenic and sensitive landscapes that the town wants to protect, so it will accomplish two things: It will direct the development appropriately and also, perhaps make it slightly easier to permit, give everybody a clear path forward."



The town currently has four solar field developments that are allowed through special permit as long as development standards in the zoning have been met.



This has been a major concern to the board in the last couple of years because of development pressure from large solar concerns.


Americas Duke University conferred honorary doctorate degrees on four recipients during its 2022 Commencement ceremonies in Durham, North Carolina.

The honorees were African Development Bank Group President and World Food Prize recipient Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; rocket scientist, businesswoman and former non-profit leader Sylvia Acevedo, who currently serves on the board of Qualcomm, a global leader in semiconductors and wireless technology; Patrick Brown, founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Impossible Foods, a leading producer of meat and dairy products from plants; and Tom Catena, the medical director and sole surgeon at Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan.

Adesina received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his career achievements in agriculture, and the innovative High 5 development priorities for Africa, which he conceived shortly after his election as President of the continents premier development finance institution in 2015.

The universitys academic council unanimously recommended Adesina as a recipient. Duke University President Vincent E. Price said of Adesina: Yours has been a truly extraordinary careeryou have fought to eradicate poverty and improve living conditions in Africa, and your bravery and commitment have inspired countless people around the globe. I know that your example will also inspire our graduates to careers of equal purpose and principle.

Adesina said he felt deeply humbled by Duke Universitys recognition. To be awarded an honorary degree is always a privilege beyond measure. I regard this recognition as a reward for all who work tirelessly to accelerate Africas development and to ensure millions of Africans thrive and reach their fullest potential.

Founded in 1838, Duke University is ranked among the top universities in the United States.

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SVHC Announces DAISY Award Winner

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Kathleen Cloud, RN, of the Emergency Department (ED), was the April recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC).

"What patients notice most about Kat is her professional and caring manner. She knows how to make room, even during a very busy shift, for what matters most," said Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, SVHC's chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services. "We are so grateful to have Kat working in our Emergency Department."

Duchene gave the award during a surprise presentation in the Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) on the morning of April 11, 2022.

Cloud received two nominations from patients.

The first nominator wrote, "Kat has, every time, displayed the utmost respect for me as a patient, a mother, a woman and is just one of the nicest, [most] accurate, and caring nurses."

The second nominator described her as "beyond professional With everything that was going on in the ER, she kept her composure and went above and beyond for other patients and myself She was, for lack of a better word, incredible."

On having received the award during the surprise ceremony, Cloud was "emotionally excited." "It's a bit deal to get the recognition."

Cloud holds an associate's in nursing from Vermont Tech and is due to finish her bachelor's in nursing at Castleton University within the next 3 months. She has worked as an RN at SVMC for 8 years, before which she worked as an ED tech and an Emergency Department support staff member.

The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation. It celebrates nurses' education, training, and skill. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues. All nominations are blinded, so that they are anonymous before being reviewed by a selection committee. One nurse is then chosen as the DAISY Award winner. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually bi-monthly or quarterly.
Willamstown Staying with Annual Town Meeting in School Gym

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  If any residents want to avoid having the annual town meeting in an enclosed space next Tuesday night, they will have to attend that meeting and make their case to other meeting members.

On Monday night, Town Moderator Adam Filson explained to the Select Board his reasons for holding the meeting as scheduled on May 17 at 7 p.m. in the Williamstown Elementary School gymnasium.

"This is not an easy decision," Filson said from the lectern at the Select Board's regular meeting. "I have to go with the information I have."

That information, outlined in a memo to the board, includes the fact that while the most recent 14-day data shows the town with an incidence rate of 119 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000, when the time the meeting date was posted on April 14, the local risk level was no higher than medium.

Filson also pointed out that the recent spike locally already appears to be subsiding and it was driven mostly by positive tests at Williams College, whose student population historically does not participate in town meeting in high numbers. Plus, the seven-year average for attendance at town meeting has been 374 while the capacity in the WES gym as configured for town meeting is 695.

"Given the average attendance, that should allow for empty seats if required," Filson said.

He said he had discussed plans for the meeting as recently as May 5 with the town's health inspector and has been constantly checking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The laws of the commonwealth, meanwhile, make no provision for a "virtual" option for residents wishing to participate in the meeting electronically, as some residents have suggested on social media. The virtual option is available to towns with representative town meetings, like Adams, but not to communities with an open town meeting, where all registered voters are eligible to participate.

Filson said he considered the option of opening the meeting at the time and location stated on the warrant (WES) and then adjourning across town to Williams College's Weston Field, home of the last two outdoor town meetings. But since the warrant clearly states the more traditional indoor location, the moderator, town clerk and a handful of residents would need to attend the 7 p.m. opening and then relocate, causing a delay in the start of what already promises to be a lengthy meeting.

"You're talking about at least a 30-minute delay for town meeting if we want to relocate it," Filson said. "You have to balance [a decision to move] with people who will invariably say, 'We never got notice of the fact that the meeting location was changed.' You also have to balance it with the people who say, 'You're starting the meeting late? I won't be able to stay long enough.'

"Any decision is going to impact one group of stakeholders."

Some residents in recent days have been asking why the town would hold town meeting inside during a time when COVID-19 incidence rates are high when a workable outdoor solution is available and when a relatively high percentage of town meeting attendees, historically, are in their 60s and above, making them more at risk to the novel coronavirus.

On Monday, Select Board member Jane Patton was among those questioning the decision.

"While I appreciate the data and the facts [in Filson's presentation], I do think we need a small amount of empathy for the concerns of people and the fact that we will probably squish down even further on attendance," Patton said. "It's a shame.

"Shame on me when we signed the warrant. It never occurred to me that it would be back at WES. I should have caught that as a member of this board who signed that document."

While a switch to an outdoor venue on Tuesday night is off the table  if for no other reason than the fact that there will be no infrastructure arranged for such a move  a move to new date and location is possible if the attendees on May 17 so decide.

In an email to iBerkshires.com on Tuesday morning, Filson said a motion to "adjourn or recess to a fixed time, date and venue requires a majority vote and may not interrupt a recognized speaker who has the floor."

Of course, anyone who wishes to make such a motion likely would need to coordinate with the owner of said venue to make sure it is available at the "fixed time and date" in their motion. The last two years, Town Hall took the lead in arranging with Williams College for the use of Weston Field, with its ample seating, sound system and lights.

The 49th and last article on the town meeting warrant was discussed for a second time on Monday evening.

A citizens petition seeks town approval for a plan to compensate town board and committee members at a rate of $25.60 for each "open meeting" they attend. The figure is derived from 40 percent of the $64 per diem that state employees in Berkshire County receive for travel and incidental expenses.

It is a followup to last year's town meeting article, which called on the Select Board to study instituting a stipend for residents on town committees.

Select Board member Hugh Daley presented the results of his research into the question, which included comparing Williamstown to similar communities in Berkshire County and surveying current board and committee members about their motivation for serving.

Last month, the board voted 4-1 against recommending to town meeting that it pass Article 49. Wade Hasty, whose term expires this month and who did not run for re-election in Tuesday's town election, cast the lone dissenting vote.

Huff Templeton, who identified himself as the author of the citizens petition, addressed the board Monday to say that its intent is to make town service more possible for a wider variety of residents, ones who do not always necessarily have the luxury of giving up multiple hours at home with their families one or two nights per month.

"This may not be the most perfect article, but it is something that would have helped Jane [Patton] pay for child care when her twins were 4," Templeton said. "The DIRE Committee voted 5-1 with one abstention [Select Board member Jeffrey Johnson] in favor of this. This was intended to promote diversity, and they are the diversity body in town."

Templeton also questioned the survey questions Daley employed because they asked about motivations and whether reimbursement would "affect your willingness to serve."

"The goal [of stipends] is not to entice people," Templeton said. "The goal is to reduce barriers so someone isn't penalized for serving."

In other business on Monday, the Select Board heard a report from Henry Art on the activities of the Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership and responded to an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by resident Janice Loux.

Loux accused a quorum of the board of engaging in deliberation outside of an open meeting based on an extensive email thread involving a quorum of the board and the interim town manager regarding the manager's plan to appoint an interim police chief.

Chair Andrew Hogeland reported that town counsel advised the Select Board that since the town manager and not the board is the hiring authority for the police chief, no deliberation of a board matter occurred.

A letter drafted by Michelle Randazzo at KP Law and approved by the Select Board on Monday in a vote of 4-0-1 (Hasty abstaining) goes on to say:

"[The Select Board] acknowledges that because there were a few isolated emails that covered topics both within and outside the Board's jurisdiction, there is room for the perception that a quorum of the Board engaged in an email 'deliberation' under the OML. Recognizing this perception, the Board notes that the emails have already been publicly disclosed to [Loux] directly, and publicly discussed during the Board's May 9th consideration of this Open Meeting Law complaint. Thus, the Board believes that this public disclosure and discussion remediates any inadvertent OML violation that might have occurred."

The four-page letter OK'd by the board represents the town's final response to the complaint, but Hogeland pointed out that Loux has the right to appeal the response to the Attorney General's Office in Boston.
The Clarksburg Student Council is making plans for better use of walking trails around the school. Long term, the students would like to see upgrades to the aging bridge and walkways.

Clarksburg Student Council Planning Walk to School Options



Student Council members listen to Lucy Friedman-Bell, right, of Safe Routes to School after making a presentation to the School Committee on Thursday. CLARKSBURG, Mass.  The Student Council is working with the state's Safe Routes to School program to encourage ways for students to walk and bike to the school.

Its first step is to encourage the middle school students to walk across Cooke Memorial Town Field and up the path to Clarksburg School this May.

"We're always trying to figure out how to utilize our trails in the area around our school more," said Principal Tara Barnes. "And these folks would like to propose something that would involve a drop off down at town field."

Five members of the council  Olivia Zoito, Aiden Champney, Kylie Tower, Cecelia Kincaid and Madison Rougeau  took turns reading their presentation to the School Committee on Thursday.

The students told the committee that the project would have three phases  short, mid and long term  and that this year, they were focusing on short-term.

"The hope is that on the end of each remaining Fridays in the month of May, we try a want a walk to school option for some students," they read. "The final Friday of the month, we are hoping to try and have any eighth-graders that would like to bike to school to have a chance."

Using the drop off at the field could also help alleviate the traffic at the school driveway, the pointed out.

Longer term, they would like to make the walking trail and the bridge connecting the town field to the small parking area below the school safer. The students said there were options for state grants that the town can apply for, including a Safe Routes to School grant.

Right on cue, Lucy Friedman-Bell, outreach coordinator for Safe Route to School, joined the meeting via video. Friedman-Bell had met three times with the Student Council and Principal Tara Barnes, including in person to survey the path.

"We do have grant programs available that the school and the town are eligible to apply for for infrastructure improvements near the school that make it safer for students to walk, bike and roll to school," she said.

She detailed two programs: the signs and lines program awards up to $6,000 for signage and small infrastructure and the second offers up to $1.5 million for infrastructure such as walkways, trails and other improvements. The school district can apply as a co-applicant with the town.

"I'm really excited to be working with all the students," Friedman-Bell said. "It's been really awesome so far, and I can't say enough good things about the questions that they asked and the ideas that they have kind of the way that they think through this area."

In response to questions about what infrastructure they would need, the students said the bridge was detioriating and not good for walking or biking and that the stairs down to the path on the school side were not in good condition.

Barnes said it would helpful for the students to present their case to the Select Board, once one is in place. "I'll will have to be a partnership if we do try to reach our long-term goals of getting a grant to be able to fix some of these bigger infrastructure pieces," she said.

In other business:

 The committee also approved a school budget of $2,782,762.73, up 2.7 percent over this year. The budget is largely what was presented to the Finance Committee last week with some minor adjustments that did not change the final figure.

 Superintendent John Franzoni reported there have been five applications so date to replace Barnes, who has been named director of pupil services for the Northern Berkshire School Union effective July 1. He said the next step is to form a screening committee and begin interviews. Barnes said the school is holding off on hiring an administrative assistant since that should be for the next principal to decide.

 Resident Robert Norcross invited the committee to have a representative from the school community on the Municipal Vulnerability Committee. The committee is being guided in developing a plan for identifying areas that may be susceptible to climate change and locations around the town field are one area of concern, noting the school's trail to the field that it uses. The meetings will be shifting to evenings after next week to make it easier for more people to attend. Norcross was hopeful that the town would be able to tap into available federal and state grants.

 Barnes reported that Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing was nearly completed. "I'm confident that we did a great job in this building. Because it was a full team effort," she said.

The students have been given opportunity to weigh in what they thought the challenges were and how to do them better next year, such as breaks for food and possibility dong some things outside.

"These are the voices we need to hear. We need to hear from them," Barnes said. "These are the people who are taking the test. And I think it's always important to get some feedback afterward."
This is a contributed article by Faisal Abbasi, Managing Director UK & Ireland and Europe, Amelia.

Whilst we all marvel over the capabilities of modern AI technology, its important to remember one thing  its still designed by humans. AI is far from infallible to the internal biases and prejudices of their human creators, which have a habit of sneaking into programmes undetected.

Studies have proven that the consequences of ignoring AI bias can be detrimental, with a recent survey showing 36% of respondents reporting that their businesses suffered from AI bias in at least one algorithm, resulting in unequal treatment of users based on gender, age, race, sexual orientation and religion. And of those respondents, 62% reported consequentially having lost revenue, 61% lost customers, 43% lost employees, and 35% incurred legal fees because of lawsuits or legal action.

With enterprise adoption of AI technology increasing rapidly, it means that the range and diversity of end users only increases too. For businesses, removing bias from AI solutions is essential if they are to guarantee a fair and equal user experience, and ensure business security and success. But this shouldnt be a deterrent for organisations looking to use AI, as the business benefits of successfully deploying AI technology are substantial, and those who dont implement it risk falling behind their competitors. Instead, organisations need to create processes that not only attempt to eliminate bias, but can quickly mitigate any instances that do occur, to avoid harming the end user. But this begs the question, how can they do so?

Why diverse teams are the first step to bias free AI

By 2023, Gartner anticipates that all organisations will expect AI development and training personnel to demonstrate expertise in responsible AI, to ensure their AI solutions achieve algorithmic fairness.

There is good reason for this expectation. While AI is not inherently biased, algorithms are influenced by the biases and prejudices of their human creators. Although we may not yet be at the point when responsible AI expertise is a requirement for all AI development personnel, there are steps organisations can take today to ensure developers are able to detect and address bias in AI solutions.

Regardless of whether a developer is a new addition to an AI project, or an existing member, they should receive training on how to recognise and avoid bias in AI. In a recent study exploring ageism in AI for healthcare, the World Health Organisation found that healthcare AI solutions are often embedded with designers misconceptions about how older people live and engage with technology. WHO recommends training AI programmers and designers, regardless of their age, to recognise and avoid ageism in their work, and in their own perception of older people.

This advice is applicable to detecting and eliminating not just ageism, but also sexist, racist, ableist and other biases that may lurk within AI algorithms. However, while training programs can help to limit bias, nothing compares to the positive impact of building a diverse analytics team. As noted in a recent article from McKinsey, bias in training data and model outputs is harder to spot if no one in the room has the relevant life experience that would alert them to issues. The teams that plan, create, execute and monitor the technology should be representative of the people they intend to serve.

The importance of monitoring each step

Another step that organisations can take to avoid bias is by fostering a practice of regularly conducting fairness audits of AI algorithms. As stated in an article from Harvard Business Review, one of the keys to eliminating bias from AI is subjecting the system to rigorous human review.

Several leaders in the AI and automation field have already put this recommendation into practice. Alice Xiang, Sony Groups Head of AI Ethics Office, explains that she regularly tells her business units to conduct fairness assessments, not as an indicator that something is wrong with their AI solution, but because it is something they should continuously monitor. Similarly, Dr. Haniyeh Mahmoudian, Global AI Ethicist at DataRobot, emphasises the importance of surveilling AI at every step of development to ensure bias does not become part of the system. She describes how this process allows AI teams to determine whether their product is ready for public deployment.

In some cases, these surveillance-like steps can be built directly into AI solutions to aid in the bias-elimination process. For example, our Amelia solution utilises Conversational AI and Intelligent Automation to perform supervised sentient learning. In cases where she encounters a workflow which she has not previously performed, she creates new business process networks based on her interactions with users. However, any newly created process must be approved by human subject matter experts before it is deployed, providing an important checkpoint to ensure undue bias hasnt crept in  provided those human experts are trained and tasked with recognising when bias is present.

Create trust through transparency

Even after building a diverse AI development team, training team members on responsible AI practices and regularly assessing algorithms throughout the development process, organisations cannot afford to let their guard down.

Once companies deploy their AI product, they should be transparent with end users about how the algorithm was developed, the intention of the product and the point-of-contact for end users to connect with in case they have questions or concerns. Dissolving the mystique of AI can encourage open dialogue between companies and users, empowering developers to leverage user feedback to improve their solutions, and reducing harm by ensuring any erroneous algorithmic biases are resolved in a timely manner.

To reap the benefits of AI technology without acknowledging the potential for bias is a wholly irresponsible practice. It is a business responsibility to ensure that their technology is fair to end users, and doesnt discriminate based on their gender, race, age, ability, sexual orientation, or religion. Incorporating these steps will prove a sound basis for an anti-bias strategy, empowering your organisation to offer a superior and equitable customer experience.

Faisal Abbasi is Amelia's Managing Director for UK & Ireland, Europe. With over 25 years experience in enterprise technology, his focus is transforming and empowering businesses through innovation. In his current role, he oversees Amelias regional growth and ensures it is delivering on end user experience.
Name: Oz Alashe

Company: CybSafe

Job Title: CEO & Founder of CybSafe

Location: London

Oz Alashe MBE is CEO and Founder at CybSafe, a behavioural science and data analytics company that builds software to better manage human risk. A former UK Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel, Alashe is focused on making society more secure by helping organisations address the human aspect of cyber security. He has extensive experience and understanding in the areas of intelligence insight, complex human networks, and human cyber risk & resilience. Alashe was made an MBE in 2010 for his personal leadership in the most complex of conflict environments. Alashe chairs the UK Governments (DCMS) Cyber Resilience Expert Advisory Group. He also sits on the Advisory Board for the Research Institute in Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS). Hes an Expert Fellow at The Security, Privacy, Identity and Trust Engagement NetworkPlus (SPRITE+), as well as the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

What was the most valuable piece of career advice that you received? I tend to find these questions quite challenging, especially because I have received a bunch of good and bad advice throughout my career. However, one of the best pieces of advice that has stuck with me to this day relates to being a leader.

I was once advised: The role of a leader is to create the conditions of those that they lead to succeed. Its pretty self-explanatory but it tells you a lot about how one should lead. This has remained a very powerful piece of career advice for me. Id like to imagine its a great quote for all aspiring leaders, C-suite or not, to bear in mind.

What was the worst piece of business advice that you received? I cant think of one specific piece. Ive received a lot of business advice that feels bad! But I remind myself that most people speak from their own experiences. What may work for someone elses business may not work for mine  that doesnt mean the advice given was bad.

Ultimately when it comes to business advice, what may be useful to someone else may not be for me  its always important to keep this front of mind.

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in IT/tech? Ive spoken to a lot of people starting out in cyber security tech, and one thing I consistently tell them is the fact that you cannot know enough. Its important to build a broad understanding of the field so do what you can to build that knowledge bank. Read books, listen to people speak at cyber security events and talks and engage in conversations.

The pursuit of knowledge is essential to building your credibility, and this is a vital thing to consider if your goal is to reach the C-suite level. Naturally, there are other benefits to learning more. Accelerating your own confidence and building a network of connections certainly comes to mind too. Confidence and connections are useful tools to have in the world of business, so go out there and start engaging. Youll only hold yourself back if you dont.

Did you always want to work in IT/tech? Kind of, but not quite. Ive always been quite the technology enthusiast, especially when it comes to cyber security. Before my role as CEO at CybSafe, I served as an Army Officer in the UK military. Most of my career focused on counterterrorism and national security. Ive seen a lot of people misuse technology for malicious and harmful purposes.

I want to see technology used to positively impact society. That is an ambition we all share at CybSafe.

What was your first job in IT/Tech? You could say that I was a slight anomaly  my first proper role in the tech sector was founding CybSafe, a cyber security and data analytics software company.

What are some common misconceptions about working in IT/Tech? Oh, there are so many. Unfortunately, these misconceptions can prevent many talented people from entering the tech scene, so these misconceptions must be addressed head-on.

Two come straight to mind. The first is very common  and its to do with the skill set. Theres a misconception that those in the tech industry have a degree, or that they are exceptional at maths. You do not need a degree to enter the scene. Most companies, CybSafe included, will provide all the necessary training and qualifications for candidates. Id also like to mention that the tech industry is so diverse  while software developers and engineers are undeniably important to tech, there is a range of other roles that dont require maths. There is a place for everyone.

Another misconception comes from within the industry. Those in the tech field may believe that their role is of the utmost importance to an organisation - to the exclusion of other business priorities. This is damaging, as it can prevent said staff from understanding the broader challenges a business may face and where IT and tech capability fit within that.

What tips would you give to someone aiming for a c-level position? My main advice for those aspiring to reach C-level positions is to remember the importance of leadership. C-level, by definition, is a leadership position, after all. Do what you can to master your profession and understand what it means to lead.

I know I mentioned it already, but I cant stress the importance of continuous learning and a growth mindset. Build your network, read books and engage in discussions in your field. Become proficient in the technical knowledge required. Whether you want to be a CMO, CDO, CSO or CEO - having that knowledge bank is crucial.

I believe that the best C-levels  especially CEOs  understand people well. Any C-level position will require you to be responsible for both the output of a specific division, as well as the people who work within it.

Leadership is about knowing how to inspire, support and challenge people if need be. Those attributes are something to remember if you are working towards C-level positions.

What are your career ambitions, and have you reached them yet? Im a very ambitious person, so Ill always have many things I want to achieve. While I have done a fair bit already, there is still plenty more that I want to do.

Currently, my main career ambition is to lead a successful business that achieves its primary aim. CybSafes aim has always been to positively transform society and the way people address the human aspect of cyber security. This ambition is very much a work in progress, but I am looking forward to seeing this ambition achieved over the years. Its also to build a tech company that deserves to exist and improves the lives of all who come into contact with it.

Do you have a good work-life balance in your current role? Id say that I have an optimal work-life integration that works well for me. While Im an ambitious businessman, Im also a father and a husband. Im a family man, so I want to spend time with my loved ones! A tailored outlook on work-life integration is key. What works well for me may not work well for others, and I believe its important to be aware of this for your team too. So allow them to work in a way that works best for them.

Those in leadership positions must recognise this - everybody works differently. This goes back to what I said earlier about leaders creating conditions for people to succeed. Were not clones, after all, were people. An optimal work environment must be created so exceptional people can work in an environment that will nurture, instead of suffocate.

What, if anything, would you change about the route your career path has taken? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Of course, I have had my fair share of setbacks and made a ton of mistakes, but those experiences (the good and the bad) have helped me to get to where I am today. I wouldnt change the route of my career path at all.

Which would you recommend: A coding boot camp or a computer science degree? First and foremost, it depends on the individual and what they want to do. A degree is handy as you will always have that foundation to fall back on; especially if you are unsure of what career youd like. Many of the things a degree course gives will stand you in good stead well outside that articulate academic discipline. You have that leeway to change your mind or change career paths, as what you may learn through a degree isnt entirely as specific as through a boot camp.

On the other side of the coin, a coding boot camp is a great way to learn specialist coding skills in a shorter amount of time. Coding is a highly valued skill and will continue to be so. If youre interested in starting a career that requires extensive coding knowledge, Id say that is the one for you.

How important are specific certifications? Depending on what you want to do, they can be rather important. For some careers, certifications may even be vital. There are many certifications available in cyber security tech. On one level, certifications are a good way to show the level of understanding, skills and experience you have.

For cyber security tech, in particular, I would say that certifications are not mandatory to get a foot into the industry  again, it is subject to your job position. The cyber security sector is a good example of a sector that doesnt require certifications to enter, though I would say that certifications are useful for career progression and climbing the ladder overall.

What are the three skills or abilities you look for in prospective candidates? I am most impressed by candidates who are passionate, innovative, hungry and have a growth mindset.

What would put you off a candidate? Im particularly wary of self-centred candidates. Those who believe their ability trumps the need to work well as part of the team are not the right fit for CybSafe. In a similar vein, those who want to just get by delivering minimum or middling effort, and are not willing to excel and learn, are also not the right candidates.

What are the most common mistakes made by candidates in an interview? How can those mistakes be avoided? A common and avoidable mistake I have seen candidates make is turning up to an interview unprepared. It's crucial candidates take the time to prepare themselves beforehand  this applies to what you plan to say, to what time you will arrive. Unpreparedness shows, and it can leave a bad impression.

I do want to also say that interviewers are aware of the pressure that can be on candidates. While it is important to answer each question, its also okay to say you dont know. Those who will admit they arent 100% sure but offer a sensible response, can show that they are teachable and that they can think on the spot. Despite how it may feel, it is not the be-all and end-all if you cant answer a question  its how you handle it that matters.

Do you think it is better to have technical or business skills  or a mix of both? I believe that for a senior leadership role, technical skills  while valuable  are less required than business skills. Having a good grasp of business context is a hugely beneficial asset to have, even for a technical role.
Attacks against Pakistani media workers continue to escalate, with senior journalist, Zia-Ur-Rehman Farooqi fatally attacked by land-grabbers in the Punjab province, and veteran journalist Khawar Mughal tortured by members of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) political party at a public meeting in Lahore. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Pakistan affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), condemn the attacks and urge the newly formed Pakistani government to apprehend the perpetrators and implement security mechanisms to better protect journalists in Pakistan.

Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, listen to speech by the party leader during a public rally in Abbottabad on May 8, 2022. Credit: AFP

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed on March 24 at Kuhna Police Station Khanewal, several assailants stopped and threatened a car carrying media reporters, including Zia-Ur-Rehman Farooqi, a correspondent for 7 News in the Khanewal district of Punjab.

Armed individuals opened fire on the journalists, hitting Zia-Ur-Rehman in the head. The other journalists in the car managed to escape unharmed, while the assailants fled the scene. Zia-Ur-Rehman was brought to the District Head Quarter Hospital in Khanewal, before being shifted to Nishtar Hospital Multan for further treatment. The journalist died of his injuries on April 28.

Zia-Ur-Rehman was allegedly attacked for his critical reporting of land grabbing schemes in the area, with the FIR lodged under Section 7 of Pakistans Anti-Terrorism Act and the countrys penal code.

In another incident, renowned journalist Khawar Mughal, of 92 News, was tortured during a public gathering in Lahore by members of the PTI political party. An FIR was lodged at Lari Addah Lahore police station against Mughals assailants, who tortured him before stealing his media firm logo and breaking his microphone and camera.

At PTI public events in Islamabad and Karachi, journalists were tortured and female journalists, including Zamzam Saeed of Samaa TV, were the subject of targeted harassment.

Gharida Farooqi, a distinguished journalist and anchorperson, was harassed by PTI members on social media and through online assaults, cyberbullying, character assassination, and threats of death and rape.

"I've reported to the FIA regarding rude, harassing, disparaging banners against me held at Lahore Public meeting and put up on social media," Farooqi told the IFJ. From now on, there will be no tolerance. Anyone who spreads false information about me will now be reported to the FIA. I expect the FIA to take speedy action against all of the perpetrators."

The PFUJ strongly condemned the armed attack on journalist Zia-Ur-Rehman Farooqi and asked that Punjab Police arrest and detain the offenders. Rana Muhammad Azeem, PFUJ Secretary General, demanded the perpetrators be arrested, or else a nationwide demonstration would be called.

The IFJs South Asia Press Freedom Report 2021-2022 recorded at least 42 media rights violations in Pakistan alone, including six killings and nine arrests.

The IFJ said: Pakistans government must take effective measures to safeguard the safety and security of journalists so that they may carry out their professional duties without fear. The IFJ urges the Pakistani authorities to protect journalists in the country and to fulfill their international duties under the Pakistani Constitution regarding media and press freedom.
Next to every elevator at the offices of Seer Interactive, in Philadelphia, sit stacks of unbranded thank-you cards with envelopes, pens, and stamps. It's not uncommon to see employees at the 19-year-old company scribble a note while they're waiting or grab a few on their way home to acknowledge a colleague or someone in their life. Free stationery may seem trivial, but it's an analog sign of the digital marketing agency's intention to cultivate a culture of gratitude. And it's very on-brand.

"When you're waiting for the elevator, you might as well pick up a card to make someone feel seen," says Wil Reynolds, 45, Seer's bootstrapping founder and CEO--a man who's led the company to seven appearances on the Inc. 5000 (2015 through 2021).

A few years into Seer's rapid growth spurt, Reynolds brought in a Philly-based branding agency, AgileCat, to interview the team and codify what it was doing right. The result? A set of company values arranged in a handy acronym: ethic, for enablement, transparency, humility, intelligence, and collaboration. It underpins all work at Seer, from hiring to selecting clients. For Reynolds, it amounts to being a "generous and honest human being."

He can be quite literal. The company is known to dole out cash (file under "enablement"), as it did in March 2020 when the pandemic hit: All 220 employees at the time received $1,500. "How can you be the best you can be for Seer if your parents can't pay their fucking mortgage, or your significant other got laid off and you're worried about feeding your kids?" asks Reynolds.

More recently, Seer raised its minimum salary to $65,000 and gave more than half of its profits back to the team. In addition to bonuses, all employees participate in profit sharing, as determined by revenue and their equity share. Seer has given roughly $2.9 million to employees since July 2021. It also offers generous benefits including unlimited PTO, health coverage for domestic partners, and extended parental leave.

Stephanie Powley, a community manager at Seer, keeps a binder of all the thank-you cards she's received in her seven years there. "Every company I've gone to has corporate jargon for values with all these buzzwords," she says. "Seer really does stand behind the core values of the company." Anyone who prefers to type their feelings of gratitude can chime in on Seer's #fyf ("Fuck Yeah Friday") Slack channel, where employees wrap up the week by giving one another shout-outs.

It's clear that Reynolds appreciates his people. "You need to understand," he says. "I'm completely content with where I am personally in my life, so I don't come to work anymore to make money. I work to make money for other people, for my team."

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The rise, fall, and rebirth of Abercrombie & Fitch is an arc that doubles as a business case study in management practices and brand reinvention.

Abercrombie & Fitch was a darling American brand that dominated the closets of teens and young adults in the late nineties and early aughts, only to implode spectacularly. The brand reveled in its WASPiness: it marketed the All-American look through exclusivity, plastering images of shredded physiques across storefronts and shopping bags--all while hiring people who sported the same look.

At one point, shirtless men (with washboard abs, of course) were positioned at storefronts to welcome patrons. The company sold sex in a palatable way: wearing Abercrombie was a status symbol, which made it excusable for the brand to dominate high school hallways.

This was all done under the direction of former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries, the man responsible for giving the Abercrombie look a facelift. Founded in 1892, Abercrombie historically catered toward sportsmen and mostly sold outdoor and sporting goods. At one point, the brand even called Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway customers. But when Jeffries assumed the role of CEO in 1992, he honed the brand's strategy on elitism and brought on others to help bring his vision to life.

Part of the brand's appeal is that it was both exclusive and aspirational: teenagers and college customers yearned to be part of the cool kid club, explains Dustin York, an associate professor of communication at Maryville University. "They don't want to stand out from the crowd necessarily," he says. "But they still want to be seen as a popular and successful high school or college students"

"Abercrombie really almost took that philosophy and basically put it on steroids," York adds.

But the momentum behind Abercrombie was overcome by other cultural forces as consumer preferences shifted and critics stood up to what appeared to be a blatantly racist and discriminatory ideology that propped up the brand. Amid growing criticism, Abercrombie flamed out, as recently portrayed in the new Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Now operating under the leadership of Fran Horowitz, Abercrombie has changed its tune. The monocultural monotony that the brand once embraced has been replaced online by a presence that imbues inclusivity. Its website and social media feature models of different races and sizes, accompanied by celebratory posts about community and acceptance.

Abercrombie certainly isn't the first fashion brand to flame out, but its quick fall offers some lessons worth remembering:

Change is essential for survival

Change may be uncomfortable, but it's essential for companies that want to stay relevant. The good news is that companies that are weaker with ideation can always source that skill elsewhere. But ideation is imperative to longevity, especially amid a changing environment of consumer preferences. "If you don't like change, you'll like being irrelevant even less," says York.

How You Treat Employees Has Long-Term Implications

The hiring practices of Abercrombie were rooted in racism, elitism, and discrimination, according to the documentary. Recruiters operated under instructions to hire only good-looking people, which Abercrombie defined in a booklet that spelled out what was acceptable. While "classic hairstyles" presented on a white model were in the acceptable category, dreadlocks on a Black model fell into the unacceptable category.

Ultimately, how Abercrombie treated its employees and job candidates ultimately unraveled the fabric of its strong brand, says Kathy Gersch, a former Nordstrom vice president who is the chief commercial officer at Kotter, a business consulting firm.

Abercrombie was hit with multiple lawsuits over its discriminatory practices. A lawsuit filed in 2003 alleged discrimination against Asian, Black and Hispanic employees. Abercrombie shied away from hiring non-white individuals to work on the sales floor and when it did, encouraged non-white employees to work other roles in the store that didn't interact with the public, according to the suit. The company eventually agreed to a $40 million settlement and a consent decree requiring it to implement diversity and inclusion measures in the business.

The company also lost a religious discrimination case filed by Samantha Elauf, a Muslim woman who claimed she wasn't hired by the brand because she wore a hijab. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in Elauf's favor in 2015 and found that Abercrombie violated civil rights law.

Think customer-first

One of the critical components behind Abercrombie's downfall was its intense focus on the brand, rather than the customers. Businesses that see quick growth as a result of cultural forces need to remember to keep their customers in mind, according to Carlos Castelan, the managing director of The Navio Group, a retail management consulting firm. Castelan cautions that businesses shouldn't get too far over their skis when they're scaling their company. "Businesses that lose sight of their customer and believe the brand itself is what's most powerful often erode over time," he explains. "Thinking customer-first rather than assuming the infallibility of the brand is the key lesson learned from the rise and fall of Abercrombie."

Brands help shape culture and society

Brands are important to society because they help people express themselves, but also can foster a sense of community and social belonging. Take cult classics like Trader Joe's or Apple, both of which have devoted customer bases that continue to subscribe to new products the companies pump out. Apple, in its own way, influences current discourse (the prevalence of iMessage has led to lighthearted jabs around green text bubbles sent from non-Apple devices.) Whatever brand people choose to wear acts like a billboard that shows who they are as a person and what values they have, according to York.
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Route Mobile (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Route Mobile Limited (RML) one of the leading CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) providers to enterprises, over-the-top (OTT) players, and mobile network operators, has been listed as one of the top 3 fastest growing Indian companies in the United Kingdom (UK) in the Grant Thornton India meets Britain Tracker 2022 reportRoute Mobile (UK) has consistently featured in the India meets Britain Tracker for three consecutive years. In the latest report, Route Mobile (UK) has moved into the top-3 list with a solid 98% growth rate. It is also the largest technology and telecom company on the list with revenues of 97 million.Rajdipkumar Gupta, Managing Director and Group CEO, Route Mobile Limited said, Despite disruptions caused by the pandemic, Route Mobile (UK) has consistently featured as a fast-growing Indian company in the UK. Cloud communications has global potential and we are committed to be at the forefront with robust, innovative offerings. This recognition boosts morale and firms our resolve to continue to outperform, work closely with our partners to meet their expectations and provide the best consumer experience."The 2022 research identified 900 Indian companies operating in the UK, up from 850 in 2021, with combined revenues of 54.4 billion, up from 50.8 billion in 2021. The increase in the number of companies and number of people employed is remarkable despite disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Technology and Telecom sector continues to be the largest group for the ninth year in a row, accounting for 35% of the companies listed by the tracker.The annual India meets Britain Tracker is a collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which lists the fastest-growing Indian companies with a significant base in the UK with a turnover of over 5 million, YoY revenue growth of at least 10% and a minimum two-year track record in the UK.The India meets Britain Tracker 2022 is a compilation of 900 UK-incorporated limited companies that are owned directly or indirectly, or controlled, by either Indian-incorporated parent or an Indian citizen resident outside the UK.Route Mobile ended at Rs1,435.80 apiece down by Rs42.5 or 2.87% on the BSE.
Tensions and emotions are soaring high in the United States following the issuance of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion by Politico, which indicated that Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 judgement that defined abortion rights across the U.S, might be reversed.

If carried out, abortion may no longer be regarded as a constitutionally guaranteed right in the U.S and every state will be able to decide whether the procedure is legitimate.

Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade, 1973's landmark judgement, gave U.S women a complete right to an abortion during first trimester of pregnancy, and restricted their rights after that. While abortion is lawful in some way or the other in every province under Roe, access to abortion has been reduced in more than a dozen countries over the years.

Agencies

Texas, for instance, passed legislation in 2021 that allows citizens to sue health centres and medical practitioner who perform abortions after 6 weeks. Most abortions are prohibited after 15 weeks in Mississippi, the region at the centre of the Supreme Court ruling.

The erosion of abortion rights in the United States has been replicated in several other countries around the world, where the increase of pro-life motions has happened to coincide with radical, political or societal shifts.

Abortion rights reformers in other nations have been successful in pressing for less strict legislation as part of a larger fight for equal rights.

Current status

sputniknews

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, approximately 73 million abortions are performed globally. This equates to approximately 39 abortions per 1000 women worldwide, a proportion that has remained roughly constant since 1990.

Notably, percentages have diverged between states with lesser and more limitations: Between 199094 and 201519, the average abortion percentage in states where abortion is apparently legal (excluding China and India) fell by 43%. In comparison, in nations with strict abortion regulations, the average abortion percentage rose by around 12%.

As countries around the world have continued to expand the reasons on which individuals can access reproductive health care, the safety standards of abortion care, as well as maternal survival, have gotten better. However, the safety of abortion methods varies greatly between states where abortion is apparently lawful and nations where abortion is strictly prohibited. Almost 90% of abortions in states with liberal abortion legislation are deemed safe, compared to only 25% in states where abortion is prohibited. As per the WHO, complications from unsafe abortions account for nearly 513 % of maternal casualties globally, with the vast majority occurring in developing nations.

Some constituencies, however, continue to be staunchly opposed to abortion. In addition, a number of nations, especially authoritarian states, have resisted the growth of women's and reproductive rights in recent times.

What does abortion law look like in other countries?

AFP

Even though the legal position of abortion differs widely by region, the vast number of nations allow abortion in some conditions; globally, 24 states outright prohibit abortion. Andorra and Malta are in Europe; El Salvador and Honduras are in Central America; Senegal and Egypt are in Africa; and the Philippines and Laos are in Asia. Approximately 90 million (5%) women of reproductive age come from states that outright prohibit abortion.

The procedure is unrestricted in the majority of industrialised nations. Around a 100 states have few prohibitions, typically allowing abortion only in limited cases, such as socioeconomic factors, threat to the woman's physical or psychological health, or the existence of foetal anomalies.

However, language of the law regarding foetal impairment exclusions is frequently ambiguous, leaving healthcare experts unsure whether certain abortions are legitimate.

Abortions are legal in over 50 nations and territories, but only when the woman's health is put at serious risk. (Some just refer to physical wellbeing; others include mental wellbeing.) Libya, Iran, Indonesia, Venezuela, and Nigeria are among them. Others make an exception for sexual assault, child abuse, or foetal abnormality.

For instance, abortion is unlawful in Brazil, except in cases of sexual assault, threat to the mother's life, or when the foetus has anencephaly (an absent part of the brain or skull). In such circumstances, the woman must obtain permission from a doctor as well as at least 3 other medical experts.

In January 2021, Poland imposed a complete prohibition on abortion, permitting the process only in instances of sexual assault, child abuse, or when the mother's life is in danger. The prohibition eliminated the exception for abortion in cases of serious and irrecoverable fetal anomalies, which accounted for 98 percent of abortions in Poland in 2019.

Agencies

As per the Center for Reproductive Rights, over half of reproductive age women can securely access abortion in states ranging from Japan to India to Canada, and also at the majority of Europe and the United States.

Abortion is legal in 72 nations, including France and Germany, relating to gestational time limits, the most prevalent of which is 12 weeks.

Even in these regions of the world, there are frequent exceptions that enable abortions to be performed later.

In the United Kingdom, for instance, abortion is prohibited after 24 weeks, but if the foetus has an impairment such as Down's Syndrome, the pregnancy can be terminated until birth.

Recent trends

While pro-life developments in Poland and the United States have effectively lobbied for restrictions on reproductive rights, some states are making progress toward greater liberties. Colombia, Argentina, and Mexicotraditionally conservative Catholic states in Latin Americahave decriminalised abortions in the last 18 months, following series of demonstrations and campaigning by women 's rights and pro-choice collectives. Colombia, the most recent, established the legal weeks of gestation cap at 24 weeks in February.

The worldwide abortion legislation pattern has been toward liberalisation. Since 2000, 38 states' abortion rules have changed, with all but oneNicaraguaexpanding the legal grounds over which women can obtain abortion assistance.

Argentina and Thailand have legalised abortions with specific gestational bounds since 2020; Mexico and South Korea have decriminalised abortion; and New Zealand has relaxed its abortion regulations.

AFP

The improvements have sparked other pro-choice movements in the area, dubbed the "green wave" because of the colours campaigners wear. Depending on the outcome of a vote later in the year, Chile could become the 1st Latin American state to get the right to abortion written into the constitution.

Safe abortion

Multiple global frameworks, the UN Human Rights Committee, and regional human rights tribunals, such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, have recognised access to abortion as a human right. At the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, 179 authorities agreed to sign a specific plan which included a pledge to prevent unsafe abortion.

In 1967, the WHO identified unsafe abortion as a matter of public health, and in 2003 it issued technological and policy standards, including a suggestions that nations pass abortion legislation to safeguard women's health.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, resolving the unintended pregnancy would minimise maternal deaths and abortion by approximately 70% in developing countries.





For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.
A protest began in front of Sri Lankas Trincomalee Naval Base on Tuesday after reports emerged that former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members were thereafter leaving the official residence in Colombo, according to reports.

An AFP report, however, says that PM Rajapaksa will not flee the country.

#UPDATE Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa -- who resigned as prime minister after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters and sparked a day of violence -- will not flee the country, his son tells @AFPhttps://t.co/2TOKpe8dh5  AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 10, 2022

Violence erupted in Sri Lanka on Monday after supporters of the prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked peaceful anti-government protesters demanding his ouster over the countrys worst economic crisis that led to acute shortages of staple food, fuel, and power.

Over 200 people have also been injured in the violence in Colombo and other cities.

Mahinda Rajapaka resigns

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 76, resigned as prime minister on Monday amid unprecedented economic turmoil, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters, prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy Army troops in the capital.

Representational Image

A protest has begun in front of the Trincomalee Naval Base after reports Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members are thereafter leaving Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

Trincomalee is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka.

Mahinda Rajapaksa left his official Temple Trees residence early on Tuesday morning even as a mob tried to enter the premises.

Throughout the night on Monday, the police fired teargas shells to quell mobs trying to enter the Temple Trees residence.

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers lodged a complaint with the police headquarters to arrest Mahinda Rajapaksa and his colleagues who had allegedly instigated Mondays violence against peaceful anti-government protesters.

Arson attacks on politicians' homes

On Monday, the violence saw arson attacks on the homes of several politicians, including the ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota.

Video footage showed the entire house of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Medamulana in Hambantota city was burning.

Sri Lanka deploys thousands of troops and police to enforce a curfew after five people were killed in the worst violence in weeks of protests over an unprecedented economic crisishttps://t.co/lTYilZYcNz pic.twitter.com/0kq9BVI8Gi  AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 10, 2022

Mahinda Rajapaksas House in Kurunegala was also set on fire by protesters while a mob also destroyed D A Rajapaksa Memorial  constructed in the memory of the father of Mahinda and Gotabaya  in Medamulana, Hambantota.





There have been protests over soaring prices and power cuts since last month. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining 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.

India extends support

India on Tuesday said it is fully supportive of Sri Lankas democracy, stability and economic recovery, a day after the island nations Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit amid massive protests in the country over the governments handling of the economic crisis.

In keeping with our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year alone support worth over US$ 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka for helping them overcome their current difficulties: MEA Spokesperson pic.twitter.com/4tuiuOiw44  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2022

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes. He was responding to media queries on the developments in Sri Lanka.

As a close neighbour of Sri Lanka, with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its democracy, stability, and economic recovery, Bagchi said.

He also mentioned the assistance India provided to help Sri Lanka deal with the economic crisis.

For more on explainers, news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Working remotely doesn't negatively harm the productivity of the employee as many might believe.

Unsplash

Also Read: TCS To Allow Work From Home For 75% Employees Even After COVID-19 Lockdown Ends

This is according to novel research conducted by Texas A&M University School of Public Health that worked with a large oil and gas company in Houston, Texas to analyse ergonomic software data from 264 employees during a period when the company was forced to shut its offices due to flooding from the hurricane and asked employees to work remotely for an extended period of time.



Researchers looked at employee technology data before, during and after Hurricane Harvey. They found that even though total computer use dropped during the hurricane, the employees work behaviours during the seven months remote working period returned to pre-hurricane levels, highlighting that remote work doesnt negatively impact workplace productivity.

Mark Benden, one of the researchers of the study explained, "In the future, there will be a greater percentage of the workforce who is involved in some sort of office-style technology work activities. Almost all of the study's employees were right back up to the same level of output as they were doing before Hurricane Harvey. This is a huge message right now for employers because we're having national debates about whether or not employees should be able to work remotely or in a hybrid schedule."

The study was actually part of a massive initiative by the Ergonomics Centre thats looking at the health and wellbeing of information workers. Even though their job might seem less tiring compared to a blue-collar role, information workers are prone to injury too, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Unsplash

Also Read: Working From Home Four Days A Week Reduces Pollution By 10 Percent, Says Study

Researchers are of the belief that the data from this study can be used to promote healthy behaviours for employees not just those remotely working but also at the office. The researchers are also looking at tracking the ergonomic environment in employees' home offices.



According to researchers, looking at this data can help companies address remote employee health issues that include stress, depression and substance abuse.

Benden added that the people who took the recommended breaks were actually more productive overall and got more work done. He calls for more work to learn this about people as well as tech and help people to do it.

Keep visiting Indiatimes.com for the latest science and technology news.
Lack of empathy is a common trait - we often see people mistreating others or simply offering no sensitivity to those in need. It is even more infuriating when you are responsible for someone's pain and chooses to do nothing about it.

In a shocking incident that was shared on social media, a woman suffered a panic attack inside Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport - Terminal 3.

Instagram

What happened?

According to a post shared on Instagram by user Vipul Bhimani, he was on his way to catch an Air India flight accompanied by his aunt and cousin. Due to some technical inconvenience, the trio got delayed at the security check-in point. They requested the Air India staff to help them with assistance at the check-in due to a technical problem. However, the staff denied their request and said "the security check-in issue is none of our business."

However, the post further claims that the family members managed to clear security, and they called the airline staff once again to inform them that they are moving towards the gate (32B) but will be late by 5 minutes. He wrote that they told them they have a senior citizen with them (his aunt) who cannot run.

Mr Bhimani's cousin apparently reached the gate within 2 minutes, and the former reached with his aunt just right after. However, the airline staff present at the gate's counter allegedly closed the gates as soon as the three passengers reached. Mr Bhimani's post claims that they still had 30 minutes left before the flight had to depart.

Instagram

Anxiety attack at the airport

"My aunt got anxiety which turned into a panic attack, and she fainted there on the spot," reads the post. Mr Bhimani added that his cousin had his final year VIVA exam and missed it due to not being able to board the flight. This led to his mother feeling very anxious, and she allegedly fainted on the floor in front of the gate.

"We asked for a medical emergency but instead of that a staff called security and asked them to leave us at the exit gate," reads the last line of Mr Bhimani's post.



Instagram

"Air India flight AI 823. PNR was J84KT" - these are the flight's details.



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In a shocking turn of events, a woman in Kerala who threatened to die by suicide by jumping from a mobile tower was saved after wasps swarmed around her, forcing her to climb down from the tower.

According to reports by PTI, the woman had climbed a BSNL mobile tower in Kerala's Kayamkulam, a town in coastal Alappuzha.



She threatened to jump if her baby, which her husband had taken, was not returned to her.



Business Standard (Representational image)

Attempts by the police and fire service personnel to persuade her to climb down failed. Visuals of the incident on local TV channels showed that as the woman was busy climbing to the top of the mobile tower, she disturbed a wasp nest. Suddenly, the wasps swarmed around her and some stung her. In a panic, the woman started to climb down from the tower rapidly, screaming as the wasps continued to swarm around her.

Nearer to the ground, she jumped the last few remaining feet onto a safety net being held firmly by fire service personnel. The officials said if it were not for the wasps, she may not have come down. A police officer at Kayamkulam said the woman, a resident of Tamil Nadu, has been hospitalised. Her condition is stable.



The police said they are trying to contact her husband or relatives, though they are yet to get personal details from her.

Twitter (Representational image)

According to reports, a study by a private hospital in Delhi has found that there has been a rise in cases of anxiety and depression among people during the COVID-19 pandemic.



Suicide prevention helplines are available for you at all times. If you or anyone you know is going through a hard time, please do not hesitate to reach out to the numbers below:

Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health 9999666555 or help@vandrevalafoundation.com

TISS iCall 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday: 8 am to 10 pm)



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The number of dams in in New Hampshire most at risk of failing has increased 51% in the past three years, according to an Associated Press analysis.

The state saw its numbers of high hazard dams in either poor or unsatisfactory condition go from 37 to 56, according to the analysis released last Thursday. All but one of those dams had a poor rating, with only one rated as unsatisfactory.

Steve Doyon, the states chief dam safety engineer, said most of the dams were state owned. He attributed the increase to structural problems with dams like leakage, sinkholes and deterioration of the concrete. The other problem was that some spillways  which prevent water from overtopping a dam  were found to be unable to handle a historic flood.

Folks would consider it disconcerting that a dam does not meet state criteria, Doyon said. But at the same time, its related to ensuring these dams have the capacity to withstand inflows from extreme events. Folks shouldnt be concerned by an imminent threat because those extreme events are infrequent.

An Associated Press analysis nationwide tallied more than 2,200 high-hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition across the U.S.  up substantially from a similar AP review conducted three years ago. The actual number is likely even higher, although its unclear because some states dont track such data and many federal agencies refuse to release details about their dams conditions.

The nations dams are on average over a half-century old and often present more of a hazard than envisioned when designed because homes, businesses or highways have cropped up below them. Meanwhile, a warming atmosphere can bring stronger storms with heavier rainfall that could overwhelm aging dams.

Many of New Hampshires dams were built decades, if not centuries ago, to provide water and power to textile mills and other manufacturing shops. But today, most structures that hold back ponds and lakes are for recreation, drinking water and hydropower.

More than 50 dams have failed in New Hampshire over the past 100 years, though deaths are rare. One exception was the Meadow Pond Dam, which failed in 1996, killing a woman and flooding a small neighborhood.

Some of the problems with high hazard dams go back years but have not been addressed because of a lack of funding or an inability or refusal by private owners to make repairs.

New Hampshires increasing number of dams that are classified as high hazard puts our communities at risk and underscores the need for investments in the well-being and safety of our nations dams, said Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, who introduced a bill last year that would spend nearly $26 billion to make the repairs that would enhance safety and increase the power generation capacity of the countrys dams. It also calls for removing any dams that have outlived their usefulness.

Dams play a key role in our states waterways and energy infrastructure, she said. Especially as dams continue to age and deteriorate, it is critical to our communities and our economy that we invest in these dams to bolster clean energy production while taking steps to conserve our rivers and protect the public.

The state last year lobbied U.S. Treasury to set aside monies in the $1 trillion infrastructure deal, saying more than 50 state-owned dams required major repairs.

Doyon said his program has not heard of any infrastructure funding going to dam safety. But he is optimistic the program may get as much as $35 million in pandemic funding to repair state-owned and possibly municipally-owned dams. He estimates that money could repair as many as 16 dams.

Obviously, 16 off our list is significant but its not solving the whole problem, he said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics New Hampshire
Starbucks Corp. violated federal law by firing, threatening, and carrying out surveillance on union activists in New York, U.S. labor board prosecutors alleged in a complaint.

The agencys Buffalo regional director said in a filing Friday that the company illegally interfered with employees rights by firing six and retaliating against others. The allegations were brought to the agency by Workers United, the labor group that has prevailed in votes at more than 50 of the companys U.S. stores, beginning with a landmark victory last December in Buffalo.

Starbucks, in an emailed statement, disputed the claims and said the complaint represented only the start of a litigation process.

We believe the allegations contained in the complaint are false, and we look forward to presenting our evidence, spokesperson Reggie Borges wrote. The company has said it complies with labor laws and that claims of anti-union activity are categorically false.

The NLRB complaint seeks remedies including the reinstatement of the employees who were allegedly illegally fired or forced out, along with financial compensation and apology letters.

The agencys general counsel is also seeking a videotaped meeting with employees, union and government representatives, and either Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz, North America President Rossann Williams, or both. At the meeting, either a company executive or a labor board official would read a notice about employees rights.

Mandatory Training

Additionally, the NLRB wants mandatory training for Starbucks managers about workers rights, and a requirement that the union get access to company bulletin boards, employees contact information and equal time to address workers.

The company is finally being held accountable for the union-busting rampage they went on, one of the fired employees, Danny Rojas, said in an emailed statement provided by the union.

Complaints issued by NLRB regional directors are considered by agency judges, whose rulings can be appealed to labor board members in Washington and from there into federal court. The labor board lacks the authority to impose punitive damages for violations of the law, but its current general counsel, Joe Biden appointee Jennifer Abruzzo, has directed its prosecutors to utilize every possible tool at their disposal to remedy wrongdoing, such as making companies pay for health insurance costs and credit card fees that fired workers incur, along with back pay.

Labor Board prosecutors have also issued complaints accusing Seattle-based Starbucks of illegally firing activists in Arizona and Tennessee. In a separate complaint this week, the agencys Phoenix regional director alleged that Starbucks employee rules, which include prohibitions on responding to reporters or sharing private company information on social media, illegally interfere with workers rights.

Starbucks has also filed claims of its own with the NLRB, alleging unfair practices by labor organizers toward workers and what it calls an increase in nefarious behavior. The coffee chain says individuals associated with Workers United limited access to stores in Arizona and Colorado, threatened workers for not supporting the labor drive, and shouted profanities and pounded on windows.

 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics USA
Australias AUB Group has entered into a binding agreement to purchase UK insurance broker Tysers for A$880 million (US$615.2 million) from private equity firm Odyssey Investment Partners.

AUB Group recently raised A$350 million (US$244.7 million) from existing institutional investors and new investors, which will fund the transaction, along with A$176 million (US$123.1 million) in shares and debt of A$675 million (US$471.9 million). There is a potential for additional consideration of up to A$176 million ($123.1 million), which may be payable two years post completion, depending on achievement of growth targets.

The deal is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals.

Separately, AUB entered into a non-binding agreement with Australian intermediary PSC Insurance to form a 50/50 joint venture in which PSC will buy a 50% stake in Tysers UK retail arm  after AUBs acquisition of Tysers is completed.

Tysers will provide AUB with a direct platform to the Lloyds market, assisting AUB to continue our growth while enhancing our value proposition to our brokers and customers, commented AUB Group CEO Mike Emmett.

AUB describes the deal as transformative, in part, because Tysers is a leading independent Lloyds broker writing A$3.6 billion (US$2.5 billion) of gross written premiums. Further, Tysers provides AUB with underlying 30% earnings per share accretion on a pro forma calendar year 2022 basis.

Tysers operates as a wholesale and retail broker as well as with a substantial number of delegated authorities.

AUB is the perfect partner to allow Tysers to continue to be a great place to work, carry on with the firms proud history and support our future growth ambitions. The strategic and cultural alignment is clear, and we are excited about executing on future opportunities together, said Clive Buesnel, CEO of Tysers.

Founded in 1820, London-based Tysers is currently ranked as the 12th largest broker in the UK and is the sixth largest broker placing business into Lloyds of London. It places approximately $3 billion of premium into the global markets annually and employs 1,100 people.

Sydney-headquartered AUB Group, which comprises insurance brokers and underwriting agencies, operates in more than 500 locations across Australia and New Zealand. More than 3,000 team members work with 850,000 clients to place more than A$4.0 billion (US$2.8 billion) in insurance premiums with local and foreign insurers.

Topics USA Agencies Australia
Britain said on Tuesday it will require its regulators to help the City of London remain a globally competitive financial center after being largely cut off from the European Union due to Brexit.

The government outlined planned legislation marking the biggest changes to UK capital markets in years to exploit what it sees as Brexit freedoms to set financial rules which had hitherto been written in Brussels for decades.

Britain Proposes Post-Brexit Relaxation of Solvency II Capital Rules for Insurers

Restrictions on 3,200 investment firms will be eased to attract more stock and bond trading in London and the sector will be encouraged to use new technologies, cryptocurencies, and to outsource to technology providers safely.

A core aim is to make regulation nimbler, including insurance capital rules, by moving chunks of detailed rulemaking from lawmakers to the regulators, who would be under close scrutiny of parliament.

Financial services minister John Glen has already said that the new growth and international competitiveness objective for the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority would be secondary to their top aim of keeping markets, consumers and companies safe and sound.

Banks have called for a stronger focus on competitiveness, but the government faced pushback from the Bank of England, which warned against a return to the light touch era that ended with lenders being bailed out in the financial crisis.

Banking, insurance and investment trade associations, along with the City of London, said the law should include specific metrics and criteria for regulators to demonstrate they are meeting their new competitiveness objective.

Regulators should develop a new culture grounded in proportionate, fair and predictable regulation, they said.

Legislation should include public reporting duties which require dynamic benchmarking against other international regulators, their joint statement said.

Cash Safeguards

The bill will also safeguard cash as a means of payment after being overtaken by contactless cards and other forms of electronic payments.

Around 5.4 million adults rely on cash and lawmakers are concerned with the rate of bank branch and cash machine closures, particularly in rural and less well-off areas.

The government is also cracking down on payments fraud.

Banks can be required by the regulator to reimburse victims of authorized push payment fraud, it said, referring to customers being deceived into authorizing a payment to a criminal.

Separately, the government flagged legislation on smart data to broaden open banking, which requires lenders to share customer data with third parties who offer rival services.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Andrew MacAskill, Alexandra Hudson)

Topics Legislation
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday extended until June 17 the period for public comment on its landmark proposal to require U.S.-listed companies to disclose a range of climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions.

Gary Gensler, who heads the agency that regulates Wall Street, said the SEC extended the deadline in response to significant interest from a wide range of investors, issuers, market participants and other stakeholders. The initial public comment period on the proposal expired in April.

Prominent Republicans have accused the SEC of overstepping its authority with the proposed rule. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce business group has vowed to fight parts of the plan.

The agency also re-opened for 30 days its public comment period on separate proposals to boost private fund advisor disclosures and to expand Treasury trading platforms.

Corporate groups have criticized Gensler over the agencys initial 30-day comment period windows for these and other measures, saying the comment period was too short for offering opinions on such ambitious rule changes.

The SEC benefits greatly from hearing from the public on proposed regulatory changes, Gensler said in a statement.

In November, Gensler said the SEC would consider new oversight rules for some platforms for trading U.S. Treasuries, a move aimed at boosting transparency and competition. In February, the watchdog proposed heightened regulations meant to scrutinize how private fund advisers charge fees to investors and measure fund performance.

In March, the SEC unveiled its climate rule proposal, in response to investor demand for consistent information on how climate change will affect the financial performance of companies in which they invest. Read full story

The proposed SEC rule forms part of President Joe Bidens push to join global efforts to avert climate-related catastrophes.

Commenters with diverse views have noted that they would benefit from additional time to review these three proposals, and Im pleased that the public will have additional time to provide thoughtful feedback, Gensler added.

On Monday, Chris Iacovella of the American Securities Association said his group was pleased to see the SEC briefly extend the comment period, but the group would like 90 additional days.

This is still an inadequate amount of time for the American people to conduct any type of comprehensive economic analysis about the potential costs of these combined rules or how they will impact retail investors, the ability of businesses to raise capital, market integrity, and systemic risk, he said.

Topics USA Climate Change
Workers compensation insurers in Florida will no longer have to ship posters to their insured employers if a rule change is finalized this summer.

The familiar broken arm poster has been a fixture in workplaces for decades, letting employees know about injury benefits and encouraging them to report fraudulent claims. Insurers have long had to print and ship the posters to employers.

Under a rule drafted by the Florida Division of Workers Compensation, insurance carriers would soon be able to send the Workers Compensation Works for You posters via email, ready to print. The employer would be allowed to post the compensation info separately or as part of a labor law poster. Employers could also choose to attach the anti-fraud information on a separate sheet of paper, the proposed rule change notes. The poster is available in English and Spanish.

If anyone requests a hearing on the proposed changes by May 26, the DWC will hold a hearing on June 7. Public comments will be accepted through May 26. They can be sent through the Florida Administrative Register site at https://www.flrules.org/Help/newHelp.asp.

The division proposed similar changes last fall, but would have allowed a smaller, letter-sized poster. But officials in December decided that the smaller poster would not be visible enough to workers, and withdrew the plan. The revised rule stipulates an 11 x 17 placard.

More information is available from DWC compliance chief Pamela Macon, at Pamela.Macon@myfloridacfo.com.

Topics Florida
If insurers and employers want to deny a workers compensation claim because it was filed too late, they shouldnt forget about an employees visit to the company doctor, which extends the clock under the quirks of North Carolinas comp statutes.

And the Industrial Commissions finding regarding the statute of limitations on claims is, in fact, reviewable by an appeals court.

Those were the take-aways from a North Carolina Supreme Courts decision handed down late last week. In Doris Cunningham vs. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., the high court upheld the state appeals court, which had overruled the Industrial Commission in 2020.

The May 6 decision was written by Justice Robin Hudson, one of the few justices in any state who was a workers compensation lawyer before moving to the bench. This may be one of the last comp-case opinions for Hudson, who is age-limited by North Carolina statute from seeking another term, explained the claimants appeals attorney, Jay Gervasi of Greensboro.

Shes a good justice. I hate to see her go, Gervasi said.

The Cunningham case began almost a decade ago. Doris Cunningham had been working at the Goodyear plant in North Carolina since 1999. The physically demanding job required her to walk as much as eight miles a day and continually lift tires and place them into a machine to be heated and molded. Her quota was 1,400 tires in a 12-hour shift, the court explained.

She injured her back twice in 2011. Then in 2014, she tried to lift a tire off a truck but it was stuck. She again injured her back, so much so that she said she couldnt move when she awakened the next morning. She filed an accident report, was placed on light duty for six weeks, then returned to her regular job and did not miss a day of work, the justices wrote in the opinion.

Cunningham never received indemnity payments, only medical benefits for the back pain.

The Goodyear plant is unusual in that it has a medical clinic and doctor on site and regularly treats injured workers. For months after the back injury, Cunningham was treated at the plant clinic and by a physical therapist on contract with the manufacturer.

In 2015 she reported continued pain but she kept working. Two years later, Cunningham said the pain had moved into her foot. In April 2017, a nurse at the Goodyear plant clinic treated the worker but told her that her file had been closed because she had reached the statute of limitation on the claim, and no further treatment was to be provided. Cunningham then reported that just a few days before, she had again hurt her back trying to lift a stuck tire, the court explained.

Two months later, and again in 2019, a neurosurgeon found degeneration in two discs in her spine, which he said were probably exacerbated by the 2017 incident. Cunningham then filed another claim, but the employer and Liberty Mutual denied it, arguing that the claim was time-barred because it was not filed within two years of the 2014 injury.

The Industrial Commission agreed with the insurer that Cunninghams claim came too late after the 2014 incident and that her 2017 claim was not supported by evidence.

Cunningham appealed to the state Court of Appeals, which reversed the commissions findings. The appellate judges found that the 2017 injury and visit to the clinic was indeed related to the previous back injury and was not time-barred. But because the decision included a dissent by one of the judges, the defendant carrier had a right to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Liberty Mutual and Goodyear, represented by attorney Angela Craddock, argued that the Industrial Commission was the finder of fact, had reviewed the evidence, and its decision should not be disturbed.

In a question of first impression for this Court, defendants argue the standard of review on appeal for commission findings on compliance with the statutes timely filing requirement is a competent evidence standard of review, rather than de novo review, the Supreme Court said. We disagree.

The question of whether the claim was barred by the two-year statute of limitations is a jurisdictional matter that is, in fact, subject to de novo review on appeal, the court found.

Gervasi, the claimants appellate attorney, explained that even though the employer/carrier did not pay indemnity benefits, it had continued to treat Cunningham through the years, often at the in-house clinic at the plant. In 2017, the insurer may not have intended to do that, especially since it already informed the nurse that the claim had expired.

That visit to the plant clinic kept the claim alive per the comp statute, even though the injury had happened more than two years earlier, he said.

The take home for insurance companies is to pay attention to medical (treatments), but also dont worry too much about this particular case because it may not have much application to other claims, Gervasi said.

The case now goes back to the Industrial Commission.

We conclude findings by the Commission regarding the timely-filing requirement under N.C.G.S.  97-24 are subject to de novo review, Justice Hudson wrote. And the Court of Appeals properly held the Commission erred in finding that plaintiffs last medical treatment for her 27 May 2014 injury was in 2015, not 2017. Accordingly, we affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals, and remand for further remand to the Commission for consideration of the merits of plaintiffs 27 May 2014 injury claim.

The decision included a dissenting opinion by Chief Justice Paul Newby and Associate Justice Tamara Barringer.
Supporters of a move to bring medical marijuana to South Carolina are looking for new buzz after a legalization bill was snuffed out on a procedural and constitutional challenge.

I just need to find out a way to get this thing on the merits up or down in the House and thats what Im going to be working on, the main sponsor of the bill, state Sen. Tom Davis, told reporters after the House action last week.

Senate Bill 150 has been described as one of the most conservative medical cannabis bills in the country. It would have allowed patients with qualifying medical conditions to obtain edible-type products from a licensed dispensary. Smokable weed and home cultivation would have remained prohibited, according to Marijuana Moment and other news sites.

The state Senate approved the bill in February, largely along party lines. But the measure faced stiffer opposition in the House, with lawmakers offering 1,000 amendments at one point. On May 4, Rep. John McCravy raised a point of order, noting that because the bill sets a tax on cannabis products, it should have originated in the House, per the state constitution.

House Speaker Pro Tem Thomas Pope concurred, declaring the bill unconstitutional, according to the National Law Review. The chamber then voted to extinguish an appeal from sponsors. Supporters of the bill have disputed the tax concerns, pointing out that it would be revenue-neutral.

Its uncertain if the matter can be revived before the General Assembly session ends June 15.

Topics Cannabis South Carolina
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Global TiN Powder market trend 2025-2028 High Purity Titanium Nitride TiN Powder CAS 25583-20-4, 99.5% by Newsintegra927

The U.S. and its allies plan to impose sanctions on more Russian industries and supply chains.

The US government representatives recently visited Europe to consult with allies on strengthening and enforcing sanctions to punish Russia. They also plan to take action to disrupt their critical supply chains.

The US government claims that the sanctions imposed on Russia since the invasion began on February 24 have proved extremely effective, plunging Russia into a financial crisis. The sanctions include a freeze on the Russian central bank's foreign exchange assets, a ban on hard currency transactions by major Russian banks and wealthy individuals, and export restrictions on advanced semiconductors and other technologies. The sanctions have weakened the Russian economy and left the Kremlin with fewer resources.

The volatile international political situations will continue to affect the markets and prices of many commodities like the TiN Powder.





About Titanium Nitride TiN Powder:

Titanium Nitride (TiN) is a very hard ceramic material, usually used as a coating for titanium alloys, steel, carbides and aluminum components to improve the surface properties of the substrate. The Vickers hardness of TiN is 1800-2100, the elastic modulus is 251 GPa, the coefficient of thermal expansion is 9.3510-6 K-1, and the superconducting transition temperature is 5.6K.



TiN will oxidize at 800C at normal temperature. TiN is brown and appears golden when it is coated. According to laboratory tests, it is chemically stable at a temperature of 20C but will be slowly corroded by concentrated acid solutions at high temperatures. Depending on the material and surface finish of the substrate, the friction coefficient between TiN and another TiN is 0.4 to 0.9 TiN surface (unlubricated). The typical TiN formation has a NaCl-type crystal structure with a stoichiometric ratio of about 1:1. However, TiNx compounds with x in the range of 0.6 to 1.2 are thermodynamically stable.



TiN becomes superconducting at low temperatures, and for single crystals, the critical temperature is as high as 6.0K. The superconductivity in thin-film TiN has been extensively studied, and its superconductivity varies greatly depending on the sample preparation until the superconductivity in the superconductor-insulator transition is completely suppressed. Cooling the TiN film to an absolute value close to zero, converting it into the first known super insulator, suddenly increased the resistance by 100,000 times.



Titanium nitride is a hard ceramic material used as a coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbides and aluminum parts. Because of its golden surface, it can be used for jewelry and high-performance ceramic materials, as well as medical equipment such as scalpels and plastic bone, saw blades. In addition, it is also used as a conductive barrier in microelectronics and electrodes in bioelectronic applications. Feel free to send an inquiry to get the latest price if you would like to buy Titanium Nitride TiN Powder in bulk.



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Titanium nitride can be made by directly reacting titanium and nitrogen at 1200C. The coating can be formed by a vapor deposition method using a mixed gas of titanium tetrachloride, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Titanium dinitride is obtained by heating metallic titanium in nitrogen or ammonia at 900-1000C. Titanium tetranitride is obtained by heating titanium tetrachloride in ammonia at 1000C.



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Our Titanium Nitride, TiN powder (CAS 25583-20-4) has high purity, narrow size distribution, high temperature strength, high fracture strength, good chemical resistance, good thermal shock resistance, low density and high hardness.



Technical Parameter of Titanium Nitride TiN powder:

Product Name MF Purity Particle Size Specific Surface Area

( m2/g ) Volume Density

( g/cm3 ) Crystal Form Color Titanium Nitride TiN 99% 1-3um, 5-10um 7.39 0.19 Spherical Gray-black



Chemical Composition of Titanium Nitride TiN powder:

TiN N O C Fe Al Ca Si Ni 99.5% 21.5% 0.6-1.2% 0.1% 0.015% 0.01% 0.01% 0.30% 0.3%



Application of Titanium Nitride TiN powder:

Titanium nitride is a hard ceramic material used as a coating on titanium alloys, steel, carbides and aluminum parts. Because of its golden surface, it can be used for jewelry and high-performance ceramic materials, as well as medical equipment such as scalpels and orthopedic bone saw blades. In addition, it is also used as a conductive barrier in microelectronics and electrodes in bioelectronic applications.

TiN is used as a thin coating to harden and protect cutting and sliding surfaces, for decorative purposes (due to its golden appearance), and as a non-toxic exterior for medical implants. In most applications, the applied coating thickness is less than 5 microns (0.00020 inches).

TiN is usually applied to steel, hardened steel and stainless steel materials that require high wear resistance and lubricity. TiN is an essential material for physical vapor deposition coatings and is very suitable for applications that use expensive tools (such as injection molding, sawing, tapping, and molding).

The coating is also used in many medical (implants, surgical instruments, etc.) and food processing applications. TiN can be easily peeled off and can be recoated. Can be stripped and recoated.

Make plastic packaging materials, such as PET bottles.

In the solar vacuum tube, the absorbed sunlight is very large.

The high-temperature furnace is used for energy consumption.

Making artificial limbs, biological materials.

Manufacturing optical equipment in harsh environments.

Used as alloy modifier in cemented carbide.



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Titanium Nitride Properties Other Names Tinite, TiNite, TiN powder, nitridotitanium CAS No. 25583-20-4 Compound Formula TiN Molecular Weight 61.87 Appearance Brown Powder Melting Point N/A Boiling Point N/A Density 5.24 g/cm3 Solubility in H2O N/A Exact Mass 61.951 Titanium Nitride Health & Safety Information Signal Word N/A Hazard Statements N/A Hazard Codes N/A Risk Codes N/A Safety Statements N/A Transport Information N/A

With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the market is increasingly worried about the potential disruption of Russia's energy supply. Geopolitical premiums have pushed up the price of crude oil and natural gas, and the energy price is expected to remain high in the short term. Affected by this, the market price of the TiN Powder may continue to rise.



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Hundreds of Irishmen, including dozens of serving policemen  20 from Cork  flocked to Italy in 1860 to protect Pope Pius IX against the insurgent nationalist forces of Cavour and Garibaldi.

The Munster News reported in May 1860 that some 6,000 of the Irish Constabulary in Cork, Clare, Kerry and Limerick were ready to quit their posts in order to join the cause of His Holiness. All who actually tendered their resignations and sailed for Italy were Catholics, passed over for promotion by the British government, and not, generally speaking, the most contented individuals in the world, commented The Cork Examiner (30 May 1860).

Any man over five-foot-seven inches tall could enrol in the infantry of the Papal States, which covered the modern regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria, Romagna and parts of Emilia. The establishment of a cavalry brigade of tall, muscular young Irishmen was also under consideration.

Headline in The Cork Examiner, 30 May 1860, announcing the exodus of young men from Cork to join the Papal Brigade in Italy

About 1,300 young men left Ireland, many giving up comfortable homes and resigning from lucrative employments to become unpaid soldiers. Apprentices broke the terms of their indentures, and factory hands left their employers. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the sons of farmers, lawyers and doctors, they eagerly waited to board ship at Cobh to rally round the Chair of Peter.

The recruits would receive green uniforms with caps incorporating a shamrock motif, and were assured of both military fame and the highest promises of future prosperity. Known as the Battalion of St Patrick, the Irish Brigade would be supported by donations to the Catholic Church in Europe and America. As soldiers of God, they would fight under the protection of a kind and benevolent ruler, whose dominions they would safeguard against the attack of his unscrupulous assailants, Italys nationalist armies, the soldiers of the Devil. But the English press claimed the Irishmen were mercenaries, motivated solely by pay and plunder.

As they stepped into the unknown, would the willing recruits find fame and fortune; or were they destined to return to Ireland in disappointment? Travelling furtively in small groups of 20-40, some calling themselves pilgrims, they reached Rome late in June. There they joined soldiers of eight more nationalities  including Italians, Austrians, French and Belgians  who didnt know one anothers languages.

Furthermore, the promised uniforms had never been made, and they were issued instead with surplus Austrian kit prior to receiving some rushed training from Louth-born Major Myles OReilly. Disillusioned, several Irishmen returned home.

Irish postage stamp (1995), showing a splendidly dressed Irish papal bodyguard (Zouave) in 1860

During the next few months, under the overall command of General Christophe Lamoriciere, the Papal Brigade faced a desperate struggle against overwhelming odds, reported The Cork Examiner (5 November 1860). Although only Garibaldi and his redshirts were expected, the Popes army came up against the full Piedmont-Sardinia forces.

The Irish always fought like lions: On 13 September, Patrick Clooney of Waterford and his men inflicted serious casualties on the Piedmontese in the narrow streets of Perugia, Umbria, and criticised their commander, General Schmidt, for surrendering so soon.

Four days later at Spoleto, the Irish Brigade managed to defend the gatehouse for fourteen hours. Their only weapons were two cannon, sixty rifles, and obsolete muskets that became so hot when fired that the men had to wrap their handkerchiefs around the barrels. So successful at first were Irish riflemen that a Sardinian captain praised their sharpshooting. But the numbers were stacked against them, and their Italian comrades in arms supposedly ran away from their posts as soon as the engagement commenced.

On 18 September, at Castelfidardo in Marche, 105 Irishmen put up a spirited defence under the command of Roscommons Captain Martin Kirwan. However, the 39,000 Sardinians quickly overwhelmed the 10,000-strong Papal Brigade.

Battle of Castelfidardo, 18 September 1860, by Giovanni Gallucci

In the final encounter at Ancona, Irishmen apparently defied surgeons and went back to their posts within a couple of days of being injured, so eager was their anxiety to return to the fray.

Rounded up and disarmed, they were marched to Genoa, all the while being insulted in every possible way, spat upon and jeered at.

Fears arose that they were to be transported to Malta to serve in the British Army. Therefore they were relieved to hear that a vessel had arrived to take them to France. In Paris they were treated like heroes: gentlemen presented them with shirts, and women are said to have asked for a button from their uniforms as a souvenir.

On Saturday 3 November 1860, about 960 of the Irish Papal Brigade arrived back in Cobh to a warm and hearty reception, with temperance bands striking up Cheer boys, cheer and Patricks Day.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1807-1882, who worked for the unification of Italy by conquering Sicily and Naples

Locals turned out in crowds to greet them, and the cliffs were thickly dotted with groups of men, women and children, cheering enthusiastically and waving handkerchiefs. Vessels at anchor in the harbour sounded their whistles, and several ladies and gentlemen were heard cheering on the balcony of the Victoria Baths Hotel, where they had hoisted a green flag. Navvies building the Cork and Youghal Railway threw down their shovels and pickaxes, and shouted and waved their hats most vehemently.

John Francis Maguire, M.P., founder of the Cork Examiner, praised the men for abandoning their homes and friends, and risking their lives to fight for the Holy Father. All were awarded a commemorative service medal in recognition.

With the exception of one  who had particularly suffered at the hands of the Sardinians  the men were in good health and buoyant spirits. They were given a substantial and comfortable breakfast of bread and ham, and large mugs of coffee. After that, each man received a new suit of clothes made by Cork City tailors and paid for by public subscription.

None had dreamt of getting such an enthusiastic reception: I would sooner have that welcome than if they gave me twenty pounds, declared a former police constable.

Had he and his comrades returned from the Popes wars, weary and disappointed? Not one bit of it.

We will fight for him again tomorrow shouted one soldier.
WARNING: Some readers may find this article upsetting

The pathologist who examined the body of two-year-old Santina Cawley believed the nature and extent of injuries to the child  including bruises all over her body and a fractured skull  were inflicted by force rather than as a result of an accident.

And in her final memo of interview with detective gardai, the judge and jury heard how the accused Karen Harrington denied taunting the child in the early hours of the morning at a time when it was allegedly only the two of them  the accused and the deceased  in the apartment.

Assistant state pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, said the cause of the childs death was traumatic brain injury and upper spinal cord injury together with polytrauma and lower limb injury due to blunt force trauma.

38-year-old Karen Harrington of Lakelands Crescent, Mahon, Cork, denies the murder of Santina Cawley at Elderwood Park, Boreenamanna Road, on July 5, 2019.

The last memo of interview Karen Harrington had with gardai was read to the judge and jury. In it, she is shown photographs of evidence and reminded of different witness statements. She was accompanied by her solicitor, Eddie Burke.

I did not murder Santina Cawley. I did not murder, I did not harm no one, like. Like especially not the accused said, but the sentence was not completed. There followed a series of questions and answers. Can you see how all the evidence is coming together? She replied: It is coming to me.

These pictures dont lie. These pictures are telling a story. The only person who needs to tell us exactly what happened is you  you were there. She replied: Em, I was there, I have no recollection. I did not harm her, I didnt, like.

Can you see where the evidence is going? You are the one. Karen Harrington cried, according to the memo of interview, and said:

Jesus I can see where it is leading to. It is just I dont know. Oh f***ing hell I wouldnt know how to harm a child, to murder a child.

Evidence suggests otherwise. She replied: I see it. I can see it. You were the only person in the apartment after Michael (Santinas dad) left. They are your words. You are the only person there. You say she was alive then. Michael left  she was alive then? She replied, Yeah.

It was put to her again by detectives that she was the only one in the apartment with Santina and she replied: Oh God, and the memo noted that she sobbed.

Detectives suggested that photos of the crime scene and witness statements painted a picture of madness in the apartment and it was put to her: You were taunting a two-year-old defenceless child? She replied: No way. I wouldnt hurt a child, like.

When a recording of her shouting and slamming a door on the morning in question was played to her, she said: I am going mad  make everyone wake up  I have no memory of that. When the suggestion of taunting was put to her again, she said: I did not taunt no one.

What is the evidence saying to you? I can tell you what it is saying to us. You are the only one in the apartment. As you said, you were gone mad. She replied: Oh Jesus Christ.

At one stage she is described as howling and then saying: I wasnt taunting the child. No reason to be taunting the child. I didnt harm no child, like. I am around children all my life I never in my life harmed no one, not to mind a baby, like.

Mr Justice Michael MacGrath and the seven men and four women of the jury also heard evidence from Dr Bolster.

Pathologist testimony

Assistant state pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, said the cause of the childs death was traumatic brain injury and upper spinal cord injury together with polytrauma and lower limb injury due to blunt force trauma.

The assistant state pathologist found evidence of a severe traumatic brain injury that would have resulted in the child going into a deep coma. Dr Bolster said the child suffered polytrauma and considerable injuries, and on post mortem examination found injuries throughout the body surface.

Fractures were found to the upper right arm, lower left femur, to ribs close to the backbone and to the skull.

The pattern of injuries were not consistent with a simple fall or indeed an accident. There were multiple different injuries and (indications of) facial trauma.

In my view, these are non-accidental  forcefully inflicted injuries.

Following inflicting of these injuries  in particular of the head  this child would not have been able to cry, Dr Bolster said.

The pathologist found that traumatic brain injury and polytraumatic fractures were consistent with blunt force trauma. She said this can be caused by a blunt weapon or by being struck against a hard surface.

"In other words, she was struck with something or struck against something, the pathologist stated. She favoured the view that injuries were caused by impact onto a hard surface rather than with a weapon.

As well as multiple bruising throughout the childs body from forehead to feet, the pathologist found a complex fracture of the skull and a 10-centimetre displaced portion of bone. Under cross-examination by defence senior counsel Brendan Grehan, Dr Bolster said of the skull fractures: There was more than one impact to the head. I cannot count the number of impacts.

Assistant state Pathologist Margaret Bolster (pictured) said the cause of Santina Cawleys death was traumatic brain injury and upper spinal cord injury together with polytrauma and lower limb injury due to blunt force trauma. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Cork Courts

Was it one or two? Mr Grehan SC asked. She replied: Two plus plus. Mr Grehan asked the pathologist what she could say about the timing of the fractures. She replied: They were all recent. There was no way the child was walking around with these fractures.

Mr Grehan referred to the pathologists evidence about the head injuries making it impossible for the child to cry. Dr Bolster said: Once the head injuries were inflicted she would have been in a coma.

As well as a previous left femur fracture  caused by a fall - which had healed there were fresh fractures to the same thigh bone.
WARNING: Some readers may find this report upsetting

A jury has found Barbie Kardashian guilty of seven counts of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to her mother following her trial at Limerick Circuit Court.

The jury of six women and six men returned unanimous guilty verdicts on Monday in respect of three of the seven counts, and it returned majority verdicts in the remaining four counts, in respect of the accuseds mother.

Ms Kardashian, 20, who has legally changed her gender and name, had pleaded not guilty to all seven counts that she made threats to kill her mother at Coovagh House, Limerick, on dates in 2020.

The jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts in respect of other counts, that Ms Kardashian had threatened to kill or cause serious harm to Michael Mannix, a social care worker, at Coovagh House, Limerick, on dates between 2019 and 2020.

The jury, which retired last Friday and had been sent home for the weekend, returned their verdicts this lunchtime, after deliberation on the 11 counts for over four hours.

The four-day trial heard Ms Kardashian had been diagnosed with a narcissistic personality disorder and that she would say shocking things to gain attention, and that she made the alleged threats while she was a resident at Coovagh House, a secure unit for children aged between 11 and 17 with serious behavioural difficulties.

Her residency at the unit had been extended beyond her 18th birthday by a High Court order, it was heard. The jury was told the accused had changed her birth name and birth cert.

Threats

All of the alleged threats were made while Kardashian was, by order of the High Court, residing at Coovagh House, one of three secure units in the State for children aged 11-17 with serious behavioural problems.

Kardashians barrister, Mark Nicholas SC, accepted she told staff at Coovagh House, during a meeting to plan her release into the community as she had turned 18, that she planned to travel to her mothers house, overpower her, and torture her with a knife, a screwdriver, and boiling water.

Mr Nicholas accepted that Kardashian told staff: If I got into (my mothers) house I would run towards her and put the knife into her body and into her genitalia...prolong my mums suffering for as long as possible...I would stab her, but not in her heart or neck, Id want to put her through lots of torture, fear and humiliation.

I would bring a screwdriver to insert inside her genitalia because I am a woman and women rape using objects. I know that my mum is smaller than me, she is physically weak and she is frail, when I was living with her since I was nine or 10 I was stronger than her then and I know she would be overpowered by me.

Kardashian added that she only planned to exit her mothers house once she had been satisfied she had left her mother to bleed out, by taking her pulse to ensure she was dead.

'Shock behaviour'

In his closing speech last Friday, Mr Nicholas argued Kardashians alleged plan was fantasy and that her social care workers did not immediately alert gardai about the alleged threats.

He said some witnesses who had been involved in his clients care, including Mr Mannix, agreed under cross-examination that Ms Kardashian had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and that she would engage in shock behaviour in order to get attention and they were aware she had suffered alleged abuse as a child.

Mr Nicholas said his client had experienced a horrible life, and she had been in State care since she was 10 years old.

The defence barrister told the jury Kardashian had been invited into a safe and non-judgmental environment at Coovagh House and encouraged to share her emotions, but this promised safe place offered to a vulnerable, damaged kid, turns out to be the dock.

He reiterated there had been an absence of alarm in Coovagh about Kardashians alleged threats, until, he said, it was time for her to be released into the community, almost two years after she made the first alleged threat to kill Mr Mannix, in January 2019.

'Very unusual case'

There are a total of 15 beds in three secure units in the state, including Coovagh House, for children who are a risk of being a danger to themselves or others, the trial heard.

Judge Tom ODonnell said it was a very, very unusual case and he said he had concerns Kardashian might, at some point, be left to their own devices after her sentence is served.

Id like the benefit of a probation report to give the court some insight into what the long-term situation might be for this young lady, I would like to see if the probation service would have any guidance for the court, said Judge ODonnell.

Mr Nicholas agreed and reiterated Kardashian had been in care since she was 10, with little worldly experience. The judge ordered a psychological assessment on Kardashian and a probation report and remanded the accused in custody for sentence on July 28 next.
Burma Civilians Seized After Myanmar Junta Finds Rockets in Mandalay

Two rockets found near Mandalays moat.

Myanmars military regime has detained nine civilians, including a 15-year-old, in connection with rockets found near an Aungmyaythazan Township moat in Mandalay.

Two 107mm rockets were discovered by a police inspector on Saturday morning, according to the regime.

Nine people, including a teashop owner and his staff and a family from Dawna Bwar ward, were detained on Saturday evening, according to a resident.

Junta personnel, some in plainclothes, arrested them in the evening. The owner of Cafe Pan Khin teashop and his three employees, U Han Tin and his three family members and a woman called Myat Thandar Kyaw were arrested, he said.

Buddhist monk U Aggawunsa, an organizer of anti-regime protests in Pyigyitagun, said: From the very beginning, the regime always made arrests as it pleases. It has knowingly detained people who have nothing to do with those rockets. It is wicked and inhumane to scare other civilians.

Police have opened a case against Ma Myat Thandar Kyaw, 23, under Article 50(j) of the Counterterrorism Law.

Modeled on Qassam rockets developed by Hamas, the rockets used by some ethnic armed organizations and peoples defense forces are made of common metal pipes filled with explosives and propellants and usually ignited by a battery.

The large moat is close to junta security outposts and regular patrol routes. Anti-regime forces said resistance fighters could not fire rockets from where the regime claims they were found.

Bo Naung Lay for resistance group Black Death said: The resistance forces are not foolish enough to fire those rockets in public places. They take time to fire. We think the regime made it up and blamed the guerillas. Resistance groups claim responsibility for every mission we make. But no group claimed responsibility for this.

U Aggawunsa said: It is impossible to leave these rockets in public places. The regime used rockets as an excuse to arrest those nine people.

The regime has searching Mandalay regime opponents, resistance fighters, National League for Democracy members and supporters, and activists, according to anti-regime forces. The regime has imposed a news blackout on its arrests.

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Burma Myanmar Junta Executes Eight Resistance Fighters

Regime forces raided a local resistance force's outpost and killed eight. / Myinmu Township Information

Eight resistance fighters in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region, were captured and killed by Myanmars junta forces on Monday.

Myinmu Township Information Group said junta forces raided a Black Eagle Defense Force outpost in the morning and captured eight fighters. The group said they were tied up and executed and the bodies and outpost were burned.

Junta-linked Telegram accounts posted photos of the dead bodies and said homemade weapons, phones and other belongings were seized.

Those killed included Ko Wai Yan Phyo, who was the general secretary of Sagaing University Students Union. The students union stated that the first-year mathematics student gave his life while fighting the junta.

We are proud but disheartened by the loss of our comrade, the students union announced. We vowed to continue the fight until the end.

The Black Eagle Defense Force is one of many resistance forces in the anti-regime stronghold of Sagaing Region. This month it has launched three attacks on junta soldiers together with allied groups, claiming to have caused several casualties.

Since seizing power in February last year, junta forces have killed more than 1,830 people and arrested more than 13,600, mostly based on claims they were involved in anti-regime activities.
Burma NLD Says at Least 14 Members, Supporters Killed by Pro-Junta Groups in Two Weeks

Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in front of the National League for Democracy (NLD) office in Yangon on Feb. 15, 2021. / AFP
Burma Over 350 Junta Troops Killed in April in Southeast Myanmar

Junta weapons seized by Karen resistance fighters on April 15 in Karen State's Lay Kay Kaw / Cobra Column

Some 356 junta troops and members of the pro-regime Border Guard Force (BGF) were killed in April in southeast Myanmars Karen State during 507 clashes with ethnic Karen fighters, a slight drop on the number of casualties the regime suffered in March.

In a statement issued Saturday, the Karen National Union (KNU) said that fighting broke out between its armed wings and the Myanmar military every day in April in KNU-controlled areas, adding that there were a total of 507 clashes resulting in the deaths of 356 regime troops. That means that about a dozen junta soldiers died each day in April and that there were at least 16 clashes daily.

The KNU is Myanmars oldest revolutionary group. Its armed wings are the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO). Both reject the military regime and last years February coup. Since then, they have been fighting in Karen State alongside civilian resistance groups who also oppose the junta.

In Saturdays statement, the KNU joined other ethnic armed organizations in rejecting the regimes recent offer of peace talks, because the junta has excluded the parallel National Unity Government and its armed wing, the Peoples Defense Forces (PDF), from the talks.

Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the head of the KNUs Foreign Affairs Department, said that there was intense fighting in mid-April during the Thingyan Water Festival [April 13-16] and many airstrikes all month.

During Thingyan, a whole junta column was destroyed and the battalion commander was killed, said Padoh Saw Taw Nee.

March was the deadliest and most miserable month so far this year for the regime in Karen State, with 429 junta soldiers and BGF members killed in 510 clashes.

There were 421 clashes in February with 311 regime deaths, and 435 clashes in January with 399 regime deaths, according to figures released by the KNU.

Given those numbers, the total death toll of junta forces in the first four months of the year now stands at 1,495. The Irrawaddy has not been able to verify the number independently.

Around 15 KNLA and KNDO fighters were killed and 35 injured in April, said the KNU. Ten civilians died in regime artillery strikes, and another 35 were wounded.

The KNU has accused regime forces of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, using civilians as human shields and raiding and looting villages.

Fighting between junta troops and the KNLA and KNDO has intensified since the juntas December 14 raid on Lay Kay Kaw Town in Karens Myawaddy Township, close to the border with Thailand. The regime claimed that democracy activists and PDF fighters were sheltering in the town.

Padoh Saw Taw Nee said that small clashes are ongoing in KNU-controlled areas of Karen State, although there was less fighting than in previous months.

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Burma UKs Top Diplomat to Myanmar Stranded in Bangkok

Peter Vowles / Gov.UK

The senior British diplomatic representative to Myanmar, Pete Vowles, is stranded in Thailand and the regime in Naypyitaw has refused to issue him a visa to enter Myanmar, according to Nikkei Asia.

After London decided to downgrade Vowles title from ambassador to charge daffaires ad interim, the State Administration Council (SAC), the regimes governing body, formally notified Britain in late April that it would not accept its designated envoy as charge daffaires, but would consider alternative candidates, Nikkei Asia reported.

The British envoy arrived in Myanmar late last year but did not present his credentials to the SAC despite repeated requests from the regime. He was locked out of the country from late February, when he left his Yangon residence for regional consultations and was refused permission to re-enter. His title on social media was amended earlier this year to Head of British Embassy in Myanmar.

Last year, the Myanmar ambassador to the UK, U Kyaw Zwar Minn, joined the opposition movement and called for the release of detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He was immediately dismissed by the junta and locked out of the Myanmar Embassy in London by pro-military staff in April 2021. U Kyaw Zwar Minn still lives in an official residence in London; the regime asked the UK government to eject him but it declined to do so. Several months ago, he was reportedly told by London to find alternative accommodation.

Last year, Western embassies in Yangon urged the regime to release detained Myanmar government leaders including President U Win Myint and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and return power to the civilian government that was ousted in the February 2021 coup. Several Western embassies downgraded their diplomatic representation to the charge daffaires or head of mission level.

The UK has been trying to negotiate Vowles return to Myanmar but has so far failed.

The UK held the presidency of the UN Security Council in April but failed to raise the Myanmar issue at the UN, disappointing many.

In the US, U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmars ambassador to the United Nations, has joined the democracy movement and condemned the coup. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, he urged the international community to use any means necessary to take action against the military to help restore democracy, saying he was representing Daw Aung San Suu Kyis ousted government.

In August, US prosecutors said they had charged two Myanmar citizens over a plot to attack Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun.

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Guest Column Regimes Offer of Peace Talks is a Ruse to buy Time for Myanmar Military

Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars long history of civil war can be categorized as periods of alternating clashes and peace talks.

It is often said that politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed. Often, the warring sides will call for honesty for the sake of peace, before they question each others honesty.

In Myanmar, peace talks are a tricky business. Though both sides will struggle for a result that is favorable to them, normally the results are determined by the more powerful side.

Peace talks with ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) were previously held under the civilian Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL) government and the military-led Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) government. Those talks achieved nothing because self-determination and self-rule for ethnic people was always rejected and the existence of EAOs was never recognized, even as both the AFPFL and BSPP governments wanted EAOs to disarm and surrender. So the peace talks held between 1948 and 1988 were not successful.

In the post-1988 period, peace talks became even trickier because of drastic changes in the political landscape of the country. Myanmar was going through a political crisis following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, and its economy was also plagued by mismanagement under the BSPP rule.

At the same time, the Communist Party of Burma, the major player in Myanmars civil war, split into several armed groups. They had financial constraints and lacked ammunition. And both the troops and local people were exhausted after many years of war.

Seeing those factors, the then military regime changed its policy toward EAOs. The regime, which had always called for disarmament, made peace with EAOs by recognizing ethnic parties and armed organizations and designating their controlled areas as special regions. The process started in 1989 and by 1995 all the EAOs, except the Karen National Union (KNU) and Mong Tai Army (MTA), had agreed ceasefires with the Myanmar military.

For 20 years from 1989 to 2009, the military constantly engaged in measures designed to weaken the EAOs. They included offering business concessions to the EAOs and instigating religious disputes.

The then junta was able to do this because there were no fighting outside the borderlands, as the main opposition party  the National League for Democracy (NLD)  favored peaceful struggle over armed struggle.

However, the military continued to attack the KNU and the MTA with superior numbers. Finally, the MTA was forced to surrender and the KNU, once the most powerful group among the EAOs, had become weaker. This is what the military did over the two decades of ceasefire and peace.

In 2009, the regime went a step further and forced the EAOs that had signed ceasefires to transform themselves into Border Guard Forces (BGF) or peoples militias and brought them under the armys control. Apparently, the regime thought that it could now easily control the EAOs.

But the regime broke its promise to settle ethnic issues through political dialogue. In 2005, it forced the Palaung State Liberation Organization and Shanni Nationalities Army to disarm.

EAOs that were either weakened or had attached greater importance to business interests over armed struggle were swayed by the military regime.

The New Democratic Army  Kachin led by Zahkung Ting Ying in Kachin State, a Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) splinter group led by Bai Suocheng, the Karenni Nationalities Peoples Liberation Front led by Tun Kyaw, and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and some splinter groups from the KNU all became BGFs.

Other armed organizations, such as the Kachin Defence Army, brigades 3 and 7 of the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), the Pa-O National Organization (PNO), the Kayan New Land Party and some Karenni National Progressive Party and KNU splinter groups, became peoples militias.

Both BGFs and peoples militias were under the command of the Myanmar military. Of them, only the Kokang splinter group led by Bai Suocheng and the PNO led by Aung Kham Hti were granted self-rule in their territories under the army-drafted 2008 Constitution. The Shan State Nationalities Peoples Liberation Organization ceased to exist. This is the advantage the military was able to achieve in 20 years of peace.

In those years, the military became aware that EAOs only care about their regions and territories in the borderlands, and do not bother to challenge the central government. The regime was well aware that it could focus its energy on addressing the threat of the NLD by appeasing the EAOs.

While some EAOs collapsed or were weakened during the years of ceasefire, others grasped the opportunity to strengthen themselves. The United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were able to expand both their treasuries and arsenals of weapons during those years.

Later, the KNU was able to re-unify its Karen forces. The SSPP, the MNDAA and the Restoration Council of Shan State were also able to restore their strength.

The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) have weakened a lot compared to 1995, when their ceasefires came into effect. But they still have a strong presence in Myanmar politics due to their long history. Meanwhile, powerful new EAOs like the Arakan Army (AA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) emerged because of their dissatisfaction with the regimes handling of ethnic issues.

After 20 years of ceasefire, the EAOs became aware that they needed to rebuild strength, or otherwise risk collapse, and that the military was trying to break them up by any means. They realized that the military will compromise with EAOs when inland Myanmar is in crisis, but will always try to contain the EAOs otherwise.

In ten years of peace talks from 2011 to 2021, the EAOs saw that the Myanmar military has a greater say than elected governments. Moreover, the military restricted certain EAOs from participating in peace talks, and treated smaller EAOs with arrogance.

Myanmars military did not recognize ethnic peoples demand for self-determination and self-rule, but insisted that EAOs must join the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process under the 2008 Constitution and join the political dialogue under the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement process. The regime did not accept an all-inclusive peace process, saying instead that the peace process is not a Taung Pyone Pwe [a popular spirit festival in Mandalay] in which everyone can participate freely.

Last month, junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing offered face-to-face peace talks with leaders of EAOs. Since last years coup, the generals have repeatedly tried in vain to hold talks with EAOs. This has prompted Min Aung Hlaing to make the proposal himself.

Everyone can see that Min Aung Hlaing is trying to keep the EAOs out of the fighting as his army is facing a military crisis nationwide and is desperate to find a way out.

The regime is likely to allow EAOs to have greater territorial control and to lift its restrictions on their armaments at the planned meeting. It will be interesting to see to what extent Min Aun Hlaing will compromise.

In fact, EAOs like the UWSA and the NDAA already control their territories, and all they need is legitimacy. Moreover, EAOs like the KIA, the AA, the TNLA, the MNDAA, the SSPP, the KNPP, the KNU, the NMSP and the Chin National Front that have political ambitions to control their entire states might not accept a regime offer that will only allow them to continue to control their existing territory.

It is impossible to separate the EAOs from the Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs)  the armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG)  now. In Kachin, Chin, Karen and Kayah states, PDFs are fighting alongside the EAOs. In Sagaing and Magwe regions, PDFs work closely with EAOs.

The most important point is that the EAOs have little trust in the junta chiefs offer of peace talks due to their previous experiences with the military. Again, the PDFs are a great boost for EAOs which have fought Myanmars military for many years. So the majority of EAOs will continue to support the PDFs.

Many groups have refused to attend the talks saying all stakeholders, such as the NUG and PDFs, should be allowed to join them. But some small EAOs without strong principles may accept the offer of peace for their own interests while the military is making compromises. However, strong and principled EAOs are likely to shun the peace talks.

The regime is now saying EAOs dont commit terrorist acts like the PDFs do. But for many years, they described the EAOs as insurgents and terrorist groups. But despite labelling the AA as a terrorist group, the military held talks with the AA in 2020. It previously refused to hold talks with the TNLA and MNDAA, which are allied with the AA in the Northern Alliance, but is now prepared to include them in peace talks.

Throughout Myanmars history, we have witnessed the militarys negative attitude towards peace. If the regime is really serious about achieving peace in the country, it must first unconditionally release all those it has unfairly detained. To discuss a ceasefire and peace, the regime needs to talk with not only EAOs but also the PDFs and all the other resistance groups waging a defensive war, as well as the NUG and its legislative body.

Clashes with PDFs and other revolutionary groups engaged in Myanmars Spring Revolution account for 70 per cent of fighting so far in 2022, while clashes with EAOs account for 30 per cent. Without talking to the PDFs, it is impossible to achieve peace in Myanmar. No peace talks will succeed when key players are excluded.

The intention of the junta chiefs peace offer is to keep the EAOs at bay so that he has time and energy to crush the PDFs. It is just a political ploy. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the international community have called for dialogue among all parties to solve the Myanmar crisis. But the junta is trying to deceive them by offering peace talks only to the EAOs.

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Guest Column What to Expect From the US-ASEAN Summit

US President Joe Biden participates virtually in the annual ASEAN Summit from the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington on Oct. 26, 2021. / AFP

The White House will host this week the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for a US-ASEAN Special Summit. With the Russia-Ukraine war dominating international attention, the Biden administration has said the summit demonstrates its enduring commitment to ASEAN and that the Indo-Pacific region is a US national security priority. Chinas influence and power projection in Southeast Asia will figure prominently at the summit, but the two-day meeting also offers the opportunity to deepen economic relations with ASEAN, a bloc of 10 countries that combined make up the seventh-largest economy in the world. A host of other critical issuesfrom COVID to climate change to the crisis in Myanmarwill also be on the table.

Where does ASEAN sit in the administrations approach to the Indo-Pacific?



The White Houses Indo-Pacific Strategy, released in February, states that the United States seeks to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. The strategy calls an empowered ASEAN an important ingredient for success alongside modernized alliances like the Quad (i.e., the United States, Australia, India and Japan), renewed US commitment and resources, and other means. While competition with China is at the heart of the United States regional strategy, support for a cohesive and resilient ASEAN is one of the critical means for advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

An empowered ASEAN will not be easy to achieve, however. ASEAN is an extremely diverse group of 10 countries that operates by consensus, meaning it is rarely nimble nor bold, even on its best day. With one of its members, Myanmar, in crisis, an empowered ASEAN seems more unlikely than ever.

Yet, despite their differences, including as it relates to Myanmar, one area of clear agreement among its members is that only ASEAN can be the central building block for Indo-Pacific regionalism. The United States and its alliesand China to some extenthave bought into this vision, recognizing that it is untenable for the great powers to guide the regional architecture of the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, it is strongly in the US interest to invest in its relationship with ASEAN and to do what it can to support ASEANs centrality in regional affairs.

However, the US has also been clear that bilateraland increasingly trilateral and quadrilateralcooperation with key allies and partners is fundamental to US engagement and strength in the region. The Biden administrations emphasis on the Quad, in particular, has brought into question the premise of whether ASEAN remains in the drivers seat of regionalism, a role it had seemed to have consolidated only a few years ago, and what the United States means by its rhetorical support for ASEAN centrality. The Indo-Pacific Strategy recognizes this sensitivity, noting that the United States will explore opportunities for the Quad to work with ASEAN.

During the Biden administrations first year, engagement with Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN as a whole proved to be unusually difficult due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions and the rupture within ASEAN caused by Myanmars February 2021 coup. This Special Summit seeks to help make up for lost time and clearly demonstrates the United States interest in and commitment to deepening ties with ASEAN and its constituent members.

What are ASEAN countries looking for from Washington? How can Washington work with the bloc to empower and strengthen ASEAN resilience?



ASEAN countries are highly alert to the fact that relations between the United States and China have important implications for themselves. Despite their diversity, ASEAN countries all want an engaged and present United States in Southeast Asia to balance Chinas potentially overwhelming influence. They also seek to have Japan, India, Australia and other external powers as engaged as possible to create a balance of power in the region, or, as former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has called it more positively, a dynamic equilibrium. What they do not want is to be forced to choose between the United States and China.

Southeast Asian countries also seek Washingtons buy-in for ASEAN-based multilateral institutions, such as the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, which the bloc seeks to position at the center of the Indo-Pacifics regional architecture.

Beyond being present, the region wants the United States to be a stronger economic partner and many members are eagerly anticipating the details of the administrations proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. ASEAN is also looking to partner on transnational challenges ranging from climate change to pandemic preparedness to transnational crime. US support for ASEAN-based multilateralism empowers the bloc and strengthens its resilience, especially in the face of Chinese efforts to divide it, which it has repeatedly done to blunt ASEANs ability to push back against Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea.

How will the Ukraine war factor into the summit?



That President Biden is hosting the ASEAN leaders is a demonstration of its commitment to maintaining focus on the Indo-Pacific region despite the crisis in Ukraine. Nevertheless, Ukraine will be impossible to escape. First, US officials will make the case that Russias invasion demonstrates the fragility of the international system and, second, they will highlight Chinas tacit support for the invasion to make a contrast with the United States principled stance.

Southeast Asian countries in general would rather keep their heads down and avoid the issue rather than getting in the middle of a dispute between major powers. Singapore, however, has been an outlier with its vocal criticism and the sanctions it has enacted in coordination with the United States and Europe. While Ukraine will not be a major focus of the summit, the issue will likely come up in the context of Russias participation in the G-20 summit, East Asia Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders meeting to be hosted later this year in Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand, respectively.

Will the Biden administration press the bloc to do more to address the deteriorating situation in Myanmar?



While much of the summit agenda will focus on apolitical areas ripe for closer US-ASEAN cooperation, such as clean energy, health security and the digital economy, the deteriorating situation in Myanmar will also be addressed. Biden will find many of his counterparts to be as frustrated with the situation as himself, but he will also find deep divisions in the lengths his ASEAN counterparts are willing to go to isolate or pressure the junta, largely due to longstanding norms within ASEAN to avoid interfering in the affairs of other members.

However, Biden will find common cause with leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, who are increasingly frustrated by the juntas intransigence and are open to isolating Myanmars leaders and engaging the National Unity Government. With Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, he will encounter reluctance. With the likelihood of a diplomatic breakthrough dim, Biden will likely look for incremental progress on enhancing engagement with the National Unity Government and establishing a framework for delivering humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.

Brian Harding is Senior Expert, Southeast Asia, at the US Institute for Peace.

This article was first published by the US Institute for Peace.

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Vintage and antique cars will be on display during the 2022 Classic Car Show, which will benefit the Foundation of the Bilingual Education and Baccalaureat support for the French Program in International Studies Charter Schools in Miami.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at Crossbridge Church, 160 Harbor Drive in Key Biscayne.

The event will also include arts and crafts, a raffle, a photo booth, outdoor games (in French) and food and beverages.

The Key Biscayne Bilingual Education and Baccalaureat was created to support students and teachers in the French Program since they don't have the support of the French government, said the groups Vice President, Ann Fifer.

Education is super important for students, parents and teachers, she said. A lot of people come here to go to work and three years later go back to France, and they don't have to repeat any courses.

Fifer said that Alberto Carvalho, former superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, advocated for the French programs at Coconut Grove and George Washington Carver elementary schools.

Fifer, who moved from France 11 years ago, said her two daughters are in the French Program. She said she chose the Classic Car Show for the fund-raiser because everybody likes cars.

She hopes to raise $10,000.

The show will feature a contest for the most beautiful car, the most wild car and the most well kept antique car.

For more information about the event, call (305) 335-2970.
Xi says that youth breeds infinite hope

(People's Daily App) 14:54, May 10, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that youth breeds infinite hope, and encouraged the members of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) to forge ahead on the new journey to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi made the remarks at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CYLC Tuesday in Beijing.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
: yk123456 (), : bagua

 : Maxim Vivas: Using the Truth to Undermine Anti-Chi

: BBS  (Mon May 9 02:44:12 2022, )



Maxim Vivas: Using the Truth to Undermine Anti-Chinese Forces

Who is Vivas?

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about two

foreign friends at the press conference of the two sessions on "how foreign

media reporters cover China".

One is Edgar Snow, the American journalist who wrote "The Red Star Shines in

China", and the other is Maxim Vivas.



Vivas, who is in his late 80s, is a Hispanic-French national. He has visited

Xinjiang twice, in 2016 and 2018, and published "The End of Uyghur Fake

News" in 2020.

Vivas said he wants Europeans to know the real Xinjiang, to dispel rumors of

"genocide" and "millions of Uighurs in detention.

However, the launch of the new book was like a bomb thrown into the water,

stirring up a huge wave.



On social media platforms such as Facebook, Vivas was attacked by uninformed

readers. He was suspected of having financial ties to the Chinese

government, and at one point his relationship with his family was strained.

He himself said: I acted as a "suicide bomber" to publish this book.

In fact, the "suicide bomber" once had the same stereotypical and limited

image of the Chinese as the rest of the Western public: wearing a Zhongshan

suit and eating nothing but rice.

It wasn't until 2008 that Vivas went to China with his wife to visit his son

who was working in Beijing. This experience shocked Vivas, who found that

the image of Chinese people and the current state of their lives were very

different from what was reported!



He came back to China in 2010 to travel to Tibet with journalists Renaud

Girard from Le Figaro and Remy Ourdan from Le Monde.

This time he saw a very different Tibet from the one portrayed by the

Western media.

In 2011, he published The Dalai Lama: Not So Zen, a hugely successful book

exposing the true face of the Dalai, which was translated into six languages.



Then later, Vivas went to Xinjiang to do in-depth reporting and wrote the

aforementioned "The End of Uyghur Fake News".



Who is he fighting?

Vivas, who is well informed about the realities of China, is dismayed by the

French media that lies over and over again. The so-called "sources" and "

scholars" who fabricate these lies are even more abhorrent to him. He

decided to use the truth to expose these anti-Chinese forces.

Adrian Zenz, a 47-year-old German, has overnight become the only source of

information about Xinjiang for Western media and politicians. But in reality

, he has only been to Xinjiang as a tourist in 2007, 15 years ago.



Vivas has written this story in his book.

Adrian Zenz tweeted a photo of a shoe that he claimed was "produced by

forced labor" in Xinjiang, with a small piece of paper next to it that reads

in English, "Help! I'm a Uighur and I'm being held in a Chinese prison.

Help us!"



Ironically, netizens found that the shoes were not produced in Xinjiang, not

even in China, they were a pair of shoes made in Vietnam.

For example, in a report, Adrian Zenz claimed that "between 900,000 and 1.8

million people are being detained in Xinjiang. But according to the

independent American investigative journalism website Gray Area, This figure

is an absurd conclusion based only on the interviews and rough estimates of

eight people by an anti-China organization. Similar tricks have been

repeated in his other "reports".

Since 2018, Adrian Zenz has produced more than a dozen articles and reports

smearing Xinjiang. From so-called "forced labor" to "forced sterilization"

and from "cultural extinction" to "genocide. He has concocted these

sensational terms to hoodwink many Westerners who do not know much about

Xinjiang.

Adrian Zenz is a member of the far-right U.S. organization "Memorial

Foundation for the Victims of Communism" and is the backbone of an

unabashedly anti-Chinese research organization. In other words, anti-China

is his job. It is easy to understand why such a so-called "scholar" is so

highly sought after by Western anti-China forces.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited Adrian Zenz's so-called "

thesis" to smear China .



In the Vivas investigation, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was

named as one of the "anti-China hacks". From Central Asia to North Africa,

from Eastern Europe to Latin America, they have been behind the "color

revolutions" in many countries and places.

This organization has supported "Hong Kong independence," "Taiwan

independence," "Xinjiang independence," "Tibet independence" and other

separatist forces in China for many years. In 2020 alone, it has provided

more than $10 million to nearly 70 China-related projects, specializing in

activities that endanger China's political and social stability.

Recently, the president of the foundation, Damon Wilson, led a delegation to

Taiwan to support the "Taiwan independence" forces, and claimed to hold the

so-called "Global Congress of the World Movement for Democracy" in Taipei

in late October, seriously provoking China's national sovereignty and

territorial integrity. This is a serious provocation to China's national

sovereignty and territorial integrity.



The foundation also funds a variety of "minion" who share its tastes, such

as Reporters Without Borders.

The organization is also hostile to whatever the United States hates, such

as Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, including Vivas. The secretary general of

Reporters Without Borders, has threatened Vivas four times.



In Vivas' view, there is actually no shortage of black hands behind many

NGOs and so-called independent think tanks. The Australian Strategic Policy

Institute is one of them.

The agency released its annual report last year, showing that 37.5 percent

of its funding sources totaling more than $10 million came from the

Australian Department of Defense, 24.5 percent from the Australian federal

government and 18.3 percent from foreign government agencies.

The total amount of funding from the Australian government and its allies,

as well as the military-industrial complex, accounts for nearly 90% of the

total. This is a good indication that this institution is an official

mouthpiece of the Australian military-industrial complex under the banner of

an "independent think tank".



How do I spend my U.S. funded expenses?

In one grant of up to A$985,000, the U.S. State Department explicitly

requested that topics be set in the areas of human rights in Xinjiang,

Chinese science and technology, and overseas influence. Another grant of

nearly A$600,000 is to focus on topics such as talent recruitment,

disinformation, and social media in China.



hold the pen again for the sake of justice

Despite the many pressures and even threats to his life, Vivas did not put

down his pen.

Earlier this year, Vivas' second book on China's Xinjiang, "The Return of

the Swallow," was released in English. In the book, he writes, "China spares

no effort to promote multi-ethnic coexistence and respect for cultural

diversity, which are the very sources that drive the progress of human

civilization."



Recently, a new book co-authored by Vivas and two other scholars, Delirium

of the Anti-Chinese Forces in France, was also published in France.

Delirium, or gibberish. Last October, IRSEM, the Institute for Strategic

Studies of the French Military Academy, released a report on so-called

Chinese influence. But the entire 654 pages, in Vivas' opinion, are full of

errors, contradictions and fake news.

He argues that China in the 21st century, as a peaceful economic competitor,

does not threaten France militarily and that this so-called report reflects

a blind following of U.S. foreign policy by anti-China forces in France.



So, why are there always people willing to be puppets for the anti-China

forces in the United States?

Jean-Pierre Pache, who is also the author of the book, gives three reasons

for this: first of all it reflects the servility of some countries to the

United States, who unconditionally support its Cold War mentality towards

China.

Secondly, in the case of France, and closely related to its colonial history

, the so-called elite and media in France have been arrogant to this day.

Third, and most importantly, the arrogant and greedy West is unwilling to

face up to its own immediate decline and polarization, much less accept the

reality of a country of 1.4 billion people emerging from fragmentation,

successfully escaping poverty and moving toward development.





--

 :  mitbbs.com [FROM: 210.]


The service will be free for companies providing mobile money services. GSMA says it is intended to support the growth of a mobile money ecosystem in developing countries.

According to GSMA, Africa leads the world in the adoption of mobile money services. GSMA lists several African companies which subscribed to the service: Sasai Fintech is now compliant with the GSMA Mobile Money API specification; AfriMoney will soon deploy APIs and their partner, Comviva, will also comply with their Mobiquity Pay mobile money platform.

By working with the GSMA to comply with their Mobile Money API compliance verification service, we believe we can reduce the costs and time normally associated with API integrations. We also believe that this will make it easier for third-party providers to partner with AfriMoney, thereby supporting further development of the digital ecosystem in our markets and increasing the number of products and services available to our customers, says AfriMoney group director Andy Widmann in a statement.

Mobile money continues to surge worldwide. GSMAs latest State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money estimates that mobile money processed by the industry has hit the US$1 trillion mark.

The report adds that the ability to conduct complex financial transactions digitally meant the value of mobile money payments grew by 31% in 2021.

With our compliance against the GSMAs Mobile Money API verification, we look forward to further strengthening our proposition to digital payment providers worldwide for delivering financial services solutions simply, securely and quickly, comments Comviva CEO Manoranjan Mohapatra.

GSMAs Inclusive Tech Lab developed the service, taking on a hands-on approach to research, testing, and development.

API providers who can demonstrate compliance will benefit from enhanced trust in their solutions by proving adherence to best practices in flexibility, scalability and security. Third-party service providers who wish to integrate with the API provider will in turn benefit during the integration process, and greater prospects for scale upon integration, claims GSMA.

The GSMA is committed to supporting financial inclusion by encouraging the growth of a thriving ecosystem around Mobile Money platforms. This new service will enable all service providers to connect with each other in a simplified manner and reduce the lengthy and cumbersome Mobile Money API integration process, comments GSMA chief technology officer Alex Sinclair.

Enhanced use cases can range from governments and NGOs distributing cash, to fin-tech companies providing cross-border remittances. If a solution is compliant, it can integrate more easily with other compliant solutions, enhancing its potential to function across markets, systems, and contexts. The service is open to any API provider given that they are compliant with the GSMA Mobile Money API. This includes mobile money operators, technology platform providers, and service providers.

With this verification, we believe we will be able to simplify our integration process for partners and help more customers access our services, says Sasai Fintech chief marketing officer Owen Takadiyi.

A GSMA Mobile Money API Compliant mark will be granted to API providers that demonstrate compliance with this industry specification. Compliance is determined by establishing that an API provider has implemented the API for use cases which are relevant to their business, and that they have met baseline security conformance for operational and API security, says GSMA.

For companies interested in becoming API compliant, the GSMA has also recently launched a new API Developer Portal, providing all the tools needed to embark on the compliance journey.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 9 May 2022.
Russian security firm Kaspersky is facing a fresh probe into its anti-virus software, which has been stepped up since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a report claims.

The news agency Reuters reported on Monday that the investigation was referred to the Department of Commerce by the Department of Justice last year but did not take off until the White House applied pressure.

Kaspersky lost its business with the US public sector a few years ago after a sustained attack by major American newspapers, claiming it was leaking data to Russian intelligence services, a claim the company strongly denied.

Worrying that the Russian government will use Kaspersky AV to spy on or damage your computers is like worrying that the Russian government would put something in the exported Russian oil to blow up your refineries.  Vess (@VessOnSecurity) May 9, 2022

Since then the firm has cut back operations in that country and set up so-called transparency centres in different parts of the world where companies can sign up to look at the source code of its products.

In March, the German Federal Office for Information Security [German acronym BSI]that users replace Kaspersky anti-virus software with other products. The company dismissed this warning as being driven by political considerations.

Kaspersky has been contacted for comment about the latest US development.

The Monday report said the new investigation was being carried out using laws put in place during the administration of Donald Trump.
Microsoft, the company that produces Windows which is the target of practically every ransomware attack, is now offering paid products to fight those very ransomware attacks.

I kid you not. No other operating system suffers ransomware attacks, though helpful security experts try to spread the burden a bit, and suck up to the big M, by claiming they have seen similar malware for Linux and the Mac.

But no attack in which a ransom has been demanded and a company put out of operation for a while has involved anything other than Windows.

This kind of money making is in keeping with Microsoft's culture; the one thing the company possesses in spades is chutzpah. It is absolutely brazen in its bid to make money off something which its own products allow to happen.

That was the culture propagated by its co-founder Bill Gates and it has never gone away. Not that any serious effort has been made to change it over the company's 47 years of operation.

The American television network CNBC filed a report about this new method of raising money on Monday. You can see the details here, dear reader; I do not intend to give this company any more mileage on this score than it has already received.

Microsoft launches [paid] cybersecurity services to help clients fight off ransomware and other attacks https://t.co/A6hL67SRVY pic.twitter.com/ESUlzKbvW6  Ken Westin (@kwestin) May 9, 2022

For some time now, the Redmond-based company has been trying to divert attention from its abysmal security record by putting out so-called "studies" to claim that it has security credentials.

No online or print publication dares to point out the fact that Microsoft is now providing cures for diseases that it itself incubates and facilitates.

Microsoft is far too powerful for that kind of confrontation and most journalists in the US are more into stenography than actual reporting.

I never hesitate to hold Microsoft's feet to the fire, but then it does get a bit repetitive; the company has no shame and its bigwigs keep repeating the same shibboleths over and over again.

Occasionally, I drag myself out and point out the more egregious claims, as when the company issued a long write-up about flaws that allowed escalation of privilege on Linux systems without mentioning that none of these flaws could be exploited remotely.

But then this business of Microsoft providing a product to fight its own disease is not entirely new. Many years ago, the company announced that it would be supplying a program, now known as Windows Defender, to guard against malware.

At that time, there was talk of a lawsuit to prevent this as it was argued, correctly, that Windows was the reason why most malware was able to infect systems.

But nobody had the cojones to carry through on that threat. What has happened now is a repeat, with the only difference being that people will actually have to pay to get help with something which they could well avoid if they stopped using Windows.

That, however, would require a measure of common sense, something which has become really uncommon these days. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for anyone to take that route.
Japans Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium and Europes 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding in a bid to boost 5G and possibly 6G, and the next generation of networks.

According to Europes 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6GIA), this memorandum is the first to be signed between 5G/6G related organisations from Japan and Europe.

The memorandum covers the following:

1. Exchange of information

2. Cooperation in following matters:

A. Vision of 6G

B. Technology exploitation and dissemination to ensure awareness, understanding and involvement and finally adoption

C. Requirements on 6G

D. Discussions on basic system concepts, architecture and use cases

E. Support for global regulatory process in identification of Frequency bands and spectrum arrangement for 6G technologies

F. Identification of common interest, building of consensus and collaboration to support development of globally harmonised standards

G. Promoting cooperation among European and Japanese R&D organisations and industries

H. Use cases of 6G and other topics

Other than the deal, both organisations will co-host webinars or investigate joint research products based on the MoU.

They will also explore collaborative opportunities with other organisations and countries.

The Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium (B5PC) has promoted 5G and 6G approaches, and its international committee has worked with other countries and organisations outside Japan, according to the 6GIA.

The 6GIA, on the other hand, carries out standardisation, frequency spectrum, R&D projects, technology skills, collaboration with key vertical industry sectors, notably for the development of trials, and international cooperation.

Last month, the new government of South Korea said it was expecting to come up with a new 6G communications prototype in 2026. Media reports say the Presidential Transition Committee was expecting that 6G will be commercialised between 2028 to 2030.

In January, the Korean Government announced it was working with local carriers and tech firms SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics to develop network strategies.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 9 May 2022.
GUEST OPINION: Nowadays, companies know how important their data is. But are they managing that data in a way that makes backup and recovery simple, can enhance security, improves productivity, and makes data more productive?

The recent passing of Federal Data and Transparency laws designed to increase the sharing of important citizen data amongst government departments is the latest evidence that information and data privacy is vital to building national prosperity.

The passing of the Data Availability and Transparency Act into law should also come as a warning that more than ever, data is gold  and as has forever been the case, gold attracts thieves. Therefore, its vital that organisations, from the largest public sector departments to local governments, take the appropriate steps to elevate their business and technology environment in a riskier world.

As more organisations, from hospitals to banks, retailers to infrastructure providers, share more data - regardless of the laws they do it under - they need to do so in a way that makes backup and recovery simple, enhances security, improves productivity, and makes data more productive.

Are Australian organisations ready?

For many, the honest answer will be a no. Recent research from Cohesity and Forrester, which included Australian respondents, revealed that only 11% of organisations can recover some of their data within 72 hours of an attack. Given Cybersecurity Ventures predicts a ransomware attack will occur somewhere in the world every two seconds by 2031, up from every 11 seconds or less today, and ransomware attacks on Australian businesses have increased from 45% in 2020 to over 80% in 2021 (Sophoss State of Ransomware 2022 report), ignoring data management and protection is simply risks not disrupted operations and public embarrassment, but hits to revenue and potential the incursion of financial penalties if customer data is stolen.

What do best practice data management and protection look like in 2022?

As with any technology, data management technology has evolved in capability and breadth. Many organisations are still relying on legacy data management technology that was developed in previous decades or even the last century, and small improvements or investments into data management solutions along the way do not mean an organisations data management capabilities support the IT operational tasks or answer the cyberthreat challenges of today. This is why embracing a next-gen approach or next-gen data management platform is vital to simplify data management and governance, enhance security postures, make data recoverable, and extract more value from data.

Previously, effective data management meant having a backup copy of data that could be called on as an insurance policy if it was ever needed. Thats no longer the case. Today, not only is stored production data frequently encrypted by bad actors engaging in ransomware attacks but conventional backups are often destroyed at the same time. In addition, organisations need to meet basic data availability and access requirements, comply with government regulations, optimize storage costs, and/or analyse data for key business insights. As a result, relying on outdated data management systems is not just an IT problem - it poses a serious threat to business continuity and success.

Next-gen data management offers a combination of four elements to put companies in the drivers seat with their data: zero-trust security principles, AI-powered insights, large scale simplicity, and third-party extensibility. This approach can help organisations ensure their data is backed up and protected. It can also play a key role in reducing data infrastructure silos which can help save money, increase productivity, and reduce a companys attack surface, which is critical when trying to protect data from ransomware and other cyber threats.

With next-gen data management, companies can also easily bring apps to the data, simplifying how organizations extract value from their data. The good news is next-gen data management solutions are already available today and are being used by numerous notable organisations throughout the world

2022  dont waste the opportunity

Australias regulators are watching, with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), noting in its latest half-yearly Notifiable Data Report that organisations must take a proactive approach to demonstrate ...effective privacy management. As data continues to grow exponentially, while budgets stagnate or even shrink, and the pressure to drive business value rises, a new way of looking at data management is crucial. Small improvements to legacy backup and storage technology simply won't be enough. Instead, its critical that companies embrace a next-gen approach that is designed to simplify data management, enhance security, and make data more productive in a dynamic hybrid cloud world.

Now is the time to act, or companies risk missing out on not only the opportunity provided by progressive laws that encourage secure data sharing for creating new offerings, but losing customers and their trust, and potentially falling afoul of regulations and legislation.

So how can organisations revisit and rethink their data management environment and approach, given data is an organisations most important and vulnerable asset? Here are three points to consider:

1. Prepare for the worst-case scenario

Ransomware is ubiquitous, and as attacks become more sophisticated in nature, the problem is becoming more urgent and dire. With Cybersecurity Ventures expecting global cybercrime costs to grow by 15% per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025.

Beyond implementing defences like firewalls and two-factor authentication, companies need to invest in modern data management solutions that include capabilities like AI-powered anomaly detection that can help businesses identify threats, respond, and if necessary, remediate quickly. These advanced solutions can also help organisations restore data and quickly resume operations without disappointing their customers or paying ransom to hackers.

2. Be ready for the hybrid future of work

Many companies are now using cloud solutions or applications for everyday processes, with the pandemic resulting in greater global spending on public cloud services. According to Gartner, the sector has grown 23.1% to a total of $332.3 billion by 2021, up from $270 billion in 2020.

Many enterprises are embracing a hybrid-cloud model, and not just managing data on-premises, which also can include Data Management as a Service (DMaaS). With DMaaS, data and infrastructure are managed by a next-generation data management vendor and hosted by a leading cloud service provider. These services, which often include backup, disaster recovery and more, are designed to offer a host of benefits ranging from enhanced scalability and data security to added flexibility and efficiency. These SaaS offerings can also enable companies to shift from a CapEx to an OpEx model and empower already-overstretched IT teams to focus on other business-critical tasks.

3. Benefit from more effective data management

CIOs and their colleagues in business departments continue to be inundated with data. With Frost & Sullivan revealing that spending on Big Data analytics will increase 4.5-fold by 2025. This demonstrates that companies are increasingly focused on getting the most out of their information and are collecting valuable data that needs to be looked after - which is why data management has never been more important.

Organisations should embrace next-gen solutions that enable analysis through analytics, that make it easy for data to be used for development and testing, and where businesses can easily bring third party apps to the data, which opens up a new world of possibilities -- including improving data compliance and security.
South African mobile communications company Vodacom pledges to halve its environmental impact by accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

The company is eyeing to buy electricity from renewable energy resources as part of its commitment within the next three years.

Vodacom says it will contribute nationally to a transition to a low carbon economy thereby helping government achieve its Paris Agreement goal, which requires countries to cut GHG emissions to keep global temperatures below 1.5C or 2C above pre-industrial levels.

Our new target for energy consumption is one of the many ways were tackling our own environmental impact, because we understand that South Africa can only transition into a sustainable, climate-resilient, low-emission economy if everyone plays their part, notes Vodacom external affairs director Takalani Netshitenzhe.

Helping the government achieve a Just Transition

South Africas Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) emphasised the urgency of transitioning to a low-emission economy. President Cyril Ramaphose in 2020 launched the body, which was tasked to find avenues to address climate change.

This is particularly important for workers in industries most affected by global warming, such as energy, construction, mining, and farming, explains Netshitenzhe. As we transition to a low carbon-economy we also have a responsibility not to leave anybody behind.

Vodacom says climate change must be viewed through the lens of socio-economic structures. The PCC is advocating the Just Transition, a plan for gradually moving into a low-carbon economy while keeping in mind job security for all workers.

The Just Transition framework requires such collaboration through engagements like the Just Transition Multi-Stakeholder Conference from 5 and 6 May at the Vodacom Conference Centre in Midrand, a municipality in South Africa. Vodacom was the sponsor for the event which saw participants contribute their ideas to the discussion.

Vodacoms commitment unpacked

Vodacom is continuing its investments in efficient solutions such as solar-powered sitesto date, Vodacom has 1088 across its market.

Additionally, there will be a continued focus on purchasing renewable energy through innovative Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Independent Power Producers. In the previous financial year, Vodacom says it sourced 1 183 898kWh of energy through such PPAs, which helped the TechCo save 11 971MWh of electricity, while reducing its GHG emissions by 12 272mtCO2e.

Vodacoms own Internet of Things (IoT) solutions have ramped energy-saving efforts.

Its subsidiary, IoT.nxt, deployed IoT-based controls to over 7,232 of its base stations in South Africa, resulting in a 2.8% decrease in energy consumption in the last financial year.

Vodacom will highlight how IoT can be leveraged to protect against climate change at an upcoming conference.

We are honoured to be afforded an opportunity to take lessons from climate change experts and also to contribute our insights on the all-important matter of a Just Transition, bringing the unique perspective of a TechCo experienced in sustainable digital transformation to the table, concludes Netshitenzhe.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 9 May 2022.


THE opposition Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (Zapu) party has expressed anger over the removal of the shield signage at the Joshua Mqabuko International Airport in Bulawayo.

Zapu described it a humiliation of the people of Matabeleland.

Workmen at the airport were seen on May 5 taking down the shield replacing it with new signage which carries the colours of the national flag and the court of arms.

The battle shield is a priceless emblem for the people of Matabeleland having been inherited down generations from the days of the last paramount king, Lobengula.

Zapu said it suspected that the shield, which signifies the Ndebele kingdom, was removed following an order from Harare.

Zapu president Sibangilizwe Nkomo, who visited the airport yesterday, described the removal of the shield signage as humiliation for the people of Matabeleland.

It is very clear that there is a deliberate sustained and systematic effort not only to undermine, but to humiliate the people of Matabeleland, Nkomo said.

Firstly, the holiest shrine in this region is the Njelele Shrine. It has on several occasions been desecrated and attacked. In Bhalagwe a memorial stone placed as an epitaph to remember victims of the Gukurahundi genocide has been removed on several occasions. Early this year, that shrine was blasted into pieces using explosive devices.





Nkomo said the shield signage that was removed served a purpose as it signified protection, adding that its removal should be considered an offence.

The shield was a sign of protection against colonialism and oppression. Joshua Nkomo (the late Vice-President) comes from Matabeleland, but his remains were buried at the Heroes Acre in Harare. He must be turning in his grave. This is unacceptable, and we wont be surprised to one day to wake up to the news that Nkomos grave has been desecrated, he said. Newsday
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
The central bank says the suspension of lending by banks to government and private institutions announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the weekend will include micro-financial institutions.

Mnangagwa announced a raft of measures which he said were meant to restore public and investor confidence in the economy.

In order to minimise the creation of broad money, he suspended lending by banks until further notice.

In a letter to all banks and micro-financial institutions, central bank governor John Mangudya said the suspension related to all lending, whether in local or foreign currency.

We bring your attention to paragraph 40 of the Presidential announcement on the suspension of lending by banking institutions, building societies, development finance institutions, deposit-taking and credit-only micro-finance institutions to the government and private sector, Mangudya said.

We further confirm that no new, credit facilities should be issued as the suspension covers new loans, undrawn portions of agreed facilities, overdrafts and other forms of borrowing instruments, by whatever name they are called, the central bank chief said.

With respect to pipeline transactions, Mangudya said, where all the facility terms and conditions have been met before the pronouncement, banking institutions may approach the central bank for consideration, on a case-by-case basis.

He, however, said the suspension of lending did not apply to offshore drawdowns. The reserve bank will monitor compliance with the above directive and will take appropriate supervisory action against any non-compliant institutions, he said.

While government intends to minimise the creation of broad money by suspending bank lending to both the government and the private sector, the market has not embraced the measure.

On Monday, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce called for sanity on the market.

Yesterday, FBC Securities said in its macro-economic measures analysis paper that restricting the flow of funds to the countrys productive sectors would likely be detrimental to economic performance by limiting the availability of financial resources for working capital requirements.

It said this would also limit inputs procurement and expansionary projects. Newsday
A heart-shaped note with Chinese characters "Thank you for your hard work" on it. (Photo provided by Park Youngjin)

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

By Shuzhi Li, Labake Ishola

(ECNS)SHANGHAI - Colorful handwritten thank you notes folded in heart shapes with beautiful drawings of a dabai: medics wearing the white hazmat suit are the most heartwarming gifts Dr. Park Youngjin, a Korean national living in Shanghai, has received in recent times. These beautiful notes are residents way of saying thank you to medical workers and are accompanied by beautiful smiles and words of gratitude.

With the COVID resurgence in Shanghai, the government launched rounds of citywide nucleic acid testing to curb the spread of the virus. In a city with over 25 million people, medics are faced with an arduous task. Health workers across the city have joined in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Park, who works at the Shanghai Punan Hospital International Medical Center, also joined the group of medics conducting nucleic acid tests.

During the interview with ECNS, Dr. Park looked back on his first day of volunteering and expressed the memories are still very fresh. "I remember it was a scorching hot day, and the community had about50000 residents we had to take swab samples from."

It is impossible to eat or drink as soon as you put on the protective suits. High temperatures and heavy downpours make things even more challenging."The protective suits are not breathable, neither are they completely waterproof, so bad weather conditions make mobility difficult," Dr. Park said. Despite these uncontrollable difficulties, what matters most to him isn't his discomfort but getting the job done.

In communities with a large number of residents, Dr. Park and his colleagues work in the stuffy hazmat suits for10 hours straight. He said, "Two of us make up a group and take about300 samples in one hour. We continue working non-stop to avoid any form of delay."

After a long day of taking samples, they get so exhausted they dont even want to speak, but they got a beautiful surprise on one of those days.One night, a little girl walked up to us with two heart-shaped thank you notes. It was the most heartwarming and rewarding thing. Even though according to pandemic control regulations, they can not take these notes with them, he expressed the memory stays with him.

Park Youngjin is working. (Photo provided by Park Youngjin)

Dr. Park received many more notes as he moved from one community to another. After receiving them, he would take pictures, and now his phone is filled with several shapes, styles, and colors of thank you notes. "Although I have received so many notes in different colors and shapes from different communities, something does not change: the warmth I feel and the smile it puts on my face," Dr. Park proudly said.

Dr. Park has lived in Shanghai for11 years. From studying to working and getting married, Shanghai is now just like his second home. It has undoubtedly been exhausting working on ends without enough rest. Still, Dr. Park has not wavered in his commitment to bring back the healthy Shanghai he knew.

"Shanghai is my home and home to so many people from all over the world, so I am happy to do my bit to protect it. Moreover, I am a doctor, so it is my joy to protect people and alleviate their pain, he added.

As the city is shrouded in the gloom of this outbreak, Dr. Park and countless other health care workers and volunteers are working hard to protect Shanghai, "I believe we will win this war, and our Shanghai will be back again! he said.

[]
Expanded U.S. government sanctions against Russia in response to the war in Ukraine include a ban on accounting and management consulting services by U.S. citizens.

The sanctions announced Sunday "prohibit U.S. persons from providing accounting, trust and corporate formation, and management consulting services to any person in the Russian Federation," a White House statement said.

The statement included other sanctions designed to restrict Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The sanctions, effective June 7, are imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which in a Sunday news release identified accounting and other services as categories "subject to a prohibition on the export, reexport, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a U.S. person, wherever located, to any person located in the Russian Federation, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14071."

That comes after U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss last week announced a ban on similar services. "The new measures will mean Russia's businesses can no longer benefit from the U.K.'s world-class accountancy, management consultancy, and PR services," the U.K. news release said.

The process of business disentanglement from Russia began several months ago, not long after the invasion of Ukraine. To varying degrees, numerous organizations, including all of the Big Four accounting firms, have ceased operations and/or stopped doing business in Russia or with Russian companies.

Here's one example of an accounting firm's statement about Russia, from early March by BDO: "No BDO firm will work with any sanctioned Russian and Belarussian entities including the Russian and Belarussian Government, Russian and Belarussian state-owned enterprises and sanctioned individuals as a consequence of the ongoing situation in Ukraine."

A statement Monday by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the combined voice of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) & The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), expressed support for implementing economic and trade sanctions and other measures in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

"We will continue to monitor the situation to address any further impacts on the profession. Our primary focus remains on members, students, and staff impacted by this war. We are developing and releasing resources to help our members and the broader accounting and finance profession address the urgent economic challenges stemming from sanctions, supply chain disruption, and other issues."

In March, the Association announced an indefinite suspension of services in Russia and Belarus.

Visit the Ukraine-Russia War Resource Center for more information.

 To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Neil Amato at Neil.Amato@aicpa-cima.com.
Irans judiciary dismissed Tuesday the possibility of a prisoner swap that would see a former Iranian official on trial for war crimes in Stockholm released in exchange for a Swedish-Iranian academic on death row.

The two cases have nothing to do with each other as a result, there is no question of an exchange, the spokesman for the judiciary, Zabihollah Khodayian, told a press conference in Tehran.

The remarks come as former prison official Hamid Noury, 61, is set to be sentenced in July in a trial in Sweden.

He was arrested in November 2019 and faces charges including crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in the killing of as many as 5,000 prisoners across Iran in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war.

As his trial came to a close last week, Iranian media reported that Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali would be executed by May 21, after he was sentenced to death in 2017 over espionage for Israel.

He was found guilty of passing information about two Iranian nuclear scientists to Israels Mossad spy agency that led to their assassinations.

The judiciary spokesman said that Noury is innocent and his trial is illegitimate, while Djalali was arrested two years prior to the former official.

A final verdict was issued against the academic, and the Iranian judiciary will act accordingly, Khodayian added.

Nourys trial has exacerbated existing tensions between Tehran and Stockholm.

Swedens foreign ministry announced Friday that Iranian authorities had arrested another one of its nationals. Stockholm earlier issued a warning against non-essential travel to Iran.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra were in war-torn areas around Kyiv on Tuesday on a surprise visit to Ukraine.

Both visits were unannounced, with Baerbock visiting Bucha, a town which has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes after dozens of bodies in civilian clothing were found in the streets.

There she could be seen meeting with local residents, an AFP correspondent said.

In a posting on Twitter, Hoekstra said he had arrived during the morning in Kyiv for meetings with the Ukrainian government, together with my colleague Annalena Baerbock.

Started my visit in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, he wrote of another town near Bucha where Russian troops are alleged to have carried out atrocities, posting pictures of himself near war-scarred buildings.

The bombed-out houses and buildings illustrate the impact the war has had on the lives of the men, women and children who live here. These acts cannot go unpunished, he tweeted, saying his government was involved in several accountability efforts.

The Netherlands was helping through financial contributions to the investigations by the International Criminal Court and the UN commission of inquiry, and through the deployment of a forensic team in Ukraine, he said.

Hoekstra was due to meet later in the day with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a spokesman from the Dutch foreign ministry said.

He will also officially reopen the Netherlands embassy in Kyiv, the spokesman said.

str-hmw/jbr/cdw

Twitter
The port city of Odessa reeled on Tuesday from Russian missile strikes as Germanys top diplomat became the highest-ranking official from Berlin to visit Ukraine since Moscows invasion.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocks surprise visit to Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops have been accused of war crimes, came amid mounting criticism of Berlins slow response to the conflict.

Fresh fighting raged in the east and south of Ukraine, with officials saying over 1,000 Ukrainian fighters including hundreds of injured remain holed up in the besieged Azovstal plant in the devastated city of Mariupol.

The series of missile strikes in Odessa overnight destroyed buildings, set ablaze a shopping centre and killed one person, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

Michel had earlier warned that vital supplies of wheat and grain that were ready for export from Ukraine, one of the worlds key producers, were stuck in Odessa because of the conflict.

This badly-needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response, he added.

A string of Western officials have been visiting Ukraine in recent weeks, but Germany has been notable by its absence due to tensions between Kyiv and Berlin over the level of German support.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in particular has come under fire for arms deliveries to Ukraine deemed insufficient and Germanys refusal to ditch its reliance on Russian energy imports.

But the visit of Baerbock was intended as a clear signal, with the foreign minister meeting residents in Bucha, one of several towns and villages around Kyiv where Moscows army has been accused of killing civilians.

The German was accompanied by her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, who visited the devastated commuter town of Irpin, he said in a Tweet.

 Counting the bombs 

Russia has stepped up its fight to seize Ukraines east after failing to take Kyiv, leading to fierce battles.

Ukraines presidency said the epicentre of the fighting has moved to Bilogorivka in the Lugansk region, the site of a deadly Russian air strike on a school on Sunday that Ukrainian officials said killed 60 people.

Shelling also continued in Ukraines easternmost strongholds, the sister cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, it said. An AFP team had seen columns of Ukrainian trucks moving away from Severodonetsk on Monday.

Civilians were struggling to survive between the constantly shifting front lines.

I feel total apathy. I am morally starved  not to mention physically, said bricklayer Artyom Cherukha, 41, as he collected water trickling from a natural spring in Lysychansk.

He was trying to get supplies for his family of nine, as people in the areas steadily lose access to water and food.

We sit here counting the bombs, said Cherukha.

Moscow has made more progress in southern Ukraine but more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers remain in the Azovstal steel works in the port of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, told AFP.

The plant is the final bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city, which has seen relentless destruction since Russian President Vladimir Putins February 24 invasion.

Hundreds are injured. There are people with serious injuries who require urgent evacuation. The situation is deteriorating every day, said Vereshchuk.

Many civilians have been evacuated from the plant in recent days, as Russia pushes for full control of Mariupol to open up a land corridor from Crimea, which it seized in 2014.

As Russia pushed on, US President Joe Biden resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other powerful Western materiel.

The United States has sent some $4 billion in military aid to Ukraine already but caving to aggression is even more costly, Biden said as he signed the act, passed with unusual bipartisan support.

Still facing the brunt of the fighting are Ukraines civilians.

The Pentagon said Monday it has seen indications that those caught up in Russias invasion are being forcibly removed from their homeland to camps.

I cant speak to how many camps or what they look like, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about statements from Kyiv that some 1.2 million Ukrainians were being sent across the border and placed in camps.

But we do have indications that Ukrainians are being taken against their will into Russia, Kirby said. He called these actions unconscionable and not the behaviour of a responsible power.

 Progress towards embargo 

Russia faces mounting international outrage, and is already under tough sanctions.

Moscow said it would not participate in Thursdays special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Ukraine.

The Council announced on Monday that it would hold a special session at Kyivs request to examine the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.

In another step forward in building pressure on Russia, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she made progress on a proposed Russian oil embargo during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The populist Orban is one of Putins closest friends in Europe and had held up the blocs attempt to phase out Russian oil  one of the most painful measures yet taken by the West  as he pointed to economic consequences in landlocked Hungary.

But Frances President Emmanuel Macron poured cold water on Ukraines oft-repeated desire for fast-track European Union membership, saying it would take decades.

Macron, however, suggested building a broader political bloc that could also include Britain, which left the EU in 2020.

burs-dk/cdw
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra visited war-torn areas around Kyiv on Tuesday on a surprise trip to Ukraine.

Both visits were unannounced, with Baerbock visiting Bucha, a town which has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes after dozens of bodies in civilian clothing were found in the streets.

After talks with locals, the German minister said Bucha was a place where the worst crimes imaginable have happened, promising to hold accountable those responsible.

We owe it to the victims to not only commemorate here, but to also hold the perpetrators accountable. This is what we are going to do as the international community, thats the promise that we can and must give here in Bucha, she said.

No one can take away the pain but we can ensure justice, she said, accompanied on her visit by Ukraines attorney general who is investigating the killings.

Separately, Hoekstra tweeted that he had arrived during the morning in Kyiv for meetings with the Ukrainian government, together with my colleague Annalena Baerbock.

Started my visit in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, he wrote of another town near Bucha where Russian troops are alleged to have carried out atrocities, posting pictures of himself near war-scarred buildings.

The bombed-out houses and buildings illustrate the impact the war has had on the lives of the men, women and children who live here. These acts cannot go unpunished, he tweeted, saying his government was involved in several accountability efforts.

The Netherlands was helping through financial contributions to the investigations by the International Criminal Court and the UN commission of inquiry, and through the deployment of a forensic team in Ukraine, he said.

Hoekstra was due to meet later in the day with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a spokesman from the Dutch foreign ministry said.

He will also officially reopen the Netherlands embassy in Kyiv, the spokesman said.

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Turkeys Uyghur Muslims on Tuesday urged the UN human rights chief to independently investigate the so-called re-education camps and allegations of rights abuses, torture and even genocide when she visits Chinas Xinjiang province this month.

Turkeys 50,000-strong Uyghur community have staged daily protests outside the Chinese consulate in Istanbul over the past few years, holding pictures of their relatives and family members with whom they lost touch for months, and even years.

In March, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she would pay a visit to China, including Xinjiang, in May, after an agreement with Beijing, as rights advocates mounted pressure that her office release its long-postponed report on the rights situation there.

I am calling on the UN rights chief to walk freely in the concentration camps and talk freely with the people, without surveillance cameras or without the presence of Chinese police, to reveal to the world the human rights situation there, Mirza Ahmet Ilyasoglu, an Uyghur living in Turkey, told a press conference in Istanbul.

Because if the UN goes there and listens to the one-sided Chinese thesis  it would come up with a completely false report which would be very embarrassing for the UN and the human rights agency, he said.

Rights groups say that at least one million mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in re-education camps spread across the vast northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, where China is accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Human rights groups and foreign governments have found evidence of what they say are mass detentions, forced labour, political indoctrination, torture and forced sterilisation. Washington has described it as genocide.

China strongly denies the allegations and says it is running vocational training programmes and work schemes to help stamp out extremism in the region.

-Free our relatives-

Medine Nazimi, an Uyghur woman whose sister is held in one of the camps in Xinjiang, demanded true answers about her whereabouts, holding a picture of her with a writing China, Release my sister!.

We want the United Nations to go to our homeland, we want you to check everything. Dont believe the Chinese government, you have to believe us, she said.

My sister is only one of the concentration camp victims  Where is she? Is she healthy? Is she okay? I dont know, said Nazimi, who has not received any news from her sister for five years.

The Chinese government separated us from our loved ones. We dont get any information about them. We want the UN to close the concentration camps and rescue our family members.

Speaking to AFP, 50-year-old Fatma Aziz claimed that the Chinese government forced their relatives to stay at home ahead of the UN visit, using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse.

My aunt is stuck with her two kids in Kashgar. The Chinese jailed her husband just because he recited the Koran, Aziz said.

We want the UN to free our relatives.

Aziz fled to Turkey in 2015 along with her husband and five children.

Uyghurs speak a Turkic language and have cultural ties with predominantly Muslim Turkey that make it a favoured destination for avoiding persecution back home.

Gulden Sonmez, a Turkish lawyer, hoped that the UN rights chief would be able to walk the streets of Xinjiang unfettered.

If she succeeds, she will see this truth: the lands of East Turkestan have nearly completely been transformed into concentration camps. We are talking about millions of people, she said.

In January, a group of Uyghurs lodged a criminal complaint with a Turkish prosecutor against Chinese authorities, accusing them of rape, torture and forced labour.
The United States warned Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for a long war in Ukraine and will not stop at the eastern Donbas region where fighting is currently raging.

Washingtons bleak prediction came as Ukraine said its membership of the European Union was a question of war and peace for the whole continent as it faces up to Moscow.

As it battled Russian attempts to advance in the east, Kyiv hailed what it said was EU powerhouse Germanys change of stance on a Russian oil embargo and on supplying arms to Ukraine.

Violence still raged in southern Ukraine with overnight missile strikes in the port of Odessa, while officials said some 1,000 troops were trapped in the Azovstal steelworks in the devastated city of Mariupol.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 but Ukrainian forces managed to push Moscows forces back from Kyiv, and the conflict is now well into its third month.

Putin gave few hints on his plans in a speech during a huge military parade in Moscow on Monday, saying only that Russian troops were defending the Motherland and blaming the West for the conflict.

But US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Tuesday that Putin will not end the war with the Donbas campaign and is determined to build a land bridge to the Russian-controlled territory in Moldova.

US intelligence also views it as increasingly likely that Putin will mobilise his entire country, including ordering martial law, and is counting on his perseverance to wear down Western support for Ukraine.

 Counting the bombs 

Moscow switched its focus to the Russian-speaking Donbas region, where separatists have been fighting since 2014, after failing to take Kyiv.

Ukraines presidency said the epicentre of the fighting has moved to Bilogorivka in the Lugansk region, the site of a deadly Russian air strike on a school on Sunday that Ukrainian officials said killed 60 people.

Shelling also continued in Ukraines easternmost strongholds, the sister cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, it said. An AFP team saw columns of Ukrainian trucks moving away from Severodonetsk on Monday.

The governor of the Kharkiv region said 44 civilian bodies were found under the rubble of a destroyed building in the eastern town of Izyum, now under Russian control.

His counterpart in Donetsk said three civilians were killed in the region on Tuesday.

Civilians were struggling to survive between the constantly shifting front lines.

I feel total apathy. I am morally starved  not to mention physically, said bricklayer Artyom Cherukha, 41, as he collected water trickling from a natural spring in Lysychansk.

He was trying to get supplies for his family of nine, as people in the area steadily lose access to water and food.

We sit here counting the bombs, said Cherukha.

Russias defence ministry said it hit 74 targets on Tuesday and downed a Ukrainian drone above the strategic Snake Island in the Black Sea.

In the south, a series of missile strikes in Odessa overnight meanwhile destroyed buildings, set ablaze a shopping centre and killed one person, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

 Germany changed position 

Ukraine has been pushing Western countries for more support, and has been particularly critical of Germany for its slow response and unwillingness to give up Russian energy.

But the tone changed on Tuesday when German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocks surprise visit to Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops have been accused of war crimes.

I would like to thank Germany for changing its position on a number of issues including arms supplies to Kyiv and supporting a Russian oil embargo, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a press conference in Kyiv with Baerbock.

Kuleba pushed for the European Union to admit his country, after French President Emmanuel Macron said it could take decades for Ukraine to join.

Ukraines membership in the EU is a matter of war and peace in Europe, said Kuleba. One of the reasons that this war started is that Putin was convinced that Europe doesnt need Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden has meanwhile resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other powerful materiel.

US lawmakers were set to begin debate Tuesday on a nearly $40 billion aid package, which is expected to pass comfortably with rare bipartisan support.

 Urgent evacuation 

Moscow has made more progress in southern Ukraine but more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers remain in Mariupols Azovstal steelworks, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told AFP.

The plant is the final bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city, which has seen relentless destruction since the invasion.

An online petition calling on the United Nations to extract all remaining soldiers garnered more than one million signatures.

Hundreds are injured. There are people with serious injuries who require urgent evacuation. The situation is deteriorating every day, said Vereshchuk.

Many civilians have been evacuated from the plant in recent days, as Russia pushes for full control of Mariupol to open up a land corridor from Crimea, which it seized in 2014.

Russia faces mounting international outrage, and is already under tough sanctions.

Moscow said it would not participate in Thursdays special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Ukraine, held at Kyivs request to examine the deteriorating human rights situation following the invasion.

In another step forward in building pressure on Russia, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she made progress on a proposed Russian oil embargo during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The populist Orban, one of Putins closest friends in Europe, had held up the blocs attempt to phase out Russian oil  one of the most painful measures yet taken by the West  as he pointed to economic consequences in landlocked Hungary.

Western powers on Tuesday separately accused Russian authorities of carrying out a cyberattack against a satellite network an hour before the invasion of Ukraine to pave the way for its assault.

burs-dk/imm/pvh
The Pentagon congratulated The New York Times Tuesday for winning a Pulitzer Prize for its highly critical expose of civilian deaths in the Afghanistan war, saying the report forced the US military to examine its own behavior.

Last December the newspaper exposed cover-ups of what it called thousands of civilian deaths caused by US forces during the 20-year war, deeply embarrassing the US government.

Citing internal US documents, the report said the US military had advertised its ability to pinpoint targets to avoid civilians, using high-tech surveillance and closely-controlled drones.

But in many cases it misidentified targets, killing innocent villagers and children.

That coverage was and still is not comfortable, not easy and not simple to address, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

We knew that we werent always as transparent about those mistakes as we should have been, he told reporters.

It made us ask ourselves some new difficult questions of our own, even as it forced us to answer these difficult questions, he said.

Thats what a free press at its very best does. It holds us to account, Kirby said.

The Pulitzer committee that awarded the prize Monday cited the Times for courageous and relentless reporting that exposed the vast civilian toll of US-led airstrikes in Afghanistan.

Kirby contrasted the Pentagons long-delayed admission of the problems with Russias actions in Ukraine.

Were not afraid to admit that we take it seriously, and that we want to do better  unlike Russia, unlike the unmitigated violence and destruction that theyre causing on the people of Ukraine, without care, without acknowledgement, he said.

No investigations, no transparency, no effort to even not cause civilian harm, much less the war crimes that their soldiers are committing on the ground, he said of the Russian forces.

When you ask us tough questions, we answer them, he said of the US media.

Youre not seeing any of that from the Russian Ministry of Defense, he said.
The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (www.ktmc.com) informs investors that the firm has filed a securities class action lawsuit against AbbVie, Inc. (AbbVie) (NYSE: ABBV) on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired AbbVie securities between April 30, 2021, and August 31, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period).

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ABBVIE LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THEFOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/abbvie-inc?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=abbvie&mktm=r

CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE

TO VIEW OUR COMPLAINT, PLEASE CLICK HERE

LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: JUNE 6, 2022

CLASS PERIOD: APRIL 30, 2021 through AUGUST 31, 2021

CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:

James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at [email protected]

Kessler Topaz is one of the worlds foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.

ABBVIES ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

AbbVie is one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies. The companys revenues will come under significant pressure in the coming years when its best-selling drug, Humira, will lose patent protection in 2023. Accordingly, AbbVies future revenue and earnings depend in large part on its ability to develop new sources of revenue to offset Humiras lost sales. Rinvoq-an anti-inflammatory drug manufactured by AbbVie and used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other diseases by inhibiting Janus kinase (JAK) enzymes-was touted as one such drug. Rinvoq was initially approved in the United States to treat only moderate to severe RA. However, AbbVie was actively pursuing additional
Kim Tae Ri made it to the headlines after she was accused of wearing a fake designer dress at the Baeksang Arts Awards 2022.

The "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" star, who received multiple awards at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards ceremony, allegedly sported a knock-off Brandon Maxwell gown.

The controversial outfit is the stunning bridal-inspired two-piece set from the designer's Spring/summer 2020 collection.

Interestingly, this is also worn by Hollywood actress and "Fifty Shades of Gray" star Dakota Johnson at the 2019 Governors Awards.

There's no doubt that these lovely ladies rocked every inch of the dress with their beauty; however, Kim Tae Ri was criticized for wearing a knock-off version.

During the annual ceremony, the actress was among the best dressed at the Baeksang Arts Awards 2022 as she strutted the red carpet looking divine and regal, donning the teeny-tiny pleated bandeau top paired with a high-waisted ball gown.

However, reports cited that Chinese netizens claimed that she was wearing a fake Brandon Maxwell dress.

Chinese Netizens Criticize Kim Tae Ri's Dress at the Baeksang Arts Awards 2022

As noted by one media outlet, these netizens shared side-by-side photos of the actress' dress, comparing it to the original Brandon Maxwell.

They pointed out that the buttonhole was far different from the designer's creation, sparking concerns that her dress at the ceremony was a knock-off.

Interestingly, the sole distributor of Brandon Maxwell in Korea spoke about the truth behind the controversial gown.

Truth About Kim Tae Ri's Brandon Maxwell's Dress at the Baeksang Arts Awards 2022

According to the same outlet, Kayla Bennet, the official buyer that specializes in distributing branded clothes like Brandon Maxwell and trusted by several A-lister stars like Kim Hye Soo, set the record straight.

The outlet claims that a fan personally contacted the distributor's company's social media page and asked about the issue regarding the rumored fake dress.

Judy, the manager at Kayla Bennet, gladly replied and said that they are the only official buyer of Brandon Maxwell.

Moreover, the conversation also noted that Kim Tae Ri's skirt "is an original Brandon Maxwell." However, she clarified regarding the back detail that everyone has been pointing out.

The Kayla Bennet manager said that it was modified to tailor fit the actress' body "so she can be as beautiful as possible at the Baeksang."

Moreover, the company also cited that the pleated top was a "Kayla Bennet original top made on request of Taeri."

Kim Tae Ri Bags Best Actress Trophy at the Baeksang Arts Awards 2022

Held at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) on May 6, the star-studded event lit up the night with their dashing outfits.

Interestingly, Kim Tae Ri and 2PM's Junho took home the major awards.

The "Twenty-Five, Twenty One" star was hailed as Best Actress for her role as Na Hee Do, while Lee Junho took home the Best Actor for his K-drama "The Red Sleeve Cuff."

Both stars scored the category for TikTok Popularity Award.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Suncor president and CEO Mark Little prepares to address the company's annual meeting in Calgary on May 2, 2019. Suncor Energy Inc. is not interested in selling off its Petro-Canada retail network, the oil giant's chief executive said Tuesday, in spite of pressure from an aggressive activist investor. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Several hundred supportive housing units have opened in Kelowna in recent years but at least 500 more are needed to provide shelter for people who are homeless, city council heard this week.
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While the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued a high or very high wildfire risk for over 50 counties, local fire officials say a mix of wet weather and the coming green season mean Kenoshas risk is minimal.

Kenosha County is one of 15 southern Wisconsin counties under a moderate wildfire risk, according to the DNR.

Kenosha Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian McNeely said that, although they can sometimes see fires along the river track or backyards, the city is a different animal from more rural areas, with the biggest risk coming from individuals doing open burns.

From a city standpoint, we do have restrictions on that, McNeely said. For us, its just about due-diligence.

HE advised residents to follow the rules or risk a citation. The city allows recreational fires, but not open burning. Citations are $187. More information on city rules can be found at Kenosha.org.

Pleasant Prairie Fire Chief Craig Roepke said the village fire threat is fairly minimal.

Once everything greens up in the summer, your wildfire risks go down, Roepke said. Additionally, as is right now, weve had a significant amount of precipitation.

Other Pleasant Prairie fire officials said that while the DNR currently has Kenosha County at only moderate risk, that could change day-by-day. They said theyd already responded to a grass fire in Salem this year.

Unlike the city, Pleasant Prairie allows some types of burns beyond recreational fires, including of dried branches. However, burning of yard waste, such as grass clippings or leaves, are not permitted. More information on village rules for open burns can be found at pleasantprairiewi.gov.

The DNR has responded to 265 wildfires burning more than 440 acres so far this year. Most of those were related to debris burning, the number one cause of wildfires according to the DNR.

The DNR said residents should follow fire safety tips, especially when in higher risk conditions:

 Avoid all outdoor burning until conditions improve. Burn permits for debris burning are currently suspended in numerous counties.

 Operate equipment (chainsaws, off-road vehicles, lawn mowers, etc.) early in the morning or late in the day to avoid sparks at peak burn hours.

 Secure dragging trailer chains.

 Delay having campfires until the evening hours as fire conditions tend to improve; keep them small and contained. Make sure they are completely extinguished before leaving them unattended.

 Report fires early; dial 911.

To check the daily fire danger, wildfire reports and burning restrictions, go to he DNR website at bit.ly/WiFireDanger.

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Ray Goggins, former Special Forces Operator and now Chief Instructor on RTEs Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, is calling on people across Kilkenny to be brave this year, by taking part in Childrens Health Foundations new Dare to be Brave adventure series, which will raise vital funds to support sick children and their families in Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

Ray has teamed up with Childrens Health Foundation to launch this exciting new series of adrenaline-inducing events, which includes a 13,000ft skydive, abseil from Croke Parks iconic Hogan Stand, an assault course challenge and a 24-hour wilderness survival challenge.

The events will take place between May and August 2022, and will provide participants with exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experiences:

- May 26  27  Air, Land & Water Assault Course Challenge  Blessington, Co. Wicklow

- June 20  23  Croke Park Abseil Challenge  Croke Park, Dublin 1

- July 21 23  24 Hour Wilderness Survival Challenge  Glendalough, Co. Wicklow

- August 24  27  Skydive Challenge  Edenderry, Co. Offaly

Participants can sign-up to take part in all challenges, or they can choose which of the challenges they want to take on throughout the summer. Additionally, people can take on the challenges by themselves, or they can take part as a member of a team. Why not dare your friends or colleagues to be brave with you?

Funds raised by the Dare to be Brave adventure series will go to support the vital, life-saving work that happens in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres every day.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of sick children cross the doors of CHI hospitals and urgent care centres at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

For these children, the hospital can be a scary place, especially when they are unwell. Every day, the children in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres summon an incredible amount of bravery and Childrens Health Foundation is committed to supporting the hospitals and urgent care centres to continue their vital and life-saving work.

Speaking at a Dare to be Brave photoshoot recently, Ray Goggins said:

I am delighted to team up with Childrens Health Foundation to help spread the word about the exciting new series of Dare to be Brave adventure challenges. This series will raise money that will help so many sick children and families from right across Ireland.

As a proud Ambassador for the series, I would like to call on everyone to be brave this summer, get out of your comfort zones, and take on one or more of the challenges.

Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive at Childrens Health Foundation said:

Taking part in our Dare to be Brave adventure series is a fantastic way to raise funds for sick children, whilst enjoying unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We see brave children every day receive treatment in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres.

By daring to be brave and taking part in this campaign, you will be supporting sick children, and I have no doubt your bravery will help save lives. We want to say a massive thank you to our wonderful ambassador Ray for getting involved with this campaign.

For more information, visit www.childrenshealth.ie/daretobebrave or email daretobebrave@childrenshealth.ie
A Kilkenny doctor has been appointed as director for a newly-formed region.

Dr John Cuddihy will be the head of an enhanced, consultant-delivered model of service delivery aligned to international best practice.

As public health reform and the Slaintecare programme are being strategically rolled out across the country, a number of appointments have been made to the new Regional Health Areas.

The new model radically changes the governance and operating structure within the HSE Public Health function.

Dr Cuddihy has been appointed as Area Director for the new geographically realigned Area C.

The hub and spoke model of public health will mean a consultant-led multi-disciplinary team with domain specific roles, delivering greater expertise and experience based on regional population need.

Dr Cuddihy will oversee Area C, which is made up of Dublin (South-East), Dun Laoghaire, Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and South Tipperary.

Boasting the third highest population, it will cater for in the region of 900,000 people.

I am delighted to step into this new role as Area Director, said Dr Cuddihy.

It comes at a very exciting time in reforming not only public health but the health service in general. As a public health doctor for many years, I have experienced first-hand the work involved and I welcome the proposed changes which will be focused, need led and supported by experienced multi-disciplinary teams.

Dr Cuddihy, who served as Interim Director at the HPSC (Health Protection Surveillance Centre), was a key member of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

He will continue as a member of the revised advisory group set up to replace NPHET.

The group will advise the Minister for Health and Government on how best to maximise Irelands medium to long-term preparedness against coronavirus.



John has huge experience as a clinician and as a team leader, said Dr Carmel Mullaney, outgoing Director of Public Health, HSE South-East, speaking of the appointment.

He will bring all his experience to this new role to help shape the future of public health and I know our team are looking forward to working with him and developing our vision.

Having studied in St Kierans College, John attended UCC and served as a member of the public health team in HSE South-East for many years.

This change will be a team effort, he said of his new role.

In recent years, we have seen how colleagues in the health service and beyond have successfully changed their roles in delivering results and providing support and care.

At the core of this and of future reform, are people and that sense of commitment to improving and protecting the health of our population.
Rare leaf monkeys spotted in China's Yunnan

Xinhua) 15:27, May 10, 2022

KUNMING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A group of Phayre's leaf monkeys were recently spotted and captured on camera in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province, sources with the reserve said.

Reserve staff said it was the first time that images of the species were captured in the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, representing the northernmost latitude the species have been observed at in China.

The Phayre's leaf monkey is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. They are found in western Yunnan and eastern Myanmar.

"Images showed a group of Phayre's leaf monkeys resting on branches and grooming each other. An adorable monkey infant with golden fur cuddled up against its mother," said Yin Jianqiang, a reserve staffer.

The images were captured by infrared cameras installed in the evergreen broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 2,000 meters in the Gaoligongshan mountain range.

Yin said they will strengthen monitoring and protection of the rare species and determine its population as soon as possible.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Wind increasing. A mix of clouds and sun. High 96F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy with scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. A few storms may be severe. Low 63F. SSW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Alabama corrections officer who escaped with inmate has died in hospital, sheriff says




The new administration remains open to inter-Korean dialogue with a plan to potentially hold bilateral summit talks after sufficient discussion, the nominee to serve as Seoul's new point man on Pyongyang said Tuesday.







In a written report to lawmakers ahead of his confirmation hearing, Kwon Young-se stressed that another inter-Korean summit needs to be held "in a way that can contribute to achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula" and substantive progress in cross-border relations, including the denuclearization of the North.







"The time will come for us to consider a concrete plan when the current situation of uncertainty and grave provocations comes to a lull," he said, pointing out that the two Koreas should first build mutual trust and engage in sufficient discussions.







He emphasized that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration would not seek a hardline stance on the North and will strive to achieve "flexible harmony" between principle and practicality.







On humanitarian assistance, the new government will seek the continued provision of aid, associated with public health and COVID-19 control measures, to North Korea regardless of the political situation, he said.







In his inauguration speech earlier in the day, Yoon offered to revive North Korea's economy with an "audacious plan" if it takes steps to denuclearize.







During his presidential campaign, Yoon of the conservative People Power Party has signaled a tough stance on North Korea, suggesting a possible preemptive strike in the event of an imminent and direct threat from the unpredictable country. (Yonhap)










Korea's state intelligence agency said Monday a flag-raising ceremony was held in Estonia to mark its membership in a cyber defense group under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).







The ceremony was held last Thursday (local time) after the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was formally admitted into the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) based in Tallinn, Estonia, along with Canada and Luxembourg.







"It is a great honor to have the three countries, including Korea, as members of our group," Col. Jaak Tarien, director of the cyber defense center, was quoted as saying in a statement released by the NIS.







In cooperation with other member countries, the NIS will conduct cyber defense training and research activities to respond to cyber threats.







Korea is the first Asian member and non-NATO country to join the NATO cyber defense group.







An official at the NIS stressed that Korea's latest membership does not mean joining NATO itself.







The center was established in 2008 in response to a Russian cyberattack that crippled Estonia's state networks.







Korea's admittance increased the number of members to 32, including 27 NATO states. (Yonhap)






President Yoon Suk-yeol salutes during his inauguration at the National Assembly Plaza, Tuesday. Former president Park Geun-hye is seen sitting to the left directly behind Yoon. Joint Press Corps.



Former prosecutor general sworn in as Korea's president



By Ko Dong-hwan



President Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as president on Tuesday and promised to rebuild the nation as a responsible, respected member of the international community based on democracy and a free market economy.



Reiterating freedom, peace and human rights as some of the core values of the nation, Yoon said he would do his utmost to help the country play a greater role in defending those values around the world.



"It is our generation's calling to build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community and a nation that truly belongs to the people," he said.



The most frequently used word in Yoon's inauguration speech was "freedom," which was used 35 times. It was followed by "people" (15 times) "citizens" (15 times) "global" (13 times) and "peace" (12 times).





Former President Moon Jae-in, left, and his wife Kim Jung-sook, center, greet President Yoon Suk-yeol, Tuesday, during Yoon's inauguration at the National Assembly Plaza. Joint Press Corps.



"Freedom is a universal value. Every citizen and every member of society must be able to enjoy freedom. If one's freedom is infringed upon or left uncorrected, this is an assault on everyone's freedom," Yoon said. "Hunger, poverty, abuse of power and armed conflict strip away our individual freedom and rob us of our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. We, as global citizens who enjoy real freedom, must never turn a blind eye when freedom is attacked."



He switched the gears by addressing the need for the establishment of sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.



He vowed an unspecified but bold plan to assist North Korea to rebuild its moribund economy, if the North gives up its nuclear program.





Yoon calls on Nat'l Assembly to approve PM nominee Full text of President Yoon's inaugural address Yoon's inauguration day [PHOTOS] "If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people," Yoon said.



A prosecutor-turned-president, Yoon had a fresh start as head of state.



On their way to the presidential inauguration on Tuesday morning, he and first lady Kim Keon-hee met a crowd of 250 residents from their neighborhood in Acrovista, a luxurious apartment village in Seocho District in southern Seoul. With signs that praised him and a 10-year-old boy's drawing of "The Butt Detective," a Japanese cartoon character that he said looked like Yoon, they were waiting for the couple at the main entrance of the village to send their neighbors off in a festive spirit.



President Yoon Suk-yeol waves to crowds as he leaves the National Assembly following his inauguration, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps.

Cordoned off behind fences, the crowd received greetings from the new first couple from Tuesday, who, at around 10:00 a.m., headed to the Seoul National Cemetery in a motorcade. Yoon and Kim will live there for another month and move to a new presidential residence, the former residence of the country's foreign affairs minister in Hannam-dong in Seoul's Yongsan District, which is now being remodeled.



National Defense Minister Seo Wook and Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Hwang Ki-chul greeted the couple as they arrived at the cemetery to pay tribute to fallen patriots. On his way out, Yoon wrote a message in the guestbook that read, "Upholding the sacrifice and the devotion of the patriotic martyrs, I will make the Republic of Korea leap forward again and become a country where the people can live well together."



The couple then arrived at the National Assembly before 11 a.m. where the inauguration event was to take place. Some 40,000 people were there to watch the event, including 24,000 members of the public. Former president Park Geun-hye, who was pardoned last December after serving a prison term for corruption during her incumbency, and Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook were in attendance. Whether Park would attend the event was a hot issue until Yoon, in April, visited her residence in Daegu to invite her to the event.



From the main entrance of the National Assembly, the first couple greeted the excited crowd behind safety fences as they walked some 180 meters along a path that cut through a carpet of lawns to their reserved seats before the stage in front of the Assembly's main building. Music played by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Heart to Heart Orchestra, which is comprised of people with disabilities, as well as 234 choir members filled the air as the couple made their procession.



President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee, left, greet crowds as they walked up to the stage for the presidential inauguration at the National Assembly Plaza, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps.

Yoon walked up to the stage with 20 selected members of the public as representatives including a start-up entrepreneur who developed smart farms, a policeman who helped apprehend child pornography traders, a Cambodian marriage migrant, No.1 world ranking Go player Shin Jin-seo, and actor O Yeong-su who grabbed instant fame in the Netflix hit "Squid Game."



Yoon's speech was preceded by a salute to the Korean flag, national anthem singing, a march by military bands and honor guards, and a 21-gun salute.



After the speech, Cheong Wa Dae was streamed live on screens as it was being opened to the public, as crowds who were waiting to enter from behind the closed main entrance gate flooded inside.




By Mark Leonard





BERLIN  The Ukraine crisis shows that the European Union has a problem with power. While its hard-power deficit has recently moved to the center of attention, its philosophical and political shortcomings are an even bigger concern. After all, given Germany's Zeitenwende (foreign-policy "turning point"), Finland and Sweden's debates over NATO membership, and the size of European rearmament spending pledges, Europe likely will have more military resources than anyone other than the United States before too long. But even then, it will have a soft-power problem.



Europe is home to two identity-building projects, both of which are deeply alienating to the rest of the world. Each was represented in the second round of the French presidential election, where the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, defeated the far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen to secure a second term.



Macron framed the campaign as a choice about what kind of civilization France  and Europe  wants to be. He portrayed his country as the ultimate embodiment of enlightened civic virtue. For him (and for Europeans like myself), the European project is an elaborate attempt to transcend the continent's bloody history of nationalism, imperialism, and genocide.



The EU is meant to forge a new European identity based on civic principles such as international law (against "might makes right"), liberal democracy (against populist majoritarianism), privacy (against "surveillance capitalism"), and human rights (against the surveillance state).



This project implies a new kind of patriotism, and, insofar as it has succeeded, it has provoked a counterrevolution from those who believe that globalization and European integration threaten their wealth, culture, and status. Le Pen presents herself as the tribune of this new-old version of European identity. Describing Macron as a globalist agent of death who will lead France and Europe to cultural suicide, she claims to represent the forgotten farmers and workers whose interests have been sidelined for the benefit of economic elites and refugees.



The structural dynamics of the French electoral system have intensified the dialectical relationship between these two versions of European identity, with the traditional contest between the center left and the center right giving way to a showdown between Christian ethnic nationalism and civic internationalist patriotism. But France is hardly alone. One finds similar divisions across Europe. Movements to "take back control" have mobilized voters against the openness and internationalism that underpin the new European identity.



Europe's internal culture war has undermined its soft power. The EU would like to think that it is an exponent of democracy, yet many of the world's largest democracies  Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa  have been reluctant to stand with it on Ukraine. Europe's warring identities have each contributed to this lack of global appeal.



The problem with the European far right is obvious. Despite her appeals to religion and traditional values, Le Pen's xenophobia, Islamophobia, and implicit white supremacy have alienated a large share of the global population, not least the world's 1.9 billion Muslims. What is more surprising is that attempts by internationalists such as Macron to develop a civic identity have sometimes also reduced Europe's appeal in many parts of the world.



His version of Europe supports gender parity, minority rights, and environmental action, but it has also been increasingly willing to subordinate sovereign power to the imperatives of markets and supranational principles and institutions.



These new priorities have naturally been met with charges of hypocrisy. Many European countries that slammed their doors during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis are now offering a warm, open-ended welcome to the blonde, blue-eyed refugees fleeing from Ukraine. And, as many attendees at this year's Doha Forum noted, the West's commitment to the principle of sovereignty in Ukraine rings somewhat hollow after years of Western drones patrolling the skies above Pakistan and Afghanistan.



Weren't these the same countries that changed international borders in Kosovo, overthrew Muammar el-Qaddafi in Libya, and invaded Iraq? Moreover, after raping the planet for centuries, Europe has now decided to present itself as a champion of climate-change mitigation and environmental protection.



What is most off-putting is the way that Europeans tend to universalize their own experience, often assuming that what is right for them is right for others (closer to home, an EU enlargement model requiring other countries to adopt an 80,000-page rule book is a case in point). For various historical reasons, most European societies have embraced a balance between majoritarian democracy, minority rights, and private property, and we now take this package of principles as a given. But as the Arab Spring showed, people elsewhere might opt for the right to vote without demanding the full package. Those who rebelled against authoritarian regimes sought to emancipate themselves, not to mimic the West.



As my European Council on Foreign Relations colleague Ivan Krastev and I have argued, the world seems to be moving from an era of imperialism to one of decolonization. In the former, the success of the capitalist economic model and new communication technologies helped spread Western ideas and values worldwide; but now, countries and societies increasingly want to celebrate their own values and culture.



This paradigm shift has profound implications for everyone, but especially for Europe. Powers that want to prosper will need to embrace a "sovereignty-friendly" idea of soft power. Failing that, we Europeans will always be accused of using our norms and standards to defend white privilege. We will remain at odds with the new project of decolonization, and thus out of step with much of the international community.





Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is the author of "The Age of Unpeace: How Connectivity Causes Conflict (Bantam Press, 2021)." This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


NuScale CEO John Hopkins, fourth from left, and Samsung C&T CEO Oh Se-chul, fifth from left, pose for a picture with other executives of both companies after discussing global SMR cooperation at NuScale Power headquarters in Oregon, May 9. Courtesy of Samsung C&T



By Kim Jae-heun



Samsung C&T will forge a comprehensive partnership with NuScale, a leading small modular reactor (SMR) technology provider, to pursue its global SMR business at full force.



The firm announced it reached an agreement with NuScale for a comprehensive partnership on joint market development and expansion, after the two entities' executives held a meeting at NuScale Power headquarters in Oregon, Monday.



To advance in the global market for SMRs, a next-generation nuclear technology, Samsung C&T has solidified its strategic partnership with NuScale through a $20 million equity investment in the SMR provider in 2021 and an additional $50 million earlier this year. Now it plans to strengthen their collaboration further for global market expansion.



The two companies first agreed to share accumulated technologies and capabilities through exchanging engineers, in relation with an ongoing SMR project in Idaho planned to commence commercial operation by 2029.



In addition, Samsung C&T, with its ample experience and capabilities with 10 firms engaging in nuclear power plant construction on its home turf, plans to actively engage in SMR projects as a core construction partner in Eastern Europe, including a joint project pursued by NuScale and the Romanian government.



Along with power generation through SMRs, the two companies agreed to combine their efforts for advanced research and commercialization of hydrogen production.



"The reinforced partnership with the leading SMR player will serve us as a foothold for expanding into the global SMR market, which is expected to grow steadily," Samsung C&T CEO Oh Se-chul said. "Samsung C&T is committed to becoming a leader in ESG by fortifying its new green business portfolio composed of SMR, hydrogen, ammonia and renewables."



"While NuScale works towards our mission of bringing our groundbreaking, advanced nuclear technology to countries and communities around the world, we are especially grateful to have a world-renowned partner in Samsung C&T," President and CEO of NuScale John Hopkins said. "Building upon the incredible momentum of this existing partnership, today's announcement is a key example of smart collaboration among nuclear industry leaders and innovators."



NuScale Power, equipped with original SMR technologies, offers an SMR based on a passive cooling system capable of generating a total 924 MW electricity from up to 12 reactor modules of 77 MW capacity each. The NuScale Power SMR is currently under development with some funding by the U.S. Department of Energy along with private equity from companies like Samsung C&T. Among 70 SMR models found around the world, it is thus far the only SMR to have obtained design certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.




From left, Jim Fabiani and Elizabeth Rooney receive plaques from Trine University President Earl D. Brooks II, commemorating the dedication of the universitys new Fabiani Hall on May 6. Fabiani and Rooney are members of the Trine University Board of Trustees as well as the son and granddaughter of Trine alumnus Dante Fabiani and his wife, Virginia.
While the following K-pop idol's can buy luxury cars if they want, they can't drive it for THIS reason.

According to the law, once you are over 18 years old, you can finally obtain a driver's license. Due to this, a lot of students enroll in driving schools, just right after they graduate high school.

As K-pop idols, managers are the one who are driving for them. Thus, some opt to not get their own license. Meanwhile, some stars are just incredibly busy that even after turning into adult age, they were not able to get their driver's license.

In this article, we will get to know five idols who are affluent and can afford expensive cars yet they can't drive. It's not like they don't know how to drive, but they can't do it legally since they don't have driver's license yet.

1. IU

According to Insight, IU who started in the music industry at the young age of 15 and has no driver's license.

In 2020, IU confirmed it when she once prank her fans Uaena that she's test driving her car after getting her driver's license. But it turned out that the camera was reversed, and she's actually sitting on the passenger's seat with a fake steering wheel.

In 2021, IU again mentioned her little knowledge about driver's license, admitting that she can't differentiate the type and type 2.

2. SEVENTEEN WOOZI

Among SEVENTEEN members, Woozi is probably one of the richest members, as he has more than 100 copyrighted songs registered under his name.

Despite this, he confessed that he can't drive legally and narrated how he would ride the train to visit his hometown in Busan.

3. DAY6 Young K

Young K, who was credited for almost all music of DAY6 is also one of the K-pop idols who can't drive.

During a broadcast for MBC FM4U's "Kim Shin Young's Hope Song at Noon," Young K unveiled that he don't have a driver's license yet.

4. BTS RM

RM, the leader of BTS and is a well-known global star may appears like a perfect man, but he can't drive.

In the past, RM confessed that he was scared to drive. The thought of taking a driver's license test and failing it make him nervous.

5. (G)I-DLE Jeon Soyeon

Jeon Soyeon, the one who's responsible for producing (G)I-DLE's music also can't operate a car legally.

In fact, most of the (G)I-DLE members as well as Jeon Soyeon do not have a driver's license, excluding Miyeon.

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson
"The wordings of the post were meaningless." On a recent phone call with the vice-principal of Kyungbock High School, the official defended the students who were accused of sexually harassing aespa.

Vice Principal Denies Kyungbock Students Sexually Harassed aespa

The controversy that some students uploaded sexual harassment posts for the idol group aespa, who performed in support of the alumni event at Kyungbock High School in Seoul, continues.

Amid the investigation, the vice principal of the all-boys school released their personal side on May 9 and said:

"The student who 'violated' the law did not post it with malicious intent."

This statement was conveyed by the official through the women's newspaper, during an exclusive phone interview with the vice-principal of Kyungbock High School on the controversy over "aespa Sexual Harassment."

They added:

"The student (who posted the sexual harassment post) did not post it with malicious intent, but he was very confused because his intention was distorted."

The vice principal continued:

"The wording of the post (which was criticized for sexual harassment) is meaningless."

When asked about the investigation status of additional perpetrators, the vice principal said stated that it is not easy to track down the other students who allegedly harassed the quartet because it is within SNS and the investigation was only conducted based on the information that they received.

Nevertheless, the official refused to admit their shortcomings and claimed:

"At the time, the scene was not that chaotic, but rather, I was praised (by outsiders) for keeping the order well."

Netizens who heard the explanation poured out criticisms such as:

"I think the sympathy is given to the wrong people." "If there was an intention, it would even make him more of a criminal." "Is the educator even right?"

aespa's Sexual Harassment Controversy  Here's What Happened

Meanwhile, the controversy started on May 2 when Kyungbock High School, the alumni school of Lee Soo Man held its 101st-anniversary festival.

On this day, aespa were invited to perform but K-pop enthusiasts complained of the lack of security and how some students posted photos of the members on SNS, including sexual harassment phrases such as "I did everything except touching" and "S*x."

In response, Kyungbock High School initially said:

"After the media reports, we conducted an on-campus investigation of students, and as a result, several outsiders who were not Kyungbock students visited the event, but for safety reasons, they were not permitted to enter."

After being criticized for its first apology statement, the school once again released another statement and vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.

Currently, the school is holding a leading committee after confirming one student who posted a sexual harassment post on SNS and investigating it.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will provide customized gender awareness education for Kyungbock High School.

For more K-Pop news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson
Allahabad, May 10 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan in a case related to alleged grabbing of enemy property for his Jauhar University project. The bail order was passed by Justice Rahul Chaturvedi. The interim bail has been granted on the condition that Khan has to return the entire enemy property to paramilitary forces and has to furnish personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

However, Khan will not be able to walk out of the jail as a Rampur district court last week issued a warrant against him in another case, his lawyer said. Khan's lawyer Khaleel Ullaha Khan said over phone from Rampur that the high court has granted him bail. But the Rampur MLA wouldn't be able to come out of the jail because the police have served him a warrant at Sitapur jail in another case, he said. An FIR was lodged at Azem Nagar police station in Rampur against Khan and others in 2019 for alleged grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than hundreds of crores of rupees. 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.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: 25-Year-Old Woman Raped by Sweeper in Mirzapur Divisional Hospital.

The interim bail to Khan comes after the Supreme Court on May 6 expressed displeasure over the delay in hearing his bail application in the land grabbing case, saying this is a "travesty of justice". A bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai noted that Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases, and said it would hear the matter on May 11.

(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 10 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Krishnan Subramanian, former group CEO of Religare Enterprises Limited in connection with siphoning of public money to the tune of Rs 2,397 crores of Ms Religare Finvest Ltd. The Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police had arrested Krishnan Subramanian on December 2, 2021, in the case.

The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad on Tuesday allowed the bail plea of Krishnan who was represented by advocates Tanveer Ahmed Mir, Prabhav Ralli, Saud Khan and Kartik Venu in the Delhi High Court.

Also Read | Elephant Thekkumkandathilu Parameswaran's Video in Poor Condition Goes Viral, PETA Urges Kerala CM To Rescue and Rehabilitate the Emaciated Animal.

According to the Economic Offences Wing, Manpreet Singh Suri, AR of Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL) filed a complaint against Malvinder Mohan Singh, Shivinder Mohan Singh, Sunil Godhwani and others holding key managerial posts that the alleged persons having absolute control on Religare Enterprises Limited (REL) and its subsidiaries put Religare Finvest Limited (RFL) in poor financial condition by way of disbursing the loans to the companies having no financial standings.

"These companies willfully defaulted in repayments and caused the wrongful loss to RFL to the tune of Rs 2,397 crores. This was pointed out and flagged during their independent audit by RBI and SEBI," the statement said.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Shocker: Families of Bride and Groom Clash Over 'Sherwani' in Dhar District.

The accused Krishnan Subramanian was the Group CEO during 2017-18. A loan against a property worth Rs 115 crores was sanctioned as secured loans to three entities and the property documents Asola land was kept as security with RFL, EOW said.

Subsequently, these loans were converted to unsecured loans under the Corporate Loan Book portfolio as title deeds of these lands were never submitted to RFL.

Prosecution while opposed the bail plea submitted, it was found that the land which was kept as security with RFL under the Facility Agreements had been exchanged without any permission or intimation to RFL, even though the same was mortgaged with RFL. "It was later found that the subsequent release of property papers was done by accused Krishnan Subramanian." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Amaravati, May 10 (PTI): The Chittoor police in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday arrested former minister and Narayana Educational Institutions founder-chairman P Narayana in a case related to leak of Class X examination question paper with the opposition party calling the action as a witchhunt and a political vendetta.

The arrest happened days after State Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana categorically said there was neither leakage (of question papers) nor mass copying in the Class X public examinations that were conducted after a gap of two years.

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Narayana was picked up from his residence in Hyderabad and taken to Chittoor, where a case was registered against unknown accused on April 27. Chittoor district Superintendent of Police Y Rishanth Reddy told reporters in the evening that they have so far arrested seven people, including two government teachers, in connection with the case.

The SP refused to give details about the alleged involvement of Narayana in the leak, saying the investigation was still underway.

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We will submit those details to the court, the SP said.

Rishanth said the malpractices in SSC exams were committed as per a plan, ostensibly to secure more marks in languages.

Some attenders and support staff who previously worked in Narayana institutions were among those arrested, he said.

Many institutions were involved in the malpractices. We are probing into their role as well, Rishanth added.

The Telugu Desam Party condemned Narayana's arrest.

This is nothing but political witchhunt and vendetta. The Jagan regime that failed to conduct the public examinations in a hassle-free manner, resorted to this vengeful act only to cover up its failure, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said.

If it is not witchhunt, what is it? There is no notice, no inquiry and no evidence but Narayana was arrested straightaway, Chandrababu said.

Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, after a meeting with the Chief Minister, asked why would the police arrest anyone if there was no wrongdoing.

Whoever commits something wrong will be arrested. It is for them (accused) to prove they did nothing wrong, the Minister remarked.

He said the police were investigating into the case from various angles.

Government advisor (public affairs) S R K Reddy denied the charge that government was vindictive (in the arrest of Narayana).

Narayana encouraged mass copying and question paper leaks to achieve 100 per cent pass..., Reddy alleged.

(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 10 (PTI) The most important aspect in the Lakhimpur "farmer massacre" was the "threatening" speech of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra and the BJP government bolstered his support instead of standing with farmers, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Tuesday.

Her attack on the government came a day after the Allahabad High Court said political people holding high positions shouldn't make "irresponsible statements" and need to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their status and the dignity of their office.

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The Lucknow bench of the high court made the observation at a hearing during which it rejected the bail pleas of four of the accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

During the hearing on Monday, the court referred to a special investigation team's conclusion in the charge sheet that had the Union minister not made utterances against farmers a few days before the incident, the violence would not have taken place.

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Tagging a media report on the court's observation, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi that the most important aspect of the "Lakhimpur farmer massacre" was the speech of the Minister of State for Home, "threatening" the farmers.

"Instead of standing in favour of farmers, the BJP government bolstered the support of its minister," the Congress general secretary said.

"The fight for justice continues. The victim farmers' families and all of us together will not allow the flame of justice to be extinguished," she asserted.

The court of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh observed, "Political persons holding high offices should make public utterances in a decent language considering its repercussions in society. They should not make irresponsible statements as they are required to conduct themselves befitting their status and dignity of high office which they hold."

The court will hear on May 25 the bail plea of Union minister Mishra's son Ashish, whose bail was earlier cancelled by the Supreme Court.

Four farmers and a journalist were mowed down by vehicles allegedly carrying BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3 last year during a protest over UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.

In the violence that followed, three people, including two BJP workers, were lynched by an angry crowd.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ranchi, May 10 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Tuesday sought a four-week extension from the Election Commission to reply to its notice over charges that he issued a mining lease in the state in his favour, but the poll panel gave him 10 days

The EC had sought Soren's response after it had received a representation that he was allegedly misusing the office of chief minister and therefore he should be disqualified as a member of the assembly. Soren has rejected the charges.

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The EC had issued the notice to Soren on May 2 asking him to reply by May 10, but the JMM leader had sought four more weeks, citing his mother's ill health among other reasons.

"I have sought at least four weeks' extension of time from the EC for submission of my detailed reply to its notice," Soren told PTI earlier in the day.

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However, sources in the national capital said the poll panel gave him 10 days.

Soren said he had also requested the EC to be given the opportunity of personal hearing by the Commission "through my legal counsel before it formulates its opinion in the matter for tendering it to the Governor of Jharkhand under Article 192(2) of the Constitution of India".

The poll panel has received a representation from Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on the issue of "misuse" of office by the chief minister and will send its opinion to him.

If the charges are proven, Soren may stand disqualified as a member of the state assembly.

"I deny and dispute all allegations of the BJP about my alleged disqualification for being a member of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on the ground of a mining lease, obtained by me in May 2021, under Section 9A of the Representation of People Act, 1951 or any other ground whatsoever and deny all allegations by BJP that I had misused my office to obtain mining lease, Soren said in the letter to EC.

Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act deals with disqualification of a lawmaker for a government contract.

In the letter to the EC, Soren said his 67-year-old mother is critically ill for about eight months and had to be airlifted on April 28, 2022 from Ranchi to Hyderabad for better medical treatment.

He said he has not been able to engage a suitable legal counsel as he was in Hyderabad, except for a short period when he attended the Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on April 30.

"She is presently under treatment in the ICU of AIG Hospital at Hyderabad. In order to ensure her proper medical treatment, I have also been presently, more or less, compelled to stay in Hyderabad.... In the above circumstances, I have not been able to engage suitable legal counsel to present my defence effectively before the Commission in a matter which so vitally effects my future political career and social life," he said in the letter sent on May 5.

He wrote again to the EC on May 9 requesting it "to communicate its acceptance for my prayer for extension of time and oblige".

"I further submit that I would like to be afforded opportunity of personal hearing by the Hon'ble Commission through my legal counsel before the Hon'ble Commission formulates its opinion in the matter for tendering it to the Hon'ble Governor of Jharkhand under Article 192(2) of the Constitution of India."

Last week, Soren had told the Jharkhand High Court that his political rivals are behind a public interest litigation over the issue of granting mining lease to him to destabilise his democratically elected government in the state.

In his affidavit in the High Court, the CM has accepted he was granted a lease for mining stones on 0.88 acres in Angarha block in Ranchi district, but said the contents of the PIL are akin to the letters and statements made by BJP accusing him of misusing his office of chief minister.

He also claimed that he has not derived any profit or gain from the mining lease while he has been the chief minister of the state since 2019 and no mining activity has been carried out in the land as the consent for it has not yet been granted by the Ranchi deputy commissioner.

The granting of the mining lease cannot be a reason for the disqualification of membership from the Assembly and the PIL should be dismissed with exemplary costs, he demanded in the affidavit.

The EC had recently written to the state government to share the documents related to the mining lease. The issue has already triggered a political controversy in the mineral-rich state.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sambhal (UP), May 10 (PTI) A man was held for allegedly making objectionable comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, police said on Tuesday.

Irfan Hussain of Darani village in Kudh Fatehgarh area was arrested following a complaint by BJP workers, Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra said.

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Hussain was booked under sections 67 (transmitting obscene material) and 153 A (spreading disharmony among people) of the Information Technology Act for the Facebook post, police said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Xiplomacy: Xi committed to strengthening China-Germany relations, China-EU ties

Xinhua) 15:27, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, calling for joint efforts to leverage the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship.

During the meeting, Xi also expressed his hope that Germany will play a positive role in developing a steady and sound China-EU relationship.

On various occasions, Xi has elaborated on the importance of strengthening China-Germany relations as well as China-EU ties. The following are some highlights of Xi's remarks in this regard.

May 9, 2022

In the virtual meeting with Scholz, Xi said both China and Germany are major countries with important influence.

Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship, Xi said.

This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, Xi added.

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences.

It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust, Xi said.

March 8, 2022

During a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and Scholz, Xi noted that China and the EU share much common understanding on promoting peace, seeking development and advancing cooperation.

Xi said it is important for the two sides to enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

China's development will create broader space for China-EU cooperation, Xi said, adding that the two sides must, under the principle of mutual benefit and win-win, further deepen green and digital partnerships as well as practical cooperation in various fields.

Dec. 21, 2021

In a phone conversation with Scholz, Xi said China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany, noting that the two countries should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective.

Over the past half century, China-Germany relations have demonstrated ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential, Xi said, adding that for the next 50 years, the two countries should embrace a global vision from a long-term perspective, forge ahead and strive for new development of China-Germany relations.

Dec. 8, 2021

In a congratulatory message to Scholz on his election as German chancellor, Xi said he is willing to work with Scholz to promote the bilateral ties to a new level.

China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, Xi noted, adding that over the years, they have been adhering to mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and pursuing win-win cooperation, which has yielded results benefiting the two countries, their people and the world.

Facing the major changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, China and Germany have strengthened communication and cooperation, jointly supported the global fight against COVID-19 and promoted economic recovery, demonstrating their sense of responsibility as major countries, Xi said.

Oct. 13, 2021

During a virtual meeting with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xi and Merkel reviewed the development of China-German and China-EU relations in recent years.

Noting that 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Xi said that keeping bilateral ties on the right course is of crucial importance.

"China always views its relationship with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with the German side, promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, tap the potential for cooperation in traditional fields, while exploring new areas of pragmatic cooperation in energy transition and the green and digital economy, among other areas, to further advance bilateral ties," Xi said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from other northeastern states.

Speaking to ANI, Yechury said, "I want to ask Home Minister why do we have Armed Forces Special Power Act in our law? CPI(M) has been making this demand for a long time."

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"Today many such plans are imposed arbitrarily as it is going on continuously in Jammu and Kashmir. There are many Northeast states. Why do you want to withdraw it only from Assam? Why do not you withdraw AFSPA from everywhere? Is there a political motive behind this? There will be some conspiracy to provoke communal polarization again. So our request to the Home Minister is to remove this from all over the country," added the CPI(M) leader.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday said he was confident that the AFSPA would soon be revoked from the entire state of Assam.

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Speaking at a ceremony to present the President's Colours to the Assam Police in Guwahati, Shah said that the Act had been in force since 1990 and had been extended seven times since.

In March, the Centre had removed AFPSA from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.

The AFSPA Act empowers the governor of the state or administrator of Union territory or Centre to issue an official notification concerning disturbed areas after which the central government has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid. (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 10 (PTI) Venus Pipes & Tubes said it has collected over Rs 49 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share sale which will open for public subscription on Wednesday.

The company has decided to allocate 15,22,186 shares at Rs 326 per share to anchor investors, taking the transaction size to Rs 49.62 crore, according to a circular uploaded on BSE website.

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Nippon India Small Cap Fund, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Ltd & India SME Investments - Fund I are the investors which participated in the anchor book.

The public issue comprises sale of 50.74 lakh fresh equity shares of the company and there is no offer for sale (OFS) component.

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The public issue, with a price band of Rs 310-326 a share, will be open during May 11-13. At the upper end of the price band, the company is expected to mop up Rs 165.41 crore.

Proceeds from the issue will be used for financing the project cost towards capacity expansion and backward integration for manufacturing of hollow pipes, to meet working capital requirements and for general corporate purposes.

Investors can bid for a minimum of 46 equity shares and in multiples of 46 thereafter.

The Gujarat-based company is a growing stainless-steel pipes and tubes manufacturer and exporter in India having about six years of experience in manufacturing of stainless-steel tubular products in two broad categories -- seamless tubespipes; and welded tubes or pipes.

The company, under the brand name Venus, supplies its products for applications in diverse sectors including chemicals, engineering, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, power, food processing, paper and oil and gas.

For the financial year ended March 31, 2021, the revenue from operations stood at Rs 309.33 crore, with a net profit of Rs 23.63 crore. For nine months ended December 31, 2021, the revenue from operations was Rs 276.76 crore and net profit at Rs 23.59 crore.

SMC Capitals is the sole book running lead manager to the issue. The equity shares of the company are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE.

(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 10 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to travel to London as part of a PML-N delegation to meet party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, has been living in London on the pretext of ill health since 2019. The former Pakistan PM sought extensions to prolong his stay in London on medical grounds.

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Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed the media reports that PML-N members were going to visit Nawaz in London.

"PML-N members are going on a private visit to London to meet with Nawaz Sharif," she said, adding that PM Shehbaz would also be traveling for this purpose.

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Marriyum Aurangzeb also emphasized that a PML-N delegation was going to meet with Nawaz for consultations, which was an ongoing process.

Geo News reported Tuesday that a "big decision" is on the cards as Shehbaz Sharif will be meeting his elder brother and PML-N supremo in London.

Last month, Nawaz had also conducted meetings with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was later appointed Pakistan's federal minister.

The two allies had agreed to work closely to "repair the rot across the board," read a joint statement. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, May 10 (PTI) Russian forces are committing war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine as they engage in a brutal war that is causing immense suffering and needless destruction, the White House has said.

Addressing reporters at her daily news conference on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US is continuing to do what it can to provide support for Ukraine at this pivotal moment -- flowing security, economic and humanitarian assistance.

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"Today, the President (Joe Biden) signed the Lend-Lease Act into law, which adds to our suite of tools as we provide Ukraine with the weapons and equipment they need, Psaki said.

While President (Vladimir) Putin and the Russian people celebrated Victory Day today, we are seeing Russian forces commit war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine as they engage in a brutal war that is causing so much suffering and needless destruction, she said.

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The Victory Day, Psaki said, is supposed to be about celebrating peace and unity in Europe and the defeat of Nazis in World War-II.

"Instead, Putin is perverting history, changing history to try -- or attempting to change it, I should say -- to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war, which has brought catastrophic loss of life and immense human suffering, she said.

A day earlier, Psaki said, First Lady Jill Biden visited Ukraine in a historic visit to meet with the First Lady of Ukraine.

She did that purposefully on Mother's Day to be there and recognise the sacrifices of so many mothers during this time in Ukraine and send an important message of solidarity, she said.

Earlier in the day, the US announced a new round of actions to ratchet up the pain on Putin.

This includes banning US services that help Russian elites and companies build wealth and evade sanctions, additional restrictions on a broad range of inputs and products like bulldozers and industrial engines that Putin needs for his military, and sanctions on big executives at Russia's largest banks and Russian military officials, Psaki said.

The US also sanctioned the top three most-watched TV stations in Russia that bolster Putin's war by spreading his propaganda. For the first time ever, the G7 agreed as a whole to ban or phase out Russian oil, she said.

We will keep building on our unprecedented sanctions that are enacting a heavy toll on Russia's economy, with GDP expected to collapse by double digits. Our export controls with more than 30 other countries have throttled Russia's access to critical technology it needs to maintain its military, Psaki added.

Responding to a question, Psaki said the Russian forces have not been able to occupy Ukraine as Putin had claimed earlier.

President Putin and the Russians are not marching through Kyiv. They are struggling to fight in other parts of the country. And the Ukrainians are bravely and courageously fighting every day.

"So, we look at what's happening on the ground, though it is important to note and to call out the revisionist history that we saw in this speech and the fact that any such statement that we we've seen for months from President Putin that the war was prompted by the West is just patently false and inaccurate. And we can't state that too often, she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, May 10 (AP) Top U.S. intelligence officials were questioned Tuesday about why they misjudged the durability of governments in both Afghanistan and Ukraine, and whether they need to reform how intelligence agencies assess a foreign military's will to fight.

U.S. intelligence believed the U.S.-backed Kabul government would hold out for months against the Taliban and thought Russian forces would overrun Ukraine in a few weeks. Both assessments were wrong. The U.S. and Western allies are now rushing to aid Ukraine's resistance against Russia in what has turned into a grinding, violent stalemate.

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What we missed was the will to fight of the Ukrainians...and we also missed that in Afghanistan, said Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He added, I realize will to fight is a lot harder to assess than number of tanks or volume of ammunition or something. But I hope the intelligence community is doing some soul-searching about how to better get a handle on that question.

President Joe Biden's administration disclosed in advance Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to invade Ukraine, a public campaign that it says built support for crushing sanctions on the Russian economy and military support from NATO members. Top U.S. officials have gone to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged more military and intelligence support.

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Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said that will to fight and capacity to fight in tandem were difficult to predict. The National Intelligence Council, a group of advisers that reviews the agencies as a whole, is studying the issue, she said.

The two of them are issues that are, as you indicated, quite challenging to provide effective analysis on, Haines told King. And we're looking at different methodologies for doing so.

The U.S. might have done more before the invasion to assist Zelenskyy had lawmakers believed Kyiv had more of a chance, King said. And after predictions that the Taliban would be held back as long as a year after the American withdrawal, the coalition-backed government lasted minus-two weeks, King noted, a reference to the Taliban overrunning Kabul before the withdrawal formally ended.

The U.S. was forced to negotiate with the Taliban to evacuate of thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies fighting huge crowds to secure space on evacuation flights. An attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

King raised his voice to cut off Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, after Berrier said he believed the intelligence agencies had done a great job.

General, how can you possibly say that when we were told explicitly, Kyiv would fall in three days and Ukraine would fall in two weeks? he said. "You're telling me that was accurate intelligence?

U.S. intelligence believed before the war Russia's forces were so much larger and more powerful than Ukraine's that it wasn't going to go very well for a variety of factors, Berrier said.

He testified Tuesday that there was never an intelligence community assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight. That appears to contradict his statement from Senate testimony in March, when Berrier said he "questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably and are doing the right thing. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI): Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Furkat Sidikov on Tuesday said that his country can be a gateway for Indian businessmen to get access to the Eurasian market.

The Uzbek minister also expressed his country's interest in accessing the Chabahar port, being developed by India in Iran for improving logistics.

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"You know that now traditional supply chains are not working well. So in this case, I see that Uzbekistan can be a getaway for Indian businessmen to get access to Eurasian markets. India is one of the biggest investors in Uzbekistan," Sidikov said.

He further added there is one issue of logistics and now they will work with the government of India and would like to use Chabahar.

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Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister said that India is a tested and reliable partner for Uzbekistan.

"We always had a strong political relationship, we share the same border and the same approach to international issues, regional issues and security issues," Sidikov said.

Talking about the growth in India-Uzbekistan relations, Sidikov said, "I would love to say India- Uzbekistan always enjoy a trusted relationship. We share the same values and traditions. India and Uzbekistan share 30 years of diplomatic relationship. In real life, we have a long term history."

Touching upon the historical ties between the two countries, Sidikov mentioned Babur, who hailed from present-day Uzbekistan, as well as the Mughal era.

"Richest part of Indian culture is the Mughal culture which belongs to Uzbek culture. Babur was born in Adijan and I'm excited to see the Taj Mahal tomorrow and other places which are again part of the history of my nation," he added.

The Uzbek minister also pitched for a 'new Uzbekistan' saying that his country has the potential to emerge as an investment destination and that Uzbekistan would like to enhance its role with India and have a new format of business cooperation. (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 10: Delhi Police on Tuesday detained over a dozen United Hindu Front (UHF) activists who were chanting Hanuman Chalisa at the Qutab Minar here. Amidst the ongoing loudspeaker row, the Hindu Organisation -- United Hindu Front -- had announced to recite Hanuman Chalisa on the premises of the minaret on Tuesday along with other Hindu groups.

In view of the announcement, a large number of Delhi police and CAPF personnel were deployed outside the historic monument since morning. Jaibhagwan Goyal, working president of UHF, had given a call for the protest. Goyal had urged other Hindu groups to join the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa in the complex. Qutab Minar Was Actually 'Vishnu Stambh'; Structure Was Built To Tease Hindu Community, Says VHP Spokesman Vinod Bansal.

While exclusively speaking to IANS, Goyal said that he has been under house arrest since morning at his Shahdhara residence. "At least 10-15 police personnel are outside my house. They are not allowing me to leave,"the UHF president said.

The right-wing group is demanding that the mosque inside the Qutab Minar be declared a temple and permission given for chanting of Hanuman Chalisa on its premises. It has sought rechristening of Qutab Minar as 'Vishnu Stambh'.

As the activists reached the historic minaret and proceeded to recite Hanuman Chalisa, they were detained by police at Bhul Bhulaiya, outside the complex. They have reportedly been taken to the nearest Mehrauli Police station.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2022 05:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Crimes against women continue to rise. In another incident of crime, a 25-year-old woman patient from a village under the limits of Lalganj police station area in UP's Mirzapur district was allegedly raped by a sweeper when she had gone to washroom of the divisional hospital on May 7 night.
A team of Punjab Police and Punjab Police commandos has been deployed outside Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters, Sector 77, SAS Nagar, where a minor explosion occurred last night. pic.twitter.com/eami2WlgZi ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2022

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A total of 63 #Islamic State (IS) terrorists have laid down arms and surrendered to security authorities in #Afghanistan, an official statement released said. pic.twitter.com/2tg3JwBqMB IANS (@ians_india) May 10, 2022

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Eighteen migrants were found dead and 203 others rescued by the Moroccan navy off the country's coasts, state-run MAP news agency reported. pic.twitter.com/MnMNtOH0J9 IANS (@ians_india) May 10, 2022

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New Delhi: London-based consumer tech brand Nothing on Monday announced that its Nothing Launcher (Beta) operating system is now available for all devices with Android 11 and higher. The company said that the Launcher app icon is now available on the home screen and a new. How to Set Up' page when you open Launcher for the first time has been added. Nothing Phone 1 Specifications Leaked Online, Launch Expected Soon.

"For easy access, the Dropbox link to download bonus wallpapers and ringtones now sits in Launcher settings," said the company.

In March, Nothing CEO and Co-founder Carl Pei confirmed plans to launch Nothing phone (1), its first smartphone. Nothing OS offers a new experience for Android. Nothing Launcher (Beta) was earlier compatible with Samsung S21 and S22, Google Pixel 5 and 6.

The company's first smartphone -- Nothing phone (1) -- will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon mobile platform. It will be the company's first smartphone and a second device in the overall product ecosystem of the brand. The company said it is planning to launch the smartphone later this year. It added that Nothing OS captures the best features of pure Android and is designed to deliver a fast, smooth and personal experience.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2022 09:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
A prison riot in Ecuador has left at least 43 dead and 13 injured at a maximum security facility in northern Ecuador.

CNN World News reported that the riot was started between two rival gangs inside the prison.

Ecuadorian National Police commander General Fausto Salinas noted during a press conference that the death toll from the incident is likely to increase with those injured being taken to hospital in a serious condition.

Social Bellavista rehabilitation center in Santo Domingo de Los Tsachillas reported the riot, with some of the inmates managing to break out of the prison.

Salinas noted that at least 112 inmates have been recaptured.

Ecuador's interior ministry said that the authorities have regained control of the Social Bellavista rehabilitation center.

Meanwhile, one police officer was injured in the operation to regain control of the prison.

Ecuadorian Police noted that prison guards have confiscated four rifles, four pistols, and four grenades from inmates during the operations.

READ NEXT: Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso Declares State of Emergency Over Crime Wave, Drug Trafficking

Ecuador Prison Riot

Salinas said that the riot was triggered by a brawl involving the transfer of an inmate with an alias Anchundia into the prison.

He added that the said prisoner had been one of the ringleaders who had caused a previous prison riot in April, according to a BBC News report.

President Guillermo Lasso sent his condolences to the families of those who died due to the prison riot.

Lasso said that it was an "unfortunate result of gang violence."

Ecuador's Interior Minister, Patricio Carrillo, noted in a tweet that Ecuador's government is working to overcome the problems of the prison system.

However, Carillo added that, it is "complex" to find quick solutions in an environment of violence.

The Guardian reported that the presence of a gang leader from another prison generated conflict and violence, according to Salinas.

Since February 2021, around 400 inmates have been killed in six different riots. In September 2021, 119 inmates were killed at a prison in Guayaquil in western Ecuador. Less than two months later, at least 68 prisoners died in fresh fighting at the same prison.

Prison Violence in Ecuador

Analysts noted that the jump in prison violence started when local criminal gangs started vying to work with the rival Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation drug cartels.

Ecuadorean authorities have seized 85 tons of cocaine, which is twice the amount seized the year before in the first four months of the year.

Ecuador has been a strategic smuggling route due to its long Pacific coastline and large shipping and fishing fleets.

A 60-day state of emergency was declared in three western provinces in Ecuador last month. The provinces were Guayas, Manabi, and Esmeraldas. However, Bellavista Prison was not included.

The state of emergency was put into effect as a response to the violence.

Guillermo Lasso has pinned the blame on drug trafficking for Ecuador's crime problems, with powerful Mexican drug cartels believed to operate through local gangs.

Ecuador's president has vowed to increase the police force and pardon inmates who were convicted of minor crimes instead of overfilling prisons.

READ MORE: Parts of Amazon Rainforest in Brazil Are Being Illegally Offered for Sale on Facebook Marketplace

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WATCH: Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead - from TeleSUR English






Graduates of Wiley College, a historically Black college in East Texas, were surprised by the administrators of the school during their graduation ceremony after an anonymous donor paid their student loans.

According to NBC News, more than 100 students were gathered for the graduation on Saturday when the school's president made the announcement.

"The announcement of cleared balances for graduates was a welcome surprise as students and parents were demonstrative in the audience when they heard the news," Wiley College said, per People.

The Texas college said in their press release that the estimated total for the balances owed to the college by the graduating class of 2022 was about $30,000.

Wiley College president and CEO, Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr., expressed his gratitude to the anonymous donor who paid off the student loans of the college's graduating batch.

"We are grateful for this anonymous donor who will assist the students in paying off their balances to Wiley College and help us achieve institutional goals of graduating our students with little to no debt," Felton Jr. said.

Felton Jr. added that the "anonymous gift" sets graduates on a continued path to success and will allow Wiley College to strengthen its commitment to providing a more affordable and exceptional education.

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Student Debt US: Implication of Biden's Student Loan Cancellation

President Joe Biden's promise of canceling at least $10,000 of student debt per person helped him to get elected as the chief executive of the United States, per PBS.

It can be recalled that late last month Biden said in a press conference that he is considering canceling some student loan debt, per Fox News.

Biden said that he is in the process of looking into whether there will be additional debt, and he is not considering a $50,000 debt reduction.

However, NPR correspondent Cory Turner mentioned to PBS that even a $10,000 cancellation would be beneficial for payers.

Cory Turner cited federal data that showed about 12 million people will have no debts if the president would forgive $10,000.

Student Debt US: Republicans, Democrats on Potential Student Loan Cancellations

Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have sounded alarmed about Biden's potential plan to cancel the student debts.

Republican Governor Larry Hogan from Maryland told Fox News during the Milken Institute's 2022 Global Conference that Biden's idea of forging the student debts is crazy and a waste of too much money.

Hogan added that they are working to make college more affordable, and that cancellation of student debts is not the right solution.

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Cheri Bustos from Illinois noted that lawmakers should look at whether the country can afford to cancel student loan debt.

Bustos highlighted that cancellations of student debts should not be like a blanket but instead dig on different kinds of its levels.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden to Hit Russian Companies in New Sanctions Designed to Punish Moscow

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: US Secretary of Education Talks About Forgiving Student Loans - From ABC News
U.S. President Joe Biden has called Congress to give a go-signal for a multibillion-dollar Ukraine aid package, adding that the U.S. aid for the country has nearly been exhausted.

CNBC News reported that Biden's request would put the COVID funding on the back burner. It was a reversal from his request last month that military aid and COVID aid package be bundled together.

Biden said in a statement that he had previously recommended that Congress take overdue action on much-needed funding for COVID treatments, vaccines, and tests, as part of Ukraine aid. However, he added that he was informed by leaders in Congress that such a move would slow down action on the immediately needed Ukrainian aid.

The president noted that the U.S. cannot "afford delay" in what he described as a "vital war effort."

Biden said that he is ready to accept the COVID funding and Ukraine aid measures separately, putting priority on the Ukraine aid bill to be on his desk right away.

READ NEXT: U.S. Intelligence Aiding Ukraine to Target Russian Generals; Ukraine Officials Say They Killed 12 Russia's Military Leaders in Action

Ukraine Aid

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi later noted that the House would move first on the Ukraine aid legislation and would do it quickly, according to an NBC News report. She added that she is hoping to bring forth the bill tomorrow in Ukraine at an event in Miami.

Two Congressional aides noted that the Ukraine aid package the Democrats are proposing comes to $39.8 billion, which is higher than the $33 billion originally requested by the White House.

The package will cover funding for weapons and food.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has pushed for the Ukraine aid measure to travel "separately and quickly."

Another Republican lawmaker Senate Minority Whip John Thune said that a standalone Ukraine aid package could move quickly through the chamber, which is most likely by next week.

Meanwhile, some Democrats said that they could live with voting on the Ukraine funding first.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Armed Services, said that it is important to continue the Ukraine aid so they can keep up the fight.

COVID Funding Measure

In March, the White House has asked Congress to approve an additional $22.5 billion to support the country's pandemic response.

NPR reported that Republicans are deeply divided that Senate has said they would not allow additional funding until the White House was able to account for the trillions of dollars Congress has approved.

The Office of Management and Budget said it needs money to ramp up ongoing relief efforts, which includes $18.25 billion to go to the Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition, $4.25 billion will be passed to the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development.

Biden noted at the time that the U.S. is ready to move into a new phase of the pandemic with more lax restrictions, which prompted the White House's request for a COVID funding measure.

The GOP letter noted that since the passage of the American Rescue Plan in February, questions are piling up where exactly the additional allotment was placed.

READ MORE: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky Says if Pres. Joe Biden Acted Sooner 'There Would Be No War'

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WATCH: President Biden pledges $150 million for military aid in Ukraine - from CBS News






The U.S. has charged the third man believed to be a suspect connected to the killing of Haiti's late President Jovenel Moise.

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday announced the charges against 51-year-old John Joel Joseph, per Al Jazeera.

France 24 noted that Joseph was a former senator of Haiti.

The State Department Joseph made his first court appearance on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Lois, who sits in Miami.

The former Haitian senator was extradited from Jamaica into the U.S. last Friday.

READ NEXT: Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry Found to Be Involved in Former President Jovenel Moise, Judge and Investigators Confirm

Charges Against Haiti Former Senator Over Pres. Jovenel Moise Killing

The former senator from Haiti was charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S. and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

The alleged complaint that was unsealed today also revealed that Joseph was present when a co-conspirator of a former Haitian judge on a written request for assistance to further the arrest and imprisonment of former President Moise.

The complaint also mentioned that John was accused of helping obtain vehicles and attempted to obtain firearms to support the operation against Moise. Furthermore, he was accused of attending a meeting with certain co-conspirators on or about July 6, 2021, after which many co-conspirators engaged in a mission to kill the late president of Haiti.

If Joseph is convicted of his charges, the former senator of Haiti may face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The U.S. State Department noted that a federal district court judge would determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Other Individuals Charged in Killing of Haiti's Late Pres. Jovenel Moise

Joseph was not the only key suspect in President Jovenel Moise's killing.

In January, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar, a former U.S. government informant, was charged as the second prime suspect in the assassination of Haiti's late president.

Jaar was charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S. and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending such material support would be used to prepare or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

Jaar was also suspected of communicating with an unidentified suspect who acquired a signature from a former judge in a bid to illegally arrest the late Haiti President Jovenel Moise.

The said co-conspirator, named "co-conspirator #1," is still in the custody of Haiti authorities.

It can be recalled that more than 40 suspects, including 19 former Colombian soldiers, were arrested and detained after Haiti's late President Jovenel Moise was killed in his home in Port-au-Prince on July 7 last year.

READ NEXT: Texas: Unnamed Donor Pays Off Student Debt of Over 100 College Graduates

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: New Wave of Arrests in Assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise - From NBC News
The administration of President Joe Biden is suspending the 25 percent tariffs on steel imports from Ukraine to help bolster the country's economy amid its war with Russia.

According to CBS News, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Monday that the suspension will last for one year.

According to CNN, the move came after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal asked the U.S. to lift the said tariffs during his meetings at the White House in April. Some members of Congress have also been urging the administration to lift the said tariffs.

"For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Raimondo added that the announcement was a signal to the Ukrainian people that the U.S. is committed to helping them thrive in the face of Russia's aggression and "that their work will create a stronger Ukraine."

In recent weeks, a steel plant in Mariupol became a focal point in the war. The Azovstal plant is one of the largest steel rolling companies in Ukraine, and it has been under intense attack by the Russian military for weeks.

Raimondo noted that people could not only admire the fortitude and spirit of Ukrainians, adding that Ukrainian steelworkers should be supported, according to the Daily Mail.

READ NEXT: U.S. Charges Third Man Believed to Be a Suspect in Late Haiti Pres. Jovenel Moise Killing

U.S. Suspends Steel Tariffs on Ukraine

According to the Commerce Department, Ukraine's steel industry employs 1 in 13 people, and many steel mills have continued to pay, feed, and even shelter their employees in the middle of the country's war with Russia.

In 2018, the Trump administration imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum in a bid to support those industries.

However, the move was rebuked by U.S. manufacturers of these products at the time, saying it would cost jobs and increase consumer prices.

Since President Joe Biden took office last year, his administration has methodically rolled back some tariffs imposed under the Trump administration. Reports claimed that Biden did this to strengthen the ties of the United States with its allies.

Joe Biden Introduces New Sanctions Targeting Russian Companies

The announcement by the Commerce Department came a day after the White House announced a new package of sanctions against Russia.

Under the new package of sanctions, the Biden administration will prevent Russian companies and citizens from using U.S. accounting, marketing, and consulting services.

The new sanctions also include new visa restrictions on 2,600 Russian and Belarusian officials. Russian bank executives, including 27 Gazprombank executives, will also be impacted by the package. The new sanction will also affect some television networks in Russia.

"Today's actions are a continuation of the systematic and methodical removal of Russia from the global financial and economic system," a senior Biden administration official said on Sunday.

READ MORE: Texas: Unnamed Donor Pays Off Student Debt of Over 100 College Graduates

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WATCH: Battle Continues for Ukrainian Steel Plant - From Good Morning America
Two Mexican journalists were murdered on Monday in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz, the state attorney general's office said.

According to Reuters, Yessenia Mollinedo and Sheila Garcia died in the municipality of Cosoleacaque at around 3 p.m. Local media reported that unidentified gunmen shot the two journalists while sitting in a car parked in an Oxxo parking lot.

In the photos circulating online, Borderland Beat reported that Garcia was seen slumped in the front seat of a silver Ford Focus after she was struck and killed by bullets. Mollinedo was still alive at the scene, but she reportedly died before she was even brought to a hospital.

Mollinedo was the founder of El Veraz, a news portal reporting on Cosoleacaque, while Garcia was a photographer.

The two Mexican journalists were the 10th and 11th media workers killed in Mexico this year. No one has been arrested yet. Local authorities asked the public to submit any tips or information that may help them identify and locate the killers.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 400 Missing Persons Found Dead in Guanajuato State Plagued by Mexican Drug Cartels

The 9th Mexican Journalists Murdered in Mexico

The murders of Yessenia Mollinedo and Sheila Garcia came four days after veteran journalist Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was found dead on the side of a highway in Mexico's Sinaloa state.

Ramirez Ramos was the ninth media worker murdered in the country this year. State prosecutors confirmed that the body found wrapped in a black bag on a dirt road near Culiacan on Thursday was 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.

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."

Attacks on Mexican Journalists in Mexico

Mexico was the second-deadliest country for journalists in 2021, next to India. According to Columbia Journalism Review, 153 journalists have been murdered since the late 1990s, and another 29 "disappeared."

It is suspected that the masterminds behind most killings are senior cartel leaders or public officials. According to data from the Mexican government, about 44 percent of the "probable aggressors" in the murders of journalists and human rights activists were public servants as of April 2021.

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has urged the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to quickly adopt comprehensive strategies to address violence against journalists.

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 this year include Heber Lopez, Margarito Martinez Esquivel, Lourdes Maldonado Lopez, Jose Luis Gamboa, Roberto Toledo, Juan Carlos Muniz, and Jorge Camero.

READ MORE: Mexico: 9th Mexican Journalist Killed This Year Found Wrapped in Black Bag on Sinaloa Road

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Journalists in Mexico Fear Cartels - From VICE News






A massacre took place in California over the weekend, and a mother and a minor boy were arrested after her three children were found dead.

According to Law and Crime, Angela Flores was arrested late Sunday night after initially being questioned by police that morning.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said the incident occurred at a house on the 22500 block of Victory Boulevard in the West Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles.

LAPD Public Information Officer Matthew Cruz said no other suspects are being sought at the moment. Police said the victims were a 12-year-old girl and two 8-year-old boys.

The three children were all declared dead at the scene of the crime. The LAPD also arrested the California mom's teen son, who was allegedly involved in the triple homicide.

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The California Massacre

According to New York Post, police went to Angela Flores' home at around 7:40 a.m. on Sunday after getting calls about an assault with a deadly weapon.

Arriving at the scene, responding officers found Flores' twin boys and her pre-teen daughter unresponsive. Paramedics noted that the children had been dead for several hours without knowing how they died.

Neighbors said the family had only moved into the home about three months ago. They added that they often hear arguments and screaming, including the night before the children were found.

Angela Flores Is a Suspect in the California Massacre

Neighbor Priscilla Canales told the Los Angeles Times that she heard Angela Flores on Saturday night screaming that her family was abusing her.

Canales noted that she saw the California mom walk into the next-door neighbor's yard, open a Bible, and light candles.

The neighbor who lived next to Flores, Blanca Hernandez, told CBS News that she was home when Flores started acting "erratically on her front lawn," prompting her to call 911.

She said she never saw Flores if she lived around the area. Canales added that Flores kept jumping up and saying, "Where's my Bible."

Neighbor Stephen Hayes told LA Times that the family looked like "nice, normal people," adding that the California mom's house "is one of the nicest-looking houses on the block."

Flores' teenage son, believed to have been involved in the killing of his siblings, was reportedly taken into custody after being seen running towards a neighbor's house. He was reportedly brought to a juvenile lock-up facility.

The LAPD said the California mom admitted to killing her children with the assistance of his 16-year-old son. Flores is reportedly facing three counts of murder and is being held on $6 million bail.

Reports said the abused child unit of the LAPD's Juvenile Division is currently working to determine the victims' time and cause of death.

READ MORE: Michael Gargiulo, Known as the 'Hollywood Ripper' and 'Boy Next Door Killer,' Gets Death for Killing 2 Women, Including Ashton Kutcher's Date

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WATCH: Mother Arrested, Held on $6 Million Bail in Murders of 3 Children - From CBS Los Angeles






CASE TITLE:

Amzad Ali Vs NIA

DATE OF ORDER:

07TH MAY, 2022

JUDGE(S):

Honble Justice Pankaj Bhandari and Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand,

PARTIES:

PETITIONER: Amzad Ali

RESPONDENT: NIA

SUBJECT

The Rajasthan High Court ruled that because the Customs Act is not included in Schedule-II of the UA(P)A, smuggling of gold, even of a quantity bailable under the Customs Act, cannot be considered a terrorist act.

IMPORTANT PROVISION

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

BRIEF FACTS

On 03.07.2020, 10 accused were apprehended by Custom Officers at Jaipur Airport while attempting to smuggle gold into India from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a case was registered under Section 135 of the Customs Act.

Because the gold seized from each of these accused was worth less than Rs. 1 crore and the tax or custom duty on it was less than Rs. 50 lakh, they were all released on bail in the Customs Act case.

Based on the facts, the National Investigation Agency filed a FIR for an offence under Section 17 of the UA(P)A and Section 120B of the IPC (NIA).

The accused-appellants filed bail applications under Section 439 CrPC, which were denied by the Special Judge (N.I.A. Cases), Jaipur, and the present appeals were filed in response.

QUESTION RAISED

Whether Section 15(1)(a)(iiia) of the UA(P)A, which was added in 2012, was intended to include gold smuggling in the category of 'other material' or not?

ADVANCED AGRUMENT BY THE APPELLANT

The accused appellants counsel argued that the proposed amendments to the Act were referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, and that based on the Joint Parliamentary Committee's meeting, it can be concluded that the Legislature never intended to include 'gold' under Section 15(1)(a)(iiia) under the term 'other material' as it pertains to other material required for minting counterfeit currency notes, coins, bonds, stamp papers, and so on.

He also claimed that after being granted bail under the Customs Act, the N.I.A. purposefully arrested the accused appellants without any evidence that they were involved in any terrorist act.

ADVANCED ARGUMENT BY THE RESPONDENT

The NIA's counsel argued that gold smuggling has a direct impact on the country's economic security and thus falls under Section 15(1)(a)(iiia) of the UA(P)A. He also claimed that the gold was purposefully distributed among the passengers and that the value of the gold was kept under Rs. 1 crore so that the offence would be bailable.

The Union of India's counsel argued that, while the Kerala High Court's judgement is persuasive, when there is a Rajasthan High Court judgement, it must be followed.He contended that only when the trials have been drawn out and the accused has been detained for an extended period of time has the Apex Court granted the benefit or affirmed the High Court's order granting bail.

He also claimed that the appellants have only been in custody for one and a half years, and that the sentence under the UA(P)A ranges from a minimum of five years to life imprisonment.

ANALYSIS BY THE COURT

The Court relied upon Mohammad Shafi v. National Investigation Agency, Kochi, where the Kerala High Court stated that if the Union's argument is accepted, then any smuggling would constitute an offence, threatening the country's economic security. The court added that if the Legislature's intention had been to mention that smuggling of any material is a threat to the country's economic security.

The Kerala High Court ruled in Mohammad Shafi that Section 15(1)(a)(iiia) of the UA(P)A does not apply when gold is smuggled into the country. The Kerala High Court ruled that evidence of a conspiracy and gold smuggling does not lend credence to an allegation of a threat to economic security or irreparable harm to the country's economic security, and thus cannot be considered a terrorist act.

The court stated that Amzad Ali had no material seized, his name did not appear in the statements of the co-accused during the investigation by Custom Officers, and his name appeared for the first time in statements recorded by N.I.A. There appears to be no evidence against Amzad Ali. The other accused, who were labourers who lost their jobs due to COVID, were asked to carry gold in lieu of the tickets, according to the investigation. There is no evidence to suggest that they intended to commit any terrorist act that would jeopardise the country's economic security.

CONCLUSION

The court clarified that anything observed herein shall not be construed as an expression on the merits of the case while deciding these appeals. Furthermore, the court clarified that the observations made while deciding these appeals are simply the arguments advanced by both parties and will have no bearing on the learned trial judge's independent opinion formed based on witness testimony during the course of trial.

Learn the practical aspects of CrPC HERE, CPC HERE, IPC HERE, Evidence Act HERE, Family Laws HERE, DV Act HERE

Click here to download the original copy of the judgement
A recently retired woman, a restaurant owner, a pharmacist, a shareholder in a water filtration company, and a crane hire and construction company were all tricked into putting money into a fraudster's bank account after hackers accessed their emails.

The account into which all the money was lodged - some of which was never recovered - was a Bank of Ireland account in the name of Michael Fakinle, with an address at Ballyboden in Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday, May 10.

Now aged 21, the student says that when aged 19, he allowed his account to be used by someone whose identify he has not revealed to gardai.

Judge Pauline Codd heard that the largest single amount of money, a retirement fund of 71,892.41 belonging to a recently retired woman in the south-west, was transferred into Fakinle's Bank of Ireland account.

For four days in May 2020, it remained there, apparently unnoticed by the criminals, and was retrieved before they could take it.

However, other sums of money ranging from 1,100 to 5,000 have not been recovered and the rightful owners are out of pocket, the court heard.

Fakinle pleaded guilty to five counts of handling property knowing it to be the proceeds of criminal conduct. He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of money laundering. He will be sentenced on October 7.

Detective Garda Shane Whelan told David Perry BL, prosecuting, that in May 2020, a shareholder in a water filtration company received an email from the company seeking funds to assist with cashflow.

He phoned the company and said he was willing to provide a 5,000 loan to help the company over their difficulty.

However, the email to him had been hacked and, following this, the man received another email asking him to lodge the 5,000 promised, not into the company's account but into a Bank of Ireland account, for which details were provided.

The man lodged the money to this account, which was Fakinle's account. When he was later told by the company that the money had not been received, he called gardai. The 5,000 has never been recovered and the man is out of pocket for it.

In another case, a restaurant owner in Kinsale made a legitimate insurance claim and, in March 2021, 1,339 was paid out.

However, an early email exchange between him and the insurance company had been hacked. This allowed the hackers to ask him to lodge the money into Fakinle's account.

The money has also never been recovered.

Another victim, a chemist in a midlands town, was tricked into transferring 3,251 into Fakinle's account in April 2020. It too has never been recovered.

In the same month, a construction company in Donegal was tricked into paying a fraudulent invoice for 1,100. This sum has also not been recovered.

As a result of the near loss of the woman's pension fund, gardai investigated Fakinle's bank account and found the other questionable transactions. When questioned by gardai in February 2021, he made admissions.

He told gardai he had been approached by someone who asked to use his account. He said his role was to take money that had been lodged into the account and hand it over to another person. He did not identify this person because he claimed to be in fear of them, Det Gda Whelan told the court.

The alleged deal was that Fakinle would receive some of the money himself. He claimed not to have received any money and he maintained he did not initiate any frauds or send emails. He had 500 in court as compensation for his victims, the court heard.

Det Gda Whelan agreed with Ronan Prendergast BL, defending, that Fakinle had co-operated with the investigation into the fraud, which was uncovered because of the attempted theft of the woman's retirement fund.

Mr Prendergast said Fakinle accepted what he had done was wrong and pleaded guilty at an early stage. He had only made "a few hundred euro", the barrister said.

Defence counsel said Fakinle attended Dublin Technical University where he was studying digital marketing.

Judge Codd adjourned sentence to October 7 for a probation report, noting also this would give Fakinle time to obtain more funds to compensate victims.
A Laois take away was served with a Closure Order for breaches of food safety legislation last month.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported that two Closure Orders were served on food businesses during the month of April for breaches of food safety legislation, pursuant to the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020.

The Enforcement Orders were issued by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and officers of the FSAI. The Closure Orders were served on:

Mrs Beltons Farm Produce, Black Ditch, Brittas Bay, Wicklow and The Chef's Counter (take away), Main Street, Portarlington, Laois.

According to the HSE report on the premises in Portarlington, the order related to food issues with the cooling of food and keeping of documentation.

Raw materials and all ingredients stored in the food business were not kept in appropriate conditions designed to prevent harmful deterioration and protected from contamination, it noted.

It also stated: Monitoring Procedures - There was no documented procedure for monitoring the temperature of cooling foods.

Elsewhere during the month of April, three prosecutions were taken by the HSE in relation to: Cosmo Off-Licence, Circular Road, Tuam, Galway (two prosecutions) and The Front Room (also known as Hibernia Inn), 29 High Street, Tuam, Galway.

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders in April included failure to have effective traceability systems and procedures in place; inappropriate storage of raw materials and ingredients; a reliance on room temperature to cool foods; operating without registration or approval; failure to implement and maintain food safety procedures.

Chief Executive, FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne reminded businesses that ensuring correct and proper food safety practices are in place is crucial to protecting the health of consumers.

The Enforcement Orders in April show that some businesses have committed serious breaches of food safety procedures. Food businesses must have the appropriate registration and/or approval in place before they start to produce and place food on the market. This requirement means that food businesses will be registered and/or approved with the appropriate inspection agency to ensure food safety and protect consumer health. Consumers have a right to safe food and food businesses have a legal requirement to ensure that the food they are processing, serving or selling is safe to eat.

She said: The three prosecutions taken by the HSE in April, with support from the FSAI, had a positive outcome for the protection of consumer health. The sale and supply of counterfeit alcohol is a very serious offence, as these products can cause dangerous adverse health effects and even death in some instances.

Details of the food businesses served with Enforcement Orders are published on the FSAIs website. Closure Orders and Improvement Orders will remain listed in the enforcement reports on the website for a period of three months from the date of when a premises is adjudged to have corrected its food safety issue, with Prohibition Orders being listed for a period of one month.
A professional jockey received a six month disqualification for drink driving at a sitting of Portlaoise District Court.

Dylan Whelan 22, of Carrickahilla, Stradbally, Co Waterford was arrested on suspicion of drink driving on the M7 in Portlaoise on July 18 last year.

Solicitor Philip Meagher said his client was in the UK but had instructed him that he wishes to enter a plea of guilty to the offence. He has taken up work in Cheltenham. He is a jockey by profession Judge, he remarked.

Sgt JJ Kirby said the defendant had been in between lanes driving back and forth and when stopped on the M7 in Portlaoise was found to have an alcohol reading of 32mgs over 100mls. Sgt Kirby said the man was driving on a provisional licence and had no previous convictions and was co-operative with gardai.

Mr Meagher said his client has been a professional jockey since February 2020 and he was on his way to the Curragh at the time he was arrested. He said the man had attended a family function the previous evening but had stopped drinking during the night. He obviously hadnt given himself enough time to clear the alcohol from his system, he remarked.

He said he realises now that he should have been more careful and he explained that he had never come to the attention of Gardai before. He said he is looking forward to working in England and a trainer over there has given him what will hopefully be a wonderful opportunity. Mr Meagher said in terms of the case, his client was anxious to just get it over with.

Judge Patricia Cronin said the Sergeant was very positive in relation to this young man. She noted he was co-operative and the reading is on the low end. She said had the man a full licence the case wouldnt be in court. She disqualified him from driving for six months and fined him 150.
There has been a large fall in the number of Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum in Ireland.

According to the latest figures from the Department of Justice, 4,249 refugees entered Ireland and sought protection in the week between March 28 and April 3, the highest number since visa requirements for those entering Ireland from Ukraine were lifted.

However, this figure dropped to 1,672 refugees in the week from April 25 until May 1 and then to 1,606 last week.

This brings the total number of people who have arrived from Ukraine to Ireland to 28,531, while as many as 5.7 million Ukrainians have fled their country, with many going to neighbouring countries.

In addition, a further 6.5 million are estimated to be displaced inside the war-ravaged country.

GOVT STATEMENT

Commenting on the changes, spokesperson from the Dept said that as the situation in Ukraine develops, it is difficult to predict 'with any degree of certainty' the exact number of people that may arrive over the coming weeks.

However, they added that the "immediate and overriding priority is to assist those who have arrived and continue to arrive in Ireland to find safety with access to State supports as needed, as part of a whole of Government response."

"It must also be noted that, although the numbers are currently lower than in some weeks in March, they remain at a high level when viewed against the typical numbers of asylum seekers who present in Ireland," the spokesperson added.
Plans to legislate for the Irish language have been announced in the Queens Speech.

There had been an expectation that the Westminster Government would introduce the legislation before the Stormont election last week.

It fell to the Northern Ireland Office after the Stormont parties were unable to agree to introduce cultural and language legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly which was part of the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal.

The plans include an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to promote respect for diversity as well as an Irish Language Commissioner and a commissioner to develop language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition.

The Queen, 96, pulled out of the ceremonial occasion  when she reads out the Governments legislative programme for the forthcoming parliamentary session  as she continued to experience episodic mobility problems.

In the Queens absence, the Prince of Wales announced plans to deliver a package of identity and language measures, as promised in the NDNA deal that restored powersharing in early 2020.

The move had been flagged in advance of the speech, but delays in bringing forward the measures had been criticised by Irish language campaigners.

Earlier this year campaigners said that they walked out of a meeting with UK junior minister Conor Burns, citing a lack of clarity on when legislation would be brought forward.

The promised legislation will also place a duty on the Northern Ireland Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use of Ulster Scots, with the Secretary of State empowered to step in to ensure the commitments are followed by the Executive.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she had raised the issue in a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis on Monday.
After several years of community fundraising, a Laois village has proudly installed a life saving public access heart defibrillator, housed in a traditional Irish phonebox.

The Ballybrittas Tidy Towns Committee held a big launch for their defibrillator last Saturday May 7, with all enjoying refreshments from the recently opened Village Coffee shop.

The 'Heart of Ballybrittas project began in 2019 when the committee agreed on their goal and got in touch with The Heart of Ireland Project who install Phone Box AEDs around Ireland.

The Tidy Towns Committee began fundraising by setting up a GoFundMe page for online donations. It was supplemented by money raised at a Christmas event in 2019 supported by a Tractor Run from the local Tractor Club, and by generous donations from individuals and businesses near and far.

When Covid-19 arrived fundraising became more difficult. Luckily they received a grant through the Community Enhancement Scheme administered by the Laois Local Community Development Committee. That paid for the defibrillator itself, while the money that had been raised locally was enough to cover the cost of the special phone box.

Below: Tim Kearney, Cllr Paschal Mc Evoy, James Hyland (The Coffee Shop), Dan O'Neill, Scott Courtney holding the ribbon which his mother Sally Courtney (Chairperson, Ballybrittas Tidy Towns) cut for the new Defibrillator launch, Fergus O'Reilly and Adrian O'Halloran. Photo: Michaell Scully

The defibrillators location has been registered with the National Ambulance Service (NAS). In the event of an emergency and access to the defibrillator is required, the public are asked to dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Ambulance Service, giving the Eircode on the front of the phone box. The NAS operator will then advise the key pad code to unlock the phone box.

Sally Courtney Chairperson of Ballybrittas Tidy Towns thanks everyone who helped them along the way, including local businesses.

"The committee would like to express its gratitude to everyone involved including local man David O Connell who unloaded the phone box on delivery day.

"A special thanks to Laois County Council who were very helpful and accommodating throughout the project, providing assistance for the connection of the defibrillator, and in particular, thanks go to Cllr Paschal McEvoy and more recently Cllr PJ Kelly for all their representations to get the project over the line.

"This project wouldnt have been possible without the pulling together of everyone involved," she said.

It is not enough to install the device, local people have to be trained to use it and the committee has managed just that.

"We applied to Laois Offaly Education and Training Board to provide a Cardiac First Responder training course to train a small group of local people. This course is at full capacity now as they have had huge interest from people to participate. We would like to thank Rath National School for allowing their hall to be used as a training venue," Sally said.

Damien Baker is Project Lead on the Heart of Ireland Project explains.

The Heart of Ireland group is an umbrella project that encompasses bringing an old piece of Irish history back to keep communities together in new ways. We are delighted to welcome another Phone Box AED to the country and we hope that this increases peoples awareness of these life saving devices locations. Thank you to the sterling work undertaken by the Ballybrittas community to make this project happen.
Portlaoise is set to get a big splash of spring colour with the launch of plans to plant 100,000 flowers in the Laois county town over the next two years.

Portlaoise Tidy Towns has revealed its plans for a two year programme in tender documents inviting companies to bid for the bulb planting contract.

Under the so-called Spring Pollinator Bulb Initiative, the voluntary group says it is aiming to deliver on a key objective in the Portlaoise 2040 plan to create green corridors throughout the town.

Portlaoise Tidy Towns says it is actively pursuing this strategy with Laois County Council and is in the process of creating a network of pollinator friendly areas at key locations in the town.

The bulb planting contract on offer will according, to the Tidy Towns group, see the focus being placed on the verges around the eight main approach road entrances signs and two selected areas on James Fintan Lalor Avenue.

The project will be delivered over two autumn bulb planting seasons: September to October 2022 and September to October 2023. Four sites will be planted in 2022 with five planted in 2023.

The flower bulbs selected are:

Early Crocus - 60,000

Snowdrops - 5,500

Native Bluebells - 2,000

Grape Hyacinth - 7,500

Daffodil - 25,000

The locations for planting are: JFL Avenue, Stradbally Rd, Mountmellick Rd, Dublin Rd, Borris Rd, Mountrath Rd, Abbeyleix Rd M7 Junction, Ballyfin Rd, Timahoe Rd.

It is anticipated that LEADER funding approval will be in place by mid-summer 2022. Laois County Council will act as the Project Supervisor for the Design phase.

The winning contractor will work with Portlaoise Tidy Towns sub-committee led Chairman Gerry Browne on the delivery of the project.
A number of bus route cancellations prompted an emergency motion at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District (MD) meeting on Friday, May 6.

The motion was raised by Social Democrats councillor Aidan Farrelly, which prompted a vote to suspend current sittings to address the issue.

Cllr Farrellys motion was worded as follows: "That the MD invites the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Go Ahead Ireland to a special meeting of the committee to address the issues relating to the 120 bus Edenderry/Prosperous to Dublin, the C4 Maynooth to Dublin and 115 Kilcock to Dublin."

The emergency motion was allowed to proceed following a vote by all political representatives in attendance, who supported it, except for Green Party Cllr Peter Hamilton and Independent Cllr Padraig McEvoy, who voted against it.

Commenting on his decision, Cllr McEvoy said that he was affected by the bus cancellations as well, but said he had concern that the motion 'stood outside Kildare County Council remits'.

Cllr Aidan Farrelly (Social Democrats) proposed the motion

"The procedure here is incorrect, we have certain procedures in place for a reason," he added.

In response, the Chair and Fine Gael Cllr Brendan Wyse pointed to the example of students not being able to attend exams due to the bus cancellations: "I dont care, people are coming to us and look up to us, we have to help them."

He added: "It is unacceptable, and we have to act."

Labour Cllr Angela Feeney said that she had similar issues with the C4 bus service in Maynooth, adding that the cancellations have been causing 'a huge amount of stress' for those affected.

"These people have only found out at the last minute on social media platforms such as Twitter; these cancellations dont seem to be pre-planned," she said.

Fianna Fail Cllr Paul Ward also called for Go Ahead Ireland to 'explain their views', while FG Cllr Brendan Weld said he agreed with the decision to write to the NTA and Go Ahead Ireland.

Those in attendance agreed for KCCs transport department to send a letter to the NTA and Go Ahead Ireland, and also agreed that the motion would officially be seconded by Cllr Feeney.
A large number of councillors have voted to write to Minister Eamon Ryan over the Green Partys (GP) proposed turf law.

The decision was made at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District (MD) meeting which was held in Aras Chill Dara in Naas on Friday, May 6.

The draft legislation, which would see a ban on the commercial sale of turf in communities with over 500 people, has been met with criticism over the past two weeks.

It follows after the GP leader said on Thursday last that he does not expect turf briquettes to be banned alongside smoky fuels this year.

FUEL POVERTY

Fine Gael Cllr Brendan Weld proposed that the MD write to Minister Ryan to postpone the 'ban on sale of turf'.

Explaining his reasoning, Cllr Weld said that while he was concerned about the environmental impact of turf, as well as the sustainability of Irelands bogs as a whole, he stressed that many pensioners "find it stressful that they may not be able to keep warm for winter".

"People will have to make a decision between fuel and food; fuel poverty like this will lead to people dying," he added.

Cllr Weld further said that while he had 'no problem' with Minister Ryans intentions, he said that he would like to see an alternative solution which is required for those who rely on turf.

"If there is a solution, find it," he added.

In response, GP Cllr Peter Hamilton said: "With full respect to Cllr Weld, I cannot support them (referring to his views).

"We must understand the effects that smoky coal and turf are having, and how they are attributing to a number of deaths."

Cllr Hamilton was backed up by Independent Cllr Padraig McEvoy, who pointed to the fact that carbon in the atmosphere can take thousands of years to fully dissipate.

However, he added that he supported the MD members outlining the concerns of those who are reliant on turf.

Kildare-Mayor Naoise O Cearuil said that he supported Cllr Welds motion, and told Cllr McEvoy: "We must be aware that those relying on turf are only a small cohort of people, its not widespread."

FG Cllr Tim Durkan also said that Cllr Weld 'hit the nail on the head' with his assessment, and also called for a viable, alternative solution.

COST CONCERNS

He also spoke of his own experience with his heat pump: "I got a heat pump installed, and was greeted with the lovely surprise of a 1,200 bill," Cllr Durkan added.

Social Democrats Cllr Aidan Farrelly asked members to, in their letter to Minister Ryan, call on him to outline alternatives for those reliant on turf, while Labour Cllr Angela Feeney also voiced her support for Cllr Welds motion.

Chair and FG Cllr Brendan Wyse said: "I usually agree with Minister Ryan, and I do appreciate him bringing up the issue, but heat pumps and retrofitting are very costly."

Cllr Weld added that there is a waiting list for those wanting to retrofit their homes.

The representatives present then held a vote to write a letter to Minister Ryan.

All members except for Cllrs Hamilton and McEvoy voted in favour of writing and sending the letter.
Researchers at Maynooth University (MUI) have managed to secure 5 million in funding.

In total, the researchers are set to receive 4.8 million in funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under the Frontiers for the Future, to tackle a range of topics, including: crop resistance, water pollutants, DNA, artificial intelligence and rising sea levels.

The Frontiers for the Future Awards strand allocates funding of almost 2 million to two separate projects led by researchers in the Department of Biology, Dr Fiona Walsh and Dr Karen English, while a further seven MUI projects will receive approximately 2.9 million across a range of disciplines.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, TD, said about the announcement: Congratulations to all the researchers who have received funding today as part of the SFI Frontiers for the Future Programme.

"I am delighted to support this programme which funds individual-led research, with an emphasis on fundamental research at the cutting edge of science and engineering which will help us build a better future for Ireland through discovery, innovation, and impact.

He concluded: "Not only will these grants support research in important areas for Irish society, they will also fund 216 people in varying research positions across 10 Higher Education Institutes to further develop their research careers.

"We are investing in talent; I would like to offer my thanks to the Higher Education Institutions for their support in delivering this programme again this year."

The Frontiers for the Future Awards strand allocates funding of almost 2 million to two separate projects led by researchers in the Department of Biology, Dr Fiona Walsh and Dr Karen English, while a further seven MUI projects will receive approximately 2.9 million across a range of disciplines.

Dr Karen English is one of the MUI researchers who has been awarded funding

Dr Walshs research focuses on the internal workings of bacteria that cause disease in humans and are found in agriculture and the environment: the research aims to understand how antibiotic resistant genes work to prevent the antibiotics from killing bacteria.

This information will then be used to help design new targets, or places in bacteria, for new drug treatment.

Research led by Dr Karen English will focus on a cell-based therapy called mesenchymal stromal cells.

This cell based therapy is currently under investigation in clinical trials to treat patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and works by calming the immune system and encouraging repair in distressed lungs.

This research programme seeks to understand why some patients in respiratory distress respond while others do not and will focus on developing ways to enhance the cell therapy so that more patients can benefit.

The SFI Frontiers for the Future programme supports innovative and novel approaches to research, with funding available for both high-risk, high-reward research and larger scale research programmes with the potential to deliver economic and societal impact.

DETAILS

The MUI Awards recipients are: Dr Fiona Walsh  Targeting antimicrobial resistance plasmids to resurrect antimicrobial therapies and Dr Karen English  Removing the brake; Role of PPAR on mesenchymal stromal cell therapeutic efficacy in ARDS (in collaboration with John Laffey, at NUI Galway).

The MUI Projects recipients are:
Mayor of Kildare Naoise O Cearuil has voiced his displeasure at the lack of progress for an appeal made regarding a swimming pool at Maynooth University (MUI).

In his motion at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting on Friday, May 6, the Fianna Fail Cllr asked: "Can the council confirm if it has progressed with a new swimming pool application with Maynooth University (MUI)?"

In its report at the meeting, KCC said that in April 2019, Kildare County Council applied to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in respect of an application from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund to provide for a swimming pool in North Kildare at the well-known university campus.

KCC added that the application was not successful, and an appeal was submitted in respect of the decision in February 2020.

However, KCC admitted that it is still awaiting a directions over the decision regarding the appeal.

In response, Mayor O Cearuil said: "That appeal was made two and a half years ago, and we are only due to get an answer in a few weeks time.

"The fact that this has taken so long is an absolute joke; it is an embarrassment.

He also issued a stern warning to KCC: "If there is no update at the next MD meeting on the swimming pool, I will personally write to the Minister (of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD) for a review into the appeals process."

Mayor O Cearuil added that he was also confused at the delays, given that no in-depth details of construction regarding the proposed pool were disclosed, but rather only very basic planning details.

"Both KCC and Maynooth University have put a lot of money behind this project... the delay is very frustrating," Mayor O Cearuil concluded.

A representative for KCC told Mayor O Cearuil that she would keep the members of the MD involved updated regarding the universitys proposed swimming pool.
The heat is on: the deadline for Kildare producers to apply for Blas na hEireann Awards 2022 has been announced.

This year all roads lead to the pretty seaside town of Dingle as it gears up to host the first in-person Blas na hEireann awards event in two years.

Regarded by many as a key event in the Irish food industrys calendar, Blas na hEireann, like so many others, celebrated their finalists and winners online over the past two years leaving a significant gap in the food and drink calendar.

The contest, which witnessed seven winners from Kildare last year, will return with its signature of great Irish food and drinks scene descending on Dingle once more for the weekend on Friday, September 30.

Commenting on the news, Blas na hEireann Chairman, Artie Clifford, said: "Were absolutely delighted to be planning our awards in Dingle this year.

"We were lucky to have been able to move quickly in 2020 and while we were in a position to run our judging throughout the summer months in the last two years, we werent able to welcome everyone together for the networking and awards.

Mr Clifford continued: "We are proud of the celebrations that we hosted online, and the awards were a huge success, managing to highlight the best of Irish food and drink during a really difficult time.

"However the one thing that was said over and over to us was that people really missed being in Dingle, so we cant wait to welcome our Blas family home this year and celebrate our 2022 finalists in person."

According to organisers, this year is the 15th year of Blas na hEireann with last year seeing a huge increase in entries and many new producers entering the food awards for the very first time.

They said in a statement: "The blind- tasting judging system which was designed by The School of Food and Nutritional Science at UCC under the supervision of Prof Joe Kerry and the team at Blas is now recognised as an industry gold standard worldwide.

"Winners are always the best Blas ambassadors; something 15 years worth of small producers, farmers, growers, bakers and artisan food makers who have won Blas awards can attest to.

"Research has shown that the Blas accreditation has the highest recognition among Irish consumers and having the coveted winners sticker and award logo on products really does encourage shoppers to buy  it is a recognised guarantee of a top-quality Irish product.

Celine Hayes of Couverture Deserts in Kildare added: "For anyone who has won a Blas na hEireann award, you know how special it is. Winning the award puts you in the spotlight and creates an interest in you as a producer.

"You know you have a quality product but when it is independently endorsed by the judges at Blas you know you're onto something special.

She elaborated: "The Blas na hEireann awards comes with its own special package: from the Food Festival to celebrating over the best weekend in Dingle, winning the award continues to give all year round.

"Us passionate producers are delighted to be part of this incredible event. Its fantastic that its back in person this year."

Entries for Blas na hEireann 2022 are open until May 20.

The entry fee is 80 per entry (ex VAT).

For further information, visit http://www.irishfoodawards.com.
Rentokil, Irelands leading pest control provider, is warning Irish holidaymakers to be on the lookout for the presence of bed bugs as they return from their holidays.

A common cause of the spread of bed bugs is the transportation of the pests through clothing and other baggage, so a hotel or rental accommodations bed bug problem can easily become an issue in your own home. These pests feed on human blood, usually when homeowners are asleep, and bed bug bites can become sore and itchy in some cases.

Rentokil has recorded a 40% increase in callouts this year compared to the same period (January  April) in 2021. Dublin is the county which has accounted for the most callouts for bed bugs so far this year, with 28% of all callouts to the capital. Cork (14%), Donegal (9%) and Galway (5%) are the next three counties which accounted for the most callouts for bed bugs from Rentokil.

Richard Faulkner, Advanced Technical Field Consultant for Rentokil said:

Bed bugs lay eggs and multiply at alarming rates, and the size of these pests can make them difficult to spot. With the Easter holiday coming to an end and people returning from all around the world, this unfortunately increases the risk of returning home with unwanted guests.

We consider hotels, B&Bs and holiday rentals to be areas of high risk due to the volume of guests that pass through them. We recommend that holidaymakers be vigilant in both inspecting their room and luggage for signs of bed bugs. We also recommend that if accommodation owners become aware of a bed bug infestation, they have it taken care of immediately

Top bed bug warning signs include:

The presence of dark stains on the mattress and surrounding area from bed bug excreta.

An unpleasant, sweet, sickly scent in the room.

Small dark blood spots on bedding known as 'faecal spotting'.

Live insects - despite being small (4-5mm long) its possible to spot live bed bugs and shed skins. Key areas to check include bed frames and mattresses, bedside cabinets, wardrobes, and skirting boards.



For holidaymakers who do unintentionally bring bed bugs into their home, Rentokil recommends that they check luggage before packing and unpacking, inspect the bed, wash and dry clothes at the highest possible temperatures, eliminate clutter, and vacuum thoroughly.

These steps can greatly reduce the size of the bed bug population but may not eliminate the problem entirely. If the problem persists, its advisable to call a professional pest control service.
The lower VAT rate for the hospitality sector will be brought back up but in a way that doesnt adversely hit the industry, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said.

The hospitality sector has a VAT rate of 9%, which is due to expire in August.

Green Party leader Mr Ryan, who spoke on his way to Cabinet on Tuesday morning, said the rate will not be hiked ahead of the dark winter  a difficult time for hospitality.

We dont want to change it then, he said.

So I think it will be timed in a way that gives the hospitality sector the best chance to get back on its feet.

The rate was reduced from 13.5% on November 1 2020, with the aim of helping businesses under financial pressure due to pandemic-related restrictions.

It was extended during this years Budget to the end of August, despite businesses asking for it to be extended further to help them recover from lockdown losses.

We do need to get through this period where the Covid supports start to end, and hospitality are the ones most affected by Covid, Mr Ryan said.
UK-EU discussions on the Northern Ireland Protocol need to be intensified, the Taoiseach has told Boris Johnson.

In a call this morning (Tuesday May 10), Taoiseach Micheal Martin spoke to the UK Prime Minister about the challenges facing Northern Ireland following the Assembly election.

He tweeted: We both agreed on the need to see the NI Executive formed as soon as possible.

On the Protocol, I stressed need to intensify EU and UK discussions, and to avoid any unilateral action.

Following the historic election result at the weekend, Sinn Fein is now the largest party at Stormont and entitled to nominate the first nationalist or republican First Minister.

Spoke to Prime Minister @BorisJohnson this morning. We both agreed on the need to see the NI Executive formed as soon as possible. On the Protocol, I stressed need to intensify EU and UK discussions, and to avoid any unilateral action.  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 10, 2022

The DUP, led by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has said it will not enter a new power-sharing Executive until issues with the protocol are solved.

On Monday, Mr Martin had urged the DUP to think again.

He also expressed optimism the EU and the UK could reach an agreement on the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland, which have overshadowed relations between the two sides for months.

Unionists fiercely oppose the creation of new checks on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mr Martin yesterday rejected any suggestion of EU inflexibility on the protocol, which created new checks on trade moving from Great Britain.

Instead, he suggested there is a landing zone for a compromise between the two sides.
Leitrim Sinn Fein Deputy Martin Kenny said there are some concerns over towns that depend on Summer tourism and the lack of accommodation due to the now available due to the arrival of Ukranian families.

Deputy Kenny, speaking in Dail Eireann last week commended the Department on the work it has done. He said the staff are really helpful and sensible.

In my county, Leitrim, we have a hotel, Lough Allen Hotel, in Drumshanbo, which has been closed for a number of years, since Covid, and is now open and has more than 200 Ukrainian refugees there. I have been there and visited them. It is a tremendous wonder to see people from practically the other side of the world come there and integrate and get on so well.

"I spoke to the principal in the local secondary school as well. There are children preparing to go there. Some of them will wait until after the school holidays because we are so close to them now. A big effort is being made. However, I think the schools will need more assistance with all this because some of the children who come, naturally, will have difficulties with language, etc.

"Also, for some of them, there is autism and all the things we have in this country, which will come with them when they arrive. There are also elderly people who have various disabilities, conditions and other issues who will need medical assistance. That is one of the problems. Even in County Leitrim, with our low population, it is very hard to get a GP. That is one of the big issues that is coming up for an awful lot of the refugees. They cannot get a GP. They are being sent from pillar to post with no assistance. Particularly in an area where there is a hotel and a large concentration of refugees, some kind of medical service needs to be put in place to assist with that.

"In some areas there is a little tension or concern, perhaps in towns which, over the summer in particular, depend on tourism, with other businesses in the town also depending on tourists coming. Such areas now find that the hotels and other accommodations are not available for tourists.

"That will cause a little tension, so there needs to be due care and diligence around that to ensure that jobs and the possibility of business and commerce in those towns are not displaced. We just need to get that right if we can at all. So far, in fairness, there have been huge efforts and we are making great progress in getting it right."
Swim Ireland is delighted to launch our first Pop-Up Pool the first of its kind in Ireland, which will bring swimming to communities across the island. Swim Ireland want to improve the opportunity and experience for all swimmers, and so, supported by Sport Ireland, we will bring our innovative solution to the very real problem hitting the headlines  where can you access swimming when your local pool is at capacity or too far away?

With the support of Fingal County Council our first Pop-Up Pool has landed at Donabate Portrane Community Centre since May 3rd, with additional pools coming soon in Wicklow and Sligo. Every 12-weeks the Pop-Up Pools will move new locations on its journey around Ireland.

Holding 45,000 litres of water, this 12m by 3.4m steel structure will remain in situ in Donabate until mid-July. The water is heated to a toasty 30 degrees and the pool is sheltered from the elements in a hard sided and heated marquee. There are changing rooms onsite, a ramp and a hoist; this accessible pool of water is the ideal place to learn to swim, hone your skills or just remember how great it feels to block out the world and dip your head in the water.

With an ambitious target of 750 swimming experiences a week, Swim Ireland will have school swimming, evening and weekend swimming lessons, community groups and private hires available, the opportunities are endless.

Speaking at the launch Minister Chambers stated This is a really novel way of delivering swimming opportunities in communities. I want to congratulate Swim Ireland on having the vision to consider such an innovative project and was delighted to provide grant funding to deliver the facility. I am committed to increasing participation in sport and swimming is one of the best forms of physical exercise for developing and maintaining high levels of physical fitness and is a sport which people can participate from a very early age and throughout their lives. Delivering new permanent swimming pools can be costly and take considerable time though and this new pop-up facility provides an excellent solution by delivering swimming opportunities at a number of locations at a relatively low cost. I certainly look forward to getting feedback from Swim Ireland in the months ahead on how the new initiative is working.

Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane added We are delighted to get the Pop-Up Pool up and running, this project is something we have been working on for quite some time and to see it come to fruition is really exciting. At Swim Ireland our vision is for An Island of Swimmers and we hope that by bringing the Pop-Up Pool to the people, that we can teach thousands to swim and give them the experience and opportunity to see swimming as a skill and something they can participate in across all life stages. We also see the pop-up pool as a first step in supporting the development of the National Swimming Strategy, a major part of which will focus on swimming infrastructure indoors and outdoors.

Deputy Mayor of Fingal Daniel Whooley said: This is an innovative approach towards getting people of all ages to swim and to build up their confidence in the water, particularly as we approach the summer. Fingal is committed to developing sporting facilities for both the young, and the young at heart, throughout the County, and I am delighted we are able to host this first of its kind pop-up pool in Ireland.

Speaking on behalf of Sport Ireland, CEO Dr, Una May said This is a fantastic initiative by Swim Ireland that brings with it an opportunity for everyone to get involved in swimming, regardless of their ability or experience in the pool. I want to commend Swim Ireland for their innovative approach and getting this project off the ground. On behalf of Sport Ireland, I wish them every success with the first Pop-Up Pool this Summer.
A Green Party Minister has said that she will holds off on her vote concerning the planned National Maternity Hospital, despite her party's leader, Eamon Ryan, approving of the project.

Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin TD said that she will wait for feedback before giving her view on the controversial hospital, according to a recent article from the Irish Examiner.

A spokesperson for Minister Martin said: "It is of chief importance that the clinical independence of the National Maternity Hospital is crystal clear. Minister Martin awaits the observations that will be brought back to Government."

It has since been revealed that all Fine Gael ministers now support the 300-year lease plan, according to a spokesman for An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, while An Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said they expect the plan to proceed.

Minister Donnelly will meet TDs and senators who have raised questions around the proposals before attending the Oireachtas health committee on Wednesday morning.

He previously said that there 'will be absolutely no ambiguity' regarding the clinical and operational independence of the new National Maternity Hospital in Dublin.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The planned hospital has been a point of contention, both in the Dail and within an ever-increasing secular Irish society, for a number of years.

However, tensions once more arose again over the last week.

The Religious Sisters of Charity, who owned the site for the planned hispital, have now transferred their ownership to the St Vincents Healthcare Group, and if the relocation plan goes ahead, the State would lease the land for 299 years.

While the Government has stressed that all lawfully permitted procedures, including abortion and tubal ligation, will be allowed at the NMH, concerns still remain about whether the hospital will be completely free of church interference, which has been the centre of debate, particularly on social media.
Providence, Rhode Island. HERVE DONNEZAN/SAIF IMAGES

La Cite en flames (City on Fire), by Don Winslow, translated from English by Jean Esch, HarperCollins, 394 pages, 21.90, eBook 14.

August 1986: Like every summer, some mob bosses are spending their vacations with their wives and children in a fishing village near Providence, the capital of Rhode Island, USA. The city is under their control. Like their fathers, they have rented adjoining cottages facing the sea. Two extended families mingle there, the Morettis and the Murphys, who are Italian and Irish, respectively. They are bound by a pact of cooperation. The Morettis run the gambling and vending machines (cigarettes and alcohol). The Murphys control the docks and related trafficking. Each clan robs trucks of goods and controls racketeering territories, restaurants and clubs. Together, they have most judges, city officials, police and senators up their sleeves. Almost everything is in order.

But peace is a fragile thing. It can shatter, as it did in the Trojan War, because of a beauty contest whose judge will be rewarded with Menelaus' wife. Or it can be broken forever during a clambake, a typical New England seafood barbecue. This is the case in City on Fire. This is how wars are sparked and corpses pile up  out of pettiness. They are caused by a drunken brawl on a beach, a silly rivalry between alpha males. They begin at a clambake, when an insignificant dandy dares to touch the breast of someone elses gumar ("mistress," in the language of the underworld).

Rooted in Antiquity

Thus begins the deadly conflict that will divide Providences former allies and set the "city on fire," as reads the title of Don Winslows 22nd novel. The 60-year-old writer has always maintained that noir fiction was rooted in Antiquity (Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid and Aeschylus' Oresteia), as well as in the Shakespearean repertoire. Those great texts, archetypes and myths marked his young years and later inspired this son of a librarian in his work. He credits them for the realistic portraits of organized crime and police corruption that he has been writing for 30 years. It is under their aegis, as the books epigraph indicates, that the American author explicitly places the underworld epic that he has just started.

At the heart of this first part of a new trilogy stands Danny Ryan, 29, brother-in-law of the heirs apparent of the Murphy clan, Pat and Liam. "Instead of being a prince, Danny is kind of a small duke," said Mr. Winslow. He is, indeed, a good soldier and a faithful husband, a character both brave and temperate, as Aeneas was. The novelist has announced that Dannys journey will continue in the following volumes. Hollywood will be the next destination for this lieutenant who will eventually rise to the rank of supreme leader. " When Aeneas is ship wrecked in Carthage he goes into a cave and sees a mural with depictions from the fall of Troyof himself, his dead friends. What would be the modern equivalent of that? It would be a movie set," the writer recently said in an interview with CrimeReads.

More on this topic 'The Dark Remains' is Ian Rankin's final salute to his mentor William McIlvanney

Back to his roots

Through its setting in space and time (at the turn of 1990s), City on Fire marks a return to the familiar for Mr. Winslow, who grew up in Rhode Island when the Mafia was still very present. Providence, along with Boston, was one of its nerve centers in New England. Until now, however, he had used the U.S.-Mexico border, California and New York as settings for his books.

Like Dante, Diderot, Joyce and many others did, revisiting the Aeneid, the Iliad or the Odyssey is a tradition in the history of literature. The authors soak in the power of the classics dramatic leitmotifs: honor, loyalty, betrayal, love, sexuality, murder, forgiveness and revenge. While following in the wake of the Trojan War through its twists and turns, City on Fire lacks the depth of field and tragic lyricism that characterize the writer's Cartel trilogy. Opened by Mr. Winslows masterpiece The Power of the Dog, it is to date the writers magnum opus, to which he devoted 23 years of his life. However, City on Fire is far from being a damp squib. It keeps its promises and is as appealing as a clambake.

Macha Sery Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
A tourist couple takes a picture of an elephant near the majestic Victoria Falls, a tourism attraction for Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, on November 13, 2019. - A series of heat waves has dried most of the vegetation surrounding the UNESCO world heritage site leading to close human encounters with elephants. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP) ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP

1.5%Sixty Zimbabweans have been killed by elephants so far this year, as a conservation success story has led to increased conflict with humans, the government spokesman said Tuesday, May 10.

With 100,000 elephants, Zimbabwe has the world's second-largest population after Botswana, and about one-quarter of the elephants in all of Africa.

Unlike in much of the world, where poachers have killed off the animals for their tusks, Zimbabwe's elephant population is growing at about five percent a year.

"In some areas, elephants are moving in numerous herds and have devoured everything in the fields and are now moving into homesteads, forcing community members to retaliate, in the process injuring some of the elephants," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said on Twitter. "The injured ones have become aggressive and uncontrollable," Mr. Mangwana said.

72 people killed in 2021

"The issue of human and wildlife conflict has become quite emotive. This year alone 60 Zimbabweans have lost their lives to elephants and 50 injured," he said. Mangwana said elephants killed 72 people in 2021. Elephants have been roaming outside of Zimbabwe's sprawling game reserves.

But demographic growth as well as poverty are also forcing rural dwellers in Zimbabwe to move into areas that bring them into conflict with elephants.

Zimbabwe has a population of around 15 million which is growing at around 1.5 % per year.

Tinashe Farawo, of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, told AFP warned of "disaster" unless elephant numbers were reduced.

"The threat is likely to increase as we move towards the dry season when the herds will be moving in search of water and food," he said.

Mr. Farawo said rangers have been deployed to put down the most dangerous elephants.

Conservationists say that Zimbabwe can support about 45,000 elephants, which require vast grounds for grazing.

Trade in elephants is banned internationally, but the government has begun considering contraceptives or hunting licenses to manage the herd.

Le Monde
Ray Goggins, former Special Forces Operator and now Chief Instructor on RTEs Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, is calling on people across Ireland to be brave this year, by taking part in Childrens Health Foundations new Dare to be Brave adventure series, which will raise vital funds to support sick children and their families in Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

Ray has teamed up with Childrens Health Foundation to launch this exciting new series of adrenaline-inducing events, which includes a 13,000ft skydive, abseil from Croke Parks iconic Hogan Stand, an assault course challenge and a 24-hour wilderness survival challenge.

The events will take place between May and August 2022, and will provide participants with exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experiences:

- May 26  27  Air, Land & Water Assault Course Challenge  Blessington, Co. Wicklow

- June 20  23  Croke Park Abseil Challenge  Croke Park, Dublin 1

- July 21 23  24 Hour Wilderness Survival Challenge  Glendalough, Co. Wicklow

- August 24  27  Skydive Challenge  Edenderry, Co. Offaly

Participants can sign-up to take part in all challenges, or they can choose which of the challenges they want to take on throughout the summer. Additionally, people can take on the challenges by themselves, or they can take part as a member of a team. Why not dare your friends or colleagues to be brave with you?

Funds raised by the Dare to be Brave adventure series will go to support the vital, life-saving work that happens in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres every day.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of sick children cross the doors of CHI hospitals and urgent care centres at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

For these children, the hospital can be a scary place, especially when they are unwell. Every day, the children in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres summon an incredible amount of bravery and Childrens Health Foundation is committed to supporting the hospitals and urgent care centres to continue their vital and life-saving work.

Speaking at a Dare to be Brave photoshoot recently, Ray Goggins said:

I am delighted to team up with Childrens Health Foundation to help spread the word about the exciting new series of Dare to be Brave adventure challenges. This series will raise money that will help so many sick children and families from right across Ireland.

As a proud Ambassador for the series, I would like to call on everyone to be brave this summer, get out of your comfort zones, and take on one or more of the challenges.

Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive at Childrens Health Foundation said:

Taking part in our Dare to be Brave adventure series is a fantastic way to raise funds for sick children, whilst enjoying unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We see brave children every day receive treatment in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres.

By daring to be brave and taking part in this campaign, you will be supporting sick children, and I have no doubt your bravery will help save lives. We want to say a massive thank you to our wonderful ambassador Ray for getting involved with this campaign.

For more information, visit www.childrenshealth.ie/daretobebrave or email daretobebrave@childrenshealth.ie
THE COUNTDOWN is continuing ahead of the return of the Manufacturing Solutions Ireland showcase to Limerick for the first time since Covid-19.

It has been announced, the expanded two-day event will take place at the TUS Campus at Moylish on June 15 and 16. The last event, in 2019, attracted more than 600 people.

Hosted by the UK-based Gauge and Tool Makers Association (GTMA) and TUS, this year's showcase - the first since Brexit - has been extended to include the multi million euro Manufacturing Technology Zone and the inaugural Digitalisation of Manufacturing Conference.

The traditional manufacturing supply chain roadshow and popular 'Meet the Manufacturer' event will remain central elements of the showcase.

The Meet the Manufacture event will provide the means by which leading manufacturers from aerospace, medical and materials processing companies will be available to meet directly with suppliers, manufacturers and service providers as part of this direct business-to-business matchmaking event.

President of TUS Professor Vincent Cunnane says he's delighted that TUS is able to host the first showcase since Covid.

TUS is driving development and investment across the Midwest and Midlands, building on our commitment to ensure that manufacturing in the regions continues to adapt, change and remain at the cutting edge internationally. Our partners in GTMA bring all the leading technology suppliers together at Manufacturing Solutions, so that industry can benefit from collective knowledge, products and technology," he said.

The Manufacturing Technology Zone has attracted Irish based distributors and international companies such as Mills CNC, Hurco, Wenzel, Werth, Fanuc, Lister Machine Tools, ETG Ireland, Premier Machine Tools and Starrag who will be demonstrating their latest technology and machines. It is also anticipated that Starrag will bring a new machine to Manufacturing Solutions 2022 that has yet to be seen in the UK or Ireland.

Julia Moore, CEO of GTMA, says the demand for the return of the Manufacturing Solutions Ireland showcase following a Covid-19 enforced hiatus was huge.

Bringing all the leading technology suppliers together the GTMA and TUS are providing an ideal conduit for the transfer of technology from the specialist suppliers to the practical industrial landscape, where its take-up and practical application can be used to gain a competitive business advantage. The huge success of previous years has also led to the demand for an extended event this year, with an eagerness among those attending to encourage UK Irish trade relations.

The organisers of next month's showcase say 150 of the most advanced providers of metrology, inspection, machine tools, work holding, cutting tools, and Cad/Cam/PLM manufacturing software and ancillary products and services will also be exhibiting at the roadshow.

For further information or to register to attend the free two-day event see manufacturingsolutions.ie. Given the popularity of the event - booking is advised.
GARDAI have issued a warning after they were alerted to a number of incidents of accommodation fraud in Limerick.

According to gardai, two different people were targeted after they both saw the same advert which had been posted on Facebook.

This male, who claimed to live in Germany, was advertising a house for rent in Limerick city but it was a first come first served

basis. Both persons each lodged over 1,400 to his account. The moment the money was in the account the male blocked their phone numbers and he cannot now be contacted or discovered," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch.

The two complainants were unable to provide gardai with any details that could lead to the man's discovery and arrest.

Sgt Leetch says the incidents should act as a warning to those who are considering replying to online adverts.

"Do not take everything on social media at face value, be very suspicious always but especially if you are handing over money. The current shortage of accommodation could make people react without asking questions or checking details and fall into a scam," she stated.
LIMERICK City and County Council is planning a number of exciting attractions on the riverside for the summer months.

After the success of last years outdoor experiences, the local authority is hoping to replicate this on the long nights ahead.

Among the ideas is an urban beach in the style of the Paris Plage, which has become a key attraction in the French capital, as well as the possibility of an outdoor cinema  a move which could bring the silver screen back to the city centre for the first time in decades.

Limerick Live understands the council will shortly seek the go-ahead to close off Honans Quay to vehicular traffic to provide a focal point for the scheme.

And, with the University of Limericks new city centre campus now located in the former Dunnes Stores building which backs onto that part of the riverside, its hoped to collaborate with architecture students with a view to delivering a lasting, outdoor sculpture.

Councillors were shown the exciting plans by authority officials in a briefing last month, with one present describing them as blue sky thinking.

So we may get a beach in Limerick City after all despite the scepticism when I first suggested it! Go for it @LimerickCouncil ! @Limerick_Leader @limerickcitybiz pic.twitter.com/5jGuP2JG4k  Jan O'Sullivan (@JanOSullivanTD) May 9, 2022

All of this is tied in with the World Class Waterfront project, which is planned to be delivered over the coming years.

Allocated more than 70m last year, this project will see the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over the Shannon, various public realm works and a new public road at Arthurs Quay and Honans Quay which will facilitate a comprehensive re-development at Arthurs Quay retail area.

However, council officials are seeking to deliver a number of meanwhile projects which will build confidence in the massive project in the short term.

This, Limerick Live understands, could include an urban beach.

The purpose of these meanwhile uses will hopefully result in increased activity to the area outside of the festival seasons, change perceptions of the area, and increase the use of the area by those working in offices across the city, said one councillor present at the briefing, Itd be a quick win for the city this summer.
A LIMERICK business has organised an exciting raffle to raise money for the Irish Refugee Council.

More than 17,000 refugees have arrived in Ireland since Russian's invasion of Ukraine and the council have been supporting those in need.

Last week, they opened a national helpline for refugees in Ukrainian and Russian and they have been helping hundreds of people already.

Integrated Media Solutions have organsied the raffle which will take place on Friday, May 20 with some great prizes up for grabs.

Proceeds from the raffle will go towards supporting Ukrainians upon their arrival to Ireland.

Support will be provided to families in need of basic help but they will also be advised on accommodation, education and employment opportunities.

Afternoon tea, hotel stays and the latest tech are just some of the prizes you can get your hands on.

Included in the raffle prizes are a Philips 43" TV, Apple Airpods Pro, Severin Styling Hairdryer, ten Google Chromecasts, DTEN ME - All-in-one personal collaboration device for your home office and a 30 voucher for Future Sound & Vision.

You could also win Bed and Breakfast stays at the Kinsale Hotel & Spa, The ReZz in Cork city, Great National South Court Hotel and The Mustard Seed as well as an Afternoon Tea for two at The Kingsley Hotel and The Great Southern Hotel.

You will have the opportunity to win a lunch for two at The Montenotte Hotel, a two night stay at any Wilde by Staycity Property and a midweek family stay at the Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel and Spa.

There are also vouchers in the mix for Sister Social, The Wine Buff, urban coop, a cooking demonstration from Eoin Sheehan of Country Munch and a hamper from Ryans SuperValu in Kilmallock.

You can buy your raffle ticket here.
The Taoiseach has urged the UK Prime Minister not to take unilateral action on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The two men spoke in a call on Tuesday, with issues in Northern Ireland dominating discussions.

In the Queens Speech, the UK Government stopped short of pledging to take action on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The speech contained a commitment to take all steps necessary to protect Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market.

An Irish Government spokesman said Taoiseach Micheal Martin had urged Boris Johnson to engage in intensified EU-UK discussions to address issues relating to the implementation of the protocol.

The spokesman added: He set out clearly his serious concerns at any unilateral action at this time, which would be destabilising in Northern Ireland and erode trust.

The Taoiseach pointed out that the EU has engaged constructively in the protocol discussions, addressing the issue of medicines, and last October putting forward a substantial package of flexibilities and mitigations, including on customs and SPS arrangements.

The Taoiseach stressed to the Prime Minister that the way forward should be through continued engagement with a view to arriving at agreed EU-UK solutions that address the practical issues arising around implementation of the protocol.

Following the historic election result at the weekend, Sinn Fein is now the largest party at Stormont and entitled to nominate the first nationalist or republican first minister.

The DUP, led by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has said it will not enter a new powersharing Executive until issues with the protocol are solved.

Irish deputy premier Leo Varadkar also on Tuesday stressed that the UK Government cannot renege on an international agreement.

We cant have any unilateral action from the UK. This is an international agreement, they have to honour their obligations. I was in the Wirral with Boris Johnson. I know what he agreed to, the Tanaiste said.

Spoke to Prime Minister @BorisJohnson this morning. We both agreed on the need to see the NI Executive formed as soon as possible. On the Protocol, I stressed need to intensify EU and UK discussions, and to avoid any unilateral action.  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 10, 2022

He told RTE radio that there is a majority of MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly who support the post-Brexit arrangements for the region.

The people of Northern Ireland voted and they did not vote for a majority of MLAs who want the protocol to be scrapped. So the British Government has to have regard to that. This is a democracy and an election just happened.

The British Prime Minister and the Secretary of State need to be wise to that, if theyre not already, he said.

The UK Prime Minister was said to have made clear that the situation in respect of the protocol was now very serious.

He also said that the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was being undermined and the recent elections had further demonstrated that the protocol was not sustainable in its current form.

Despite repeated efforts by the UK Government over many months to fix the protocol, including those sections related to the movement of goods and governance, the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground, a Downing Street spokesman said.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK Government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found.
The Byzantine Empire, also known as Byzantium, refers to the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived for nearly 1,000 years after the western half of the empire collapsed.

The Byzantine Empire was based at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), and at its peak it controlled territory stretching from southern Spain to Syria.

Throughout their history, the Byzantines rarely controlled Rome and spoke mainly Greek. Despite this, the people of Byzantium continued to refer to themselves as "Romans," Timothy Gregory, professor emeritus of History at Ohio State University, wrote in the book " A History of Byzantium " (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). Their broader empire was considered to be a "Roman" empire even though it rarely controlled Rome.

Unlike the western half of the empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished and experienced a "golden age" during the reign of Justinian (A.D. 527 to 565), during which the empire's territories extended into Western Europe, and the emperor's builders constructed the Hagia Sophia, a great cathedral that still stands and is now used as a mosque .

After Justinian's death, the Byzantine Empire weakened and lost territory. In 1204, during the Crusades, the Byzantines were betrayed when crusaders from the west sacked Constantinople in an attempt to gain money.

The Byzantine Empire eventually fell when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 following a siege.

Origins

By the early fourth century A.D., the Roman Empire covered a huge territory, from northern England to Syria. However, it had become difficult to govern and rife with problems, so in A.D. 293, the emperor Diocletian introduced a system known as the tetrarchy. This effectively split the empire into four regions  two of which were ruled by emperors (augustus), and the other two ruled by each emperor's heir (caesar). Constantius (lived 250-306) was named one of these caesars and eventually rose to be augustus in the west. Upon his death in 306, the army declared his son, Constantine, as augustus.

Constantine took control of the western half of the Roman Empire after winning the Battle of Milvian Bridge in A.D. 312 against Maxentius, a rival claimant for the western throne. Legends told during Constantine's lifetime say that before the battle, Constantine had some sort of religious experience that resulted in him warming to Christianity. In A.D. 324 Constantine became emperor of the entire Roman Empire after winning the Battle of Chrysopolis in what is now Turkey against Licinius, the emperor in the east.

With the empire reunited, Constantine brought in a number of important changes that laid the foundations for the Byzantine Empire.

"The most significant of these changes were the emergence of Christianity as the favored (and then the official) religion of the state, and the creation of Constantinople as the new urban center of the empire on the shores of the Bosphorus, midway between all the empire's frontiers," Gregory noted.

A statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, 274-337, situated outside York Minster, England. He was proclaimed Roman Emperor here in A.D. 306. (Image credit: RichieChan via Getty Images)

Constantinople was built on the site of Byzantium, an urban center that had a long history of prior occupation. The writer Sozomen, who lived in the fifth century A.D., claimed that Constantine's choice of location for his new city was inspired by God  with God supposedly appearing before Constantine and directing him to build the city where he did.

Gregory noted that Constantine was baptized shortly before his death in A.D. 337. Constantine's death led to a series of short-lived successors. Theodosius I was the last sole Roman emperor. After his death in A.D. 395, the empire was split into two empires  east and west.

The fifth century would mark the end of the western half of the Roman Empire. After losing territories to so-called "barbarian" groups and being plagued with infighting, the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 when its last emperor was forced to abdicate.

The Eastern Roman Empire, in contrast,survived, becoming what we today call the "Byzantine Empire," although its people still considered themselves "Romans."

Justinian I

Justinian I became emperor in 527. He was the nephew and adopted son of Justin I, who had been a palace guard before usurping the throne in 518. While many historians say that Byzantium's golden age occurred during his reign, Justinian's rule didn't start off very promisingly.

Early in his reign, Justinian moved to further cement Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire. By the time of his accession to the throne, traditional Greco-Roman religions had been largely banned. Justinian expanded this by closing the philosophical school at Athens in 529, a place where students learned about the works of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato, who had followed traditional Greco-Roman religions.

In 532, just five years into his rule, Constantinople was hit by the Nika riots (Nika means "victory" or "conquer" in Greek). The ancient writer Procopius (who lived in the sixth century A.D.) wrote that Constantinople, along with other imperial cities, was split into two factions  the "Blues" and the "Greens"  which tended to take out their rivalry at chariot races and other events. Chariot races were hugely popular at the time and were entwined with imperial power: Justinian himself was a "Blue," author James Grout wrote in the Encyclopaedia Romana .

Prior to the unrest, Byzantine authorities arrested several members of both factions and sentenced them to be executed. This provoked supporters of the Blues and Greens, who were also angry at the high taxes Justinian had imposed. When the factions' demands for the release of the arrested members were ignored, they united and tried to overthrow the emperor.

The "members of the two factions conspiring together and declaring a truce with each other, seized the prisoners and then straightway entered the prison and released all those who were in confinement there  Fire was applied to the city as if it had fallen under the hand of an enemy " Procopius wrote.(From History of the Wars, I, xxiv, translated by H.B. Dewing, Macmillan, 1914 through the Fordham University website ).

A detailed Byzantine mosaic of Emperor Justinian with his retinue. (Image credit: Richard T. Nowitz via Getty Images)

The riots lasted several days, and Justinian had to call in troops to put down the rioters. (Procopius wrote that 30,000 people were killed as a result.) The riots caused widespread damage, but Justinian took advantage of the situation to build something grand. At the site of a destroyed church called the Hagia Sophia (meaning "Holy Wisdom") he ordered a new, far grander cathedral to be built.

"Hagia Sophia's dimensions are formidable for any structure not built of steel," Helen Gardner, an art historian, and Fred Kleiner, a professor of art history at Boston University, wrote in the book " Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History " (Cengage Learning, 2015). The replacement cathedral " is about 270 feet [82 meters] long and 240 feet [73 meters] wide. The dome is 108 feet [33 meters] in diameter and its crown rises some 180 feet [55 meters] above the pavement," they wrote.

After it was built, around 537, Justinian is said to have remarked, "Solomon, I have outdone thee." This quote is first mentioned by writers centuries after the Hagia Sophia was built and may be apocryphal. The cathedral's great baptistry , which may have recently been uncovered by archaeologists, was the place where many Byzantine emperors were baptized.

In addition to building an incredible cathedral, Justinian oversaw a major territorial expansion of the empire, winning back territory in North Africa, Italy (including Rome) and parts of Western Europe.

The intellectual achievements of Justinian's reign were also significant. "Art and literature flourished under his rule, and his officials carried out a remarkably thorough synthesis of Roman law that has served as the basis of the legal systems of much of Europe up to the present day," Gregory wrote.

The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), a large domed monument monument built as a cathedral and is now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. (Image credit: Emad Aljumah via Getty Images)

These achievements happened despite the fact that Justinian provided little direct support for art or literature, wrote Filippomaria Pontani, a professor at the Ca' Foscari University in Venice, in the book " History of Ancient Greek Scholarship: From the Beginnings to the End of the Byzantine Age " (Brill, 2020).

"The long reign of emperor Justinian (527565) witnessed a remarkable flourishing of poets, jurists, architects and historians," but "the direct patronage of Justinian in the specific field of letters was in fact rather limited," Pontani wrote. Additionally, a large-scale burning of books deemed to be "pagan" occurred in 562, Pontani noted.

In 541 to 542, a plague tore through Justinian's empire and even inflicted the emperor himself, although he survived. However, "many of his compatriots did not, and some scholars have argued that as much as one-third the population of Constantinople perished," Gregory wrote, noting that the disease would re-occur roughly every 15 years from that moment into the seventh century.

A food shortage brought about by cooler weather conditions occurred around the same time making matters worse. Research suggests that a piece of Halley's comet smashed into Earth in A.D. 536, which pushed so much dust into the atmosphere that the planet cooled considerably. It has also been suggested that a volcanic eruption in El Salvador contributed to this cooler climate.

The Byzantine Dark Age

A map of the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I, before his accession and after his death. (Image credit: Dimitrios Karamitros via Getty Images)

Justinian I died in 565. The centuries after Justinian's death are sometimes referred to as the Byzantine "Dark Age," as a series of misfortunes befell the empire.

In the west, much of the territory that Justinian had captured was lost. By the beginning of the seventh century, "much of Italy was under Lombard rule, Gaul was in Frankish hands and the coastal regions of Spain, the final acquisition of Justinian's re-conquest, were soon to fall to the Visigoths," Andrew Louth, emeritus professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at Durham University, wrote in a chapter of the book " The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire " (Cambridge University Press, 2008).

Louth noted that between 630 and 660, much of the empire's eastern territory, including Egypt, was conquered by Arab kingdoms, notably such as the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates. This significantly weakened the Byzantine position. "This radical upheaval, together with the persistent aggression of the Arabs against the remaining Byzantine lands and the incursions of Slavs and peoples hailing from the central European steppe into the Balkans, accelerated the transition of the cities of the eastern Mediterranean world that was already well underway," Louth wrote.

"By the end of the (seventh) century the cities had lost much of their social and cultural significance and survived as fortified enclaves," as well as markets, Louth added. "Even Constantinople barely survived, and did so in much reduced circumstances."

Recent research has uncovered evidence that even trash-disposal services were stopped in some Byzantine cities; archaeologists found that it came to an end at Elusa, in Israel, during the mid-sixth century.

These difficult times perhaps contributed to the iconoclasm that occurred in the eighth and ninth centuries in the Byzantine Empire. During this period, much Byzantine religious artwork was destroyed.

Byzantine comeback?

By 1025, the Byzantine Empire stretched across modern-day Turkey, Greece and the Balkans. (Image credit: Cplakidas / Creative Commons.)

Byzantium never returned to the "golden age" it had experienced during Justinian's rule. Nevertheless, the military situation stabilized in the ninth century, and by the 11th century, Byzantium had regained a considerable amount of territory that it had lost.

By the time of Emperor Basil II's death in December 1025, after a reign of almost 50 years, Byzantium was "the dominant power of the Balkans and Middle East, with apparently secure frontiers along the Danube, in the Armenian highlands and beyond the Euphrates," Michael Angold, professor emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in another chapter of "The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire." Additionally, the Byzantines succeeded in spreading Christianity to Russia.

However, this comeback of sorts was tenuous to say the least. "Fifty years later, Byzantium was struggling for its existence. All its frontiers were breached," Angold wrote. By this time, nomads were entering Turkey and the Danube provinces, while the Normans had seized the Byzantine Empire's Italian territories.

Nevertheless, the empire eventually regained some semblance of stability once again and continued on.

The Great Schism of 1054

On July 16, 1054, a papal legate (representative) named Humbert of Silva Candida excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael I Cerularius. At the time Pope Leo IX had recently died and a new pope had not been selected. The patriarch refused to relinquish power and excommunicated Humbert in return. This resulted in a schism breaking out between the church at Constantinople and the church in Rome.

Michael I Cerularius had brought in rules stating that all churches in Constantinople should follow Greek customs - even those whose worshippers had many members from western Europe, wrote Philip Kennedy, a Senior Research Fellow in theology at Mansfield College at the University of Oxford in his book "Christianity: An Introduction" (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011). This annoyed Pope Leo IX who sent legates led by Humbert to Constantinople with a letter of protest against his actions. Cerularius refused to meet these legates and after Pope Leo IX died Humbert decided to excommunicate Cerularius wrote Kennedy.

A number of differences in customs had built up between western churches and Greek churches over the centuries. For instance the churches in Rome used unleavened bread whereas the Greek churches tended to use leavened bread. There were also differences in how the Nicene Creed - a statement of faith - should be worded. There were also differences in priestly celibacy - with Greek churches allowing married priests.

Kennedy noted that in the early 11th century when the Normans invaded Sicily they forced Greeks living on the island to adopt religious customs used in Rome, something that annoyed church officials in Constantinople including Cerularius.

The Fourth Crusade

In 1204, an army of crusaders from the west sacked Constantinople and installed a short-lived line of rulers.

The idea of Christians crusading against other Christians was strange even by the standards of the Middle Ages. There are a number of reasons why it came to this. The Great Schism of 1054 and the subsequent decades of separation between the Orthodox Church and the church in Rome was a significant factor, wrote John Giebfried, an assistant professor of history at East Georgia State College and Kyle Lincoln, a special lecturer at Oakland University, in their book "The Remaking of the Medieval World, 1204 The Fourth Crusade" (University of North Carolina Press, 2021). Another important factor is that people from the west were massacred in Constantinople in 1182, Giebfried and Lincoln wrote.

This meant that in 1203, a number of cash-strapped crusaders who were looking for money to finance a military expedition to Egypt were willing to hear out Alexius Angelos, a claimant to the Byzantine throne who encouraged the crusaders to journey to Constantinople.

The Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs is a porphyry sculpture group of four Roman emperors dating from around A.D. 300. Since the Middle Ages it has been fixed to a corner of the facade of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. It probably originally formed part of the decorations of the Philadelphion in Constantinople. (Image credit: Francesco Cantone via Getty Images)

Alexius Angelos promised the crusaders that if "they helped to reinstate him in Constantinople he would pay them 200,000 marks, give them all the supplies they needed and provide an army of 10,000 men. He would also place the Greek Orthodox Church under the authority of the papacy," Jonathan Phillips, a professor at the Royal Holloway University of London, wrote in an article in History Today in 2004.

Phillips noted that by this time, the Byzantine military was in bad shape. "The death of Emperor Manuel Comnenus (1143-80) presaged a series of regencies, usurpations and coups. Between 1180 and 1204 no fewer than fifty-eight rebellions or uprisings took place across the empire."

The crusaders succeeded in taking Constantinople in 1204;, they sacked the city and installed a new line of "Latin" kings from the west on the Byzantine throne. These rulers would remain in place until a Greek general named Michael Palaeologus re-took Constantinople and crowned himself Michael VIII in1261 (he went on to rule until 1282).

The end of the Byzantine Empire

While Constantinople was once again under control of a Greek ruler, its end was drawing near. The empire struggled on into the 15th century, but the emperors gradually lost their importance in favor of religious officials.

In 1395, Patriarch Anthony, the Patriarch of Constantinople, felt the need to give a speech explaining why the Byzantine emperor was still important. "The holy emperor has a great place in the church, for he is not like other rulers or governors of other regions. This is so because from the beginning the emperors established and confirmed the [true] faith in all the inhabited world" he said.(From the book Byzantium: Church Society, and Civilization Seen through Contemporary Eyes, University of Chicago Press, 1984, through Fordham University website )

In 1453, the Ottoman Empire, which had been expanding into Byzantine territory since the 14th century, besieged and captured Constantinople, putting an end to the Byzantine Empire. Today, although the Byzantine Empire is long gone, the city of Constantinople (now called Istanbul ) flourishes and is still regarded as a crossroads, both literally and metaphorically, between Europe and Asia.

This article was updated on May 10, 2022, by Live Science contributor Owen Jarus.

Additional resources

The Byzantine Empire's warriors fought many battles. Read about the discovery of a 14th-century soldier whose fractured jaw had been healed with gold thread . You can also learn about some rare 1,000 - year-old Byzantine swords in this article. Some examples of Byzantine era shipwrecks can be seen in this photo gallery.

Bibliography

Geanakoplos, D. (1984) "Byzantium: Church Society, and Civilization Seen through Contemporary Eyes" University of Chicago Press

Theotokis, G, and Mesko, M. (eds) (2021) "War in Eleventh-Century Byzantium" Routledge, 2021

Gregory, T. (2010) "A History of Byzantium" Wiley-Blackwell

John Giebfried and Kyle Lincoln "The Remaking of the Medieval World, 1204 The Fourth Crusade" University of North Carolina Press, 2021

Kennedy, Philip "Christianity: An Introduction" Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011

Phillips, J. (2004) "The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople" History Today, 54, 5

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/crusades/fourth-crusade-and-sack-constantinople

Piltz, E. (2005) "Byzantium in the Mirror: The Message of Skylitzes Matritensis and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople" British Archaeological Reports

Pontani, F. "History of Ancient Greek Scholarship: From the Beginnings to the End of the Byzantine Age" Brill, 2020

Shepard, J. (ed) "The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire" Cambridge University Press, 2008

Timeline

October 312 Constantine I is victorious at the Battle of Milvian Bridge and becomes emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire.

324 Constantine wins the Battle of Chrysopolis and becomes the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. After this Byzantium (later renamed Constantinople) is built up as a second capital of the Roman Empire.

337 Constantine dies, shortly after converting to Christianity.

395 Theodosius I, the last emperor to control the entirety of the Roman Empire, dies. After this the split between the western and eastern half of the Roman Empires becomes permanent, with Constantinople the capital of the eastern half.

476 The Western Roman Empire collapses and its last emperor is deposed."

527 Justinian becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

532 The Nika riots lead to widespread destruction in Constantinople. In their wake Justinian starts the construction of the Hagia Sophia.

536 Temperature cools around this time, possibly as a result of a volcanic eruption or collision with a piece of a comet.

537 The Hagia Sophia is completed around this time.

541/542 Plague tears through the Byzantine Empire; up to one-third of the population of Constantinople dies .

565 Justinian dies. The years following his death are sometimes considered to be the Byzantine Dark Age, as the empire's territory decreases and its power weakens.

630-660 Arab invasions result in the loss of Egypt and Levant.

1025 Death of Emperor Basil II. By this time the Byzantine Empire has stabilized and regained territory in the Balkans and Middle East

1054 The Orthodox Church breaks away from the Roman Catholic Church, creating a religious schism between the Byzantine Empire and western Europe.

1182 People from western Europe who are living in Constantinople are massacred.

1204 The Fourth Crusade results in the crusaders from the west sacking Constantinople and installing a short-lived line of rulers.

1259 A Greek general named Michael VIII retakes Constantinople and establishes himself as emperor.

1395 Patriarch Anthony gives a speech explaining why the Byzantine emperor is still important. The Byzantine Empire's territory and influence has greatly weakened by this point.

1453 The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as Constantinople is captured by an Ottoman army.
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Playing a foundational role in the history of film and benefitting from enough picturesque locales to launch a thousand postcards, France has long attracted directors and crews from across the globe.

Keeping them on site for more than a few days, however, was once a different story altogether.

The 2009 passage of the Tax Rebate for Intl. Production (TRIP) and the subsequent 13 years of refinements both incremental and substantial have fundamentally reshaped that logic. Just last year, for instance, 92 international projects benefitted from the TRIP plan, marking a 25% increase from 2019 and accounting for upward of $420 million spent on French soil.

On an international basis, the tax credit put France on the table, says John Bernard, CEO of production service facilitator Peninsula Film. As a line producer, Bernard has staffed big-budget productions like Dunkirk, Hugo and The Last Duel, while acting as a kind of international adaptor, delivering Hollywood production requirements through French working conditions.

The perception is that France is an expensive place to shoot, says Bernard. The reality is that its disciplined. You dont do excessive overtime, and work within an efficient framework  and within that framework, France is extremely cost-effective.

The base rates are very competitive, he continues. So even if you double up in certain places and use a rotation of crews, paying two people for eight hours a day is still cheaper than paying one person $60 an hour with overtime  particularly when youre applying a 40% tax credit. With that, everything becomes very doable.

While the TRIP plan offers all international productions an across-the-board 30% rebate with no yearly cap, the French government created another enticement in early 2020, introducing an additional 10% bonus to productions that partner with local VFX houses.

Working with Bernard, the producers of The Last Duel were the very first to benefit from the current plan, which offers a 40% rebate on all eligible expenses  including for live-action spends that are not VFX-related  to projects whose VFX expenses surpass $2.27 million spent in France.

Like that Ridley Scott epic, which shot in the southwestern area of Dordogne and did post-production work at a Paris-based effects house, Tom McCarthys Marseille-set Stillwater and Wes Andersons Angouleme-shot The French Dispatch were two other high-profile films that mixed American star power and French expertise  making 2021 something of a banner year for the Gallic industry.

As series including Lupin and Emily in Paris drew global eyes to hometown locations, and even newer streaming titles booked studio space in and around Paris, French public bodies looked to bolster the rise in production by passing two more investment plans.

Last July, Frances National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) announced their modernization of the production apparatus program, committing $180 million in public and private funds to 20 selected projects, including eight film studios and 12 digital production facilities.

Not to be outdone, French president Emmanuel Macron introduced the France 2030 initiative in October, rolling out a five-year program to invest $633 million in production studios, training programs and immersive technologies as part of a much larger infrastructure project.

We are seeking to promote the one-stop-shop approach by uniting in a single location the strongest links in the chain, says Vincent Florant, director of digital at CNC. The [2030 plan] will support a dozen or so large film studios, competitive with the largest international counterparts, that comprise a large number of services in one central location.

These new, very large facilities will allow us to double our production capacity while creating a number of backlots for large-scale outdoor sets, the first of which should be operational within the next two years. But we have to move quickly, because the time to act is now.

Production is at an all-time high. Last year saw more than 315,000 shooting days overall, giving the numerous technicians making up Paris 160,000-strong production workforce more to do than before. One of 32 local commissions making up the Film France network, Film Paris Region facilitated 409 projects in 2021, and saw the number of international applications more than triple from previous years.

Among those international projects were David Finchers The Killer and John Wick: Chapter 4, two ambitious action thrillers that turned to production service facilitator Raphael Benoliel for assistance.

Large-scale productions need technical know-how, studio space and crews that know how to react, says Benoliel, who helped orchestrate vehicular chaos on the streets of Paris for Mission: Impossible  Fallout and is prepping the next season of Emily in Paris. In order to benefit from our tax rebate, to hire technicians on site, and team with partners who know the ground, [my company] Firstep is there to help.

Earlier this year, Benoliel undertook his most ambitious production to date as he oversaw the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston caper Murder Mystery 2, a Netflix-produced tentpole that arrived with an uncommonly threadbare team and sourced most of its crew from local talent.

In terms of shooting days, crew size and overall financial impact, it was one of the biggest international productions to ever shoot in France, he says. We shot six weeks with the first unit and six weeks with a second unit just as large, so its as if we shot for 12, and we easily hired more than 500 crewmembers between the two.

While the action comedy made no small use of local stunt performers set loose on crazy Parisian car chases (We pulled off otherwise unimaginable things, he says) what struck Benoliel the most was the extent of his work on the three large soundstages the production rented out for weeks on end.

We built huge sets in studio, which is not usually the case for American productions. We even built in-studio sets meant to take place in Hawaii.

Projects used to come to France just to shoot exteriors around the Eiffel tower. But the tax credit works well, our human and technical capacity is top of the line, and the country is very attractive. So today, productions come and they stay.

International shoots looking to France can benefit from more than a few structural incentives. Below are a handful of tools put in place to welcome foreign production.

 Regional Funds: 32 local film commissions, present in all territories (including overseas territories), facilitate production needs and interface with municipal authorities.

 Digital Database: 20,000 locations registered on locations.filmfrance.net, listing historical sites, natural settings and production facilities.

 TRIP Scheme: 30% across-the-board tax rebate for international productions, capped at 100 million ($105.2 million) in eligible expenses per project, with option to pre-finance and flexible organization.

 VFX Bonus: 10% increase to tax rebate, granting 40% return on eligible expenses after $2.1 million VFX spend.

 Film France: One-stop shop for production concerns, consulting on live action, animation, VFX and post-production work and assessing TRIP eligibility applications.

 Public Support: Robust political goodwill and ongoing public investment in production infrastructure projects.

 Technical Expertise: Highly trained crews with strong international experience and competitive base rates.

 Social Responsibility: Industry-wide harassment-prevention and sustainability training, with focus on climate concerns and eco-responsible practices.

 Production Facilitators: Network of experienced line producers attuned to international requirements and adept with local regulations.

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Jack Kehler, a prolific character actor, died Saturday from complications due to leukemia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. He was 75 years old.

Kehlers death was confirmed by his son, Eddie Kehler.

Born May 22, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pa., Kehler set his career off in acting at the age of 24 by beginning to work in theater. In 1982, Kehler fell in with Sanford Meisner and Wynn Handman, beginning his tenure as a lifelong member of the Actors Studio.

Soon after, Kehler relocated to Los Angeles where he began to accrue supporting roles in film and television. His first screen credit came in 1983 with Michael Laughlins sci-fi release Strange Invaders, starring Paul Le Mat and Nancy Allen. Kehler is credited as a gas station attendant in the film.

Kehler spent the remainder of the 1980s primarily working in television, making appearances on Hill Street Blues, Fresno, Cagney & Lacey and St. Elsewhere. In the 90s, he became a colorful presence in action films, including The Last Boy Scout, Wyatt Earp and Waterworld. Kehler also found himself in the spotlight of cult film for his role as the landlord to Jeff Bridges the Dude in Joel and Ethan Coens 1998 crime comedy The Big Lebowski.

Kehler continued working late into his life, with a recurring role on The Man in the High Castle and guest appearances across various television series. His most recent credit is as a landlord in the Disney+ series Love, Victor. He will star in the crime movie The Platinum Loop, which is currently in post-production.

Beyond screen acting, Kehler also produced a live one-man show featuring himself.

Kehler is survived by his wife, Shawn Casey; his son, Eddie Kehler; his daughter-in-law, Mari-Anne; and his grandson, Liam.

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So why isnt Jack Harlow indicted with all those rappers? Thats what a reporter wanted to know at a recent press conference surrounding the announcement of gang-related charges against the likes of Young Thug and Gunna in Fulton County, Georgia.

Um, the indictments got Young Thug and a bunch of other rappers. But theres one name I was expecting to see, and I didnt. And thats Jack Harlow, asked a reporter. Can you speak to that?

District Attorney Fani Willis looked up with a slight smirk before saying, What Ill tell you is that, as large as this indictment is, I told my team, Lets not be sexy. Lets not overreach. Lets be conservative in our approach. Which is always the approach that I take. In taking that approach, 28 defendants were indicted and they were indicted for the crimes that were appropriate for this RICO indictment.

Reporter: The indictments got Young Thug, and a bunch of other rappers. But theres one name I was expecting to see, and I didnt, and thats Jack Harlow. Can you speak to that? Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis responds: pic.twitter.com/13YlMUFiAJ  philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 10, 2022

Some users on Twitter speculated that the journalist may have prepared his question based on some troll tweets, including one from @WaveyForever, who wrote, Aint Jack Harlow in YSL too? (YSL stands for Young Slime Life, the organization the Go Crazy rapper founded.) Another tweet read, Free YSL! Arrest jack harlow!!!!

Perhaps, the reporter will next ask about Queen Naija, who has become Twitters favorite artist to clown and blame whenever anything goes wrong.

The jokes surrounding Harlow and the slew of indictments come as Young Thug, Gunna and other members of YSL face serious accusations. Young Thug  born Jeffery Lamar Williams  is being accused of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participation in criminal street gang activity. Meanwhile, Gunna  legal name Sergio Giovanni Kitchens  is charged with one count of conspiring to violate RICO. Though Gunna has yet to be arrested, Sheriff Patrick Labat confirmed that they were making arrangements with the rappers team.

The 88-page indictment charges Young Thug with being both directly and indirectly associated with a slew of criminal activity, ranging from armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to murder.

Young Slime Life, the organization of which Thug is a founding member, allegedly claims affiliation with the national Bloods gang.

In February of this year, two YSL associates allegedly asked Young Thug for permission to make a second attempt to murder Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci while he was incarcerated at Fulton County Jail awaiting trial for murder, the indictment states. According to Complex, Lucci was stabbed at the facility on Feb. 9  an attack prosecutors claim was perpetrated by YSL associates.

An attorney for Thug has said that the artist vehemently denies the allegations lodged against him and he looks forward to the opportunity to defend this case in court.
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After establishing a workshop date during the last Laredo City Council meeting, the Webb County Commissioners Court accepted an invitation by the Binational River Park working group to attend a future workshop among other partners and agencies.

The workshop will discuss items such as funding and the ecology of the river, and it will include experts involved in the San Antonio River Walk to provide information.

According to RGISC, the workshop will be held on May 26 at the Laredo College Economic Development Center. It will see members of the San Antonio River Authority discuss multiple funding mechanisms and members of the design team to have a more in-depth look at the project.

RGISC Executive Director Tricia Cortez indicated that officials from the city, county, law enforcement agencies and the college have been invited to attend.

During a presentation by Rio Grande International Study Center Board President Melissa Cigarroa, the working group highlighted the ongoing progress made by both them and Overland Partners during the short time the project has been in development.

The presentation reiterated its core goals and what the park project entails, including it being a 6.2-mile-long greenbelt connecting north and south Laredo with Nuevo Laredo.

Cigarroa emphasized that the park is not just a "park," it is a greenbelt that signifies ecological restoration as well as unifying both cities. This is why the working group invited hydrologists, river experts and botanists to the planning table.

Aside from ecology, RGISC indicated that meetings with Border Patrol and Customs were integral to the project planning and discussions. Cigarroa added that their input on how to improve security for the area was incorporated into the design plans.

"A really important part of that that Border Patrol has always advocated are the virtual technologies, or the virtual wall technologies, which includes cameras, different security sensor systems, improved line of sites by taking care of invasive species," she said. "All of that is incorporated into this plan

As the park idea began approximately on Dec. 6 and led to the creation of the Binational Working Group, it ultimately led to last weeks Washington Trip by a Laredo-Nuevo Laredo delegation to discuss the Binational River Park project, which local officials hope to be to the area what the River Walk is to San Antonio.

Prior discussion has seen members of Overland Partners including founder Richard Archer state that as the sole drinking water source, the Rio Grande restoration would bring better quality of life and would coincide with the current city mission of improving the water infrastructure of the city.

Furthermore, work has started with a $52 million federal grant to restore the Chacon Creek area as well as an investment of $200,000 by North American Development Bank to Nuevo Laredo and COMAPA, the local water utilities, through the banks Project Development Assistance Program.

In February, Nuevo Laredo Public Works Director Ignacio Quinones-Pena expressed that there is a major need to clean the river, starting with how the cities address the wastewater. He added that the binational support sets a stage for even more cooperation between nations, whether it be in the restoration of a clean river, a binational park or more.

"The goal is to improve the capacity of this endangered river to provide us with safe drinking water now and in our future," Cigarroa said during the first May city council meeting. "We look at the 19-year window that we have to improve the river's ability to provide us with safe drinking water."
Courtesy/Laredo Police Department

A man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting two Laredo police officers and being in possession of a cross stolen from San Agustin Cathedral.

Laredo police officers responded to a subject disturbing report on May 6 in the 4300 block of Santa Maria Avenue. First officers on the scene encountered a combative male later identified as Jose Luis Soto Rios, 56. He allegedly assaulted the two officers that responded to the scene.
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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Just as Mexican journalists prepared to protest the killing of a journalist last week, word came Monday that two more were shot to death in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, raising to 11 the number of such killings in the country this year.

The Veracruz State Prosecutor's Office said via Twitter that it was investigating the killings of Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera, the director and a reporter, respectively, of the online news site El Veraz in Cosoleacaque.

Veracruz State Prosecutor Veronica Hernandez Giadans said the investigation would be exhaustive, including considering their journalism work as a possible motive in their killing.

The State Commission for Attention To and Protection of Journalists said the two women were attacked outside a convenience store.

We condemn this attack on Veracruzs journalism profession, give it prompt monitoring and have opened an investigation, the commission said.

Their killings came on the heels of the ninth slaying of journalist this year, in the northern state of Sinaloa. Prosecutors there said Thursday that the body of Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was found on a dirt road near a junkyard in the state capital, Culiacan.

Prosecutors said that his body was wrapped in black plastic and that he died from multiple blows to the head.

Ramirez Ramos news website, Fuentes Fidedignas, or Reliable Sources, said that he had been abducted near his house hours earlier.

The dizzying pace of killings has made Mexico the deadliest country for journalists to work outside of war zones this year.

On Monday evening, Griselda Triana, wife of Javier Valdez, a journalist slain in 2017, spoke to some 200 journalists gathered at Mexico Citys Angel of Independence monument. The demonstration had originally been scheduled to protest the killing of Ramirez Ramos and those who preceded him.

Valdez, one of Mexicos best-known journalists killed in recent years, was an award-winning reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime in the northern state of Sinaloa.

In all this time I havent stopped thinking about how easy it is for them to kill a journalist in Mexico, Triana said. I feel hurt each time they take the life of so many colleagues.

Theres so much anger, indignation, powerlessness knowing that we come here to protest the murder of Luis Enrique Ramirez, (that happened) a few days ago in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and the news of the killing of two women journalists in Veracruz reaches us here, Triana said. Its a whirlpool. The crimes against freedom of expression keep occurring every day. We shouldnt tolerate it. We have the authority to ask the authorities to put a stop to this slaughter of journalists.

The victims, like those killed Monday, are most often from small, hyperlocal news outlets. El Veraz operated a Facebook page and appeared to almost exclusively post notices about events or public information from the municipality's government. El Verazs motto was Journalism with Humanity.

The phone number listed for El Veraz rang to what appeared to be Mollinedo Falconi's cell phone, according to its message.

Cosoleacaque is just off a major east-west route in southeastern Veracruz. Organized crime is present in the area and involved especially in migrant smuggling, but there was no immediate indication of who could have been responsible.

Veracruz Gov. Cuitlahuac Garcia said a search was underway for those responsible.

We will find the perpetrators of this crime, there will be justice and there will not be impunity like we have said and done in other cases, Garcia said via Twitter.

Journalists had already scheduled a demonstration for Monday in Mexico City to protest killings of their colleagues, most recently that of Ramirez Ramos in Sinaloa.

Mexicos state and federal governments have been criticized for neither preventing the killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

While organized crime is often involved in journalist killings, small town officials or politicians with political or criminal motivations are often suspects as well. Journalists running small news outlets in Mexicos interior are easy targets.

Mexico has a protection program for journalists and human rights defenders, but it was not immediately known whether either Mollinedo Falconi or Garcia Olivera were enrolled.

Participants receive support, such as electronic devices or panic buttons to alert the authorities to any threat; surveillance systems in their homes; even bodyguards in some cases. Often authorities recommend that threatened journalists move to another state or the capital to lessen the threat, but that means separating them from their work, livelihood and families.

While President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised a zero impunity program to investigate such slayings, journalists murders, like most homicides in Mexico, are never resolved by authorities. Lopez Obrador has also kept up his regular verbal attacks on journalists critical of his administration.

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.

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.

Late Monday, presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez said via Twitter that the federal and state governments would work together to investigate the killings. The commitment is that there is not impunity.
A suspected drunk driver had her two children in the backseat when authorities pulled her over for a traffic violation, according to Laredo police.

Adriana Betzabel Lopez, 30, was charged with driving while intoxicated with a child younger than 15 years old.
State and federal authorities discovered more than 200 migrants inside semi-trucks.

The Texas Department of Public Safety along with the U.S. Border Patrol discovered the migrants in Webb County as part of Operation Lone Star.

On May 5 and May 6, 2022, DPS and Border Patrol interdicted the smuggling attempts. A search of both commercial vehicles resulted in the apprehension of 203 migrants, authorities said.

DPS said the migrants were found concealed inside the box trailers without proper ventilation, which created dangerous conditions. Border Patrol took custody of the migrants.

The case remains under further investigation.
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A jury has determined that a man convicted of capital murder in 2016 and facing the death penalty was competent to stand trial, according to the Webb County District Attorneys Office.

On May 2, a jury in the 49the District Court was selected for the retrospective competency trial of Demond Bluntson, the man who fatally shot his son and girlfriends son, and fired shots at Laredo police officers at the then Holiday Inn by Interstate 35 in 2012.

Attorneys for Bluntson, 47, alleged that he was incompetent to stand trial at his 2016 capital murder case. Psychological, expert and other evidence was presented to the jury throughout a five-day trial. The case was given to the jury on Friday.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict on Monday finding that Bluntson was competent at the time of the trial in 2016. He was the countys first person sentenced to death row in nearly 25 years.

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz, Chief Assistant District Attorney Marisela Jacaman, and Assistant District Attorneys Amber Holmes and David Reuthinger.

Bluntson was arrested in 2012 in connection with the attack that left his 21-month-old son, Devian, and 6-year-old Jayden Thompson dead. The boys' mother, Brandy Cerny, 28, was later found shot to death in El Campo.

Bluntson was found barricaded in a following the incident with a mattress, box spring and two tables pushed against the door, according to a police report.

Officers busted in and detained Bluntson, and In the process, officers located two unresponsive male children on the floor covered in blood, with visible gunshot wounds to the head, the report states. They also recovered a semiautomatic handgun.

Court records show Bluntsons criminal history begins at age 18, with arrests and convictions spanning more than a decade.

In May 1994, he was arrested on state felony cocaine possession. He pleaded guilty in February 1995 and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Two months later, he was arrested on a Class A misdemeanor assault charge.

He was arrested again in late 1997 on charges of cocaine possession. He was given two years probation in 1999.

A police investigation in early 2000 pinned Bluntson to drug dealings outside an El Campo park between January and February of that year. He was charged with four counts of delivery of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone.

He was convicted on two of the counts. Also, his probation for the 1994 and 1997 charges was revoked, and he was sentenced to four years in prison.

In November 2007, months after enrolling in the community college, he was arrested again on another drug-related charge. Documents state that he attempted to hide a bag containing marijuana. He pleaded guilty in June 2009 to tampering with evidence.

A relative said Cerny and Bluntson had been dating for the past few years.

Bluntson graduated from El Campo High School in 1994, according to his Facebook page.

He attended Wharton County Junior College from 2007 to 2011. Cerny was a student there, too, from 2001 to 2005.

crodriguez@lmtonline.com
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  A 69-year-old Chilean woman wanted on kidnapping charges dating to Augusto Pinochets military dictatorship in the 1970s faces extradition from Australia after a court closed her final appeal option.

Adriana Rivas had appealed to Australias highest court after three Federal Court judges in November unanimously rejected her appeal against extradition to her homeland.

But the High Court issued a certificate on Monday saying her appeal application was deemed to have been abandoned because of unspecified procedural failings by her lawyer.

Rivas has waged a three-year battle against extradition on charges that she kidnapped seven people in 1976 and 1977, including Communist Party leader Victor Diaz and party member Reinalda Pereira, who was five months' pregnant.

Rivas was an assistant to Manuel Contreras, the head of the DINA secret police during Pinochets dictatorship. Rivas denies ever meeting the alleged victims, who have never been found.

The end of the court process opens the way for Australias attorney general to take the final step of approving the extradition.

But the government has been in caretaker mode since an election was called on April 10. The extradition decision will likely be made by whomever becomes attorney general after the May 21 election.

Attorney General Michaelia Cashs office said in a statement Tuesday it would be inappropriate for her to comment on Rivas case because this process is yet to be finalized.

The attorney general must give reasonable time to consider any arguments against extradition that Rivas wants to make.

Chilean-born lawyer Adriana Navarro, a Sydney-based advocate for Pinochets victims, said she suspected Rivas had hoped to delay the High Court process by getting an extension of time.

Clearly, the families are not going to put up with that, Navarro said.

Navarro said Rivas could potentially ask a court to review an attorney generals decision to send her back to Chile.

She could only do that if she could prove that the reasons behind the attorney generals decision are not legally reasonable and that would be very hard to do, Navarro said.

Rivas lawyers argued she was not a DINA agent and her work was mundane. Her tasks included collecting laundry, making coffee and translating, they said.

They also contended that the alleged victims were detained following arrests, not kidnapped, and that those actions were carried out by the state, not by an individual.

Rivas moved to Australia in 1978 and was detained in Chile during a visit to see family in 2006. She was released after some months on probation and fled to Australia in 2009.

She lived quietly in Sydneys wealthy eastern suburbs, working as a part-time nanny and cleaner until her arrest in February 2019 on a Chilean Supreme Court extradition order.

She would become the first person ever extradited between Australia and Chile.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Spain's government fired the director of the country's top intelligence agency Tuesday following the hacking of politicians cellphones, including the devices of the prime minister and several supporters of the Catalonia regions secession.

The National Intelligence Center, or CNI, has been under fire for its role in spying on Catalan separatists and for taking a full year to discover that the handsets of the prime minister and leading defense and security officials were infiltrated, possibly by a foreign power.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who was among the hacking targets, announced after Cabinet meeting that Paz Esteban would be relieved as CNI director.

That (the hacks of government phones) took a year to discover, well, it is clear there are things that we need to improve, Robles said. We are going to try to ensure that these attacks dont happen again, even though there is no way to be completely safe.

Esteban's replacement will be Esperanza Casteleiro, a woman who has worked for almost 40 years at the intelligence agency, Robles said. Casteleiro most recently served as secretary of defense, Robles No. 2, since 2020.

Esteban acknowledged during a closed-door parliamentary committee hearing last week that with judicial permission, her agency had hacked the phones of several Catalan separatists.

In a separate case, the government recently revealed that an external" power infected the cellphones of Robles and of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez with the Pegasus spyware last year.

The phone of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the head of Spains police and border control agencies, also was infected with the spyware at the same time as the defense minister's phone.

Spains government has refused to speculate publicly on who could have pried into the phones. The attacks on the phones of Sanchez and two of his ministers took place in May and June 2021, coinciding with a diplomatic rift between Morocco and Spain.

Sanchezs minority left-wing coalition has often had to rely on votes Parliament from Catalan separatist parties, which have threatened to withdraw their support if the government does not accept responsibility for the hacking.

The leader of Spains opposition conservatives, Popular Party president Alberto Nunez Feijoo slammed the decision to remove Esteban. He said the government had sacrificed her to the Catalan separatists.

It is a monstrosity that Sanchez offers the head of the CNI director to the separatists, once again weakening the state to assure his survival, Popular Party President Alberto Nunez Feijoo wrote on Twitter.

Esteban, 64, became the first woman to head the CNI in July 2019, initially on an interim basis. Her appointment was made permanent in February 2020.

The previous CNI director had received criticism for failing in 2017 to stop preparations by Catalan separatists to hold an independence referendum that had been deemed illegal by Spains top courts.

The alleged phone hacks of more than 60 Catalan politicians, lawyers and activists was denounced last month in a report by the Canada-based digital rights group Citizen Lab.

The list of phones that were allegedly infected by Pegasus spyware, which the Israeli company NSO says it only sells to government agencies, includes the current regional head of Catalonia. The Citizen Lab report said the hacks started in late 2019, with Esteban in charge of the CNI.

Robles has defended the targeting of Catalan politicians for their involvement in a separatist plot that tried and failed to separate Catalonia from the rest of Spain five years ago.

Gabriel Rufian, the parliamentary spokesman for the Catalan party ERC, said that dismissal of Esteban was not about appeasing the separatists. He noted that the CNI has also been accused of neglecting the tech security of top government officials.

It seems logical, with all my respects to Esteban, that in a country that admits that the phones of the prime minister and defense minister have been illegally spied upon, for the head of the CNI to assume the responsibility, Rufian said.
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A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was assaulted by a migrant while working Operation Lone Star in south Laredo, according to an arrest affidavit.

At about 6:33 p.m. May 4, the trooper patrolling on Mangana-Hein Road observed a 2016 Mercury passenger car with unauthorized buyer tags. The trooper pulled over the vehicle along the northbound lane of Loop 20.
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option.
Kildare editor Brian McManus has breathed new life into the stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, born Herminie McGibney, the daughter of Major George McGibney of Temple- michael, Longford, with a new book, Darby OGill and the Good People.

These are six brilliant and enthralling stories that, while making you both laugh and cry, also leave you desperate to know what happens next.

A nineteenth-century Ireland is depicted; steeped in the supernatural, it's a place where both humans and fairies collide, both refusing to be defeated in their quest for the freedom to govern their own lives.

We witness the friendship between Tipperary farmer Darby OGill and King Brian Connors of the Good People grow.

These two, who first thought that the differences between them meant that they were forever mortal enemies, later realise that circumstances unite rather than divide them.

The stories also celebrate the most powerful fairy of them all, the Banshee, who is not really the scary villain that people sometimes imagine, but rather a career-minded, kind-hearted messenger from the Otherworld.

Brian McManus has made some changes to the original stories to present them to modern readers at their absolute best, while still remaining true to the spirit and intention of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh.

These delightful tales of genuine Irish folklore, full of charm, wittiness, and poignancy, will appeal to children of all ages.

Brian McManus is a scholar of children's literature and culture from Prosperous, Co. Kildare who specialises in representations of Ireland and Irish people for children in the United States of America from the early nineteenth century onwards. His other main research interests include Irish-language childrens literature and culture and Irish mythology and folklore in children's literature and culture.

He is passionate about the original Darby O'Gill stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh and is determined that they achieve a wider readership and greater appreciation.
The Supreme Court has ruled that Liam Campbell, who was found civilly liable for the Omagh bombing, can be extradited to Lithuania in relation to offences of smuggling, the possession of firearms and terrorism.

On December 2 2016, Mr Campbell was arrested in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, County Louth on foot of a second European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by Lithuanian authorities.

Mr Campbells arrest warrant alleged that he organised the preparation for the smuggling of weapons in support of the terrorist grouping the Real IRA (RIRA) between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007.

The Lithuanian warrant also contained allegations of preparations to smuggle items including firearms and explosive substances, and attempting to acquire weapons, ammunition, explosives and items including detonators and timers.

Mr Campbell had appealed against both the High Court ruling in favour of his extradition, as well as the Court of Appeals upholding of that decision.

In a judgment handed down on Monday, a five-judge Supreme Court bench dismissed Mr Campbells appeal.

Ms Justice Baker continued that the Lithuanian authorities had shown on evidence that the investigative process has led them to a position where they have made a decision and formed an intention to try and prosecute Mr Campbell, and that his return is not sought to gather evidence against him.

On the balance of probabilities, the judgement concluded, he will be charged on the evidence that now exists.
Crime

By Ls Cohen Published: May 10 2022

SCPD Commissioner released personal information about four victims located within a quarter mile of one another near Gilgo Beach in December 2010.

Known as the Gilgo Four, in 2010 the bodies of homicide victims Maureen Brainard Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered within a quarter mile of one another near Gilgo Beach.

Now, Suffolk police have released new personal information about the four victims in the still unresolved murder case.

As the Homicide Squad continues its tireless work on this investigation, we believe now is the right time to disseminate this previously unreleased information in hopes of eliciting tips from the public and providing greater transparency about the victims, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said in a statement.

Harrison has pledged to bring those accoutable for the murders to justice.

The newly released information below contains personal information and some of the victims last known whereabouts before they disappeared.

Maureen Brainard-Barnes

Photo: gilgonews.com

Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing and was living at 180 Prospect St. in Norwich, Connecticut. She is believed to have taken an Amtrak train from New London, Connecticut to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on July 6, 2007.

While in Manhattan, she was staying at the Super 8 Motel, located at 59 West 46th St. At the time, Brainard-Barnes, who was 4 feet 11 inches tall, was working as a sex worker, advertising on Craigslist, Backpage and other websites. She was known to advertise under the names Juliana or Marie. Her routine was to travel to Manhattan for a few days to work as an escort, and then return home to Connecticut. While in Manhattan, she was known to stay at The Super 8, The Red Roof Inn on West 32nd Street, the Carter Hotel on West 43rd St. and the Manhattan Hotel on 8th Avenue.

On occasion, Brainard-Barnes would travel with another female who worked out of a different room at the same location. They both may have used a male friend, who they would refer to as their cousin, to accompany them and offer a level of safety and protection. Brainard-Barnes traveled with her female friend the weekend she went missing, however her friend returned home early and Brainard-Barnes stayed behind. Brainard-Barnes was last heard from on July 9, 2007 at 11:43 p.m. when she called a friend in Connecticut. Although she was known to work out of motel rooms, on the night of July 9, 2007, she told her friend she would be going to meet someone outside of the motel on an out-call.

Brainard-Barnes was reported missing by a friend to the Norwich Police Department on July 14, 2007. The NYPD assisted the Norwich Police Department in the missing person investigation, eventually taking it over. Brainard-Barnes was found on December 13, 2010 on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for Shannan Gilbert, who had gone missing from Oak Beach.

She is believed to be the first victim in what is known as the Gilgo Four.

Melissa Barthelemy

Photo: gilgonews.com

Melissa Barthelemy was last seen at her residence, a basement apartment at 1149 Underhill Ave. in the Unionport section of the Bronx on July 12, 2009. She was 4 feet 10 inches tall and was 24 years old when she was last seen.

Barthelemy was a sex worker who advertised on Adult Friend Finder as well as other sites. She used the aliases Chloe and VerySexyChloe. She had tattoos of the words Blaze and Focus on her back, and letters on her chest. She was also known to meet clients at bars, restaurants and hotels on the West Side of Manhattan.

On July 12, 2009, the night she was last seen, Barthelemy told a friend she was going to see a man and would be back in the morning. This friend was aware she was a sex worker, but Barthelemy offered no other details. Her cellphone records show she traveled from the Bronx to Manhattan, most likely via taxi.

Barthelemys mother had not heard from her or been able to contact her for a few days so she reported her missing to the NYPD on July 18, 2009. The investigation showed cellphone activity in Manhattan, Freeport, Massapequa and Lindenhurst. Motels in and near these neighborhoods were investigated.

After Barthelemy had been reported missing, her younger sister received a series of taunting phone calls from someone using Barthelemys phone. These calls are believed to have come from the killer and were made from the area near the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Avenue, and also from near Penn Station. These areas were thoroughly canvassed immediately following the calls, however, due to the large amount of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, no leads were developed.

On December 11, 2010, Barthelemys body was found on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for Shannan Gilbert.

Although she was the first victim found, she is believed to be the second of the "Gilgo Four" to be killed.

Megan Waterman

Photo: gilgonews.com

Megan Waterman was 22 years old when she was last seen on June 6, 2010. Waterman was a resident of Scarborough, Maine and was a sex worker who advertised on Craigslist and Backpage. She used the names Lexxy and Sexy Lexi. She was last seen by her family boarding a New York-bound Concord Trailways bus in Maine, possibly with her pimp.

Waterman was staying at the Holiday Inn Express, located at 2050 Express Drive South in Hauppauge. Waterman was known to stay at other hotels and motels on Long Island, including the Extended Stay America in Bethpage. Waterman left the Holiday Inn Express at 1:30 a.m. on June 6, 2010 to meet a client. Waterman called her pimp, who was in Brooklyn at the time, to tell him she was going to a convenience store near the hotel.

Waterman was reported missing to the Scarborough Maine Police Department on June 8, 2010. Family members felt it was unlike her not to call them to check on her then-3-year-old daughter. The Scarborough Maine Police Department contacted the Suffolk County Police to assist in the missing person investigation.

Watermans body was found on December 13, 2010 on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for missing person Shannan Gilbert.

She is believed to be the third victim in what is known as the Gilgo Four.

Watermans pimp was arrested on federal charges of Interstate Trafficking of Prostitutes on April 11, 2012 and was sentenced to three years in federal prison in January 2013. There is no information to suggest he had any knowledge or participated in any way in Waterman's murder.

Amber Lynn Costello

Photo: gilgonews.com

Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old and lived at 1112 America Ave. in West Babylon when she was last seen by acquaintances. Costello was a heroin addict who lived at the house with another female and two men, who were also heroin addicts. Costello, who was 4 feet 11 inches tall, and was a sex worker who advertised on Craigslist and Backpage to support her and her roommates heroin addiction. Costello used the names Carolina or Mia and had tattoos of Kaos on her neck, a butterfly on her lower back and the word Margeret on her leg.

Costello had moved to New York from Clearwater Florida and had completed a 28-day drug rehab, but had relapsed not long before her disappearance.

Costello and her roommates shared a cellphone. The other female roommate was also a sex worker supporting a heroin addiction and the two male roommates would arrange dates with clients for the women. Costello did in-calls at her home, as well as out-calls.

When Costello would meet clients at her home, the two male roommates would often arrange a scam, during which, once a client had paid money, and before any sex acts occurred, they would confront the client saying Costello was their girlfriend and the client would flee.

Costello was last seen leaving her residence on foot on September 2, 2010 to meet a client who was picking her up at her house. Costello did not have her cellphone with her at the time and she was never reported missing.

Costello was found on December 13, 2010 on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for missing person Shannan Gilbert.

She is believed to be the fourth victim in what is known as the Gilgo Four.

The Suffolk County Police Department remains committed to seeking justice for the victims in these cases. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers has recently announced the reward leading to an arrest in this case has been increased from $25,000 to $50,000. Tips can be submitted through www.gilgonews.com or 1-800-220-TIPS.
Senator Boyle to Reintroduce Legislation to Allow Law Enforcement to Use Familial DNA Searches

Local News

By Long Island Published: May 10 2022

State Senator Phil Boyle today announced he has reintroduced legislation to allow law enforcement officials to use familial DNA searches to solve violent crimes.

In light of last weeks Appellate Division decision in the case of Matter of Stevens v New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, State Senator Phil Boyle (R - Bay Shore)

today announced he has reintroduced legislation (S9089) to allow law enforcement officials to

use familial DNA searches to solve violent crimes. Senator Boyle had previously introduced

similar legislation which passed the state senate in 2017 but did not pass in the New York State Assembly.

"With crime rates on the rise and countless New Yorkers living in fear, it is unimaginable

that the court would ban the use of Familial DNA testing by our state's law enforcement officials. I am calling on the legislative Majorities in both the state senate and assembly to immediately pass my bill and ensure that such Familial DNA searches can continue to be used to help solve serious crimes and keep New Yorkers safer."

Having worked on federal and state DNA-related legislation since 1988, Senator Boyle

has been a leading advocate for advancing the use of forensic DNA technologies to assist New York State law enforcement officials. After the sexual assault and murder of Karina Vetrano, Boyle partnered with Karina's parents, as well as Senator Joe Addabbo and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato, to push for the approval of Familial DNA searches in New York State.

The New York State Commission on Forensic Science and it's DNA Subcommittee subsequently "approved" the use of such searches but yesterday's court ruling provides that only the state legislature, and not the Commission, has the ability to allow Familial DNA searches in New York State.

"Once the Commission on Forensic Science made its decision in 2017, we had hoped this

issue was settled and New York law enforcement officials and prosecutors could use Familial

DNA searches to solve serious crimes and get violent criminals off our streets. It is now rather

clear that the state legislature must act. With the end of session only weeks away, we must do so now!"

This ruling affects our ability to use DNA obtained at crime scenes to help solve cases
(Alliance News) - The UK prime minister is set to visit allies Sweden and Finland to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Boris Johnson is scheduled to meet leaders of both countries during a whirlwind 24 hours.

With Queen's Speech debates in the Commons meaning there is no prime minister's Questions on Wednesday, Johnson will take the opportunity to refocus the spotlight on Europe's response to the war in the east of the continent.

The visit comes as Sweden and Finland consider whether to apply for NATO membership in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

No 10 said it was "disinformation" to suggest Johnson was seeking to put pressure on them to join the western military alliance.

"It is about not just Ukraine but the security of Europe more broadly," the prime minister's official spokesman said.

"We understand the positions of Sweden and Finland and that is why the prime minister is going to discuss these broader security issues."

Support for joining NATO has risen sharply in both countries since Russia invaded Ukraine, despite their previous tradition of neutrality.

In her Mansion House speech last month, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that if they did apply for membership, they should be admitted "as soon as possible".

Johnson held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in March as part of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force nations, which includes Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway.

After the meeting Downing Street said the two leaders agreed that "Putin's invasion had dramatically changed the landscape of European security".

Finland shares a lengthy land border with Russia and is only about 250 miles from St Petersburg.

By Patrick Daly and David Hughes, PA Political Staff

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Thread manufacturer Coats Group PLC on Tuesday said it has signed a deal to sell its business in Brazil and Argentina.

The unit will be sold to Reelpar SA, a local entity backed by a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based private equity firm.

The deal is expected to close this month.

Coats expects to see a 50 basis point annualised lift to adjusted operating margins as a result of the deal.

It will fund USD10 million to Reelpar to support a restructuring of the Brazil and Argentina business.

"An exit from the Brazil and Argentina business is in line with Coats' strategic initiatives, announced in March, to accelerate profitable sales growth and transform the company," Coats said.

In March, the company had kicked off a "number of strategic projects" aimed at improving margins and optimising its portfolio.

"These projects will result in anticipated incremental adjusted operating profit of USD50 million by 2024. Total cash exceptional costs are expected to be around USD35 million," Coats said at the time.

Coats shares were 1.7% higher at 66.32 pence each in London on Tuesday morning, outperforming the wider FTSE 250 index, which was up 0.9%.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - FD Technologies PLC on Tuesday reported a drop in profit for its recently ended financial year, on higher R&D and marketing costs, in spite of revenue growth through strong demand.

Shares in FD Technologies were 8.5% higher at 2,435.00 pence on Tuesday morning in London.

For the year ended February 28, the Belfast, Northern Ireland-based consulting services provider posted a pretax profit of GBP9.0 million, down 19% from GBP11.1 million the year before.

FD's profit performance was hurt by a 32% rise in research & development costs to GBP21.1 million, while sales and marketing costs rose 21% to GBP47.4 million.

Revenue, however, increased 11% to GBP263.5 million from GBP237.9 million the prior year. The result was slightly ahead of management's guided range of GBP255 million to GBP260 million, as a result of a stronger performance from the First Derivative and MRP.

"Across the group, our investment in systems and people positions us to scale our operations to meet our growth ambitions. The opportunities across the markets in which we operate are significant," said Chief Executive Seamus Keating.

First Derivatives benefited from strong market demand to post strongest growth rate since 2016, with revenue rising 24% to GBP148.0 million.

Meanwhile, MRP's revenue grew 16% to GBP51.1 million, through new contract wins and the launch of Prelytix 3.0.

Looking ahead, FD Technologies said it has a positive outlook across its business units, and has guided for adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to come between GBP36.5 million and GBP28.5 million.

Revenue meanwhile is expected to grow to between GBP290 million and GBP300 million, compared to the GBP237.9 million seen the year prior.

"We have delivered a year of transformation across the group, with each business unit achieving the key performance indicators we set out in our strategy one year ago to accelerate our growth. KX, which was the principal focus of our investment in the year, delivered our target ARR growth, and enters the new financial year with increased momentum from our partnership with Microsoft enabled by the launch of our cloud native KX Insights platform," Keating continued.

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - GFG Alliance faces insolvency hearings on Tuesday after Credit Suisse ended settlement talks with the troubled British metals and renewable energy group, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The holding company of India-British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta, which was rocked by last year's collapse of its main lender, Greensill Capital, owes more than USD1 billion to Credit Suisse investors, according to the daily newspaper.

A source close to the matter told AFP that GFG could face preliminary hearings in an insolvency procedure on Tuesday.

A judge will decide whether GFG's problems are due to Covid or deeper issues, which would lead to the unwinding of the group, the FT said, citing unnamed people with knowledge of the process.

A GFG Alliance spokesperson said in a statement that the group's "core international businesses continue to generate strong returns and achieve record production levels."

"We remain committed to repaying all creditors and continue to make positive progress toward a consensual debt restructuring that's in the best interest of all stakeholders," the statement said.

Credit Suisse declined to comment.

The Swiss bank has been rattled by its multi-billion-dollar exposure to Greensill and another collapsed fund, Archegos.

Credit Suisse has returned USD6.75 billion to investors over Greensill's downfall.

Since the collapse of Greensill, which specialised in short-term corporate loans via a complex and opaque business model, GFG has scrambled to cut costs and raise funds in order to survive.

GFG Alliance offices have been raided by authorities in France and Britain.

Britain's Serious Fraud Office launched an investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering last year.

French investigators are probing suspicions of money laundering and abuse of corporate assets.

source: AFP

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
FIH Group PLC - essential services provider in UK and Falkland Islands - Says trading activity is heading back to pre-pandemic levels. Says The Falkland Islands Co, its division least hurt by the pandemic, delivered results that were broadly in line with the year before. Says that performance overall improved as restrictions eased. Expects to deliver an underlying pretax profit significantly exceeding market expectations for the year ended 31 March. It delivered an underlying pretax profit of GBP3.7 million in financial 2021.

Notes that its balance sheet remains "strong" with a cash balance of roughly GBP9.5 million as at March 31. This is broadly in line with the year before.

"We believe the outlook for the group remains positive. Further opportunities to work with the Falkland Islands government and the UK Ministry of Defence are being explored by The Falkland Islands Company and a return of tourists in the austral spring would further boost trading. In parallel, costs are being carefully managed in Momart and Portsmouth Harbour Ferry in line with their ongoing trading recovery," Chief Executive Stuart Munro says.

Current stock price: 235.00 pence

12-month change: down 2.1

By Abby Amoakuh; abbyamoakuh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Mitsubishi Corp on Tuesday reported a sharp rise in annual earnings on the back of improved market conditions and increased production in several of its business segments.

The Tokyo-based conglomerate reported a profit of JPY937.53 billion in the financial year that ended March 31, or around USD7.19 billion. This was up sharply against the previous year, when profit totalled JPY172.55 billion.

Earnings per share surged to JPY635.06 from JPY116.86, with record high earnings in seven out of its ten segments. The company explained that profit had benefited from improved market conditions in the Australian metallurgical coal business and the Salmon farming business.

Increased production and sales volumes in the Automotive-related business and increased sale price in the Steel business also helped, Mitsubishi added.

Revenue rose 34% to JPY17.265 trillion from JPY12.885 trillion, mainly due to rising prices and increased transaction volumes as a result of improved market conditions.

For the year ending March 2023, Mitsubishi now expects profit of JPY850.0 billion, which would be down 9.3% from financial 2022.

Mitsubishi said the anticipated decrease as mainly due to an uncertain business environment. In particular, it expects a decline in its coal, iron ore and salmon farming businesses due to anticipated lower market prices and increased costs.

Shares in Mitsubishi were down 4.9% at JPY4,127.00 on Tuesday in Tokyo.

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Chinese museums, galleries regale netizens with cultural feast through online exhibitions

People's Daily Online) 15:43, May 10, 2022

A staff member of the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute collects data in Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi Province. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chinese museums and galleries have accelerated their digital transformation and have rolled out online exhibitions through the application of digital technologies while exploring innovative ways to display their exhibits, regaling visitors with a cultural feast both online and offline.

An exhibition featuring about 1,000 ancient female-themed paintings from 32 museums across China was held both offline and online at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou, capital city of east Chinas Zhejiang Province between March 8 and May 8. The museum encouraged Internet users to post photos of themselves wearing traditional Chinese clothes on social media platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, engaging in active interactions with them online.

You can tour the digital exhibition hall and find the traditional clothes you like, a netizen commented.

Chinese museums have also offered online services such as online courses so that visitors can learn more about cultural relics. For example, a guide of the Shanghai Museum took visitors on a virtual tour of the museums exhibition of 100 donated cultural relics, through which they could not only enjoy these relics but also learn about the historical and the cultural connotations behind them.

Digital technologies bring cultural relics back to life virtually. With the help of virtual reality (VR) devices, people now can virtually visit the Yungang Grottoes in Datong city, north Chinas Shanxi Province, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Besides, the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute has cooperated with universities including Zhejiang University in Zhejiang and Wuhan University in central Chinas Hubei Province to bring the cultural relics of the grottoes to a wider audience by applying 3D printing technology and VR technology.

Online exhibitions will be able to free cultural relics housed at museums from constraints based on time and space, while providing added convenience for attracting more viewers, according to Wang Yanlong, director of the center for cultural communication studies of Sichuan University in Chengdu, capital of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Internet technologies have brought a tremendous change to art exhibitions, bringing high-definition, three-dimensional, and interactive experiences for people, said Yu Kailiang, a professor at the School of Philosophy at Renmin University of China.

China has rolled out measures to encourage more online exhibitions. According to a plan for the development of culture and tourism between 2021 and 2025 released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in April 2021, China intends to continually promote the digital transformation of art galleries and online exhibitions.

One month later, nine government authorities that included the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a guideline to advance the reform and development of museums, encouraging online exhibitions and cooperation among museums.

China will boost the development of online digital products for scenic spots and museums and develop new cultural and tourism services such as online exhibitions and immersive experiences, according to a plan issued by Chinas State Council in December 2021 to facilitate the development of the digital economy during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
(Alliance News) - The UK foreign secretary will reportedly move to discard large portions of the Northern Ireland Protocol after giving up on Brexit negotiations with the EU.

The Times reported officials working for Liz Truss have drawn up draft legislation to unilaterally remove the need for checks on all goods being sent from Britain for use in Northern Ireland.

The law would also ensure businesses in Northern Ireland are able to disregard EU rules and regulations and remove the power of the European Court of Justice to rule on issues relating to the region, the paper said.

Importantly, the bill would override the protocol agreed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019 and mean the UK had breached its obligations under the Brexit agreement.

The Times said Truss is understood to have concluded talks with the EU and has been told the proposed bill could lead to a trade war with the bloc.

It comes after The Sunday Telegraph said Truss faces Cabinet opposition, particularly from Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Communities Secretary Michael Gove, to her plans to rip up the protocol.

Jeffrey Donaldson, meanwhile, has said that he will not lead the DUP back into powersharing until the issue is resolved, suggesting the prospects of any quick return of the devolved powersharing Executive at Stormont are diminishing.

MLAs returned to Parliament Buildings on Monday and party leaders were also holding separate meetings with Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.

Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O'Neill said that the DUP and British government must accept and respect the democratic result of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections.

UK PM Johnson has said he does not plan to be personally involved in the Northern Ireland talks, while Downing Street played down the reported Cabinet rift over the protocol.

Asked about the government's position on the protocol and whether there are divisions within Cabinet over proposals to unilaterally scrap it, Johnson's official spokesman said: "I wouldn't say that at all.

"I think our preference has always been for a negotiated solution to fix the protocol, and we have been clear that we will take further steps if solutions can't be found.

"No decisions have yet been taken on the way forward. The deputy prime minister made clear the situation, it's very serious."

He insisted the proposals put forward by the European Commission "don't go anywhere near far enough to make the protocol sustainable", adding: "We believe [they] would take us backwards from where we are today. So no decisions have been taken. But we do reserve the right to take action."

That line echoed earlier comments on Monday by Tory MP Michelle Donelan, in which the universities minister said scrapping the protocol was "on the table as one of the options" in the wake of Sinn Fein's success in the Stormont elections.

Northern Ireland Secretary Lewis last week intimated a move against the Northern Ireland Protocol was unlikely to feature in the Queen's Speech on Tuesday.

By Benjamin Cooper, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
May 10, 2022

ZENITH ENERGY LTD.

("Zenith" or the "Company")

Update on Electricity Production & Financing

Zenith Energy Ltd. ("Zenith" or the "Company") (LSE: ZEN; OSE: ZENA), the listed international energy production and development company, is pleased to provide an update on its electricity production operations at the Torrente Cigno concession in Italy during the month of April 2022.

During the month of April 2022, the Company produced a total of approximately 974.4 MWh.

Electricity prices during the month of April 2022 averaged approximately EUR 236 per MWh, resulting in net revenues of approximately EUR 230,000. Zenith's current net production costs remain fixed at approximately EUR 35,000 per month.

Non-convertible Loan Agreement for EUR 1.3 million

The Company has entered into a non-convertible loan agreement (the "Loan") with a financial institution for a total amount of EUR 1.3 million (equivalent to approximately 13.1 million NOK or 1,111,800).

The Loan has a duration of ten months, attracts an interest of 5% per annum and includes normal warranties and default clauses.

In connection with the Loan Agreement, the Company has issued the following share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"):

 85 million Warrants to acquire one common share for each Warrant at an exercise price of NOK 0.20 (equivalent to approximately 0.017).

 85 million Warrants to acquire one common share for each Warrant at an exercise price of NOK 0.25 (equivalent to approximately 0.021).

The Warrants have a duration of ten months from the date of issue.

Use of proceeds from Loan

The Company plans to use the funds received in connection with the Loan to provide additional financial support for the achievement of its business development objectives in the Republic of the Congo, as well as for general working capital purposes.

Sale of A-100 Workover Rig

The Company has agreed to dispose of the A-100 workover rig (the "Rig") that it had previously acquired in Azerbaijan during 2018 by way of its fully owned subsidiary, Zena Drilling Limited.

The expected lack of spare parts and technical support for the Rig, a rig type widely used in the oil industry of the Russian Federation and post-Soviet Republics, as well as the estimated high transportation costs of the Rig from Azerbaijan to the Company's oil and gas portfolio in Africa, were the reasons for the sale.

Zenith confirms that it has not recorded a loss, on an amortised basis, in respect of the consideration originally paid to the manufacturer in 2018 for the purchase of the Rig.

Further Information:

Zenith Energy Ltd Andrea Cattaneo, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (587) 315 1279 E: info@zenithenergy.ca Alternative Resource Capital - Broker Alex Wood Keith Dowsing Tel: +44 (0) 207 186 9004 Tel: + 44 (0) 207 186 9005

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Notes to Editors:

Zenith Energy Ltd. is an international oil and gas production company, listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market (LSE:ZEN) and the Euronext Growth Market of the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE:ZENA).

Zenith's development strategy is to identify and rapidly complete value-accretive hydrocarbon production opportunities in the oil & gas sector, specifically in Africa.

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zenith-energy-limited/
Friday June 24

L.A.B with support from JessB

TSB Arena

Wellington

Saturday July 2

L.A.B with support from JessB & Masaya

Globox Arena (formerly Claudelands Arena)

Hamilton

Fast becoming a winter tradition, these two special performances will see L.A.Bs stadium-sized show rolled into more intimate venues, while maintaining the energy that has seen them become one of NZs best live acts.

Support for these shows will come from JessB & Mara TK in Wellington, and JessB & Masaya in Hamilton.

2022 has again seen the band maintain their reputation as one of NZs hardest-working acts. December 2021 saw them not only release their fifth album in five years, but also take home Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group & Best Roots Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards. These accolades saw the band become the first act since Lorde to win both Single & Album of the Year in the same year.

March saw their debut Australian festival performance, closing out the first night at

WOMADelaide for their first Australian show in over two years. April saw their long-awaited headline tour take over Australia, with extra shows added & capacities increased to meet demands in all cities. The tour was punctuated by a marquee slot at the legendary Byron Bay Bluesfest, performing to over 70,000 Austrlaians in just over a month.

I think it's safe to say... we bloody love L.A.B!

Ready to return to home audiences, these two shows will see the band run through tracks from their ever-increasing back catalogue, including the latest single Real Ones.
Providing the Spanish government sticks to its Covid travel plan, it should become much easier for non-vaccinated travellers from the UK to enter Mallorca and the rest of Spain from next week.

At the moment, Spain is still making sure that travellers from the UK either have proof of vaccination or a recovery certificate. However from May 15, these rules will change.

A statement from the Ministry of the Interior regarding the restrictions said: This order will take effect from 12:00 pm on July 22, 2020, until 12:00 pm on May 15, 2022, without prejudice to its eventual modification to respond to a change in circumstances or new recommendations in the European Union.

After May 15, it is expected that unvaccinated travellers will be able allowed to enter without proof of recovery from Covid-19 but the Spanish Government has yet to make its intentions clear.

At the moment, unvaccinated travellers aged 18 and over can only enter Spain by showing proof of recovery from Covid within the six months before travel.

This will come as good news because with this summer set to be one of the busiest the travel industry has seen in years, millions of Britons are expected to head to Spain this year.

Spain is a key destination for UK tourists. ABTA, the UKs largest travel association, named Spain the most popular destination for tourists in 2022 - with some 29.3% of people surveyed saying they planned to visit the country this year.

But there are a number of new changes to watch out for. With many travellers also set to rent a car during their holiday, a new rule could see people slapped with fines.

The Telegraph reports that the Spanish government is demanding Britain hands over access to its vehicle owner database so it can chase up holidaymakers with fines if they depart the country. People could potentially return home with fines following in the post.
Palma's Plaza Major is going through an exciting and important transition. Once the headquarters of the Inquisition, Plaza Mayor (Placa Major) is now the heart and soul of Palma Old Town and the ideal starting point to explore the historic centres narrow cobblestone streets lined with quaint traditional shops. This rectangular open space, surrounded by old arcaded Spanish buildings, is the main and largest square in the city.

It was created in the 19th century on the site of the Convent of San Felipe Neri and soon became one of Palmas landmarks and a true social and cultural hub, where locals and tourists alike come to enjoy drinks and tapas while watching the world go by. And a new revolution is now taking place, with some of the finest eateries opening up in and around the square as part of a concerted scheme to revive the square and restore its position as the heart of the city centre.

Home to the annual Christmas and summer markets, the Sant Sebastia live concerts and other cultural events throughout the year, it is always bustling with tourists from overseas and the mainland - not to mention local residents. And as the city emerges from the pandemic, the square is enjoying a new lease of life, with a host of new and exciting bars and restaurants opening in the square offering a wide range of quality local and international food and drink. It is just a few minutes walk from many of the new boutique hotels which have opened in the city centre.

The streets running off the square include Carrer de Sant Miquel, Carrer de Colom, and Carrer del Sindicat, all of which are packed with attractive architecture, art galleries and an abundance of shops - making the Plaza Mayor the perfect location for people visiting the city to stop and relax or to meet up with friends throughout the year. The square is also a Mecca for street artists, so there is always something going on for all the family to enjoy making it the place to visit for anyone coming to Palma.
One of Hollywood's most famous and controversial actors, Nicolas Cage, travels to Mallorca in his new film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, albeit only in fiction.

The film, which opens next Friday 13 May in Spain, is set on the island at one point in the film, although the film was shot in Croatia.

In the film, an action comedy, Nicolas Cage plays himself, an actor in decline and desperate to make some kind of impact. So his character agrees to travel to Mallorca to be seen at the birthday of a multi-millionaire fan played by actor Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian).

This plot is not the only connection to the Spanish territory, as Nicolas Cage's character will also be involved in a surreal plot in which he will have to rescue the daughter of the president of Catalonia.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is directed by Tom Gormican and the cast, in addition to Cage and Pascal, includes Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Demi Moore, Sharon Horgan, Jacob Scipio, Alessandra Mastronardi and the Spaniard Paco Leon, in what is his debut in the North American market.
Two weeks ago, Johnny Depp finished his fourth day of testimony in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in Fairfax, Virginia, allowing his former house manager, Ben King, to testify.

King commented on the couple's marriage on Monday afternoon, describing it as "explosive." In 2014, while Depp was filming "Mortdecai," King said he managed Depp's London townhouse. During the filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean," he was also assigned to the home Depp and Heard shared in Australia in March 2015.

When Depp's fingertip was severed during a fight with Heard, King told the court he was in Australia. King claimed he could hear "hysterical sobbing" from Heard when he arrived at the house.

Smashed and cracked walls, broken windows, marble chunks missing from the stairwell and bar, broken glass, a cracked TV with a coffee mug stuck inside, writing on bathroom mirrors, broken lamps, and a "collapsed" ping-pong table were all things he noticed. Depp's blood-stained guitar, "puddles of alcohol," a broken vodka bottle, and "blood drips" across the floor were also visible.

The missing fingertip

King recalled finding Depp's missing fingertip in a bloody paper towel near the bar an hour after he arrived. He put it on ice and gave it to Depp's personal physician, Dr. David Kipper, and Depp's head of security, Jerry Judge, to take to the hospital in the hopes of reattaching it. Before he found it, King said Kipper was "rummaging through a bin" in the kitchen looking for the missing digit.

Heard was encouraged to leave the house and return to Los Angeles, according to him. He told jurors that he offered to fly back with her, which he did despite her protests, "saying things like 'I can't leave, it'll be the end if I leave.'"

Heard's eyes were red from crying, but King said he didn't see any marks or injuries on her. He noticed "uniform, kind of long, thin scratches" on Heard's arm after the flight, he said.

"Have you ever been so angry with someone else that you've just lost it?" King later asked Heard about what happened at the house in Australia.

Johnny Depp's testimony

As Depp's time on the witness stand dwindled earlier Monday, it appeared that the arduous testimony was beginning to wear on the "Pirates" star, whose calm and often light demeanor last week had turned grim and pained Monday.

More cross-examination began in court as Heard's lawyers played audio of fights recorded at various points during the couple's marriage. Depp winced and put his hand to his mouth as the heated conversations continued, with varying levels of intoxication and agitation evident at times from both parties, while Heard appeared to be on the verge of tears.

In one recording, Depp defends his habit of walking away from their fights, saying, "If I don't walk away, it's just going to be a bloodbath." "Exactly like on the island."

Depp became irritable as the testimony progressed, snapping at Heard's lawyers when he was interrupted in the middle of an answer by a question.

He said, "I was talking, is that OK?" "As long as you're happy, sir," Depp said when the attorney suggested he was the one leading the conversation.

Depp also took issue with the description of a photo of him slumped in a chair as "passed out." "That's a very specific term," Depp said with a skeptical look on his face. "'Passed out'? 'Sleeping' would be another [way of saying it]."

Attorneys for Heard challenged Depp's claim that the tip of his finger was sliced off when his now-ex-wife threw a liquor bottle at him during an argument by using one of his own text messages.

J. Benjamin Rottenborn, a lawyer, was overheard reading text messages from Depp to his personal physician, in which he stated, "I cut the tip of my finger off."

"It's just the way it was worded," Depp said, visibly irritated, adding that he would never do anything to jeopardize his guitar playing, which he describes as "the only thing that's given me peace" over the years.

Rottenborn continued to grill Depp in a frenetic manner. The actor was also grilled by Rottenborn about his claim that an op-ed piece he wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which he was indirectly referred to as a "wife-beater" had derailed his career. He read a number of newspaper headlines about Depp's addiction, financial problems, and claims that he ruined his own career.
The Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin has sent a very peculiar message to the world's richest man and founder of Space X, Elon Musk, and he seems untroubled.

This past Sunday, Musk shared a Russian note that he mentioned was sent by Dmitry Rogozin to the Russian Media by Roscosmos, the Russian equivalent of NASA.

NASA and Space X are helping Ukraine maintain their communications with the Starlink Satellites

Then note says that the equipment for Starlink that belongs to Space X, which has a satellite-internet system supposedly had been delivered to Ukrainian marines and "militants of the Nazi Azov battalion" by the military of the United States.

Musk tweeted both the translation and the Russian note that the note read: "Elon Musk, thus, is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment," "And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult - no matter how much you'll play the fool."

He also tweeted "If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya,"

After that Elon's mom, who we saw at the Met Gala, also followed the tweet and replied "That's not funny" along with two angry-face emojis.

To which, Elon also responded "Sorry! I will do my best to stay alive."

After all, Musk does not seem very concerned about the threat, since Rogozin normally bolsters and speaks like that to others, but it seems it's all bark and no bite.

He has been adamant on saying that if the sanctions against Russia are not lifted because of the invasion of Ukraine, they will leave the International Space Station (ISS), however, up there it has been as if no threat was ever made.

All bark and no bite?

Rogozin has taunted the United States in the past by saying that they should use a trampoline to get their astronauts to the ISS since they were dependent on Russian space launches to get there.

In 2020, Musk and Space X made huge efforts and they launched NASA astronauts to the ISS on the Demo-2 mission. Right after that Musk sent a message to Rogozin "The trampoline is working!"

NASA and Space X are helping Ukraine maintain their communications with the Starlink Satellites
OTTAWA, ON

May 9, 2022

Patty Hajdu

Marc Miller

Daniel Vandal

Canada's

Canada's

Canada

Canada

/CNW/ - The Minister of Indigenous Services,; the Minister of CrownIndigenous Relations,; and the Minister of Northern Affairs,, issued the following statement today:"Indigenous nurses are the bridge between traditional healing and Western medicine, establishing and applying a holistic approach to their healthcare delivery.Today, at the start of National Nursing Week, we celebrate Indigenous Nurses Day by recognizing the irreplaceable role of First Nations, Inuit and Metis nurses, who provide culturally inclusive healthcare in their communities and across the country. Indigenous nurses have also continuously demonstrated their phenomenal commitment and exceptional efforts to maintaining the health and well-being of all Canadians, in both urban and remote areas.The theme for National Nursing Week is once again #WeAnswertheCall, which provides yet another opportunity to showcase the ways in which nurses respond to sometimes dire and drastic situations with both professionalism and compassion. And for many Indigenous nurses, answering the call reaches far beyond health service delivery: they are advocating for Indigenous voices to be heard and considered in the healthcare system. We especially want to highlight their exceptional work over the past two years. Nurses have played a pivotal role inCOVID-19 response, and we thank them for their ongoing service to communities.The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ofCalls to Action state the need for "an increase in the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the healthcare field." Although efforts have been made to assure a higher presence of Indigenous healthcare professionals, greater progress toward improved representation is key in the years ahead.To achieve better health outcomes, self-determination and freedom of choice in Indigenous health journeys are vital. First Nations, Inuit and Metis nurses are often uniquely positioned to both understand and campaign for community-led, culturally appropriate healthcare services and delivery while incorporating traditional practices. We recognize and support Indigenous nurses' tireless work to provide accessible, culturally relevant healthcare.With many Indigenous nurses having distinct connections to their community's Elders and healers, their nursing practices pass on the blend of traditional knowledge and medical expertise to the next generation. Their roots in communities and culture are invaluable as we work to build stronger, healthier relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the healthcare systems.For your exceptional skills, your longstanding dedication, and your unwavering ability to care for each and every one of us, we thank you. We are grateful, we are appreciative for all that Indigenous nurses have accomplished throughout."Stay connectedJoin the conversation about Indigenous Peoples inTwitter: @GCIndigenous Facebook: @GCIndigenousInstagram: @gcindigenousYou can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada
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MONROE, La. (AP)  Three years ago, when a beaten and bloody Ronald Greene drew his final breath on a rural roadside, his death in Louisiana State Police custody seemed destined for obscurity.

Family members were told  falsely  that he died in a car crash after a high-speed chase. Body camera footage of white troopers stunning, punching and dragging the Black motorist remained so secret it was even withheld from his initial autopsy.

The story state police stubbornly pushed for months about Greenes death didnt hold up, unraveled by graphic footage, published last year by The Associated Press, that contradicted police reports and fueled claims of a cover-up.

Now, even as Greenes May 10, 2019, death has engulfed Louisianas premier law enforcement agency in controversy, it remains an open wound for a grieving family still seeking justice. Despite long-running state and federal criminal investigations, no charges have been filed in the case.

How do you turn your back on a killing? Greenes mother, Mona Hardin, said Tuesday before meeting with the local district attorney. Its an ugly, lurking evil.

For months, particularly after AP published the body-camera video last spring, the question had not been whether the Justice Department would file charges but how many troopers would be indicted. The scope of the investigation expanded to include whether state police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers.

But after months of interviews, grand jury testimony and a recommissioned autopsy, federal prosecutors are increasingly skeptical they can bring a successful civil rights case against any of the troopers caught on camera abusing Greene, according to people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case.

A key sticking point has been whether federal authorities can prove troopers acted willfully  a key component of the federal civil rights charges authorities are considering. To do that, the sources said, investigators were trying to show that Greene was also pepper-sprayed after he was already in custody.

Even after the FBI enhanced the body-camera video, however, federal authorities have questioned whether the footage proves Greene was pepper-sprayed.

The delays have been compounded by the fact that federal prosecutors had asked the local district attorney, John Belton, to hold off on bringing state charges until the federal investigation runs its course.

But last month, federal prosecutors reversed course and said they would not object to a state prosecution. Belton has said a state grand jury is expected to begin hearing evidence soon.

Separately, a state legislative committee investigating a possible cover-up in the Greene case is squaring up for a showdown over a subpoena to the former head of the Louisiana State Police.

Wednesday, the bipartisan committee is set to hold an initial vote on holding former Col. Kevin Reeves in contempt for refusing to turn over the full three volumes of a diary he kept while leading the agency. Reeves lawyer delivered 11 hand-written pages to the committee last week but contends the remainder is not related to Greene and need not be turned over.

Reeves journal entries within days of Greenes death showed an awareness of the potential fallout. Realize there is a problem -- must address immediately, Reeves wrote in one section that listed a series of possible steps, including suspending troopers or putting them on leave and opening up an internal probe into the case.

But 462 days would pass before state police began an internal investigation into the troopers involved, including one who was recorded boasting he beat the ever-living f--- out of Greene. Reeves, who described Greenes death as awful but lawful, stepped down in late 2020 amid criticism.

If the committee votes to proceed with a contempt case against Reeves, the matter would then move to another committee and then the full state House, where a vote for contempt would allow lawmakers to launch the legal process to force Reeves to comply with the subpoena.

The committee was formed in response to an AP report that found 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.

Lawmakers have said they intend to investigate what Edwards knew about the case and when he knew it, but no one on his staff has yet been called to testify.

Family members gathered Tuesday for a candlelight vigil in a quiet community near Monroe where Greene died, releasing balloons and praying that their long wait for justice will finally come to an end.

Hardin was surrounded by two-dozen supporters wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Greene's image and phrases including, I'm your brother  the words Greene spoke as the troopers began stunning him in his vehicle.

They were joined by former Louisiana State Police Trooper Carl Cavalier, who was fired after speaking out about Greene's death, and Albert Paxton, the now-retired detective who has said supervisors pressured him not to bring state charges in the case.

I'm sorry you've had to go through this, Paxton told Hardin, embracing her just feet from the spot where her son died. You don't hide from the truth.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The last thing the family of two sisters slain in a tiny South Carolina town had heard about the man who confessed to killing them was that he was headed to a mental hospital in 2012 to be treated for schizophrenia so he could later be tried for murder.

For 10 years, they heard nothing. Then, a few months ago, friends started to call a son of one of the women with the news that they had seen Joseph Jermaine Brand around Kingstree, family attorney Lori Murray said.

Darren Tisdale, a son of the other sister and mayor of the town of 3,100, then began searching for Brand, spotting him just a couple of miles from where police said he confessed to shooting the two women in the head after breaking into their home in October 2010. Tisdale called prosecutors but got no answers.

He executed two elderly women, Murray said. I cant believe he isnt a danger to the whole town just out walking around.

Murray and the families of Naomi Johnson, 65, and her 74-year-old sister Thelma Haddock, gave the sparse court records they could find and other information to The Associated Press in advance of a news conference. Then they asked reporters for help.

We need closure. I dont know about you, but yesterday there was a big hole in my heart when I dont have my mama on Mother's Day, Darren Tisdale said.

At the courthouse, a clerk said there was no record of Brand's arrest or indictments for two counts of murder, armed robbery, first-degree burglary and a weapons charge. The records could not be found online either, although there were some court records still available in a file where the arrest warrants were kept. Other public records show Brand, 43, registered to vote from an assisted living home near Columbia in 2016. At one point, he also had a Facebook page.

That's the only tangible piece of evidence about where Brand was until he showed up in Kingstree again. No one has given the family any explanation for why his charges just disappeared.

A judge's order in 2012 said if Brand's mental competency was restored, he was to be brought back to Williamsburg County and held without bond for his trial. Under the law, a prosecutor could seek 30 years to life in prison for Brand, with the possibility of a death penalty trial.

Prosecutors have promised to reinstate the charges and said they will ask a grand jury to indict Brand again at the end of the month, Murray said. Solicitor Chip Finney didnt return a phone message or email from the AP. Neither did the assistant prosecutor who signed off on dropping the charges because of the competency problem or Brand's public defender at the time.

A woman in Kingstree identifying herself as Brands grandmother hung up on an AP reporter Monday. No one responded to a message left at a telephone number listed for Brands mother.

Members of the sisters' family said they had faith in the system, even when a call to Finney to check on the case in 2018 went unanswered. That was, until they saw Brand walking around free.

It has been very hard on the whole family having to relive this event all over again," the family said in a statement issued through their attorney. We want justice for our mothers. We want closure for our families, we want Joseph Brand to pay for his crimes and we want answers as to how and why he was released without prosecution.

And Tisdale added Monday I hope Mr. Finney does what's right."

Brand lived a few doors down from Johnson and Haddock in 2010. He had moved to Kingstree to live with his father after a stint in a Nevada prison on charges of robbery, drugs and firing a gun out of a vehicle, according to legal records.

Brand came over to the sisters' house and asked to spread pine straw for money. When they refused, Brand barged into the home, wrested a gun away from one of the sisters and shot them several times, including in the head, Williamsburg County deputies said.

Brand's father found him walking aimlessly in the sisters' front yard, investigators said. The father saw their door was open and poked his head in to apologize. That's when he discovered the bodies.

Brand confessed to the killings, according to arrest warrants. But the records show that his mental problems kept him from being able to assist his attorney, prompting a judge to order a psychiatric evaluation. A psychiatrist's report stated that Brand had schizophrenia and his thinking was completely disorganized. The report indicated that Brand refused to take his medicine and that if he did take it, his competency could be restored.

When asked his age after his arrest, Brand responded, Seventy-nine in Islam years. Then he said he was 34. One of the two psychiatrists who examined him corrected him, saying court records listed him as being 33. And a half! Brand yelled back, according to the report on his mental state.

When asked how he hoped his case would turn out, Brand, who once lived in Reno, Nevada, said he wanted to return back to the biggest little city."

"I want to return back to life as a rock star, he said, according to the report.

Brand was first sent for temporary psychiatric treatment, but remained incompetent to stand trial, according to Circuit Judge Clifton Newman, who in November 2012 ordered him to be confined until he was better.

That's where the paperwork trail ends, aside from the record of his registering to vote from the assisted living home in Blythewood in 2016. No one quite knows how Brand ended up back in Kingstree last year.

Murray said even though the solicitor has promised to bring the case before a grand jury, she is concerned about whether that will actually happen because it isn't clear whether Brand was declared mentally competent. She said she still can't get answers from Finney's office.

The charges are gone. The record is expunged. Mr. Brand is walking around as free as a jaybird, Murray said.

State mental health officials said privacy laws prevent them from releasing any details of Brands treatment. But in a statement Monday, the Department of Mental Health said patients charged with crimes who need long-term care are committed by a probate judge and both that judge and prosecutors are informed when the patient no longer needs involuntary treatment.

Finney's office told the family that investigators have been keeping an eye on Brand since they realized he was back in Kingstree, but Murray said that is little comfort. She worries now he may run since he knows a grand jury is going to hear the case again at the end of the month.

He's still out there, Murray said. And I think if there wasn't any problem with the case, they could have brought him back in.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The namesake son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared to have been elected Philippine president by a landslide in an astonishing reversal of the 1986 People Power pro-democracy revolt that ousted his father.

Marcos Jr. had more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results with more than 97% of the votes tabulated as of Tuesday afternoon. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, a champion of human rights, had 14.7 million votes in Mondays election, and boxing great Manny Pacquiao appeared to have the third highest total with 3.5 million.

His running mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing president and mayor of southern Davao city, had a formidable lead in the separate vice presidential race.

The alliance of the scions of two authoritarian leaders combined the voting power of their families political strongholds in the north and south but compounded worries of human rights activists.

Dozens of anti-Marcos protesters rallied at the Commission on Elections, blaming the agency for the breakdown of vote-counting machines and other issues that prevented people from casting their votes. Election officials said the impact of the malfunctioning machines was minimal.

A group of activists who suffered under the dictatorship said they were enraged by Marcoss apparent victory and would oppose it.

A possible win based on a campaign built on blatant lies, historical distortions and mass deception is tantamount to cheating your way to victory, said the group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law. This is not acceptable.

Etta Rosales, a former Commission on Human Rights chairwoman who was twice arrested and tortured during martial law in the 1970s, said Marcos Jr.s apparent victory drove her to tears but would not stop her from continuing efforts to hold the Marcoses to account.

Im just one among the many who were tortured; others were killed, I was raped. We suffered under the Marcos regime in the fight for justice and freedom and this happens, Rosales said.

Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte avoided volatile issues during their campaign and instead stuck steadfastly to a battle cry of national unity, even though their fathers presidencies opened some of the most turbulent divisions in the countrys history.

Marcos Jr. has not claimed victory but thanked his supporters in a late-night address to the nation video, where he urged them to stay vigilant until the vote count is completed.

If well be fortunate, Ill expect that your help will not wane, your trust will not wane because we have a lot of things to do in the times ahead, he said.

Robredo has not conceded defeat but acknowledged the massive Marcos Jr. lead in the unofficial count. She told her supporters the fight for reforms and democracy wont end with the elections.

The voice of the people is getting clearer and clearer, she said. In the name of the Philippines, which I know you also love so dearly, we should hear this voice because in the end, we only have this one nation to share.

She asked her supporters to continue to stand up: Press for the truth. It took long for the structure of lies to be erected. We have the time and opportunity now to fight and dismantle this.

The election winner will take office on June 30 for a single six-year term as leader of a Southeast Asian nation hit hard by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns and long troubled by crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, Muslim and communist insurgencies and deep political divisions.

The next president will also likely face demands to prosecute outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for thousands of killings during his anti-drug crackdown  deaths already under investigation by the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty International said it was deeply concerned by Marcos Jr.'s and Sara Duterte's avoidance of discussions of human rights violations, past and present, in the Philippines. If confirmed, the Marcos Jr. administration will face a wide array of urgent human rights challenges," the rights group said in a statement Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch also called for Marcos Jr., if he takes office, to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines.

He should declare an end to the war on drugs that has resulted in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Filipinos, and order the impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of officials responsible for these unlawful killings, said Phil Robertson, the groups deputy director for Asia.

Marcos Jr., a 64-year-old former provincial governor, congressman and senator, has defended the legacy of his father and steadfastly refused to acknowledge and apologize for the massive human rights violations and plunder under his fathers strongman rule.

After his ouster by the largely peaceful 1986 uprising, the elder Marcos died in 1989 while in exile in Hawaii without admitting any wrongdoing, including accusations that he, his family and cronies amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion while he was in power. A Hawaii court later found him liable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

His widow, Imelda Marcos, and their children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 and worked on a stunning political comeback, helped by a well-funded social media campaign to refurbish the family name.
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McLaren Thumb Region has put one of the largest donations it has received to good use while honoring someone who believed in it so much.

The Bad Axe hospital unveiled its newly renovated heart and vascular lab last Friday, renamed in honor of former board of trustees President and Ubly Community Schools teacher Nancy Orr Elliott.

The hospital received a new catheterization lab diagnostic and imaging machine, with allows the hospital to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for heart disease and mitigate the detrimental impacts of the disease.

The project consisted of a 55-inch high definition monitor and smaller monitors to support clinical staff visualization, said Matt Rick, the vice president of operations at McLaren Thumb Region. The replacement of the heart and vascular c-arm within the lab includes state-of-the-art technology that allows reduced radiation exposure for the patients and high-definition image quality for the providers.

With these new machines, a cardiologist can diagnose blockages of blood vessels in the heart, blockages in other parts of the body, coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and heart rhythm disorders. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization, with one in four deaths in the United States happening due to heart disease according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Potentially, if someones having chest pain, or theyre at risk of having a heart attack, we can take images of the vessels in the heart, put catheters in the heart, look at the vessels, and see if theres any blockage that needs to be treated, said Gassan Alaouie, a cardiologist with McLaren Thumb Region. We also treat rhythm problems. If someone needs a pacemaker or defibrillator, we implant those devices here to a heart monitoring system.

Along with Alaouie, lab supervisor Jenny Barnes and four resident nurses work in the lab.

Rick said the vision for this project started 18 months ago when Alaouie approached him about replacing cameras in their 13-year-old system used along with what a replacement could do for community residents who need heart and vascular care.

While McLaren did start a capital campaign and received other donations through the McLaren Foundation, the new lab was made possible through an anonymous donation of $1 million made in the memory of Elliott, who passed away last May.

Donald Clark, the vice-chair of McLaren Thumb Regions board of trustees, knew Elliott through the 16 years they served together on the board. He is not aware if the hospital has ever received a donation as big in size and scope as this.

Nancy was a community activist in every good sense of that term, Clark said. She was an educator and teacher in Ubly. She loved her students. She took pride in the kids they educated. And I think they loved her.

Elliott came up with the idea for the hospital to do a live and silent auction as a community project, and every year, she would donate a quilt to auction and 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies, which were always a high seller. She also made masks for the hospital when the COVID-19 pandemic started and masks were scarce.

Nancy was, in every sense, very active in the community, Clark said.

With this lab renovation, Alaouie said this would allow McLaren Thumb Region to continue to provide services that allow the hospital to prevent heart attacks, provide pacemakers, and treat rhythm abnormalities.

It will have a direct impact on patients' morbidity and mortality, Alaouie said. The renovation of this cath lab will allow us to continue these services for years to come.
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ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments as Ukraines foreign minister appeared to suggest the country could expand its war aims.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces and even staging a counteroffensive, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion.

The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

One of the most dramatic examples of Ukraine's ability to prevent easy victories is in Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters remained holed up at a steel plant, denying Russia's full control of the city. The regiment defending the plant said Russian warplanes continued bombarding it, striking 34 times in 24 hours.

In recent days, the United Nations and the Red Cross organized a rescue of what some officials said were the last civilians trapped at the plant. But two officials said Tuesday that about 100 were believed to still be in the complexs underground tunnels. Donetsk regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said those who remain are people that the Russians have not selected for evacuation.

Kyrylenko and Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupols mayor, did not say how they knew civilians were still in the complex  a warren of tunnels and bunkers spread over 11 square kilometers (4 square miles). Others said their statements were impossible to confirm.

Fighters with the Azov regiment released photos of their wounded comrades inside the plant, including some with amputated limbs. They said the wounded were living in unsanitary conditions with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile remnants of bandages, without the necessary medication and even food.

In its statement on Telegram, the regiment appealed to the U.N and Red Cross to evacuate the wounded servicemen to Ukrainian-controlled territories.

The photos could not be independently verified.

In another example of the grisly toll of the war, Ukrainian officials said they found the bodies of 44 civilians in the rubble of a building destroyed weeks ago in the northeastern city of Izyum.

New U.N. figures, meanwhile, said that 14 million Ukrainians were forced from their homes by the end of April, including more than 5.9 million who have left the country.

In Washington, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Tuesday that eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war. Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a Senate committee that because Russia lacks a noncommissioned officer corps, its generals have to go into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian forces fired seven missiles at Odesa a day earlier, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse in the country's largest port. One person was killed and five wounded, the military said.

Images showed a burning building and debris  including a tennis shoe  in a heap of destruction in the city on the Black Sea. Mayor Gennady Trukhanov later visited the warehouse and said it had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects.

Ukraine alleged at least some of the munitions used dated to the Soviet era, making them unreliable in targeting. Ukrainian, British and U.S. officials say Russia is rapidly using up its stock of precision weapons, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on.

Since President Vladimir Putin's forces failed to take Kyiv early in the war, his focus has shifted to the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas  but one general has suggested Moscows aims also include cutting Ukraines maritime access to both the Black and Azov seas.

That would also give it a swath of territory linking Russia to both the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014, and Transnistria, a pro-Moscow region of Moldova.

Even if Russia falls short of severing Ukraine from the coast  and it appears to lack the forces to do so  the continuing missile strikes on Odesa reflect the citys strategic importance. The Russian military has repeatedly targeted its airport and claimed it destroyed several batches of Western weapons.

Odesa is also a major gateway for grain shipments, and its blockade by Russia already threatens global food supplies. Beyond that, the city is a cultural jewel, dear to Ukrainians and Russians alike, and targeting it carries symbolic significance.

Russian forces have made slow advances in the Donbas, but there have been multiple setbacks. Military analysts suggest that hitting Odesa might serve to stoke concern about southwestern Ukraine, thus forcing Kyiv to put more forces there. That would pull them away from the eastern front as Ukraine's military stages counteroffensives near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv and the surrounding area has been under sustained Russian attack since the early in the war. In recent weeks, grisly pictures testified to the horrors of those battles, with charred and mangled bodies strewn in one street.

Russian aircraft twice launched unguided missiles Tuesday at the Sumy area northeast of Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian border guard service. The region's governor said the missiles hit several residential buildings, but no one was killed. The Chernihiv region, along the Ukrainian border with Belarus, was hit by mortars fired from Russian territory. There was no word on casualties.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the military was gradually pushing Russian troops away from Kharkiv. The Ukrainian military's general staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, meanwhile, appeared to voice increasing confidence  and expanded goals  amid Russia's stalled offensive. He told the Financial Times that Ukraine initially believed victory would be the withdrawal of Russian troops to positions they occupied before the Feb. 24 invasion.

Now if we are strong enough on the military front, and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories.

The comments seemed to reflect political ambitions more than battlefield realities: Many analysts acknowledge that although Russia isnt capable of making quick gains, the Ukrainian military isnt strong enough to drive the Russians back.

Zelenskyy used his nightly address to pay tribute to Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of an independent Ukraine, who died Tuesday at 88. Zelenskyy said Kravchuk showed courage and knew how to get the country to listen to him.

That was particularly important in crisis moments, when the future of the whole country may depend on the courage of one man, said Zelenskyy, whose own communication skills and decision to remain in Kyiv when it came under Russian attack have helped make him a strong wartime leader.

In the U.S., President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure Monday to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and its allies. On Tuesday, the U.S. House approved a new $40 billion Ukraine aid package for defense and humanitarian programs in Ukraine.

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Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Yesica Fisch in Bakhmut, David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Kelvin Chan in London and AP's worldwide staff contributed.

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II delegated one of her most important public duties to Prince Charles on Tuesday, underscoring the increasingly central role the heir to the crown is taking as his mother prepares to celebrate 70 years on the throne.

Charles presided over the state opening of Parliament and delivered the Queens Speech laying out the governments legislative program. The event is a symbol of the monarchs constitutional role as head of state and is accompanied by centuries of tradition designed to demonstrate the strength of Britains political institutions.

The queens decision to delegate her role to Charles is likely to be seen by the public as evidence that a transition is underway, with the 96-year-old monarch remaining on the throne but turning over more responsibilities to her eldest son.

The choreography of the day emphasized a queen who was absent and yet still present. Her throne had been removed, but in its place the Imperial State Crown sat propped on a pillow. Charles, wearing the uniform of an admiral of the fleet, glittered in gold braid rather than sweeping ermine robes.

He was flanked by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and his son, Prince William. It was, in essence, all about the dynasty.

I think the emphasis here was clearly on continuity, a symbolic presence of Elizabeth II, if not a physical presence, and also what the future will likely look like, said Ed Owens, a royal historian and author of The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public 1932-1953.

WHAT IS THE QUEENS SPEECH?

The speech is delivered during the formal opening of each session of Parliament and lays out the governments legislative program.

It is written by the elected government, currently led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and is read out to a joint meeting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The monarch traditionally arrives for the event in a horse-drawn carriage, sits on the Sovereigns Throne in the House of Lords and wears the Imperial State Crown.

But Charles, 73, arrived by car and sat not on the sovereigns throne, which had been removed, but on the consorts throne, which had been used by his late father, Prince Philip. In the place where the queens throne normally is placed, the Imperial State Crown was placed on a velvet cushion.

Charles delivered the speech in the third person, referring to Her Majestys Government.

WHY DID ELIZABETH DECIDE TO SKIP THE SPEECH?

Buckingham Palace didnt elaborate on what it called episodic mobility problems, but the queen has had difficulty moving around in recent months. She has been seen using a cane on some occasions and Prince Andrew last month escorted her into Westminster Abbey for the memorial service for Prince Philip.

The event involves more than just reading the speech. There is a long walk to the House of Lords, stairs to the throne, and in past years the need to climb in and out of the carriage. All of these obstacles might offer challenges for the sovereign.

Elizabeth, who only recently recovered from a bout of COVID-19, is also preparing for four days of festivities celebrating her Platinum Jubilee that are scheduled for June 2-5.

HAS THE QUEEN EVER MISSED THE SPEECH BEFORE?

Yes. In 1959, when she was in the late stages of pregnancy with Prince Andrew, and again in 1963 before the birth of Prince Edward.

On both of those occasions, Parliament was opened by a royal commission, with the speech delivered by the presiding member.

SO WHATS DIFFERENT THIS TIME?

This year the queen formally asked Prince Charles to deliver the speech under rules that allow her to delegate some of her duties to senior members of the royal family who are considered counselors of state. Counselors of state are required to act in pairs, so Charles was accompanied by his eldest son, Prince William.

Because the duties had been delegated to Charles, there was less disruption of the ceremonial aspects of the day.

The public should be able to take comfort from the continuity that Charles appearance represents, said Robert Hazell, a professor of government and the constitution at University College London.

Yes, we are, in effect, preparing for a transition, he told The Associated Press. The queen is in her mid-90s. She wont live forever. We are nearing the last years of her reign, and during those last years, if she is no longer capable of putting in public appearances, Prince Charles can deputize on her behalf.
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MIDDLETOWN  Middlesex Health is seeking to add 10 ambulances to its fleet to reduce response time as calls for service have increased, the fire chief said.

The health care system plans to file an application for a transport license with the Office of Emergency Medical Services. The next step will be a hearing, where personnel will testify about the need to supplement their fleet, Middlesex Health Manager of Emergency Medical Services Jim Santacroce said.

The chiefs of Middletowns three fire departments and the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce provided letters of recommendation for the proposal.

It will be tremendous, Middletown Fire Chief Jay Woron said. It would give us a greater opportunity to be on multiple medical calls at the same time.

Middletowns 911 calls have been served by Hunters Ambulance/Hartford HealthCare on Washington Street, the chief said.

In 2015, Middlesex Health purchased five ambulances, one of which is being serviced, and another stationed in Durham that became the towns primary source of medical transport, he said.

One of the three remaining will soon need a new siren.

That takes us down 33 percent of what we can do, Santacroce said.

We want to be able to provide services without stripping other towns, as well as increase reliability once these ambulances are in force, he explained.

Another goal is to have a reserve of back-up ambulances.

That means only three are running a day, not only for medical issues, but to transport patients out of the hospital.

It could take at least a few weeks for the application to go through the process, Santacroce said.

In April, Middletown fire responded to 800 medical emergencies, Woron said. Of these, 12 were mutual aid, two were canceled and three were sent to an accident.

When call volume often exceeds whats available, dispatchers summon mutual aid from Cromwell, Portland or even Durham, Woron said.

Middletown is a busy city. At any given time, there could be two, three, four medical calls, Woron said. There has to be the same amount of ambulances.

Middlesex Health also serves Portland, Middlefield and surrounding towns, the chief said. The hospital provides certified EMTs.

Nearly all workers at the downtown station  67 of 71  are certified, he added.

The department designed a program during the height of the pandemic so designated units were able to respond solely to fires, Woron said. A trailer with two EMTs in an SUV was stationed at the Emergency Operations Center on Country Club Road.

It served a two-fold purpose: Apparatus were available to take fire calls and it kept medical personnel out of the station to prevent COVID-19 transmission among personnel, Woron said. Once the need for service waned, the EMTs were transitioned back to their normal response procedure.
MIDDLETOWN  An 18-year-old Middletown High School student has been charged in connection with an April 26 incident that police say caused a broken window.

It was determined that two MHS students were in a minor physical altercation over an ongoing feud, Middletown Lt. Brian Hubbs said Tuesday.

School resource officers learned that a brief, verbal altercation, resulted in the 18-year-old student grabbing another student by his shirt and push him backwards into the glass window on the door, Hubbs said.

The building superintendent alerted school officers to the shattered window in the loading dock area, according to Hubbs.

After it broke, the students separated and one was treated for minor injuries, Hubbs said.

The damage to the window was determined to be approximately $800, Hubbs said.

Middletown Public Schools Director of Communications Jessie Lavorgna declined to disclose if any disciplinary actions had been taken, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

With regard to any incident in any of our schools, district administrators continue to work in collaboration with school administrators and support staff to ensure that our schools are safe places for students and staff, she said.

The 18-year-old was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree criminal mischief and breach of peace. He was released on a promise to appear in court on Tuesday.
Former Connecticut resident Nathan Carman has been indicted by a Vermont grand jury on a charge of killing his mother in 2016 while they were on a fishing boat near Block Island, federal court records unsealed Tuesday show.

The nine-page indictment, first delivered on May 2, charges Carman with murder on the high seas in connection with the death of his mother, Linda Carman. It also charges him with multiple counts of fraud.

Carman, 28, now a resident of Vernon, Vt., was taken into custody Tuesday, federal officials said. The former Middletown resident remains detained and will be arraigned Wednesday in federal court in Vermont. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

In the indictment, federal prosecutors outlined a scheme in which Nathan Carman planned a fishing trip with his mother in September 2016 aboard their boat, the Chicken Pox.

Nathan Carman planned to kill his mother on the trip. He also planned how he would report the sinking of the Chicken Pox and his mother's disappearance at sea as accidents, the indictment read. Once at sea, authorities wrote in the indictment, Nathan Carman killed his mother and sank the boat.

While not formally charging him with the 2013 death of his grandfather, John Chakalos, of Windsor, the indictment said Nathan Carman killed the man along with his mother as part of a nearly decadelong scheme to obtain money from his grandfathers trust.

As a central part of this scheme, Nathan Carman murdered John Chakalos and Linda Carman. He concocted cover stories to conceal his involvement in those killings, the indictment read.

In 2013, Nathan Carman, while renting an apartment in Bloomfield, obtained a New Hampshire license and used that identification to buy a Sig Sauer rifle in New Hampshire, the indictment read. With that rifle, he shot Chakalos twice as he slept in his Windsor home on Dec. 20 of that year, federal authorities wrote in the indictment.

To cover up his involvement, Nathan Carman got rid of his computer hard drive and the GPS in his truck the night Chakalos was shot, the indictment read.

Authorities claim Nathan Carman lied to investigators, denying he killed his grandfather, the indictment read. They alleged Nathan Carman also lied about where he was between 3 and 4 a.m. on the day Chakalos was killed and said he never purchased the Sig Sauer rifle used in the killing.

When Chakalos died, authorities said Carman received $550,000, including $150,000 from a college fund. In 2014, Carman moved to Vermont, spending much of the money between 2014 and 2016, the indictment read.

By the fall of 2016, he was low on funds, the indictment read.

Around 11 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2016, Nathan and Linda Carman left the Ram Point Marina in South Kingstown, R.I., on the Chicken Pox for a fishing trip, according to the indictment. At the time, Linda Carman believed she was returning at noon the next day.

Federal authorities wrote in the indictment that Nathan Carman made alterations to the boat, including removing two forward bulkheads and removing trim tabs from the transom of the hull.

When the boat did not return as planned the next day, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a search for the Carmans that continued through Sept. 24, 2016. During that time, federal authorities said Nathan Carman hid from search-and-rescue teams.

He was eventually picked up by the Orient Lucky, a commercial ship, the indictment read. Once rescued, federal authorities allege in the indictment that Carman lied to the Coast Guard and law enforcement about what happened to his mother and the boat.

The following month, he filed an $85,000 insurance claim for the lost boat, again lying about what happened to his mother and the Chicken Pox, the indictment read.

The insurance company later denied the claim, and prevailed when Nathan Carman challenged the denial in federal court in Rhode Island. During the trial, federal authorities alleged Carman provided false statements, the indictment read.

If convicted, the U.S. Attorney for Vermonts office said Nathan Carman faces life in prison.

The yearslong investigation was handled by the FBI, U.S. Coast Guard, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Windsor Police Department and Connecticut State Police, the U.S. Attorneys office said.
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BRIDGEPORT - A New Canaan cop, accused of killing dogs at his Naugatuck training facility, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to possessing a large amount of explosives at his Stratford home.

David Rivera, who was suspended from the police department following his arrest, pleaded not guilty to illegal possession of explosives, illegal storage of explosives, illegal possession of an assault rifle, illegal storage of a firearm and three counts of improper transfer of a firearm before Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo.

Rivera asked for a jury trial.

The judge continued the case to July 6.

Rivera and his lawyer, Susan Hankins, declined comment as they left the Fairfield County Courthouse.

Rivera, who was the New Canaan Police Departments K-9 officer, owned Black Rock Canines of Naugatuck which trained dogs for law enforcement agencies.

He and his general manager, Daniel Luna, were recently charged with more than a dozen counts of animal cruelty for allegedly fatally shooting more than a dozen adult dogs and puppies that they deemed untrainable at the facility.

That case is being prosecuted in Waterbury Superior Court.

In the case here, Rivera is accused of illegally storing a large amount of explosives in the garage of his house on Larchmont Circle in Stratford.

Last month, the arrest warrant affidavit states two employees of the dog training company complained to state police about their concerns of a large amount of explosive material, including TNT, that Rivera was storing at both the training center and a factory building in Naugatuck.

The affidavit states that the employees were concerned that Rivera did not have a license to have the explosives and that the explosives were being kept in unsafe containers. The witnesses told police Rivera claimed he was using the explosives to train dogs in detecting them.

The witnesses told police that after they confronted Rivera about the explosives Rivera moved them to his home in Stratford, the affidavit states.

Stratford police, members of the state police bomb squad and agents of the FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms served a search warrant on Riveras home in Stratford.

In the garage they found numerous items they determined to be high explosives, plus other items they considered to be low explosives, the affidavit states.

The affidavit continues that some of the explosives had begun to degrade and crystallize, indicating they were extremely unstable.

All the explosive material that was found in the garage was found to be unlocked and accessible to anyone who was in the garage, the affidavit states.

The affidavit states that when police searched the basement of the home they found three weapons, including an AR-15 assault weapon in an unlocked wooden box. The affidavit states that Rivera did not have the proper paperwork to obtain the guns.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  In an early victory for a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate at the start of midterm season, Rep. Alex Mooney on Tuesday beat fellow incumbent Rep. David McKinley in West Virginias 2nd Congressional District Republican primary.

Donald Trump loves West Virginia, and West Virginia loves Donald Trump, Mooney said in his victory speech.

McKinley was sharply criticized by the former president when he broke with his party as one of 13 Republicans to vote with the Democrats to support President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Trump called McKinley a RINO, or Republican in Name Only and endorsed Mooney the day Biden signed the infrastructure law.

The two incumbents, who have taken dramatically different approaches to their time in office, were pitted against each other in the states 2nd Congressional District after population losses cost West Virginia a U.S. House seat.

McKinley, who has represented the state in the House since 2011, said in a statement Tuesday night that serving the people of West Virginia had been the honor of his life  and made a subtle reference to the infrastructure vote.

Im proud that I have always stood up for whats right for West Virginia  even when it hurt me politically, he said. "The groundwork we have laid over the last twelve years has paved the way for a more prosperous and diverse West Virginia economy.

Mooney, who has served in West Virginia's House delegation since 2015, gave his victory speech surrounded by supporters at a hotel watch party in Charles Town in West Virginia's eastern panhandle, where he lives. McKinley was watching the results come in at home with his family.

West Virginias election was the first of five primaries in which two incumbent U.S. House members will compete against each other. It will be followed by similar contests in Georgia and Michigan and in two Illinois districts.

The race was one of the most-watched of the day. In Nebraska, another Trump-backed candidate, Charles Herbster, was in a crowded field of GOP contenders for governor. The contests came on the heels of a victory by Trump-endorsed conservative JD Vance, author of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, who defeated six other candidates to win the Ohio Republican primary for U.S. Senate last week.

Earlier Tuesday night, Trump-endorsed incumbent U.S. Rep. Carol Miller breezed to the Republican nomination in West Virginias 1st District, defeating four little-known candidates and setting herself on a clear path to reelection.

Miller will vie for her third term in the House in the fall against Democrat Lacy Watson, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Watson, of Bluefield, lost in the 2020 Democratic primary in the former 3rd District.

In Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, in the Omaha area, three-term Republican Rep. Don Bacon won the primary over long-shot candidate Steve Kuehl, an Omaha consultant who got a shoutout from Trump when the former president visited earlier this month.

Trump blasted Bacon as a bad guy during a recent rally in the state and had criticized him previously for his support of a federal infrastructure bill that most GOP lawmakers opposed. Bacon also has been mildly critical of Trump in the past, saying the former president bore some responsibility for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump stopped far short of officially endorsing Kuehl, however, saying: I think Steve will do well. Good luck, Steve, whoever the hell you are.

Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, won in the state's 1st Congressional District over five other Republican candidates. Flood wants to fill the seat abandoned by Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican who resigned from office and ended his reelection bid after he was convicted of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution. Fortenberrys name still appeared on the ballot for the 1st Congressional District because he withdrew after a deadline to certify the ballot.

In the rural, geographically vast 3rd Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith easily won his partys nomination. Two Democrats were vying for their partys nomination within the district, which is overwhelmingly Republican.

In West Virginias 2nd Congressional District, McKinley's decision to support the infrastructure bill was on voters minds.

Susan Smith, a small-business owner in Valley Grove, voted for Mooney at a local elementary school Tuesday morning. She lives in McKinleys former district and said she always voted for him in the past. But not in this election.

When Mr. McKinley started voting with the Democrats and the current administration, thats when things changed, said Smith, who cited McKinleys vote for Bidens infrastructure bill and the Jan. 6 commission. Im sorry to be losing a congressman, but we cannot have a Republican congressman voting with the Democrats. West Virginia did not need the money from this un-infrastructure bill.

In the general election, Mooney will face openly gay former Morgantown city councilor Barry Wendell, who bested security operations manager Angela Dwyer during Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Mooney enters the general election as a heavy favorite to win. West Virginia hasnt elected a Democrat to the House since 2012.

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Associated Press writer Grant Schulte in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

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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.
Three mental health counselors were allowed to keep practicing at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Danville, Illinois, despite leaders knowing they had engaged in inappropriate relationships with patients, the VA's top investigator found.

One counselor had a baby with a former patient, and another continued to live with a former patient while working at the VA facility for years after complaints were filed by a whistleblower.

Though leaders "took initial actions" to address what is considered a breach of professional ethics, an investigation wasn't launched until after the whistleblower filed complaints in 2018 against the first two providers and in 2019 after the third provider's patient died from an overdose.

Read Next: Despite Having Misjudged Russia's 'Hollow Force,' Intelligence Officials Say Putin Is Still an 'Evolving' Threat

From 2013 to 2020, two licensed clinical social workers and a certified addiction counselor at the VA Illiana Health Care System each developed personal relationships with patients.

In its investigation, the VA Office of the Inspector General found that the addiction counselor remained on staff providing substance abuse counseling and was living with their once-patient as of early 2020.

One of the licensed clinical social workers was reassigned to a lower position at the facility and had a baby with their patient as of early 2020. The other licensed clinical social worker resigned abruptly after their patient died of an overdose in 2019.

According to the report, released May 3, the therapist who resigned continued to have "full unrestricted license to practice social work" in the state of Illinois as of early 2020.

Facility leaders took some actions to address the inappropriate relationships after complaints were lodged, said Dr. John Daigh, the VA's assistant inspector general for health care, in the report, but "multiple factors affected the effectiveness of those actions."

Daigh said that, while leaders put new plans in place to prevent future ethical lapses, they did not take the important step of reporting the employees to licensing and certification boards.

"Given the egregious nature of the providers' behaviors, facility leaders failed to report Providers B and C to their state licensing boards in a timely manner and failed to report Provider A to the appropriate professional certification board," Daigh wrote.

In some states, sexual or romantic relationships between a provider and their patient are a criminal offense.

In Illinois, such relationships are not unlawful, but they are deeply unethical: A therapist can lose their license or have it suspended if they engage in a sexual or romantic relationship with a client or engage in sexual activities with former clients up to five years after they stop their professional relationship.

Daigh said the behavior should have sparked a report to the state licensing board within five days of the employees' removal from clinical duties while an investigation was underway.

One provider was not removed from their job until 314 days after a fact-finding review was launched; the other resigned before disciplinary action could be taken. VA Iliana leadership completed the reporting process 97 days later.

The substance abuse counselor was never removed from their job, and the VA reported the ethical breach to the employee's professional certification board several years later, and only after finding out that the board had a process for filing complaints.

"Sexual contact between providers and patients is considered to be "unethical, exploitative, and harmful with the potential for injury such as mental health disorders, sexual dysfunction, and increased risk of suicide," according to the report.

This was the case for the patient romantically involved with one of the licensed clinical social workers. During the hospital's fact-finding investigation, those interviewed said the patient had relapsed, was homeless and had expressed thoughts of suicide, and they believed that the relationship contributed to this instability.

Investigators recommended an intervention, and there was a record of one attempt to reach the patient. But a connection was never made, and the patient died of an overdose nine days later.

The report on the Illiana VA follows a lawsuit filed last December by three veterans against the federal government and a former psychiatrist at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, alleging medical malpractice and sexual abuse.

According to court filings in the Northern District of California, former VA psychiatrist Dr. Ferda Sakman had sex with at least one patient and pressured another for sex. One patient reported that Sakman used astrology as part of her therapy and incorporated hallucinogenic drugs in her practice while also taking them herself.

Sakman worked for the VA from 2014 to 2016, and from 2018 to 2020.

She surrendered her medical license in July 2020 after the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct found her negligent on "more than one occasion," for her "care and contact with a male patient which was contrary to the accepted standards of medicine and for having failed to adhere to professional boundaries."

In Danville, the VA OIG recommended that the regional director at the Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 evaluate the processes that led to the facility's failure to identify and respond to inappropriate relationships on staff.

The OIG also made recommendations to the facility director to improve the timing of reports to state licensing or certification boards.

In the response, VA officials concurred with the recommendations, saying they planned to implement them this spring.

"We deeply regret the circumstances that impacted the care of these Veterans. As health care professionals, we are committed to providing quality care, maintaining patient well-being, and collaborating for positive patient outcomes," wrote Staci Williams, executive director of the VA Illiana Health Care System.

A spokesman for the VA's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday the recommendations are to be completed this month.

According to VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes, the hospital has taken "swift action to address inappropriate relationships," to include revising policies, conducting "professional boundary training," and making changes to its reporting system.

"VA continues to place the highest focus on providing safe, quality care for our patients," Hayes wrote in an email.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Inspector General Finds VA Overcharged Disabled Vets on Home Loans
Dozens of fighter jets from across the country have congregated at a center on Georgia's coast this month for "Sentry Savannah," the Air National Guard's largest air combat training exercise.

At least 48 combat jets have taken over the runways at the Air Dominance Center, located at the Savannah Air National Guard Base, in an example of how planes from the active-duty Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as reserve units, use the space.

But President Joe Biden's 2023 budget proposal cuts funding for the center, which could put 120 jobs on the line; make a recent $25 million military construction project for a new hangar useless; and, ultimately, close one of the largest regional installations for reserve air combat exercises.

Read Next: Air Force Will End Program That Allowed Some Airmen to Choose Their Next Duty Station

In response to the possible budget cuts, a bipartisan group from Georgia's delegation in Washington wrote lawmakers late last month asking for $11.5 million in funding to be added back for the Air Dominance Center, citing heightened tensions in Europe and Asia as reasons for keeping the training institute alive.

"With Russia's military aggression in Europe and China's increased engagement in Asia and the Pacific threatening our allies and partners, we cannot compromise our military's combat Readiness," the lawmakers wrote.

Georgia's Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Republican Reps. Earl "Buddy" Carter and Austin Scott, and Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop signed the letter.

Their request asks for $3.45 million for aircraft operations, $1.2 million for mission support, $350,000 for base support and $6.5 million for Air National Guard personnel.

"As members of Congress, we recognize that budgets have limits and hard decisions must be made to protect our country's bottom line," the lawmakers wrote. "But our military's capacity to conduct realistic, live training sets us apart from our adversaries."

Jared Downs, vice president of governmental affairs for the Savannah Chamber of Commerce who lobbies for financial support for the city's military community, said the $11.5 million is less than half of what Congress already approved for a brand-new hangar to house F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fighter jets.

"If they shut the Air Dominance Center down, then that's $25 million down the drain," Downs told Military.com. He said the project is set to be complete by September.

The Air National Guard has three other similar training centers. One is in nearby Gulfport, Mississippi; the other two are in Alpena, Michigan, and Camp Douglas, Wisconsin.

The lawmakers say that Savannah's training center is more modern and can host more training events than the other three. Each year, it hosts around 2,000 training missions and 6,000 personnel for various exercises, according to the citys chamber of commerce.

The lawmakers also argue that it saves money because the Air Dominance Training Center shares facilities with the 165th Airlift Wing, an Air National Guard unit based at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

"It offers unparalleled opportunities for peer-to-peer air combat training, regional training conferences, classified engagements, and support for regional operations," the lawmakers wrote.

The 2023 budget request has not been finalized yet. But the Air Force plans other cuts that could affect the National Guard, including retiring about 269 planes and aircraft.

Nearly two dozen of the Indiana Air National Guard's A-10 Thunderbolts would be retired, and the 122nd Fighter Wing would bring on new F-16 Fighting Falcons, which it had been flying a decade before receiving the Thunderbolt.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Indiana's Guard Swapped its F-16s for A-10s a Decade Ago. Now the Air Force Wants to Send F-16s Back.
Top U.S. intelligence officials acknowledged Tuesday that they misjudged Russia's military strength prior to that country's invasion of Ukraine, including failing to recognize Russia had a "hollow force" that would struggle against fierce Ukrainian resistance.

They estimated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's conventional forces will take "years" to recover as a war that has seen thousands of Russian weapons destroyed, thousands of troop casualties and nearly a dozen generals killed continues.

"What we did not see from the inside was sort of this hollow force, lack of NCO corps, lack of leadership training, lack of effective doctrine," Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Read Next: 6 Airmen Caught with Thousands of Rounds of Stolen Ammo, Federal Indictment Alleges

The current U.S. National Defense Strategy, for which the Pentagon publicly released an unclassified summary in March, labels Russia an "acute" threat, apparently a step down from China's "pacing challenge" but still part of the basis for the Pentagon's record $773 billion budget request for 2023.

Prior to the war, which is nearing its 12th week, U.S. officials predicted that Kyiv could fall to Russia in a matter of days. Instead, Ukrainian forces thwarted Russian attempts to take the capital, forcing Russia to retreat and refocus its efforts on the southeastern Donbas region.

Ukraine's latest estimate of Russian battlefield losses tallies about 26,000 casualties and the destruction of more than 1,000 tanks, more than 2,800 armored personnel vehicles, more than 300 planes and helicopters, and more. Those numbers could be overestimates fueled in part by the parallel information war between Ukraine and Russia.

Berrier said his agency estimates that eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war and agreed with Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton's suggestion that's because they don't have lower-ranking officers they can trust to carry out orders on the front lines. Ukrainian officials have placed the number of Russian generals killed at 12.

While Berrier said the war appears to now be in a "stalemate," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, who testified alongside Berrier, suggested Russian military's weakness could lead to Putin becoming more volatile.

"The reality that Putin faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia's current conventional military capabilities likely means the next few months could see us moving along a more unpredictable and potentially escalatory trajectory," Haines said.

In addition to misjudging Russian capabilities ahead of the war, U.S. officials, including Berrier at a previous hearing, have attributed their faulty prediction on Kyiv falling to underestimating Ukrainians' will to fight.

But on Tuesday, Berrier sparred with Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, when asked about the intelligence community's struggle assessing will to fight. King also cited overestimates about the now-defunct Afghan forces' will to fight the Taliban.

"There was never an intelligence community assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight," Berrier said. "Those assessments talked about their capacity to fight."

Pressed further by King, Berrier acknowledged the assessments about Kyiv being overrun were "grossly wrong," but still held the issue wasn't U.S. analyses about Ukrainians' resolve, adding, "I think the intelligence community did a great job" predicting the invasion.

"How can you possibly say that when we were told explicitly Kyiv would fall in three days and the government of Ukraine would fall in two weeks," King shot back. "If you don't concede there was a problem on this, then we've got a problem."

Asked Tuesday how Russian losses in the war affect the overall threat from Moscow, both Berrier and Haines said it will take "years" for Russia to rebuild its conventional forces and replace the equipment and soldiers it's lost.

"The overall threat level is not so much changed as it is the question of how it's evolving," Haines added. "The ground combat forces have been degraded considerably. ... That may end up meaning that they have greater reliance on asymmetric tools during this period. So they may rely more on things like cyber, nuclear precision, etc."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: Training, Weapons, Intel: The US Military's Slow Slide Toward Confrontation with Russia over Ukraine
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine  Russia pounded away at Ukraines vital southern port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, as they announced they found the bodies of 44 civilians in the rubble of a building in the northeast that was destroyed weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official said that at least 100 civilians remain trapped at a steel mill in the besieged city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters are making a last stand.

The 44 bodies were found in a five-story building that collapsed in March in Izyum, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the city of Kharkiv, which has been under sustained Russian attack since the beginning of the war in late February.

This is another horrible war crime of the Russian occupiers against the civilian population! said Oleh Synehubov, the head of the regional administration, in a social media message announcing the deaths.

Izyum lies on a key route to the eastern industrial region of the Donbas, now the focus of Russia's war in Ukraine. Synehubov did not say specifically where the building was.

Earlier, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles a day earlier from the air at the crucial Black Sea port of Odesa, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse. One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

Ukraine alleged at least some of the munitions used dated back to the Soviet era, making them unreliable in targeting. Ukrainian, British and American officials warn Russia is rapidly expending its stock of precision weapons and may not be able to quickly build more, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on. That could result in wider damage and more civilian deaths.

But the Center for Defense Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank tracking the war, said Moscow did use some precision weapons against Odesa: Kinzhal, or Dagger, hypersonic air-to-surface missiles.

Using advanced guided missiles allows Russia to fire at a distance without being exposed to potential anti-aircraft fire.

The strikes came the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin marked his countrys biggest patriotic holiday without being able to boast of major new battlefield successes. On Monday, he watched troops march in formation and military hardware roll by in a Victory Day parade on Moscows Red Square to celebrate the Soviet Unions role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

Many Western analysts had expected Putin to use Victory Day holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, but he did neither. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

Putin has long bristled at NATOs creep eastward into former Soviet republics. Ukraine and its Western allies have denied the country posed any threat.

The danger was rising by the day, Putin said. Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely, and the only correct decision.

Intense fighting also raged in Ukraines east, including at a steel plant in Mariupol, where Russian forces sought to take the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance.

One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out at the steel plant said they were still defending the city. Valeri Paditel, who heads the border guards in the Donetsk region, said the fighters were doing everything to make those who defend the city in the future proud.

Hundreds of civilians holed up for weeks with the fighters have been evacuated in recent days. But Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the Mariupol mayor, said in a social media post Tuesday that in addition to the military, at least 100 civilians remain at the sprawling plant, which has miles of underground tunnels. At one point, Ukrainian and Russian authorities had said all civilians had left the plant.

Andryushchenko said that the Russian forces continue to pound the plant with heavy weaponry and attempts to storm (the plant) from the land remain unsuccessful.

The Ukrainian military warned Tuesday that Russia could target the countrys chemical industries. The claim wasnt immediately explained in the report. But Russian shelling has previously targeted oil depots and other industrial sites during the war.

Also, satellite pictures analyzed by The Associated Press showed two ships off Ukraines Snake Island on Monday afternoon.

One of the ships seen in the images from Planet Labs PBC appeared to be a landing craft. Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian positions there recently, suggesting Russian forces may be trying to re-staff or remove personnel from the Black Sea island.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm Kyiv in the early days of the war, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog. Some analysts suggested Putin might declare the fighting a war, not just a special military operation, and order a nationwide mobilization, with a call-up of reserves, to fight an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is headed or how he might intend to salvage it. Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia cant fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine, tweeted Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: Russia has not won this war. Its starting to lose it.

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favor of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated Western military equipment.

As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Ukrainian capital. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in his own Victory Day address that his country would eventually defeat the Russians.

Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine, he said in a video. He added: "We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.

A Zelenskyy adviser interpreted Putins speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with NATO.

In Washington, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment. Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas hasnt achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Satellite photos showed intense fires in Russian-held territory in southern Ukraine on Monday. A cause for the fires wasnt immediately clear. However, Planet Labs images showed thick smoke rising to the east of Vasylivka, a city which is flanked by nature preserves.

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Yesica Fisch in Bakhmut, 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.
As Army planners move quickly to convert the service's formations in Alaska to the 11th Airborne Division this summer, the fate of roughly 320 Strykers in the region is uncertain. But they could end up being used for spare parts for other units across the force.

"We are looking at potentially taking the Strykers out of Alaska and, if we do that, we will take them and look at the ones we can reuse elsewhere, or use for parts," Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday.

As part of the force's recent focus on Arctic warfare and shift from anti-terrorism to conventional combat tactics, it is bringing its 12,000 troops in Alaska under a single banner -- the 11th Airborne Division, and ditching the 25th Infantry Division patch usually associated with jungle warfare.

Read Next: Congress Just Spent $25 Million on Fixing Up an Air Training Center. Now, the Air Force Wants to Shut it Down.

Currently, there are two major formations in Alaska: the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The first is a mechanized infantry force using Strykers as its premier combat platform; the latter is its paratrooper element. The region's headquarters element, U.S. Army Alaska, would also be reorganized into the new division.

Strykers are typically used to transport troops and can provide support for ground assaults with weapons such as the M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Army planners have kicked off numerous efforts to beef up the Stryker's tech and offensive capabilities, trying to make it a relevant platform for decades.

"When the Stryker formation was originally created, it was designed to be an interim force, really a bridge between what was then the legacy Army and the future combat systems," Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky, who was the 1st Corps commanding general and has since retired, said in 2019 during that year's Maneuver Warfighter Conference. "Today, that force is no longer interim. That force is going to be with the Army until 2040."

The service's Future Combat Systems program, which was supposed to create a replacement for the Strykers, was canned in 2009 after at least $32 billion had been dumped into a range of futuristic hardware that was far from being fielded. The program's cancellation coincided with the Defense Department's move away from conventional warfare capabilities and toward a total focus on combating insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Strykers are not built for the Arctic climate and are unable to reliably perform in minus-65 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, the benchmark commanders in Alaska have set for equipment. Strykers are also too large to easily navigate narrow roads and, being wheeled vehicles, they cannot be taken off-road in the snowy environment and driven up steep hills.

Instead, the Army wants to buy 13 Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles, or CATVs, as part of its proposed 2023 budget for Alaska, which still needs to be approved by Congress. Those tracked vehicles can be taken off-road and may be much more compatible with the frigid environmentt. That same budget also calls for $671 million for Stryker upgrades for other units.

-- 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
Read the original article on Business Insider.

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper in his new book said that "leaks were a chronic problem" in the Trump administration and former President Donald Trump was the "biggest leaker of all."

"The individual motivations for the leaks ranged from advancing a preferred policy outcome to enhancing the leaker's own role or credentials to currying favor with the president. It was a noxious behavior learned from the top. The president was the biggest leaker of all. It turned colleague against colleague, department against department, and it was generally bad for the administration and the country," Esper wrote in "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times."

Esper said the leaks "damaged trust" and made people "far more reluctant to speak up and share their views."

"Nobody wanted to see their name in the morning news, especially when the words were so often twisted, misinterpreted, and taken out of context," he added. "In the Trump administration, this could get you blacklisted or fired."

Along these lines, Esper in his book defended his decision to launch an investigation into leaks in the Department of Defense in the summer of 2020, and did not address whether Trump or his top advisors may have been behind them; the president's powers to unilaterally declassify mean it is not a crime for him to disclose official secrets unlike any other US official.

The investigation was "accompanied by a sustained effort to remind our uniformed and civilian employees of their obligations to protect classified information and to educate them on why and how best to do so," Esper said.

"None of this was about muzzling whistleblowers or clamping down on the activities of a free media, as a few alleged. It was all about curtailing the unauthorized release of classified information that harmed our nation's security or put our troops at risk, while also weakening the trust and confidence our foreign partners had in us," Esper said.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. Trump has disputed other claims made by Esper, calling his former Pentagon chief "a stiff who was desperate not to lose his job" and a "lightweight" in comments to "60 Minutes" that were published on Sunday.

"Mark Esper was weak and totally ineffective, and because of it, I had to run the military," Trump said.

Trump throughout his tenure frequently complained about leakers and excoriated reports citing unnamed sources.

"Leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!" Trump wrote in a May 2018 tweet. The former president was permanently banned from Twitter last year.

Esper is not the first to point to Trump as a leaker. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a memoir published last year wrote that Trump told him he leaked to Axios that he was offering Christie the White House chief of staff job in late 2018.

"I did it myself," Trump said when Christie asked him if he knew who leaked the story, according to the book. "It was a great story, right? It was good for you and good for me. It was good," Trump said. Christie ultimately did not accept the job, releasing a statement saying he'd withdrawn himself from consideration to avoid embarrassing Trump by publicly rejecting the offer.
Mike Eaton is a senior associate in Tully Rinckey's Washington, D.C., office. He has served as a United States Army judge advocate, assistant United States Attorney, and assistant commonwealth's attorney.

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.

You feel sick in the pit of your stomach. You have just found out, either through the grapevine or by formal notification, that you are under investigation.

Your first reaction is to take action and clear it up -- fast! That makes sense, right? As service members, we are all trained to confront threats and to act decisively to deal with them. If you are under investigation, though, it is usually in your best interest to fight that urge.

In general, there are four main categories of military investigation: property damage or loss, illness/injury in the line of duty, command-directed, and criminal. In many cases, there is overlap among the different types of investigations. For example, a property damage investigation may begin as a command-directed investigation that reveals that misconduct or negligence was the cause of the loss, which in turn results in a referral for criminal investigation.

Because these investigations can result in punishment, this article focuses on the steps you must take to protect yourself when faced with a command-directed or criminal investigation. There are simple do's and don'ts that you should remember so that you can get the best possible outcome for your situation.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Most service members have never been in serious legal trouble and often imagine the worst. However, letting your imagination run wild will only complicate things. Criminal investigations can be a lengthy process, and being able to coolly assess the situation and act rationally to assert your rights and protect yourself at all times can be the difference between maintaining and protecting your military career or facing the consequences.

Whether you learn about the investigation formally or informally, start taking note of precisely what you are being told. The exact charge(s) may appear hazy at the start of the investigation, but you should try to learn and remember as much as you can. This will help you later when you -- and any counsel you choose to consult with -- are deciding on the best course of action for your case.

Concentrate on learning the who, what, when, where and how of the allegations. If you do choose to talk to an attorney, be prepared to provide anything you have learned or heard.

Assert Your Rights

First off, the most important thing to do when under investigation is to keep quiet. Under Article 31b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ, you have the absolute right to remain silent when confronted with an accusation of criminal misconduct. It may be tempting, especially in the face of unfair accusations, to try to "clear this up." Don't fall into that trap. Investigators, particularly those from law enforcement agencies like the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, are not your friends and are not likely to help you. What you tell them can be twisted and misconstrued into something that only digs your hole deeper. So, rather than handing them a metaphorical shovel, save anything you learn or that you think might be useful for when you and your attorney decide on your best course of action.

Second, do not agree to anything. Depending on the circumstances, you may be asked to "volunteer" to let an investigating officer go through your phone, your car, your living area, your computer, or any other place that might have helpful information. Both the Constitution and the UCMJ guarantee your right to refuse to consent to searches and seizures. You should also avoid agreeing to anything that the agent says will "help clear your name," such as lie detector examinations. Lie detectors, formally known as polygraphs, are based on your physical reactions to questions posed by law enforcement agents. Studies conducted by the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have shown that lie detectors are not reliable and that their use is not scientifically supported. Often, the polygraph examiner will try to get you to offer additional information by telling you that the test shows you are lying or withholding information, even if that is not the case. Remember what I said earlier about not handing the investigator a shovel to help dig your hole deeper?

Third, tell the investigator you want to speak with a lawyer. The investigator may try to talk you out of it by telling you that if a lawyer gets involved, they will be unable to help you. The investigator's job is to try and ferret out any incriminating information from you, not to help you. So don't fall victim to thinking that you have to go through this difficult and stressful investigation process alone. An attorney can act as a liaison between you and law enforcement, as well as help you evaluate the evidence present, determining what will be helpful and harmful to your case.

Follow Orders

Usually, at the onset of an investigation, law enforcement or your commander will give you specific orders, such as not to contact the person making the allegations and witnesses. Obey these orders! Contacting the accuser or other witnesses can easily be viewed as witness tampering or obstruction of justice, even if that is not your intent. These are offenses that can lead to punishment, even if you are ultimately cleared of the original charges. In addition, continuing to do your job and remaining professional will likely impress your command, making them more likely to be willing to help you if needed.

Remember: You Are Not Alone

In the end, while it is not expected that any service member should know how to navigate the complex proceedings of a criminal investigation, being aware of your rights and some crucial do's and don'ts will put you on the right path toward protecting your interests. Regardless of whether you choose to work with an experienced attorney, understanding your charges and the relevant laws, how to interact with law enforcement and investigators, and how to conduct yourself during the investigation will put you on the best possible path to clearing your name.
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

Click/touch this help panel to close it.

Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image)

Controls - all media types

Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device.

Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen.

< and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys.

< and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys.

> in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys.

? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key.

Other keyboard shortcuts:

1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons

Scalebar

If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular.

Controls - Video

Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key.

Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation)

Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys.

The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types.

The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control.

Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images

If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

- without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method

- with stereoscope

- with anaglyph glasses.

- on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system)

For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D

To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them.

Controls - photo comparison mode

If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
Years of government neglect and unemployment in Nigeria's Niger Delta region have given rise to a widespread industry of illegally refining stolen oil.

It is estimated that about 10% of Nigeria's daily oil production is lost to illegal activities. That's 200,000 barrels, worth about US$21 million per day at US$107 per barrel. The Nigerian Natural Resources Charter estimated in 2019 that crude oil theft represented an economic loss of at least N995.2 billion or US$2.8 billion annually.

Communities in the Niger Delta have long agitated against the degradation of their environment caused by multinational oil companies. After years of insurgency, the government introduced amnesty programmes for militants who chose to surrender. But those who were not rehabilitated, and other unemployed youths, resorted to illegal refinery activities to make a living.

The illegal refinery process involves heating crude oil in metal containers to make petroleum products. It ignores all environmental, health and safety procedures and can have catastrophic consequences.

On 24 April 2022, for example, an explosion at one of these refineries killed about 100 people . On 24 October 2021, another explosion killed 25 .

Illegal oil refineries also discharge residue from the boiling crude into rivers, polluting wildlife habitats and disrupting the water cycle.

How illegal crude oil refineries operate in Nigeria

Petroleum refineries transform crude oil into petroleum products that can be used for economic activities such as transport, heating and power generation. They are complex and expensive to operate legally because they use a lot of energy and must comply with regulations. Legal refineries are located in industrial locations that have been carefully designed to ensure the safety of workers and the environment.

Illegal petroleum refineries are mainly located in the forest or in villages. Illegal operators break crude oil pipelines and load the stolen oil into tankers or channel it to tanks where it is boiled.

A burner under the cauldron heats the crude oil and causes it to evaporate into vapour. The vapour is then cooled to condense it into petroleum products like kerosene and diesel. Finally, the liquid products are funnelled into containers for transport and sale.

Diesel, the major product of these illegal refineries, is sold to traders and filling station owners or to middlemen with big ocean-going vessels.

The distillation process in illegal refineries is very dangerous because hydrocarbon is highly inflammable.

Three things that can go wrong

Uncontrolled heat supply at distillation units In an illegal refinery, the boiler or distillation unit is constantly supplied with heat from the burner without temperature and pressure control. The steady heat supply can overload the unit with heat. That may cause thermal stress: the deformation of material by a change in temperature. The thermally stressed boiler under high pressure could explode, releasing its highly inflammable contents into the surrounding environment. A fire could spread very quickly.

Poorly designed condensation units The illegal refineries are designed and made by artisans with little or no consideration of basic engineering design principles. A condensation unit should be designed to operate at a predefined temperature. The condensation unit of an illegal refinery is normally a water bath with immersed tubes which are encased with cement blocks.

The water cooling bath might not cool down the vapour quickly enough to form the liquid products as desired. This would cause temperature and pressure buildup. A pressure buildup beyond what the cooling tube materials can handle can result in the tubes exploding. The explosion releases highly inflammable petroleum vapour products into the environment and can cause a fire.

Exposed refined products at collection points The refined products from the condensation unit are meant to be collected in liquid form. But poorly designed condensation units don't guarantee the total condensation of the vapour products to liquid. Vapour can therefore escape into the immediate environment. Also, the collected liquid products are volatile and can evaporate into the environment if they are not properly contained.

The combination of the escaped uncondensed products and vaporised condensed liquid products could saturate the immediate environment. The activities of workers  such as smoking and sparks from metal moving parts  could then ignite the products.

Artisanal refinery is not designed to avoid fire hazards and it lacks safety procedures to handle leakages along the process line.

Consequences

The activities of illegal oil refineries also contribute to air pollution. The burners that heat the distillation units emit large quantities of soot (carbon black). This has consequences for health . And carbon black , though not a greenhouse gas, absorbs heat from the sun when released into the air, thereby warming the environment.

The process of siphoning the crude oil from pipeline also releases natural gas (mainly methane) into the environment. Methane gas is more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming and climate change, which has severe implications for countries in Africa, including Nigeria.

The untreated waste released from these illegal refineries harms wildlife habitats and the water cycle, which disrupts the growth of trees which are needed to store carbon.

Nigeria's dependence on crude oil makes it difficult for the country to decarbonise. But the government could do more to foster other economic ventures and improve the efficiency of artisanal refineries.

Chukwumerije Okereke receives funding from the French Development Agency (AFD), European Climate Foundation (ECF), Global Challenges Research Fund, UK, and World Resources Institute (WRI).

Ogheneruona E. Diemuodeke receives funding from the DFID 9UK Government; GCFR (UK Government); Horizon (European Commission), and TetFund (Nigerian Government).

Nnaemeka Vincent Emodi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Nnaemeka Vincent Emodi, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland And

Chukwumerije Okereke, Professor of Environment and Development, University of Reading And

Ogheneruona E. Diemuodeke, Senior Lecturer, University of Port Harcourt
Huawei is looking for the world's top ICT talent to support its strategy for innovation and building a greener intelligent world.

At a recent event, Ken Hu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman said, "At Huawei, when we talk about innovation, the first thing we think is people. We hope to attract world-class talent with world-class challenges, and work together to push the limits of science and technology. "

Hu was referring to the Top Minds recruitment program that the company launched on its website earlier.

"We don't care where youre from, where you graduated, or what you studied, he continued. As long as you have a dream for the future and believe you can make it happen, we want you to come and join us. We provide world-class challenges, a powerful platform, and all the resources you need to explore the unknown."

Sub-Saharan Africa ICT Talent

Locally, Huawei continues its global recruitment strategy, targeting the continents top ICT talent, skills training and transfer and creating more jobs in the ICT sector through collaboration with various stakeholders.

In April, Huawei launched its digital skills development programme LEAP in Sub-Saharan Africa, to help advance the ICT skills of more than 100,000 people across the region within three years.

Launching the LEAP programme, Huawei Southern Africa President, Leo Chen said,

Through the programme, we strive to cultivate more youth leaders in ICT, who can explore more possibilities for themselves, their families, community and ultimately their nations.

Over the past two decades, Huawei has helped advance the ICT skills of more than 80 000 people across the region. Huawei itself is an employer of choice in the region. Its subsidiaries in 9 Sub-Saharan African countries earned the Top Employer seal in 2021.

Despite facing pressure, the company believes it is more capable of dealing with uncertainty. Huawei achieved USD99.8 billion in revenue in 2021, with increased cash flows and decreased liability ratio. Huawei remains among the top telecom brands in the Global 500 top brands list , released in March 2022 by Brand Finance, a well-known British independent consultant.

Innovation has become a core part of Huawei's DNA, concludes Ken Hu, For nearly a decade, our strategy has been to re-invest at least 10% of our annual revenue back into R&D. Last year, we invested 22%.

This makes Huawei the worlds second highest investor in R&D according to the EUs 2021 EU Industrial R&D investment scoreboard .
09.05.2022 LISTEN

Undoubtedly, Ghanas Year of Return initiative chalked several successes, but it only exposed one thing, the unharnessed tourist potential that the nation is blessed with.

This sense of awakening catalysed the launching of Destination Ghana, in London April 3, 2022, by the President, which seeks to build on the achievements of the Year of Return held in 2019 with the goal to boost local tourism in the country.

Talk of Ghanas tourist destination, there is always emphasis only on the prominent ones, but not much light is thrown on the history potential of the land and the socio-economic potential that could be harnessed.

This is the narrative that, Nana Obokese Ampah, the Apagyahene of Asiebu Tradional Council, who inspired the Moree Kemetic Rebirth Project, seeks to achieve. The project aims to unite Africans and Diasporas around the history of the greatest fisherman ever; Ofarnyi Kweigya, and as a result projecting Moree as an alternative tourist destination in the Central region.

In line with this vision, the chief rallied support for the molding of the most conspicuous and elegant statue in Central region, essentially, to project the untold history of the giant fisherman, Ofarni Kwegya, who left unparrelled fishing records.

Oral historians have averred that Asebu Amanfi and Ofarni Kwegya, who migrated from Egypt and were both giants, settled in the Asebu township. However, Ofarni Kwegya, who was a master fisherman, moved to settle in the Coast due to the abuncance of Mrol (Stingray) in the rivers, hence, the adopted name Mrol or Moree.

In fact, his fishing successes were attributed to his giant stature, and he became a celebrated fishing legend in the then Coast.

Nana Obokese, whilst unveiling the giant statue on Thursday, 28th April 2022, expressed optimism that the bold move, which is the 1st Phase of the project, would whip up tourist interest and make Moree an alternative tourist destination in the Central region. This, he believes, would yield some economic prosperity for the citizenry.

He therefore called for public support to project the Moree Giant Stature to help achieve the needed visibility envisioned by the project.

By: Kwaku Usman Dawood (Kawunda)

[email protected]

Citizen journalist
Felix Kwame Quainoo

10.05.2022 LISTEN

A cursory look at roads in most of our cities, towns and communities clearly indicates the ever increasing and heavy presence of tricycles popularly referred to as Pragia, Okada, Kk etc., playing key roles in facilitating the transportation of people and goods from one point to the other.

In some towns and communities, tricycles have virtually taken over the local transport business, effectively collapsing the traditional taxi business, a typical example is Wenchi in the Bono region. Some other towns like Tarkwa in the Western region have however refused to allow tricycles especially Pragia, to ply their roads certainly due to fear of the unknown.

Though these tricycles continue to appear on our roads at a faster rate, there appears to be no serious regulatory framework governing their influx and riding. One does not know exactly where in our motor traffic architecture these tricycles can be conveniently placed unlike motor cars and motorbikes.

Notwithstanding, tricycles since their introduction into the country's transport system have succeeded in bridging a serious transportation gap which the traditional or mainstream car/taxi system could not easily fill.

Apart from pragia being cheap and affordable, riders also venture into difficult terrains which under normal circumstances a taxi would dare not go. This has led to the wide acceptability of these tricycles as an easy mode of transportation of persons and goods.

In some of our villages it is the only "ambulance" available to rush the sick to the nearest hospital proving beyond all reasonable doubts to be the lifeline to the community's deadline. They are used to cart foodstuffs from the farm gate to the market centres playing critical roles in agriculture and commerce. They are also used to transport commuters to social events like church services, mosques, weddings, funerals and all other events in our communities. They are even used to transport school children to and from the school.

The money obtained from pragia transport business is undoubtedly a reliable source of income for both owners and riders and also their dependents, sometimes it is the only reliable source of family income. Pragia undeniably stimulates and invigorates the local economy to some extent as food vendors, fuel stations, mechanics, car wash stations etc., benefit from the pragia business.

Unfortunately, despite all the above mentioned positives of the emergence of pragia unto our transport system, it is gradually metamorphosing into a social canker almost becoming a curse rather than a blessing.

Since nobody regulates the inflows of pragia in our local communities their numbers continue to increase day after day and very soon the numbers will overwhelm us as people would continue to buy pragia until the system becomes saturated with pragia. Recently in my community, I could count about 400 of them plying our town roads and that is quite scary.

We should be concerned about accidents being caused by these tricycles as some fall down easily throwing passengers out and injuring them in the process. Since these tricycles are so light and without seat belts the safety of passengers who ride in it cannot be guaranteed and that should be a big source of worry to us all.

In a country where we already have serious challenges with motor cars and motorbikes especially in the light of the fact that carnage on our roads is on the ascendency plus armed robberies and other heinous crimes and crime related activities committed with cars and motorbikes, challenges with pragia and tricycles should be the least of our national worries but sadly that is not so.

We should therefore not sit down aloof and allow pragia to add to the already existing national albatross hanging around our necks with regards to cars and motorbikes.

We need to deal decisively with the creeping pragia menace lurking in the background before it is too late for had I known they say is always at last.

It is a well known fact that most pragia in the system are unregistered. A lot of pragia riders in our communities are mostly underage and do not have valid licenses to operate the tricycles. Due to this, most of the riders as expected ride recklessly and dangerously on our roads with careless abandon. They park anywhere, turn in the middle of major roads and also unnoticed over speeding.

Some riders have the temerity to fix all sorts of illegal lights on their tricycles blurring vision of fellow road users at night. Some also ride playing loud music disturbing public peace.

One painful aspect of the whole pragia enterprise is that riders are mostly our young boys who ordinarily should have been in school in this era of Free SHS but are sadly riding pragia all over the place. My heart bleeds for our young girls who fall prey to these young pragia riders, this has led to an upsurge in teenage pregnancy and juvenile delinquency in our communities because pragia riders have "money" to seduce these young ladies truncating their academic journey in the process.

The explosive one is the emerging evidence of the use of pragia for crimes as riders hide weapons like machetes, scissors etc., in their cabin to commit crimes.

I believe the time to right all the wrongs is now. I implore the Ministry of Transport, Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service as well as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to as a matter of urgency put a regulatory framework in place to streamline the activities of these riders and check excesses.

Also, we should be on the constant lookout for the bad nuts amongst these riders and fish them out to sanitize the system which is now almost becoming polluted.

With a concerted effort, we can bring out the best in them and have a safer and better pragia transport system.

May God continue to bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.

Felix Kwame Quainoo

0244998919/0207744933)

The writer is a freelance writer from Aboso in the Western region
10.05.2022 LISTEN

The 12th witness for the prosecution in the coup plot case has told the trial court in Accra that Dr. Frederick Mac Palm and Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, a.k.a. Bright Alan Yeboah, formed the non-governmental organisation, Take Action Ghana (TAG) to further perfect the plot to destabilize the country and possibly take over government.

According to the witness, Take Action Ghana began a free medical outreach programme in some parts of the country to whip up support for TAG, so ordinary Ghanaians would support TAG in the takeover.

The witness, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah, is an investigator stationed at the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).

He has been working with the Bureau for five (5) years now.

Before then, he had worked twenty-seven (27) years as a police officer, out of which he spent twenty (20) years working as an investigator at the Accra Regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.

He gave his evidence-in-chief in the matter on Monday, May 9, 2022.

Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah told the 3-panel Court presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe that Dr. Frederick Mac Palm and Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu are registered in the Registrar General's records as Director and Secretary of TAG respectively.

The Investigator also disclosed that it was Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu who contacted W.O II Esther Saan Dekuwine, his friend, and asked her to recruit soldiers for the overthrow of the government.

The leaders of TAG, in their meeting with the soldiers, were said to have cited as reasons for the coup, economic hardship in the country, and the future of the children of the soldiers.

They also discussed the possibility of getting arms from Bawku while the soldiers requested for their motivation. Additionally, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah said they also discussed obtaining GoTa phones for the soldiers to ease communication and avoid detection while Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu gave money and mobile phones to the soldiers.

The hearing continues on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at the Economic and Financial Court 2 division of the High Court.
Rail manufacturer Alstom announced Monday it has won an almost 2.5 billion contract to supply 130 regional trains in southwestern Germany and maintain them for 30 years.

The electric double-decker trains will run on the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg's network, the company said in a statement.

"This is the largest order for Alstom in Germany to date," the French group said, noting that the contract includes an option for an additional 100 trains.

The 380-seat Coradia Stream High Capacity trains can travel at up to 200 km/h, and will offer lounges, conference rooms and family compartments as well as space for luggage and bikes, the company said.

The first deliveries are expected in 2025.

More than 730 Coradia Stream trains have already been ordered in Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Spain, according to Alstom.

"This contract undoubtedly marks a milestone in the cooperation between Alstom and the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg", said Muslum Yakisan, head of Alstom for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"State-of-the-art trains like our Coradia Stream High Capacity are the best answer to the question of how to meet the growing need for sustainable and future-proof mobility solutions in Germany," he added.

(With AFP)
Senior United Nations (UN) Mediation Advisor, Emmanuel Bombande is worried Ghana is becoming more susceptibility to threats of terrorism.

The West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism in its latest report warned that Ghana is at high risk of terrorism following pockets of civil, political, and social unrest in parts of the West African sub-region.

It said threats of violent extremism are heavily descending towards coastal states from the Sahel regions and that Ghana could not be spared, for that matter, given happenings in its neighbouring countries.

Factors such as chieftaincy and ethnic disputes, land conflicts, marginalization of vulnerable groups, and high youth unemployment make Ghana very susceptible to threats of terrorism.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Bombande said the issue should be taken seriously as Ghana is fast becoming a fertile ground for these terrorists.

I think we should be worried, we should, in the sense that the strategy of extremists and terrorist groups is to insert themselves in your vulnerability.

They strike based on perceived marginalization or perceived injustice of one party to the other. The vulnerabilities cited in the report are clear examples of how such groups usurp themselves.

If we are to look at it in terms of the recruiting grounds for people who engage in terrorism, we will see how this is spreading more widely than 5 years ago. Part of that reason is the growing impoverishment of countries. Young people are getting tired of voting for leaders who are unable to create jobs for them and make a meaningful impact. All these are contributing to the environment of extremists.

He wants government to quickly take action against rising acts of insurgency that could derail peace, stability, and economic development in the sub-region.

We want decentralisation to be strengthened so that people get to choose their leaders in local communities. The moment they do this, their interest in local governance is heightened, ultimately reducing the threat of terrorism. Government needs to take urgent steps to protect the nation.

citinewsroom
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company (GWCL) have proposed an increase in tariffs for the year 2022.

The ECG is proposing an increase in tariffs by 148 percent for the year 2022.

The ECG also wants tariffs adjusted by 7.6percent average between 2023 and 2026.

According to the ECG, the proposed increase is as a result of the gap between the actual cost recovery tarrif, the tariff approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commissions (PURC) and cost of finished projects.

In a tariff proposals presented to the PURC, the GWCL has also proposed an increase in tariffs to enable it recover its costs.

Both utility companies are concerned about the PURCs refusal to adjust tariffs to match the cost of production.

This, both companies have indicated has affected their operations and therefore, want the PURC to provide a remedy to the problem.

The financial sustainability of the Electricity Company of Ghana is important as it impacts on the entire energy sector. With the huge investment needs facing the distribution industry over the next five years, it is expected that the proposed tariff increases would inevitably be approved to sustain efficient and reliable electricity service, the ECG noted.

It continued that: Overall, this tariff proposal indicates a high increase (148%) in year 2022 compared with the subsequent years increases of an average of 7.6%. This high increase in 2022 is largely attributable to the cost of investment projects; the gap that has developed over the years between the actual cost recovery tariff and the PURC approved tariffs; the continual application of the prevailing tariff (which was a 14% reduction) beyond the stipulated regulatory period (2019-2020); and the effect of macroeconomic factors.

While the GWCL also noted that: GWCL must at least recover its costs if we are to sustain our operations. Over the years, however, the approved tariffs have not been full cost reflective.

This has led to the inability of GWCL to raise enough revenue to finance the much needed capital investment projects, with a consequent unsatisfactory level of service.

Source: classfmonline.com
The Chief Forecaster at the Ghana Meteorological Agency Felicity Ahafianyo, has warned that the Volta Lake is not safe for fishing from Tuesday to Thursday.

She advised that fisher folks who dares to go fishing must exercise great caution.

She revealed to 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on Tuesday May 10,2022 that there is a storm approaching Ghana from Nigeria and all things be equal there will be rain showers along the coastal belt including Accra.

The state of the sea is supposed to be rough and it's going to maintain till Thursday. So today, tomorrow and Thursday the sea is going to be rough; so the fisher folk should be extra careful. For the Volta Lake, this is the time that the storms are brooding over their area so they have to go on fishing, they have to contact us on 0302777172 for information on when the storm would leave, Felicity stated.

According to the agency, places Koforidua, Akyim Oda, Keta Krachi, Kintampo, Obuasi, Ho, and Kumasi, stand 50% of rain so the people there should take note

Source: 3news.com|Ghana
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is proposing that perhaps Ghana should hold national elections every year to keep politicians on their toes.

According to Mr Ablakwa the soaring hardships caused by unbridled price hikes, excruciating cost of fuel, 20% increase in transport fares, proposals by ECG for a 100% tariff adjustment, historic unemployment at 13.4% and a draconian E-Levy wouldnt have been tolerated the least if this was an election year.

In a Facebook post, the lawmaker noted that sensitivity levels of Ghanaian political leaders must remain the same before and after elections.

Citing Hungary as an example, Mr Ablakwa noted that despite winning his April election, Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to cushion Hungarians by placing a cap on fuel and food prices which he has extended to July 1.

His comment comes on the back of fuel price hikes, proposal by the utility companies to increase tariffs by over 100 per cent, labour agitations, hike in transport fares among others.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Liaison office of central gov't slams G7 foreign ministers' statement on HKSAR chief executive election

Xinhua) 16:09, May 10, 2022

HONG KONG, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Tuesday firmly rejected and strongly condemned the comments by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Their statement smeared the HKSAR's sixth-term chief executive election, and attacked the Chinese central government's policies towards Hong Kong, said a spokesperson for the office.

The ministers and the EU high representative have turned a blind eye to the structural flaws of their own democratic systems, and wantonly attacked the HKSAR's chief executive election and the Chinese government's implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, said the spokesperson, calling their statement a serious violation of international laws and the basic norms of international relations.

The statement is full of arrogance and prejudice, ignoring the fact that the chief executive election was conducted in accordance with the law and that the result of the fair election is in line with Hong Kong people's aspirations, the spokesperson noted.

The success of the sixth-term chief executive election has further implemented the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," fully demonstrated the advantages of HKSAR's new electoral system, and proved the new system is a good one that follows the "one country, two systems" principle and suits Hong Kong's realities, the spokesperson said.

A Hong Kong with enduring stability and prosperity is not only in the interest of all Hong Kong people but also in the interest of the international community, according to the spokesperson.

Any political manipulation and arbitrary intervention by external forces will not shake the Chinese central government's firm determination to comprehensively and accurately implement the "one country, two systems" principle, nor will they undermine the overall situation of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the spokesperson stressed.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
We started off last weeks piece, attempting to write French history in the present tense, hoping perhaps to draw, on all fronts, similarities between their past and our present. Yet quite clearly, we failedfor the most part.

One may find similarities between 18th-century France and this 21st-century Ghana of ours. Some may point to (and I am going to cite just one example here) the high cost of bread as being reported in todays Ghana, and also (okay, I am going to cite yet another example) the crippling taxation the masses are suffering, as reasons why. Yet these parallels found between 18th-century France and 21st-century Ghana are in the end just thatparallel lines; similar in trajectory, yet never really convergingconverging in a coup or the necessity thereof.

National journeys, histories spread across borders, when dissected reveal a common trend, a common skeletal structure. Nations, no matter the race contained within it, in the end chart similar journeysthey tend to fight the same demons, encounter similar challenges in their bid to reach a point of optimal nationhood.

Even with these similarities, we cannot ignore the differences in experiences that nations go through; or dissimilarities that may lie between a nations now and anothers then no matter how similar overall these nows and thens may seem to us now. For one thing, the nation of Ghanas success does not depend on the bedding of a fifteen-year-old boy and a fourteen-year-old girlas Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were for the people of France in 1770. The 21st-century nation of Ghana does not lie perpetually in the hands of one manwith a dedicated few men at the top, enjoying in perpetuity, the fruit of the citizens labour, as pre-Revolution France was.

Nationhood has proven itself one of the toughest journeys yet undertaken by humankindtrue. Histories spread across borders, across races, point to this fact. To successfully undertake statehood, a people require skill and careand the occasional learning from one another.

Being very similar as we are humans, our histories and national journeys are woefully similar. They reveal these trends

The Forging

Typically, nations are forged from dissimilarities. A group of people of differing tribes, cultures, identities reach a pointwhether it be willingly, semi-willingly, or forcefullywhere they come together under one flag, a name; and they become with this flag and name, a nation. In the article Mischief in Law we saw in Britain, this same trend of nationhoodand we will take a much deeper look at this topic of Britains founding in a later article. But in a gist it goes: this tiny island of Britain lying in the pseudo continent of Europe had roped within it, during the era of the Roman Conquest (AD 43  AD 500)if that is where we choose to beginexisting collectively yet independently numerous tribes. Tribes such as the Trinovantes, Novantae, Demetae, Brigantes, Caledones, Atrebates, Iceni, Catuvellauni, etc.

Before the Roman conquest, during the Iron Age, you had tribes such as Corieltauvi for instance, settled on the British land. After the fall of the Roman Empire, and their consequent exit from Britain, came yet another conquestfrom the Anglo Saxons. With the Anglo Saxons came the infiltration and the formation of new tribes within this land. Tribes such as the Vandals, Saxons, Goths, Franks, Angles, etc. In their ethnic subsets, these tribes coexisted on this one land, until William of Normandy arrived on the island, laying claim to it, conquering it, and began forcefully forging these tribes of people into one unitinto one nation. These differing tribes of people, speaking differing languagesthese Belgic tribes, Celtic, Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, Normans were soon to merge as one people. Cultures merged into a singular identity; languages merged into a singular tongueone known today as English. Just like that, the land of Britain had become a nation.

Centuries later, these same people, having spent centuries on this journey of nationhood, and having mastered it, were to set about on a journey of conquerings of their own. And it was on these journeys of conquests, so called discovering that a certain Christopher Columbus, in the mid-15th century, inspired by the era in which he was born, this era itself inspired by eras preceding it, set sail for the Americason a murderous journey that opened up a route for the rest of conquistador Europe. And just like that the conquistador-trained Europe had become aware of the Americas. Not only were they aware of it; they knew how to get there.

After a series of countless explorations, conquests, agreements, the area north of North America was carved outthe history of modern United States had begun. So onwards from their homes in Europe they moved, in the early 17th century, on to this new worlda land already inhabited. A land already inhabited by tribes, as Britain had themselves been centuries prior. The native Americans comprising Cherokees, the Mahicans, Creeks, Navajos, Hopis, Delawares, Shawnees, Abenakis, Choctaws, etc. were to find themselves a statistic of historya statistic of history repeats itself. Because from Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, these Europeans, seeking to escape, among others, the economic hardships and the impositions of monarchical and hierarchical rule of their home nations, came into this supposed new world to, in turn, impose themselves on these natives.

So then, America, already consisting of differing tribes of people, was to find itself further infiltrated by different tribes (different nationals, once themselves, tribes). And together, they were expected to, both willingly and unwillingly, merge in a melting pot, into one nation, one people. And they sure did; not until after making yet another murderous trip to Africa and the Caribbeanto steal a bunch of people from these regions. And there they had it, a nation comprising a hodgepodge of differing people, all made one people by the urgency of statehood.

Within each national and continental border we have this same history of forging ensuing. In Ghana, we have our own history of differing tribesa history which we will dissect later in more detailcoming together to form a nation. In each African state, there is again this same history of subsets merging to become a wholeagain, this is a history we will look at closely subsequently. But what we intend to bring to the fore, with this highlighting of this global trend of historical forging, is yet another global trend... A trend that globally tends to ensue after the forgingthe fighting.

The Fighting

Forging a thing from dissimilarities is not an easy and staying task. Because after the forging comes the necessity of a stayingstaying perpetually merged. And wouldnt humankind worldwide be saints, and their lives, a utopia, if they were so easily merged, and remain so without any initial hitches? This is where we find countries like those in the continent of Africa and the Middle East, having been made to experience their own versions of modern nationhood later (in the 20century, even as the developed world did so in the 18) bearing incorrectly the mark of dystopia. Why? Because they are showing now or have shown fairly recently, signs that developed countries did in the distant past, the aftermath of the forgingthe fighting.

The United States of America, for one, before it was in fact this united, had its states spending four good years warring. The nation had its South in active war with its North for four whole years. Why? Because half of the nation wanted a secession. They couldnt stay together; they had had enough and decided they wanted themselves broken free. Four mighty years, a people fought to break free. But thankfullyfor themthe Union won. So together it was. But even now as they stand, a nation 244 years old, you have internal squabbles here and thereinternal squabbles painfully still represented in their politics. The Republicans, the Democrats, this polar-end nature of US politics is woefully still reminiscent of its Civil War past. Its a shame. But overall it is one of the inescapable hurdles of nationhooda hurdle requiring consistent successful crossings. A nation is only as good as how safely it consistently crosses these hurdles characteristic of nationhood, no matter what form these hurdles may take.

The Governments

There is nowhere this fighting comes to a head in a nation than in the determination of its governance. When it comes to the issue of how the people are to be led, how their affairs are to be managed, how long leadership is to last, how change of leadership is to occurthere is arguably no place where the frictions of nationhood come to a head than right here, on these matters. We have seen how 18-century France was faced with these challengeschallenges which, in their case, found resolution in a toppling. Because for the people of 18-century France, the only solution, it seemed, to get over this period of perpetuity of bad leadership, and a perpetuity of fatalistic destinies was a toppling over. Because the system did not make provision in law nor custom as to how the hands of leadership were to change. Leadership was and remained trapped in one bloodline. To do away with such a regime, the people of 18century France had no other recourse than a toppling overso then, a coup detat, a revolution.

It needed not have been bloody, but we saw how a series of events necessitated, sometimes caused a change of hearts in peaceful revolutionaries to adopt bloody means so as to ensure the success of the revolution.

In countries like the United States of America, we saw how their own version of unrests during their early years of statehood was not for the right to rule, but the right to secedethe right to form a separate, distinct nation and government. So coups were not the ultimate aim, but the breaking into two. But going further back in the nations history, should this gentleman, George Washington, upon taking power as the nations first President in 1789 should he have immediately overthrown the democratic Constitution and formed for himself a one-party, totalitarian state, American history would undoubtedly have been different. Who knows, maybe the word coup would have been smeared there too.

Coup detats are characteristically destructive. In their very nature, to ensure so-called promised progress, they cause a setback. To move forward, the people are brought back a few stepsmost times, many steps back. And most often than not, in this setting back, the people tend to find themselves stuck therebackwards, worse off than they were even before. Coup detats are never a rational peoples first recourse. Rational citizenries living under a political system allowing for the smooth, periodic changeover of governments, such a people, being rational as they are, do not up one day and decide to coup. In nationhood terms, coups are like the metaphoric drowning man. The drowning man or woman, having in their reach a large planksometimes even a whole lifeboat, do not go in search of and reach for a straw. Such a man or woman, making a grab for a straw when a boat is right there within their grasp would scientifically be categorised as foolish, no? And we can safely say that a nation like Ghana, is undoubtedly no nation of fools, no?

The Flow

There comes a time in a nations life when they reach the point dubbed the flow. These are the periods where a nation can be said to have grown into its bodythose territories within it, it truly owns and effectively manages; periods where nations have for themselves working, robust systems in all aspects; periods when nations are in the zone, if you know what I mean. These periods are not without their challenges, however. But nations, during these periods, are so mature economically, socioeconomically, socio-politically, geopolitically, that they are able to each time, do certain skilful kpa kpa kpa manoeuvring that removes itself and its nationals from the picklewhatever it might be. Nations need not be developed to be said to have reached this point. Developing nations can show certain signs, certain trajectories that point to them reaching this point any time soon. Such nations too may be said to be in the flow.

Immediately, thats not how nations are built. These similarities in journeys highlighted among nations worldwide, is not to serve as a thumbs-up to nations presently finding themselves in the state of squabbles and unrestsas though to say, all nations go through it, so you must necessarily and fatalistically bask in it, and extend it if need be. No, that is not the intention of this piece. The intention is to help do away with any perception of peculiarities imposed or willingly borne by such nationsdeveloping nations particularly. Because when a people are made to feel as though coups, unrests, etc. are peculiar to them, such a people begin to truly believe that such things are in fact in their nature. And when this happenswhen this notion of peculiarities is borne and ingrained in such a people, what ensues is perpetuity. And something that is supposed to be a mere hitch in national journey, becomes to the people an essence of self and of nationality. So much so that when the people, having gone through and successfully crossed this period of unrests, as Ghana did in the 20th century with the violent overthrows of governments, such a people if care is not taken, might still hone in themselves the false impression of such a past being ingrained in their DNA. And with this misconception of self, an unfortunate return to the past is easily made. Coups are not African; stop laying claims to itwith actions, thoughts, and words. This blatant degradations of self and statehood, we must stop laying claim to it.

As a young man, a classmate of mine, seeking for himself purpose, recklessly and selfishly throws about the word coup; as the people, in their pocket sizes spew the word coup, this nation on an incipient journey of growth easily faces an unfortunate returna shameful retracing of steps. And this retracing of ill-fortuned steps, that is how bad nations are born.

Immediately, that is not how great nations are built; yet a nations journey is in itself tellingit may show promising signs or spell impending doom. Nations may perform brilliantly, averagely, or sometimes downright badly economically in this journey. We would be lying to ourselves if we said that Ghana, blessed as she is with all these natural and human resources, has performed brilliantly in her economic and socioeconomic journey. Heaven knows we have many counterpart nations, some having not a percentage of our natural nor human resources, yet having begun their national journeys the same time as us, who are doing more marvellously than we are now. I like to think of Ghana as being like the promising young child, that child prodigy, who is now barely doing averagely. There is nothing to really write home about, economicallyif we be frank.

Yet, a nation is never able to perform economically and socioeconomically if politically it is in ruins. Politicallywhen it comes to the structural changeover of governments, Ghana can arguably be said to have reached a point of political flow. And that is why no sensible group of people, being citizens of a nation that has attained for itself, a political flowa sense of stability in its running and changing of government, will, in seeking economic and socioeconomic advancement, opt for itself a do-over in the form of a coupthe drowning persons straw, coup detats. Even with my ever-dwindling bank account, and heavily taxed Ghanaian head and hungry stomach, I say that that is the stupidest thing I have heard yetcoup detat, in todays Ghana.

Should one find from their parents that their birth was a mistake, they do not slay themselves with a knife, and insist upon their parents a re-do. That is the scenario coup detats, proffered in a democratic system, paint. It is a solution proffered by the uninformed, or persons indifferent to the immediate bloody devastations it inevitably causes. It is a solution proffered by persons suffering moments of sheer weakness of mind that it makes them incognisant of the world around them, the world in which we are now, this very highly globalised world.

The Race

Nations incognisant of the fact that this globalised world is a racethe worlds longest and most important marathonare the losing races. This highly globalised worldoffering limitless possibilities for collaborations between nations, collaborations coming in the form as though they are purely for brotherhood sakeis in reality, a marathon. A nation is only as good as its performance on the global front. Developing nations like ourshaving begun our statehood only some few decades ago, even as many did theirs, two to three centuries agoare in very disadvantaged positions. We were thrown unfairly into a race having some of its participants on their final lapparticipants both advantaged in time and starting capital. We are on the same race with developed superpowers like much of the developed West; nations which started off their journeys earlier and wealthier than uswith starting capital much of which was stolen from us. And yet, we Africans, we Ghanaians have to partake in this same global race. It is mighty silly for some to think that we have time to take a short vacation of coup detat-ing. So silly.

[Published in the Business & Financial Times (B&FT) - 5th May, 2022]
Burkina Faso's armed forces said on Tuesday they had killed at least 50 "terrorists" in two operations.

A rapid reaction force responding to an ambush Monday near Barakuy in the northwestern region of Boucle du Mouhoun "routed the assailants, killing at least 40 terrorists," military headquarters said in a statement, using a term typically used for jihadists.

Troops conducted a sweep with backup from the air force, seizing combat equipment, it said, adding that "a few soldiers" were "slightly wounded."

Also on Monday, a commando unit launched an attack near Djigoue in the southwest of the country, near the border with Ivory Coast, it said.

The operation, carried out in coordination with volunteer forces, led to the death of 10 "terrorists" whose weapons were seized, the statement said.

Burkina Faso. By AFP

Burkina Faso has been struggling since 2015 with a jihadist insurgency that is mainly concentrated in the country's north and west.

More than 2,000 people have died and almost two million fled their homes.

Mutinous troops, angered at mounting losses, ousted elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore in January.

The new strongman, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, says tackling the violence and restoring security is his top priority.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency has cautioned fisherfolks who fish on the Volta Lake to take a break for few days.

According to Felicity Ahafianyo who is the Chief Forecaster at the Ghana Meteo, the Volta Lake is currently not safe for fishing.

Speaking to 3FM in an interview on Tuesday, she said the Lake is not safe for fishing from today until Thursday.

She hence advises that fishermen stay at home for the three-day period and await clearance from her agency before resuming activities on the lake.

Felicity Ahafianyo explains that the caution is because there is a storm approaching Ghana from Nigeria and a lot of rain could be experienced along the coastal belt.

The state of the sea is supposed to be rough and its going to maintain till Thursday. So today, tomorrow, and Thursday the sea is going to be rough; so the fisherfolk should be extra careful.

For the Volta Lake, this is the time that the storms are brooding over their area so they have to go on fishing, they have to contact us on 0302777172 for information on when the storm would leave, the Ghana Meteo Chief Forecaster shared.

Meanwhile, people living in areas such as Kumasi, Ho, Akyim Oda, Keta Krachi, Kintampo, and Obuasi are to brace themselves for heavy rains.
The Wa District Magistrate Court, presided over by His Lordship Maxwell Maxibrain Titriku, on April 28 sentenced two brothers to 20 months imprisonment with hard labour for engaging in fishing with chemicals.

The convicts, Adama Sondaage, 42, and Adama Iddrisu, 36, both farmers from the Kojokperi community in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District, confessed using chemicals to fish and pleaded guilty to all the charges leveled against them.

Two other persons, aged 16 and 74 years, were also prosecuted at the Tumu District Court in the Sissala East Municipality in connection with the illegal activity.

The 74-year-old farmer was fined 200 penalty units (GH2,400.00) while the 16 years old was referred to a juvenile court in Wa.

Madam Sara Bamie, the Upper West Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, who revealed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Wa on Tuesday said the activity contravened the Fisheries Act, 2002 (ACT 625) and the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

She said it followed reports by the Wild Life Division of the Gbelle Reserve on April 17, 2022 that some miscreants were using chemicals to harvest fish in the Kulkpong River in the reserve.

She explained that following the reports, the Fisheries Commission led the team from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Forestry Commission and the Police to initiate investigations, which led to the arrest and prosecution of the two brothers.

Madam Bamie indicated that the two convicts claimed they did not harvest the fish from the reserve, but added that, Aside being in the reserve, their crime was that, they used chemicals for fishing. They were prosecuted based on the Criminal Code and the Fisheries Act.

She commended the leaders of the Kojokperi community for cooperating and supporting the team to apprehend the culprits.

She expressed hope that the conviction of the two brothers would serve as deterrent to other people who might have been engaged in the act of harvesting fish using chemicals, which she said posed serious health hazards to the unsuspecting public.

In my underground investigations in the community (Kojokperi), I realized that, some people have eaten these fish in the community and were even falling sick.

But people did not want to come out with that information for fear that they would be tagged as the people that have reported them, she explained.

Madam Bamie expressed fear that some of the poisoned fish might still be in the market, which was a source of worry as a consumer could not tell which fish in the market was poisoned or not before buying.

When it is smoked and sent to the market you will not be able to tell whether chemicals were used in fishing them. So, we are all, including those shielding the perpetrators, are at risk, she said.

Some of the poisoned fish were retrieved for safe disposal while communities in the area including the Duang, Kojokperi and Tabiesi, sensitised on the dangers of fishing with chemicals and consuming such fish.

Madam Bamie also stressed the need for urgent public sensitisation by all stakeholders to get the people informed about the risk of engaging in such activities.

GNA
The Supreme Court has adjourned to Tuesday, May 17, 2022, James Gyakye Quayson's application for the Court to reconsider the decision barring him from working as Member of Parliament.

The court, in a 5-2 majority ruling last month, stopped Mr. Quayson from holding himself out as the Member of Parliament for Assin North saying it had a duty to protect the sanctity of the constitution.

This decision however split public opinion with dissenting views questioning the apex court's position of the right of the Assin North people to representation while others argued that the Supreme Court was not the appropriate platform for the order.

Though no reasons were assigned for the adjournment, the court registry announced to the waiting courtroom that May 17 was the new date for the hearing.

The injuncted Assin North MP filed an application for a review of the Supreme Courts judgement, restraining him from holding himself as a Member of Parliament or performing any parliamentary duty.

The embattled legislator through his lawyers on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, filed the application, arguing, among other things, that the courts April 13, 2022 decision was in patent and fundamental error and violated article 129(3) of the Constitution.

He said the decision of the court failed to appreciate that the suit was in reality an attempt to enforce the decision of the High Court disguised as an invocation of the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

The majority decision was in patent and fundamental error in granting an order of interlocutory injunction pending the determination of the suit when what the Applicant was seeking by this application was for the execution of decisions in the courts below and this error occasioned a gross miscarriage of justice against the 1st defendant/respondent, he added.

---citinewsroom
The leaders of France and Germany have reiterated Europe's full support for Ukraine. This comes as members of the UN security council prepare to meet for the 16th time since the Russian invasion to address the worsening situation.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Ukraine has the "full support" of Europe as they visited Berlin's symbolically important Brandenburg Gate on Monday,

Asked about the message he wanted to send with the leaders' visit, Macron replied "full support for Ukraine" as he and Scholz approached around 200 people gathered nearby.

Some were draped in Ukraine's blue and yellow national colours and chanted the name of "Mariupol", a southeastern Ukrainian city that has been devastated by Russian air strikes.

The Brandenburg Gate formed a central part of the wall that separated east and west Berlin. It symbolised the Cold War's "Iron Curtain" that divided the world into capitalist and communist blocs.

Macron's visit coincided with Europe Day. Among the other issues discussed was the question of admitting new members into the European Union was discussed.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed Macron's suggestion for a wider European club of countries beyond the EU that could include Ukraine or Britain, rather than pursuing a fast-track membership process that "could take decades", according to Macron.

Deterioration of humanitarian situation

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to hold a new public meeting on Thursday on Russia's war in Ukraine, in light of the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation, diplomats said.

The session, requested by France and Mexico, will be the 16th held by the Security Council since the Russian invasion of 24 February as part of an effort by western states to maintain pressure on Russia, which as a permanent member of the council has the power to block measures it disapproves of.

France and Mexico have requested briefings from the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), a diplomat said.

The meeting comes after the bombing at the weekend of a school in eastern Ukraine, in which 60 civilians were killed, according to Kyiv.

It will be held on the same day as an extraordinary session in Geneva of the UN Human Rights Council, requested by Ukraine, on "the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine."

The new Security Council meeting will follow the adoption last Friday of a unanimous Security Council statement, initiated by Norway and Mexico, offering "strong support" to the UN Secretary General in his search for "a peaceful solution" to the conflict.

That first demonstration of unity since the invasion began won the support of Moscow, which had hitherto blocked the initiatives of the Security Council.

World War II measure

Meanwhile, as Russia stepped up its fight to seize Ukraine's east over the weekend, US President Joe Biden resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other powerful Western materiel.

The United States has sent some $4 billion in military aid to Ukraine already but "caving to aggression is even more costly," Biden said as he signed the act, passed with unusual bipartisan support.

The Pentagon also said Monday it has seen indications that those caught up in Russia's invasion are being forcibly removed from their homeland.

"I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about statements from Kyiv that some 1.2 million Ukrainians were being sent across the border and placed in camps.

Russian forces intensified their fight in Ukraine's east and fired missiles over the port city of Odessa on Monday.

The southern city was hit by a series of missiles, destroying buildings, setting ablaze a shopping centre and killing one person, its city council said, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

(with wires)
The Electricity Company of Ghana has increased its power supply capacity in Ablekuma with the installation of a mobile substation (transformer).

The mobile transformer is located at the Ablekuma Office of the Company, a primary substation with a capacity of 20/26 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) and a voltage of 33/11 Kilovolt Ampere (KV).

It is an ECG-funded project costing about GHC450 million.

The communities expected to benefit from the increased electricity supply include Pentecost Junction, Agape Township, Agape Top, Agape Down, Jonathan, Ablekuma Township, Afuaman and Oduman.

The project has become necessary because of overloaded feeders on the Company's 11KV Joma and 11KV Ablekuma Feeders.

Already, the Company has installed four primary substations in the Accra West Region alone to enhance electricity supply.

Mr Emmanuel Ankrah, Regional Engineer, Accra West Region, ECG, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during an inspection of the facility that, for some years now, Ablekuma and adjoining communities had witnessed massive growth in infrastructure and electricity load.

He said the growth had not seen an equal electricity supply as ECG's supply was unable to meet the community's increasing energy demands.

The Regional Engineer said: "That is why we came to investigate and ascertain the challenges. We found that another station was needed to boost supply in the area."

The mobile substation, he said, would improve system reliability and quality, while improving revenue for the operations of the Company.

Also, he said the primary substation would increase socio-economic activities within the beneficiary communities.

"It will result in an increase in customer satisfaction with the increase in voltage and a general increase in capacity," he added.

Mr Ankrah explained that the facility was a temporary one and would be in use until a permanent one was put up, adding that plans were afoot to construct a permanent substation in the community.

Madam Rose Gatsi, a business woman, expressed optimism that the facility would address the erratic power supply in the area and boost her iced water business.

GNA
The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has hit out at critics who insist the union is being insensitive over the decision to increase transport fares.

Members of the Concerned Driver Union and the GPRTU are reportedly already charging a 20% incensement on transport fares due to the high cost of fuel in the country.

The increment which started last Saturday has been criticised by the general public in the last few days with many claiming that the increase is illegal.

Speaking to 3FM in an interview, the Director of Industrial Relations of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Abass Imoro has argued that the increment is fair and very religious.

After all, a 20% increase in fares is very religious and it is simply a burden sharing, he said.

Abass Imoro further questions, Which law says if we are buying fuel at exorbitant price, we cant also increase our fares?

While the members of GPRTU want to remain firm on the new charges, the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) has warned drivers to desist from continuing the charging of the new transport fares.

The Council says it will meet with the Minister of Transport and the leadership of GPRTU on Wednesday to have discussions on a proposal for new fares to be introduced.
The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh together with his Commercial Leadership Team hosted their counterparts from MTN Cote DIvoire for a week to share industry best practices and forge a stronger bond.

The week-long engagement afforded the teams to share insights on operational and execution models, how to stay relevant and be ahead of competition.

Selorm Adadevoh, touched on top-level indicators that contributed to Ghanas strong performance in 2021, investment in its people and the well-being of all staff, challenges faced as a company in the industry.

Selorm, also shared themes MTN Ghana has adopted for the year 2022 towards efforts to operationalize MTN Group wide Ambition 2025 journey.

The Ivorian team, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Djibril Ouattara, as part of activities toured some MTN Service Centers and local markets in the capital, Accra as well as a tour of the MTN Architecture Infrastructure (MTN House).

Mr. Ouattara commended MTN Ghana for the strong leadership, the working culture of the Ghana team, the commitment to support Government and investments made in the communities in which it operates.

Mr. Ouattara also commended Ghana for its digital journey. He pledged to develop a great working culture in Cote DIvoire and look forward to having his colleagues in Ghana join them to celebrate the successes of MTN Cote DIvoire.

Other topical business areas that were discussed include; Mobile Financial Services, Sales and Distribution, Customer Relations, Capital Projects, Network Infrastructure, Digital, Human Resource, MTN Business and Marketing among others.

Selorm Adadevoh in his concluding remarks said, its great to have hosted the Cote DIvoire team in Ghana. The sharing of best practices was a two-way affair, the team in Ghana has also learnt a lot from the Cote DIvoire team. The meeting was exciting and very collaborative. I personally look forward to more of such collaborations since there is a lot we can learn from each other within the MTN Group.
Saudi Arabia Ministry for Hajj and Umrah has announced that Ghana's quota for this year's hajj is 3,069 pilgrims.

This was made known by the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh I C Quaye, at a meeting with members of the Hajj Agents Association of Ghana.

The Chairman also said potential pilgrims above 65 years of age will not be allowed into Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj.

The Saudis have also hinted that this year's Hajj will be expensive for three main reasons, such as the increment of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 to 15 percent, and the demolition and reconstruction of buildings and hotels in Mecca.

Last but not the least, was the huge investment made in Mina and Arafat, a statement signed by the Director of Communications of the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana, Dr. (Alhaji) Abubakari Sidick Ahmed said.

On health, Chairman I C Quaye added that the Saudis have also put in place strict health control measures during the Hajj period from 7th  12th July 2022.

Below are the health control measures; 1. Age limit & testing requirements Hajj will be available this year for those under 65 years of age, provided that they obtain the basic doses of vaccines approved in the Kingdom, and they must present a negative PCR test taken not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in the Kingdom.

Vaccination requirements Pilgrims must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with the complete doses of the following vaccines to be able to enter Saudi Arabia:

 Pfizer/BioNTech. 2 doses  Oxford/AstraZeneca: 2 doses  Johnson and Johnson. 1 dose  Moderna. 2 doses  Sinopharm + 1 dose of any of the above vaccines  Sinovac + 1 dose of 1 of any of the above vaccines

Quarantine requirements No quarantine will be necessary for foreign pilgrims fully vaccinated with vaccines approved in Saudi Arabia.

Medical Insurance Pilgrims must have medical insurance to cover any COVID-19-related treatment costs during their stay.

Permit Worshippers are no longer required to obtain a permit and appointment to pray at the Grand Mosque in Makkah as well as the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.

E-Hajj All intending pilgrims must be registered online through e-hajj. The e-track was already active.

The Hajj Board is to conclude all arrangements with service providers by the middle of May 2022.

In this regard, a delegation led by the Chairman is leaving for Saudi Arabia for further negotiations on housing, transport, medical, flight, and other services, the statement added.

---citinewsroom
A Ugandan court has ordered the government to reconsider its decision to suspend the country's most prominent rights organisation Chapter Four. The group was forced to halt its operations during a sweeping opposition crackdown before and after last year's elections.

Chapter Four is one of 54 NGOs ordered to suspend activities following presidential elections last year during which opposition leaders were arrested, activists disappeared and several dozen people gunned down.

In a ruling emailed to Chapter Four late Monday, High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana called the decision to indefinitely suspend the organisation "irregular".

The court ordered the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations to hold a hearing on the issue within one month.

The ruling does not automatically allow Chapter Four to resume work but does require the NGO Bureau -- part of the internal affairs ministry -- to "approach the decision making process with an open mind."

"Reason and justice and not arbitrariness must inform every exercise of discretion and power," Ssekaana ruled.

"We welcome the court's decision and look forward to engaging with the Bureau with a view of resuming our operations as soon as practicable," Chapter Four said on Twitter on Tuesday.

The organisation was accused of operating with expired permits, failing to file accounts and not registering with the authorities.

Its executive director Nicholas Opiyo is Uganda's most prominent human rights campaigner and has been repeatedly harassed by security forces.

Shortly before the January 2021 elections - which saw President Yoweri Museveni re-elected to a sixth consecutive term - Opiyo was imprisoned on allegations of money-laundering, sparking global condemnation.

The charges against Opiyo were eventually dropped a month after Chapter Four was ordered to close.

The lawyer - who was awarded a prestigious Sakharov Fellowship in 2016 by the European Parliament - hen hurriedly left Uganda to take up a temporary position at Harvard University and has not returned.

When Uganda passed the law regulating non-governmental organisations in 2015, campaigners warned that it would give the authorities sweeping powers to shut down NGOs and jail their members, a claim the government denied.

(with Wires)
The Ghana Maritime Authority has set a committee to conduct a Marine Casualty Investigation in the vessel accident that occurred on Saturday, May 7 by analyzing the evidence available, and determine the causal factors, draw conclusions relevant to the causal factors and make safety recommendations.

The vessel capsized 46 nautical miles off the South of Saltpond in the Western Region.

The authority assured that it is continuing to engage all fishing vessel operators and personnel to abide by the rules guiding their trade in order to preserve life and property.

On Saturday, May 7, 2022, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) of the Ghana Maritime Authority said it received distress calls from the crew of, MV Mengxing 6, a fishing vessel operating in Ghanas waters. It reported that a sister Ghanaian registered fishing vessel, MV Comforter 2, owned by Boatacom Enterprises Ltd., had sunk.

The information was immediately shared with key stakeholders  the Ghana Navy and the Fisheries Commission. The monitoring team of the Ministry of Fisheries and Acquah-Culture Development (M0FAD) discovered that MV Comforter 2 was last seen at around 14:09:54 at a position lat. 04 25.620N Long. 001] 01.788W, which is, 57 nautical miles from Takoradi and 43 nautical miles off the coast of Elmina.

A rescue team led by the Navy, with air support from the Ghana Airforce, was instantly dispatched to the area to carry out the rescue operation. The rescue team confirmed that MV Comforter z had sunk on Friday afternoon when an attempt to haul a net with a bumper catch in very heavy seas resulted in the vessel capsizing.

The vessel had z6 crew onboard, six were Chinese while the remaining zo were Ghanaians. Fourteen of the crew were rescued. The body of the Chinese captain was also retrieved, with ten crew members (three of them Chinese) and the observer from the Fisheries Commission still missing. The rescue party is continuing their search for the missing persons.

The authority further revealed the measures that were put in place to forestall such accidents and further urged all fishers to abide by the rules.

Last year, the Authority rolled out an enhanced inspection campaign designed to ensure that all fishing vessels operating within our maritime jurisdiction to comply with all the safety regulations to reduce fatal accidents at sea and save lives.

This campaign saw many fishing vessels sent to the Tema Ship Yard for repairs that have put them in great shape.

We are continuing to engage all fishing vessel operators and personnel to abide by the rules guiding their trade in order to preserve life and property.

Further updates on the MV Comforter 2 accident will be given when we have them. Meanwhile a committee has been tasked to conduct a Marine Casualty Investigation by analyzing the evidence available, and determine the causal factors, draw conclusions relevant to the causal factors and make safety recommendations,.

---3news.com
The Ghana Navy has abandoned rescue efforts to recover bodies of crew members of a fishing vessel that listed and capsized 46 nautical miles off the South of Saltpond in the Western Region.

This is according to the Public Relations Officer of the 2nd Garrison Enoch Opata, Connect FMs Eric Yaw Adjei reported on Monday.

Eight of the crew members including 7 Ghanaians and 1 Chinese are still missing.

Rescue efforts commenced on Monday May 9 to recover the eight crew members of the fishing vessel MV COMFORTER 2 who went missing after their vessel listed and overturned on Saturday

Mr Opata, confirmed the accident to ConnectNews and mentioned that the incident happened 46 nautical miles south of Saltpond in the Central Region in the early hours of Saturday.

MV Comforter 2 was fishing south of Saltpond. The fishing vessel had caught a lot of fish in its net and was having challenges hauling the net. The weight of fishes in the net caused the vessel to list, he narrated

He continued: Some of the sailors tried to prompt the Captain of the situation but he insisted the hauling continue. Unfortunately, the continuous hauling despite the warning caused the vessel to list further and it eventually capsized.

Mr. Opata explained that at the time the vessel capsized there were 25 crew members on board which was composed of 19 Ghanaians and 6 Chinese nationals.

Mr. Opata stated that three Chinese vessels with support from personal from the Ghana Navy are currently involved in rescue efforts.

The three Chinese vessels involved in the exercise are MENG XIN 6, GUO JIN and JIN HAI 600. So far 16 people have been rescued. 12 of them are Ghanaians, the Chinese are 4. One of the rescued is dead.

He noted that currently 7 Ghanaians and 1 Chinese are still unaccounted for.

The rescue efforts will continue. We are entreating families to stay calm because we are doing everything humanly possible to rescue all crew members.

---3news.com
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) James Klutse-Avedzi has given a two-week ultimatum for monies misappropriated and overpayment of deferred leave allowance to be retrieved from officers of various institutions that appeared before the Committee at the beginning of the Public Hearing of the 2018 Auditor-Generals Report in Western Region.

PAC is considering the Auditor Generals report on the Public Accounts of Ghana-Polytechnics for the period ended 31st December 2018, reports of the Auditor-General on the Management and Utilisation of District Assemblies Common Fund and other statutory Funds for the year ended 31st December, 2018 and Reports on Accounts of District Assemblies (IGF) for the year ended 31st December, 2018.

The above reports cover all educational institutions as well as all Assemblies cited in the Auditor General's Report in the Central, Western and North Western Regions.

The accounts of the Technical Universities and Polytechnics for the period 1st January 2018 to 31st December, 2018 have been audited in accordance with Article 186(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

Issues raised in the Auditor Generals Report against some Technical Universities are; Failure to seek Auditor Generals approval for forensic Audit, use of IGF for the payment of book and research allowances, un-acquitted payments, and un-retired imprests, among other infractions.

The Committee will sit in the Western Region from Monday 9th to Saturday 14th May, 2022.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Minority spokesperson on health, Kwabena Minta Akandoh, has indicated that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) under the ruling New Patriotic Party is in a state of comatose.

Although the scheme has struggled since its inception to meet claims of active members to service providers, the recent misapplication of funds collected as levies and SSNIT contributions or other government projects in addition to increased non-core activities of the fund, has placed the fund into medical comatose, Mr Akandoh said when he addressed a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

He further indicated that the action of the government is undermining the crucial objective of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He observed that a study of the National Health Insurance Fund Allocation Formula for 2022 shows that of the GHC 2.056billion collected from Ghanaians as NHIL in 2021, only GHC 127.47million or six per cent of the total collected was released by the government to address obligations of the year.

According to him, Under President Akufo-Addo, lodging of the NHIL and 2.5 percent of SSNIT contributions into the National Health Insurance Fund has been left to the dictates of the Finance Minister in contravention of section 52(1) of the National Health Insurance Act 852.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor has said information in the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan proves the claim by the government there is excess capacity to keep the lights on is false.

The 2022 publication was authored by a technical team known as The Power Planning Technical Committee (PPTC) inaugurated in 2020 by the Hon. Minister of Energy to among others examine, plan, and make recommendations for the Ghana Power System as per the requirement in Section-7 of the National Electricity Grid Code and Section 2 (2)(c) of the Energy Commission Act 1997 (ACT 541).

Amongst other things, the report makes an astonishing but factual revelation that the nations existing generating capacity will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with the required 18% reserve margin.

Having studied the report, John Jinapor has said the ruling NPP government is being dishonest.

The baseless and unfounded allegations by the NPP Government that, Ghana has excess electricity generation capacity, which the country does not need, leading to the payment of about GHC 17 billion in excess capacity bills, has been displaced with available facts as contained in the recently released 2022 electricity supply plan for Ghana.

Sadly, these contrived and concocted narratives led by no less a person than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia against the person of former President Mahama was therefore as needless as they are mischievous and propaganda-laden, parts of a statement issued by John Abdulai Jinapor reads.

In the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan, it is recommended that due to the growing electricity demand in Ghana, there is an urgent need to make arrangements to increase gas supply volumes for more thermal generation.

There is also a call for efforts to be expedited to complete the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant to Kumasi by September 2022 to create a new generation enclave in Kumasi, among others.

Find more in the statement from John Jinapor below:

NPP FALSE CLAIMS ON EXCESS CAPACITY DISPLACED AS THE COUNTRY FACES IMMINENT DUMSOR

The baseless and unfounded allegations by the NPP Government that, Ghana has excess electricity generation capacity, which the country does not need, leading to the payment of about GHC 17 billion in excess capacity bills, has been displaced with available facts as contained in the recently released 2022 electricity supply plan for Ghana. Sadly, these contrived and concocted narratives led by no less a person than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia against the person of former President Mahama was therefore as needless as they are mischievous and propaganda-laden.

The 2022 publication authored by a technical team known as The Power Planning Technical Committee (PPTC) inaugurated in 2020 by the Hon. Minister of Energy to among others examine, plan, and make recommendations for the Ghana Power System as per the requirement in Section-7 of the National Electricity Grid Code and Section 2 (2)(c) of the Energy Commission Act 1997 (ACT 541) makes very interesting conclusions.

Amongst others, the report makes an astonishing but factual revelation that the Nations existing generating capacity will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with the required 18% reserve margin.

It will be recalled that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at a recently held Tescon training and orientation conference at Kasoa made very wild and unsubstantiated claims on a so called GHC 17 billion payment by the state arising from what he described as excess capacity bills.

The minority has since described this statement as false and baseless and has further challenged the Vice President and the NPP Government to produce the details on such payments to substantiate this fictitious claim. It will interest Ghanaians to know that till date no such information has been made available.

The current information as contained in the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan clearly points to a deceptive and dishonest narrative by the current NPP Government on the cause of the current economic hardship that the nation is experiencing.

For the avoidance of doubt, the following conclusions are drawn from the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan as captured in pages (vi)-(viii) of the report:

1. An estimated amount of MMUSD 872.8 will be required to purchase Natural Gas to run the thermal plants (i.e. a monthly average of MUSD 72.74).

2. The provision for LCO, diesel and HFO during the gas outage period leads to a total of US$ 988 Million required for fuel purchase in 2022.

3. Relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant from Takoradi to Kumasi reduces transmission system losses significantly. It also improves the voltage regulation in Kumasi & its environs and aids export.

4. The existing generating capacities will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with 18% reserve margin for any of the planning years.

5. The timely completion of the committed projects barely has adequate generation up to 2024.

6. Additional generation capacity will be needed from 2023, specifically, 184 MW, 187 MW, 114 MW and 337 MW additional generation capacity will be needed in 2023, 2024, 2026, and 2027, respectively.

-RECOMMENDATIONS-

Based on the above conclusions, the following are some of the key recommendations made:

1. Due to the growing electricity demand in Ghana, there is an urgent need to make arrangements to increase gas supply volumes for more Thermal generation. It is also very important to make necessary investments towards an improved gas supply reliability owing to the increasing dependency on natural gas for power generation.

2. Efforts should be expedited to complete the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant to Kumasi by September 2022 to create a new generation enclave in Kumasi, among others.

It is equally revealing from the report that the claim that Ghana has excess Gas leading to capacity payments are false. Indeed, the report rather recommends that efforts are made to increase available Gas supply. So, the Ameri plant was not bad and needless after all, as the NPP wanted us to believe.

Thank you.

Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor (MP)

Ranking Member

(Mines and Energy Committee)
10.05.2022 LISTEN

Some 11 persons are serving prison sentences between five and 15 years for engaging in illegal mining activities in the Atewa forest reserve in the Eastern Region.

The perpetrators are among 55 other persons arrested by a task force between January and April 2022 in the Atewa mining reserve.

The Judge presiding over the case brought to it by authorities of the Forestry Commission at the Koforidua Circuit Court B found the culprits guilty and handed them the sentence.

The Manager for the Eastern Regional Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim spoke to Citi News.

A total of 55 persons have been arrested for engaging in illegal mining in the Atewa Forest Reserve on 16 different occasions. They have been sent to the Koforidua Police command for further interrogation and prosecution. There are 15 of these cases pending at the Koforidua Circuit Court B out of which 6 of the cases have been duly prosecuted. So these 11 persons have been handed custodial sentences between five to 15 years in addition to the payment of some fines.

He also indicated that his outfit is putting in efforts to arrest more persons engaged in illegal mining in the region.

We are getting informants collaborating with the communities to arrest more people. We are sending signals so we get those mining in the forest. If you are arrested and you are not, then you prove your innocence.

Atewa forest was made a Designated Forest Reserve in 1926 and houses the headwaters of the Birim, Densu, and Ayensu rivers.

In recent times, there has been resistance from residents, traditional authorities, and civil society organizations protesting against any form of mining in the Forest.

The government also came under serious criticism over the decision to mine bauxite in the forest as part of a $2 billion Chinese infrastructure deal.

A common issue that has been raised by all the NGOs that have spoken up is the fact that the forest is recognized globally for its biodiversity and provides water for 5 million Ghanaians.
A group calling itself the National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers has threatened to demonstrate in two weeks if government fails to rescind its decision to relocate them from Abossey Okai to Afienya.

The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council has served notice of effecting the relocation as part of efforts to decongest the capital.

This move, according to the Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, follows an agreement with the leadership of the spare parts dealers.

But the National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers say the leaders negotiating on their behalf lack capacity.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Public Relations Officer of the group, Takyi Addo, expressed the resolve of the group to resist the relocation.

The supposed executives who agreed to the relocation proposed by government are interim executives. Their tenure of office has long expired. They had no authority to speak on our behalf and their views are not a reflection of ours.

The attempt by government through the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council is an affront to our trading activities. We will vehemently resist every attempt by government to relocate us. We are giving the government two weeks to reverse the decision, else we will hit the streets.

He urged government to rather come up with proposals that will help their businesses to thrive, instead of these unnecessary ones.

The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association, on the other hand, said the agitations are being fuelled by landlords who fear their businesses will collapse should the spare part dealers be relocated.

Those that are agitating against this project are those who have put up shops here and have investments, there are about 20 of them. These individuals are hiding behind the so-called National Concerned Spare Parts dealers, who are about 5 in number. We wonder why they cant come out but have to hide behind to air their grievances.

When this issue started and the landlords approached us about the fate of the investment we allayed their fears, explaining that not all the traders are being forced out, some people will remain here.

---citinewsroom
The African continent is responsible for only 23% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industrial sources. But it's alarmingly suffering from the effects of the climate crisis, as reports from the UN and others show. On the positive side, Africa has a huge potential for climate mitigation, especially thanks to its tropical rainforests.

The Congo Basin's rainforests in central Africa are sometimes called Earth's second lungs (after the Amazon) because of its ability to store carbon. In addition to the forest trees, the basin has the world's largest tropical peatlands , discovered in 2017. Scientists estimate that these peatlands store carbon worth about 20 years of the fossil fuel emissions of the US. The Congo Basin is also rich in biodiversity and in minerals.

As long as this strategically important and rich region is not destroyed, Africa can help fight global climate change .

The Congo Basin rainforests and people face serious threats from global climate change and other human factors. Commercial logging, mining, extensive agriculture, infrastructural development, rapid urbanisation, energy consumption and transnational wildlife poaching are among them.

Overlooked role of humanities and social sciences

Academics and policy makers tend to see pure sciences as the only disciplines that can offer solutions for ecological challenges. They sometimes overlook the role of the social sciences and humanities, including arts and literature, in addressing climate change and environmental problems.

But this is changing, through emerging interdisciplinary fields, such as environmental humanities . It uses sources such as literary and artistic texts. The field also borrows methods from disciplines like communications, history, philosophy, political science, sociology and anthropology.

My recent doctoral thesis (of which the original summary has been published in French with the option of a Google translation to English) argues that literary texts and critical studies of these texts have a role to play in saving the Congo Basin.

Drawing on postcolonial ecocriticism and environmental literary activism , I examined selected novels, plays and poems by writers from the Congo Basin.

Their texts depict or condemn climate and environmental concerns such as deforestation, youth climate activism, wildlife poaching, freshwater pollution and unplanned urbanisation. They also question practices such as environmental injustice and violations of the rights of local and indigenous people. In short, literary texts represent climate and ecological problems in ways that make the problems more palpable and relatable.

I suggest that literature can serve as a call to climate action. It can point out how individuals, communities and institutions contribute to, mitigate or adapt to climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Literary texts are useful for environmental communication and have the capacity to deal with complexity.

The research

The authors whose works I studied were:

Athanasius Nsambu Nsahlai , Ekpe Inyang , Gaston-Paul Effa , Patrice Nganang , and Osee Colins Koagne from Cameroon,

Etienne Goyemide from Central African Republic,

Assitou Ndinga and Henri Djombo from Congo-Brazzaville,

In Koli Jean Bofane from Congo-Kinshasa or the Democratic Republic of Congo and

Nadia Origo from Gabon.

I analysed the ways their texts represent and respond to climate and ecological issues in the Congo Basin.

For instance, the novels Cheval-roi by Effa, Temps de chien by Nganang, and The Buffalo Rider by Nsahlai represent human-animal relations. The novels Congo Inc.: Le Testament de Bismarck by Bofane, Le Silence de la foret by Goyemide and Les Marchands du developpement durable by Ndinga promote indigenous knowledge systems and practices of the Babinga and Ekonda people. They challenge the harmful aspects of neoliberal capitalism, globalisation and sustainable development. Plays like Water Na Life by Inyang and Le Mal de terre by Djombo deal with freshwater pollution and disorderly urbanisation respectively.

There are many ways in which literary texts can contribute to addressing these issues. They can raise environmental awareness and drive climate communication on various environmental problems.

One of the environmental problems in the Congo Basin is deforestation and its consequences for both humans and nature. In 2020, escalating rates of primary forest loss were reported in the Congo Basin , with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon topping the chart. This issue is explored in plays such as The Hill Barbers by Ekpe Inyang and Le Cri de la foret by Henri Djombo and Osee Koagne . The plays identify causes and suggest ways to curb deforestation.

Literature can also motivate people to tackle climate change and amplify the work of activists. I argue that Congo Basin writers such as Inyang , Djombo , Koagne and Origo predicted the emergence of global youth climate activism. This activism is exemplified by Sweden's Greta Thunberg , Uganda's Vanessa Nakate and the Democratic Republic of Congo's Remy Zahiga , among others.

These authors write about young African characters, like the child volunteers in Djombo's play Les Benevoles, who are combating climate change and environmental crimes. Therefore, literature provides both inspiration and a means of communication for youth climate activism in the Congo Basin and far beyond.

A lire aussi : Comment expliquer la timide mobilisation de la jeunesse africaine pour le climat ?

Celebrating the link between people and nature

Literary texts also remind people of their relationship with the rest of nature, including animals, rivers and land. Novels such as those by Nsahlai, Effa and Nganang illustrate human-animal entanglements . Plays like Water Na Life and Le Mal de terre point out human-water and human-land entanglements. They show how bad governance and ignorance of human-nature connections lead to ecological problems .

Not only do literary texts point out violations of the rights of humans and the rights of nature, they also depict the consequences of such violations.

Literature can also help to uncover wrong assumptions and myths.

One of these is the colonial and racist idea of an Edenic Africa  the false image of an African virgin nature free from any human presence. It's an idea which fuels green colonialism in Africa . And it underpins the highly contested fortress conservation model in the Congo Basin. Fortress conservation consists of driving people out of their ancestral forests in the name of nature preservation.

If myths such as the Edenic Africa are identified and eliminated, conservationists can be more inclusive and respectful of local and indigenous people and their knowledge systems. Novels like Congo Inc. by Bofane, Le Silence de la foret by Goyemide and Les Marchands du developpement durable by Ndinga are helpful here. They foreground the knowledge and practices of the people who have inhabited Congo Basin forests from time immemorial.

Going forward

The global climate-environmental crisis is not only a crisis of capitalism and industrialisation. It's also a crisis of culture.

For this reason, cultural metaphors and philosophical ideas such as the separation of humans from nature need to be discarded. Those ideas have long promoted human domination and exploitation of nature and animals.

A lire aussi : Humanity and nature are not separate  we must see them as one to fix the climate crisis

Through film, music and literature, people have come to construct an image of themselves as different from and superior to the rest of nature. But literature can also celebrate our entanglement with nature and can draw inspiration from cultures such as those of the Congo Basin.

Very significantly, literature offers ways to communicate about complex issues like the current global climate emergency. Along with other academic disciplines and efforts  political, scientific and technological  literature can therefore help in protecting the Congo Basin's biodiversity and people.

Kenneth Toah Nsah ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possede pas de parts, ne recoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a declare aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

By Kenneth Toah Nsah, Expert in Comparative Literature and Environmental Humanities, Aarhus University
If you are a Ghanaian pastor, whether at a Methodist or Presbyterian church, and you cant fight corruption in Ghana, yet you are quick to promote E-Levy, a fraudulent tax system planned to steal from ordinary Ghanaians, then you are a fool. I dont regret saying this. You are a fool.

Because if you are truly a man of God and intelligent, you should know that one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou Shall Not Steal." Yet, the NPP government has stolen so much money that cant be accounted for, one of the reasons Ghana is under heavy debt.

Yet, these so-called pastors couldnt question the NPP government about the stolen money but rather promoted corruption and thievery in the government. If I may know, what kind of God do you worship?



The majority of Ghanaians have stopped E-Levy transactions because it's a fraudulent and illegal means to steal from the ordinary Ghanaians, the government couldn't provide jobs after five years in power.

If you are encouraging Ghanaians to pay more taxes to develop the country, thats fine, but if you are not stupid, you should know that corruption has taken a very severe toll on the economy of the country, whereby its impact has created a high rate of unemployment.

Those defending pastors who promoted the implementation of the E-Levy are equally senseless as the pastors themselves. Because Ghanaians have been paying multiple taxes, let the pastors come out to tell Ghanaians what the previous taxes have been used for in the country.

According to the World Bank Director representing Ghana, Ghana was given $435 million to fight the coronavirus in the country, but the corrupt NPP government told Ghanaians the amount was $100 million. Why didn't the so-called pastors who know that stealing is not good, ask the government about it?

Instead, they are too strong, without any shame, to come out and speak against those who opposed the E-Levy.

Before any intelligent Ghanaian accuses anyone who doesnt like to pay taxes, that person should first find out where the proceeds of taxes in Ghana go to. If the taxes didnt go into individual accounts, Ghana would have been more developed.

Thats why I see the former Methodist Bishop Bosomtwe Ayensu and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, as political prostitutes. They are doing this for their own selfish interests.

Enjoy listening to the lies of Akufo Addo when he was looking for power

Which intelligent person or pastor, knowing perfectly well that the NPP government has incurred so much debt without accountability and also stolen money, including that provided by the World Bank to fight the coronavirus, would come out and support the implementation of E-Levy?

So if the E-Levy is chicken feed, Ghanaians should encourage or congratulate the NPP government for implementing it while the real threat, which is corruption, that has affected the whole countrys infrastructure, is ignored. Does this make you an intelligent or stupid pastor?

It is not the less or more paying of taxes in Ghana that has affected the development of the country. It is the massive corruption that continues to waste the countrys precious resources. So if you are an intelligent pastor and not a fake, tackle the corruption problems to save Ghana.

If you are a pastor and you think the payment of the E-Levy is good, be also wise to know that your efforts to fight corruption in the country are also good because that's what will develop the country more rapidly than the fraudulent E-Levy which the majority of Ghanaians aren't interested.
The offices of Liberia's Radio Kintoma, in Voinjama, pictured after they were destroyed by a fire in April. Tokpa Tarnue

10.05.2022 LISTEN

Liberian authorities should investigate the recent fire at Radio Kintoma FM to determine if it was an arson attack and make the findings public, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

At about 4 a.m. on April 23, neighbors of the Radio Kintomas station office in Voinjama, the capital of Liberias northern Lofa county, informed station manager Tokpa Tarnue that the building was on fire, according to Tarnue, who spoke with CPJ by phone and messaging app, and a report by the privately owned news website The Independent Probe. The fire destroyed the offices and everything inside, according to those sources.

Tarnue told CPJ that Radio Kintoma had not received any direct threats. Still, he and his employees believe that the fire was arson either in response to a recent broadcast dispute between their staff and supporters of a local politician, or their reporting on the controversial topic of female genital mutilation.

The station relies significantly on solar power and the electric generator was turned off, so the station did not have power when the fire began, Tarnue told CPJ, leading him to believe the fire was not an accident. A statement by the Press Union of Liberia, a local trade group, referred to the fire as an arson attack and called for an investigation.

Liberian authorities should conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation into the April 23 fire at Radio Kintomas offices, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, from New York. When a media outlet is destroyed under murky circumstances, it sends a chilling message. That is why it is important to ascertain what caused the fire and make those findings public.

Tarnue said the station made a verbal complaint to police who opened an investigation, but that he had not received an update as of May 4. Clement Barletta, the head of the Lofa County Police, told CPJ by phone that his office is working with county authorities and the radio station to determine the cause of the fire, adding that he cannot give further details on the ongoing investigation.

The items destroyed in the fire included one FM transmitter, two mixing boards, seven microphones, three desktop computers, three laptop computers, four CD players, two smartphones, one air conditioner, three portable printers, four digital voice recorders, the stations documents, and personal belongings of the staff.

On April 17, six days before the fire, the station aired a report on the dangers of female genital mutilation, a practice promoted by some of Liberias traditional community leaders, and discussed the issue on programs over the days that followed, according to Tarnue. The reporting renewed campaigns against the practice across Voinjama, Tarnue said.

On April 20, the station received a visit from Balla Gbotolu, the traditional head of the Voinjama district known as the paramount chief, who demanded that Radio Kintoma stop any further discussion of female genital mutilation, according to Tarnue.

Gbotolu told CPJ by phone that he had no information about the cause of the fire, adding that his office was working to raise funds to help the radio station after the incident.

Separately on April 20, two supporters of a local politician argued with the stations program manager after he prevented them from hosting an unmoderated, on-air program, Tarnue told CPJ. The supporters had paid to participate in the program but wanted to take over hosting and speak freely on-air without any contribution from the radio station.

CPJ called Liberian National police spokesperson Moses Carter for comment, but the call did not connect.
10.05.2022 LISTEN

Telecommunication giants, MTN Ghana is injecting ten million Ghana cedis (Ghc 10 000 000) this year into the governments Girls In ICT (GIICT) project to enable more female pupils across the country develop interest in Information-Communication Technology.

MTN Ghana is very happy to partner with the Ministry of Communication to expand the Girls in ICT programme," Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, Senior Manager responsible for Corporate Communication of MTN Ghana told the media on the sidelines of the Bono regional edition of the Girls in ICT programme held in Sunyani.

Madam Georgina Asare Fiagbenu noted that MTN globally believes that there is an access gap that needs to be bridged and we all know that a lot of girls would not choose to do science, engineering and technical courses and so this programme is supposed to give more access to girls, make them more aware of the opportunities in ICT-related courses.

She added, This is the reason why MTN decided to invest GHS10,000,000.00 to support the Ministry of Communication to enable more girls have opportunities and also think about ICT as a career.

According to her, MTN is currently investing in its infrastructure as well as proving digital access among schools through the construction of well-equipped ICT centres while laptops are also given out to some schools.

Beyond the Girls in ICT programme, were also expanding access, were providing digital libraries so we do the conventional libraries and we also do the digital libraries, she emphasised.

Mentors

As part of the programme, some female achievers were brought in to share their experiences with the young girls with the view to mentoring them.

When they took their turn, some senior and management staff of the MTN, one of the main sponsors of the programme, impressed on the girls to consider it a privilege to benefit from such a laudable initiative which eluded them when they were young.

In separate addresses, they asked the young girls to believe in themselves, develop the passion for mathematics and science subjects, be determined to succeed and above all be God-fearing.

Awards

The first hundred participants who excelled in a competition organised as part of the programme were each given a laptop with the top 20 expected to have ultra-modern cyber laboratories built in their schools.

14-year old Hawawu Omoro, a pupil of the Bandaman Islamic JHS won the overall best award and received a plague and an amount of GHS 3,000.00.

Jessica Boahen of Drobo Demonstration JHS came second while Emmanuella Agyeiwaa won the third position.

They both received plagues with Jessica going home with GHS2,500.00 while Emmanuella bagged GHS 2,000.00.
One of the potential COVID-19 vaccine producers in Ghana, DEK Consortium has disclosed that it will in July 2022 begin the construction and set up of the vaccine plant with the hope of achieving President Akufo-Addo's agenda of making Ghana a vaccine hub in the sub-region.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo earlier this year announced that Ghana will by 2024 begin the commercial production of Covid-19 vaccines to fight the pandemic.

Speaking on the sidelines of a high-level meeting with vaccine manufacturers in the ECOWAS Region in collaboration with Africa CDC, the Managing Director for DEK Consortium, Kofi Nsiah Poku, said his outfit will also produce other vaccines to tackle other health conditions.

We are already getting the support, and we are working with partners to raise the funds to put up the facility. At the moment, we are doing the bankable feasibility studies which we will finish by the end of the month. Once that is ready, we need about three months to raise the money to start the facility itself.

Now, we are doing the development funding where we are ensuring that all the local authorities approval are received. All these are ongoing, and they will coincide when the bankable feasibility is ready. I hope that we will hit the ground by July. By twelve months, we are done and start with the trial and make sure that by 2024, the first COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Ghana and supplied to Africa and probably back to Europe.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, Professor Frimpong Boateng said government is making frantic effort for the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute by the third quarter of the year.

Cabinet has submitted a memorandum, the Bill is in Parliament, and we hope that when parliament resumes this month, a law of will be passed for the establishment of National COVID-19 Vaccine Institute, he said.

---citinewsroom
Gabriel Pwamang, a Supreme Court judge, believes more seriousness should be paid to calls for reviews of Ghanas 1992 constitution, three decades after its usage.

Speaking during the National Commission for Civic Educations constitution week lecture, he said the growing calls for a review of Ghanas 1992 constitution were unprecedented.

Justice Pwamang observed that calls for a review of the constitution have spread to involve the younger generation whose persistent failure to see a better future ahead of them after continuous changes of government appear to explain their awakening.

The momentum that surrounds the recent calls for constitutional amendment should not be brushed off or given little consideration.

There seems to be a new spring of constitution consciousness rising among us, the likes of which have never been experienced in this country.

We need to open our ears widely to the loud whispers of this spirit and be sensitive to its guidance, Justice Pwamang added.

He noted further that the reforms to the constitution were to be expected given that it has been in use for three decades.

Since a constitution cannot set out every conceivable circumstance and provide for it, after 30 years of existence, our constitution requires certain significant reforms that can only be accomplished with resort to the amendment procedure in chapter 25 of the constitution.

The Supreme Court Justice, however, advised against calls for an overhaul of the constitution.

My advice is that there is no one-size-fits-all democratic governance structure in the world over.

We should not underrate the thinking that informed our constitutional structure which has kept us together as one nation without little intervention for 30 years so far, he added.

The lecture was on the theme, Three decades of uninterrupted constitutional rule; revisiting the agendas for reforms.

Constitution Review Commission

The Constitution Review Commission was set up in January 2010 to consult with the people of Ghana on the operation of the 1992 Constitution, and on any changes that need to be made to the Constitution.

The Commission was also tasked to present a draft bill for the amendment of the Constitution in the event that any changes are warranted.

However, the recommendations of the Commission have not been implemented.

---citinewsroom
German and French authorities are debating what to do with a forgotten mass grave of German soldiers who perished in a tunnel that was sealed by enemy forces in north-eastern France during World War I.

Following a drilling operation last week in the department of Aisne, experts were able to confirm the discovery of the so-called Winterberg Tunnel, which is believed to contain the bodies of some 270 German troops.

The German War Graves Commission (VDK) said a camera had been inserted into a large, dusty limestone cavity found deep in the ground, but that poor visibility prevented any clear images from being taken.

The VDK said future access to the grave  which is in the forest of Craonne and has been overgrown with vegetation  would only be possible through the use of heavy machinery.

The objective of the operation, the commission added, had not been to exhume any bodies but to study the site, while ensuring due respect for the soldiers' remains.

During the drilling, strict safety protocols were put in place to avoid setting off buried munitions. The drilled borehole was also carefully sealed.

Remembrance

Authorities in Aisne said the future of the "highly symbolic" tomb would be discussed by France and Germany with a shared view to maintaining the memory of this tragic episode of the First World War.

The two countries are considering making the Winterberg Tunnel a place of common memory in line with the Treaty of Aachen, which resolved to create new places of remembrance for Franco-German confrontations.

The German soldiers, of the 111th Reserve Infantry Regiment, from the Baden region, were killed in early May 1917 in one of several famous battles of the Chemin des Dames.

French artillery shells exploded a German ammunition depot inside the tunnel  which had been dug by the Germans and was used as their shelter  causing it to collapse on them.

Those who were not killed instantly suffocated or died of anger and thirst in the days that followed, while others committed suicide. Two soldiers managed to escape.

In the century that followed the war, little interest was shown in locating the Winterberg Tunnel, with authorities only agreeing to officially investigate after pressure from a French amateur archaeologist and his son  who discovered the site.

After carrying out an exhaustive search of the forest, Alain and Pierre Malinowski in 2020 unearthed war relics including strips of uniforms, shoulder boards and a pocket mirror with a portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II.

Not everyone is happy with the find, however, with some archaeologists and war historians arguing the mass grave should have been left to history.
The National Democratic Congress (NDCs) Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South Constituency in the Upper East Region has advised the Methodist Bishop of the Obuasi Dioceses in the Ashanti Region, Rt Rev. Stephen Richard Bosomtwe-Ayensu to remove his cassock and join the political fray to be properly identified.

The Methodist Bishop over the weekend took former president John Dramani Mahama to the cleanest for claiming to repeal the controversial Electronic Levy also known as E-levy if he so wins the 2024 general elections.

He said Mr Mahama was not going to win any election for him to repeal the levy.

According to the MP, the Methodist Bishop falls short of the description of a man of God.

Mr. Cleament Apaak who is the Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament explained that the Bishop lacks integrity.

He said the Bishop is just a politician wearing a cassock hence the need for him to remove the cassock for him to be identified as such.

He noted that the Bishop has not been truthful to the pulpit over the years.

What has somebodys intention of repealing an obnoxious Electronic Levy got to do with the church for it to be championed by a Bishop, Dr Apaak queried.

In his view of this, Rt Rev Bosomtwe-Ayensu is a politician hiding behind the cassock to do the governing New Patriotic Party's propaganda.

He (the Bishop) should remove his cassock for us to properly identify him as such, Dr Apaak said adding there are so many ills happening in the society under the administration of the NPP and none of these bothers the Bishops mind except a promise made by the former NDC flagbearer.

Dr. Apaak said these in an interview on Accra-based Okay FM on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Methodist Church Ghana has in a statement said the Presiding Bishop is the official spokesperson of the church and has, therefore, appealed to the media not to drag the name of the church into the alleged statements made by Rt Rev Bosomtwe-Ayensu.

The Methodist curch said it continues to stay unaligned to any political party

Source: Classfmonline.com
10.05.2022 LISTEN

The Methodist Church of Ghana has said the comments by Rt. Rev Stephen R. Bosomtwe Ayensu on former President John Dramani Mahama are his views and not the views of the church.

Reacting to the former presidents position to repeal the controversial E-Levy Act, Rt. Rev. Ayensu said they are political talks.

He said the opposition NDC will not even win power for John Dramani Mahama to have the chance to abolish the E-Levy.

A leading opposition party says this government has been borrowing to fund projects. But it [the government] has been strategic this time to introduce this homegrown policy to build our nation. So if someone says he will repeal this law when he wins power then such a person will not even win power to abort it.

If the E-levy is a good policy why will you abolish it? Such people cant even do it because history keeps guiding us. Such comments usually end up as a political talk and deceit, Rt. Rev Stephen R. Bosomtwe shared.

Subsequently, many followers of the NDC and the former President have gone after the past Methodist Bishop of the Obuasi Diocese, describing him as anti-John Dramani Mahama.

But the Methodist Church has issued a press release to disassociate itself from the comments.

The Methodist Church Ghana wishes to notify the General Public that the Presiding Bishop is the official Spokesperson of the Church.

We, therefore, appeal to our noble friends of the Media not to draw the name of The Methodist Church Ghana into the alleged statements made by the past Bishop and currently the Superintendent Minister of the Amakom Circuit of the Kumasi Diocese, parts of the press release from the Methodist Church read.

According to the Methodist Church, it continues to stay unaligned with any political party.

It stresses that while Ministers and Members of the Church may make comments on their individual basis as fellow citizens of Ghana, that cannot be taken as the official position of the Church.

Below is a copy of the press release:
Students have been urged to prioritize discipline by being time conscious and law abiding.

This according to the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana (GRASAG), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) chapter president, Alhaji Yussif Baba Suleman would go a long way in promoting good time management among students and promote academic excellence.

"Every successful person I know does not joke with time. Time lost can never be regained that is why it is very important for students to make proper time management a priority while eschewing discipline."

"It is against his backdrop that the leadership of GRASAG-GIMPA provided wall clocks in all classrooms on campus as a reminder of the importance of time consciousness," he added.

Delivering his address at the matriculation ceremony for the February-intake in Accra, Baba Suleman said the students matriculation oath is sacred and must not be breached adding that all regulations must be complied with and constituted authorities and structures respected at all times by all students.

According to him, the institute has zero tolerance for any nefarious activities and ready to apply appropriate sanctions against offenders.

Baba Suleman stated that the leadership of GRASAG-GIMPA is working tirelessly with management to ensure that students have a smooth learning experience at the institute.

He encouraged them to be good ambassadors of their families and the institute, imploring them to be determined, diligent and resilient in their various academic pursuits.

Baba Suleman further enjoined the students to support the leadership of GRASAG-GIMPA in resolving any problem that they may encounter.

He admonished the students to adopt a sense of ownership of the institute facilities by observing high maintenance culture for the benefit of posterity.

I wish to say that, you take care of the facilities you have come to meet here. Ensure that they are not misused or destroyed so that others can also use them after you are long gone, Alhaji Yussif Baba Suleman indicated.
A court in Burkina Faso on Tuesday ordered ex-president Blaise Compaore and nine others to pay more than a million dollars in damages to relatives of revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara and aides who were assassinated in 1987.

The order comes after a trial last month that sentenced the group to long jail terms, ending a case that afflicted the Sahel state for 34 years.

A former comrade-in-arms of Sankara, Compaore took power during a putsch on the day of the assassination, ruling until 2014, when he was toppled by mass protests and fled abroad.

Judge Urbain Meda, presiding over a military court in the capital Ouagadougou, ordered payment of 807.5 million CFA francs ($1.3 million / 1.2 million euros) to relatives of the 12 people who were gunned down alongside Sankara.

The Sankara family was awarded a symbolic one franc.

The award is indicative of "the moral and economic harm" the families suffered, Meda said.

Those liable are Compaore; Hyacinthe Kafando, his former presidential guard commander; Gilbert Diendere, the ex-army chief in 1987; and seven other defendants.

On April 6, Compaore, Kafando and Diendere were handed life terms for orchestrating the assassination, while the others were jailed for three to 20 years.

Compaore, who lives in neighbouring Ivory Coast, was sentenced in absentia while Kafando has been on the run since 2016.

Under the court decision, the Burkina state must compensate the heirs of the victims if the convicted are unable to pay.

But the court rejected a request to return Sankara's property to his family.

Former president Blaise Campaore, pictured in Washington in 2004. By CHIP SOMODEVILLA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICAAFP

Benewende Stanislas Sankara, a lawyer for the Sankaras, expressed regret for the property ruling and said the family was considering whether to appeal.

A fiery Marxist-Leninist who blasted the West for neo-colonialism and hypocrisy, Sankara was shot dead on October 15 1987, little more than four years after coming to power as an army captain aged just 33.

He and 12 colleagues were killed by a hit squad at a meeting of the ruling National Revolutionary Council.

Discussing the leftwing icon's death was taboo throughout Compaore's 27-year reign.
Dear His Excellency President Nana Addo,

Firstly, thanks so much for your policies/projects especially your flagship free SHS programme, a very laudable nationwide program for all qualified pupils of JHS without discrimination in order to ensure all qualified youthful citizenrys right to equal educational opportunities and facilities. Hence, the policy is an act for the fulfilment of Article 25 (b) of the 1992 Constitution, a provision which was pursued by previous administrations in a progressive (bit by bit) manner but your Administration has decided to fully fulfil this provision of the 1992 Constitution in our lifetime, in a Country which God has blessed with huge natural resources like gold, diamond, manganese, bauxite, oil, timber, arable land etc.

Mr President, the fully fulfillment of a nationwide free SHS programme in a Country blessed by God with mineral resources, with the notion of effecting corrections on the emanating challenges (anomalies) as we go, should be the better way to operationalize this requirement of the Constitution after 25years of validating the 1992 Constitution as an embodiment of popular sovereignty in order to make the Citizenry, especially the future generations nationwide more responsible. This policy has the potential to raise a well-informed future generation nationwide on the foundations of Citizenship, namely the 5Rs (rights, roles, resources, responsibilities, and relationships).

Mr President, the free SHS programme, is a very laudable and as stated above, it will help engender good citizenship or the social consciences of the citizens. It will enlighten the citizens thus enhance the responsibilities of the citizens especially on the need to be accountable (taxable) or pay tax to ensure the development of the nation for the wellbeing of the same citizens. Mr President, as part of the Nations or your efforts to raise a very responsible and courteous citizenry (population), I strongly recommend that the pupils/students of JHS/SHS are giving lessons on Courtesy for Boys and Girls or they should be provided with booklets on same subject as was done during the Dr Busias Premiership to ensure effective public spirit (Citizenship) and thus change the narrative of the reckless utterances in our public discourses and the bad behaviours in the society.

Mr President, I do not agree with those who say that Free SHS has increased or will increases unemployment because the pupils enjoying it are already in the system living within Ghana and not a creation of the Free SHS programme or your Administration but the creation of God through the Citizenry (parents) and God has chosen you to judiciously use the numerous and massive resources he has given to Ghana to meet the cost of the free SHS. It must be noted that so far as the youth are on mother earth, their numbers will surely increase the unemployment level when not in School. But free SHS rather provides the chance for further acquisition of knowledge and

the lucrative chance for collaboration in and outside campus especially during social events, interschool competitions or expansion of the social capital (networking) of the affected citizens. So, it will make it possible for some of the pupils to exploit their talents, collaborate with each other for success in life and above all enhance their social standing (note education is a factor of social class) and thus become good or responsible citizens.

Mr President as you are fully aware the free SHS programme has come with very serious challenges. The enrolment numbers of students is massive and due to the current financing model for the free SHS programme, it has become a very huge burden on the National Economy with not less than GHC1.5 Billion Cedis as the yearly expenditure.

Mr President, I agree with you that the State must bear the cost without discrimination (because Ghana has abundant resources from God and God has chosen you, (His Excellency President Nana Addo after two unsuccessful attempts to be President of Ghana) to lead or work together with the Citizenry to ensure the judicious use of the resources for the wellbeing of the citizenry nationwide without discrimination. So collaboration between the Citizenry (the Stakeholders) and the Leadership of this great Nation especially your Presidency is very important, Sir.

Those school of thought (scholars) calling for discrimination (review) in the programme with regards to the funding of the free SHS programme must be reminded of the behaviours of some rich people in the past who rather ensured that their Children enjoyed the free education policy and the Cocoa Scholarship instituted in the 1960s by the CCP Administration led by Dr Kwame Nkrumah for wards of people in the North and Cocoa farmers respectively. They should also be informed that the rich people in the Country, pay more and higher taxes especially in a Country which has adopted a tax system as the unavoidable VAT (consumption of goods and services tax) and now e-levy and that most of them provide employment through their investments which also yield revenue to the State. So, all citizens including the rich must have fair share of the National cake or must be rewarded with a universal programme of free SHS, which will go a long way to motivate the Citizenry to pay taxes and thus make the Citizenry accountable or responsible.

Mr President, I was one of the people who called for the stoppage e-levy otherwise the reduction of the levy from the initial 1.75% to 0.5% as a start. But now that the e-levy has been operationalized at 1.5%, Sir let us find a way to finance the Free SHS programme from the E-levy, since it is a global levy that affects every body including non-citizens of Ghana outside and within Ghana transacting business on the digital or the electronic platform. So, a universal national policy or programme should be financed from some of the revenue from a global tax bracket.

Mr President, talking about the E-levy, some of us, the citizenry need further and better details from you, the Executive President. Since, technically speaking, electronic transactions comprises a lot of electronic portfolios namely electronic Financial Services or Banking Online or electronic Banking, electronic-MoMo wallet or MoMo gateways/platform, electronic-commerce, Financial technology (FINTECH). Sir we are also aware of electronic activities of the Tech Giants collectively known as the Silicon Six namely Google, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft and Apple, hence

all these are conducting electronic transactions. Sir, you need to ensure that the Silicon Six which are making sales to Ghanaians pay tax to Ghana. We are also aware of people in Ghana making income from electronic platforms like Youtube, Facebook and Spotify etc and they may not be paying tax. Thanks for the Dr Bawumias effect of the digitization and digitalization. So the State of Ghana should able to monitor and negotiate for revenue in the form tax from these areas, at least withholding tax.

Mr President, in 2013 or so the State of Ghana smartly introduced Financial Services tax of 17.5% VAT, which I guess encompassed or affected electronic Financial Services or e-financial services on the digital platform as well. But all along we hear or we are told about 1.5% electronic levy by the GRA which is only related to MoMo transactions, so why not term it as levy on MoMo (E- Wallet) transactions only. So that with our current financial state of affairs and the need to sustain the free SHS, Ghana can re-introduce the Financial Services tax on the electronic transactions aspects or as deemed fit at a very lower threshold say between 5% and 10% to raise more revenue to ensure we can finance the free SHS programme and others.

Mr President Article 257 (6) of the 1992 Constitution has vested every mineral in the President on behalf of and in trust for the people of Ghana (the Citizenry). So, we can get funds for the free SHS by maximizing revenue from the Mining Industry through closing of the gaps in the Industry which has led to loss of revenue reportedly around US$2Billion (Dollars) yearly from the Mining Industry due to a very bad Small Scale Mining Law (please expect detailed corrective actions or recommendations in support or addendum to what was submitted in my take on Fixing the Country part oneOpen letter to the Minister of Natural Resources later).

Mr President, your establishment of the Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GIADEC) for the efficient and effective mining of the bauxite deposits in the Country and the building of related refinery/the expansion or the modification of VALCO in order to change the current matrix in the Mining Industry are very laudable efforts to ensure the generation and maximization of revenue from the extractive Industry for the wellbeing of the Citizenry whose minerals you are holding in trust. A small tax element for free SHS programme should be instituted in the Mining industry to meet free SHS. Say 1% to 5% from the sale of every troy ounce (OZ) of gold produced to be designated as free SHS tax as part of the Community Social Responsibilities of Mining Companies/Miners. The Manganese and other minerals mining companies to be levied for free SHS.

Mr President, it is my prayer that you will accelerate the process for the efficient and effective mining of the bauxite and the establishment of related new refineries for them to become a reality in our time, like the laudable free SHS programme, so that we can gain revenue from the Bauxite to support the free SHS programme etc.

Mr President, some of your other key policies and projects/programmes including the IDIF and the intended Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project to store water for hydropower, for downstream irrigation and flood protection for people living in the White Basin are also very laudable to ensure the wellbeing of the citizenry. Mr President, the need to accelerate the construction or

the completion of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project which will help generate some cheap power, increase food production especially the production of rice which will help to reduce the importation of rice thus generate more revenue, reduce the amount of foreign exchange for importation more rice to meet local consumption as well as more jobs for the youth. Mr President you are really demonstrating that Ghana has a leader who thinks positive and thinks big, so God willing, your policies will go a long to help the attainment of your vision of Ghana Beyond Aid in the shortest possible time, hopefully in our time and thus reduce the suffering to the barest minimum.

Mr President the critics of your policies also deserve appreciation and special commendations for challenging (stimulating) you into positive actions thus helping you to fine-tune (tweak) the policies to meet the reality on the ground for the best performance as well as helping to energize public interest in participatory governance, as a measure to ensure good governance, enhance economy prosperity thus generate sufficient revenue and employment towards the achievement of your vision of Ghana Beyond Aid. Hence the need for collaborative efforts by all Stakeholders for the development of this nation is highly recommended.

Mr President, I wish to remind you that the buck stop with the President. So you have to take responsibility for the suffering in the Country, the casual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, being worsened by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.

Yours Citizen, Sir.

SIGNED

Major Mohammed Bogobiri (Rtd)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid al-Dbaiba, has inspected the progress of work on an emergency power plant project in the west of Tripoli, ahead of the summer consumption peak during which there are many power cuts in the country
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that its National Congress will be held in November 2022.

This is contained in a press release issued on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, and signed by General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.

Meanwhile, after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the National Democratic Congress held on Monday 9th May 2022 at the Party Headquarters in Accra, a road map has been released for the reorganization of the party.

In the roadmap, the NDC is set to hold branch elections between June and July before Constituency elections are held in September this year.

That will be followed by the Regional Conference and National Congress in November and October respectively.

Find more in the press release below:
10.05.2022 LISTEN

Everyone has problems, but Nanas problems are becoming too many by the day. Things are now getting out of kilter, and his chances of leaving a good legacy as president seem to hang in a delicate balance; and the current economic mess, the hardship Ghanaians are going through and the endemic corruption under his watch could tip the scales toward failure.

Most of the things Nana Akufo-Addo said while in opposition have turned out to be the opposite when he won power.

On Friday, July 8, 2016, at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Tano North Constituency of the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during a 5-day campaign tour of the region made some thought-provoking remarks that if God listens to his prayers and he becomes president, he will ensure that corruption is rooted out, so that Ghanas money can be used for the benefit of the good people of Ghana.

Government is chopping our money nyafu, nyafu. My government is going to root out corruption and the brazen theft of public resources. Under President Kufuor, without the benefit of oil money, and with the right policies, he was able to pay teacher and nursing training allowances. Today, with the benefit of oil, this government has cancelled these allowances with the excuse that there is no money, he said.

But this is not what is perceived under Nana's government. It has been alleged that rather than being a fighter of corruption, he has become a fighter of corruption fighters. And the example often cited is the dismissal of Auditor General Daniel Domelevo who was hailed by many as a corruption crusader.

Corruption in Ghana seems to be like a cat with nine lives  always landing on its feet  and always seems to land unexpectedly on the doorstep of a member of Nana's government. Unfortunately, in some instances, it has decided to land on the doorstep of Nana himself. It is perceived.

Some infamous corruption allegations under his government are the PDS scandal, the Bost contaminated fuel scandal, the galamsey fraud & 500 missing excavators scandal, the Ameri deal scandal, the Agyapa scandal and many others.

But what shocked me and made me cringed is a list of corruption allegations against the Akufo-Addo-led government on Wikipedia.

They are as follows:

Ghc 800k website saga. Kelni-GVG saga Australia 2018, 21st Commonwealth Games Visa scandal.

Anthony Obeng Afrane
A 29-year-old woman is currently on the run after she allegedly bathed her husband with a substance suspected to be acid in Washington, a suburb of Zenu in the Kpone-Katamansu Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

The incident happened around 9:30pm on Wednesday May 4, 2022 when Mabel McCarthy, a beautician allegedly poured the substance on her husband, De-Graft Appiah-Kubi, a trader.

Appiah-Kubi reportedly sustained visible burnt on the right side of his body and a human bite on his left chest

The Zenu  Atadeka Police have launched a manhunt for the suspect who has been charged with causing harm: Contrary to Section 69 of the criminal offences Act 1960 (Act 29).

Information available to DGN Online indicates that the couple who had been married for six years with two children were constantly having domestic squabbles until the latest incident.

The woman was said to have previously reported her husband to the police but the police settled the matter between them.

The extended families were also planning on resolving the undisclosed squabble before the woman allegedly attacked her husband with acid.

Mr. Approach-Kubi was said to have gone unconscious before being rushed to the health facility for medical attention.

---DGN online
A Circuit Court at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of Bono Region has convicted and sentenced four persons to a fine of GHC10,800.00 for causing harm to Civil Servants while performing their lawful and official duties.

They are John Akans, a retired civil servant, 75, Godwin Awuni, 22, unemployed, Patrick Anyorigiya, 21, student and Lydia Akaweli 36, trader.

A fifth accused person Eunice Akans, 25 and a mobile banker was however acquitted and discharged for lack of evidence as an accomplice.

The Court Presided by Miss Rita Amoanywaa Adusah consequently sentenced the prime perpetrator, John Akans to pay a fine of 600 penalty units, equivalent to GhC7,200.00 or in default serve one year in prison in hard labour (IHL).

The other three accomplices were each fined 100 penalty units, equivalent to GhC1,200.00 or serve a month's jail term IHL each.

The sentences, according to the Court were to serve as deterrent to other people with the intention to take the law into their own hands.

Police Inspector (P/Inspt.) Emmanuel Sampson, who prosecuted the convicts, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) later in an interview that the culprits were charged with six counts of "prohibition of development without permit, obstruction, threatening, using insult and abusive language, assault and causing harm.

P/Inspt. Sampson said on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, a team of civil servants from the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly were on lawful and official duties at Fiapre, but the convicts unlawfully attacked, assaulted and prevented them from performing their duties.

In a related interview with the GNA, Mrs. Gifty Nyarko Karikari, a Physical Development Planner at the Assembly and the team leader of the Assembly's Spatial Planning Committee said they were executing a demolishing exercise at Fiapre-Zongo on that day to pave way for an access road rehabilitation.

She said the team were clearing structures including make-shift residential buildings and toilet facilities on a road used as an alternative route that eased traffic congestion on the Fiapre-Sunyani main road.

Mrs. Karikari said to this effect, there was the need for that road to be cleared of all obstructions for reliable access in case of emergencies.

She said the team was therefore on a monitoring exercise to ascertain work done the previous day when the accused pounced on them, assaulted and threatened them to stay away if they indeed wanted to live and enjoy the rest of their lives

GNA
As firms rebuild from the covid-19 pandemic's devastation, it is necessary now more than ever, to reinforce their ability to cope with future shocks  especially the growing climate crisis.

By 'going green' companies can improve their resilience and be more competitive, according to research we have carried out at the International Trade Centre (ITC). They can better manage risks brought by climate change while taking advantage of green economic opportunities, at home and through cross-border trade.

Making companies more resilient to shocks reflects what we have learned from the experience of firms during the pandemic. Our data shows that resilient firms were five times less likely to lay off workers and more likely to have stable sales.

One of ITC's strategic priorities or 'moonshots' aims to improve the climate competitiveness of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries.

By doing so, we will equip MSMEs to better respond to risks and ensure that trade contributes to creating inclusive, sustainable and prosperous economies.

But companies, especially MSMEs, need partners in this transition. Key among these are trade promotion organizations.

Through the daily work they do with businesses, trade promotion organizations can empower a green recovery. A 20-point Green Recovery Plan set out in our recent flagship report, the 2021 SME Competitiveness Outlook, helps to point the way.

We call for trade promotion bodies to embrace sustainability. They can develop their expertise to help SMEs to transition to a low-carbon economy and work in partnership with government and businesses to encourage green growth initiatives. They should also advocate on behalf of small firms in green trade. They can build local support ecosystems; facilitate SME finance by being a trusted intermediary; and use training and innovation to strengthen the capacity of SMEs to go green.

Such efforts are crucial for SMEs, which account for more than 50% of jobs and greenhouse gas emissions. Small firms in developing countries are more worried about climate change, but less likely to take action to prepare for it, according to our research.

For example, 68% of small firms in sub-Saharan Africa view environmental risks as significant, compared with 54% in developing countries, our surveys show. Nonetheless, just 38% of small firms act to reduce environmental risks, compared with 60% of large firms.

When they do act, companies reduce waste, invest in renewable energy, make green products and services, gain green certification and go digital. And these moves often pay off.

Nearly 60% of African companies that greened their enterprises said this led to new, higher-quality products, access to new markets or lower input costs, according to ITC surveys. They were also in a better position to tap the growing pot of green finance.

Such experiences will be on the agenda at the 13th World Trade Promotion Organizations Conference in Accra, Ghana this month (17-18 May) under the theme, Bold Solutions for Resilience and Recovery. Hosted by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority and ITC, the discussions will reflect on how sustainability is both a survival imperative and a business opportunity.

The link between Gross Domestic Product and natural resources is the focus of talks with the Cambridge-based economist Sir Partha Dasgupta. I am pleased to be leading one of the plenary sessions on global business trends, including the green transition with the CEO of Renetech, a major renewable energy technologies firm.

We'll also explore how to scale up initiatives that national trade bodies are already carrying out around sustainable solutions for adaptation and growth. For example, Export Barbados will show how it is shifting the country's economy towards life science-based exports. It will also discuss its sustainability certification efforts linked to Caricom trade agreements, which raise revenue and credibility.

Procomer, the Export Promotion Organization of Costa Rica, will highlight its integration into its country's sustainable development strategy. Costa Rica received the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award for policy leadership in 2019, which singled out the country's drive to combat climate change.

RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, will discuss how the country's trade promotion, investment and development cooperation efforts increasingly emphasize sustainability  and how it is important to be coherent in its choices.

Matrade, the Malaysian trade promotion body, is helping to reposition the country as a source for sustainable products and services, with a new marketing support programme for green exporters.

We'll also be providing awards to initiatives that are sustainable, digital and partnership-based during the event.

By working together to promote the green transition and sustainable trade, trade promotion bodies, businesses and governments can ensure that companies are resilient enough to cope with future shocks.

Pamela Coke-Hamilton is Executive Director, International Trade Centre
The acting chair of the National Commission for Civic Education, Kathleen Addy, has urged Ghanaians to reject the purveyors of chaos, those who advocate for the overthrow of the constitution.

Madam Addy was speaking at a public lecture to kickstart the commemoration of Constitution Week across the country.

She called on Ghanaians to take great pride in three decades of uninterrupted constitutional rule under the Fourth Republican Constitution, which was adopted in 1992.

The NCCE holds the view that having continuous Constitutional rule for 30 years is a milestone that must be celebrated recalling the chequered political history and the overthrow of three previous Republican Constitutions, she said.

Acknowledging demands from various sections for constitutional reform, Madam Addy appealed for a comprehensive national debate on the matter.

In the meantime, however, she made it clear that it is the responsibility of every Ghanaian to defend and uphold the constitution.

As citizens, we are all enjoined to uphold and defend the constitution and resist any person or group of persons who seek to overturn or suspend it.

At the same time, the constitution must evolve in order to remain relevant and continue to meet the aspirations of the people. This is why it is imperative that citizens form an integral part of any reform process. The framers of the constitution anticipated a time like this, and hence outlined clear procedures for amendments, she said.

The NCCE has rolled out a series of programmes across the country to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the 1992 constitution. These include the public lecture in Accra delivered a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Gabriel Pwamang. Other activities include public discussions and engagement in each of the regional capital under the theme: After Three Decades of Democratic Rule under the 1992 Constitution: Revisiting the Agenda for Constitutional Reforms.

Events are also scheduled for basic school pupils to ignite the spirit of patriotism and respect for core national values such as discipline, trustworthiness, integrity and loyalty.

The keynote address at the Accra lecture was delivered by Supreme Court Judge, Justice Pwamang who called on Ghanaians to build on the positive aspects of the constituency while taking steps to bring in the necessary amendments.

Justice Pwamang, who served on the Constitution Review Commission about ten years ago, called for a redoubling of efforts to introduce the amendments the key political parties agree on  such as the election of district chief executives.

Dr. Pwamangs address set the stage for a panel discussion with experts such as Dr. Alidu Seidu of the University of Ghana, Prof. Kwesi Prempeh from CDD Ghana and Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, a lecturer at the University of Ghana Law School.
A bloody clash between youth groups in two communities in the Ashanti Region has led to the death of a 40-year-old man.

The deceased, Akwesi Owusu, who was returning from a funeral, was caught in the clash between the youth of Hemang in the Afigya Kwabre South District and Aboaso in the Kwabre East Municipality.

He died shortly when he was rushed to the hospital after the attack on Sunday.

Two persons have been arrested by police in the Ashanti Region.

The grandfather of the deceased, Micheal Sarfo Kusi spoke to Citi News about the incident.

Around 8:00pm last Sunday, Kwesi was returning from a funeral at Yamaose. When he was walking towards the town, he met some guys in a tricycle and they grabbed him on the way and attacked him. Some passers-by saw what happened. He was taken to Ankanse Hospital but could not survive. He is currently at the mortuary.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Afful Boakye Yiadom met the bereaved family and opinion leaders in both communities to calm tempers.

---citinewsroom
Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, an aspirant contesting the Ahafo Regional Chairmanship position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has congratulated the newly-elected executives of the party at the constituency levels.

He expressed confidence in the new executives and inspired them to work hard to reinvigorate the NPP structures, actively engage and enlighten the supporters at the grassroots on the ideologies and philosophies of the NPP.

Mr. Sarfo-Mensah also expressed appreciation to all the former executives of the Party at the constituency levels for their diverse contributions to the growth of the NPP, saying our great Party still needs your support to retain political power in Election 2024.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Goaso, the Ahafo Regional capital, Mr. Sarfo-Mensah, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo North constituency said the constituency and polling stations remained the strong pillars of the NPP, and supporters at those areas must be well-informed about ideologies upon which the NPP was founded.

The constituency executives must also endeavour to propagate the enormous achievements of the NPP at the grassroots to enlighten the electorate to make well-informed choices when they go to the polls in 2024.

He emphasised Election 2024 had placed enormous tasks on the newly-elected executives to make the Party more attractive and woo floating voters at the grassroot levels.

Mr Sarfo-Mensah advised the new executives of the Party not to neglect the old executives, but rather engage them and tap into their expertise in identifying and tackling emerging challenges confronting the Party.

He urged them to also work hard to strengthen the prevailing unity of the Party, and expressed the hope that they would bring everybody on board, intensify the campaign to help enhance the fortunes of the Party in the next general election.

GNA
Major General Emmanuel Kotia, National Coordinator, Ghana Boundary Commission has said a joint technical committee from Ghana and Togo would construct a maximum of 50 pillars to reaffirm the Ghana-Togo Border.

He said the eight-member committee - four from each country - would spearhead the construction of four types of pillars namely: single pillars, main pillars, intermediary pillars and border crossing pillars from May 12-28, this year.

Major General Kotia, who disclosed this at a programme at Aflao to sensitise border community residents on the planned re-affirmation of the Ghana-Togo Border said the exercise was not to re-demarcate the national boundaries but to reaffirm the existing boundary lines.

He underscored the need to erect the pillars to re-establish the boundaries between the two countries saying, "what defines us as a country is our boundary lines.

The National Coordinator said the exercise had become important as the pillars erected around 1929 and again around 1975 had either been corroded or removed through human activities and assured that the new pillars to be constructed would be such that they would be visible and difficult for people to remove.

He called on chiefs and other opinion leaders in communities along the Aflao and Akanu borders to continue with the sensitisation of their people about the exercise, which would include activities like flying military helicopters and drones, construction, and research works.

Major General Kotia said the Commission required the chiefs, the Assembly, and the Member of Parliament to be "agents of sensitisation in your communities" to ensure the successful completion of the first phase of the process - the construction of 50 pillars spanning about 50-kilometres along the Ghana-Togo Border from Aflao to Akanu.

Monday's programme which drew security agents, chiefs, Ministers and Ambassadors from Ghana and Togo and which formed part of programme of activities for the launching of the re-affirmation of the Ghana-Togo Border, is an African Union Border Project with funding support from the German government.

A similar version of the programme would be expected to be extended to Akanu to continue with the sensitisation of the border residents there.

Dr Douti Lardja, Permanent Secretary, Land Commission of Togo was happy about the exercise saying, issues of boundaries were of great concern not just to Ghana but also to Togo because it was about the sovereignty of a country.

Mr Maxwell Koffie Lugudor, Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South said it was such a respite that something was going to be done about the porousness of the border as the 'porous nature of the Aflao Border had national security implications.'

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister in his remarks said the re-affirmation would not only help avert land disputes between the two countries in future but it would also safeguard the peace and security between the two and as well, help them to address the trans-national organised crimes engulfing the sub-region.

GNA
Mr. Stephen Adjokatcher, Acting President of the Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) on Tuesday assured the public that a rescue team made up of Ghana Navy, Marine Police, Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), sister trawl fishing vessels, artisanal fishers, and other stakeholders are all at sea on a rescue mission searching for the remaining eleven reported missing seafarers.

So far out of the 26 seafarers onboard MV Comforter, 14 seafarers have been rescued and are alive. However, the captain of the said vessel was reported dead, with the remaining eleven seafarers also reported missing.

We, wish to appeal to the general public especially people in the coastal communities to also help with information if any by reporting to the nearest Police Station, a statement issued by the GITA and copied to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema stated.

The association explained that one of its member companys fishing vessels by the name MV Comforter 2 sunk at sea between Elmina and Saltpond marine waters whiles fishing on Friday, May 6.

The statement which was signed by Mr. Jerome Deamesi, GITA Financial Secretary, on behalf of Mr Adjokatcher explained that the MV Comforter 2, a Ghanaian Registered vessel owned by Boatacom Enterprise Limited sailed on May 4th, 2022 from the fishing harbour in Tema, Ghana. The vessel had on board 26 seafarers comprising six Chinese nationals and 20 Ghanaian nationals.

The GITA said the sad event occurred during a heavy downpour at sea whiles the vessel was fishing.

The GITA which is the mouthpiece of all industrial trawl fishing companies in Ghana explained that at the time of the accident, some trawler vessels also fishing close by went to the aid of the vessel to rescue the seafarers.
New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to investigate Sunday's deadly armed group attacks in Djugu Territory, Ituri Province
10.05.2022 LISTEN

The Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) has advised parents to control the usage of electronic gadgets by children to safeguard their eyes from conditions of short-sightedness.

"Instead of keeping children indoors and allowing them to watch cartoons on either the television or their tablets and laptops, parents must encourage them to play outside at least for one to two hours," Dr. Alfred Gardemor, who is also a Senior Optometrist at the Nsawam Government Hospital said this 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, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in 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.

Speaking on the topic; Childrens Vision and Eye Health, Dr Gardemor who is also the GOA Public Relations Officer explained that the excessive exposure of children to television, laptops, tablets, and phones among others can lead to myopia (short-sightedness) among children.

Dr. Gardemor, therefore, indicated that playing outside helps the eyes to relax and prevent myopia as the eyes would not be limited or only focused on the screen for a long time.

Dr. Gardemor further explained that with this, the eyes can relax as the eyes will look far away, unlike being exposed excessively to screen.

Throwing light on the need for childrens eye care to be taken seriously, he said even though children have very sensitive eyes, most people especially in the developing countries tend to think that children were too little to receive eye care.

He said it was extremely important to take eye care in children seriously as regular and periodic screening for them could help in early detection, diagnoses, and treatment instead of waiting till some damages had already been caused and could not be reversed in adulthood.

He said eye conditions in children such as cataracts, glaucoma, amblyopia also known as lazy eye, refractive errors, misalignment, and other congenital eye conditions could be handled early in life.

He, 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.

Dr. Gardemor stressed that parents must know that eye screening was in the best interest of the child as their inability to see well would affect their schooling as most children with learning disorders might have some eye disorders that were yet to be identified.

He said for instance the detection and treatment of amblyopia or lazy eyes by age seven were more effective as after that age a lot of development in the eye might have been already established.

He explained that amblyopia occurred in one eye due to a breakdown in the communication between the eyes and the brain making the brain rely more on the eye with a stronger vision.

This, he said often led to squinting, shutting off one eye, and tilting of the head by the child in a bit to see.

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.
The Tijjaniya Muslims Movement of Ghana has joined the global community to celebrate International Mothers Day with an explanation that the celebration of Mother's Day and Maulid (Prophet Muhammed's birthday) are mere symbolic days of showing our love and gratitude to Allah for giving us the best of creations.

It is also for appreciating our mothers for the pain, hustle, anguish, anxiety and struggle they went through before, during and after pregnancy and childbearing, our infant lives until we reach adulthood and mothers never stopped loving us, Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, Executive Secretary, Tijjaniya Muslims Movement of Ghana stated in a statement to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The commemorative events are just symbolic just as the commemorating of the ASHURA is merely symbolic, it doesn't mean we don't appreciate Allah's blessings and mercies in the rest of the days when we do not fast or cook foods to celebrate when Noah was delivered from the Ark or when Moses was delivered from Pharaoh.

The movement however acknowledged that many Muslim majorities in hardline areas or simply say Muslims with extreme views and ideologies consider the commemorations of Mother's Day just like the commemoration of Prophet Muhammed's birthday as alien or bidah to Islam which can be considered very sinful.

A lot of such people who don't support the celebration of Mother's Day buttress their opinion on the traditions of Prophet Muhammed (SAW) that prohibits any innovation in Islam; whether good or bad, as it may be, the statement stated.

Furthermore, I dare say, is there any rule broken in Islam if we celebrate our mothers on any particular day, or should we choose to make merry for being the community of the last Prophet and Messengers of Allah, a community that Allah has spoken highly of because of our affiliation with Prophet Muhammed (SAW).

The statement said the commemoration in Islam and the other two Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Judaism, can take a form of religious practice like fasting or merrymaking by the religious teachings.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) positioning itself to grab the opportunities African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would bring to the fore.

Therefore, GPHA sees AfCFTA as a great opportunity to continue to invest in the infrastructure required to propel the economy for the future, Mrs. Florance Essel GPHA Assistant General Manager of Administration stated at the 12th monthly stakeholder engagement seminar organized by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office which is a platform rolled out for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

Mrs. Essel said GPHA continued to ensure that Ghanas ports were well-positioned to serve as the leading trade and logistics hub in the sub-region, and it, therefore, was excited by the AfCFTA at the seminar monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

She assured the Ghanaian trade community that the countrys seaports are ready for Africas trade integration agenda through AfCFTA.

Mrs. Essel, said the port authority could confidently assure Ghanaians and others from the African continent that it was positioning itself to grab the opportunities AfCFTA would bring to the fore.

She said, Therefore, GPHA sees AFCFTA as a great opportunity to continue to invest in the infrastructure required to propel the economy for the future.

Mrs. Essel said GPHA continued to ensure that Ghanas ports were well-positioned to serve as the leading trade and logistics hub in the sub-region, and it, therefore, was excited by the AfCFTA.

She added that as AfCFTA sought to open up trading for African countries to trade amongst themselves, the ports remained key for the transportation of goods among these countries.

She said it was a well-known fact that Intra African trade was the lowest among its peers in the world and AfCFTA has an objective to reverse this perennial disadvantage to the benefit of the African Ports.

The GPHA Assistant General Manager, in charge of Administration, noted that the ports within the continent have the opportunity to grow their exports, imports, transit, and transhipment traffic with the advent of the free trade area.

This, she said meant more revenue to the ports and also a boost for the economy of the member countries, adding that when the benefits of AFCFTA begin to manifest, markets would expand, factories would produce more, and it would translate into the ports getting busy.

Mrs. Essel explained that when it came to international trade, seaports and shipping served as the most competitive conduit for the carrying of goods.

She said seeing the relevance of AfCFTA to the ports, her outfit had engaged the secretariat actively and was playing a key role in educating the public and stakeholders on it.

Touching on infrastructure development at the Ports, she said the completion of phase two of the Terminal three at the Tema Port had boosted the capacity of the Port to handle larger vessels with 16meters draft.

Mrs. Essel said their dedicated container terminal, also known as the MPS Terminal three was currently the biggest in terms of capacity among all ports in West and Central Africa, adding that the terminal was being complemented by the ongoing expansion of the Takoradi Port.

The construction of the multipurpose Atlantic Terminal, with 16-meter depth, will position the Atlantic Terminal and the Port of Takoradi at a competitive advantage in the port and maritime industry, especially with the Port of Abidjan because of its ability to receive the largest container vessel, she added.

She stated that World-class equipment including ship to shore cranes and mobile harbour cranes would be procured to equip the Terminal, indicating that the completion of the liquid bulk Terminal, the dry bulk jetty with conveyor systems, and the pending oil and gas services Terminal would position the countrys ports to take advantage of the AFCFTA.

Because without this modern equipment and infrastructures our efforts to facilitate trade and take full advantage of this continental initiative will be a mirage.

GPHA, she said was sensitive to transit trade and has been embarking on trade missions to the sub-regional landlocked countries to seek their opinion on how to make the transit trade better.

Mrs. Essel added that they had also offered the transit partners favourable storage terms making Ghanas ports attractive to them to continue doing business with the country even before the full operation of AfCFTA.
10.05.2022 LISTEN

The Directorate of Early Warning of the ECOWAS Commission is holding a Working Session with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Strategic Direction South Hub today, May 10, 2022, at the ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.

The consultations aim to explore potential collaboration and mutual interest, focusing on Climate Change, the fight against Terrorism, Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and Capacity Building.

Dr. Lat Abdou Gueye, the Director of Early Warning, ECOWAS Commission, while welcoming the NATO Delegation emphasised that the collaboration is important as the ECOWAS Early Warning System prepares to finalize and implement its strategic plan for the next 5 years (2022  2026).

He added that deepening collaboration with key partners constitutes a key objective for the Directorate.

In addition to the Early Warning Directorate, the Delegation also met with the Director of PeaceKeeping and Regional Security who was represented by Dr Isaac Amstrong. In his intervention, Dr Amstrong informed the delegation of the initiatives of the ECOWAS Commission in the fight against Terrorism and initiatives to curb Maritime insecurity.

The NATO Delegation was led by General Davide Re, Director of the NATO Strategic Direction South Hub. Also at the Working Session was a Representative from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) of Nigeria, Dr Mathew Adepoju.

A courtesy visit was paid to General Francis BEHANZIN, ECOWAS Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

---ECOWAS
The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAG) has said it is now in full support of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) after seeing most of the concerns raised being addressed by government.

On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, the leadership of the MoMo agents association held a meeting with the President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at his office at the Jubilee House.

The General Secretary of the association, Evans Otumfuor commended the government for taking a bold step to reduce the E-Levy charge from 1.75% to 1.50%.

He said his association is thankful to the government for addressing several issues raised by his outfit that would have affected the businesses of its members.

Your Excellency, let it be on record that our organization believes in the payment of taxes as a major tool to drive the needed development and progress and would not do anything that frustrates the success of the E-levy.

Your Excellency, recently we have witnessed governments plan to introduce an electronic transaction levy which, as an association we have raised a number of concerns but as we speak now, yesterday we were in a meeting with the Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority and other relevant stakeholders and most of our concerns regarding the electronic transaction levy (E-Levy) have been addressed, the General Secretary of the Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana told the president.

Evans Otumfuor used the opportunity to call on President Akufo-Addo to fast-track steps to address more of the challenges.

Your Excellency, we appeal to you and the Minister of Finance to expedite action to look at the challenges that the levy has brought to us as agents in line with doing our business such as deductions that are made at the agents account in an attempt to push funds from their agents accounts to their bank accounts for purposes of withdrawals and other agents related activities, he added.
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New Zealand is front and centre of Prince Harrys campaign for sustainable travel.

Harry appears in the video alongside Kiwi actors Rhys Darby, Rena Owen, and Dave Fane and even though it was shot in California, NZ was the real star. The video is designed to showcase Harrys not-for-profit organisation, Travalyst, aiming to bring sustainable travel into the mainstream.

Check it out below
Residents of Michigans Grand Traverse area will soon have the opportunity to take in-person TechMBA classes at Michigan Technological Universitys Traverse City Research Workspace.

Michigan Techs Master of Business Administration program (TechMBA) is on the move. Beginning in fall 2022, the 30-credit program will include three delivery options, the newest of which provides a hybrid option for Grand Traverse area students:

Hybrid (has both in-person and remote elements): Students meet with faculty and other students in MTUs Grand Traverse Research Workspace to attend virtual courses one night per week.

All online: Students complete course requirements fully online and at their own pace.

On-campus courses: Students attend courses in person in Houghton, Michigan.

In the hybrid option, students complete most of their coursework online in a synchronous fashion with once-per-week Zoom meetings where they interact in real time with fellow classmates and their instructor.

This is great news and strengthens the commitment that Michigan Tech is making for the Grand Traverse Area, said Jay Meldrum, director of MTUs Keweenaw Research Center and the official point of contact and liaison for Tech in the Grand Traverse area. This will be the first of many planned course offerings to be delivered in our new downtown location in the Traverse Connect building.

Michigan Tech has also revamped and will soon relaunch its fully online TechMBA program, which allows students to complete the degrees requirements on their own schedule (referred to as asynchronous learning). The TechMBA is offered through Michigan Techs College of Business, and its hybrid and asynchronous options are delivered in partnership with the Universitys Global Campus initiative.

The Michigan Tech College of Business is eager to bring the TechMBA program to northern Michigan, said Dean Johnson, the Colleges dean. The TechMBA program is truly unique. Through these delivery options, individuals can select the graduate education that matches their preferences, via an interactive experience in real time through the hybrid option or complete flexibility through the online option.

We are excited about the educational flexibility for the Grand Traverse Bay area that caters to working professionals, added David Lawrence, the Universitys vice president for Global Campus and continuing education. The TechMBA allows you to choose how you learn  your place, your time, your path and your future. Whether you want to explore your passions, discover new educational pathways, upskill in your current career, seek new employment opportunities or stand out in a competitive marketplace, we have the education you need.

Representatives from Michigan Tech will be on hand May 9-15 during Northern Michigan Startup Week in Traverse City to provide more information. Anyone interested in the TechMBA program can visit mtu.edu/business/graduate/techmba or contact techmba@mtu.edu.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, the University offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator, left, raises arms with running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current President, during their last campaign rally Saturday, May 7, in Paranaque City, Metro Manila. Marcos Jr. and 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.
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will be the 17th president of the Philippines.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave has confirmed the death of his son Jethro Lazenby at age 31.

With much sadness, I can confirm that my son, Jethro, has passed away, the frontman of rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds said in a statement Tuesday.

We would be grateful for family privacy at this time, Cave added.

A fashion model, rapper, actor and photographer, Lazenby was Caves son with model Beau Lazenby and was born in Melbourne in 1991.

He was the eldest of Cave's four children, all boys.

One of Caves twin sons with his current wife, Susie Cave, died in an accidental fall from a cliff near Brighton, England, in 2015. Arthur Cave had taken the psychedelic drug LSD before he fell at age 15.

Jethro Lazenby, who used the name Jethro Cave to help his modeling career, was found dead a day after he was released from prison last week.

Lazenby's body was discovered in a Melbourne motel on Friday afternoon, a police statement said.

A coroner will determine the cause of his death. There were no indications that he was a victim of crime, police said.

He had been in custody since shortly after he assaulted his mother during an argument in her Melbourne home on March 7 and left her bruised and bleeding, Melbournes Herald Sun newspaper reported.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful assault and to breaching court orders. He was released from a remand prison on strict bail conditions Thursday, the newspaper reported.

A magistrate ordered him to undergo substance abuse treatment and to avoid contact with his mother for two years. He was to return to court in June to be sentenced for the assault and for stealing from a convenience store.

Lazenby had been imprisoned in 2018 for assaulting a girlfriend.

His lawyer told a magistrate last month that his client had a longstanding diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Lazenby told the London-based Evening Standard newspaper in 2012 that he was 7 or 8 when he first met his famous father. Cave told Britains The Guardian newspaper in 2008 he would always regret his lack of contact with his son in early childhood.

But I now have a great relationship with him, Cave said. It was difficult at the time, but it turned out great in the end.

Lazenby is survived by a younger half-brother, Luke Cave, who was also born in 1991. The musicians second child, only days younger than his first, was born in Brazil to his then-wife Viviane Carneiro, a Brazilian fashion designer and journalist.

Lazenby is also survived by half-brother Earl Cave, Arthurs twin. The twins were born in 2000.
Duncan_Andison/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Jacksonville Airport Authority board of commissioners is scheduled to meet in regular session at 5:30 p.m. today at 1956 Baldwin Road.

Among the items on the agenda are:
WASHINGTON (AP)  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The signing comes as the U.S. Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against Russia  with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.

It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on Victory in Europe Day  the anniversary of Germany's unconditional surrender in 1945 and Russia's biggest patriotic holiday  to rally his people behind the invasion.

This aid has been critical to Ukraines success on the battlefield, Biden said in a statement.

Biden said it was urgent that Congress approve the next Ukraine assistance package to avoid any interruption in military supplies being sent to help fight the war, with a crucial deadline coming in 10 days.

"We cannot allow our shipments of assistance to stop while we await further Congressional action, he said. He urged Congress to act  and to do so quickly.

In a letter delivered to Capitol Hill on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress to act before May 19, when the existing drawdown funds run out. The Pentagon has already sent or committed all but $100 million of the $3.5 billion in weapons and equipment that it can send to Ukraine from its existing stockpiles. And that final $100 million is expected to be used no later than May 19, they said.

In short, we need your help, they said in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The ability to draw upon existing DoD stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, allowing us to quickly source equipment and ensure a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine.

The resolve from Biden and Congress to maintain support for Ukraine has been lasting, but also surprising. Still, as the months-long war with Russia grinds on, the bipartisan showing for Ukraine will be tested as the U.S. and allies are drawn closer toward the conflict.

The House could vote as soon as this week on the bolstered Ukraine aid package, sending the legislation to the Senate, which is working to confirm Biden's nominee Bridget Brink as the new Ukrainian ambassador. The Houses Tuesday schedule mentioned the Ukraine legislation, but it was unclear how firm that was.

With the president's party holding only the slimmest majorities in the House and Senate, Republican cooperation is preferred, if not vital in some cases, for passage of the president's strategy toward the region.

I think we will be able to do it as quickly as possible, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said over the weekend about an emerging aid package. We have great bipartisanship in terms of our support for the fight for democracy that the people of Ukraine are making.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach to foreign policy and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together to support the president's strategy.

The lend-lease bill that Biden signed into law Monday revives the strategy to more quickly send military equipment to Ukraine. Launched during World War II, lend-lease signaled the U.S. would become what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the arsenal of democracy helping Britain and the allies fight Nazi Germany.

Before signing the bill, Biden said Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had widespread bipartisan support. It sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, without even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

One of the bills chief Republican sponsors, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said in a statement the measure will give Ukraine the upper hand against Russia, and Im glad America could act as the arsenal of democracy for this critical partner.

Other measures, including efforts to cut off Russian oil imports to the U.S. and calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support, though some lawmakers have pushed Biden to do even more.

While President Putin and the Russian people celebrated Victory Day today, were seeing Russian forces commit war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, as they engage in a brutal war that is causing so much suffering and needless destruction, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said Putin was perverting history to attempt to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war.

Biden acknowledged his request for more in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine would have to be separated from money he also sought from Congress to address the COVID-19 crisis at home.

Decoupling the two funding requests would be a setback for the president's push for more COVID-19 spending, but a nod to the political reality of the Congress.

Republicans in Congress are resisting spending more money at home as the pandemic crisis shifts to a new phase, and Biden did not want to delay money for Ukraine by trying to debate the issue further.

Biden said he was told by congressional leaders in both parties that keeping the two spending packages linked would slow down action.

We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort, Biden said in the statement. Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away.

As the now bolstered Ukraine package makes its way through the House and Senate, with votes possible soon, lawmakers are showing no signs of flinching. Countless lawmakers have made weekend excursions to the region to see firsthand the devastation of the war on Ukraine and surrounding countries, as more than 5 million refugees flee the country.

Rather than fight the spending overseas  as had been an increasingly popular viewpoint during the Trump era  some lawmakers in both parties want to boost the amount of U.S. aid being sent to Ukraine.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Lolita C. Baldor and Will Weissert contributed to this report.
MOUNT STERLING  Five aspiring small businesses will make their pitch Wednesday for a chance to get a $20,000 head start toward becoming a reality.

Action Brown County has been receiving applications from those interested in establishing a business in the county. It is using a grant from the Tracy Family Foundation to provide support for one of the businesses, with the goal of driving economic development in the county.

During the past two months, the group worked with 17 initial entries to develop their ideas through workshops that focused on writing a business plan, marketing and branding, and preparing to pitch their plan.

Action Brown County released details about the finalists on Monday. Representatives of the five will explain their ideas to a panel of judges and the community at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Brown County High School at 500 E. Main St. in Mount Sterling.

"We couldnt be happier with the level of participation we have had in the contest, Action Brown County Executive Director Alex Geisler said. Were excited for the public to get a chance to hear from our finalists at the pitch night. Some attendees might even want to invest in the businesses to help them come to life.

Finalists are:

 Kylie Carrs Ice Candy, a mobile dessert stand that would sell regular and Hawaiian shaved ice and toppings.

 Jeff Schmitzs Two Wheels Trading Co., which would offer full service and repairs of bicycles, as well as accessories such as helmets, tires and brake pads.

 Alana Boylens Green Flamingo Grill, a bar and grill concept that would be a burger-centric dining establishment "specializing in a unique hand patty smash burger."

 Timothy and Mason McFaddens The Lions Realm, an establishment that would sell comic books, cards, collectibles and novelties as well as offer a place for families and friends to gather, compete and play.

 Mat and Colleen Loehrs Loehrs Locker, which would offer custom processing of beef, pork and venison as well as sell prepackaged meat and eventually offer breakfast and lunch.

Applicants were judged on such criteria as sustainability, employment generation and sales potential.

Although only one of the finalists will walk away with the top prize, Action Brown County is continuing to provide support to other businesses. It is offering educational presentations that focus on business legalities, retail best practices and the financial basics of getting a business started.
A Morgan County woman charged with theft from a Jacksonville company has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Stacy S. Brickey, 46, of Woodson was charged with the theft of $138,000 while working for Production Press, 320 E. Morgan St. She waived her right to a jury trial and changed her plea to guilty to a felony charge of theft of more than $100,000.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman, who had planned to seek a third 10-year term in November, abruptly tendered her resignation Monday.

The state's longest-serving jurist, appointed to the bench at age 31, said in a statement she will retire on July 7.

I have had the role of a lifetime, a privilege to serve the people of the state of Illinois as a member of the court system at every level, the 78-year-old Garman said. But this is the right time for me to step back from my public role and allow someone else to assume this all-important position.

Her replacement, who will be chosen by the high court, will have some breathing room before facing voters. The Constitution determines how soon an appointed justice must stand for election based on the nomination's proximity to the next primary election. Because the June 28 primary is fewer than 60 days away, Garman's successor will serve until the 2024 general election.

Born in Aurora and reared in Oswego, first-year University of Iowa law student Garman was told she was only there to catch a husband and should drop out so a man could take her place. After she joined the bar in 1968, she was turned down for several positions, hearing employers say, I don't know what I would do with you because no one wants to talk to a woman lawyer.

But after stints as an assistant state's attorney in Vermilion County and just a year in private practice, the Republican was appointed associate circuit judge in 1974. She learned about her appointment in a WGN report on her car radio.

Garman was appointed to the Supreme Court to fill a vacancy in 2001 and was elected in 2002, just months after the court's first woman, Mary Ann McMorrow, took the gavel as chief justice and became the first woman to lead any of the three branches of government in Illinois. Garman was the second woman chief justice from 2013-2016.

Even though Garman's retirement doesn't impact the current election season, voters will have several court-related decisions at the ballot box. Justice Mary Jane Theis, a Democrat, will seek retention to a second 10-year term.

Two other seats filled by 2020 appointments give voters partisan choices this fall.

Republican Justice Michael Burke, who replaced a retiring Bob Thomas, is looking for a 10-year term. He will likely square off against state Appellate Court Justice Mary O'Brien, the only contestant in the June 28 Democratic primary.

Voters will choose a newcomer in the seat left open by former Justice Thomas Kilbride's failure to win retention in 2020. His successor, Democratic Justice Robert Carter, will step down.

Vying for the Democratic nomination in the race are circuit judges Rene Cruz and Elizabeth Rochford. Republican hopefuls are Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes and former Circuit Judge John Noverini.

___

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan voters in November will decide whether to revise some of the country's strictest legislative term limits and require state elected officials to report information about their finances to avoid conflicts of interest.

The Legislature on Tuesday unveiled the proposed constitutional amendment and placed it on the statewide ballot within hours, with no debate or notice. The move saved a ballot committee of business and labor groups from having to collect roughly 425,000 voter signatures, enabling backers to shift their attention to persuading voters to back the measure in the fall.

Michigan's 30-year-old term limits law, embedded in the state constitution, allows legislators to serve no more than 14 years, including three two-year House terms and two four-year Senate terms. The amendment  which the House and Senate passed 76-28 and 26-6 respectively  would allow them to serve up to 12 years: six two-year House terms, three four-year Senate terms or a combination.

Supporters said it would enable new lawmakers  particularly in the House, where the speaker and committee chairs have only two or four years of experience before leading  to focus on their job and build relationships instead of immediately looking to run for the Senate or find work outside the Legislature.

It's a crash course. I came in with 60-some brand-new people out of 110. We had a leader who had only been in the chamber himself for two years. It is not a practical way to run a legislative body. As you go around the country, you'll see a lot of examples of legislative bodies that function a lot better than our House of Representatives, said Sen. Ed McBroom, a Vulcan Republican who previously served in the House.

Opponents, who are mobilizing against the measure, said it is being mischaracterized as a way to improve term limits when it would weaken them by increasing how long how long legislators could be in a chamber and give term-limited members a chance to return to Lansing.

Patrick Anderson, who authored the 1992 initiative, criticized the Legislature for hastily approving the new amendment with no debate and notice. He called it an ambush.

Whether you like term limits or not, this is a disgrace, he said, vowing that it "is not going to slip unnoticed into the voting booth.

Fifteen states have legislative term limits. Michigan is among six with lifetime restrictions. Of those, California and Oklahomas are 12 years, but allow lawmakers to serve all of it in one chamber.

The initiative also would require lawmakers, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state and the attorney general to file annual financial disclosure reports starting in 2024. Attempts to mandate such reports have stalled for years in the Legislature, even though Michigan is among just two states where legislators pass and reject laws without the public knowing about their personal finances.

The officials would have to describe their assets, non-employment income and liabilities, and disclose their sources of earned income. They also would have to list their positions with organizations, businesses, nonprofits, labor unions and educational institutions except state government; agreements related to future employment; gifts, travel payments and reimbursements that must be reported by lobbyists; and charitable donations made by others in lieu of honoraria.

The disclosure requirements proposed by the Legislature are not as tight as those included by the ballot group that was circulating petitions.

Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Southfield Democrat, noted that Michigan lags nearly every state on financial disclosure and other transparency issues such as public-records requests.

Right now there is nothing. It's kind of this free-for-all. We see legislators who voluntarily recuse themselves from votes, but it's self-policing, he said.

If the ballot measure is adopted, he said, lawmakers would be required to pass a bill implementing the disclosure requirements.

It's all about setting the floor and building up from there, Moss said.

___

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Eight Turkish citizens have been kidnapped in Haitis capital, an official told The Associated Press on Monday, apparently the latest in a string of high-profile kidnappings by powerful gangs.

Hugues Josue, Turkeys honorary consul in Haiti, said the group had boarded a bus in the neighboring Dominican Republic and were kidnapped late Sunday afternoon in the Croix-des-Bouquets neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Those kidnapped were five men and three women, he said.

Josue said he did not have any details on a potential ransom request, and no additional information was immediately available.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that a crisis desk had been set up in Haiti and that Turkey was following the issue closely.

They are thought to have been kidnapped for ransom, Cavusoglu said. There is negative concerning the state of their health at the moment.

Croix-des-Bouquets is controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang, which kidnapped 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group in the same area last October. The gang demanded $1 million in ransom and held most of them until December.

A diplomat from the Dominican Republic was kidnapped in the same neighborhood earlier this month and later freed.

Last week, Haitis National Police announced that one of the top leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang, Germine Joly, was extradited to the U.S. He faces charges involving kidnapping, smuggling and import of weapons of war.

The violence and insecurity has prompted Haitians to organize protests to demand safer neighborhoods.

Gang violence has forced dozens of schools and businesses to close in recent weeks and displaced thousands of families, with many of them seeking temporary shelter in schools and shelters as aid groups note an urgent need for food and items including blankets and mattresses.

The United Nations announced Friday that at least 75 people had been killed in the most recent gang clashes, including women and children, and more than 65 injured. It also noted gang rapes of children as young as 10, adding that the violence has greatly limited travel from the capital to Haiti's northern and southern regions.

___

Associated Press reporter Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree/Journal-Courier

Illinois College once again will welcome the end of its school year with its traditional Osage Orange Festival and Senior Celebration.

The event will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Lincoln Hall parking lot, at Edgehill Road and Park Street on the IC campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Mark S. Jewell, 58, of 613 Tunison Ave., White Hall, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 4:01 p.m. Saturday on charges of theft and forgery.

 Glenna R. Crawford, 52, homeless, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 3:51 a.m. Saturday on a probation violation.

 Robbie D. Barton, 46, of 825 N. Diamond St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 8:17 a.m. Thursday on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 John W. Miller, 50, of Wood River was arrested at 2:53 a.m. Monday on charges of obstructing justice and possession of methamphetamine after a traffic stop in the 800 block of West College Avenue. He also was arrested on a Jersey County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a charge of possession of methamphetamine and a Macoupin County warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Miller also was cited on charges of driving while license is suspended, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failing to signal, according to police reports.

 John P. Holmes, 42, of Jacksonville and Sherman L. Holmes, 58, of Jacksonville were cited at 9:28 p.m. Sunday on charges of disturbing the peace after police said they were in a verbal dispute in the 500 block of West State Street.

 Joseph W. Paul, 21, of 403 W. College Ave. was arrested at 12:54 p.m. Sunday on a disorderly conduct charge after being accused of threatening staff at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, 600 W. Walnut St.

 Emily R. Sliger, 22, of 518 S. Diamond St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 7:40 p.m. Saturday on an aggravated battery charge.

 Diego M. Prado, 33, of 2247 Old State Road was booked into the Morgan County jail at 12:22 a.m. Saturday on charges of driving while license is revoked or suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

 Jane L. Smith, 58, of 224 W. Beecher Ave. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 4:24 p.m. Thursday on a charge of violating an order of protection.

 Cody R. Eller, 30, of 933 Greenview Ave., Springfield, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:54 p.m. May 2 on a charge of unlawful possession of a credit or debit card.

 Shane M. Dugger, 33, of 333 Franklin St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:06 p.m. May 2 on a charge of violating an order of protection.

VANDALISM

 A window was broken on a car parked in the 900 block of Goltra Avenue, according to a report filed at 12:47 p.m. Sunday.

FIRES

 Jacksonville firefighters were called at 11:04 p.m. Sunday to put out a Dumpster fire at Casey's, 525 E. Morton Ave.

Cass County

Beardstown Police



ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Emileeann E. Edwards, 29, of Beardstown was cited April 30 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.

 Yaneth Dominguez, 20, of Springfield was cited April 30 on a charge of having no valid driver's license.

 Susan K. Nunez, 26, of Beardstown was cited April 25 on a charge of illegal transportation of alcohol.

 Hanea Urquiza-Espinoza, 23, of Beardstown was arrested April 25 on charges of driving under the influence, aggravated DUI/no license, illegal transportation of alcohol, failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident and driving while license is revoked or suspended. She also was arrested on a Cass County warrant accusing her of failing to appear in court on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Ediam Martinez-Baez, 35, of Beardstown was cited April 23 on a charge of operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

 Teasia K. Clancy, 46, of Beardstown was arrested April 21 on a charge of criminal trespass to a residence.

 Jairo R. Reyes-Martinez, 29, of Beardstown was cited April 21 on charges of possession of adult-use cannabis in a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, having no valid driver's license, speeding and having no insurance.

 Ivy M. Lane, 21, of Browning was arrested April 21 on a theft charge.

 Emileeann E. Edwards, 29, of Beardstown was cited April 8 on a criminal trespass charge.

 Jose O. Crespo Rodriguez, 36, of Beardstown was cited April 8 on a criminal trespass charge.

Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jeremy L. Thometz, 24, of Barry was booked into Pike County Jail at 11:31 a.m. Thursday on a charge of production of cannabis.

 Devon L. Wagner, 23, of Barry was booked into Pike County Jail at 11:54 p.m. Saturday on a warrant accusing him of failing to register or report a change of address as a sex offender and failure to register as a sex offender and a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on charges of criminal damage to government property, burglary, possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia and child pornography.

 Joseph D. Devore, 35, of Beardstown was booked into Pike County Jail at 6:09 p.m. May 2 on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Douglas D. Reese, 60, of Griggsville was booked into Pike County Jail at 8:57 a.m. May 2 on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm without a valid Firearm Owners Identification.

 Jessica R. Jackson, 22, of Indianapolis was booked into Pike County Jail at 6:48 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

 Sarah L. Colwell, 36, of Jacksonville was booked into Pike County Jail at 9:37 a.m. Wednesday on a violation of a court order.

 Amanda L. Tissiere, 35, of Jacksonville was booked into Pike County Jail at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday on a violation of a court order.

 Edith M. Schubert, 41, of Jerseyville was booked into Pike County Jail at 6:27 p.m. May 3 on a petition to revoke probation.

 Samuel D. Sterling, 23, of Kentwood, Michigan, was booked into Pike County Jail at 6:28 p.m. Saturday on a charge of manufacture or delivery of cannabis.

 Dylan C. Guthrie, 18, of Pittsfield was booked into Pike County Jail at 8:13 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

 Ethan L. Miller, 32, of Pittsfield was booked into Pike County Jail at 8:48 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officers and a petition to revoke bail.

State police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Clinton V. Newman, 52, of Moreno Valley, California, was booked into Pike County Jail at 10:14 p.m. May 3 on charges of possession of cannabis and operating a vehicle with canceled, suspended or revoked registration.

 Lacy A. Cheadle, 19, of Hannibal, Missouri, was booked into Pike County Jail at 9:36 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of cannabis, possession of a controlled substance and illegal possession of transportation of liquor by a driver.
Legislators and medical professionals are touring the state to promote mental health awareness for farmers.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, is traveling around the state through May 18 to promote the Farm Family Resource Initiative. He will be accompanied by representatives of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, University of Illinois Extension, local lawmakers and mental health professionals.

In just a few short years, the FFRI has already helped many in our farming communities, Costello said. Providing confidential access to mental health providers while also breaking down stigmas in seeking help is critical for those working in our states number one industry.

The FFRI was started in 2019 by SIU School of Medicine. The pilot program provided Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Morgan, and Sangamon counties with a telephone hotline farmers could use to connect to mental health resources.

The initiative expanded in 2021 to all if Illinois' 102 counties. The latest state legislative session provided it with $500,000 to extend its services into 2023.

"The Farm Family Resource Initiative provides educational opportunities and a helpline to support the needs of our farm families, SIU School of Medicine Dean and Provost Jerry Kruse said. It is just one of the ways that SIU SOM is fulfilling its rural health mission for social accountability in central and southern Illinois.

The tour stopped Tuesday in Peoria and Springfield. Its next stop will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Waverly Preschool Screening: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., First Baptist Church, 180 N. Grove St., Waverly. Free | To make an appointment, call 217-435-2331.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

Cloudbreaking: Female Aviators of Illinois: 6:30 p.m., Illinois State Museum Zoom event. Free with registration. | With educator Kate Suits. Advanced registration is required at bit.ly/ILFemaleAviators. For more information, contact events@illinoisstatemuseum.org or 217-558-6696.

Wednesday

Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m., noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Story Time: 10 a.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. Free | Stories and a craft. For more information, call 217-243-5435 or email clangdon@jaxpl.org.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers can be picked up at side door.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Commodity Food Distribution: 1:15 p.m., The Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. Free | For income-eligible residents of Morgan County. Bring proof of residence and a box for food.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

Community Walking Group: 3:30 p.m., Boyd Hospital Wellness Center, Eighth and School streets, Carrollton. Free for wellness center members, $1 for non-members. | For more information and to sign up, all Dawn at 217-942-6946, extension 1352.

Chicken and Fish Dinner: 5-7 p.m., Bluffs American Legion. Adults $12, children 11 and under $5. | Menu includes fried chicken, fish, side items, dessert and drink. All you can eat. Carryout available.

The Miracle of Birth: 6 p.m., Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, 1600 W. Walnut St. | For more information, call 217-245-9541.

County Line Dance Club Class: 6:30 p.m., The Hangout Bar & Grill, 901 W. Superior Ave. $5.

Tropical Wine Dinner: 6:30 p.m., Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center, 13653 Lodge Blvd., Grafton. $55-$60 | A night of food and wine. For tickets and more information, call Arielle at 618-786-2331, extension 338.

Bible Talk:7 p.m., Jenkins Education Complex, 409 Hardin Ave. | Sign language interpretation available. For more information, call Dana Jacobsen at 224-422-0217 or Kamela LiaBraaten at 309-415-1933.
Historical memory can fade over time. Born in 1942, I've watched it happen.

We lost sight of the cruelty of fascism and authoritarian rule and how indispensable free democratic societies are to world peace and well being. Over the ensuing decades awareness of World War II slipped from our consciousness. Congress grew incapable of serious deliberation and unable to respond to the real needs of voters, instead whipping into hysterical frenzy over inane culture war issues, possibly most pathetically illustrated by Ted Cruz holding aloft a child's book that teaches inclusivity and scolding a baffled Ketanji Brown Jackson at her confirmation hearings.

And the middle class became cynical, even flirting with the idea that strong controlling leadership was better suited to governing in the 21st century. That notion peaked with the election of Trump, who scorned democracies and openly admired and emulated authoritarian rulers like Kim Jong-un and especially Vladimir Putin.

But Putins war with Ukraine has shocked the world and laid bare the evil callousness of dictatorial rule. At the same time, it has united western nations and rekindled an appreciation and respect for democracy.

Witnessing the unprovoked and horrific invasion of Ukraine has brought us together in a way that is reminiscent of the unity brought forth by the events of 9/11. Unfortunately, however, we the people are still divided. The Tucker Carlsons of the right continue to incite culture wars, sow distrust in the American government, and work to undermine democracy. And far too many Republicans still stand with Trump, supporting his delusional claim of a fraudulent election, even as he describes Putins attack on Ukraine as genius.

I vote Democratic now but have fond memories of a progressive Republican Party and still admire great patriotic leaders like Dirkson, Dole, Hatfield and McCain. And I believe that todays Republican conservative right, especially the Christian Nationalists, pose a greater threat from within to our democracy than Putins Russia  although his GRU feeds and enables that threat from within. Should Trump or one of his proteges regain power, it could well end the 250-year American experiment.

Americans remain disillusioned and dissatisfied with Congress. A recent poll shows an overall approval of Congress at only 18%. At the same time, the approval by Democrats is greater (26%) than Republicans (9%) and Independents (17%). It is abysmally low across the board.

The hardworking middle class feels betrayed by the government, and its understandable. Good paying jobs moved offshore, and our manufacturing centers rusted and decayed. Businesses can be held accountable to some degree, but business executives believe that first obligation is to increase shareholder value, which moving production abroad promised to do.

On the other hand, the governments first obligation is to protect its citizens. In this case, that meant protecting their jobs, and it failed. The economic impact on the middle class was devastating, and other countries like Germany fared much better.

American workers lost more than jobs. The ability to provide for ones family is a source of pride and fulfillment. Unemployment benefits cannot compensate for the loss of self-respect and the sense of hopelessness and depression that accompany a job loss, which is also at the heart of the opioid crisis.

Unemployment is quite low now, but the inequality has risen.

Over the last 50 years, wealth has steadily shifted from the middle class to the affluent. This shift is due, in part, to a tax system that favors the wealthy. While the rich can somehow rationalize the idea that investment income should be taxed less than manual labor income, those living paycheck-to-paycheck see the unfairness of the disparity. With dozens of loopholes, many wealthy people and corporations pay little or no tax.

The expectation that every generation would be better off than its predecessor is no longer valid. Real wages have been stagnant since the 1970s and it is little wonder that a demagogue would appeal to hardworking Americans. To restore confidence in American democracy, Congress will have to show that it cares.

With Putins war, liberal democracy will again be seen as the best protection of national and civil liberties. But American democracy must once again produce outcomes that benefit the middle class. Republicans will not rise to the task. They will continue to focus on divisive culture wars, for which polls say they are on the wrong side. Moreover, with the rights ambivalence toward Ukraine and the United Nations, they appear weak, even anti-American.

So progressives have an opportunity, in fact an obligation, to do things truly important to voters, and not special interests. That Democrats will rise to the task is not at all certain.

The tough issues, the things that do matter, like wage stagnation and an unjust tax code, are conveniently forgotten and Congress avoids confronting special interests ... and self interest.

A strong, ethical, and inspirational leader could change things. It has happened before in times of crisis. An informed electorate  not a gaslit rabble  is the heart of our democracy when it's been its best.
Along with pledging your everlasting love to one another, getting married is all about opening a fresh new chapter with your favorite person. What better way to get that started than by asking your friends and family members to buy you a bunch of stuff? Creating a Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry is a handy way to make that easy for everyone.

Whether you and your betrothed are hoping for luxurious bed sheets, spa-worthy bath towels, or anything beyond, youll have plenty to choose from at the home goods retail giant. Keep reading to see how simple it is to set up and all the perks that come with it!

How to set up a Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry

Bed Bath & Beyond

It just takes a few seconds to set up a Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry. Heres a quick rundown of the process:

Go to the Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry page. Click the create a registry button and sign up with your email, or your Apple, Google, or Facebook accounts. Enter your's and your partners name, your wedding date, mailing address, and phone number. You can immediately start adding items from the checklist that pops up at this point or click away from that to customize your account.

Your registry will be public by default, but you can change that by clicking the gear icon to edit your settings. However, unlike a Target wedding registry, a private list cannot be shared with others, so it will need to be made public eventually.

While going through the settings, you can also add your partners email, list the number of guests coming to the nuptials, enable group gifting (for products over $250), select your store, and whether youd like this registry to be searchable on third party sites like the Knot.

Bed Bath & Beyond

The best part of the Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry: Ship or Swap. With this, guests who choose to send gifts directly to you will instead be sending you a credit for the amount of the purchase. It gives you and your beloved the opportunity to either spend those funds on the original item, or use it for other items  including products you havent even listed on the registry. Just know that the credit amount may vary based on the price at the time the guest purchased it and when you cash in.

The rest of the registry homepage allows you to manage the products youve added and look over curated recommendations. Youll notice the Thank You List is hidden from you until after the wedding (but you can take a peek sooner if youd like). They also provide a helpful tool called Analyze My Registry. It shows the price ranges of your registry items to make sure theres plenty to pick from for any guests budget.

Top 10 products in a Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry

Bed Bath & Beyond

Now comes the fun part: Gathering up all the best Bed Bath & Beyond wedding registry ideas! Here are the most popular picks.

Keurig K-Select Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker

Keurig - K-Select Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker - Vintage Red Keurig bedbathandbeyond.com $129.99 Shop Now

As the number one pick for newlyweds, the traditional Keurig offers four brew sizes (4, 6, 8, and 12 oz) to keep happy couples caffeinated.

Our Table Hayden Serveware Collection

Our Table Hayden Serveware Collection Our Table Shop Now

Both rustic and sleek, this set is just begging to be used for a cute little dinner party.

KitchenAid Artisan 5 qt. Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in Contour Silver

KitchenAid Artisan 5 qt. Stand Mixer KitchenAid bedbathandbeyond.com $379.99 Shop Now

Its hard to imagine a wedding registry without this beloved kitchen appliance on it (unless youre lucky enough to already own one).

Nestwell Hygro Cotton Bath Towel in White

Nestwell Hygro Cotton Fingertip Towel in Forest Green Nestwell bedbathandbeyond.com $6.00 Shop Now

These thick, fluffy, and durable towels come in several colors. Maybe ask for a few that match your wedding theme!

Revlon Pro Collection Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer

REVLON One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer Hot Air Brush, Mint REVLON bedbathandbeyond.com $34.99 Shop Now

Although wedding expert Sara Margulis, CEO and co-founder of Honeyfund, previously told us that items for personal vanity use shouldnt be added to a wedding registry we wouldnt shame anyone who asks for this popular hair styler.

Nespresso by Breville Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine

Nespresso by Breville Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine with Aeroccino in Chrome Nespresso bedbathandbeyond.com $232.99 Shop Now

For the couple who prefers an extra kick to coffee on its own to fuel their honeymoon and beyond.

All-Clad Kitchen Linens Collection

All-Clad Kitchen Linens Collection All-Clad bedbathandbeyond.com $10.99 Shop Now

A home can really never have too many potholders or oven mitts.

Haven Clean & Modern Bathroom Collection

Haven Clean & Modern Bathroom Haven bedbathandbeyond.com $10.00 Shop Now

The Acacia Wood Tub Tray is an especially enticing choice from this stylish bathroom collection.

Our Table Drink & Serveware Collection

Our Table Drink & Serveware Collection Our Table Shop Now

How do you expect to host a "Friends"-themed dinner party without the trifle serving bowl from this collection? (Or just a regular shindig with their 2-gallon beverage dispenser or chip and dip serving bowl.)

Nestwell Performance Bath Rug

Life really is all about the simple pleasures, like stepping on this plush mat after a refreshing shower.
Mike Marsland/ WireImage

Its official: Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as The Doctor in BBCs critically acclaimed Doctor Who series. The Rwanda-born actor will be the shows 14th Doctor, and notably the first Black actor to play the lead in the history of the series.

Gatwa, best known for his work in the Netflix original series Sex Education, is embarking on his new journey as Jodie Whittakers successor in Doctor Who. Whittaker made a splash when she became the first woman to be cast as the central role in 2017.
Global financial institutions remain confident in China market

Xinhua) 16:20, May 10, 2022

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Despite COVID-19 flare-ups and increasing downward pressures on the economy, multiple global financial institutions have increased their presence or plan to do so in the Chinese market, casting a vote of confidence in the prospects of the world's second-largest economy.

Six asset management companies recently got the green light to join Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) or Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP), both pilot programs offering easier access to China's fund markets.

After the approval, Hamilton Lane, a leading private market investment firm, will become the first to set up a secondary fund through the QFLP program in Shanghai, and BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, will emerge as the first wholly-foreign-owned public offering fund participating in the QDLP program.

Hu Ning, managing partner of CDH Investments, a global investment firm also on the list, said the company is optimistic about long-term U.S. dollar fund investment in China and is attracted by Shanghai's high-level opening-up policies.

"Chinese assets can not only achieve steady growth thanks to the domestic real economy but gradually play the role of safe-haven assets in the global markets," Hu said.

Founded in 2002, CDH Investments focuses on long-term investments such as pensions, endowments and insurance funds.

The expanded investment programs in Shanghai signaled an unchanged trend of investing in China, as lingering global uncertainty and volatility further underlined the country's significance to businesses around the world.

Braving economic headwinds, China's gross domestic product registered a forecast-beating increase of 4.8 percent from a year ago in the first quarter this year, offering precious stability in an unstable world.

The country also remains staunch in opening up. This year, its renewed efforts range from fully implementing the negative list for foreign investment, expanding the encouraging investment catalog, improving services for investment promotion, to adding more cities to the pilot program of opening the service sector.

The stable and open China has lured a number of international businesses to channel more energy to their business here.

Pan Swee-ting, JAFCO Asia's China head, looks forward to evening more opportunities in China's transition to high-quality development in the future after miraculous economic growth over the past four decades. The financial company has recently increased its investment quota under the QFLP program.

"Over the past two years, the pandemic has had a major impact on economic activities around the world. But thanks to effective controls, China has maintained normal production and further strengthened its position in the world's industrial chain," Pan said.

While COVID-19 variants brought new challenges, Pan believes China can strike a balance between epidemic controls and economic development.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange confirmed earlier this month that China continued to see cross-border capital net inflows in April, with the supply and demand of the domestic foreign exchange market still balanced.

China has strong economic resilience and great potential and its sound long-term fundamentals will not change, Wang Chunying, the administration's deputy head, said.

A survey conducted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade showed last month that the majority of foreign companies in China still see the country as one of their main strategic markets, despite challenges to their businesses triggered by COVID-19 resurgences. Some 86 percent of the respondents are satisfied with China's policies on stabilizing foreign investment.

With China's unwavering opening-up, global companies will continue to share its development dividends in the future.

BlackRock has operated in China for over 15 years. "We believe in and keep a long-term optimistic attitude to the potential and resilience of the Chinese market," Tony Tang, head of BlackRock's China operations, said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Biden signs Ukraine bill, seeks $40B aid, in Putin rejoinder View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The signing comes as the U.S. Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against Russia  with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.

It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on Victory in Europe Day  the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender in 1945 and Russias biggest patriotic holiday  to rally his people behind the invasion.

This aid has been critical to Ukraines success on the battlefield, Biden said in a statement.

Biden said it was urgent that Congress approve the next Ukraine assistance package to avoid any interruption in military supplies being sent to help fight the war, with a crucial deadline coming in 10 days.

We cannot allow our shipments of assistance to stop while we await further Congressional action, he said. He urged Congress to act  and to do so quickly.

In a letter delivered to Capitol Hill on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress to act before May 19, when the existing drawdown funds run out. The Pentagon has already sent or committed all but $100 million of the $3.5 billion in weapons and equipment that it can send to Ukraine from its existing stockpiles. And that final $100 million is expected to be used no later than May 19, they said.

In short, we need your help, they said in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The ability to draw upon existing DoD stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, allowing us to quickly source equipment and ensure a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine.

The resolve from Biden and Congress to maintain support for Ukraine has been lasting, but also surprising. Still, as the months-long war with Russia grinds on, the bipartisan showing for Ukraine will be tested as the U.S. and allies are drawn closer toward the conflict.

The House could vote as soon as this week on the bolstered Ukraine aid package, sending the legislation to the Senate, which is working to confirm Bidens nominee Bridget Brink as the new Ukrainian ambassador. The Houses Tuesday schedule mentioned the Ukraine legislation, but it was unclear how firm that was.

With the presidents party holding only the slimmest majorities in the House and Senate, Republican cooperation is preferred, if not vital in some cases, for passage of the presidents strategy toward the region.

I think we will be able to do it as quickly as possible, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said over the weekend about an emerging aid package. We have great bipartisanship in terms of our support for the fight for democracy that the people of Ukraine are making.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach to foreign policy and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together to support the presidents strategy.

The lend-lease bill that Biden signed into law Monday revives the strategy to more quickly send military equipment to Ukraine. Launched during World War II, lend-lease signaled the U.S. would become what Franklin D. Roosevelt called the arsenal of democracy helping Britain and the allies fight Nazi Germany.

Before signing the bill, Biden said Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had widespread bipartisan support. It sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, without even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

One of the bills chief Republican sponsors, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, said in a statement the measure will give Ukraine the upper hand against Russia, and Im glad America could act as the arsenal of democracy for this critical partner.

Other measures, including efforts to cut off Russian oil imports to the U.S. and calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support, though some lawmakers have pushed Biden to do even more.

While President Putin and the Russian people celebrated Victory Day today, were seeing Russian forces commit war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine, as they engage in a brutal war that is causing so much suffering and needless destruction, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said Putin was perverting history to attempt to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war.

Biden acknowledged his request for more in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine would have to be separated from money he also sought from Congress to address the COVID-19 crisis at home.

Decoupling the two funding requests would be a setback for the presidents push for more COVID-19 spending, but a nod to the political reality of the Congress.

Republicans in Congress are resisting spending more money at home as the pandemic crisis shifts to a new phase, and Biden did not want to delay money for Ukraine by trying to debate the issue further.

Biden said he was told by congressional leaders in both parties that keeping the two spending packages linked would slow down action.

We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort, Biden said in the statement. Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away.

As the now bolstered Ukraine package makes its way through the House and Senate, with votes possible soon, lawmakers are showing no signs of flinching. Countless lawmakers have made weekend excursions to the region to see firsthand the devastation of the war on Ukraine and surrounding countries, as more than 5 million refugees flee the country.

Rather than fight the spending overseas  as had been an increasingly popular viewpoint during the Trump era  some lawmakers in both parties want to boost the amount of U.S. aid being sent to Ukraine.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Lolita C. Baldor and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

By ZEKE MILLER and LISA MASCARO

Associated Press
Pelosi: Buying Russian oil funds invasion of Ukraine View Photo

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russias invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this, Pelosi said. Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country, Pelosi said.

The city of Miami Beach and the Aspen Institute are hosting the conference this week at the New World Center and Miami Beach Convention Center. This event features inside and outdoor stages, breakout and roundtable sessions, tours of local and historic resilience points of interest, as well as fashion, food, art and music activities.

Besides Pelosi, Mondays opening event also featured NBCs Today weatherman Al Roker discussing how climate change has affected reporting the weather over the past five decades. Climate experts John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram also laid out a blueprint for saving the planet.

The event runs through Thursday, focusing on topics like strengthening communities, deploying private investment, making and using clean energy and using the Earth itself to fight climate change.

The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization with the stated aim of realizing a free, just and equitable society through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives.
Crucial NATO decisions expected in Finland, Sweden this week View Photo

STOCKHOLM (AP)  Key decision-makers in non-aligned Finland and Sweden are set to announce their positions on NATO membership this week in what could be a serious blow to Russia as its military struggles to make decisive gains in Ukraine.

If Finlands president and the Social Democrats who govern both countries ignore Moscows warnings and come out in favor of accession, NATO could soon add two new members right on Russias doorstep.

Such an expansion by the Western military alliance would leave Russia surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, as well as represent a serious setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin cited NATOs previous expansion in Eastern Europe  and the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance  among the reasons for Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. On Monday, he marked Victory Day  the holiday when Russia commemorates Nazi Germanys surrender in World War II  without being able to celebrate any major breakthroughs in Ukraine.

Belonging to NATO would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviet Union in World War II.

NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine more than 10 weeks ago. Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from Why should we join? to How long does it take?

Along with hard-nosed Ukrainian resistance and wide-ranging Western sanctions, its one of the most significant ways in which the invasion appears to have backfired on Putin.

There is no going back to the status quo before the invasion, said Heli Hautala, a Finnish diplomat previously posted to Moscow and a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the Western leader who appeared to have the best rapport with Putin before the Ukraine war, is expected to announce his stance on NATO membership on Thursday. The governing Social Democratic parties in both countries are set to present their positions this weekend.

If their answer is yes, there would be robust majorities in both parliaments for NATO membership, paving the way for formal application procedures to begin right away.

The Finnish Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin are likely to join other parties in Finland in endorsing a NATO application. The situation in Sweden isnt as clear.

The Swedish Social Democrats have always been staunchly committed to nonalignment. But Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, the partys leader, has said theres a clear before and after Feb. 24.

Andersson and other top Social Democrats are believed to be leaning toward NATO membership, but several subgroupings of the party have come out against, including the womens faction, led by Climate and Environment Minister Annika Strandhall.

We believe that our interests are best served by being militarily nonaligned, Strandhall told Swedish broadcaster TV4. Traditionally, Sweden has been a strong voice for peace and disarmament.

Neither Finland nor Sweden is planning a referendum, fearing it could become a prime target of Russian interference.

Sweden and Finland have sought  and received  assurances of support from the U.S. and other NATO members in the application period should they seek membership.

Both countries feel they would be vulnerable in the interim, before theyre covered by the alliances one-for-all, all-for-one security guarantees.

The Kremlin has warned of military and political repercussions if the Swedes and Finns decide to join NATO.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is deputy head of Russias Security Council, said last month it would force Moscow to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic region.

However, analysts say military action against the Nordic countries appears unlikely, given how bogged down Russian forces are in Ukraine.

Many of the Russian troops stationed near the 1,300-kilometer (830-mile) border with Finland were sent to Ukraine and have suffered significant losses there, Hautala said.

She said potential Russian countermeasures could include moving weapons systems closer to Finland, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, economic countermoves and steering migration toward the Russian-Finnish border, similar to what happened on Polands frontier with Belarus last year.

There are signs that Russia already has increased its focus on Sweden and Finland, with several airspace violations by Russian military aircraft reported in recent weeks and an apparent campaign in Moscow with posters depicting famous Swedes as Nazi sympathizers. Putin used similar tactics against Ukraines leaders before launching what the Kremlin called its special military operation.

After remaining firmly against membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted rapidly this year. Polls show more than 70% of Finns and about 50% of Swedes now favor joining.

The shocking scenes playing out in Ukraine made Finns draw the conclusion that this could happen to us, said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, while Sweden already had a tradition of neutrality dating to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. But both countries built up robust conscription-based armed forces to counter any Soviet threat. Sweden even had a nuclear weapons program but scrapped it in the 1960s.

The threat of a conflict flared up in October 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground off the coast of southwestern Sweden. Eventually the sub was tugged back out to sea, ending a tense standoff between Swedish forces and a Soviet rescue fleet.

As Russias military power declined in the 1990s, Finland kept its guard high, while Sweden, considering a conflict with Russia increasingly unlikely, downsized its military and shifted its focus from territorial defense toward peacekeeping missions in faraway conflict zones.

Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted the Swedes to reassess the security situation. They reintroduced conscription and started rebuilding defensive capabilities, including on the strategically important Baltic Sea island of Gotland.

Defense analysts say Finland and Sweden have modern and competent armed forces that would significantly boost NATOs capabilities in Northern Europe. Finnish and Swedish forces train so often with NATO that they are essentially interoperable.

Adding new members typically takes months, because those decisions need to be ratified by all 30 NATO members. But in the case of Finland and Sweden, the accession process could be done in a couple of weeks, according to a NATO official who briefed reporters on condition that he not be identified because no application has been made by the two countries.

These are not normal times, he said.

___

Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By KARL RITTER

Associated Press
Mexico president threatens to skip Americas Summit View Photo

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president said Tuesday that he would not attend next months Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles if the Biden administration excludes Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua  adding his voice to increasing warnings of a boycott by some leaders across the region.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been saying in recent weeks that the U.S. government should not exclude anyone from the summit, but he had not previously threatened to stay home.

If they exclude, if not all are invited, a representative of the Mexican government is going to go, but I would not, Lopez Obrador said during his daily news conference, fresh off a visit to Cuba. He said his foreign affairs secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, would go.

The Mexican presidents absence would be a blow to the summit expected to deal heavily with the issue of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Biden administration has worked for months to build regional consensus. Cabinet members have been visiting the region urging allies to shore up immigration controls and expand their asylum programs.

Our goal is  to sign a regional declaration on migration and protection in June in Los Angeles when the United States hosts the Summit of the Americas, President Joe Biden said in March, when he hosted Colombia President Ivan Duque at the White House.

He called for a new framework of how nations throughout the region can collectively manage migration in the Western Hemisphere.

Such cooperation will be critical as the U.S. wrestles with the problem of high numbers of migrants arriving at its southern border and prepares to lift a restriction of asylum applications there later this month that is expected to draw even more migrants north.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols has previously said that the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have shown that they do not respect democracy and would be unlikely to receive invitations. And the U.S. does not even recognize Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro as the countrys legal leader.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was noncommittal when asked about the invitations on Tuesday, saying a final decision has not been made.

We havent made a decision yet about who will be invited and no invitations have been issued yet, Psaki said during her daily media briefing.

Leaders of Caribbean nations have also discussed a collective boycott of the summit if nations are excluded and criticized the U.S. plan to invite Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. The U.S. recognizes him as that countrys legitimate president, but many Caribbean nations do not.

We do not believe in the policy of ostracizing Cuba and Venezuela. We do not recognize Juan Guaido as the president of Venezuela. In those circumstances, Antigua and Barbuda will not participate, said that countrys prime minister, Gaston Browne.

He said that a consensus to boycott the summit if countries were excluded had emerged from Caribbean foreign ministers meeting in Belize in March, but I am not sure if the consensus will hold.

St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves had a similar take: If Guaido goes to represent Venezuela, if the Americans were to do that it would be an act of folly, Gonsalves told a weekend radio program, saying St. Vincent may not attend if Maduro is excluded.

Cuba is an active member of the Caribbean Community of nations and the Communist-governed island has provided thousands of free scholarships to Caribbean medical, engineering and other students since the mid 70s. Successive Venezuelan governments have assisted Caribbean countries with prefabricated housing and cheap oil.

A senior Biden administration official said the blowback is largely posturing in response to a strong diplomatic push from Cuba  a perennial touchstone for the Latin American left  and that the U.S. expects few leaders to follow through on threats to skip the summit.

Behind the scenes, several Caribbean leaders signaled they plan to attend, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications.

The official said the administration expects both Lopez Obrador and Brazils Jair Bolsonaro to attend.

Cuba was excluded from first six hemispheric summits, held from 1994 to 2012. But Cuba was invited to the 2015 gathering in Panama following growing threats of a boycott by leftist Latin American leaders if it was excluded  as well as a thaw in relations with the U.S. under President Barack Obama, who met Cuban leader Raul Castro at the event.

Cuba also was invited to the last summit in Peru in 2018, but Castro sent his foreign minister instead because Venezuelas Maduro had not been invited. U.S. President Donald Trump did not attend either.

Argentina, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, also issued an appeal this month to avoid excluding any governments.

In a tweet, it called the summit a great opportunity to build a space for encounters in which all the countries of the hemisphere participate and urged organizers to avoid exclusions that impede having all the voices of the hemisphere in dialogue and being heard.

Lopez Obrador left open the possibility that he could attend if the Biden administration invites all countries. He noted that previous summits had not excluded any countries and blamed the current situation on political minorities in the U.S. backing a hostile policy.

Theres still time before the summit and we could arrive at an agreement, but we have to all unite, look for Americas unity, he said.

___

Goodman reported from Cleveland, Ohio. AP writers Will Weissert in Washington and Bert Wilkinson contributed to this story from Georgetown, Guyana.

FABIOLA SANCHEZ and JOSHUA GOODMAN

Associated Press
Angels Camp, CA A 24-year tradition at Bret Harte High School, headed up by history teacher Jennifer Truman, continued as Veterans and Serviceman shared stories with Bret Harte high school students. Students, working in small groups, spent 20 minutes with a veteran or serviceman of their choice. Tables were helmed by veterans that contained photographs, uniforms, and memorabilia. The majority of the veterans were local residents who volunteered their time to spend with the students.

Veterans and servicemen attending this year include Bill Waid, Tom Christian, Ric Ryan, Jay Hennell, Robert Bradway, Julie Hollars, Susan Escallier, Ed Anderson, Bob Axiak, Larry Bain, Marty Straessler, and Gary Patterson.

Veteran Martin (Marty) Straessler explained the importance of the event.

My hope is that we can impart a small amount of knowledge to the students. What they read in the textbooks is not indicative of what actually happened. We bring the been there, done that perspective to history.

Students participating in this event are required to find out who they are talking to, where they served, their branch of service, which conflict they fought, where they were stationed, what their duties were, and any engagement they were involved in. Students are also asked to outline the stories they hear, including a description of photographs.

A special inclusion to this years annual event involved the Copper Veterans of Foreign Wars(VFW) post presenting awards to the Bret Harte High School winners of the Voice of Democracy Essay contest, an annual nationwide scholarship program sponsored by the VFW.
New Mexico fire costs top $65M; blaze moves closer to Taos View Photo

Many homes near Americas largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexicos governor said Tuesday the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar.

Two more days of strong winds and dangerously bone-dry conditions are in the forecast before some relief is expected Friday.

Crews were most concerned Tuesday night about the potential for the massive fire east of Santa Fe to spread farther north toward rural towns and mountain resort communities closer to Taos  about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from its current northern edge.

Gusty winds that grounded aerial attacks Tuesday were pushing flames that direction along the the Sangre de Cristo Range on the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains stretching out of Colorado.

The main highway north from Holman to Taos was closed and additional communities were placed on alert for potential evacuations.

It is very active. This is a big push, a lot of energy right now, fire spokesman Todd Abel warned Tuesday night.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a briefing earlier Tuesday that she has not received any reports in recent days of widespread damage to homes amid the latest round of fierce winds that fanned the blaze and created challenges for firefighting crews.

Crews have been trying to direct flames around homes in numerous small villages on the northern and southern ends of the fire  bulldozing firebreaks, putting up sprinklers, clearing trees and raking pine needles. A force of nearly 1,800 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the blaze, including specially trained teams.

The cost of fighting the blaze and another smaller fire burning near Los Alamos National Laboratory has topped $65 million.

The cost is expected to grow with wind predicted through Wednesday, and Lujan Grisham said the cost to reconstruct homes, prevent post-fire flooding and restore the forest charred by the larger fire after it is out will likely reach billions of dollars.

When you think about rebuilding communities, it is not an overnight process, Lujan Grisham said. So we should be thinking in terms of significant resources and those resources in my view should largely be borne by the federal government given the situation.

The nearly 320-square-mile (830-square-kilometer) wildfire has burned about 300 structures, including homes, since it started last month. Some areas remain under evacuation orders, but authorities on Monday started letting some residents on the fires eastern flank return home.

A federal disaster already has been declared due to the blaze, which is partly the result of a preventative fire set in early April that escaped containment. The flames merged with a separate fire a couple of weeks later, and as of Tuesday the jagged perimeter stretched more than 356 miles (573 kilometers).

Structure protection was focused Tuesday night around Mora and Holman, where Highway 518 north to Taos was closed. Authorities stressed there was no immediate threat to communities around Taos but new alerts about potential evacuations stretched as far north as the Angel Fire ski resort east of Taos.

Coming up toward Taos, Black Lake, Angel Fire, there is the possibility with the models we are running that those areas are going to see fire, Abel, an operations chief on the fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, said at a briefing Tuesday evening.

The governor said shed challenge anyone who didnt believe the federal government should accept significant liability.

Its negligent to consider a prescribed burn in the windy season in a state that is under an extreme drought warning, she said.

Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation and others have called for an investigation. While forest officials have yet to release planning documents related to the prescribed fire, they have said forecasted weather conditions were within parameters for the project.

Meanwhile, the smaller blaze burning in the Jemez Mountains prompted officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear research is conducted, and the nearby town of Los Alamos to prepare for evacuations as a precaution.

Nearly 900 people were fighting that fire, with its price tag nearing $16 million on Tuesday.

Towering columns of smoke from both fires could be seen from miles away as the winds picked up Tuesday afternoon.

Wind and low humidity levels continue to be big wildfire threats around the West as the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of New Mexico and parts of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Forecasters said New Mexico is outpacing most other recent years for the number of red flag days in April and so far this month.

Crews also were battling smaller fires elsewhere in New Mexico and Arizona.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

Associated Press
Marcos presidency complicates US efforts to counter China View Photo

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s apparent landslide victory in the Philippine presidential election is raising immediate concerns about a further erosion of democracy in Asia and could complicate American efforts to blunt growing Chinese influence and power in the Pacific.

Marcos, the namesake son of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos, captured more than double the votes of his closest challenger in Mondays election, according to the unofficial results.

If the results stand, he will take office at the end of June for a six-year term with Sara Duterte, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, as his vice president.

Duterte  who leaves office with a 67% approval rating  nurtured closer ties with China and Russia, while at times railing against the United States.

He walked back on many of his threats against Washington, however, including a move to abrogate a defense pact, and the luster of Chinas promise of infrastructure investment has dulled, with much failing to materialize.

Whether the recent trend in relations with the U.S. will continue has a lot to do with how President Joe Bidens administration responds to the return of a Marcos to power in the Philippines, said Manila-based political scientist Andrea Chloe Wong, a former researcher in the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

On the one hand you have Biden regarding the geostrategic interests in the Philippines, and on the other hand he has to balance promoting American democratic ideals and human rights, she said.

If he chooses to do that, he might have to isolate the Marcos administration, so this will definitely be a delicate balancing act for the Philippines, and Marcos approach to the U.S. will highly depend on how Biden will engage with him.

His election comes at a time when the U.S. has been increasingly focused on the region, embarking on a strategy unveiled in February to considerably broaden U.S. engagement by strengthening a web of security alliances and partnerships, with an emphasis on addressing Chinas growing influence and ambitions.

Thousands of American and Filipino forces recently wrapped up one of their largest combat exercises in years, which showcased U.S. firepower in the northern Philippines near its sea border with Taiwan.

Marcos has been short on specifics about foreign policy, but in interviews he said he wanted to pursue closer ties with China, including possibly setting aside a 2016 ruling by a tribunal in The Hague that invalidated almost all of Chinas historical claims to the South China Sea.

A previous Philippines administration brought the case to the tribunal, but China has refused to recognize the ruling and Marcos said it wont help settle disputes with Beijing, so that option is not available to us.

Allowing the U.S. to play a role in trying to settle territorial spats with China will be a recipe for disaster, Marcos said in an interview with DZRH radio in January. He said Dutertes policy of diplomatic engagement with China is really our only option.

Marcos has also said he would maintain his nations alliance with the U.S., but the relationship is complicated by American backing of the administrations that took power after his father was deposed, and a 2011 U.S. District Court ruling in Hawaii finding 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.

The court fined them $353.6 million, which has never been paid and could complicate any potential travel to the U.S.

The United States has a long history with the Philippines, which was an American colony for most of the early 20th century before gaining independence in 1946.

Its location between the South China Sea and western Pacific is strategically important. And while the U.S. closed its last military bases on the Philippines in 1992, a 1951 collective defense treaty guarantees U.S. support if the Philippines is attacked.

The U.S. noted their shared history in its remarks on the election. We look forward to renewing our special partnership and to working with the next administration on key human rights and regional priorities, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.

Even though the Biden administration may have preferred to work with Marcos leading opponent, Leni Robredo, the U.S.-Philippines alliance is vital to both nations security and prosperity, especially in the new era of competition with China, said Gregory B. Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Unlike Leni, with her coherent platform for good governance and development at home and standing up to China abroad, Marcos is a policy cipher, Poling said in a research note. He has avoided presidential debates, shunned interviews, and has been silent on most issues.

Marcos has been clear, however, that he would like to try again to improve ties with Beijing, Poling said.

But when it comes to foreign policy, Marcos will not have the same space for maneuver that Duterte did, he said. The Philippines tried an outstretched hand and China bit it. That is why the Duterte government has reembraced the U.S. alliance and gotten tougher on Beijing over the last two years.

Marcos Sr. was ousted in 1986 after millions of people took to the streets, forcing an end to his corrupt dictatorship and a return to democracy. But the election of Duterte as president in 2016 brought a return to a strongman-type leader, which voters have now doubled-down on with Marcos Jr.

Domestically, Marcos, who goes by his childhood nickname Bongbong, is widely expected to pick up where Duterte left off, stifling a free press and cracking down on dissent with less of the outgoing leaders crude and brash style, while ending attempts to recover some of the billions of dollars his father pilfered from the state coffers.

But a return to the hard-line rule of his father, who declared martial law for much of his rule, is not likely, said Julio Teehankee, a political science professor at Manilas De La Salle University.

He does not have the courage or the brilliance, or even the ruthlessness to become a dictator, so I think what we will see is a form of authoritarian-lite or Marcos-lite, Teehankee said.

The new Marcos government will not mean the end of Philippine democracy, Poling said, though it may accelerate its decay.

The countrys democratic institutions have already been battered by six years of the Duterte presidency and the rise of online disinformation, alongside the decades-long corrosives of oligarchy, graft, and poor governance, he said.

The United States would be better served by engagement rather than criticism of the democratic headwinds buffeting the Philippines.

Marcos approach at home could have a spillover effect in other countries in the region, where democratic freedoms are being increasingly eroded in many places and the Philippines had been seen as a positive influence, Wong said.

This will have an impact on Philippine foreign policy when it comes to promoting its democratic values, freedoms and human rights, particularly in Southeast Asia, she said. The Philippines is regarded as a bastion of democracy in the region, with a strong civil society and a noisy media, and with Bongbong Marcos as president, we will have less credibility.

___

Rising reported from Bangkok.

By DAVID RISING and JIM GOMEZ

Associated Press
GOP fears far-right candidate will be PA governor nominee View Photo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  With six days until Pennsylvanias primary, Republicans are openly worrying that a leading candidate in the crowded GOP field for governor is unelectable in the fall general election and will fumble away an opportunity for the party to take over the battleground states executive suite.

Doug Mastriano, 58, a state senator since 2019 and a retired U.S. Army colonel, is running to the right of the nine-person Republican field and against the partys establishment in a state still roiled by former President Donald Trumps baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the 2020 election there.

Mastriano is a prominent peddler of the unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud marred the 2020 election and that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf was responsible for thousands of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. During the pandemic, he belittled efforts to contain the virus and spread conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine.

That has long made Republican Party officials and movement conservatives uncomfortable about Mastrianos prospects in a fall general election matchup against Democrat Josh Shapiro, and they are becoming more vocal about it.

On Monday, the state Senates Republican floor leader, Kim Ward, endorsed a rival candidate, Dave White, and singled out Mastriano as unable to attract the moderate voters necessary to win a general election in Pennsylvania.

Mastriano has appeal to base Republicans, but I fear the Democrats will destroy him with swing voters, Ward wrote on her personal Facebook page. She added that winning the primary and losing the general because the candidate is unable to get the voters in the middle, isnt a win.

Mike McMonagle, president of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Coalition, said Mastriano gets a top rating from his organization because he supports a complete ban on abortion, no exceptions. But the organization is endorsing White at least in part because Mastriano in our judgment would get clobbered by Shapiro in a general election.

Republicans have been shut out of the governors office in Pennsylvania since 2014 under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is barred by term limits from running again.

Losing the contest again this year would mean that Republicans squander their turn: the party has won back the office in every election when a term-limited Democrat is leaving since the states constitution changed in 1968 to allow governors to serve two terms.

But Republicans worry that Mastriano is too toxic to win moderate Republican voters and swing voters in the heavily populated suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh while endangering down-ballot GOP candidates with a lackluster top-of-the-ticket turnout.

Mastriano came from nowhere in 2020 to become a rising force in right-wing politics.

He led anti-shutdown rallies during the start of the pandemic, livestreaming daily chats on Facebook and playing to conspiracy theorists. He became a key figure in the effort by Trump to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss  earning Mastriano a subpoena by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Democrats have begun to pay more attention to Mastriano, portraying him as an extremist in a bid to weaken him ahead of the general election.

In recent days, Democrats launched digital ads and flyers attacking Mastriano while Shapiro is airing a statewide TV ad portraying Mastriano as extreme because of his support for a ban on abortion, vow to repeal mail-in voting and conspiracy-driven attempts to investigate the 2020 election.

Their closing line is if Mastriano wins, its a win for what Donald Trump stands for.

Doug Mastriano will drag our commonwealth backwards with an extreme agenda; he belongs nowhere near the governorship, Shapiros campaign said in a statement.

In a phone interview with the Lancaster-based LNP news organization, Mastriano said Shapiros attack will absolutely help him win the primary.

Im going to have to send him a thank you card, Mastriano told LNP. He added that Shapiro has underestimated him and that the Republican establishment is in a panic mode at the prospect that he will be the partys nominee.

Neither Trump nor the state Republican Party have endorsed in the primary race, leaving it that much more wide open. And Mastriano  once thought of as a fringe candidate  has outperformed expectations in a field where some candidates began with far more money or name recognition.

A recent Franklin and Marshall College poll showed 20% of GOP primary voters saying they support Doug Mastriano. Bill McSwain and Lou Barletta trailed slightly, with 12% and 11%, respectively.

Still, a large group of voters, or one-third, said they were undecided and, even among those who said they were backing a candidate, about half said they may change their minds.

Mastriano first gained a following by leading anti-shutdown rallies during the early months of the pandemic, then became among Trumps most dedicated supporters during the 2020 campaign.

He worked with Trump to overturn the result and organized bus trips to the U.S. Capitol for Trumps Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, where he was later seen in footage with his wife passing through breached barricades set up by Capitol Police.

Last May, he claimed on a radio show that Trump  asked me  to run for governor.

In the weeks after that, he attempted to launch an Arizona-style partisan audit of the 2020 election  only to be stripped of his committee chairmanship by state Senate GOP leadership in clash over financing and hiring contractors.

Mastriano has bragged that he is more conservative than his rivals, that he draws bigger crowds and is not a politician, a class he derides as corrupt.

He often campaigns with key figures in Trumps circle who have spread denialism about the 2020 election, including Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and lawyer Jenna Ellis. And he campaigns with strong Christian themes, working prayers into his campaign events, peppering his speech with quotes from the Bible and calling for a fast for the final 21 days of the primary.

So lets stand strong together, take our state back, and when Pennsylvania is restored I believe theres going to be a revival here like weve never seen before, Mastriano told an audience Monday in Somerset on his weeklong bus tour. And its going to bring our nation back to where it needs to be, in God.

A general election cycle will bring new challenges for Mastriano.

He has largely avoided speaking to independent media outlets, including The Associated Press, and barred reporters from his campaign events. Last week, he went on the conservative Delaware Valley Journal podcast before having what the organization called a meltdown and hanging up after 20 minutes.

What set off Mastriano were questions about him speaking to an audience of QAnon adherents recently, his election fraud claims and his activities at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee came up at the only live televised primary debate Mastriano attended. He insisted he has no legal issues.

Meanwhile, Shapiro has unified the Democratic Party and its allies.

Dave Ball, the chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, said many Republicans are concerned that Mastrianos appeal is narrow.

But, he said, Republicans will need Mastriano and his voters, and vice versa, to beat Shapiro, regardless of who wins the primary.

The whole Republican party better be behind whoever the winner is, Ball said, because Josh Shapiro is still there.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter

By MARC LEVY

Associated Press
Advocates push for release of womens prison abuse victims View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  A national criminal justice advocacy group is pushing the Justice Department to support the release of women who were sexually abused by staff at a federal womens prison in California.

The group, FAMM, also known as Families Against Mandatory Minimums, sent a letter Tuesday to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco pushing for the Justice Department to file motions for compassionate release for those who have been victimized at the prison. It follows reporting from The Associated Press that revealed a toxic culture that enabled sexual abuse of inmates to continue for years at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, a women-only facility called the rape club by many who know it.

The letter is the latest effort by advocacy groups and members of Congress to ratchet down oversight of the beleaguered federal prison system and push for action at the top levels of the Justice Department. Monaco and other Justice Department officials have been prioritizing reforming the Bureau of Prisons and put in a new warden at Dublin. The former warden was arrested and accused of sexually abusing inmates and forcing them to pose nude him so he could snap photos on his government-issued cell phone.

The group now wants Monaco to order the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. attorneys offices to support motions for compassionate release for any victims, which could lead to their release from the prison.

None of these women was sentenced to sexual violence and torture, FAMM President Kevin Ring said in a statement. Yet we now know they were trapped with their abusers, with no ability to protect themselves or flee, making their incarceration an exceptionally degrading and terrifying experience.

The prisons former warden, Ray J. Garcia, is one of five Dublin employees who have been charged since last June with sexually abusing inmates. 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. Investigators said they found the images on his government-issued cellphone. His lawyer has refused interview requests from the AP.

Since March, nine other workers have been placed on administrative leave by the Bureau of Prisons.

After failing to protect them, the very least BOP can do now is let these women leave and begin to heal, Ring said.

The APs reporting on the federal prison system has revealed layer after layer of abuse, neglect and leadership missteps  including rampant sexual abuse by workers, severe staffing shortages, inmate escapes and the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic  leading directly to the agencys director announcing his resignation earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Monaco has said she is committed to holding Bureau of Prisons staff accountable, including by bringing criminal charges.

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK

Associated Press
HANFORD, Calif. (AP)  Prosecutors in central California on Monday dropped a murder charge against a woman in connection with the death of her unborn child through drug use.

The decision by the Kings County district attorneys office to dismiss the charge against Adora Perez was a victory for justice and the rule of law, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

Perez gave birth to a full-term, stillborn baby on Dec. 31, 2017, at a hospital in the San Joaquin Valley. Perez acknowledged that she had used methamphetamine during the pregnancy.

Perez was charged under Californias murder law, which was amended in 1970 to include the death of a fetus. In 2018, she pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and the murder charge was dismissed.

However in January, Bonta issued a legal interpretation that said the fetal murder law was only intended to criminalize violence done to pregnant women that caused fetal death  not the women themselves.

Otherwise addicted women might avoid health care services for fear their substance abuse could lead to criminal prosecution, he said.

In March, a judge overturned Perezs conviction and 11-year prison sentence, saying Californias voluntary manslaughter law doesnt apply to the unborn. The original murder charge was reinstated so Perez, who had spent four years in prison, could argue the charge in court.

Bonta applauded the DAs office for dropping the case.

Suffering a miscarriage or a stillbirth can be deeply personal and traumatic. We owe it to all Californians to ensure the pain of loss is not compounded by violation of privacy and unjust prosecution, Bonta said in his statement. California law is clear: We do not criminalize people for the loss of a pregnancy.

Last year a judge dismissed a murder charge against another Kings County woman, Chelsea Becker, who delivered a stillbirth after consuming methamphetamine.
BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) _ Novanta Inc. (NOVT) on Tuesday reported first-quarter net income of $18.8 million.

On a per-share basis, the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company said it had profit of 53 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 73 cents per share.

The photonic and motion control components maker posted revenue of $204.2 million in the period.

For the current quarter ending in July, Novanta expects its per-share earnings to range from 69 cents to 73 cents.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $205 million to $213 million for the fiscal second quarter.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NOVT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NOVT
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis willingness to work despite knee pain that has made walking nearly impossible shows other older adults that they have wisdom and experience to offer younger generations, a top Vatican cardinal said Tuesday.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell offered the assessment as he introduced Francis message for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. In the message released Tuesday, the 85-year-old pope urged older people to consider advanced age a blessing.

Francis is struggling to cope with strained ligaments in his right knee that have greatly limited his mobility. Last week, he was seen in public for the first time using a wheelchair. He recently said he can no longer walk and must rest his knee on doctors orders.

Farrell, 74, the head of the Vaticans office for laity and a trusted papal adviser, said that Francis willingness to acknowledge and display his limitations while continuing to hold audiences could encourage others to continue contributing as they age.

We should not hide the fact that with age comes a lessening of our ability to play an active part in the life of the world today, the Ireland-born American cardinal said. He sends a message to all of us that we all have to carry on. We may have limitations in old age, but we carry on and we do our best.

In addition to heading the laity office, Farrell serves as the camerlengo, the papally appointed official who runs the Vatican when a pope dies or retires until a conclave elects a new pontiff.

Francis mobility problems have raised questions about his ability to manage upcoming trips. He is scheduled to go to Congo and South Sudan in early July and to Canada later that month.

The Lebanese government confirmed this week that a planned papal visit next month had been postponed because of Francis health.

Francis instituted the day honoring elderly people to drive home his belief that younger generations should value older ones as a resource and not treat them as part of modern throwaway culture.

In his message, the pope noted that advanced age is a time of life that isnt understood even by those of us who are already experiencing it.

Even though it eventually comes with the passage of time, no one prepares us for old age, and at times it seems to take us by surprise, he wrote.

But Francis urged all his contemporaries to embrace their advanced ages as a gift and not to lament the diminishment of their strengths or sense of usefulness.

Along with old age and white hairs, God continues to give us the gift of life and to keep us from being overcome by evil, he said. Aging is not a condemnation, but a blessing!

Francis closed out the message by noting that the war in Ukraine has brought another conflict to Europe as the generation that experienced World War II is dying out.

He prayed that all elderly people are made into artisans of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can set the world free from the specter of loneliness and the demon of war.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Key decision-makers in non-aligned Finland and Sweden are set to announce their positions on NATO membership this week in what could be a serious blow to Russia as its military struggles to make decisive gains in Ukraine.

If Finlands president and the Social Democrats who govern both countries ignore Moscow's warnings and come out in favor of accession, NATO could soon add two new members right on Russias doorstep.

Such an expansion by the Western military alliance would leave Russia surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, as well as represent a serious setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin cited NATO's previous expansion in Eastern Europe - and the possibility of Ukraine joining the alliance - among the reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. On Monday, he marked Victory Day - the holiday when Russia commemorates Nazi Germany's surrender in World War II - without being able to celebrate any major breakthroughs in Ukraine.

Belonging to NATO would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviet Union in World War II.

NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine more than 10 weeks ago. Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from Why should we join?" to How long does it take?

Along with hard-nosed Ukrainian resistance and wide-ranging Western sanctions, its one of the most significant ways in which the invasion appears to have backfired on Putin.

There is no going back to the status quo before the invasion, said Heli Hautala, a Finnish diplomat previously posted to Moscow and a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the Western leader who appeared to have the best rapport with Putin before the Ukraine war, is expected to announce his stance on NATO membership on Thursday. The governing Social Democratic parties in both countries are set to present their positions this weekend.

If their answer is yes, there would be robust majorities in both parliaments for NATO membership, paving the way for formal application procedures to begin right away.

The Finnish Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin are likely to join other parties in Finland in endorsing a NATO application. The situation in Sweden isn't as clear.

The Swedish Social Democrats have always been staunchly committed to nonalignment. But Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, the party's leader, has said there's a clear before and after Feb. 24."

Andersson and other top Social Democrats are believed to be leaning toward NATO membership, but several subgroupings of the party have come out against, including the womens faction, led by Climate and Environment Minister Annika Strandhall.

We believe that our interests are best served by being militarily nonaligned, Strandhall told Swedish broadcaster TV4. Traditionally, Sweden has been a strong voice for peace and disarmament.

Neither Finland nor Sweden is planning a referendum, fearing it could become a prime target of Russian interference.

Sweden and Finland have sought  and received -- assurances of support from the U.S. and other NATO members in the application period should they seek membership.

Both countries feel they would be vulnerable in the interim, before theyre covered by the alliances one-for-all, all-for-one security guarantees.

The Kremlin has warned of military and political repercussions if the Swedes and Finns decide to join NATO.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is deputy head of Russias Security Council, said last month it would force Moscow to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic region.

However, analysts say military action against the Nordic countries appears unlikely, given how bogged down Russian forces are in Ukraine.

Many of the Russian troops stationed near the 1,300-kilometer (830-mile) border with Finland were sent to Ukraine and have suffered significant losses there, Hautala said.

She said potential Russian countermeasures could include moving weapons systems closer to Finland, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, economic countermoves and steering migration toward the Russian-Finnish border, similar to what happened on Polands frontier with Belarus last year.

There are signs that Russia already has increased its focus on Sweden and Finland, with several airspace violations by Russian military aircraft reported in recent weeks and an apparent campaign in Moscow with posters depicting famous Swedes as Nazi sympathizers. Putin used similar tactics against Ukraines leaders before launching what the Kremlin called its special military operation.

After remaining firmly against membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted rapidly this year. Polls show more than 70% of Finns and about 50% of Swedes now favor joining.

The shocking scenes playing out in Ukraine made Finns draw the conclusion that this could happen to us, said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, while Sweden already had a tradition of neutrality dating to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. But both countries built up robust conscription-based armed forces to counter any Soviet threat. Sweden even had a nuclear weapons program but scrapped it in the 1960s.

The threat of a conflict flared up in October 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground off the coast of southwestern Sweden. Eventually the sub was tugged back out to sea, ending a tense standoff between Swedish forces and a Soviet rescue fleet.

As Russias military power declined in the 1990s, Finland kept its guard high, while Sweden, considering a conflict with Russia increasingly unlikely, downsized its military and shifted its focus from territorial defense toward peacekeeping missions in faraway conflict zones.

Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted the Swedes to reassess the security situation. They reintroduced conscription and started rebuilding defensive capabilities, including on the strategically important Baltic Sea island of Gotland.

Defense analysts say Finland and Sweden have modern and competent armed forces that would significantly boost NATOs capabilities in Northern Europe. Finnish and Swedish forces train so often with NATO that they are essentially interoperable.

Adding new members typically takes months, because those decisions need to be ratified by all 30 NATO members. But in the case of Finland and Sweden, the accession process could be done in a couple of weeks, according to a NATO official who briefed reporters on condition that he not be identified because no application has been made by the two countries.

These are not normal times, he said.

___

Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
LONDON (AP)  Britains Conservative government set out its agenda for the next year on Tuesday with sweeping promises to cut crime, improve health care and revive the U.K.s pandemic-scarred economy  but no new help for millions of Britons struggling to pay their bills as the cost of living soars.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had caused economic turmoil, but said no government can realistically shield everyone from the impact.

The government set out its legislative plans during a ceremony steeped in tradition, but without Queen Elizabeth II, who was absent for the first time in six decades.

The 96-year-old monarch pulled out of reading the Queen's Speech at the opening of Parliament because of what Buckingham Palace called episodic mobility issues. Her son and heir, Prince Charles, stood in, rattling through a short speech laying out 38 bills the government plans to pass.

The speech, which is written by the government, promised Johnsons administration would grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. There were plans to invest in railways, create a U.K. infrastructure bank and level up economic opportunity to poorer regions, as well as bills on education and health care funding.

Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine had created huge disruptions to the global economy. But the speech included no immediate measures to relieve households struggling with soaring prices for domestic energy and food.

We cannot simply spend our way out of this problem, Johnson told lawmakers. We need to grow out of this problem by creating hundreds of thousands of new high-wage, high-skill jobs across the country.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the government of being too out of touch to meet the challenges of the moment. He called for an emergency budget and a windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

Many business groups and unions also were disappointed.

The Confederation of British Industry was encouraged by the speech's ambition, but the British Chambers of Commerce said its measures "will come too late to help many firms.

Christina McAnea, general-secretary of the Unison trade union, said the government had not grasped the seriousness of the situation. Families are being forced into debt and are going hungry.

Some of the planned laws appeared aimed at pleasing the governments right-leaning voter base, including promises to seize Brexit freedoms by cutting red tape for businesses and overhauling financial services and data regulation now that Britain has left the European Union.

Law-and-order measures included a law to outlaw disruptive protest tactics favored by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, a proposal condemned by civil liberties groups. Human rights groups also criticized plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace current rights laws based on the European Convention on Human Rights.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which has upended the European security order, was reflected in plans to beef up spying laws, introduce a U.S.-style foreign influence registration scheme and toughen money-laundering laws  though the mild-sounding measures are unlikely to eradicate Londons reputation as a hub for ill-gotten gains.

Despite rumors beforehand, there was no legislation to alter post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland, a move that would worsen already tense relations between Britain and the EU. But the government hinted it could act, stressing the importance of the internal economic bonds between all parts of the U.K., a key theme for Northern Irelands British unionists.

Johnsons Conservatives hold 358 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, which should ensure easy passage of all its legislation. But the government has been repeatedly sidetracked by ethics scandals and internal Conservative dissent.

The opening of a new session of Parliament came days after Johnsons Conservatives suffered a drubbing in local elections across the U.K.

Johnsons personal popularity has been hurt by months of headlines over parties in his office and other government buildings that breached coronavirus restrictions. The prime minister was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police last month for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

Johnson has apologized, but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties, a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior and a possible no-confidence vote from his own lawmakers.

The parliamentary opening ceremony is a spectacular pageant steeped in the two sides of Britains constitutional monarchy: royal pomp and political power. Traditionally the monarch travels from Buckingham Palace to Parliament in a horse-drawn carriage and reads the speech to lawmakers from a golden throne, wearing a crown studded with 3,000 diamonds.

The queen has only missed two previous state openings during her 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with sons Andrew and Edward, respectively.

Prince Charles travelled by car, rather than carriage, and did not wear the crown, which got its own cushioned seat. Charles was accompanied by his wife Camilla and his son Prince William, who is second in line to the throne.

Other symbolic elements were unchanged, including scarlet-clad Yeomen of the Guard and an official known as Black Rod who summoned lawmakers from the House of Commons to the House of Lords, where the ceremony takes place.

That, too, is symbolic. Ever since King Charles I tried to arrest lawmakers in 1642 and ended up deposed, tried and beheaded, the monarch has been barred from entering the Commons chamber.
A new world order is coming into being in Oceania, it seems, with Solomon Islands as the epicentre of geopolitical competition between China and the US.

This nation of almost 1,000 islands (of which only 147 are inhabited) and 650,000 people, in the South Pacific, hasnt exactly been a global player since it gained independence from Britain in the 1970s. Its one of the poorest countries in the region with a low level of human development,according to the United Nations. So why the international political squall?

The reason is that China has just signed a new security agreement with Solomon Islands, which has caused much spluttering in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Under the terms of the deal, Chinas navy will now be able to dock vessels roughly 1,250 miles north-east of Australia, in a region that Australias home affairs minister recently described as our backyard.

And Chinese police, rather than Australian police, will now train Solomon Islands security forces. Its a sign that Canberras traditional influence in the South Pacific is waning  and the blowback remains intense.

A senior US official in the Pacific refused to rule out military action against Solomon Islands if it allows China to establish a military base there. And Australias defence minister, Peter Dutton, declared that his people should prepare for war to counter Chinas actions in the region.

Short of actual war, there has been a verbal fusillade. Australias prime minister Scott Morrison warned that a Chinese base would be a red line. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has accused Western powers of deliberately exaggerating tensions over the pact.

In the Solomon Islands parliament, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare denounced those who brand us as backyard. Thats a place, he said, where rubbish is collected and burnt [] where we relieved ourselves. Instead, said Sogavare, Solomon Islands demands respect as a sovereign impartial nation with one equal vote in the United Nations.

Devastating Legacy

Theres not that much money to be made in Solomons, with the exception of a few mines, but theyre not actually that significant, University of Queensland professor Shahar Hameiri told openDemocracy. Australia has spent way more money in Solomons [since independence] than youd ever extract out of it. Historically, it has been a very dependent country.

Hameiri should know. He studied Solomons for his doctoral thesis on state-building and the distribution and exercise of power between states. But other than academics with expertise in the Pacific region, knowledge of Solomons Islands is severely limited.

To the wider world, it is a distant signpost of historical conflict, as the site of some of the fiercest battles between US and Japanese troops in the Second World War. The Battle of Guadacanal, on an island west of Honiara, the countrys capital, proved decisive for the Allied forces.

But its not all in the past: the devastating legacy of war continues to make headlines because Solomon Islands still lives with  and dies from  thousands of unexploded bombs. As recently as last May, a Solomon Islander died from an exploding WWII artillery shell, prompting calls for the US to clean up your mess. It is telling that the Solomon Islands government website actually offers the chance to obtain a WWII Scrap Metal Export Permit.

But Solomon Islands is about more than just bombs. The unspooling story about the great power competition in the South Pacific archipelago is part of a much older one, of colonial conceit and arrogance. Here are three key points that help make sense of both Solomon Islands history and current political developments:

Be Colonised or Damned or Both

Even the 1893 colonisation of Solomon Islands by Britain was a gratuitous act, in response to a request from Australia, says Hameiri. The Australians were worried about the French, who were operating at that time in the region. So even though Britain didnt want to do it, because Australia asked them, they did. So thats basically it, from day one. That was the approach in Australia towards these islands.

The British declared Solomon Islands a protectorate and ruled for 85 years. Despite gaining independence in 1978, the country retains the British monarch as head of state. Though Solomon Islands is home to more than 80 different language groups, and many more different clans, it has been shoehorned (like many other formerly colonised regions) into a single unit, as a nation state.

Unlike countries such as Samoa and Fiji, Solomon Islands never existed as anything close to an organic nation state prior to the colonial era, Terence Wood, research fellow at Australias Development Policy Centre think tank, told openDemocracy. It was created in a process of colonial map drawing.

He adds that the colonial era wasnt as ruthless in Solomons as it was in many countries, but it was neglectful: the British did not do nearly enough to help the country to develop the institutions and capacity it needed for independence.

This remains the case today. Sections of the population complain that fundamental problems with healthcare, education and unemployment remain unaddressed and that Solomon Islands has one of the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) scores in the world.

A 2013 monograph by cultural anthropologist David W. Akin, who spent several decades living in Solomons, notes the state of the protectorate within the first half-century of British rule: By the 1930s, and especially after World War II, Solomon Islands were a British embarrassment (when London noticed them) in that direct rule of a colony with no provision for social services or means of advancement had become anachronistic.

Australias role as the United States deputy sheriff in the Pacific region has guided its security-centred and somewhat heavy-handed approach to Solomon Islands. During the Cold War, there were worries about the Soviet Union making friends in the South Pacific by signing fishing treaties, so the US quickly established an embassy in Solomon Islands.

After 9/11 and the Bali bombings a year later, Australia scared itself with the prospect of Solomons becoming the Pacifics first failed state, a place where terrorists could hide and then attack Australia, says Hameiri. Now, its scared of China.

So its never really about [] the people of Solomons or anything like that, according to Hameiri. Its not even about extracting anything from Solomons in that kind of cliched form of colonialism. Its about maintaining Solomons as a place that is not a threat to Australia.

Aid as Leverage

Australia has been the largest donor to Solomon Islands since the 1970s. It is also the Pacifics largest aid donor, accounting for nearly half of the $22.7bn in aid spent on the region since 2009. Last year, Australia spent a record $1.3bn in development assistance in the South Pacific.

But to what end?

Many say that Solomon Islands remains a part of MIRAB, says Hameiri, in reference to the acronym coined in the early 1980s to describe the unenviable growth model for Pacific island countries: migration, remittances, aid and bureaucracy. Most people in Solomons still live on subsistence agriculture, he adds, and they are governed by so-called Big Man politics, which requires access to money.

Sometimes this money comes from unsustainable logging  timber is Solomon Islands largest export, and corruption means that licences are continually granted, regardless of dwindling resources.

Sometimes it comes from foreign support. Until Solomon Islands switched diplomatic allegiance in 2019 from Taiwan to China, political patronage in the form of so-called constituency development funds to members of parliament came from Taiwan. Now, Chinese money is playing that role, says Hameiri, at roughly SBD $2m (Solomon Islands dollars, roughly US $250,000) per constituency per year. Since the switch of diplomatic recognition, China has started to repair the countrys only gold mine and to build a stadium for next years South Pacific Games.

Those bright and shiny things are another attraction of dealing with China, say experts. Beijing does exciting, immediate, tangible stuff, which contrasts with Australias dull and slow (if well-meaning) health and governance programmes. In response, Australia is rethinking its aid to focus on infrastructure.

The challenge may be to end the boomerang effect  also witnessed with US aid in Afghanistan  when the greater part of developmental spending goes right back to the donor country via fees for consultants, goods and services.

Additionally, Australias development projects are seen as unresponsive to local priorities. Solomons needs more help with labour mobility and climate change, says Wood from the Development Policy Centre.

Crucially, Australia also needs to walk the talk on climate change, which is of paramount concern to Pacific islands at risk of rising sea levels. In the2018 Pacific Islands Forums Boe Declaration, Australia concurred that climate change was the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific. But Canberras carbon reduction goals seemed to indicate a low level of real commitment to the task.

That this matters is clear from prominent Solomon Islands journalist Dorothy Wickhams social media post in the midst of the uproar over competition between China and the US: As we talk the big things, lets [sic] also look at the small things, she wrote. Managing our sea resources is of serious concern for Solomon Islanders. Food security is [an] important issue for Pacific Islands as our populations grow, sea level rising. How do we look after our people? Will our children tomorrow have the same food supply as we do now?

Whats Really Happening? The Big Picture

Prime Minister Sogavare has described the backlash to his countrys security deal with China as very insulting. Pointing out that the security agreement with Australia remains in place and intact, he said: It is clear that we need to diversify the countrys relationship with other partners, and what is wrong with that? We find it very insulting to be branded as unfit to manage our sovereign affairs, or [to] have other motives in pursuing our national interests.

Experts say it would be wrong to think Solomon Islands simply wants to switch paymasters. Nor does it seek conflict, or to be centre stage in an argument between the worlds leading powers. But it does want dignity.

According to Geoffrey White, University of Hawaii professor emeritus, unfolding events show the inherently autonomous and pragmatic perspective of Indigenous peoples who have long histories of interacting with global powers who often have little understanding of local perspectives.

White, whose research career began in Solomon Islands, told openDemocracy that his studies of the countrys Second World War history illustrated the gap between Western categorisation and local reality. Allied powers eagerly represented the loyalty of Islanders in assisting with the war with Japan when, in fact, on the ground, people throughout the archipelago were making all sorts of complex decisions, with many coming to the postwar conclusion that the war was not our war. Yet every time the war is commemorated in Solomons, it is the unflinching loyalty and alignment of Islanders with Allied powers that is celebrated. [] It is only part of the story, with other parts conveniently forgotten.

Hameiri agrees that it all boils down to respect. Solomon Islanders, he says, must think, we have lived for so long with Australians and theyve given us a lot of money, but they dont actually respect us very much, and we want a little bit more autonomy.
KateLynn White graduated from Tennessee State University, where she was an editor of the student newspaper. She interned for The Tennessean and The Tennessee Tribune before joining the Nashville Post in 2022. She also contributes to the Nashville Scene.

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(Natural News) The situation in the United States regarding shortages of baby formula has gone from bad to critical in recent weeks as supplies have dwindled so much that parents with infants are beginning to panic.

As reported by the UKs Daily Mail, mothers across the country are struggling to feed their babies amid a nationwide shortage of baby formula as national out-of-stock levels jumped nine percentage points from 31 percent to 40 percent between April 3 and April 24.

Making the nationwide shortage worse is the fact that major national retail chains have begun to ration what supplies of formula they have while one e-tail website, eBay, has seen some cans sell for as much as $800 following a recall of popular brands after an infant died from an infection.

CBS News added that in the week ending April 24, between 40 and 50 percent of the top-selling formulas were not in stock in stores around the country, according to information from Datasembly, a firm that tracked the supply of baby formula at more than 11,000 retailers.

An entire month [there] was nothing nothing online, nothing in stores nearby, said Nicole Brown, the mother of a 5-month-old, in an interview with News 4 Jacksonville in Florida.

I can get Amazon delivered to my door, but I cant feed my son. Its absolutely heartbreaking, Brown added.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Jill Bradford, a foster mom to a 5-month-old baby girl who has special medical needs, told local media she has less than two days worth of the special amino acid-based formula the baby requires.

Weve called the WIC office. Weve called Thrive, which is a supply company. Weve called every hospital system in the state. Ive contacted personally, every Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS within the tri-cities area, she told WTVR.

Bradford went on to say that she managed to find eight cans of the formula she needs for the infant girl on eBay, but they are being sold for $800; typically, cans are expensive enough at between $43 and $47.

In Jacksonville, Fla, Ashleigh Olsen said she is struggling to feed her 9-month-old son who is limited to a specific formula that she has to order directly from the manufacturer.

Luckily I stocked up last time. So today when I opened my last can, that kind of lit my fire a little bit, she said, adding that her son has allergic reactions to other formulas.

The bad news: Its not clear when the formula she needs will be available for purchase again.

The Daily Mail adds:

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 capital of San Antonio was 56 percent.

Nationwide retailers like CVS and Walgreens are now rationing supplies to just three baby formula products per customer per purchase. At Target.com, customers can only get up to four baby formula products at a time, which has left parents scrambling to obtain enough; some three-quarters of babies in the U.S. are on some kind of formula for the first six months of their lives.

Kassidi Hillard, the mother of a 2-month-old who needs Similac Pro-Advance, told WDRB she has looked at every store in Indiana and here (in Kentucky) and havent found her formula at not one store.

Its kind of stressful, cause if you cant find formula, its like they cant eat nothing else, Hillard said. They cant have baby food, they cant have hard food, they cant have what we eat so its really, its not an easy thing to go through.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A team of scientists from Zhejiang University in China has just released footage of a swarm of drones flying through a dense forest to track down human targets.

The two-minute-long video features a group of 10 palm-sized drones that scientists noted weighed less than a can of soda. The drones can be seen navigating through a dense bamboo forest by moving through gaps between bamboo trunks and navigating uneven ground, weeds and tangled branches.

In their latest experiments, the researchers proved that the swarm could easily track a human target as he walked through the forest. The drones even stayed focused on him when he disappeared from their view. The swarm was also able to avoid moving objects such as people walking in front of them.

The emerging technology works by using an algorithm that brings together collision avoidance, flight efficiency and swarm coordination. The flight plan of the drones is updated every few milliseconds.

The drones communicate with one another to stay in formation. They share data collected onboard using depth-sensing cameras to map their surroundings. This means that if one drone sees its path is blocked, it can transmit this information to the rest of its flock so they can avoid this route and plot a new one. (Related: China ramping up production of military drones to rival US drone fleet, leaked defense ministry document shows.)

Current applications of drone swarm technology are fairly limited. Its most common use today is to create elaborate light shows. The drones used in these events follow preset trajectories with no obstructions using tracking technology to orient themselves.

This is the first time theres a swarm of drones successfully flying outside in an unstructured environment, in the wild, said Enrica Soria, a roboticist for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

Concerns raised about potential future application of technology

The researchers involved said the drone swarms could be used for disaster relief and ecological surveys.

In natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, a swarm of drones can search, guide and deliver emergency supplies to trapped people, they wrote. For example, in wildfires, agile multicopters can quickly collect information from a close view of the front line without the risk of human injury.

But experts have noted that the work of the researchers has clear military potential, especially as China, the United States, Russia, Israel, the United Kingdom and Turkey are all investing heavily in research that advances drone technology. Militaries are also investing in drone swarms and in their potential applications during wartime.

The capability to navigate cluttered environments, for example, is desirable for a range of military purposes, including urban warfare, said Elke Schwarz, a specialist in the use of drones in combat and a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. As is the ability to follow a human  here I can see how this converges with projects that seek to develop lethal drone capabilities that minimize the risk to on-the-ground soldiers in urban environments.

The research from Zhejiang University rapidly advances the potential of drone swarms. Schwarz noted that while this is indeed a technological achievement, the fact that it advances the field of drone technology can obscure tricky questions about how such technology should be used.

Schwarz cited the observations of Norbert Wiener, a 20th century U.S. mathematician whose work laid the foundations for the development of artificial intelligence. [Weiner] said  in the 1960s  that there is a disastrous focus on and obsession with know-how, which tends to eclipse the moral question we should be asking: What is it good for?

Read more about drones and drone technology at DroneWatchNews.com.

Watch this video as a swarm of 10 autonomous drones developed by Zhejiang University maneuver through a bamboo forest in China.

This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

US weapons package for Ukraine includes 100 KILLER DRONES.

UN report: Killer AI drones with no remote pilot hunted down humans.

Chinese STEALTH DRONES surveilling US energy infrastructure; Fauci emails reveal explosive admissions of covid cover-up.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

TheVerge.com

Telegraph.co.uk

France24.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Skyrocketing fertilizer costs have been driving up food prices and threatening food security around the globe.

According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), prices for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) were up 125 percent in January compared to the previous year and rose another 17 percent from January to March.

The European ban on Russian natural gas, which is critical in manufacturing some of the fertilizers, could also worsen the situation. Svein Tore Holsether, the CEO of fertilizer maker Yara International, said the situation is dire.

This will translate into higher food prices for developing countries, but it could also cause desperations for vulnerable countries like Nicaragua and Ecuador.

Theo de Jager, the president of the World Farmers Organization, said many fields are not being planted, so it is not certain if its possible to avoid a food crisis.

Fertilizer shortages affecting global food supplies

Dr. Manish Raizada, a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelphs Ontario Agricultural College, said farmers are buying fertilizer now to gain temporary subsidies. These subsidies will allow the poorest farmers to afford applying fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season.

He also noted that as fertilizer prices increase, farmers produce less, which can affect not only the supply of food, but their livelihoods as well. For Canadian and American corn farmers, the average profit margin is at one cent per cob, and an increase in farming inputs reduces their margin further.

Brazil, which is the biggest soybean producer in the world, saw a 20 percent cut in potash, which could cause a 14 percent drop in yields.

A coffee cooperative representing 1,200 small producers in Costa Rica, sees its output falling as much as 15 percent by 2023 if the farmers miss even one-third of the normal fertilizer application.

In West Africa, falling fertilizer use will lessen this years rice and corn harvest by a third. While farmers will grow enough to feed themselves, they may not be able to feed the cities. Adding the increased hunger across West Africa on top of their other existing risks could spell danger for many governments in the region.

For people who dont work in agriculture, the global shortage of fertilizer will seem like a distant problem, but this will not be the case. In its least disruptive scenario, soaring prices for synthetic nutrients will result in lower crop yields and higher grocery store prices, affecting everything from milk to beef to packaged goods.

Rise of natural gas prices affected food supply issues

Prices for heavily traded raw materials started rising in 2021 due to a myriad of factors, including Hurricane Ida in the U.S., the upsurge in demand after the pandemic, supply chain issues and even rising natural gas prices before the Russia-Ukraine war happened. (Related: Americans face brutally cold, bitterly expensive winter as natural gas prices continue to rise.)

Production of nitrogen, which is the most common nutrient applied as fertilizer for crops such as corn, rice and wheat, requires high heat from the burning of natural gas and oil. When oil and gas prices increase, nitrogen fertilizer prices increase as well.

Russia, which is the fourth-largest producer of nitrogen fertilizer may have negatively affected the supply because of its invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions that followed. The cost of transportation for the fertilizers also became a contributing factor to the further increase in prices.

Ukraine, on the other hand, is one of the worlds largest wheat producers and exporters. Because only a fraction of global wheat is exported, according to Raizada, this means that any disruptions can have a dramatic effect on its commodity prices.

This is why it is critical in the coming months for governments around the world to subsidize the price of fertilizers. Raizada said temporary subsidies on nitrogen fertilizers are necessary to ensure income for farmer households and global food security.

Follow FertilizerWatch.com for more news about the lack of affordable fertilizer and how this can affect global food supplies.

Watch the video below to know more about increases in food prices and the looming food shortages.

This video is from the Mike Martins channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Floods delay plantings in Northern Plains, could trigger food shortage.

World Alternative Media: Global food shortage is part of Great Reset agenda.

Soaring natural gas prices shutting down fertilizer plants that provide carbon dioxide to food suppliers, resulting in worsening food shortages.

Record gas prices are pushing up everyday costs, could lead to recession.

Russia-Ukraine war will further worsen global food shortage as poor nations face starvation, unrest.

Sources include:

Axios.com

News.UoGuelph.ca

BusinessMirror.com.ph

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) U.S. military personnel continue to die unexpectedly in the wake of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, although most people arent hearing about it as the media avoids drawing attention to the problem.

For many young men and women in the military who have died under unusual circumstances recently, the cause of death is being listed as pending. However, some inside the military have pointed to vaccine injuries and death as being far more common than weve been led to believe.

For example, a military medical officer, Dr. Theresa Long, recently testified in court that she was ordered by her superior to suppress vaccine injuries. She and two other medical professionals said that they noticed a spike in neurological disorders, miscarriages and cancer cases shortly after the vaccine mandate was put in place, but they say they were told to keep quiet about it.

Dr. Long said: I have so many soldiers being destroyed by this vaccine. Not a single member of my senior command has discussed my concerns with me  I have nothing to gain and everything to lose by talking about it. Im okay with that because I am watching people get absolutely destroyed.

A group of more than two dozen military members recently presented a case in court fighting the military vaccine mandate. The judge who heard their case, Steven Merryday, granted a preliminary injunction to two of the plaintiffs, allowing them to avoid the mandate for now. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, who is representing the group, said that the Department of Defense has refused to send witnesses for cross examination, which is something that could indicate a cover-up is taking place.

According to reports, just two out of more than 3,000 Marines who have requested a religious exemption have been granted one. The military is not being very forthcoming about this low acceptance rate, with Captain Andrew Wood stating that they cant discuss the specifics of the requests due to privacy considerations. Hundreds of marines have already been discharged over their refusal to get the jab.

Meanwhile, Senator Ron Johnson has been pressing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the matter. In February, he sent a letter citing dramatic increases in medical diagnoses among military personnel and evidence that diagnoses of myocarditis among servicemembers have been removed from official databases.

Military members are being hazed, shamed and punished

Meanwhile, military whistleblowers have drawn attention to abuses against military members who refuse to get the jab. Some of the problems that have been identified include shaming, hazing, physical punishment and denying treatment for other medical problems. They have also described a shadow process of coercion that is being used to cover up serious vaccine injuries and fatalities.

Service members who request exemptions are being publicly humiliated, assigned extra duty and being threatened with dishonorable discharge. Those who dare to speak out about what is going on are facing discipline that could being their military careers to an end.

The problem is getting so bad that some experts fear it is putting our national security at risk. At a time when Russia continues to attack Ukraine, our Air Force is pushing out highly trained fighter pilots who cannot be easily replaced as a punishment for asking for vaccine exemptions. This is leaving our military without thousands of hours of valuable combat flight experience that is highly challenging to obtain. Meanwhile, those who do get the jab are putting public safety at risk by flying planes without being monitored for markers of cardiac arrest and heart damage.

How much weaker will our military become as service members continue to be forced to get vaccines or discharged for refusing to comply?

Sources for this article include:



TheCovidBlog.com

BigLeaguePolitics.com

RAIRFoundation.com
(Natural News) A recent study by a distinguished team of Danish researchers found no statistically meaningful evidence that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) reduce all-cause mortality. In fact, the number of deaths from other causes like heart attack is greater for vaccinated individuals, outweighing whatever benefits the vaccines are said to provide.

In comparison, the study reports that adenovector-based vaccines (AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson) showed more favorable results than mRNA vaccines and suggested that public health authorities should have favored the former over the latter. The study led by University of Southern Denmarks Christine Stabell-Benn has not been peer-reviewed.

The studys preliminary results stand in sharp contrast to the message relayed by public health agencies and governments worldwide that the vaccines reduce the likelihood of getting symptomatic COVID-19 infection. (Related: Dr. Judy Mikovits: Every single mRNA vaccine is a synthetic virus  Brighteon.TV.)

I have been in this game for now almost 30 years, studying vaccines and finding these non-specific effects which have been very controversial. There are strong powers out there that dont really want to hear about them, Stabell-Benn said.

Pfizer admits 1,223 deaths logged just three months after rollout

The results of the study seem to align with real-world data collected by Pfizer in the early goings of the vaccine rollout.

The pharmaceutical giant admitted to have received 1,223 reports of deaths occurring after just three months of the vaccine rollout. This should have been enough to completely halt the vaccination program.

Pfizer also listed a staggering 42,086 cases of adverse reactions, representing a total of 139,888 adverse events. Over 25,000 of the reported events were nervous system disorders. These pieces of information can be found in the first batch of documents released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency.

Investigative journalist Celia Farber made a list of the adverse reactions based on the document. These include acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, dermatitis, Bells Palsy, skin allergies, paralysis, kidney and liver problems and other life-threatening side effects.

Dr. Vernon Coleman, an English novelist and author of over a hundred books, presented hard evidence proving that Pfizer and the FDA knew that the mRNA shot would kill thousands of healthy people.

Coleman reminded the public that Pfizer is one of the worlds most fined companies, yet it made billions of dollars during the pandemic. He noted that Pfizer has paid hefty fines for making false claims, paying kickbacks and committing other unlawful acts over the years  all of which proving that dishonesty is not foreign to Pfizers business practices.

Governments have deliberately and systematically created fear to terrify and manipulate and virtually force people to accept a jab that doesnt do what most people think it does, said Coleman. The word genocide can no longer be considered hyperbole.

Visit VaccineDeaths.com for more news about deaths associated with COVID-19 vaccines.

Watch the video below to learn more about shocking discoveries made in the Pfizer vaccine investigation.

This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Dr. Robert Malone tells Alex Newman: COVID mRNA vaccine not effective against omicron.

COVID vaccine coordinator who aggressively pushed mRNA shots dies unexpectedly  was it the jab?

Journalist and former NYT staffer UNDER FIRE for demanding that dangerous and ineffective mRNA vaccines be withdrawn.

Pfizer knew its mRNA vaccine for covid leaked into ovaries but covered it all up.

Sources include:

UnHerd.com

GlobalResearch.ca

BrandNewTube.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) PolitiFact, the allegedly independent fact-checking website, is soliciting donations to fund its fact-based, unbiased reporting. Unfortunately, these fundraising efforts have already been tainted with disinformation.

(Article by Andrew Stiles republished from FreeBeacon.com)

Help us hold politicians accountable, PolitiFacts audience director, Josie Hollingsworth, wrote in a fundraising email on Monday.

FACT CHECK: Mostly false.

The email asserts that PolitiFact is dedicated to holding our leaders accountable. The claim lacks crucial context, and grossly misrepresents the truth about the organizations priorities, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis of nearly 300 PolitiFact posts dating back to March 10, 2022.

Our analysis found that more than half the PolitiFact fact checks published in the last two months involved random content posted on social media. More than a third (112) of the websites 290 fact checks over that period involved content posted on Facebook, which has enlisted PolitiFact and other so-called nonpartisan organizations to identify and review false information.

PolitiFact has been holding our leaders accountable by devoting it resources to fact-checking the asinine claims of random Facebook users: that John F. Kennedy Jr. is still alive and leading QAnon, that paying taxes is optional, and that Hillary Clinton is imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. All three were given a pants on fire! rating, in case you were wondering.

An additional 59 fact checks over the past two months involved content posted by bloggers or by users of Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, as well as viral images posted on a variety of social media platforms. PolitiFact has been holding the powerful to account by debunking claims that actors Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried died from the COVID-19 vaccine, that Russian president Vladimir Putin was assassinated, that Disney CEO Bob Chapek was arrested for human trafficking, that the state of Tennessee was operating COVID-19 internment camps, and that Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh were portrayed by actors wearings masks during the latters Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

These fact checks comprise the majority of PolitiFacts output since early March. For the sake of comparison, the website has published just three fact checks involving statements from President Joe Biden during that same period, which amount to roughly 1 percent of the organizations output. The most recent Biden fact check, published on April 22, involved the presidents claim that for four years, I was a full professor at the University of Pennsylvania. PolitiFact conceded that the claim was technically falseBiden was not a full professor and only held the position for two yearsbut nevertheless assigned it a rating of half true.

Less than a third of PolitiFacts posts (86 of 290) during the analyzed time period involved claims made by politicians or party committees. The vast majority of the politicians subjected to fact checks (62 of 86) were Republicans, and a majority of those claims (41 of 62) were rated mostly false or worse. Meanwhile, just eight claims made by GOP lawmakers or party officials were rated mostly true or better. Shockingly enough, Democrats were assessed to be far more truthful. Out of 24 total fact checks involving Democrats, 11 were rated mostly false or worse, and 10 were rated mostly true or better.

The findings of the Free Beacon analysis will not come as a surprise to observers of the professional fact-checking industry. Like their ideological cohorts in the White House press corps, who complain that their jobs are boring and difficult now that a Democrat is president, professional fact-checkers are markedly less enthusiastic about speaking truth to power in the post-Trump era.

CNNs Daniel Dale, whose breathless on-air fact checks of former president Donald Trump made him an internet celebrity, has essentially disappeared. Like his professional peers at PolitiFact, Dale hardly bothers to fact-check Joe Biden, and devotes most of his time to debunking random social media posts, including one about actor Leonardo DiCaprio donating $10 million to Ukraine, and another about United Nations troops invading Canada. He is not particularly interested in holding Democrats accountable. Of the 23 most recent posts listed on Dales CNN bio page, 14 involve claims made by Republicans, compared with just 2 involving Democrats.

Meanwhile, journalists such as Dales colleague Brian Stelter remain flummoxed as to why so many ordinary Americans regard the mainstream media as irredeemably partisan and dont trust them to get their facts straight.

Read more at: FreeBeacon.com
(Natural News) Leftist pro-abortion groups ordered their members to show up and protest in front of the homes of six conservative Supreme Court justices. They also published the magistrates home addresses in an effort to intimidate them.

One such group named Ruth Sent Us (RSU) published the home address of Chief Justice John Roberts alongside five other associate justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. The groups name pertains to the late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was a staunch defender of abortion on the high court.

Our 6-3 extremist Supreme Court routinely issues rulings that hurt women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights. We must rise up to force accountability using a diversity of tactics, the group said.

RSU subsequently announced a Walk-By Wednesday protest on May 11, to be held in front of the homes of the six extremist justices  three in Virginia and three in Maryland. The groups post promoting Walk-By Wednesday showed the six justices addresses, urging members to commit to rise up with us.

According to Fox News, there has been a strong police presence at the justices homes following the May 2 leak of a draft opinion penned by Alito. The opinion by Alito could cause the overturn of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion if four other justices adopt it.

Catholic advocacy group Catholic Vote asked people to pray for the safety of the six conservative justices and their families. The Left posted a website with the justices private addresses. Protesters are being asked to go directly to their homes. Some have families and small children. Pray hard for the safety of the justices, it tweeted.

ShutDownDC also calling for protests at justices homes

Another group, ShutDownDC, also advertised a protest against the potential overturn of the pro-abortion decision. It advertised a Candlelight Vigil for Roe v. Wade on May 7, calling on other abortion supporters to march to Kavanaugh and Roberts homes to protest for reproductive freedom.

The May 7 march was not the first instance the group had protested outside a magistrates home. In September 2021, ShutDownDC protesters gathered in front of Kavanaughs Maryland home to protest for the right to have abortions. However, the ShutDownDC activists did not encounter anyone at home during their protest despite the houses lights being on. (Related: Left wing activists issue online guide to shut down US and prevent coup.)

The leftist group had also demonstrated in front of a Republican lawmakers house in January 2021. About 15 members of ShutDownDC gathered in front of the home of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley in northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The senator was not in the federal capital during the protest.

While I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who cant travel. They screamed threats, vandalized [our house] and tried to pound open our door, tweeted Hawley.

Protest organizers told a different story. They claimed that they just rang his doorbell and placed a copy of the Constitution on his doorway. Organizer Patrick Young commented: This was a pretty tame and peaceful visit to his house, not threatening behavior. This is people engaging in democracy and civil discourse.

ShutDownDCs explanation failed to mollify Hawley. Let me be clear. My family and I will not be intimidated by left-wing violence, he said.

LiberalMob.com has more stories about pro-abortion leftists planning to demonstrate in front of magistrates homes.

Watch Owen Shroyer of InfoWars below talking about protests against the leak of the draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Elizabeth Warren fumes over leak about Roe v. Wade, says extremist pro-life Supreme Court justices need to be investigated.

Howling leftist demons call for targeted violence against high court justices over Supreme Court plan to overturn Roe v. Wade.

VIOLENCE IS THEIR RELIGION: Abortion advocates in LA attack cops with rocks, smash squad car windows.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

FoxNews.com

News.Yahoo.com 1

News.Yahoo.com 2

Twitter.com

Brighteon.com
Russia President Vladimir Putin has been 'shocked' to discover his gymnast lover is pregnant again, sources have claimed, Daily Mail reported.

The Russian leader, 69, is said to have been in a secret relationship with Olympic gold medallist Alina Kabaeva, 38, since 2008.

It has been claimed that the couple already has two children together, which Putin has not publicly acknowledged, Daily Mail reported.

Now, Russian news channel General SVR Telegram, which is believed to be run by a former Kremlin intelligence officer, has claimed Kabaeva is pregnant again.

It claimed: "Putin found out his mistress is yet again pregnant -- and by the looks of it this wasn't planned. We have already reported that yesterday, Putin, according to eyewitnesses, looked depressed and somewhat aloof.

"This is understandable as yesterday Putin learned that his long-term cohabitant and mother of his children, Alina Kabaeva, was pregnant for another, or rather, apparently, an extraordinary time."

The same news channel had previously made claims about Putin's health problems which have also been heavily rumoured inside Russia, Daily Mail reported.

Putin and Kabaeva's first son was born in secrecy in Switzerland amid huge security in 2015, according to a source linked to the obstetrician who was at the birth.

The second son was delivered in Moscow in 2019 with the same specialist flying to Russia for the birth, according to an investigation by Swiss newspaper Sonntagszeitung.
(Natural News) Professors in a Canadian university called for an investigation of a possible conflict of interest regarding its president mandating Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

LifeSiteNews reported that faculty members at the University of Waterloo (UW) in Ontario, Canada were responsible for the endeavor. It stemmed from an open letter sent to all faculty, staff members and students on the entire campus in September 2021. Initially having only 32 signatories, the number of people who affixed their names to the open letter grew to 155.

Any mandates involving vaccination, declaration of vaccination status and testing violate all employment contracts that were concluded, as well as all offers of admission that were accepted before the mandates were imposed. The rights infringed upon include those enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms  the highest law of the land. Thus, the mandates are unlawful and invalid, said the open letter.

A subsequent letter sent to UWs Board of Governors and school Senate in March pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed by UW President Vivek Goel may have been significantly influenced by his membership in the federal COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. Goel, who assumed the leadership of UW in July 2021, had also served as the founding president and CEO of Public Health Ontario.

The UW presidents membership in Ottawas COVID-19 Immunity Task Force violated university policy with regard to conflicts of interest, the letter argued.

Only one document in the universitys archives mentioned Goels link to the task force. It did not include a statement from the UW president saying that his association with the entity could affect, or could be perceived to affect, the decisions he would make. The March letter explained that university policy requires proactive disclosure of conflicts and potential conflicts, but Goel failed to do this.

UW professors speak out against Goels vaccine mandate

Several UW faculty members spoke out against Goels vaccine mandate, sharing their thoughts on the matter to LifeSiteNews.

Applied mathematics professor Edward Vrscay, a signatory of the September 2021 open letter, said the universitys handling of COVID-19 shows that it is more concerned with compliance rather than public health. Incidentally, Vrscays tenure of more than 35 years at UW is threatened due to his non-compliance with the universitys COVID-19 vaccine mandate. (Related: Canadian professor fired for refusing to get injected with covid vaccine.)

He quoted a March 23 statement Goel gave to the Waterloo Region Record, in which he said the success of the vaccine mandate is measured in the high level of compliance among the university population instead of the reduction of COVID-19 cases since the mandates introduction.

Philosophy and cognitive science professor John Turri, meanwhile, scrutinized UWs COVID-19 case data. He pointed out that over a period of eight months, the vaccine mandate is only associated [with] one fewer positive COVID-19 test on campus every two months. This, Turri pointed out, is a number not meaningfully different than zero.

The philosophy and cognitive science professor later responded to the UW presidents comments about his initial observation: Goel shockingly implies that compliance itself was the goal; high compliance shows that the policy succeeded. This contradicts the requirements stated objective [of reducing the spread of COVID-19].

Vrscay ultimately remarked that the vaccine mandate espoused by Goel is but a symptom of a larger cultural shift occurring at universities across Canada.

In a sense, it is even deeper than just an institution where you are not free to say what you want. It filters down into everything, into a censorship if you will. This is not just about vaccination. This is a spiritual war, [and its] happening for a reason: To show how corrupt every man-made institution is.

MedicalTyranny.com has more stories about COVID-19 vaccine mandates in universities.

Watch Joe Imbriano talk about COVID-19 vaccine mandate for colleges in the state of California.

This video is from the Truth or Consequences channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

UCI professor sues school over covid vaccine mandate.

Harvard professor exposes vaccine passports as scientific nonsense.

Tucker Carlson: University vaccine mandates forbid kids from getting an education.

Top Canadian university fires 49 staff members for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Canadian university forcing online students to report their vaccination status or be PUNISHED.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

Links.UWaterloo.ca [PDF]

Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Following news that The Department of Homeland Securitys new disinformation governance board will be headed by a woman who says free speech makes her shudder and who falsely labeled the Hunter Biden laptop story disinformation, Republicans called for the body to be scrapped, labelling it a monstrosity.

(Article by Steve Watson republished from InfoWars.com)

Heading the opposition to what has been compared to the Ministry of Truth in Orwells 1984, Senator Josh Hawley wrote to DHS Secretary Mayorkas noting I confess, I at first thought this announcement was satire.

Surely no American Administration would ever use the power of Government to sit in judgement on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens, Hawley continued.

Sadly, he added, I was mistaken. Rather than protecting our border or the American homeland, you have chosen to make policing Americans speech your priority. This new board is almost certainly unconstitutional and should be dissolved immediately.

It can only be assumed that the sole purpose of this new Disinformation Governance Board will be to marshal the power of the federal government to censor conservative and dissenting speech, the Senator concluded, urging This is dangerous and un-American.

The Administration that activated the FBI against parents at school board meetings now has created a government Disinformation Board to monitor all Americans speech. Its a disgrace. Joe Biden & Secretary Mayorkas: dissolve this monstrosity immediately pic.twitter.com/hSnMpREizI  Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 28, 2022

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also responded to the development, describing it as Orwellian.

Leave it to Democrats to think free speech is the problem and more government is the solution, McCarthy told The Daily Wire.

The notion that the same party that spent four years promoting the Russia collusion hoax, suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story, and equated parents to domestic terrorists believes it has the credibility to tell Americans what is true is laughable, he added.

Referring to Nina Jankowicz, the Congressman added that it is telling that the person who would run Bidens Orwellian Disinformation Governance Board is a political activist who has a long history of falling for and spreading disinformation.

It is easy to imagine this person abusing the term disinformation to suppress facts and spin away inconvenient truths about the administrations many failures, including their failures to secure the border, McCarthy further urged, adding The idea that the federal government should control speech sounds uncomfortably close to the Thought Police. Biden must immediately abandon his plan to create a modern-day Ministry of Truth.

Representative Jim Jordan also hit out at the move, telling Mayorkas You put out a bulletin two months ago, a big fancy bulletin here, red, white and blue. You said that misleading narratives, mis-, dis-, and mal-information, MDM, as you call it, misleading narratives undermine the trust in government. I was just wondering, when the head of the CDC, Miss Walensky, said that the vaccinated cant get the virus, did that undermine trust in government?

Jordan continued, When the highest paid official in our government, the smartest man on the planet, Dr. Fauci, when he said the virus didnt come from a lab, did that undermine trust in government? And will that be something that this governing board will look at?

How about when 51 former intel officials told us that the Hunter Biden story washad all the earmarks of Russian misinformation? Will that be something that this governance board that you just formed, will you be looking into that? Jordan also asked:

Soon to be Twitter owner Elon Musk also responded to the creation of the disinformation unit, labelling the move discomforting.

The government is creating a misinformation governance board. Who else did something like that? Oh I remember, the Nazis. And theres some data showing some interesting things going on post-@elonmusks Twitter takeover!  Steven Crowder (@scrowder) April 28, 2022

Read more at: InfoWars.com
(Natural News) The European continent not only managed to survive two world wars over the past century, but to emerge from the ashes as a thriving, modern beacon of prosperity and innovation.

But over the past decade especially, its left-wing socialist leaders have chosen a path of self-destruction and third-world status thanks to the religion of climate change.

While the planets weather and climate patterns have constantly changed since the beginning of time, climate change preachers and alarmists claim those changes in the modern era are due to human activities like growing food, powering homes, producing goods, and driving vehicles with cheap, readily available fuels used by combustible engines.

To be clear, and despite what a number of Western scientific studies and agencies say, there is no evidence, no proof that the changing climate patterns are due to human activity. None. It is a theory  well, again, a religion  on the left, as evidenced by factual data proving that weather and climate today is no more or less severe than it was decades or centuries ago when Europeans were fighting to survive madmen and invasions.

And yet, thanks to this religion, the continent has consistently weaned itself from affordable fossil fuels in lieu of unproven, expensive, and still-developing green energy alternatives that are leaving EU countries vulnerable and in danger of crashing their economies.

That includes Switzerland, where the government has just warned more than 30,000 businesses that blackouts are likely in the coming months, even as citizens are urged to cut back on their use of electricity, according to the new site SwissInfo:

Swiss companies could be ordered to reduce their electricity consumption by a specific percentage in the event of a shortage, the government warns in the brochure sent to 30,000 firms.

The first measure the government would take to counter such a situation is to urge the population to tone down its electricity consumption. The second would be to prohibit the operation of swimming pools, air conditioning systems and escalators. Only in a third step would electricity quotas be imposed on the economy.

The brochure goes on to press companies to also look for any way they can to save on electricity usage, adding that besides the receding COVID-19 pandemic, a situation where the country finds itself short of power is a major national security concern, as well as an economic nightmare. Widespread power outages could lead to the loss of some $4.3 billion in commerce per day, according to one estimate that cited government data.

A power shortage is, next to a pandemic, the greatest threat to Switzerlands supply, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin noted in a video posted on the website of the Organization for Electricity Supply in Extraordinary Situations (Ostral).

A disruption in electricity supply that may last for weeks or months, Parmelin added, would mean that factories could produce less, public authorities and service companies such as banks would have to reduce their offerings, and means of transport that depend on electricity, such as trains or trams, could only operate to a limited extent.

In other words, amid a global supply chain crisis and pending economic downturn, Switzerland  a modern nation  faces the kind of power supply shortages that second- and third-world countries face.

But the problem in Switzerland is different in that it is self-inflicted: Wind and solar power do not and cannot replace power generated by cheap, affordable, and clean-burning fossil fuels. There is nothing wrong with using those methods to augment a power grid, but to decrease usage of reliable and affordable fossil fuel sources to the extent that wind and solar cannot make up the difference is literally insane.

The religion of climate change is akin to national suicide.

Sources include:

SwissInfo.ch

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A leaked full-grant agreement revealed that the United States government has spent taxpayers money to promote abortion and population control in foreign countries masqueraded as Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) relief.

News website Revolver obtained documents showing a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the notorious eugenics group Pathfinder International. USAID gave Pathfinder $500,000 for the purpose of pandemic disaster relief efforts to advance population control abroad. Officially, the grant is for responding to COVID-19 in hotspot areas of Ethiopia.

Our team of country experts will contribute to ensuring a resilient health system that can persistently provide essential health services and can respond to [the] COVID-19 pandemic, the document stated. In connection with the grant, technical guidance of Pathfinder said: Given that it is time-sensitive, abortion must always be considered an essential service and provided regardless of whether elective services are suspended.

The news website said Pathfinder uses U.S. taxpayer funding to entrench sexual health services, including abortion and birth control, in developing nations during a global crisis by manipulating the public through messaging campaigns that declared these health services essential, orienting staff to adopt this messaging, and ensuring that abortions and birth control were provided in safe health facilities. (Related: Dr. Alan Keyes talks about abortion, slavery and the COVID-19 pandemic  Brighteon.TV.)

If this level of coordination happened at USAID, there is no telling how extensive the grants apparatus stretches across other executive agencies. Over the last three years, American taxpayers have experienced what this rampant abuse of their funds can do, and whistleblowers and Freedom of Information Act requests have pulled back the curtain on some of the most destructive whims of the government grants process to date, the website emphasized.

A startling research published in New England Journal of Medicine indicates 82 percent of pregnant women given the COVID-19 jabs in the first or second trimester suffer spontaneous abortions  killing four of five unborn babies.

The data came from a study entitled Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons. Out of 127 women who received vaccines during their first or second trimesters, 104 spontaneous abortions occurred before their pregnancies hit the 20-week mark. Even so, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still pushing on mainstream and social media that the jabs are safe and effective.

Moreover, Dr. Sara Beltran Ponce of Wisconsin has made public her miscarriage following COVID-19 vaccination. The miscarriage happened on the 14th week of her pregnancy, indicating it was three days after she got the first or second mRNA shot. She did not say if it was the Pfizer or Moderna shot. Beltran Ponce has since locked her Twitter account so only verified followers can see her tweets.

NZ now allows Christians to decline abortion-tainted COVID-19 vaccines

A New Zealand court on February 25 granted the Christians to refuse abortion-tainted COVID-19 vaccines. The objection to abortion is a core principle of Christianity, and therefore the freedom to manifest religion protects the right to refuse injections using aborted fetal tissue.

A medical expert for the court confirmed that the evidence presented on Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine has shown that it had been derived from fetal cell tissue.

The immortalized cell line HEK-293 used by Pfizer was originally harvested in 1973 from the kidney of an aborted human embryo. The medical expert also testified that the shots effectiveness declines rapidly after the first month and does not fully defend against viral infection and transmission.

Judge Francis Cooke accepted that an obligation to receive a vaccine, which a person objects to because it has been tested on cells derived from a human fetus, potentially an aborted fetus, does involve a limitation on the manifestation of a religious belief in observance, practice or teaching of religion.

Cooke wrote that clearly vaccination does not prevent people from contracting and spreading COVID-19, particularly the omicron variant. He likewise noted that protection from serious illnesses and deaths through inoculation wanes after the second dose, and seems to wane in a similar way after the booster.

Read more related stories at Abortions.news.

Watch the video below about spontaneous abortions following COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.

This video is from The Willow channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

VAX ATTACKS: The new mRNA coronavirus vaccines will likely cause immune cells to attack placenta cells, causing female infertility, miscarriage or birth defects.

Healthy 39-year-old single mother dies four days after getting second dose of Moderna coronavirus vaccine.

Shocking numbers: Comparing COVID-19 deaths to abortion deaths.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

Revolver.news

DocDroid.net

Pubmed.CBI.NLM.NIH.gov

Web.Archive.org

LifeSiteNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) With the stories of massive food shortages striking America and the world front and center over at Drudge a couple of days ago, one that immediately caught my eye came at us from France 24 (saved here at archive) showing just how far the globalists are pushing this thing towards a grotesque point of no return with that story asking as its title: Can pee help feed the world?

(Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

With that story coming out at a time when more and more food processing plants are catching fire, we should pay close attention to all of the globalist debunking outlets such as Snopes and others going into full scale cover up mode, calling the food processing plant fires being intentionally set a crazy conspiracy theory. And that France 24 story also came out a few years after The Guardian put out this story titled: Food security: is it time to recognize the nutritional value of human waste? Where are they pushing us?

And with the independent media warning time and again that were being heavily pushed away from the consumption of meat towards accepting the grotesque as meat substitutes, whether that be through the consumption of bugs, the globalists push towards cannibalism or now this, we continue to serve our families and loved ones tremendously by preparing for a time when the destruction of food processing plants has become a worldwide phenomenon.

With several more fires at food processing plants happening since our last story on these fires in this April 25th ANP story titled Something Really Dark Is Going On In America As FBI Warns Of Coming Cyber Attacks On Our Food Processing Plants And Supply Chain  A Very Strange Trend Is Impacting Our Food Supply', as well explore within this story, with all of this happening at a time when food shortages are already hitting America hard, bird flu striking chickens from Pennsylvania to France, Shanghai port shutdowns continue to make things for the supply chain worse while the globalists have gone into full scale cover up mode, theres never been a better time to be completely prepared than now.

According to Snopes, all of these recent fires at food processing plants arent a new trend but an uptick in fear-mongering over food-supply shortages, though that story refuses to give us answers to how Americans will survive without our just in the nick of time food system nor do they even tell us just HOW they investigated all of these fires to determine that they werent a new trend.

With other globalist debunking outlets all jumping in with Snopes at the exact same time telling us that, once again, these globalist propaganda outlets are in huge cahoots with each other, weve warned on ANP previously that when all of these outlets focus on the same story, pushing the exact same talking points, theyre trying to hide something.

Some of the stories include this one over at US News and World Report, another one from WCNC in North Carolina, one from the Seattle Times, this one from Fact Check, one from Politifact and several other ones, all pushing the same narrative that there is no conspiracy. And when even the Washington Post gets into the mix, you theyre trying to cover up something in a huge way. Yet plants keep burning down.

As WTKR in Hampton Roads reported soon after our April 25th story, a Purdue Farms food processing plant in Chesapeake, VA had caught fire just days later while days after that, another food processing plant in Fresno, California caught fire as well. So all of these fires are just some kind of crazy conspiracy theory?

As the Blaze reported just days ago in this story titled Samantha Power says catastrophic food shortages are an opportunity to implement left-wing policies NEWS  She actually said never a let a crisis go to waste', its probably also just a crazy conspiracy theory that all of these shortages and fires are happening at a perfect time for the leftist/globalists to implement their new food system as reported in this new Washington Standard story.

And with it also long being warned within the independent media that he who controls the food, controls the people as reported in this recent Liberty Daily story, would anyone really put it past these globalist devils who want to control us all to carry out such shenanigans? From this Blaze story.:

A Biden administration member said that catastrophic food and fertilizer shortages caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine are a great opportunity to implement left-wing policies.

Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, made the comments during an interview with This Week on Sunday.

Were seeing global food shortages all around the world, said anchor George Stephanopoulos, as the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, what more can be done to address those shortages?

Thank you for posing that question, it is just another catastrophic effect of Putins unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, I mean as if the harms in Ukraine werent enough, you have countries like in subsaharan Africa and the Middle East who get maybe eighty, ninety percent of their wheat or their grain, overall, from Russia and Ukraine, and you see massive spikes in food prices, said Power.

Food prices, right now George, globally are up 34% from where they were a year ago, aided substantially, again, by this invasion, she added.

Power said they were working to increase food production from farmers, but also wanted to use the opportunity to make farmers choose green energy alternatives to fertilizer.

Fertilizer shortages are real now because Russia is a big exporter of fertilizer. And even though fertilizer is not sanctioned, less fertilizer is coming out of Russia. As a result, were working with countries to think about natural solutions like manure and compost. And this may hasten transitions that would have been in the interest of farmers to make eventually anyway, Power continued.

So if anyone really thinks that these devils WOULDNT use this crisis as an opportunity, while even going out of their way to cause this crisis to worsen, they havent been paying attention to the past few decades or the past few weeks.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) Host Dan Happel and former wildlife service official turned whistleblower Jim Beers talked about exposing corruption in the federal government during the May 3 episode of Connecting the Dots on Brighteon.TV.

A retired United States Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, Beers had exposed the misuse of the Pittman Robertson Fund and how wolves were being illegally brought into the U.S. through Canada.

The former special agent and refuge manager pointed out that the federal government bureaucracy has changed so much in the last 20 or 30 years and a lot of environmental and animal rights legislation were introduced by the federal government in the 1970s.

Beers, who has worked closely with state fish and wildlife agencies, mentioned that the people taking over the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management were mainly hostile and urban people not necessarily trained in wildlife management, forestry management and range management.

The former program analyst and congressional fellow in Washington also shared about the new people  the first woman director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and a man coming from a woke or progressive Merchant Marine Fisheries command committee  who came after him when he exposed the corruption in the agency.

Beers added that they had threatened to transfer him to Boston or force him to retire, which eventually led him to hire a lawyer and testify before Congress about the theft by the Fish and Wildlife Service of as much as $60 million from the state fish and wildlife funds.

$60M state fish and wildlife funds have gone missing

The former wetlands biologist disclosed that most of the missing Fish and Wildlife Service funds were used to trap, transport and release Canadian gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the opening of a Fish and Wildlife special regional office in California. Some were also given to a bunch of managers in the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Portland regional office in Washington. He noted that Congress did not fund or authorize it.

Beers had also testified against the invasive species authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service. The retired wildlife biologist shared that he had signed a six-figure settlement agreement that for three years he would not discuss his separation from the government.

According to Beers, nobody in the Fish and Wildlife Service was prosecuted or admonished. He recalled that he once made a list of 15 different federal laws that were violated, such as holding back the money and using it for their own purpose, doing something that Congress had not authorized or had not funded and making importation documents at the border from Canada. (Related: Toni Shuppe tells Dr. Alan Keyes: There is a lot more corruption going on at certain levels of our government  Brighteon.TV.)

He pointed out that the Canadian gray wolves that were brought into the Yellowstone National Park were dangerous animals and that it was a poor choice and a bad deal.

Those are pretty wicked animals like Grizzly bears are. Theyre not really suited for settled landscape ever. They really arent for a whole host of reasons. But whether its human safety, livestock safety or big game, herd management or whatever, it was a very poor choice, Beers explained.

Happel noted that these Canadian gray wolves were much bigger and heavier compared to the average timber wolves, and that these apex predators that hunt as a pack are very dangerous when placed in a subtle landscape, especially if you have cattle or horses.

Beers agreed and lamented the fact that people who have suffered from wolf attacks are not speaking up and that the officials and agencies responsible have done nothing to address the issue.

BigGovernment.news has more stories about corrupt government agencies.

Watch the full May 3 episode of Connecting The Dots below. You can catch Connecting The Dots with Dan Happel every Tuesday at 5-6 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

EPA whistleblower fired for telling the truth about geoengineering.

Corruption in the midst of pandemic: Government to pay $1.2B for $30M-worth of treatment courses of new covid drug.

Dr. John Diamond and Rev. Marty Grisham urge people to EXPOSE the DARKNESS  Brighteon.TV.

Clay Clark discusses government CORRUPTION and globalist COLLUSION  Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:
(Natural News) While the Western world has blamed Russia for invading Ukraine  and by the standards of international law, Vladimir Putins invasion certainly is illegal  the so-called victim in all of this mess isnt so innocent either.

The longer the war progresses, the more we learn about just how nasty and corrupt Ukraine really is, and to be honest, that makes sense, given that the Bidens were involved in shady business deals there.

According to Great Game India, human rights investigators have now found neo-Nazi torture chambers inside the country and they look as though they have been well-used against Russian troops, in fact.

Russian and Donbas investigators have gathered volumes of evidence dating back to 2014 on probable war crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazi organizations against Russian forces, Donbas militia members, and civilians. Additional proof of similar acts has surfaced since Moscow launched its demilitarization campaign in Ukraine, the report states.

Russian security troops patrolling in the liberated Kherson region uncovered a makeshift torture cell that might have been utilized by neo-Nazis or the Ukrainian military, the report continued.

According to the outlet, investigators discovered a corpse inside the facility dressed in Russian military fatigues and missing both legs. The corpse, discovered near the village of Zelenovka, was booby-trapped with an explosive, according to sources who discovered the facility.

The rigid body, presumably that of a Russian serviceman, was found in the basement of the Old Oak roadside cafe along the M-14 highway in Zelenovka. The body has remnants of special military clothing used by the Russian Armed Forces. The body has no legs, shows signs of torture, and has a slit larynx, said one of the investigators, according to Great Game India.

The report said the body was allegedly discovered on top of an anti-tank mine with more explosives nearby.

In addition, investigators found syringes  most likely for injecting narcotics into victims about to be tortured  as well as a large number of plastic containers believed to have once stored U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missiles that were strewn about.

Investigators took a video of the scene and gave it to various media outlets.

Officials in Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics, and Ukraines regular army have devoted several years towards collecting evidence of potential war crimes in the Donbas, including the torture and killing of citizens and Donbas militiamen in a labyrinth of hidden prisons, said the report.

The discovery of the neo-Nazi torture chamber comes after earlier reports detailing the brutality of Ukraines Nazi battalions, including Azov towards Russian soldiers, most of whom have been conscripted to fight this war.

In late March, Ukrainian forces posted some video on social media showing them posing with what appeared to be Russian prisoners of war who were lying in pools of blood with their hands tied. One Russian troop was shot and killed while someone else took a video of the killing. And last month, a mercenary told the Danish media that Ukraines forces were executing captured Russian soldiers.

Ive heard about one successful prisoner exchange, and thats it. People are being killed, said the mercenary, who is using the pseudonym Jonas, in an interview with Denmarks TV2. The channel confirmed that it knows his real identity and that he really is in Ukraine.

Russian media outlet Sputnik reported:

International laws of warfare to which both Russia and Ukraine are signatories prohibit the killing of captured combatants, and demands that they be treated humanely and be provided medical attention if required. The execution of prisoners of war is prohibited.

That is true, of course, but then, international law requires there be a predicate for invading a sovereign country  such as suffering an attack as the U.S. did at Pearl Harbor or on 9/11  before invading.

Also, Russia is a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which called on Moscow, along with London and Washington, to guarantee Ukraines security after it surrendered Soviet-era nuclear weapons that were on its soil when the USSR dissolved in 1990.

So there is a lot of blame to go around here; both sides are guilty.

Sources include:

Sputnik.com

GreatGameIndia.com
(Natural News) The attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana have filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden, outgoing White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other regime officials for allegedly colluding with Big Tech to censor Americans and suppress vital information.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry alleged in their suit that the regime conspired with social media giants before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent vital information from reaching the public because it did not match their narratives for continued lockdowns, business closures and mandatory vaccines.

Missourians and Americans use social media platforms, which are now ubiquitous in our modern society, to discuss topics like the efficacy of masks and the veracity of the lab-leak theory, Schmitt noted in a press release. 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.

He also announced the legal action on Twitter.

BREAKING: Missouri and Louisiana just filed suit against Joe Biden, Jen Psaki, Dr. Fauci, and other top-ranking officials for allegedly colluding with social media companies to suppress freedom of speech under the guise of combating misinformation,' he wrote.

?BREAKING: Missouri and Louisiana just filed suit against Joe Biden, Jen Psaki, Dr. Fauci, and other top-ranking officials for allegedly colluding with social media companies to suppress freedom of speech under the guise of combating misinformation. THREAD pic.twitter.com/cgMmyk2nZz  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

The lawsuit, filed today, alleges that the Biden Administration colluded with and pressured social media giants Meta, Twitter, and Youtube to suppress and censor free speech on topics like the Hunter Biden laptop story, the Lab Leak Theory, and more, he continued on the platform.

The lawsuit, filed today, alleges that the Biden Administration colluded with and pressured social media giants Meta, Twitter, and Youtube to suppress and censor free speech on topics like the Hunter Biden laptop story, the Lab Leak Theory, and more. https://t.co/aTcdFU41iX  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

The Missouri AG went on to provide some examples of what the named parties are alleged to have done.

In Oct. 2020, after publishing an article on the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop, the New York Posts main Twitter account was locked, and Twitter blocked other users from sharing the link, he wrote.

In Oct. 2020, after publishing an article on the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop, the New York Posts main Twitter account was locked, and Twitter blocked other users from sharing the link. https://t.co/SlYh03Uwdz  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

Biden, his allies, and those acting in concert with them falsely attacked the Hunter Biden laptop story as disinformation,' says the lawsuit.

Over a year and a half later, the Washington Post and the NY Times acknowledged the truth and reliability of the story, but not before the damage was done and free speech was suppressed by Twitter and companies, Schmitt tweeted.

Over a year and a half later, the Washington Post and the NY Times acknowledged the truth and reliability of the story, but not before the damage was done and free speech was suppressed by Twitter and companies. -> https://t.co/Ai3vibU4w4

-> https://t.co/6ZDxCp9s6X  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

He added: Beginning in February 2020, Facebook and other social media platforms began aggressively censoring speech about the Lab Leak Theory, and Facebook updated its content moderation on COVID-19 to include false and debunked claims that COVID-19 was man-made or manufactured.

Beginning in February 2020, Facebook and other social media platforms began aggressively censoring speech about the Lab Leak Theory, and Facebook updated its content moderation on COVID-19 to include false and debunked claims that COVID-19 was man-made or manufactured.  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

Only after major media outlets confirmed that COVID-19 escaping from a lab is a feasible possibility did Facebook and others stop censoring speech related to the Lab Leak Theory. Even the WSJ writes, Facebook acted in lockstep with the government,' he added.

Only after major media outlets confirmed that COVID-19 escaping from a lab is a feasible possibility did Facebook and others stop censoring speech related to the Lab Leak Theory. Even the WSJ writes, Facebook acted in lockstep with the government.https://t.co/Jt046WXVME  Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) May 5, 2022

Lets hope the lawsuit is successful because our bought-and-paid-for Congress isnt going to hold anyone accountable anytime soon.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) It is a sad state of affairs when the leading manufacturers of vaccines confess that their own favorite mantra of safe and effective means nothing and has been fabricated as propaganda to push their dangerous experiment solely for profits. This is not some rogue doctors opinion, or some journalists spreading misinformation, but rather the manufacturers themselves admitting in their own exposed documents that their gene therapy injections for Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are dangerous, ineffective and will probably NEVER pass clinical trials in an acceptable way for an actual approval for standard use.

Pfizer admits in their own documents: We may not be able to demonstrate sufficient efficacy or safety of our COVID-19 vaccine and/or variant specific formulations to obtain permanent regulatory approval in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union or other countries where it has been authorized for emergency use or granted conditional marketing approval.

Pfizers only concern is risk factors for investors, not risk factors for victims of their vaccine damage

The only reason we, as Americans, patients, consumers and even vaccinated people, know this information is because Pfizer could get sued by the INVESTORS if they did not disclose the dangers of the vaccine, lack of safety and lack of efficacy to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

This is straight from Pfizers annual report given to the SEC about how profitable their vaccine will be for shareholders. It states the following in the Risk Factors for investors/shareholders section:

Our revenue depends heavily on sales of our COVID-19 vaccine, and our future revenues from our COVID-19 vaccine are uncertain.

Our commercial revenue is based on preliminary estimates of COVID-19 vaccine sales and costs from Pfizer Inc., or Pfizer, that are likely to change in future periods, which will impact our reported financial results.

Pfizer pushes for a three-shot combo for kids under five

Pfizer top drug dealers said recently that they expect to submit to regulators by early June data on the lack of safety or efficacy (like their current jabs) of a three-shot combination of their deadly jab, now to be marketed for children under the age of five. Its not enough to jab pregnant women with their toxins and cause spontaneous abortions and miscarriages, and its not enough to cause healthy people who dont need the shots myocarditis and blood clots, so now Pfizer wants to reduce the population of children one to four years young. This comes after their jabs have already been proven ineffective in kids in that age range. Imagine that.

Now their own published documents have revealed the greedy, crooked crooks they really are, and for the whole world to witness. The emergency use authorization was the ONLY way these toxic jabs could have been used, and the only way they can continually be used, since they dont pass any kinds of safety or efficacy tests, clinical trials, research, peer-reviews, nothing.

Watch this excellent podcaster coverage about Pfizers greed, carelessness, and admissions about their dangerous vaccines on Facebook. It is mind-boggling that Pfizer is literally getting away with murder.

Do your own research, and do NOT use Google. Try the search engine Brave BETA and get more truth news and real information. Bookmark Vaccines.news to your favorite independent websites for updates on experimental COVID-19 vaccines that cause blood clots and other horrific side effects.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com 1

NaturalNews.com 2

Facebook.com
(Natural News) Researcher Alexandra Sasha Latypova debunked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wastewater testing for Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), calling it pure nonsense.

Viruses dont survive outside of the human body or host for longer than maybe an hour or a couple of hours. Its very difficult for them. They need a host to replicate and survive so they cannot survive outside, Latypova told host Ann Vandersteel during the May 3 episode of Steel Truth show on Brighteon.TV.

Again viruses cannot live outside of the human body, especially this kind of virus which is RNA. Everything affects that like the sunlight will break it down, the temperature will break it down. Staying outside of the human body for a couple of hours will break it down.

According to the Team Enigma researcher, wastewater gets treated for viruses and bacteria so detecting COVID in wastewater is impossible.

The former pharmaceutical industry executive said the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 with only 40 cases being pronounced worldwide was not normal. Latypova also said that countries simultaneously declaring a pandemic, lockdowns and some other measures was incredibly unusual. People have never seen anything like this before, she added.

Vandersteel also talked with Latypova about HowBad.info, the website that the Team Enigma researcher built with her business partner Craig Paardekooper.

Latypova said their website gives people quick access to information from Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in an easy-to-understand form. Aside from being publicly accessible, it also provides various updates, new publications, new analyses and news stories that people can quickly scan and look at to know what is going on. It gives information about the different batch codes for Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen in the U.S. and outside of the country. The website also has a compilation of adverse event reports, including deaths, disabilities and life-threatening illnesses.

The Team Enigma researcher said when they started looking at VAERS, she was immediately alarmed by the high degree of variability in different batches of the COVID-19 vaccines and suspected that these so-called vaccines were not well-controlled and well-tested products. (Related: VAERS analysis exposes CDC, FDA for covering up hundreds of serious adverse events associated with COVID vaccines)

Pfizer violates FDA guidance by testing different versions of its product

Latypova said they found that Pfizer was testing different versions of its product, which is not allowed under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance.

So as I was suspicious already that they have different formulations, I now see clear evidence that they do in fact have different versions, which means different formulations. So I looked into this further and found that actually throughout the whole process, starting from animals and then going into human clinical trials, they were allowed by the FDA to test different versions of the product, different categories entirely. So some modified RNA, unmodified RNA, self-amplifying RNA and also spike protein by itself as a product and theyre all under the same, Latypova explained.

Vandersteel pointed out that there was more to the breakdown of the regulatory process because Latypova and Team Enigma also found that the toxicity of the COVID-19 vaccines mRNA active ingredient was actually never studied. The Steel Truth host also mentioned that the FDA, CDC and Pfizer all lied about the vaccine staying at the injection site.

Ingredients of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine end up in major organs

According to the researcher, Pfizer did a very clever trick by turning their product into a combination of two things with the RNA or mRNA being combined with a synthetically generated coded spike protein that is encapsulated in a lipid nanoparticle delivery platform. The lipid nanoparticle, Latypova said, went all over the body and ended up in all major organs in substantial concentrations, especially places like the liver, spleen, adrenal glands and ovaries.

Watch the full May 3 episode of Steel Truth below. Steel Truth with Ann Vandersteel airs every weekday from 9:30-10:30 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Pfizer document admits that covid vaccines cause severe adverse reactions

Big Pharma, mainstream media cover up serious adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines

Documents and videos reveal life-threatening adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines

Researcher tells Dr. Jane Ruby: FDA, EMA, MHRA approved COVID-19 vaccines without seeing trial data  Brighteon.TV

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

PubMed.gov

HowBad.info
Large and publicly available astronomical archives open up new possibilities to search for and study small solar system objects such as asteroids and comets.

In its 32 years of observations, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced a rich archive of hundreds of thousands of targeted observations of nebulae, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and gravitational lenses.

Occasionally, closer objects such as asteroids cross the telescopes field of view while the targets are being observed, leaving trails in the images.

In 2019, on International Asteroid Day, professional astronomers launched the Hubble Asteroid Hunter citizen science project on the Zooniverse platform, with the goals of visually identifying asteroids in archival images from the European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope (eHST) archive and studying their properties.

The initiative was developed by the European Science and Technology Centre (ESTEC) and the European Space Astronomy Centres Science Data Centre (ESDC), in collaboration with Zooniverse and Google.

First, the astronomers identified more than 37,000 composite images taken between April 2002 and March 2021 with Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instruments.

With a typical observation time of 30 mins, asteroid trails appear as curved lines or streaks in these images.

Over 11,400 members of the public then classified and analyzed these images.

More than 1,000 trails were identified, providing a training set for an automated algorithm based on artificial intelligence.

The combination of citizen science and AI resulted in a final dataset containing 1,701 trails in 1,316 Hubble images.

The project participants also tagged various other astronomical objects, such as gravitational lenses, galaxies and nebulae.

Roughly one third of the asteroid trails seen could be identified and attributed to known asteroids in the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Centre.

This left 1,031 unidentified trails that are faint and likely to be smaller asteroids than those detected in ground-based surveys.

The vast majority of these asteroids are expected to be located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where asteroids of such small size are as yet poorly studied.

These trails could give the astronomers insightful clues about the conditions in the early Solar System when the planets were forming.

Citizen science and machine learning are very useful techniques for the systematic search for Solar System objects in existing astronomy science data archives, the researchers said.

Our work describes a method for finding new asteroids in astronomical archives that span decades.

It could be effectively applied to other datasets, increasing the overall sample of well-characterised small bodies in the Solar System and refining their ephemerides.

The results were published in a paper in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

_____

Sandor Kruk et al. 2022. Hubble Asteroid Hunter I. Identifying asteroid trails in Hubble Space Telescope images. A&A 661, A85; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202142998
(Natural News) The Public Health Scotland (PHS) database revealed that the number of newborn babies dying has surpassed critical levels for the second time in seven months. These record-breaking deaths were discovered after it was revealed that Pfizer and medicine regulators hid the dangers of the vaccine during pregnancy as the only study conducted found that it increased the risk of birth defects and infertility.

Official figures showed that the rate of neonatal deaths increased to 4.6 per 1,000 live births in March 2022, a 119 percent increase compared to expected death rates. The last time that this threshold was breached was only in September 2021, when neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births climbed to 5.1. While the rate is not consistent, the figure for both September 2021 and March 2022 is on par with levels that were last seen in the late 1980s.

PHS has not yet announced an official investigation, but it is expected to do so just like last year when the upper control limit was exceeded. (Related: COVID vaccine causes miscarriages, stillbirths.)

New evidence suggests COVID-19 vaccines contributor to neonatal deaths

The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines were not initially suspected to be a contributor to these deaths, but there is now evidence suggesting that they could be.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) formally recommended at the end of April 2021 that all pregnant women should be offered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine even though there had been no studies performed to prove its safety.

Former Pfizer executive Michael Yeadon himself rejected the idea. You never ever give inadequately tested medicines, medicinal products, to a pregnant woman, he said at the time.

Despite JCVI not officially advising the vaccines to be offered to pregnant women until the end of April 2021, there had been plenty of instances when they have been administered due to the number of miscarriages reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as of April 5, 2021.

This was also reported despite the U.K. government clearly stating in official documents prepared upon the approval of the emergency authorization of the Pfizer vaccine that it was not recommended for use during pregnancy. (Related: VAERS data reveals 50-fold increase in ectopic pregnancies following COVID-19 vaccine shots.)

It also stated that pregnancy should be ruled out before vaccination, and women of childbearing age should avoid getting pregnant for at least two months after their second dose.

Medicine regulators around the world had been working in tandem with Pfizer to cover up the fact that only limited animal studies were performed to test the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy. That study found an increased rate of birth defects and infertility.

A study post-vaccine rollout has also found that the rate of miscarriage following COVID-19 vaccination is 82 percent following COVID-19 vaccination. In July 2021, data was shown to be manipulated by scientists for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to indicate that COVID-19 vaccines were safe to use during pregnancy.

The authors claimed that the number of people who suffered from spontaneous abortions during the study was 104 out of 827 completed pregnancies, putting the risk of miscarriage at 12.6 percent or 12 percent lower than the risk of miscarriage in the general population.

However, further analysis proved that these numbers were extremely misleading: Of the 827 completed pregnancies, 700 or 86 percent of women received a dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine during their third trimester, while most miscarriages often occur before the 20th week of pregnancy.

This means that only 127 women received their vaccine during the first or second trimester, with 104 of them losing their babies. Using this information, the rate of incidence of miscarriage was actually 82 percent, and not 12.6 percent as the CDC originally stated.

While it is not yet possible to definitively conclude that COVID-19 injections are responsible for the rise of neonatal deaths in Scotland, it is quite clear that they do interfere with the reproductive system. And further studies should be carried out to avoid more deaths in the future.

Follow Immunization.news to learn more about the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.

Researchers are calling for a stop vaccination of pregnant women in the video below.

This video is from the Tammy Cuthbert Garcia channel on Brighteon.com

More related stories:

KILLING BABIES: Death of infant linked to Pfizer Covid vaccine that mother took while breastfeeding.

VAERS records overwhelming adverse events from COVID-19 vaccines in first two months of 2022.

UK now pushing pregnant women to take covid vaccines despite miscarriage, infertility risks.

Sources include:

DailyExpose.uk

GlobalResearch.ca

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Data from the Office for National Statistics in the U.K. showed that British children aged 10 to 14 injected with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine had an all-cause death rate of 238 per 100,000 from January 1 to October 31, 2021.

That was about 52 times higher than the death rate among unvaccinated children from the same age group, which was only 4.58 per 100,000.

Vaccinated children around the world developing hepatitis of unknown origin

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last month that 169 children aged one month to 16 years had developed acute hepatitis of unknown origin. Most of the children were from the U.K., Europe and Israel.

The U.K. Health Security Agency also updated its data recently, adding 34 more cases to its tally. Ten of the children required liver transplants.

Australia is also reporting a few mysterious cases of hepatitis in children. Some case studies are chronicling post-injection autoimmune hepatitis.

Some of the youngest children included in the studies are victims of poisoned breast milk from their fully-vaccinated mothers. One possible case is that of three-year-old Lola Rose Raine from the United Kingdom. The childs father, Alan Raine, had to donate part of his liver to save his daughter when she developed hepatitis and liver failure of unknown origin.

In Fort Worth, Texas, Brooke Scogin said she breastfed her children because she wanted to transmit the spike proteins in COVID-19 vaccines to them since theyre too young to get vaccinated.

Despite the absurdity of this harmful act, even alleged health experts support Scogins actions. According to Dr. Lori Atkins, a Fort Worth OB-GYN with FENOM Womens Care, that was a great idea. She added that many other women have continued to breastfeed their children for extra protection.

Atkins also mentioned a patient who wasnt able to get vaccinated until after she delivered her baby. Like Scogin, this patient will also nurse her child for as long as possible. (Related: Pfizer wants to give children aged 5 to 11 COVID-19 vaccine booster.)

Eight-year-old diagnosed with rare disease following COVID-19 vaccination

Theres also the case of eight-year-old Ryleigh Jones.

Before getting vaccinated, Jones was a happy, healthy child. But Ryleighs mother Jennifer Jones decided to get her vaccinated on Jan. 6. After six days, Ryleigh got sick and her life changed for the worse.

Ryleighs doctors claimed she had COVID-19. According to a LifeFunder campaign for Ryleigh, the poor girl visited Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital at least 11 times from Feb. 15 to April 20.

She was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a rare disease that is yet to be fully understood by health experts. Her mother told the doctors that the Pfizer mRNA vaccine might be responsible for Ryleighs illness, but they didnt take her seriously.

Her mother then tried taking Ryleigh to Johns Hopkins University Hospital (JHUH), but once again they refused to listen to her. The JHUH doctors diagnosed Ryleigh with porphyria and celiac disease.

Porphyria is a blood disease that causes nervous system dysfunction, while celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects digestion, particularly the small intestines.

Ryleigh is now struggling to walk and talk.

Five-year-old from the Philippines paralyzed after getting vaccinated

On March 22, five-year-old Pixie Calo-Lamadora from the Philippines received her first mRNA injection. Less than 13 hours later, she was in the hospital and on life support.

Rose Jovelyn Calo-Lamadora, Pixies mother, then posted an update on April 20. She wrote that Pixie was finally released from the hospital after 27 days, 14 of which she spent in intensive care.

According to the mothers post, Pixie can no longer walk. She may start walking again, but only after years of physical therapy.

Follow VaccineDeaths.com for more news about COVID vaccine-related deaths.

Check out this episode of The Health Ranger Report as host Mike Adams and Dr. Bryan Ardis discuss the origins of COVID-19 and the dangers of coronavirus vaccines.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Latest CDC data shows 106 children died, 48,033 suffered adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination.

Covid vaccines are causing severe autoimmune hepatitis in children.

An open letter to parents and pediatricians and a call for an immediate halt to COVID vaccinations.

Sources include:

TheCovidBlog.com 1

DailyExpose.uk

WFAA.com

TheCovidBlog.com 2

Brighteon.com
A potential pandemic threat has been averted by scientists when they isolated a Europe-based virus, known to be a close family relative of some of the world's deadliest viruses, according to a new study. For the past several decades, Earth was gripped by various pathogens, resulting in either an epidemic or pandemic.

If not for the scientific feat, the world will be dealing with two pandemic-level viruses, in addition to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The new study sheds a light on improved research in the areas of ecology and virology against potential virus outbreaks.

Possible Pandemic Threat

In a case of pandemic preparedness, researchers from the Medway School of Pharmacy, along with the collaboration between the universities of Greenwich and Kent, took part in the isolation of the so-called Lloviu virus (LLOV), a close relative of the Ebola virus.

The new findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications on March 31, wherein the researchers isolated the infectious LLOV from Schreiber's bats in Hungary. In 2002, the LLOV was initially identified through its genetic material from the same bats in Spain.

The LLOV belongs to the filovirus family, whose members include the Ebola virus and Marburg virus, where its cases have been initially reported in Africa. Although a possible pandemic threat has been prevented, the study shows that viruses are not only confined to a single location as previously thought.

Also Read: Melting Glaciers in Arctic Could Release Dangerous Viruses, Leading to Interspecies Transmission

Pandemic Preparedness

According to Dr. Simon Scott, a member of the Viral Pseudotye Unit (VPU) at the Medway School of Pharmacy, their research is a "smoking gun" but it is still important for the research team to determine the viruses' distribution to be prepared for potential epidemics and pandemics, as cited by the News Centre webpage of the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.

The UK-based university also underscored that there is a clear knowledge gap concerning animal hosts, pathogenicity, and transmissibility of these newly discovered viruses. It also highlighted the importance of studies on zoonotic viruses, which can be transmitted from animals to humans.

In this case, LLOV is reported of interest to public health worldwide given the increasingly close proximity between animals and humans, as the latter has its settlement for several centuries, occupying animal habitats and ecosystems.

Zoonosis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that zoonotic diseases are highly common not only across the United States but also worldwide, citing estimations by scientists that over six out of every 10 known diseases can be spread from animals to humans.

Meanwhile, the CDC adds that three out of every four emerging or new infectious diseases can still be transmitted from animals to humans, with the most recent and widespread among them being COVID-19, whose virus allegedly came from a flea market in Wuhan, China, as early as 2019.

Following the study, the University of Kent says Dr. Scott and his team are aiming to conduct further research across Europe pertaining to the health risks posed by the LLOV to humans.

Related Article: Shapeshifting Virus Thriving in Volcanic Springs May Open New Doors in Viral Study
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 11: A groomer washes the paws of Connor the Great Pyrenees during the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Piers 92/94 on February 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo : Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Just now, many people on digital mainstream press have connected the narrative of a community dog in China that traveled over 40 kilometers to his ancient homeland in quick check of his initial master to the Richard Gere film "Hachi: A Dog's Tale."

A Dog From China Travels 40km

The act of the said dog has touched and melted the heart of countless social media users, whom also shared their sympathy to the dog.

The eight-year-old dog, who was named Big Yellow by his original master, has been fostered by the user's son when his father died on the Chinese Lunar New Year in 2021, as per The Independent latest news update.

As shown in a social media thread update uploaded on Chinese social media network Douyin by a lady distinguished by nothing but her family forename, Li, the dog managed to sneak away as well as travel back to the countryside where his original master resided within approximately a week of full-time travel.

In a New York Post update, the said social media update thread post, which also included a short clip of the dog, took the world by storm, prompting readers to express an opinion on the occurrence and compare it to the Richard Gere film, which was primarily focused on the actual tale of a dog nicknamed Hachiko, who ended up waiting for his deceased master for almost 9 years.

According to the official statement of Ms. Li in which she commented in reference to Douyin's short clip update that though maybe Big Yellow - the dog, doesn't grasp what death is and why the subject he cared about the greatest is no longer with him today.

The initial owner's son, who already had brought the dog with his native rural area, opted to keep the dog at his deceased father's hamlet.

Big Yellow, as said by observers, has constantly roamed the street corners of the hamlet in quick check of his registered proprietor and devotes a lot of time in the entrance of the family home standing in line and expecting for him to come back, as per to the Daily Advent online media site.

Also read: Debunked: Did a Man Buy a Cockatoo to Sing a Death Metal Song?

Big Yellow Wait for his Master Even After Death of Dog's Owner

Ms. Li also made aware of the fact that she has literally no idea Big Yellow's tale would become viral, since for her, she merely recorded the footage nonchalantly because of her fondness to canines like Big Yellow.

It was also reported that Ms. Li stated in the Douyin live stream that neighbors send him meals to show their appreciation for his commitment.

In a proper interview with her she explained that Big Yellow has received excellent primary healthcare services in the community, in which the majority of the people are old.

Furthermore, just several visitors arrive from outside of the country and several more people have dogs that they let go throughout the hamlet.

Also, other individuals participating in the online media sites expressed their personal experiences with dog devotion.

In the commentary section one user believed that after the incident everything else has gone wrong for this dog.

"Everything the puppy wishes to do is stand in line and wait for his master to come back," one person said.

Related article: New Study Assesses 10,000 Dogs to Know More About Proper Dog Diet, Here's What You Should Know




The Westdahl Peak volcano in Alaska last erupted in 1992, and its continuing growth suggests that another eruption is imminent.

Experts predicted that the next eruption would occur by 2010, but the volcano, which is situated under nearly 1 kilometer of glacial ice, is yet to erupt.

Recent volcanic modeling research inspired by the Westdahl Peak volcano investigated how glaciers impact the security and quick eruption phases of elevated volcanic systems, some of which are located along significant air traffic routes.

Slow eruption of ice-capped volcanoes

The study, led by Lilian Lucas, an undergraduate research associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with postgraduate Jack Albright, graduate student Yan Zhan, and geology professor Patricia Gregg, used finite volume element of numerical modeling to investigate the solidity of the rock that envelops volcanic structures, but also with a twist.

When projecting the time of eruptions, the researchers took into consideration the added pressure from glacial ice volcanoes.

Volcanic forecasting incorporates several variables, according to Lucas, such as the depth and size of a volcano's magma chamber, the pace at which magma fills that chamber, and the strength of the rocks that confine the chamber.

Another essential, but poorly understood, component is the overlaying pressure from the polar ice caps.

Although the Aleutian Islands are isolated, they are located along with a significant aviation transit and commercial route between North America and East Asia, according to Albright.

Because volcanic ash in the sky is dangerous to aircraft engines and can create large disruptions in air traffic, more precise forecasting, even on a monthly scale, can give crucial safety information for air traffic and residents.

According to the study, the team did computer simulations of magma reservoirs of various sizes and forms to evaluate how overlaying pressure from polar ice might alter the timing of eruptions.

Researchers altered the flux, or quantity of magma entering the system from below, to see when the corresponding pressure exceeded the strength of the surrounding rock.

Earlier research has looked at how seasonal variations, such as yearly snow cover, can alter volcano eruption intervals.

Small seasonal changes, however, are unlikely to have a significant effect in most systems when compared to the overall overlaying stress that the magma chamber must resist in order to erupt.

Annual ice loss may influence explosion duration for ecosystems on the verge of collapse, according to Zhan.

It will also be critical to evaluate how climate change and glacial glacier melt may affect Westdahl Peak and other rising volcanoes in the future.

Also Read: Most Dangerous Volcanoes in the World That Can Erupt at Any Time

Westdahl Peak Volcano

Westdahl is a wide, 1654-meter-high glacier-covered volcano on Unimak Island's southwest coast.

A fresh crater built-in 1978 penetrates the top icecap, and two summits emerge from the summit plateau.

The wide volcano has a shield-like appearance and is one of the Aleutian Islands' greatest volcanoes. Five kilometers north of Westdahl is the sharp-topped, conical Pogromni stratovolcano.

Pogromni climbs to 2002 m, several hundred meters higher than Westdahl, but is glacially dissected and so likely older.

Many postglacial satellite cones may be seen along an NW-SE line that cuts through Westdahl's peak. Some past eruptions attributed to the eroding Pogromni volcano may have been caused by Westdahl.

Westdahl's first historical eruption occurred in 1795. In 1991, an 8-kilometer-long fissure running east from Westdahl's peak erupted with volcanic explosions and lava flows.

Related article: Awakening the Giant! Iceland's Largest Volcano Might Erupt After Unusual Big Quakes
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a flood warning for the bulk of Queensland today, warning of "severe flooding."

Residents are being reminded to exercise caution in the rainy weather following the rescue of a man in his twenties from floodwaters in Mount Isa, in the state's northwest, late at night.

Flooding in Queensland can cause a resident hypothermia

The man was taken to Mount Isa Hospital in a stable condition, suffering from hypothermia. According to 9News, the man became trapped and had to cling to reeds for 30 minutes.

As the rain intensifies, heavy showers and storms are forecasted to pound parts of the state today.

The Central and Northern Interiors have been given a severe weather warning.

A preliminary flood warning has also been issued for western and central Queensland, as well as the central and northern Queensland coasts.

Longreach, in Queensland's outback, has already received 8.4mm of rain since 9 a.m., Mount Isa has received 11.2mm, Townsville has received 12.4mm, and the Sunshine Coast airport has received 36.6mm.

Jenny Gordon, a Longreach resident, claimed the rain hasn't stopped since midnight. It began about 12.15 a.m. and hasn't stopped since. She stated that she will measure the gauge at 9 a.m.

Longreach receives an average of 23mm of rain each month, according to weather presenter Tim Davies today.

Longreach is expected to receive 100mm of rain today, if not more, he added.

According to Weatherzone, certain sections of the state might receive several months' worth of rain in a single day. This weather pattern is quite rare for May.

This system may drop more than 100mm over Queensland, with some locations receiving more than 300mm.

Also Read: Flash Flood: 200 Evacuated as Floodwaters Sweep Through Turkey's Black Sea Region

Flood and cyclone-prone locations in eastern Australia might be deemed "uninsurable"

Extreme weather caused by the climate crisis is likely to render more Australian houses "uninsurable," according to a new analysis, with up to one in every 25 households struggling to get coverage by 2030, as per The Guardian.

The Climate Council's report, which used data from consultants Climate Valuation, identified the ten electorates throughout the country that are most likely to become uninsurable owing to flood, fire, and other severe weather risks.

The most vulnerable locations were shown to be in flood and cyclone-prone regions of Queensland and sections of Victoria constructed on flood prone areas near major rivers.

The study defines "uninsurable" as a region where the needed type of insurance policy was likely to be unavailable or only offered at such a high price that no one would ever finance it.

According to Nicki Hutley, an economist and Climate Council member who prepared the research, insurance rates are already skyrocketing and individuals are struggling to find coverage in some regions of the nation.

People were seeing changes, she said, noting the summertime bushfires and the recent terrible floods in northern New South Wales.

The paper contains a tool that demonstrates how the probability of various disasters and uninsurability develops under various scenarios out to 2100.

People may enter their address to check how their property will be impacted.

It projected that up to 27% of houses in the seat of Nicholls in northern Victoria and 20% of properties in Richmond in New South Wales might become uninsurable owing to flood plain risk.

Climate Valuation's CEO, Dr Karl Mallon, stated that the company's goal is to make hazards clear to households, insurance agencies, and regulators.

Related article: China Flooding Season: Flash-Flood Warning Raised as 4 Rivers Exceed Dangerous Levels
According to information published by the Philippine News Agency on May 7, 2022, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has formally commissioned its newest and largest vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, a 97-meter multi-role response vessel (MRRV) made by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Japan.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Commissioning ceremony of MRRV Teresa Magbanua (Picture source: Philippine Coast Guard)

The BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) is a Multi-Role Response Vessel (MRRV) of the Philippine Coast Guard. She is the lead ship of the Teresa Magbanua-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard. Currently, the largest and most modern vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard.

The Philippine Coast Guard clarified that the ships are designed for law enforcement duties, conducting environmental and humanitarian missions, as well as maritime security operations and patrol missions.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the MRRV has a length of 96.6 meters, a maximum speed of not less than 24 knots, and a complement of 67 crew members. She has two 6600 kW (6.6MW) diesel engines.

The MRRV has a helideck and a hangar that can accommodate the H145T2 helicopter of the PCG. She also has a hyperbaric chamber for those who have diving sickness and a survivor room that can accommodate those who will be rescued.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security operations, safeguarding life and property at sea, and protecting marine environment and resources; similar to coast guard units around the world.
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The annual National Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony took place at the New Testament Baptist Church followed by the formal wreath-laying ceremony at the Captain Hodge Wharf on May 4. Several readings in light of Remembrance Day were done in the Church, followed by a silent procession to the Captain Hodge Wharf.





During the church ceremony, recipient of the Governors Youth Award Ms. Jamie Lynch read an excerpt from Schoolboy in wartime, memories of my early years, a book written by the late Mr. Gerard van Veen. Recipient of the Governors Youth Award Ms. Faith Peterson rendered a reading on behalf of Mrs. Elsje Bosch who lost both parents during the Second World War. Philipsburg Jubilee Library Director Ms. Glenderlin E. Holiday highlighted the importance of written history in todays society, whilst the Commander of the Marine Detachment in St. Maarten Drs. Arie Noordam shared his views about Remembrance Day.





Lastly, five generations of persons ranging from their eighties to their pre-teens, consisting of Mrs. Arlette Bute, Mrs. Helianthe Lynch, Ms. Maryland Powell, Recipient of the 2020 Governors Youth Award Mr. Ray-Angel Simon, and lastly Ms. Sanaa Lake shared what freedom means to each one of them through spoken word and poetry.





After the silent procession towards the Captain Hodge Wharf, the Governor, His Excellency drs. Eugene B. Holiday, Vice-Chair of Parliament Sidharth Bijlani and Honorable Prime Minister Silveria E. Jacobs laid wreaths at the Memorial Monument on the wharf to commemorate all Dutch victims  civilians and soldiers  who have been killed or murdered in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere else in the world, in war situations or during peace-keeping operations since the outbreak of the Second World War.





Thereafter, the Commander of the Marines, Chief of Police, Commander of the Marechaussee, and Commander of the VKS jointly laid a wreath on behalf of all uniformed troops, for those who lost their lives during combat, and for those still alive today. Mrs. Bernadine van Veen and Mrs. Elsje Bosch jointly laid a wreath on behalf of all those innocent children that were impacted, in one way or another, by the Second World War and any other fight for freedom. Lastly, invited dignitaries and guests were given a moment to lay a single flower at the Memorial Monument.
Page Content

The Honorable Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson recently returned from a short family vacation to the United States. While there, Minister Richardson took notice of an advertisement of the New Castle County Police Crime Service Unit in the State of Delaware. Having the Ministry of Justice at heart and with the Victim Support Services (VSS) unit for St. Maarten being in its final stages of setup, Minister Richardson seized an opportunity to contact the department and secured a visit to the facility.





Minister Richardson met with Unit Coordinator Ms. Marki Mosley and had an enlightening discussion. Much like the core services VSS is structured to provide, the Victim Service Unit (VSU) of New Castle County Division of Police provides help to victims and witnesses affected by crime, trauma, and tragic circumstances by providing support, information and referral to community agencies and services to help reduce the impact of trauma.





The VSU of New Castle is staffed with five specialists in the field of victim support. Specialists undergo special training to handle matters of domestic violence, homicide, suicide, sexual assault and other high-impact crimes. The unit has been assisting victims since 1989 and continues to devote itself to helping victims of trauma.





A crime can take place in a matter of seconds but the negative impact can last a lifetime. Therefore, it is essential to have a department or entity outfitted with certified specialists who are compassionate and focused on helping victims and witnesses regardless of their age, sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability or mother tongue.





In March of this year, the positions to outfit St. Maartens VSS were published and a healthy number of reactions were received. The resume packages of the applicants are being reviewed and interviews are currently underway to identify the most qualified persons for the positions.





During the discussion Minister Richardson had with the VSU of New Castle, she inquired about training courses and seminars that are hosted to ensure specialists in the field are aware of current and relevant information needed to facilitate support to victims. Unit Coordinator Ms. Mosley confirmed that seminars and information sessions are constant and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, much is administered online. These online training and seminar platforms grant a great opportunity for VSS St. Maarten to have a broader-based network of information sharing.





In this regard, it was relevant to mention the existing MoU between the United States and the Ministries of Justice within the Dutch Kingdom to stimulate joint activities and enhance sharing of information





in the area of criminal investigation and uphold public order and security and strengthen the mutual cooperation in the areas of forensics and the organization of the criminal justice system.





On June 2, 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States Department of Justice and the four Ministries of Justice within the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established to enhance the existing cooperation as well as to strengthen law enforcement and the criminal justice systems in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands by rendering each other assistance. It is determined in the MoU that this assistance can be provided through i.e. the training of personnel and the exchange of experts.





During her visit to the VSU, Minister Richardson made reference to the existence of this MoU between the US and the Kingdom. She intends to explore how this MoU can be utilized more efficiently to actively participate in international and Kingdom training- and seminar platforms as this can be a viable opportunity for VSS.





Minister Richardson remains fiercely committed to providing members of the Law Enforcement chain with all the tools and confidence to carry out their tasks in the best manner possible for the community of St. Maarten. Making use of the existing agreements between our international and Kingdom counterparts in order to benefit from their build-up expertise, could be a welcome addition to realizing this ambition.





As Minister of Justice, I am always seeking to improve and strengthen the Ministry. Though I was on vacation, I thought it imperative to contact this agency and request a meeting with its Director to learn more about their operation. As such, Id like to thank Ms. Mosley for receiving me so positively and taking the time out of her busy schedule to meet with me. I am elated for the opportunity and look forward to the sharing of information and best practices between VSU and other similar institutions globally in the interest of providing the best support to those in need of it the most; victims, witnesses and their families, stated Minister Richardson.
Intel is betting that future data-center operations will depend on increasingly powerful servers running ASIC-based, programable CPUs, and its wager rides on the development of infrastructure processing units (IPU), which are Intels programmable networking devices designed to reduce overhead and free up performance for CPUs.

Read more: SmartNICs set to infiltrate enterprise networks

Intel is among a growing number of vendorsincluding Nvidia, AWS and AMDworking to build smartNICs and DPUs to support software-defined cloud, compute, networking, storage and security services designed for rapid deployment in edge, colocation, or service-provider networks.

Intels initial IPU combines a Xeon CPU and FPGA but ultimately will morph into a powerful ASIC that can be customized and controlled with open system-based Infrastructure Programmer Development Kit (IPDK) software. IPDK runs on Linux and uses programming tools such as SPDK, DPDK and P4 for developers to control network and storage virtualization as well as workload provisioning.

At is inaugural Intel Vision event this week in Texas, Intel talked about other new chips and how AI will play in the data center. It laid out a roadmap for its IPU development and detailed why the device portfolio will be an important part of its data-center plans.

Specific to its IPU roadmap, Intel said it will deliver two 200Gb IPUs by the end of the year. One, code-named Mount Evans, was developed with Alphabet Inc.s Google Cloud group and at this point will target high-end and hyperscaler data-center servers.

The ASIC-based Mount Evans IPU can support existing use cases such as vSwitch offload, firewalls, and virtual routing. It implements a hardware-accelerated NVM storage interface scaled up from Intel Optane technology to emulate NVMe devices.

The second IPU, code-named Oak Springs Canyon, is the vendors next generation FPGA that features a Xeon D processor and Intel Agilex FPGA to handle networking with custom programmable logic. It offers network virtualization function offload for workloads like open virtual switch (OVS) and storage functions such as NVMe over fabric.

Looking further ahead, Intel said a third-generation IPU code-named Mount Morgan and FPGA-based IPU code-named Hot Springs Canyon will be delivered in the 2023 or 2024 timeframe and will increase IPU throughput to 400Gb. In 2025 or 2026, Intel expects to deliver 800Gb IPUs.

One of the keys to Intels IPUs technology is the fast programmable packet-processing engine that all of the devices support. Whether its an FPGA or an ASIC-based offering, customers can program it using the P4 programming language, which has been around since 2013 and supports processes such as lookups, changing, modifying, encryption, and compression, according to Nick McKeown, senior vice president and general manager of the Network and Edge Group (NEX) at Intel. McKeon has founded a number of network startups including Barefoot Networks, which Intel acquired in 2019, and he won the 2021s IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal for exceptional contributions to communications and networking sciences and engineering.

Enterprise or cloud-based data centers can program servers and devices from the data center to the edge with packet-processing commonality that lets you control network congestion, encapsulation, routing and other features for controlling workloads, McKeown said. And we expect that technology to have a lot of application in firewalls, gateways, enterprise load balancing, storage offload, and more. Were expecting IPUs to be extremely efficient compute devices for all of these kinds of network applications.

When we look back in a few years, I think we will find that enterprise data centers and hyperscalers will think of the network that interconnects CPUs and accelerators as something that they program. They will think of it as IPUs that they program, McKeown said.

The idea is to let enterprises run their infrastructures in the same way that today only a hyperscaler can afford, said Soni Jiandani, co-founder and chief business office for Pensando, in a recent Network World article. AMD recently purchased Pensando for $1.9 billion to gain access to the DPU-based architecture and technology Pensando develops. There are a wide range of use cases such as 5G and IoT that need to support lots of low-latency traffic, Jiandani said.

Security applications are also an emerging use case for IPUs, DPUs and smartNICs.

In virtual environments, putting functions like network-traffic encryption into smartNICs will be big, according to VMware. In our case, well also have the NSX firewall and full virtual SDN software or vSphere switch on the smartNIC that will let customers have a fully programmable, distributed security system, said Paul Turner, vice president of product management with VMware, in an earlier interview about the emergence of smartNICs in the enterprise.



In terms of zero encryption and fast processing, we can do line rate encryption with the IPU200G today, 400G in the futureof the most popular encryption algorithms. Our customers then can program behaviors that were best suited for their environment, or they can just adopt standard encryption algorithms, Intels McKeown said.
Logo of the United Nations.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold a new public meeting on Thursday on Russias Ukraine invasion, in light of the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation, diplomats said on Monday.

The session, requested by France and Mexico, will be the 16th held by the Security Council since the Russian invasion of February 24, as part of an effort by western states to maintain pressure on Russia, which as a permanent member of the council has the power to block measures it disapproves of.

France and Mexico have requested briefings from the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) and the United Nations Childrens Fund, a diplomat said.

The meeting comes after the bombing at the weekend of a school in eastern Ukraine, in which 60 civilians were killed, according to Kyiv.

It will be held on the same day as an extraordinary session in Geneva of the UN Human Rights Council, requested by Ukraine, on the deterioration of the human rights situation in Ukraine.

The new Security Council meeting will follow the adoption on Friday of a unanimous Security Council statement, initiated by Norway and Mexico, giving strong support to the UN Secretary General in his search for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

That first demonstration of unity since the invasion began won the support of Moscow, which had hitherto blocked the initiatives of the Security Council.
File photos show cover jackets of recitation albums released by Laser Vision, left, and Agniveena.

Recitation albums alongside books can play a crucial role in promoting new poets, recitation artistes and works of renowned poets among the people.

Different record labels used to release recitation albums to celebrate different occasions, namely, International Mother Language Day, Pahela Baishakh, Eid, birth anniversaries of leading poets and others to satisfy the thirst of literature lovers.

However, the trend of releasing recitation albums on CDs and online platforms is gradually waning in the country.

Record label companies, recitation artistes, poets and writers gave their opinions over the reasons behind the fall in number of release of new recitation albums and its impact.

Chief executive officer of G-Series, one of the leading record label companies in the country, Khademul Jahan said that the trend of releasing recitation albums is gradually decreasing due a decline in CDs sales.

G-Series used to release recitation albums regularly on cassette tapes and CDs. After CD sales decreased in around 2015, we witnessed a decline in the number of new recitation albums, said Khademul Jahan.

The production cost of a single recitation album is high and it is difficult to get the money back. Therefore, recitation artistes and producers often feel discouraged to invest in new recitation albums, he added.

Khademul Jahan also talked about G-Series recent recitation albums.

He said, We released recitations of poems by Kamruzzaman Selim on our YouTube channel G Series Classics in March. Besides, some recitations of poems were released under our label marking the birth centenary of Bangladeshs founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In the past two years between five and seven recitations of poems were released from G-Series, added Jahan.

Laser Vision executive director Mizanur Rahman Bakul said that recitation albums were extremely popular among people in around 2005 and different record label companies used to release a lot of recitation albums back then.

After 2000, we witnessed a rise in the popularity of recitation albums and such albums witnessed sales boom in around 2005 with the rise of CDs. We released a lot of recitation albums during that time, said Mizanur Rahman Bakul.

Laser Vision did not release any recitation albums after 2017 or 2018. Many recitation artistes are releasing recitations of poems on YouTube nowadays, added Mizanur Rahman Bakul.

Bangladesh Abrittishilpi Sangsad convener and renowned recitation artiste Jayanto Chattopadhyay said, The medium for releasing music has changed and producers are not confident about making money releasing recitation albums and it is difficult for recitation artistes to fund their own albums.

Besides, many senior recitation artistes are not familiar with new technologies as a result we have been witnessing a decline in the release of new recitation works, he added.

Recitation institution Shobdokolpodrum executive and recitation artiste Nazmul Ahsan said, The art of recitation is facing problems due to lack of support from government and private organisations. No art form can thrive without patronisation. The situation will not change overnight and both government and private organisations have to contribution to revive recitation albums.

Bangla Academy director general and renowned poet Mohammad Nurul Huda said, Poems can reach people through books and recitation. If recitation albums vanish, poetry will lose an important medium to reach people and that will have an impact on the communication between poets and people.

Drastic measures must be to ensure the survival of recitation albums, added Mohammad Nurul Huda.

Ekushey Padak-winning writer and poet Anwara Syed Haq said, New technologies always replace the old. We have been witnessing emergence of new mediums for releasing music. Development of new technologies will continue and recitation artistes must take steps to adapt to change. Otherwise, the situation will not improve.
The Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday asked all scheduled banks to slap high margins on opening letters of credit for the import of luxurious and non-essential items, setting the minimum margin at 75 per cent for motor cars like sedan or SUV.

The minimum 75 per cent margin would also be applicable to electronic and electric items used as home appliances.

However, high LC margins would not be applicable to import of essential items like baby food, essential food items, fuel, lifesaving medicines and medical equipment endorsed by the health ministry, raw materials and capital machinery for local and export-oriented productive purposes, agricultural products and essential items for the government priority projects.

Other than these items, the banks were asked to fix the minimum import duty at 50 per cent.

Prior to setting the margin rate at 50 per cent, the central bank on April 11 fixed the minimum LC margin for the import of non-essential products at 25 per cent.

The BB made the changes within a month with a view to containing the massive growth of imports amid depletion of the countrys reserve by $6 billion dollar within a span of eight months.

The countrys reserve dropped to $41.9 billion in April from $48.06 billion in August, 2021.

The decline in the countrys reserve also weakened the countrys import payment capacity.

With the August 2021 reserve, Bangladesh was capable of paying import bills for 8.39 months, but the drop in the reserve has lowered the countrys capacity in recent months.

Bangladesh Bank data showed that the country in March 2022 was capable of paying import bills for 6.1 months when its foreign exchange reserve was $45.15 billion.

The payment capacity has deteriorated further if it is calculated based on the latest reserve amount.

A BB circular issued in this regard on the day said that the global trade situation, effect of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war prompted the central bank to take the initiative for a more effective money and credit management in the country.

A BB official, however, said that the BBs instruction would be discouraging for the import of such commodities on credit, adding that the high LC margins would not make any difference in import cost of the BB-specified items.

Even after slapping high LC margins on non-essential items in April, the countrys import cost has not changed much and that is why the central bank hiked margins further, he said.

Besides increasing LC margins, the central bank also allowed devaluation of Taka against dollar to Tk 86.7 from Tk 86.2 per dollar a month ago to tackle trade imbalance.

Bangladeshs trade deficit hit an all-time high of $24.91 billion in the July-March period of the current fiscal year 202122 with imports reaching a record high.

The countrys import payments in the first nine months of the fiscal year also reached an all-time high of $61.52 billion, if the amount is compared with the countrys yearly import payments.

If the current trend of import continues, imports in the current fiscal year may exceed $80 billion.

Though the export earnings also grew significantly in the current fiscal year, the growth was inadequate to offset the trade gap created by the unusual growth in imports, creating an unusual surge in the countrys trade deficit in the current fiscal year.

The Asian Development Bank in its latest Asian Development Outlook 2022 projected that the countrys current account deficit would increase significantly in FY22.

It said that the countrys remittance fall and import growth might increase its current account deficit to 2.7 per cent of the GDP in FY22 from 0.9 per cent of the GDP in FY21.

Apart from the trade deficit, the countrys current account deficit also reached a record high  $14.07 billion  in the first nine months of FY22.

The deficit in the first nine months of FY22 was the highest after the deficit of $9.57 billion in FY18.

Prior to the imposition of the minimum margin at 25 per cent, the BB regulations permitted banks to opening LCs even at zero margin.
Science and technology minister Yeafesh Osman takes part in a discussion organised at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission in Dhaka on Monday to commemorate the commissions former chair and renowned scientist MA Wazed Miah.  Press release

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission organised a discussion and prayer session on Monday marking the 13th anniversary of death of its former chairman MA Wazed Miah.

Science and Technology minister Yeafesh Osman was chief guest of the discussion held in the Dr Anwar Hossain Auditorium presided over by BAEC chairman Md Azizul Haque.

Additional secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology Md Ali Hossain was special guest of the programme, said a press release.

The speakers recalled the contribution of Wazed Miah to the scientific research in the country.

BAEC members, Directors of different departments, odrepresentatives of the officers assoiciation and employees union also spoke on the occasion.
A file photo of Erling Braut Haaland. -- AFP photo

Manchester City announced Tuesday they had reached an agreement to sign star striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund -- sending an ominous statement of intent to their rivals.

The Norwegian international will move to the Etihad after the Premier League champions agreed to pay his reported 60-million-euro (51 million, $63 million) release clause.

Manchester City can confirm we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the club on 1st July 2022, the club said in a statement.

The transfer remains subject to the club finalising terms with the player.

The deal for the towering 21-year-old ends City's long search for a specialist striker to replace record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who left last year.

The club failed in a high-profile attempt to prise England captain Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge played for City from 2000 to 2003, has been sensational since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January 2020, scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances for the German side.

Speculation linking City with Haaland had been gathering momentum in recent weeks, with reports on Monday claiming the player had already undergone a medical.

Manager Pep Guardiola was reluctant to discuss the situation in a press conference on Tuesday to preview Wednesday's game at Wolves, but all but suggested a deal was imminent.

Everybody knows the situation, but I should not talk because I do not like to talk about the future, next season, he said.

At the same time I should say something, but Borussia Dortmund and Man City told me I'm not allowed to say anything until the deal is completely done, so I cannot talk. I'm sorry. We'll have time to talk.

But after Haaland's in-principle move was announced, City centre-back Aymeric Laporte tweeted: Happy not to be running after this guy for the next couple of years. Welcome Erling.

City, who are the Premier League's top-scorers this season with 89 goals, have often played without a recognised striker for the past two seasons.

Riyad Mahrez is their top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions, ahead of Raheem Sterling (16), Kevin De Bruyne (15) and Phil Foden (14).

Guardiola was keen to play down the significance of any one new signing.

He said: We have a number nine right now. New players always help us try to be a stronger team, but a good defender will not solve our defensive problems and one striker will not resolve the scoring problems that maybe we have.

We have always been consistent, scoring a lot of goals and conceding few. The stats are there, we are stable in those terms but the club always has to have a vision for the future.

That's why with the decisions the club takes, I'm always completely aware and supportive 100 percent.

City, who lead Liverpool by three points at the top of the Premier League table with three games to go, are closing in on a fourth English league title in five years.

But they suffered a painful exit from the Champions League last week, losing 6-5 on aggregate to semi-final opponents Real Madrid.

For all Guardiola's success in six years at the Etihad, his inability to conquer Europe is seen as a failure.

Haaland's predatory instincts could be the missing ingredient to take City's domestic dominance onto the Champions League stage.

They have done fantastically well without having a top striker and now they have a top striker so you can only imagine what they will be like now, former Manchester United and Norway defender Henning Berg told the BBC.

As a number nine, as a goalscorer you cannot go to a better team because they get the ball in the box so many times.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, speaking before the Haaland deal was announced, said he expected the transfer to set new boundaries.

I signed a new contract knowing City would not stop developing, he told Sky Sports. If Erling Haaland went there he would not weaken them, definitely not.

I know a lot of people talk about money but this transfer will set new levels, let me say it like this.
Page Content

On Monday May 9th, the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley attended the official opening of the new Operating Theatre, Oncology and

Dialysis Suite, and the 5 Double Patient Rooms at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).

The oncology room has a capacity to treat 5 patients comfortably, which also includes a private room, and an office for private consultations. The upgrades to the dialysis suite allows SMMC to increase the number of patients that can be treated and 2 operating theaters with state of the art equipment that is compatible with the equipment used in the Netherlands and the United States.





During the tour, the Director of SMMC Dr. Felix Holiday expressed his gratitude to the steering committee, project managers, SMMC board members, his staff, nurses and the Minister of VSA, for allowing these milestones to come to fruition.

During the ceremony, Minister Ottley stated that these milestones could have only been achieved through dedicated team work and offers his continuous support to SMMC on its trajectory to being able to expand its services to the general public of Sint Maarten.





I look forward to attending more opening ceremonies of this kind, that will provide better care locally for our people throughout my tenure as Minister of Public Health. Said Ottley.

With the official opening of these new centers, SMMC will now be able to offer services that once required referral abroad.
The State has a responsibility to ensure the right to life and to exercise due diligence to protect the lives of individuals against violence by private individuals or entities.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday called on the authorities in Sri Lanka to prevent further violence, and urged restraint and meaningful dialogue to address the grievances of the population amid the severe economic crisis in the country.

I am deeply troubled by the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka after supporters of the Prime Minister attacked peaceful protestors in Colombo yesterday 9 May and the subsequent mob violence against members of the ruling party, Bachelet said.

Seven people have died during the incidents - including a Member of Parliament and two local officials, over 250 were injured, and the properties of others were destroyed by arson throughout the country.

I condemn all violence and call on the authorities to independently, thoroughly and transparently investigate all attacks that have occurred. It is crucial to ensure that those found responsible, including those inciting or organising violence, are held to account.

The High Commissioner also called on the authorities to prevent further violence and to protect the right to peaceful assembly.

Authorities, including military personnel deployed in support of security forces, should exercise restraint in policing the situation and ensure that measures adopted in the context of the state of emergency comply with international human rights norms and are not used to stifle dissent or hinder peaceful protest, she stressed.

The State has a responsibility to ensure the right to life and to exercise due diligence to protect the lives of individuals against violence by private individuals or entities.

The severe economic crisis has made daily life a struggle for most Sri Lankans. It has also highlighted grievances, which require national dialogue and deeper structural reforms, Bachelet said. It has brought together people from various ethnicities and religions to demand greater transparency, accountability and participation in democratic life.

I urge the Sri Lankan Government to engage in meaningful dialogue with all parts of society to find a pathway forward and address the socio-economic challenges people, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups, are facing. I call on the Government to address the broader political and systemic root causes that have long perpetuated discrimination and undermined human rights.

Bachelet said the UN Human Rights Office will continue to closely watch and report on the situation in the country. She expressed hope that Sri Lanka would find a peaceful solution to the current crisis to alleviate peoples suffering, strengthen democracy and human rights, and prevent further violence.
RCEP trade pact boosts export of famous Chinese pickle

Xinhua) 16:43, May 10, 2022

CHONGQING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement has facilitated the export of a famous variety of Chinese pickles since it took effect on Jan. 1, the customs authorities of Chongqing Municipality said.

In the first quarter of 2022, the customs of Chongqing's Fuling District cleared the exports of 18.82 million yuan (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars) worth of the region's unique pickled mustard tubers to other RCEP member states, with the majority of the products going to Japan and the Republic of Korea, customs data showed.

The history of pickle-making in Fuling, a major pickle production base, dates back more than 150 years. The district's traditional method of producing preserved mustard tubers was listed as a state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

"This year, we have exported around 100 containers of pickled mustard tubers, with each weighing 16 to 20 tonnes," said Sun Xiao, foreign trade manager of Chongqing Fuling Luling Industrial Co., Ltd.

"The pickles were only favored by overseas Chinese in the past. Thanks to deepening exchanges, more foreigners are now falling in love with them. With the implementation of the RCEP and ensuing tariff reductions and trade facilitation, our pickles have seen stronger competitiveness in overseas markets," Sun added.

The RCEP can enhance the price advantage of Chinese pickled mustard tubers in target markets, reduce the operating costs of enterprises and improve customs clearance efficiency by simplifying administrative procedures, thus giving a boost to pickle exports, said Deng Jikuan, an official with Chongqing Customs.

The landmark RCEP is the world's largest free trade deal to date. The RCEP countries account for roughly 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product and population. Over 90 percent of trade in goods among approved member states will gradually be tariff-free.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
High Commission has recently noticed rumours circulating in sections of media & social media that certain political persons and their families have fled to India, the Indian High Commission says in a tweet.

These are fake and blatantly false reports, devoid of any truth or substance. High Commission strongly denies them, the HC added.




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Our County Editor

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.
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Joint Chambers together with Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka call upon the President to take immediate steps to appoint a competent person as the interim Prime Minister and a small Cabinet of Ministers to be appointed in consultation with the Prime Minister acceptable to all leading political parties represented in Parliament. This must be done with immediate effect in order to take urgent action to restore law & order and economic activity in the country.

Further, it is abundantly clear that concluding the IMF staff level agreement in a timely manner as planned, could be jeopardized due to the absence of a legitimate government. While awaiting the IMF program, it is critical that Sri Lanka secures Bridge Financing to help get through the next six months.

We therefore:

Call upon all political parties to leave aside their political agendas and differences in order to support the formation of an interim government under a leadership accepted by all.

Urge the expedition of much needed constitutional amendment to repeal the 20th amendment and abolishment of the executive presidency within a reasonable timeframe through a consensual approach.

Request that the President respects the voice of the public and resigns immediately after the interim government is firmly in place.

Appeal to the people of this country to remain calm and not resort to violence that will make it even harder for the country to emerge from this crisis.

Respectfully urge all religious leaders to advise the public on the need to desist from violence while expressing their voice in a peaceful manner as done so effectively up to yesterday.

Statement issued by the following Institutions:












Introduction

Cause

Classification

Ichthyosis Vulgaris (IV)

X-linked recessive ichthyosis (XLRI)

Autosomal Recessive Congenital Ichthyosis (ARCI)

Keratinopathic ichthyosis

Ichthyosis with Confetti (IWC)

Diagnosis and Treatment

References

Further Reading

An inherited group of integumentary disorders, Ichthyoses lead to the development of fish-scale-like skin. They are also known as disorders of keratinization (DOK) and encompass a wide range of characteristic features. These include xerosis, erythroderma, and recurrent infections.

Clinical data, analyses (such as the steroid sulfatase activity test), skin biopsies, and genetic results are used to guide the diagnostic process. However, despite significant advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases, no cure has yet been discovered.

The treatment is multidisciplinary, and it incorporates ichthyosis patient organizations from all over the world. Moisturizing lotions are still the mainstay of treatment.

Image Credit: Surasak muangsuk/Shutterstock

Cause

Ichthyoses involve a group of genetic disorders, caused by the inheritance of a fault or defective gene. Several mutations linked to different types of ichthyoses have been discovered over the years. Ichthyoses have been linked to mutations in more than 50 genes.

Classification

Based on pathophysiology, mode of inheritance, and clinical symptoms, the Ichthyosis Consensus Conference developed a classification consensus for DOK in 2009. Ichthyoses are divided into two groups by this nomenclature method. These are non-syndromic and syndromic forms. The disease manifests phenotypically only in the skin in non-syndromic ichthyoses, whereas syndromic forms are coupled with the involvement of other organ systems. Common ichthyoses, keratinophilic ichthyosis, autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), and other non-syndromic ichthyoses are examples of non-syndromic forms. Syndromic ichthyosis, includes CHILD syndrome, Conradi-Hunermann-Happle syndrome, and Sjogren-Larsson syndrome.

Ichthyosis Vulgaris (IV)

With an estimated prevalence of 1 in 250 to 1 in 1000 births, IV is the most frequent form of non-syndromic hereditary ichthyosis. It is the mildest kind of non-syndromic hereditary ichthyosis. Generalized xerosis and fine white to grayscale are common clinical findings around the age of two months. The abdomen, chest, and extensor surfaces of the extremities have the most scales. Keratosis pilaris, as well as hyper-linearity of the palms and soles, are common symptoms of IV. Autosomal dominant mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) cause the condition. This gene is required for epidermal differentiation and the development of the skin barrier. Atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergies are more common in IV patients. European, African, and Asian populations have all been found to have population-specific FLG variants of IV/AD.

Ichthyosis vulgaris. Image Credit: NUGRAHA DIPA/Shutterstock.

X-linked recessive ichthyosis (XLRI)

The second most frequent kind of inherited ichthyosis is XLRI. Males have a prevalence of 1:2000 to 1:6000. The clinical manifestations of XLRI are frequently mistaken for Ichthyosis Vulgaris. Changes in the STS gene, which encodes steroid sulfatase, cause X-linked recessive ichthyosis. Symptoms usually start as generalized desquamation and xerosis in the newborn period and proceed to fine scaling of the trunk and extremities in childhood. Patients develop a brownish, polygonal, plate-like scale that adheres to the skin tightly over time.

Autosomal Recessive Congenital Ichthyosis (ARCI)

Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (CIE), harlequin ichthyosis (HI), and lamellar ichthyosis (LI) are among the genetically and phenotypically variable group of diseases known as autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI). The incidence of ARCI is estimated to be one in every 200,000 births. Neonatal dehydration, skin infections, ectropion, eclabium, and hypohidrosis with extreme heat intolerance are common clinical signs of ARCI types. The ARCI is categorized into three major phenotypes and three minor subtypes in clinical terms. Although the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database lists 11 genetic subgroups for ARCI.

Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is the inherited ichthyosis with the most severe phenotype. It can be fatal on rare occasions. Loss-of-function mutations in the ABCA12 gene, which genes for an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, induce harlequin. This gene is required for lipid transport into lamellar granules and is essential for cornification and the creation of lipid barriers. The ears of neonates with HI have thick, armor-like scaling with eclabium, significant ectropion, and flattening. Although some patients with HI die during the neonatal era, progress in neonatal intensive care and early treatment with systemic retinoids has been demonstrated to enhance survival.

LI is a less severe form of ichthyosis than HI. The degree of skin problems, such as hyperkeratosis and scales, differs from one patient to another. The scales that cover the majority of the body surface in LI are big, thickened, and dark grey or brown. Generally, erythroderma is not included in LI, though there have been a few reports of extremely mild erythema.

Another minor ARCI variant is bathing suit ichthyosis (BSI). In South Africa, the name "bathing suit" ichthyosis was used to describe this peculiar phenotypic of lamellar ichthyosis. It is distinguished by a distinct pattern of lesions on the trunk. The most proximal regions of the upper limbs, the scalp, and the neck are also affected, but not the central face or extremities. TGM1 deficit with heat-dependent TGM1 dysfunction can cause BSI.

Keratinopathic ichthyosis

Keratinopathic ichthyosis refers to a collection of diseases caused by mutations in the keratin gene family. Epidermolytic ichthyosis is the most common type of keratinopathic ichthyosis (EI). Surface EI (SEI), annular EI (AEI), and ichthyosis Curth-Macklin are minor forms.

EI is characterized by skin fragility and is caused by autosomal dominant mutations in the KRT1 and KRT10 genes. AEI is a rare phenotypic form of EI induced by a single KRT10 mutation. It is characterized by the production of blisters during birth. Another unusual illness is ichthyosis Curth-Macklin, which is characterized by extensive spiky or verrucous hyperkeratosis over the trunk and extensor surfaces of the extremities. Autosomal dominant mutations in KRT1 cause it.

Ichthyosis with Confetti (IWC)

Ichthyosis with confetti (IWC), also known as ichthyosis variegata, is an autosomal dominant congenital ichthyosis. IWC is classified as non-syndromic ichthyosis in the current categorization. It is characterized by global ichthyosiform erythroderma, which appears at birth. IWC is extremely rare with a prevalence of less than 1 case in 1,000,000 births.

Read Next: Effects of Dry Skin

Diagnosis and Treatment

A combination of clinical data, patient history, laboratory analyses, genetic tests, and skin biopsies are used in the diagnosis.

Depending on the severity of the ichthyosis, hydration and lubrication are combined with keratolytic and keratinocyte differentiation modulators. Creams and ointments with low quantities of salt, urea, or glycerol can be used to hydrate the skin. The keratolytic properties of retinoids can help patients with LI, epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, or CIE shed their skin and avoid additional hyperproliferation. The majority of ichthyosis treatments work to increase the skin's barrier function.

Bathing and careful use of the bland creams and ointments outlined previously are important components of an ichthyosis patient's daily regimen. Bathing with water or a mild cleanser daily and applying basic emollients immediately afterward (as well as throughout the day) helps to seal in moisture.

Skin biopsies can be used for the diagnosis of Ichthyoses. Image Credit: Chanpen Supagoson/Shutterstock

The importance of genetic counseling in the management of Ichthyoses is highly significant. Genetic counseling can serve as a source of all required information for the patient and their family. Further study into lotions, ointments, and even cosmetics have the potential to improve the quality of life for patients who are suffering from physical discomfort and social stigma as a result of the disease. Furthermore, the development of gene therapy holds enormous potential for treating patients with these illnesses and should be pursued.

References

Oji, V., & Traupe, H. (2009). Ichthyosis. American journal of clinical dermatology, 10(6), 351-364. https://doi.org/10.2165/11311070-000000000-00000

Guerra, L., Diociaiuti, A., El Hachem, M., Castiglia, D., & Zambruno, G. (2015). Ichthyosis with confetti: clinics, molecular genetics and management. Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 10, 115. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-015-0336-4

Guerra, L., Diociaiuti, A., El Hachem, M., Castiglia, D., & Zambruno, G. (2015). Ichthyosis with confetti: clinics, molecular genetics and management. Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 10, 115. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-015-0336-4

Marukian, N. V., & Choate, K. A. (2016). Recent advances in understanding ichthyosis pathogenesis. F1000Research, 5, F1000 Faculty Rev-1497. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.8584.1

Takeichi, T., & Akiyama, M. (2016). Inherited ichthyosis: Non-syndromic forms. The Journal of dermatology, 43(3), 242251. https://doi.org/10.1111/1346-8138.13243

Limmer, A. L., Nwannunu, C. E., Patel, R. R., Mui, U. N., & Tyring, S. K. (2020). Management of ichthyosis: a brief review. Skin Therapy Lett, 25(1), 5-7.

Further Reading
Introduction

Molecular and Cellular Effects of Tanning

Increased Risk of Melanoma and nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Benefits of Sun Bed Tanning

References

Further Reading

Sunbeds, or tanning beds, expose individual skin to ultraviolet radiation to increase melanin production. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning technology is correlated with an increased risk of Melanoma as well as other negative health consequences.

Despite these findings, the practice of indoor tanning using sunbeds across the world is prevalent.

Image Credit: ILIA NEZNAEV/Shutterstock

The World Health Organisation international agency for research on cancer (IRAC) classified ultraviolet radiation emitted from sunbeds as carcinogenic uncategorized artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco and asbestos in 2009. Moreover, the Society of Behavioral Medicine issued a position statement recommending a ban on indoor tanning in young adults and children in 2014; this coincided with the American Academy of dermatology and pediatrics release of reports in support of a widespread ban on indoor tanning in those under the age of 18.

There is a widespread misconception that the ultraviolet radiation emitted from sunbeds is safer compared to the ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. This belief is not supported by scientific evidence; indeed, exposure to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning beds has been proven to produce damage to DNA in skin cells. This subsequently results in an increased risk of melanoma, as well as basal (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).

The use of sunbeds has also been associated with skin aging, ocular Melanoma, skin burns, and the suppression of the immune system. There is also a particularly heightened risk associated with the variance in the ultraviolet wavelength emitted by indoor tanning devices; raffle, consistent regulation of use is essential.

Indoor tanning devices such as sunbeds use both ultraviolet a and ultraviolet B radiation. Ultraviolet B radiation is associated with the production of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4 pyrimidine pyrimidone photoproduct (6-4PP) formation in DNA resulting in direct DNA damage. Spontaneous rearrangement of these photoproducts results in distortion of the DNA backbone, which subsequently halts transcription on protein synthesis.6-4PP adducts also undergo isomerization following exposure to further UVA or UVB radiation.

UVA Radiation, in contrast, mediates DNA damage indirectly as a consequence of reactive oxygen species. Both UV A and UV B mediate indirect damage to DNA as a result of the absorption of photons by non-DNA chromophores. The products of this are reactive oxygen species (such as singlet oxygen or hydrogen peroxide) that cause mutations.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is predominantly composed of UVA radiation (95%). The radiation induces erythema (skin burns) at a 500-1000-fold lower dose than the UVA; however, although UVB results in delayed skin burning, UVA also causes this reaction. The ultraviolet radiation emitted from sunbeds is approximately 10 to 15 times more potent relative to solar ultraviolet radiation at its most direct exposure.

What is sunburn? | Cancer Research UK Play

Molecular and Cellular Effects of Tanning

There are two predominant outcomes associated with tanning:

Immediate and maintained darkening of the skin pigment: Pigment darkening occurs immediately following exposure to both UV A and visible light; this change is resolved within 10 to 20 minutes, after which a maintained darkened pigment develops; this is typically more intense and lasts ~ two hours. Immediate and later maintained pigment tanning occur from the oxidation of melanin that has been performed, alongside the redistribution of melanosomes (organelles that produce melanin); at this stage, no new pigment is synthesized.

A delayed tanning response: Contrastingly, delayed tanning arises between three- and five days following UVA and visible light exposure. This is associated with an upregulation of the melanocyte tyrosinase activity, The product of which, is new melanin. Both the A and B forms of UV can stimulate the delayed response; UVA-stimulated timing, however, is between two and three orders of magnitude less efficient, requiring higher doses and oxygen during exposure. Studies suggest that DNA damage occurs as a secondary effect of UV radiation which also stimulates pigmentation as a consequence of upregulating the tyrosinase mRNA and protein levels. Keratinocyte damage also activates p53 A transcription factor that binds and upregulates the production of pro-opiomelanocortin and subsequently melanocyte-stimulating hormone. This factor signals to melanocytes resulting in pigmentation in the cutaneous layer.

Image Credit: Albina Gavrilovic/Shutterstock

Increased Risk of Melanoma and nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

In 2012, eight large systematic reviews which examined 12 studies comprised a total of 9,382 cases of non-Melanoma skin cancer determined a 29% increased risk for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) as a consequence of indoor tanning and a 67% increased risk for the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). When the scales come up this represents over 72,000 cases of non-Melanoma skin cancer each year. An increased risk for BCC was found with younger age, whereas a high dose exposure was associated with an increased risk for BCC.

The greatest concern regarding the use of sunbeds is related to the development of malignant Melanoma. Data from the National Cancer Institutes Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry demonstrate that the rate of new cutaneous Melanoma cases has increased year on year by an average of 1.4% over the past decade. Among the new cases, trends have demonstrated an increased rate of thinner and thicker melanomas, specifically in 15 to 39-year-old women. The pathogenesis of cutaneous Melanoma is linked to UV exposure; this, together with the high prevalence of indoor sunbed use among this population has resulted in several studies examining the association between some beds and this form of cancer.

Read Next: How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

A study conducted in 1999 in Sweden examined 571 patients with Melanoma alongside 913 controls. The odds ratio who engaged in regular exposure to ultraviolet exposure was significantly higher than those who had never used any form of tanning device among those less than 36 years of age. Moreover, there was a dose-dependent relationship found. These findings have subsequently been corroborated by several other studies.

An examination of the individual effects of UV B-exclusive high-intensity tanning technology, conducted in 2010 determined that such high-intensity, high-pressure devices subsequently increased the probability of melanoma in those using tanning technology relative to those who did not. This study could not determine any differential effect among the tanning equipment investigated. This is concordant with the findings of prior studies determining risk according to the type of indoor tanning device.

This 2010 study conducted by Lazovich et al. assessed individuals between the ages of 25 and 59, diagnosed with invasive cutaneous melanoma in Minnesota over the years 2004-2007. The research determined that the use of sunbeds and other indoor tanning devices resulted in an elevated risk of melanoma, which subsequently increased with the number of years, hours, and sessions. This risk existed across all types of tanning devices and was not associated with the age at which the individual began tanning. Quantitatively, the probability of developing melanoma as a result of tanning indoors was 1.74 (95% CI 1.42, 2.14). the adjusted odds ratio was between 2.5 and 3.0 in high-use individuals (those who had experienced 50 hours, > 100 sessions, over 10 years or more).

When accounting for the anatomic site of melanoma in each respective gender, dose-response patterns were significant for both men and women with regards to Melanoma located in the trunk. There was a differential effect between the genders with regards to head and neck melanomas, with men having a significantly higher increased risk. Conversely, women were more likely to develop melanoma of the upper or lower limbs.

Image Credit: Evgeniy Kalinovskiy/Shutterstock

Benefits of Sun Bed Tanning

Despite the overwhelming evidence to suggest the harm and risk associated with sunbed tanning, there are some "benefits" associated with this practice. Most poignantly, is the upregulation of vitamin D as a consequence of stimulation by UVB exposure. It is important to note, however, that those using sunbeds receive between 4.5 and seven times the UV B radiation necessary possession for vitamin D production.

The synthesis of vitamin D induced by UV be is considered to be optimal at suberythemal doses. This refers to the amount of radiation that, applied to the skin, makes it turn temporarily red (erythematous). Further exposure does not result in the production of more vitamin D. Moreover, the vitamin D3 fast is produced is photo label and is therefore degraded with increased exposure to UV, and is unable to enter circulation. These findings have strengthened recommendations to suggest oral supplementations for individuals who are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, particularly as this is a safer alternative.

Moreover, several epidemiological studies have noted a correlation between UVB and reduced risks of several types of cancers including colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer, alongside non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite these findings, it is important to note that these correlations have not been proven and, overwhelmingly, the risk of developing cancer has been substantially proven.

Ultimately, there is a wealth of evidence to suggest that exposure to indoor UV devices such as sunbeds, is carcinogenic, and is correlated with several other high-risk lifestyles and health behaviors. Although restrictions are in place, sunbed use is prevalent, particularly among young adults, demonstrating the need for further attempts to increase public awareness, as well as the implementation of stricter restrictions.

References

Le Clair MZ, Cockburn MG. (2016) Tanning bed use and melanoma: Establishing risk and improving prevention interventions. Prev Med Rep. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.11.016

Madigan LM, Lim HW. (2016) Tanning beds: Impact on health, and recent regulations. Clin Dermatol. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2016.05.016.

Gordon LG, Rodriguez-Acevedo AJ, Kster B, et al. (2020) Association of Indoor Tanning Regulations With Health and Economic Outcomes in North America and Europe. JAMA Dermatol. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.0001

Further Reading
Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare and potentially fatal autosomal recessive disorder. A congenital immunodeficiency, CHS is characterized by frequent bacterial infections, easy bruising, oculocutaneous albinism, and recurrent pyogenic infections.

The disease is named after the French physician Moises Chediak and the Japanese physician Ototaka Higashi, however, Antonio Beguez-Cesar, a Cuban physician, was the first to report the anomalous expanded granules within leukocytes.

Mutations in CHS1, a gene encoding a putative lysosomal transport protein cause CHS. CHS affects mice and other mammals such as cats and whales, in addition to humans.

A person with oculocutaneous albinism. Image Credit: oneinchpunch/Shutterstock

History

Beguez-Cesar described the first instance in 1943, a case in which three siblings presented with aberrant granules in leukocytes and neutropenia. Chediak, a Cuban hematologist, and Higashi, a Japanese physician, reported new cases in 1952 and 1954, in which they documented uneven distribution of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in neutrophil granules, which led to the condition's name.

Causes and Symptoms

A mutation in the LYST or CHS1 genes is the cause of the condition. This gene controls lysosomal trafficking, as well as the production, fusion, and transit of cytoplasmic granules. It is found on chromosome 1's long arm [1q42-43]. The LYST mRNA open reading frame includes 53 exons and encodes a 3801-amino-acid protein. Human tissues with higher levels of LYST expression include the bone marrow, cerebellum, spleen, and thymus. Around 40 distinct mutations, including nonsense and missense mutations, deletions, and insertions, have been found.

Partially oculocutaneous albinism, a predisposition for bleeding, immunological dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and the likelihood of developing HLH (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) are all symptoms of CHS.

Hypopigmentation can be mild or severe, and it usually affects the skin, hair, and eyes. In more pigmented races, speckled hyperpigmentation or dark skin may be unusual, leading to the suspicion of other disorders and a delay in diagnosis. Dilution of pigments varies and might be slight. Pigment clusters are spread throughout the hair shaft in clumps. Pigmentation of the eyes can also vary. With iris transillumination observable on examination, iris pigment is frequently diminished. Retinal pigment may be diminished as well.

Although platelet counts are usually within acceptable limits, bleeding occurs when platelet dense granules are missing or significantly reduced. The large granules inside leukocytes that can be seen on a regular peripheral blood smear are a characteristic of CHS.

Image Credit: Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock

Patients with recurrent infections, partial oculocutaneous albinism, and coagulation abnormalities present at a young age. The severity of the disease is related to the molecular phenotype. In most cases, mutations that result in a loss of function cause the disease to manifest itself in a severe form during childhood. A missense mutation, on the other hand, is linked to a milder teenage or adult-onset illness. However, there have been two exceptions to these scenarios.

Read More: What is Albinism?

CHS can cause neurologic dysfunction and should be explored in the differential diagnosis of children and young adults who are experiencing signs of spinocerebellar degeneration or movement abnormalities for the first time. Motor and sensory neuropathies, tremors, limited cognitive abilities, learning impairments, and seizures are all common physical findings.

Patients who live into their second or third decade may develop neurologic symptoms such as parkinsonism and dementia and are frequently confined to a wheelchair.

The Phases of CHS

The 'accelerated phase,' which affects roughly 85% of CHS patients within the first decade, is the most life-threatening clinical aspect of the disease. This manifestation is marked by large HLH and is known as the 'childhood' version of the disease. It commonly happens after an initial Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, and it can look like lymphoma.

About 10 to 15 % with CHS, known as the 'adolescent' and 'adult' forms, have a less severe clinical history. During childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, these children have mostly modest hypopigmentation and a lower prevalence of infections. They have modest bleeding symptoms and live until adulthood without going through an accelerated phase. Nonetheless, they acquire increasing neurologic symptoms such as intellectual impairment, dementia, peripheral neuropathy, parkinsonism, balance problems, and tremor during adolescence or adulthood.

Epidemiology

The exact prevalence of CHS is not known. There have been fewer than 500 cases recorded in the literature around the world. Mildly affected people are also largely ignored or unreported due to phenotypic heterogeneity. There is no preference for one race over another, however, CHS is uncommon among Black people. It can impact people of all ages. However, the condition usually begins after birth and before the age of five. It is more common in children of consanguineous parents.

Only 5 cases were documented in India until 2000, but roughly 50 cases were reported in China by 2017. From 2000 to 2010, 15 patients were diagnosed with CHS in a study conducted in Japan, showing that 1 or 2 people were diagnosed per year in the country.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Individuals with evidence of immunodeficiency, pigment dilution of the skin, hair, or eyes, congenital or temporary neutropenia, and symptoms of unexplained neurologic problems or neurodegeneration should be evaluated clinically.

A proband with massive inclusions within leukocytes on a peripheral blood smear and/or the discovery of biallelic pathogenic mutations in LYST on molecular genetic testing is diagnosed with CHS.

It's crucial to distinguish CHS from other hypopigmentation illnesses linked to immunodeficiencies, such as Griscelli syndrome type 2, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome types 2 and 9, and MAPBPIP deficient syndrome. Defects in genes that encode proteins with distinct functional roles in secretory lysosomes also produce these diverse autosomal recessive disorders. Hypopigmentation, reduced primary hemostasis, decreased blood cell counts, and lymphocyte cytotoxic activity against microbial infections are all symptoms of these disorders.

Griscelli syndrome (GS) and Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) are the two syndromes that CHS most closely resembles. Pigment decrease is present in both GS and HPS. HPS is divided into ten subgroups, each with abnormal bleeding caused by the absence of dense granules. CHS differs from GS and HPS in that it detects huge granules within leukocytes, whereas GS and HPS do not show enlarged granules on peripheral smear.

Blood tests show Chediak-Higashi Syndrome. Image Credit: Frawash/Shutterstock

Allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) is the treatment of choice for CHS, although it is unable to alleviate and resolve neurological abnormalities, despite being effective at addressing hematological and immunological disorders. The procedure is considered curative and must be conducted when the disease is still stable to be effective.

While waiting for BMT, treatment focuses on infections and accompanying symptoms, which are caused by a lack of neutrophil activity. Fever is treated with paracetamol, and infection is treated with amoxicillin. The huge size of the LYST coding region (about 11 kb) poses a substantial technological challenge in creating CHS gene therapy. Understanding the biological roles of LYST could lead to new CHS treatment targets.

Reference:

Ajitkumar, A., Yarrarapu, S., & Ramphul, K. (2021). Chediak Higashi Syndrome. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. Available at: https://europepmc.org/article/nbk/nbk507881#free-full-text

de Oliveira, P. P., & Colli, V. C. (2021). Clinical aspects and main diagnostic methods of Chediak-Higashi syndrome. Clinical & Biomedical Research, 41(4).

Sharma, P., Nicoli, E. R., Serra-Vinardell, J., Morimoto, M., Toro, C., Malicdan, M., & Introne, W. J. (2020). Chediak-Higashi syndrome: a review of the past, present, and future. Drug discovery today. Disease models, 31, 3136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ddmod.2019.10.008

Thumbigere Math, V., Reboucas, P., Giovani, P. A., Puppin-Rontani, R. M., Casarin, R., Martins, L., ... & Kantovitz, K. R. (2018). Periodontitis in Chediak-Higashi syndrome: An altered immunoinflammatory response. JDR Clinical & Translational Research, 3(1), 35-46.

Lozano, M. L., Rivera, J., Sanchez-Guiu, I., & Vicente, V. (2014). Towards the targeted management of Chediak-Higashi syndrome. Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 9, 132. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-014-0132-6

Toro, C., Nicoli, E. R., Malicdan, M. C., Adams, D. R., & Introne, W. J. (2009). Chediak-Higashi Syndrome. In M. P. Adam (Eds.) et. al., GeneReviews. University of Washington, Seattle.

Further Reading
Although vaccinations have been administered against global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many people are still hesitant to receive vaccinations. Concerns over vaccine adverse events reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) are one reason for vaccine hesitancy.

A U.S. population-wide study published in medRxiv* preprint server provides information and context about deaths reported to VAERS following COVID-19 vaccination.

Study: Reporting Rates for VAERS Death Reports Following COVID-19 Vaccination, December 14, 2020-November 17, 2021. Image Credit: Anze Furlan / Shutterstock

Consequences of COVID-19 vaccinations to public health

After the emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, over 239 million individuals in the U.S. were administered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine within a year. Until July 2021, these vaccinations are associated with estimated reductions of approximately 213,000 deaths and 1.38 million hospitalizations, according to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation's (ASPE) December 2021 report.

According to a research letter published in January 2022, COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. saved over 240,000 lives and prevented over 1.1 million hospitalizations through June 2021.

VAERS

VAERS, a national vaccine safety surveillance program established in 1990, is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The purpose of VAERS is to detect unusual or unexpected patterns of side effects caused by vaccination. It serves as an early warning system for the FDA and CDC to investigate the vaccine further.

Individuals, including patients, family members, healthcare providers, and vaccine manufacturers, report side effects to VAERS. VAERS accepts the report without any evidence of an association between the vaccine and the side effect. Side effects that are serious and unexpected, including death, are likely to be reported more than minor side effects.

For COVID-19 vaccines, healthcare providers are legally mandated to report to VAERS any deaths following vaccination. These side effects and death reports may be coincidental and may not be caused by the vaccine.

Some media reports have described the number of death reported to VAERS as a "death toll." However, this depiction is incorrect because it implies that these deaths were due to the COVID-19 vaccination. Thus, incorrectly interpreting VAERS data can lead to wrong conclusions about cause and effect.

Strengths and limitations of VAERS

VAERS can rapidly detect potential safety signals. This database contains all reports from across the entire United States. The information it contains has the potential to detect rare adverse reactions. In addition, VAERS data are transparent because they are publicly available.

However, VAERS data are subject to reporting bias and stimulated reporting or increased reporting due to media attention or increased public awareness. The reported side effects are not verified. Some reports may have missing or inaccurate information. Moreover, there is no possibility of comparing the rates of side effects between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Consequently, VAERS can't determine if a side effect is caused by vaccination alone.

Analysis of VAERS data

This is a descriptive study reporting rates for VAERS death reports. It includes data on the COVID-19 vaccinated U.S. population from December 14, 2020, to November 17, 2021.

Reporting rates for deaths per million persons vaccinated were calculated and compared to forecasted background rates of death from all causes in the general population. Reporting rates were calculated by dividing the number of reported deaths within 42 days after vaccination by the number of people vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. All-cause death rates were determined using data from the National Vital Statistics System. All-cause death indicates coincidental death or death due to causes unrelated to vaccination.

Three COVID-19 vaccines were included in the analysis, PfizerBioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccine.

Reporting rates above the background rate can indicate an association between vaccination and death, whereas reporting rates below the background rate can indicate no association.

This study evaluated the most common side effects in VAERS death reports after COVID-19 vaccination and compared them to the known leading causes of death in the U.S. This study also examined the VAERS death reports for signals of disproportionate reporting for COVID-19 vaccines.

Results

A total of 9,201 deaths were reported for COVID-19 vaccinations administered to individuals aged five years and older. The reporting rates for deaths increased with increasing age, and males had higher reporting rates than females. The observed reporting rates for deaths were approximately ten times lower than the expected rates for all-cause deaths within seven days of vaccination and approximately 36 times lower than the anticipated rates for all-cause deaths within 42 days of vaccination.

Reporting rates for Ad26.COV2.S vaccine were higher than the reporting rates for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. However, even for Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, the reporting rates were still lower than the expected all-cause death rates.

The most common preferred terms among the death reports were non-specific signs, symptoms, or investigations. The side effects reported to VAERS were non-specific or reflected the known leading causes of death in the U.S.

There was one signal of disproportionate reporting for VAERS death reports for the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine. This means that the vaccine-related event was being reported at least twice as frequently as expected if there were no association.

Implications of the study

Results of this study support the safe use of COVID-19 vaccines, which may reduce vaccine hesitancy in the general population.

Conclusion

Reports of deaths as a result of COVID-19 vaccination were considerably lower than expected. The trends in reporting rates reflect known trends in all-cause death rates.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
A new study from McGill University finds higher incidence of lung cancer and brain tumors in people exposed to wildfires. The study, which tracks over two million Canadians over a period of 20 years, is the first to examine how proximity to forest fires may influence cancer risk.

Wildfires tend to happen in the same locations each year, but we know very little about the long-term health effects of these events. Our study shows that living in close proximity to wildfires may increase the risk of certain cancers." Scott Weichenthal, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study shows that people living within 50-kilometer of wildfires over the past 10 years had a 10 per cent higher incidence of brain tumors and 4.9 per cent higher incidence of lung cancer, compared to people living further away.

Impacts of climate change on human health

With the changing climate, wildfires are predicted to become more prevalent, severe, and longer in duration in the future  and they are increasingly recognized as a global health problem. "Many of the pollutants emitted by wildfires are known human carcinogens, suggesting that exposure could increase cancer risk in humans," says Jill Korsiak, a PhD student in Professor Weichenthal's lab who led the analysis.

Wildfires typically occur in similar regions each year, and as a result, people living in nearby communities might be exposed to carcinogenic wildfire pollutants on a chronic basis, warn the researchers.

Lingering harmful pollutants

In addition to impacts on air quality, wildfires also pollute aquatic, soil, and indoor environments. While some pollutants return to normal concentrations shortly after the fire has stopped burning, other chemicals might persist in the environment for long periods of time, including heavy metals and hydrocarbons. "Exposure to harmful environmental pollutants might continue beyond the period of active burning through several routes of exposure," adds Professor Weichenthal.

Still, more research is necessary to understand the complex mixture of environmental pollutants released during wildfires, note the researchers. They also note that further work is needed to develop more long-term estimates of the chronic health effects of wildfires.
Bryan Ruiz moved his family into a newly built home in this Central Valley farming center seven months ago and almost immediately found they were under assault.

Mosquitoes bit and harassed them in broad daylight. He looked around, trying to find a water source where they were breeding, and noticed a freshly dug pipe, meant to drain water from the backyard to the front. He lifted its cap and inside found a small puddle in the drainage line, which didn't have enough slope to fully empty.

He grabbed a turkey baster and drew water, already knowing what he would find: the larvae of Aedes aegypti, one of the greatest threats to humans on the planet.

Ruiz knew what he was looking for because he is in charge of a newly formed team that spends the summer months traveling around northern Tulare County to combat the invasion of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito capable of infecting humans with the deadly diseases of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika.

Since gaining a foothold in California less than a decade ago, Aedes aegypti has spread quickly across the state, its territory now ranging from the desert terrain of Imperial County at the U.S.-Mexico border to the city of Redding in woody Shasta County, about 750 miles north.

To combat aegypti, mosquito control districts rely on the same tools they were using decades ago  pesticides and rooting out water sources  even as climate change and agricultural practices are allowing the mosquitoes to thrive in places previously uninhabitable.

But Tulare County officials hope the region will soon be a testing ground for a new generation of technology, including a genetically modified mosquito, as they try to prevent the kind of disease outbreaks now common in regions of the Caribbean and Central and South America where Aedes aegypti is widespread.

The most immediate mosquito danger in Tulare County comes from a different genus, Culex, a type that typically bites at dawn and dusk and can carry West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, and western equine encephalomyelitis virus, all of which can be fatal. Over the past decade, California has registered more than 4,000 cases of West Nile and at least 220 deaths. Tulare's mosquito control districts have poured extensive resources into that battle, including releasing a range of chemicals, maintaining a hatchery for larvae-eating fish, and, most recently, buying a drone to ferry pesticides deep into cornfields.

Aedes aegypti, however, is a growing concern, and much harder to combat.

To understand this fight, you first have to understand just how stealthy Aedes aegypti is. The mosquitoes can lay eggs in spaces as small as a bottle cap, and females spread their eggs across multiple locations  scientists often refer to their "cryptic habitats." Most other types of mosquito eggs need water to survive, but Aedes aegypti's can lie dormant for months, springing to life when water eventually does come. And one mosquito can bite many times over, snacking repeatedly on the same human or moving from one to the next. They become a lethal threat if one of those people happens to be carrying dengue or some other virus.

In an increasingly global world, people regularly travel to places where dengue is endemic and bring it back to the U.S. If a mosquito bites them, the illness can spread locally. That's what happened in the Florida Keys in 2020, and more than 70 people were infected before the outbreak was stopped.

California so far has avoided local outbreaks of the diseases carried by Aedes aegypti. But it does import cases  California has registered seven cases of imported dengue this year  and with the mosquito population growing, experts say it's likely only a matter of time.

Aedes aegypti is a frequent flyer, traveling the world in cargo. It no doubt has been introduced into California millions of times. But it wasn't until recently that it took hold, said Chris Barker, an associate professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at University of California-Davis. It was first detected in 2013 in three California cities: Menlo Park, Clovis, and Madera.

Today, Aedes aegypti has spread across more than 200 California cities and 22 counties. And it has strained mosquito control districts. "Its been a lot of extra work, extra staffing, extra financial demand," said Barker. "And regardless of disease risk, a huge issue is the nuisance biting."

Because of the threat the mosquitoes pose, when aegypti was detected in 2014 by the Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District, where Ruiz works, the district rushed to stamp out the menace. Its eradication method required searching every nook and cranny of the area where Aedes aegypti had taken up residence and cleaning out water sources multiple times a week. People were so annoyed by the full-court press, said the district's assistant manager, Mir Bear-Johnson, that nearly five years passed before that community reached out again. Which was a problem, because the district partly relies on reports from residents to know where mosquitoes are.

The eradication was also short-lived. In 2015, Aedes aegypti was reintroduced, and this time the ferocious biters spread out across Visalia, the area's largest city. Because Aedes aegypti can now be found all around the Central Valley, eradication no longer feels like an option, said Mustapha Debboun, an entomologist who moved from Harris County, Texas, in March 2020 to lead the Delta district.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the area are also broadly resistant to pyrethroids, the family of chemicals most frequently used to kill adult mosquitoes. Pyrethroids are in heavy use among the area's agricultural companies, likely contributing to what Barker described as nearly 100% resistance.

Which is why Debboun and colleagues are interested in the genetically modified mosquito. Their hope is that the engineered mosquitoes reduce the number of wild Aedes aegypti as they interbreed and produce short-lived offspring.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a trial in Tulare of the engineered mosquito, which is made by a company called Oxitec. The company says its latest product releases only male mosquitoes, which unlike females do not bite. The mosquitoes are genetically modified to carry a "self-limiting" gene that is passed on during breeding and theoretically prevents the offspring from surviving to adulthood. They have been released in several places, including Brazil and the Cayman Islands.

They also were released in the Florida Keys last year. There, Oxitec faced pushback from some homeowners concerned about the unanticipated risks of releasing genetically modified pests into the wild. Local officials put the issue on the 2016 ballot, and county residents, who by then had confronted both dengue and Zika, voted to go forward.

Now, Oxitec and the Delta mosquito district are waiting for permission from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to launch the insects. The work would be funded by Oxitec, Debboun said, with operational assistance from his staff.

The goal is to build on the earlier research, which shows that the modified Aedes aegypti temporarily reduces the wild mosquito population but has left scientists with questions about the broader effects on the environment and how well the effort works in the long run to reduce disease. Among the unknowns is whether the Oxitec mosquitoes are indeed incapable of producing viable offspring with wild females.

Another question, said Barker, the UC-Davis expert, is what happens when Oxitec's mosquitoes encounter tetracycline in the wild. Tetracycline is an antibiotic commonly used to control infection in livestock and agriculture, both of which are found in abundance in the Central Valley. Oxitec mosquitoes are bred with a sort of off-switch that shuts down the self-limiting gene when they come into contact with tetracycline. In the lab, this off-switch allows the company to breed the engineered mosquitoes. If it is triggered in the wild, the concern is that the mosquitoes' offspring wouldn't die out.

On a broader level, Barker said, he hopes California will independently track the experiment. He is among the researchers concerned about leaving that analysis in the hands of a private company that stands to benefit. "If an independent source and the company are in agreement when all the results are done, that has much more power and much more potential for the future," Barker said.

Rajeev Vaidyanathan, director of U.S. operations for Oxitec, said Tulare's Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District was among several districts interested in hosting the trial. Among the selling points was Debboun's enthusiasm for new technologies.

Debboun previously helped run a trial in Houston of a product called MosquitoMate, which releases male mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia. When the MosquitoMate mosquitoes breed with wild females, they produce eggs that do not hatch. Those mosquitoes were also tested in Fresno County in 2018 and 2019 and led to a 95% reduction in female Aedes aegypti, according to a study on the trial. Even so, that mosquito district told The Fresno Bee it didn't have the money to continue the project on its own.

"These are the fantastic, glittery options," said Eva Buckner, a University of Florida assistant professor who advises Florida's mosquito control districts. "I think they have a lot of potential." She wants to know what the cost-benefit ratio would be for widespread use by government agencies compared with other interventions  a question the Tulare research could help determine. And regardless of price, she cautioned, there's not going to be a silver bullet for mosquitoes, which have endured on Earth for millions of years.

Oxitec wanted to test its technology in arid Central California, Vaidyanathan said, because it could show it can work throughout the Aedes aegypti-invaded Southwest. Oxitec hopes its mosquitoes eventually will be sold to mosquito control districts in the U.S., and directly to American consumers. That option is already available in Brazil, via a consumer subscription service that costs $10 to $30 a month. In the U.S. prototype, the mosquitoes would come in a hexagonal box decorated with playful insects. If all goes as planned, consumers would just add water, and the mosquitoes would spring to life.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
A new Cedars-Sinai study shows that "Serenity Lounges"break rooms equipped with massage chairs and other relaxation toolsreduced feelings of stress, anxiety and burnout among nurses.

The study, co-authored by Cedars-Sinai nurse investigators Florida Pagador, MSN; Melanie Barone, MSN; Mana Manoukian, MSN, RN; Wenrui Xu, MPH; and Linda Kim, PhD, MSN, RN, PHN, found that use of a massage chair in a quiet room for as little as 10 minutes provided nurses mental and emotional relief, allowing them to return to patient care better equipped to handle the stress. The study appears this month in the American Journal of Nursing.

"We know that our nurses can't pour from an empty cup," said David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, senior vice president, chief nursing executive and the James R. Klinenberg, MD, and Lynn Klinenberg Linkin Chair in Nursing in honor of Linda Burnes Bolton. "This study highlights the critical importance of caring for our nurses so they can provide the best care at the bedside, and demonstrates the widespread impact our nurse researchers can have on the worldwide medical community."

For the study, nurses were asked to fill out quick surveys before utilizing the quiet, calm break spaces, and then again after exiting. Surveys asked respondents to report levels of six feelings, including "worn out," "frustrated," "stressed," and "anxious." The investigators collected 67 paired responses.

Compared with participants who used the massage chair for less than 10 minutes, those who used the chair for 10 to 20 minutes had significantly lower levels of emotional exhaustion, weariness and anxiety. Anxiety was reduced even further among participants who used the massage chair for longer than 20 minutes.

Historically, studies have shown that nurses' wellbeing affects job satisfaction and performance, along with the quality of care we can provide to patients." Melanie Barone, Cedars-Sinai nurse investigator

Co-author Pagador had the initial idea for the lounges pre-pandemic, when she was looking for a place to sit and relax during breaks. She figured that other nurses would appreciate such a space as well.

"Being at the bedside can be mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting," she said. "I needed a place to relax and recharge."

She brought the idea to Barone, at the time her manager, who helped Pagador find an underutilized locker room that could be transformed into a space they dubbed a Serenity Lounge.

Nurses in the unit came together to furnish the room with donated items from their homes, like aromatherapy oils and their own artwork. They agreed on ground rules for the spaceno cell phone conversations, no loud music, no crowding.

"It's meant to be a serene and relaxing room where you can go and really recharge your batteries," Barone said.

Only a few months after the first Serenity Lounge was established, the COVID-19 pandemic began, stretching hospital resources worldwide to their limit. The topic of nurse burnout came into sharp focus.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I know that, personally, I hadn't seen that many people pass away in a long time," Barone said. "For many of us, it was just very challenging and emotionally exhausting seeing so many families struggle. Just knowing the Serenity Lounge was there if I needed it was important."

A total of 10 units have carved out spaces to transform into Serenity Lounges, which can accommodate two to three people at a time. Pagador said most nurses use the space during the second half of their lunch break, after they've eaten.

"We didn't expect that it was going to be such a huge sensation," Pagador said.

"I always look for silver linings," Barone said. "The silver lining of COVID-19 is that we've been able to bring this initiative to more units, because there's been even more of a focus on reducing burnout and exhaustion."

Barone said that top-down support is what helped make one nurse's dream a reality.

"It was very much supported at the leadership level from the very beginning," Barone said. "We didn't have to beg to make this happen. Instead, our leaders came to us and asked, 'What can we do?' They've established a culture where it is OK to take a moment for yourself."
We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind, Haq said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants Sri Lankans to find a solution through dialogue to the crisis in their country, whose Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned amid violent clashes spurred by an economic crisis, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday.

We continue to encourage all Sri Lankan stakeholders to find a solution to the current challenges through dialogue and with the interests of the country and the people in mind, Haq said.

Mahinda Rajapaksa turned in his resignation to his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the nation was rocked by clashes between the supporters of the Rajapaksa family and its opponents, and by police, attempts to contain the protests.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa placed the island nation under curfew.

Weve also been concerned about the recent violence against peaceful protesters, and we urge calm and restraint, as well as respect for democratic rights, including the right the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly, Haq said.

A member of parliament from the ruling party, Amarakeerthi Athukorala, was found dead after he fired into a crowd of protesters blocking his way and fled the place.

Seven people were killed and about 200 people were reported injured in the clashes around the country, including in front of the Presidents residence.

Sri Lanka is in dire economic straits caused by foreign exchange shortages.

It has sought financial arrangements with India and Bangladesh to import vital food supplies and oil to make up for shortages that have fuelled the protests.
(Newser)  In 2018, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican US Sen. Rick Scott were elected in Florida with margins so narrow that both races went to recounts. But Florida's days as a battleground state could be numbered, the Hill reports. The state's population is growing rapidly, and many of the newcomers, including those from blue states, are Republicans. Nelson Diaz, former chair of the Miami-Dade County GOP, credits DeSantis' opposition to COVID restrictions and says population shifts during the pandemic "made red states redder and blue states bluer."

Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida, tells the Hill that Republicans are attracting a larger share of the state's Hispanic populationand retirees are becoming more conservative. "Basically whats happened is the older senior generationsay the New Deal generationwho were pretty loyal Democrats, they're dying off and they're being replaced by the baby boomer retirees and many of them are moving to Florida and they're very Republican," Jewett says. Last year, the number of registered Republicans overtook the number of registered Democrats, eliminating the Democrats' 700,000-voter advantage in less than a decade.

In 2020, Donald Trump, who is now a full-time Florida resident, won the state by 3.5 percentage points, tripling his margin from 2016. Barack Obama won the state in 2008 and 2012. Pollster Fernando Amandi, who assisted both victories, says that the numbers are "tremendous reason for concern" and that Democrats will have to make "unrelenting" efforts to turn things around. CNN notes that with approval ratings in the high 50s despiteor perhaps because ofnumerous contentious policies, DeSantis is poised to easily win reelection in November, strengthening his case for a possible White House bid in 2024. (Read more Florida stories.)
(Newser)  For the first time in the US, a higher education institution is shuttering, in part, due to a ransomware attack. Lincoln College, an Illinois school that qualifies as a predominantly Black institution and which opened in 1865 as the namesake school of Abraham Lincoln, is closing Friday after also struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NBC News reports. "Lincoln College was a victim of a cyberattack in December 2021 that thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of Fall 2022 enrollment projections, the school says on its website.

"All systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable. ... Once fully restored in March 2022, the projections displayed significant enrollment shortfalls, requiring a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester." Recruitment and fundraising had also been hindered by the pandemic, and COVID had also caused enrollment to take a hit, Engadget notes.

The college held its final commencement ceremony Sunday, but some students who had not yet completed their studies are struggling. One international student is hustling to find somewhere else to enroll so her visa is not revoked. The college says it will help students who need to transfer. Gizmodo calls ransomware attacks on educational institutions, which can cost millions to deal with, "a nationwide epidemic." (Read more ransomware stories.)
(Newser)  An Alabama inmate and the former jail official accused of helping him escape were taken into custody after a dramatic chase in Indiana on Monday afternoon, authorities say. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said that US Marshals and sheriff's deputies "intercepted" a pickup truck being driven by fugitive corrections official Vicky White in Evansville and that she shot herself afterward, the Evansville Courier & Press reports. Authorities say Vicky White was hospitalized with serious injuries. Her passenger, escaped inmate Casey White, was hospitalized with injuries sustained in the crash with a law enforcement vehicle.

The Whites, who are not related, had been on the run since April 29, when they disappeared after Vicky White claimed she was taking the inmate to a hearing. It later emerged that the two had a "special relationship" and that the escape had apparently been planned long in advance. Lauderdale, Alabama, County Sheriff Rick Singleton said no shots were fired by law enforcement when the two were captured Monday, CNN reports.

"Casey White and Vicky White are in custody," Singleton said in a statement, per the AP. "This has ended a very long and stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way that we knew it would. They are in custody." Singleton instead said Casey White, who faces two counts of capital murder in Alabama, was the one driving the Ford pickup when it crashed. The Marshals Service says Casey White was seen on surveillance footage after authorities received a tip that the stolen pickup had been seen at an Evansville car wash. (Read more fugitives stories.)
(Newser)  On the day Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a restrained Victory Day speech in Moscow, President Biden signed into law an updated version of the Lend-Lease program that helped the Alliesincluding the Soviet Uniondefeat Nazi Germany in World War II. This time, Lend-Lease will be used against Russia. "Every day Ukrainians fight for their lives," Biden said at the signing ceremony Monday in the Oval Office, the New York Times reports. "The cost of the fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is even more costly."

The program will allow the US to send equipment and supplies to Ukraine more quickly to help it turn back the invasion. It gives Biden the ability to reach agreements with Ukraine and other Eastern European countries more quickly, per the Washington Post. "It's important to note that it's about time," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said about the plan last month. "Time is very important when lives are at stake." Passage was a bipartisan effort; the vote in the Senate was unanimous. Biden's request for another extra $33 billion in aid for Ukraine is pending in Congress. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  The death of a diver on the side of a coastal river in Australia led authorities to at least 220 pounds of cocaineand that's apparently just the tip of the white powder iceberg. A man in high-end diving equipment was found unconscious near the Hunter River in Newcastle, just over 100 miles north of Sydney, on Monday, and later died at the scene, according to New South Wales police. Nearby, authorities found several packages containing about 110 pounds of cocaine, thought to be worth $14 million, CNN reports. Police later said they'd seized another 110 pounds of white powder from a nearby cargo ship and the surrounding area.

They suspect the diver, who was originally from South America and traveled to Australia illegally, was trying to collect the drugs from the shipreportedly named the Aretiwhen he drowned. But the 220-pound haul, worth about $28 million, was "just a portion of what was actually brought in on the ship," Organized Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow said, per ABC News. Police described the total shipment as about 660 pounds, with an estimated street value of $84 million. "We have information indicating that more drugs have been retrieved by this group and are now at large in the community," Critchlow said.

All members of the foreign crew of the ship, which is registered in the Marshall Islands and set to depart for Argentina later this week, have been cleared, the International Transport Federation told ABC, which reports some of the drugs were attached to the hull of the ship. The presence of two smaller boats near the vessel on Sunday night "indicates at least two other people" apart from the diver were involved, Critchlow said. He added "it's quite disgusting that this man has been left to die regardless of what he has been involved with." Police said the diver was using "specialized" equipment, including a rebreather, which allows people to stay underwater for extended periods without producing bubbles. (Read more cocaine stories.)
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(Newser)  Experts believe they finally know why 82 bodies were tossed in a mass grave in the Netherlands in the late 18th century. The skeletons discovered well-preserved in clay outside the historic walls of Vianen in November 2020 belong to mainly British soldiers who were there to fight against the French in the final years of the century, the BBC reports. But they didn't necessarily die from injury. "Basically all their trauma wounds had healed," but "around 85% of them suffered from one or more infections," forensic anthropologist April Pijpelink says. Most were tied to pneumococcal bacteria.

Experts initially suspected the grave dated to the medieval period. But marks on the victims' teeth "showed that the men smoked pipes," and "pipe tobacco only appeared in the Netherlands from around 1600," project leader Anne-Floor van Pelt told the Sun last year. Tests were then performed on six of the skeletons. They revealed one individual came from southern England, another from southern Cornwall, and a third from an urban English area. Two others were thought to be from the Netherlands, but possibly of English descent, and a sixth was from Germany.

That pointed to the Flanders Campaign of 1793-95the only conflict from the period involving British soldiers. They were assisted by German soldiers from the regions of Hanover and Hesse-Kassel in a push against post-revolutionary France as part of the War of the First Coalition. The soldiers would've been treated at a field hospital at Vianen's Batestein Castle, not far from the grave, where poor and cramped conditions likely reduced resistance to infection. These individuals "lived in very poor conditions ... with a lot of malnutrition" and had "already damaged their backs by doing hard labor," archaeologist Hans Veenstra tells the BBC. Some were only teenagers. (Read more archaeology stories.)
(Newser)  The lone survivor of a 2009 passenger plane crash in the Indian Ocean that killed 152 people sat in the front row of a Paris courtroom Monday at the opening of the trial of the Yemeni airline that operated the flight. Yemen's main airline, Yemenia, has been charged with "manslaughter and unintentional injuries" in the case, reports the AP. It has denied responsibility. Bahia Bakari, who has called her survival "a miracle," sat in silence as the victims' names were read out at the start of the proceedings in a room heavy with emotion. At just 12 years old, Bakari clung to floating debris from the plane for 11 hours in the sea before being rescued.

Now 25, she recently told France 3 television she would attend the trial with both "apprehension" and "relief." The trial is needed to "finally know the truth," said Bakari, who lost her mother in the crash. The 2009 Yemenia flight left from Paris before picking up other passengers in Marseille. It made a stopover in Sanaa, Yemen, where 142 passengers and 11 crew members boarded another plane to continue to Moroni, the capital of the former French colony of Comoros, off the eastern coast of Africa. Most of the passengers onboard were from Comoros. During the landing in strong winds, the aging Airbus A310 crashed about 9 miles off the Comorian coast on June 30, 2009. French aviation investigators blamed pilot error.

Yemeniawhich was ordered in civil proceedings by two French courts to pay more than $31.6 million to the victims' families in 2015is being tried in Paris over Bakari's injuries and the deaths of 65 French citizens. The company is facing a fine of up to $237,000. There are 560 plaintiffs in the case. A witness, Fatouma Mmadipresident of the association SOS travel to Comoros, created a year before the crash to denounce the conditions of air travel from Sanaa to Moronisaid justice must be rendered and support offered to the families of the deceased. Said Larifou, a lawyer for the victims' families, denounced what he claimed were "garbage planes, flying coffins." The trial is a chance to "close this sad chapter," he said. (Read more Yemenia Air stories.)
(Newser)  An old violin, thought to be heard on the Oscar-winning score of The Wizard of Oz, might just become the most expensive Stradivarius ever sold at auction. The rare violin formerly owned by Toscha Seidel, "widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century," will hit the auction block next month and is expected to fetch between $16 million and $20 million, per Variety. If it does, it will set a record for fine-instrument auction house Tarisio. Its record price for a Stradivarius is $16 million, set in 2011, and that violin had condition issues and couldn't be played, per Bloomberg. This one can.

Though other rare violins have sold for up to $20 million in private sales, this is "the first Stradivarius from the so-called golden age of violin making to be auctioned in decades," per the New York Times. One of about 600 violins crafted by Antonio Stradivari known to be in existence, it's considered to be among his "finest creations," per Smithsonian. Dubbed the "da Vinci" Stradivariusa nickname given to it by an auction house in the 1920sit was made in 1714. The Russian-American Seidel, who gave violin lessons to Albert Einstein, purchased it for $25,000 (more than $400,000 in today's dollars) in 1924, saying he wouldn't part with it "for a million dollars," according to the Times' archives.

He went on to play in scores for films including The Adventures of Robin Hood and Anthony Adverse. He was also "the concertmaster for the Paramount Studio Orchestra and played the violin solos for MGM's The Wizard of Oz," per the Times. The instrument, which Seidel had until his death in 1962, "has a luscious, deep and powerful sound and is something that really carries you," Tarisio's director, Carlos Tome, tells Bloomberg. It last sold at auction in 1974 for 34,000 pounds (more than $3 million in today's dollars). The current owner, Japanese restaurant chain magnate Tokuji Munetsugu, hasn't given his reason for parting with it, per the Times. It will be sold June 9. (Read more Stradivarius violin stories.)
(Newser)  A flight bound from Israel to Turkey aborted takeoff after passengers received a series of unsolicited plane-crash photos on their phones. Per the BBC, the Turkish AnadoluJet carrying 160 passengers was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport when the crew received reports of the disturbing images. Taking no chances, the plane's captain chose to return to the terminal and passengers deboarded. Images included a 2009 Turkish Airlines crash in the Netherlands and a 2013 crash in the US. After inspection, passengers were permitted to reboard, and the plane was cleared for takeoff again after a five-hour delay.

Newsweek says 16 passengers received the images via AirDrop, an iPhone file-sharing app that allows users to drop items to any devices in the vicinity. The Israel Airports Authority praised the pilot's decision, according to the Times of Israel, which also reports that police later arrested nine Israelisall from the same village in northern Israel, and all about 18 years old. The young suspects were all passengers on the plane; they are being held on suspicion of spreading out false information that caused fear and panic among the public.

Asked about a motive, an IAA spokesperson said, Im sure the police and the security authorities will find out why [the suspects] did it, reports the Jerusalem Post. Although officials reported no injuries, one passenger told a local reporter that one woman fainted, another had a panic attack during the ordeal, also per the Post. This is the second high-profile security incident at Ben Gurion in recent weeks. Late last month, an American family caused panic when they arrived for a flight home carrying a live artillery round, which they thought would make a nice souvenir. (Read more Ben Gurian International Airport stories.)
(Newser)  By Bloomberg's count, the government of El Salvador has shelled out $103 million since last year to buy 2,301 Bitcoins. As of Tuesday morning, those crypto coins were worth about ... $74 million. That is a sub-optimal return on investment. But President Nayib Bukele, who led the successful push to make Bitcoin legal tender in his nation, remains bullish. On Monday, with Bitcoin crashing along with economic markets of all kinds, he announced the purchase of 500 Bitcoins, reports Barron's. "El Salvador just bought the dip!" Bukele himself tweeted. (Those 500 coins are included in the above total calculated by Bloomberg.)

Bukele bought the coins for a bit more than $30,000 each, reflecting the cryptocurrency's wild ride of late. The price is down 40% since Bitcoin became legal tender in El Salvador in September, per Reuters. On the other hand, Bukele briefly looked like a genius when the price rose to more than $68,000 in late 2021. The IMF, for one, isn't thrilled with that kind of volatility, and it urged El Salvador this year to reverse itself, but Bukele is only doubling down. A story at Fortune, however, notes that regular Salvadorans apparently don't share his fervor.

The government set up Bitcoin ATMs and launched a national e-wallet called "Chivo" in a bid to normalize use of the coin. But a new survey suggests that the vast majority of Salvadorans stopped using the e-wallet after claiming the $30 incentive (in Bitcoin, naturally) to try it. And of the 20% still using Chivo, most are doing so to either store or trade dollars, not the cryptocurrency. However, Fortune also notes an opposite trend: The Central African Republic and Panama are moving toward adopting Bitcoin as legal tender as well. (Read more El Salvador stories.)
(Newser)  Celebrity PETA supporter James Cromwell became a fixture at a Starbucks in Manhattan Tuesday morning. The Succession actor superglued his hand to the counter as part of a protest calling for the coffee chain to stop charging customers extra for non-dairy milks, CBS reports. Page Six reports that the baristas, "in typical New York fashion, remained unfazed" as Cromwell and other PETA protesters shouted slogans including "save the planet, save the cows." The 82-year-old freed himself with a knife after police arrived to disperse protesters. He was not arrested.

The "glue-in" was livestreamed on Facebook. "My friends at PETA and I are calling on Starbucks to stop punishing kind and environmentally conscious customers for choosing plant milks," Cromwell said in a statement. "We all have a stake in the life-and-death matter of the climate catastrophe, and Starbucks should do its part by ending its vegan upcharge." A Starbucks spokesperson said the chain respects customers' "rights to respectfully voice their opinions as long as it doesnt disrupt store operations."

Cromwell is an honorary director of PETA and has a long history of animal rights activism. In 2013, he was arrested after he crashed a University of Wisconsin board meeting to protest experiments that he called "cat torture." PETA says its campaign against Starbucks has also included daily sit-ins at the company's Seattle headquarters and, at Starbucks locations across the US, "giveaways of nitro cold brew mochas made with creamy oat milk," donated by the RISE Brewing Co.

(Read more James Cromwell stories.)
(Newser)  A Canadian lawmaker was still logged in to a debate's Zoom-like feed when he entered a bathroom stalland opposition lawmakers say the incident shows it's time to end the "hybrid" format, in which members of Parliament can take part in debates and meetings either virtually or in person. Shafqat Ali, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, apologized on Monday and said the "unfortunate event" was the result of a lapse in judgment, the Guardian. During a debate on Friday, Conservative MP Laila Goodridge said Ali "might be participating in a washroom" somewhere in the Parliament building.

Assistant Deputy Speaker Alexandra Mendes said a House of Commons page had confirmed there was a member in the washroom. Mendes reminded lawmakers that "we have to be very prudent on how we use our devices," CTV reports. Conservative MP John Brassard called for the "distressing occurrence" to be reviewed Monday. He said lawmakers had recognized the stall in "one of the mens washrooms located on this very floor of this very building" and the camera appeared to have been on a "ledge or ridge on the wall, just above the back of the toilet."

"A member of Parliament was literally using the washroom while participating in a sitting of this House of Commons, the cathedral of Canadian democracy. I cannot believe that I just said those words," Brassard said, per the National Post. The feed Ali appeared on was visible to other lawmakers but not the public. Deputy Speaker Chris DEntremont said the matter would be considered closed because of the "sincere apology" from Ali. He said he was using the opportunity to remind lawmakers to be "vigilant when participating remotely in proceedings of the House. If you dont have to have the camera on, turn it off. " (Read more Canada stories.)
(Newser)  Leonid Kravchuk, who led Ukraine to independence amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and served as its first president, has died, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. He was 88. Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys office, confirmed Kravchuks death on the social media app Telegram without giving details of the circumstances, the AP reports. Kravchuk had been in poor health and underwent a heart operation last year. Kravchuk led Ukraine as its Communist Party boss in the waning years of the Soviet Union, and played a pivotal role in the demise of the USSR before holding the Ukrainian presidency from 1991 through 1994.

He was a driving force in Ukraines declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and later that year joined leaders of Russia and Belarus to sign an agreement on Dec. 8, 1991, which formally declared that the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin died in 2007 aged 76 and the third leader to sign the deal, the first president of post-Soviet Belarus, died a week ago. Stanislav Shushkevich, 87, died following treatment for COVID. As president, Kravchuk agreed to transfer remaining Soviet nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory to Russian control, in a deal backed by the United States. He lost the 1994 presidential election to former prime minister Leonid Kuchma.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter that with Kravchuk's signature to the Dec. 1991 agreement disbanding the Soviet Union the Evil Empire disintegrated." "Thank you for the peaceful renewal of our Independence. Were defending it now with weapons in our hands," Reznikov wrote Tuesday. Zelensky paid tribute to Kravchuk in his nightly video address, reports the AP. "He was not just a politician, and even not just a historical figure," Zelensky said. "He was a man who knew how to find wise words and to say them so that all Ukrainians would hear them."

(Read more Ukraine stories.)
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with rain and snow showers this morning changing to all rain this afternoon. High 42F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Periods of rain and snow. Low 34F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Rain and snow this morning changing to rain late. High 41F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain and snow. Low 34F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%.
Bahrain feels real Eid spirit after Covid days

TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com Staff Reporter Finally, after two years, Bahrain witnessed Eid Al Fitr celebrations in their true spirit as the pandemic proved an obstacle for group prayers and social gatherings. Thousands of worshippers were seen offering prayers at mosques and prayer grounds across the country yesterday. Across Bahrain, the imams called on worshippers to benefit from the great values of the holy month of Ramadan, by consolidating the Islamic precepts and spreading peace and good deeds. Sermons focused on upholding Islamic values by spreading peace and love. They also highlighted the Kingdoms leaderships contribution towards the welfare of the state and its citizens apart from holding special prayers for the nations bright futur

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Hassan Babu, a Bahrain resident, said he is overwhelmed over the fact that he could celebrate Eid Al Fitr in full fervour. We are witnessing Eid celebrations in its most vibrant form. I have never seen this enthusiasm in the past many years, even before the pandemic season. Last two years, we have not been celebrating Eid in full spirit as social gatherings are an integral part of Eid celebrations. This year, Allah the Almighty has given us the opportunity to meet and interact with our beloved ones during this special occasion. Most of the worshippers, while offering Eid prayers, were seen keeping most Covid-19 protocols in mind. Sufficient distance was kept between worshippers and many were seen wearing masks.

Mohammed Sahal, who has been celebrating Eid in the Kingdom for over ten years now, said everyone should exercise caution despite the decreased Covid-19 threat this time. You can see myself and my two sons wearing masks while going to the mosque for prayers. We should acknowledge that the threat is not completely over. It could bounce back any time and this signifies the importance of adopting alertness. The holy day is heavily focused on family and friends, with many in the community meeting up to share food and personal bonding. Vishwanathan Bhasakaran, another Bahrain resident, said Eid Al Fitr is definitely an important day for non-Muslims in the Kingdom as well. Every Eid day has been special in my life since I came to the Kingdom, 30 years ago. I visit my Muslim friends on this day and we celebrate the auspicious occasion together. It is the day for bonding and reaffirming our love for each other.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kingdom of Bahrain and Brazil are keen to expand trade, economic and explore more investment partnership. This came as Bahrain Ambassador to Brazil, Bader Abbas Al Halibi, participated in the forum titled Expanding Commercial Partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Santa Catarina.

It was organised by the Federation of Voluntary Business Associations in cooperation with the embassy and Federal Representative Caroline de Toni, in the presence of representatives of the Arab and Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, investment companies and a number of businessmen.

The Ambassador stressed the importance of this forum in strengthening the economic, trade and investment partnership between the two friendly countries, in light of the positive outcomes of the visit of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, to Bahrain at the invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa last November and the opening of the Brazilian Embassy in Manama.

The participants in the forum highlighted strong relations between Bahrain and Brazil and noted the investment opportunities between the two sides. They also lauded the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries and reviewed means of enhancing them in the interest of both parties.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Cabinet has pushed for the continued adoption of initiatives that ensure food security in the agricultural, animal and marine fields.

It also affirmed support efforts to increase the volume of national produce to ensure food security and the sustainability of the supply chain.

This came as the weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired yesterday by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, at Gudaibiya Palace, followed up on the implementation of the royal directives to enhance food investments and security.

The directives follow the review of a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, in which the Cabinet assigned the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism to heighten the monitoring of the prices of goods and ensuring their availability in accordance with consumer needs.

Cooperation

On the occasion of the issuance of the Royal order to adjourn the fourth session of the fifth legislative term of the Shura and Representatives Councils, the Cabinet commended the cooperation and coordination between the executive and legislative authorities, and the successes achieved in this regard for the development of the Kingdom and the realisation of the aspirations of its citizens.

The Cabinet also expressed its appreciation for the role played by the Council of Representatives and the Shura Council in supporting national efforts to benefit the Kingdom and its people.

Royal address

The Cabinet commended the address given by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

In the speech, His Majesty the King expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the nations media outlets as active partners in promoting the Kingdoms national goals for sustainable growth and the progress of the plans and programmes adopted by the government, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Appreciation

Marking International Nurses Day, the Cabinet expressed its appreciation for the role played by the Kingdoms nursing professionals in promoting health and treatment services within Bahrain.

The Cabinet condemned the cowardly terrorist attack that targeted a water lifting station in Western Sinai in the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Cabinet further expressed its sincere condolences to the government and people of Egypt. The Cabinet affirmed Bahrains full support for all the measures taken by Egypt in maintaining its security, stability and the safety of its citizens and residents.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A team from the Royal Guard at the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) has successfully climbed the Ama Dablam Mountain in Nepal. After six months of intensive training and preparations, the Royal Guard expedition climbed the mountain on May 5, at 12:53, and returned safely to their camp in Katmandu, ahead of their return to Bahrain.

On the occasion, National Security Advisor and Royal Guard Commander, Major-General His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, affirmed that the members of the Royal Guard team had set the best examples in overcoming challenges, citing their determination to attain honourable achievements.

HH Shaikh Nasser praised the Royal Guard personnels distinguished capabilities, which enabled them to take on various challenges with competence and professionalism. The exploit adds to the Royal Guards rich record of honourable accomplishments, including their success in reaching the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, the worlds tallest peak to Mount Everest.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Applied Science University (ASU) has joined an elite group of only 11 higher education institutions in the world by achieving the global accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), UK, making it the only university in Bahrain that obtains the prestigious international accreditation.

This comes on the heels of many other achievements which clearly demonstrates once again the quality of the education and services offered by ASU to its students. The Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) is the UKs independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.

The global accreditation is awarded to international institutions who have passed the QAAs rigorous International Quality Review (IQR), which measures global institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The review was performed by a team of three independent auditors including a UK, International, and student reviewer, who conducted a comprehensive review of the universitys educational process.

In their report, which included their conclusions and assessments, the review team confirmed that the University meets all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG. The review panel also praised some of the Universitys good practices and achievements, such as its successful partnership with the British Academy of Higher Education (Advance HE), to offer a fellowship scheme for its academic staff to recognize excellence in teaching and learning and student support.

As a result, a high proportion of ASUs academic staff achieved certifications at different levels of the fellowship from the Academy. The review panel also praised the Universitys IT systems which integrate databases and other sources of information allowing accessibility of data and the embedding of management information into decision-making processes at all levels of the institution.

Professor Waheeb Al-Khaja, Chairman of the Board of Trustees said: We are delighted with this achievement as we have always been committed to a culture of excellence in teaching and learning, research and community engagement, and it just shows how far weve come in our quest for excellence.
Agencies | Riyadh

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia discussed investment opportunities in civil aviation as Bahrain Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed met with Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser.

The Bahrain minister participated in "Future Aviation Forum" for three days, organized by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The meeting discussed investment opportunities in the civil aviation sector and the possibility of investing promising opportunities to achieve the strategic vision from the national strategy for transport and logistics, reviewing solutions that contribute to the prosperity of the sector in the coming years.

The minister praised the efforts of Saudi Arabia and its commitment to developing civil aviation and achieving a more sustainable future in the sector.
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The Japanese government on May 10 extended an Emergency Grant Aid of $10 million, in response to the food crisis in Yemen, and said this assistance was expected to be delivered to approximately 2.5 million people.

In support of its move, the government noted that Yemen has endured more than seven years of conflict and facing the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, including severe food shortages.

The foreign ministry said the emergency grant aid will provide food assistance to Yemenis through the World Food Program (WFP), amid growing concerns that the humanitarian situation in Yemen could deteriorate further due to the impact of rising food prices caused by the situation in Ukraine.

The aid is to be implemented as part of Japans efforts to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs as well as to support the truce agreement which was achieved by the mediation efforts of Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen.
On May 6, Japan's Mitsubishi Electric admitted that it committed transformer test data fraud.

As a result, the company's two quality management certifications  ISO9001 and IRIS certifications  have been suspended by international certification bodies. The transformer data fraud dates back to at least 1982 and spans 40 years. Nearly 3,400 of the transformers were sold to companies in and outside Japan, including rail companies and operating nuclear power plants. Mitsubishi Electric is currently taking corrective actions to reinstate the certifications.
Mills On The Air in Shropshire newspaper Martin G7WBX got good publicity for Amateur Radio by getting press coverage for his Mill on the Air (MOTA) activity



Daniels Mill, at Eardington, was one of around 300 water and windmills across the UK celebrating National Mills weekend.



The amateur radio station at Daniels Mill was operated by enthusiast Martin Childs, from Chelmarsh, who used a special call sign for the event of GB4DM.



He spoke visitors to the mill about the project and how it came about, plus let them transmit to other mills.



Read the Shropshire Star report at

https://shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/bridgnorth/2022/05/09/historic-mill-in-bridgnorth-celebrated-as-part-of-uk-radio-ham-event/



https://www.ddars.net/mills.html Mills on the Air event
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BROOKFIELD  The town is beginning to distribute $200,000 in COVID-19 relief funding to local small businesses, but exactly who is getting the money remains a mystery.

To date, eight applicants have been approved, but town officials hope to keep their names private, despite the states public records laws.

The months-long review and approval process is expected to end Wednesday evening. The first selectwoman said the town may release the names of the businesses after that.

Officials said some of the business owners wanted the information to be kept private.

I will tell you that at least three or four times when businesses said, I am not sure we want to apply what are you going to do with our application, who are you going to tell this to? Is this public information? said Brookfield Community Development Specialist Greg Dembowski.

Updating the Board of Selectmen at its meeting last week, Dembowski said he asked one applicant if they would mind sharing their story around the need for the federal relief money with The News-Times.

Absolutely not, I really prefer you dont do that, Dembowski reported as the answer from the applicant.

That is one of the few reasons I have really done all I could to maintain confidentiality on a really a need-to-know business, he added.

The funds for the grant program come from a portion of the $5.26 million in federal taxpayer money distributed to Brookfield under the U.S. American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

Last month, Brookfield residents approved using the money for the small business grant program at a special town meeting.

Application review

First Selectwoman Tara Carr, who is ultimately responsible for approving the projects, said she decided to withhold the names through the completion of the review process.

If I frequent these businesses, I dont want to know, its none of my business quite frankly, she said last week.

Dembowski said the town modeled its COVID-19 grant program on similar initiatives seen in New Milford and Bethel and explained how the secrecy around the names of the businesses plays a practical role

For each of the 44 applications received to date by the town, Dembowski said he works with the towns tax assessor to verify the business is properly registered and then checks with the tax clerks office to make sure their taxes are paid.

Finally, at the town clerks office, he ensures they are registered with the state if they are a [Limited Liability Company,] and if they are a sole proprietorship, he checks to see if their trade name is registered.

If they qualify, and meet the standards of the program which include being a business or registered nonprofit organization physically located in Brookfield and posted an annual gross revenue of less than $1 million prior to the pandemic, he said he physically covers up all identifying information on the application to prevent any bias during its subsequent review.

The commission tasked with vetting the qualified applicants consists of the Brookfield Economic Development Commission chair, vice chair and secretary, along with the towns economic development manager and tax assessor. They review the applications by scoring them based on various criteria including business viability, economic hardship and financial need.

Finally, Carr makes the final approval on those applications recommended by the committee.

Public information

Bethel, a town with a population of roughly 20,000, recently completed its $300,000 small business grant program funded with ARPA money under the same redacted-review process, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said Monday.

Its important in a small town because everybody knows everybody and half of them are related, he added.

Unlike Brookfield, Knickerbocker said the town would release the names of the applicants if it received a request due to the states public records law. He then invited a reporter to do so.

The less than two minute conversation with Knickerbocker paled in comparison to multiple emails, phone calls and text messages sent to Brookfield town officials, Carr and the towns attorney on the matter of making the information public record.

The News-Times initially requested copies of all approved applications from Dembowski, who directed a reporter to the towns attorney. A subsequent Freedom of Information request received by the town of Brookfield asked for copies of all applications, including those that had been accepted and those that were turned down.

Confirming receipt of the FOI request, the towns attorney referred to guidance given by the states Freedom of Information Commission that allowed for redactions to be made to the applications.

Thomas Hennick, public education officer for the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, explained how certain information that may be included on the applications could be redacted under the states public information laws if it met certain criteria. For example, if it showed personal or sensitive financial information, or if information would provide competitors with an unfair advantage.

When it comes to basic identifying information like a business name or the total amount received, the information is a matter of public record.

That is not going to work, Hennick said of the need to protect a business owners requested privacy around applying for and receiving the funding, which he pointed out is the taxpayers money.

For other COVID-19 pandemic relief programs like the U.S. CARES Act and the U.S. Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, information showing where the money went and the amount was made available to the public.

For example, according to data obtained by Hearst Media Connecticut from the state, Brookfield used about $123,000 in U.S. CARES Act funding to pay roughly 3,200 hours of public health personnel costs.

The level of transparency proved important when it came to tracking the billions of loans approved through the Paycheck Protection Program.

Using a public database available for download on the U.S. Small Business Administrations website, researchers last year estimated between 10 percent and 15 percent of PPP loans approved in Connecticut went to borrowers who unintentionally or fraudulently received too much from the $9.9 billion in federal relief money distributed over three installments of the program in the state.

Asked Monday if Brookfield planned to release the names of the local businesses set to receive a portion of the ARP money used for the small business grant program, Carr again asserted the importance of keeping them from the public eye but suggested additional legal review would be needed.

At the end of the day all of this is very private information that not one business has said they wish for this information to be disclosed, she wrote in a text on Monday.

"The committee is meeting Wednesday to finish the process, please let us do that. If it is in fact required by law the town of Brookfield of course is amenable to releasing the names.
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DANBURY  Michael Sturdevant became a police officer almost on a whim.

He was working at the courthouse as a sheriff for about 2 1/2 years and was a little interested in pursuing law enforcement. But he signed up to take the test to become a Danbury police officer on the last day it was offered after hearing his friend was doing so.

He learned a couple days later that he was No. 3 on the hiring list.

Over the last 28 years, hes risen through the ranks of the Danbury Police Department, most recently being named the new deputy police chief.

He said he enjoys serving the community and meeting various people.

The interacting with the community, particularly on the good days, but even the bad days  when I can help somebody, thats what I get the most out of this job, making a difference and being active in the community, said Sturdevant, who will take over as deputy chief when Shaun McColgan retires in June.

McColgan has been Sturdevants supervisor as theyve moved up the ranks in the department.

Hes another guy that he absolutely loves this community and he loves working here, McColgan said. I dont think Ill have to tell him much. Hes a really, really good officer, and hes going to do a fantastic job as deputy chief.

Chief Patrick Ridenhour agrees that Sturdevant has all the skills and abilities to be a great deputy chief.

He has tremendous ties to the Danbury community and is also highly respected by his peers, Ridenhour said in an email.

Since joining the department in August 1994, Sturdevant became sergeant in January 2006, lieutenant in May 2015 and captain in July 2021. Hes earned various awards for policing and has a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Post University.

He has served in some key assignments within the department, most notably in the Emergency Services Unit and as an Internal Affairs investigator, Ridenhour said. He has commanded our largest and most visible division. He is fair and very level headed. Over the past three plus years we have worked very closely together.

He was one of several promotions Danbury City Council approved last week. Joseph LeRose has been named police captain, Mark Wochek is a new police lieutenant, Michael Russotti is a new sergeant, and Jonathan Grande has become a detective. The city also hired Dragan Stojkovic has been hired as a new officer.

Mayor Dean Esposito praised Sturdevant, who he said hes known for a long time.

He has an outstanding work ethic, the mayor said. He relates to the employees, or other police officers, well. In my opinion, hes a good manager with common sense.

Community relations

The department and the chief are community oriented, which Sturdevant said he appreciates and wants to continue to foster, especially as the city sees many newcomers. Hes seen the city become a safer place, thanks in part to actions of the departments leaders, including the establishment of the community conditions unit, he said.

I think the department and the community grew together, Sturdevant said. Its become a much safer (city) and a more welcoming department, where I think people for the most part feel comfortable approaching us and calling us when they need help, as we evolved through that community-oriented model.

Part of what intrigued Sturdevant about becoming a Danbury cop was his familys deep roots in Danbury, he said. On the Taylor side, his family can trace its ancestors back to the founding families of the city. His grandfather was a former first selectman for the town of Danbury. His family helped found Union Savings Bank and owned Sturdevants Photos on Main Street from 1929 to 1998.

He grew up in Newtown and graduated from Newtown High School in 1988, but he lives in Danbury with his wife and three children.

One of his goals as deputy chief is to bring people into the police force and bring up the morale of the cops working here.

One of our biggest challenges is recruitment and retention just because of the public perception of police work today, Sturdevant said. A lot of our younger people dont want to get involved in this line of work. In Danbury itself, were extremely lucky to have a community that really supports us.

In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota two years ago, Sturdevant tried to reassure his colleagues amid nationwide criticism of cops. He reminded them that many of the initiatives in the police accountability law the state passed that summer were already implemented in Danbury thanks to the foresight of local police chiefs over the years, he said.

Its a very noble profession that people shouldnt be afraid to go into because of what they see in the media or the extremes they see, Sturdevant said.

He aims to expose officers to the career paths they could pursue within the department, encouraging them to grow through the ranks and adjust to changes in policing.

My leadership style is one of empowerment, Sturdevant said.
DANBURY  A new emergency medical services building has opened on the citys west side to better serve that growing area of the city.

Rizzo Corporation constructed and donated the building at the site of Keystone Place at Wooster Heights, a senior living facility. The former mayor once estimated it would have cost the city a half million dollars to construct itself.
State Sen. Matt Lesser said Tuesday he will exit Connecticuts secretary of the state race and instead run for reelection in his Senate district.

Lesser, who represents Middletown, lost the Democratic party endorsement at the state convention Saturday, finishing second in the voting to state Rep. Stephanie Thomas, of Norwalk. Though he qualified to face Thomas and other candidates in a primary for the Democratic nomination, he has chosen not to do so.

For a variety of reasons, the best move for me is to run for reelection to the state Senate, Lesser told Hearst Connecticut Media. I think its going to be a tough year for Democrats, and I think a primary this summer would be necessarily divisive, and Im not sure that thats necessarily what we need at this moment.

Lessers exit from the race leaves Thomas, New Haven health director Maritza Bond and state Rep. Hilda Santiago, of Meriden, as the remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination for secretary of the state. State Rep. Josh Elliott, of Hamden, did not receive enough support at the convention to qualify for a primary.

Bond, who finished fourth at the convention with 17 percent of the vote, plans to run a primary challenge, according to Roy Occhiogrosso, an unpaid adviser to the campaign. Bond could not be reached for comment.

Santiago has not yet decided whether she will continue to seek the secretary of the state nomination or bow out to run for reelection in the state House, campaign spokesperson Trip Holtgrewe said Tuesday. Santiago has more time than Lesser to decide, as the Meriden Democratic Town Committee will not meet until later this month to endorse its state House candidate.

Whoever emerges from the Democratic field will face one of several Republican candidates, led by Dominic Rapini, of Hamden, who secured the partys endorsement last weekend.

At the Democratic convention Saturday, Lesser battled Santiago for second place in the secretary of the states race. With Thomas ahead during the second round of voting and Lesser and Santiago separated by a few delegates, Thomas released some of her delegates to support Lesser, springing him into the final round of voting.

Before the final round concluded, and with Lesser still far behind Thomas in the delegate count, he bowed out, saying he was proud of his showing and promising to take the fight to a primary.

Prior to the convention, some Democrats had pushed for the party to endorse women and people of color for the offices of treasurer and secretary of the state to increase the diversity of the ticket. Lessers campaign drew criticism after requesting the secretary of the state race be decided first, not last, at the convention, seemingly to avoid a scenario in which delegates reacted to a slate of male candidates for other offices by endorsing a woman for that one.

Lesser said Tuesday the emphasis on the diversity of the Democratic ticket was one factor in his decision to exit the race.

At the end of the day, I think that dynamic was what prevented me from winning, Lesser said. I understand and I recognize the desire for folks to have a woman on the ticket, and I [want that] too. ... I think its important that we have strong gender diversity on the ticket.

Lesser said Tuesday he was not ready to endorse Thomas or any other candidate.

In the Democratic race for state treasurer, two candidates who received enough support for a primary both said at the convention they plan to run in a primary. The candidates are Dita Bhargava, an investment firm executive from Greenwich; and Karen DuBois-Walton, president of the housing authority in New Haven.

The endorsed candidate is Erick Russell, a New Haven lawyer working in the securities field. Russell and DuBois-Walton are both Black candidates; Democrats have nominated a Black candidate for treasurer in every cycle since 1962.

Bhargava lost in a 2018 primary to Shawn Wooden, the one-term treasurer who is not seeking reelection. Bhargava and Russell are both former vice chairs of the Democratic State Central Committee.

Staff writers John Moritz, Dan Haar and Julia Bergman contributed to this story.

alex.putterman

@hearstmediact.com
Shortwave radio resurrected

Canada's CTV News reports shortwave radio, used by spies for decades to send encrypted messages, is being resurrected for the war in Ukraine



The story says:



According to Dr. Andrew Hammond, curator and historian at Washington, D.C.s International Spy Museum, the shortwave radio is a classic tool that was used for espionage.



With a shortwave radio like this, you can transmit information over huge distances, he told CTV National News.



But now, decades later, shortwave is coming back into use.



After Russia attacked communication towers in Ukraine, the BBC went old school, broadcasting their news service on the shortwave frequency to counter Russian propaganda about the war.



"The BBC is using it to transmit it because it's a lot harder to block those transmissions, John Figliozzi, a shortwave radio expert and author of the book The Worldwide Listening Guide, told CTV National News. It's an old technology, but it works.



Used in conflict zones, shortwave is less complicated than other communication avenues, and travels further than TV or cell phones.



Radio waves are electromagnetic signals that can be broadcast and for others to tune into by tuning a radio to the correct frequency, such as tuning your car radio into AM or FM chanels.



Shortwave radios tune into a range of frequencies that includes all of the high frequency bands, among others. When shortwave transmissions are directed at an angle into the sky, they bounce off of a layer of atoms in the atmosphere called the ionosphere, allowing them to travel beyond the horizon, much farther than other radio waves that are limited by having to transmit in a straight line.



Over the past few months, amateur radio hobbyists have used shortwave to pick up Russian soldiers openly discussing battle plans. Anti war protestors have also used it to troll the Russian military, by blasting the Ukrainian national anthem or jamming their channels with annoying ear worms.



Watch the video and read the full story at

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/how-shortwave-radio-is-resurfacing-as-a-tool-in-ukraine-1.5894366
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LONDON (AP)  Elon Musk said Twitter would reverse its ban of former President Donald Trump if his purchase of the social media company goes through, signaling just how permissive the platform could become toward free speech under his ownership.

Speaking virtually at an auto conference, the Tesla CEO said Tuesday that Twitter's ban of Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme.

I think that was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice, said Musk, adding that he preferred temporary suspensions and other narrowly tailored punishments for content that is illegal or otherwise destructive to the world."

Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey voiced his agreement in a Tuesday tweet in which he said generally permanent bans are a failure of ours and dont work.

Shares of Twitter dropped 1.5% Tuesday to $47.24 per share. That's 13 percent below the offer of $54.20 per share  or $44 billion  that Musk made on April 14, a reflection of Wall Street's concerns that the deal could still fall through. Musk emphasized Tuesday that it is certainly not a done deal."

Musk has repeatedly criticized Twitters content moderation decisions, including banning Trump for incitement of violence, but had mostly avoided saying what he would do about Trumps account. He was pressed for more details Tuesday by Peter Campbell, an automotive correspondent for the Financial Times, which hosted the auto conference.

If Musk is concerned that many people were upset that Trump was banned, he should see how many more people would be upset if Trump was not banned, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame. Musk only appears to be worried about the opinion of a small group of individuals who incite violence or perpetuate hate speech.

Trump has previously said that he had no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account was reinstated, telling Fox News last month that he would instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

Musk appeared to take those claims at face value, saying Tuesday that Trump will be going to Truth Social along with a large part of the U.S. political right, creating a situation thats frankly worse than having a single forum where everyone can debate.

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to Musks remarks.

While Trump was president, his Twitter persona functioned as a mix of policy announcements, often out of the blue; complaints about the media; disparagement of women, minorities and his perceived enemies; and praise for his supporters, replete with exclamation marks, all-caps, and one-word declarations such as Sad!

He fired numerous officials on Twitter and his posts, like his speeches at rallies, were a torrent of misinformation.

In announcing its ban of Trump in 2021, Twitter said his tweets amounted to glorification of violence when read in the context of the Capitol riot and plans circulating online for future armed protests around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Musks remarks Tuesday raise questions about whether those banned besides Trump could also return. The long list of people banned from Twitter includes QAnon loyalists, COVID deniers, neo-Nazis and former reality star Tila Tequila, who was suspended for hate speech.

Other Trump allies kicked off Twitter include Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was permanently banned in January for repeatedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccine safety.

White supremacist David Duke and the often violent Proud Boys organization have been banned, along with far-right trolls like one who goes by the name Baked Alaska, who promoted anti-Semitic tropes and faces charges stemming from his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.

Alex Jones, the creator of Infowars, was permanently banned in 2018 for abusive behavior. Last year, Jones lost a defamation case filed by the parents of children killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting over Jones repeated claims that the shooting was fake.

Twitter, Musk said Tuesday, currently has a strong bias to the left, largely because it is located in San Francisco. This alleged bias prevents it from building trust in the rest of the U.S. and the world, he said: Its far too random and I think Twitter needs to be much more even handed.

Twitter declined to comment on Musk's remarks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Musk said he supported a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc's single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the blocs online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal will be forbidden in the digital space, which Musk fully agreed with.

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a great discussion" and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year. It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

___

O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.; Krisher reported from Detroit. Associated Press writer David Klepper contributed from Providence, Rhode Island.

___

See all of APs tech coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/technology.
NEW FAIRFIELD - A 59-year-old landscaper charged in the stabbing death of his friend from Sandy Hook on Saturday told police he had been dragged into his own house by the victim and was stomped on, according to a recently released police report.

Patrick Griffins account of the night he called police to report that his friend James Knapp from Newtown was dead in Griffins kitchen is contained in a state police investigation report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.

I asked Griffin if he stabbed Knapp and Griffin replied, Yeah, I had no choice, he was putting his (expletive) foot on my throat, wrote state police Detective Jared Barbero of the Western District Major Crime Squad. During the interview, Griffin disclosed that he had working cameras in his house that may have captured the incident.

The investigation report, which follows the arraignment in Danbury on Monday of Griffin on a first-degree manslaughter charge, provides only Griffins side of the story, and the evidence police found at his New Fairfield home where the two friends had returned after drinking at a bar across the New York border.

Aside from Barberos statement and that of two other police officers in the report, there are no witness accounts of what happened.

On Monday in Superior Court, where Griffin appeared to have physical injuries to the extent that he could not stand comfortably and had to sit during the brief arraignment, his defense attorney asked Judge Dan Shaban for an order to preserve video footage in Griffins home as potential evidence.

Shaban agreed, lowering Griffins bail from $1 million, and returning him to police custody on $750,000 bail. Griffin is due back in court on May 23.

Although the state police investigation report does not give the whole story, it does appear to shed more light on what happened Saturday night between two men who were described by a family member as best friends and very tight.

Knapp was the father of Ryan Knapp, a member of Newtowns Legislative Council.

I knew Ryans father from Republican Party events and he always seemed to be soft-spoken and a gentleman, said Jeff Capeci, chairman of the Legislative Council. This is quite a shock.

Police were alerted shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday when Griffin called 911 to say There is a dead man in my kitchen, according to the state police report.

Upon interacting with Griffin, Trooper David Tharas, Griffin spontaneously uttered that his friend drugged him and dragged him into the house so Griffin stabbed him, Barbero wrote.

Griffin was handcuffed as police turned their attention to trying to save the life of Knapp, 65, a former educator at Pomperaug Regional High School, who was found in the kitchen with a large stab wound in his stomach.

Trooper Tharas thought he observed the victim making respiratory movements, wrote Barbero in the report, which noted that the officers tried to save Knapp before New Fairfield EMS arrived by filling the stab wound with gauze called QuikClot, with chest compressions, and with rescue breaths from a bag valve mask.

Knapp was rushed to Danbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:30 p.m.

Griffin was also taken to the hospital, where he was interviewed by Barbero.

Handcuffed to the hospital bed, Griffin told the detective that he and Knapp had been at a bar in Patterson, N.Y., and afterwards had driven to Griffins home at on Hillview Drive East in their own vehicles.

I asked if both he and Knapp had been drinking, and Griffin confirmed that they both were, they always drink, Barbero wrote. Griffin stated all of a sudden he was falling down and his buddy was stomping on him. Griffin stated he had a knife under the pillow, and when his buddy came down again, he said (expletive). I asked Griffin his buddys name, and Griffin replied it was Jim Knapp, and he was his good buddy.

Among the evidence police secured at Griffins house was a large knife on the floor with what police believed was hair and skin tissue on the blade.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves.

Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to shutter its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said the Food and Drug Administration was working around the clock to address any possible shortages."

On Tuesday, the FDA said it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamlining paperwork to allow more imports.

For now, pediatricians and health workers are urging parents who cant find formula to contact food banks or doctor's offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.

For babies who are not being breastfed, this is the only thing they eat," said Dr. Steven Abrams, of the University of Texas, Austin. "So it has to have all of their nutrition and, furthermore, it needs to be properly prepared so that its safe for the smallest infants.

Laura Stewart, a 52-year-old mother of three who lives just north of Springfield, Missouri, has been struggling for several weeks to find formula for her 10-month-old daughter, Riley.

Riley normally gets a brand of Abbott's Similac designed for children with sensitive stomachs. Last month, she instead used four different brands.

She spits up more. Shes just more cranky. She is typically a very happy girl," Stewart said. "When she has the right formula, she doesnt spit up. Shes perfectly fine."

A small can costs $17 to $18 and lasts three to five days, Stewart said.

Like many Americans, Stewart relies on WIC  a federal program similar to food stamps that serves mothers and children  to afford formula for her daughter. Abbott's recall wiped out many WIC-covered brands, though the program is now allowing substitutions.

Trying to keep formula in stock, retailers including CVS and Walgreens have begun limiting purchases to three containers per customer.

Nationwide about 40% of large retail stores are out of stock, up from 31% in mid-April, according to Datasembly, a data analytics firm. More than half of U.S. states are seeing out-of-stock rates between 40% and 50%, according to the firm, which collects data from 11,000 locations.

Baby formula is particularly vulnerable to disruptions because just a handful of companies account for almost the entire U.S. supply.

Industry executives say the constraints began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in ingredients, labor and transportation. Supplies were further squeezed by parents stockpiling during lockdowns.

Then in February, Abbott recalled several major brands and shut down its Sturgis, Michigan, factory when federal officials concluded four babies suffered bacterial infections after consuming formula from the facility. Two of the infants died.

When FDA inspectors visited the plant in March they found lax safety protocols and traces of the bacteria on several surfaces. None of the bacterial strains matched those collected from the infants, however, and the FDA hasnt offered an explanation for how the contamination occurred.

For its part, Abbott says its formula is not likely the source of infection, though the FDA says its investigation continues.

Chicago-based Abbott said it is increasing production at its other facilities to fill the gap, including air-shipping formula from a plant in Ireland.

The shortages are especially dangerous for infants who require specialty formulas due to food allergies, digestive problems and other conditions.

Unfortunately, many of those very specialized formulas are only made in the United States at the factory that had the recall, and that's caused a huge problem for a relatively small number of infants," Abrams said.

After hearing concerns from parents, the FDA said last month that Abbott could begin releasing some specialty formulas not affected by the recalls on a case-by-case basis." The company is providing them free of charge, in coordination with physicians and hospitals.

Food safety advocates say the FDA made the right call in releasing the formula, but that parents should talk to their pediatricians before using it.

Theres still some risk from the formula because we know there are problems at the plant and FDA hasnt identified a root cause, said Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. But its worth releasing because these infants might die without it."

Its unclear when the Abbott plant might reopen.

The FDA said the company is still working to rectify findings related to the processes, procedures and conditions. Other infant formula makers are meeting or exceeding capacity levels to meet current demand, the agency said.

Among other steps, the FDA said it was waiving enforcement of minor product labeling issues to increase availability of both U.S. and imported products.

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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter

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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.
74 per cent of professionals with flexible schedules are putting in longer hours now versus pre-pandemic

45 per cent of employees are hesitant to discuss burnout with their boss

TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Burnout is a growing issue for many workers, including those who have flexible schedules, new research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half shows. In a survey of more than 500 professionals in Canada, 38 per cent of respondents said they are more burned out now than a year ago. Results are similar to a 2021 poll, suggesting more must be done to support employees' mental health and well-being.

Those most likely to report a rise in burnout include:

Rising Burnout for Canadian Professionals (CNW Group/Robert Half Canada)

Millennial professionals (42 per cent)

Women (42 per cent)

Employees who have been with their company for two to four years (42 per cent)

Professionals based in Calgary (51 per cent) and Vancouver (38 per cent)

At the same time, 45 per cent of workers are uneasy about expressing feelings of burnout with their manager. View an infographic of the research highlights.

"Many Canadian employees are still battling burnout, despite companies' efforts to hire permanent and contract talent to support growing business demands," said David King, Canadian senior managing director of Robert Half. "The labour market remains incredibly tight and now, more than ever, managers need to focus on the health and wellness of their teams and take steps to reduce work-related stress. This includes scheduling ongoing check-ins, prioritizing critical work and maintaining a culture that encourages employees to share if they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed."

When Schedule Flexibility Backfires

Sixty-nine per cent of professionals said they have the ability to set their own schedule, but among those respondents, 74 per cent are working more hours than they were before the pandemic. Sixty per cent of employees overall are putting in 40 or more hours a week.

"For some employees, schedule flexibility has created a sense that they need to be available at all times, making it more challenging to fully disconnect from work," added King. "It's important for managers to lead by example and demonstrate a true commitment to work-life balance, including proactively encouraging staff to prioritize personal commitments and take breaks and time off."

Visit the Robert Half blog for additional tips on helping employees avoid work burnout.

About the Research

The online survey was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 500 workers, 18 years of age or older at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada.

About Robert Half

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) 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.ca and download the company's award-winning mobile app.

SOURCE Robert Half Canada

For further information: Allison Morris-Rosnak, 647-956-6221, [email protected] | Robert Half, 181 Bay Street, Suite 820, Toronto, ON M5J 2T3
In the 29th year of the program, Canada's Best Managed Companies combine strategic expertise and a culture of innovation with a steadfast commitment to their communities

TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Deloitte Canada is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2022 Canada's Best Managed Companies awards program, spotlighting the top privately-owned Canadian companies with annual revenues over $50 million. This year's companiesincluding the program's 29 new winnershighlight their strategic planning, adaptability, and commitment to their communities as key factors contributing to their success on a global scale.

"The 2022 Best Managed winners have demonstrated an exceptional ability to identify lucrative opportunities and successfully adapt to new situations, leveraging industry-leading competencies to maximize their investments and drive sustainable growth," said Lorrie King, National Co-Leader of the Canada's Best Managed Companies program and Partner, Deloitte Private. "Over the past year, these companies displayed a forging-forward mentality that enabled them to weather challenges and explore new avenues for advancement. They exemplify the resilience and innovative business practices that are necessary as the Canadian and global business environments continue to change rapidly."

Another connection between Canada's Best Managed Companies is their continued attention to employee wellbeing, with policies and practices ranging from increased benefits and flexible work options to opportunities for professional development and growth. These companies promote clear and consistent communication throughout their organizations, fostering inclusive, collaborative workplaces where employees' contributions are recognized and rewarded through holistic compensation systems.

"Industry leaders understand that enhanced employee engagement and retention are vital to an organization's long-term success," said Derrick Dempster, National Co-Leader of the Canada's Best Managed Companies program and Partner, Deloitte Private. "This year's Best Managed winners embraced a people-first mentality, ensuring their employees feel valued and empowered and enabling them to cultivate important capabilities to make valuable contributions and help further their organization's core purpose."

Canada's Best Managed Companies are also demonstrating a renewed focus on customer and community relationships, with many of this year's winners taking active strides to integrate environmental, social, and governance considerations into their strategic planning and decision-making.

"It is increasingly important for companies to consider the broader impact of their actions on their communities," said Dino Medves, Senior Vice President and Head, CIBC Commercial Banking. "Companies who incorporate these concerns into their practices are able to develop deeper connections with clients, improve employee engagement, and drive continuous growth. The 2022 Best Managed winners are leaders in this area and should be proud of their significant contributions to their communities."

Best Managed is a flagship program presented by Deloitte Private, a division of Deloitte exclusively focused on serving private clients of all sizes. Generation after generation, Deloitte Private has been by the side of the entrepreneurs transforming Canada's economy  and under its wing, the Best Managed program includes 481 companies, offering a strong network to support the 29 new winners of 2022. The network continues its expansion beyond Canadian borders, now with presence in 50 countries globally.

Here is the list of the new Best Managed winners in 2022:

Company name City Province Primary industry 123Dentist Burnaby British Columbia Life Sciences & Health Care Adfast Canada Inc. Saint-Laurent Quebec Consumer Aquifer Group of Companies Saskatoon Saskatchewan Consumer Auto Export Corporation St. Catharines Ontario Consumer Automobile En Direct.com Inc. Saint-Constant Quebec Consumer Bondi Produce & Specialty Foods Toronto Ontario Consumer Brookdale Treeland Nurseries Limited Schomberg Ontario Consumer Carrington Group of Companies Edmonton Alberta Financial Services Centra Windows Langley British Columbia Manufacturing and Construction CMP Advanced Mechanical Solutions Chateauguay Quebec Energy, Resources & Industrials Groupe Ouellet Canada Inc. L'Islet Quebec Manufacturing Groupe Park Avenue Inc. Brossard (Monteregie) Quebec Consumer Inflector Environmental Services Greely Ontario Energy, Resources & Industrials L. Fournier et fils Inc. Val-d'Or Quebec Mines, Civil, Transport, Concrete LCI Education Montreal Quebec Government and Public Services Logistik Unicorp Inc. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Quebec Consumer Mastermind Toys Toronto Ontario Consumer MedSpa Partners Inc. Toronto Ontario Life Sciences & Health Care NEW LOOK VISION GROUP Saint-Laurent Quebec Medical (Eyewear) Retail Norbec Boucherville Quebec Energy, Resources & Industrials Norda Stelo Inc. Quebec City Quebec Energy, Resources & Industrials P3 Veterinary Partners Inc. Oakville Ontario Life Sciences & Health Care Policaro Group Brampton Ontario Consumer Radicle Group Inc. Calgary Alberta Technology, Media and Telecommunications Samuel, Son & Co. Oakville Ontario Energy, Resources & Industrials Seafair Capital St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Government and Public Services Tri-Mach Group Inc. Elmira Ontario Food & Beverage Equipment Manufacturing/Services Trudell Medical Limited London Ontario Life Sciences & Health Care Urban Life Solutions Calgary Alberta Outdoor Service Delivery



A complete list of the 2022 Canada's Best Managed winners, Gold Standard winners and Platinum Club winners is available here.

About Canada's Best Managed Companies

Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $50 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada's Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canada's Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, Salesforce, The Globe and Mail, and TMX Group. For more information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500 companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and service to address clients' most complex business challenges. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Our global Purpose is making an impact that matters. At Deloitte Canada, that translates into building a better future by accelerating and expanding access to knowledge. We believe we can achieve this Purpose by living our shared values to lead the way, serve with integrity, take care of each other, foster inclusion, and collaborate for measurable impact.

To learn more about Deloitte's approximately 330,000 professionals, over 11,000 of whom are part of the Canadian firm, please connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

SOURCE Deloitte & Touche

For further information: Kyle Wyskiel, Deloitte, 416-354-1574, [email protected]; Marilyne Plouffe, Deloitte, 514-393-5471, [email protected]
CFIB calling on governments to follow Ontario's lead and legislate surplus rebates

TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on workers' compensation boards (WCBs) across Canada to rebate surplus funds back to small business owners.

According to CFIB's latest research snapshot, Workers' Compensation and Surplus Distributions: A Small Business Perspective , seven provincial and territorial boards are in an over-funded position, meaning boards have exceeded their desired funding target.

British Columbia's workers' compensation board was among the most over-funded: its assets were 153% higher than its liabilities, while its targeted funding ratio is set at 130%. In British Columbia, rebating excess funds could mean nearly $2.9 billion back to employers who can effectively use the funds to help in their COVID-19 recovery efforts, and to reinvest in their business. Rebating the excess funds across the country would represent approximately $5.6 billion. For a business with five employees, the rebate would range from $644 in the Yukon to $6,189 in British Columbia.

"Obviously, workers compensation systems need to be adequately resourced to continue the important work of supporting workers and making workplaces safer. But when you have funds reaching levels that are millions  in some cases billions  of dollars above even their upper targets, it's time to return that money to hard-working small business owners," said Ryan Mallough, CFIB senior director of provincial affairs.

Some provinces have recently provided surplus distributions. This year, Ontario rebated $1.5 billion, while Manitoba rebated $95 million. In 2021, Prince Edward Island provided a $25 million rebate. CFIB is urging other provinces to follow suit and deliver meaningful financial relief to small business owners.

"The last two years have been devastating for small businesses across the country. Only 40 per cent are back to normal revenues, and two in three are still carrying covid-related debt," said Marvin Cruz, CFIB director, research. "Getting excess WCB money back to small business owners will not only provide some much-needed support, but also add some fairness back into the workers compensation system."

While seven boards across Canada have rebate policies, last year Ontario became the first province to legislate mandatory rebates when overfunding reaches a certain level. CFIB is also calling on all provinces to follow Ontario's example to ensure certainty and consistency for small business owners.

CFIB is calling on all governments to:

Lower employer premiums or rebate surplus funds to employers, if funding ratio exceeds its target funding, with a stronger preference to rebate eligible employers

Implement mandatory distribution policies where there are none

Legislate surplus distribution policies, as in Ontario

Read the full snapshot here .

About CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business

For further information: For media enquiries or interviews, please contact: Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB, 647-464-2814, [email protected]
TORONTO and DUEREN, Germany, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - GBLT Corp. (TSXV: GBLT) ("GBLT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has secured a new order for its solar energy solutions with one of the largest consumer goods conglomerates ("Client") in the world. The contract is valued at 584,000 ($791,000 CAD)* and will provide full buildout of solar powered carports for the Client, also driving the Client's carbon neutral goal by generating carbon credits.

"The Client, with offices in 79 countries, has a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, and we believe that this relationship will lead to significant additional opportunities with this client and others to play an instrumental role in facilitating in generation of carbon credits for these clients," Said Dr. Thilo Senst, CEO of GBLT. "The carbon credit market globally surged to a record 760 Billion ($1,026 Billion CAD)* in 2021 as a result of governments globally driving their economies to reduce carbon emission. In addition, within Germany, the government policies for clean energy are beginning to be mandated, driving significant demand for renewable energy. Our high margin and established solar energy business is experiencing significant demand from residential and commercial properties and we are seeing this part of our business playing a vital role to the growth of the Company's future."



*Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-carbon-markets-value-surged-record-851-bln-last-year-refinitiv-2022-01-31/

*Source https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/exchange/daily-exchange-rates/ (1.3537 CAD/EU Rate as of 2022-05-03)

About GBLT:

GBLT Corp., through its operating company, GBT GmbH, designs, manufactures and supplies mobile storage, and battery solutions. GBLT is also a leading provider of renewable energy solutions via its solar division, participating in the rapidly growing solar energy market. In addition, the Company offers consumer healthcare and wellness products to some of the largest retail chains across the globe. GBT is also an official licensee for AGFAPHOTO mobile energy products. The Company's branded healthcare and wellbeing products are primarily sold throughout Europe under Dr. Senst brand.

For more information, please visit www.gbt-international.com and www.gbltcorp.com.

Forward - Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release, which are not historical in nature, constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under applicable Canadian securities law. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements or information concerning the Company's proposed activities under the Agreement, the Company's ability to achieve sales, commercial or otherwise, from its products, and the expectations of the Company regarding funding payments due pursuant to the Agreement. These statements reflect management's current assumptions and expectations and by their nature are subject to certain underlying assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Except as required pursuant to applicable securities laws, the Company will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect financial results is included in the documents filed from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider

(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE GBLT Corp.

For further information: GBLT Corp., Dr. Thilo Senst, CEO, Tel.: +49(0)2421-20856-0, Email: [email protected]; Investor Relations: Virtus Advisory Group, Tel: 416-644-5081, Email: [email protected]
Salvador and San Andres Energy Storage Projects Will Provide 85 Megawatt / 425 Megawatt-hours of Reliable Power

LONGUEUIL, QC and LAKE MARY, Fla., May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (TSX: INE) ("Innergex"), an independent renewable power producer that develops, acquires, owns and operates hydroelectric facilities, wind farms, solar farms and energy storage facilities in four countries, has awarded Mitsubishi Power an order for two utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects for its Emerald storage solution totaling 425 megawatt-hours ("MWh") in the Atacama desert of Northern Chile. These projects will be colocated with existing solar photovoltaic facilities and shift the renewable energy to hours of greater need by storing solar energy during the day and dispatching at night.

The five-hour energy duration BESS projects are among the first colocated solar and storage projects in Chile and are Mitsubishi Power's first BESS projects in South America. Innergex's 68 megawatt ("MW") Salvador solar photovoltaic facility will add 50 MW/250 MWh of storage capacity and its 50.6 MW San Andres solar photovoltaic facility will add 35 MW/175 MWh of storage capacity. Both BESS projects are scheduled to come online in 2023 and will help support Chile's national decarbonization goals to achieve 80% clean electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

The two BESS projects combined represent an investment of US$128.5 million (CAN$ 166.6 million). The projects will benefit from capacity payments and additionally will sell energy on the merchant market enabling the facilities to serve the market upon energy demand. Chile acknowledges in their Energy Roadmap for 2050 the importance of energy storage and are currently developing new and more advanced capacity regulations that will further recognize the valuable contribution of battery energy storage systems to grid reliability and compensate them accordingly. These capacity payments represent an important component of BESS' overall revenue stream.

Salvador and San Andres are Innergex's first utility-scale BESS projects in Chile and deliver on their mission to build a better world with renewable energy. The projects will also provide grid resiliency to the country's existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Michel Letellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Innergex, said, "Chile continues to be an attractive market for Innergex, and we are pleased to pursue our expansion by now adding battery energy storage systems to our existing assets. The combination of hydro, wind, solar and battery energy storage systems enables Innergex to meet customer needs at any time of the day and offer 24/7 energy supply to industrial customers through its portfolio of projects. In addition, the capacity payments for energy storage enable these projects to benefit from stable and predictable revenues to which are added the revenues derived from the merchant market, making these projects viable."

Both projects will employ Mitsubishi Power's Emerald Integrated Plant Controller, which is an Energy Management System ("EMS") and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition ("SCADA") system with real-time BESS operation and a monitoring/supervisory control platform. Mitsubishi Power leverages its decades of technology monitoring and diagnostics to enable predictive maintenance, maximize reliability, and unlock operational insights. For added physical safety, both projects use lithium iron phosphate ("LFP") battery chemistry. Compared with other chemistries, LFP provides longer life and superior thermal and chemical stability, while meeting UL 9540 and UL 9540A safety standards.

Mitsubishi Power has more than 1.7 gigawatt-hours ("GWh") of projects in deployment globally with utility-scale BESS solutions that increase renewable reliability, provide frequency stabilization, and reduce energy costs.

Tom Cornell, Senior Vice President, Energy Storage Solutions, Mitsubishi Power Americas, said, "As decarbonization initiatives accelerate and renewable generation expands, battery energy storage is key to achieving net-zero. We are excited to bring our technology to South America and grow our business beyond North America. The coupling of renewables and Mitsubishi Power's Emerald storage solutions are enabling a better, smarter and more resilient energy future for our customers in Chile and around the globe."

Read more about some of Mitsubishi Power's BESS projects:

Read more about Innergex's Salvador and San Andres solar facilities:

About Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.

Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power) headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, employs more than 2,300 power generation, energy storage, and digital solutions experts and professionals. Our employees are focused on empowering customers to affordably and reliably combat climate change while also advancing human prosperity throughout North, Central, and South America. Mitsubishi Power's power generation solutions include gas, steam, and aero-derivative turbines; power trains and power islands; geothermal systems; PV solar project development; environmental controls; and services. Energy storage solutions include green hydrogen, battery energy storage systems, and services. Mitsubishi Power also offers intelligent solutions that use artificial intelligence to enable autonomous operation of power plants. Mitsubishi Power is a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, MHI is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers with engineering and manufacturing businesses spanning energy, infrastructure, transport, aerospace, and defense. For more information, visit the Mitsubishi Power Americas website and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.

For over 30 years, Innergex has believed in a world where abundant renewable energy promotes healthier communities and creates shared prosperity. As an independent renewable power producer which develops, acquires, owns and operates hydroelectric facilities, wind farms, solar farms and energy storage facilities, Innergex is convinced that generating power from renewable sources will lead the way to a better world. Innergex conducts operations in Canada, the United States, France and Chile and manages a large portfolio of high-quality assets currently consisting of interests in 80 operating facilities with an aggregate net installed capacity of 3,152 MW (gross 3,852 MW) and an energy storage capacity of 150 MWh, including 40 hydroelectric facilities, 32 wind farms and 8 solar farms. Innergex also holds interests in 14 projects under development, 3 of which are under construction, with a net installed capacity of 733 MW (gross 770 MW) and an energy storage capacity of 754 MWh, as well as prospective projects at different stages of development with an aggregate gross capacity totaling 6,679 MW. Its approach to building shareholder value is to generate sustainable cash flows, provide an attractive risk-adjusted return on invested capital and to distribute a stable dividend.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

To inform readers of Innergex's future prospects, this press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("Forward-Looking Information"), including Innergex's growth targets, power production, successful development and installation of battery energy storage systems and strategic, operational and financial benefits and accretion expected to result from such future development, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-Looking Information can generally be identified by the use of words such as "approximately", "may", "will", "could", "believes", "expects", "intends", "should", "would", "plans", "potential", "project", "anticipates", "estimates", "scheduled" or "forecasts", or other comparable terms that state that certain events will or will not occur. It represents the projections and expectations of Innergex relating to future events or results as of the date of this press release.

Forward-Looking Information includes future-oriented financial information or financial outlook within the meaning of securities laws, including information regarding Innergex's targeted production, the estimated project schedule, including obtainment of permits, start of installation, work conducted and start of commercial operation for battery energy storage systems and other statements that are not historical facts. Such information is intended to inform readers of the potential financial impact of expected results, of the expected commissioning of Development Projects and of the potential financial impact of completed and future acquisitions. Such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Forward-Looking Information is based on certain key assumptions made by Innergex, including, without restriction, those concerning hydrology, wind regimes and solar irradiation; performance of operating facilities, acquisitions and commissioned projects; project performance; availability of capital resources and timely performance by third parties of contractual obligations; favourable market conditions for share issuance to support growth financing; favourable economic and financial market conditions; Innergex's success in developing and constructing new facilities; successful renewal of PPAs; sufficient human resources to deliver service and execute the capital plan; no significant event occurring outside the ordinary course of business such as a natural disaster, pandemic or other calamity; continued maintenance of information technology infrastructure and no material breach of cybersecurity.

For more information on the risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed, implied or presented by the forward-looking information or on the principal assumptions used to derive this information, please refer to the "Forward-Looking Information" section of the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021.

SOURCE Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.

For further information: Communications Contact: Christa Reichhardt, Mitsubishi Power, +1 407-484-5599, [email protected]; Karine Vachon, Innergex, 450 928-2550, ext. 1222, [email protected]; Investor Relation: Jean Trudel, Innergex, 450 928-2550, ext. 1252, [email protected]
Each year, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies complete a rigorous application process and undergo evaluation by an independent panel of judges based on four key areas: strategy, culture and commitment, capabilities and innovation and governance and financials.

"It is a real honour for Medicom to be selected once again as one of the Best Managed Companies this year. It's an indisputable testament to the outstanding work of our employees, especially during the two-year pandemic. I would like to thank all our engaged employees as they made this possible," said John Tourlas, President, North America, Medicom.

Leading the way to better protect caregivers and their patients

In recent months, Medicom has redoubled its efforts to push its vertical integration and relocate strategic PPE production to Canada. In the summer of 2020, Medicom announced the opening of a surgical mask and N95 respirator plant in Montreal, followed by a second plant to produce the filtering material for masks in the Greater Montreal area and, a few weeks ago, the opening of a new nitrile glove plant in Ontario to supply mainly governments.

"Our commitment to protect has never been clearer. We are investing tens of millions of dollars locally in Canada to secure our local production and thus our caregivers and their patients who need personal protective equipment every day. They can always count on our expertise and rigor when it comes to infection prevention and control," commented Guillaume Laverdure, COO, Medicom.

Applicants to the Canada's Best Managed Companies are evaluated by an independent judging panel comprised of representatives from program sponsors in addition to special guest judges. 2022 Best Managed companies share commonalities that include (but are not limited to) putting their people and culture at the forefront, focusing on their ESG strategies and doubling down on accelerated digitization. Medicom leadership remains firmly committed to continuing to pursue the company's strategy to ensure sustained performance, growth and industry leadership throughout 2022 and beyond.

About the Medicom Group

Medicom was founded in 1988 in response to the urgent need for medical gloves for healthcare professionals during the global HIV crisis. Since then, the company has evolved to become one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of high-quality, single-use, preventive and infection control products for the medical, dental, industrial, animal health, laboratory, retail and health and wellness markets.

Medicom has been a reliable supplier of infection control solutions during multiple epidemics, including avian flu, SARS, H1N1 and Ebola, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, and was named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for 2021.

Today, the Medicom Group distributes infection control products under the Medicom, Ritmed, Kolmi, Hopen, Ocean Pacific and Hedy brands. Medicom subsidiaries include Kolmi-Hopen in France, Medicom Asia in Hong Kong, United Medical Enterprise in the U.S.A., KHM Engineering in Singapore and Medicom HealthPro Limited in the U.K.

For more information about Medicom and their comprehensive portfolio of infection control solutions, including an extensive range of medical face masks, please visit Medicom.com, follow us on Twitter @MedicomGlobal or visit pages on Facebook or LinkedIn.

About Canada's Best Managed Companies

Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $50 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canada's Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canada's Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 46 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, Salesforce and TMX Group. For more information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

SOURCE AMD Medicom Inc.

For further information: Media Contact: Janie Shen, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, AMD Medicom Inc., [email protected]
We know that the count is not yet done, is not yet over, we still need to be vigilant but I want to issue a statement of gratitude to all of those who have been with us in this long and sometimes very difficult journey for the last six months - Marcos Jr.

Former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte, took a commanding lead in the partial and unofficial tally of votes cast in Mondays elections, the numbers reflecting their consistent dominance in the surveys.

The son and namesake of the former dictator on late Monday night told Filipinos that he could no longer contain his gratitude as he leads the unofficial count.

We know that the count is not yet done, is not yet over, we still need to be vigilant but I want to issue a statement of gratitude to all of those who have been with us in this long and sometimes very difficult journey for the last six months, Marcos Jr. said in a message at his campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

He thanked his supporters, volunteers, parallel groups, and political leaders who cast their lot with us.

He urged his supporters to continue to guard their votes and continue to support him should he win as president.

As of 11:17 p.m., the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Transparency Media Server has tallied 78.88 percent of the nationwide election returns (or 44,603,401 of 67,442,616 registered voters) and showed Marcos with 25,489,420 votes as against the second placer, Vice President Leni Robredos 12,145,860.

Duterte had 25,408,391 votes as against the 7,630,661 votes for Robredos running mate, Sen. Francis Kiko Pangilinan.

Marcos Jr.s initial tally already surpassed President Dutertes more than 16 million votes in the 2016 elections.

The votes for Marcos Jr. were equivalent to 57.14 percent of the total counted so far, while Robredos represented 27.23 percent, or not far from the results of the last preelection survey conducted by Pulse Asia.

Turnout was expected to be high among the more than 65 million Filipinos eligible to vote on Monday.

The long lines are magnificent. Filipinos wanted to be heard and heard loudly, said Comelec Commissioner George Garcia.

Pacquiao at third

Sen. Manny Pacquiao ranked third in the presidential race with 1,766,290 votes, followed by Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso with 1,330,008 votes, and Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 636,590 votes.

The other presidential candidatesFaisal Mangondato, Ernie Abella, Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales and Jose Montemayor Jr.were at the tail end with less than 80,000 votes.

In the vice presidential contest, Sen. Vicente Sotto III ranked third with 5,450,787 votes, followed by Willie Ong with 1,347,892 votes.

Lito Atienza, Manny SD Lopez, Walden Bello, Carlos Serapio and Rizalito David got less than 145,000 votes.

Smooth transition

The UK-based think tank Pantheon Macroeconomics on Monday said that the likely election of Marcos Jr. as the Philippine president shouldnt spook markets.

A smooth transition matters most; gridlock due to a contested result is the worst-case scenario. Any future administration will have to shelve reform, as repairing the COVID-19 damage is far from over, Pantheon Macroeconomics chief emerging Asia economist Miguel Chanco said in a report.

Chanco noted that while Marcos led the surveys leading to the elections, he had a lot of political baggage, which risks distractingor, at worst, destabilizinga probable Marcos administration.

His family is still facing lawsuits for ill-gotten wealth obtained during the dictatorship of his late father, and Mr. Marcos is personally facing allegations of tax evasion, Chanco noted.

On the flip side, Robredothe markets preferred candidate as shown by a recent Bloomberg poll among analysts and investorsboasts a concrete set of specific policy proposals, whereas Marcos is running more on his prior record in the offices he has held, most recently as a senator from 2010 to 2016, Chanco said. However, as surveys had indicated, Chanco said that the huge crowds that have turned up at Robredos rallies have had little impact on sentiment.

For Chanco, a Marcos victory is unlikely to translate directly to a bad day for markets.

What arguably matters more is that election day proceeds smoothly and that the transition in government takes place without a hitch. This cant be taken for granted in the Philippines still-young, sometimes-fragile and often volatile politics. A bad market outcome is an election that doesnt produce a clear winner, with the presumptive victor then likely to face allegations of electoral misconduct. Remember that no president in modern Philippine history has secured a majority of the electorates support, Chanco said.

Early prediction

Political analysts early on Monday had predicted an open race for Malacanang as they did not rule out a possible upset by Robredo, despite a clear lead of Marcos Jr. in preelection surveys.

In a talk with reporters, University of the Philippines-Diliman political scientists Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and Herman Kraft said President Dutertes non-endorsement of Marcos Jr. up until the end meant that there was no guarantee that the national government would mobilize itself for him.

They both agree, however, that local governments could be a decisive factor in swinging the votes in favor of Marcos Jr., who claimed that 90 percent of the governors in the Philippines had endorsed him.

Even so, both also believe that the concept of command votes might be powerful only at the local government level and not for national positions.

It will not assure you of victory, Ferrer said.

An upset for Robredo, Kraft said, would be possible especially if her silent supporters come forward.

The youth, who are believed to be underrepresented in recent surveys, are also expected to swing the tide for Robredo, Ferrer added.

( Agencies)
LAVAL, QC, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - Sanofi Canada is proud to partner with Youth Science Canada (YSC) for the 30th annual Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition, which will take place during the 60th edition of YSC's Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) from May 16 to 20. Originally launched in partnership with YSC, the inaugural Competition was held during the 1992 CWSF in Sudbury, Ontario.

Stephanie Veyrun-Manetti

Canada Country Lead and General Manager, Specialty Care, Sanofi Canada

"We are excited to bring the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition back to its roots by again partnering with Youth Science Canada. We are inspired by their commitment to supporting young Canadians in scientific discovery and innovation. Through our shared investment in fostering STEM learning and education, we are encouraging the researchers of tomorrow to investigate scientific questions and develop innovative solutions to help shape the future of STEM."

Inspiring future STEM innovators

For more than 60 years, YSC has been Canada's premiere organization devoted to nurturing a curiosity for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in youth through projects. This year, more than 50 regional STEM fairs from coast-to-coast-to-coast participated in the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition and 56 regional student winners were selected. In total, 98 projects from the junior, intermediate and senior levels at this year's virtual CWSF will be vying for the Sanofi Biogenius Canada special awards.

Reni Barlow

Executive Director, Youth Science Canada

"We are delighted to once again partner with Sanofi for the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition, particularly as we celebrate joint anniversaries. Together, we are empowering students to dream big, pursue meaningful careers in STEM and solve some of the world's most complex challenges."

Sanofi Biogenius Canada will present nine special awards during the CWSF virtual awards ceremony on May 19, 2022, with three winners in each of the junior, intermediate and senior categories. In addition, one project will be selected to receive the Sanofi International BioGENEius Challenge Award and represent Canada at the International BioGENEius Challenge, held at the prestigious BIO International Convention in June  the largest biotechnology event in the world.

Part of Sanofi's long-standing commitment to breaking barriers to hands-on STEM learning, the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition is a unique opportunity for students to pursue ground-breaking research projects under the mentorship of professional experts  all before graduating high school.

Sanofi Canada Biogenius Grant supports STEM learning in schools

Sanofi's commitment to leveling the playing field for the next generation of talent extends far beyond the Competition. Now in its second year, the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Grant provides better access to hands-on STEM learning by supporting Canadian public high schools with four, $50,000 grants to update lab equipment, launch new science programs and take science education to the next level.

For more information on the Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition or Canada-Wide Science Fair, visit https://biogenius.ca/biogenius-competition/ and https://youthscience.ca/science-fairs/cwsf.

About Youth Science Canada

Youth Science Canada fuels the curiosity of Canadian youth through STEM projects. A registered charity incorporated in 1966, YSC delivers on its mission through national programs including mySTEMspace, the National STEM Fair Network, Canada-Wide Science Fair, STEM Expo, Team Canada representation at international fairs and Smarter Science professional development for teachers. Through these programs, YSC provides direct support to the more than 500,000 students who do STEM projects in any given year. For more information, visit youthscience.ca.

About Sanofi Canada

We are an innovative global healthcare company, driven by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives. Our team, across some 100 countries, is dedicated to transforming the practice of medicine by working to turn the impossible into the possible. We provide potentially life-changing treatment options and life-saving vaccine protection to millions of people globally, while putting sustainability and social responsibility at the center of our ambitions. In Canada, Sanofi employs approximately 2,000 people and in 2020, we invested more than $145 million in R&D in Canada, creating jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.

About Sanofi Biogenius Canada

The Sanofi Biogenius Canada Competition and Grant encourages students from coast-to-coast-to-coast and any background to break barriers and explore real-life science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research ideas that can change lives  all before leaving high school.

SOURCE Sanofi-Aventis Canada Inc.

For further information: Lori Bogdanis, Lead, Corporate Communications | + 514-233-9549 | [email protected]; Sean Cotnam, Account Director, Torchia Communications | [email protected]
Trading Symbol: TSX-V: ZFR OTC-ZPHYF

Shares Outstanding: 67,086,985

HALIFAX, NS, May 9, 2022 /CNW/ - Zephyr Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: ZFR) ("Zephyr" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement to acquire 75% of the 40 hectare Chikonga gold mine property ("Chikonga Mine") in Manicaland, Zimbabwe from Hilltouch Investments (Pvt.) Ltd. ("Hilltouch") a privately owned arms length Zimbabwe company. The agreement is subject to satisfactory due diligence which is expected to take approximately two weeks.

The Chikonga Mine is a small scale mine with 12 to 14 small, shallow shafts on multiple en echelon, east-west trending, steeply dipping shear zones (reefs) comprised of siliceous mica schist and silicified andesite typically hosting bands of fine grained grey and black quartz with disseminated pyrrhotite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and gold. The shear zones occur within an approximate 350 meter wide (across strike, north-south) structural corridor which crosses the property for approximately 800 meters east-west. The deepest shaft is the No.1, Main Shaft estimated to be 70 meters with the remainder up to 30 meters in depth. Hilltouch historical yearly production records indicate recovered average gold grades of 7.2 g/t in 2019, 11.0 g/t in 2020 and 4.4 g/t in 2021 as recorded at the Mutare Ministry of Mines and Mining Development office.

Current information indicates the Chikonga Mine, with the exception of a single 41.4 meter hole, has not been previously core drilled which presents an excellent discovery opportunity beneath current mine workings. The property will be assessed for both its open pit and scaled up underground potential of the multiple shear zones. In addition, historical reports suggest potential for gold mineralization in the shear zone wall rocks. An underground winze developed in 1974 intersected " a strong wide band of pale grey rock  it contained no quartz or visible sulphides and assayed only 1.0 g/t."* At the time, only one reef was being mined at the No.1 Shaft versus the multiple reefs at present.

The property lies within the Archean aged Mutare Greenstone Belt; a prolific gold producing area which hosts the Penalonga and Redwing gold mines on trend to the east. It is predominantly composed of greenstones (metamorphosed mafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks), with minor banded iron formation and tremolite schist. Chikonga Mine is currently being mined on a small scale from several shear zones. Current mine production is approximately four tonnes per day. Milling is by means of a three stamp mill and gold recovery by cyanidation. Tailings average approximately 0.5 g/t gold.

Loren Komperdo, President and CEO stated; "We are very excited about the potential of the Chikonga Mine property. This proven gold producer with over eight years of small scale mining has never been drilled except for one 41.4 meter core hole drilled in 1975. The current shallow mine workings have barely scratched the surface of this property. Zephyr sees Chikonga as a low risk exploration prospect. We know the gold is there. The questions are: how rich is it; will the gold distribution support potential open pitting; and how big is it?"

Under the terms of the option agreement, Zephyr though its wholly own Zimbabwean subsidiary, Sutter Mining (Private) Limited ("Sutter") can acquire 75% of the Chikonga Mine by paying US$80,000 over four years and spending US$1.175 million on exploration over five years. After earning 75%, further expenditures by Sutter on exploration and/or mine development will be paid back to Sutter prior to Hilltouch participating in mine profits. Hilltouch is permitted to continue small scale mining from areas currently being mined until Zephyr makes a decision to build a mine.

Chikonga Mine is located approximately 20 kilometers east-northeast of the town of Mutare and three kilometers by road north of the A3 highway. The area has excellent infrastructure including high voltage power nearby as well as one of the main highways in the country. Manpower and services are available in Mutare.

Qualified Person

Arimon Ngilazi, an independent consultant to the Company, and a qualified person as the term is defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release.

References:

*Pg.2, Report on the Chikonga Mine, Chikanga Farm South, Umtali District; 22 September, 1972; N M Harrison, Regional Geologist, Geological Survey Office, Salisbury, Rhodesia

About Zephyr Minerals Ltd.

Zephyr Minerals Ltd. has applied for a mining permit at its 100% owned high grade Dawson-Green Mountain property in Colorado, USA. After expanding its land package to 1,385 hectares (3,574 acres) the Company now controls a 12.2 kilometer long Dawson Green Mountain mineralized trend. In addition to the Dawson-Green Mountain property, the Company has acquired two Special Blocks in Zimbabwe and is assessing additional opportunities in Zimbabwe.

To be included in the Zephyr email database for Company updates please contact [email protected].

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. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Zephyr Minerals Ltd.

For further information: Loren Komperdo, President & CEO or Will Felderhof, Executive Chairman, T: 902 706-0222, [email protected]
Central intelligence agencies have leapt into action in the aftermath of the explosion at Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters building in Mohali

Central intelligence agencies have leapt into action in the aftermath of the explosion at Punjab Polices intelligence headquarters building in Mohali.

Central intelligence organisations such as the Intelligence Bureau, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Military Intelligence (MI), and the intelligence wing of the Border Security Force (BSF) have ramped up their investigations into the incident.

According to a senior officer with a Central intelligence agency, it is believed that a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was used in the attack, which is unusual. Grenade attacks have occurred in the past, but the employment of RPGs is concerning to everyone, a senior official stated.

After the bomb in Mohali, he added, Punjab Police had also issued an alert. However, instead of sending a written message, they have told all police officers to be on the lookout, according to the official.

A minor explosion was detected at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Sector 77 at around 7:45 p.m.

According to the authorities, There has been no damage recorded. Senior cops raced to the scene and are conducting an investigation. The police have dispatched forensic teams. 

Two people were arrested on May 8 in Punjabs Taran Taran area. The two detained were found with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) containing RDX in a metallic box weighing over 2.5 kg.

On May 5, four terror suspects were apprehended in Karnal, Haryana, and three IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each were discovered in their possession.
Earlier today, the Thiruvananthapuram MP took to Twitter to publish a news piece, writing, "Film sponsored by India's ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore."

On Tuesday, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and MP Shashi Tharoor engaged in a Twitter spat after the former union minister claimed that the Kashmir Files film got ban in Singapore for being provocative and one-sided.

Earlier today, the Thiruvananthapuram MP took to Twitter to publish a news piece, writing, Film sponsored by Indias ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore.

To this, the films director, Agnihotri, provided a list of popular films that were banned in Singapore but praised globally, labelling Singapore the most backward censor in the world.

Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor,



FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world. It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam)



Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned.



Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. https://t.co/QIxFjJW86U pic.twitter.com/kzodpI1CtL  Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 10, 2022

The director also inquired whether Tharoors late wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was a Kashmiri Hindu, and suggested that the Congress MP erase his post and apologize to Sunandas spirit.

The Kashmir Files, based on first-generation video interviews with victims of the Kashmiri atrocity, recounts their anguish, suffering, struggle, and trauma during the 1990 Kashmir uprising.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Senate passed a state spending package Tuesday that includes dividends of about $4,200 to residents this year plus energy relief checks of $1,300.

The package passed 15-5 and next goes to the House, which will have to decide whether to agree with the Senate version. The House, in the version of the budget it passed in April, included a roughly $1,250 dividend and a $1,300 energy check.

Differences between the budgets that pass each chamber are typically settled in a conference committee. The regular session is set to end by May 18.

Debate over the annual size of the dividend, traditionally paid with earnings from the states oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, has roiled the Legislature in recent years.

The Senate, during debate on the budget Monday, voted 10-9 in support of a dividend of about $4,200, calculated in line with a formula that was last used in 2015. The cost for that size dividend would be nearly $2.8 billion.

Many lawmakers have said that formula is unsustainable but the Legislature has not set a new one. Lawmakers instead have been setting the yearly payout.

The budget bill as it came to the Senate floor had called for a dividend of about $2,500 this year.

The state Supreme Court has ruled that absent a constitutional amendment, the dividend must compete for funds like other state programs. One year of funding for K-12 public schools, for comparison, is about $1.2 billion.

The cost of the proposed energy payment is estimated at $840 million.

Supporters of the Senate approach said Alaskans can use the financial help. Critics said it is not fiscally prudent.
Community development corporations have long been active in Connecticut, and the state will begin formally certifying them as a step to funneling more cash to support their work in boosting struggling neighborhoods.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday signed a budget adjustment for the 2023 fiscal year that would allow the state to borrow up to $50 million to support community development corporations, or CDCs, under a new program in the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

DECD will create an Office of Community Economic Development Assistance to work directly with nonprofit CDCs as long as the eligible nonprofits have boards of directors who live in the communities they exist to support and otherwise align demographically with those neighborhoods.

A department spokesperson indicated the DECD is still analyzing next steps in setting up the new office.

The initiative made it into the states budget adjustment bill after the Connecticut General Assembly did not move ahead on a standalone bill to create a $100 million program, which would have included a tax credit to draw more private-sector investment in CDCs.

Lamonts interim budget chief argued against the standalone bill in March when he testified to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly.

But the idea had champions in the General Assembly, including Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford.

A community development corporation can transform communities, and they have a history of this across the country, Fonfara said, speaking in March during a hearing of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee. We just havent had much in Connecticut.

Community development corporations date back more than a half-century, with Robert F. Kennedy promoting the concept while he was a U.S. senator in New York. The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations estimates there are more than 4,500 organizations nationally that identify as CDCs.

Aside from their 501(c)3 status as nonprofits, CDCs do not carry any other official governmental designations, and many nonprofits use the term to describe their activities. Under the budget provision signed Monday by Lamont, the new OCEDA office in DECD would offer a formal certification for community development corporations operating in Connecticut.

DECD is also tasked with promoting the formation of new CDC nonprofits, if it spots opportunities where they could make a difference.

It will give a community such as North Hartford an opportunity to create a CDC where none currently exists, Vicki Gallon-Clark, executive director of the Blue Hills Civic Association in Hartford, said during the March hearing of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. I have a colleague who I keep in close contact with in New Haven, and he shared with me examples of how residents are coming together making these local decisions in partnership with area employers, and theyre doing some astounding things  and I know that we could do the same thing here in Hartford.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  The South Asian nation of Sri Lanka is experiencing an unprecedented economic collapse that has pushed the government into a deep crisis. The island is struggling to import basic necessities for its 22 million people because of diminishing foreign reserves and crippling debt, spurring weeks of anti-government protests that recently turned violent and led to the prime minister's resignation.

Much of the public ire has been directed at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who are blamed by critics for leading the country into the economic crisis.

___

WHAT LED TO THE PROTESTS?

For months, Sri Lankans have had to wait in long lines to buy essential items because a foreign exchange crisis caused shortages of imported food, medicines and fuel. Oil shortfalls have led to sweeping power cuts.

The pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have made things worse, but warnings of a potential economic disaster began long before.

In 2019, President Rajapaksa swept to power months after Easter suicide bombings at churches and hotels killed 290 people. The attacks badly damaged tourism, a key source of foreign exchange, and Rajapaksa promised to pull Sri Lanka out of a deep economic slump and keep it safe.

The government needed to boost its revenues, especially as foreign debt ballooned for big infrastructure projects, some financed by Chinese loans But just days into his presidency, Rajapaksa pushed through the largest tax cuts in Sri Lankan history.

The move sparked quick punishment from the global market. Creditors downgraded Sri Lanka's ratings, blocking it from borrowing more money as its foreign reserves nosedived. Soon after, the pandemic hit, flattening tourism again as debts mounted.

Then last April, Rajapaksa suddenly announced a ban in the import of chemical fertilizers in a push to promote organic farming, but without proper planning. It caught farmers by surprise, decimated rice crops and drove high the price of staple.

The Ukraine war has also increased food and oil prices globally, making imports more unaffordable. The central bank said inflation was at 30% in April, with food prices up nearly 50%.

The countrys foreign reserves have dropped below $50 million. This has forced the government to suspend payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year, with nearly $25 billion due by 2026 out of a total of $51 billion.

___

WHO ARE THE RAJAPAKSA BROTHERS?

The nationwide protests are demanding the removal of the Rajapaksa brothers  a dramatic reversal for Sri Lanka's most powerful political dynasty.

Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaska were cheered as heroes by the islands Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending a 30-year civil war against ethnic Tamil rebels in 2009. Despite accusations of war atrocities, they amassed great popularity  Mahinda who as president at the time oversaw the end of the war, and Gotabaya, a military strategist whose brutal campaign helped crush the rebels.

A powerful land-owning family from a rural southern district, the Rajapaksas dominated local elections for years before ascending to national politics in 2005 when Mahinda was elected president. He remained in power until 2015, when he was defeated by the opposition led by former aide.

Following the 2019 Easter bombings, the family returned to power under Gotabaya, who ran for president on a high-pitched nationalist campaign that won over voters disillusioned by the previous government over the attacks.

Critics have accused the Rajapaksas of relying heavily on the military to enforce policy, passing laws to weaken independent institutions and maintaining a near-monopoly on decision making. Three other Rajapaksa members were in the Cabinet until early April, when the full Cabinet resigned over the protests.

Mahinda's resignation on Monday is a partial victory for the demonstrators. With the protests continuing, especially outside the presidents office, there is renewed pressure on the president to quit too.

___

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

President Rajapaksa is without a prime minister and Cabinet, which dissolved automatically after his brother resigned.

He can now select a member of Parliament to become the next prime minister and form a Cabinet. His choice will need the support of a majority of the 225-member legislature. Its unclear whether he still has enough backing in Parliament for his candidate to be approved.

The president could attempt to form a unity government, but it will likely be difficult to convince opposition members to join.

If the president does resign while there is no prime minister, the Parliament speaker will become interim president for one month, during which Parliament is to select a member to become president until an election can be held.

A motion to impeach Rajapaksa would not be easy. It would need the endorsement of the Parliament speaker, the Supreme Court and the support of at least 150 lawmakers. Opposition parties do not hold a majority in Parliament, making the process even harder.

In the 45 years that Sri Lanka has been ruled by an executive presidential system, there has been one failed attempt to oust a president. The constitution gives the president wide powers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, head of the Cabinet and powers to appoint the chief justice, police chief and others.

The president, despite his extensive powers, still needs a prime minister and Cabinet to carry out executive functions. The ongoing uncertainty over the presidents next moves and the administrative vacuum have raised fears of a military takeover, especially if violence escalates.

___

Pathi reported from New Delhi.
NEW HAVEN  They called it a vow renewal ceremony after 31 years of marriage, but when John and Brenda Adkins re-tied the knot over the weekend, it felt like their first real wedding.

At their original ceremony in 1992, both were fresh off drug addiction and married in borrowed clothes, with used earrings as rings and leftover cake from a friends wedding on their plates, they said.

It wasnt easy getting to where we are. Weve had so many obstacles, said bride Brenda Adkins. It feels like our first wedding because now were able to do what we wanted to do the first time.

Today the Adkinses are pillars in the community. After a rough decade with addiction, they have dedicated the last 30 years to helping the neediest and most downtrodden.

They had already been together for 10 years when they first got married.

Photo by Walter Bailey

Their friends had been married the day before, so in addition to the leftover cake and used flowers, the bride borrowed a rose-colored dress and a pair of shoes that were too big. The groom borrowed his friends tuxedo and shoes. They had only a few close relatives at the wedding.

This time, they did the wedding in style at the Polish-American Club in West Haven, where 80 family members and friends helped the Adkinses celebrate their love.

I have all my favorite people here, Brenda said during the reception.

Martha Weisbart of Orange, a long-time volunteer in the couples endeavors, said it was an honor to celebrate with them.

Theyve been through a lot of hardship together and theyve embodied what service to community is all about, Weisbart said.

The ambiance Saturday was candlelight with an elegant gold-and-black motif, a disc jockey, joyful dancing, a large bridal party in tuxedos and gowns, a three-tiered white fondant wedding cake adorned with streaming black roses and an abundant buffet. There were wedding favors, embossed Mr. & Mrs. Adkins napkins, throwing of the garter and a bouquet toss. They even had a professional photographer.

The bride wore a sheer dress covered in gold leaves and carried a bouquet made just for her. She had shiny gold barrettes in her hair and the groom wore a tuxedo and shiny black shoes, a boutonniere on his lapel.

Their son Quincy, 35, was best man; daughter Candace, 40, was a maid of honor.

Their vows were taken at a bridal altar laced with roses. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Bishop James T. Wilkinson of Spring Harvest Ministries in Norwalk.

So many people are separated, its good to see a couple want to do it again, Wilkinson said.

In personally written vows, John Adkins told his new bride that, Without you Im nothing, you made me who I am today.

I love you and I will always cherish you no matter whatI hope to be with you another 41 years, he said.

Brenda kept it real, with a hint of their old lifestyle woven in..

Im so proud to say we made it, Brenda said. You took care of us even when you were hustling. Even when the police were chasing us

The Adkinses said they have never forgotten their past and often use it to connect with the neediest, most troubled in the city.

They met at a nightclub

The couple first met in the 1980s at a club on Kimberly Avenue - ironically in a location where they would later open a storefront church.

She was 21, he was 19 and each had two children with other partners. Brenda Adkins said John was known as a bad boy on the streets  a hustler  and she didnt have any interest in him.

I didnt like him, she said.

Then one Saturday night at another club, she needed a ride home. John Adkins said his friend could take her home, as long as she would dance with him first. They cut up the floor to Michael Jacksons Billy Jean.

Once outside her house, the friend kindly took a walk and the couple talked for three hours. John told Brenda prophetically that they would marry someday. She told him he was crazy.

He kissed her at the door.

They didnt go out again for another few weeks. Thats when the chemistry kicked in.

The rest is history - but it was far from a smooth ride.

Photo by Walter Bailey

The whole 10 years (of dating) was a nightmare It was really because of the drug using, Brenda Adkins said, noting at one point John went to jail for six months.

Through the years, they would break up on and off, and an addiction to crack and alcohol led to poor decisions and state Department of Children and Families involvement, although they never lost their children, they said. During the 10 years of dating they had Quincy, now 35.

We went through hell and back with the drug addiction. He had to be strong for me, I had to be strong for him, Brenda Adkins said. We had a lot of problems. He was crazy and I was crazy. The drugs make you do even more because youre not in the right frame of mind.

Addiction and redemption

It was in the thick of addiction that the Adkinses agreed to go to church with friends one Sunday after the couple expressed they were tired of the lifestyle.

Of course, we tried to get out of it, Brenda Adkins said, but the friends wouldnt let them.

Once inside, John and Brenda Adkins - who had no childhood framework for church - walked up to the altar, both asked God to take the addiction away, Brenda said.

I was crying and asked God to deliver us Immediately we were set free, she said. We never touched drugs again.

That first Friday night without drugs was surreal, she recalled.

Although they never used drugs again, the couple had to work at resisting temptation, including having someone hold their money for two months so they couldnt buy drugs.

Pam McLoughlin / Hearst Connecticut Media

Life for the couple quickly turned around. John Adkins, who had been on welfare, got a high-paying union construction job and both got off welfare. They bought a house they opened to all in need of food and counseling.

The couple took their spiritual message to the streets, and without judgment and knowing the struggles, ministered to addicts in the toughest neighborhoods, as well as distributing food and clothes out of their car trunk.

We always had a heart for women and men still struggling with addiction, Brenda Adkins said. It became clear to us that we had been chosen to go back and help other people.

They started their own church, today known as His Divine Will Fellowship, and their community work became more formalized.

We really worked hard and the church became our safety net, she said. It didnt take a scientist to know this was our calling.

The couple also opened a faith based social service agency backed by the state that helped prisoners transition, they opened a food bank with a special emphasis on supplying quality products, they held food, shoe and sneaker drives and walked through city streets distributing condoms to battle the AIDS epidemic.

In the last decade they started Day of Joy, a Thanksgiving time sit-down meal for upward of 1,200 people who also receive groceries, toiletries and childrens coats. They also partner with Diaper Bank of Connecticut to distribute baby formula.

Their Christmas to Remember event gives gift cards at Christmas to needy teenagers.

Theyve won many awards for their work and for a long time ran a weekly church service from their house as they searched for a storefront.

It isnt surprising that a large part of their recent wedding gifts will help fund their altruistic endeavors.

John Adkins said, Love is not a big enough word for how he feels about his mate of 41 years.

We went through a lot together. Shes my lover, my wife, my best friend, he said. Its an honor to marry her again.

Marrying again, is really a beautiful thing, Brenda said.

Hes always been a provider and thats what made me fall in love with him, she said. Even on drugs, he always found a way.

John Adkins said the vow renewal was something he has always wanted to do. How many people do you know who get through the rough side of the mountain?
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NEW HAVEN  Police Department Interim Chief Renee Dominguez on Tuesday announced her intention to retire at the end of the week, closing a decades-long career in the city.

Flanked by colleagues on the steps of the department, Dominguez said she had no regrets, thanking both the mentors who helped her advance in the field and the men and women who served during her tenure as interim chief.

Im proud of everything Ive accomplished, everything weve accomplished, said Dominguez. Its been a wild, amazing journey and Im just thankful that Im here.

The Board of Alders rejected Mayor Justin Elickers nomination of Dominguez for the full-time role in December 2021 through a voice vote that did not require them to go on record as either for or against the idea. Local clergy, including the Rev. Boise Kimber, had expressed doubts about her in the days prior, citing a perceived lack of connection with the community.

Dominguez subsequently withdrew her candidacy for the position; the city is in the process of seeking a candidate for chief.

Dominguez said Tuesday that it was the right time to go, noting the strain of politics and associated media attention.

Elicker appointed Regina Rush-Kittle, the citys chief administrative officer, to serve as acting chief of the department.

Prior to coming to New Haven, among other roles, Rush-Kittle served as a Connecticut state trooper for 28 years, rising through the ranks to become the commander of Central District Headquarters in Middletown, and as assistant chief of police in Millbury, Mass.

In a statement, Rush-Kittle said the opportunity was a privilege.

As someone who has spent over 30 years in law enforcement, I know what our police officers face every day on the job, and Im committed to providing them with the support and leadership they need during this time of transition so that they can effectively serve and partner with the community to keep our city safe, said Rush-Kittle.

Asked why he chose to elevate Rush-Kittle rather than Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson, Elicker said he wanted to avoid having a potential candidate for the full-time job serve in this temporary role, which he expects to last for several months as interviews are conducted.

I dont want to influence the process at all, said Elicker. (I) felt very strongly that an applicant, or potential applicant, should not be in that job while we finalize that process.

Elicker said his administration had discussed the legality of appointing Rush-Kittle with the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

Rebecca Bombero, typically the deputy chief administrative officer, will take on Rush-Kittles role during this period, Elicker said.

The city will stop contesting an ongoing lawsuit filed by Kimber and the Rev. Donnarel Elder over Dominguezs lingering role as interim chief, Elicker said, as the case is moot.

Dominguez joined the Police Department in 2002, rising through the ranks to hold a number of roles, including a long stint as a district manager and, prior to being named an assistant chief in July 2019, as head of the Family Services Division. She became interim chief in June following the retirement of former Chief Otoniel Reyes.

Elicker praised Dominguez during his remarks Tuesday, saying he still believed she was the right person for the full-time role, as well as the rank and file of the Police Department. The city ceased accepting applications to become the next police chief on Monday, Elicker said.

She has shown, in particular, over these recent months with political drama in the background, some people trying to undermine her, a poise and perseverance that I think all of us should strive to emulate, said Elicker. Im grateful that she has seen us through a challenging time.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Taliban forces had taken the Afghan capital. Crowds of panicked people thronged the airport. And a young man who had worked as a subcontractor for the U.S. military faced a terrible choice.

Hasibullah Hasrat, after having navigated the chaotic streets and Taliban checkpoints to make it inside the airport, could either go back for his wife and two young children or board an evacuation flight and get them later. Not taking the flight likely meant none of them would get out of Afghanistan.

Hasrats decision haunts him. He is in the U.S., one of more than 78,000 Afghans admitted into the country following the U.S. troop withdrawal in August that ended Americas longest war. But his family hasnt been able to join him. Theyre still in Afghanistan, where an economic crisis has led to widespread hunger and where Taliban repression is on the rise.

My wife is alone there, he said, his voice breaking as he describes nightly phone calls home. My son cries, asks where I am, when am I coming. And I dont know what to say.

Its a reminder that the journey for many of the Afghans who came to the United States in the historic evacuation remains very much a work in progress, filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future.

Afghan refugees, some of whom faced possible reprisals for working with their government or American forces during the war with the Taliban, say in interviews that they are grateful to the U.S. for rescuing them and family members.

But they are often struggling to gain a foothold in a new land, straining to pay their bills as assistance from the government and resettlement agencies starts to run out, stuck in temporary housing, and trying to figure out how to apply for asylum because most of the Afghans came under a two-year emergency status known as humanitarian parole.

We are not sure what may happen, said Gulsom Esmaelzade, whose family has been shuttled between hotel rooms in the San Diego area since January, after spending three months at a New Jersey military base. We dont have anything back at home in Afghanistan and here we also dont have any future.

Its taken a toll. Esmaelzade said her mother has had to be rushed three times to the emergency room when her blood pressure shot up to dangerous levels. The younger woman attributes it to the stress of their lives.

Then there are more mundane challenges that are nonetheless daunting for many Afghans. They include learning English, navigating government bureaucracies and public transportation, and finding a job.

There is also the isolation for those, like Hasrat, who came alone. I dont know anyone here, he said in the apartment outside Washington he shares with two other evacuees. I have no friends, no family, no relatives. I just live with my roommates and my roommates are from other parts of Afghanistan.

Some have managed to get established. But there are many more who are not doing fine than are doing well, said Megan Flores, executive director of the Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center in McLean, Virginia.

The experience of the evacuated Afghans is not unlike what refugees have historically faced in coming to the United States. In some ways its a preview for the up to 100,000 Ukrainians who President Joe Biden says will be welcomed, also in many cases on two years of humanitarian parole.

Afghans on humanitarian parole must apply for a way to stay in the country such as through asylum. Its a time-consuming process that typically requires finding an immigration attorney, at a cost of thousands of dollars not readily available to most refugees unless they can find someone to do it pro bono.

The Department of Homeland Security says about half of the 78,000 likely will ultimately qualify for the special immigrant visa, or SIV, program. It grants permanent residency to people, along with their immediate family, who worked for the U.S. government. Hasrat hasnt been able to secure an SIV, at least not yet, despite his work as a subcontractor setting up transmission lines for the U.S. Army.

Congress could resolve the situation by passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would enable evacuees to apply for permanent residency after a year in the country, similar to relief granted in the past to people from Iraq, Cuba and Vietnam. Biden recently gave the effort a boost when he endorsed the idea of adding it to an upcoming Ukraine aid bill, a move welcomed by a coalition that includes veterans, religious organizations and resettlement agencies.

They are facing a ticking time bomb of what happens if they dont get SIV or asylum status, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Do they get deported back to Afghanistan and into harms way?

In the meantime, Afghans are trying to stitch together new lives as public attention has shifted to Ukraine and other matters. At a recent job fair in Alexandria, Virginia, there were hundreds of evacuees, including Arafat Safi, a former senior official in Afghans foreign affairs ministry who came to the U.S. with his wife, four children and mother.

Hes hoping to land a job in project management or international development, to use an education that includes a masters degree from the U.K. So far, hes landed a position as a Pashto-English interpreter and is delivering packages for Amazon on the side while his wife, Madina, works in the bakery section of a supermarket.

Safi said he still hopes to find a better job and is eager to get permanent residency. But he never complained in a lengthy interview at the familys apartment in Alexandria. An intricate and vibrant Afghan rug  the only possession the family brought from home  occupies a prominent place in the living room.

Im very lucky to be here, to be welcomed by the U.S. society. I met a lot of friends here who are checking on me almost every day, said the 35-year-old Safi. And its amazing. But theres a small part of me that misses Afghanistan and that misses my people.

Hasrat said he has little time to think about anything other than his family back home and the danger they face from the Taliban. A 29-year-old former competitive boxer, he rides a bike to his job as an administrative assistant at a medical office. After taxes and the money he sends home, he barely has enough to pay his bills. His roommates, who are still learning English, have even less and have trouble making the rent.

Most nights, Hasrat waits until its late enough to have a video chat with his family. On one recent call, he tried to join the celebration of his kids birthdays but was sad to realize his daughter doesnt even know him.

I am telling them that, yeah, I am happy, because if I told them my situation here they will be sad, he said. But if no one is there to take care of your wife, how can you be happy?

___

Watson reported from San Diego.
Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread.

Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year  the opposite of what they say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the United States and South Africa.

Were not testing anywhere near where we might need to, said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, who directs the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. We need the ability to ramp up testing as were seeing the emergence of new waves or surges to track whats happening and respond.

Reported daily cases in the U.S., for example, are averaging 73,633, up more than 40% over the past two weeks, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. But that is a vast undercount because of the testing downturn and the fact tests are being taken at home and not reported to health departments. An influential modeling group at the University of Washington in Seattle estimates that only 13% of cases are being reported to health authorities in the U.S.  which would mean more than a half million new infections every day.

The drop in testing is global but the overall rates are especially inadequate in the developing world, Udayakumar said. The number of tests per 1,000 people in high income countries is around 96 times higher than it is in low income countries, according to the Geneva-based public health nonprofit FIND.

Whats driving the drop? Experts point to COVID fatigue, a lull in cases after the first omicron wave and a sense among some residents of low-income countries that theres no reason to test because they lack access to antiviral medications.

At a recent press briefing by the World Health Organization, FIND CEO Dr. Bill Rodriguez called testing the first casualty of a global decision to let down our guard and said were becoming blind to what is happening with the virus.

Testing, genomic sequencing and delving into case spikes can lead to the discovery of new variants. New York state health officials found the super contagious BA.2.12.1 variant after investigating higher-than-average case rates in the central part of the state.

Going forward, were just not going to see the new variants emerge the way we saw previous variants emerge, Rodriquez told The Associated Press.

Testing increases as infections rise and people develop symptoms  and it falls along with lulls in new cases. Testing is rising again in the U.S. along with the recent surge.

But experts are concerned about the size of the drop after the first omicron surge, the low overall levels of testing globally, and the inability to track cases reliably. While home tests are convenient, only tests sent to labs can be used to detect variants. If fewer tests are being done, and fewer of those tests are processed in labs, fewer positive samples are available for sequencing.

Also, home test results are largely invisible to tracking systems.

Mara Aspinall, managing director of an Arizona-based consulting company that tracks COVID-19 testing trends, said theres at least four times more home testing than PCR testing, and we are getting essentially zero data from the testing thats happening at home.

Thats because theres no uniform mechanism for people to report results to understaffed local health departments. The CDC strongly encourages people to tell their doctors, who in most places must report COVID-19 diagnoses to public health authorities.

Generally, though, results from home tests fall under the radar.

Reva Seville, a 36-year-old Los Angeles parent, tested herself at home this week after she began feeling symptoms such as a scratchy throat, coughing and congestion. After the results came back positive, she tested twice more just to be sure. But her symptoms were mild, so she didn't plan to go to the doctor or report her results to anyone.

Beth Barton of Washington, Missouri, who works in construction, said shes taken about 10 home tests, either before visiting her parents or when shes had symptoms she thought might be COVID-19. All came back negative. She shared the results with the people around her but didnt know how to report them.

There should be a whole system for that, said Barton, 42. We as a society dont know how to gauge where were at.

Aspinall said one potential solution would be to use technology like scanning a QR code to report home test results confidentiality.

Another way to keep better track of the pandemic, experts said, is to bolster other types of surveillance, such as wastewater monitoring and collecting hospitalization data. But those have their own drawbacks. Wastewater surveillance remains a patchwork that doesnt cover all areas, and hospitalization trends lag behind cases.

Udayakumar said scientists across the world must use all the tracking methods at their disposal to keep up with the virus, and will need to do so for months or even years.

At the same time, he said, steps must be taken to boost testing in lower-income countries. Demand for tests would rise if access to antivirals were improved in these places, he said. And one of the best ways to increase testing is to integrate it into existing health services, said Wadzanayi Muchenje, who leads health and strategic partnerships in Africa for The Rockefeller Foundation.

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said there will come a point when the world stops widespread testing for COVID-19  but that day isnt here yet.

With the pandemic lingering and virus still unpredictable, its not acceptable for us to only be concerned about individual health, he said. We have to worry about the population.

___

AP reporters Bobby Caina Calvan in New York and Carla K. Johnson in Seattle contributed to this story.

___

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.
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STAMFORD  Sneakers clattered onto the massive wooden boat parked in the Harbor Point Marina, and a hoard of middle schoolers immediately filled every empty space.

Packs of teens peered over the side into the Long Island Sound, gawked at the flags flapping in the coastal breeze and squeezed onto every perch on a full-sized replica of the historic slave ship Amistad on Monday.

Over the past two years, field trips have been scarce  nonexistent, even  but the citys school district promises that every year moving forward, Stamfords 1,250 eighth grade students will huddle onto the storied 19th century schooner to learn about the history of racial discrimination and social justice through its lens.

Stamford Public Schools last week debuted a long-term partnership between the district and a New Haven-based nonprofit dedicated to teaching students about the 1839 Amistad Uprising and the subsequent U.S. Supreme Court decision that delivered 53 kidnapped Africans back across the ocean.

One of the most important things we as educators can do is look for ways to make learning engaging, exciting and interesting, Stamford schools Associate Superintendent Amy Beldotti said in a press release. This partnership achieves that goal.

The district announced in the release that eighth graders from all of Stamfords middle schools will take part in the program. The citys school district is the first to launch a continued effort with Discovering Amistad, according to its executive director Paula Mann-Agnew.

Beyond the partnership, the Amistad is open to the public. The replica will remain on display at the marina, open for free tours, from noon until 4 p.m. May 14 and 15.

A story of enslavement

The Amistad rebellions story has been immortalized by both history books and Hollywood. As lead educator Chris Menapace tells it, the homicide rebellion that began on the ship in 1839 links back to West Africa.

From present-day Sierra Leone, Portuguese slavers purchased hundreds of kidnapped Africans. By 1839, the international slave trade was already illegal  meaning people could not be stolen and shipped across the ocean  but still thriving, according to Menapace. Regardless, ship owners brought the Africans to Cuba.

Spanish plantation owners Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montes purchased 53 Africans to work on sugarcane plantations in eastern Cuba. But the night after loading them onto their ship, the Amistad, the kidnapped Africans, led by Sengbe Pieh, seized the ship in a revolt, killing the captain and a cook in the process. The Africans spared Ruiz and Montes to help them navigate back to West Africa.

But instead, Ruiz and Montes, using their own navigational knowledge, (brought) them to Long Island, where they are captured by the U.S. Navy, Menapace said. From there, the Amistads history becomes intertwined with Connecticuts. The Africans are shipped to New London and then imprisoned in New Haven, where they find an ally in abolitionist groups who connect them with a translator.

Through two court fights  one before the U.S. Supreme Court  the Africans maintain they are natives of Africa and, therefore, illegally enslaved. Their captors instead argued that the group was born into slavery in Cuba, making their slavery legal. Though the court ultimately sided with the Amistad Africans, as Discovering Amistad educators call them, it still took another year for them to arrive back in Sierra Leone.

Only 35 of the original kidnapped group of 53 survived and returned.

From the schooner to the schoolhouse

Menapace and his colleagues, like fellow educator Heidi Slaney, teach the kids about the Amistad story across two classroom lessons and one trip to the boat. But the history lesson isnt the only point of the excursion.

Our mission has always been to concentrate on three themes: dehumanization, resistance and legacy, Menapace said.

The children discuss modern day examples of the first two themes, all in pursuit of answering one question, according to Lori Rhodes, who leads curriculum and instruction in the citys middle and high schools: Has equality in the U.S. changed since then?

On that question, the students are inconclusive.

Somewhat, Nasir Dunlap, 14, said while leaning against the ship wall. That gap between how people of color are treated in this country and how their white counterparts are feels tangible to him, he said, but he cant decide how big it is yet.

Vinny Petruso, 13, is on the same page. When you think about how people treat people of color, its not the best, he said.

Irrespective of how they interpret the present day, the students understand how grave the violence against the Amistads captives was, something the educators say the floating classroom drives home.

This boat is scary, another student, Fanel Medina, said to educator Slaney as she taught Medina how the ship is steered.

Medina peered down into the replica Amistads hull.

People used to be down there, getting whooped, he added, before running off to join his classmates.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea flight-tested a ballistic missile that was likely fired from a submarine on Saturday, South Koreas military said, continuing a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations that may culminate with a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launch occurred from waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where North Korea has a major shipyard building submarines. It said the short-range missile flew 600 kilometers (372 miles) at a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles) but it didnt immediately provide details about the submarine that would have been involved in the launch.

The U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command said it a statement that while the launch did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to its allies, it highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRKs illicit weapons program. The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad.

Japanese Defense Minister Nobu Kishi told reporters that the missile fell outside of Japans exclusive economic zone and that no damage to aircraft or vessels was reported.

South Koreas national security director Suh Hoon and other senior officials during an emergency meeting denounced the launch and urged North Korea to return to long-stalled talks aimed at defusing the nuclear standoff, Seouls presidential office said.

It was apparently North Koreas first demonstration of a submarine-launched ballistic missile system since October last year, when it fired a new short-range missile from the 8.24 Yongung  its only known submarine capable of launching a missile. The October underwater launch was the Norths first in two years.

On Wednesday, the South Korean and Japanese militaries detected a suspected ballistic missile fired from near the capital, Pyongyang. Both exercises come ahead of the inauguration on Tuesday of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who has vowed to take a tougher approach over the Norths nuclear ambitions.

Yoons office said in a statement that his government will pursue actual deterrence ability against the Norths nuclear and missile threat, but didnt specify how. Yoon has vowed to strengthen South Koreas defense in conjunction with its alliance with the United States, which he said would include enhancing missile striking capabilities.

So far this year, North Korea has fired missiles 15 times. They include the country's first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 in March that demonstrated a potential range to reach the entirety of the U.S. mainland.

North Korea has been clearly exploiting a favorable environment to push forward its weapons program with the U.N. Security Council divided and effectively paralyzed over Russias war on Ukraine. The unusually fast pace in testing activity underscores a brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions, experts say.

There are also signs that North Korea is restoring tunnels at a nuclear testing ground, where it had conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017, in possible preparations for another explosive test. Analysts say the North could use another nuclear test to claim it can now build small nuclear warheads for its expanding range of shorter-range weapons threatening South Korea and Japan, or put a cluster of bombs on a multi-warhead ICBM.

Jalina Porter, the U.S. State Department's deputy spokesperson, said during a briefing Friday that the United States assesses that North Korea could be ready to conduct a nuclear test at its Punggye-ri test site as early as this month.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has punctuated his recent missile tests with statements warning that the North could proactively use its nuclear weapons if threatened or provoked. Experts say such rhetoric possibly portends an escalatory nuclear doctrine that would create greater concerns for South Korea and Japan.

Kim made one of those statements during an April 25 parade in Pyongyang, where he showcased the most notable weapons in his military nuclear program, including ICBMs and what appeared to be a new type of missile designed to be fired from submarines that could be larger than previous models.

(North Koreas) submarine technology probably remains short of being able to stay at sea for extended periods while avoiding detection. But the ability to launch ballistic missiles from a submarine would further complicate missions to neutralize and defend against North Koreas nuclear forces, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Seouls Ewha Womans University.

He said the Kim regime appears to be preparing to test a miniaturized nuclear device that it can use to arm its submarine-launched or tactical missiles, and multiple warheads on its ICBMs.

North Korea has been pushing hard to acquire an ability to fire nuclear-armed missiles from submarines, which in theory would bolster its deterrent by ensuring retaliation after absorbing a nuclear attack on land.

Ballistic missile submarines would also add a new maritime threat to the Norths growing collection of solid-fuel weapons fired from land vehicles, which are being developed with an apparent aim to overwhelm missile defense systems in South Korea and Japan.

The North in recent years has been developing and testing a family of missiles named Pukguksong, which are designed to be fired from submarines or land vehicles. Still experts say the heavily sanctioned nation would need considerably more time, resources and major technological improvements to build at least several submarines that could travel quietly in seas and reliably execute strikes.

The South Korean and Japanese militaries said the North Korean missile fired on Wednesday traveled about 500 kilometers (310 miles) at a maximum altitude of 800 kilometers (500 miles). North Korean state media have yet to comment on that test.

___ Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to the report.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie is back in the good graces of Donald Trump, who declared two years ago that the Kentucky maverick should be thrown out of the Republican Party.

Massie won Trump's endorsement Tuesday ahead of the Bluegrass State's primary election next week. In a statement, Trump referred to the libertarian-minded congressman as a Conservative Warrior and a first-rate Defender of the Constitution.

It's quite a turnaround from March 2020, when Trump denounced Massie as a third rate Grandstander for trying to stall a sweeping $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package.

While his maneuver failed, Massies action forced hundreds of lawmakers to return to the Capitol after a nearly two-week recess  contradicting the wishes of public health experts who were urging people to keep a safe social distance from one another to avoid exacerbating the pandemic.

At the time, Trump called Massie a disaster for America, and for the Great State of Kentucky! and urged GOP leaders to throw Massie out of Republican Party!

The pressure didn't stop congressman from trying to hold up what he considered to be an unconstitutional vote for a wasteful bill. Massie  known for going his own way in Congress  said at the time that his request for a recorded vote was to make sure our republic doesnt die by unanimous consent in an empty chamber.

Despite the public tongue-lashing from Trump, Massie went on to trounce his Republican primary challenger in 2020 on his way to reelection in the northern Kentucky district.

Now Massie has the former president's backing in seeking another term in the GOP stronghold. Massie is strongly favored to win his contested GOP primary next week.

One of Massie's primary challengers, Claire Wirth, has portrayed herself as a stronger supporter of Trump's agenda than the congressman.

Trump on Tuesday also endorsed Kentucky's four other Republican congressmen, who are heavily favored to win new terms in the GOP-trending state. The outcomes of Trump-endorsed races are closely watched as the former president tries to assert his dominance over the party ahead of another potential presidential run in 2024.
MIAMI (AP)  A former Haitian senator is facing charges in the United States related to last year's assassination of former Haiti President Jovenel Moise, authorities said.

John Joel Joseph made his initial appearance Monday in Miami federal court, according to court records. The Haitian citizen was extradited from Jamaica to the U.S. on Friday to face charges of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap. He faces a possible life sentence.

According to a criminal complaint, Joseph and others, including about 20 Colombian citizens and several dual Haitian-American citizens, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill Haiti's president, who was ultimately slain at his home in Haiti on July 7.

Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January along with his wife and two sons.

In March, he agreed to be extradited to the U.S. Meanwhile, his family requested asylum in Jamaica, but it wasnt clear if the government of the Caribbean island granted it. Josephs attorney, Donahue Martin, did not immediately return a message for comment.

According to a report from Haitis National Police that The Associated Press obtained last year, at least one person identified Joseph as one of the leaders accused of plotting Moise's assassination. The source said Joseph paid cash for rental cars that the suspects used and met with them ahead of the killing.

Joseph is one of more than 40 suspects arrested in the presidential slaying, and the third one to be extradited to the U.S. to face charges as the proceedings in Haiti languish, with at least two judges stepping down from the case.

The other two suspects recently extradited to the U.S. are Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, who was arrested in the Dominican Republic in January, and Colombian ex-soldier Mario Antonio Palacios, who was arrested in Jamaica in October.

Joseph is a well-known politician and an opponent of the slain presidents Tet Kale party.
South Africa: Vaccination remains best defense against COVID-19

Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, says while 70% of the population has come into contact with COVID-19  and have some form of immunity  the best form of defense against the disease remains vaccination.

Phaahla said this when he tabled the departments budget vote before a mini-plenary of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Whilst it is the time that over 70% of the population have had contact with the virus, and therefore we have some natural immunity, the truth is this immunity wares with time and it cannot be boosted. So, while the virus is amongst us, the best defense is vaccination, he said.

Phaahla said from where government was compared to a year ago, it has made progress with its vaccination programme.

As of Monday, we have administered 35 182 million vaccine doses to just over 19 717 million adult individuals which is 49.5% of all adults.

We have been allocated R2 billion for vaccines in the 2022/23 financial year, he said.

Minister explains the need for health regulations

Phaahla said, meanwhile, that government derives no joy in implementing lockdown restrictions, and that they are done to solely protect citizens from the severe impact of COVID-19.

We wish to assure all South Africans, that as government we get no joy in inconveniencing you from time to time with restrictions.

We say sorry where we have wronged you but please be assured that all interventions were meant and are still meant for all of us to avoid the severe impact of COVID-19.

We completely disagree with armchair critics who argue that we should drop all public health measures and just let the virus spread at will and only worry about whether hospitals are full or not, he said.

The Minister said while the pandemic has derailed some of governments programmes - as departments had to redirect all resources to aid in the fight against the pandemic - it has also had positive experiences and lessons during this period.

We have learned to work as government from local to national, and bring in skills and expertise from our entities.

We have learnt on how to work together with private sector, from securing of commodities such as [personal protective equipment] PPEs, diagnostics, therapeutics and even more securing and administering vaccines.

We have learned how to work with our scientists to guide our intervention, not always easy because scientists themselves do not always agree as is the case in other aspects of life, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, saying it is particularly important for the two countries to better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) Xi noted the ongoing complex changes in the international landscape and the marked rise in difficulties and challenges for global security and development, and highlighted the pressing need to bring more stability and certainty to an age of instability and transformation. Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence. Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship. This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, said Xi. Xi stressed that China-Germany relations have seen high-quality development over the past five decades, during which the two sides have developed together and contributed to each other's success through deepening practical cooperation. This is essentially attributable to a commitment to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, a valuable piece of experience and important principle that should be upheld all along. Xi said there is no change in China's commitment to developing ties with Germany; there is no change in China's sincere wish for closer cooperation with Germany; and there is no change in China's conviction that China and Germany can make greater differences together. It is important that the two sides stick to the keynote of dialogue and cooperation, make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and conduct dialogue in such areas as climate change, macroeconomic policy, financial stability, energy security, food security and the stability of industrial and supply chains, so as to further enrich this bilateral relationship. The two sides should tap the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, and actively explore cooperation in new technologies including environmental protection, trade in services, artificial intelligence and digitalization. China is speeding up efforts to foster a new development paradigm, which means broader market opportunities for Germany and all other countries, he said. The two sides should stand for true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, defend the UN's central role in international affairs, safeguard basic norms governing international relations, promote an open world economy, and make global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, Xi said. Xi expressed his hope for Germany's active support for and participation in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, with a view to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences. China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU. The China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party. This is a strategic consensus that both sides must follow in the long run. It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust. In face of geopolitical crises, the two sides need to advocate dialogue and cooperation and offset complex changes in the international landscape with the stability of China-EU relations. In face of challenges to post-COVID recovery, the two sides need to seek greater synergy between their development strategies, step up policy coordination, and promote the stability and growth of the world economy with the openness of China-EU cooperation. In face of global challenges, the two sides need to focus on areas that bear on the future of humanity such as climate change and sustainable development, and promote further development of global governance through their wide-ranging dialogue. Xi expressed his hope for Germany to play a positive role in the steady and sound development of China-EU relations. Scholz noted the very good development of Germany-China relations in recent years, and called on the two sides to carry forward the good tradition and keep up the sound momentum of bilateral relations. Germany will work with China on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, maintain close communication and exchanges at all levels, ensure the success of the next round of inter-governmental consultation, have dialogue on maintaining stable global supply chains, macroeconomic policy coordination and other important topics, and step up cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and investment, climate change, COVID-19 response, health and medical care, and education and culture. Germany welcomes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, which will bring more opportunities to Germany. Germany is prepared to enhance communication and coordination with China on the multilateral front and promote the sound development of Europe-China relations, he added. The two leaders also had an in-depth and candid exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine. Xi stressed that China always stands on the side of peace and makes its conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter, and that China has been working in its own way to promote peace and defuse tensions. The Ukraine crisis has once again brought European security to a crossroads. It is important to make every effort to prevent the conflict from intensifying or magnifying to a point of no return. Xi said the European side needs to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe, and promote a solution in a responsible manner. The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves. China supports Europe in playing a positive role in promoting peace talks and in the eventual establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. China welcomes all international efforts conducive to promoting peace. Relevant parties need to support Russia and Ukraine in realizing peace through negotiations, Xi added. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant and a former Governor of Anambra State Peter Obi, has called on delegates of the ...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant and a former Governor of Anambra State Peter Obi, has called on delegates of the party and indeed Nigerians, not to sacrifice the future of their children for immediate gains.

He equally said that the 2023 general election is about the security of the country and the future of her children.

Obi disclosed this in Jos the Plateau State Capital, when he addressed Plateau delegates ahead of the party primaries.

The former Anambra State Governor said that Nigeria must get it right in 2023 if she wants to regain her position among comity of nations.

According to him, You wont be delegates forever, your children will suffer if you do not choose the right leader.

If they bring money, collect it but when you go to vote, first place the picture of your children at heart, not my picture neither your picture because that is the future of your children.

They will have a better and secured future if the right person is elected the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he said.

According to him, it is sad that Nigerias debt profile has risen to N49 trillion without anything to show for it.

He stated that Nigeria cannot continue to borrow when other African countries are exporting their products to the world.

Every country borrows, but when you borrow for consumption, it is wrong. It is sad that Nigerians borrow to share.

They only think of sharing formulas, lets think of production formulas, he admonished.

He gave examples of Kenya, Ethiopia and Morocco that were exporting different agricultural products in large quantities.

Obi said, To owe gratuity and pension is criminal. I didnt owe gratuity or pension and I paid salaries three months ahead when I was leaving office.

We should move from a nation of consumption to a nation of production.

This is necessary because you cant have revenue when everyone is living in poverty. You need to improve the peoples standard of living for the revenue to grow.

Again, if you solve the problem of hunger, you have solved the problem of criminality and to a large extent, insecurity, he stressed.

He further lamented that, 60 percent of the over 200 million Nigerians were youths who would be very productive if encouraged.

Obi also decried that small businesses that galvanise world economies were folding up in Nigeria because of insecurity.
Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer, has branded the emergence of many presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections as a good ...

Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer, has branded the emergence of many presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections as a good omen for the country.

However, according to Ajulo, only three of the numerous All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants are constitutionally qualified to contest the presidential election.

He stated this in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja.

From our preliminary examination of the aspirants, only three aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) are constitutionally qualified to run for the presidents office, Ajulo said, declining to elaborate further.

Among the APC aspirants are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu.

Ajulo explained that he was not surprised at the number of aspirants jostling to serve Nigeria, adding that the number was a far cry from his expectations.

Anyone with a good fortune could afford the price, and by the way, they are only aspirants buying the nomination form. It is not an automatic process that will translate to fielding such aspirants in the primaries because they will have to be screened first, Ajulo added.

Ajulo also mentioned that for those that passed the screening, the stage would be cleared for horse-trading among them ahead of the primary election.
Former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, visited Katsina State on Monday in connection with the forthcoming presidential primary of the A...

Former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, visited Katsina State on Monday in connection with the forthcoming presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress.

Tinubu who is also a presidential aspirant under the umbrella of the APC met Governor Aminu Masari, the states party executives, and delegates to the congress where he solicited their support for him to emerge as the partys candidate in the 2023 presidential election.

He told them that apart from possessing track records and experience to lead Nigeria, he would serve the country with all his strength, adding that he is not among candidates with fake agendas and promises.

Tinubu added that if he emerges as the partys presidential candidate and eventually wins the presidential election, he would tackle banditry and other crimes.

Others, he said, will include improving electricity generation and supply, ensure the education of all children irrespective of family background, and seeing to the improvement in infrastructural development of Nigeria.

He also pledged to support agriculture, industrialisation, and move education forward in the country, assuring that incessant strikes by university workers would be over.

The APC leader also declared that anybody can be an aspirant but not everybody can become a leader or the nations president.

He said, Anybody can run. Not everybody can be a leader. There are candidates and there are aspirants. I am a candidate. Whichever way, Nigeria is our nation. God bless this country.

I am here to meet you, my brothers and sisters, to beg and secure your support for the primaries. We have to stage primaries before one becomes the candidate. You are very important to me for that. I come to unite Nigeria and not to divide Nigeria.

Anybody can run for the presidency but not everybody can be the President. I am extremely different from other candidates who promise fake agenda. If I become the president, I will take care of all the abandoned projects for the economic development of the country.

I am contesting to change the country for good and I say you will never regret giving me your support.

On his part, Masari said most of the problems confronting Nigeria are man-made and can be resolved. He lauded Tinubu for growing Lagos states economy and reducing the crime rate in the state.

Masari believed that Tinubu should be given the chance by the APC members and supporters going by his wealth of experience in leadership and the way he managed Lagos as a governor.
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners to support the One Planet Summit ini...





President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners to support the One Planet Summit initiative.

Buhari called for the activation of the fund pledged for land restoration, tree planting, development of climate resilience infrastructure and investments in small and medium sized farms.

The President also underscored the importance of recharging Lake Chad, now down to 10 percent of its water volume.

Buhari spoke on Monday at a side event at the ongoing UN Conference Of Parties (COP15).

Eleven Sahel African states met in Abidjan to discuss ways of accessing and utilizing $19billion promised by donors for the activities of the Pan African Great Green Wall Agency (PAGGW).

Buhari is the President of the Conference of Heads of State and Governments of the member states of the PAGGW.

The Nigerian leader said the inter basin transfer of water from Central Africa to Lake Chad should be taken seriously.

He charged the funders and soon-to-be appointed consultant to carry out measures to restore the socio-economy of the more than 30 million people of the Lake Chad basin area.

Buhari lamented the drying up of Lake Chad which has destroyed fish farming, animal husbandry and crop agriculture, leading to social and economic dislocation with serious consequences for peace.

This, according to him, has led to migration to Europe by many, creating problems for the countries.

Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Mali, Eritrea, Djibouti, Burkina Faso and Chad are facing danger due to the devastating effect of desertification and drought.

There is, therefore, an urgent need to confront these challenges associated with desert encroachment and drought, he added.
An Akure Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Oke-Eda has sentenced two men to two years in prison for stealing 25 litres of palm oil and amo...





An Akure Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Oke-Eda has sentenced two men to two years in prison for stealing 25 litres of palm oil and among things worth N435,000.





The convicts, Yusuf Mohammed and Abdulahi Isiaka were said to have committed the crime at separate times in April 2022 at Alaga Erigi, Isarun, in the Akure Magisterial District.





Tope Aladejana, the trial Magistrate, found Mohammed and Isiaka guilty based on circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution.





Three counts of conspiracy, theft of pumping equipment, two palm kernel processing machines, and 25 litres of Karumu Bamideles palm oil property valued at N350,000 were filed against the defendants.





Oluwasegun Akeredolu, the prosecuting state counsel, informed the court that the convicts also conspired to conduct a felony in order to steal a TVS motorcycle worth N85,000.





Furthermore, Abdulahi Isiaka was reported to have helped Yusuf Mohammed avoid punishment despite knowing he had committed a crime.





The prosecution claims that the offence was committed in violation of Sections 383, 390(9), and 10 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.





The defendants admitted to the two counts of conspiracy and theft.





According to Akeredolu, the court should convict and sentence the defendants based on their plea.





C.B. Obilo, the lawyer for the convicts, begged the court to balance justice with mercy.





He pleaded with the court to give them another chance because they did not waste the courts time.





The court found the defendants guilty of all charges and sentenced them to two years in prison without the option of a fine.
Manchester City has confirmed a deal has been reached with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland this summer. The Premier League ...

Manchester City has confirmed a deal has been reached with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland this summer.

The Premier League champions confirmed this in a tweet from their official handle.

It read: Manchester City can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland to the Club on 1st July 2022.

The transfer remains subject to the Club finalising terms with the player.

A clause in his contract means Haaland is available for just 62m this summer.

Guardiola will finally land a striker, just 12 months after City were frustrated in a 150m move for Harry Kane.
Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing, on Tuesday flaunted one of her exes on her Instagram page as she subtly threw a shade at Opeyemi Faleg...

Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing, on Tuesday flaunted one of her exes on her Instagram page as she subtly threw a shade at Opeyemi Falegan, her most recent ex.

Sharing a picture of herself and the said ex on her Instagram story, she noted that she was still friends with him because he kept shut after they broke up.

This comes hours after her most recent ex, Falegan, publicly apologised to her following their messy breakup.

Nkechi captioned her latest post, The type of ex you can be friends with. The one who keeps shut after a breakup.

The actress had earlier sent a warning to some of her fans via her Instagram story, where she wrote in Pidgin, E be like say M#dness dey run for some of una family. Na so so r#bbish una dey post now.

Una see person wey don dey become irrelevant trying to stay relevant again, una dey help am promote trash.

l wish hes using the clout for something meaningful other than having useless girls slide into his DM. Make nobody tag me to trash, abeg!

Though she didnt categorically state who she was referring to in the post, it is pertinent to note that she gave the warning shortly after Falegan apologised to her.

In an Instagram live session with media personality, Daddy Freeze, Falegan admitted that he messed up during his relationship with the star actress.

The politician also stated that he still loved the actress, as he tendered the apology.

The breakup between the duo trended on the Internet two months ago as they attacked each other on social media.
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In New York, the Smart Scholars Early College High School Program, institutions of higher education (IHEs) partner with public school districts to create early college high schools that provide students with the opportunity and preparation to accelerate the completion of their high school studies while earning a minimum of twenty-four but up to sixty transferable college credits at the same time. Learn more at wdt.me/ssechsp. Dreamstime
Sneaky Pickle is a quizzical restaurant name that always seemed to fit this one.

It got started in 2014 as a tiny, scrappy, clever place that was impossible to box in as any single type of restaurant. A menu long on vegan dishes  mac and (cashew) cheese, Buffalo tofu, smoked tempeh Reubens  still made room for a righteous burger made from locally sourced beef, and for seafood from local fishermen.

Chef Ben Tabor arrived at the style by focusing on the best quality food he could get and finding ways to make it accessible at a neighborhood restaurant level. That steers the path to creative preparations and less familiar flavors, with vegetables very often in the spotlight.

Now this ambidextrous approach has grown more varied, robust and multifaceted still  and even hard to pin down.

Last year, Sneaky Pickle moved a few blocks to a new home in the Bywater, a long-idled space once known as Maurepas Foods. The short move represents a quantum leap in what this restaurant can be by adding a dual identity called Bar Brine.

Today, Sneaky Pickle is the lunchtime version and Bar Brine takes over at dinner. Run by the same people under the same roof, Bar Brine is a more elevated take on the ideas that Tabor first established for Sneaky Pickle.

It folds in new partners, new talent and far-reaching ideas for where local flavors can go, framed in a stylish and vibrant setting, with a destination-worthy bar.

Uncommon flavors

Bar Brines dinner menu brings more seafood and meat  including a charcuterie board  but roughly half of the evening dishes are vegan.

In the kitchen, Tabor and chef de cuisine Richard Jackson can get unexpectedly robust flavors from seemingly humble ingredients.

Haruki turnips are finished with savory granola, bringing a toasted, nutty crunch against the fresh pop of the vegetable. Slender heirloom carrots are crusted with crumbled Brazil nuts, ignited by gochujang, the Korean hot sauce, and brightened by citrus.

King trumpet mushrooms make an entree that truly does taste meaty, with scored and beautifully seared surfaces sluiced with garlicky pistachio pesto, all over a bed of grits enriched with cashew cream.

A few of the lunch dishes make the dinner menu too  like the burger, every bit of which is good  coarsely-ground patty, bun, bacon, pickles, and especially the fries on the side; and the vegan Reuben, which gives the crisp, tart, creamy appeal of the deli classic, with the fermented, springy chew of tempeh standing in for beef.

One niche the dinner menu explores is housemade pasta, and of these the black squid ink noodles with shrimp, crab and chili is spectacular.

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Hand-pulled and nearly as broad as lasagna sheets, these velvety, sinuous noodles just keep unspooling as you twist your fork, and the flavors keep coming too, building and compounding. It tastes by turns Italian, Creole and Szechuan, between the slow burn of chili heat, the sweet freshness of the shrimp and crab and the briny savor of the noodles.

Much of the fish at Bar Brine comes from Lance Nacio, the bayou country fisherman who is among the leading voices for diversified, sustainable fisheries.

This accounted for a whole pink porgy one early visit  a perfectly-sized fish to split, meaty and succulent, crossed with smoky grill marks and lushly dressed with olive oil and herbs.

Other types of seafood might arrive just one or two fish at a time, something commercially uncommon that the fishermen brought in, and these often become one-night crudo specials. When was the last time you saw butterfish on a New Orleans menu? Thats the kind of thing you may find here from night to night.

Sneaky Pickle remains a good value for the quality, with all dishes on the regular menu under $15. The Bar Brine menu follows suit, with most of the regular menu (barring a steak and a scallop dish) under $20.

Raising the bar

Sneaky Pickle and Bar Brine are family run, and Tabor sometimes describes the relationship of the two concepts as siblings.

In addition to his partner Olivia Clarkson, the chefs brother Luke Tabor and his wife Michelle Fryer are now part of the business. They previously ran a well-respected cocktail bar in Providence, Rhode Island, and theyve made the bar a focal point at Bar Brine (and, of course, at Sneaky Pickle for day drinks).

The drink list is appealing enough to warrant a visit just for cocktails.

The Bar Brine martini is a signature drink that lives up to the name. It doubles down on the idea of a dirty martini, with a dose of olive juice and also seaweed bitters amplifying its salt air essence, plus a bit of sherry to smooth things out. Its also fun; the cocktail comes with an iced glass on the side thats like a miniature salad bar of accoutrements to garnish as you go.

The Flatbush sour is a riff on the New York sour, here replacing whiskey with Haitian rum and a floater of the Dominican brew mamajuana, to correlate it more to the tropics.

This is a restaurant that can bring your flavors you never saw coming and also furnish some house standards that have their own following from the earlier Sneaky Pickle era.

While the daytime/nighttime names are different, I think of this place as a whole. Its one that encapsulates much of the modern ethos and energy of contemporary dining in New Orleans. And it does this naturally, following a conviction that local, different and fresh can be accessible. Here, its alluring too.

Sneaky Pickle and Bar Brine

3200 Burgundy St., (504) 218-5651

Lunch and dinner Thu.-Mon.
As shootings and homicides surge, Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans announced Monday two new initiatives to assist law enforcement: a reward program for tipsters who provide police with the location of firearms used in crimes and screens that can be used at crime scenes to shield bodies from public view.

With the hope of recovering more weapons to use as evidence in court, anonymous tipsters will be given bigger cash rewards when they share information about the whereabouts of guns used in crimes. Once a firearm has been located, $1,000 will be tacked onto the tipster's reward, which is usually $5,000 for a homicide and $2,500 for other crimes. For each additional crime the gun is matched to, tipsters will get an extra $200 up to $2,000.

Crimestoppers President Darlene Cusanza discussed the new efforts alongside law enforcement officials from parishes the programs will serve: Orleans, Jefferson, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St Charles, St. Bernard, St. Tammany and Plaquemines.

Cusanza also displayed the crime scene screens, funded by an anonymous donor who hopes they preserve some dignity for homicide victims and lessen the "traumatic visual effects that neighbors and family members experience" when they see lifeless bodies, according to a release.

Emblazoned with Crimestoppers' phone number, website and QR code, the screens give bystanders a way to share vital information about the crime while it's fresh on their minds. Together, Crimestoppers fundraisers and an anonymous donor funded 18 custom scene screens from Jacksonville, Florida-based company Forensics Source, which prices the screens at $202.25 each.

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"Part of the reason that violent crime is surging is because people in our neighborhoods are becoming numb to violence," Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said. "Seeing a dead body in your neighborhood ... has a major impact on a young person and on an adult, to the point that they get used to that level of violent crime."

There have been 104 homicides so far this year in New Orleans alone.

Tips to Crimestoppers can be made anonymously at (504) 822-1111 or at crimestoppersgno.org.
A federal appeals court in New Orleans hears arguments Tuesday about whether President Joe Biden legally suspended new oil and gas lease sales shortly after taking office because of climate change worries.

The case has not been tried but a federal judge blocked the order, saying only Congress could suspend the sales.

Federal lawyers say the government has broad power to hold, cancel or defer lease sales.

Biden's order was a straightforward articulation of the Presidents views as to how Interior should use the ample discretion Congress has granted the agency, Andrew M. Bernie and other attorneys wrote.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe had no authority to review Bidens order because the president is not an agency subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, they wrote.

Doughty found that states which challenged the order were likely to prove that the Interior Department violated that law by acting arbitrarily and without giving any rational explanation. He also found that since laws governing the lease sales don't say the president can pause them, only Congress may do so.

Louisiana, 12 other states suing

Lawyers for Louisiana and a dozen other states say a 1987 law setting out how to sell oil and gas leases requires such sales at least four times a year in states with eligible land.

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"But with the stroke of a pen just a week after he took his oath of office, President Biden put his campaign promises above federal law: By executive fiat, he halted oil and gas leasing on federal lands," said the brief by attorneys led be Louisiana Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Murrill, the top constitutional lawyer in the Louisiana Attorney Generals Office.

Louisiana is joined in the suit by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

After Doughty ruled for the states, the Interior Department held an offshore lease sale  which a federal judge in Washington canceled. Four onshore lease sales are scheduled next month  for land in Nevada on June 14; New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado on June 16; Wyoming on June 22 and Utah, Montana and North Dakota on June 28.

However, the administration scaled back the amount of land originally on offer and raised royalty rates 50 percent from 12.5% to 18.75%. That's the amount charged for desirable deep water offshore leases, while those in less than 656 feet (200 meters) of water are charged the 12.5% minimum.

Biden has come under pressure to increase U.S. crude production as fuel prices spike because of the coronavirus pandemic and war in Ukraine. From within his own party, the Democrat faces calls to do more to curb emissions from fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

Oil companies have been reluctant to ramp up, saying there are not enough workers, scant money for new drilling investments and wariness that todays high prices wont last.

AP reporter Matt Brown contributed to this report from Billings, Montana.
New Orleans police released the name of a man shot multiple times by an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office deputy working a paid detail outside a retail strip in Gert Town.

Robert Ruffin, 56, was arguing with an unidentified man just before noon on Sunday in the 7900 block of Earhart Boulevard and was asked to leave by deputies. Ruffin left but returned with a gun and fired two shots, according to authorities, and the deputy working the detail returned fire, striking Ruffin more than once.

Emergency Medical Services took Ruffin to the hospital. The man Ruffin had fought with was uninjured. New Orleans police did not disclose Ruffin's current condition or whether he remains in the hospital. A warrant was issued for Ruffin's arrest, but police did not state the charges.

The NOPDs Public Integrity Bureaus Force Investigation Team is investigating the deputy's use of force, as it does any time a law enforcement officer fires a weapon in Orleans Parish, and the Sheriff's Office is cooperating, NOPD said.

The business owner whose security detail shot Ruffin said his surveillance camera recorded the shooting, and he turned over the footage to investigators.

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OPSO deputies are not furnished with body-worn cameras. Although NOPD officers are required to turn on body-worn cameras when using force, that mandate does not extend to NOPD officers or OPSO deputies working off-duty details. When she was an independent police monitor, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson pressed the NOPD to be more rigorous about enforcing its body-worn camera policies.

OPSO did not immediately return requests for a comment.

Matt Sledge contributed to this report.
John Raymond, pastor of New Horizon church in Slidell, has been arrested for a second time and accused of cruelty to a juvenile stemming from incidents at Lakeside Christian Academy, a Kindergarten-12th grade school that he founded and ran as headmaster.

Following his arrest Monday, Raymond told a New Orleans television station that he was taking a leave of absence from his post as headmaster.

A letter sent to parents by the school said that the leave is voluntary "as these matters are being resolved." The letter said that the latest allegation stems from a matter that occurred six years ago.

In a news release, the Slidell Police Department said that after Raymond's initial arrest last month, several witnesses, including former teachers, faculty and parents, came forward to report additional incidents, some going back as far as 2017.

One involved a 4-year-old boy who would sometimes sit on the ground and kick and scream. "Due to the boy crying and screaming, Raymond allegedly placed his hand over the boys nose and mouth (preventing him from breathing) to the point of him going 'limp.' A staff member told Raymond to stop, and then observed the boy 'out of it and lethargic,' and 'unable to stand,'" the release said.

Police said that Raymond dragged the same child across the floor by his ankles when he refused to leave with him.

"In another incident, Raymond allegedly held the boy upside down by his ankles and repeatedly 'whipped him on the buttocks,'" police said.

Raymond, 60, was arrested last month on three counts of cruelty to juveniles after he put packaging tape over the mouths of three 13-year-old students to punish them for excessive talking.

Raymond said at the time that students were offered a choice between calling their parents to say that they were suspended or having Raymond tape their mouths.

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He said then that the tape was placed only over their mouths and was removed shortly thereafter. But Slidell Police said that the boys were having difficulty breathing and that the tape had to be removed with scissors after being in place for about 45 minutes.

After reviewing the new allegations, Slidell Police detectives sought a warrant that was signed by a 22nd Judicial District judge.

He was booked into the Slidell City Jail and will be transported to the St. Tammany Parish Jail where a bond will be set, the release said.

Raymond could not be reached for comment.

The investigation is continuing and detectives are interviewing additional witnesses, the release said.

A one-time contestant on the television show "Survivor" voted off the island in the first episode, Raymond has also sought political office, running unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives seat won by Mary DuBuisson. He also sued to try to stop a referendum on a casino near Slidell. The referendum went on as scheduled, but St. Tammany voters overwhelmingly shot down the casino.

He currently serves on St. Tammany's Republican Parish Executive Committee.
The last time St. Tammany Parish government clashed with a district attorney over money, in 1985, just the threat of a lawsuit was enough to make what was then the Police Jury capitulate.

District Attorney Walter Reed had been wrangling with both St. Tammany and Washington parishes over funding for his office. But unlike Washington Parish, which resisted until Reed beat them in court, the St. Tammany Parish Police Jury agreed to provide $450,000, double what the parish had been willing to pay.

Nearly 40 years later, though, a legal brawl between 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery and St. Tammany government seems all but unavoidable with both sides lawyering up in the wake of Montgomery's lawsuit demanding $8.8 million he says his office is owed by the parish.

Hiring lawyers

Montgomery has hired the Jones Walker law firm to represent his office in the suit, which he says he had to file after a sales tax he sought to cover the money was shot down by St. Tammany's voters April 30.

The St. Tammany Parish Council, meanwhile, emerged from an executive session during its meeting Thursday night and agreed with Parish President Mike Cooper's decision to hire the law firm of Blue Williams, with David Parnell Jr. and Aldric Poirier Jr. serving as lead attorneys.

"It would have been nice not to have had to hire a lawyer, but that's what happens when you get sued," Parish Council member Jake Airey said.

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No hearing date has been set, and it's unclear whether the judges in the 22nd Judicial District will recuse themselves. The parish government also cut the court's funding, along with that of the parish jail, citing the loss of revenue to its general fund from an expired pair of sales taxes that voters have steadfastly refused to renew in multiple requests and forms.

Not the first time

While the first lawsuit over funding was filed by Montgomery's predecessor 37 years ago, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruling in that case is likely to figure in this latest clash. The high court ruled then that parish governments are required to pay the reasonable costs of district attorneys' offices.

Montgomery's suit claims that the $3.1 million the parish provided in the 2022 budget doesn't meet the reasonable costs of prosecuting criminals in St. Tammany Parish.

Reed said that the time that his case had serious statewide ramifications, and district attorneys from around the state supported his lawsuit.

As for the current players, this isn't the first time Montgomery has taken the parish to court. In 2016, shortly after taking office, he sued over whether the parish government could control its own legal affairs rather than having to use the DA's office.

After losing in two lower courts, Montgomery prevailed at the state Supreme Court level, using the same attorney from Jones Walker as he is now, James Percy.

The costs of that court battle, for the parish and District Attorney's Office combined, exceeded $200,000.
Through weeks of prepared statements, an interview and a public hearing, two New Orleans government employees involved in City Hall's failed smart cities project have downplayed their relationship with the companies that won the right to negotiate a 15-year broadband and infrastructure contract.

But Verge Internet, a private company founded by those employees, was once pitched to officials in Los Angeles as part of a team of industry leaders with Qualcomm and JLC Infrastructure on a similar plan to bridge the digital divide in that city, according to a newly obtained document.

That document, submitted to the city of Los Angeles last year, suggests that Jonathan Rhodes, the director of Mayor LaToya Cantrells office of utilities that sponsored the smart cities program, and Christopher Wolff, a city IT worker who helped choose the winning bidder, had a closer relationship with potential vendors than they had previously acknowledged.

Qualcomm and JLC pulled out of contract talks in New Orleans last month amid contract-steering accusations from a rival bidder, questions about their relationship with Rhodes and Wolff and a formal City Council investigation. While the controversial smart city project is dead for now, the council probe is only beginning to examine what went on behind the scenes.

A team proposal

New Orleans released a request for proposals for its smart city project in April 2021. At around the same time, Los Angeles was beginning to pursue its own, similar program aimed at boosting internet access in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

While New Orleans wanted to ink a contract, Los Angeles was earlier in the process of weighing a potential program. In March 2021, it issued a request for information, which is a step cities sometimes take before launching a formal bid process and is typically a form of market research.

The California city said it wanted to create a list of solutions for different potential scenarios, which might range from tapping into existing fiber-optic and power lines to using a mix of solar power and cellular connections.

One of the responses it received was a two-page "narrative" document, which according to authorship metadata included in an electronic file was written by Christopher Wolff on May 10, 2021.

The document spoke about Qualcomm, Verge Internet and JLC Infrastructure using high-speed wireless devices attached to the citys existing streetlights to create a citywide network at a fraction of the cost of fiber-optic cables.

The network would bridge the digital divide by targeting historically Latino and Black areas like Boyle Heights and South Central.

Rhodes and Wolff had created Verge Internet as a Delaware company months before. In an interview and City Council testimony, Wolff and Rhodes said separately that they gave pro bono technical assistance to Qualcomm on the Los Angeles project, but their involvement stopped there. Wolff called the company a "hobby."

Yet the two-page document, which was obtained under a public records request to Los Angeles, identified Verge Internet as a member of a team of industry leaders with Qualcomm, JLC Infrastructure and other companies.

The Qualcomm team has developed a plan to help Los Angeles recover, reimagine and rebuild a truly equitable, sustainable and connected city, the document states. Our team of industry leaders is comprised of Qualcomm, Cambium Networks, Verge Internet, Comptek, Black & Veatch (collectively, the Technical Members), and JLC Infrastructure (JLC or the Equity Member).

Qualcomm and JLC didnt respond to requests for comment. But the New Orleans consortium of which they were members has previously promised to cooperate with the City Councils investigation of the failed deal. Council President Helena Moreno said Monday that she will press both companies for more information on the Los Angeles proposal.

In a statement Monday, a Mayor's Office spokesperson said that "to our knowledge" the document was submitted by Qualcomm, not by Wolff.

"Team simply referred to a group of organizations passionate about bridging the digital divide, coming together to help achieve that goal during the pandemic," said the spokesperson, Melissa Newell. "There was no business partnership or any legal or financial relationship between Verge and the other group members."

The document's timestamp indicates that it was created on a Monday during a workday, but Newell said that was not a sign of any wrongdoing by Wolff.

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"Metadata in an open access and unsecured document is not conclusive," she said. "Nevertheless, if it was used by him at this day and time it was not done so on city time or equipment. Mr. Wolff was on documented leave."

The cone of silence

When Los Angeles' deadline arrived, New Orleans had just begun seeking proposals for its smart city project. The New Orleans solicitation was governed by what the city calls the cone of silence. Qualcomm, JLC and other vendors were not supposed to interact with city officials about the project before the bid award. If they did, they risked being disqualified.

While Rhodes one-man department was the official sponsor for New Orleans project, he said in testimony before the City Council last month that the IT department actually wrote the request for proposals.

On June 30, 2021, Wolff sat on the selection committee for the New Orleans solicitation. Along with other committee members, he gave the highest score to the Smart+Connected NOLA consortium comprised of Qualcomm, JLC and other companies.

Rhodes and Wolff have said that they never informed the city that they had an outside relationship with Qualcomm. There was no conflict of interest because they never received money, they've argued.

We offered to provide assistance for no compensation whatsoever and no expectation of compensation, Rhodes said during his sworn testimony last month.

The city stood by Rhodes and Wolff on Monday, insisting that they had no reason to recuse themselves from the procurement process because they had no financial arrangement with Qualcomm and JLC. Newell said the cone of silence was never broken because the officials didn't talk about the New Orleans project while providing advice on the Los Angeles pitch.

Yet to Moreno, the document submitted in Los Angeles was troubling. She said that it seemed to be directly at odds with Rhodes' sworn claim that Verge Internet provided pro bono help only.

This, in my opinion, shows that Jonathan Rhodes lied about his involvement with this (request for information), Moreno said. Theyre part of the team. It says it in the document, that they are part of the team that includes Qualcomm and JLC.

Smart and connected Los Angeles

Even before the existence of Verge Internet became public in New Orleans, the winning consortiums proposal drew jeers from the second-place bidder, Cox Business.

In a series of protests beginning in late July 2021, Cox claimed that the city handed the right to negotiate a contract to the consortium while ignoring flaws in its proposal. Cox also claimed that the winning bidders had essentially written the solicitation.

Two months after Coxs protest, in September 2021, Qualcomm and JLC Infrastructure submitted a presentation to Los Angeles on their smart city plan, according to another document received under a public records request.

That document was authored by a vice president at JLC Infrastructure who was also involved in the New Orleans project. The group had a name strikingly similar to the consortium in New Orleans: it was the Smart and Connected LA consortium.

While the September 2021 presentation boasted of securing a public-private partnership in New Orleans, it contained a notable change. It no longer listed Verge Internet as a consortium member.

Newell, the city spokesperson, said that was proof of Rhodes' and Wolff's claim that they had no ongoing relationship with Qualcomm and JLC.

"The fact that the Smart and Connected LA group continued to discuss the project without Verge illustrates Verge's position all along, which is that there was no arrangement or expectation of future arrangement between Verge and the group," she said.
The reignited abortion debate in DC has stirred up activists not only in Washington, but around the country. The White House condemned an attack launched at a pro-life group over the weekend in Wisconsin. And the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on an abortion bill this week.
Cleveland-Cliffs said it has been reducing carbon emissions in its newly released Sustainability Report 2021.

The Cleveland-based steelmaker, a major pillar of the Calumet Region economy, reported all-time annual records in revenues, net income, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow last year after absorbing ArcelorMittal USA and AK Steel. It says it is also making progress on its environmental, social and governance goals.

Cleveland-Cliffs has built a strong legacy of sustainable business practices. As we transformed into the largest flat-rolled steel company in North America, this has been the foundation for integrating our standards across our newly acquired operations," Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lourenco Goncalves said. "In the midst of dynamic market changes, our commitment to earning and protecting our social license to operate remains constant and is a critical component of our long-term business strategy. "

Cleveland-Cliffs said it reduced carbon intensity per ton last year by using more hot briquetted iron instead of coke in its blast furnaces, allowing it to improve productivity and stretch hot metal production. It released 34.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is up slightly year-over-year due to increased production during the recovery from the pandemic trough in 2020 but down substantially from 44.1 million tons with a much smaller corporate footprint in 2017.

It acquired Ferrous Processing and Trading Co. so it could recycle more scrap.

"I am proud of the numerous sustainability initiatives we have in place throughout the business," Goncalves said. "This underscores our deep commitment to supporting the local communities where we operate. As Cleveland-Cliffs journey continues, we look forward to further developing sustainability strategies that are operationally relevant and add even greater support to our sites and stakeholders through open communication and strong partnerships.

The steelmaker also partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy on emissions reduction and energy efficiency initiatives. It also donated $6.5 million to charity and attained a 75% vaccination rate of its 26,000 employees after dangling cash incentives.

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NiSource, the parent company of one of Indiana's largest utilities, has called off its search for a new headquarters.

The company, one of the Region's largest employers, told employees earlier this year it was looking to move out of its office at 801 E. 86th Ave. in a few years. The building is nearly half a century old.

It has now changed those plans.

"We plan for the existing Southlake NiSource campus to continue to serve as the headquarters facility, and are not pursuing a sale at this time," NiSource spokeswoman Wendy Lussier said.

NiSource, which was long based in downtown Hammond before decamping to Merrillville several decades ago, had informed employees it was looking to move its headquarters to a new location in Northwest Indiana by as soon as 2024 after Lloyd Yates was named the new CEO. But now it's taking the three-story former Prudential building on East 86th Avenue that was originally constructed in the mid-to-late 1970s off the market.

"To ensure NiSource has optimal facilities to continue providing excellent service to its customers, we are evaluating ongoing the best use of our Southlake facility and we will not be pursuing a sale of the Southlake facility at this time," Lussier said. "We plan to prioritize investments in facilities to support our operations, as this will allow us to best support our customers. Our commitment to our employees and to the community of Merrillville remains undiminished."

NiSource bought the headquarters for $5.8 million in 1988 and invested millions in renovations. It was long Northwest Indiana's only Fortune 500 headquarters before it spun off its faster-growing pipeline business.

The company, which also operates Columbia Gas of Ohio, is now taking a strategic look at its real estate.

"In partnership with a third party, we are developing a forward-looking strategic plan for NiSources real estate footprint," Lussier said. "It is our plan to focus on the most impactful and appropriate projects for near-term implementation, with additional, cumulative projects that will move the portfolio toward the most favorable future state."

Dating back more than 100 years, NIPSCO serves about 820,000 natural gas and 470,000 electric customers in Northern Indiana. It's the largest natural gas distribution company and the second-largest electric utility in the Hoosier State.

Its parent company NiSource serves about 3.7 million natural gas and electric customers nationwide via NIPSCO and Columbia Gas of Ohio, which has a large footprint on the East Coast.

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The United States Department of Commerce is temporarily suspending the Section 232 tariffs of 25% on Ukrainian steel for one year to assist the country's defense against the Russian invasion.

The steel industry is big in Ukraine, employing one of every 13 residents.

Many Ukrainian steel mills have continued to pay, feed and shelter their workers after Russia invaded in late February, throwing the country into violent turmoil. The steel mill in Mariupol has been fortified as a defensive position that has withstood Russian attacks. Some of the mills have started making steel again as fighting rages on in the country.

The United States hopes to create more export opportunities to support one of Ukraine's most vital industries and keep steelworkers employed.

Steelworkers are among the worlds most resilient  whether they live in Youngstown or Mariupol. We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people  we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. "For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel. Todays announcement is a signal to the Ukrainian people that we are committed to helping them thrive in the face of Putins aggression, and that their work will create a stronger Ukraine, both today and in the future."

The United States is restricting Russian imports, which have decreased in value by 97% since the war started. The United States also has decreased exports to Russia by 79%. The Department of Commerce also said it's doing what it can to help Ukraine's economy.

"Ukraines diplomatic leaders have been essential partners and advocates for their people, and we will continue to do all we can to support their work toward peace, freedom, and prosperity, Raimondo said.

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, which represents steel purchases, heralded the move.

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users applauds the suspension of 'national security' Section 232 steel tariffs on Ukraine by the Biden Administration. The war in Ukraine underscores the irony of maintaining the 'national security' tariffs on steel and aluminum imports imposed by the Trump Administration in 2018 on our close allies as the United States seeks to build a global coalition to confront Russias aggression," the trade association said in a statement. "The domestic steel and aluminum industries continue to enjoy record profits while U.S. steel- and aluminum-using manufacturers cant obtain the steel and aluminum needed to meet demand due to a range of supply chain issues exacerbated by these tariffs. Its time for the United States to drop these 'national security' tariffs in the name of  national security."

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CROWN POINT  A Chicago man was wanted Monday on charges he pinned an East Chicago officer's leg in a car door last year before police shot both him and a woman riding in the car he was driving.

Charles B. Winston, 21, dropped a .45-caliber handgun and 24-round extended magazine after he was shot in the neck, Lake Criminal Court records state.

Winston and his female passenger each were taken to hospitals after the shooting Aug. 11, 2021, at Indianapolis Boulevard and Chicago Avenue in East Chicago.

Winston was charged Thursday with aggravated battery, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery by means of a deadly weapon, carrying a handgun without a license and two counts of resisting law enforcement.

Winston first came to Officer Mitchell Tipton's attention about 9 a.m., when an officer ran the license plate on the vehicle Winston was driving. The plate came back as stolen, but the vehicle to which it was registered didn't fit the description of the vehicle Winston was driving, records state.

Tipton radioed other officers that the driver was attempting to evade him at 148th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard.

Officers Andres Verduzco and Gustavo Garcia, who was in training, pulled into an open spot at the intersection of Indianapolis Boulevard and Chicago Avenue in an attempt to block the driver and prevent harm to other drivers, records state.

Verduzco, who was riding in the front passenger seat, put his right foot on the ground as he got out of the patrol car, and Winston accelerated into the door, according to court documents.

Verduzco told a detective with the Lake County Sheriff's Department he ordered Garcia to shoot because he thought me might lose his leg.

When Verduzco saw what he thought might be a child in the backseat, he ordered Garcia to stop shooting, records state.

Tipton arrived on scene, heard six shots and took cover between the doors of his squad, records state.

After the gunfire stopped, Tipton approached the vehicle, ordered the driver to show his hands and saw a firearm magazine in the driver's hand, according to documents.

As Tipton continued to approach, the driver appeared to bring the weapon across his body, so Tipton attempted to shoot but his gun malfunctioned, records state.

Winston then dropped the gun and yelled, "It's down. It's down. I dropped it."

Officers broke a window to pull Winston from the car, and the woman got out on her own, records state.

Winston was convicted in November 2020 of a counterfeiting charge in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to court documents.

Anyone with information about Winston's whereabouts is asked to call Lake County sheriff's detectives at 219-755-3346 or the crime tip hotline at 800-750-2746.

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A 28-year-old motorist was three times the legal limit for drinking and driving when she crashed into construction equipment along Interstate 65 in Lake County, narrowly missing an Indiana State Police car with flashing lights on, police said.

The driver, identified as Aubrey A. Allee, of DeMotte, did not remember the crash when brought back to consciousness at the scene, according to police.

She was transferred to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and then taken to jail where she faces felony counts of reckless driving in a work zone and OWI with a prior conviction and two misdemeanor OWI counts, police said.

The Indiana Department of Transportation Northwest District reported two crashes overnight into Tuesday involving crews filling cracks along I-65.

"Please always be on the lookout for highway workers and work zones, even at night," INDOT said. "Thankfully, no INDOT workers were injured."

The local crash occurred around 3 a.m., police said. The stretch of highway in question was reduced to just the left lane open with trucks using impact attenuators and arrow boards to block the right two lanes where repairs were underway.

"State troopers were also at the locations with their emergency lights activated to alert drivers of the construction project," according to police.

The accused struck one of the impact attenuators with a white 2017 Jeep Wrangler at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing a stationary state police car with its emergency lights on.

The trooper reportedly found Allee not wearing a seat belt and unconscious.

Additional first responders arrived on scene and administered first aid, during which time Allee regained consciousness, police said. She was unaware she had been in a crash.

A preliminary investigation found Allee had been making a lane change from the far left lane to the right where the roadway was closed and struck the attenuator before her vehicle spun into the center median guardrail, according to police.

Troopers believed Allee was intoxicated, and after she refused to voluntarily submit to a chemical test, police said they obtained a warrant and drew blood from the driver. The results came back as .245, or three times the legal limit of .08.

"These operations will continue nightly from approximately 10 p.m. - 6 a.m. through Friday morning this week, so please be on the lookout for roadway crews on I-65 in Lake, Newton, and Jasper Counties!" INDOT said.

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HOBART  Investigators are seeking a fraud suspect captured on camera at a Hobart bank, police said.

Hobart police responded April 16 to a report of identity theft and fraud at a bank in the city's downtown area. Police said an employee at the bank recognized that a transaction that a woman was trying to complete was fraudulent.

According to police, the employee noticed that the suspect was trying to claim she was someone else. The employee also noticed that the account the suspect was trying to withdraw money from had been compromised and that the victim had previously reported it to the bank.

Before this incident, the real account holder had several thousand dollars stolen from her account, which she alerted the bank of.

The suspect shown in the surveillance image was driving a black Nissan Altima with Illinois plates.

Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Lt. Nicholas Wardrip at nwardrip@cityofhobart.org or by phone at 219-942-4485.

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HAMMOND  A 20-year-old man died at a local hospital Monday he was shot in the chest inside a residence, officials said. He was described as a loving and kind man by his fiance.

Frank E. Koonce Jr., of Hammond, was found after police responded about 2 p.m. to a report of a gunshot wound victim, according to the Lake County coroner's office and Hammond police.

Hammond Fire Department medics took Koonce to Franciscan Health hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 2:45 p.m.

The death was ruled a homicide, a coroner's release said.

His fiance, Naiya Koonce, said he was caring, loving and protective. They had been engaged for a year after the two met through social media and fell in love.

She said the family is hurting and it has been a difficult time for all who loved him.

"He (was) always seeing if anyone is sad  he would make them happy," she said. "Always a positive vibe. Never a dull moment without him."

He also worked at Cracker Barrel in Hammond as a server, where community members got to know him.

The family urged anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with video home surveillance footage or information about the homicide is asked to call Detective Sgt. Nicole Duncanson at 219-852-2968.

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Sarah Reese Lake County Courts and Social Justice Reporter Sarah covers crime, courts and public safety. She began her career at The Times in 2004. Contact her at sarah.reese@nwi.com or 219-933-3351. Follow Sarah Reese 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
HAMMOND  A former East Chicago police chiefs brother admitted Monday he committed a string of robberies.

Ryan Smith, 58, of East Chicago, appeared Monday morning before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joshua P Kolar to admit his guilt to six holdups in 2019.

He is a brother of former East Chicago Police Chief Frank Smith and has a history of violent robberies.

Smith had been scheduled to stand trial later this month on felony robbery charges that carry a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.

Smith signed a plea agreement last month waiving his right to make federal prosecutors prove the charges against him in return for the prosecutions recommendation that he receive a more lenient sentence.

Smith admitted in his guilty plea that he was armed with either a knife or a gun when he took cash by force Sept. 21, 2019, from Vision Quest, 4902 Indianapolis Blvd., East Chicago; Boost Mobile, 2741 169th St., Hammond; and Briar East Liquors, 3217 169th St., Hammond.

Smith robbed a Family Dollar Store, 130 W. Ridge Road, Griffith on Sept. 22, 2019.

He entered a Clark service station, 1416 E. Columbus St., East Chicago, on Sept. 23, 2019, pressed a knife to the stomach of an employee there before fleeing with an undetermined amount of cash.

He took $400 in a robbery Sept. 25, 2019, from an employee of the Allied Cash Advance store, 4802 Indianapolis Blvd, East Chicago.

Video surveillance cameras caught images of Smiths face and his getaway car at several locations. Police traced the car to Smith through a photo of his car and its license plate. Several of the victims identified Smith from a photo lineup as the robber.

The magistrate recommended the court accept Smiths change of plea to guilty because he understands the constitutional right to a trial that he is knowingly and voluntarily giving up.

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MICHIGAN CITY  A fire broke out Sunday night at the Texas Corral restaurant at 5718 Franklin St., according to Michigan City Fire Department spokesperson Nick Pabon.

Michigan City Firefighters responded to the scene just after 10 p.m. Smoke was seen coming from the northwest corner of the building and flames could be seen over the rooftop, Pabon said.

Crews set up ladders and climbed onto the roof to extinguish the flame. Before 10:20 p.m., the fire was knocked down. Pabon said the quick response minimized the damage to the restaurant.

No injuries have been reported.

Currently, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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Bob Kasarda Porter/LaPorte County Courts and Social Justice Reporter Bob is a 23-year veteran of The Times. He covers county government and courts in Porter County, federal courts, police news and regional issues. He also created the Vegan in the Region blog, is an Indiana University grad and lifelong region resident. Follow Bob Kasarda 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
The Lake, Porter and LaPorte county treasurers remind Northwest Indiana residents they have until Tuesday to pay the first installment of their property taxes.

Lake County Treasurer Peggy Katona said she is extending her office hours for last-minute taxpayers.

They can walk in, between 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., at her offices at 2293 N. Main St. in Crown Point, 232 Russell St. in Hammond and 400 Broadway in Gary.

Katona said Lake County taxpayers can also pay at these bank branches: American Community Bank, BMO Harris Bank, Centier Bank, DeMotte State Bank, Dyer Bank & Trust, First Financial Bank, First Merchants Bank, First Midwest Bank, Horizon Bank, Peoples Bank and the Indiana branch offices of Tech Federal Credit Union.

All tax payments at bank branches must be made in cash or by check.

She reminds the public to check on the banks' hours since many close by mid-afternoon.

The Porter County treasurer's office, 155 Indiana Ave., Suite 209, Valparaiso, will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Porter County property owners also can pay online at porterco.org/1310/Property-Tax-Payment-Option.

They also can pay by phone by calling 877-690-3729 and following the prompts on the automated system. The office accepts electronic checks as well as credit or debit cards.

The LaPorte County treasurer's offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 555 Michigan Avenue, Suite 102, LaPorte and 300 Washington St., Michigan City.

Payments are due from property owners who dont have taxes withheld from mortgage payments to financial institutions.

County treasurers remind property owners with questions about their tax bills they will likely experience long wait times if they try to reach their offices by telephone Monday.

Katona suggested those who have problems with their tax bills should visit her offices in person. She said lines have been long, but her office usually can process taxpayers' cases in a relatively short time.

Katona said Lake County property owners also can also pay with credit cards or the countys e-check system on the treasurer's web page at lakecountyin.org.

She reminds credit card payers they will be charged an additional fee by the credit card processor, not the treasurer.

Katona said those who pay by mail need to have their letter postmarked no later than Monday and to check with their post offices to determine the deadline for receiving that postmark.

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A federal judge has accepted an agreement under which Cleveland-Cliffs will pay a $3 million fine and donate land to the Indiana Dunes National Park after a chemical spill at its Burns Harbor Works steel mill, then owned by ArcelorMittal USA, caused a massive fish kill in 2019.

Northern District of Indiana Judge Philip P. Simon accepted the consent decree among the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Hoosier Environmental Council, the federal and state governments, and the Cleveland-based steelmaker.

It resolves the lawsuit filed by the two environmental groups against ArcelorMittal USA after a 2019 discharge into the Burns Waterway leading into Lake Michigan that exceeded ammonia and cyanide limits and resulted in 3,000 dead fish, beach closures fears of tainted drinking water.

Environmental Law & Policy Center Executive Director Howard Learner said it was "a big victory for protecting Lake Michigan, safe clean water, and Northwest Indiana communities."

"This successful litigation protects clean water in Lake Michigan, people and communities in Northwest Indiana, and aquatic life in the area," Learner said. "It sends a strong message to all of the industrial plant owners and operators in Northwest Indiana to comply with the law and reduce their pollution."

Cleveland-Cliffs spokeswoman Patricia Persico said the company would work with the federal and state governments and the environmental groups on following the consent decree requirements. The steelmaker plans to take preventative measures, such as upgrading the wastewater treatment systems at Burns Harbor.

Under the previous ownership, the mill discharged cyanide and ammonia that led to the fish kill, beach closures at the Indiana Dunes National Park and a threat to the main drinking water supply of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicagoland area.

Cleveland-Cliffs agreed to update equipment, pay $3 million in civil penalties that will be split between the state and federal governments, do increased water monitoring this summer and next summer and more quickly notify the public after ArcelorMittal delayed notifying public officials until days later in 2019.

The steelmaker also will donate $2 million worth of land to the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, which will restore the 127-acre site ecologically and eventually donate it to Indiana Dunes National Park for public use. The vacant land is located on Boo Road just south of the Marquette Trail just west of the park's existing boundaries.

Stretching across 15 miles of shoreline, the 15,000-acre National Park covers many disparate and diverse sites such as West Beach, Heron Rookery, Great Marsh, Glenwood Dunes and the Miller Woods. The Cleveland-Cliffs donation would be the first major addition since the 57-acre Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk was developed on a former industrial site.

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Gov. Eric Holcomb said Northwest Indiana is doing more to take advantage of its built-in resources than just about anywhere else in the state while positioning itself for unprecedented growth.
When everybody read the scripts with these doodles in the side, it was so magical that we went, Well, this has to appear on the screen, Lyn said. It elevates the emotion and the intensity of those moments, and gives them another quality and narrates something thats happening within the minds of the characters.

How the team uses animation, though, evolves throughout the show. At the end of the first episode, Nicks mother, Sarah (Olivia Colman), is driving him home from rugby practice. As Nick stares out the window, thinking of Charlie, a simple pair of animated sea gulls is reflected in the car window, another motif from the graphic novels. By the end of the fifth episode, viewers see an intricate pair of lovebirds circling and flying up to the camera. (Anna Peronetto, the animator, recalled looking out of her window and analyzing Londons green parakeets to study how they moved.)

There were some key frames that we were really careful to transcribe as carefully as we could, so that the mise-en-scene would be as precise as possible, Lyn said. Not only was the production design true to the graphic novel, but the costumes were  the tone of it was as true to the graphic novel as possible.

The webcomic and graphic novel were both drawn in monochrome, so Lyn and his team had to invent a color palette and a lighting style that fit the story. The casting process, too, was a challenge: They needed to find actors who not only looked like the characters but also could channel their emotions.

Finding an animator was easier. Peronetto was a devoted fan of the Heartstopper comic, an obsession she shared with her sisters. It was her older sister who introduced Peronetto to the graphic novels, and her twin sister was the one who came across Osemans Instagram post looking for a 2-D animator.
Defending his long silence on the matter, Mr. Schmidt said in his post that he didnt want to do anything to compromise John McCains honor. His post then questioned Mr. McCains judgment in choosing the relatively unknown governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his running mate and accused Mr. McCain of cowering before her  terrified of the creature that he created, he wrote.

In an interview on Monday, Mr. Schmidt said he was motivated to speak up now in part because he felt he had been unfairly associated for nearly 15 years with Mr. McCains choice of Ms. Palin, which he called a burden.

Mr. Schmidt also accused Mr. McCain  a self-styled maverick who fought leaders of his own party as he pushed for stricter campaign finance restrictions and ethics rules around political activities like lobbying  of lying about one aspect of the article that particularly angered the senator.

The article, published on Feb. 21, 2008, reported that several people involved with Mr. McCains first presidential campaign, in 2000, became concerned that he and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, had a romantic relationship. It was an explosive and potentially damaging claim for a presidential candidate who positioned himself as a corruption-fighter committed to exposing Washingtons self-dealing ways.
Eventually, Mrs. Meggett agreed. Mrs. Smith began writing down her stories and more than 150 recipes that she kept in her head. While Mrs. Meggett cooked, Mrs. Smith pulled out measuring spoons and cups to record the amounts.

The project proceeded in fits and starts. One of the Smiths sons, Elliott, spent the pandemic lockdown getting the manuscript into shape so they could publish it themselves. He persuaded his mother to take herself out of the book.

I thought it was going to be a cookbook and a story of our friendship and of her and her family, Mrs. Smith said. But she came to see that the story belonged to Mrs. Meggett alone.

There is a long lineage of cookbooks featuring recipes created or perfected by Black women and captured on paper by white women, who sometimes didnt mention the cooks at all.

This book breaks that mold, said Toni Tipton-Martin, the editor in chief of Cooks Country, who traced the history of Black American cooks in The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks.

Ms. Tipton-Martin, who consulted with the family in the projects early stages, said Black cooks for centuries have worked in kitchens with white women, first as forced labor, then as poorly paid cooks and later as essential and sometimes beloved members of the white families they worked for. The line between them can be difficult to discern, she said.

Mrs. Meggett, she added, is part of a transitional generation. The difference here is that her techniques, her intimacy with that pot, has been recorded in her own words and is now her intellectual property.
On Monday morning, as columns of armored vehicles and soldiers paraded through Moscow in celebration of Russias 1945 victory over Germany in World War II, one element of Russian military power was conspicuously missing: its warplanes. And though officials blamed bad weather for their grounding, Russian planes, pilots and air-to-ground weapons have all grossly underperformed in the war against Ukraine.

The absence underscored President Vladimir V. Putins failure to build a capable modern air force, as Russian aircrews race in and out of Ukrainian airspace and heave unguided bombs while fleeing enemy surface-to-air missiles that Moscow has still not managed to destroy, even after 75 days of combat.

Russian warplanes are generally flying 200 to 300 sorties each day, a senior Defense Department official told reporters during a briefing on Monday, but have failed to establish air superiority over Ukraine, which continues to fly its own fighters and attack jets against Russian troops. And as the war stretches into its third month, Russia has already expended many of its most accurate weapons, such as cruise missiles and both short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

On May 2, the Pentagon said Russia had fired more than 2,125 such weapons since the invasion began. Their use dropped sharply after the second week of the war, Britains defense secretary, Ben Wallace, said in a speech on Monday.
Heart disease is rising in younger women.

Theres a lack of understanding in both women and men that a heart attack does not have to cause chest pain or these incredible movie-like symptoms, said Dr. Jacqueline Tamis-Holland, an author of the January study and a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Morningside in New York.

Dr. Tamis-Holland said there were other reasons for the delays. One is that women dont consider themselves to be as vulnerable to heart disease as men. Previous studies have shown that they are more likely to dismiss their symptoms as stress or anxiety. They also tend to develop heart disease at later ages than men. In Dr. Tamis-Hollands study, the women who had heart attacks were, on average, 69 years old, while the average age of the men was 61.

But younger women are not immune to heart disease. In fact, recent studies have found that heart attacks and deaths from heart disease have been rising among women between the ages of 35 and 54, in part because of an increase in cardiometabolic risk factors like high blood pressure and obesity.

I think a lot of young women cannot believe they have heart disease because its never been labeled as a disease of young women, said Dr. Lansky at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Second, the symptoms in younger women are even less typical  theres less of the elephant-on-the-chest feeling and more indigestion, shortness of breath, malaise, fatigue and nausea  things that are not very specific. That makes it difficult for them to identify it as a problem.

Experts say that more outreach and education is needed to help women and men recognize the signs and risk factors for heart disease. But Dr. Lansky said she also wants to empower people to become advocates for themselves. If you suspect something is wrong with your health then do not let a health care provider turn you away until you have answers, she said.

If youre not feeling right and you think that in the realm of possibilities is an issue with your heart, then you should spell it out, she said. Say: I am concerned I may be having a heart attack, and I want an EKG just to be sure. Nobody in the emergency department is going to say you cant have it. But sometimes theyre just not thinking about it, so its good to flag it.

Dr. Lansky recommended that people be as detailed as possible when describing their symptoms, which can lead to better diagnoses. She also pointed out that the Hollywood depictions of people clutching their chests during a heart attack can be misleading: Often people experience chest pressure or tightness because of heart disease, rather than pain. They may also feel unusually fatigued or short of breath in response to slight exertion. If you used to go up and down the steps and now you have to stop to catch your breath, that should raise a red flag, she said.
The change that came about between Warhols two Marilyn series paralleled a change in Pop Art as a whole, which in just two years had gone from being a threatening new movement that shocked the art world to being the American publics favorite new trend, with endless coverage on TV and in print. You could say that in 1964, with the viewer-friendly repeats of his Marilyns, Warhol was embracing the movements new popularity, making works that were not just Pop Art but also truly popular art. Instead of commenting on mass culture from the peaks of fine art, as his earliest Pop works had seemed to do, by 1964 Warhol was silk-screening images that could take their place among the commodities of mass culture such as Campbells soup cans and Brillo pads and Marilyn in her cheeriest Seven Year Itch incarnation.

Warhol himself was not completely comfortable with the change that Birillos commission was helping to bring about. He and his assistants referred to the 1964 retreads as Dead Paintings. (In addition to the Marilyns, Warhol was being paid to repeat the Campbells Soup paintings that had first won him attention in 1961.) But Warhols move toward repetition made a kind of sense, artistically: How better to talk about popular culture and its commodification than by letting your art plunge right inside? As mere repetitions of the 1962 works, the retreads invoked the replication that powers consumer culture.
The Fukuyama of 1989 saw the end of grand ideological struggle as potentially a little boring. But the Fukuyama of 2022 has mustered a bit more passion, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a country he has been visiting regularly since 2013.

In early March, he predicted that Russia was headed for an outright defeat, which will revive the spirit of 1989 and get us out of our funk about the declining state of global democracy. He has been deluged with interview requests ever since.

Theres been so much cynicism about the idea of democracy, including in many democratic countries, he said. This makes it so vivid why its better to live in a liberal society.

Fukuyama (Frank to his friends) grew up in New York City, where his father was a minister and an academic. (He traces his own love of making things partly to his paternal grandfather, a Japanese immigrant who opened a hardware store in the Little Tokyo neighborhood in the early 1900s.)

He fell in love with philosophy at Cornell University, where he studied classics. If The End of History had a beginning, it might be a seminar on Platos Republic taught by the charismatic political philosopher Allan Bloom, the future author of The Closing of the American Mind.
The song hit No. 1 in Canada and, soon after, No. 2 in the United States.

The Poppy Family and the Jackses marriage dissolved after a few years, and later there were dueling stories about Billy. The song was originally envisioned as Which Way You Goin, Buddy?, but Ms. Jacks said she suggested that Mr. Jacks instead use the first name of one of her brothers. Mr. Jacks, though, said in interviews that he took Billy from a song by a group he admired, the Beau-Marks, called Billy, Billy Went a Walking.

What is indisputable is that Ms. Jackss brother Billy played a unique role for her: He donated the organ for her first kidney transplant, in 2010, an operation that gave her a new lease on life.

I had rosy cheeks for the first time in many years, she told The Vancouver Sun a year after the surgery, when she was giving a fund-raising concert in Coquitlam, British Columbia, for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Raising awareness about kidney disease and donations had become a cause for her.

I knew nothing about kidney failure until she was affected herself, she said. I knew nothing about transplants. I was so uneducated about how important it is and how much it means to people.
Most of the stories in The Partition feature aging characters who look back nostalgically on an earlier period in their life. Years Later, the shortest story in the collection, depicts a young womans erotic encounter, climaxing in a proleptic vision of her hitherto unknown future: She wanted it to last forever, this feeling  youth, time, glory, everything still before her, waiting, her extraordinary life  but she felt it rolling over her and gave in to it. Sentences like these, intended to move the reader, often tip into overwritten melodrama. Lees stories are often about disappointment, but his prose, too, can disappoint in deflating moments such as these.

The book concludes with an ambitious three-story cycle titled Les Hotels dAlain, which tracks the itinerant bildung of one Alain Kweon from his youth as an aspiring thespian to his lonely middle-aged years as a washed-up actor, who now runs a successful chain of artisanal boba shops. I had had this amorphous idea that my boba tea business would be a way to affirm and celebrate my  and other Asian Americans  racial heritage, Alain reflects late in the final story. Yet boba tea wasnt Korean or Okinawan or anything else of mine ethnically. Itd simply been another appropriation, another commodification in the guise of cultural identity. What did it amount to?  Had it all been a lie?

These questions resonate fearfully throughout The Partition. In some ways, Alain is a kind of Everyman  the aimless, alienated American male overpopulating the classic short stories of John Cheever, J. D. Salinger and Richard Yates. When hes viewed through the lens of Lees significant career and contributions, however, its hard not to read Alain also as a metaphor for the collective struggles of contemporary Asian American self-representation. And how much there is still left to do.
TIME SHELTER

By Georgi Gospodinov

Translated by Angela Rodel

One of the more promising treatments for dementia has been reminiscence therapy, which employs artifacts and photos to improve mood and awareness. Some have even built dementia villages, which recreate settings from patients younger days: movie theaters, diners, bus stops. While proponents claim such environments bolster patients humanity, others have criticized them as Truman Show-style stagecraft.

Underlying these more immersive interventions, of course, is some degree of deception, and not all the memories wrested free are happy ones. The morality of artificially returning people to the past, and the broader question of whether this truly brings solace  whether indulgence in nostalgia is curative or pernicious  is the central question of Georgi Gospodinovs newly translated novel, Time Shelter.

Gospodinov doesnt bother much with the customary trappings of fiction. He introduces a geriatric psychiatrist named Gaustine, but makes clear that hes a figment of the narrators imagination, whom I first invented, and then met in flesh and blood. Before we can grasp what this means, the two men are meeting in Zurich, where the narrator, a writer, is looking for literary inspiration and the doctor has found investors to help him recreate the past. Gaustine plans to meticulously reproduce historical spaces for dementia patients in sync with their internal time, helping them re-member the parts of themselves that have become dis-membered in the course of their lives. (Adroit execution of such wordplay is a testament to the talent of the novels translator, Angela Rodel.) As his charges come back to themselves, word spreads of Gaustines achievements, and he opens new clinics across Europe, including one in Gospodinovs native Bulgaria.

With his success, Gaustine grows worried about the psychological consequences of shuttling between the decades too easily. He brings the narrator to one of his spaces, a simulated 1968 complete with vintage cigarettes and gin, and hints that they should build cities, even whole countries, of the past. Soon, Gaustine is complaining of humankinds failed dreams for the 21st century. Part of the failure of the future, he announces, is also the failure of medicine. He and the visitors to his time shelters come to see the past as a cure not just for dementia, but for contemporary anomie and angst.
At first, Pattersons exile is a deeply existential one, focused on an obsession with a woman he thinks he sees everywhere in his adopted city. Then hes forced to flee to yet another country, where he settles in an enclave of Americans. In this Little America, hes thrust into a political drama. Competing militias of American exiles are intent on continuing their internecine warfare on foreign ground, and we learn about the atrocities both sides committed back home. Anyone familiar with the violence inflicted by the United States and its proxies in various imperial adventures around the globe will recognize the inspiration for Kalfuss imagined back story  most notably, the crimes at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Once again, the chickens have come home to roost.

Whats more interesting in Little America is an idea Kalfus repeats often: that the displaced Americans have a look and way of being that sets them apart from the locals. Nostalgic for the consumerism of home, they build crude replicas of big-box retailers, complete with their familiar color schemes. They share a passion for walking dogs. People wore their clothes in the American style, Kalfus writes, and their faces were recognizably American. But if the country they came from was a global melting pot, what does an American face look like? One wishes Kalfus had explored this idea further. Race and class conflicts are at the heart of the real-life disorder Americans are living, but Kalfus elides those differences in this work. Still, 2 A.M. in Little America is a highly readable, taut novel. It pulls the reader into its world, and suggests that many interesting human complications await us at the end of the story called the United States of America.
SAINT SEBASTIANS ABYSS

By Mark Haber

THE LONGCUT

By Emily Hall

Contemporary fiction doesnt judge art-world types as harshly as it judges, say, hired assassins, but at least assassins can be relied on to perform a useful service. Characters in novels about art, by comparison, tend to be frauds: weaselly dealers, greedy collectors, hack painters and shallow critics who pretend art is about truth but know its really about money and hype. When they arent complete phonies, its often because they acknowledge the broader phoniness of art or art appreciation. In the opening scene of Ben Lerners Leaving the Atocha Station, the narrator walks through the Prado Museum and thinks: I had long worried that I was incapable of having a profound experience of art and I had trouble believing that anyone had, at least anyone I knew. I was intensely suspicious of people who claimed a poem or painting or piece of music changed their life. He spots an old man sobbing before a painting but doesnt bother asking if this is what profundity feels like, maybe because hes afraid of what the answer will be.

Saint Sebastians Abyss, by Mark Haber, and The Longcut, by Emily Hall, are sparkling comic novels about art, told from the sobbers point of view. It never occurs to the nameless, neurotic narrators  an art historian and a conceptual artist  that art could be about anything besides profound truth. Though well past college age, both have a kind of sophomore-year humorlessness, which makes them very funny and also a little terrifying: Their brains are nice places to visit, but you wouldnt want to live there. The intensity of their devotion to art has almost cut them off from the rest of humanity, but they talk to themselves in such similar accents they could almost be talking to each other.

The narrator of Habers novel calls himself an art historian so Ill call him one too, but in practice hes more like a priest. His god is the (fictional) 16th-century masterpiece Saint Sebastians Abyss, painted by the (also fictional) aristocrat Hugo Beckenbauer and hanging in the (nonfictional) Museu Nacional dArt de Catalunya in Barcelona. He has published 10 books on the painting  all popular, he insists, which you suspect means that one of them was ranked 46th on Belgian Amazon for half an hour. A first-rate zealot, the art historian is at best a third-rate proselytizer. His descriptions of Saint Sebastians Abyss are numbly specific, as though hes knelt before it for so many decades that hes forgotten other people dont have it memorized. But the first time he saw it in Barcelona, he explains, without warning I wept as I had never wept before.

Image Mark Haber Credit... Nina Subin

The art historian talks in these kinds of stodgy, semi-cliched phrases (though every few pages Haber, the author of one other novel and a story collection, throws in a gem like flexed his bushy mustache to remind us that the stodginess is just an act). Most of the novels comic sparks come from the friction between the supposed sublimity of the painting and the blandness with which the narrator discusses it, although after all those books its impressive he has anything left to say.
Many measures of adolescent mental health began to deteriorate sometime around 2009. It is true of the number of U.S. high-school students who say they feel persistently sad or hopeless. Its also true of reported loneliness. And it is true of emergency room visits for self-harm among Americans ages 10 to 19.

This timing is suspicious because internet use among adolescents was also starting to soar during the same period. Apple began selling the iPhone in 2007. Facebook opened itself for general use in late 2006, and one-third of Americans were using it by 2009.

Last month, The Times began publishing a series on adolescent mental health, and the latest piece  focusing on pediatricians who are struggling to help  has just published.

The author of the series is Matt Richtel, who has spent more than a year interviewing adolescents, their relatives and their friends. In my recent conversations with Matt about his reporting, he has gone out of his way to emphasize the uncertainty about the specific causes of the crisis, including how much of a role social media plays.
Impremedia, owner of some of the largest Spanish-language daily newspapers across the United States, has sold itself to a private-equity-backed start-up that aims to cash in on the growing demand for multicultural audiences.

Impremedia, which runs publications founded in the early 20th century like El Diario in New York and La Opinion in Los Angeles, is being acquired by My Code, an advertising network in Santa Monica, Calif., aimed at marketers seeking Hispanic, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander consumers, executives from both companies said.

Impremedia and My Code declined to provide a price for the deal. A person familiar with the sale said My Code had paid more than $10 million.

The deal marks another chapter in the turbulent history of Spanish-language newspapers in the United States, many of which have shut down in recent decades as print revenue has faded and digital upstarts have capitalized on advertiser demand for Hispanic audiences.
Netflix could introduce its lower-priced ad-supported tier by the end of the year, a more accelerated timeline than originally indicated, the company told employees in a recent note.

In the note, Netflix executives said they were aiming to introduce the ad tier in the final three months of the year, said two people who shared details of the communication on the condition of anonymity to describe internal company discussions. The note also said Netflix planned to begin cracking down on password sharing among its subscriber base around the same time, the people said.

Last month, Netflix stunned the media industry and Madison Avenue when it revealed that it would begin offering a lower-priced subscription featuring ads, after years of publicly stating that commercials would never be seen on the streaming platform.

But Netflix is facing significant business challenges. In announcing first-quarter earnings last month, Netflix said it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of the year  the first time that has happened in a decade  and expected to lose two million more in the months to come. Since the subscriber announcement, Netflixs share price has dropped sharply, wiping away roughly $70 billion in the companys market capitalization.
Ukraines natural gas grid operator said on Tuesday that it would stop transporting Russian gas through an eastern border entry point called Sokhranivka, raising fears of a cutoff of flows to Europe.

The Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine said that, beginning Wednesday, it would quit accepting Russian gas at the entry point because the Russians were interfering in technical processes at gas facilities and endangering the stability and safety of the entire Ukrainian gas transportation system.

Russian troops occupy territory in eastern Ukraine through which the pipeline passes.

The company said the shutdown could close off about a third of the gas transiting from Russia through Ukraine. The company also said there was a possibility of switching the gas to another transit point.

Prospects of a cutoff of a key natural gas artery sent shivers through the markets, which were already on edge because of the war and Russias recent decision to stop gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria.
When Royal Dutch Shell sold off its stake in the Umuechem oil field in Nigeria last year, it was, on paper, a step forward for the companys climate ambitions: Shell could clean up its holdings, raise money to invest in cleaner technologies, and move toward its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

As soon as Shell left, however, the oil field underwent a change so significant it was detected from space: a surge in flaring, or the wasteful burning of excess gas in towering columns of smoke and fire. Flaring emits planet-warming greenhouse gases, as well as soot, into the atmosphere.

Around the world, many of the largest energy companies are expected to sell off more than $100 billion of oil fields and other polluting assets in an effort to cut their emissions and make progress toward their corporate climate goals. However, they frequently sell to buyers that disclose little about their operations, have made few or no pledges to combat climate change, and are committed to ramping up fossil fuel production.

New research to be released Tuesday showed that, of 3,000 oil and gas deals made between 2017 and 2021, more than twice as many involved assets moving from operators with net-zero commitments to those that didnt, than the reverse. That is raising concerns that the assets will continue to pollute, perhaps even at a greater rate, but away from the public eye.
We have two things together: the trauma of the past two years, and the mental health crisis that came out of this pandemic, Mayor Eric M. Garcetti of Los Angeles said earlier this year at an event to discuss crime. Those things have caused us to see more violence.

Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor in the department of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said he was not surprised by the C.D.C.s analysis but was worried by what it might augur in the coming summer, when there are typically more gun homicides.

June, July, August are always the biggest shooting months, he said, adding that most large American cities see about a 30 percent uptick in shootings and homicides in the summer.

Federal officials and outside experts were not certain what caused the surge in gun deaths.

One possible explanation is stressors associated with the Covid pandemic that could have played a role, including changes and disruption to services and education, social isolation, housing instability and difficulty covering daily expenses, said Thomas R. Simon, associate director for science at the C.D.C.s division of violence prevention.

The rise also corresponded to accelerated sales of firearms as the pandemic spread and lockdowns became the norm, the C.D.C. analysis noted. Americans went on a gun-buying spree in 2020 that continued into 2021, when in a single week the F.B.I. reported a record 1.2 million background checks.

The primary reason people give for purchasing a handgun is self-protection. But research published in the 1990s established that simply having a gun in the home increases the risk of a gun homicide by a factor of three, and increases the risk of a suicide by a factor of five.

Today, gun buying has largely returned to prepandemic levels, but there remain roughly 15 million more guns in circulation than there would be without the pandemic, according to Garen J. Wintemute, a gun violence researcher at the University of California, Davis.
The word habitation has appeared in seven articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 1 in A Surge of Unifying Moral Outrage Over Russias War by Roger Cohen:

Togetherness is a word enjoying a revival. The Ukraine war appears to have dented a cycle of growing loneliness in which Covid-19 played a significant part. The unbearable lightness of online being has given way to the unbearable gravity of a European war. Very soon, almost overnight, Europe did what it is rarely capable of doing. It united to end that disgrace and face down Mr. Putin. As the German philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote, Under conditions of terror, most people will comply but some will not. Humanly speaking, no more is required, and no more can reasonably be asked, for this planet to remain a fit place for human habitation.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word habitation in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using todays Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the words definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the Recommend button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how habitation can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
New Jerseys Supreme Court granted parole on Tuesday to Sundiata Acoli, an 85-year-old former member of the Black Liberation Army who was convicted in the 1973 shooting death of a state trooper, Werner Foerster, in one of the states most infamous cases.

Supporters of Mr. Acoli, who had been repeatedly denied parole during his 49 years in prison, had pressed for his release for years.

In a 3-to-2 decision overturning a Parole Board ruling, the court concluded that the board had not proved that Mr. Acoli was likely to commit another crime if released. The Supreme Court noted that Mr. Acoli, who has dementia, planned to live with his daughter and grandchildren, who are residents of Brooklyn.

Image Sundiata Acoli

We conclude that the boards finding that there is a substantial likelihood that Acoli will commit a crime if paroled is not supported by substantial credible evidence in the record, Justice Barry T. Albin wrote for the majority.
There is a paragraph in which Alito denies that the logic of his opinion applies to these other rights. None of the other decisions cited by Roe and Casey involved the critical moral question posed by abortion, he writes. They do not support the right to obtain an abortion, and by the same token, our conclusion that the Constitution does not confer such a right does not undermine them in any way.

But Alito neither explains nor tries to substantiate this point. Its an aside, a throwaway line  a to be sure meant to cover an obvious weak point. And given his hostility to the Obergefell ruling (he stated in his dissent that it is beyond dispute that the right to same-sex marriage is not among those rights that are deeply rooted in the nations history and tradition), theres no reason to take him at his word.

Which brings us to the logic of the political movement that brought us to this point. Those of us outside the conservative movement and the religious right tend to think of them in terms of what theyre against, but it is helpful here to think in terms of what they want. Judging from their priorities, as well as their leaders and intellectuals, these movements want a hierarchical society of traditional morality and patriarchal family structure, where male-led households are disciplined by an unrestrained free market. A national ban on abortion  which, if Republican lawmakers are any indication, is where much of the movement will go after the court overturns Roe  is part and parcel of that vision.

Justice Alito may sincerely believe that his draft opinion has no bearing on same-sex marriage, sexual autonomy or contraception. But to the movement that placed him and his fellow travelers on the Supreme Court, those freedoms also undermine the society it hopes to build. They, like legal abortion, allow for the social equality of women and sexual minorities. They, like legal abortion, must also be on the chopping block.

The Supreme Court may never move against same-sex marriage, sexual autonomy or contraception, but states led by ultraconservative Republican lawmakers just might. Last week, a leading Republican in the Idaho Legislature said he would consider hearings on legislation banning morning-after pills. And on Sunday, Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, refused to rule out the possibility that his state would outlaw certain forms of contraception if Roe v. Wade is overturned. States have already begun to crack down on access to abortion pills, and lawmakers in several states have been talking about legislation that would restrict residents from traveling across state lines to obtain an abortion. There is every reason to think that these laws and proposals are only the beginning.

No one wages a generational battle to reshape American society for the sake of a partial victory. And for the reactionaries at the helm of the conservative movement, the end of Roe v. Wade is exactly that  a partial victory.
The police officers I spoke to had been some of the first to arrive at the scene. While we were talking, their radio crackled: Attention to all patrols  go to the shelter. Its shelling.

We ran with them to an underground shelter as the sound of impacts grew closer. Only when wed gotten underground could we relax with green tea and dark humor.

Now Pokrovsk, a couple of hours south of Kramatorsk, is the last place where people can catch a train out of the Donbas. A half-empty train runs every afternoon from there to western Ukraine. But many people have already left; the few who stay are mostly too old or too afraid to leave.

Before Kramatorsk we were in Zaporizhzhia, in the south. (One of our many visits to Zaporizhzhia.) The war was there too, mostly in the shape of the injured and the displaced, but sometimes in the form of cruise missiles. People flee to Zaporizhzhia from Mariupol, more than 100 miles east, where Ukrainian officials estimated in April that about 20,000 people have been killed since the start of the war.

I met 11-year-old Milena in a childrens hospital in Zaporizhzhia. She had been trying to escape Mariupol with her family in a car when they came under Russian attack. She was shot in the face. When I saw her she was attached to a ventilator. She opened her eyes for a moment and immediately started choking and had to be sedated.

In the bed next to Milena was Masha, a 15-year-old girl who had been walking with her mother near their home in Polohy, a city between Zaporizhzhia and Mariupol, when a shell exploded 10 feet away, injuring them both. Shrapnel shredded Mashas right arm and broke her shoulder; her right leg had to be amputated above the knee.

Milena is a lot better now, but the scars on her face wont let her forget what she has lived through. Masha is getting rehabilitation in Germany; she also will not be allowed to forget. Lots of other children are sitting in Ukrainian hospitals with their stories untold, desperately needing help.
Tom Moore

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Re America Is Not Ready for the End of Roe v. Wade (editorial, May 8):

The nine justices of the Supreme Court do indeed need to restrain themselves. But this hardly resolves the question raised by Roe v. Wade. Leaving in place a decision that forbids half the states from regulating abortion as they see fit is hardly the embodiment of judicial restraint. Yet, at the same time, overruling Roe would threaten the courts legitimacy with roughly half the country.

How should these competing considerations be harmonized? The unmistakable answer is as unsatisfactory as it is simple: They cant be.

William Cooper

Truckee, Calif.

To the Editor:

When pro-choice advocates criticize the apparent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as an action of unelected officials, that is the height of both irony and absurdity. It is the height of irony because the very effect of the decision would be to return the abortion issue back to the voters in each state. It is the height of absurdity because every judicial opinion by a federal court is an action of unelected officials. So by that rationale, should we have no federal judiciary because they are all unelected?

Peter Meltzer

Wynnewood, Pa.

To the Editor:

Re Why Republicans Are So Angry, by Jamelle Bouie (column, May 8):

As Mr. Bouie states, the conservative majority on the current court is extremely political. Beyond that, however, they are also quite religious. It makes me wish that these two questions had been asked at their confirmation hearings:

First, would you please cite a case in which you decided in a way that was contrary to your own personal religious beliefs?

Second, would you please cite a Supreme Court decision that you believe was correctly decided despite the fact that it goes against your own personal religious beliefs?
The scope of the problem is far broader than economics. Research over the years has suggested that an America without abortion would mean more single mothers and more births to teenage mothers, increased strain on Medicaid and other welfare programs, higher crime rates, a less dynamic and flexible work force, an uptick in carbon emissions, lower student test scores and goodness knows what else. If you sincerely believe, as I do, that every abortion means the deliberate killing of an innocent human being, is there some hypothetical threshold for negative growth, carbon dioxide levels or work force participation rates beyond which the protection of that life would be too burdensome?

For me, the answer is no. This is why, even though I find it unlikely that (for example) there is any meaningful causal relationship between access to abortion and academic performance, I believe that those who oppose abortion should not discount the possibility that its proscription will have consequences that some of us would otherwise regret. To insist, as opponents of abortion often have, that the economists John Donohue and Steven Levitt cannot be right about the correlation between Roe and the reduced incidence of crime two decades later strikes me as a tacit concession that if they were right, our position on abortion might have to be altered.

For the same reason, opponents of abortion should commit ourselves to the most generous and humane provisions for mothers and children (paid family leave, generous child benefits, direct income subsidies for stay-at-home mothers, single-payer health care) without being Pollyannaish. No matter what we do, in a post-Roe world many children who would not otherwise have been born will live lives of utter misery, and many of our fellow Americans will be indifferent to their plight. If we wish to dispel the noxious argument that only happy lives are worth saving, we will have to be honest about the limits of social policy and private charity in regulating the turbid ebb and flow of human misery.

In a letter written to a friend in 1959, Flannery OConnor lamented that some members of the clergy, when arguing in favor of Catholic teaching on procreation, felt the need to assuage concerns about overpopulation. I wish various fathers would quit trying to defend it by saying that the world can support 40 billion, she wrote. I will rejoice in the day when they say: This is right, whether we all rot on top of each other or not, dear children, as we certainly may.

While the neo-Malthusian fears that animated many observers in the second half of the 20th century appear now to have been ill founded, one should see the wisdom in OConnors blithe acknowledgment that things might have turned out otherwise. What is right is very rarely what is convenient.
Anhui province is slated to launch a weeklong sci-tech campaign from May 21 and 28, the Department of Science and Technology of Anhui Province said.

The Anhui Science and Technology Week 2022 will integrate resources of sci-tech innovation and science popularization to create a popular science feast both online and offline, according to the department.

A number of events will be held during the week, including an online opening ceremony, a micro-video contest on popular science, a scientific experiment exhibition, a sci-tech competition among teenagers, and an event featuring the recommendation of outstanding popular science works.

In addition, science popularization events will be held around the eastern Chinese province to focus on issues of public concern, such as the COVID-19 pandemic control, environmental protection, energy conservation, disaster prevention and relief, safe production, as well as food and drug safety.

The provinces major achievements in sci-tech innovation will also be introduced during the campaign.

If anti-pandemic policies permit, popular science venues in the province will open to the public free of charge during the week.

Meanwhile, popular science facilities and labs in colleges, universities and research institutions, high-tech enterprises and sci-tech parks will be encouraged to open to the public.




I want America to recognize that the disease is not over anywhere until its over everywhere.

GORDON BROWN, the former British prime minister, who is leading the push for funding to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
During the first break-in, in late May, the burglars installed two listening devices, Mr. Baldwin said in his interview. He was stationed across the street at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, from which he eavesdropped on the phone taps. He had logged about 200 calls by the time Mr. McCord realized that the bugging devices werent working properly and decided to stage a second incursion on June 17 to adjust them.

It was not clear at what point Mr. Baldwin saw that the police had arrived on the scene. A 2012 account in Washingtonian magazine said that at the time he was glued to the TV watching a horror movie, Attack of the Puppet People, on Channel 20  oblivious to the situation developing across the street.

But that account was wrong, Mr. Baldwin said. He said he had turned on the television to cover up the sound of his walkie-talkie, which he was using to communicate with the burglars.

Washingtonian reported that by the time he noticed that things had gone awry across the street, it was too late  undercover District of Columbia police had already arrived, thanks to a call from Frank Wills, the Watergate security guard, who noticed tape on the door to the D.N.C. headquarters, which prevented it from being locked.

Mr. Baldwin said he had seen the officers cars massing outside the Watergate and got on his walkie-talkie to alert the burglars to men with guns and flashlights looking behind desks and out on the balcony.

In short order, uniformed police swarmed the scene, and the jig was up. E. Howard Hunt, one of the conspirators who had slipped out of the Watergate, rushed over to Mr. Baldwins motel room, told him to pack up the surveillance equipment, take it to Mr. McCords house and then disappear.

Does that mean Im out of a job? Mr. Baldwin said he asked Mr. Hunt. But by then Mr. Hunt was out the door.
Bill Gates, who has donated millions to pandemic relief efforts, tested positive for the coronavirus, he said on Tuesday.

Mr. Gates, 66, said on Twitter that he was isolating with mild symptoms and that he was vaccinated and boosted. It was not clear if this was the first time he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He also said that he would participate virtually in a meeting on Tuesday with people from his foundation.

In recent months, Mr. Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest men in the world, has focused his considerable resources on the pandemic. He published a book last week called How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, in which he explains how countries could pull off a coordinated effort to avert pandemics and eliminate all respiratory diseases.

He has been outspoken about how the global health authorities should respond to the pandemic and distribute vaccines. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said it has donated millions to organizations including Gavi and the World Health Organization to fund testing, treatments and vaccine distribution. (The Gateses divorced last year, but both expressed continued commitment to the foundation.)
The findings of a blistering state audit of law enforcement agencies are reverberating across the state and raising questions about next steps for lawmakers and police officials in California.

The report found bias among officers at five agencies and determined the departments had not done enough to prevent it, raising concerns that the state has not provided enough oversight.

The auditor found multiple examples of troubling behavior that included social media posts and conversations between officers that mocked transgender people, women, Latinos, Black people and immigrants.

We are getting a disturbing picture of something weve been seeing routinely across the country, said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. The findings, he said, illustrate that discrimination can, and often does, come from more than just the stereotypical Southern Klan sheriff.
The dispute over the funds traces back to lawsuits filed years ago by relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. The families sued groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban for their losses, winning by default when the defendants did not show up in court. At the time, the judgments seemed symbolic since there was no way to collect the money.

But when Afghanistans government collapsed during the Taliban takeover in August, its central bank  known as Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB  had accumulated $7 billion deposited at the Federal Reserve of New York. Because it was no longer clear who had lawful access to those funds and sanctions prohibited financial dealings with the Taliban, the Federal Reserve suspended access to DABs account.

In September, lawyers for a plaintiffs group in the Havlish case  about 150 people, linked to 47 estates of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks  persuaded a judge to send a U.S. marshal to serve the Federal Reserve of New York with a writ of execution to begin seizing the Afghan funds to pay off its judgment debt. That has set off a scramble by other plaintiff groups who demanded a share in the funds.

The Biden administration intervened, saying it wanted to study the matter before informing the court what the U.S. government thought its interests were. President Biden used an executive order in February to formally freeze all the funds, and then set aside half of them for the purpose of aiding the Afghan people.

The top State Department official for Afghanistan, Tom West, later said in an onstage interview that the administration believed the best use of that $3.5 billion would be to recapitalize an independent central bank and revive the countrys collapsing financial system rather than fund humanitarian assistance like food and medicine.

Mr. Bidens move left the remaining $3.5 billion in the central banks account for the relatives of Sept. 11 victims to continue pursuing in court. Most  but not all  of the other plaintiff groups eventually agreed to back the Havlish groups claim in exchange for what would be a proportionally smaller share of the proceeds, subject to Judge Danielss approval.

But the judge has yet to determine whether the funds can be used for that purpose. The administration did not take a clear position on what he should do.
But both the company and the government knew it was a dicey proposition.

In April 2020, a month before the Warp Speed agreement was finalized, F.D.A. inspectors identified problems with quality control at the Baltimore plant, including that separate or defined areas to prevent contamination or mix-ups are deficient, according to the House report.

Confidential audits obtained by The Times last year showed that Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca  as well as the division of the Department of Health and Human Services that oversaw Emergents contract  all found deficiencies in the summer of 2020. That June, the month after the agreement with Warp Speed was signed, a top pandemic-preparedness official warned that relying on the Baltimore plant would present key risks and that the site would have to be monitored closely, The New York Times reported.

Internal emails obtained by the House investigators show that Emergent executives were deeply concerned about those findings. Sean Kirk, who ran the companys manufacturing operations, wrote in a June 2020 email that he had alerted other senior executives for a few years about problems at the plant, writing that room to improve is a huge understatement.

In another email, which he wrote to Robert Kramer, the companys chief executive, Mr. Kirk said, Of all the things we have to deliver on OWS, referring to Operation Warp Speed, the thing that keeps me up at night is overall perception of state of quality systems at Bayview. Mr. Kirk has since left Emergent.

Outwardly, though, the company maintained it was ready. But by the fall, the House report shows, Emergents own concerns about quality were mounting in advance of a visit to the plant by F.D.A. officials.

Before the inspectors arrived that September, a senior quality director warned executives that it would be critical to convince the agency that rapid improvements were underway. The director wrote that the company was not in full compliance yet but added: we are making batches NOW.

In November 2020, one outside consultant to Emergent laid out the stakes in stark terms, noting that the firm was deviating from Current Good Manufacturing Practices, or CGMP.
In one example from the draft report on sexual misconduct, Kristen Fredricks, the inspector generals chief of staff, objected to including the finding that the departments law enforcement agencies had paid 21 employees nearly $1 million in settlements from sexual-harassment-related complaints, despite inspectors finding in most instances no record of an investigation or disciplinary action in those cases.

Faulty premise, Ms. Fredricks wrote in comments about the draft report. Why/how are you correlating settlements with investigations and disciplinary action???

Mr. Cuffari also directed his staff to remove parts of another draft report on domestic violence committed by officers in the departments law enforcement agencies because it was second-guessing D.H.S. disciplinary decisions without full facts.

The inspector generals office did not respond to emailed requests for comment on Tuesday.

Mr. Cuffari, a Trump appointee who has served as inspector general since July 2019, has previously blocked investigations, against his staffs recommendations. He blocked inquiries into the Secret Services role in the violent dispersal of protests against police brutality outside the White House in 2020, and on the spread of Covid-19 within that agency. He also delayed an inquiry into whether senior homeland security officials demoted an employee who had criticized the Trump administration.

Inspectors general are independent, internal watchdogs for federal agencies, though they can be removed by the president. When asked in late April if President Biden would fire Mr. Cuffari for interfering with inquiries, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said only that there can be changes made.

A White House official later said Mr. Biden would leave it to Mr. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, to decide how to handle the revelations. But only the president can fire an inspector general, and a department secretary does not typically interfere with the work of the watchdog office.

The letter from the House committees also said the inspector generals office could not provide a timeline for when a final version of the sexual misconduct report would be published. The draft report obtained by The Times was dated December 2020. The final version of the other report, on domestic violence, was published in November 2020.
He is funding a documentary project that is expected to build on the memoirs redemption story, while depicting the presidents son as the victim of allies of Mr. Trump who distributed to the media a cache of files that appears to have come from a laptop abandoned by Mr. Biden in a Delaware repair shop.

Some of the tactics Mr. Morris is said to have advocated  like publicly questioning the story behind the laptop cache and attacking those involved in spreading files from it  have not been implemented. They have seemed at odds with the approach of Mr. Bidens defense lawyers, who have proceeded cautiously while he is still under federal investigation.

Mr. Morris declined to be interviewed. Attempts to reach Hunter Biden through his lawyer were unsuccessful. The White House declined to comment.

Hunter Biden has a long history of seeking employment or profit in areas that overlapped with his fathers public duties and doing business with questionable partners around the world, including in Ukraine. His extensive and well-publicized personal travails  including addiction to crack cocaine, divorce, a relationship with his brothers widow and money problems  have spilled into politics, helping to fuel relentless if largely baseless efforts by Republicans to link his father to his business ventures.

The criminal investigation into Hunter Bidens taxes and international work appears to be coming to a head. Justice Department prosecutors have met in recent weeks to discuss whether to move forward with the case. In the coming months, the department is expected to make a final decision about whether to bring criminal or civil charges, or to reach some sort of settlement that could include a significant fine.
But reproductive rights advocates have said it leaves too much unsaid and lacks clear guidance about what states can and cannot do, leaving vital decisions in the hands of courts that have become increasingly hostile to abortion rights. The measure does not explicitly rule out abortion bans before a fetus is viable or bar any specific prohibitions on abortion methods.

Theyre pushing a toothless bill, said Autumn Katz, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. It says it codifies Roe, but in reality, it does not do that.

For instance, it is not clear that the bill would prohibit a ban like the one that is currently before the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which involves a Mississippi law that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The measure would leave the door open for proponents to argue that such a ban is not an undue burden.

Democrats and groups like Planned Parenthood contend that the bill would invite states to continue to restrict abortion care. The legislation says that states may enact regulations to further the health or safety of a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy, language that they said was similar to what is currently used to justify abortion restrictions across the country.

The bills sponsors say they are merely trying to preserve the status quo.

Unlike some progressive activists, Senators Collins and Murkowski want the law today to be the law tomorrow, said Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Ms. Collins. She added that those who took issue with the bill must also disagree with Roe and Casey.
WASHINGTON  A cyberattack that took down satellite communications in Ukraine in the hours before the Feb. 24 invasion was the work of the Russian government, the United States and European nations declared on Tuesday, officially fixing the blame for an attack that rattled Pentagon officials and private industry because it revealed new vulnerabilities in global communications systems.

In a coordinated set of statements, the governments blamed Moscow but did not explicitly name the organization that conducted the sophisticated effort to black out Ukrainian communications. But American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about the specifics of the findings, said that it was the Russian military intelligence agency, the G.R.U.  the same group responsible for the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee and a range of attacks on the U.S. and Ukraine.

This unacceptable cyberattack is yet another example of Russias continued pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, which also formed an integral part of its illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Unions top diplomat, said in a statement. Cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, including against critical infrastructure, could spill over into other countries and cause systemic effects putting the security of Europes citizens at risk.

The attack was focused on a system run by Viasat, a California company that provides high-speed satellite communication services  and was used heavily by the Ukrainian government. The attack came a few weeks after some Ukrainian government websites were hit with wiper software that destroys data.
  Fincantieri  NCL    4 -    Explora II  MSC
The hearing, scheduled for next Tuesday, is intended to focus on the work of a group within the Pentagon that is following up on the national security and flight-safety questions raised by the report.

Since this is an area of high public interest, any undue secrecy can serve as an obstacle to solving the mystery, or it could prevent us from finding solutions to potential vulnerabilities, said Representative Andre Carson, Democrat of Indiana and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committees subcommittee on counterterrorism, counterintelligence and counterproliferation, which is holding the hearing. This hearing is about examining steps that the Pentagon can take to reduce the stigma surrounding reporting by military pilots, and by civilian pilots.

Scheduled witnesses include Ronald S. Moultrie, under secretary of defense for intelligence and security, and Scott W. Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence.

The federal government and intelligence community have a critical role to play in contextualizing and analyzing reports, said Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He said the purpose of the hearing was to illuminate one of the great mysteries of our time and to break the cycle of excessive secrecy and speculation with truth and transparency.

The report delivered to Congress last June was done by the intelligence community along with the Pentagons Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force, which the Pentagon replaced in November with a new office, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group. The groups job is to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest in Special Use Airspace and to assess and mitigate any associated threats to safety of flight and national security.
MANILA  Angry young voters gathered in the Philippines on Tuesday to protest against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the former dictator, who clinched a landslide victory this week in one of the most divisive presidential elections in the countrys recent history.

Multiple election observers said they had received thousands of reports of election-related anomalies since the vote on Monday. Malfunctioning voting machines were one of the biggest concerns, with VoteReportPH, an election watchdog, saying the breakdowns had severely impaired this electoral process.

On Tuesday, Leni Robredo, Mr. Marcoss closest rival in the race and the countrys current vice president, said that her team was looking into reports of voter fraud. But every opinion poll before the election had predicted that Mr. Marcos would win by a huge margin, and his lead by Tuesday was so overwhelming that reports of fraud and malfunctioning machines were unlikely to sway the result.

Mr. Marcos, known by his childhood nickname, Bongbong, had racked up nearly 31 million votes by 4:30 p.m., according to a preliminary tally. That was more than double the number of votes that Ms. Robredo had, giving Mr. Marcos the biggest margin of victory in more than three decades. Voter turnout was around 80 percent, an election official said Tuesday.
SEOUL  Yoon Suk-yeol, the new president of South Korea, was sworn into office in Seoul on Tuesday, using his inaugural speech to make promises to heal political and economic divides at home, to fight for international norms and to offer an ambitious package of economic incentives to North Korea.

Mr. Yoon is taking office at a time when conflict in Ukraine and democratic backsliding around the world have become pressing international issues. He must also contend with an escalating nuclear threat from North Korea and growing friction between the United States and China, two great powers with which South Koreas diplomatic and economic interests are deeply intertwined.

Mr. Yoon vowed to meet those challenges by standing up for values like freedom and liberal democracy.

We, as global citizens, must make a stand against any attempt that aims to take our freedom away, abuse human rights or destroy peace, he said during his inauguration ceremony, held on the lawn of the National Assembly.
TAPA, Estonia  For the past five years, French troops have been training at a NATO military base here, nestled among pine forests, for a conflict that seemed improbable. But Russias brutal invasion of Ukraine has suddenly given a new raison detre to the 200 or so French infantrymen posted in Tapa, a town about 60 miles from the Russian border.

By bringing the threat of large-scale combat closer to home, the conflict in Ukraine has spurred Frances efforts to gear up for what Gen. Thierry Burkhard, Frances military chief of staff, calls high-intensity war. He said those efforts included improving his countrys ability to swiftly deploy troops and defend against cyber and information warfare.

The interest of European countries is to weaken Russia, General Burkhard said in an interview with The New York Times and the news service Agence France-Presse, during a trip to Estonia last week.

His words seemed to echo those of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who last month said Americas goal was to see Russia so weakened that it would no longer have the power to invade a neighboring state.
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

VILNIUS, Lithuania  Maria V. Alyokhina first came to the attention of the Russian authorities  and the world  when her punk band and performance art group Pussy Riot staged a protest against President Vladimir V. Putin in Moscows Christ the Savior Cathedral.

For that act of rebellion in 2012, she was sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism. She remained determined to fight Mr. Putins system of repression, even after being jailed six more times since last summer, each stint for 15 days, always on trumped-up charges aimed at stifling her political activism.

But in April, as Mr. Putin cracked down harder to snuff out any criticism of his war in Ukraine, the authorities announced that her effective house arrest would be converted to 21 days in a penal colony. She decided it was time to leave Russia  at least temporarily  and disguised herself as a food courier to evade the Moscow police who had been staking out the friends apartment where she was staying. She left her cellphone behind as a decoy and to avoid being tracked.
MADRID  The chief of Spains intelligence agency was ousted by the government on Tuesday following the disclosure that her agency had used powerful spyware to infiltrate the cellphones of Catalan separatist politicians.

The governments dismissal of Paz Esteban  who was the first woman to run the intelligence agency, known in Spain as C.N.I., for the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia  is the most serious consequence so far of a phone-hacking scandal involving the Pegasus spyware developed by an Israeli company, an issue that has been roiling Spanish politics.

Ms. Esteban was removed only days after she appeared before a parliamentary committee to discuss how her agency had used Pegasus. While the committee met behind closed doors, Spanish media later reported that Ms. Esteban had confirmed to lawmakers during the meeting that the C.N.I. had hacked the cellphones of Catalan separatist politicians. She claimed that this had been done with permission from the Spanish judiciary.

The committee hearing occurred shortly after the Spanish government said last week that it had itself been a victim of the Pegasus spyware, which had infected the cellphones of some of the countrys most senior officials, including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles, a year ago. The government said it had suffered an illegal and external intrusion, without specifying whom it suspected of masterminding the Pegasus hacking and the downloading of phone data from its top officials.
In a workshop in western Ukraine, a technician adjusted a metal bracket that had been attached to a racing drone so that it could carry a grenade, turning an aircraft sold in hobby stores into a lethal weapon.

Standing nearby were two American entrepreneurs, who had arrived at the workshop bearing gifts of a dozen other drones, a small installment in what has becoming a torrent of military aid to Ukraine. But this is not part of the state-sponsored arms shipments being raced into Ukraine to help the country fight a more powerful Russian army in the east.

Instead, the drones are part of a multifaceted, multimillion dollar crowdfunding campaign that is producing millions of dollars in donations, as well as a bounty of smaller weapons and other military equipment for the Ukrainian military. To drive donations, Ukrainian officials and private companies are making direct online appeals to sympathetic foreign citizens, even as they continue to press governments for heavier weaponry, too.

One of the American entrepreneurs, Chad Kapper, said his trip began with a call to a Ukrainian racing drone friend.
Russia invaded Ukraine with the intention of toppling the government, seizing Kyiv, the capital, and bringing the nation firmly into the Kremlins sphere of influence.

While Moscow failed in those sweeping objectives, Russian forces have seized a wide swath of southern Ukraine and redeployed soldiers, vehicles and heavy weapons with the aim of pushing deeper into eastern Ukraine, expanding the territory it has controlled through proxy forces since 2014.

The Ukrainian and Russian armies are now in a grueling war of attrition, often fighting fiercely over small areas. But if Russia can hold the territory it occupies on land and maintain its dominion at sea, that could give it the capacity to strangle the Ukrainian economy and provide either leverage in any negotiated settlement or a staging ground for broader assaults across the country.
"Tech PR is leading because we're doing category creation," Bospar principal Curtis Sparrer tells Doug Simon. "We are saying this is a new category within technology, these are the leaders in the field, and we're spelling it out,"

But effectively spelling out a client's story to the right audiences often requires reporters, so it's essential that PR pros learn how to connect with reporters in a meaningful way.

"You've got to make sure you're playing the reporter's game," says Bospar svp of broadcast strategies Eric Chemi. "They're not salespeople, they're not tech experts." To cut through the clutter, he tells Simon, communicators need to give reporters "something that helps them for their news cycle, the stories that they're already working on, rather than asking them to do a chore on your behalf."

Sparrer adds that "you have to make sure that you are not sounding like a marketer. We have to go back and say, okay, how am I going to make this sound as media friendly as possible so that a journalist will not think delete, delete, delete?"

Chemi says that it's also key to "think about where each outlet is on their learning spectrum. You're playing a game that's trying to get people from A to Z in one step, but you got to get A to B. Then when they've learned B, then you get it from B to C."

Communicators also need to make sure that clients understand where reporters are coming from. "I think part of every PR professional is to educate your client about what the media is talking about, the vocabulary that's resonating with them so that they can be better advocates on their own behalf," Sparrer notes.

Maintaining authenticity and credibility are and also critical for forming strong connections with journalists, they say.

Chemi stresses that forming a good working relationship with journalists is all about playing the long game. "Don't expect that the first time you make an introduction to a reporter, you're getting the front-page feature-piece full story," he says. "You're giving more than you're asking so that over time, in the months and years to come, then they'll want to call you and ask for a story or an idea rather than you're always pushing and prodding reporters to do your bidding, that gets old very quickly."

View all of the interviews in the PR's Top Pros Talk series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.
NHLANGANO  On strike textile workers returned to work yesterday but it was not a walk in the park for many.

Some of the workers were made to sign forms which sought to establish why they had been absent from work for about five weeks. Most of the workers refused to sign the forms when the management of the textile firms requested them to do so. In fact, most workers remained outside their workplaces, made to sign the forms and turned back. It was established from the workers that while they were standing outside, some were working inside. It was said that most of those working were those who had been going to work secretly, while others were on strike.

Salaries

For a worker to start working, they were told that they needed to sign the forms before they received their clock-in cards, which were also used to calculate their hours of work to determine their salaries. About 8 000 workers from the different firms in Nhlangano were standing outside the firms waiting to sign the forms for the better part of the day yesterday. It was said that those who were turned back were told to return today. The employees explained that the forms were questioning them why they had been absent from work and if they were forced or threatened not to go to work. Further, the forms also questioned what the company should do to them for absenting themselves from work and if they knew that the law gave the employer the right to suspend them for not coming to work without a reason or a sick note.

The employees shared that some of them were allowed in and told to resume work but were allegedly recalled to go out and accused of being among those who were intimidating other workers who were going to work during the strike. Information sourced was that those employees were told to return today as they were allegedly informed, that they might lose their jobs if found guilty. This was conveyed by shop stewards and three leaders of the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA).

Contacted

It was further said that the workers who were active during the strike were allegedly told to go home and would be contacted. When called for comment, FTM Garments Public Relations Manager Samuel Mdluli confirmed that employees signed forms before they were allowed back at work. He stated that some workers were working by noon. He did not want to commit, that some were told to return to work today. He said he would only confirm that today at 7am, having seen the figures of employees who were working. What I know is that all workers were told to return to work tomorrow (today), he said. Also, there was police presence in all the textile firms. Some were armed with tear gas canisters.
Kate Cusick

Kate Cusick, who most recently was senior partner/global marketing chief at Porter Novelli, will join Brunswick Group on May 16. Based in New York, she will head global marketing.

The more-than-20-year communications veteran handled Porters marketing, business development and integrated services, which includes research, analytics, creative, digital and paid media capabilities.

Prior to Porter, Cusick was director of project management and business development at Gardner Nelson & Partners; brand & integrated marketing director at Product (RED); VP-marketing at New York City Economic Development Corp.; new business development manager at BBDO and producer at MSNBCs Hardball With Chris Matthews.

Brunswick CEO Neil Wolin said Cusick will help elevate the firms marketing efforts and bolster its reputation as the preeminent critical advisory firm globally.


Grand Rapids Seeks PR for Citizen Budget Process Thu., May 12, 2022 Grand Rapids, Michigans second largest city with more than 200K people, is looking for a firm to increase awareness of and participation in its participatory budget process. The initiative
The recently revamped Parish Hall in Kinnitty has a link with rock band Oasis, a fact which many are not aware of.

A lot of people know about the Irish background of brothers-at-war Noel and Liam Gallagher, but few are aware that the band's original drummer, Tony McCarroll, has deep Irish roots in the Slieve Bloom village.

McCarroll likes to recall that his first gig as a drummer was in the old Parish Hall in Kinnitty.

"I love Offaly, said Tony when speaking to the media a couple of years ago. I love it. Unfortunately, we did have to move back to England after two years. I didn't want to go back. I wasn't eating for a week over it. I loved the country life, farming life, living off the land, fishing, hunting. And that is still me. When I go over there, that's all I want to do. And luckily I've got my cousins over there so I can dip my toes back in, as they say.

"I've been playing the drums since I was a child. But my actual first public, rehearsed gig, believe it or not, was in Kinnitty Parish Hall.

"The headmaster at the time, Mr Dooley, realised that I was playing drums, and had a lad called Seamus Bradley, who's still in Kinnitty, playing tin whistle.

"I mean, it must have been the most ridiculous set-up you'd ever see," Tony joked. "But, I can say, with my hand on my heart, that was my first rehearsed, public gig, and it was in Kinnitty, and I'm happy to say that."

Tony was born to Irish parents in June 1971 in Manchester, where he grew up. However, he also spent a couple of years in Kinnitty during his youth, because his family moved there due to his Dad's work. (His Dad was from Tyrone and his mother was from Offaly).

Tony got his first drum kit when he was six years of age. In 1991, at the age of 20, he and three others formed a band called The Rain. This eventually became Oasis. Oasis released their debut album, Definitely Maybe, in 1994 and shot to fame.

However, as so often in the rock music world, things turned sour. Tony was asked to leave the band in April 1995, which he did. In 1999 he sued Oasis for 18 million. Eventually, he accepted an out-of-court settlement of 550,000 in March 1999 and agreed to give up future royalties.

Cllr John Clendennen told the Midland Tribune that Tony still visits his relatives in the village from time to time. The Councillor said the villagers are proud of their village's link with such a famous person.

The Councillor pointed out that the Parish Hall fell out of use and became rundown. The building, which was in danger of dereliction, has been upgraded to the highest standards. While it won't be used for concerts, as in Tony's day in the 1980s, it's hoped that a bike hire service will operate there.
A mother of four has been warned by a High Court judge that she could be jailed for contempt if she does not remove her caravan from a housing estate in Offaly in the coming days.

The warning was issued to Sandra OBrien, who was brought before the Four Courts on Tuesday by the Gardai over her failure to comply with an order to vacate Church Hill estate in Tullamore Co Offaly, where she and her family have been residing for several months.

The estate is in the control of a NAMA appointed receiver Aiden Murphy of Crowe Ireland who acquired High Court orders requiring to cease trespassing and leave the estate some years ago.

While those orders were initially complied with, caravans had returned to estate on several occasions.

Arising out of this the receivers lawyers brought attachment and committal proceedings against Ms OBrien over her alleged refusal to comply with the courts orders.

During the hearing Ms OBrien gave an undertaking that her caravan would vacate the estate by the morning of Tuesday, May 17 next.

However, she told the court that her family had nowhere to go and that she feared for her childrens safety if they had to go and live by the side of the road.

She said she and her family has been seeking a house from the local council.

They had not been provided with accommodation by the local authority, and she added that she would be happy to vacate Church Hill if they were given a house.

The undertaking was given after Ms Justice Nuala Butler told Ms OBrien that she was in breach of a court order, and if she not comply faced the prospect of being jailed

The judge said that her caravan was located on private lands, and the receiver has no obligation to house or provide housing for anyone.

In addition, the judge said that any issue Ms OBrien has over the provision of housing was with the local County Council, which is not a party to the proceedings.

The receiver represented by Garret Flynn Bl told the court that an order had been granted by the High Court in 2016 after several caravans illegally moved into and trespassed on the estate.

That order, which required the trespassers to immediately vacate the property was initially complied with.

However, from late 2017 counsel said there had been further instances where the caravans had returned and again trespassed on the estate.

Counsel said that the situation had been further complicated by the Covid19 pandemic.

Regarding the proceedings before the court, counsel said that late last year several caravans, including one occupied by Ms OBrien, her husband and four children, had moved onto a tarmacked part of the estate's 'green' or common area.

She was served with the proceedings last February but had refused to vacate the site.

Proceedings were also brought against another person, but they had removed their caravan from the estate after being served with court summons, counsel said.

Counsel said that his client was reluctant to bring a motion seeking Ms OBriens attachment and committal and were not saying that a recent arrival of several more additional caravans on the site had anything to do with her.

However, the court order had to be complied with, as the presence of the caravans was preventing the receiver from carrying out certain works in the estate before it can be handed over to the local authority.

Counsel said some of the houses in the estate are used by a social housing body, but that the estate is a private entity.

Some of the people living there had complained about the trespassing and alleged that there have been incidents of anti-social behaviour in the estate.

It was hoped that this motion seeking Ms OBriens committal would resolve matters, counsel said.

The judge, who noted complaints made by the estate's residents about the ongoing trespassing, adjourned the matter for a week.
THE trial of a man alleged to have been involved in a burglary where a pensioner said he was beaten with shovels and threatened with a knife resumed at Tullamore Circuit Court on Tuesday morning.

Dylan Coughlan (22), Armstrong Grove, Clara, denies charges alleging aggravated burglary, assaulting John Sheerin, causing him harm, and threatening to kill or cause serious injury to John Sheerin, at 3 Kinclare, Clara on September 1, 2019.

Mr Coughlan has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Derek Tuite at 5 Railway View, Clara, and to producing a bat, on the same date.

On Friday the jury heard evidence from a grandmother and aunt of Mr Coughlan which differed from information he was said to have given gardai.

The trial had been told that when gardai approached Mr Coughlan on the platform of the railway station in Clara a number of hours after the burglary and assault, the accused said he had spent the previous night at his grandparents' house.

However when Vera Coughlan, grandmother of Dylan Coughlan, was called to give evidence by prosecution counsel Kevin White, BL, she said her grandson was in her house for about 15 minutes on the evening in question and she recalled that he was wearing a black jacket when he left.

She said he did not stay the night and he wasn't there when she left for work at 7.15am on Sunday, September 1.

Another witness, Donna Melia, aunt of the accused, told the trial that she lived at the same address as Vera Coughlan and Dylan Coughlan and the defendant arrived home at 8.30am on that Sunday.

Ms Melia said he had not slept there the previous night but had been there for about 15 minutes at 10.30pm and was wearing a black jacket and grey tracksuit bottoms.

Detective Garda Andrew Dolan told the trial that Dylan Coughlan was arrested on September 5, 2019 at Eyre Square in Galway.

He was somewhat intoxicated and was crying in the patrol car as he was being conveyed to the station in Tullamore.

That night he was examined by a doctor and deemed medically unfit for interview and when he was interviewed later nothing of probative value emerged and he was released.

When he was charged on September 9 with threatening to kill John Sheerin he replied Wooh, said the detective, and in reply to the charge of aggravated burglary the accused said Any more.

The trial previously heard Mr Sheerin describe how two men beat him with shovels and put a knife to his throat during a burglary at his home.

Mr Sheerin, now aged 70, who lived alone at Kinclare, Clara, said he was hit about 10 times and one fellow put a knife to his throat and said he wanted money.

The elderly man went down to the kitchen and a knife was put to his back and he was told they would stick it in him if he was not given money.

His wallet was in his coat on the back of a chair in the kitchen and the men took 700 and the wallet, which contained his travel pass and medical card.

The second alleged victim, Derek Tuite, said he had been drinking in his house at Railway View with two men, Dylan Coughlan and Wayne Dolan, and he asked them to leave because he wanted to go to bed.

When eventually they left he said they asked him to leave the door unlocked because they'd be back in a while.

Mr Tuite said he ignored them, locked the door and went to bed and some hours later on September 1 he woke up and the two men had surrounded him and were shouting at him, asking why he locked the door.

He said Wayne Dolan jumped on him, put a knife to his neck and punched him and Dylan Coughlan, who had a pole or a bar in his hand, kicked him on the head.

He recalled saying to them: Please stop, please stop, I done nothing wrong.

He said he was beaten for a while and there was blood all over his bed sheets. He also remembered them telling him they had beaten someone up and taken money from him.

They showed him the money and he said it was about 200 or 300 each. He also said he was told by the men that they had used a pink fluffy cover from a hot water bottle as a mask.

The jury has heard that they need not concern themselves with Wayne Dolan because he is being dealt with by another court.
MBABANE  SWALIMO intends to participate in the upcoming 2023 national elections.

This was confirmed by the President of SWALIMO, Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, during the live interview where he was hosted by the Swaziland Democratic News Facebook page on Sunday evening under the topic; It Becomes Darker Before Dawn. SWALIMO is an acronym for Swaziland Liberation Movement. Simelane was responding to questions posed by the audience, who questioned him about SWALIMOs position, should there be no changes in the political space until 2023.

Challenging

The audience said challenging the system from within had failed. In response, he stated that SWALIMO intended to occupy every square metre of Eswatini, and cover every space so that their voice was heard from all corners. This, he stated, would be a centre of focus and bring a huge debate and criticism from the masses. However, he stated that even before 2023, they wanted to announce to all emaSwati who were SWALIMO members and lived within the CBD, to come close. The president said there was a plan for the local council elections for municipalities to be won by the democracy-loving people who should occupy all the towns.

We should invade in order for things to be simple for us when we require a permit to march in the town, he said. Simelane said they wanted to ensure that the mayors and councillors were members of their movement. He mentioned that they did not want those people who supported the Tinkhundla System. He said during the national elections (2023), in each constituency, especially where current MPs were supporting tinkhundla, they should make sure that they were replaced by being out-voted by SWALIMO members. You cant fix it when it is not broken, he expressed.

Democracy

Simelane said the common goal was democracy, which was why they needed to be proactive with their recruitment in the constituencies. The former MP said it was key for all those who were calling for democracy to plan while there was still enough time. He made it clear that it was not their wish for the 2023 elections to be conducted under the Tinkhundla System of Government. The former MP said because the current system was delaying the road to democracy by buying time, by chance if that happened they should be way ahead in thinking. SWALIMO wants to invade every space and needs around 40 MPs like the three of us Bacede, Mthandeni and Magawugawu. He said they would be vetting their potential candidates who will be representing them. We must fight this liberation in every space, which is why I urge every liSwati to welcome SWALIMO into their homes, chiefdoms and communities, he said.

Contest

One of the followers asked if SWALIMO would participate in the national elections as a party and contest. He said in the past they learnt that those administrating the elections had power over contestants they did not approve of. The follower said once the contestants had been nominated, it was possible that they could not make it, as currently elections were not independent like in other countries. He advised that SWALIMO should find other means so that those people administrating the national elections were not able to do as they pleased.

Simelane said the follower was right about the censoring during the elections and they anticipated that those administering would do all in their power to ensure that they investigated those close to the mass democratic movement in order to shut them out. He stated that what gave him assurance was that when emaSwati could be a unity they could overcome.

Simelane said they were attending to the issue and weighing all options. We have no choice but to make the plan public as we are mobilising and need to inform the people early, he explained.

The former MP said politics dealt with numbers, and all they needed to do was outnumber the opposition. He said, he was also well aware that the opposition was also working. The president further highlighted that when the late Jan Sithole participated in the elections, he received a lot of criticism and was called a sellout. He said he was also called a sellout when he reported that he wanted to participate in the national elections and there was talk that he wanted money. He mentioned that when inside Parliament and started working, the talk changed to our MP. Simelane said he posted most of his debates on social media platforms and heard the people say there was only one MP, referring to him.

Media

When we were three recording and posting on social media, the people referred to us as their MPs, he said. This, he said, was due to the fact that the people were realising the fruits. Following Simelanes response, the host asked what could be achieved by the strategy as they would still be reporting to the head of state. He said the topic would become subject for debate on another session to be hosted. Meanwhile, another follower questioned the president on the recent trip by the Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) to Lesotho, which SWALIMO was not part of. The follower wanted to know the movements position as the purpose of MSF was to get ideas from the Basotho on how the monarchy could continue ruling side by side the political parties. Simelane said he was following it and heard how the MSF chairperson presented to the Lesotho prime minister. He mentioned that in the struggle, it was important to forge relations with other countries and get ideas.

Ideas

However, he said Lesotho was not ideal for them as SWALIMO in getting ideas. Simelane said he did not want to believe that Lesotho was a priority to MSF as well but they opened doors for them. As SWALIMO, he said through his experience from Parliament, he did not approve of the idea. The president said it was emaSwati first who through a referendum, were expected to state the type of government they wanted and whether they still needed a monarchy. Simelane said they were part of MSF but somehow felt they jumped the gun as emaSwati had not stated on their behalf. He mentioned that SWALIMO did not want to dictate but it would be emaSwati who would choose for themselves after being educated. Simelane said the right to freedom did not go through referendum but was God given and demanded. He said the referendum was for verification purposes which would come out during the dialogue process.
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The southern Ukrainian city is not under threat of a Russian offensive, the Pentagon said, while Kremlin advances in the Donbas region remain anemic.
Rumble 01 Apr 2022

As tensions continue to rise in and around Ukraine both President Biden and President Putin are prepared to move the battle field..
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Monday after the continued violent protests over the region's economic crisis. The situation comes after pro-Rajapaksa demonstrators attacked peaceful protesters.
Batac City, Philippines (AFP) May 9, 2022



Millions of Filipinos thronged polling stations Monday to elect a new president, with the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos the favourite to win the high-stakes election. Nearly 40 years after the patriarch was deposed by a popular revolt and the family chased into exile, Ferdinand Marcos Junior looks set to complete their remarkable comeback from pariahs to the peak of political power
Washington DC (UPI) May 10, 2022



Elon Musk has responded after Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's federal space agency Roscosmos, sent a message to Russian media accusing him of supporting "fascist forces" in Ukraine. The accusation by Rogozin, shared to Twitter by Musk, comes after the chief executive of SpaceX sent user terminals for its Starlink satellite-internet system to Ukraine in February at the request of offic
The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a building destroyed by Russia, a Ukrainian official said.

Belfast Telegraph 10 May 2022
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Hines, a privately owned global real estate investment firm has raised EUR 800 million ($846 million) of equity commitments for its open-ended core-plus fund, otherwise known as Hines European Property Partners (HEPP).

The Houston, Texas, based investor, and developer said that the new European property fund has attracted investors across Europe and the US in its first closing. The strategy is not fully subscribed yet, and Hines plans to attract a further 200 million in the fund's first year of operation.

"The fund aims to attract 1bn in investor equity in the first 12 months from investors around the world," a press release said. Launched in early 2022, HEPP is led by Jorge Duarte, who joined Hines from Barings to take up the role of a fund manager.

The real estate firm's two other strategies, described by the firm as "global sister funds" to HEPP, have already attracted over $2.5 billion between them - the Hines US Property Partners (HUSPP) and Hines Asia Property Partners (HAPP) strategies. Both launched in 2021.

Together with HEPP, the firm has secured $3.5 billion in combined commitments for the open-ended core-plus funds.

HEPP will complement Hines' existing European funds, the Hines European Core Fund (HECF), the firm's open-ended core flagship vehicle, and the Hines European Value Fund (HEVF) series, its close-ended value add counterpart.

The fund is seeking to acquire and develop sustainable assets ac......................

To view our full article Click here
MBABANE  The family of Thabani Nkomonye is not satisfied with the inquest report and wants it to be reviewed.

The report on the inquest into what caused the death of Nkomonye on May 8, 2021 near Nhlambeni, was released by Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Dlamini on April 29, 2022 during a press conference held at Cabinet Offices. One of the findings of the Coroner, Senior Magistrate Dlamini, was that Nkomonyes death was as a result of a car accident. Nkomonye was a final law student at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) and the circumstances under which he died sparked protests by the youth and nationwide calls for #JusticeForThabani.

Appointed

Government appointed the coroner to establish the cause of the death of Nkomonye, who was widely believed to have allegedly been killed by police. However, the coroner found that the police were not responsible for Nkomonyes death. An impeccable source informed this publication that it transpired during a meeting that officers from the office of the director public prosecutions (DPP) held last Friday with the Nkomonye family and their legal representatives, that the family was not entirely happy with the report of the inquest. The source said during the meeting, the family stated that they had concerns with the coroners report and pointed out that it had a number of discrepancies. The purpose of the meeting, according to the insider, was for the parties to discuss the available evidence, as per the report, and who they thought should be charged and prosecuted. However, the sources alleged, the Nkomonye family complained about certain aspects of the report.

Misdirected

They complained that the coroner misdirected herself in a number of ways, alleged the source. As a way forward, the insider stated, it was decided that the record of the proceedings of the inquest be transcribed and in the meantime, they sought out their grievances over the report in writing. When sought for comment, Nkomonyes mother, Siphiwe Mkhabela, referred questions to the familys legal representative, Advocate Mduduzi Tsotsi Mabila. The advocate confirmed the meeting but declined to discuss further details, citing that the matter was still being discussed with the family. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Phila Dlamini, also confirmed the meeting. However, the DPP said he was yet to receive feedback from his officers, who attended the meeting. He said the Nkomonye family and officers from his office were now working as a team to look into the available evidence for the purpose of establishing if an offence was committed and by whom.

Dlamini also said in such meetings, the parties also looked into who could be charged and prosecuted, and which charge could be preferred against that individual. We discuss with the family as we all want to know which offence was committed and the person responsible must account, said the DPP. He also stated that some of the officers from his office recently seen the report and were yet to go through it. Last Fridays meeting, according to Dlamini, was the first and others would be held. It is early days, some of them are still to go through the report. They are a team now, he added. The DPP further said, there was nothing wrong with the family seeking the report.

Nkomonye was last seen driving a Mazda Demio on March 8, 2021, which was involved in a traffic accident. The vehicle, registered VSD 584 AS, was towed to Matsapha Police Station where it was kept, according to the summary of the report, at the instance of Sigodvweni police who attended the scene of accident. The executive summary of the inquest report stated that the coroner made her findings after considering the totality of the evidence of all the witnesses.

Error

The PM said the cause of the accident, according to the summary of the report, was human error on Nkomonyes part. It was not due to mechanical fault in the car. There are reasonable grounds to suspect that his state of sobriety and speed may have contributed to the accident, it reads. Nkomonye was alleged to have been involved in a high speed chase with the police when the accident occurred. However, the finding of the coroner was to the effect that whether the high speed chase between the police and Mr Nkomonye did occur, it could not be ascertained due to lack of evidence and failure to procure the video footages from Ngwane Park and Nhlambeni respectively. The PM stated further that the coroner had found reasonable grounds to suspect that Nkomonye may have been ejected from the motor vehicle through the front drivers side window as a result of the high impact of the accident. This was supported by the visible outward damage on the panels of the drivers side door. Nkomonyes death was due to multiple injuries by blunt force trauma and there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the injuries he sustained were as a result of the impact from the accident.

Evidence

The corner found that Nkomoyes exact time of death could not be established but there was expert evidence that estimated it to be within three to five days before his body was discovered on May 13, 2021. He stated that there was a possibility that Nkomonye died within the period that Dr Ngude estimated. During the inquest, the coroner was informed that Mathokoza Makhanya was the first person to arrive at the scene of accident and that he was there when the accident occurred. During his appearance before the coroner, Makhanya said there was nobody at the scene when he arrived and requested other motorists to search for the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver. There was also the submission made by Dr Reddy who conducted the post-mortem. The doctor made a suggestion that Nkomonye may have been assisted to exit the vehicle or he exited through a window. The windscreen was said to have curved inward, which meant it was not likely that he exited through that window.

Sergeant Selby Nxumalo, who is a motor vehicle examiner, said, during the inquest, Nkomonyes vehicle was driving at a high speed, judging from the severity of the impact of the accident. Nkomondze was said to have been intoxicated on the day he got involved in the accident, as confirmed by his brother, Mangaliso. These two factors, were said to have possibly contributed to the accident. Sergeant Nxumalo also informed the coroner that when he examined Nkomonyes vehicle, he observed that the condition of the drivers seatbelt and established that the driver did not wear his seatbelt when the accident occurred. Sergeant Nxumalo, however, is not trained and qualified as a motor vehicle crash investigator, the inquest was told.

Inspection

The senior magistrate conducted an inspection-in-loco at the scene of the accident during the inquest and Sergeant Nxumalo explained how the accident was likely to have happened. Whether Nkomonye exited the car on his own or with the assistance of another person was not proven. There was also no evidence that Nkomonye had been dragged from the scene of accident, to where his body was found, a couple of metres away, said the coroner. It was stated that there were no drag marks between the scene of accident and where the body was found, except for the fact that the ground near the body was affected. This, the coroner was informed, could have been due to that the body, might have been ejected from the car and landed on that spot.
The Board of Open School and Skill Education (BOSSE) will commence its Secondary and Senior Secondary examinations from May 13th, 2022. The admit cards will be available for download from the 4th of May 2022. To download their admit cards students will have to visit the official website of BOSSE, www.bosse.ac.in. The students' panel has been updated with examination guidelines and other details. students are requested to login into their 
Courtesy/Sarah Lucas

BIG RAPIDS  The Big Rapids branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) is hosting a social event 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at Artworks, 106 N Michigan Ave., in downtown Big Rapids.

Anyone is welcome to attend to learn about the organization and discuss womens equity. From 5-5:30 p.m. will be a time for networking and 5:30  6:30 p.m. will be a dialogue on womens issues and what AAUW does for the community. Light refreshments will be provided.
Metro Creative Graphics

A former Huron County man will spend up to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child more than a decade ago.

On Monday, Huron County 52nd Circuit Court Judge Gerald M. Prill sentenced Andrew William Stahlbaum, 34, of Flint, to between 38 months and 15 years in prison after Stahlbaum pleaded no contest to a single count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, victim under 13 years of age.
MANISTEE  Manistee Catholic Central recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of its groundbreaking with a Mass of thanksgiving.

"We had a great celebration with alumni of all ages, current students and school supporters," said Jennifer Howes, director of admissions and mission advancement, in an email.
Photo submitted

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, is inviting residents to share their ideas, questions and concerns in a virtual office hours event at 6 p.m. on May 17.

OMalley is in his second term representing residents in Manistee, Benzie, Leelanau and Mason counties.
MBABANE  The Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) member, Philemon Lukhele, is allegedly facing six counts, including rape, along with his other two co-accused persons.

The trio were arrested in connection with the murder of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Head of International Relations, Godrich Gardees daughter Hillary. Lukhele yesterday appeared in Nelspruit Magistrates Court along with his co-accused, namely Sipho Mkhatshwa and Albert Mduduzi Gama. Hillary Gardee, a 28-year-old IT graduate, was abducted from the Nelspruit Plaza Spar at around 5pm on Friday, April 29, 2022. Passersby found her lifeless body several days later at the edge of a forest on a deserted stretch of the Sabie Road.

According to South African news sites, the other charges faced by the accused persons were conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, rape, murder, illegal possession of firearm and defeating the ends of justice.

Charges

According to eNCA news, more charges were likely to be added to the accused persons charges. During court proceedings, Lukhele, speaking through his lawyer, asked to send condolences to the Gardee family, claiming to know the family personally. His condolences message was reportedly rejected by shouting from the public gallery. It was reported that he further stated that he would waive his application for bail to allow investigations to continue. The accused persons reportedly asked for medical attention, claiming to have been tortured while in custody. Lukhele was arrested on Saturday morning while Mkhatshwa and Gama were arrested on Sunday. It was further reported that the matter was postponed to June 9, 2022, while the State continued with investigations. In the meantime, the trio were remanded in custody until the said date and they all reportedly abandoned their bail application.

Speaking to Newzroom Africa, ANC Chief Whip in Mpumalanga, Vincent Mlombo, confirmed that indeed Lukhele was employed in his office. Mlombo said after getting the reports that Lukhele was arrested, they did their own investigations to ascertain if indeed he was arrested. He further stated that his office and organisation was against any form of abuse against women and children. Speaking outside the court, PUDEMO President Mlungisi Makhanya, once again expressed condolences to the Gardee family. He said as PUDEMO leadership, they came to the court in order to hear for themselves as to what really transpired. Makhanya said as PUDEMO, they stood together with the EFF and the Gardee family. He appreciated the EFF leadership that in as much as it was established that one of the accused persons was a member of PUDEMO, the EFF leadership allowed PUDEMO to shed light on how that transpired.

Makhanya said the issue of gender-based violence (GBV) needed to be fought at all levels in South Africa, Eswatini, in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and in Africa as a whole. He said the issue of GBV did not represent what Africans were about. What we are about as Pan Africanist organisations fighting for socialism, is to see all women and children safe, Makhanya said. He reaffirmed to the EFF leadership that as PUDEMO, they would do anything possible to make sure that the accused persons and others who might be arrested in connection with the case were brought to justice and allow justice to take its full course. He said judging from the charges read in court, it was possible that it was not the first time such criminal activities took place. He said the two parties would continue supporting each other. He highlighted on the border blockades where the parties participated.
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ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin marked his countrys biggest patriotic holiday Monday without a major new battlefield success in Ukraine to boast of, as the war ground on through its 11th week with the Kremlin's forces making little or no progress in their offensive.

The Russian leader oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square, watching as troops marched in formation and military hardware rolled past in a celebration of the Soviet Union's role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

While Western analysts in recent weeks had widely expected Putin to use the holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation, he did neither. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

The danger was rising by the day, Putin said. Russia has given a preemptive response to aggression. It was forced, timely and the only correct decision.

He steered clear of battlefield specifics, failing to mention the potentially pivotal battle for the vital southern port of Mariupol and not even uttering the word Ukraine.

On the ground, meanwhile, intense fighting raged in Ukraine's east, the vital Black Sea port of Odesa in the south came under repeated missile attack, and Russian forces sought to finish off the Ukrainian defenders making their last stand at a steel plant in Mariupol.

Putin has long bristled at NATOs creep eastward into former Soviet republics. Ukraine and its Western allies have denied the country posed any threat.

As he has done all along, Putin falsely portrayed the fighting as a battle against Nazism, thereby linking the war to what many Russians consider their finest hour: the triumph over Hitler. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

After unexpectedly fierce resistance forced the Kremlin to abandon its effort to storm Kyiv over a month ago, Moscow's forces have concentrated on capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region.

But the fighting there has been a back-and-forth, village-by-village slog, and many analysts had suggested Putin might use his holiday speech to present the Russian people with a victory amid discontent over the country's heavy casualties and the punishing effects of Western sanctions.

Others suggested he might declare the fighting a war, not just a special military operation, and order a nationwide mobilization, with a call-up of reserves, to replenish the depleted ranks for an extended conflict.

In the end, he gave no signal as to where the war is headed or how he might intend to salvage it. Specifically, he left unanswered the question of whether or how Russia will marshal more forces for a continuing war.

Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia cant fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine, tweeted Phillips P. OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Nigel Gould Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said: Russia has not won this war. Its starting to lose it.

He said that unless Russia has a major breakthrough, the balance of advantages will shift steadily in favor of Ukraine, especially as Ukraine gets access to growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated Western military equipment.

Despite Russias crackdown on dissent, antiwar sentiment has seeped through. Dozens of protesters were detained around the country on Victory Day, and editors at a pro-Kremlin media outlet revolted by briefly publishing a few dozen stories criticizing Putin and the invasion.

In Warsaw, antiwar protesters splattered Russias ambassador to Poland with what appeared to be red paint as he arrived at a cemetery to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

As Putin laid a wreath in Moscow, air raid sirens echoed again in the Ukrainian capital. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in his own Victory Day address that his country would eventually defeat the Russians.

Very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine, he said in a video. He added: "We are fighting for freedom, for our children, and therefore we will win.

A Zelenskyy adviser interpreted Putins speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with NATO.

Speaking late Monday in an online interview, Oleksiy Arestovych pointed to Putins statement that Russia would honor the memory of those who fought in World War II by doing everything so that the horror of a global war does not happen again.

Instead, he predicted Russia would make a sluggish attempt to take control of the Donbas, including Mariupol, and a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Arestovych said Russia would drag out the war while bleeding the Ukrainian economy with the aim of getting Ukraine to agree to give up that territory.

Russia has about 97 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, largely in the east and the south, a slight increase over last week, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon's assessment. Each unit has roughly 1,000 troops, according to the Pentagon.

The official said that overall, the Russian effort in the Donbas hasnt achieved any significant progress in recent days and continues to face stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces.

The Ukrainian military warned of a high probability of missile strikes around the holiday, and some cities imposed curfews or warned people not to gather in public places.

More than 60 people were feared dead over the weekend after Russian bombardment flattened a Ukrainian school being used as a shelter in the eastern village of Bilohorivka, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia is perhaps closest to a victory in Mariupol. The U.S. official said roughly 2,000 Russian forces were around Mariupol, and the city was being pounded by airstrikes. As many as 2,000 Ukrainian defenders were believed to be holding out at the steel plant, the city's last stronghold of resistance.

The fall of Mariupol would also deprive Ukraine of a vital port, free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas and give the Kremlin a badly needed success.

Odesa, too, has increasingly been bombarded in recent days. The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles from the air at Odesa on Monday night, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse. One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

The war in the country long known as the breadbasket of Europe has disrupted global food supplies.

I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, lamented in a tweet after a visit to Odesa. This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries."

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Yesica Fisch in Bakhmut, 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
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka's defense ministry ordered security forces on Tuesday to shoot anyone causing injury to people or property to contain widespread arson and mob violence targeting government supporters.

The order came after violent clashes a day earlier left eight people dead and prompted the resignation of the prime minister, who is blamed along with his brother, the president, for leading the country into its worst economic crisis.

The clashes started after mobs supporting the government beat peaceful protesters who had camped out near the prime minister's residence and president's office demanding their resignations, as police watched and did little to stop them. Across the country, angry citizens responded by attacking government supporters and ruling party politicians.

Eight people including a ruling party lawmaker and two police were killed and 219 were injured in the violence, said Kamal Gunaratne, secretary to the Ministry of Defense, He said 104 buildings and 60 vehicles were burned.

Defying a 36-hour nationwide curfew, several hundred protesters continued to chant slogans against the government on Tuesday. Some people attacked the homes of government supporters, but the violence that raged Monday had largely abated.

For months, people have been forced to stand in long lines to buy essentials because a foreign exchange crisis has caused imports of everything from milk to fuel to plunge, spawning dire food shortages and rolling power cuts. Doctors have warned of crippling shortages of life-saving drugs in hospitals, and the government has suspended payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year alone.

The defense ministry has ordered the tri-forces to shoot at persons involved in theft of public property or causing damage to individuals, the ministry said in a text message.

There is an emergency and a curfew in force but we see sections of the youth breaking into homes committing arson, assault, killings and theft, Gunaratne said in a statement.

Despite the curfew, hundreds of protesters swarmed the entrance to President Gotabaya Rajapaksas office in the capital, Colombo, for the 32nd day Tuesday to demand that he follow in his brothers footsteps and quit.

One of the protesters, software engineer Chamath Bogahawatta, said the government did something very despicable by bringing in people to provoke us.

There will be more people joining us. How long are they going to rule a country under curfew? he said.

Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was Sri Lankas president from 1994 to 2005, warned against violence, tweeting that saboteurs may be used to incite violence in order to pave the way for military rule.

President Rajapaksa is a former military officer who has loyalists within the forces.

With Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's resignation, the Cabinet was also dissolved, creating an administrative vacuum. Even though the president has the most power under the constitution, a prime minister and Cabinet are needed to manage the government.

The prime minister is also the next in line if the presidency falls vacant.

Religious leaders and the lawyers' Bar Association of Sri Lanka were in talks with political leaders on the formation of a new Cabinet.

Pressure on President Rajapaksa to step down has increased following his brothers resignation, analysts say, and comes as the economy has dramatically fallen apart.

The president initially said the crisis wasnt created by him, laying the blame on global factors such as the pandemic's impact on the tourism industry and higher global oil prices caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. But unable to escape the public anger, both he and his brother have since admitted to mistakes that exacerbated the crisis, and conceded they should have sought an International Monetary Fund bailout sooner.

In March, after citizens had endured critical shortages of fuel, cooking gas and medicine for months, the president finally reached out to the IMF. Talks to set up a rescue plan are being held, with progress dependent on negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors. But any long-term plan is expected to take at least six months to get underway.
LANSING  The Michigan Legislature voted Tuesday to put before voters a constitutional amendment to revise the state's legislative term limits law and require state elected officials to disclose their personal financial information.

A constitutional provision approved by voters in 1992 allows legislators to serve no more than 14 years, including three two-year House terms and two four-year Senate terms. The amendment  which the House and Senate passed 76-28 and 26-6, respectively, without debate  would allow them to serve up to 12 years: six two-year House terms, three four-year Senate terms or a combination.

The move came a day after Voters for Transparency and Term Limits, a ballot committee led by a broad coalition of business, labor and political leaders, urged the Legislature to act. It enables the group to focus on persuading voters to adopt the measure rather than having to collect hundreds of thousands of voter signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Republican State Senator Jim Stamas, of Midland, said while this proposal would not effect him with this being his 14th year in the legislature, he supported the amendment and the ability for Michigan residents to vote on it.

"It is key that we allow Michigan residents to actually have a vote on legislative term limits," Stamas said.

He said since the state implemented term limits, there has been substantial turnover within the Michigan legislature on a regular basis. Having some stability with these terms might allow for more thoughtful conversations and bridge-building across political aisles.

Supporters of amending term limits say it would enable new lawmakers  particularly in the House, where the speaker has only two or four years of experience before leading the chamber  to focus on their job instead of immediately looking to run for the Senate or find work outside the Legislature. Opponents, who are mobilizing against the effort, say it is being mischaracterized as a proposal to improve term limits when it would double how many terms a House member could serve.

The initiative also would require lawmakers, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state and the attorney general to file annual financial disclosure reports starting in 2024. Attempts to mandate such reports have stalled for years in the Legislature, even though Michigan is among just two states where legislators pass and reject laws without the public knowing about their personal finances.

The officials would have to disclose their assets; income; liabilities; involvement in businesses, unions, nonprofit groups or education institutions; agreements related to future employment; gifts; travel payments and reimbursements that must be reported by lobbyists; and charitable donations made by others in lieu of honoraria.

Stamas said he also supports the changes with financial transparency language. He said the language allows voters to see where the primary investments and or dollars of a candidate are coming from, but not infringing too far into families, businesses and people looking to seek public office.

"I think that having transparency in the general area as we we have done, I like the structure of that," Stamas said. "There is some transparency, but it is not going into all of everybody's personal issues."

Fifteen states have legislative term limits. Michigan is among six with lifetime restrictions. Of those, California and Oklahomas are 12 years, but allow lawmakers to serve all of it in one chamber.
TO THE EDITOR:

The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network is very grateful to Robinson Industries, located on M-18 between Coleman and Beaverton, for hosting our sixth mobile food pantry of this year. The mobile food pantry was held on Friday, April 29 in the parking lot of Robinson Industries' manufacturing facility. The giveaway of free food was funded by EFPN. Many of the 40 volunteers who served 98 families of employees of Robinson Industries were employees themselves. Earlier this year, Robinson Industries, a major business in the Coleman-Beaverton area, sustained a severe fire to an area of the manufacturing plant.

The 10,728 pounds of food purchased from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan included beverages, fresh milk, canned vegetables and fruits, oranges, potatoes, dry green peas, beans, veggie straws and assorted frozen meats. Recipients of the free food remained in their vehicles for registration and food delivery.

The Network is also very grateful to the many donors of food, money and time throughout the year to the Network's mission of "Always food in every home." Midland County residents in (financial) need of food and personal care items may call the Network number of 989-486-9393 to leave their name and phone number.

There are three upcoming mobile food pantries scheduled in Midland. They will take pace on May 21 at Christ Covenant Church on Ashman Street, June 21 at Blessed Sacrament Church on Swede Road and July 21 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church on the corner of Monroe Road and Jefferson Avenue. In-vehicle registration will begin at 9 a.m. with food distribution expected to begin at 10 a.m.

Thanks again to this generous local business for its partnering ministry

SALLY ANN SUTTON

Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network
PIGGS PEAK  Lawlessness became the order of the night when over 40 gang members fought at the Piggs Peak Government Hospital, after a bar brawl, resulting in eight people being stabbed.

The gang members invaded the hospital to continue with a fight that started at a local bar. The fight proceeded to the streets and blood splatter was found on the streets as well as inside the hospital where some of the gang members were stabbed. Noteworthy, the fight happened a stones throw from the Piggs Peak Police Station. The noise and screams from the fight were so loud that they could be heard at the Piggs Peak Police Station. The fight lasted for about 30 minutes. It is alleged that gang members from three areas, namely; Ndeva, Nkomazi and Sibovini were involved in the fight. The fighting is said to have happened at around 1am on Sunday.

Fighting

As the fighting continued, more bar patrons also joined in. Several people began to fetch their knives from their vehicles that were parked along the streets near the bars resulting in one person being stabbed along the streets. It is alleged that as the fighting intensified, some used knives to puncture tyres of vehicles of their rivals to prevent them from fleeing. One of the vehicles that had its tyres punctured belongs to the first victim to be stabbed, as his rivals wanted to make sure that he was not driven to hospital. However, some of his friends managed to take him to the hospital for treatment. However, their rivals followed them to the hospital in an attempt to finish him off. While the stabbed men was about to receive medical attention, more gang members arrived at the hospital.

It is alleged that security guards failed to stop them because the hospital gate is faulty. They said they had no option but to keep a distance, while ensuring that the nurses were safe from harm. The nurses had gathered outside the outpatient department (OPD) building, while some fled to other offices, where they locked the doors after the gang members ran into the hospital looking for the stabbed man. Some quick thinking security guards also closed the door leading to the OPD and put benches against them (doors). However, the violent gang members managed to break the door open and damaged some of the benches.

The gang members then began to fight among themselves and several people were stabbed. It was gathered that eight people were stabbed in total. According to some of the gang members, they had called the police when the fight started near the bar area. However, police officers are said to have driven by without attending to them. Yesterday morning, one of the people who had been stabbed was spotted walking along the hospital corridors with bandages around his head and arms. It also appeared that he had a swollen right eye, possibly due to the injuries he sustained during the fight. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that one person was being treated at the hospital. She also said others did not report the incident to the police but instead left.

Arrested

Vilakati said it appeared that the fight may have started at a bar, but that they continued fighting inside the hospital. She said no one was arrested. This is the second recent incident in which gang members invaded a hospital to fight. During Christmas Eve of 2021, terror gang members, who were said to have been enjoying some alcoholic beverages at Yemfo Bar, forced their way into the Mbabane Government Hospital and attacked medical personnel. They damaged property including computers and doors as they terrorised the hospital staff.
Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - The 54th conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Com2022) will be held from 11 to 17 May in Senegal, organisers have said
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 254 new illegal migrants were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya between 1 and 7 May
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan coast guards have rescued 83 migrants from several African countries whose boat was wrecked while heading to the European coast, the Libyan naval forces announced on Monday
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Director General of the Tunisian Customs Authority, Najet Jaouadi, arrived on Monday in Tripoli, to take part in the first ordinary meeting of 2022 of the Customs Technical Committee of the Libyan and Tunisian Customs Directors General aimed at facilitating the movement of goods between the two countries
Photo: (Photo : LUCA SOLA/AFP via Getty Images)

The long wait is almost over for New York mom Ruth Miller and her husband Sean, with the first-time parents set to welcome home their baby boy Abraham in the next few weeks. Waiting is nothing new for the New York couple, who endured 12 years of heartbreak and six miscarriages before welcoming their newborn son on January 2.

Miller's miracle baby weighed just 17 ounces when he arrived at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island. Four months after the birth, the couple cannot wait to bring their growing son home to celebrate the rest of the year's holidays with their little boy.

When talking to the New York Daily News about baby Abraham, Miller was emotional, saying, "It literally feels like a blur at times, you know? But it was a long process, oh my gosh." Since his birth, Abraham has grown a lot, now weighing over 10 pounds.

Long wait for baby Abraham worth it for the Long Island couple

The long-awaited baby recently posed for Easter pictures with an oversized hat on his head and an egg in his tiny hand. Abraham's grandmother stopped by last week to feed him breakfast, with Miller remaining amazed by the whole process.

Miller talked about his son's first get-together with his grandma, saying he knew who she was even though he had never met her before. All the good things happening to the couple with Abraham's arrival were preceded by a long and difficult struggle for Ruth and her 38-year-old husband, Sean. They had difficulty getting pregnant, a problem that was resolved by a team that was assembled at the hospital.

Ruth and Sean had trouble conceiving naturally before turning to medical methods to get pregnant, with Miller suffering multiple miscarriages. News 12 Long Island reported that Ruth became pregnant with twins in 2015, only for Ruth to lose both of them at four months.

Ruth believed that was her final chance to have a kid. The daughter of a minister focused on following her dad's path of service to the community. She worked as a mental health case manager while convinced that her dream of becoming a mother was over.

Read Also: Miracle in Samoa as Baby Survives Both COVID-19 and Severe Pneumonia

2020 state law gives Millers one last shot at parenthood

An unexpected bit of good luck happened to Miller, though. A state law in 2020 required all companies with more than 1,000 employees to offer in vitro fertilization. With that unexpected offer, Ruth and Sean decided to take one last shot at parenthood.

Ruth went into labor 25 weeks after becoming pregnant from one of her embryos, with the couple's baby boy emerging just two days into the new year via C-section. According to Mayo Clinic, C-section is a surgical procedure used to deliver a baby through incisions in the uterus and abdomen.

After their long wait for a child, baby Abraham was delivered in just 90 minutes before starting his lengthy stay in the hospital. According to neonatologist Dr. Caterina Tiozzo, who helped with Abraham's birth, the mother did a terrific job, and the boy actually turned out to be very good. Proud dad Sean said that the doctors had to take it day by day with Abraham as he was really sick.

Thankfully, the newborn proved up to every challenge thrown his way, adding precious pounds as he was weaned off the machines that were initially needed to help him breathe.

Related Article: Isa Slish Makes History as First Gerber Baby With a Congenital Deformity
Photo: (Photo : Yan Krukov from Pexels)

It's no secret that kids genuinely love art. They enjoy the process of creating something unique, and they enjoy seeing their finished products on display. However, it can be difficult at times to come up with ideas for art projects that are both easy and engaging. These simple project ideas will undoubtedly encourage your little ones to think creatively and imaginatively. Best of all, they can be completed using materials that you most likely already have around the house.

Here are five great kindergarten art projects that will just do that! These projects are simple enough for even the youngest artists to complete, but they still leave plenty of room for creativity and exploration. So gather your materials and get started!

If you're looking for simple kindergarten art projects that will engage and inspire your kids, look no further! These five simple and fun ideas are perfect for getting kids interested in art-and in stamping as well!

1. Glittery Paper Stars

Which kid doesn't adore glitter? Glittery paper stars are the ideal kindergarten art project!

Things to prepare:

Glitter

Glue Stick

Start-Shape Punch

White Cardstock

The best part is that these stars can be used to decorate any room in the house, from the living room to the bedroom. They're also so simple to make that even the youngest child can create a lovely work of art.

To get started, simply cut out star shapes from glittery paper. Then, using a glue stick, attach them to the wall in any design you want. When you're finished, take a moment to admire your child's work! These sparkly stars are sure to brighten up any room.

This project is extremely simple, but the results are absolutely stunning! You can simply cut out a bunch of stars as well and glue them to the cardstock. Sprinkle some glitter on top, and you've got yourself a stunning piece of art!

2. Watercolor resist painting

Things to prepare:

Watercolors

Paintbrush

A piece of paper

This simple watercolor resist painting project is perfect for kids! It's a great way to introduce them to the basic principles of painting while also allowing them to express themselves creatively. Simply let your child paint any design they want onto the paper. When they're done, assist them in holding the paper over a sink or bowl of water. The water causes the colors to spread and blend, resulting in a beautiful resist effect.

This project is ideal for kindergarteners who are just getting started with their creativity!

3. Stamped butterfly cards

Things to prepare:

Bright Construction Paper

Simple Stamp

Scissor

Butterfly cards are a beautiful and simple art project for kids of all ages. Begin by asking your child to fold a piece of construction paper in half. Then, let them use their favorite designs to stamp all over the front of the card. They can then cut out a butterfly shape from the center of the card once they're finished. Finally, they can use whatever designs they want to decorate the inside of the butterfly. This is a fun project for kids to express their creativity while also making beautiful cards for friends and family.

This is perfect for kids who love stamps! Using just a few simple stamps and some colorful cardstock, your kids can create their own beautiful butterfly cards.

4. Foil-covered leaves

Things to prepare:

Aluminum or Colored Foils

Leaves

Paint

Foil-covered leaves are a simple and enjoyable kindergarten art project that your children will enjoy! Begin by having your children collect leaves from around the yard or while on a nature walk. Once they've made a good choice, assist them in laying out a sheet of foil and placing the leaves on top. Next, carefully fold the foil over the leaves, making sure not to rip or tear the material. Finally, help your kids crinkle up the foil-covered leaves to create unique and interesting designs. This simple project is great for encouraging creativity and exploring various textures and materials. It's also a great way to spend some time outdoors with your kids!

This project is so simple, and it's a great way to incorporate a little fall into your art projects! You can use any type of foil you want-we used gold, but silver or copper would also look lovely. This project is also an excellent way to add a touch of fall to your home decor. You'll be pleased with the end result!

5. Colored paper collage

Things to prepare:

Brightly colored paper

Scissor

Cardstock or Construction paper

Glue

Paper Cutter (optional)

One of the most appealing aspects of art is that there are no rules. You can let your imagination run wild and create something completely unique. This is why we adore this colorful paper collage project for kids. It's simple, doesn't require any expensive materials, and can be customized to fit any theme or season. It's also a great way to reuse recyclable materials! Begin gluing the pieces together on a piece of cardstock or construction paper. When it comes to designing your collage, the sky's the limit, so have fun with it! When you're finished, put your work of art on display for everyone to see.

This project is ideal for children who enjoy cutting and pasting. Let your kids go to town! They'll enjoy creating their own one-of-a-kind designs, and you'll enjoy the bright and cheerful results.

So there you have it: five simple kindergarten art projects to engage and inspire your children! So gather your materials and get started right away! Your kids are going to love these projects!
Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Image)

A Michigan man who was adopted at birth left his wife after admitting that he fell in love with his biological mother, whom he searched and found in 2014.

After searching for her for years, Ben Ford, 32, was reunited with his biological mother, Kim West, 51. He wrote Kim a letter to introduce himself nearly three decades after she gave him up for adoption.

But their relationship turned into a romantic liaison that Ben's wife, Victoria Ford, discovered in 2016. According to Daily Mirror, he confessed that he and his biological mother are in a sexual relationship as well.

Read Also: Pregnant Mom With Cancer, Tracey Ferrin, Reveals Husband Asked For Divorce While She Was in Chemotherapy

What is Genetic Sexual Attraction?

The mom and son refused to call their relationship as incest. Ben and Kim justified their feelings as genetic sexual attraction, a term first used in the 1980s to refer to the bewildering attraction of adoptees to their biological relatives.

However, according to Better Help, some experts regard genetic sexual attraction as pseudoscience. There isn't enough research to validate that people may be sexually drawn to those genetically similar to them.

The adopted son said that he never saw his biological mom as a mother. He was instantly attracted to her, but he sought help from a therapist and joined an adoption support group to process his feelings.

On the other hand, Kim said that this was a "once in a lifetime chance" that she was unwilling to give up anymore. So, she fought to keep her man because she believed they were consumed by romantic love for each other.

When she was a California college student, the biological mother had Ben at 19 years old. She left for London, her home country, when she gave up her son for adoption. More than three decades later, she received a letter from her biological son.

When he expressed that he would like to meet her in person, Kim started having sexual dreams about Ben. Three days after their first meeting, the two apparently kissed and consented to a sexual relationship.

Ben's wife, on the other hand, said that she could not warm up to Kim from the beginning. She felt that her husband's mother was trying to compete with her. Eventually, however, Ben confessed to Victoria, ending their marriage.

Planning a Family Together

According to The Sun, Ben and Kim have planned to marry and raise a family together. They left Michigan because they could be legally prosecuted for incest and land in prison for 15 years or be registered as sex offenders for life. The state considers sexual contact between relatives by blood or affinity to the third degree as a criminal act.

However, incest is also banned in the U.K. due to risks of inbreeding disabilities and limb malformation, among other abnormalities. It's unclear where the couple has chosen to reside since they went into hiding.

Related Article: Chilean Mom Who Was Told Her Baby Died at Birth Reunites With Son 38 Years After; What Really Happened?
Click here to support the my teaching practice via Patreon. Your contribution will enhance my capacity to offer posts like this. Thank you! Question A student on the Vine of Obstacles recently asked, Our translation of the first Great Vow is The many beings are numberless, vowing to carry them across. The group I practiced with previously used a different translation, All beings, one body, I vow to liberate. This has a different flavor. Specifically, I wonder about the one body thats referenced. Could you say something about that? (1)

Response

If theres just one body, why so many different translations, right?

I have heard this interesting version before. It might be more common among Korean-derived lineages. Heres a breakdown of the characters for the first Great Vow:

  many, mass, multitude

  life, life forms, beings

  no limit, no boundary

  vow

  to ferry over (as in to ford a river) We follow our lineage ancestor Aitken Roshis translation of the vows, and for the first line, as you say, we have The many beings are numberless; vowing to carry them across. Aitken Roshi renders  as carry  across, so along with  or vow, we say vowing to carry them across. That is, ferry beings across the flood of samsara.

You will also often see, I vow to save them. And although that version tends to get peoples hackles up, it is a fair translation. When translating  as save, though, it is important to keep in mind that it isnt the Christian sense of saving that were talking about, i.e., saving someone from going to hell, but to save beings from the wandering-in-circles world, aka, samsara. Youll notice that in the seven characters of the first line of the vow there is no I. However, it is fair to impute an actor and so to include a pronoun. The seven characters also do not have liberate, (All beings, one body, I vow to liberate), however, ferrying beings across the flood of samsara certainly implies as much. The most creative part of the translation raised in the question is the phrase  one body, or literally no limit/boundary. I suppose the thinking of the translator was no limit modifies beings in The many beings. Thus, if there is no boundary between beings, then we are one body. Fair enough. The more common reading is to regard , no limit/boundary. as modifying many in The many beings. In this view, if there is no limit to the number of the many beings, then they are numberless. This is a good example of taking an interesting alternative implication in Chinese and making it the only meaning in the English translation where we tend to choose between either modifying beings (as one body does) or modifying many (as most translations do with numberless). One way to get around the either/or response to the question about what is being modified (i.e., does no limit/boundary modify many or beings) is to leave it to the readers interpretation. Something like this, for example: Many beings, no limits or boundaries, vowing to carry them across. Or, as the questioner suggested in a follow-up post on the Vine, Uncountably many limitless beings.

As for making one body the only reading, in my view, to parse no limit/no boundary as one body introduces two elements into the line (e.g., one and body) that arent expressly in the Chinese. That might not be a big deal, but it does suggest connections with other teachings which simply arent there. So the English reader may spin away with associations that arent at all grounded in the original. This is pretty common and a big issue in Western Zen.
ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, has signed an investment partnership agreement with the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB), the national development bank of Greece, and Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI), the Sovereign Fund-of-Funds of Greece, to fund investments worth 4 billion ($4.2 billion) across multiple sectors and asset classes of the Greek economy.

The event took place in Abu Dhabi in the presence of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.

The exchange of agreement was between Kostas Fragogiannis, the Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister for Development & Investments; and Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ADQ.

The agreement underscores the growing economic ties between the two countries and will drive significant investor interest in Greece. The three parties will invest individually and jointly, across target sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, agriculture, technology, healthcare and life sciences, amongst others.

Ioannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister for Development & Investments, commented: Greece and the UAE continue to forge strong and strategic partnerships underpinned by investments that provide growth opportunities for both nations. With its proven track record in establishing robust and tangible sovereign investment partnerships, ADQ is a natural partner that will contribute to achieving our economic growth.

Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ADQ, said: "Bilateral relations between the UAE and Greece have strengthened in recent years particularly in the areas of trade and economic development. Todays signing underlines ADQs commitment to build strategic partnerships with key entities that complement our investment strategy and our ability to generate sustainable financial returns. We are confident that our joint collaboration will accelerate investments that will contribute to the economic growth of both nations."

HDB Chairwoman and CEO Athina Chatzipetrou said: "Deepening the economic ties between our countries will create a robust Mediterranean-Middle East commercial corridor raising the level of our business relationship and unlocking the potential for large-scale investments in Greece."

"HDB has unique data mining. It currently has under management 8.6 billion euros in loans, while starting with only 280 million euros, and more than 38,000 new loans have been granted so far. Strategic synergies are at the core of our strategy. We look forward to a close and fruitful collaboration with ADQ to leverage Greeces economic potential," he added.

HDBI President Dr Haris Lambropoulos said: "Todays signing is yet another milestone occasion that will enhance the growing cooperation between Greece and the UAE. We look forward to working with ADQ and leveraging their sector expertise in investments that support economic diversification and advance our common goals for growth and solid financial returns."

In 2021, the value of non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and Greece reached nearly AED 2.1 billion, with a 67% growth compared to 2020, reflecting a significant spike in growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.-TradeArabia News Service
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor says the Report of the Sole enquirer into the Bulgarian Embassy Case which was presented on Tuesday, April 29, 2022, will be handled with utmost transparency and enormous integrity.



In response to a request by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for the report to be made public, Mr Jinapor in a Facebook post on Monday, May 9, 2022, stated that the Report is being studied as was stated by the Deputy Minister who received it and will be acted upon in due course. 



He pointed out that there is no cover-up, as in all cases and that every step in the matter will continue to be above board.



He cautioned against the politicization of the issue, stressing that  this should not be reduced to cheap politics and usual point-scoring.



In a publication by Myjoyonline, the North Tongu MP has asked the government to immediately release the reports of the probe into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Bulgarian Embassy in Accra.



Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged without any cogent evidence that the government is trying to shield persons complicit in the case.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking to return to office in next year's election after switching political party, the BBC understands.



Mr Jonathan has joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that defeated him in 2015 after five years in power.



A supporters' group bought the nomination form on his behalf on Monday, continuing the trend of aspirants using proxies to purchase the form.



His decision to enter the race with the APC has come as a huge surprise to many Nigerians, especially those in his former party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP).



For months, rumours had swirled over his secret defection to the ruling party but neither Mr Jonathan nor his associates had commented.



Nigeria's main political parties are expected to hold their primaries later this month to meet the election commission's dateline of 3 June for the submission of their candidates for the February 2023 election.



It costs 100m naira (about $240,000; 195,000) to purchase the APC's nomination papers.



Mr Jonathan will face opposition for the party's ticket from the likes of former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi.



It is not clear why Mr Jonathan decided to switch parties, but there have been rumours he has been unhappy following his loss in 2015 when he reportedly felt betrayed by key associates within the party.



He is only eligible for one more term if he wins next year which might mean power returning to northern Nigeria in an unwritten, controversial arrangement that alternates power between north and south. Mr Jonathan is from southern Nigeria.



Whoever gets the APC's nomination for the election will expect a stiff contest from the PDP.



Its aspiring candidates such as Peter Obi, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike are hugely popular, especially in southern Nigeria.

Source: BBC









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Dozens of people were killed after armed men raided a gold mine in Djugu in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province on Sunday.



The AFP news agency quotes a local official as saying that 29 bodies had been retrieved from the artisanal mine.



Among the dead was a four-month-old baby, it said.



In a statement, the ministry of communication blamed the Codeco rebel group for the attack.



"The government specifies that this umpteenth barbaric and cowardly act of Codeco terrorists on innocent populations will in no way shake its determination to restore peace," the ministry said.



"The army is working day and night to completely eliminate the armed groups here in Ituri," army spokesperson is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.



The Codeco group has previously been accused of carrying out raids against civilians in recent months.



Its blamed for killing at least a dozen people at a church in March, and another 60 in February.

Source: BBC









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After 14 flight cancellations affecting over 3,000 passengers, the Airports Company of South Africa says it is working to rectify the fuel shortage at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.



The Central Energy Fund says it will assist international airlines to refuel should their suppliers be unable to provide aviation fuel.



A ship carrying 10 million litres of fuel is currently docked in Durban, but that consignment is only expected to reach Johannesburg via pipeline next week.



OR Tambo airports main supply of fuel is via rail, but flood damage to the network in the KwaZulu-Natal region around Durban means it will not be partially reopened until June.



The airport currently has just over three days of fuel left, but authorities are confident the measures put in place will prevent further cancellations.

Source: BBC









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Militants freed about 60 inmates - the entire prison population - during an overnight attack on a jail in northwest Burkina Faso.



The armed men entered the town of Nouna around midnight aboard 4x4 vehicles and motorbikes, brandishing Kalashnikovs and heavy machine guns.



They ransacked offices and set fire to prison vehicles before making their escape.



The raid came after militants killed at least 12 people in northern Burkina Faso, most of them members of a volunteer militia.



The country is battling a jihadist insurgency that's been spreading across the Sahel over the past decade.



A military government seized power in January and ousted President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to tackle the jihadist insurgency.

Source: BBC









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For one week, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was in Memphis, Tennessee, USA to participate in the Memphis In May International Festival's Salute to the Republic of Ghana.



The richness of Asante culture has never been in doubt. From the 17th Century when the Asante Empire was founded, Asante has up to date, projected a culture that has survived Western influence.



The Asantehene's visit to Memphis, which was facilitated by the E ON 3 Group, the KGL Group and the KGL Foundation, highlighted some of Ghana's culture and traditions.



Highlights of Otumfuo's visit included his arrival formalities in Memphis, Public Engagement at the University of Memphis, his 72nd birthday celebration, presentation of the Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin, and the Asanteman Durbar.



Arrival



Otumfuo Osei Tutu II arrived to a big welcome in Memphis on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, where he was met on arrival by officials of the Memphis in May International Festival and the Ghana Embassy.



Accompanied by paramount chiefs from three regions - Ashanti, Ahafo and Bono East - and abrempong and courtiers, the Asantehene was driven in a convoy to his hotel.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@utvghana)

Memphis University



His Royal Majesty spoke at a public engagement at the University of Memphis on the topic, " Challenges in the US and Africa Relations."



His speech touched on a number of issues including education, democracy, the United States/Ghana relations, and the importance of the Memphis in May International Festival to Ghana.





Asantehene's Speech At The University of Memphis, USA.

Watch full video: https://t.co/cHAUHqyjM1 pic.twitter.com/KkypFHxLe7  Manhyia Palace (@ManhyiaPalace) May 6, 2022







Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as part of activities for this years Memphis in May International Festival addressed an audience at the University of Memphis in the United States. pic.twitter.com/Z5DHge8uBo  Manhyia Palace (@ManhyiaPalace) May 6, 2022

Birthday celebration



Spending his 72nd birthday on May 6 in Memphis, officials of the Memphis in May International Festival made sure that the King was appropriately celebrated on the day.



Two big birthday events were organised. One was held at the Peabody Hotel in the afternoon where the King cut the birthday cake. In the evening, a glamorous dinner christened, Black Tie Black Gala was held at the magnificent Renasant Convention Centre in the evening.

















Presentation of Gold Coin

The Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin which was launched on December 12, 2021, to celebrate the Asantehene for his outstanding contribution to the peace and development of Ghana, was presented to the City of Memphis.



The presentation was significant because it was the first time the gold coin had been presented outside the borders of Ghana.



The Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siriboe II who is also the chairman of the Council of State, presented the gold coin to the chairman of the 2022 Memphis in May International Festival, Charles Ewing



The Juabenhene was joined at the presentation by Alex Dadey, the Executive Chairman of KGL Group and Board Chairman of Ghana investment Promotion Centre; Andrew Acheampong Kyei, the Managing Director of GLICO, and Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori Atta, the Executive Chairman of E ON 3 Group, the investment and business solutions provider, which was given authorisation by the Bank of Ghana to mint the gold coin.





An Asanteman durbar that showcased the rich culture of Asante was held on Saturday, May 7 to round up activities marking the 'Salute to Ghana.'It was a sight to behold as a retinue of chiefs, queen mothers and courtiers, joined Otumfuo on a procession on the Beale Street to the Handy Park, for the durbar.Otumfuo sat in state to receive homage from his subjects and well-wishers.Asanteman Durbar: A procession will begin at 126 Beale St. and conclude at Handy Park where his Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene will sit in state with Chiefs and Queenmothers. pic.twitter.com/5MransTWsO  Manhyia Palace (@ManhyiaPalace) May 7, 2022







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Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II holds a procession durbar at the Historic Beale Street, US as part of activities for the Memphis in May International Festival pic.twitter.com/XFDoV6eRs5  Opemsuo Radio (@OpemsuoRadio) May 8, 2022





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Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Huawei is showcasing how its technologies and solutions can help fast-track digital transformation while advancing talent development in Saudi Arabia at the International Conference & Exhibition for Education (ICEE 2022).

On display is Intelligent Education, such as Converged campus network, Smart classroom and Huawei's high-performance computing (HPC) at Saudi Arabia's largest event for the education industry.

Organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE), the summit is being held at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre between May 8 and 11.

Leading academics

ICEE 2022 brought leading academics and world-renowned educational institutions to discuss cooperation aimed at upgrading the kingdom's quality of education to the highest international standards.

Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia, said: "Saudi Arabia has made significant gains in digitising its education sector, which accelerated during the pandemic. Such efforts will further boost digital transformation in line with Saudi Vision 2030."

Educational institutions are under pressure to evolve to meet the demands of the digital economy. They find it challenging to modernise education because of the uneven distribution of education resources, limited digital adoption, and inflexible teaching approaches.

Outdated ICT infrastructure

Many also suffer from outdated ICT infrastructure and data silos, making it difficult to elevate their capabilities in modern teaching, efficient management, and research innovation.

But there's momentum among Saudi educational institutions to deploy advanced infrastructure and develop innovative talent, leading to an increase of smart campuses in the kingdom. They are turning to cloud computing as a foundation to improve quality and efficiency in teaching, learning, management, and research. Cloud also accelerates education inclusiveness while improving education outcomes through digital learning.

Huawei's CloudCampus Solution is designed to construct fully-wireless, intelligent cloud campus networks centered on user experience in the cloud era.

This solution inspires innovation by tearing down organisational silos and enables networks to keep pace with the cloud, vastly improving efficiency.-- TradeArabia News Service
A Member of the Defense and Interior Committee of parliament and MP for Wa West, Peter Toobu, has called for concerted efforts to consolidate the works within the national security apparatus.



He has suggested a coordinated and centralised approach to gathering and sharing national intelligence.



Speaking on Class FMs news analysis program, 505, on Monday, 9 May 2022, on the back of the West Africa Centre for Counter Extremisms (WACCE) 2022 Report, which is cautioning Ghana to be wary of likely insurgency and terrorism spill, Mr. Toobu said: It seems that we are beginning to have a messed up system where everyone is an intelligence officer, and everyone is a combat officer, [but] in that area, we need to refine our strategy and let national security be a serious matter for people who can coordinate it.



He intimated that the country must ensure and invest in community policing if it wants to continue to enjoy peace.



According to him, this will prevent radicalisation and create a synergy between the youth and the Police.



He described a synergy between the youth and the Police as a serious intelligence gathering tool that will make citizens can feel part of the police force.



If Ghana wants to enjoy the peace that we are looking at in a region that is very turbulent, then lets go back and do what we call community policing. Its a community strategy that can prevent radicalisation; it is a strategy that can put the civilian population and the Police together in order to create synergy to understand what security means; it is the way to go, he said.



The WACCE report, titled The Threat of Violent Extremism to the Coastal States, Ghanas Exposure to Violent Extremism, highlighted that Ghanas proximity to Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, and Ivory Coast, which have been targeted in recent attacks, exposes the country to extremist recruitment and similar attacks.



The centre also pointed to the over 300 unresolved chieftaincy conflicts in the country, including the Bawku chieftaincy conflict, the ethnic tensions in Northern Ghana, and the secessionist demands of Western Togoland separatists, among others, as factors that amplify these risks.





Source: class fm









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The Minority in Parliament has described as false the claim by the Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia that Ghana has excess capacity.



In a statement issued by the Minority Caucus following the almost nationwide power cut on Saturday, the minority stated that the nation is on the verge of facing imminent power outages also known as dumsor.



The baseless and unfounded allegations by the NPP Government that, Ghana has excess electricity generation capacity, which the country does not need, leading to the payment of about GHC 17 billion in excess capacity bills, has been displaced with available facts as contained in the recently released 2022 electricity supply plan for Ghana.



Sadly, these contrived and concocted narratives led by no less a person than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia against the person of former President Mahama was therefore as needless as they are mischievous and propaganda-laden, the Ranking Member on Mines and Energy Committee, John Abdulai Jinapor disclosed.



Below is the full statement from the Minority



NPP FALSE CLAIMS ON EXCESS CAPACITY DISPLACED AS THE COUNTRY FACES IMMINENT DUMSOR



The baseless and unfounded allegations by the NPP Government that, Ghana has excess electricity generation capacity, which the country does not need, leading to the payment of about GHC 17 billion in excess capacity bills, has been displaced with available facts as contained in the recently released 2022 electricity supply plan for Ghana. Sadly, these contrived and concocted narratives led by no less a person than the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia against the person of former President Mahama were therefore as needless as they are mischievous and propaganda-laden.



The 2022 publication was authored by a technical team known as The Power Planning Technical Committee (PPTC) inaugurated in 2020 by the Hon. Minister of Energy to among others examine, plan, and make recommendations for the Ghana Power System as per the requirement in Section-7 of the National Electricity Grid Code and Section 2 (2)(c) of the Energy Commission Act 1997 (ACT 541) makes very interesting conclusions.



Amongst others, the report makes an astonishing but factual revelation that the Nations existing generating capacity will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with the required 18% reserve margin.



It will be recalled that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at a recently held Tescon training and orientation conference at Kasoa made very wild and unsubstantiated claims on a so-called GHC 17 billion payment by the state arising from what he described as excess capacity bills.



The minority has since described this statement as false and baseless and has further challenged the Vice President and the NPP Government to produce the details on such payments to substantiate this fictitious claim. It will interest Ghanaians to know that to date no such information has been made available.



The current information as contained in the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan clearly points to a deceptive and dishonest narrative by the current NPP Government on the cause of the current economic hardship that the nation is experiencing.



For the avoidance of doubt, the following conclusions are drawn from the 2022 Electricity Supply Plan as captured on pages (vi)-(viii) of the report:



An estimated amount of MMUSD 872.8 will be required to purchase Natural Gas to run the thermal plants (.i.e. a monthly average of MUSD 72.74).



The provision for LCO, diesel, and HFO during the gas outage period leads to a total of US$ 988 Million required for fuel purchase in 2022.



Relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant from Takoradi to Kumasi reduces transmission system losses significantly. It also improves the voltage regulation in Kumasi & its environs and aids export.



The existing generating capacities will not be adequate to serve the projected demand with an 18% reserve margin for any of the planning years.

The timely completion of the committed projects barely has adequate generation up to 2024.



Additional generation capacity will be needed from 2023, specifically, 184 MW, 187 MW, 114 MW, and 337 MW additional generation capacity will be needed in 2023, 2024, 2026, and 2027, respectively.



-RECOMMENDATIONS-



Based on the above conclusions, the following are some of the key recommendations made:



Due to the growing electricity demand in Ghana, there is an urgent need to make arrangements to increase gas supply volumes for more Thermal generation. It is also very important to make necessary investments towards an improved gas supply reliability owing to the increasing dependency on natural gas for power generation.



Efforts should be expedited to complete the relocation of the 250 MW Ameri Power Plant to Kumasi by September 2022 to create a new generation enclave in Kumasi, among others.



It is equally revealing from the report that the claim that Ghana has excess Gas leading to capacity payments is false. Indeed, the report rather recommends that efforts are made to increase the available Gas supply. So, the Ameri plant was not bad and needless after all, as the NPP wanted us to believe.





Source: starrfm









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A policy to guide the deployment and scale-up in the production of Electric Vehicles in the country is currently being developed by the Ministry of Transport.

The E-Mobility Policy when completed is expected to guide Ghana's quest to have a sustainable and environmentally conscious transport system as well as guard against the debilitating impact of climate change.



This was made known by the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah in an address read on his behalf at the opening ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) - Africa Forum 2022 held yesterday (Tuesday, May 10, 2022) in Accra.



He said the Ministry was also working to introduce the first-ever battery-powered electric buses for public transportation.



"Africa suffers directly from the debilitating impact of climate change amidst rising temperatures, rainfall patterns, and desertification among others. It is for this reason that we must commit ourselves to the promotion of a sustainable and environmentally responsive transport system," he said in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Hassan Tampuli.



"We are currently developing an E-Mobility Policy to guide the deployment and Scale-up of Electric Vehicles in the country. We are also working assiduously to introduce the first-ever battery-powered electric buses for public transportation".



Optimizing AfCFTA gains



He was also hopeful that investments being made by the government to develop infrastructure projects and increase traffic flow on all transport modes will optimize the gains the country will make under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).



"In terms of infrastructure, we have embarked on massive infrastructural development to improve all our seaports and airports as well as railway connectivity," he said.



"Currently, two of our regional domestic airports in Kumasi in the middle belt and Tamale in the northern belt of Ghana are being upgraded into international status. We have also set out to establish a National Airline with a Private Strategic Partner to support our vision of positioning Ghana as an aviation hub of West Africa and Beyond".



Forum



The President of CILT Ghana, Mark Affum Amoamah said the three-day forum was one of the major events designed to propagate the ideals of the supply chain, logistics and transport profession at national and continental levels.



He said the forum was also aimed at re-positioning the Institute to produce seasoned professionals, serve as an authoritative voice and reference point on matters relating to Logistics and Transport on the African continent.



Mr Amoamah said the forum themed: "Sustainable Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA): The Role of Logistics, Transport and Industry" would also provide the opportunity for members to network and share experiences of the implementation of the agreement so far.



He was also hopeful that the forum would create awareness of the AfCFTA at the level of academia and industry on the benefits and the role of transport and Logistics.



Congratulations



On his part, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa congratulated the CILT for their dedication to improving transport efficiency, enhancing transport integration and encouraging talent development in the transport industry.



He also reiterated that the government was implementing a number of measures to boost and facilitate trade within and beyond the country's borders.



Mr Krapa said the measures included the creation of a Single Window regime for ease of clearing goods from the ports with the Integrated Customs Management System; the creation of a National Trade Facilitation Committee to ensure effective and efficient cross border trade as well as the development of the Akosombo  Mpakadan Rail Line and the Boankra In-Land Port.







Source: graphiconline.com









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The Methodist Church Ghana has said that the church is not in any way associated with any political party and comments made by Rt. Rev. Stephen R. Bosomtwe Ayensu, the Superintendent Minister of the Amakom Circuit of the churchs Kumasi Diocese.



Rt. Rev. Bosomtwe Ayensu is alleged to have attacked former President John Mahama for saying that he would repeal E-levy should he be voted as president of Ghana again.



Bosomtwe Ayensu allegedly made the comments during the 25th Annual Synod of the Obuasi Diocese of the church in Obuasi, where he was previously a bishop.



The church, in a press statement, said it is not associated with any political party and the comments made by Rt. Rev. Bosomtwe Ayensu that attacked Mahamas promise to repeal the E-Levy when he is voted back into power in 2025.



They added that, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, is the official spokesperson of the Church.



Our attention has been drawn to some media publications on some statements made by the Rt. Rev Stephen R. Bosomtwe Ayensu, a past Methodist Bishop of the Obuasi Diocese. The said statement which was made during the 25th Annual Synod of the Obuasi Diocese sought to attack the position of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the former President of Ghana on the E-Levy.



The Methodist Church Ghana wishes to notify the General Public that the Presiding Bishop is [not] the official Spokesperson of the Church. We, therefore appeal to our noble friends of the Media not to draw the name of The Methodist Church Ghana into the alleged statements made by the past Bishop and currently the Superintendent Minister of the Amakom Circuit of the Kumasi Diocese, portions of the statement issued by the church read.



Read statement below



















Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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The Interior Minister of Ghana has called for youth empowerment to help fight against money laundering in the country.



According to Mr. Ambrose Dery, the youths form a critical segment of the population that a country cannot afford to neglect in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, hence should be encouraged to lead in the fight against this canker.



The youth of today should be empowered to lead in the fight against this menace. The youth should be responsible, and be positioned to lead a more fruitful life in a safe and conducive environment in order to help build the national economy. Let me use this opportunity to thank the GIABA officials for organizing this workshop for our country and we look forward to receiving more of such programmes.



He also urged to the youth to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to prevent them from falling victims or becoming perpetrators of crimes saying the youth amongst others can do the following; Acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent them from unwittingly falling victim to fraud, or even become perpetrators themselves. Being cautious of unsolicited offers of easy money. For the Students and Researchers, the field of AML/CFT is an area to consider in research studies.



Notwithstanding the fact that anyone can be used as conduit in one way or the other for money laundering, many youngsters are unaware of the devastating consequences that fraud can have on their future opportunities.



In this era of technological advancement, criminals via social media are recruiting a rising number of teenagers to help them launder the proceeds of crime. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you may recall that Ghana was recently taken off from the Financial Action Task Force Grey list on money laundering. Distinguished Guests, to consolidate this gain, the role of the young people in the prevention and fight against money laundering and terrorist financing in Ghana cannot be downplayed.



The Ghanaian youth is confronted with a range of decisions relating to their future.



Key among them are pursuing further education, gaining employment and starting a business.



Consistent with young peoples quest to fulfill their ambition, the search for financial resources becomes indispensable.



To maintain the integrity of our financial system, a credible framework for preventing and fighting money laundering and terrorist financing is essential.



Mr. Dery highlighted some roles of the financianl action task force in the combat of money laundering and terrosit Financing stating the Financial Action Task Force is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of G7 countries to develop policies to combat money Laundering. In 2001 its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.



The Financial Action Task Force set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.



He stated these in a speech read on his behalf at the 13th edition of a forum on ML/FT for youth in Ghana in Accra yesterday.



It was organized by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and aimed at mobilizing the youth against organised crime including ML/FT.



It also sought to provide an opportunity for the youth to embark on advocacy by helping to disseminate anti-money laundering/counter terrorism financing messages to peers and political decision makers.



The programme was under the theme The role of young people in the prevention of and the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.



The participants were from Universities and youth groups among others.



Mr. Dery commended GIABA for the initiative and assured them of Ghanas support to help achieve their goals.







Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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A fleece jacket worn and signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sold for $111,000, at a fundraiser for Ukraine in London.



The fleece jacket worn by Zelensky is now a clothing associated with the Ukrainian leader as he ditched suits after Russia launched it's invasion of Ukraine.



"Today, the whole world looks up to a man wearing a simple fleece jacket," the Ukrainian Embassy to the United Kingdom said in a video posted on Twitter that included footage of Zelensky wearing the jacket. "And now the iconic item, personally signed by President Zelensky, is here."

The goal of the event was to "tell the stories of (Ukrainian) bravery which became iconic during the war, as well as to raise funds to support this bravery," according to a tweet from the embassy.



The "Brave Ukraine" fundraiser, which included toys donated by Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska and photographs by late photographer Max Levine as well as Zelensky's jacket, was hosted by the Ukrainian Embassy in London at the Tate Modern art gallery.



The fundraiser event raised over $1 million for "With Ukraine," the embassy's official fundraising effort. In a speech at the fundraiser, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commended Zelensky's leadership after the Ukrainian president addressed attendees via video call.

"What an honor to speak after my friend Volodymyr Zelenskyy, truly one of the most incredible leaders of modern times," he said, according to a transcript from the British government.



He criticized Russia for "laying waste to cities in Ukraine" and praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people.



"That is why I'm more certain than ever that Ukraine will win," Johnson said. "Ukraine will be free, and a sovereign Ukraine will rise again."



Most of the funds will go toward the reequipment of the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Center, said the embassy.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk ignited a firestorm on social media by suggesting that he might die "under mysterious circumstances." While some on Twitter rushed to the conclusion that he might fear the Clintons, it seems the CEO may have been referencing a potential threat from Russia.

"If I die under mysterious circumstances, its been nice knowin ya," Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX and who recently acquired Twitter, posted on the social media platform.



When Musk's mother Maye Musk responded, "That's not funny," her son replied, "Sorry! I will do my best to stay alive."



Many commentators suggested that Musk might be afraid of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, playing off of the conspiracy theory that the Clintons were involved in Jeffrey Epstein's suicide.



"Do you have dirt on the Clintons?" digital strategist Greg Price asked.



"Wait what do you know about Hillary Clinton?" comedian Tim Young asked. "The Clintons" began trending on Twitter, in part due to Musk's tweet, which garnered more than 52,000 "retweets" Sunday night.



Others referenced a tweet from John McAfee on Oct. 15, 2020, in which the computer programmer and anti-virus software producer stated that he had no intentions of committing suicide after he was arrested in Spain on tax evasion charges.



"I am content in here. I have friends. The food is good. All is well. Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine," McAfee tweeted.



Elon Musk helped bring attention to Twitters censorship issues, according to Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon. Reuters/Mike Blake/File Photo

McAfee was found dead on June 23, 2021, of apparent suicide by hanging in his cell shortly after the Spanish National Court authorized his extradition to the U.S.





If I die under mysterious circumstances, its been nice knowin ya  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022

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The Regional Coordinator of Commonwealth Alliance for Young Entrepreneurs in West Africa (CAYE-WA), Bernard Oduro Takyi has said that he wished people who aspire to serve in public offices would be made to swear by the shrine because he believes when this is done, few people can be Ministers in Ghana.



Not only is he advocating this for Ministers, but he also wants Chief Executive Officers, who are made Heads of Public Institutions to be sworn into office at the shrine.



Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show, May 9, 2022 during the Newspaper Headline Segment hosted by Kafui Dey, the Entrepreneur said he believes when this is done, only few people can pass the test of becoming Ministers or Heads of Institutions and this he believes can help save the public purse and bring about the development the nation needs.



"I am even advocating that one-day people, who want to serve in public offices, lets bring the shrine and when we do, few people can be Ministers of Finance in Ghana and not only that, even the CEOs.



"Lets line them up and say ok you are a Christian, Islamic whatever, but this time around swear by the shrine, few can pass that test and that will tell you how much we can save on corruption, because anytime public figures become corrupt, poverty is endangered because any money that finds its way wrongly in peoples pocket, a certain road is denied, he advocated.



Mr. Oduro- Takyi made his submission against the backdrop of the annual ban on drumming and noise-making announcement by the Ga Traditional Council which commenced Monday, May 9 2022.



The ban is expected to be lifted on Thursday, June 9, 2022.





Source: gbc









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The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwasi Pratt Jnr., says it will be difficult for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to refund funds to customers when the ruling for the substantive case is determined.



The Supreme Court, by a unanimous 7-0 decision, dismissed the application for an injunction case against the Electronic Transactions Levy (e-levy).



The highest Court of the land also directed the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to preserve the records generated since the levys implementation on May 1, 2022.



Speaking to the media after the ruling, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, stated that he is satisfied with the Courts directive to the GRA until the substantive case is determined.



At least some people will not be in a rush to collateralise it until the substantive matter is determined. We raised this matter because it is of public interest, constitutional significance.



"We are very happy with the performance of our lawyers. We only pray that Ghana is not going to have two sets of laws. One that serves and protects the elected elite of government and one that serves the political minority of the opposition, the Tamale South MP told press men.



In an interview with host of Atinka FMs AM Drive, Kwasi Pratt Jnr revealed that it will be difficult for GRA to refund monies to customers even when substantive case is determined in the favour of the minority.



It is impossible to refund everybodys money as the Supreme Court is saying. I think the Supreme Court is yet to look at the collection of the e-levy into details. It is not possible to refund the monies.



"If Adwoa Mansa from Hwediem sends GHS110 through a momo vendor to her family, how is GRA going to refund that money? The refund will go to the vendor. Its practically impossible, Pratt told Kaakyire Ofori Ayim.





Source: GNA









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Vodafone Ghana Foundation, the charity arm of Vodafone Ghana has celebrated domestic violence surviving mothers at the Ark Foundation in Accra. The event forms part of activities to commemorate Mothers Day.



The Foundation through its monthly Birthday Stars initiative held free medical screening, eye check-up and ultrasound scan for women.



Addressing the gathering, the Human Resource Director, Hannah Ashiokor Akrong, condemned violence against women.



Violence against women is still on the rise and it is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in the world today. No nation can hope to move forward if its women and children are trapped in an endless cycle of emotional and physical abuse. In solidarity with all our sisters facing domestic abuse in all forms across the world, we commemorate this day in your honour.



This is somet1hing Vodafone has done over the past several years through its working relationship with the Ark Foundation. In 2020 during the pandemic, a time we experienced a global rise in domestic abuse, Vodafone Ghana staff and the Vodafone Ghana Foundation banded together to show our support for the shelter through a donation of One Hundred and Twenty Thousand cedis (GHS120,000). Today I am very honoured that we are continuing to strengthen this partnership through this activity, she said.



According to the Head of Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Rev. Amaris Nana Perbi, kids of the mothers of domestic violence will be taken through the Instant School platform to ensure they have quality education.



He assured of Vodafone Ghana foundations support to the Ark foundation to enable it to function properly and serve more survivors.



The South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Ms Grace Jeanette Mason, advised women to get out of abusive relationships.



To women that stay in abusive relationships, I would say to them that don't allow yourself to be abused. And for whatever reasons, if you find yourself in relationships for love or for whatever reasons, you need to stand up for yourself. Don't allow yourself to be abused. Moreover, don't let your body be abused because your body is it's God's temple. Also, those men that are abusive, can you be confident enough and deal with your insecurities and low self-esteem, she said.



Earlier, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr Angelina Dwamena-Aboagye called on Ghanaians to support victims of domestic violence.



The Ark Foundation offers to vulnerable, distressed and abused persons, in particular women and children, compassionate care and empowering spaces to live without fear of violence or oppression from others and to find strength, dignity and hope for life.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The fourth edition of Economic Forum Brazil and Arab Countries will be organised by Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) at Sao Paulo on July 4, 2022.

The biennial event, which has established itself as the main gathering place for discussions between Arabs and Brazilians, holds further significance as it coincides with the 70th anniversary celebrations of the ABCC.

The forum, which is expected to attract officials from Brazil and Arab countries as well as businesspersons and decision makers, will be held at Hotel Renaissance in Sao Paulo. The event will also be streamed online giving an opportunity to people in Brazil and Arab countries to participate virtually in the forum. Focusing on legacy and innovation, the forum will celebrate the history and transformation of the ABCC, which has remained steadfast in its commitment to improve Arab-Brazilian relations.

Transformative milestones

During the event, a panel discussion titled A World in Constant Transformation, will highlight the transformative milestones of the international landscape and their impacts on the business. Themed Economic Integration and Investments for Competitiveness, the second panel discussion will feature renowned experts who will share their vision on opportunities to intensify trade integration and diversification among the countries.

The third panel discussion titled Corporate Governance in International Operations, will highlight the importance of adoption of ESG by companies in the international business scenario as they generate interest from investors and meet the demands of international consumers who increasingly demand a sustainable and transparent posture on behalf of companies. Titled Connections that Transform the World, the fourth panel discussion will highlight different issues - including the Arab government programs aimed at boosting the innovation ecosystems, the Brazilian ecosystems, and opportunities for going international in the Arab countries.

The panel will also present successful cases of Brazilian and Arab companies, such as startups, marketplaces, and others. Metaverse and its role in digital and physical media and the blockchain potential to solve security-related challenges and value chain traceability will also be discussed.

Echo chamber

Terming the forum as an echo chamber of Brazil-Arab relations, Osmar Chohfi, ABCC president, said that this edition is special as it not only addresses the importance of innovation for the survival of companies, but also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Chamber.

Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the world to the realisation that innovation can help modernise economies. The ABCC has implemented the Ellos Platform which uses blockchain technology to take all Brazil-Arab trade transactions to the digital world.

Talking about the event, he said one of the most important goals of the forum is to raise awareness of authorities in Brazil and Arab countries on the relevance of the trade between these two regions. Through this forum, we also intend to bring businesses from Brazil and the Arab world closer, identifying business opportunities and promoting the relevance of this relation to a wider audience," he added.

Besides debates, the forum will provide an opportunity for the attendees to build their network. The Hotel Renaissance will feature a lounge for exhibiting brands and companies. The online platform will also showcase diverse digital content, complementing the in-person attractions.

In 2020, the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries was held virtually due to Covid-19 pandemic induced restrictions. Over 10,000 people from 61 countries, including relevant Brazilian and Arab leaders, participated in the event.-- TradeArabia News Service
The West Africa Center for Counter Extremism has warned that Ghana is more exposed to terrorism than has been acknowledged.



In a statement titled The Threat of Violent Extremism to the Coastal States, Ghanas Exposure to Violent Extremism, the centre highlighted that Ghanas proximity to Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, and Ivory Coast, which have been targets of recent attacks, exposes the country to extremist recruitment or similar attacks.



The centre also pointed to the unending Bawku chieftaincy conflict, the ethnic tensions in Northern Ghana and the unresolved challenge of Western Togoland separatists in the Eastern border regions as factors that also amplify risks.



Meanwhile, the centre has advised that addressing grievances and mobilising local community support and goodwill to build the social and economic infrastructure is required to build resilience against these threats of extremism.





Source: class fm









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Ace Nigerian BBC broadcaster, Peter Okwoche, has expressed admiration for Ghanaian presidents whom he has described as widely intelligent.



Regardless he says, he has a responsibility of raising concerns and questions as and when they arise to ensure accountability in the various governments.



According to him, he does this through the questions he asks African presidents anytime there is an opportunity for him to interview them.



The ace broadcaster who is known for his interview that got former President, Mahama to ask the question, as a human being or as a president after being asked whether or not he has ever received a bribe.



He also recently, in an April 4, 2022 interview asked President Akufo-Addo some questions that appeared to have gotten him on edge and somewhat confrontational.



Speaking on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show on Friday, May 6, 2022, the ace broadcaster professed his love and respect for Ghanaian Presidents.



I dont put too much on reactions. My job is to hold all the presidents across the continent accountable. I have a lot of respect for Ghanaian presidents. They are very capable and widely intelligent men but it is my job to hold governments to account, and that is all I try to do, Peter Okwoche said.



Peter Okwoche entreated African leaders to learn from their past and better themselves, as well as, avoid the repetition of those mistakes.



Peter is well-known across Africa for asking tough questions that sometimes gets African leaders in uncomfortable positions.



He has interviewed all of Ghanas Presidents under the Fourth Republic with the exception of late President Rawlings.













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The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Savannah Regional Chairman, Alhaji Sulemana Iddrisu Alias Professor Kalamonia has declared his intention to seek reelection promising to ensure absolute victory for the party at the 2024 general elections.



His decision to seek re-election in the upcoming regional elections is because it was evident that he had fulfilled his promise to win some Parliamentary seats for the NPP at the last polls.



In a statement, he admitted that the 2024 elections will be an arduous task, for which reason he should be retained to accomplish his unfinished agenda.



He stressed that his utmost objective and responsibility is to lead the NPP to convincingly Break the 8 years electoral cycle.



According to Alhaji Sulemana Iddrisu, he was a new entrant into the 2020 general elections as Regional Chairman but succeeded in breaking down the NDCs monopoly of Gonjaland at previous elections.



He attributed the 2020 victory to the hard work of NPP leadership at all levels and commended government appointees in the region for their unflinching support.



Upon assumption of office as Regional Chairman, within one and half years, we went to elections and came out with three solid seats. This was as a result of the leadership we provided with the support of you my respected Constituency Executives, Government Appointees and the grassroots of our party in the region.



All of us worked very hard to change the narrative in a region that our President and then flag-bearer, Nana Addo Dankuah Akuffo-Addo, described as a Lion Den not just because it was considered as NDC strong hold, but the constituency of the NDC flag-bearer.



He added that, The result of my leadership and hard work is that, our party garnered 80,605 votes out of a total of 229,085, representing 35.19% of the valid votes cast. As that was not enough, we increased our Parliamentary seats from one (1) to three (3). This is, indeed, unprecedented in the history of our party in the region.



It is an undeniable fact that my region is one and only one region that went beyond the expectations of many in our party. At various fora before the elections, this region was targeted below our current status by the National Party. But we worked against all odds to achieve our current feat.



Flashback



From 2008 to the 2016 general elections, the NPP performed abysmally in Gonjaland and Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemanas administration changed the dynamics in 2020.



Without winning a single Parliamentary seat in 2012, the NPP secured 54, 425 votes out of a total of 157,694 in the Presidential election, which represented 33% of the total votes cast.



Then, in the 2016 Presidential election, the NPP garnered 55,485 votes out of a total of 166,303 valid votes cast and managed to win only the Salaga South Constituency.



In 2020, the party's Regional team, led by Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana alias Professor Kalamonia snatched three traditional Parliamentary seats from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



In addition to winning the Damongo, Daboya/Mankarigu and Salaga North East Parliamentary seats, the NPP appreciated in Presidential votes.



Winning three Parliamentary seats in the Savannah Region undoubtedly contributed to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP's) narrow escape from electoral defeat at the 2020 general elections.



Based on his team's stellar performance at the 2020 polls, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana is seeking reelection to consolidate the NPPs electoral fortunes in the region.



Profile



In 2019, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana alias Professor Kalamonia was overwhelmingly elected at the Regional Delegates Conference and secured a resounding victory of 70.4% of the total valid votes cast.



He is a business tycoon and the first ever Regional Chairman of the newly created Savannah Region.



He operates the largest photo studio in Northern Ghana, and he is also into commercial transport business.



He is a native of Daboya, capital of the North Gonja district. His political journey started during his secondary school days.

Source: King Saha Abdullah, Contributor









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Communications Officer for the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has described former presiding Methodist Bishop of the Obuasi Diocese, the Very Rev. Bosomtwe Ayensu as a "vile, unintelligent NPP propagandist parading in cassock".



To him, Rev Ayensu does not set a good example as a member of a distinguished group of people; the clergy.



He pointed out that whereas most members of the clergy are circumspect in their choice of words, especially on political matters, the Methodist bishop's conduct is a far cry from such notable persons.



Backward Attempt To Sway Voters



The man of God recently questioned ex-President Mahamas decision to repeal the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) should he assume office as president of the republic in 2025.



Bishop Ayensu described the pronouncement by the NDC flagbearer as backward and an attempt to sway voters.



A leading opposition party says this government has been borrowing to fund projects. But it [the government] has been strategic this time to introduce this homegrown policy to build our nation. So if someone says he will repeal this law when he wins power then such a person will not even win power to abort it.



If the E-levy is a good policy why will you abolish it? Such people cant even do it because history keeps guiding us. Such comments usually end up as a political talk and deceit, he added.



No Rational Man of God....



But speaking on Okay Fm's Ade Akye Abia programme, Sammy Gyamfi accused the Methodist bishop of using his pulpit to engage in partisan politics instead of disseminating the word of God.



He further stressed that offering dissenting opinion to someone's view should not culminate in raining of insults, particularly from "rational man of God".



"He is a vile, unintelligent NPP propagandist parading in cassock...no rational man of God will do this.....



"John Dramani Mahama has registered his displeasure for a government policy which he feels is very unpopular even among some NPP members and if you think otherwise, you can state your claim without subjecting him (Mahama) to public ridicule and hatred.



"The NDC as a responsible opposition has every right to state our position if we feel certain policies of the government will unnecessarily burden Ghanaians and also provide alternative solution to that. If you think or feel otherwise, you can equally comment without attacking or making disparaging comments about the person of the former president HE John Dramani Mahama," Sammy Gyamfi fumed.



The NDC National Communications Officer thus called on Methodist Church Ghana to "boldly come out and dissociate themselves from the comments of this Methodist bishop turned NPP Communicator."



Watch Video Below





Former president Mr. John Dramani Mahama addressing the nation on the theme Ghana at the crossroads has said the E-levy is only a distortionary and burdensome tax that only forces Ghanaians to pay more while suffering.Unfortunately in the face of this self-inflicted economic catastrophe, this government against all sound advise has decided to introduce the E-Levy that heaps more suffering on Ghanaians, Mr. Mahama said.A new national democratic congress government, God willing, with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana, in 2025 will repeal the E-Levy act, he added.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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THE SUPREME Court has ordered that all double salary Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers should be served by way of substituted service after swerving service of the writ of summons issued against them.



Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, also known as Abronye DC, filed a suit against the former ministers including Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, challenging the payment of their salaries to them between 2009 and 2016 when they doubled as MPs and ministers or deputy ministers.



The court gave the order after the lawyer for Abronye DC, Seth Gyapong Oware, informed the court that the affected MPs and former government appointees are evading service of court processes.



Subsequently, the court directed that the processes should be posted on the notice boards of Parliament, Supreme Court and the Law Court Complex.



It also directed further publication in the Daily Graphic and Daily Guide newspapers within 14 days.



The defendants are Haruna Iddrisu, Alhassan Azong, Fifi Fiave Kwetey, Eric Opoku, Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Mark Owen Woyongo, Comfort Doyoe, Cudjoe Ghansah and Aquinas Tawiah Quansah.



The rest are the Controller and Accountant General and the Attorney General.



It is the case of Abronye DC that the affected MPs and former government appointees who received double salaries as MPs and ministers or deputy ministers is inconsistent with the constitution.



He contends that per Article 98 of the Constitution, the practice is unconstitutional, null and void.



He is, therefore, praying the Supreme Court to declare the payment as a violation of the constitution and an order to compel the MPs to refund the double salaries paid to them.



Abronye wants the Supreme Court to compel the former ministers/deputy ministers who served under the Mills-Mahama administrations, who were also elected MPs between 2009 and 2016, to pay back to the Republic, all double salaries received within the period.



The presiding judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, while granting the application, said good and substantial reasons have been urged for the grant of the application.









Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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NDC MP For Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor says Ghanaians are now fed-up with the Nana Addo-led NPP government.



He claimed the Nana Addo administration has lost focus and must be kicked out of office in the next election.



Mr Jinapor assured Ghanaians of his partys plans to change things and make living a better one for all.



He told NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie' in an interview that, the excessive tax levies imposed on Ghanaians by the incumbent are unreasonable.



We know their time is up, he noted.



The NDC lawmaker was discussing recent issues in Ghana, mainly the commencement of the controversial E-levy and current power fluctuation across the country.



To him, Its an indication that they [NPP] will leave power.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghanaian actor, politician, and farmer, John Dumelo has listed reasons for the high prices of tomatoes in Ghana.



John Dumelo explained in a post sighted on Twitter.



According to his first reason, Ghana import tomatoes from a neighboring country, Burkina Faso as the country (Burkina Faso) determine prices for Ghana.



Also, it is risky to drive into Burkina Faso because of highway robbers. John Dumelo added that the exchange rate of CFA to Ghanas cedi is another factor.



Suggesting a solution, John Dumelo said Ghana should grow its own tomatoes using an irrigation system from September through to April every year.



He writes;



High prices of tomatoes, Reasons: We buy from Burkina and they determine prices for us. 2. Its risky driving into Burkina because of highway robbers. 3. Exchange rate CFA- Cedi. Solution: Grow our own tomatoes using irrigation from Sept through to April each year. Thanks

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Nine year old Zoriana greets her sister, Sofiia, as her and their mother, Natalia, arrive from Ukraine in St. John's, Monday, May 9, 2022. Newfoundland and Labrador received its first plane load of refugees from Ukraine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Locke
BEIJING, May 10 -- According to a notice released by China's Qinglan Maritime Safety Administration on May 6, military training exercises will be conducted in waters of the South China Sea every day from 1:00 am to 3:00 am, from May 10 to 13, 2022, Beijing time.

HN52/22 SOUTH CHINA SEA. MILITARY TRAINING IN AREA WITHIN 6 MILES RADIUS OF 19-37.12N/110-57.32E 1700 UTC TO 1900 UTC DAILY FROM 9 TO 12 MAY. ENTERING PROHIBITED. HAINAN M.S.A.CHINA.

The picture shows a screenshot of the notice on the website of China's Maritime Safety Administration on May 6, 2022.
DMCC, a key flagship free zone in Dubai, has signed an agreement with Dakia U Ventures (UVentures), to co-develop a trade hub and free zone at Cartagena de Indias in Colombia.

As per the MoU, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will be developed and operated in direct collaboration with federal and national government entities of Colombia.

UVentures is an international investment holding company specialised in designing, financing, developing, and operating international macro-scale projects.

The free-trade designated territory will be a common law district based on English common law, which will create an international business platform with unique benefits such as balanced arbitration facilities, incorporated country risk insurance, global trade networks, and access to capital.

Once established, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will become Latin Americas first Common Law District Arbitration Centre.

As per the deal, DMCC and the Cartagena International Commerce Zone aim to offer their member companies passporting rights between the two free zones, which will enhance bilateral trade opportunities and provide greater access to global markets.

The project was officially announced by the President of the Senate of Colombia, Juan Diego Gomez Jimenez, at the FORO#23 forum held in Miami, US, in the presence of the Colombian Vice-Ministers of Commerce, Tourism, Justice and Law; the mayor of Cartagena; Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC; and representatives from UVentures.

On the partnership, DMCC Executive Chairman and CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: "This will shape the future of trade by creating a new virtual and physical trading corridor between Colombia and Dubai, while supporting the national strategic objectives of Colombia and unlocking its enormous growth opportunities."

"DMCCs regulatory trade environment and free zone model shaped over 20 years is the blueprint for global market connectivity and growth. This blueprint will be instrumental as we partner to develop a new world leading free zone that drives FDI between two extremely dynamic markets, while providing transformational trade opportunities for the broader Central and South Americas through Dubai," he added.

UVentures CEo Xavier Adsera said: "We are thrilled to embark on this endeavour with DMCC, the Colombia Sovereign Authorities, and our ecosystem of institutional partners. This remarkable project has all the elements to be a worldwide success, posing a historical opportunity for the country to expand its international presence, and for Latin America to develop a leading financial & commercial hub referent amongst global capital markets."

According to him, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will be modelled on DMCC, which is the worlds leading and fastest growing free zone.

As a result of this project, Colombia is expected to significantly improve its standard credit ratings and attract foreign direct investments, creating business opportunities at a national and international level, he added.
An Ontario Provincial Police logo is shown during a news conference in Barrie, Ont., on April 3, 2019. A British Columbia flight instructor alleges the pilot of a plane that crashed in northern Ontario with two wanted men on board had been advertising flight tours on a plane that wasn't registered for commercial use. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Bahrain's oil and gas holding company nogaholding has successfully refinanced its $1.6 billion Murabaha facility and upsized it to $2.2 billion.

The new facility was structured as a dual-tranche (conventional and Islamic) sustainability-linked loan based on a Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), with a maturity date of September 2026.

Announcing the upsizing move, nogaholding said this was the companys first sustainability-linked corporate financing facility, utilizing sustainability KPIs related to Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction as well as safety measures, including Lost-Time Injury frequency rate.

This first-of-its-kind facility for nogaholding paves the way for sustainable funding in Bahrain, promoting ethical ESG-driven transactions within the energy sector and the region.

The top energy company received strong participation from regional banks across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and South Asia. The facility was more than two times oversubscribed, with participation from 22 banks, making it the largest sustainability-linked loan facility in Bahrain and the region.

Gulf International Bank (GIB) and Mashreqbank psc (Mashreq) together acted as the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners (IMLABs) for arranging the Facility, along with being the Sustainability Coordinators.

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait  DIFC Branch, GIB, and Mashreq together acted as Joint Coordinators, the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers, and Underwriters for the transaction. GIB was also appointed as the Sole Structuring Bank and the Global Facility Agent.

Commenting on the success, nogaholding Group CEO Mark Thomas said: "As we continue to develop our energy strategy for Bahrain, we are proud to have set the benchmark as the largest sustainability-linked refinance in the history of the kingdom, and to set a precedent with our dual-tranche sustainability-linked facility."

"We are pleased with the support we have received from banks across the region. With more than two times oversubscription, the participation of several financial institutions highlights our strong credit," noted Thomas.

"The refinanced facility will allow nogaholding to cover its CAPEX program for 2022 aimed at increasing scale and diversification of its oil and gas assets and achieving goals that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030," he added.

On the strong participation, Gulf International Bank CEO Jamal Al Kishi said: "We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with nogaholding on this landmark transaction. The strong participation from investors was a testament to their confidence in both the company and the Bahraini economy."

"At the heart of the successful closure of this transaction was nogaholdings commitment to Bahrains sustainability drive. GIB is particularly honored to have partnered with nogaholding on this sustainability-based funding initiative," noted Al Kishi.

Mashreq Group CEO Ahmed Abdelaal said: "As a leading regional financial institution with a global presence, Mashreq is keen to continue to play an active role in supporting Bahrain as well as the sustainable development of the regions energy sector."

"We are therefore proud to have supported nogaholding as one of the joint coordinators, joint book runners, joint sustainability coordinators, and initial mandated lead arrangers in successfully refinancing its $1.6 bn Murabaha facility and upsizing it to $2.2 billion," stated Abdelaal.

The loan underscores nogaholding's commitment for action in the broader framework of decarbonization and energy transition. This transaction also underscores the growing commitment from regional investors and financial institutions to fund sustainability-linked transactions.

"We believe that collaboration between financial institutions, governments and energy stakeholders is key to meeting the financing challenges for the energy transition in the region. nogaholding can play a significant role in supporting Bahrains diversification efforts as it looks to shifts towards cleaner sources of energy. We look forward to deepening our relationship with the nogaholding and working with it on its future strategic funding requirements," he added.

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (DIFC Branch) Senior Executive Officer Tom Lind said: "The successful conclusion of this transaction, which was well received in the regional loan markets, emphasizes the importance and stature of nogaholding as a prime issuer in the Middle East and also underscores the capabilities of regional banks to engage in sustainable financing solutions."

"We thank the transaction team of nogaholding and our colleagues at GIB and Mashreq Bank for their good cooperation," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
On May 7, Azerbaijan denied Russias claim that it hosts foreign-financed labs to research biological weapons, a propaganda claim that Russia has also aimed at Ukraine.

Azerbaijans State Security Service (SSB) said flatly that such laboratories have never operated in the country. The SSB statement came after Russia claimed it could face biological threats from lab leaks in countries on its southern borders.

On April 27, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of Russias Security Council, said:

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States and its satellites deployed a network of bio-laboratories in the space of the former Soviet republics  in Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia, where, under the guise of scientific research, they conduct military-biological activities.

That is false.

Moscow has been making similar bogus claims for years and used the same false narrative to help defend its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin conflates bioweapons labs with legitimate biological research into infectious diseases and other public health threats.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev was the first post-Soviet leader to take a neutral stance on Russias war in Ukraine. Azerbaijan, along with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, have been delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and Azerbaijan has also been sending fuel assistance to Ukrainian farmers to help keep Ukraine's agricultural sector from collapsing.

Azerbaijan is one the countries that might help Europe over its dependency on Russian gas. On May 9, Azerbaijans Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov stated at World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE, that his country is planning to boost its exports to southern European countries and is already working to improve its infrastructure to increase natural gas supplies to Europe.

On May 4, the EU proposed to ban imports of Russian oil and is looking to ban Russian gas imports, which might impose a more challenging step. Europe imported more than 41 percent of gas from Russia in 2019.

In a claim Polygraph.info debunked previously, Russias Defense Ministry suggested that the U.S. financed laboratories in Ukraine to make bioagents targeting specific ethnic groups. These labs purportedly were testing anthrax and African swine fever; labs in Ukraine and Georgia had done experiments on bats as carriers of coronavirus, the conspiracy claims said.

Moscow claimed to have Ukrainian documents as proof, and Russias RIA Novosti state news agency published supposed evidence that didnt check out.

The Intercept vetted Moscows proof, reporting that 10 Russian biologists had taken risk of publicly calling out Russian authorities for lying about the documents, which only concerned ordinary pathogens and public health research.

One of the biologists, Yevgeny Levitin, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the bacterial samples cited as evidence of bioweapons research could be found in any public health lab.

Here comes a man, a swab is taken from his throat, specialists do a culture and see what bad things develop there, Levitin said. The strains grown in the dish need to be compared with something. Therefore, there are samples in any normal laboratory that deals with epidemiology or even just microbiology.

In order to store such strains, you do not even need a special permit, he said. These pathogens are not the subject of specially registered storage. You just need to fill out a special form confirming that they exist. Its common practice.

In March, The Washington Post dated this line of Russian disinformation to the Soviet period. It picked up again after Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power in 1999. The newspaper said the intent was to distract the Russian public from Moscows own biological programs.

In March, U.S. State Department official Victoria Nuland told a Senate hearing there were concerns that Russian troops might try to take control of biological research facilities in Ukraine.

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. created the Biological Threat Reduction Program for the purpose of detecting and reducing threats, not spreading them, mainly in the former Soviet states where bio-weapons and chemical weapons had been produced and stockpiled.

In March, the U.S. Defense Department issued a report on its Biological Threat Reduction program in Ukraine. That effort, the agency pointedly noted, has long had the goal of finding ways to eliminate or lessen the biological threats.

Ukraine uses the laboratory improvements provided by the United States and other partners to support broader public and veterinary health goals, such as monitoring the spread of COVID-19, preparing for and controlling African Swine Fever, which helped Ukrainian farmers protect their herds from infectious diseases, and protecting the food supply in Ukraine, the department says.

Polygraph.info and other fact checkers have debunked similar false claims of bioweapons development at the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, Georgia. Those false claims were fueled by far-right pro-Kremlin groups as well as Moscow.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, the Defense Threat Reduction Office (DTRO)  BAKU is responsible for all Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)-related activities in Azerbaijan to include nuclear and biological counter proliferation programs; arms control inspections, training and exercises.

On May 9, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price called allegations of Pentagon-sponsored secret weapons labs in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan lies.
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The backlog of container ships anchored off South Carolina's coast waiting for berth space at the Port of Charleston has nearly been eliminated, with the State Ports Authority taking several steps over the past two months to clear unprecedented cargo logjams at the port's terminals.

The maritime agency that owns and operates Charleston's port has "made significant progress on the queue," said SPA spokeswoman Liz Crumley, with just two anchored vessels at the end of the day on May 9. That's down from 28 anchored vessels on March 21  the highest number along the East Coast at the time.

"Our incredibly dedicated team and the entire maritime community has worked tirelessly to handle consistent record cargo volumes," Barbara Melvin, the SPA's chief operations officer, said in a written statement. "They have implemented operational changes in real time to respond to the ongoing supply chain challenges. This has enabled us to make progress on our backlog in an effort to keep our supply chain fluid."

Charleston's port has been overrun by imported goods  the result of a consumer buying binge during the pandemic that's led to 13 consecutive months of record cargo levels.

"Our terminals continue to see a record number of containers, particularly imports and empties, though we are seeing continuous improvement with the measures we are implementing," Crumley said.

That includes adding Sunday gate hours that have helped as many as 1,000 more truckers on some weekends move freight. Those extra hours will remain in effect through at least June. The SPA also has hired 150 people in recent months to boost its operations staff, adding more people to move containers and keep equipment working properly.

Priority has been given to those ships taking out more cargo than they are bringing in, and the SPA set aside one berth at its Wando Welch Terminal for vessels that have relatively few containers to move compared to the big ships dropping off and taking on thousands of boxes at a time. Those bigger ships have been using the terminal's other two berths.

Some cargo containers have been stored at previously unused space at the new Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston. And the SPA is leasing hundreds of new chassis it's purchased to trucking firms and shipping customers  a practice that helps move more containers off the terminals and relieves pressure on the regular chassis pool most truckers use when visiting the port. Ultimately, the new chassis will be part of a revamped chassis pool the SPA will operate starting next year.

The number of loaded import containers moving through the port is up 25 percent since the fiscal year started in July, and the amount of all cargo has jumped by 15 percent year-over-year through March. Jim Newsome, the SPA's president and CEO, said he doesn't see any slowdown until at least this fall, especially with uncertainty over labor talks at West Coast ports that begin May 10.

"We anticipate volumes remaining strong through the end of summer, boosted by record U.S. consumer imports and the diversion of cargo from the West Coast," Newsome said, adding Charleston's port "remains focused on deploying responsive, creative solutions to return terminal and berth fluidity to normalcy for our customers amid great supply chain challenges."
The New York Academy of Sciences and Ericsson have partnered in a two-year program to provide two hundred students in Oman an opportunity to collaborate on a global Internet of Things (IoT) STEM Innovation Challenge.



The New York Academy of Sciences and Ericsson have partnered in a two-year program to provide two hundred students in Oman an opportunity to collaborate on a global Internet of Things (IoT) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Innovation Challenge.



Through the Academys Launchpad platform, teams of up to six students aged 13 to 17 are paired with a mentor who is a STEM professional, graduate student, or post-doctoral fellow. In the Fall Challenge, the teams designed smart homes that integrate technology to collect, process, and store environmental and health information. The data is to be used to promote the sustainable use of energy as well as the physical and mental health of the homes residents.



With Ericssons support, 100 Omani students participate in the program each year through the Omani Ministry of Educations Center of Excellence. This past semester, teams from around Oman took on some big ideas to integrate IoT technology in homes.



Some teams used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve Wi-Fi performance or IoT to improve quality of life for people with mobility challenges. One team investigated how Virtual Reality (VR) can improve interactions with smart devices while another incentivized the use of smart devices to save families money.



We are pleased to work closely with Ericsson and the New York Academy of Sciences Junior Academy, said Huda Al Dughaishi, Innovation Specialist at the Ministry of Education in Oman.



This program will help turn our passionate students into problem solvers as they design innovative solutions for smart houses and other global challenges. We are confident students will gain through self-learning. They will deepen their subject knowledge and strengthen their ability to take action to solve real-world problems in Oman.



We are happy to be partnering with Omans Ministry of Education and Ericsson to help students in Oman develop global STEM skills, said Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO of the Academy. This Internet of Things Smart Homes Challenge is just one way in which the Academys Global STEM Alliance builds bridges between students around the world. We welcome the Omani students as they join our network of 20,000 young people in 100 countries.



The latest IoT competition deepens the knowledge of young Omanis about smart homes. said Abdullah Al Balushi, Country Manager of Ericsson Oman. The talent and calibre of the students that we have witnessed is very impressive and we believe our joint efforts with the Junior Academy program is successful at honing the skills of the students for the technological future.



Students participate in these Innovation Challenges through the New York Academy of Sciences Junior Academy program. The Junior Academy is currently accepting applications, through June 30. A second cohort of students from Oman will be entering the program.  TradeArabia News Service
A downtown Charleston restaurant and raw bar will pay $624,017 to employees who were forced to take part in what the U.S. Department of Labor is calling an illegal tip pool that violated wage laws.

The owners of 167 Raw "shortchanged 92 workers" who were forced to share their tips with other restaurant employees, the U.S. Department of Labor said on May 9.

The setup was illegal, labor officials said, because the restaurant's owners claimed a credit that let them pay tipped workers $2.13 an hour, with the understanding that added tips would bring the pay to at least the $7.25-an-hour minimum wage. However, once the tips were taken from waitstaff to be shared with others, the tip credit was invalidated. At that point, the restaurant was legally required to pay the higher hourly rate.

Jesse Sandole, owner of 167 Raw, said the restaurant's servers never made below minimum wage even with the tip pool, but once the tip credit was invalidated the restaurant had to pay the $7.25 an hour federal minimum.

"Restaurant industry employers must know and comply with federal requirements to claim the tip credit," Jamie Benefiel, director of the labor department's wage and hour division in Columbia, said in a written statement.

Sandole said in a statement the restaurant at 193 King St. consulted with counsel before the tip pool was established and was told it was legal. Months later, the Labor Department started an investigation "and determined that while we had not intentionally violated any regulation, we had instead relied upon incorrect legal advice."

Sandole said the restaurant cooperated with the investigation and has put new procedures in place that comply with federal law.

"It is important to note that the owners of 167 Raw King Street LLC never shared in or participated in the former tip pool," according to the statement.

Benefiel said tip pool violations "are common in the restaurant industry, and they can quickly add up to costly consequences."

Investigators with the Labor Department filed more than 4,000 cases nationally in fiscal 2021, recovered roughly $34.7 million for more than 29,000 workers in the food-service industry.

South Carolina restaurant workers who've been forced to take part in tip pools have also filed lawsuits against their employers seeking back pay. In North Myrtle Beach workers are suing the owners of seafood restaurant LuLu's for withholding tips that were then shared with managers and others.

In 2020, Hall's Southern Kitchen agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a class action lawsuit filed by employees at High Cotton in Charleston, and Hyman's Seafood restaurant on the peninsula settled tip pool claims for $1 million in 2016.

"As food service industry employers struggle to find people to fill the jobs needed to remain competitive, they must take into account that retaining and recruiting workers is more difficult when employers fail to respect workers rights and pay them their full wages," Benefiel said.

Sandole, a College of Charleston graduate, opened 167 Raw in 2014 as an extension of his familys seafood market at 167 Hummock Pond Road in Nantucket, Mass. It relocated from 289 East Bay Street downtown to its current King Street location in 2020.
Boeing Co. has logged new orders for its troubled 787 Dreamliner, snapping an eight-month drought for the North Charleston-based aircraft program.

German airline operator Lufthansa Group AG has committed to buy seven 787-9 models, adding onto previous deals and increasing its firm bookings for the South Carolina-made long-range jet to 32.

The German carrier also said it will buy cargo aircraft, including seven of the new 777-8 freighters that Boeing launched in January.

"The continuous modernization of Lufthansa Group's long-haul fleet is one of our top priorities," executive board member Detlef Kayser said in a May 9 written statement.

Lufthansa was one of just two identified customers to announce Dreamliner deals last year, when it booked five orders. Tanzania Air accounted for another in July.

Demand for the Dreamliner has lagged for two reasons since early 2020: the pandemic-induced air-travel slowdown and a federally mandated delivery halt over 787 manufacturing flaws that workers are still trying to fix.

By the numbers Boeing orders and delivers for January through April 2022: Total ordered: 213 January: 77 February: 37 March: 53 April: 46

Total delivered: 130 January: 32 February: 22 March: 41 April: 35

Source: Boeing Co.

Boeing hasn't been allowed to turn over a newly-built 787 to a customer in nearly a year.

Just 21 Dreamliners were ordered for all of 2021, mostly for buyers that weren't identified. Until this week, no commitments had been announced since August.

The Lufthansa order will be reflected in Boeing's May tally to be released next month.

For April, the planemaker recorded a total of 46 new orders across all programs, including 29 737 Max passenger jets for an undisclosed buyer. The Ireland-based aircraft leasing company AerCap canceled two orders for the 787-10, the largest of the three Dreamliner variants.

Total Boeing aircraft deliveries dropped by six from March to April, to 35.

Boeing's 787 handovers have been stopped since May 2021. The nearly yearlong pause has substantially slowed production at the Dreamliner assembly line in North Charleston.

The planemaker said last month that it had submitted a plan for resuming 787 deliveries for review by the Federal Aviation Administration. Boeing and the safety agency have declined to comment about the timeline.

Air Lease Corp. CEO John Plueger said last week that he did not expect "delivery resumption in the near term" for the 787 program and predicted that "only one" of Air Lease's contractual 2022 deliveries will occur this year.

Boeing reported 479 unfilled Dreamliner orders as of April 30. It also has more than 100 completed 787s that are either being reworked or awaiting delivery.
A rapper and producer from the Charleston area is featured on Snoop Dogg's latest NFT music drop, a mix called "Death Row Sessions: Vol. 2" that was released on April 20.

Dave Curry  the producer behind collaborative compilation "Amethyst" that presented songs by more than 40 South Carolina rappers and was released on Juneteenth 2020  made 1 percent of NFT sales from the project. (NFTs are non-fungible tokens, or unique assets stored on a digital ledger that cannot be replicated but can be sold or traded.)

That equates to 1 ETH, a type of digital currency or cryptocurrency. While the monetary value of cryptocurrency fluctuates, right now that means about $3,000.

The 40-minute mix that is a follow-up to Volume 1 includes music by Snoop Dogg, Curry and three other notable music creators in the crypto world  Heno, Iman Europe and MoRuf. Curry's song "Justice" plays around the 9-minute mark.

A total of 1,000 NFTs sold for 100 ETH.

Curry, who goes by "Black Dave," said he first connected with the founder of the website that the mix was released on, Sound (sound.xyz), and then the head of artist relations for the platform shared his music with Snoop Dogg's team.

Just like that, he was selected for the project.

"Wanted to show off some of the dope artists in the Web3 world and make sure their voice gets heard on my platform," tweeted Snoop Dogg after announcing the mix drop. "These cats pave the way 4 people like myself in this new wave."

Representatives from Sound also acknowledged what a game-changer it's been to have a name like Snoop Dogg on their platform.

"His first drop on Sound sold 1,000 editions in under 5 minutes and introduced hundreds of new collectors to the Sound community and helped build awareness for other Sound artists," the brand tweeted. "He's also championing Web3 artists that have pushed the space forward. ... Artists supporting artists."

Though he didn't get to talk to Snoop Dogg directly, Curry said he did message the star on Twitter about his mighty presence in the NFT world, which has been a personal inspiration. In February, Snoop Dogg sold $44 million worth of NFTs in just five days.

Curry himself has made quite a name in the NFT music space, though, following in the visual art footsteps of another local, Beeple, who racked up $69 million for one NFT in March of last year. Mike Winkelmann, who goes by Beeple, lives in the Hanahan area.

While presenting music locally reaches a limited audience, online, Curry can connect with millions of people in an instant. That comes with it's own requirements, like keeping up with fans through social media platforms.

"For this you have to go on the internet all the time," said Curry. "Its a lot, but its good. I think very few people recognized or cared about what I was doing locally, so I had to switch it up. This is a much better artist's life."

Curry has accumulated about $20,000 this year so far from NFT music sales, and just dropped an NFT album with another local rapper, Matt Monday, who is behind the annual Cultura Festival, which features performances by all Black local artists in The Royal American parking lot.

Beyond that, Curry has helped donate about $14,000 to Meeting Street Schools, whose minority student enrollment is 97 percent, as part of a locally based NFT foundation called The Kindred Hearts Project.

A fellow Charleston crypto innovator who goes by Johnny Utah started it with the intention of donating to organizations in need while also building a business. He bought into bitcoin at the right time and has been caught in the "crypto rabbit hole," as he puts it.

"I spent some time learning about why it makes sense, how people can build communities around NFTs and also at the time I was thinking about launching a crypto token really to focus on giving back," said Utah. "The main reason was because during COVID, well, it was pretty good to my family. We ate well, bought our kids computers, were healthy and overall life was pretty good. From that experience, I wanted to find ways to make a greater impact."

The Kindred Hearts Project's initial launch featured more than 50 artists, including Curry, who created pieces that include stamps that students at Meeting Street Schools made.

"We are a school who likes to innovate, likes to show our students there are limitless possibilities, likes to be forward-thinking and provide exposure to technology and encourage an entrepreneurial spirit," said Meeting Street Schools Director of Communications Jennifer Jordan. "Johnny's project was in line with those things, so we thought the partnership would be mutually beneficial."

So far, the NFTs have raised around $30,000 for Meeting Street Schools and a few other groups, like the Gbowee Peace Foundation.

Utah plans on guest speaking with students to explain more about the NFT world down the line. He's glad he snagged Curry for the project, and Curry said he's happy to give back where he can.

"Daves gotten to be a pretty big deal," said Utah. "I'm not sure if I could get to Dave now if I hadnt connected with him a year ago."

After this Snoop Dogg collaboration, Curry said he's not sure exactly what's next, but he's got plenty of ideas. Ideas, after all, are what fuel the NFT world.
What do your favorite restaurants have in common?

Ambiance, friendly service and, in all likelihood, that one dish you cant find anywhere else.

With food native to the area of Texas that borders Mexico, recently opened downtown Charleston restaurant Rancho Lewis has a menu chock-full of food thats new to the Lowcountry.

For owner John Lewis  the acclaimed pitmaster behind Lewis Barbecue  serving the food he grew up eating in El Paso, Texas, to Charleston diners goes far beyond the plate.

Lewis childhood home was a mile from Mexico, and neighboring New Mexico was about two doors down. While he launched his barbecue career in Austin, Lewis remained passionate about the Texas-Mexico border cuisine he grew up eating.

After bringing Texas barbecue to Charleston in June 2016 when Lewis Barbecue opened, Lewis shared border cuisine with Charleston at Juan Luis, a concept that first debuted in exploratory food court Workshop and later served enchiladas, breakfast tacos and more in a stucco-walled trailer parked outside Lewis Barbecue.

Rancho Lewis, located in that same Workshop space, is the full-circle, full expression of the El Paso-inspired concept.

Lets make it as bold as we can

New restaurants tend to feel sterile, but the convivial atmosphere inside Rancho Lewis was noticeable on April 22, less than a week after it opened April 16. Diners conversing at tables displayed a level of comfort one might expect to find at an established neighborhood haunt.

Credit for the ambiance goes to Lewis, fellow Texan and Rancho Lewis general manager Patty Arredondo, local design firm SDCO Partners and Betsy Berry of B. Berry Interiors, who was tasked with transforming the former food hall into a restaurant that represented West Texas.

We were like, Lets make it as bold as we can so people walk in and are just completely taken to another place,  said Berry, who designed Lewis Barbecue and Vintage Lounge but now focuses primarily on residential projects. I was kind of stumped on it for a while, and it just dawned on me to build structures within a structure. ... Then I knew I could create a warm space once I had those structures in place.

Installing pergolas to break up the once-cavernous space was Berrys first task. Her second was connecting the restaurant to Lewis hometown of El Paso.

During construction, Lewis would take trips to New Mexico and send Berry images that she used as inspiration for other elements, like custom tile lining the back of the bar, ceramic lights made locally by Fiorenzo Berardozzi at CBFB Tablescape and the ristras  dried chile peppers hanging from a string  that separate the entrance from the bar area.

John brought me a bunch of old books about the history of adobe homes, and in almost every image in that part of the country theres ristras hanging because theyre used for the cooking, Berry said. I thought that should strike you right when you walk in.

Displaying photographs of Lewis extended family was the final piece of the puzzle connecting Rancho Lewis to El Paso.

Subtle separations

The smell of fresh tortillas will hit your nose sporadically at Rancho Lewis, especially near the back, anchored by its very own tortilleria where fresh chips and corn tortillas are made. According to Lewis, Rancho Lewis is rolling through 300 pounds of dried corn for tortillas daily.

To make the corn tortillas and chips, Lewis starts by soaking corn for 24 hours. Its then boiled with lime, allowing the corn to lose its husk. After that, its drained, rinsed and run through a stone grinder before a giant mixing machine kneads the dough.

A cutter shapes the dough into chips and tortillas, at which point it goes into the tortilla machine. When theyre done, the tortillas are warmed on the flat top while the chips hit the fryer.

Corn and flour tortillas  made in-house using Panhandle Milling flour  show up throughout the menu, which features tacos, enchiladas, burritos and appetizers like chile con queso, guacamole and nachos.

The fajitas and mesquite-grilled proteins are perhaps where Rancho Lewis sets itself apart. Green and red chiles sourced from Hatch, N.M., and mesquite logs shipped to Charleston from Texas kiss quail or chicken with those Texas-Mexico border flavors Lewis holds close to his heart.

Take the mixed grill ($44), which arrives with a skillet full of mesquite grilled Manchester Farms quail, Tarvin Seafood shrimp and outside skirt steak thats marinated in a vacuum tumbler (a machine that helps chefs tenderize meat).

It marinates the meat in like 10 minutes instead of having to submerge it overnight, Lewis said.

Rings of red peppers, silky smooth onions and, of course, hatch green chiles are interwoven between the meat and fish. Each element stands out on its own, or you can throw everything together inside a corn or flour tortilla fajita-style.

Our goal is to make the best fajitas in the country, Lewis said.

Some of the selections at Rancho Lewis may look familiar, but the flavors are not. Minimalist preparations are elevated by chiles and adobo seasoning, while the Tex-Mex cuisine many believe is served throughout the entire state of Texas features more fully loaded forays into burritos, quesadillas and chimichangas. Tex-Mex restaurants favor black beans, while Rancho Lewis serves Morrow Farms pinto beans that are shipped from New Mexico.

Those beans find a home inside Rancho Lewis Christmas burrito ($18) thats filled with red chile-braised pork. The burrito is smothered in a colorful red and green chile sauce that lingers until the pork filling takes control. The burrito has cheese, but you can hardly tell its there.

Its these subtle separations from the food most associate with Texas that makes Rancho Lewis unique to the Charleston area.

Rancho Lewis is void of the pit-smoked meat served at Lewis Barbecue, except for one dish: Beef back ribs ($48.95). The full rack is cooked low and slow overnight in a vertical pit at Lewis Barbecue near the hot guts sign. The ribs are then transferred to Rancho Lewis where they are cooked on the grill to order and slathered in a barbecue sauce that isnt available at Lewis Barbecue, like the ribs themselves (Lewis serves short ribs on Saturdays).

Between Lewis Barbecue  which will soon have a second location in Greenville  and Rancho Lewis, John Lewis is a busy man.

But hes putting everything he has into his newly opened passion project.

If you stop by Rancho Lewis this week, you might be surprised to find Lewis himself running food out to tables throughout the restaurant. Its partially out of necessity, as the restaurant continues to search for front-of-house employees.

But even if he had a full staff, Lewis would likely be doing it anyway.

Departing Rancho Lewis, its hard to not feel excited about whats to come at the Pacific Box & Crate development at 1503 King St. Extension. To Ranchos right, Edmunds Oast Brewing Co. and the Co-Op frose outpost served a patio full of patrons. Closer to the parking lot, Sushi-Was sushi bar was filled with enthusiastic guests.

The space once thrived as Workshop. Rancho Lewis appears to be the final piece of the puzzle bringing the area back to life.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Cloudy with occasional showers for the afternoon. High around 70F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy with showers. Low 62F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy with a few showers. High 72F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 61F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
RAVENEL  The S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating after two late-night collisions left three people dead and four others injured, including several Charleston County sheriff's deputies.

Initial reports indicated sheriff's deputy Emily Pelletier was responding to a call around 11 p.m. May 8 when her patrol cruiser collided with a sedan on southbound Savannah Highway near New Road, sheriff's spokesman Andrew Knapp said.

Three people in the sedan were killed in the crash, Knapp said. The Charleston County coroner has yet to announce their identities.

Pelletier was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and released later in the day, he said.

The Highway Patrol shut down a portion of southbound Savannah Highway for several hours into the morning as its officers investigated the crash.

Around 2:30 a.m. May 9, two other deputies, Jonathon Rand and Joy DeSomber, were helping block traffic about a half-mile from the initial crash site in a cruiser with flashing blue lights. A vehicle traveling southbound on the highway failed to stop, striking the deputies' car, Knapp said.

First responders who were working at the first crash site responded to the second collision. They had to extricate Rand and DeSomber, who were both trapped in the cruiser, Knapp said.

The deputies were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, though they are not life threatening, Knapp said. The driver of the striking vehicle was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Savannah Highway reopened to traffic later in the morning.

Pelletier was placed on administrative leave while the sheriff's office internally investigates the collision, which Knapp said was standard protocol.

There have been about 26 crashes at Savannah Highway near New Road between 2016 and 2021, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

Fifteen people were injured in those crashes, though no one was killed, the department said.
RAVENEL  The Charleston County coroner identified three women who were killed May 8 when a deputys patrol cruiser collided with their sedan.

Stephania Dantzler, 53; Shanice Dantzler-Williams, 28; and Miranda Dantzler-Williams, 22, died around 11 p.m. from injuries suffered in the crash, Coroner Bobbi Jo ONeal said.

All three women were from Colleton County, where Shanice Dantzler-Williams worked for the government as an accounting manager.

Colleton County Administrator Kevin Griffin said May 10 they were "shocked and saddened" by the news of the young woman's death.

"Shanice was a wonderful young person and employee who had just been recently promoted," Griffin said. "Our prayers certainly go out to her friends and family. She will be missed greatly here at Colleton County."

Initial reports indicated Deputy Emily Pelletier was responding to a call just before 11 p.m. when her cruiser collided with the sedan on southbound Savannah Highway near New Road, said Andrew Knapp, spokesman for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

Pelletier was released from a hospital after being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, he said. The deputy was placed on administrative leave while the Sheriffs Office internally investigates the collision, which Knapp said was standard protocol.

Sheriff Kristin Graziano said the department's hearts were broken for the women killed in the crash.

A member of my executive staff, a chaplain and I have met with the family, and CCSO is continuing to offer support," Graziano said. "This is a tragic loss for our community. We are committed to reviewing our response policies to ensure we are doing our best to serve the public.

The S.C. Highway Patrol shut down a portion of Savannah Highway for several hours while investigating the crash. Around 2:30 a.m. May 9, two other Charleston County deputies were helping block traffic about a half-mile from the initial crash site in a cruiser with flashing blue lights.

A vehicle traveling southbound on the highway failed to stop, striking the deputies car, Knapp said. First responders who were working at the first crash site responded to the second collision. They extricated deputies Jonathon Rand and Joy DeSomber, who were both trapped in the cruiser, Knapp said.

The deputies and the civilian driver were taken to a hospital for treatment. DeSomber was treated and released, Knapp said, while Rand remained hospitalized in stable condition as of May 10.

The Highway Patrol is investigating both crashes.
Brenda Lauderback, chairwoman of Dennys Inc. and a longtime Charleston resident, was honored for her decades of civic engagement on May 9 with the Presidents Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award was created in 2003 by President George W. Bush to recognize people who, over many years, have volunteered more than 4,000 hours of service to communities across the country.

Lauderback has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards including Sleep Number, Wolverine Worldwide, Big Lots, Louisiana Pacific, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the South Carolina Aquarium and the Lowcountry Rice Culture Project. She is a member of Chums Inc., The Girlfriends Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and The Links Inc.

She has been involved in the Anson Street African Burial Ground Project and soon will join the board of the Gibbes Museum of Art, which hosted the tribute ceremony.

In 2018, Dennys donated $200,000 to the International African American Museum, and Lauderback and her husband, Boyd Wright, sweetened that contribution with a $75,000 gift of their own.

Recipients of the presidents volunteerism awards must be nominated by acknowledged certifying organizations, such as the Lowcountry Rice Culture Project, which arranged for Lauderbacks honor. In attendance was U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, Dennys CEO John Miller, artist and founder of the Rice Culture Project Jonathan Green and the projects executive director, Kim Cliett Long, who presented Lauderback with the award.

She brings corporate business acumen to civic participation, Long said.

Lauderback, 72, was born in Pittsburgh and spent her early career in retail, eventually becoming a senior manager at Dayton Hudson Department Store Co. In 1993 she moved to the United States Shoe Corp., then became a senior officer of Nine West Group, responsible for 10 brands.

All the while she devoted herself to volunteerism.

"We must always ask ourselves: 'Whos hand are we holding and who are we bringing up alongside of us?' " she said.

Long said the Presidents Volunteer Service Award, which is administered by AmeriCorps, is meant to reward and encourage civic participation.

Lauderbach, Long said, is a role model who many people will follow and pay attention to.

Her award came with a letter from President Joe Biden, a certificate and a medallion.

Numerous people in four categories  kids, teens, young adults and adults  receive the President's Volunteer Service Award and Lifetime Achievement Award each year in communities across the country.

Eligible service is defined as "unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others," including participation in national programs such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. Ineligible is most service of a religious nature, political lobbying and financial philanthropy.
COLUMBIA  Lowcountry congressional candidate Katie Arrington released her first television ads of the 2022 Republican primary with a pair of 15- and 30-second spots that lean heavily on her endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

The ads, released by the campaign May 10, paint a picture of Arrington as an independent voice in Congress in sharp contrast to her opponent, incumbent 1st District Rep. Nancy Mace, who is pictured alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as examples of politicians "only out to serve themselves."

The 30-second ad emphasizes campaign promises Arrington made to term-limit herself, reject congressional health care benefits (she will be covered by her husband's health insurance, she has said) and to donate her salary to charity.

Both ads focus heavily on her endorsement by the former president.

"Katie Arrington is a fighter for South Carolina," Trump says twice in a row in the 15-second spot in video from his February stump appearance in Florence.

Lowcountry spending

The advertisements will be backed by a "six-figure ad buy," according to a statement from her campaign, and air in the Charleston and Savannah media markets.

Advertising buys posted to the Federal Communications Commission website May 10 showed Arrington's campaign purchasing air time at several Charleston-area television stations running primarily in the early morning and ahead of prime time, typically during local news broadcasts.

The campaign did not respond to questions seeking specifics around how much money would be spent from the nearly $755,000 war chest Arrington reported at the start of April, which included more than a half-million dollars of her own money.

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The May 10 launch appears to be the first significant advertising expenditure by the campaign as the GOP primary enters its final month. FCC public documents show only a handful of recent expenditures this cycle, and just under $7,000 in advertising purchased on Facebook, according to advertising data published by the social media site's parent company, Meta.

Meanwhile, her main opponent, Mace, spent nearly half that amount in the first week of May, with a typical reach of 10,000 to 60,000 impressions per post, according to metadata. Most of the ads are focused on the people who endorsed her or are attacking Arrington, whom the campaign describes as "Crooked Katie" in one $1,500 ad spend.

Mace was on TV last week in a new ad featuring former Gov. Nikki Haley reiterating her support for the incumbent 1st District congresswoman.

Other candidates

Other candidates running in South Carolina have found success via other sources. In South Carolina's 7th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, has spent thousands in television and social media advertising to counter messaging from his principal opponent, the Trump-endorsed Russell Fry, who has focused his efforts on television and social media as the campaign seeks to push the race into a runoff.

Rice's most successful message wasn't his own: A video of him defending his vote to impeach Trump during a May 5 debate in Florence was picked up and promoted by the Republican Accountability Project, a political organization founded by longtime Republican commentator William Kristol that seeks to unseat Republicans who have defended the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.

The video has amassed more than 1 million views on Twitter.
Gulf Japan Food Fund (GJFF), an international private equity fund focused on the food and beverage industry, has invested in Oman Fisheries Co SAOG, one of the largest fisheries companies in Oman.

Through this transaction, GJFF, and backed by prominent Japanese institutions including Mizuho Bank and The Norinchukin Bank of Japan as well as sovereign investors in the GCC, and Mizuho Gulf Capital Partners (MGCP), GJFFs Investment Manager, will provide support and assistance on various initiatives to achieve the long-term success and growth of Oman Fisheries and enhance capability and expansion of Omans fisheries sector.

Hitoshi Sugawara, CEO & Co-CIO of Mizuho Gulf Capital Partners said: Through this investment, we continue to strengthen our footprint in Oman, which we believe exhibits high potential, in particular its fisheries sector. We look forward to working closely with Oman Fisheries board and management team in expanding to new markets and increasing customer base, in adding value to its products and in supporting the management to restart its commercial fishing operations, in a manner that is sustainable and profitable.

Expanding footprint

Haitham Al Fannah, Chairman of Oman Fisheries said: I am excited about this partnership which aims to take Oman Fisheries capability to the next level and expand its footprint across the global markets. We believe Oman Fisheries will greatly benefit from GJFF and MGCPs sector expertise and knowledge, thereby contributing to fishing sector and the national economy and also fulfilling Omans 2040 Vision.

Suleiman Shutait Al Ghannami, CEO of Oman Fisheries said: This partnership is a strategic fit to Oman Fisheries and will be a major catalyst in our mission to become the largest fisheries company in the Middle East. At Oman Fisheries we are seeing significant growth and potential and with GJFF and MGCPs expertise and network we aim to execute various initiatives and open new opportunities for the company.

Established in 1989 in Oman through a Royal Decree, Oman Fisheries is publicly listed on Muscat Securities Market. Oman Fisheries has a wide procurement network to source fish across Oman from local fishermen and operates 6 well-equipped processing centres strategically located near key landing sites and a cold store facility near Muscat.

Its key products are sardines, mackerel, cuttlefish, ribbonfish and yellowfin tuna which are sold to more than 35 international markets including Asia, South America, Europe and GCC.-- TradeArabia News Service
COLUMBIA  The Legislature could take up bills outlawing abortions in South Carolina during special sessions later this year if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling as expected.

A resolution setting the rules for when legislators can return  and what they can consider  after the regular session ends at 5 p.m. May 12 specifies they could consider legislation responding to justices' ruling on a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion beyond 15 weeks.

According to a drafted opinion leaked to Politico, a majority of justices support overturning the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide, which would let states decide if and when abortions are legal. If that's confirmed by the high court's actual ruling expected this summer, South Carolina legislators could move quickly.

Under the proposed special session rules approved by senators 36-8 on May 10, topics that legislators can debate after June include addressing the high court's ruling. When the Legislature returns would depend on the chambers' leaders. Only they would have they power to call the bodies back. In June, legislators must focus on getting the budget finalized.

The resolution goes to the House for approval.

If it gets the required supermajority vote in that chamber too, Gov. Henry McMaster would not have the authority to force legislators back, despite what he said last week after the draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked.

Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, urged his colleagues to support the resolution for that reason.

Without a resolution governing special sessions, the Republican governor will call one himself, without parameters or legislators' input on the timing, he said.

"We know he will. Make no mistake," Malloy said. This "gives the Senate the ability to come back at the time of your choosing.

"I don't want to get caught up on what's in it," he said in explaining his vote. "Its more important to have a sine die (agreement on meeting again) than not have one, regardless of the substance. Im not going to take the chance."

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His comments came after Democrats threatened to hold up the resolution unless they could get hate crimes legislation added to the list of what the Legislature could take up in special sessions.

South Carolina is among two states without a law laying out penalties for crimes motivated by hate. A bill adding prison time for such crimes passed the House last year but has not been taken up by the full Senate, despite pleas from Democrats in recent weeks to allow a floor vote.

"It is a very simple ask," Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto said about allowing the hate crime bill to stay alive for special sessions. "We just want a debate on this. I know some of you are dead-set against and some are OK with it. At least well have the opportunity if minds change, if hearts change."

His amendment failed on a 25-20 vote. If nothing changes in the next two days, the hate crime bill will need to be reintroduced next year, for the process to start anew.

The resolution sets specific dates for two special sessions in June  one to finish up work on the state budget and the other to take up McMaster's line-item vetoes on the Legislature's spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1.

GOP Sen. Richard Cash, arguably the Legislature's most outspoken abortion foe, wanted his so-called "trigger bill," which would automatically outlaw abortion in South Carolina if the justices overturn Roe v. Wade, to be added to the June special sessions. But it failed on a voice vote, meaning there was no roll call.

Last year, McMaster signed a law outlawing abortion once an ultrasound detects a fetal heartbeat, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Opponents note that's before many women even know they're pregnant. The ban gives exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest, or if the mother's life is in jeopardy. But it was immediately challenged and blocked from taking effect.

That block would be removed if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 73F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 65F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Carlos Enrique Salvatierra Morales wont be spending any time in a U.S. Bureau of Prison facility.

The Guatemalan citizen admitted that he went online near the start of the pandemic to make a fake green card, so that he could travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to visit his family.

I printed out my picture from Google and put it with my green card with all my info," said Morales, 36, during his sentencing hearing held before Judge Alex Munson in the District Court of Guam on Tuesday.

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I want to start off by apologizing for wasting you guys time. I came to Guam with a good purpose, and I actually achieved it. When COVID started, I lost my job and was trying to go home. My papers were lost, he said.

Its a victimless crime, said defense attorney Louie Yanza. The only victim here is Carlos because he used a false card to attempt to travel back to Vegas to see his family. At the time of his travel, Guam was in its second lockdown. He wanted to see his family and not be stuck here in Guam.

Morales has called Guam home since September 2017, and it was said in court that he currently operates a business that offers janitorial services.

I didnt come here as an immigrant. I just wanted to go home. My heart is in the right place. I love Guam. There is no embassy here for me. I am from Guatemala, and it made it difficult for me to see my family. I didnt hurt nobody. I want a third chance because a second chance was already given to me.

Morales was stopped at the Guam airport in August 2020 trying to board a flight to Hawaii when Customs agents spotted the fake green card. He then told agents that he lost his original card a long time ago in Vegas, adding that the information on the card is real, but the card itself was not.

Morales was sentenced to two years of probation.

Parties noted in court that this was his first federal offense, adding that he had previous run-ins with the law in Las Vegas and Guam.

Morales was arrested in 2020 for driving while impaired, prison records state.
Omans refineries and petroleum industries production declined by 25% by the end of March 2022 compared to March 2021, mainly due to the transfer of the outline to the Sohar 2 Refinery since February 2022.



The production of standard grade petrol (M-91) by Omani refineries increased by 27.2% at the end of March 2022 to stand at 2,865,100 barrels, compared to the same period in 2021 when it stood at 2,252,100 barrels, reported Oman News Agency (ONA), citing data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).



Sales of petrol (M-91) stood at 2,912,300 barrels, while its exports dropped by 0.7% to reach 363,500 barrels.



The production of (M-95) automobile fuel stood at 2,855,400 barrels, comprising a decrease by 34.3% compared to the same period in 2021 when it stood at 4,347,700 barrels. Sales of (M-95) fuel also declined by 12.3% to reach 2,946,800 barrels. Its exports also declined by 18.6% to reach 834,300 barrels by the end of March 2021.



Gas oil (diesel) output during March 2022 fell by 36.9% to stand at 5,930,900 barrels. Sales of diesel stood at 3,287,200 barrels, constituting a rise of 2%, while its exports declined by 55.8% to reach 2,715,300 barrels.



Aviation fuel production fell by 6% to reach 1,356,000 barrels compared to the same period in 2021 when production stood at 1,442,900 barrels. Sales of aviation fuel surged by 75.3% to reach 587,100 barrels, while exports dropped by 17.3% to reach 773,300 barrels.



Production of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) went down by 21.3% to stand at 1,315,800 barrels. LPG sales increased by 7.2% to reach 1,836,400 barrels, while exports fell by 94.3% to reach 12,300 barrels.



As far as petrochemicals are concerned, benzene production dropped by 81.8% compared to the end of March 2021 to reach 8,600 metric tons, while its exports stood at 8,600 metric tons, constituting a decrease of 82.7%.



Output of paraxylene stood at 16,700 metric tons, while its exports reached 20,500 metric tons.



Production of polypropylene stood at 44,100 metric tons, comprising a rise of 34.5%. Polypropylene sales went down by 35.6% to reach 5,000 metric tons, while its exports surged by 59.6% to stand at 40,500 metric tons.
At Democracy Project, Bruce Kesler pays tribute to Midge Decter: Thanskgiving for Midge Decter. The occasion for Keslers tribute appears to be Midges Heritage Foundation lecture this past week  The Never-Ending War  but Kesler dates his admiration of Midge to a paragraph she published in 1968 that inspired him to leave graduate school and enlist in the Marines to contribute to our mission in Vietnam. Kesler deems Midge his metaphorical mother, writing:

[T]hat led to my organizing the Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace in 1971, to rebut the outrageous charges made by John Kerry and his small band of fake and disaffected Vietnam veterans, trumpeted by an anti-war media, that we were a criminal country with blood-lust crazed troops. John ONeill joined me. Thirty-three years later, we and Vietnam veterans arose from our middle-age like Minute Men to finish the internment of Kerrys lies and deceptive presentation of himself, to avoid the national disaster of this mendacious maggot in the Oval Office. By those who know, our Vietnam veterans revolt is credited with the decisive margin for the 2004 election. It was then, through a mutual friend I was graced to meet during the campaign, that I sent Midge Decter an email about her quote from 1968 and its effect on my life. She responded, overgraciously, but only as a proud mother can, that my contribution saved the country. A son was never prouder.

Ive been a fan of the estimable Ms. Decter for a long time. She was my mothers beloved high school classmate at Central High in St. Paul, and I grew up absorbing my moms admiration for Midge. Ive read all her books, from The Liberated Woman and Other Americans in 1971 to An Old Wifes Tale, Always Right, and Rumsfeld most recently. I join Kesler in saluting Midge, and join Midge in saluting Kesler.
We briefly noted here the agricultural apocalypse occurring in Sri Lanka:

[W]here are the environmentalists in all this? They are doing their best to reduce agricultural output. In Sri Lanka, the government mandated organic farming, with the result that yields declined catastrophically, prices skyrocketed, and, no doubt, many died.

The London Times had a more detailed account last month, headlined: How Sri Lankas shift to organic farming left it in the manure.

What turned Sri Lankas economic situation from difficult to catastrophic was the decision by the Rajapaksa government to implement a nationwide ban on synthetic fertiliser. It was made not at the behest of neoliberal economists doing the bidding of global capital, but rather on the advice of environmentalists in the name of sustainable agriculture.

***

[T]hat strategy backfired in spectacular fashion. Domestic rice production fell by 14 per cent from 2021 to 2022, forcing the nation, long self-sufficient in rice production, to import hundreds of millions of dollars of rice and more than eroding all of the savings from ceasing fertiliser imports. On top of that, the ban decimated tea production, leading to a $425 million economic loss to the industry in its first six months of implementation. Tea, one of the nations primary crops, is a key source of its total export income, making a bad foreign exchange situation far worse.

***

Any competent agronomist could have predicted the result. And many did. Long-term use of synthetic fertilisers had helped Sri Lanka become not only food-secure but a major agricultural exporter. A survey of Sri Lankas farmers last July found that 75 per cent of them relied on synthetic fertilisers. For crops that are crucial sources of foreign currency and domestic food security  tea, rubber and rice  the dependence was even higher.

***

But the government ignored its own agricultural experts, instead convening representatives of the nations small organic sector to guide the nations agricultural policies. The result turned a bad situation into a disaster.

Food prices in Sri Lanka have quadrupled. One of the problems with environmentalists is that their prescriptions are often unmoored from reality. And yet they continue to get mostly good press around the world.

The latest from Sri Lanka is grim:

Sri Lankas prime minister resigned as protests over the countrys economic meltdown escalated into running battles in Colombo, troops on the streets and the death of a government MP.

***

Rajapaksa has been blamed for mismanaging the economy to the point where it went into freefall and Sri Lankans were unable to find food, milk, medicines or petrol as imports became scarce and prices rose by 300 per cent in a matter of months. Power cuts have been long and often.

It is hard to overstate how destructive contemporary environmentalism has been around the world. Here in the U.S., we havent seen the kind of economic collapse experienced by countries like Sri Lanka, but it isnt because the greenies havent been trying.
Wilfred McClay is the formidable historian and a leading light of our intellectual life. On May 17 he is to be recognized with one of this years Bradley Prizes  this one  along with Glenn Loury and Chen Guangcheng. Bill wrote me last night: That is such sad news about Midge. I loved that woman She had more soul in her little finger than any seven other people. I miss her already. Let us add Bills comment to the record.

Bruce Kesler wrote to remind me that we had paid tribute to Midge in the 2005 Power Line post In praise of Midge Decter. Referring to a paragraph Midge published in 1968, Kesler credited Midge with inspiring him to leave graduate school and enlist in the Marines to contribute to our mission in Vietnam. That led to his organizing the Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace with John ONeill in 1971 to rebut the outrageous charges made by John Kerry and his small band of fake and disaffected Vietnam veterans, trumpeted by an anti-war media, that we were a criminal country with blood-lust crazed troops.

In my own comment yesterday afternoon upon learning of Midges death I forgot to note Midges many brilliant contributions to Commentary over the years as well as several of her books deserving of mention. I am thinking of Liberal Parents, Radical Children and An Old Wifes Tale: My Seven Decades in Love and War.

The Editors Picks at Mosaic this morning include this paragraph about Midge:

The essayist, editor, and public intellectual Midge Decter died yesterday at the age of ninety-four. Among the founders and leading lights of what would come to be called neoconservatism, Decter was best known as a trenchant critic of the sexual revolution; she was also a stalwart opponent of Soviet Communism and defender of Israel. Her Looting and Liberal Racism rings in many ways as true today as it did when it was published in 1977. While she is less known for her writings on Jewish topics, her very first essay for Commentary, written in 1954, constituted a perceptive critique of Fiddler on the Roofa decade before it was ever performed. A brief summary of her six decades of work for that magazine, by Abe Greenwald, can be found here, complete with links to a selection of her articles.

Abe Greenwalds selection of Midges Commentary essays makes a valuable contribution to her memory. As Bill McClay suggests, Midges sinuous style gave voice to a fierce spirit.
 Remember how during the Iraq War the deranged left fingered Leo Strauss (d. 1973) as somehow the intellectual inspiration behind the neoconservative drive to war in the Middle East? It was downright silly, and in any case Thomas G. West provided a thorough refutation of this nonsense in the Claremont Review of Books.

Better get ready for a sequel. A few years ago there appeared a new edition of The Vicar of Christ, a novel by the late constitutional scholar Walter F. Murphy of Princeton University, among whose Princeton undergraduate students was one Samuel Alito. In fact Murphy advised Alito on Alitos senior thesis, a study of the Italian Constitutional Court. Now Justice Alito wrote a Foreword to the new edition, and it includes this passage:

Leaving active duty in 1955, Murphy entered the Ph.D program at the University of Chicago with the intention of studying political theory with Leo Strauss. What happened next set the course of Murphys career and touched on the subjects of The Vicar of Christ. Strauss recommended that Murphy write his dissertation on a medieval tract, Defensor Pacis, in which an Italian scholar, Marsilius of Padua, championed the sovereignty of civil authorities and denied any temporal authority to the pope or clergy.

Because everything can be traced back to Strauss in the lefts fevered imagination, cue the lefts hysteria in three, two. . .

 Nice piece today in the Wall Street Journal on the gonzo independent race for governor of California by my pal Michael Shellenberger:

His political evolution resembles the cartoon recently tweeted by Elon Musk a stationary guy in the center left of the political spectrum finds himself being pulled to the center right as his fellow liberals sprint the other way. . . He became an outspoken advocate for nuclear energy and shale gas fracking to reduce CO2 emissions. After writing a book criticizing climate alarmism, he turned his focus to the social policies that are ruining big cities on the West Coast, especially in Californias Bay Area where he has lived for three decades. . . As for the exodus of Californians fleeing the states exorbitant cost of living, Mr. Shellenberger blames environmentalists who want policies that make energy, water, housing and jobs scarce.

If youre a California voter, I recommend pulling the lever for Michael.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria forested over 6 million hectares of land through its historic green bond project in an effort to increase the nations forest cover to 25 per cent in line with global best practices.

He explained that the 25 per cent target was in fulfilment of a pledge at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2019 of planting twenty-five million trees towards achieving restoration of degraded forest reserves and other landscapes nationwide.

In a statement by Garba Shehu, a senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, the president said his administration has also expanded the nations protected areas by creating ten additional National Parks, including two marine protected areas, that cuts across the various ecological zones of the country.

Nigeria had successfully forested over Six Million, One Hundred and Ninety-One Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty-Three (6,191, 363) hectares of land through the green bond project, while targeting to increase the nations forest cover to 25 per cent in line with global best practices, the president was quoted to have said at the ongoing Summit of Heads of State and Government 15th Conference of the Parties (Cop15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), on Monday in Cote DIvoire.

The president said his administration, in partnership with the World Bank, expended enormous resources to establish Agricultural Development Programmes in all the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

Green Bond

According to the statement, the president noted that so far, two rounds of the green bond have successfully been executed and that the country is at the verge of launching its third green bond.

The first round of the green bond amounted to $27.3 million, the second amounted to more than $41 million. We are currently on the verge of launching the third green bond to the tune of $68.7 million, the president said.

Through the instrumentality of the green bond programme, Mr Buhari said innovative funding streams are being unlocked in order to finance environmentally and climate friendly projects with focus on both adaptation and mitigation.

In 2017 and 2019, Nigeria issued two green bonds worth N10.69 billion and N15 billion respectively, becoming the first African country and the fourth in the world to raise a debt instrument entirely for the purpose of financing sustainable environmental projects.

The presidents claim has not been independently verified. A PREMIUM TIMES investigation last year revealed that afforestation projects captured under the green bond programme implemented in Oyo State were poorly implemented.
A Nigerian woman Oluwarinu Ajimuda-Jackson has called for help from the general public to raise $100,000 for brain surgery.

Mrs Ajimuda-Jackson, 51, is the wife of Pastor Yemi Ajimuda-Jackson of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Victory House, Bahamas.

A note on a GoFundMe account started on Tuesday by her child Babara Ajimuda-Jackson read, Early this year, she complained of headaches and started feeling weak. Family members thought it was the aftereffect of her surgery a few months ago.

The headaches continued, and this became a concern. She was immediately referred to the ER, where she was hospitalised. It was then that an MRI scan revealed that she had a brain tumour. Doctors have recommended an immediate surgery be done.

Writing further, Babara, currently studying at Laurentian University, Canada, said, Unfortunately, the funds needed for this procedure are far above what the family can afford. We are hoping to fundraise enough money to cover the costs of Oluwarinus treatment in the Bahamas. The cost of treatment will cover the costs of the surgery.

As of 1.29 p.m. on Tuesday, $186 has been raised.

The family also asked for prayers, promising to post updates about Ajimuda-Jacksons journey on the GoFundMe account.
A Nigerian-born American filmmaker, Toyin Adekeye, has concluded plans to launch his cultural documentary, Bigger Than Africa, on Netflix.

According to Adekeyes Motherland Productions USA statement, the cultural documentary will feature prominent Yoruba culture enthusiasts, including the late Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi.

Mr Adekeye also noted that the documentary would debut on Netflix on Friday.

Other traditional leaders in the film include Ooni of Ife, the Alaketu of Ketu, King of Port Novo.

Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, Wole Soyinka, Wande Abimbola, Nike Okundaye, Fayemi Elebuibon, and Femi Kuti, among others, also featured in the film.

The statement also revealed that the well-researched documentary would expose the historical influence of Yoruba culture and how it transcends continents and connects the Black diaspora.

Inspiration

Mr Adekeye, while relaying the film synopsis, said: Bigger Than Africa documents the journey of enslaved Africans through the lens of the Yoruba culture of West Africa.

He said this historical documentary would touch on six countries  Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, The Republic of Benin and The United States of America.

ALSO READ: Presidency announces airing of documentary on Buhari administration

He said: When the slave ships docked in North America, Brazil and the Caribbean, hundreds of cultures, traditions, and religions landed with Africans on board. One transcended slavery beyond imagination to remain alive till this day in the new world; the culture of the Yorubas. I hope it becomes a unifying documentary for all people of African descent, irrespective of their countries. It is a film that uniquely tells the stories of our commonalities rather than our differences.

He also described the documentary as a necessary legacy for the Yoruba heritage.

The Los Angeles Film School alumnus has continued to get accolades for Bigger Than Africa, which has screened at film festivals worldwide, winning multiple awards, including Charlotte Black Film festival, AFI World Peace Initiative Cannes, Silicon Valley African film festival, among others.

The documentary is distributed by KAP film and management agency EGMNY.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has called for improved collaboration among countries with the aim of exploring alternative rules that will enable market jurisdictions, particularly African countries, to effectively tax digital businesses.

This was stated during a presentation by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Muhammad Nami last Friday at a Technical Assistance Programme organized by African Tax Administrators Forums (ATAF) with the theme Members Needs and How To Broaden the Collaboration, held in Lome, Togo.

Mr Nami noted that although some African countries had endorsed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Inclusive Frameworks global solution on the tax challenges of the digitalized economy, Nigeria continues to maintain its position that the outcome will not be favourable to African countries.

According to him, Nigeria continues to hold the view that the outcome will produce very minimal revenue comfort for African counties. This is instructive considering the implementation challenges that developing jurisdictions will face due to the complexity of the Pilar 1 and 2 rules.

The OECDs new tax deal set out in 2021 has two pillars. The first pillar says that if a company has a global turnover of more than 20 billion euros and a profit margin of more than 10 percent, then 20-30 percent of the profit in excess of 10 percent of revenue will be allocated to market jurisdictions using a revenue-based allocation key.

The second pillar sets a global minimum tax rate of (at least) 15%.

Our analysis continues to show that the possible cost of administering and implementing the complex rules will far outweigh the expected revenue accruing from its implementation, Mr Nami said.

I therefore urge the African Tax Administrators Forum to join the discussion at the UN Tax Committee of Experts, South Centre, as well as collaborate with all other well-meaning stakeholders to explore alternative rules that will enable African countries to effectively subject the digital businesses and base eroding payments to tax in our jurisdictions.

These collaborations should extend to other rules developed and implemented at the international level for the taxation of Multinational Enterprises, such as the tax treaty, exchange of information and transfer pricing rules. Mr Nami stated.

He further called for the African Tax Administrators Forum to collaborate with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to explore opportunities for Africa within the programmes Tax for Sustainable Development Goals Initiative, to ensure that African countries are able to generate appreciable revenue to fund the Sustainable Development Goals.

READ ALSO: FIRS seeks collaboration within African countries to effectively tax digital businesses

While discussing the needs of the West African region that require Technical Assistance of ATAF, the chairman of FIRS noted that there was need for capacity building of members in respect of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Actions by Multinational Corporations, as well as on the taxation of the digital economy.

It is crucial for the ATAF Technical Assistance to look towards improving the capacity of member countrys tax administration, through the digitisation of operations. Also, critically needed by tax authorities in the West African region is the development of Data Analytics intelligence expertise and the use of research tools that are required for taxation in a modern economy, he highlighted.

Mr. Nami further urged the African Tax Administrators Forum to organise peer-to-peer knowledge sharing sessions between beneficiaries of the Technical Assistance programmes, while also intensifying on its technical assistance on international tax rules, particularly in the areas of tax treaties, transfer pricing, and exchange of information.

The African Tax Administrators Forum Technical Assistance (ATAF-TA) Programme aims at helping members build sustainable and efficient tax systems while achieving its strategic plans to increase domestic resource mobilisation, target the development of African expertise and support Africas effective voice in the international tax environment.
A coalition of Northern groups has purchased the presidential expression of interest and nomination forms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The group bought the form on Monday at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

Mr Jonathan is a member of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform he served as president from 2010 to 2015, after the death of Umar Yaradua until his defeat by the ruling party.

There have been speculations in the past couple of weeks that Mr Jonathan will compete for the ticket of the ruling party despite not being a member of the ruling party.

His membership of the PDP has also been a matter of speculation of late. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Mr Jonathan dodged the national convention of his party in 2021.

He has not officially declared his membership of the APC.

Last month, some groups protested at Mr Jonathans office in Abuja, appealing to him to join the race. While responding to the groups, he told them to watch out.

Yes, you are calling me to come and declare for the 2023 presidency, yes I cant tell you are declaring, that the political process is ongoing, just watch out, he has said.

Eligibility to run

There has been controversy over the eligibility of Mr Jonathan due to the alteration to the 1999 Constitution.

Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had argued that Mr Jonathan is not eligible by virtue of 137 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, which provides as follows:

A person who was sworn in to complete the term for which another person was elected as president shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.

After the death of Mr YarAdua, the former Bayelsa State governor was sworn in to complete that tenure. He was re-elected in 2011 but lost in 2015 to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

Others lawyers like Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Abdul Mahmod have argued that Mr Jonathan is eligible to serve another term of four years.

It is unclear if the form has been presented to Mr Jonathan as an attempt to reach his camp was futile.

Lately, there has been drama over the buying of presidential forms by groups.

Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Saturday rejected the form bought for him by rice farmers association. Some groups also bought a form for the President of Africa Development Bank, Akinwumi Adeshina and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

If he decides to accept the nomination form, Mr Jonathan will have to contest against an ex-governor of Bayelsa State, Timipriye Sylva, and several others in the race.

Over 25 persons have purchased the presidential nomination form of the ruling party.
Dolphin Drilling, a leading harsh environment drilling contractor for the offshore oil and gas industry, has elevated Michael Boyd to the role of VP (Marketing) from his current post of VP (Supply Chain) as the company targets further growth and boosts its presence in the North Sea market.

With operational bases in Aberdeen, Stavanger and Mexico, Dolphin Drilling owns and operates three Aker H3 moored semi-submersible rigs which are currently being marketed in the UK, Norway and internationally.

Boyd, who initially joined the company in 2013 as assistant rig manager has progressed throughout his career at Dolphin spanning almost a decade excelling in multiple roles including Rig Manager, Project Manager, and latterly as VP of Supply Chain.

He has an MBA from the Open University and an MSc in Project Management from Aberdeen University.

On his appointment, Boyd said: "I am thrilled to have secured my new role within Dolphin Drilling. Having been with the company for the length of time I have, I have witnessed the ups and downs of the industry and watched Dolphin remain strong."

"The company has a drive for operational excellence and is always looking to constantly learn and better itself. I will be putting a lot of emphasis on the future of our assets to ensure that they are fit for purpose and that our business goals fully align with our clients objectives. I am a strong believer in that we will only be successful if the client is successful and this takes a great amount of collaboration, which I strongly believe is infused in our team," he added.
Nigerias former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has rejected a presidential nomination form bought for him by a group from northern Nigeria. Mr Jonathan described the purchase of the form, without his consent as an insult.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, Mr Jonathan also said he has yet to decide whether to seek re-election on the platform of Nigerias current ruling party, APC.

Mr Jonathan governed Nigeria on the platform of the PDP for five years before losing his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC in 2015.

Mr Buhari concludes his constitutionally permitted second term in 2023 and there has been a rush by many APC politicians to succeed him.

Over 25 presidential forms, each costing N100 million, have been bought in the APC.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a northern group, Monday, bought the form for Mr Jonathan who has refused to categorically distance himself from the presidential race.

His spokesperson, Mr Eze, however, said in his statement that the former president was not consulted before the form was bought.

It has come to our notice that a group has purportedly purchased Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, of the All Progressives Congress APC, in the name of former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Mr Ani wrote.

We wish to categorically state that Dr. Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorize it. We want to state that if the former President wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.

While we appreciate the overwhelming request by a cross-section of Nigerians, for Dr. Jonathan to make himself available for the 2023 Presidential election, we wish to state, that he has not in anyway, committed himself to this request. Buying a presidential aspiration form in the name Dr. Jonathan without his consent, knowing the position he had held in this country, is considered an insult to his person. The general public is therefore advised to disregard it.
A former governor of Lagos State and leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has declared that he has the track records and experience to be the president of Nigeria.

Mr Tinubu, who stated this when he met Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari and APC delegates in the state, said he joined the contest to unite the country.

He said he has the experience to turn around the sorry situation of the country especially in the economic and security sectors to ensure that Nigerians benefit from its resources.

Mr Tinubu is contesting against more than 10 others for the APC presidential ticket. Other contestants include his longtime political ally, vice president Yemi Osinbajo; minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; senate president, Ahmed Lawan; President of Africa Development Bank, Akinwumi Adeshina and others.

Apparently speaking on the number of candidates, Mr Tinubu said, Anybody can run but not everybody can become President. You have to have the track records, experience, vision, training and the developmental programme  a vision of changing a nation from poverty to prosperity. Ive it all; Im different from them. Theyre candidates, theyre aspirants but Im an aspirant.

It happened when Mr President was contesting. They said he (Buhari) cannot win the presidency. We worked together and he won. The second one, they all abandoned him, we say no; he has his second term. And he said the thing is over anybody who wants it can run, Mr Tinubu said.

He also promised to bring an end to incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Mr Tinubu said it is unacceptable for strikes to continue depriving Nigerian students of their right to education.

Four years of university should be four years. Some of our children are spending six to 10 years in school. The strike is not acceptable. We will spend resources and investment necessary to move education forward in this country, he said.

Speaking, the governor of Katsina State, Mr Masari, said Mr Tinubu is our leader who deserves respect from everyone.

He commended Mr Tinubu for being a true Nigerian who gave every Nigerian a chance to participate in government when he was the governor of Lagos.

The current vice president is from Ogun. Kai Muhammad is from Kwara  Aregbsola is from Osun. Architect Kabir, our own from Maiadua here is a Commissioner in Lagos State. Faleke is from Kogi. It goes to show the kind of person Asiwaju is. In his cabinet, there were Igbosnot Igbos of Lagos origin He gave them a chance. Asiwaju is a cosmopolitan leader, he said.

Mr Masari said the APC national leader has turned around the fortune of Lagos economy.
The Senate has amended the Electoral Act 2022 to allow statutory delegates to participate and vote in party conventions, congresses and meetings.

In an accelerated passage, the lawmakers amended Section 84(8) of the law  which initially allowed only elected delegates of a party to participate in the conventions or other meetings.

The legislation, sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, scaled first, second and third readings at plenary on Tuesday.

Leading the debate, Mr Omo-Agege noted that the initial section of the bill was an error on the part of the legislature.

Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act does not provide for the participation of what is generally known as statutory delegates in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties, he explained.

Section 84(8) provides for the participation of elected delegates in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties held to nominate candidates.

This was an unintended error and it can only be corrected with this amendment.

Corroborating his debate, Uche Ekwunife and Sabi Abdullahi said the error happened inadvertently and was not the intention of the National Assembly.

The bill was thereafter passed in the committee of the Whole.

After the passage, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the Electoral Act has a deficiency that was never intended and the deficiency will deny all statutory delegates in all political parties from participating in congresses and conventions.

He described the bill as emergency legislation and hoped that the National Assembly will finish the processing of the amendment by Wednesday and have the executive assent to it within the week.

The lawmakers in January, transmitted a reworked version of the bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent, after the latter had rejected it five times  citing reasons that ranged from cost of election, insecurity, drafting errors to proximity to the date of elections.

In the newly signed bill, the lawmakers had addressed an issue raised by the president  the mode of primaries for which political parties will conduct primary elections to elect candidates for political offices.

The Act allows political parties the option of using direct, indirect or consensus modes of primaries. It also allows the use of electronic voting and electronic transmission of results.

The bill became an Act after Mr Buhari assented to it in February.

Many Nigerians have said the law will ease electoral processes and promote fairness and credibility in future elections.
The House of Representatives will hold a plenary session on Wednesday to amend the Electoral Act 2022.

The Clerk of the House, Yahaya Danzaria, in a statement on Tuesday, said the lawmakers will convene to amend a fundamental error in the act.

Earlier, the Senate had amended section 84(8) of the Electoral Act, to recognise statutory delegates for indirect primaries.

The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta) was considered and passed by the upper chamber.

In the current Electoral Act, statutory delegates are not recognised, hence the new amendment seeks to include statutory delegates in the act.

The current act reads:  A political party that adopts the system of indirect primaries for the choice of its candidate shall clearly outline in its constitution and rule the procedure for the democratic election of delegates to vote at the convention, congress or meeting.

The proposed amendment seeks to add,  in addition to statutory delegate prescribed in the Constitution of the party.

In the statement issued by Mr Danzaria, the session has become necessary especially as to amend a fundamental error in the Electoral Act.

Since its signing into law, the Electoral Act has been a subject of controversy, particularly the attempt to remove section 84(12) which is a subject of judicial review.

It is unclear if the president will sign the bill before the commencement of primaries by most of the political parties ahead of the June 3 deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Earlier on Tuesday, INEC had rejected the request by the political parties to extend the deadline for the conduct of primaries from June 3 to July 4.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says he is the most courageous and selfless leader to tackle Nigerias problems.

Mr Wike stated this on Monday in Akure, when he visited the PDP Secretariat to woo delegates ahead of the partys primary election scheduled for May 28 and May 29.

He said the delegates knew he had the best chance to win the election for the party.

Mr Wike said Nigeria needs a courageous and selfless leader to end insecurity and stop all the killings in the land.

He added that he would not be happy with the party leaders if he got only got 80 per cent of the delegates votes and not all the votes from the state.

I am here to make myself available to you. I want to run for the office of the president. Not that I only want to run, I want to win this election for the PDP.

Many of us know what it takes to win election. If you look at all the aspirants, you will see that I have the chance of winning the election for the PDP.

You need a courageous leader; you need a fearless leader; you need a leader who can stand and say white is white and black is black; a leader who can say insecurity is enough in this country.

Nigeria has never been divided like this since this country was created. You require somebody that will say no more to this insecurity and I am the one that has the capacity to stop it.

Let nobody come here to deceive you. Theyd say they have been running businesses; theyd say they worked in an oil company; all those things dont work in governance. Personal business is different from running government, he said.

Mr Wike added that he had been tested and everybody knew he spoke his mind any day and at any time, urging the delegates not to sell their votes.

The Rivers governors visit to Akure comes as other PDP aspirants traverse the southwest seeking the nod of the regions delegates ahead of the PDP primaries later this month.

Last weekend, former vice president Atiku Abubakar was in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo states to convince the delegates to support their aspiration.

Former senate president Bukola Saraki had also visited Ogun State to seek the delegates support.

Appreciating Mr Wike, the state party chairman, Eyitayo Jegede, noted that in the 2020 election, Mr Wike stood by the state effectively and was sure of his abilities as he had inaugurated many projects in Rivers.

Former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, said many aspirants had been to Ondo State to talk to the delegates, but Mr Wike stood out.

He noted that 2023 was all about the collective destiny of Nigerians and urged Nigerians not to joke about it.

Also present at the event was the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.

(NAN)
A prosecution witness has told the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested an alleged fake army general, Bolarinwa Abiodun, over Fraud charges in January this year.

The witness, Buhari Kobi, who is an operative of the EFCC, said the commission arrested Mr Abiodun in Lagos State after receiving a petition of N266million fraud against him.

Details of the proceedings, which held last Friday, were captured in a statement by EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Monday.

Mr Kobi, who was reliving the operation to the trial judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, said the commission received the first petition against Mr Bolarina in November 2021.

The fourth prosecution witness, Mr Kobi told the court, according to the statement, that the investigating team of the commission immediately swung into action by carrying out surveillance activities leading to the arrest of the defendant on January 12, 2022.

He said, Attached to the petition was a letter (purportedly) signed by President Muhammadu Buhari addressed to the defendant for the appointment, the Certificate of Confirmation as the incoming Chief of Army Staff as well as the invitation for inauguration as the COAS all sent to the petitioner via WhatsApp.

We further gathered intelligence through surveillance. And on 12th January, 2022, the suspect was arrested at his residence at Alagbado, Lagos.

In the course of the search, several items were recovered from his house, including six pump action guns, three cartridge bullets, a swagger stick, a military ID card with the passport photo of the defendant and his name as General Bolarinwa, several forged documents and several photographs of him in the military uniform.

According to him, four vehicles were also recovered from his house, including one Hilux, one Range Rover, one Land Cruiser and one other vehicle with OBJ1 as its number plate.

Investigative activities

He also told the court that the investigating team wrote to relevant authorities, including the State House and the Defence Headquarters to ascertain the genuineness of the documents.

He added that letters of investigation activities were also written to First Bank of Nigeria Plc, where the account of the defendant was domiciled, as well as Zenith Bank and UBA, where the accounts of the victim were domiciled.

He confirmed Exhibit A, which was already before the court as the petition, and identified the responses received from First Bank, UBA and Zenith Bank, which the court earlier admitted as exhibits.

He also identified the letter of investigation activities written to the Chief of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff, the State House as well as their responses.

Exhibits

The trial judge admitted the documents, among other items, as exhibits without objection from the defence counsel, Kayode Lawal.

The exhibits are the EFCC letter to the COAS as Exhibit F; the response from the Nigeria Army Headquarters as Exhibit G; the EFCC letter to Chief of Staff to the President as Exhibit H; the response from the State House as Exhibit J; the EFCC letter to the Chief of Defence as Exhibit K and the response from the Defence Headquarters as Exhibit L.

The search warrant executed on the defendants house was also admitted in evidence as Exhibit N.

Other exhibits admitted by the court include five photographs of the defendant in Army uniform.

The photographs said to have been recovered from his house were admitted as Exhibits N to N 4.

Other photographs of him posing with some military officers were admitted in evidence as Exhibits N5 to N7. Some other photographs of him in mufti were admitted in evidence as Exhibits N8 to N15, and a photo of the late Sani Abacha and the late MKO Abiola recovered from his house was admitted as Exhibit N16.

The prosecution also tendered in evidence the statements made to the investigators in the presence of his lawyer during investigations and they were admitted in evidence as Exhibits P1 to P22.

Several other items were also admitted in evidence against him by the Court, including a file jacket and several documents in which the defendant held himself out as a military officers.

Also ID card of the Nigerian Army with the defendants photo as Brigadier General Abiodun Bolarinwa with July 15, 2022 as expiry date was also admitted as Exhibit O.

No record

Testifying on the response from the Nigeria Army Headquarters, the prosecution witness said the army authorities indicated that the defendant was not a military officer as he claimed, discrediting the Army ID card recovered from the defendant.

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Available record in the Nigerian Army revealed that there is no serving or retired officer bearing the name Brigadier General Abiodun Bolarinwa and the number on the ID card, N/30779 does not exist in the Nigerian Army database.

Additionally, the name Oluwasegun Bolarinwa Hassan does not exist in the Nigerian Army database.

In view of the foregoing, the two persons in question are not personnel of the Nigerian Army, he read the correspondence from the Nigerian Army as stating.

Mr Kobi said the defendant confessed to forging the army ID card when confronted with it.

The witness further testified that the responses from the CDS, COAS and Chief of Staff indicated that the said letter of appointment as COAS did not emanate from the Presidency; the same with the Certificate of Confirmation and purported inauguration invitation card.

Fund transfers

The witness also testified that the investigation showed several transfers from the victim to the bank account of the defendant.

He also confirmed that the defendant effected a change of name on the account from Hassan Kareem Ayinde to Olusegun Abiodun Bolarinwa.

At the last sitting on May 5, two bank officials told the court how over N200 million was paid into the account of the defendant.

The witnesses, Chris Ekpe, a compliance officer with First Bank, and Emmanuel Emaikwo, a Relationship Manager with United Bank for Africa (UBA), both confirmed in their testimonies that various transactions were carried out on the defendants accounts with their respective banks.

The court has adjourned the case until June 2 and 3 for the continuation of the trial.

Charges

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the EFCC filed the charges against the defendant and arraigned him on April 12, this year.

Mr Abiodun, who was arrested at his house in the Alagbado area of Lagos State on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, allegedly forged a letter of appointment as COAS purportedly signed by the president and showed the same to the victim to further prove his claim.

He allegedly claimed in the said letter that he needed to pay a certain amount of money into the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria, as part of the requirements for the appointment as COAS.

Mr Abiodun is also alleged to have, in May 2020, forged a Nigeria Army Identity Card with serial number 387140, claiming the same to have been issued to him from the Nigerian Army.

He also allegedly forged a Letter of Recommendation purportedly signed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo recommending one Adebayo Rasaq Adebola, with recruitment No 77RRI/OG/556/0032555 and Adeogun Emmanuel Adesola with recruitment No 77RRI/OG/352/0123751 for employment into the Nigeria Army.

According to part of the charges, the EFCC said the defendants offence is contrary to Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act 2006; Section 363 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 and Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006, respectively.

Mr Abidoun pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The court, on April 25, 2022, rejected his bail application on the grounds that he constituted a flight risk.
A former Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Segun Adesegun, has sued the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) before a Lagos State High Court seeking N180 million as damages over alleged trespass to land

Also joined in the action, suit No. ID/11594LMW/2022 as co-defendants are Babatunde Oderinde and the Registrar of Titles, Lands Bureau, Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Adesegun, represented by Muiz Banire (SAN), instituted the action against the defendants over the alleged seizure and trespass on his property at Tunde Oshilaja Street, Opebi, Ikeja.

In a writ of summons dated March 15, the claimant also sought an order of court restraining the second defendant, Mr Oderinde, from carrying out any action on the site pending the hearing and determination of the case.

Last month, the police had arraigned Mr Adesegun before a magistrate court alleging he stole a certificate of occupancy belonging to Mr Oderinde, a retiree.

Accelerated hearing

In his suit at the high court, Mr Adesegun also filed an affidavit of urgency to support his motion on notice, for the abridgement of time and accelerated hearing on the case which was initially fixed for May 25.

The claimants counsel told the court that the application was brought pursuant to Order 3 Rule 2; Order 43 Rule 1 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.

My Lord, it is important that the court grant these prayers because the second defendant has begun bringing different prospective buyers to purchase the land.

I humbly urge the court to grant the abridgement of time as well as the interim order restraining the second defendant from doing anything further on the said property.

Otherwise, he would succeed in creating third party interest over the land by developing and selling it.

My Lord, once the second defendant succeeds with this move, it will pave way for unending litigation while the claimant would not be allowed to enjoy his property and that eventually, the essence of instituting the suit might be defeated, Mr Banire said.

He further alleged that the second defendant connived with the Lagos State Task Force led by one Shola Jejeloye, who on January 23 at 5:30 a.m. invaded the land destroying properties worth several millions of naira and carting away different brands of vehicles under repair.

Some of the cars that were carted away include JAC Pick Up, Ogun State Government Patrol vehicle, two Honda Odyssey 2005 and 2008 models, two Mercedes Benz S-Class, Mercedes Benz GL450, 2007 model; Honda Accord 98 model, and Acura Legend among others.

It is surprising that the men of the Lagos Task Force could still unlawfully invade this landed property which the claimant bought and paid for from the defunct African International Bank in 2003.

The claimant had remained unchallenged over the landed property after the acquisition in 2003 until 2018, 15 years later, when the second defendant dragged him before the Lagos State Land Task Force against Grabbers, accusing him of trespassing and taking over his property.

The Task Force exonerated the claimant after diligent investigation, following which the second defendant equally took him before the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over the same allegation and was also given a clean bill of health, Mr Banire said.

The judge, Morenike Obadina, reacting to the applications of the claimant, said the defendants had filed a counter-affidavit before the court, but the claimants counsel said they had not been served and would file his reply as soon as he was served.

I have carefully read the affidavit in support and the written address. I am persuaded that there is justification for court intervention to preserve the res for which the hearing of the motion on notice has been served and counter affidavit filed.

Ordinarily, once a motion on notice of injunction is sent, parties are expected to stay all action regarding the subject matter of the suit pending the hearing of interlocutory injunction.

Second defendant has filed a counter-affidavit to the motion on notice. I hereby fix the hearing of the application for Monday.

Hearing notice should be issued to the defendants and the claimant should also respond to the counter-affidavits filed by the defendants.

The judge adjourned the hearing of the application until May 16.

(NAN)

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The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has submitted his nomination form to re-contest for a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Sanwo-Olu submitted the form on Tuesday at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The APCs expression of interest and nomination forms for governorship contest cost N50 million.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Sanwo-Olu said he is optimistic of winning his re-election because of his performance in office in the past three years in office.

He stated that his administration has repositioned Lagos from what it used to be under the previous administration.

And we have grown the city from what it used to be three to four years ago before we took over. Now it receives the highest foreign direct investments because the environment is safe and secured, he said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu also spoke on the meeting of the APC presidential aspirants from the South-west he hosted in Lagos last week.

The meeting called by former governors of Osun and Ogun States, Bisi Akande and Segun Osoba, was attended by some of the aspirants but failed to achieve the planned outcome.

So we are not fed up, we were sincere with ourselves and we hope that in future engagements, all the aspirations we have in our region will come to pass, the governor said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu was elected in 2019 after the then Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, lost the ticket of the party, after failing to get the nod of Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the APC.

Last month, the Governors Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body of APC in Lagos, adopted Mr Sanwo-Olu as the candidate of the party, while Mr Tinubu also ratified the decision of GAC.

It is not clear if anyone has picked the nomination form of the APC to challenge Mr Sanwo-Olu.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Idris, the publisher of Blueprint Newspaper, also submitted his nomination form to contest for the Niger State governorship ticket.

Mr Idris submitted the nomination form on Tuesday to succeed Governor Sani Bello of Niger State, who is completing his second tenure in May 2023.

According to the timetable of the APC, the sale of forms closed on May 10, while the deadline for submission is May 11.
Airline Operators of Nigeria, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and relevant regulators have reached new agreements to end volatility in the price of Jet A1 fuel.

The agreement was brokered by the leadership of the House of Representatives on Monday.

Following three hours of deliberation chaired by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, the parties agreed the airline operators should get trusted marketers that will distribute the over six million litres of fuel guaranteed by the government. This arrangement is the short time solution for the next three months.

In the long run, the members of AON are to get all required licences to import the ATK fuel themselves, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) was directed to give all needed waivers.

The Speaker, therefore, directed the Chairman House Committee on Aviation, Nnaji Nnolim (PDP, Enugu) to ensure compliance.

Airline operators had on Friday in a letter addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said they will halt operations from May 9, following an astronomical increase in the price of aviation fuel.

The letter was jointly signed by the President of Airline Operators of Nigeria, Serina Abdulmunaf and the chief executive officers of eight domestic airline operators, including Mfon Udom, CEO, Ibom Air.

However, Ibom Air in its statement on Saturday said its inclusion as a signatory to the statement released by the AON must have derived from its active membership in the union.

On Sunday, the operators decided to abort the planned shutdown of operations.

Previous agreement

It is not clear if this resolution will address the aviation fuel crisis in the country because a similar agreement was brokered by the House in March, but was not implemented.

At the last meeting, the parties agreed to peg the price of Aviation Turbine Kerosene also known as Jet A1 fuel at N500 per litre from N630, which was the price at the time. That price was to be in place for 72 hours after which the marketers and the AON were to agree on new price modalities.

The Nigerian government was asked also to allow the airline operators to import ATK by granting them licences.

The deliberations

During the deliberation, the Vice President of AON, Allen Onyema, accused the Group Managing Director of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, of reneging on the previous agreements.

He disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved 25 tonnes of ATK for the operators, to be delivered by marketers of their choice, but that Mr Kyari opposed the arrangement.

I actually called the GMD of NNPC, in the presence of our members. We wanted to hear from him. He answered that there was no way they would leave us to get direct products that it was dangerous. But I said no, that the marketers you are going to give are the same marketers that would handle it for us. He said he did not want any crash or anybody adulterating it.

I said how could they adulterate it, because they are the marketers. We are not taking it on our own. Long and short of the story is that this product was not given to us and we noticed that it continued rising and rising, Mr Onyema said.

Responding to the issues raised by the airline operators, Mr Kyari said there are other factors contributing to the crisis, noting that some of the airlines are indebted to oil distributors.

He noted that the NNPC Limited imported ATK in March and April, but cannot guarantee uniform prices across the country unless they are to pay the difference by giving a subsidy.

The GMD informed the lawmakers that since the sector is deregulated, there is little the NNPC can do to directly intervene in price.

Furthermore, the GMD spoke on the FX restrain, saying There is a limit to what the CBN can provide. We are constrained because we are not able to produce dollars because of the theft of oil in the Niger Delta. This is the reality. That means customers must source for FX from alternative sources.

Responding to the concerns over FX, the CBN Governor said the bank cannot grant any concession to the marketers because it does not have FX.

We do not have FX to sell. It would be difficult for us to grant any concession. It means we would be taking a hit or we would be providing some sort of subsidy for the industry, Mr Emefiele said.
The European Union delegation in Nigeria, on Monday, celebrated European Union Day.

The event, which took place at the EU ambassadors residence in Abuja, is the first after two years of Covid-19 pandemic.

Samuela Isopi, EUs ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, while addressing guests at the event, said the commemoration takes on a very important meaning.

Since February 24, Europe has seen the return of war on a large scale on its soil. A war whose impact is felt across the world, but that affects first and foremost Europe and the EU, she said.

Ms Isopi noted that this years celebration is especially important in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war which has lasted over two months.

The war in Ukraine reminds us in a dramatic way of the enduring value of the European Union as a peace project among Europeans, she said.

Europe Day celebrates Europes achievements, peace and unity, and commemorates the signing of the Schuman Declaration on May 9, 1950. This marked the beginning of what is now the European Union.

Ms Isopi added that the Europe Day is also a key moment in the year to celebrate our (EU) partnership and to renew our commitment to pursue with increased determination our long-standing engagement with Nigeria, to make it stronger and closer to the people.

Sunday Dare, Nigerias minister for youth and sports, speaking at the event, thanked the EU for its partnership and support to Nigeria over the years.

Ms Isopi outlined the EUs achievements and partnerships with Nigeria. She said the EU was committed to long-term support aligned with its shared priorities, values and interests with Nigeria.

The Multiannual Indicative Programme for Nigeria 2021-2027 targets projects that reinforce EUs bilateral cooperation with Nigeria in three focal areas of Green and Digital Economy; Governance, Peace and Migration; and Human Development. The EU is working with its Member States, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and other EU Development Finance Institutions in the implementation of the agreed priorities, as Team Europe.

The EU is one of Nigerias biggest trading partners, with about 28.7 billion in trade as at 2021 between EU and Nigeria; a 25.8 per cent increase over that of 2020. The EUs imports from Nigeria stood at 17.5 billion, while its exports were valued at 11.2 billion, with the trade balance at 6.4 billion in favour of Nigeria.

The EU accounts for about 20.9 per cent of Nigerias trade with the world. The EU is also the first export destination for Nigeria, accounting for 25.4 per cent of its exports. The EU is second in Nigerias imports from the world accounting for 16.1 per cent of its total imports.

The EU day took off on Friday with the lighting up of the City Gate; a reception at the ambassadors residence; an open day at the delegations premises on Wednesday amongst other activities.
Jazeera Airways, Kuwait's leading low-cost airline, has announced the launch of a new service to the Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA) in Bhairahawa, Nepal.

This will connect the large community of Nepalese expatriates living in the Middle East and Europe to the south-west area of the country.

This is the second service operated by Jazeera Airways to Nepal and responds to high demand for travel to the Terai plains of Nepal. Flights to Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA) will commence on May 15, 2022.

Expanding network

Announcing the new route, Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: Jazeera Airways continues to expand its network to offer destinations that also cater to large expatriate communities that are often not served by direct and connecting routes from Kuwait and the Middle East. The new service to the Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA) gives the Nepalese community a more convenient connection that gets them closer to that area of the country.

This new direct service to Bhairahawa is also the gateway to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha in 623BC for pilgrims and tourists.

Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA) is located approximately 270 kilometres west of the capital Kathmandu, close to the countrys borders with India.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, discharged the chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Olanrewaju Suraju, from cyberstalking crime charges.

Mr Suraju was accused of cyberstalking a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke.

Mr Adoke had petitioned the police accusing the HEDA chair of peddling falsehood against him in respect of the Malabu Oil scam.

Last February, the federal government arraigned Mr Suraju before Binta Nyako, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on a two-count amended charge.

At Tuesdays sitting, the judge discharged Mr Suraju following an application by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to withdraw the charge against the HEDA boss.

The prosecuting lawyer, Yewande Cole, told the court that she had been directed by the Attorney-General to withdraw the suit.

I have the instruction of the Attorney-General to withdraw the amended charge of two counts for further review.

This means that the court will strike out the case and when we are ready to go on, we will come back and refile it, Ms Cole said.

She also argued that according to relevant provisions of the law, the defendant could only be discharged and not acquitted at this point.

But Mr Surajus lawyer, Muiz Banire, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asked the court to acquit his client.

He argued that there was no natural cause of action following such a request for withdrawal.

It is the law as contained in Section 355 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) that where such an application is made, the court will acquit the defendant, the senior lawyer said.

Mr Banire also asked the court to order the release of the N7 million bond he posted to secure the bail of his client.

The senior lawyer further asked the court to award N1 million cost to him.

Ruling

In a bench ruling, the judge discharged Mr Suraju and also discharged the N7 million bail bond.

In addition, Mrs Nyako, ordered the prosecution to pay N250,000 to the defendant, whenever the case was going to be refiled.

Background

The former AGF, Mr Adoke, had petitioned the Nigerian police over the circulation of the audiotape and email which Mr Adoke said were forged to incriminate him regarding the Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 corruption case in Milan, Italy.

The police investigated Mr Adokes petition against Mr Suraju and subsequently sent the case file to the Attorney-General of the Federations office which filed a cyberstalking case against Mr Suraju.

But, during their series of denials of wrongdoing regarding the matter, HEDA and Mr Suraju had explained that the items he was accused of fabricating were court exhibits which featured in the Malabu Oil scam trials in Milan, Italy.

In their open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, they maintained that the statements allegedly made by Mr Suraju were identical to those that have been made by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in its civil cases against JP Morgan Chase in London and its case against Shell, Eni and other defendants in Milan.

Nigeria has been part of civil and criminal cases in the U.K., Italy, and the U.S. in a bid to bring beneficiaries of the fraudulent transactions to book and to recover proceeds of the controversial deal from them.

The email and audiotape complained of by Mr Adoke had featured in the criminal case in Milan, Italy over the transfer of about $1.1 billion by Shell and ENI through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian petroleum minister, Dan Etete.

The controversies surrounding the OPL 245 started in 1998 when Mr Etete originally awarded the block to his Malabu Oil and Gas Limited while serving as petroleum minister in the late Sani Abacha`s regime.

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Nigerian investigators and activists had alleged that Mr Etete bribed some top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration after Eni and Shell controversially acquired OPL 245, one of Nigerias richest oil blocks.

The Nigerian government did not benefit from the $1.1 billion transferred for the acquisition of the rich oil field while the ownership logjam over the oilfield remained unresolved.

In 2011, the AGF, Mr Adoke, advised the administration of Goodluck Jonathan on the OPL 245 transactions at the time to resolve the ownership logjam that prevented it from being explored over the years.

His name has repeatedly featured in matters connected to the deal. He is being currently prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja over his roles in the alleged scam.

A Milan court would later acquit Eni and Shell regarding the charges filed against them regarding the Malabu scam.

Suraju speaks

Mr Suraju, who addressed journalists after the proceedings, gave an insight into what he believed led the prosecution to withdraw the case against him.

He noted that the case filed against him by the AGF office went contrary to the case the Nigerian government was pursuing against JP Morgan Chase to retrieve part of the proceeds of the alleged fraudulent scheme in the U.K.

He said: The Nigerian government has sued JP Morgan Chase Bank over the payment of $801million to Malabu from the account that belongs to Nigeria and because of that JP Morgan was actually the one that brought the email upon which Adoke claimed was forged.

It was brought by JP Morgan Chase to court and the same thing with the tape. The Nigerian government has gone contrary to what they said here, in the UK court, to confirm that email was authentic and legitimate.

As a result of this, Mr Suraju said evidence the Nigerian government adduced in the UK was challenged due to its contradictory claim in Nigeria that it was forged.

JP Morgan lawyer in London brought it up and questioned the credibility of Nigeria government and the attorney general for saying those documents are authentic because the same documents are actually used to prosecute myself in Nigeria.

 The UK based Nigerian lawyer said that the charges filed in Nigeria were at the compromise of DPP and Adoke and it was not the Nigeria government.

 He pleaded there on February 28 in London court that the charges will be withdrawn .
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that the deliberation on debt cancellation for African countries is at an advanced stage.

He stated that the continent is on the verge of securing Special Drawing Rights of about $650bn from multilateral institutions.

Mr Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed these in his remarks at the three-day 1st Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments in Abuja on Monday.

In the last few years, Nigeria has increasingly borrowed to finance projects. This has provoked criticisms from many quarters.

Mr Buhari said most African countries had to inject billions of dollars as stimulus package despite the relatively weak economic circumstances. He noted that Nigeria had to inject about $7 billion which has increased the deficit.

In many of our countries despite relatively weak economic circumstances, the legislature had to sit down with the Executive to make some of the most breathtaking budgetary provisions in our histories.

In Nigeria, our stimulus package was in the order of N2.3tn  in excess of $7bn. In many countries, the implications of the huge deficits from these supplementary budgets must have kept legislatures and the executive awake at night, but many realised and performed these hugely risky but historical assignments.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, raised alarm on military incursion into politics in Africa.

He noted that the usurpation of democratically elected governments in Sudan, Mali, Guinea, and Chad is putting the continents democracy in jeopardy.

Mr Gbajabiamila added that Even in the places where elected governments are still in charge, public faith in the governing institutions is at an all-time low.

When citizens lose confidence that a democratic government can meet their expectations, democracy loses credibility and support and begins a death spiral.

Also speaking at the event, the President of Africa Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, who attended the event virtually, said the economic growth of the continent was in decline by -1.5 per cent due to COVID-19, with over 26 million people falling further into poverty, while 30 million jobs were lost.
About 72 hours after health authorities in the United Kingdom announced that a traveller from Nigeria tested positive for Monkeypox infection, the Nigerian government has given the statistics of the disease cases and fatalities recorded in the country within the last five years.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its latest report said the country recorded 558 cases and eight deaths across 32 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2017 and 2022.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had at the weekend confirmed a Monkeypox infection in an unidentified individual believed to have been contracted in Nigeria before arriving in the UK.

Without disclosing the identity of the patient, the UKHSA, in a publication on the official UK government website, noted that the patient is receiving care at an infectious disease unit.

Monkeypox in Nigeria

NCDC in the latest epidemiological summary on Monkeypox which was published on Monday noted that since September 2017, Nigeria has continued to report sporadic cases of the disease.

It said a National Technical Working Group (TWG) was set up and saddled with the task of monitoring infections and strengthening preparedness and response capacity.

The disease control centre noted that eight deaths have been recorded with a Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) of 3.3 per cent in six states: Edo (2), Lagos (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1) and Rivers (1)  from September 2017 to April 30, 2022.

Breaking down the cases, the centre said a total of 13 suspected cases had been reported between January 1 to February 28, 2022. Out of these suspected cases, NCDC said four were confirmed positive in three states and the FCT with a single case each.

It said also in February six new suspected cases were recorded in three states with Bayelsa recording three; Imo, two; and Lagos, one.

NCDC said only the suspected case in Lagos was found to be positive after test results were released.

The disease body further noted that from September 2017 to February, 2022, a total of 525 suspected cases had been reported from 32 states in the country.

Out of these reported cases, NCDC said a total of 230, representing 43.8 per cent, had been confirmed in 20 states and the FCT. It noted that Rivers State topped the list with 52 cases, followed by Bayelsa and Lagos States with 43 and 31 cases respectively.

While the FCT recorded seven cases, the other states are Delta (29), Cross River (14), Edo (10), Imo (9), Akwa Ibom (7), Oyo (6), Enugu (4), Abia (3), Plateau (3), Nasarawa (2), Benue (2), Anambra (2), Ekiti (2), Ebonyi (1), Niger (1), Ogun (1) and Adamawa (1).

A total of eight(8) deaths had been recorded (CFR= 3.5 per cent) in six states namely Edo (2), Lagos (2), Imo (1), Cross River (1), FCT (1) and Rivers (1) from September 2017 to February 28th, 2022.

More on the infection

Meanwhile, the director of clinical and emerging infections in UKHSA, Colin Brown, explained that Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily among people. It is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks. However, severe illness can occur in some individuals.

He said: The infection can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person; however, there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population.

READ ALSO: UK confirms monkeypox infection in traveller from Nigeria

The initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

He added that UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and that the protocol will be strictly followed.

About Monkeypox

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name Monkeypox.

The first human case of Monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.

Since then, Monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote dIvoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down the appeal for an extension of the deadline for the conduct of primaries by political parties.

The countrys 18 registered political parties, through the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), on Tuesday, asked the commission to review its timetable and schedule of activities to afford member parties enough time to put their houses in order.

The bodys appeal made at a quarterly meeting with the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, came days after PREMIUM TIMES reported the moves by political parties to extend the dates by another 37 days.

Mr Yakubu, on two different occasions last week, reiterated the commissions stance of not changing its June 3 deadline for the primaries of the 18 political parties.

INEC had reviewed its schedules for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria in February after President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the 2022 Electoral Act.

In compliance with the new Electoral Acts, the commission fixed April 4 to June 3 for the election of flag bearers of all political parties for the 2023 elections.

Against the INEC schedules, IPAC chairman, Yabagi Sani, on Tuesday, before leaders of other parties, noted the celebrations of Easter and Eid El Fitr (Sallah) holiday among their reasons for seeking a deadline extension.

In summary, the General Assembly of IPAC, after an exhaustive examination of the INEC timetable and related issues, arrived at a unanimous decision to request for an extension of thirty-seven (37) days to the deadline of the time frame for the conduct of party primaries and resolution of conflicts arising from the primaries: By implication, the IPAC leadership is appealing to the INEC to extend the deadline for the conduct of party primaries and resolution of ensuing conflicts from the present INEC given date of 3rd June 2022 to 4th July 2022, the IPAC chairman said at the meeting.

He further argued that the holidays, in a way, had disrupted planned activities and programmes of the political parties, leading to the loss of about two weeks out of the allotted time of the timetable.

No going back on deadline  INEC insists

The INEC chairman, Mr Yakubu, in reaction to the bodys appeal, told political parties leaders in attendance not to expect any extension from the commission.

He said any attempt to review the timeline as requested by IPAC will alter the rest of the INEC schedule of activities ahead of the 2023 polls.

I hereby reiterate the position of the Commission that there will be no review of the timelines. There are so many inter-related activities that are associated with the timelines which must be carried out.

Any review to extend the timeline for one activity will affect other activities and put unnecessary pressure on political parties and the Commission. This will ultimately result in more complications than what the extension seeks to achieve. Therefore, the Commission will not review the timelines, Mr Yakubu told leaders of the political parties in attendance.

On the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, the commission invited parties to inspect samples of materials for the election not later than 20 days before the election date.
Nigerias Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and gubernatorial aspirant, Abubakar Malami, said he has made over 500 people millionaires in his native Kebbi State.

Mr Malami stated this at his Birnin Kebbi, GRA residence while hosting a supporters group on a solidarity visit last week.

The countrys chief law officer announced his intention to run for the governorship position of the state in 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said residents of the state compelled him to run.

Last week, he distributed 30 cars to his political associates and supporters in Kebbi State.

The minister gifted 14 Mercedes Benz (GLK), eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux, and four Lexus LX 570 each.

Some of the beneficiaries are executive members of Mr Malamis foundations.

Days after sharing the car gifts, Mr Malami accused his detractors of spreading falsehoods about him despite the good he has done for people.

One thing is certain arising from my submission, they are busy over the time destroying the lives of our youth, providing them with drugs.

We have been busy over time supporting our teeming youth with offers, in terms of offers of employment, we have succeeded in supporting over 700 people across the state who gained employment.

They have been busy destroying while we have been constructing, we have succeeded in constructing over 200 boreholes across the state, and we are supporting the state by way of creating over 500 millionaires across the state.

We have succeeded in supporting over 6000 people who gained COVID-19 intervention of N550,000 each, which accumulated to about N3.2 billion, the minister said

He said mischief-makers are now ready all over the place both locally and internationally in attacking my person in creating mischief, spreading rumours and indeed spreading lies that are baseless, unfounded.

To this end, I want to state, I have not, neither my person, nor the foundation which I am associated, neither my friends have shared a single vehicle to any executive officer of APC in the state, much less of the delegates across the state, Mr Malami said.

Mr Malami is expected to face stiff opposition from the factional leaders of the APC in the state in his quest to become the partys flag bearer.

A former governor of the state Adamu Aleiro is running a parallel secretariat of the party in the state.

Mr Aleiro is supporting the senate majority leader, Hahaya Abdullahi, who also declared his intention to contest the governorship election.
Rivers State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday rained curses on members of two Ijaw groups demanding the release of a federal lawmaker currently detained on the orders of the governor.

Farah Dagogo, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency of Rivers State, has been in police custody for a couple of weeks.

He was declared wanted by Mr Wike for allegedly hiring thugs to attack the PDP secretariat in Rivers State.

Mr Dagogo, a governorship aspirant, however, refuted the allegation and accused the governor of trying to prevent him from appearing before the partys gubernatorial screening panel.

The lawmaker was eventually arrested by the Rivers State Police Command the next day after appearing before the panel for screening and was reportedly arraigned before a court in the state where he was remanded in a Correctional Centre

The Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC0) and Ijaw National Congress (INC) have demanded the lawmakers immediate release.

The two groups gave the governor 48 hours to release him.

However, at a church service on Sunday, Mr Wike lashed out at the groups for giving him an ultimatum to set Mr Dagogo free.

Addressing the congregation at a thanksgiving service on Sunday held at St. Pauls Anglican Cathedral in Port Harcourt to celebrate the legal victory secured at the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the oil well dispute between Rivers and Imo States, Mr Wike, who standing at the altar, invoked thunder to descend on members of the groups.

That takes us to where some people say we are Ijaw Youth Congress, we are Ijaw National Congress threatening the government; you are wasting your time.

I dont know why people dont even know who they are dealing with, me, me, threatening me, 48 hours, he said, beating his chest with his left hand, apparently to express his anger.

Instead of you coming to the government [asking] what is the problem, what happened, you begin to threaten the government, ultimatum. Thunder fire you and ultimatum, Mr Wike, clad in white and standing on the podium, could be heard saying in a video.

In the short video with Channels Televisions trademark posted on Twitter, some congregants could be heard chorusing the Hebrew word  Amen, to confirm Mr Wikes prayers, while the faces of others are ridden with utter shock and consternation.

Wikes comments, disrespectful, desecration of Gods altar  IYC

The IYC, in its reaction, condemned Mr Wikes outburst, saying it was not only derogatory but inciting.

The spokesperson of IYC, Ebilade Ekerete, in a statement posted on Facebook, said, such unguarded and incendiary comments from Mr Wike is capable of souring the existing good relationship between the group and Ikwere (Wikes ethnic group) and urged the governors kinsmen to call him to order.

READ ALSO: Gov Wike declares PDP governorship aspirant wanted

The group advised Ijaws who are delegates in the PDP presidential primaries not to vote for Mr Wike, stating that such action will be viewed as a betrayal of our heritage.

The body regrets that even more shocking is the fact that the Rivers Governor took his unrestrained verbiage to the hallowed pulpit of a church and desecrated the altar of God.

It equally points out that Governor Wike has forgotten that by calling fire and thunder on the Ijaw nation, his benefactor and our revered leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan, is an illustrious Ijaw son.

This thunder did not fire the former president when, despite all odds, he made him the choice of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State against the wishes of other competent Ijaw aspirants in the state.

Now, Jonathan as an Ijaw man is also under fire from Governor Wike. For him, all those that made him, including the people of Rivers State, are in his pocket and can be insulted at will.

We, therefore, call on our people as a whole to see Governor Wike as an enemy of the Ijaw Nation. We urge Ijaws all over the world to speak against this tyrannical behaviour of Wike, the statement said.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered an accelerated hearing of a suit seeking to stop the scheduled presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A presidential aspirant on the platform of the party, Cosmos Ndukwe, asked the court to stop it from proceeding with the presidential primary election on the grounds of its alleged refusal to zone the presidential ticket to the south-eastern part of Nigeria.

But the judge, Donatus Okorowo, gave the PDP, its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as well as its national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, four days within which to file their responses to the suit filed against them.

Mr Okorowo gave the order in his ruling on an application for abridgement of time argued by Paul Erokoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of the plaintiff, Mr Ndukwe.

The judge scheduled May 18 for the adoption of closing arguments in the suit.

In the ruling, Mr Okorowo held that it would be in the interest of justice for the suit of the plaintiff to be fully determined before the May 28 date of the primary election.

Mr Erokoro had in the application pleaded with the court to abridge time for the suit of his client to be expeditiously heard.

Mr Ndukwe is currently a Commissioner for Trade and Investment in Abia State.

Backstory

This newspaper reported that the zoning committee of the PDP had recommended that the presidential ticket of the party in the 2023 elections be thrown open to all zones of the country.

If the recommendation is adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC), aspirants from any of the six geopolitical zones could run for any elective position, including the presidency.

This is against the calls and expectations that the party should zone the presidential ticket to the South  ahead of the 2023 general election.

The panel, chaired by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, reportedly cited the exigency of time as its reason for throwing open the ticket to all interested aspirants.

While the committee noted that zoning in the party is affirmed, it said the ticket is thrown open this time around due to exigency of time.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday received Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State who paid him a thank-you visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president had paid a two-day working visit to Ebonyi between May 5 and 6.

During the two-day visit, the president inaugurated some projects at the University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, 5km dual carriage Airport Road and the airport Presidential Lodge as well as new Government House, Centenary City and reconstructed St. Margaret Umahi International Market complex, Abakaliki.

Other inaugurated projects included the Aisha Buhari Wife of Governors Office Complex, Akanu Ibiam Lodge (the new Governors Lodge), Ebonyi House, Muhammadu Buhari Light Tunnel Flyover and Ebonyi Shopping Mall.

The president was also hosted to State Dinner by the Ebonyi State Government, on Thursday night.

The governor, who spoke to State House correspondents, said he was in the State House to deliver an appreciation letter to the president from the leaders of the South-east region, for his recent working visit to Ebonyi and by extension the South-east.

I came to the Villa to see the President and give him a thank you letter from South-east leaders, which expresses their deep appreciation for the visit of the President on a two-day working visit to Ebonyi, by extension South-east.

I thought it necessary to do that as quickly as possible, our people are deeply very happy with the President and very appreciative of all the rewards of that visit, he said.

The governor stated that the president was very pleased with the letter and the kind of reception he received from the people and government of Ebonyi when he paid the visit to the state.

According to him, the state remains grateful to the federal government for taking over the management of the University of Medical Sciences constructed by the state government.

On the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the governor insisted on finding a political solution to the problem.

He dismissed the insinuation that the people of the South-east zone were no longer interested in the Nigeria Project.

According to him, the people of the South-east are not in support of any form of agitation or plans to secede from Nigeria.

He said: I had many months back met with the President, where we had very detailed and frank discussion on that particular matter. South-east people are tired and I have always said that we are not totally in support of agitation to secede from the Nigerian nation.

We want to belong to the Nigerian nation and as the Chairman of the South-east Governors Forum, I have publicly said it, I have defended it, I dont care about the attacks and those who have taken to the politics of that matter in our place.

So, the president graciously granted my request for political solution but you see, when the president repeatedly said the matter is in court, we must appreciate his pedigree and integrity.

He cannot just as a President say he is going to destroy the matter in court.

But there is always room for dialogue and out of court settlement and that is what we are looking for.

He has said, `your cultural leadership should be able to initiate that with Nnamdi Kanus lawyer

But, this is over six months and we have been begging the President of Ohaneze to take up that responsibility.

So, that is the position and we are waiting for the President of Ohaneze to kick-start this political dialogue.

I met with the Attorney-General of the Federation, he is very well disposed to it,

I have also met with the Director General of the Department of State Services and he is also disposed and the same with the Inspector General of Police  so the ball is in our hand.

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(NAN)
May 29, 2023, is sacrosanct and President Muhammadu Buhari will definitely hand over to his successor on that day, the presidency has said.

President Muhammadu Buharis spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said this in reaction to a statement by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Robert Clarke.

Mr Clarke had suggested that President Buhari can constitutionally extend his tenure by six months to allow him address the security challenges facing Nigeria.

In his reaction, Mr Shehu said such was not being considered by Mr Buhari.

Having been the first recipient of a democratic transfer of power from an incumbent administration to an opposition candidate in Nigerian history, the President is committed to extending and entrenching democratic values across the country.

He shall, in turn, hand the privilege of serving the people of Nigeria to whomever they choose through free, fair and credible elections, Mr Shehu wrote.

Read Mr Shehus full statement below.

In response to the Senior Advocate of Nigerias recent remarks, the Presidency wishes to state as follows:

Chief Robert Clarke, a very well-respected elder may be sincere in his wish for the President to extend his term by six months. We wish to categorically restate that the President will step down on May 29th, 2023, after serving two terms  as per the constitution.

Having been the first recipient of a democratic transfer of power from an incumbent administration to an opposition candidate in Nigerian history, the President is committed to extending and entrenching democratic values across the country. He shall, in turn, hand the privilege of serving the people of Nigeria to whomever they choose through free, fair and credible elections.

However, Chief Clarke is right to say that without security, Nigeria would not likely realize its true potential as a peaceful and prosperous nation. That is why it has been at the core of this administration. The results are there for all to see. Boko Haram have been forced back from controlling whole swathes of this country. Internally Displaced Persons are now returning to rebuild their communities. These achievements have been accomplished through the bravery and determination of the Nigerian armed forces and the fortitude of the people of our nation.

New challenges have arisen and tackled in turn  whether its the National Livestock Transformation Plan to alleviate herder-farmer clashes, the elimination of the leadership of ISWAP, or new efforts to combat banditry. Till the last day of the administration, the security of the citizens shall remain the administrations paramount concern. We shall finish the job. Yet, in any case, respect for the constitution and Nigerians democratic rights remains the best path to securing and then maintaining peace.

Yet there are others, such as Chief Afe Babalola, that believe elections should be suspended, with the current elected government replaced by an interim unelected administration. This, he claims, is necessary to create a new constitution for the people, made possible, paradoxically, by ignoring their democratic rights. Down that path lies crisis and instability.

Instead, this administration proposes something entirely simpler: honouring the constitution and peoples right to decide.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

May 10, 2022
The governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni has called on the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) of the state-owned University, Yobe State University, to reconsider their position in the ongoing strike by the unions national body.

Mr Buni, who met with the management of the school and the union, said the state government and the university have no outstanding issues between them and hence no justification for the long closure of the institution.

University lecturers have been on strike for over two months. The lecturers are demanding better welfare and facilities.

Represented at the meeting by the Secretary to the State Government, Baba Malam Wali, the governor also called on the lecturers to consider the plight of the students who have had their studies paused by the strike.

We called for this meeting to appeal to you, the management of the University, and Unions to review your earlier decision of joining the ongoing nationwide strike embarked upon by the national body as a mark of solidarity.

Considering the outcry by parents and students of YSU and bearing in mind that there are virtually no outstanding issues between the State Government, the management of YSU and the Unions, we feel that your action in not justified, Mr Buni said

READ ALSO: ASUU extends strike by three months as students protest nationwide

He added that Yobe State government has never failed in her responsibility to the institution. He said the lecturers should consider the support/investment the government has made at the university.

Mr Buni said apart from the investment in capital projects in the institution, his government pays salaries and allowances of lecturers promptly.

Yobe State is just recovering from the insurgency and with the declaration of emergency in education, the union should look into the peculiarity of the state and call off the strike, he appealed.

The vice-chancellor of the university, Mala Daura, and the ASUU Chairman, Mohammed Jajare, thanked the state government for the various supports rendered to the university and promised that members of the union will meet to consider the governments appeal and will give a report after the meeting.
Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) reaffirmed on day two of the ongoing Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai that its premier dining destination Bujairi Terrace will open later this year.



Located just minutes from the centre of Saudi Arabias capital city of Riyadh and with uninterrupted views of the Unesco World Heritage Site At-Turaif, Bujairi Terrace is well positioned to be the regions new dining hot-spot.



It will feature 21 brands ranging from international fine dining to authentic Saudi cuisine and a range of seasonal pop-ups, including four Michelin-starred restaurants Bruno, Tatel, Hakkasan and Long Chim.



The 15,000-sq-m dining destination will champion local culinary stars in the Kingdom, offering the perfect platform to showcase their cuisine and revealing Saudis culinary talent to the world.



Guests will dine in restaurants designed in traditional Najdi style architecture, surrounded by the natural beauty of Wadi Hanifah and breathtaking views of At-Turaif.



At-Turaif stands at the centre of Diriyah, a magnificent collection of beautifully preserved mud-brick palaces which was the first capital of Saudi Arabia. Imbued with Saudi Arabias national history and identity and the first centre of authority of the Al Saud dynasty, At-Turaif was a defining cultural influence on the broader Arabian Peninsula, making it the Kingdoms most important heritage site.



Bujairi Terrace forms part of DGDAs $50.6 billion masterplan that will transform Diriyah into one of the worlds most exciting cultural tourist destinations. Hospitality, commercial, retail and nature offerings will both leverage and elevate the exceptionally distinctive character and cultural importance of the area and support DGDAs overall mission to share, protect and celebrate Saudi Arabias national heritage.



It is anticipated that the development will add $7.2 billion to the Kingdoms GDP, provide 55,000 job opportunities and attract 27 million visitors annually.



Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, DGDA, stated: We are excited to welcome the world to Diriyah; demonstrating the aspirations and progress of Vision 2030 set forth by His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman. As part of our mandate to create a world-class lifestyle destinations in Saudi Arabia, Bujairi Terrace exemplifies the excellence of Saudi cuisine and culinary talent, and invites visitors locally, regionally and globally to experience Saudi culture through its cuisine and warm hospitality.



Diriyah is set to become Saudi Arabias foremost historical, cultural and lifestyle destination. As part of the Kingdoms 2030 Vision, 14 sq km of Diriyah will be transformed into one of the worlds foremost historic tourism destinations  TradeArabia News Service
Former Sokoto State Commissioner for Finance, Abdussamad Dasuki, has formally handed over the Ministry to the Permanent Secretary, Dahiru Balarabe Abbas.

Mr Dasuki, who took over the affairs of the Ministry in 2019, had earlier tendered his resignation in March in compliance with the Electoral Act. He recently returned from a foreign trip to formally hand over to the permanent secretary.

At a brief handover ceremony, the former commissioner extolled Governor Aminu Tambuwals sterling leadership, which he said has placed Sokoto in good stead for rapid growth and development.

Mr Dasuki, who is the Santuraki of Sokoto, said with the prudent management of the resources of the state by the Tambuwal administration, the laudable reforms executed by the finance ministry and the various legacy projects across the state, Sokoto was better positioned to compete favourably for investments and to meet the aspirations of its people.

The former commissioner said he feels fulfilled that he was handing over a reformed ministry that played a key role in the various reforms executed by the Tambuwal administration.

He said with the reforms initiated and executed, the Finance Ministry was adequately prepared to continue to lead the way in the development agenda of the state government.

He recalled that at the inception of the Tambuwal administration, government finances were at the lowest ebb due to low FAAC Inflow, weak internal revenue generation, abandoned and unpaid capital projects, and gratuity liabilities.

It was these and many others that the government had to grapple with at inception, he said, adding that the Ministry of Finance, whose sole responsibility is the management of public finance, disbursement, execution of financial policies and management of public debt and securities, was consequently saddled with the responsibility of reversing this ugly trend.

Faced with these challenges, he said the Tambuwal administration came up with strategies to reform the public finance to ensure prudent management of resources, blocked loopholes in the state payroll and instituted a regime of transparency and accountability in public finance.

Mr Dasuki said those reforms boosted the states cash inflow and paved the way for the provision of developmental projects across Sokoto.

He said the reforms of the state finances also received recognitions from major institutions, including a grant of $33m in three years while another $22m is being expected from the World Bank before the end of 2022 for the commitment to the implementation of the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme. This followed the states impressive score in the SFTAS ranking so far, placing it among the top three states in the country to achieve such ranking.

Mr Dasuki said Sokoto also emerged first among the 36 states and FCT in the paying taxes column of the Subnational Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Baseline Survey as announced by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

He also listed the enactment of the harmonized Consolidated Revenue Law of 2019, which has helped the state to raise its IGR by 97 per cent.

Other achievements of the ministry, according to Mr Dasuki, include: continued automation of revenue processes; establishment of revenue codes for the state and all the 23 local governments; establishment of Single Treasury Account (TSA); Adoption of Cash Management Strategy; Adoption of Monthly Debt Arrears Clearance Framework on Contract and Gratuity payments; Establishment of SFTAS Secretariat; provision of utility vehicles, motor cycles, office furniture, ICT facilities and equipment; and construction of an ultramodern Revenue House and Complex.

Others include harmonizing the states civil service database; sanitizing the state civil service salary and pension by linking BVN to personnel management data; provision of adequate manpower and ICT facilities for the salary department; training and retraining of staff for better output and performance; and implementations of N18,000 and subsequently N30,000 minimum wage and CONPCASS salary scale of tertiary institutions for civil servants, thus emerging as the only state in the Northwest that has been consistent with the payment of new minimum wage and with zero salary and pension arrears.

Mr Dasuki also listed the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Agency Law 2020 and constitution of its board; migration from Cash Basis Accounts to IPSAS Cash and later Accrual Basis ISPAS; and monthly payment of subsistence allowance to both foreign and local students and also cleared arrears of tuition fees.

The former commissioner thanked Governor Tambuwal for the opportunity to serve at the helm of affairs of the finance ministry for three years, adding that he is confident that the achievements recorded by the ministry has placed Sokoto on the front row of states that has reformed their finance sector for optimal performance.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has made four strategic appointments in his bid to fill certain vacancies and invigorate the machinery of governance, as the administration inches to the final circle of its term.

The new appointments include that of the states Statistician-General, the Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Pilgrims Agency, Special Adviser, Political and Acting Director-General of Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, listed Baba Bukar Alhaji as the new Statistician-General, Yusuf Yakubu Arrigasiyyu, as Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Pilgrims Agency and Abdullahi Muhammad Ibrahim as Special Adviser, Political Matters. Adama Abdullahi Wada is the new Acting Director-General of the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority

The statement said until his appointment, the new Statistician-General was a lecturer at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. He holds a PhD in Statistics from the University of Essex.

According to Mr Adekeye, Mr Alhaji earned his first degree in Statistics from the University of Maiduguri and a masters from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

The new Special Adviser on Political Matters is a former chairman of the Interim Management Committee of Birnin Gwari Local Government Council, the statement added.

The Special Adviser on Media and Communication also said that the new Executive Secretary of the Kaduna Pilgrim Agency was most recently the Director, Policy and Transparency Division, at Kaduna Polytechnic.

He added that Mr Arrigasiyyu is also a former dean of the School of Health Sciences and Technology at Kaduna Polytechnic and was the provost of the Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences and Technology in Makarfi.

The statement also said Mr Arrigasiyyu has for 15 years been a member of the National Hajj Monitoring and Support Team, where he monitored Hajj activities and recommended process improvements. He holds a doctorate in Community Health.

Mr Adekeye further said the new Director-General of Quality Assurance started her teaching career in 1991 and has worked as an academic administrator at various government secondary schools.

Ms Adama has also been a supervisor and examiner for the West African Examination Council, the statement said, adding that she worked as a quality assurance evaluator at the Chikun Local Government Education Quality Assurance Office.
Cocoa farmers in Ofosu in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State on Monday protested against an alleged sale of their farmland to a Chinese company by the state government.

The protesters barricaded the Lagos/Benin Expressway, carrying placards with different demands.

Some read: Respect Our Right to Livelihood, Dont Give Our Land to Mindless Capitalists and We Want to Remain Farmers and not Armed Robbers.

Others read: No Farmers, No Nation, Please, Dont Take our Farms and Have Mercy on Us. Dont Take our Farms

Speaking with journalists during the protest, a community leader, Kazeem Akinrimisi, the Sasere of Ofosu, noted that he had been farming on the land for more than 20 years.

He said more than 25,000 farmers registered by the state government had been paying their dues to the government.

Mr Akinrimisi said he paid N6 million as dues for farming on the land to the state government in 2021 and pleaded that government should allow the farmers to acquire the land instead of imposing foreigners on the indigenes.

According to him, the farmers occupy 74 camps in the community spread over 20,000 acres of land.

An octogenarian, Ezekiel Olatunji, in his reaction enjoined the government to consider the lands as the farmers means of livelihood.

Mr Olatunji said that he had been farming on the land for more than 20 years and that he paid N1.2 million as his due to the state government in 2021.

He stated that he was surprised that the government decided to sell the land to foreigners, saying that cocoa is a major foreign exchange earner for Nigeria.

The octogenarian asked Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to allow the farmers to be paying their dues, saying that they could even pay more if desired by the government.

In a similar vein, Samuel Awolola, who said that he had been on the land for 27 years, asked the government to show mercy to the farmers since they were willing to pay their dues.

He said that Obada Camp in the community where he belonged paid N9 million out of N10 million as farming dues to the government in 2021.

Georginah Ose, another protester, said that taking the land away from the farmers could increase crime in the society, saying that more than 25,000 farmers would be rendered jobless.

Henry Olumakaye, the Olu of Ofosu, appealed to the farmers to be calm and avoid violence.

The traditional ruler asked the farmers to be peaceful, promising that the palace would hold a meeting with the state government on Tuesday.

Calls put across to Akin Olotu, Special Adviser to the governor on Agriculture and Agribusiness went unanswered just as he did not respond to text messages sent to him.

(NAN)
According to Research and Markets , the global alcoholic infused sparkling water market size is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 12% over the next several years. As more consumers around the globe look for alternative, low-calorie beverages, Corona created a product catered to consumers searching for that Corona lifestyle, beyond beer. Corona Tropical is a refreshing alcoholic beverage with no added sugar and less than 100 calories per can, available in several tropical flavors. With Corona Tropical, Corona is expanding its global beverage portfolio to offer a new, refreshing, and flavorful taste of paradise, by developing a completely unknown category in some markets around the globe.

"Corona is a brand that was born from the tropics and as we encourage consumers to embrace the lifestyle around the world, we're excited to offer a new Corona beverage to those who love the brand but are looking for options outside of beer," said Felipe Ambra, Global Vice President for Corona. "It is our mission to bring paradise to people everywhere and our newest innovation does just that. We created a more flavorful and very approachable alcoholic beverage so that everyone can enjoy the feeling of paradise done the Corona way."

To highlight the natural taste from real fruit juice*, Corona will install pickable, real fruit billboards in select cities, starting in London and expanding around the world in May, giving locals a chance to immerse themselves in both the taste and feel of a tropical paradise. The real fruit billboards will allow consumers to pick fruit straight from the ad and enjoy a slice in their own Corona Tropical sample in a nearby, relaxing tropical oasis. And some lucky Corona Tropical consumers will even have the opportunity to enjoy their next Corona Tropical in the ultimate real-life paradise destination, Corona Island  to truly unplug from reality and reconnect with nature. For a chance to win a trip for themselves and a friend, Corona Tropical drinkers in participating markets can share a photo on Instagram or Twitter enjoying Corona Tropical, follow @corona and include #NewCoronaTropical or #NuevaCoronaTropical for a chance to win. Promotion will kick off in select markets this month for two weeks starting in the UK on May 10.

In the UK, Corona Tropical is 4.5% ABV and available in three flavors  Guava & Lime, Raspberry & Lemon, and Grapefruit & Lemongrass. In Latin American markets, Corona Tropical is 4.2% ABV and available in four flavors  Lemon & Lime, Grapefruit & Lime, Pineapple Mango & Lime, and Strawberry Cherry & Lime. Corona Tropical is always enjoyed with Corona's classic lime ritual. Pricing and availability vary by market.

For more information about Corona Tropical please follow along on Twitter @corona.

*fruit juice from concentrate

About Corona Global

Born in Mexico, Corona is the leading beer brand in the country, the most popular Mexican beer worldwide exported to more than 180 countries. Corona Extra was first brewed in 1925 at the Cerveceria Modelo in Mexico City. Corona is a pioneer in the beer industry by being the first to use a transparent bottle showcasing its purity and high quality to the world. The artwork found on the bottle is painted, highlighting our commitment to quality in our packaging and our Mexican heritage. No Corona is complete without the lime. Naturally adding character, flavor and refreshment, the lime ritual is an integral part of delivering an experience that is truly unique to Corona. The brand is synonymous with the beach and celebrates time outdoors. It invites people to pause, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Corona has an ongoing commitment to reducing plastics. Since its partnership with Parley for the Oceans in 2017, they have exceeded its mission to protect 100 islands before 2020, and continue to deploy consistent global clean-up efforts.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life's moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois; multi-country brands Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Michelob ULTRA; and local champions such as Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 169,000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2021, AB InBev's reported revenue was 54.3 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1813427/Corona_Tropical.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1813428/Corona_Tropical_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Corona
The Ascott Limited (Ascott), CapitaLand Investments wholly-owned subsidiary, continues its tenacious Middle East and African expansion plans, building on its recent growth spree, opening five new properties in five different countries within the span of one month.

Currently, with a total of 4,500 units across 33 operational and pre-opening properties in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Central Asia, Ascott is on track to achieve its regional target of adding extra 5,500 units in the MEAT region, to reach a total of 10,000 units by 2025.

Building on its global footprint, the worlds leading serviced apartment brand, launched its recent properties under its iconic Citadines and Somerset brands. Redefining the aparthotel concept, the Citadines brand delivers a fresh, functional and fulfilling lifestyle with a hotel stay that offers flexibility and practicality of a serviced residence with a blend of locally-influenced experiences.

Oman welcomed its first Citadines property with the launch of the stylish Citadines Al Ghubrah Muscat in the countrys capital.

Parallelly, Ascotts acclaimed Somerset brand offers travellers and expats global living spaces that allow them to integrate both their professional and personal life, within a thriving community. Recent openings include the stylish 16-storey property, Somerset Downtown Al Khobar, marking the group's 7th operational property in Saudi Arabia; the anticipated re-opening of Somerset West Bay Doha in Qatar, which offers solo, business and leisure travellers their own private spaces; Somerset City Centre Atyrau, Ascotts first operational property in Kazakhstan, now welcoming travellers to explore a world of exclusivity in one of the countrys major economic hubs; and the 162-unit Somerset Westview Nairobi (Kenya), which marked the brands foray into Eastern Africa, providing potential partners and guests the opportunity to view and experience Ascotts world-class services in the region.

The leading lodging owner-operators will continue their aspirational growth in the region with another three property openings slated to open soon. These include the brands first luxurious villas project - Ascott Villas Riyadh and Ascotts first premium address in Abha  Citadines Abha, both located in Saudi Arabia; in addition to Somerset Al Mansoura Doha (franchise) in Qatar.

Vincent Miccolis, Ascotts Managing Director, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India, commented on Ascotts diverse expansion plans, saying: The Middle East market has consistently remained a key focus for Ascott and, as we expand further in this region as well as into Africa, we are delighted to share our regional achievements at ATM 2022.

We remain committed to further growth, driven by our belief in the huge potential this region holds - especially on the African continent for quality hospitality supply in the long-stay segment. Furthermore, we will be looking at expanding our presence in Turkey and Kazakhstan to better service our loyal guests in the key cities where business travel is growing post Covid-19.

The Ascott Limited has experienced an uptick in business travel in the African market and will focus resources to further grow in Africa to meet guests demand for the long-stay travel and relocation. Ascott will look to bolster its portfolio further in African countries that have highlighted immense growth potential, including Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania in East Africa, Morocco in North Africa; and Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Ivory Coast in West Africa.

The brand will also expand its presence in Turkey and Kazakhstan beyond Istanbul and Atyrau to better service the diverse client base in key cities where business travel is growing, such as Izmir and Antalya in Turkey and Almaty in Kazakhstan, he said.

Ascotts stellar new properties add to the lodging owner-operators existing dynamic portfolio in Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. These include Ascott Park Place Dubai, Citadines Culture Village Dubai, Citadines Metro Central Dubai (Franchise) in the United Arab Emirates; Somerset Al Fateh in Bahrain; Somerset Maslak Istanbul in Turkey; and Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh, Ascott Corniche Al Khobar, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, Ascott Sari Jeddah, Citadines Al Salamah Jeddah and Spectrums Residence Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

As a result of the groups commitment, The Ascott Limited has once again attained the coveted honour of the Best Serviced Apartment Brand in the Middle East at the 2022 Business Traveller Middle East Awards for the 7th year, earmarking another milestone of success.

On the sustainability front, Ascott practices green measures to contribute to global norms of carbon footprint reduction. The brand is currently working towards a 15% reduction of energy and water consumption intensity by the year 2030. Within the region, Ascotts properties Ascott Park Place Dubai and Citadines Metro Central Dubai (Franchise), have received the Green Key certification for their sustainability efforts. Additionally, Ascott plans to implement the Environment Health Safety Management System for selected properties across United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, and is the first of its kind in the GCC.  TradeArabia News Service
HELSINKI, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rappold will oversee Nomentia's global sales and marketing teams and continue to expand the company's position as a leader in cash and treasury management to new markets with a strong focus on the Nordics, DACH and Benelux.

Nomentia, a leading cash and treasury management solution provider, today announced the appointment of Hubert Rappold as the company's Chief Sales Officer (CSO). Rappold will sit on the company's leadership team and be responsible for leading Nomentia's global sales and marketing teams.

Rappold joined Nomentia from TIPCO Treasury & Technology where he was a Co-founder & Co-CEO. After the acquisition of the Austria-based company by Nomentia, he served as the Vice President of Solution Engineering and a member of the leadership team. Prior to founding TIPCO, Hubert was a partner at Schwabe, Ley & Greiner and has over 20 years of experience heading the solution engineering department and leading the sales activities pre-dominantly in the DACH region. Rappold's extensive experience in leading the expansion of a company, coupled with an understanding of the cash and treasury management market, will accelerate Nomentia's global growth.

"During the past two years, Nomentia has emerged from being the market leader in the Nordics as leading force in cash and treasury management in Europe. The growth for the last 24 months has been very strong for the company, and having Rappold to lead our sales and marketing teams will help us keep our momentum going," said Jukka Sallinen, CEO, Nomentia. "Not only does he have the experience of leading a successful company and knowing the market extremely well, but he also has the energy and drive that will be crucial in building Nomentia's success story."

Nomentia was born in 2020 from the merger of OpusCapita and Analyste, both companies having their roots in the 1980s. A year after the merger, Nomentia announced another major milestone when the company joined forces with TIPCO Treasury & Technology to provide one of the widest range of solutions for modern treasury and finance teams.

"I'm excited to lead sales and marketing at Nomentia at this pivotal time and focus on growing the company in new markets," said Rappold, Chief Sales Officer at Nomentia. "The opportunity to expand the market reach of our solutions is terrific and I'm honored to be a part of that journey."

Nomentia has also recently appointed Jurgen Sprenger and Martin Fikar as Managing Directors of Nomentia Treasury & Technology GmbH. Jurgen Sprenger will also continue in his role as Head of Sales, DACH while Martin Fikar continues as Head of Consulting, DACH, and Fikar joins Nomentia's leadership team.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Hubert Rappold, Chief Sales Officer, Nomentia

hubert.rappold@nomentia.com

+43 676 925 7777

Barbara Babati, Head of Marketing, Nomentia

barbara.babati@nomentia.com

+358 40 762 3356

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/nomentia-oy/r/nomentia-appoints-hubert-rappold-as-chief-sales-officer,c3559233

SOURCE Nomentia Oy
SEOUL, South Korea, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After the start of blood donation, '18478' people participated for 2 weeks. The blood donation of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which began with the goal of solving the blood shortage in Korea, has achieved an unprecedented miracle. This is more than 3 times the average daily use of blood in all medical institutions in Korea. This blood donation helped solve the national problem of blood supply and demand to the shortage that continued since the beginning of this year due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The amount of blood in Korea which had been held for only 3 days exceeded the appropriate amount for 5 days and soared to 5.9 days.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman Lee Man-hee), which donated blood for two weeks from the 18th of last month to the 1st of this month, completed the group donation of 18478 saints, well above the original estimate number of people. The total number of people who participated in the group donation was 27026.

According to the Blood Management of Korean Red Cross, Shincheonji is the only case in which so many people donated blood in a short period of 14 days. This blood donation is equivalent to 3.5 days of blood reserves. The blood reserve of 1 day is the average amount of blood used per day by medical institutions across the country, requiring 5029 units per day. The voluntary blood donation by the saints of Shincheonji Church of Jesus helped resolve the national blood supply shortage that has continued since the beginning of this year. On 1st, when Shincheonji Church of Jesus completed the blood donation, the amount of blood in Korea soared to the amount of 5.9 days which is a crisis is lifted.

Considering the occurrence of 40% of unqualified people on average, Shincheonji Church of Jesus conducted a Life-sharing Blood Donation Campaign 'Life ON' to the saints as much as possible and encouraged blood donation throughout the nation. As a result, more than 3000 people have already visited the blood donation site on the 18th of last month (the first day of the blood donation) and 2000 people have actually donated blood, reaching the target of 6000 people in just 3 days.

However, the saints voluntarily rushed to the blood donation site after hearing that the national blood shortage has not been resolved yet. In addition, the saints of Shincheonji Church of Jesus and their families who heard the news participated in the blood donation, achieved an unprecedented miracle of 18478 people donating for 2 weeks.

This is in line with a total of 6000 people participating in plasma donations to develop COVID-19 treatments 3 times at the request of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the beginning of COVID-19, when there were no vaccines and treatments in 2020. At that time, they gained attention not only in Korea but also abroad because they took care of the national crisis even though they suffered from the aftereffects of COVID-19.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus plans to donate both blood donor cards and blood donation certificates collected through blood donation for 2 weeks to Korean Red Cross on 9th. Shincheonji Church of Jesus let saints who participated in the blood donation choose it, and the donation certificates collected so far are worth 100 million won ($78709.17).

SOURCE Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
TULSA, Okla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the news in November 2021 that Alert 360 and My Alarm Center have merged, becoming the 5th largest residential security company in the United States, the brands have announced that they have integrated the Alert 360 Authorized Alarm Dealer Program and Bulk Acquisition vehicle Alarm Capital Alliance teams under the Alert 360 (Company) name creating one of the most powerful business-to-business engines in the security industry

Together, the teams have over 65 years in the security industry, completing more than 850 successful portfolio acquisitions. Both have longstanding reputations as the buyers of choice in the industry when it comes to buying alarm monitoring accounts and businesses. The newly combined Company continues to focus on driving its business-to-business strategy by expanding its search for bulk portfolio acquisitions and dealer relationships in key markets across the country, including Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; Fresno, CA; Houston, TX; Kansas City, KS; Los Angeles, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Richmond, VA; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; Sarasota, FL; Seattle, WA; Springfield, MO; Tulsa, OK; and Wichita, KS.

The Company's bulk acquisitions program focused on creating fast, transparent, and equitable agreements with its sellers, and is unparalleled in the industry. The acquisitions team, led by Jason Grelle, boasts comprehensive business valuations, competitive multiples, flexible and customized purchase options, in-house due diligence, expedited closings, and employment and growth opportunities for employees and associates as some of its many benefits. The Company takes a comprehensive and well-versed approach to valuation and exit planning for sellers with monetization options to sell some or all of their accounts and often completes repeat transactions through ongoing relationships with sellers who are impressed by the level of service. The Company also provides opportunities for continued revenue generation, including servicing and/or installing additional equipment on accounts, referring new accounts, and selling additional alarm monitoring accounts.

Grelle commented, "I am excited about the opportunities this merger brings. We now have the ability to handle deals of almost any size in the markets we serve. With both Dealer Program and Bulk Acquisition options available, we have the ability to help Alarm Dealers with any funding need they may have."

Alert 360 also has one of the longest-standing and leading Authorized Dealer Programs in the country. The program, directed by Jackie Schmidt, boasts best-in-class training, high pay, access to elite products and services, and support from a dedicated and highly focused Dealer Relations team. The Company has over 157 dealers participating in the program throughout the country. Advantages of working as an Alert 360 Authorized Dealer include competitive multiples, no holdbacks, weekly funding, non-exclusive agreements, a 90-day service guarantee, and an aggressive equipment discount and rebate program. The Company has continued to expand its resources and services for Dealers, committed to helping security alarm businesses grow through sales enablement and access to the latest smart security technology and products.

For more information about Alert 360's Authorized Dealer Program and Bulk Acquisitions, visit alert360dealer.com.

In addition to its Authorized Dealer and Bulk Portfolio Acquisitions Channels, Alert 360 is one of the largest Direct to Consumer residential, small business, and commercial security providers in the United States. The Company's core services include:

Professional consulting and installation of smart security and burglar alarm systems

24/7 professional alarm monitoring

Fire and carbon monoxide monitoring

Advanced video security cameras and surveillance systems

A unified offering of interactive smart security products like video doorbells, smart locks, smart thermostats and energy management solutions, automated lighting, and other connected z-wave devices

A universal app for customers to access their entire suite of security offerings for total protection, control, and convenience of their home or business.

App integration with personal assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home

About Alert 360

Founded in 1973, Alert 360 is one of the nation's oldest licensed alarm monitoring providers. Today, the Company is one of the largest providers of monitored home security and home automation solutions to homes in the United States. Alert 360 serves more than 160,000 residential and 40,000 commercial customers, primarily in the Sunbelt region of the United States. The Company monitors over two million security sensors and has an active base of over 80,000 CCTV cameras installed. For more information on Alert 360, visit www.alert360.com

About Alarm Capital Alliance

Alarm Capital Alliance is the acquisition vehicle of My Alarm Center & Alert 360, utilizing a unique business model to acquire portfolios of accounts or complete security business acquisitions. It dominates a critical industry niche of providing capital through acquisitions to small and midsized residential home security companies. For more information on Alert 360 & Alarm Capital Alliance Acquisition Programs, visit www.alert360dealer.com

SOURCE Alert 360
Authored by AGS' Vice President of EMEA Simon Bradberry and Global Head of Strategy Bruce Morton, with contributors John Boudreau (senior research scientist and professor emeritus at the University of Southern California), Ewan Greig (AGS senior manager of workforce solutions), Jessi Guenther (AGS vice president of client delivery) and Sarah Wong (AGS vice president of APAC), the book refocuses on the work itself before jumping to talk about workers, roles and vacancies, offering readers an alternative way to rethink work through outcome-based workforce acquisition.

The book's release was announced at Staffing Industry Analysts' CWS Summit Europe, taking place May 10-11 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. AGS is a gold-level sponsor of the conference, which includes a session with authors Bradberry and Morton presenting Tuesday at 15:00 GMT on, "The Workforce Renaissance: Our Industry Is in a Moment That None of Us Has Seen Before."

"Current models for acquiring and accessing talent are outdated and flawed," said Morton. "Companies compete for talent they may never fully use, overspend or underspend on contractors based on limited data, and may forfeit budget and quality as a result. This is why the Universal Workforce Model starts with the outcome first, applying a workforce planning model that breaks down siloed resource channels, so organizations can secure the right resource every time, and work most efficiently and effectively."

Structured as a journey to harmonized workforce management, the Universal Workforce Model has three defining features based on common areas of business transformation  process, people and technology:

Task- over Role-Based Workforce Design (Process): The Model prompts organizations to ask, "What do you need to achieve?" instead of "Who do you want to hire?" to challenge legacy, predetermined talent acquisition approaches with an agile process that deconstructs work to assess workforce options objectively.

The Model prompts organizations to ask, "What do you need to achieve?" instead of "Who do you want to hire?" to challenge legacy, predetermined talent acquisition approaches with an agile process that deconstructs work to assess workforce options objectively. The Workforce Business Partner (People): As a single point of contact, the Partner applies the task-based approach and data intelligence to break down siloed resource channels  employees, contingent workers, services providers and automation  and identify the best resourcing strategy to achieve the required outcome.

As a single point of contact, the Partner applies the task-based approach and data intelligence to break down siloed resource channels  employees, contingent workers, services providers and automation  and identify the best resourcing strategy to achieve the required outcome. The Intelligent Workforce Platform (Technology): As a single access point to various technologies, the Intelligent Workforce Platform is an aggregated data source that uses AI and machine learning to enable objective, evidence-based workforce decisions.

"Advances in AI and services-enabled architecture have given rise to technologies that bring all workforce options into view, making the journey to the Universal Workforce Model possible now," says Bradberry. "While changing the fundamentals of workforce engagement is not an easy move, the journey should not be a sacrifice to the business. Innovations in work design, evolving strategic relationships between companies and solutions partners and developing expertise to reconfigure work illuminate and make the path forward possible."

The book is available for immediate download at https://learn.allegisglobalsolutions.com/en/the-universal-workforce-model and in hard copy for limited release.

To request an interview with the book's authors, please contact Global Executive of Strategic Content and Brand Marketing Julie McClure at [email protected] or 410.694-5215.

Industry Reviews

"For years, the job description has been the fundamental currency of hiring and employee performance. Today, that is changing. The actual work being done is defined by outcomes, not roles.  The time is now to reinvent the HR profession. HR has been talking about what it is for years and never had the C-suite attention or the capability or urgency to do something big. Now it does."

Dave Ulrich, Co-Founder & Principal, RBL Group

"Now more than ever, it is important for organizations to clearly consider all of their options to get their critical work done. Congratulations to the authors for tackling this important topic head on."

Barry Asin, President, SIA | Staffing Industry Analysts

"The Universal Workforce Model provides a unique angle on the roles of procurement and HR in the future of work. It's a practical perspective on a transformation that is already happening today."

Dawn Tiura, President, Sourcing Industry Group, SIG University

"For years, Procurement, HR and business leaders have been forced to struggle with an incredibly complex set of talent acquisition and workforce challenges. Applying a different mode of thought and a new model to rethink, reimagine, and redesign today's workforce has the potential to bring the focus back on the work itself."

Arkadev Basak, Partner, Everest Group

"Companies face immense pressures as they adjust to the ever-changing workforce. What's important moving forward is that they treat workforce challenges as a priority across the entire business. The concept of the Workforce Business Partner doesn't replace the work that HR, hiring managers, recruiters, and staffing and talent solutions partners do, but it provides the impetus that enables them to work smarter and with more agility on the journey to a Universal Workforce Model."

Ken Brotherston, Chief Executive, TALiNT Partners

About the Authors

Simon Bradberry is a workforce transformation professional with more than 25 years of experience in workforce strategy and execution. His experience across business management, HR consulting, and the design and delivery of workforce solutions has given him a first-hand perspective in harmonizing the theory, strategy and operationalization of workforce strategies. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Bradberry has worked in human capital consulting and recruitment outsourcing in a variety of global leadership roles across EMEA and APAC.

Bruce Morton has more than 40 years of experience in the human capital industry and is well known as a global workforce design and talent acquisition expert. He has designed, implemented and managed large enterprise resourcing solutions across many different parts of the globe, and he has been recognized as HR Thought Leader of the Year by HRO Today both in EMEA and in the US. His book, "Redesigning the Way Work Works," available on Amazon, addresses the challenges of the new world of work based on his deep practical experience and innovative perspective.

Allegis Global Solutions (AGS) is a leading provider of talent solutions. We transform the way the world acquires talent in order to deliver immediate and lasting impact. Through decades of industry experience, and with services across 60+ countries, we know what it takes to innovate, consult, design, and implement successful, creative, and data-driven talent solutions across all workforce categories. Learn more at https://www.allegisglobalsolutions.com/

SOURCE Allegis Global Solutions
Application - Interior and exterior, engine and drivetrain, electrical systems, suspension systems, and others

Geography - APAC, Europe , North America , South America , Middle East , and Africa

For more insights on YOY and CAGR, Read our latest Sample Report

Vendor Insights

The Automotive Silicones Market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies such as M&As to remain competitive in the market.

The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including:

BASF SE

CHT Germany GmbH

CRI-SIL Silicone Technologies LLC

CSL Silicones Inc.

The Dow Chemical Co.

Elkem ASA

Evonik Industries AG

H.B. Fuller Co.

Henkel AG and Co. KGaA

International Silicone Technologies

Kaneka Corp.

Momentive Performance Materials Inc.

Primasil Silicones Ltd.

Rogers Corp.

Shin Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.

Silicone Engineering Ltd.

Siltech Corp.

United Silicones Ltd.

Wacker Chemie AG

Find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by vendors and their product offerings, Read our Sample Report.

Geographical Market Analysis

APAC will account for 70% of the market's growth. The automotive silicones market in APAC is dominated by China, Japan, and India. The market in this region will increase at a quicker rate than the market in other regions.

Over the forecast period, the increased usage of automobiles in China will aid the expansion of the automotive silicones market in APAC.

Furthermore, countries such as US, China, Japan, India, and Germany are expected to emerge as prominent markets for the Automotive Silicones Market during the forecast period.

Know more about this market's geographical distribution along with a detailed analysis of the top regions. Download Detailed Sample Report.

Key Segment Analysis

The interior and exterior segments' share of the automotive silicones market will expand significantly. Automotive silicones are predicted to become more widely used in applications such as paint additives, seat belt lubricants, synthetic leather seats, and metre damping oil. Silicone elastomers are utilised in the automotive industry for bonding, sealing, and potting. Automobile silicones market expansion will be aided by the bonding and sealing of interior and exterior cosmetic pieces in automotive accessories.

View Sample Report: to know additional highlights and key points on various market segments and their impact in coming years.

Key Market Drivers & Challenges:

One of the major factors driving the automotive silicones market is the rising demand for fuel-efficient and low-emission automobiles. Due to a growing consensus among governments and consumers to reduce emissions, there has been an increase in demand for electric vehicles. As a result, demand for EVs will rise during the predicted period. Furthermore, the use of silicones in the manufacture of automobile components helps to reduce vehicle weight, resulting in increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide.

However, one of the factors limiting the growth of the automotive silicones market is fluctuating raw material prices.

Download Sample Report for highlights on market Drivers & Challenges affecting the Automotive Silicones Market.

Customize Your Report

Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights about this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

Do reach out to our analysts for more customized reports as per your requirements. Speak to our Analyst now!

Related Reports:

Automotive Pedestrian Protection System Market by Technology and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Automotive Control Cables Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Automotive Silicones Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.46% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 1.14 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.28 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 70% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, India, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled BASF SE, CHT Germany GmbH, CRI-SIL Silicone Technologies LLC, CSL Silicones Inc., The Dow Chemical Co., Elkem ASA, Evonik Industries AG, H.B. Fuller Co., Henkel AG and Co. KGaA, International Silicone Technologies, Kaneka Corp., Momentive Performance Materials Inc., Primasil Silicones Ltd., Rogers Corp., Shin Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd., Silicone Engineering Ltd., Siltech Corp., United Silicones Ltd., and Wacker Chemie AG Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Application

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Application - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Application - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Application

5.3 Interior and exterior - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Interior and exterior - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Interior and exterior - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Interior and exterior - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Interior and exterior - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Engine and drivetrain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Engine and drivetrain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Engine and drivetrain - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Engine and drivetrain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Engine and drivetrain - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Electrical systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Electrical systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Electrical systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Electrical systems - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Electrical systems - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Suspension systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 40: Chart on Suspension systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Suspension systems - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Suspension systems - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Suspension systems - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 44: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 46: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.8 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 48: Market opportunity by Application ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 49: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 50: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 52: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 54: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 57: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 68: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 78: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 80: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 83: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 84: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 85: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 86: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 88: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 89: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 90: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 92: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 93: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 94: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 95: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 96: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 97: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 98: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 99: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 100: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Elkem ASA

Exhibit 101: Elkem ASA - Overview



Exhibit 102: Elkem ASA - Business segments



Exhibit 103: Elkem ASA - Key offerings



Exhibit 104: Elkem ASA - Segment focus

10.4 Evonik Industries AG

Exhibit 105: Evonik Industries AG - Overview



Exhibit 106: Evonik Industries AG - Business segments



Exhibit 107: Evonik Industries AG - Key news



Exhibit 108: Evonik Industries AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 109: Evonik Industries AG - Segment focus

10.5 H.B. Fuller Co.

Exhibit 110: H.B. Fuller Co. - Overview



Exhibit 111: H.B. Fuller Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 112: H.B. Fuller Co. - Key news



Exhibit 113: H.B. Fuller Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 114: H.B. Fuller Co. - Segment focus

10.6 Henkel AG and Co. KGaA

Exhibit 115: Henkel AG and Co. KGaA - Overview



Exhibit 116: Henkel AG and Co. KGaA - Business segments



Exhibit 117: Henkel AG and Co. KGaA - Key offerings



Exhibit 118: Henkel AG and Co. KGaA - Segment focus

10.7 Kaneka Corp.

Exhibit 119: Kaneka Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 120: Kaneka Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 121: Kaneka Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 122: Kaneka Corp. - Segment focus

10.8 Momentive Performance Materials Inc.

Exhibit 123: Momentive Performance Materials Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 124: Momentive Performance Materials Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 125: Momentive Performance Materials Inc. - Key offerings

10.9 Primasil Silicones Ltd.

Exhibit 126: Primasil Silicones Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 127: Primasil Silicones Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: Primasil Silicones Ltd. - Key offerings

10.10 Rogers Corp.

Exhibit 129: Rogers Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Rogers Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 131: Rogers Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 132: Rogers Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 133: Rogers Corp. - Segment focus

10.11 The Dow Chemical Co.

Exhibit 134: The Dow Chemical Co. - Overview



Exhibit 135: The Dow Chemical Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 136: The Dow Chemical Co. - Key news



Exhibit 137: The Dow Chemical Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 138: The Dow Chemical Co. - Segment focus

10.12 Wacker Chemie AG

Exhibit 139: Wacker Chemie AG - Overview



Exhibit 140: Wacker Chemie AG - Business segments



Exhibit 141: Wacker Chemie AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 142: Wacker Chemie AG - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 143: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 144: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 145: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 146: Research methodology



Exhibit 147: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 148: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 149: List of abbreviations

About Us:

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
Increase in prevalence of cardiac diseases, diabetes, and lifestyle disorders, rise in sedentary lifestyles, surge in excessive cigarette use, and growing number of people suffering from obesity drive the growth of the cardiac surgical devices market.

PORTLAND, Ore. , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Cardiac Surgical Devices Market by Product Type (Beating Heart Surgery Systems, Cardiopulmonary Bypass Equipment, Cardiac Ablation Devices, Perfusion Disposable), by Application (Congenital Heart Defects, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Coronary Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, Others), by Age Group (New-born Population, Infant Population, Children Population, Adult Population): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030." According to the report, the global cardiac surgical devices industry was estimated at $2.2 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to hit $3.1 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 3.3% from 2021 to 2030.

Download Sample PDF at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2177

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

Increase in prevalence of cardiac diseases, diabetes, and lifestyle disorders, rise in sedentary lifestyles, surge in excessive cigarette use, and growing number of people suffering from obesity drive the growth of the cardiac surgical devices market. On the other hand, high cost of procedures associated with cardiac surgeries restrains the growth to some extent. However, increase in life expectancy is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Covid-19 scenario-

The outbreak of the pandemic had a negative impact on the global surgical devices market, since the implementation of the global lockdown delayed most of the surgeries up to six months. Therefore, there was a declined demand for cardiac surgical devices across the world, especially during the initial period.

However, the global situation is getting back to normalcy and the market has already started recovering. With this drift on board, the industry is projected to get back on track soon.

The perfusion disposable segment to dominate by 2030-

By product type, the perfusion disposable segment contributed to the major share in 2020, holding nearly three-fourths of the global cardiac surgical devices market. The same segment would also cite the fastest CAGR of 3.4% during the forecast period. Rise in the prevalence of coronary artery bypass grafting and increase in number of heart valve replacement surgeries fuel the segment growth.

Specific Requirement on COVID-19? Ask to Our Industry Expert: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2177

The cardiac arrhythmia segment to maintain the lion's share-

By application, the cardiac arrhythmia segment accounted for the major share in 2020, holding more than two-thirds of the global cardiac surgical devices market. The same segment is also expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 3.4% from 2021 to 2030, due to surge in incidence of atrial fibrillation among the global population.

North America garnered the major share in 2020-

By region, the market across North America had the lion's share in 2020, generating nearly two-fifths of the global cardiac surgical devices market. The Asia-Pacific region, on the other hand, is projected to portray the fastest CAGR of 4.0% by 2030, due to increase in cases of diabetes, rise in healthcare facilities, and technological advancements in the region.

Key players in the industry-

Medtronic Inc.

MAQUET GmbH & Co. KG

Quest Medical, Inc.

Angiodynamics, Inc.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation

Edwards Life Science

Abbott Vascular

LivaNova PLC

Boston Scientific Corporation

Cook Medical

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Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
"We are proud an industry veteran with Lynn's knowledge and determination has joined our team to drive our sales and growth initiatives," commented Erica Parks, President of CBE Companies. "CBE remains committed to leading the receivables management industry, and Lynn's deep experience, leadership, and passion will strengthen our organization as we plan for the future."

With more than 25 years in the industry, Reynolds is highly knowledgeable in accounts receivable management and business outsourcing processes. She has built a solid reputation based on quality, service, and unwavering ethics while adapting to the constant change in regulatory, legislative, and client requirements.

"I'm thrilled to join CBE Companies and to be working alongside this talented team," stated Reynolds. "CBE's solid foundation is well poised for growth, and I look forward to expanding CBE's offerings and clientele."

Prior to joining CBE, Reynolds' tenure included Account Control Technology, General Revenue Corporation, and Pioneer Credit Recovery. As a seasoned professional, she understands how best practices result in high performance and an enhanced customer experience.

Reynolds currently serves on the Membership Committee for Receivables Management Association International (RMAI), previously served on the Boards of National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER) and Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations (COHEAO), actively lobbied Congress and industry influencers, and has been a past presenter at numerous industry conferences. She holds a BS in Business Management from Houghton College.

About CBE Companies

Founded in 1933, CBE Companies is a global provider of outsourced contact center solutions. The company specializes in first- and third-party debt collection, fraud, and customer care services for diverse industry verticals including Healthcare, Government, Education, Telecommunications, and Financial Services. CBE's ability to constantly adapt and evolve with the ever-changing regulatory environment sets us apart from other providers. CBE aligns our capabilities and resources with our clients' priorities of customer satisfaction, performance, and data security.

People drive innovation, and for more than 85 years CBE has continued to invest in developing and nurturing leaders throughout the organization by creating an environment in which individuals thrive, creativity is valued, and organic growth is achieved. With nearly 1,200 people in 3 locations globally, CBE Companies can deliver the right solution in the right location(s) for your business.

For more information about CBE Companies, please visit www.cbecompanies.com or email [email protected]. Follow CBE on Facebook (@CBEcompanies) and LinkedIn (@cbe-companies) to stay informed of company events, employment opportunities, philanthropic and community updates, and exciting announcements celebrating CBE's extraordinary staff!

SOURCE CBE Companies
He made the remarks on Tuesday during a ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), a mass youth organization under the leadership of the CPC.

Draw strength from historical experience

In 1919, the May Fourth Movement spurred the spread of Marxism throughout China. Two years later, the CPC was founded. The following year, under the Party's leadership and promotion, the CYLC was born.

According to the league's constitution, it is a mass organization for advancing young people under the leadership of the CPC. It also acts as a school where young people learn about socialism with Chinese characteristics and communism through practice. The league also assists the Party and acts as a reserve force.

The founding mission of the CYLC is to unwaveringly follow the CPC and strive for the Party and the people, said Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Noting the achievements made by Chinese youth over the past century, Xi said the Party's leadership, firm beliefs and convictions, devotion to national rejuvenation and deep roots in the country's young people are key to the past and future successes of the CYLC.

Geared toward national rejuvenation

The CYLC has over 73.7 million members nationwide as of December 31, 2021, according to statistics released by the CYLC Central Committee.

Some 43.81 million of its members are students, while the remainder are from enterprises, public institutions, urban and rural communities, social organizations and other fields, the data shows.

The league should continue serving young people, fulfill its responsibility in consolidating and expanding young people's support for the Party's governance and offer solid help to the young people, Xi said.

Comparing the realization of the Chinese Dream to a relay race, he called on the younger generations to strive for their best to help realize national rejuvenation with their creativity, open-mindedness and pioneering spirit.

Party organizations at all levels should attach great importance to the cultivation and development of young Party members, especially outstanding CYLC members, to ensure that the socialist country will never change its nature, he said.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-05-10/Xi-addresses-gathering-celebrating-centenary-of-CYLC-19ULTMI6Suk/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
"Creating a more just and sustainable world is an integral part of Clario's core purpose as an organization," said Joe Eazor, Chief Executive Officer at Clario. "Guided by the initiatives outlined in our ESG Report, we are determined to make positive changes both inside and outside of our organization. We are committed to advancing health equity, protecting the environment, implementing innovative operations and becoming a destination employer that supports its people. I consider it the highest honor and privilege to lead Clario into a brighter future for all our customers, employees, investors and ultimately the patients we all serve - because an important lesson we've learned in the past two years is that any of us could be that patient."

The ESG Report outlines the findings of Clario's materiality analysis, which helped the company prioritize its efforts based on where it could make the most impact. Based on the findings, Clario built an action plan to drive results in the following areas:

Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workforce and in clinical trials by recruiting and developing diverse talent, accelerating pay equity, expanding Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and working with customers and partners to improve patient diversity in clinical trials with DCT technologies. Clario is committed to achieving 40% people of color in the US portion of the organization and attaining gender balance in leadership (director and above) by the end of 2024. Over the last year, Clario increased the hiring and promotion of women by 9%.





by recruiting and developing diverse talent, accelerating pay equity, expanding Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and working with customers and partners to improve patient diversity in clinical trials with DCT technologies. Clario is committed to achieving 40% people of color in the US portion of the organization and attaining gender balance in leadership (director and above) by the end of 2024. Over the last year, Clario increased the hiring and promotion of women by 9%. Minimizing carbon footprint and waste production by monitoring and reporting scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage and reducing packaging and shipping volumes. Clario is working to mitigate its GHG emissions by approximately 50% in the near-term and align with the Paris Agreement to adopt validated science-based targets by 2024 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.





by monitoring and reporting scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage and reducing packaging and shipping volumes. Clario is working to mitigate its GHG emissions by approximately 50% in the near-term and align with the Paris Agreement to adopt validated science-based targets by 2024 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. Leading transformation within local communities through corporate giving initiatives such as the donation of end-of-life devices (over 2,000 devices donated in 2021), ensuring ethical compliance and data security and working with a sustainable supply chain by vetting suppliers and reviewing their sustainability and diversity programs.

"Clario has made great progress in our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Sustainability efforts in recent years," said Otis Johnson, Ph.D., Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability Officer at Clario. "We know there is still a great deal of work to be done, but we are energized by the difference we are making in the world. The ambitious goals we disclosed in our inaugural ESG Report will keep us focused and accountable as we continuously measure our progress."

Earlier this year, Clario committed to aligning its operations with the United Nations (UN) Global Compact's Ten Principles, as well as the previously embraced UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the company partners with academic institutions and industry member organizations to ensure alignment with the greater clinical trial ecosystem to improve patient diversity in clinical trials and to be good corporate citizens.

Visit Clario.com to read the full ESG Report which the company plans to publish annually moving forward.

About Clario

Clario is a leading technology company that generates the richest clinical evidence in the industry for our pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device partners. Across decentralized and site-based trials, our deep scientific expertise, global scale and the broadest endpoint technology platform in the industry allows our partners to transform lives. Clario's Trial Anywhere solutions have been powering hybrid and decentralized clinical trials (DCT) for over 15 years, enabling sponsors to collect high-quality endpoint data from any modality or location, all while improving the patient experience and diversity. Clario has the only technology platform that combines eCOA, cardiac safety, medical imaging, precision motion and respiratory endpoints. With 30 facilities in nine countries, Clario's global team of science, technology and operational experts has helped deliver over 19,000 trials and 870 regulatory approvals for over 5 million patients in 120 countries. Our innovation has been transforming clinical trials for 50 years.

For more information, go to Clario.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Clario Media Contact

Duncan Cantor

Sr. Director, PR and Thought Leadership

[email protected]

SOURCE Clario
Leading Global Manuka Honey Maker Doubles Last Year's Pledge in Second Year of Beehive Rescue Campaign

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Comvita, the global leader in Manuka Honey, announces the second year of its bee rescue program, partnering with beekeepers and rescuers to relocate hives set to be terminated. Bees are critical to pollination and the survival of the global ecosystem, but populations are rapidly declining. Building on the success of its debut campaign in 2021, when the brand rescued 5 million bees, Comvita has pledged to save 10 million bees in honor of World Bee Day on May 20, 2022. Comvita will work with independent beekeepers across the U.S. to provide the resources they desperately need to safely remove and relocate hives. These hives will be placed in areas where they can thrive, saving bees and ultimately benefiting bee populations.

Climate issues have been causing bees to perish at a staggering rate for several years. A 50% decline in bee colonies in the United States has negatively impacted our ecosystem and the world's food supply. The bee rescuers sponsored by Comvita will relocate at-risk wild hives to safe and protected areas where the hives can successfully pollinate and live in harmony with local communities.

"Comvita has long been considered a trusted partner to beekeepers on both a global and local scale, so it was only natural for us to continue our bee rescue program this year and up the ante by doubling our commitment," said Corey Blick, SVP of Comvita North America. "The wellbeing of bees has been a priority since our founders got together in 1974 to form Comvita. We are called upon to support the crucial work of independent beekeepers, provide education around the vital importance of bee welfare. At Comvita, we want to see a world where we can all live in harmony with bees and nature."

Comvita has partnered with beekeepers across the U.S. to provide grants to complete 200 beehive rescues within their respective local communities, as well as offer assistance to fellow beekeepers in other regions to perform rescues. Relocated hives will be maintained by local beekeepers to ensure health of the queen bee and the hive overall. Beekeeper partners will chronicle their experiences with hive rescues in real-time across Comvita's social media channels along with education surrounding rescue practices and other related topics.

Hilary Kearney, founder of Girl Next Door Honey, is a celebrated San Diego-based beekeeper and one of the advocates Comvita is working with to provide resources for hive rescues. "Honey bees are up against so many stressorspesticides, lack of food, climate change. I'm proud to collaborate for the second year in a row with a brand like Comvita that recognizes the need for action and so highly prioritizes the vitality of these critical pollinators," said Kearney.

Comvita is widely known for elevating and redefining the Manuka honey category by upholding standards that exceed rigorous certifications for product quality and efficacy. Harvested from the pristine forests of New Zealand, Comvita is known for offering the most premium, pure, well-researched, and sustainably sourced Manuka honey available on the market. Comvita's profile of Manuka honey offerings include Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) ratings to guarantee significant levels of Manuka's strongest bioactive compounds, the gold standard in Manuka ratings backed by the New Zealand government for its verification of quality and potency.

Part of Comvita's ethos is to continuously deliver on its mission to create exceptional products that honor the work of the world's greatest pollinators. In celebration of World Bee Day Comvita is offering 25% off all products, sitewide on comvita.com, for the month of May.

To learn more about Comvita, please visit www.comvita.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @comvitausa.

About Comvita

Comvita was founded in 1974, with a purpose to heal and protect the world through the natural power of the hive. Comvita is a pioneer and the global leader in Manuka Honey. Publicly traded on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX: CVT), the Company provides wellness-seeking consumers and the medical skincare market with sustainably sourced, Certified UMF and MGO-guaranteed raw & wild Manuka Honey, fully traceable from source-to-shelf. With industry leading certifications, Comvita operates the only IANZ government-accredited laboratory. We are growing industry scientific knowledge on bee welfare, Manuka trees and the many benefits of Manuka Honey and bee propolis. We have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025 and carbon positive by 2030, and we are planting more than two million native trees every year. Comvita North America is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA. To learn more, please visit www.comvita.com.

SOURCE Comvita
Former Torchy's Taco senior executive joins restaurant bringing over 20 years of experience

DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotton Patch Cafe, a Texas-inspired, scratch-made restaurant serving Southern classics, today announced Scott Hudler has joined the company as its Chief Growth Officer (CGO). Hudler will oversee all marketing, guest experience technologies and development. He will report directly to the CEO and serve on the Cotton Patch Cafe leadership team.

"We are excited to have someone of Scott's caliber join our leadership team," said Mazen Albatarseh, CEO of Cotton Patch Cafe. "We have taken our time in searching for and hiring the most qualified person for this position. We believe Scott's passion for people, knowledge and prior experience, combined with his aptitude for technical growth, make him the ideal individual for the position. We look forward to having Scott help us elevate our brand and continue to grow."

Hudler has a proven track record of delivering measurable results to brands through innovation, product development and consumer engagement. He takes a measured approach to understanding a brand's unique qualities to create and lead its brand strategy, category management, advertising and marketing efforts.

"What Cotton Patch Cafe has accomplished to date is extremely impressive. I'm looking forward to working with this dynamic team," said Hudler. "Cotton Patch Cafe is an iconic brand. I believe the growth potential for us is unlimited."

Prior to joining Cotton Patch Cafe, Hudler held c-level positions, including CMO of Torchy's Tacos, SVP and CMO of Dick's Sporting Goods and SVP and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Dunkin' Donuts. He graduated from Valdosta State University with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.

About Cotton Patch Cafe

Founded in Nacogdoches, Texas, in 1989, Dallas-based Cotton Patch Cafe is a Texas-inspired, homestyle restaurant serving Southern classics in its 49 locations across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Cotton Patch is deeply committed to being a community partner in each town it calls home and gives to many local organizations and charities in addition to being a major donor to Scottish Rite for Children. For more information, visit cottonpatch.com or follow Cotton Patch Cafe on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

SOURCE Cotton Patch Cafe
A Dynamic, Customer-First Approach with Iconic "Owned" Brands and New Technologies Delivers Convenience and Elevates the Customer Shopping Journey

COLUMBUS, Ohio and HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE: DBI) (the "Company" and "Designer Brands"), parent of shoe retailer DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, has unveiled its new "Warehouse Reimagined" retail store format, a step forward in putting customers, brands and speed at the forefront of the Company's business strategy. Debuting at a Houston-area DSW, Warehouse Reimagined showcases a proof-of-concept of differentiated omni-channel experiences for Designer Brands' 700-plus stores across North America. The new store experience elevates the Company's Owned Brands and product selections through modernized merchandising featuring shop-in-shops, full family offerings and head-to-toe lifestyle imagery. Warehouse Reimagined also highlights well-known National Brands with dedicated sections that prominently display products for easy viewing and selection by store customers.

"Warehouse Reimagined allows us to showcase our National Brands with shop-in-shops, together with Owned Brands and associated experiences that elevate brands in the eyes of the customer," says Designer Brands Chief Executive Officer, Roger Rawlins. "This new store format is an immersive experience  by the customer, for the customer  and brings to bear our proven capability to retail brands the way customers want. We have leaned heavily on customer insights and digital capabilities to showcase our Owned Brands and are partnering with top National Brands to give customers an exciting 360-degree experience. This new format also features expanded and upgraded services and order pick-up areas to make the shopping experience more convenient. Optimization of space helps us ensure our top items are always in stock, building on our hard-earned customer loyalty. We will learn much from this launch by bringing our product assortment to life, maximizing our retail footprint and moving forward with our mission to inspire self-expression."

Warehouse Reimagined features an updated warehouse-inspired design to optimize capacity to bring the Company's Owned Brands to life, including the iconic Hush Puppies products which will now sell exclusively at DSW stores. Together with other brands in Designer Brands' portfolio including Vince Camuto, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand and more, Warehouse Reimagined highlights the Company's long-range plan to grow its Owned Brands to account for nearly 30% of sales by 2026. As Designer Brands puts more emphasis on these brands, the Company will lean into its established infrastructure, fully integrated sourcing and loyalty program to grow market presence.

The new store will feature product displays with oversized graphics and store walls will be flexible and modular to adapt to each store's planned promotions. A dedicated kids' section will present products at their eye level and make shopping fun with interactive games and the ability for kids to size themselves and select their own products. Rounding out the enhancements are easier-to-find selections and merchandising based on customers' shopping habits.

Warehouse Reimagined will also continue to advance the Company's philanthropic partnership with Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls distributes donations collected at DSW stores to entrepreneurs in developing countries to start and sustain their own small businesses to sell these donated shoes within their local communities while keeping these products out of our planet's landfills. DSW recently surpassed a total of 6 million pairs of shoes donated to Soles4Souls.

About Designer Brands

Designer Brands is one of North America's largest designers, producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories. Designer Brands operates a portfolio of retail concepts in nearly 700 locations under the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, The Shoe Company, and Shoe Warehouse banners. Designer Brands designs and produces footwear and accessories through Camuto Group, a leading manufacturer selling in more than 5,400 stores worldwide. Camuto Group owns licensing rights for the Jessica Simpson footwear business and footwear and handbag licenses for Lucky Brand. In partnership with a joint venture with Authentic Brands Group, Designer Brands also owns a stake in Vince Camuto, Louise et Cie, and others. More information can be found at www.designerbrands.com.

SOURCE Designer Brands Inc.
ORLANDO, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

(The University of Central Florida's College of Engineering and Computer Science issued the following news release.)

A $75,000 donation to the University of Central Florida from Duke Energy Florida will provide critical resources to support the transformation of engineering and computer science students into professionals and future leaders in their fields.

The funds will be used towards priority areas in the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science, specifically in programs designed to build leadership skills in students, including UCF's Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute (eli2), and UCF's Senior Design "Boot Camps"  training workshops for teams enrolled in the Senior Design capstone course  a requirement for graduating seniors.

The donation adds to a previous $75,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to support UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science projects including the Girls Excelling in Math and Science mentorship program, Senior Design, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

"At UCF, while our engineering and computer science students are learning the core technical aspects of their disciplines, they are simultaneously learning important 'soft skills' and leadership qualities that are critically important in the workplace," says Michael Georgiopoulos, dean, UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science. "The years of support from Duke Energy help make UCF's leadership-building programs possible. We are extremely grateful for their gift."

The gift adds to the longstanding relationship between Duke Energy Florida, the Duke Energy Foundation and the University of Central Florida. Over the years, Duke Energy and its foundation have given more than $5 million to support UCF programs that have benefitted thousands of students. In addition, the Duke Energy Welcome Center at UCF serves as a high-visibility information portal about the university designed to attract prospective students to UCF.

"For more than a decade, Duke Energy, its legacy companies and its foundation have invested in the University of Central Florida and its Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "There is an immense need for engineering and computer technology leaders across the board, and we are honored to be able to support this program and continue transforming students into the skilled professionals and leaders needed in Florida and beyond."

With financial support from Duke Energy (then Progress Energy), the Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute (eli2) at UCF was born in 2010, a program that has provided leadership skills-building opportunities for thousands of engineering and computer science students.

Opportunities include hands-on workshops and "Leaders Up Close" seminars, classes to earn an Engineering Leadership Minor or Certificate, the eli2 maker spaces on campus designed to enhance creativity and collaboration, Senior Design Boot Camps that help student teams with their projects; and other programs specifically focused on enhancing student creativity, innovation, collaboration and accountability.

"Duke Energy championed students' leadership development from the very beginning of eli2," says Tim Kotnor, a professor in UCF's Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and director of UCF's Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute. "What started out as initial support of 31 students 15 years ago has burgeoned into a college-wide culture of student leadership engagement that has impacted the education and professional development of more than 20,000 students and alumni."

Senior Design, a capstone course in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, begins for students with Boot Camp, provided by eli2: an all-day interactive session for newly formed senior design teams to bolster teamwork and project ideation. The eli2 Boot Camp is designed to help student teams collaboratively design their projects from start to finish, including budgeting, timelines, prototyping, testing, and overcoming challenges to get their projects to the finish-line: the Senior Design showcase, where the projects are presented to a public audience and alumni judges.

In April, 917 graduating seniors participated in UCF's Spring 2022 Senior Design virtual and live showcase, featuring 185 projects designed by collaborative teams of graduating seniors in engineering and computer science.

The University of Central Florida is one of the nation's largest producers of engineers and computer scientists and is the nation's top workforce supplier to numerous key industries, including aerospace, energy, utilities, financial technology ("fintech"), healthcare, and defense industries. UCF was named the nation's No. 1 workforce supplier  and top preferred supplier  to the aerospace and defense industries by Aviation Week Network.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com . The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter , LinkedIn , Instagram and Facebook .

UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science

The University of Central Florida's College of Engineering and Computer Science in Orlando is among the nation's largest producers of engineering and technology workforce talent. The college's six academic departments offer 40+ bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, tracks and certificates. Its $50-million annual research enterprise addresses society's greatest challenges and aspirations in aerospace, computing, energy, the environment, healthcare, transportation, and more. The college is strengthened by innovative industry partnerships and diverse faculty, students and staff who together create a welcoming, entrepreneurial hub of learning and discovery. Visit cecs.ucf.edu to learn more.

Media contacts:

Duke Energy Florida  Audrey Stasko

Cell: 315.877.3031

Media line: 800.559.3853

Email: [email protected]

University of Central Florida  Kimberly Lewis

Cell: 703.864.5984

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Duke Energy
Following the acquisition, Elopak has added local production facilities in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to its extensive existing global network, which already encompasses customers across 70 countries. At the same time, annual production capacity has been boosted by more than 2.5 billion cartons, supporting the company's ambition to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.

The event took place in Casablanca, Morocco and included a ribbon cutting ceremony, a site tour of the production facility and a formal lunch. In attendance at the event were the Minister of Industry and Commerce Ryad Mezzour and Norway's Ambassador to Morocco Sjur Larsen.

Commenting on the event, Elopak CEO Thomas Kormendi stated, "We are delighted to officially welcome team members in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to the company. We look forward to working closely together and are excited by the opportunities that exist for us to deliver sustainable packaging solutions as part of a bigger and better team with a strengthened position in the MENA region."

Norway's Ambassador to Morocco, Sjur Larsen, also commented on the occasion, stating, "I am pleased to see Elopak investing in Morocco through this acquisition. I hope to see more Norwegian companies come to do business in Morocco and to invest. There are many possibilities in Morocco, and also for Norwegian companies that want to look at possibilities for access to new markets in Africa and the Middle East."

The acquisition of Naturepak Beverage is part of Elopak's growth strategy, enhancing its position in the MENA region showing great potential. Having listed on the Oslo stock exchange in 2021, Elopak is seeking to capitalize on its strong track record, growing geographical footprint and investment in sustainability-focused innovations to target organic growth of 2-3% per annum. It is pursuing new business opportunities across both traditional and non-traditional segments, as well as driving the plastic to carton conversion.

About Elopak

Elopak is a leading global supplier of carton packaging and filling equipment. The company's iconic Pure-Pak cartons are made using renewable, recyclable and sustainably sourced materials, providing a natural and convenient alternative to plastic bottles that fits within a low carbon circular economy.

Founded in Norway in 1957, Elopak was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2021. Today it employs 2,700 people and sells in excess of 14 billion cartons annually across more than 70 countries.

Elopak is a UN Global Compact participant with a platinum EcoVadis rating and has been carbon neutral since 2016. For more information, go to elopak.com or follow us @Pure_Pak on Twitter and @Elopak on LinkedIn.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814825/Elopak_Morocco.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1677938/Elopak_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Elopak
Just like her leadership team peers, Emilia is an award-winning Juris Doctor that specializes in a broad range of employment disputes that impact California's working class. Her expert knowledge of California's FEHA (Fair Employment and Housing Act) ensures that DLaw clients have maximum protection on everything from hostile work environments, wrongful termination, harassment to wage issues.

Emilia brings a wealth of high-profile legal experience to DLaw's core leadership team. More importantly, she shares the values and drive that make her an ideal fit. Emilia's passion for employment law and helping employees began when she had the opportunity to intern with the honorable LA Superior Court Judge Charles C. Lee and his colleagues. It was during this time that she was inspired to embark on her mission to help individuals who lack the education, or are simply too intimidated, to fight for their rights.

"My clients are often intimidated, afraid and simply don't know what to do. I'm really proud of educating and being an advocate for countless employees whose rights were violated by some of the largest companies in the country. What is even more satisfying than successfully defending the rights of the working-class underdog is the ability to take my efforts to the next level with a different kind of law firmone that is on a mission to combine expertise and attention-to-detail with a genuine, family-like compassion for clients," said Emilia.

Emilia has built an impressive track record defending employee rights and has defended employees against some of the most powerful corporations in the country, including: Amazon, Home Depot, Kohl's, Lowes, Target, Tesla, Walmart, Walgreens, and Uber. Her work is a testament to her drive and determination to defend working-class citizens.

"Emilia has a proven track record of representing underdog employees against some of the biggest companies in the world. Her fearless approach and genuine empathy for clients combined with her expertise of California's employment laws make her an integral part of the DLaw leadership team. She is a key contributor to DLaw's record growth, successful state-wide expansion, and more importantly, fulfilling our mission of protecting California's working class," expressed Emil.

Emilia Mehrabian is a top attorney at DLaw (aka Davtyan Law Firm), a firm that has protected the rights of hundreds of thousands of workers and recovered over $150 million for California's blue-collar community.

DLaw is a member of the California Lawyers Association, California Employment Lawyers Association, and National Employment Lawyers Association. The firm is a 4.5+ star consumer-rated firm with an A+ accreditation by BBB. The firm is driven by the mission of "Champion for California's Working Class." To fulfill its mission, DLaw provides free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation services.

CONTACT: Armen Petrosyan, [email protected]

SOURCE Davtyan Law Firm, Inc.
Canada's Challenger Bank Introduces ESG Framework

TORONTO, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Equitable Bank (the "Bank" or "Equitable"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Equitable Group Inc. (TSX: EQB) (TSX: EQB.PR.C) (TSX: EQB.R) today released its first full-scale ESG Performance Report (the "Report") with data and commentary to provide stakeholders with transparent, relevant, and comprehensive disclosure on all aspects of environmental, social and governance strategies, practices, and outcomes within Canada's Challenger BankTM.

The Report features the Bank's challenger perspectives on the connection between ESG and its corporate values through its proprietary ESG framework and is organized according to each of EQB's five C's of ESG: Climate (environment), Customers, Challengers (employees), Community, and Corporate Governance.

"We are delighted to release our new ESG Performance Report, through which we challenged ourselves to disclose meaningful data, discuss ESG risks and risk management practices and elaborate on the opportunity areas that deeply engage our Bank as we live our purpose of driving change to enrich people's lives," said Andrew Moor, President and CEO of Equitable Bank. "It took a serious-minded effort to arrive at the final report. The result, which includes third-party assurance of emissions reporting, is a comprehensive point-in-time review that all stakeholders can rely on. That said, this is only the beginning. Our challenger ethos calls on us to constantly step up our approach rather than settling for the status quo. We will do so by holding ourselves accountable for progress against now publicly available data. As the Bank is soon to become Canada's 7th largest bank by assets, effective ESG practices will be of even greater importance to us and our stakeholders in the years ahead."

Led by metrics, the Bank's ESG Performance Report not only incorporates disclosure recommendations from several ESG frameworks and standards, such as the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), it also contains key datapoints requested by ESG rating agencies. Recognizing that the ESG landscape is changing rapidly, Equitable is supportive of standardization to increase clarity for issuers, investors, and customers who rely on comparable ESG data to drive decision making. The Bank supports consolidation proposed by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

"In all areas of ESG, we are dedicated to doing our part to drive change and make a difference. In the spirit of transparency, we disclosed material metrics to hold ourselves accountable  consistent with our philosophy that what gets measured gets managed," added Mr. Moor. "The result of this multi-faceted effort is growing recognition of the Bank's performance by rating agencies. In 2021, we maintained an AA MSCI rating (on a scale of AAA-CCC) and our Sustainalytics Risk Rating improved by one percentage point to 21.1. We expect more improvement on these ratings in the years ahead as our ESG program matures and develops."

About Equitable Bank

Equitable Group Inc. trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: EQB, EQB.PR.C and EQB.R) and serves more than 340,000 Canadians through its wholly owned subsidiary Equitable Bank, Canada's Challenger Bank. Equitable Bank has a clear mandate to drive change in Canadian banking to enrich people's lives. Founded over 50 years ago, Equitable Bank provides diversified personal and commercial banking and through its EQ Bank platform (eqbank.ca) has been named the top Schedule I Bank in Canada on the Forbes World's Best Banks 2022 and 2021 lists. Please visit equitablebank.ca for details.

Investor contact:

Richard Gill

Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

[email protected]

416-513-3638 Media contact:

Jessica Kosmack

Senior Manager, Communications

[email protected]

647-600-2512

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements made in this news release, in other filings with Canadian securities regulators and in other communications include forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Bank's objectives, strategies and initiatives, financial result expectations and risk management, statements about or containing possible future issuances of deposit notes of the Bank, statements made by our CEO and any other statements made herein, whether with respect to the Bank's businesses or the Canadian economy. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "planned", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases which state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, closing of transactions, performance or achievements of the Bank to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to risks related to capital markets and additional funding requirements, fluctuating interest rates and general economic conditions, legislative and regulatory developments, the nature of our customers and rates of default, and competition as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Management" in the Management's Discussion and Analysis and in Equitable Group Inc.'s documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All material assumptions used in making forward-looking statements are based on management's knowledge of current business conditions and expectations of future business conditions and trends, including their knowledge of the current credit, interest rate and liquidity conditions affecting the Bank and the Canadian economy. Although Equitable believes the assumptions used to make such statements are reasonable at this time and has attempted to identify in its continuous disclosure documents 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. Certain material assumptions are applied by the Bank in making forward-looking statements, including without limitation, assumptions regarding its continued ability to fund its mortgage business at current levels, a continuation of the current level of economic uncertainty that affects real estate market conditions, continued acceptance of its products in the marketplace, as well as no material changes in its operating cost structure and the current tax regime. 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. Equitable does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Equitable Group Inc.
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 2022 is a midterm election year, which means thousands of political races, amendments, and referendums will be on the ballots for citizens to vote on at all levels of government across the US. With Republicans and Democrats struggling for control of the federal government, the political aspect of the election year will take front and center. But it is important to also gauge how candidates and proposed referendums affect your local community and local services like Fire & EMS workers.

Firefighters & EMS Fund has released their 2022 Voter Guide ahead of upcoming local, state, and federal elections. The mission of Firefighters & EMS Fund is to provide a grassroots voice for firefighters across the country in the state and local political process. The grassroots organization publishes a new voter guide every major election cycle to raise awareness on fire and EMS related issues that are most pressing during that particular election.

This year's 2022 Firefighters & EMS Fund Voter Guide focuses on three main issues facing first responders: Personal Protective Equipment, Getting Citizens Involved, and Electing Pro-Fire Board Members locally.

The guide is free to download and highlights the importance of electing the right candidates to local town and city boards, where so much is determined for budgeting and referendum approval.

"We hope that this year's Voter Guide will help educate citizens on what the most pressing issues are and will help them identify the best candidates and policies to support fire & EMS workers across the country," Executive Director Nile Porter said in a statement.

You can download the 2022 Voter Guide for free here: https://www.fireandemsfund.com/2022-voter-guide/

Firefighters and EMS Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Contributions are not tax deductible. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

SOURCE Firefighters & EMS Fund
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- First Citizens Bank today announced that its Middle Market Banking business provided a $60 million loan to Bahakel Communications to refinance existing debt and help finance future growth opportunities.

Bahakel Communications is a family owned-and-operated radio and television broadcast company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with additional locations in South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Colorado. Their digital agency arm, Bahakel Digital, offers a variety of marketing and advertising services, including website design, social media management and advertising, and search engine marketing.

"We've successfully grown and sustained our operations for 75 years and this financing will help us sustain and advance our business into the future," said Beverly Bahakel Poston, CEO at Bahakel Communications. "We appreciated First Citizens' expertise in arranging financing that aligns with our business objectives."

"We're pleased to have arranged financing for Bahakel Communications," said Brendan Chambers, managing director and group head for First Citizens' Middle Market Banking business. "First Citizens has supported the Bahakel Family through our Wealth Management offerings, and we're grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our relationship by providing financing to support the future success of their business."

First Citizens' Middle Market Banking business delivers a range of financial solutions to midsize clients through a relationship banking model. The business offers deposit solutions, loans, treasury services and other banking products to manufacturers, distributors and a wide variety of service industries.

About First Citizens Bank

First Citizens Bank helps personal, business, commercial and wealth clients build financial strength that lasts. As the largest family-controlled bank in the United States, First Citizens is continuing a unique legacy of strength, stability and long-term thinking that has spanned generations. Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., First Citizens also operates a nationwide direct bank and a network of more than 600 branches in 22 states. Industry specialists bring a depth of expertise that helps businesses and individuals meet their specific goals at every stage of their financial journey. First Citizens Bank brings together personal service and powerful tools to help customers do more with their moneyand make more of their future. Visit firstcitizens.com. First Citizens Bank. Forever First

MEDIA RELATIONS:

Lexa Tutela

212-461-5305

[email protected]

SOURCE First Citizens Bank
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluix prides itself on doing everything possible to support its customers in doing their best work.

Today, the company is proud to announce that its no-code process management software is now available on the Android platform.

Fluix digitizes the paper forms and heavy manuals that commonly clutter workspaces. The software also streamlines document-based collaboration between remote and office teams, facilitates all kinds of inspections and checklists, and optimizes various other business processes.

A cross-platform presence on iOS and Android makes operational excellence even more accessible - regardless of the type of tablet or mobile device used by different teams.

"Over the past 10 years, I've seen Fluix make a real difference to our customers. We're thrilled to be able to make Fluix even more accessible to teams all over the world, via both iOS and Android Platforms." Julia Nikolayenko, Executive Director of Fluix

Before Fluix officially launched in 2014, Fluix's parent company, Readdle , launched PDF Expert - a document editing app for the first-ever iPad. Having used PDF Expert for some time, aerospace giant, Boeing, specifically asked Fluix CEO, Igor Zhadanov, to tailor the software to allow for greater flexibility in document management.

Initially, Igor said no to Boeing's request, as custom development wasn't part of Readdle's product-driven company vision. When Boeing insisted, Igor quickly realized that it was possible to expand on the existing features of PDF Expert to include workflows, automation tools and comprehensive user management options. Those features combined to create Fluix; dynamic software that can be applied to use cases across various industries, including aviation, construction, and renewable energy. Fluix has grown ever since, reaching another milestone today with its introduction to the Android platform.

"We aim to positively disrupt the way companies of any size work with their documents and tasks. Our vision has resulted in a platform that solves the main pain-points of office and field teams that keep safety and compliance as their top priorities."

Igor Zhadanov, co-founder of Readdle and CEO of Fluix.

- Press kit

- Read success stories of Fluix customers

- Try Fluix

About Fluix

Fluix helps 400+ companies in 40 countries to digitize and manage documents, automate routine tasks, and streamline business processes. The software scales from mid-size companies with agile teams, to Fortune 500 corporations across the sectors of construction, energy, aviation, and facilities management. Clients include BMW, Zurich Insurance, Alaska Airlines, Centuri, Emerson, SAS, Roche, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Fluix was recognized in Gartner's Digital Markets 2020 reports, and named a leader in G2's Winter 2022 Grid in the Best Workflow Management Software and Best Forms Automation Software categories, sealing its reputation as a leading solution in its field. The company is headquartered in Dublin, and also has offices in San Francisco, Berlin, Kiev and Odessa.

About Readdle

Readdle is a leading developer of essential productivity apps. Its portfolio of products includes Documents , PDF Expert , Spark , Calendars , Scanner Pro . Collectively, its apps have been downloaded 157M times and have won multiple awards, including "App of the Year" and "Editors' Choice" by Apple.

SOURCE Fluix
AMSTERDAM, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Geospatial World Forum 2022 (GWF 2022) , one of the most prestigious geospatial conferences and annual gatherings of geospatial professionals from across the globe, kicked off in Amsterdam on May 10, at the Taets Art and Event Park Amsterdam  Zaanstad. The three-day conference, which runs till 12 May, is produced by Geospatial World and co-hosted by Dutch Kadaster.

With the theme "Geography & Humanity", GWF 2022 aims to trace the historical relevance of the geospatial profession, depicting its current value and setting the tone for the future. Discussions will revolve around the interaction between geography and humanity concerning the sustainability of not only the ecosystems but also the interdependent society and economy.

Year 2022 also marks Geospatial World's 25 years of service.

Sanjay Kumar, Founder & CEO, Geospatial World opened the conference with his talk on the importance of geography and humanity. "There can't be a better time than this to discuss 'Connecting Geography and Humanity' as the world talks about sustainability, and we are going through transformative challenges beyond COVID, such as climate change or geopolitics." He said geospatial technology adds a crucial spatial dimension to knowledge infrastructure, and is a key to achieve sustainability.

The occasion also saw a congratulatory message from Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, which was read out by Kumar. In the message, Modi said, "In today's technology-driven age, geospatial knowledge plays a crucial role towards socio-economic development. It is imperative for nations and societies to invest in making geospatial knowledge infrastructure vibrant."

He also underlined that in the past eight years, the Indian government has undertaken wide-ranging measures to deepen the reach of geospatial services for all-around development. "We have liberalized policies related to geospatial data to bring a positive transformation in the lives of common man with the help of technology and facilitate the development of Indian geospatial innovations to empower small businesses. India's efforts emphasize on unlocking immense opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs by promoting research in creation of digital public goods. It will open new avenues for location-based services and create huge employment opportunities for our youth," he said.

In his introductory remark Frank Tierolff, Chair Executive Board, Kadaster, The Netherlands said, "SDGs (sustainable development goals) embody a better world that we want to create for ourselves and future generations. SDGs require sound, reliable and actual information." He shared an interesting journey of Kadaster. "At a time of mega transformations and disruptions, navigating uncertainty and precarity for the shore of certainty is what concrete planning is all about in an ever-changing world, certainty is as important as freedom," he said.

As part of his ministerial address, Malaysia's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation YB Dato' Sri Dr. Adham bin Baba, said, "I am confident that the sharing and takeaways from this intellectual discourse would provide an important impetus for the global communities to collectively address common challenges and take affirmative actions that are science and evidence-based in order to achieve sustainable development."

The adoption of geospatial technologies has great potential to strengthen Malaysia's competitiveness in critical areas, such as food security, forest management, physical development planning, as well as national defence and security. "The Malaysia Space-X 2030 Blueprint aims to create a comprehensive national space ecosystem. To support the blueprint, the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) has developed 40 centralized and integrated space-based remote sensing and geospatial application systems and databases that have managed to improve public service delivery through the increased use of space technology," the Minister highlighted.

Congratulating the Forum, Reenat Sandhu Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands said, "Technology has reshaped and continues to reshape the world around us. In today's technology driven age, geospatial knowledge plays a crucial role. India's geospatial economy was valued at about USD 5 billion in 2021 and employs approximately 470,000 people across the country. By 2025, the geospatial economy has the potential to grow to more than USD 8 billion with employment in the sector rising to over 950,000 people. There is therefore a huge potential that is yet to be realized. The Government of India has been creating an enabling environment to facilitate private participation in the geospatial services."

In her address YB Chong Eng, Executive Councillor for Social Development & Non-Islamic Religious Affairs, Penang State Government, Malaysia said, "The theme of this forum, 'Geography and Humanity', highlights the link between geography and social connectivity. As we have discovered during the pandemic, it is particularly important to maintain this link in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital technologies has been instrumental in bridging the geographic divide to keep individuals and communities connected to the governments and civil society organizations mandated to serve them."

Value of geospatial technologies

Geospatial and location technologies have been foundational to the digital revolution, and have taken a centerstage since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. With climate change-induced extreme weather impacts and geopolitical tensions in Europe and other parts of the world now adding to the problems, the role of geospatial data and technologies is expected to become more crucial.

The Global Geospatial Market Size is estimated to be USD 452 billion in 2022. It is forecasted to grow at 14.61 percent CAGR reaching USD 681 billion by 2025. However, after 2025, the industry is expected to grow at a much faster rate of 16.1 percent, touching USD 1.44 trillion by 2030, according to the GeoBuiz-22: Global Geospatial Industry Outlook Report that came out last month.

According to the annual report produced by GW Consulting, Geospatial World's consulting division, the current growth rate is driven by technology innovation, integration of workflows, and augmentation of spatial analytics in business processes. The spurt in growth post 2025 will be due to the current public policy reforms and increasing investments in geospatial infrastructure (both public and private) and industry acceleration programs worldwide. The growth impact of public policies and industrial acceleration is estimated to be USD 373 billion between 2025 to 2030 as compared to USD 38 billion in the year 2025, carving out a greater role for national geospatial agencies and governments.

About Geospatial World Forum

Geospatial World Forum is one of the most prestigious global geospatial conferences and annual gatherings of geospatial professionals across the world. This year's edition GWF 2022 runs from May 10 to May 12 at the Taets Art and Event Park, Zaanstad, Amsterdam. The three-day conference is produced by Geospatial World and co-hosted by Dutch Kadaster.

Visit website for more information: https://geospatialworldforum.org/index.html

About Geospatial World

Geospatial World is a global think tank working towards raising awareness around the use of geospatial data and technologies among governments and policymakers, businesses, and the public at large. Its mission is 'Making a Difference through Geospatial Knowledge in World Economy and Society'. Primarily a knowledge organization, Geospatial World pursues thought leadership, policy advocacy and technology evangelism through various activities and platforms.

Visit website for more information: https://www.geospatialworld.net/

Media Contacts

Anusuya Datta

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

Meenal Dhande

Associate Editor & Product Manager  Europe

[email protected]

SOURCE Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd.
BEIJING, May 10 -- The amphibious dock landing ship Wuzhishan recently carried out a real-combat training drill on such subjects as air and missile defense, island and reef seizing and control in waters of the South China Sea. The drill tested the troops commanding and coordinating capabilities and enhanced the maritime emergency response level of single ship.
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 on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the QA QC Certification Services market. The report also aids buyers with relevant QA QC Certification Services pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, www.spendedge.com/report/qa-qc-certification-services-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 4%-8%.

Identify favorable opportunities in QA QC Certification Services 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.

SpendEdge presents a detailed picture of this procurement market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our QA QC Certification Services market procurement report covers the following areas:

Some of the top QA QC Certification Services suppliers listed in this report:

This report offers detailed insights and analysis of the major cost drivers, volume drivers, and innovations of the QA QC Certification Services procurement and sourcing market, which the global suppliers have been leveraging to gain a competitive edge across regions. Some of the leading QA QC Certification Services suppliers profiled extensively in this report include.

SGS SA

Bureau Veritas SA

Intertek Group Plc

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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
Workday, Salesforce, Spotify, Oracle, and Twilio return as sponsors for the New York City conference

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sistas in Sales (SIS), the leading global organization serving women of color across the sales sector will host its 5th Annual Summit from Wednesday, September 21st through Friday, September 23rd, 2022. Attendees can look forward to immersive activations, experiential workshops, and real-time networking on-site at the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York. For the first time since 2019, the 5th Annual SIS Summit will return to its in-person format after being virtual for the last two years.

Google is returning as the SIS Summit Champion Sponsor for the fifth year in a row  solidifying its impactful investment in the SIS Community, and demonstrating the company's commitment to recruit talent from the SIS member base of more than 5,500 women of color. This year, Google will present the Google Lounge: A Place for Sellers  a private space where attendees can have their resumes reviewed in real-time from Google recruiters, discuss open roles, and make meaningful connections with decision-makers. Google executives will also serve as Keynote and Panel speakers at the SIS Summit. Past SIS Summits have engaged dynamic leaders from Google's ecosystem, including Bonita Stewart - Vice President of Global Partnerships at Google, as last year's SIS Summit closing speaker.

Sistas in Sales, the leading global organization serving women of color in sales will host its 5th Annual Summit in NYC. Tweet this

Early-Bird tickets are available now at the SIS Summit website: https://sistasinsales.com/summit2022/

In addition to Google, Workday, Salesforce, Spotify, Oracle, Chili Piper, and Twillio will sponsor this year's event.

Sponsors may contact [email protected] to learn more about opportunities for the 5th Annual SIS Summit.

The Summit's theme, "You Have Arrived," is a celebration of the professional seller's journey  simultaneously acknowledging each attendee's current position, while supporting their vision for the next phase of their career through workshops, learning, and thought leadership to help them get there. Content for the event will be curated along three specific themes: Finance, Sales Acumen, and Accountability.

"We don't always get an opportunity to just be still and reflect on how far we've come  and this year's SIS Summit is going to hold space for that," said Chantel George, SIS Founder and CEO. "We want to acknowledge everything that it took for our attendees to be here. This moment in time matters, so celebrate it  then visualize what you want for the future and let's prepare for it, together  because here, at this moment, we are going to provide our attendees with the resources they need to achieve their goals."

2022 marks SIS's fifth anniversary celebration  with landmark events happening globally throughout the year  including SIS's first event happening in London this Summer. Since its inception, SIS has worked to empower women of color through distinct networking, training, and career opportunities alongside a range of longstanding corporate partners to close equity gaps for Black and brown women, while building community and sisterhood.

About Sistas In Sales, Inc.:

Sistas In Sales (SIS) is the first national organization to serve women of color in professional sales careers with more than 5,500 members across the world. SIS's membership represents a broad range of diverse women in media, software, finance, IT, education, and tech sales  with a focus on sharing knowledge and resources to build community, sisterhood, and empowerment through mastering the sales craft. Founded by Chantel George in 2018, SIS has worked to empower women of color through distinct networking, training, and career opportunities alongside a range of longstanding corporate partners that include Google, Salesforce, and Workday. This year, SIS is celebrating its 5-year anniversary with events highlighting its now-global member base, and culminating with the 2022 SIS Summit.

To learn more, please visit www.sistasinsales.com . Follow SIS on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , TikTok, and Slack .

Media Contact: Phoenix Jackson

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 720.275.8238

SOURCE Sistas In Sales
New options include a deductible that lowers each year and 100% network coverage for kids through age 12

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), one of the nation's largest life insurers and a leading provider of employee benefits, today announced the launch of new, modern dental benefits that are designed to inspire well-being, provide consumer value, and make dental care more accessible.



Access to good dental benefits is increasingly critical to one's ability to feel, think, and perform their best. But with limited benefits dollars, especially at small businesses, employers understandably want to make the most of their investment and choose plans employees will desire and use. That's why Guardian conducted extensive consumer research to determine plan features and benefits that will help motivate utilization and make better oral health more attainable. Guardian dental plans are designed to help members improve their oral health and overall well-being.



By listening closely to consumers, planholders, and brokers, Guardian developed new dental offerings including:

Features that promote good oral care for the long term, with Diminishing Deductible, which reduces each year the member is on the plan until it's $0 after three years.

after three years. Early Smiles, providing 100% network coverage for preventative, basic, and major care for children through age 12.

Affordable plan options, such as 100% coverage for preventive care with a flexible allowance for additional care and access to a new local network of deeply discounted dentists to help members save in select markets. These options may help businesses that previously were unable to offer dental benefits due to cost restrictions.

Guardian members continue to get access to helpful, virtual care options including Teledentistry as well as other healthful coveragelike an extra cleaning for employees with qualifying health conditions.

"Our research1 shows that nearly eight of 10 Americans with dental benefits at work visit the dentist one or more times a year, compared to less than half (40%) of those without any coverage," said Chris Smith, Head of Group Benefits for Guardian. "Dental benefits are an effective way to inspire well-being, so we are especially pleased to provide new, innovative ways to make oral care more accessible and affordable to customers."

"Our customers told us they want easy to understand dental benefits that support oral health," said Jill Purcell, Head of Group Dental & Vision, "With these new features, we are helping people to feel, think, perform, andof coursesmile at their best."

Purcell noted that poor dental health has been attributed to higher incidence of heart disease, dementia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and pregnancy complications, while good oral care and dental health has been linked to better overall physical and mental well-being.2

Additionally, according to recent Guardian research, 10 times as many U.S. adults said the pandemic made them value and appreciate their dental benefits more.3

The new Guardian dental plans will be available beginning in May 2022. To learn about Guardian's innovative new dental plans, visit guardianlife.com/dental-insurance/group.

Guardian demonstrates its longstanding commitment to oral health not only through the plans it offers but also through its continued support of the Dental Lifeline Network (DLN), which provides complimentary dental care to vulnerable individuals who otherwise would not have access because of cost or lack of coverage. As DLN's lead sponsor of the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program, Guardian has provided more than $1 million to DLN since 2018, which in turn has facilitated more than $20 million in donated services.

[This advertising content is not currently intended for anyone in the state of New Mexico]

DentalGuard Insurance is underwritten and issued by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY. Products are not available in all states. Policy limitations and exclusions apply. Optional riders and/or features may incur additional costs. 2022-137811 (Exp. 5/24)

About Guardian

Every day, Guardian provides Americans the security they deserve through our insurance and wealth management products and services. Since our founding in 1860, our long-term view has helped our customers prepare for whatever life brings, whether starting a family, planning for the future, or taking care of employees. Today, we're a Fortune 250 mutual company and a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits for individuals, at the workplace, and through government sponsored programs. The Guardian community of over 9,000 employees and our network of over 2,500 financial representatives is committed to serving with expertise when, where, and how our clients need us. Our commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which at year-end 2021 included $10.7 billion in capital and $1.9 billion in operating income. For more information, please visit guardianlife.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Media inquiries, please contact:

[email protected]

1 "Dental Fundamentals," Guardian Life Insurance, 2022

2 "The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health," Guardian Life Insurance, 2021

3 "Dental Fundamentals," Guardian Life Insurance, 2022

SOURCE Guardian
Recognized as a place people love to work, setting the standard for excellence in company culture.

ATLANTA, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HatchWorks , a leading provider of software development services that help technology leaders imagine, modernize, and accelerate their business-critical projects through integrated US and Nearshore Agile teams, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list , a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture.

Inc. selected 475 honorees this year. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace , which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking.

" Our culture drives everything we do, and everything we deliver." said CEO Brandon Powell . "This recognition provides validation we are doing the right things and gives us the energy to make HatchWorks an even better place to work."

Hatchworks provides software strategy, development, and experience design services to Healthcare, Financial Services, and Communications companies to name a few. Since its start, HatchWorks focused on building a best workplace through its culture. This includes:

- Recognizing and rewarding those who embody its shared core values.

- Establishing a profit-sharing program, giving 10% of profits each quarter to the team.

- Embracing DEI through our core values and recognizing the value of different experiences and perspectives.

- Taking care of our employees and giving back to their communities through the HatchFutures organization.

This commitment to being a best workplace has propelled HatchWorks growth as shown by ranking on the 2021 Inc 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America and being named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle Best Place to Work list 2 years running.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

About HatchWorks

HatchWorks is a multi-award winning company focused on software strategy, development and experience design. They are headquartered in Atlanta, GA with offices in Chicago, Dallas, and Washington DC. Their Latin America headquarters is located in Costa Rica with presence in Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Guatemala.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment.

SOURCE HatchWorks
ALBERTSON, N.Y., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vandis, Inc. today announced that it will be implementing a new, modern network infrastructure at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. As campus life and learning continue to transform, more mobile and IoT devices that are used to enhance learning and the student experience are accessing the network, requiring greater network flexibility.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges selected Vandis to design and deploy a network infrastructure utilizing the Aruba CX Switching Platform with the AOS-CX operating system from Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, to give the campus' network engineers centralized management of the network and a more efficient and reliable infrastructure. The project will be delivered in two phases, beginning with a network refresh at the edge, and is anticipated to be completed before the 2022 Fall semester.

"Hobart and William Smith Colleges' academic and residential communities are at the center of our students' experience. Our decision to partner with Vandis consolidates and strengthens the digital capabilities that we implemented with Aruba's Wi-Fi offering a decade ago," says Derek Lustig, Director, Infrastructure & Security Services, Hobart and William Smith Colleges. "The Aruba and Vandis teams are committed to delivering a high-value, tightly integrated solution that will benefit our learning community for years to come."

"Our motto at Aruba is 'customer first, customer last' and Vandis embodies that spirit in all that it does," says Jim Harold, Vice President, North America Channels for Aruba. "Vandis is a long-standing partner of ours, and they have the expertise and professional services capabilities in higher education that will help Hobart and William Smith Colleges streamline their network operations so they can best deliver on their mission of preparing students for impact and success in an ever-shifting world."

"Our customers look to us as trusted advisors when deploying secure, scalable networking. The native toolsets and features of the Aruba CX Switching platform were a perfect fit to meet Hobart and William Smith Colleges' requirements of scalability to accommodate network growth and demand," says Ryan Young, Chief Technology Officer at Vandis. "We are thrilled to provide a solution that is easy to manage and maintain, while also ensuring students, faculty and campus guests have a better overall experience."

About Vandis

Vandis is an IT Solution provider that offers cyber security and network infrastructure, both on-prem and in the cloud. We have high level relationships with market leading and emerging providers. With over 38 years of industry experience, Vandis offers comprehensive strategies for secure and stable IT infrastructure. www.vandis.com

CONTACT: Max Slygh, [email protected]

SOURCE Vandis
Many activists wore white, in honor of women's rights. Others carried signs pleading for justice, and noting there have been more than 400 LGBTQ + deaths in the country since Vicky was killed in 2009.

"I grew up in a devout Catholic family, and we were taught, as all major religions teach, that there are steps the perpetrator must take to forgiveness. They must acknowledge a wrong has been done, take responsibility for the wrong, and they must apologize. So today, the Government of Honduras has taken the first steps by publicly acknowledging and taking responsibility and apologizing for murdering Vicky. But the last step is absolutely crucial. That is making reparations. And until those reparations are made, this apology is not sufficient, in law or in spirit," said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. "We are grateful to President Castro for her public statement of commitment to making these necessary reforms."

RFK Human Rights and its co-counsel, Red Lesbica Cattrachas, litigated Vicky's case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2020, arguing that Vicky was extrajudicially executedkilled by the Honduran state without any legal processbecause of a highly discriminatory culture against trans people in Honduras. In 2021, the Court made a landmark ruling holding Honduras accountable for Vicky's death and issued a series of reparations, including financial support for Vicky's family, that set a legal precedent for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the region.

"We should love our children for who they are because they come from the womb," Rosa Hernandez, Vicky Hernandez's mother said. "No one has a right to take a life."

As part of its verdict, the court ordered Honduras to implement a range of measures designed to protect trans people, including anti-discrimination training for security forces and improved data collection on cases motivated by anti-LGBT bias. The court also ruled that the state must allow people to change their name and gender identity on identification documents and public records.

"There has been a precipitous decline in democracy and human rights in the region," said Angelita Baeyens, VP of International Advocacy and Litigation at RFK Human Rights and one of the lead litigators on the case. "Instituting these mandated reparations will provide a ray of hope. It is vital to have a roadmap in place to protect LGBTI individuals in Honduras, throughout Latin America, and in the rest of the world. It's long past time to publicly reaffirm Vicky's legacy  the fundamental principle that nobody should be discriminated against for determining for themselves who they are and how they identify in the most essential aspects of their being."

For more information on Vicky's case, visit https://rfkhumanrights.org/the-historic-case-of-vicky-hern%C3%A1ndez-et-al-v-honduras.

Photos and videos from the Act of Recognition of Responsibility ceremony are available upon request.

SOURCE Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

Class Period: April 4, 2017 to October 20, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 6, 2022

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in IBM:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/international-business-machines-corporation-loss-submission-form?id=26954&from=4

International Business Machines Corporation NEWS - IBM NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that International Business Machines Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Strategic Imperatives Revenue and growth, CAMSS and CAMSS Components' revenue and growth, and the Company's Segments' revenue and growth were artificially inflated as a result of the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperatives Revenue; (ii) the Company's present success and positive future growth prospects concerning its Strategic Imperative business strategy were being fueled by the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperative Revenue and, as a result (iii) the Company misled the market by portraying the Company's Strategic Imperative's financial performance and future prospects more favorable than they actually were as a result of the wrongful reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic to make those revenues eligible for treatment as Strategic Imperatives.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in IBM you have until June 6, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased IBM securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the IBM lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/international-business-machines-corporation-loss-submission-form?id=26954&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

Empire State Building

350 Fifth Avenue

59th Floor

New York, NY 10118

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
Combination of new support offerings, locally-based personnel, and unmatched technology empowers schools and enterprises to focus on their core missions instead of identity management tasks and incidents

HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Identity Automation , the digital identity platform for education, announced today its newly enhanced support plans for RapidIdentity Cloud , the award-winning identity and access management platform. Now accompanied by some of the industry's most robust yet convenient U.S.-based assistance during implementation and onward, RapidIdentity's four new support options allow customers to choose the level of support most suitable for their needs and budget.

Most notably, the RapidIdentity Help Center provides all plan subscribers intuitive support community access as well as U.S.-based incident support for all issues relating to the logic configuration of their RapidIdentity Cloud implementation and the ability to submit ideas for new and enhanced capabilities. All subscribers also receive 15-minute response times during normal support hours.

Premium plan subscribers enjoy the same speedy response any time of day for emergency issues and incidents, further bolstering the value brought by the company's automated lifecycle management, identity governance, MFA, SSO, and rostering solutions within RapidIdentity. Additionally, premium subscribers receive annual health checks, professional service teams featuring some of the country's top talent to help update any implementations, and a dedicated technical account manager that ensures support continuity.

"Identity Automation prides itself on listening to customer needs and preferences," said Jim Harold , CEO at Identity Automation. "These new support offerings for RapidIdentity Cloud illustrate our commitment to efficiently answering ever-evolving identity-related needs for schools and enterprises. The enhanced support packages serve as empowering accompaniments to our SaaS-delivered IAM platform  now providing an enhanced combination of innovation and human-led support that offers a consistent point of contact during proactive planning as well as challenging security incidents. Our ongoing relationship with customers is one of the most compelling distinctions that make Identity Automation stand out in a crowded space."

For more information on the new RapidIdentity Cloud Support Plans, visit https://help.rapididentity.com/

About Identity Automation

Identity Automation provides identity and access management (IAM) solutions for K-12 and higher education. Its flagship platform, RapidIdentity, safeguards learning environments, maximizes instructional time, and minimizes the load on Information & Educational Technology teams. Technology leaders turn to RapidIdentity for its best-in-class security capabilities, time-saving automation, and flexible approach to managing digital identities. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Identity Automation is trusted by Chicago Public Schools, Public Schools of North Carolina, University of Rochester, Houston Community College, and hundreds of other institutions. To learn more about partnering with Identity Automation, visit www.identityautomation.com .

Identity Automation Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Identity Automation
"We are excited to have Allen join our team," said Jeff Anderson, Director of Industrial Sales. "The combination of his deep industry knowledge, extensive experience in utility sales and management, and his specialized expertise in renewable energy and E-mobility solutions, means Allen really gets the unique challenges our customers, and their infrastructure stakeholders face."

Austin says, "Greg's vision fascinated me. We're on an aligned, accelerated path to lead one of the industry's fastest-growing segments. Joining JD Martin was a clear and easy decision for me due to their longevity, leadership, recent growth and customer-first culture."

Allen brings more than 25 years of industry experience in test engineering, product and program management. Most recently at ABB, Inc. Austin was responsible for increasing awareness of their Renewable Energy and Power Generation solutions. His previous professional experience includes Underwriters Laboratories, Raytheon Defense, Siemens EC and Tyco Electronics.

Austin earned his B.S. from Purdue University with a dual major in Electrical Engineering and Technology. He holds a master's certificate in Business Administration (C/MBA) from Tulane University and is a certified IACET Instructor. Austin is an active and contributing member of NEMA, ACP, SEIA, SEPA and EUIC.

ABOUT JD MARTIN:

JD Martin Company is an electrical manufacturers' representative agency that sells and markets premier lines of electrical products to OEM and MRO contractors, and end-user markets through wholesale distribution. For more than 68 years, we have supported industries such as oil & gas, mining, steel, waste water treatment, wind power generation and commercial construction. We offer impactful solutions and sell electrical products, through qualified electrical distributor channels, in over 14 states in territories that include Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, The Carolina's and Florida. To learn more about JD Martin click here.

Contact:

Jeff Anderson

Director, Industrial Sales

(713) 598-2385

[email protected]

SOURCE JD Martin Co.
EquiSUMMIT is a free, premier virtual event that aims to equip horse enthusiasts with education and nutrition tools to unlock gut health and stress solutions for their horses. The second-annual EquiSUMMIT will feature experts from industry and academia tackling important equine health issues such as Leaky Gut Syndrome, heat stress, inflammation issues and more.

"Gut health is synonymous with horse health," said Michael Eggleston, Professional Animal Scientist (PAS), Kemin Equine. "Up to 70% of immune function resides in the gastrointestinal tract, so when gut health is compromised a cascade of issues can occur that negatively impact the overall well-being and performance of your horse. Stress is another concern that can have a widespread impact on health, performance and behavior. The goal of EquiSUMMIT is to provide horse enthusiasts with the information needed to make better nutrition and management decisions and improve their horses' health and wellbeing."

EquiSUMMIT will offer research-based presentations with live, virtual question-and-answer sessions.

The event's lineup features many accomplished industry experts and informative topics, including:

Leaky Gut Syndrome: Anthony Blikslager , DVM, Ph.D., Professor of Equine Surgery and Gastroenterology, North Carolina State University

, DVM, Ph.D., Professor of Equine Surgery and Gastroenterology, The Gut-Brain Axis: Tania Cubitt, Ph.D., Equine Nutritionist, Performance Horse Nutrition

Tania Cubitt, Ph.D., Equine Nutritionist, Performance Horse Nutrition The Equine Microbiome: Jyme Nichols, Ph.D., Feed Room Chemist and Director of Nutrition, Bluebonnet Feeds

Jyme Nichols, Ph.D., Feed Room Chemist and Director of Nutrition, Bluebonnet Feeds Equine Heat Stress: Michael Lindinger , Ph.D., President, Nutraceutical Alliance

, Ph.D., President, Nutraceutical Alliance Feeding the Laminitis Horse: Stephen Duren, Ph.D., Founder, Performance Horse Nutrition

Stephen Duren, Ph.D., Founder, Performance Horse Nutrition Fecal Water Syndrome: Burt Staniar, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Penn State University

"We were thrilled with the response to the 2021 EquiSUMMIT event," said Matt Christofferson, Kemin Equine. "We are looking forward to presenting another stellar lineup of researchers and equine experts to bring approachable science to horse owners. This year's program will again feature the latest gut health and stress-related research and review nutrition and management solutions that you can implement today."

In addition to the live presentations, a number of downloadable learning resources and solution-focused EquiTALK video resources will be available to all EquiSUMMIT attendees courtesy of the 2022 event sponsors: Kemin Equine, Triple Crown Feed, Bluebonnet Feeds, Standlee Premium Western Forage, EZium, Elk Grove Milling, DAC Vitamins and Minerals and LMF Feeds.

EquiSUMMIT has been approved to offer six continuing education units (CEUs) to members of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS).

All sessions are available live on May 25 and 26, as well as on-demand following the conclusion of the event. To register for free, or for more information about EquiSUMMIT, its sponsors and the agenda, visit www.attendequisummit.com .

About Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuel and animal vaccine industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 3,000 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Media Contact:

Emily Claghorn, Marketing Communications Manager, Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health  North America, [email protected] | +1 (515) 720-5709

 Kemin Industries, Inc. and its group of companies 2022. All rights reserved.  Trademarks of Kemin Industries, Inc., U.S.A.

Certain statements, product labeling and claims may differ by geography or as required by government requirements.

SOURCE Kemin Industries


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GREENVILLE, S.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Laura LeBel, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Pinnacle OBGYN for her work in the medical field and in acknowledgment of establishing a rare private practice, Elle OB/GYN.

From the age of 14, Dr. LeBel knew she wanted to be an OB/GYN. She has always loved helping people. Since finishing her residency in 2002, Dr. LeBel has been an experienced OBGYN, providing comprehensive care for her patients, using the newest technology, and performing minimally invasive procedures to minimize pain and downtime.

Laura LeBel

Dr. LeBel loves her pregnant patients, advising them throughout their pregnancy and reveling in the privilege of delivering their babies. She opened Elle OB/GYN in 2018 to provide compassionate and personal care to her patients. She gets to know them personally, and she is dedicated to her patient's well-being at every stage of their lives. Dr. LeBel is proud to help her patients start or grow their families by providing the best care possible.

Dr. LeBel has years of expertise in urogynecology, fibroids, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and adolescent medicine. She specializes in treating women and patients of all ages, from adolescence through menopause, including preconception counseling, infertility, menstrual dysfunction, and vaginal revitalization. Dr. LeBel is also a Master Surgeon of minimally invasive surgeries, including robotic laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures, endometrial ablations, and urogynecologic procedures.

In addition to medical treatments, Elle OB/GYN offers aesthetic therapies so patients can feel and look their best. She offers laser hair removal treatments, stretch mark treatments, and radiofrequency (RF) to treat fine lines, age spots, sun damage, and scars. Ellesthetics offers a full range of facial care treatments.

Dr. LeBel first attended Furman University and the University of South Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry n 1993. She next attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, graduating with her Medical Degree. Dr. LeBel then completed a General Surgery internship at MUSC while waiting for her husband to finish his residency, followed by an OB/GYN residency program at the Oakwood Hospital System in Detroit, MI. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Looking to the future, Dr. LeBel plans to expand her practice. She is in the process of constructing a new building for Elle OB/GYN and is bringing in more physicians to become one of the few OB/GYN practices run entirely by women in South Carolina.

Dr. LeBel has been honored and awarded for her excellence in Obstetrics and Gynecology with a profile feature in Health News Today. In her spare time, Dr. LeBel enjoys spending time with her husband and children especially traveling to visit a Greenville in every state.

For more information, visit www.elleobgyn.com.

Media Contact:

Katherine Green

516-825-5634

[email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
LUNG FORCE's annual Turquoise Takeover celebration (May 8-14) unites America to raise critical awareness of lung cancer. Each year, the organization turns the nation turquoise, the signature color of LUNG FORCE, by illuminating buildings and landmarks across the U.S., encouraging the public to wear turquoise and post a selfie on social media, and by telling the stories of those impacted by lung cancer to raise awareness for the disease and save more lives. This year, the Lung Association is also turning social media platforms turquoise with custom squares to promote lung cancer awareness and action. Learn more about this campaign and join the effort at Facebook.com/LUNGFORCE .

"While lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among both women and men, there is hope. The five-year survival rate increased by a dramatic 33% in the past ten years. This is thanks, in part, to advancements in research and new treatments for the disease. Lung cancer screening is also a critical tool in our efforts to end lung cancer," said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. "That's why, for this year's Turquoise Takeover celebration, we are focusing our efforts on educating Americans on this lifesaving screening through our impactful new public service announcement, A Hope Story."

Lung cancer screening is key to early diagnosis, and early diagnosis saves lives. Unfortunately, less than 6% of those at high risk have been screened. Together with the Ad Council, the Lung Association released new creative called A Hope Story as a part of their groundbreaking "Saved By The Scan" campaign. Created pro bono by advertising agency Hill Holliday, this new work educates people who smoke and used to smoke about the low-dose CT scan that can detect lung cancer in the early stages, when the disease is more curable. The campaign directs viewers to SavedByTheScan.org to see if they are eligible to get screened. View the PSA here.

"Lung cancer can be overwhelming to think about. However, there's hope for those at high risk to get screened on an annual basis to detect the disease early," said Michelle Hillman, Chief Campaign Development Officer for the Ad Council. "If caught early, a lung cancer diagnosis means getting the medical help you need early on. We're proud to partner with Hill Holliday and the American Lung Association to bring this work to life to inspire high-risk individuals to take the lung cancer screening eligibility quiz or talk to their doctors about getting screened."

Surveys show that the "Saved by the Scan" campaign is making a difference. Prior to when the campaign first launched in 2017, only 26% of those eligible for lung cancer screening talked to their doctor about the scan and 18% of those people had been scanned. As of early this year, 33% of those eligible had talked to their doctor and 27% of those have gotten scanned. In addition, more than 750,000 Americans have taken the "Saved By The Scan" screening eligibility quiz to learn if they could be at high risk for the disease.

"We are incredibly proud of our longstanding partnership with the American Lung Association and the Ad Council on the 'Saved By The Scan' campaign," said Karen Kaplan, Chair and CEO, Hill Holliday. "This work has literally saved lives, and I can't imagine a better use of Hill Holliday's creative and strategic expertise."





During Turquoise Takeover, Americans can join a local or virtual LUNG FORCE Walk to show support for those living with lung cancer. Learn other ways to get involved with Turquoise Takeover at LUNGFORCE.org/TurquoiseTakeover.

For media interested in scheduling an interview with a lung cancer expert, contact Jill Dale at 312-940-7001 or [email protected].

About the American Lung Association

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Gold-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.

About LUNG FORCE

The American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE initiative unites women, men and caregivers across the country to stand together against lung cancer, the leading cancer killer. Increased awareness about lung cancer, more education on lifesaving screening and more research funding are critical to fuel lifesaving breakthroughs. Through education, advocacy and research, LUNG FORCE works to provide hope to all those impacted by the disease and save more lives. Find out more at LUNGFORCE.org .

About Hill Holliday

Hill Holliday is proud to be one of the top creative marketing agencies in the country, with over 600 employees across our network. Since 1968, Hill Holliday has built its business on winning the daily share battle for clients in the noisiest and most competitive categories. Blending communications planning, media, and technology with superior creative, the agency delivers game-changing ideas for industry leaders like BMW Motorrad, Frontier Communications, Valvoline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Regeneron, and Intra-Cellular Therapies. For more about Hill Holliday's people, work, and culture, visit http://www.hhcc.com.

American Lung Association  55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150  Chicago, IL 60601

1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North  Washington, D.C. 20004

1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org

SOURCE American Lung Association
Fast-growing footwear brand makes great strides with new retail expansion in the northeast region

DENVER, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, FREEBIRD, the leading footwear company known for its signature boots, is proud to announce the grand opening of its new storefront in Boston, MA. Widely recognized for its handmade leather footwear, the Colorado-based brand continues to rapidly expand as it brings its uniquely handcrafted boots to the Boston community.

Located in the heart of Boston, FREEBIRD today opens the doors to its 201 Newbury Street store to local shoppers and fans alike, which will feature its best-selling footwear styles and latest product collections. The new store location nods to FREEBIRD's continued retail expansion with additional storefronts slated to open throughout the U.S. this year.

Founded in Denver, CO in 2009, FREEBIRD is the leading footwear brand born out of a love for boots. Utilizing the time-honored goodyear welt craftsmanship, FREEBIRD combines quality with effortless fashion to create signature styles that withstand the test of time. Offering a wide assortment of statement boots, booties, sandals, and more for men and women, FREEBIRD has amassed a loyal customer following as it continues to make great strides within the footwear industry.

"Our company was born out of a love for boots that not only represent timeless styles that are as unique as each individual, but also showcase quality craftsmanship," said Mike Murphy, Owner & CEO of FREEBIRD. "We are thrilled to continue expanding and growing our retail footprint with the opening of our Boston storefront. FREEBIRD's products are thoughtfully designed so that you feel like you can conquer anything, and we're excited to continue sharing this notion as we continue our growth with our new store on the iconic Newbury Street in Boston."

FREEBIRD's exciting new store location in Boston will feature a wide assortment of the brand's signature boots, booties, sandals, accessories and more. FREEBIRD's new store location is located at 201 Newbury St, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116 and hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10am  9pm ET and Sunday 11am  7pm ET.

To formally unveil FREEBIRD's new store location in Boston, the brand invites the local community to attend the official grand opening event on the evening of Tuesday, May 10th to experience everything it has to offer.

MORE DETAILS:

WHAT: FREEBIRD Store Opening Event in Boston WHEN: Tuesday, May 10th from 5pm  8pm ET WHERE: 201 Newbury St, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116 WHO: FREEBIRD Executives & Team Members





For more information, please visit www.freebirdstores.com and follow @FreebirdStores on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook.

About FREEBIRD

Founded in Denver, CO in 2009, FREEBIRD is a luxury handmade footwear brand born out of a love for boots. Known for its signature boots and statement designs, each pair is made using the time-honored goodyear welt craftmanship to combine quality and fashion. Offering a variety of unique boots, booties, sandals, accessories and more for men, women and youth, all of FREEBIRD's products are thoughtfully designed and crafted with intricate details, metal work, and the finest hand finished full grain leathers. With each pair of FREEBIRD boots, you will feel like you can conquer anything and be ready to stand out from the crowd.

SOURCE FREEBIRD
MEXICO CITY, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2021, retail e-commerce sales amounted to approximately 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide and is estimated to reach about 7.4 trillion dollars by 2025. (source Statista). Most projections indicate that a large percentage of those sales are from small to medium-sized businesses. However, there is a growing concern about the reliance on sourcing from China to facilitate those sales.

"10 years ago, almost all focus for sourcing products was on China," says Norm Farrar, an eCommerce and branding expert based in Canada. "And while there has been increasing interest in sourcing from alternative destinations for many years leading up to 2020, the demand was heavily accelerated by the global supply chain disruptions caused during Covid. For many e-commerce businesses, the lack of alternative sourcing locations caused serious turmoil in a time when their skyrocketing sales caused rapid inventory shortages."

The largest demand for alternative sourcing destinations for eCommerce brands has been the US and Latin America, with a special emphasis on Mexico. Amy Wees, an eCommerce consultant and marketing firm owner who has hosted sourcing trips to China for years, notes; "Due to increased prices in raw materials and significant delays in shipping, coupled with increased customer demand for products NOT made in China, brands in the US eCommerce marketplaces want to source from the Americas. Despite the 'one-stop shopping' of China, my clients and their customers are desperate for alternatives, which is what led us to put together this trip and tradeshow."

Tim Jordan, an eCommerce branding and sourcing consultant based in the USA has experience in Latin America and is excited about the opportunity to bring new buyers to the region. "I have been sourcing products for multiple brands for many years in Latin America. Despite the steep learning curve and challenges, I believe that building the relationships and gaining the education on how to successfully create meaningful supply-chain options in Mexico has massively impacted my business in immeasurable ways. And that is why producing the EVOLATAM tradeshow and conference was so important for our vision of educating, connecting, and empowering."

The EVOLATAM tradeshow and conference in Mexico City on June 8th is the first-ever tradeshow and conference designed specifically to help manufacturers and buyers meet and connect in a way that includes education, networking opportunities, and an emphasis on developing meaningful relationships. The conference, held at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, will feature manufacturers, services, and sourcing providers based in Latin America, along with global providers of sourcing, education, and expertise for small to medium-sized businesses.

The tradeshow floor will feature free educational sessions in Spanish and English, covering topics from manufacturing best practices, to cultural impacts on sourcing in Latin America, as well as the latest updates on e-commerce. Additionally, the producers have partnered with industry experts to offer a free, full-day workshop on June 7th for manufacturers and suppliers in Latin America, highlighting the methods and practices for selling to the new wave of global buyers: eCommerce brands.

The tradeshow will conclude on the evening of June 8th with "Ecommerce Connect", a networking event estimating an attendance of 500 people. This event is catered specifically toward the massive ranks of online sellers located in Latin America and will connect sellers from both sides of the border. "We wanted to create an event that helped foster valuable relationships for vendors, eCommerce experts, brand owners, and the rest of the community that helps increase the ability for everyone to succeed," says Susan Cegerra, a tradeshow and event producer with over 20 years experience creating tradeshows and conferences primarily in Mexico and the USA. "By using the vast experience of all of our leaders, producers, and educators, we are excited to help foster growth for everyone."

While this ambitious project is made possible by dozens of educators, industry experts, and community leaders in the USA and Mexico, the primary vision and production are led by Tim Jordan, Norm Farrar, and Amy Wees. With dozens of years of combined experience in sourcing worldwide (including in Latin America) and creating their own brands and educational experiences, they bring a level of credibility, expertise, and a true passion for creating mutually-beneficial relationships through events that offer incredible value for the attendees, the exhibitors, the experts, and the sponsors of the EVOLATAM series.

And when it comes to producing a first-ever event, that expertise, experience, and passion is not replaceable.

The EVOLATAM Tradeshow is free for registered attendees, and the Vendor Workshop on June 7th is free to Latin-American based vendors. The Ecommerce Connect gala and networking event is available for $20 and is limited to 500 attendees.

To learn more visit www.evolatam.com , or contact the producers at [email protected] for any questions.

Contact:

Norm Farrar

6462780284

[email protected]

SOURCE EVOLATAM
"This is a watershed moment in Minerva Project's trajectory," said Ben Nelson, Founder and CEO. "We are experiencing rapid growth in our unique partnership model, and having the strong leadership and experience that Geoff and Betsy bring is crucial for our next phase of development. As Minerva Project scales to meet the demands of higher ed institutions and high schools globally, we're excited to welcome two leaders who have deep experience in growing and building world-class, mission-driven companies."

As President and Chief Business Officer, Watson will report to Nelson and will manage all of Minerva's operations and take direct responsibility for continuing to grow the business. Watson was Senior Vice-President at Guild, where he led the build out of Guild's academic partner network. Previously, he led venture incubation at Entangled (which was acquired by Guild), where he helped launch multiple new edtech companies. Watson was also a Partner at Monitor 360, where he introduced a new analytics platform to blue-chip clients, including Gates Foundation, Harvard University, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Pfizer. Earlier in his career, he was President of Intrax, an international education company serving over 50k students annually from 80+ countries. He was instrumental in launching innovative, State Department-sponsored cultural exchange programs, including the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program for Muslim youth and the Korea West internship program. He holds an MBA from Wharton and B.A. from Dartmouth College.

"After spending the last few years working closely with university Presidents and Provosts, I have a deep appreciation for the need to reimagine education for the modern learner," said Watson. "Minerva Project is the 'gold standard' partner for institutions who are embracing innovation and looking for a truly transformational learning experience, combining a cross-disciplinary approach to curricula, outcome-driven assessment, and the world's only Fully Active Learning platform - Forum. I'm honored to partner with Ben and the talented team to bring 'the Minerva Way' to institutions around the world."

As General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, Tucci will be in charge of all legal, finance and people functions including all regulatory matters such as contracts, intellectual property, and people operations. Tucci was previously General Counsel and Company Secretary of InStride. Prior to InStride, Tucci served as Associate General Counsel for the Boston Consulting Group, where she focused on the firm's BCG Digital Ventures division, which collaborates with clients to develop, commercialize and scale new digital business concepts. Previously, Tucci was the Principal Counsel for the Disney Parks Digital team, supporting digital efforts globally for Disney theme parks and resorts, cruise lines, merchandise, and food and beverage. Tucci has also served as Vice President/Senior Loan Closing Specialist at Wells Fargo and as an Associate at the law firm of Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA Law School and a B.B.A. from Idaho State University where she graduated with High Honors.

"Higher education is experiencing unprecedented challenges and students today expect more from their institutions than just a diploma: they want to learn how to contribute and make an impact on society," said Tucci. "Minerva Project has successfully partnered with institutions around the world to disrupt the traditional model of higher education, through the creation of a unique platform, pedagogy and curriculum. I am thrilled to join this talented, mission-driven team as the first general counsel and chief administrative officer, formalizing systems and processes, while building on its innovative and agile culture."

Tucci, alongside Noah Pickus, Chief Academic Officer and Brian Fields, Chief Platform Officer will report to Watson.

Minerva Project was founded in 2011 and launched Minerva University (formerly Minerva Schools at KGI) in 2013. Minerva University was the first proof point of a bold reimagining of what a modern university and learning experience could look like, and is now graduating its fourth class of remarkable students. In 2020, Minerva Project started to fully commercialize its integrated curriculum, pedagogical methodologies, and technology to universities, corporations, and high schools around the world.

Minerva's partnerships are wide-ranging, spanning curricular design, pedagogical and program licensing, to co-creating colleges and universities from scratch. Its US partners include the University of Miami, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Paul Quinn College. It has also partnered with universities, schools and corporations in Mexico, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Korea and Japan.

About Minerva Project

Minerva Project is a pathbreaking educational innovator, designing and delivering top-tier educational programs through educational and corporate partners globally.

Founded by Ben Nelson in 2011, Minerva's mission is to nurture critical wisdom for the sake of the world. Building upon the best traditions of liberal arts and sciences education, Minerva is committed to preparing global leaders and innovators for the complexities of the twenty-first century. Its groundbreaking creation of Minerva university is detailed in the book Building the Intentional University: Minerva and the Future of Higher Education (MIT Press).

For additional information about Minerva Project, visit www.minervaproject.com

For media queries, contact:

Diana El-Azar

Senior Director, Strategic Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Minerva Project
Minna Technologies, Swedish Embedded FinTech Company, announces its merchant solution, supporting subscription-based businesses with revenue recovery through its infrastructure

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Minna Technologies announces the release of its Merchant Solution, supporting subscription-based businesses with their need to retain, grow and acquire customers. Today's announcement marks Minna's expansion into the merchant community, providing global subscription-based businesses with the ability to recover revenue from previously canceled customers who currently manage their subscriptions through their retail bank app.

Today, Minna is reaching 20+ million retail banking customers, of which roughly 20% choose to cancel their subscriptions directly from their banking app. In the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, consumer protection regulation ensures that banks support subscription payment management, particularly on unidentified or unintended payments. However, when customers cancel, their bank card can also be blocked, which is done to protect the consumer from future wrongful payments being taken from the card. Many consumers do try to resubscribe. According to Experian insights, nearly 80% of those who do try to return do so within 3 months of canceling, but can't due to the blocked card. This creates friction for subscription businesses who want to provide the best possible experience for their customers.

The announcement comes as categories such as streaming, gaming, security and software mark higher global cancellation rates. According to figures from analytics group Kantar, 1.5mn streaming subscriptions in the UK have been canceled in Q1 of 2022, with half a million people attributing the cancellation to "money-saving'. While 58% of households retain at least one streaming service, a decline of only 1.3% from the end of 2021, the terminations suggest that viewers have become more discerning about subscribing to multiple platforms.

Tiama Hanson-Drury, Chief Product Officer, Minna Technologies notes "We are thrilled to allow the 20% of consumers who cancel with Minna to more easily return to the subscription service when it suits them and to enable subscription businesses to more personally retarget these consumers with suitable offers. Not every cancellation is a desire to sever ties with the merchant - often it is a call for increased flexibility or personalisation. By keeping the channel open, merchants have the chance to evolve the customer relationship and reacquire the consumer."

Erica Katsambis, Minna Technologies VP of Sales, Partnerships, and Solutions for Subscription Businesses notes: 'We have seen the rise of new subscription personas. From the 'lost, confused and angry' who are disengaged and canceling via their bank, to the 'savvy' consumers switching subscriptions regularly, they all demand more from their subscriptions. It is more important than ever to diversify and bolster digital channels and functionality to retain users, grow your customer base, and prevent unwanted churn. We are intrigued and keen to work with merchants looking to innovate through the next wave of subscription management.'

Minna's UK-based client, Lloyds Banking Group, announced in April that over 1.2 million subscription payments have been stopped since the summer of 2021 , as technology puts customers in further control of their spending. Popular TV, film, and music streaming services made up almost half (47.1%) of regular payments canceled, with households taking further stock of their discretionary spending, as the cost of living climbs.

Minna's new "Unblock" feature, which is free to Subscription businesses, facilitates communication between banks and trusted subscription businesses to seamlessly unblock bank cards. This is being rolled out where banks have full confidence that wrongful reattempted payments will not be taken by a business. This seamless cancellation and block removal of the card reduces unnecessary operational inefficiencies and poor customer experiences that have historically been created by long-term blocked payments.

The Unblock feature is the first of many solutions to follow that will solve problems for the merchant community across the subscription lifecycle; including a solution to prevent cancellations from happening in the first place.

Minna currently works with nine global retail banks, embedding their subscription management technology within the digital banking infrastructure. Servicing over 20 million banking customers, the technology enables banking clients to manage their subscriptions within the banking infrastructure.

For merchants looking to hear more or integrate Unblock for free, please see https://minnatechnologies.com/for-subscription-businesses/

About Minna Technologies

Minna Technologies is a Swedish embedded fintech company established in 2016, offers the world's leading Subscription infrastructure currently integrated and available to more than 20 million people globally. The team at Minna is passionate about building the next generation of solutions to make people's lives better. minnatechnologies.com

SOURCE Minna Technologies
The viral social media effort will illustrate stroke symptom recognition, the timeliness to seek help and raise money

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Thrombectomy 2020+ (MT2020+), a global initiative of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN), has created a worldwide dance challenge to raise awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of seeking immediate care. The dance challenge involves creating a 15-30 second dance video while enacting the BEFAST stroke symptoms. Participants post these videos to their social media accounts using the hashtag #BEFASTchallenge. Healthcare professionals will kick off the challenge and call upon others to join. The #BEFASTchallenge begins on World Thrombectomy Day, May 15, and runs through May 15, 2023.

The acronym BEFAST stands for the warning signs of a stroke:

(B) Balance

(E) Eyes - vision problems

(F) Face drooping

(A) Arm (or leg) numbness

(S) Speech problems

(T) Timeliness in seeking help - call 911 immediately

"We're taking a collaborative social approach this year to pass along critical information about stroke. This is a creative, memorable and much needed global effort to raise awareness that stroke is curable and reversible if emergency treatment is sought within 24 hours," said Dileep Yavagal, MD, MT2020 Global Chair and Past-President of SVIN.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally. It affects about 13 million people each year worldwide. A disproportionate number of people in low and middle income countries experience strokes as compared to the rest of the world. They also have the least access to emergency curative stroke treatment, thrombectomy and clot busting medication, thrombolysis. A lack of awareness to seek help and an unfamiliarity with stroke symptoms are significant hurdles to treatment that exist in all countries.

Some data about strokes:

1 in 4 adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke

6.6 million of the world population die from a stroke each year based on the most recent global data

Under 10 percent of stroke patients get established curative treatment, leaving most with a permanent disability

2 out of every 3 people who suffer from a stroke live in low and middle income countries

A median of only 2.76% of stroke victims have access to thrombectomy globally, based on a recent global survey by MT2020+

Thrombectomy treatment is an emergency cure for certain disabling large artery strokes. But it must be administered within 24 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms. The procedure reverses long-term stroke paralysis in close to half of most eligible large artery stroke patients. It has also proven to save lives. Access to Thrombectomy in low income countries is under 1%. However, even in middle and high income countries, it remains well under 50% on average. Better public education and increased access to curative stroke treatment has the potential to save millions from dying or lifelong disability. Donations from the #BEFASTchallenge will support these initiatives. To make a donation, please visit the MT2020+ website .

About MT2020+

MT2020+ was founded in 2016 as a global initiative by the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN). Its mission is to double access to thrombectomy treatment every two years in every country around the world using public policy and advocacy. MT2020+ is organized as a peer-network of volunteer committees led by stroke and neurointerventional experts in over 100 countries. MT2020+ is committed to speeding up the availability of stroke treatment and reducing stroke death and disability globally. For further information about MT2020+, please visit www.missionthrombectomy2020.org or follow us on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram.

About SVIN

The Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology aims to provide opportunities to connect leaders in the field and provide a common ground for dialogue and creation of practice and safety standards. The society's mission is to represent the advancement of interventional neurology as a field with the ultimate goal of improving clinical care and outcomes of patients with stroke and cerebrovascular diseases. For further information about SVIN, please visit www.svin.org or follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram or LinkedIn .

For more information about MT2020+, contact Dileep Yavagal at [email protected]

SOURCE Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement by Jen Judson, president of the National Press Club and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute on the recent murders of journalists in Mexico.

"We are devastated to learn today of the murder of Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera in Veracruz. Both worked for the online news organization El Verza. The shootings are being investigated now. With the addition of these murders and following the killing last week of Luis Enrique Ramriez Ramos in Sinaloa there have now been 11 journalists killed in Mexico in 2022. Last year Mexico ranked second of all nations in journalists killed with 9. We call on the government of Mexico to redouble efforts to investigate these crimes and to obtain justice for Yessenia, Sheila, Louis and all Mexican journalists."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Press Club is a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-662-7534 for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club
OwlPay provides a one-stop financial services integration service for global B2B transactions. The new service covers automatic reconciliation, online currency swaps, and cross-border payment services, to streamline traditional payment processes and significantly enhance operational efficiency for enterprises. Using developer-friendly APIs, OwlPay connects to business' internal management systems and provides a one-stop service for the administration of orders and providers, financial reconciliation, online audit, and payment process automation. In addition, Nium's competitive exchange rate, extensive settlement network, and support of more than 100 currencies with online currency exchange adds a unique advantage for businesses to complete real-time international remittance on the web interface.

"We are optimistic about the benefits OwlPay brings to global enterprises, cross-border e-commerce platforms, as well as online travel agencies (OTAs) offering various products and services. OwlPay's partnership with Nium provides a new B2B payment experience. OwlPay not only allows enterprises to integrate cash flow and information flow, but helps them achieve operational excellence without the need to build an internal payment infrastructure that costs extra time and effort. It is estimated that OwlPay can save up to 50% labor cost for the financial team," explains Una Peng, Senior Manager of OwlPay. "Currently, the average cross-border remittance fee falls between 25 to 30 USD per transaction, while OwlPay charges lower than 10 USD with same-day settlement. Payees can receive full payments even for a small amount, which makes OwlPay a faster and cheaper payment solution tailored to the needs of global enterprises. In addition, OwlPay supports six currencies for deposit, and the funds can be directly exchanged to local currency for payouts. By depositing funds to designated accounts in Singapore or Hong Kong in advance, enterprises can leverage OwlPay's worldwide network and payout to global vendors in just a few clicks. Singapore- and Hong Kong-based enterprises can even enjoy further cost reduction through domestic deposits and experience OwlPay's powerful services instantly."

OwlTing will first target Southeast Asia, where the digital economy is fast growing. As pointed out in the Southeast Asia Digital Economy Trend Report released by Google, Temasek Holdings, and Bain & Company, the Internet penetration rate in Southeast Asia in 2021 was up to 75%. The Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) of the internet economy was up to 174 billion USD, and it is expected to reach 363 billion USD in 2025.

Darren Wang, Founder and CEO of OwlTing Group, shares, "As a leading blockchain company, we're actively looking for global partners to make B2B payments faster and cheaper. We are very pleased to cooperate with Nium to grow from domestic financial services to multi-currency, cross-border payments services. OwlPay's services will expand from Asia to North and South America, and Europe. With OwlPay, we aim to help global enterprises enhance operational and capital arrangement efficiency with a new type of payment and send real-time remittances to other countries with ease. We plan to introduce stablecoins and various settlement networks to explore the infinite possibilities of financial innovation and digital payment development."

For more information, please see below. Thank you.





About OwlTing Blockchain Payment Service  OwlPay

OwlPay provides a one-stop integration payment service for global enterprises. Through developer-friendly APIs, OwlPay integrates functions including reconciliation, mass transfers, auto payouts to innovate B2B cross-border transactions for real-time settlement and clearance. OwlPay charges lower than 10 USD per transaction with same-day settlement, which makes OwlPay a faster and cheaper payment solution tailored to the needs of global enterprises. OwlPay aims to create a new FinTech experience to help enterprises enhance operational efficiency and save labor cost.

Website: https://owlpay.com/

About OwlTing Group

Founded in 2010, OwlTing Group covers B2B, B2B2C, and B2C services. As a Taiwan-based company, OwlTing has branch offices in the US, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and seeks to expand globally. In 2018, OwlTing announced an eight-figure USD investment from Japanese financial giant SBI Group. In recent years, OwlTing has formed partnerships with government, industry, and academia globally and applied the blockchain technology to the medical industry, automotive industry, defense industry, food industry, forestry, agriculture, etc. OwlTing aims to build blockchain services for various industries.

Website: https://www.owlting.com/

About NIUM

Nium is the global platform for modern money movement. It provides banks, payment providers, and businesses of any size with access to global payment and card issuance solutions. Its modular platform powers frictionless commerce, helping businesses pay and get paid across the globe. Once connected to the Nium platform, businesses are able to pay out in more than 100 currencies to over 190 countries  85 of which in real time. Funds can be received in 27 markets, including Southeast Asia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, India, and the US. Nium's growing card issuance business is already available in 34 countries, including Europe (SEPA), the UK, Australia and Singapore. Nium's license portfolio covers 11 of the world's jurisdictions, enabling seamless global payments and rapid integration, regardless of geography. Nium was named among "Financial Times APAC High-Growth Companies" and "Best B2B Payment Platform at Future Digital Awards" in 2021.

Website: https://www.nium.com

SOURCE OwlTing Group
Real Good Foods' tacos are made from nutritious ingredients, are 100% Grain-Free and Gluten-Free, have only 2g of net carbs, and are packed with 25g of protein per serving. Unlike conventional tacos, Real Good Foods' nutritious tacos do not use processed flours or grains to produce a taco shell, but rather chicken and cheese. Real Good Foods' tacos come in three varieties: seasoned beef & cheddar cheese, pulled chicken with cheddar & Monterey Jack cheeses, and shredded chicken with Cacique Oaxaca & cotija cheeses topped with Cacique avocado tomatillo salsa. The Cacique Crispy Chicken Shell Taco is a collaboration with Cacique, the #1 Brand of Hispanic cheeses, creams, chorizos, salsas and dips.

"These tacos are the result of our collaboration with Walmart where we challenged ourselves to create an item that is craveable and new to the world. A grain-free, low-carb chicken shell taco was not an easy product design, and I am proud of our talented, dedicated team that worked hard to make this possible," said Bryan Freeman, Executive Chairman of The Real Good Food Company. "Unlike other food options on shelves today that are made with processed grains and loaded with carbohydrates, our nutritious tacos have a limited amount of carbs and are loaded with protein. Through our expansion with Walmart, we are able to make nutritious food more accessible throughout the U.S., and in turn, improve the lives of Walmart Shoppers looking for healthier options in the frozen food aisle."

"Cacique is excited to partner with Real Good Foods and combine efforts to bring exceptional food experiences to our consumers with every bite," said Gil de Cardenas, CEO of Cacique Foods LLC. "The expansion into a new category at Walmart provides shoppers another way to enjoy our authentic products in these great tasting tacos."

To learn more about Real Good Foods and to find a store near you, please visit www.realgoodfoods.com.

About The Real Good Food Company

Founded in 2016, Real Good Foods believes there is a better way to enjoy our favorite foods. Its brand commitment, "Real Food You Feel Good About Eating," represents the Company's strong belief that, by eating its food, consumers can enjoy more of their favorite foods and, by doing so, live better lives as part of a healthier lifestyle. Its mission is to make nutritious comfort foods that are low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and made from gluten and grain free real ingredients more accessible to everyone, improve human health, and, in turn, improve the lives of millions of people. Real Good Foods offers delicious options across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacking occasions available, in over 16,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and Target, and directly from its website at www.realgoodfoods.com. Learn more about Real Good Foods by visiting its website or on Instagram at @realgoodfoods, where it has one of the largest social media followings of any brand within the frozen food industry today with nearly 420,000 followers.

For interviews with Bryan Freeman, Executive Chairman, email [email protected].

Media Contact

[email protected]

Investor Contact

Chris Bevenour

[email protected]

SOURCE Real Good Foods
The five-day rally welcomes guests to experience the thrill of the road, luxury accommodations, fine wine, extraordinary culinary moments and one of kind brand experiences June 12-16, 2022

LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Robb Report, the world's leading authority in luxury lifestyle, announced the return of its annual California Coastal Road Rally traversing the coastline kicking off in Santa Barbara, before cruising up to Pebble Beach, San Francisco and concluding in Napa Valley. A rally unlike any other, California Coastal brings the best of Robb Report luxury to the rally experience, navigating the epic landscapes and soaking in the glow of the golden state. Robb Report invites you to join for 4 nights and 5 gorgeous days as we drive from Southern to Northern California with unforgettable pit stops along the way. The one-of-a-kind event will bring together passionate auto enthusiasts to road trip in style and comfort, as they enjoy luxurious accommodations, world-class dining, exclusive brand experiences, and more.

Attendees will be tasked to choose a favorite car from their collection or simply rent a luxury car to join. In its inaugural year, 2021, the road rally gathered everything from the newest Lamborghinis to Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, Bentleys and even a rare Morgan Plus 8, 35th Anniversary model.

"We are thrilled to be back for our second annual event. We are confident in our ability to create a world class and unique experience for our guests. Our time together will be spent celebrating the best in all things, as we take in a glorious setting and spend time with friends and loved ones. We feel honored to program an event like this for our audience who shares our passion for adventure, quality, and fun," said Luke Bahrenburg, Robb Report's EVP & Chief Revenue Officer."

Guests will celebrate the start of the rally during the Concours d'Elegance at the Ritz-Carlton Santa Barbara on Sunday, June 12 where they can meet and mingle with fellow enthusiasts at an elegant welcome reception and dinner. Day two, guests will continue the scenic drive north from Santa Barbara to Monterey stopping for lunch at Return to Freedom wild horse sanctuary, taking in incredible views of rolling green hills, gorgeous, rare animals, and have the opportunity to enjoy Parade Laps at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. The California Coastal will then head north to San Francisco where guests will be treated to an intimate party at the iconic Isaia flagship store designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and experience an exclusive McLaren product reveal. The road rally will then begin its final journey to Robb Report's iconic home away from home, beautiful Napa Valley for a celebratory finale dinner looking out over the vineyards.

Partners for the 2022 Robb Report California Coastal include McLaren, VistaJet, Chopard, Penske Auto Group/Penske Luxury and Isaia.

Tickets are available for purchase now. You can find event details, COVID-19 protocols, and ticketing information here.

We thank you for your consideration!

About Robb Report

Robb Report is the leading voice in the global luxury market. Its discerning audience around the world has a shared appreciation and desire for quality, exclusivity, heritage, taste, and fine design. It is the brand the most successful people rely on to discover the ideas, opinions, products, and experiences that will matter most to them.

SOURCE Robb Report
"As we recover from the pandemic, poverty remains persistent and pervasive in New York City, but we know investing in high-quality, affordable child care will uplift families in all five boroughs. Access to high-quality and affordable child care sets a child up for success to excel developmentally and academically and gets parents back to work  it's good for the economy and good for fighting poverty," said Robin Hood CEO Richard R. Buery, Jr . "That's why we brought together our generous supporters and Mayor Adams at Robin Hood's 2022 Annual Benefit and committed to investing $100 million into reimagining New York City's child care sector and giving every family the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty."

The Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative will seek to make high-quality, affordable child care more accessible while improving the quality of care provided to New York children. This new funding will go towards expanding access in child care deserts  neighborhoods without enough licensed child care providers  and provide options beyond traditional working hours to accommodate parents with atypical schedules. Additionally, it will oversee the creation of a single online portal to streamline the application process for vouchers and integrate them with existing benefits. Finally, the initiative will support workforce development programs that help drive quality across New York City, including encouraging models that compensate providers more fairly, reducing turnover, and creating opportunities for growth within the sector.

"We need to get New Yorkers back to work while uplifting families, lowering the cost of child care while increasing options to remove obstacles that are holding too many parents back. Investing in child care is a down payment on progress and the future of our kids," said New York Mayor Eric Adams. "We're excited to partner with Robin Hood on the Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative to not only position New York as a leader in the sector, but to take a step towards a new, more equitable city for all."

"As a father, I've experienced firsthand the benefits of having access to family support like child care, maternal health care and paid family leave. Every child deserves the opportunity for a strong start in life, and quality child care creates the fundamental building blocks for that foundation," said Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Seven Seven Six and the co-founder and former executive chairman of Reddit. "I'm incredibly proud to partner with Robin Hood and New York City  the city of my birth  on this important initiative and to be able to provide that opportunity to so many fellow New Yorkers."

As part of the effort to raise funds for the Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative, the Bezos Family Foundation committed $10 million in support. Mike Bezos, Vice President of the Bezos Family Foundation, shared, "Increasing access to high-quality, science-based early learning opportunities is a real passion for our family, and why my wife Jackie and I have supported Robin Hood for many years, including through our investments in Robin Hood's Fund for Early Learning."

Additionally, Blue Origin donated a once-in-a-lifetime experience for one lucky auction winner to travel to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. This "buy one give one" item enables a New York City public school teacher to also travel to space. The live auction raised $8 million for Robin Hood, thanks to a winning bid from Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin. At Ken's request, Robin Hood will provide both seats to New York City public school teachers, in recognition of their commitment to advancing public education: "I am honored to support the Robin Hood Foundation and thrilled that two exceptional New York City public school teachers will experience the inspirational journey of spaceflight," said Ken Griffin. "I hope this moment will ignite the imagination of our students and inspire the next generation to push the boundaries of what humanity can achieve while underscoring the extraordinary role our teachers play in the lives of our children."

"In addition to being a co-chair with my wife, Lisa, for Robin Hood's 2022 annual benefit, I had the pleasure of working at Robin Hood for ten years and am now on the Leadership Council. Over the years with Robin Hood, I've had the good fortune of witnessing the power of philanthropy day in and day out. Last night, I was honored to present Blue Origin's once-in-a-lifetime auction item," said Mark Bezos, Robin Hood Leadership Council member and Founding Partner of HighPost Capital, LLC.

Research has shown that the most impactful poverty-fighting investment we can make starts in infancy, providing returns to society that far outweigh the costs. Currently, though, more than half (52%) of New York City families with children under age four cannot afford child care, and since the start of the pandemic, one in four parents have had to turn down a job, change jobs, or take leave due to child care needs. Currently, there is only one available child care slot for every five infants in New York City. Investing in New York City's child care system will help reduce poverty, improve family economic stability, ensure healthy child development, and increase the ability of parents and caregivers  especially women  to work and earn more.

Robin Hood's 2021 benefit, the organization's first in-person event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, raised $77.5 million to get families back on their feet, kids back on track, and New Yorkers back to work. Tonight's announcement of the Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative builds upon Robin Hood's legacy of funding innovations in early learning, and the partnership with New York City marks an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate on catalyzing improvements in child care that will have lasting impacts for generations.

About Robin Hood:

Robin Hood has been fighting poverty in New York City since 1988. Because Robin Hood's board covers all overhead, 100% of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Last year, Robin Hood awarded $172 million in grants, filling a critical void during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing cash assistance, meals, housing, healthcare, education, and other urgent needs to one million New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19, as well as funding an array of programs and initiatives developed to elevate families out of poverty in New York City. Follow the organization on Twitter @RobinHoodNYC and learn more at www.robinhood.org .

About The 776 Foundation:

The 776 Foundation was started by Seven Seven Six ("776") founder and investor Alexis Ohanian in March 2022 with a mission to fund problem-solvers combatting inequity worldwide. The Foundation's first project is the 776 Fellowship Program, a two-year program for young people taking big swings to fight climate change. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and support from the 776 network of founders, investors, and partners to work on their climate-focused project or idea. The 776 Foundation and Fellowship Program is led by Director Lissie Garvin. For more information, please visit: https://776.org/ .

SOURCE Robin Hood
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Sheena Wright, and Robin Hood CEO Richard R. Buery, Jr. announced the formation of a Child Care Quality & Innovation Initiative to expand access to high-quality, affordable child care programs across the five boroughs. Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Seven Seven Six and co-founder and former executive chairman of Reddit, joined the stage to announce a $25 million gift from his 776 Foundation towards Robin Hood's $50 million commitment. A $10 million commitment by Bezos Family Foundation was also announced.

"Last night was a testament to the generosity of the Robin Hood community who came together once again to raise a remarkable sum of $126 million  including a $50 million commitment from New York City," said Robin Hood's Chief Executive Officer, Richard R. Buery, Jr. "Robin Hood envisions a New York City where your starting point in life does not define where you end up in life, and we are so grateful to our donors and the amazing talent who joined us last night for helping us to continue that mission on behalf of the 1.4 million New Yorkers living in poverty."

Additionally, Blue Origin donated a once-in-a-lifetime experience for one lucky auction winner to travel to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. This "buy one give one" item enables a New York City public school teacher to also travel to space. The live auction raised $8 million for Robin Hood, thanks to a winning bid from Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin. At Ken's request, Robin Hood will provide both seats to New York City public school teachers, in recognition of their commitment to advancing public education.

Highlights of the evening included:

Thanks to a generous donation from Bombas, guests entered through an archway designed to look like the New York City skyline, constructed out of 5,200 pairs of Bombas socks, which will be distributed to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness via shelters citywide.

skyline, constructed out of 5,200 pairs of Bombas socks, which will be distributed to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness via shelters citywide. Notable New Yorkers, including Tracy Morgan , Stephanie Ruhle , and New York Governor Kathy Hochul participated in the event through on-stage remarks, video messages, and voiceovers.

, , and Governor participated in the event through on-stage remarks, video messages, and voiceovers. Co-chairs included Lisa and Mark Bezos of HighPost Capital; Meredith Kopit Levien of The New York Times Company; Kathryn Minshew of The Muse; and Karen and Chuck Phillips of Recognize.

of HighPost Capital; of The New York Times Company; of The Muse; and of Recognize. Robin Hood partnered with A Greener Festival to track and reduce the event's environmental impact and will continue to work to integrate sustainable practices.

Robin Hood's community partners Generation USA , Coney Island Prep, CUNY BMCC's Early Childhood Center, and All Our Kin were on full display in films and on-stage remarks throughout the evening.

, Coney Island Prep, CUNY BMCC's Early Childhood Center, and All Our Kin were on full display in films and on-stage remarks throughout the evening. Charlie Puth delivered an exciting performance of his hit singles "Light Switch" and "Attention," followed by an emotional rendition of "See You Again" where he was joined by the student chorus at Staten Island's PS22.

PS22. Alexis Ohanian spoke passionately about his experience growing up as a first generation Armenian-American born in Brooklyn , and his desire to leave a lasting legacy of giving back.

spoke passionately about his experience growing up as a first generation Armenian-American born in , and his desire to leave a lasting legacy of giving back. Robin Hood Founder Paul Tudor Jones took the stage in a space suit to encourage attendees to give what they could, while building anticipation for the live auction.

took the stage in a space suit to encourage attendees to give what they could, while building anticipation for the live auction. Mark Bezos spoke about his history with Robin Hood and his own life altering experience of traveling to space, as he introduced the auction item on behalf of Blue Origin.

spoke about his history with Robin Hood and his own life altering experience of traveling to space, as he introduced the auction item on behalf of Blue Origin. Auctioneer Lydia Fenet conducted a spirited live auction for the space trip, with the winning bid coming in at $8 million .

conducted a spirited live auction for the space trip, with the winning bid coming in at . A mock-up of Blue Origin's New Shepard crew capsule became a piece of notable decor.

John Legend ended the evening on a high with a live concert featuring hits like "Ordinary People," "Save Room," and "All of Me."

The Empire State Building lit up in Robin Hood Green in celebration of the organization's impact.

The 2022 Benefit builds on the success of last year's star-studded event, which featured Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, Cecily Strong, Bowen Yang, and more, successfully raising $77.5 million in support of Robin Hood's effort to get families back on their feet, kids back on track, and New Yorkers back to work. As always, Robin Hood's board covers all administrative costs, so 100% of the funds raised will be invested in poverty-fighting programs citywide.

About Robin Hood:

Robin Hood has been fighting poverty in New York City since 1988. Because Robin Hood's board covers all overhead, 100% of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Last year, Robin Hood awarded $172 million in grants, filling a critical void during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing cash assistance, meals, housing, healthcare, education, and other urgent needs to one million New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19, as well as funding an array of programs and initiatives developed to elevate families out of poverty in New York City. Follow the organization on Twitter @RobinHoodNYC and learn more at www.robinhood.org.

SOURCE Robin Hood
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryerson Holding Corporation (NYSE: RYI) (the "Company" or "Ryerson"), announced today that its principal shareholder, an affiliate of Platinum Equity LLC (the "Selling Stockholder") has commenced a secondary offering of 3,500,000 shares of its common stock (the "Offering") pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The Selling Stockholder will receive all of the net proceeds from this Offering. The Company is not offering any shares of its common stock in the Offering and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by the Selling Stockholder.

In addition, the Company announced that it has entered into a share repurchase agreement with the Selling Stockholder pursuant to which the Company intends to separately repurchase shares of the Company's common stock for an aggregate purchase price of about $47.7 million directly from the Selling Stockholder (the "Share Repurchase"). The Company expects to fund the Share Repurchase with cash on hand. The Share Repurchase is expected to be consummated concurrently with the closing of the Offering. Although the Share Repurchase will be conditioned upon, among other things, the closing of the Offering, the closing of the Offering will not be conditioned upon the closing of the Share Repurchase.

J.P. Morgan is acting as the sole underwriter for the Offering.

A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (including a prospectus) relating to these securities has been filed with and declared effective by the SEC. The Offering is being made solely by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the Offering may also be obtained by contacting: J.P. Morgan, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, by telephone: 1-866-803-9204, or by emailing: [email protected].

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Ryerson

Ryerson is a leading value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals, with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China. Founded in 1842, Ryerson has around 4,000 employees in approximately 100 locations.

Safe Harbor Provision

Certain statements made in this presentation and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, objectives, or projections relating to the future. Such statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "objectives," "goals," "preliminary," "range," "believes," "expects," "may," "estimates," "will," "should," "plans," or "anticipates" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. The Company cautions that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and may involve significant risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may vary materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Among the factors that significantly impact our business are: the cyclicality of our business; the highly competitive, volatile, and fragmented metals industry in which we operate; fluctuating metal prices; our substantial indebtedness and the covenants in instruments governing such indebtedness; the integration of acquired operations; regulatory and other operational risks associated with our operations located inside and outside of the United States; impacts and implications of adverse health events, including the COVID-19 pandemic; work stoppages; obligations under certain employee retirement benefit plans; the ownership of a majority of our equity securities by a single investor group; currency fluctuations; and consolidation in the metals industry. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various factors, including those set forth above and those set forth under "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we caution against placing undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, new information or otherwise.

SOURCE Ryerson Holding Corporation
BrandingUI Enables Design Teams to Create Easy Plug-and-Play Templates for Globally Scalable Marketing Campaigns

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Cruz Software announced today the launch of their distributed marketing resource portal BrandingUI , which enables in-house design teams and agencies to create branded marketing collateral that can be quickly and easily modified, localized and used by partners, resellers, sales and field marketing teams.

BrandingUI is a branded portal for distributed teams to ensure brand compliance in a secure environment and simplify content creation so anyone in the organization can have self-serve content customization for pre-approved email, social media or other campaigns on the fly.

Customizing marketing or sales collateral is a significant pain point in the sales process, according to a new study of over 200 sales professionals commissioned by Santa Cruz Software . An overwhelming majority (90%) of respondents use custom sales collateral as part of their role, and a similar percentage (89%) said it would make their life easier if they had branded, easily customizable sales materials in a template. Nearly half (48%) of the respondents reported that they could generate 30% or more in additional sales if they had access to branded, customizable content templates to create sales collateral.

"BrandingUI lets design teams focus on creating stellar customer experiences and allows the field teams to localize the copy for their specific needs," said Mark Hilton, Founder & CEO of Santa Cruz Software. "We have customers that have dozens of locations, and BrandingUI enables them to create a single template that their local team can customize in just a few minutes, enabling a brand-compliant, consistent design in an easy-to-use browser program. We are excited about how this will improve the lives of design professionals everywhere."

Customers of the portal count on BrandingUI to streamline the design process and create quick, brand-consistent designs for customized marketing collateral for events, products and services.

Features

Streamlines brand compliance

Secure and scalable

Self-service content customization

Campaigns edited from a web browser

Permissions-based access

Customizable workflows

Customizable output methods

Customizable approval processes

About Santa Cruz Software

Santa Cruz Software offers a suite of tools to connect Adobe applications to other Cloud Services, enabling teams to collaborate seamlessly on projects without ever leaving their applications. Enjoy simplified version control, easy asset search, and seamless connection between your shared team assets. Santa Cruz Software features are designed to streamline brand compliance, empower collaboration between teams, and increase productivity. Solutions range from integratable Dynamic Templates based upon Adobe InDesign (PrintUI), DAM connectors for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects (LinkrUI), and turnkey collateral/campaign portals (BrandingUI). For more information, visit the Santa Cruz Software website .

All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.

Media Contact:

David Haefele

FortyThree, Inc.

831.621.5661

[email protected]

SOURCE Santa Cruz Software
"By putting humans at the center of the innovation process, SAS is committed to building a world where data uplifts and empowers everyone," said Bryan Harris, SAS Chief Technology Officer. "The company has been at the center of the evolution of data science and has the expertise and experience to be an important contributor to the global effort to innovate responsibly."

By putting humans at the center of the innovation process, SAS is helping build a world where data empowers everyone.

Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning offer exciting opportunities to enhance human capabilities in many areas. However, if developed and deployed without appropriate controls and human involvement, those technologies can do more harm than good.

Responsible innovation includes, but goes beyond, important topics like responsible AI, algorithms and bias to consider the entire innovation process. A responsible innovation approach injects equity and fairness at every step, from idea to development to deployment.

The SAS Data Ethics Practice: responsible innovation's guiding hand

The SAS Data Ethics Practice (DEP) is a cross-functional team that guides a globally coordinated effort to help employees and customers deploy data-driven systems that promote human well-being, agency and equity. It is led by Reggie Townsend, who was recently appointed to the US Department of Commerce's National AI Advisory Council (NAIAC). He also serves on the board of EqualAI, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing unconscious bias in the development and use of AI.

"EqualAI will benefit significantly from the insights and deep commitment that Reggie brings to developing and deploying inclusive AI in an equitable way," said Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of EqualAI. "Reggie's focus is squarely aligned with our mission for AI to reach its maximum potential by ensuring it is created by and for a broader cross-section of the population."

Vogel, who serves as Chair of the NAIAC, also looks forward to partnering with Townsend and the other 25 distinguished NAIAC participants.

Townsend and the DEP counsel and coordinate with SAS Research and Development and other groups within the company to embed responsible innovation principles of human-centricity, inclusivity, transparency, accountability, robustness, and privacy and security.

A responsible innovation collaborator and contributor

There are many innovative and committed organizations striving to improve the responsible use of technology. For example, SAS collaborated with many of America's leading companies to launch the Business Roundtable's Roadmap for Responsible AI . SAS will continue to work with and learn from customers, partners, academics, students, community organizations and nonprofits, to inform its own practices and explore new ways to lift people up with data and analytics.

"While we've been at this for a long time, we don't have all the answers," said Townsend. "Those that create, consume and regulate data and AI have a shared risk, reward and responsibility to be trustworthy stewards of technology for the benefit of people and the planet we inhabit."

Learn more about responsible innovation at SAS.

Today's announcement was made at the virtual SAS Media & Influencer Briefing. To keep up with the latest news from SAS, follow @SASsoftwareNews on Twitter.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2022 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:

Trent Smith

[email protected]

919-531-4726

sas.com/news

SOURCE SAS
Sectyr named among best workplaces in America

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sectyr, a leader in SaaS based compliance software for healthcare, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2022 issue, hitting newsstands on May 17, 2022, and prominently featured on Inc.com, the list results from a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 475 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine the overall score and ranking.

"I could not be more proud of everyone on our team and the culture we have collectively built at Sectyr," says Sectyr CEO and founder James Lawson. "Our innovative approach to work/life balance and truly great team members help us by providing excellent products and an outstanding customer experience."

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

About Sectyr, LLC

Since 2016, the SectyrHub platform has been used by more than 180 hospitals and health care providers monitoring more than 4,000 pharmacies and related vendors. SectyrHub's platform portfolio helps healthcare providers achieve and maintain Continuous Program Compliance across regulatory, operations, and quality management areas. Including the federally regulated HRSA 340B drug discount program, the HRSA Community Health Center 330 grant program, the HHS Office of Civil Rights HIPAA and HITECH programs, and license management with automated credential verification across the continuum of healthcare. To learn more, visit www.Sectyr.com and follow us on LinkedIn

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc., offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

Media Contact:

Mark Kettering

Manager, Public Relations

Sectyr

480-933-8842 / [email protected]

SOURCE Sectyr
NEW YORK and LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud data security innovator ShardSecure has signed with a new Channel partner, the cybersecurity and SOC-as-a-service company Praesidium-Cyber based in the UK. The partnership expands ShardSecure's presence in Europe as the company's hyper-growth stage continues. ShardSecure's Channel program currently boasts existing partners in both North America and South America.

ShardSecure's patent-pending Microshard technology desensitizes sensitive data in the cloud. It shreds, mixes, and distributes unstructured and structured data to eliminate data sensitivity while keeping control in the hands of its owner.

Market demand for ShardSecure is driven by enterprise organizations in need of:

Secure cloud migration of sensitive data

Global data privacy and sovereignty compliance requirements

Cloud storage ransomware mitigation

Added security and privacy protection for Microsoft 365

Secure cold storage migration from on-premises to the cloud

Built on a foundation of the CIA triad, ShardSecure helps to enforce data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Its self-healing data neutralizes cloud storage ransomware and other forms of tampering without impacting data availability. Additionally, self-healing data can reconstruct data during a service outage, helping to ensure business continuity.

"Our Channel partner program is critical to our growth strategy, which makes our partnership with Praesidium-Cyber that much more significant. With their decades of experience in driving continuous security improvement for their customers, the team at Praesidium-Cyber are the perfect partners for ShardSecure to expand our presence in Europe," said ShardSecure CEO and Co-founder Bob Lam.

"Praesidium-Cyber are thrilled to be the EMEA Partner for ShardSecure," said Praesidium-Cyber Client Relationship Director Matt Baron. "Their Microshard technology is a new and unique way for organizations to protect their data at rest, eliminating data sensitivity to ensure total privacy for cloud-stored or on-prem data while improving cloud performance and lowering storage costs. ShardSecure provides peace of mind that all data is secure."

In addition to mitigating data breach risks, ShardSecure supports compliance with state, federal, and even international regulatory requirements like the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Microshard technology does not store organizations' data itself, allowing users to remain compliant and in control of their own information.

"Praesidium-Cyber's expertise is finding new and innovative security products to the market ahead of the typical business curve," Mr Baron explained. "We see ShardSecure as a major game changer to mitigate data privacy and data sovereignty risks in the UK, Europe, and Middle East."

About ShardSecure

ShardSecure is changing the nature of data security. They believe that all organizations can easily and securely enjoy the benefits of cloud adoption without surrendering control of their data. Inventors of the patent-pending Microshard technology, ShardSecure cloud-enables sensitive data by desensitizing it in multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments.

About Praesidium-Cyber

Praesidium-Cyber's Security Operations Centre (SOC-as-a-service) offerings help make clients' infrastructure and applications more secure. With over 30 years of combined experience and a unique multi-layer defense strategy, their unique security stack mitigates a lot of the typical issues an organisation faces to drive continuous security improvement.

CONTACT: Media Relations, [email protected]

SOURCE ShardSecure
Profiles on Patterson, Johnson, Titone and other honorees are included in the May issue of ENX Magazine . The Difference Makers program acknowledges and celebrates dealers, manufacturers and other technology specialists for their accomplishments and contributions to their teams, partners and clients.

"It is clear that in the era of the Great Resignation, businesses are acutely aware of the value of their most-cherished resourceloyal and dedicated team members," said Susan Neimes, Managing Editor of ENX Magazine and ENX The Week in Imaging. "The dealer community and the industry at large are only as successful as the people behind the scenes. They are the lifeblood of every successful organization. The pandemic continues to underscore the need to develop, encourage and celebrate the accomplishments of the Difference Makers, and we take great pride in bringing their stories to light."

Combining over 24 years of experience within the industry, Melani Patterson has established herself as an accomplished executive leader who focuses on developing high-quality, results-driven executives and sales leaders. As the Associate VP of Sales, Strategy & Planning for Sharp Business Systems, Melani strives to expand her skills while leading with authentic intent. Her dedication to her clients, team and the industry is influential to those around her. During her 12-year tenure at Sharp, Melani has been promoted six times and is frequently recognized as a dynamic leader within the Sharp community.

Chris Johnson has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry and has gained tactical leadership knowledge in multiple roles, ranging from solutions engineering to sales. His leadership is not only reflected in a corporate setting but was also exemplified during his military career with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During his past five years at Sharp, four of them as the Senior Director of Channel Sales in the Central Region, he led his team during unimaginably tough times, resulting in a 15 percent increase in revenue growth. His unique skill set, combined with his dedication to understanding the path to success for Sharp and its dealers, has allowed him to accomplish extraordinary results for Sharp dealers. Chris has led his dealers in diversifying their offering with the Sharp Dynabook laptops as well as the display devices, furthering the dealers' ability to provide their customers with a broad offering of technology.

Tony Titone began his career at Sharp 27 years ago and has held multiple positions within the company on both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sides of operations. He has served numerous roles in marketing, product management and product planning, becoming an expert in all aspects of the imaging technology marketplace. Recently, Tony has worked diligently to drive significant growth in Sharp's A4 copier/printer business and has taken the lead in driving the diversification of Sharp offerings with Sharp's Dynabook laptop business. His dedication to both the Sharp sales teams and the Sharp dealer and distributor network has led to a successful partnership on both sides of the sale, fostering relationships that have spanned many years.

"We're honored to have Chris, Melani and Tony represent Sharp as ENX Magazine's 2022 Difference Makers," said Mike Marusic, President and CEO, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "Their commitment to the success and growth of our company has had a profound impact and we're excited to see their future accomplishments as influential members of our Sharp family."

About ENX Magazine

ENX Magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to the document imaging industry since 1994. Now in its 29th year, ENX Magazine continues to deliver exclusive editorial coverage on market opportunities and issues, news and trends, company profiles, new products, and industry insights through interviews with key players in all segments of the document imaging industry. With a circulation of more than 24,000 hard copies, ENX Magazine serves as a leading integrated resource that brings together industry people, products, and business concepts and strategies for document imaging industry professionals.

The magazine also publishes The Week in Imaging, a weekly digital newsletter that provides news, profiles, technology and business updates, along with blogs from some of the industry's most prominent players.

About Sharp Electronics Corporation

Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation. Sharp is a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, professional displays, and smart office technologies. Sharp has been named to Fortune magazine's 2020 and 2022 World's Most Admired Companies list, ranking the world's most respected and reputable companies. Sharp's headquarters in Montvale, NJ, has been named a "Best Places to Work in NJ 2021" by NJBIZ, a leading New Jersey business publication.

For more information on Sharp's products, visit our website at sharpusa.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Sharp Imaging and Information Company

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, markets Sharp's Simply Smarter business products and solutions, such as professional displays, laptops, desktop monitors and a full suite of copier and printer solutions that can help companies manage workflow efficiently and increase productivity so they can work smarter. SIICA markets its products through a vast network of independent dealerships and its direct sales division Sharp Business Systems (SBS). By accelerating collaboration, improving efficiencies, digitizing workflows, and increasing information security, Sharp strives to help businesses achieve Simply Smarter work through technology that is smart and easy to use.

For more information on Sharp's business products, visit our website at business.sharpusa.com.

Become a fan of Sharp business products on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram and watch us on YouTube .

Peppercomm for Sharp

Paul Merchan

212.931.6172

[email protected]

SOURCE Sharp Electronics Corporation
FRESNO, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun-Maid is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2022 US Best Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams.

The 2022 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic, resilient culture, as well as strong financials. This year's designees continued to propel their businesses forward by prioritizing purpose, investing in their workforces, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

"For Sun-Maid to receive the honor of best managed company three years in a row, it takes an extremely hardworking team who is whole-heartedly committed to best-in-class problem-solving and stellar execution," said Harry Overly, President and CEO of Sun-Maid Growers of California. "It's an honor to work with our innovative Sun-Maid team  from the growers to the administrative team and everyone who contributes to our plant operations  our team continues its passion for growth while delivering the highest quality products to our consumers and evolving our organization. I could not be prouder of how our team has performed over this past year and we're grateful to receive Deloitte's recognition for these efforts."

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture and governance/financial performance. They join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 40 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

About Sun-Maid:

Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is a farmer's cooperative of 750 grower families with vineyards in California's Central Valley. From childhood to adulthood and generation to generation, Sun-Maid's innovative snacks continue to feed imaginations one little red box at a time--because when imagination is used for good, there's nothing more delicious! And while some things change, our real, minimally processed and consistently good ingredients haven't. Always starting with a whole fruit you can see and taste, Sun-Maid continues to offer a trusted go-to snack that's simple, healthy and versatile--imagine that! For more information about Sun-Maid visit www.sunmaid.com and follow the brand on social media including TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure.

SOURCE Sun-Maid
A revolutionary plan to unlock a multi-trillion-dollar Blue Economy will transform futures in some of the world's most vulnerable nations

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NOAH ReGen: A climate emergency is underway, and societies and economies are suffering, especially in coastal areas. Healthy coastal ecosystems provide protection from natural hazards, coastal erosion, and rising sead properly. Through Blue Carbon finance and decentralized certification by the World Ocean Council (WOC) with funding from NOAH ReGen and other partners, projects can be established that will boost ESG investment.

The blue revolution started with projects in Panama, Dominican Republic, Antigua, and Barbuda. 'Blue carbon' sinks like mangrove forests, seagrass beds and subsoils, and other vegetated ocean habitats are up to five times as effective as tropical forests at sequestering carbon.

Frederic Degret is CEO of NOAH ReGen: empowering climate change solutions through economic growth. He says that by unlocking and monetizing stored Blue carbon, coastal communities can become the trailblazers of a regenerative Blue Economy that the OECD predicts will be worth $3 trillion by 2030.

"This mechanism will use a blockchain register to hold the certified impact measurement report - and revenues will be reinvested into coastal and island territories to fund their transitions into the circular economy," he said.

Recognized as Europe's most innovative company for the ocean, NOAH ReGen is also a co-founder of the Atlantic Smart Ports Blue Acceleration Network (AspBAN) funded by the European Maritime & Fishery Fund. NOAH has signed partnerships with the UN World Tourism Organization, carbon-negative Panama as a pilot country for off-grid solutions generating additional blue carbon, and the Federacion Latinoamericana de Ciudades, Municipios y Asociaciones de Gobiernos Locales (FLACMA, representing 16,500 municipalities in Latin America).

Having kick-started the Blue Revolution, NOAH has been approached by several island states and coastal countries to provide agency for their transition, achieved through the integrated operations of six interconnected, mutually empowered ESG platforms comprising financial; advisory; certification; digital; accelerator; and industrial sectors.

Funds raised from projects will act as collateral to generate a cascade of ESG investment and carbon sequestration in developing countries, through the Blue Carbon Bank and the Blue Climate Fund currently under development, the ESG Carbon Token, a digital Marketplace and an ESG Carbon Exchange.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1813397/NOAH_ReGen_Logo.jpg

SOURCE NOAH ReGen
CLEVELAND, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TransDigm Group Incorporated (NYSE: TDG), a leading global designer, producer and supplier of highly engineered aircraft components, today reported results for the second quarter ended April 2, 2022.

Second quarter highlights include:

Net sales of $1,327 million , up 11% from $1,194 million in the prior year's quarter;

, up 11% from in the prior year's quarter; Income from continuing operations of $199 million , up 90% from $105 million in the prior year's quarter;

, up 90% from in the prior year's quarter; Earnings per share from continuing operations of $3.38 , up 89% from $1.79 in the prior year's quarter;

, up 89% from in the prior year's quarter; EBITDA As Defined of $633 million , up 22% from $519 million in the prior year's quarter;

, up 22% from in the prior year's quarter; EBITDA As Defined margin of 47.7%, up 420 basis points from the prior year's quarter;

Adjusted earnings per share of $3.86 , up 50% from $2.58 in the prior year's quarter; and

, up 50% from in the prior year's quarter; and Repurchase of $667 million of Company stock during the quarter, equating to approximately 1.0 million shares.

The Company's full fiscal 2022 guidance remains suspended at this time as a result of the continued disruption in our primary commercial end markets. Refer to the "Fiscal 2022 Outlook" section below for further information.

Quarter-to-Date Results

Net sales for the quarter increased 11.1%, or $133 million, to $1,327 million from $1,194 million in the comparable quarter a year ago. Organic sales growth as a percentage of net sales was 15.1%.

Income from continuing operations for the quarter increased $94 million, or 89.5%, to $199 million from $105 million in the comparable quarter a year ago. The increase in income from continuing operations primarily reflects the increase in net sales described above and favorable sales mix, along with lower one-time refinancing costs and lower COVID-19 restructuring costs. The increase was partially offset by a higher effective tax rate and higher stock compensation expense. The comparable quarter a year ago also included the benefit of a gain recorded on the settlement of an insurance claim.

Adjusted net income for the quarter increased 50.3% to $227 million, or $3.86 per share, from $151 million, or $2.58 per share, in the comparable quarter a year ago.

EBITDA for the quarter increased 26.7% to $588 million from $464 million for the comparable quarter a year ago. EBITDA As Defined for the quarter increased 22.0% to $633 million compared with $519 million in the comparable quarter a year ago. EBITDA As Defined as a percentage of net sales for the quarter was 47.7% compared with 43.5% in the comparable quarter a year ago.

"It is encouraging that the global commercial aerospace recovery continues to steadily progress forward. As we expected, this recovery is not linear as the world experiences new COVID variants and certain countries deploy strict lockdown policies. However, despite these hurdles, the global commercial aerospace recovery is proceeding, led primarily by the pent-up demand for domestic leisure travel  though improving trends in international air traffic and business air travel are a positive," stated Kevin Stein, TransDigm Group's President and Chief Executive Officer. "I am very pleased to see another quarter of strong sequential improvement in our commercial aftermarket revenues and bookings, with bookings for the quarter significantly outpacing revenues. Our commercial aftermarket continues to lead the recovery of our commercial aerospace revenues, and we expect that trend to carry throughout the remainder of our fiscal 2022.

Additionally, during the quarter we returned $667 million of capital to shareholders via open market repurchases of our common stock. We view these repurchases like any other capital investment, and we expect this investment will meet or exceed our long-term return objectives."

For the quarter we had positive operating cash flow generation of $87 million. The operating cash flow for the quarter was unfavorably impacted by the timing of cash interest payments and tax payments, as well as the timing of cash receipts related to the strong sales in March.

During the thirteen week period ended April 2, 2022, TransDigm repurchased 1,046,815 shares of its common stock with a weighted-average price per share of $636.93 at an aggregate cost of approximately $667 million. As previously reported, on January 27, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized a new $2,200 million stock repurchase program to replace the existing program permitting the repurchase of a portion of TransDigm's outstanding shares. As of April 2, 2022, the remaining amount of repurchases allowed under the new program was approximately $1,533 million.

As previously reported, on March 14, 2022, TransDigm entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DART Aerospace ("DART"), a portfolio company of Greenbriar Equity Group, L.P. and First Aviation Services Inc., for approximately $360 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to close during the second half of fiscal 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. DART is an industry leader in helicopter mission equipment with established positions on a diverse range of rotary-wing platforms.

Year-to-Date Results

Net sales for the twenty-six week period ended April 2, 2022 increased 9.6%, or $220 million, to $2,521 million from $2,301 million in the comparable period a year ago. Organic sales growth as a percentage of net sales was 12.0%.

Income from continuing operations for the twenty-six week period ended April 2, 2022 increased $207 million, or 133.5%, to $362 million from $155 million in the comparable period a year ago. The increase in income from continuing operations primarily reflects the increase in net sales described above and favorable sales mix, along with lower COVID-19 restructuring costs and lower one-time refinancing costs, partially offset by a higher effective tax rate. The comparable period a year ago also included the benefit of a gain recorded on the settlement of an insurance claim.

GAAP earnings per share were reduced in fiscal 2022 and 2021 by $0.78 per share and $1.24 per share, respectively, as a result of dividend equivalent payments made during each year. As a reminder, GAAP earnings per share are reduced when TransDigm makes dividend equivalent payments pursuant to the Company's stock option plans. These dividend equivalent payments are made during the Company's first fiscal quarter each year and also upon payment of any special dividends.

Adjusted net income for the twenty-six week period ended April 2, 2022 increased 52.3% to $405 million, or $6.85 per share, from $266 million, or $4.55 per share, in the comparable period a year ago.

EBITDA for the twenty-six week period ended April 2, 2022 increased 31.8% to $1,110 million from $842 million for the comparable period a year ago. EBITDA As Defined for the period increased 20.6% to $1,198 million compared with $993 million in the comparable period a year ago. EBITDA As Defined as a percentage of net sales for the period was 47.5% compared with 43.2% in the comparable period a year ago.

Please see the attached tables for a reconciliation of income from continuing operations to EBITDA, EBITDA As Defined, and adjusted net income; a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to EBITDA and EBITDA As Defined, and a reconciliation of earnings per share to adjusted earnings per share for the periods discussed in this press release.

Fiscal 2022 Outlook

Given the considerable uncertainty around the extent and duration of business disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our primary commercial OEM and commercial aftermarket end markets, the Company will not provide full fiscal year 2022 guidance at this time. Information regarding fiscal 2022 EBITDA As Defined margins, expected defense market revenue growth, tax rates, interest expense, capital expenditures and select accounting information is included in the slide presentation available for today's earnings call.

Earnings Conference Call

TransDigm Group will host a conference call for investors and security analysts on May 10, 2022, beginning at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time. To join the call, dial (833) 397-0943 and enter the passcode 5786611. International callers should dial (720) 405-3217 and use the same passcode. A live audio webcast can be accessed online at http://www.transdigm.com. A slide presentation will also be available for reference during the conference call; go to the investor relations page of our website and click on "Presentations."

The call will be archived on the website and available for replay at approximately 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A telephone replay will be available for one week by dialing (855) 859-2056 and entering the passcode 5786611. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and use the same passcode.

About TransDigm Group

TransDigm Group, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a leading global designer, producer and supplier of highly engineered aircraft components for use on nearly all commercial and military aircraft in service today. Major product offerings, substantially all of which are ultimately provided to end-users in the aerospace industry, include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, engineered rods, engineered connectors and elastomer sealing solutions, databus and power controls, cockpit security components and systems, specialized and advanced cockpit displays, engineered audio, radio and antenna systems, specialized lavatory components, seat belts and safety restraints, engineered and customized interior surfaces and related components, advanced sensor products, switches and relay panels, thermal protection and insulation, lighting and control technology, parachutes, high performance hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading, handling and delivery systems.

Non-GAAP Supplemental Information

EBITDA, EBITDA As Defined, EBITDA As Defined Margin, adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release as supplemental disclosures to net income and reported results. TransDigm Group defines EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and defines EBITDA As Defined as EBITDA plus certain non-operating items recorded as corporate expenses, including non-cash compensation charges incurred in connection with TransDigm Group's stock incentive plans, restructuring costs related to TransDigm Group's cost reduction measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign currency gains and losses, acquisition-integration costs, acquisition and divestiture transaction-related expenses, and refinancing costs. COVID-19 restructuring costs represent actions taken by the Company to reduce its workforce to align with customer demand, as well as incremental costs related to the pandemic that are not expected to recur once the pandemic has subsided and are clearly separable from normal operations (e.g., additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities by contractors above and beyond normal requirements, personal protective equipment). Acquisition and divestiture-related costs represent accounting adjustments to inventory associated with acquisitions of businesses and product lines that were charged to cost of sales when the inventory was sold; costs incurred to integrate acquired businesses and product lines into the Company's operations, facility relocation costs and other acquisition-related costs; transaction-related costs for both acquisitions and divestitures comprising deal fees; legal, financial and tax diligence expenses and valuation costs that are required to be expensed as incurred and other acquisition accounting adjustments. TransDigm Group defines adjusted net income as net income plus purchase accounting backlog amortization expense, effects from the sale on businesses, non-cash compensation charges incurred in connection with TransDigm Group's stock incentive plans, restructuring costs related to TransDigm Group's cost reduction measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign currency gains and losses, acquisition-integration costs, acquisition transaction-related expenses, and refinancing costs. EBITDA As Defined Margin represents EBITDA As Defined as a percentage of net sales. TransDigm Group defines adjusted diluted earnings per share as adjusted net income divided by the total shares for basic and diluted earnings per share. For more information regarding the computation of EBITDA, EBITDA As Defined and adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share, please see the attached financial tables.

TransDigm Group presents these non-GAAP financial measures because it believes that they are useful indicators of its operating performance. TransDigm Group believes that EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to measure operating performance among companies with different capital structures, effective tax rates and tax attributes, capitalized asset values and employee compensation structures, all of which can vary substantially from company to company. In addition, analysts, rating agencies and others use EBITDA to evaluate a company's ability to incur and service debt. EBITDA As Defined is used to measure TransDigm Inc.'s compliance with the financial covenant contained in its credit facility. TransDigm Group's management also uses EBITDA As Defined to review and assess its operating performance, to prepare its annual budget and financial projections and to review and evaluate its management team in connection with employee incentive programs. Moreover, TransDigm Group's management uses EBITDA As Defined to evaluate acquisitions and as a liquidity measure. In addition, TransDigm Group's management uses adjusted net income as a measure of comparable operating performance between time periods and among companies as it is reflective of changes in pricing decisions, cost controls and other factors that affect operating performance.

None of EBITDA, EBITDA As Defined, EBITDA As Defined Margin, adjusted net income or adjusted earnings per share is a measurement of financial performance under U.S. GAAP and such financial measures should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income, earnings per share, cash flows from operating activities or other measures of performance determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, TransDigm Group's calculation of these non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to the calculation of similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Although we use EBITDA and EBITDA As Defined as measures to assess the performance of our business and for the other purposes set forth above, the use of these non-GAAP financial measures as analytical tools has limitations, and you should not consider any of them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results of operations as reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

neither EBITDA nor EBITDA As Defined reflects the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements, necessary to service interest payments on our indebtedness;

although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and neither EBITDA nor EBITDA As Defined reflects any cash requirements for such replacements;

the omission of the substantial amortization expense associated with our intangible assets further limits the usefulness of EBITDA and EBITDA As Defined;

neither EBITDA nor EBITDA As Defined includes the payment of taxes, which is a necessary element of our operations; and

EBITDA As Defined excludes the cash expense we have incurred to integrate acquired businesses into our operations, which is a necessary element of certain of our acquisitions.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts, including statements under the heading "Fiscal 2022 Outlook," are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believe," "may," "will," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "predict," "anticipate," "estimate," or "continue" and other words and terms of similar meaning may identify forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause TransDigm Group's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, TransDigm Group. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on the TransDigm Group's business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity; the sensitivity of TransDigm Group's business to the number of flight hours that its customers' planes spend aloft and its customers' profitability, both of which are affected by general economic conditions; future geopolitical or other worldwide events; cyber-security threats, natural disasters and climate change-related events; TransDigm Group's reliance on certain customers; the U.S. defense budget and risks associated with being a government supplier including government audits and investigations; failure to maintain government or industry approvals; failure to complete or successfully integrate acquisitions; TransDigm Group's indebtedness; potential environmental liabilities; liabilities arising in connection with litigation; climate-related regulations; increases in raw material costs, taxes and labor costs that cannot be recovered in product pricing; risks and costs associated with TransDigm Group's international sales and operations; and other factors. Further information regarding the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results can be found in TransDigm Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021 and other reports that TransDigm Group or its subsidiaries have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, TransDigm Group undertakes no obligation to revise or update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED



CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME



FOR THE THIRTEEN AND TWENTY-SIX WEEK PERIODS ENDED

Table 1 APRIL 2, 2022 AND APRIL 3, 2021

(Amounts in millions, except per share amounts)



(Unaudited)



















Thirteen Week Periods Ended

Twenty-Six Week Periods Ended



April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021

April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021 NET SALES

$ 1,327

$ 1,194

$ 2,521

$ 2,301 COST OF SALES

591

602

1,124

1,169 GROSS PROFIT

736

592

1,397

1,132 SELLING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

183

162

353

358 AMORTIZATION OF INTANGIBLE ASSETS

33

36

69

65 INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

520

394

975

709 INTEREST EXPENSENET

266

268

530

535 REFINANCING COSTS



24



24 OTHER INCOME

(6)

(28)

(8)

(33) INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

260

130

453

183 INCOME TAX PROVISION

61

25

91

28 INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS

199

105

362

155 INCOME FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS, NET OF TAX





1

 NET INCOME

199

105

363

155 LESS: NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS



(1)

(1)

(1) NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO TD GROUP

$ 199

$ 104

$ 362

$ 154 NET INCOME APPLICABLE TO TD GROUP COMMON STOCKHOLDERS

$ 199

$ 104

$ 316

$ 81 Earnings per share attributable to TD Group common stockholders















Earnings per share from continuing operationsbasic and diluted

$ 3.38

$ 1.79

$ 5.33

$ 1.40 Earnings per share from discontinued operationsbasic and diluted





0.02

 Earnings per share

$ 3.38

$ 1.79

$ 5.35

$ 1.40 Weighted-average shares outstanding:















Basic and diluted

58.9

58.4

59.0

58.4

TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED



SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA,



EBITDA AS DEFINED TO INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS



FOR THE THIRTEEN AND TWENTY-SIX WEEK PERIODS ENDED

Table 2 APRIL 2, 2022 AND APRIL 3, 2021

(Amounts in millions, except per share amounts)



(Unaudited)



















Thirteen Week Periods Ended

Twenty-Six Week Periods Ended



April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021

April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021 Income from continuing operations

$ 199

$ 105

$ 362

$ 155 Adjustments:















Depreciation and amortization expense

62

66

127

124 Interest expense, net

266

268

530

535 Income tax provision

61

25

91

28 EBITDA

588

464

1,110

842 Adjustments:















Acquisition and divestiture transaction-related expenses and adjustments (1)

3

16

8

19 Non-cash stock compensation expense (2)

42

21

79

70 Refinancing costs (3)



24



24 COVID-19 pandemic restructuring costs (4)



18



39 Other, net (5)



(24)

1

(1) Gross Adjustments to EBITDA

45

55

88

151 EBITDA As Defined

$ 633

$ 519

$ 1,198

$ 993 EBITDA As Defined, Margin (6)

47.7 %

43.5 %

47.5 %

43.2 %































(1)

Represents accounting adjustments to inventory associated with acquisitions of businesses and product lines that were charged to cost of sales when inventory was sold; costs incurred to integrate acquired businesses and product lines into TD Group's operations, facility relocation costs and other acquisition-related costs; transaction-related costs for both acquisitions and divestitures comprising deal fees, legal, financial and tax due diligence expenses, and valuation costs that are required to be expensed as incurred.





(2)

Represents the compensation expense recognized by TD Group under our stock incentive plans.





(3)

Represents costs expensed related to debt financing activities, including new issuances, extinguishments, refinancings and amendments to existing agreements.





(4)

Represents restructuring costs related to the Company's cost reduction measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic of $17 million and $36 million for the thirteen and twenty-six week periods ended April 3, 2021, respectively. These are costs related to the Company's actions to reduce its workforce and consolidate certain facilities to align with customer demand. This also includes $1 million and $3 million for the thirteen and twenty-six week periods ended April 3, 2021, respectively, of incremental costs related to the pandemic that are not expected to recur once the pandemic has subsided and are clearly separable from normal operations (e.g., additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities by contractors above and beyond normal requirements, personal protective equipment, etc.). Restructuring costs incurred in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the thirteen and twenty-six week periods ended April 2, 2022 were not material.





(5)

Primarily represents foreign currency transaction gain or loss, payroll withholding taxes related to special dividend and dividend equivalent payments and stock option exercises, non-service related pension costs, deferred compensation, proceeds received from a final working capital settlement for the ScioTeq and TREALITY divestiture and gain or loss on sale of fixed assets.





(6)

The EBITDA As Defined margin represents the amount of EBITDA As Defined as a percentage of net sales.

TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED







SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - RECONCILIATION OF







REPORTED EARNINGS PER SHARE TO







ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE







FOR THE THIRTEEN AND TWENTY-SIX WEEK PERIODS ENDED

Table 3 APRIL 2, 2022 AND APRIL 3, 2021

(Amounts in millions, except per share amounts)







(Unaudited)



















Thirteen Week Periods Ended

Twenty-Six Week Periods Ended



April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021

April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021 Reported Earnings Per Share















Income from continuing operations

$ 199

$ 105

$ 362

$ 155 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests



(1)

(1)

(1) Net income from continuing operations attributable to TD Group

199

104

361

154 Less: Special dividends declared or paid on participating securities, including dividend equivalent payments





(46)

(73) Income from discontinued operations, net of tax





1

 Net income applicable to TD Group common stockholdersbasic and diluted

$ 199

$ 104

$ 316

$ 81 Weighted-average shares outstanding under the two-class method















Weighted-average common shares outstanding

55.2

54.8

55.2

54.7 Vested options deemed participating securities

3.7

3.6

3.8

3.7 Total shares for basic and diluted earnings per share

58.9

58.4

59.0

58.4 Earnings per share from continuing operationsbasic and diluted

$ 3.38

$ 1.79

$ 5.33

$ 1.40 Earnings per share from discontinued operationsbasic and diluted





0.02

 Earnings per share

$ 3.38

$ 1.79

$ 5.35

$ 1.40 Adjusted Earnings Per Share







Income from continuing operations

$ 199

$ 105

$ 362

$ 155 Gross adjustments to EBITDA

45

55

88

151 Purchase accounting backlog amortization

1

4

5

4 Tax adjustment (1)

(18)

(13)

(50)

(44) Adjusted net income

$ 227

$ 151

$ 405

$ 266 Adjusted diluted earnings per share under the two-class method

$ 3.86

$ 2.58

$ 6.85

$ 4.55 Diluted Earnings Per Share to Adjusted Earnings Per Share







Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations

$ 3.38

$ 1.79

$ 5.33

$ 1.40 Adjustments to diluted earnings per share:















Inclusion of the dividend and dividend equivalent payments





0.78

1.24 Acquisition and divestiture transaction-related expenses and adjustments

0.04

0.26

0.15

0.31 Non-cash stock compensation expense

0.53

0.29

0.99

0.94 Refinancing costs



0.32



0.32 Tax adjustment on income from continuing operations before taxes (1)

(0.10)

(0.02)

(0.44)

(0.19) COVID-19 pandemic restructuring costs



0.24



0.52 Other, net

0.01

(0.30)

0.04

0.01 Adjusted earnings per share

$ 3.86

$ 2.58

$ 6.85

$ 4.55































(1)

For the thirteen and twenty-six week periods ended April 2, 2022 and April 3, 2021, the Tax adjustment represents the tax effect of the adjustments at the applicable effective tax rate, as well as the impact on the effective tax rate when excluding the excess tax benefits on stock option exercises. Stock compensation expense is excluded from adjusted net income and therefore we have excluded the impact that the excess tax benefits on stock option exercises have on the effective tax rate for determining adjusted net income.

TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED



SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH



PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO EBITDA,



EBITDA AS DEFINED



FOR THE TWENTY-SIX WEEK PERIODS ENDED

Table 4 APRIL 2, 2022 AND APRIL 3, 2021

(Amounts in millions)



(Unaudited)











Twenty-Six Week Periods Ended



April 2, 2022

April 3, 2021 Net cash provided by operating activities

$ 366

$ 372 Adjustments:







Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects from acquisitions and sales of businesses

198

(9) Interest expense, net (1)

513

518 Income tax provision - current

92

28 Loss contract amortization

20

27 Non-cash stock compensation expense (2)

(79)

(70) Refinancing costs (3)



(24) EBITDA

1,110

842 Adjustments:







Acquisition and divestiture transaction-related expenses and adjustments (4)

8

19 Non-cash stock compensation expense (2)

79

70 Refinancing costs (3)



24 COVID-19 pandemic restructuring costs (5)



39 Other, net (6)

1

(1) EBITDA As Defined

$ 1,198

$ 993































(1)

Represents interest expense excluding the amortization of debt issue costs and premium and discount on debt.





(2)

Represents the compensation expense recognized by TD Group under our stock incentive plans.





(3)

Represents costs expensed related to debt financing activities, including new issuances, extinguishments, refinancings and amendments to existing agreements.





(4)

Represents accounting adjustments to inventory associated with acquisitions of businesses and product lines that were charged to cost of sales when inventory was sold; costs incurred to integrate acquired businesses and product lines into TD Group's operations, facility relocation costs and other acquisition-related costs; transaction-related costs for both acquisitions and divestitures comprising deal fees, legal, financial and tax due diligence expenses, and valuation costs that are required to be expensed as incurred.





(5)

Represents restructuring costs related to the Company's cost reduction measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic of $36 million for the twenty-six week period ended April 3, 2021. These are costs related to the Company's actions to reduce its workforce and consolidate certain facilities to align with customer demand. This also includes $3 million for the twenty-six week period ended April 3, 2021 of incremental costs related to the pandemic that are not expected to recur once the pandemic has subsided and are clearly separable from normal operations (e.g., additional cleaning and disinfecting of facilities by contractors above and beyond normal requirements, personal protective equipment, etc.). Restructuring costs incurred in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the twenty-six week period ended April 2, 2022 were not material.





(6)

Primarily represents foreign currency transaction gain or loss, payroll withholding taxes related to special dividend and dividend equivalent payments and stock option exercises, non-service related pension costs, deferred compensation, proceeds received from a final working capital settlement for the ScioTeq and TREALITY divestiture and gain or loss on sale of fixed assets.

TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED



SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION - BALANCE SHEET DATA

Table 5 (Amounts in millions)





(Unaudited)











April 2, 2022

September 30, 2021 Cash and cash equivalents

$ 4,216

$ 4,787 Trade accounts receivableNet

794

791 InventoriesNet

1,242

1,185 Current portion of long-term debt

79

277 Short-term borrowingstrade receivable securitization facility

350

349 Accounts payable

238

227 Accrued and other current liabilities

634

810 Long-term debt

19,394

19,372 Total TD Group stockholders' deficit

(2,899)

(2,916)

SOURCE TransDigm Group Inc.
NICOSIA, Cyprus, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UFG Capital , one of the leading alternative investment fund managers in Cyprus, announces $70 million in assets under management (AUM) for its new Private equity fund dedicated to blockchain-related businesses.

In addition to a wide variety of investment products totaling over $1.5 billion AUM, in 2021 UFG Capital launched a separate investment strategy which was later transformed into a full-fledged investment fund.

The fund delivers a balanced approach to blockchain VC investing which includes traditional VCs, crypto-native VCs, and tech-focused VCs. This tactic allows the fund to leverage the advances of each sector in combination.

Responding to market demand, UFG Capital seeks to create a comprehensive infrastructure for serving professional investors following the regulatory framework of alternative investment funds. In the future, the company plans to expand the blockchain-oriented fund to more jurisdictions and make it accessible to more types of investors.

To achieve the best results for its clients, UFG Capital connects its funds with an extensive network of financial industry players, such as depositories, banks, administrators, brokers, and portfolio managers, who guarantee the prospects of selected projects.

Leveraging the company's extensive market experience, high-performing yet balanced products and strategies, as well as widespread access across numerous nations, UFG Capital offers its customers convenient exposure to blockchain technology.

"UFG Capital provides an optimal way for investors to enter the $1.7 trillion global crypto market. In 2021, we started with only a crypto strategy. Now, as this sector for investment is still quite new, volatile, and unexplored, we are offering our clients a complete and reliable infrastructure to protect their assets. The rapid market demand and frequent customer requests gave a quick impetus to the development of the business direction and the study of the market," said Maryna Chernenko, Managing Director at UFG Capital.

About UFG Capital

UFG Capital is a Cyprus-based alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) company that provides private and institutional capital management services through investment funds. Launched in 2015 and headquartered in Cyprus, the company brings together an international team of over 50 professionals.

SOURCE UFG Capital
Mugerwa has held senior leadership roles for nearly three decades in the energy sector in Africa and Europe, and has extensive experience across the oil and gas value chain. In Uganda, he was the managing director for Tullow Oil and helped in the exploration and development of the Lake Albert basin oil fields, along with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Prior to this, Jimmy served in several executive positions in Shell plc. He was the senior regional advisor for sub-Saharan Africa at Shell's corporate head office in the Netherlands, and he worked as the country chair and general manager of the company's East Africa operations.

"We are delighted that Jimmy has joined Veracity Worldwide as a regional advisor based in Kampala, Uganda, where he will focus on ESG issues around the EACOP," said Steven Fox, Veracity Worldwide's executive chairman. "He brings a unique set of skills to understand stakeholder issues in both Uganda and Tanzania based on his extensive work in the oil and gas sector."

Mugerwa said, "It is a great pleasure to join the team at Veracity Worldwide  their experience helping clients navigate complex issues is a vital resource for businesses operating in the region." Mugerwa further noted that the Tilenga, Kingfisher, and EACOP projects are progressing as planned, and that Veracity is well-positioned to aid those and other projects with risk mitigation, especially in the ESG space and stakeholder engagement.

The Lake Albert development is one of many active projects on the continent. In his new role, Mugerwa will help to further establish Veracity Worldwide as a trusted advisor on these projects as well as Lake Albert. The firm's expertise in the East African region, and in the oil and gas sector generally, ensure unparalleled insight and analysis.

About Veracity Worldwide

Veracity Worldwide (www.VeracityWorldwide.com) is a strategic advisory firm that provides tailored advice on how to operate in complex jurisdictions, with a specialty in ESG issues and geopolitical and reputational risk management. Veracity has worked extensively in the energy and mining sectors in emerging markets.

SOURCE Veracity Worldwide
In-Scope:

Clinical trials:

The veterinary CRO market share growth by the clinical trials segment will be significant during the forecast period. Clinical trials can research a variety of areas, such as new ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, new pharmaceuticals, new surgical procedures or equipment, or new ways to use existing treatments, as well as enhance the quality of life for dogs suffering from chronic illnesses. Thus, the market is expected to be dominated by this segment in the coming years.

Out-of-Scope:

Toxicology



Market authorization and regulatory support

Download sample to gain further insights on the market contribution of various segments

Highlights-

Segmentation- The report extensively covers market segmentation by Type (clinical trials, toxicology, and market authorization and regulatory support) and Geography ( North America , Europe , Asia , and Rest of World)

The report extensively covers market segmentation by Type (clinical trials, toxicology, and market authorization and regulatory support) and Geography ( , , , and Rest of World) Key Companies- Argenta Ltd., Avogadro LS, Cebiphar, Charles River Laboratories International Inc., GD, Ictyopharma, Invetus, Kingfisher International, KLIFOVET GmbH, Knoell, Lohlein and Wolf vet research, Oncovet Clinical Research, ONDAX Scientific SL, Ridgeway Research Ltd., Rockstep Solutions, Veterinary Research Management, VETSPIN SRL, Wageningen University and Research, RTI LLC , and Clinvet among others

Argenta Ltd., Avogadro LS, Cebiphar, Charles River Laboratories International Inc., GD, Ictyopharma, Invetus, Kingfisher International, KLIFOVET GmbH, Knoell, Lohlein and Wolf vet research, Oncovet Clinical Research, ONDAX Scientific SL, Ridgeway Research Ltd., Rockstep Solutions, Veterinary Research Management, VETSPIN SRL, Wageningen University and Research, , and Clinvet among others Driver- Increase in ownership of companion animals to drive the market

Increase in ownership of companion animals to drive the market Challenge- Stringent government regulations to hamper the market growth

Download Sample : for more additional information about the Veterinary CRO Market

Vendor Insights-

The veterinary CRO market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as technological innovations, market expansion, and investments to compete in the market.

Cebiphar - The company offers veterinary CRO that includes services in terms of analytics, miCRObiology, and veterinary studies as well as technical and regulatory support.

Download Sample Report to find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings

Learn More about Key Driver & Challenge of the Market-

Veterinary CRO Market Driver:

Increase in ownership of companion animals:

Dogs were owned by 45% in 2020, up from 38% at the end of 2016. While animal rescues and shelters are popular places to get new pets, in 2020, 42% of dog owners and 43% of cat owners stated they got their pets from a store. The COVID-19 pandemic's effects were barely evident in the results. In 2020, people who work from home were eight times more likely to have a new pet. In addition, pet ownership has been associated with lower blood pressure, reduced stress, a lower risk of heart disease, and lower overall health care expenses in recent studies. For instance, according to a poll of pet owners conducted in 2021, 69 million homes in the US possessed at least one dog, making dogs the most popular type of pet in the country. Such factors will drive the market growth in the forecast period.

Veterinary CRO Market Challenge:

Stringent government regulations:

The FDA regulates animal medicines in the same way that it regulates human medicines. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are engaged in the approval of animal medications (pesticides such as flea and tick medicine). Animal medicines are extensively researched and tested for safety, purity, and efficacy while awaiting clearance, a process that can take five to seven years and cost tens of millions of dollars. These regulations may reduce new organizations from entering the market, which is expected to hinder the market growth in the forecast years.

Download sample report to find additional information about various other market Drivers & Challenges

Didn't Find What You Were Looking For? Customize Report-

Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights about this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

Speak to our Analyst now! to take full advantage of every opportunity using competitive analysis created just for you.

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Global qPCR Reagent Market: This market research study identifies Agilent Technologies, Bio-Rad Laboratories, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, and Thermo Fisher Scientific as the leading players in the global qPCR reagent market. To get more exclusive research insights: Download Sample Report

Veterinary CRO Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 7.75% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 277.21 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 5.71 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 41% Key consumer countries US, Canada, UK, China, and India Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Argenta Ltd., Avogadro LS, Cebiphar, Charles River Laboratories International Inc., GD, Ictyopharma, Invetus, Kingfisher International, KLIFOVET GmbH, knoell, Lohlein and Wolf vet research, Oncovet Clinical Research, ONDAX Scientific SL, Ridgeway Research Ltd., Rockstep Solutions, Veterinary Research Management, VETSPIN SRL, Wageningen University and Research, RTI LLC, and Clinvet Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period, Customization preview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 Clinical trials - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Clinical trials - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Clinical trials - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Clinical trials - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Clinical trials - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Toxicology - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Toxicology - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Toxicology - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Toxicology - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Toxicology - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market authorization and regulatory support - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Market authorization and regulatory support - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Market authorization and regulatory support - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Market authorization and regulatory support - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market authorization and regulatory support - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 41: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 42: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 44: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 52: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 56: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 58: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 61: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 66: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 68: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 69: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 80: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 81: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 87: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Cebiphar

Exhibit 89: Cebiphar - Overview



Exhibit 90: Cebiphar - Product / Service



Exhibit 91: Cebiphar - Key offerings

10.4 Charles River Laboratories International Inc.

Exhibit 92: Charles River Laboratories International Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 93: Charles River Laboratories International Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 94: Charles River Laboratories International Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 95: Charles River Laboratories International Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 96: Charles River Laboratories International Inc. - Segment focus

10.5 Clinvet

Exhibit 97: Clinvet - Overview



Exhibit 98: Clinvet - Product / Service



Exhibit 99: Clinvet - Key offerings

10.6 KLIFOVET GmbH

Exhibit 100: KLIFOVET GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 101: KLIFOVET GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 102: KLIFOVET GmbH - Key offerings

10.7 knoell

Exhibit 103: knoell - Overview



Exhibit 104: knoell - Product / Service



Exhibit 105: knoell - Key offerings

10.8 Lohlein and Wolf vet research

Exhibit 106: Lohlein and Wolf vet research - Overview



Exhibit 107: Lohlein and Wolf vet research - Product / Service



Exhibit 108: Lohlein and Wolf vet research - Key offerings

10.9 Oncovet Clinical Research

Exhibit 109: Oncovet Clinical Research - Overview



Exhibit 110: Oncovet Clinical Research - Product / Service



Exhibit 111: Oncovet Clinical Research - Key offerings

10.10 ONDAX Scientific SL

Exhibit 112: ONDAX Scientific SL - Overview



Exhibit 113: ONDAX Scientific SL - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: ONDAX Scientific SL - Key offerings

10.11 Veterinary Research Management

Exhibit 115: Veterinary Research Management - Overview



Exhibit 116: Veterinary Research Management - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Veterinary Research Management - Key offerings

10.12 VETSPIN SRL

Exhibit 118: VETSPIN SRL - Overview



Exhibit 119: VETSPIN SRL - Product / Service



Exhibit 120: VETSPIN SRL - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 121: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 122: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 123: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 124: Research methodology



Exhibit 125: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 126: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 127: List of abbreviations

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SOURCE Technavio
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Volta Inc. (NYSE: VLTA) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

Class Period: August 2, 2021 to March 28, 2022

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 31, 2022

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in VLTA:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/volta-inc-loss-submission-form?id=26952&from=4

Volta Inc. NEWS - VLTA NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Volta Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Volta had improperly accounted for restricted stock units issued in connection with the business combination of Volta Industries, Inc. ("Legacy Volta") and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II; (2) as a result, the Company had understated its net loss for third quarter 2021; (3) there were material weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that resulted in a material error; (4) as a result of the foregoing, the Company would restate its financial statements; (5) as a result of the foregoing, Legacy Volta's founders would imminently exit the Company; (6) as a result, the Company's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (7) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Volta you have until May 31, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Volta securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the VLTA lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/volta-inc-loss-submission-form?id=26952&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

Empire State Building

350 Fifth Avenue

59th Floor

New York, NY 10118

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
RALEIGH, N.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Health Benefits, WellCare of North Carolina is pleased to announce participation in an innovative Medicaid program, Healthy Opportunities.

The Healthy Opportunities Program is the nation's first comprehensive program to test non-medical interventions, such as providing healthy food boxes and addressing transportation needs of Medicaid beneficiaries. The program is a facet of the state's broader Medicaid Transformation efforts and will support and address social determinants of health.

"At WellCare of North Carolina, we understand much of what impacts health happens outside of the doctor's office," said Troy Hildreth, WellCare's Plan President & CEO in North Carolina. "That's why we are proud to participate in the Healthy Opportunities initiative to address social determinants of health and invest in the health, safety, and wellbeing of our members and local communities."

The pilot aims to deliver relevant and compelling services to Medicaid members in a user-friendly format that addresses housing supports, food security, transportation resources, and interpersonal safety. It will take place in three phases:

Phase One (Food Security) - Focuses on food services and launched on March 15 ;

- Focuses on food services and launched on ; Phase Two (Housing & Transportation)  Will support housing and transportation services and launched May 1 ; and,

 Will support housing and transportation services and launched ; and, Phase Three (Interpersonal Safety)  Will work to address toxic and chronic stress, such as interpersonal violence, and is expected to launch June 15 .

In total, the initiative spans three regions and 33 counties:

Pilot Region 1 - Beaufort , Bertie , Chowan , Edgecombe , Halifax , Hertford , Martin , Northampton , and Pitt counties

- , , , , , , , , and counties Pilot Region 2 - Bladen , Brunswick , Columbus , New Hanover , Onslow , and Pender counties

- , , , , , and counties Pilot Region 3 - Avery , Buncombe , Burke , Cherokee , Clay , Graham , Haywood , Henderson , Jackson , Macon , Madison , McDowell , Mitchell , Polk , Rutherford , Swain , Transylvania , and Yancey counties

Through Healthy Opportunities, Medicaid beneficiaries lacking everyday resources, or who are identified through doctors, Advance Medical Homes (AMHs), or Care Managers (CMs), are referred to community-based organizations who can provide them with support.

WellCare of North Carolina will also utilize its Community Connections Helpline (CCHL) to proactively reach eligible members through outbound calls to identify needs that could be met with any of the services available through Healthy Opportunities.

About WellCare of North Carolina

Headquartered in Raleigh, WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs primarily through Medicaid as one of the state's Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans (WellCare of North Carolina), Marketplace (WellCare of North Carolina by Celtic Insurance Company), Medicare Advantage (Wellcare), and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). WellCare of North Carolina is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.wellcare.com/nc.

Any reference in this press release to any person, organization, activity, or services related to North Carolina Medicaid does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

SOURCE WellCare of North Carolina
Fighting Fires Together campaign will provide specialized support to firefighters on front lines of wildfires

SEATTLE, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) today announced a new partnership with Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, Fighting Fires Together, that will provide support and resources for wildland firefighters and their families, as well as increase awareness of the importance of mental health assistance for these first responders.

"Protecting our forests and communities from wildfire is a responsibility we all share, and we truly appreciate all those who work the front lines limiting the impacts of wildfire," says Bill Frings, vice president of Western Timberlands for Weyerhaeuser. "We are proud to help build awareness and ensure wildland firefighters have access to mental health resources and the support they need to carry out this challenging work."

The Fighting Fires Together campaign launch coincides with Mental Health Awareness and Wildfire Awareness months in May. Throughout the month and beyond, the campaign will shine a spotlight on the wildland firefighters who risk their lives to protect our lands and communities and the mental toll this duty can take. Weyerhaeuser has partnered with FBHA to create a resource hub that includes content especially designed for wildland firefighters, including mental health tips, educational articles and contacts for support groups and counselors located in the Pacific Northwest (including B.C.). This partnership serves as an extension of FBHA's mission to collaborate, develop and implement behavioral health awareness, prevention, intervention and post-crisis strategies to provide firefighters with an easily accessible and confidential source of information.

"The mental and behavioral health of our wildland firefighters is a vital issue, and this partnership is helping fulfil an important need for culturally competent resources for our firefighters," said Jeff Dill, founder of Firefighters Behavioral Health Alliance. "FBHA has validated more than 50 wildland firefighters who have completed suicide, and we believe this only accounts for approximately 65 percent of reporting on these tragic losses."

To learn more about Weyerhaeuser's Fighting Fires Together campaign, visit www.wy.com/fightingfirestogether.

ABOUT WEYERHAEUSER

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900. We own or control approximately 11 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and manage additional timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. We manage these timberlands on a sustainable basis in compliance with internationally recognized forestry standards. We are also one of the largest manufacturers of wood products in North America. Our company is a real estate investment trust. In 2021, we generated $10.2 billion in net sales and employed approximately 9,200 people who serve customers worldwide. Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WY. Learn more at www.weyerhaeuser.com.

ABOUT FIREFIGHTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ALLIANCE

Founded in 2010 by Jeff Dill, the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) offers educational workshops to firefighters and EMTs across the globe, along with their families. These workshops address behavioral health issues, suicide warning signs, and how to cope after retirement. FBHA is also focused on training medical professionals, EAP organizations, and chaplains about fire and EMS culture in order to provide a better treatment plan for firefighters and EMTs. Learn more at www.ffbha.org .

For more information contact:

Analysts  Andy Taylor, 206-539-3907

Media  Nancy Thompson, 919-861-0342

SOURCE Weyerhaeuser Company
When an employee suspects their employer of wrongdoing, they need to make a difficult decision to point out the illegal, fraudulent or abusive behavior and open themselves to retaliation. Or, they may decide to say nothing.

Staying quiet will avoid retaliation, but it won't expose the behavior.

A recent high-profile case involves Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Eight employees in the Attorney General's office accused Paxton of taking bribes and tampering with government records.

After the allegations were made, all eight employees either resigned or were forced out of their jobs. Many see leaving their jobs as Paxton's retaliation against them for blowing the whistle on his illegal practices.

Whistleblower attorney Russell Amsberry states, "Many whistleblowers face retaliation for doing the right thing. The prevalence of retaliation can, unfortunately, prevent other would-be whistleblowers from coming forward."

Most whistleblowers are aware of illegal or fraudulent behavior and choose to bring it to the attention of government officials or the public. This choice exposes them to retaliation, so they look for protection by cooperating with law enforcement and justice department lawyers.

Most whistleblower cases involve reporting to state or federal government agencies.

Opportunity for a potential monetary award may motivate some whistleblowers. However, many perceive the risk as outweighing the benefits. With strong legal representation, this doesn't have to be the case.

Amsberry explains how laws protecting whistleblowers help attorneys like him protect those who want to see fraud and other illegal behaviors exposed. "Employment attorneys protect workers who blow the whistle, which means they can feel safe bringing fraud to light by reporting it to the authorities."

Since most whistleblower actions have to do with the workplace, choosing a law firm with extensive employment law experience can help protect a whistleblower from retaliation.

About Amsberry Law Firm

Amsberry Law Firm provides legal support to workers. Founder Russell Amsberry has practiced law for over 25 years. He also worked as a Judge Advocate General while in the U.S. Army. Today, Amsberry Law focuses on employment law and whistleblower law.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Amsberry Law Firm
Zaxby's veteran to guide 'People First' culture

ATHENS, Ga., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zaxby's , the Georgia-based premium quick-service restaurant franchise known for its Signature Sandwich, Chicken Fingerz and flavorful signature sauces, announced today that Michelle Morgan has been named chief people officer. The executive leadership position is designed to elevate the brand's "People First" culture and strengthen guidance around its core values. Morgan will be the first chief people officer in Zaxby's 32-year history.

Zaxbys appoints Michelle Morgan as its first chief people officer. The Zaxbys veteran will guide its People First culture.

"Our values reinforce our everyday leadership behaviors, which are ultimately aimed to enrich lives," said Bernard Acoca, Zaxby's CEO. "Michelle is a strong servant leader who will continue to work consistently to strengthen our foundational commitment to put our team members and franchisees first. Her long history with Zaxby's gives her a unique vantage point on people-related issues."

Morgan most recently served as executive vice president of culture & brand experience at Zaxby's and has been with the company for over 20 years. She started out as a front-line store cashier and progressively grew into various leadership roles in operations and human resources. Morgan was instrumental in developing and implementing company-wide standards for diversity and inclusion, talent development, corporate citizenship and guest service.

"Michelle is known not only for her business acumen but for her courage in championing solutions, fostering collaboration, and advocating for people," Acoca added. "The guest experience will never exceed the employee experience, and in a time where a challenging but fun and inspirational environment is vital to a company's success, Michelle has proven that she can lead through our values while building talent and capability across the organization."

As chief people officer, Morgan will be responsible for optimizing recruitment, performance and professional development as well as elevating and reinforcing Zaxby's culture and aligning the mission with values, decisions and commitments.

"Zaxby's has the talent, the drive, and the vision to provide incredible opportunities for employees, franchisees, and communities across the country," said Morgan. "I am excited to lead the employee experience and ensure that we continue to 'enrich lives' through our support center, in the restaurants, through the guest experience and into the communities we serve."

About Zaxby's

Founded in 1990, Zaxby's is committed to serving delicious chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches and salads in a fun, offbeat atmosphere where customers are considered friends. For the second year in a row, Zaxby's iconic Signature Sandwich won Thrillist's 2022 Fasties Award for Best Fried Chicken Sandwich. Zaxby's has grown to more than 900 locations in 18 states and is headquartered in Athens, Georgia. For more information, visit zaxbys.com or zaxbysfranchising.com .

Media Contact:

Jacob Teetzmann

Tombras

1.423.494.3673

[email protected]

SOURCE Zaxby's
Chief Minister to Make a Statement on UK/EU Treaty Negotiations

Her Majestys Government of Gibraltar confirms that the Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, will seek leave from the Speaker, Hon Melvyn Farrell BEM GMD RD JP MP, to start the forthcoming session of Parliament with a statement on progress and developments in respect of ongoing UK/EU Treaty negotiations.

Mr Picardo said: I very much look forward to returning to Parliament. We are the government that has held the most meetings of Parliament and that has been most accountable, although the past couple of years have challenged us in that respect because of COVID, lock downs and intense Treaty negotiations.

When we go back to Parliament next week, I am asking the Speaker to allow me to start with a statement on the ongoing negotiations.

Statements also allow other members to seek clarification through questions etc, subject to Mr Speakers discretion.

Additionally, I also look forward to other ministers and myself being able to answer the questions put by our Parliamentary colleagues.

I know it has been some time since we have been in Parliament, but not as long as was the case in some years when the GSD were in Government.

I very much look forward to returning to the debating Chamber and to the questions, discussions and debates that will ensue.
Zibo Hi-tech Zone has in recent years seized the opportunity of Shandong's major projects to replace old economic growth drivers with new ones and achieved new breakthroughs in high-quality social economic development.



Focusing on the development of "Three Zones Plus One Window" (one major base zone for developing new high-tech industries and new agglomeration economies, one pilot zone for deepening institutional reform and innovation, and one demonstration zone for optimizing business environment and development environment, plus one major window for high-level opening-up), Zibo Hi-tech Zone implemented seven major actions for quality improvement and strengthened the industrial organization concept of "keeping a close eye on the industrial forefront, building an ecosystem, integrating the industrial forefront and industrial chain, and facilitating cluster development".



It has improved an overarching layout of "One Core (core area of Zibo Hi-tech Zone), Two Cities (Zibo Science City, and Sibaoshan Creative & Innovative Park City), and Three Zones (intelligent manufacturing zone, comprehensive bonded zone, and advanced manufacturing innovation demonstration zone)".



It has promoted the growth of "3+2+1" industrial clusters of new materials, biological medicine, intelligent manufacturing, financial technology, high-end logistics, and new economies.



Seeking the opportunities of "dual carbon" strategy for highly competitive industries, the zone has accelerated the development of high-end industrial projects to create the world's leading MEMS industrial demonstration base, develop Zibo's high-level scientific innovation platform, build and operate the comprehensive bonded zone with high standards. Zibo Hi-tech Zone ranked 40th overall among 157 national high-tech zones last year in China.



After 30 years of great efforts and persevering commitment, Zibo Hi-tech Zone will bring development to a new stage and make further breakthroughs with high quality, high speed and high efficiency.



Source: Zibo National New & Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone



Image Attachments Links:



Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=420745

Caption: The eco-friendly and dynamic Zibo Hi-tech Zone



Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=420746

Caption: Zibo Yulong Lake Wetland Ecological Park

SOURCE Zibo National New & Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone
On May 4, 2022, Oceania Cruises opened its 2024 Collection of voyages for sale to the general public. More than 350 voyages ranging from 7 to 82 days in length and spanning from October 2023 to December 2024 went on sale.

All of the bookings for 2023 and 2024 are new cash bookings with absolutely no dilution from Future Cruise Credits issued during the pandemic. Oceania Cruises continues to see strong demand from new-to-brand guests who are attracted to the line's unique destination-rich itineraries with one-third of all bookings coming from first-time guests. In addition, one-third of the total transactions included reservations for at least two voyages, and extended travel continues to prove popular with Grand Voyages performing well. The single most in-demand voyage was the 35-day circumnavigation of Australia departing December 21, 2023, where more than 60% of capacity was filled in one day.

Across the board, all destinations saw strong bookings with Asia as the most popular and with the 2023-2024 South America sailings and 2024 Northern Europe itineraries on the 1,238-guest Marina performing exceptionally well. Africa, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand also showed strong demand.

For additional information on Oceania Cruises' small-ship luxury product, exquisitely crafted cuisine, and expertly curated travel experiences, visit OceaniaCruises.com, call 855-OCEANIA, or speak with a professional travel advisor.

About Oceania Cruises

Oceania Cruises is the world's leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line. The line's seven small, luxurious ships carry a maximum of 1,238 guests and feature the finest cuisine at sea and destination-rich itineraries that span the globe. Expertly curated travel experiences aboard the designer-inspired, small ships call on more than 450 marquee and boutique ports across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific in addition to the epic 180-day Around the World Voyages. The brand has a second 1,200-guest Allura Class ship on order for delivery in 2025. With headquarters in Miami, Oceania Cruises is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a diversified cruise operator of leading global cruise brands which include Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

About Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) is a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. With a combined fleet of 28 ships with nearly 60,000 berths, these brands offer itineraries to more than 490 destinations worldwide. The Company has nine additional ships scheduled for delivery through 2027, comprising of approximately 24,000 berths.

SOURCE Oceania Cruises
70% of professionals with flexible schedules are putting in longer hours now versus pre-pandemic

More than one-third of employees are hesitant to discuss burnout with their boss

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Burnout is a growing issue for many workers, including those who have flexible schedules, new research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half shows. In a survey of more than 2,400 professionals in the U.S., 41% of respondents said they are more burned out now than a year ago. Results are nearly unchanged from a similar 2021 poll, suggesting more must be done to support employees' mental health and well-being.

Those most likely to report a rise in burnout include:

Robert Half research shows burnout is a growing issue for many workers, including those who have flexible schedules.

Gen Z professionals (47%)

Technology workers (44%)

Women (43%)

Employees who have been with their company for 2-9 years (43%)

Professionals based in Boston (50%), Charlotte (50%) and San Diego (48%)

At the same time, 35% of workers are uneasy about expressing feelings of burnout with their manager. View an infographic of the research highlights.

"It's concerning that many professionals continue to feel increased burnout, even as companies are hiring to help manage workloads and business demands," said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half. "Spotting signs of burnout can be harder when employees are working remotely, so it's especially important for managers to establish regular check-ins, set expectations and encourage staff to speak up if they're feeling overwhelmed."

When Schedule Flexibility Backfires

More than three-quarters of professionals (78%) said they have the ability to set their own schedule, but among those respondents, 70% are working more hours than they were before the pandemic. Three-quarters of employees overall (74%) are putting in 40 or more hours a week.

"As more people stray from the typical 9-to-5, employees may feel greater pressure to be available at all hours of the day," McDonald added. "Establishing rules of engagement  such as sharing your general availability and communicating clear deadlines  can help workers re-establish boundaries and reclaim their personal time."

Visit the Robert Half blog for additional tips on helping employees avoid work burnout.

About the Research

The online survey was developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 2,400 workers 18 years of age or older in finance, technology, marketing, legal, administrative and customer support, human resources, and other areas at companies with 20 or more employees in 24 major U.S. cities.

About Robert Half

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) 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 the company's award-winning mobile app.

SOURCE Robert Half
Darren has a deep history working at the nexus of healthcare and IT. He has a record of fostering innovation, positivity, and inclusiveness in his previous roles. "I am passionate about the role of technology in healthcare," said Darren. "I look forward to putting my experience to work and helping AArete's clients to simplify the complex healthcare landscape, integrating tech in manageable and meaningful ways," he continued.

Darren has served on the advisory board for Virtual Health and the board of directors for NASCO. Previously, Darren served as CIO at Gulfside Healthcare Services and WellCare, and served in technology leadership roles at Anthem, formerly WellPoint, Inc.

Darren earned his bachelor's degree in aerospace technology with a concentration in computer technology and an associate in applied science electrical engineering technology from Purdue University. Notably, in 2013, Darren was recognized as a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader, and in 2018 was honored by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as a CIO of the Year.

About AArete

AArete is a global management and technology consulting firm specializing in strategic profitability improvement, digital transformation, and advisory solutions. Our cross-industry solutions are powered through modern technology, market intelligence and big data to drive purposeful change and actionable outcomes. We work across all industries and business functions to optimize profits in a compressed timeframe. AArete humanizes data by translating numbers into actionable insights, helping clients make better decisions and standing by their side to foster change with confidence, empathy, and purpose. For more information, visit www.aarete.com or follow us @AArete on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE AArete
The African-made, US-based company that gives back to wildlife announces that their Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri All-Natural Hot Sauce has won the prestigious New Product Award in the Hot Sauce category as part of the Specialty Food Association's (SFA) 2022 sofi Awards.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- African Dream Foods (ADF) announces that their Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri has won the coveted sofi Award for best New Hot Sauce. Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri was one of the winners selected by a panel of specialty food experts from nearly 2,000 entries. The SFA recognized African Dream Foods' Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri as an innovation in the hot sauce market, commending the company on its wildlife conservation efforts and unique flavor.

African Dream Foods - Specialty hot sauces and seasonings that contribute to African wildlife conservation African Dream Foods' Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri - 2022 New Product sofi Award Winner for Hot Sauce

The sofi Awards are held by the SFA yearly to highlight new, trending, and innovative products. Holding clout in the industry, the sofi Award is viewed as a solid endorsement of a product's excellence, and ADF upholds this excellence in their natural flavors.

To win the highly competitive sofi Award, ADF's Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri was blind taste-tested against competing hot sauces by a group of expert judges made up of seasoned food professionals including chefs, culinary instructors, recipe developers, food journalists, and specialty food buyers. Judges scored each submission on multiple criteria including flavor, ingredient quality, creativity, innovation, aroma, and whether it is on-trend. With the recognition of the Best New Hot Sauce, ADF surpassed all other competitors included in the category.

David Schmunk, Founder and Managing Director of African Dream Foods, commented: "This is an incredible achievement and I am excited to have our Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri recognized. We have always known how special our sauces are and it is a tremendous validation to hear the same from experts in the field."

ADF's' Lemon & Garlic Peri-Peri manages to balance a mild heat with lemony garlicky profile that is uniquely delicious with an umami depth of flavor and a hint of sweetness.

All ADF products are inspired by the flavors of Africa and use all-natural ingredients sourced from small farms with partial proceeds from all sales contributing to conservation efforts that protect Africa's wildlife. ADF offers 8 popular sauces, 3 spicy salts and a smoky seasoning which are available in a variety of sizes and travel/gift packs. Purchase products from ADF today on Amazon , Walmart.com their official web store or in select retail locations .

OFFICIAL AFRICAN DREAM FOODS WEBSITE AND STORE

INSTAGRAM

DOWNLOAD/VIEW MEDIA KIT (PDF)

sofi AWARD-WINNING PRODUCT: LEMON & GARLIC PERI-PERI ALL NATURAL HOT SAUCE

About African Dream Foods:

African Dream Foods is a purpose-driven food brand of sauces and spices that bring the amazing tastes of natural, wholesome foods from Africa to the world. The brand works with the farmers, business owners and producers to create not only a delicious product line but a brand whose partial proceeds directly help top wildlife conservation groups that make a difference. Purchase online at African Dream Foods or via Amazon and Walmart .

About the Specialty Food Association

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has been the leading trade association and source of information about the $170.4 billion specialty food industry for 70 years. Founded in 1952 in New York City, the SFA represents manufacturers, importers, retailers, distributors, brokers, and others in the trade. The SFA is known for its Fancy Food Shows ; the sofi Awards , which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage for 50 years; the Trendspotter Panel Show; the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report and Today's Specialty Food Consumer research; the ecommerce enabled SFA Product Marketplace ; SFA Feed , and Spill & Dish: A Specialty Food Association Podcast .

Media Contact:

Natasha Jebens

+1 (323) 400-5075

[email protected]

SOURCE African Dream Foods
The government subsidies to promote the agricultural sector will drive the agricultural machinery market's growth.

The increased popularity of small tractors is one of the key agricultural machinery market trends that is expected to impact the industry positively in the forecast period.

One of the key challenges to the global agricultural machinery market growth is the availability of agricultural tractors on a rental basis.

View market report outlook to learn more about factors influencing the market.

Vendor Insights

The report identifies the following as the dominant players in the market:

AGCO Corp.

Agrale SA

Bucher Industries AG

CHANGFA GROUP

Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd.

CLAAS Group

CNH Industrial NV

Daedong Corp.

Deere and Co.

Escorts Ltd.

HORSCH Maschinen GmbH

ISEKI and Co. Ltd.

Kubota Corp.

Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.

SDF SpA

Sonalika International Tractors Ltd.

Weichei Lovol Heavy Industry Co. Ltd.

Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd.

China National Machinery Industry Corp. Ltd.

J C Bamford Excavators Ltd.

Product Insights and News

The agricultural machinery market forecast report offers insights into key vendor profiles. The profiles include information on the production, sustainability, and prospects of the leading companies. For example, AGCO Corp., a leading vendor offers agricultural machinery including articulated four-wheel-drive tractors which provide farmers with the highest level of productivity in large acreage enterprises. In addition, in December 2021, the company acquired Appareo Systems LLC, a leader in software engineering, hardware development, and electronic manufacturing.

Learn more about the other dominant vendors as you download your sample copy .

Product Segmentation

The tractors segment emerged as the largest revenue-generating product segment of agricultural machinery market. The agriculture machinery market is dominated by the sale of products such as tractors, harvesting machinery, parts and attachments, planting and fertilizing machinery, and plowing and cultivating machinery. Owing to the application in farming activities such as plowing, tilling, harrowing, leveling, and weed control, this demand for tractors will contribute to a significant market share of the agriculture machinery market during the forecast period.

Get your report sample and know more about the other contributing product segments.

Agricultural Machinery Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 5.87% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 45.98 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.6 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 40% Key consumer countries US, China, India, Indonesia, and Brazil Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled AGCO Corp., Agrale SA, Bucher Industries AG, CHANGFA GROUP, Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd., CLAAS Group, CNH Industrial NV, Daedong Corp., Deere and Co., Escorts Ltd., HORSCH Maschinen GmbH, ISEKI and Co. Ltd., Kubota Corp., Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., SDF SpA, Sonalika International Tractors Ltd., Weichei Lovol Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd., China National Machinery Industry Corp. Ltd., and J C Bamford Excavators Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Unlock the scope of this market report while you Download your sample copy .

Pandemic Impact

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 severely affected the agricultural sector. Lockdowns were introduced to control the spread of the disease, which further caused the closure of manufacturing facilities and disruptions in supply chains. The restrictions negatively impacted crop production, decreasing the demand for agricultural machinery and resulting in low sales. However, policies and initiatives by various governments are expected to improve growth and aid in market recovery.

Related Reports:

Agricultural Machinery Market in Germany: USD 679.51 Mn Growth at CAGR 5.87%. Download Report Sample

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Product

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Product

5.3 Tractors - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Tractors - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Tractors - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Tractors - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Tractors - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Harvesting machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Harvesting machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Harvesting machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Harvesting machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Harvesting machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Parts and attachments - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Parts and attachments - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Parts and attachments - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Parts and attachments - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Parts and attachments - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Planting and fertilizing machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 40: Chart on Planting and fertilizing machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Planting and fertilizing machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 42: Chart on Planting and fertilizing machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Planting and fertilizing machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.7 Plowing and cultivating machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 44: Chart on Plowing and cultivating machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Plowing and cultivating machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 46: Chart on Plowing and cultivating machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Plowing and cultivating machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.8 Haying machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 48: Chart on Haying machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Haying machinery - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 50: Chart on Haying machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Haying machinery - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.9 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 52: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 53: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 54: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 55: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 56: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 57: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 58: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 59: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 61: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 64: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 68: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 72: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 76: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 78: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 80: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 82: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 83: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 84: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 85: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 86: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 88: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 89: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Indonesia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 90: Chart on Indonesia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 91: Data Table on Indonesia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 92: Chart on Indonesia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 93: Data Table on Indonesia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Brazil - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 94: Chart on Brazil - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 95: Data Table on Brazil - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 96: Chart on Brazil - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 97: Data Table on Brazil - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 98: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 99: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 100: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 101: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 102: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 103: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 104: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 AGCO Corp.

Exhibit 105: AGCO Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 106: AGCO Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 107: AGCO Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 108: AGCO Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 109: AGCO Corp. - Segment focus

10.4 CHANGFA GROUP

Exhibit 110: CHANGFA GROUP - Overview



Exhibit 111: CHANGFA GROUP - Product / Service



Exhibit 112: CHANGFA GROUP - Key offerings

10.5 Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 113: Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 114: Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 115: Changzhou Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.6 CLAAS Group

Exhibit 116: CLAAS Group - Overview



Exhibit 117: CLAAS Group - Product / Service



Exhibit 118: CLAAS Group - Key news



Exhibit 119: CLAAS Group - Key offerings

10.7 CNH Industrial NV

Exhibit 120: CNH Industrial NV - Overview



Exhibit 121: CNH Industrial NV - Business segments



Exhibit 122: CNH Industrial NV - Key news



Exhibit 123: CNH Industrial NV - Key offerings



Exhibit 124: CNH Industrial NV - Segment focus

10.8 Daedong Corp.

Exhibit 125: Daedong Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 126: Daedong Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 127: Daedong Corp. - Key offerings

10.9 Deere and Co.

Exhibit 128: Deere and Co. - Overview



Exhibit 129: Deere and Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 130: Deere and Co. - Key news



Exhibit 131: Deere and Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 132: Deere and Co. - Segment focus

10.10 Kubota Corp.

Exhibit 133: Kubota Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 134: Kubota Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 135: Kubota Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 136: Kubota Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 137: Kubota Corp. - Segment focus

10.11 Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.

Exhibit 138: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 139: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 140: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 141: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 142: Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. - Segment focus

10.12 SDF SpA

Exhibit 143: SDF SpA - Overview



Exhibit 144: SDF SpA - Product / Service



Exhibit 145: SDF SpA - Key offerings

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 146: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 147: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 148: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 149: Research methodology



Exhibit 150: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 151: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 152: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
LAVAL, QC, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("CoucheTard" or the "Corporation") (TSX: ATD) announced today that it has established a commercial paper program in the United States (the "US Commercial Paper Program") on a private placement basis.

Under the terms of the US Commercial Paper Program, Couche-Tard may issue, from time to time, unsecured commercial paper notes with maturities not in excess of 397 days from the date of issue (the "Notes"). The aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at any one time under the US Commercial Paper Program will not exceed US $2.5 billion. Couche-Tard intends to use the proceeds from the issuance of Notes for general corporate purposes.

The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Corporation and will rank equally and pari passu with all of its current and future senior unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The Notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by certain of Couche-Tard's wholly owned subsidiaries who are guarantors under Couche-Tard's senior credit facilities. The Corporation's main revolving credit facility, available for a total amount of US $2,525 million, will serve as a liquidity backstop for the repayment of the Notes issued under the US Commercial Paper Program.

The Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable securities laws in Canada and may not be offered or sold to or purchased by any resident of Canada.

The Notes to be offered under the US Commercial Paper Program have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes in the United States or any jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so.

About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,100 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is one of the largest independent convenience store operator in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong SAR. Approximately 124,000 people are employed throughout its network.

For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., please visit: https://corpo.couche-tard.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation, including those with respect to the issuance of the Notes as well as the use of proceeds therefrom. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Couche-Tard and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties outside of Couche-Tard's control. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release.

SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
Aliro is at the Forefront of the Next Technological Revolution, Building Entanglement-based Quantum Networks and the Quantum Internet

BOSTON , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aliro Quantum , the first pureplay quantum networking company, today announced that it has been named a 2022 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum . Aliro Quantum is co-founded by Professor Prineha Narang and spun out of her NarangLab at Harvard University. The company was selected as a 2022 Technology Pioneer for enabling quantum networks for quantum secure communications, clustered quantum computing, quantum sensing, and ultimately the quantum Internet.

Just as today's Internet led to a revolution in computing and society more broadly, the quantum Internet is expected to have a profound impact on how we live our lives. Aliro is the first pure-play quantum networking company in the US, building and scaling quantum networks, towards the future quantum Internet.

"Powerful quantum systems such as those we are pioneering at Aliro will enable breakthroughs in energy, medicine, materials science and other novel applications we have yet to imagine," said Jim Ricotta, CEO and Chairman of Aliro Quantum. "Recognition by the World Economic Forum is significant validation of the team's hard work developing the foundational technologies needed for quantum networks and the quantum Internet, and we look forward to contributing to the World Economic Forum's work in this area. Our VC investors have identified quantum networks as a massive and disruptive opportunity, and we are already engaged with a number of major commercial and government organizations to build their next generation networks"

Recognized as a leading Young Scientist by the World Economic Forum for her work in quantum science and tech in 2018, Narang, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer for Aliro, added: "When we founded Aliro in 2019, our mission was to make quantum technology accessible, a mission that drives us as we build out the Aliro quantum networking stack to unlock the power of quantum networks and the quantum Internet. Today Aliro is leading the charge in entanglement-based quantum networks, enabling quantum secure communications, clustered quantum computing and quantum sensing. Our work stands to realize the promise of quantum tech at scale!"

Professor Narang will be discussing the roadmap to scalable quantum systems and the key role of quantum networks as a featured speaker at the upcoming Commercialising Quantum conference hosted by The Economist May 17 - 19. The event will focus on the near-term scope of quantum advantage, a theme that is underscored by Aliro's selection as a 2022 Technology Pioneer.

The World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers program recognizes early to growth-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the use of new technologies and innovation that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society. Technology Pioneers have been selected based on the community's selection criteria, which include innovation, impact and leadership as well as the company's relevance with the World Economic Forum's Platforms. Information about this year's Technology Pioneers can be found here: http://wef.ch/techpioneers22

"We're excited to welcome Aliro Quantum to our 2022 cohort of Technology Pioneers," said Saemoon Yoon, Community Lead, Technology Pioneers, World Economic Forum. "Aliro and its fellow pioneers are at the forefront of industries that are critical to solving some of our world's most complex issues today. We look forward to their contribution to the World Economic Forum in its commitment to improving the state of the world."

About Aliro

Aliro Quantum is a quantum computing and networking company that spun out of NarangLab at Harvard University. Aliro is leading the charge on quantum network development by offering the foundational technologies needed for organizations around the world to build scalable and powerful distributed quantum systems. Aliro has put together a team of world-class experts in quantum and classical networking.

Aliro is working with industry and academic partners through the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), the NSF Center for Quantum Networks (CQN), and the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN). Aliro is partnering with leading quantum hardware vendors including IBM, Honeywell Quantum Solutions (now Quantinuum), and Rigetti Computing. To learn more, visit www.aliroquantum.com .

About World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).

About the Technology Pioneers

The World Economic Forum believes that innovation is critical to the future well-being of society and to driving economic growth. Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneer community is composed of early to growth-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the design, development and deployment of new technologies and innovations, and are poised to have a significant impact on business and society.

The World Economic Forum provides the Technology Pioneers community with a platform to engage with the public- and private-sector leaders and to contribute new solutions to overcome the current crisis and build future resiliency.

SOURCE Aliro Quantum
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- America First Political Committee today announced that Censured RINO Carlos Gimenez (FL-28 Congressional District) is the top target for removal from Congress in the August 23, 2022 primary election.

RINO Gimenez otherwise known as a Socialist Democrat, has a long record of supporting radical socialist policy, dating back to his time as Miami-Dade Mayor.

Republican Voters Reject RINO Gimenez Once A Democrat, Always A Democrat

As Miami-Dade Mayor, RINO Gimenez locked down and destroyed small businesses during Covid. Gimenez was also tainted with corruption and ethics accusations including unauthorized business dealings with Communist China.

In Washington, D.C., RINO Gimenez has voted with Nancy Pelosi and the radical leftists. Gimenez defended disgraced Liz Cheney after she voted in favor of the 'Sham Impeachment' against Donald Trump. Gimenez doubled down in defending Cheney after the Republican Caucus censored and removed Liz Cheney from Republican Party Leadership.

RINO Gimenez has openly voted with Nancy Pelosi and the radical Democrats in Congress on critical 'Unconstitutional Issues' far too many times and continues to support a socialist agenda:

RINO Gimenez openly supported and Voted for Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Agenda in 2016;

and the Clinton Agenda in 2016; RINO Gimenez also voted for the ' January 6 ' Democrat 'Witch Hunt' against American Citizens and Republican voters;

'Witch Hunt' against American Citizens and Republican voters; RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on H.R. 550, to allow the federal government to create a database, track unvaccinated Americans, who could be targeted, segregated, discriminated against, and forced to comply with vaccination mandates;

on H.R. 550, to allow the federal government to create a database, track unvaccinated Americans, who could be targeted, segregated, discriminated against, and forced to comply with vaccination mandates; RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on Anti-Second Amendment legislation HR-8, making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase, own, carry, and use a firearm and

on Anti-Second Amendment legislation HR-8, making it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase, own, carry, and use a firearm and RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on H.R. 6 for 'Open Borders and Amnesty' to over 20 million criminal illegal aliens, which would permanently avoid deportation, obtain a pathway to citizenship, and full voting rights;

on H.R. 6 for 'Open Borders and Amnesty' to over 20 million criminal illegal aliens, which would permanently avoid deportation, obtain a pathway to citizenship, and full voting rights; RINO Gimenez also voted with Nancy Pelosi and the radical Democrats to strip Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of all Congressional Committee positions.

to strip Republican Representative of all Congressional Committee positions. RINO Gimenez voted with Nancy Pelosi on the wasteful $1.5 Trillion wasteful socialist spending bill packed with billions in earmarks (Pork);

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
A recent study by ASA found that while 79% of high school students would be interested in a work-based learning experience, only 34% were aware of any opportunities for students their age  and just 2% of students had completed an internship during high school. This new resource is designed to take a deeper dive on the 2021 report by ASA, Bellwether Education Partners' Working to Learn and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies , which revealed that states have taken a wide range of approaches to implementing work-based learning for high school-aged youth.

"Research suggests that opening work-based learning to younger students brings tremendous benefit not only to the students, but also to employers, communities, and society at large," said ASA CEO Jean Eddy. "Working together with stakeholders across the ecosystem, our goal is to increase the number of states committed to ensuring all youth younger than 18 have equitable access to robust, high-quality work-based learning programs, with policies in place to support program funding, infrastructure, quality, and accountability."

Work-based learning benefits young students and employers in a number of ways, including enabling the ability to connect classroom learning to the real world; giving students the chance to earn industry credentials before graduation; allowing students to build social capital; and cultivating a pipeline of talent with new perspectives.

The nine best practices for ensuring effective high school work-based learning programs, based on success stories featuring state leaders from across the country, include the following:

Ensure Broad Eligibility and Widespread Equitable Access  Deep Dive: New Mexico

Support Access to Work-based Learning for Underserved Students  Deep Dive: Rhode Island

Address Common Barriers to Work-based Learning  Deep Dive: South Carolina

Provide Financial Incentives to Encourage Employer Participation  Deep Dive: Delaware

Dedicate Federal and State Funding to Work-based Learning  Deep Dive: Massachusetts

Strengthen Statewide Work-based Learning Infrastructure and Communications  Deep Dive: North Carolina

Set Clear Quality and Accountability Expectations  Deep Dive: Pennsylvania

Use Data to Drive Equity and Quality  Deep Dive: Tennessee

Applying Multiple Best Practices in Work-based Learning  Deep Dive: Washington

About American Student Assistance (ASA)

American Student Assistance (ASA) is a national nonprofit committed to helping students know themselves, know their options, and make informed decisions to achieve their education and career goals. ASA believes all students should have equitable access to career readiness learning, starting in middle school, so they can develop a plan for their future. ASA fulfills its mission by providing digital-first programming, resources, and experiences, including Futurescape TM, directly to millions of students, in addition to support for educators and intermediaries. To learn more about ASA, visit www.asa.org/about-us .

SOURCE American Student Assistance (ASA)
On 9 May 2022, at the invitation of Mr. Masahiko Metoki, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) visited UPUs Headquarters in Bern, Switzerland, for signing a Cooperation Agreement between the two organizations.

At the ceremony held during the meeting of UPUs Postal Operations Council (POC), Dr. Mikuriya and Mr. Metoki signed the Agreement in front of representatives of designated postal operators.

The new Cooperation Agreement intends to replace the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) originally signed by the WCO and the UPU in 1994 and amended in 2007, in order to reflect the recent regulatory and technology developments and adequately respond to the rapid growth of international mail volumes stemming from E-Commerce.

In his speech to the POC, Secretary General Mikuriya highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two Organizations to jointly ensure a balance between the facilitation of postal clearance processes and the compliance of the postal items with national laws.

Both leaders agreed to organize the first Joint WCO-UPU Global Conference, in the first half of 2023, and invite both Customs administrations and designated postal operators to promote cooperation at national level in jointly seeking better solutions in the future.

Dr. Mikuriya took the opportunity to meet with Mr. Christian Bock, Director General of Swiss Customs, to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the upcoming WCO Council Sessions in June.

He also visited the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and met with Ambassador Thomas Zimmermann and his team to discuss the progress of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme and explore the possible way forward.
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Covered by the media since she was three cells old, Elizabeth Carr is the first baby born via in vitro fertilization in the United States. Now, age 40, she plans to revisit Chicago to kick off the globally renowned Midwest Reproductive Symposium international (MRSi) on Wednesday June 8, 2022 . Attended by physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, scientists, and business experts in reproductive medicine, MRSi will celebrate 20 years of revolutionary advancements in reproductive medicine and bringing together a vast network of multi-disciplinary education and discussions on the frontlines of innovative reproductive science.

MRSi MRSi

Carr, a passionate advocate for those fighting for fertility rights, will join MRSi Founder & Executive Chairperson, Dr. Angie Beltsos, during opening ceremonies to share her story and release of her new book Under the Microscope: The USA's First IVF Baby. It was 2017 when Carr was last in Chicago attending MRSi and meeting Louis Brown, the "World's first IVF Baby" from England for the first time. The conception of both Brown and Carr marked the beginning of millions of IVF procedures and babies world-wide.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the miracle and scientific breakthrough of IVF which Elizabeth," explains Beltsos. "Each year, MRSi strives to unveil, introduce, and showcase innovative and unique research as well as persons in the world of fertility. As specialists in reproductive medicine, it is important we stay at the forefront of rapidly advancing research and technology that's happening globally. MRSi allows experts in our field to share their knowledge and expertise with participants all with the goal of improving patient care and outcomes around the world."

Elizabeth Jordan Carr was born by cesarean section at a Virginia hospital in 1981. Growing up under a sea of celebrity was not easy and eventually, uncomfortable with the media attention, Elizabeth changed her name. After a few years of peace and quiet and then naturally conceiving her son in 2010, she decided to share her story. Being a journalist and following the same beliefs she was raised with as a child, Carr wanted to help others with infertility issues, writing and publishing several articles about her life and journey as an adult. Today, she's on a mission to educate & empower people and organizations to better navigate the complex and ever-changing world of infertility and crush the stigma that still surrounds reproductive options.

"I'm honored to be featured alongside the top experts in reproductive medicine," said Carr. "Each year, MRSi delivers an excellent agenda focused on the current and emerging issues in the field, and this year is no exception. It's a privilege to share the stage and my story with some of the best minds driving innovation and advancing reproductive science."

The Midwest Reproductive Symposium will take place June 8-11, 2022, at the Drake Hotel (140 East Walton) in Chicago. The three-day program consists of lectures, panel discussions and interactive workshops and offers attendees a unique opportunity to network with colleagues and exhibitors in both casual and formal, educational settings. In addition, a hosted book signing of Carr's book Under the Microscope: The USA's First IVF Baby will take place on Thursday, June 9th from 5:00 p.m. -6:00 p.m. at the Drake Hotel.

For more information, please visit www.midwestreproductivesymposium.com.

@mrsi_meeting

Media contact:

Daphne Ortiz

[email protected]

323-864-9890

SOURCE MRSi
YORBA LINDA, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pedego Electric Bikes, an award-winning electric bike company with sixteen unique models, and 250 brick and mortar stores at last count, welcomes its newest store in Yorba Linda, Calif. This Pedego store is independently owned and operated by Jodi Valencia and Cheryl Slinkard Bertuzzi.

Photo download: http://www.kcomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220326_215619.jpg

(Store owners Jodi Valencia and Cheryl Slinkard Bertuzzi)

Photo download: http://www.kcomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220406_170029-1-scaled.jpg

(Inside Pedego Yorba Linda)

Headquartered in Orange County, California, Pedego Electric Bikes has found great success in their non-franchise brick and mortar retail model over the past 13 years, and continues to hit the throttle on opening physical stores. Pedego has built a brand on a complete line of class-leading electric bikes, from cruisers to fat tire trail bikes, an industry leading 5-year warranty and a network of locally-owned dealers available for customization and regular on-site servicing. With Pedego's independent store growth, they are creating economic local growth in a profitable and booming industry.

Pedego has a unique culture of business leadership and has cultivated a massive community of Pedego enthusiasts. "Everything electric is just hot," says Don DiCostanzo, CEO of Pedego. "We are a lifestyle brand contributing to economic growth and entrepreneur opportunities. Whether it be a fun family activity, a serious sport, to reach personal health goals or for electric transportation, Pedego has an option for any activity that most everyone can enjoy - no matter the ability."

Valencia gained his knowledge and love of the brand working at Pedego in Portland, OR. As a Yorba Linda native, he realized despite his hometown's relatively high emphasis on an active lifestyle, the community was sorely lacking in both the use of and access to electric bikes.

"Yorba Linda is the perfect spot for a Pedego store," said Jodi Valencia, co-owner of Pedego Yorba Linda. "The city is beautiful to ride around, and our store itself is directly across the street from the Santa Ana Riverbed Trail, which is just about one of the best places to ride a bike, period. We are so happy to be able to bring the joy of Pedego to our local community, and we also hope that these bikes will be able to improve the standard of living for those who need it."

Pedego Yorba Linda also offers rental bikes perfect for riding the Santa Ana Riverbed Trail, allowing riders to make it all the way to the Anaheim train station and back on a single charge. In an effort to even further integrate themselves into the community, the store will also be partnering with and attending the Yorba Linda LobsterFest in May, where they will be raffling off a Pedego bike to the participants and attendees.

To find a Pedego store near you please visit www.pedego.com/dealers .

About Pedego Yorba Linda

Pedego Yorba Linda is located at 23621 E La Palma Ave Suite D, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, and offers e-bikes for rental and purchase, as well as bike mechanic service and to suit all Pedego e-biking needs. Their business hours are 10am-7pm Tuesday through Saturday, and Sunday 11am-6pm. To learn more about Pedego's full-range lineup of electric bikes and try one for free, contact [email protected] or call (714) 463-4581.

About Pedego Electric Bikes

Founded in 2008, Pedego is the leading brand of electric bikes in North America. Pedego is famous for premium quality, five-star local service, and an industry leading five year warranty. A complete line of 16 electric bike models are available at over 200 locally-owned Pedego stores that offer sales, rentals, tours, accessories, and service. Visit www.pedego.com to find a store and try a Pedego.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachel Devany

KCOMM

[email protected]

SOURCE Pedego Electric Bikes
Current investors in AMO Pharma increase funding as Company passes two-thirds enrollment milestone in REACH-CDM pivotal clinical trial

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AMO Pharma Limited ("AMO Pharma"), a privately held biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare childhood-onset neurogenetic disorders with limited or no treatment options, today announced that current investors have made additional investment in the Company in response to progress in AMO Pharma's potentially pivotal REACH-CDM study, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of AMO-02 (tideglusib) for the treatment of congenital myotonic dystrophy (CDM1).

"With the recent announcements regarding our progress in patient enrollment and expansion of clinical trial sites in the REACH-CDM trial, we have seen new levels of both momentum and interest in this unprecedented and historic research effort from industry partners, families, clinicians and investors," said Ibraheem Mahmood, AMO Pharma CEO. "We are very pleased that this interest is shared by the current investors in AMO Pharma."

In December 2021, AMO Pharma announced activation of additional clinical trial sites in Australia and New Zealand for the REACH-CDM trial and confirmed that more than two-thirds of patients had been enrolled in the trial. The REACH-CDM trial will enroll a total of 56 patients. Upon completion of the trial, patients will have the opportunity to transition to the REACH-CDM X study, a 52-week open-label study designed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of AMO-02.

"With REACH-CDM, we are working to bring a treatment option and the possibility of better health and a meaningful enhancement in the quality of life to patients living with the most severe and earliest occurring form of myotonic dystrophy," said Dr. Joseph Horrigan, Chief Medical Officer at AMO Pharma. "We remain dedicated to advancing this development effort as rapidly as possible and are very encouraged by the new levels of support and interest we see from our investors as well as potential industry partners around the world."

About AMO-02

AMO-02 (tideglusib) is in development for the treatment of congenital myotonic dystrophy and has potential for use in adult-onset myotonic dystrophy, additional CNS, neuromuscular and other orphan indications. AM0-02 is a clinical stage investigational medicine for the treatment of the severe form of congenital myotonic dystrophy known as CDM1 or Steinert disease. AMO-02 has a dual mechanism disrupting the pathogenic RNA repeat in CDM1 and inhibiting excess levels of the kinase GSK3.

About AMO Pharma

AMO Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company working to identify and advance promising therapies for the treatment of serious and debilitating diseases in patient populations with significant areas of unmet need, including rare and severe childhood onset neurogenetic disorders with limited or no treatment options. In addition to developing AMO-02 for congenital myotonic dystrophy, the company is also progressing AMO-01 as a clinical stage treatment for Phelan-McDermid syndrome and AMO-04 as a clinic-ready potential medicine for Rett syndrome and related disorders. AMO-02, AMO-01 and AMO-04 are investigational medicines that have not yet been approved for the treatment of patients anywhere in the world. For more information, please visit the AMO Pharma website at http://www.amo-pharma.com/.

Media contact:

Bill Berry

Berry & Company Public Relations

[email protected]

212-253-8881

SOURCE AMO Pharma Limited
Commercial Cleaning Franchise Leader Recognized for Strength, Viability and Profitability During Strained Economic Times, Past and Present

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Anago Cleaning Systems was named one of the top 100 Best Recession-Proof Franchises to Start in 2022 by leading franchise market research firm, Franchise Business Review. The rating is based on extensive industry research and surveying that focuses on owner satisfaction and the best chance of success in today's changing economic landscape. This is Anago's 14th consecutive year of being recognized for performing above and beyond franchise industry standards.

"Anago Cleaning Systems has a strong history of relying on the brand's core values to navigate challenging economic times and changing landscapes," said Adam Povlitz, CEO & President of Anago Cleaning Systems. "From the Great Recession of 2007/08 to global pandemics like H1N1 and COVID-19, commercial cleaning has thrived while innovating new strategies that foster continued growth and implementing new technologies at every opportunity. Because of this strong business ethic, history of growth, and its business-friendly franchise program, Anago is consistently recognized by industry peers including its regular inclusion within Entrepreneur's suite of ranking systems. Anago has earned top positions for several years running and in all the magazine's main ranking systems. These include Fastest Growing Franchise, Top-Ranked Franchises Under $50K, Top Home-Based Franchise, and Top Global Franchise.

In 2021, Anago reported 20% system-wide growth with continued growth in new and existing territories. Most notably were a $1.3M revenue growth from Anago of Greater Philadelphia and a 99% growth in unit franchisee operations from Anago of Austin. Both locations are exemplary of what Anago Master Franchisees and Unit Franchisees experienced coming off the previous years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Anago Cleaning Systems has a strong history of relying on the brand's core values to navigate challenging economic times and changing landscapes," said Adam Povlitz, CEO & President of Anago Cleaning Systems. "From the Great Recession of 2007/08 to global pandemics like H1N1 and COVID-19, commercial cleaning has thrived while innovating new strategies that foster continued growth and implementing new technologies at every opportunity. Our low-barrier to entry and franchise support system  especially during trying economic times  is designed to help entrepreneurs achieve a life-long dream of small business ownership."

Adding another proof point to the brand's decades of growth, Anago was recently recognized as one of the top 500 franchises on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list, the world's first, best, and most comprehensive franchise ranking. The 43rd annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry. This is the publication's most prestigious ranking, recognizing the top 500 franchises that continue to evolve and maintain relevance with the latest trends while reporting the greatest growth. This year, Anago Cleaning Systems  backed by decades of brand power and reputational integrity  ranks 34 as it continues to demonstrate financial strength and stability for potential franchisees.

Because of this strong business ethic, history of growth, and its business-friendly franchise program, Anago is consistently recognized by industry peers including its regular inclusion within Entrepreneur's suite of ranking systems. Anago has earned top positions for several years running and in all the magazine's main ranking systems. These include Fastest Growing Franchise, Top-Ranked Franchises Under $50K, Top Home-Based Franchise, and Top Global Franchise. Anago Cleaning Systems' continued inclusion within these rankings demonstrates the brand's rising popularity with both franchisees and clients.

"Anago Cleaning Systems is a pioneer of the master franchise system, which allows successful mid-career professionals to operate their own regional franchises, while allowing small businesses to invest in their success," added Povlitz. "Both levels simply focus on running their business while we provide assistance, guidance, and critical tools to grow. As an industry, we expect to see continued growth and expansion in 2022 and beyond."

About Anago Cleaning Systems

Anago Cleaning Systems is an international commercial cleaning franchise brand. Utilizing the Master Franchise System, Anago supports over 45 Master Franchisees and over 1,700 Unit Franchisees. Founded in 1989, Anago has set the worldwide standard in business support and structure for local and regional companies to provide unparalleled cleaning services to businesses of all kinds. Anago was ranked #34 overall by Entrepreneur magazine in its latest Franchise 500 ranking. For further information, visit its website at AnagoMasters.com.

Press Contact: Perry Athanason/TopFireMedia/ [email protected] /917-319-2126

SOURCE Anago Cleaning Systems
LONG BEACH, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Business Software Inc., ("ABS"), the leader in loan servicing and origination software in private lending, announced today the appointment of Nate Goodhart as Director of Business Development. This appointment will further develop one of ABS's foundational goals: identifying needs of customers and providing solutions through a more targeted and dedicated approach.

Nate Goodhart, Applied Business Software New Director of Business Development

Nate joined Applied Business Software in January of 2019 and has since established solid relationships in the lending space while simultaneously reaching record high sales in ABS. "Nate's personality along with his drive and determination, make him the perfect candidate for this new key role in our expansion," commented Carlos Nodarse, Applied Business Software CEO. He added: "We are pleased to have him accept this promotion, as his unparallel skill set is the perfect fit for this new venture we are embarking on.

"I am excited about this massive opportunity to grow our company and I am honored to play a pivotal role in the history of ABS as we continue to scale. ABS has been the leader in lending software since its inception in1978 and I am committed to serving our customers who are our best ambassadors," commented Nate Goodhart.

About Applied Business Software

Applied Business Software is a market leader and global provider of software systems and solutions to the lending industry. ABS offers a complete suite of software products designed from the ground up to specifically address the needs of those who originate and service loans. All our products are consistently rated superior in design, system interface, expandability and ease of use. ABS continuously updates its product line, always keeping it ahead of the curve with ever changing technology, and compliant with rules and regulations that affect the industry. It offers Cloud Hosting, SaaS and Perpetual License options which address the needs of any size company. ABS is based in Long Beach, California. For additional information about ABS's products and services, visit www.themortgageoffice.com or call (800) 833-3343.

Press Contacts

For Applied Business Software, Inc.:

Elizabeth Morales

Chief Marketing Officer

(800) 833-3343

[email protected]

www.themortgageoffice.com

SOURCE Applied Business Software
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Asia Pacific Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2022 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Social commerce industry in Asia Pacific is expected to grow by 38.2% on annual basis to reach US$423,136.5 million in 2022.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 34.4% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$4,23,136.5 million in 2022 to reach US$24,29,266.2 million by 2028.



The increasing digital boom, backed by higher internet and smartphone penetration, is aiding the growth of social commerce in the Asia Pacific region. Countries like China, India, Singapore, and Indonesia have recorded significant investments in this sector in the last two years.

Moreover, with the rising popularity of social commerce, many startups are entering this market with innovative product offerings. However, the market is relatively concentrated, with WeChat in China and Facebook or Meesho in India holding the majority of the market share.



The social commerce market in India has already started witnessing an inflow of investment from various venture capital (VCs) funds, private equity (PE) as well individual investors. Unlike e-commerce which is characterized by the dominance of a few large players, the social commerce market has already seen a dozen of start-ups coming up every year.

Many big brands and names such as Myntra have also entered the social commerce market in India, trying to tap the capitalize of this new trend of buying through social media platforms. Overall, the market is still in the nascent stage in India and will reshape the market dimensions in the next two to three years.



Social media platforms are adding new features to take advantage of the growing social commerce market



To gain a competitive edge in the social commerce space, customer-centricity and innovation are becoming survival skills for businesses. As more and more start-ups enter the market trying to disrupt the market with new ideas, existing players also need to be creative and innovate to introduce new features to differentiate themselves. With the growing popularity of social commerce, social media platforms are also adding new features to make it easier for sellers as well buyers to interact.

In 2020, the Facebook family which includes Instagram along with Pinterest revamped their platforms and added new tools to aid social commerce. These tools will help sellers to streamline the customer's shopping experiences, especially during the pandemic. These features also allow retailers to create new storefronts and viewing and the number of users visiting it can be increased through paid advertising.

Similarly, the largest messaging service WhatsApp is also tipping its toes in the social commerce market by introducing a new feature called Business Profile which allows users to find shops from a directory within the app. This feature was being tested in Brazil in September 2021 and is expected to be launched in India in 2022.

The new-age social commerce startups in Indonesia are looking to leverage this existing foundation to penetrate and gain market share in the growing social commerce industry. Notably, most of the social commerce startups in the country have adopted a reseller model, wherein the platform acquires agents, who in turn sell their products on various social networks.

While startups in the social commerce space are supporting the growth of the industry, big technology giants, including social media platforms, are also boosting their investment in the space to gain a larger piece of the growing market.



Social commerce startups are raising funding rounds to further scale operations in Indonesia



With the social commerce industry growing at a rapid rate, startups are raising big funding rounds to support their growth and to further scale operations across countries.

In February 2022 , Grupin, an Indonesia -based social commerce platform, announced that the firm had raised US$3 million in a funding round which was led by Sequoia Capital. Notably, the firm also provides a community-based shopping experience and bulk shopping discounts for its consumers in Indonesia . Since its launch in August 2021 , the firm has sold hundreds of shop-keeping units, including fresh produce, packaged foods, kitchen utensils, baby products, and electronics. During the same period, the firm has experienced user growth of 400 times.

, Grupin, an -based social commerce platform, announced that the firm had raised in a funding round which was led by Sequoia Capital. Notably, the firm also provides a community-based shopping experience and bulk shopping discounts for its consumers in . Since its launch in , the firm has sold hundreds of shop-keeping units, including fresh produce, packaged foods, kitchen utensils, baby products, and electronics. During the same period, the firm has experienced user growth of 400 times. Kitabeli, another social commerce startup in Indonesia , announced that the firm had raised investment in an extended Series A round in September 2021 . The extended investment comes after the firm raised US$10 million in its Series A round, which was led by Go Ventures. Notably, the firm is planning to use the investment to further scale its operations in Indonesia . Founded in 2020, the firm provides consumers with a platform to purchase daily items, including cosmetics, fresh fruits, and home and technology products, among others.

Live-streaming helping social commerce to gain momentum in Singapore



Though the livestreaming phenomenon started with the Chinese market, it saw high adoption across different countries in the Asia Pacific region. Live streaming sessions are considered to be highly interactive and help in engaging the customer for a long time, increasing the conversion rate. Moreover, pandemic led the stores and companies to shut down, consequently turning 'livestreaming' into the only option for 'human-to-human' interaction while shopping. Therefore, brands and businesses are boosting sales by providing a combination of digital and physical retail experiences through livestreams.



Live commerce became increasingly popular in Singapore with Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and YouTube Live and gained popularity among the millennials. For instance, @Rentadella is a Singaporean local fashion brand that sells its products through an IG LIVE sale every Tuesday night through an auction format for clothes, and it is considered a smart and effective strategy to drive high engagement from followers. Therefore, the publisher expects more brands and businesses to engage in livestreaming to drive revenue over the next four to six quarters in the country.



The rise of the social commerce industry in the Philippines is parallel to the growth of the market in Southeast Asia. Being one of the youngest communities globally, Southeast Asia is expected to remain one of the largest markets for social commerce over the next four to eight quarters. According to the analysis, social commerce accounted for more than 45% of the Southeast Asian e-commerce market in 2021 alone and is expected to have increased further in 2022.



Social commerce startups are adopting different business expansion strategies to expand their market in the Philippines



Social commerce firm Pinduoduo has achieved substantial success in China over the last four to eight quarters. Notably, startups around the globe are looking to recreate the success of Pinduoduo in their own region. Similar trends are visible in the Philippines, wherein the social commerce startups are seeking to recreate the success of Pinduoduo in Southeast Asia.

Resellee, a social commerce startup in the Philippines , partners with individual sellers and manufacturers, and farmers in the country. The platform connects resellers with manufacturers and farmers, thereby allowing resellers to choose the product they want to add to their stores and market them to potential buyers through the use of different social media platforms.

, partners with individual sellers and manufacturers, and farmers in the country. The platform connects resellers with manufacturers and farmers, thereby allowing resellers to choose the product they want to add to their stores and market them to potential buyers through the use of different social media platforms. Notably, the social commerce platforms offer products across different categories, including fashion and electronics. However, its major focus is on groceries. During the global pandemic outbreak, the firm partnered with the government and farmers to meet the growing demand. In November 2020 , the firm also raised US$1 million in its seed funding round from Hofan Capital and Mintech Enterprises.

Scope

Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Others

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wrkgad

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
AMSTERDAM, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Our world is facing many challenges today. Together with the pandemic and its aftereffects, we now have a global climate emergency and geopolitical conflicts in Ukraine plus developing fallouts. In such a background, the theme of Geospatial World Forum 2022 is apt  Geography and Humanity. Going by the definition by National Geographic , Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. In that way, Geography is a fundamental part of Humanity, and Humanity is always in the context Geography; they are inextricably interconnected

Today, as we stand at the crossroads between transitioning to a new industrial epoch and precluding a climate emergency, the 'Where' is getting more crucial than ever before.

The messages to the GWF attendees from two renowned conservation crusaders  Dr Jane Goodall and Jack Dangermond  were most poignant. In two separate video addresses, both the leaders appealed to the audience to act collectively and responsibly for a sustainable future. They also underlined how technologies can play a greater role in this.

Dr Lilian Pintea, Vice President of Conservation Science, Jane Goodall Institute, USA, was also part of the address.

The Jane Goodall Institute's community-centred conservation and development program TACARE partners with local inhabitants to create sustainable livelihoods while promoting environmental protection. The program uses advanced technologies such as GIS and remote sensing to collaboratively design the future rather than imposing outside solutions.

Dr. Pintea was instrumental in introducing GIS, GPS, and satellite imagery as tools for conservation as part of the TACARE program. He is a passionate advocate for working not for but with local communities and putting the tools to monitor their environment into their hands. He works with local communities on the ground and technology partners such as Esri, Maxar, Planet and others to unlock the power of technology for conservation.

Esri is a partner in the TACARE program, but even beyond the program, environment and conservation is in the DNA of Esri, and Dangermond in particular. Jack Dangermond is widely recognized for pioneering geographic information systems (GIS) for conservation and development activities, and calls GIS " a sort of intelligent nervous system for our planet at a time when humanity desperately needs one to address the environmental and humanitarian crises at hand."

QUOTES

Dr Jane Goodall

"Technology is helping people understand the connection between biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, and the emergence of new zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19."

"When I began my chimpanzee behaviour research in Gombe National Park in Tanzania in 1960, my only tools were one pair of secondhand binoculars, pencils and a supply of paper But at the same time, I was learning about the plight of so many African people living in and around chimp habitat. The crippling poverty, lack of good health and education programs and degradation of the land owing to human and livestock population growth," Goodall reminiscenced.

"In 1960, it was part of the great equatorial forest belt that stretched across Africa, by the late 1980s, Gombe was a little island of forest surrounded by bare hills. There were more people living there than the land could support. Overused infertile farmland, people struggling to survive. That's when it hit me, unless we can help these people find ways of making a living without destroying their environment, we can't save chimps, forests or anything else. The villages were cutting down trees simply to get more land to grow more food, or make money from charcoal and timber."

"TACARE is a perfect example of how technology can help conservation, but it will only make a lasting difference when our brains work in harmony with our hearts, where poetically, we see love and compassion. It's our disrespect of nature and animals that provides situations such as trafficking of animals around the world, wildlife markets, factory farms, and so on that provide opportunities for pathogens to spill over from one species to another, which may give rise to a new human zoonotic disease. I do hope that all of the participants of this conference will think about these connections and the importance of protecting and respecting wildlife, and help young people realize the important role they can play in creating a better world."

Watch the full message here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76CbaOhXhw

Jack Dangermond

"We are collectively responsible for this future. It's creating a very unsustainable situation. If we're going to have a positive outcome in this world, we're going to have to get together."

"One theme for me that cuts across all of our interests is taking a geographic approach. This is a way of thinking and problem solving that integrates our respective technologies and sciences and information and helps us understand, helps the people who we serve understand how to manage at all scales from local governments to our entire planet. This approach is integrative in nature. It's science based and holistic, and emphasizes collaboration. Thus the whole World Geospatial Forum's initiative of getting us together to think and include each other in our thinking and come up with solutions that really work."

"GIS and all of these technologies together are helping us enable this geographic approach more effectively. But we need to scale this up. Technology is advancing. Some of you are involved in the advancements itself, but we're surrounded by a technological world in a new increasingly technological society. This is going to help us scale up and address some of these big challenges in major ways."

There are literally tens of millions of people now being fed with your kinds of information and talent so that people can make billions of maps every day. The coronavirus map was an example of this and exemplifies the effectiveness of being able to create a spatially literate society, a nervous system for us to collaboratively bring together as opposed to polarizing our societies. We need to be responsible. This forum is a way to talk about these approaches and how we can act effectively. But just the technology aspects or even the data aspects won't be enough. It's about you and how we can together create effective solutions, learn how to collaborate across some of the dividing lines that separate us, and above all act with urgency to create a more sustainable future."

Watch the full message here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsfqVIDEynY

Dr. Lilian Pintea

"High resolution imagery helps us see that many of these forests and woodlands are in the process of being restored through natural regeneration as part of the interconnected village forest reserve set up by local communities as part of the village land use plans. Village forest monitors selected by their governments are equipped with smart ones and Survey 123 mobile apps and continuously monitoring their forests, sharing the observations with local decision makers through dashboards and decision support and alert systems powered by Esri ArcGIS technologies."

"What local communities around Gombe managed to achieve here changed my view on conservation and how to leverage and use innovative technologies to build resilience in our social ecological systems and gave me hope. Few years ago, I had the chance to join you and our Tanzania colleagues and listen to local communities interpreting the satellite images. One woman pointed to an area within the image very close to her house where she used to have a farm. She had to move her farm because the village land use plan delineated that area as a village forest reserve. Now she needs to walk an extra hour a day on steep hills to reach her new farm.

I asked if it was worth it. She pointed to deforested hills and eroded streams on a 2005 satellite image and said, "You see back then we did not have trees on the hills. We had landslide, erosion. That building near the stream is a school. One day a flash flood almost destroyed the school. I had two children at the time in that school. Now look at the recent images. The trees are back. The streams are looking better. I better walk an extra hour a day, but know that our children are safe." That's why when representatives from the village government reach out to farmers one by one, like her, many other farmers moved their farms to benefit the community.

I was struck by her story because the power of geography and geospatial technologies was unlocked not only because communities had access to this technologies, data and training facilitated by JGI, but also because thanks to our TACARE approach, this technologies and now the science approaches became part of a decision making process owned and driven by the local people themselves. At JGI, we see geography and geospatial technology as essential conditions to help connect the needs of people, animals and our shared environment and scale our conservation impact around the world. From using Esri's ArcGIS Conservation solutions to daily manage the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa, to protected area management, to planting trees and restoring forests in Uganda, in all these applications, our TACARE community led approach is key, creating spaces as part of locally owned decision making processes where technology providers, scientists, local communities, government decision makers, and others could have a dialogue, develop a common understanding and trust, and convert this amazing data into shared knowledge, wisdom, and better decisions for people, animals, and our shared environment."

About Geospatial World Forum

Geospatial World Forum is one of the most prestigious global geospatial conferences and annual gatherings of geospatial professionals across the world. This year's edition GWF 2022 runs from May 10 to May 12 at the Taets Art and Event Park, Zaanstad, Amsterdam. The three-day conference is produced by Geospatial World and co-hosted by Dutch Kadaster.

Visit website for more information:

https://geospatialworldforum.org/index.html

Media Contacts

Anusuya Datta

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

Meenal Dhande

Associate Editor & Product Manager  Europe

[email protected]

SOURCE Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd.
BALTIMORE , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Urological Association (AUA), in partnership with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), released the 2022 clinical practice guideline for the management of clinically localized prostate cancer. The guideline has been endorsed by the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO).

Prostate cancer remains the most common non-cutaneous cancer among U.S. men, with an estimated 268,490 new cases and 34,500 deaths in 2022. As the vast majority of newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patients have clinically localized disease, providing evidence-based guideline statements to support clinical decision-making represents an important component of facilitating the delivery of standardized, high-quality care.

"The recommendations in this guideline provide a framework to facilitate care decisions and guide clinicians in the implementation of selected management options," said James A. Eastham, MD, chair of the guideline development panel and chief of urology services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "The guideline is clear in that patients must be fully informed regarding the potential risks and benefits of each management option, and that care decisions must take into account patient preferences and priorities."

A total of 44 statements, including those discussing appropriate staging and risk assessment in the newly-diagnosed patient, risk-based treatment approaches and recommendations for post-treatment follow-up, are reflected within this new clinical guidance.

Highlights include:

Information regarding the specifics of care delivery for various therapeutic modalities, such as pelvic lymph node management during radical prostatectomy, radiation dosage and fields and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) usage, as well as principles of conducting active surveillance.

Acknowledgement of several areas of ongoing study that are likely to be of significant relevance in the future for the care of patients with clinically localized disease, including genomic classifiers and advanced imaging.

This guideline was developed in collaboration with ASTRO with additional representation from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and SUO. It was distributed to peer reviewers of varying backgrounds as part of the AUA's extensive peer review process before being approved by the AUA Board of Directors.

The new clinical guideline is now available online at www.AUAnet.org/Localized-Prostate-Cancer-Guideline.

A summary of the guideline also appears at:

Eastham JA, Auffenberg GB, Barocas DA et al: Clinically localized prostate cancer: AUA/ASTRO guideline part I: introduction, risk assessment, staging and risk-based management. J Urol 2022; https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002757.

Eastham JA, Auffenberg GB, Barocas DA et al: Clinically localized prostate cancer: AUA/ASTRO guideline part II: principles of active surveillance, principles of surgery and follow up. J Urol 2022; https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002758.

Eastham JA, Auffenberg GB, Barocas DA et al: Clinically localized prostate cancer: AUA/ASTRO guideline part III: principles of radiation and future directions. J Urol 2022; https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002759.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Media Contact:

Caitlin Lukacs, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager

410-689-4081, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association
TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF) ("Auxly" or the "Company"), a leading consumer packaged goods company in the cannabis products market, announced today that it will report earnings results for its first quarter 2022 ended March 31, 2022, on Monday May 16, 2022, before the financial markets open.

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the results. The teleconference details are listed below:

Date: Monday May 16, 2022

Time: 10:00 a.m. EST. Please dial in at least 10 minutes prior to the start time.

North American Toll Free: 1-888-664-6383

Audio Webcast URL:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1547591&tp_key=a22d69f22f

A replay of the teleconference will be available within 24 hours after the conclusion of the call on the Company's website.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Hugo Alves" CEO

About Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX: XLY)

Auxly is a leading Canadian cannabis company dedicated to bringing innovative, effective, and high-quality cannabis products to the wellness and adult-use markets. Auxly's experienced team of industry first-movers and enterprising visionaries have secured a diversified supply of raw cannabis, strong clinical, scientific and operating capabilities and leading research and development infrastructure in order to create trusted products and brands in an expanding global market.

Learn more at www.auxly.com and stay up to date at Twitter: @AuxlyGroup; Instagram: @auxlygroup; Facebook: @auxlygroup; LinkedIn: company/auxlygroup/.

SOURCE Auxly Cannabis Group Inc.
By teaming up with AYO Foods, Adjonyoh expands access to her signature dishes, while diversifying frozen aisles around the country.

Launched May 8th in Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide, Adjonyoh's new frozen entrees feature bold, memorable flavors.

Aboboi - plant based and vegan, this summery stew is layered with flavors from bambara beans, red peppers and chiles, and Chef Adjonyoh's well-known spice blends.

- plant based and vegan, this summery stew is layered with flavors from bambara beans, red peppers and chiles, and Chef Adjonyoh's well-known spice blends. Groundnut Stew - whether you know it as West African peanut soup, Ghanaian groundnut stew, Nkate Nkawan, or Maafe, this delicious peanut-tomato chicken stew makes a hearty, protein-packed meal.

"One of our missions at AYO Foods is to make West African flavors more accessible. By collaborating with Chef Zoe Adjonyoh, we can share her culinary talent with a new audience," said AYO Co-Founder, Perteet Spencer. "We view Chef Adjonyoh's new dishes as a valuable opportunity to expand palates while shifting perspectives on what belongs in the grocery store."

"As an advocate for the wider adoption of New African cuisine, I'm very excited to team up with AYO Foods and help make this possible," said Chef Adjonyoh. "Food is a powerful source of connection and I hope the meals we created foster greater appreciation for West Africa's gastronomic heritage."

Launched in July 2020 by married couple Perteet and Fred Spencer, AYO Foods was inspired by Perteet's Liberian family and the couple's desire to bring greater inclusivity to grocery store aisles. In one year, AYO Foods grew from 50 retailers to more than 4,000 nationwide, while also launching a line of hot sauces. As part of an effort to highlight West African chefs, AYO previously partnered with

Ghanian-born, Top Chef Alum Eric Adjepong for a line of specialty dishes, including Waakye (Beans and Rice) and Chicken Yassa.

AYO, which means joy in Yoruba, features nutrient-dense, flavor-rich frozen entrees and hot sauces that are conveniently packaged and easy to prepare. To locate a retailer, please visit the company's website www.AYO-Foods.com.

ABOUT AYO FOODS

Launched in 2020, AYO Foods celebrates West African cuisine, including Jollof Rice, Egusi Soup, and Cassava Leaf Stew. These flavorful, unique recipes have brought joy to the Spencer family for generations. Fans are encouraged to follow @AYOFoods for updates on Instagram and Facebook.

ABOUT CHEF ZOE ADJONYOH

Zoe Adjonyoh's mission is to bring the great flavors of West Africa to a wider audience. Named one of "London's Hottest Chefs" by Time Out and one of "The 44 Best Female Chefs" by Hachette Cuisine France, Adjonyoh's contributions were honored at the James Beard Foundation and she received the Iconoclast Award. In April 2020, she launched Black Book Global, a representation agency and platform for POC in the food industry and released the podcast Cooking Up Consciousness. Most recently, Adjonyoh joined the boards of The New American Table and Gods Love We Deliver, and serves as the Director of Women's Programs at the James Beard Foundation.

CONTACT: Rachel Rischall, [email protected]

SOURCE AYO Foods
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WESTMINSTER, Colo., May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL), announced today an agreement to repurchase approximately $300 million of its outstanding common stock in a privately negotiated, accelerated stock repurchase transaction with Mizuho Markets Americas LLC, using cash on hand and available borrowings.

Subject to certain conditions, the transaction will commence today and reduce Ball's outstanding common stock by a total of approximately 4.3 million shares. Following the completion of today's transaction, approximately 21 million shares remain available for repurchase under the company's existing authorization.

"This share buyback, which is part of our previously announced planned purchases for the year, is consistent with our balanced capital deployment strategy that includes returning value to shareholders in the form of share buybacks and dividends and investing in EVA-generating growth projects," said Scott C. Morrison, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

The shares are subject to a market price adjustment provision at the conclusion of the accelerated stock repurchase transaction, which may require a settlement to be made by Ball, or to Ball, based generally on the volume weighted average trading price of the company's shares over an agreed upon period of time.

In addition, the company announced on April 27, 2022, that the company's stock ticker will change from BLL to BALL effective tomorrow, May 10, 2022.

About Ball Corporation

Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 24,300 people worldwide and reported 2021 net sales of $13.8 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," and similar expressions typically identify forward-looking statements, which are generally any statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on current expectations or views of the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements and they should be read in conjunction with, and qualified in their entirety by, the cautionary statements referenced below. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product capacity, supply, and demand constraints and fluctuations and changes in consumption patterns; availability/cost of raw materials, equipment, and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; footprint adjustments and other manufacturing changes, including the startup of new facilities and lines; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or cost reductions; unfavorable mandatory deposit or packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation; power and supply chain interruptions; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; inability to pas s through increased costs; war, political instability and sanctions, including relating to the situation in Russia and Ukraine and its impact on our supply chain and our ability to operate in Russia and the EMEA region generally; changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; and tariffs, trade actions, or other governmental actions, including business restrictions and shelter-in-place orders in any country or jurisdiction affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw materials; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the Company as a whole include those listed above plus: the extent to which sustainability-related opportunities arise and can be capitalized upon; changes in senior management, succession, and the ability to attract and retain skilled labor; regulatory actions or issues including those related to tax, ESG reporting, competition, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; the ability to manage cyber threats; litigation; strikes; disease; pandemic; labor cost changes; inflation; rates of return on assets of the Company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and governmental policies, including policies, orders, and actions related to COVID-19; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, including the announced sale of our Russian business, and their effects on our operating results and business generally.

SOURCE Ball Corporation
LAVAL, QC and VAUGHAN, ON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO) ("Bausch + Lomb") and Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ("Bausch Health") today announced the closing of the initial public offering ("IPO") of Bausch + Lomb. A wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health (the "Selling Shareholder") sold 35,000,000 common shares at a public offering price of $18.00 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $630 million, before deducting underwriting commissions and estimated offering expenses. 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 discounts and commissions.

The common shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") on May 6, 2022, in each case under the ticker symbol "BLCO." Bausch Health, together with its subsidiaries, now holds approximately 90.0% of the common shares of Bausch + Lomb (before giving effect to the over-allotment option).

In connection with the IPO, Bausch Health entered into its previously announced Second Amendment (the "Second Amendment") in respect of its existing credit agreement (the "Existing Credit Agreement"). The Second Amendment provides for a new term facility with an aggregate principal amount of $2,500 million (the "2027 Term Loan B Facility") maturing on February 15, 2027 and a new revolving credit facility of $975 million (the "2027 Revolving Credit Facility") that will mature at the earlier of February 15, 2027 and the date that is 91 calendar days prior to the scheduled maturity of indebtedness for borrowed money of Bausch Health and Bausch Health Americas, Inc. ("BHA"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health, in an aggregate principal amount in excess of $1,000 million.

In addition, Bausch + Lomb entered into a Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the "Bausch + Lomb Credit Agreement"). The Bausch + Lomb Credit Agreement provides for a five-year term loan facility in an initial principal amount of $2,500 million. The Bausch + Lomb Credit Agreement also provides for a five-year revolving credit facility in the amount of $500 million.

The net proceeds from the IPO, together with the proceeds from Bausch Health's term loans under the 2027 Term Loan B Facility, funds received from Bausch + Lomb from its borrowings under its new term loan facility as repayment of an intercompany note and cash on hand, were used to (i) repay Bausch Health's existing term loans and (ii) fund the previously announced conditional redemption of all of Bausch Health's 6.125% Notes due 2025 at a redemption price of 101.021% of the principal amount thereof. The funds from the redemption were irrevocably deposited with the Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the "Trustee") under the indenture governing the 6.125% Notes due 2025 (the "6.125% Notes Indenture"), and the 6.125% Notes Indenture was discharged.

Also today, Bausch Health notified the Trustee and holders of its outstanding 9.000% Senior Notes due 2025 that the conditions to its previously announced conditional redemption of such notes would not be satisfied, and the conditional redemption was cancelled.

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) is a global diversified pharmaceutical company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, international pharmaceuticals and eye health, through our 90% ownership of Bausch + Lomb Corporation. With our leading durable brands, we are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements about the Bausch + Lomb and Bausch Health, 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 Bausch + Lomb's ability to comply with the financial and other covenants contained in the Bausch + Lomb Credit Agreement and Bausch Health's ability to comply with the financial and other covenants contained in the Second Amendment to the Existing Credit Agreement. 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 and Bausch + Lomb's overall business, including those more fully described in Bausch + Lomb's and Bausch Health's respective 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 and Bausch + Lomb undertake 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 Health Companies Inc.; Bausch + Lomb Corporation
Collaboration will enable AI-powered decentralized clinical trials

BOSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beacon Biosignals, which applies AI to EEG to unlock precision medicine for brain conditions, today announced a partnership with Stratus, the nation's leading provider of EEG services, to enable expanded clinical trial service capabilities by leveraging Beacon's machine learning neuroanalytics platform.

EEG is standard of care in the clinical diagnosis and management of many neurologic diseases and sleep disorders, yet features of clinical significance often are difficult to extract from EEG data. Broader adoption of EEG technology has been further limited by labor-intensive workflows and variability in clinician expert interpretation. By linking their platforms, Beacon and Stratus will unlock AI-powered at-home clinical trials, addressing these challenges head-on.

"The benefits of widely incorporating EEG data into pharmaceutical trials has been desired for years, but the challenge of uniformly capturing and interpreting the data has been an issue," said Charlie Alvarez, chief executive officer for Stratus. "Stratus helps solve data capture issues by providing accessible, nationwide testing services that reduce the variability in data collection and help ensure high-quality data across all sites. Stratus is proud to partner with Beacon and its ability to complete the equation by providing algorithms to ensure the quality of EEG interpretations."

Stratus offers a wide variety of EEG services, including monitored long-term video studies and routine EEGs conducted in the hospital, clinic, and in patients' homes. Stratus has a strong track record of high-quality data acquisition, enabled by an industry-leading pool of registered EEG technologists and a national footprint for EEG deployment logistics. The announced agreement establishes Stratus as a preferred data acquisition partner for Beacon's clinical trial and neurobiomarker discovery efforts using Beacon's analytics platform.

"Reliable and replicable quantitative endpoints help drive faster, better-powered trials," said Jacob Donoghue, MD, PhD, co-founder of Beacon Biosignals. "A barrier to their development, along with performing the necessary analysis, can often be the acquisition of quality EEG at scale. Partnering with Stratus and benefiting from its infrastructure and platform eliminates that hurdle and paves the way toward addressing the unmet need for endpoints, safety tools and computational diagnostics."

Beacon's platform provides an architectural foundation for discovery of robust quantitative neurobiomarkers that subsequently can be deployed for patient stratification or automated safety or efficacy monitoring in clinical trials. The powerful and validated algorithms developed by Beacon's machine learning teams can replicate the consensus interpretation of multiple trained epileptologists while exceeding human capabilities over many hours or days of recording. These algorithms can be focused on therapeutic areas such as neurodegenerative disorders, epilepsy, sleep disorders and mental illness. For example, Beacon is currently assessing novel EEG signatures in Alzheimer's disease patients to identify which patients may or may not benefit from a specific type of therapy.

"This collaboration will enable at-home studies for diseases like Alzheimer's," Donoghue said. "It has traditionally been difficult to obtain clinical-grade EEG for these patients at the scale required for phase 3 and phase 4 clinical trials. Stratus' extensive expertise in scaling EEG operations in at-home settings unlocks real opportunities to harness brain data to evaluate treatment efficacy."

About Beacon Biosignals

Beacon's machine learning platform for EEG enables and accelerates new treatments that transform the lives of patients with neurological, psychiatric or sleep disorders. Through novel machine learning algorithms, large clinical datasets, and advances in software engineering, Beacon Biosignals empowers biopharma companies with unparalleled tools for efficacy monitoring, patient stratification, and clinical trial endpoints from brain data. For more information, visit https://beacon.bio/. For careers, visit https://beacon.bio/careers; for partnership inquiries, visit https://beacon.bio/contact. Follow us on Twitter (@Biosignals) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/beacon-biosignals).

About Stratus

Stratus is the nation's leading provider of EEG solutions, including ambulatory in-home video EEG. The company has served more than 80,000 patients across the U.S. Stratus offers technology, services, and proprietary software solutions to help neurologists accurately and quickly diagnose their patients with epilepsy and other seizure-like disorders. Stratus also provides mobile cardiac telemetry to support the diagnostic testing needs of the neurology community. To learn more, visit www.stratusneuro.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Megan Moriarty

Amendola Communications for Beacon Biosignals

913.515.7530

[email protected]

SOURCE Beacon Biosignals
The life insurance technology company ranks among the highest-scoring companies for its mission-driven culture, flexible work policies, and generous benefits.

DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading life insurance technology company Bestow has been named to Inc. Magazine's annual Best Workplaces list . Bestow is among the top American companies creating exceptional workplaces and company culture. Best Places to Work foster a workplace where employees willingly go above and beyond in their work, advocate for the organization, and intend to stay in the future.

Bestow is a mission-driven company building technology that makes life insurance accessible to millions of underserved families. The company's life insurance platform powers 100% digital coverage for companies of all sizes  transforming and modernizing the centuries-old life insurance industry for all stakeholders. The Bestow team's work has a substantial social impact, providing more families with financial resiliency when it's needed most. This work attracts intelligent, compassionate, and dedicated team members who will change the life insurance industry for the better. In 2021, the company saw impressive growth: doubling revenue, in-force life insurance policies, and headcount.

Bestow is among the top American companies creating exceptional workplaces and company culture. Tweet this

Bestow is a meritocracy where individual contributions are recognized, celebrated, and rewarded. Ten company principles inspire daily work and are integrated into the team and personal recognition. These principles include being mission-minded, owners, intellectual rigor, generosity, and open and informed. To create a best-in-class culture, Bestow invests in its team of 250+ with generous benefits, including competitive salaries, open PTO, flexible work policies, 100% company-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, a week-long winter break, a 401K retirement program, and more.

"We're honored to receive this recognition from Inc. Magazine for the incredible team and culture we've built at Bestow," said Melbourne O'Banion, CEO and Co-founder of Bestow. "Our mission is core to our business and culture, making Bestow a unique place to work and build your career. As we grow and expand our impact on the life insurance industry, we will continue providing a best-in-class workplace that supports and attracts top talent."

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 475 honorees this year who best represented dedication to "redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic," according to Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. Bestow's benefits were reviewed to determine the overall score and ranking.

Bestow has offices in Austin and Dallas, Texas, and Des Moines, Iowa, with remote employees in 33 states. In addition to Inc's Best Workplaces for 2022, Bestow is Great Place to Work certified , one of Forbes' America's Best Startup Workplaces , and one of Built In's 22 Startups to Watch in 2022. To learn more about career opportunities, visit Bestow.com/careers .

About Bestow

Bestow is the leading life insurance technology company. As both a direct-to-consumer destination and an infrastructure provider, Bestow powers instant life insurance solutions for businesses of all sizes across any channel. In a world full of unknowns, Bestow is on a mission to increase financial security for everyone by creating the best possible products and experiences that serve future generations. To learn more, visit bestow.com.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

SOURCE Bestow Inc.
DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The city of Dallas is home to approximately 60,000 small businesses, a trend that has continued to increase over the past decade. And while Dallas is a popular place for entrepreneurs to launch business ventures, many factors in today's environment make it increasingly difficult for small businesses to succeed. This is why Brand New Marketing, a Dallas digital marketing agency, is launching a performance marketing program designed specifically to help North Texas small businesses grow online.

Brand New Marketing helps dental practices increase new patient numbers Local Dallas Chiropractors Benefit From Performance Marketing Program

"It's a tough market for small businesses, especially when most small business owners don't have a firm grasp on what works and what doesn't when it comes to marketing," said James Hunt, CEO of Brand New Marketing. "Many agencies will try to convince you that social media is where you should be investing your time and money, because your customers are using social media. While that's true, these channels generally produce low organic reach and poor conversions. Ask any small business owner if posting to social media is increasing sales. Most will say no."

Brand New Marketing states Dallas small businesses should be focused on performance marketing, not brand marketing, if they want to generate more website traffic, phone calls, and sales.

"Our agency has developed a performance marketing program for small businesses that focuses on what really matters. Instead of trying to generate followers, likes, and comments on social media we've developed a suite of services that targets customers who are searching for your product or service online. We send those customers to your website where they can learn more about your business, product, and potentially make a purchase. We track the entire process using analytic software, which allows us to measure return on investment. Clients who are enrolled in the program have seen great success," says Hunt.

The agency's small business performance marketing program starts at $2,500 a month and lasts 3 months. Services offered in the program include strategy, branding, website design, search engine optimization (SEO), and Google pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

About Brand New Marketing

Brand New Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency in Dallas that's provided marketing services to small businesses since 2013. They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and have won numerous awards as a North Texas marketing agency. To learn more about Brand New Marketing, or to inquire about their small business performance marketing program, visit their website at www.thebrandnewmarketing.com.

Media Contact:

James Hunt

(972) 807-0006

[email protected]

SOURCE Brand New Marketing
New transaction paves the way for real-time, secure, and transparent cross-border carbon credit settlements.

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbonplace, the new carbon credit settlement platform jointly developed by some of the world's largest financial institutions, has announced the successful pilot transfer of carbon credits through its system in collaboration with global payments technology company Visa.

The transaction, which involved Visa purchasing Verra-certified credits from Sustainable Carbon, a leading carbon credit project developer, represents a major boost for carbon markets. It demonstrates the capability of Carbonplace's unique settlement technology to significantly increase the speed, efficiency, and security required to support the growing demand for voluntary carbon credits, and in doing so, to more effectively drive private sector capital towards global climate solutions.

The transfer was facilitated by two of Carbonplace's founding banks, National Australia Bank (NAB) on behalf of Visa and Itau Unibanco on behalf of Sustainable Carbon. It underscores how the institutions behind Carbonplace  which also include BNP Paribas, CIBC, NatWest Group, Standard Chartered, and UBS  can collaboratively leverage their existing infrastructure, including know-your-customer and anti-money laundering procedures, to address some of the challenges that have held back the development of the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

Last month's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted that decarbonization, and in turn, scalable carbon innovation is critical to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis[1]. Against this backdrop, corporations across the globe continue to set ambitious climate action pledges in the drive towards a net zero economy. Carbon credits will play an important, complementary role in these commitments by compensating for unavoidable emissions, and as a result, the VCM continues to grow rapidly, surpassing USD 1 billion in 2021[2].

This new collaboration is part of Visa's global aspirations to become a climate-positive company through new partnerships and initiatives. Last year, Visa pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal[3]. Together with Carbonplace, Visa will continue to explore delivering additional technology-led sustainable solutions for its customers.

The pilot will also inform the further development of Carbonplace, which has been likened to the 'SWIFT' system of the carbon markets, including the exploration of more innovative ways to settle transactions. It is currently expected that Carbonplace will be operational at the end of 2022.

"Visa is committed to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and to create sustainable business solutions for our clients, which will help them meet their net zero commitments," said Charlotte Hogg, CEO Visa Europe. "We're excited about the potential for this voluntary carbon market to leverage our capabilities and help to deliver on that commitment, and we're proud to support Carbonplace through this first pilot purchase of fully certified carbon credits in this market."

David Gall NAB Group Executive, Corporate and Institutional Banking, said: "Climate action is everyone's job, including NAB's. Carbonplace is creating new opportunities to help our customers as they take action to reduce their emissions and achieve their own targets. This successful pilot transaction with Visa is a significant step towards being able to help more of our customers tackle existing barriers and make carbon credits more accessible to everyone."

About Carbonplace

About National Australia Bank (NAB)

About Itau Unibanco

About Sustainable Carbon

Notes to editors

www.carbonplace.com

[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/

[2] https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/voluntary-carbon-markets-top-1-billion-in-2021-with-newly-reported-trades-special-ecosystem-marketplace-cop26-bulletin/

[3] https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/04/15/sustainable-commerce-and-1618453815474.html

SOURCE Carbonplace
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CereCore today announced it has joined the ServiceNow Partner Program to implement ServiceNow solutions and provide professional services to ServiceNow customers.

Through the Service Provider Partner Program, CereCore is licensed to purchase ServiceNow products and services and operate them in a managed services capacity on behalf of clients.

Committed to delivering quality services and supporting operational efficiency for our healthcare clients, the CereCore team includes certified ServiceNow administrators, developers, and implementation specialists.

CereCore and ServiceNow recently completed an implementation of the ServiceNow Platform at Monument Health. Dr. Stephanie Lahr, Chief Information Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer at Monument Health says, "We are excited by all the ServiceNow Platform will provide and are thankful for the guidance that made day one with ServiceNow truly great. A go-live that goes practically unnoticed is a huge accomplishment."

Curtis Watkins, President and CEO of CereCore says, "The expansion of our work with ServiceNow is another way we can help hospitals and health systems deliver a quality IT response and operate as efficiently as possible. Plus, the ServiceNow Partner Programs will help us flex to meet our client's needs  from implementing ServiceNow to streamlining workflows so they can achieve maximum value from the ServiceNow Platform."

CereCore provides IT services that make it easier for hospital operators to focus on transforming healthcare through technology. With a heritage rooted in our nation's top-performing hospitals, we provide IT and application support, technical professional and managed services, IT advisory services, and EHR consulting to hospitals and health systems. Find more information at https://cerecore.net.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contact Information

[Beth Friedman, Finn Partners, [email protected]]

SOURCE CereCore
Building trust just got 50 million times smarter

VICTORIA, BC , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certn, leader in background screening solutions, today announced that it has secured USD $50 million in Series B funding, led by B Capital. This comes on the heels of last year's $34.1 million funding raise. With this latest round, Certn will further advance its mission of building trust in people  and invest in new markets worldwide.

Certn makes building trust simple by creating an expedited, frictionless background check experience that enables employers and candidates to embark on their working relationship with a positive foundation. Certn empowers employers to make better, faster hiring decisions in a highly competitive labor market.

Certn is rapidly expanding its global presence, building on the recent acquisition of Credence, a leading UK-based provider of global background checks. Certn plans to create 160 new roles this year and has made a number of strategic hires, including a new managing director for the U.S. market.

B Capital led the funding with seven other investors contributing, including BMO, Tribe, Inovia Capital, Telstra Ventures, Scribble, Moxxie Ventures, and Gaingels Covalent Ventures. B Capital, a strategic partner of Boston Consulting Group, plays a key role in Certn's success by helping the company secure the right partnerships and navigate business challenges.

Andrew McLeod, CEO and co-founder of Certn, said: "Our vision is to safely facilitate trust globally through frictionless identity management solutions by building infrastructure directly with sources of truth around the world. With this funding, we will further invest in our product, new markets, and our partnership program as we build and grow our global team. We're also committed to investing in our current and future Certn employees  Certonians  to provide the best background screening services possible."

Rashmi Gopinath, General Partner, B Capital, said: "Certn has taken the traditionally time-consuming, manual, and archaic experience of background screening and found a way to create a quick, accurate, and simple experience for employers and candidates. Its AI-enabled SaaS platform facilitates trust in the global workplace and provides essential hiring and background verification solutions for organizations who want to foster a culture of trust in their company. We look forward to partnering with the Certn team in this next phase of growth as they help organizations hire global talent with speed, transparency, and accuracy."

About Certn

Certn delivers fast, friendly, and comprehensive background screening that helps businesses make fact-based hiring decisions, lowers hiring costs, and improves the user experience for applicants and recruiters. Used by enterprise, mid-market, and small business leaders looking to hire the right candidates, Certn modernizes the background check process and builds a foundation of trust. The company's human risk intelligence solution uses AI and machine learning to streamline the candidate screening process, reduce costs, and boost total time to value (TTV) for HR and operations leaders around the globe. Learn more at https://certn.co/

Website: https://certn.co/

Facebook: @Certn.Co

LinkedIn: Certn

Twitter: @Certn

Instagram: @Certn.Co

SOURCE Certn
Xi's latest call came after he urged the EU to work with China to add stabilizing factors to a turbulent world during a virtual meeting with the EU chiefs on April 1.

During Monday's talks, Xi said it is particularly important for China and Germany, both major countries of substantial influence, to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship.

Both countries should stick to the keynote of dialogue and cooperation in their relations, and make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, said Xi.

He continued that the two sides can conduct dialogue in such areas as climate change, macroeconomic policy, financial stability, energy security, food security and the stability of industrial and supply chains.

China and Germany should also tap the potential for cooperation, such as on new technologies, including environmental protection, trade in services, artificial intelligence and digitalization, said the Chinese president.

The two sides should stand for true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, promote an open world economy, and make global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, Xi said.

Scholz noted the very good development of Germany-China relations in recent years and called on the two sides to carry forward the good tradition and keep up the sound momentum of bilateral relations.

The two countries will have a dialogue on maintaining stable global supply chains, macroeconomic policy coordination and others, and step up cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, climate change and COVID-19 response, said the German leader.

He added that Germany welcomes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, which will bring more opportunities to the country.

China and Germany, now all-round strategic partners, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in October.

'China-Europe relationship not controlled by any third party'

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences.

China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU, he reiterated.

"The China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party," said Xi, noting that is a strategic consensus that both sides must follow in the long run.

In the face of geopolitical crises, China and the EU need to advocate dialogue and cooperation and offset complex changes in the international landscape with the stability of China-EU relations.

Xi expressed his hope for Germany to play a positive role in the steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

Scholz, for his part, said Germany is prepared to enhance communication and coordination with China on the multilateral front and promote the sound development of Europe-China relations.

'Ukraine crisis bringing European security at a crossroads'

On the situation in Ukraine, Xi said China has been working in its own way to promote peace and defuse tensions.

The Ukraine crisis has once again brought European security to a crossroads, he said, adding that it is important to make every effort to prevent the conflict from intensifying or magnifying to a point of no return.

The Chinese president called on the European side to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe and promote a solution in a responsible manner.

"The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves," he said.

China has reiterated on many occasions that it supports Europe in playing a positive role in promoting peace talks and in the eventual establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-05-09/President-Xi-holds-talks-with-German-Chancellor-Scholz-via-video-link-19TFo9OduuI/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
China Telecom Americas and Its Global Affiliates' Secure Networks Provide Defense Against Routing Threats

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Telecom (Americas) Corporation (CTA), a leading provider of communications and IT services, is celebrating its one year anniversary of having CTA and its global affiliates' backbone networks validated by Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) . MANRS is a global initiative that provides crucial fixes to reduce common routing threats faced by network operators worldwide. After finalizing the MANRS process last year, CTA's routes have been accepted in the MANRS network operator program, signifying that enterprises using CTA's networks are transmitting information across secure routing infrastructure.

"The MANRS team is glad to see [CTA] lead by example in continuing to make the internet's routing infrastructure safer" Tweet this China Telecom Americas leads secure global connectivity with MANRS-conformant networks.

MANRS works with network operators, internet service providers, content delivery networks, cloud providers and equipment vendors to monitor and provide solutions for common routing threats like route hijacking, route leaks and IP address falsification. These routing threats can lead to an enterprise becoming a victim of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and other similar breaches, which can prevent users from accessing mission-critical applications and result in a loss of revenue and productivity.

In Q3 2021, DDoS attacks worldwide increased by 44% . Enterprises are increasingly relying on connectivity infrastructure to conduct business and reach customers. China Telecom's MANRS-accepted networks are a testament to its ongoing commitment to routing security.

"Being verified by MANRS reflects our commitment to provide secure internet routes for our customers. Adopting MANRS as a tier 1 communications service provider required a multi-million-dollar investment, with even bigger investment from our parent company," says Luis Fiallo, Vice President for China Telecom Americas. "Our first network was accepted by MANRS in late 2020, and we're proud to say that the rigorous process has resulted in a more secure network with no major routing issues for our customers."

Including the addition of China Telecom networks AS4134, AS4809, AS23764, and CTA's AS36678, MANRS had a year of tremendous growth. Last year, MANRS added more than 160 participants, who managed nearly 780 autonomous systems across six continents, further advancing its mission of reducing common routing threats. CTA's actions help bring routing security into main viewespecially in markets that are hard to reachand are inspiring other big players in the industry to do the same.

Dr. Joseph Lorenzo Hall, Distinguished Technologist at Strong Internet, the Internet Society remarks, "The MANRS team is glad to see China Telecom Americas lead by example in continuing to make the internet's routing infrastructure safer for businesses and consumers. A full year after CTA officially became a MANRS participants, we've seen very few routing incidents in the covered networks, with no reported adverse effects. We look forward to working with CTA for years to come and continuing to encourage the entire internet infrastructure community to improve routing security."

To learn more about CTA's comprehensive network and solutions, visit https://www.ctamericas.com/company/global-network/ .

About China Telecom Americas

Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, China Telecom Americas (CTA) is a private carrier and leading provider of communications and IT solutions for multinational enterprises and service providers in Asia and the Americas considering global expansion. Serving as a bridge to Asia, CTA provides sales and support personnel across the Americas who are equipped with the Asian market expertise that businesses need to successfully navigate local regulations, languages, and technical specifications to deploy IT solutions faster.

CTA has offices in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Panama City, San Jose, Sao Paulo and Toronto. Organizations throughout the Americas trust CTA's global expertise and localized solutions to stand out in today's complex business environment. Discover more at www.ctamericas.com .

SOURCE China Telecom Americas
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is gaining traction as a clinically effective tool for identifying and treating a wide range of mental illnesses. Widespread use of NIBS will be contingent on its efficacy as demonstrated in sham-controlled multi-center trials, but current indications point to it having a significant impact on the treatment of disorders seen in a variety of specialties, including neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, physical therapy, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Because non-invasive brain stimulation carries minimal risk, it is associated with fewer side effects and consequences. This will be one of the primary driving forces in the market over the projected period of 2022-2032.

Request for sample copy report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/32968

Companies are focusing on developing innovative and competitive products to meet unmet market needs. There are multiple licensing and collaboration agreements for the development and commercialization of products in the areas of cognitive decline. New market entrants are working on an effective pricing strategy. Business units are restructuring initiatives to enhance business effectiveness. Diversification of companies' efforts is also leading to the development of other generic drugs.

Companies are entering into strategic alliances with other pharmaceutical companies and government bodies for faster development of present pipeline drugs.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

By product type, drug therapy held 53% market value share in 2020 .

. By indication, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) held 78% market value share in 2020.

Hospitals dominated the cognitive decline market with a share of 39.1% in 2020 , owing to more effective treatment within these facilities.

, owing to more effective treatment within these facilities. By region, North America dominated the global cognitive decline market with a value share of around 36.8% in 2020.

Know the methodology of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/32968

"Positive reimbursement paradigm for cognitive decline and innovative products & solutions for treatment will promote market growth," says an analyst of Persistence Market Research.

Market Competition

Key players are focusing on forming strategic partnerships through acquisitions and mergers to enhance their presence across the world, resulting in increased customer base.

In March 2021 , Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen and Eisai Co., Ltd. entered into a research agreement to create novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).

, Deutsches Zentrum fur Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen and Eisai Co., Ltd. entered into a research agreement to create novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In August 2019 , electroCore, Inc. announced a research collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital to explore non-invasive Vagus nerve stimulation in neuroinflammation.

Get full access of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/32968

What Does the Report Cover?

Persistence Market Research offers a unique perspective and actionable insights on the cognitive decline market in its latest study, presenting historical demand assessment of 2016  2020 and projections for 2021  2031.

The research study is based on the product type (drug therapy [cholinesterase inhibitors, NMDA receptor antagonists], non-invasive stimulation devices [vagus nerve stimulators, deep brain stimulators, transcranial magnetic stimulators (TMS)]), indication (mild cognitive impairment (MCI) [amnestic MCI, non-amnestic MCI], dementia), and end user (hospitals, neurology clinics/centres, retail pharmacies, home care settings) across seven key regions of the world.

Related Reports:

About Persistence Market Research:

Persistence Market Research (PMR), as a 3rd-party research organization, does operate through an exclusive amalgamation of market research and data analytics for helping businesses ride high, irrespective of the turbulence faced on the account of financial/natural crunches.

Overview:

Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies'/clients' shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

Contact

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Persistence Market Research

U.S. Sales Office:

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SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
"Diversity positively impacts all areas of the bank, helping us to better serve our customers, colleagues and communities," said Nate Bennett, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Talent Acquisition. "This recognition speaks to the collaboration of our leadership and dedication of our colleagues who continue to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to establish a culture that embraces and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion."

The NDC Index is an annual measurement of organizational commitment to diversity and inclusion among companies across the country. The index evaluates performance on diversity and inclusion in five assessment areas: CEO engagement; benefits, policies and initiatives; supplier diversity; community engagement; and corporate social responsibility.

Comerica's recognition as a leader in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion was bolstered by its efforts during the past year that featured:

Employee Resource Group (ERG) Program and DEI Education Council: Comerica launched two new ERGs in 2021 with the addition of Comerica Asian and Pacific Islander Network and The European Connection. The organization now features 10 active and uniquely curated groups that bring colleagues together with common interests. The ERGs provide an open platform to lift cultural awareness, career advancement, colleague connections, and community impact for its constituents.

Comerica launched two new ERGs in 2021 with the addition of Comerica Asian and Pacific Islander Network and The European Connection. The organization now features 10 active and uniquely curated groups that bring colleagues together with common interests. The ERGs provide an open platform to lift cultural awareness, career advancement, colleague connections, and community impact for its constituents. Office of Corporate Responsibility : Comerica established a new Office of Corporate Responsibility to bring the bank's environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements under the leadership of the office. The addition enhances collaboration across the bank and further enables the organization to solidify its role as a leader in ESG initiatives.

: Comerica established a new Office of Corporate Responsibility to bring the bank's environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements under the leadership of the office. The addition enhances collaboration across the bank and further enables the organization to solidify its role as a leader in ESG initiatives. ESG Platform: Comerica's ESG Council developed the bank's ESG Platform which serve to define the most significant ESG issues for the company. The five key ESG commitments include: providing access to capital focused on underserved communities, women, minorities and small businesses; promoting a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce; investing in financial education for underserved communities; addressing climate change; enhancing ESG-related product and service solutions.

Comerica's ESG Council developed the bank's ESG Platform which serve to define the most significant ESG issues for the company. The five key ESG commitments include: providing access to capital focused on underserved communities, women, minorities and small businesses; promoting a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce; investing in financial education for underserved communities; addressing climate change; enhancing ESG-related product and service solutions. COVID-19 Response: Comerica and the Comerica Charitable Foundation have helped communities, nonprofits and small businesses navigate the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic by investing $16 million in relief efforts. Investments totaling $12 million in 2021 were directed to Community Development Financial Institutions to meet the needs of small and micro businesses in low- to moderate-income communities adversely impacted by the pandemic. The additional $4 million was directed to a variety of nonprofit organizations, including several targeting women, young girls and seniors, as well as those focused on addressing food insecurities and access to health care. Combined with COVID-19 relief investments in 2020, Comerica and the Comerica Charitable Foundation contributed $27 million .

Comerica and the Comerica Charitable Foundation have helped communities, nonprofits and small businesses navigate the economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic by investing in relief efforts. Investments totaling in 2021 were directed to Community Development Financial Institutions to meet the needs of small and micro businesses in low- to moderate-income communities adversely impacted by the pandemic. The additional was directed to a variety of nonprofit organizations, including several targeting women, young girls and seniors, as well as those focused on addressing food insecurities and access to health care. Combined with COVID-19 relief investments in 2020, Comerica and the Comerica Charitable Foundation contributed . Community Engagement: Comerica continued to make a difference in local communities through its financial education initiative. Comerica $ense programs reached approximately 50,000 individuals in low- to moderate-income communities in 2021 and colleagues hosted 380 small business bootcamps to help small business owners and entrepreneurs. Comerica colleagues also continued to demonstrate their commitment to serving the communities, totaling more than 64,000 hours of volunteer time.

Comerica continued to make a difference in local communities through its financial education initiative. Comerica $ense programs reached approximately 50,000 individuals in low- to moderate-income communities in 2021 and colleagues hosted 380 small business bootcamps to help small business owners and entrepreneurs. Comerica colleagues also continued to demonstrate their commitment to serving the communities, totaling more than 64,000 hours of volunteer time. National Business Development Managers: To strengthen its relationship with diverse communities, Comerica appointed national business development managers responsible for African American, Asian American Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Middle Eastern communities.

For more information and to view this year's participating companies, visit www.ndcindex.org.

Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $89.2 billion as of March 31, 2022.

About the National Diversity Council

The National Diversity Council is a non-profit organization committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow in their knowledge of diversity. The council affords opportunities for organizations to share best practices and learn from top corporate leaders in the areas of diversity and inclusion. More information about the National Diversity Council is available at: www.nationaldiversitycouncil.org.

SOURCE Comerica Bank
-Highlights the Tactics that the Lichtenstein / Steel Partners Group Have Used to Delay the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

-Urges Shareholders to Sign the WHITE Consent Card to Support Call for a Special Meeting

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eileen Drake (the CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD)) and the other members of the Committee For Aerojet Rocketdyne Shareholders and Value Maximization today issued a comprehensive presentation that details the urgent need for stockholders to support the call for a special meeting of stockholders. As a reminder, this is a necessary step in light of Executive Chairman Warren Lichtenstein's and his associates' continuing refusal to agree to a date certain and unconditioned for the 2022 annual meeting of shareholders.

The presentation is available at https://maximizeajrdvalue.com/.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND VIEW THE INVESTOR PRESENTATION

Shareholders with questions can contact our solicitor: D.F. King & Co., (212) 269-5550 (collect) or via e-mail at [email protected].

Important Information

This communication is being sent in our individual capacity, and not on or behalf of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc (the "Company"). No Company resources were used in connection with these materials. On May 3, 2022, Eileen P. Drake and the other members of the Committee For Aerojet Rocketdyne Shareholders and Value Maximization filed a definitive solicitation statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the solicitation of agent designations to call a special meeting of stockholders of the Company.

Contact :

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

Edward T. McCarthy / Tom Germinario

[email protected]

SOURCE Committee for Aerojet Rocketdyne Shareholders and Value Maximization
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Conserv , a Birmingham-based art and culture startup, today announced the completion of a $3 million Series A funding round. Conserv will use the funds to expand its operations in the United States and Europe to enable preservation professionals with the environmental data they need to preserve shared cultural heritage in museums, libraries, archives, and historic properties. The funding round was led by Benson Capital Partners , a New Orleans-based venture capital fund.

Conserv is a delightful consumer-like experience developed specifically for the preservation community.

"At Benson Capital we believe that a focused team, with great technology, in the right market is a winner. The Conserv solutions stand out for these reasons. In a sea of generic sensor companies, their solutions are built by and for preservation professionals. We're excited about the technology, the team, and the mission at Conserv" said Caroline Crumley , Director at Benson Capital Partners.

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, Massachusetts State Libraries, Museum of Modern Art, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute are among the collections using Conserv's platform to increase the effectiveness of their environmental monitoring efforts. Conserv has grown from 25 to over 300 customers in the last 18 months.

"At Conserv, we believe that collecting organizations should have access to cost-effective technology to help preserve our shared cultural heritage," said Austin Senseman , Founder and CEO of Conserv. "COVID-19 has accelerated a shift in an organization's expectations for cost-saving, remote-enabled solutions. We want to provide all collecting organizations, regardless of size or geography, with an exceptional experience for managing the data that drives preservation outcomes."

The Conserv platform combines traditional environmental data from wireless sensors and pest management data to give preservation professionals an overview of risks facing their collections. LoRaWAN-based sensors allow for simple wireless setup and maintenance in complex environments. Conserv's environmental monitoring platform is a highly differentiated solution that lowers financial and functional barriers for collections to have world class monitoring.

In preparation to close the round in May, Conserv has built a team of experts. Yadin Larochette , formerly Museum and Conservation Liaison at Tru Vue, joined as President; Dave Masom , formerly VP Product at Pack Health, joined as Chief Product Officer. The team has grown to eleven employees, with four full-time conservators on staff.

Additional institutional investors from this and previous rounds include Bonaventure Capital , Timberline Holdings , and Jemison Investment Company along with an incredible group of angel investors from around the United States. This round was helped along by the excellent work of John Steiner at Steiner Law LLC .

Conserv was founded in 2018 in Birmingham, AL by Austin Senseman (CEO) and Nathan McMinn (CTO). The company was helped along greatly in its first two years by the efforts of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama's (EDPA) Launchpad program which provided $150,000 of non-dilutive funding.

For more information on Conserv's innovative solutions for preservation visit https://conserv.io

Contact: Austin Senseman, CEO

Phone: 205-222-2847

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Conserv
Cowbell Cyber named among best workplaces in the "On the Rise" category

PLEASANTON, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cowbell Cyber , the leading provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announced it has been included in Inc. Magazine's annual list of Best Workplaces. Hitting newsstands May 17 and as part of a prominent Inc.com feature, the list is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of American companies that have created exceptional workplaces and company culture whether teams are operating in-person, fully remote or hybrid work environments.

Cowbell Cyber was selected among thousands of submissions. It has ingrained in its company culture the belief that employees should cultivate leaders and build teams through collaboration not competition. Employees set their own work hours, ensuring they have time to accomplish their duties while maintaining a proper work-life balance. The Inc. magazine award is proof that Cowbell Cyber's efforts to empower employees and encourage well-being have been successful.

"Collaboration breeds innovation," said Isabelle Dumont, SVP of marketing and technology partners at Cowbell Cyber. "We strive to maintain a workplace where all employees are encouraged to share ideas to work towards achieving both company and personal goals. Because of this, Cowbell Cyber's success is shared at every level."

Collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. singled out 475 honorees this year. Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, on topics including management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine the company's overall score and ranking.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," said Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

To learn more about Cowbell Cyber's award-winning culture, visit https://cowbell.insure/careers/ .

About Cowbell Cyber

Cowbell Cyber offers standalone, individualized, and easy-to-understand cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In its unique AI-based approach to risk selection and pricing, Cowbell's continuous underwriting platform, powered by Cowbell Factors, compresses the insurance process from submission to issue to less than 5 minutes. Cowbell Insurance Agency is currently licensed in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Cowbell Reinsurance Company is a licensed insurance captive in the State of Vermont. For more information, please visit www.cowbell.insure.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

Media Contact

John Kreuzer

Lumina Communications for Cowbell Cyber

[email protected]

408-963-6418

SOURCE Cowbell Cyber
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The combination of companies will strengthen CPT's focus on providing additional new solutions to enterprise clients. Tom Chesna, CEO of CPT commented: The integration of KeyCom is an exciting new chapter for our business. KeyCom's engineering and systems integration team has consistently delivered innovative products and I see enormous potential for growth. I see the business as highly complementary to our existing customer offerings and we're delighted to welcome KeyCom into the CPT family. Phil and his team have assembled & integrated best-in-class Telecom Carrier Services, Surveillance, Access Control, Data, Security, Digital Signage, Digital Music, and Open-Source solutions, and I look forward to working with the team to accelerate our growth initiatives."

KeyCom Technologies

Phil Medina, President of KeyCom, added "Our engagement with CPT, their enterprise clients, and their thousands of technicians nationwide, represents an exciting new chapter for our business. Tom and the team at CPT are as passionate about execution as we are about innovation. Combining those strong suits, and four decades in the tech sector, is as much a win-win for CPT & KeyCom as it is for our collective customers and the marketplace in general. Sometimes big-beats-small, sometimes fast-beats-slow, and sometimes clever-beats-clumsy. The CPT/KeyCom unification simultaneously represents a bigger, faster, and more clever option for the enterprise technology space, and we look forward to servicing it with integrity."

About CPT Network Solutions

With corporate offices in Chicago & Orlando and 3,000+ technicians ready, CPT is a leading national technology services provider to the enterprise market. Specializing in implementation and break-fix repair of voice, data, surveillance, electrical, Access Control, IoT, and POS systems for National Retailers, Senior Living, Hospitality, Consumer Services, and multi-site organizations with a geographically dispersed footprint. CPT has been managing field activities across the U.S. & Canada and helping drive costs out of IT operations since 2002.

About KeyCom

Headquartered in Orlando since 1984, KeyCom has served 10,000+ businesses ranging from enterprise retail/restaurants/senior living facilities to world-renowned theme parks, the FBI, and the Kennedy Space Center. KeyCom is a national telecom carrier providing hosted/premise VoIP, UCaaS, LAN/WAN, Surveillance, Access Control, Digital Signage, Cabling/Fiber Infrastructure, and IoT solutions. KeyCom is known for providing disruptive solutions at disruptive price points.

Media Contact:

Phil Medina

4079490600

[email protected]

SOURCE CPT Network Solutions
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With an expensive summer ahead, the Citizens Utility Board urges consumers to apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding before its May 31 deadline.

CUB, a nonprofit consumer watchdog group, also announced that it is holding joint online events this week with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to educate consumers about LIHEAP, who is eligible and how you apply by the May 31 deadline.

CUB and DCEO experts will be on hand to answer your questions about the application process in these live virtual events:

Households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for LIHEAP funding. To apply or learn more about LIHEAP, call the LIHEAP hotline at 1-877-411-9276 or contact your Local Administering Agency or Community Action Agency (visit the DCEO website to find yours).

"We urge customers who are struggling to afford their bills to check now to see if they're eligible for LIHEAP and, if so, apply for the available funding before May 31," CUB Communications Director Jim Chilsen said.

Visit CUBHelpCenter.com for more resources on energy assistance, tips on cutting your bills and your rights to avoid disconnection.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, it has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping block rate hikes, secure refunds and fight for clean, low-cost energy. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit its website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board
The program will highlight new research and systemic treatment options for gastric cancer patients.

PLANTATION, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) and the Korean Cancer Association (KCA) will partner to host the 2nd International Gastric Cancer Educational Symposium. The event will be held live from the Belle-Vue Suite, 36F at the Lotte Hotel Seoul in Seoul, Korea, on Friday, June 17, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. KST, and will be streamed virtually in the U.S. on Thursday, June 16, 2022, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST. It will feature presentations on various gastric cancer-related topics by medical experts from Korea, China, Japan, Europe, and the U.S. The event will be streamed virtually and explore various treatment options for early vs. late-stage gastric cancer patients. All presentations will be featured in English and translated simultaneously into different languages, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Spanish.

2nd International Gastric Cancer Educational Symposium hosted by Debbie's Dream Foundation and the Korean Cancer Association.

This year's symposium supporters include the Korean Gastric Cancer Association, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, Japanese Gastric Cancer Association, Digestive Cancers Europe, KIBOUNOKAI, Associazione Vivere senza stomaco si puo, Rare Cancers of Australia, and My Gut Feeling. Dr. Han-Kwang Yang, Director and Professor of Surgery at the Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, Korea, Chairman of the Board of Directors for KCA, will lead the symposium. Dr. Yang is excited to collaborate with DDF to help share effective practices between eastern and western world medicine.

"Last year, this symposium had nearly 1,000 registrants from 50 countries," said Dr. Han-Kwang Yang. "We realized then how much this community needs information on gastric cancer treatment. KCA and DDF have organized this year's symposium with patient panels and world-leading surgeons and medical oncologists. We're proud to continue this effort."

This year's topics include the advantages and disadvantages of robotic surgery vs. conventional surgery, understanding systemic treatment, and new clinical trial options for gastric cancer patients. Participants will access all presentations via Zoom and will be able to participate in a live Q&A session during the event. DDF and KCA look forward to hosting a successful symposium that will help educate patients worldwide.

"This event is critical because it explores how the treatment of gastric cancer varies around the world," said Andrea Eidelman, Chief Executive Officer of DDF. "Here in America, we have a melting pot of people, so we must collaborate with our international partners to highlight this information."

The symposium was made possible by National Title Sponsors Amgen, Bristol Meyers Squibb, and Daiichi Sankyo, Title Sponsor Taiho Oncology, National Platinum Sponsor Merck, National Gold Sponsor Astellas, and Gold Sponsor Lilly Oncology.

To register and learn more, visit https://DebbiesDream.org/inspire_events/.

About Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer

DDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about gastric cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support internationally to patients, families, and caregivers. DDF's ultimate goal is to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality.

DDF was founded in 2009 by Debbie Zelman after she was diagnosed with stage IV incurable gastric cancer in 2008 and given only weeks to live. Debbie is considered a pioneer by many for bringing awareness to the plight of stomach cancer patients worldwide, as well as to the lack of federal funding for stomach cancer research. She did all of this while receiving hundreds of rounds of chemo and daily oral treatments. Debbie passed away on December 23, 2017, at the age of 50, almost a decade later. As a result of her leadership, DDF now has a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of world-renowned doctors and chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada, and Germany. DDF strives to continue Debbie's mission to make her dream a reality.

About the Korean Cancer Association

Korean Cancer Association (KCA) aims to prevent and control cancer, host meetings and lectures, issue reports and related publications, support cancer research, and cooperate with other related societies. The organization was formerly Korean Cancer Research Association and became KCA in 1974.

Media Contact:

Brittnay Starks Communications Director

Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (954) 475-1200

[email protected]

www.DebbiesDream.org

SOURCE Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
Record first quarter production of 11,387 Boe/d from Desert Peak Minerals

DENVER, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Desert Peak Minerals ("Desert Peak") announced today record results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

First Quarter Highlights

Average daily production volume of 11,387 barrels of oil equivalent per day ("Boe/d) (52% oil), up 15% sequentially from 4Q21

Oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids revenues of $65.0 million , up 32% sequentially from 4Q21 primarily due to higher realized pricing and higher volumes

, up 32% sequentially from 4Q21 primarily due to higher realized pricing and higher volumes Net income including noncontrolling interests of $38.5 million , up 59% sequentially from 4Q21

, up 59% sequentially from 4Q21 Adjusted EBITDA of $59.8 million , up 40% sequentially from 4Q21 (See "Non-GAAP financial measures" below)

, up 40% sequentially from 4Q21 (See "Non-GAAP financial measures" below) Net cash provided by operating activities of $44.6 million , up 76% sequentially from 4Q21

, up 76% sequentially from 4Q21 Discretionary cash flow of $58.6 million , up 39% sequentially from 4Q21 (See "Non-GAAP financial measures" below)

Commentary

Chris Conoscenti, Chief Executive Officer of Desert Peak, said: "Record high production volumes associated with our mineral and royalty interests, record high net income and record high Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2022 were driven by robust activity by our diverse set of E&P operators in the Delaware and Midland Basins and continued strength in oil, natural gas and NGL pricing. In the first quarter, we signed purchase agreements with multiple sellers to acquire approximately 2,150 NRAs in the Delaware and Midland Basins for a combined total of approximately $34.6 million. These acquisitions are expected to close in June 2022."

Results of Operations

















Unaudited Financial and Operational Results

For the three

months ended

March 31,

($ in thousands, except per unit of production data)

2022

Operating Revenues







Oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids revenues

$ 64,951



Lease bonus and other income

1,412

Total Revenues

$ 66,363

Operating Expenses







Severance and ad valorem taxes

$ 3,725



Depreciation, depletion and amortization

15,385



Management fee to affiliates

1,870



General and administrative

3,983



General and administrative - affiliates

80

Total Operating Expenses

25,043

Net Income From Operations

41,320



Interest expense, net

(1,168)



Commodity derivative fair value losses

(1,114)

Income Before Taxes

39,038



Income tax expense

(516)

Net income including noncontrolling interests

38,522

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

19,242

Net income attributable to partners

$ 19,280













Other Financial Data:





Net cash provided by operating activities

$ 44,603

Net cash used in investing activities

$ (3,376)

Net cash used in financing activities

$ (40,021)

Production Data







For the three months

ended March 31,







2022 Production





Crude oil (MBbls)

535

Natural gas (MMcf)

1,694

NGLs (MBbls)

207



Total (Mboe)(6:1)

1,025



Average daily production (Boe/d)(6:1)

11,387 Average Realized Prices





Crude oil ($/Bbl)

$ 92.04

Natural gas ($/Mcf)

$ 4.63

NGLs ($/Bbl)

$ 37.81

Combined (per Boe)

$ 63.38

Unit Expense Metrics







For the three

months ended

March 31, Unit Expenses ($/Boe)

2022

Severance and ad valorem taxes

$ 3.63

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

$ 15.01

General and administrative

$ 3.88

General and administrative - affiliates

$ 0.08

Interest expense, net

$ 1.14

Non-GAAP financial measures

Adjusted EBITDA and Discretionary Cash Flow are a non-GAAP supplemental financial measures used by our management and by external users of our financial statements such as investors, research analysts and others to assess the financial performance of our assets and their ability to sustain dividends over the long term without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) including noncontrolling interests plus (i) interest expense, (ii) provisions for taxes, (iii) depreciation, depletion and amortization, (iv) share-based compensation expense, (v) impairment of oil and natural gas properties, (vii) gains or losses on unsettled derivative instruments, (viii) write off of deferred offering costs, (ix) management fee to affiliates, and (x) one-time transaction costs. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure determined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP").

We define Discretionary Cash Flow as Adjusted EBITDA, less cash interest expense and cash taxes.

These non-GAAP financial measures do not represent and should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP as measures of our financial performance. Non-GAAP financial measures have important limitations as analytical tools because they exclude some but not all items that affect the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Our computations of Adjusted EBITDA and Discretionary Cash Flow may differ from computations of similarly titled measures of other companies.

The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure for the period indicated (in thousands).









For the three

months ended

March 31,







2022











Net income including noncontrolling interests

$ 38,522

Interest expense, net

1,168

Income tax expense

516

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

15,385



EBITDA

55,591

Losses on unsettled derivative instruments

1,114

Management fee to affiliates

1,870

One-time transaction costs

1,219



Adjusted EBITDA

$ 59,794

The following table presents a reconciliation of Discretionary Cash Flow to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure for the period indicated (in thousands).







For the three months ended

March 31,





2022







Cash flow from operations

$ 44,603 Interest expense, net

1,168 Income tax expense

516 Changes in current assets and liabilities

10,418 Management fee to affiliates

1,870 One-time transaction costs

1,219

Adjusted EBITDA

59,794 Less:



Cash interest expense

1,047 Cash taxes

178

Discretionary Cash Flow

$ 58,569

About Desert Peak

Desert Peak was founded by Kimmeridge, a private investment firm focused on energy solutions, to acquire, own and manage high-quality Permian Basin mineral and royalty interests with the objective of generating cash flow from operations that can be returned to shareholders and reinvested. Desert Peak has accumulated over 105,000 net royalty acres ("NRAs," when normalized to a 1/8th royalty equivalent) through the consummation of over 180 acquisitions to date.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to projections, forecasts, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intends," "may," "might," "plan," "seeks," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "prospects," "guidance," "outlook," "should," "would," "will," and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about Desert Peak's ability to close acquisitions or realize the expected benefits thereof. While forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depend on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results, performance, and financial condition to differ materially from our expectations. See "Risk Factors" in the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A relating to the Merger (the "Proxy Statement"), Falcon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and Falcon's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for a discussion of risk factors that affect our business. Any forward-looking statement made in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all of them. Neither Desert Peak nor Falcon undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future development, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed Merger, Falcon has filed the Proxy Statement with the SEC and will file other documents with the SEC regarding the proposed Merger. Falcon has commenced mailing of the Proxy Statement to Falcon's stockholders which contains important information about the proposed Merger and related matters. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You may obtain a free copy of the Proxy Statement and other relevant documents filed by Falcon with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain Falcon's documents on its website at www.falconminerals.com. The references to the SEC's website and our website are for the convenience of investors and shall not be deemed to be incorporated into any of Falcon's filings. All website addresses in this prospectus are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Participants in the Solicitation

Desert Peak, Falcon and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Merger and may have direct or indirect interests in the Merger. Information about Falcon's directors and executive officers is set forth in the Proxy Statement, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022, and its other documents which are filed with the SEC. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the Merger when they become available. Investors should read the Proxy Statement carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions. Investors may obtain free copies of these documents using the sources indicated above.

Desert Peak contact:

Carrie Osicka

Chief Financial Officer

(720) 640-7651

[email protected]

SOURCE Desert Peak Minerals Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global distributed fiber optic sensor market size is expected to reach USD 2,533.5 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2022 to 2030.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

The temperature sensing application segment dominated the market (in terms of market size) in 2021. Temperature sensors find solicitations in the oil & gas and civil engineering segments.

Suppliers and manufacturers of fiber optic equipment are looking forward to achieving higher bandwidth, 100 GBPS, by undertaking intense research activities.

North America dominated the global market and accounted for the largest market share (in terms of revenue) in 2021.

dominated the global market and accounted for the largest market share (in terms of revenue) in 2021. The growing demand for DFOS equipment can be attributed to the ever-growing demand for efficient and optimized processes, across enterprises and manufacturing sectors.

The key industry participants include Halliburton, Schlumberger Limited, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, OFS Fitel, LLC, Qinetiq Group PLC, Omnisens SA, Brugg Kable AG, Luna Innovations Incorporated, and AP Sensing GmbH.

Read 154-page market research report, "Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application, By Technology, By Vertical (Oil & Gas, Power And Utility, Safety And Security), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market Growth & Trends

The distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOS) market is expected to grow exponentially over the forecast period globally. Factors such as significant demand from the civil engineering vertical and rising adoption in the oil & gas sector substantially boost the adoption of distributed fiber optic sensors. Fiber optics can withstand rough handling, such as in pipes, streams, and reactors, where manual inspection is not feasible. Furthermore, they help in structural health monitoring at dangerous workplaces and can also be used for border security purposes to prevent intrusion. Thus, its capability to work in a challenging environment is another factor propelling the market growth.

Increasing demand for sophisticated infrastructure and rising per capita income are predicted to lead to industrial automation, urban mobility, and growth in high-end residential projects. Various governments are focusing on conserving their prevailing infrastructure and developing new ones. They are under constant pressure to provide the necessary infrastructure, amenities, and connectivity to people. This has enabled increased spending on projects such as roads, railways, and dams. This rapid growth in the advanced civil engineering vertical is expected to boost the distributed fiber optic sensing market.

The rapid acceptance of DFOS has promoted manufacturers and suppliers to increase R&D expenditure to offer better products to their customers. Service providers are trying to regulate efficiencies and optimize their production process to capture maximum market share and eliminate all other substitutes of the fiber optics technology. The high production & installation price of DFOS products is promoting manufacturers to develop more competitively priced and reliable optic inspection products. Technological complexities, along with other challenges raise the price of deploying fiber optics which further hamper market growth opportunities.

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market Segmentation

For the purpose of this report, Grand View Research has segmented the distributed fiber optic sensor market based on application, technology, vertical, and region:

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market - Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Temperature Sensing

Acoustic/Vibration Sensing

Other

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market - Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Rayleigh Effect

Brillouin Scattering

Raman Effect

Interferometric

Bragg Grating

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market - Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Oil and Gas

Power and Utility

Safety and Security

Industrial

Civil Engineering

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



U.K.

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India

South America

Brazil

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players in the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market

Halliburton

Schlumberger Limited

Yokogawa Electric Corporation

OFS Fitel, LLC

Qinetiq Group PLC

Omnisens SA

Brugg Kable AG

Luna Innovations Incorporated

AP Sensing GmbH

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Hybrid Fiber Optic Connector Market - The global hybrid fiber optic connectors market size is expected to reach USD 1.06 billion by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2017 to 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.

The global hybrid fiber optic connectors market size is expected to reach by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2017 to 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Fiber Optic Preform Market - The global fiber optic preform market size is expected to reach USD 8.66 billion in 2025, registering a CAGR of 19.6% from 2019 to 2025. The growth can be attributed to the growing popularity of high-bandwidth internet connections, opportunities in healthcare industry, and investments in telecommunication infrastructure, among other factors.

- The global fiber optic preform market size is expected to reach in 2025, registering a CAGR of 19.6% from 2019 to 2025. The growth can be attributed to the growing popularity of high-bandwidth internet connections, opportunities in healthcare industry, and investments in telecommunication infrastructure, among other factors. Fiber Optic Connector Market - The global fiber optic connector market is expected to reach USD 5.9 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The fiber optics segment is expected to grow, significantly, over the forecast period.

Browse through Grand View Research's Sensors & Controls Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
As a child, his father, noted artist and art critic Richard Lawrence Bartholomew, told him stories of his family's escape from Burma, going through the jungles and harsh terrain and encountering the fascinating Naga people. And that is how the seeds of photographer Pablo Bartholomew's work, 'The Nagas' were sown.

The exhibition, presented by Dot Line Space and Nine Fish Art Gallery that featured 71 photographs besides a video gallery showcasing the Nagas' way of life, rituals, portraits, the traditional as well as modern avatars was held in Mumbai recently.

Spending 10 years documenting this people and creating a record of their cultural identity, this Padma Shri recipient photographer started work on the project in 1989. "I bought a jeep with a fellowship grant, customised it to accommodate a portable photo studio, lighting equipment and a generator. I did not even know how to drive then. That's something I learnt on an abandoned World War II era airstrip in Manipur during one of the trips," he tells IANS.

Talk to him about how he looks back at the early pictures shot during those trips, and Bartholomew feels that they have stood the test of time for many reasons and are a document of time and people. "And as everyone changes and modernises, there are changes in the Nagas' dress, habits, lifestyle and living. From a much more rural space they are coming into a more urban space, several new goods and services -- phones, Internet have penetrated their way of life. Things have changed and with the passage of time, much has become visually very different. So my document in that sense is pretty tied to a period where they were more animalist and moving from that into Christianity. I feel very privileged and lucky to have captured that period," says this Ordre des Arts et des Lettres recipient.

Bartholomew, who has always been fascinated by indigenous people says that the way they are able to navigate their landscape , live with the habitation and produce beautiful handicrafts, textiles and carved objects, depending on the tribe they belong to makes them very interesting for him. "Also, I find a connect that I cannot define -- they are close in some ways to my father's origin which was in Burma so the ethnicity is more familiar. Whether it's a mental state that I am imposing or it actually is, I don't know. But that's what draws you to any place."

While during the first wave of the Pandemic, Bartholomew kept moving around and photographed a lot -- capturing emptiness, and once the wave receded, photographed the same places, something he says kept him busy; but he has no plans to show that work. "I don't think it is great work that I did, so I am not sure if I would like to show it. A passage of time is very important for me, it has a way of filtering things."

For someone who dropped out of school to pursue photography and was awarded the first prize by World Press Photo for his series 'Time is the Mercy of Eternity' on morphine addicts in India, there are periods when he does not do anything for he feels blank in the head. "So, there are phases...I come back to photography because it is a tool I know, a language I understand. And I want to speak it as much as I can."
The Quadrant Knowledge Solutions SPARK Matrix provides competitive analysis & ranking of the leading customer communication management (CCM) vendors

Doxee with its comprehensive technology for CCM, receives strong ratings across the parameters of technology excellence and customer impact

MIDDLETON, Mass., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quadrant Knowledge Solutions announced today that it has named Doxee as a 2022 technology leader in the SPARK Matrix analysis of the global customer communication management (CCM) market.

The Quadrant Knowledge Solutions SPARK Matrix: Customer Communication Management includes a detailed analysis of global market dynamics, major trends, vendor landscape, and competitive positioning. The study provides competitive analysis and ranking of the leading CCM vendors in the form of its SPARK Matrix. It gives strategic information for users to evaluate different vendor capabilities, competitive differentiation, and market position.

According to Pallavi Bothra, Analyst, Quadrant Knowledge Solutions. "Doxee, with its comprehensive technology for customer communication management (CCM), has received strong ratings across the parameters of technology excellence and customer impact and has been positioned amongst the technology leaders in the 2022 SPARK Matrix of the customer communication management market". She added, "Doxee's microservices architecture and easy deployment, the Doxee Platform is available in the PaaS model for partners and can easily be integrated to provide CCM features in new applications. The company is transitioning to a full cloud by providing hybrid cloud capabilities to meet the security and privacy needs from specific industries. With its robust technology platform, comprehensive functional capabilities, and compelling product strategy and roadmap, Doxee is well-positioned to expand its market share in the global customer communication management market."

Enrico Celotto, CMO of Doxee "We were delighted to preview the new platform, especially the core batch functionalities, which are designed to create, personalize, archive, and distribute interactive communications across multiple digital and traditional channels. The Doxee Platform has been awarded and we are proud of this recognition. Our significant investments in R&D ensure the strategic technological evolution of the platform by expanding its interactive and personalized communication capabilities, integrating APIs and connectors and improving a powerful workflow. This is fundamental in order to always be able to address new and complex use cases and to satisfy the needs of our mainly enterprise customers, primarily those in the utility and finance sectors who are great users of Doxee CCM technologies for their customer communications for nearly two decade."

Customer communication management (CCM) helps organizations create, manage, deliver, store, and retrieve inbound and outbound communications to ensure a consistent and personalized customer experience across different communication channels & touchpoints. CCM is a tool that allows businesses to improve their customer experiences by automating communication workflows and providing business users with tools to design responsive, personalized communication across multiple channels, including e-mail, SMSes, web pages, interactive documents, and others. The solution centralizes the process and provides on-demand, batch, and interactive communication to users, ensuring improved delivery to customers, partners, distributors, regulatory bodies, and others.

Additional Resources:

For more information about Doxee's Customer Communication Management: https://www.doxee.com/products/document-experience

Complimentary download- SPARK matrix: Customer Communication Management, 2022: click here

About Doxee

Doxee (DOX:IM  ISIN IT0005394413) is a multinational hi-tech company and a leading provider of products for Customer Communications Management (CCM), Digital Customer Experience and Dematerialization. Doxee offers innovative technology products based on Doxee's proprietary platform and delivered in cloud mode to over 200 Enterprise companies to ensure scalability, flexibility, and reliability for mission-critical processes. Doxee products are a powerful tool for dynamic innovating communication strategies between the company and its customers, since they enable the creation of personalized and interactive relationships using digital machine learning and natural language processing technologies. For more than 10 years, the company has invested 13% of its revenues in Research & Development, with the goal of ensuring technological excellence and reliability. In addition to our constant commitment to R&D, Doxee promotes a working environment where our young people highly educated and technologically skilled are the key to boost innovation from within. Doxee is a Benefit Corporation and an Innovative SME headquartered in Modena, and offices located in Milan, Rome and Catanzaro, Italy, in the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and the United States. www.doxee.com

About Quadrant Knowledge Solutions

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions is a global advisory and consulting firm focused on helping clients as a strategic knowledge partner in achieving business transformation goals with Strategic Business and Growth Advisory Services. Quadrant's research and consulting deliverables are designed to provide comprehensive information and strategic insights for helping clients formulate growth strategies to survive and thrive in ever-changing business environments.

For more available research, visit: https://quadrant-solutions.com/market-research/

Media Contacts:

DOXEE | T +39 059 88680

INVESTOR RELATIONS MANAGER

Maria Elisa Biolo | [email protected]

Viale Virgilio 48b - 41123 Modena Italy

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions

Riya Mehar

[email protected]

SOURCE Quadrant Knowledge Solutions
"As technology innovation and data consumption continue to drive business growth in Texas, we are pleased to serve an increasingly comprehensive range of enterprise customers embracing digital transformation," says Ken Parent, CEO of Element Critical. "The flexibility of Houston One's customizable design continues to attract interest from the diverse base of Houston area companies that require high-touch customer service and a proven track record of mission-critical operational excellence."

For organizations that want to customize their build-to-suit space to meet their exact specifications, Element Critical's new expansion is designed for high-performance availability and offers superior flexibility for both retail and wholesale customers. The completed data hall suites in Houston One are designed to accommodate configurable power (N, N+1, or 2N), suite security personalization, and high-density solutions ranging up to 50 kW and beyond with the latest containment, immersion-cooled, and/or liquid to chip deployments.

Houston One Data Center Highlights

The Tier III data center is situated adjacent to a loop-fed 300 MW substation and supplies a premium rollover service that automatically routes power from two redundant substation transformers for maximum reliability.

Customers can leverage unique cost advantages to negotiate their own power contracts directly with their choice of supplier in Houston's open power market. Customers also benefit from Element Critical's investment in wind power in Texas that delivers 100% renewable energy to its Texas data centers.

open power market. Customers also benefit from Element Critical's investment in wind power in that delivers 100% renewable energy to its data centers. Houston One seamlessly supports hybrid cloud connected workloads, which are backed by ultra-low latency to Houston's Interstate-10 fiber-optic backbone, diverse access to 1301 Fannin, and access to 17+ network providers for superior connectivity options.

Interstate-10 fiber-optic backbone, diverse access to 1301 Fannin, and access to 17+ network providers for superior connectivity options. This facility has an FM I-150 roof system protecting against up to 190 mph hurricane-grade winds with superior past weather performance.

Element Critical's Houston One data center delivers best-in-class data center services for fast deployment of critical capacity while maintaining operational efficiency to reduce the total cost of ownership. The facility is designed to LEED Gold standards prioritizing sustainability and efficiency. The powered shell is now ready to drive large enterprises' digital initiatives forward.

For more information, visit www.elementcritical.com.

About Element Critical

Element Critical is a leading provider of tailored data center services backed by our solutions engineering expertise. Element Critical's Tier III facilities are hybrid IT-ready, network-rich, concurrently maintainable, and available in various deployment sizes and densities. Element Critical cares as much about the people we serve as the servers we house. For more information, visit www.elementcritical.com or connect with our team at [email protected]

Media Contact:

Nisa Hunt

[email protected]

SOURCE Element Critical
NEW YORK, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (HMTV), relating to its proposed acquisition by a subsidiary of Gato Investments LP. Under the terms of the agreement, HMTV shareholders will receive $7.00 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/hemisphere-media-group-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in HMTV and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC
A total of 218 high school students from across the country prepped, chopped, stirred, seared, and presented their unique take on dishes including flat iron steak, fresh salmon, asparagus, and risotto for the chef judges. The competition was offered virtually and in person at Escoffier's Austin and Boulder campuses. In-person students had to present completed dishes in 60 minutes. Virtual competitors documented preparation, progress, and completed dishes via Instagram for judges to review. Every student participating in the competition received a $500 scholarship toward culinary education at Escoffier. First, second, and third-place winners received an additional $3,000, $2,500, and $1,500 in scholarship funds for use at the school.

"If the winning dishes are any indication of what these up-and-coming culinary students are capable of, the future is bright for the class of 2022," said Kirk T. Bachmann, Boulder campus president.

Students were required to demonstrate their culinary technique, creativity, attention to detail, and presentation as part of the judging criteria.

"These students not only demonstrated how to put their culinary skills into practice, but they added another level of creativity and taste to the winning dishes," added Marcus McMellon, Austin campus president.

In addition to the student competition, Escoffier offers 14,000+ high school educators and career counselors unlimited, complimentary access to a selection of their foundational culinary learning videos and assessment tools designed to support high school students interested in pursuing careers in food or hospitality-related industries.

For details on the competition and a full list of winners, visit

https://www.facebook.com/escoffierschool.

For more information on the complementary resources for high school teachers, visit escoffier.edu/educators.

More about Escoffier

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the largest accredited provider of online and campus-based culinary training and education in the U.S. (based on comparable student data reported in IPEDS ). With ground campuses in Boulder, Co. and Austin, TX, it is the only U.S. accredited institution, available through its Boulder campus, to offer 100% online culinary degrees which include culinary classes and hands-on industry externships. Ranked in the top 10 culinary schools in the United States by USA Today and number one in the world by Chef's Pencil, the school's professional programs offer the proven combination of a classic and contemporary approach to modern industry skills training as well as sustainability-centered and business-focused curriculum. Escoffier offers professional programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Plant-based Culinary Arts, Holistic Nutrition and Wellness, and Hospitality and Restaurant Operations Management. For details on programs offered online and on-campus, visit Escoffier.edu . Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas is nationally accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is a Great Place to Work-Certified institution, a Newsweek Top Online Learning School and its Boulder campus is designated as a Military Friendly School.

Media Contact: Patti Thomas, 312.919.0898

SOURCE Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2022 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Social commerce industry in Europe is expected to grow by 36.5% on annual basis to reach US$67, 203.7 million in 2022.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 36.0% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$67, 203.7 million in 2022 to reach US$4, 24, 732.2 million by 2028.



The growing interaction of consumers with brands on social media platforms, coupled with shopping functionalities offered by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, have supported the rise of social commerce in Europe. With the trend gaining momentum in this region, social networking platforms, retailers, and tech giants have increased their investments in the social commerce space in the last eight quarters.



Fashion retailers are entering into the social commerce space of the United Kingdom



According to publisher's recent survey, nearly 25% of the shoppers purchased apparel, 20% of shoppers purchased beauty products, and around 19.5% of shoppers bought home electronics through social commerce in the United Kingdom. Notably, more than 50% of the population in the country depends on social commerce for buying fashion products. Consequently, more and more fashion retailers are entering this space to reach out directly to the customers and also prospective customers, where they spend maximum time.

London -based, Baukjen womenswear brand partnered with Curalate, a visual content monetization platform, to allow the 290,000 Instagram followers to upload their looks wearing its products with #BaukjenStyle. This enabled the shoppers to find products and styles online through intelligent image recognition technology, helping the brand engage with customers globally.

-based, Baukjen womenswear brand partnered with Curalate, a visual content monetization platform, to allow the 290,000 Instagram followers to upload their looks wearing its products with #BaukjenStyle. This enabled the shoppers to find products and styles online through intelligent image recognition technology, helping the brand engage with customers globally. With successful customer acquisition, its sister brand, Isabella Oliver , also injected social commerce into its business model with Curalate to expand its market share in the country.

, also injected social commerce into its business model with Curalate to expand its market share in the country. Similarly, fashion brand Isawitfirst partnered with the country's free live streaming social commerce app, OOOOO, to deliver a livestreamed interactive shopping experience for the customers.

Also, the beauty brand L'Oreal UK and Ireland partnered with TikTok to enable its customers in the United Kingdom to buy products from its beauty brands Garnier and NYX Professional Make-Up products through the TikTok app.

Over the last four to eight quarters, smartphone and internet penetration rates increased significantly in Germany, which has resulted in more and more online shoppers in the country. By 2025, Germany is expected to have approximately 69 million online shoppers. Notably, this growth in the number of online shoppers, as well as the number of social media users in the country, will keep supporting the growth of the overall social commerce market from the short to medium-term perspective.



A substantial increase in the number of active social media users is driving market growth in Germany



In 2019, the number of people active on social media platforms stood at around 31.5 million, representing nearly 45% of the total population. However, because of the global pandemic outbreak, the number of active users surged significantly in the country over the last four to eight quarters. According to the Q4 Social Commerce Market Survey, the number of active users increased to more than 65 million in 2021, which represents around 79% of the total population in the country.



Moreover, mobile adoption among consumers also became more prominent during the Covid-19 outbreak. As many as 64 million people access social media platforms through their mobile phones in Germany. This rise in mobile adoption among consumers has also supported the growth of social commerce over the last four to eight quarters. The publisher expects the trend to continue from the short to medium-term perspective, which will thereby keep supporting the overall market growth in the country.



Strategic partnerships are rising to tap the German social commerce market



Amid the growing trend of social shopping among consumers, social media platforms and e-commerce enablers are entering into strategic partnerships to provide businesses with the tools to bring their products online.

In April 2021 , Pinterest entered into a strategic partnership with Shopify to enable merchants of Shopify to sell their products on the social media platform. Apart from Germany , the two firms have extended their partnership in 26 more countries, including Australia , Brazil , and the United Kingdom .

, Pinterest entered into a strategic partnership with Shopify to enable merchants of Shopify to sell their products on the social media platform. Apart from , the two firms have extended their partnership in 26 more countries, including , , and the . Under the strategic partnership, Shopify merchants advertising on Pinterest will now have access to dynamic re-targeting, allowing the merchants to re-engage with Pinners who have previously shown interest in their products on the social media platform. Besides, merchants will also have access to more social commerce tools launched by Pinterest on their platform.

As the online shopping method continues to gain momentum among consumers in France, big retailers are also looking to capitalize on the trend to further increase their sales numbers in the country. French retailers are conducting a number of live shopping events to gain increasing traction from social consumers in the country. Moreover, even global players are looking to enter the French social commerce industry in 2022 to capitalize on the growing social commerce trend and to gain market share.



Social commerce companies are focusing on promoting high-end products to gain more profit



While the social commerce sector is growing in France, consumers are still hesitant when it comes to purchasing products from social networking platforms. This behavior of the French consumer is also reflected in their spending on social media platforms. According to publisher's recent survey, nearly 80% of the French consumers who have made purchases from social media platforms buy for less than US$55.



The mistrust among the French consumers is one of the factors why consumers prefer buying low-priced products. Consequently, the publisher expects social media platforms to adopt strategic initiatives which can help them spread awareness and create trust among consumers, which can further help in increasing the overall transaction value and volume in the country. Among the various platforms used by consumers to complete social commerce purchases, almost 75% of the consumers prefer Facebook. On the other hand, Instagram is preferred by approximately 25%, whereas Snapchat is preferred by 10.8% of the consumers in the country.



Scope

Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Others

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ytwdht

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
EverAg offers software, insights, and risk management solutions for livestock, dairy, and crops. Tweet this

The new partnership will enable EverAg to bring its Vault software, a multifaceted platform that combines production information with hedging positions and market pricing, to the swine and cattle risk management space. Customers will also benefit from expanded access to EverAg's large network of grain and feed expertise. EverAg offers software, insights, and risk management solutions for all three of its key agribusiness verticals, livestock, dairy, and crops.

Both companies have historically embraced a business model that combines the use of technology with in-house industry expertise, including brokers who are experienced with the needs of producers, growers, and ranchers. EverAg has over 475 employees, 80 of whom are dedicated to supporting the risk management and market intelligence needs of thousands of farmers and producers and hundreds of commercial firms.

"As the market for livestock insurance grows, customers need world-class technology as well as deep expertise and insights," said PFPAg CEO Joe Kearns, "Vault by EverAg will be a huge benefit to both current and future customers. I am looking forward to partnering with our new team members to continue enthusiastically supporting their success."

"This is a thrilling time for EverAg as we are joining forces with one of the premier leaders in the hog industry," said Pete Turk, President, Commercial Division. "Joe Kerns and his team are passionate about managing risk for their customers, always looking for the edge to improve their operations."

Additional information on this announcement can be found at news.ever.ag/pfpag/.

About EverAg

EverAg offers innovative agtech solutions that empower agriculture, food, and beverage supply chains to feed a growing world. The breadth of our portfolio is uniquely capable of supporting the complex needs of companies involved in dairy, livestock, crops, and agribusiness. With decades of experience and industry-leading innovations, our technology, risk management, and market intelligence provide our customers with the tools and insights they need to operate more efficiently, sustainably, and strategically across every stage of the supply chain. To learn more, visit News.Ever.Ag .

About Partners for Production Agriculture

Partners for Production Agriculture (formerly Kerns and Associates) was founded in 2008 with an express purpose of understanding the financial parameters around agricultural markets so that those we work with can thrive and prosper. We rely on fundamental analysis of markets with a hands-on approach. In addition to our core utilization of risk management vehicles including insurance, futures and options -- PFPAg is active in the marketing of animals, origination of feed ingredients, and evaluating all aspects that impact a livestock producer's bottom line.

Media Contact:

Sarah Wallach

[email protected]

720-988-6579

SOURCE EverAg
Coinsfera has made easier the process of exchanging bitcoin to AED or vise versa. Now you can easily exchange BTC or any cryptocurrency with AED, Dirhams in Dubai.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinsfera enables cryptocurrency enthusiasts to buy and sell bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency with cash, accepting cryptocurrency payments for business. You can now buy Bitcoin in Dubai with ease, and also Coinsfera is providing the easiest way to exchange Bitcoin for AED in Dubai and the fear of missing out is encouraging individuals to enter the market, whether by trading or creating their digital assets.

Coinsfera Where you can Sell Bitcoin for Cash in Dubai

Coinsfera Cryptocurrency OTC exchange makes it simple and secure to sell and buy Bitcoin in Dubai with cash and other cryptocurrencies. You can exchange Bitcoin for AED at the best price using the real market rate and with no hidden costs. You may use Coinsfera to convert Tether USDT to AED.

The best, fast, and safest way to exchange Bitcoin for USD in Dubai is officially Coinsfera

It's never been simpler to convert Bitcoin to AED in Dubai! Coinsfera will convert your Bitcoin to AED. Because cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity, everyone is seeking a safe and secure way to sell and buy Bitcoin in UAE . Coinsfera, a seasoned cryptocurrency exchange situated in Dubai, has been launched to make cryptocurrency trading easier. It is an established cryptocurrency cashpoint with a long experience in the digital money transfer market.

Many cryptocurrencies may be purchased and exchanged for cash in minutes at Coinsfera. Anyone may sell and buy bitcoin in Dubai at the best prices in only a few minutes. You can also trade USDT into AED in Dubai at Coinsfera OTC cryptocurrency exchange shop.

You can exchange Bitcoin for Euro in Dubai with Coinsfera easily

Cryptocurrencies might be difficult to grasp. If you wish to exchange Bitcoin for Euro in Dubai, the Coinsfera team will assist you in completing the necessary processes. Experience teaches us to trust one another. Thousands of satisfied customers may be of assistance to you. Buyers utilize the money to purchase assets (or a part of an asset). Buyers then swap the assets for goods or services on the internet. So now, buy Bitcoin in Dubai and exchange Bitcoin for Euro with the help of Coinsfera

https://www.coinsfera.com/buy-bitcoin-in-dubai/

https://www.coinsfera.com/sell-bitcoin-in-dubai/

Company : Coinsfera

Email: [email protected]

Phone. +971 58 535 0505

Address. Jumeirah Lake Towers, Cluster F, Indigo-Icon tower, Office # 501, 5th floor  Dubai, UA

About Coinsfera

Coinsfera is an OTC cryptocurrency exchange shop where you can securely buy and sell any cryptocurrency with cash in Dubai, Istanbul, London and Kosovo.

PRESS CONTACT

Coinsfera

+971585350505

www.coinsfera.com

SOURCE Coinsfera
This year's theme of 'A Living Culture' will examine contemporary issues driving change in the culture and creative industries (CCI) and the wider culture sector today. The global pandemic's impact on cultural production and dissemination has shifted our relationship with culture, transforming it into a more living and dynamic part of our daily lives. New cultural ecosystems characterised by greater fluidity, collaboration and resource sharing are emerging to support and sustain the CCI. Meanwhile, the evolving global media landscape provides both challenges and opportunities for preserving and promoting diversity of cultural expression and inclusion.

HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "Last year global cultural leaders recognised that the post-pandemic crisis in culture was profound and unprecedented. As the recovery process now gains momentum, we are taking practical steps to shape and strengthen the culture sector regionally and globally through partnership, debate and collaboration. The cultural summit in Abu Dhabi will once again convene brilliant and creative minds to explore the power of collectivity in uplifting societies. There can be no economic recovery without culture, so we seek to focus on outcomes and transformative actions that drive effective cultural solutions to the global challenges of our time."

Each of the three days of the event will be organised to examine these subjects through a different lens, channelling discussion aimed at generating solutions to the critical challenges and opportunities in a world transformed by COVID-19.

Living Cultural Ecosystems will take a sectoral perspective, looking at the severe impact of the pandemic on the culture sector and the resultant need for new, more dynamic or living cultural and creative ecosystems  systems that are more adaptable, resilient and responsive to change.

Living in Culture will consider the subject from a community perspective, examining the exponential increase in digital content creation and dissemination which arose from the pandemic's disruption to the CCI.

Culture, Diversity, Power will explore how the CCI (Culture & Creative Industries), and broader cultural resources are powerful drivers in identity building and inclusion in a diverse global environment  both physical and digital.

Through a series of panel discussions, keynotes, presentations, screenings and conversations, Culture Summit Abu Dhabi will harness the expertise of attending intellectuals, artists, educators and creative professionals to examine urgent contemporary issues. This includes the impact of digital media and AI, creative ecosystems and indigenous practices, representation, and topographies of public spaces, among many others.

Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2022 is organised by DCT Abu Dhabi in collaboration with global partner organisations bringing expertise in diverse fields, from culture and arts to media, technology and the economy. Partners include UNESCO, Economist Impact, Google, the Design Museum London and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Other participating partners include Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Sandstorm Comics, Cultural Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, The Recording Academy and the Culture Resource.

Those looking to attend Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2022 can register their interest on the website: www.culturesummitabudhabi.com. The event is by-invitation only and spaces are limited.

About the Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi:

DCT Abu Dhabi drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi's culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi's wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organisations that define the Emirate's position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the Emirate's potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies and systems to support the culture and tourism industries.

DCT Abu Dhabi's vision is defined by the Emirate's people, heritage and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi's status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives and creative thought.

For more information about DCT Abu Dhabi and the destination, please visit tcaabudhabi.ae and visitabudhabi.ae

SOURCE Culture Summit Abu Dhabi
Cardiovascular study results to be presented by Prof. Ran Kornowski, Director of the Cardiology Center, Rabin Medical Center at the EuroPCR 2022 conference in May

CAESAREA, Israel, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Filterlex Medical Ltd., a cardiovascular medical device startup, announced today that it has completed its CAPTIS First-In-Human (FIH) study. Study results will be presented by Prof. Ran Kornowski, Director of the Cardiology Center at Rabin Medical Center during the EuroPCR conference, 17-20 May, 2022. The CAPTIS is a next-generation, full-body embolic protection device to reduce the risk of stroke and other complications during left-heart procedures.

FIH clinical study principal investigators, Prof. Haim Danenberg and Prof. Ran Kornowski, and team celebrate successful completion of the first CAPTIS patient procedure at the Rabin Medical Center

The FIH study was designed to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of the CAPTIS device in patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). The study, including 20 patients, took place in two leading hospitals in Israel, Wolfson Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Hospital).

During catheter-based procedures, such as TAVR, embolic particles are often released into the blood stream and may cause neurological deficiencies, extending from cognitive impairment to debilitating stroke.

The CAPTIS device is easily and intuitively deployed and retrieved. It is securely positioned in the aorta, protecting its surface, while facilitating a seamless TAVR procedure. The CAPTIS uniquely requires no additional arterial access and does not interfere with the procedure workflow.

"The unique design of the CAPTIS was created out of a deep understanding of the TAVR procedure and commitment to protect patients' brain and kidneys. We look forward to presenting these promising FIH results later this month," said Co-founder and CMO, Dr. Giora Weisz.

Sigal Eli, Co-founder and CEO added: "We are thrilled about having reached this milestone. With our recent successful US $6 million series A1 investment and 7 million investment commitment from the European Innovation Council, our strategic plan is being executed and we remain committed to delivering a much-needed embolic protection device to the millions at risk during TAVR."

About Filterlex

Filterlex Medical Ltd. is a cardiovascular medical device startup developing the CAPTIS, a full-body embolic protection device. In 2016, Filterlex joined Alon MedTech Ventures incubator, owned by Dr. Shimon Eckhouse, a leading entrepreneur and investor in the field of medical devices. The company's founders have vast clinical knowledge and extensive experience in medical device development, commercialization, and marketing. For more information: www.filterlex.com.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 881076

SOURCE Filterlex Medical
PHILADELPHIA, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), a leading global agricultural sciences company, announced the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang Province, China, granted FMC Agro Singapore Pte. Ltd a pre-suit preliminary injunction to stop infringement of a chlorantraniliprole patent. Chlorantraniliprole is FMC's leading insecticide ingredient branded as Rynaxypyr active.

The pre-suit preliminary injunction restrains Zhejiang Yongtai Technology Co. Ltd. ("Yongtai Technology") from engaging in any activity of offering to sell chlorantraniliprole until FMC's patent expires, including by doing so at trade fairs.

"We are pleased with the Court's decision, which reflects its understanding of the urgency of this matter and its impact on the crop protection market in China," said Michael Reilly, FMC executive vice president, general counsel and secretary. "The principles decided by the Court are also significant for future infringement actions, as being one of very few cases anywhere in China where a trial court has granted pre-suit injunctive relief under the China Patent Law and standards outlined by the Chinese Supreme Court. The Ningbo Intermediate People's Court determined that Yongtai Technology's infringing acts violated the China Patent Law and created a need for urgent relief to protect FMC's patent rights."

For nearly four decades, FMC has provided proprietary insect, disease and weed control technologies to ensure that Chinese farmers have access to world-class product technologies. The company employs more than 600 people in China, where it operates a world-class innovation center in Shanghai and two manufacturing facilities in Shanghai and Jiangsu.

"Our intellectual property rights are an essential tool to drive innovation and continued investment in the Chinese crop protection market," said Pramod Thota, interim president for FMC's Asia Pacific Region and president of FMC U.S.A. "This decision reinforces the value of our commitment to bring innovative, high-quality crop protection solutions to growers in China and around the world."

About FMC

FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company dedicated to helping growers produce food, feed, fiber and fuel for an expanding world population while adapting to a changing environment. FMC's innovative crop protection solutions  including biologicals, crop nutrition, digital and precision agriculture  enable growers, crop advisers and turf and pest management professionals to address their toughest challenges economically while protecting the environment. With approximately 6,400 employees at more than 100 sites worldwide, FMC is committed to discovering new herbicide, insecticide and fungicide active ingredients, product formulations and pioneering technologies that are consistently better for the planet. Visit fmc.com to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn  and Twitter .

Rynaxypyr is a trademark of FMC Corporation or an affiliate. Always read and follow all label directions, restrictions and precautions for use. Products listed may not be registered for sale or use in all states, countries or jurisdictions.

Statement under the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current views and assumptions regarding future events, future business conditions and the outlook for the company based on currently available information. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. These factors include, among other things, the risk factors and other cautionary statements included within FMC's 2021 Form 10K filed with the SEC as well as other SEC filings and public communications. FMC cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statement. FMC undertakes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any duty, to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made, except as otherwise required by law.

SOURCE FMC Corporation
Parth (name changed), a resident of Laxmipura village in Nandasan taluka of Mehsana, always dreamt of settling in the US. His parents, aware about their sons dream, arranged Rs 25 lakh and paid it to two agents who assured them of sending their son to the US via Canada, on student visa. Little did the boy and his parents know that they were soon to be taken for a ride.

Agents Ravindra Patel of Gandhinagar and Jinal Patel, a resident of Gaurav Bungalows in Sola, collected more than Rs 25 lakhs from Parths parents as advance. Instead of Canada, Parth was taken to an isolated forest area near Panjim in Goa where he was confined in a duplex.

The agents and their associates tortured Parth mentally and physically. They forced him to call up his parents through a virtual number to inform them that he had reached Canada safely.

Once this information was passed on, the agents collected another Rs 31.5 lakh from Parths parents. Parth was then released from captivity while the agents and their aides went underground. The victim reached home and narrated his ordeal to his parents, who were taken aback by the turn of events. They immediately informed Mehsana police about the incident. Mehsana police have formed various teams and initiated searches for the accused. Lookout notices have been issued against Jinal Patel and Ravindra Patel so as to prevent them from leaving India.

Not first immigration racket in Gujarat

This is not the first time that those wanting to leave India for greener pastures abroad have been cheated of their money and have been kidnapped by immigration agents.

In one such case registered a few months ago with Gandhinagar police, 15 Gujaratis keen to settle abroad were kidnapped and taken hostage in West Bengal by immigration agents. They were tortured and shifted to a village near Nepal border. The relatives of the 15 Gujaratis contacted CM Bhupendra Patel who directed Gandhinagar police to act.

A police official associated with the case said, A team was immediately dispatched and all the 15 were rescued with help of Delhi police. In another case involving fake passports, using which Gujaratis were sent abroad, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested four agents. Investigators continue to look for kingpin Charanjit Singh of Delhi who had created a nexus with Mexican agents to push Gujaratis illegally into the US via the US-Mexican border. Singh was in contact with local guy Bobby Patel, a resident of Ahmedabad. A lookout notice has been issued for both the accused.

Dingucha case probe goes nowhere

Meanwhile, CID crime officials said despite repeated reminders the Canadian authorities are yet to provide them with the post mortem report of the family of four, from Dingucha village in Mehsana, who froze to death while attempting to enter the US from Canada. A police official said, We have not got the documents the family provided to the Canadian authorities to get a Canadian tourist visa. We want to verify whether the documents provided by the family and their agents were fake or original.
Director of Perlmutter Cancer Center the Latest to be Honored

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health and an internationally renowned expert in cell signaling and cancer biology, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS recently announced the election of 150 new members in recognition of their distinguished achievements in original research, bringing the number of active members to 2,512. The academy encourages education and research, seeks to increase public understanding of science, engineering, and medicine, and advises the government on key scientific questions.

Dr. Neel's research has helped to unravel cell signaling pathways involved in developmental disease and in cancer, with a focus on several protein-tyrosine phosphatases that his group discovered. This work has suggested new therapeutic approaches to cancers caused by KRAS mutations, such as lung and pancreas cancers. He also has made significant contributions to the functional genomics of breast cancer, and generated new models of ovarian cancer.

"The NAS election of Dr. Neel is the latest evidence that our leaders are, indeed, among the very best scientists in the world," says Robert I. Grossman, MD, Dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "I am confident that Dr. Neel's most significant contributions will lead to better medicine, and to improved lives, for our patients."

As head of Perlmutter Cancer Center, Dr. Neel and his outstanding team have overseen since his arrival in 2015 a near doubling of the number of patients enrolled in clinical trials, the recruitment of more than 40 renowned faculty members, and a 45 percent increase in research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The rise in NCI funding included $20 million in new funding that accompanied Perlmutter's designation in February 2019 as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, an elite group of 50 cancer centers nationwide at the time that had earned the distinction.

Dr. Neel earned his PhD in viral oncology from The Rockefeller University in 1982 and his MD from Cornell University Medical School the following year. His work with William S. Hayward and the late Susan Astrin on the activation of endogenous oncogenes by slowly transforming RNA tumor viruses, which he carried out as a graduate student at Rockefeller, has had a long-lasting impact on cancer science. He previously held positions as the William B Castle Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of Hematology-Oncology Research, Head of the Cancer Biology Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and as director of research at Princess Margaret Cancer Center, and Canada Research Chair, Tier 1, at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Neel has authored more 260 primary papers and 35 reviews. He is a former Program Chair of the Annual Meeting and Member of Board of Directors of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), recipient of the initial AACR Gertrude Elion Award and of the Premier of Ontario Summit Award, and an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.

Three Years in a Row

2022 marks the third year in row that a researcher from NYU Grossman School of Medicine has joined the academy. Kathryn J. Moore, PhD, the Jean and David Blechman Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Health, was elected in 2021, and NYU Langone Chief Science Officer Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD, the Saul J. Farber Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Vice Dean for Science at NYU Langone Health, was elected in 2020.

Dr. Moore studies how the immune system contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and how genes that control cholesterol deposition in blood vessels might be manipulated by experimental therapies. By linking studies of lipids, metabolism and innate immunity, she has revealed insights into pathways that regulate cholesterol homeostasis and vascular inflammation. Dr. Moore also recently engendered notice for her study showing that heart attacks, by changing the immune system, may accelerate the development of breast cancer.

Dr. Moore earned her Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal, and pursued postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in autoimmunity and atherosclerosis. She joined the Harvard Medical School faculty as an assistant professor in 2001, before moving to NYU Grossman School of Medicine in 2009. Her awards include the American Heart Association (AHA) Special Recognition Award, the Jeffrey Hoeg Arteriosclerosis Award for Basic Science and Clinical Research, and a National Institute of Health Outstanding Investigator Award. In addition, in November 2021, the AHA presented Dr. Moore with its Distinguished Scientist in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Award.

Dr. Bar-Sagi is a cancer biologist recognized for her work on processes that drive tumor progression. This includes her recent work that found pancreatic tumors program immune cells to break collagen into molecules that trigger fibrotic build-up, a known barrier to therapy. She is known particularly for her studies delineating the role of the RAS oncogene in enhancing tumor cell survival via metabolic changes and evasion of the immune system, and the use of chemical and nano-biology approaches to identify new treatments.

Since taking her role as chief science officer in 2011, Dr. Bar-Sagi has been instrumental in enhancing the national reputation of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which was second among U.S. medical schools in the most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking. She is also the recipient of the 2018 AACR Scientific Achievement Award and Lectureship, the 21st AACR Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship, and a National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award. She was also elected to The American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Bar-Sagi earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and her PhD from SUNY at Stony Brook. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the cell biology group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Prior to joining NYU School of Medicine Medical Center in 2006 as chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Bar-Sagi headed the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at SUNY at Stony Brook. In 2011, Bar-Sagi assumed the role of Senior Vice President and Vice Dean for Science, Chief Scientific Officer at NYU Langone. In addition to her elected position to the NAS, she also is a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research, other recent awards

Media Contact:

Gregory Williams

[email protected]

SOURCE NYU Langone Health
More than 100 entries from 26 universities across the U.S. and Canada were evaluated by a jury of influential industry professionals for their interpretation of the competition's fifth-anniversary theme, which called for students to express the future of design through a furniture piece using Formica  Laminate woodgrain products, a nod to the traditional fifth-anniversary gift of wood.

The top three winning students will receive cash prizes and the grand prizewinner will see their design come to life at NeoCon 2022.

"The caliber of entries was outstanding," said Felice Silverman, competition judge and principal of Silverman Trykowski Associates located in Boston, Mass. "Each submission was a truly creative design solution that excelled from concept to execution, and I was so impressed with the innovative ideas and unique use of materials. Students balanced their creativity with a solid understanding of the practicality and detail of the solutions to create compelling renderings and branding. Most importantly, each design demonstrated sincere consideration for the human experience and the power of well-designed furniture to improve our lives."

Grand prize: Sarah Dezember and Wenhan Zhang from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are the grand prizewinners for their joint entry "Twins Table." Those living in big cities often have smaller spaces that still must serve an ever-changing and ever-growing number of needs. The Twins Table was created to provide flexible, multipurpose furniture that can seamlessly transition between functions. It can be used in four different ways and in its standard configuration, one side of the round table seats two people comfortably. When completely closed, it can be stored away or used as decoration. Twins Table also comes in a variety of Formica Laminate woodgrains, colors and patterns, offering a broad range of design options.

"Twins Table is an incredibly clever design that rethinks the traditional tray table for modern spaces where flexibility is essential," said Renee Hytry Derrington, competition judge and managing principal of North American design at Formica Corporation. "Through detailed renderings, this team inspired us with the versatility of this design through its multiple configurations and striking finish options."

Second prize: Christina Vogiatzis from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, was awarded second prize for her "Pawd" design, a unique, multifunctional and stylish furniture piece designed to serve and connect all forms of life, from humans to animals and plants. The sleek design of Pawd features three main components to support a diverse range of activities, from work to play and more.

Third prize: Julienne Bernier from Georgian College in Ontario, Canada, was awarded third prize for her "Annual Ring" chair design. Inspired from the annual rings that show the age of trees, the Annual Ring chair reflects the lifetime journey of humans and trees alike. With nine stages of human development, this piece uses nine woodgrain laminates to represent each stage arranged in a gradient from light to dark, symbolizing the beginning and end of life. The chair structure has no beginning and no end, just like the circle of life.

Honorable mentions: Other top ten finishers, in no particular order, include:

Amber Scott from Ball State University

from Bethany Mumford from Savannah College of Art and Design

from Blaine Zweifel from Ringling College of Art and Design

from Ringling College of Art and Design Jenna Muller from College for Creative Studies

from Mary Li and Golnazsadat Jakakzadeh Azar from Yorkville University

and Golnazsadat Jakakzadeh Azar from University Molly Taylor from Mississippi State University

from Pasang Lhamo Sherpa from Georgian College

For more information about the winning students' designs, please visit www.formica.com/studentcompetition .

About Formica Corporation

Founded in 1913, Formica Corporation, part of the Formica Group of companies, is a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative surfacing products for commercial and residential applications. For more information about Formica Corporation, its products, special programs and promotions, visit www.formica.com or call 1-800-FORMICA.

About Formica Group

Formica Group is a global group of companies consisting of Formica Canada Inc., Formica Corporation, Formica de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Formica IKI Oy, Formica Skandinavien AB, Formica Limited, Formica S.A., Formica S.A.S., Formica Taiwan Corporation, Formica (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Formica (Asia) Ltd., Formica Decorative Materials (China) Co., Ltd. and Homapal GmbH, among others.

Please Note: Formica and the Formica Anvil Logo are registered trademarks of The Diller Corporation. 1-800-FORMICA is a trademark of The Diller Corporation. All rights reserved. 2022 The Diller Corporation.

Contact:

Owen Serey

Formica Corporation

513-786-3121

[email protected]

SOURCE Formica Corporation
Not only did we need a great design and development group, we needed a system to track and accelerate it.

Kalin Mowry, Director of Production and Development brought big changes to the product development process. Recognizing the need to move away from spreadsheets and email, she also aimed to move the design and development from third-party contractors to in-house. Mowry built a case for PLM as well as an in-house team. "Not only did we need a great design and development group, we needed a system to track and accelerate it. The spreadsheets and basically all of the archaic ways of tracking weren't really suitable for how quickly we were growing."

Now, they have all their product data in a central, digital hub and communication among team members is efficient. Every department is using Centric PLM to execute tasks from concepting, design, development and SKU creation to CAD, costing and setting pricing for both retail and wholesale.

Find out more details in the success story!

Read the full story

Request a Demo

FRANKIES BIKINIS, LLC. (www.frankiesbikinis.com)

In 2012 founder Francesca Aiello began her mission to create the perfect bikini, gaining momentum when she began to showcase her swimsuit designs on Instagram. After creating two collections, Francesca became the youngest designer to ever debut at Miami Swim Week in 2014. Her designs are worn by supermodels and celebrities including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner.

Frankies Bikinis is a global online destination for fashion-forward beachwear inspired by Malibu and made in Los Angeles. Known for high-end fabrics, fashion forward shapes, and cheeky bottoms, the bikinis look great on everybody. Since the company's inception, Francesca Aiello has evolved the brand into a beach lifestyle brand, expanding product offerings to include ready-to-wear clothing and beauty. Frankies Bikinis' designs can be found in better retail boutiques nationwide including Revolve, Intermix, Free People, Kith, and Browns. The largest selection of Frankies Bikinis can be found at frankiesbikinis.com.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Product Concept to Consumer Digital Transformation Platform for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics and consumer goods including cosmetics and personal care and food and beverage. Centric's flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (CVIP) offers highly visual digital board experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Retail Planning is an innovative, cloud-native solution powered by Armonica Retail S.R.L., that delivers an end-to-end retail planning process designed to maximize retail business performance. Centric Software pioneered mobility, introducing the first mobile apps for PLM, and is widely known for connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com, planning and more as well as creative tools such as Adobe Illustrator and a host of 3D CAD connectors. Centric's innovations are 100% market-driven with the highest user adoption rate and fastest time to value in the industry. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Centric Software
"Eating plant-based should never mean settling for a limited menu," said Jill Dexter, VP/GM, Conagra Brands. "Gardein is committed to adding delicious new food to our line-up, and we're really excited for consumers to try out these offerings."

The new arrivals to Gardein's Ultimate Plant-based line offer foods that can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch and dinner. From spicy to sweet, there's a wide variety of flavors as well, including:

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Wings, available in Buffalo and BBQ style

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Spicy Fillets

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Saus'ge Links, available in Bratwurst and Spicy Italian

Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus'ge, available in Original and Spicy patties

The new foods are the latest additions to Gardein's Ultimate Plant-Based collection, which debuted in 2020 with the arrival of the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, and continued the following year with the first three Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n items: tenders, nuggets and fillets.

Gardein has created one of the most diverse line-ups in the plant-based meat alternatives category, with a belief that those eating plant-based shouldn't have to sacrifice taste or variety. With a portfolio that includes plant-based alternatives to beef, chicken, pork, turkey and seafood, Gardein's chef-inspired food has gained the approval of those who eat meatless every day or just on occasion. In addition to frozen foods, Gardein also offers canned soups and chili.

The new additions to Gardein's Ultimate Plant-Based line will be available at grocery stores, mass retailers and through ecommerce beginning in June. For more information on Gardein's full collection of plant-based alternatives, visit gardein.com.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Vlasic, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Dan Skinner, Conagra Brands

312-549-5636

[email protected]

www.gardein.com

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
Gen. Murray to Help Vita Disrupt Traditional Defense Acquisitions for New and Emerging Technologies and Products

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vita Inclinata , developer and producer of precision aerospace and industrial stabilization devices, today announced Gen. John M Murray (Ret.) as Vita Inclinata's ("Vita") Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors. Gen. Murray joins a prestigious team of board members, including recently announced Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski (Ret.) and others, to leverage his deep expertise and understanding of U.S. Army acquisitions and defense innovation ecosystems to guide the company's board of directors and leadership.

General John M. Murray (Ret.), Former Commander of Army Futures Command, Joins Vita Inclinata as Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors

General Murray retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general overseeing U.S. Army Futures Command from 2018 to December 2021. Before the Army Futures Command, General Murray served as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, and commanded the 3rd Infantry Division during Operations Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support.

"I firmly believe that the technology Vita is delivering to our warfighters will make MEDEVAC operations safer and ultimately save lives," Murray said. "I'm committed to helping Vita disrupt traditional U.S. Government contract development by identifying solutions to 'cross the valley of death.' For too many years, the U.S. Army has relied entirely on the innovation of the traditional defense industry and has not taken advantage of small company break-through technologies such as the Vita Rescue System."

Vita Inclinata is well known within the defense innovation ecosystem, having received millions of dollars from the USAF's innovation vehicle AFWERX. The company also has received awards such as the grand prize winner of the U.S. Army's innovation program known as xTechSearch.

"General Murray is a perfect collaborator and mentor for Vita as the company works with Congress and the Defense Department to define and develop the defense innovation ecosystem," says Caleb Carr, CEO of Vita Inclinata.

About Vita Inclinata

A friend's death during a rescue operationwith a helicopter close but unable to stabilize due to weather and terrainwas the genesis of Vita Inclinata. Founded in 2015 as a way to solve a real problem, Vita today controls chaotic swinging and spin and adds safety and precision for rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft and cranes. With the mission of "Bring them home, every time," Vita's technology changes the narrative while saving lives, time, and money across industries, including search and rescue, military, firefighting, public safety, construction, wind energy, and oil and gas. The company is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, with offices in Washington, DC, and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, please visit www.vitatech.co .

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Betsey Rogers

BridgeView Marketing

603-821-0809

[email protected]



SOURCE Vita Inclinata
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Balance Shaft Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global automotive balance shaft market reached a value of US$ 13.5 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the market is projected to reach US$ 18.8 billion by 2027, exhibiting at a CAGR of 5.55% 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.



An automotive balance shaft is fitted into an internal combustion engine (ICE) to reduce vibration by canceling unbalanced dynamic forces. It has eccentric weights that eliminate the need to balance the engine components while ensuring smooth operations. Nowadays, forged balance shafts are gaining adoption around the world on account of their compact dimension and effective inherent damping.



The boosting sales of passenger vehicles worldwide on account of rapid urbanization and inflating income levels represent one of the major factors bolstering the market growth. Automotive balance shafts help reduce engine noise, vibration, and harshness and ensure passenger comfort.

Apart from this, the rising use of commercial vehicles, such as buses, trucks, taxicabs, trailers, and vans, in transportation and logistics is influencing the market positively. Moreover, the emerging trend of online shopping, along with the expanding global trade, is propelling the utilization of commercial vehicles in logistics for shipments.

This, in turn, is contributing to the market growth. Additionally, the growing working population is driving the need for interconnected mobility solutions that reduce road traffic and commute times and provide diverse travel options. This is offering lucrative opportunities to manufacturers for expanding their product portfolio and retaining a competitive edge in the market.

Furthermore, stringent policies implemented by governing agencies of numerous countries to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles are impelling the market growth. This is also encouraging automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to incorporate balance shafts and improve fuel efficiency, thermal efficiency, and energy savings of vehicles. Besides this, market players are focusing on improving the design and efficiency of balance shafts, which is anticipated to stimulate the market growth.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being AB SKF, American Axle & Manufacturing Inc., Engine Power Components Inc., Hirschvogel Automotive Group, MarkLines Co. Ltd., Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co. Ltd., Ningbo Jingda Hardware Manufacture Co. Ltd., OTICS USA Inc. (OTICS Corporation), Sansera Engineering Limited, SHW AG and TFO Corporation.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the global automotive balance shaft market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global automotive balance shaft market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the vehicle type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the manufacturing process?

What is the breakup of the market based on the engine type?

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 automotive balance shaft market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Automotive Balance Shaft Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Vehicle Type

6.1 Passenger Cars

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Light Commercial Vehicle

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Heavy Commercial Vehicle

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Manufacturing Process

7.1 Forging

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Casting

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Engine Type

8.1 Inline-3 Cylinder Engine

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Inline-4 Cylinder Engine

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Inline-5 Cylinder Engine

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 V6 Engine

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 AB SKF

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.2 American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Engine Power Components Inc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4 Hirschvogel Automotive Group

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5 MarkLines Co. Ltd.

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.6 Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co. Ltd.

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.7 Ningbo Jingda Hardware Manufacture Co. Ltd.

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8 OTICS USA Inc. (OTICS Corporation)

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9 Sansera Engineering Limited

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10 SHW AG

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10.3 Financials

14.3.11 TFO Corporation

14.3.11.1 Company Overview

14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/65pfeb

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Key Points Covered in the Content Editing Services Market Report:

Am I engaging with the right suppliers?

Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers?

Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for ERP Software?

What are the ERP Software category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx?

Key Global Suppliers in the Content Editing Services Market:

Melen LLC

Crowd Content Media Inc

Cambridge Proofreading & Editing LLC

Get Quick Access to the Key Global Suppliers Profiled Extensively in This Report

The Content Editing Services Market report evaluates suppliers based on provision for applicable insurance policy, real-time analysis, pipeline software solutions, and conduct pipeline surveys. In addition, suppliers are also shortlisted based on business needs, technical specifications, operational requirements, security compliance, regulatory mandates, legal requirements, quality control, change management procedures, pricing models, penalty clauses, SLA nuances, acceptance criteria, and evaluation criteria.

Request a Report Sample to Gain Comprehensive Insights at Content Editing Services Market:

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Contact

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SOURCE SpendEdge
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Contrast Agent Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global contrast agent market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.76% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$4.754 billion in 2027 from US$3.007 billion in 2020.



A contrast agent, often known as contrast media, is a substance used in medical imaging to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body. Unlike radiopharmaceuticals, contrast agents absorb or modify external electromagnetic or ultrasound waves, whereas radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation. The patient can be administered these drugs orally, rectally, or intravenously.



The rising prevalence of chronic disorders, increased authorization of contrast agents, the rising number of diagnostic imaging tests including ultrasound, X-rays, and advanced imaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans, expanding the number of diagnostic centres and hospitals, and the availability of reimbursement are all factors influencing market expansion.

Chronic diseases kill 41 million people each year, accounting for 70% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States has 34,540 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units per 100,000 inhabitants. With 55.210 units per 100,000 inhabitants, Japan had the largest number of units. The number of computed tomography (CT) scanner units in the United States was 42.430 per 100,000 inhabitants. On the other hand, the high cost and inaccessibility of advanced treatments can limit market expansion.



The global contrast agent market is dominated by the North American region. In North America, the United States is the largest consumer market for the contrast agent. In the United States, the rise in chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders is the primary driver of market growth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, 6 out of 10 adults in the country have a chronic condition, and 4 out of 10 have two or more. In the United States, chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the major causes of death and disability. They are also the main drivers of the $3.8 trillion in yearly healthcare spending in the United States.



Growth Factors:

The growing popularity of contrast agents

As the global prevalence of chronic disorders rises, the need for diagnostic imaging tests as well as contrast agents increases. Due to the growing demand for medical imaging, contrast agent companies are investing more in R&D in order to bring new products to market and gain approval for new indications.

For instance, in 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed hypersensitivity to blood and blood products from the list of contraindications for GE Healthcare's Optison echocardiography contrast agent. The Siemens Naeotom Alpha, the world's first photon-counting computed tomography (CT) scanner, also received FDA approval in September.



Restraints:

Side-effects and lack of specialised experts

Contrast agents are not dyes that discolour internal organs permanently. They are chemicals that alter the way x-rays and other imaging tools interact with the body for a short period of time. They're generally considered safe for use in diagnostic methods like MRI and CT scans. However, some of the negative side effects and allergic reactions linked to their use may limit the market's growth.

Rashes, skin redness, and skin swelling are common delayed adverse effects, which are frequently accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and disorientation. The reported incidence ranges from 1% to 23%. Following recent allergic reactions to certain ultrasound contrast agents that resulted in 11 cases of anaphylaxis and two fatalities, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to imaging providers in April 2021. There is also a lack of technically skilled experts to handle such advanced and sophisticated diagnostic imaging units.



COVID-19's Impact on the Global Contrast Agent Market

The COVID-19 outbreak had a detrimental impact on the contrast agent's market. Lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic prompted fewer patients to go for health check-ups, severely straining the healthcare industry. To restrict the spread of the disease and save healthcare resources for COVID-19 patients, healthcare institutes and professionals were instructed to stop performing elective surgical operations and medical tests. As a result, the volume of medical imaging patients in many radiology departments rapidly declined.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction1



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of End-Users

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Iodinated

5.3. Barium-based

5.4. Microbubble

5.5. Gadolinium-based



6. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Modality

6.1. Introduction

6.2. X-ray/CT

6.3. MRI

6.4. Ultrasound



7. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Route of Administration

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Intravascular

7.3. Oral

7.4. Rectal

7.5. Others



8. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Indication

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Oncology

8.3. Cardiovascular Disease

8.4. Neurological Disorders

8.5. Gastrointestinal Disorders

8.6. Nephrological Disorders

8.7. Musculoskeletal Disorders

8.8. Others



9. Global Contrast Agent Market Analysis, by Geography

9.1. Introduction

9.2. North America

9.2.1. USA

9.2.2. Canada

9.2.3. Mexico

9.3. South America

9.3.1. Brazil

9.3.2. Argentina

9.3.3. Others

9.4. Europe

9.4.1. Germany

9.4.2. France

9.4.3. UK

9.4.4. Italy

9.4.5. Spain

9.4.6. Others

9.5. Middle East and Africa

9.5.1. Saudi Arabia

9.5.2. UAE

9.5.3. South Africa

9.5.4. Others

9.6. Asia Pacific

9.6.1. China

9.6.2. India

9.6.3. Japan

9.6.4. South Korea

9.6.5. Taiwan

9.6.6. Thailand

9.6.7. Indonesia

9.6.8. Others



10. Competitive Environment and Analysis

10.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

10.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativenessness

10.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

10.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



11. Company Profiles

11.1. Guerbet Group

11.2. BIPSO GmbH

11.3. Bayer AG

11.4. Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.

11.5. Bracco Diagnostic, Inc.

11.6. GE Healthcare

11.7. Curadel, LLC

11.8. Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited

11.9. Magnus Health

11.10. Spago Nanomedical AB



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8venvg

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 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Royalty Rate Trends in Pharma and Biotech Dealmaking 2010-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Royalty Rate Trends in Pharma and Biotech Dealmaking 2010 - 2022 report is your one-stop source for providing real-deal information on hundreds of transactions, including the technology licensed, royalty rates, license fees, upfront and milestone payments.

This report provides details of the latest partnering deals which disclose a royalty rate, announced in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic sectors. The report provides details of partnering deals disclosing royalty rates from 2010 to 2022.

The report provides an overview of how and why companies enter partnering deals where a royalty is payable upon commercialization of the compound or technology.

Understanding the flexibility of a prospective partner's negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered - contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do not.

This report contains a comprehensive listing of all partnering deals announced since 2010 where a quantitative royalty rate has been disclosed, as recorded in the Current Agreements deals and alliances database. Each deal record and royalty disclosure is available in further detail via a link to online copy of the deal including actual contract document, where available, as submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission by companies and their partners.

The initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of royalty rate trends in pharma and biotech since 2010. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 provides an overview of the trends in royalty rates in the pharma and biotech sectors since 2010, including a summary of the recent literature on the subject.

Chapter 3 provides a more detailed insight into the structure of a royalty rate clause and how it fits with the other financial terms of the partnering deal. The chapter includes numerous case studies for actual deals where royalty rates have been disclosed.

Chapter 4 provides an insight into companies active in disclosing royalty rates as well as those deals attracting the highest royalty rates, and why.

Chapter 5 provides comprehensive and detailed access to deals which disclose a royalty rate since 2010 where a contract document is available. Contract documents provide an in-depth insight into the actual deal terms agreed between the parties with respect to the royalty rate.

In addition the report includes a comprehensive appendix listing of all deals where a royalty rate has been disclosed announced since 2010. Each listing is organized as an appendix by company A-Z, stage of development at signing, therapeutic area, and technology type. Each deal title links via hyperlink to an online version of the deal record including, where available, the actual contract document.

The report includes deals announced by hundreds of life science companies including big pharma such as Abbott, Abbvie, Actavis, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Bayer, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GSK, J&J, Kyowa Hakko, Merck, Mitsubishi, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Shire, Takeda, Teva, and Valeant, amongst many others.

In conclusion, this report provides everything a prospective dealmaker needs to know about royalty rates in the pharma and biotech sector.

Key benefits

In-depth understanding of royalty rate partnering deal trends since 2010

Analysis of the structure of royalty clauses with numerous real life case studies

Comprehensive listing of all partnering deals since 2010 where a royalty rate is disclosed, together with deal terms, value and press release

Comprehensive access to actual partnering deal contracts entered into by the world's life science companies where a royalty rate is disclosed

Insight into the royalty terms included in a licensing agreement, together with real world clause examples

Understand the key deal terms companies have agreed in previous deals

Undertake due diligence to assess suitability of your proposed deal terms for partner companies

Available deals and contracts are listed by:

Company A-Z

Headline value

Therapeutic area

Technology type

Analyzing actual contract agreements allows assessment of the following:

What are the precise royalty rates granted?

What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company?

What exclusivity is granted?

What is the payment structure for the deal?

How are sales and payments audited?

What is the deal term?

How are the key terms of the agreement defined?

How are IPRs handled and owned?

Who is responsible for commercialization?

Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture?

How is confidentiality and publication managed?

How are disputes to be resolved?

Under what conditions can the deal be terminated?

What happens when there is a change of ownership?

What sublicensing and subcontracting provisions have been agreed?

Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon?

Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type?

Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law?

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.1. What are royalties?

1.2. History of royalty rates

1.3. Royalties in pharma and biotech

1.4. Royalties versus revenue share

1.5. Overview of the report

Chapter 2 - An overview of pharma and biotech royalty rates

2.1. Trends in royalty rates 2010-2022

2.2. How do revenue shares figure?

2.3. A review of recent literature

2.4. Royalty rates in the future

Chapter 3 - The royalty clause in pharma and biotech deals

3.1. Partnering agreement structure

3.2. Structure of a typical royalty clause

3.3. Example royalty clauses

3.3.1. Case study 1

3.3.2. Case study 2

3.3.3. Case study 3

3.3.4. Case study 4

Chapter 4 - Companies actively disclosing royalty rates

4.1. 25 most active companies in disclosing royalty rates

4.2. Top partnering deals by royalty rate

4.3. Top partnering deals by royalty rate

Chapter 5 - Royalty rate contract directory

Explore royalty rates within the deal contract document to gain greater insight

Appendices

Appendix 1 - Royalty rates in deals - by company A-Z

Appendix 2 - Royalty rates in deals - by therapy area

Appendix 3 - Royalty rates in deals - by stage of development at signing

Appendix 4 - Royalty rates in deals - by technology type

Appendix 5 - Royalty rate references

Appendix 6 - Example royalty rate deal contract document

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vdmxrr

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
The independent trust-only bank and wealth management firm named banking industry veteran Jennifer West to lead its newest market

KALAMAZOO, Mich., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenleaf Trust, an independent Michigan-chartered, trust-only bank and wealth management firm, announced the opening of its newest office serving the Great Lakes Bay Region, located in Midland, Michigan. The firm also announced the hire of Jennifer West to serve as Managing Director of Greenleaf Trust's Great Lakes Bay Region.

Located at 117 E. Main Street in the heart of Midland, the new office will house a client centric team that will provide holistic wealth management, trust administration, and retirement plan administration solutions. They'll also collaborate with Greenleaf Trust's independent and robust in-house research team, which is a key element of the firm's ability to provide services driven exclusively by each client's unique needs and goals.

"With assets under advisement of more than $17 billion, Greenleaf Trust continues to achieve tremendous growth across our home state of Michigan, the U.S. and internationally. We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer to our team as we expand our presence in Central Michigan," said Michael F. Odar, CFA, Greenleaf Trust President and Chief Executive Officer. "With deep wealth management and leadership experience, and a strong commitment to our client centric approach, she's the perfect choice to lead our growth in this region."

West comes to Greenleaf Trust after spending nearly 20 years in the banking industry, most recently as a vice president with TCF Wealth Management. She served in a similar capacity within Chemical Bank's wealth management and retirement planning division from 2016 until the company's acquisition by TCF. Prior to that, West worked at PNC Bank. Active in the community, she serves as Chair of Emerald Evening, on the Board of Trustees of Hidden Harvest, as a member of the Midland Noon Rotary and Midland 100 Clubs, and more. West is also a graduate of Leadership Midland and the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance Institute for Leaders. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Central Michigan University.

"I was immediately drawn to Greenleaf Trust's company culture, ingrained ethos of honor and honesty, and unparalleled client focus," said West. "The extensive level of financial planning we provide our clients was not only a significant draw for me personally but also supports our 99% client retention rate. I look forward to making the Midland office an integral part of the community, both as a trusted partner to our future clients and as a dedicated corporate citizen, supporting organizations like Catchafire, Midland Center for the Arts and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational."

Greenleaf Trust partnered with local design firm Pinnacle Design Commercial Interiors on the new Midland office space, which is owned by Shaheen Development.

For further information on Greenleaf Trust, please visit www.greenleaftrust.com.

About Greenleaf Trust

With offices in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Birmingham, Midland, Traverse City and Bay Harbor, Greenleaf Trust is an independent Michigan-chartered trust-only bank, exclusively focused on wealth management, trust and estate administration, and administration of company-sponsored retirement plans. Through our unique, client centric team approach, we provide highly personal and customized client service, with no conflicts of interest, to ensure our clients' financial security from generation to generation. Please visit Greenleaf Trust online at www.greenleaftrust.com.

CONTACT:

Sarah Johansson, Senior Vice President, Director of Marketing

Greenleaf Trust

269.553.7268

[email protected]

SOURCE Greenleaf Trust
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the United States for distorting facts over the Taiwan region, urging it to honor its commitment to the one-China principle.

It is reported that the U.S. State Department deleted the wordings that "Taiwan is part of China" and that "the U.S. does not support Taiwan independence" in an updated version of a document on its website on May 5.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing in Beijing that the latest trick by the U.S. side aims at hollowing out the one-China principle.

Such acts of political manipulation that attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Straits will get those playing with fire burnt, Zhao said.

"History cannot be falsified. Facts cannot be denied. And the right and the wrong cannot be distorted," he said.

At the briefing, the spokesperson also reiterated that there is only one China in the world, that the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

"This is an overwhelming consensus of the international community and a widely recognized norm governing international relations," said Zhao.

During a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed that the U.S. does not support "Taiwan independence."

The U.S. side should follow up the president's remarks with action, and stop seeking to use Taiwan to contain China, said the Chinese spokesperson.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has in a fresh statement warned soldiers in the Pakistani security forces that if they did not quit their jobs, they would have to face increasing attacks from the militant outfit in the days ahead.

"Our fight is only in Pakistan where we are at war with Pakistani security forces, we are hoping to take control of Pakistan's border tribal region and make it independent," the TTP said in a statement.

The statement says that the soldiers deployed in North Waziristan and other areas to fight against militant outfits have been suffering low morale and want to quit but are unable to do so due to harsh punishment.

In a major blow to Pakistani security forces, the TTP has also announced that a prominent jihadi group, led by Eid Marjan from North Waziristan, has pledged allegiance to TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and joined their ranks.

According to the TTP, all factions of militant groups have now united under the command of the TTP supremo Noor Wali Mehsud.

The TTP, an umbrella organisation for several militant groups, has escalated attacks against Pakistani security forces in recent months, particularly in April.

In the first three months of this year, 97 soldiers and officers were killed in multiple attacks by the group. Interestingly, the various social media accounts of the TTP have been showcasing the names and faces of those getting killed.

The Baloch and ISIS-K groups have also upped the ante and are drawing moral support from the TTP, which is portraying "Afghans, Pashtuns and Balochs" as victims of the army's brutality and calling for the liberation of the Af-Pak border region.

Pashtun anger at the forcible erection of a barrier along the Durand Line is leading to frequent skirmishes with Pakistan's forces.

Tensions have also mounted between the Pakistani army and the Taliban regime in Kabul as the latter refused to reign in their ideological brother the TTP. Pakistan hoped that the insurgents turned rulers  who benefited from Pakistan's support over the past 20 years of war - would rein in the violence by TTP militants but in recent months, attacks by the group in Pakistan have increased.

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the TTP has carried out 82 attacks in Pakistan, more than double the number over the same period of the previous year, according to the Islamabad-based Pak Institute of Peace Studies. The attacks killed 133 people.

Pakistan's frustrations further grew as the TTP launched "Al-Badr" offensive against the Pakistani army last week which is the most significant insurgent onslaught against Pakistan in recent years. In retaliation, Pakistan used fighter jets and drones to attack on the TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan making the Taliban rulers more furious.

Afghanistan defence minister Mullah Yaqoob has already issued a stiff warning to Pakistan to desist from any attacks inside Afghanistan or else be ready for retaliation.

What is extremely worrying for Pakistani forces is that ISIS-K and Baloch groups have also stepped up attacks in the country. The modern weapons and gadgets that are being used by these groups are acting as a force multiplier.

The TTP commanders have also sought more active support from the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan to set up an independent region in Pakistan.
Habanos, S.A. maintains its leadership position with 15% growth in 2021.

Spain , China , Germany , France and Switzerland lead the ranking of Habanos, S.A.'s most important countries.

Habanos, S.A. announces that it will hold a Gala evening dedicated to the 55th anniversary of its most prestigious brand, Cohiba, on 9 September in Havana .

LA HABANA , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Corporacion Habanos, S.A., has released its financial data for the 2021 financial year, in which it obtained a turnover of 568 million dollars, with a 15% growth compared to the previous year.

"The 2021 results confirm the solid path we are on, despite the crisis caused by Covid-19. Last year we surpassed the $500 million mark for Premium cigar sales worldwide, an all-time record for the category and a testament to the enormous potential of our business. We are very proud to lead the premium cigar category and to continue to grow despite the situations experienced over the past two years," said Inocente Nunez Blanco and Luis Sanchez-Harguindey Pardo de Vera, Co-Presidents of Habanos, S.A.

In the ranking by country, Habanos, S.A.'s top 5 markets in terms of sales volume were Spain, China, Germany, France and Switzerland. Spain and China were once again the most important markets.. By region, Europe remains Habanos' main market, with 59% of sales volume, followed by Asia Pacific (16%), America (14%) and Africa and the Middle East (11%).

Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez, Commercial Vice-President, and Jose Maria Lopez Inchaurbe, Vice-President of Development of Habanos, S.A., consider that "At Habanos, S.A. we maintain our commitment to offer the best experience to our aficionados, exclusive products and novelties, all in keeping with the quality, tradition and unique origin that make our Habanos a luxury product appreciated all over the world. Our aficionados have remained loyal to Habanos and their tastes and, in many cases over the past year, they have incorporated into their domestic consumption vitolas and brands that used to be part of a more social consumption".

The exceptional situation we have experienced as a result of the pandemic has led to certain changes in consumer habits. Within this new context, the company has been able to adapt and, together with its Exclusive Distributors, has managed to keep the passion for Habanos alive as a result of its marketing strategies, launches, new products, virtual events and, when possible, face-to-face events.

Another key to success has been the retail concept , which continues to be an essential aspect of the Habano business, based on specialization, exclusive products and good service. These retail concept are a unique attraction for Habano and Premium cigar lovers. Despite the situation in 2021, at year-end the company had 20 Cohiba Atmosphere, 160 La Casa del Habano (+3%), 1,217 Habanos Specialist, 2,465 Habanos Point (+7%), and 486 Habanos Lounge / Habanos Terrace. These figures are proof of the strategic success of these concepts.

We are aware of the impact and delays in the supply of some of our best-selling vitolas, caused largely by the pandemic and by the strong international demand. Despite this situation, 38 new products were exported in 2021 and already, after the first quarter of 2022, we are seeing a gradual improvement in supply.

Some of the most eagerly awaited releases by aficionados: Cohiba Ambar Cohiba Ideales and Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2021, all dedicated to the brand's 55th anniversary, could not be presented and tasted at the famous Habano Festival cancelled in 2021 and 2022, but were presented at an innovative virtual event called Habanos World Days. Today, Habanos, S.A. is pleased to announce that it will hold a Gala evening to commemorate the 55th anniversary of its most prestigious brand, Cohiba, on September 9th in Havana, Cuba. This and other surprises will soon be announced in greater detail on Habanos, S.A.'s official channels.

Habanos redefines the concept of luxury in premium cigars

As every year around this time, Habanos, S.A. has updated its selling prices for the distribution network for its entire portfolio. For 2022, they have been established taking into account the current demanding aspects affecting all sectors, including the luxury and premium cigar market, and a new strategy of global homogenization in the highest segment of the price pyramid.

Cohiba's unquestionable leadership worldwide, the strengthening of its positioning with new, even more exclusive projects, and the imbalance between supply (limited by the brand's unique characteristics) and the unstoppable demand for its vitolas, place Habanos' number one brand not only as the world's most exclusive premium cigar brand, but at the level of the most exclusive brands in all luxury sectors. Habanos, S.A. has decided to reinforce this positioning and to set Cohiba prices uniformly at a global level, taking the Hong Kong RRSP as a reference.

This decision applies similarly to the Trinidad brand, which consolidates its position among the elite of Habanos' brands by becoming the boutique Habanos brand par excellence.

Other vitolas and lines of unquestionable value in brands such as Montecristo, Partagas, or Romeo y Julieta are also raising the prices of some of their most exclusive items, similarly to Cohiba and Trinidad, and redefining the concept of luxury in the premium cigar sector.

Corporacion Habanos, S.A.

Corporacion Habanos, S.A. is a world leader in the commercialization of Premium cigars both in Cuba and in the rest of the world. For this purpose, it has an exclusive distribution network present in the five continents and in more than 150 countries. For more information, please visit www.habanos.com

Habanos, S.A. commercializes 27 Premium brands Totally handmade and identified as Protected Appellations of Origin (P.A.O.), including Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagas, Hoyo de Monterrey and H. Upmann, among others. Habanos have been made Totally handmade for more than 500 years and since then they have become a benchmark worldwide.

* Protected Appellations of Origin

Further information about Habanos, S.A.:

www.habanos.com

https://www.instagram.com/habanos_oficial/

https://twitter.com/Habanos_Oficial

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCstGLy96wdZG7eCM4855_DA

SOURCE Habanos S.A
BOSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) announced that it will host an Investor Day in Boston on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 beginning at 10:00 AM EDT. Members of Haemonetics' leadership team will share presentations and hold a question-and-answer session on the Company's long-term strategic planning, key business initiatives and financial outlook.

Haemonetics' Investor Day will be a hybrid event, with in-person attendance available to members of the capital markets community, and a simultaneous webcast available for the media, individual investors and other interested parties who wish to join virtually. All attendees must register for the event on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://irday.haemonetics.com.

A replay of the event will be available on the Investor Relations section of Haemonetics' website (www.haemonetics.com) after the event. Corresponding presentation materials will also be available for download at the Company's website following the event.

About Haemonetics

Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) is a global healthcare company dedicated to providing a suite of innovative medical products and solutions for customers, to help them improve patient care and reduce the cost of healthcare. Our technology addresses important medical markets: blood and plasma component collection, the surgical suite and hospital transfusion services. To learn more about Haemonetics, visit www.haemonetics.com.

SOURCE Haemonetics Corporation
Island-inspired QSR Says "Aloha" to Waco with Grand Opening Event on May 10, Habitat For Humanity Fundraiser on May 13

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Bros , one of the fastest-growing new restaurant concepts in the country, is preparing to open its newest location in Waco, Texas, on Tuesday, May 10, at 825 S. Sixth Street. This is the company's first location in the Waco area and one of many locations opening in 2022 as fan demand for the island-inspired cuisine continues rising around the country.

To give back to the Waco community, the new location will host a fundraising day on Friday, May 13, with $1 from every order supporting Waco Habitat for Humanity . Guests can support the organization while enjoying Hawaiian-inspired plate lunches of high-quality chicken or pork with a unique blend of sweet and savory flavors, plated with fluffy white rice and creamy macaroni salad.

"Our Hawaiian plates are unlike anything you've ever ordered from a fast-casual, prepared with fresh, quality ingredients and never relying on freezers, fryers or microwaves," said Cameron McNie, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Hawaiian Bros. "We're stoked to grow our 'Ohana in Waco and share our craveable, island-inspired comfort food with the community."

To learn more about Hawaiian Bros and its offerings, visit https://hawaiianbros.com/.

About Hawaiian Bros

At Hawaiian Bros, we're inspired every day to spread the Aloha Spirit. To show kindness and respect, and to treat everyone as 'ohana, like family, in everything we do. Founded on the principles of honor, inclusion and gratitude, we respect the dignity and self-worth of every team member and guest. We value our differences and celebrate our common ground. And we say "thank you" often, emphasizing the positives in our lives every day.

In February 2022, Hawaiian Bros earned the number seven spot on QSR Magazine's 40/40 List of America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals, as the concept tripled its unit count in 2021 with plans to open a total of 25 new locations in 2022. The company was also listed on the 2022 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report and highlighted as a "Featured New Entrant." For more information, visit www.hawaiianbros.com .

SOURCE Hawaiian Bros
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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:

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SOURCE SpendEdge
In honor of National Hospital Week (May 8-14, 2022), Healthgrades revealed the 2022 State Rankings to recognize hospitals who are providing superior clinical outcomes in their respective states.

DENVER, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthgrades , the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and hospitals, today released its 2022 State Rankings . To help consumers evaluate which hospitals close to home offer the best quality specific to an area of care, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide across eight key specialty areas for 2022: Joint Replacement, Spine Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, Coronary Interventional Procedures, Stroke Care, Critical Care, Pulmonary Care, and Prostate Surgery.

Considering hospital quality when choosing a doctor can be a life-changing decision; however, it is often overlooked. The rankings underscore the importance of targeted research and care, arming patients with data-driven decision support. This year's list recognizes 431 top ranked hospitals in 34 states. These hospitals are providing patients with measurably superior clinical outcomes, and the list includes four hospitals that were ranked #1 in 3 separate categories:

AdventHealth Orlando; Orlando, FL

Great River Medical Center; West Burlington, IA

Deaconess Hospital; Evansville, IN

NYU Langone Health Tisch Hospital; New York, NY

"For almost 25 years, our mission has been to provide consumers with clear and accessible information to make more informed healthcare decisions," said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science, Healthgrades. "Our State Rankings provide consumers with increased transparency regarding the care in their areas, and empowers them to make more confident care decisions for themselves and their families. This year's list encompasses the best of the best in terms of continued commitment to top quality care, and a proven track record delivering positive outcomes for their patients."

Like all Healthgrades quality awards, the 2022 rankings methodology is rooted entirely in clinical outcomes such as mortality and complication rates. Identifying the top ranked hospitals for key specialty areas provides consumers with the information they need to choose the highest quality care. From 2018-2020, patients treated in ranked hospitals had, on average:

Joint Replacement 60.8% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that were not state ranked for Joint Replacement.* Spine Surgery 46.1% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that were not state ranked for Spine Surgery.* Prostate Surgery 54.5% lower risk of experiencing a complication while in the hospital than if they were treated in hospitals that were not state ranked for Prostate Surgery.*

Consumers can visit healthgrades.com for more information on how Healthgrades measures hospital quality and access the complete methodology here .

*Statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2018 through 2020 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only. To view the complete methodology, please visit: https://www.healthgrades.com/quality/healthgrades-specialty-state-rankings-methodology .

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between patients and their healthcare providers. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their provider of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

Our health system, provider, and life sciences marketing solutions have been helping our partners reach and engage consumers who are on their way to the doctor for over 20 years.

Healthgrades is part of RV Health, a Red Ventures business, which has the largest consumer health and wellness audience online across its brand portfolio including Healthline, Healthgrades, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central, Bezzy and Platejoy. Each month, RV Health helps more than 100 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives.

Start your search for the right care at healthgrades.com or learn more about our health system solutions at healthgrades.com/partners .

SOURCE Healthgrades
"The current pace of technology progress is unprecedented," says Stefan de Diego, Henkel Regional Head of Electronics, Americas and Europe. "And, for today's innovators, being first to market is integral to commercial success. With our knowledgeable team and extensive lab resources  located in the global epicenter of tech innovation  Henkel can provide even more immediate and impactful prototype design and analysis support for our customers, helping them meet critical time-to-market windows with tested, proven devices."

As a global leader in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings, Henkel has formulated thousands of materials that are vital to the form, function and reliability of the technologies powering modern-day life. Whether it's 5G handheld devices and mobile networks, data center high-performance computing and optoelectronics, smart home systems, autonomous driving or virtual reality and gaming, Henkel materials and solutions enable robust electrical connections, heat management for optimized performance, protection from stress and environmental conditions and long-term durability. Henkel's Santa Clara Application Center offers a true co-development environment, with access to all the resources required for technology design and testing.

The investment of about $2 million includes dispensing robots, 3D printers, mechanical property evaluation equipment, coating and jetting systems and failure analysis capabilities, among other assets. In addition to the hands-on laboratory, the facility provides multiple secure collaboration spaces for Henkel's technical experts and its customers, as well as digital platforms for virtual engagement opportunities.

"Henkel's material innovations have been key contributors to this century's technology growth, delivered through the company's enduring partnerships with many of the world's leading high-tech brands," de Diego concludes. "We not only share our customers' passion for improving people's lives through convenience and connectivity, but we also share an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Henkel's promise to contribute to a more sustainable future is at the heart of everything we do. The work undertaken at our new Application Center will promote these core values while providing an inspirational environment that helps bring ideas to life."

Henkel's Santa Clara Application Center is the latest addition to the company's growing footprint of Adhesive engineering and development centers in key regions around the world. To learn more, watch this video and visit www.henkel-adhesives.com.

About Henkel in North America

In North America, Henkel operates across its three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care, and Laundry & Home Care. Its portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands includes Schwarzkopf hair care, Dial soaps, Persil, Purex, and all laundry detergents, Snuggle fabric softeners as well as Loctite, Technomelt and Bonderite adhesives. With sales close to 6 billion US dollars (5 billion euros) in 2021, North America accounts for 25 percent of the company's global sales. Henkel employs over 8,000 people across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.henkel-northamerica.com, and on Twitter @Henkel_NA.

About Henkel

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market  across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2021, Henkel reported sales of more than 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of about 2.7 billion euros. Henkel employs about 53,000 people globally  a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel's preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

Henkel Contact:

Sebastian Hinz

Phone: +49-211-797-0

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Henkel
Building on two decades of support for the High Line by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel, this gift supports Environmental Justice learning initiatives for High Line Teens

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The High Line, the organization that originally rallied for the elevated structure's preservation and reuse as public space, starting in 1999, and now operates it as a park under a license agreement with NYC Parks, today announces that an endowment gift from the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation will support the High Line Teens program and its environmental sustainability curriculum.

Environmental sustainability is a core programmatic priority within the Teens program and its leadership development work. From April to September 2022, High Line Teen staff will visit seven public greenspaces across New York City to understand and assess each site's journey, focusing on issues around climate change and environmental justice. In addition, the teens will have opportunities to discuss climate and environmental justice with leaders in the field, including those from Environmental Justice Alliance, New Yorkers for Green Power and Infrastructure, and WE ACT. This ecological-focused programming will continue into 2023 in different forms thanks to the support of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation.

"Because climate change is one of the most pressing challenges humanity faces, our Education team has made it a cornerstone subject to engage youth in our Teens Program. We are so grateful to acknowledge the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation, and the longtime commitment and leadership of Founding High Line Board Member Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, in supporting young leaders in the fight for environmental sustainability and justice," said Joshua David, the High Line's Co-Founder and Interim Executive Director.

"The Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation is pleased to support the outstanding educational programs of the historic High Line, which encourage the next generation to take an active role in shaping their communities, and addressing this key issueclimate change," said Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel. "Environmental sustainability, a sometimes overlooked, but closely-aligned component of preservation, is a key part of the High Line's complex and evolving story. We look forward to hearing more from these young people as they educate themselves and their communities about what New Yorkers can do to effectively meet this challenge."

As a Founding Board Member of the High Line, Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel helped fight against the demolition of the historic High Line structure and served on the joint committee of City and High Line representatives that selected the design team of James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. She helped grow the High Line from a small group of community-based advocates into a strong non-profit organization that could enter into a license agreement with NYCParks and responsibly fund and manage the High Line's annual operations. She spearheaded a government relations initiative that led to over $20 million in federal construction funding toward the High Line's adaptive reuse.

SOURCE High Line
Hoseki integrates Casa's new API product for easy proof of assets documentation.

Casa clients can document and prove their assets with Hoseki.

Hoseki's public launch is scheduled for early Q3 2022.

AUSTIN, Texas, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoseki, the world's first bitcoin-native proof of assets service, is thrilled to announce its pre-launch relationship with Casa, the bitcoin security and personal key management experts. Together the two teams will work to refine the Casa API integrated into the Hoseki app to provide the bitcoin industry's most advanced proof of assets documentation service for bitcoin investors, similar to proof of reserves for cryptocurrency custodians.

Casa's integration with Hoseki will give the bitcoin security company's clients a seamless way to prove ownership of funds protected by a Casa security plan. In the Hoseki dashboard, Casa clients can import account details into their protected Hoseki dashboard where their other hardware wallets and exchange accounts are also managed for easy generation of documents to originate a loan or simply verify control of their holdings. Hoseki is one of the first teams to test the newly launched Casa API, providing feedback to Casa on the product before its launch.

Founded in 2021, Hoseki has worked in stealth to build the Bitcoin industry's first digital asset attestation service. While preparing for its alpha product launch later this summer, Hoseki is partnering and integrating with leading Bitcoin security and financial services firms to streamline asset ownership documentation services.

"We love seeing the Bitcoin ecosystem grow and we are incredibly excited to partner with a company that shares our vision for the future," said Nick Neumann, CEO of Casa. "Hoseki will be instrumental in collaborating with and refining our new API product. We look forward to working closely with them to build critical infrastructure for the Bitcoin economy."

"The entire Hoseki team is beyond excited to integrate Casa's new tools so our users can organize, document and prove ownership over their assets," said Sam Abbassi, CEO of Hoseki. "Hoseki's proof of assets documentation will be essential for bitcoin storage and security services like Casa to enable their clients to put their assets to work as the bitcoin economy continues to grow and mature."

Hoseki plans to launch a private alpha version of its product with the Casa integration to a small group of users later this summer with a public launch scheduled for early Q3 2022. Bitcoin investors interested in testing the Hoseki alpha product can visit hoseki.app to get early access.

About Casa

Casa is the secure home for your Bitcoin. The company builds tools at the forefront of Bitcoin self-custody, enabling individuals to take control of their wealth by holding their own Bitcoin private keys in an easy and secure manner. Casa is building for a future where self-custody is the default, and every individual, family, and business can freely manage their own wealth and personal data.

About Hoseki

Hoseki builds financial plumbing for the bitcoin-native economy that allows investors to verify and use their holdings in ways that were previously inaccessible. By empowering bitcoin holders with a standardized proof-of-assets service, Hoseki will unleash the bitcoin economy to be larger and more active than ever.

SOURCE Hoseki
"Timing the launch of our new HUGS premium, indoor, flower brand with Pride Month is a match made in heaven," said Denyelle Bruno, CEO of MWG. "I couldn't be more excited for everyone to try this fantastic product. Our playful, Pride SKUs are just the beginning. Our new HUGS brand was created with the end user in mind and it's perfect for the cannabis beginner and even better for the cannabis connoisseur. HUGS is cannabis for everyone. We can't wait for you to try it."

The HUGS Pride-focused strains were cultivated from Fireworx Farms, MWG's award-winning Sacramento grow. HUGS cannabis launches in June with PRIDE SKUs for a reason. HUGS is a place where Everyone's Welcome. The flower names, Rainbow Sherbet, Same-Sex Wedding Cake, and Banana Envy are perfectly aligned with their charmingly rebellious spirit and mission of inclusion.

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center has been supporting the health and wellness of the most marginalized for over 40 years so that LGBTQ+ people can thrive. They advocate for equality and justice while working to build a culturally rich LGBTQ+ community. To learn more about Sacramento LGBT Community Center or donate please visit https://saccenter.org/.

About HUGS Cannabis

At HUGS, our mission is to make the world a more comfortable place. As the newest cannabis brand under MWG Holdings, Inc., HUGS will offer a quality-focused portfolio of inhalable products including flower, vape and prerolls and concentrates. HUGS is available for sale statewide through Metta Distribution.

To learn more about HUGS Cannabis, visit hugscalifornia.com and on Instagram @hugscalifornia.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Matt Kovacs

BLAZE PR

[email protected]

(310) 395-5050

SOURCE MWG Holdings Group, Inc.
NEW YORK , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global human growth hormone market is set to reach $14,498.3 million by 2030 from $4,399.4 million in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 14.2% from 2021 to 2030, according to the market research report published by P&S Intelligence. This peptide hormone is produced by the pituitary gland, and it promotes development in teenagers and children. In addition to boosting growth, it influences protein metabolism, fat metabolism, and glucose metabolism.

In 2021, North America held a market share of over 40%. The rising elderly population, as well as the high prevalence of illnesses such as Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome, and short bowel syndrome, are all linked to the market growth. Moreover, factors such as favorable reimbursement policies, public awareness, major government activities, and the region's established healthcare ecosystem are responsible for the growing sale of HGH medications in the continent.

Get the sample pages of this report at:

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/human-growth-hormone-market/report-sample

Key Findings of Human Growth Hormone Market Report

The U.S. dominated the worldwide human growth hormone market in 2021. The country's considerable market contribution is due to its high R&D spending on hormonal diseases and high rate of advanced technology adoption.

In 2021, hospital pharmacies held over 45% share in the market. This was owing to the popularity of synthetic or recombinant versions of this hormone, as well as the simplicity with which it may be obtained from hospital pharmacies.

LAGHs will grow at a CAGR of over 30% in the forecast period. Daily recombinant HGH injections, which are allowed in many countries, can be painful and unnerving, especially for children, which is why the usage of long-acting growth hormones is growing.

India and China are likely to become major opportunistic countries for the healthcare sector in the coming years due to their large population. As a result, pharmaceutical corporations, including those offering HGH drugs, are investing heavily in these nations.

and are likely to become major opportunistic countries for the healthcare sector in the coming years due to their large population. As a result, pharmaceutical corporations, including those offering HGH drugs, are investing heavily in these nations. Many drugs are designed and manufactured using recombinant DNA technology. These drugs are largely used as a growth hormone replacement treatment in adults and children who are deficient in it.

In addition, a rise in the number of approvals for breakthrough therapies is projected to fuel the human growth hormone market growth. Pfizer and OPKO Health Inc., for example, received the FDA clearance for somatrogon in January 2021 , which is used to treat young patients with deficiency of growth hormone.

Various strategic innovations for long-lasting and more-effective drugs have been made in the market. For instance, Biocorp, a firm that develops, designs, and manufactures healthcare devices, and Merck, a technology corporation, reached a deal in September 2021 for the development and global distribution of a specialized version of the Mallya device for HGH applications.

Browse detailed report on Human Growth Hormone Market Share, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2030

The human growth hormone market is fairly consolidated, with only a few big participants. These major participants are Novo Nordisk A/S, Eli Lilly and Company, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., and Merck KGaA.

Human Growth Hormone Market Segmentation Analysis

By Product Type

Short-Acting Growth Hormones

Long-Acting Growth Hormones

By Application

Growth Hormone Deficiency

Prader-Willi Syndrome

Turner Syndrome

Small for Gestational Age

By Distribution Channel

Hospital Pharmacy

Retail Pharmacy

Online Pharmacy

Regional Outlook

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Spain



Italy

Asia-Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Australia



Singapore

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina

Middle East and Africa

and Saudi Arabia



South Africa



U.A.E.

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About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence provides market research and consulting services to a vast array of industries across the world. As an enterprising research and consulting company, P&S believes in providing thorough insights on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. P&S keeps the interest of its clients at heart, which is why the insights we provide are both honest and accurate. Our long list of satisfied clients includes entry-level firms as well as multi-million-dollar businesses and government agencies.

Contact:

Prajneesh Kumar

P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

Follow Us: LinkedIn Twitter

SOURCE P&S Intelligence
Committed to making every patient interaction an opportunity to screen for cardiovascular disease, Eko ranks among the highest-scoring businesses on Inc.

OAKLAND, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eko, a digital health company advancing heart and lung disease detection, today announced that it has been named to Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces list for 2022. Inc. selected Eko after collecting data from thousands of best-in-class companies, and its annual Best Workplaces list consists of 475 honorees. These honorees represent organizations that have elevated their company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility, and redefined what it means to be a thriving workplace.

Committed to making every patient interaction an opportunity to screen for cardiovascular disease, Eko ranks among the highest-scoring businesses on Inc.

"The best way a company can bring positive change in an industry as challenging as healthcare is by building a closely connected and mission-driven team," said Connor Landgraf, Co-founder and CEO of Eko. "With this in mind, we strive to attract the best talent and to always put our employees first. Our team has more than doubled in size in the last year, and so has our user base. As a result, Eko has expanded its reach, and millions of more patients now have the opportunity to be screened for heart disease early on."

Since March of 2020, the COVID pandemic kept most of the Eko team physically apart. Eko quickly optimized and rolled out a hybrid work model and suite of benefits to support their employees, including work-from-home office stipends, mental health subscriptions, and telehealth options. Transparency between its leadership team and employees was crucial to this new work model: Eko held regular "all-hands" meetings, offered virtual CEO office hours, and regularly conducted employee surveys. Today, 78% of Eko's workforce is remote, with employees in 21 states and 3 countries.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," said Scott Omelianuk, Editor-in-chief of Inc. "Yet, given the widespread adoption of remote work, our understanding of a productive workplace has shifted, and Eko has redefined and enriched the workplace to better serve employees, customers, and ultimately, patients."

Looking for a career to put your heart into? Learn more about Eko's open roles at https://www.ekohealth.com/page/careers.

About Eko

Eko, a digital health company, is advancing how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease with its innovative suite of digital tools, patient and provider software, and AI-powered analysis. Its FDA-cleared platform is used by hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide, allowing them to detect earlier and with higher accuracy, diagnose with more confidence, manage treatment effectively, and ultimately give their patients the best care possible. Eko is headquartered in Oakland, California, with over $125 million in funding from Highland Capital Partners, Questa Capital, Artis Ventures, DigiTx Partners, NTTVC, Morningside Technology Ventures Limited, Mayo Clinic, Sutter Health, and others. For more information visit www.ekohealth.com.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

Media Contact:

Alexandra Pony

250.858.0656

[email protected]

SOURCE Eko
ELEVATE will bring together development programme, partner ecosystem, online marketplace to enable businesses around the world to harness industrial IoT success

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With more businesses recognising the impact of IoT technologies on their operations and on the world, and the number of global satellite IoT connections set to continue growing at a 25% CAGR [Source: Omdia] in the coming years, the need for a 'one stop shop' for IoT solutions has never been greater.

To accelerate these IoT opportunities for businesses around the world, Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, is announcing Inmarsat ELEVATE, a new partner programme offering three key pillars to support businesses throughout the IoT ecosystem and to cement the industry's future growth.

The first pillar is a development programme for IoT solution providers, system integrators, machinery manufacturers, and OEMs looking to scale, who will be able to take advantage of Inmarsat's ELERA satellite network and footprint.

for IoT solution providers, system integrators, machinery manufacturers, and OEMs looking to scale, who will be able to take advantage of Inmarsat's ELERA satellite network and footprint. The second pillar is a partner ecosystem , enabling organisations to access each other's knowledge and collaborate with other organisations within the satellite IoT sector.

, enabling organisations to access each other's knowledge and collaborate with other organisations within the satellite IoT sector. The third pillar is an online marketplace to promote IoT solutions that work seamlessly anywhere in the world, no matter how remote  to ensure every business can benefit.

In the next five years, the goal of Inmarsat ELEVATE is to help partners achieve double digit growth  as well as establishing Inmarsat ELEVATE as the leading IoT marketplace for solutions that work anywhere in the world.

Mike Carter, President at Inmarsat Enterprise, said "The satellite IoT market has been steadily growing for years  and now is the time to up the ante and kickstart its next stage of more rapid growth. Inmarsat ELEVATE will help our customers realise the promise of IoT anywhere, while empowering the wider satellite IoT ecosystem to make it a reality. The ELEVATE community will play an active role in addressing the planet's really big challenges, helping build a more sustainable, efficient and safe global supply chain."

"Inmarsat's ELERA network provides an essential backbone to IoT innovation, so our development partners will be able to scale and grow their operations backed by its reliability and seamless global connectivity. Our partner ecosystem will enable knowledge-sharing and collaboration at an unprecedented scale, between parties of all sizes, in all geographies and industries, while our online marketplace will promote IoT solutions for any and every business need.

"Launching a programme like Inmarsat ELEVATE is about using our expertise and technological strength for the good of our customers  and we're confident that it will have a huge impact on the organisations that need it most. We're excited to work with as many new partners as possible, and to see what we can achieve together  as individual businesses, and as an innovative, game-changing industry."

Contacts for media enquiries:

Jonathan Sinnatt/Matthew Knowles

Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Dana Dzubas

Inmarsat Enterprise

[email protected]

ABOUT INMARSAT

Inmarsat is the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world's most diverse global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks, and holds a multi-layered, global spectrum portfolio, covering L-band, Ka-band and S-band, enabling unparalleled breadth and diversity in the solutions it provides. Inmarsat's long-established global distribution network includes not only the world's leading channel partners but also its own strong direct retail capabilities, enabling end to end customer service assurance.

Follow us: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram.

SOURCE Inmarsat
Interfaith America also announced the release of a joint survey with the Public Religion Research Institute ( PRRI ) that measures American sentiment on the country's rapidly changing religious make-up. Key findings in the previously unreleased analysis, The New Religious Paradigm: Judeo Christian to Interfaith America , include that 70 percent of Americans are proud to be part of a nation that is becoming more religiously diverse. Additionally, the analysis reveals that two-thirds of Americans reject the statement that God intended America to be a new promised land where European Christians could create a society that could be an example to the rest of the world, a signal that Americans are willing to embrace a more religiously pluralistic society.

"Religious diversity is one of the most vitally important issues in American life. Faith must be a bridge of cooperation, never a barrier of division," said Eboo Patel, the Founder and President of Interfaith America and author of a new book, WE NEED TO BUILD: FIELD NOTES FOR DIVERSE DEMOCRACY. "We are the world's first attempt at religiously diverse democracy, and we are the most religiously diverse nation in human history. It is time to write the chapter after Judeo-Christian in the great story of American diversity. The goal of Interfaith America the organization is to help build Interfaith America the nation."

"In recent decades, we have seen tectonic shifts in the religious diversity of our nation as well as a marked increase in Americans' willingness and desire to work across religious lines," said Dr. Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., founder and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute. "Such times of cultural change often fuel fear but also generate opportunity. We applaud Interfaith America's mission of building bridges between people of different faiths, providing much needed critical infrastructure to foster collaboration and understanding."

Interfaith America celebrates America's religious diversity to achieve a truly pluralistic society, to improve civic society, and advance shared goals. In the past two years, Interfaith America organized and launched major initiatives to advance public health and racial equity through interfaith bridge-building, including the Faith in the Vaccine Ambassadors program and the Black Interfaith Project . The organization also helped shape the Building Civic Bridges Act , bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06) to establish an office of bridge-building within AmeriCorps . Interfaith America's core work with college campuses and supporting interfaith student leaders will also continue to grow as the organization expands its scope.

Interfaith America will inaugurate the new name and mission on May 10, 2022, in an interfaith ceremony and panel discussion hosted by the Georgetown Center on Faith and Justice. Melissa Rogers, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will deliver the keynote address at the Georgetown event. Peter Manseau, Lilly Endowment Curator of American Religious History at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, and Joshua Dubois, Founder and CEO of Values Partnerships and former head of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships under President Obama, will also speak at the event.

"At a time of deep political, religious and social polarization in America, interfaith bridge-builders are more valuable than ever," said the Rev. Jim Wallis, Inaugural Holder of the Chair in Faith and Justice at the McCourt School of Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center on Faith and Justice. "I look forward to working with Interfaith America to ensure that the United States can live up to its ideals and become a true multi-racial, multi-faith democracy."

"With this new expanded mission, Interfaith America will help address many of the most pressing issues facing the U.S., such as racial inequity, climate justice, and voting rights," said Reverend Fred Davie, a Senior Advisor to Interfaith America and Union Theological Seminary. "Interfaith America will help our nation to achieve its true potential as a religiously diverse democracy, by developing interfaith leaders of all ages and forging meaningful partnerships with institutions of every size and discipline."

The event livestream and recording can be accessed here.

Interfaith America will be advancing many of these initiatives in high profile venues in the following weeks:

May 11 : Journalism and Religion Fellowship Roundtable with Deputy International Editor at the New York Times Laurie Goodstein (Invite Only)

: Journalism and Religion Fellowship Roundtable with Deputy International Editor at the New York Times Laurie Goodstein (Invite Only) May 17 : Black Interfaith and Climate Justice event with former Vice President Al Gore and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin , Author of Green Deen , at the National Museum of African American History and Culture ( Washington , D. C .)

: Black Interfaith and Climate Justice event with former Vice President and Deen C May 18 : Announcement of Interfaith America Vote is Sacred Project with former President George W. Bush at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum ( Dallas, Texas )

About Interfaith America

Founded in 2002, Interfaith America is the premier interfaith organization in the United States, with 50 full-time professional staff and $5M in grants distributed in 2021. Through its initiatives and partnerships, Interfaith America is equipping individuals and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed for leadership in a religiously diverse world.

For more information, please visit their new website and follow Interfaith America on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Interfaith America also recently released a new video "We Need to Build an Interfaith America," where Patel outlines a vision for the next chapter of this organization.

SOURCE Interfaith America
CARMEL, Ind., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KAR Auction Services, Inc., d/b/a/ KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), a leading provider of digital marketplace solutions for used vehicles, successfully completed its sale of the ADESA U.S. physical auction business to Carvana. The sale, originally announced in February, includes all ADESA U.S. physical auction sites, operations and staff at 56 ADESA U.S. vehicle logistics centers and exclusive use of the ADESA.com marketplace in the U.S. The completed transaction advances KAR's digital strategy, enhances the company's financial profile and better positions the company and its industry-leading digital marketplaces for accelerated growth.

"We believe the future is digital, and the channel shift towards digital across our industry is gaining momentum. KAR is now better positioned than ever to lead this evolution and capture the broad opportunities ahead," said Peter Kelly, CEO of KAR Global. "Our new, more simplified business model allows us to focus our strategy, energy and investments on developing and deploying the digital solutions our customers want, need and value the most. We believe expanding our capabilities and the portfolio of services we provide will generate the greatest benefits for those customers, increase our market share and, ultimately, deliver the greatest value to our shareholders."

KAR will continue to operate its OPENLANE platform that supports more than 40 private label programs representing approximately 80% of North America's off-lease inventory. KAR will also continue operating its rapidly growing digital dealer-to-dealer businessesBacklotCars and CARWAVE in the U.S. and TradeRev in Canada. In addition, the company will retain its ADESA Canada, ADESA U.K. and ADESA Europe businesses as well as its affiliated inspections, transportation and other services brands, including leading floorplan solutions provider AFC.

Additional details on the company's strategy and projections will be covered in KAR's analyst day update call, which it anticipates will take place in June. Final dates and time for the call will be announced publicly and published on the investor relations section of karglobal.com.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor to KAR.

KAR Media Inquiries: KAR Analyst Inquiries: Jill Trudeau Mike Eliason (317) 796-0945 (317) 249-4559 [email protected] [email protected]

About KAR

KAR Auction Services, Inc. d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KAR Global's unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in about 75 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR Global has employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Europe and the Philippines. For more information and the latest KAR Global news, go to www.karglobal.com and follow us on Twitter @KARspeaks .

SOURCE KAR Global
KEEN Kids' new partnership aims to bring the joy of biking to children in underserved schools

PORTLAND, Ore., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KEEN, Inc. ( KEEN ), the global footwear brand on a mission to make the outside inclusive and accessible to all, today announced a partnership with All Kids Bike , a national movement that aims to teach every child in America how to ride a bike by placing learn-to-ride programs in kindergarten Physical Education classes.

KEEN will be supporting the movement by making a $30,000 contribution to the Foundation, which will in turn help to establish Learn to Ride Programs at six underserved elementary schools in Oregon, Kentucky, and Michigan. As part of the program, recipient schools will receive:

24 Strider Bikes

24 pedal conversion kits

24 helmets

One 20 inch teacher instruction bike

An 8-lesson Learn-To-Ride curriculum aligned to SHAPE America National PE standards

Each sponsored school is expected to host the program as part of their ongoing curriculum for a minimum of 5 years, providing valuable life skills to thousands of children over the lifespan of the program.

"Learning to ride a bike is one of life's most exhilarating milestones and we believe that every child should have the opportunity to share in that experience," said Justin McDonald, Director of Marketing for KEEN Kids. "At KEEN our mission is to make the outside accessible to all both through the footwear we design, and the partners we support. Strider and the All Kids Bike movement fully align with that mission."

This partnership is the latest in a long line of KEEN's values-based, philanthropic programs called the KEEN Effect. In the company's first year of business, the company's advertising budget was reallocated to provide tsunami relief in Southeast Asia. More recently, the footwear brand has provided humanitarian relief in Ukraine and forged partnerships with organizations like Outdoor Afro to improve access to the great outdoors for underserved communities. Since 2014, more than 133,700 kids have benefitted from high quality outdoor recreation and nature-based programs offered by KEEN partners.

KEEN recently released Speed Hound, a children's shoe uniquely designed for kids learning how to ride a bike. To celebrate the Speed Hound launch and the All Kids Bike partnership, KEEN will be hosting bike building events across three locations where KEEN employee volunteers will assemble bikes and prep them for delivery to the participating schools.

"KEEN Kids is the ideal partner for the All Kids Bike movement," said Lisa Weyer, Executive Director of the Strider Education Foundation. "The company's generous donation will help inspire the next generation of bike riders and bring us closer to our ultimate goal of teaching every child in America how to ride a bike."

About KEEN

Driven by a passion to make the outside and trades accessible for all, KEEN is a values-led, family-owned footwear brand from Portland, Oregon, committed to creating original and versatile products, enhancing lives, and inspiring adventures outside. Founded in 2003, it launched a revolution in the footwear industry with the debut of the Newport adventure sandal. It continues to launch game-changing products and establish new standards for performance, comfort, and design while actively working to Detox the Planet. The brand formalized its values commitment under the banner of The KEEN Effect. Learn more at www.keenfootwear.com.

About ALL KIDS BIKE

All Kids Bike is a national movement to place Kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride Programs into public schools using donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. The All Kids Bike Kindergarten PE Program boasts an inclusive, proven Learn-To-Ride curriculum that offers every child the opportunity to experience the joy of two wheels. Launched in March 2018, there are already 549 schools in 50 states teaching students how to ride a bike. Learn more at www.AllKidsBike.org .

Contact:

Kim MacKenzie

781-588-0506

[email protected]

SOURCE KEEN, Inc.
In Q1 2022, Khiron expects to surpass 1 million CAD in medical cannabis revenues in the United Kingdom ("UK") alone

in medical cannabis revenues in the ("UK") alone Total untapped potential for cannabis patients in the UK exceeds 1M patients

patients Supported by its clinic in the UK opened in late 2021, Khiron has increased its sales volumes more than 240% in Q1 2022 compared to entire 2021

in Q1 2022 compared to entire 2021 Khiron's growing portfolio in the UK includes KHIRON 20/1, one of the best-selling THC-predominant cannabis flower in the UK market

TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ("Khiron" or the "Company") (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQX: KHRNF) (Frankfurt: A2JMZC), the global medical cannabis leader expanding throughout Europe and Latin America, continues to demonstrate its market dominance in the UK's medical cannabis industry with cannabis sales volume growth of 240% in Q1 2022 compared to the entire 2021 year. This growth is generated by Khiron's end-to-end solution of government regulation, supply chain, distribution, and clinics prescribing Khiron's medical cannabis products.

With a population of almost 67 million, the UK has a potential of at least 1.5% medical cannabis patients1. Khiron addresses the great potential in the UK with its medical cannabis products and clinical services, which are increasingly used by patients and medical practitioners. In late 2021, Khiron opened its first European Zerenia Medical Cannabis Clinics in the UK, offering telemedicine service to patients around the country, and contributing to the Company's patient acquisition and retention growth.

"Today, Khiron has already established market leadership in the UK with it first two products on the market, and its KHIRON 20/1 THC-predominant strain is one of the best-selling medically prescribed products in the UK market," comments Franziska Katterbach, President of Khiron Europe. "In Q1 2022, we expect to surpass our first 1 million CAD in revenues in the UK, and as we expand our portfolio, and increase our patient base, Khiron will consolidate its market leadership within the country. In 2021, Europe accounted for 33% of Khiron's medical cannabis revenues, at more than 1.5 million CAD. In Q1 2022 and beyond, Europe will represent over 50% of Khiron's cannabis revenues, strengthening Khiron's position as a leader in the global medical cannabis market."

(1) Management estimates based on industry benchmarks

Khiron is headquartered in Toronto, with operations in Colombia, Germany, UK, Peru, and Brazil

About Khiron Life Sciences Corp.

Khiron is a leading global medical cannabis company with core operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging wholly-owned medical health clinics and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron combines a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific expertise, product innovation, and focus on creating access to drive prescriptions and brand loyalty with patients worldwide. The Company has a sales presence in Colombia, Germany, UK, Peru, and Brazil and is positioned to commence sales in Mexico. The Company is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and Board of Directors.

Visit Khiron online at investors.khiron.ca

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/khiron-life-sciences-corp/

Cautionary Notes

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Khiron undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Khiron, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Khiron believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Khiron's control, including the risk factors discussed in Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and is made as of the date hereof. Khiron disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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 press release.

SOURCE Khiron Life Sciences Corp.
Curi brings particular experience counseling tech companies and their Boards on their most important strategic transactions, day-to-day business operations, technology transactions, shareholder relations, and corporate governance matters. He previously served as chief legal and business affairs officer at Operative Media, a venture-backed SaaS advertising technology company based in New York City.

"Eli is a phenomenal addition to our team who brings diverse industry knowledge, practical business savvy, and deep market connections," said John Chory, Global Chair of the firm's Emerging Companies Practice. "Drawing on his prior experience working at a fast-growing, venture-backed startup, and more recently as a trusted outside counsel to top tech companies, Eli helps clients from across industries and geographies to successfully navigate the entrepreneurial ecosystem. His distinguished track record dovetails with our efforts to serve many of the world's leading tech innovators and their institutional partners."

Marc Jaffe, Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins' New York office, added, "We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Eli to the New York office, where he will help further build out our capabilities and ultimately support clients in both the local and national markets. He is a practitioner of the highest caliber who leverages his firsthand understanding of New York's tech startup sector to advance clients' business goals."

"I look forward to joining Latham's exceptional team, which offers world-class transactional capabilities, broad industry experience, and deep relationships with both startups and venture capital and growth equity firms," said Curi. "The firm also fosters an inspiring culture of collaboration, collegiality, and diversity. All of these qualities make Latham the ideal platform from which I can further grow my practice."

Curi received his JD from Fordham University School of Law; and a BA from the University of Chicago. He joins Latham from Fenwick & West LLP.

About Latham & Watkins (lw.com)

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.

Notes to Editors

1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in Israel through a limited liability company. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Contacts

John Chory, Emerging Companies Practice Global Chair, +1.617.948.6032

Marc Jaffe, New York Office Managing Partner, +1.212.906.1281

SOURCE Latham & Watkins
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) today announced the close of $100 million for the Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund (Loan Fund), an impact investment loan fund that works with local community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to accelerate the flow of capital to minority-led businesses.

This round of commitments is led by $50 million in senior and subordinate loan capital from JPMorgan Chase. Last year, JPMorgan Chase selected LISC to lead the national expansion of the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund program (EOCF), including the addition of this new mission-oriented loan fund. Other early investors in the Loan Fund include Block (formerly Square, Inc.), Amalgamated Bank, Costco, Forbright Bank and Rippleworks.

"The EOCF program has shown how cities can be laboratories of innovation, where one pilot program, tested in a handful of cities over time, can be scaled to support small businesses in communities across the country," said Erin Robert, head of Impact Finance at JPMorgan Chase. "With the addition of this new fund, JPMorgan Chase and the other investors are able to pull together resources to help advance racial equity and build a more inclusive economy."

The EOCF program assists minority business growth with direct financing as well as access to advisory services and networking tools. It works with CDFIs serving targeted cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, DC Metro, Los Angeles, New York and the San Francisco Bay area. To date, it has served 1,500 businesses.

The Loan Fund expands the capacity for impact. It purchases participations in previously originated loans to minority-owned businesses from designated CDFI partners to free up local capital for additional lending to entrepreneurs of color. Qualifying transactions include micro-loans, non-SBA small business loans and commercial real estate loans with average amounts ranging from $10,000-$550,000.

"The Loan Fund represents an innovative model for the capital delivery system," said George Ashton, president of LISC Fund Management, LLC, which oversees the fund. "While there is a secondary market for SBA loans, there is no similar option for many other types of loans. The Loan Fund offers that missing liquidity, with a specific focus on loans to entrepreneurs of color and the goal of increasing access to capital for those businesses."

"The Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund provides liquidity to CDFIs that are on the front lines in communities of color and understand the barriers that entrepreneurs of color have historically faced. Amalgamated Bank values partnering with institutions like LISC, JPMorgan Chase and others that are committed to racial equity and prioritizing solutions that reduce the racial wealth gap," said Priscilla Sims Brown, Amalgamated Bank's president and chief executive officer.

The Loan Fund's goal is to help break down systemic barriers that have historically limited the growth of minority businesses. Black- and Hispanic-owned businesses have been underrepresented among enterprises that grow using external financing (financing through household savings, social networks, or bank financing). This suggests that Black- and Hispanic-owned firms have fewer opportunities to build businesses with a scale-based competitive advantage.

"We are excited to partner alongside LISC, JPMorgan Chase and the other investors in the Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund to promote entrepreneurship and contribute to greater access and equity across small business financing. LISC's mission with EOCLF is well-aligned with Forbright's focus on sustainability and we look forward to witnessing this important initiative's impact on small businesses and underrepresented communities," said Sonia Khanna, managing director of sustainable finance at Forbright Bank.

"The future of our collective social and economic well-being depends on fighting systemic racism and addressing the growing wealth gap in our country," notes Doug Galen, co-founder and CEO at Rippleworks. "By accelerating the flow of capital to minority entrepreneurs, the EOCLF gives financial institutions the opportunity to take an active role in breaking down the barriers that have contributed to the significant economic inequality in the U.S."

The Loan Fund's partner CDFIs include: Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), Ascendus, BOC Capital Corp., Detroit Development Fund, LISC, Pursuit, and TruFund Financial Services, Inc. The Loan Fund plans to expand its list of partner CDFIs over time.

"The Loan Fund provides innovative solutions that will create access to affordable capital for minority business owners," said James H. Bason, president and CEO of TruFund Financial Services, Inc. "We strongly believe that access to capital is critical to growing resilient small businesses and sustaining vibrant communities. This partnership moves us beyond the power of one to the power of collaboration to foster inclusive economies and help close the racial wealth gap."

The EOCF program was piloted in Detroit in 2015 by JPMorgan Chase, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Detroit Development Fund. It has since attracted a range of investors and partners to provide approximately $75 million in direct financing and advisory services to 1,500 businesses, including firms like The Lip Bar in Detroit and Nappy Head Club in New York.

The new Loan Fund complements those grants, loans, and services with an additional stream of financing. It is part of LISC's $1 billion Project 10X commitment to narrow racial gaps in health wealth and opportunity throughout the country as well as JPMorgan Chase's $30 billion Racial Equity Commitment.

For general information on the EOCF program, visit https://www.lisc.org/eocf/.

For details on the Entrepreneurs of Color Loan Fund, visit https://www.liscstrategicinvestments.org/EOCLF.

About LISC

LISC is one of the country's largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. We work with residents and partners to close systemic gaps in health, wealth and opportunity and advance racial equity so that people and places can thrive. Since our founding in 1979, LISC has invested $26.7 billion to create more than 463,000 affordable homes and apartments, develop 78.5 million square feet of retail, community and educational space and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances. For more, visit www.lisc.org.

About JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America ("U.S."), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $3.7 trillion in assets and $294.1 billion in stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2021. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of

customers in the U.S. and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com

SOURCE Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
TULSA, Okla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) announced today that Aaron Milford, chief executive officer, is scheduled to participate in a question and answer session about Magellan at the 2022 Investor Conference hosted by the Energy Infrastructure Council at 2:20 p.m. Eastern on Monday, May 16 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The session will be moderated by James Carreker, U.S. Capital Advisors equity research analyst, with a webcast available live on the day of the event on Magellan's website at www.magellanlp.com/investors/webcasts.aspx and a replay available for at least 30 days.

In addition, management will be hosting meetings with institutional investors and research analysts during the conference. The latest investor slide deck used to facilitate these meetings also will be available at www.magellanlp.com/investors/webcasts.aspx.

About Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.

Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) is a publicly traded partnership that primarily transports, stores and distributes refined petroleum products and crude oil. Magellan owns the longest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the country, with access to nearly 50% of the nation's refining capacity, and can store more than 100 million barrels of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil. More information is available at www.magellanlp.com.

SOURCE Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.
- The eTrieve catheter for removing blood clots, based on electric fields, met safety and feasibility endpoints

- Data, showing significant reduction RV/LV ratio and alleviation of PE associated symptoms, presented at Biomed Israel 2022

OR YEHUDA, Israel, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Magneto Thrombectomy Solutions (Magneto), a medical devices company developing innovative thrombectomy solutions for the treatment of ischemic stroke and pulmonary embolism, presented today successful first-in-human (FIH) results showing safety and feasibility of the eTrieve system, a novel catheter based on electric fields for removing blood clots, in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). The data, presented today at Biomed Israel 2022 , the premier international Life Science and HealthTech conference in Israel (May 10-12, Tel Aviv), showed a significant reduction in RV/LV ratio and alleviation of PE associated symptoms.

The eTrieve catheter for removing blood clots in patients with acute pulmonary embolism

Magneto was established as part of Incentive, Peregrine Ventures' Incubator, based on technology that was licensed from BGN Technologies, the Technology Transfer Company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Peregrine Ventures has been supporting Magneto since its inception.

"We are very pleased with our FIH results, which confirm the safety and efficiency of our innovative technology, as previously demonstrated in preclinical studies," said Benny Dilmoney, CEO of Magneto. "Our novel catheter is a groundbreaking solution that can transform treatment of conditions caused by blood clots, such as pulmonary embolism. The technology generates strong attachment forces between the eTrieve catheter and the clot, allowing the effective removal of the clot without applying outward radial forces against the vessel wall, minimizing bleeding and enabling removal of both proximal and distal clots. We believe that our novel solution will be a game changer in removing clots and helping people recover safely from life-threatening conditions such as PE. We look forward to initiating our pivotal study on more than 100 patients in multiple medical centers in the US and Europe, planned for later this year."

"Magneto provides intermediate and high-risk PE patients with a unique solution for safely and effectively removing large clots blocking the arteries in the lungs," said Prof. Piotr Musialek, John Paul II Hospital, Krakow, Poland and an investigator in the study. "The combination of a large-diameter 'vacuum cleaner' with electro-mechanical thrombus extraction, allows an immediate resolution of dyspnea and swift recovery of the cardio-respiratory system."

The prospective, single-arm, multicenter first-in-human study assessed the initial safety and performance of eTrieve in treating patients with acute PE. The study enrolled 10 participants across three sites in Denmark and Poland. Results show that the procedure, performed under light sedation only, was safe with no device related complications. The primary performance endpoint was also met, with significant reduction of right ventricle to left ventricle volume 48 hours post intervention. Significant clot volumes were removed, and alleviation of PE associated symptoms was demonstrated. The catheter removed both fresh and organized clots and successfully removed blood clots of all sizes and types, from locations that could not have been safely reached using other techniques.

Prof. Asger Andersen, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, principal investigator of the study, added, "Large bore aspiration of central clots with possibility to retrieve segmental clots with the eTrieve catheter, optimizes the possibility for complete pulmonary revascularization in acute PE."

About eTrieve

The eTrieve is a state-of-the-art catheter for performing thrombectomy utilizing the electric properties of blood clots. When voltage is applied to the catheter, the negatively charged clot bonds to the positively charged electrode of the catheter, creating a strong grip, and allowing safe removal of the clot.

About Pulmonary Embolism

A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot that develops in a blood vessel in the body (often in the leg), travels to a lung artery and suddenly blocks blood flow. About 400,000 patients in the US are diagnosed with PE each year. Of these, approximately 200,000 patients have PE that is severe enough to cause right heart strain and can benefit from catheter-based treatment. PE with right heart strain is associated with a large clot burden, high acute mortality, and poor long-term prognosis. PE is a rapidly growing market enhanced by the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) approach for PE management. The Potential US Market is estimated at $2 Billion.

About Magneto Thrombectomy Solutions

Magneto Thrombectomy Solutions is developing innovative thrombectomy solutions for the treatment of ischemic strokes and pulmonary embolisms. The Company's device enables fast clot retrieval with a small profile device having minimal interaction with the vessel wall while maintaining a strong grip throughout the length of the clot. The Company was established as part of Incentive, Peregrine Ventures' Incubator, by Yuval Taff, Chief Technical Officer and Founder, based on technology developed by Prof. Itzhak Orion of BGU and licensed from BGN Technologies, the Technology Transfer Company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

Media Contacts:

Tsipi Haitovsky

+972-52-598-9892

[email protected]

SOURCE Magneto Thrombectomy Solutions
Maine becomes the 23rd state to create a council that will help address the needs of rare disease

patients and their families

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Maine's rare disease community celebrated the passage of Legislative Document 972 (LD 972), which officially establishes a Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC) in Maine. The RDAC will advise the Maine Legislature and other state departments and agencies on issues that impact the rare disease community.

There are more than 7,000 known rare diseases affecting approximately 25-30 million Americans, more than half of which are children. People with rare diseases face many challenges, including delays in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, finding a health care provider with expertise in their condition, and a lack of affordable access to therapies and medications used to treat rare diseases.

Maine's RDAC will be made up of 20 members with strong connections to the rare disease community, including patients, caregivers, and health care professionals The Maine RDAC will be tasked with identifying and distributing educational resources for health care providers on rare diseases, increasing public awareness of rare diseases in the state, and establishing a comprehensive plan for the management of rare diseases in the state. The council will submit an annual report to the Governor, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services and the Legislature, which must be posted on a publicly accessible website.

"Today, Maine has taken an important step towards improving the outcomes for rare disease patients and families across our state. This legislation was passed in partnership  between the governor, lawmakers on both sides, and several committed advocates  and in turn, it will establish an advisory council committed to that spirit of partnership by helping to establish a brighter future for children and adults with rare diseases," said Representative Margaret Craven, the sponsor of the Rare Disease Advisory Council legislation.

"Thank you to Rep. Margaret Craven for championing this legislation to help make a difference for the 1-in-10 Mainers currently living with a rare disease," said Heidi Ross, Vice President, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, National Organization for Rare Disorders. "Bringing important stakeholders together and building a culture of learning  both possible through an RDAC  will help to give Maine's rare disease community a stronger voice in state government."

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) established Project RDAC in 2020 to increase the number of RDACs across the country and help optimize existing RDACs. Including Maine, a total of 23 states have signed legislation into law creating a Rare Disease Advisory Council, including six in 2021 alone.

For more information on NORD's Project RDAC, visit https://rarediseases.org/projectrdac/. To learn more about NORD's policy work, visit: http://bit.ly/Policy-Issues.

About the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is the leading independent advocacy organization representing all patients and families affected by rare diseases in the United States. NORD began as a small group of patient advocates that formed a coalition to unify and mobilize support to pass the Orphan Drug Act of 1983. Since then, the organization has led the way in voicing the needs of the rare disease community, driving supportive policies, furthering education, advancing medical research, and providing patient and family services for those who need them most. Together with over 300 disease-specific member organizations, more than 17,000 Rare Action Network advocates across all 50 states, and national and global partners, NORD delivers on its mission to improve the lives of those impacted by rare diseases. Visit rarediseases.org.

SOURCE National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
Netskope Cloud and Threat Report finds cybercriminals growing in sophistication, leveraging various social engineering techniques and Trojan families to target victims more effectively

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Netskope , the leader in Security Service Edge (SSE) and Zero Trust, today published new research which found that phishing downloads saw a sharp increase of 450% over the past 12 months, fueled by attackers using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve the ranking of malicious PDF files on popular search engines, including Google and Bing. The findings are part of the latest edition of the Netskope Cloud and Threat Report: Global Cloud and Malware Trends, which examines the past 12 months of malware downloads from the cloud and web.

The top web referrer categories contained some categories traditionally associated with malware, particularly shareware/freeware, but were dominated by more unconventional categories. The ascension of the use of search engines to deliver malware over the past 12 months provides insight into how adept some attackers have become at SEO. Malware downloads referred by search engines were predominantly malicious PDF files, including many malicious fake CAPTCHAs that redirected users to phishing, spam, scam, and malware websites.

The report also found that most malware over the past 12 months was downloaded from within the same region as its victim, a growing trend that points to the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals, which more frequently stage malware to avoid geofencing filters and other traditional prevention measures. The findings reveal that attackers tend to target victims located in a specific region with malware hosted within the same region. In most regions, the plurality of malware downloads originated from the same region as the victim. This is especially true for North America, where 84% of all malware downloads by victims in North America were downloaded from websites hosted in North America.

"Malware is no longer confined to traditional risky web categories. It is now lurking everywhere, from cloud apps to search engines, leaving organizations at greater risk than ever before," said Ray Canzanese, Threat Research Director at Netskope. "To avoid falling victim to these social engineering techniques and targeted attack methods, security leaders must regularly revisit their malware protection strategy and ensure all possible entry points are accounted for."

Based on a subset of anonymized usage data collected by the Netskope Security Cloud platform, additional key findings from the report include:

Trojans Continue to Prove Effective: Trojans account for 77% of all cloud and web malware downloads as attackers use social engineering techniques to gain an initial foothold and to deliver a variety of next-stage payloads, including backdoors, infostealers, and ransomware. There is no single family of Trojans that is globally dominant. The top 10 Trojan families account for only 13% of all downloads, with the remaining 87% coming from less common families.

Trojans account for 77% of all cloud and web malware downloads as attackers use social engineering techniques to gain an initial foothold and to deliver a variety of next-stage payloads, including backdoors, infostealers, and ransomware. There is no single family of Trojans that is globally dominant. The top 10 Trojan families account for only 13% of all downloads, with the remaining 87% coming from less common families. Cloud and Web Are An Attacker's Perfect Pair: 47% of malware downloads originate from cloud apps compared to 53% from traditional websites, as attackers continue to use a combination of both cloud and web to target their victims.

47% of malware downloads originate from cloud apps compared to 53% from traditional websites, as attackers continue to use a combination of both cloud and web to target their victims. Popular Cloud Storage Apps Continue to be the Source of Most Cloud Malware Downloads . Additional top cloud app referrers included collaboration and webmail apps, where attackers can send messages directly to their victims in many different forms, including emails, direct messages, comments and document shares.

. Additional top cloud app referrers included collaboration and webmail apps, where attackers can send messages directly to their victims in many different forms, including emails, direct messages, comments and document shares. Microsoft Office Malware Files Have Declined to Pre-Emotet Levels: EXE and DLL files account for nearly half of all malware downloads as attackers continue to target Microsoft Windows, while malicious Microsoft Office files are on the decline and have returned to pre-Emotet levels. This is due in large part to the past year's worth of proactive warnings and security controls introduced by technology vendors like Google and Microsoft.

The Netskope Cloud and Threat Report is produced by Netskope Threat Labs, a team of the industry's foremost cloud threat and malware researchers who discover, analyze, and design defenses against the latest cloud and data threats affecting enterprises.

Download the full report here.

For additional information, the security community can access, engage with, and learn from Netskope's threat researchers and the insight that the Netskope Intelligent SSE Platform affords into the evolving cloud threat landscape by visiting Netskope's Threat Research Hub.

About Netskope

Netskope, a global cybersecurity leader, is redefining cloud, data, and network security to help organizations apply Zero Trust principles to protect data. The Netskope Intelligent Security Service Edge (SSE) platform is fast, easy to use, and secures people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Netskope helps customers reduce risk, accelerate performance, and get unrivaled visibility into any cloud, web, and private application activity. Thousands of customers, including more than 25 of the Fortune 100, trust Netskope to address evolving threats, new risks, technology shifts, organizational and network changes, and new regulatory requirements. To learn how Netskope helps customers be ready for anything on their SASE journey, visit netskope.com.

Media Contact

Inkhouse for Netskope

[email protected]

SOURCE Netskope
Leading Pizza Franchise Strategically Invests Millions in Technology & Innovation on Path to Become No. 4 Brand in Pizza

TOLEDO, Ohio, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, unveils a major project to accelerate its digital capabilities and drive growth. The brand's strategic investments in technology and innovation center around migrating to a 100% cloud-based proprietary technology platform - Marco's Order Management System (MOMS).

This platform is designed to improve the customer experience as well as simplify operations for the franchisees and store team members. Testing is currently underway with plans to roll out first into all company-operated stores by year-end, with franchise locations to follow in 2023. The fully integrated system supports payment processing and the point-of-sale (POS) system, with integrated conversational ordering, labor scheduling, inventory management, and a cloud-based reporting dashboard with centralized data management capabilities.

By housing its own data, the system can also enable all sorts of applications both now and in the future, allowing Marco's to respond to rapid digital change. Marco's can pivot and plug in additional technology features for customers as they become available, such as:

Ordering from virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google

Remote kiosk ordering

GPS pinpointed delivery

Instant ordering via social media

Automotive app integration such as Apple CarPlay

"This is a truly remarkable project and we see immense value in the ROI of this endeavor, which many QSR brands have not pursued due to its massive undertaking," said Rick Stanbridge, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Marco's Pizza. "We've been building upon strong platforms and adding exceptional additions and functionality that will be a benefit to both our franchisees and customers as we prepare for the future."

By owning and operating the customized cloud technology platform, Marco's can reduce the need for middleware - plus it will be a device-agnostic system, providing a huge savings to franchisees. The purposefully built, fully-integrated solution is easy to deploy and efficient to manage with essential features and functions that will help franchisees run their business more efficiently. When franchisees convert to this platform, Marco's can digitally monitor the POS system and dashboards via a network operations system that functions as a command center. This gives Marco's access to every digital device  customer facing or back of the house.

With new digital capabilities driving growth, Marco's is equipped with a roadmap to challenge the competition, fueling its long-term strong growth and performance.

"Our brand is committed to investing millions of dollars in technology and innovation that benefits our franchisees' business operations and improves our customer experience  the Marco's Order Management System (MOMS) does just that," said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & President of Marco's Pizza. "The work Rick and his team are doing is world-class. By investing in creative technology solutions, we're able to accelerate Marco's digitalization and allow our brand to respond to the increasing pace of digital change. With an eye on the future and becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza, this is exactly the type of innovation that will help get us there."

The Marco's Order Management System is one of many projects Marco's is embarking on after announcing the investment of millions of dollars in technology innovations through the next few years. Such projects include its recently announced voice-to-text initiative, the continued adoption of third-party delivery, utilizing AI for generating automated promise times, vetting and testing automated kitchen innovations, ghost kitchens, and new operational equipment.

Marco's is on track to reach $1B in annual systemwide sales in 2022. As a result, eager and sophisticated entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators are flocking to the franchise opportunity.

The brand continues to grow at a rapid pace, setting a development goal of 1,500 units open by the end of 2023. According to FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, Marco's 2021 FUND Score is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. Marco's experienced an 12.8% increase in year-over-year Average Unit Volume (AUV), and the Top 50% of Marco's franchised stores generated $1,198,201 AUV for 2021*.

For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or call 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA

Marco's Pizza is America's Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,000 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2022 "Franchise 500" ranking, and No. 4 in the Fastest Growing category on Restaurant Business' 2021 "Top 10 Fastest Growing Chains" ranking. Other recent accolades include a first-time presence on Newsweek's 2022 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, ranked No. 42 on QSR's Top 50 and has been featured five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking.

*Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2021. Based on fiscal year 2021, 146 of 389 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2022 FDD  please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE Marco's Pizza
SPRINGFIELD, Colo., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 22 Moon Bears were flown from Seoul, South Korea to Los Angeles International Airport where they were cleared by U.S. wildlife officials and then transported by special carrier to The Wild Animal Refuge in Springfield, Colorado.

Upon their arrival at the 10,000-acre Baca County facility, the 22 Moon Bears  which are more formally known as Asiatic Black Bears  were unloaded into temporary holding facilities where each bear could relax and be evaluated by the Sanctuary's full-time Veterinary staff.

A rescued Moon Bear enjoying fresh apples and clean water in a temporary holding pen within The Wild Animal Refuge

The massive rescue effort dubbed "Project Free: The Bear" is a collaboration between the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), an NGO based in Seoul, South Korea, and The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS), which is registered U.S. non-profit organization based in Colorado.

TWAS is the largest carnivore sanctuary in the world and operates multiple facilities in Colorado and Texas, with the Wild Animal Refuge (TWAR) being the largest facility with natural forested habitat for Bears.

The 22 bears originated at a breeding farm in South Korea that previously used the bears in gallbladder and bile extraction processes. Although the commercial harvesting of Bear gallbladders and extracting Bear bile was once a common practice throughout Asian countries, the process has come under attack in recent years.

Through a cooperative agreement between Bear farmers and the Korean government, all captive Moon Bears living within South Korea were sterilized in 2017 in an effort to stop all breeding. Although the reproduction of Bears ceased at that time, farmers were still allowed to kill and harvest gallbladders from Bears 10 years of age or older. This process will continue with the 300-plus Moon Bears that are still held in small steel cages within the country.

In 2020, KAWA officials contacted TWAS's Executive Director, Pat Craig, to request assistance with saving the Bears. Craig agreed to dedicate more than a thousand acres of prime Refuge habitat to the Moon Bear rescue effort, and subsequently began arranging for the first 22 Bears to be flown halfway around the world.

However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all viable transportation options were shut down for nearly two years. Finally, in early 2022, enough air cargo flights became available to fly the Bears out of South Korea. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the Bears were promptly transported by a specialized rescue team to The Wild Animal Refuge.

As each Bear's paws were able to touch earth for the first time in their life, both the American and Korean Veterinarians in attendance at the unloading remarked how amazing it was to see the Bears react. Having spent their entire lives laying, sitting and walking on steel bars, the Bears quickly had to learn how to balance and walk on the incredibly different substrate.

General In-Bum Chun, a decorated South Korean veteran, was onsite with other KAWA officials during this long-awaited moment: "Americans have gained the respect of the world and Koreans not because of big ships or guns, but because of the humanity of its people which was demonstrated again and again by the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Denver, Colorado".

Further efforts to rescue the remaining Moon Bears is ongoing and more information is available via the Sanctuary's website listed below.

About The Wild Animal Sanctuary and KAWA

The Wild Animal Sanctuary is the largest nonprofit carnivore sanctuary in the world, with over 700 rescued animals including Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, Leopards and other large carnivores living in large natural habitats. Established in 1980, the Sanctuary operates three locations within Colorado and Texas with more than 10,000 acres available for abused, abandoned and confiscated carnivores. The Sanctuary specializes in rehabilitating captive wildlife so they can be released into natural habitats where they can roam freely and live with others of their own kind. More information is available at www.wildanimalsanctuary.org

The Korean Animal Welfare Association is the largest nonprofit organization for animals in Korea. According to our slogan 'All creatures in pain and suffering have the rights to relief and to be free from it.' We work to reduce the use of animals and to restrict the kinds of animals used by human beings. We advocate the renovation of animal protection laws, encourage the rescue and adoption of abused animals, and conduct research and investigation of animal welfare. https://www.animals.or.kr/home/english

SOURCE The Wild Animal Sanctuary
STAMFORD, Conn., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Caroline Simmons, along with other prominent Stamford Government Officials and Chamber of Commerce members will be in attendance for a ribbon cutting event the evening of May 12th, 2022 at 5:30 pm. The new location for Riko's Pizza will be 2010 West Main Street, Stamford, CT. Remarks will be made by Mayor Simmons, and she will cut the ceremonial ribbon to welcome Riko's third corporate store to the Stamford, CT area.

Riko's Pizza is thankful to Mayor Simmons and the attendees for welcoming another Riko's Pizza store to the Stamford community. CFO, COO, Luigi Cardillo, shared that "We are pleased to announce continued growth and new job opportunities based in Stamford. We look forward to expanding our pizza concept in the area and offering more Stamford locals an opportunity to dine with us and experience our thin crust pizza and other unique high-quality products."

CEO, Rico Imbrogno, shared "Riko's motto is that family always comes first, and that means our customers always feel welcome and our employees feel valued. Our new Stamford location will offer the same welcoming atmosphere as our other corporate and franchise stores."

Riko's Pizza is currently offering franchise opportunities in the communities of Boston, Albany, Philadelphia and DC, as well as territories in North and South Caroline, Georgia, Florida and Texas.

About Riko's

Riko's Pizza is a unique and one-of-a-kind "thin crust" pizzeria with locations in Fairfield County, CT, New York, and Florida. Riko's brings something new to the table, and it's not just their delicious thin crust pizza. Those interested in joining the Riko's Pizza family as a franchise operator can learn more by calling Steve Gardner at 201-873-2463, emailing him at [email protected], or visiting https://rikosfranchise.com.

SOURCE Rikos Pizza
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mega Limited notes that Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk have issued the following personal statement:

Press Statement by Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk

It has been over 10 years now since the United States of America first requested our extradition to face charges associated with our operation of Megaupload.

Late last year, the Supreme Court finally ruled that we were eligible for extradition. This meant our case was referred to the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Kris Fa'afoi, to determine whether we would be surrendered.

New Zealand is our home now and we want to stay here. The continuing uncertainty associated with the extradition case has taken a heavy toll on our lives and the time has come to move on. Accordingly, we have reached an agreement with the New Zealand Government and the United States of America under which we have agreed to be charged in New Zealand for offences similar to those we face in the United States. Once those charges are heard by the New Zealand courts, the United States will withdraw its extradition proceedings against us.

While this means we will not be extradited, there is still a process ahead of us as we face charges in New Zealand. This matter being before the court, we will not be making any further comment at this time.

This press statement was issued by Peter JK Spring, solicitor for Bram van der Kolk and Mathias Ortmann.

About MEGA

MEGA is a leading global platform for end-to-end encrypted communication and file storage. It has more than 250 million registered users in 195 different countries, who have stored more than 120 billion files. Mega Limited employs 80 staff in New Zealand and a further 60 located in many other countries.

MEGA is accessible in multiple languages from desktop (Windows, macOS and Linux) and Android / iOS mobile apps.

User files are held in secure facilities in Europe or in countries (such as New Zealand and Canada) that the European Commission has determined to have an adequate level of protection under Article 45 of the GDPR.

At a time when users' online privacy and the protection of private data is more important than ever, MEGA provides a vital service to protect data and offer online privacy.

For more information see https://mega.io/

Twitter @MEGAprivacy

Facebook MEGAprivacy

Instagram MEGA_privacy

SOURCE MEGA The Privacy Company
Industry veterans to support maximizing the company's portfolio and capabilities in Federal markets

PITTSBURGH, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, announced today a series of new hires and promotions within its Federal Programs and Services Vertical. These staff updates support the company's goal of maximizing its portfolio and capabilities in Federal markets. Benjamin Matthews, P.E., has joined Michael Baker as National Market Lead  Federal Civilian Programs and promotions from within the firm include Angela Nocera, P.E., to National Market Lead  Army, Jade Rung, P.E., PMP, to National Market Lead  Federal Agencies and Kevin Owens to National Market Lead  Federal Agencies.

"As we Reimagine Michael Baker, we are focused on growing our Federal portfolio and making a greater impact on complex projects that require innovative solutions where we can bring together our planning, design, construction management and program management talents to satisfy the client's needs," said James E. Koch, Ph.D., P.E. President, Federal Programs and Services, at Michael Baker International. "With this new hire and three well-deserved promotions, we are continuing a legacy of service to U.S. Federal agencies dating back to 1940 and expertly supporting our Federal clients to meet their stateside and global missions."

As National Market Lead  Federal Civilian Programs, Mr. Matthews will manage client relationships for more than 30 Federal Civilian agencies and partner across the organization to develop both tactical plans and strategic positioning for key Federal Civilian opportunities. He will collaborate closely with Operations teams to ensure client satisfaction around key cost, schedule and quality measures and build teaming arrangements to address each client's unique challenges. Mr. Matthews is a Fellow and National Board of Direction member of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). He holds a Master of Science degree in Construction Management from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy .

and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the . In her new role as National Market Lead  Army, Ms. Nocera will focus on managing the firm's projects with the U.S. Army, including strategy, business development and client relationships, to ensure successful capture, project execution and growth of the Army program. She brings 16 years of experience providing environmental and civil engineering consulting services to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. She joined Michael Baker in 2017 and has helped grow the firm's Federal portfolio through capture and execution of Design-Build projects and AE Services task orders with U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast and U.S. Air Force (USAF). She holds a Master of Science degree from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Alabama .

in 2017 and has helped grow the firm's Federal portfolio through capture and execution of Design-Build projects and AE Services task orders with U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast and U.S. Air Force (USAF). She holds a Master of Science degree from and a Bachelor of Science degree from the . Mr. Rung, National Market Lead  Federal Agencies, joined Michael Baker in 2021 and brings more than 27 years of experience in the delivery of commercial building and heavy civil infrastructure projects. With experience in capital acquisition, planning, design, construction and program management, his new role will leverage his previous business development experience to help identify and capture Federal Civilian (non-DoD) opportunities, including those with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering  Structural from Louisiana State University .

in 2021 and brings more than 27 years of experience in the delivery of commercial building and heavy civil infrastructure projects. With experience in capital acquisition, planning, design, construction and program management, his new role will leverage his previous business development experience to help identify and capture Federal Civilian (non-DoD) opportunities, including those with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering  Structural from . In Mr. Owens' new role as National Market Lead  Federal Agencies, he will work with Regional and Office leadership to capture and pursue opportunities with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Department of State and Cost Engineering. He joined Michael Baker in 2016 and has nearly 20 years of experience providing program/project management to U.S. DoD and DOE. He is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army serving as a Nuclear Operations Officer for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Mr. Owens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Economics from Auburn University .

About Michael Baker International

Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services with Practices that encompass all facets of infrastructure, including design, civil engineering, planning, architecture, environmental, construction and program management. For more than 80 years, the company has been a trusted partner to commercial clients, all branches of the military and federal, state and municipal governments, providing comprehensive services and solutions. Embracing emerging technologies and the latest innovations  like intelligent transportation and design-build project delivery, Michael Baker is an industry leader that delivers expertise and quality. The firm's more than 3,000 employees across nearly 100 locations are committed to Making a Difference for clients and communities through a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement while Reimagining Michael Baker to become a full-service engineering and consulting firm over the next five years. To learn more, visit https://mbakerintl.com/.

Contact: Julia Covelli

[email protected]

(866) 293-4609

SOURCE Michael Baker International
Featured: 1776 Revolutionary War officer's musket, early 19th C. US flag from family of Stephen Decatur Jr, pre-1873 Colt 'pinch-frame' revolver, Teddy Roosevelt 1905 presentation drilling

DENVER, Pa., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Antique and collectible firearms of superior quality and great historical importance await bidders at Morphy's mid-May auction event, with two distinct sessions that, together, offer significant firearms and militaria from the 18th century through contemporary times. For the May 17 session, Morphy's has prepared a 213-lot curated selection of early arms and militaria, followed on May 18 by a 405-lot offering of fine rifles, shotguns, 19th-century Colts and other handguns; military and NFA weapons; and much more.

Fine relief-carved flintlock Kentucky longrifle attributed to master gunsmith Leonard Reedy (Berks County, Pa., 1776-1837). Classic Reedy-style carving around the patchbox and barrel tang, and behind the cheekpiece. Pictured in 'The Kentucky Rifle and Me' by Edith Cooper. Estimate $40,000-$80,000 Set of four near-mint Colt single-action Army 'Frontier Six Shooter' .44-40-WCF Revolvers, all from same 1923 shipment of four. Known as 'Family Reunion' guns, referring to title of 1976 'Arms Gazette' article co-authored by Ron Graham and Mel Guy. Accompanying documents include two Colt letters. Provenance: Mel Guy collection. Estimate $60,000-$100,000

Each and every auction item has been examined and cataloged by the appropriate specialist from Morphy's respected team of firearms experts. All forms of bidding will be available, including live online through Morphy Live.

Categories featured on May 17 include antique flintlock, percussion and military rifles and pistols; six antique flintlock shotguns, nearly 40 swords  including pre-Revolutionary War through Civil War models  powder horns, medals, maps, flags, uniforms, field gear and historical ephemera.

An absolute treasure of early American gunsmithing, Lot 1168 is a fine relief-carved flintlock Kentucky rifle attributed to master gunsmith Leonard Reedy (1776-1837), who learned and practiced his trade in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. Described as being in "near workbench condition," this Golden Age longarm is pictured in the reference The Kentucky Rifle and Me and has a $40,000-$80,000 estimate.

Morphy Auctions is honored to have been entrusted with an American Flag from a descendant of our nation's first post-Revolutionary War naval hero, Stephen Decatur Jr (1779-1820). The extremely rare 17-star, 17-stripe flag has remained in the Decatur family for more than 200 years. Its pattern, dating 1804-1812, coincides with the period of Stephen Decatur Jr's active US Navy service. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000

The May 18 session is sure to delight advanced collectors who seek firearms deserving of the description "extraordinary." An ultra-desirable Colt "pinch frame" single-action Army Revolver bearing the serial number "58" was manufactured prior to July 1873 and is one of the elite nine that were included in the first commercial shipment of Colt Single-Action Army Revolvers sent to Schuyler, Hartley & Graham on Sept. 2, 1873. The legendary Colt will convey to its new owner with a 4-page letter written in 2007 by noted Colt authority Ron Graham. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000

Some may recognize the famous set of four near-mint Colt single-action Army "Frontier Six Shooters" in this sale as the revered "Family Reunion" guns. The near-mint .44-40-WCF Revolvers, all from same 1923 shipment, were reunited after many years of diligent searching by fabled collector Mel Guy. The lot of four revolvers comes with supportive documents, including two Colt letters. Estimate: $60,000-$100,000.

More than 100 NFA lots will be up for bid. Each of the lots is legally transferrable with prior approval from the BATF. A prime example is the exceptional Fabrique Nationale FM Mag 58 (FN 60-20) general-purpose machine gun. This type of gun is extremely scarce in the NFA Registry and is available only to active FFL/SOT dealers as a pre-1986 dealer's sample. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000

Morphy's May 17 and 18, 2022 auctions will take place at the company's Denver, Pennsylvania gallery, starting at 9 a.m. EDT. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Morphy Live. Questions: call 877-968-8880 or email [email protected]. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.

Media Contact:

Dan Morphy

877-968-8880

[email protected]

SOURCE Morphy Auctions
U.S. Veterans and Military take an Additional $50 off their Purchase

Friday, May 13th Tuesday, May 31st

CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My Green Mattress  an award-winning company offering certified organic and sustainable sleep products  celebrates Memorial Day with the announcement of their Memorial Day Sale, May 13th - May 31st. Customers can SAVE 15% on the entire site including all handcrafted healthy mattresses and sleep accessories when they use code: Remember.

My Green Mattress is proud to offer an additional $50 off to U.S. veterans and active duty military. Tweet this Save 15% on healthy, affordable, organic mattresses and accessories this May 13th - 31st. All mattresses are handcrafted in the My Green Mattress certified organic factory located in the Midwest.

Reset and restore when you choose healthy sleep for the whole family this Memorial Day. Support this family-owned and operated company that honors those who serve our country. My Green Mattress is proud to offer an additional $50 discount for U.S. veterans and active duty military.

During the sale, customers can save 15% on any size mattress including the luxurious Natural Escape organic mattress, Hope all-latex organic mattress, kid-friendly Kiwi organic mattress and the latex-free Pure Echo organic mattress. Plus, save 15% on the breathable Emily Organic Crib Mattress, and healthy sleep accessories including the waterproof organic cotton protector, latex topper and the My Green Platform Bed.

The organic latex and wool components in these mattresses allow for maximum air circulation and breathability to keep you naturally cool on hot summer nights. Rest easy knowing each mattress is hypoallergenic and free from harmful chemicals and flame retardants.

The mission of My Green Mattress is to make healthy, non-toxic sleep solutions attainable to all by offering factory-direct, affordable organic mattresses. The materials and operations in the My Green Mattress Factory are certified all organic by the Control Union. Each mattress is made to order, in the USA, by a team of artisanal craftsmen. Fast, free shipping is included and all orders will arrive to your home via FedEx in two weeks or less.

About My Green Mattress:

My Green Mattress is a family-owned and operated, certified organic company founded by a father of five with a need to create a hypoallergenic crib mattress for his infant daughter who was suffering from allergies and eczema. The Emily Organic Crib mattress sparked a complete line of all-natural, healthy mattresses for adults and children. For a virtual tour of the factory and for additional information, please visit http://mygreenmattress.com .

SOURCE My Green Mattress
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will hold a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT) on Tuesday, May 17, to provide an update on the agency's InSight Mars lander. NASA leadership and mission team members will highlight InSight's science accomplishments, share details on the spacecraft's power situation, and discuss its future.

Audio of the briefing, as well as supporting graphics, will livestream at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

The teleconference participants will include:

Lori Glaze , director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington

, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Bruce Banerdt , InSight principal investigator, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California

, InSight principal investigator, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Kathya Zamora Garcia , InSight deputy project manager, JPL

To participate in the call, media must RSVP no later than three hours prior to the start of the event to Rexana Vizza at: [email protected]asa.gov . Valid media credentials are required and the agency's media accreditation policy is available online. Media and the public can submit questions on social media during the teleconference using #AskNASA.

InSight landed in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars in November 2018 with the goal of studying the planet's deep interior for the first time, using seismic signals to learn more about the properties of the crust, mantle, and core. Answering these questions helps shed light on how all rocky worlds form, including Earth and its Moon.

After InSight met the goals of its two-year-long prime mission, NASA extended the mission until December 2022. However, due to dust accumulation on its solar panels, InSight's electrical power production is dropping, and the mission is unlikely to continue operations for the duration of its current extended mission unless its solar panels are cleared by a passing "dust devil" in Mars' atmosphere.

Visuals to accompany the teleconference will be available shortly before it starts at:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/insight-update-telecon

SOURCE NASA
During Aspen Ideas: Climate, The National Park Foundation Highlights The Critical Role Of Service Corps In Responding To The Impacts Of Climate Change

MIAMI, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Park Foundation is excited to announce its fiscal year 2022 investment in service corps programs across the country during Aspen Ideas: Climate, a multi-day event focused on global and local solutions to the climate crisis. Many of the service corps programs are helping parks be more climate resilient and helping people deepen their environmental stewardship.

Service corps are responding to the impacts of climate change in real time. Tweet this During fiscal year 2022, the National Park Foundation is awarding over $4.1 million to service corps projects that highlight the depth and breadth of the National Park System and are helping national parks and local communities respond to the impacts of climate change. Video courtesy of the National Park Foundation. Image description: This slideshow features images of service corps members working at various parks and helping to preserve parks across the country.

"From addressing habitat degradation and invasive species to engaging in trail restoration, service corps are responding to the impacts of climate change in real time," said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "In collaboration with the National Park Service and corps partners, the National Park Foundation is helping parks and local communities confront these challenges that ultimately affect all of us."

During fiscal year 2022, the National Park Foundation is awarding over $4.1 million to service corps projects that highlight the depth and breadth of the National Park System and the myriad ways climate change is impacting parks and local communities. For example, due to increased rainwater runoff and more intense weather events, many service corps are engaging in trail maintenance projects to ensure that park trails remain safe and accessible to visitors while also helping to protect the park's ecosystem. In addition, the National Park Foundation recognizes that socially vulnerablei populations are disproportionately exposed to the most severe harms from climate change.ii As such, the National Park Foundation works with service corps partners who are aware and sensitive to these realities and help equip communities with the resources they need to be more climate resilient.

"The work of the service corps is an important component in our efforts to confront the climate crisis using science and traditional ecological knowledge," said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "Having begun my conservation career as a Youth Corp member, I know this partnership and its energized and dedicated young stewards play a crucial role in tackling the crisis by providing needed capacity to analyze, monitor, document, and address climate-related issues affecting national parks."

Though unprecedented in size and scope, the National Park Service is rising to the climate challenge with a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes science, facilitates adaptation, encourages sustainable operations, and supports broad communication. The National Park Foundation's investment in service corps programs supports the National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy by promoting cooperation and collaboration to help better understand and respond to the impacts of climate change through efforts such as mitigation and resiliency, wildlife protection, invasive species removal, fuels management iii, and community support.

"Climate change is a 'risk multiplier' - it can magnify the impacts of other concerns national parks are already managing, such as invasive species, wildfire, flooding and erosion, increasing the risk of loss or impairment of cultural resources such as archeological sites, natural resources, and park infrastructure," said Joel H. Reynolds, Ph.D., National Park Service climate scientist. "The many new challenges posed by these climate-driven transformations require new tools and thinking. Service corps' members help NPS respond to these challenges while gaining valuable experience in the new skills and perspectives required for adapting in this era of climate change."

Earlier this year, The Corps Network conducted a nationwide survey about the ability of service corps organizations to scale up and complete climate projects. All of the more than 140 organizations that responded indicated they had the capacity to grow if sufficient support was available. More than 50 percent of respondents indicated that, with appropriate funding and staff capacity, their organizations could grow by more than 100 percent within two years or less. The Corps Network intends to use the survey findings to collaborate with partners on ways to reduce barriers to corps expansion and ensure that corps growth happens in an equitable manner.

"I am inspired by the thousands of young adults, across all 50 states, who show up every day to serve our country through corps programs. From restoring shorelines and preserving historic structures, to treating wildfire fuels and planting trees, the projects corps do to make our communities and public lands more resilient is increasingly important," said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, president and CEO of The Corps Network. "I extend deep appreciation to the National Park Foundation for continued support not only for these projects, but for the corps participants themselves. The young adults serving in corps today represent the emerging, diverse generation of stewards we need."

Throughout fiscal year 2022, the National Park Foundation is partnering with the National Park Service and more than 30 partner organizations iv to support a diverse network of service corps crews. A few of the National Park Foundation-supported service corps crews include:

Bolstering the Sustainability of Trails at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia

A Student Conservation Association crew representing diverse identities will rehabilitate priority trails across the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area's 15 land units. Impacts from increasing visitor use and increased storm frequency often leave trails muddy and difficult to navigate. Climate change also leads to more frequent flooding and higher river levels, which exacerbates erosion along riverside trails. The crew's work will heavily rely on guidelines from the park's first ever Trails Management Plan to bolster the sustainability of park trails as it faces increasing visitor use and storm frequency.

Managing Invasive Species and Wildfire Risks at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

An American Conservation Experience (ACE) Queer Inclusion crew will perform trail maintenance, invasive species control, and fire mitigation activities that help address climate change impacts. To reduce the threat to biodiversity posed by invasive species, the ACE Queer Inclusion crew will work alongside the park's vegetation ecology and management biologist to map infestations of cheatgrass, an invasive species of particular concern related to climate change. While working alongside Fire-Effects Monitoring staff, the crew will also be monitoring various types of vegetation treatments that are associated with reducing wildfire risk and enhancing wildlife habitat, specifically collecting data to understand whitebark pine's response to wildfire.

Addressing Climate Change and Advancing Environmental Justice along the Musconetcong Wild and Scenic River in New Jersey

Climate change is affecting New Jersey primarily through increased rainfall, resulting in high-volume rainfall events, increased inland flooding, and increased humidity. These factors have made segments of the Musconetcong Educational Trail impassable during high water events and have increased stream bank erosion. A New Jersey County Student Conservation Association service corps trail crew will help restore and develop the Musconetcong Educational Trail into a 3.8-mile loop trail system on both sides of the Musconetcong Wild and Scenic River, in collaboration with the Ramapough Culture and Land Foundation. They will relocate segments of the trail from eroding streambank edges to higher ground, install steppingstones to reduce disturbance to hydric soils, and build bog bridges for crossing wetland areas. The project will also help advance environmental justice by incorporating the Lenape language and acknowledging the Ramapough Lenape's ongoing and ancestral connections to the lands.

Saving Ice Age Fossils Through Erosion Mitigation at Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas

Waco Mammoth National Monument was designated in 2015 to preserve and protect the "nation's only recorded discovery of a nursery herd (females and offspring) of Pleistocene mammoths." As part of this mission, the park preserves several known, unexcavated fossil deposits, which likely contain mammoths, camels, and other Ice Age fossils. Due to recent extreme-weather events, many of Waco Mammoth's unexcavated fossil resources have been damaged and destroyed by runoff and other impacts of climate change. A Conservation Legacy service corps crew of first-generation college students will assist with efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, most importantly the effects of increased aridity and increased episodes of flash flooding. These students will help by terracing the slope called Turtle Bluff and using vegetation to create a barrier that slows the flood waters before they hit the slope. By working together, the National Park Service staff and the service corps crew will implement erosion and weathering controls on a modern landscape to preserve the inhabitants of the Pleistocene wilds of central Texas.

View the full list of NPF service corps grantees for fiscal year 2022.

"Support from the National Park Foundation and cooperation with our hiring partner, Conservation Legacy, gives Waco Mammoth National Monument the opportunity to work with local, first-generation college students to help mitigate problems that have been caused by current climate change," said Dr. Lindsey T. Yann, a paleontologist at Waco Mammoth National Monument. "Our goal is to instill a sense of belonging and dedication in these service corps members in the hopes they will go on to be the next generation of scientists, artists, engineers, and advocates."

The National Park Foundation is investing more than $4.1 million in service corps programs in fiscal year 2022, including support from Communities and Workforce program partners Carhartt, Winnebago and Winnebago Industries Foundation, and partners Nature Valley, Apple, REI Co-op, American Express, Free People, and Publix Super Markets. Additional funding is provided by The JPB Foundation, Annie and Kevin Parker, and many other donors. Select projects are also being leveraged with federal funds that were authorized and appropriated for the National Park Foundation under the 2016 National Park Service Centennial Act (PL 114-289).



Since 2018, including fiscal year 2022, the National Park Foundation has granted more than $15 million to over 180 service corps crews.

Individuals, foundations, and companies can support NPF's Communities and Workforce initiative, including a continued investment in service corps programs, by visiting the National Park Foundation website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

i The EPA's peer-reviewed report defines socially vulnerable populations based on income, educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and age.

ii EPA Report Shows Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change on Socially Vulnerable Populations in the United States, September 1, 2021

iii Fuels management can be planned prescribed burns and other treatments that change or reduce wildland fuels and therefore decrease the risk of severe wildland fire to local communities and help maintain healthy park ecosystems.

iv National Park Foundation partners include American Conservation Experience, Appalachian Conservation Corps, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Canyon Country Discovery Center, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan, Inc., Conservation Corps North Bay, Conservation Corps North Carolina, Conservation Corps of American YouthWorks, Conservation Legacy, CorpsTHAT, Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, Environment for the Americas, Friends of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Friends of Saguaro National Park, Inc., Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, Great Basin Institute, Groundwork USA, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Intermountain Regional Office NPS Submerged Resources Center, Mile High Youth Corps, Mississippi Park Connection, National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center, Northwest Youth Corps, Rock Creek Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps  NM, Santa Monica Mountains Fund, SEEDS, Southeast Conservation Corps, Southwest Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association, Texas Conservation Corps, Urban Corps of San Diego County, Wabanaki Youth in Science, and Watershed Committee of the Ozarks.

SOURCE National Park Foundation
Digital transformation leader combines 20+ years of SAP application and business process expertise with cannabis industry experience to deliver tailored, seed-to-sale solutions

ORLANDO, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP Sapphire Navisite announced today the expansion of its SAP services with tailored solutions for the cannabis industry. Building on the company's 20+ years as a digital transformation partner for mid-market and smaller enterprise companies, Navisite is empowering agricultural, medical and recreational cannabis companies to accelerate growth with solutions that span the entire seed-to-sale process, from grower dashboards to quality management, tracking and reporting.

"Cannabis companies need highly scalable, flexible systems that can keep pace with demand, delivering greater intelligence and agility across their entire operations," said Gina Murphy, president and chief transformation officer at Navisite. "With our cannabis solutions, we bring a unique combination of SAP, business process and technology expertise to help our customers modernize on SAP and fully capitalize on new market opportunities."

Industry data projects U.S. cannabis sales to more than double to $72 billion in 2030. As an emerging, fast-growth industry, cannabis companies face a number of challenges, from changing regulations across states and countries to safety considerations, labor shortages and supply chain issues. By partnering with Navisite to implement a modern enterprise solution on SAP, cannabis companies can significantly mitigate risk and leverage intelligent technologies, including next-generation analytics, automation and tracking capabilities that enable full visibility and management from cultivation through processing and delivery.

For example, Navisite helped cannabis pioneer Trulieve complete a breakthrough digital transformation on SAP S/4HANA, the future-ready enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that supports AI, machine learning, advanced analytics and more. Trulieve is the latest in a series of cannabis companies that Navisite has helped transform, making it a leader in technology consulting and solutions implementation for the agricultural, medical and recreational cannabis industry.

"Navisite's implementation of S/4HANA in Florida, our largest market, has been transformational and we have plans to expand across all our markets," said Nilyum Jhala, CTO of Trulieve. "Trulieve is well positioned for continued growth in the cannabis industry, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Navisite."

For attendees at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida, May 10-12, Navisite will co-present with Trulieve in the session titled: "Speed the Growth of New Business Ventures with SAP S/4HANA." For more information about Navisite's SAP services, visit booth #PA213.

Navisite Cannabis Services for the Mid-Market

Navisite takes a holistic, problem-solving approach to working with cannabis customers to assess their pain points and provide practical guidance and recommendations for achieving their goals. In addition to end-to-end digital transformation services on SAP, Navisite provides the following cannabis solutions that are customized to the needs of each customer:

Consolidated Grower Dashboards  Gain visibility across the end-to-end cultivation process with simplified user interaction.

 Gain visibility across the end-to-end cultivation process with simplified user interaction. Business Dashboards  View key metrics via SAP Analytics Cloud to drive business outcomes with pre-defined KPIs for finance, sales, inventory, purchasing and more.

 View key metrics via SAP Analytics Cloud to drive business outcomes with pre-defined KPIs for finance, sales, inventory, purchasing and more. Operational Analytics  Benefit from embedded analytics to eliminate data silos and gain total insight over day-to-day operations to optimize decision-making.

 Benefit from embedded analytics to eliminate data silos and gain total insight over day-to-day operations to optimize decision-making. Quality Management  Deploy a fully integrated SAP Quality Management solution to ensure quality assurance best practices across activities and departments.

 Deploy a fully integrated SAP Quality Management solution to ensure quality assurance best practices across activities and departments. Point of Sale (POS)  Transform the retail experience with a fully integrated POS system for seamless ordering and payments, with real-time sales and inventory updates.

 Transform the retail experience with a fully integrated POS system for seamless ordering and payments, with real-time sales and inventory updates. Regulatory Reporting  Integrate with state/federal regulatory authorities and automate the data generation and reporting process to get the right information to the right agency.

Navisite is a certified partner with Metrc (Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance), the world's most successfully deployed regulatory cannabis system. For more information, visit Navisite's Cannabis Services.

About Navisite

Navisite is a trusted digital transformation partner for growing and established global brands. Through our highly specialized teams, industry solutions, business process expertise and application services, we provide the capabilities and practical guidance customers need to modernize, build and support more agile, resilient and expanding businesses. Our strategic advisory and transformation services advance innovation with comprehensive cloud, enterprise application, data management, intelligent automation and cybersecurity solutions, empowering customers to navigate change and meet new demands at any point in their journey. To learn more, visit navisite.com.

SOURCE Navisite
Unified broadband network footprint to reach one-third of all connected buildings in the United States

LENEXA, Kan., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), representing more than 700 independent broadband and pay-TV providers serving all 50 states and the U.S. territories today announced the launch of Connectivity Exchange, a new program that allows its member operators to compete for and win bids to provide broadband network services to national brands or large-scale RFPs through a members-only, industry-first, fully automated platform from quote to order with unified billing and support.

By joining Connectivity Exchange, NCTC's member operators can unlock new revenue opportunities by extending broadband network sales efforts to customers and markets they may not have been able to reach previously.

NCTC's members cover many of the areas of the country that are hard to reach today and with the Connectivity Exchange, buyers will more easily be able to access these locations.

Connectivity Exchange is being launched through a partnership with Connectbase, formerly known as Connected2Fiber, and Neustar services, providing best-in-class pricing and services to participating member companies. NCTC's members have already registered over six million locations with Connectbase, creating an aggregate network that is automatically surfaced to prospective wholesale network buyers using the Connectbase platform. Their world class technology platform enables NCTC members to streamline their wholesale buying and purchasing.

"By aggregating our members' individual networks, small and large, we are creating a unified network that reaches approximately a third of the buildings in the U. S. We make it easy  we are building the relationships and negotiating master service agreements with the platforms and the national buying groups, so members can focus on what they do best  delivering fantastic broadband service."

Lou Borrelli, CEO NCTC

"By joining Connectivity Exchange, our member companies can avoid being overlooked when competing for broadband opportunities by national brands or large-scale RFPs. At the heart of the program is our strategic partnership with Connectbase, which gives independent broadband providers national visibility and marketability of their networks in a way they've never had before."

Jared Baumann, NCTC VP of Technology Innovation

"The advent of NCTC into the Connectbase ecosystem represents a transformational growth opportunity for both NCTC's more than 700 members as well as the connectivity buyers within the platform," states Ben Edmond, CEO of Connectbase. "Network buyers will now be able to gain access to one of the largest sources of broadband in the country through a single agreement with NCTC. NCTC's members will be able to leverage the market-leading location insights and workflows within the platform to identify their total addressable market (both on-net and near-net locations), publish their market reach and product pricing to the industry's largest community of network buyers, and participate in the maximum amount of qualified opportunities available. This is a significant milestone for NCTC members, Connectbase, and the industry as a whole"

Ben Edmond, CEO of Connectbase

Connectivity Exchange is available now to all NCTC member companies. NCTC members who wish to learn more about the program or to sign up may visit connectivityexchange.org

About the National Cable Television Cooperative

The National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc. (NCTC) is a Kansas-based, not-for-profit corporation that operates as a programming, broadband solutions and hardware purchasing organization for its member companies serving 40 million broadband and video customers throughout the U.S. and its territories. NCTC seeks to maximize current and future opportunities to ensure the profitability, competitive stature and long-term sustainability of its member companies. NCTC represents more than 700 independent cable and broadband operators across the U.S., in programming and technology acquisition. NCTC is actively engaged in helping network providers and suppliers evolve their business models to deploy new video/data solutions to match the changes in the media landscape.

For more on NCTC please visit our website: www.nctconline.org

About Connectbase

Connectbase is The Industry Cloud for Connectivity. The Connected World platform details and displays deep, trusted location-based insight and empowers users to leverage that insight to automate network buying and selling processes. Visit Connectbase at www.connectbase.com and follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/connectbase-us/.

Contact for NCTC

Pam Gillies

Vice President of Marketing & Communications

National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc.

[email protected]

720-594-8085

Contact for Connectbase

Michael Collins

Vice President of Marketing

Connectbase

[email protected]

508-570-5049

SOURCE NCTC
Jenny Lee joins the board following an extensive career that started in aerospace as a fighter jet engineer and has spanned to venture capital across the globe. As Managing Partner at GGV Capital, Lee has been instrumental in guiding early-stage companies to their IPO listing, with 18 unicorns under her belt. Lee is known for her startup innovation experience in EdTech, FinTech, Robotics/AI, EV, Web3  as well as playing a key role within GGV with her sector focus on food tech and alternative proteins.

Lee has been consistently recognized by the Forbes Global 100 VC Midas list and was the first woman to break the Top 10 in 2015. She has been applauded for being one of the top venture capital investors worldwide, receiving recognition from Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Fast Company and Business Times. She graduated from Cornell University with an M.S. and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and currently is based in Singapore.

On the importance of sustainable food production, Lee said: "Food tech innovations and developments in alternative protein will help us drive sustainability and mitigate climate change. Agriculture, forestry and land use cause 7% of carbon dioxide emissions and 46% of methane emissions, much of which is driven by food production. Sustainable foods can help us address environmental concerns arising out of inefficient animal farming and food production."

"With the aim of delivering delicious plant-based foods, Next Gen's TiNDLE is a fantastic product that not only drives adoption of sustainable meat, but also offers an authentic chicken experience," added Lee.

Mathys Boeren is the CEO of Asia Sustainable Foods Platform, a company wholly owned by Temasek, that is addressing the challenges around scaling up production of alternative proteins and rapid growth of sustainable foods across the region. In his role at the Platform, Boeren adapts his passion for the sustainable food industry by counselling and overseeing the development of new products and commercial scale-up for startups in the food tech industry. In addition, he is responsible for both current and future joint ventures and partnerships.

Prior to joining the Platform, Boeren worked in the food and food ingredients industry for over 25 years, which included leadership positions at Kerry, Symrise, Givaudan and Unilever. More recently, he has also acted as an advisor to sustainable food startups, with a focus on consumer preferences and product development. Boeren graduated from Technische Universiteit Delft with a degree and master's in chemical engineering, and he currently resides in Singapore.

Boeren believes there is "booming" demand for sustainable foods, "An estimated US$1.55 trillion (S$2.09 trillion) of spending is needed by 2030 to meet food requirements in Asia, driven by changing consumer habits and demand for healthier and more sustainable foods." Boeren views TiNDLE as "an innovative product, delivering a tasty and sustainable meat experience that will help us meet this growing demand. I am excited to be a part of Next Gen and guide them through their journey of becoming a leading brand for plant-based foods."

Jenny Lee and Mathys Boeren join Next Gen Foods' existing board members, including:

Timo Recker (Co-Founder & Executive Chairman)

(Co-Founder & Executive Chairman) Andre Menezes (Co-Founder & CEO)

(Co-Founder & CEO) Rohit Bhattacharya (CFO)

(CFO) Meng Xiong Kuok (Founder & Managing Partner, K3 Ventures)

(Founder & Managing Partner, K3 Ventures) Rachel Konrad (Chief Brand Officer , The Production Board)

Next Gen Foods Co-Founder and CEO Andre Menezes said, "We are always looking for strategic partners, board members and mentors who are motivated about transforming the food system and can guide us as we continue our rapid growth and market expansions. Both Mathys and Jenny's extensive global and regional experience in the food tech industry, and in helping startups to scale swiftly, is essential to Next Gen's vision of making delicious foods that ultimately impact the footprint that we have on this planet."

Rapid International Growth

In February 2022, Next Gen announced their record-breaking US$100 million Series A round , the largest Series A to date for a plant-based meat company.

New international investors included UK-based MPL Ventures, Southeast Asian venture capital firm, Alpha JWC; and Singapore-based global investment fund, EDBI. Joining from previous rounds were Temasek's Asia Sustainable Food Platform, GGV Capital, K3 Ventures and Bits x Bites. The total funding for the plant-based startup now exceeds US$130 million.

As a leading food startup, Next Gen Foods aims to make the global food system sustainable by making delicious, nutritious meat from plants. TiNDLE is the company's flagship product and the first chicken made from plants specifically created by chefs and for chefs. It contains no antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol or genetically modified ingredients.

TiNDLE made its global debut in Singapore in March 2021 and is now available in nearly 500 restaurants across Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Amsterdam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United States and the United Kingdom.

On average, chicken made from plants uses less land, less water, and produces less CO than chicken from birds. Based on a 2020 Blue Horizon report, choosing plant-based chicken over avian meat saves 82% less water, 74% less land and 88% less greenhouse gas emissions.

About Next Gen Foods

Founded in 2020, Next Gen Foods is a food-tech startup developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable plant-based food products  including its flagship product, TiNDLE. Next Gen Foods is backed by a team with proven experience in plant-based food technology, global brand development, and global distribution scaleup. For more information, visit nextgenfoods.sg.

About TiNDLE

TiNDLE is a juicy, plant-based chicken that offers mouthwatering taste, texture, and versatility  and uses a fraction of the land, water and energy needed to produce meat from birds. Made with only nine simple ingredients, TiNDLE is the first product by Next Gen Foods, a Singapore-founded food tech company that is developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable foods. Available in restaurants globally, TiNDLE is the first chicken made from plants designed by chefs and for chefs and is a winner of the National Restaurant Association's 2022 Food and Beverage Innovation (FABI) Awards . For more information, visit tindle.com or follow @tindlefoods on Instagram and @tindle.foods on TikTok.

Press Kit: www.nextgenfoods.sg/media

SOURCE TiNDLE
"Volvo Trucks is proud to continue partnering with NFI on its electromobility journey as the company truly demonstrates its leadership and commitment to supply chain sustainability," said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. "NFI's order of 60 Volvo VNR Electrics is a testament to the positive results fleets are experiencing with Volvo Trucks' electromobility solution, and a signal to the market that local and regional freight transport can be reliably accomplished with zero-tailpipe emissions."

NFI started its electromobility journey with Volvo Trucks as part of the Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project that began in 2019. NFI started piloting two Volvo VNR Electric trucks in its commercial operations, demonstrating the ability for battery-electric trucks to reliably transport goods under a variety of operating conditions.

"Our experience with the Volvo LIGHTS project was a major factor in NFI's decision to purchase VNR Electric trucks for our drayage operations," said Bill Bliem, senior vice president of fleet services at NFI. "NFI started our electrification transition because we are committed to sustainability initiatives across our operations, and we are continuing to invest in Volvo Trucks because of the proven viability and success we have had operating the Volvo VNR Electrics in our real-world routes."

The 60 trucks ordered by NFI are the next generation enhanced Volvo VNR Electric model with a six-battery-pack configuration, which provides an operational range of up to 275 miles. The enhanced Volvo VNR Electric, which began production in Q2 2022, also reduces the required charging time, as the state-of-the-art 250kW charging capability provides an 80% charge in 90 minutes.

Twenty of the trucks will be deployed as part of the Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative, or JETSI project. Led by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and jointly financed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the JETSI project will help significantly advance market penetration of zeroemission heavyduty trucks and pave the way for freight logistics fleets to achieve emission reductions at scale.

project. Led by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and jointly financed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the JETSI project will help significantly advance market penetration of zeroemission heavyduty trucks and pave the way for freight logistics fleets to achieve emission reductions at scale. Thirty of the trucks will be deployed with funding support from California's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). The HVIP project was launched by CARB as part of California Climate Investments to accelerate commercialization of battery-electric trucks by providing first-come first-served incentives to make advanced vehicles more affordable.

Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). The HVIP project was launched by CARB as part of California Climate Investments to accelerate commercialization of battery-electric trucks by providing first-come first-served incentives to make advanced vehicles more affordable. Ten of the trucks are part of the SWITCH-ON project, a grant to Volvo Trucks to deploy battery-electric trucks in Southern California for regional freight distribution and drayage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Targeted Air Shed Grant Program is providing the funding, supplemented by the South Coast AQMD for charging infrastructure, to improve air quality in the region.

The infrastructure to support NFI's zeroemission fleet is being developed by Electrify America as part of the announcement made with NFI at ACT Expo 2021 to build the nation's largest heavy-duty electric truck charging infrastructure project. The project will provide 19 350 kW ultra-fast chargers with 38 dispensers to support NFI's growing battery-electric drayage fleet that serves the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

To learn more about Volvo Trucks North America and the Volvo VNR Electric, visit the company website .

For further information, please contact:

Fredrik

KlevenfeldtDirector Brand Marketing Communications, Volvo Trucks North America

[email protected]

336.543.3386

High-resolution images associated with this press release and others are available at www.volvomediabank.com .

Volvo Trucks North America, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturers in North America. Its Uptime Services commitment is delivered by a network of nearly 400 authorized dealers across North America and the 24/7 Volvo Trucks Uptime Center. Every Volvo truck is assembled in the Volvo Trucks New River Valley manufacturing facility in Dublin, Virginia, which meets the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, 14001 standard for environmental care and holds a dual ISO 50001/Superior Energy Performance certification at the platinum level, indicating a sustained excellence in energy management. Volvo Trucks North America provides complete transport solutions for its customers, offering a full range of diesel, alternative-fuel and all-electric vehicles, and is part of the Volvo Trucks global organization.

Volvo Trucks supplies complete transport solutions for discerning professional customers with its full range of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Customer support is provided via a global network of dealers with 2,200 service points in about 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 13 countries across the globe. In 2021 approximately 123,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks' work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.

SOURCE Volvo Trucks North America
- Aiming to Realize 3 Zeros: "Zero Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Events," "Zero Aggravation of Respiratory Diseases" and "Zero Restrictions on Daily Activities Due to Chronic Pain" -

KYOTO, Japan, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2022, OMRON Group announced a new long-term vision, "Shaping the Future 2030" (hereafter referred to as SF2030). In its commitment to achieving this vision for the healthcare business domain, OMRON Healthcare Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Company), based in Muko City, Kyoto Prefecture, has established a long-term vision, "Going for ZERO, Preventive Care for the Health of Society" and promises to develop new devices and services to meet the expectations of consumers, healthcare professionals and society at large.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202204280634-O1-gBUApwyX

- Overview of the new long-term vision, "Going for ZERO, Preventive Care for the Health of Society"

By leveraging the sensing technologies and valuable insights developed in medical fields up to now, the Company will be focusing on the development of solutions for: cardiovascular diseases which have been leading causes of death worldwide; respiratory diseases, since the number of people suffering from them is growing particularly in emerging economies; and pain management that causes significant impact on people's daily lives. Focus and commitment to these efforts will allow the Company to realize the long-term vision.

1. Cardiovascular business: Zero cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events

An estimated one billion people worldwide have hypertension. Hypertension may cause cerebro-cardiovascular diseases (events) such as strokes and heart failure while symptoms go unnoticed. Since the release of the first blood pressure monitor in 1973, the Company has always been focusing on developing easy-to-use and accurate blood pressure monitors as well as conducting educational activities for promoting blood pressure monitoring at home. The cumulative global sales of OMRON blood pressure monitors exceeded 300 million units in 2021. While home blood pressure monitoring continues to become more popular worldwide, deaths resulting from cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events and individuals requiring long-term nursing care remain on the rise.

To accomplish the business vision of the cardiovascular domain, the Company will expand the target fields from monitoring cardiac dysfunction for the early detection, to the development of an upper-arm blood pressure monitor with built-in ECG technology, and the global launch of ECG analysis service. The Company also will expand business fields to include "the early detection and recurrence prevention of atrial fibrillation." As the life-style diseases are known to be risk factors of hypertension and atrial fibrillation, the Company will contribute to the development of new devices and services for early detection and improvements of these types of diseases. In addition, AI-based algorithm developments for establishing the framework of preventive care are being launched.

On the global businesses, the Company will focus on the reinforcement of partnerships with doctors and medical institutions in mainland China, where the population with hypertension and respiratory disease is trending up, and improve the services fostering the relationship between patients and physicians via MMC Health Convenience Stores (*1). In India, the Company set up experience centers throughout the nation to provide Indian consumers a hands-on experience with OMRON products. It will further spread the benefits of home blood pressure monitoring in the country.

MMC Health Convenience Stores (*1): One-stop service for diabetic patients offering patients easy access to medical tests and checks.

2. Respiratory business: Zero aggravation of respiratory diseases

Respiratory business will expand target diseases by adding COPD (*2) to the former asthma target. The number of patients suffering from respiratory disease is growing, mainly in emerging economies. As diagnostic criteria are not clearly quantified, clearly diagnostic decisions are difficult for physicians to make. The Company will be distributing devices to support treatments and diagnosis in emerging nations lacking fully established medical systems. And for general households, especially in developed countries, the Company will be promoting symptom control and care services to alleviate soaring medical expenditures to relieve the burden of patients and their families.

COPD (*2): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

3. Pain management: Zero restrictions on daily activities due to chronic pain

Within the pain management domain, the Company will focus on the development of devices incorporating new transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) technology, as well as providing an exercise therapy support service. The Company's aim here is to help more people lead their daily lives without worrying about pain.

The corporate mission of "To advance health and empower people worldwide to live life to the fullest" is the Company's desire that will remain unchanged now and in the future. To accomplish the new vision of "Going for ZERO, Preventive Care for the Health of Society," the Company aims to be indispensable within the chronic disease prevention and treatment fields, and then tries to challenge itself to provide society with solutions.

- OMRON Healthcare's Long-term Vision SF2030 Video

It portrays the lives of people in society where "Going for ZERO" has been realized.

Video URL: https://youtu.be/6cv9Le-6c0I

Image1:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M000242/202204280634/_prw_PI2fl_b0389uLf.jpg

Image2:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M000242/202204280634/_prw_PI3fl_4DfnlaXy.jpg

- OMRON Healthcare's Long-term Vision Special Page

On April 1, 2022, a special web page of "SF2030" was added to OMRON

Healthcare's corporate website.

https://healthcare.omron.com/

SOURCE OMRON Healthcare Co., Ltd.
One Knoxville SC, the club bringing professional soccer to Knoxville, is delighted to have another outstanding community partner in PYA. With the club's focus on steady, incremental growth within the American soccer landscape, a partnership with PYA provides an opportunity to work collaboratively with a respected local leader that understands what makes Knoxville unique.

Founded in Knoxville in 1983, PYA serves clients in all 50 states from offices in six cities. The firm is ranked by Forbes and by Inside Public Accounting as one of the Top Tax and Accounting Firms in the nation, and by Accounting Today as one of the Top 20 CPA firms in the Southeast and the largest headquartered in Knoxville. PYA remains deeply committed to its Knoxville heritage and has a long history of community support.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with PYA for our inaugural season," said Drew McKenna, Partner at One Knoxville SC. "With decades of community experience, PYA not only understands how to support businesses, but understands implicitly how to support Knoxville businesses. We couldn't be prouder of this partnership."

Marty Brown, PYA President and CEO, adds, "We are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this energetic team. The community engagement and support One Knoxville SC is fostering overlap so effectively with other exciting developments in our city and with our firm's core values. We are happy PYA can help bring it to life."

The One Knoxville SC season opens May 14th. Information available at: https://oneknoxsc.com/. Information on PYA is available at https://www.pyapc.com/.

SOURCE PYA
VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Orea Mining Corp. ("Orea") (TSX: OREA) (OTCQX: OREAF) (FSE: 3CG) reports that it was informed that the Supreme Court of France (Conseil d'Etat) has admitted the final appeal of the French Government on the renewal of the Montagne d'Or project mining titles, located in French Guiana, France, owned 44.99% by Orea and 55.01% by Nord Gold plc (the "JV").

As announced on October 7, 2021, the French Government filed a request before the Supreme Court to hear a final appeal on the renewal of the Montagne d'Or project mining titles, which are renewable for a term of up to 25 years. Two French courts previously ruled in favor of the JV and ordered the renewal of the mining titles.

Additional updates will be provided by Orea when available.

About Montagne d'Or

Montagne d'Or is a permitting-stage open pit gold deposit that hosts Measured Mineral Resources of 10.3 Mt at 1.804 g/t gold (600,000 oz), Indicated Mineral Resources of 74.8 Mt at 1.350 g/t gold (3.25 Moz) and additional Inferred Mineral Resources of 20.2 Mt at 1.48 g/t gold (960,000 oz), prepared in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). The Mineral Resources are confined within a pit shell defined by a gold price of US$1,300/oz and a cut-off grade of 0.4 g/t gold. Mineral Reserves have also been defined with Proven Mineral Reserves of 8.25 Mt at 1.99 g/t gold (530,000 oz) and Probable Mineral Reserves of 45.87 Mt at 1.50 g/t gold (2.2 Moz). The Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves were estimated using a gold price of US$1,200 per ounce at varied cut-off grades from 0.552 to 0.665 g/t gold, dependent on lithological rock types, economics and estimated metallurgical recovery. Montagne d'Or ore can be readily processed to recover the contained gold and silver values using unit operations considered standard to the industry. For more information, see Orea's news release titled "Columbus Gold Announces Positive Bankable Feasibility Study for Montagne d'Or Gold Project, French Guiana" dated March 20, 2017 and filed on SEDAR and the technical report prepared in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Bankable Feasibility Study - Montagne d'Or Project, French Guiana" by SRK Consulting for Columbus Gold (now Orea Mining) and Nordgold with an Effective Date of March 6, 2017, and a report date of April 28, 2017, which was filed on SEDAR on April 28, 2017.

Qualified Person

Rock Lefrancois, President & Chief Executive Officer of Orea and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed this news release and is responsible for the technical information reported herein, including verification of the data disclosed.

About Orea Mining Corp.

Orea is a leading gold exploration and development company operating in a prospective and underexplored segment of the Guiana Shield, South America. Its mission is to develop gold deposits with a reduced environmental footprint using innovative technologies, upholding the highest international standards for responsible mining. In French Guiana, Orea holds a major interest in the world-class Montagne d'Or mine development project and is also advancing the Maripa gold exploration project. In Suriname, Orea is advancing the Antino gold exploration project through its option agreement to acquire up to a 75% interest.

For more about Orea visit the company's website at www.oreamining.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

Rock Lefrancois

President & CEO

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements made herein, including statements relating to matters that are not historical facts and statements of the Company's beliefs, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events which will or may occur in the future, constitute "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance, reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "could", "should", "expect", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "budget", "plan", "estimate", continue", "forecast", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "would", "might", "will", and similar words, expressions or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. These include, but are not limited to, statements and information regarding: the Company's plans to construct and develop the Montagne d'Or project, including anticipated timing thereof; the timing, processes, outcome and other matters related to the renewal of the Montagne d'Or concessions (mining titles), including the appeal from the French Government; the impact from rulings by the French Constitutional Court regarding the French Mining Code; the satisfaction of regulatory requirements in respect of the permitting, construction and operation of the Montagne d'Or project, including but not limited to, the submission and processing of mine permit applications, the timing thereof and the timing of completion of environmental and engineering studies; the Company's ability to renew the concessions (mining titles) for the Montagne d'Or project and to comply with the conditions thereof; economic analysis for the Montagne d'Or project and related exploration objectives and plans; the conversion of mineral resources into mineral reserves and the conversion of inferred mineral resources into higher resource classification categories; the Company's objective of become an emerging gold producer; the acquisition of exploration projects including terms of acquisition, exploration or development plans, intentions to acquire additional exploration or development interests and the implications thereof; the production capacity and potential of future plant and equipment; future exploration and mine plans, objectives and expectations and corporate planning of the Company, future studies and environmental impact statements and the timetable for completion and content thereof and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, the matters and activities contemplated in this news release.

Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such assumptions and analyses are made by the Company's management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances. All assumptions and analyses are those of the Company's. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including compliance by the Company with regulatory and permitting requirements applicable in French Guiana, the sufficiency of Company's working capital; the Company's ability to secure additional funding for the continued exploration and development of its properties; the price of gold and other metals; and the Company's ability to retain key personnel. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, political and economic risks in France, political and economic risks in French Guiana, risks related to the renewal applications for the Montagne d'Or mining concessions (mining titles) and the possible outcomes thereof; possible negative outcomes of any appeals from the decision of the Administrative Court of Cayenne in French Guiana relating to the renewal of the Montagne d'Or mining concessions (mining titles); possible negative impacts from rulings by the French Constitutional Court regarding the French Mining Code; regulatory risk including but not limited to unforeseen changes in regulatory requirements, the Company's ability to enforce its contractual and other legal rights to explore and exploit its properties, risks related to exploration and development, permitting and licensing risk, the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves and related interpretations and assumptions, future profitability of the Company, the ability to obtain additional financing on a timely basis, the price of gold and marketability thereof, government regulations including with respect to taxes, royalties, land tenure and land use, title to the Company's properties, currency exchange rates and fluctuations, environmental risks, dilution resulting from the issuance of additional securities of the Company, joint venture risks, reliance on Nord Gold plc as operator of the Montagne d'Or project, the availability of equipment, conflicts of interest, competition in the mining industry, uninsured risks, market fluctuations, global financial conditions, credit risk and risks arising from pandemics and epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. 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 will not occur. Events or circumstances could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements are included in the "Risk Factors" section in Company's annual information form dated December 15, 2021 for the year ended September 30, 2021 ("AIF").

Readers are further cautioned that the list of factors enumerated in the "Risk Factors" section of the AIF that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions with respect to the Company, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements and information contained herein are made as of the date of this document and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements and information contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE Orea Mining Corp.
TEL AVIV, Israel, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oriient ( http://www.oriient.me ), the company behind the world's most advanced indoor positioning solution, announced an $11 million Series A funding round today, bringing the total investment in the company to $16 million. OurCrowd, a global venture capital equity platform with over $1 billion of assets under management (previous investments include Lemonade and Beyond Meat), participated in this round, as well as Regal Four (a Beren family venture entity), F2 Venture Capital, NGN Partners, and Future Energy Ventures. The funding will help scale implementation of Oriient to tens of thousands of locations, open new verticals, and drive global sales.

Oriient digitally transforms physical spaces with their advanced indoor positioning technology, which supports a wide array of business use cases. For retailers, Oriient enables in-store navigation (capturing revenue that would otherwise be lost due to unfound products), proximity marketing and foot traffic analytics. It also streamlines operations with route optimization and the ability to track task execution. In smart buildings, wayfinding enables a seamless user experience for visitors, and provides facility managers the visibility to enhance security and operational efficiency.

Oriient recently announced two exciting new partnerships that cement its status as a top player in their first target vertical: retail stores. One is with grocery delivery giant Instacart . Oriient now powers in-store navigation used by Instacart's shoppers at hundreds of stores in North America. The other is with Google , which makes Oriient indoor location services available on Google Cloud's Marketplace as an SDK for retailers' mobile apps.

"We're very excited about Oriient's innovative technology, and their recent high-profile retail partnerships," said John Medved, OurCrowd's CEO. "We're proud to support them in bringing indoor location services to more locations worldwide, helping visitors navigate indoors accurately on their own smartphones, and the businesses to improve their service, space utilization, staff performance, and operations."

Founded in 2017, the Tel-Aviv-based 35-person company has perfected its groundbreaking, proprietary algorithms that use Earth's magnetic field, smartphone readings and AI to accurately pinpoint any user inside a building, without the need to install any hardware.

"When we set out to build Oriient, our vision was to create the world's first truly software-only indoor location solution. We knew it had to be accurate, cost-effective, and scalable, and that we couldn't compromise on those things," says Mickey Balter, the company's CEO and co-founder. "Thanks to previous funding, we were able to deliver on this promise and commercialize the technology. After achieving technological breakthroughs in 2021, we've seen great momentum in terms of adoption. This new round of funds will help us ride that momentum to the next level: illuminating all commercial buildings in the world with the visibility and data-driven insights of the digital world."

"Oriient has an impressive team of top-notch scientists working on unique and challenging deep tech problemsthey're truly cutting edge," says Jonathan Saacks from F2 Venture Capital. "Legacy technologies won't be able to compete because they require hardware, which is expensive and a pain to install and maintain, and they're simply not as accurate as Oriient. Our bet is that in a few years you'll see Oriient in almost every indoor commercial space. We're thrilled to be with them on this journey."

About:

Oriient is the pioneer of accurate software-only indoor location services, bringing the convenience and data-fueled personalization of the digital world to the brick-and-mortar customer experience at massive scale. The company's patented technology integrates directly with a business's mobile app, harnessing existing sensors in every smartphone to deliver hyper-accurate positioning to within 3 feet/1 meter with no hardware installation required. Global retailers, delivery services, and smart buildings rely on Oriient to deliver incremental revenue through indoor navigation and proximity marketing, cost reduction of fulfillment, security enhancements, and increased efficiency of physical environments.

SOURCE Oriient
PEORIA, Ill. and URBANA, Ill., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Research shows nearly half the people who have chronic conditions don't take their medications as prescribed and that not sticking with medical advice results in an estimated $100 billion dollars in unnecessary health care spending.

A project to build a blockchain-based smart phone rewards app would use technology that could help meet requirements of consumer privacy and protection laws is led by OSF Innovation Senior Fellow and Clinical Informaticist Dr. Jonathan Handler. The research, through the Jump Arches program will have support from Innovation Engineer Tate Ralph of Jump Simulation, along with Wencui Han and Andrew Miller, assistant professors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Gies College of Business and the Grainer College of Engineering, respectively.

Blockchain is considered an easier, more secure way to transfer data. Ralph says because users would be anonymous and the suppliers of the rewards are not identified, the incentive program should not be considered an inducement to use a certain medical provider or service  something prohibited under federal laws.

Ralph says consumers using the blockchain-based rewards app could be rewarded quickly for exercising, taking medication, or any number of other healthy behaviors, unlike the kinds of programs insurance companies currently offer clients.

"You would actually be accepting currency directly; likely cryptocurrency in our case, but maybe some other digital transaction that would immediately give you that return. Other systems (insurance reward programs), will take a lot longer and it'll be harder to see directly the impact of what you're doing."

A system called "zero knowledge proof," allowed through blockchain technology, will be tested to see if it can meet privacy and consumer compliance laws.

"It's a way to prove that you are doing what you're supposed to be doing or prove that you have a certain diagnosis, so that if we incentivize you  even if we don't know who you are  we can ensure that it's a trustworthy system."

Ralph says researchers with experience in digital interfaces for incentives will drive some of the work.

"I really think we have the experts in place, the team in place, to tackle this kind of issue. I think the average patient is going to interact with it as an app on their phone, where they can input data, and scroll through a marketplace and see what they can be incentivized for and kind of go from there."

The Jump ARCHES research should also prove what other studies have shown  that rewards can motivate people to change their behavior  in this case, sticking with medical recommendations in between appointments.

"You only have a clinical touchpoint every couple of months or every half of year, something like that, so you're less incentivized to think about it until you have to start kicking it into gear because you're going to go in (to the office) and you don't want to be embarrassed, frankly" Ralph observes. "So, I think something like this, where you have a positive reason to do it; not just a negative reason, I think that can be really powerful to help people be healthier."

Ralph adds future enhancements to the blockchain-based app could also use data from wearables or in-home monitors and could be applied to community health initiatives such as vaccinations and health screenings.

The blockchain rewards research is one of 11 research projects that are sharing slightly more than $700,000 through the Jump ARCHES research and development program.

Here are summaries of the complete list of Jump ARCHES award projects for spring 2022.

For more assets with this story, including photos, video and audio, please visit the

OSF Newsroom.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners in 150 locations, including 15 hospitals  10 acute care, five critical access  with 2,089 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at osfhealthcare.org.

Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center, a part of OSF Innovation, is a collaboration between University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and OSF HealthCare. Jump replicates a variety of patient care settings to ensure novice and seasoned clinicians can practice handling medical situations in a real-world environment. Boasting six floors and 168,000 square feet, the center is one of the largest of its kind and provides space for conferences, anatomic training, virtual reality and innovation. For more information, visit www.jumpsimulation.org.

Partners in Jump ARCHES:

University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP) educates 244 medical students and nearly 300 physician residents annually. The College of Medicine is home to the Cancer Research Center, the Center for Outcomes Research and is a collaborator in Jump Simulation. Learn more about UICOMP at peoria.medicine.uic.edu.

Health Care Engineering Systems Center (HCESC) provides clinical immersion and fosters collaboration between engineers and physicians. HCESC designs collaborative solutions to improve health care outcomes utilizing their expertise in simulation technologies, smart health systems, data analytics, human factors and medical robotics. HCESC partners with Jump in this innovative relationship of Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation (ARCHES). HCESC is a research center in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. Learn more about HCESC at healtheng.illinois.edu/.



University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering is one of the world's top-ranked engineering programs with students, faculty and alumni that set the standard for excellence. The college is focused on driving the economy, reimagining engineering education and bringing revolutionary ideas to the world. They work to solve the world's greatest challenges and look toward the future to find ways to make the solutions reality. Learn more about the College of Engineering at grainger.illinois.edu.

Contact: Colleen Reynolds| Media Relations Coordinator  OSF HealthCare | (309) 825-7255

SOURCE OSF HealthCare
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Algae Biofuel Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global algae biofuel market is estimated to show growth from US$5.022 billion in 2020 to US$9.033 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 8.75%.



The key factor driving the growth is the demand for algae biofuel as an essential energy source. Due to the rising prices of petrol and diesel, the demand for algae biofuel has increased. Moreover, increasing inclination towards eco-friendly lifestyles owing to their health benefits and fewer or no environmental hazards is boosting the demand for algae biofuel.

As a result, all biofuels are referred to as a replacement for oil or another environmentally hazardous fuel. Algae B bofuel has the potential to provide around 20 times the output of other conventional biofuels like sorghum, beet, corn, and corn stover. This feature of algae biofuel has the potential to open new pathways for industrial growth during the forecast period.



Algae biofuels are produced from biomass and are in the form of both liquid and gaseous forms. They are generated through the conversion of biomass material, which can be done thermally, chemically, or biochemically Algae Biofuel has various other qualities over other biofuels, such as high energy content, high biodegradability, and faster microorganism growth. These qualities make the algae biofuel's manufacturing practises. Some of the biofuel types made from algae biofuels are green diesel, biodiesel, bioethanol, methane, jet fuel, bio-butanol, and bio-gasoline.



Applications

Algal biofuel has applications in the automotive, transportation, aerospace, and defence industries.It has come up as the best third-generation alternative to the second-generation crop-based biofuel. Increasing research and developments in algae biofuel are making it more applicable in many sectors and making its production more economical and viable. Many industrial sectors have also started using algae biofuel commercially due to its increasing popularity since the last decade. Algae biofuel can be used to generate combined heat and power or can be used for pyrolysis oil. Algae biofuel is also preferred in transportation because it directly replaces petroleum without any changes in engine performance.



According to the United States Energy Department, if algae biofuel completely replaces petroleum fuel all over the USA, it will require only 15 thousand square miles, which is 0.42% of the total USA area. It is stated that this area would be less than 1/7 the total area of corn harvested in the USA. Whereas, in November 2022, an engineer in India started creating biofuel from microalgae in Jharkhand's Pond.



Convenient natural sources to produce algae biofuel

As light is the prime factor needed for the cultivation of algae, investors are more interested in investing in the production of algae biofuel as the requirements are comparatively lower. Additionally, as algae biofuel is a competitive alternative to petroleum and diesel, it will gain at increasing rates in the future, making algae biofuel a profitable investment. Countries that have huge waterbodies also prefer the production of algae biofuel.

Water temperature is what influences the growth of algae the most. Although the use of a few media can accelerate the production of algae biomass, the two most enriching mediums are Guillard's F/2 and Walne medium. These media reduce the time required for the preparation of the nutrients that are needed to grow algae. Thus, various nutritive solutions, viability, profit to the investors, and most importantly, increasing popularity among the consumers for algae biofuel are all contributing to the rising demand for algae biofuel globally. For instance, in November 2021, ExxonMobile announced the commercialization of biofuels from algae technology.



Thus, it is estimated that this will lead to an increase in the market size during the forecast period.



Challenges for the algae biofuel market

Due to a lack of knowledge regarding the cultivation of algae, not all manufacturers take the risk of its production. Moreover, according to the study by the Center for Algae Biotechnology, California University, the challenges that affect of algae biofuel production are nutrient sourcing and utilisation, strain isolation, production management, coproduct developments, and fuel extraction.

Key Topics Covered:



1. INTRODUCTION



2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4. MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY TYPE

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Jet fuel

5.3. Bioethanol

5.4. Methane

5.5. Biodiesel



6. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY APPLICATION

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Transportation

6.3. Aerospace

6.4. Others



7. GLOBAL ALGAE BIOFUEL MARKET BY GEOGRAPHY

7.1. Introduction

7.2. North America

7.2.1. USA

7.2.2. Canada

7.2.3. Mexico

7.3. South America

7.3.1. Brazil

7.3.2. Argentina

7.3.3. Others

7.4. Europe

7.4.1. Germany

7.4.2. France

7.4.3. United Kingdom

7.4.4. Spain

7.4.5. Others

7.5. Middle East and Africa

7.5.1. South Africa

7.5.2. Saudi Arabia

7.5.3. Others

7.6. Asia Pacific

7.6.1. China

7.6.2. Japan

7.6.3. South Korea

7.6.4. India

7.6.5. Thailand

7.6.6. Indonesia

7.6.7. Taiwan

7.6.8. Others



8. Competitive Environment & Analysis

8.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

8.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativenessness

8.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

8.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



9. Companies Mentioned

9.1. ExxonMobil

9.2. Manta Biofuel

9.3. Algenol

9.4. Synthetic Genomics

9.5. Cellana

9.6. ALFA LAVAL

9.7. Seambiotic



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ifgz8m

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets
PASADENA, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Charles Huang, PhD, Founder and Chairman of Pasaca Capital, Inc and Chairman of the Charles Huang Foundation, was recognized yesterday as one of the distinguished AAPI leaders and received the honor of Excellence in Business in Sacramento by the California Joint Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Legislative Caucus.

Dr. Charles Huang (center) receiving the Excellence in Business award on the Assembly floor. (PRNewsfoto/Pasaca Capital, Inc.)

The AAPI legislative Caucus recognized eight leaders in eight different categories in the ceremony. Each individual leader was honored for their willingness to step up and lead their community through challenging times during COVID.

"These leaders not only led but uplifted our community during a time when we needed it most. These honorees elevated AAPI voices and insisted that our community be visible and heard in our country," said Dr. Richard Pan, Senator (D-Sacramento) and Chair of the Joint AAPI Legislative Caucus.

Dr Huang founded Pasaca Capital Inc. in 2016 in Pasadena, California with a focus on medical devices, pharmaceuticals, TMT, industrial & automation, and food ingredient sectors. One of Pasaca Capital's portfolio companies, Innova Medical Group Inc. is the global leader in COVID-19 antigen rapid testing manufacturing and distribution and has delivered approx. 2 billion tests kits to the UK government and other customers worldwide.

"I'm very humbled to be recognized in Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month," said Dr. Huang. "This award will compel me to do more to help the world, especially our State and local communities."

In November 2021, Dr. Huang was named "2021 Philanthropreneur of the Year" by the California State Assembly in recognition of the exceptional leadership in donating $110 million to the education sector in 2021. Pasaca Capital was also named "2021 Business of the Year" by the California State Assembly for its extraordinary contributions to the State of California and the world.

About Pasaca Capital, Inc

Pasaca Capital Inc. is a California-based private equity investment firm focused on innovative technologies and products that improve the human condition. With a focus on medical devices, pharmaceuticals, TMT, industrial & automation, and food sectors, Pasaca portfolio companies including, Innova Medical Group, Inc, PDTI, Claire, Sweegen Inc, Meepo Inc., ATL Group Ltd, ASOCS, Caton Technology, and others, operate globally. www.pasacacapital.com

SOURCE Pasaca Capital, Inc.
The growing demand to streamline payment settlement methods between individuals and businesses is anticipated to support the payment processing solutions market expansion. The use of innovative payment processing solutions is helping merchants or enterprises in improving service quality, enhancing customer loyalty, and managing traditional & modern transactions effectively. A business can facilitate the necessary infrastructure and required services for digital payments in their business environment.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3597

The EMV technology segment in the payment processing solutions market is predicted to observe a 15% growth rate till 2028. EMV, a chip-based payment specification, is widely used for credit and debit card payment transactions. Payment processing solutions are also designed to help acquirers, card issuers, and chip vendors in transitioning as per EMV standards. Furthermore, these solutions allow secure customization and processing of EMV transactions. The growing penetration of EMV-enabled payment options to reduce fraud is projected to support the industry growth.

The payment processing solutions market for mobile deployment segment is slated to register substantial market share by 2028. The extensive smartphone adoption and upsurge in the use of internet services are contributing significantly to the acceptance of mobile deployment model. The emergence of mobile payment applications has resulted in increased peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transactions. The industry players are developing innovative mobile payment processing solutions by integrating NFC, QR codes, BLEs, and POS terminals.

The payment processing solutions market for e-wallet payment segment is estimated to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period. E-wallets provide customers a secure gateway to perform transactions on the go. The transactional information is securely encrypted, minimizing fraudulent incidents. The use of e-wallets for payments or transactions is relatively low compared to other available modes and options. However, companies offering these services are promoting and encouraging users to use e-wallet payment options by offering incentives and rewards.

The demand for payment processing solutions across large enterprises is increasing significantly due to the flexibility to offer customized and value-added payment services to their customers. Established enterprises process transactions from multiple channels. These participants use sophisticated payment solutions & gateways to streamline the processing of these diverse transactions. Moreover, advanced capabilities including data security, customer reporting, unified commerce. and others are propelling the acceptance of payment processing solutions.

The usage of payment processing solutions across the healthcare sector is set to grow rapidly during the forecast timeframe. Institutes are required to focus on enhancing the patient experience and providing secure payment gateways. Companies operating in the industry offer specifically designed payment solutions for the healthcare sector.

Europe is projected to hold above 20% share in the payment processing solutions market by 2028. Supportive government initiatives to enhance digital banking infrastructure and the usage of smartphones will spur the market progression. For instance, in July 2020, the European Central Bank launched the European Payments Initiative through a joint decision with 16 regional banks. The initiative focused on providing a unified payment solution for both merchants and individual customers. The offered unified payment solution supports digital wallet & payment cards used in P2P payments and online & in-store transactions.

Major players operating in the payment processing solutions market are ACI Worldwide, Inc., Adyen N.V., Authorize.Net, Due, Inc., Dwolla, Inc., Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), First Data Corporation, Fiserv, Inc., Flagship Merchant Services, Global Payments, Inc., Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., Mastercard Incorporated, PayPal Holdings, Inc., Paysafe Group Limited, PayU, Square, Inc., Stripe, Inc., and Visa, Inc. These leaders are focusing on strategic acquisitions and partnerships to expand business operations across unserved geographies.

Request for customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3597

Some major findings of the payment processing solutions market report include:

The emergence of advanced technologies, such as AI, VR, and digitization, across the banking sector is supporting the industry expansion.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness exponential growth in the global market owing to the extensive proliferation of smartphones and technological evolution across the BFSI sector

is expected to witness exponential growth in the global market owing to the extensive proliferation of smartphones and technological evolution across the BFSI sector North America is anticipated to held a major industry share in the market on account of the adoption of innovative digital payment solutions in the region

is anticipated to held a major industry share in the market on account of the adoption of innovative digital payment solutions in the region These participants are focusing on the collaborative development of advanced payment solutions

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report

Chapter 3 Payment Processing Solutions Market Insights

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Impact of COVID-19 outbreak

3.2.1 Strategies by key players to achieve pre-COVID level growth

3.2.2 Impact on industry value chain

3.2.3 Impact on competitive landscape

3.3 Impact of Russia-Ukraine crisis

3.3.1 Impact on technology supply chain

3.3.2 Response of global enterprises

3.3.3 Region-wise impact of Russia-Ukraine crisis

3.4 Payment processing solutions industry ecosystem analysis

3.5 Technology & innovation landscape

3.5.1 Biometrics

3.5.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

3.5.3 Application Processing Interface (API)

3.5.4 Blockchain

3.6 Regulatory landscape

3.7 Industry impact forces

3.7.1 Growth drivers

3.7.1.1 Increasing penetration of EMV cards

3.7.1.2 Surge in NFC / contactless payments

3.7.1.3 Rising number of online transactions

3.7.1.4 Growth in the retail and e-commerce industry

3.7.1.5 Spike in the use of m-commerce

3.7.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.7.2.1 Increasing cyberthreats and data breach incidents

3.7.2.2 Absence of a universal standard for international transactions

3.8 Growth potential analysis

3.9 Porter's analysis

3.10 PESTLE analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/payment-processing-solutions-market

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SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.
DrSummits.com has partnered with Matthew Cook, MD and 30+ experts to explore the latest research at a 7-day virtual summit.

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Join DrSummits.com with the founder of BioReset Medical, Dr. Matthew Cook, from Tuesday, May 17th to Tuesday, May 23rd for the Peptide Summit 2.0 , a free 7-day virtual event exploring the incredible benefits of peptide therapy. Featured guests include Dr. Kent Holtorf (Holtorf Medical Group), Dr. Heather Sandison (Marama), and Dr. Isaac Eliaz (Author of The Survival Paradox). Each expert will be interviewed directly by Dr. Matthew Cook.

The science of peptide therapy has been available for hundreds of years. Peptides are used in several heavy painkillers and vaccines. But only in the last decade have we truly begun to understand the far-reaching applications of peptides in fitness and injury recovery, cancer and chronic illness management, brain function and memory, and pain reduction. Researchers at the University at Buffalo have even called peptides "a novel and durable treatment for inflammatory pain that could be a promising alternative to opioids".

Experts at the Peptide Summit 2.0 range from doctors and scientists to researchers and nutritionists. Presentations will focus on various conditions that may be improved with peptide therapy. The summit will also explore the latest advancements in peptide medicine, the best ways to use peptides, how to find the best peptides, safe administration practices, dosing methods, potential side effects, and more. Anyone who wants to get stronger, improve their physical performance, heal from chronic pain, or manage a chronic condition should attend this free event.

Register for the Peptide Summit 2.0 now and learn how doctors and scientists are using peptides to help their patients heal and thrive.

About BioReset Medical : BioReset Medical is an expanding network of visionary clinics where practitioners are empowered to provide innovative and minimally invasive options that effectively and systemically help patients heal naturally. By offering concierge-style medicine, they encourage profound and dynamic practitioner-patient relationships to support the entire healing process. Every treatment plan is customized to each client's unique needs and is designed to address issues at their root rather than treating individual symptoms as they arise.

About Dr. Matthew Cook : Dr. Cook is a board-certified anesthesiologist with over 20 years of experience in practicing medicine, focusing the last 14 years on functional and regenerative medicine. He graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE DrSummits
Company expects to open 25 locations in New Zealand over the next several years, further expanding its international footprint

HAMPTON, N.H., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Planet Fitness , Inc. (NYSE: PLNT) today announced the Company has signed an Area Development Agreement with Castle Point Fitness NZ Ltd. ("Castle Point"), to expand the brand into New Zealand.

Castle Point is a joint venture between the founder of The Fresnel Companies, LLC, a U.S. based investment firm with substantial international experience, and a private family office. The agreement will bring a minimum of 25 Planet Fitness locations to New Zealand over the next several years.

"As a part of our strategic international growth plans, we are thrilled to announce that Planet Fitness will be opening fitness clubs in New Zealand," said Ray Miolla, Chief Development Officer at Planet Fitness. "Our growing fleet of clubs in Australia is performing very well, and we believe we have the right local team in place to replicate this success in New Zealand and accelerate growth of our business in this region."

With more than 16.2 million members, Planet Fitness has 2,291 stores located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia.

"Planet Fitness' expansion into New Zealand, where approximately 86% of the population doesn't yet belong to a gym*, creates a tremendous opportunity to meet consumer needs in the market and offer a judgement free, affordable fitness experience by breaking down the barriers and providing access to fitness for all," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer at Planet Fitness. "We are excited to be working with the Castle Point team and look forward to welcoming them into our system and growing the Planet Fitness brand in New Zealand."

Planet Fitness offers extremely low prices and a variety of benefits, including a hassle-free environment, brand name cardio and strength equipment, fully equipped locker rooms, flat screen televisions and much more. The free Planet Fitness App, available to members and non-members alike, puts more than 1,000 exercises right in your pocket with routines for all levels and interests. The Planet Fitness Black Card membership includes extra perks, such as access to any club at no additional charge, the ability to bring a guest anytime, and additional amenities like unlimited use of massage chairs, HydroMassage beds, and more.

For more information on Planet Fitness and to find a club near you visit www.PlanetFitness.com.

*The 2020 IHRSA Global Report.

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2022, Planet Fitness had more than 16.2 million members and 2,291 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 90% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc.
System-wide same store sales increased 15.9%

Ends first quarter with total membership of more than 16.2 million

HAMPTON, N.H., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT) reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

"Over the past two-plus years of operating during the pandemic, we've learned to be nimble and resilient while staying true to our mission of providing a high-quality, affordable fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment. During the first quarter we completed the acquisition of Sunshine Fitness, one of our best-performing franchisees as well as a successful refinancing of a portion of our debt. We are bullish on the future and believe that the acquisition strengthens our powerful business model by enhancing our corporate store team and diversifying the geographic profile of our corporate-owned stores, and the refinancing further supports our business model, by locking in low rates on a significant portion our debt," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer. "We are looking forward to the upcoming launch of the High School Summer Pass that offers teens a chance to workout for free at our gyms over the summer  an extremely important initiative given the alarming teen mental health crisis in the U.S. Additionally, we are excited about our entry into new markets such as New Zealand and the opening of our first stores in Mexico under the new development agreement we signed last year."

First Quarter Fiscal 2022 results

Total revenue increased from the prior year period by 66.9% to $186.7 million .

. System-wide same store sales increased 15.9%.

System-wide sales increased $196 million to $961 million , from $765 million in the prior year period.

to , from in the prior year period. Net income attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc. was $16.5 million , or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $5.6 million , or $0.07 per diluted share, in the prior year period.

, or per diluted share, compared to , or per diluted share, in the prior year period. Net income increased $12.2 million to $18.4 million , compared to $6.2 million in the prior year period.

to , compared to in the prior year period. Adjusted net income (1) increased $20.0 million to $29.0 million , or $0.32 per diluted share, compared to $9.1 million , or $0.10 per diluted share, in the prior year period.

increased to , or per diluted share, compared to , or per diluted share, in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA (1) increased $33.6 million to $77.3 million from $43.7 million in the prior year period.

increased to from in the prior year period. 37 new Planet Fitness stores were opened during the period, bringing system-wide total stores to 2,291 as of March 31, 2022 .

. Cash of $536.7 million , which includes cash and cash equivalents of $471.2 million and restricted cash of $65.5 million .

(1) Adjusted net income and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. For reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted net income to U.S. GAAP ("GAAP") net income see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" accompanying this press release.

Operating Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2022

For the first quarter 2022, total revenue increased $74.8 million or 66.9% to $186.7 million from $111.9 million in the prior year period, which included system-wide same store sales growth of 15.9%. By segment:

Franchise segment revenue increased $16.0 million or 25.0% to $80.1 million from $64.1 million in the prior year period. The increase in franchise segment revenue for the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to a $9.9 million increase in franchise royalty revenue, a $2.4 million increase in National Advertising Fund ("NAF") revenue, a $2.0 million increase in franchise and other fees, and a $1.5 million increase in placement revenue. Of the $9.9 million increase in royalty revenue, $5.7 million was primarily attributable to a same store sales increase of 15.8% in franchisee-owned stores, $4.5 million was attributable to new stores opened since January 1, 2021 and stores that were not open for all of the prior year period due to COVID related temporary closures, and $1.2 million was from higher royalties on annual fees. Partially offsetting the royalty revenue increases was a decrease of approximately $1.6 million as a result of 114 franchisee-owned stores becoming corporate-owned stores as a result of the acquisition of Sunshine Fitness Growth Holdings, LLC in the first quarter of 2022 (the "Sunshine Acquisition");

or 25.0% to from in the prior year period. The increase in franchise segment revenue for the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to a increase in franchise royalty revenue, a increase in National Advertising Fund ("NAF") revenue, a increase in franchise and other fees, and a increase in placement revenue. Of the increase in royalty revenue, was primarily attributable to a same store sales increase of 15.8% in franchisee-owned stores, was attributable to new stores opened since and stores that were not open for all of the prior year period due to COVID related temporary closures, and was from higher royalties on annual fees. Partially offsetting the royalty revenue increases was a decrease of approximately as a result of 114 franchisee-owned stores becoming corporate-owned stores as a result of the acquisition of Sunshine Fitness Growth Holdings, LLC in the first quarter of 2022 (the "Sunshine Acquisition"); Corporate-owned stores segment revenue increased $38.3 million or 101.1% to $76.2 million from $37.9 million in the prior year period. Of the increase, $28.7 million was attributable to the acquisition of 114 stores in the Sunshine Acquisition, $5.0 million was from new stores opened since January 1, 2021 and stores that were not open for all of the prior year period due to COVID related temporary closures, and $4.6 million was from the corporate-owned store same store sales increase of 17.0%; and

or 101.1% to from in the prior year period. Of the increase, was attributable to the acquisition of 114 stores in the Sunshine Acquisition, was from new stores opened since and stores that were not open for all of the prior year period due to COVID related temporary closures, and was from the corporate-owned store same store sales increase of 17.0%; and Equipment segment revenue increased $20.5 million or 206.2% to $30.4 million from $9.9 million in the prior year period, driven by higher equipment sales to new and existing franchisee-owned stores in the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021 . In the three months ended March 31, 2022 , the Company had equipment sales to 33 new franchisee-owned stores compared to 18 in the prior year period.

For the first quarter of 2022, net income attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc. was $16.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $5.6 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in the prior year period. Net income was $18.4 million in the first quarter of 2022 compared to $6.2 million in the prior year period. Adjusted net income increased $20.0 million to $29.0 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, from $9.1 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, in the prior year period. Adjusted net income has been adjusted to reflect a normalized federal income tax rate of 26.2% and 26.6% for the current and prior year period, respectively, and excludes certain non-cash and other items that we do not consider in the evaluation of ongoing operational performance (see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures").

Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted for the impact of certain non-cash and other items that we do not consider in the evaluation of ongoing operational performance (see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures"), increased $33.6 million to $77.3 million from $43.7 million in the prior year period.

Segment EBITDA represents our Total Segment EBITDA broken down by the Company's reportable segments. Total Segment EBITDA is equal to EBITDA, which is defined as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures").

Franchise segment EBITDA increased $18.9 million to $60.1 million . The increase in franchise segment EBITDA for the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to the revenue increases described above. Additionally, franchise selling general and administrative expense was $2.9 million lower than the prior year period as a result of lower franchise selling general and administrative spend to support our franchisees compared to the prior year. Partially offsetting these EBITDA increases, NAF expense was $1.8 million higher in the three months ended March 31, 2022 than in the prior year period;

to . The increase in franchise segment EBITDA for the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to the revenue increases described above. Additionally, franchise selling general and administrative expense was lower than the prior year period as a result of lower franchise selling general and administrative spend to support our franchisees compared to the prior year. Partially offsetting these EBITDA increases, NAF expense was higher in the three months ended than in the prior year period; Corporate-owned stores segment EBITDA increased $12.7 million to $23.4 million . The increase was primarily attributable to higher corporate-owned store four-wall EBITDA, partially offset by higher corporate-owned store selling general and administrative expense, both as a result of the Sunshine Acquisition; and

to . The increase was primarily attributable to higher corporate-owned store four-wall EBITDA, partially offset by higher corporate-owned store selling general and administrative expense, both as a result of the Sunshine Acquisition; and Equipment segment EBITDA increased by $6.8 million to $8.7 million driven by higher equipment sales to new and existing franchisee-owned stores in the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021 , as described above.

2022 Outlook

For the year ending December 31, 2022, the Company is reiterating the following expectations as compared to the Company's 2021 results, which includes the impact from the Sunshine Acquisition and assumes there is no significant worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic that seriously impacts performance, including prolonged store closures or other mandated operational restrictions:

New equipment placements of approximately 170 in franchisee-owned locations

System-wide same store sales in the low double-digit percentage range

The following are 2022 growth expectations over the Company's 2021 results:

Revenue to increase in the mid-50 percent range

Adjusted EBITDA to increase in the high-50 percent range

Adjusted Net Income to increase in the low-90 percent range

Adjusted earnings per share to increase in the mid-80 percent range, based on Adjusted diluted shares outstanding of approximately 91.1 million, inclusive of the issuance of equity as part of the Sunshine Acquisition

The Company continues to expect 2022 net interest expense to be approximately $89 million as a result of its recent debt refinancing and upsizing.

Presentation of Financial Measures

Planet Fitness, Inc. (the "Company") was formed in March 2015 for the purpose of facilitating the initial public offering (the "IPO") and related recapitalization transactions that occurred in August 2015, and in order to carry on the business of Pla-Fit Holdings, LLC ("Pla-Fit Holdings") and its subsidiaries. As the sole managing member of Pla-Fit Holdings, the Company operates and controls all of the business and affairs of Pla-Fit Holdings, and through Pla-Fit Holdings, conducts its business. As a result, the Company consolidates Pla-Fit Holdings' financial results and reports a non-controlling interest related to the portion of Pla-Fit Holdings not owned by the Company.

The financial information presented in this press release includes non-GAAP financial measures such as EBITDA, Segment EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, to provide measures that we believe are useful to investors in evaluating the Company's performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental measures of the Company's performance that are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with GAAP. These financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for GAAP financial measures such as net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. In addition, in the future, the Company may incur expenses or charges such as those added back to calculate Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted. The Company's presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, should not be construed as an inference that the Company's future results will be unaffected by similar amounts or other unusual or nonrecurring items. See the tables at the end of this press release for a reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Total Segment EBITDA, Adjusted net income, and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

Same store sales refers to year-over-year sales comparisons for the same store sales base of both corporate-owned and franchisee-owned stores, which is calculated for a given period by including only sales from stores that had sales in the comparable months of both years. We define the same store sales base to include those stores that have been open and for which monthly membership dues have been billed for longer than 12 months. We measure same store sales based solely upon monthly dues billed to members of our corporate-owned and franchisee-owned stores.

The non-GAAP financial measures used in our full-year outlook will differ from net income and net income per share, diluted, determined in accordance with GAAP in ways similar to those described in the reconciliations at the end of this press release. We do not provide guidance for net income or net income per share, diluted, determined in accordance with GAAP or a reconciliation of guidance for Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, to the most directly comparable GAAP measure because we are not able to predict with reasonable certainty the amount or nature of all items that will be included in our net income and net income per share, diluted, for the year ending December 31, 2022. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the Company's guidance for Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, to the most directly comparable GAAP measure cannot be made available without unreasonable effort. These items are uncertain, depend on many factors and could have a material impact on our net income and net income per share, diluted, for the year ending December 31, 2022.

Investor Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call at 8:00 AM (ET) on May 10, 2022 to discuss the news announced in this press release. A live webcast of the conference call will be accessible at www.planetfitness.com via the "Investor Relations" link. The webcast will be archived on the website for one year.

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2022, Planet Fitness had more than 16.2 million members and 2,291 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 90% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the Company's statements with respect to expected future performance presented under the heading "2022 Outlook," those attributed to the Company's Chief Executive Officer in this press release, including with respect to the Company's growth opportunities globally and long-term targets for U.S. store locations, and other statements, estimates and projections that do not relate solely to historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "goal," plan," "will," "prospects," "future," "strategy" and similar references to future periods, although not all forward-looking statements include these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company's current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of the business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of the Company's control. Actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties associated with the duration and impact of COVID-19, which has resulted and may continue to result in store closures and a decrease in our net membership base and may give rise to or heighten one or more of the other risks and uncertainties described herein, competition in the fitness industry, the Company's and franchisees' ability to attract and retain members, the Company's and franchisees' ability to identify and secure suitable sites for new franchise stores, changes in consumer demand, changes in equipment costs, the Company's ability to expand into new markets domestically and internationally, operating costs for the Company and franchisees generally, availability and cost of capital for franchisees, acquisition activity, developments and changes in laws and regulations, our substantial increased indebtedness as a result of our refinancing and securitization transactions and our ability to incur additional indebtedness or refinance that indebtedness in the future, our future financial performance and our ability to pay principal and interest on our indebtedness, our corporate structure and tax receivable agreements, failures, interruptions or security breaches of the Company's information systems or technology, our ability to successfully integrate and realize the anticipated benefits from the Sunshine Acquisition, general economic conditions and the other factors described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's views only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates or representatives undertake any obligation to provide additional information or to correct or update any information set forth in this release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)





For the three months ended March 31,



2022

2021 Revenue:







Franchise

$ 65,614

$ 52,180 Commission income

503

272 National advertising fund revenue

13,967

11,609 Corporate-owned stores

76,157

37,877 Equipment

30,435

9,939 Total revenue

186,676

111,877 Operating costs and expenses:







Cost of revenue

22,361

7,985 Store operations

47,535

25,907 Selling, general and administrative

30,826

22,490 National advertising fund expense

14,547

12,753 Depreciation and amortization

25,683

15,474 Other (gains) losses, net

(2,933)

(2,138) Total operating costs and expenses

138,019

82,471 Income from operations

48,657

29,406 Other expense, net:







Interest income

209

217 Interest expense

(22,631)

(20,244) Other income

4,090

165 Total other expense, net

(18,332)

(19,862) Income before income taxes

30,325

9,544 Equity earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities, net of tax

(238)

 Provision for income taxes

11,711

3,354 Net income

18,376

6,190 Less net income attributable to non-controlling interests

1,912

609 Net income attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc.

$ 16,464

$ 5,581 Net income per share of Class A common stock:







Basic

$ 0.20

$ 0.07 Diluted

$ 0.19

$ 0.07 Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding:







Basic

84,166

83,084 Diluted

84,635

83,707

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)





March 31, 2022

December 31, 2021 Assets







Current assets:







Cash and cash equivalents

$ 471,176

$ 545,909 Restricted cash

65,492

58,032 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for bad debts of $0 and $0 at March 31, 2022 and December

31, 2021, respectively

12,886

27,257 Inventory

1,745

1,155 Restricted assets  national advertising fund

22,569

 Prepaid expenses

18,476

12,869 Other receivables

19,622

13,519 Income tax receivables

3,669

3,673 Total current assets

615,635

662,414 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $169,432 and $152,296 at March 31,

2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively

332,935

173,687 Investments, net of allowance for expected credit losses of $15,352 and $17,462 as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively

21,083

18,760 Right of use assets, net

353,536

190,330 Intangible assets, net

475,419

200,937 Goodwill

696,299

228,569 Deferred income taxes

493,834

539,264 Other assets, net

3,661

2,022 Total assets

$ 2,992,402

$ 2,015,983 Liabilities and stockholders' deficit







Current liabilities:







Current maturities of long-term debt

$ 20,750

$ 17,500 Borrowings under Variable Funding Notes

75,000

 Accounts payable

24,147

27,892 Accrued expenses

63,784

51,714 Equipment deposits

12,966

6,036 Deferred revenue, current

64,178

28,351 Payable pursuant to tax benefit arrangements, current

20,302

20,302 Other current liabilities

44,876

24,815 Total current liabilities

326,003

176,610 Long-term debt, net of current maturities

1,989,533

1,665,273 Borrowings under Variable Funding Notes



75,000 Lease liabilities, net of current portion

346,695

197,682 Deferred revenue, net of current portion

32,607

33,428 Deferred tax liabilities

910

 Payable pursuant to tax benefit arrangements, net of current portion

504,016

507,805 Other liabilities

3,576

3,030 Total noncurrent liabilities

2,877,337

2,482,218 Stockholders' equity (deficit):







Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value - 300,000 authorized, 84,907 and 83,804 shares issued and

outstanding as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively

8

8 Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value - 100,000 authorized, 6,146 and 3,056 shares issued and

outstanding as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively

1

1 Accumulated other comprehensive income

97

12 Additional paid in capital

479,535

63,428 Accumulated deficit

(692,340)

(708,804) Total stockholders' deficit attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc.

(212,699)

(645,355) Non-controlling interests

1,761

2,510 Total stockholders' deficit

(210,938)

(642,845) Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit

$ 2,992,402

$ 2,015,983

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)





For the three months ended March 31,



2022

2021 Cash flows from operating activities:







Net income

$ 18,376

$ 6,190 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:







Depreciation and amortization

25,683

15,474 Amortization of deferred financing costs

1,369

1,571 Amortization of asset retirement obligations

17

(21) Dividends accrued on investment

(451)

 Deferred tax expense

10,940

2,737 Loss on extinguishment of debt

1,583

 Gain on adjustment of allowance for credit losses on held-to-maturity investment

(2,110)

 Equity loss of unconsolidated entities, net of tax

238

 Gain on re-measurement of tax benefit arrangement

(3,788)

(348) Loss on reacquired franchise rights

1,160

 Equity-based compensation

2,850

1,439 Other

(53)

11 Changes in operating assets and liabilities, excluding effects of acquisitions:







Accounts receivable

14,415

9,428 Inventory

(589)

6 Other assets and other current assets

(5,522)

3,708 Restricted assets - national advertising fund

(22,569)

(13,721) Accounts payable and accrued expenses

(7,284)

(7,677) Other liabilities and other current liabilities

1,035

(3,876) Income taxes

625

295 Equipment deposits

6,869

(621) Deferred revenue

15,306

8,802 Leases and deferred rent

(90)

126 Net cash provided by operating activities

58,010

23,523 Cash flows from investing activities:







Additions to property and equipment

(23,872)

(6,359) Acquisition of franchises, net of cash acquired

(425,834)

 Investments



(25,000) Net cash used in investing activities

(449,706)

(31,359) Cash flows from financing activities:







Principal payments on capital lease obligations

(52)

(53) Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

900,000

 Proceeds from issuance of Variable Funding Notes

75,000

 Repayment of long-term debt

(634,250)

(4,375) Payment of deferred financing and other debt-related costs

(16,191)

 Proceeds from issuance of Class A common stock

525

344 Distributions to Continuing LLC Members

(815)

 Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

324,217

(4,084) Effects of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

206

53 Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

(67,273)

(11,867) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

603,941

515,800 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

$ 536,668

$ 503,933 Supplemental cash flow information:







Net cash paid for income taxes

$ 130

$ 322 Cash paid for interest

$ 16,874

$ 18,794 Non-cash investing activities:







Non-cash additions to property and equipment

$ 4,470

$ 7,419 Fair value of common stock issued as consideration for acquisition

$ 393,730

$ 

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

(Unaudited)

(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, the Company uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: EBITDA, Total Segment EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted (collectively, the "non-GAAP financial measures"). The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, are useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures presented in this release are supplemental measures of the Company's performance that are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with GAAP. These financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for GAAP financial measures such as net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. In addition, in the future, the Company may incur expenses or charges such as those added back to calculate Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted. The Company's presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income, and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, should not be construed as an inference that the Company's future results will be unaffected by unusual or nonrecurring items.

EBITDA, Segment EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

We refer to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as we use these measures to evaluate our operating performance and we believe these measures provide useful information to investors in evaluating our performance. We have also disclosed Segment EBITDA as an important financial metric utilized by the Company to evaluate performance and allocate resources to segments in accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting. We define EBITDA as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Segment EBITDA sums to Total Segment EBITDA which is equal to the Non-GAAP financial metric EBITDA. We believe that EBITDA, which eliminates the impact of certain expenses that we do not believe reflect our underlying business performance, provides useful information to investors to assess the performance of our segments as well as the business as a whole. Our board of directors also uses EBITDA as a key metric to assess the performance of management. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted for the impact of certain additional non-cash and other items that we do not consider in our evaluation of ongoing performance of the Company's core operations. These items include certain purchase accounting adjustments, stock offering-related costs, and certain other charges and gains. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure of operating performance in addition to EBITDA because it eliminates the impact of other items that we believe reduce the comparability of our underlying core business performance from period to period and is therefore useful to our investors in comparing the core performance of our business from period to period.

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is set forth below.





Three months ended March 31,



2022

2021 (in thousands)







Net income

$ 18,376

$ 6,190 Interest income

(209)

(217) Interest expense(1)

22,631

20,244 Provision for income taxes

11,711

3,354 Depreciation and amortization

25,683

15,474 EBITDA

$ 78,192

$ 45,045 Purchase accounting adjustments-revenue(2)

58

69 Purchase accounting adjustments-rent(3)

109

117 Loss on reacquired franchise rights(4)

1,160

 Gain on settlement of preexisting contract with acquiree(5)

(2,059)

 Transaction fees(6)

4,423

 Gain on adjustment of allowance for credit losses on held-to-maturity investments(7)

(2,110)

 Dividend income on held-to-maturity investments(8)

(451)

 Pre-opening costs(9)

656

365 Insurance recovery(10)



(2,175) Tax benefit arrangement remeasurement(11)

(3,788)

(348) Other(12)

1,153

635 Adjusted EBITDA

$ 77,343

$ 43,708





(1) Includes a $1,583 loss on extinguishment of debt in the three months ended March 31, 2022. (2) Represents the impact of revenue-related purchase accounting adjustments associated with the acquisition of Pla-Fit Holdings on November 8, 2012 by TSG (the "2012 Acquisition"). At the time of the 2012 Acquisition, the Company maintained a deferred revenue account, which consisted of deferred area development agreement fees, deferred franchise fees, and deferred enrollment fees that the Company billed and collected upfront but recognizes for U.S. GAAP purposes at a later date. In connection with the 2012 Acquisition, it was determined that the carrying amount of deferred revenue was greater than the fair value assessed in accordance with ASC 805Business Combinations, which resulted in a write-down of the carrying value of the deferred revenue balance upon application of acquisition push-down accounting under ASC 805. These amounts represent the additional revenue that would have been recognized in these periods if the write-down to deferred revenue had not occurred in connection with the application of acquisition pushdown accounting. (3) Represents the impact of rent-related purchase accounting adjustments. In accordance with guidance in ASC 805  Business Combinations, in connection with the 2012 Acquisition, the Company's deferred rent liability was required to be written off as of the acquisition date and rent was recorded on a straight-line basis from the acquisition date through the end of the lease term. This resulted in higher overall recorded rent expense each period than would have otherwise been recorded had the deferred rent liability not been written off as a result of the acquisition push down accounting applied in accordance with ASC 805. Adjustments of $45 and $49 in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, reflect the difference between the higher rent expense recorded in accordance with U.S. GAAP since the acquisition and the rent expense that would have been recorded had the 2012 Acquisition not occurred. Adjustments of $64 and $68 in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, are due to the amortization of favorable and unfavorable leases. All of the rent related purchase accounting adjustments are adjustments to rent expense which is included in store operations on our consolidated statements of operations. (4) Represents the impact of a non-cash loss recorded in accordance with ASC 805  Business Combinations related to our acquisition of franchisee-owned stores. The loss recorded under U.S. GAAP represents the difference between the fair value and the contractual terms of the reacquired franchise rights and is included in other (gains) losses, net on our consolidated statement of operations. (5) Represents a gain on settlement of deferred revenue from existing contracts with acquired franchisee-stores recorded in accordance with ASC 805  Business Combinations, and is included in other (gains) losses, net on our consolidated statement of operations. (6) Represents transactions fees and expenses incurred in connection with our acquisition of franchisee-owned stores. (7) Represents a gain on the adjustment of the allowance for credit losses on the Company's held-to-maturity investments. (8) Represents dividend income on held-to-maturity investments. (9) Represents costs associated with new corporate-owned stores incurred prior to the store opening, including payroll-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses. (10) Represents an insurance recovery of previously recognized expenses related to the settlement of legal claims. (11) Represents gains related to the adjustment of our tax benefit arrangements primarily due to changes in our effective tax rate. (12) Represents certain other charges and gains that we do not believe reflect our underlying business performance.

A reconciliation of Segment EBITDA to Total Segment EBITDA is set forth below.





Three months ended March 31, (in thousands)

2022

2021 Segment EBITDA







Franchise

$ 60,106

$ 41,180 Corporate-owned stores

23,364

10,691 Equipment

8,653

1,830 Corporate and other

(13,931)

(8,656) Total Segment EBITDA(1)

$ 78,192

$ 45,045 (1) Total Segment EBITDA is equal to EBITDA.



Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per Diluted Share

Our presentation of Adjusted net income assumes that all net income is attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc., which assumes the full exchange of all outstanding Holdings Units for shares of Class A common stock of Planet Fitness, Inc., adjusted for certain non-recurring items that we do not believe directly reflect our core operations. Adjusted net income per share, diluted, is calculated by dividing Adjusted net income by the total shares of Class A common stock outstanding plus any dilutive options and restricted stock units as calculated in accordance with GAAP and assuming the full exchange of all outstanding Holdings Units and corresponding Class B common stock as of the beginning of each period presented. Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, are supplemental measures of operating performance that do not represent, and should not be considered, alternatives to net income and earnings per share, as calculated in accordance with GAAP. We believe Adjusted net income and Adjusted net income per share, diluted, supplement GAAP measures and enable us to more effectively evaluate our performance period-over-period. A reconciliation of Adjusted net income to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, and the computation of Adjusted net income per share, diluted, are set forth below.





Three months ended March 31, (in thousands, except per share amounts)

2022

2021 Net income

$ 18,376

$ 6,190 Provision for income taxes, as reported

11,711

3,354 Purchase accounting adjustments-revenue(1)

58

69 Purchase accounting adjustments-rent(2)

109

117 Loss on reacquired franchise rights(3)

1,160

 Gain on settlement of preexisting contract with acquiree(4)

(2,059)

 Transaction fees(5)

4,423

 Loss on extinguishment of debt(6)

1,583

 Gain on adjustment of allowance for credit losses on held-to-maturity investments(7)

(2,110)

 Dividend income on held-to-maturity investments(8)

(451)

 Pre-opening costs(9)

656

365 Insurance recovery(10)



(2,175) Tax benefit arrangement remeasurement(11)

(3,788)

(348) Other(12)

1,153

635 Purchase accounting amortization(13)

8,518

4,159 Adjusted income before income taxes

$ 39,339

$ 12,366 Adjusted income taxes(14)

10,307

3,289 Adjusted net income

$ 29,032

$ 9,077









Adjusted net income per share, diluted

$ 0.32

$ 0.10









Adjusted weighted-average shares outstanding(15)

89,652

87,179





(1) Represents the impact of revenue-related purchase accounting adjustments associated with the 2012 Acquisition. At the time of the 2012 Acquisition, the Company maintained a deferred revenue account, which consisted of deferred area development agreement fees, deferred franchise fees, and deferred enrollment fees that the Company billed and collected upfront but recognizes for U.S. GAAP purposes at a later date. In connection with the 2012 Acquisition, it was determined that the carrying amount of deferred revenue was greater than the fair value assessed in accordance with ASC 805Business Combinations, which resulted in a write-down of the carrying value of the deferred revenue balance upon application of acquisition push-down accounting under ASC 805. These amounts represent the additional revenue that would have been recognized in these periods if the write-down to deferred revenue had not occurred in connection with the application of acquisition pushdown accounting. (2) Represents the impact of rent-related purchase accounting adjustments. In accordance with guidance in ASC 805  Business Combinations, in connection with the 2012 Acquisition, the Company's deferred rent liability was required to be written off as of the acquisition date and rent was recorded on a straight-line basis from the acquisition date through the end of the lease term. This resulted in higher overall recorded rent expense each period than would have otherwise been recorded had the deferred rent liability not been written off as a result of the acquisition push down accounting applied in accordance with ASC 805. Adjustments of $45 and $49 in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, reflect the difference between the higher rent expense recorded in accordance with U.S. GAAP since the acquisition and the rent expense that would have been recorded had the 2012 Acquisition not occurred. Adjustments of $64 and $68 in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, are due to the amortization of favorable and unfavorable leases. All of the rent related purchase accounting adjustments are adjustments to rent expense which is included in store operations on our consolidated statements of operations. (3) Represents the impact of a non-cash loss recorded in accordance with ASC 805  Business Combinations related to our acquisition of franchisee-owned stores. The loss recorded under U.S. GAAP represents the difference between the fair value and the contractual terms of the reacquired franchise rights and is included in other (gains) losses, net on our consolidated statement of operations. (4) Represents a gain on settlement of deferred revenue from existing contracts with acquired franchisee-stores recorded in accordance with ASC 805  Business Combinations, and is included in other (gains) losses, net on our consolidated statement of operations. (5) Represents transactions fees and expenses incurred in connection with our acquisition of franchisee-owned stores. (6) Represents a loss on extinguishment of debt in the three months ended March 31, 2022. (7) Represents a gain on the adjustment of the allowance for credit losses on the Company's held-to-maturity investments. (8) Represents dividend income on held-to-maturity investments. (9) Represents costs associated with new corporate-owned stores incurred prior to the store opening, including payroll-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses. (10) Represents an insurance recovery of previously recognized expenses related to the settlement of legal claims. (11) Represents gains related to the adjustment of our tax benefit arrangements primarily due to changes in our deferred state rate. (12) Represents certain other charges and gains that we do not believe reflect our underlying business performance. (13) Includes $3,096 of amortization of intangible assets, for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, recorded in connection with the 2012 Acquisition, and $5,415 and $1,063 of amortization of intangible assets for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, recorded in connection with historical acquisitions of franchisee-owned stores. The adjustment represents the amount of actual non-cash amortization expense recorded, in accordance with U.S. GAAP, in each period. (14) Represents corporate income taxes at an assumed effective tax rate of 26.2% for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 26.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2021, applied to adjusted income before income taxes. (15) Assumes the full exchange of all outstanding Holdings Units and corresponding shares of Class B common stock for shares of Class A common stock of Planet Fitness, Inc.

Planet Fitness, Inc. and subsidiaries Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited) (Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

A reconciliation of net income per share, diluted, to Adjusted net income per share, diluted is set forth below for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021:





For the three months ended March 31, 2022

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 (in thousands, except per share amounts)

Net income

Weighted

Average

Shares

Net income

per share,

diluted

Net income

Weighted

Average

Shares

Net income

per share,

diluted Net income attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc.(1)

$ 16,464

84,635

$ 0.19

$ 5,581

83,707

$ 0.07 Assumed exchange of shares(2)

1,912

5,017





609

3,472



Net income

18,376









6,190







Adjustments to arrive at adjusted income before income taxes(3)

20,963









6,176







Adjusted income before income taxes

39,339









12,366







Adjusted income tax expense(4)

10,307









3,289







Adjusted net income

$ 29,032

89,652

$ 0.32

$ 9,077

87,179

$ 0.10





(1) Represents net income attributable to Planet Fitness, Inc. and the associated weighted average shares, diluted, of Class A common stock outstanding. (2) Assumes the full exchange of all outstanding Holdings Units and corresponding shares of Class B common stock for shares of Class A common stock of Planet Fitness, Inc. Also assumes the addition of net income attributable to non-controlling interests corresponding with the assumed exchange of Holdings Units and Class B common shares for shares of Class A common stock. (3) Represents the total impact of all adjustments identified in the adjusted net income table above to arrive at adjusted income before income taxes. (4) Represents corporate income taxes at an assumed effective tax rate of 26.2% and 26.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, applied to adjusted income before income taxes.

SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc.
ST ANDREWS, Scotland, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pneumagen, a clinical stage biotech company developing Neumifil, a novel intranasal spray which is designed to provide patients at risk with an easy to use, pan-anti-viral treatment to reduce, prevent and manage respiratory disease exacerbations caused by viral infections, announces the appointment of Dr. John Beadle, Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd, as a Non-Executive director of the company.

Douglas Thomson, CEO of Pneumagen, commented, "I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of John's calibre to join Pneumagen's Board. His successful career founding, funding and growing innovative biotech companies will provide invaluable experience to Pneumagen at this key time in our development as we advance the clinical studies of Neumifil. I look forward to accessing John's experience and counsel, alongside the other members of our Board."

John Beadle is a highly entrepreneurial CEO and leader with broad experience in building successful innovation driven biotechnology companies. During his career, he has helped build and worked with strong management teams to deliver exceptional scientific, clinical and commercial results.

John has a strong medical and business background (MD MBA) and has led innovative leading-edge companies and programs across several ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) fields including nucleotide-based vaccines, stem cell therapies, gene therapies and immuno-oncology.

His most recent role was as Founding CEO of PsiOxus, a clinical stage oncology company pioneering systemic immune oncology products designed to drive sustained reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment to overcome resistance to therapy. His previous roles include Founder and Chief Medical Officer of PowderMed; Entrepreneur in Residence at Imperial College, London; Site Head at Pfizer; and Vice President of Global Medical Operations at GlaxoSmithKline.

John Beadle added, "I believe that Pneumagen can make a significant difference to the treatment of viral respiratory tract infections with its world-class science, strong IP and highly experienced management team. Neumifil represents a truly innovative, pan-viral treatment approach for patients at risk of viral induced exacerbations in a world where, as we know only too well, the threat from infectious diseases is significant and where access to new effective anti-virals is clearly needed."

John received his medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, a DA, Anaesthesia from the South African College of Medicine, and an MBA from the London Business School.

About Pneumagen

Pneumagen is a clinical- stage biotech company developing Neumifil, its lead product, as an intranasal drug for the prophylaxis and treatment of a broad range of viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs).

Neumifil is a novel, engineered multivalent Carbohydrate Binding Molecule (mCBM), which is being developed for the universal treatment of Influenza Virus (IFV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and coronavirus infections including COVID-19. Neumifil acts by directly binding and preventing the entry of the viral pathogens into the lungs with reduced susceptibility to direct viral resistance. Neumifil was generated using Pneumagen's proprietary GlycoTarge technology that acts by stopping viruses at the site of infection, reducing their ability both to enter cells and to migrate to the lungs.

In addition to Neumifil, Pneumagen is harnessing its GlycoTarge platform to enable the development of a pipeline of intranasal therapies targeting other infectious lung diseases.

Pneumagen was established in 2016 as a spin-out from the University of St Andrews in Scotland giving Pneumagen access to world-class scientific expertise and capabilities in viral RTI's specifically related to glycobiology.

For further information, please contact:



Pneumagen

Douglas Thomson, CEO

Email: [email protected]

MEDiSTRAVA Consulting (Financial PR)

Frazer Hall, David Dible, Sandi Greenwood

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Pneumagen
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

According to the new market research report "Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Market by Grade (General Purpose, Optical), Form(Extruded Sheet, Cast Acrylic Sheet, Pellets, Beads),End-Use Industry(Signs & Displays, Construction, Automotive, Lighting Fixtures, Electronics, Marine, Healthcare) & Region - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the PMMA market is projected to grow from USD 4.8 Billion in 2022 to USD 6.3 Billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. PMMA market is driven by the rising demand from end-use industries, especially automotive, construction, signs & displays, and electronics. Market growth is expected to be restrained due to the availability of substitutes. Expected recovery of the automotive sector from the COVID-19 pandemic and rising penetration of EVs are expected to offer business opportunities in the forecasted period.

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By Form, Extruded Sheet account for the largest share of the PMMA market

Extruded sheets are produced through a continuous process in which the resin is conveyed in a horizontal chamber comprising rotating screws. The extruded sheets obtained through this process offer superior thickness tolerance, thus making them suitable for applications which require intricate shapes. The sheets are softer than cast acrylic but contain impurities. The extruded sheets offer the advantage of clarity, glossy surface, and weather resistance

By End-use Industry, Construction account for the largest share of the PMMA market

PMMA is utilized in different forms in the building and construction segment. It is used in window frames, furniture, tableware, soundproof walls, greenhouse windows, pool covers, and roofs. PMMA-made products are utilized in architectural and urban development projects (noise barriers and street furniture), contemporary design (shop fittings and furniture), and interior design applications. It is used in waterproofing applications and to make windows, as it provides rigid, lightweight glazing which resists UV degradation. The construction industry in the Asia Pacific region has been witnessing high growth due to an increase in large infrastructure projects; China has also received massive state investments during the past year. These factors are expected to contribute towards the growth of the construction industry, favoring the use of PMMA in various applications.

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By region, Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share in the global PMMA market

Asia Pacific accounted for the largest share of the PMMA market in 2021, followed by North America and Europe. The China is one of the leading producers and consumers of PMMA, globally. Asia Pacific dominates the PMMA market as most of the producers of PMMA are based in the Asia Pacific. New construction projects, greenhouse applications, steady growth in automotive, are driving the PMMA market in the region.

The leading players in the PMMA market are Rohm GmbH (Germany), ChiMei Corporation (Taiwan), Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (Japan), Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), LG Chem Ltd. (South Korea), Trinseo S.A. (US), Kuraray Co., Ltd (Japan), Kolon Industries Inc. (South Korea), Toray Industries, Inc. (Japan), Lotte Chemical Corporation (South Korea), Plaskolite LLC (US), and others.

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PMMA Microspheres Market by Application (Signs & Displays, Paints & Coatings and Printing Inks, Cosmetics, Polymers & Films, Medical) and Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World) - Global Forecasts to 2026

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Promethean Decommissioning Company (PDC), a pure-play Decommissioning Operator, and Petrofac, a leading provider of services to the global energy industry, have formed an Alliance to decommission the South Pass 60, South Pass 6 and East Breaks 165 fields, offshore Gulf of Mexico.

This work is in accordance with the Decommissioning Orders issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) in February 2022, following the termination of Fieldwood Energy's leases.

The legacy offshore fields and assets include nine platforms, 200 wells and 32 pipeline segments, with a BSEE estimated decommissioning cost of approximately US$200 million over a multi-year campaign.

PDC's mission is to deliver safe and efficient decommissioning operations. As Operator, PDC brings a lean, integrated, best practices and technology-driven business model which minimizes GHG emissions / intensity and the environmental footprint of operations.

PDC is led by industry experienced specialists with a strong track record in safety and in environmental, regulatory, operational, and compliance management.

PDC has appointed Petrofac as the Decommissioning Services Provider. Petrofac will use its proven decommissioning program management systems, tools, and processes, deployed by a local team, who together have plugged and abandoned more than 600 wells and decommissioned over 100 facilities.

The Alliance has selected Danos, a leading Gulf of Mexico offshore services provider for over 75 years, to support field operations and the decommissioning program. With nearly 2,500 employees, Danos has a proven history of operational excellence and safe operations.

The project will be led by an integrated team based in the Promethean and Petrofac West Houston office and using the latest digital software to deliver the decommissioning project with comprehensive dashboards, full transparency and delivery assurance.

Aditya Singh, Founder and CEO, Promethean Energy Corporation, said: "Promethean is an oil & gas operator with an integrated approach to the development, production, and decommissioning of mature resources. We are pleased to offer our new outsourced 'Decommissioning Operator' service to the industry and to commence activity on this major decommissioning project. We are fully aligned with all our stakeholders to improve environmental performance through the safe and efficient decommissioning of end-of-life assets. We accomplish this with a dedicated, fit-for-purpose entity, PDC, via an integrated operating service model and focused program management. I am particularly pleased that the PDC and Petrofac Alliance has been selected, leveraging the complementary strengths of both companies."

Nick Shorten, Chief Operating Officer for Petrofac's Asset Solutions business, said: "This significant contract recognizes our industry-leading decommissioning program management experience and our unique in-house capability to manage all well and asset decommissioning phases. It's been more than four decades since Petrofac first began in Texas and in that time we have expanded our offshore capabilities across the globe. This expertise will be applied to the project, complementing our already strong onshore presence in the Permian. We look forward to working with PDC in this Alliance to deliver a new approach to large-scale decommissioning programs in the Gulf of Mexico."

For further information contact:

Nick Welch

Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, Promethean Decommissioning Company

[email protected]

+1 202 255 7464

NOTES TO EDITORS

Promethean Energy Corporation

Promethean is a purpose-driven oil & gas operator with an integrated approach to the development, production, and decommissioning of mature resources in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Promethean Decommissioning Company is a fully-owned subsidiary of Promethean Energy Corporation.

Collaborative and experienced, Promethean has the expertise to accurately interpret data, identify opportunities, and deploy cutting edge practices and proven technologies to develop, produce, and decommission oil & gas fields. This is supported by the core pillars of the Promethean strategy: focus on economic and environmental outcomes, the integration of data, technology and interdisciplinary teams, the implementation of equally innovative financial and contractual models, and integrated risk management.

As a forward-thinking company in an evolving industry, Promethean contributes to an orderly energy transition, strengthens energy security and improves environmental performance by embracing sustainable and responsible protocols throughout operations, including real-time production management and control, elimination of flaring and methane emissions, decarbonization of operations, and environmentally-sensitive repurposing of decommissioned assets for the reduction of its environmental footprint.

For additional information, please refer to the Promethean website at www.promethean-energy.com.

Petrofac

Petrofac is a leading international service provider to the energy industry, with a diverse client portfolio including many of the world's leading energy companies.

Petrofac designs, builds, manages and maintains oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy infrastructure. Our purpose is to enable our clients to meet the world's evolving energy needs.

Petrofac's core markets are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the UK North Sea, where we have built a long and successful track record of safe, reliable and innovative execution, underpinned by a cost effective and local delivery model with a strong focus on in-country value. We operate in several other significant markets, including India, South East Asia and the United States. We have 8,500 employees based across 31 offices globally.

Petrofac is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: PFC).

For additional information, please refer to the Petrofac website at www.petrofac.com.

Danos

Founded in 1947, Danos is a family-owned and managed energy service provider. This year, the company celebrates 75 years in business. A trusted industry partner, Danos offers the most responsive end-to-end integrated service solutions  safe, on time and on budget. Danos achieves world-class safety results and customer loyalty due to a values-based approach and an unyielding commitment to employee engagement and training.

Learn more at Danos.com.

SOURCE Promethean Decommissioning Company, LLC
Funding will strengthen market leadership in electronics monitoring solutions

Brings total company funding to nearly $200 million

HAIFA, Israel, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- proteanTecs, a global leader in deep data analytics for electronics monitoring, announced today that it has closed a $45 million financing round with Addition. The investment will strengthen the company's market leadership and brings the total funding to nearly $200 million since the company was founded in 2017.

Addition and proteanTecs management teams

proteanTecs provides advanced cloud and edge enterprise software solutions that monitor the health and performance of electronics to help customers scale their operations. Using proprietary chip telemetry data and machine learning, proteanTecs' analytics platform ensures end-to-end chip and system visibility for increased reliability and performance. Customers include large-scale, innovative technology companies in uptime-critical industries such as datacenter, automotive, communications and mobile.

"As technologies advance and usage requirements grow, monitoring and analysis are imperative to achieve scale and predictability," said Shai Cohen, CEO and co-founder of proteanTecs. "Helping companies transform production and service by providing critical business insights is built into our DNA. We look forward to working with our new partners as we enter a new and exciting phase of the company's growth."

The investment marks a significant milestone in the company's growth strategy and builds on its Growth Equity Round and recently closed Growth Equity Round Extension, both led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. Other investors to recently join include MediaTek, Advantest and Porsche SE.

The company intends to use the new capital to accelerate its market reach by expanding its global team and continuing to innovate and enhance its product offering.

"proteanTecs' software provides unique visibility into the reliability and security of electronics systems, which will remove roadblocks for customers as they continue to scale their businesses with more advanced chips," said Lee Fixel of Addition. "We look forward to supporting the proteanTecs team as they expand their global footprint and continue to drive innovation for performance monitoring of electronics."

About proteanTecs

proteanTecs is a leading provider of deep data monitoring solutions for advanced electronics in the Datacenter, Automotive, Communications and Mobile markets. Based on Universal Chip Telemetry (UCT), the company provides system health and performance monitoring, from production to the field. By applying machine learning to novel data created by on-chip UCT agents, the company's analytics platform delivers predictive insights and visibility, leading to new levels of quality, reliability and scale. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Israel with offices in New Jersey, California, India and Taiwan. For more information, visit: www.proteanTecs.com.

Press Contact

Tamar Naishlos, Media Relations

[email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1810684/proteanTecs.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/844547/proteanTecs_Logo.jpg

SOURCE proteanTecs
AMSTERDAM, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Position, navigation and timing (PNT) services have become part and parcel of our lives today. From GPS services in our smartphones to complex applications across sectors, PNT is integral to a range of industries, be it transportation, aviation, farming or construction. As PNT becomes critical to economic activities, any disruption in availability, reliability, resilience, and integrity would weaken the critical infrastructure that sustains our national security, business operations and public safety.

This growing dependency on PNT services, and the potentially high economic cost to vulnerabilities, underscores just how vital GPS and GNSS systems are to the global economy and national security of countries worldwide. Resilient PNT systems are thus more than necessary today to combat GPS/GNSS outages.

To build resilience into these systems will require multiple technologies ranging from network time transfer services, terrestrial wireless infrastructure, and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

As Geospatial World opened in Amsterdam on May 10, the second plenary of the day focused on the value of PNT in the global economy.

Robert Cardillo, President, The Cardillo Group, and former Director of US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), set the stage by calling on a panel of distinguished experts in the field.

"Our existence on this planet has been shaped by our individual and collective awareness of place and our confidence to be able to move securely and efficiently from one place to another, all within that common framework of time  position, navigation and timing, or PNT," he said.

A special mention here must be made of Charlie Trimble, the principal founder of Trimble Navigation Limited in 1978, and the driving force behind the creation of the first commercially feasible GPS timing receiver introduced in 1984.

Cardillo added: "And I can think of no better way to set the stage for this critical discussion about the importance of PNT in our economy, both today and tomorrow, than with a presentation from a true legend in our profession, Charlie Trimble. Charlie's contribution in the field created the very foundation for the vibrant and socially relevant geospatial industry we all enjoy today. His vision has empowered industries in this room, across every sector, making a profound and lasting difference in the world economy and society."

QUOTES

Charlie Trimble, Founder of Trimble

"The smartphone is a wonderful example of how far PNT has been integrated into our lives," he began, as he laid down three basic phases that were involved in leading PNT to its place in the world economy.

"The path from the dawn of space age to the smartphone was anything but obvious or straightforward. I now see, in retrospect, that there were three basic steps that were involved in leading PNT to its place in the world economy. First, Sputnik led to the global navigation systems. Second, the Shuttle disaster led us to the realization that the satellite system was an information utility. And now, the integration of PNT into the mobile and immobile internet is changing our world."

Professor Sir Martin Sweeting FRS FREng, Executive Chairman, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.

"Our first contract was with ESA (European Space Agency) to look at the feasibility of using a navigation and timing satellite using small-satellite techniques, which in 1985 was considered a wacky idea."

At ESA, we have embarked on a project ESA called Hydro GNSS, which uses Surrey's GNSS Reflectometry to address the number of the climate related issues, be it water detection or biomass, etc. This doesn't stop here; we are looking at the lunar economy. PNT has indeed a very bright future, not just on Earth but also looking through this decade into the use of PNT on the user surface."

Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)

"New things are happening, particularly in the area of governmental satellite communications, space situational awareness, and others, which are benefitting citizens every day. Galileo, EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) , Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM programs are key areas of EU space activities. All these programs are massive investments and in the end, the result comes from their utilization in the different areas of our economy and daily life."

"In 2021, GNSS & EO downstream market generated 200 billion euros in revenues and are set to reach almost half a trillion over the next decade."

Gillian Smith, Vice President of Marketing, NextNav

"Just in the US alone, GPS is approaching USD 1 trillion in terms of economic impact and is doubling every 2-3 years. But it is a single point of failure. This highlights the need for resilient PNT."

"We believe that our needs have evolved beyond technology that was really created in the Sixties. We need increased accuracy and availability in the urban environments in particular. I think many of you have experienced it if you've tryied to use it in any major city. That blue dot is going to bounce off of buildings and not be very accurate. We need indoor tracking and mapping. We need altitude data so that you know what floor you're on when you're thinking about accurate location. We also need to increase resilience and redundancy. That's going to give us all increased security as well."

Value of GPS

GPS jamming and interference is a grave issue and have come under the spotlight particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Back in 2019, a DC think tank had documented more than 10,000 cases of GPS interference (jamming and spoofing) in the previous five years from Russia. By 2021, these had become increasingly sophisticated. In a peculiar case, the crew onboard NATO ships in Odessa saw their position being instead given as Crimea.

In the past six months, even before the war on Ukraine began, there were reports of GPS jamming in and around that region. In March, the EU Aviation Safety Agency had issued warnings of GNSS spoofing and jamming for flights over Europe, in particular around countries neighboring Ukraine and Russia.

Globally, the economic impact of GPS/GNSS disruption is difficult to state. The potential economic consequences of failing to sufficiently protect sources of PNT are enormous, wherein estimates range from millions to billions of dollars depending on the type, length, severity, and geographic scope of the disruption. Furthermore, the impact of a GPS/GNSS outage extends beyond basic economics and could even result in a risk to life. Today, emergency services, distress beacons, telecommunications networks all rely on PNT services  and any disruption could cause consequences beyond the imaginable.

A 2019 report sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology estimated that the loss of GPS would cost the US economy USD 1 billion a day.

A similar study in UK conducted in 2017 estimated that a five-day GNSS disruption would lead to an economic impact of GBP 5.2 billion (USD 7.2 billion), with road, maritime and emergency service impacts accounting for 88 percent of the cost. This cost is likely to be considerably higher today since location data has become more pervasive in all economic activities.

About Geospatial World Forum

Geospatial World Forum is one of the most prestigious global geospatial conferences and annual gatherings of geospatial professionals across the world. This year's edition GWF 2022 runs from May 10 to May 12 at the Taets Art and Event Park, Zaanstad, Amsterdam. The three-day conference is produced by Geospatial World and co-hosted by Dutch Kadaster.

Visit website for more information: https://geospatialworldforum.org/index.html

About Geospatial World

Geospatial World is a global think tank working towards raising awareness around the use of geospatial data and technologies among governments and policymakers, businesses, and the public at large. Its mission is 'Making a Difference through Geospatial Knowledge in World Economy and Society'. Primarily a knowledge organization, Geospatial World pursues thought leadership, policy advocacy and technology evangelism through various activities and platforms.

Visit website for more information: https://www.geospatialworld.net/

Media Contacts

Anusuya Datta

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

Meenal Dhande

Associate Editor & Product Manager  Europe

[email protected]

SOURCE Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd.
PLANO, Texas, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ResMan, a leading property management SaaS platform provider, opens its inaugural ResMania user conference at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West today. Almost 400 ResMan customers, partners and industry experts will gather for two days to discuss the state of the multifamily industry and share best practices for marketing, property operations, affordable compliance, resident engagement, and investor management. The conference also offers opportunities for hands-on product training and to test-drive new ResMan capabilities.

"ResMan's first every user conference has been more than two years in the making, and we couldn't be more excited to finally bring our customers together in person!" said Michael Dunn, CEO of ResMan. "At ResMania, growth is the main event, so we look forward to sharing insights and best practices that will help all the multifamily and affordable property management companies in attendance drive efficiencies, increase NOI and maximize asset value."

The conference agenda is packed with 24 sessions delivered by 42 different presenters and panelists. Sessions presented by industry experts include:

Knowledge is Power: How Rental Housing is Impacted by What Happens in Washington presented by Cindy Chetti (NMHC's SVP of Government Affairs), Kevin Donnelley (NMHC's Vice President, Government Affairs, Technology and Strategic Initiatives), and Matthew Berger (NMHC's Vice President, Tax, Student Housing).

presented by (NMHC's SVP of Government Affairs), (NMHC's Vice President, Government Affairs, Technology and Strategic Initiatives), and (NMHC's Vice President, Tax, Student Housing). Practicing Policies: Legislative Updates that Impact Affordable Housing presented by Larry Keys , NAHMA's Director of Government Affairs.

presented by , NAHMA's Director of Government Affairs. Tracking the Shifting Currents Below the Multifamily Surface presented by Jordan Brooks , Senior Market Analyst with ALN Apartment Data.

presented by , Senior Market Analyst with ALN Apartment Data. Focusing on Customer Experience to Drive Marketing Results presented by Stephanie Puryear Helling who leads SPH Services.

ResMan customers will also be driving much of the conference content in the sessions:

Does yesterday's business model work in today's environment? which features Lori Krull (Weller Management) and Jim Rostel (Anchor NW Property Group)

which features (Weller Management) and Jim Rostel (Anchor NW Property Group) Rehab & Construction in the Era of Labor Shortages, Choked Supply Chains, & Rising Construction Costs , which features Kim Radaker Bays (Exponential Property Group) and Greg Nelson (Centra Partners).

, which features (Exponential Property Group) and (Centra Partners). ESG: How Policies Impact Your Investments and Keep Your Company Competitive which features Mary Gwyn (Apartment Dynamics), Kelli Overton Dowdney (Indio Management), and Wendy Rae Walker (TAM Residential).

which features (Apartment Dynamics), (Indio Management), and (TAM Residential). Navigating Through Today's Marketing, which features Julie Ellison (Greystar), Jessica Dinin (Weller Management) and Angela Aguilar (ResProp Management).

The conference will also mark the first-ever live recording of ResMan's PropTalk Cocktails & Compliance podcast, as hosts Janel Ganim and Rue Fox are joined by HUD and Tax Credit compliance experts, Jenny DeSilva of DeSilva Housing Group and Stacy Day of Karen A Graham Consulting.

No user conference would be complete without a product keynote. At ResMania, Janel Ganim, ResMan's SVP of Product & Operations, and Nick Olsen, ResMan's CTO, will showcase the company's new capabilities, set to debut this spring, including:

BudgetsPro  Everything needed to create, review, revise, publish and reforecast budgets entirely within the ResMan platform

 Everything needed to create, review, revise, publish and reforecast budgets entirely within the ResMan platform ReportsPro  The next generation in reporting, offering customers an easy way to customize reports to meet their specific business needs

 The next generation in reporting, offering customers an easy way to customize reports to meet their specific business needs Rural Housing  Manage all Rural Housing eligibility, certification and monthly reporting within the ResMan platform

 Manage all Rural Housing eligibility, certification and monthly reporting within the ResMan platform Integration with AvidXchange  This new API offers a more efficient accounts payable (AP) process and the option to make secure payments via the AvidPay Network

 This new API offers a more efficient accounts payable (AP) process and the option to make secure payments via the AvidPay Network Other major enhancements to existing Multifamily, Affordable, and Investor Management solutions, including:

to existing Multifamily, Affordable, and Investor Management solutions, including: Support of Move Out Reconciliations for cancelled and denied applicants

Reconciliations

Automated retroactive adjustments for Tax Credit properties when needed



Addition of sort and export capabilities to the compliance certifications landing page



Enhanced Investor Deal Room to support distributions via ACH and to allow integration with third-party tools such as CRMs and bookkeeping software via Zapier

ResMania comes on the heels of the relaunch of Razz as a standalone brand serving the website, marketing, and branding needs of large, top-tier multifamily property management companies. Razz will showcase its capabilities at a sponsor kiosk and also serve as the sponsor for the ResMania Marketing Track. More information about the Razz relaunch can be found on the Razz website.

The premiere of ResMania is due in large part to tremendous support from partners, with sponsorships selling out well in advance of the event. Twenty-four sponsors will participate in sessions, host parties and networking opportunities, support conference operations, and/or share their solutions at kiosks throughout networking area.

For more details about ResMania and to view the full conference agenda, please visit the conference website. To participate in ResMania festivities remotely, follow the hashtag #ResMania2022 on Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT RESMAN

ResMan is the preferred growth partner that drives profitability and efficiency for nearly a thousand property management companies across the U.S. ResMan delivers the property management industry's most innovative technology platform, making property investments and operations more profitable and easier to manage. ResMan's platform unlocks a new path to growth for property management companies that deliver consistent NOI improvement and brilliant resident experiences easier than ever before. For more information, visit us at myresman.com or engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

SOURCE ResMan
Parent Market Analysis

Technavio categorizes the global Retail Market in Mexico market as a part of the global internet and direct marketing retail market within the global consumer discretionary market. External factors influencing the parent market's growth potential in the coming years have been thoroughly investigated in our research analysis, to know more about the levels of growth of the Retail Market in Mexico throughout the forecast period, Download the sample Report.

Retail Market in Mexico Value Chain Analysis

The end-to-end understanding of the value chain is essential in profit margin optimization and evaluation of business strategies. The data available in our value chain analysis segment can help vendors drive costs and enhance customer services during the forecast period.

The value chain of the internet and direct marketing retail market includes the following core components:

Inputs

Inbound logistics

Operations

Outbound logistics

Marketing and sales

Service

Support activities

Innovation

To unlock information about vendor drive costs and customer service, download our sample report.

Vendor Insights

The Retail Market in Mexico is fragmented, and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. To make the best of the opportunity, the market vendors should focus more on the fast-growing segment's growth prospect while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the Retail Market in Mexico, including some of the vendors such as Amazon.com Inc., Carrefour SA, El Puerto de Liverpool, Fresko, Heineken NV, MercadoLibre S de RL de CV, Tiendas Soriana SA de CV, Transform SR Brands LLC, and Walmart Inc.

Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Retail Market in Mexico are designed to provide entry support, customer profile, and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

Product Insights and News

Coppel SA de CV- The company offers a wide range of brands such as Samsung, Nike, LG, Levi and many more.

The company offers a wide range of brands such as Samsung, Nike, LG, Levi and many more. Costco wholesale corp - The company offers electronics, computers, furniture, appliances, sports, clothes, toys and gifts through its retail services.

The company offers electronics, computers, furniture, appliances, sports, clothes, toys and gifts through its retail services. Walmart Inc. - The company offers a wide range of retail essentials such as security camera system, remote control, and many more.

The Retail Market in Mexico forecast report offers in-depth insights into key vendor profiles and offerings  Download Sample Report

Key Market Dynamics-

Retail Market in Mexico Key Drivers:

Influx of numerous retail stores

One of the main causes of retail market expansion in Mexico is the entrance of various retail businesses. Retailers in the country are concentrating on expanding their stores around the country in order to increase brand visibility and outreach and hence increase penetration. They are prioritising non-urban settings in addition to urban locations to reach untapped potential consumers as a result of the significant expansion in the middle-class population over the last decade.

Download sample Report for highlights on market Drivers & Trends affecting the Retail Market in Mexico.

Customize Your Report

Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights into this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

Do reach out to our analysts for more customized reports as per your requirements. Speak to our Analyst now!

Related Reports:

Online Retail Market in the US by Product and Device - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Online Fashion Retail Market in India by Product and End-user - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Retail Market Scope in Mexico Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.48% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 9.72 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 4.42 Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Amazon.com Inc., Carrefour SA, El Puerto de Liverpool, Fresko, Heineken NV, MercadoLibre S de RL de CV, Tiendas Soriana SA de CV, Transform SR Brands LLC, and Walmart Inc. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

2. Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

2.1.1 Parent market

Exhibit 01: Parent market

2.2 Market characteristics

Exhibit 02: Market Characteristics

2.3 Value Chain Analysis

Exhibit 03: Value Chain Analysis: Internet and Direct Market Retail

2.3.1 Inputs

2.3.2 Inbound logistics

2.3.3 Operations

2.3.4 Outbound logistics

2.3.5 Marketing and sales

2.2.6 Service

2.2.7 Support activities

2.2.8 Innovation

3. Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 05: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2019

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 - 2024

Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2021 - 2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2021 - 2026 (%)

4. Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five Forces Summary

Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2021 & 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of the buyer

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of the supplier

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2021

5. Market Segmentation by Product

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 15: Product- Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 16: Comparison by Product

5.3 PAT - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 17: PAT - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 18: PAT - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Personal and household care - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 19: Personal and household care - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 20: Personal and household care - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 AFA - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 21: AFA - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 22: AFA - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Electrical and electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 23: Electrical and electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 24: Electrical and electronics - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 25: Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 26: Others - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.8 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 27: Market opportunity by Product

6. Market Segmentation by Distribution channel

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 28: Distribution channel- Market share 2021-2026 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Distribution channel

Exhibit 29: Comparison by Distribution channel

6.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 30: Offline - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 31: Offline - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Online - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 33: Online - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Distribution channel

Exhibit 34: Market opportunity by Distribution channel

7. Customer landscape

Technavio's customer landscape matrix comparing Drivers or price sensitivity, Adoption lifecycle, importance in customer price basket, Adoption rate and Key purchase criteria

Exhibit 35: Customer landscape

8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market Driver

8.1.1 Influx of numerous retail stores

8.1.2 Rising demand for convenience food products

8.1.3 Growing popularity of private-label brands

8.2 Market challenges

8.2.1 Issues related to logistics and supply chain operations

8.2.2 Threat from counterfeit products

8.2.3 Trade risks associated with the retail industry

Exhibit 36: Impact of drivers and challenges

8.3 Market trends

8.3.1 Innovative packaging and marketing initiatives by prominent vendors

8.3.2 Surge in sales through online distribution channels

8.3.3 Growing per capita income of the country

9. Vendor Landscape

Exhibit 37: Vendor landscape

9.2 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 38: Landscape disruption

Exhibit 39: Industry Risk

10. Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 40: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 41: Market positioning of vendors

10.3 Amazon.com Inc.

Exhibit 42: Amazon.com Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 43: Amazon.com Inc. - Business segments

Exhibit 44: Amazon.com Inc. - Key offerings

Exhibit 45: Amazon.com Inc. - Segment focus

10.4 Carrefour SA

Exhibit 46: Carrefour SA - Overview

Exhibit 47: Carrefour SA - Business segments

Exhibit 48: Carrefour SA - Key offerings

Exhibit 49: Carrefour SA - Segment focus

10.5 El Puerto de Liverpool

Exhibit 50: El Puerto de Liverpool - Overview

Exhibit 51: El Puerto de Liverpool - Business segments

Exhibit 52: El Puerto de Liverpool - Key offerings

10.6 Fresko

Exhibit 53: Fresko - Overview

Exhibit 54: Fresko - Product and service

Exhibit 55: Fresko - Key offerings

10.7 Heineken NV

Exhibit 56: Heineken NV - Overview

Exhibit 57: Heineken NV - Business segments

Exhibit 58: Heineken NV - Key offerings

Exhibit 59: Heineken NV - Segment focus

10.8 MercadoLibre S de RL de CV

Exhibit 60: MercadoLibre S de RL de CV - Overview

Exhibit 61: MercadoLibre S de RL de CV - Product and service

Exhibit 62: MercadoLibre S de RL de CV  Key news

Exhibit 63: MercadoLibre S de RL de CV - Key offerings

10.9 Tiendas Soriana SA de CV

Exhibit 64: Tiendas Soriana SA de CV - Overview

Exhibit 65: Tiendas Soriana SA de CV - Business segments

Exhibit 66: Tiendas Soriana SA de CV - Key offerings

10.10 Transform SR Brands LLC

Exhibit 67: Transform SR Brands LLC - Overview

Exhibit 68: Transform SR Brands LLC - Product and service

Exhibit 69: Transform SR Brands LLC - Key offerings

10.11 Walmart Inc.

Exhibit 70: Walmart Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 72: Walmart Inc. - Key offerings

Exhibit 73: Walmart Inc. - Segment focus

11. Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.1.1 Market definition

11.1.2 Objectives

11.1.3 Notes and caveats

11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 74: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.3 Research Methodology

Exhibit 75: Research Methodology

Exhibit 76: Validation techniques employed for market sizing

Exhibit 77: Information sources

11.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 78: List of abbreviations

About Us:

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
"We're excited to announce another one of the projects in our development pipeline is operational," said Silvia Ortin, CEO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables. "El Algodon Alto continues our momentum to providing cleaner sources of generation in Texas. We're proud to create local, high-paying jobs during the operations phase in addition to employing 200 to 300 people during our recently completed construction phase of the project. RWE continues to have a strong focus on the U.S. market and adding further operational projects demonstrates our ambition in renewable energy."

The project, located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) south market, is powered by 91 Vestas turbines and will generate enough electricity to power more than 60,000 homes. In total, the project spent more than $11.1 million locally during the construction period.

With the addition of El Algodon Alto, RWE will have delivered a total installed generation capacity of more than 3,700 MW of wind power online in the state of Texas, including more than 1,700 MW on the Texas coast.

The U.S. accounts for more than one third of the RWE Group's renewables capacity playing a key role in RWE's strategy to grow its renewables business and to become carbon neutral by 2040. RWE constructs, owns and operates some of the highest performing wind, solar and energy storage projects in the U.S., having installed more than 5,000 MW (4,288 MW pro rata) of generation capacity to date.

Our very experienced U.S. team is driving our expansion plans not only in onshore wind, solar PV and storage, but also in offshore wind, to contribute to RWE's ambitious goal of 50 GW net installed capacity in 2030.

Just a few months ago, the company, together with our joint venture partner National Grid Ventures, secured area OCS-A 0539 in the New York Bight offshore lease auction in the U.S. with a potential to host 3 GW of capacity, enough to power 1.1 million U.S. homes. In addition, RWE has entered into a joint venture, New England Aqua Ventus, focused on floating offshore wind in the state of Maine.

For more information, go to americas.rwe.com.

For further inquiries: Matt Tulis

Communication Manager

RWE Renewables

M +1 512 698 4043

E [email protected]

RWE

RWE is leading the way to a green energy world. With an extensive investment and growth strategy, the company will expand its powerful, green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts internationally by 2030. RWE is investing 50 billion gross for this purpose in this decade. The portfolio is based on offshore and onshore wind, solar, hydrogen, batteries, biomass and gas.

RWE Supply & Trading provides tailored energy solutions for large customers. RWE has locations in the attractive markets of Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The company is responsibly phasing out nuclear energy and coal. Government-mandated phaseout roadmaps have been defined for both of these energy sources. RWE employs around 19,000 people worldwide and has a clear target: to get to net zero by 2040. On its way there, the company has set itself ambitious targets for all activities that cause greenhouse gas emissions. The Science Based Targets initiative has confirmed that these emission reduction targets are in line with the Paris Agreement. Very much in the spirit of the company's purpose: Our energy for a sustainable life.

SOURCE RWE Renewables
25-Year Industry Veteran Bolsters SageView's 457 Plan Expertise as Fast-Growing RIA Continues Expansion of Comprehensive Wealth Management and Retirement Plan Consulting Businesses

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SageView Advisory Group ("SageView"), one of the nation's leading independent RIA firms, today announced the continued buildout of the firm's capabilities with the addition of Javier Obando as a retirement plan consultant in its Newport Beach, California office.

A government and public sector retirement plan expert with 25 years of experience across some of the largest and most well-respected retirement plan consulting providers in this segment, Mr. Obando's hire positions SageView for continued growth and leadership across the retirement plan space nationally.

In his new role, Mr. Obando is responsible for providing retirement and fiduciary services, plan-level consulting, investment research, education and client relationship management. He will also partner closely with the wealth management business in supporting plan participants interested in elevating their level of financial wellness into comprehensive wealth management services.

SageView Positioned for Growth in $4.5 Trillion Public Sector Retirement Market

Randy Long, SageView's Founding and Managing Principal, said, "We're excited to bring aboard Javier Obando, an industry veteran with exceptional expertise and strategic relationships across the public sector retirement space. This $4.5 trillion market will continue to experience significant shifts as aging workers transition to retirement. Plan participants need and deserve support that emphasizes their long-term financial wellness, with many individual participants requiring more advanced financial planning solutions in greater numbers."

Mr. Long continued, "Leveraging Javier's 25 years of government and public-sector retirement plan experience will position SageView to better serve this unique market segment while growing our retirement plan consulting and wealth management businesses."

Mr. Obando was previously Vice President, Sales for Prudential Financial, focusing on tax-exempt and government markets. He was also Vice President, Government Market Sales-West Coast for Lincoln Financial Group; Associate Regional Sales Director at Great-West Retirement Services; and Client Relationship Director at Empower Retirement. Mr. Obando is a member of the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators Inc. (NAGDCA) and the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO).

Mr. Obando said, "SageView operates within the intersection of retirement and wealth management, providing a unique platform to deliver outstanding outcomes for government and public-sector plan participants. I'm excited to join this team and get to work."

Mr. Obando has a bachelor's degree from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. He is FINRA series 6 and 63 registered and holds life and health insurance licenses in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

About SageView Advisory Group

SageView Advisory Group is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisory firm (RIA) serving retirement plan sponsors and individuals throughout the United States since 1989. SageView advises on 401(k), 403(b), 457, defined benefit and deferred compensation plans, and provides comprehensive wealth management services to individuals and families. SageView is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and has more than 30 offices nationwide.

SageView Advisory Group, LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where SageView Advisory Group, LLC and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No advice may be rendered by SageView Advisory Group, LLC unless a client service agreement is in place.

For more information about SageView, visit www.sageviewadvisory.com or call (800) 814-8742.

Contact: Julie Katsnelson

800.814.8742 |[email protected]

SOURCE SageView Advisory Group
SINGAPORE, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stamford American International School earned recognition from the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Singapore for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. The AmCham CARES award, presented by Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, and AmCham Chairman Lisa Liaw at a ceremony on April 22 at the Shangri La Hotel, identified organizations that combine sustainability and socially responsible business practices with strong community engagement.

Stamford American was the only educational institution among 36 recipients, such as Google Asia Pacific, Johnson & Johnson and 3M Technologies, to receive the award for distinction.

In addition to an IB curriculum that includes service learning and action, Stamford American champions student-led opportunities and projects to make a difference in Singapore and the world at large.

Humanities teacher and service learning coordinator Garrett McKeen believes that the future of education lies in service to others.

"Service is not something that you learn in the classroom," he said. "Stamford American empowers students to take charge of their learning through service in the real world."

Each year, more than 500 students actively participate in their own initiatives, contributing to causes and charities of their choice. At Stamford American, there are many ways students can apply service learning, including school clubs, co-curricular activities (CCAs), individual projects, community projects and more.

Key initiatives that contributed to this award:

A walk-a-thon to raise more than $10,000 for Singapore Association for Mental Health.

for Singapore Association for Mental Health. A Month of Giving campaign, organized by Stamford American 's Parent Teacher Association, High School service clubs and Middle School Guide Dogs CCA, that raised over $2,700 for service partners at Community Chest, NGO Causes for Animals and Guide Dogs Singapore.

's Parent Teacher Association, High School service clubs and Middle School Guide Dogs CCA, that raised over for service partners at Community Chest, NGO Causes for Animals and Guide Dogs Singapore. A donation drive by the Peer Tutoring Club to collect educational supplies for underprivileged children with the help of Community Chest and Methodist Welfare Services.

Several donation drives organized by Middle School and High School students to collect clothing for a village in Cambodia and to work with Daughters Raising, an NGO in Thailand .

and to work with Daughters Raising, an NGO in . Stamford American 's Parent Teacher Association collaborated with Toys for Tots and It's Raining Raincoats to collect materials, daily necessities, and toys for both migrant workers and underprivileged children.

's Parent Teacher Association collaborated with Toys for Tots and It's Raining Raincoats to collect materials, daily necessities, and toys for both migrant workers and underprivileged children. Student-led sustainability projects such as OIKOS, Rare Tree Guardians, and Hydroponics, all of which address ecological literacy in the Stamford American community and sustainability for the future.

"We're honored to be recognized for the many ways we connect students to service projects that impact the greater community," said Superintendent Mark Wenzel. "Our goal at Stamford American is not only to create great thinkers and problem-solvers, but to inspire our students to think beyond themselves and realize they truly can make a difference."

SOURCE Stamford American International School
John Federman, David Novak, and Ashley Stallings Named to C-Suite Positions

BOSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Salsify , the Commerce Experience Management (CommerceXM) platform empowering brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to win on the digital shelf, has announced three new executive positions, including hiring John Federman as Chief Corporate Development Officer, David Novak as Chief Revenue Officer, and promoted Ashley Stallings to Chief Customer Officer.

In a newly created role as Chief Corporate Development Officer, Federman is responsible for pursuing strategic relationships that will materially enhance the way brands and retailers connect to each other and their consumers. As part of that role, Federman will oversee Salsify's relationships with established technology partners and guide Salsify's position within the ecosystem.

John Federman comes to Salsify having an established record in launching and running successful ecommerce companies, most recently as CEO of JRNI. As CEO of Webcollage, Federman substantially repositioned and grew the leading cloud-based content management platform for publishing rich product information and syndication across retail sites globally until Syndigo acquired it in 2018. As President and CEO of Searchandise Commerce, Federman created the first retail search network for product manufacturers, agencies, and retail channel partners to monetize retail media. As CEO of eStara, the creator of click-to-call technology that powered most of the Internet Retailer Top 50 as well as other leading companies such as Amazon, BestBuy, Dell, American Airlines, TD Bank, Federman oversaw 4x growth. In the early 2000s, as President and CEO of Dotomi, Federman introduced the concept of personalized online media to the US marketplace.

In another newly created role, as Chief Revenue Officer David Novak will be responsible for expanding Salsify's top-line revenue growth, including with new customers, entering new markets, and serving new industries across the globe.

Novak brings three decades of experience as an executive leader, board director, investor, and strategic advisor specializing in hyper-growth Software-as-a-Service companies. He currently holds board positions at 3PL Central, Apruve, and Y Adventure Labs. As an executive and board member, David has been part of numerous successful exits and IPOs. Recently, Novak served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development at SPS Commerce for nine years, where he helped the company through a successful IPO and $200M in revenue.

Ashey Stallings has been promoted to Chief Customer Officer and is responsible for developing Salsify's strategy for customer success and business value realization. In this role, Stallings will lead global customer success, professional services, support, and retention, to redefine and elevate the customer experience and how customers interact with Salsify.

Stallings most recently served as Vice President of Customer Success, where she led Salsify's customer success and retention teams. During this time, Salsify achieved 95% gross customer retention and grew the customer base by more than 50%. Stallings, a long-time Salsify veteran, started as a Senior Account Manager and quickly rose to leadership positions, including Director of Account Management, Vice President of Sales, and Vice President of Customer Success. Before joining Salsify, Stallings was a Core Member of Underscore VC and held several leadership positions at Vistaprint.

"Salsify has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, with revenues up more than 50% and the customer base growing by 36%," said Jason Purcell, CEO, Salsify. "With the proven experience and leadership of John, David, and Ashley, Salsify has the leaders in place to scale our growth and create even more value for our customers and partners."

For more information, visit our team page .

About Salsify

Salsify helps brand manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in over 100 countries collaborate to win on the digital shelf. The company's Commerce Experience Management (CommerceXM) platform serves as the system of record for products, facilitates cross-team and cross-organization collaboration at scale, and provides the insights needed to product pages across channels continuously. The result is shopper-centric, frictionless, and memorable commerce experiences across the world's fastest-growing Commerce Experience Management Network. Great commerce experiences that are delivered efficiently improve brand trust, amplify product differentiation and assortments, increase conversion rate, improve profit margins, and speed time to market.

Learn how the world's largest brands, including Mars, L'Oreal, Coca-Cola, Bosch, and GSK, as well as retailers and distributors such as E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Metro, and Intermarche use Salsify every day to stand out on the digital shelf. For more information, please visit www.salsify.com .

Contact:

Ron Favali

Salsify

[email protected]

SOURCE Salsify
"Since Display Week 2022 returns to live exhibitions after a hiatus of three years, office managers, workstation professionals, and consumers are showing greater interest in this industry-leading event," according to Samsung Display. "Through the unveiling and demonstration of our most promising market solutions, audiences worldwide will be able to appreciate our vision of a rapidly-expanding, technology-enhancing and color-perfecting display business," the company added.

Marking its return to in-person exhibitions after years of pandemic caution, Samsung Display will reveal a far-reaching vision for the future of the display industry*. The company will highlight self-luminous technologies, which are likely to trigger a rapid expansion of markets, particularly its two-way slidable displays; a digital automotive cockpit featuring an OLED for multi-display solutions; foldable displays for portable gaming devices; and the QD-Display, which has riveted the market with unparalleled picture quality.

From foldable to slidable, Samsung OLED is redefining mobile display innovation

The Flex OLED zone, in Samsung Display's booth, is expected to be one of the most popular on the show floor with multiple concept prototypes including the Flex G, which folds inwards twice, and the Flex S, that folds both inward and outward. The company's 6.7-inch slidable product will also debut here at Display Week. This display expands upward, unlike existing mobile sliding displays that stretch horizontally. This capability is advantageous for document work, as well as social media postings.

Samsung Display will also premier its 12.4-inch slidable display this year, with a panel that expands the screen horizontally  from both ends. This enhances portability by reducing the length of the screen to 8.1 inches, and providing a more immersive visual experience for multi-tasking or watching video clips by extending to its full 12.4 inches.

Jump-starting new markets: A foldable display for gamers, and an automotive digital cockpit

Samsung Display will showcase a new market category with its Gaming Foldable OLED display which allows controllers to be attached at both ends, but can also be folded in half. Gamers will have access to a larger gaming screen in their living rooms, while maximizing portability when not in use. Holding the device vertically allows a multi-display setup that keeps the screen on top and the controller at the bottom, providing a richer gaming experience.

Samsung Display will also unveil a "Digital Cockpit," a multi-display solution aimed at the automotive market that combines the instrument cluster display and the central information display. The Digital Cockpit, which will be displayed in the booth's OLED Auto-zone, is designed to provide accurate easy-to-access driving information without any image sticking. Available in 7-, 12.3- and 15.7-inch sizes, the glass-based OLED cockpit can be designed with multiple screens. In addition, it can be enhanced with a number of aesthetic touches including sophisticated curves, true black color and a slim bezel design.

For the laptop market, Samsung Display will introduce a world-first OLED display that features a 240 Hz refresh rate, which has been highly desired by gamers.

Samsung's QD-Display attracting a huge audience, with picture quality at its finest

QD-Display, which Samsung Display began mass-producing in November (2021) will also be spotlighted at Display Week.

QD-Display is the world's first self-illuminating display that has built-in quantum dots with no backlight needed. In its Display Week exhibition, Samsung Display is demonstrating three offerings of the highly regarded displaypanels for 55- and 65- inch TVs as well as one for a 34-inch monitor.

Capitalizing on the color-enriching characteristics of quantum dots, QD-Display supports the widest color gamut, outperforming any other displays on the market, and shows colors as they appear in nature. Quantum dots' optical properties and their ability to disperse light widely allow users to appreciate content with vibrant picture quality, at any angle.

Also of great interest, Samsung Display will compare the picture clarity between its QD-Display and another 65-inch TV panel, as well as demonstrate the exceptionally fast response time of the QD-Display to a same-size 34-inch monitor that uses high-performance liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.

QD-Display in technology Outlook Business Conference session

Additionally, Samsung Display discussed QD-Display at the "TV Market and Technology Outlook " session of the 2022 SID/DSCC Business Conference on May 9th, at 10am.

* Editor's Note: Display Week, hosted by the Society for Information Display (SID), is the world's largest display-specialized exhibition. It is returning to greeting audiences in person after three years of online exhibitions brought on by the outbreak of COVID-19.

About Samsung Display

Samsung Display Co., Ltd. is a global leader in the display panel market, with OLED and LCD technologies and products. Samsung Display has seven production facilities and five branch sales offices worldwide. The company specializes in high-quality displays for consumer, mobile, IT and industrial usage, including those featuring OLED (organic light-emitting diode) and LCD technologies. As a total solution provider, Samsung Display strives to advance the future with next-generation technologies featuring ultra-thin, energy-efficient, flexible, and transparent displays. For more information, please visit www.samsungdisplay.com or http://global.samsungdisplay.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Samsung Display
Mr. Lagomarsino has a 17-year history in the banking industry with extensive experience in sales and lending for major financial institutions in Northern California and the Bay Area. He served as Commercial Loan Officer at Wells Fargo Banking Group and as Business Development Officer of the Commercial Banking Group at Wells Fargo. He also served as Vice President, Business Development Officer for the Commercial Banking Group at US Bank, and as Vice President, Business Development and Relationship Manager for the Commercial Middle Market Group at Bank of America. Most recently Mr. Lagomarsino served as Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager at City National Bank in San Jose where he managed a portfolio of commercial middle market relationships.

Mr. Lagomarsino obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Phoenix.

Jon Sisk, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer, remarked, "We are excited to welcome Randy to our Silicon Valley team. His commitment to building personal relationships aligns with the Bank's mission, and his knowledge of the local business community is a valuable asset to the Bank and to our clients. We're looking forward to his contributions."

Mr. Lagomarsino is based out of the Bank's Cupertino office at 19240 Stevens Creek Boulevard.

ABOUT SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BANK

Santa Cruz County Bank was founded in 2004. It is a top-rated, locally-owned and operated, full-service community bank headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. The bank has branches in Aptos, Capitola, Cupertino, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. Santa Cruz County Bank is distinguished from "big banks" by its relationship-based service, problem-solving focus and direct access to decision makers. The bank is a leading SBA lender in Santa Cruz County and Silicon Valley and a top USDA lender in the state of California. As a full-service bank, Santa Cruz County Bank offers competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and individuals; including business loans, lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction lending, agricultural loans, SBA and USDA government guaranteed loans, credit cards, merchant services, remote deposit capture, mobile and online banking, bill payment and treasury management. True to its community roots, Santa Cruz County Bank has supported regional well-being by actively participating in and donating to local not-for-profit organizations.

Santa Cruz County Bank stock is publicly traded on the OTCQX U.S. Premier marketplace under the symbol SCZC. Stock purchase orders may be placed online, through a brokerage firm, or through Market Makers listed in the Investor Relations section of the bank's website. For more information about Santa Cruz County Bank, visit www.sccountybank.com .

SOURCE Santa Cruz County Bank
Free small businesses resources celebrate AAPI entrepreneurs and offers personalized support

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SCORE , mentors to America's small businesses and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, has launched SCORE for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Entrepreneurs . This centralized hub provides the AAPI community with information, tools and support to start and grow successful small businesses.

In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SCORE, mentors to Americas small businesses and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, has launched SCORE for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Entrepreneurs. This centralized hub provides the AAPI community with information, tools and support to start and grow successful small businesses.

SCORE saw a 60% increase in mentoring requests for the AAPI small business community in 2021 over the previous year. As a result, SCORE mentors provided more than 215,000 volunteer hours or the equivalent of more than $16 million, in free, expert consulting advice.

Through this new resource hub, SCORE for AAPI will continue to celebrate and uplift the 1.9 million AAPI entrepreneurs who employ 3.6 million people throughout the country. SCORE for Asian American and Pacific Islander Entrepreneurs includes:

Free, remote, expert business mentoring

Webinars and original online educational content specific to the AAPI community

Inspiring stories of AAPI entrepreneurs who have achieved their business goals

"Everyone who has a small business dream should be able to achieve it," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "We're proud to launch this resource to support Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs. We hope this centralized hub brings AAPI small business owners one step closer to the goals, achievements and success they're working toward."

Entrepreneur and SCORE client Sharon Lu, founder of Vegan Distribution, says working with her SCORE mentor helped her improve her overall business mindset: "When in doubt, seek a few trusted mentors who have industry-related experience and can provide sound and unbiased advice. One of the effective ways to grow the business and tackle the different aspects of running a business is to leverage someone else's experience. SCORE can definitely provide that."

Carlton Chen, certified mentor for SCORE's Fairfield County and Western Connecticut chapter, offers insight for AAPI entrepreneurs: "I volunteered at SCORE to unselfishly share my wealth of business and legal knowledge and experience with fledgling small business owners and entrepreneurs. The wealth of resources that SCORE has to offer, including online materials and endless webinar offerings, are unequaled. My message to the AAPI small business community is to try SCORE out. You'll be very pleased that you did."

Click here to access SCORE for AAPI Entrepreneurs.

About SCORE:

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 25,084 new businesses and 71,475 non-owner jobs in 2021 alone. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Contact:

Meghan Dooley

SCORE

202-968-6428

[email protected]

SOURCE SCORE
Heads sales in Asia-Pacific region as demand continues to grow for firm's trade surveillance, market risk solutions

NEW YORK and SYDNEY, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventus, a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, announced today that Scott B. Leader has joined as Managing Director, APAC, heading the company's sales efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. Leader has nearly three decades of financial services, sales and management experience throughout APAC and Europe, hiring and building high-performing teams at large organizations, including financial exchanges and global business information services providers.

Reporting to Eventus Global Head of Sales Scott Schroeder, Leader is based in Sydney, where he has spent most of his career. The U.S.-based company has been steadily growing its presence in APAC, with staff now on the ground in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Australia, along with an expanding client base throughout the region.

Schroeder said: "Scott has a great record of driving growth as well as building and managing successful sales teams at major capital markets organizations. Given the very different approach to financial market regulation throughout APAC, there is a compelling need for our services and expertise, and Scott will play a key role in fueling our expansion. We've already established a strong foundation in the region and want to continue to add to our teams in sales, account management and support to serve an ever-increasing client base."

Leader said: "Eventus is a highly innovative, respected company that partners closely with clients to make markets safer and help meet their regulatory and compliance challenges. I'm looking forward to building on the talented team and delivering this complete solution to a diverse region with such a wide range of unique jurisdictions."

Leader previously served since 2020 as Executive Director, Large Enterprise for Workday, Inc. a provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. Prior to that role, he was Regional Vice President of cloud content management and sharing platform Box, Inc., where he founded and ran the Sydney office that ultimately served the firm's Southeast Asian region in sales, consulting, customer success, marketing and business development.

He has also held senior-level roles at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), NYSE Euronext, Bloomberg LP, SunGard Financial Systems (now FIS), Misys and Pegasystems.

Last year, Eventus won four awards specifically for its work in the APAC region:

Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence: Best Solution  Market Abuse & Surveillance

WatersTechnology Asia Award for Best Market Surveillance Tool

RegTech Insight Award APAC for Best Trade Surveillance Solution

FOW Asia Capital Markets Award for Best New Product  Market Surveillance

About Eventus

Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions. Its powerful, award-winning Validus platform is easy to deploy, customize and operate across equities, options, futures, foreign exchange (FX), fixed income and digital asset markets. Validus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments of tier-1 banks, broker-dealers, futures commission merchants (FCMs), proprietary trading groups, market centers, buy-side institutions, energy and commodity trading firms, and regulators. The company's rapidly growing client base relies on Validus and Eventus' responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. For more, visit www.eventus.com.

SOURCE Eventus
HAMILTON, Bermuda, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or "the Company") (XOAS:SDRL) announces that its Q1 2022 earnings will be published on May 25, 2022.

Seadrill's executive management team will provide a live presentation at 9:00am EST / 2:00pm BST / 3:00pm CET on May 25, 2022. Subsequent to the presentation, a Q&A session will be held exclusively for sell-side and industry analysts.

To tune into the live presentation, the following options are available:

Webcast

To register to the conference call via webcast, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/382TvK2

Conference call

To listen to the presentation via conference call, please join the call on the day by dialling one of the international telephone numbers listed below and using the corresponding pin: 425187

United States: +1 855 9796 654

+1 646 664 1960

Norway: +81 503 308

UK: +44 800 640 6441

+44 20 3936 2999

UAE: +971 800 0357 04553

If dialling into the presentation via conference call, you will be able to download the presentation materials via the Company's website: www.seadrill.com.

If you are unable to tune into the webcast, a replay of the presentation will be made available soon after the live event on the Investor Relations section of the website: www.seadrill.com/investors/.

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically-advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations from shallow to ultra-deep-water environments. The Company owns and/or operates 30 rigs, which includes drillships, semi-submersibles, and jack-ups.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's regulatory filings and periodical reporting. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward looking statement.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Media questions should be directed to:

Sara Dunne

Director of Communications

[email protected]

+ 1 281 630 7064

Analyst questions should be directed to:

Hawthorn Advisors

[email protected]

+44 (0) 203 7454960

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

SOURCE Seadrill Limited
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. ("Biohaven" or the "Company") (NYSE: BHVN) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Pfizer Inc. ("Pfizer") (NYSE: PFE). Under the terms of the merger agreement, Pfizer will acquire all outstanding shares of Biohaven not already owned by Pfizer for $148.50 per share in cash. Biohaven common shareholders, including Pfizer, will also receive 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven per Biohaven common share, a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohaven's non-calcitonin gene-related peptide development stage pipeline compounds.

If you own Biohaven shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:

https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/bhvn

Or please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

Weiss Law

305 Broadway, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10007

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]



Weiss Law is investigating whether (i) Biohaven's board of directors acted in the best interests of Company shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, (ii) the per-share merger consideration adequately compensates Biohaven's shareholders, and (iii) all information regarding the sales process and valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed.

Weiss Law has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

SOURCE Weiss Law
TSX: SIL | NYSE American: SILV

VANCOUVER, BC, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - SilverCrest Metals Inc. ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to report the Company's unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2022 ("Q1, 2022"). The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are available under the Company's SEDAR profile on www.sedar.com or on SilverCrest's website www.silvercrestmetals.com. All amounts herein are presented in United States Dollars, unless otherwise stated.

The Company's top priority is the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico, where it has completed a feasibility study (the "Feasibility Study") and construction is near completion on its Las Chispas Project. Details of the Feasibility Study, including an updated Mineral Resource Estimate and an initial Mineral Reserve Estimate, are provided in a technical report filed under the Company's SEDAR profile entitled, "NI 43-101 Technical Report & Feasibility Study on the Las Chispas Project" with an effective date of January 4, 2021 (the "Technical Report").

Q1, 2022 Highlights

At the end of Q1, 2022, overall construction progress at Las Chispas was 95.7%. Start-up of the plant remains on track for Q2, 2022, in line with the Feasibility Study for the Las Chispas Project. Construction completion remains on track despite a decline in labour availability in Q1, 2022 due to COVID-19, which eliminated the schedule gains made in 2021.

To the end of Q1, 2022, the Company has committed $114.6 million (83.2%) of the $137.7 million Feasibility Study capital cost estimate and incurred $108.0 million . Of the remaining capital budget to be incurred in Q2, 2022 ( $29.7 million ), 22% ( $6.3 million ) is related to the Ausenco fixed price engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") contract for process plant construction and 27% ( $8.0 million ) is unused contingency.

(83.2%) of the Feasibility Study capital cost estimate and incurred . Of the remaining capital budget to be incurred in Q2, 2022 ( ), 22% ( ) is related to the Ausenco fixed price engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") contract for process plant construction and 27% ( ) is unused contingency. During Q1, 2022, SilverCrest completed 2.0 kilometres ("km") of underground development for a total of 19.5 km of underground development since 2019. Unit underground development costs continued to track slightly under budget. Two of the four mining methods proposed in the Feasibility Study, long hole and resue, commenced with the extraction of select stopes in the Babicanora Main, Vista and Norte veins.

At the end of Q1, 2022, after 2.46 million work-hours completed since the start of construction, the Company's Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate ("LTIFR") was 0.57 per 200,000 working hours and its Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate ("TRIFR") was 3.98 per 200,000 working hours. SilverCrest continues to operate a confined camp and remains committed to its COVID-19 protocols, with more than 20,000 PCR tests completed to the end of Q1, 2022.

The H1, 2022 exploration focus at Las Chispas is to map and sample unexplored areas and generate new drill targets. The updated technical report is now targeted to be released in H1, 2023 (previously H2, 2022) which will allow for additional data from further in-vein drifting, initial months of stoping, and processing, and delineation drill results to be included.

During Q1, 2022, the Company completed an estimated 10,133 metres of exploration core drilling at El Picacho property located approximately 40 km (85 road km) north of Las Chispas. The Company also announced additional results from its initial drill program. Please refer to the Company's news release dated April 13, 2022 for further details and results.

property located approximately 40 km (85 road km) north of Las Chispas. The Company also announced additional results from its initial drill program. Please refer to the Company's news release dated for further details and results. As at the end of Q1, 2022, SilverCrest had cash and cash equivalents of $152.0 million and $30.0 million remaining under a $120.0 million project financing facility (the "Credit Facility").

Las Chispas Expenditures

During Q1, 2022, Las Chispas expenditures recorded under mineral property, plant and equipment totaled $21.4 million (inclusive of unpaid accrued expenditures), of which $1.2 million was for plant and equipment purchases, $6.1 million for construction in progress costs, and $14.1 million for mineral property costs.

El Picacho ("Picacho") Expenditures

The Company completed an estimated 10,133 metres of drilling at Picacho during Q1, 2022 and incurred a total of $1.6 million for the Picacho property under exploration and evaluation expenditures during this period. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had drilled an estimated cumulative 90,900 metres (373 drill holes) since acquiring the Picacho property in Q3, 2020. As of April 30, 2022, there were two surface rigs active at Picacho. During Q1, 2022, the Company announced additional results from its initial drill program. Please refer to the Company's news release dated April 13, 2022 for further details and results.

Financial Results

At March 31, 2022, the Company held $152.0 million (December 31, 2021  $176.5 million) as cash and cash equivalents and had value-added taxes ("IVA") receivable in Mexico of $25.8 million (December 31, 2021  $23.3 million) and mineral property, plant and equipment of $186.5 million (December 31, 201  $165.7 million).

The Company has financed its operations to date through the issuance of common shares and debt. The Company currently has no operations from which to derive revenues. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company incurred a loss of $8.7 million (three months ended March 31, 2021  $12.7 million) and a comprehensive loss of $2.7 million (three months ended March 31, 2021  $4.0 million).

Please refer to the Company's Q1, 2022 unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and MD&A for additional information.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's top priority is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico, where it has completed a feasibility study on the Las Chispas Project and is proceeding with mine construction. Startup of processing at the Las Chispas Mine is targeted for Q2, 2022. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Property resulting in numerous high-grade precious metal discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's construction and exploration programs at the Las Chispas Project and the start-up of processing at the Las Chispas Mine during Q2, 2022. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the reliability of mineralization estimates, mining and development costs, the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: uncertainty as to the impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

SOURCE SilverCrest Metals Inc.
Skymetrix was formed following the merger of FuelPlus and Airpas last year and is now gearing up for major growth as it prepares to launch its new, next-generation platform later this year. The former CEO of FuelPlus, Klaus-Peter Warnke, moves to the advisory board of the company.

Michael said: "I'm delighted to be leading Skymetrix and I'm really excited about our new proposition for our customers and the wider industry. We will be able to offer one platform that transforms fuel and cost management for airlines and brings benefits that go beyond profitability. We're focused on maximizing success for our customers, which means working closely with them to understand their goals and challenges, sharing our experiences, and shaping a solution that fits perfectly."

Ian Wheeler, Skymetrix Advisory Board Chairman added: "I am thrilled to welcome Michael into the role of CEO, and so are Ventiga Capital Partners, our majority investor. His enthusiasm and international expertise will be valued assets for Skymetrix. We also wish to thank Klaus-Peter who has led the business up to date; we value his continued involvement and guidance on the advisory board."

Skymetrix has 20+ years' experience in the industry and over 100 airline customers, including Lufthansa, Ryanair, Emirates and Spirit Airlines. Its cloud-based platform replaces the outdated practices often used to collect and verify Fuel, Airport, Ground Handling and Navigation cost data, with next-generation technology and automation. It provides one accurate picture of flight charges and costs, so airlines can make better strategic and operational decisions.

Skymetrix will be exhibiting at the IATA Aviation Energy Forum on 17-19 May in Munich, Germany. You can also find out more the company on its new website: www.skymetrix.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814473/Michael_Scheidler.jpg

SOURCE Skymetrix
Deal Involves 350+ Acres of Solar Land in Virginia, Rhode Island, and Maine

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SolaREIT , a solar real estate investment fund, has purchased a portfolio of land assets underneath solar projects from TPE Development LandCo, a land holdings business that directly supports TurningPoint Energy's community solar development business nationally. The solar assets have been developed to various stages, from construction ready to fully operating projects over the prior five years. The deal involves more than 350 acres of land across five solar projects in Virginia, Rhode Island, and Maine.

SolaREIT, which launched in late 2020, partners with solar developers and landowners, offering flexible capital solutions that provide a range of options for taking advantage of solar development on their land.

"We are excited to establish a strategic relationship with SolaREIT as an investment partner for this portfolio of land assets we have held over the last several years." said Adam Beal, Principal of TPE Development LandCo. "SolaREIT was highly efficient to work with and provides us with flexibility on how best to optimize our capital for future land holding efforts in support of TurningPoint Energy's efforts."

"We're excited to work with TurningPoint Energy on these projects. Solar projects require significant land and capital  we're committed to partnering with developers to offer solutions that reduce project complexity while freeing up capital so developers can focus on what they do best -- developing solar projects," said Laura Pagliarulo, President of SolaREIT.

Solar development is land and capital intensive and is often time consuming and difficult for solar developers to unlock the value of the solar land in their portfolio. SolaREIT offers flexible, alternative options to developers and project owners that reduce their lease costs and overall project complexity. Earlier this year, SolaREIT announced their "Pre-Paid Solar Land Lease" allowing solar developers to provide landowners with up-front payment for up to 30-years of lease payments.

About SolaREIT: SolaREIT, based in Rockville, Maryland, focuses on making investments in acquiring, developing, and managing climate-friendly solar assets that support the transformation to a low-carbon economy. We aim to provide unique products to clients while generating attractive returns for our investors. For more information, please visit www.solareit.com .

About TPE Development LandCo

TPE Development LandCo supports the land acquisition needs of TurningPoint Energy's community solar-focused development business.

About TurningPoint Energy

TurningPoint Energy is a clean energy development, advisory and investment company with solar development projects underway throughout the United States. Its principals have experience developing solar projects for utility and community solar clients totaling more than $3 billion in value over 2 GW of operating solar power plants throughout the United States within the last decade. TurningPoint Energy is a lean, privately held firm that adapts to its clients' needs and finds ways to invest in its clients and their communitiesat every turning point. For more information, please visit www.turningpoint-energy.com.

Contact:

Sam Boykin

9174472657

[email protected]

SOURCE SolaREIT
The company recognized among peers for its people-first culture and high employee satisfaction

CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spaulding Ridge, global cloud advisory and implementation firm, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list for the second year in a row. The firm has received numerous awards for its workplace and company culture, as well as its exceptional consultants.

"It's a challenging time for preserving strong culture considering recent COVID outbreaks, a highly competitive talent market, and shifting office policies, but this is an excellent reminder that the Spaulding Ridge culture runs deep," says Jay Laabs, CEO of Spaulding Ridge. "Whether we're at our headquarters in Chicago, our offices around the world, in our individual homes, or traveling to be with clients, we take our core tenets with us, engaging on a personal level with everyone we work with and fostering a healthy work environment."

The firm fosters its strong culture through continuing DE&I initiatives, specialized learning and development trainings, and the promotion of company-wide transparent communications. Spaulding Ridge visibly tracks its DE&I metrics and leverages programs specifically designed to broaden its talent pools. Spaulding Ridge is also proud to tout a high employee retention rate.

Inc. magazine's list is a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility. Thousands of submissions are reviewed each year, considering comprehensive data from an employee survey and an audit of benefits. Spaulding Ridge is one of only 475 being honored.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

ABOUT SPAULDING RIDGE

Spaulding Ridge is a global cloud advisory and implementation firm that helps leading companies deploy Best-in-Cloud solutions. Spaulding Ridge enables organizations to accelerate operational efficiency, drive digital transformation, and increase competitive advantage.

Spaulding Ridge partners with digitally savvy companies to help:

Finance gain control: Increase top-line revenue, gross margins, and profits through better insight. Connect financial planning to strategy and automate financial close processes.

Increase top-line revenue, gross margins, and profits through better insight. Connect financial planning to strategy and automate financial close processes. Sales increase productivity: Manage quota and territories more consistently and effectively, automate customer contracts and onboarding.

Manage quota and territories more consistently and effectively, automate customer contracts and onboarding. Operations drive efficiency: Improve supply chain agility, automate strategic sourcing and purchasing, deliver superior customer service experiences.

To learn more, visit spauldingridge.com.

ABOUT INC. MEDIA

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

ABOUT QUANTUM WORKPLACE

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

SOURCE Spaulding Ridge, LLC
MIAMI, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spiritus Law announced today that former Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Halsey W. Beshears is joining the firm as Chair of the firm's Lobbying and Government Relations Practice. Mr. Beshears is a seasoned non-attorney practitioner well versed in government relations. His addition to Spiritus Law will expand the firm's advocacy capabilities on behalf of clients in the alcohol and hospitality industries in Florida as those sectors recover from the effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Halsey Beshears

Mr. Beshears will assist clients with administrative and investigative issues and will serve as a mediator with state and local government agencies. Most recently, Mr. Beshears served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, or DBPR, under Governor Ron DeSantis from 2019 to 2021. During the early stages of the Coronavirus Pandemic, he led the alcohol and hospitality industries through forced pandemic closures. He also played an instrumental role in creating operational exceptions that allowed restaurants to continue operating and permitted cocktails-to-go emergency sales authorizations through the pandemic.

Prior to his work at the DBPR, Mr. Beshears was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2012, where he represented District 7 from 2012 to 2019. As a former secretary, he fought to improve Florida's business climate by streamlining government involvement, lowering taxes, and increasing transparency. He also sponsored and passed legislation in policy areas including the federal single-subject amendment, alcoholic beverage laws, construction defects, transportation matters, and public records in public agency contracts.

"Halsey brings to Spiritus Law tremendous experience as both a legislature and lead of a state regulatory body that will be a valuable asset for our clients," said Robert Lewis, Co-Founding Partner of Spiritus Law. "He not only has a wealth of relationships in Tallahassee, but also an intimate knowledge of regulatory laws and a unique ability to bring people to the table. Those are true assets to our clients who are interested in long-term changes and solutions that would allow them to reposition their operations much faster in the event of another pandemic."

As Secretary of the Florida DBPR, he showed himself to be a leader and consensus builder with Florida's hospitality and alcohol industries. He played a vital role in providing stability to those industries at a difficult time, such as spearheading the implementation of the cocktail-to-go policy and moving quickly to allow breweries to re-open during the pandemic by bringing licensed on-site food service providers.

"I am thrilled to be joining a dynamic firm like Spiritus Law and I am excited to help the firm grow its government relations services," said Mr. Beshears. "I am looking forward to working closely with the firm's clients to advocate for sensible short- and long-term solutions for regulatory issues."

Mr. Beshears holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida.

For media inquiries:

Jessica Forres

[email protected]

+1 (202) 716-8320

SOURCE Spiritus Law
The 2022 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic, resilient culture, as well as strong financials. This year's designees continued to propel their businesses forward by prioritizing purpose, investing in their workforces, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

This is the second consecutive year that the Cincinnati-based manufacturer has received the Best Managed Company distinction.

"It is such an honor for our company to be recognized among Deloitte's US Best Managed Companies for a second consecutive year," said Gary Heiman, President and Chief Executive Office of Standard Textile. "I couldn't be prouder of our One Standard team. During yet another challenging year for most businesses, our team has shown incredible resiliency and adaptability as well as an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for our customers and our communities. It really shows what a solid foundation and culture along with continued investment in people can achieve."

Throughout the pandemic, Standard Textile has continued to put a strong focus on its purpose to inspire care, comfort and change in communities. In 2021, the company met its goal of supporting 80,000 showers by year end through Standard Textile Cares, its national program to combat homelessness. Standard Textile partnered with non-profit organizations across the United States that provide mobile shower services to people dealing with homelessness or insufficient housing, donating thousands of bath towels, wash cloths, shower curtains, and blankets to support an estimated 80,200 showers annually.

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture and governance/financial performance. They join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 40 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

About the Best Managed Companies Program

The Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

About Standard Textile

Founded in 1940, Standard Textile has developed a culture of innovation, quality, and service. With more than 80 patents, its products are engineered to deliver durability, longevity, and value. A vertically integrated company, Standard Textile is a leading global provider of total solutions in the institutional textiles and apparel markets. Leveraging textile design, manufacturing, and laundry expertise, and its global infrastructure, this company serves customers in the healthcare, hospitality, interiors, and consumer markets worldwide. For more information visit standardtextile.com.

Contact

Judy Sroufe

Vice President, Brand Marketing and Communications

Standard Textile

[email protected]

(513) 761-9256, ext. 2243

SOURCE Standard Textile
Cloud supply chain leader exceeds $200 million in annual revenue run-rate as more brands unify their logistics on a single platform that combines warehousing, freight and fulfillment

Led by Franklin Templeton, this brings Stord's total funding to $325 million and increases the company's valuation to $1.3 billion

ATLANTA, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stord , the cloud supply chain leader, announced today that it has raised an additional $120 million in Series D financing led by Franklin Templeton, bringing the total round to $210 million. Now valued at roughly $1.3 billion, Stord recently crossed $200 million in annualized revenue run-rate and has raised $325 million in total funding. Participants across the entire Series D financing included new investors Sozo Ventures, Strike Capital and 137 Ventures, along with existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, BOND, Susa Ventures, Dynamo Ventures, Lux Capital and Salesforce Ventures.

As ongoing supply chain disruptions impact the entire global economy, more companies are increasing investments to improve their logistics operations and technology. Stord helps brands deliver world-class logistics, leveling the playing field for mid-market and enterprise companies to delight their customers with speedy deliveries, better prices and great experiences. Stord plans to use the additional funding to continue expanding its capabilities across logistics and technology, while further building out its industry-leading team.

Today's announcement comes as Stord reports record growth. In the past six months alone, Stord has:

Grown headcount from 400 to over 700, and expects to close 2022 with more than 1,000 employees

Enhanced its e-commerce capabilities and added major brands including Thrasio, Native, Tula, JUDY, Curie, and One Fresh Pillow to its growing customer roster

to its growing customer roster Expanded partnerships with enterprise customers including Coca-Cola, BODYARMOR, Dollar General, and Niagara Bottling

Increased its warehouse network to more than 1,000 facilities across the U.S.

Expanded its executive ranks, including the promotion of Steve Swan as COO (formerly Amazon); Shyam Sundar as VP of Engineering (formerly Amazon, Zendesk, Mapbox); Sarah Feulner as VP of People (formerly Bumble); Mark Satisky as VP of Corporate Development (formerly NCR); and Mario Paganini as VP of Marketing (formerly Shippo)

as COO (formerly Amazon); as VP of Engineering (formerly Amazon, Zendesk, Mapbox); as VP of People (formerly Bumble); as VP of Corporate Development (formerly NCR); and as VP of Marketing (formerly Shippo) Launched an integration with Salesforce to enable Commerce Cloud customers to easily integrate their sales channels, retail partners and logistics with Stord's cloud supply chain software platform

to enable Commerce Cloud customers to easily integrate their sales channels, retail partners and logistics with Stord's cloud supply chain software platform Built deeper order and inventory visibility, system connectivity and business intelligence capabilities into its cloud supply chain software platform

"Supply chains have become the new competitive differentiator for brands. Online consumer expectations, combined with recent supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and logistics issues are forcing companies to reevaluate, prioritize and reinvest in their supply chains," said Sean Henry, co-founder and CEO of Stord. "With Stord, companies never have to worry about their logistics again."

In 2022, e-commerce spending in the U.S. is set to break one trillion dollars for the first time, while B2B online commerce is expected to reach $25.65 trillion by 2028 . According to a recent McKinsey report, 90% of supply chain executives expect to overhaul their supply chain planning IT within the next five years.

On a mission to make supply chain a competitive advantage, Stord provides brands with a single, integrated platform unifying freight, fulfillment, warehousing, packaging, and parcel / last mile delivery that offers full visibility and insight across their supply chains. Stord is building additional orchestration and optimization capabilities into its software offering that leading brands use to connect and manage their own supply chains. Additionally, the company is currently piloting an entirely new software product to improve operational efficiency across warehouse facilities, whether first-party, third-party or customer-owned.

"Supply chain infrastructure has yet to evolve to meet today's customer expectations or the complex needs of omnichannel business," said Robert Stevenson, co-director of private investing, Franklin Equity Group at Franklin Templeton. "The many supply chain challenges of the past few years have exacerbated this situation, exposing the fragmentation and rigidity of traditional supply chains. Stord connects physical supply chain infrastructure and services with cloud software, and opens up the power of world-class logistics as a scalable plug and play utility for growing brands."

To learn more about Stord's cloud supply chain approach, visit stord.com .

About Stord

Stord is the leading cloud supply chain platform enabling companies to compete and grow with world-class logistics  including warehousing, freight and fulfillment  in a single, integrated platform that's available exactly when and where they need it. Hundreds of B2B and B2C companies like BODYARMOR, Advance Auto Parts and Dollar General use Stord to make their supply chains perform with the speed, flexibility and ease of the cloud. Led by former operators from Amazon, XPO and Manhattan Associates, Stord is headquartered in Atlanta and backed by leading investors, including Kleiner Perkins, BOND, Franklin Templeton, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, D1 Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Susa Ventures and Lineage Logistics.

SOURCE Stord
SDI's Direct to Phase II effort to spur innovative prototyping

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Systems Definition, Inc. (SDI), a leading provider of fireground accountability solutions, today announced the U.S. Air Force has awarded the firm an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct to Phase II contract to develop innovative approaches for DoD First Responder accountability and associated data interchange capabilities to work with Air Force Common Operating Picture (COP) systems.

"SDI continues to provide the Air Force with innovative First Responder capabilities. We are very happy to be continuing our partnership via the DPAR project, which should provide extensive new avenues to enhance existing Air Force accountability and safety," said Brendan Adams, Principal Investigator at SDI.

The goal of the Direct to Phase II effort over the next 18 months is to develop advanced accountability capabilities leveraging functionality from a broad array of Air Force devices and to define a universal accountability interoperability/integration specification to interact with COPs. SDI will apply its experience with Civilian First Responder technologies to prototyping efforts to assist Air Force base activities, support disaster relief efforts, and other missions.

AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants, and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in Topic Number AF221-DCSO1 Focus Area 4  Phase II Base of the Future, the Air Force has begun offering 'The Open Topic' SBIR/STTR program that is faster, leaner, and open to a broader range of innovations.

Systems Definition, Inc. (SDI) provides innovative software applications and personnel accountability solutions for the First Responder community. Additionally, SDI provides boutique technical services and software engineering to Federal agencies, DoD contractors, public sector agencies, and commercial organizations. SDI's comprehensive suite of fireground accountability applications is used daily by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and other fire departments across the United States.

Contact: Frank Briese, President, Systems Definition, Inc., 703-717-0222 ext. 114, [email protected], http://www.firegroundaccountability.com/

SOURCE Systems Definition, Inc.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tamir H. Keshen, MD, FACS, FAAP is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Distinguished Pediatric Surgeon and Founder in the Medical field and in acknowledgment of his work at the California Pediatric Surgical Group.

Dr. Keshen has helped many patients in the Santa Barbara, CA, area for nearly three decades. Dr. Keshen is an attending physician at Anacapa Surgical Associates in Ventura, CA, and is the Founder of the California Pediatric Surgical Group, established in 2007.

The doctor is well known for his work in Surgical Oncology and Trauma and Advanced Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Abdominal surgeries in newborns and children. As a Pediatric Surgeon, he performs surgeries for various issues, including appendix problems, hernias, and chest wall reconstructions. He also lends his expertise to his students as he teaches residents doing their rounds in the hospital. Dr. Keshen is additionally a consultant for Anacapa Surgical Associates.

Dr. Keshen is a distinguished Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), and a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the International Pediatric Endoscopy Group, and the Society of American Gastroenterological Endoscopy Surgery.

He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with minors in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Virginia. He next attended the New York Medical College, graduating with a Medical Degree. Dr. Keshen completed a General Surgical Residency at University of Iowa affiliated hospitals and simultaneously completed a post-doctoral research Fellowship in Pediatric Nutrition and Newborn Metabolism with the National Institutes of Health at Children's Nutrition Research Center/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Dr. Keshen next took on a residency in Pediatric Surgery at the Children's Hospital (University of Alabama). He is licensed to practice medicine in California, Missouri, and Alabama and is board-certified in pediatric surgery and general surgery by the American Board of Surgery (ABS).

Dr. Keshen began his career as an Attending Pediatric Surgeon at Washington University, where he worked for five years. After completing his Post-doctoral training programs, he joined the Washington University School of Medicine faculty. He joined his wife, Dr. Roberta Sengelmann, MD, in 2002. He later became an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Surgery and the Director of Pediatric Minimally Invasive Surgery at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Awarded for his exceptional work, Dr. Keshen was selected as one of the Best Doctors in America and has received America's Top Surgeons Award by the Consumer Research Council of America.

In his free time, Dr. Keshen enjoys giving back to his community through the Synagogue B'nai Brith. He has taken numerous medical mission trips to locations in Tijuana and Mexico through the Aeromedicus program. He has been married to his wife, Roberta Sengelmann-Keshen, MD, for 25 years. She is a Dermatologic Surgeon, and they have four children together.

As he looks to the future, Dr. Keshen will soon be featured on the TEDx Youtube Channel to share his story.

He would like to dedicate this honorable recognition to his mentors Keith Jorgeson, MD, and Tom Jaksik, MD.

For more information, visit www.capedsurggrp.com.

Contact:

Katherine Green,

516-825-5634,

[email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
The "Easiest Route to the Rockies" brings travelers to renowned mountain destination; allows Northern New Mexicans to "Book it to the Beach"

TAOS, New Mexico, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 30, Taos Air will restart its popular seasonal service offering direct public charter flights to and from AustinBergstrom International, Dallas Love Field, Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles, and McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. Service resumes just in time for Texas and California-based travelers to enjoy the Rocky Mountain adventures in Taos, and Taosenos to escape for their own summer vacations. Taos Air will continue to offer a charter flight experience at the price of a commercial airline ticket.

Taos Air is the "Easiest Route to the Rockies" for visitors from Texas and California. Prices are affordable and competitive, yet the travel experience is much more convenient than traditional commercial flights because of the simplified check-in and reduced airport congestion that comes with a boutique charter service. Taos Air also offsets 100% of its carbon impact and has been since 2018, making it the world's first carbon-neutral airline.

"We are thrilled to restart summer service, so visitors can come to Taos to experience rich spiritual traditions, fine art, distinctive cuisine, and the raw, natural beauty of the landscape," said Joe Zvada, Director of Aviation for Taos Air. "But Taos Air isn't just about accessing the Enchanted Circle, it also provides Northern New Mexicans with a simple, convenient travel experience to ultra-desirable destinations in California or Texas."

One of America's foremost art colonies, Taos is also home to a World Heritage Site (Taos Pueblo), one of the most photographed and iconic churches (St. Francisco de Asis), and a majestic landscape encompassing the Rocky Mountains and the Rio Grande Gorge. During the summer, visitors can look forward to fly fishing, performing arts, concerts, river rafting, arts and cultural events and more. For visitors seeking an even higher elevation, in the nearby Taos Ski Valley there is hiking, a mountain biking park, a cabled Via Ferrata climbing course and scenic lift rides. Taos Air passengers can receive complimentary round trip shuttle service from Taos Regional Airport to both the Town of Taos and Taos Ski Valley's award-winning hotel, The Blake at Taos Ski Valley.

"This winter, Taos Air benefitted the Enchanted Circle area of Northern New Mexico with more than $12 million in economic impact," said Karina Armijo, Town of Taos Director of Tourism. "Taos Air summer service will continue to drive economic diversity in New Mexico; it also provides local New Mexicans a convenient way to 'Book it to the Beach' this summer season."

Summer service will begin June 30 and run through September 26. Flights include one flight to and from each destination on the following days:

Austin : Flights Thursday and Sunday

: Flights Thursday and Sunday Dallas: Flights Monday and Friday

Los Angeles : Flights Monday and Friday

: Flights Monday and Friday Carlsbad / San Diego : Flights Sunday and Thursday

Visitors can book Taos Air tickets via TaosAir.com or by calling 833-359-8267 (FLYTAOS).

About Taos Air

Taos Air flights are public charters sold and operated by Advanced Air, LLC as a direct air carrier. Flights are subject to Department of Transportation Public Charter Regulations. Please visit www.taosair.com for more information on public charter flights.

SOURCE Taos Air
Atlanta next stop for Jakes' fan-favorite Woman, Thou Art Loosed!

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- T.D. Jakes' annual International Leadership Summit, held at the Charlotte Convention Center on March 31-April 2, brought fireworks and some 10,000 attendees to their feet as guests like Denzel Washington, Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, Van Jones, Janice Bryant Howroyd and more shared their advice on how to revolutionize the future of leadership. Numbers just finalized calculated that the event brought in $9.2 million in economic impact for the city of Charlotte with revenue for hotels boasting a 74% increase than the previous week.

The 2023 International Leadership Summit will be held in Orlando from May 4-6.

Jakes will next host one of the nation's most popular conferences for womenWoman, Thou Art Loosed! in Atlanta Sept. 22-24. Like in Charlotte, the conference will bring a wealth of income to the Atlanta area.

The conference that helped turned Jakes into a household name will take its final curtain call. Coming "home" to Atlanta after being in Dallas for several cycles, this year's Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Homecoming is set to pay homage to the women who've ignited this movement the past few decades. For years, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! has highlighted challenges and unique nuances hidden from the global narrative, emancipating women and their families from generations of being contained. The outcome of those moments from Woman, Thou Art Loosed! is still reverberating around the world today.

Media may apply online to request media credentials to cover the event.

Luminary speakers are expected to present at Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Homecoming. Confirmed speakers include:

T.D. Jakes

Sarah Jakes Roberts

Priscilla Schirer

Cora Jakes Coleman

Serita Jakes

And more to be announced

Registration is open now to attend Woman, Thou Art Loosed!

About the International Leadership Summit

Founded by philanthropist, educator, real estate developer and global leader T.D. Jakes, the International Leadership Summit is an annual transformative conference. Since 2011, the conference has cultivated aspiring and tenured entrepreneurs and leaders with the tools to become successful in for-profit and not-for-profit industries. Previous speakers include Tyler Perry, John Maxwell, Byron Allen, Cynthia Marshall and David Steward III.

About Woman, Thou Art Loosed!

Woman, Thou Art Loosed! began as one of T.D. Jakes' most popular books, which he transformed from an international best-selling book to film, a global movement, and into one of the most successful global women's conferences, elevating his profile and making him one of the most popular Christian leaders in the U.S. For decades Jakes has brought inspirational and motivational speakers to the stage to help women around the world be loosed from a myriad of strongholds, transforming them into revelations that helped women change the world.

Media Contacts:

Christine Cape, [email protected], 404-545-0085

Jordan Hora, [email protected], 214-608-2006

SOURCE Woman, Thou Art Loosed!; International Leadership Summit
INDIANAPOLIS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A Honolulu television station, an historic news service and a metropolitan newspaper will receive American Legion Fourth Estate Awards during the 103rd National Convention of the nation's largest veterans organization in Milwaukee, on September 1.

The Fourth Estate Award has been presented annually by The American Legion since 1958 for outstanding achievement in the field of journalism. Nominations in 2022 were considered in three categories: broadcast, print and online media. They were selected by the organization's Media & Communications Commission earlier this month and announced today.

Taking top honor in the broadcast category is KHON-2 for its nine-part series "The Forgotten." Producer Pamela Young, who received a Fourth Estate Award while with KITV in 2013, highlighted the significant contributions that Asian-American veterans made toward victory in World War II. The series culminated with hundreds of veterans and their surviving families receiving Congressional Gold Medals at a Washington gala last year.

In an online series titled "AWOL weapons," Associated Press reporters Kristin M. Hall, James LaPorta, and Justin Pritchard investigated firearms and explosives that have gone missing from military inventories since 2010. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the AP investigation "another example of the free press shining a light on the important subjects we need to get right."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, winner of three previous Fourth Estate Awards, is being recognized in the print category for its human-interest piece, "Military Suicides Take Toll on Wisconsin National Guard." Journalists Katelyn Ferral and Natalie Brophy chronicled the cases of four Wisconsin veterans who took their lives just months after they served in Afghanistan together.

"As a veterans organization that reveres the constitution, The American Legion has always respected the important role of a free press," said Paul E. Dillard, national commander of The American Legion. "These award winners are being recognized for outstanding works of journalism that not only stand far above normal media reporting but have had a positive impact on society.

"I will be honored to present each of these deserving recipients with our highest recognition of journalistic accomplishment, The American Legion Fourth Estate Award, at our national convention this summer," Dillard said. "They are all credits to their profession."

Previous winners of the award include CNN, CBS, USA Today, ABC News, C-SPAN, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Life Magazine, among others.

About The American Legion

The American Legion is the largest veterans service organization with nearly 2 million members in more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Chartered by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is committed to mentoring youth and sponsoring wholesome community programs, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security and continued devotion to servicemembers and veterans.

Contact: John Raughter, Media Relations

[email protected] or 317-630-1350

SOURCE The American Legion
The designation of Best Senior Living is awarded based on feedback from nationwide consumer satisfaction surveys. Tweet this

"It is an honor that 35 of our communities earned the highest rating from U.S. News, especially since residents and their families had a direct voice in the process," Judd Harper, The Arbor Company president, said. "Independent living, assisted living and memory care reflect the wide range of living options offered by Arbor so that our residents can enjoy their lives to the fullest."

The inaugural U.S. News Best Senior Living ratings and profiles offer comprehensive information and exclusive analysis of consumer satisfaction data evaluating such factors as community and activity, food and dining, caregiving, and management and staff for nearly 2,500 communities in the continental U.S. and Hawaii.

"Until now, families have had limited information when comparing providers of independent living, assisted living, memory care or continuing care," Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News & World Report, said. "The Best Senior Living ratings fill this informational gap with comprehensive and transparent data to help older consumers and their families identify high-quality senior living communities that meet their needs and preferences."

Below is a list of The Arbor Company communities that earned "best" status along with the categories in which each one was recognized:

ABOUT THE ARBOR COMPANY

The Arbor Company is an Atlanta-based operator of more than 45 independent living, assisted living and dementia care communities, serving seniors in 11 states. With more than 30 years of dedication and experience, The Arbor Company strives to deliver the highest quality care and service to residents and their families. The Arbor Company has been designated a Great Place to Work and is listed on the Fortune Best Workplaces for Aging Services list. More information about The Arbor Company is available at www.ArborCompany.com .

ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

SOURCE The Arbor Company
With the annual theme of "grabbing digital opportunities to enjoy digital value", the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2022 will focus on the national digital economy development strategy in forum setting and achievement releases, pay more attention to advanced and popular science and technology, attach more importance to innovation in the transformation of achievements and rely on the strategic positioning of "four districts and one highland" in Guizhou to explore experience for industrial transformation and the construction of digital China.

This year's one-day event features an opening ceremony, the "Data Valley Forum" and the "Data Expo Release". During the opening ceremony, Chinese leaders will be invited to attend and give important speeches by video. In addition, leaders of China's national ministries and commissions and Guizhou province, winners of internationally renowned awards, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and famous entrepreneurs will also deliver speeches by video.

The "Data Valley Forum" will hold 8 forums around topics such as "national computing network to synergize east and west", "data security" and "metaverse". A group of academicians and experts, leaders of ministries and commissions, and heads of renowned enterprises and Internet companies will give speeches by video.

The "Data Expo Release" will announce the global big data scientific and technological achievement awards and corporate achievements . At present, 437 scientific and technological achievements have been collected.

Tao Changhai, vice governor of Guizhou province, said, "In recent years, the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Government have innovated ideas, and accelerated the construction of the country's first national-level big data comprehensive pilot zone, taking big data as a means of promoting economic and social transformation and upgrading and high-quality development. The digital economy has achieved a historic breakthrough and its growth rate has been the first in China for six consecutive years. Big data has become a famous calling card of Guizhou. The digital innovation capability in Guizhou has been greatly improved, and 48 national-level pilot demonstrations have been approved successively. The effect of data center agglomeration is prominent. Large-scale data centers such as Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Apple, Huawei, and Tencent have settled down. "

Tao added, "In the next step, Guizhou province will focus on building a "digital economy development innovation zone", and strive to build three major industrial clusters of data centers, intelligent terminals and data applications, as well as national data fusion innovation demonstration center, computing power center and data governance center. We also aim to "seize new opportunities in the implementation of the digital economy strategy", explore more Guizhou experience and contribute more Guizhou practice for the national big data strategy and digital China construction."

Ma Ningyu, mayor of Guiyang, said that the China International Big Data Industry Expo, the world's first national-level expo with the theme of big data, has been successfully held for seven consecutive years. It has become a global platform for showcasing the latest achievements, guiding the development of the industry, exchanging ideas for development and creating opportunities for cooperation.

Guiyang, located in the southwest China's Guizhou province, has won the reputation of "China's Big Data Valley" for taking the lead in developing big data in recent years. The China International Big Data Industry Expo 2022 will continue to adhere to the concept of "global vision, national interests, industry roles, and corporate responsibilities", aiming for "high-end, specialization, internationalization, industrialization, and sustainability. "

SOURCE The China International Big Data Industry Expo 2022 Organizing Committee
New resource pages in French and Chinese

SHORT HILLS, N.J., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation presents the launch of two new international information resource website pages, offered through the National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC). The international pages are featured in two new languages: French and Chinese.

The new international pages provide free, accurate, and culturally sensitive resources for people living with mobility impairments or paralysis. The new offerings include resources on NPRC services and programs, videos with subtitles, educational topics (such as research, rehabilitation, travel, etc.), and easy access to the team of Information Specialists. Additionally, translated publications such as the Paralysis Resource Guide , wallet cards and patient educational booklets to provide in-depth downloadable and printable information for individuals living with paralysis, their caregivers, and health professionals in various languages.

"The Reeve Foundation prides itself on reaching people across the globe, expanding and providing quality paralysis-related resources and tools in other languages," says Patricia Correa, Associate Manager, Information Services and Translation. "Creating resources in multiple languages ensures that we can provide access to trustworthy information and services and improve the quality of life for our community."

The resource pages provide an accessible and vital source on all topics related to paralysis, ranging from causes of paralysis, secondary conditions, quality of life, and caregiving. The Reeve Foundation will continue to expand its website with more languages in the coming year.

About the Reeve Foundation

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. By uniting the brightest minds in the field, we are working tirelessly to accelerate scientific discovery across the field of spinal cord research by investing in labs across the globe. Additionally, through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation's National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 100,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. The Reeve Foundation is committed to elevating our community's voices and needs to achieve greater representation and independence. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau's standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB's Charity Seal. For more information, please visit www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.

SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
The A'Design Awards judge an entry against previous products, looking for innovation and an elevation of design, so winning in subsequent competitions becomes increasingly difficult. In 2021, The Devil's Keep became the highest scoring spirit of all time, achieving Gold and scoring just 0.1 points short of Platinum. Yet in 2022, the technological innovation of The Aodh, the beauty of The Emerald Isle, and the experiential design of The Taoscan meant the company not only equalled its 2021 win, but added two extraordinary accolades:

The Emerald Isle: Platinum A' Design Award Winner for Packaging Design

The Emerald Isle was a collaboration with Faberge and included the world's first Celtic Egg. This bespoke collection already holds the record as the world's most expensive whiskey and has now achieved the maximum score possible to win Platinum, becoming the #1 design of the year, and the highest scoring luxury product of all time.

The Taoscan: Gold A' Design Award Winner for Packaging Design

The Taoscan is the company's first release to be available on its website and by the glass in Michelin-starred and upscale bars and restaurants and was designed to offer the perfect single serve to the connoisseur. This concept of an elevated whiskey experience in one design has never been attempted before with any spirit, and a sought-after Gold award is testament to the innovative design.

The Aodh; Bronze A' Design Award Winner for Limited Edition and Custom Design

Winning Bronze in this rare category places The Aodh in the history books as one of just 35 products and the only whiskey in the award's 13 years of registration to win such an honour. No Platinum or Gold awards were given so The Aodh claims the title as one of the top three ultimate designs of 2022. With thousands of entries from across the world, this is an exceptional achievement for the company's fifth release which has yet to be launched to the public and is currently only available to The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Whiskey & Wealth Club clients.

Commenting after the monumental win, Tiago Russo, Chief Design Officer at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., said: "This is one of the highlights of my career so far. Winning three A' Design Awards makes this one of the proudest moments any designer can imagine. But ultimately, it is winning Platinum to make The Emerald Isle the number one design in the world and with it, gaining the title of the world-leading luxury product/packaging designer.

This is the culmination of over a decade of work dedicated to the luxury product design field. Of course, that celebration is always accompanied by the vision of reinventing myself and my work so that both continue to grow, achieve and transform the world of design for years to come."

Jay Bradley, Founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said:

"These sensational wins have confirmed to the world that The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Tiago Russo are an unstoppable force. Together we're creating whiskeys and experiences that are officially the world's #1 and cement Tiago as the world's #1 luxury designer, giving inherent value to these products. The Emerald Isle was awarded maximum points to become the highest scoring product of all time. For any company, these wins would be unprecedented. But for a company just a few years old, it's an undeniable validation of the groundbreaking designs and obsessive pursuit of perfection that drive The Craft Irish Whiskey Co."

Click here for supporting imagery of Jay Bradley (Founder & CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.) & Tiago Russo (Chief Design Officer) and The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. product portfolio.

Interviews with Jay Bradley and Tiago Russo available on request.

Notes to Editors:

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is on a mission to reinvent Irish whiskey, elevating its potential as a luxury product and restoring Ireland's reputation for crafting the finest whiskeys in the world.

Formed in 2018 by entrepreneur Jay Bradley, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. was born from a desire to return Irish whiskey to the heights it once enjoyed. To achieve this goal has taken a reimagining of the craft; honouring tradition but questioning convention and adding science to reinvent the maturation of the whiskey. No expense is spared, no corners cut. The whiskeys are accompanied by skilfully designed and scientifically-perfected accessories that deliver an experience worthy of the liquid.

In 2021, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. became the most awarded new company of the year amassing seventeen awards across Taste and Design for its ultra-rare whiskey releases. Its inaugural release, The Devil's Keep, was judged World's Best Irish Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2022, while its second, The Emerald Isle, became the world's most expensive whiskey when it sold in 2021 for $2,000,000.

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is the exclusive Michelin Plaque Distribution Partner for The Michelin Guide Star Revelation Great Britain and Ireland 2022.

For more information visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814685/The_Craft_Irish_Whiskey_Co_1.jpg

SOURCE The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- What a Power move!

The Power Group has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2022 issue, hitting newsstands on May 17, 2022 and prominently featured on Inc.com, the list results from a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility.

The Power Group is considered one of Dallas' most respected PR, social media and influencer-relations firms. The company is also noted for its crisis management prowess.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 475 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine the overall score and ranking.

Ironically, The Power Group was born out of a vision to create a virtual PR firm that would give individuals the flexibility they needed to create work-life harmony. But that was 1999 and a 100 percent virtual operation was simply too visionary for the times. Today, the company operates with a successful hybrid model that empowers its team to operate with accountability, drive results for its client family and create happiness and funone of the company's core tenets.

"Creating the next generation of businesswomen is a tremendousyet rewardingresponsibility. In order to do that, leaders must be able to create and sustain a culture that is open to new ideas and ways of operating," said Amy Power, president and CEO of The Power Group. "I have seen the agency undergo an evolution in our 22 years of operation and during that time have unlocked the secrets to creating a 'best place to work' company. It's three things: suspend your judgment because 'what got you here, will not get you there,' be curious and allow your team to help you create the culture."

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

About The Power Group

The Power Group believes everyone has a powerful story. Including its own. Founded in 1999, what began as a one-woman entrepreneurial venture in Dallas, Texas, has grown into a successful agency with a booming team of Power Players. The Power Group is more than a traditional PR firm, boasting expertise in social media and influencer relations and a well-earned reputation for crisis management. With a focus on delivering purposeful results and upholding the reputation of clients, Power Players are experienced professionals who are calm in a crisis and experts without egos. The Power Group strives to redefine what an agency can and should be to its clients and lives by the mantra that clients deserve to be led, not managed. The award-winning firm represents a variety of companies but specializes in those within the restaurant/retail, CPG, commercial real estate and oil and gas spaces.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

SOURCE Power Public Relations
Mobile veterinarian care expands its services into Charlotte, Sacramento, Phoenix, and San Diego

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vets , a mobile veterinary service providing premium at-home pet care, announces its expansion into Charlotte, NC marking the company's 14th city it has expanded to since launching in 2021.

The Vets is transforming the pet care industry by bringing quality care into the home, which ultimately allows veterinarians to develop stronger relationships with pets and their owners in a stress-free environment. Among the top reasons that pet owners avoid or postpone their visit to the vet clinic include the stress of transporting their pet, restrictive pet carriers, and crowded waiting rooms. With The Vets, both cats and dogs can receive a full range of treatments including wellness exams, sick care, diagnostics, and more.

As part of the expansion into Charlotte, The Vets is welcoming 5 new team members including Dr. Robyn McFerren, DVM & Dr. Stephanie Wolf, DVM bringing over 40 years of veterinary experience to the pet parents of Charlotte.

In addition to The Vets' expansion in Charlotte, the company has rapidly been growing to meet the demand for at-home pet care needs across the country. Within the past month alone, The Vets has also introduced its services throughout Sacramento, California, Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California. With plans to reach 22 cities by the end of 2022, The Vets is on track to be one of the fastest-growing at-home pet care companies.

"With the launch of Charlotte, we've expanded into 3 new cities in the last month, highlighting our ambitious expansion plans for 2022. I'm proud of our local teams, who are bringing the best pet care possible to our pets and pet parents alike," says Esben Mou, VP of Expansion.

The Vets provides flexibility for not only pet parents but veterinarians and technicians alike. Bringing back the novelty of "the family vet," practitioners are able to sit with each family to discuss medical conditions and preventative care, observing the pet(s) in its home environment. By bringing the clinic directly to one's pet instead of the other way around, The Vets is helping to ensure that one's dog or call is as comfortable as possible during what is normally a very stressful experience.

To celebrate The Vets' expansion into Charlotte, the company is supporting Halfway There Rescue by matching, dollar for dollar, every service dollar spent in Charlotte from May 1-31, up to $5,000. Halfway There Rescue is an all-volunteer organization that rescues, fosters, transports, and finds homes for unwanted, abandoned, and abused dogs, cats, and kittens in the Carolinas.

Within one year of launching, The Vets has already completed more than 12,000 appointments and served more than 11,000+ pets across the country. For more information, visit thevets.com .

About The Vets

Founded in 2021, The Vets is bringing pet care home. We are a tech enabled veterinary care provider, removing undue stress and bringing comprehensive pet care into the comfort of your home. We pride ourselves in building a team of industry leading veterinarians supported through training, development and advanced medical technologies to deliver the most comprehensive health care for your pet, all in a stress-free environment. Powered by a group of over 180 employees, we currently operate in 14 cities with plans to expand to an additional 22 by the end of 2022.

SOURCE The Vets
Build Your Own Temperature Zone & Save Energy

Through continuous in-depth research on daily life, TORRAS found that traditional large-scale cooling is difficult to provide suitable temperatures for different users in the same place, and even causes a waste of carbon consumption.

Taking this as an entry point, TORRAS further develops COOLIFY 2 by changing the traditional airflow cooling into thermal contact conductance, which makes it smarter to regulate individuals' body temperature. COOLIFY 2 also adds a heat mode to keep users warm during cold days. This improvement truly provides users with a customized temperature control system in different scenarios.

At the same time, COOLIFY 2 marks an entirely new era in which cooling goes greener. Personal cooling is more efficient than traditional large-scale cooling in terms of energy consumption, so there is an urgency to promote the popularization of personal cooling. TORRAS upholds the concept that technology changes the future, and constantly encourages more users to start by adapting their lifestyles, thus contributing to a more sustainable world.

"COOLIFY 2 helps users create a personal temperature zone, which bears the mission of TORRAS to make people's lives better" - said Carrie Kong, CEO of TORRAS.

Features of COOLIFY 2:

Cool Down 27 in 1S: NTC smart temperature control and KU 2.0 chip make it possible to cool down 27F in 1 second, driving heat away instantly. Comfortable Fit: Adjustable design with built-in silicone cushion enables COOLIFY 2 to fit easily around users' necks throughout their activities. 18 Hours Continuous Use: 3-hour charging provides 18 hours of battery life, ensuring a long-lasting cooling experience. Cooling & Heating 2 in 1 Device: In addition to beating the heat, it heats up when switched to heat mode to keep you warm on colder days. Stylish & Premium Design: 3 most popular colorways with innovative craft allow you to look cool and keep cool, perfectly keeping up with your style. Bladeless, Worry-free: Bladeless fan prevents your hair from getting pinched. Overcharge and short circuit protection make it safe enough for cooling.

If you want to place an order today, please visit TORRAS Official Website and Amazon Store:

TORRAS Official Website:

https://torraslife.com/product/coolify2-neck-air-conditioner/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=MEDIA&utm_campaign=5-5&utm_id=PR

Amazon Store:

https://amzn.to/3kLO8Bx

For more information about TORRAS, please visit www.torraslife.com

TORRAS has been developing creative products in the fields of 3C electronics, vehicle accessories, and household appliances. Most of their products keep top sales all year round, and achieve high customer satisfaction. The newly launched COOLIFY 2, which stands out with its excellent cooling performance, is expected to be quickly recognized by the market!

About TORRAS

Founded in 2012, TORRAS is an innovative brand with a design philosophy of "Simple but Unique". They now have an R&D laboratory that spans over 2,000 square meters, and have obtained more than 1,100 patents thus far, with 36 of its products winning prestigious international design awards including the German Red Dot Award.

CONTACT:

TORRAS Contact: [email protected];

TORRAS PR Manager: [email protected]

SOURCE TORRAS
Dr. Namrata Singh , Founder and Director, Turacoz Healthcare Solutions and an active EMWA member, unravelled the updated 'Career guide on medical writing' , together with other members of EMWA. Currently, the guide is being reviewed aiming to make it available for the newbies on the EMWA website before the Autumn EMWA conference at Riga, Latvia in November 2022.

Dr. Namrata Singh went on to chair the first BusDev Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting which will focus on small business owners in the medical writing industry in the European region. In another SIG on Medical Communications, Dr. Singh actively expressed her views on how digital medical communications are the need of the hour and the writers need to upskill themselves to communicate science in a lay language to the non-scientific professionals like graphic designers and web developers to get the message right.

Taking this discussion forward, Dr. Namrata Singh presented a poster titled 'Using Audio-video Abstracts to Enhance the Research Article  A Retrospective Observational Study'. The poster reiterated the role of audio-visual abstracts (enhanced publications) to enhance the scientific dissemination techniques and reach out to a larger target audience. She also spoke on how these metrics can be quantified and can help the medical affairs community to strategize their scientific dissemination better. Dr. Singh expressed her concerns over fewer professionals and agencies with the competence and expertise to operate on both sides of the spectrum involving the scientific/medical domain as well as digital technologies.

About Turacoz

Turacoz Group serves as a strategic partner to biopharma companies, medical technology firms, healthcare professionals, and research institutes to escort their product/service development journey. We create Clear, Cohesive, Complete, Concise, and Concrete scientific communication in a target-specific language and format (both print and digital) so that our clients can focus on core research and development to enhance and improve patient care.

Media Contact:

Pooja Parashar,

[email protected]

+91 7042166399

SOURCE Turacoz Healthcare Solutions Private Limited
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) is a leading blockchain platform for Web 3.0 development. It provides solutions for scaling and eliminating barriers to Web 3.0 adoption. NEAR's features include high speeds, low fees, and progressive UX. It allows users to reach new levels of experience without the issues of traditional dApps experience when it comes to user experience, slower transaction times, and costs.

"We've been following NEAR for a while and considering it a strong technology, we see a big potential for its rapid growth. We are glad to be the first VC fund supporting the development of the NEAR ecosystem in the Middle East region. Having a strong VC partner such as us in the UAE will enable NEAR with the tools and support needed for effective growth." stated Juliet Su, Partner, NewTribe Capital.

The NEAR Protocol is a Blockchain built for the Creator Economy. It offers a sustainable infrastructure and is a single marketplace where members of the community are the ones in control of their funds and data, providing them the tools to build their ideas.

NewTribe Capital is offering all the necessary resources including financial, advisory, marketing, and community outreach. In addition, NewTribe Capital's collaboration with Aurora, Human Guild, and Octopus is providing the infrastructure for all projects ready to develop on the NEAR Protocol.

NewTribe Capital has already commenced its investments in several NEAR Protocol projects such as Attarius Network, Jumbo Exchange, and YouMinter and will be announcing others soon.

Earlier last month, the fund received the 'Best VC of the Year' Award at the AIBC Asian 2022 Summit held in Dubai for its huge contribution to the blockchain ecosystem development.

About NewTribe Capital

NewTribe Capital is a growth-oriented Dubai-based Venture Capital fund that participates in seed and private sale allocation. We invest in early-stage blockchain and crypto projects and provide long-term support by creating a healthy partnership with them. We provide value-adding beneficiary services to the projects and ensure long-term benefits by all means. For more information on the NewTribe Capital fund and its partnership opportunities, check out the official pages: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Telegram

SOURCE NewTribe Capital
OMAHA, Neb., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) executives will address the following investor conferences in May:

BofA Securities 2022 Transportation, Airlines, and Industrials Conference

Jennifer Hamann , Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

May 17, 2022 , at 8:40 a.m. ET





, at Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference

Lance Fritz , Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and Eric Gehringer , Executive Vice President  Operations

, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and , Executive Vice President  Operations

May 24, 2022 , at 8:00 a.m. ET

Live webcasts of the presentations will be available in the investor relations section of Union Pacific's website at www.up.com/investor. A replay of the webcasts will be available shortly thereafter.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and businesses use every day with safe, reliable and efficient service. Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union Pacific is available at www.up.com.

www.up.com

www.facebook.com/unionpacific

www.twitter.com/unionpacific

SOURCE Union Pacific Corporation
"The IDEA Factory is a spectacular addition to UMD's robust and growing innovation ecosystem," said University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines. "Its world-class facilities for education, innovation, research and product development in robotics, quantum, engineering, transportation and manufacturing will be transformative. Inspired by a namesake who brought pioneering ideas to market, our community will conceive ideas, create designs, build prototypes, develop business plans and bring to market products that will spur economic prosperity in the region, state and nation."

Located next to the university's Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, the IDEA Factory features key research and student programs and activities including:

ALEx Garage: This first-floor space is dedicated to student competition teams such as Terrapin Rockets and [email protected], as well as a rapid prototyping lab equipped with 3D printers and other in-demand gear.

This first-floor space is dedicated to student competition teams such as Terrapin Rockets and [email protected], as well as a rapid prototyping lab equipped with 3D printers and other in-demand gear. Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center: Lockheed Martin gave $2.5 million to equip the center's new home on the fourth and fifth floors, where faculty and students will conduct research on rotorcraft aerodynamics, structures and flight mechanics. It also boasts a monorail hoist, a giant, yellow crane-like device that can haul heavy equipment up from the ground.

Lockheed Martin gave to equip the center's new home on the fourth and fifth floors, where faculty and students will conduct research on rotorcraft aerodynamics, structures and flight mechanics. It also boasts a monorail hoist, a giant, yellow crane-like device that can haul heavy equipment up from the ground. Robotics and Autonomy Laboratory: In this third-floor hub for advancing robotics systems, students can work with Spot, a mobile robot from Boston Dynamics, and an unmanned ground vehicle called Husky from Clearpath Robotics.

In this third-floor hub for advancing robotics systems, students can work with Spot, a mobile robot from Boston Dynamics, and an unmanned ground vehicle called Husky from Clearpath Robotics. Quantum Technology Center: Below grade level with a 3.5-foot-thick concrete floor to isolate delicate experiments from environmental interference, this joint center between the Clark School of Engineering and Department of Physics is where students and researchers focus on translating quantum physics into real-world technologies.

Below grade level with a 3.5-foot-thick concrete floor to isolate delicate experiments from environmental interference, this joint center between the Clark School of Engineering and Department of Physics is where students and researchers focus on translating quantum physics into real-world technologies. Startup Shell: Founded in a storage closet in 2012, the popular student business incubator now has a spacious new first-floor home where Terps can collaborate and network to scale up student-run startups and take them out to the world.

The IDEA Factory's movable walls and shared spaces will promote dialogue between students, entrepreneurs and faculty who are working in diverse fields such as multimedia, robotics, rotorcraft and quantum engineering. Particularly striking is a facade dominated by an enormous windowmade from laminated glass treated with a film that creates radiant color shifts in transmitted and reflected lightbased on the angles at which light hits the window and on where viewers are standing.

"Engineering brings together great mindspeople with different backgrounds and perspectives, looking at the same challenge in different waysto collaborate on solutions that serve humanity. The IDEA Factory will catalyze those collaborations," said Clark School of Engineering Dean Samuel Graham, Jr. "When the world looks for solutions, it comes to Maryland Engineering. We are incredibly appreciative of our supporters for giving our students, faculty and staff a new place to do cutting-edge work."

The building is named for Emilio Fernandez '69, a Maryland engineering alum, entrepreneur and inventor who holds dozens of patents, including one which defined e-reading devices and is the most-cited U.S. patent ever issued. Many of these patents were co-invented with his friend, business partner and fellow Terp Angel Bezos '69. Their inventions and their company, Pulse Electronics, transformed railroad operations. The building's cornerstone gift came from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation's Building Together: An Investment for Maryland in 2017.

Fernandez said he hopes the IDEA Factory will accelerate the inclusive collaboration that our society needs in order to solve its grand challenges. "Today's problems are complex, and they require interdisciplinary solutions," he said. "We have to combine our specialties so that our knowledge evolves into products and services that help humanity."

Innovative Infrastructure to Power UMD's Innovation Ecosystem

The new IDEA Factory is the latest infrastructure addition to UMD's vibrant innovation ecosystem. This ecosystem includes UMD's Discovery District , as well as other recent UMD buildings that feature fearlessly forward design and engineering; collaborative, open spaces; and leading-edge facilities.

The IDEA Factory joins recent UMD buildings such as the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering (2019), a hub for technology, collaboration and discovery; A. James Clark Hall (2017), designed to foster development of transformative engineering and biomedical technologies to advance human health; and the Physical Sciences Complex (2013), created to provide ideal conditions for scientific collaboration, research and innovation with partners across campus and at local federal agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA Goddard and the National Institutes of Health.

All are designed to inspire, educate, foster and support the innovators, entrepreneurs, builders, thinkers, healers and leaders who will create transformational ideas, actions and technologies to expand prosperity and address the grand challenges facing our nation and world.

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 300 academic programs. As one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, six Pulitzer Prize winners and 58 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.3 billion operating budget and secures more than $1.3 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland
Youth Enrichment Platform Company Adds Key New Role to Innovate IT Development

DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Unleashed Brands, a franchise growth-focused platform company that includes portfolio brands Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101 and Premier Martial Arts, is expanding its leadership team by hiring Chris Andrews and appointing him to the company's newly-created position of Chief Information Officer.

Andrews has served as CIO for Smoothie King for the past three years and held similar positions previously with Pei Wei Asian Diner and On the Border. His career started with his family's IT outsourcing company before moving into consulting. He has worked with a wide variety of technological solutions and has experience with IT effectiveness reviews, security penetration testing, data warehouse design and IT governance reviews.

The new CIO position emerged as a result of the high-growth period Unleashed Brands is experiencing and the continued expansion of the platform. Andrews' role will help the leadership team develop and implement direction for Unleashed Brands technology stack and data lake infrastructure, as he will work closely with the Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Growth Officer, and Vice President of Revenue Strategy & Analytics.

"This new hire highlights the need for a larger executive team to support our growing platform and franchisees," said Michael O. Browning Jr., Founder & CEO of Unleashed Brands. "Chris brings experience and knowledge of the information technology landscape, coupled with tremendous leadership and entrepreneurial drive. This will be instrumental in the company's continued success, and we are thrilled to have him on board."

Unleashed Brands is backed by a management team with more than 150 years of combined consumer industry experience, focused on serving families. It continues to grow its industry-leading platform to better serve and support families as Moms and Dads seek to "Build Great Kids."

To learn more about Unleashed Brands and current opportunities, please visit unleashedbrands.com.

About Unleashed Brands

Unleashed Brands, currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101 and Premier Martial Arts. and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. For more information, please visit www.UnleashedBrands.com.

Media Contact: Jayne Bauer, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-894-9766

SOURCE Unleashed Brands
Survivors Will Share Experiences of Abuse & Neglect Taking Place In Congregate Care Facilities

LADERA RANCH, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Unsilenced, a national non-profit focused on fighting institutional child abuse, will join Paris Hilton at a press conference on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 2022 to advocate for federal legislation to end institutional child abuse.

The Troubled Teen Industry is a network of mostly unregulated abusive congregate care facilities for young people that use "tough love" and other non-evidence based therapeutic services, schooling, and shelter. Over 200 survivors and child welfare advocates will join Unsilenced and Paris Hilton in Washington D.C. to share their stories and educate lawmakers for broad, bipartisan support of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (SICAA). Throughout the week, there are a variety of events and activities geared towards raising awareness about experiences in these facilities and the goals of SICAA.

"For decades, children in institutional settings have been denied basic human rights protections against widespread abuse, neglect, and preventable death," said Paris Hilton. "Survivors are ready to tell Congress that it's time for leadership, action, and it's time to finally protect children placed in the Troubled Teen Industry."

Details for the Press Conference in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 2022

Unsilenced, Paris Hilton along with members of the U.S. House and Senate will come together to host a press conference about the impact of abusive congregate care facilities on the lives of survivors and their families. Attendees will hear from Paris, family members of youth who died at the hands of this industry, survivors, and state legislators. The group is also hosting a solitary confinement installation to provide the public with a visual representation of the conditions that kids are often subjected to in these facilities in order to raise awareness in an effort to lobby for legislators to help develop SICAA.

WHERE:

National Mall, Third Street, SW (Between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive) Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 10:30 am ET

SPEAKERS:

Paris Hilton , institutional abuse survivor

, institutional abuse survivor Caroline Cole , institutional abuse survivor and Co-CEO, Unsilenced

, institutional abuse survivor and Co-CEO, Unsilenced State Sen. Mike McKell (R- Spanish Fork ), sponsor of industry reform bill passed in Utah

(R- ), sponsor of industry reform bill passed in State Sen. Sara Gelser (D- Corvallis ), sponsor of industry reform bills passed in Oregon

(D- ), sponsor of industry reform bills passed in Jaide Horan , 18-year-old survivor of physical abuse at Provo Canyon School

, 18-year-old survivor of physical abuse at Provo Canyon School Renee Hanania , mother of Branden Petro (victim of medical neglect and abuse)

, mother of (victim of medical neglect and abuse) Nehemiah Wood, brother of Naomi Wood (died due to medical neglect)

(died due to medical neglect) Alain Datcher , former foster youth, survivor and Executive Director, LA County Youth Commission

, former foster youth, survivor and Executive Director, LA County Youth Commission Julia Arroyo , former foster youth, incarcerated youth and current Managing Director of the Young Women's Freedom Center

"We have an opportunity to create change in an industry that has been riddled with abuse, disguised as treatment, for decades. It's time to raise the bar of expectations in regards to regulations and transparency in these facilities to ensure the physical and psychological safety of youth." said Meg Appelgate, Co-CEO, Unsilenced.

"Youth in our nation should never be faced with life-long trauma or death as a result of treatment. We must act now to put protections in place and prevent more young people from enduring life-changing trauma." said Caroline Cole, Co-CEO, Unsilenced.

For more information on Unsilenced, please visit the Unsilenced website ( www.unsilenced.org ) and find us on LinkedIn , Twitter (@weareunsilenced), and Instagram (@weareunsilenced)

Contact:

Jennifer Risi, The Sway Effect

Phone: 917-887-8865

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Unsilenced
Prostate cancer; Prostate Biopsy Tweet this

The increased use of molecular testing to complement prostate biopsy in the management of prostate cancer has highlighted the importance of tissue volume. Data from a leading molecular testing laboratory indicate that up to 15% of biopsy specimens fail molecular testing due to inadequate tumor volume.

"In our initial series of studies in trans-rectal and trans-perineal biopsies, the novel SUREcore needle collected 12-21% more volume by weight than conventional biopsy needles," said Jeffrey Proctor, M.D., a urologist in Atlanta. "We have initiated a study to replicate these initial findings and further assess the needle's impact on prostate biopsy tissue integrity, tissue artifact and sample-to-sample consistency. If confirmed, the increase in core volume would be expected to favorably impact tumor volume and tissues available for diagnostic testing."

Recent studies have demonstrated that current methods of retrieving tissue specimens from biopsy needles may compromise tissue integrity, cause workflow inefficiencies and impact analysis of biopsy specimens.

"In our initial study comparing different methods of retrieving animal tissue specimens from the biopsy needle, we found that the coreCARE Specimen Retrieval Kit employing a novel "touch-and-go" method, when compared to conventional methods, resulted in less tissue fragmentation and artifact," said Dan Wiener, M.D., a pathologist in Cartersville, Ga. "Our histology technician reported a significant reduction in the time to prepare prostate biopsy tissues for analysis. A new clinical study that is currently under way will see how well the new "touch-and-go" method works in a clinical environment with various assistants performing the tissue retrieval. We will be looking to see if this method will consistently produce high-quality slides regardless of the experience and technical skills of the person performing them. We will also determine whether or not this novel method results in workflow efficiencies and preserves tissue integrity."

URO-1, established in 2017, is an emerging portfolio company of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, www.ncbiotech.org, which in 2018 provided a $250,000 loan to support the company's early product development.

In addition to its biopsy products, the company has developed the Repris Bladder Injection System for injecting onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX) in the bladder wall to treat women with overactive bladder. Clinical studies demonstrate that its use is associated with improved outcomes, increased patient comfort and reduced dropout rates for repeat treatment.

For more information contact:

Ted Belleza, President and CEO

URO-1, Inc.

831-295-7133

[email protected]

SOURCE URO-1, Inc.
Employee survey results reflect a best-in-class virtual workplace that enables innovation and team cohesiveness while supporting rapid growth in the fast moving cloud security market

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Valtix, the industry's first multi-cloud network security platform as a service, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list. The list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility.

Valtix was founded on innovative technology to enable pervasive workload protection, across every major cloud. Today, the platform supports security for workloads running in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud (GCP), and Oracle Cloud (OCI). Workplace innovation has also always been a top concern for the founding team. And while many companies have had to sustain culture during the pandemic, Valtix has a more unique challenge in that more than 50% of employees were actually hired during the pandemic.

"The pandemic obviously presented a number of challenges for all organizations, but we also took advantage of the opportunity to optimize our culture for remote work," said Douglas Murray, CEO at Valtix. "We see building a best-in-class virtual workplace as a competitive advantage. We get the best talent, regardless of location and employees get more flexibility, which drives creativity. Additional benefits were aligned to break down organizational silos, drive informal interactions, and alleviate some of the strains that can be challenges in a virtual workplace."

Among other things, Valtix benefits include weekly company lunches where lunch is delivered to every employee. Monthly mental health days known as Valtix First Friday ( #valtixfirstfriday ) are provided to enable employees to recharge and pursue activities outside of work.

After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 475 honorees this year. Each company that was nominated took part in an employee survey, conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth, and overall company culture. The organization's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc.has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic.

The awards list, which was published today on Inc.com, can be found here . It will also be featured in the May/June 2022 issue, hitting newsstands on May 17, 2022, and prominently featured on Inc.com.

Follow Valtix on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn more.

About Valtix

Valtix is on a mission to enable organizations with security at the speed of the cloud. Deployable in just 5 minutes, Valtix was built to combine robust multi-cloud security with cloud-first simplicity and on-demand scale. Powered by a cloud-native architecture, Valtix provides an innovative approach to cloud network security called Dynamic Multi-Cloud Policy (), which links continuous visibility with advanced security controls. The result: security that is more effective, adaptable to change, and aligned to cloud agility requirements. Valtix has been recognized as an innovator in numerous industry awards including 2021 top honors in the "Next-Gen in Cloud Security" from Cyber Defense Magazine, SINET-16 Innovator recognition, and inclusion in Gartner's Cool Vendors in Cloud Networking report. Get started with the free tier and a cloud risk assessment at Valtix.com.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

Media Contacts:

Michael Gallo

Lumina Communications for Valtix

[email protected]

SOURCE Valtix
NOIDA, India, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive overview of the Wound Care Market is recently added by UnivDatos Market Insights to its humongous database. The wound care market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the wound care market. The wound care market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the wound care market at the global and regional levels. The Global Wound Care Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2021-2027.

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Market Overview

The significant growth in the market can be attributed to factors, such as the rising prevalence of diabetes and the increasing number of programs initiated by various health organizations related to health awareness. Currently, about 10% of all diabetes cases are Type-1 and the remaining are Type-2. Furthermore, the increasing aging population is playing a pivotal role in the growth of the wound care market. According to the World Population Ageing 2019 report, published by the United Nations (UN), there were 703 million people aged 65 years or above in 2019, and this number is set to rise up to 1.5 billion by 2050. Aging leads to increased risks of skin damage and wound problems. Common age-related changes, like reduced skin elasticity, slower collagen replacement, and weakened body functions, lead to a longer recovery period for a wound to heal, in comparison to adults.

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 outbreak will impact the wound care market in the initial phase of the forecast period. Due to nationwide lockdowns, denied wound care services, canceled or postponed elective surgeries, and increasing skin injuries in COVID-19 medical care providers; the wound care market is expected to register a certain decline during the forecast period. However, during the latter half of the forecast period, the demand for wound care products is expected to rise drastically.

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The global wound care market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated.

By Product Type, the market is primarily fragmented into

Advanced Wound Care Products

Advanced Dressings



Wound Therapy Devices



Grafts & Matrices



Topical Agents

Traditional Wound Care

Surgical Wound Care

Based on product type, the wound care market is segmented into advanced wound care products, surgical wound care products, and traditional wound care products. In 2020, the advanced wound care products segment accounted for the largest market share. Advanced wound care products are increasingly being used as the first line of therapy, making it likely that they will cannibalize the share of the traditional wound care products market. Furthermore, market growth is driven by the increasing spending on chronic wounds, technological advancements, and the growing prevalence of diseases & conditions affecting wound healing capabilities

By Wound Type, the market is primarily segmented into

Chronic Wounds

Diabetic Foot Ulcers



Pressure Ulcers



Venous Leg Ulcers



Others

Acute Wounds

Surgical & Traumatic Wounds



Burns & Other Wounds

Based on wound type, the wound care market is divided into chronic wounds and acute wounds. The chronic wound segment occupied the major share of the wound care market in 2020 and it is expected to grow with a substantial CAGR in the upcoming years. The increasing number of geriatric populations, along with the rising prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers, venous pressure ulcers, and other chronic wounds is expected to drive the segment growth. For instance, according to the Administration for Community Living's profile on older Americans, the U.S. population aged 65 and above was expected to be 54.1 million in 2019, which is about 19% of the U.S. population.

By End-Users, the market is primarily segmented into

Hospital & Clinics

Homecare Settings

Others

Based on end-users, the market is fragmented into hospital & clinics, home care settings, and others. In 2020, hospital & clinics segment grabbed a considerable market share, and it is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is due to the large number of treatment procedures conducted in hospitals and the easy availability of reimbursements.

Wound Care Market Geographical Segmentation Includes:

North America ( United States , Canada , and Rest of North America )

( , , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Italy , France , Spain , and Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , India , Japan , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , and Rest of ) Rest of the World

Geographically, the North America region dominated the wound care market with almost US$ 7.5 billion in revenue in 2020 owing to the well-established market players in the region.

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The major players targeting the market include

3M Company

Company Smith & Nephew plc.

Molnlycke Health Care AB

ConvaTec Group plc

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Cardinal Health

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation

Johnson & Johnson

Medtronic Plc

Paul Hartmann AG

Competitive Landscape

The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the wound care market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition.

Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include:

What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the wound care market?

Which factors are influencing the wound care market over the forecast period?

What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the wound care market?

Which factors are propelling and restraining the wound care market?

What are the demanding global regions of the wound care market?

What will be the global market size in the upcoming years?

What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies?

We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs.

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We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature. Please let us know if you have any custom needs.

Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights

Wound Care Market: https://univdatos.com/report/wound-care-market/

CAR T-Cell Therapy Market: https://univdatos.com/report/car-t-cell-therapy-market/

Antiviral Drugs Market: https://univdatos.com/report/antiviral-drugs-market/

Wearable Medical Device Market: https://univdatos.com/report/wearable-medical-device-market/

NGS Sample Preparation Market: https://univdatos.com/report/ngs-sample-preparation-market/

About UnivDatos Market Insights

UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients.

Contact

UnivDatos Market Insights

Ankita Gupta

Director Operations

Ph: +91-7838604911

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://univdatos.com/

SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd.
Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony held in Beijing on Tuesday marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CYLC.

The cause of the Party and the people requires a large group of young pioneers who are selfless, righteous, down-to-earth and loyal to the nation, Xi said.

He added the founding mission of the CYLC, which was established on May 5, 1922, is to unswervingly follow the CPC and strive for the Party and the people.

Summing up the success of the CYLC in the past century, Xi said the organization's firm beliefs and convictions have served as the most fundamental and long-lasting source of cohesion.

"The first National Congress of the CYLC proposed the lofty idea of building a communist society, which injected the strength of faith into the hearts of generations of young people," Xi said.

He also commended the CYLC's devotion to national rejuvenation and its efforts to take deep roots among the country's youth by focusing its work on the overwhelming majority of young workers, farmers and other young people.

"Both history and reality have shown the CYLC is truly the vanguard of China's youth movement," he said.

In the speech, Xi urged the CYLC to remain the strongest bond between the CPC and the youth, saying the greatest strength of the CYLC lies in its broad reach at the grassroots and its deep involvement with young people.

He asked the CYLC to continue serving young people, fulfill its responsibility in consolidating and expanding young people's support for the Party's governance and offer solid help to young people.

Comparing the realization of the Chinese Dream to a relay race, Xi called for the youth in the new era to forge ahead on the journey to realize national rejuvenation.

Xi urged CYLC members to be patriotic and innovative, while not being misguided or intimidated by difficulties.

CYLC members shall also be hardworking and willing to make selfless contributions, said Xi, adding that they should promote virtue, perform good deeds and observe discipline.

In the new era, China's youth have shown no fear of difficulties and hardships in times of crisis, displaying their grit at critical moments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have been risking their lives to combat the deadly disease. More than 5.5 million of them have worked on the front lines of the combat, according to a white paper on young people released by the State Council Information Office last month.

Of the 28,600 nurses from the medical teams sent to Hubei province, where China's first COVID-19 outbreak occurred, 90 percent were born in the 1980s and 1990s, said the paper.

The country's youth has also become a strong force driving innovation and entrepreneurship. A large number of world-class young scientists have come to the fore in major sci-tech programs, according to the paper.

The average age of the core members of research groups of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System is 36, and the figure is 30 for the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world's largest radio telescope.

SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn
At ZeroAvia's test facility in Hollister, Shell will also provide compressed, low-carbon hydrogen supply to the facility and other locations in the Western U.S. This strategic collaboration will support the development of ZeroAvia's flight testing program in the U.S. following the arrival of its second Dornier 228 at Hollister last month and will advance the company's Hydrogen Airport Refueling Ecosystem (HARE) on a larger scale.

ZeroAvia's zero-emission powertrains use hydrogen fuel in a fuel cell to create a chemical reaction which produces electricity. That electricity then powers electric motors that spin the propellers, while producing no emissions other than water.

"Shell recognizes the aviation sector has unique challenges in decarbonization and needs practical and scalable net-zero solutions," said Oliver Bishop, General Manager, Hydrogen at Shell. "We believe ZeroAvia's technology is a viable option, and this agreement will allow us to demonstrate successful provision of low-carbon hydrogen supply while supporting development of codes, standards, and refueling protocols for hydrogen-powered aviation."

The deal with Shell comes as ZeroAvia also unveils Europe's first landside-to-airside hydrogen airport pipeline. The 100 meter long hydrogen pipeline runs alongside ZeroAvia's hangar at Cotswold Airport in the UK. The company will utilize it alongside an electrolyzer and mobile refueler to use low-carbon hydrogen for its test flight program. The pipeline will help ZeroAvia demonstrate and explore the operational safety case for hydrogen pipelines and refueling infrastructure at airports.

ZeroAvia received support for the pipeline from the UK Government's Department for Transport and the Connected Places Catapult as part of the Zero Emission Flight Infrastructure (ZEFI) program to enable airports and airfields to prepare for the future of zero-emission operations.

Both projects also enable ZeroAvia to further explore the connection between aircraft refueling and landside hydrogen use cases, such as road transport. ZeroAvia operates multiple hydrogen fuel cell road vehicles as part of its operations at Cotswold Airport and Hollister, demonstrating the potential for airports to act as hydrogen hubs for onward transport and ground operations.

"These milestone announcements represent significant hydrogen infrastructure advancement for ZeroAvia and the industry," said Arnab Chatterjee, VP Infrastructure, ZeroAvia. "Hydrogen-electric aviation is the only practical, holistic, and economically attractive solution to aviation's growing climate change impact. Fuel provision needs to be economical and convenient for airlines to achieve operational cost benefits and ZeroAvia is leading these pioneering infrastructure developments together with leading partners like Shell."

The company has also been working alongside the Department for Transport and Connected Places Catapult on a concept study for liquid hydrogen mobile refueling vehicles. This will inform ZeroAvia's development of a large-scale liquid hydrogen refueling truck, an important step as the company progresses its powertrains from gaseous to liquid hydrogen to support larger aircraft.

ZeroAvia will begin flight-testing its ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain this summer using its two Dornier-228 testbed aircraft, first in the UK, and later replicating this work on the US-based demonstrator. The development of this 600kW powertrain is part of Project HyFlyer II and will deliver a fully certified powertrain for aircraft of up to 19-seats by 2024. HyFlyer II is supported by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy (BEIS), Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and Innovate UK through the ATI Programme. The company is also now retrofitting a second Dornier-228 testbed in Hollister, California, to conduct further flight testing.

Earlier this month, ZeroAvia also announced its partnership with ZEV Station to develop hydrogen hubs at airports throughout California. These announcements signify ZeroAvia's leadership in zero-emission powertrain technology and corresponding hydrogen infrastructure to support the transition to cleaner aviation solutions.

About ZeroAvia

ZeroAvia 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, secured a number of key partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and major global airlines, 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 .

About Shell

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 14,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future.

1 The term "Shell" is used in this press release to refer to specific legal entities affiliated, directly or indirectly, with Shell plc companies in general or where no useful purpose is served by identifying the precise legal entity referenced.

SOURCE ZeroAvia
Artificial Intelligence-Based Object Recognition Automates Manual Tasks and Data Collection to Optimize Operating Room Workflow Efficiency

WARSAW, Ind., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH), a global medical technology leader, today introduced the availability of new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities within Omni Suite, an intelligent operating room (OR) designed to optimize surgical workflow and procedural efficiency by automating manual tasks and streamlining unnecessary technology and redundant hardware. The new AI feature uses cameras to automatically recognize and timestamp key OR workflow milestones, including patient entry and exit, door count, the start and stop of anesthesia, surgery and cleaning. Surgical teams are guided through a process to help optimize OR workflow based on real-time access to workflow metrics.

"Omni Suite is more than just another manual integration solution  it is a smart system designed to work with OR staff throughout the procedure," said Robert Kraal, Vice President and General Manager, Connected Health at Zimmer Biomet. "Now, with this new feature, surgical teams can utilize and rely on Omni Suite's AI capabilities to optimize OR workflow. By providing data points that have been historically captured manually, if at all, surgical teams can improve OR workflow and minimize manual activities, allowing more time for patient care."

Omni Suite's AI feature further expands the AI capabilities of ZBEdge, a suite of integrated smart, digital and robotic technologies designed to deliver transformative data-powered clinical insights with the goal of improving patient outcomes. Last month, ZBEdge added powerful predictive analytics capabilities with WalkAI, an AI model to predict post-operative gait (walking) speed recovery progress after hip or knee surgery.

"Omni Suite's latest feature further enhances the value and utility of the Omni Suite platform while adding AI capabilities to strengthen our ZBEdge Connected Intelligence Suite," said Ivan Tornos, Chief Operating Officer, Zimmer Biomet. "Omni Suite, along with the smart, digital and robotic solutions that make up ZBEdge, allow us to create value innovation that unlocks data-driven insights to enhance the surgical experience for surgeons, care teams and patients."

Omni Suite's AI feature is now available in the United States. For more information on Omni Suite's AI offerings, visit https://www.zimmerbiomet.com/en/products-and-solutions/specialties/intelligent-integration.html.

About the Company

Zimmer Biomet is a global medical technology leader with a comprehensive portfolio designed to maximize mobility and improve health. We seamlessly transform the patient experience through our innovative products and suite of integrated digital and robotic technologies that leverage data, data analytics and artificial intelligence.

With 90+ years of trusted leadership and proven expertise, Zimmer Biomet is positioned to deliver the highest quality solutions to patients and providers. Our legacy continues to come to life today through our progressive culture of evolution and innovation.

For more information about our product portfolio, our operations in 25+ countries and sales in 100+ countries or about joining our team, visit www.zimmerbiomet.com or follow Zimmer Biomet on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zimmerbiomet.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Zimmer Biomet's expectations, plans, prospects, and product and service offerings, including new product launches and potential clinical successes. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. For a list and description of some of such risks and uncertainties, see Zimmer Biomet's periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in Zimmer Biomet's filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Zimmer Biomet disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers of this news release are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements, since there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this news release.

 The AI was developed to support the existing administrative tasks to enhance the efficiency of the OR workflow. The AI does not function to support any clinical decisions.

SOURCE Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
Diaries in a makeshift hospital by a reporter from Eastday.com (8)

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2022-05-10 16:04

The current epidemic situation in Shanghai has been tough. Recently, a reporter from Eastday.com tested positive for COVID-19 and was transferred to a makeshift hospital for treatment. The reporter is now delivering reports from the front line after his admission. He is telling the stories of positive COVID-19 patients around him in the form of a special "diary of a reporter in a makeshift hospital".

Day 8A young newcomer in the makeshift hospital, "I'm just playing on my phone in a new place."

I have some good news to tell you. My mother and daughter have been tested negative twice for COVID-19 within 48 hours. The result of today's nucleic acid test showed that I'm negative too. But my wife who had previously tested negative once, tested positive again.

The doctor in the makeshift hospital controlled our anxiety by explaining to us that the recovery time varies for each individual, depending on the degree of virus remaining in the body. Indeed, some patients have the experience of testing negative once but then positive again.

"Young man, don't be too anxious," said the doctor at last.

Of course, it was gratifying to know that Cui Yang, a volunteer from the patients, was discharged today.



The young volunteer Cui Yang saying goodbye to the medical workers

I hope this experience of volunteering in the makeshift hospital will leave an unforgettable memory in her life.





Cui Yang saying goodbye to other patients along with those who were discharged at the same time.



I also believe that every young person treated in the makeshift hospital can harvest a special memory here.

I remember that when I first came to the makeshift hospital, a young newcomer said to me humorously, "It just feels like I'm playing on my phone and working in a different place after coming to the makeshift hospital."

As he said, most of the young patients are indeed playing on their phones during this period. For them, it seems that the phone can serve as their barrier against the hustle and bustle in and out of the makeshift hospital.



A young patient is playing on her phone.



A young patient is using his phone on his bed.



Two young patients are on their phones.



A young patient is watching a video on his bed.



Cui Yang gave me a book called "Roads in Shanghai that Never Widen" when she was leaving today. In the book are pictures showing the beauty of some typical streets in Shanghai and people riding under the pleasant shadows made by the plane trees on both sides of the streets. It is worth mentioning that people in the photos wore a smile rather than the masks we have got used to wearing today.

Yes, we all hope that everyone in Shanghai will be able to take off their masks at ease one day, look around at all the lovely faces and walk freely on the streets in the city.



Young patients in the makeshift hospital



A young patient is studying hard for her exams



A young patient is chatting on her phone while taking a walk



A young patient is doing exercise.



A young patient with headphones is playing on his tablet



A young patient is playing with his phone on his bed.



A young patient is jogging in the makeshift hospital.


Srinagar, May 10 : Two civilians injured in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Pandoshan area in South Kashmir's Shopian district have been airlifted to Srinagar for treatment, officials said on Tuesday.

"Both the injured civilians have been airlifted to Srinagar hospital for advanced treatment," police said.

Police said during initial cordon and search operation, terrorists fired upon civilians and tried to escape, in which two civilians got injured. Both the injured were shifted to hospital. One of them was said to be critical.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place on Monday 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 presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
Rome, May 10 : Italy will face short-term energy supply problems if Russia opts to cut gas sales to the country, Italian Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the City Enterprise Festival in Vicenza, Cingolani said Italy's transition away from Russia had already started, but will take time.

Like other European Union member states, Italy is seeking to reduce its dependency on Russian natural gas due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

Previously, Italy imported around 29 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia every year.

Italy has now struck deals that will replace most of those imports.

"Imports of 25 billion cubic meters of gas are ensured from 2024 onwards," Cingolani said.

The gap between previous levels of Russian imports and the new supply deals will be covered by imports of liquified natural gas, alternative energy sources, and conservation initiatives, he explained.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
San Francisco, May 10 : Police of Oakland, in the western US state of California, said on Monday they were investigating a shooting incident that left one man dead near a park in Berkeley hills on Sunday evening.

The Berkeley Police Department notified Oakland authorities of the incident and determined the victim was in Oakland, Oakland police spokesperson Kim Armstead was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The police were investigating the incident as a homicide, he added.

Police found the victim off the side of a road with apparent gunshot wounds. The man died from his injuries at the scene and his identity is being withheld until his next of kin is notified, the police said.

There have been 41 homicides in Oakland so far this year, compared to 49 during the same period last year, according to the Oakland Police Department.
Srinagar, May 10 : One soldier and two civilians were injured in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Pandoshan area in South Kashmir's Shopian district, officials said on Tuesday.

"Both the injured civilians have been airlifted to Srinagar hospital for advanced treatment," police said. "One Soldier has also got injured. He has been shifted to hospital for treatment." Police said during initial cordon and search operation, terrorists fired upon civilians and tried to escape, in which two civilians got injured. Both the injured were shifted to hospital. One of them was said to be critical.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place on Monday 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 presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
Kiev, May 10 : Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and visiting European Council President Charles Michel on Monday discussed steps to solve the issues concerning Ukraine's agricultural exports, the government press service reported.

During the talks in Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa, Shmyhal said that the shipping of goods through the Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea was suspended since February 24 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, about 70 vessels are blocked in the seaports of Ukraine, including 10 in the port of Odessa, Shmyhal said.

"The vast majority of ships are bulk carriers and mixed cargo vessels. Some 90 million tons of agricultural products that Ukraine planned to supply to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe have been blocked," he said.

Shmyhal warned that a global food crisis may start due to the blockade of Ukraine's ports, and urged Michel to intensify joint efforts to prevent it.

For his part, Michel stressed that Odessa plays a key role in ensuring food security around the world, and that the European Union would do everything possible to solve the problem of a food crisis in the world.

Michel arrived in Odessa earlier in the day.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Berlin, May 10 : German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has held talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, vowing to provide further financial and military support for Ukraine.

Scholz highlighted the need to act together as part of Europe, vowing measures necessary to prevent the war from spreading to other countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

During his first overseas trip since re-election, Macron stressed the importance of friendship between the two countries.

Macron called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and noted that important decisions would be made at the European level in terms of sanctions against Russia in the coming days.
Lucknow, May 10 : The Salman Khan doppelganger, Azam Ansari, who was arrested for 'disturbing peace', said that his wish is to meet the 'real Bhai' - Salman Khan.

Ansari, who has been released on bail, told reporters on Tuesday that he appreciated police action and their behaviour with him.

"I have no qualms of being arrested. The cops were right in their action, none of them misbehaved with me and even senior officers were very kind," he added.

He said that he wanted to lose weight and is inspired by Salman Khan.

Asked why he was fascinated by the actor, Azam said: "Salman Khan is down to earth, helps the poor and needy, and always keeps himself fit and active." "Fifteen years ago, I had gained a lot of weight and weighed 128 kg following which I was ridiculed. Since I was a fan of Salman and used to watch all his movies, I decided to be fit like him and hit the gym. I get many comments from people who also want to keep a body like mine," said Ansari.

"I wish to meet Salman and make a video with him," added Azam who earns livelihood from real estate business.

Azam has around 1 lakh followers on Instagram and has made videos on all popular songs of the actor.

On Sunday, Azam was arrested by police while he was shooting a video shirtless and had a spat with public near Clock Tower.
Sanaa, May 10 : Heavy fighting broke out between forces of the Yemen government and the Houthi militia despite a two-month truce brokered by the UN, a military source said.

The fighting took place on Monday at the frontline in the al-Balak al-Sharki mountain, a few kilometres to the south of the government-controlled city of Marib, capital of the namesake province, the source told Xinhua news agency.

"Several soldiers were wounded in the clashes," he added.

According to the city's residents, artillery fire and gun shots were heard throughout the day.

The Houthis are yet to comment on the development.

So far, the ceasefire has been largely held despite occasional accusations of breaches traded between the warring sides.

The UN-brokered ceasefire, meant to last two months, went into effect on April 2, marking the first major breakthrough in years to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country on the brink of starvation.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.
Washington, May 10 : North Korea will be at the "front and centre" in US President Joe Biden's agenda when he travels to South Korea and Japan later this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"I would note that when the President goes to South Korea, (and) Japan, North Korea, especially given the recent tests, will be front and centre in the agenda and discussing security in the region with them," Yonhap News Agency quoted Psaki as saying during a press conference here on Monday.

Biden is set to visit Seoul from May 20-22 for talks with newly-inaugurated South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, followed by a trip to Tokyo from May 22-24.

"The President looks forward to having a conversation with him (Yoon) about security in the region and, of course, denuclearization of the peninsula," she said.

Biden's trip to Asia follows a recent series of North Korean missile launches that included the firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in March, which ended Pyongyang's self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing after more than four years.

North Korea also fired an apparent submarine-launched ballistic missile on May 7, marking its 15th show of force this year.

Psaki said the US was monitoring North Korea for signs of additional provocations that may coincide with Biden's upcoming trip when asked, but said she had nothing to predict or preview "in terms of any pre-emptive sanctions or actions".
Thiruvananthapuram, May 10 : Giving a huge boost to the CPI-M candidate in the Thrikkakara by-election, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cut short his foreign visit and landed in the state capital city Tuesday early morning.

Vijayan was to have spent a few days in Dubai after a two-week medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment at the Mayo Clinic in the US. Till Monday, his plans included the Dubai halt.

Driving straight to his official residence from the airport here, Vijayan is expected to take a day's rest and leave for Kochi to lead the first election convention to take place at Thrikkakara on Thursday.

For Vijayan, who celebrates his second tenure's first anniversary on May 20, the by-election is crucial in more ways than one.

Thrikkakara has been a stronghold of the Congress since its inception in 2011. The CPI-M in the past three elections has not been able to put up a fight and has now placed their entire focus on Vijayan, who literally single-handedly in 2021 April, led the Left to a stunning victory.

In case the Congress is able to retain its traditional hold, it could be a serious setback for Vijayan who is facing stiff opposition to the K-Rail project. The simmering discontent within the party against his autocratic style of functioning may also become full blown. Party legislator Pirappancode Murali, the closest aide of legendary CPI-M leader V.S. Achuthanandan, has now completely withdrawn from public glare. Murali has been questioning the state of affairs within the party.

The Congress-led UDF is confident and had decided on their candidate Uma Thomas, the widow of Late P.T. Thomas who passed away in December last year. Uma has surprised all by her mature handling of the campaign. She appears to have taken the pole position.

The CPI-M presented their candidate Joseph, an interventional cardiologist, at his hospital among Catholic priests, medical professionals and CPI-M leaders. This has not been taken too well by the people. As the CPI-M was trying hard to clear this goof-up, the AAP and the local Twenty20 decided not to put up a candidate this time.

Vijayan has a tough task in Thrikkakara. Being the star campaigner for CPI-M all eyes are on his opening remarks at the Thursday's election convention.
Kolkata, May 10 : The Kolkata Police have arrested a Bangladeshi national for attempting to traffic a minor girl from the city to Bangladesh.

According to deputy commissioner (Eastern Suburban Division) of Kolkata Police, Priyabrata Roy, the accused has been identified as Debu Kumar Mohanto, a resident of Sherpur of Bogura in Bangladesh.

Recently, a complaint was filed at Beliaghata Police station by one Mithu Das that her niece was missing mysteriously. She also named Debu Kumar Mahato in her complaint.

It is learnt that after analysing the technical data and also after corroborating the same with human source information, the city police came to know that the victim girl, along with the accused, had taken shelter at Gopal Nagar near Ranaghat. Thereafter, the Beliaghata Police in collaboration with the local district police, conducted a raid there.

However, by that time, the accused had left the place along with the victim.

"All the police stations, especially those at the borders were alerted. The High Commission of Bangladesh was also initiated regarding this as the accused is a citizen of Bangladesh," Roy said.

By tracking the tower location of the accused's mobile phone, the police came to know that he was somewhere in Gangarampur in South Dinajpur district. A further raid was conducted at Gangarampur and the girl was rescued. However, the accused managed to escape again.

However, the cops by then received the information that the accused was trying to escape through the Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas districts. Finally, he was arrested from that place.
May 10 : The Delhi High Court has ordered the makers of Ranveer Singh starrer Jayeshbhai Jordaar to show the court the sex determination test scene in the film. On Monday, the High Court was hearing a petition that sought to remove a scene from the film where sex determination test was shown.

The High Court told the producers that they should not make the illegal practice of sex determination of foetus insignificant. The court further said that such illegal practices cannot be shown in films as if they are normal and routine.

Helmed by debutant director Divyang Thakkar and backed by Yash Raj Films, Jayeshbhai Jordaar stars Ranveer Singh in the lead. It also stars Shalini Pandey of Arjun Reddy fame, Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah among others. The film is slated to hit the screens on May 13.

The High Court further warned the producer that it will not allow the scene unless they see themselves. The bench headed by acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi said, You take instructions. You come back. We will have to see or we will have to stay. Unless we see for ourselves, we will not permit this."

The court further said, There is nothing to show that the lady is taken clandestinely or that this is not legal or actors are aware that it is an offence. What is coming out is that any pregnant woman can be taken to a centre with a sonogram machine and this can be done in a routine manner.

The High Court further said, "Don't trivialise it to show that anybody can walk into any clinic and get it done. The dramatisation should be that they are aware that it is illegal but it is still being done."

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, who was fighting the case on behalf of Yash Raj Films, told the court that the movie is about something illegal and therefore it carries a disclaimer about the illegality of the act in question. The court pointed out that the size of the disclaimer in the trailer did not make it noticeable.

The court also stated that the trailer did not show the circumstances in which the lady was taken to the clinic. This may give an impression that the family takes that woman to the doctor. No message shown that it is illegal,  the court said.
New Delhi, May 10 : Delhi Police have arrested one accused shooter in connection with the sensational attack on two businessmen in the national capital's Subhash Nagar area, official sources said on Tuesday.

On May 7 evening, a group of assailants surrounded a car on a busy road in west Delhi's Subhash Nagar and fired at least 10 rounds. Two brothers -- Ajay Chaudhary and Jassa Chaudhary -- who were sitting in the car suffered bullet injuries and are undergoing treatment.

According to the sources, the latest arrestee, identified as Paras alias Sahil's identity was revealed after the examination of CCTV footage. It is being said the accused Paras was part of some Delhi-based gang.

A day after the incident, on Sunday, the police arrested a 47-year-old man who allegedly gave a scooty to his accomplices to commit the crime. The accused was identified as Raju Khan alias Googa.

The accused Raju Khan had provided the two-wheeler to the assailants which they used in the commission of crime.

The police had registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Probe is still underway.
London, May 10 : The Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II has pulled out of the State Opening of Parliament and the reading of the Queen's speech this year because of "episodic mobility problems".

Instead, Prince Charles will deliver the speech on Tuesday on behalf of the 96-year-old monarch, the BBC quoted the Palace as saying late Monday night.

Also, Prince Charles and Prince William have jointly been given the authority to open Parliament in their capacities as "counsellors of state", allowing them to undertake such official duties if the monarch is temporarily unwell.

Until Monday evening, the Palace had been saying the Queen had hoped to attend.

But in a statement later, it confirmed that the Queen, in consultation with her doctors, had reluctantly decided not to attend the State Opening.

This is the first time since 1963 that the Queen will have missed this constitutional ceremony in Westminster.

She had only missed the speech twice during her 70-year reign, in 1959 and 1963, because of pregnancies, the BBC reported.

The State Opening of Parliament marks the start of the parliamentary year, with the Queen's speech setting out the agenda of the government and the laws that it wants to introduce.

In reaction to the development, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister fully respects the wishes of Her Majesty and is grateful to the Prince of Wales for agreeing to deliver the speech on her behalf."
Seoul, May 10 : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his country's "firm solidarity" with Russia in a congratulatory message sent to President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's celebration of its "Victory Day" holiday, Pyongyang's state media reported on Tuesday.

In the message sent the previous day, Kim congratulated Putin on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the North's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Russia celebrated the 77th anniversary of the holiday on Monday.

Kim's message "extended firm solidarity to the cause of the Russian people to root out the political and military threat and blackmail by the hostile forces and safeguard the country's dignity, peace and security", Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying in an English-language article.

"It expressed belief that the strategic and traditional relations of friendship between the two countries would steadily develop in conformity with the requirements of the times," it added.

The North has recently highlighted its traditional ties with Russia, which has drawn condemnation from many countries for its invasion of Ukraine.

In February, a spokesperson for the North's Foreign Ministry blamed the Ukraine crisis on the "hegemonic policy" of the US and the West.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, May 10 : India on Tuesday registered 2,288 fresh Covid cases, a considerable decline against previous day's 3,207, as per the Union Health Ministry data.

In the same period, 10 Covid fatalities were recorded taking the nationwide death toll to 5,24,103.

Currently, the active caseload stands at 19,637 cases, accounting for 0.05 per cent of the total positive cases.

Recovery of 3,044 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,25,63,949. Consequently, the recovery rate stands at 98.74 per cent.

Meanwhile, India's Daily Positivity rate has also reported a major decline at 0.47 per cent, while the Weekly Positivity Rate stands at 0.79 per cent.

Also, a total of 4,84,843 tests were conducted, increasing the overall to 84.15 crore.

As of Tuesday morning, the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 190.50 crore, achieved via 2,36,58,273 sessions.

Over 3.06 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.
Belfast, May 10 : Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, has dashed hopes of the devolved government in Belfast being restored.

Donaldson made the DUP's position clear during a face-to-face meeting with the UK's Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who was in Belfast on Monday for a series of meetings with political leaders following last week's elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

For the first time in history, the pro-republican Sinn Fein Party won most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, overtaking the DUP.

This means that Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill will be nominated as First Minister and Donaldson as her Deputy.

Under the Assembly's rules, the executive cannot be formed unless the top two parties agree to participate.

DUP politicians have held the top positions in Northern Ireland since its creation in 1921.

Sinn Fein's success brings closer the prospect of a border poll to decide if Northern Ireland should merge with the Republic of Ireland.

"Until we get decisive action taken by the UK government on the (Northern Ireland) protocol, we will not be nominating ministers to the executive," Donaldson told mediapersons here.

"We want to see stable political institutions. We want to be part of the executive." The protocol is a deal brokered between London and Brussels as part of the UK's departure from the European Union.

Its aim was to avoid a land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

"We want to play our part and fulfil the mandate we have been given by the people of Northern Ireland," Donaldson said.

"We are also clear given the damage and harmful impact the protocol continues to have on Northern Ireland, driving up the cost of living, harming our economy, impeding the ability of businesses to trade with our biggest market and fundamentally undermining political stability, undermining the principle of consensus politics. We need this to be resolved." This could leave Northern Ireland without a government for up to six months before a new executive is formed.
San Francisco, May 10 : Facing difficulties in finding drivers amid a 'seismic shift' in the financial market, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has told employees that the ride-hailing platform is slowing down hiring and will treat corporate hiring as a "privilege".

In a memo to employees, Khosrowshahi said that the hurdle rate for Uber's investments has gotten higher, and "that means that some initiatives that require substantial capital will be slowed".

"The least efficient marketing and incentive spend will be pulled back. We will treat hiring as a privilege and be deliberate about when and where we add headcount. We will be even more hardcore about costs across the board," he said.

It means Uber may freeze or reduce its staff numbers as it aims to become a leaner company.

"After earnings, I spent several days meeting investors in New York and Boston. It's clear that the market is experiencing a seismic shift and we need to react accordingly," said the Uber CEO.

Uber reported a $5.9 billion loss In its first-quarter earnings last week.

An Uber spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of the memo but declined to comment on its contents, reports The Verge.

"Uber will now focus on achieving profitability on a free cash flow basis rather than adjusted EBITDA", Khosrowshahi added.

"I've never been more certain that we will win. But it's going to demand the best of our DNA: hustle, grit, and category-defining innovation. In some places we'll have to pull back to sprint ahead. We will absolutely have to do more with less," the Uber CEO told employees.
Srinagar, May 10 : One civilian, who was injured, during a gunfight between the security forces and the terrorists in the Pandoshan village of J&K's Shopian district, succumbed in the hospital, police sources said on Tuesday.

Another civilian and a soldier, who were also injured, were said to be stable.

The encounter broke out on Monday.

"One of the injured civilians identified as Shahid Gani Dar succumbed in the hospital while the other injured civilian is stable.

"Terrorists had fired at the civilians during the encounter in order to escape from the cordoned off area.

"Condition of the injured soldier is also stable," sources said.

Security forces, including the Army, local police and CRPF had started a cordon and search operation in the Pandoshan village on Monday following information about the presence of terrorists there.

Reports from the area said the terrorists had managed to escape. There has, however, been no official confirmation of the terrorists' escape from the encounter site.
New Delhi, May 10 : An extraordinary 7,525-carat (1.505kg) single-crystal Chipembele was awarded the record for the largest high-quality emerald ever discovered at Gemfields' Kagem mine in Zambia.

Chipembele is known as "the rhino emerald," with Chipembele meaning rhino in Zambia's indigenous Bemba dialect. Only the rarest and most remarkable emeralds have been given names in the past.

Eshed - Gemstar announced that they are the new holders of the Guinness World Records title for the Largest uncut emerald. Eshed - Gemstar and Gemfields jointly unveiled this award at Gem Geneva, the world-renowned gem and jewellery show.

Kagem, owned by Gemfields in collaboration with the Zambian government, is the world's largest single-producing emerald mine. It has recently produced a number of exceptional gemstones, none more so than Chipembele, whose discovery in July 2021 rendered the geologist team who excavated it speechless. They believe it formed under near-ideal conditions, allowing the elements beryllium, chromium, and vanadium to combine to form a large, distinct hexagonal crystal with glassy surfaces and a rich golden green colour.

Chipembele is rare because of its unusually large size, as well as its incredible transparency and vivid green colour. Its structure shows the emerald in its natural crystal state, with no host rock or by-products. By shining a light through Chipembele, you can see deep within the gemstone and see the intensity of colour as well as the unusual lack of inclusions. Any industry expert would consider the combination of all of these desirable features to be extremely rare.

Kagem donated a portion of the proceeds from the auction sale of Chipembele to the North Luangwa Conservation Programme in Zambia, which will help with critical black rhinoceros conservation efforts. Eshed - Gemstar will also contribute a portion of future Chipembele sales.

Chipembele includes Provenance Proof's (a subsidiary of GAbelin Gem Lab) unique DNA nanoparticle tagging and a blockchain ledger. This means that Chipembele cut and polished gems can be identified and certified as having originated from this extraordinary gemstone, and thus from Zambia's Kagem emerald mine. This provides peace of mind while also encouraging trust and transparency in the industry.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
May 10 : A day after welcoming her daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas home, mom Priyanka Chopra returned to work. The actress resumed shooting for her forthcoming web series, Citadel on Monday.

Taking to her Instagram stories, Priyanka shared a picture of herself from the sets of Citadel and revealed that she has resumed work. Sharing the picture, Priyanka wrote, Back to work #citadel @amazonstudios @abgofilms. The Sky is Pink actress can be seen in a red dress, with her hair in soft curls. She accessorised her look with a golden neckpiece.

A science-fiction drama, Citadel is created by Patrick Moran and the Russo brothers for Amazon Prime Video. Starring Richard Madden as Citadel agent Mason Kane and Priyanka Chopra, the series is an action-packed spy series. Recently, it has been announced that the Indian series Citadel will star Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. It will be directed Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and produced by Amazon Studios. After the release of the main series, the show's regional series will be released.

On Monday, Priyanka and her husband Nick Jonas announced that on Mother's Day they brought home their little girl Malti Marie from the hospital after more than 100 days. Priyanka took to her Instagram handle and shared the first photo of little Malti along with a long note. The actress wrote that while their daughter was born premature and was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for more than 100 days, both she and Nick was on a rollercoaster faced with the challenge for months. Priyanka and Nick welcomed their daughter in January this year via a surrogate.

Image Source: Instagram/priyankachopra Priyanka Chopra resumes Citadel shooting day

Sharing the first picture of Malti, Priyanka wrote, After 100 plus days in the NICU, our little girl is finally home. Priyanka added, ...just want to thank every Doctor, nurse and specialist at Rady Children's La Jolla and Cedar Sinai, Los Angeles, who were there selflessly every step of the way. Our next chapter begins now, and our baby is truly a badass. Let's get it MM! Mommy and Daddy love you. Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka Chopra has signed another Hollywood film recently. The actress will star in Anthony Chen directorial based on Shilpi Somaya Gowda's novel Secret Daughter. Priyanka will star alongside Sienna Miller. The actress was last seen in The Matrix Resurrections, which released in cinemas worldwide in December 2021. The actress has been reportedly roped in to star in Kevin Sullivan's action film, Ending Things, starring Anthony Mackie as the male lead. She will next make her debut as a Hollywood lead in Jim Strouses romcom Text For You. PeeCee will also be seen in the Hindi movie Jee Le Zaraa with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt. The film will be directed by Farhan Akhtar, and produced by Zoya Akhtar.
Chennai, May 10 : The famous Dharmapuri mangoes of Tamil Nadu are set to get expensive as a result of pest attack leading to its shortage, leaving the horticulture department and the farmers a worried lot.

Famed across South India for their taste and size, the Dharmapuri mangoes are one of the most cherished products from the state that is sold across.

According to farmers, the prices are yet to be fixed but it will be anywhere more than 20 to 30 per cent than the previous years, given the damage suffered by the pest attack.

The district has a total of 15,000 hectares under mango cultivation and the yield was around 10 tonne of mangoes for each hectare, they said.

K. Krishnamoorthy, a mango farmer at Dharmapuri told IANS: "The production of mangoes was around 1.5 lakh metric tonne from the 15000 hectares of cultivation. However, this year pests have ravaged the crop and we do not expect half the produce and this will lead to a hike in prices." Horticulture department sources told IANS that two insects, leafhopper and Thrips have destroyed the crop by half in the current season at Dharmapuri.

These pests eat away the leaves from new branches and curtail the process of photosynthesis thus affecting the production of mangoes, the officials said.

The state horticulture department has already invited plant scientists, pathologists, and entomologists to investigate and suggest countermeasures and some scientists have given a list of recommendations for farmers to overcome the situation.

Sources in the horticulture department told IANS that the farmers had not taken any control measures earlier to get rid of the pest attack and the suggestions given by the scientists would be now implemented leading to the prevention of any further attack by leafhoppers and thrips, the two pests that have caused extensive damage to mango crop in Dharmapuri area.

Renowned plant pathologist Dr S.K. Manoranjitham and noted entomologist Dr T. Elayiharathi have visited Dharmapuri mango plantations and given suggestions to the department and farmers to counter the pest attack, the department sources said.
Karachi, May 10 : The Karachi Port was evacuated after bodies of two labourers were found in the basement of a ship docked at the port.

The ship, bearing the call sign WEIHE, was carrying Soybean, Samaa TV reported.

District Keamari Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Hussain Janwari said that Karachi Port Trust (KPT) authorities have informed the police that bodies of two labourers were found from a ship carrying Soybean.

The police went to the crime scene and recovered the bodies.

The victims were identified as Aslam and Muhammad Hassan. SSP Janwari said that the victims belonged to District Badin and were labourers by profession. "The incident took place during offloading of Soybean," SSP added.

SSP Janwari said apparently it seems that the victims died due to suffocation. However, he said, the cause of death could only be confirmed once a post-mortem is conducted.

District Keamari Deputy Commissioner Mukhtar Abro said that the rescue operation has been initiated. Abro said that the rescuers were finding it difficult to clear the ship due to suffocation.

DC Kaemari said that there is a shortage of oxygen, however, local authorities are trying their best to ensure supply of oxygen.

In February 2020, a toxic gas leak killed 14 people and left over 500 sick, including doctors.

University of Karachi's International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences had said that a soybean container at Keamari Port was the likely cause.
New Delhi, May 10 : Lumax Industries Ltd has filed a suit in Delhi High Court seeking to restrain Hindustan Auto Industries Ltd in relation to a dispute on purported trademark infringement and device marks.

The dispute is already pending before a trial court, stated the petitioner Lumax.

Justice Jyoti Singh, while allowing the petition on Monday, clarified that the court has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and the trial court shall decide the applications independent of any observations or narrative of facts given in the present order, which are limited to the disposal of the present petition.

Further, it directed the trial court to take up the petitioner's application under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 CPC for ex parte ad interim injunction as well as an application for appointment of Local Commissioner on Tuesday.

The petition contended that the suit was listed on various dates before the trial Court where, for one reason or the other, while summons was issued, applications were filed, however, the appointment of the Local Commissioner was not being heard.

It is averred that thereafter, the matter was listed 'for orders' on the multiple pending applications but the same was not passed and the trial court again issued summons and notice in the applications.

In the order, the court stated that the affidavit filed by petitioners indicates that the respondent is unserved to date, which is apparently for the reason that despite the order of the trial court dated April 30, petitioners have not taken any steps as directed.

While this court deprecates the non-compliance of the court order by the petitioners in not taking steps to serve the respondent, however, considering the fact that several dates have passed and to date, for one reason or the other, respondent is unserved, this court deems it fit to request the learned trial court to hear the two applications before the summons in the suit and notice in the applications are served on the respondent, it read.
New Delhi, May 10 : Vedanta Aluminium, India's largest producer of aluminium, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar to promote Research, Training and Academic initiatives for its security professionals.

National Forensic Science University (NFSU) is a renowned and the one & only Forensic Science University in the world, known for producing high-skilled professionals in forensic and homeland security.

The MoU was signed by Prof. (Dr.) Purvi Pokhariyal, Campus Director, NFSU, and Avtar Singh, Chief Security and Intelligence Officer, Aluminium Business - Vedanta Ltd., in the presence of Dr J.M. Vyas, Hon. Vice Chancellor of NFSU.

With this industry-academia partnership, Vedanta Aluminium intends to leverage the robust pedagogy and rich expertise of NFSU in: Giving its security professionals opportunities to gain from NFSU's knowledge pipeline, to stay ahead of the curve and develop unparalleled competencies

Create avenues for recruiting from NFSU's talent base

Induce a fundamental transformational shift in the company's security & intelligence functions

Explore opportunities to co-create disruptive solutions for the industry, by working with NFSU's extensive network of forensic and security experts

Speaking about Vedanta Aluminium's partnership with the National Forensic Sciences University, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO - Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd., said, ""Vedanta Aluminium is India's largest producer of aluminium, with large-scale world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in the states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It is imperative for us to ensure security and integrity of our assets and people, who are engaged in producing critical raw materials that cater to industries in over 30 countries. We are delighted to sign the MoU with National Forensic Sciences University for bringing in a transformative shift in industrial security & intelligence and create avenues for both the industry and university to collaborate on capability and knowledge development." Prof. (Dr.) Purvi Pokhriyal, Campus Director - National Forensic Sciences University, added, "The association will further bolster academia-industrial link and will prove to be beneficial for both the institutions in terms of research and applied use." Avtar Singh also delivered a guest lecture to the students of the School of Police Science & Security Studies at NFSU, elucidating upon the various aspects of Industrial Security, best practices at Vedanta Aluminium, technology deployments and emerging trends in the industry.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India's largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India's aluminium, i.e., 2.26 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries
Los Angeles, May 10 : Elizabeth Olsen, who is currently getting a lot of positive response for her role as Wanda Maximoff in the recently released 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', has strongly defended Marvel films from filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, who have earlier bashed Marvel movies, reports 'Variety'.

The actress told 'The Independent' that she gets frustrated when people make Marvel movies "seem like a lesser type of art." She said, "I'm not saying we're making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me. These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators - I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects." As per 'Variety', Scorsese infamously compared Marvel movies to theme park rides while discussing how superhero movies have reshaped exhibition in a way that's harmful to non-superhero movies. Coppola was quoted in 2019 calling Marvel movies "despicable," although he later clarified that he wasn't talking about Marvel movies specifically, but referring to how the film industry now values commerce over art.

However, Coppola shaded Marvel movies in a February interview with 'GQ' magazine. Coppola told 'GQ' magazine, "There used to be studio films. Now there are Marvel pictures. And what is a Marvel picture? A Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different." Nicolas Cage, who is the nephew of Coppola, came to the defence of Marvel movies in the wake of Francis, bashing them. "Yeah, why do they do that?" Cage asked 'GQ' about filmmakers criticising Marvel. "I don't understand the conflict. I don't agree with them on that perception or opinion." He further told 'GQ', "I think that the movies that I make, like 'Pig' or 'Joe,' are not in any kind of conflict with Marvel movies. I mean, I don't think the Marvel movie had anything to do with the end of the tweener. By tweener, I mean the $30 to $50 million budget movie. I think movies are in good shape. If you look at 'Power of the Dog', or if you look at 'Spencer,' or any of Megan Ellison's movies. I think that there's still Paul Thomas Anderson."
Los Angeles, May 10 : Actor and producer Viola Davis will be honoured with the 2022 Women In Motion Award bestowed by Kering Group and the Cannes Film Festival.

Davis currently appears on screen in the Showtime series 'The First Lady', where she plays Michelle Obama. She recently published her autobiography, 'Finding Me', written during lockdown, that recounts her childhood experiences in an underprivileged environment in Saint Matthews, S.C, reports 'Variety'.

The book, which has rapidly become a bestseller, also highlights harassment and abuse faced by the most disadvantaged people in society.

Accordingly, Davis was praised by the award's organisers both "for her acting roles and her commitment to the rights of women and minorities", they said, calling her in a statement "one of the most influential American actresses and producers of her time".

"Her talent, hard work, choice of roles and the way she interprets them have earned her the very highest recognitions in the film industry," the statement underlined.

It noted that Davis "is one of the few Hollywood personalities to have won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, four SAG Awards, and what Hollywood calls the Triple Crown of Acting: two Tony Awards, an Oscar and an Emmy, for her roles in the stage play 'King Hedley II', in 'Fences' and its remarkable film adaptation, and in the TV series 'How to Get Away with Murder'.

This record makes her the only African-American actress to have received so many nominations and awards for her roles in theater, television and film, it went on to point out.

As a committed activist Davis has repeatedly called out the blatant lack of diversity in the film industry, whether in production, writing or directing, "which remains a very powerful brake on equality", the award's organisers added.

Francois-Henri Pinault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering; Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes; and Thierry Fremaux, Executive Director of the Festival de Cannes, will present the award to Davis during the official Women In Motion dinner in Cannes on May 22.

Previous recipients of this prize include Jane Fonda in 2015, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in 2016, Isabelle Huppert in 2017, Patty Jenkins in 2018, Gong Li in 2019 and Salma Hayek in 2021.
Hyderabad, May 10 : Adivi Sesh's 'Major' has been in the making for quite some time now. Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, who has produced this biographical movie, was present at the trailer launch event of the Adivi Sesh-starrer.

Mahesh, who believed that Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's story must be known to the world, stated that the martyr's story is larger than life.

Mahesh admitted that he received fantastic OTT offers during the Covid period, but was adamant that this film. 'Major' needed to be released in theatres only because the action design and emotions were larger than life.

The film's hero, Sesh, was also very clear that he wanted his Hindi debut to be a pan-India big-screen release, according to the star hero.

Sesh has worked tirelessly on the film, and the trailer has received positive feedback for the power-packed trailer, which was released on Monday.

'Major' will hit the screens on June 3 and is said to be based on the heinous 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, with the scene-by-scene narration of the horrific events.
Chandigarh, May 10 : Taking swift cognizance of an explosion that occurred at the headquarters of Punjab Police Intelligence wing in Mohali, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to immediately probe the entire incident thoroughly so as to get to the bottom of the case.

Chairing a high-level meeting of senior police officers, Mann categorically said that nobody would be allowed to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the state, adding a few inimical forces are constantly trying to foment trouble across the state, which will never succeed in their nefarious designs.

Meanwhile, the DGP apprised the Chief Minister that a few suspects have been taken into custody for further interrogation so as to enable the police to strike at the roots of this unsavoury incident.

The Chief Minister said the culprits behind this incident would be soon brought to book and handed down an exemplary punishment as a deterrent for other such anti-social elements to not commit such heinous incidents in future.
Chennai, May 10 : In a largest private equity funding of an eyecare provider, city based Dr. Agarwal's Health Care Ltd (AHCL) has raised Rs 1,050 crore from TPG Growth and Temasek, said a top group official.

"This is the largest private equity funding of an Indian eyecare provider. We will be using this equity infusion in expanding our presence within India and also in Africa," Amar Agarwal, Chairman, told IANS.

The Dr. Agarwal's Group has a chain of 105 hospitals in India and with the fresh funding, the number will be doubled by 2023-24.

The AHCL has 82 hospitals under its fold and 18 new ones are in the pipeline.

Speaking about the expansion, he said the company will look at greenfield and brownfield routes and the focus states will be Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

"The ratio of brownfield and greenfield expansion will be 65:35. The fresh funding will attract people to do business with us," Adil Agarwal, Group CEO told IANS.

Agreeing that there are strong eye care brands at regional levels, the market is huge when one looks at the number of cataract surgeries being done in the country and plus there are other eye ailments, the two officials said.

Apart from hospitals, the company will also open 500 smaller format eyecare centres under the brand 2020 Eye Centres.

"In toto, our eyecare network will be about 700. Alongside the expansion of our eyecare network, we will also expand the number of optical outlets," Amar added.

According to Amar, the group currently performs about 25,000 surgeries per day and post expansion the number would double.

He said the AHCL was valued at about Rs 3,000 crore by the two private equity investors.

Amar said TPG Growth and Temasek will have one board seat each.

The AHCL had raised Rs 270 crore from Temasek earlier. Meanwhile, ADV Partners has exited the company.

According to Amar, the AHCL may look at going public later or go for a reverse merger with the group's listed company Dr.Agarwal's Eye Hospital Ltd (AEHL).
Lucknow, May 10 : Police personnel in Uttar Pradesh, who had shied away from learning technology, will no longer be able to do so.

DGP Mukul Goel has now issued instructions that all personnel posted at police stations will have to compulsorily clear the online course of National Cybercrime Training Centre (CyTrain) run by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Goel said the training will familiarize all personnel involved in investigations with various aspects of cybercrime and tackle them.

The prescribed module is a course aimed at improving the quality of investigations in cybercrime cases.

"All district police chiefs and heads of cybercrime cells have been asked to submit a compliance report mentioning details of personnel who have cleared the module. A certificate will also be generated after one clears the course," he told reporters.

The training will equip more personnel with expertise in tackling cybercrime cases that will help in reducing pendency of such cases besides improving investigation.

Superintendent of Police, UP Cyber Cell, Triveni Singh, said cybercrimes are increasing in numbers and technicalities, hence, updating the knowledge is essential.

"The training module is core, and imperative in devising new counter-responses, besides continual advancement in knowledge and skills to tackle cybercrimes," he said.

The module encompasses all aspects of usual cybercrimes and will teach ways to detect cybercrime, register complaints, be first responder and to collect cybercrime threat intelligence about cybercriminals and criminal infrastructure, Singh explained.

"The module also teaches one to collect admissible evidence and handle prosecution in cybercrime cases," he added.

Recently, the state Home Department had also prepared an action plan which includes setting up of cyber helpdesks, a digital forensic lab in Lucknow and a cyber forensic lab at zone level across the state.

Till now, most police personnel-especially those in the 50 to 60 age groups-had shied away from learning computer operations and becoming tech-savvy.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Municipal Corporation on Tuesday demolished illegal encroachments in the Mangolpuri and New Friends Colony area of the national capital, a day after a similar drive was proposed to be carried out in Shaheen Bagh.

JCB bulldozers were employed to demolish all illegally constructed temporary structures. The bulldozer razed several booths and kiosks that were constructed along the roadside.

As the drive started, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mukesh Ahlawat obstructed the Municipal Corporation officials in carrying out the demolition work and subsequently he was detained by the police.

"The MLA was detained for some time so that he may not cause disturbance in the government work," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sameer Sharma said, adding the legislator will be released after the demolition drive is finished.

Barring local MLA's minor obstruction, there was no protest by the people in the area.

The police force along with para-military personnel were deployed in adequate numbers to handle any untoward situation. The police personnel could also be seen atop the buildings to keep an eye over the unsocial elements and prevent any stone pelting.

Notably, the Municipal Corporation had prior conveyed to the people about the demolition process and several illegal encroachments were removed by people themselves.

At New Friends Colony, the JCB bulldozers were seen demolishing the extension work done by the people outside their houses.

Meanwhile, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has also planned an anti encroachment drive in all its four zones.

On Monday, the city bore witness to a high-voltage demolition drama at Shaheen Bagh when Municipal Corporation officials reached there along with JCB bulldozers to conduct a demolition drive. However, after people's protest, the drive was halted as people had themselves removed the illegal encroachments.

A case was registered against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan and his supporters for obstructing South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials to carry out the proposed anti-encroachment drive.
Srinagar, May 10 : Sanna Irshad Mattoo, a local freelance photojournalist has won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize award in feature photography category for 2022.

Sanna has shared the award with the Reuters team, including late Danish Siddiqui, Amit Dave and Adnan Abidi for the coverage of Covid-19 crisis in India.

"Congratulations to @adnanabidi, @mattoosanna, @AmitDav46549614, the family and friends of the late, @dansiddiqui, and @Reuters. #Pulitzer," Pulitzer announced on Twitter.

For "images of COVID's toll in India that balanced intimacy and devastation, while offering viewers a heightened sense of place", Pulitzer Prizes website said while announcing the award. Their work was moved from the breaking news photography category by the judges", Pulitzer website said.

Sanna, who holds Master's in Convergent Journalism from the Central University of Kashmir, has her work published in international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, TIME and TRT World. She has also done a fellowship with the prestigious Magnum Foundation in 2021.

This is what Sanna's Pulitzer introduction says, "Sanna Irshad Mattoo is a photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Kashmir. Ranging from groundbreaking news to in-depth storytelling, her work concentrates on depicting the tension between the seeming ordinariness of life and the stark symbols of a menacing militarised milieu of Kashmir. Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines around the world and has been screened and exhibited in various exhibitions and festivals. She presently contributes to Reuters as a Multimedia Journalist.

It must be recalled that Danish Siddiqui was killed while covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

In 2020, three Kashmiri photojournalists Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand had won the prestigious Pulitzer award.

The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature and musical composition within the US.

It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher, and is administered by Columbia University.
New Delhi, May 10 : Consumer electronics contract manufacturer Videotex International on Tuesday announced to invest over Rs 100 crore and set up a new LED TV manufacturing facility in Greater Noida that will create more jobs.

With this investment, the company said it will also upgrade its existing capacity to 14 lakh TVs and new capacity to 18 lakh TVs - taking the combined production capacity to 32 lakh TVs in a year.

"The electronic contract manufacturing in India is projected to grow by over six-fold by 2025. The increased duty on imports of finished products has given a strong boost to local manufacturing and assembly in India," said Arjun Bajaaj, Director, Videotex International.

Videotex has been one of the oldest and largest contract manufacturers (ODM/OEM), and "has strong interest in leveraging the new opportunity, with superior technology and infrastructure in manufacturing that maintains competitive standing in global markets," he added.

Between the two units, Videotex will add fresh jobs, as per the new volumes defined.

This includes employees in the manufacturing units, back office and more along with providing new job opportunities for the vendors associated with the company.

The new 1,20,000 square feet smart manufacturing facility will install advanced manufacturing solutions and machineries, applying AI/ML technologies.

The company has been manufacturing TVs for leading brands like realme, Hisense, Toshiba, Lloyd, Hyundai and over 15 leading brands of India.

Videotex International is also the first Indian firm to be licenced as a manufacturer of webOS TVs, and it has on boarded 14 brands to manufacture webOS TVs in the country.

Soon, the company will announce product expansion into the appliances and electronics categories.

"With the set-up of our new manufacturing unit, we strengthen our foothold and advance the government's 'Make in India' initiative," said Bajaaj.
Lucknow, May 10 : Examination for the students of Classes 9 and 10 will be conducted on a new pattern, as recommended in the National Education Policy (NEP).

The question paper will be divided into two parts.

In the first section, 30 per cent marks will be earmarked for multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that will be answered on an OMR sheet. The second section will consist of 70 per cent marks and will be descriptive in nature.

Secondary education minister Gulab Devi said, "The academic calendar will be uploaded on the websites of schools. Students will express their opinion on moral and relevant issues like human values, character building, patriotism, social service, life of great personalities, environment and water conservation, health and traffic rules." The minister said all schools should complete the syllabus by January 20 next year. The department also proposes to hold career counselling sessions in schools.

For continuous and comprehensive assessment of students, the Board will conduct five monthly tests. While three will be based on multiple-choice questions (MCQs), two will be descriptive.

The 'School Chalo Abhiyan' will also be held for secondary schools to reduce dropout rate.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Krishnan Subramanian, the former group CEO of Religare Enterprises Ltd, who was arrested in connection with an alleged Rs 2,397 cr financial fraud case last year.

On December 9, 2021, the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police arrested Subramanian, for siphoning off public money.

Manpreet Singh Suri, a representative of Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL), had filed a complaint against Malvinder Singh, Shivinder Singh, Sunil Godhwani, and others holding key managerial posts, alleging that having absolute control over Religare Enterprises Limited and its subsidiaries, these persons put Religare Finvest Limited (RFL) in poor financial condition by way of disbursing loans to companies having no financial standings.

In view of the sufficient incriminating evidence on record, Malvinder and Shivinder, along with three others holding key managerial positions in RFL, have already been arrested and charge sheeted.

"These companies willfully defaulted in repayments and caused wrongful loss to RFL to the tune of Rs 2,397 crore. This was also pointed out and flagged during the independent audit by the RBI and SEBI," as per the Economic Offences Wing.

The accused, Krishnan Subramanian, was the Group CEO during 2017-18 when a loan against a property worth Rs 115 crore was sanctioned as secured loans to three entities vide three separate loan facility agreements, and property documents of Asola land was kept as security with RFL.

Subsequently, these loans were converted to unsecured loans under the corporate loan book portfolio as title deeds of these lands were never submitted to RFL.

Later on, it was found that the land which was kept as security with RFL under the above-said facility agreements had been exchanged without any permission or intimation to RFL, even though the same was mortgaged with RFL.

The police said it was also found that the property documents were released to the borrower after execution of the share pledge agreement (SPA) with RHC and Elive under which the shares of Elive were pledged and the trademark certificates with respect to the Religare brand were deposited with RFL.

The said SPA and subsequent release of property papers were done by Subramanian.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 10 : After photos and videos of an emaciated elephant named Thekkumkandathilu Parameswaran used for logging went viral on social media, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has urged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene and direct the forest department to rescue and rehabilitate the animal immediately.

Video footage shows the reluctant bull elephant being forced to haul a heavy log.

In a complaint to the Kerala chief minister, PETA India pointed out numerous violations of animal protection laws - including the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; and the Kerala Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2012 - as well as central government guidelines with respect to keeping and using an unfit elephant like this one for work.

"The state of this emaciated elephant is another reminder that it's impossible to meet the needs of these wild animals in captivity," says PETA India Chief Executive Officer Dr Manilal Valliyate. "Malnourished, wounded, visually impaired, and distressed elephants are often forced to work, give rides, or participate in ceremonies, and many of them retaliate, putting human lives at risk. Cruelty to elephants needs to stop, for everyone's sake." Parameswaran's abuse highlights the plight of elephants used for logging, begging, rides, ceremonies, and other purposes in India. Frequently controlled through beatings and prodded and gouged with weapons, they often suffer without veterinary care or adequate nutrition. Many have painful foot rot and leg wounds from being chained for long hours.

They also commonly show physical signs of severe psychological distress - such as swaying, head-bobbing, and weaving - behaviour not seen in healthy elephants in nature. Frustrated captive elephants commonly harm or kill their mahouts or others around them.

According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year span.

Animal Welfare Board of India inspections and PETA India investigations reveal that most elephants in captivity in the country, including in Kerala, are being held illegally or have been transported to a different state without permission.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on the appeal filed by United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi, who was denied bail by a trial court in connection with a UAPA case on the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of 2020.

Issuing notice in the matter, a division bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar posted it for July 11, after the summer vacations.

On April 8, rejecting the bail application, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said: "I am of the opinion that allegations against the accused Khalid Saifi are prima facie true." In the last hearing, Saifi's counsel Rebecca John argued that he has been falsely implicated in this case and the entire case of the prosecution is unsubstantiated without any evidence to link with the communal riots of 2020.

She also argued that other than the 'bald' statement made in the supplementary charge sheet, there was no evidence to show that Khalid Saifi met former JNU student Umar Khalid, another accused in the larger conspiracy case in December 2019, or that Khalid gave him any direction to raise a protest site at Khureji.

Saifi, one of the accused in the conspiracy case, has been booked under the anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Other accused -- JNU scholars and activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam among nearly a dozen of people -- are involved in the alleged larger conspiracy case, as per the Delhi Police.

Sharjeel and Khalid are also facing charges in connection with the inflammatory speeches which are allegedly fuelled, as per the police, the riots broke out in the national capital.

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.
Beirut, May 10 : Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar urged the international community to compensate the country with $30 billion for hosting displaced Syrians over a long period of time.

"We rely on the international community's compensation for Lebanon, which has so far incurred losses estimated at $30 billion dollars," Hajjar said during the European Union's sixth conference titled "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" held in Brussels.

Hajjar said that Lebanon's government pays an extra $1 billion annually on energy subsidies and an additional spending of up to $3 billion on bread for Syrians.

The Minister added that Lebanon currently hosts nearly 1.5 million displaced Syrians, accounting for 30 per cent of the inhabitants in Lebanon, and they "live in tents, under inhumane conditions, distributed over 1,000 of the 1,050 Lebanese towns".

Hajjar continued by emphasising "the loss of many job opportunities for the Lebanese, as most of the displaced are engaged in a competitive and illegal economic activity, without contributing to paying taxes".

President Michel Aoun has on many occasions urged the international community to help Lebanon secure a safe return for refugees to their homeland as it is suffering from an unprecedented financial crisis and cannot bear any extra burden.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are some 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon.

In Lebanon, nine out of 10 refugees now live in extreme poverty. There are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, Syrians are scattered throughout urban and rural communities and locations, often sharing small basic lodgings with other refugee families in overcrowded conditions, said the UN agency.
Hyderabad, May 10 : Former Andhra Pradesh minister P. Narayana was arrested on Tuesday in connection with class 10 question paper leak case.

A police party from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh arrested Narayana from his residence at Kondapur in Hyderabad. He was being shifted to Chittoor where a case was registered against him.

Narayana, a leader of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is the chairman of Narayana Group of institutions.

Andhra Pradesh police had arrested headmasters and teachers of few schools including a school run by Narayana group in connection with the paper leak last week.

After Narayana was whisked away by policemen in plainclothes, his family members lodged a complaint on Dial 100 alleging that some people kidnapped him. A car was reportedly intercepted by Telangana police at Kottur in Mahabubnagar district.

However, the police allowed the car to proceed after those escorting the former minister identified themselves as police officers from Chittoor.

Meanwhile, the TDP has condemned Narayana's arrest. The opposition termed the arrest a political conspiracy by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

TDP's Andhra Pradesh unit president K. Atchan Naidu questioned how Narayana can be booked and arrested when education minister Botsa Satyanarayana himself denied that there was any question paper leak.
Chennai: A woman holds an umbrella while walking past during rain in Chennai on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Parthi bhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: A man on a two-wheeler rides past during heavy rain in Chennai on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Parthi bhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: A man on a motorbike holds an umbrella ride past during heavy rain in Chennai on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Parthi bhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: A man on a bicycle holds an umbrella ride past during rain in Chennai on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Parthi bhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: A man with children walks past during heavy rain in Chennai on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Parthi bhan/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, May 10 : With severe cyclonic storm 'Asani' nearing the Andhra Pradesh coast, heavy rains lashed Chennai and its suburbs on Tuesday.

Asani is expected to touch the shores on Wednesday.

Ten flights from the Chennai airport were cancelled, including to from Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai and Hyderabad, due to the heavy downpour.

Koyambedu, Anna Nagar, Choolaimedu and Nungambakkam areas in Chennai are facing heavy rains and the suburbs of the city like Alandur, Madipakkam, Poonamalle, Maduravoyal and Meenambakkam are recording steady rains. Pammal area near the airport is also receiving heavy rains.

The India Meteorological Department has forecasted thunderstorms with light to moderate rains at Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Chennai, Puducherry and other northern parts of Tamil Nadu in the next few hours.

The Indian Coast Guard has already deployed 'ICGS Shaurya' and 'ICGS Sagar' for any contingency, including rescue operations post-landfall of Cyclone Asani.

The Coast Guard has issued a safety advisory to ships and oil handling agencies for preventive measures.

Suburban train services in Chennai and suburbs were affected following the heavy rains as an object swept by the wind got entangled on the overhead power cable.

The Southern Railway in a statement on Tuesday said this external object that was swept in on the overhead power cable has been removed and services resumed.
Bengaluru, May 10 : The agitation of the Hindu organisations entered the second day on Tuesday despite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's assurance to frame guidelines on the use of loudspeakers in the state.

The activists continued to play devotional prayers in temples against 'azaan'.

Founder of Sri Ram Sena Pramod Muthalik is holding a 2-day meeting of the Hindu organisations from May 11 in a private hotel in Bengaluru. As per the sources, more than 20 Hindu organisations are taking part in the meeting.

They will discuss the legal action on the use of loudspeakers in mosques as well as the future course of action. Muthalik has warned that the agitation will be intensified in the coming days.

Chief Minister Bommai had stated that the ruling BJP government would issue an official order soon to implement the Supreme Court guidelines on the use of loudspeakers. He also assured that he would talk to the officials in this regard and take a call.

"The Supreme Court, Central government and the state government have ordered the use of loudspeakers. The government has decided to follow these orders. He also stated that the guidelines would be implemented in a most cordial manner," Bommai said.
Lisbon, May 10 : With a daily average of 1,150 new Covid-19 cases per million inhabitants, Portugal is the European Union (EU) country with the most infections in the last seven days, said a study.

Portugal's number is more than double the EU's daily average, which is 447 new cases per million inhabitants, Xinhua news agency quoted the study by analysts from Our World in Data, a research project based out of Oxford University, as saying.

As for the number of new daily deaths per million inhabitants, Portugal is the eighth country in the EU, with an average of 1.97 Covid-19 deaths in the last seven days.

The EU average of new daily deaths is 1.43, while the world average is 0.2.

According to data from the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS), 76,183 cases were identified between April 26 and May 2, which represents a 27-fold increase compared to the same period last year.

In April, a joint study by DGS and the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, a public organisation of the Ministry of Health, found that the pandemic in Portugal currently maintains a "very high transmissibility," with mortality showing an "increasing trend".

As of Tuesday morning, Portugal's overall caseload and death toll stood at 3,935,932 and 22,420.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition filed by JBM Ecolife Mobility Private Ltd challenging the rejection of its bid for the tender floated by Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL).

The bid was for procurement, operation, and maintenance of 5,450 Electric buses and 135 double-decker electric buses and allied electric and civil infrastructure in Gross Cost Contract through single-stage two-envelope bidding.

Justice Yashwant Varma dismissed the plea after a detailed hearing.

The petitioner, JBM Ecolife urged that the rejection of its bid on account of debarment of a sister concern, i.e., JBM Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd was done without following the principles of natural justice and statutory norms and that CESL could not have rejected its bid on account of another company's debarment, thereby seeking setting aside of the decision of rejection of its bid and an order allowing it to participate in the tender process.

Tata Motors Ltd was the preferred bidder (L-1) in the tender and it was the case of JBM Ecolife that its bid was superior to that of Tata Motors Ltd in several categories on account of the lower price quoted by it.

Senior advocates Dushyant Dave and Rajiv Nayyar appeared on behalf of the petitioner, JBM Ecolife.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma along with Adv Apoorv Kurup and Adv Manish Mohan appeared on behalf of the Respondent No.1 (Union of India).

Senior advocate Parag Tripathi appeared on behalf of Respondent No.2 (CESL).

Senior Advocates Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Gopal Jain, along with Nandini Gore, Senior Partner, Karanjawala & Co, along with Aditi Bhatt, Sarthak Gaur, and Yash Dubey appeared on the behalf of Tata Motors Ltd, the impleader in the writ petition.

The reliefs sought in the writ petition were opposed by Tata Motors Ltd on the ground that the petitioner, JBM Ecolife has failed to make Tata Motors Ltd a party in the writ petition despite it being a necessary party; that scope of judicial scrutiny in tender matters is limited; that there is no obligation to award the contract to the lowest bidder when tender conditions have not been complied with; and that any judicial interference in the tender process would cause a delay in the process, lead to loss to the public exchequer and be against the public interest.
Islamabad, May 10 : Mohammad Rizwan, former Director the Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency who probed the money laundering charges against incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz, has died of a heart attack.

Rizwan went on a long leave just before the formation of the coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)and was later transferred from the office of FIA Lahore last month, reports Dawn news.

His name was also placed on the no-fly list.

According to a family member, Rizwan, 47, suffered a cardiac arrest in the early hours on Monday and he was shifted to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Rizwan belonged to the police service and had the rank of DIG.

During his posting as FIA Lahore chief Rizwan also probed into money laundering and market manipulation charges against sugar baron Jahangir Khan Tareen (who is currently supporting the ruling PML-N) and former federal industries minister Khusro Bakhtiar and his family members and two sugar mills of media houses.

The FIA investigators under Rizwan had detected Rs110 billion earning by the sugar mafia during the PTI rule through 'speculative pricing'. Further action in the sugar scam was halted due to political reasons.

In the money laundering probe, the investigation team under Rizwan had detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of over 14 billion PKR was committed during 2008-18. The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined for beneficial use of his family members, according to the FIA, Dawn reported.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his condolences over the death of Rizwan.

"Saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Rizwan one of the most upright & courageous officers who withstood pressure while investigation & preparing the Rs 16 bn money laundering case against Crime Minister SS. My condolences & prayers go to his family," he said in a tweet.
New Delhi, May 10 : There was a heavy police deployment outside the Qutab Minar complex in the national capital on Tuesday after a right wing group gave a call to recite 'Hanuman Chalisa' on the premises of the world heritage site.

The origin of Qutab Minar is shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.

United Hindu Front (UHF) president Jai Bhagwan Goyal, who had given a call to reach the complex at 12.00 p.m. on Tuesday, while exclusively speaking to IANS, said that he has been under house arrest since morning at his residence in Delhi's Shahdara area. "At least 10-15 police personnel are outside my house. They are not allowing me to leave,"the UHF president said.

Several people affiliated with right wing groups had gathered outside the Qutab Minar even as there was heavy police deployment. They were seen reciting the Hanuman Chalisa (a Hindu religion prayer).

"First stop calling it a Qutab Minar. When Qutab-ud-din Aibak came to India, he demolished Hindu and Jain temples and started calling it Qutab Minar. This is not Qutab Minar, it is Vishnu Stambh. Its name should be immediately changed," Goyal demanded.

He further said that several Hindu idols are still present inside the complex and many of them are broken, which is proof that a temple was demolished there. "At least allow us to immerse those idols which are broken and lying inside the complex," said Goyal.

He further demanded that those idols, which are not broken, should be installed there and people should be allowed to visit and pray.

According to Delhi Tourism, Qutab Minar is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom. The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top.
Canberra, May 10 : A record number of Australians have cast their ballots on the first day of pre-polling for the general elections, the country's poll body announced on Tuesday.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), more than 300,000 people cast their votes on the first day of early voting on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

It represents an almost three-fold increase from 120,000 on the first day in the 2019 election.

More than 500 pre-poll voting booths opened on Monday in the lead-up to the election day on May 21.

Voting in elections is mandatory for all Australians aged 18 and over who are enrolled with the AEC.

About 17 million people in the country, where the population is around 26 million, were enrolled to vote in the 2022 general elections.

While the AEC encourages Australians to vote on the election day, those who cannot can either attend pre-polling locations or cast a postal ballot.

People who are in isolation with Covid-19 can vote over the phone.

Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said he was not surprised by the large turnout on day one of pre-polling.

"We were expecting an increase in pre-poll and that's exactly what we're seeing at the moment," he told local media on Tuesday.

"But the more in envelopes through pre-poll and postal, the harder it will be to determine a result on the night." Approximately 40 per cent of Australians voted either early or by post at the 2019 election.

Rogers told the media on Monday that the AEC expects the figure to be even higher for the upcoming election.

Almost 2 million Australians have already applied to vote by post compared to 1.5 million in 2019.
Patna, May 10 : Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister, Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday blamed low-quality construction material for the collapse of a bridge in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.

A section of the bridge which connected Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district to Khagaria in Munger district collapsed on April 29.

The Bihar government officials submitted a report to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wherein it mentioned that the bridge had collapsed due to strong wind and fog.

"Recently, a bridge collapsed in Bihar's Bhagalpur district. When I asked my secretary about that incident, he, on the basis of the report, said the bridge collapsed due to wind and fog," Gadkari said while addressing people at an event in New Delhi.

"Would you believe in the theory of wind and fog? You are an IAS officer. How could a bridge collapse due to wind and fog? There must be some other reasons. The construction material used in the bridge must be sub-standard. Hence, it had collapsed," he added during an interaction with his secretary which he shared during the event.

The construction of the bridge measuring 3.16 km in length was started on March 9, 2015, with the estimated completion time of December 2019.

The construction company has breached several deadlines and the bridge is yet to be completed.

The estimated cost of the bridge is Rs 1,710 crore and is one of the ambitious projects of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, connecting Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district to adjoining Khagaria along the Ganga river.

The Bihar road construction department is constructing this bridge and has also prepared approach roads from both the sides.
Lucknow, May 10 : Major political parties in Uttar Pradesh are 'headless' even after it has been two months since the Assembly results were announced.

The BJP, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal are among the parties that do not have a state head at present.

Most parties are working out caste arithmetic for the next Lok Sabha elections before they appoint a state head. Some are even waiting for rival parties to announce their state presidents before they do so.

The BJP, for instance, is working out caste equations before it announces the name of its state president.

The present state president Swatantra Dev Singh has been inducted into the council of ministers and the party, for all practical purposes, is headless.

As the BJP strictly adheres to the principle of 'one man one post', a new face is sure to take command of the state organisation soon.

The party's focus is on managing caste balances for the 2024 elections and it is this factor that will decide the name of the new state chief.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu was asked to resign in March after the party faced its worst ever debacle in Uttar Pradesh.

Party sources claim that some leaders have even been shortlisted to revive the party, but most of them have expressed reservations about working under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's coterie.

The party remains in a state of inertia in Uttar Pradesh since the past two months and even the general secretary in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has kept away from the state.

Rashtriya Lok Dal state president Dr Masood Ahmad had resigned immediately after the announcement of the Assembly results in March. He levelled serious allegations against the party leadership before leaving.

The RLD leadership, since then, has not found a suitable successor to Dr Masood Ahmad and the party also remains headless.

If sources are to be believed, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is also planning a major revamp. SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel is expected to be elevated to the national level and the party wants a younger and more energetic leader to head the state.

The decision on this is pending.

The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) is also headless at the moment.

PSPL president Shivpal Yadav had dissolved all organisational units a few weeks ago. Last week he appointed heads of various frontal units, but did not name a new state president.

Sources said that Shivpal would first decide his future course of action in politics before naming a state president.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) on Tuesday hailed the Delhi High Court's view that the use of a registered trademark as a keyword on Google Ads by a competitor would amount to trademark infringement.

Justice Prathiba M. Singh had observed that Google Ads creates a situation where a trademark proprietor is being forced to bid for its own trademark for the advertisement of its own goods and services.

"It is unethical of Google to encash upon the goodwill and reputation of brands by allowing their competitors to use their registered trademarks as keywords in Google Ads," said Sijo Kuruvilla George, the Executive Director of the ADIF.

Justice Singh, in her interim order passed on a lawsuit by MakeMyTrip (plaintiff), said that the use of the 'MakeMyTrip' mark on the Google Ads Programme as a keyword by Booking.com and Google would amount to trademark infringement and be detrimental to the plaintiff's monetary interest and brand equity.

In the European Union, Google investigates the use of trademarks as keywords in published ads, but in India, it refuses to do so, said the ADIF.

In an earlier instance, Justice V. Kameswar Rao of the Delhi High Court said that allowing advertisers to choose a keyword which is a trademarked term or interspersing it with other generic words in the ad-title or ad-text is an infringement.

In that case, the court had questioned the tech giant's lack of parity in policy and directed Google to investigate the matter of trademark infringement and resultant misleading ads.

"We exhort Google to put an end to the menace of misleading ads on their platforms," said George.
Nizamabad: BJP flags flutter in the air during a public meeting that was addressed by Prime Minister and party leader Narendra Modi in Nizamabad, Telangana on Nov 27, 2018. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, May 10 : The decision of the BJP top brass to invite leaders from other political parties as a strategy to gain upper hand in the 2023 Assembly elections has upset the loyal party men in Karnataka.

Sources in the party said that within the party loyal workers are expressing their dissatisfaction over the preference being given to leaders from other parties and they are now questioning the seniors. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after the recently held Assembly elections in five states said that many leaders from opposite parties have approached the BJP. Bommai also stated that they were being told to join the party at an appropriate time. This has caused heart burns in the loyalist group.

Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti joined the BJP last week during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Karnataka. Senior Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj, former MLC Sandesh Nagaraj, former MLA's Varthur Prakash and Manjunath Gowda have joined the party recently.

Former Rajya Sabha member K.B. Krishnamurthy, former minister S.T. Jayaram's son Ashok Jayaram from Mandya and former IRS officer Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda have also joined the BJP. Both are from the Janata Dal (Secular).

The workers are upset that more than a dozen leaders were inducted into the BJP through 'Operation Lotus' in 2019. The party is all set to invite more leaders into its fold from the Congress and JD(S).

Many leaders, who have come to the BJP, had openly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and their videos are still available on social media platforms. The BJP loyalists are expressing their helplessness saying that they will have to work for them also.

The move for the inclusion of Pramod Madhwaraj, a powerful leader from coastal Karnataka, is described as a blow to the Congress and the party workers are upset, according to sources.

The inclusion of the Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti has already triggered a war of words among the BJP leaders of north Karnataka. The party workers are questioning the leaders that, if leaders from outside are preferred, why they should put in efforts for party ideologies and take risks.

The party workers are ridiculing the move by saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't mean by Congress Mukt Bharat that BJP started inviting the Congress leaders into the party at the cost of loyalists.

However, party sources claimed that it is necessary to achieve a majority in the Assembly elections as the BJP till date has failed to attain a simple majority in the General Assembly elections till date.
Kabul, May 10 : A total of 63 Islamic State (IS) terrorists have laid down arms and surrendered to security authorities in Afghanistan, an official statement released on Tuesday said.

Pardoning the surrendered insurgents for their activities in the past, a senior security official said that the former militants will be severely punished if they violate the law or disrupt security in the area, reports Xinhua news agency.

More than 600 alleged militants affiliated with the IS terror group have surrendered to security authorities in Nangarhar province over the past six months, the statement added.
Bhopal, May 10 : With the Supreme Court on Tuesday directing the states to follow the triple test it laid down in 2021 for reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBC) in local body elections, both the BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh have supported the apex court's decision ahead of the state Assembly polls scheduled in 2023.

The triple test involves the appointment of panels, gathering empirical data quantifying the extent and backwardness local body-wise, and ensuring the reservation does not exceed the 50 per cent ceiling.

The apex court in its judgement directed the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to issue a notification regarding panchayat elections within two weeks.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in his response said the state government will file a review petition against the SC order to hold panchayat elections as well as on OBC reservation.

"We are yet to study the judgement in detail but we will file a review petition hoping that the panchayat elections are held with OBC reservation," Chouhan added while responding to mediapersons on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court's order came in response to a petition regarding 23,000 unfilled panchayat seats in Madhya Pradesh. The seats remained vacant as the state could not fulfil the triple test.

Earlier in December 2021, the apex court had directed the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to re-notify OBC seats in local bodies as general seats and then conduct elections.

Both the BJP and the Congress levelled allegations against each other over the OBC reservation issue, however, both the parties had reached a unanimous consensus not to conduct polls without OBC reservation in the state.

A unanimous resolution in this regard was passed by the state Assembly in December 2021.

A bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, A.S. Oka, and C.T. Ravikumar took serious exception to the vacant 321 urban bodies and nearly 23,260 panchayat seats in Madhya Pradesh.

The bench said such conduct is "bordering on the breakdown of the rule of law".

The court directed the poll watchdog to notify the elections within two weeks.

It made it clear that neither delimitation nor triple test compliance can delay the filling up of the vacant seats.

The court said the seats must be represented by elected representatives after every five years as per the constitutional requirement.

The bench said the triple test formula laid down in a judgment in March 2021 will be applicable to elections on all local bodies across the country and is binding on all states and state Election Commissions.

Opposition Congress leader Arun Yadav said his party was apprehensive over the gross negligence of the BJP-led state government towards the OBCs.

He added that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief, Mohan Bhagwat has spoken about "ending reservation" and accused the state government of depriving OBCs of their due rights.
Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a special programme for the presentation of the prestigious Presidents Colours to the Assam Police, in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a special programme for the presentation of the prestigious Presidents Colours to the Assam Police, in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inspects guard of honour during a special programme for the presentation of the prestigious Presidents Colours to the Assam Police, in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a special programme for the presentation of the prestigious Presidents Colours to the Assam Police, in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah being felicitated with a Japi (Assamese hat) during the one year anniversary of BJP led Assam Govt, in Guwahati on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo: Anuwar hazarika/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Guwahati, May 10 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday presented the President's Colour to Assam Police for its exemplary service in the past decades. President's Colour is the highest honour given to any military or police unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation, during both peace and war. Assam is the 10th state in the country to receive this honour.

After presenting the President's Colour following a ceremonial parade at Nehru Stadium, the Home Minister congratulated Assam Police and appreciated their hard work, commitment and selfless service to the people of Assam.

'Nishaan', a special flag, engraved with Assam's map and 36 stars representing the districts of the state, a one-horned rhino and the insignia of Assam Police with its motto was handed over to the Assam policemen.

Besides Assam, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi and Tripura have also received the President's Colour Award. Shah bestowed the honour on the state police in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.
Dahod : , May 10 (IANS) Congress party's former president Rahul Gandhi has promised to scrap the rivers interlinking project in Gujarat, provide free health services and education.

Though these issues are deeply touching the bottom of the pyramid, the big question for Rahul and the party is, will these promises bring votes for their candidates and win more seats than the 2012 and 2017 Assembly elections.

Rahul Gandhi is on a day's visit to Gujarat on Tuesday. While addressing Adivasi Satyagrah rally in Dahod, he said tribals have rights on the natural resources, and development should not be at the cost of their existence and livelihood.

He promised that if the Congress comes to power in the state it will scrap the Par- Tapi- Narmada interlinking project, which is being opposed by tribals from Valsad, Navsari, Tapi and Surat districts.

Reminding that during the BJP regime, he said that the privatisation has grown by leaps and bounds in social sectors like education and health sectors, this has become a burden for some parents and families. Rahul promised to give free health and education in the state, as the party did in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

In an effort to expose the BJP's failure in tackling the Covid pandemic, he mentioned about the shortages in oxygen, ventilators and beds faced by the people of the state in first and second wave. He said because of the shortage "some three lakh persons lost their lives during the pandemic". He also mentioned about the bodies floating in the Ganga River during the pandemic.

To connect with tribals as well as the general public, Rahul Gandhi recalled how the Land Acquisition Act 2013 was benefitting the people at large because strict norms and connecting land price with market value is helping in getting good financial rewards if their land is acquired for development projects. He also emphasised that the Congress brought changes in the ages old land acquisition Act introduced by the British.

He said that this was not a public meeting, "the Congress today launched 'Satyagrah' for the Adivasis' rights and will continue to fight for their rights till they get justice. During the BJP rule people have benefitted less, but millionaires have made huge profits and the Indian society is divided into two parts -- rich people's India and poor India..." For the first time Gujarat Congress has aggressively used social media to reach out to millions of people. Will Rahul's speech influence the voters is difficult to answer, because to win elections the BJP will also fight aggressively. The Congress has to work hard as it has to overcome its internal fighting, build confidence and trust among the people and show they can deliver results, only if people are convinced such meetings will reap results, is the assessment of Hari Desai, a political analyst.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Los Angeles, May 10 : Reality TV star Kim Kardashian was given a fake lock of Marilyn Monroe's hair, claimed by an expert of the Hollywood icon.

According to aceshowbiz.com, Scott Fortner, a historian and collector of the 'Some Like It Hot' star, refuted that Kim was presented with a real piece of Marilyn's hair by Ripley's 'Believe It Or Not'.

This comes after they presented the 41-year-old Kim with a "silver box that contained an actual lock of Marilyn's iconic platinum hair" at a fitting for her look at the 2022 Met Gala; the sparkly nude illusion gown, designed by Bob Mackie, which the 'Gentleman Prefer Blondes' star wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday in 1962.

Fortner, collector of the The Marilyn Monroe Collection, responded to the company's Instagram post with a fact check.

He wrote, "News Alert: Marilyn Monroe Hair Gifted to Kardashian by Ripley's is Fake." Referencing Ripley's own website, Scott pointed out alleged falsehoods presented, such as a screenshot of an article that promised "an exclusive look" of Kim getting ready stated that the lock of hair "has been authenticated by John Reznikoff" and that it was chopped off by hairstylist Robert Champion.

Fortner believed that Monroe's stylist on that night was Kenneth Battelle and explained his reasoning with a receipt.

He wrote in the caption, "One could assume the hair given to KK was part of this lot of hair that was cut by Robert Champion 'just prior to her MSG performance." "News Flash: Robert Champion did not cut and style Marilyn's hair for the JFK gala. It was actually the one and only 'Mr. Kenneth' who had the honours," he continued his argument.

"Battelle is responsible for Marilyn's famous hairstyle from that night, as documented by a receipt from Lilly Dache Beauty Salon." Fortner has since spoken out about Kim's decision to sport the dress at the Anna Wintour planned bash since the dress was made to "precisely match every curve" of Marilyn's frame.

"While I understand the appeal of wanting to wear such an iconic gown, it can't be dismissed or overlooked that anyone other than Marilyn Monroe wearing the famous 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' dress might be cause for concern for several reasons," he said.

"The dress was custom-made for Marilyn Monroe." "Marilyn stood nude as the fabric for the dress was literally sculpted to her body to precisely match every curve," he continued.

"The fabric, which is a flesh-colored souffle gauze imported from France, was layered strategically so she wouldn't need to wear undergarments."
New York, May 10 : An international team of scientists has identified a drug that blocks growth of the most aggressive brain tumour and how to most accurately identify which tumour will respond to the drug.

When a non-metastatic brain tumour - meningioma - recurs after surgery and radiation treatment, a patient is out of options. No drugs are approved for these aggressive tumours, which occur in up to 20 per cent of cases and can lead to patient disability or even death.

But the new drug called abemaciclib, detailed in the journal Nature Genetics, is a cell cycle inhibitor, meaning it blocks the cell division cycle and inhibits tumour growth.

The scientists at universities of Northwestern, California, and Hong Kong demonstrated the effectiveness of the drug in select patients, mouse models, a 3D living tissue brain tumour (organoids) and cell cultures.

Investigators discovered that meningiomas can be divided into molecular subgroups with different clinical outcomes and recurrence rates. This new method of classifying tumours allows scientists to predict recurrence more accurately than the current method of classifying the tumour.

Currently, after surgery, doctors examine a specimen of a tumour under a microscope and grade it one, two or three in its aggressiveness. But the grade is only about 70 per cent accurate, meaning some tumours will behave in a way that doesn't fit with how it appears under the microscope.

"Our study identifies which patients we should treat with this drug, because their tumours will likely respond to it," said Dr Stephen Magill, Assistant Professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine.

"We now have the potential to give them options and hope for a longer, symptom-free life." The team found that mice with meningiomas treated with the medication lived longer and their tumours didn't grow as rapidly.

The drug was also used off-label as compassionate use in several patients whose tumours decreased in size and whose symptoms improved, suggesting the drug should be considered for clinical trials, Magill said.

"Eventually we hope to tailor medical therapy to the genetic changes within each individual person's meningioma," Magill said.

Meningiomas are the most common primary (non-metastatic) tumour in the central nervous system. The symptoms are headaches, seizures or neurological deficits (weakness, vision loss, double vision or sensory changes).
Bangkok, May 10 : The Indian women's badminton team sealed its place in the Uber Cup 2022 quarterfinals after registering a 4-1 win over US in their Group D tie, here on Tuesday.

Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu got the ball rolling for India, beating the 95th ranked Jennie Gai 21-10, 21-11 in the first singles clash.

The Indian shuttler dominated the match right from the beginning and raced to 16-4 lead in the first game. There was no looking back from there on for Sindhu as the world No. 7 sealed off the contest with ease in 26 minutes.

Thereafter, Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly doubled India's advantage with a solid 21-19, 21-10 victory over Francesca Corbett and Allison Lee. The Indian duo was trailing 5-11 in the opening game but produced a fine comeback to take the lead.

The second game was a much more straightforward affair as Crasto and Jolly cruised to a 12-0 lead before closing the match off in 34 minutes.

Aakarshi Kashyap then confirmed the tie for India with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Esther Shi.

Lauren Lam and Kodi Tang Lee pulled a point back for Team USA, edging out Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker 12-21, 21-17, 13-21 in the second doubles match of the tie.

However, youngster Ashmita Chaliha completed the 4-1 scoreline for India after accounting for Natalie Chi 21-18, 21-13 in the final rubber of the day.

The victory on Tuesday, coupled with their 4-1 win over Canada on Sunday, ensured India a top-two finish along with South Korea in the Uber Cup Group D and in extension, a berth in the top-eight. India and Korea will meet on Wednesday to settle the group winners.

Earlier, the Indian men's team had secured their quarters berth in the Thomas Cup and will also be in action on Wednesday for their final Group C encounter against Chinese Taipei.

Notably, both the Indian men's and women's teams were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Thomas and Uber Cup 2020 held last year.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to consider issuing a directive to the state governments to keep the operation of the sedition provision, Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, in abeyance till the process of review of the provision is over. The apex court gave 24 hours to the Centre to inform it about its decision in the matter.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, that cases are pending and cited Attorney General submissions on the misuse of sedition law over the recitation of 'Hanuman Chalisa'.

The bench said till the government completes the process of re-examining the sedition law, could it issue a directive to the state governments to keep the operation of the law in abeyance. The top court emphasized that it is essential to protect people from the misuse of the sedition law.

In an affidavit, the Ministry of Home Affairs has told the Supreme Court that in spirit of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the Prime Minister's unequivocal views in favour of protection of civil liberties and to shed colonial baggage, the government has decided to re-examine and re-consider the sedition law.

The Chief Justice said there are two concerns -- what about pending cases (where people are charged under this law)? Second, application of Sec 124A in the future. The bench asked Mehta to take instructions in the matter and scheduled the matter for further hearing on Wednesday. The bench asked Centre to consider issuing a guideline to states to protect rights of those already arrested under Section 124A.

During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing one of the petitioners, said Mahatma Gandhi had termed this section the most potent weapon to silence opposition to the government. Mehta contended that it would be hazardous to suspend a penal provision. Sibal contended that till the government re-examines the law, no arrest should be made. Justice Kant queried Mehta, can the government say to states, since it is re-examining the law not to use Section 124A. Mehta said he will have to give instructions in the matter.

The top court was hearing arguments on whether a reference to a larger bench is required, as in Kedar Nath Singh judgment (1962), a five-judge bench had retained the section after reading it down.

The top court is hearing petitions filed by Major General S.G. Vombatkere (retd) and the Editors Guild of India and others, challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124A which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Srinagar, May 10 : The Indian Army said on Tuesday that the terrorists deliberately target the civilians during encounters to manage their escape.

Defence ministry, spokesman said in a statement, "Based on an input of likely presence of terrorists in general area of Pandoshan, located approximately 4 kms southeast of Chaudhary Gund, Shopian, a joint cordon & search operation was launched by Indian Army & J&K police at about 7.50 p.m. on May 9, 2022.

"At around 8.30 p.m. while own teams were establishing a cordon around the target house, the terrorists started firing indiscriminately in all directions in an attempt to breach the cordon, thereby putting the lives of civilians at a great risk.

"Sensing grave threat to the lives of the civilians, own teams commenced civilian extrication from the operation site despite being heavily fired upon by the terrorists.

"The terrorists sensing being cornered started firing on the civilians in order to create chaos to assist them in their escape bid. With complete disregard to own safety, the Security Forces were successful in evacuating majority of the civilians to a safe location, however, due to incessant and targetted fire from the terrorists, one soldier Lance Naik Sanjib Das and two civilians namely Shahid Gani Dar and Suhaib Ahmad received gun shot wounds.

"All the injured were immediately evacuated in an Army helicopter to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar. Despite timely medical intervention and best efforts of the doctors, Shahid Gani Dar succumbed to his injuries. The other injured civilian, Suhaib Ahmad is reported to be critical but stable. He will be undergoing life saving surgeries. Lance Naik Sanjib Das is stable and out of danger.

"Taking advantage of cover of the dark, the terrorists managed to escape the operation site. Security Forces have intensified their search operations to nab these terrorists."
Bhopal, May 10 : An obscene dance performed by a woman during a government-organised event in Madhya Pradesh has prompted the state administration to suspend the chief municipal officer, said an official on Tuesday.

The local administration had organised a programme - 'Maa Mahishasur Mardini Devi Mela' in Shamgarh town, some 70 km from the Mandsaur district headquarters. During the event, an allegedly obscene dance was performed on the stage by a woman.

A video of the purported dance programme surfaced on social media showing a woman dancing to the tune of an obscene song. The pictures of state cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Dang and Maa Mahishasur Mardini Devi were seen on a banner in the background.

After the incident, Dang had written a letter to Urban Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh demanding action against Mandsaur's chief municipal officer Nasir Ali Khan. In his letter, Dang mentioned that the programme hurt the religious sentiments of people and hence action should be taken against the responsible officials.

Subsequently, Mandsaur's chief municipal officer Nasir Ali Khan was suspended. Sources told IANS that a suspension order was issued by Ujjain's Divisional Commissioner Sandeep Yadav on Monday. An explanation has also been sought from the Mandsaur district collector on this matter.

The suspension order said, "The pictures of Maa Mahishasur Mardini Devi and elected representatives were displayed on the stage where the obscene dance was organised. An orchestra programme was allowed freely by the chief municipal officer, Nasir Ali Khan, without knowing its outline. This shows the official's carelessness," the order read.
Chennai, May 10 : Tyre major MRF Ltd closed FY22 with a lower net profit on a higher revenue as compared to FY21.

The company's board recommended a final dividend of Rs 144 per share of Rs 10 each. The total dividend for FY22 was Rs 150 after taking into account two interim dividends of Rs 3 each.

For the period under review, MRF had posted a total income of Rs 19,304.43 crore up from Rs 16,128.58 crore.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 647.34 crore last fiscal, down from Rs 1,249.06 crore logged in FY21.

During the year under review, MRF's exports stood at Rs 1,779 crore, up from Rs.1,333 crore logged during FY21.

According to MRF, it was not able to fully recover the increase in raw material cost.

Market conditions, after the pandemic, are also not favourable to absorb such frequent price increases.

The company will do its best to recover the cost increases in the coming months.

The operations were also adversely impacted by the uncertainties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in the early part of the year, issues connected with availability of raw materials and also challenges posed by the Ukrainian war, MRF said.

The company's share with a face value of Rs 10 is one of the highest priced scrips on the bourses.

On Tuesday, the scrip opened at Rs 68,560 and touched a high of Rs 70,895.95.
Chennai, May 10 : The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) will hold a demonstration outside the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam near here on Wednesday against written tests and interviews for plumbers, carpenters being held in Hindi.

According to G.K. Mani, the party President, the MAPS is holding written tests and interviews for hiring plumbers, carpenters in Hindi, thereby depriving the locals of employment opportunities.

He said 'C' and 'D' grade jobs were promised for the locals when their land was acquired in 1978 for the power plant, but that promise was not fulfilled.

Demanding the recruitment exams and interviews be held in Tamil so that the local people get jobs, the PMK will hold a protest demonstration on Wednesday morning, Mani said.

The MAPS is part of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
New Delhi, May 10 : United Hindu Front (UHF) Working President, Jai Bhagwan Goyal on Tuesday claimed that he has been placed under house arrest at his residence in the national capital.

"At least 10-15 police personnel are outside my house in Shahdara. They are not allowing me to leave," the UHF President told IANS.

Several people affiliated to right wing groups had earlier on Tuesday gathered outside the world heritage site -- Qutab Minar -- in Delhi to recite the 'Hanuman Chalisa' (Hindu prayer) on a call given by the UHF Chief.

When IANS contacted Delhi Police, a senior official said Goyal has not been placed under any 'house arrest'.

"We received instructions from the south Delhi police not to allow Goyal to reach the Qutub Minar," official sources said, adding that the police has been deployed just to ensure that Goyal does not reach Qutub Minar.

"He is not under house arrest," the source told IANS.

The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy.

Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret for the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.

According to Delhi Tourism, Qutub Minar is a soaring, 73-metre high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu king.

The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15-metre diameter at the base to just 2.5 metre at the top.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on an appeal challenging the Karnataka High Court order, allowing the trial of a man for allegedly raping his wife.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana issued notice to the Karnataka government and the woman complainant in the matter, after the husband moved the top court challenging the high court order.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing the petitioner, urged the top court to stay the trial, which is scheduled to begin from May 29. The bench - also comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Krishna Murari - said that it would hear the matter in July, and the trial court can be informed that it was seized of the case.

The petitioner challenged the March 23 judgement, which said the exception granted to husband under Section 375 of the IPC cannot be absolute.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising appeared for the wife on caveat.

A single judge bench of the high court said the institution of marriage cannot be used as a license for unleashing a "brutal beast" on the wife. It said it is for the lawmakers to ponder over existence of such inequalities in law and for ages man donning the robes of a husband has used the wife as his chattel.

The high court said: "A brutal act of sexual assault on the wife, against her consent, albeit by the husband, cannot but be termed to be a rape. Such sexual assault by a husband on his wife will have grave consequences on the mental sheet of the wife, it has both psychological and physiological impact on her." Notably, the Delhi High Court had already reserved its verdict on a batch of matters, which have challenged the validity of Exception 2 of Section 375, which decriminalises marital rape.
Lucknow, May 10 : The Yogi Adityanath government will soon set up six Dhanwantri Mega Health Parks with an investment of about Rs 30,000 crore in the state.

The government has set in motion processes to further improve and develop the health infrastructure in the state.

According to a government spokesperson, these Mega Health Parks will make the state self-reliant by enhancing big time the production of health and medical facilities like surgical instruments and medicines.

Along with this, under the Maharishi Sushruta Health Infrastructure Mission, health infrastructure will also be improved at every level at a cost of more than Rs 10,000 crore in the state.

The state government will be doubling the number of seats for medical courses in the state and more than 6,000 doctors and 10,000 paramedical staff will be appointed in various healthcare facilities across the state.

Along with this, doubling the number of ambulances equipped with state-of-the-art life support facilities in Uttar Pradesh, dialysis centres in every district, expanding the network of Jan Aushadhi Kendra, making Uttar Pradesh a TB-free state by 2025 and availability of affordable essential medicines will be ensured.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Enforcement Directorate has seized three cars belonging to IAS officer Pooja Singhal's Chartered Accountant (CA) Suman Kumar in connection with the prevention of money laundering case pertaining to the MGNREGA funds scam of around Rs 18 crore.

On Tuesday, Singhal appeared before the ED's team in Ranchi. Her questioning is still going on. She is being asked about the recovery of the huge cash and her possible involvement in the matter. CA Kumar, who works for Singhal and her husband, was placed under arrest on Saturday following several raids. Kumar was then sent to five days' ED custody. On Tuesday, the ED seized three cars belonging to him, terming them as proceeds of crime.

The ED had on Friday recovered Rs 19.31 crore and a few incriminating documents from the premises of Kumar.

Kumar, a CA of IAS official and mining secretary of Jharkhand Pooja Singhal, came on the radar during the course of investigation. Kumar also handles accounts of Singhal's husband.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had on Friday morning conducted raids at more than 18 places.

The raids were conducted at Ranchi, Chandigarh, Noida, Mumbai, Kollata, Mujjafarpur, Saharsa, and in several parts of NCR including Faridabad and Gurugram.

The ED had also recorded the statements of the CA after seizing the whole cash. They had to take help of bank officials and a currency counting machine.

It is important to be note that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is also mining minister.
New Delhi, May 10 : After the attack on Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters in Mohali, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached the crime spot and is examining the area.

IANS on Tuesday morning said the NIA is in touch with the Punjab Police and the case is likely to be transferred to the central probe agency.

Kuldeep Singh, NIA Director-General (DG), said a team was examining the site to get clues about the suspects behind the attack.

He added that the Punjab Police was officially investigating the case while NIA being a central agency had come to inspect the area.

The NIA DG said they had not registered any case but were waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Punjab Police have detained two suspects in the matter and were questioning them.

A team of the NIA's terror unit got in touch with the Punjab Police soon after the attack took place.

The NIA believes that Khalistani groups are active in Punjab and have carried out the attack after doing a recee of the area several times.

A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired from outside the street which reached the third floor of the building but didn't explode leaving only glass doors and window panes shattered.

It is believed the RPG-22 is likely to have been used in the attack.

On May 6, four Khalistani terrorists were arrested by the Haryana Police.

The preliminary probe has indicated that two car-borne assailants could have been involved in the attack.

A Swift Dzire car was reported to be seen outside the Punjab police intelligence wing before the attack took place.

As the building doesn't have any CCTV cameras, the police is trying to gather CCTV footage of the nearby area. A number of persons living in the neighbourhood have been questioned as well.

The NIA is also gathering information about the incident.

"A terror unit of NIA was in touch with Punjab Police. A few intelligence reports were issued in connection with Punjab that Khalistani outfits are active and the latter are planning to disturb the peace in the area," said a source.
Ahmedabad, May 10 : Adding another feather to his cap and making the country proud, acclaimed architect Balkrishna Doshi, who is credited with designing some of the most iconic structures in Ahmedabad and all over the country, was on Tuesday conferred with the prestigious Royal Gold Medal 2022, one of the worlds highest honours in the field of architecture.

Doshi, 94, is the only one from India and among the rare people globally to have been awarded both the Royal Gold Medal and the Pritzker Architecture Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Architecture, in their lifetime.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, in 2020 for his contribution to the field of architecture. Doshi was awarded three Honorary Doctorate by prestigious international universities, including latest from the Boston Architectural College, US, in 2021.

He is also the recipient of the French 'Global Award for Lifetime Achievement for Sustainable Architecture' by the Institut Francais d'architecture, Paris.

Given in recognition of a lifetime's work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Queen Elizabeth and is given to people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture.

"I am pleasantly surprised and deeply humbled to receive the Royal Gold Medal from the Queen of England. What a great honour! The news of this award brought back memories of my time working with Le Corbusier in 1953 when he had just received the news of getting the Royal Gold Medal. I vividly recollect his excitement on receiving this honour. Today, six decades later, I feel truly overwhelmed to be bestowed with the same award as my guru, Le Corbusier -- honouring my six decades of practice. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my wife, daughters and most importantly my team and collaborators at Sangath, my studio," said Doshi.

The 2022 Honours Committee that selected the Royal Gold Medallist was chaired by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President, Simon Allford and comprised architects Alison Brooks and 2021's Royal Gold Medal recipient, David Adjaye OBE, architect and academic Kate Cheyne, and cultural historian and museum director, Gus Casely-Hayford OBE.

RIBA President Simon Allford, said, "It was an honour and a pleasure to chair the committee in selecting Balkrishna Doshi as the 2022 Royal Gold Medallist. At 94, he has influenced generations of architects through his delightfully purposeful architecture. Influenced by his time spent in the office of Le Corbusier, his work nevertheless is that of an original and independent thinker. His outstanding contribution to the art of architecture, the craft of construction and the practice of urban design establish him as the most deserving recipient of this award." In a career spanning seven decades and over 100 projects, Doshi has influenced the direction of architecture in India and its adjacent regions through both his practice and his teaching.

His buildings combine pioneering modernism with vernacular, informed by a deep appreciation of the traditions of India's architecture, climate, local culture and craft.

His projects include administrative and cultural facilities, housing developments and residential buildings. He has become internationally known for his visionary urban planning and social housing projects, as well as his work in education, both in India and as a visiting professor at universities around the world.

Born in 1927 in Pune to an extended family of furniture makers, Doshi studied at the JJ School of Architecture, Bombay, before working for four years with Le Corbusier as senior designer (1951-54) in Paris and four more years in India to supervise projects in Ahmedabad.

He worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the IIM, Ahmedabad, and they continued to collaborate for over a decade. He founded his own practice, Vastushilpa in 1956 with two architects. Today, Vastushilpa is a multi-disciplinary practise with five partners spanning three generations and has 60 employees.

Some of his key projects include the Shreyas Comprehensive School Campus, Ahmedabad (1958-63); Atira Guest House, Ahmedabad (1958); The Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad (1962); Ahmedabad School of Architecture (1966 -- renamed CEPT University in 2002); Tagore Hall and Memorial Theatre, Ahmedabad (1967); Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad (1976); IIM Bangalore (1977-1992); Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad (1984); Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore (1989); and Amdavad ni Gufa (1994).
Islamabad, May 10 : A "big decision" is on the cards as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be meeting his elder brother and PML-N supremo in London, media reported.

Senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi - who is already in London - confirmed the visit, with sources saying that PM Shehbaz will likely leave for the visit tonight, Geo News reported.

Ex-prime minister Abbasi said that Prime Minister Shehbaz and other party leaders had requested Nawaz Sharif to call a consultative meeting, but did not specify when the recently-elected premier would be reaching the English capital.

But in contradiction to Abbasi's statement, sources said PML-N supremo Nawaz had summoned an urgent meeting of the party's leadership in London.

According to the sources, Nawaz has to consult the party leadership over some important issues he has reservations over and the PML-N is expected to make a "big decision", which is why he rejected the proposal to have an online meeting, Geo News reported.

The party sources further reported that during the meeting, a discussion regarding the strategy on the prices of petroleum products will be held with Nawaz and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

The discussion holds special importance as a delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to begin talks with Pakistani officials on May 18 in Doha.
In the fifty years that I have known Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, who is lovingly addressed as Shivji, I must have witnessed at least two hundred of his recitals and each time it has been more or less the same experience.

Curtain opens -- he enters, sits on the dais with folded hands, looks around at his audience with a confident smile and the whispers start: "Wow! How handsome!", "What a personality", and so on. Very few people know that Shivji is certainly impressive but not just externally. His internal strength -- spiritual, intellectual and emotional -- has revolutionised the music world.

Until about sixty or seventy years ago, the santoor was hardly known to anyone connected with Indian classical music, even though musicologists trace its origin to centuries ago when a string instrument called the 'shata-tantriveena', or veena with hundred strings, was in existence.

Later, somehow the santoor got popular only in Kashmir and for centuries has been used there mostly as an accompanying instrument for vocalists singing 'Sufiana Mausiqi', or music related to the Sufi philosophy. Occasionally, the santoor is still used as a solo instrument in Kashmir but only to play Sufi music. The word santoor, derived from Persian, also means a hundred strings.

Instruments similar to the santoor are found in different parts of the world but with different names. In China it is called 'yang quin', in Germany 'hackbret', in Greece 'santoori', in Hungary 'cymbalom', and in Iran and Iraq, it is known as 'santoor'. In all these countries the instrument has around one hundred strings. It is only in the valley of Kashmir that it has exactly a hundred strings. This fact also establishes the link of the Kashmiri santoor to the 'shata-tantriveena'.

It is quite possible that the instrument got its present name, santoor, because of the Persian influence in India during the twelfth or thirteenth centuries. Some musicologists, however, do maintain that the santoor originated in Iran. Indian musicologists and some ancient music sculptures establish that it is an ancient Indian instrument.

Perhaps gypsies travelling from India to Europe and other parts of the world carried this instrument with them and it was adopted by some of those countries with a different name and shape.

Shivji is the son and disciple of the late Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, who belonged to a family of priests and later turned into a musician. He lived in Jammu and was trained by the legendary musician Pandit Bade Ramdasji, one of the all-time greats of the Banaras gharana. Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma was not only a learned vocalist but also an accomplished tabla, harmonium and esraj player.

In the early fifties he was the music-in-charge of Radio Srinagar. It was during this period that he did extensive research on the santoor and started teaching his son, Shivji, the intricacies of the instrument, particularly in relation to Indian classical music. He taught classical music to Dr Karan Singh, the ex-Maharaja of Kashmir, as well.

Shivji was introduced to music at the tender age of five. He was first taught vocal music, then the tabla and finally the santoor. His performing career started as a tabla player, broadcasting from Jammu and Srinagar radio stations.

Few people know that in his early days Shivji provided tabla accompaniment to musicians of the calibre of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Nisar Hussain Khan, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Hirabai Barodekar, Begum Akhtar and Siddheshwari Devi. Around 1961, he provided tabla accompaniment in a jugalbandi with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

While Shivji devoted his life to music, he did not neglect academics and studied for a Master's degree in Economics from the Jammu & Kashmir University. Given the kind of intellectual and spiritual background he came from, it is not surprising that he finally decided to accept the challenge of playing the santoor as his main instrument.

To him goes the credit of converting the santoor to one of the major instruments of Indian classical music. Till then only the sitar, the sarod, the shehnai, the flute and the violin were considered major instruments, with the sarangi being used mostly as an accompanying instrument to vocalists.

The santoor had many limitations such as striking the strings with mallets only and not with fingers. This made it difficult to produce the vital effects of the important 'kriyas' (actions) of classical music, such as 'meend' (a glide) and 'gamak' (a kind of musical jerk).

Shivji experimented on the santoor for years in order to enhance its tonal quality and its string arrangement with a view to improving the playing techniques, but without interfering with the inherent character of the instrument and maintaining the conventional techniques of playing.

In Kashmir, musicians keep the santoor on a wooden stand in front of them while playing it. This provides an extra resonance, which is often disturbing. Shivji was the first musician to keep the santoor on his lap while playing and this helped to eliminate the resonance. Placing a weight of eight kilograms on the lap is not easy. Further, it has to be played for hours at a time.

Indulging in delicate intricacies and skills with perfection needs an extraordinary strength of posture as well. To achieve this, Shivji had to turn a yogi not only in terms of physical 'asanas' (postures in yoga), but in meditation as well. Till today he practises yoga in its purest form.

Shivji is responsible for having changed the string arrangement of the santoor by using thirty-one bridges, instead of twenty-five, and reducing the number of strings from hundred to ninety-one. The modified santoor was thus able to get three clear octaves and chromatic tuning.

Shivji also insisted that the two mallets must be held in the conventional and particular manner, between the trigger and the middle fingers. Any other way of holding the 'kalam' would interfere with the instrument's desired tonal quality. With this, he changed the history of the santoor, its stature, its appeal and attraction to music lovers. He was also able to change the instrument's emotional and spiritual expression, which gave the santoor a new identity.

(An extract from the chapter "Shivji's Tryst with the Santoor" by Vijay Kichlu from the book "Shiv Kumar Sharma: The Man and his Music". Edited by Ina Puri for Niyogi Books. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher.)
Bengaluru, May 10 : The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have locked horns over the issue of dubbing Hindu activists who are agitating against the use of loudspeakers during Azaan as terrorists.

The Congress party taking a clear position on the issue reiterated its stand of calling Hindu activists as terrorists on Tuesday. Congress State President D.K. Shivakumar defending the stand asked what's wrong if people disturbing peace and harmony are called terrorists? If someone is creating a rift between castes, what else can they be called? he questioned.

Answering a question on an earlier statement in this regard by the Opposition leader in the Legislative Council, B.K. Hariprasad, he maintained that his statement must not be misunderstood. "Whoever indulged in creating unrest in society are called terrorists," he reiterated.

The ruling BJP is responsible for the issue of Azaan versus Hanuman Chalisa prayers in the state. The government is encouraging this development on the one hand and trying to pose as if it is controlling the situation on the other, he said.

The BJP is claiming that it would bring guidelines in 15 days. It should also think about job creation, he said.

Senior BJP leader and former MLC Ashwath Narayan told IANS that the terrorist statement reflected the mindset of the Congress party. The guidelines on loudspeakers were not brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The guidelines are given by the Supreme Court and are framed for both mosques and temples. Congress leader Hariprasad had been in national politics for four decades and has come to the state recently. "He thinks Karnataka as north India," he said.

The Congress leaders including Shivakumar are instigating Hindu activists by issuing provocative statements, he maintained.

Meanwhile, Hindu organisations have warned former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy that his JD (S) party would never be able to attain power if his stand is anti-Hindu.

Kumaraswamy had urged the government to send people like Pramod Muthalik who are creating unrest to jail. The statement had stirred a controversy in the state.
Panaji, May 10 : Citing an example that during the recent visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, when he asked for Himalaya mineral water and the bottle cost Rs 850, Goa Civil Supply Minister Ravi Naik said that in future water will be as expensive as gold and diamonds.

Naik, who also holds the agriculture portfolio, was speaking during the inauguration of the administrative building for agriculture in Ponda, south Goa.

"One of the American newspapers has published that in the future the rate of water will come at the same level of gold and diamonds. Hence, we need to preserve water," he said.

He said that the state records around 120 inches of rain every season, hence it won't be difficult to preserve water. "The government can build dams across the state wherever there are mountains and store water," he said.

Ravi Naik had earlier said that water could be supplied to the rest of the country and could even be exported to other countries.

"When Amit Shah was in Goa, he asked for a Himalaya water bottle. It was then brought from Mapusa (around 15 km from Panaji). It cost Rs 850," Naik said as he confirmed the rate with his officials on the dais.

"Even the rate of mineral water bottles in star hotels comes in the range of Rs 150 to Rs 160. This is how expensive water has become," he said.

He went on to say that there will be a shortage of water in the future in India and across the world. "People may fight with each other for water, this may be a situation in future," Naik asserted, adding that preserving water is the need of the hour.
May 10 : After the Delhi High Court asked the producers of Ranveer Singh starrer Jayeshbhai Jordaar to show the court the objectionable scenes, it has today cleared the theatrical release of the film on May 13. The High Court, however, asked the makers to add new disclaimers.

On Tuesday, the High Court was hearing a petition that sought to remove a scene from the film where a sex determination test was shown. On Monday, the High Court told the producers that they should not make the illegal practice of sex determination of foetus insignificant. The court further said that such illegal practices cannot be shown in films as if they are normal and routine.

The High Court further said, "Don't trivialise it to show that anybody can walk into any clinic and get it done. The dramatisation should be that they are aware that it is illegal but it is still being done."

The court also stated that the trailer did not show the circumstances in which the lady was taken to the clinic. This may give an impression that the family takes that woman to the doctor. No message shown that it is illegal, the court said.

After Justice Naveen Chawla and Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, on the bench, watched the relevant scenes from the film, the court ordered, "We have also perused the trailer and also the relevant scenes from the movie. We had suggested certain further disclaimers to be displayed in the trailer and also in the movie when the scenes in relation to ultrasound scene and another connected scene is depicted. The learned senior counsel, without prejudice to his submissions, has agreed to depict a further static warning/disclaimer to be depicted during the running of both the scenes," a Bar and Bench report suggested.

The order further stated, Keeping in view that the film has already been certified and is scheduled to be released on May 13 and the disclaimer that has now been agreed to be shown during the scene in question. The senior counsel submits that similar warning/disclaimer will be depicted on all formats on the trailer and YouTube. He however submits that he will require some time. He assures that the same will be done. The R-4 is bound by the statements made by the senior counsel on its behalf."

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, who had appeared on behalf of Yash Raj Films, cited the references of Deepika Padukone's Padmaavat and Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi said that Jayeshbhai Jordaar should also be seen in its entirety.

Helmed by debutant director Divyang Thakkar and backed by Yash Raj Films, Jayeshbhai Jordaar stars Ranveer Singh in the lead. It also stars Shalini Pandey of Arjun Reddy fame, Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah among others. The film is slated to hit the screens on May 13.
Karachi, May 10 : The Pakistani currency depreciated by Rs 0.60 to an all-time low of Rs 188.66 against the US dollar in the interbank market on Tuesday, as looming uncertainty over the resumption of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme took a toll on the local unit, Geo News reported.

The local currency surpassed its April 7 record low of Rs 188.18.

Currency dealers believe that a delay in the IMF programme, lack of immediate financial support from friendly countries, depleting foreign exchange reserves and surging trade deficit kept the pressure on the domestic currency.

The new government's reluctance to remove subsidies on fuel and electricity -- which are the pre-conditions for the revival of the IMF programme -- dampened investors' sentiment.

Moreover, investors are concerned about the falling foreign currency reserves -- as the inflows from remittances and export proceeds are not sufficient to meet the market demand -- and growing external debt payments and soaring imports. This is putting pressure on the rupee, Geo News reported.

There is also ambiguity over the financial support from Saudi Arabia, UAE and China. The political temperature was also rising following the former Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement that he would march with his supporters to Islamabad after May 20 to demand new elections.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi Police on Tuesday detained 44 right wing activists from outside Qutab Minar in the national capital after they reached there to recite the 'Hanuman Chalisa' (a Hindu prayer).

A total of 50 people affiliated to right wing groups had gathered outside the world heritage site Qutab Minar to recite Hanuman Chalisa on a call given by United Hindu Front (UHF) Working President, Jai Bhagwan Goyal.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (south Delhi) Benita Mary Jaiker said no permission was granted to the activists to gather there. "The 50 people that gathered there belonged to United Hindu Front and Rashtravadi Shiv Sena," the DCP said. Of them, 44 activists were detained under section 65 (Persons bound to comply with the reasonable directions of police officers) of the Delhi Police Act.

Meanwhile, there was heavy police deployment outside the Qutab Minar complex. United Hindu Front (UHF) president Jai Bhagwan Goyal, who had given a call to reach the complex at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, while exclusively speaking to IANS, said that he was placed under house arrest since morning at his residence in Delhi's Shahdara area. "At least 10-15 police personnel were outside my house. They were not allowing me to leave," the UHF president said. When IANS contacted Delhi Police, a senior official said Goyal has not been placed under house arrest. "We received instructions from the south Delhi police not to allow Goyal to reach the Qutab Minar," official sources said, adding that the police has been deployed just to ensure that Goyal does not reach Qutab Minar.

"He is not under house arrest," the source told IANS.

The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret for the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.

"First stop calling it a Qutab Minar. When Qutab-ud-din Aibak came to India, he demolished Hindu and Jain temples and started calling it Qutab Minar. This is not Qutab Minar, it is Vishnu Stambh. Its name should be immediately changed," Goyal demanded. He added that several Hindu idols are still present inside the complex and many of them are broken, which is proof that a temple was demolished there. "At least allow us to religiously immerse those idols which are broken and lying inside the complex," said Goyal.

He demanded that those idols, which are not broken, should be installed there and people should be allowed to visit and pray.

According to Delhi Tourism, Qutab Minar is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu king. The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top.
Odesa : , May 10 (IANS) The Ukrainian port of Odesa has been hit by missile strikes. One person was killed and five injured when a shopping centre and a depot were hit, Ukraine's armed forces say, BBC reported.

President Zelensky has warned that Russia's blockade of his country's Black Sea ports threatens global food supplies, the report added.

European Council President Charles Michel, who was forced to take shelter as he visited Odesa, warned that badly needed supplies are stuck.

Ukraine and the EU have discussed taking "immediate measures to unblock Ukraine's ports for grain exports" after Russia's blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports has forced its grain exporters to look for alternatives to move their cargo.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed preventing "a global food crisis triggered by Russia's aggressive actions" during talks with European Council President Charles Michel on his visit to Odesa, BBC reported.

The invasion has crippled its export capacity, with Russia destroying transportation infrastructure and blockading Odesa, the main port for grain exports.

"In the port of Odesa, I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export," Michel said.

"This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response," he added.
BERLIN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Officials and business leaders in Germany pin great hopes on the collaboration and mutual trust between China and Germany, which they believe are key to the growth and prosperity of the two countries, which mark their five decades of diplomatic ties this year.

China has been Germany's most important trading partner for six years in a row, starting from 2015, Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said. In just 10 years' time from 1980 to 1990, China surged from the 35th to 14th place among the most important importers for Germany.

"China's importance for German imports is growing steadily," Destatis noted.

China is one of the world's most important growth markets and also an important partner for Germany in tackling global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, said Juergen Friedrich, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Germany Trade & Invest, the country's foreign trade and inward investment agency.

The aggregate volume of bilateral trade reached a new record in 2021, Friedrich said, adding that German companies in China "continue to express investment intentions, including the localization of production and research and development" in China.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Germany diplomatic relations, Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said, "Our experience in China is a good example of successful collaboration between the two countries and between China and Europe."

"From our perspective, collaboration and mutual trust are key to addressing the ongoing challenges that lie ahead for all of us. And they are key to creating growth and prosperity," he added.

The future prospects are further brightened by China's policy decisions, said Zipse. "Looking ahead, we are encouraged by China's pledge to further open its market, as well as its efforts to promote green development and innovation."

German companies attach great importance to practical and mutually beneficial cooperation with China and derive tangible benefits from their cooperation with China, said Wang Weidong, chief of the Economic and Commercial Department at the Chinese Embassy in Germany.

Wang told Xinhua that German companies have a great interest in expanding and deepening their economic and trade cooperation with China.

"China and Germany have made important achievements in their cooperation over the past 50 years for the benefit of the people of both countries and the world, and this mutually beneficial cooperation is particularly valuable in the turbulent situation facing the world today," Wang said. 
Chennai, May 10 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday assured in the state Assembly that no custodial deaths will happen in future in the state.

Stalin said the accused will not be tortured physically or mentally in police custody and assured the safety of people lodged in jails across the state.

He added that custodial deaths cannot be justified irrespective of which party was in power in the state.

The Chief Minister's assurance came after six policemen of Secretariat Colony police station in Chennai were arrested for the alleged custodial death of a youth, Vignesh belonging to the Scheduled Caste community.

Vignesh along with another person Suresh was taken into police custody on April 18 and the former died on April 19.

The autopsy report of Vignesh mentioned that there were 13 injuries on his body, including a fracture in his right leg and several injuries on his face and head, allegedly due to torture in police custody.

In another incident, a person Thangamani, 43, died in Tiruvannamalai sub-jail on April 27 after being taken into custody on April 26 for allegedly brewing illicit liquor.

The family and friends of Thangamani have alleged that the police had tortured him to death and an investigation is underway.
San Francisco/New Delhi, May 10 : The average startup CEO salary increased by 2.7 per cent in 2022 to reach $150,000 per annum globally from last year, while the median increased to $140,000, according to a new report.

According to startup accounting firm Kruze Consulting, in 2022, chief executives at early-stage companies that have raised over $10 million in financing were paid just $199,000.

"Founder CEOs at companies that have raised under $2 millions were paid $106,000 on average -- a difference of over $90,000," the report mentioned.

Startup CEO salaries vary by the amount of venture/seed funding that the companies have raised.

The accounting firm looked at data from over 250 seed and VC-backed startups.

It found that average represents a 7.9 per cent increase in pay from 2020, when CEO wages went down owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Companies that raised over $5 million and over $10 million in funding saw their CEO pay go up by 7.5 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.

"However, startups with more limited funding saw their CEOs make less, by about 7 per cent, than in 2021," the report mentioned.

The report found three primary drivers for this behaviour.

"Firstly, and most obviously, companies with more funding are better able to pay their CEOs. Secondly, the increased CEO salaries recognises that these CEOs are more effective at fundraising, much like how compensation increases for CEOs in mature companies that generate greater profits," said Healy Jones, VP of Financial Planning & Analysis for Kruze.

"Finally, startup culture can generate pressure to not take salaries," Jones added.

Biotech and pharmaceutical companies tend to have the highest CEO compensation, with seed funded companies paying their CEOs nearly $161,000.

Healthcare companies had lower founder/CEO pay.

"We realised that this is because of the rise of D2C healthcare companies, which tend to seem more like SaaS businesses and less like a healthcare company with a CEO who has an advanced degree," the report mentioned.

During Covid, the average startup CEO salary dipped 2 per cent to $139,000, but bounced back to $146,000 at the beginning of 2021.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the release of Ranveer Singh-starrer 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar' with new disclaimers added to it as it showed the use of ultrasound technology for gender determination in certain scenes.

The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by an NGO 'Youth Against Crime' filed through Advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak.

Though the film promotes the "Save Girl Child" slogan and is against female foeticide, the trailer of the film advertises the use of ultrasound technique, as per the petitioner.

The plea said: "The ultrasound clinic scene where the technology of ultrasound for sex determination is being advertised openly without censor and as per section 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 6 and 22 of the PC and PNDT Act, same is not allowed and hence the instant PIL." After a detailed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, the bench said: "We appreciate the message but you have to tell people that it is an offence." "The learned senior counsel, without prejudice to his submissions, has agreed to depict a further static warning or disclaimer during the running of both the scenes... The senior counsel submits that similar warning or disclaimer will be depicted on all formats in the trailer and on YouTube...Respondent-4 (producer) is bound by the statements made by the senior counsel on its behalf," the bench added.

In the order, the court told the producers of the film to ensure the disclaimers twice in the film.

During the course of the hearing, Anurag Ahluwalia representing the Centre, said the film has been certified by the CBFC subject to the insertion of a disclaimer.

During the court hearing on Monday, the court said: "There is nothing to show in the trailer that the lady is taken to the doctor clandestinely.. What is coming out is, any pregnant woman can be routinely taken to the clinic centre with sonography machine and this can be done without any fetters." "Unless we see for ourselves and are satisfied, we are not going to permit this. You seek instructions or otherwise, we will have to stay this," the bench had said.

A hilarious satire on society -- 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar', produced by Maneesh Sharma, also stars 'Arjun Reddy' fame Shalini Pandey, who debuts on Bollywood's big screen opposite Ranveer Singh.

The film has been directed by debutant Divyang Thakkar and is releasing on May 13.
Chandigarh, May 10 : Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has cleared his Class 10 and 12 exams at the age of 87.

He received his mark sheets from the Haryana board in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

In 2021, Chautala had appeared for Class 12 exams under the Haryana Open Board. However, his result was withheld because he had not yet passed a Class 10 English exam. In order to get his Class 12 result released, he appeared for the Class 10 exam.

He scored 88 marks out of 100 in the English paper in his Class 10 examination last year.

Except English, he had cleared his Class 10 exams from the National Institute of Open School in 2017 while serving a 10-year sentence in Delhi's Tihar Jail in connection with a teachers' recruitment scam.

At an examination centre, Chautala had refused to speak to the media, saying "I am a student." Complementing his feat, Jammu and Kashmir's National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, "A person is never too old to learn. Congratulations Chautala Sb."
Srinagar, May 10 : An encounter has started between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday, police said.

"Encounter has started at Kreeri, Dooru area of Anantnag.Police and Army (19RR) on job," police said.

The firefight with the terrorists ensued after a joint team of the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
Jaipur, May 10 : Congress MLA Divya Maderna on Tuesday questioned the functioning of the Rajasthan police in her tweets in the rape case registered against Rohit Joshi, son of state PHED minister Mahesh Joshi at Sadar Bazar police station in Delhi. She advocated the protection of the victims family, questioning the police 'why the case was not registered in Rajasthan.

In her tweets she said, "Rajasthan Govt. in 2019 had directed to register FIRs at SP office from June; in case police stations not registering the complaint, the CM had also directed that a departmental inquiry must be done in connection with all the cases where a police station refuses to register FIR." In another tweet, she said, "Zero FIR filed in Sadar Bazaar police station Delhi is under investigation. But I have serious questions to DGP regarding police administration. Why the FIR was not registered by @PoliceRajasthan," she said tagging the Rajasthan police.

"DGP must immediately direct for departmental inquiry against officers who refused to register FIR. The DGP and @PoliceRajasthan should also immediately provide security cover to the victim and her family as her native residence is in Rajasthan. Our Govt is very sensitive but the police needs to take swift action as this case has raised questions on the working of Raj Police," she added.

The FIR against the minister's son Rohit Joshi was lodged in Delhi by a 23-year-old woman, who alleged that the accused raped her multiple times for over a year.

The complaint mentioned that she was raped in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

Reacting to the allegations against his son, Mahesh Joshi said "Instead of speculation, police should be allowed to do their job. I am sure police will do justice, go deep and find out the truth." Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP in the state alleged that the state government is trying to save the accused. "It is unfortunate that the state government is trying to save the accused. It is the Congress culture, which tries to cover up such cases eventually, which is unfortunate," Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Gulab Chand Kataria said.
Srinagar, May 10 : Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar, said on Tuesday that in some encounters recently in Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts, the Pakistani terrorists started firing on civilians and security forces while the latter were laying an initial cordon, to escape from it.

"In some of such encounters terrorists managed to escape from cordon but we have lost precious lives of civilians and security forces," he added.

"We are trying to bring some change in our tactical standard operating procedures." The Jammu and Kashmir Police said based on specific input about the presence of terrorists in Pandoshan, Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched on Monday evening by the Shopian police and the Army.

"As the joint team was establishing the cordon around the area, the hiding terrorists started indiscriminate firing upon the search party. In order to save the civilians present in the area, the joint team while exercising maximum restraint started evacuating them. However, during evacuation process, the hiding terrorists targeted the civilians as well as the joint team in a bid to escape," police added.

"Although, the civilians were evacuated to safer place, however, due to heavy firing by terrorists, one soldier Lance Naik Sanjib Das and two civilians namely, Shahid Gani Dar and Suhaib Ahmad, received gunshot injuries." The police said all the three injured persons were immediately airlifted to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar, for treatment.

However, civilian Shahid Gani Dar succumbed to his injuries while the other injured civilian, Suhaib Ahmad and Army soldier, Lance Naik Sanjib Das are under treatment.

After all medico-legal formalities the body of the slain civilian has been handed over to his family for the last rites.

"Taking advantage of the darkness and civilian presence, the terrorists managed to escape from the site of encounter. Efforts are on to track the terrorists," the police added.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave 24 hours to the Centre to consider, whether the operation of the sedition provision, Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, could be kept in abeyance till the process of its review is over.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta: "We will give you time till tomorrow morning to take instructions from the government." The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, emphasized that its main concern is pending cases, and how the government will take care of future cases.

"Section 124A, as well as future cases can be kept in abeyance till reconsideration takes place," said the bench, asking Mehta to come back to it on Wednesday after taking instructions from the government.

The bench observed: "The question is at the ground level, the police and authorities (are using the law). Can a direction be issued, we are re-examining, do not use Section 124A?" The Chief Justice told Mehta the court is giving time till Wednesday to take instructions on what will happen in pending cases, and how will the government take care of future cases. "The main contention, meanwhile, is to protect the interest of people," noted the bench.

In an affidavit, the Ministry of Home Affairs has told the Supreme Court that in spirit of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the Prime Minister's unequivocal views in favour of protection of civil liberties and to shed colonial baggage, the government has decided to re-examine and re-consider the sedition law.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing one of the petitioners, contended that the exercise of the top court cannot be stopped merely because the legislature will take time to reconsider. He added that it was for the judiciary to examine the constitutionality of the law.

At this, the bench queried Mehta: "How long will you take for reconsideration." As the petitioners' lawyer objected to Centre's affidavit, the bench clarified that it is keeping the matter pending and not disposing of.

Citing the Home Ministry's affidavit, the Chief Justice said it says the Prime Minister is cognisant and has often spoken about civil liberties and human rights and diversity of thoughts, and also outdated laws being scrapped.

"They say, they are examining... we should not appear unreasonable," noted the bench. However, it queried Mehta how will the government protect the people, and pointed out at people against whom cases are pending.

As Mehta said FIRs under the sedition law were lodged by the state governments, not the Centre, the bench said: "Why don't you issue a directive (to states) to keep the matter in abeyance?" Mehta replied: "We cannot say what will happen in future.... There has been no history where a penal law has been prevented from being used." He cited judgments where the apex court advised the government not to be trigger happy about sedition FIRs.

However, Justice Kohli persisted: "Why can't Centre issue a communication to states?" The bench also queried: "Can someone stay in jail for months? Your affidavit says civil libertiesa... How will you protect those liberties?" Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan, representing one of the petitioners, said it was becoming a "pattern" with the government to seek more time to delay important cases.

The bench, citing Attorney General K.K. Venugopal's submissions on the misuse of sedition law over the recitation of 'Hanuman Chalisa', added that modification of law takes time, and in the meanwhile, the Centre can issue a directive to states to keep the sedition law in abeyance.

The MHA, in its affidavit, said the Prime Minister has been cognizant of various views expressed on the subject and has also periodically, in various forums, expressed his clear and unequivocal views in favour of protection of civil liberties, respect for human rights, and giving to the constitutionally cherished freedoms to the people of the country.

It added that the PM has repeatedly said that one of India's strengths is the diverse thought streams that beautifully flourish in the country, and the PM believes that at a time when the nation is marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (75 years of Independence), as a nation, it is essential to work harder to shed colonial baggage that passed its utility, which includes outdated colonial laws and practices.

"The government of India, being fully cognisant of various views being expressed on the subject of sedition and also having considered the concerns of civil liberties and human rights, while committed to maintain and protect the sovereignty and integrity of this nation, has decided to re-examine and re-consider the provisions of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, which can only be done before the competent forum," said the affidavit.

The top court was hearing arguments on whether a reference to a larger bench is required, as in Kedar Nath Singh judgment (1962), a five-judge bench had retained the section after reading it down.

The top court is hearing petitions filed by Major General S.G. Vombatkere (retd) and the Editors Guild of India and others, challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124A which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Srinagar, May 10 : Jammu and Kashmir police along with the security forces have arrested four hybrid terrorists of proscribed terror outfit TRF/LeT from Bemina area in Srinagar, officials said on Tuesday.

"Acting on a specific tip-off about the presence of terrorists in Bemina, a checkpoint was set up at the Bemina crossing. Two individuals approaching the checkpoint in a suspicious manner were challenged by the joint party following which they tried to flee. However, they were apprehended by the joint party," the police said.

The apprehended individuals have been identified as Tawoos Rasool Gada and Saleem Jan Bhat, both residents of Usmanabad in Bemina.

"After search, one Chinese pistol, one magazine and 10 live rounds were recovered from their possession," the police said.

"During interrogation, the duo disclosed that they were working as hybrid terrorists of TRF/LET and were involved in delivering pistols in the city to carry out targeted killings at the behest of Pakistani handlers.

On basis of the disclosures made by the two individuals, a cordon and search operation was launched at Hamdania Colony in Srinagar which led to the arrest of two more associates of the terror module, who have been identified as Abdul Hameed Rah alias Ali and Sajad Ahmed Marazi, both residents of Hamdania Colony.

"Two more Chinese pistols, two magazines and 10 live rounds were recovered from their possession," the police said.
Gurugram, May 10 : The police on Tuesday arrested a man from Dhankot village for setting a woman on fire.

The police said the victim Seema, 23, of Farrukh Nagar, Gurugram, was to get married on May 11.

The accused Jaipal alias Billu (22), a neighbour, used to eve-tease the victim often and she had informed her father Ashok about it.

On Sunday, the woman was sleeping in a room on the terrace. The accused barged into the complainant's house and burnt her after pouring petrol which caused 50 per cent burn injuries.

Neighbours rescued her and rushed her to a hospital from there she was referred to Delhi for further treatment.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that he loved the woman and wanted to get married but the woman's marriage was fixed somewhere and due to this he committed the crime," Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (crime) said.

Crime branch Farrukhnagar unit arrested him on charges of attempt to murder and remanded him in judicial custody.
Srinagar, May 10 : Two terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT have been arrested from Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said on Tuesday.

Police said acting on specific information, Awantipora police, along with army's 50 RR, at a checkpoint established at Befina Chowk Pampore, arrested the two, identified as Arshid Ahmed Mir, resident of Check Satoora Tral, and Muzaffar Ahmad Chopan, resident of Khanmoh Srinagar.

Incriminating materials including two hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

"During preliminary questioning, the arrested duo disclosed that they had received these grenades from an active terrorist of proscribed terror outfit LeT, namely Saqib Ahmad, resident of Khanmoh, and were tasked to lob them on security forces in the area," police said.

A case has been registered and further investigation into the matter is in progress.
The fall of Afghanistan to a puritanical group, the Afghan Taliban, has brought with it a host of challenges not only for the war-ravaged country itself but for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the South Asian region. On the one hand, the supposed victory of the insurgent Taliban is said to have bolstered extremist sentiments throughout the region.

On the other, the Taliban's almost uncontested return to power has upset the delicate balance between the nation-states in this part of the world. Today, each of the eight South Asian countries is grappling with challenges that the ascent of the Taliban has thrown its way.

From concerns regarding the legitimacy claimed by the until now outlawed insurgent group to the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Afghanistan, the South Asian region is finding itself at the precipice of yet another geopolitical tumult.

However, even as each of the eight South Asian nations has its own set of apprehensions about what the ongoing geo-economic and geopolitical crisis in Afghanistan will mean for it, Pakistan may have bitten more than it can chew.

Dealing with a constitutional crisis of its own, the Pakistani (deep) state finds itself at the crossroads of a geopolitical crisis, which is partly of its own making. Suffice it to say here that the rise of its extremist protege, the Taliban, to power in Afghanistan has created rippling effects for which Pakistan might be ill-prepared. In a way, then an observation made by Hillary Clinton years ago, on the potentially harmful consequences of "breeding snakes in one's backyard" is likely to prove true, especially as the Pakistani benefactors and the beneficiary Taliban will only grow further apart in the days to come.

After all, with the nation-state of Afghanistan, its governance structures and administrative institutions firmly under its control, the Taliban will start feeling the pinch of having to deliver on its (controversial) promises, some of which might even be at odds with the interests of its military-ruled neighbour.

Pakistan's Strategic Gambit and Afghanistan Notwithstanding the larger troubling consequences, the interim Afghan government led by the Taliban offers a sense of immediate comfort and satisfaction to Pakistan. It must be mentioned here that the current government led by the Taliban is populated with individuals (and entities) that are known to have explicit backing of the Pakistani deep state.

The Haqqani Network (HQN), for instance, is understood to be a critical middleman within the larger movement of the Taliban, which works to keep the balance in favour of Pakistani interests. It comes as no surprise then that the leader of the HQN, Sirajuddin Haqqani, has made his way into the Taliban's government as the Interior Minister.

Similarly, the rise of a so-called friendly regime in Afghanistan is being viewed as a strategic accomplishment by the Pakistani deep state, which for long had seen the democratic governments of Afghanistan as an implicit threat to its national security. Backed by Western countries on the one hand and being in a friendly alliance with India on the other, the previous regimes leading the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan were seen as being animus to Pakistan's perpetual (and flawed) quest for "strategic depth".

It is important to note here that Pakistan's enduring rivalry with India coloured its approach towards Afghanistan so much so that it viewed the latter's humanitarian and developmental aid with unredeemable suspicion. In fact, the former Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, had gone onto claim that the Indian embassies and consulates in Afghanistan had become a "hub for terror sponsorship against Pakistan".

And while the animosity between India and Pakistan makes trading of allegations an everyday reality, a claim such as the one made by Qureshi is not only phony but also counterfactual given that there has been an increase in the intensity of attacks within Pakistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

India, like other members of the democratic bloc, had shut down all its consulates and embassies in the wake of Taliban's walkover, punching holes in Pakistan's ill-founded thesis.

It is true that the Taliban does not necessarily see eye to eye with India because of reasons that owe themselves partially to the former's close association with the Pakistani deep state. Having said that, the newly assumed mantle of being the political authority of a nation-state is pushing Taliban to question its traditional geopolitical stance. In fact, in a recent statement issued by the Taliban's UN Ambassador designate, Suhail Shaheen, the interim government in Afghanistan is willing to provide "secure environment to reopen their embassies and start functioning as normal".

While it will not be geopolitically judicious to take the Taliban on its face value, India could very well use this opportunity to de-hyphenate the Pakistan-Taliban equation. The Pakistani deep state, however, is unlikely to take such statements of invitation kindly.

All is Not Well in the Paradise According to a report published by the International Crisis Group, "the Taliban, in fact, at least initially appeared in some ways to be dictating Pakistan's policy choices -- forcing Islamabad to concede to at least some demands on cross-border movement and pressuring it to reach a negotiated settlement with the Pakistani Taliban". That the Taliban has managed to turn the tables, even a little bit, indicates that all may not be well in the client-patron paradise.

For that matter, the consolidation of political power in the hands of the Afghan Taliban has given the group some leverage to negotiate with its Pakistani benefactor on a plane shared (only) by state actors.

While the Taliban is still far from attaining national and international credence as the legitimate authority presiding over Afghanistan, it is nevertheless the de-facto government that the world, including Pakistan, will have to deal with on newer terms. Hence, it will not be wrong to suggest that the Taliban's transformation from an insurgent group to an interim government has in itself become an irritant for the Pakistan.

With the Taliban taking a life of its own, more so politically as the authority in Afghanistan, Pakistan is finding itself in a bind of having to deal with a former non-state group becoming its de-facto counterpart.

Facing a Catch-22, or a situation from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting circumstances, the Pakistan of today has willingly made way for the rise of a regime next door that is unlikely to receive national and international support at least in the near future.

It will be tough for Pakistan to not be seen as a protector of a pariah regime. However, the Taliban 2.0, if we may call it that, has not proven to be drastically different from its previous avatar, especially in terms of the policies and practices it follows.

For instance, its puritan diktats, which range from enforcement of dress codes to suspension of schooling for girls beyond sixth standard, has drawn the ire of people both within Afghanistan and beyond. At the same time, Taliban's continuing designation as an internationally proscribed entity will continue to mar its prospects of gathering international momentum in its favour, especially in view of its reluctance to break-off its links with terrorist outfits like the Al-Qaeda.

Domestically, the Taliban's inability as well as its lack of capacity to administer the rule of law, provide services and create a sense of public order in a chaotic Afghanistan will only expose the weaknesses of this group further. Reportedly, the rifts within the Taliban are only growing, which are bound to make the matters worse by pushing competing factions to stake claim at power in their own -- often violent -- ways.

As such, the return of the Taliban in an almost bloodless overthrow of the previous government should not be misunderstood as indication of the group's political victory. Far from it, the walkover by the Taliban demonstrated the inadequacies that plagued the political system of Afghanistan so much so that it could not sustain itself without external support.

On balance then, the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban may not be as beneficial as the Pakistani deep state might want it to be. Far from it, the Taliban's ascent has thrown up challenges for Pakistan, including the potential of further damaging the latter's relationship with the West. Moreover, the Taliban's return to power as an Islamist force is expected to have dangerous spill-over effects that Pakistan can ill-afford.

Hence, while the so-called victory of the Taliban may have delivered a sense of gratification to the powerful army-intelligence nexus of Pakistan in the short-term, it is entirely possible that the Frankenstein will turn on its creator sooner than later. In some ways, it already has.

(Chayanika Saxena is a President Graduate Fellow and final year PhD candidate at the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore)
Guwahati, May 10 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that Assam government was very effectively tackling the illegal migration and alleged that the West Bengal government was not cooperating with the Centre in dealing with the illegal infiltration from across the border.

Praising the Assam government for strongly tackling illegal migration, Shah, also a senior BJP leader, said that the central government has been trying to curb the illegal migration both in Assam and West Bengal, but the Bengal government is not cooperating with the Centre in dealing with the problem.

"While Assam showed much success in tackling the illegal migration (from across the border), but in Bengal not much progress was found in dealing with the problem," he said while addressing a public rally to mark the first anniversary of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam.

The Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to resolve the infiltration problem and added that Assam is standing rock-solid behind the Centre in tackling the problem.

Referring to his visit to the India-Bangladesh border at Mankachar in western Assam on Monday, he said that much efforts including border fencing were taken in the state to curb the illegal migration and as the efforts were on, this problem would be fully resolved within a year.

Noting that the BJP government since 2016, replaced the agitation, violence and militancy by peace and development, Shah said that the cattle smuggling to Bangladesh through Assam, has been almost stopped.

Highlighting the various flagship schemes of the Assam government, Shah said that over 33,000 Bighas of land had been freed from the illegal encroachment and activities of the land mafia and poaching of rhino have been curbed.

Declaring that Assam and the northeastern region would be made a health hub, the Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who according to him visited 50 times in the northeastern region, the states of the region would be at par with the other states of the country in terms of growth and development.
Hyderabad, May 10 : The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on Tuesday announced the latest award under its $200m programme to advance the development of vaccines that provide broad protection against SARS-Cov-2 variants and other beta coronaviruses.

The CEPI will provide funding of up to $19.3 million to support the development of a "variant-proof" SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate to an international multidisciplinary consortium comprising Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL), India, the University of Sydney, Australia, and ExcellGene SA, Switzerland.

According to a joint statement released here, the CEPI's funding will support the consortium as it seeks to establish preclinical and clinical proof of concept for an adjuvanted subunit vaccine designed to provide broad protection against all known SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, as well as future variants of the virus which have not yet emerged.

The CEPI will fund the researchers to conduct activities including immunogen design, preclinical studies, manufacturing process development, and a Phase 1 clinical trial.

In this new vaccine design, modified trimeric spike immunogens will be produced in a robust and scalable process with high purity and yield at low cost, based on a biomanufacturing approach that has provided significant quantities of protein therapeutics to the world.

This strategy could also be used to enable rapid development of broadly protective vaccines against other beta coronaviruses, as well as vaccines against 'Disease X' -unknown pathogens with pandemic potential that may emerge in the future.

Under the terms of the funding agreement, the consortium partners have committed to achieving equitable access to the outputs of this project, in line with the CEPI's equitable access policy.

"As repeated waves of Covid-19 infection remind us, we will be living alongside the virus for many years to come. The threat of a new variant emerging that might evade the protection of our current vaccines is real, so investing in R&D for variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is a global health security imperative. Our partnership with Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney, and ExcellGene will advance the development of a vaccine candidate to protect against future variants of COVID-19, potentially contributing to the long-term control of the virus," said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of the CEPI.

"BBIL has successfully commercialised a universal Covid-19 vaccine for adults and children. While current generations of vaccines are safe and effective, against currently known variants, it is imperative that we focus on innovation for multi-epitope vaccines, where a single vaccine can protect against all future variants. Our expertise in product development and innovation, especially with novel adjuvants and platform technologies will add to the strong partnership with CEPI, ExcellGene, and the University of Sydney," said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, BBIL said.

"Our mission is to deliver safe, affordable and highly effective vaccines to combat existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, and our international consortium is well placed to achieve this goal. The University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australia's world-class early phase clinical trial community," said Prof James Triccas, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney.

"Our technological platform for innovative protein designs was used in the past to identify and manufacture an antigen for an Ebola candidate vaccine, resulting in sterilizing immunity in pre-clinical challenge models. For the current Covid-19 project we are using similar approaches to generate numerous antigen preparations derived from spike protein variants of SARS-CoV-2, focussing eventually on the most promising antigen for vaccine purposes. Obtaining funding and scientific advice from CEPI to further our ongoing collaborations with the University of Sydney and Bharat Biotech is an exciting and most gratifying perspective and will, we hope, contribute towards the science for this and other novel protein-based vaccines," said Dr Maria J. Wurm, CEO, ExcellGene.
Mumbai, May 10 : Against the backdrop of the anti-loudspeakers agitation, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray on Tuesday again warned his estranged cousin and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking him "not to test our patience" as "power comes and goes".

In a letter to the CM, Raj Thackeray said that ever since the MNS launched the movement against illegal loudspeakers on mosques in the state, 28,000 MNS activists were served prohibitory notices, thousands have been externed and many have been dumped in jails, even before they actually started the drive.

"Why? To prevent them from taking down the illegal public address systems from the mosques that cause noise pollution, trouble people and (loudspeakers) to stop them from implementing the verdicts of the Supreme Court and various high courts in the country," Raj Thackeray demanded.

The MNS chief, who is under fire from Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party MP Brijbhushan Sharad Singh against his proposed Ayodhya trip on June 5 - said that the manner in which the police have gone after his men have raised questions in his mind.

"Has the state government or police ever shown similar zeal to nab terrorists or arms hidden in mosques in the state. They are hunting for (MNS spokesperson) Sandip Deshpande and others as if they are terrorists who have come from Pakistan," said Raj Thackeray.

He said that the people of the state and all Hindus are watching with their eyes open that who has given the orders to nab the MNS workers.

"I have only one thing to say: Don' test our patience. Power comes and goes, nobody is permanent. Not even you Uddhav Thackeray!" Raj Thackeray signed off.
Amaravati, May 10 : Former Andhra Pradesh minister P. Narayana was arrested on Tuesday in the Class 10 question paper leak case.

An Andhra Pradesh Police party arrested Narayana from his residence at Kondapur in Hyderabad and brought him to Chittoor, where a case was registered against him.

Narayana, a leader of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is the founder chairman of Narayana Group of institutions.

Chittoor's Superintendent of Police Y. Rishant Reddy told reporters that Narayana has been taken into custody, based on the investigation conducted so far in the case registered in Chittoor I Town police station.

He said the case was registered on a complaint by the District Educational Officer about the circulation of Telugu language question paper on April 27.

The SP revealed that a total of seven persons have been taken into custody so far in this case. He said Narayana was arrested, as per rules, and on the basis of technical evidence gathered and the details collected from other accused.

He said the malpractice was committed in a pre-planned manner to get more admissions into corporate schools. The police learnt that the details of the invigilators on duty at examination centres were gathered by the accused. Students who were good at studies and who were not so good were also identified to help them in malpractice.

The SP said the photograph of the question paper was taken through a headmaster at an examination centre and the accused tried to send back answers to the examination centre. The police also found during the investigation that the question paper leak also happened in a similar manner in the past.

The accused arrested in the case had worked in Narayana institutions in the past. Police were also probing the role of other educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the TDP has condemned Narayana's arrest. The opposition termed the arrest a political conspiracy by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

TDP's national President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu termed Narayana's arrest a political vendetta by the state government. He alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy government arrested Narayana to hide its failure in conducting the exams in a smooth manner.

Naidu wondered how Narayana can be blamed for the government's failure in properly conducting the exams and preventing mass copying. He said arresting the former minister without serving an advance notice, proper investigation and without evidence is nothing but political vendetta.

Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, however, defended Narayana's arrest and said if he was not involved, he should prove this.

The minister pointed out that about 60 persons, including 35 government employees, have been arrested in various cases of question paper leak and other malpractices. He said no one involved in the malpractices would be spared.
Bengaluru, May 10 : Following the loudspeaker row in the state, the BJP government in Karnataka has swung into action. Minister for Tourism Anand Singh stated on Tuesday that action will be initiated against the temple, mosque and church authorities if they fail to follow the guidelines regarding the use of loudspeakers.

There are restrictions on the use of loudspeakers, if local people lodge a complaint action would be initiated. The law which is in place all over the country would be implemented here as well, Anand Singh said.

Anand Singh maintained that the guidelines would be implemented in 7 to 10 days. In case of violations, action will be initiated against the authorities of the religious places, he said.

The decibel limits are being fixed for industrial areas (75 decibels in the morning and 70 decibels in the evening). In commercial areas, it is fixed at 55 decibels and 65 decibels in the morning and night. For residential areas, it is fixed at 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. In silent zones, it is 50 decibels in the morning and 40 decibels at night, Singh said.

Meanwhile, the note signed by Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and released to the media stated that the guidelines in this connection must be implemented with immediate effect as per the instructions of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The meeting on this issue was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary Home department, DG and IGP Praveen Sood, Commissioner of Police Bengaluru, Additional Advocate General, Principle Secretary Law Department, Secretary Pollution Control Board and Secretary Minority Welfare Department.

The provisions of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 and the subsequent order by the Karnataka government dated August 13, 2022, were discussed for implementation.

Bommai has directed that the rules and the Karnataka government order should be strictly implemented.

The guidelines stipulate that all users of loudspeakers or public address systems should obtain written permission from the designated authority within 15 days. Those who don't obtain the permission should voluntarily remove or should be removed by the designated authority.

However, Pramod Muthalik, founder of the Shri Ram Sena, stated that the agitation would continue until the guidelines are implemented.
Bengaluru, May 10 : The Karnataka government is all set to convene a meeting of sugar factory owners on Wednesday to set a deadline and issue a strict warning to them to ensure payment of nearly Rs 2,500 crore dues to sugarcane farmers.

Textiles and Sugarcane Minister, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa made the announcement on Tuesday about convening the meeting to look into the issue of payment of dues to sugarcane farmers.

The minister said this year witnessed a record in the grinding of sugarcane.

All owners of co-operative factories would be invited to the meeting on Wednesday.

"We will get the data about pending dues. The government will take a decision as per the rules and regulations," Shankar Patil added.

Asked about farmers allegedly not being paid nearly Rs 600 crore by a factory owned by former BJP Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, he said "It is not important who owns the factory. I have taken the initiative in 2021 and ensured that sugarcane farmers are paid their dues. The sugarcane farmers will receive their dues this year as well." Sources say that the BJP-led Karnataka government has decided to issue a final warning to the sugar factory owners over the payment of dues.

The Karnataka government would discuss setting a deadline for the payment to sugarcane farmers.

If the management of sugar factories does not release payments by the deadline, the government will send notices and take further action.
Srinagar, May 10 : Terrorists deliberately targeted civilians in an escape bid during an encounter between militants and security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district, officials said on Tuesday.

The army said that based on an input of likely presence of terrorists in Pandoshan, located approximately 4 km southeast of Chaudhary Gund in Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the army and J&K police on Monday evening.

"At 8.30 p.m., when our teams were establishing a cordon around the target house, the terrorists started firing indiscriminately in all directions in an attempt to breach the cordon, thereby putting the lives of civilians at great risk," the army said.

"Sensing grave threat to the lives of the civilians, our teams commenced civilian evacuation from the operation site despite being heavily fired upon by the terrorists. The terrorists, sensing being cornered, started firing on the civilians in order to create chaos to assist them in their escape bid.

"However, the security forces were successful in evacuating majority of the civilians to a safe location. But due to incessant and targetted fire from the terrorists, one soldier, Lance Naik Sanjib Das, and two civilians, Shahid Gani Dar and Suhaib Ahmad, received gunshot wounds." All the injured were immediately evacuated in an army helicopter and taken to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.

"Despite timely medical intervention and best efforts of the doctors, Shahid Gani Dar succumbed to his injuries. The other injured civilian, Suhaib Ahmad, is reported to be critical. Lance Naik Sanjib Das is stable and out of danger," the army said.

"Taking advantage of the cover of the dark, the terrorists managed to escape the operation site. Security forces have intensified their search to nab the terrorists," it added.
New Delhi, May 10 : With the aim to crack down on cases related to terror and its funding, narcotics and fake Indian currency notes and to increase conviction rates, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stepped in to create a national database, officials in the Home Ministry said.

They said that the Union Home Secretary chaired a meeting last week wherein the heads of the Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency, National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate (ED) participated and discussed the modalities to create an integrated national database. On April 21, Union Home Minister Amit Shah while speaking at the foundation day of NIA, said the MHA has been mulling to create a national database related to internal security covering bomb blasts, terror funding, fake currency, narcotics, hawala, arms smuggling, and terrorism. He had said the database will help the central agencies and police in the states and union territories in investigations.

According to MHA officials, the NATGRID, IB and NIA are preparing a database of seven major crime fields to help the investigation agencies in probes, based on the data of crimes and criminals involved in it. The NIA will be the custodian of the data related to drug trafficking, terrorist incidents and other cases on an integrated platform and will be available to the probe agencies at a single click. "Once the database is prepared, the probe agencies will have all information about the suspect including his all records related to crimes at one click," the officials said.

The second round of the meeting is expected in June in the Home Ministry where the Union Home Secretary will review the progress with stakeholders. The NIA has been given the responsibility to create the database with the cooperation of other central police agencies.
New Delhi, May 10 : Right-wing organisation Hindu Sena on Tuesday urged the Indian government to sever ties with Singapore after the latter banned the screening of Bollywood movie 'The Kashmir Files' in the country.

"The film truly depicts the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits that happened three decades ago, and Singapore banning the movie has exposed its true face," Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta told IANS.

He said that through this film, the world got to know about the plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

"Since the past three decades, the barbaric genocide was hidden from the world, but now everybody knows it," Gupta said.

His remarks came after Singapore's InfoComm Media Development Authority (IMDA) banned the Vivek Agnihotri directed film on the ground that it could disturb religious harmony.

The IMDA said that it had consulted with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore, which found the film to have "exceeded the film classification guidelines for its 'provocative' and 'one-sided' portrayal of Muslims and the depiction of Hindus being persecuted in the conflict in Kashmir, 'Variety' reported.

"These representations have the potential to cause enmity between different communities and disrupt social cohesion and religious harmony in Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious society," the IMDA said.

The Hindu Sena chief also appealed to the countrymen to completely boycott Singapore.

"I urge Indians to stop going to Singapore," Gupta added.
Washington, May 10 : Indian-Americans plan to issue a forceful denouncement of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an attempt to shield themselves from the fallout of the Indian government's continued refusal to condemn the war, which has drawn widespread scrutiny and criticism from within and out of US policy circles.

A bipartisan group of well-connected Indian-American political operatives are expecting to hold a seminar on Capital Hill on theme of "Indian Americans Against Genocide in Ukraine", one of the organisers said. June 22 is the tentative date being considered and the event is likely to be headlined by a leading yoga guru and attended by many US lawmakers.

Indian-American speakers could include the four serving members of the US House of Representatives Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, all of whom have been extremely critical of the Russian invasion and both publicly and privately critical of India's refusal to condemn it.

Politically-active Indian-Americans have been a key driver of the India-US relationship. They helped soften American backlash against India after the 1998 Pokhran II nuclear tests and, most significantly, rallied US lawmakers to pass a legislation that ended India's nuclear isolation in 2008.

They have stood with the Indian government of the day in a notable display of bipartisan solidarity with their country of origin. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been popular with both Republican and Democratic Indian Americans. For the community to break so publicly with his government's position on Ukraine should cause concern at 7 Race Course Road.

Like most Americans, Indian-Americans have been horrified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and have been appalled by images of death and destruction coming out of the battle-ravaged country.

They have also watched with growing disquiet the Modi government's refusal to condemn the invasion and bristle at having to "either defend it or face scorn for it". One Indian-American said he was asked by a Pennsylvania party official recently, "Why is India supporting the Russians?" India is not supporting the Russian invasion. While it has refused to condemn it outrightly, it has made clear its opposition to it. New Delhi has called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations must be respected. But all of that has been obscured by India abstaining in critical UN votes on the war.

"What the Russian Army has been doing in Ukraine is downright genocide," said Shekhar Tiwari, a Republican operative who is also chairman of the American Hindu Coalition. He has been a close associate of several top BJP leaders. "Being a Hindu and a son of a Gandhian, it is hard for me to stomach," he added.

These Indian-Americans are careful not to criticize the Indian government and insist they only want to express their horror over situation in Ukraine, which they described as a "genocide", as has US President Joe Biden.

They have been concerned about the blowback they are getting for India's position on the war and believe a public denouncement of Russia will, one, make clear the community feels as revolted as the rest of the country. And, two, that the community is "not in the pocket of the embassy", as one these Indian-Americans put it.

Breaking with the Indian government over the Ukraine war will serve the twin purposes of signalling their own independence from the government of India and, two, convey their own feelings on the issue.

Some Indian-Americans have also argued, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, India needs to denounce Moscow and finally pick a side that will be strategically more meaningful.

Ramesh Kapur, a Democratic strategist who worked closely with the presidential campaign of Biden, says India's refusal to condemn the Russian invasion could be problematic should it need US assistance in a conflict with China. "If India gets into a situation with China, it can expect support from the US, but if the US thinks it cannot count on India they will have a problem," he said, taking a tactical view of India's position, as has been put forth by many US lawmakers.

Congressman Khanna told Fox News in March that he thinks India "ought to be condemning Putin" and "they need to realize, they have to pick sides". He had added: "We, the United States, were with them when China invaded India. Putin wasn't there. And it's time for them to buy weapons from the United States, not Russia. We've got to look at how we can facilitate that and make that easier. We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China."

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Kolkata, May 10 : West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led state government should not discriminate among victims of violence in different parts of the state.

Speaking on the issue of discrimination among victims of violence, Dhankhar referred to the state government providing compensation to the family of the victims killed in the Bogtui massacre on March 21, 2022.

"The family members of each of the victims of the Bogtui massacre were given a compensation of Rs 5,00,000. However, the victims of violence in other parts of the state are not getting such 'healing touch'. The government should operate above political identities since that will malign the image of the state," the Governor told mediapersons after meeting the state BJP delegation, who were accompanied by family members of the victims of the 2021 post-poll violence in the state.

Alleging that the family members of those killed in the post-poll violence are not getting justice, Dhankhar said he would take up the matter with the state government.

He also interacted with the family members of the victims of the post-poll violence.

Earlier, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari submitted a memorandum to the West Bengal Governor.

State BJP President and MP, Sukanta Majumdar and BJP's National Vice-President, Dilip Ghosh were also present on the occasion.

TMC's state General Secretary and spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said Dhankhar is misusing and giving a bad name to the Governor's chair.

"How could he allow the premises of the Governor House to be a rally venue for a particular party. The BJP leaders who went there are all isolated from the masses and hence they have no other option but to use the Governor House for publicity," Ghosh added.
Visakhapatnam, May 10 : Coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh were Tuesday put on alert in view of Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Asani' in Bay of Bengal changing its course as it nears the coast.

Amid reports quoting a weather observation station in the US that the cyclone may cross the coast by Wednesday evening near Machilipatnam, authorities in all the districts along Andhra coast went on alert.

After crossing the coast, the cyclone is likely to recurve and reemerge in Bay of Bengal near Visakhapatnam.

Heavy to very heavy rains are likely in Krishna, Guntur, Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. The coastal region is likely to experience gusty winds with 75-95 kmph speed.

District administration in the districts likely to be affected have opened control rooms. People in coastal and low-lying areas have been alerted.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is closely monitoring the situation and has kept its teams on standby for rescue and relief operations.

The Indian Navy is also on alert for rescue and relief. Senior officials of the Eastern Naval Command, which has its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, are in regular contact with the authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla reviewed the situation through a video conference with disaster management authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha From Andhra Pradesh, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, G. Sai Prasad and Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority Director B. R. Ambedkar participated in the video conference and briefed the Union Home Secretary on the preventive steps taken.

Sai Prasad said nine teams each of NDRF and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been sent to the districts likely to be affected.

He, along with Ambedkar, is continuously monitoring the cyclone situation from the state emergency operation centre and issuing necessary directions to the districts concerned.

State Home Minister Taneti Vanitha also reviewed the situation with top officials in view of the forecast heavy to very heavy rains across the state under the impact of the cyclone.

Parts of north and south coastal Andhra received heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds on Tuesday. Machilipatnam also experienced rains and gusty winds. Authorities stopped electricity supply in some areas as a precautionary measure.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone lay centered at about 210 km south-southeast of Kakinada and 310 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam. It is very likely to move nearly northwestwards and reach west-central Bay of Bengal close to Kakinada-Visakhapatnam coasts by May 11 morning. Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve slowly north-northeast wards and move along Andhra Pradesh coast between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam and then emerge into Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. It is likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm and subsequently into a depression.

Storm surge of about 0.5 m above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of Krishna, East and West Godavari and Vishakhapatnam districts, an IMD bulletin said.

The IMD has suggested total suspension of fishing operations and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till May 12.

In Krishna, East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts, damage to thatched huts, minor damage to power and communication lines due to breaking of branches and major damage to Kutcha and minor damage to Pucca roads is likely. Some damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards is also anticipated.
Bengaluru, May 10 : The Karnataka police have come under pressure as even after two weeks the accused, who carried out the shocking acid attack on a working woman in broad daylight in Bengaluru, is still absconding. The incident took place on April 28.

The police, who have made 7 special teams for nabbing the acid attacker, have not been able to get any clue in the case.

The police have gathered inputs that accused Nagesh was in love with the victim for 7 years. The police have recovered a photograph of the victim from his house.

The Saint John's Hospital authorities where the victim is being treated have stated that the victim had been operated on two times so far. She is still in the ICU and her vitals are normal.

The victim will be in hospital for one month and the acid attack had inflicted 36 per cent burn injuries on her body.

Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had stated that the accused would be arrested by last Saturday. The police teams have gone to neighbouring states in search of the accused.

The police have detained the accused's elder brother and parents in connection with the case. They have also taken 20 persons into custody. However, they have not succeeded in getting any clues regarding the accused. The police said that the accused and victim studied in SSLC (class 10) in the same school.

Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar had visited the acid attack victim in the hospital and assured free treatment. He also announced that the government would provide her with a suitable job once she recovers. Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh Nirani had also announced all the support from the government to the family of the acid attack victim.

Nagesh waited in an auto with the acid bottle until the 23-year-old victim reached her workplace. When she waited for the workplace to open, the accused chased and poured acid on her.
Chandigarh, May 10 : The Punjab Police said on Tuesday evening that as part of the investigation into the rocket attack on the headquarters of its intelligence wing in Mohali, a number of suspects have been rounded up and questioned.

The launcher used in the attack has been recovered and all leads developed in the case are being pursued meticulously, an official statement said.

Taking cognisance of the attack in Mohali on Monday night, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann earlier in the day directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to probe the entire incident thoroughly so as to get to the bottom of the case.

Chairing a high-level meeting of senior police officers, Mann said that nobody would be allowed to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the state, adding that a few inimical forces are constantly trying to foment trouble across the state, who will never succeed in their nefarious designs.

Meanwhile, the DGP apprised the Chief Minister that a few suspects have been taken into custody for interrogation so as to enable the police strike at the roots of the unsavoury incident.

The Chief Minister said the culprits behind this incident would be soon brought to book and handed down an exemplary punishment as a deterrent for other such anti-social elements to not commit such heinous crimes in the future.
New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea by Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the brother-in-law of party chief Sukhbir Badal, seeking quashing of an FIR registered against him under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

A bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: "We are not inclined to entertain the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution." Counsel representing the Punjab government said that Majthia's bail plea has been rejected by the special court and also the high court. Majithia is currently lodged in Patiala jail after his bail plea was rejected.

The bench queried senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Majithia, why a plea has been filed under Article 32, pointing out that there are other remedies, which are available.

The bench said Majithia can move a division bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court for the grant of bail and also the quashing of the FIR.

At this, the Punjab government's counsel submitted that the state government will not oppose, if the top court is directing the matter to be heard by the division bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The top court had granted protection from arrest to Majithia till February 23 in view of the assembly polls in Punjab. He lost the election on the Amritsar East Assembly seat.
New Delhi, May 10 : The mercury is most likely to rise in the national capital as India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted heat wave conditions to return in the region from Wednesday.

According to the IMD, the city will see mainly clear sky on Wednesday with the maximum temperature hovering around 40 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, it was a hot day in Delhi on Tuesday with a maximum temperature of 39.5 degree Celsius being recorded at the Safdarjung monitoring station.

The maximum temperature at other areas of Delhi was Ayanagar 40, Lodhi Road at 38.7, Palam at 39.4, Ridge at 39.5, Jafarpur at 40, Mungeshpur 40, Najafgarh 40.9, Pitampura 39.6, and Salwan Public School, Mayur Vihar 37 degrees Celsius.

As per IMD update at 8.30 p.m., the city was having a relative humidity of 53 per cent.

Meanwhile, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city was 157 for PM10, or 'moderate' and 62 for PM2.5 or 'satisfactory'. Delhi has 36 monitoring stations that accurately record the levels of both particulate matter.
Colombo, May 10 : With escalating violence in Sri Lanka, including torching of houses belonging to ruling party politicians and family members of President Gotabaya Rajapksa, armed forces have been given orders to open fire at anyone causing personal harm, or damaging/looting the properties of others.

Eight people, including a politician from the ruling party, a police officer and civilians, have been killed since violence nroke out on Monday, while as many as 219 injured persons are undergoing treatments at government hospitals.

Secretary in the Defence Ministry, Kamal Gunaratne, said that 60 vehicles, including buses and jeeps, have been torched and over 40 vehicles have been damaged since Monday.

"While peaceful protest is being conducted, there are sections of the society who have resorted to violence and looting. We are going to strictly impose the law against anyone violating it," the Defence Secretary said.

Amid the spread of violence, President Rajapaksa has extended the curfew from Wednesday to Thursday.

Gunaratne said that acts of violence are continuing throughout the country, ignoring the state of Emergency and curfew imposed by the President.

Going through its worst economic crisis, Sri Lanka on Monday was engulfed with violence after supporters of resigned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked the peaceful protesters, who are on the streets for more than a month now, raising their voice against the severe economic crisis the country is going through.

The protesters have demanded resignation of the President and his Cabinet.

Condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters, trade unions have declared immediate strike while the public started attacking ruling party politicians and damaging their properties.

The angry mob attacked the houses of ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and elder brother Chamal Rajapaksa on Tuesday, while properties of many ministers, MPs and local politicians of the ruling party were torched.

The mob also destroyed a museum built in the memory of the President's parents.

Sri Lanka, which is reeling under severe economic crisis, is now going through a political catastrophe as well.

Responding to the crisis, including the violent attacks, India said on Tuesday, "As a close neighbour of Sri Lanka with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its (Sri Lanka's) democracy, stability and economic recovery." In response to media queries on developments in Sri Lanka, the official spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi, "India will always be guided by the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka expressed through democratic processes." India also noted that it has assisted her southern neighbor with over $3.5 billion financial assistance for mitigating the shortages of essential items such as food, medicines etc.

Latest updates on Srilankan Crisis
Kolkata, May 10 : Armed with the post-mortem report of Command hospital that described the reasons behind BJP youth activist Arjun Chaurasia'death as ante-mortem in nature, West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday demanded an unconditional apology from Union Home Minister, Amit Shah for describing the death as murder before the autopsy.

In a hurriedly-called press conference, state Finance Minister, Chandrima Bhattacharya and state Women and Child Development minister, Dr Sashi Panja alleged that on May 6, Shah deliberately described the incident as a political murder.

"After all, he is the Union Home Minister. How could say that it was the case of a political murder even before the post mortem was conducted? Such irresponsible comments from the Union Home Cinister are not acceptable. He should tender an unconditional apology," Panja said.

On Tuesday, the post mortem report was submitted to the Calcutta High Court's division bench, headed by Chief Justice, Prakash Srivastava. The report mentioned that the reasons for the death were ante-mortem in nature and choking of windpipe due to hanging. Presence of lasso marks around his neck was also mentioned in the report.

The division bench ordered that the post-mortem report and other related documents be submitted to the special investigation report (SIT) of Kolkata Police. The report strengthens the theory of suicide as claimed by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

BJP leaders, however, maintained that the reason of death cannot be ascertained as suicide for sure unless the viscera report is available which will prove whether the victim was made intoxicated before being hanged.
Islamabad, May 10 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for London on Tuesday night along with senior PML-N leaders to meet party supremo Nawaz Sharif in the wake of heightened political uncertainty in the country, media reports said.

According to insiders, Nawaz has summoned an "emergency meeting" of the party leaders to discuss matters related to the economy and the prevailing political situation in Pakistan, Express Tribune reported.

The insiders further said the ruling party is expected to make some "big decisions" regarding the fate of the coalition government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb later confirmed the development while addressing a press conference held in Islamabad to brief the media of the decisions taken during Tuesday's cabinet meeting.

"Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N members are going on a private visit to London to meet Nawaz Sharif," she said in an apparent bid to downplay the matter, as she added that such consultations within the party are not unusual.

Senior PML-N leader and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had recently suggested that fair and transparent general elections should be held as soon as possible.

"Some people want the government to complete its tenure, but Nawaz Sharif is of the view that free and fair elections should be held as soon as possible," Dar had said during an interview with a local broadcaster, Express Tribune reported.

The sources said given the importance of the matter, Nawaz Sharif has refused to hold virtual meetings and asked the party leaders to visit London.

PML-N Vice-President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is already in the British capital and has reportedly confirmed the development.
Patna, May 10 : Four officials, including a Block Development Officer of Bhojpur district, were arrested in connection with Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) question paper leak case, police said on Tuesday.

The BDO was identified as Jaywardhan Gupta, who was deployed as a static magistrate at Veer Kunwar Singh College, Arrah where the question papers were leaked on Sunday.

Besides him, the Bihar Police's Special Investigation Team has also arrested Dr Yogendra Prasad Singh, Principal-cum-Centre Superintendent, Sushil Kumar Singh, Professor-cum-Examination Controller and Agam Kumar Sahay, Professor-cum-Assistant Centre Superintendent of the college.

The SIT, headed by Superintendent of Police, Economic Offences Wing, Sushil Kumar, registered an FIR against these four officials under relevant sections of IPC in Barahra police station in Arrah district.

"In the presence of these officials, some students were given the question papers before the scheduled time of examination. The question papers were also found in the office of the Examination Controller," an SIT official said.

"As per the norm, there are strict guidelines for students and college staff not to carry mobile phones to the examination centres. Still, the mobile phones were available in the Examination Controller's office along with question papers. These officials were held responsible for misconduct of examination. Some students were also present inside the office. Further investigation is currently on," the official said.

"These officials were taken into custody on Monday afternoon and underwent thorough interrogation. They have revealed vital information about the question papers leaked in Veer Kunwar Singh College, Arrah," he said.

The question paper leak came in public domain after some aspiring candidates, waiting for the question papers, were not given them at the scheduled time at 12 noon on May 8. They went to the office of the Examination Controller and found some students appearing for the examination with mobile phones. They have made the video of the incident and informed local media persons about the misconduct of examination in Veer Kunwar Singh College, Arrah.

The SIT official said that some more arrests are possible.

Meanwhile, state Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that the state government has taken prompt action against culprits soon after the question paper leaked on May 8.

"The state government and the BPSC had taken strong decisions and immediately canceled the examination. Such an effort eventually helped talented students who were preparing for the examination for a long time. They will not suffer mental trauma. If the examination was declared valid despite the question paper being leaked, it would be cheating with the meritorious candidates. The government and BPSC had taken a good decision by cancelling the examination to save the future of students," Chaudhary said.

Asked about the compensation to the aspirants, as demanded by RJD leader Tejashwai Yadav, Chaudhary said that compensation has not been given in the past. "What would I say to those who are asked for compensation after the cancellation of the examination," he said.

Tejashwi Yadav on Monday demanded compensation to the tune of Rs 5,000 to every student, especially those who came from remote areas of the state to the examinationAcenters after BPSC canceled the examination following leak of question paper on May 8.
Hyderabad, May 10 : A youth in Telangana dialed 100 late in the night to call police - and order two bottles of beer! The bizarre incident occurred in Vikarabad district under the limits of Doulatabad police station.

A youth from Goka Faslabad village called the police on Dial 100 saying he was in danger. When the policemen reached the village about seven km away, they were shocked when he ordered them to get him beer.

The 22-year-old was attending a wedding party and was in an inebriated condition. Identified as J. Madhu, he told policemen that he consumed the liquor which he had and some beer. He said since all the wine shops are closed, he had to seek police help. The youth even argued that police help people in need.

The police personnel left after collecting details of Madhu. The next day, a case was registered against him. A police officer said he was summoned to the police station with his father and was counselled.

This is the second such incident in Telangana in less than two months.

In March, a man in Nalgonda district had repeatedly dialled 100 to complain that his wife has not cooked mutton curry.

The bizarre incident took place on Holi when a man identified Naveen dialled 100 not once but six times late in the night to lodge a complaint against his wife.

The police traced the caller and the next morning, a few police personnel reached his house and took him into custody.

Police have appealed to people not to misuse the dial 100 facility as this leads to loss of valuable time and may impact their response in attending to genuine emergency calls.
New Delhi: Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana addressing the Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday, April 30, 2022. (Photo:Qamar Sibtain/ IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, May 10 : Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Tuesday termed his apex court colleague, Justice Vineet Saran a compassionate person and noted that people with genuine cause would never go empty from his court.

The CJI was speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to bid farewell to Justice Saran, who superannuated on Tuesday. He was sworn in as a judge of the apex court on August 7, 2018.

Chief Justice Ramana said Justice Saran is a compassionate person, conscious of social realities, and he rates him as a fair and equitable judge.

"People with genuine cause would never go empty from his court," he added.

The Chief Justice also said: "At the same time, Justice Saran is a man of people and wherever he has gone, he earned that reputation and retirement means he may get some freedom which he lost as a judge." Earlier during the day, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal said "It is difficult to believe that Justice Vineet Saran is retiring. He looks so young." Justice Saran's farewell function was also attended by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, SCBA President Vikas Singh, and members of the Bar.

Justice Saran said lawyers should watch judges and must know what the judge wants. "To learn... that is also part of court craft", he added. He said the bar and the bench are two wheels of a chariot and in the present scenario, it is the bar, which always guided the bench. "Without proper guidance and assistance from the bar, no judge can write a good judgement," he said.

Justice Saran added that the quality of judgment depends on the quality of arguments advanced by members of the bar.

Justice Saran was part of a five-judge constitution bench, which in April 2020 quashed the order of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh, providing 100 per cent reservation to the Scheduled Tribe candidates for the post of teachers in schools in the scheduled areas.

In May 2020, a constitution bench he was on held that cooperative banks involved in the activities related to banking are covered within the meaning of 'banking company'.
New Delhi, May 10 : A 28-year-old acid attack survivor was allegedly raped by the same man who had attacked her 17 years back, and after he had undergone seven years imprisonment, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Kapil Gupta, 43, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, was finally arrested by the Delhi Police from Karnataka after a long chase of 2,200 km.

Furnishing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer, Sameer Sharma said the victim on March 21 filed a report at the Sultan Puri police station that on December 13, 2021, the accused came to her house and forcefully made her enter into a physical relationship with him by threatening her of acid attack on her husband and children.

"After that, the accused made a video of the same and threatened to make it viral on social media. After blackmailing the victim, he again made her enter into a physical relationship with him," he said.

Police registered a case of rape and criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code at the Sultan Puri police station and took up the investigation.

During the course of investigation, it came to notice that Gupta was known to the victim.

"In 2005, accused Kapil had thrown acid on the woman complainant. For the said incident, a case was registered in Kanpur of acid attack and the accused was convicted for 7 years in the case," the senior police official said.

After this incident, the victim was married and shifted to Delhi.

After completing his sentence, Gupta was released from jail and he yet again tried to contact the woman and then on December 13, last year, found her and raped her at her house and also made video of the said incident.

The official said that after registeration of the rape case, the accused went absconding.

"Multiple raids were conducted at Punjabi Bagh and other possible hideouts of the accused. A raiding team was also sent to his native place i.e Kanpur to arrest him but he couldn't be traced as he switched off his mobile phone," DCP Sharma said.

However, as the electronic surveillance was on, the location of Gupta was noticed in Bengaluru. Subsequently a police team travelled to Bengaluru and arrested him from there.
Srinagar, May 10 : IG Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar, said on Tuesday that the encounter in south Kashmir's Anantnag district is close to the National Highway and an imminent threat to the upcoming Amarnath Yatra has been averted.

Two terrorists have been killed in the ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Kreeri in Anantnag district's Dooru area.

"The encounter is important in two aspects: First, it is the same group of terrorists which escaped from the Watnad encounter on April 16 in which we lost one soldier. Second, the encounter site is very close to the National Highway, so an imminent threat to the Yatra has been neutralised," J&K Police said quoting Vijay Kumar.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of the police and the army cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists there.

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 10 : Responding to a tweet by 'The Kashmir Files' director Vivek Agnihotri, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday that dragging his late wife Sunanda Pushkar into the matter was unwarranted and contemptible.

The row started after Tharoor shared a media report on Twitter stating that 'The Kashmir Files' has been banned in Singapore.

"Film promoted by India's ruling party, 'Kashmir Files', banned in Singapore," the Congress MP tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Reacting to Tharoor's tweet, Agnihotri said Singapore has the most regressive censor in the world and asked him to stop making "fun" of Kashmiri Pandits' genocide.

"Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor, FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world. It even banned 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (ask your madam). Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned. Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide," the filmmaker tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, Agnihotri asked him to delete the tweet if his wife Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu.

"Hey @ShashiTharoor, Is this true that Late Sunanda Pushkar was a Kashmiri Hindu? Is the enclosed SS true? If yes, then in Hindu tradition, to respect the dead, you must delete your tweet and apologise to her soul," Agnihotri said in another tweet.

As the verbal spat continued between the film director and the Congress leader, veteran actor Anupam Kher also joined in, asking Tharoor to show some sensitivity towards Kashmiri Pandits for his wife's sake who was a Kashmiri herself.

"Dear @ShashiTharoor! Your callousness towards #KashmiriHindus genocide is tragic. If nothing else at least for #Sunanda's sake, who was a Kashmiri herself, you should show some sensitivity towards #KashmiriPandits & not feel victorious about a country banning #TheKashmirFiles!" Kher tweeted.

After her late wife Sunanda was dragged into the controversy, Tharoor said he has never seen the movie and has not made any comment on its content.

"I tweeted a factual news item this morning, with no comment on its content or on the film 'The Kashmir Files', which I have not seen. At no point did I mock or disparage the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits, of whose plight I am intimately aware, and to which I have repeatedly drawn attention over the years," the Congress MP said in a statement on Twitter.

"Dragging my late wife Sunanda into this matter was unwarranted and contemptible. No one is more aware of her views than I am. I have accompanied her to the destroyed ruins of her ancestral home in Bomai, near Sopore, and joined her in conversations with her Kashmiri neighbours and friends, both Muslim and Hindu. One thing I know, unlike those attempting to exploit her when she is not around to speak for herself: She believed in reconciliation, not hate," Tharoor said.
New Delhi, May 10 : Three persons died while 26 others were injured after a mini-truck carrying a marriage party fell off a culvert in Madhya Pradesh, the police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred late on Monday when a mini-truck carrying a marriage party from Jhabua towards Chandra Shekhar Azad Nagar in Alirajpur fell off a culvert.

Chandra Shekhar Azad Nagar is a village named after freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad.

Alirajpur Superintendent of Police, Manoj Kumar Singh, said, "A vehicle going to attend a wedding ceremony fell off a culvert. Three people have died and 26 others have received injuries. The injured, 12 women and 14 men, are being treated at a government hospital in Jhabua district." As per the police, the deceased have been identified as Prakash Solanki (20), Lala Kharadi (60) and Pankaj Solanki (15), all residents of Bhutkhedi village in Jhabua district.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Narottam Mishra have expressed grief over the incident and directed the officials to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured persons.

"CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed deep condolences on the untimely demise of precious lives due to the accident in Alirajpur district. He has instructed the district administration to ensure proper treatment for the injured," the CMO said.
Patna, May 10 : Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday gave an ultimatum of 72 hours to the Nitish Kumar government to clear its stand on the caste-based census in the state, otherwise his RJD would hit the streets for its implementation.

Tejashwi Yadav had on Monday announced that he would start padyatra from Patna to Delhi on this issue.

"We cannot tolerate this issue any longer. The state government should clear its stand on a caste-based census. Nitish Kumar government should call a cabinet meeting and take a decision. If the state government would not take a decision in the given time of 72 hours, we have no option other than to hit the roads. A resolution for caste-based census has already passed twice by the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad," he said.

"I have already said that if we do not have any option, we will do a padyatra from Patna to Delhi on this issue," he said.

An all-party delegation, headed by Nitish Kumar, had already met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. However, the Centre had expressed its inability to conduct a caste-based census in the country, but said that state governments are independent to conduct caste-based census on their own in their respective states.

"Following that development, we were given assurance for the all-party meeting on the same but that meeting never happened. In spite of some states conducting caste-based census in their states, Bihar government is deliberately delaying this issue," Tejashwi Yadav alleged.

"The Chief Minister should talk to the leaders of all parties in Bihar and clear his stand about when he would start caste based census in the state. Give us a specific time... if he wants to conduct a caste-based census in Bihar," he said.

"We would take time from the Chief Minister to discuss this issue. We will not come under the influence of the Chief Minister. CM Nitish Kumar is the face of NDA in Bihar, I don't know how people of the state are enduring him. The Bihar government is running from Nagpur (RSS HQs). We will force them to conduct a caste-based census at any cost," he added.

"At present, they (NDA) are doing divisive and tension politics in the country to divert attention from the real issues like price rise of fuel and commodities, migration, unemployment, poverty, caste based census, special status of Bihar. Hence, they are raising issues like temple, mosque, loudspeaker and bulldozers. We are in the opposition and we have the responsibility to raise the issues related to the common people of Bihar," he said.

Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi also expressed his view in favour of conducting the caste- based census in Bihar.

"If the government of Madhya Pradesh would conduct a census of donkeys, why would we not conduct a census of humans in Bihar," he asked, citing a newspaper report that said Madhya Pradesh has 8,135 donkeys including 747 in Gwalior, 739 in Chattarpur, 538 in Datia, 498 in Morena, and 498 in Guna.

On the other hand, JD-U minister Lesi Singh said: "CM Nitish Kumar is an optimistic person. He will make decisions at the right time." Health Minister Mangal Pandey, of the BJP, said: "When the RJD was defeated in the 2020 Assembly election, RJD leaders announced several yatras which never happened. Leader of the Opposition is saying the same again. Let's see what he do."
Aizawl, May 10 : The Mizoram Assembly on Tuesday held a special session to mark its golden jubilee celebrations.

Governor Dr Haribabu Kambhampati presided over the special session, conducted by Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo.

Assam Speaker Biswajit Daimary was also present.

Chief Minister and Leader of the House Zoramthanga, while addressing the special session, said that the memorandum of settlement, better known as the Mizoram Peace Accord, 1986 is a shining example of the benefits of peace and it is upon us to take the message of peace to the rest of the nation and to the world.

The history of the Mizoram Assembly can be traced back to 1952, with the formation of the Lushai Hills Autonomous District Council under the Assam government.

The District Council existed for a period of four terms. With the elevation of Mizoram into a Union Territory, the first Assembly session was held on May 10, 1972. The first Assembly was composed of 33 members, out of which 30 were elected and three were nominated.

The Assembly also four terms and then was enlarged to 40 members with the attainment of statehood in 1987.
Kohima, May 10 : The Nagaland government on Tuesday urged the investors of the country to set up educational institutions in the northeastern state.

The first Nagaland 'Edu Connect Conclave', under the theme, "Investment for the future", began on Tuesday at Capital Convention Centre here to attract prominent educational institutions of the country to open their branches in the state and private investors to support the educational sectors in Nagaland.

The two-day event is being organised by the state government's Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), in association with the Northeast Education Council (NEEC).

Nagaland government's Advisor, Technical Education Medo Yhokha, while addressing the conclave, lamented that the political unrest in Nagaland has been preventing investors from investing there.

He stated that the purpose of the 'Edu Connect Conclave' is to provide a platform and rope in investors and firms desiring to invest in the educational sector in the state.

Yhokha added that the state government is committed to providing all possible help to the possible investors. He encouraged the setting up of educational institutions as a huge opportunity which, he said, will be a winning situation for the investor and the state.

Advisor, School Education, and SCERT, K.T. Sukhalu said that growth and diversification have not had equitable reach, either geographically or in terms of awareness, across the state.

He stressed the need to address these challenges and said that lack of awareness should not lead to the loss of opportunity for the students.

"The 'Edu Connect Conclave' is a step towards facilitating an educational interface between top colleges, institutions and universities in India and students in Nagaland. Students of Nagaland must go beyond the state and explore opportunities across the country and the rest of the world," he said.

IDAN CEO Alemtemshi Jamir highlighted the need to "move away from colonial and imperial systems of education" and said that he believes that the education sector will emerge as an industry.

Vice-Chancellor, Mizoram University, Prof. K.R.S. Sambasiva Roa gave a presentation on the scope of investment in the educational sector in Nagaland.
Rome, May 10 : Novak Djokovic's bid to retain his World No 1 status got a boost on Tuesday after he registered a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian Aslan Karatsev in the second round of the Italian Open, here.

The top seed must reach the semi-finals to prevent Daniil Medvedev from taking his spot at the top of the ATP Rankings on Monday, and the Serbian's all-round performance against Karatsev represented an impressive start to that mission.

Djokovic's return game was at its relentless best as he broke the World No 35 serve four times on his way to a comfortable win on centre court.

"When you see him, physically, (he is) a very strong guy. You never know with him. If he's feeling the ball, he can be very dangerous because he stays so close to the line, puts pressure on his opponents," Djokovic said about Karatsev, after the match.

"He was missing a lot of balls today though. He gave me a couple of breaks there in the first and second sets, but I'll take this win for sure. It's a straight-sets win against a quality opponent and I'm looking forward to the next challenge," he added.

Karatsev had beaten Djokovic in his hometown of Belgrade in the pair's sole previous meeting on clay at the 2021 Serbia Open.

The World No 35 dropped his opening service game at the Foro Italico but broke back immediately, a demonstration of the threat his high-powered game can pose. The three-time ATP Tour titlist could not hold off Djokovic for long, however, as the Serbian broke again in the eighth game on his way to the opening set.

The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic, who surged to a 4-0 lead as Karatsev struggled to make any real impact against his accurate delivery. The Serbian had no issues serving out to complete victory in 91 minutes and move into a 2-1 ATP Head to Head series lead over Karatsev.

Prior to the match Djokovic spoke of the physical improvements he felt during his run to the semifinals at last week's Madrid Open after a difficult start to 2022. Although the quickfire nature of his victory meant the 37-time Masters 1000 champion's stamina was not severely tested against Karatsev, his outstanding defensive game appeared back to its imperious best.

Djokovic will look to maintain that form for his third-round clash against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere or former World No 3 Stan Wawrinka, as he chases a maiden title for 2022 in the Italian capital.
New Delhi, May 11 : The Congress, during its upcoming 'Chintan Shivir' (brain-storming camp) to discuss ways to revive its political fortunes, is likely to discuss the issue of "one family, one ticket" which has been recommended by a subgroup so as to attract youth in the party.

But the party may face hurdles in this change as many senior leaders have their sons and daughters in politics and remain hopeful for ticket in election or a organisational post in the party for them too.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's son is a politician in Karnataka, similarly former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is an MLA and his son Deepinder Hooda is a Rajya Sabha MP, among others. Even in the Gandhi family, there are two - both party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are Lok Sabha members.

The Congress sub group has recommended to give only one ticket per family so that big leaders do not corner party tickets and deny a place to the genuine hard workers.

However, the party recently flouted this rule in Goa and Uttarakhand.

But sources say that party may adopt this formula with a one election, one ticket tweak - or that no other family member of a candidate will get ticket in that Assembly polls. However the Chintan Shivir may come with more clarity on it.

Party leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh had on Monday asserted that the Chintan Shivir is not a destination of the Congress, but a milestone.

He said the Shivir is being held not to draft a manifesto, but to prepare an action plan to revive and strengthen the Congress so that it can deal with the present-day political and organisational challenges.

The heads of various departments of Congress, office bearers, former Union ministers and MPs would all participate in the Chintan Shivir. A total of 422 members will be present in the Shivir, of which 30-35 per cent will be youth and 21 per cent women.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Patna, May 11 : Hours after Tejashwi Yadav gave an ultimatum to Nitish Kumar government to take decision on the caste-based census in next 72 hours, JD-U national President Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who is popularly known as Lalan Singh, supported the RJD leader on the issue.

"Tejashwi wants a caste-based census to be conducted in Bihar. JD-U also wants the same. Our Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also said several times that he is in favour of caste-based census in Bihar, so where is the objection.

"It is a decision of Tejashwi Yadav to go for a padyatra from Patna to Delhi. He has planned the programme of padyatra, where there is the question of objection," Lalan Singh said.

Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav gave an ultimatum to Nitish Kumar to clear his government's stand on this issue and call for an all-party meeting in the next 72 hours. If this does not happen, he said that he and his party will have no option other than to hit the roads The politics of padyatra was recently started in Bihar after prominent political strategist Prashant Kishor announced to do the padyatra of 3,000 km in Bihar to connect with people. Such an initiative could be a political threat for leaders like Tejashwi Yadav who is occupying the space of opposition leader in Bihar.
Patna, May 11 : The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has issued a show cause notice to a Block Education Officer (BEO) for carrying smartphone in the examination centre in Purnea district.

Earlier, four officials, including a Block Development Officer (BDO), were arrested in BPSC preliminary examination question paper leak case on Tuesday.

The BEO who was served the notice has been identified as Ram Prabodh Yadav, deployed in Dhamdaha range in Purnea. A photograph of Yadav went viral on social media where he was reportedly seen taking a selfie inside the examination hall using a cellphone.

He was a static magistrate at Purnea's BNC college. Yadav has been charged under the Bihar Examination Act 1981, violation of state government directions during prestigious examinations like BPSC and "callous attitude as a government officer in the district".

Rajeev Kumar, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Dhamdaha has served notice to Yadav on behalf of the BPSC to clarify within 24 hour the reason behind carrying the smartphone carrying in the examination centre. Carrying smartphone inside examination centre during any examination is banned in the state.

The 67th preliminary examination of the BPSC was held on May 8 across the state. However, the question paper of the examination was leaked on social media. Following which, the Commission cancelled the examination on the same day.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bihar Police's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) arrested four officials including Jaywandhan Gupta, BDO of Barahra in Bhojpur district for failing to conduct a fair examination at Kunwar Singh College Arrah on Tuesday. He was deployed there as a static magistrate at the centre.

Besides him, the Bihar Police's Special Investigation Team has also arrested Dr Yogendra Prasad Singh, Principal-cum-Centre Superintendent, Sushil Kumar Singh, Professor-cum-Examination Controller and Agam Kumar Sahay, Professor-cum-Assistant Centre Superintendent of the college.

The SIT, headed by Superintendent of Police, Economic Offences Wing, Sushil Kumar, registered an FIR against these four officials under relevant sections of IPC in Barahra police station in Arrah district.

"In the presence of these officials, some students were given the question papers before the scheduled time of examination. The question papers were also found in the office of the Examination Controller," an SIT official said.

"As per the norm, there are strict guidelines for students and college staff not to carry mobile phones to the examination centres. Still, the mobile phones were available in the Examination Controller's office along with question papers. These officials were held responsible for misconduct of examination. Some students were also present inside the office. Further investigation is currently on," the official said.
New Delhi, May 11 : To create a sustainable circle of research-based innovation and wealth creation, we need to master technology commercialisation, said Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health on Tuesday.

The minister was speaking after launching the Atal Innovation Mission- PRIME (Programme for Researchers for Innovation, Market Readiness and Enterpreneurship) Playbook & Start-up showcase at Dr Ambedkar International Centre here.

Pawar said that the government recognised 'out-of-the-box thinking' and initiated Make in India programme that has boosted health and medical technology sectors.

"In this context, Atal Innovation Mission- PRIME programme will serve an important purpose of creating strong indigenous manufacturing capabilities in all critical sectors," she added.

Congratulating NITI Aayog for the initiative, Pawar stated that the innovations of today will be lifestyle of the future. "We have always been innovative in our approach since ancient times. India gave the world Ayurveda, Yoga and also the concept of zero. India has played an active part in shaping the innovations globally." She said that during the pandemic when healthcare took the centrestage. "We saw start-ups rise up to the occasion and make important contributions in diagnostics, PPEs, ventilators and last mile vaccine delivery. This demonstrated the potential of Indian start-ups in solving problems in the Indian healthcare sector."
Srinagar, May 11 : Just two years ago, students in Jammu and Kashmir had no idea about foreign study tours. However, in "Naya J&K" it has become a reality.

Recently J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off a batch of 12 undergraduate students from SKUAST-K on a study tour to Kansas State University, USA. These students are visiting the USA under the Student Overseas Fellowship Programme of National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) funded by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) & World Bank.

This tour was one among the many initiatives that have been taken by the government to provide J&K youth with the opportunities to get quality education so that they can face the challenges and grow-up as responsible citizens.

After August 5, 2019-when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate J&K's special status and divided it into two union territories-the government announced multiple scholarships and other schemes for the students.

5000 scholarships provided under PMSSS In 2021-22, under Prime Minister's Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS), J&K a total of 5,000 scholarships were awarded for students pursuing courses in general degree, professional degree, and medical streams.

Students selected for the scholarship for general degree courses were eligible to receive upto Rs 30,000 per annum for the academic fee (payable to the institution) and maintenance charges of RS 1 lakh per annum (payable to the student), a total of 2070 scholarships were offered under this category.

For professional degree students were eligible upto Rs 1,25 lakh per annum for the academic fee (payable to the institution), maintenance charges of Rs 1 lakh per annum (payable to the student). A total of 2830 scholarships were offered.

For MBBS/BDS or equivalent medical streams students are eligible upto Rs 3 lakh per annum for the academic fee (payable to the institution), maintenance charges of Rs 1 lakh per annum (payable to the student). A total of 100 scholarships were offered under this category.

The steps taken by the government in the past 2-years have facilitated the access of students to quality education so as to equip them with knowledge, skills, experience, and training for higher academic level/profession.

The implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 has empowered young students to engage not only in advanced research but also in various other fields which facilitate development of new and innovative technologies and their commercial development. The international outreach initiatives are in line with the NEP-2020.

Separatists used education as tool Prior to the abrogation of so-called special status of J&K the separatists used to provide recommendation letters to students for pursuing studies in various colleges in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). More than education the aim was to indoctrinate the young minds.

Last month officials revealed that seventeen Kashmiri youth, who had travelled to Pakistan on valid travel documents and sneaked back into the Valley through illegal routes were killed in anti-terror operations.

Since 2015, a large number of youngsters have procured travel documents to visit Pakistan to pursue higher studies.

Recently, the University Grants Commission and the All Indian Council for Technical Education, the higher and technical education regulators of the country, had issued a statement, advising students not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing higher education.

In December last year the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police had filed a chargesheet against nine people, including Hurriyat leader Zaffar Bhat, in a case connected to selling Pakistani MBBS seats to Kashmiri students against huge payments.

The SIA in its chargesheet had stated that Bhat earned a great deal of money selling Pakistani MBBS seats to the top notch people of Kashmir.

Bhat used to operate through his brother, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, who moved to Rawalpindi, Pakistan, after crossing into PoK for arms training. Altaf Bhat is at present in Pakistan and is a known property broker in Rawalpindi.

Besides Zaffar Akbar Bhat and his brother Altaf Ahmed Bhat charges were also framed against Fatima Shah, Qazi Yasir, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Mohammad Iqbal Mir. The investigating agencies took the lid of the scandal and brought to fore the nefarious designs of the separatists, who were turning Kashmiri youth into terrorists at the pretext of providing education.

In last 2-years no student went to Pak During the past two years no student from Kashmir has gone to Pakistan or Pakistan occupied Kashmir to acquire any sort of education. The government has ensured that no need arises for Kashmiri students to even look towards the neighbouring country. Education has been made accessible to all.

The implementation of New Education Policy, 2020 and various scholarship schemes for young minds have provided them with multiple opportunities across the country.

The renewed thrust on providing quality education to the youth has been one of the integral elements of "Naya Jammu and Kashmir".

The mainstream Kashmiri leaders, who ruled J&K till 2018, were aware about the conspiracies that were hatched by the separatists and Pakistani agents present in the Valley. Unfortunately these rulers just turned a blind eye towards how the adversary was using education as a tool to misguide a common man in the Himalayan region. Had they acted and made an attempt to implement the centrally sponsored schemes aimed at making education accessible to all, no Kashmiri student would have run after the separatists to seek recommendation letters for pursuing higher studies in Pakistan.

Now, the scenario has changed. J&K students are going on study tours to foreign countries. Colleges across the country have opened the doors for them. The government besides sponsoring the annual fee of the meritorious and deserving students is also providing them with the sustenance allowance yearly to help them complete their courses.

The new dawn has broken out in J&K and everyone from bottom to top is getting benefitted. People of the Himalayan region had to wait for 70 long years for getting the benefits and privileges they deserved. The dispensation led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has made it possible by changing J&K status-quo and by merging it into the Union of India completely.
Quetta, May 11 : A seven-year child has been raped inside a madrassah located in Pakistan's Quetta, Samaa TV reported.

An FIR was registered by the victim's father, who said that his son went to a shop near their house on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m., where a boy identified as Abdul Hafeez, son of a seminary teacher Muhammad Ilyas Lehri, forcibly took him inside the madrassah's room and raped him.

The father said his son returned home after two hours and narrated what had happened with teary eyes, the report said.

He said after knowing about the incident he went back to the madrassah along with his son and asked Abdul Hafeez who accepted that he had committed the rape and, later, he sought forgiveness.

After the father's complaint, the police sent the child to the hospital for a medical examination.

Doctors confirmed the rape after a medical examination and an FIR was lodged under Section 377 (Unnatural offences) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

PPC's Section 377 says,"whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than two years nor more than ten years, and shall also be liable to fine." The police have begun investigations into the case.
Strom Scherie, museum docent Many museum-goers dont know docents volunteer just to share the joy of art.

REVIEWS

I just went through the site in depth. Excellent!! Seriously! It is educational, entertaining, detailed, and during this time of traveling "virtually" through life, the visitor is able to thoroughly enjoy the experience of visiting a museum, taking a professional guided tour, and "delving" completely into the painting. And the added bonus? The visitor can spend as much time as possible experiencing the history and beauty of the painting. So, which one did I choose? "Le Pipe." I am usually drawn to the Renaissance era, but I have seen several of the choices, and this Magritte, called out to me. Maybe because my dad smoked a pipe? The Francophile in me? Who knows? Anyway, I so enjoyed learning about Magritte (clicking tabs a plus!)- The Treachery of Images- what I enjoy as well is to interpret things. The file is very well organized breaking down the "era artist" "painting" "history and culture." And the piece of resistance? The section that gives the reader the opportunity to describe, analyze, and interpret the painting. And you even give the visitor a Contact Form to ask questions.

MARION, R. 2-12-2022

I opened and read it all. A very enjoyable read and I learned a few things I did not know. Recognized a few of the paintings (Andy Warhol Campbells Soup! The Swing was my favorite! and I knew of Hockneys work). And your explanation of the read was perfect for a person like me. I will be able to read this enjoyably over & over. Thank you so much. Delectable!

DIANE R. 2-19-2022

Strom: This is a beautiful website you have created. I love it; I just opened the Arnolfini Portrait which I have seen before and got so much more detail from your analysis that I never noticed. I have spent about 20 minutes just on this one. Looking forward to explore many more pictures. Thank you for this gift.

SHIRLEY M.2-23-2022

Strom Scherie's 30 selections illustrate Western Art History composed of Renaissance, Modern and Postmodern eras - a daunting process by all measures. Her methods break down universal elements into easy-to-understand units. H.S. teachers, students, Fine Art enthusiasts and docents, who wish to learn how to look, analyze and imagine fine works of art, will benefit.

I appreciate that she chose to share her expansive knowledge and rich docent experience in this way. Even the most informed can pick up interesting tidbits of obscure information. And  It was difficult but certainly fun to choose my favorite, as all are representative of the highest levels of fine art.

Conor Walton, an Irish painter, was my special surprise. I wondered why his work, Veiled, was chosen as the opener. Now I understand; he synthesizes all three eras with his incongruous juxtaposition and beautiful technique. I am glad I left his work to the last. Now at leisure, I can return to the program at random and enjoy various videos used to enhance the narrative. In my opinion, Ms. Scherie has presented a valuable tool for anyone interested in delving into Fine Art 

R. L. M.MUSEUM DOCENT2-25-2022

https://docentsguide.org

AUTHORS WEBSITE OVERVIEW

Docents Guide: 30 Great Artists & Their Paintings, Renaissance, Modern, and Postmodern eras

1. Menu Bar. Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

2. Era & Artist. Painting. History & Culture.

3. Describe. Analyze. Interpret & Conclude.

4. Essential Topics: Elements of Art/ Principles of Design

5. Contact me for help. Sources.

ABOUT

Strom Scheries attraction to Fine Arts began when she strolled the halls of New York City museums, with her family, on Sunday afternoons. Later, the undergraduate at Drexel University got a call from her sweetheart with news of a job right up her alley, in Frankfort, Germany. The new assistant, to the Director of American Youth Activities, arranged, escorted, and introduced U.S. Air Force servicemens children to European culture.

Decades later, a fateful move to Connecticut lands Strom 20-minutes from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, in Hartford. The interview was led by the Docent Manager, and 2- docents, of long-standing12-years later she still remembers the last question. Why do you think you belong here? "Well, I never tire of looking at a museum painting, because theres always something new to discover.

Strom Scherie served the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, in Hartford, Connecticut, 4- years, "full-time" and the Baker Museum, in Naples, Florida, going on 8-years. Many museum-goers dont know docents volunteer just to share the joy of art.

https://docentsguide.org

DOCENT TRAINING DIFFERS

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

ART HISTORY | Marilyn Stokstad | Michael W. Cothren

4th Edition. 2-semesters. 6-months observing & sharing tours, before an assigned docent oks the final tour to graduate.

1. Learn teaching techniques for preK-13, adults, and families

2. Full-time docents are assigned up to 2-tours daily mid-September to mid-June.

3. Docent graduatesare committed to at least 2-years.

The Baker Museum

Curator of Education trains relocated and untrained docents together. Newbies are

evaluated by the curator and experienced docents.

1. Docents discuss all aspects of traveling exhibits with the curator.

2. Curator recommends navigation between galleries, floors and a simultaneous tour.

3. Walkthroughs arranged for Q and A with docents and artist, in the gallery.

https://docentsguide.org
Whatever your budget, InetSoft has a pricing structure that will work for you...

InetSoft Technology, a pioneer in data intelligence, analytics, and reporting, announced that Costa Rican foreign trade promoter PROCOMER has selected InetSofts Style Report, for internal ad hoc reporting.

Costa Rican foreign trade promoter PROCOMER is the pillar of support for Costa Rican companies, especially for micro, small and medium-sized companies, throughout their internationalization process to conquer international markets. They also simplify and facilitate export procedures and generate export chains. For this, they develop market studies that serve as a guide for country decision making and as a tool for exporters. In 24 years of existence, PROCOMER has taken the lead in country projects such as the creation of the country brand essential COSTA RICA and the Single Window System of Foreign Trade (VUCE) 2.0. At the moment they are working on a very modern digital tool that will contain the entire Costa Rican export offer and that will be very useful to national exporters and international buyers to carry out business.

Procomer wanted to provide their end users with an on premise ad hoc reporting tool that could pull data from their SQL Server Database. Features such as a user administration module and transaction logging were important requirements. There were also budgetary restrictions, so Procomer wanted a service that they could begin with as a subscription based small deployment, with the option to add users later on as their reporting budget expanded.

Whatever your budget, InetSoft has a pricing structure that will work for you, expresses Mark Flaherty, CMO at InetSoft. With different pricing models for cloud, on-premise, and OEM deployments, InetSoft licenses are always customized for each customer, according to usage and data needs.

InetSoft's Style Report is a data intelligence platform. At its foundation is a powerful data mashup engine that enables fast and flexible transformation of data from disparate sources, which can either supplement or obviate a data warehouse solution. At the development level, a unified interface allows for easy and advanced data manipulation and design of paginated and ad hoc reports. At the consumption level, self-service is maximized for a range of users, from casual business or consumer-type browsers, to power users and data scientists. As a cloud-ready, fully scalable enterprise-grade platform with granular security, multi-tenancy support, and multiple integration points, it serves both enterprises and solution providers. In either environment, ease of deployment and ease of use are chief development principles that help lower the time investment and total cost of ownership - and make the solution attractive to organizations of any size, with or without BI expertise.

To learn more about InetSoft's Style Report, view a demo, or read customer reviews, and download a free evaluation copy, please visit https://www.inetsoft.com/evaluate.

About PROCOMER

Costa Rican foreign trade promoter PROCOMER is the pillar of support for Costa Rican companies, especially for micro, small and medium-sized companies, throughout their internationalization process to conquer international markets. They also simplify and facilitate export procedures and generate export chains. For this, they develop market studies that serve as a guide for country decision making and as a tool for exporters. In 24 years of existence, PROCOMER has taken the lead in country projects such as the creation of the country brand essential COSTA RICA and the Single Window System of Foreign Trade (VUCE) 2.0. At the moment they are working on a very modern digital tool that will contain the entire Costa Rican export offer and that will be very useful to national exporters and international buyers to carry out business.

About InetSoft

Since 1996, InetSoft has been delivering easy, agile, and robust business intelligence software that makes it possible for organizations and solution providers of all sizes to deploy or embed full-featured business intelligence solutions. At the core of the platform is a data mashup and transformation engine that can preclude the need for data warehouse and data preparation expenses. Application highlights include visually-compelling interactive dashboards, pixel-perfect production reporting, and machine learning functionality accessible to non-data scientists. All of these capabilities combine to allow a maximum degree of self-service that benefits the average business user, the IT administrator, and the developer. InetSofts solutions have been deployed at over 5,000 organizations worldwide, including 25% of Fortune 500 companies, spanning all types of industries.
"The high costs of running a dispensary for small, private-owned owners like me make it impossible to afford full-time security. Added to this, banks have yet to offer services for the cannabis industry, leaving us vulnerable."

Today, Joshua Chase, a cannabis activist/entrepreneur, announced the opening of Oakanna, a premium recreational + medicinal cannabis dispensary, days after burglars shot Chase at the new location. He is recovering and is dedicating the official opening of Oakanna to 510 Day. Oakanna is the first dispensary to operate in Lakeshore Avenue's prominent shopping district. http://www.oakanna.com

Emerging Oakland Native

"I am ecstatic about the opening, and even more thrilled to be a native of Oakland operating a high-end recreational + medicinal dispensary in Oakland on Lakeshore for Oakland residents," said Chase, who has grown up in East Oakland, attended Oakland Public Schools, graduated from Santa Clara University and who has since emerged as one of the youngest Oakland cannabis activists and community leaders. "The shooting was devastating for me, my family, staff, and friends. But now that I'm recovering and restoring business at Oakanna, I am refocusing on continuing to provide premium cannabis products to the Lakeshore community and to the Oakland community at large, making it especially important that we make our official announcement about Oakanna opening on 510 Day"

Oakland's 510 Day

The annual 510 Day at Lake Merritt was established in 2015 to offer a free, public, intergenerational, grassroots community event dedicated to celebrating Oakland's history and culture. According to the City of Oakland, it was formed in the face of the rapidly growing housing crisis and the pressures of gentrification that are pushing long-term residents out of the area. Displacement is not the only by-product of gentrification, as newcomers to Oakland have been increasingly responding to the culture here in hostile, dangerous, and potentially deadly ways, particularly to Black and Brown residents over the past decade. This year's 510 Day will start at Lake Merritt to present the cultural resilience of Oakland's diverse communities; showcase creative wellness and offer visions for a collective future in each neighborhood.

Urgent Need for Dispensary Protection

Oakanna, which leases space formerly a CVS store, first opened on April 16. Eight days later, at 4:30 AM on April 24, Joshua was alerted to a possible burglary underway. When he arrived, he encountered eight armed men. They shot at him from afar, causing a bullet to ricochet and penetrate his left foot. The men sped away in a waiting car before police could arrive. They absconded with approximately $5,000 of merchandise from the dispensary. Joshua was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery. Incidents like this are becoming too familiar at Oakland dispensaries and dispensaries in other states lately. The unique nature of the growing cannabis marketplace that places the burden of stashing large sums of cash on-site or on a person because of banking regulations is increasingly making managing dispensaries challenging and, too often, dangerous.

"Oakland dispensaries desperately need protection," Chase said. "The high costs of running a dispensary for small, private-owned owners like me make it impossible to afford full-time security. Added to this, banks have yet to offer services for the cannabis industry, leaving us vulnerable."

Chase explained that some target dispensaries for these reasons and that increased police presence and protection would help tremendously. As a result of the incident, Chase and the Oakanna staff have tremendous support shown by local Lakeshore and Grand Avenue shopkeepers.

"Hands down, Lakeshore is one of the best retail business communities in the Bay Area, and the outpouring of support has been humbling and yet encouraging," Chase said.
History is defined by historic gatherings, and we believe this will be a generation-defining catalyst for students and people from all 50 states to not simply fill the Cotton Bowl Stadium, but be equipped and unleashed to share Jesus back home, said Hall.

MINISTRY INVITES PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO GATHER AT THE COTTON BOWL STADIUM IN DALLAS ON JUNE 24-25TH ECHOING EXPLO 72 HELD IN SAME VENUE 50 YEARS PRIOR

Six years after a significant major event in D.C. at the National Mall drawing hundreds of thousands, evangelist and Pulse founder Nick Hall is inviting people across the country to gather again at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas for TOGETHER 22, a free event June 24-25. Inspired by Explo 72 hosted by Billy Graham also at the Cotton Bowl, TOGETHER 22 will be the largest evangelistic training event in history.

TOGETHER began as the calling of a Millennial evangelist, Nick Hall, and through a coalition of friends who longed for revival and true John 17 unity. While people thought this group was crazy for calling for a million people to the largest Jesus gathering in American history, on July 16, 2016 in D.C., hundreds of thousands of people from all 50 states flooded the National Mall in the sweltering heat for one of the largest Next Gen Jesus gatherings ever. The crowds were so large that the infrastructure of the National Parks became overwhelmed because of the heat, causing the gathering to be shut down five hours early while buses were still arriving from across the country!

Since Hall first launched his ministry, God has continued to movefilling stadiums in the United States and massive squares abroad. This June, TOGETHER 22 aims to activate a generation to share Jesus and be sent home with the courage, community, and tools to share the Good News. TOGETHER 22 will feature some of the best artists and speakers in the world. However, the singular aim of this event is that attendees would not be entertained, but instead experience Jesus in such a way that both motivates and equips them to take the Gospel home.

History is defined by historic gatherings, and we believe this will be a generation-defining catalyst for students and people from all 50 states to not simply fill the Cotton Bowl Stadium, but be equipped and unleashed to share Jesus back home, said Hall. Imagine bus loads of people being sent home with the plans, resources, and connections to shake their communities for Jesus.

Confirmed speakers and artists include (*video message): David Platt*, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, Dr. Tony Evans*, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Dick Eastman, Paul Eshleman, Ebony Small, Jonathan Evans, Josh McDowell, Preston Perry, Shane Pruitt, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Miel San Marcos, Evan Craft, Israel Houghton & New Breed, and more.

To Learn More/Register to Attend: https://pulse.org

Interview Opportunities:

To discuss advance coverage opportunities or to speak with Nick Hall, contact Katie Bell at katie@epic.inc.

Media Credentialing:

Applications for media passes are available by contacting Brittney Peek at brittney@epic.inc.

About PULSE

Founder and President Nick Hall started Pulse in 2006 on his college campus. Since then, Pulse has seen 318 million people impacted by the Gospel and two million people have responded to Jesus through their initiatives. Pulse is a prayer and evangelism movement on mission to empower the Church and make Jesus known. Since Pulses founding, they have linked arms with hundreds of ministries and churches around the world to fuel evangelistic movements. Whether hosting a big outreach event or providing the evangelistic voice at another organizations event, training evangelists on American college campuses, or overseas in Africa, the common goal of everything they do is to share the hope of Jesus. Learn more at https://pulse.org/nick-hall/.

About Nick Hall

Nick Hall is the visionary of TOGETHER, author of the book Reset, and the President of Pulse. As an evangelistic voice to this generation, Nick Hall has shared the Gospel at hundreds of events to more than five million people and is regularly featured as a speaker for pastors gatherings, student conferences, training events, and festivals around the world. Nick is also the President and CEO of The Table Coalition and sits on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has been featured on major media outlets including the Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News, US News & World Report, Washington Post, Christianity Today, Moody Radio, Christian Broadcasting Network, Trinity Broadcast Network, and The Christian Post. Nick is married to his best friend, Tiffany, and they are proud parents of Truett, Ruby, and Jude. They live in Minneapolis, MN. Nick has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from NDSU and a Masters in Leadership and Christian Thought from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN.
MainStreetVet.net is a brand new Veterinary Hospital in Perkiomenville, PA As a life-long resident in the area, I couldnt ask for a better place to help our local residents, neighbors and friends with all of their familys veterinary needs, beamed Dr. Kimberly DiMaio

MainStreetVet.net officially announces the opening of its first veterinary hospital location at 1335 North Gravel Pike in Perkiomenville, PA. This new full-service location offers a full range of surgical facilities and equipment, dental and x-ray services, hospitalization suites, preventative care programs, and more. The location is the former site of Hidden Springs Veterinary Hospital which proudly served the local community for many years. Dr. Kimberly DiMaio and her staff look forward to providing their patients with the highest level of personalized and professional service combined with years of dedicated veterinary experience matched with unrivaled reputations.

Im so excited to have the opportunity to open our first MainStreetVet.net location in my own backyard. As a life-long resident in the area, I couldnt ask for a better place to help our local residents, neighbors and friends with all of their familys veterinary needs, beamed DiMaio. I grew up in Schwenksville and graduated from the University of Pennsylvanias School of Veterinary Medicine, and immediately began my career locally. Its been a long-term plan of mine to build a different type of veterinary environment for our patients and to provide a higher and more personal level of service than most people and their animals are currently used to. MainStreetVet.net is the result of those years of planning.

Joining Dr. DiMaio and the MainStreetVet.net team are some of the areas best and brightest veterinary experts. Practice Manager Amanda Detwiler, CVT, will coordinate daily operations at the clinic and ensure veterinarians can focus solely on practicing medicine and taking care of their clienteles individual needs. Dr. Kara Stover, another local resident from the Souderton area, brings years of experience and expertise to the new facility with a passion for dentistry, animal behavior and geriatrics. Another local, familiar face that will be greeting patients is Dr. Susan Mosier. Dr. Mosier was the former owner and operator of Hidden Springs Veterinary Hospital and is continuing to see new and former Hidden Springs clients at the newly named MainStreetVet.net.

MainStreetVet.net is now open and is currently accepting new clients. To learn more about the facility, team members and services offered, visit http://www.mainstreetvet.net for more information.

About MainStreetVet.net

MainStreetVet.net is Montgomery County's newest Veterinary Hospital. Located in Perkiomenville, PA, our staff prides itself on personalized and professional service combined with years of dedicated experience and individualized attention that are unmatched in the industry. Our team is built with the area's most seasoned veterinary professionals who are also pet parents as well. Our personal experiences with our clients and their animals make our care uniquely different from any other veterinary experience you've ever had before. Contact us today by visiting http://www.mainstreetvet.net or call us at 610-287-5100 for more information.

For press related opportunities:

Affirm Brands

bruce@affirmbrands.com
Brightseeds co-founders Lee Chae, PhD.; Sofia Elizondo; Jim Flatt, PhD. Discovering and mapping natural bioactives to human health benefits was just the first step for Brightseed. Now, were launching clinically-studied ingredients and insights to illuminate the hidden potential in nature to restore human health. - Jim Flatt, co-founder and CEO of Brightseed

Brightseed, a biosciences company and creator of Forager, a computational platform that illuminates the connections between nature and human health, today announced $68 million in Series B funding led by Temasek, with participation from existing and new investors. The new funding will enable Brightseed to advance natural compound discovery and clinical validation, and launch the companys first FDA-GRAS ingredient from a new commercialization center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Nature holds an incredibly rich and largely uncharted source of powerful, natural bioactives that create health benefits in humans, and were now able to access and integrate them into products for food and health industries, said Jim Flatt, PhD., co-founder and CEO of Brightseed. Discovering and mapping natural bioactives to human health benefits was just the first step for Brightseed. Now, were launching clinically-studied ingredients and insights to illuminate the hidden potential in nature to restore human health.

Companies, governments, NGOs and academics are recognizing that the path to sustainable health is rooted in a synergistic approach to food, medicine and nature  but the lack of scientific insight into the molecular basis of specifically how food has an impact on health has limited innovation.

Created by Lee Chae, PhD., Brightseeds co-founder, CTO and former researcher at the Stanford Carnegie Institute of Plant Biology, Forager systematically identifies natural bioactives and maps their connection to human health benefits at an unprecedented depth and rate. This accelerated discovery of health-benefiting compounds has potential implications for food & agriculture, nutrition policy and nature-based drug design.

To date, Forager has mapped more than two million plant compounds  20 times more than existing scientific literature  and dozens are in various stages of validation across multiple health territories, including metabolic health, digestive health, cognitive health, sugar management, maternal health and immunity.

Brightseeds partners  including Danone SA, Ocean Spray, ofi (olam food ingredients) and Pharmavite, makers of Nature Made vitamins  have turned to Brightseed for a deeper understanding of plant supply chains and health benefits in service of future product innovation. In addition to their work with partners, Brightseed leads discovery, validation and commercialization of compounds to target complex, chronic and undermet health conditions.

Brightseeds first discovery, two bioactive compounds identified in upcycled hemp hulls, will launch later this year as an FDA GRAS whole-food ingredient for gut health. To support the launch of Brightseeds ingredient business, the company is opening a second location in the Research Triangle Park of Raleigh, North Carolina. Brightseeds Science Center in South San Francisco will continue to be the home of Brightseeds plant library, world-class technology stack, and compound discovery efforts  informed by metabolomics, bioinformatics, natural products chemistry, biomedicine, and translational and clinical research teams. Brightseed is partnering with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. in both regions to customize facilities to support the companys growing life sciences footprint and specialized ingredient production.

Consumers are increasingly looking for natural and accessible solutions to restore their health, but industry has been severely limited by a lack of tools and technologies to look more deeply into natures potential to do that, said Sofia Elizondo, co-founder and COO. Brightseed is building the opportunity space for health innovation rooted in nature, and delivering a clear path forward for clinical validation. We are eager to make our bioactives readily accessible for food and health industries as we move from lab to shelf, and embrace consumers along the journey of bioactive discovery.

Brightseed is hiring for roles based at its South San Francisco and Raleigh locations. Please visit Brightseeds career page for openings.

About Natural Bioactives

Natural bioactives are health-activating, small molecule compounds that plants use to communicate with their environment. Plant bioactives show up as curcumin in turmeric, caffeine in tea, the active ingredient in aspirin, and even in some cancer drugs. Science has long known that plant bioactives are critical to human health, yet 99% remain unknown and uncharted. Brightseeds A.I., Forager, is illuminating this unknown compound space by discovering bioactives in the natural world and mapping them to human health outcomes.

About Brightseed

Brightseed illuminates nature to restore human health. Brightseeds Forager is a pioneering computational platform and A.I. that discovers and maps the bioactive compounds in nature and understands which of them have the greatest impact on human health. Discoveries undergo clinical evaluation, regulatory review, and commercial development to deliver powerful, natural health solutions. To date, Forager has mapped 2 million plant compounds, and Brightseed is working with brands and organizations that impact the health of millions of people every day. Interested organizations can contact Brightseed by reaching out to info@brightseedbio.com.
DTC Cabinet Brand BOXI by Semihandmade partners with Rejuvenation as strategic cabinet partner, featured in four Rejuvenation stores and the brand's Q3 catalog (shown). BOXI is the epitome of ease when it comes to cabinet shopping, and their curated selection of colors and designs offers Rejuvenation customers a cabinet option that meets all of their needs.

Rejuvenation x BOXI marks the cabinet brands retail debut

BOXI by Semihandmade, the first American-built, direct-to-consumer cabinet system for the entire home, today announced a partnership with Rejuvenation (a member of the Williams-Sonoma Inc. family of brands), committed to creating products that are beautifully designed and expertly crafted to last, to offer BOXIs curated collection of cabinets to Rejuvenation customers across the western United States.

BOXI is the epitome of ease when it comes to cabinet shopping, and the industry-disrupting brands curated selection of colors and designs combined with top-notch quality thats built to last, ease of ordering, quick shipping and industry-best support and offers Rejuvenation customers a cabinet option that meets all of their needs.

Rejuvenation x BOXI debuts today and marks BOXIs first brand partnership and their first foray into the retail space. As part of the partnership, BOXI will be featured in kitchen vignettes in four Rejuvenation locations, including the brand's Portland flagship store, as well as their Costa Mesa, Los Angeles and Houston locations. BOXI also provided cabinetry for Rejuvenation catalog set designs to be featured in the brands Q3 2022 catalog which launches in August. BOXI will be the first cabinet brand featured by Rejuvenation as their preferred partner in this capacity.

Additionally, BOXI and Rejuvenation will also each feature educational web site content from the partner brand ranging from how to choose your cabinet colors, finishes and silhouettes to selecting the perfect hardware.

"We are such fans of Rejuvenation, both for our own homes and designs, as well as in the hundreds of Semihandmade and BOXI projects that have have included Rejuvenations cabinet hardware, lighting and fixtures over the years, said John McDonald, founder and CEO of Semihandmade and BOXI. "Rejuvenation shares our vision of offering a curated assortment of quality, timeless, design-minded products that complement each others aesthetic. Rejuvenation offers consumers everything they need from a design standpoint, and were thrilled to be one of Rejuvenations preferred cabinetry resources and offer their customers a cabinetry solution thats easy to purchase, reasonably priced and arrives quickly at their doorstep.

BOXI worked with Rejuvenations design team to select from BOXIs offerings and create a kitchen space for the catalog and vignettes for the retail spaces that best highlight Rejuvenations timeless hardware, fixtures and lighting. The spaces, which feature BOXIs best-selling Oat Slab and Mushroom Shaker designs, will give Rejuvenation customers endless inspiration for renovating their homes

BOXI by Semihandmade crafts durable, beautiful, American-built cabinetsthe perfect blank canvas for our solid brass cabinet hardware. Partnering with BOXI was a natural extension of our brand, providing our customers with even more solutions for their next home project. Our customers come to us looking for inspiration and resources, and return to us time and again for our timeless designs and quality craftsmanship, said Tracey Wyres, Director of Marketing for Rejuvenation.

"Semihandmade has offered Rejuvenation products to our customers for more than three years, and BOXI began selling the brands products when we launched in 2021. Theyre such a wonderful partner, and to now have BOXI be the cabinet resource for such a well-respected company in the home world is a huge milestone for a brand that just launched a year ago and a big growth opportunity for us. The partnership of these two brands is such a natural fit and an extension of the work weve done together for years, continued McDonald.

To learn more about Rejuvenation x BOXI, please visit http://www.rejuvenation.com/landing/kitchen-renovation-planning and boxibysemihandmade.com/pages/locations.

# # #

About BOXI by Semihandmade

Founded in 2021, BOXI by Semihandmade is the first American-built, direct-to-consumer cabinet system for the entire home. BOXI makes home space simple.

About Rejuvenation

Founded in Portland, Ore., in 1977, Rejuvenation serves as a general store of functional and beautiful goods for home improvement projects that add real value to homes and buildings. From classic American-crafted lighting and timeless hardware to useful house parts and home goods, Rejuvenations high-quality products are inspired by history, designed for modern consumers and made to last. A member of the Williams-Sonoma Inc. family of brands, which includes Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm and Mark and Graham, Rejuvenation offers in-home design consultations and sells its products by catalog; at retail stores in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Palo Alto and Atlanta and via the companys website, http://www.rejuvenation.com.

Media Contact:

Megan Shockney

858-442-3492

megan@chloettepr.com
Black Box Intelligence acquires AreTheyHappy "Together we can give restaurant brands the power of knowing the right factor, at the right time, to drive impact in the business. Its exciting to deliver this capability to the USA."

Black Box Intelligence, the leading performance benchmarking provider for the restaurant industry, announced that it has acquired AreTheyHappy, an award-winning customer experience and brand reputation management platform for restaurant and hospitality organizations.

AreTheyHappy has experienced success and adoption in Europe with leading high growth brands such as Bastard Burgers, OLearys, Honest Burgers, Rocket Restaurants and the Coffee Company. Their solution features innovative, restaurant-specific A.I. to deliver accurate insights for a brands food, service, ambiance, and other factors that drive customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and brand equity.

AreTheyHappy allows a brand to identify and focus on positive or negative sentiment details that are mined and analyzed from reviews and social interaction, said David Cantu, CEO of BlackBox Intelligence. The same tool enables you to rapidly respond to changes in sentiment and reputation, to make small corrections before they become large problems. Together we can give restaurant brands the power of knowing the right factor, at the right time, to drive impact in the business. Its exciting to deliver this capability to the USA.

AreTheyHappy features a Reputation Hub to allow brands to centralize all customer feedback, i.e. review sites and social media channels, email, surveys, webforms and more into a single intuitive inbox that allows for quick replies to events in the social stream. AreTheyHappy also features Online Review Management for boosting brand perception and visibility online, with AI for analysis, and conditional response templates for operation at scale. Automated Task and Reporting tools contain insights with focal points for each location to stay on top of follow-up from insights gained.

Black Box Intelligence is the premier provider of human capital and financial intelligence for the restaurant industry. Together, we give operators an unparallelled overview and trend analysis of customer experience vs. topline, people and operational performance, said Hannah Albarece, co-founder of AreTheyHappy. It's our mission to help restaurant brands be remarkable online and offline - ultimately closing the gap between customer experience, marketing and frontline staff. We achieve this by giving teams all the tools to answer the central question, Are my customers happy?"

To get a demo and learn more about AreTheyHappy, visit this link.

To learn more about AreTheyHappy, visit http://www.aretheyhappy.com.

To learn more about Black Box Intelligence and their suite of Financial, Workforce and Guest Intelligence products, visit http://www.blackboxintelligence.com.

Black Box Intelligence

The Black Box Intelligence mission is to give restaurant brands a comprehensive, 360 view of their business. This is made possible through benchmark data for Financial, Guest and Workforce factors. AreTheyHappy provides a higher level of insight and detail with the tools to review and act on the voice of the customer, turning insight into action for restaurant brands.

Black Box Intelligence was acquired by Diversis Capital in January 2021. The company subsequently completed the acquisition of MillerPulse, a provider of market level insights to restaurant companies and industry observers via a member company panel that represents approximately $90 billion in annual restaurant sales and over 50,000 US restaurants.
AdventHealth is a system built on a culture of safety and quality and its that commitment that allows our teams to be ranked in the top 5% in the country by the Leapfrog Group for keeping the communities we serve safe, said David Ottati, President and CEO, AdventHealth West Florida Division.

All AdventHealth hospital locations in Highlands, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties have achieved an A patient safety grade by the prestigious Leapfrog Group. The safety grade is awarded based on a hospitals performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections, and other harms to patients in their care. The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an A, B, C, D, or F grade to general hospitals across the country.

AdventHealth implemented and enhanced several division-wide processes to keep patients safe, including, elevating best practices in bar code scanning as a safety net to assure that the right patient receives the right medication every time. This effort is just one of the many initiatives in place to ensure patient safety.

AdventHealth is a system built on a culture of safety and quality and its that commitment that allows our teams to be ranked in the top 5% in the country by the Leapfrog Group for keeping the communities we serve safe, said David Ottati, President and CEO, AdventHealth West Florida Division.

AdventHealth hospitals in the West Florida Division who received an A in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, include:



AdventHealth Carrollwood

AdventHealth Dade City

AdventHealth Lake Placid

AdventHealth North Pinellas

AdventHealth Sebring

AdventHealth Tampa

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel

AdventHealth Zephyrhills

Our clinical teams have faced many challenges throughout the year in an effort to keep our communities safe during a pandemic; yet, they have remained committed to quality and creating a safe environment for our patients to receive exceptional care, said Dr. Robin McGuinness, Chief Nurse Executive, AdventHealth West Florida Division. This achievement is not just the work of one person or team, its every team member who continues to champion putting patients first. We will continue to elevate the standard for patient safety, and the quality of care patients receive when theyre at an AdventHealth hospital.

The Leapfrog Group awarded AdventHealth the Emerald Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Health Care System, a first for any health system. The achievement honors AdventHealths performance across Leapfrogs Hospital Safety Grades and Top Hospital award, which is one of the most competitive quality awards a hospital and its team members can receive.

About AdventHealth West Florida Division

The West Florida Division of AdventHealth has some of the nations brightest medical minds making lifesaving breakthroughs with surgical pioneers, scientists and researchers using leading edge technology and innovation to deliver our brand of whole-person care. Our network of care includes AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Heart of Florida, AdventHealth Lake Placid, AdventHealth Lake Wales, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Ocala, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wauchula, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, as well as seven freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including AdventHealth Belleview ER, AdventHealth Brandon ER, AdventHealth Central Pasco ER, AdventHealth Four Corners ER, AdventHealth Palm Harbor ER, AdventHealth TimberRidge ER, and AdventHealth Westchase ER. We are more than hospitals, as we have a robust system of care including specialty acute care, over 200 primary care and specialty employed physicians, Express Care at Walgreens clinics, urgent care centers, wound care, physical therapy, home care, mobile mammography and more. AdventHealth is a faith-based not-for-profit health care system with a mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ. AdventHealth has hundreds of care sites and nearly 50 hospitals across the United States. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.
Our lives and how we project ourselves are a balancing act and in difficult times our mental health has never felt more vulnerable. A Delicate Balance expresses the reality, truth and hope in this shared struggle and hopefully encourages a sense of normalcy, says gallery owner Christine ODonnell.

Beacon Gallery is pleased to present A Delicate Balance, a group show featuring artists Domenic Esposito, Nicci Sevier-Vuyk, and Sharon Whitham, which runs June 3-July 17, 2022. The premise of the show focuses on the challenges that everyone faces  mentally, emotionally and even physically  especially in such difficult or uncertain times as we are experiencing now, and seeks to highlight the commonality in this struggle.

The works to be showcased are composed in three different media with very diverse approaches. Yet, together, these two and three-dimensional works and installations create a shared strength in message, representing the layers and aspects which may be found within all of us in shaping the reality of our human fragility.

Our lives and how we project ourselves are often a balancing act. On the outside it may be all flowers, bright colors and sweetness, but our internal reality may be a very different story, notes curator and gallery owner Christine ODonnell. In these difficult times, our mental health has never felt more vulnerable or precarious, and as such, A Delicate Balance serves to recognize and express the reality, truth and hope in this individual and collective struggle and hopefully encourage a sense of normalcy.

Domenic Espositos Listen, a triptych featuring his iconic hooded figure in bronze, facing a series of individuals in three gothic panels, is evocative of current events. Esposito is an artist and social activist whose work reflects upon our innermost selves, the turmoil and struggle often experienced internally. Through both his series of hooded figures and his various allusions to addiction, Esposito plumbs the depths of human desperation and fragility, while underscoring the aspect of suffering.

On the other end of the spectrum, Nicci Sevier-Vuyks paintings and Sharon Whithams monoprints each represent the ways in which we seek to cover up these darker moments. Always a balancing act, rocks are assembled in unpredictable manners, just barely balanced on each other in a most precarious fashion. The cool, relaxing colors sit in opposition to the tension such assemblages represent in their unnatural arrangement. With a human hand perhaps just out of sight, one is left to wonder about the metaphorical balancing act, depicted in varying bursts of color. These flashes of beauty direct our attention not only to what is attractive in our own existences, but also to the overwhelming number of pieces that are anything but.

Beacon Gallery is proud to present this unique collection of work which is meant to inspire self-reflection, prompting audiences to look inward at their own vulnerabilities and importantly, encourage a willingness to recognize with empathy how much of our private inner worlds we actually share with others.

About the Artists

Domenic Esposito is a Massachusetts based artist and social activist. A graduate of Northeastern University, he was also trained in art from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Stonybrook Fine Arts, Artist Asylum and Prospect Hill Forge, where he developed his metalwork skills. In 2018, he achieved national attention through the massive opioid spoon sculptures he placed on the doorsteps of the FDA and major pharmaceutical giants, and founded the Opioid Spoon Project, a 501(c)(3) to serve as a solution-based platform in addressing the opioid crisis.

Domenics work includes sculptures, paintings, commissions and public art installations, and has been privately collected and exhibited in a range of galleries and art fairs across the U.S., including Artexpo New York, Canvas Fine Arts, Boston; Piano Craft Gallery, Boston; Insight Artspace, NY; Scope, NYC; Art Palm Beach; and SOFA Chicago Art Fair, among others. To learn more follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Nicci Sevier-Vuyk is an American artist known for her colorful, realistic acrylic paintings of iconic objects in American culture. Her work is fueled by her interest in the conflict between appearance, its meaning in culture, and substance. The stereotypes of beauty and playful sense of irony are main themes in her paintings. Nicci has painted throughout her life and after a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner she began her art practice full-time. She has attended The Glassell School of Art in Houston, but is, for the most part, a self-taught artist. Nicci has had two solo exhibitions and has been included in many juried exhibitions. She has twice been featured on The Jealous Curators blog. Born in northern California, Nicci creates her work and has made her home in Southborough, Massachusetts.

Nicci shares: My work is a reflection of the stereotypes surrounding beauty and appearance. The chrysanthemum portraits I create are an exploration of the fascinating beauty that lies outside the boundaries of societys definition of what is desirable. The delight of asymmetry, irregular form, and playful use of color create an unexpected floral painting. The minimalist and representational style of my work encourages an iconic feeling about the chrysanthemum, further magnifying what it means to us as individuals and as a society. To learn more follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Sharon Whitham is a printmaker and mixed-media artist. She spends part of each year working out of her studio in the Boston area, living on an island off the coast of Maine, and creating art in Mexico. Her work is inspired by both nature and culture, focused on themes of balance, loss and change, and our connections to each other and the natural world. She is particularly interested in the idea of balance in its many forms: physical; spiritual; cultural; juggling the demands of contemporary life; and navigating a path through a very complex world. Her work is also influenced by the current crises around immigration, climate change, tolerance, equality, and justice.

Sharon is inspired by the beauty, resilience and changes that occur in the natural world, and most especially the paradox of permanence/impermanence. She is drawn to the organic shapes, patterns and colors in nature, particularly rocks, feathers, leaves and water. Much of her work uses the imagery of cairns, which are balanced mounds of stones, typically built by fellow travelers from rocks found in the landscape. They are carefully placed and balanced to mark a trail or path to help guide others. Sharon sees cairns as a way to connect to nature, history and those that have traveled before us in life. To learn more follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Beacon Gallery

617-718-5600

contact@beacongallery.com
The machine is going to take our current hydroforming capabilities to the next level as we stay ahead of the competition as an industry leader in custom magnetic shielding.

Beckwood Press Company, a leading manufacturer of custom hydraulic and servo-electric presses, automation systems, and the Triform line of precision forming equipment has been awarded a contract by MuShield to engineer and build a Triform 16-15-7DD. With this new piece of hydroforming equipment, they will draw form sheet metal magnetic shielding solutions for components used in the medical, aerospace & defense, utility, and electronics industries.

The new Triform deep draw sheet hydroforming press will have a 16-inch forming area, a 7-inch draw depth capacity, and the ability to hit pressures up to 15,000 PSI. The press will also be equipped with a lower punch force cylinder increase which allows for larger part formation at higher pressures.

To facilitate fast die changeover, a tool change station will be provided for the ease of loading and unloading tooling. A cartridge-style lower chamber, fixed on rollers, will be supplied with the press to allow movement in and out of the forming chamber. The shuttle will also be equipped with a punch tool lift cylinder for raising and lowering the punch when loading and unloading.

To integrate with MuShields existing systems, a barcode reader for recipe handling will be included. Triforms intuitive programming allows for storage of over 10,000 part recipes with full control of optimal forming pressures and desired positions throughout the draw.

The Triform 16-15-7DD from Beckwood Press has been on our radar since we saw it on the floor at FABTECH in Las Vegas a few years back, said Luke Grilli VP of Sales and Marketing at MuShield. The machine is going to take our current hydroforming capabilities to the next level as we stay ahead of the competition as an industry leader in custom magnetic shielding. More importantly, it will also allow for peace of mind that we have an excellent hydroform on the shop floor for the next 20+ years.

We are very excited to partner with MuShield on this project and provide their team with a reliable hydroforming solution for their existing work, while also supporting their effort to drive future growth with a larger machine and the latest in technology, said Beckwood Sales Manager, Caleb Dixon. Our goal is to collaborate with our customers on the types of parts they will be forming, to ensure we are delivering the right solution for the job.

About MuShield

MuShield is a worldwide industry leader as a manufacturer of custom magnetic shields, precision sheet metal fabrication, and hydroforming. Established in 1989, the company manufactures advanced magnetic shielding solutions made from magnetic shielding alloys such as mumetal and other high nickel alloys. They also fabricate and hydroform high-quality components made from all materials with maximum efficiency and minimal waste. Learn more at mushield.com

About Beckwood Press Company

Beckwood Press Company is a leading manufacturer of hydraulic and servo-electric presses, located in St. Louis, MO - USA. Established in 1976, they offer both standard and custom presses as well as automation equipment for virtually every industry and application, including a line of temperature-controlled presses for compression molding and high-temperature hot forming / SPF applications. Beckwood also manufactures the Triform line of precision forming equipment and the EVOx line of servo-electric presses. Get the latest news from Beckwood at beckwoodpress.com/news.
Christine Gutierrez Transitions are stressful  we are here to take that stress off your shoulders and help you meet your personal goals, whatever those might be ... Im excited to be able to bring my integrity, my approach to customer service and client care, and my passion for helping people to Caring Transitions.

With a background in client care and project management, Christine Gutierrez is excited to be serving her community in a new way through her new senior-focused relocation and estate-clearing company, Caring Transitions of Helotes. Caring Transitions of Helotes works in Far West San Antonio, Alamo Ranch Parkway, Westover Hills, Helotes, Grey Forest and the surrounding areas.

Caring Transitions is the professional choice for moving, downsizing, clearing an estate and hosting estate sales. Caring Transitions specially-trained professionals handle every detail of their clients transition including decluttering, cleanouts, packing, move management, unpacking, resettling into your new home, and both in-home and online estate sales.

Caring Transitions is different from other companies because were dedicated to providing a full-service solution to each clients individual transition. Every person and every family is different, so the process needs to be different each time, even if we use the same suite of services, Gutierrez said. Transitions are stressful  we are here to take that stress off your shoulders and help you meet your personal goals, whatever those might be.

Caring Transitions services are perfect for managing the many aspects of a senior move. The company also helps busy families with downsizing, rightsizing, and clearing out the home of a loved one who has moved into assisted care or has passed away. All of Caring Transitions services are customizable, so clients choose the solution that best fits their needs.

Gutierrez is married to her high school sweetheart, Christopher, and the two have six kids. Gutierrez spent the last 15 years with a large corporate company in operations and project management. Her people skills and approach to solutions-based problem solving earned her opportunities to grow through those 15 years, but COVID-19 brought a new batch of challenges.

I learned a lot about myself and about customer service, including the way I value integrity. Its important to do the right thing for the right reasons. Of course companies need to make money, but you can treat your customers the way they deserve to be treated and make money at the same time. During the last two years of COVID, I found that my approach to customer service wasnt valued the way I needed it to be. I could fight for my clients, but at the end of the day, I wasnt the one making the final decisions. Thats when I realized it was time to start my own business, Gutierrez said. Im excited to be able to bring my integrity, my approach to customer service and client care, and my passion for helping people to Caring Transitions.

Caring Transitions of Helotes is bonded and insured, and all employees are background checked. For additional information, call 210-905-0466, email CGutierrez@CaringTransitions.com or visit http://www.CaringTransitionsHelotes.com.


Dimiour owes our successful growth to our highly skilled business and technology consultants. They are the ones who understand our clients problems and work to find creative solutions. Without them, we would not be able to sustain such a high level of growth

Dimiour, the fastest growing, Technology Consulting, Digital Transformation, IoT, Application Development and IT services provider, is pleased to announce that The Atlanta Business Chronicle has named them a Pacesetter for the second year in a row.

The Pacesetter Awards by The Atlanta Business Chronicle, celebrate fast-growing, privately held companies throughout Atlanta that show exceptional improvement in revenue and employee growth over the previous two years. Awardees were honored at the 27th Annual Pacesetters Awards Gala on April 28, 2022.

Dimiours focus on building strategies and services that solve problems for the worlds leading Manufacturing, Automotive, Healthcare, and Financial Services companies has enabled their sustained fast growth. Utilizing technologies like Blockchain, AI, Machine Learning, Public Cloud, IoT, and hyper-automation ensures their clients are ahead of the curve.

Dimiour owes our successful growth to our highly skilled business and technology consultants. They are the ones who understand our clients problems and work to find creative solutions. Without them, we would not be able to sustain such a high level of growth says Sidd Ahmed, CEO of Dimiour.

About Dimiour:

Dimiour, formerly VDart Digital, is an award winning (2021 &2022 Toyota IT Diverse Supplier of the Year and Atlanta Business Chronicles 2021 & 2022 Pace Setter) global technology & business consulting services organization that pairs people, technology and expertise to create solutions for tomorrows problems. The companys solutions power next generation Mobility, Connected Services, IoT, Cloud, Security consulting and services.

Led by a strong global team located across 10 countries including USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium, UK, Japan, Australia & India, the company provides solution expertise for custom turn-key projects for design and implementation of future concepts and cutting-edge technologies, delivering frictionless customer experience, creating better business value. The company partners with its clients in ideation, strategy, prototyping, testing, product launch and steady state support, and has deep expertise in emerging technologies such as blockchain, IoT, UI/UX, AR/VR, Cloud, Data Science and Analytics, Machine Learning, AI, NLP, Identity and Access Management (IAM), and Intelligent automation. Learn more: Dimiour.io
This blueprint will be instrumental as we partner to develop a new world leading free zone that drives FDI between two extremely dynamic markets, while providing transformational trade opportunities for the broader Central and South Americas through Dubai

DMCC  the worlds flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise  has signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop a trade hub and free zone in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Per the MoU, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will be developed and operated in a partnership between DMCC and Dakia U-Ventures (UVentures), in direct collaboration with federal and national government entities of Colombia. UVentures is an international investment holding company specialised in designing, financing, developing, and operating international macro-scale projects.

The free-trade designated territory will be a common law district based on English common law, which will create an international business platform with unique benefits such as balanced arbitration facilities, incorporated country risk insurance, global trade networks, and access to capital. Once established, the Cartagena International Commerce Zone will become Latin Americas first Common Law District Arbitration Centre.

DMCC and the Cartagena International Commerce Zone aim to offer their member companies passporting rights between the two free zones, which will enhance bilateral trade opportunities and provide greater access to global markets.

The project was officially announced by the President of the Senate of Colombia, Juan Diego Gomez Jimenez, at the forum FORO#23 held in Miami, United States, in the presence of the Colombian Vice-Ministers of Commerce & Tourism and Justice & Law; the mayor of Cartagena; Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO, DMCC; and representatives from UVentures.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: As the worlds fastest growing free zone with over 20,000 registered companies, DMCC is thrilled to partner with UVentures to establish a trade hub and free zone free zone in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. This will shape the future of trade by creating a new virtual and physical trading corridor between Colombia and Dubai, while supporting the national strategic objectives of Colombia and unlocking its enormous growth opportunities. DMCCs regulatory trade environment and free zone model shaped over 20 years is the blueprint for global market connectivity and growth. This blueprint will be instrumental as we partner to develop a new world leading free zone that drives FDI between two extremely dynamic markets, while providing transformational trade opportunities for the broader Central and South Americas through Dubai.

Xavier Adsera, Chief Executive Offiver, UVentures, said: We are thrilled to embark on this endeavour with DMCC, the Colombia Sovereign Authorities, and our ecosystem of institutional partners. This remarkable project has all the elements to be a worldwide success, posing a historical opportunity for the country to expand its international presence, and for Latin America to develop a leading financial & commercial hub referent amongst global capital markets.

The Cartagena International Commerce Zone will be modelled on DMCC, which is the worlds leading and fastest growing free zone. As a global hub for commodities and enterprise, DMCC has spearheaded the development of physical, market and financial infrastructure required to drive international trade flows and create market connectivity.

As a result of this project, it is projected that Colombia will significantly improve its standard credit ratings and attract foreign direct investments, creating business opportunities at a national and international level.
Its exciting to tell the full logo creation story through this case study and to have the opportunity to visually bring this brand to life. - Nick Landsberger, Lead Designer at Gate 39 Media

Gate 39 Media, a full-featured marketing agency and technology consulting firm dedicated to serving the financial and agricultural industries, announced that it has been named a bronze level winner by the Financial Communications Society in the 28th Annual FCS Portfolio Awards.

Within the branding and advertising category, Gate 39 Medias winning entry is a business-to-business visual identity and logo system developed for FairX, a derivatives exchange which was acquired by Coinbase in early 2022.

The 28th Annual FCS Portfolio Awards attracted entries from major in-house creative teams and agencies, including contenders Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Prudential Financial.

Were honored to have our visual brand development work recognized for its creative excellence by the Financial Communications Society, said Nick Landsberger, Lead Designer at Gate 39 Media. Its exciting to tell the full logo creation story through this case study and to have the opportunity to visually bring this brand to life.

Gate 39 Media team members who contributed to the winning FairX project entry include:



Sarah McNabb, Chief Marketing Officer

Nick Landsberger, Lead Designer

Monica Galdes, Graphic Designer

Zach Mau, Production Specialist

Mike Forrester, Media Producer

Feiying Hu, Developer

This news follows the recent announcement that Gate 39 Media has been named as the premier marketing partner of the Global Digital Asset & Cryptocurrency Association.

View Gate 39 Media's full design portfolio at https://www.gate39media.com/our-portfolio/.

About Gate 39 Media

Gate 39 Media is a financial services marketing agency and technology consulting firm providing complete solutions for the financial, agricultural, and professional services industries since 2001. Headquartered in downtown Chicago, Gate 39 Media serves exchanges, financial advisors, brokerage firms, hedging consulting firms, agribusinesses, an array of funds, FinTech firms, and emerging managers and advisors. Gate 39 Media is a HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partner and was ranked an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company for 2020 and 2021. Visit http://www.gate39media.com.
Forward Vision New Advisory Board Members We are proud to add these two extremely competent women to our board. We know their knowledge and insights will impact Forward Vision and also be a part of our clients future success.

Forward Vision LLC, a women-owned, Dallas-based full-service B2B marketing communications agency specializing in technology companies with a global outlook, today announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Advisors. The new members include Neha Kunte, Founder, President & CEO of MNK Infotech Inc., and Almaz Woldeab, Executive Director at MUFG.

Together, they represent vast expertise in entrepreneurship, finance, leadership, diversity and inclusion, enhancing Forward Visions objective to deliver first-class communication services to its clients and thus help them grow and be even more profitable.

I feel thrilled to be able to contribute to the growth of Forward Visions clients, said Neha Kunte, Founder, President & CEO, of MNK Infotech Inc. Forward Vision Marketing consists of a diverse and versatile team helping clients in high tech, fast-changing, and global environment to make a change. I am looking forward to being a part of that.

We are proud to add these two extremely competent women to our board, said Kelly Stark, principal at Forward Vision Marketing, LLC. We know their knowledge and insights will impact Forward Vision and also be a part of our clients future success.

Neha has over 20 years of work experience and over 15 years as an entrepreneur. Recognized as a business leader, Neha can quickly apply marketing and business concepts to project management decisions, negotiations, and hiring. With almost two decades of cross-cultural professional work experience in India, Japan, and the USA and her bilingual background, she finds it easy to break the barriers and educate business leaders around her. Neha holds a degree in financial accounting from the University of Mumbai, India, and a degree in classical Indian dance. She is also fluent in Japanese. Most recently, Neha graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10K small business program and was featured in the 2021 October edition of Dallas CEO. She was also awarded the 2010 Women Business Entrepreneur of the Year.

Almaz Woldeab is an experienced financial professional and a passionate leader with extensive experience managing finance organizations, including private equity, real estate investment management, portfolio and fund administration, startups, and fortune 500 technology companies. She brings expertise in strategy development for investment selection and fundraising, investment fund accounting and reporting, corporate financial planning, corporate reporting, Sarbanes Oxley, and financial communications. Almaz has a BS in Accounting from University of Texas at Dallas and MBA from Southern Methodist University. In addition, Almaz was named Minority Business recipient in 2018 by Dallas Business Journal.

About Forward Vision Marketing

Forward Vision Marketing is a full-service B2B marketing agency that understands wireless technology and how to best communicate in a business-to-business mobile marketplace. With over 20 years of experience in the telecom wireless industry, we already understand your products and your customers, so we can work on branding your company right away. We don't need a ramp-up time to launch your products, services, or image. Our B2B marketing services go beyond digital and traditional marketing to include product launch, product portfolio strategy, market research, public relations, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), paid search and sales enablement. For more information, visit us at http://www.forwardvision.net.
Green Home Systems is preparing Pennsylvania Power and Light customers for yet another rate hike taking effect Jun 1, 2022.

Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) is increasing the residential rate for electricity from 8.941 cents per kWh to 12.366 cents per kWh. Thats a whopping 38% hike after their last increase that took place in December of 2021. This increase taking effect in only a short few weeks will add around $34 per month to the average residential utility bill and around a $48 per month increase since last summer.

But its not only residential power that will increase. PPLs rate hike will hit commercial businesses as well who will be hit with a 21% increase in their price for power taking the cost from 9.674 cents per kWh to 11.695 cents per kWh. The rate hike for businesses will also take place on June 1st.

Managing Director at Green Home Systems, Robbie Hebert, explains, Its never been a more crucial time for Pennsylvanians to make the switch to solar. Utility companies are getting completely out of hand and taking advantage of their customers who have no option but to comply. Well, that is no option but to go solar.

Why go solar with Green Home Systems?

Green Home Systems (GHS) is a top, U.S. based solar energy company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. GHS has mastered the art of harnessing the suns energy and converting it into clean, renewable energy for customers across the country with their expert designers and team of installers.

GHS is also a Panasonic authorized installer meaning that Panasonic, which is arguably one of the best solar panel manufacturers in the business, is partnered with GHS bringing solar customers not only exceptional service, but the most durable, efficient and effective panels possible.

Hebert continues, Solar energy is becoming increasingly more affordable for home and business owners nationwide. At GHS, we pride ourselves on being one of the best solar companies in the nation while still offering our customers a fair and competitive price. The mission at the end of the day is to help customers break away from the grip of utility companies so that they can bring their monthly utility bill to a net zero and reduce air pollution pumped into the air by use of traditional forms of energy.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of going solar with GHS.


In the first stop on our International Roadshow, we want to share with attendees the actionable things they can do, today, to successfully navigate the complicated tech hiring landscape and fuel their organizations with top talent as our digital world continues to evolve.

HackerEarth, a leading solutions provider for remote developer assessments, interviews, and upskilling, today announced the return of its Hire 1O(1) conference taking place on May 13, 2022, from 3-5 p.m. with drinks and hors d'oeuvres following at Trigger Chicago, located at 2810 West Addison St., Chicago, IL.

The invite-only networking event is designed to share actionable insights that will help recruiters and hiring managers staff successful tech teams. Amid hiring challenges spurred by the pandemic, like the ongoing shortage of developer talent and the onslaught of IT requests created by digital transformation, CTOs and tech recruiters will hear first-hand how some of the biggest players in tech are approaching the current hiring landscape.

Kicking off the event, GoHealth Senior Technical Recruiter Krista Thielen will present, What HRs Get Wrong About Tech-Hiring in Different Industries, followed by a keynote and welcome from HackerEarth CEO Sachin Gupta. To round out the hiring boot camp, hiring leaders from Meta, Rakuten, Hyde Park Ventures, and more will discuss how to build a productive tech workforce in 2022. To view the detailed agenda and full list of speakers visit Hire1O(1) Chicago.

Attendees will leave the conference with a wealth of practical, relevant information and actionable takeaways on minimizing time to hire, curating efficient teams, and free tools to help maximize hiring resources this year.

Tech hiring continues to expand rapidly, reaching markets far beyond Silicon Valley, said Sachin Gupta, HackerEarth CEO. In the first stop on our International Roadshow, we want to share with attendees the actionable things they can do, today, to successfully navigate the complicated tech hiring landscape and fuel their organizations with top talent as our digital world continues to evolve.

Stay tuned for additional information on upcoming Hire 1O(1) events in New York City, San Francisco and more. Register for the FREE event here.

About HackerEarth

HackerEarth is a global company that helps large enterprises recruit, evaluate, and upskill developers based on specific skills. The companys platform enables recruiters to make the most accurate and informed decisions about candidates, improve hiring efficiencies, facilitate continuous learning and development, and ensure the right developers are matched with the right positions. HackerEarth is also a leading facilitator of online hackathons and coding challenges, where its community of over 4 million developers can upskill and practice for employment interviews. The company was founded in 2012 with offices in San Francisco and India. For more information, visit http://www.hackerearth.com.
As global thought leaders and industry pioneers took the stage in a series of innovative dialogues, weve explored tremendous opportunities for digital business transformation and emerging technologies.

On May 9th at the stunning Terranea Resort on the Los Angeles coast, Avasants annual flagship event, Empowering Beyond Summit, brought together industry executives across multiple verticals for two (2) days of peer-level networking, focused thought leadership, future-driven ideation and progressive insights. Today, the second and final day of EBS22, brings an action-packed agenda with a slate of top-level featured speakers. This year's Quantum Acceleration Agenda focuses on the limitless possibilities of immersive technologies, transformational business models and human creativity.

Day 1 of Avasants Empowering Beyond Summit 2022 surpassed all expectations. As global thought leaders and industry pioneers took the stage in a series of innovative dialogues, weve explored tremendous opportunities for digital business transformation and emerging technologies. We look forward to a full day of inspiration and high energy on Day 2 of this annual event! said Avasant Chairman and CEO, Kevin S. Parikh, who delivers a much-anticipated opening keynote on The Imagination Age. Kevin, whose vision of the future fuses innovation, technology and business, is a best-selling author and thought leader, widely known for his unique insights on the emerging technologies creating new business, and navigating global landscapes in ever-changing digital marketplaces.

"Securing The Digital Frontier: Preparing for the Cyber Wars" is a thought-provoking fireside chat which explores the ever-changing cyber landscape and discuss ways to pre-empt, prevent and respond to cyber threats. This session will address challenges in securing and hardening the enterprise perimeter in the Digital age and discuss innovative methods and tools for pre-empting and responding to these threats.

The closing fireside chat on "The Art of the Possible in The Imagination Age" will feature key takeaways from the summit and engage in a conversation about our human future, and how The Imagination Age could redefine how we live work and play.

At-A-Glance: Featured Speakers and Sessions



Bharat Amin - CIO & EVP, Huntington Ingalls Industries - "Leading in Evolving Times: Preparing for Operational Excellence & Resiliency"

Yuri Aguiar - Chief Enterprise Data Officer, The WPP Group - "Thriving in Disruption: Reshaping Your Business Through Digital (R)evolution"

Panel Session: "The Future Workplace: Engineering the Office of Tomorrow"

Panel Session: "The Future of Retail: From Omnichannel to Omniverse"

See the full agenda here.

About Empowering Beyond

Avasant's Empowering Beyond Summit bring together industry leaders to ideate, connect and collaborate on issues that matter most to enterprises. This annual flagship event offers the incredible opportunity to gain insight into emergent business solutions and hear industry experts sharing first-hand accounts of the challenges and successes that are progressing enterprises forward.

Visit Empowering Beyond Summit 2022 for more information on the agenda and featured speakers.

For press inquiries please contact Andriana Albert andrianaj.albert@avasant.com | (347) 466-0397.

About Avasant

Avasant is a leading management consulting firm focused on translating the power of technology into realizable business strategies for the worlds largest corporations. Specializing in digital and IT transformation, sourcing advisory, global strategy, and governance services, Avasant prides itself on delivering high-value engagements through industry-focused innovation and flexible, client-based solutions.

Our seasoned professionals have an average of 20 years of industry-honed expertise, having conducted more than 1,000 engagements in over 50 countries. Avasants next-generation consulting and advisory methods have made it the top-ranked firm in its class, with recognition from numerous organizations, including: Vault, NOA, IAOP, and the Wall Street Journal.

Avasants engagement in the global market has inspired a strong commitment to community and purpose. Avasant Foundation supports technology and skill development programs to create employment opportunities for youth across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

For more information, visit our website.

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I wrote this book to share my expertise working with corporations around the globe to help them make human capital a strategic initiative. I share approaches, tools, and techniques to help companies establish a Human Asset Management Strategy based on the continually evolving business environment.

Joanne Toth Flynn is excited to announce her new book, Accelerating Business Success, The Human Asset Management Strategy.

Today, business is operating in a newly-defined future based on disruption, advanced automation, AI, and complex, global, geopolitical economics. Our current human capital structures may no longer be valid. These structures need to be continually reassessed and our organizations and structures reinvented to align with new operating paradigms.

This book presents approaches, tools, and techniques for establishing a Human Asset Management Strategy as a core organizational strategy based on the evolving business environment. This strategy takes traditional asset management approaches and expands those approaches for use in today's human capital world. The approach evaluates your human assets as:

Value Creators  Appreciating in Value

Value Sustainers  Maintaining their Value

Value Eroders  Depreciating in Value

The human asset management strategy focuses on a human capital continuous improvement loop that directly impacts:



How You Evaluate Employees: Are your employees appreciating in value, maintaining their value, or declining in value?

How You Assess Leadership: Can your leadership team lead in a future of innovation, agility, continuous improvement, scalability, and sustainability?

How You Develop a Robust Human Asset Management Strategy (HAMS): Are you implementing an approach that includes HAMS in your strategic plan?

"I wrote this book to share my expertise working with corporations around the globe to help them make human capital a strategic initiative. I share approaches, tools, and techniques to help companies establish a Human Asset Management Strategy based on the continually evolving business environment," says Joanne Flynn, Author of Accelerating Business Success, The Human Asset Management Strategy.

This book takes you through the process of developing a strategy where your employees truly are your most valuable assets. Learn more: Accelerating Business Success, The Human Asset Management Strategy.

About the Author:

Joanne Flynn founded and leads Phoenix Strategic Performance, a strategic human capital advisory consulting firm. From an independent vantage point, Joanne works with organizations as they faced global growth and competitive challenges. She works with her clients to be both externally focused and internally responsive. With her unique background, she aligns competitive business development efforts with related internal organizational leadership challenges. With the benefit of her career-long focus, Joanne contributes the unique insight of aligning strategy to internal organizational structure and process. She focuses on human capital relative to strategic initiatives, accelerated business growth, value creation, and business development.
Tower Two at Hutchinson Metro Center Institutions like Columbia University have graduate and doctoral students conducting cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence, life sciences and oncology, so companies like Absci need to be where the talent lives, said Joseph Simone, President of Simone Development Companies.

Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies says Abscis recent announcement that it will open an artificial-intelligence research lab in New York City is another sign that start-ups want to be close to young talent conducting noteworthy research.

Institutions like Columbia University have graduate and doctoral students conducting cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence, life sciences and oncology, so companies like Absci need to be where the talent lives, said Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development Companies.

The Vancouver, Washington-based Absci recently announced that it will open its research lab at the Carnegie Hall Tower in Manhattan. The location puts Abscis lab a short subway ride from Columbia University, Google, and the Samsung AI Center.

Growing companies want to be where the talent lives and studies. The need for proximity to talent is one reason why Simone Development Companies is enthusiastic about our Hutchinson Metro Center, which is a short walk from a major medical research centerthe Einstein College of Medicine, said Patricia Simone, Principal and President of Simone Management Group.

Simone Development Companies is in the process of expanding its Hutchinson Metro Center campus to include life-science-focused laboratories for medical research. The campus will sit next to a new Metro-North train station that will soon provide commuters direct access in 25 minutes to Penn Station and New York Citys other innovation corridors.

The research excellence and entrepreneurial vision of faculty at the Einstein College of Medicine contributed to the recent announcement that the faculty will receive two 2022 XSeed Awards to advance promising basic science findings that have start-up potential. As the Einstein facultys research progresses, they will build relationships with investment groups and licensing partners to further develop their discoveries.

The Hutchinson Metro Center is ready to provide space to any of the start-ups launched by the new research coming out of the Einstein College of Medicine, said Mrs. Simone.

About Simone Development

Simone Development Companies is a fully integrated private real estate investment and development company that acquires and develops healthcare, mixed-use, office, industrial, retail and residential properties. Headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center, it boasts a portfolio of over 7 million square feet throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, Orange and Fairfield Counties and New Jersey. With services spanning acquisition, development, construction, finance, asset management, accounting, leasing and property management, Simone Development Companies is set apart by its creatively oriented management team, long-term asset ownership and its pursuit of visionary development.
New Hampshire's life science/medical device sector includes over 600 companies and employs over 7,000. It's one of the top three leading drivers of economic growth in the state. Courtesy of NH BEA. With its easily accessible networking opportunities compared to larger markets, plus its life-sciences ecosystem and the support from Hannah Grimes, New Hampshire is the ideal destination for our U.S. expansion, said Joost Gazendam, CEO of Detact Diagnostics.

The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) announced today that Detact Diagnostics, a Netherlands-based life-sciences company that produces bacterial- and viral-detection solutions, will establish its U.S. headquarters and laboratories in Keene. The expansion is in partnership with the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship, which provides resources for entrepreneurs and companies in the states rural Monadnock Region, and Keene State College, which will provide space for Detact Diagnostics to create a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment or (CLIA)-certified laboratories as well as an expansive internship and employment program.

I am happy to welcome Detact to New Hampshires growing life science community, said BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell. In addition to the world-class technology being researched and implemented in our state, this expansion and partnership with Keene State College further demonstrates the value of our triangle strategy (employer-academic center-government) to generate high tech investment statewide.

CLIA-certified laboratories are federally regulated sites that test human specimens to diagnose, prevent and treat disease. The lab space to be developed at Keene State College will be used for Detact Diagnostics on-site bacterial-detection platforms, which enable healthcare providers and food-processing professionals to detect the presence of virus and bacteria and allow for fast, affordable and precise treatment.

The patented Detact Diagnostics platform technology called VIPER (Visualization by Infrared Peptide Reaction) involves the immediate release of a quenched Near Infrared (NIR) molecule from its peptide bond after contact with a specific bacteria/enzyme, which emits NIR-light (NIRL). The amount of light released determines the presence of bacteria or viruses. Due to its speed, precision and sensitivity, even with very diluted samples, the potential of this technology is superior compared to other testing products.

The company plans to hire Keene State College students for academic internship opportunities each semester and will roll out multiple hiring incentive programs in partnership with the institution.

With its easily accessible networking opportunities compared to larger markets, plus its life-sciences ecosystem and the support from Hannah Grimes, New Hampshire is the ideal destination for our U.S. expansion, said Joost Gazendam, CEO of Detact Diagnostics. From its proximity to the Manchester and Nashua areas, to its affordability, quality of life, and community connectivity, this rural region offers endless benefits that will allow us to continue to grow our company, educate a new generation of professionals and deploy life-changing technology.

The Granite States life science and medical device sector, which includes over 600 companies, employs over 7,000 and contributes close to $6 billion to the states GDP, is one of the top three leading drivers of economic growth. Medicine manufacturing was the number one sector for job growth in 2019.

The Detact Diagnostics announcement comes on the heels of last months news that Novocure, a global oncology company headquartered in Europe, broke ground on its new Portsmouth facility  a $9 million investment into the states life-science sector.

About Detact Diagnostics

Detact Diagnostics is a life-science company based in the Netherlands, founded in 2014 by former trauma surgeon Joost Gazendam, MD, PhD. Seeking to develop diagnostics to detect the presence of post-surgical infection, Gazendam and team developed a novel and disruptive bacterial-detection platform/technique, VIPER, that is both highly sensitive and specific to pathogens, and thus, uniquely suited to developing quick, affordable point-of-care tests. Detact is advancing its applications in healthcare and food safety.

For more information, visit: https://www.detactdiagnostics.com.

About the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA)

The Department of Business and Economic Affairs is dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality of the state of New Hampshire while promoting it as a destination for domestic and international visitors. For more information visit http://www.nheconomy.com or http://www.choosenh.com.
WHAT & WHO

RFID Journal LIVE! is the worlds largest conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification and related technologies. Professionals gather to attend educational sessions and experience product demonstrations that showcase top-notch technology driving innovation in the asset tracking space.

During the conference, Link Labs, a leading provider of an end-to-end IoT platform for locating, managing and monitoring equipment, supplies and assets anywhere at any time, will offer personalized demonstrations of AirFinder OnSite and showcase how the platform drives innovation in the RFID industry.

AirFinder OnSite is Link Labs next-generation IoT asset tracking platform for campus-based environments that dramatically improves accuracy and affordability. It is the first enterprise Real-Time Location System (RTLS) that provides accuracy within one meter by using a Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) radio to support both Bluetooth LE and phase ranging.

WHEN & WHERE

Date: Tues., May 17, 2022

Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, 3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89119, Booth #XXXX

To learn more and register for the event, please visit: https://rfidjournallive.com/

To learn more about Link Labs, visit https://www.link-labs.com/

About Link Labs

Link Labs provides the industrys most complete, end-to-end IoT platform for tagging, locating and monitoring equipment, supplies and assets. Its flagship product, AirFinder, helps companies in nearly every industry locate, monitor and manage business assets anywhere at any time  indoor, outdoor and everywhere in-between. Founded in 2014 by a group of engineers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, Link Labs today is trusted by top global enterprises for their essential IoT solutions and has deployed hundreds of thousands of IoT devices, managing billions of IoT events each month. Link Labs is based in Annapolis, Md. and holds more than 20 patents on its technological innovations. For more information, visit https://www.link-labs.com/ and follow on Twitter @LinkLabsInc.
2516A Ramshorn Drive, Manasquan, NJ The property owners son follows me on Instagram and approached me about listing his familys home, said Stulak. I jumped at the chance to represent and showcase this magnificent property.

Its been known as a town marvel in Manasquan. A true, one-of-a-kind retreat that comes along once in a lifetime. Homebuyers would be hard-pressed to find something like this in Monmouth County or even New Jersey... until now. Newly listed for sale in the Manasquan Park section of Wall Township, 2516A Ramshorn Drive is a 7,717 sq. ft. custom home that is also the largest listed home in Manasquan right now.

Boasting six bedrooms, six bathrooms and a three-car garage, this home is every beachgoers dream come true  and then some. For starters, lets talk about the chefs kitchen. Featuring Calacatta Laza quartz countertops, a commercial Viking six-burner cooktop, a Subzero Fridge, 32 farm sink and custom soft close cabinetry, there is absolutely no detail spared in creating this dream kitchen. There is also newly restored marble flooring throughout the home with a separate dining alcove. True sophistication lives in the homes great room, which stretches just over 1,200 sq. ft. and is an ideal space for entertaining and hosting themed events.

Upstairs there are plethora of bedrooms, which are more like royal suites with luxurious bathrooms and closets galore. The lower level of the home offers a fully finished walkout basement with a family room, spacious gym, three-person sauna with high ceilings and a full bathroom. To add to this exciting list of offerings  the finished basement increases the homes livable space to nearly 12,000 sq. ft.!

It may look like an island oasis, but no, its the backyard... complete with an inground pool, countless entertaining spaces, a firepit and so much more. It really is a page taken out of Architectural Digest Magazine.

So, for the family who wants it all, this home quite literally has it all. Listed at $2,799,999, 2516A Ramshorn Drive will not stay on the market for long. Ed Stulak, a New Jersey Licensed Real Estate Agent, landed this nearly untouchable listing through his famed Instagram following. With over 49.8K followers on Instagram and 380K likes on TikTok, Stulak knows a thing or two about leveraging social media to his benefit. The property owners son follows me on Instagram and approached me about listing his familys home, said Stulak. I jumped at the chance to represent and showcase this magnificent property.

Stulak and his team Orbis Group at Real Broker have sold and closed over $55M worth of real estate in recent years. Theres no doubt that this Manasquan marvel will be next. To learn more, visit EdStulak.com or email him directly at ed@edstulak.com.

About Ed Stulak

Ed Stulak is a New Jersey Licensed Real Estate Agent, social media geek, and a brand strategist to over 80,000 followers worldwide and growing. Through developing his online popularity, he has shared the stage with names like Ryan Serhant, James Harris, Brad Lea and several other business leaders. Named Top Digital Industry Hustler to watch by Realtor Magazine, today, Ed trains real estate agents globally on how to scale a personal brand and online presence that matters.
State lawmakers must adopt policies that equip these able-bodied adults collecting food stamps with the tools needed to help them get off the sidelines," said Jonathan Bain, Senior Research Fellow at FGA.

A recent report from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) explains how lawmakers can increase national gross domestic product (GDP) by nearly $160 billion by requiring participation in employment and training (E&T) programs mandatory for able-bodied adults collecting food stamps.

During the height of the pandemic, federal lawmakers suspended commonsense work requirements for able-bodied adults on food stamps, causing many states to see soaring food stamp enrollment and a shrinking labor force. Now, the latest available data shows that most able-bodied adults on food stamps do not work at all.

An updated economic modelsimilar to the one used by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) after work requirements were first adopted in 1996shows that making E&T participation mandatory for able-bodied adults in food stamps can bolster the labor force, and boost the national economy, increasing the countrys GDP by nearly $160 billion.

States already have well-funded E&T programs in place, but these programs lack participation, causing taxpayer dollars to be wasted, said Senior Research Fellow Jonathan Bain. As the Biden administration continues to push policies that discourage work and handcuff the American economy, state lawmakers must adopt policies that equip these able-bodied adults collecting food stamps with the tools needed to help them get off the sidelines.

By making E&T participation mandatory states can do what federal lawmakers will notenact policies that drive change, address critical worker shortages, and strengthen the economy.

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
Cybereason, the XDR company, today launched new Incident Response (IR) and Professional Services subscription bundles with services designed to help organizations measure and optimize their security program, packaged with unlimited incident response services that identify, contain and remediate malicious cyber incidents in minutes.

Cybereason IR and Professional Services provide the speed and agility to identify, correlate and contain threats to reduce damages and losses. The Automated Forensics-as-Code (FaC) Engine uncovers threat actors activity and intent by parsing and ingesting data from the Cybereason MalOp Detection Engine, by enriching it with historical data that provides complete visibility into a security incident.

Cybereason IR and Professional Services provide customers with both continuous and on-demand services tailored to the needs of their business. The bundles include:



Global Threat Intelligence - provides attacker insights, trends and adversary information to more effectively combat attacks.

Professional Services - assesses and reviews infrastructure to identify known weaknesses frequently abused by attackers to help fortify organization's security posture.

Incident Response - reveals all instances of adversarial activity and provides remediation across the entire organization.

Our new IR and Professional Services are designed to enable organizations to more effectively evaluate their infrastructure and identify vulnerabilities to allow customers to fortify their security posture against today's sophisticated attacks, said Piotr Wojtyla, Head of IR and Services, Cybereason.

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the XDR company, partnering with Defenders to end attacks at the endpoint, in the cloud and across the entire enterprise ecosystem. Only the AI-driven Cybereason XDR Platform provides planetary-scale data ingestion, operation-centric MalOp detection, and predictive response that is undefeated against modern ransomware and advanced attack techniques. Cybereason is a privately held international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 40 countries.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Media contact:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

+1 (929) 259-3261
Northeast Delta HSA's Integrated Care includes 'art as medicine' for Region 8, Partners with Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana "We believe there is medicine in creative expression, and the arts can help a person come alive in ways traditional treatment options can't," Dr. Sizer said.

Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) has adopted arts as one of its integrated health care, evidence-based prevention, communications, and treatment strategies to help serve persons with mental health, addictive disorders, and developmental disabilities.

To support this work, the agency has partnered with the Black Creatives Circle of North Louisiana (BCCNL), an artist think tank designed to nurture, encourage, and discuss art-related issues with North Louisiana artisans from the African Diaspora. BCCNL encompasses animators, cartoonists, designers, filmmakers, graphic designers, illustrators, painters, photographers, printmakers, poets, orators, screenwriters, sculptors, stylists, and writers.

Through BCCNL, NEDHSA will be establishing five murals in downtown development districts throughout the region to heal and restore the places where people live, work, play, and worship.

NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A Sizer said the agency "intends to help make Northeast Louisiana a regional creative hub, a preferred destination that will generate much-needed regional economic development, diversity, job creation, and more."

"We believe there is medicine in creative expression, and the arts can help a person come alive in ways traditional treatment options can't," Dr. Sizer said. "We intend to help create an environment where dreams are realized, families are strong, bodies are healthy, community institutions are thriving, and spirits are renewed."

According to the Americans for the Arts, 69 percent of the United States population believe the arts "lift me up beyond everyday experiences," 73 percent feel the arts give them "pure pleasure to experience and participate in," and 81 percent say the arts are a "positive experience in a troubled world."

In April, NEDHSA and BCCNL revealed NEDHSAs first wall art in downtown Monroe's Art Alley to help bring awareness and reduce mental health and addiction-related stigma.

BCCNL President Vitus Shell said murals are "direct and great ways to express a community's concerns and needs, envisioning a new future and safer space for the people."

"Kids and the rest of the community can see themselves in a new light," Shell said. "Murals can enforce themes for the people and show that someone cares about their quality of life."

Shell said BCCNL looks like the city's majority, and "we use our voices and talent to speak up for the unheard."

"Artists are the visionaries of our neighborhoods, so with NEDHSA, this partnership is perfect," Shell said. "The history and mission of NEDHSA align with our goals of empowering creatives to create change in any way imaginable."

NEDHSA has brought many art initiatives to the region, such as psychodramas, Jiggaerobics, hip hop-to-prevention efforts, and partnering with arts and communications programs at regional colleges and universities. And on May 27 and 28, the agency will be presenting two free showings of "Alky-Users: An Ongoing Tragedy" at the University of Louisiana Monroe's Brown Theatre beginning at 7 p.m. each night.

In December 2021, NEDHSA sponsored a mural created by the University of Louisiana Monroe Honors Art Class and the Art & Entrepreneurship Class that was designed and created as a public art project to inspire ULM students to seek help, destigmatize seeking help, and provide solutions to help overcome mental health issues. Since then, the agency has displayed the mural at the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum in Monroe, Union Museum of History & Art in Farmerville, Madison Parish High School in Tallulah, and the Chennault Aviation Museum in Monroe.

Dr. Sizer said art could be that spark that further ignites better regional population health, racial unity, economic opportunities for all, and pride in where we call home.

"It's our time to create a place we are all proud of, a place where we foster hope and opportunities for all, Dr. Sizer said. "There is no better time than now. This is our now time."
ODU-USA launches a new portfolio of fiber optic cable assembly system solutions, enabling high-speed data transfer rates and highly reliable, interference-free transmissions.

The ODU Fiber Optic technologies ensures the most reliable signal stability and high quality performance needed for optical connections. The ODU Fiber Optic portfolio includes glass optical fiber (GOF Multimode / Singlemode) and plastic optical fiber ( POF) solutions, Expanded Beam and Physical Contact technology, fiber only and hybrid systems. Additional features include: high mating cycles, IP68 (in mated condition), high speed data rates, easy cleaning and robust connector housings.

The Expanded Beam Performance technology is an advanced fiber optic systems solution. It ensures a highly reliable transmission and high mating cycles, up to 25,000. The excellent optical performance remains unchanged even under mechanical stress, environmental influences and harsh environmental conditions.

The ODU Fiber Optic portfolio also includes reliable Physical Contact technology with low insertion loss, for up to 1,000 mating cycles. For short distance transmission, ODU offers the POF (Polymer Optical Fiber) system for a cost-effective optical cable assembly solution.

The ODU Fiber Optic solutions are ideal for medical technology, industrial outdoor applications and mass-interconnect solutions. These technologies are available in circular and modular connectors as well as customized solutions. They are designed as fully assembled fiber optic cable assembly system solutions.

ODU`s Expanded Beam Performance Technology is an enhanced fiber optic system that offers the best optical performance in the market. This fiber optic system, combined with our harsh environment connector designs, will be a game changer in the industry.

Rudolf Weidenspointner, Head of Cable Assembly & Technologies at ODU

Learn more about the ODU Fiber Optic portfolio at: https://odu-usa.com/technologies/fiber-optic/

ODU Group: Global Representation with Perfect Connections

The ODU Group is one of the worlds leading suppliers of connector systems, employing 2,500 people around the world. In addition to its company headquarters in Muhldorf am Inn (Germany), ODU also has an international distribution network and production sites in Sibiu/Romania, Shanghai/China and Tijuana/Mexico. ODU combines all relevant areas of expertise and key technologies including design and development, machine tooling and special machine construction, injection, stamping, turning, surface technology, assembly and cable assembly. The ODU Group sells its products globally through its sales offices in China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Romania, Sweden and the US, as well as through numerous international sales partners. ODU connectors ensure a reliable transmission of power, signals, data and media for a variety of demanding applications including medical technology, military, communications and security, automotive, industrial electronics, and test & measurement.
Crowder Law Firm Scholarship, Fall 2022

The Crowder Law Firm, P.C. is excited to announce that the firm has officially launched its scholarship program. Attorney Darlina Crowder and her legal team understand the time and effort it takes to conquer intimidating obstacles, and with the Crowder Law Firm Scholarship, they hope to provide relief to a student who has demonstrated determination and hard work throughout their academic journey.

The Plano criminal defense firm is currently offering The Crowder Law Firm Scholarship to students who are enrolled to attend an accredited college or university for the Fall 2022 semester. The scholarship provides $1,000 to a high achieving student with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.6 or higher. This award may be used toward academic expenses such as tuition, room and board, and books.

To apply for The Crowder Law Firm Scholarship, a student must submit an essay answering the following prompt: How do you define the American Dream? Do you believe it is attainable today? While reviewing applications, Attorney Crowder, along with her scholarship committee, will consider each essays clarity, comprehensiveness, organization, creativity, and originality in order to select their award recipient.

The deadline for the Fall 2022 Crowder Law Firm Scholarship is July 7, 2022. Any questions related to the scholarship can be directed to scholarships@crowdercriminalfirm.com.

About The Crowder Law Firm, P.C.

The Crowder Law Firm, P.C. is located in Plano, Texas and serves clients all throughout North Texas. Attorney Darlina Crowder is committed to providing vigorous advocacy and skillful representation for people facing criminal charges. She has been defending clients charged with some of the most serious criminal offenses for over 20 years in both state and federal courts.

For more information about The Crowder Law Firm, P.C., please visit https://www.crowdercriminalfirm.com/.

To learn more about The Crowder Law Firm Scholarship and apply online, visit https://www.crowdercriminalfirm.com/scholarship.
Jasmines Dog, What Am I Gonna Do?: an engaging message of the promise one carries. Jasmines Dog, What Am I Gonna Do? is the creation of published author Rachel Portillo, who was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is a wife of twenty-six years and a mother of one adult son; together they share four loving, dramatic, amazing dogs. Portillo has been writing poetry and short stories for over a decade but strictly for personal enjoyment. However, when she and her husband became empty nesters, she decided to retire her RN license after fifteen years of nursing and chose to pursue her passion for writing full-time.

Portillo shares, Jasmine loves writing poems, but more importantly, shes only read them to her best friend (Jasmines Dog). As Jasmines poetry presentation approaches, her shyness gets the best of her and grows into something she starts to believe as far worse. Join Jasmine as she desperately attempts to escape her class project, all the while forgetting the truth written right in front of her.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Rachel Portillos new book will resonate with many students who find themselves faced with a wave of shyness when tasked with presenting in front of their classmates.

Portillo offers a fun opportunity to discuss timidness and courageousness within the pages of this lighthearted childrens narrative.

Consumers can purchase Jasmines Dog, What Am I Gonna Do? at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Jasmines Dog, What Am I Gonna Do?, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Report for America corps member Alejandra Martinez reports on a story for KERA News in Dallas. (Photo by Keren Carrion/KERA) "Together, our emerging and experienced corps members will produce tens of thousands of articles on critically under-covered topicsschools, government, healthcare, the environment, communities of color, and more, said Earl Johnson, director of admissions at Report for America.

Report for America today announced the placements of more than 300 journalists for its 2022-23 reporting corps. The cohort, which includes a number of corps members returning for a second or third year, will join the staffs of more than 200 local news organizations across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

The corps is diversenearly half are journalists of color and nearly two thirds are women. By better reflecting their communities, Report for Americas partner newsrooms will be better positioned to build trust with those they serve.

Report for America provides a unique opportunity for journalists to pursue meaningful, local beat reporting that sadly is missing from many of todays newsrooms, said Earl Johnson, director of admissions at Report for America. Together, our emerging and experienced corps members will produce tens of thousands of articles on critically undercovered topicsschools, government, healthcare, the environment, communities of color, and more.

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization.

The full list of 2022-23 corps members can be found here.

The corps members will begin their new assignments in June. They bring with them past experiences from newsrooms like: ABC News, Arizona Republic, CBS News, CNN, Idaho Education News, India Currents, Missouri News Service, National Catholic Reporter, New York Times, Outlier Media, Public Health Watch, Sierra Magazine, Tallahassee Democrat, The Guardian, and Washington Post.

The new corps members include a Pulitzer Prize finalist and recipients of the Catholic Press Award, Ortega y Gasset Journalism Award, Robert F. Kennedy College Journalism Award, College Media Association Pinnacle Award, and several collegiate and state press club awardees. Incoming corps members have also received honors from the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation, the National Association of Hispanic Publishers and Investigative Reporters and Editors, among others.

The group also includes career-changers and reporters with myriad talents, including: a former U.S. Air Force special agent, a theatrical performer, a carpenter with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, a standup comic, a former ecologist, a former chemist, a former wildland firefighter, a Teach for America corps member, and a Peace Corps volunteer who served in Senegal.

The corps members attended a wide range of colleges and graduate schools from around the country and abroad, including: University of Missouri, Fayetteville State University, American University, Arizona State University, Boston University, Central Michigan University, Kennesaw State University, City University of Hong Kong, Clark Atlanta University, Columbia University, University of Arkansas, CUNY Newmark School of Journalism, Fordham University, University of Alaska Southeast, Georgetown University, University of Georgia, Goucher College, Hampton University, Hastings College, Oklahoma State University, Howard University, Ohio University, Queens College, Rice University, Texas State University, University of the Arts London, Wayne State University, University of South Florida, and Willamette University.

THE NEWSROOMS

The 200-plus newsrooms are now in 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. More than half of the positions are in nonprofit media organizations. The newsroom list, searchable by state or beat, can be found here.

New this year is a collaboration of 10 newsrooms focused on enhancing the quantity, quality and impact of journalism on agriculture, water and related issues as part of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a partnership with the University of Missouri School of Journalism that is funded by the Walton Family Foundation.

The breakdown by media platform:



Newspapers: 42%

Digital only: 27%

Radio: 25%

Television: 5%

News service: 1%

Report for America is also partnering with CatchLight, a photography nonprofit, to enhance the photo capabilities of three host newsrooms in California by supporting photography corps members there. And Report for America continues its partnership with The Associated Press, supporting 16 corps members in statehouses throughout the country.

Report for Americas work is made possible by the Knight Foundation, Meta Journalism Project, Google News Initiative, Hilton Foundation, Microsoft, SpringPoint Partners, Natasha and Dirk Ziff, Joyce Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Chan Zuckerberg Initiatives Just Trust, Lumina Foundation, Hearthland Foundation, Posner Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, Tow Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Park Foundation, Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation, and other leading philanthropic partners.

To learn more about Report for America and its efforts to strengthen communities through public service journalism, please visit reportforamerica.org.

About Report for America

Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across all 50 states. By creating a new, sustainable model for journalism, Report for America provides people with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and restore trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.


Naperville Family Law Firm wins Best Law Firm, 2022 The attorneys of Goostree Law Group believe in utilizing their excellent negotiating and litigating skills to protect the rights and reach the objectives of each of their clients.

Goostree Law Group, a Kane County family law firm, is honored to announce that U.S. News has recognized the practice as a 2022 Best Law Firm. This award is granted to highly respected law firms that have earned the recognition of their colleagues and peers, and it demonstrates that the firm can provide high-quality legal help in family law cases for clients throughout the Kane County area. The attorneys of Goostree Law Group believe in utilizing their excellent negotiating and litigating skills to protect the rights and reach the objectives of each of their clients.

The legal team at Goostree Law Group provides strategic and knowledgeable representation to individuals facing matters including divorce, parental responsibilities and parenting time, asset distribution, adoption, paternity, domestic violence, and several others. Founding attorney Tricia Goostree, who has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2019, prioritizes consistent and transparent communication with her clients and makes sure to keep them informed throughout the entire legal process.

The Best Law Firm award for 2022 is one of many accolades Goostree Law Group has received. Attorney Tricia Goostree has been recognized on numerous occasions throughout her legal career. She has been selected as an Elite Lawyer, Best Lawyer, Super Lawyer, Rising Star, and Illinois Leading Lawyer. Additionally, Tricia Goostree continues to exhibit her commitment and leadership through her involvement in the Kane County Bar Association as well as the DuPage County Bar Association.

To learn more about Goostree Law Group and its skilled group of attorneys, please visit https://www.familydivorcelaw.com/ or call 630-584-4800.
The offshore wind industry is taking off in America, and union carpenters are leading the way in training the next generation of construction workers to fill the growing demand for a qualified workforce in this rapidly developing sector.

The Carpenters International Training Fund (CITF) and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EASRCC) are preparing to open their first dedicated diving school where union carpenters and professionals from other building trades can earn their certification in underwater welding and pile driving. The new school will host an open house on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. To attend, visit: https://form.jotform.com/eascarpenters/OpenHouse.

The offshore wind industry is taking off in America, and union carpenters are leading the way in training the next generation of construction workers to fill the growing demand for a qualified workforce in this rapidly developing sector, said Frank Mahoney, EASRCC Communication Director. Were now looking for welders who can dive and divers who can weld. If you can do one, we can train you on the other.

Located in Sicklerville, NJ, and funded through the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, the new school comes as an expansion of the Thomas C. Ober Carpenters Training Center in nearby Hammonton. The new facility adds lake access. The expanded space in Hammonton allows for more experiential, hands-on training in pile driving and heavy construction. The two separate locations will work in tandem and are part of an initiative by the EASRCC to prepare for the forthcoming coastal construction boom given President Biden's Administration's push for the offshore wind industry.

The training offered through the school is free of charge for those enrolled in the carpenter apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program is an ideal way for prospective carpenters to learn the trade, mainly on weekends, while retaining the ability to keep their weekday job and earn money as they learn new skills. The starting salary for a one-year apprentice in New Jersey is $20 per hour, which doubles by the fourth year as one nears journeyperson status. Health and other benefits begin once an apprentice logs 600-hours of paid work in the program.

Carpenter apprentices and their instructors will be available to answer questions at the free event on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The open house will begin at 10:00 AM at 3300 White Horse Pike in Hammonton, NJ, and then move to the new underwater welding school at 1500 Liberty Pl in Sicklerville, NJ.

To register for the open house, visit https://form.jotform.com/eascarpenters/OpenHouse.


If you would like to know more about the Allen Properties lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

The Los Angeles labor law attorneys, at Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC, filed a class action complaint against P.F.C. Enterprises, Inc. DBA Allen Properties ("Allen Properties") for allegedly failing to provide employees with timely, off-duty meal and rest periods. The Allen Properties class action lawsuit, Case No. CIVSB2207363, is currently pending in the San Bernardino County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit, Allen Properties allegedly violated California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 204, 221, 226, 226.7, 246, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802 by failing to: (1) pay overtime wages; (2) pay minimum wages; (3) provide required meal and rest periods; (4) provide accurate itemized wage statements; (5) provide wages when due; and (6) reimburse employees for required expenses.

The lawsuit also alleges Allen Properties violated the Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA"), which gives rise to civil penalties as a result of Allen Properties' conduct. PAGA allows aggrieved employees to file a lawsuit to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State of California for Labor Code violations. An "aggrieved employee" is defined as "any person who was employed by the alleged violator and against whom one or more of the alleged violations was committed." Cal. Lab. Code section 2699(c). PAGA allows aggrieved employees to become deputized as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code.

If you would like to know more about the Allen Properties lawsuit, please contact Attorney Jackland Hom today by calling (619) 255-9047.

Zakay Law Group, APLC and JCL Law Firm, APC are labor and employment law firms with offices located in California that dedicate their practices to fighting for employees who have been wronged by their employers due to unfair employment practices. Contact one of their attorneys today if you need help with workplace issues regarding wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

-THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT-
Natalia Sylvester is an award-winning author across both adult (Everyone Knows You Go Home, 2018) and YA categories (Running, 2020). Her new YA novel, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, follows Veronica, a Peruvian American teenager born with hip dysplasia, who dreams of becoming a mermaid at a summer theme park. Facing a life-changing new prognosis and her parents protective measures over her health and her sexual desires, she must learn to take matters of her body into her own hands. Sylvester spoke with PW about separating herself from her protagonist, the effects of internalized shame, and the shared themes of young women finding their voice in her stories.

Your protagonist Veronica adores the mythology of mermaids, and this story dives into their many historical and cultural variations. And in your authors note, you highlight some of the real-life inspiration on the Mermaid Cove in your story. What made you want to incorporate that into your novel?

I think like a lot of people, I was fascinated by mermaids as a child. And its something that always has struck me. When I lived in central Florida, we lived nearby Weeki Wachee [Springs], which is the park that Mermaid Cove [in the novel] is based on. It lived in my imagination all these years, and I never really knew what to do with it until it actually ended up providing the framework for this whole storybecause I knew I wanted to write really my whole life. Even since I was young, I was writing about my hip dysplasia and my surgeries, but in essays that I sent to teen magazines that never got published. It wasnt until maybe four or five years ago that I realized that I wanted to write not just about hip dysplasia and disability, but also about what it means to be a Latina, what it means to be an immigrant, to have all of these parts coexisting inside of you and not being fragmented.

I think sometimes when we speak about diversity it almost feels like publishing can only handle one [identity] at a time. And thats not how our realities are. Its not like I was ever only one thing. And so, to make a long story short, I think for me, the idea of mermaids and their mythology really reflected the hybridity, the fluidity of our identities. How [for] Vero, because she struggled so much with her body image and it not being symmetrical and her literally not having her hip socket properly placed in her body, that reflects how she feels. What is her place in the world as an immigrant who is struggling to fit in? And the mermaids captured so much of what shes feeling, and they were an outward reflection, not just [of] her joy and her desires and her dreams, but also what it means to have a body like hers that is often almost mythologized. Because the way we talk about disabled people, its never as if were real. Its always as if were there either to be a cautionary tale or an inspirational tale. We have these mythologies around mermaids that are both also [because] theyre seen as these evil creatures. Sometimes theyre seen as these beautiful creatures. But when do they get to just be seen as real in the way that she sees them as real?

You and Veronica have some similarities, as youre both of Peruvian descent, you both grew up in Florida, and were both born with hip dysplasia. Was it intentional to share so much with your character? How much of your own experiences made it onto the page?

It was intentional, in the sense that this was something Ive always wanted to write about. And like I said, I didnt want to fragment any pieces of myself. A few years ago, my mom was going through some old documents and she gave me this box, and it was my first passport from when I was in Peru, and a bunch of my medical records. And that passport actually had me as a baby from the first time I came to the U.S. It turns out even before we moved here, she brought me to the U.S to see an orthopedic surgeon. It was such a lightbulb moment for me in that I thought, Wait, I thought my whole life the first time I came here was just to move here, and it was actually for medical care. To realize how much my story of my hip dysplasia is so interestingly tied with my story of immigration, and what it means to be in this body in this country. It ended up that I couldnt separate the two in the story at all.

When I came to write it was really hard because if I wanted to write [about] my life, I would have written a memoir. And then on top of it, I realized that maybe there are things Im still processing. Maybe there are things that are my own, that I dont necessarily want to put on the page for the whole world, and I needed to create some distance, in a way. Not distance from the story or its truths, but also to allow Vero to become her own person. For me to be able to say, Yeah, shes not me, so what are her views on the world? What are the decisions and mistakes and realizations that shell make? A lot of what I often say is that the reality that I share with her is more about what its like to be in my body, and that creates the foundation for her truths and the ways that she sees the world. But then what she does, and the things she desires, the family members, the dynamics, and the friendships that she has, I needed those to be completely her own. It ended up being really freeing because I think I ended up writing my way towards someone that maybe I could have loved to have known at that age. She ended up being someone who I think, Gosh, if Id known someone like her I might have come to a lot of the confidence and the realizations that she does a lot sooner in life. I hope that other kids could have someone like her in the way that I wish I did.

 How do you learn to say, I will not be ashamed of my body, I'm proud of it for what it is, and for who I am and everything that I am? 

The book explores a few variations of shame through Veronicas assault by Jeremy, her parents warning about becoming a promiscua [a Spanish term that negatively implies a sexually promiscuous woman], and the shame other people have around her body. What motivated you to explore shame, and how does it shape the way Veronica envisions herself, her body, and her future?

It never occurred to me not to write it because its just such a deep part of her reality as a young girl, as a disabled Latina, who has certain rules that her body is supposed to follow. Not just within her family, in her culture, but even just in the country that shes in as an immigrant, in the society thats very ableist and doesnt necessarily accept her body as it is. Sadly, so much of that shame is internalized, and we carry it within ourselves for years before we reject it, whether its shame around our sexual urges, what happens with her and Jeremy, whether its just shame in her own body and the ways that it doesnt fit in to what the norm is. But it really tied back to this idea of the mythologies. Thats why the Huacachina mermaid myth and the Peruvian myth and the Little Mermaid myth were really important to me too. Because the lies that we believe about ourselves became such an important part of this book, and to try and debunk them. So the shame was the core of those lies, and how do you flip that? How do you learn not just to reject it, but then to turn it into something really powerful, which is the opposite, which is just complete acceptance? And not just acceptance, but a refusal. To say, I will not be ashamed of my body, Im proud of it for what it is, and for who I am and everything that I am.

Your YA books seem to share the connecting thread of young women learning to find their voices, despite the discomfort and disruption it might cause others, especially their families. How do your characters balance love of family with autonomy and independence?

Thats a good question. Its interesting because when I wrote Running, my editor and I talked a lot about [how] Maddie is finding her voice and how this will affect the family. I didnt realize going into writing Breathe and Count Back from Ten that that would also play such an important role, and then obviously it does. I think at the end of the day, what Im still trying to figure out and what I tried to communicate is how do you find your voice and speak your thoughts, and become your own person, when it deviates from the ideas that the people you love crafted around you? And knowing that they did that as a way to try and protect you. I dont see Veros parents as villains. I see them as people who are trying to make the most in a system and world they know will be harmful to their daughter. They know that as an immigrant, as a disabled young woman, shes going to face all sorts of obstacles and prejudices, and they just dont want to see her hurt. Her parents would wish for her to assimilate in every way, not just as an immigrant, but even just hoping that her body will blend in. And shes thinking more in terms of, Well, if she did that, though, would it only protect her?

I really try to maintain that perspective without making excuses. Were flawed beings. But Im also interested to know if all of these protections and all of these mistakes that we make, if theyre rooted in love, how far can that love go once we start to call it out? So, when my characters are finding their voices in that way, and theyre putting that mirror up to their own family, I try to understand that desire for really just wanting someone to come along with you on a journey and not have to leave them behind, or not have it leave behind this fractured relationship. I hope that comes through. I think Im probably not done writing about it. As with so many of our writerly obsessions, when we think were done with them, it turns out were not.

Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester. Clarion, $17.99 May 10 ISBN 978-0-358-53686-4
Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers, a new work edited by educator and childrens literacy expert Rose Brock, celebrates the triumphant power of hope. The middle-grade anthology is a follow-up to Brocks Hope Nation: Young Adult Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration; it features personal stories and essays by 22 award-winning and bestselling authors, who collectively deliver a message of hope in a time when hope is sometimes difficult to find. Contributors include Tom Angleberger, Max Brallier, J.C. Cervantes, Matt de la Pena, Stuart Gibbs, Adam Gidwitz, Karina Yan Glaser, Veera Hiranandani, Gordon Korman, Sarah Mlynowski, Pam Munoz Ryan, and R.L. Stine. A professor at Sam Houston State University, Brock is also the cofounder (with Kristin Trevino) of the North Texas Teen Book Festival, which is the beneficiary of the proceeds from Hope Wins. PW spoke with Brock about the impetus for creating her new anthology and the impact she hopes it makes on young readers.

To back up in time, what inspired the creation and timing of Hope Nation?

The book happened organically. After the 2016 presidential election, I learned from some of the young people I know that they were struggling. They felt that they didnt have a voice, since they were too young to vote. In difficult times, hope is the one thing that we have to cling toits a universal thing we all seek and try to keep alive inside of us.

Yet at times that hope is elusive?

Yes, finding and hanging on to hope is much easier said than done. Young people are passionatethey feel a lot. After all my years in education, I know that adults often dismiss the young, thinking we have more life experience and weve seen hard times come and go. Kids dont have that perspective, and life can seem much more difficult to them.

Its been quite beautiful, since Hope Nation was published, to see how teachers and librarians have embraced the book and recognized its ability to help kids find their own voices. Teachers are always looking for expository nonfiction to use to model their students own writing, and many have told me that Hope Nation has allowed kids to see that there are many styles you can use to tell your storyand that each of us has a story worth telling.

What motivated you to compile a middle-grade anthology as a companion?

My inspiration was twofold. After Hope Nation was published, I heard from a lot of educators and librarians I met at conferences, who told me that they loved the book and suggested that I do a similar anthology for younger readers.

And the other thing that happened was the pandemic. We all spent a lot of time holed up in our homes, which was scary and isolating for everyone, but for kids in particular. None of us had ever experienced anything like it, and for some it was a hopeless time. That reminded me of the requests Id received for another book, and I decided it was time to do it.

How did you go about piecing together the components of Hope Wins?

My first priority was including stories by writers who middle-grade readers already lovedwhich was what I had done for young adults in Hope Nation. I intentionally did not repeat any of the same authors, since I wanted to introduce a fresh set of voices and include as wide a variety of experiences as possible.

In compiling the anthology, the other piece that I consideredand I am always going back to thisis my experience as a teacher and librarian. I often wished I had a book like this to offer kids who were looking for something to read that inspired them and helped them feel less alone. I couldnt think of a better measure to use when selecting these stories by some of my favorite middle-grade authors.

Given the breadth and depth of todays middle-grade literature, how did you pare down your contributor wish-list?

That was the hardest partif Id had my way, I would have included 50 contributors! It was important to me to have a book that is inclusive, with a wide representation of writers. I was mindful of the fact that it was a big ask of authors who are busy writing their own books, and that some might not be able to contribute to the anthology given the time frame.

What was most personally rewarding about working on Hope Nation and Hope Wins?

I feel so fortunate that these writers trusted me to be a good ambassador of their storiesI am honored and touched. I love hearing them say that contributing to this book left them feeling more hopeful by assessing what they have within themselves and realizing what theyve learned from their life experiences. Its amazing what we can come up with to help us move on.

I am always most comfortable in the role of advocate for children, and I hope these anthologies help kids to stop and take stock of their own lives and discover what it is that makes them feel hopeful. I believe that hearing the challenges that their favorite authors have faced and overcome will give readers hope and help them find their own voices in order to share their experiences.

One of the contributors to Hope Wins, James Ponti, made a brief video in which some of the contributors defined what hope is to them. What is your definition?

Ive watched that fantastic video many, many times, and it still makes me smile! For me, hope is about finding ways to be engaged and connected to the people around me. Its through those relationships that Im inspired to commit to working hard to create a better world.

Hope Wins: A Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers, edited by Rose Brock. Philomel, $17.99 May 10 ISBN 978-0-593-46393-2
The protection of copyright and the First Amendment took center stage on May 9 at the Association of American Publishers annual meeting, which attracted some 1,200 participants to the virtual event. Hachette Book Group CEO and AAP chairman Michael Pietsch began the meeting by picking up on themes he addressed in a keynote speech at last months BISG annual meeting, looking at both the opportunities publishers have in this moment and the many challenges that confront the industry.

Pietsch said that the value of the AAP is that it provides a place where publishers can meet to celebrate and encourage all that is right and good in our industry. It also provides a vehicle to confront serious issues, and Pietsch said that, in the current moment, publishing is dealing with the biggest set of simultaneous challenges our industry has faced in a generation.

In addition to the ongoing pandemic, the book business, Pietsch said, is confronted with sensational and outrageous book bans, an unprovoked war in Ukraine, unprecedented supply chain disruptions, a persistent shortfall in diversity in our offices and publishing programs, climate challenges; and unrelenting efforts to weaken the copyright framework that has protected and promoted publishing since the earliest days of the nation.

In working together, the AAP is, Pietsch said, advocating for more than our collective businessesit is advocating for the role of an independent publishing industry, and therefor for democracy, for education, for scientific progress, and for human potential.

AAP CEO Maria Pallante addressed many of the issues enumerated by Pietsch and touched on what the organization is doing to confront them. She began by decrying the surge in book bans, which is bringing new scrutiny to novels and math books. Pallante noted that while parents and communities do have a say in public education, that role has constitutional limits, noting: it does not extend to capricious actions that cross the line and amount to censorship.

To help define that line, the AAP joined with the American Booksellers Association, the Authors Guild, and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to file a brief in support of the NAACP in a case involving the removal of books from school libraries. In the filing, the AAP highlighted the constitutional rights of minors to receive intellectual information as well as the deep flaws in the school districts assertion that the banned books were obscene and therefore removable, Pallante said.

If speech is going to flourish, then copyright needs to be protected, Pallante said. She sees the biggest threat to copyright coming from Big Tech, charging that those corporate giants have long been involved in anti-copyright campaigns, sometimes directly but often through affiliation with mouthpiece organizations. To achieve their goal of monetizing creative works for their own businesses, the tech companies may argue that such appropriation is innovation, that authors and publishers are greedy, or that the public interest is at stake. Pallante warned the publishers that we must recognize both the duplicity and seriousness of these attacks and work together to refute them. Once lost, copyright protections and the authorship and dissemination of knowledge that they support will be virtually impossible to recover.

Big Tech is trying to undermine copyright in numerous ways, Pallante said, pointing to their well-funded lobbying efforts weakening copyright protections. To try to lessen the ability of tech companies to pick winners and losers in various markets, including books, Pallante said that the AAP is assisting lawmakers with the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, legislation that, If enacted, would begin to rein in actions such as self-preferencing, tying, and using non-public data to manipulate online sales, including for books, Pallante explained. The legislation could soon make it to a floor vote, she added.

To protect further copyright, Pallante pointed to two legal battles that the AAP is currently fighting. She said that the AAP will continue to press ahead with its case challenging the radical, systematic infringements of the Silicon Valleybased Internet Archive. And Pallante said the AAP will continue to challenge "misguided but aggressive actions of states to manipulate the value and terms of literary works in digital formats.

The latter was reference to the associations efforts to fight laws intended to force publishers to sell e-books to libraries under what library advocates call reasonable terms. The AAP was successful in turning back the first challenge that came in that area, suing, and winning, to stop a Maryland e-book law from being implemented. Pallante closed her remarks by pointing to the words of Judge Boardman, who ruled in favor of AAP in the Maryland case, when she wrote that it is only through the protection of copyright that books and other creative works may be generated and distributed at all.

Awards and Authors

To show its appreciation for those who help to protect copyright, the AAP presented its 2022 Award for Distinguished Public Service to Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Explaining the choice, Pallante credited Tillis for being a steadfast supporter of the copyright framework that is foundational to an informed and inspired society.

In accepting the award, Tillis said that he will continue to work in partnership with the AAP and fight to protect intellectual property wherever it is under assault. He said that protecting copyright is the best way to encourage authors to write more books for which they will get paid.

The award to Tillis came despite the senator being one of the sponsors of the Saving American History Act legislation, which would prohibit the use of federal funds to teach the 1619 Project by K-12 schools or school districtsa position opposed by many in publishing. Asked if the AAP had received pushback on its choice of this year's award winner, the AAP pointed to the fact that the prize is specifically awarded to those who back copyright, noting that the award has, in the past, gone to both Democrats and Republicans. (After being awarded the prize last year, Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar made remarks about the need to strengthen antitrust laws, which some saw as indirect criticism of Penguin Random House's attempt to buy Simon & Schuster.)

The International Freedom to Publish Award was presented to Raul Figueroa Sarti founder of the Guatemalan publisher F&G Editores. Sarti said the award came at an important time, as his country works to try to counter the regression of democracy in Guatemala, and that he hopes the award will encourage others to continue the fight for free expression.

After offering her view on Russias invasion of Ukraine, Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prizewinning historian and Soviet expert whose books include Gulag, was asked what publishers can do to stop Putins war effort. She advised publishers to offer alternatives to the narrative that Putin is promoting to Russia and the world by publishing authors who have a different vision for Russia. She said while it is correct that some artists who support Putin have been sanctioned, she urged publishers to take a nuanced approach to Russian authors (and Chinese authors as well) by not cutting off the voices of those speaking out to make changes in their countries policies.
EE launched the UKs first 5G network in May 2019 and its achievement comes one year ahead of the companys initial rollout target and five years ahead of the governments ambition for the countrys providers. As part of its ongoing network investment, EE has pledged to offer 5G anywhere in the UK by 2028 through its macro network and on demand connectivity solutions.The milestone was reached after EE rolled out 5G technology to a number of new locations across the UK that it expects to have high summer footfall so that it can help keep customers connected on their holiday breaks. Locations across Britain with a new or improved 5G service, include Blackpool, Clacton-on-Sea, Eastbourne, Exeter, Hastings, Morecambe, Plymouth, Inverness, Minehead, Salisbury and Pontypridd.Todays milestone is a huge achievement in our 5G journey,  commented BT Group Consumer Division CEO Marc Allera. EE was the first network to launch 5G in the UK and now were the first mobile network operator to take the technology to 50% of the UK population. Our ambitions for 5G dont stop here. Well continue to invest in our network to provide our customers with unrivalled connectivity.
The solution is based on the integration of the M7 channel mechanism FST (Fast Scan Tables), full compliance with the M7 CAM (conditional access module) on the MediaTek chipsets in combination with the HbbTV OpApp specification as European broadcasting standard as the base for the M7 Smart-TV app experience. Channels user interfaces will appear in platforms branded designs.The deployment will commence in June 2022 on smart TVs from TP Vision - Philips branded sets- based on 4K- and 8K-capable SmartTV platforms of MediaTek, followed by other major TV set manufacturers using MediaTek chipsets and the HbbTV standard 2.0.2. M7 Group will subsequently roll out the landmark solution in all European markets in which the company is operating TV platforms across its full range of brands except Online.nl in the Netherlands.With the integration of our SmartTV Apps directly on the smart TV chipsets produced by MediaTek, we are enabling true innovation while setting new benchmarks in simplicity and ease of operation of our apps on SmartTVs, commented M7 Group CEO Hans Troelstra. Because of our close co-operation with MediaTek, our customers can soon enjoy the most comprehensive TV viewing experience with M7s Hybrid and OTT services on MediaTek Chipsets based on SmartTVs.
Apparently, that is the basic plan. There are dozens of articles presently circulating in mainstream media about it. While Im not against LNG, per se, there are better alternatives.

Samuel Bodman the 11th Secretary of the Department of Energy DOE) liked to say, "using natural gas to generate electricity is like washing your dishes in fine scotch." I agree with his sentiment. Even more so if the natural gas is in the form of American-sourced LNG. Even more so if the electricity is then converted back into heat. And even more so if that heat comes from electric resistance heat; which is what heat pumps resort to when it get around freezing. And even more so if such exports adversely impact American consumers via higher costs for heating, higher costs for food (because modern agriculture depends on fertilized made from natural gas).

Europe currently buys most of their natural gas from Russia. And Russia is now using that as a strategic weapon in their conflict in Ukraine and more broadly in Europe, just announcing cutoffs of deliveries to Bulgaria and Poland. While making LNG out of American natural gas and shipping it to Europe provides short term relief to Europeans, it is thermodynamically inefficient, especially if mainly used to make electricity to make heat rather than simply combusted to make heat. Its better to use Polish coal for electricity if its war. And Europe has its own untapped natural gas but they dont want to use it for the same reason that they dont want to use coal: both contain carbon.

American LNG to European electricity and then to heat is also economically wasteful and thermodynamically. Lets deal with the economic waste first and then move on to thermodynamic waste.

A "higher calling" for American natural gas would be using to break America's bondage to China by stimulating American manufacturing and jobs. American natural gas has unique features that can stimulate American manufacturing and jobs in environmentally preferred ways and break our dependency on China while freeing Europe from Russia. This is perhaps the highest and best use of natural gas and transcends simple comparative pricing. Energy Independence as argued for by the Administration is a hollow goal if we are dependent on others (*e.g., China) for all other factors of production and/or trade one cartel for another.

While Russia is an indirect threat to America, Chinas relentless quest to become the worlds dominant superpower is a direct threat. And, at least arguably, China poses a bigger threat than global warming. A more intelligent use of American natural gas for domestic purposes could help improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, provide jobs and lower consumer costs.

Background

Between January and April, Real Clear Energy (RCE) linked to a series of articles of mine that documented the Biden Administrations war against fossil-fueled appliances. These articles were originally published on MasterResource but can be viewed on RCE by putting my last name into the RCE search box. The most recent of these was an update to the earlier 4-part series.. The update referenced a March 15, 2022 report: Readout of the March National Climate Task Force Meeting and heres an excerpt from that report:

The Task Force echoed the Presidents belief that this moment underscores the need to accelerate  not slow down  our transition to a clean energy future that will strengthen U.S. energy independence. They noted when electric cars are powered by clean energy, homes run on clean electricity, and our grid is more resilient and reliable, autocrats like Putin wont be able to weaponize fossil fuels against other nations. Officials discussed building a clean energy future by furthering the Task Forces work every day and advancing the Presidents legislative agenda that provides tax credits to save families money, lower energy bills, boost U.S. manufacturing jobs, and promote competition.

The following Boston Globe article convolutes heat pumps with clean energy:

Heat pumps could help ease the climate crisis  and the war in Ukraine

By Bill McKibben Updated April 4, 2022, 3:00 a.m.

Just two days later, I received a Washington Post (Energy 202) newsletter article titled Democrats eye Defense Production Act for clean energy. It is also available online but behind a paywall.

The first two paragraphs indicate Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce legislation today [April 4th] to lay the groundwork for President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to shore up domestic supply chains for heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines and other technologies crucial to the nation's transition to clean energy.[1] China currently dominates those supply markets.

Together, these proposed actions form what some may deem a plan; the logic (or lack thereof), the logic of which goes something like this:

Force American energy consumers off the direct use of natural gas and on to clean electricity. Switch European energy consumers off Russian gas and on to American LNG Meanwhile, use American taxpayer funds to mass produce heat pumps for the European markets via the Defense Production Act

My take on the overall economic situation is:

Economic policy is inexorably linked to energy policy, environmental policy, and security policy. Europe brought this on themselves by their "doubling down on (renewables) stupidity" that the U.S wants to emulate. U.S. taxpayers have bailed out Europe enough. For too long, U.S. taxpayers have enabled European virtue signaling regarding energy, while on the ground results have worsened the situation. And this current policy will make matters even worse, not better.

It bears repeating: The "existential threat of our time" is not climate change. It is China. The U.S. is dangerously dependent on China's manufacturing. That is largely the fault of anything for a buck globalism. However, American consumers are also at fault for their penchant to purchase whatever theyre looking for at the least cost, period (with quality concerns having disappeared). American regulatory bloat is also a factor. So now, its hard to find anything Made in America even if American consumers were willing to pay a little more to do so. And now, were trading the threat of Putin dominated gas in Europe for the current domination of China for all those wind turbines and solar panels, not to mention the lithium for the batteries in those electric cars. All when we could again be energy independent.

America First and Made in America are mutually supportive

To begin reversing this dependency upon China, we should use our natural gas to drive energy costs lower for all domestic consumers, especially U.S. manufacturing. And with more U.S. manufacturing comes more U.S. productive jobs. After all, it is domestic natural gas. Shouldnt it be used to serve the best interests of America?

We might be able to accommodate both domestic and trade needs simultaneously, but we must drill to do so. And there is certainly a compelling argument for reducing Putins natural gas sales with American LNG. Again, however, the issue Im trying to address is what is the best use for American natural gas. I maintain that selling American natural gas to Europe to power electric heat pumps isnt it. And if its okay to use natural gas to make electricity, why isnt anybody talking about non-electric natural gas fired heat pumps and chillers? What could the legitimate reasons be? Enquiring minds want to know.

In the near term, American LNG shipments to Europe would most likely offset some coal for electricity generation and also continue to be used directly for heat, albeit in decreasing amounts. In the longer term, the European policy is clear: electrify everything and only use natural gas for generating electricity, well after wind and solar of course. This is all explained by Euroelecric by entering electrification or net-zero in the search box.

We should be using American natural gas to break our bondage to China by stimulating American manufacturing and jobs. Like climate change, however, this is yet another debate that isnt happening and that sucks (to put it mildly), especially in a so-called democracy.

The environmental case for not using American natural gas to electrify Europe

While the discussion so far is my attempt to identify the best economic use of American natural gas reserves, there is also an environmental side. This needs to be fully considered and debated as well, but its not.

I dont consider myself an LNG expert. Im an energy efficiency expert. The main problems with LNG an energy efficiency (and consequential environmental problems) are:

LNG has a low full fuel-cycle efficiency relative to simply using it directly. All the steps between initial extraction to final conversion of LNG into electricity means relatively more emissions. Using American natural gas to electrify Europe to solve emissions problems is therefore, environmentally challenged if not self-defeating.

Every time raw natural gas is converted (e.g., to LNG, to electricity, to heat) there are significant losses. These losses are cumulative and result in unnecessary waste and emissions. The energy loss differences between directly using American natural gas for heating and LNG for electric powered heat pumps in Europe goes something like this:

Between extraction and transmission/distribution (T&D), the processes are the same. In both cases, there are small amounts of extraction leakage, some pumping energy and some very small amounts of T&D leakage, at least for modern American systems. For the direct use of natural gas, it is then taken off the transmission system and on to the distribution system for direct use by consumers for heating, cooking or whatever. For LNG, once the gas (as a gas) arrives at the LNG plant, it must be liquified. This requires massive amounts of very low temperature refrigeration systems that are electric motor driven. This is a parasitic load. Then, the LNG can be loaded on to ships. To keep the LNG liquefied for the long trip to Europe, part of the LNG is evaporated to keep the bulk of the LNG liquefied. (Evaporation is a cooling process.) sometimes, evaporated LNG is used to help fuel Diesel engines but not always, sometimes it is wasted by simply vented it into the atmosphere Then, to get the LNG to market, it is usually fully evaporated and put into gaseous transmission/distribution systems (as the temperature of LNG is dangerously cold). Full evaporation of LNG for retransforming it from a liquid back into a gas requires additional heating energy (e.g., gas combustion). Some of the now gasified LNG likely finds its way to European direct use consumers, just as it does for American consumers, for the time-being anyway, most does not. This is because the plan in Europe is the same as America: electrify everything. Accordingly, the main consumer of gasified LNG from America will be for generating electricity. Generating electricity with natural gas is a combustion process with more losses. Then, the electricity must be transmitted/distributed as electricity to end-use consumers with more losses. At that point, electricity is converted for heating buildings, cooking or whatever with yet more losses.

The upshot:

All these losses are cumulative and American made LNG used for European electricity has a lot of energy losses. Consequently, since natural gas is a carbon-based energy form, there are more carbon emissions too (not that I consider carbon emissions to be an existential threat).

Other problems include the facts that:

the European (50 Hz) electric grid is incompatible with American (60 Hz) electric motors. So, in the face of supply shortages (hence the call for Defense Production Act) the Administration is effectively calling for a major re-tooling of manufacturing. Simultaneously, manufacturing is being forced to change refrigerants per the Kigali Amendment.[2] For the colder parts of Europe, a large portion of the warmth provided by heat pump is just electric resistance heat.

Note that this efficiency discussion is purposefully math free. The reason for that is most of the math is based on assumed variables rather than fixed constants and variables can be selected to fit an often-hidden agenda.

In conclusion: Democracy can either prosper with informed decisions and debate or die in the darkness. Politicians from both parties should deal with these issues, as the oath they took dictates, for the best interests of American consumers rather than against or face their increasing wrath.

Mark Krebs is a mechanical engineer and energy policy analyst, has been involved with energy efficiency design and program evaluation for more than thirty years. He has served as an expert witness in dozens of State energy efficiency proceedings, has been an advisor to DOE and has submitted scores of Federal energy-efficiency filings. Marks first article was in the Public Utilities Fortnightly and was titled Its a War Out There: A Gas Man Questions Electric Efficiency (December 1996). For more about Mark, see his MasterResource archive.

Mark retired from Spire Inc. last year but is starting up an energy policy consulting firm with some other veteran analysts.
MADRID, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government on Tuesday sacked the head of the country's intelligence services in the wake of the 'Pegasus' phone hacking scandal.

Spain's Minister of Defense Margarita Robles confirmed that Paz Esteban had been replaced by her former number-two, Esperanza Casteleiro, at the head of the Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI).

The move comes after revelations that the CNI had hacked the phones of leading members of the Catalan independence movement, including the current leader of the region Pere Aragones.

It was also confirmed last week that the mobile phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Robles had been hacked by an "external" source, which has yet to be confirmed. Esteban told a Congressional Committee last week that 18 Catalan politicians had been spied on, saying that judicial permission had been given to do this.

This has caused an important breach in relations between Aragones' Ezquerra Republicana (ERC) party and Sanchez's coalition government, who have at times relied on ERC's support to pass key pieces of legislation.

Explaining the decision in a press conference after Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Robles defended the "the great international prestige" of Spain's intelligence services.

"There may be failures, in Spain and in all the countries of the world. That is why it is so important that we never lower our guard and that the National Intelligence Center is fighting every day with the greatest efficiency. It is necessary to strengthen the CNI and take a step forward, modernize it," she said. 
Peacock released the trailer for its true crime docu-series Sins of the Amish on Tuesday. The two part series premieres May 24.

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Sins of the Amish follows Amish women who are pursuing justice against men in the community who raped them. One survivor alleges her biological father raped her when she was five.

"The odds of an Amish woman getting raped by a guy within their own community, it's 1 out of every 6, on a good day," one survivor says.

Another survivor discusses the Amish community bussing in people to support her attacker. One young woman calls her attacker a pedophile.

"Amish communities view going to the police as a greater sin than the rape itself," another survivor says.

Sins of the Amish explores the Amish and Mennonite communities and the roles of women in them. While many see the Amish as a peaceful community, as portrayed in films like Witness, the docu-series delves into abuse and mind-control that keeps women subservient to men.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 78F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low around 45F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
At the University of Georgia, many students are involved in organizations and activities that aim to promote sustainability and environmental consciousness from Fair Fashion to Ecotones to UGArden. For some of these students, climate anxiety has been a motivating factor in their involvement.
Federal agents execute a search warrant at Nathan Carman's residence at 3043 Fort Bridgman Road, in Vernon, Vt., after he was arrested and charged with the murder of his mother on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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BRATTLEBORO  Hundreds of additional housing units could become available in town thanks to 
The state health commissioner said Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration will be meeting with the makers of the vaccines  primarily Pfizer and Moderna  and monitoring testing of the vaccines for the youngest children in the coming months. It could lead to a vaccine for younger children this fall.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.  A federal court judge Monday ruled that faulty repairs made by Nathan Carman likely caused his boat to sink, rejecting an $85,000 insurance claim.Carman's mother disappeared 
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Brenna Galdenzi is president of Protect Our Wildlife Vermont. She writes from Stowe. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
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PHOENIX (AP)  The planned execution of an Arizona man remained on track Monday after two last-minute court efforts ended without decisions that would sidetrack the state from putting 66-year-old Clarence Dixon to death.

Early in the day, the state Supreme Court declined to overturn a lower court ruling that found Dixon is competent to be put to death. And late in the day, Dixon's lawyers dropped a challenge in federal court to the drug the state planned to use after agreeing that a new batch mixed by a pharmacist negated their argument that the drugs had expired.

Dixon is set to be executed at the state prison in Florence on Wednesday morning, a move that will end decades of waiting for the family of the 21-year-old Arizona State University student he killed in 1978.

Leslie James, the older sister of the victim, Deana Bowdoin, was in federal court Monday morning as the proceedings unfolded and plans to be at the prison on Wednesday. Because of the ongoing legal wrangling over the case, she declined comment through her attorney.

In the state Supreme Court action, the high court without comment declined to review last week's decision from a judge in Pinal County that rejected arguments that mental illness made Dixon unable to understand why he was being put to death.

While the judge found Dixon does suffer from schizophrenia, he said Dixon is rational and understands the proceedings in his case well enough to show he is competent.

Dixon's lawyers are now expected to ask a federal judge in Phoenix to consider whether his mental illness means it would be unconstitutional to execute him. That had not yet been filed Monday evening.

Dixon's attorneys had challenged the state's planned use of a batch of the sedative sodium pentobarbital that was mixed in February. They contended it had expired and that using it would violate Arizona's execution rules.

Attorneys for Arizona denied that the drug had expired, but offered instead to mix up the new batch and have it tested for potency. Because it will be used within three days, there is no concern it will be out of date.

Whether the expired drug challenge claim would have been successful was in doubt.

At a Monday morning hearing to consider that claim, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa said she struggled to see how the argument raised a valid constitutional issue in light of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that said courts should not meddle in the details of state lethal injection decisions.

The question that I struggle with is: Does that rise to a constitutional right? she asked Dixon attorney Jennifer Moreno.

Moreno told the judge that a 2017 settlement agreement required Arizona to use non-expired drugs, and that helps build their claim that using expired pentobarbital would equate to cruel and unusual punishment.

Without a proper test, those drugs should have been disposed of and we shouldnt even be talking about this, Moreno said.

But she acknowledged that if the state is able to mix the new batch and get it tested before the scheduled 10 a.m. Wednesday execution that resolves the outstanding issues in this case.

That happened Monday evening, when Humetewa called court back into session and Moreno and Assistant Arizona Attorney General Jeff Sparks told her they had agreed that using a new batch would end the litigation.

Arizona and many other states have struggled to get execution drugs in recent years after drug-makers refused to sell their products for that use. Arizona obtained the pentobarbital it plans to use from an unidentified compounding pharmacy.

Dixon, who is blind and in declining health, is set to be the first person put to death in Arizona in nearly eight years, mainly because of problems with the previous execution. The state had to give Joseph Wood 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours before he died in July 2014 in an execution that his lawyers said was botched. The state now is using just one drug.

Dixon was serving life sentences for a 1985 attack on a 21-year-old Northern Arizona University student when DNA testing linked him to Bowdoin's unsolved rape and murder.

Dixon had was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1977 assault case in which the verdict was delivered by then-Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sandra Day OConnor, nearly four years before her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bowdoin was killed on Jan. 7, 1978, two days after that verdict, according to court records.

Bowdoin was found dead in her apartment, and had been raped, stabbed and strangled. Dixon had been charged with raping Bowdoin, but the charge was later dropped on statute-of-limitation grounds. He was convicted, though, in her death.

Defense lawyers said Dixon has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia on multiple occasions, has regularly experienced hallucinations over the past 30 years and should not be executed.

Last Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a warrant for a second execution. Frank Atwood is set to die June 8 for killing an 8-year-old girl in 1984. Authorities say Atwood kidnapped the girl, whose body was found in the desert northwest of Tucson.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Dixon's execution is set for 10 a.m., not 11 a.m., on Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud contributed to this report.
COVID metrics continue to rise in Connecticut as the state reported Monday a seven-day positivity rate in excess of 11 percent and nearly 50 more hospitalizations in the past week.

The state on Monday reported an additional 8,476 COVID cases had been identified over the last seven days out of 75,030 reported tests for a positivity rate of 11.3 percent.

COVID case and positivity rates have been steadily, if slowly, increasing in Connecticut in recent weeks.

Hospitalizations have also been on the rise, though at a slower rate than during previous COVID spikes. On Monday, the state said 46 more patients had been fighting a COVID infection in Connecticut hospitals, a total of 276.

Tom Balcezak, medical director at Yale New Haven Hospital, said last week that though there are patients in need of hospitalization, their infections are not as severe.

The disease symptomatology and the disease course is much, much more mild, he said. We're definitely seeing that in our institutions, and the positivity rate across the state of Connecticut is not translating into the number of hospitalizations that we've seen in the past.

Though the state said Monday that 32.61 percent of all hospitalized patients have not been fully vaccinated, Balcezak credited the vaccines for lighter infections.

The number of cases we are seeing in our hospitals is just not translating into the number of ICU patients or ventilated patients that happened during the first one or two waves of COVID, Balcezak said. That's because as our population becomes more highly vaccinated, those few people who develop disease that are vaccinated become hospitalized, it's very rare that they need to be put in the ICU or ventilated.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  The European Union coordinator of talks to revive Iran's nuclear accord with world powers said Tuesday he was traveling to Tehran, as the bloc makes a last-ditch effort to salvage the deal after a weekslong standstill.

Enrique Mora said he'd meet with Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani during his visit to the Iranian capital. Work on closing the remaining gaps of this negotiation continues, he tweeted.

Officials in Tehran confirmed Mora's visit, seeking to portray it as proof of Iran's diplomatic engagement and attention to economic problems.

(The visit) shows the control of the government over the most important file, said Ali Shamkhani of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

The landmark accord in 2015 granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for strict curbs on its nuclear program. Former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal four years ago, piling sanctions on Iran under a policy of maximum pressure." In response, Iran has gradually accelerated its enrichment of uranium  including a small amount to 60% enrichment, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

President Joe Biden vowed to rejoin the deal. Talks to get both sides to return to compliance began in Vienna over a year ago. But the negotiations, which also involve the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Russia, have stalled since breaking off in March. The sides had seemed just on the verge of a breakthrough.

Mora has played a crucial role in facilitating the negotiations, given that Iran refuses to speak directly to America. He last traveled to Tehran in late March, before heading to Washington.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Mora would be conveying messages from the other signatories to Tehran during his trip.

But talks in Vienna have remained at an impasse over several unresolved issues. U.S. officials have said a key hurdle involves Iranian demands that Washington lift its terrorism designation of Irans powerful, paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine also has complicated the talks, as Moscow threatened to derail negotiations with new demands and European capitals have grown distracted by the continent's greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II.

Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency, charged with monitoring Irans nuclear program, has grown increasingly critical of Irans failure to cooperate with the organization and its refusal to explain the traces of radioactive material at several undeclared nuclear sites in the country.

The agencys head, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed his frustration with Iran in comments to the European Parliament committees on Tuesday.

We, in the last few months, were able to identify traces of enriched uranium in places that have never been declared by Iran  so we are extremely concerned about this, Grossi said, adding he was skeptical that officials could close a nuclear deal if the IAEA still had unanswered questions.

___

Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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NEW YORK (AP)  A Reuters photographer who was killed while covering fighting in Afghanistan was part of a team that took home the Pulitzer for feature photography.

Danish Siddiqui and his colleagues Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo and Amit Dave won for images depicting the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Their work, which was moved from the breaking photography category by the judges, balanced intimacy and devastation, while offering viewers a heightened sense of place, the committee wrote.

Siddiqui, 38, had been embedded with Afghan special forces in July and was killed as the commando unit battled for control of a crossing on the border between southern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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The Pulitzer Prizes announced its winners Monday from a tumultuous year that saw an insurrection, the frantic end of the United States longest war and fallout from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and catastrophic climate change.

The awards featured 15 journalism and seven arts categories. Each winner received a prize of $15,000 except for the public service award  given to The Washington Post this year  which comes with a gold medal. The Pulitzer was first awarded in 1917 and is considered the most prestigious American journalism award.

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The Pulitzer Board has awarded a special citation to Ukrainian journalists.

The board recognized those in their home country covering the ongoing crisis that began earlier this year for their courage, endurance, and commitment to truthful reporting during Vladimir Putins ruthless invasion of their country and his propaganda war in Russia.

The board said reporting has provided an accurate picture of the situation in the country and has done honor to both Ukraine and journalists everywhere.

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The New York Times received the Pulitzer for national reporting for its work documenting how routine traffic stops ended in the deaths of hundreds of people, many of them Black.

The newspapers investigation found that during the previous five years, 400 unarmed drivers or passengers not under pursuit for a violent crime were killed by police.

The reporting found that just five officers were convicted of crimes in those killings, while governments paid at least $125 million to resolve civil actions such as wrongful-death lawsuits.

The Times reported that it reviewed video and audio recordings, prosecutor statements and court documents in finding patterns of questionable police conduct.

Its an example of data journalism so thorough that it turns long-held suspicions into fact, the panel said.

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Raven Chacon, a composer, performer and installation artist from the Navajo Nation, has won a Pulitzer Prize for music for his composition, Voiceless Mass.

Chacons work is currently on display at the Whitney Biennial, which is inspired by oil pipeline protestors at the Oceti Sakowin camp near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

His 2020 opera, Sweet Land, co-composed with Du Yun, was performed outdoors at the Los Angeles State Historic Park and earned critical praise for its revisionist telling of American history using different narratives simultaneously. The opera was awarded best opera by the Music Critics Association of North America for 2021.

Chacon has been mentoring hundreds of Native high school composers in the writing of string quartets through the Native American Composer Apprenticeship Project since 2004.

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The Washington Post received the Pulitzer for public service for its extensive, interactive coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The Posts reporting found numerous problems and failures in political systems and security before, during and after the insurrection. Among the most significant were that law enforcement officials did not respond with urgency to warnings about potential violence; President Donald Trump resisted calls from numerous advisers to urge the mob to disperse for three hours and officials in at least 17 states received hundreds of threats. Many of those threats were concentrated in states where Trump disputed election results.

The newspaper said its reporting of the lead-up to the attack, the riot itself and the aftermath was based on interviews with more than 230 people, thousands of pages of court documents and internal law enforcement reports and hundreds of videos, photographs and audio clips.

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The Miami Herald received the breaking news Pulitzer for its coverage of the June 24, 2021, collapse of a 12-story oceanfront condominium tower in Surfside, Florida.

Ninety-eight people were killed in the early morning partial collapse at the Champlain Towers South, a disaster that prompted a massive search-and-rescue effort.

The Herald was cited by the Pulitzer panel for urgent yet sweeping" coverage, which it said was done merging clear and compassionate writing with comprehensive news and accountability reporting.

That reporting included details of rescue efforts and interviews with witnesses, survivors, family members and friends searching for loved ones at the scene. It also included the buildings history, repairs and the process it was undergoing for recertification under the building code.

As a newsroom, we poured our hearts into the breaking news and the ongoing daily coverage, and subsequent investigative coverage, of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse story, Miami Herald Executive Editor Monica Richardson wrote in a statement. It was our story to tell because the people and the families in Surfside who were impacted by this unthinkable tragedy are a part of our community.

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Joshua Cohens The Netanyahus has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

The work is a comic and rigorous campus novel based on the true story of the father of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking a job in academia.

The late artist Winfred Rembert won in biography for Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artists Memoir of the Jim Crow South, as told to Erin I. Kelly.

Andrea Elliotts Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City, which builds upon her New York Times investigative series about a homeless Black girl from Brooklyn, received a Pulitzer for general nonfiction.

Two prizes were awarded Monday in history: Nicole Eustaces Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America and Ada Ferrers Cuba: An American History.

Diane Seuss won in poetry for frank: sonnets and the music award Monday was given to Raven Chacon for his composition for organ and ensemble, Voiceless Mass.

James Ijames won the drama award for Fat Ham.

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A collaboration between the Chicago Tribune and the Better Government Association on problems with fire safety regulations in the city received the Pulitzer for local reporting.

Deadly Fires, Broken Promises detailed city ordinances that are routinely ignored, such as one passed after a fire killed four children in 2014 that required fines on landlords who violate smoke detector regulations.

Cecilia Reyes of the Tribune and Madison Hopkins of the watchdog BGA found that fires killed 61 Chicagoans from 2014 through 2019 in buildings where the city had been warned about safety problems but failed to adequately address them.

The reporters found many of those fires occurred in low-income, minority neighborhoods.

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The New York Times received the international reporting Pulitzer for a series of articles on U.S. airstrikes in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and patterns of targeting failures that led to civilian deaths.

The staff of the newspaper found flawed intelligence, faulty targeting, and very little accountability and challenged the official accounts of the strikes, including one that killed an aid worker and members of his family in Afghanistan.

The Times used U.S. public records law to obtain more than 1,300 credibility assessments from the Pentagon on drone strikes that took place between September 2014 and January 2018.

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The Tampa Bay Times won the investigative reporting Pulitzer for its series of articles on the exposure of workers and nearby residents to dangerous levels of lead at a battery recycling plant.

The three-part series Poisoned, by Corey G. Johnson, Rebecca Woolington and Eli Murray, documented how hundreds of workers at Gopher Resource were put in harms way when they extracted lead from used car batteries, melted it down and turned it into blocks of metal to resell.

The reports detailed the companys use of inadequate equipment and ventilation in a building where systems designed to capture chemicals were either turned off or dismantled entirely.

The newspaper also obtained records that documented a pattern of pollution dating back to the 1960s and showed the plant had pumped more lead into the air than any other factory in Florida over the last two decades. It also found that polluted water was discharged into the Palm River, excessive levels of chemicals were sent into Tampas sewer system, and hazardous waste was mishandled.

Prompted by the reporting, investigating county regulators found more than two dozen possible violations.
Steven Senne / Associated Press

The trial of Mario Batali, who opened several restaurants in Connecticut, began Monday with the celebrity chef waiving his right to a jury trial and instead choosing a trial before a judge, the Associated Press reported.

Batali, 61, is accused of kissing and groping a woman when she took a selfie with him at a Boston restaurant in 2017. He pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in 2019, the Associated Press reported.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate passed legislation Monday to beef up security for Supreme Court justices, ensuring they and their families are protected as the court deliberates abortion access and whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The bipartisan bill, which passed by voice vote with no objections, did not provide additional funding, which could come later. But it aims to put the court on par with the executive and legislative branches, making certain the nine justices are provided security as some protesters have gathered outside their homes. The bill now moves to the House for its consideration.

Protests have erupted in front of the Supreme Court Building and around the country after a leaked draft opinion suggested a majority of conservatives on the court are prepared to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

The Senate legislation is a technical change that allows Supreme Court law enforcement to provide around-the-clock security to immediate family members, in line with protection for some people in the executive and legislative branches. It was sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Cornyn said threats to Supreme Court justices and their families are disgraceful and attempts to intimidate the independence of the judiciary branch shouldn't be tolerated.

The House must take up and pass it immediately, Cornyn said.

Passage of the legislation came as more than 100 people gathered Monday night outside Justice Samuel Alitos home in Virginia, lighting candles and chanting, Abort the court!

Dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Monday that President Joe Biden "strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.

Police have set up a tall fence and blocked off streets this week as people have protested in front of the Supreme Court Building, which is across from the U.S. Capitol. They have also shut down the plaza and steps in front of the building.

Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of normal First Amendment speech or protest," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the vote.

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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
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TORRINGTON  The citys aging traffic signal infrastructure and the need to add a deputy chief of police were center stage as the mayor, City Council and others met to discuss the citys upcoming spending plan.

Mayor Elinor Carbones 2022-23 proposed budget, which includes proposals from every department head, totaled $65.072 million, an increase of $6.356 million, or 10.82 percent, over current levels.

Since that proposal in March, mayor, City Council and Board of Finance have reviewed each spending proposal with individual departments. Mondays joint meeting with those boards also included the Board of Public Safety, which oversees spending for the paid and volunteer fire departments, the Police Department and animal control.

The Police Department budget for 2022-23 totals $9.885 million, and includes salaries and benefits, vehicle replacements and funding for patrol officers. The department, which normally has more than 80 members, has 11 vacancies, according to Police Chief William Baldwin.

Baldwin, who joined the department four years ago, still is waiting for the city to approve appointment of a deputy chief, who would be hired from within the department and allow other officers to move through the ranks, he said.

Baldwins original budget request included $117,000 for the deputy chief position. Budget cuts, however, have eliminated that position each year since his hiring. After his initial request, Baldwin eliminated the deputy chief salary and asked that the budget provide funding for the patrol officers. Cuts also were made to the capital improvement budget and the overtime budget.

After its review, the public safety board restored half the deputy chief salary  $58,000  which could allow Baldwin to have a part-time deputy chief for the second half of the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Eliminating the full-time deputy chief position became a point of discussion Monday. Public safety board members said a deputy chief is an important job to fill.

There should be a second in command, said member Glenn McLeod. Chief Baldwin has been running the department by himself for four years, and not filling the position is going to hurt us down the road. If and when the chief moves on, well need someone whos prepared to move up.

Weve gone through several budget cycles and weve had serious contention with this position, said member Darlene Battle. But we really feel the department needs a deputy chief.

We asked Chief Baldwin for a succession plan when he was hired, and its hard to do that without a deputy chief (in the department), said finance board member Lance Boynton. They do a tremendous job, and its disappointing that (only half a years salary is going) back in.

In spite of their comments, the Police Department budget was approved as is for $9.885 million. The deputy chief position remains in the wings again this year.

Baldwin also urged the city to start thinking about investing in its traffic signal infrastructure; this years budget for that department was $541,948.

The time is coming where our traffic signals are going to need a major infrastructure upgrade, probably in the area of $25 million, the chief said. We are Band-Aiding the equipment. Its more than 30 years old.

Weve discussed this at every budget cycle and we continuously have to cut that line item, he said. Were not going to be able to do that for too much longer.

He said many towns in Connecticut already have converted dated traffic signals to digital machinery. Some of those towns have old equipment set aside, and weve been able to get parts and things, but its something thats going to have to be addressed, Baldwin said.

Carbone said a new bill in Congress could provide something like $6 billion.

Much of that bill is dedicated to roads and traffic, she said. But theres a sense of urgency, and it may be one of those things that well have to consider bonding. We cant pull $25 million into an operating budget.

She is seeking grants to help with the cost of replacing the signals and other equipment. Weve been able to get amazing grant assistance and financing for our school project, which eases stress on our bonding, the mayor said. So well go for grants first. But if that fails, we need to think about what the next step will be.

The council also approved the Emergency Management Departments budget for $39,863, the volunteer fire department budget for $114,500, and the Fire Departments budget for $5.983 million. That budget includes vehicle replacements and equipment maintenance as well as uniforms and salaries. The animal control budget, for $358,113, also was approved. Torrington is in the midst of building a new animal control facility on Bogue Road.

The council continued its review of the budget after the joint meeting, and is also expected to discuss the spending proposals at its next regular meeting May 16.
UPDATED at 5:45 P.M. EDT on 2022-05-10

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will likely seek to turn the Philippines into an ally of China, despite lingering anti-Beijing sentiment, analysts said on Tuesday following his landslide election victory.



"Bongbong" Marcos, the son of long-ruling dictator Ferdinand Marcos, garnered more than 30.8 million votes by an unofficial count on , and looks likely to take office in June.



Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of incumbent Rodrigo Duterte, is expected to serve as his vice president.



Marcos has already said he wants to pursue closer ties with China, including disregarding a 2016 ruling from The Hague invalidating China's massive territorial claims to the South China Sea.



Marcos has sought to distance himself from the ruling, which has been rejected by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing, and said he will likely continue to develop Duterte's policy of closer ties with China.



Zhuang Jiaying, associate professor of politics at Singapore's National University, said Marcos' election is a milestone in the political life of the Philippines.



"There are several reasons why this Philippine presidential election is more important [than previous ones]," Zhuang told RFA. "During the campaign, Marcos continued to whitewash his family's unrestrained abuse of power during authoritarian rule."



"There was also a campaign of harassment targeting supporters of rival candidates, ... raising questions about whether democracy is taking a backward step, and whether [Marcos] will continue the current wave of authoritarian leadership."



"[Marcos'] comments seem to favor a more pro-China stance, but whether those ideas can be realized in terms of policy is another matter," Zhuang said. "When Duterte came to power, China promised a lot of investment, but it didn't live up to expectations."



"That gap caused disappointment in the Philippines, whose defense and security forces have become more suspicious of China because of its unrelenting pressure regarding the South China Sea dispute," he said. "Even if Marcos himself wants a good relationship with China, he will meet with a certain amount of doubt and resistance."



U.S. ties run deep

Jeremy Chiang of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation said there had been a certain amount of popular support for the Marcos regime among Filipinos, despite the former dictator's ouster by a "people-power" revolution.



"When Marcos fell, not all Filipinos opposed him," Chiang said. "In particular, the Marcos family had a positive image in their political heartland, and also in the popular imagination, and some still miss being part of a strong nation and economy at that time."



"This image has been fed to young people via social media, so young people have a fairly good impression of Marcos," he said.



However, he said it could be hard for Marcos to wean his country off military and security reliance on the United States.



"Military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States has evolved into a long-term strategy, with many people in the Philippines military and diplomatic service cherishing that relationship," Chiang said.



"That kind of relationship with such a solid foundation was hard to shake off during Duterte's term, despite the fact that China had [offered] more financial resources and aid programs," he said.



Analysts have also cited anti-Chinese government sentiment among much of the Philippine population who see their fishermens livelihoods being threatened and lives being endangered by alleged harassment on the part of Chinese navy and coast guard ships.



Manila is Washingtons biggest ally in Southeast Asia, where an increasingly assertive China is encroaching on other claimant nations exclusive economic zones in the disputed South China Sea.



During his term, Duterte tested the U.S.-Philippines relationship, threatening to drop one of many bilateral security agreements and vowing never to set foot in the United States while president.



Domestically, the Philippine economy is just recovering after being in one of the worlds longest lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly said that Marcos had narrowly lost the 2016 presidential race to Duterte. He did not run for president.
Satellite imagery of Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands. According to Simularity Inc., the presence of structures and materials (rust-colored stockpiles) and the addition of significant amounts of sand can be seen in the photo at right. Paths to the road have been created and the material stockpiles are most likely there to facilitate the use of heavy equipment. The emerging white squarish shape indicates a possible foundation.

Recent satellite imagery shows that China is continuing to actively develop its facilities on the disputed Subi Reef in the South China Sea, two months after a top U.S. commander said Beijing had fully militarized it.

Simularity Inc., a U.S. geospatial intelligence company, said that an analysis of satellite imagery from May 5 has revealed new structures and seven active construction sites on Subi, the coral reef occupied by China since 1988 but also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In March, the U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said that the construction of missile arsenals, aircraft hangars, radar systems and other military facilities at Subi Reef, as well as Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross "appeared to have been completed."

Subi is one of several major bases that China built during a massive dredging and artificial island-building campaign in the Spratlys that began in 2013, creating 3,200 acres of new land and giving it a new strategic foothold in the South China Sea.

In its natural state, Subi is what is known as a low-tide elevation and an international tribunal in 2016 ruled that as it is submerged at high tide, Subi is not an island but considered sea bed and the Peoples Republic of Chinas (PRCs) constructions on the reef are illegal. China rejected the ruling.

Until now, China has reclaimed 976 acres on Subi, according to the Asia Maritime Initiative (AMTI) at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The seven active construction sites are located in the northern and southern parts of the reef, with visible presence of trucks, construction equipment and material, Simularity said.

A significant amount of sand is seen at the sites, indicating new roads and structures are being built. At one site in the south, there are new walls and parking lots, Simularity said, without drawing further conclusions about the possible function of the sites under construction.

Extensive development

Subi (Zamora in the Philippines) Reef lies just 12 nautical miles from the Philippine-administered Thitu Island, which is the second largest natural feature in the Spratlys after Taiping (Itu Aba) Island, occupied by Taiwan.

China has developed it into a military base that can accommodate a garrison of 200 troops and a helipad, according to Philippine officials.

AMTI says there are a number of important structures on Subi, including a large lighthouse, five hangers that each can accommodate 20 combat aircraft, and an over 3,000-meter airstrip, completed in early 2016.

A satellite image of Subi Reef, taken May 6, 2022. Credit: EO Browser, Sinergise Ltd.

Aquilino said in March that the function of Chinas artificial islands is to expand the offensive capability of the PRC ... They can fly fighters, bombers plus all those offensive capabilities of missile systems.

"They threaten all nations who operate in the vicinity and all the international sea and airspace, he added.

Chinas Civil Aviation Authority said it successfully tested a civilian flight on Subi in July 2016, using a Boeing 737 airplane, further enhancing its capability to provide public services as a responsible player in the region.

The Philippines and Vietnam both protested against the test flight which is not known to have become regularly scheduled.
In a file photo, a North Korean farmer gathers water as he tries to irrigate a field at the Tokhae cooperative farm on the outskirts of Nampo, North Korea.

Local officials in North Korea are forcing office workers into the fields to help water plants due to a shortage of working water pumps, as the government struggles to combat a widespread drought, sources in the country told RFA.

North Korea frequently drafts ordinary citizens whenever it needs manpower for public projects, a practice that has drawn complaints from a population struggling to make ends meet. Forced labor is often used for construction, road maintenance and agriculture. But sources told RFA that mobilizing people to do the work of water pumps was essentially meaningless.

An agricultural source from the city of Chongju in the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFAs Korean Service that city and county irrigation management office managers across the country were told by the Central Committee in Pyongyang to what they had to do to prevent crop damage.

The Provincial Rural Economic Management Committee gathered the irrigation management office managers from each city and county, and the officials in charge of overall supervision and management of agricultural technology, said the source, who requested anonymity out of security concerns.

The authorities emphasized the supply of agricultural water to the irrigation management officials because there was so little snow in the winter and no rain during the spring, and this could cause great damage to crops already planted, said the source.

But the efforts to mitigate the worst effects of the dry weather have been complicated by a shortage of working water pumps in the country, in part due to the suspension of trade with China in January 2020 due to the pandemic. Rail freight finally resumed almost two years later, but a resurgence of the pandemic in China led officials to close the border again this month.

Currently, most of the water pumps and electric motors from each working group under the Chongju Irrigation Management Office are broken  and the parts for the machines are not available on the market because the border has been closed due to COVID-19, the source said.

The irrigation management officials are pursuing a plan to smuggle used water pumps and electric motors from China in order to carry out the Central Committees order, the source said.

Pumps typically cost between U.S. $800 and $1,000, although used ones can be bought for about half that price, the source said.

Authorities in some areas are trying to solve their pump problems by forcing people to manually water the planted crops, a source in South Pyongan province, north of the capital Pyongyang, told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

Officials and clerks, not only from the agricultural sector, but also from organizations in the province and neighboring Pyongyang, and workers from state-owned enterprises are being mobilized, the South Pyongan source said.

Nationwide, the temperature in April was more than 2 degrees Celsius higher than usual, and precipitation was less than half of most years, and hot and dry weather is expected to continue in May. In the case of Chungsan county in our province, workers from various central organizations, such as the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Commerce, the Maritime Administration Bureau, and the Literature and Arts Publishing House, provided support for three days in a row, the South Pyongan source said.

But regardless of how many able bodies are on hand to render assistance, they desperately need water pumps to properly irrigate the crops, the South Pyongan source said.

The state is unable to provide this, so it recklessly mobilizes large numbers of people, the South Pyongan source said.

A source in North Pyongans Ryongchon county told RFA that the authorities are rushing to save the crops that have already been damaged before the water-intensive rice-planting season.

The irrigation management office under the Farm Management Committee of Ryongchon county used to operate six water pumps to supply water to every cooperative farm. Due to the frequent power outages last year, only three water pumps are currently in operation following motor failure, this source said.

The three water pumps are currently concentrated in wheat fields that are severely damaged by drought, so there are no water pumps to supply water to the rice paddies where rice planting will be carried out. Coil wires and insulation materials are essential to repair the broken water pumps, but there is no support at all from the government, he said.

Another agricultural source, in the northeastern province of South Hamgyong, reported to RFA that office workers there were also mobilized to water the crops, some of them forced to carry water on their backs.

I am more concerned about rice planting. There is a lot of work to do, such as bed management, watering the rice fields, and harrowing. You cant just make the farmers water wheat and barley fields, the source said.

If the rice seedlings that have just been sown don't have enough moisture, they will not germinate properly. Also, without enough water, the wheat and barley yields may drop, the source said.

Translated by Claire Lee and Leejin Jun Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
An excavator works on a section of the Letpadaung copper mine site in Sagaing region's Salingyi township, in a file photo.

Prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries clashed with junta security forces guarding two Chinese-owned copper mine projects over the weekend in the countrys war-torn Sagaing region after the military attacked two villages in the area, PDF fighters said Monday.

The fighting broke out on Sunday when junta troops, who had been sent to defend the mines following threats by local PDF groups, entered the villages of Shwe Pan Khaing and Thedaw Gyi in Sagaings Yinmarbin township, Myaunk Yamar PDF spokesman Ko Khant told RFAs Myanmar Service.

It was a military security column guarding the Yangtse and Wanbao projects, he said, referring to the Chinese companies that operate the two mines in collaboration with the militarys Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) company.

They left from Yinmarbin township on May 5 and spent the night in Wadan village and Tal Bin Kan village, in [neighboring] Salingyi township. They then started an offensive against Shwe Pan Khaing and Thedaw Gyi villages on the Yinmarbin township side.

Ko Khant said that the PDF did not attack the troops guarding the copper mine projects and only engaged with them after they began raiding the villages, adding that the fighting had lasted for around four hours.

Last week, the junta vowed to defend the suspended copper mines, seen as a key source of revenue for the military regime, after the PDF threatened to destroy them if owners resume operations.

Following the militarys Feb. 1, 2021, coup, employees walked off the job to join the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), reducing the mines operating capacity by more than 80 percent.

In early April, junta Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in eastern Chinas Anhui province in what analysts said signaled Myanmars desire for deeper economic ties to its northern ally. Not long after the trip, residents of Salingyi reported that workers were being called back to the mines to restart the projects after more than a year of downtime, prompting threats from the PDF.

Sit Naing, spokesman for the Salingyi PDF, told RFA that his and other PDF groups will not attack them if they do not resume the projects.

We didnt start the fight in this incident  they began using weapons to threaten residents of nearby villages, telling them not to come close to the projects. It appears that the projects are being restarted, given this kind of action.

Sit Naing said that around 200 troops have been deployed to guard each project. At the Wanbao mine, machine guns were positioned around the project targeting the villages, he added.

They have even fired 120-millimeter guns into the villages, he said.

Tensions between the junta troops and the PDF have been high for three days. The junta forces fired three artillery shells at villages in Yinmarbin township last night.

Sit Naing said the three shells had set fire to several houses and caused residents to flee, but no one was hurt. Heavy artillery shelling was reported in other villages on Monday, he said.

No official statement was released by the junta in connection with the clashes.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Minister of Information Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun about the clashes went unanswered on Monday.

Residents of the area where the copper projects are located have held daily protests demanding that Beijing respect the wishes of the people of Myanmar by shutting them down, and on April 25, nearly 560 prodemocracy groups sent an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping urging him to stop supporting the junta through the mines and other China-backed development projects.

According to Myanmars Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, 32 Chinese garment factories were set on fire in the early months of the coup, while PDF attacks on Chinese projects have damaged the water supply pipeline to one of the mines in Sagaing, as well as a gas pipeline and nickel plant in Mandalay region.

Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
They say the shadow government and its paramilitary group must be present for negotiations.

Myanmars four most powerful ethnic armed groups have rejected an olive branch from the junta, saying there can be no peace talks until the military regime allows the countrys shadow government and the paramilitary group that fights on its behalf to take a seat at the table.

On April 22, junta chief, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, called for negotiations that he promised to personally attend and gave the ethnic armies until Monday to accept the offer. But the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and the Chin National Front (CNF) all rejected the invitation. They said that by not offering all stakeholders the chance to participate, the junta showed it is unwilling to meet halfway.

We recognize that political issues need to be addressed through a political dialogue, KIA information officer, Col. Naw Bu, told RFAs Myanmar Service, when asked about the decision not to register for the talks.

We are not attending the meeting this time because its clear to us that we will not be able to reach a point at which we can discuss real political issues.

The four ethnic armies are Myanmars largest, most experienced and best equipped, and together have accounted for some of the strongest resistance to military rule.

KNU spokesman Padoh Saw Tawney said that in addition to refusing to allow the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and the prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary group to attend talks, the junta had failed to honor commitments it had made to his and other ethnic armies, such as reducing its troop presence in their territories in the countrys remote border regions.

If the talks are not held in an inclusive environment, the consequences will be indescribable for the country, he said.

The junta has rejected requests from ethnic leaders and the international community to let the NUG and PDF participate in the talks. Min Aung Hlaing has repeatedly said that the junta will not talk with terrorists, and vowed to continue to crack down on the groups.

Padoh Saw Tawney said that if the military has good intentions, it should leave politics so that the rest of Myanmars stakeholders can form a federal democracy and begin the process of rebuilding the country.

We cannot go without these preconditions, he said.

Other ethnic leaders, such as KNPP First Secretary Khu Daniel, told RFA that peace talks without the NUG and PDF would be meaningless, and suggested that the junta peace offer was part of a bid to create a schism within the armed opposition.

The NUG formed political alliances with our ethnic groups, he said. The junta intends to separate them from these groups. But without them, there will be no solution to this problem.

Khu Daniel acknowledged that some ethnic armies had agreed to join in negotiations but noted that they have smaller forces and hadnt made much headway in fighting against the military.

Our groups, which are really fighting, are not attending. So, nothing will come out of it, he said.

Myanmar's Commander in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (C) poses for a photo during the second anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in Naypyidaw, in a file photo. Credit: Reuters Armies that accepted

In addition to the KIA, KNU, KNPP, and CNF, the other ethnic armies to reject the invitation were the All Burma Students Democratic Front and the Lahu Democratic Union  two of the 10 groups that have signed a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government since 2015.

The United Wa State Party, the Shan State Progressive Party, and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) have said they will attend the peace talks. So have the Arakan State Liberation Party, the Shan State Rehabilitation Council, the Karen National Peace Council, the Democratic Karen Army, the New Mon State Party, and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization  all of which are members of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of NCA signatories.

The 10 groups that signed the NCA have suggested that the deal remains in place, despite an already flailing peace process that was all but destroyed by the unpopular juntas Feb. 1, 2021, coup. Previously, all 10 said they would not pursue talks with the military, which they view as having stolen power from the countrys democratically elected government.

PPST spokesman, Col. Saw Kyaw Nyunt, said his group decided to accept the junta invitation with the hope that it would lead to broader negotiations.

Its a start with the aim of finding a way to have inclusive talks, he said. Well try to determine how to create such an inclusive political environment, even though we have not yet held a political dialogue to build a federal democratic union.

The three northern alliances  the Kokang National Democratic Alliance, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army  have said they are still negotiating among themselves over Min Aung Hlaings offer.

Speaking to RFA at the end of last week, junta deputy information minister, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, told RFA that most of the ethnic armed groups had accepted the invitation.

On Monday, he said that a total of nine groups had confirmed they would attend talks  NCA signatories Democratic Karen Army, Karen National Peace Council, Pa-O National Liberation Organization, New Mon State Party, Arakan State Liberation Party, and Shan State Rehabilitation Council; and non-signatories United Wa State Party, Shan State Progressive Party, and National Democratic Alliance Army.

Some groups have issued statements saying they will not attend, and we are waiting for others to make their decision, he said.

Zaw Min Tun said the junta is committed to pushing the peace process forward, adding that it is willing to openly discuss the establishment of a union based on democracy and federalism.

Effort to buy time

Naing Htoo Aung, permanent secretary of the NUGs Defense Ministry, said that 15 months after seizing power, the junta has led Myanmar to ruin, and its rule is in jeopardy.

The junta is not doing well militarily, politically, or economically ... so, I think they are making a fake peace invitation as an effort to buy time, he said.

Unity among the revolutionary forces right now is unprecedented. Thats why [the military] hopes to create misunderstanding between them.

Political analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe called the peace talks a failure because the four strongest armed groups declined the juntas invitation to attend.

The main reason they did not take the offer was not that because they dont want to hold talks. What they want is a dialogue that leads to real peace, he said.

They are not attending because they dont believe it is an invitation with a genuine desire for peace. The trust has been shattered.

The military has made 12 invitations to the countrys armed ethnic groups since the February 2021 coup, but the April offering marked the first time Min Aung Hlaing said he would attend.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
More than 170 additional Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in the besieged city of Mariupol. The plant is surrounded by Russian forces, who have faced stubborn resistance from the last Ukrainian defenders of the port city. Exhausted but relieved evacuees said they were searched and fingerprinted by Russian forces at so-called "filtration camps" after leaving the plant. One woman said it was like "a fairy tale" to arrive in the city of Zaporizhzhya on May 8 after an arduous 29-hour journey from Mariupol.
Since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has grappled with severe sanctions on its economy and a flood of Western political and military aid to Kyiv that caught the Kremlin off-guard.

For China, Russia's war in Ukraine has already provided a series of instructive episodes.

Policymakers in Beijing are closely watching the continued Western response toward Moscow to better understand the potential reaction in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and has threatened to invade if Taipei refuses to submit to its control.

Beijing has thus far been left "unsettled" by the aftermath of Russia's invasion, according to CIA Director William Burns, who told the Financial Times on May 7 that the tough Western response against Moscow came as a surprise to China's leadership and could affect its calculations for Taiwan.

But Burns added that he doesn't believe Chinese President Xi Jinping's long-term desire to gain control over Taiwan has changed.

So what lessons is Beijing drawing from the Ukraine war?

Chinese leadership appears to be pushing forward on a self-reliance drive, a trend that was already under way but which the war in Ukraine made more imperative for Beijing. In the meantime, Chinese companies have moved cautiously while interacting with Russia's sanctioned economy, despite both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring a "no-limits" partnership between their countries in February.

With concern mounting in Beijing that it could be blocked from Western economies by sanctions and penalties similar to those that have been put on Russia, RFE/RL spoke with Alicia Garcia-Herrero, the chief economist for Asia-Pacific at the investment bank Natixis.

RFE/RL: We've seen lots of headlines lately about some smaller-scale Chinese refineries buying up Russian oil at a discounted price. What do you make of these moves and what does that tell us about how China will approach dealing with the Russian economy moving forward?

Alicia Garcia-Herrero: There isn't an obvious [answer] here. China is approaching Russia on the surface, at least, in a very friendly way. [When] we look at words rather than the deeds, the narrative is extremely positive: both officially but also in the media; but in reality China is quite hesitant and very careful about avoiding secondary sanctions [from the United States].

We see, certainly when it [comes to] banks, they have generally stopped offering letters of credit to Russia. We also know from anecdotal evidence that some smaller [Chinese] refineries are buying up oil [often at a discounted rate]. [But] to me, that's not big proof of massive support because India is doing the same and so are many other [countries]. Therefore, I would not see that as a game changer.

What could be a game changer is Chinese exports [to Russia], but exports of the right thing, meaning exports of semiconductors -- especially commercial and military fusion semiconductors -- because we know that Russia needs that for its military equipment. [But] that can be much harder to track.

But from what we can track, I would argue that all in all, China's being quite careful in its actual actions. If [Beijing] needs to [take a] risk it will be where it's most needed for Russia and I don't think that is imports of energy, because they can always [get it] at a discount.

RFE/RL: It seems that some investors are pulling back from the country and there are reports that Chinese regulators have held an emergency meeting with domestic and foreign banks to discuss how they could protect the country's overseas assets from potential future U.S.-led sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. So, how is the war in Ukraine affecting the Chinese economy?

Garcia-Herrero: First we need to notice that beyond Russia and the war, China is going through its own hell due to COVID, which is a major shock for the country. So it's hard to disentangle those, in my view. COVID and [COVID-related lockdowns] are much bigger economic hits. So even if China's ambiguous position on the war in Ukraine could have had an impact, we might not see it because of COVID having such a larger one.

But beyond this immediate impact there [were] quite large [investor] portfolio outflows from China [in] March and April. So one could say that's a sign that investors are fearing sanctions, but I think there are many other reasons to explain that. For instance, the yield differential with the United States has vanished because we're well above 3 percent already for U.S. treasuries, so, it just doesn't make much sense to keep your Chinese sovereign bonds right now with a depreciating currency. That makes it hard for me to say that China is really suffering from its position on Ukraine. Rather, what I would say is that Beijing is anguishing over what may happen to China because of Ukraine, which is not necessarily something immediate.

I think that's the key. It's more about how China may react. It's a fear over what may happen to China [and how] that could actually change the picture rather than any sanctions themselves.

This brings me to the reported emergency meeting that the [People's Bank of China] held about what to do in the event of sanctions [on China]. We only have some leaks here and there [about this meeting], so it's hard to know what they were discussing; but my sense from those leaks is that it was not really about secondary sanctions. I think what China is really worried about is what happens if [Beijing] does something about Taiwan.

When you read [the leaks], it's more about protecting China's [foreign-currency] reserves. That means it's actually preparing for a type of Russia scenario, but on steroids, because China's foreign-currency reserves are many times bigger than those of Russia.

And fretting about this could indeed lead China to make decisions that could be quite something for the world, like starting to divest from U.S. Treasury [bonds]. So, it is indirectly related to what we've seen happen from the war in Ukraine, but it's not a direct [effect]. I think that it's important to take into account that the whole world is learning right now from the [Western reaction] to [Russia's invasion] and, in the case of China, it is even preemptively reacting based on what it is learning from this war.

RFE/RL: The future is obviously very difficult to predict, but what is a realistic forecast for what we can expect from China economically and also down the road with its relationship with Russia?

Garcia-Herrero: I think China will continue to make precautionary, isolationist decisions. We've already seen this with the Great Firewall that blocks off the Internet and we saw more moves happen related to the trade war with the United States that happened under the [administration of U.S. President Donald] Trump.

[Beijing] has already been creating barriers, but this [process] has accelerated because of Trump and then COVID, then [the war in] Ukraine, and then again due to COVID [in China]. I don't think we're going to see that trend change, either. If I were asked to advise the Chinese government -- which I don't think will happen -- about what to do to reduce the risk of sanctions, I would say to do the exact opposite of what they are doing now. They should be increasing their interdependence because that's their leverage [with the West]. The fact that they're not even seeing it this way is because this [more isolationist] mindset has already [set in].

This brings me to Russia, which is also in a similar mindset. That makes it a type of strategic partner, but in a coincidental way. [Beijing and Moscow] find themselves seeing the world in a shared way with the same type of mindset and that has brought them closer, but I think it's important to note that these kinds of coincidental partnerships don't last very long, especially if you look at Russian and Chinese history. The [set of] conditions that made them partners might change over time and could change very quickly when it finally does.

I think that it's unavoidable for Russia and China to be closer together, but it's not a choice. It's a friendship of need, not of want. They happen to be in similar circumstances, and I don't even want to say that they were forced into these circumstances, it's mainly due to their vision of the world.

And for the West, I think it's important to understand the reasons why, because other than China and Russia, there's many other countries out there watching [who] could begin to feel the same way.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity
PRAGUE -- Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the democratic opposition in Belarus, says her country's fate is linked to the outcome of the war that Russia has launched against Ukraine.

"We understand our responsibility in connection with the war in Ukraine," Tsikhanouskaya told RFE/RL in an interview at its Prague headquarters on May 11.

"We understand that we must fight for Ukraine now to fight for Belarus later," she said. "We understand that, without a free Ukraine, there cannot be a free Belarus."

Tsikhanouskaya, 39, was a last-minute presidential candidate, filling in for her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, whose own bid for the presidency was derailed by his arrest and jailing on charges that supporters say were trumped up to keep the popular vlogger off the August 2020 ballot.

Fearing for her safety and that of her family, the former English teacher-turned-politician left Belarus the day after the vote, which resulted in a sixth presidential term for authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and has been leading the Belarusian opposition from exile in Lithuania.

Following massive protests over the vote, which the opposition says was rigged, Lukashenka launched a harsh, and often violent crackdown, jailing tens of thousands of protesters, most of his political opponents, and muzzling independent media.

In reaction to the situation, the European Union, the United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have imposed sanctions on him and several senior Belarusian officials.

Isolated and financially weakened, Lukashenka turned to long-time ally Russia for support, and his since replied in kind by allowing Moscow to launch attacks on Ukraine and supply forces from Belarusian territory.

Tsikhanouskaya said Belarusian citizens, unlike the country's leadership, are "doing what they can" to support their neighbor.

"By helping Ukraine, we are also helping ourselves. Because when Ukraine wins, it will mean that the Kremlin is weak and, hence, that Lukashenka is weak. This will open a new window of opportunity for Belarusians, for protests and strikes," she said.

In response to questions from RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Current Time, the Russian-language channel led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, over what comes after the fighting ends, Tsikhanouskaya replied that "once Ukraine wins this war, the rest will be up to Belarusians."

"How can we take best advantage of the moment? How can we weaken [Lukashenka's] regime? All our work is aimed at, on one hand, weakening the regime and, on the other, empowering the Belarusian people," she said.

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.

Tsikhanouskaya said her movement has begun the process of opening a representative office in Kyiv so that it can be in closer contact with Ukrainian officials and the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine.

Despite the war in Ukraine, the Belarusian opposition has been bolstered by "the 100 percent support of Western democratic countries," Tsikhanouskaya said.

"They support our movement and our striving to change our country," Tsikhanouskaya said. "And we have been assured that there will be no negotiations behind the backs of Belarusians. Lukashenka is illegitimate and no one is going to recognize him until our conditions are met -- the release of political prisoners and the end to repressions."

Much of Tsikhanouskaya's efforts since Russia's February 24 attack on Ukraine has involved reminding Western countries that the Lukashenka government must not be seen as representative of the Belarusian people.

"When the war started and Belarus became an aggressor in the eyes of other countries, [Western governments] were compelled to act decisively," she said. "We made it clear over time that the Belarusian regime is an aggressor, not the people [of Belarus]Every visit, every meeting, every phone call we make is aimed at conveying that Belarusians should not have to pay for Lukashenka's mistakes."

"We always say that sanctions against the Belarusian regime must be just as strong as those against Russia, but they should be structured differently," Tsikhanouskaya explained, saying sanctions against Belarus should target state companies and banks and that small and private businesses should be protected as much as possible.

She also called on Western countries to extend visas to ordinary Belarusians, particularly students, and to find ways to support independent Belarusian media.

"We have also approached tech companies like Facebook and Microsoft to wage a tougher fight against [state] propaganda and to help Belarusian journalists and our people," she said.

According to the independent Belarusian Association of Journalists, two dozen journalists are currently in custody in Belarus, including Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in December 2021.

"People turn to heaven and ask: 'Why must we go through this?'" she said.

"In the case of Belarusians, it is for our silence, for our apolitical stance, for not taking responsibility for our country. We felt content in our small circles of family and friends. And now we are bearing collective responsibility for this."
Iran's judiciary says the death sentence of Swedish-Iranian national Ahmadreza Djalali will be carried out, as Tehran does not plan to seek a prisoner exchange for an Iranian being tried in Stockholm for his alleged role in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners at an Iranian prison in the 1980s.

Judiciary spokesman Zabihollah Khodaian on May 10 confirmed that Djalali, who was arrested during an academic visit in 2016 and accused of spying for Israel, will face his punishment that the case was not related in any way to that of Hamid Nouri, who is on trial in Sweden for war crimes.

The cases have strained relations between Sweden and Iran.

"Djalali has been sentenced to death on several charges and the verdict is final. The sentence will be carried out," Khodaian said.

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde has condemned the case and called for Djalali's release, while a Norway-based campaign group, Iran Human Rights, has accused Iranian officials of threatening to execute Djalali "in retaliation" for the war crimes trial of Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary official, by a court in Sweden.

"These two issues are not related. Mr. Nouri is innocent and Mr. Djalali was arrested two years prior to Mr. Nouri's case. There is thus no possibility of an exchange of these two individuals," Khodaian added.

He did not give a date for the execution, but last week Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency reported that the Iranian-Swedish researcher will be executed by May 21.

Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, was arrested in Iran in 2016 during an academic visit. He was accused of providing information to Israel to help it assassinate several senior nuclear scientists.

Iran's Supreme Court in 2017 upheld the death sentence. Amnesty International in November 2021 urged Tehran to drop all charges against Djalali and release him.

Nouri, arrested in Sweden in 2019, faces a life sentence for his involvement in mass killings ordered by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1988.

Nouri is charged with international war crimes and human rights abuses in connection with the murders of more than 100 people at the Gohardasht prison in Karaj.

With reporting by Reuters, BBC, and AP
Three years ago, Shadi fulfilled a lifelong dream when she obtained a coveted research position at the prestigious Harvard Medical School.

Now, the Iranian national is considering giving up her postdoctoral fellowship because her husband has been barred from entering the United States.

In 2019, the Trump administration designated Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The blacklisting resulted in economic and travel sanctions for the IRGC -- the elite branch of Iran's armed forces -- and for individuals and entities associated with it, including hundreds of thousands of former IRGC conscripts.

Among them was Shadis husband, who served his mandatory military service with the IRGC more than a decade ago. Nearly a year after first applying for a U.S. visa, he was informed in 2020 that his application had been rejected.

[Conscripts] are being punished for something thats beyond their control, said Shadi, who did not reveal her full name due to the sensitivity of the issue. She told RFE/RL that the U.S. travel ban should differentiate between IRGC members and former conscripts who were compelled to serve.

All Iranian men from 18 to 49 are required to complete 21 months of military service in one of the three branches of the military: the police, army, or the IRGC. The men do not decide in which branch they serve.

Shadi and her husband are not alone. The U.S. blacklisting of the IRGC has affected hundreds of families, often splitting husbands from their wives and children.

Weve become hostages to the hostilities between Iran and the U.S., said Peyman, who did his military service with the IRGC three decades ago. Were ordinary people who have nothing to do with the IRGC.

Peymans parents and brother are U.S. citizens. He applied for a U.S. visa in 2018 but after waiting for two years, his application was rejected.

Our future and the future of our children are being affected, Peyman, who only provided his first name, told RFE/RL from Iran.

'No One Is Listening'

Peyman said he had hoped that U.S. President Joe Biden would remove the designation, which experts have said was largely symbolic and has done little to curb the IRGCs activities, including its alleged support for militant groups in the region.

But recent U.S. media reports have suggested that Biden is reluctant to drop the designation, which has become a major stumbling block in efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Tehran has demanded that the IRGC be delisted.

Many of those affected by the FTO designation have been closely following the yearlong nuclear talks and are growing desperate for a resolution.

Weve become forcefully involved in an issue that we didnt want to be a part of, said Ellie, a U.S. citizen who has been separated from her Iranian husband, a physician who served as a conscript in the IRGC several years before the FTO designation.

As a U.S. citizen, Im entitled to bring my husband here, said Ellie, who did not disclose her full name for fear it could endanger her husband in Iran. But I havent been able to.

I feel no one is listening to us, Ellie told RFE/RL. Were suffering. I have become depressed and its also very difficult for my husband, who wants to move here.

Ellie was among dozens of people who took part in a February 22 protest outside the White House. The demonstrators called on the Biden administration to end the ban on former IRGC conscripts from entering the United States.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken admitted that as a practical matter, the designation does not really gain [the United States] much.

Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the main impact of the FTO is a travel ban on IRGC members, including conscripts, even though the people who are the real bad guys have no intention of traveling here anyway.

'Pay The Price'

Ryan Costello, policy director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), said Blinkens admission suggests that the designation itself was meant for nonstate actors, rather than foreign militaries, and that the U.S. government needs to approach this issue with more flexibility.

Given that the FTO designation is retroactive over decades, the visa ban would be applied to more than a million former Iranian conscripts, said Costello. We know that there have been hundreds of these denials, but it is possible that there have been more given the expansive scope of the restriction.

Among those whose U.S. visa applications have been rejected is Mehrdad, an architect who did his military service with the IRGC. His daughter lives in the United States.

I have to pay the price for being a conscript with the IRGC some 24 or 25 years ago, Mehrdad, who only disclosed his first name, told RFE/RL. I wasnt even a member.

Mehrdads wife, Saeideh, constantly travels back and forth from Iran and the United States. She laments that the IRGC designation has split her family.

I dont care if the IRGC remains on the [FTO] list or not, she told RFE/RL from Iran. It has nothing to do with us. But the issue of conscripts should be separate.
Fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine intensified on May 10 as missile strikes hit the southern port of Odesa in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines, and the United States warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war.



Washington's prediction came as Germany sent its foreign minister to Kyiv for talks with her Ukrainian counterpart, who praised Berlin for changing its stance on a Russian oil embargo and on supplying arms to Ukraine.



Ukraine said its forces had recaptured villages from Russian troops near the city of Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, while Russian forces escalated their attacks on a steel plant in the southern port of Mariupol where the last Ukrainian defenders, many of them wounded, and at least 100 civilians were still holed up.

Deputy Ukrainian Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on May 10 that more than 1,000 Ukrainian fighters remained in the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, the last pocket of resistance after almost three months of heavy fighting that has leveled the city.

"Hundreds are wounded. There are people with serious injuries who require urgent evacuation. The situation is deteriorating every day," Vereshchuk told the AFP news agency.

Although the majority of noncombatants have been evacuated from Azovstal, at least 100 civilians remain inside, an aide to the city's mayor said on May 10.

Russian forces have so far failed to complete the occupation of Mariupol, which would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, give Russia a land corridor to the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula, and free troops up for fighting elsewhere.

The Odesa city council said late on May 9 that missiles were fired into the city, destroying several buildings. One person was killed and five injured when seven missiles hit a shopping center and a depot, Ukraine's armed forces said on Facebook.



The port city is a gateway for grain shipments, and its blockade by Russia already threatens global food supplies.



Defense Ministry adviser Yuriy Saks said the Ukrainian successes in recapturing towns around Kharkiv were pushing Russian forces out of range of the city.

The United Nations said on May 10 that the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has edged past 7,000 since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion in February.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement that as of the start of May 9, 3,381 people, including 235 children, had been killed, with another 3,680 people injured.

The office said that 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.

"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," it added, pointing to cities such as Mariupol, Izyum, and Popasna, where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.

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.

But the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that the actual death toll was thousands higher than the official UN figures.

"We have been working on estimates, but all I can say for now is that it is thousands higher than the numbers we have currently given to you," Matilda Bogner told a news briefing in Geneva.

On the diplomatic front, the foreign ministers of Germany and the Netherlands made a surprise visit to Ukraine, stopping in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian forces are accused of committing war crimes before retreating last month.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock became the first German cabinet minister to visit Kyiv since Russia launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine in late February.

Baerbock announced the German Embassy would reopen in Kyiv and vowed to wean Germany off Russian energy "forever."

Wopke Hoekstra, her Dutch counterpart, also made the trip, and the two met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later in the day.

Kuleba pushed for the European Union to admit his country.



"Ukraine's membership in the EU is a matter of war and peace in Europe," said Kuleba after meeting Baerbock. "One of the reasons that this war started is that Putin was convinced that Europe doesn't need Ukraine."

Zelenskiy said 36 foreign missions are operating in the capital, and the resumption of diplomatic work in Kyiv "confirms Europe's confidence in the future of Ukraine."

The European Union's planned sixth package of sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo, is "certainly a package that we need" along with energy sanctions, Zelenskiy told Slovakia's parliament on May 10 in a video address.

The British Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence bulletin on May 10 that Russia's misjudging of Ukrainian resolve resulted in failures on the battlefield and stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin from boasting success during his speech at the May 9 military parade in Moscow.

Underestimating Ukrainian resistance led to "demonstrable operational failings," the ministry said, "preventing Putin from announcing significant military success" on May 9.

In Washington, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a Senate committee that the United States believes Putin is preparing for a long conflict in Ukraine.

There are indications Russia wants to extend a land bridge to Transdniester, Moldova's breakaway region, Haines said, adding that Putin is counting on Western resolve to weaken over time.

Haines also told the committee that Putin is expected to become more unpredictable and could order martial law in Russia.

Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the committee that Russia has resorted to indiscriminate and brutal methods in response to Ukrainian resistance. He said between eight and 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war and neither side currently is winning.



"The Russians aren't winning and the Ukrainians aren't winning and we're at a bit of a stalemate here," said Berrier.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, BBC, and dpa
Leonid Kravchuk, a key figure in ushering in the largely peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union three decades ago and the first president of independent Ukraine, has died. He was 88.

Kravchuk, who was president of Ukraine from 1991-94, died after a long illness, according to Ukrainian media. He had been placed in an intensive care unit after suffering complications following heart surgery in June 2021.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described Kravchuk as a wise leader who guided the country in the chaotic first years of independence from Soviet rule.



"He was a person always able to find wise words and express them in such a way that they were heard by all Ukrainians," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "Particularly in times of crisis. When the future of an entire country can depend on the wisdom of one person."

Dmytro Razumkov, a former speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, called Kravchuk's death "a great loss for the whole of Ukraine." Writing on Facebook, Razumkov called Kravchuk a figure who stood by the origins of modern Ukrainian statehood."

He said that Kravchuk's contribution to the formation of the Ukrainian state is difficult to overestimate. He "was not afraid and was the first to take on the management of the great state in the difficult times of the early '90s," Razumkov said.

Kravchuk was one of a trio of Soviet leaders who signed the Belavezha Accords, a December 8, 1991, agreement whose preamble declared that the Soviet Union had ceased to exist.

Kravchuk had been elected president one week before he signed the pact, which created the Commonwealth of Independent States, along with Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Belarusian leader Stanislau Shushkevich, who died on May 4.

It was a long road we walked to Belavezha. It was not by accident; it was our deliberate choice because we had no other option, Kravchuk would later say, adding that when the people influence the course of history, it can move very quickly and unpredictably.

When the heads of the three republics met at a forest resort in Belarus, the Soviet Union was being torn apart by contradictions, its people exhausted by crises, conflicts, wars, and lines, Kravchuk told the BBC a quarter-century after the Soviet collapse.

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned 17 days after the pact was signed, and the U.S.S.R. formally folded the following day.

For 30 years, Kravchuk had served as a Communist Party functionary. But after the August 1991 coup attempt, which failed but weakened Gorbachev and strengthened the centrifugal forces pulling the Soviet Union apart, Kravchuk threw his backing to the Ukrainian independence camp.

On December 1, 1991, Ukrainians backed independence with 92 percent in favor in a referendum and elected Kravchuk, who had been chairman of Ukraines Supreme Soviet since July 1990, as president with more than 61 percent of the vote.

In 1992, Kravchuk met U.S. President George Bush at the White House, where agreement was reached on removing all of Ukraines nuclear weapons, leading in 1994 to the so-called Budapest Memorandum.

The document was signed on December 5, 1994 at the summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Hungarian capital. In it, Ukraine, a nuclear power at that time, voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees.

At the time, Ukraine had the third-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world after the United States and Russia, the official successor state of the Soviet Union. But Kravchuk would later say that the reality was much different, and that Kyiv was powerless.

"All the control systems were in Russia. The so-called black suitcase with the start button, that was with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, he told German media outlet DW in 2014.

Under Kravchuks stewardship, Ukraines economy slumped as corruption linked to privatization of Soviet-era industry thrived.

With graft rampant and the economy stagnant, Kravchuk ran for a second term as president in 1994 but was defeated by his former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma, who would remain in office for a decade -- his presidency also plagued by persistent corruption.

In 1998, Kravchuk joined the United Social Democratic Party. He remained active in politics long after his defeat in the presidential election, serving as a member of parliament from 1994 to 2006 and as leader of the party from 2002 to 2009.

Largely absent from the political scene after that, Kravchuk reappeared in 2020 at the age of 86 to take the post of presidential envoy in the trilateral contact group on resolving the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, replacing Kuchma. The conflict erupted in April 2014, a month after Russia seized control of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula.

Kravchuk told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service in 2014 that Russian President Vladimir Putins past as a Soviet intelligence officer had affected his policies with regards to Russias neighbors.

The Kremlins philosophy of a broader Russian world is centered on aggression and disregard for the interests of its neighbors, he contended.

Speaking in Washington in November 2016, Kravchuk said he believed Ukraines only option on ending the conflict in the Donbas was through negotiations.

"We have only one prospect ahead of us, and it implies dialogue and agreements, he said. Other prospects are nonexistent.... I'm confident Ukraine has no other pathway than that of peace."

WATCH: Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk says former Russian President Boris Yeltsin called the idea of a war between brotherly Russia and Ukraine "crazy." His comment came in an interview with RFE/RL in 2016.

Kravchuk had previously said that while he was ready to take up arms to defend his country, he believed Russia would quickly defeat Ukraine if an all-out war broke out between them. Russian invaded Ukraine on February 24, but its offensive has been stymied by fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces.

Kravchuk was born on January 10, 1934, in Velyky Zhytyn, a town in the western Rivne Oblast that was in Poland at the time of his birth.

In 1958, Kravchuk graduated from Kyivs T.H. Shevchenko State University. After university, Kravchuk taught political economics in Chernivtsi and began a political career

He joined the Ukrainian Communist Party in 1958 and rose through the ranks of the party and in its agitation/propaganda department.

He became a member of the Ukrainian politburo in 1989 and the chairman of its Supreme Soviet in 1990.

Kravchuk married his wife, Antonina, in 1957. They had one child, a son, Oleksandr.
(jingdaily.com) - The sparkle has returned to hard luxury in China. According to Bain, jewelry and high-end watch spending has increased by about 35 percent and 30 percent, respectively in 2021. Growth obviously varies across brands, but Swiss watch exports reported strong growth in 2021 (48.8 percent over 2019). It is this market momentum that reflects changing dynamics within the hard luxury category: its transformation is disrupting traditional brand-consumer relationships. Clearly, this is a wake-up call for jewelry and watch companies to align best practice with a market reality in rapid flux.
The current tightening of credit by banks for real estate projects has created scarcity of capital flow and this has caused housing prices to rise. Demand for housing in big cities like Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City has always been insufficient in the past, and now businesses are also struggling with procedural problems that are holding up completion of several important projects.

Housing projects on hold

Several businesses are struggling to complete ongoing projects. About 64 housing projects are facing procedural problems. Recently 29 real estate businesses in Ho Chi Minh City asked for the removal of procedures that are holding up completion of 38 commercial housing, social housing, and resettlement housing projects that are lying incomplete for many years.

Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (Horea), said that currently in Ho Chi Minh City there are over 100 real estate projects waiting for completion. For instance, the high-rise apartment buildings in Dong Tang Long new urban area in Truong Thanh ward in Thu Duc city is awaiting Compensation and Clearance Corporation to clear procedures. Although the investment policy has been approved since 2009, until now, even after 13 years, it is still being held up because of only one procedure. Normally, the investor of this project builds one lot of resettlement houses, then hands them over to the city by exchanging land use fees and commercializing the remaining three lots. When the enterprise carried out the procedures for land allocation to complete the next procedure, there was a snag in the exchange mechanism, and the matter continues to remain unresolved.

A similar procedure in swap mechanism is holding the Phu My-2 apartment project in District 7, belonging to the Khai Huy Quan Joint Stock Company. According to the approval procedure, the investor is allowed to do commercial business and must hand over to the city the resettlement house fund corresponding to 252 apartments to exchange land use fees for this project and the Florita project in District 7. Currently, the company is carrying out the procedure of handing over 252 resettlement apartments to complete the payment but has encountered the swap mechanism snag because the current law no longer has this regulation. This has led to the Florita project being shelved and unable to be handed over to people since 2018. So far, the procedure for granting certificates to residents has not been considered or resolved.

Also facing procedural problems is the Sao Mai project in District 7 of Hung Thinh Incons Joint Stock Company. This is the initial project approved by the People's Committee of District 7 for a 17-storey apartment building, where the foundation and basement have already been built. By 2017, the project was transferred to Hung Thinh Incons due to bad debt trading and approved by the City to receive the transfer of the entire project. The red book of residential land has been transferred to Hung Thinh Incons, but then it could not be deployed because the planning of subdivision is low-rise and building the basement foundation without a construction permit is not in accordance with the plan. The Hung Thinh Incons Company has dismantled the basement and repeatedly petitioned to terminate the project to transfer residential land use rights to recover capital, but there is no mechanism to resolve it.

Previously, after receiving a report summarizing the recommendations of 57 businesses asking to consider and remove obstacles from 64 commercial housing and social housing projects, the Office of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City had Document 2391 convey the opinion of Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, directing relevant departments and branches to urgently study the contents of the recommendations. Accordingly, now departments and agencies work and guide project investors to comply with the law. In case there are difficulties or problems beyond their authority, it is reported to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City for consideration within 30 working days.

Price rise inevitable

The latest report of the Ministry of Construction on the real estate market shows that apartment prices in localities will tend to increase, with the average rate of increase at 3% towards the end of 2021. In Ha Noi house prices of apartment buildings increased by 4% to 5%, higher than in Ho Chi Minh City where it increased by about 1% to 2%. For instance, high-end apartments in some projects with special and central locations in Ho Chi Minh City have very high asking prices, such as in Thao Dien Green project in Thu Duc city, which costs about VND 100 million per square meter. In particular, the Empire City-Monarch project in Thu Thiem urban area in Thu Duc city has an asking price of upto VND 200 million per square meter.

The increase in house and land prices in big cities is now inevitable. Especially in recent years, when many projects have been put on hold, prices have increased more due to several regulatory factors. Understandably, hundreds of projects with tens of thousands of apartments stuck for many years will have a significant impact on the real estate market. When the project is completed, businesses can recover capital to implement new projects, but because the project is prolonged, it leads to increased costs, and high prices are affecting homebuyers the most.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Real Estate Brokers Association, said that the laws related to investment and business development have been completed, but the market is growing too fast, so there are points that are no longer relevant in the present context. There is limited supply while demand is high, which is pushing up real estate prices. In addition, the tightening of credit in real estate has also contributed to the current steep rise in housing prices. Speculators look for financing through informal channels at a very high interest level. Investors who buy real estate with idle money, or businesses with good sales ability, are less affected when banks tighten credit. However, the restriction on lending to real estate can make it difficult for investors with large inventories but dull sales.

o Tra Giang
HANOI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam imported more than 2.5 million tons of plastic worth over 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months of this year, posting a year-on-year rise of 2 percent in volume and 14.6 percent in value, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.

Between January and April, the country spent nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars importing plastic products, up 26.7 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry.

In 2021, Vietnam imported over 6.9 million tons of plastic totaling more than 11.6 billion U.S. dollars, up 4.7 percent and 38.2 percent respectively from the previous year, according to the country's General Statistics Office. 
(Photo : PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images) Experts have warned the US government, including health officials against national strategies for a new normal life with COVID-19.

Scientists have warned leaders in the United States, as well as health officials against national strategies for a "new normal" of living life with COVID-19.

A SciTechDaily report specified that the strategies are ignoring the early lessons around chronic diseases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists Warn U.S. Health Officials Against New Normal Strategies for COVID-19 https://t.co/P4K1pMn7Zb  SciTechDaily (@SciTechDaily1) May 10, 2022

The warning argues that discussions of a new normal are failing to incorporate key lessons from the initial two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which include the vital role of non-communication chronic illnesses in exacerbating COVID-19, and the unnecessary burden of COVID-19 on underserved populations, as well as communities of colors.

Essentially, non-communicable chronic diseases are those that are not spread from one person to another, and persist for at least one year, like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

ALSO READ: 'Worrying' Mutation Detected in the UK





'Syndemic'

The aforementioned are the leading cause of death globally and illustrate a global health threat that predates the COVID-29 pandemic, the non-communicable disease crisis is killing more than 15 million Americans prematurely every year, as indicated in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The University of Illinois, Chicago's Jun Ma is a co-author of the viewpoint published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

She explained that together, the COVID-19 pandemic and the chronic disease crisis are producing the so-called "syndemic or synergistic endemic," which overlaps epidemics that interact, increasing the disease's burden, as well as the likelihood of poor outcomes.

Recent suggestions for a new normal national strategy in the US are focusing too much on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and very little on the context in which the impact of the disease is most overpowering.

'New Normal'

Ma, the Beth and George Vitoux Professor of Medicine said this is a major missed chance to address the multilevel and multifactorial factors that contribute to the said infection and COVID-19 death, as well as other health conditions.

Ma, also the director of the Vitoux Program on Aging and Prevention at the UIC College of Medicine also added, that what's really needed is an extensive comprehensive syndemic control strategy since in truth, the pre-pandemic state of health in the country was not ideal in the first place.

"This is a major missed opportunity to address the multilevel and multifactorial factors that contribute to severe COVID-19 and COVID-19 mortality, not to mention other health conditions," said Ma, the Beth and George Vitoux Professor of Medicine and director of the Vitoux Program on Aging and Prevention at the UIC College of Medicine.

Ma, also an associate head of research in the Department of Medicine, together with the University of California San Diego's James Sallis, cited data published in the medical literature that shows non-communicable chronic illnesses have developed high susceptibility to severe and deadly COVID-19 results.

Experts Warn About Probable Next Surge

In support of this argument, Ma and her co-author, James Sallis, of the University of California San Diego, cite data published in medical literature showing how non-communicable chronic diseases have created high susceptibility to severe and fatal COVID-19 outcomes and contributed to racial and ethnic injustices.

Even though everyone hopes the pandemic is waning, the COVID-19 strains keep showing up and vaccinations also wane, a similar Digall News report specified.

Therefore, according to experts, there is a need to plan now for better responses to probable next surge, as well as future pandmemics.

Related information about the new normal after the pandemic is shown on Fox 13 Tampa Bay's YouTube video below:

RELATED ARTICLE: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Reinfection More Likely to Occur in Homeless People

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.
Serigne Cheikh Mbacke Bara Dolly

Tout juste apres sa demission du Pds, l'actuel president du groupe parlementaire Liberte et democratie a deverse sa bile sur Karim Wade et son homme de confiance Saliou Dieng.





Serigne Cheikh Mbacke Bara Dolly declare ainsi la "guerre" a ses ex-freres liberaux, car non content de sa position sur la liste Wallu Senegal, lors des investitures en perspective des elections legislatives de juillet 2022. Le demissionnaire accuse tout simplement Wade-fils de l'avoir trahi.




San Francisco Chronicle staff photographer Gabrielle Lurie was named a finalist Monday for the Pulitzer Prize in feature photography.

Lurie was recognized for her photos with a Chronicle story about a woman who set out to save her daughter from a fentanyl addiction on the streets of San Francisco. Judges called the photos intimate and harrowing.

Its really exciting, and Im so glad the story resonated with people, Lurie said. Im really, really grateful that Jessica and Laurie opened up with me and with us, with the readers. Im really grateful to Nicole (Fruge), my boss, for elevating photography as an important way to tell a story, and not just as art to accompany one.

Gabrielle Lurie was driven to make images worthy of the trust that Laurie and Jessica placed in her, said Nicole Fruge, The Chronicles director of visuals. She spent countless hours, working at great personal risk, to document the harrowing impact of fentanyl. This kind of local journalism meticulously lays bare a crisis that San Franciscos leaders have not been able to solve while lives hang in the balance.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

The Pictures of the Year International competition named Lurie the Local Photographer of the Year in February, for the second year in a row.

Gabrielle is a fearless truth teller who has dedicated herself to shedding light on living conditions in the Tenderloin, said Editor in Chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz. Her photographs of the crisis are taken with great care, and her work reflects a rare compassion for her subjects who are often going through very difficult moments.

The Pulitzer Prize in feature photography went to Reuters photographers Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and Danish Siddiqui for their images depicting the impact of COVID-19 in India.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Andy Picon
Chesa Boudin could desperately use something in the recall campaign against him: an opponent.

Gov. Gavin Newsom survived the recall attempt against him last year in part because he could contrast himself with the candidate polls predicted was most likely to replace him: conservative talk show host Larry Elder, a Donald Trump admirer out of step with most Californians on key issues. Newsom couldnt have concocted a better opponent in a laboratory, and crushed the recall bid.

Boudin, elected San Franciscos district attorney in 2019, cant do that; there is no second part of Proposition H, the recall measure on the June 7 ballot. If voters oust Boudin, Mayor London Breed gets to appoint his replacement, but she doesnt have to discuss possible candidates in advance  and, indeed, she declined to do so with The Chronicle.

So Boudin is running against himself and expectations  and misconceptions  about crime in San Francisco. Polls, both public and private, say a majority of voters back recalling him.

When its you versus you, said Joshua Spivak, an expert on recalls, what do you do?

The Boudin campaign is answering that question by targeting the recall process itself and those who helped set it in motion. Instead of placing Boudin as his own chief messenger, the campaigns closing TV and digital ads will feature others vouching for the district attorney and emphasizing the key role that wealthy conservative hedge fund manager William Oberndorf played in financing the recall.

Call it the de-Boudining of Boudins ad campaign.

One 15-second ad doesnt even mention the words Chesa Boudin, yet tries to address the anxiety voters feel about public safety.

Every organization you trust, every voice you respect opposes Proposition H because it takes away your right to pick the next district attorney, t he ads narrator says as the logos of the Sierra Club, the ACLU and various media outlets whose editorial boards have opposed the recall flash on the screen. Vote no on Proposition H. The Republican-funded recall wont make you feel safer. (The Chronicles editorial board, which operates independently from its news staff, has opposed the recall.)

Another ad focuses more squarely on Oberndorf, described as a major donor to (Senate GOP leader) Mitch McConnell. Between 2018 and 2020, Oberndorf contributed $3.25 million to the Senate Leadership PAC, a committee controlled by McConnell whose funds are funneled to the campaigns of Republican Senate candidates.

If Proposition H passes, the ad warns, their right-wing agenda could be implemented here.

Boudin emphasized these two points last week during an interview with KQED.

Everybody you trust opposes the recall, Boudin said, referring to left-leaning San Francisco organizations, constituencies and elected officials. The Democratic Party, the Green Party, the ACLU, the Sierra Club, the Rose Pak Democratic Club, the Bernal Heights Democratic Club, the (San Francisco) Labor Council, the nurses, the in-home health care workers, every single elected or formerly elected official who has taken a position, opposes this recall.

National pro-recall figures, Boudin said, include the people who are responsible for eroding womens rights to make choices about their own body  they do not reflect San Francisco values.

Boudins closing strategy is a very smart message, said Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University who closely watches local elections. It is the kind of message that could be effective. But I suspect its a little bit late.

Or as Matt Gonzalez, the chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defenders Office and a Boudin ally, told The Chronicle last month, Boudins biggest political challenge may be too much to overcome: Is the paint already dry in terms of what people think of him?

Boudins biggest challenge as a first-time officeholder is that he hasnt had time to build a solid base of support. He won only 36% of the vote in the four-way district attorney race in 2019, eventually defeating incumbent Suzy Loftus by less than 3,000 votes in the ranked-choice 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.

The fact that he won office in a very narrow election and he did not overwhelmingly win on the first ballot, puts him at a disadvantage in an election where he needs a majority to oppose the recall, said Spivak, a senior research fellow at Berkeley Laws California Constitution Center and author of Recall Elections: From Alexander Hamilton to Gavin Newsom.

So hes already facing trouble, Spivak said. Hes got a narrative that is against him where people are very concerned about crime. And who is the guy who is going to face the attack? Him.

If Boudin falls, Breeds decision on a replacement may be complicated by Proposition C, which will also appear on the June 7 ballot. The measure would prevent the mayors appointee from running as a candidate for that office on the November 2022 ballot.

So if Proposition C passes and Boudin is recalled, Breed would be installing a caretaker. Some potential candidates might balk at being a short-term replacement and wait to run for the job next year when Boudins term is scheduled to end.

Boudin has filed the paperwork to run in 2023. The only other candidate to do so is former Police Commission member and civil rights attorney Joe Alioto Veronese. Should Boudin be recalled, others who could be on Breeds short list include former San Francisco prosecutor and recall leader Brooke Jenkins, Supervisor Catherine Stefani and prosecutor Nancy Tung, who lost to Boudin in the 2019 election.

But none of those prospective candidates is on the ballot next month. That means none has to offer detailed plans on what they would do as district attorney  including what they would do differently from Boudin.

Its the No. 1 reason that politicians dont want to face recalls because it is almost an impossible task, McDaniel said. Its you versus whoever voters might be dreaming of. Theres always someone they might think would be better if theres no one to focus on. It is always a really difficult challenge, if not, sometimes an impossible one.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
The Supreme Court denied a right to racial integration in 1896, then granted it 58 years later. The court upheld a state ban on interracial marriage in 1883 and, after an even longer interval, recognized a right to marriage between races in 1967, in the aptly named case of Loving v. Virginia. The justices rejected a right to gay and lesbian sexual relations in 1986 and reversed themselves in 2003.

In the other direction, the court has weakened rights granted by Congress, notably in 2013, when it struck down a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act. A 1990 ruling allowed the government to prosecute religious observers whose practices violated criminal law  in that case, a ban on peyote  as long as the law applied generally and did not target religious practices. Congress later narrowed the scope of that ruling, and several justices have advocated overturning it.

But if the court, as indicated in a leaked draft opinion supported by five justices, overturns the constitutional right to abortion that it declared in Roe v. Wade in 1973, it will arguably be the first time it has withdrawn a substantive individual right it had previously granted. And other court-approved rights, like contraception and same-sex marriage, could be on the line as well.

Its a pretty unprecedented reactionary destruction of a right women and families have relied on for a half century, said Ariela Gross, a professor of law and history at the University of Southern California.

To my knowledge, this is the first time the Supreme Court has rescinded a right it had said was constitutional, said Marjorie Cohn, professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and former president of the National Lawyers Guild.

Of course, it all depends on how you define rights.

The whole point of the argument (by opponents of abortion) is they think that stopping abortion is advancing rights of unborn life, said Steven Teles, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

Another commentator said the same phenomenon could even be seen in the Dred Scott case  when the court, in 1857, refused to grant freedom to a slave who had been brought to a free state, and went on to declare that all Black people were not entitled to U.S. citizenship and had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.

Chief Justice Roger Taney, author of the 7-2 ruling, believed he was protecting the constitutional rights of slaveholders, said Thomas Keck, a political science professor at Syracuse University in New York.

There is, however, one set of rights the court has declared, expanded and then withdrawn, with widespread social consequences: the right of businesses to enforce contracts, even when they conflicted with existing laws.

In the 1905 case of Lochner v. New York, the court ruled that a state law limiting working hours in bakeries to 60 hours in a week, or 10 hours in any day, violated the bakery owners constitutional right to contract with his employees for longer hours.

Subsequent rulings in what became known as the Lochner era struck down state and federal laws requiring minimum wages, banning child labor, requiring employers to contribute to pension plans and allowing workers to join unions without interference from their employers. After invalidating some of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal measures, the court, with new Roosevelt appointees and political pressure from the White House, changed course in the late 1930s and said the government was generally entitled to regulate the economy.

In the Lochner cases, The court thought they were protecting an individual right and said so repeatedly, observed Mark Graber, a constitutional law professor at the University of Maryland.

Regardless, said USCs Gross, overturning Lochner was arguably an expansion of human rights over the rights of corporations.

Keck, of Syracuse, said conservative lawyers and judges in the early 20th century believed in an individual right of both employers and employees to enter labor contracts without state interference, even if the result was oppressive working conditions.

But, he said, there are few if any comparable examples in which the court has extended constitutional rights to a new context, protected them for nearly 50 years amidst great political controversy and then withdrawn that protection in full, as it is apparently prepared to do now.

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.

It means that people who have relied on what the Supreme Court has said are constitutional rights have now had the rug pulled out from under them, said Cohn, the former San Diego law professor. Thats very, very frightening.

Why hasnt it happened before? One reason is that the court, established in 1789, has been a conservative institution for most of its history.

Property rights aside (and slavery), the Supreme Court did not protect many individual rights until the Warren court, said Graber, referring to Chief Justice Earl Warren, who served from 1953 to 1969. Hence, this is really the first time justices were appointed for the purpose of narrowing and reversing constitutional rights.

Keck cited the emergence of generations of advocates to defend the rights declared by the Warren court and its successors. A more apocalyptic assessment came from Elliot Mincberg, an attorney with the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way and onetime counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.

Recalling Martin Luther King Jr.s pronouncement in 1968, shortly before his assassination, that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice, Mincberg said the impending decision would reveal a bare majority of the court trying to bend it in the other direction.

Gross said she was reminded of an earlier era, when the court collaborated with pro-slavery politicians  mainly Democrats  to suppress individual rights.

I wont be surprised if we end up, similar to that period, with a kind of underground railroad to vindicate peoples rights when theyre not protected by any other branches of government, she said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Kings Countys district attorney on Monday dropped his long-running prosecution of a woman who spent four years in prison for giving birth to a stillborn child after using drugs.

Adora Perez had pleaded no contest to manslaughter in 2018 to avoid a murder charge for her 2017 stillbirth and was sentenced by a judge to the maximum term of 11 years in prison. But another judge overturned her conviction  ruling that manslaughter applies only to the death of a human being, not a fetus  and freed her on bail this March.

The judge allowed District Attorney Keith Fagundes  the only county prosecutor in California who charges women with homicides for stillbirths involving drugs  to decide whether to charge Perez with murder. California law allows a murder charge for the intentional or reckless killing of a fetus, with several exceptions, including abortion.

On Monday, Fagundes filed papers dismissing the charge. He cited proposed state legislation, AB2223 by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, that would forbid prosecuting women who suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage or have an abortion. The bill would allow a woman to seek damages against a prosecutor who brought such charges.

Since her release from prison, Perez has demonstrated success in a residential treatment program, Fagundes said in his court filing. But he said he would reinstate her murder prosecution if AB2223 does not become law.

Mary McNamara, a lawyer for Perez, said Fagundes actually dropped the case because he could not come up with an expert witness who could show that the womans drug use had caused the stillbirth. The case was an appalling overreach and a frightening exercise of prosecutorial power, McNamara said.

This case is just one example of how peoples behavior is inappropriately policed just because they are pregnant, a situation that will only get worse if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, said another member of Perezs legal team, Samantha Lee of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. A draft opinion disclosed by the Politico website last week showed a five-justice majority prepared to overrule Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that declared a constitutional right to abortion.

The prosecution was also opposed by Californias attorney general  Xavier Becerra and his successor, Rob Bonta  whose office ordinarily supports county prosecutors and represents them in higher courts. They said the state law was intended to allow murder charges only against an assailant whose attack caused fetal death and does not authorize prosecution of the pregnant woman.

With reproductive rights under attack across the nation, the dismissal of the murder charge against Adora Perez is a victory for justice and the rule of law, Bonta said in a statement.

Fagundes was not available for comment.

Fagundes also charged another woman, Chelsea Becker, with murder after she suffered a stillbirth in September 2019, when she was 8 months pregnant, and police said methamphetamine was found in the fetus. But a judge dismissed the charge last May, saying prosecutors had no evidence that Becker, when she used the drug, had known or consciously disregarded the possibility that it would end her pregnancy.

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.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com
For anyone following the romantic saga unfolding in UC Berkeleys famed falcon nest, the Cal Falcons nest webcam has offered twists and delights akin to a TV drama.

In recent weeks, fans of the peregrine falcons have watched death, lust and birth play out from the comfort of their homes. For many, the livestream has been a rare opportunity to watch wild animals in their natural environment and even feel connected to the birds, whose lives can be intriguing, and at times somewhat relatable.

But Cals raptors are far from the only birds whose everyday activities are on display on the internet. Across California, webcams set up by nonprofits, wildlife agencies, museums, zoos and even amateur bird lovers offer windows into the life cycles and quotidian routines of all kinds of birds.

April, May and June are when many bird species in California see their eggs hatch. If you tune into a nest cam, keep an eye out for eggs and recently hatched chicks, who are being fed by their parents and getting ready to leave the nest for the first time.

Here are some of the states best bird webcams, from Redding to the Bay Area to Los Angeles:

Peregrine falcons at UC Berkeley: Annie and Alden, perched atop UC Berkeleys Campanile bell tower, are perhaps the Bay Areas most popular birds. They made headlines this spring when Annies longtime mate Grinnell died and Alden quickly swooped into the nest. He has helped incubate her eggs; one of them hatched on Thursday and another hatched on Friday. Watch the falcon family in their nest here.

Presidio Trust

Red-tailed hawks in the Presidio: One hundred feet up a Presidio eucalyptus tree lives another raptor family. The unnamed hawks made their return to their nest above the parks Main Post this year after a four-year absence. The hawks had been displaced in 2019 by a pair of great horned owls in what park officials called a brutal take-over. Two fluffy hawk chicks, or eyas, were born in the nest around Easter weekend. Watch the red-tailed hawks here.

Ospreys in Richmond: From the top of a crane in Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park, these ospreys, or sea hawks, hunt for fish in the waters of San Francisco Bay. Rosie and Richmond marked their sixth consecutive year of parenting in April when Rosie laid a speckled egg, which was captured by the webcam. Watch the ospreys in their nest here.

Golden Gate Audubon/

Peregrine falcons at San Jose City Hall: Like her Berkeley counterparts, Grace the peregrine falcon has claimed a Bay Area city landmark as her own. She settled on the 18th floor of San Jose City Hall in 2019, taking over for former nest residents Clara and Fernando, according to the city of San Jose. Grace is partnered up with a male named Pedro, and their two eggs hatched Thursday. Watch the falcons here.

Bald eagles in Redding: These majestic eagles, named Liberty and Guardian, are raising two eaglets that were born in March. In the livestreams description box, Friends of the Redding Eagles, the nonprofit that maintains the webcam, lists detailed updates on the bird familys activities, with helpful timestamps so you can go back and watch the birds feed, fly and even scuffle. Check out the eagles here.

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.

Condors in Big Sur: Kingpin and Redwood Queen, each over 20 years old, are two of the oldest condors in Big Sur. Since they first coupled up in 2006, they have been the most prolific breeders in the Central Coast flock, according to the Ventana Wildlife Society, whose biologists use the webcams to monitor the birds. The nonprofits webcams show a condor nest in a redwood tree, as well as a separate sanctuary also in Big Sur. Watch the condors here.

Hummingbirds in Los Angeles: This webcam shows a flurry of hummingbirds feasting on a sugar solution outside a Studio City home. Carole, the homeowner, has been feeding the birds for nearly a decade. The most common species seen on the webcam are Annas and Allens hummingbirds, black-chinned hummingbirds and rufous hummingbirds, according to Caroles livestream description. Watch the hummingbirds here.

African penguins at the California Academy of Sciences: Unlike the other birds on this list, these penguins are in captivity, at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. The flightless birds waddle, swim and form long-term bonds with one another, capturing our hearts, according to the museum. Watch the penguins here.

Andy Picon (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: andy.picon@hearst.com Twitter: @andpicon
Alameda Fire Department

Two victims of an Alameda house fire early Monday morning have since died of their injuries.

A man, 85, and a woman, 80, died at hospitals after being rescued from the home, according to Capt. David Port, public information officer for the Alameda Fire Department. A third victim has been treated and released, Port said. A representative of the Alameda County coroners office identified the female victim as Rosalinda Reynado on Wednesday morning The male victim was transferred to a San Francisco burn unit and died there. He was identified as Salvador Reynado by the medical examiner on Wednesday morning.
Hours after word leaked that the Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade, supporters of Attorney General Rob Bonta created radio ads to show how hed be the strongest defender of abortion rights in a state that wants to be a national haven for the procedure.

But as abortion politics evolve in the wake of the likely demise of Roe, the independent group backing Bonta knew it had to do something more than just cut another pro-choice ad.

So it took a gamble to politically kneecap Bontas toughest competitors in Californias most competitive statewide race.

It wouldnt be enough to stress Bontas abortion stance. Two of Bontas conservative (and best-funded) challengers in the attorney generals race  Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who was endorsed by the California Republican Party, and Republican-turned-independent Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert  support Roe.

So pro-Bonta forces are playing some three-dimensional political chess. Two pro-Bonta ads they created are now running on conservative talk radio stations throughout California and also feature  sometimes in a kind of oddly neutral way  the most conservative candidate in the attorney generals race, Eric Early.

One ad says, with a wink: If you care about Roe v. Wade, the choice is clear. Remember to vote early  before the June 7 election for attorney general.

Why would Communities for Justice, a left-leaning independent group funded by labor and wealthy East Bay criminal justice reformer Quinn Delaney, subtly try to sway the GOP vote?

The top two finishers in the June 7 primary will advance to the general election in November. Bonta, by virtue of being the semi-incumbent (he was appointed to the role) and the only Democrat on the ballot in a state where 47% of the registered voters are Democrats, is virtually guaranteed to make it. That leaves Early, Hochman and Schubert to scrap for the second slot. (Green Party criminal defense attorney Dan Kapelovitz is also running.)

Early is the Republican whom Team Bonta wants to face in November. They think Early is the most Trumpian  and thus, the most beatable in a state that loathes Donald Trump. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who appointed Bonta to the position last year, is familiar with this strategy.

When Newsom faced a recall last year, he told voters that if they booted him, they might wind up with conservative talk show host Larry Elder, a Trump admirer who is out of step with most Californians on key issues. Elder proved to be a perfect foil, helping Newsom to beat back the recall.

While Hochman wont divulge whether he ever voted for Trump and Schubert told me on The Chronicles Its All Political podcast that she wrote in former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice twice instead of Trump, Early is a proud Trump backer. One of his clients is the Trump-friendly One America News Network.

Early believes that conservatives are under attack. Were in a battle of good versus evil, as he told the California Republican Party convention last month in Anaheim. This is our destiny as Republicans, to fight the evil woke.

Some of Earlys positions on hot-button issues might wake up voters across the political spectrum in a sleepy midterm where the races at the top of the ticket  governor and U.S. Senate  are drawing little attention.

Early opposes abortion, which is supported by 79% of likely voters, including 59% of Republicans, according to a July 2021 survey from the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. He thinks California gun laws are way too strict, bemoaning the overbearing restrictions on the ability to buy ammunition. A 2020 10News/San Diego Union-Tribune Poll survey found that 72% of respondents would back a law limiting how much ammunition can be purchased at the same time.

Early told the GOP convention that one of the biggest dangers to our country is this Marxist indoctrination of our students in our schools, and vowed to do everything I can as Californias next attorney general to outlaw critical race theory in California. (There is no evidence that CRT is widespread in K-12 education, according to research from the California School Boards Association.)

The pro-Bonta group hopes its ads convey Earlys vision of conservatism, which Early described to The Chronicle as being part of the Reagan/Trump wing of the California Republican Party. He was also an attorney for some of the lead proponents behind Newsoms recall.

Their goal in pitching these message to conservative talk show audience listeners is that they hope those voters question whether Schubert or Hochman are conservative enough to taken on the left-leaning Bonta. If enough back Early, then Bonta gets his preferred opponent.

Early agreed with one aspect of that strategy.

I note that whoever is behind the ads apparently knows that my purported Republican and No Party Preference opponents in the race are essentially one and the same, rarely take strong positions on anything, and in all respects, are far more to the left than me, Early said. Other than that, I am not going to comment on whatever perceived tactics my opponents are using.

The pro-Bonta ads focus on abortion and guns. One ad features a man and a woman talking about the candidates:

Man: Eric Early is a big Second Amendment defender  and hes very pro-life.

Woman: And the Democrat  Bonta  is strongly pro-choice?

Man: Thats right. Very different than Eric Early, who proudly calls himself the candidate from the Trump wing of the Republican Party  hes pro-Trump, pro-life,and pro-guns.

Woman: That says it all.

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Early told me this week that on abortion, I believe in states rights. I will enforce the states constitutional laws whether I support them or not. If a state law is determined to be unconstitutional, then I will not enforce that law.

Forget where Bonta is at on abortion. Early is much further right on the issue than even his conservative rivals.

Last year, Hochman told me on The Chronicles Its All Political podcast that I 100% support the Roe v. Wade decision. It created a balancing test back in the early 1970s. Its been modified by the Supreme Court ever since. And Ive seen no reason why it should be changed at all at this point.

This week, Hochman told The Chronicle that if elected, I will take an oath to enforce Californias laws concerning reproductive rights and will then do so. The attorney general enforces the law and does not create it.

Schubert told The Chronicle that as a woman who is pro-choice, I am deeply disturbed and quite frankly, shocked, that our Supreme Court would overrule 50 years of legal precedent.

Schubert said that the concept that some states would criminalize a womans decision to seek an abortion is outrageous to me. As a career prosecutor, Ive had cases where women and children were raped and impregnated by their rapist. Its reprehensible that some states want to ban a womans right to choose even under these acts of violence.

The California Republican Party supports the reversal of Roe and believes that life starts at conception, according to its platform.

So will all these political mind games work? It could. Democrats have used versions of this sort of political triangulation before.

In his 2002 re-election campaign, Democrat Gray Davis unloaded $10 million of advertising in the primary aimed at the fluctuating abortion positions of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a moderate Republican who Davis supporters believed would be a tougher general election opponent.

Their move worked. The more conservative Bill Simon won the GOP primary and Davis beat Simon in the general election. (This campaign occurred before California adopted its top-two primary system.)

Newsoms backers also employed a version of this tactic in his 2018 gubernatorial primary. Newsom supporters attacked Republican John Cox in the primary as a pro-gun Trump favorite in an effort to lift his profile with GOP voters. Cox advanced to the general election instead of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat who held many of the same positions as Newsom and could have proven a tougher foe.

It worked that time, too: Newsom defeated Cox and won 62% of the vote in the general election.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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An unassuming boba tea shop in San Franciscos Tenderloin neighborhood is suspected to be a front for an international fencing operation, where street-level car burglars sell stolen goods before the property is shipped off to countries as far away as Vietnam and China, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Quoc Le, 41, whose wife owns a Quickly bubble tea cafe on Larkin Street, was arrested following a sprawling investigation by the San Francisco District Attorneys Office that targeted higher-level criminals who profit off the citys smash-and-grab epidemic. Les wife was not charged with a crime, prosecutors said.

The probe leading to Les arrest, which is dubbed Operation Auto Pilot, included bait cars, GPS tracking devices and undercover surveillance, and led to the recovery of more than 1,000 laptops, phones, cameras and other devices from locations allegedly associated with Le, officials said.

Le was taken into custody on Monday and will be charged with at least eight counts of felony possession of stolen property and four counts as a misdemeanor, according to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Car break-ins have been a longstanding problem in San Francisco for at least a decade; I created Operation Auto Pilot to take aggressive action against fencing networks responsible for so much property crime, Boudin said in a statement. We hope that this sends a strong message to deter anyone considering breaking into a car or buying stolen goods: we are watching and you will be held accountable.

Officials said the seized loot was likely worth more than $100,000, and they were cataloging the devices in an effort to return them to their rightful owners.

Court records associated with the investigation offered a rare glimpse into an illicit market that remains largely invisible  but for the telltale glitter of broken glass that blankets San Franciscos streets. Of the more than 20,000 reported smash-and-grab cases reported each year, fewer than 1% resulted in an arrest, according to prosecutors. Many other victims dont report the thefts to police.

Officials with the District Attorneys Office said they were continuing various, related investigations in Operation Auto Pilot, which launched more than a year ago. Boudins office employs investigators who can conduct special operations at Boudins request and make arrests.

The bust comes at a crucial time for Boudin, who is facing down a recall election led by critics who say hes too soft on crime. Supporters for Boudin, who was elected on a vow to emphasize rehabilitation over prison time for certain nonviolent offenses, will likely hold up the case as proof he takes the concerns of residents seriously.

The investigation and Les arrest appeared to rebut a recent pro-recall commercial in which Shirin Oloumi, a former assistant district attorney who prosecuted car break-ins, states that Boudin dissolved that unit and prevented me from collaborating with the police.

In a July 27 farewell email to her then-colleagues, Oloumi references Operation Auto Pilot specifically and said she had no doubt I will be reading about the success of (it) in the news soon, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Chronicle. A spokesperson for the recall effort did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security and the United States Postal Service assisted in the investigation.

The investigation into Le began in October, when investigators parked a bait vehicle in Japantown  an area known for drawing unsuspecting tourists and an attendant stream of car burglars. Inside the car officials planted a new Apple Macbook Pro, and affixed a hidden GPS tracker to it.

The bait car was broken into that day, and inspectors spent the next several hours trailing the tracker from one car to another throughout San Francisco, according to court records.

Investigators first identified Le as a suspect when the tracker stopped at a gas station, where Le was parked. While other cars filed in and out of the gas station, neither Les vehicle nor the tracker moved for several minutes, investigators said.

A surveillance team spent the next several months learning Les habits and building a case against him, records show. He was seen regularly taking packages  including one that allegedly contained the prosecutors tracker  to a FedEx store, and in less than a month, prosecutors recorded his vehicle making more than 100 stops in an area of Golden Gate Avenue where investigators witnessed what they suspected was Le buying stolen items.

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Investigators also worked with several victims who had their stolen devices send location signals from a vacant space on Larkin Street that shares a wall with the bubble tea cafe owned by Les wife.

One victim who initially found her iPhone there on Dec. 6 traced it to a FedEx distribution facility in Oakland, and then two days later saw the phone ping from Hong Kong. Investigators said Les phone records allegedly showed a connection to a company in Hong Kong where this stolen phone was allegedly located.

In February, another victim told investigators that her stolen laptop was pinging from this same Larkin Street location. By March, it was pinging from Vietnam, court records state.

A surveillance team who staked out the Larkin Street address in January said they witnessed multiple people enter the Quickly tea shop  at least one with a laptop visible  and exit without the devices or food or drinks in their hands.

Sharky Laguana, president of both the American Rental Car Association and the San Francisco Small Business Commission, praised the operation, which had used rental cars as bait.

I am delighted that it has delivered such a meaningful result, said Laguana, who is based in San Francisco. Hundreds of stolen laptops and cell phones can now be returned to their rightful owners, and a major outlet for stolen goods is now shut down.

Le is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon. When he was arrested on Monday, Le was already out on bail for a 2019 case involving stolen property, which is still pending.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
A Texas woman was convicted of stealing $2,000 from a San Jose couple in what turned out to be an international Pomeranian puppy scam.

Elizabeth Montes, 44, of San Antonio, was convicted of felony conspiracy and theft and faces six months in county jail for her part in an online deal to deliver a cute teacup Pomeranian named Jake, to the couple, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the district attorney of Santa Clara County, who prosecuted the case.

As it turned out, Jake did not exist. The website that promised to deliver him was traced by investigators to Cameroon, as part of an ongoing alleged scam.

As the American conduit, Montes opened accounts at various online banks and transferred funds for puppies purchased through websites like skylightpomeranian.com and Trans-Pet Express, prosecutors said.

Bank records uncovered during the investigation revealed Montes to be involved in fund transfers of some 75 victims, none of whom had received their puppies as promised, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Con artists all over the world are using love and loneliness during COVID to steal peoples money, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, in a statement. We are finding the crooks. We are prosecuting the crooks. You pay for Jake, you get Jake.

The case began in April, 2020, when the couple sent $600 to purchase Jake through Trans-Pet Express. They next received a request for an additional $1,400 to avoid having the puppy placed in 14-day COVID-19 quarantine.

That seemed reasonable so they wired the funds, prosecutors said. Only when they got a third request, for $1,300 to pay for a permit did the couple get wise and report it to police.

In April, 2021, a warrant was issued for Montes arrest. She was located in Texas at the time.

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Facing extradition, she turned herself in at the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office on Dec. 10, 2020. She was released on her own recognizance and pleaded guilty on March 14, prosecutors said.

The case was handled by the district attorneys Bureau of Investigation unit.

Montes is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 11.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF
After more than two years of diligently following COVID-19 safety measures, the pandemic hit close to home over the weekend for Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSFs chair of medicine. Despite millions of people suffering from long COVID, treatments for the debilitating syndrome are still in relatively short supply.

New cases up 150% over 1 month in California

As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations keep pushing up across California, health officials are urging people to be more cautious. Daily new cases are up 150% from a month ago in the state, though still below the height of the winter omicron wave. Experts point to COVID fatigue and the emergence of highly transmissible new virus variants, with officials on Tuesday calling on residents to voluntarily resume safety precautions like indoor mask wearing. Read more about the trends and how and where cases are rising.

Bill Gates says he's infected

Bill Gates revealed Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, adding that he is experiencing mild symptoms and isolating until he feels better. Im fortunate to be vaccinated and boosted and have access to testing and great medical care, the 66-year-old Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said on Twitter. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation planned to hold its first in-person meeting in two years on Tuesday, but Gates said he will join online via Microsoft Teams. We will continue working with partners and do all we can to ensure none of us have to deal with a pandemic again, Gates tweeted.

Equity metric in Alameda County is more even in this wave

Alameda County's health officer, Dr. Nicholas Moss, found a reassuring equity trend in the current wave of coronavirus spread. This wave does not appear to be disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities as the pandemic did in earlier surges, he told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The positive test rate, which in almost every other surge has been higher in lower income neighborhoods, is currently about 6% and fairly even across the county, he said.

California hospitalizations not mirroring increase in other states

The BA.2.12.1 variant of the omicron coronavirus strain now makes up about half of California's cases, according to state modeling described Tuesday by state epidemiologist Erica Pan. She noted the states 7-day average number of cases continues up, but deaths are still decreasing and the number of COVID intensive care unit cases has been stable. During a COVID update with the California Medical Association, Pan said that despite a substantial increase in COVID infections in the past month, it was somewhat reassuring that our hospitalizations have not increased at the same pace as some of the other states, including in the Northeast where the BA.2 subvariant is surging. We are seeing an increase again in our cases, but thankfully we are seeing hospitalizations staying relatively level, she said.

Time to self restrict, says Dr. Sara Cody

The pandemic is at a point where vaccination and boosters still reduce chances if serious illness and death, Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County health officer, said Tuesday. But, she added, "With every successive variety of omicron that seems to be less. Vaccination reduces "your chance of being infected in the first place," with cases steadily rising, it's time for people to add to the "very critical foundation" of vaccination by voluntarily masking up indoors and being more cautious than they were a month ago. Read more about rising cases and developments

Santa Clara County health chief warns people to be wary: "We're not out of it yet"

Santa Clara County's health officer Dr. Sara Cody said Tuesday that the county is starting to see "early signs" that hospitalizations may be on the rise after remaining flat even while case counts have steadily increased in recent weeks. The 7-day rolling average of reported COVID-19 cases in the county rose from 193 on April 3 to 589 on May 3, she noted, and the levels of COVID detected in wastewater across the county "are rising in a similar fashion." "We're not out of it yet," Cody said at a news conference, urging people to continue exercising precautions.

Original omicron variant all but gone in the U.S.

The original BA.1.1 omicron coronavirus variant that drove the winter surge in the United States accounted for just 0.6% of the new COVID-19 infections last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed Tuesday. It has been crowded out by its own subvariants: BA.2 is now dominant in the U.S., making up over 56% of new cases, with its hyper-transmissible sublineage BA.2.12.1 accounting for 42.6% of cases sequenced and is rapidly spreading. "Most of the country has yet to see its full impact," Eric Topol, a scientist at Scripps, said in a Twitter post.

Pandemic gets tougher to track as COVID testing plunges

Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted across the globe, making it much tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot new, worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread, the Associated Press reports. Experts say testing has dropped by 70 to 90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year  the opposite of what they say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the United States and South Africa. Were not testing anywhere near where we might need to, said Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, who directs the Duke Global Health Innovation Center at Duke University. We need the ability to ramp up testing as were seeing the emergence of new waves or surges to track whats happening and respond.

COVID-19 cases soar at Stanford

Stanford University has the highest number of COVID cases since its spring quarter began in March, the Stanford Daily is reporting, with a one-week increase of 56% among students and 9% among employees. The spike follows several gatherings, including Admit Weekend April 29, when more than 2,600 admitted students and guests converged onto campus. Of those infected, 328 students are in isolation. Students rate of positive tests rose from 6% to just over 9% in one week. Californias overall rate is 3.9%. Since June 2020, 3,581 students and 2,114 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus through the universitys testing system, the newspaper reported.

California nears 90,000 COVID deaths, the most of any state

The cumulative COVID-19 death toll in California hit 89,957 on Tuesday, according to public health data -- the most pandemic-related fatalities recorded by any state. The nation's most populous state, is averaging more than three dozen virus deaths daily.

Another prominent pandemic expert tests positive

Dr. Peter Hotez, a dean at Baylor College of Medicine and nationally-recognized pandemic expert, revealed he has tested positive for the coronavirus amid the rise in sublineages of the omicron variant. In a brief statement posted to his Twitter account, Hotez said Monday he was isolated at home working remotely. Looks like Ive tested positive for COVID, moderate symptoms of fatigue, headache, sore throat, isolating at home doing zoom meetings, he tweeted. Im grateful to have been vaccinated/boosted, which certainly prevented more severe illness. Just started Paxlovid. Transmission up, be careful.

COVID funding in limbo as Congress approves additional $40 billion military aid for Ukraine

As Congress tailored a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, Republicans balked at the coronavirus aid package President Biden and Democrats wanted to include include alongside it, according to media accounts. The GOP said they would not approve new money to fight the pandemic without a vote on Bidens decision to end a Trump-era border policy known as Title 42. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he did not want COVID-19 aid to be part of a clean" Ukraine bill. Biden pushed for quick movement on COVID-19 funding. Without timely COVID funding, more Americans will die needlessly, he said. We will lose our place in line for America to order new COVID treatments and vaccines for the fall, including next-generation vaccines under development, and be unable to maintain our supply of COVID tests.

Do masks work against COVID in a classroom where not all kids are wearing them?

The Chronicles Pandemic Problems advice column tackles a question from a reader who asked about masking in schools: How protective are masks on kids in a room with unmasked kids? With kids apparently catching colds in school, is there any way a mask, even a high-quality one, would actually fend off catching COVID from a child in the same classroom all day?

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.

San Jose brings back mask mandate for city workers

San Jose city employees must wear masks again temporarily as coronavirus cases swell in the region, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. The mask mandate was reinstated out of an abundance of caution due to the recent data from the County of Santa Clara showing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, Demetria Machado, the citys deputy public information officer said. The guidance is in place until May 20 but could be extended depending on case rates within the county and organization, he said. Santa Clara County is averaging about 32 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, compared to 18 per 100,000 for California as a whole.

BA.2 accounts for nearly 62% of U.S. cases with BA.2.12.1 gaining fast

The BA.2 subvariant of the coronavirus is now dominant in the U.S., making up 62% of new cases reported last week. Its sublineage BA.2.12.1 accounted for 36.5% of cases sequenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The original BA.1.1 omicron strain that drove the winter surge accounted for just 1.1% of the new COVID-19 infections.

State controllers role in bid for state mask contract leads lawmakers to call for hearing

Some California lawmakers are calling for a new hearing into state Controller Betty Yees behind-the-scenes advice to a politically-connected company seeking a $600-million no-bid government contract to provide COVID-19 masks, the Los Angeles Times reports. The contract with Blue Flame Medical was scuttled, but Yees role went undisclosed for two years despite investigations into the deal. Documents from a civil lawsuit reviewed by the Times detail how Yee sought inroads for Blue Flame with Gov. Gavin Newsoms adminstration and then worked to expedite the agreement.

Childrens COVID cases top 60,000 again

Reported COVID-19 cases among children numbered 62,467 in the U.S. last week, continuing a climb that started over a month ago. Children represented nearly 18% of cases being reported nationally, according to data published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association. Pediatric COVID cases dropped to their lowest point this year in the first week of April, with 25,915 cases reported, but have more than doubled since then with the rapid spread of the BA.2 omicron subvariant.

UCSFs Wachters tale of wifes infection shows complexity of living with COVID

Dr. Bob Wachter, the UCSF chief of medicine and a prolific dispenser of information and advice throughout the pandemic, now is even more up close and personal with COVID-19. His wife, Katie Hafner, tested positive after the couple took a trip to Palm Springs following her participation in a conference. They are double boosted, Wachter tweeted, and followed safety precautions like masking most of the time. She tested before and after the outbound flight, and Wachter tweeted a photo of her hermetically sealed in the plane. Among the carefully thought-out decisions they made after her positive test: they ditched their planned flight home and instead drove the nine-hour trip.

Millions of people suffer from long COVID but steps toward treatment are embryonic

The terrifying, conflicting paths that long COVID takes in the bodies of its millions of sufferers reveal the still-murky nature of the syndrome. Its mystified doctors and left drug companies unsure about where to direct their treatment investments. Read how long COVID has bewitched and confounded patients, health experts and drugmakers alike.

Biden to speak at global COVID summit

President Biden will address the pandemic at a global COVID-19 summit organized by the White House on Thursday, two senior administration officials told CNN. The president will restate his request for wealthy countries to share their resources with poorer countries, according to the report, as he struggles to secure additional funding from Congress to bolster the supply of vaccines, tests and treatments in the U.S.

U.S. could see 100 million coronavirus infections starting in the fall, Biden administration warns

Another COVID-19 wave could crash over the U.S. starting this fall driven by new coronavirus sub-variants, potentially bringing another 100 million new infections with it, the Washington Post reported, citing an unnamed Biden administration official. The grim projection was part of a broader push by the White House to secure billions in new funding for vaccines, tests and other tools to combat the virus.
Just over the past five years, the number of lives lost to accidental drug overdoses in San Francisco skyrocketed by nearly 190%, from 222 in 2017 to 640 in 2021. The rise occurred as the extra-lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl replaced heroin as the main opioid driving mortality in the city.

But the death toll of the citys continuing fentanyl crisis could have been even higher, if not for the widespread distribution of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, new San Francisco Public Health Department-led research shows.

Based on computer modeling using public health data, city and UCSF researchers estimated that robust access to naloxone, commonly known by the commercial name Narcan, could have reduced fentanyl-involved overdose death rates in San Francisco by about 12%. Based on the number of deaths in 2021, that would translate to about 57 people.

Were still preventing a good number of deaths even in the context of a profound increase in mortality, said Dr. Phillip Coffin, the citys substance use research director and the lead author of the study.

But the same research shows that widely available naloxone is even more effective at reducing heroin-related overdose death rates  by 26% compared with 12%. This disparity suggests that though Narcan is still a powerful tool in stopping overdoses, it may not be as effective as when heroin was the main driver of overdose deaths in the city.

Naloxone continues to play a significant role in preventing overdose deaths in San Francisco, with more than 400 reversals recorded by the citys Emergency Medical Services responders between January and April 2022, city data showed.

Coffin said health officials sought to determine how much of their various overdose prevention and response efforts, many of which predate fentanyls increasing influence in San Francisco, were making a dent.

The findings highlight that the city is up against a much more deadly drug in fentanyl, known to be about 50 times more potent than heroin. The city may need to adjust its approach to combating the epidemic given this increased risk, Coffin said, as fentanyl continues to account for the largest share of overdose deaths in San Francisco.

San Francisco is among the U.S. communities that already had relatively robust overdose prevention programming  government or otherwise  and more awareness about naloxone even before fentanyl began driving up death rates, Coffin said. Many community groups and businesses, as well as city agencies, have been distributing naloxone in the city for years, helping save lives.

Thats also likely why San Francisco observed an exponential increase in drug overdose deaths in recent years as fentanyl became more saturated in the community, Coffin said. Pre-fentanyl death rates were artificially low, because the prevention and response programs, which largely focused on heroin, were helping reduce death risk.

Now, with fentanyl, which is stronger and more likely to cause a lethal overdose, the approaches that helped reduce heroin-involved deaths, including naloxone and opioid disorder treatments like buprenorphine, don't work as well or in the same way, he said. So even with naloxone helping to reduce the death toll, its still worse than it would have been had fentanyl never entered the picture.

Not only is fentanyl more potent than heroin, it also requires a much faster intervention, the substance use director said. Theres about a 30- to 60-minute window to administer naloxone on a person overdosing on heroin.

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With fentanyl, were talking minutes, he said. We dont know exactly how long, but its probably three to 15 minutes between use and cardiac arrest.

Thats not to say higher doses of naloxone are needed to reverse fentanyl overdoses, Coffin said. That may be true in some limited, acute cases where someone has ingested massive amounts of fentanyl, but what we find in the community in reversal programs is that it doesnt seem to be the case, he added.

Rather, what the findings show is that the city should be doubling down on efforts that have been proven to work, he said  make naloxone as widely available as possible across the city and keep people from using drugs alone.

But increasing naloxone access is just one piece of the puzzle in reducing San Franciscos overdose death rate as the city continues to grapple with its fentanyl crisis, Coffin and other public health officials say.

Narcan is one thing, but its also the case management and going out and getting people who are at high risk and helping them make that connection to medication and other services, said Alison Hawkes, the public health departments director of communications.

Yoohyun Jung (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: yoohyun.jung@sfchronicle.com
The COVID-19 death toll in California is inching close to a dark milestone of 90,000 lives lost, as COVID cases and hospitalizations keep pushing up across the state, and health officials urge people to take more precautions.

Daily new cases are up 150% from a month ago across California, though still below the height of the winter omicron wave. Experts point to COVID fatigue and the emergence of highly transmissible new virus variants, with officials on Tuesday calling on residents to voluntarily resume safety precautions like indoor mask wearing.

Were not out of it yet, Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer in Santa Clara County, said at a news conference. The pandemic is still here. We are seeing more activity. So it is time to break out your masks and break out your tests, and just be a bit more cautious than you were a month ago.

The Bay Area region is now averaging 33 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, according to state data published Tuesday, with San Francisco leading the surge. The city reported 40 cases per 100,000 residents, the second-highest rate of infection in California behind nearby Santa Cruz County at 42 per 100,000. California is tracking 20 daily cases per 100,000 residents.

The state has reported 89,957 COVID deaths in all since the pandemic began. Thats more than any other state, but California is the nations most populous, and its death rate per 100,000 residents is among the lowest in the country. The state is currently reporting about 38 deaths a day.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

I dont have a crystal ball, but what I can share is I would guess we will continue to see peaks and valleys. How often the peaks come and how high they are and how dangerous they are, we dont really know, Cody said. What I want to happen is for everyone to just understand where we are and understand that they are at risk because weve got a lot of virus circulating now, and its on its way up.

In San Francisco, the coronavirus test positivity rate has reached 9.4%  more than twice Californias overall rate of 4.1%.

Its not like its futile to try to avoid getting it, but its also a world where you recognize that even if youre careful, stuff happens, said Dr. Bob Wachter, UCSFs chief of medicine, whose wife tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday while the couple was traveling. You have to calibrate your level of caution. You have to keep in mind that what youre doing now is probably what youre going to have to be doing a year from now, maybe two years from now, in the face of the same threat.

Cody also said her county is starting to see early signs that hospitalizations may be on the rise after a long period of remaining flat, even while case counts steadily increased in recent weeks. The countys average reported COVID-19 cases rose to 589 on May 3, from 193 on April 3, she noted, and the levels of COVID detected in wastewater across the county are rising in a similar fashion.

At the same time, the head of the California health departments wastewater surveillance said Tuesday that a handful of wastewater tracking sites are showing signs of virus plateauing, including in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area.

The rise in concentration appears to be tapering off, said Dr. Alexander Yu.

Alameda Countys cases are at about the same level as the peak of last summers delta wave, though numbers dont reflect the extent of home testing now, Dr. Nicholas Moss, the county health officer, told supervisors Tuesday. He said he is reassured by stability of the countys fairly low COVID hospitalization numbers.

We are still well short of anything like what we saw during the main omicron wave, Moss said of this sixth surge. There is a lot of COVID around right now, although we are not seeing a lot of severe disease.

Similarly in Sonoma County, hospitalizations and fatalities are not rising like they did during previous virus surges, even as the county recorded 32 new cases per 100,000 residents, compared with 12 per 100,000 a month ago.

Were not seeing the deaths we saw early on or even the deaths we saw with the omicron surge in January, county health officer Dr. Sundari Mase told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. We may be seeing an increase in case rates, but thats not leading necessarily to those outcomes. ... That is due to vaccination.

Mase said state modeling predicts the wave will peak in mid-May, but she did not specify which model that forecast was based on.

Like Cody, Mase and Moss urged people to step up masking and other precautions.

I still believe there should be a high recommendation for indoor masking in settings like stores and other retail places. That is now up to the individual to decide whether they want do that or not, said Mase.

Moss noted, Even in absence of mask requirements, high-quality masks offer protection for those who want or need it.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

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 to whether new mandates might be in the offing, Moss said he does not anticipate that, unless hospitalization levels become concerning or if there are signs that disadvantaged communities are being hard-hit once again.

Said Cody, At this point in the pandemic, no one wants to issue restrictions.

Wachter said that approach makes sense, but that individuals should assess risk seriously, especially given the looming threat of long COVID illness and other virus-related complications, including long-term cardiovascular and neurological issues.

The tools that are available now  particularly being fully vaccinated, boosted and having access to Paxlovid  mean that now its not a worry that were going to die of this infection, which is very different than two years ago, he said.

When I do something a bit riskier than I would have been doing before, I try to ask myself the question, If I get COVID from this, how badly would I feel? If I got COVID because I decided to take my mask off in Safeway, then Id feel like a real idiot. Its just not worth it.

The BA.2 subvariant of the coronavirus is now dominant across the U.S., making up over 56% of new cases reported last week. Its sublineage BA.2.12.1 accounted for 42.6% of cases sequenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The original BA.1.1 omicron strain that drove the winter surge has all but disappeared.

Nearly 1 million Americans have lost their lives to the virus. That figure was more than 998,300 as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University tracking.

Chronicle staff writers Catherine Ho and Erin Allday contributed to this report.

Aidin Vaziri (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
Last years recall attempt of California Gov. Gavin Newsom was an unequivocal garbage fire.

It torched over $200 million of your tax dollars and burned precious political energy at a time when California should have been focused on recovery from the pandemic and doing whatever we could to help to armor democracy in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

San Franciscos Proposition C was born from the ashes of that cynical act of arson.

Prop. C would contract the time period that elected officials in San Francisco are eligible to be recalled. Right now, as it stands, voters can start gathering recall signatures against a politician after only six months in office. Prop. C would change the law to give politicians a full year of safety  a fair and sensible reform. It would also protect the back end of an officials tenure in office, requiring that recall signatures be turned in no later than 18 months before the end of a term  a window thats arguably too restrictive, but one we could live with.

But Prop. C also contains a poison pill.

In the event of a successful recall, the measure would prevent recall replacements appointed by the mayor from running again for the seat they fill. Instead, these appointees would play a so-called caretaker role, keeping the seat warm until voters select someone else when the original term comes up.

San Francisco voters already shot down a similar effort  with good reason  when they rejected Proposition D in 2016, which would have made caretakers out of all mayoral supervisor appointments.

Caretakers are the ultimate lame ducks  with zero connection with or accountability to voters. How can any caretaker recruit talented staff or enact any kind of good governance agenda when everyone knows they will soon be out of office? Its a recipe for ineffectuality  which defeats the entire purpose of a recall vote.

Proponents of the measure argue that caretakers are a check against self-interested mayoral influence in recall campaigns. But being a mayoral appointee isnt an automatic path to re-election and power consolidation. Mayor London Breeds highly unusual decision to appoint Suzy Loftus as district attorney shortly before an election was certainly an attempt to harness the power of incumbency.

We all know how that went.

And despite what San Franciscos recent rash of recall efforts might suggest, the need for reform here is not nearly as dire as it is at the state level. We can wait to get things right.

One of the biggest problems with recalls is that the votes often fall off-cycle  meaning that the timing doesnt match up with major primary or general elections where turnout is highest. Everyone should vote in every election. But thats not the reality. Off-cycle recall elections make it potentially possible for a highly motivated constituency of voters to flood the ballot box while most of the city stays home.

Stretching the window of election consolidation  meaning making successful recall campaigns wait to get on the ballot until a major primary or general election  is a potential way to ensure a vociferous minority cant catch the electorate sleeping.

But Prop. C doesnt go there.

Some local recall reform is needed. But harnessing statewide anti-recall sentiment to resuscitate a caretaker idea, similar to one that voters already shot down, was both unnecessary and politically opportunistic.

Things arent so dire that San Francisco needs to swallow poison pills. Voters should reject Prop. C accordingly.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Old Testament justice with vengeance seems to be the prevailing mood of those supporting the recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin D.A.s political fate in hands of voters (News, May 7). With complete disregard for the facts, the opposition is eager to make him the scapegoat for a multitude of societal ills  the latest being the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors making the ridiculous claim that Boudin is somehow responsible for their drug problem 300 miles to the north.

As long as we are unloading on Boudin, why not go whole hog and pin Putins criminal invasion of Ukraine on him as well?

Tom Miller, Oakland

Misplaced funds

How incredibly generous of Mr. and Mrs. Doerr to donate $1.1 billion to fund a Stanford University climate school, as reported by your Sam Whiting (Sustainability school will open in fall at Stanford, May 4).

Currently, Stanford has over $37 billion in their endowment. There are many public and private grammar schools and high schools across the country in desperate need of funds to provide a better education and improved facilities. It is imperative that we help our children at the formative ages. Wouldnt it be great if generous and well-intentioned billionaires would also consider supporting education at the primary and secondary levels?

They wont get their name on prestigious university buildings like Stanford, but they would be saviors to our younger generation and their families.

John Banchero, Sacramento

An untimely jest

Mick LaSalles brief write-up about the movie Mamma Mia! (Datebook, May 8) ends with a quip that the main character, portrayed by Meryl Streep, was apparently a very busy woman back in the day. When I first saw the movie years ago I was delighted that the premise of the story is potentially shameful  a mother who isnt sure of the paternity of her child. The films Dancing Queen scene epitomizes the spirit of the film. The Streep character has retreated to hide in her room. But she is beckoned by her friends and the music to move from her shame  to be the dancing queen, having the time of her life.

The three friends proceed to dance throughout the Greek island as woman after woman is drawn from her work or family to join the dance. In one of my favorite moments, a hunched-over old woman dressed in black struggles to carry firewood on her back. When she sees the parade of dancing, singing women, she throws off the burden and joins the dance. The scene is a wonderful depiction of joy and female liberation  one of the best on film, in my opinion.

In this era of struggle to maintain female bodily autonomy, LaSalles comment about the very busy woman seems tone deaf. This kind of casual remark carries the judgment of patriarchy: Men are entitled to pass judgment on womens choices regarding sexuality  what is too much, and what is not enough, and who deserves to be shamed.

Eileen Flanagan, Oakland

Religious rights for some

My late parents are Shoah survivors. I was born in San Francisco and am a proud American who loves our country, especially the safety and freedom I enjoy to be a Jew. Ive always been keenly aware, however, that despite an apparent official separation of church and state, I live in a Christian country.

Rabbi Daniel Bogard and Ms. Tana Senn, Supreme Courts Roe ruling would trample the religious freedom of every Jewish American (May 8), perfectly articulate my attitude and fear whenever laws or legal decisions are argued on Christian values. To paraphrase them: I have no interest in imposing my beliefs on my fellow Americans; I ask them not to impose theirs on me.

Judy Wellisch, San Mateo
In his leaked draft opinion, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argued that the U.S. has an unbroken tradition of prohibiting abortion on pain of criminal punishment ... from the earliest days of the common law until 1973.

This is simply untrue.

For much of U.S. history, abortion was commonplace. And, often times, American Christianity and Republicans were not at odds with it. In some instances, Republicans were the leading pro-choice advocates.

From the earliest colonial times in the 17th and 18th centuries, abortions before the quickening, or detectable fetal movement, were widely permitted and commonplace, largely provided by midwives. It was only in the mid-19th century that campaigns to delegalize abortion at the state level began in earnest. But these efforts had nothing to do with concern for unborn life. Rather, they were led by male physicians eager to shut midwives out from medical practice. By 1900, they succeeded in consolidating their power and making abortion illegal across the country in the process.

American Christian traditions have also been similarly inconsistent, as my research has shown. In their own telling, conservative Christians and their Republican party allies consistently say they oppose abortion on the grounds of deeply held beliefs and intensified their efforts after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision struck down state laws criminalizing abortion. Republican politicians frequently cite the Bible and invoke their faith to strike down abortion.

Yet Christian opposition to abortion is both recent and arbitrary. As late as the 1970s, many Protestant denominations lacked a clear theological position on abortion and remained silent. For Southern Baptists, for example, divorce was traditionally a far bigger sin than abortion. As religious scholar Randall Balmer explained, evangelicals did not have a clear position on abortion, but the prohibitions on divorce had been close to absolute. The Southern Baptist Convention even approved a resolution in 1971 that called for the legalization of abortion in some circumstances. Many Protestants simply viewed abortion as a Catholic issue.

The Republican party was equally noncommittal. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Republican politicians headed efforts to liberalize abortion laws in California, Colorado and New York. Before Roe, Republican women were the stalwarts of pro-choice activism. If anything, Republicans were more supportive than Democrats of abortion: in 1972, 68% of Republicans supported the statement the decision to have an abortion should be made solely by a woman and her physician, compared with 59% of Democrats. As late as 1976, three years after Roe v. Wade, the Republican national party platform was neutral on abortion.

So what changed? Enter the Internal Revenue Service.

In 1976, the IRS rescinded the tax-exempt status of the conservative Bob Jones University for violating anti-segregation laws. With evangelical leaders looking for new political allies and the GOP in need of expanding its base, the change in tax-exemption status became the impetus for a new and lasting partnership. Leadership in both groups knew that tax laws had little potential to mobilize voters  but moral issues, such as abortion or divorce, could. Divorce was a natural choice, since it was such a grave sin for many evangelicals. Yet the Republican presidential candidate in 1980s was the divorced Ronald Reagan, and divorce rates were rising among evangelicals as well. So the leaders of the religious right settled on abortion. By the late 1980s, the Southern Baptist Convention founded the Christian Life Commission and publicly joined the fight against abortion.

Catholic opposition to abortion is also relatively recent. U.S. bishops began to publicly condemn abortion only in the late 1960s, after Pope Paul VIs papal letter Vitae Humanae. Before that, for centuries, while abortion was a sin and potentially cause for excommunication  in the eyes of the church, it was not murder. With a brief exception from 1588-1591, the Catholic Church taught that abortion was not homicide until ensoulment, which occurred at quickening. The precise timing was hotly debated, and in 1591 the papacy declared it occurred at 144 days, or roughly 20 weeks. It would take nearly two centuries before Pope Pius IX declared that life began at conception, but the arguments about the culture of life werent championed until the late 20th century, with the papacy of Pope John Paul II.

If the right-leaning court wants to overturn Roe, so be it. But they will find little support for their arguments in either American political history or religious tradition.

Anna Grzymala-Busse is the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor of International Studies at Stanford University. She is the author of Nations Under God: How Churches Use Their Moral Authority to Influence Policy.
SACRAMENTO  California legislators efforts to combat the housing crisis keep getting bogged down by a thorny question: To what extent should new housing be required to be built by union workers?

That issue has been at the center of the debate over numerous bills that legislators have rejected in recent years, bills that aimed to allow for more density and to erase hurdles to construction.

But the union labor debate has taken on a new magnitude this year as lawmakers consider a bill that could allow for fast-tracked development of affordable and mixed-income housing in commercial areas, such as parking lots, strip malls and office parks.

The measure, AB2011 by Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat who chairs the Housing Committee, would still require labor protections, but it doesnt meet all the demands of some union leaders.

Specifically, the Building and Construction Trades Council of California opposes the measure because it doesnt require that developers use a skilled and trained workforce, language from state labor law that, in effect, requires a percentage of the workers on a project to be unionized.

Wicks measure would, instead, require developers to pay their workers prevailing wages for the area (or the hourly rate earned by the majority of workers engaged in a particular craft), offer health care on large projects with 50 or more units and create apprenticeship programs for some projects.

She said while AB2011 has the potential to bring millions of affordable units to sleepy commercial corridors, the fight is much bigger than one bill. Wicks said it could help re-frame the union-labor quagmire that has often derailed aggressive housing bills in the Legislature.

We have to do something. We cant let No be the answer we go with. Wicks told The Chronicle. We are so far behind where we need to be. The impact of that is growing homeless encampments.

A few recent examples of housing bills that fizzled due, in large part, to disputes over union-labor requirements include a bill that would have allowed housing on any lot zoned for office or retail uses; one that would have created incentives for cities to convert empty big box stores into housing and another that would have allowed churches to build affordable housing on their parking lots and extra land.

It has really halted a lot of the housing production bills, Wicks said of the stalemate.

But she faces vehement opposition from the Building Trades Council, a powerful force at the state Capitol and a heavy contributor to many Democrats campaigns. In a blistering letter to Wicks last month, the council cast the bill as an existential threat to workers.

This bill, which is either accidentally or intentionally poorly written by the profiteering developers it will enrich, is a Trojan horse, the council wrote. This bill claims to include labor standards, yet the language demonstrates its intent is to enrich developers and embolden the underground economy.

The Assembly Housing Committee easily approved AB2011 last week. But the measure likely faces a tougher road as it advances to the Appropriations Committee and, from there, a full floor vote.

At the crux of the standoff is a disagreement between construction trade unions, who argue vulnerable workers must be protected, and housing activists and developers, who say the unions demands hamstring construction when theres already a shortage of skilled construction labor.

That stalemate between the building trades and housing activists is nothing new. But this years fight is unique due to a split within union circles: the California Conference of Carpenters is one of the key sponsors of AB2011.

Daniel Curtin, director of the California Conference of Carpenters, said in a statement that the bill offers a workable solution to help address the labor conundrum and speed up housing production.

It includes good wages and a strong package of labor protections that will create tens of thousands of steady, well-paying jobs with health benefits, he said.

According to the California Department of Housing, the state must construct 180,000 new units, including 80,000 affordable units, each year to keep pace with existing demand. The state is only constructing about 80,000 units per year.

California, meanwhile, has around 114,000 residential building construction workers when it needs around 257,000 to 349,00, the Building Trades Council estimated in a 2018 report.

If we continue to have project-by-project negotiations, it is not possible to meet our housing goals, said Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action, a pro-housing advocacy group. Theres just no path where that works, and everybody knows it.

Wicks bill would make it easier for developers to build housing in commercial areas in a key way: Projects approved under the bill would not be subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, the state law that makes major projects more susceptible to delays and challenges.

Unions have used the threat of filing lawsuits for alleged CEQA violations as a tool to force developers to hire unionized construction workers to build housing. Housing advocates say the law drives up costs and ultimately kills many projects.

AB2011 would erase the threat of CEQA challenges, and require cities to streamline building permit approvals, for affordable housing on commercial sites. But the developer would have to agree to certain concessions, including paying workers prevailing wages and offering health care coverage and apprenticeship programs on large projects, with 50 or more units.

In its letter, the Building Trades Council alleged that the worker protection sections in the bill are designed to help enrich developers and offer them a jailbreak to build mostly market-rate housing.

Wicks downplayed the criticism she has faced from the council: The bottom line is that this is a strong bill for workers. The carpenters are not going to write a bill thats bad for their workforce, she said.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat and co-author of AB2011, said he hopes Wicks effort will motivate opposing labor factions  the carpenters and other building trades  to agree on a compromise that would unleash housing production.

If we have this permanent state of war, it is going to be hard for everyone to lock arms and pass the strongest housing legislation, he said. With that alliance, we can move mountains on housing policy.

But the political hurdles to approving CEQA carveouts without the union-friendly language remain apparent: Wiener is carrying two CEQA exemption bills this session  one for building student housing and another for transportation projects  and both require using a skilled and trained workforce.

Dustin Gardiner (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
Mayor London Breeds appointment of new District Six Supervisor Matt Dorsey  who served as spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department  signals shes leaning into the tough-on-crime image shes been burnishing for months.

Breed is embracing a pro-law enforcement pick for a downtown neighborhood that has long been a political battlefront just a year before she runs for re-election and weeks before a historic recall vote for the district attorney.

Her decision comes at a moment when she needs to rally allies on the Board of Supervisors and steer the citys economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. She and Dorsey are pushing for a multifaceted approach to the citys street conditions, arguing that support for police and public safety can go hand in hand with more treatment and support for those struggling with addiction.

Introducing Dorsey at his swearing-in ceremony Monday, Breed highlighted what she saw as his core values: What has been important to him is recovery, safety, and the ability for people to live in a community where they feel safe and secure.

In talking to District Six residents before making her decision, Breed said she heard repeated concerns about street conditions.

Every single person I talked to, for the most part, at the top of their mind was public safety, she added, facing city politicians, power brokers and TV news crews who gathered at the Delancey Street Foundation in a courtyard surrounded by residential buildings for people recovering from addiction.

The location was symbolically freighted, Breed noted in her speech. Dorsey has been outspoken about his personal history with substance abuse, and will likely emphasize that piece of his identity when he runs for election in November.

Although Ive spent most of my adult life in recovery, Ive had setbacks, Dorsey said, moments after he was sworn in. Thats why I feel personally invested in reversing the record-shattering crisis of drug overdose deaths we have seen in San Francisco since 2020. And its largely why I asked Mayor Breed to consider me for this appointment.

When Breed declared the emergency in the Tenderloin in December, she said that the city should always offer treatment and services to those struggling with addiction, but that law enforcement can have a role to play in some instances. Dorsey hasnt yet laid out policy specifics, but he told the Chronicle that its hard to say that we are holding drug dealers accountable.

In many senses, Dorsey  an HIV-positive gay man  does not fit neatly into the citys tribal political categories. Hes run on progressive slates at the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and served on the left-leaning Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, though many viewed his move to the Police Departments command staff in 2020 as a conservative shift, in a city where crime has become one of the most hotly contested political issues.

Dorseys appointment came as voters gear up for the recall election of District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June, the next major probe of residents views on public safety and their desire to stay on a path that emphasizes criminal justice reform. Several leaders of the recall campaign attended the swearing-in ceremony, as did Boudin, who stood off to the side and said he was trying to get a sense of the mood at the event.

If Boudin is recalled, Breed will appoint his replacement. Since she appoints the police chief, shed then be seen as responsible for the citys crime problems  including car break-ins, organized retail theft and in-your-face drug dealing, much of which is clustered in the South of Market Area of District Six. In picking Dorsey, Breed indicated that she is ready to take ownership of these challenges.

While Dorsey declined to take a position on the Boudin recall, he laid out several public safety priorities, including pushing for drug treatment and, potentially, supervised injection sites, and bolstering what he sees as a short-staffed police force. He tried to portray himself as a compromiser on the often fractious board.

There is no shortage of examples of cities  whether its Lisbon or Amsterdam or Barcelona or Frankfurt or Zurich or New York City  where theyre having better interventions in preventing drug overdose crises, he told reporters after the ceremony. And the one thing they all have in common is theyre not fighting like we are.

Tom Wolf, a formerly homeless addict in recovery who works with the Boudin recall campaign, praised Breeds pick, saying Dorsey would shepherd recovery in multiple forms, not only for drug addiction, but also for the citys economy.

To bring someone in whos going to bring people together from all sides, and take a pragmatic approach to helping our city and this district get better, I cant think of a better person than Matt Dorsey, Wolf said.

Gary McCoy, co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, who is also a former addict and works for the citys largest provider of drug treatment and an adamant supporter of Boudin  said he had faith in Dorseys ability to mediate between warring political groups and ideologies.

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 have known Matt Dorsey personally for a long time, McCoy said. Im confident that hell be able to bring folks to the table and kill this idea that different options for treatment or recovery and for harm reduction are oppositional to each other. Theyre actually part of a continuum of care.

Yet Dorseys appointment also inflamed critics who view the new supervisor as an apologist for law enforcement.

Were having both local and national conversations about police media units, and whats informally been referred to as copaganda, former Police Commissioner John Hamasaki said of Dorseys former role as a police spokesperson. For those of us who are more reform-oriented, Mr. Dorseys tenure there is something that raises red flags.

Hamasaki pointed to Dorseys role in shaping the Police Department narrative around a recent feud between Boudin and Police Chief Bill Scott, the citys two most powerful law enforcement officials, over an agreement that allows prosecutors to take the lead in investigations of officer shootings and other serious use-of-force cases.

Dorsey will have to work with another police critic on the Board of Supervisors to tackle the drug and homelessness crisis that now straddles two districts: SoMa and the Tenderloin. Supervisor Dean Preston is now the Tenderloins supervisor, after the troubled neighborhood was moved out of District Six and into District Five during a contentious citywide redistricting process. Just last week, Preston held a hearing to air concerns on copaganda emanating from the citys Police Department.

Preston, who has frequently clashed with Breed, did not show up to the swearing-in ceremony, though several mostly moderate colleagues attended.

After the swearing-in, Breed underscored that her choice of Dorsey came down to conversations with District Six residents, including some San Franciscans she grew up with who now live there.

Were talking about people who grew up in affordable public housing like I did, and are talking about safety, Breed said. That means we got a lot of work to do and we need someone who has the courage to do whats necessary in order to protect the people of San Francisco.

Chronicle staff writer J.D. Morris contributed to this report.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
District Two Supervisor Catherine Stefani became the first San Francisco elected official to publicly support the removal of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a progressive prosecutor facing a highly contentious recall election on June 7.

The recall endorsement from Stefani, a moderate Democrat who is considered a potential contender for Boudins seat if hes voted out of office, stands alone among her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, most of whom have supported Boudin. Four others have not taken a public position on the recall.

In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, Stefani said she thinks Boudin is failing to achieve the types of meaningful reforms he promised and failing to keep the city safe.

I think San Franciscans are just tired of all the nonsense, Stefani said. Were tired of asking for progress and results and getting excuses and slogans. People have had enough, including me.

Stefanis sentiments echo those of the recall campaign, which says Boudins policies  intended to prioritize diversion and rehabilitation over jail time for low-level offenders  fail to hold criminals accountable and have made San Francisco a more dangerous place to live and work.

Boudins supporters point to data that show no meaningful changes in most crime rates in San Francisco since Boudin took office, and say his detractors are seeking a return to tough-on-crime policies that overcrowded prisons and disproportionately punished Black and brown people.

Stefani is widely believed to be on the short list to get Boudins job if hes recalled. Shes a former prosecutor in Contra Costa County and is aligned on many issues with Mayor London Breed, who would choose Boudins replacement if hes voted out.

Breeds pick may be a placeholder, since voters will also decide whether the mayors replacement is allowed to run for that office.

Julie Edwards, a spokesperson for Boudins anti-recall campaign, said if Stefani wants to put her record against Boudins shes welcome to do it in 2023, when Boudin would be up for re-election.

But theres something profoundly disturbing about endorsing a recall because shes hoping to be appointed to the job without facing voters, Edwards said.

Stefani declined to comment on whether shed seek the role, adding that shes laser-focused on the June election.

In addition to Boudins recall, voters will decide whether to enact a ballot measure proposed by Stefani that would create a new city office for victims services.

There is no vacancy at the moment, and I am not going to discuss that until there is, Stefani said.

San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Connie Chan, Gordon Mar, Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston and Shamann Walton have supported Boudin, while Rafael Mandelman, Ahsha Safai and newly appointed Supervisor Matt Dorsey have not taken an official stance. Staffers for Supervisor Myrna Melgar said she does not support recalls of elected officials in general.

Matt Haney, who recently vacated his District Six seat after being elected to the state Assembly, endorsed Boudin.

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.

In her interview, Stefani took aim at Boudins track record on domestic violence, drugs and gun crimes, alleging that he regularly undercharges or dismisses cases altogether. She said his prioritization on kilos, not crumbs for drug cases misses the mark in a city thats experienced more than 1,300 overdose deaths in the last two years alone, and called drug prosecutions a catch-and-release program.

Stefani pointed to figures that showed police had made 131 arrests for domestic violence cases in the last three months of 2020 and that Boudins office had dismissed 113 of them.

In a particularly tragic case, a 7-month-old boy was allegedly killed by a man who had been arrested twice in recent months on charges of felony domestic violence, and who was released without charges.

No intervention was made, Chesa just let the person go, Stefani said. And then he blamed the woman in that case for being unwilling to testify against her abuser.

Edwards, Boudins spokesperson, said that the figures cited by Stefani were cherry-picked and wrong.

Boudins filing rate of domestic violence charges in 2021 was 37% and so far in 2022 has been 46%, compared with the average of 32% in the nine years preceding Boudins time in office, Edwards said.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
COVID-19 cases have inched up in California since early April, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area is reporting more new cases per day than any other region in the state. Experts are reassuring people that amid the uptick, hospitalizations and the burden of severe disease remain low due to the region's high vaccination rates and infection-acquired immunity from the surge of the omicron variant in winter.

Four of the region's nine counties  Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara  slid up from the green tier to the more severe yellow tier last week on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Data Tracker for community transmission. Santa Cruz County is also yellow. A county moves to the yellow level when it reports more than 200 new cases per 100,000 people in the past week. All five of the other Bay Area counties and the rest of the state are green, with fewer than 200 new cases per 100,000.

The uptick is pronounced, and many people who avoided the coronavirus for more than two years are becoming infected, but it's not nearly as severe as the winter surge. At UCSF's four hospitals, 13 people were hospitalized with COVID on Monday. During the recent peak in January, 151 people were hospitalized on Jan. 20.

"There has been a decoupling of case rates from hospitalization rates," said Dr. George Rutherford, director of UCSF's Prevention and Public Health Group. "Were not seeing nearly the high rates in hospitalizations that we've seen in past surges, especially compared to delta  which is indication the vaccine is working."

Experts at UCSF said a handful of factors are likely contributing to the Bay Area increase, and the new omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 is among them. The CDC has said early research indicates that it does not cause more serious disease, but it is more transmissible than its predecessors.

"BA.2.12.1 is thought to be 25% more transmissible than BA.2, which is itself 30% to 80% more transmissible than BA.1, which is itself 200% more transmissible than delta," UCSF infectious diseases expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said.

BA.2.12.1 is on track to become the dominant variant in the United States and Chin-Hong said the Bay Area could be seeing faster spread than other parts of the state due to an influx of visitors from outside the region.

While the CDC estimates about 17% of cases are BA.2.12.1 in California, Chin-Hong said this number could be much higher as the data often lags what's happening on the ground.

"BA.2.12.1 was first seen in the U.S. in central New York City, and at the end of late February, it accounted for less than 1% of cases," Chin-Hong said. "Now its more than 90% of cases. We're not seeing those numbers in the Bay Area yet, but gene-sequencing lags."

UCSF infectious diseases expert Dr. Monica Gandhi explained that while the vaccines provide protection against severe disease from the omicron variants and subvariants, their effectiveness against infection wanes.

"During the omicron variant surge this winter, we did see a greater chance of reinfection compared with previous variants  but not in severe disease across the general population," Gandhi wrote in an email. "A boost or a temporary increase in antibodies might be necessary for certain groups to maintain protection against severe disease, including the immunocompromised, older people and those with multiple risk factors.

Another hypothesis that might explain the increase in cases: Bay Area residents who were cautious for more than two years and stayed home are re-entering society and getting infected for the first time. Chin-Hong pointed out that the Central Valley had some of the state's highest COVID rates during past surges and the region now has some of the state's lowest COVID rates. That could be because many of those people were already infected and are benefiting from immunity from both vaccines and prior infection.

"Vaccines alone are spectacular at preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death but previous omicron exposure is better at preventing BA.2 infection," Chin-Hong said. "That is why the current rates are higher in the wealthiest ZIP codes in San Francisco but lowest in the Central Valley. But the best insurance for the future still lies in being vaccinated and boosted."

Chin-Hong said another hypothesis experts are considering is that Bay Area residents could be testing at clinics more than people in other regions who may not be testing or may be using at-home tests that don't get recorded by the state.

"The Bay Area has a tradition of being very responsible about protecting the community and may not dismiss symptoms that may be mild or dismissed/not tested in other areas," Chin-Hong said. "However, the fact that test positivity rate is also increasing suggests that the increase in official cases is not primarily due to more testing in general. If more 'worried well' were coming forward to get tested at the slightest drop in the bucket, we would expect a lower test positivity rate as more might be negative."
Just weeks after Mike Tyson was recorded punching a passenger on a flight departing from San Francisco International Airport, officials have announced that no criminal charges will be filed against the former pro boxer.

The San Mateo County District Attorneys Office said that the decision was made due to the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in this case, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in a statement provided to media outlets.

The passenger hit by Tyson was also uncooperative with police during their investigation, police said.

Sarah Burchfield, a Berkeley resident on the flight, told SFGATE that she had spotted the man who was hit before boarding the flight.

When I boarded the flight, I thought, Oh no, that drunk guy is on our flight, she said.

She later added, The belligerent guy was sitting right behind him and I saw they were interacting.

Tyson, who has a history of abusive behavior and was convicted of rape in 1992, was in attendance at Golden Gate Park for its regular 420 cannabis festival. He was promoting his cannabis brand Tyson 2.0.

He holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title and held the title as world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MIAMI (AP) _ The Hackett Group Inc. (HCKT) on Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $10.5 million.

On a per-share basis, the Miami-based company said it had net income of 33 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 38 cents per share.

The consulting company posted revenue of $75.7 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $75.1 million.

For the current quarter ending in July, Hackett Group expects its per-share earnings to range from 33 cents to 35 cents.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $71 million to $73 million for the fiscal second quarter.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HCKT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/HCKT
NEW YORK (AP)  Workers at a Target store in Christiansburg, Virginia, filed paperwork Tuesday with federal labor regulators to hold a union election, joining a wave of union organizing at other retailers around the country.

Workers at the store, which employs about 100, are seeing their pay not keeping pace with surging costs for basics like food and rent, said Adam Ryan, who has been working at the Christiansburg store for five years and founded Target Workers Unite in 2019. He also noted employees feel like they are having to do too many tasks, from filling online orders to unloading trucks.

The cost of living is going up and their pay isn't meeting that," said Ryan, 34, who filed the petition with the National Labor Relations Board. That is causing a lot of anxiety and stress. People are stretched too thin. They need more support and compensation."

He said the filing was sparked by veteran workers at the Christiansburg store organizing a petition in April demanding additional pay.

Ryan said he collected more than 30 authorization cards from workers at the store, about 30% of the staff, enough to meet the threshold mandated by NLRB, although the signatures still need to be reviewed. Ryan said he is hoping for other stores to join in, noting that Target workers are watching labor organizing at other companies. The Minneapolis-based company has about 350,000 employees.

Target said in statement Tuesday that it is committed to listening to its workers and creating an environment of mutual trust.

We want all team members to be better off for working at Target," the company said. Target cited industry leading starting hourly wages of $15 to $24, expanded health care benefits, personalized scheduling and opportunities for career growth. It said it raised the starting wage at its Christiansburg store last fall and increased wages for longer-tenured workers.

The Target workers filing comes as nearly 60 Starbucks locations around the country have voted to unionize.

The fledgling Amazon Labor Union scored a victory last month at an Amazon warehouse on New York City's Staten Island, becoming the first U.S. Amazon warehouse to be unionized. But Amazon workers in a later election in a nearby facility rejected a union bid.

Meanwhile, the final outcome of a separate union election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, is still up in the air with several hundred outstanding challenged ballots hanging in the balance. Hearings to review those ballots are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

More U.S. workers than ever hold a graduate degree. Years of intensifying job requirements and headlines declaring a masters the new bachelors degree nudged a record number of students into grad school.

And yet more well-paying jobs no longer require a college degree at all. In this tight labor market, do college grads need a masters degree to compete? Maybe not.

We have all reduced our almost obsession with the masters degree, says Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO and president of the Society for Human Resource Management.

Anecdotal and statistical evidence shows employers were already pulling back degree requirements even before the pandemic: Data from a job market analysis done by the Burning Glass Institute show a reduction in middle-skills and high-skills requirements  jobs that require more education than a high school diploma  from 2017 to 2019.

If fewer employers are requiring grad degrees to gain entrance to good jobs, prospective students should assess whether advanced degrees are worth taking on debt.

Some fields still require advanced degrees

Advanced degrees are still the key to entering certain professions: Medicine, law and teaching come to mind. In other fields, as long as you can convey you have the skills an employer is looking for, you can get a job without an advanced degree, says Brad Hershbein, senior economist and deputy director of research for the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Advanced degrees could hedge against a recession

Employers are likely reducing education requirements to fill slots, which can be difficult in a tight labor market like this one, experts say. But that doesnt mean it will last.

Nobody can quite explain what we're going through now; I think everyone thinks its temporary, says Gordon Lafer, a professor in the Labor Education & Research Center at the University of Oregon.

Holding an advanced degree could provide a safeguard for the future. If the economic tide turns, Taylor says, the degree becomes a differentiator.

Advanced degrees tend to correlate with lower unemployment rates compared with bachelors or associate degrees. But generally, any degree acts as a buffer against unemployment.

During the Great Recession, those with bachelors degrees and higher were more likely to keep their jobs, according to 2014 research by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The same goes for job retention during the early days of the pandemic, according to June 2020 data from The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Graduate programs don't always pay off

What consumers need is data that show program-specific outcomes like graduates employment rates and average salaries. These are woefully difficult to find. For example, the College Scorecard, a data tool from the U.S. Department of Education, which provides information on outcomes like graduation rates and post-graduate salaries, doesn't include graduate-level data by major.

The lack of transparency makes it harder for prospective students to make an informed decision. And that could lead some to end up with debt theyre unable to repay.

Not everyone realizes theres a risk that its a bad financial investment, says Hershbein.

Graduate loan debt has reached an all-time high, according to data from the federal government and think tanks like the Center for American Progress and Brookings. Unlike undergraduate loans, which have stricter limits on the amount of debt students can take on annually, federal Grad PLUS and private graduate loans allow students to borrow up to the cost of attendance, so its easier to rack up debt.

Your earnings after attaining a grad degree will largely depend on your field and employer. Outcomes in some fields are easier to predict than in others, says Hershbein.

Teachers masters degrees are carefully calibrated; based on union contracts they know what the pay is going to be, says Hershbein. But outcomes for masters in areas like public policy or fine arts are more of an unknown, he adds.

Master's programs are not all equal

Where you get your degree also matters. If youre getting an online masters degree from the University of Phoenix it will pay off less than a masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Hershbein says.

Taylor says the nature of remote learning during the pandemic erased some of the bias around online programs, but employer preference is still skewed toward degrees from elite colleges.

I think we have to be honest with ourselves: There's always an elitism that plays itself into the hiring process, says Taylor.

For graduate students, attending a highly selective university might help them make professional connections to more easily get a job. And grad programs are cash cows for universities, says Hershbein. Universities count on the prestige of their undergraduate degrees to attract graduate students into expensive programs.

Students then rack up exorbitant debt for degrees that might not pay off.

An estimated 40% of master's degree programs do not pay off at all, according to February 2022 data from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a nonprofit think tank.

The uncertainty means prospective students will need to do some legwork to prevent graduate school from harming their finances more than it helps their employment prospects. That means graduate applicants should:

Start with the graduate program costs on a schools website.

Search earnings and entry-level degree requirements for occupations using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Scour other tools that list program types and outcomes by degree level including the Wall Street Journal and the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

Anna Helhoski writes for NerdWallet. Email: anna@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @AnnaHelhoski.

The article Do You Need a Grad Degree to Compete Right Now? Probably Not originally appeared on NerdWallet.
RED WING, Minn. (AP)  Unconditional bail was set at $1.5 million Tuesday for the Minnesota woman charged with leaving her newborn son to die beside a lake nearly 20 years ago and who authorities say abandoned another infant in the Mississippi River years earlier.

Jennifer Matter, 50, appeared in court in Goodhue County via video on two counts of second-degree murder in the 2003 death of the boy whose body was found in Frontenac on the shore of Lake Pepin, a body of water on the Mississippi River.

According to authorities, DNA evidence proves that along with the death of the newborn boy, Matter is responsible for the death of an infant girl left in the Mississippi River in 1999. Charges have not been filed in that case, which is still under review.

Judge Douglas Bayley set the $1.5 million bail without conditions and $750,000 with conditions that include no alcohol or drugs, random chemical testing, no possession of firearms or ammunition, and complying with ongoing mental health treatment, among others.

Bayley denied Matter's request for a public defender due to her incomplete application. Matter said she would be hiring a private attorney in the coming days.

When Bayley asked Matter if she had anything to say, she sobbed and tried to explain that she was not the person she once was and needed her family for support.

I need forgiveness for something I did in the past, she told the judge.

Investigators, who arrested Matter Monday at her home near Red Wing, said DNA samples tied both infants to Matter by a genealogy search that led to potential relatives in Goodhue County.

Authorities said a third baby found in the waters of the Mississippi River in 2007 is not Matters child.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Arkansas Senate candidate Jake Bequette filed a lawsuit Tuesday after two counties incorrectly listed his first name as Jack" on their ballots for this month's Republican primary election, with early voting already underway.

Attorneys for Bequette, who's challenging two-term GOP Sen. John Boozman, asked a judge to order state and local election officials to correct the typo on the ballots in Craighead County. An attorney for Bequette said he planned to add Phillips County, which also listed the wrong first name for Bequette, to the lawsuit.

The chair of the Craighead County Election Commission did not return a call Tuesday afternoon. Early voting began Monday for the state's May 24 primary.

Bequette is one of three candidates challenging Boozman in the Republican Senate primary. Conservative activist Jan Morgan and Stuttgart pastor Heath Loftis are also seeking the GOP nomination.

Its disgusting, and it should be fixed immediately," Bequette said in a statement. The lawsuit asks the judge to order officials to provide uniform statewide notice to all voters" of the error.

Secretary of State John Thurston said Bequette's name was correct on the certified list of candidates his office sent to each county, but that Craighead County made an error during preparation of the ballot. Thurston said his office contacted Craighead County on April 28 to alert them they had the wrong first name for Bequette on their ballot.

We strongly advised them to correct the ballot as there was still ample time," Thurston said in a statement. We also alerted the county that Arkansas code requires a county to hold a public meeting to explain the error, give a solution to the error, or explain why the error cant be fixed. The county failed to comply in both cases."

Thurston said it had discovered the same error on Phillips County's ballot on Friday and that the county was working to rectify the situation." Harold Boals, the Phillips County Election Commission chairman, said it was his understanding the mistake was made by the state but declined to comment further.
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP)  One adult and four juveniles were shot in a gang-related incident in central Washington Friday at the City of Sunnyside Cinco de Mayo festival, the Sunnyside Police Department said.

Police believe one person shot into the crowd Friday several times at a rival gang member around the carnival, KNDO-TV reported.
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albanias prime minister on Tuesday visited Kosovos ex-president Hashim Thaci in a prison in The Netherlands, where he is being held pending trial for alleged war crimes.

Edi Rama told journalists after the meeting that Thaci believed his trial would provide a way of demonstrating in front of justice the purity of the liberating war that Albanian separatists fought in 1998-1999 against Serbian forces.
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PHOENIX (AP)  A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a request to postpone the planned execution of an Arizona prisoner in what would be the states first use of the death penalty in nearly eight years.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals keeps on track plans to execute 66-year-old Clarence Dixon on Wednesday morning at the state prison in Florence for his murder conviction in the 1978 killing of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Deana Bowdoin. On Tuesday evening, the appeals court declined a request by Dixon's lawyers for a larger panel of judges to hear the appeal.

Dixons remaining legal efforts center on his claims that he is mentally unfit to be executed and that his psychological problems prevent him from rationally understanding why the state wants to end his life.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a state judges decision that rejected Dixon's arguments, leading his attorneys to introduce similar claims in federal court.

In rejecting Dixons arguments, U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa concluded the state judge had applied the correct legal standards in assessing Dixons mental fitness.

Even though Dixon has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Humetewa wrote that the state judge had reasonably determined that Dixon did not lack a rational understanding of the reasons for putting him to death.

Dixon appealed Humetewa's ruling on Tuesday.

Dixons lawyers have said their client erroneously believes he will be executed because police at Northern Arizona University wrongfully arrested him in a previous case  a 1985 attack on a 21-year-old student. His attorneys concede he was in fact lawfully arrested then by Flagstaff police.

Dixon was sentenced to life sentences in that case for sexual assault and other convictions. DNA samples taken while he was in prison later linked him to Bowdoins killing, which at that point had been unsolved.

Prosecutors said there was nothing about Dixons beliefs that prevent him from understanding the reason for the execution and pointed to court filings that Dixon himself made over the years.

In asking the federal appeals court for a stay of execution, Dixons lawyers argued the state court judge who considered their client's mental fitness ignored evidence showing that Dixon experiences delusions from his schizophrenia, preventing him from understanding why he is being executed.

Prosecutors argued Dixon's claim lacked merit. The state court decision was reasonable based on the facts before it, Jeffrey Sparks, a top attorney for the Arizona Attorney Generals Office, told the appeals court.

Defense lawyers have said Dixon has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia on multiple occasions, has regularly experienced hallucinations over the past 30 years and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1977 assault case in which the verdict was delivered by then-Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sandra Day OConnor, nearly four years before her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bowdoin was killed two days after the verdict, according to court records.

Authorities have said Bowdoin, who was found dead in her apartment, had been raped, stabbed and strangled. Dixon had been charged with raping Bowdoin, but the charge was later dropped on statute-of-limitation grounds. He was convicted, though, in her death.

Dixon, who is blind and in declining health, is set to be the first person put to death in Arizona in nearly eight years, mainly because of problems with the state's most recent execution nearly eight years ago.

The state had to give Joseph Wood 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours before he died in July 2014 in an execution that his lawyers said was botched. The state now is using just one drug.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazilian environmental and Indigenous organizations, together with some companies, are urging the United States to come through with promised funding for forest protection and deal directly with people who live in the forest, have protected it and, they say, are directly affected by the escalating deforestation.

More than 330 organizations and companies signed a letter released late Monday ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday in the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss a bill introduced in November by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. The bill, known as Amazon21, would create a $9 billion fund administered by the U.S. State Department to finance forest conservation and natural carbon absorption in developing countries.

In the letter, the signatories say passage of the measure would be a sign that President Joe Biden is keeping a pledge he made last year at the international climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, to contribute up to $9 billion to fight deforestation. Hoyer introduced Amazon21 following the pledge.

The bill's chances for passage in the U.S. Senate as well as the House are uncertain as the Congress and Biden administration focus on military support for Ukraine and domestic elements of Biden's climate agenda remain stalled. Still, the letter notes that the bill targets a main source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Brazil holds about two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest, the worlds largest such tropical forest and an enormous carbon sink. There is widespread concern that its deforestation will release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, further complicating hopes of arresting climate change. Worse, that could push it past a tipping point after which much of the forest will begin an irreversible process of degradation into tropical savannah.

Signatories of the letter include the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture, an enormous umbrella organization with members ranging from WWF Brazil to the giant meat producer JBS. The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon also signed on.

The signers say they want the bill to ensure transparent and straightforward financing that deals directly with Indigenous people and others who traditionally have conserved the forest and whose livelihoods are directly affected by forest felling.

The State Department usually manages relationships on a nation to nation basis, but Amazon21 specifies there can be forest agreements with subnational actors.

There are many ways to do international cooperation," Andre Guimaraes, a spokesperson for the coalition, said by phone. You can make a check to a partner government, create a financial mechanism that supports initiatives and projects, work with subnational governments or create financial mechanisms."

The question of who would control the funds is sharper now in Brazil because the current administration of President Jair Bolsonaro supports neither protection for the Amazon rainforest nor indigenous autonomy. During his presidency, Amazon deforestation hit a 15-year high, which followed a 22% jump from the prior year, according to official data published in November. The Brazilian Amazon lost an area of rainforest roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in just the 12 months preceding July 2021.

Guimaraes said the letter is not a reaction to far-right Bolsonaro, whose environmental policies have received extensive criticism. But he indicated Bolsonaro would take a dim view of the fund, having referred in the past to imperialist forces trying to take over the Amazon.

In 2019, during his first year in office, Bolsonaro also undermined the largest international cooperation effort to preserve the Amazon rainforest, the Norwegian-backed Amazon Fund, by dissolving the steering committee that selects projects to finance.

That fund was designed so that the more Brazil reduced deforestation, the higher the donations. Norway provided more than 90% of the money, some $ 1.2 billion.

Since then, the Amazon Fund has supported only projects approved before Bolsonaro was elected. Norway and Germany have stopped contributing.

The letter was sent to Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Former President Jimmy Carter on Monday took the unusual step of weighing in on a court case involving his landmark conservation act and a remote refuge in Alaska.

Carter filed an amicus brief in the longstanding legal dispute over efforts to build a road through the refuge, worried that a recent ruling in favor of a proposed land exchange aimed at building a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge goes beyond this one case and could allow millions of acres to be opened for adverse development.

Residents in the community of King Cove want to exchange land to build a gravel road through the refuge to provide access to an all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay for medical transports.

Carter in 1980 signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which established 162,500 square miles (420,873 square kilometers) of national park lands in Alaska. The act, he said, struck a careful and lasting balance between development and protection.

Congress created the 486-square-mile (1,258-sq. kilometer) Izembek National Wildlife Refuge that year. Izembek Lagoon holds one of the worlds largest beds of eelgrass, a rich food source for Pacific brant geese, endangered Stellers eider sea ducks and other migratory birds.

In 2013, then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell rejected a land exchange. Environmental groups oppose a road for the precedent it would set and for the potential harm to brown bear, caribou, salmon and seabird habitat.

Former President Donald Trumps first Interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, signed a new land exchange deal, which a federal judge later ruled against. Later, Zinkes successor, David Bernhardt, agreed to a swap, saying the needs of King Cove residents were more important. However, that agreement was vacated by another judge, U.S. District Judge John Sedwick, in 2020.

In March, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Sedwick's decision. Earlier this month, Trustees for Alaska, representing environmental interests, asked that a larger group of judges on the appeals court review the case, and Carters brief supports that request. The current Interior secretary, Deb Haaland, visited the refuge and King Cove last month but did not announce any position on a land exchange.

Carter said the divided panel decision does not reflect the balance between development and protection.

It is overbroad and permits the Secretary of Interior to undo Congressionally designated Wilderness and other conservation lands. Unless reversed, it would open tens of millions of acres of public lands for adverse development, Carter wrote in a statement.

He asked the court to review the decision and to defend the unrivaled wilderness in the national public lands of Alaska.

Opponents say the decision by the panel, if allowed to stand, would allow future Interior secretaries to wheel-and-deal national interest lands in Alaska as they see fit.

And once (national interest) lands are developed, how do you get that back? said Peter Van Tuyn of Anchorage, one of three lawyers who represents Carter on the filing.

Its not like a future secretary can undo anything. Its a one-way valve there, and its extremely dangerous to the integrity of all of those lands, he said.

Deborah Williams, a former special assistant to the secretary of the Interior under President Bill Clinton, said Congress made clear in the legislation that it had two purposes: conservation and the protection of subsistence.

The split panel decision would allow the secretary, without any public process or without compliance with any other laws, to engage in a backroom land exchange, Williams said.

In order to trade away crucial lands in any of the areas protected by (the act) for development purposes, this, without question, is not what Congress intended, and this is not what the legislation clearly provides, she said.

An Interior Department spokesperson did not have any comment.
BEIJING (AP)  A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the countrys under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month.

The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1:56 a.m. from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan. State media said it docked with the station about seven hours later.

The cargo vessel is carrying supplies for the next crew's six-month stay, along with research equipment and spare parts for maintaining the station.

The station's last crew returned to Earth last month after six months on the station, China's longest space mission to date.

China intends to finish building the station this year with the addition of two laboratory modules in July and October to link with the Tianhe living module that was launched in April 2021. Another cargo craft, the Tianzhou-3, remains docked with the station.

Chinas space program launched its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, making China only the third country to do so using its own resources after the former Soviet Union and the U.S.

It has landed robot rovers on the moon and placed one on Mars last year. China has also returned samples from the moon, and officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon.

The government announced in 2020 that Chinas first reusable spacecraft had landed following a test flight but no photos or details have been released.

China is excluded from the International Space Station due to U.S. unease that its space program is run by the ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army.

The Shenzhou 14 crewed mission is scheduled to launch next month for a six month stay. Toward the end of that mission, three more astronauts will be launched aboard Shenzhou 15 for a further six months, with the two crews overlapping for three to five days, marking the first time the station has six people aboard.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Just as Americans gear up for summer road trips, the price of oil remains stubbornly high, pushing prices at the gas pump to painful heights.

Drivers were paying $4.37 for a gallon of regular Tuesday, on average, according to AAA. That's 25 cents higher than a month ago, and $1.40 more than a year ago.

The price of gas is ridiculous, said Joel Baxter, a nurse, who was filling up his car at a BP station in Brooklyn, New York, so that he could commute 26 miles (42 kilometers) to work. The money, your salary, is practically the same, and everything is going up, so they should do something about it.

The high price of oil is the main cause of the biting gasoline prices. A barrel of U.S. benchmark crude was selling for around $100 a barrel Tuesday, a price tag that has been climbing throughout the year. The high price of oil is largely because many buyers are refusing to purchase Russian oil because of its invasion of Ukraine. The European Union is considering an embargo on oil from Russia, which is a major supplier. Those pressures leave less oil to go around.

Drivers such as Baxter say they wish the government could step in to help, although few can say what solution that would bring lasting relief.

"There are very few things that a president can do to help lower the cost of oil, and this administration tried to do pretty much everything that it can, said Andrew Gross, spokesman for AAA.

President Joe Biden released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November and March, hoping to reduce prices. That helped temporarily, but prices shot back up and stayed stubbornly high.

Biden in remarks Tuesday stressed that fighting inflation is his top priority, a sign of both the economic challenges caused by prices rising at the fastest pace in four decades and the political drag for Democrats that has resulted.

I believe that inflation is our top economic challenge right now, Biden said.

He said that switching away from fossil fuels and greater energy efficiency will ultimately protect Americans from higher gasoline and heating and cooling costs.

The president noted that Americans are finding ways to limit how many fill-ups they need because of higher prices. Theyre doing everything in their power to figure out how to not show up at the gas pump, he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said a suspension of the federal gas tax is an option on the table. The suspension could in theory reduce gas prices by as much as 18 cents a gallon.

Republican lawmakers say the key is to lease more federal land for oil and gas drilling and send a positive message to energy producers by greenlighting the Keystone XL pipeline that Biden nixed last year.

As the war Russia is waging on Ukraine continues and demand for gasoline continues to grow, experts are not expecting relief at the pump any time soon.

We will see this trend continue probably throughout summer, mainly because of demand, Gross said. The weathers getting warmer. The days are getting nicer. People are hitting the road.

That's particularly hard on people who drive for a living, or those who must drive to get to work.

Its expensive, said Peter Lector, 28, who spent $60 Tuesday to fill up his tank in Brooklyn. Im doing Uber, so its costing me a lot of money every morning.

If the price of gasoline keeps going up, he feels like he might have to find another job, he said.

Still others have accepted that high gasoline prices may be here to stay.

It is what it is, said David Stephen, who was also buying gasoline in Brooklyn. Everything goes up, never comes down .... You cant do anything about it.

___

AP video assignment manager Lisa Matthews in Washington contributed to this report. Boak reported from Washington.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP)  A man who says he is destroyed after working as a content moderator for Facebook has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of human trafficking Africans to work in an exploitative and unsafe facility in Kenya.

The case against Meta Platforms, the Menlo Park, Calif. company that owns Facebook, and Sama, a San Francisco subcontractor, was lodged Tuesday with a court in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Daniel Motaung's petition calls upon Kenyas courts to order Facebook and its outsourcing companies to end exploitation in its Nairobi moderation hub, where content moderators work in dangerous conditions, said a statement by Foxglove, a London-based legal nonprofit that supports Facebook content moderators.

The first video Motaung watched as a Facebook moderator was a video of someone being beheaded, he told reporters during a call Tuesday. He stayed on the job for roughly six months, after relocating from South Africa to Nairobi in 2019 for the work. Motaung says he was dismissed after trying to spearhead efforts to unionize at the facility.

Motaung said his job was traumatizing and he now has a fear of death.

I had potential, Motaung said. When I went to Kenya, I went to Kenya because I wanted to change my life. I wanted to change the life of my family. I came out a different person, a person who has been destroyed.

Motaung says in his filing that once he arrived in Kenya for that work, he was told to sign a non-disclosure agreement and his pay was less than promised, with one monthly paycheck that was 40,000 Kenyan shillings, or roughly $350 U.S. dollars.

The lawsuit notes that Sama targets people from poor families across Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and other countries in the region with misleading job ads that fail to disclose that they will be working as Facebook content moderators or viewing disturbing content that expose them to mental health woes.

Applicants are recruited through deceit, said Mercy Mutemi, who filed the petition in court Tuesday morning. We found a lot of Africans were forced into force labor situations and human trafficking. When you leave your country for a job that you didnt apply for, that amounts to human trafficking."

Content moderators are not given enough medical coverage to seek mental health treatment, the filing alleges.

The lawsuit also seeks orders for Facebook and Sama to respect moderators right to unionize.

Meta's office in Nairobi said it takes seriously its responsibility to people who review content for the company and requires its partners to provide industry-leading pay, benefits and support, according to a statement issued by the company's spokeswoman.

We also encourage content reviewers to raise issues when they become aware of them and regularly conduct independent audits to ensure our partners are meeting the high standards we expect of them," the statement said.

In 2020, Facebook agreed to pay $52 million to U.S. content moderators who filed a class action lawsuit after they were repeatedly exposed to beheadings, child and sexual abuse, animal cruelty, terrorism and other disturbing content.

Sama, which describes itself as an ethical AI company, did not immediately provide comment.

Sama's Nairobi location is the largest content moderation facility in Africa, with approximately 240 employees working on the effort, according to the filing.

We are not animals, Motaung said in the statement. "We are people  and we deserve to be treated as such.



Seitz reported from Washington.
MECOSTA COUNTY  A farmed white-tailed deer in Mecosta County was diagnosed with a fatal syndrome similar to mad cow disease not new to Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed the chronic wasting disease in the infected three-year-old deer from a farmed cervid facility in Mecosta County on Monday.

The infected deer was discovered through routine testing as part of the states chronic wasting disease surveillance program for farmed deer, state officials said. No free-ranging white-tailed deer have tested positive for the disease in Mecosta County. As part of MDARDs disease response, investigations are ongoing to rule out any possible exposure to other farmed cervids.

"CWD surveillance testing plays an integral part in accomplishing this goal because it helps us to detect and respond to the disease promptly," State Veterinarian Nora Wineland said in a press release. "In addition, our continued partnership with farmed cervid owners, hunters, and other state and federal partners is also essential to ensure the health of Michigans farmed deer population."

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of the brain and central nervous system similar to mad cow disease. It occurs in cervids such as mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk, according to MDARD. The disease can be transmitted through blood, saliva, urine and feces. And symptoms include listlessness, lack of coordination, significant weight loss, unusual behavior, paralysis and increased thirst and urination.

While an infected animal may appear healthy for months or years, it will eventually display abnormal behavior, progressive weight loss and physical debilitation in the later stages of the disease, according to The Associated Press' FAQs About Chronic Wasting Disease.

The presence of chronic wasting disease in farmed cervid facilities and free-ranging deer is not new to Michigan, state officials said.

Since 2008, including the new case, the disease has been detected at 10 Michigan cervid farms in the following counties: Kent (2), Mecosta (4), Montcalm (3), and Newaygo.

With free-ranging deer, chronic wasting disease was first discovered in May 2015; and cases have been found across nine counties in Michigans Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

There have been no reported cases of chronic wasting disease infection in humans. But, as a precaution, the United States Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals should not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.

The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado. Chronic wasting disease has since been documented in captive and free-range deer in 24 states and two Canadian provinces, according to reporting by the AP. There is no known treatment.

More information is available at Michigan.gov/CWD.
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BOSTON (AP)  The owners of five restaurants in Boston's North End say in a lawsuit against Mayor Michelle Wu that the city's $7,500 fee for eateries in the neighborhood that want to offer outdoor dining this summer is unconstitutional.

The four business owners, in their federal complaint filed Monday, said the fee  which applies only to restaurants in the traditionally Italian neighborhood that attracts tourists from around the world  creates unfair methods of competition."

The fee violates the restaurant owners constitutional due process and equal protection rights, and their rights under the commerce clause, the restaurateurs assert.

The mayors office said in a statement it had no comment. Wu has said that because the North End  with its maze of narrow and busy streets  has the highest density of restaurants in the city, the fees are necessary to address quality-of-life issues like traffic, pedestrian access, trash collection and rodent control.

All four owners said they agreed to pay the fee under protest. One owns two establishments.

If plaintiffs refused to pay the fees ... they would not be allowed to have outdoor dining spaces, the lawsuit read. Without outdoor dining, plaintiffs would not be able to compete with other North End restaurants" catering to tourists.

The city first allowed restaurants to set up al fresco dining areas on sidewalks and city streets two summers ago to help them stay in business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor dining in the neighborhood resumed May 1.

The city announced the fee in March, but business owners pushed back, calling it unfair because it did not apply to restaurants in other areas of the city.

The city and some restaurant owners announced a compromise in late March that allowed businesses to spread the fee out over several months, and a plan that allows some restaurants to pay reduced fees based on location, the size of their outdoor dining area, and whether they have a liquor license.

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This story has been changed to reflect that the four plaintiffs own five restaurants between them.
UMUIDA, Nigeria (AP)  As Anayo Mbah went into labor with her sixth child, her husband battled COVID-19 in another hospital across town. Jonas, a young motorcycle taxi driver, had been placed on oxygen after he started coughing up blood.

Jonas would never meet his daughter, Chinaza. Hours after the birth, Mbahs sister-in-law called to say he was gone. Staff at the hospital in southeastern Nigeria soon asked Mbah and her newborn to leave. No one had come to pay her bill.

Mbah began the rites of widowhood at the home where she lived with her in-laws: Her head was shaved, and she was dressed in white clothing. But just weeks into the mourning period that traditionally lasts six months, her late husbands relatives stopped providing food, then confronted her directly.

They told me that it was better for me to find my own way, Mbah, now 29, said. They said even if I have to go and remarry, that I should do so. That the earlier I leave the house, the better for me and my children.

She left on foot for her mothers home with only a plastic bag of belongings for Chinaza and her other children.

I decided that I might die if I continue to stay here with my children, she said.

Across Africa, widowhood has long befallen great numbers of women  particularly in the continent's least developed countries where medical facilities are scarce. Many widows are young, having married men decades older. And in some countries, men frequently have more than one wife, leaving several widows behind when they die.

Now, the coronavirus pandemic has created an even larger population of widows on the continent, with African men far more likely to die of the virus than women, and it has exacerbated the issues they face. Women such as Mbah say the pandemic has taken more than their husbands: In their widowhood, its cost them their extended families, their homes and their futures.

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This story is part of a yearlong series on how the pandemic is impacting women in Africa, most acutely in the least developed countries. The Associated Press series is funded by the European Journalism Centres European Development Journalism Grants program, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The AP is responsible for all content.

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Once widowed, women are often mistreated and disinherited. Laws prohibit many from acquiring land or give them only a fraction of their spouses wealth, and widows in places like southeastern Nigeria face suspicion over their husbands death during the mourning period. In-laws can claim custody of children; tradition says kids belong to the father. Other in-laws disown the children and refuse to help, even if they're the familys only source of money and food. And young widows have no adult children to support them in communities with extreme poverty and few jobs for women with limited education.

In Nigeria, Africas most populous nation, some 70 percent of confirmed COVID-19 deaths have been men, according to data tracked by the Sex, Gender and COVID-19 Project. Similarly, more than 70 percent of deaths in Chad, Malawi, Somalia and Congo have been men, according to figures from the project, which is the worlds largest database tracking coronavirus differences between men and women. Other countries likely show similar trends but lack the resources to gather detailed figures.

Experts say some of the widows left behind have nothing while others are pressured to remarry brothers-in-law or be cut off. Widows can start experiencing mistreatment by their in-laws before their husbands are even buried.

Some are treated as outcasts, accused of being responsible for the death of their husband, said Egodi Blessing Igwe, spokeswoman for WomenAid Collective, which has aided thousands of widows with free legal services and family mediation.

Some experts say widows face the harshest reality in Nigeria. There, Mbah now raises her children without financial support from her in-laws, who even kept the motorcycle her husband drove as a taxi. She works four jobs, including one as a cleaner at a school where she can no longer afford to send her children.

Her husband had no will, and she hasn't pursued a legal case against her in-laws. She fears it would only make her situation worse, and finding the time would be nearly impossible.

For some widows who purse legal action, a will saves the day, said Igwe, with the womens rights organization.

The will can really help if men can have the courage to prepare it and continue to update it, she said. Unfortunately in this part of the world, we dont like to talk about death.

Even in widowhood, women are often still under the oversight of men  adult sons or brothers  and may not be able to pursue a case if the family believes it will bring stigma or shame.

In Congo, Vanessa Emedy Kamana had known her husband for a decade before he proposed marriage. She worked for the scholar as a personal assistant. By the time their friendship turned romantic, Godefroid Kamana was in his late 60s; she, a single mother in her late 20s. She said she was drawn to his youthful spirit and intellect: He worked at a think tank and had two doctorates from European universities.

When he first tested positive for COVID-19, there was no hospital bed for him, despite his age and status as a diabetic, in the eastern city of Goma, a humanitarian hub with a large U.N. peacekeeping mission presence. Once a spot was secured, his wife spent most of his final days searching for oxygen and pleading with vendors.

The night of his burial, relatives came to the family home where Kamana had just begun her period of mourning. Generally, widows are required to stay in their homes and can receive visitors. Mourning lengths vary by religion and ethnic group. Kamana, whose family is Muslim, was supposed to stay home for four months and 10 days. But her husbands relatives didnt wait that long to force her and her young son out on the street.

I was stripped of everything, of all my possessions, she said.

She feared her husbands family would seek custody of her son, Jamel, whom Kamana had adopted and given his surname. Ultimately the relatives did not, because the boy  now 6  wasnt his biological child. They did, however, move swiftly to amass the financial assets.

I was not aware because I was at the house crying for my husband, she said. But they came and said: These bank accounts belong to us.

She, her son and their cat now live in a smaller home her mother kept as a rental property. Kamana sells secondhand clothing at a market while her son is at school. And while she initially received 40% of her late husbands salary, those funds will soon stop entirely.

Kamanas marriage was relatively new. He had paid the dowry to her family in 2020, but they had no public ceremony because of COVID-19 restrictions. What mattered most, she said, was that he had accepted her son as his own. Now, the family has taken a bank account set up for the boy.

And it's painful, Kamana said, when some of her late husbands relatives insist they've lost more than she did.

"No one will be able to replace him, she said.

In West Africa, widowhood is particularly fraught in the large swaths where many marriages are polygamous. Each wife performs the rituals of grief, but it is the first wife or her children who usually lay claim to the family home and other financial assets.

Saliou Diallo, 35, said she would have been left with nothing after a decade of marriage had her husband not thought to put her home under her name instead of his. Even after his death, she lives in fear that her husbands older children or relatives will try to take over her small residence on the outskirts of the Guinean capital, Conakry.

Under Guinean law, a mans multiple wives share a small percentage of his estate, with nearly all of it  87.5 percent  going to his children, said Yansane Fatou Balde, a womens rights advocate. Women rarely contest their inheritance, given the stigma and expense.

Diallos husband, El Hadj, 74, had been building the home just for her and their 4-year-old daughter when he fell ill with COVID-19. Diallo was infected, too  and terrified. She already knew the burden of losing a spouse: At 13, she became a second wife, only to be widowed in her early 20s.

Her next attempt at marriage unraveled when the man did not take to her three children. Then she was introduced to El Hadj, who already had married multiple women but was willing to raise Diallos three kids as his own.

They spent a decade together before the virus hit El Hadj. In his final conversations with his wife, he lamented that her home didnt have windows yet. That he hadn't lived long enough to build a well so she wouldnt have to carry water on her head each day. That other relatives would try to chase her off once he was gone.

During mourning, the first wife refused to provide financially for Diallo  who couldn't attend the funeral because she tested positive for the virus. Then the first wife's children came to Diallo's house and reclaimed the car hed given her. They took all his documents and checkbooks.

They wanted to chase me away, too," Diallo said. I told them: Let me finish my mourning and see my husbands grave."

The children asked for the papers of the house El Hadj had built for her. She provided photocopies but secretly kept the originals.

Her extended family ultimately helped raise money to put windows on her house. Still, she feels her husbands absence. There is electricity, but no light fixtures. The walls are finished but not painted, and only a few plastic lawn chairs and a mini-fridge furnish the home.

I am sure God is saving a surprise for me. I surrender to him, she said. In the meantime I live on the help of my parents. They support me, and I keep my faith.

In Diallo's case, the law has protected her home. But where laws fail to protect widows, the resolution of disinheritance disputes often comes down to family mediation alone.

Back in Nigeria, Roseline Ujah, 49, spent three decades as part of her husbands extended family. She shared chores and meals with them, even helping to care for her mother- and father-in-law in their later years.

But she said her husbands brother began scheming to disinherit her and her seven children before her husband, Godwin, had even been buried. Her sister-in-law intervened and managed to save a small portion of land where Ujah now cultivates cocoyam, a root vegetable.

When her husband  who harvested palm wine  first became ill, everyone assumed it was malaria. But medications failed, and his breathing became labored. Hospital doctors diagnosed him with COVID-19, even though no tests were available for confirmation. Without money for a hospital stay, Ujah turned to traditional medicine.

I kept begging God not to let him die, she said. He kept getting weaker and weaker, and we were looking for solutions for him. He died in their home and was buried in his front yard.

Only her sister-in-law brought food to the family during their six months of mourning. Ujah was forbidden to leave home. Without support from her extended family, she had to send her children to work on neighbors farms for income. Some days they ate nothing at all.

It was only from the door that I could call the attention of passersby to help me get something at the market, she said.

Godwins youngest two children  13-year-old Chidimma and 11-year-old Chimuanya  have been especially affected by his death, as their relationship with their father's family has soured.

Ujah is left to scramble for her family's survival, making brooms to sell at the local market. She knows her husband would have confronted his family over their mistreatment of her. Without him, she turns to her faith.

I look up to God, telling him I have no one else," she said. He is my husband and the father of my children and of the family, and I will not marry another man.

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Larson also reported from Goma, Congo, and Conakry, Guinea. Associated Press writer Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea, contributed. AP journalists Jerome Delay, Moses Sawasawa and Justin Kabumba in Goma, Congo, contributed.

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See the full series on how the pandemic is affecting women in Africa: https://apnews.com/hub/women-the-eyes-of-africa
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KYIV (AP)  German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday reopened her country's embassy in Kyiv that was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, also pledged that Berlin would provide further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

Speaking after visiting the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are alleged to have killed numerous civilians, Baerbock said there can never again be impunity for the war crimes committed by Russia, the deportations, or for the murderers and rapists."

That is why we will provide political, financial, and support through German staff, particularly at the International Criminal Court, she said, adding that Germany will also pay for two additional Ukrainian prosecutors who will investigate sexual violence committed during the conflict.

Baerbock expressed deep sorrow over the civilians killed during the war, saying that the worst crimes imaginable had been perpetrated in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, that was occupied by Russian forces for several weeks.

Survivors have told how Russian soldiers targeted civilians seemingly at random there, leaving their bodies lying on the street after their withdrawal on March 31.

Baerbock said she heard accounts from those who had lost loved ones during the occupation, including people killed in a supermarket while they were going shopping, and a woman and her two children shot dead while they were trying to flee.

We owe it to the victims that we dont just commemorate them here, but that we hold the perpetrators to account, Baerbock said during a brief visit to the town with Ukraines prosecutor general. And we as the international community will do this. Thats the promise we can and must make here in Bucha.

Nobody can take away the pain (of the survivors), she added. The pain of fathers and mothers, of aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors and colleagues. But we can ensure there is justice.

The head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said Tuesday that she had received reports of more than 300 men, women and children being unlawfully killed in Bucha during the occupation.

Across Ukraine, the global body has corroborated 3,381 civilian deaths since the beginning of the war.

The actual figures are higher and we are working to corroborate every single incident, Bogner said.

Baerbock's trip comes days after Berlin and Kyiv set aside a diplomatic spat concerning Ukraine's unwillingness to invite the German president because of his past close dealings with Russia.

Relations between the two countries remain tense, however.

Germany has been criticized for dragging its feet over arms supplies to Ukraine and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba slammed Berlin police for removing his country's flag from protesters at a World War II memorial event in the German capital Sunday. Police said the ban on Ukrainian and Russian flags was intended to prevent clashes between supporters of both countries and only applied to limited parts of the city.

Baerbock, who met with Kuleba and later with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressed that Germany now supports the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine, including Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and powerful howitzers. Some of the German-made howitzers will be provided by the Netherlands, whose foreign minister was also in Kyiv on Tuesday, but Ukrainian soldiers will be trained to use them in Germany.

Germany, which has long relied on energy supplies, plans to reduce this dependence to zero, forever, said Baerbock. The German government aims to wean itself off Russian oil and coal this year and end imports of natural gas from Russia by 2024 at the latest.

Baerbock said Germany remains committed to the sanctions that have already been agreed against Russia, adding that they could only be lifted when Ukraine is free and is able to say of its own accord: we can live in peace again.

She also appeared to push back against French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestion Monday that it might take decades for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union, and that the country could join a new, looser political grouping in the meantime.

There can be no shortcuts to full membership of the EU, Baerbock said. But I emphasize full membership here.

Now is not the moment for legal pedantry, she added. Now is the moment to take a clear position.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  With six days until Pennsylvania's primary, Republicans are openly worrying that a leading candidate in the crowded GOP field for governor is unelectable in the fall general election and will fumble away an opportunity for the party to take over the battleground state's executive suite.

Doug Mastriano, 58, a state senator since 2019 and a retired U.S. Army colonel, is running to the right of the nine-person Republican field and against the party's establishment in a state still roiled by former President Donald Trump's baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the 2020 election there.

Mastriano is a prominent peddler of the unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud marred the 2020 election and that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf was responsible for thousands of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. During the pandemic, he belittled efforts to contain the virus and spread conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine.

That has long made Republican Party officials and movement conservatives uncomfortable about Mastriano's prospects in a fall general election matchup against Democrat Josh Shapiro, and they are becoming more vocal about it.

On Monday, the state Senates Republican floor leader, Kim Ward, endorsed a rival candidate, Dave White, and singled out Mastriano as unable to attract the moderate voters necessary to win a general election in Pennsylvania.

Mastriano has appeal to base Republicans, but I fear the Democrats will destroy him with swing voters, Ward wrote on her personal Facebook page. She added that winning the primary and losing the general because the candidate is unable to get the voters in the middle, isnt a win.

Mike McMonagle, president of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Coalition, said Mastriano gets a top rating from his organization because he supports a complete ban on abortion, no exceptions. But the organization is endorsing White at least in part because Mastriano in our judgment would get clobbered by Shapiro in a general election.

Republicans have been shut out of the governors office in Pennsylvania since 2014 under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is barred by term limits from running again.

Losing the contest again this year would mean that Republicans squander their turn: the party has won back the office in every election when a term-limited Democrat is leaving since the states constitution changed in 1968 to allow governors to serve two terms.

But Republicans worry that Mastriano is too toxic to win moderate Republican voters and swing voters in the heavily populated suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh while endangering down-ballot GOP candidates with a lackluster top-of-the-ticket turnout.

Mastriano came from nowhere in 2020 to become a rising force in right-wing politics.

He led anti-shutdown rallies during the start of the pandemic, livestreaming daily chats on Facebook and playing to conspiracy theorists. He became a key figure in the effort by Trump to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss  earning Mastriano a subpoena by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Democrats have begun to pay more attention to Mastriano, portraying him as an extremist in a bid to weaken him ahead of the general election.

In recent days, Democrats launched digital ads and flyers attacking Mastriano while Shapiro is airing a statewide TV ad portraying Mastriano as extreme because of his support for a ban on abortion, vow to repeal mail-in voting and conspiracy-driven attempts to investigate the 2020 election.

Their closing line is if Mastriano wins, its a win for what Donald Trump stands for.

Doug Mastriano will drag our commonwealth backwards with an extreme agenda; he belongs nowhere near the governorship, Shapiros campaign said in a statement.

In a phone interview with the Lancaster-based LNP news organization, Mastriano said Shapiros attack will absolutely help him win the primary.

Im going to have to send him a thank you card, Mastriano told LNP. He added that Shapiro has underestimated him and that the Republican establishment is in a panic mode at the prospect that he will be the partys nominee.

Neither Trump nor the state Republican Party have endorsed in the primary race, leaving it that much more wide open. And Mastriano  once thought of as a fringe candidate  has outperformed expectations in a field where some candidates began with far more money or name recognition.

A recent Franklin and Marshall College poll showed 20% of GOP primary voters saying they support Doug Mastriano. Bill McSwain and Lou Barletta trailed slightly, with 12% and 11%, respectively.

Still, a large group of voters, or one-third, said they were undecided and, even among those who said they were backing a candidate, about half said they may change their minds.

Mastriano first gained a following by leading anti-shutdown rallies during the early months of the pandemic, then became among Trumps most dedicated supporters during the 2020 campaign.

He worked with Trump to overturn the result and organized bus trips to the U.S. Capitol for Trumps Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, where he was later seen in footage with his wife passing through breached barricades set up by Capitol Police.

Last May, he claimed on a radio show that Trump  asked me  to run for governor.

In the weeks after that, he attempted to launch an Arizona-style partisan audit of the 2020 election  only to be stripped of his committee chairmanship by state Senate GOP leadership in clash over financing and hiring contractors.

Mastriano has bragged that he is more conservative than his rivals, that he draws bigger crowds and is not a politician, a class he derides as corrupt.

He often campaigns with key figures in Trump's circle who have spread denialism about the 2020 election, including Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and lawyer Jenna Ellis. And he campaigns with strong Christian themes, working prayers into his campaign events, peppering his speech with quotes from the Bible and calling for a fast for the final 21 days of the primary.

So lets stand strong together, take our state back, and when Pennsylvania is restored I believe theres going to be a revival here like weve never seen before, Mastriano told an audience Monday in Somerset on his weeklong bus tour. And its going to bring our nation back to where it needs to be, in God.

A general election cycle will bring new challenges for Mastriano.

He has largely avoided speaking to independent media outlets, including The Associated Press, and barred reporters from his campaign events. Last week, he went on the conservative Delaware Valley Journal podcast before having what the organization called a meltdown and hanging up after 20 minutes.

What set off Mastriano were questions about him speaking to an audience of QAnon adherents recently, his election fraud claims and his activities at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee came up at the only live televised primary debate Mastriano attended. He insisted he has no legal issues.

Meanwhile, Shapiro has unified the Democratic Party and its allies.

Dave Ball, the chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, said many Republicans are concerned that Mastrianos appeal is narrow.

But, he said, Republicans will need Mastriano and his voters, and vice versa, to beat Shapiro, regardless of who wins the primary.

The whole Republican party better be behind whoever the winner is, Ball said, because Josh Shapiro is still there.

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter
NEW YORK (AP)  New York Congressman Tom Reed is resigning, leaving office more than seven months before the end of his term.

Reed said last year that he would not seek reelection after he was accused of sexual misconduct but he announced in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House that he was resigning Tuesday.

He did not give a reason for his resignation but said there is more to do to put people before politics.

I am leaving to continue that work and hope to have a greater impact on our country," Reed said.

His office did not immediately respond to messages seeking more details.

The Republican from western New York was accused of rubbing a female lobbyists back and unhooking her bra, without her consent, at a networking event in a Minneapolis pub in 2017.

Reed apologized days after the allegations were reported in March 2021 and said the incident occurred at a time in which he said he was struggling and entered treatment after realizing he was powerless over alcohol.

Reed, who was first elected to Congress in 2010, had said earlier in 2021 that he was considering a run for New York governor should Andrew Cuomo run again. Cuomo, a Democrat, resigned from the governor's office in August amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied.

Reed, when issuing his apology last year, said he would not run for any office in 2022.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochuls office did not immediately respond to questions about when she would call a special election to fill Reeds seat before Novembers elections.

Reed is a former mayor of Corning, New York and was a co-chair of the House of Representatives bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

He voted against impeaching former President Donald Trump in January 2021 but voted in favor of certifying the 2020 election of Democrat Joe Biden.

Reed was the second New York Republican who is not planning to run again this year. Upstate New York Rep. John Katko, who was among 10 House GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump, announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection.
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CHICAGO (AP)  A predominantly Black college in central Illinois named after Abraham Lincoln and founded the year the former president was assassinated will close this week, months after a cyberattack that compounded enrollment struggles due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lincoln College, which saw record enrollment numbers in 2019, said in a news release that it scrambled to stay afloat with fundraising campaigns, a consolidation of employee positions, and exploring leasing alternatives.

Unfortunately, these efforts did not create long-term viability for Lincoln College in the face of the pandemic, the school, which opened in 1865 in Lincoln, about 170 miles southwest of Chicago, said in the release.

Then, as COVID cases fell and students returned to schools across the country, the college was victimized by a December cyberattack. It left all the systems needed to recruit students, retain them and raise money inoperable for three months.

Lincoln's president, David Gerlach, told the Chicago Tribune that the school paid a ransom of less than $100,000 after an attack that he said originated in Iran. But when the systems were fully restored, the school that had just over 1,000 students during the 2018-19 academic year discovered significant enrollment shortfalls that would require a massive donation or partnership to stay open beyond the current semester.

A GoFundMe campaign called Save Lincoln College was launched with a goal of raising $20 million but as of this week, only $2,352 had been raised. And Gerlach told the Tribune that the school needed $50 million to remain open.

The loss of history, careers, and a community of students and alumni is immense, Gerlach said in a statement. The school did not immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

The school also announced that the Higher Learning Commission had approved what are called Teach Out/Transfer Agreements with 21 colleges. The school held a college fair last month to give students a chance to learn where they might want to transfer.

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This story has been updated to correct that Lincoln College is a predominantly Black college, not a historically Black college.
Last November, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., texted his state's junior senator, Thom Tillis, about a tweet from the senator's wife. Cawthorn had just announced that he was planning to switch districts, and Susan Tillis took to Twitter to criticize the move.

"Why is your wife attacking me on Twitter?" the House freshman demanded in his text exchange obtained by The Washington Post.

The senator replied that he hadn't seen his wife's tweet, but suggested Cawthorn didn't need to look far for a possible reason.

"Just spit ballin here," Tillis wrote, "but maybe because you've attacked her husband?"

"I don't feel like I've attacked you that much," Cawthorn replied. "I think I've said I don't think your conservative enough, did not realize that made us enemies."

In fact, Tillis isn't the only powerful enemy Cawthorn has made in his own party. The 26-year-old congressman has, in his few years in politics, sparked public outrage with his support for former president Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, inflammatory speeches, repeated driving and gun infractions, and even a nude video. But his falling out with top Republicans in North Carolina and Washington also arose from more humdrum blunders such as neglecting constituent services and insulting party elders, according to GOP officials and operatives in the state.

Now, those Republican enemies are openly lining up to take him down.

Tillis and many of North Carolina's top Republicans, including the state's House speaker and Senate leader, are backing a challenger, state senator Chuck Edwards, in next Tuesday's primary. Tillis has personally raised money for the effort. An allied super PAC is bombarding the district with TV ads and mail pieces highlighting Cawthorn's string of scandals and indiscretions - a list that gets longer with almost each passing day.

"Madison decided to throw elbows at these people," said Carlton Huffman, a Republican operative from North Carolina who's supporting Edwards. "He believes that there are new rules of politics in the Trump era and you don't have to kiss anybody's ring in the established party."

For Tillis - who doesn't face voters again until 2026 after winning re-election as a firm supporter of Trump - the turn against Cawthorn is driven by frustration with the freshman's antics, disappointment with his scant legislative record and an element of personal payback, according to Republican officials and operatives in North Carolina.

"There is a ton of bad blood. For Tillis, this is personal," said Michele Woodhouse, one of seven primary challengers for Cawthorn's seat.

Tillis declined to comment for this story through a spokesman. Susan Tillis did not respond to requests for comment.

Cawthorn has cast the campaign to oust him as attacks from "the swamp" of establishment party figures angered at his commitment to Trump.

"The Establishment in Washington and North Carolina has fought against my re-election to Congress in a way I've never seen before. The people of Western North Carolina see through it. Our campaign is on track to win a great victory next week, no matter what comes our way," Cawthorn said in a statement to The Post. In defense of his constituent services, Cawthorn's spokesman, Luke Ball, said he began accepting cases the day after he was sworn in and has resolved more than 1,800 to date.

The opposition from Tillis and other GOP leaders seeks to bring a sudden end to the meteoric rise of a political newcomer who surged to celebrity status in Trump's Make America Great Again movement. The race is shaping up to be a contest between MAGA star power and old-fashioned political pull - a test of how far a candidate (besides Trump himself) can go in juicing online outrage for campaign cash and bucking the party establishment.

"There are so many people saying crazy things these days and people shrug their shoulders, but it was more of the personal behavior that people started to view him as immature and erratic," said Jim Blaine, of the firm, Differentiators, who says his group's polling shows Cawthorn dipping in popularity and Edwards rising since March. "He would be a modern-day Icarus, except he flew into the sun."

Even Trump, who endorsed Cawthorn during a visit to Mar-a-Lago in March 2021, may be distancing himself from the embattled freshman. At an April rally in Selma, N.C., Trump touted his endorsement of Ted Budd for Senate and Bo Hines in another congressional race, but of Cawthorn said only, "He's a great guy."

Cawthorn said Trump is "my friend and the leader of our party" and disputed "anonymous sources and nameless accusations."

"No matter whether he wins or not, he's severely damaged," said Isaac Herrin, a Republican field organizer in the district. "The knives have come out because he has not been a friend to the people of his district who helped put him in office, and he has not been a friend of some of the people in North Carolina who hold political power."

Cawthorn and Tillis didn't have a strong relationship to start with, but the tension between them took off at a Republican Party meeting in Macon County, N.C., in August. Addressing a crowd on the front porch of the county GOP headquarters, and brandishing a three-foot-long 12-gauge shotgun, Cawthorn called Tillis "a terrible campaigner" and "a complete RINO" (a pejorative shorthand for "Republican in Name Only").

Elsewhere in the speech, Cawthorn warned of further "bloodshed" in response to elections that he baselessly suggested were "rigged" or stolen." Those comments drew condemnation from congressional Democrats. But those were not the remarks that gave Republicans pause. Rather, it was his insults of Tillis that roiled North Carolina Republican politics.

Tillis's allies, including Susan Tillis, started calling people at the speech, furious that Cawthorn was using a party function to attack a senator from his own party. "My phone was blowing up," said Woodhouse, who was then the party chair for the congressional district.

A few months after the speech, Cawthorn made another powerful enemy when he said he'd switch districts. Cawthorn announced his bid with a statement some felt insulted the presumed front-runner, state House Speaker Tim Moore, and the district's voters at the same time: "I am afraid that another establishment go-along-to-get-along Republican would prevail there," Cawthorn said. "I will not let that happen."

The new district's constituents included the Tillises, and Susan Tillis responded on Twitter that the voters there "didn't need any intervention and we are capable of making our own decisions."

Moore passed on running for the seat rather than take on Cawthorn. Moore's spokeswoman said he was unavailable to comment for this story.

Cawthorn further piqued state party leaders in December when he visited Mar-a-Lago touting a mock-up of "Congressman Cawthorn's plan for North Carolina," showing his picks for all the state's congressional districts, including himself for the new district, Woodhouse for his old one, and Hines for another.

But Cawthorn returned to his original district when the state supreme court struck down the new congressional map. Tillis, Moore and state Senate leader Phil Berger endorsed Edwards, whose campaign has dropped more than $300,000 on ads ridiculing Cawthorn's Instagram posts and comparing him to the Kardashians, according to media tracking company AdImpact.

Even more air support - at least $630,000 - has come from a super PAC called Results for NC that previously backed Tillis and the state's other senator, Richard Burr. The PAC's mailers, text messages and TV, radio and online ads savage Cawthorn for defending Russia's invasion of Ukraine and getting caught in lies and embarrassing antics.

The PAC funded the blitz by raising $1.2 million in April, including $500,000 from cryptocurrency mogul Ryan Salame, the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets. Salame declined to comment.

The super PAC also received $670,000 from Americans for a Balanced Budget, an anti-deficit outfit run by North Carolina GOP operative Douglas "Dee" Stewart, who declined to comment. A gas station business led by J. Hall Waddell of Hendersonville, N.C., gave the super PAC another $30,000. Waddell, who did not respond to requests for comment, has previously donated to both Cawthorn and Tillis.

In addition to rankling Republican leaders in North Carolina, Cawthorn also antagonized his colleagues in Washington.

In a March podcast interview, Cawthorn suggested he'd encountered other Republicans at Washington parties with cocaine and orgies. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., responded that Cawthorn "did not tell the truth" and described his actions as "not becoming of a congressman." The public rebuke was widely seen as McCarthy giving his blessing to other Republicans to attack Cawthorn in his primary. A spokesman for McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment.

"They shouldn't have been waiting until he accused them of having orgies," said George Erwin, a former sheriff in Henderson County, N.C., who backed Cawthorn in 2020 and renounced him after he spoke to the Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Erwin is now supporting a primary rival, Rod Honeycutt. "They should have been speaking up a long time ago. As a lifelong Republican, I have a problem with that."

Cawthorn is fighting the onslaught of attack ads with a depleted war chest. His campaign raked in $3.8 million, almost twice the average for a House member and more than four times as much as his rival Edwards. But about 21 cents of every dollar Cawthorn's campaign received went to costs for raising money, such as consulting fees and commissions.

Cawthorn finished April with about $137,000 in the bank, to Edwards's $191,000, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Operatives on the ground agree Edwards has the momentum and the attacks on Cawthorn are taking their toll. But with early voting underway and the primary coming up next week, the Edwards campaign may run out of time, and Cawthorn could still come out on top of the splintered field.

"I thought he was a shining star, like he was perhaps one of the up-and-coming stars of the party," said Aubrey Woodard, a former local party official who's thrown his support to Edwards. "I've not been impressed. The only thing we see coming from him has been something that we'd really rather not be involved in or hear about."

- - -

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, Alice Crites, Anu Narayanswamy and Dylan Freedman contributed to this report.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Provisions in contentious Wisconsin lame-duck legislation that require Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul to get Republican lawmakers' permission to settle certain lawsuits are unconstitutional, a judge has ruled.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Tuesday that Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford handed down her ruling on May 5. Crawford put the decision on hold while the Legislature's attorney prepares a stay request. The case is likely headed to the state Supreme Court.
VILNIUS, Lithuania  Maria Alyokhina first came to the attention of Russian authorities  and the world  when her punk band and performance art group Pussy Riot staged a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscows Christ the Savior Cathedral.

For that act of rebellion in 2012, she was sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism. She remained determined to fight Putins system of repression, even after being jailed six more times since the summer, each stint for 15 days, always on trumped-up charges aimed at stifling her political activism.

But in April, as Putin cracked down harder to snuff out any criticism of his war in Ukraine, authorities announced that her effective house arrest would be converted to 21 days in a penal colony. She decided it was time to leave Russia  at least temporarily  and disguised herself as a food courier to evade the Moscow police officers who had been staking out the friends apartment where she was staying. She left her cellphone behind as a decoy and to avoid being tracked.

A friend drove her to the border with Belarus, and it took her a week to cross into Lithuania. In a studio apartment in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, she agreed to an interview to describe a dissidents harrowing escape from Putins Russia.

I was happy that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and big kiss-off to Russian authorities, Alyokhina said, using a less polite term. I still dont understand completely what Ive done, she said, dressed in black except for a fanny pack with a rainbow belt.

Alyokhina, 33, has spent her entire adult life fighting for her country to respect its own constitution and the most basic human rights, like freedom of expression. After being freed early from prison in December 2013, she and another member of Pussy Riot founded Mediazona, an independent news outlet focused on crime and punishment in Russia.

She also wrote a memoir, Riot Days, and traveled internationally performing a show based on the book. Although her dream was to tour with it in Russia, only three venues agreed to host the show, and all faced repercussions.

Alyokhina was committed to remaining in Russia despite regular surveillance and pressure from authorities. But now she has joined the tens of thousands of Russians who have fled since the invasion of Ukraine.

Alyokhina, whose friends call her Masha, had bitten her nails down to stubs, and she puffed almost unceasingly on a vape or on Marlboro Lights. She made the journey in black, 3-inch platform boots without laces  a nod to her many stints in jail, where shoelaces are confiscated.

In prison, she and others instead threaded moist towelettes through the eyelets of their shoes to keep them on. As a statement, she and other members of Pussy Riot will wear them while they perform during a tour, starting Thursday in Berlin, to raise money for Ukraine.

When it first began more than a decade ago, Pussy Riot seemed as much publicity stunt as political activism. But if its protest in the Moscow cathedral  where they sang a Punk Prayer ridiculing the symbiosis that had developed between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin  seemed overwrought at the time, today it appears prescient.

The churchs leader, Patriarch Kirill, recently blessed Russian troops going to Ukraine, and the European Union put his name on a proposed list of people to be sanctioned.

Exactly 10 years to the day after the cathedral protest, Putin delivered a ranting speech in which he called Ukraine a country created by Russia, laying the groundwork for his invasion.

Alyokhina listened to the speech on the radio from a jail cell. The invasion, she said, had changed everything  not just for her, but for her country.

I dont think Russia has a right to exist anymore, she said. Even before, there were questions about how it is united, by what values it is united and where it is going. But now I dont think that is a question anymore.

During the interview she was surrounded by other members of the group, now a collective with about a dozen members. Most of them had also recently fled Russia, including her girlfriend, Lucy Shtein.

Shtein had chosen to leave Russia a month before, also evading restrictions on her movement by sneaking out in a delivery service uniform. Her decision came after someone posted a sign on the door of the apartment she shared with Alyokhina accusing them of being traitors.

Alyokhina and Shtein were once imprisoned for Instagram posts calling for the release of political prisoners in Russia. In February, Alyokhina was sentenced to 15 days for propaganda of Nazi symbolism over another Instagram post, this one from 2015, that criticized Putins ally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Shtein was detained at the same time on similar charges.

They are scared because they cannot control us, Alyokhina said.

By the time she arrived at Belarus border with Lithuania, she had a Lithuanian visa that she tried to use with her Russian domestic ID, as Russia had confiscated her passport. By then she had been placed on Russias wanted list.

In her first attempt to cross, Alyokhina was held by Belarusian border guards for six hours before being sent back. On her second try, the incredulous officer on duty just sent her away.

But on the third try, she got through. Alyokhina had allies outside the country working to find her a path to freedom. One was Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson, a friend who persuaded a European country to issue Alyokhina a travel document that essentially gave her the same status as an EU citizen. The countrys officials asked that it not be named.

The document was smuggled into Belarus for Alyokhina to use. While there, she avoided hotels or anywhere she would need to show proof of identity, which could tip off the people searching for her.

Alyokhina eventually boarded a bus to Lithuania with the document in hand. She laughed when she described how much better she was treated by the border guards when they thought of her as a European, rather than Russian.

A lot of magic happened last week, she said. It sounds like a spy novel.

The fact that she was able to get out of Russia and Belarus was a reflection, she said, of chaotic Russian law enforcement.

From here it looks like a big demon, but it is very disorganized if you look from the inside, she said. The right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing.

Alyokhina said she hopes to return to Russia. But no one has any idea how that could happen, when even the most dedicated activists are imprisoned or forced into exile.

Every day in Vilnius, new members of the group were arriving, fleeing Russia and joining for rehearsals for the European tour.

After a few days, Alyokhina traveled to Iceland with some other group members to visit Kjartansson, who arranged for them to rehearse in the building that once housed the countrys High Court.

Alyokhina asked Kjartansson and Bjork, a relative of his, to perform at events organized by pro-Ukrainian activists when Pussy Riot performs in Iceland. The answer, Kjartansson said, was a resounding Yesss!

In Vilnius, Alyokhinas phone buzzed with messages of support and relief that she was now safe after the weeklong journey. Alyokhina chafed at these well-intentioned expressions, which she said were off the mark.

If your heart is free, she said, it doesnt matter where you are.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Leonid Kravchuk, who led Ukraine to independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union and served as its first president, died Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. He was 88.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to Kravchuk, calling him not just a historical figure but "a man who knew how to find wise words and to say them so that all Ukrainians would hear them.

Zelenskyy said Kravchuk died Tuesday but gave no details of the circumstances. He had been in poor health and underwent a heart operation last year.

Kravchuk led Ukraine as its Communist Party boss in the waning years of the Soviet Union, and played a pivotal role in the demise of the USSR before holding the Ukrainian presidency from 1991 through 1994.

He was a driving force in Ukraines declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and later that year joined with the leaders of Russia and Belarus to sign an agreement on Dec. 8, 1991, which formally declared that the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

As president, Kravchuk agreed to transfer remaining Soviet nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory to Russian control, in a deal backed by the United States.

He lost the 1994 presidential election to former Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma. In 2020 he returned to politics to try to negotiate a settlement as part of a contact group for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists had fought Ukrainian forces since 2014.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter that with Kravchuk's signature to the December 1991 agreement disbanding the Soviet Union the Evil Empire disintegrated.

Thank you for the peaceful renewal of our Independence. Were defending it now with weapons in our hands, Reznikov wrote Tuesday.

Kravchuks death comes a week after that of the first president of post-Soviet Belarus, Stanislav Shushkevich, who died aged 87 following treatment for COVID-19, according to his wife.

Since Shushkevichs death, Kravchuk was the last survivor of the three leaders who signed the 1991 deal. Russian President Boris Yeltsin died in 2007 aged 76.

Since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and threw its weight behind the 2014 separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast doubt on Ukraines statehood and falsely portray the country as an artificial construct of Communist rule  rhetoric that paved the way for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In a televised address Feb. 21, three days before the invasion, Putin blamed historic, strategic mistakes by Communist leaders for having led to the collapse of the Soviet state. Ukraine turned to us for financial support many times from the very moment they declared independence, Putin said in an apparent reference to Kravchuks time in office.

Some participants in the historic Dec. 8 meeting at a hunting lodge in the Belovezha forest, in what is now Belarus, pointed to Kravchuk as having played the main role in the demise of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine had declared its sovereignty after an August coup by hardline Communist Party members weakened Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachevs authority. A week before the Belovezha agreement, Kravchuk was elected president of Ukraine in a vote that also overwhelmingly approved its independence from Moscow.

Participants in the Belovezha talks said Kravchuk rejected any efforts to keep the Soviet Union going with reforms.

Kravchuk was focused on Ukraines independence, Belarusian leader Shushkevich, who took part in the talks and signed the deal, told The Associated Press in an interview last year. He was proud that Ukraine declared its independence in a referendum and he was elected president on Dec. 1, 1991.

Zelenskyy said Kravchuk's ability to speak to Ukrainians was particularly important in difficult, crisis moments, when the future of the whole country may depend on the courage of one man."

Zelenskyy's own communication skills and decision to remain in Kyiv when it came under Russian attack have helped make him a strong wartime leader.

Noting that Kravchuk had lived through World War II and the occupation, Zelenskyy said he knew the price of freedom and with all his heart wanted peace for Ukraine. I am sure that we will accomplish this. We will achieve our victory and our peace.
MANILA, Philippines - Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator whose family plundered billions of dollars, was elected president of the Philippines by a landslide, according to preliminary results, only 36 years after his father was ousted in a historic revolution.

For critics, it marks a further backward slide for a nation - once admired as one of the few democracies in Southeast Asia - that continues to trudge down the path of populism. Marcos succeeds the tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte, best known for his crude insults and a war on drugs that has left thousands dead.

Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, is Marcos's running mate and the next vice president. The tandem, which has dubbed itself the "Uniteam" for its supposed message of unity, is a political marriage of the country's two most powerful dynasties.

Early on Tuesday in a speech, Marcos thanked his supporters for their "belief in our message of unity" and their "belief in the candidates."

The mood was jubilant as the magnitude of their victory became clear and Marcos's supporters sang and celebrated in front of the campaign headquarters along the same historic Manila avenue where people protested to oust his father more than three decades ago.

Meanwhile, hundreds of disheartened supporters of his main opponent, Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo, flocked to a volunteer center to console one another and tune in to her live-streamed speech.

"We have started something that has never before been seen in our nation's history: a campaign led by the people," Robredo said Tuesday morning. "This structure of lies took a long time to build. There will come a time and chance to tear it down."

Her supporters have suggested that her grass-roots campaign, which brought together diverse elements of pink-wearing volunteers across sectors, should maintain its momentum and prepare to take on a role as the opposition under the new administration.

"One of the lessons we have to learn from the other camp is, when they lost [in the 2016 vice-presidential race], they started to campaign immediately," said Mik Afable, a volunteer who organized flash mobs and helped take charge of operations on Monday.

He expressed hope that their movement would be a lasting one, compared to the well-financed Marcos juggernaut. "If you pay for loyalty, it goes away very quickly," he said.

Marcos's carefully planned journey to the presidency shows how social media can shape perception and politics in a highly online country, which has been dubbed the "patient zero" of disinformation after Duterte first won with the help of troll farms in 2016.

As president, Marcos will rule over an archipelago of about 110 million ravaged by the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, where around a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. He also is expected to continue the drug war and shield the outgoing Duterte from possible prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

"This election is so consequential because whoever wins will decide who lives and who dies in the Philippines," said Nicole Curato, a sociologist and professor at the University of Canberra.

But the rest of Marcos's platforms and policies are largely unclear because he has skipped election debates and interviews with the independent media, instead surrounding himself with social media personalities and vloggers who enjoy preferential treatment from his campaign.

"We don't know enough in terms of how they will govern," Curato said. "They control the way they disseminate information."

Marcos's governing experience is concentrated in the province from which the family hails. He was governor of Ilocos Norte in the 1980s (replacing his aunt), before he left with the uprising that overthrew his father. After his return, he served as a representative for the province and then again governor before he was elected to the Senate in 2010 - where he was later involved in a corruption scandal.

Marcos is also expected to continue Duterte's friendly stance toward China, and he previously said that he would not seek help from the United States regarding the dispute over islands in the South China Sea, which China has heavily militarized. Popular ire, however, is running high against China over its pressure on Philippine fishermen, and there are long-standing ties with the United States, including between their militaries.

As the numbers steadily trickled in for Marcos, thousands across various precincts were still waiting to cast their votes well past midnight. Technical problems that plagued vote-counting machines fed into fears that ballots could be tampered with, and on Tuesday morning, demonstrators flocked to the Commission on Elections in Manila to protest what they saw as an election riddled with irregularities.

The human rights group Karapatan also called on the public to reject the Marcos-Duterte tandem, saying that Marcos "[spits] on the graves and sufferings" of thousands of martial law victims. "Worse, he has portrayed the victims of human rights violations as money-seeking opportunists," said the group's secretary general, Cristina Palabay.

According to the unofficial count with 98% of precincts reporting, Marcos won 58.7% of the ballots cast, more than 31 million votes, compared with Duterte's victory with just 16 million in 2016.

Robredo, a lawyer and social activist, came in second with 14.8 million votes - less than half of Marcos's total. The race was a rematch for the two, who had faced off in the 2016 vice-presidential race, which Robredo won, despite Marcos's attempts to overturn the result.

Before Marcos Jr., no candidate in the last three decades has won the presidential election in a majority - not since the February 1986 snap election that saw Marcos Jr.'s father win 53% of the vote, only to be nullified amid concerns over massive electoral fraud, coercion and violence. Later that month, following the "People Power" revolution that saw more than a million Filipinos take to the street to oust the Marcos regime, the family fled the Philippines to exile in Hawaii, and Corazon Aquino was sworn in as the nation's first female president.

In the Philippines, political dynasties dominate - with the Marcos family being among the most well known. Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, Imelda, daughter Imee and son have all held political posts in or representing the province of Ilocos Norte. Imelda, 92, who previously launched two unsuccessful presidential bids, arrived at a polling station Monday in a red outfit, rosary and Chanel pin.

"She's wanted me to become president since I was 3 years old," Marcos said of his mother in 2015.

They also face various controversies: unpaid estate taxes reported to have ballooned to over $3 billion, a graft conviction for Imelda, a nearly $2 billion class-action award and contempt order handed down by a U.S. District Court compensating thousands of victims of rights violations under the Marcos administration, among others.

Marcos also has controversies of his own, including a questionable tax record and his contested claims to have completed his studies at Oxford University.

The excesses of the Marcos family were in full view during their rule decades ago, with frequent jet-setting, spending sprees and, famously, Imelda's thousands of pairs of shoes - boxes of which have since fallen victim to mold and termite infestations.

Under martial law at the time, reports of human rights abuses were rampant, including arbitrary arrests, forcible disappearances, torture and killings. But with a Marcos win, the family is set to be shielded from accountability.

There are ongoing attempts to recoup as much as $10 billion plundered by the family's late patriarch. As president, in control of the executive branch and with influence over government agencies, Marcos will have outsize power in controlling that hunt.

Marcos's landslide win points to the success of his social media campaign but also Filipinos' "serial disappointment" in the political establishment and democratic rule over the past three decades, said Marco Garrido, a sociologist at the University of Chicago.

"The faith they had in liberal democracy has dried up . . . and they've developed this taste for illiberal rule over the course of the Duterte administration," he said. "This nostalgia for the Marcos period wouldn't make sense unless you put it in the context of 36 years of disappointment."

- - -

Westfall reported from Washington.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A Minneapolis man was found guilty Tuesday of lying to a federal grand jury about abusing a process for submitting absentee ballots for other voters during Minnesota's primary election in August 2020.

After a day of testimony, the jury of 10 women and two men took just 40 minutes to convict Muse Mohamud Mohamed of two counts of making false statements to a grand jury, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Mohamed, 34, was accused of falsely telling the grand jury last fall that he had obtained three absentee ballots for the primary on behalf of three voters who then filled them out before he returned them to the election office.

Federal prosecutors said Mohamed didn't take any of the three ballots to the absentee voters named on the envelopes, and that none of the voters gave him ballots to return. The defense disputes the charges.

Mohamed went on trial Monday before U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel in Minneapolis. Here's a deeper look at the issues in the case:

AGENCY VOTING

Absentee voters in Minnesota can use agent delivery." It's meant for voters who intend to vote in person, but become unable due to health reasons or disabilities. They can then request absentee ballots after the normal deadline and can designate an agent to act on their behalf. That agent must be at least 18, have a pre-existing relationship with the voter, and can't be a candidate. A agent can pick up and deliver ballots for no more than three voters in any given election.

THE DEFENDANT'S ROLE

According to a prosecution filing, city election documents show that Mohamed delivered three ballots as an agent for three voters in the Aug. 11, 2020, primary election. But prosecutors allege the three voters did not know Mohamed and did not ask him to pick up or deliver absentee ballots for them. One ballot he allegedly attempted to return was rejected because the voter had voted in person.

Mohamed was later subpoenaed and testified twice before a federal grand jury investigating the agent delivery process for the 2020 primary, the filing said.

Ultimately, Mohamed stated he received the three absentee ballots from the voters themselves. When confronted with the fact that the voters each gave statements that they do not know Mohamed and that they did not ask him or anyone for agent delivery of their ballots for the August 2020 election, Mohamed continued to stand by his answer that he received the ballots from the voter, prosecutors wrote.

THE 2020 PRIMARY

The August 2020 primary in Minnesota wasn't part of the nominating process for the 2020 presidential election, which former President Donald Trump still falsely claims he won. Mohamed was a volunteer in that campaign for Omar Fateh, according to reporting by the Minnesota Reformer and the Sahan Journal, two independent news websites. Fateh, a democratic socialist, defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeff Hayden in the primary by around 2,000 votes and went on to with the general election for the south Minneapolis seat. At most, two of the allegedly fraudulent ballots handled by Mohamed were counted, not nearly enough to effect the outcome of any race on the ballot.

THE INVESTIGATION

Mohamed is the only person known to have been indicted as a result of the grand jury investigation. Those proceedings are normally secret, and no details have emerged except for those related to the charges against Mohamed in this case. So the scope of the investigation and whether it uncovered any other vote fraud remains unclear.

According to the Sahan Journal, Muses sister is Zaynab Mohamed, the Democratic-endorsed candidate for a neighboring Senate district in Minneapolis. She told the news outlet that she was not involved in his trial, nor was she a subject of the investigation.

VOTE FRAUD IS RARE

Multiple reviews, recounts, lawsuits and an investigation by The Associated Press have confirmed there was no widespread fraud in the last White House race. The AP's review found that virtually every case was based on an individual acting alone to cast additional ballots. Nationally, federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said there was no credible evidence the election was tainted anywhere in the country.

Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon has said repeatedly that Minnesota's 2020 elections were fair and honest, with no credible evidence of significant voter fraud.

In another Minnesota case, Abdihakim Amin Essa was sentenced to probation last month in state court for pleading guilty to four vote fraud counts in the 2018 election. Nine other counts were dismissed in the plea agreement. He was accused of signing as a witness for 13 people who cast absentee ballots when he legally couldn't because he wasn't a U.S. citizen, and signing with his father's name. All 13 ballots were rejected.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  The GOP-led Missouri Legislature on Tuesday renewed a call for a national convention to add congressional term limits to the U.S. Constitution.

The House voted 82-66 in favor of the resolution, narrowly passing it despite bipartisan opposition.
NEW YORK (AP)  An appeals court in New York dismissed New York Attorney General Letitia James lawsuit against Amazon over its coronavirus safety protocols and a former employee who led the successful union organizing effort on Staten Island.

Besides potentially exposing workers to the virus at two Amazon facilities in New York City, the lawsuit filed by James last year claimed that Amazon illegally retaliated against workers who spoke up about poor safety conditions in its warehouses. They include Chris Smalls, the fired Amazon worker who now heads the Amazon Labor Union, and Derrick Palmer, the group's vice president of organizing.

The appellate court said in its ruling Tuesday that federal labor law preempted state labor law, and the National Labor Relations Board should serve as the forum for disputes arising from conduct that's protected or prohibited by federal labor law, not the states.

It also said the lawsuits efforts to require the retailer to comply with New Yorks COVID-19 workplace guidelines was dismissed as moot because the restriction in place at the time have since been lifted.

The court also pointed to a separate NLRB case over another fired employee, Gerald Bryson. It said that case involves essentially the same allegations of retaliation, and the possibility of inconsistent rulings on the same issue poses an obvious and substantial risk of interference'" with the NLRB's jurisdiction.

Palmer, who was given a final written warning in the early days of the pandemic, is still employed at Amazon.

The court's ruling is a win for Amazon, which had sought to have the case thrown out but its motion to dismiss was denied by a trial court last year.

Throughout the pandemic, Amazon has failed to provide a safe working environment for New Yorkers, putting their health and safety at risk, said Morgan Rubin, a spokesperson for the attorney general, in a statement. "As our office reviews the decision and our options moving forward, Attorney General James remains committed to protecting Amazon workers, and all workers, from unfair treatment.

The Seattle-based online retailer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FERNLEY, Nev. (AP)  A man accused of kidnapping and killing an 18-year-old Fernley woman in March isn't scheduled to appear in court again until July after a judge granted the prosecutor's request for a delay.

Troy Driver, 41, made a brief virtual appearance from jail Tuesday at a status hearing in justice court in Fernley. He was arrested March 25 in the death of Naomi Irion after prosecutors said he abducted her from a Wal-Mart parking lot March 12, killed her and buried her body in the high desert.
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP)  A fire at a northern New Jersey trash facility prompted the evacuation of homes and left one person unaccounted for, authorities said Tuesday.

Officials in Elizabeth said the blaze at Waste Management's Julia Street transfer station was reported at about 2 p.m.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York will give abortion providers $35 million to expand services and boost security in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court possibly overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.

The Democrat said the state must get ready for a potential influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortions from the roughly half of U.S. states that are expected to ban or greatly restrict abortion if Roe is overturned.

To truly ensure that anyone seeking an abortion in New York has access to them, we have to ensure that the providers have the resources and the capacity to accommodate all patients who walk through their doors, Hochul said.

Abortion providers in New York and elsewhere have long faced safety fears: In Hochuls hometown of Amherst, New York, an anti-abortion activist fatally shot Dr. Barnett Slepian through a window in his home on Oct. 23, 1998.

Hochul's office said she'll use an emergency Department of Health fund to provide $25 million in grants and reimbursements to abortion providers, including increasing access to services, while the remaining $10 million for security upgrades at abortion providers and reproductive health centers will come from from the state's Division of Criminal Justice Services, which is part of the states executive branch.

I consider this an emergency and Im going to make sure that that money is available the second the decision comes down, she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday that she backed a similar proposal to provide $50 million in funding for abortion providers.

A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the landmark 1973 abortion rights ruling has spurred Democratic leaders in several states to consider steps to increase access to abortion services. A final ruling is not expected until the end of the courts term in late June or early July.

In February, Oregon launched a $15 million fund to provide grants to Oregon nonprofits to expand access to abortions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, proposed a budget that includes $68 million for reproductive health care services including abortion providers.

Hochul is also backing a proposed state constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion rights and prohibit discrimination based on factors from race to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. That amendment would need to be approved by the state legislature in two legislative session years and then be approved by voters.

In Vermont, voters this fall will consider an abortion rights amendment to the state constitution. Connecticut, Michigan and Colorado are facing calls for similar amendments, while states like Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky are considering amendments restricting abortion rights.

Other states, including Connecticut and Washington, have also taken steps to shield providers from possible lawsuits as people seek abortions across state lines.

New York and its Democratic-led Legislature have expanded abortion rights in recent years by allowing more abortions after 24 weeks, removing abortion from the states penal code and allowing access to medication abortion services through telemedicine visits.

This year, lawmakers used the state budget to pass a law enshrining existing regulations that require every insurance plan to cover all types of abortion, regardless of reason. That law has been the subject of an ongoing legal challenge by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

Hochul on Tuesday also called for an end to a U.S. law prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortions except in scenarios including rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. New York is one of 16 states where Medicaid pays for all or most abortions in cases where theyre deemed medically necessary, according to abortion-rights supporting Guttmacher Institute.

Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said that even New Yorks protections could be vulnerable in a court battle.

We should not harbor any illusions that the agenda of the radical right is to ban abortion completely, to do it on the federal level, to do it state-by-state, she said.

State GOP chair Nick Langworthy said the expected Supreme Court's opinion won't jettison abortion rights in New York and claimed Democrats are overblowing any potential impact.

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Associated Press writers Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash. and Michelle Price in New York City contributed reporting.

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This story has been corrected to show that state funding is not contingent on the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, and that funding for security upgrades will come from New York's Division of Criminal Justice Services, not the Department of Health.
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP)  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this," Pelosi said. "Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country," Pelosi said.

The city of Miami Beach and the Aspen Institute are hosting the conference this week at the New World Center and Miami Beach Convention Center. This event features inside and outdoor stages, breakout and roundtable sessions, tours of local and historic resilience points of interest, as well as fashion, food, art and music activities.

Besides Pelosi, Monday's opening event also featured NBC's Today weatherman Al Roker discussing how climate change has affected reporting the weather over the past five decades. Climate experts John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram also laid out a blueprint for saving the planet.

The event runs through Thursday, focusing on topics like strengthening communities, deploying private investment, making and using clean energy and using the Earth itself to fight climate change.

The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization with the stated aim of realizing a free, just and equitable society through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives.
Pfizer is starting to put its COVID-19 cash influx to use by spending $11.6 billion to venture deeper into a new treatment area.

The New York vaccine and cancer drug maker said Tuesday it will use cash on hand to buy the remaining portion of migraine treatment developer Biohaven Pharmaceutical it does not already own.

Pfizer will pay $148.50 in cash for each share of Biohaven, which makes Nurtec ODT for treating and preventing migraines and has a nasal spray under development.

Pfizer Inc. brought in more than $14 billion in sales during the recently completed first quarter from its COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and its new pill treatment for the virus, Paxlovid.

Most of that came from Comirnaty, which also rang up nearly $37 billion in sales last year. But revenue from Comirnaty, which Pifzer developed with BioNTech, is expected to fade in the coming years. Pfizer also faces the loss of patent protection for some key products in its broad portfolio over the next decade.

That includes Eliquis for preventing blood clots and strokes and the Prevnar 13 vaccine for preventing pneumonia and related bacterial diseases.

The company plans to have about $25 billion in sales by 2030 come from new business developments.

The deal announced Tuesday is a step in that direction. Pfizer currently has no migraine treatments. U.S. regulators approved Nurtec ODT  which stands for orally disintegrating tablet  for treating migraines in February 2020 and for preventing them about a year ago.

The drug is sold as Vydura in the European Union.

It brought in nearly $124 million in sales in the first quarter. Biohaven expects $825 to $900 million in product sales this year.

Pfizer plans to put its marketing muscle into the drug with potential launches for it in 70 countries.

Last November, Pfizer said it would invest $350 million in Biohaven to help sell Nurtec ODT and the spray, zavegepant, outside the United States.

Pfizer said Tuesday the spray is on track for U.S. acceptance in the current quarter, and an oral gel version of it also is being developed for preventing chronic migraines.

Pfizer executives told analysts they expect annual revenue from Nurtec ODT and the spray to eventually peak above $6 billion.

The pharmaceutical giant is an ideal acquirer of Biohaven's portfolio in part because of its strong presence in primary care, its cash position and its need for new growth drivers, Mizuho Securities USA analyst Dr. Vamil Divan said in a research note.

The deal for Biohaven also includes some other potential treatments in early stages of development.

Other elements of Biohavens late-stage development pipeline will go to a new, publicly traded company that keeps the Biohaven name.

The boards of both Pfizer and Biohaven have approved the sale. Biohaven shareholders, who will receive a stake in the new company, and regulators still need to ok it.

The deal is expected to close by early 2023.

Shares of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. which is based in New Haven, Connecticut, soared almost 70% to $141.20 in midday trading.

Pfizer's stock climbed about 1% to $49.20 as broader trading indexes slipped.

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Follow Tom Murphy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thpmurphy

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The story has been corrected to show that Biohaven shareholders have yet to approve the agreement.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP)  One person was shot and wounded at a North Carolina mall Tuesday, prompting an evacuation, police said.

News outlets reported Winston-Salem police were dispatched to Hanes Mall after receiving a report of shots fired inside. Officers said the shooting victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
FONTANA, Calif. (AP)  Police say they've solved a 32-year-old cold-case killing of a Southern California man, and the suspect is already serving a prison sentence on an unrelated charge.

John Carl Burkhardt, 71, was found stabbed to death at his ransacked Fontana home in March 1990 after he missed a breakfast date with a friend.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  After fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the stark political limits of its ability to save  or end  the Roe v. Wade protections.

President Joe Biden has called on Democrats to enshrine the nearly 50-year-old Supreme Court ruling into law after the disclosure of a draft opinion that would overturn the landmark decision that declared a constitutional right to abortion services.

But passing bills is easier said than done in the narrowly split Congress  reflective of a deeply divided nation.

A test vote Wednesday in the Senate on a Democratic bill to protect access to abortions is expected to fail, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster.

At the same time, Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell face similar political problems trying to ban abortions nationwide, even if they wrest control of the chamber in next fall's midterm elections.

Instead, whatever the Supreme Court decides on Roe v. Wade in its final opinion this summer almost guarantees a new era of political fighting in Congress over abortion policy, filibuster rules and the most basic rights to health care, privacy and protecting the unborn.

All of us will have to answer for this vote for the rest of our time in public office, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ahead of Wednesday's action.

In recent years, abortion access debates in many ways have come to a standstill in Congress, a political draw, as lawmakers faced the limits of trying to move public policy beyond the historic Roe v. Wade court decision. Bills would routinely come up for votes  to expand or limit abortion services  only to fall along typically party line votes or be stripped out of broader legislative packages.

But the Supreme Court's conservative 6-3 majority, solidified during the Trump era, has ignited an urgent shift to the forefront in Congress.

McConnell stunned Washington when he said it's possible to see a national abortion ban.

The Republican leader has been a key architect of the Supreme Court's solid conservative majority, engineering rapid-fire confirmation of three of Donald Trump's nominees in just four years and changing Senate filibuster rules to push past Democratic objections.

In an interview with USA Today, McConnell recently said, If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies  not only at the state level but at the federal level  certainly could legislate in that area."

But on Tuesday McConnell acknowledged that if Republicans become the majority in the Senate they still are unlikely to have enough votes to ban abortion outright.

The widespread sentiment in my conference is this issue will be dealt with at the state level, McConnell said. He said Republicans won't have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Likewise, Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii said for the other side, I think we have to be explicit and tell the truth, which is, we dont currently have the votes. Still, he said hopefully that if voters elect more senators who favor abortion rights, "we will put this into federal law.

Both parties face enormous pressure to convince voters they are doing all they can  the Democrats working to preserve abortion access and the Republicans to end it  as they race toward fall when control of Congress is at stake in the elections.

The congressional campaign committees are fundraising off the abortion issue, and working furiously to energize voters who are already primed to engage when such a long-running and important issue for millions of Americans is at stake.

The two Republican senators who support abortion access  Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who faces her own reelection in November, and Susan Collins of Maine  have proposed a separate bill that would counter the Supreme Court's action.

But both senators, who voted to confirm most of Trump's justices, are expected to stick with the Republican Party this week and block the Democratic bill as too broad.

At the same time, Democrats have largely panned the Collins-Murkowski effort as insufficient, leaving no hopes, for now, of any compromise.

And rank-and-file Republicans distanced themselves from McConnell's initial remarks, saying an all-out national ban on abortions is not something they can deliver.

"The reality is is that you would never get that done here," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Democrats are unconvinced that Republicans, who have fought for years to deny abortion services, would give that fight up now and let the states decide.

Democrats believe Republicans are running scared, Schumer said, afraid of what they have unleashed, with polls showing most Americans want to preserve some access to abortion.

It was McConnell who blocked Barack Obama's choice of Merrick Garland to fill a Supreme Court vacancy at the start of the 2016 presidential campaign, leaving the seat open for Trump to fill after he won the White House.

And even though McConnell insisted Tuesday there is zero interest among Republicans to change Senate filibuster rules to make it easier to pass an abortion ban, it was the GOP leader who orchestrated the Senate rules change to allow 51-vote threshold to confirm Supreme Court nominees.

Republicans have worked day in and day out for decades on end to overturn Roe v. Wade, said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

More likely is that both parties will try to chip away at the issue  Republicans tightening access to abortion at the national level, while Democrats work to shore up the availability of medicinal abortions and other related services.

There are multiple fronts we can move on, said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

In the House, where Democrats have the majority, lawmakers approved the Women's Health Protection Act last year on a largely party-line vote once the Supreme Court first signaled it was considering the issue by allowing a Texas law's ban on abortions to take effect.

But the bill has languished in the Senate, evenly split 50-50 with Democratic control because of Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to cast a tie-braking vote. Unable to mount the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, a test vote failed in February, with one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joining Republicans to block the bill's consideration.

A similar outcome is expected Wednesday when the Senate tries again to pass the legislation, which would put the guaranteed right to abortion into law.

It's the first of what Schumer promises will be repeated efforts to show voters where the parties stand.

This is no longer just a abstract exercise: Now we know womens rights are at stake, Schumer said. "So this vote is the first step. We are going to keep fighting."

-

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
RABAT, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Monday in Rabat on bolstering bilateral relations, economic and trade exchange.

Speaking to the press following the meeting, Bourita expressed Morocco's condolences to the Egyptian victims of the deadly attack in Sinai a day earlier, and reiterated the kingdom's full support for all measures taken by Egypt to preserve its security and stability.

"Morocco and Egypt share similar views on many regional issues," Bourita said, adding that the two countries agreed to hold the political consultation mechanism and the Moroccan-Egyptian Businessmen Council.

For his part, Shoukry expressed Egypt's determination to further bolster its relations with Morocco by activating the political consultation mechanism, the economic commission and the business forum.

The two sides also discussed the crises in Libya, the Palestinian issue and the fight against terrorism.

Shoukry wished that the upcoming ministerial conference of the Global Coalition against the Islamic State terrorist group on Wednesday in the Moroccan city of Marrakech will be a success. 
Sara Lomelin offered the final TED Talk of this years conference of expert speakers last month, on a particularly star-studded day in Vancouver, Canada, where she followed actress Bryce Dallas Howard, TV producer Michael Schur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who discussed the future of his company and his plans for Twitter.

Lomelin, the CEO of Philanthropy Together, a nonprofit that seeks to use grassroots giving to diversify donations, laughs when asked to compare the audience responses to their presentations.

I was a lot lighter than he was, said Lomelin, who focused her talk on the power of giving circles, after Musks discourse on the power of artificial intelligence. I basically felt like I was on Cloud Nine. It was an incredible, incredible experience.

Lomelin wants the concept of a giving circle  in which people pool their time and money and collectively decide where to donate it  to become as well-known and as mainstream as crowdfunding. She hopes to accomplish that through high-profile appearances like her TED Talk; a database of existing giving circles that people can join or recreate in their own communities; and events like the We Give Summit, a four-day virtual gathering of giving circle participants and philanthropy that begins Wednesday.

The Associated Press spoke recently with Lomelin about Philanthropy Togethers billion-dollar plans for expansion and why many people are themselves philanthropists without even knowing it. The interview was edited for clarity and length.

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Q. Why did you want your TED talk to about giving circles?

A. That is not only my work passion but my life passion. Im a true believer of in giving circles and the power that can build communities. Its basically the future of philanthropy. Its changing the narrative of who gets to be called a philanthropist.

Q. That title does not have to be reserved only for Elon Musk?

A. Thats exactly the message. You dont have to be a millionaire. You dont have to be in your 60s to be called a philanthropist. Thats the main part. But also, the moment we shift who is in charge of philanthropy, we shift what gets funded.

Q. Would you like that to replace the current model of philanthropy where billionaires seem to dictate things?

A. I wouldnt say replace, I think the challenges that the world faces are huge. We need everyone. So this is not about replacing big philanthropy. Its about involving more voices and involving more people taking action to support their communities. With giving circles, were moving a lot of people, but were not moving the billions and billions of dollars that some can move by themselves. So, by all means, they need to keep doing it. But I think there are many lessons from giving circles that big philanthropy could learn.

Q. Such as?

A. How do you create community? How do you take away a lot of those obstacles to giving? How do you engage further and support the cost to set up an organization that you believe in?

Q. Philanthropy Together is building this massive database of thousands of giving circles. What is the next step?

A. We have very bold goals. Our mission is to democratize and diversify philanthropy. What we want is to expand this movement to about 3,000 giving circles that will include 350,000 individuals by 2025.

Q. And that will translate to how much in new donations?

A. In the past two decades, giving circles have given out $1.3 billion. With the organic growth of the movement, plus our efforts, we want to mobilize a billion dollars within five years.

Q. Will giving circles make philanthropy more equitable?

A. I believe so. We all know these numbers, right? About 8% of philanthropic funding dollars go to communities of color, and about 1.9% goes to women and girls. People start giving circles because they see an injustice, and they want to take action. People power philanthropy. Because a lot of these are identity-based giving circles, they are giving to nonprofits led by their identity. Black giving circles are giving to Black-led nonprofits. Latino circles are giving to Latino-led nonprofits. LGBTQ giving circles are giving to LGBTQ-led nonprofits. So you start seeing funding for incredible organizations that are many times overlooked because they are small.

Q. Why do giving circles gravitate toward smaller organizations? Is it the ability to see the impact of a donation?

A. Its a great experience for the giving circle members. I remember when I was at Latino Community Foundation saying to people: Were here as donors to learn. Were given this opportunity to be part of the mission of these amazing organizations, so were going to listen to them with an open heart and an open mind. Were going to learn about them and learn from them.

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A civil rights leader said Tuesday that he won't stop raising his voice for the poor, uninsured and downtrodden, although his trespassing conviction for a demonstration five years ago at North Carolina's Legislative Building was allowed to stand.

The Rev. William Barber II of Goldsboro, president of the national Repairers of the Breach group, spoke outside the building where he was arrested in May 2017.

The state Supreme Court refused last week to hear Barbers appeal after the Court of Appeals in December upheld his misdemeanor conviction for second-degree trespassing following a jury trial in 2019. His attorneys told the justices that the case merited review in part because it involved legal principles related to the First Amendment.

I wear this conviction as a badge of honor," Barber said at a news conference, knowing that in the grand span of history, the truth will be told and the truth will be known.

As head of the North Carolina NAACP at the time, Barber was leading a call-and-response chant with dozens of people protesting the General Assembly's failure to expand Medicaid to more poor adults.

The Legislative Building rules prohibit noise from reaching levels that impair conversations and disrupt the ability of legislators and staff to carry out their duties.

The majority Court of Appeals opinion declared that Barber's free speech rights weren't harmed because he was removed from the General Assembly for the volume of his words, not the content. Barber said people have a right to assemble and bring grievances to legislators.

Im neither perfect nor always right, but as a gospel preacher and a bishop of the church, Im supposed to preach in season and out of season, Barber said in prepared remarks Tuesday.

Barber received a suspended one-day sentence, unsupervised probation, a $200 fine and 24 hours of community service.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The South Carolina Senate agreed Tuesday to come back in special session later this year to take up abortion bills to respond to the possibility the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to ban the procedure.

Republicans rejected a request by Democrats to also include in a special session a bill that would make South Carolina the 49th state to approve a law with additional punishment for hate crimes. That bill will die if not approved before the end of the General Assembly's regular session Thursday.

The vote to add hate crimes failed 25-20 with five Republicans joining all Democrats in the chamber. The vote to approve the resolution allowing the special session with abortion bills passed 36-8 with several Democrats afraid if it does not pass by Thursday, the governor could call the General Assembly back whenever they wish with no limits on what can be discussed.

The special session resolution now goes to the House which must also approve.

South Carolina lawmakers appeared to be taking a pause on major abortion legislation this year after passing a law in 2021 that banned most abortions by requiring doctors to use an ultrasound to check a fetus for a heartbeat and banning the procedure if one was detected. There were exceptions for rape, incest or if the mother's life was in danger. The law is on hold because of a court challenge.

But that was before a draft ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked last week suggesting the justices might overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to pass full abortion bans.

The possibility led Republican leaders in the Senate and House to include abortion bills with other typical special session items like finishing the state budget and dealing with vetoes from the governor after the regular session ends. The only other unusual item was finishing an election for college trustees that was delayed.

The outlook for a total abortion ban in South Carolina, especially if it does not include exceptions for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is threatened, is murky.

Supporters could need two-third votes to get over some procedural hurdles and Republicans currently are three votes short of that threshold in the House and a vote short in the Senate. Plus, several Republicans have said in the past they can't pass an abortion law without the exceptions.

Democrats have been trying to get a debate on the hate crimes bill since the session began in January, but eight Republicans have objected without much public explanation on their reasoning.

Opponents have said increased penalties for crimes committed because someone hates a certain group is unnecessary because a crime is a crime. They also worried a hate crime law could eventually be used to curtail free speech, especially against Christians.

The often more conservative South Carolina House passed the hate crimes bill last year. Supporters have been discouraged it has not been discussed in the other chamber.

Democratic senators complained Republicans have been especially heavy-handed this year preventing them from debating bills important to them.

All I want is an opportunity to be heard, follow the rules and a chance to prevail on a fair level playing field, Democratic Sen. Ronnie Babb of Greeleyville said.

But Sen. Tom Corbin said those are the breaks for the minority party or for proposals that don't have enough support.

Theres a lot of bills that a lot of us are passionate about that didnt get debated," the Republican from Travelers Rest said. Thats just the process of the Senate. You back up, you try again next year.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
A new effort is underway to find the remains of a British ship that Rhode Island colonists burned 250 years ago, marine archaeologists and state officials announced Tuesday.

The June 10, 1772, burning of the HMS Gaspee was an an act of rebellion that some proud Rhode Islanders maintain was just as important in sparking the American Revolution as the Boston Tea Party more than a year later.

Yet schoolchildren rarely learn of it in history class.

The effort to find evidence of the ship in the waters off of Warwick could bring more attention to the sinking, said state Rep. Joseph McNamara, who has been involved in efforts to find the ship for years.

The latest search that will start in July is being conducted by the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project using more than $30,000 in privately raised funds, he said. There have been previous searches for the Gaspee, but this time archaeologists will use the latest sonar technology, he said.

The Gaspee was burned to the waterline," he said. So we'd be looking for the quadrant of a hull, or a debris field that could tell us about the crew and how they conducted themselves.

Debris could include pieces of metal, ceramic or flint, among other things, he said.

The Gaspee was sent to Narragansett Bay to enforce trade laws and thwart smugglers. The colonists were soon fed up with the Gaspee under the leadership of Lt. William Dudingston for stopping ships and disrupting trade.

When the ship ran aground while chasing a suspected smuggler, several prominent colonists heard the news and rowed out to it before it could refloat on the next high tide, according to historian Steven Park's book on the incident. The colonists looted the ship, shot the captain (he survived), and set it on fire.

The British crown offered a reward for the suspects, but no one ever turned them in.

The sinking is celebrated every year at the Gaspee Days festival in Warwick, which includes the ceremonial burning of a miniature model of the ship.
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP)  A jury convicted a suburban Chicago woman of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday for failing to give her son the medical care he required after a heart transplant.

Jennifer Stroud, 41, of Park City, also was found guilty of endangering the life of a child. She faces up to 14 years in prison at her July 21 sentencing, the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights reported.

Jason Stroud, 11, was a sixth-grader at Woodland Middle School in Gurnee when he died on Sept. 11, 2016, four years after undergoing his transplant.

Both parents knew that Jasons transplant required lifetime care, and they knew the risks of failing him, said Eric Kalata, assistant Lake County states attorney. They were reckless with his life.

Strouds attorney, Elliot A. Pinsel, said he was disappointed with the verdict.

Stroud, her then-husband David Stroud and Jason moved from Milwaukee to Park City in 2015. The couple were expected to take Jason to Lurie Childrens Hospital in Chicago for regular visits and provide him daily medication to prevent his body from rejecting the heart, authorities said.

When Jason missed several hospital appointments from December 2015 to August 2016, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated, authorities said.

David and Jennifer Stroud were co-defendants at one point, but the case was severed after the couple filed for divorce in July 2017.

David Stroud pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in May 2019 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee officials say they anticipate that an independent investigation of the states lethal injection methods will result in changes to how those executions are carried out, including how the procedures are staffed.

State corrections officials made the statement last week in a federal court filing and a judge on Tuesday agreed to pause litigation challenging the lethal injection protocol while the probe unfolds.

The development comes as Tennessee officials have remained tight-lipped surrounding Republican Gov. Bill Lee's decision last month to abruptly halt the execution of inmate Oscar Smith. The governor's administration has refused to hand over to media outlets an unknown amount of documents through public records requests, though some documents are expected to be released by the Department of Correction later this week. Instead, Lee has ordered an investigation into the issue and paused all executions through 2022.

The investigation is being led by former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton.

Lee initially said the execution was delayed due to an " oversight in preparation. He later added last week that the drugs to be used in Smiths execution were tested for potency and sterility, but not endotoxins, as required by the states execution protocols. The state has released little else in the way of specifics about the issue.

While asking a judge to put the litigation brought by death row inmates on hold for now, attorneys for the state noted the governor has halted executions through this year to allow time for the investigation and for corrective action to be put in place.

It is, thus, clearly contemplated that the independent investigation will result in changes to the ways in which TDOC conducts lethal injection procedures, the ways in which those procedures are staffed, and the personnel responsible for implementing those procedures, the state's filing says, referring to the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Its unclear what the state specifically expects to change.

Additionally last week, the state told the court there may be factual inaccuracies or misstatements in its previous filings in the case, saying officials will correct them once the truth has been ascertained. There was no additional detail about what may have been inaccurate or misstated. Samantha Fisher, a spokesperson for the state attorney general's office, declined to elaborate beyond the wording in the filing.
To celebrate her 50th birthday, Victoria Shepherd was pulling out all the stops.

She was in her 30th year as a freelance director in Toronto, so the party would begin at her latest play. Her friends would take in a closing week performance of "The Glass Menagerie" by her favorite playwright, Tennessee Williams.

Next, the party would move to her home. As guests enjoyed a multi-layer cake she planned to bake, they'd be entertained by the musicians from the soundtracks to her plays. Her daughter, Vivien, would sing.

Less than a week before the event, Victoria was showing Vivien a new metallic red lipstick she'd bought for the party. They were on a landing between the kitchen and the back door that also served as an entrance to the basement stairs.

As Victoria was doing a bouncy "lipstick dance," she lost her balance. She tumbled backward, falling down the stairs.

At the bottom, her head bounced off a door. Her left shoulder slammed into the door jamb. She could hear her shoulder crack.

Dazed but conscious, Victoria felt her shoulder throb. She also felt a lump on the back of her scalp. She couldn't get up.

Vivien called 911.

At a hospital, doctors told Victoria she didn't have a concussion. But she did have a shattered shoulder that would require surgery. She was sent home with her left arm in a sling and a prescription for pain medication.

"Don't you think it's weird that they're not keeping me overnight with this lump on my head?" she asked her husband, Brent.

Once home and in bed, Victoria vomited all night. She also had a horrific headache.

The next morning, Victoria was lying in bed, still sick to her stomach.

"You need to get to the bathroom," Brent told her.

Victoria sat up and put her right leg down on the floor.

He urged her again to stand up.

"I am!" she said.

In her mind, she was upright on both feet. But her left leg was still on the bed.

At that moment, Brent noticed Victoria's speech was slurred. The left side of her face was drooping. He knew what that meant.

"She's having a stroke," he called out to their son, Christien. "Call 911."

At the hospital, doctors told Victoria she'd had a hemorrhagic stroke. That happens when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds into the brain. They could not say whether it was related to her hitting her head or to the pain in her shoulder.

Victoria's stroke was considered mild to moderate. She had no cognitive deficiencies and her speech returned to normal within days. She did, however, need physical therapy for her left arm and leg.

With the party canceled, Victoria spent her 50th birthday in the hospital.

The mounting disappointments were difficult to absorb. Yet there were signs of progress. For instance, Brent noticed that each day she could move a little more. She even started directing a play via video conferencing from the hospital.

A few weeks later, Victoria was transferred to one rehab center, and then another. All told, she spent 81 days in facilities.

The biggest challenge was regaining use of her shattered shoulder. Between the stroke and the complexity of the damage, doctors opted to wait before surgically repairing it.

For months she couldn't use it to get up or support herself. Being overweight didn't help, she said. Once she was up, she had to work on relearning to walk and improving her gait.

Victoria also had stroke-related incontinence, which frustrated and humiliated her.

During this time, friends banded together to help. Online they posted updates and organized a visitation schedule. Neighbors planned meal deliveries.

"There was this amazing outpouring of friendship," Victoria said. "I guess that was the best thing to come out of this."

On the downside, Victoria, who came home walking with a cane, felt depressed and scared. Although doctors said there was no indication she would have a second stroke, she felt anxious. She also was angry that her life had changed so drastically.

"I sat around like a lump," she said. "My rage had gotten so bad that I was lashing out at friends."

She started taking a second antidepressant that helped greatly.

Victoria's stroke was in the summer of 2019. A year later, amid the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, friends persuaded her to go on a hike. For Victoria, this wasn't just about getting out in nature. It also was about taking on a challenge.

"We did 5 miles, and I felt so proud of myself," she said.

In March 2021, Victoria finally had the shoulder surgery. She's regained most motion but was told she would never be able to lift it above shoulder height. She's still trying to regain dexterity in her left hand. Her reduced ability has affected her guitar playing and typing. Her typing speed went from pro to low; because of that, she left an administrative job and is looking for a new one.

Victoria walks without a cane, though she feels some heaviness in her left foot that leaves her nervous about stumbling. She's also able to pedal on a stationary bike, which she uses daily for exercise.

She continues to direct plays and expects her lingering issues to improve.

"Since stroke recovery never stops, I am hopeful," she said.

Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association News story, please email editor@heart.org.

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News.

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HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately.
GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP)  A toddler visiting with his family from New York died Tuesday after he apparently fell into a septic tank in South Carolina, authorities said.

The toddler, identified as 2-year-old Hawkins Abercrombie, of Calcium, New York, was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  The president of a historically Black college accused sheriff's deputies in Georgia of intimidating and humiliating the school women's lacrosse team when deputies pulled over the athletes' bus and searched it for drugs.

Delaware State University President Tony Allen said he's incensed by the April 20 traffic stop along Interstate 95 south of Savannah as the team returned from a game in Florida. In a letter to students and faculty, Allen said nothing illegal was found and campus officials were exploring options for recourse  legal and otherwise.

We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by, Allen said in the letter posted Monday on the university's social media pages.

Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman, who is Black, said Tuesday his office is conducting a formal review of the traffic stop. He said deputies had stopped other commercial vehicles the same morning along I-95 and found drugs on a different bus. The team's chartered bus was stopped because it was traveling in the left lane, which is a violation of Georgia law, he said.

The sheriff said deputies decided to search the team's bus when a drug-sniffing dog alerted alongside it.

I do not exercise racial profiling, allow racial profiling or encourage racial profiling, Bowman told reporters. The sheriff added that based on what he already knows, "I believe the stop was legal.

No one was arrested or charged. The sheriff said the bus driver was given a warning.

Video posted online by one of the Delaware State lacrosse players shows two white deputies on the bus. One of them tells the bus passengers that possessing marijuana remains illegal in Georgia.

If there is anything in yalls luggage, were probably going to find it, OK," the deputy says. Im not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but Im pretty sure you guys chaperones are probably going to be disappointed in you if we find any.

The deputy continues : You guys are on a lacrosse team, correct? If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now. Because if we find it, guess what? Were not going to be able to help you.

Sydney Anderson, the student who posted the video, wrote in the campus publication The Hornet Newspaper that team members felt there was underlying racism behind the search.

The team members were in shock, as they witnessed the officers rambling through their bags," Anderson wrote. They brought the K-9 dog out to sniff their luggage. The cops began tossing underwear and other feminine products, in an attempt to locate narcotics.

Georgia courts have held that the odor of marijuana is enough to give police probable cause to search vehicles without a warrant.

The sheriff said he welcomed feedback from the lacrosse team.

We realize that in this current environment, even a traffic stop can be alarming to citizens," Bowman said, especially African Americans.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The number of licenses for this year's deer hunt in North Dakota has been reduced because of an outbreak of a viral disease last year.

The state Game and Fish Department is making 64,200 licenses available, down 8,000 from last year.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico officials have released a draft plan to address an ongoing education lawsuit brought by underserved K-12 students, and education advocates and tribal leaders are expected to comb through the document in the coming days.

The New Mexico Public Education Department says its looking for feedback on the plan, which is intended to address a 2018 state court ruling that has dominated education policy and funding discussions among state lawmakers ever since.

In 2018, the court concluded the state has fallen short of its constitutional duty to provide an adequate education, at least to some 70% of K-12 students, including Native Americans, English learners, and those who come from low-income families or have disabilities. The court said students had unequal access to qualified teachers, quality school buildings, and other lessons that engage them tailored to their cultural background and needs.

The 55-page Martinez/Yazzie Discussion Draft Action Plan is named for the mothers of students who sued the state separately, and combined in a lawsuit in 2015. The draft plan outlines targets for improving the diversity of teachers by 20%, increasing graduation rates by 15%, and increasing reading and math proficiency by 50% for groups identified in the lawsuit by 2025, compared to 2019 levels.

It also catalogs changes the administration has made so far, including major salary raises for teachers, and improved social studies standards.

The Martinez/Yazzie Discussion Draft Action Plan is not just a plan for the future; it also reflects all the work thats taken place since the beginning of this administration, and it challenges all of us with strong performance targets to move the needle on key student outcomes, said Secretary of Education Kurt Steinhaus.

In 2020, a state judge denied a request by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to dismiss the lawsuit. The same judge ruled in 2021 that many of the vulnerable students werent being provided computers and internet sufficient for them to participate in remote learning, despite efforts by education officials to deploy Wi-Fi hot spots and secure laptops for many students.

The education department had promised to release the draft in December, before the state Legislatures annual meeting that determines education funding, but didnt do so, to the chagrin of tribal leaders. The budgets passed earlier this year.

___

Attanasio 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 under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.
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GUILFORD  As Eva Solarski carefully arranged her handcrafted earrings in the display at Vera Wolf jewelry store, co-owner Wolf Guibbory talked about supporting this local students project that benefits Ukraine.

Last month, the 14-year-old began selling one-of-a-kind earrings, in subtle tones of blue and yellow, to raise money for war-torn Ukraine

I feel like our whole purpose in being on this earth is to aid each other, Guibbory said. So, its not something that were doing thats great, its something that were doing that should be expected of all of us.

Eva Solarski has been creating earrings for herself and friends for about a year. It was this past March that this eighth grader at E.C. Adams Middle School started crafting the baubles to sell.

I really enjoy making earrings, so I thought of making earrings to sell and then have all the money donated towards Ukraine, she said.

The young jewelry designer chose four different styles to focus on. They are all dangle earrings, some created with seed beads and glass beads and others designed with semi-precious agate stones.

The initial $150 investment for this endeavor came from Eva Solarskis birthday money and gift cards. The sterling silver earring wires were donated by Guibbory. They are $10 and $15, depending on the design.

In addition to Vera Wolf, the earrings can be found at The Bird Nest Salon & Gallery and An Artistic Touch both in Guilford.

On the weekends, Eva Solarski can also be found manning a folding table, filled with her jewels, downtown Guilford.

The earrings are so popular that the young philanthropist is busy creating, while also keeping up with her school work.

Colleen Saffo-Hunt, co-owner of An Artistic Touch, said she has people coming to the new shop specifically requesting Eva Solarskis designs.

Shes very popular, she said. She has a big heart. Shes a very sweet girl.

Both Guibbory and Saffo-Hunt said some customers have not only purchased earrings, but, in addition, they have made monetary donations.

To date more than $1,250 has been raised.

This money will be divided, evenly, between three nonprofit organizations supporting Ukraine.

These include Razom, meaning together in Ukrainian, a New York-based organization that provides humanitarian, medical and military aid; National Bank of Ukraine, which gives assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine; and United4Ukraine, a nonprofit, started by Yale medical professionals with Ukrainian roots, organized to raise awareness and money for the country.

While her parents, Stan and Sarah Solarski, have helped with a bit of financial support to keep the business afloat, they are quick to add that their main contribution is driving her to buy supplies and deliver the finished product.

She has been doing it all on her own, said Sarah Solarski.

We drove to Vera Wolf and The Bird Nest, but we had said to her, You need to do the talking, she added.

Sarah Solarski talked about raising a compassionate child.

I would say that what we really instilled her with is an independence of thinking and being true to herself and caring for others in general and being empathetic towards others, she said.

I think this is part of the result of those things, she added.

Saffo-Hunt said she is happy to be supporting this project.

For a 14-year-old girl to be doing this, I think, is just wonderful, she said. We are so proud to have her in the store.

Steven Uccello, owner The Bird Nest Salon & Gallery, is also thrilled to have Eva Solarskis work in his gallery and to support her philanthropy.

I think its awesome, amazing, he said. Shes very talented, very ambitious. Shes the sweetest kid.

Shes a great kid and Im very happy to do it, of course, he added. To see how talented and to see how generous her heart is, is definitely inspiring for everybody, but especially for other kids. Its just so cool.
WFO AMARILLO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCHES 199/200

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX

543 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2022

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 199 REMAINS VALID UNTIL 11 PM CDT THIS

EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 14 COUNTIES

IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...

ARMSTRONG CARSON COLLINGSWORTH

DEAF SMITH DONLEY GRAY

HEMPHILL HUTCHINSON MOORE

OLDHAM POTTER RANDALL

ROBERTS WHEELER

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF AMARILLO, BOOTLEG, BORGER,

BOYS RANCH, BRISCOE, BUFFALO LAKE, BUSHLAND, CANADIAN, CANYON,

CLARENDON, CLAUDE, CODMAN, DAWN, DOZIER, DUMAS, FOUR WAY,

GLAZIER, GOODNIGHT, HEREFORD, KINGSMILL, LAKE MARVIN, LELA, LORA,

LUTIE, MASTERSON, MIAMI, PAMPA, PANHANDLE, PANTEX, SAMNORWOOD,

SHAMROCK, SKELLYTOWN, TWITTY, UMBARGER, VEGA, WASHBURN, WAYSIDE,

WELLINGTON, WHEELER, WHITE DEER, AND WILDORADO.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

200 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING

AREAS

IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 2 COUNTIES

IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...

BEAVER TEXAS

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 4 COUNTIES

HANSFORD LIPSCOMB OCHILTREE

SHERMAN

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BEAVER, BOOKER, FARNSWORTH, FOLLETT,

FORGAN, GRUVER, GUYMON, HIGGINS, PERRYTON, SPEARMAN, STRATFORD,

WAKA, AND WOLF CREEK PARK.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTY WILL

EXPIRE AT 545 PM CDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.

Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However small

hail, gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this

thunderstorm.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

northwestern Texas.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service

Lubbock Texas.

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

North central Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

Southeastern Ward County in western Texas...

Southern Crane County in western Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 544 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Fort

Stockton, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Emergency management reported wind damage in Fort

Stockton. Wind gusts up to 65 mph were observed at the

airport in Fort Stockton.

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...

Fort Stockton, Grandfalls, Imperial, Fort Stockton-Pecos County

Airport, Imperial Reservoir and Cordona Lake.

This includes Interstate 10 between mile markers 257 and 275.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service

office in Midland.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

Western Randall County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Eastern Deaf Smith County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* At 545 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles west of

Easter, or 10 miles northwest of Dimmitt, moving north at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible.

Hail damage to vehicles is expected.

Amarillo, Hereford, Canyon, Mescalero Park, Buffalo Lake, Dawn,

Umbarger and Timbercreek Canyon.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lubbock TX

427 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHEASTERN COCHRAN AND NORTHERN YOAKUM COUNTIES...

At 427 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 6 miles southeast of

Bronco, or 7 miles west of Plains, moving north at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Plains and Bronco.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern Pecos,

northwestern Brewster and southeastern Jeff Davis Counties through

530 PM CDT...

At 428 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 29

miles southwest of Fort Stockton, moving northeast at 55 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and penny size hail.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Fort Stockton, Alpine, Camp Mitre Peak, Alpine-Casparis Municipal

Airport, Firestone Test Track and Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport.

This includes Interstate 10 between mile markers 230 and 276.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.

Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe

shelter inside a building or vehicle.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

southwestern Texas.

LAT...LON 3021 10360 3049 10385 3121 10311 3095 10248

TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 226DEG 47KT 3066 10329

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CDT

FOR NORTHWESTERN HOCKLEY COUNTY...

At 429 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 5 miles northwest of

Levelland, moving north at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

Levelland, Whitharral and Opdyke West.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of west central

Brewster County through 530 PM CDT...

At 430 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 24

miles west of Persimmon Gap, or 38 miles northwest of Panther

Junction, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and nickel size hail.

Santiago Peak and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

LAT...LON 2965 10366 2983 10372 3007 10334 2973 10317

TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 238DEG 18KT 2979 10355

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northeastern Armstrong County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Eastern Carson County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Gray County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Northwestern Donley County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 530 PM CDT.

* At 430 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Groom, or 15

miles east of Claude, moving north at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible.

Hail damage to vehicles is expected.

* Locations impacted include...

Pampa, White Deer, Groom, Lefors, Skellytown, Howardwick, Lake

Mcclellan, Kingsmill, Greenbelt Lake and Goodnight.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lubbock TX

506 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT

FOR LAMB COUNTY...

At 505 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Amherst, or 8

miles northwest of Littlefield, moving north at 35 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...West Texas Mesonet. At 459 PM CDT, the West Texas Mesonet

at Amherst measured a wind gust of 64 mph.

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...

Littlefield, Earth, Sudan, Amherst, Fieldton, and Springlake.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside

should move to a shelter, inside a strong building and away from

windows.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of south central

Brewster County through 545 PM CDT...

At 507 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 16

miles northeast of Panther Junction, moving north at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of south central

Brewster County.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to

localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded

roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.

Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe

shelter inside a building or vehicle.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

southwestern Texas.

LAT...LON 2942 10310 2975 10301 2972 10269 2968 10269

2964 10274 2960 10274 2960 10277 2955 10277

2952 10281 2949 10280 2945 10283 2941 10283

2940 10282 2937 10284 2936 10284 2935 10288

2929 10289

TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 201DEG 21KT 2946 10298

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Bailey County in northwestern Texas...

Northwestern Lamb County in northwestern Texas...

* Until 545 PM CDT.

* At 508 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Muleshoe

Wildlife Refuge, or 16 miles north of Morton, moving north at 35

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...

Muleshoe, Needmore, Enochs, Progress, Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge,

and Maple.

FOR CENTRAL LAMB COUNTY...

At 509 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles north of

Amherst, or 10 miles south of Earth, moving north at 35 mph.

at Amherst measured a wind gust of 64 mph. At 507 PM CDT,

quarter size hail was reported in Amherst.

Littlefield, Earth, Sudan, Amherst, Fieldton and Springlake.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of southwest Texas, including the following

county, Pecos.

* WHEN...Until 815 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 510 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to

thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin

shortly in the advisory area.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Fort Stockton, Firestone Test Track, Sierra Madera and Fort

Stockton-Pecos County Airport.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Lubbock TX

531 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT

FOR NORTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTY...

At 530 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles northeast of

Earth, moving north at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Earth and Springlake.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside

should move to a shelter, inside a strong building and away from

windows.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

South central Brewster County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 630 PM CDT.

* At 531 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Big Bend

National Park, or near Panther Junction, moving northeast at 15

mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Panther Junction, Big Bend National Park and Chisos Basin.

FOR NORTHEASTERN BAILEY AND NORTHWESTERN LAMB COUNTIES...

At 532 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 6 miles southwest of

Muleshoe, moving north at 35 mph.

Muleshoe and Needmore.

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ARMSTRONG CARSON COLLINGSWORTH

DEAF SMITH DONLEY GRAY

HEMPHILL HUTCHINSON MOORE

OLDHAM POTTER RANDALL

ROBERTS WHEELER

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northeastern Bailey County in northwestern Texas...

Southeastern Parmer County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Southern Castro County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Lamb County in northwestern Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 551 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 4 miles east of Muleshoe to 5 miles north of Amherst

to 3 miles east of Pep, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...West Texas Mesonet. At 545 PM CDT, the West Texas Mesonet

at Amherst measured a wind gust of 63 mph.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to

mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...

Littlefield, Muleshoe, Olton, Hart, Earth, Sudan, Amherst, Fieldton

and Springlake.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT

FOR EASTERN PARMER AND WESTERN CASTRO COUNTIES...

At 553 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles west of

Easter, or 11 miles northwest of Dimmitt, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Summerfield, Easter, Lazbuddie, and Black.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ANDREWS BAILEY BORDEN

BREWSTER BRISCOE CASTRO

CHILDRESS COCHRAN COKE

COTTLE CRANE CROCKETT

CROSBY DAWSON DICKENS

ECTOR FISHER FLOYD

GAINES GARZA GLASSCOCK

HALE HALL HOCKLEY

HOWARD IRION KENT

KING LAMB LUBBOCK

LYNN MARTIN MIDLAND

MITCHELL MOTLEY NOLAN

PARMER PECOS REAGAN

SCHLEICHER SCURRY STERLING

STONEWALL SUTTON SWISHER

TERRELL TERRY TOM GREEN

UPTON VAL VERDE WARD

WINKLER YOAKUM

FOR CASTRO COUNTY...

At 553 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles southeast of

Dimmitt, moving north at 40 mph.

Dimmitt, Hart, and Nazareth.

The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Northwestern Pecos County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT.

* At 554 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible

in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin

shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Fort Stockton and Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport.

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.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

Lipscomb County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 555 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles northwest

of Glazier, or 11 miles southwest of Lipscomb, moving north at 30

mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible.

Hail damage to vehicles is expected.

Lipscomb, Booker, Follett and Darrouzett.

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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

West central Brewster County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 430 PM CDT.

* At 331 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 31 miles northeast

of Big Bend Ranch State Park, moving northeast at 20 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...

Elephant Mountain and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service

office in Midland.

Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground

lightning is 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.

Northeastern Lea County in southeastern New Mexico...

Northwestern Gaines County in western Texas...

* Until 415 PM CDT/315 PM MDT/.

* At 335 PM CDT/235 PM MDT/, a severe thunderstorm was located 11

miles northeast of Humble City, or 13 miles north of Hobbs, moving

north at 20 mph.

Higginbotham.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX

400 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CDT

FOR WEST CENTRAL BREWSTER COUNTY...

At 400 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 31 miles west of

Persimmon Gap, or 35 miles northeast of Big Bend Ranch State Park,

moving northeast at 10 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Elephant Mountain and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

To report severe weather contact your nearest law enforcement agency.

They will send your report to the National Weather Service office in

Midland.

Continuous cloud to ground lightning is 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.

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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO MIDLAND/ODESSA Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Midland has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Central Brewster County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 630 PM CDT.

* At 526 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 10 miles southeast

of Persimmon Gap, or 20 miles northeast of Panther Junction, moving

northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Persimmon Gap.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

Eastern Parmer County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Western Castro County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 615 PM CDT.

* At 526 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Lazbuddie, or

14 miles northeast of Muleshoe, moving north at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Summerfield, Easter, Lazbuddie, and Black.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a

Northwestern Wheeler County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Northeastern Carson County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Eastern Hutchinson County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Gray County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Roberts County in the Panhandle of Texas...

Hemphill County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* At 527 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 4 miles north of White Deer to 6 miles south of

Lefors, moving north at 35 mph.

IMPACT...Minor damage to roofs, siding, and trees is possible.

Hail damage to vehicles is expected.

Pampa, Canadian, Miami, White Deer, Lefors, Skellytown, New

Mobeetie, Glazier, Kellerville, Lora, Kingsmill, Codman, Lake

Marvin and Mobeetie.

Castro County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* At 529 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 5 miles northeast

of Earth, moving north at 40 mph.

Dimmitt, Hart, and Nazareth.

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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 10, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service San Angelo TX

621 PM CDT Tue May 10 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern

Crockett County through 700 PM CDT...

At 620 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Bakersfield, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of northwestern

Crockett County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for

west central Texas.

LAT...LON 3108 10168 3096 10196 3098 10198 3098 10201

3100 10204 3099 10209 3099 10214 3102 10218

3100 10219 3103 10220 3104 10226 3103 10228

3108 10237

TIME...MOT...LOC 2320Z 240DEG 30KT 3096 10236

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHEASTERN CASTRO AND NORTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTIES...

At 621 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 5 miles southeast of Lazbuddie to 6 miles east of

Earth to 3 miles northwest of Littlefield, moving northeast at 30

mph.

THESE ARE DESTRUCTIVE STORMS FOR NORTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTY AND

SOUTHEASTERN CASTRO COUNTIES, INCLUDING SPRINGLAKE, OLTON, AND HART.

HAZARD...90 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...West Texas Mesonet. At 612 PM CDT, the West Texas Mesonet

at Hart measured a wind gust of 82 mph.

IMPACT...You are in a life-threatening situation. Flying debris may

be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes

will be heavily damaged or destroyed. Homes and businesses

will have substantial roof and window damage. Expect

extensive tree damage and power outages.

Locations impacted include...

Olton, Hart, Earth, and Springlake.

This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION with tornado like wind

speeds expected. Mobile homes and high profile vehicles are

especially susceptible to winds of this magnitude and may be

overturned. For your protection move to an interior room on the

lowest floor of a building. These storms have the potential to cause

serious injury and significant property damage.

Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to

flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ANDREWS BAILEY BORDEN

BREWSTER BRISCOE CASTRO

CHILDRESS COCHRAN COKE

COTTLE CRANE CROCKETT

CROSBY DAWSON DICKENS

ECTOR FISHER FLOYD

GAINES GARZA GLASSCOCK

HALE HALL HOCKLEY

HOWARD IRION KENT

KING LAMB LUBBOCK

LYNN MARTIN MIDLAND

MITCHELL MOTLEY NOLAN

PARMER PECOS REAGAN

SCHLEICHER SCURRY STERLING

STONEWALL SUTTON SWISHER

TERRELL TERRY TOM GREEN

UPTON VAL VERDE WARD

WINKLER YOAKUM

The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

South Central Brewster County in southwestern Texas...

* Until 930 PM CDT.

* At 623 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are

possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected

to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Panther Junction, Big Bend National Park and Boquillas Canyon.

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.

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are

potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded

roads. Find an alternate route.

Flooding is occurring or is imminent. It is important to know where

you are relative to streams, rivers, or creeks which can become

killers in heavy rains. Campers and hikers should avoid streams or

creeks.

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southwestern Ector,

east central Ward, Crane and southwestern Upton Counties through 730

PM CDT...

At 622 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from 8 miles northeast of Grandfalls to 8 miles

southwest of Crane to 6 miles south of McCamey. Movement was

northeast at 25 mph. Strong wind gusts are expected ahead of this

line of storms, along with blowing dust that may produce localized

significant visibility redictions.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.

unsecured objects. Blowing dust may reduce visibility.

Crane, McCamey, Rankin, Penwell, Crane County Airport, Upton County

Airport, King Mountain and Pleasant Farms.

This includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 89 and 103.

western Texas.

LAT...LON 3127 10182 3108 10214 3108 10225 3127 10242

3148 10283 3181 10271 3160 10217

TIME...MOT...LOC 2322Z 213DEG 20KT 3145 10279 3128 10243 3104 10221

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT

FOR NORTHERN HOCKLEY AND SOUTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTIES...

At 623 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 4 miles southeast of Littlefield to 3 miles northeast

of Levelland, moving northeast at 30 mph. Blowing dust may cause

near zero visibilities at times along the leading edge of these

storms.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts.

IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile

homes, roofs, and outbuildings.

Levelland, Littlefield, Anton, Spade and Whitharral.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

FOR NORTHERN CASTRO COUNTY...

At 625 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Summerfield to 12 miles west of Happy, moving

northeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

Summerfield, Easter and Nazareth.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)



According to Hoang Van Huay, former deputy minister of Science, Technology and Environment (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) and head of the preparatory committee for the establishment of the VBU, the coming into being of the union will create an important milestone, marking Vietnam's position on the world technology map.

It will create an environment for the development of high-quality human resources in Vietnam to hold the Blockchain core technology in order to compete in the worlds digital technology, he said.

The VBU members will share experiences and resources to study, deploy and trade Blockchain technology in accordance with Vietnamese law. It will cooperate with relevant universities in conducting research on Blockchain technology as well as training human resources in the field.

The union will partner with State management agencies and other social organisations in raising awareness of the community and developing policies and legal frameworks for the development of products and services based on the Blockchain technology platform, Huay said.

VNA
Page Content

New regulations in Ireland require employers to report differences in pay between men and women.

Under the new law, employers in Ireland must submit this data:

The percentage differences between the mean and median hourly pay of male and female employees.

The percentage differences between the mean and median bonuses of male and female employees.

The percentage differences between the mean and median hourly pay of male and female part-time employees.

The percentage of male and female employees who received bonuses.

The percentage of male and female employees who received benefits.

The reporting requirement will apply to all public- and private-sector employers with 250 or more employees at first, but it will extend to organizations with 150 or more employees in 2024 and then to all employers with 50 or more employees in 2025.

To start, employers must collect their data as of June 2022 and submit reports to the government by December 2022. The information will be available to the public as well as the government.

The law's intent is to ensure accountability and transparency around pay disparities, according to Deirdre Malone, associate partner with the firm EY Ireland in Cork.

If employers don't comply with the law, they could face court action by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission or by employees, who may complain to the Workplace Relations Commission, Malone explained.

More specifics should be coming out soon about the reporting requirements. "We are still awaiting regulations to officially commence the act, which are expected to provide further detail and clarity for employers on what will be required," said Siobhra Rush, an attorney with Lewis Silkin in Dublin. "It's also expected that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will publish guidance for employers on how gender pay gap calculations should be performed and possibly presented."

She added, "Until then, it would be advisable for employers to have at least taken some preparatory steps, such as considering which of their group entities may have to report. Employers should also check and monitor the headcount of these entities. They should also consider who the key stakeholders in the business are likely to be in terms of gathering the data, such as payroll to obtain the pay data, HR analysts to collect the people data, more-senior-level HR to understand the initiatives that can be created or which may already exist to reduce any gaps, and PR [and] communications to assist with writing the report."

Defining the Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly wages for men and women across the entire workforce, regardless of seniority. This is not the same as the pay rates for equal work.

Ireland's gender pay gap was 11.3 percent in 2019, the latest year statistics were available, according to Eurostat, a statistical agency of the European Union. Among all countries in the European Union, the average gender pay gap was 14.1 percent in 2020. The gender pay gap is generally much lower for the youngest workers and tends to widen with age, Eurostat reported.

Companies should consider what is contributing to their gender pay gap. What are the company's recent patterns in hiring, promotions, raises and career development?

A gender pay gap may result from unequal pay for equal work, but also from differences in the characteristics of men and women in the workforce, including age, occupation and number of hours worked, according to Eurostat's report. Women tend to be concentrated in lower-paying job sectors like health care and education, and men tend to be concentrated in higher-paying job sectors like finance and IT.

Rush commented, "Given that historically, women have been underrepresented in many areas of work, and particularly at senior levels, it's to be expected that most employers will have [a pay gap]. The gender pay gap can be caused by various different factors, including historical/social factors, lack of women in senior roles, labor market experience, family responsibilities and potentially equal pay issues."

She added, "Employers in Ireland will have to identify and disclose the causes of their gender pay gaps. Their gender pay gap reports will also have to include the measures being taken or proposed to eliminate or reduce any pay gap, which is not currently required in the U.K."

This is a chance for organizations to reflect on where they could improve. Jackie Gilmore, a partner with the firm EY Ireland in Dublin, said, "Organizations can use this as an opportunity to put the mechanisms in place to ensure that women are being promoted and attracted into senior positions."

In many countries, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic worsened the existing gender disparities in pay and employment. Shane Gallen, an attorney with Lewis Silkin in Dublin, said, "It is certainly widely reported that globally this has been the case."

Leah Shepherd is a freelance writer in Columbia, Md.


ICICI Bank today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Santander UK Plc, a British bank, for collaboration towards the banking requirements of UK corporates operating in India.

The MoU was signed in Mumbai by Sriram H. Iyer, Head - International Banking Group, ICICI Bank and John Carroll, Head- International & Transactional Banking, Santander UK.

The MoU establishes a framework of partnership between the banks for financial service requirements of the corporate customers in the India  UK corridor.

ICICI Bank will provide banking solutions across trade, cross-border payments, supply chain, treasury solutions and retail banking to the UK corporates operating in India.

Santander UK will support Indian corporates and new age businesses with their banking requirements in UK. UK is the sixth largest investor in Indias economy with cumulative FDI inflows of $31.7 billion, contributing 6 percnet to Indias total FDI inflows.

Speaking on the occasion, Sriram H. Iyer, Head - International Banking Group, ICICI Bank said, This MoU helps to provide seamless banking services for corporates in the UK-India corridor. With our wide network, industry-first digital offerings, and comprehensive suite of corporate ecosystem banking, we are confident that ICICI Bank will support Santander UK and help its customers grow their business in India, and make India one of their key markets. This partnership will help us serve the banking needs of the entire corporate ecosystem in the growing UK-India corridor.

John Carroll, Head - International & Transactional Banking, Santander UK said, This is twinned with a shared belief in the power of our international ecosystems, which will support ambitious UK SMEs looking to succeed in India. Next month, well be launching our digital platform to help UK companies navigate their way through the unknown and sometimes daunting path to international expansion. We have already established a significant number of agreements with banks and other key trade facilitation experts worldwide but with India increasing in importance as a destination for UK businesses to explore, adding ICICI Bank and India to our ecosystem means were now able to support even more UK companies to realise their international ambitions.
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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!
Microsoft will help cover the costs of employees having to travel to get abortions or gender-affirming care, a response to looming new restrictions in states around the US.

The software maker will support employees and their enrolled dependents in accessing critical health care -- which already includes services like abortion and gender-affirming care -- regardless of where they live across the US, according to a statement on Monday.

This support is being extended to include travel expense assistance for these and other medical services where access to care is limited in availability in an employees home geographic region.

Microsoft will help cover the costs of employees having to travel to get abortions or gender-affirming care, a response to looming new restrictions in states around the US. Credit:Bloomberg

Microsoft is the latest corporate giant to confront the issue following the release of a draft Supreme Court opinion last week that would overturn the Roe v Wade decision -- a landmark ruling that legalised abortion throughout the US.
The destruction of Ukraines black earth farm belt is even worse than feared. Half of this years output will be lost to the world. A global shortage of fertilisers largely caused by Putins war will depress yields across the globe.

This might be manageable were it not for everything else going wrong for global food supply. Atmospheric scientists fear that La Nina global weather, already in an extended double dip, will morph into a rare triple dip event. This would extend the drought in Latin Americas grain regions, as well as wreaking havoc in the Prairies, and as far away as East Africa and central Asia.

Utter destruction: A Ukrainian army officer inspects a grain warehouse shelled by Russian forces. Russias war on Ukraine combined with another bout of La Nina could set off a global food emergency. Credit:Getty Images

There is a better than 50 per cent chance of a third La Nina, and that has only happened twice in the last 40 years, said Eric Snodgrass, weather wizard at the agro-industrial giant Nutrien.

La Nina events are caused by unusually cold water in the tropical Pacific, which distorts the Jet Stream at mid-latitudes. It tends to cause drought in the big global agricultural baskets like the US farm belt. If La Nina maintains its grip, itll shave yields by a few bushels per acre and that can have a global impact when markets are tight as they are today, he said.
Steve Peters, former head packer at the Art Gallery of NSW for 34 years and founder of the Archibald Packing Room Prize, knows what he likes and likes what he knows.

Mate, if youve seen some of the works that have been selected over the years and some of the rejects  some of these people should never have been artists. They should have been a plumber or something. And thats being nice.

Former head packer and founder of the Packing Room Prize Steve Peters at home in Chester Hill. Credit:Louise Kennerley

I used to think thered be a job for me after I left the gallery to go around the art schools and have a look at the students art and suggest to some of them that they should give it up.

Peters retired from the job in 2017 after handling  and assessing  tens of thousands of works. Last week, successor Brett Cuthbertson also pulled the pin on his time at the gallery, with a replacement yet to be appointed.
Last month was the 10th anniversary of the debut of Girls, Lena Dunhams lightning rod of an HBO show about the travails of post-university life for a quartet of young women in New York. That means this month is the 10th anniversary of people freaking out about Girls. The series, which concluded in 2017 after six seasons, was defined as much by what it said as what was said about it. The action and reaction were indivisible, which Dunham understood. Girls demanded your opinion; it was galvanising.

Recently I rewatched all 10 episodes of that first season from 2012. My initial response? Its a very funny show and it has barely aged  but some of the criticism has. Girls was a narrative rich in self-awareness about characters  particularly Dunhams Hannah Horvath  often strikingly bereft of self-awareness. You are so self-involved, the acerbic, unpredictable Jessa (Jemima Kirke) tells Hannah in the second episode, and the shows refusal to gently fix that flaw, to have a growing moment, was honest but excruciating.

Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Lena Dunham and Zosia Mamet in season one of Girls, which debuted 10 years ago. Credit:

At the time I couldnt get angry about Girls, and that hasnt changed. It seemed clear that the specificity of the milieu  a Brooklyn of first jobs and so-so apartments that was the landing point of four middle- to upper-class white tertiary education women  allowed for the sting of the writing. This was a world that Dunham implicitly knew, and it contributed immensely to that first season. They were privileged and lived in a bubble. Token inclusiveness  which season two briefly and badly tried with Donald Glover  was the worst way to burst it.

For Hannah and Jessa, the perpetually uptight Marnie (Allison Williams) and their ratatat, impressionable junior partner Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), their struggle to get by was secondary to their struggle to get along. Friendship is an impossible complex situation for the four of them, even in the first season. The friction is palpable at times  the throwdown argument between Hannah and Marnie that leads to the latter moving out of their apartment is awkward and illogical and rife with childish retorts and lacerating truths. Its genuine.
Gangland shooting in Sydney

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ABC warrior Kerry OBrien has staged an intervention in the federal election and declared war on the Institute of Public Affairs at the same time.

The former host of The 7.30 Report and Four Corners is starring in a campaign-time call-to-arms video produced and funded by the ABC Alumni speaking out about the ABCs importance to not just democracy but life as we know it.

It starts with footage of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and points out that the US has very low levels of public broadcasting funding.

I dont work for the ABC these days, nor speak for it, KOB says in the video, released Wednesday morning on YouTube. But at no point in my lifetime has the ABC been more important than it is today, continues the public broadcasting icon, who retired from the ABC in 2015 after 32 years.
Call for defamation law reform

The group editorial director of John Fairfax Group, Mr Chris Anderson, called on the State Attorney-General, Mr Dowd, to make major changes to defamation laws. He said the impact of defamation laws was crippling and had cost Fairfaxs Sydney newspapers $2.6 million in 1989. Reforms to the laws should include a US-style public figure defence, and newspapers should not have to prove public interest.

Yabsley: condom risk in jails

The Minister for Corrective Services, Mr Yabsley, defended the Governments decision to refuse to distribute condoms in prisons on the grounds that inmates who had condoms might be identified as HIV positive. He also outlined details of new legislation for compulsory AIDS testing for all prisoners. The AIDS Council of NSW condemned the decision and said compulsory testing would not control infection in jails.

Teachers: the war begins

More than 20,000 NSW teachers voted overwhelmingly to begin a four-week campaign of rolling strikes in an effort to force the State Government to review its salaries offer, warning they would ignore all instructions from ministerial or Department of Education officials if a new salary package was not offered by May 31. Education Minister Dr Metherill called the Teachers Federation a whitecollar BLF.
I get it, says Glenys Quirk of Forster. Teal rhymes with real or steal. But the term originates from the duck, with its beautiful blue/green head and chestnut body. Nothing like what people have been claiming as the colour of Zalis umbrellas. Now adopted by many independents, who knows who first came up with the word, but its turned out to be a masterstroke.

My local rugby clubs Old Boys Association is having a function on May 28th, writes Graham Bird of St Ives. I would like to invite everyone except Bob Phillips (C8) of Cabarita to attend. Gerhard Engleitner of Hurstville requests: Bob Phillips, please dont buy tickets to the opening night of Moulin Rouge. Thank you.

Winner Takes It All parties and torching up on Hampstead Heath (C8) wouldnt even raise an eyebrow during Churchills time if the following account from Mike Fogarty of Weston (ACT) is anything to go by: The wartime PM was woken by a cabinet colleague late one night in December. He reported that one of his senior ministers was arrested by the police in Hyde Park. He was deshabille with a young guardsman. Churchill quipped what, publicly naked in the middle of winter? Makes you proud to be British!

On the subject of made-up terms (C8), during the Manhattan Project, the scientists (Oppenheimer et al) needed a term for the time between the first and second atoms splitting, says Colin McCabe of Balmain East. They used the term shake (10 nanoseconds) from two shakes of a lambs tail. Its still used today.

Its a boy! I hereby inform Mr Robert Nielson (C8) and the readership of Column 8 that I am of the male persuasion, declares Mr Kerry Kyriacou of Strathfield. Secondly, I know two servo chains that use ground, not instant, coffee.
A Sydney gynaecologist has been found not guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting a patient, with a judge determining a contradiction between the complainants allegations of abuse and expressions of gratitude she had sent to the doctor to be so troubling it is bereft of any rational explanation.

Dr Richard Ian Reid, now retired, faced a judge-alone trial before acting Judge Michael Allen in the NSW District Court, after pleading not guilty to 16 charges, including aggravated sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault, in circumstances where the woman was under his authority.

Richard Ian Reid has been found not guilty of sexual assault and indecent assault charges. Credit:Nick Moir

The Crown alleged Reid, 79, touched and penetrated the woman for his own sexual gratification when she attended his consulting rooms at Edgecliff for treatment of gynaecological conditions, and that he repeated the conduct on eight occasions between mid-2010 and late 2014.

But the defence claimed the complainant had a financial motive and her allegations were lies.
Changes to planning laws and more backflow prevention devices across Brisbanes stormwater system are among the immediate outcomes arising from a review of the February 2022 floods.

The floods inundated 23,000 homes and businesses, prompting a debate over planning laws - as well as a political stoush over disaster funding - and a council-commissioned review by former Queensland governor Paul de Jersey.

The extent of the flooding in Brisbane.

It was a true calamity and many weeks down the track we see many people still displaced from their houses, Mr de Jersey said.

We see businesses that have closed down or closed their doors and the psychological scar is still raw.
This is a figure that can be pulled from a central database in minutes by selecting COVID-19 and ventilation in the search fields and waiting for the computer to spit out the discharge records of all patients who fall into that category. An email from WA Health explaining why they would not be providing the COVID-19 ventilation statistic, sent to journalist Heather McNeill two weeks after the initial request. This year so far, there have been 12 COVID patients on a ventilator. Not that the department wanted you to know that. It would prefer you read the COVID-19 numbers they provide daily, the number in hospital and the number in intensive care  figures which include incidental COVID-19 admissions and significantly overstate the severity of the virus within the community. As a journalist, its not unusual to deal with departmental push-back and spin when asking a question the agency doesnt want to answer. Mostly readers hear little about this behind-the-scenes process, but this request  a request for a single figure to inform the public about the health risk COVID posed in a highly vaccinated community  was like getting blood out of a stone.

The departments own freedom of information officer  a person supposedly impartial to the politics of government  even told me the data didnt exist and refused to accept my application. Loading Each of the Offices of the Assistant Director Generals of the separate divisions in the Department of Health that hold any data have been consulted. The response is the same, they dont have this data, she said. I then put in an application to the individual hospitals, with an officer from one of the teams offering to pull the figure, saying it was easily accessible, and not necessary to go down the tedious FOI route. Then, in a rare showing, the Department of Healths director general David Russell-Weisz attended a press conference on April 26.

We asked about the number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators during the Omicron wave. I dont have that to hand but we can provide that, he said, nonchalantly. What I can say is we look at this on a daily basis, its a very low ventilation rate in comparison to whats been seen in the eastern states. Asked if we could have the statistic, he assured us we could. Federal Department of Health daily COVID statistics include the national ventilation figure, which is collated using information provided from each state. Credit:Department of Health

In light of the on-camera admission, I again asked WA Healths media team for the figure. An officer said she would get back to me. Loading Three days later, I received a figure: 24. However, the number was for the entire duration of the pandemic, with many of those ventilated patients catching the virus on cruise ships in 2020. In terms of understanding the health risk presented to a highly vaccinated public dealing overwhelmingly with the Omicron strain, it was meaningless.

I asked again for the 2022 figure. After making no progress for nearly two weeks, I rang and asked the hospital officer facilitating the data why it was taking so long. She was surprised by my call, telling me the media team had had the figure for a week. After I called the media team to ask why it hadnt been passed on, the officer told me it was undergoing a verification and approvals process  it was then sent within hours, 54 days on from when I first asked for it. The figure represented the COVID-19 patients on a ventilator from January 1 to March 31. Due to hospital discharge processes, there is a three-week lag to the data. An email chain between a media advisor for the WA Health Minister and journalist Heather McNeill in mid-March regarding ventilator data. With around 173,000 cases recorded in that time, the ventilation rate for COVID patients was around one in every 15,000 cases.

By comparison, during the first two years of the pandemic, when 1150 West Australians were infected, 12 people were placed on ventilators and nine people died, meaning the death rate was close to one in every 100 cases. In the eastern states, in 2021, one in every 128 people who caught the virus died. Loading Our low 2022 ventilator figure is a remarkable achievement and a credit to WAs high vaccination rates and closed border policy. It should be published daily, like it is in other states. It should help alleviate fear. It should be the cornerstone for decisions relating to public health measures. It should be a key factor in how long WA needs to remain in a state of emergency. Yet, the public are kept in the dark.
Its an unbelievable use of power by this government  very arrogant, Opposition Leader Mia Davies told 6PR. Loading Theyve got the numbers so weve got little opportunity to scrutinise the legislation  we do question whether or not it is absolutely necessary to see these powers being extended and whether there are other ways the government can ensure the community remains safe without remaining under a state of emergency. The Premier thinks this subversion of usual practice is fine because weve done it three or four times before and it is designed to protect the health and welfare of West Australians. Really, though, the government is doing this because it can. It has the might of numbers.

In practice, WAs state of emergency is extended by rubber stamp fortnightly by the emergency services minister on the verbal advice of the police commissioner. It is an absurd way to run things in the long term in a normally functioning parliamentary democracy. All Australian jurisdictions put in place emergency declarations at the onset of the pandemic  none have been so sluggish as WA to move away from these arrangements. In Victoria, Daniel Andrews Labor government was forced to abandon its state of emergency after it could not secure crossbench support to have it continue beyond December 15, 2021. Instead, it developed a new pandemic management framework to manage COVID-19 and future pandemics, instead of the state of emergency framework which was designed to respond to serious short term events.

The new Labor Premier in South Australia, Peter Malinauskus, has put forward his own amendments to the states Public Health Act which would establish a baseline of COVID management tools and end the state of emergency there by June 30. Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay says WAs emergency powers were never designed to be used on a rolling basis. At the start of the pandemic, when we didnt have a lot of information about what COVID-19 was, or what the impact of the virus would be, you can understand the need for that quick and decisive action, she told the ABC last month. The longer the situation goes on, the harder it is to justify the continuation of emergency measures. Amid it all, the latest report from WA auditor-general Caroline Spencer could not be more timely.

COVID has had such an impact on all our lives, it has been a major disruption to public sector delivery and public administration, Spencer told my 6PR Breakfast listeners. Loading The amount of money that is being spent on the COVID response, and the way our lives are being impacted by policy decisions and public sector agencies implementation of those, is very significant. For example the tourism sector, which the government claimed repeatedly had boomed under closed borders, suffered a drop in visitor spending from $11 billion pre-pandemic to $7.6 billion in 2020-21. Yet government tourism grants increased from $5 million to $19 million, barely touching the sides of the losses, even accounting for some Lotterywest grants and the Commonwealths JobKeeper payments.

There was an increase of 24 per cent in family violence than pre-pandemic, and we know thats predominantly women and children, Spencer said. We also saw an increase of 23 per cent in bets processed by Racing and Wagering WA. They represent what she described as an externalisation of impacts of government policy to the private sector and citizens beyond just the health directives. She believes a comprehensive independent review  be it a royal commission-style inquiry or a parliamentary inquiry with subpoena powers  is essential. A systematic, impartial examination of the broader range of impacts, we would hear from a broader range of voices, including some people who havent had a voice in this, she said.
Western analysts were watching President Putins Victory Day speech with intense scrutiny this year. It was, as expected, full of patriotic statements of great past deeds and the sacrifices of the Russian people. His words were in part a commemoration and in part a declaration of Russian intent. Putin praised the military personnel of Russia. He acknowledged their sacrifices  and those of their families  while reserving special praise for army medical personnel.

The extra attention paid outside Russia came on the back of intense speculation about a possible declaration of war, announcement of a national mobilisation, or even a victory declaration. It didnt happen, and Putin offered no escalation in the war. It is worth reflecting on why not.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Credit:AP

If Putin had used this commemoration to declare war, he would have inadvertently highlighted to the Russian public that their special military operation, supposedly a quick military intervention, had been neither quick nor special. By now, the Russian people are probably aware of the flow home of dead and disfigured soldiers. Placing a spotlight on this issue would only make Putin seem weaker, and not stronger.

Mobilising his nation, or at least declaring it in such an overt way, would also be an acknowledgment to the Russian people that things were not going well in Ukraine. But beyond the symbolism of national mobilisation, it would also have been a very expensive option for Putin and for Russia more broadly. It would take men and women from normal occupations that generate taxes for the Russian state.
Victorian Liberal MP Bernie Finn has repeated his view that survivors of rape should not be allowed to have abortions, saying everybody should be given a chance to live.

Finn resigned as the oppositions whip in Victorias upper house on Monday, days after posting on Facebook that he was praying for abortion to be banned in Victoria, including in the case of sexual assault. He has been replaced by Gordon Rich-Phillips, the member for South-Eastern Metropolitan.

Finn has denied that his controversial views on abortion could affect the Liberal Party at Novembers state election. Credit:Jason South

I think that everybody should be given a chance, Finn said on Tuesday when asked if he still believed women who had been raped should be forced to give birth. I dont think its a question of deciding who should live or die, and I think everybody should be given that chance.

Finn said he wasnt preparing to quit the Liberal Party, but his decision to resign as opposition whip was a matter between me and various people in the party.
Colombo: Sri Lankas Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had to be rescued at dawn from his official residence by armed troops after thousands of protesters broke down the gate in the hours after he resigned from his office.

Sri Lankas defence ministry has ordered security forces to shoot anyone causing injury to people or property to contain widespread arson and mob violence targeting government supporters.

Sri Lankas pro-government and anti-government protestors clash amid tear gas outside the presidents office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 9, 2022. Credit:AP

The order came after violent clashes a day earlier left eight people dead and prompted the resignation of the prime minister, who is blamed along with his brother, the president, for leading the country into its worst economic crisis.

Police tried to enforce a curfew after the riots, prompted by an economic catastrophe that led to soaring inflation, food and fuel shortages and lengthy power cuts.
Manila: Thirty-six years after the people of the Philippines took to the streets to depose a dictator, his son is headed back to the presidential palace, the Malacanang.

Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos jnr is poised to be sworn in as the countrys new leader next month after receiving a stunning majority in Mondays election. His running mate Sara Duterte  the daughter of the outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte  clinched the vice-presidency in even more emphatic fashion, according to voting results transmitted to the Philippines electoral commission.

Ferdinand BongBong Marcos jnr arrives at his campaign headquarters in Manila late on Monday night. Credit:Bloomberg

The 64-year-olds victory is a seismic outcome for south-east Asias second largest democracy, where disillusionment has spurred the voters to turn once again to a notorious name.

There will be much interest, not least in Washington DC and Canberra, about how he conducts affairs beyond its borders.
European countries on Monday celebrated the victory over Nazism 77 years ago but there is still no sign of victory for either side in Vladimir Putins barbaric war against Ukraine.

In his speech to the annual Victory Day commemoration on Red Square in Moscow, the Russian dictator was completely unrepentant.

He repeated the lies he has been spouting since he started the war on February 24, claiming that Ukraine had been taken over by neo-Nazis and he had no choice but to launch a pre-emptive attack to stop them. You are fighting for the homeland, for its future, for no one to forget the lessons of World War II, Putin told Russians.

Given Putins atrocities, it is tempting to hope that this war will end in the same way as Adolf Hitlers evil war with the complete destruction of Putins regime.

Some observers speculate that Putin is unwell (he sat with a blanket on his lap while he watched the military parade) and his grip on power is slipping.
Washington: Emergent BioSolutions concealed evidence last year from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors of a potential problem with batches of coronavirus vaccines in the weeks before a contamination incident destroyed millions of doses, a House panel said in a harsh report on failures at Emergents Baltimore plant.

The joint investigation report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus and the Oversight and Reform Committee reinforced the negative portrait that emerged last year after the FDA suspended vaccine manufacturing at the plant.

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Cross-contamination of coronavirus vaccines being made for Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca was discovered in March 2021. The company had more than $US1.3 billion ($1.9 billion) worth of contracts from the federal government and from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca to make the vaccines.

No contaminated doses made it into the public vaccine supply. But the firms failures rank among the worst government procurement efforts during the pandemic, sparking the House investigation that began more than a year ago.
Russian President says his forces are fighting for the future of their motherland

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BONAIRE:--- Ocean charity makes an initial grant of $90,000 to marine parks on six Dutch Caribbean islands. Award will fund projects including coral protection, and training youth marine rangers.

Ocean conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation has announced it is awarding $90,000 in funding to support marine conservation in the Dutch Caribbean. A range of projects run by protected area management organizations on six islands will each receive a grant of $15,000. The funding is the first step in a longer-term partnership to support the islands and help secure sustainable financing through the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) Trust fund.

To improve ocean governance, Blue Marine uses a combination of top-down intervention and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities at the front line of conservation. It will work together with the DCNA to help marine-park organizations protect the unique and threatened biodiversity of the Dutch Caribbean.

The new partnership is an important development in the successful management of marine conservation parks in the Dutch Caribbean. The UK-based charity has established a small-grants fund to provide rapid access to support for critical conservation projects run by marine parks.

The individual projects and their local partners are:

Aruba: monitoring water quality in its Marine Protected Area (MPA) and wetlands, in conjunction with Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)

Bonaire: assessing losses of stony corals (Acroporids e.g. staghorn and elkhorn coral), and their potential future recovery, in conjunction with Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA Bonaire)

Curacao: establishing a bus transport marine education program and youth marine ranger program, in conjunction with Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI)

Saba: provision of a climate control room for the new marine field station, in conjunction with the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF).

Sint Eustatius: assessing the health of coral, the abundance of fish life, and the diversity of reefs, in conjunction with St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA)

St Maarten: monitoring marine habitats, in conjunction with Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM)

Unique ecosystems on the islands are vulnerable to threats such as feral livestock causing sedimentation on reefs, and invasive species, including lionfish and coral diseases. They are also at risk from overfishing, climate change, coastal development, erosion, and the build-up of harmful algae caused by wastewater.

The islands of the Dutch Caribbean are also home to important blue carbon habitats - ocean ecosystems such as seagrasses, mangroves, and other marine plants that suck up and lock away carbon from the earths atmosphere. Seagrass is so efficient at this it can capture and store carbon dioxide up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. The management and protection of these blue carbon habitats are vital in the fight against climate change.

Current marine conservation measures in the islands include a 25,390 square km mammal and shark sanctuary- Yarari sanctuary- across the Exclusive Economic Zone of Bonaire, Saba, and St Eustatius. All six islands have inshore Marine Protected Areas ranging in size from 10 to 60 sq km.

Blue Marines Senior Project Manager Jude Brown commented: Having recently visited two of the islands, I witnessed first-hand how special this region is. Diving the waters off Saba I saw huge Tarpon swimming amongst shoals of blue tang, and hawksbill turtles feeding on the seagrass beds. I also witnessed the challenges these islands are facing from coral disease to issues with coastal development. It is an exciting opportunity to work in the Dutch Caribbean, bringing expertise and funding from Blue Marine to join with the wealth of knowledge already on the islands, to work together to protect the important marine life around these islands.

Tadzio Bervoets, Director of the DNCA commented: The Dutch Caribbean consists of the Windward Islands of St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius and the Leeward Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. The nature of the Dutch Caribbean contains the richest biodiversity in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The diverse ecosystems are a magnet for tourism and at the same time the most important source of income for residents of the Dutch Caribbean. Nature on the islands is unique and important but it is also fragile. The coming week we will be in The Netherlands to present a Climate Action Plan for the Dutch Caribbean to emphasize the urgent need for a climate-smart future for our islands. 
SONNY TUMBELAKA | Getty Images

The idea seemed good to them: he would take an image of her with little clothing before a tree that is more than 700 years old. They would upload it to their Instagram profile and they would surely get many likes. They did not expect, however, that the tree was sacred. This is exactly what happened to the Russian influencer, Alina Fazleeva , and her husband during a trip to Bali, an island in Indonesia that offers paradisiacal beaches, volcanic mountains and coral reefs.

The woman, who has 28,700 followers on her Instagram account , uploaded the image taken by her husband, Andrey Fazleev, to the social network and it immediately went viral and began to arouse the anger of the people of Bali. The mountains, trees, rivers and other elements of nature are sacred on the island and considered to be the place where the gods dwell.
Steven Senne / Associated Press

Celebrity chef Mario Batali, who opened several restaurants in Connecticut, on Tuesday was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery, according to the Associated Press.

Batalis trial started Monday and came to a quick halt the following day. Batali, 61, was accused of aggressively kissing and groping a woman when she took a selfie with him at Boston restaurant in 2017. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2019, the AP reported.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A man and a juvenile boy were shot in separate incidents Monday evening, according to a city official.

The first incident took place at 8:34 p.m. The Emergency Communications Center received a call about a man who had been shot in the chest on Washington Terrace, according to Scott Appleby, the director of Bridgeports Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security.
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STAMFORD  Pending state approval, Stamford is set to get its first recreational cannabis dispensary.

The Zoning Board voted Monday night to allow a city medical marijuana dispensary to also sell cannabis to adults 21 and older in an industrial section of the city if the state grants it a license.

The vote was three to one, with one member arguing that Stamford should create explicit rules for dispensaries that sell to both recreational and medical clients. State law dubs those facilities hybrid.

The applicant, Fine Fettle Dispensary in the Research Park section of Springdale, broke into the local medical marijuana market in February, though it owns dispensaries in Willimantic and Newington. But since its earliest days, the businesss leadership has pursued a hybrid license from the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Chief Operation Officer Benjamin Zachs told The Stamford Advocate that securing local zoning approval is part of the application process, which is still ongoing. The state ultimately plans to license two general applicants and two social equity applicants of marginalized identities.

Despite Fine Fettles representatives and the Land Use Bureau both telling the board that hybrid facilities would still be strictly governed by the citys existing rules for medical dispensaries, resistance to approving the dispensary without creating explicit rules was a concern with at least one board member.

I think the recreational aspect is significantly different from the medical dispensary, said board member Roger Quick, the sole official to dissent. I do believe we need a separate regulation, and based on that I vote no.

Though the words recreational cannabis never appear in Stamfords zoning regulations, state law still paves a path forward for in-city sales. The state law passed in 2021 stipulates that  without other regulations  cannabis in a town or city is governed by its existing zoning rules.

Though other nearby towns including Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien have moved to bar cannabis sales, Stamford legislators have not publicly discussed the issue.

Mayor Caroline Simmons in April said through a spokesperson that the city will continue to evaluate lessons learned as this type of business grows in Stamford to ensure that economic development does not jeopardize equity and public safety.

The Board of Representatives has not yet proposed any ordinances specifically governing cannabis. Board President Jeff Curtis did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the body plans to discuss cannabis further.

I'm surprised we're not hearing from some members of the Board of Reps, board member Roseanne McManus said at the tail end of discussions, following a silent public comment period.

I guess that tells us that they don't have a strong opinion on this either way, Stein replied.

The Planning Board in April unanimously approved Fine Fettles application but specifically asked that the Zoning Board and its staff review the protocols for hybrid dispensaries in Stamford. The application does not need any other board approvals.

During the meeting, the Zoning Board also adjusted city rules for signage at dispensaries, ultimately allowing Fine Fettle to add a post sign to advertise the facility.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
STAMFORD  Finding funding for a new Westhill High School seemed far from a sure thing a few months ago, but recently passed state legislation comes with a boatload of money to help the cause.

And thats not the only good news for city and school officials.

Among the long list of provisions in a recently passed state budget bill is another item that sets the reimbursement rate from the state for new school construction in Stamford at 60 percent, much higher than the 20 percent rate currently in place.

The new framework will provide much more funding for the citys ambitious master plan to construct or expand four schools, including a potential new K-8 school in south Stamford, and make improvements to many others. The estimated cost to implement the full plan is more than $500 million over 12 years.

It is something that will definitely be a game changer, said Board of Education president Jackie Heftman, about the 60 percent rate. We will be able to move forward on projects that were either not going to happen, or take years and years and years.

In a separate section of the recently-passed budgetary bill, the reimbursement rate for a new Westhill High School was set at 80 percent. The cost of construction is estimated at $258 million, according to figures from the states Department of Administrative Services. At the 80 percent rate, Stamford would receive a contribution of roughly $206 million.

Thats a far cry from the 20 percent rate the state had agreed to pay late last year, which would have covered $51.6 million of the work.

Heftman said the assumption that the city would receive a reimbursement rate of 80 percent or more for Westhill was viewed as a long shot, but something we absolutely had to do.

She said Superintendent Tamu Lucero and state Sen. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, were instrumental in getting the state legislature to agree to fund the high school project at a higher number and said both should be incredibly congratulated for the achievement.

Getting more state dollars for school projects is something Mayor Caroline Simmons campaigned on. A former member of the Stamford legislative delegation as a state representative, Simmons has advocated for increasing state aid for Stamford school projects.

Back in March, she said Stamfords delegation was working on special legislation to get Westhills reimbursement rate as high as 95 percent.

So were very hopeful that we can get that, and were going to be advocating strongly this session  we already have been, but continuing to advocate for that funding, she said, in March.

At the same time, she said officials were pushing for bumping up Stamfords rate.

More Information "We will be able to move forward on projects that were either not going to happen, or take years and years and years." Stamford Board of Education President Jackie Heftman See More Collapse

Instead of having to go up every year to advocate for that increase to 80 percent funding, were hoping to change the formula this session to get Stamford higher than that 20 percent reimbursement because we have so many needs, she said, at the start of the legislative session. Were now the second-largest city. We have significant needs at our schools. And so were going to work to change that formula permanently this session.

State funding for construction projects is based on a formula which is tied to a municipalitys wealth. In essence, the poorest municipalities in Connecticut get the highest reimbursement rates while wealthier communities receive a smaller reimbursement percentage.

Before the aforementioned budget provisions were signed by Gov. Ned Lamont late last week, Stamfords percentage of reimbursement was set at 30 percent for general construction and 20 percent for new construction. The states formula is set up to offer 10 percentage points less funding for all cities and towns for new construction, as opposed to renovation projects.

By comparison, in Bridgeport, which has one of the highest poverty rates in Connecticut, the state pays for 79 percent of general construction and 69 percent of new buildings.

The current 50-year-old Westhill High School has had a variety of problems, including water damage from leaky roofs, windows, doorways and the exterior. The plan is to build a new school on the same site and then demolish the existing building once the new one is complete.

Stamford school officials had discussed using special legislation to acquire more state funding for Westhill, using a blueprint that worked for Norwalk Public Schools for a new high school. Norwalk school officials were able to get 80 percent funding, well above the citys normal rate of 23 percent for new construction.

But Norwalk representatives got that amount after filing for special legislation emphasizing the schools regional program.

Thats the same route Stamford officials took with Westhill, when Lucero met with state representatives to discuss opening up enrollment for the districts planned Pathway to Career program, designed to help students entering the workforce.

The plan worked, as the language approved in the states budget specifically states the Westhill project will be funded at 80 percent if the career program is established and enrolls students from, and shares services with, surrounding towns to reduce racial isolation in the community.

During the same session in which the Westhill project was submitted to the state, Stamford administrators also sought state funding for a preschool program to be housed at 83 Lockwood Ave. for a cost of roughly $51 million. The state agreed to pay for 20 percent of the work, but that project has since been withdrawn.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
CHAPLIN  A New London man who state police said was a person of interest in the death of a local man has been brought back to Connecticut after he was apprehended in New Hampshire last week.

Matthew Hampton Candler, 46, was charged with first-degree assault in the incident that left 51-year-old Jeffrey Rawson dead. State police said detectives took him into custody around 2 p.m. Monday at the Rockingham County Correctional Facility in Brentwood, N.H., where he was being held after being apprehended in Seabrook last week.

Candler had waived his extradition, state police said. He was brought to the Troop D state police barracks in Danielson where he was processed and held on $500,000 bond.

He was due to appear in Danielson Superior Court on Tuesday.

According to the arrest arrant, state police received a 911 call around 5:43 a.m. on May 1. The caller reported a man in a house in the 200 block of Miller Road had been assaulted two hours before inside the residence.

Inside the home, state police found the scene in disarray, the investigating officer wrote, with various pools of soaked blood throughout the living room floor, with blood splatter on the walls and glass doors, consistent with the victim being violently struck, according to the warrant.

State police also described broken wood furniture that appeared to have been thrown throughout the living room where the victim was and a glass lamp with a metal base with blood on it on the floor a few feet from the victim.

Rawson was found sitting inside the home, propped up against an end table, shirtless, and with apparent blunt force trauma to his head, the warrant states.

Three witnesses in the home told police they had been with Candler and Rawson after Candlers truck broke down and was towed to the house, according to the warrant. One witness told investigators Rawson and Candler had worked on Candlers truck for several hours before the two men came inside the home.

At some point later in the night, a fight broke out, according to witness accounts in the warrant. The witnesses did not say what led to it. One witness told police he saw Candler punching Rawson in the face, before Candler grabbed a lamp and struck the victim in the head numerous times with it and was kicking and stomping the victim on his head and neck, the warrant reads.

Rawson was pronounced dead at 6:18 a.m., according to the warrant.

Police believe Candler fled the scene in his truck  a Ford F-350 with a Minnesota registration.

Another witness interviewed by police recounted how Candler called her around 6 a.m. that morning and rambled on about how he was sorry and how he tried, the warrant reads. The woman told police it was not uncommon for Candler to call her rambling, stating that she knows he has a drug problem. She told investigators Candler had told her he wont let them take him which she took to meant he may attempt suicide by cop, the warrant states.

Police believe Candler traveled to the home of someone he knew in Woodstock, Maine, asking them to modify the appearance of his truck. During an interview, this witness told police Candler had told them he didnt know the person that died, the warrant states, and that something really bad had happened in Connecticut.

Police located Candlers truck at a business in Salisbury, Mass. on May 2, and seized the vehicle, according to the warrant. A tip from a cab driver that he had dropped someone off matching Candlers description led police to a motel in Seabrook, N.H., the following day where police set up surveillance. Around 1 p.m., police were able to take Candler into custody as he exited the front entrance of the motel, the warrant states.

He told waiting police to just kill me, before he was taken into custody, the warrant states.
GREENWICH  In the first triple-digit report of COVID-19 since January, the Greenwich Public Schools is reporting 113 new cases among teachers and staff on Tuesday, according to the latest update on the districts online tracker.

That brings the total number of new COVID-19 cases in May to 249 in the school district, according to the tracker.

With 2,848 cases of COVID-19 reported since classes began Sept. 1, 2021, the school district has seen more than four times the 700 cases reported in the entire 2020-21 school year, according to the tracker.

As expected, we are seeing a steadily increasing positivity rate in the school community following our Spring Recess, said Jonathan Supranowitz, director of communications and board of education liaison at Greenwich Public Schools.

We continue to ask families to keep their children at home if they (are) experiencing symptoms, test and follow all of the recommendations of our local health officials and school nurses, he said.

Last Friday, 81 new cases were reported in the district, following a report of 55 new cases on May 3, according to the district.

The increase in COVID-19 matches the rising metric seen in Connecticut in recent weeks, with the state reporting a seven-day positivity rate of more than 11 percent on Monday.

The 113 new cases in the Greenwich school district is the largest one-day COVID-19 report since Jan. 21, when 115 cases were seen, according to the tracker.

The number of COVID-19 cases has been increasing throughout the spring in the Greenwich schools, even with six days off for spring break. And the one-day report of 113 new cases on Tuesday represents one-third of the total 339 total cases reported in April in the schools, according to tracker statistics.

In early May, the number of COVID-19 cases in schools has increased sharply across Connecticut, according to state data. Statewide, 3,018 students had positive COVID-19 tests as of last 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, with 1,013 cases last Wednesday, up from 803 a week earlier, an increase of 210 cases, or 26 percent week-over-week, figures show.

Active cases

As of Tuesday, the school district was reporting 104 active cases of COVID-19, an increase from the 86 active cases reported last Friday. That number has been surging in May, with only 49 active cases reported just a week ago on May 3 and 45 active cases reported on April 29, according to the district.

Those 104 active cases impacted 92 students, nine teachers and one case each among service providers, administrators and nonteaching staff, according to the district.

There were active cases reported in every school in the district, with 24 active cases at Greenwich High, 22 active cases at Eastern Middle and 14 active cases at North Street, according to the tracker.

The other actives cases reported included nine at Western Middle; seven at the International School at Dundee; five each at Hamilton Avenue and Parkway; four at Cos Cob; three each at Central Middle, Glenville and New Lebanon; and one each at Julian Curtiss, North Mianus, Old Greenwich, Riverside and Windrose.

A number of families in the Greenwich Public Schools have been hit hard by COVID-19 this school year, with 458 families reporting 988 cases.

Increasing reports

Since the Spring Recess, with no classes from April 15 to 24, the total number of COVID-19 cases reported totals 356, 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 755 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students and staff. That is more cases than were reported in the entire 2020-21 school year.

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 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.
UPDATE: A jury on Wednesday found Hakeem Atkinson not guilty of murder in the 2012 fatal shooting of Joseph Bateman in Norwalk.

STAMFORD  A jury will decide the fate of a Bridgeport man accused of fatally shooting a 20-year-old Norwalk man in 2012, after the lawyers on either side of the case made their closing arguments Tuesday afternoon.

Attorneys representing the state and the defendant, 26-year-old Hakeem Atkinson, both emphasized the witness testimony  though for different reasons  shared throughout the first seven days of the murder trial.

John Gulash, who represents Atkinson, asked jurors to note the consistent inconsistencies of some of the states key witnesses, namely Atkinsons ex-girlfriend Kira Jordan, who testified a day earlier that she had overheard Atkinson take credit for fatally shooting Joseph Bateman in 2012.

Gulash honed in on Jordans testimony on Monday, during which she appeared nervous and, by her own admission, had trouble recalling the circumstances in which she had overheard that conversation. He also pointed out that Jordan shared this information with police in 2016, but not during a 2012 interview with detectives.

During his closing argument, Gulash concluded that jurors cannot rely on her recollection.

She made clear to you that it was unclear to her as to whether or not what she said in that statement was accurate or not, in that she couldnt discern if it was what she heard from other people and rumors that she heard versus having heard it from his conversation with somebody, at some time, somewhere that she doesnt remember the details to, Gulash said in his argument.

But, as Senior Assistant States Attorney David Applegate later pointed out, Jordan stood by her statement to police during Mondays testimony. He asked jurors to take a step back when analyzing Jordans testimony and consider her perspective.

This is a 26-year-old woman, she dated the defendant for two years when she was young. He felt comfortable enough around her to have a conversation like this about killing someone. Imagine the internal strife this would cause anyone. On the one hand wanting to cooperate on such a serious matter, on the other hand providing this kind of information has to feel like a betrayal of someone you were so close to. Someone with whom you spent two years of your life, Applegate said.

Gulash also took aim at the Norwalk Police Departments investigation into the then-cold case in 2016. Calling the investigation desperate, Gulash claims investigators revisited witnesses like Jordan and Johan Gallo, one of three people to identify Atkinson as the potential shooter, and in doing so relied upon four-year-old memories to cobble together a case.

Cheese and wine get better with age  do identifications? Do memories? Do cases? asked Gulash.

In his response, Applegate acknowledged the fickle nature of witness identifications. But, while he conceded that many of the witness memories differed in details, most agreed on the bigger picture, that Atkinson was the shooter.

The states argument isnt to look at things in a vacuum. Its the opposite, to look at all of the evidence together and see how all the pieces fit together, Applegate said. The only conclusion that can be drawn from this evidence is that it was defendants specific intent to commit murder.

Gulash also took aim at another of the states witnesses, Kenneth Huckabee, who was an early suspect in the homicide.

Huckabee was in the area of the Avalon Norwalk apartment buildings, now known as The Confluence at Norwalk, on Feb. 3, 2012, at the time Bateman was shot and killed. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, family members highlighted Huckabee as a possible shooter in the case, though Norwalk detectives later ruled him out as a suspect.

According to phone records obtained by police, Huckabee was making a marijuana sale in the McDonalds parking lot located in the Avalon parking garage at the time of the shooting.

Huckabee and Bateman, longtime friends, had also been in a beef around the time of the shooting, a dispute that led to Bateman threatening to shoot up Huckabees home, Gulash pointed out. However, Huckabee claimed during his testimony that he and Bateman had squashed their dispute days before his longtime friend was killed.

Gulash highlighted how Huckabee was wearing clothes that fit the initial descriptions of the shooter and, by his own admission, came and left the area in a car that also matched the description of the shooters possible escape vehicle.

Applegate later struck back at Gulashs theory, stating that based on Huckabees believed location at the time of the shooting and the ballistic evidence that it was highly unlikely that Huckabee was the shooter in the case.

After closing arguments, the jury convened to deliberate on their decision. Jury deliberations are scheduled to continue on Wednesday.

If convicted of murder, Atkinson faces a minimum of 25 years in prison, plus an extra five years for a firearms sentence enhancement, which the state is seeking in the case.
O'Brien Award-winning trotter Perfetto is the first horse confirmed to compete in the 2022 Oslo Grand Prix in Norway.

TGN reports that Perfetto's connections today accepted the first invitation from Bjerke Racetrack's Andre Ringelien to the Group 1 stakes race to be held on Sunday, June 12 at the Oslo racetrack.

Trained and driven by Norwegian native Dagfin Henriksen and owned by Gerald Haggerty of Camden East, Ont., the seven-year-old Majestic Son gelding is a 25-time winner with $722,416 in earnings.

"It will be incredibly fun to come home and start a [horse from my own stable] in Norway's biggest international race," Henriksen was quoted as saying during a quick visit to Norway with his sons. "It is a dream come true. I had not dreamed of that when I went with my grandfather to Bjerke as a boy and was bitten by the trotting [bug] for the first time."

Canada's two-time reigning Older Trotting Horse of the Year will kick off his first European trip competing in the Elitloppet on May 29 at Solvalla Racetrack in Sweden.

Henriksen indicated Perfetto trained well at home with partner Laura Trask and is scheduled to make one more start in Canada on Monday before heading to the U.S. for a few days rest at the Jonas Czernyson stable. He will then travel overseas to Sweden and Norway.

(With files from TGN)
Hong Kong: FSD responds to Coroner's verdict

The Fire Services Department (FSD) will thoroughly study the recommendations in the verdict of Coroner's Court concerning the fire-fighting operation of a No. 4 fire at Amoycan Industrial Centre in June 2016.

It also conveyed its deepest condolences to the families of the two personnel who died during the operation.

The department has implemented a series of improvement measures to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of frontline personnel after an interdepartmental task force formed after the No.4 fire made a number of recommendations.

It has enhanced the operational procedures of breathing apparatus and established a team to provide logistical support in relation to the operation of such apparatus at incidents.

Additionally, new ancillary equipment on breathing apparatus has been introduced such as the firefighter locator system and retractable personal lines to facilitate rescue operations.

The department has improved the arrangement for rest areas at incidents, devised guidelines on frontline work and rest schedules under hot or inclement weather, stepped up training on staff awareness of heat-related illnesses and relevant preventive measures.

It has also issued a safety alert on prevention of heat stroke and reminders upon the issuance of the Very Hot Weather Warning signal.

The FSD has been working closely with other departments to conduct inspections and take enforcement action in mini-storage premises since June 2016.

As at April 30 this year, the department had inspected 1,222 mini-storage premises and found 3,222 common fire hazards in 959 mini-storage premises. Notices were issued to the operators concerned requiring them to abate the fire hazards within specified periods, with prosecutions having been instituted against 221 operators for failing to comply.

The Fire Safety (Industrial Buildings) Ordinance, implemented in 2020, mandates that owners and occupiers of pre-1987 industrial buildings upgrade the provision of fire service installations and equipment and fire safety construction, as per the instructions of the directors of the FSD and the Buildings Department.

The fire safety standards of all premises inside the old industrial buildings, including mini-storage premises, are subject to the ordinance and have to comply with the direction to carry out fire safety improvement works.

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) in Algiers, Algeria, on May 10, 2022. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, as the two countries marked the 60th anniversary of the official ties. (Algerian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

ALGIERS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, as the two countries marked the 60th anniversary of the official ties.

The bilateral relations and the Ukraine issue were on the agenda of the meeting between the Algerian president and Lavrov, who arrived in Algiers on later Monday, local media reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian top diplomat met one-on-one with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, before the talks were extended to include the delegations from both sides.

Lavrov also laid a wreath at the martyr's monument in upper Algiers, in memory of the martyrs of the Algerian War of Independence which lasted from 1954 to 1962. 
Approximately 900,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the onset of the crisis in the neighbouring country, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informed on Tuesday.

According to a press release of the IGPF sent to AGERPRES on Monday, 70,165 people entered Romania through the border points in the past 24 hours, out of whom 5,530 Ukrainian citizens (down by 27.9pct compared to the previous day).On the border with Ukraine, 2,911 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (down 31.5pct), and on the border with the Republic of Moldova, 644 Ukrainian citizens entered (down 66pct).Since the beginning of this crisis (February 24), until May 9, 2022, at 12.00 am, at the national level, 897,256 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania, according to the Border Police.At the same time, starting with February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict period), 931,785 Ukrainians entered Romania.
The Royal Train on Tuesday was greeted in the Ploiesti Sud Railway Station by about a thousand people of all ages, including officials, who were waiting for the train carrying the insignia of the Royal House of Romania, Agerpres reports.

The Royal Train makes a symbolic journey on Tuesday on the King's Day and the National Independence Day. It left the Baneasa Royal Station and has scheduled stops in four counties - Prahova, Buzau, Braila and Galati.The first stop was in Ploiesti Sud Railway Station, where around a thousand people waited for the Royal Train and the representatives of the Royal House - the Crown Custodian, Her Majesty Margareta, Prince Radu and Princess Sofia.Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by Ploiesti Mayor Andrei Volosevici, Deputy Mayor Dan Nicodim and Deputy Prefect Emil Draganescu, and the event was attended by other representatives of local public authorities, as well as representatives of the Romanian Red Cross.They were welcomed with songs on the platform of the station in Ploiesti like "Marsul Carol I" [Carol I March - editor's note] and "Luarea Plevnei [The Conquering of Plevna - editor's note], and Their Highnesses were served with the traditional salt and bread.During their stay in Ploiesti, Their Royal Highnesses saluted the crowd who wished them "Many happy returns of the day!," some shouting "Long live Romania," "Long live our Queen," "The monarchy saves Romania." Many of those present showed the tricolor, the flag of the Royal House of Romania and photos with its members.When the train left the station, the participants in the event applauded and sang "Long Live."According to the official schedule, the next stop will be in Buzau Station, at 1.31 pm, the third stop of the Royal Train will take place in the Braila Station, at 3.24 pm, and the last stop will take place in the Galati Station, at 4:14 pm pm.All these events are open to the public and the press. After the closing ceremony in Galati, the Royal Train will be open to the public for two hours.
Chief of the Defense Staff (SMAp), General Daniel Petrescu has conducted, between May 8-10, a visit to Sofia, occasion on which he evaluated, together with his Bulgarian counterpart, Emil Eftimov, the regional security situation.

"The agenda of discussions included the evaluation of the regional security situation, having as a central point the threats towards European and Euro-Atlantic stability caused by the war of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and the actions conducted in allied context for the operationalization, as soon as possible, of the NATO Battle Groups in Romania and Bulgaria. Furthermore, the discussions regarded the consolidation of military cooperation relations, both on the bilateral level, as well as in the format of the NATO and EU international organizations," informs a release of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) sent, on Tuesday, to AGERPRES.

As part of discussions on the topic of defence consolidation measures of the two states, Petrescu and Eftimov emphasized the manner of executing missions to increase vigilance as part of the aerial component and the deployment of some Allied forces and capabilities in the Black Sea region.

The two officials also discussed the inclusion of a high number of exercises in the bilateral cooperation plan, as well as aspects regarding the administration of monuments of Romanian and Bulgarian heroes.

"Between the armies of the two states there are excellent cooperation relations established, which have developed, in time, both in the realm of joint training of forces, as well as in that of collaboration between the leadership levels of national defence institutions. In view of strengthening the allied posture of discouragement and defence, I proposed to my Bulgarian counterpart actions to balance the defensive components as part of the NATO Advanced Presence in the area of the Eastern Flank which will lead both to the accomplishment of credible capabilities in the region, as well as complex training opportunities, in allied and joint formats," said General Daniel Petrescu, according to the MApN release.

Based on the institutional experience of the Romanian Army, the SMAp head presented the progress made in operationalizing allied structures at the level of brigade, division and corps.

General Petrescu also had a meeting with the Deputy Minister of National Defence of Bulgaria, Yordan Bozhi, participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Sofia and met with the Romanian servicemen deployed as part of the NATO Force Integration Unit.
Chief of Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, laid wreaths at the St. George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum in Pleven, Bulgaria, on Tuesday, in honor of the Romanian soldiers who fought in the War of Independence of 1877-1878.

"I was honored to pay tribute to the memory of the brave soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the independence of the Romanian people. The heroism of the soldiers who fought on the redoubts south of the Danube gave expression to the secular aspirations for freedom of the Romanian people. Plevna [e.n. - Romanian spelling of Pleven] remains a page of military glory, but, more importantly, it is one of the cornerstones of our country's path to independence," said General Daniel Petrescu, according to a press release of the Ministry of National Defense, sent to AGERPRES.

Plevna Fortress, a strategic point in the 1877 - 1878 war, was the site of bloody clashes, taking place from the summer to the winter of 1877, the Ministry of National Defense said.

2022 marks the 145th anniversary of the proclamation of state independence on May 9 and 10, 1877.

Romania's assertion of independence would then be fulfilled by the army on the battlefields of Plevna, Rahova, Grivita, Smardan, and other redoubts conquered with blood and sacrifices during the War of Independence. AGERPRES
Secretary of State Gheorghe Carciu, together with representatives of the Department for Romanians Everywhere (DRP), paid a working visit to Ukraine on May 7-9, the main topics of discussion with the authorities local and regional rights referring to the rights of the Romanian minority in the region, the calendar of projects and programs carried out by DRP in 2022, but also the continuation of granting scholarships for Romanian ethnic students learning Romanian, Agerpres reports.

According to a release of the Department for Romanians Everywhere, the agenda of the visit included meetings with the representatives of the local and regional authorities, of the Romanian associative environment, but also with representatives of the Romanian language media and of the clergy.In the context of the visit, Secretary of State Gheorghe Carciu sent a message of support for the Romanian community in Ukraine."In these difficult times for all of us, we must keep our faith that things will settle down and we will return to normal. Both on my behalf and on behalf of the institution I represent, I assure you that we will do our utmost to support the Romanian community in Ukraine and continue to make sure that the rights of Romanian ethnics are respected. Our children learning the Romanian language and keeping their Romanian identity - that is a unanimous desideratum for which I will fight further," Carciu was quoted as saying in the release.The Consul General of Romania in Chernivtsi, Irina-Loredana Stanculescu, participated together with the DRP delegation throughout the meetings with the Romanian community and provided support for the smooth running of the entire visit.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu will take part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, which will take place in Marrakesh, in the Kingdom of Morocco, on Wednesday, informs a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to to AGERPRES.

According to the cited source, the meeting will be co-chaired by the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco, with over 75 representatives of state and international organizations, coalition members, expected to attend, including the majority of NATO and EU states, partner states from the Western Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, as well as the European Union, NATO, INTERPOL.

During the meeting, the actions of the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS in the last year will be analyzed and the main lines of action will be decided, as well as priorities for continuing to counter the terrorist threat, at a regional and global level.

The main topics for debate will be focused on the security situation in Iraq, Syria, as well as the evolution of the terrorist threat on the African continent and in Afghanistan.

"Minister Bogdan Aurescu will highlight Romania's contribution under the aegis of the Coalition, our country being involved, since 2016, within the Coalition Forces (within the Inherent Resolve Operation and the NATO Mission in Iraq), as well as through the contribution to stabilization and reconstruction in the states affected by ISIS/Daesh. Furthermore, the head of the Romanian diplomacy will use this occasion to send a message of support for the Coalition's efforts of permanently defeating ISIS/Daesh and for stopping the risk of resurgence of terrorist network threats, through an integrated approach, that will reunite the political, military and social-economic dimensions," MAE specifies.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will also have a series of bilateral meetings.

In 2014, the United States of America announced the creation of an international coalition for the fight against ISIS/Daesh. In this sense, efforts to materialize a military action against ISIS/Daesh were centralized and consolidated by initiating Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The Coalition works on the basis of the UN 2178 Security Council resolution (regarding foreign fighters) and mainly act during the OIR led by the USA, based on art. 51 of the UN Charter, with the objective of neutralizing and eventually destroying ISIS/Daesh. Currently, the Coalition is consists of 85 states and international organizations and has a US-coordinated secretariat in Washington.AGERPRES
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Monday that the war in Ukraine had worsened European and Euro-Atlantic security, adding that there are no worrying signs, Agerpres reports.

"The situation in the Black Sea is the one that has been observable since the beginning of the hostilities, that is, it is clear that not only to Romania, but to NATO as a whole and to European and Euro-Atlantic security as a whole, the war in Ukraine has worsened security. That is absolutely certain. But there are no signs that can cause us to worry, beyond this finding which is an obvious one," Aurescu told Digi 24 private broadcaster on Monday.He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on Monday had been rather defensive and designed to justify the Russian Federation's action in Ukraine."The parade in Moscow is an event that the Russian Federation organises every year, but despite analyses that May 9 will be the time when a victory will be celebrated on the Ukrainian front, if there was such a plan on the part of the Russian Federation, it is clear that the reality on the ground led to another reality today, May 9, and nothing remarkable could be celebrated. I watched the event closely and found nothing special, nothing spectacular except the notable absences that everyone noticed, as well as a rather defensive speech designed by President Putin to justify the Russian Federation's action in Ukraine, a speech that shows in certain parts things that indicate again a twisted reality, that is a different type of reality than the one that everyone knows."He mentioned parts of the Russian president's speech that twist reality, citing the proposals forwarded by Russia in December 2021 to the US and NATO."What does President Putin say in his speech? He means that those proposals made by the Russian Federation were rejected by NATO and by the United States by default, because they had completely different plans, which was later seen. In effect, (...) the fact that those proposals were made public immediately shows in the language of so-called negotiators the fact that, in fact, you do not want to negotiate what you put on the table. What you put on the table and it is made public is something you cannot turn away from. It is a kind of an ultimatum, a kind of take it or leave it, so a type of proposal that is either accepted by the interlocutors or leads to the end of negotiations. In fact, it was the Russian Federation that had other plans, which we had already seen through the very strong build-up of forces around Ukraine. Mention is also made of preparations for an invasion of what they call their historical lands, including Crimea. We know very well that at that time - and today, as then - when Crimea was illegally occupied, and then when that protracted conflict was created in Donbas - these territories do not belong, nor can they belong to Russia, but they are de jure under the sovereignty of Ukraine," Aurescu said.He added that Putin spoke about an active military development by NATO of the territories adjacing Russia."So what was it about? The steps that NATO has taken since 2014, the time of the occupation of Crimea, in response to the occupation of Crimea and the increasingly assertive attitude of the Russian Federation. Everything NATO has done since 2014 with its forward presence on its eastern flank is nothing more than proportionate responses to an increasingly threatening action by the Russian Federation, in an attempt to deter further escalation by the Russian Federation. Here is a narrative that twists reality around 180 degrees and actually tries to justify what President Putin's speech presents as a precautionary rejection of the aggression that the West allegedly planned against Russia. There is also talk of other issues there in the speech, such as the delivery of modern weaponry by NATO countries to Ukraine, which would also have justified this preventive action by the Russian Federation. We all know that arms deliveries to Ukraine actually took place after the invasion broke out, to help the victim of the aggression cope with the illegal, unprovoked, unjustified attack of the Russian Federation."Aurescu added that a substantive negotiation of the conflict between the two sides could only take place if there were a complete ceasefire in Ukraine and if the Russian Federation withdrew, as required by Ukraine, at least to where it was as of February 24.He also said that all the intel so far does not indicate the intention, at least not in the immediate future, of the Russian Federation to use the nuclear weapon."That cannot be done simply by pressing a button, even if we have this representation in popular culture. Things are a bit more complicated, the procedure is a bit more complex. There is no such intelligence at the moment. On the other hand, in the decisions of the March 24 Summit we - NATO as a whole - warn Russia against the use of weapons of mass destruction and say that using them is unacceptable and can have extremely harsh consequences. Therefore, the Russian Federation must be aware that any materialised intention to use weapons of mass destruction can have extremely, extremely severe consequences from the world community," Aurescu concluded.
Four migrants from Pakistan and Afghanistan have been found by Arad border guards as they tried to leave Romania hidden in a lorry carrying aluminum profiles, Agerpres reports.

The vehicle was checked at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point and was driven by a Romanian national shipping goods on the Turkey-Germany route."After a thorough inspection of the vehicle, four foreign nationals were found hidden in the cargo compartment. They were identified as two Pakistani nationals and two Afghan nationals aged between 18 and 26. They were intentionally trying to fraudulently arrive in a country in the Schengen area," the Arad Border Police said on Tuesday.The migrants are being investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border, while the driver is being investigated for trafficking in migrants.
The General Prosecutor's Office has closed the case in which investigations were carried out in connection with the statement of the AUR (Alliance for the Union of Romanians) representatives minimizing the Holocaust, Agerpres reports.

After four months of investigations, the General Prosecutor's Office closed this case on the grounds that "the deed does not exist."On January 6, the General Prosecutor's Office notified itself ex officio and opened a criminal case in connection with a press release issued on January 3, 2022 by the AUR party.The Article 6 paragraph 1 of GEO no. 31/2002 provides: "Denial, contestation, approval, justification or minimization obviously, by any means, in public, of the Holocaust or its effects shall be punished by imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years or by a fine."On January 3, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians sent a press release asking the Minister of Education, Sorin Cimpeanu, to include the Romanian Language, History and English in the list of subjects for which national competitions (Olympiads) will be organized in the school year 2021 - 2022 and in the years to come.AUR also claimed that, in recent years, there has been a "systematic action to undermine" the quality of education in Romania by raising to the rank of subjects some "minor topics or which may be the subject of simple lessons in existing subjects (eg "sex education, the history of the Holocaust, etc.), in parallel with the reduction of the importance given to the fundamental subjects for the formation of the new generations: the exact sciences, the Romanian language and literature, the national history."Later, on January 4, the Israeli ambassador to Bucharest, David Saranga, vehemently condemned "the attitude and insulting statements of some political leaders who considered it appropriate to describe the Holocaust genocide as a "minor issue" to be addressed in the Romanian education system."
President Klaus Iohannis sent a message on Tuesday on the occasion of Romania's National Independence Day, Agerpres reports.

"Today marks 145 years since the declaration of Romania's independence, in a particularly complicated context for Europe, generated by the brutal and unprovoked war launched by the Russian Federation against another sovereign state, Ukraine," the head of state said in the message.President Iohannis states that, along with the Greater Union, Independence is one of the pillars of the modern Romanian state, and the celebration of this moment is a good occasion to remember the defining events for the history of our nation."In 1877, Romania proclaimed its independence, marking an important step towards the completion of national unity and towards a European statute. In Pleven, Rahova or Grivita, the Romanians impressed Europe with their courage, demonstrating the permanence of the union made in 1859. The great powers took note of the birth of a country that carved its own destiny on the Lower Danube, through the patriotic commitment of the political elites of the time, led by Prince Carol of Hohenzollern. The flourishing of culture, the rise of industry, transport and infrastructure, as well as the development of Romania's international relations, all those were the immediate and direct result of gaining state independence. Unprecedented institutional, economic, and legislative modernization continued for several decades. The ideal of a sovereign and free nation was to be fulfilled only a generation later, through political vision and through the courage of the Romanians who, in 1918, achieved the Greater Union. These are the major coordinates of our history, which show us how difficult the road to modernity was and how much perseverance and strength of character our forefathers showed," said the head of state.President Iohannis emphasizes that freedom, the right of nations to choose and build their own destiny, the protection of human life and dignity are fundamental landmarks of the great democratic community."Today, when we witness the resurgence of an imperialist mentality, in the name of which an independent state is subjected to barbaric aggression, the significance of May 10, 1877 in the history of Romania is all the more relevant. Freedom, the right of nations to choose and build their own destiny, the protection of human life and dignity, all these are fundamental landmarks of the great democratic community to which we belong. The sacrifices of our forefathers represented the foundation of the development of European Romania. It is now our duty to uphold and defend the values and principles we share with our Euro-Atlantic partners," the head of state concluded.
The amendment of the European Union Treaties is a "very complex, laborious and long-lasting exercise", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) said on Tuesday, noting that "important" progress can be made in the current context, as well.

Romania, along with 12 other EU Member States, has joined a non-paper which sets out positioning elements of principle for the outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFE) and the prospects for development and action at EU level following its conclusion.

According to a MAE press release, the position paper signed by the 13 EU states "expresses very clearly their commitment and willingness" to engage "constructively" in the reform processes highlighted as necessary by the "careful" study of the proposals resulting from the CoFE debates.

"Romania, together with other Member States, considers that the priority, at this moment, must be given to the concrete aspects that concern the European citizen, as they emerged from the CoFE debates, with emphasis on the post-crisis economic recovery, job creation, a fair process of climate transition, well-performing health systems, the EU's energetic action in the neighborhood, especially in the context of current developments and the negative impact of Russia's illegal war on Ukraine. Significant progress can also be made in the current framework of the EU Treaties and, as the CoFE debates have shown, European citizens are primarily concerned with the concrete issues mentioned above," the MAE explained.

According to the MAE, the document proposes a step-by-step approach, prioritizing the EU's response to the "pressing" needs of European citizens, starting with an analysis of CoFE's results and all legal options leading to more effective action at European level.

The MAE stressed that this "does not rule out the possibility" of an amendment to the EU Treaties.

"Thus, the document states that no option is ruled out, so as to meet the ideas and concerns of citizens. Amending the EU Treaties is a very complex, laborious and long-lasting exercise, which involves a concentrated effort by the European institutions and the Member States, something that could jeopardize the EU's ability to respond quickly and efficiently to the above-mentioned priority concerns for European citizens, which they have conveyed in the CoFE. Consequently, Romania deems useful a reform process that would give priority to the pressing concerns and expectations of European citizens, as expressed during the conference," the MAE release shows.

The ministry pointed out that the proposals "which are not sufficiently analysed involve the risk of diverting energy and political will" from identifying concrete solutions to the concerns of European citizens, but also from the urgent geopolitical challenges facing Europe.

"Therefore, it is not a question of excluding institutional reforms, where appropriate, but of avoiding the haste of such processes and their initiation without a necessary and thorough analysis. Consistently, throughout the whole process of the future Conference on the Future of Europe, Romania's representatives have been actively involved in facilitating the organisation of the widest possible debates on the priority topics of the conference. Also, in the debates at European level, Romania gave priority to the streamlining of European policies that offer concrete benefits for the citizens and that would lead to a more efficient, more resilient Union, that responds to the current challenges and concerns of the citizens," the release also states.

The countries that signed the position paper, together with Romania, are Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden.
Members of the Human Rights Committee of the Romanian Senate and a delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine visiting Bucharest pointed out, on Tuesday, the aid granted by Romanians to the nearly one million people having fled the war and crossed the Romanian-Ukrainian border, Agerpres reports.

"The context in which this discussion takes place is very sad. We have been concerned with the issue of the refugees from Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine. We have benefited from the support of the Ukrainian Embassy in Bucharest and good cooperation of the Romanian institutions with the European ones and the civil society. The Romanian citizens mobilized in an exemplary manner and helped those fleeing the war. (...) We focused on health, education and, especially, on the needs of children," said Anca Dragu, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, at the meeting with the Ukrainian deputies.She added that since the beginning of the war, 902,000 people have come to Romania from Ukraine, with 4,435 asylum seekers in Romania. Anca Dragu noted that refugees from Ukraine received medical care for chronic and acute illnesses, 571 were hospitalized, 2,778 went to the emergency department and more than 1,000 elderly people benefited from social services."I would also like to say about the students and preschoolers from Ukraine, who - we hope - have found a home in Romania in these difficult times. In Bucharest, we have the Uruguay School, where there are over 100 Ukrainian children. We have Ukrainian citizens who have already found a job in Romania," Dragu said.Lyudmila Marchenko, Delegation Coordinator, Chair of the Subcommittee on Legislation on the Status of the Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Ukraine, thanked the Romanians for their help and expressed hope that Romania would contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine."My country is at war. We are grateful that you are with us in these times and that our citizens have found shelter in your country. (...) Today, Ukraine is defending the whole of Europe with its body. In our country, today, civilians, women and children are being killed. This is genocide. Ukraine will certainly win, and we will certainly celebrate together. Thank you for every step you take to show that our peoples are friends. After the victory, the reconstruction will follow and I am sure that Romania will participate in this process. We ask for your support and help, we ask you to oppose Russia. (...) For us, any lost life is a tragedy, for Russia just a statistic," said Lyudmila Marchenko.She invited the Romania-Ukraine parliamentary friendship group to pay a visit to her country.Robert Cazanciuc, vice-president of the Senate, mentioned a Romanian-Ukrainian conversation guide, printed in 13,000 copies, at the initiative of some senators, and expressed his hope that this guide will one day turn into a tourist one."It is almost unrealistic that genocide can happen in the middle of Europe in the 21st century. We thought that these things were a thing of the past, but they are happening right before our eyes. Almost a million people who have passed through Romania (...) There is a component of support from us, here and in Ukraine, through the things they have sent. Certainly, being neighbors, Romania can play an important role in the reconstruction of Ukraine," Cazanciuc said.
For the Museum Night taking place on Saturday, May 14, Romania's National Art Museum (MNAR) has readied an extensive program of cultural and educational activities which includes film screenings, specific workshops for children and youth and specialized guided tours, MNAR said in a release.

The activities will take place between May 13 and 15, being organized in partnership with the International Documentary and Human Rights Festival 'One World Romania', the 'Transylvania' International Film Festival and Radio Romania Cultural.

"We offer the public the opportunity to spend a weekend at the museum, enjoying leisure activities on both days while also enriching their knowledge and skills. The offer also includes the special Museum Night program, when all the exhibition spaces at the headquarters of Romania's National Art Museum will be open for free between 18:00 - 24:00 hrs," the release states.

The 'Mysteries at the Museum' workshop organized by the Artelier D Association, which offers children a creative foray into art and literature mysteries and revelations inspired by E.L. Konigsburg's museum adventure novel 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler!' will take place on Saturday at 17:00.

Also on Saturday, as of 17:00 and 20:00, MNAR invites visitors to a series of guided tours of the statues in the museum's court of honor, an incursion among important artists and themes from allegories and mythological characters to prominent historical personalities, and then to the history-laden spaces - the Royal Dining Room and the Throne Hall - from 18:00 and 19:00, respectively.

Against the backdrop of the war raging in Romania's vicinity, part of the program is dedicated to raising public awareness of aggression and peace promotion, with film screenings scheduled at the Auditorium Hall: "Plai. A Mountain Path", directed by Eva Dzhyshyashvili (Ukraine, 2020) - from 18:00 and "Children of the Mist" by Vietnamese director Diem Ha Le (2021) from 20:30. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion on the central curatorial theme.

On Saturday evening, MNAR's Royal Dining Room will provide the setting for actor Serban Pavlu to read in a first the monologue "Survivor's Syndrome" written by Ukrainian playwright Andriy Bondarenko a few days after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, "an emotional text that confronts the fears, regrets and guilt of a man whose country is hit by the outbreak of war."

The program will continue with a mini-recital by the band FiRMA in a show that will be broadcast live by Radio Romania Cultural and on the station's Facebook page.

The evening of May 14 will end with the guided tour 'Hidden Stories of MNAR European Art Gallery Masterpieces' given by MNAR director general Calin Stegerean from 23:00. AGERPRES
The budget-finance and energy committees of the Senate issued, on Tuesday, a joint endorsement report on the Offshore Law draft regarding natural gas exploitations in the Black Sea, with 17 votes in favour and two against.

During the meeting, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu presented the main amendments to the Offshore Law, emphasizing that through its adoption investments in the Black Sea will be unlocked and investments in onshore will be accelerated, the country's supply security will be ensured, in case of an energy crisis, and Romania will be able to become a regional energy security supplier, after it produces more than it consumes.

"The amendment to Law 256 was necessary, it was assumed by the leaders of the governing coalition and we hope, with its adoption, it will unlock investments in the Black Sea, in the offshore natural gas perimeters, as well as accelerate investments in great depth onshore - I am referring, especially, to the Caragele perimeter and, obviously, if other rounds of auctions will follow (...), both for natural gas, as well as oil. (...) The law adopts the principle of stability and predictability. Practically, all fiscal royalties regimes (...) remain, throughout the entire period of the oil agreement, stable and predictable. Investors know what to expect, both those who have oil agreements concluded, as well as those who will conclude oil agreements later know that they cannot be modified anymore. (...) Overall, Romania's production, with the start, at the end of 2026 and start of 2027, will practically double, we will produce far more than we are able to consume. We have time until 2026 to increase the natural gas consumption and be prepared to absorb as large a quantity as possible, and, obviously, Romania producing more than it consumes, will be able to become a regional energy security supplier," Popescu said.

The draft law to amend and complete Law no. 256/2018 on some measures necessary to implement oil operations by holders of oil agreements regarding offshore oil perimeters will go to the vote in the Senate plenum.
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR), states in a message on the 145th anniversary of the Romanian War of Independence that we have a duty to preserve and cultivate the sacred gift of national independence, "a symbol of the dignity of the Romanian people".

"This year marks the 145th anniversary of the proclamation of Romania's Independence (May 10, 1877). In the unfolding of the events related to this great act of our history, alongside Prince Carol I, the politicians of the time and the country's army, the Romanian Orthodox Church has played a significant role through the servant priests of the holy altars, the monastery dwellers and the faithful lay people," transmits the Patriarch, Agerpres reports.His Beatitude Daniel highlights the contribution of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the War of Independence."At the call of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, hundreds of monks and nuns volunteered in the Romanian army, as nurses or stretcher-bearers. The hierarchs of our Church financially supported the Romanian Red Cross, which was at the beginning of its road. Committees of priests were formed in all dioceses to raise aid (money, clothing, food) to support the army, the widows, and war orphans," says the Patriarch.The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church pointed out that BOR "played an important role in supporting Romanian soldiers, in whom the military priests instilled courage and valiance, boosting their confidence in victory and in the justness of the cause for which they fought.""The Romanian troops were accompanied on the battlefields, in Grivita, Plevna, Rahova, Smardan and Vidin, by Orthodox priests employed in the religious service of the army, and some of them gave their lives heroically on the battlefields. The special merits of the Romanian clergy in the War of Independence have been recognized and appreciated. Those who survived the war were awarded medals - 'Military Virtue', 'Faithful Service' - or received the Order of the Star of Romania in various ranks. After the end of the war, in order to support the war orphans, the Romanian Orthodox Church organized orphanages and schools for children in monasteries, as well as sick-bays for the invalids," underlines the Patriarch.Patriarch Daniel recalls that after the end of the War of Independence, poet Mihai Eminescu and writer Ioan Slavici were among the first Romanian intellectuals to launch and support the idea of building a national cathedral, "as a sign of gratitude to God for obtaining Romania's Independence, namely a religious edifice with the value of national symbol"."Today, all the citizens of Romania have the duty to preserve and cultivate the sacred gift of national independence as an act of justice and a symbol of the dignity of the Romanian people, obtained through many sacrifices of human lives and many spiritual and material efforts for the good of Romania and the joy of Romanians everywhere. Many Happy Returns, Romania!," further reads the message of the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the 145th anniversary of the War of Independence.
Romania's independence was hard to achieve, and it took the sacrifices and blood sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers for it to happen, and the country's monarchy contributed directly to today's Romania, a free and united country in Europe, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said in a message on May 10, Romanian Independence Day, and Romanian Monarchy Day, Agerpres reports.

"On May 10, Romania is celebrating 145 years of state independence, proclaimed in the Romanian Parliament by Mihail Kogalniceanu, a foreign minister in the government led by Liberal Ion C. Bratianu, and acquired arms in hands in the 1877 Independence War on the battlefields of Pleven and Vidin. This holiday is all the more important as, according to the law, this year its celebration no longer overlaps the holidays associated with May 9 - the end of WWIII and Europe Day, but with the Monarchy Day. Serving Romania with honour and dignity, an invaluable part of our European heritage and destiny, on the battlefield or through diplomacy, the monarchy made a direct contribution to Romania today, a free country united in Europe, an ideal for which whole generations sacrificed themselves," reads the prime minister's message.Cicua said that Romania's independence "was hard to achieve and it took the sacrifices and blood sacrifice of our soldiers.""It is our duty and responsibility to respect their memory and to honour their sacrifices by which Romania won full state Independence from the Supreme Porte," said Ciuca.He underlined that securing independence opened Romania's path to modernity, Western values, and the recognition of its European vocation."As a result of a combined effort by the military, diplomacy and society as a whole, our independence strengthened the nation-building generated by the Union of Principalities and paved the way to modernity, Western values, and recognition of our European vocation. As King Carol I once said: 'We have gained our independence with our own blood, and therefore we owe it only to ourselves.' The freedom to choose our path, gained by the heroism of the Romanian soldiers, determines us, today, to look with respect at the history written by the forerunners and to understand its value, especially in this complicated period we are going through. Our presence in NATO - the strongest political and military alliance in the world - and in the EU place Romania under the sign of full protection of its irreversible pro-European option, also strengthened through a transatlantic partnership. Congratulations to all Romanians today, on Romania's Independence Day! Happy Independence Day, Romania! Happy Independence Day, Romanians!," Ciuca added.
Romania supports the EU statement and joins the United States and other international partners in the demarche to attribute the cyberattack on KA-SAT/VIASAT satellite communications network, which took place on February 24, in the context of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, informs a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).

"The impact on the Viasat network has been significant, affecting users in EU member-states, including Romania. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are unacceptable. Romania is deeply concerned about the destructive, disruptive and destabilizing effects of these cyberattacks," reads the release .

According to the quoted source, Romania also condemns, in context, the cyberattacks against Ukraine, carried out both before and after the outbreak of the conflict, as well as the use of malware and DDoS attacks for these purposes.

Romania expresses its full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and condemns the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation, including through the use of cyberattacks, the MAE reports.

"Such malicious attacks are carried out with disregard for the international framework of responsible behavior of states in cyberspace, as defined at the UN level by the consensus reports of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE) and reaffirmed by the Open Group with Extended Participation (OEWG)," states the cited source.

The European Union on Tuesday accused the Russian authorities of carrying out a cyberattack on a satellite network an hour before the invasion of Ukraine to prepare the ground for the assault, international media reported.

This is the first time the EU has openly accused the Russian government of carrying out a cyberattack, European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell told a news conference in Brussels.

"The cyberattack took place an hour before Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, thus facilitating military aggression," the EU said in a statement on behalf of the 27 member-states.

"This cyberattack had a significant impact causing indiscriminate communication outages and disruptions across several public authorities, businesses and users in Ukraine, as well as affecting several EU Member States," the statement said.

"The European Union and its Member States, together with its international partners, strongly condemn the malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which targeted the satellite KA-SAT network, operated by Viasat," the document added.

"We can attribute the attack to the Russian government," said Josep Borrell.

The EU had so far claimed that the cyberattacks came "from within Russia", but without incriminating the Russian authorities.

"The European Union, working closely with its partners, is considering further steps to prevent, discourage, deter and respond to such malicious behaviour in cyberspace," the EU's declaration shows.

"The European Union will continue to provide coordinated political, financial and material support to Ukraine to strengthen its cyber resilience," the text reads.

The attack on the US satellite operator Viasat has left thousands of users without internet in Germany, France, Hungary, Greece, Italy or Poland, according to international media.
As many as 812 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, up 427 from the previous day, with almost 24,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Tuesday, Agerpres reports.

Of the new cases, 111 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 - 140, and in the counties of Timis - 49, and Brasov - 42.As of Tuesday, 2,900,375 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.- Hospitalisations -As many as 930 people with COVID-19, down 84 from the previous reporting, including 67 children, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities.Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 153 patients, down four, are in intensive care.Of the 153 patients admitted to ICU, 139 are unvaccinated against COVID-19.- Deaths -According to the ministry, another 15 Romanians infected with SARS-CoV-2, eight men and seven women, are reported dead in the last 24 hours.Of the 15 deceased patients, 12 were unvaccinated and three were vaccinated. One of the vaccinated patients who died was between 40-49 years old, one was between 70-79 years old and one was over 80 years old. All deaths were in patients with comorbidities.Since the beginning of the pandemic, 65,581 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
On Tuesday, the Royal Train makes a symbolic journey to mark the Royal Day and the National Independence Day, leaving from the Baneasa Royal Station to stop in four counties - Prahova, Buzau, Braila and Galati, Agerpres reports.

According to the data previously communicated by the Royal House, the Crown Custodian, Her Majesty Margareta, and Prince Radu, together with Princess Sofia, will celebrate May 10 - the Royal Day and the National Independence Day with the inhabitants of the four counties they will visit.Thus, the Royal Train will leave the Baneasa Royal Station at 11.00 am. At 10.40 am, a military ceremony will take place on the platform of the station, where there will be music performed by the representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and the soldiers of the 30th "Mihai Viteazul" Guard Brigade.The first stop of the train will take place in the Ploiesti South Station, at 12.10 pm, the second stop of the Royal Train will take place in the Buzau Station, at 1.31 pm, the third stop of the Royal Train will take place in Braila Railway Station, at 3.24 pm, and the last stop will take place in Galati Railway Station, at 4.14 pm.Public and media access is free to all the abovementioned events. After the ceremony of arrival in Galati, the Royal Train will be open to the public for two hours.During the trip, the Royal Family will be accompanied by volunteers of the Romanian Red Cross, the Royal Foundation Margareta a Romaniei, as well as students awarded at the Olympiads, Invictus veterans and the elderly and children benefiting from humanitarian, social, educational and cultural projects carried out under the patronage of Her Majesty.The Royal Train currently used by the Royal Family was inaugurated in 1928 and was designed as a means of transportation for King Ferdinand the Unifier and Queen Mary, during their numerous visits on the territory of the Greater Romania. Earlier, King Carol I and King Ferdinand used two other train sets, from the 1870s to the 1920s, according to a statement sent by the Ploiesti City Hall.The Royal Train has resumed its journeys in 2012, now taking the members of the Royal Family to the various cities of the country. Since 2012, 11 trips have been made, to 50 cities in Romania, according to the same source.
The Theater Union of Romania (UNITER) is launching the humanitarian campaign "Romanian artists for Ukrainian artists", a fundraising project that will take place in the May 16 - June 15 period.

According to a release of UNITER sent to AGERPRES, 46 cultural institutions of state and independent have answered favorably to the call to be together, through theater, to maintain the dignity of artists and to support Ukrainian culture.

The campaign was also joined by institutions in the Republic of Moldova.

"In the May 16 - June 15 period, cultural institutions in Romania and the Republic of Moldova will organize lecture shows based on 10 texts written by Ukrainian authors after the start of the war in Ukraine, translated by Raluca Radulescu, or will schedule shows from their own repertoire, donating their collections. The stake is the same: financial support for Ukrainian artists who are now going through terrible moments," shows the release.

The sums collected from selling tickets, donations and sponsorships can be transferred directly to the account opened especially by UNITER: The Theater Solidarity Fund - RO22RNCB0072049712860086 BCR SECTOR 1.

"We thank the authors of these texts for having the courage to speak of their personal experience of the war and we are with them!," the release shows.

Details about the schedule of shows in the campaign can be found on www.uniter.ro, the websites of partner theaters and on www.mystage.ro.

The campaign is launched by UNITER in partnership with the Worldwide Reading Project and The Center for International Theatre Development (CITD) of Baltimore, USA.
OLIVETTE  A prominent medical marijuana firm wants to put a new production facility here.

Some say it doesnt pass the smell test.

A growing group of residents are worried Proper Cannabis new place will unleash noxious odors on nearby homes and threaten residents health. They plan to urge the Olivette City Council at its Tuesday meeting to slow its roll.

Its a bad idea, said Kim Good, who runs a custom frame shop nearby. I think the city is setting itself up for a bad situation.

Missouris medical marijuana experiment has largely avoided organized local opposition in its first few years, even as communities in states like Massachusetts and New Jersey have run facilities out of town with regulations. But business owners in Des Peres just spent weeks trying to fight a new dispensary set to go in there. And now the neighbors in Olivette are raising questions.

Proper Cannabis CEO John Pennington tried to offer some answers at the last Olivette council meeting.

He told council members that concerns about toxic fumes were unfounded.

Theres no known adverse effect based on emission of the smell, he said.

And while its impossible to completely prevent odors from getting out of the building, he said, his company does everything it can to limit them  sealing all openings, limiting access points and installing state-of-the-art filtration systems.

Alan Zagier, a spokesman for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, said other companies do the same thing, and his group hasnt heard a lot of complaints.

With few to no exceptions, medical marijuana has been welcomed in cities large and small across the state, Zagier said.

The facility putting that to the test in Olivette is slated to go inside a warehouse in a largely industrial area here. Its neighbors in three directions would be other warehouses, a manufacturing facility and a body shop. But to the east lies a neighborhood with several dozen houses, and thats where Good, who owns the frame shop, cries foul.

Her stepfather lives in the neighborhood, and shed consider moving him before leaving him with the smell of the harvest. Shes heard about the state-of-the-art filters and other precautions but says she can smell Propers other facility in Rock Hill from hundreds of feet away on Manchester Road.

It smells like skunk weed, she said.

Rock Hill Mayor Edward Mahan said, indeed, the city has fielded a lot of complaints about Proper Cannabis.

But were working with them, he said. They are responsive. Ill give them that.

The Olivette City Council will consider a proposal from the company on Tuesday to set up a phone line for residents to report odors. The city could require Proper Cannabis to come up with an odor monitoring plan or make additional, commercially reasonable fixes.

But Good sees a lot of leeway there, and so does Nina Miller, 66. Both would prefer a simpler fix: Medical marijuana growing facilities should have to stay away from residential areas. Denver, Boston and University City all require them to be 1,000 feet from homes.

Nobody wants to smell dead skunk when theyre out in their yards, Miller said.

She says at least a dozen will be at the meeting on Tuesday.

But for now, the only thing up for discussion is Propers plan to log complaints and review them with the city. The company has also offered to have its facility design vetted by an independent expert.

Olivette Mayor Maxine Weil, in a brief interview Monday, said the special permit containing the agreements is for the residents benefit and said she could not say how she plans to vote.

Im really waiting for tomorrow to hear the feedback, she said. Were getting communication for and against.

The council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Olivette City Center, 1140 Dielman Road.

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ST. LOUIS  The state has ruled against global retailer Ikeas push to reduce its city property taxes, but still agreed to cut millions of dollars off the local stores valuation.

Ikea, known for its modern, flat-pack furniture, had petitioned the state to slash the value of its local store from $75.7 million to $23.4 million because it said the store, which opened in 2015, was functionally obsolete and therefore overvalued.

The company argued, in part, that its building at Forest Park and Vandeventer avenues was functionally obsolete the day the last coat of paint was put on. The highest and best use of the property, Ikea said, was to demolish it.

But Missouris State Tax Commission, which hears appeals from taxpayers after they go through their local taxing agency, disagreed, ruling Friday that the company did not provide enough evidence to substantiate its claims.

The state agreed with the St. Louis Board of Equalizations determination that the property should be revalued at $62.5 million.

St. Louis Assessor Michael Dauphin said his office was satisfied with the State Tax Commissions very thorough, well-assembled opinion. Ikea did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Europe-based company opened its 377,000-square-foot store here in 2015 after the city granted it $32 million in tax increment financing. The subsidy is part of the $168 million TIF city officials approved for the Cortex technology district in 2012.

Ikea spent at least $100 million to build the store, officials said at the time. It is the only location in eastern Missouri.

Steph Kukuljan  314-340-8506 @StephKukuljan on Twitter skukuljan@post-dispatch.com

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Port Authority of Kansas City moved forward with plans to award a 25-year tax abatement to a St. Louis apartment developer with a history of lawsuits and tenant complaints.

Lux Living, which proposes building a 250-unit, seven-story apartment building on the Missouri Riverfront, is seeking a property tax break worth nearly $7 million from Port KC.

At Port KCs development committee meeting on Monday, most of the conversation centered on the developers track record in St. Louis. The company has been subject to intense scrutiny from local media outlets.

In April, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on complaints from Lux Living tenants who moved into expensive new apartments to find they werent yet completed. Tenant complaints date back to at least 2016 when the Riverfront Times documented problems with cockroaches, maintenance issues and bait-and-switch practices from the company, which at the time was called Asprient.

Since then, as the company has grown, its butted heads with construction labor unions for hiring non-union contractors and filed lawsuits against a competitor and the city. Lux Living also led St. Louis to create new incentive claw-backs after the developer made millions selling two apartment buildings to investors quickly after securing 20-year tax breaks from the city.

Port KC officials downplayed the press coverage on Monday.

If youve been around multi-family business long enough or frankly if youve ever lived in an apartment building, you know that tenant complaints are not all that uncommon, said Brian Rabineau, an attorney at the port. Theres always going to be an issue that someone for some reason is upset about.

But he said the organization took the complaints seriously enough to bolster contract language. The development agreement will allow the port authority to intervene in the new apartment building if the company racks up property code violations or excessive vacancies, for example.

Krishan Purvis, senior development manager, said he and Port CEO Jon Stephens visited four Lux Living buildings in St. Louis last week. They visited with property managers, spoke with residents and visited with a general contractor at an active worksite, he said.

Purvis said the buildings they visited are near full capacity. He said conversations with tenants were mostly positive and that he found the properties to be clean and in good condition.

Lux Living officials did acknowledge past mistakes with allowing residents to move in too early, he said. But they promised they were working on an approach to professionalize their operations at every level, Purvis said.

We didnt have any evidence to substantiate the claims that were made in those articles about poor maintenance, trash, security, broken elevators, pests  things like that that are very serious  we did not see any of that actually on site.

Before Mondays meeting, NPRs Midwest Newsroom reported that the developer failed to disclose previous SEC violations to the port authority. The incentive application asks whether the firms partners have been charged by a regulatory agency for violating financial or professional regulations.

Lux Living answered no, though CEO Victor Alston was sanctioned by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2017 while running a separate company in California, NPR reported. The federal agency found Alston broke accounting rules, fined him $100,000 and banned him from serving as an officer of any public company for five years.

Rabineau said some developers might have disclosed such an issue, but said Alston was not technically required to because he wasnt formally charged with a violation. Alston voluntarily surrendered his license and paid a penalty in lieu of facing charges but never admitted to wrongdoing.

Still, Rabineau said the news story has pushed the port to refine its application questions so that the agency would be aware of such issues.

If this project were coming forward today, that is something that would have been disclosed or required to be disclosed, he said, but at the time was not.

Alston could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Kansas City Public Schools, Kansas City Public Library and the Community Mental Health Fund all raised concerns about the tax break proposed by Lux Living.

Bruce Eddy, executive director of the Community Mental Health Fund, said he wasnt opposed to the project, which includes 50 units that meet city guidelines for affordability.

But I also need to tell you that Ive withheld any kind of opinion based on all the concerns that were brought to light in this process and Ports kind of lack of attention to those in the application process, Eddy said. I do have to say I appreciate the post hoc work, but that was based on a bunch of bad press. So its really a concern that I have based on the developer and the process.

Those concerns werent persuasive to committee members, though. The body voted 5-1 to approve the project, moving it to the full Port KC board for consideration.

Lux Living is also redeveloping the Katz Drugstore building in Midtown Kansas City. Last summer, the Kansas City Council voted 9-4 to award a 10-year tax abatement to aid that project, which will build 192 market rate units.

2022 The Kansas City Star. Visit kansascity.com.
CHESTERFIELD  Used car seller EchoPark has opened its first Missouri dealership here as part of a nationwide expansion effort.

EchoPark, an 8-year-old brand from Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sonic Automotive Inc., allows people to purchase vehicles online or onsite at large "retail hubs."

Its new location, at 18491 Outlet Boulevard, next to the St. Louis Premium Outlets mall, opened this month, and follows new dealerships in Columbus, Georgia and Raleigh, North Carolina.

The company expects the expansion could generate $14 billion in revenues by 2025, according to a statement.

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Q  My husband and I love getting the baklava every year at the Greek Festival in West County. Do you think they would share the recipe?  Kelsea Bucheit, Manchester

A  Baklava, the delightful dessert beloved for centuries in Greece, remains a festival favorite at the annual St. Louis County Greek Festival held each year at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Town and Country over Memorial Day weekend.

With its buttery layers of flaky phyllo filled with a crumble of finely chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon and honeyed syrup finish, this centuries-old sweet is a modern-day favorite of festival guests.

This year, as in the previous two years, the festival will feature a full menu of Greek specialties that can be ordered online through their website and picked up curbside from May 27 to 30. This year, the festival marks its 40th anniversary. Diane Sieckmann volunteers at the festival.

She doesnt have an official title. Im kind of an assistant to the festival chairman, Greg Simos, she says. We have people who run each of the different areas. If they have a problem, they call me.

The food and desserts for the festival are prepared by volunteer members of the church with time-tested recipes theyve perfected over the years. We use the same recipes for consistency year to year, Sieckmann says. When asked if professional bakers assisted the volunteers with baking, she had a ready answer. Greek women are professional bakers, and you can quote me on that. When people came to this country, and they needed a way to raise money for their parishes, they cooked and baked. People were, and still are, interested in Greek food.

The money raised by the festival supports the work of the church, which includes youth groups, an active mens group, and the women who cook and socialize at the church. The churchs charitable arm also contributes to veterans groups from the funds raised on Memorial Day. We honor them, these people who sacrificed for our country, in the best way we can, she says.

Although Greek food is a great draw to bring folks to the festival, she says it goes deeper than that. One thing thats very important to us is we are able to share our culture with others. Its more easily done when the festival happens in person because we have Greek music, dancers in costume and volunteers who often have one-on-one conversations with people. They can ask questions. We have a marketplace where they can buy things, and we also have a bookstore. The festival is a way people can get to know our culture and understand our presence in community.

Greek Festival

When  May 27-30

Where  Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 1755 Des Peres Road, Town and Country

More info  314-966-2255; stlouisgreekfest.com

To request a recipe Would you like to request a recipe from a restaurant that is still open in the St. Louis area? Send your request along with your full name and the city you live in to reciperequest@post-dispatch.com.
TUESDAY, May 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Colonoscopies in younger women can significantly cut their risk of colon cancer, a new study claims.

"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," noted senior study author Dr. Andrew Chan, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. While the overall number of colon cancer cases has declined, the rate among people younger than 50 rose by 51% between 1974 and 2013.

In recent years, the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have recommended colon cancer screening begin at age 45.

Chan and his colleagues analyzed data from nearly 112,000 U.S. women in the Nurses Health Study II. They found that women who started screening at age 45 had a 50% to 60% lower risk of developing colon cancer than those who had no screening.

Also, those who started screening at ages 45 to 49 had much lower rates of colon cancer through age 60 than those who began screening at ages 50 to 54, according to the study.

While the findings are from women, the same benefits likely apply to men, according to Chan.

"Our work provides first-of-its-kind data to show that initiating screening at a younger age can reduce an individuals risk of colorectal cancer and the populations overall incidence of cancer, thus demonstrating the substantial impact of earlier screening on both individual and population-wide scales," Chan said in a hospital news release.

The findings were published May 5 in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Colonoscopy is an invasive procedure, but noninvasive stool-based screening tests are also available.

"Any trepidation that clinicians might have had about the effectiveness of CRC [colon cancer] screening at a younger age will hopefully be allayed by these results," Chan said.

"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," he said.

More information

There's more about colon cancer screening at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

SOURCE: Massachusetts General Hospital, news release, May 5, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
ST. LOUIS  In the first weeks of the Civil War, St. Louis was in a turmoil of divided loyalty. Gov. Claiborne Jackson schemed to add Missouri to the Confederacy. Congressman Frank Blair Jr. and Army Capt. Nathaniel Lyon worked to save it for the Union.

Unionists mustered volunteers to guard 36,600 weapons at the St. Louis Arsenal, on the Mississippi River at Arsenal Street. Jackson ordered state militia Gen. Daniel Frost to seize the guns. On May 8, 1861, a steamboat arrived with four cannons in boxes stamped "marble." Secessionists hauled them to Lindell Grove, a meadow on the western edge of town (now the site of St. Louis University) where Frost's militia was camped.

While strutting militiamen grandly accepted the compliments of ladies, the intense Lyon was busy. Legend has it that he donned a widow's veiled garb and rode through the militia camp. At noon on May 10, Lyon and his soldiers, many of them German immigrants, left the Arsenal for the two-hour march to Lindell Grove. They easily surrounded the militiamen, whose tents were just east of present-day Grand and Lindell boulevards.

Without a shot fired, Frost's troops surrendered and filed onto Olive Street. Hecklers had other ideas. Southern sympathizers mocked the German soldiers as "Hessians." A few threw rocks. Somebody fired shots. Union troops opened fire.

William Sherman, an area streetcar executive and future Union army hero, dove for a gully with his son, Willie, 7. Within moments, at least 28 civilians and seven soldiers lay dead or dying along Olive between Compton and Garrison avenues.

That night, three Germans were murdered downtown. The next day, another clash between soldiers and rioters at Broadway and Walnut Street cost six more lives. Federal reinforcements calmed the city, which stayed uneasily with the Union.

Frost joined the Confederate army. Lyon was killed while leading a Union army in battle near Springfield, Mo. Willie Sherman accompanied his father on the great campaign to capture Vicksburg, Miss., but contracted yellow fever and died.

On May 10, 1928, a statue of Lyon was installed at Grand and Pine Street. It was moved 32 years later to Lyon Park, next to the old arsenal, after Harriet Frost Fordyce - daughter of Gen. Frost - donated $1 million to St. Louis University. She died in 1960.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California legislator who is the wife of state Attorney General Rob Bonta disclosed Tuesday that she had an abortion as a 21-year old.

Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta joins a growing number of public officials, celebrities and musicians who have discussed their experiences after a leaked draft opinion suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court could strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

Speaking at a state Capitol event supporting reproductive rights, Bonta said she was coming out of Yale University and had obtained her first job when she learned she was pregnant. She was dating her future husband at the time -- Bonta says he held her hand when she made her choice.

I had to weigh all of the decisions that came with that reality. And I chose to get an abortion. I chose to own my body, Bonta said. She added that her decision allowed her to break what she called the cycle of poverty in my family.

If the Roe ruling falls those choices and those decisions will not be available for women in places like Mississippi or Georgia or 20 other states," she added, calling the prospect "unfathomable.

Bonta, a Black Latina, called the potential court ruling an attack on women of color.

She serves in the San Francisco Bay Areas 18th Assembly District, a seat her husband held before being appointed attorney general. The couple has three children.

The court's draft ruling could change, and a decision is not expected until the end of the courts term in June. California is seeking to expand abortion rights. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to be a refuge for those seeking an abortion. One proposal in Legislature would cover costs for pregnant women to come from out of state.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Republican Senate hopefuls Adam Laxalt and Sam Brown clashed Monday over Laxalts performance as chairman of then-President Donald Trumps 2020 campaign in Nevada and whether he did enough to combat voter fraud when he was attorney general.

Few philosophical differences emerged between the two conservatives during an hour debate taped for broadcast this week on Nevada Newsmakers as they seek the GOP nomination to face Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in November.

At one point, Brown did voice opposition to outlawing same-sex marriages, something Laxalt has advocated in the past.

The series of sharp exchanges came in the final minutes after Laxalt touted his record as Nevada attorney general from 2015-19 and current endorsements from Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others.

Brown then went on the offensive against the perceived front-runner in the GOP primary.

Mr. Laxalt relies on endorsements because Nevadans cant rely on him, Brown said, listing "election integrity as an example of where he failed us.

Calling that claim pretty comical, Laxalt said that as chairman of Trumps Nevada campaign he sounded every alarm imaginable as the Democrats radically altered our election.

Unfortunately, they gave us a system that created the opportunity for fraud and made voters feel like we got a much less safe system, he said. He said the secretary of state, not attorney general, is responsible for investigating voter fraud in Nevada.

Brown said that while Laxalt was attorney general he knew that non-citizens registered to vote and voted in Nevada elections.

When President Trump, Nevadans and Americans were relying on you to be the one to challenge any sort of issues in the 2020 election, the only thing you did was file a lawsuit, that by your own admission was late, Brown told him. Nevadans deserve better and you need to be honest about your record.

Laxalt then took a swipe at Browns decision to move to Nevada after he lost a state legislative primary in Texas in 2014.

Sam, you need to be honest with the voters, Laxalt said. You were running in Texas and living in Texas when you are accusing me of not doing these things I never had power to do.

Laxalt said Trump endorsed him because he knows I did the best I possibly could standing up for our election. He said Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Democratic-controlled Legislature changed the rules for voter registration and unfortunately, there was nothing much we could do about that.

Laxalt described himself as a co-chair of the campaign who was not in charge of litigation.

That was the Trump campaign  they hired lawyers, they filed the lawsuits, he said.

Brown countered: As the chairman of the Trump campaign, at what point do you accept responsibility for the lack of lawyers performing or the failure of lawsuits to be filed on time?

Laxalt said it was a national effort coordinated by the Republican National Committee. They got caught flat-footed, and we simply did not get the resources that we needed here, he said.

Brown said it showed a lack leadership that underscored Laxalts refusal to take responsibility for his actions.

Nevadans deserve better. We are not going to settle for people who blame everyone else when they fail, he said.

Both candidates are U.S. military veterans. Laxalt, the grandson of the late Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, served in Iraq. Brown served in Afghanistan, where his face was badly burned in an explosion.

Both criticized the Biden administration's handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said they would not send U.S. troops there.

On social issues, each described himself as pro-life.

Moderator Sam Shad asked whether they thought the recent leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting the justices might overturn abortion rights under Roe v. Wade could also eventually bring an end to same-sex marriages.

Laxalt said it was a hypothetical question that Democrats were trying to capitalize on in an effort to divide Americans, but declined to say whether hed support such a move.

Brown said he didnt think there was any chance that would happen, but that the broader question is why is government in the business of marriage to begin with?

I think this is what Americans are tired of: A government that wants to get further and further involved in peoples lives, he said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ST. LOUIS  An 8-year-old boy was shot in the foot Sunday around 12:30 p.m. in the citys Kingsway West neighborhood, police said.

The child and three others under the age of 9 were outside in the 5000 block of St. Louis Avenue with a 50-year-old man when two men approached and began arguing with the 50-year-old, police said.

Officers say the two men then began shooting at the 50-year-old, who fired back in self-defense.

The 8-year-old boy was shot in the foot, but no one else was hit. Police said the boy was stable at a hospital.

Additional information was not available. An investigation is continuing.
ST. LOUIS  A Collinsville man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for five armed robberies or attempts at businesses in 2019.

Larry Rhines, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis last year to five robbery charges and five gun charges.

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross gave Rhines the 15-year term and ordered him to make payments toward $12,600 in restitution.

Rhines and two others robbed at gunpoint the Mack Bar and Grill in the city's Southampton neighborhood in January 2019; a Jimmy John's in Lindenwood Park and a Subway restaurant near the Grove in February 2019; a Panda Express in Southampton and a Sprint store in St. Louis Hills in March 2019. The men made off with more than $11,500 in Apple iPhones and watches from the Sprint store.

"The fact that no one was seriously hurt or killed is an absolute miracle," U.S. District Judge John A. Ross told Rhines in court Tuesday.

Rhines' co-defendant Jalon J. "Lonnie" Moore, 25, was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison. Another codefendant, Garry "Gee" Johnson, 24, was sentenced Friday to 16 years and eight months.

All three men have pleaded guilty to federal charges in Illinois for robbing three stores there in March 2019: a Sprint store in Fairview Heights, a Marcos Pizza in Collinsville and a GCS Credit Union in Collinsville. Sentencings are scheduled this month and next month.

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ST. LOUIS  The man prosecutors called the lead actor of a crime ring targeting people on and around MetroLink trains and platforms in 2018 struck a plea deal Tuesday for a 10-year term.

Armani McKinley, 24, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter. He originally was charged with second-degree murder and several other counts that prosecutors dropped Tuesday, stemming from the Aug. 21, 2018, shooting death of Craig LeFebvre and other robberies.

LeFebvre, 48, was a St. Louis County Health Department employee and bystander to gunfire that erupted during an armed robbery of a mans cellphone at a bus stop near the South Grand Boulevard MetroLink station.

McKinley was among more than a dozen men accused in May 2019 of working together to commit violent crimes at or near MetroLink stations and trains in the region. Authorities said at the time that the investigation into LeFebvres death led investigators to dismantle the crime ring by relying on social media, MetroLink surveillance, jail calls and witness statements.

At the circuit attorneys office announcement in 2019 about the cases, Taulby Roach, president and CEO of Bi-State Development, said he believed MetroLink was safer today than it was yesterday.

With McKinleys plea Tuesday, all but two of the 12 defendants have pleaded guilty and have received prison time or probation. Prosecutors reached plea deals with several of the men and dropped charges against one of them.

Three of the men, Dejon L. Brown, 28, Ronnie R. Pope, 22, and Antwain Davis, 28, all of St. Louis, pleaded guilty last fall in the armed holdup that that killed Lefebvre. Prosecutors made plea deals with them that resulted in 12-year prison terms.

, 22, of Velda City, was sentenced March 2, 2020, to 10 years in prison for his role in a September 2018 robbery and shooting at the Delmar MetroLink station and a January 2018 robbery in the 300 block of South 18th Street.

The victim of the robbery that led to LeFebvres death was

, 34, of St. Louis, who returned fire when police said Betts and McKinley tried to rob him. Smith fired a 9mm pistol at the men but hit LeFebvre instead. Because Smith was a felon at the time and wasnt supposed to have a gun, he received a five-year term for illegal gun possession.

, 26, of Florissant, pleaded guilty in January to a gun charge and received a seven-year jail sentence.

Christopher L. Brown, 27, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in January to stealing a gun and received a seven-year prison term. Prosecutors dropped a separate charge.

Christian B. Harrell, 25, of unincorporated north St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in February 2020 to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed criminal action for stealing a backpack and cash from a man at gunpoint in September 2018. Harrell received a 10-year term.

Ernest D. Johnson, 24, of St. Louis, received three years probation in November 2019 in exchange for his guilty pleas to robbery and kidnapping. Johnson was among several men who

at the Eighth and Pine streets stop.

One of Johnsons accomplices in the attack, Kadeem Darden-Bay, 24, of Dellwood, was sentenced in January 2020 to 120 days of shock time in prison and five years of probation for his guilty pleas to robbery and kidnapping.

A 13th man,

, was sentenced in June 2019 to 10 years in prison for an October 2018 attack on a moving train. Court records say he was paroled in October of that year and has at least seven parole violations.

Paulo Finch, 24, of St. Ann, was charged with robbing a man of his cellphone at gunpoint in January 2018 at the Forest Park DeBaliviere station. Charges against Finch were dropped in January.

With the exception of Johnson, Smith and Van Dyke, all of the cases  including McKinleys guilty pleas and sentence Tuesday  were heard by Circuit Judge Scott Millikan.

The last defendant in the crime ring with a pending case is Matthew R. McNealy, 25, of Northwoods. He faces charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree murder and armed criminal action in LeFebvres death as well as kidnapping and robbery charges in the October 2018 holdup along with several of the other defendants.

McNealys lawyer, Terry Niehoff, said Tuesday that McNealy has cooperated with the prosecution and expects to have some or all charges dropped in exchange for his help. Meanwhile, McNealy has logged nearly 40 GPS monitoring violations since his release from jail on house arrest in April 2021, according to court records.

Editors note: Updated to note that Devante Dickerson received a seven-year sentence.

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ST. LOUIS  Police officers used spike strips to try to stop a speeding vehicle before it crashed into a familys minivan Friday night, killing four adults and critically injuring three children, interim Public Safety Director Dan Isom said Monday.

Isom outlined the officers actions at a weekly press briefing with reporters but did not call it a pursuit.

As of right now, Isom said, we dont have any information that the officers were pursuing the vehicle, but they did deploy spike strips to stop the vehicle.

He said the officers tossed spike strips at North Taylor Avenue and Delmar Boulevard to try to flatten the tires of a Jeep stolen out of Herculaneum in April. The Jeep traveled another two blocks east and ended up slamming into the minivan, which was traveling north on Pendleton Avenue.

The crash happened after 9 p.m. Friday in the 4200 block of Delmar Boulevard. Family members identified the four adults who died as Angielique Simmons, 56; Rhonda Simmons, 34; Ephriam Wayne Simmons, 47, all of St. Louis; and Luther Simmons, 43, of Florissant.

Police captured two teenage boys, both 17, who were riding in the stolen Jeep. On Monday, police were still searching for the Jeeps driver.

The teens were turned over to juvenile authorities, and Isom said theres little he could say about their status.

Isom said police had tried to stop the Jeep after a license-plate recognition system picked up the plate as stolen. Isom said the vehicle was wanted in other jurisdictions as well, but police are still trying to sort out in what crimes the Jeep was used. Just before the crash, someone in the Jeep fired shots at another car, Isom said.

I just want to say, of course, this was an extremely tragic event, Isom added.

Aaron Piggee, whose mother, sister and two uncles were killed in the minivan, was dubious Monday of Isoms account. Piggee is angry that police arent admitting it was a pursuit. Piggee said a St. Louis police detective told him at the hospital that officers were chasing the Jeep in an unmarked vehicle with no sirens.

I asked him point-blank, A pursuit with no sirens? Piggee said. They couldnt answer my question.

Evita Caldwell, a police spokeswoman, said the preliminary information is that officers were setting up to attempt a vehicle stop on the Jeep.

However, due to its speed and officers being several blocks away, no pursuit or vehicle stop could be initiated before the Jeep was involved in the fatal crash, Caldwell said in an email.

Caldwell didnt reply to questions from a reporter about whether an unmarked patrol car was involved or if police were using lights and sirens. She said police are still investigating.

Piggee wasnt in the minivan, but it carried seven of his relatives, including his 15-year-old daughter, who was critically injured. If police had used lights and sirens, Piggee said, my family would still be here because they would have heard them and pulled to the side.

Piggee said his family is busy now planning funerals but will be demanding to see any videos, including dashboard cameras or business surveillance.

Isom said most police departments try to restrict vehicle pursuits to the most serious crimes.

But that doesnt mean that police departments dont attempt to pull over cars that are wanted for crimes, Isom added, and so it is a very difficult call to make in some of these situations. And in most cases, we try to restrict it to the most serious incidents but that doesnt negate the fact that we will pull over cars wanted for crimes.

Piggee said Monday that two of the three children in the minivan were making improvements at the hospital.

His 15-year-old daughter, Anniyasha Wallace, underwent surgery for a broken leg but is awake and doing good, Piggee said. Anniyashas cousin, 6-year-old Trinity Thompson, was also awake and improving, Piggee said. Anniyashas other cousin, 10-year-old Takira Thompson, was still in serious condition.

Were waiting for her to wake up, Piggee said.

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Dana Rieck Dana Rieck is a public safety and breaking news reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Dana Rieck 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
JEFFERSON CITY  House lawmakers backed new lines for the states eight congressional districts on Monday, greenlighting a revised plan officials hope will win favor in the Senate.

The House gave final approval to the new version, which would likely result in six Republicans and two Democrats in the states U.S. House delegation, on a bipartisan 101-47 vote.

The plan now moves to the Senate. The Legislature has until 6 p.m. Friday, when the legislative session ends, to approve a map and send it to Gov. Mike Parson.

This gives us the best chance to fulfill our constitutional obligation, Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, said before the House voted in support of his map on Monday.

The House approved a similar plan in January, but it died in the Senate.

The main point of contention between the two chambers has centered around the shape of the 2nd and 3rd districts, which both cover St. Louis suburbs.

St. Charles County Sens. Bill Eigel and Bob Onder have both called for a large majority or all of St. Charles County to be placed within one congressional district.

A plan that eventually cleared the Senate kept about 80% of St. Charles County residents in the 3rd District, a win for the two St. Charles County senators.

The plan put forth in the House on Monday places about 75% of St. Charles County residents in the 3rd District, Shaul said. Onder said Friday negotiations over the map were heading in a positive direction.

The scheme stretches the St. Louis County-based 2nd Congressional District from Shrewsbury west to Warren and Franklin counties. It shores up the district for Republicans compared with the current 2nd.

The 1st, held by Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, stays confined to St. Louis and St. Louis County, with a larger footprint in the Webster Groves area than under the current congressional map.

While the map places many Webster Groves-area precincts in the 1st, it places other nearby areas in the 2nd.

It doesnt make a lot of sense, Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, said on Monday.

The 2nd Congressional District would stretch from St. Charles County and west into Warren County.

Warren County south of Interstate 70 would be placed in the 2nd, held by U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin. Voters north of Interstate 70 would be placed in the 3rd.

The 3rd would cover much of mid-Missouri and would snake east to take in the western half of Jefferson County.

The eastern half of Jefferson County, along the Mississippi River  including Festus, Barnhart and Imperial  would be placed in the 8th Congressional District, covering southeast Missouri.

Both the Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood would be placed in the 4th Congressional District under the plan, a win for Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, who had pushed for keeping together the bases.

Shaul said the map approved on Monday differs somewhat from his plan adopted by the House Redistricting Committee last week.

For example, the plan last week split Phelps County between two districts, but the plan approved Monday places the entire county in the 8th Congressional District.

The legislation is House Bill 2909.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 9.

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ST. LOUIS  The former head of the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council says the national unions decision to put its Chicago office in charge of St. Louis was nothing more than a political coup detat that illegally gave it control of tens of billions in assets held by the unions pension and benefit funds.

Al Bonds answer, filed last week in a federal lawsuit brought against him by the Chicago office of the Carpenters union, is his first public defense since officials with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters suddenly ousted him, dissolved the St. Louis council and put its operations under Chicagos control.

In his answer, Bond alleges that six or so people in the St. Louis office complained to national union officials in the hopes of ousting Bond and taking over the union.

This was nothing more than a hostile takeover of the Union led by a personal individual attack upon defendant initially by a few ... dissident members who complained to the (United Brotherhood of Carpenters) offices of (President Doug McCarron) because they wanted to replace Defendant, Bond lawyer John Goffstein wrote in the May 4 filing. It did not work.

Now, tens of billions in union assets via benefit funds are under the control of the Chicago-based Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council contrary to the best interests and to the financial detriments of union members in St. Louis, Kansas City and Southern Illinois and contractors in the region, Bond argues.

Its unclear how the tens of billions amount was calculated. The St. Louis Carpenters pension had $3.6 billion in assets as of last year. The unions other benefit funds had assets in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Bond has countersued the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, asking a judge to order the reinstatement of the St. Louis council and its officers and the return of its benefit fund assets.

The Plaintiff, by and through its Chicago affiliate, committed an improper theft of the St. Louis Council assets otherwise belonging to this areas membership, Bond says in the filing.

The St. Louis-based council was among the most influential unions in the regions political and business circles, writing six-figure checks to area politicians and negotiating labor contracts for a sizable chunk of the areas construction workforce.

In September, Bonds position was eliminated and the St. Louis council was terminated with little explanation. UBC President Doug McCarron later said the national union was investigating financial malfeasance in the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council, and union officials said they planned formal, internal charges against Bond for defrauding the union.

In legal filings last month, Goffstein revealed Bond had Department of Justice issues, disclosing that Bond was looking at hiring defense firms as co-counsel.

In March, the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council sued Bond and two outdoor advertising companies owned by James Neumann, seeking to void the agreements between the union and the companies.

The lawsuit accuses Bond of paying Interrail Outdoor LLC $4 million for three billboards, only one of which had been built. Bond entered into an agreement with Interrail in January 2020 but didnt receive approval from the executive committee until a year later, by which time he already had paid the company $3 million, according to the lawsuit.

Bond also inked contracts with Foxpoint Interactive, another company owned by Neumann, that gave it rights for 32 years to a portion of advertising revenue derived from union property. The terms, the lawsuit claims, are inconsistent with the unions purpose and could cause an undesirable tax burden.

But the contracts with Neumanns firms, Bond argues, were good for the union and received the required approvals. Only one billboard has been installed, Bond argues, because the union stopped the project in its tracks.

This was a great deal for the Union, well within its sphere of influence and legal authority since the union, instead of paying the sign companies for advertising at prime locations at or near union facilities, was able to negotiate a profit-making venture which would also allow them to advertise for prospective Union members, Bonds filing argues.

While Bond led the St. Louis Council, a position he had held since 2015, union audits and reports filed with federal regulators never resulted in anything other than proper oversight, Bonds filing argues.

Bonds lawyer declined to comment. Dowd Bennett attorney Jim Martin, representing the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, declined to comment.

Foxpoint and Interrail, now represented by attorneys Armstrong Teasdale, argue there is no allegation they did anything wrong or should have known Bond was violating union bylaws.

Bonds alleged actions or violations do not permit the Union to avoid its obligations in these contracts at the expense of third parties like Interrail and Foxpoint, the companies argue in their own filing.

An attorney for Neumanns companies did not respond to a request for comment.

Seattle-based council also suing

Bond isnt the only former regional leader union officials are currently suing.

In November, national officials took over the Seattle-based Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, alleging fraud in contract votes following contentious strikes there last year.

The union is suing the former head of the Northwest regional council, Evelyn Shapiro, who resigned in the wake of the takeover. She is accusing McCarron and the unions longtime lawyer, Dan Shanley, of corruption, while the union accuses her of fabrications to discredit the investigation that uncovered and exposed her repeated instances of vote rigging.

Meanwhile, a former top Carpenters union official who was indicted in New Jersey, George Laufenberg, has entered plea negotiations with the feds, Politico reported last week. Laufenberg is a former commissioner for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and oversaw Carpenters union benefit funds before the union fired him in 2016. He was indicted in 2019, and a federal grand jury sent several subpoenas to entities tied to the Carpenters union.

Originally posted at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 10.

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CLAYTON  Council Chair Rita Heard Days said Monday she expected to send a whistleblower protection bill vetoed by County Executive Sam Page to voters, as two key police officers organizations both said they support the measure.

Days first proposed the legislation last year, arguing it would stop discrimination or retaliatory behavior against county employees reporting misconduct, citing a slew of lawsuits that included several high-profile cases originating in the police department.

But Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, argued the bill wont meet that goal in its current form because it doesnt specify that it applies to the countys police force, which is overseen by the Board of Police Commissioners, an independent five-member panel appointed by the executive.

Whistleblower complaints for merit employees are reported to the Civil Service Commission.

Its innocuous at this point unless the police are explicitly named, Clancy said. What she leaves out is the bigger piece which is about what police officers do if they have complaints. It is not clear which body they go to, it is not clear that this is implementable by the police department, which renders it useless.

Days measure, while including a broad definition of employees, does not specifically mention police. She said it was unnecessary.

Every employee is a part of this legislation, said Days, a Democrat who represents the councils 1st District.

She argued the bill should not explicitly mention police officers because that would interfere with the authority of the Board of Police Commissioners, which she said could promulgate its own rules.

I did not want to upend any of the processes they currently use or how they react to their officers. I dont want to take any privileges or authority that the commission has. Thats not the purpose of this legislation.

Board of Police Commissioners Chairman Brian Ashworth did not respond to a request for comment. The commission has not discussed the bill during public meetings.

Asked for comment, the St. Louis County Police Association, the bargaining representative for county police officers, and the Ethical Society of Police, a group of police officers that advocates for racial and gender equity, both said that they support the measure.

Joe Patterson, SLPCA executive director, said the association supported the bill, but was awaiting a legal opinion from attorneys about whether it would immediately apply to officers or require an order from the Board of Police Commissioners.

The St. Louis County Police Association wholeheartedly supports whistleblower protections for all county employees. We believe as a matter of good policy the Board of Police Commissioners should have buy-in and we know they care greatly for our police employees and would support these protections, Patterson said.

In a statement, ESOP said the bill doesnt impede on officers existing rights or eliminate avenues for filing grievances within the police department.

What this bill does is create the responsibility for county government to take action when retaliation occurs, the organization said.

The whistleblower legislation is expected to pass with support from a bipartisan council majority that includes Days, Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, Councilman Mark Harder, R-7th District, and Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-4th District. It would appear on the Aug. 2 ballot.

Fitch, a former county police chief and ally of Days on the council, said Monday that he considered the bill to apply to police like other county employees. But he said the Board of Police Commissioners could issue rules, if necessary, applying the whistleblower protections to the police department as it has for other ordinances, including a requirement to vaccinate employees against COVID-19.

Days said she would ask the council to approve an amended bill Tuesday that would add to changes that had been suggested by Clancy: One would require annual workplace training for county employees on the whistleblower protections, and another would extend the length of time employees would have to file a complaint with the Civil Service Commission to 100 days, up from 10 days currently.

The changes follow a meeting Days and Clancy held last week to try to negotiate a compromise bill.

A 2017 state law provides whistleblower protections, but Days has said she wants to go further than the state law in updating the countys own whistleblower ordinance, which was last revised in 1997.

Page had argued the bill was too broad and unclear as to how it would affect the Board of Police Commissioners process for workplace discrimination complaints. Page had also taken issue with language specifying the county couldnt bar employees from testifying under legislative subpoena, arguing it would leave the county subject to politically-motivated subpoenas from the Legislature.

The council majority couldnt get the necessary fifth vote to override Pages veto, but a ballot question cannot be vetoed.

Page spokesman Doug Moore said the executive wants a good bill and that there should be no ambiguity in it.

We want a good bill and I know that council members Clancy and Days are working toward that end Moore said. Whistleblower legislation needs to protect all employees and the should be no ambiguity on an issue this important.

Clancy and Days met last week privately to discuss the disputed bill. Days had wanted to include longtime police union attorney and lobbyist Jane Dueker  who is challenging Page in the August Democratic primary  but Clancy objected.

Days on Monday denied any conflict of interest and said Dueker wanted to make sure that the police officers were not unintentionally affected by the legislation  that their rights would be protected as well. (tncms-asset)9587ce82-cd67-11ec-9a0b-00163ec2aa77[0](/tncms-asset)

Editor's note: This report has been updated to clarify a description of the Ethical Society of Police

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JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri lawmakers approved a series of tax credits for the agriculture community Tuesday, but stripped the proposed law of a provision that could have benefited a major property developer.

The package, which has been a priority for farm lobby groups, had been stalled in the Legislature over a piece of the overall bill that would have given investors such as Columbia developer Jeffrey E. Smith $25 million in tax credits for investing in rural businesses in the state.

Opponents wanted the rural tax credits out of the measure after a similar program in Georgia cost taxpayers more than $50 million.

The revamped legislation now includes provisions for tax credits for wood energy, investments in meat processing, enhancements for the ethanol and biodiesel industry and a loan program for family farms.

The latest version also decreases the length of time for the tax credits from six years to two years, so the issue will return to the Legislature in 2024.

Theres a lot of good stuff on this bill, said Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, who sponsored the legislation.

It is not a perfect bill. Is it what we wanted in the House? It is not what we wanted in the House, said Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee.

But, he said the final version will be cheered by ag groups such as the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Cattlemens Association.

We still need to support the bill even though it is not perfect, said Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette.

Pollitt earlier said the costs added to the overall bill by the rural jobs tax credit program raised eyebrows among lawmakers.

In Georgia, a state audit found the rural investment program would take at least 72 years for a return on the investment, leading to charges that it is an expensive boondoggle that lines the pockets of developers.

Among the companies involved in the Georgia program is JES Holdings, led by Smith, who is a major player in the states low-income housing tax credit program. His firm also has offices in Georgia.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has suggested the states low-income housing industry, which includes the banks, investors and lobbyists who benefit from the credits, conspired against him in retaliation for his 2017 move to kill the state tax credits, collectively worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Participation in the program, had it been approved, would have been limited to a narrow number of firms. For example, investors would have to had put at least $100 million in small communities across the country, including $30 million in Missouri.

The measure now heads to Gov. Mike Parsons desk.

The legislation is House Bill 1720.

Updated at 3:23 p.m. Tuesday, May 10.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  With time running short, the Missouri House on Monday passed a newly proposed map for the state's eight congressional districts that  if the Senate agrees  could be used in elections later this year.

The plan approved 101-47 by the state House is projected to continue Republicans' 6-2 advantage over Democrats in the state's U.S. House delegation. It marked an attempt to avoid court intervention and break a stalemate with the state Senate before a Friday deadline to pass legislation.

Though Republicans hold large majorities in the state Capitol, Missouri is one of the last states still struggling to enact a congressional redistricting plan based on the 2020 census. Republican factions have been squabbling about how aggressively to draw districts to their favor, and which communities to divide when balancing the population among districts.

Though some remained unsatisfied Monday, a majority voted to advance the new plan.

It's the best map that were going to get at this point, said Republican state Rep. Dan Shaul, chairman of the House's redistricting committee.

But state Rep. Jerome Barnes, the ranking Democrat on the Houses redistricting panel, said the map was motivated by partisan purposes and not public input.

The House first passed a redistricting plan in January. But that stalled in the Senate amid opposition from some conservative Republicans who wanted to tilt it even more to the GOPs favor. The Senate passed a redistricting plan in March, but the two chambers thus far have been unable to agree on a final version as lawsuits have mounted seeking to compel a new map.

The latest plan appears to strengthen Republicans in the state's only competitive district  suburban St. Louis' 2nd District, held by GOP Rep. Ann Wagner.

To accomplish that while balancing populations, the map splits several communities. One of the most notable divisions is in Columbia, where the southern part and the University of Missouri campus would shifted into 3rd District that stretches eastward toward the St. Louis area. The northern part of Columbia would remain in the 4th District that stretches westward to the Kansas border.

Democratic state Rep. David Smith, of Columbia, called the split ridiculous and absurd."

But Shaul said it was better than a version previously passed by the Senate that would have split apart the university campus.

The House defeated a Democratic amendment that could have given their party a better shot at winning three congressional seats. It also rejected a Republican amendment that could have bolstered the GOP's chances of winning seven seats by splitting Democratic-leaning Kansas City among several Republican-leaning rural districts.

Lawmakers in charge of redistricting in some states have acted aggressively to draw lines to their favor. But that tactic has not always worked out.

New districts are limbo in New York and Kansas, where courts struck down plans enacted by their Democratic- and Republican-led governments, respectively. Lawsuits also are pending against redistricting maps in other states, including Florida and Ohio.

In New Hampshire, the Republican-led Legislature is working on a revised plan after GOP Gov. Chris Sununu pledged to veto the first version it passed.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments as Ukraines foreign minister appeared to suggest the country could expand its war aims.

With the war now in its 11th week and Kyiv bogging down Russian forces and even staging a counteroffensive, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba seemed to indicate that the country could go beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb. 24 invasion.

The idea reflected Ukraines ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military, which has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

One of the most dramatic examples of Ukraine's ability to prevent easy victories is in Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters remained holed up at a steel plant, denying Russia's full control of the city. The regiment defending the plant said Russian warplanes continued bombarding it, striking 34 times in 24 hours.

In recent days, the United Nations and the Red Cross organized a rescue of what some officials said were the last civilians trapped at the plant. But two officials said Tuesday that about 100 were believed to still be in the complexs underground tunnels. Donetsk regional Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said those who remain are people that the Russians have not selected for evacuation.

Kyrylenko and Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupols mayor, did not say how they knew civilians were still in the complex  a warren of tunnels and bunkers spread over 11 square kilometers (4 square miles). Others said their statements were impossible to confirm.

Fighters with the Azov regiment released photos of their wounded comrades inside the plant, including some with amputated limbs. They said the wounded were living in unsanitary conditions with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile remnants of bandages, without the necessary medication and even food.

In its statement on Telegram, the regiment appealed to the U.N and Red Cross to evacuate the wounded servicemen to Ukrainian-controlled territories.

The photos could not be independently verified.

In another example of the grisly toll of the war, Ukrainian officials said they found the bodies of 44 civilians in the rubble of a building destroyed weeks ago in the northeastern city of Izyum.

New U.N. figures, meanwhile, said that 14 million Ukrainians were forced from their homes by the end of April, including more than 5.9 million who have left the country.

In Washington, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Tuesday that eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war. Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a Senate committee that because Russia lacks a noncommissioned officer corps, its generals have to go into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian forces fired seven missiles at Odesa a day earlier, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse in the country's largest port. One person was killed and five wounded, the military said.

Images showed a burning building and debris  including a tennis shoe  in a heap of destruction in the city on the Black Sea. Mayor Gennady Trukhanov later visited the warehouse and said it had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects.

Ukraine alleged at least some of the munitions used dated to the Soviet era, making them unreliable in targeting. Ukrainian, British and U.S. officials say Russia is rapidly using up its stock of precision weapons, raising the risk of more imprecise rockets being used as the conflict grinds on.

Since President Vladimir Putin's forces failed to take Kyiv early in the war, his focus has shifted to the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas  but one general has suggested Moscows aims also include cutting Ukraines maritime access to both the Black and Azov seas.

That would also give it a swath of territory linking Russia to both the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014, and Transnistria, a pro-Moscow region of Moldova.

Even if Russia falls short of severing Ukraine from the coast  and it appears to lack the forces to do so  the continuing missile strikes on Odesa reflect the citys strategic importance. The Russian military has repeatedly targeted its airport and claimed it destroyed several batches of Western weapons.

Odesa is also a major gateway for grain shipments, and its blockade by Russia already threatens global food supplies. Beyond that, the city is a cultural jewel, dear to Ukrainians and Russians alike, and targeting it carries symbolic significance.

Russian forces have made slow advances in the Donbas, but there have been multiple setbacks. Military analysts suggest that hitting Odesa might serve to stoke concern about southwestern Ukraine, thus forcing Kyiv to put more forces there. That would pull them away from the eastern front as Ukraine's military stages counteroffensives near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv and the surrounding area has been under sustained Russian attack since the early in the war. In recent weeks, grisly pictures testified to the horrors of those battles, with charred and mangled bodies strewn in one street.

Russian aircraft twice launched unguided missiles Tuesday at the Sumy area northeast of Kharkiv, according to the Ukrainian border guard service. The region's governor said the missiles hit several residential buildings, but no one was killed. The Chernihiv region, along the Ukrainian border with Belarus, was hit by mortars fired from Russian territory. There was no word on casualties.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the military was gradually pushing Russian troops away from Kharkiv. The Ukrainian military's general staff said its forces drove the Russians out of four villages to the northeast of Kharkiv as it tries to push them back toward the Russian border.

Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, meanwhile, appeared to voice increasing confidence  and expanded goals  amid Russia's stalled offensive. He told the Financial Times that Ukraine initially believed victory would be the withdrawal of Russian troops to positions they occupied before the Feb. 24 invasion.

Now if we are strong enough on the military front, and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories.

The comments seemed to reflect political ambitions more than battlefield realities: Many analysts acknowledge that although Russia isnt capable of making quick gains, the Ukrainian military isnt strong enough to drive the Russians back.

Zelenskyy used his nightly address to pay tribute to Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of an independent Ukraine, who died Tuesday at 88. Zelenskyy said Kravchuk showed courage and knew how to get the country to listen to him.

That was particularly important in crisis moments, when the future of the whole country may depend on the courage of one man, said Zelenskyy, whose own communication skills and decision to remain in Kyiv when it came under Russian attack have helped make him a strong wartime leader.

In the U.S., President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure Monday to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and its allies. On Tuesday, the U.S. House approved a new $40 billion Ukraine aid package for defense and humanitarian programs in Ukraine.

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Yesica Fisch in Bakhmut, David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Kelvin Chan in London and AP's worldwide staff contributed.

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.
Buying drugs on the street is a game of Russian roulette. From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl.

Physicians like me have seen a rise in unintentional fentanyl use from people buying prescription opioids and other drugs laced, or adulterated, with fentanyl. Heroin users in my community in Massachusetts came to realize that fentanyl had entered the drug supply when overdose numbers exploded. In 2016, my colleagues and I found that patients who came to the emergency department reporting a heroin overdose often only had fentanyl present in their drug test results.

As the Chief of Medical Toxicology at UMass Chan Medical School, I have studied fentanyl and its analogs for years. As fentanyl has become ubiquitous across the U.S., it has transformed the illicit drug market and raised the risk of overdose.

Fentanyl and its analogs

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was originally developed as an analgesic  or painkiller  for surgery. It has a specific chemical structure with multiple areas that can be modified, often illicitly, to form related compounds with marked differences in potency.

Fentanyls chemical backbone (the structure in the center) has multiple areas (the colored circles) that can be substituted with different functional groups (the colored boxes around the edges) to change its potency. Christopher Ellis et al., CC BY-NC-ND

For example, carfentanil, a fentanyl analog formed by substituting one chemical group for another, is 100 times more potent than its parent structure. Another analog, acetylfentanyl, is approximately three times less potent than fentanyl, but has still led to clusters of overdoses in several states.

Lacing or replacing drugs with fentanyl

Drug dealers have used fentanyl analogs as an adulterant in illicit drug supplies since 1979, with fentanyl-related overdoses clustered in individual cities.

The modern epidemic of fentanyl adulteration is far broader in its geographic distribution, production and number of deaths. Overdose deaths roughly quadrupled, going from 8,050 in 1999 to 33,091 in 2015. From May 2020 to April 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose, with over 64% of these deaths due to synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its analogs.

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is internationally synthesized in China, Mexico and India, then exported to the United States as powder or pressed pills. Additionally, the emergence of the dark web, an encrypted and anonymous corner of the internet thats a haven for criminal activity, has facilitated the sale of fentanyl and other opioids shipped through traditional delivery services, including the U.S. Postal Service.

Fentanyl is both sold alone and often used as an adulterant because its high potency allows dealers to traffic smaller quantities but maintain the drug effects buyers expect. Manufacturers may also add bulking agents, like flour or baking soda, to fentanyl to increase supply without adding costs. As a result, it is much more profitable to cut a kilogram of fentanyl compared to a kilogram of heroin.

Unfortunately, fentanyls high potency also means that even just a small amount can prove deadly. If the end user isnt aware that the drug they bought has been adulterated, this could easily lead to an overdose.

Preventing fentanyl deaths

As an emergency physician, I give fentanyl as an analgesic, or painkiller, to relieve severe pain in an acute care setting. My colleagues and I choose fentanyl when patients need immediate pain relief or sedation, such as anesthesia for surgery.

But even in the controlled conditions of a hospital, there is still a risk that using fentanyl can reduce breathing rates to dangerously low levels, the main cause of opioid overdose deaths. For those taking fentanyl in nonmedical settings, there is no medical team available to monitor someones breathing rate in real time to ensure their safety.

One measure to prevent fentanyl overdose is distributing naloxone to bystanders. Naloxone can reverse an overdose as it occurs by blocking the effects of opioids.

Another measure is increasing the availability of opioid agonists like methadone and buprenorphine that reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings, helping people stay in treatment and decrease illicit drug use. Despite the lifesaving track records of these medications, their availability is limited by restrictions on where and how they can be used and inadequate numbers of prescribers.

Despite the evidence supporting these measures, however, local politics and funding priorities often limit whether communities are able to give them a try. Bold strategies are needed to interrupt the ever-increasing number of fentanyl-related deaths.

___

Kavita Babu receives research support from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and royalties from UptoDate.

___
LOS ANGELES (AP)  No, insists Patrisse Cullors, former leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation: Despite allegations of financial improprieties, neither she nor anyone else in leadership misused millions of dollars in donations.

But in an interview with The Associated Press, Cullors acknowledged that BLM was ill-prepared to handle a tidal wave of contributions in the aftermath of protests over George Floyds death at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020. She and others offered insights into the growing pains of an organization that went from an idea to a global brand, almost in an instant.

On paper, it looks crazy, she said. We use this term in our movement a lot, which is were building the plane while flying it. I dont believe in that anymore. The only regret I have with BLM is wishing that we could have paused for one to two years, to just not do any work and just focus on the infrastructure.

Recent disclosures that the foundation had paid $6 million for a Los Angeles compound in 2020 unleashed a torrent of criticism and social media chatter. The property in Studio City -- including a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space -- is meant to be both a meeting venue and a campus for Black artists.

Some criticism came from BLM supporters like Justin Hansford, director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. He said the property purchase could be weaponized by movement opponents, leading possible donors to shy away from Black-led social justice organizations: Thats the thing that you dont want to get out of hand.

Cullors defended the purchase. We really wanted to make sure that the global network foundation had an asset that wasnt just financial resources, she said, and we understood that not many Black-led organizations have property.

Cullors said she had made mistakes and even some regrettable choices that havent fostered trust. She acknowledged she had used the BLM property twice for personal purposes.

But the 38-year-old bestselling author and artist angrily and adamantly denied accusations that she had personally benefited in the six years she guided the BLM foundation, including media reports that she had purchased homes for herself and members of her family.

The idea that (the foundation) received millions of dollars and then I hid those dollars in my bank account is absolutely false, she said. Thats a false narrative. Its impacted me personally and professionally, that people would accuse me of stealing from Black people.

BLM first appeared as a Twitter hashtag following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Along with BLM co-founders Alicia Garza and Ayo Tometi, Cullors pledged to build a decentralized movement governed by consensus. As donations and support grew, an array of local BLM chapters transformed into a nonprofit organization.

BLM protests in the summer after Floyds death in May 2020 became the largest mobilization of a movement in U.S. history. Cullors said she became the foundations full-time executive director that year, charged with ensuring it had the organizational infrastructure to handle the massive influx of donations and would use the resources to further its mission.

Just over a year ago, the foundation announced a $90 million fundraising haul. That announcement drew sharp criticisms over access to donor funds, as well as broader calls for openness from activists in several local BLM chapters and from the families of police brutality victims who had rallied to the movement.

Cullors acknowledged that a lack of transparency about the foundations board and staffing drove perceptions that things were amiss. And when the organization was transparent -- revealing that it had raised millions -- the reaction wasnt what she expected.

I thought practicing radical transparency with Black people would have been received well, she said. What was unhelpful about releasing it was not getting enough people allying with us about it. We werent the only organization to receive millions of dollars.

Then Cullors resigned as foundation director to work on personal projects -- a departure that had long been planned, and was unconnected with any alleged improprieties, she said.

In the year since her resignation, the foundation still hasnt hired new leadership or publicly discussed plans for money still sitting in its coffers. It was only earlier this month that the foundation announced a new board of directors, which leaders said will grow in the coming months.

In a phone interview, Shalomyah Bowers, a BLM foundation board member who has also worked for the foundation since 2020, said the organization recently underwent an independent financial audit. Along with the expected May release of its latest 990 filing, the audit will show that nothing impermissible or nefarious has happened with BLMs finances, Bowers said.

Cullors is far from the only Black activist to withstand questions about her money, her motivations and her leadership. Elders in the civil rights struggle often speak of attacks, both from within and outside of the movement, meant to discredit or stop social change.

But legitimate questions of accountability cannot be dismissed, said Garza, the BLM co-founder who was not involved in the BLM organization after 2015.

I think it is important to be transparent about what is actually happening, Garza said. And my assessment is that because there was a lack of response (to public questions), specifically from the global network foundation, it allowed for people to fill in the blanks.

She added: If there is impropriety (in the foundation), we should talk about it. I dont think we should sweep that under the rug, but we havent established that.

Cullors knows that she gave critics an opening when she issued a statement denying suggestions that she had lived at the Studio City property or taken advantage of it for personal gain. She later acknowledged to the AP that, during a four-day stay at the property, she had used the compound for purposes that were not strictly business.

She said in January 2021, she hosted a small party to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And in March 2021, she held a private birthday party for her son at the property, for which Cullors said she intended to pay a rental fee to the foundation.

I look back at that and think, that probably wasnt the best idea, she said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
It wasnt so long ago when Missouri was a purple state, up for grabs by whichever party did the best job capturing voters imaginations. The state was split down the middle politically as recently as 2000, and even in 2016 Democrats held a U.S. Senate seat and the offices of governor, attorney general and state auditor. While Democrats watched helplessly, Republicans went for the political jugular by focusing on hot-button inspirational issues like gun control and abortion rights.

Thats not the Republicans fault. Responsibility for Democratic failures lies entirely with their own ineffective policies and messaging. The culmination of the partys failures came last week with a U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.

Democrats have yet to come up with a workable strategy to chip away at Republican solidarity around that partys beloved candidates and bedrock issues. Liberals stomp and protest at each new Republican outrage, yet they repeatedly fail to mobilize liberals and moderates the way Republicans rally their own faithful behind the conservative mission.

Republicans in 2012 were as horrified as were Democrats when the states leading U.S. Senate candidate, Rep. Todd Akin, blurted out his ridiculous assertion that womens bodies had a natural way of rejecting pregnancies caused by legitimate rape. These days, such remarks might elicit barely a shrug among Republicans or perhaps even a gleeful chuckle as they watch Democrats erupt in outrage. Todays leading Republican Senate candidate in Missouri is an admitted adulterer and credibly accused abuser of women, yet GOP voters seem unfazed.

To national Republicans credit, the GOP years ago began mapping out a strategy to mobilize voter support around key life-or-death issues. They focused on controlling state legislatures, which gave them control of redistricting to help ensure their domination of future elections. They focused on down-ballot judicial elections and attorney general seats, allowing them to flood the courts with challenges that have yielded landmark lower-court rulings on gun rights, religious education and abortion restrictions. The ultimate payoff for their persistence could come with Roe v. Wades reversal.

None of this means the Republicans are morally right. All it means is that theyre winning  at Democrats expense.

Voter-participation numbers help explain why GOP victories keep coming. In Missouris November 2020 elections, according to exit polling, urban voters tended to stay home while rural and suburban voters dominated participation. Conservatives far outnumbered liberals in participation. Voters under age 30, who tend to be reliable supporters of liberal causes, only represented 12% of election participants. Well-educated voters are tending to tune out while less-educated voters  those with only a high school diploma  are being mobilized to the Republican side.

Democrats are wasting valuable time focusing on political correctness while complaining about the unfairness of GOP messaging. If that strategy isnt winning elections, then clearly its time to change strategies.
While Democrats were spending their political energies enforcing gender-neutral vocabulary to please their progressive base, Republicans were executing a methodical and, frankly, brilliant strategy to solidify their base with the singular objective of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Now the left is rising up in outraged protest at the unfairness of it all.

Republican leaders recognized long ago that they are under no obligation to holster their brass knuckles and play nice. Even though Americas demographics suggest the GOP grip on power should be waning steadily, the party is instead fighting well above its weight. Democrats are helping them every step of the way.

What will it take to shake Democrats into action? The 2000 presidential election, won by Democrats but handed to Republican George W. Bush by a narrow Supreme Court ruling, had no lasting impact on Democratic Party mobilization. The rise of racist, obstructionist right-wing politics after President Barack Obama took office still did little to advance the Democrats bigger agenda. Yes, Obamacare became the law of the land, but other platform issues  immigration reform, equal rights for women and minorities, and criminal justice reform  made scant headway.

Not even the election of Donald Trump in 2016  with nearly 3 million fewer votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton  was enough to wake up the left. Democrats weak control of Congress after the 2020 election has yielded only stalemate, rendering Joe Bidens presidential victory moot. Even the Capitol insurrection seems not to have moved the political needle in Democrats favor.

While Republicans savor their likely Roe v. Wade victory, the progressive left is doubling down on the small stuff, and therein lies the problem. They have muddled the English language with endless debate over which politically correct words to use  homeless or unhoused?  to the point that people now feel obligated to list pronoun preferences on their email signatures. Never mind the confusion of referring to a single individual as they, the relentless focus on Orwellian properspeak is alienating moderates and providing fuel for Republicans to mock the left mercilessly.

Hispanic voters  once a reliable voting bloc for Democrats  are being repelled by progressive insistence on the gender-neutral term Latinx. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, only 4% of Hispanic Americans preferred usage of Latinx. About 40% find the term downright offensive, Politico found.

Democrats need to ask themselves whats really important for voters. Do Americans really want to be told how to speak, or do they want to protect abortion rights? Do moderates want to be badgered on social and political correctness, or do they want to make sure Trump stays out of the White House and that his insurrectionist followers are booted from Congress?

We suspect its the latter. But Republicans are banking on Democratic activists sticking with the former.
As a former president of the St. Louis Board of Education, I would like to give my perspective on two recent Post-Dispatch articles.

Regarding Gloria Nolan's "Don't trust a charter school network whose objective boils down to profits" (April 21): I commend Nolan for leaving the charter school system until at least there is reform of this system. The system needs to be brought in line with the same mandates as other districts using the standards of the Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education. I too support the moratorium on charters unless they offer true partnerships with St. Louis Public Schools.

Regarding Earl Scroggins' "The change our children deserve requires bold action and collaboration" (May 3): There are no more for-profit public schools in city of St. Louis. Currently, there are approximately 20 public charter schools in the city, with more than 10,000 children attending. Those schools are associated with charter management companies and associations.

I commend St. Louis Public Schools for creating a citywide planning committee. But because of too many administrative staffers and no member of Mayor Tishaura Jones' staff sitting on it, it has a slim chance for success.

The St. Louis Public Schools Consortium Board is positioned to assume control of our lowest-performing schools. This board has the authority to contract out for management, consolidate or even close schools.

David L. Jackson, Jr.  St. Louis
Family travel typically involves kids, and traveling families with kids can encounter some unexpected gotchas. Many of you will be traveling with kids or arranging for kids to travel fairly soon. Here's a checklist of arrangements you need to consider.

1. ID. Even if you're just taking a road trip, it's a good idea for each kid to have government-approved photo ID of one sort or another. And if you're flying, you need the obvious ID required by TSA. Fortunately, TSA's latest deadline for REAL-ID drivers licenses is now May 3, 2023. A few situations even require that you show a birth certificate. Also, vaccination records can still be required by private facilities even if governments don't.

2. Consent Forms. Many of you travel with a kid or kids that aren't legally yours  maybe an ex's kid, maybe your own kid's friend  and you need to be prepared to show paperwork that proves it's OK for you to take those kids in the absence of their legal guardian. And the requirement isn't just from government agencies. When my wife and I were guardians of a grandson, for example. we invited a friend along on a family trip: Two kids are easier than one. But when we schlepped the group over to Grants Pass, Oregon, for a very low-risk jetboat excursion on the Rogue River, the operator refused to allow the friend on the trip because we didn't have notarized permission from his parents. You can face this problem in unsuspecting places, including some adventure/thrill rides.

Official permission can also be a problem with kids of divorced or separated parents: There's always the possibility that local authorities will challenge the status of a kid other than your own. Agencies are really antsy these days about "kidnapping" by one parent or the other during custody disputes.

You can avoid problems by having a joint guardian of your own kid or the legal guardians of any different-family kids fill out a consent form, which you either improvise or download (free) from eForms at https://eforms.com/consent/minor-child-travel/. If possible, have the form notarized. Official permission is especially important if you're going out of the country. You do not want a hassle at an arrival airport or border.

3. Family Flying with Kids. U.S. airlines do not offer any discounted fares for kids or students. And, at least for now, if you buy the cheapest tickets you may have to pay extra to assure family seating together. Anyone two years old or over needs a full-fare ticket. If a kid age 12 or under is with you, he or she needs no special ID to fly domestically, and TSA offers some special protocols for screening kids in that age. But TSA treats kids 13 or over as adults. That means they also need regular ID.

4. Kids Flying Alone. Family situations often dictate that kids travel on their own. Surprisingly, U.S. airlines have set different minimum ages for kids to travel independently as adults: 12 years on Hawaiian and Southwest; 13 years on Alaska and Breeze, 14 years on Avelo, and 15 years on the others. Age limits also vary on international lines. If your kids need to travel without an accompanying adult, Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Jet Blue, Southwest, Spirit, and United offer "unaccompanied minor" service for kids between 5 and the minimum solo travel age  a service that monitors them closely, with lots of details and schedule constraints, and a fee up to $150 each way; the other lines do not. Check with airlines for details.

Amtrak offers 50 percent discounts for one minor age 2 to 12 accompanying each full-fare adult; not applicable to sleeper accommodations or first class on Acela. The minimum age for solo travel on Amtrak is 13, with no youth discount, and all kids younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations for solo kids 13 to 15 must be by phone or at a station, with limitations on itineraries.

(Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Eds new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com.)
When Italians sit down together for dinner, a special joy combusts from their mutual love of good eating: the flavors, the steam, the memories, the dreams ... the edible heritage. Food is a favorite topic of conversation. And it seems every Italian has an opinion about American food.

During one long Italian meal, my friend Claudia says she loves American food. Her favorites include the BLT sandwich and chili soup. Shes charmed by our breakfast culture and that we meet for breakfast. She says you would never see families going out for breakfast in Italy.

But she notes that in the United States, size matters more than quality and dishes try too hard. She says that the average number of ingredients in an American restaurant salad or pasta is eight or 10  double the ingredients in the typical Italian salad or pasta. And she cant understand our heavily flavored salad dressings. If your lettuce and tomato are good, why cover it up with a heavy dressing? We use only oil and vinegar, she says. When I try to defend the fancy dishes as complex, she says, Perhaps jumbled is a better translation.

My Tuscan friends laud the virtues of their regional cuisine. In Florence, I join my friend Manfredo and his girlfriend Diana for dinner. She sets a big plate of bruschetta in front of me. Each slice of toast looks like a little brown ship, with a toothpick mast flying a garlic clove, as it sails over its oily deck. We hungrily destroy the tidy flotilla. Ripping off a mast and rubbing the sail on the crusty deck, I say, My family eats bruschetta at home. But we all agree its best in Italy.

Real bruschetta needs real Tuscan bread, Manfredo says. This is made with only flour, water, and yeast. No salt. It is great today. Hard like rock tomorrow.

Diana says, Because the bread gets old quickly and we are a poor region, in Tuscany there are many dishes made with yesterdays bread.

In unison, they labor through a short list as if it were long: Minestrone di pane, ribollita, pappa al pomodoro.

Manfredo explains, Ribollita is for the poor. You cook and always stir together beans, cabbage, carrots, onions, old bread, and olive oil for at least two hours. Very filling. It is not good with fresh bread.

Manfredo picks up his knife, eyeing the lasagna on the big plate in front of him. In America, a restaurant is not looking for what is good food. What is good is what sells. He sticks his knife through two steamy inches of lasagna. Real lasagna is only this thick. In USA they make it twice this thick, he says, flipping another serving on top, and they fill it with mozzarella. Then he says, There is no mozzarella in lasagna.

Diana chuckles in agreement.

After a swig of wine, Manfredo continues, If you go to an American restaurant and say the food is bad, you get a coupon for a free meal. More bad food. If you say the food is bad in a restaurant in Italy, you get kicked out. To get free food here, it is vice versa. You say, This is the best beefsteak I ever eat. Chef will then say, You must try the dessert. You say Oh no. He says, Here. Please. Take it for free.

Diana says, In a real Italian restaurant when you complain, the chef will tell you, I cooked this as a boy the way my grandmother cooked this. It cannot be wrong.

I ask, What do you think about French food?

Manfredo, peppering a puddle of oil on a small plate, responds, The French make fine sauces to help the taste of mediocre ingredients. With the French there are two things great: their wine and their art. Since the time of Napoleon, they think only of their wine and their art. In the south they are like the Italians. But from Paris and north, they are so proud they are boring.

Tearing off a piece of bread and dabbing it in the oil, Diana says, For me, the French cheese, it is the Italian cheese with mold. If we have cheese that doesnt sell, it gets moldy. After some days, it is perfect for the French.

Raising my glass of wine, I offer a toast to Italian food: To cucina italiana!

Manfredo follows that, saying magnanimously, To bacon and eggs!

We all agree that American breakfasts are unbeatable.

Omelets, hash browns... Manfredo reminisces with a nostalgic sigh. On my last visit to New York, I gain four kilos in three weeks.

Raising our glasses filled with fine vino rosso, we all say, To American breakfasts!

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his new book, For the Love of Europe. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)
Ukraine has formed small mobile units of troops using ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) from a variety of manufacturers and usually armed with locally manufactured ATGMs ( anti-tank guided missiles). Some were armed with heavy machine-guns or automatic grenade launchers. Some of the ATVs were carrying captured Russian ATGMs. The ATGM systems mounted on the ATVs were the ones that were heavier and more cumbersome to carry into combat. For that the Ukrainians preferred the more portable Western ATGMs. The ATVs were ideal for using heavier and less portable locally produced ATGMs.

These 21st Century Cossacks are doing what the first Cossacks did 500 years ago, traveling light and using whatever weapons they could carry and use on foot or on horseback. The original Cossacks were most effective at raiding and restricting the movements and capabilities of a larger force. Cossacks would raid supply columns and force the enemy to use more troops for guard duty and larger reconnaissance patrols. Cossacks could weaken a larger force and reduce its offensive capabilities.

Its not surprising that these modern Cossacks would emerge in Ukraine now, because this sort of speedy improvisation by a largely recent volunteer force of civilians is one reason the Russians have been losing. The Ukrainians know what they are fighting for while most of the Russian troops who initially invaded were unaware they were invading Ukraine until hastily organized and armed Ukrainians began ambushing them with effective anti-tank weapons and superior tactics and communications. Russian troops are still unsure why they are invading Ukraine while the Ukrainians are defending themselves any way they can.

These neo-Cossacks, in the form of small, mobile motorized forces, were first developed by the British during World War II in North Africa. German and Italian forces established airfields and supply storage sites out in the desert that were lightly guarded because any ground force would be spotted from the air before it got near. To get around that Britain developed the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) consisting of small units (a dozen or so men) in wheeled vehicles modified for offroad use in desert terrain. The troops were volunteers trained to use these vehicles and navigate in the desert. While raids on remote airfields and supply depots were the most dramatic operations, the most valuable role of the LRDG was collecting information on enemy strength, dispositions and movements. This often involved monitoring enemy traffic on the coastal roads, which were the primary traffic route in North Africa. Out of this came the British SAS (Special Air Service) commandos and the maritime version, the SBS (special boat service). After World War II other nations based their special operations forces on the British model.

British special operations troops were the first to develop unique vehicles for commando missions in rough terrain and U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) adopted the same policies. SAS and SOCOM would use whatever new mobility tech that was available for missions and thats how ATVs of all sorts were adapted when needed for operations in remote desert or mountain areas as were found in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

One SAS innovation was to sent out sniper teams mounted on quad bikes (four wheeled motorcycles) to seek out and kill al Qaeda or ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) terrorists in Iraq. The Quads were an early form of ATV that are still in use. SOCOM preferred ATMs based on dune buggies. Militarized versions of these dune buggies were developed by American firm Polaris in the 1980s and Israeli firm TomCar in the 1990s.

What the Americans and British special operations forces validated in combat led other NATO special operations troops to quickly adopt the new equipment and tactics. Moslem nations that worked with NATO special operations forces after 2001 did the same. Some of these troops were from Middle Eastern nations and had been using civilian ATVs or the early British vehicles adapted for long range desert missions.

In the last few years Military ATVs have completed the evolution from civilian sport vehicles to military vehicles. For example, there is the appearance of Polaris MRZR ATVs equipped with high performance diesel engines that use military fuel (JP8). The U.S. military began adopting JP8 as a standard fuel for vehicles, aircraft, boats and generators in the 1980s. By 1990 the U.S. military adopted a form of aviation fuel, JP-8, as its standard fuel and all new engines had to be built or adapted to use it. This was cheaper than building multi-fuel engines which could adapt to a wide variety of fuels.

Some exceptions were allowed, as was the case with ATVs, which SOCOM (Special Operations Command) was able to acquire over a decade ago because SOCOM was allowed to try new equipment of all sorts to accomplish their missions. The MRZR vehicles were military versions of civilian ATVs Polaris began introducing in the 1980s. Those were often called dune buggies, because they were able to operate effectively on beaches and sand dunes. When these vehicles were first adopted by special operations troops in the 1980s and 90s, they were heavier than later ATVs and less mobile than later Polaris ATVs, but became enormously popular with civilian and military users because they were designed for use in the most remote and undeveloped (no roads) areas. While this had obvious appeal for SOCOM, there were many civilians that worked in areas where there were few roads, including construction sites in remote areas and staff in large rural parks. Active duty and reserve military are often called on to assist during natural disasters, as well as operate in combat zones that lack roads or even trails. Noting SOCOMs success with ATVs, these regular troops and their commanders began requesting ATVs when surveyed about equipment that would increase mobility in combat zones. Hummer vehicles, adopted in the 1980s to replace the military jeep and light truck, were more mobile but could not match ATVs in the worst terrain. Once SOCOM got their JP8 ATVs the rest of the military could easily get them as well.

The latest version of the military favorite MRZR ATVs are equipped with a more powerful turbo-diesel engine that uses JP8. These vehicles are updates of MRZR4 that weigh 1.5 tons when loaded with nearly 700 kg of fuel, passengers, and cargo. MRZR4 has no doors, four seats, and a steel framework on top of which is usually left open for maximum visibility and acts as a roll-bar to protect passengers if there is an accident. The vehicle is optimized for cross country operations with four-wheel drive, a suspension built for safe travel over broken terrain and an 88-horsepower engine providing a top speed of 96 kilometers an hour on flat terrain. Fuel capacity is 27.4 liters (7.25 gallons) and range depends on what sort of terrain is being crossed. Using simple tools, the seating and cargo carrying configuration of the MRZR4 can be quickly changed to seat up to six or just two with two litters in the back for badly injured people. The cargo configuration can carry over 400 kg (a thousand pounds) of anything in the flatbed behind the driver. MRZR4 tires are optimized for off-road use and later models tires were even more resistant to damage. MRZR4 is 3.59 meters (140 inches) long, 1.52 meters wide and 1.87 meters-high. Collapsing the roll-bar cage reduces height to 1.52 meters (six feet). Empty weight is 853 kg (1,876 pounds) and it can carry a maximum payload of 680kg (1,496 pounds).

The latest update of MRZR4 is called MRZR Alpha and includes a turbo-diesel engine plus several changes to the chassis that made it easier to reconfigure and provide a more stable ride. The new engine increased max payload by 33 percent, and has more torque for getting through deep sand or other terrain other vehicles would get stuck in. Another user request included the ability to produce more electric power for recharging or powering the growing number of portable electronic devices used by the military.

Military forces in over twenty nations have been buying more than a dozen different models of MRZR vehicles for military, paramilitary and police force operations. The MRZR4 and slightly smaller MRZR2 have been around since 2008 and receive periodic upgrades based on user feedback. The smaller MRZR2 is a 1.1-ton (loaded with nearly 450 kg of fuel, passengers, and cargo) 4x4 vehicle. It is 3 meters (9.1 feet) long. These ATVs have proved ideal for operations in remote areas, especially because ATVs could be brought in via helicopter, dangling from the cargo sling most military helicopters are equipped with or carried inside larger helicopters as well as the new tilt-wing aircraft.

The MRZR manufacturer always paid attention to user civilian feedback and reacted quickly to the needs of military users. This was especially useful for special operations troops and often a matter of life and death. ATVs have proved useful and popular in Afghanistan, especially for special operations forces. There are many models in use, all of them militarized civilian ATVs. These vehicles are innovative both in original concept and how they are constantly modified and upgraded. For example, an important innovation was the use of non-pneumatic tires. The non-pneumatic tires are not solid like traditional tires, but are built with a web of plastic honeycomb and surrounded by a thick band of rubber that is very similar to the tread found on pneumatic tires. These tires can survive a hit by a 12.7mm (.50 caliber) bullet and keep going. They feel about the same as pneumatic tires, although some users report they are not as effective in mud or watery surfaces.

These ATVs have been so popular that many troops bought them when they got back home and used them for cross-country trips, camping, hunting, or just sightseeing. The U.S. Army bought some for use by troops just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan because it was found that high-excitement recreation, initially video games, helped the troops decompress after returning from a combat tour.
The illustration depicts the new Air Force trainer the T-7A Red Hawk. The name Red Hawk honors the legacy of Tuskegee Airmen and pays homage to their signature red-tailed aircraft from World War II. The name is also a tribute to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, an American fighter aircraft that first flew in 1938 and was flown by the 99th Fighter Squadron, the U.S. Army Air Forces first African American fighter squadron.

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The invasion of Ukraine in February turned a local problem into a conflict with global impact. This was the result of economic disruption caused by the fighting inside Ukraine and unexpectedly severe economic sanctions imposed on Russia. Both nations were key components of the global food, energy and raw materials supply system.

In addition to the sanctions, Russia found that their armed forces were far less effective than they and other nations believed. This had different implications depending on whether you were an ally of Russia or a potential victim. The Russian military was revealed to be ridden with corruption, poor leadership and a government that underestimated how serious those known problems were.

Ukraine was the first widespread and intensive heavy use of Russian weapons by Russian troops since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Many of the Ukrainian weapons were similar or even identical to those used by Russia but Ukrainians were more motivated and better prepared for combat than the invaders. Another embarrassing revelation was that the Western weapons Ukrainians used heavily, especially portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, were far more effective than Russia expected. Russia has long been a major arms exporter and existing and potential customers are revising their purchasing plans. Nations already equipped with a lot of Russian weapons and military gear also have to revise their military plans.

Russia is also a major exporter of fuel, food and raw materials. Customers can find other suppliers but often at great expense, especially when time is a factor. European nations have become increasingly dependent on Russian oil and natural gas. Russia assured skeptical European customers that it was in everyones interest to honor these energy export deals because Russia had become dependent on tech, manufactured goods and specialized services supplied by their European energy and raw materials customers. The extent of the economic sanctions imposed by the West came as a surprise to Russia, as did the realization that their former European customers could afford to pay the high cost of switching suppliers. The smaller and weaker Russian economy was unable to shield the average Russian from the sanctions economic impact. The Russian government tried to shift the blame to the unreliable foreigners. That excuse was showing its age and more Russians are inclined to blame their own government, the same government that eventually outlawed any public expressions of doubt in the capabilities of government officials.

Foreign trade accounts for about 28 percent of Russian GDP and about half of it has been disrupted by the 2022 sanctions. China is Russias largest trading partner and, together with Belarus and a few other nations, continues to trade with Russia. The other half is currently halted or soon will be by the sanctions. Russia has experience in evading economic sanctions and knows that greed in notoriously corrupt countries provides customers willing to switch to heavily discounted Russian oil. There are many similar but smaller customers. The discounts can be high; sometimes 20-30 percent off the world price, which is currently a hundred dollars a barrel. Even with heavy sanctions/smuggling related discounts Russia is still making as much as they used to before the Ukrainian escalation.

Several NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) nations are still buying Russian oil because they cannot afford to cut Russian oil and gas imports completely until they have sufficient alternate sources to avoid an economic collapse. This will take from six to 18 months or more and this is accepted as an essential move to avoid economic collapse in NATO nations getting most of their oil and gas from Russia.

Although China is a major customer for Russian oil and gas, a new pipeline must be built to get them the product. Doing this via tankers is much more expensive because that is smuggling and risky. That means a larger discount and more risk of confrontations with NATO naval forces sent after tankers used for smuggling. Russia has threatened to use its handful of modern nuclear subs to go after NATO merchant shipping and risk seeing their small nuclear sub force disappear at sea. Western navies stalk Russian nuclear subs in peacetime and Russian subs seek to do the same to Western nukes. This is an activity dating back to the Cold War and little is made public about who is ahead in the peacetime stalking competition.

All this degrades future Russian economic prospects. That has a negative impact on Russian allies. These foreign supporters now see their powerful patron as less powerful than believed and now feel desperate or simply afraid. And then there is China, which does not have allies, only trading partners and tribute states. Russia is now moving from trading partner to the lower tribute state status.

China has territorial claims on Russia on or near the Pacific coast. Japan has a dispute with Russia over the ownership of some Pacific Coast islands that Russia took at the end of World War II as well as fishing rights in the area. Until recently Japan was rather timid in its requests to Russia about these islands. Once it became clear how poorly Russia was doing in Ukraine, Japan has become more open and aggressive about the island dispute and Russian efforts to keep Japanese fishing boats out of areas they have long worked in.

China has, since the 1990s modernized and expanded its armed forces to the point where, on paper, China has stronger ground, air and naval forces than Russia. Chinese forces have not been in combat since the 1970s and back then found the less numerous but more experienced and motivated Vietnamese surprisingly effective. Russia encountered a similar situation in Ukraine. A major difference between China and Russia is that the Chinese study and learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. Russia did not pay attention, especially to what was going on in Ukraine between 2014 and 2022. China has paid attention to how Ukraine prepared and how the West responded. This is important for China because of their plans and efforts to take possession of Taiwan and the South China Sea. Taiwan was also paying attention, especially since 2014 and has increased its preparations to defeat a Chinese attack. Massive sanctions on China would be another matter because China is now the largest trading nation in the world, followed by the U.S. and Germany. These three nations are the only ones with trade exceeding a trillion dollars. Russia was 19th before the sanctions and with the sanctions will be fortunate to remain in the top 30 nations. If China did face the degree of sanctions Russia received, the results would be catastrophic because while the Chinese economy is much larger than Russias, it is much more sensitive to major disruptions. While China is still a communist police state, there is greater risk of major internal unrest if the economy is mismanaged. Incurring heavy sanctions is seen as mismanagement.

Inventing The NATO Threat

Post-Soviet Russia was a democracy that is now run by Vladimir Putin, a self-appointed president-for-life who still has to convince the majority of Russians that his Ukrainian Operation is not a war but an effort to save Ukraine from NATO and the West in general. Putin enacted a law that makes it a crime to call the Ukrainian Operation an invasion or a war. He had already revived state control of the mass media to ensure most Russians are exposed to nothing but his version of reality. Other interpretations are literally a crime and punishable by imprisonment.

Putin was a junior KGB officer when the Soviet Union collapsed and admits he never got over that tragedy, as he describes it. One thing Putin has not been able to revive is the Soviet-era ability to compel large numbers of men to serve in the military and combat. This was one of the Soviet-era practices that Russians have demonstrated opposition to reviving. The reason is simple; World War II killed about 18 percent of the population, most of them civilians but also about a quarter of all military-age males. Westerners have a hard time appreciating the long-term impact of these World War II losses on Russians. These losses were so bad that their extent was kept secret until the collapse of the Soviet Union opened the Soviet archives for a while. Details of the true World War II human losses were widely publicized inside Russia and some of the books were translated into foreign languages, including English.

Russian World War II leader Josef Stalin boasted that he could compel Russian soldiers to tolerate heavy losses to achieve his goals. During World War II it was noted that in the Red Army it took a very brave man to be a coward. Those who did not fight could be killed on the spot by officers. Even with that motivation, there were 19,000 Russian soldiers executed for such cowardice during the Stalingrad campaign. That form of encouragement has returned in Ukraine but, unlike World War II Russia, it isnt working. In 2022 Russian conscripts realized that they were not facing NATO troops but Ukrainian men and women, including many who were recently civilians and all highly motivated and determined to defeat the invader.

Since 1991 efforts to maintain conscription have been under constant attack as most potential conscripts and their families view conscription as an unnecessary evil that justifies widespread draft evasion. Putin has not been able to convince Russians that Russia is engaged in a life-or-death struggle with NATO similar to the World War II struggle against Nazi Germany. While Putin can silence most open dissent, he cannot motivate current troops or potential recruits and conscripts to cooperate.

In contrast, the war in Ukraine has given NATO purpose again. Most NATO members saw little real need for the organization after 1991. Still, NATO remained active and NATO forces were used in the 1990s for peacekeeping in the Balkans, where Yugoslavia violently came apart, and later in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. These peacekeeping efforts revealed more weaknesses and disorganization in NATO than proof that the organization could be more than a defense against a major threat.

When the major threat manifested itself in 2022, as Russia invaded Ukraine with the goal of absorbing back into a Russian empire, NATO did quickly return to its original unity of purpose. The change was surprisingly rapid and rather thorough. After decades of decline and failure to find a new purpose, NATO again became a valued mutual-defense organization, even if Ukraine was not officially a member.

May 9, 2022: In Moscow, the annual Victory Day Parade was smaller than the 2021 event. This is a result of the war in Ukraine. The 2022 parade began after a speech by leader Vladimir Putin about the future of the war in Ukraine. He continued to insist that the war was about Russia defending itself from NATO aggression. Putin did not announce a national mobilization and did not comment on the growing resistance to his policies inside Russia. Military recruiting centers are being set on fire while there have been more spectacular fires, and explosions, at several ammunition storage sites.

Russian officials who fled Russia after the invasion began confirmed that their peers who remained in Russia warned Putin that mobilization would not work because opposition to the war was too widespread. Since he took power two decades Putin has been trying to deal with the conscription and military morale problems. While Putin dismissed or arrested many officials who assured him that there would be little resistance in Ukraine, he still believes that he cannot afford to accept defeat and keep the war going even if it means reverting to a largely defensive posture. Its easier to get reluctant troops to defend themselves than ordering them to attack. The Ukrainians have proved adept at encouraging Russian troops to surrender. In part this is because the Ukrainians treat prisoners of war better than Russia treats it own soldiers. Going on the defensive is a risky choice but Putin currently believes he has to come out of this mess with something that he can claim is a victory.

Ukrainians have no interest in negotiating with the Russians because several previous agreements were useless. Russia violated every one of them. Ukrainians will fight on, and do it more effectively and with more attention to the welfare of their troops than the Russians. Putin believes NATO is expecting a coup or revolution in Russia and thats their motivation for supporting Ukraine. Theres some truth to that as many Russians, Ukrainians and Westerners believe peace will come faster and with less pain if Putin is removed from power, or does the improbable and admits defeat and withdraws from all Ukrainian territory. Putin will also have to return all the Ukrainian civilians sent to Russia and confined to internment camps. Then there are the accusations of war crimes in Ukraine, which Putin will be stuck with no matter whether he keeps fighting or withdraws. One major incentive for withdrawal from Ukraine is that it will end the extensive sanctions that are crippling the Russian economy and risking long-term damage if not lifted soon.

Russia continues to hit Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with ballistic and cruise missiles as well as abusing Ukrainian civilians. Many of these civilians escape from Russian occupation bringing first-hand accounts of how the Russians occupation forces operate. The refugees often have videos and pictures documenting what they are fleeing.

Despite new laws making data on deaths in the military a state secret, Russian families are starting to receive the coffins of soldiers, sailors and airmen killed in Ukraine. Earlier it was believed that the coffins, or news that their soldier was missing and presumed dead, would be delayed until after May 9th. That didnt happen and the coffins and death notices are being delivered.

Morale and discipline in the military had plummeted since the invasion began. Since the start of the fighting at least one general a week has been killed in action, along with many brigade and battalion commanders or staff officers of the same rank. In eastern Ukraine another offensive failed to advance because of Ukrainian resistance, heavy Russian casualties and timid behavior by troops and junior officers.

May 8, 2022: In Ukraine, the Russian war effort is led by general Aleksandr Dvornikov, a veteran of the war in Syria, which Russian entered in 2015. In Ukraine Dvornikov discovered that he could not win a military victory and was allowed to shift major military resources to economic targets. Transportation, energy and all manner of economic targets are being attacked. Even this effort has limitations as Russia has nearly exhausted its stockpile of modern ballistic and cruise missiles that are used for essential targets. Russia still uses warplanes for some attacks, but these risk damage or destruction from Ukrainian air defenses. Russia will run out of missiles and aircraft before NATO runs out of weapons, they are supplying Ukraine. Russia cannot compete in a long conventional war, which is why the threats of using nuclear weapons. The nuclear option is not popular with most Russians or foreign supporters like China. Meanwhile Ukraine is seeing its economy demolished more and more each day. As with the British response to German use of ballistic and cruise missiles during World War II, that made the British more resolved to defeat Germany, not sign another peace treaty with them.

This internal opposition to the Ukraine war has led to rumors of disgruntled military and FSB leaders considering such a move as the only way to limit the long-term damage to the Russian economy and military capabilities. Putin has contributed to the coup rumors by dismissing, or even arresting dozens of senior military and FSB officials, blaming them for the botched operation in Ukraine. The list of those dismissed seems to consist of Putin critics, not his most trusted subordinates. Added to all this are reports/rumors of Putin being ill with a serious health condition. Russia continues to operate with all the predictability of a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. The description was first used at the start of the Cold War and still applies.

May 7, 2022: Another Russian warship, the 5,000-ton Markova, one of the three Grigorovich-class frigates that are now the core of the Black Sea fleet, was hit by a Ukrainian missile while near Snake Island, which is west of Odessa. Since the sinking of the 12,000-ton Moskva in mid-April most of the Black Sea fleet warships have remained in Sevastopol, the main Black Sea fleet base. Russia has also painted over the hull numbers of the Grigorovich-class frigates in Sevastopol. As with the Moskva, Russia is denying an attack took place against the Markova.

Another Ukrainian attack sank a Russian amphibious ship close to Snake Island, a Ukrainian island the Russians seized at the start of the invasion.

May 6, 2022: Russia declared a three-day ceasefire in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. That means the ceasefire ends on May 9th, when Russia celebrates their World War II victory over Nazi Germany. Putin is expected to make some dramatic announcements at the Victory Day parade. Government propaganda in Russia depicts the fighting in Ukrainian as a Russian effort to defeat the NATO Nazis. That has been a hard sell, even in Russia because Russian soldiers who survived the fighting in Ukraine and returned to Russia describe a conflict in which Russia is playing the role of the Nazi invaders. Russia has rewritten its history books in the last decade to downplay the fact that World War II was basically a struggle between Radical Socialist tyrants. The Germans described themselves as National Socialists and the Russians International Socialists. In the 1930s that similarity was noted and accepted for what it was. Since the end of World War II Russia and their supporters in the West have tried to erase the similarities, with some success.

In Mariupol Ukrainian forces have been holding out for nearly two months and Putin hopes announce a victory on the 9th and hail it as a victory against the Ukrainian Nazis and their NATO Nazi supporters. The Mariupol Ukrainians are not cooperating despite increasing violent and desperate Russian efforts to take the steel plant near the docks that Ukrainian forces have been stubbornly defending for months.

Because the Russians may not have any real victories in Ukraine to announce at the May 9 parade Ukrainians are being warned to strictly observe air raid warnings over the next few days and stay away from symbolic Russian targets, like war memorials. May 8th is observed by many Ukrainians the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. People gather in large groups to honor the Ukrainians who died during World War II. This replaced the Russian May 9th Victory Day because the Ukrainians were honoring the Ukrainians who died fighting Russians as well as Germans. Now Russia was claiming that Ukraine was planning to use ballistic missiles that both Russia and Ukraine use to attack Ukrainian May 8th gatherings and blame it on Russia. This false accusation has been used before in an effort to shift blame for particularly horrendous attacks on civilians. Civilians in some cities are urged to leave their homes for a few days until the May 9 danger has passed. Ukrainians believe that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin has no real victories over Ukraine to announce at the annual victory day parade, he will invent something, like a missile attack that killed a lot of Ukrainian civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and no threat to Russia.

May 1, 2022: A surprise Ukrainian attack almost killed the head of the Russian military. At the end of April Valery Gerasimov, the senior general and commander of all Russian military forces, was sent to Ukraine to see for himself what was going on. On May 1st there were reports that Gerasimov was wounded by enemy artillery fire and recalled to Moscow. Gerasimov could have been killed because he had been at a meeting with dozens of senior officers that Ukrainian intelligence found out about. The Ukrainian immediately launched a missile and artillery strike on the site of the meeting. Over a hundred Russians were killed and many more in the area wounded, including Gerasimov. Russia would not confirm that. Gerasimov was selected by Putin a decade ago to be chief of staff and ensure that many important military programs were completed successfully. Putin trusts Gerasimov, but Gerasimov is at fault for not realizing the poor combat readiness of Russian forces and the decisive effectiveness of the Ukrainian defense.

April 29, 2022: Ukrainian neighbor Slovakia agreed to donate its Russian made S300 air defense systems to Ukraine because other NATO members agreed to send Slovakia Patriot air defense systems, and 2,100 troops to operate them and maintain/upgrade Slovakian defenses against Russian attack. Russia has threatened NATO members Poland, Romania and Slovakia because they border Ukraine and are supplying Ukraine with military aid as well as free passage for all aid into Ukraine. These NATO neighbors serve as the initial host for millions of Ukrainian refugees from the fighting. Other NATO members (Bulgaria and Greece) also have S300 systems and may be willing to undertake a similar deal. This would involve NATO as a whole paying for the Patriot systems, which improve air-defenses of all NATO nations, especially from Russian attack.

April 25, 2022: The 2020 American elections put into power a new president seemingly determined to change American policies towards Iran and ignore Arab Oil states complaints about Iranian threats and attacks on them. This has driven many Gulf oil states into an economic alliance with Russia to drive up the price of oil. This policy makes it easier for Iran to smuggle more of its heavily discounted oil to customers. That plan survived the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and even more economic sanctions. Iran has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Russian war in Ukraine.

April 19, 2022: Russians are also fighting in Africa, especially in Mali where an army patrol was attacked by Islamic terrorists using a roadside bomb and gunfire. The troops and one of the Wagner Group Russian military contractors returned fire and over a dozen of the attackers were killed. One of the Wagner Group men died, the first Warner Group fatality in Mali so far. Many Islamic terrorist groups are active in the area, most of them affiliated with al Qaeda and attacks on convoys occur at least once a month. More frequent attacks are directed at local civilians who will not cooperate with the terrorists. Wagner Group is unique among military contractors in that it was created by president Vladimir Putin and reports directly to him. Putin asked a veteran spetsnaz (special operations) officer to organize and run the operation whose name comes from the radio call sign its commander once used. Wagner does not work for free; every customer has to pay and several African governments are doing so. Since Wagner Group personnel must get paid, they are largely unaffected by the new economic sanctions on Russia. In fact, Wagner Group is financially strong enough to send Russian contractors to Donbas along with some Libyan and Syrian Arab mercenaries. Few of the Arabs speak Russian so their combat effectiveness is limited. The Wagner Group force is not large and has not played a large role in the Donbas. Since 2014 there have been some Wagner Group Russian personnel in Crimea and that was thought to be more of a recruiting and training activity for Wagner than a supplement for Russian troops. Wagner Group is now fighting in Ukraine mainly because if Russia fails in Ukraine, the future of Wagner Group and their patron Putin are in doubt.

April 18, 2022: In Africa, Mali received another shipment of Russian military equipment via air transport. This shipment included two Mi-35 helicopter gunships and at least one 59N6-TE mobile radar system. The 59N6 is a new (since 2016) Russian truck mounted 3-D surveillance radar which can track aircraft up to 400 kilometers distant. Most of Africa has no ATC (Air Traffic Control) radar coverage and control. This makes it possible for anyone, including the currently heavily sanctioned Russia, to continue flying in anything and anyone it wants. Mali is paying for a growing force of Russian Wagner Group military contractors) as well as buying weapons from Russia, which is banned from selling weapons to foreign nations. Russia is under severe economic sanctions because of its Ukraine invasion but Mali can get around that by paying Russia in gold. Mali is a major producer of gold and Russia has a large gold stockpile. In response to the sanctions Russia recently put its currency (the ruble) on the gold standard. Russia now offers one gram of gold for 5,000 rubles. This stabilized the purchasing power of the ruble inside Russia and made some foreign trade practical.

April 14, 2022: In the Black Sea, the Russian cruiser Moskva was destroyed off the Ukrainian port of Odessa. Moskva was the flagship of the Black Sea fleet and carried a crew of 510. Moskva was the third Russian warship destroyed by the Ukrainians since March and the largest. Most of the families of the crew were anxious to discover if their sons were alive. The government responded that such information was a state secret and that a new law had made it a criminal offense to disparage Russian war efforts. This was aimed at angry families seeking information and getting nothing but threats from their government. The disparagement law has been used against journalists and Internet-based commentators but not, apparently, any angry and vocal parents of dead soldiers or sailors.

The Moskva loss was particularly embarrassing for the government because it created a lot of unwanted attention to the composition of crews and the number killed or wounded on the lost ships. With a crew of 510, the Moskva casualties were apparently a lot larger than the government initially indicated. Families knew if their sons were on a particular ship and those young conscript sailors usually had low-skill jobs on the ships because conscripts served only 12 months, which was not enough time to train them and get some benefit from that training before the year was up. This was apparently a major reason why the Moskva was lost, because nearly half the crew were conscripts. The Moskva ample missile defenses. There were four separate systems, one electronic, to protect it from missile attacks. That should have protected the Moskva from the two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. At least one of those missiles hit the ship. This was confirmed when high-resolution digital photos of the Moskva became widely available. These pictures showed the condition of the ship after it was hit and before it sank while being towed back to its home port in Crimea. The photos clearly show at least one of the large anti-ship missiles carried on the deck in storage/launch canisters exploded and caused significant fires. This indicated two problems with the crew. One is that there were not enough sailors aboard who could maintain and/or operate all the anti-missile systems efficiently. The second problem was that the crew did not have enough sailors trained in damage control procedures to deal with the fire that did not sink the ship but disabled it to the point where the crew was ordered to abandon ship. There were photos of the crew using the lifeboats but no indication of how many dead or missing crew were left behind. Apparently, the government was uncertain about crew losses until the survivors were back in Crimea and a count could be taken. Survivors were told not to contact their families but some did anyway. No families notified like this were prosecuted, especially if they added that they hoped the war against those fascist Ukrainians would soon be over. Some families did criticize the Russian role in the war but punishment for that has not been frequent or much publicized.

April 13, 2022: Russia successfully carried out the first test launch of the production version of its new RS-28 Sarmat ICBM. This comes two years after the RS-26 Rubezh ICBM was ready for service, along with its Avangard hypersonic warhead. RS-28 missiles were supposed to begin replacing older RS-18 missiles by the end of 2020 but that was delayed as a few more technical problems had to be fixed with the production model. The successful launch from a silo of a production missile allows those already built to begin replacing older ICBMs.

Design errors and quality control problems have become the norm with Russian ICBM and SLV (satellite launch vehicle) rockets and the Russians have adapted. An example of this can be seen in the 2020 decision to delay acceptance of the solid-fuel RS-26, which is also supposed to carry the Avangard hypersonic warhead. The solid-fuel RS-26 had run into a lot more problems than the liquid-fuel RS-28. In 2019 Russia announced the suspension of the RS-26, one of the two ICBM projects that were designed to use the Avangard, a revival of a Cold War era hypersonic glide vehicle system. RS-26 was a solid fuel missile based on the Topol M, which was the first successful solid fuel ICBM missile Russia was able to deploy. It is comparable to the 1960s era U.S. Minuteman. Solid fuel is tricky to manufacture, and after many abortive attempts, the Russians stuck with liquid fuel until the 1980s. They finally perfected their solid fuel technology in the 1980s with the successful test launch of the 45-ton Topol in 1985. The 52-ton Topol-M followed ten years later. Both missiles have a range of 10,500 kilometers. This is the second time Russia ran into problems adapting the Topol M for other uses. The first effort was to turn Topol M into Bulava, an SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) for the new Borei class SSBN (ballistic missile nuclear subs). The Bulava problems were largely caused by a shortage of competent engineers and manufacturing specialists. Getting Bulava to work took a lot longer and cost a lot more than expected. Sensing the same pattern with the RS-26, Russia suspended work on this until 2027, or whatever future time when the personnel and manufacturing quality control problems can be solved. That is made more difficult because over a million well-educated professionals have emigrated from Russia since 2014. These are the Russians Putin needs to reduce the design and manufacturing problems with major defense projects. The skilled Russians leaving usually had parents who also had skills and worked in defense industries. The parents could not emigrate, which their children can and now are doing so as Russia gradually turns into the Soviet state their parents were glad to see dissolve in 1991.

April 12, 2022: Russia has appointed four- star general Aleksandr V. Dvornikov, a veteran of operations in Syria, as the first commander of all operations in Ukraine. Previously all Ukrainian operations were commanded by Stavka (the Russian General Staff) and civilian officials in Moscow. Dvornikov apparently is free to do whatever it takes to turn the defeats in Ukraine into a victory. Dvornikov was the first the first commander (for a year) of Russian forces that entered Syria in 2015 5o rescue their long-time Middle Eastern ally the Assad clan, which was a large and loyal customer for Russian weapons. A major insurrection against the Assads began in 2012 and by 2015 they were facing defeat. Dvornikov noted that one Assad tactic seemed to work was attacking pro-rebel civilians with artillery and air strikes in order to compel migration to neighboring countries. Dvornikov helped with that while also bringing in tech support to rebuild heavily used Russian tanks and artillery and supply ammunition. Russian special operations troops and aerial surveillance aircraft were brought in to find and attack the Islamic terror groups that now dominated the rebel forces. For his achievements in Syria Dvornikov was put on the fast track for promotions and key defense jobs. This included the command of all forces in Ukraine. Suddenly there were more Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians Dvornikov soon realized that Ukraine was a lot different than Syria. There was no beleaguered Assad government nor were their many Ukrainians who supported the Russian invasion. While the Assads received more Russian weapons the Ukrainians were not only producing superior versions of Russian weapons but receiving huge quantities of Western weapons from NATO nations that border Ukraine. Dvornikov supported the shift of Russian forces from northern Ukraine, where most Russian units suffered heavy casualties and were stalled, to eastern Ukraine. Here they were to take part in a major offensive to expand Russian control of Donbas and gain control of the entire Ukrainian Black Sea coast. The offensive stalled and by the end of April Russian forces were being pushed back and local partisan groups were appearing in many areas that Russia technically controlled.

April 11, 2022: In Iraq, Iran-backed Shia militias sold RPG anti-tank launchers and warheads along with two Iraqi army MRLS (multiple rocket launcher systems) and the unguided rockets to Iran, which smuggled them to Russia via Iran across the Caspian Sea, a landlocked body of water bordering Iran and Russia. Russia has been more cooperative with Iranian forces in Syria because of this while seeking not to anger the Israelis. China has refused to supply Russia with weapons but Iran is already suffering many sanctions and Russia is one of the few allies it has. Iraq is one of the most corrupt nations in the Middle East and anything is available if you have the cash or enough gunmen to obtain what you want. Most Iraqis consider the corruption a flaw to be corrected while Iran considers the Iraqi corruption something Iran can make use of.

April 10, 2022: China officially supports Russian efforts to deal with Ukrainian aggression and reunite Ukraine with Russia by invading a country that is a UN member and widely recognized as independent. Unofficially, China is critical of the Russian war on Ukraine, if only because of the negative impact on Chinese trade and diplomacy. China is also opposed to invasions of sovereign nations although Chinese claims on Taiwan are little different from the Russian claim on Ukraine, which better armed and trained Ukrainian forces have defeated so far. China was a major customer for Ukrainian military tech and wheat. For the first three months of 2022 Chinese trade with Russia was up 28 percent from 2021 while trade with Ukraine up ten percent. In 2021 first quarter trade for Russia was seven times larger than with Ukraine while in 2022 the Russian trade was eight times larger. Trade with Ukraine will be more disrupted and will take a while to recover, no matter who wins the war.

There were other problems. China was not happy with the poor performance of Russian troops in Ukraine. China was kept informed about the preparations for the invasion and asked Russia to wait until the Winter Olympics in China were over on February 23rd before invading. The invasion began before dawn on the 24th and was, according to Russia, supposed to be over in fifteen days. After about a week, China concluded that the Russian plan and the Russian military had failed. Russian troops quickly ran into trouble because of the unexpected stiff resistance by Ukrainian troops and armed civilians. China initially remained silent about the invasion and as the Ukrainian resistance increased, along with unprecedented sanctions imposed by Russias Western trading partners, China refused to openly provide material support for the Russian economy or military operations. China was also dismayed at the degree of European military support for the Ukrainians, despite Russian threats of nuclear retaliation. That did not dissuade the Europeans or Americans, just as it had not worked on China during their 1969 border war with Russia. In 1969 China had recently tested its first nuclear weapon but did not have a nuclear retaliation capability. Russia approached the Americans about joining in a nuclear attack on China. The Americans refused and criticized the Russian threats to use nukes. When China found out about that, there was a warming in the long-frosty relations with the Americans which soon (1972) led to the U.S. recognizing the Chinese communist government.
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Six private company boards were honored with Private Company Boards of the Year awards for their business governance excellence by MLR Media. The awards will be presented at the 2022 Private Company Governance Summit, which will take place June 15-17 at the JW Marriott Washington, D.C.

The boards of these companies were selected for recognition:

Graebel Companies Inc.

Nixon Medical

Just Born

Telamon Corporation

The Plastek Group

Schnuck Markets Inc.

Six private companies were selected for the governance excellence demonstrated by their fiduciary or advisory boards. The awards, which will be presented at a dinner during the Private Company Governance Summit on June 16, honor private company boards that best serve their stakeholders  owners, shareholders, employees and community  with best practices in their structure and performance.

The awards were created to recognize private companies that go above and beyond legal governance requirements and commit to the highest levels of governance, whether through fiduciary or advisory boards. The awards honor the performance of the board as a whole.

The seventh annual awards recognize fiduciary boards (those tasked with protecting shareholders, with the authority to vote on decisions that are binding for company management) as well as advisory boards (more informal boards that have no binding regulations, but often a significant strategic role). Fiduciary board awards were broken down by company revenues and ownership type.

The Private Company Governance Summit, now in its tenth year, is the only national conference focused on the unique governance challenges for owners, shareholders, directors and advisory board members of closely held, family-owned and private equity-owned companies. To learn more, visit www.privatecompanydirector.com.

Among the nominees for the 2022 Private Company Boards of the Year awards, six private boards of directors stood out for their diligence, standards and outcomes.

The boards of the following companies were selected for recognition:

Graebel Companies Inc.

Headquarters: Aurora, Colorado

Type of Private Board: Advisory

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: $1 billion plus

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

For every challenge or opportunity the company faces, at least one board member has the appropriate background or experience to provide informed guidance.

Board members have served as mentors to Graebels executive team and have facilitated strategic relationships outside the company.

The board has helped the company create an affiliate transaction policy and an ESG/DEI strategy.

In 2015, the board helped the company shift its business model from moving and storage to that of a global relocation management service provider. The shift involved divestiture of the moving and storage assets.

Nixon Medical

Headquarters: New Castle, Delaware

Type of Private Board: Fiduciary

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: Less than $100 million in revenues

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

The board was instrumental in facilitating leadership and ownership succession, executive team development, strategy oversight, crisis management and improved business performance.

The board is modeled on public company best practices: majority independent, independent chair, independent committees, independent consultants (e.g., audit and compensation), regular governance surveys and director assessments.

Directors are seasoned executives of larger companies with public company board experience.

All board committees (governance, nominating, audit, compensation and president evaluation) have charters.

Just Born

Headquarters: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Type of Private Board: Fiduciary

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: $100 million to $350 million in revenues

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

The board has evolved from a start-up board focused on understanding the issues facing the business to a strategic board focused on helping the business meet its goals.

The board consists of seven directors: one family member/shareholder, who is the chairman, and six independent directors. The chairman and CEO roles are separate. There is also a lead independent director.

The board has played a key role in developing a foundational future vision and hiring the first nonfamily CEO.

The board has encouraged a higher level of performance through discipline in quarterly reporting, oversight of a three-year strategic plan, and challenging the management team to become more proactive in identifying and addressing key risks and opportunities.

Telamon Corporation

Headquarters: Raleigh, North Carolina

Type of Private Board: Fiduciary

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: $350 million to $1 billion in revenues

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

Board members have a good mix of personalities and diverse experience in family business, start-ups and large companies, as well as theoretical experience.

The board drives the performance of the business. This takes effect in many forms, including efficiencies, employee relations, company risk, customer risk and growth strategies.

What started as a board with two outside members and three inside members has purposefully increased the number of outside directors to create an outside-led board that mimics best practices of public companies.

The board is fully engaged and continues to challenge the CEO, and indirectly the leadership team, to meet goals, deliverables and stated strategy.

The Plastek Group

Headquarters: Erie, Pennsylvania

Type of Private Board: Fiduciary

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: $350 million to $1 billion in revenues

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

To prepare for the formation of the board, all family owners went through an 18-month governance class offered by Loyola University Chicago's Family Business Center.

Unlike many other family businesses in the second generation, Plastek has been very proactive in forming a board  and that board has made significant achievements since its first meeting in March 2020.

When the board was convened, the directors realized the companys two immediate challenges: lack of a succession plan and lack of a strategic plan. Committees (led by management) were organized to develop the respective plans, which are now being implemented by management.

The board has established three committees: human capital and compensation, audit and finance, and nominating and governance. All committees have charters.

Schnuck Markets Inc.

Headquarters: St. Louis, MO

Type of Private Board: Fiduciary

Approximate Annual Company Revenues: More than $1 billion in revenues

Company Ownership: Family-owned

Governance highlights include:

Schnuck Markets Inc. converted from an advisory board structure to a fiduciary board four years ago. The board, first established in 1991, went from being dominated by family members as an advisory board to a five independent director/four family director breakdown as a fiduciary board.

The board has assisted the company in the development of a stronger strategic planning process.

The board is fully documented, and has policies in place for board refreshment, retirement age of 75, inclusion of at least one family member of the coming generation, regularly scheduled board and committee meetings, and senior executive/CEO review processes.

The board is tasked with approving all key transactions and initiatives.

About MLR Media

MLR Media publishes Directors & Boards, Family Business and Private Company Director magazines, and produces The Private Company Governance Summit; Transitions (Spring and Fall) and Family Business Legacy & Wealth conferences; Family Business NextGen; and the Transformational Women in Family Business and Character of the Corporation events.

www.mlrmedia.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006367/en/

David Shaw, Publishing Director

Phone: 301.529.9808

Email: [email protected]

Source: MLR Media
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Adastra, a leading player in the Data and Analytics space, has been recognized once again as a Platinum Member of Canadas Best Managed Companies for the organizations overall business performance and sustained growth for twenty (20) consecutive years.

This award reinforces Adastras position as a best-in-class company that has demonstrated leadership in the areas of strategy, innovation, culture, and commitment to both its employees and clients.

As this year is Adastras 20th consecutive year as a member of Canada's Best Managed Companies, we wear this badge with sincere pride and honor. The impact of this designation is widespread across all areas of our business, through global awareness, client confidence, and employee pride, said Darren Edery, CEO at Adastra. With the Best Managed Companies award attesting to our services and skills, our clients are confident that they can entrust us with their most valuable assets  their data. The 20-year recognition earns the confidence of our enterprise partners, including Microsoft, Google, and AWS, and establishes us as an organization that pushes the boundaries of innovation and Digital Transformation.

2022 winners of Canadas Best Managed Companies award will be honored at a virtual gala. The Best Managed virtual symposium will address leading-edge business issues that are key to the success of todays business leaders.

The Best Managed program is sponsored by Deloitte Private, CIBC, Salesforce, The Globe and Mail, and TMX Group. Applicants are evaluated by an independent judging panel comprised of representatives from program sponsors in addition to special guest judges.

About Adastra

Since 2000, Adastra has been helping global organizations accelerate innovation, improve operational excellence, and create unforgettable customer experiences, all through the power of their data. By providing leading-edge Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud, Digital, and Governance services and solutions, Adastra helps enterprises leverage data they can trust, connecting them to their customers  and their customers to the world.

About Canada's Best Managed Companies

Canadas Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $50 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canadas Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canadas Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4-6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, Salesforce, and TMX Group. For more information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005001/en/

Sonya Hoshmand

Marketing Manager, Adastra Corp

[email protected]

Source: Adastra
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Atar Capital, a global private investment firm, announced a sixth acquisition through its portfolio company, Pathways Health and Community Support, LLC (Pathways), with the closing of Psychological Assessment & Intervention Services, Inc. (PAIS). The definitive agreement for the acquisition was originally signed in December 2021. This acquisition allows Pathways to expand its footprint into West Virginia where PAIS currently serves clients in 29 out of 55 counties that are supported by 7 regional offices. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

PAIS offers person-centered home and community-based services, including direct services and case management for individuals with developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, along with psychological assessment and general outpatient therapy services for children and adults. The organizations programs and services align well with those offered by Pathways, making it possible for Pathways to offer a broader range of behavioral health services in more communities.

Pathways has an active presence in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Led by Jill Winters, Pathways CEO, the organization employs a team of 5,000+ dedicated staff members working to create healthier communities with programs that include counseling, IDD, telehealth, autism, case management, therapeutic foster care, parent education, supportive employment and substance use. The company also offers employer-based programs through Pathways at Work, a series of customized workplace health and well-being seminars, webinars and other resources for employees.

Winters said, Atar Capitals continued guidance and investment in our growth is making it possible for Pathways to broaden the scope of essential behavioral health and wellness services across the country for people struggling with critical life challenges. We look forward to expanding those resources with this latest acquisition.

Cyrus Nikou, founder and managing partner of Atar Capital, said, We continue to be excited about the growth prospects ahead for Pathways. This latest acquisition of PAIS, in addition to the five other bolt-on companies acquired for Pathways over the past two years, significantly expands the organizations footprint and range of services. It is a clear testament to Atar Capitals mission and commitment to supporting the growth of its portfolio companies.

Atars investment team for the transaction included Atar Capitals Founder and Managing Partner Cyrus Nikou, Senior Managing Director Robert Lezec, Managing Directors Stanley Huang and Vijay Mony and Director T.J. McCaffrey. Dykema provided legal counsel to Atar Capital.

About Atar Capital

Atar Capital is a global private investment firm that acquires a wide range of lower middle market businesses exhibiting opportunities for growth, revitalization and significant value creation. Atar Capitals principals have completed more than 80 private equity transactions across North America, Europe and South America.

Atar Capitals combination of operational expertise, industry knowledge and investment experience provide a unique edge in creating value and working as a true partner with its portfolio companies. The firm assists in activities ranging from growing the business to improving operations and financial performance, leveraging all available resources and talent within Atars leadership team, as well as its bench of seasoned senior advisors with deep sector and functional expertise. For more information, please visit www.atarcapital.com.

About Pathways

Pathways Health and Community Support, LLC is one of the largest providers of behavioral and mental health services in the United States. Originally founded in 1997 as Providence Service Corporation, and subsequently acquired by Atar Capital in 2018, Pathways mission is to improve the lives of people by inspiring personal growth, health and wellness. The organization offers a full spectrum of social services and behavioral health solutions, including mental health support, youth and family services, adult services and prevention services, to clients in their homes or through telehealth and community-based resources. The company also offers employer-based programs to help employees manage stress, anxiety and other behavioral health challenges through Pathways at Work, a series of customized workplace health and well-being seminars, webinars and other resources for employees.

For more information visit www.pathways.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509006211/en/

Media Contact:

Patricia Kilgore

Sterling Kilgore, Inc.

630-567-9379

[email protected]

Atar Capital Contact:

T.J. McCaffrey

Atar Capital

310-870-0808

[email protected]

Source: Atar Capital
Combined company to provide worlds first fully-predictive insights across assets, processes and operations, giving manufacturers greater control over output, quality and sustainability

NEW YORK & TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Augury, the leading provider of IoT and Industrial AI solutions that improve health and reliability of machines for manufacturing and industry, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Seebo, a leader in AI-based process intelligence. The deal is a combination of cash and stock and is valued between $100 million and $200 million.

Augurys Machine Health solutions help companies ranging from Colgate and PepsiCo to ICL and Essity predict machine reliability and performance issues to eliminate downtime and increase production efficiencies. Seebos Process-Based Artificial Intelligence provides manufacturing teams with the insights to optimize processes in the face of multiple, often-conflicting objectives such as improving quality, throughput and yield while reducing waste, energy consumption and emissions.

Together the companies will provide a never-before possible, AI-driven view into the interplays between the diverse factors that influence overall production health. These correlated insights will enable customers to take actions that improve asset performance, process optimization, quality, sustainability and safety.

Manufacturers realize their competitiveness depends on empowering their frontline teams. However, methodologies like TPM and IWS can only drive production gains so far, without accurate insights into the inter-related ways that processes, materials, environment and equipment impact production health, said Saar Yoskovitz, CEO of Augury. The lack of a unified platform to provide these insights stifles collaboration and progress. The combination of our full-stack machine health platform and Seebos process-based AI will give cross functional teams the correlated view they need to transform how they work, and unlock $1 trillion in untapped production potential from existing facilities worldwide.

Some of the worlds leading manufacturers and industrial companies are already making strides on this journey, and see the combination of machine health and process health as foundational to their long-term objectives:

Weve applied Augurys Machine Health Solutions to reduce downtime and increase capacity as a foundation of our digital transformation. Our next goal is the integration of those machine-level insights with other variables, from product mix to environmental or process changes, that let us control quality, yield and efficiency in ways we cant today, said Warren Pruitt, VP Global Engineering Services at Colgate-Palmolive. We see the combination of capabilities that Augury and Seebo are working to bring together as exactly the right approach to helping us maximize production health and achieve our other goals around sustainability, workforce engagement and profitability.

Scott Reed, SVP of Service Operations at GAF, said, The building materials industry is working to maximize production to meet global demand for construction, and to do so in more sustainable ways than ever. GAF has ambitious goals on both those fronts, and we see greater adoption of the kinds of AI driven technologies Augury is pioneering as crucial to our efforts and those of our industry. By getting greater insight across our materials, processes and equipment we can increase capacity, reduce waste, maintain quality and stay aligned to our business metrics all at the same time. Thats something thats been very hard to do in the past.

Production health, a combination of machine health and process health, allows industrial companies to embrace digital transformation more holistically, said Michael Guilfoyle, Vice President, Energy Transition and Industrial Sustainability at ARC Advisory Group. With this acquisition, Augury now provides AI-driven production health, delivering a path for its customers to extend the optimization of their existing production processes. The potential for value is significant, mainly through the ability to integrate previously siloed work groups and their key use cases to greater effect, from improved uptime and emissions reduction to greater yield improvement and quality assurance.

The transaction is expected to close at the end of May, at which time Seebos founders Lior Akavia and Liran Akavia, as well as other Seebo executives, will join Augurys management team.

About Augury

Augury Machine Health solutions eliminate downtime, reduce maintenance costs and maximize productivity for critical machines in industrial and commercial applications. Augurys solutions combine advanced sensors with powerful AI capabilities and collaboration tools to help teams understand when machines and the processes that depend on them are at risk, coupled with the actionable insights customers need to prevent failures before they threaten production or productivity.

About Seebo

Seebo helps customers unlock the full potential of their production lines. Seebo Process-Based Artificial Intelligence empowers manufacturing teams to achieve global process optimisation across multiple, conflicting objectives  from improving quality, throughput and yield, to reducing waste and scrap, cutting energy costs and lowering emissions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509005738/en/

Media: Sean Welch

PAN Communications

[email protected]

Source: Augury Machine Health
Paula Kenyon and Shawn Kenyon to expand Behaven Kids reach and capabilities to meet the needs of Nebraskas underserved community of children with autism spectrum disorder and mental health conditions

OMAHA, Nebraska--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Behaven Kids, one of Nebraskas leading providers of services for children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, mental health-related issues and behavioral difficulties, has added Paula Kenyon and Shawn Kenyon, two nationally recognized authorities in autism research and treatment, to its advisory committee.

Nebraska has one of the largest underserved populations in the country of minors with autism spectrum disorder and mental health conditions. More than 7,400 children in Nebraska seek autism-related services every year; the current capacity of autism centers in the state can meet only 10% of this demand, leaving 90% of children in Nebraska not receiving needed services and support. The state ranks 28 in the country for prevalence of youth mental illness and access to care. Despite this, there are provider shortages in 88 of Nebraskas 93 counties, and 32 counties have no behavioral health providers whatsoever.

Behaven Kids was founded in Nebraska, serves the families and children of Nebraska and is committed to providing the highest caliber of services and programs throughout Nebraska, said Themis Gomes, CEO of Behaven Kids. We are working to expand the reach and capabilities of Behaven Kids in order to handle the surging and unmet demand throughout the state; Paula and Shawn are an incredible addition to the team that will help us accomplish this mission.

Paula Kenyon, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is a doctoral-level board certified behavior analyst with more than 25 years of professional experience. Dr. Kenyon has held various positions in the field of applied behavior analysis, including program coordinator at Spectrum Center, program specialist for the staff intensive unit and director of residential programs at the New England Center for Children, assistant to the CEO at Melmark and chief clinical officer at Trumpet Behavioral Health and Kadiant. Her areas of research include stimulus control, discrimination learning, sleep and naturalistic teaching. Dr. Kenyon has also been an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University since 2007.

Behaven Kids is in a unique position to make a significant impact on children and their families throughout Nebraska who have been struggling with autism or mental health related issues and unable to get the services they so desperately need, said Paula Kenyon. We are working to scale our capabilities as well as bring best practices from organizations around the world to the autism community in Nebraska.

Shawn Kenyon, EdD, BCBA, has been working in applied behavior analysis and special education for almost 30 years. Dr. Kenyon has been a program and clinical director in public, private and non-public schools as well as residential programs in Massachusetts and California. He has consulted nationally across several states and internationally while an adjunct faculty in the graduate behavior analysis program at Northeastern University. Dr. Kenyon's areas of focus are behavior analysis in public schools, intervention, treatment integrity and the ethical issues that arise in behavior analysis.

Our specialized day program for children with severe behavior challenges as well as the services we offer to public schools gives us the ability to have a significant impact on communities throughout Nebraska, said Shawn Kenyon. We hope to make significant strides in reducing the number of families in Nebraska who cannot get services and assistance.

Behaven Kids is a provider of services for children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, mental health-related issues and behavioral difficulties. The company provides a full range of therapy, counseling and care services to help children, parents and families at three locations in Nebraska. Behaven Kids has more than 70 professionals with a variety of credentials and expertise, including board certified behavioral analysts, licensed behavior specialists, licensed mental health practitioners and certified clinical trauma professionals. Behaven Kids was founded in 2000. More information is available at BehavenKids.com and on social media @behavenkids.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005505/en/

Steve Honig

The Honig Company, LLC

818-986-4300

[email protected]

Source: Behaven Kids
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Boston Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Dr. Sophie Kornowski as Chair of its Board of Directors and Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Kornowski succeeds interim Co-CEOs Dr. Joanne T. Beck and Dr. Craig T. Basson, who will continue in their positions as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Medical Officer, respectively. Since 2018, Sophie Kornowski has been a partner at Gurnet Point Capital, a private investment firm focused on the healthcare sector. In this role, she has worked closely with the Boston Pharmaceuticals team for several years, as a member of the Board of Directors and, at the request of the Board, has recently supported Corporate Development efforts.

We are very pleased that Sophie has accepted our invitation to lead Boston Pharmaceuticals into the next phase of its growth trajectory, which includes continued expansion and progress of the pipeline, and the development of a strategy for long-term evolution, said Stefan Meister, the current Chairman of Boston Pharmaceuticals and Vice Chairman of the B-Flexion investment group, which owns the company. Boston Pharmaceuticals, greatly inspired by our legacy in innovative pharma and biotech, is an important investment for B-Flexion and we look forward to Sophie leading the company into its next phase of growth.

Sophie Kornowski said: I have worked closely with the Boston Pharmaceuticals team for several years, and it is a great honor to expand my role at this exciting time for the company. Along with the rest of the board and management team, my focus will be upon building the companys successful history of in-licensing differentiated molecules and developing them in a focused and nimble fashion. I am looking forward to leveraging the firms strong organizational capability, diverse pipeline and existing and future financial backing to build a sustainable, best-in-class growth biotech that will provide medicines for many patients in need of new options.

In her position at Gurnet Point Capital, Dr. Kornowski has been a successful investor in several innovative start-ups and high growth businesses that have products in the clinic or commercializing, in diseases such as Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactivity, Cancer and Food Allergy.

Prior to joining Gurnet Point Capital, she was Executive Vice-President of Roche Partnering and member of the Extended Corporate Executive Committee of F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, one of the world's largest healthcare companies, and board member of Chugai Pharmaceuticals. In that role, working closely with R&D and Commercial teams at Roche and Genentech, she was responsible for the Partnering and the M&A strategy with Biotechs, Pharma, HealthTech and Research Institutions worldwide for Roche. Previously, Dr. Kornowski had led the largest affiliate of F. Hoffmann-La Roche outside of the US, based in France for many years. Earlier in her career, she held several leadership commercial roles across geographies in leading innovative pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies in France, Israel and the US. Dr. Kornowski holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth and a Doctorate in Pharmacy from Paris Descartes University.

About Boston Pharmaceuticals

Boston Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, that leverages an experienced drug development team, to advance a portfolio of differentiated molecules that address important unmet medical needs. The Company partners with innovative biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to in-license or acquire drug development candidates. It applies rigorous decision making to advance programs to deliver new differentiated medicines to patients in need of new options. Boston Pharmaceuticals is continuously seeking new opportunities to leverage its model of pipeline externalization for partners, to create a path to value creation, that will benefit all parties.

For more information, please visit www.bostonpharmaceuticals.com or follow on Twitter @BosPharma and LinkedIn.

About B-Flexion

Boston Pharmaceuticals is a portfolio company of B-Flexion, a private entrepreneurial investment firm that partners with sophisticated capital to deliver exceptional value over the generations, while also contributing positively to society. Chaired by Ernesto Bertarelli and with offices across Europe and the United States, B-Flexion seeds, acquires and builds investment partnerships, principally in the fields of Private Equity, Venture & Growth Capital, Real Assets, Hedge Funds, Credit, and Public Securities. As well as these partnerships, B-Flexion makes principal investments in operating businesses in transformative industries with a focus on Healthcare, Planet, Consumer and Technology.

For more information, please visit www.bflexion.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005310/en/

Media Contact:

Tom Johnson/Owain Thorogood

(212) 371-5999

[email protected]/[email protected]

Source: Boston Pharmaceuticals
COMOX VALLEY, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Communities in the Comox Valley are growing, but public services are not keeping up with the pace of change says CUPE Local 556. The union launched a campaign to urge local governments to expand municipal services to cope with the rising demand in the region.

Our members serve our neighbours every day. We are accountable to our communities and are devoted to make sure the Comox Valley is clean, green, prosperous, and safe, said Bonnie Kozlowski, president of CUPE 556. We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. As more move here, enhancing and expanding public services is crucial to meet the needs of residents and local businesses while protecting our environment.

CUPE 556s campaign, involving face-to-face public outreach and radio and other advertising, aims to encourage elected leaders to work together for the Comox Valleys future. The union is worried that as public demands increase there will be more services contracted out to private corporations.

Our tax dollars should not leave our community to profit those who dont live here, said Kozlowski. Our members wages are spent in the local Comox Valley businesses, and they are earned by carefully providing vital services and maintaining critical infrastructure residents depend on.

Municipal workers in the Comox Valley propose coordination throughout the region to ensure communities are livable, safe, and ecologically sustainable into the future. The union is calling for a review of contracts to identify opportunities for better directly delivered services.

Residents demand services responsible to them and responsive to their needs, said Kozlowski. When your garbage is not picked up, or if snow is not removed, who do you call to complain? Residents can rely on predictable services when they are publicly delivered and answerable to the community. That way we can be certain all concerns are addressed efficiently, and any problems are solved appropriately.

A poll of 500 Comox Valley residents conducted by Research Co. in February showed most think services provided by public workers are superior to those provided by private contractors. The majority of those surveyed also believe you pay more for lower quality services because private companies cut corners to make more profits. Nine out of ten in the sample valued keeping well-paying jobs in the community.

These are uncertain times, from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to extreme weather events of heat domes, atmospheric rivers, and snowstorms, said Kozlowski. We must plan now to provide our community certainty with more quality, dependable, accountable services delivered by and for the people of our community for generations to come.

CUPE 556 represents the municipal workers of the Comox Valley - the City of Courtenay, Town of Comox, Village of Cumberland, Comox Valley Regional District, and the Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association. CUPE 556 members are responsible for a wide range of services including road maintenance, emergency care, recreation programs, childcare, community development, and maintaining safe, clean, drinking water systems and wastewater treatment systems. CUPE 556 members work and live on the unceded traditional territory of the Komoks First Nation.

Backgrounder: Research Co. Comox Valley Public Opinion Poll Factum

Listen to the CUPE 556 Comox Valley Municipal Workers Campaign Ad here.

cope491

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006179/en/

Media: Nathan Allen, CUPE Communications Representative: 604-338-2967

Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees
HAMBURG, Germany & SOMERVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Danfoss Power Solutions and RISERobotics today announce theyve signed a collaboration agreement to jointly validate and test a key innovation that has the potential to transform the heavy machinery market through electrification.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006362/en/

Danfoss Power Solutions, a leading global supplier of mobile and industrial hydraulics as well as electric powertrain systems, and RISERobotics, a leading zero-emission heavy machinery company, have formalized their collaborative relationship. The two businesses have signed an agreement to work together to validate the latest electromechanical actuator technology from RISE.

This new partnership is an example of how both companies prioritize innovation and find new ways to meet the increasing demand for electrification solutions coming from current and prospective customers.

Its an exciting opportunity to work with RISERobotics to accelerate the development of solutions that have the potential to create near-term, low-carbon options for our customers, said Danfoss Power Solutions President Eric Alstrom. Were taking bold steps to battle climate change and help customers around the world decarbonize. Electrification is a critical enabler to the Green Transition, and were thrilled to be on this journey with RISE.

We are delighted to collaborate with Danfoss, said RISERobotics CEO Arron Acosta. Innovation isnt for everyone, but at Danfoss, innovation is at the core of their DNA. Their speed of decision-making is electric. Their engineering and global manufacturing capabilities lead the way."

The RISECylinder (US Patent 11255416, patent pending: WO2019/014259) is a fluid-free, electromechanical alternative to hydraulic cylinders for heavy equipment and machinery. It helps address the battery-electrification challenges inherent in hydraulic systems by delivering hydraulic-like forces at unprecedented efficiency, precision, speed, and weight.

RISEs unwavering dedication to commercializing scalable solutions enabled by advanced technology is the same pioneering spirit that has fueled Danfoss journey from startup to industry leader, added Alstrom. We look forward to working toward these goals together.

About Danfoss 

Danfoss engineers advanced technologies that enable us to build a better, smarter and more efficient tomorrow. In the worlds growing cities, we ensure the supply of fresh food and optimal comfort in our homes and offices, while meeting the need for energy-efficient infrastructure, connected systems and integrated renewable energy. Our solutions are used in areas, such as refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, motor control and mobile machinery. Our innovative engineering dates back to 1933 and today Danfoss holds market-leading positions, employing 40,000 and serving customers in more than 100 countries. We are privately held by the founding family. Read more at www.danfoss.com

About RISERobotics 

Founded in 2011 by graduates of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), RISERobotics is a high-growth technology company backed by The Engine, a Tough Tech venture capital fund built by MIT, Greentown Labs, and Techstars. RISERobotics is leading the way to zero-emission heavy machinery by providing the worlds most efficient and productive alternative to hydraulics. Designed for medium and heavy-duty applications, RISETechnology provides fuel, emissions, and sound reductions, improves productivity, and extends machine life. Find more at https://www.riserobotics.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006362/en/

RISERobotics:

Lauren Damon

[email protected]

Danfoss Power Solutions:

Michelle Rohrlack

[email protected]

Source: RISERobotics
Gustafson says Ameriprises deep resources will help her team build on their tradition of delivering sophisticated investment solutions and first-class service to clients

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Private Wealth Advisor Christine Gustafson, founder and managing director of Phoenix Wealth Management, recently joined Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) from UBS with more than $450 million in client assets. Gustafson and her team operate out of their office in Phoenix. They selected Ameriprise because of the firms longstanding commitment to financial planning, industry-leading technology, and sophisticated investment research.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005993/en/

Phoenix Wealth Management joined Ameriprise Financial. From left to right: Founder and managing director Christine Gustafson, Lisa Campbell, Amanda Morrell, and Norman Lemus, CPWA, CEPA, CRPC. (Photo: Business Wire)

With more than 30 years specializing in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals, family offices and charitable foundations, Gustafson has grown her practice into a five-person team that serves a diverse client base across Arizona and the United States. In evaluating Ameriprise, she was pleased to learn that the company shares her passion for exceptional client service and empowering investors to give back to the causes they care most about.

We take a holistic, custom-tailored approach to wealth management. Our strategic partnership with Ameriprise provides us with the best technology and leadership to thrive  offering clients with the insight and perspective to create financial peace of mind, said Gustafson. We customize every clients portfolio for their unique needs  we dont try to fit clients into the typical five-risk category model. In our search for a new firm, it was clear that Ameriprises values aligned with ours and they shared our goal of managing money for wonderful clients  many of whom are philanthropically oriented.

Were delighted to have Christine and her team join Ameriprise, said Ryan Lurie, who supports Gustafson as her Ameriprise Branch Manager. We look forward to partnering with her to build her practice according to her values and vision, which is to ultimately help more people through comprehensive financial planning.

Gustafsons team also includes private wealth advisor and managing director Norman Lemus, CPWA, CEPA, CRPC. Lemus has more than a decade of experience serving clients and is a portfolio manager on the teams Tobacco-Free Portfolio, which was specifically designed for The American Heart Association. He moved into the industry after serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a sergeant. The advisors are supported by senior registered practice associate Amanda Morrell and senior registered client service associate Lisa Campbell.

Ameriprise has continued to attract experienced, productive financial advisors, with approximately 1,600 joining the firm in the last 5 years.1 Nine out of ten advisors who joined Ameriprise say the firms technology, financial planning capabilities and ability to acquire clients is better than their previous firm.2 To find out why experienced financial advisors are joining Ameriprise, visit ameriprise.com/why.

About Christine Gustafson and Phoenix Wealth Management

Christine Gustafson and Norm Lemus lead Phoenix Wealth Management, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Phoenix, Arizona that provides a full range of custom-tailored wealth management services for clients, including sophisticated financial planning and fiduciary-based money management. Their proprietary Tobacco-Free Portfolio was developed for the American Heart Association and has been used by a number of their clients and family offices. The team, which manages more than $450 million in client assets, builds personal relationships with clients, and is committed to providing first-class service and empowering clients with the right tools as they seek financial peace of mind.

Gustafsons specialty is charitable giving, including Donor Advised Funds and Family Foundations. She has a long personal legacy of giving back  she is a 30-year volunteer for the American Heart Association (AHA) and has been part of the AHA Investment Committee, which oversees the AHAs $670 million investment fund, since 2009. For the last 11 years, she has served on the University of Virginias $7.5 billion endowment board (UVIMCO) which is recognized as one of the top performing endowments in the country.

About Ameriprise Financial

At Ameriprise Financial, we have been helping people feel confident about their financial future for more than 125 years. With extensive advisory, asset management and insurance capabilities and a nationwide network of approximately 10,000 financial advisors3, we have the strength and expertise to serve the full range of individual and institutional investors' financial needs.

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

 2022 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

_____________________________ 1 Ameriprise Financial 2021 10-K. 2 Ameriprise asked experienced advisors who moved their book of business to the firm in the last one-to-five years to compare its support, resources, and capabilities to their previous firm and state their satisfaction with their experience. The survey results identified the top ways Ameriprise stands out compared to competitors. 294 advisors responded to the Ultimate Advisor Partnership survey, which was conducted in November 2021. 3 Ameriprise Financial Q1 2022 Earnings Release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005993/en/

Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

Stephanie Siegle, Media Relations

612.671.2593

[email protected]

Source: Ameriprise Financial
The combined community is over 1 million people nationwide, members can opt into access to The Gathering Spot Clubs in Atlanta, Washington DC and Los Angeles

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Greenwood, the digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and business owners, has announced the acquisition of The Gathering Spot, a private membership network focused on the Black community. Greenwood and The Gathering Spot share the same mission of supporting financial freedom for minorities through community building, entrepreneurship, group economics and wealth building. The combined company has a community of over 1 million people. Together, they will continue to deliver features including community building, personal finance content, and banking services.

The Gathering Spot provides access to a premiere network of professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs, curated experiences, exclusive content, concierge services, and access to The Gathering Spot flagship clubs that include workspace, meeting rooms, event space, restaurant and bar. The Gathering Spot clubs are located in Atlanta, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. Members outside of those cities are part of the vibrant Connected City communities in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte, and Houston. The Gathering Spot members have exclusive access to in-person experiences and online content including conversations with business and cultural leaders like Gabrielle Union, Will Packer, and Tope Awotona.

Greenwood and The Gathering Spot are both focused on empowering minorities towards entrepreneurship, financial freedom, and wealth building. Ryan Wilson, co-founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot will continue in that role in addition to being named as Chief Community Officer of Greenwood. TK Petersen, co-founder and COO of The Gathering Spot will continue in that role and also is appointed as a Vice President at Greenwood.

Greenwood has tens of thousands of account holders and is currently onboarding a waitlist of over 700,000 people. The Gathering Spot has over 12,000 diverse members including executives, entrepreneurs, entertainers, creatives and more. The Gathering Spot members include leaders from thousands of companies including Accenture, Apple, The Coca-Cola Company, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Meta, NAACP, Revolt, Truist, and Spotify.

The Gathering Spot prides itself on building an intentional community, one where we can celebrate each member and connect them to the resources and networks they need to build on their successes, said Ryan Wilson, Co-founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot and Chief Community Officer of Greenwood. Joining with Greenwood is a commitment to our community, and we share Greenwoods vision in empowering people and helping them to build opportunity and generational wealth.

This combination of Greenwood and The Gathering Spot provides immense benefits to the members and will unlock a full range from financial education to banking and financial tools, said TK Petersen, Co-founder of The Gathering Spot and Vice President at Greenwood. We are excited to bring these two communities together and continue to innovate and roll out combined products and offerings to our community.

The future of finance is community. The Black community has been a cultural leader for a long time. It makes sense that it now becomes more of a leader in business and in the future of finance, said Paul Judge, Board member at Greenwood. It is an important milestone to have two Black-owned companies on both sides of an M&A transaction. It brings a new meaning to the term black-on-black.

Minorities continue to face a lack of financial inclusion and tools. Both Greenwood and The Gathering Spot have been leading conversations on access to capital and the power of minority financial inclusion. This moment marks a significant milestone for the culture and strength within the community, said Ryan Glover, Co-founder & Chairman at Greenwood. The combined efforts of Greenwood and The Gathering Spot will expand the collective power of minorities to impact the wealth gap.

To learn more and join the Greenwood and The Gathering Spot community, visit https://BankGreenwood.com/TGS

About The Gathering Spot

The Gathering Spot is a private network that provides minority professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs with access to the network, exclusive content, unique experiences, concierge services, and access to The Gathering Spot flagship club locations that include working space, event space and restaurant and bar. The Gathering Spot clubs are located in Atlanta, Washington DC, and Los Angeles, as well as Connected City communities in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Charlotte, and Houston.

About Greenwood

Greenwood is a digital banking services platform for Black and Latino individuals and businesses. Greenwood is partnering with FDIC-insured banks to give customers the ability to spend and save securely through use of best-in-class banking services and innovative ways to support Black and Latino causes and businesses. True to its mission, Greenwood allows customers the ability to round up their spend to the nearest dollar and donate the change to key charity partners. Greenwood was founded by Civil Rights leader Andrew J. Young; rapper and activist Michael Killer Mike Render; and Ryan Glover, founder of the Bounce TV Network, and has raised funding from six of the top seven banks including Citi, JPMorgan Chase, PNC and Truist as well as other companies including Visa, Mastercard and SoftBank.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006164/en/

Evan Ruiz

Greenwood: [email protected]

Source: Greenwood
GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- One of Gwynedd Mercy Universitys own, River Rouge School District superintendent Derrick R. Coleman, Ed.D., will deliver the keynote address at the 2022 Graduate Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 14.

Dr. Derrick Coleman, a Gwynedd Mercy alumnus and visionary leader in education, is a great example of the values we instill in our students and the epitome of a Griffin success story, said Gwynedd Mercy University President Deanne H. DEmilio, JD. We are thankful that he will bestow his wisdom on the Class of 2022.

Under Dr. Colemans leadership, the River Rouge School District recovered from looming insolvency and reversed statewide enrollment trends. The district is now a magnet for families seeking quality programming in traditionally underserved urban communities. Dr. Coleman has cultivated a trauma-sensitive and healing environment to develop healthy children and create solutions that were previously unavailable for school districts in areas of poverty, and previously served as a regional superintendent in the Detroit Public Schools District.

Dr. Coleman holds a Doctorate in Education from Gwynedd Mercy University, and both a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from Eastern Michigan University, where he serves on the foundation board.

Commencement will be held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, Hall A, with the graduate ceremony at 10 a.m. and the undergraduate ceremony at 2 p.m. For directions and other information about the Expo Center, visit www.phillyexpocenter.com.

About Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Mercy University prepares students to become top professionals in the fields of nursing and other health professions, arts and sciences, business, and education. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1948, Gwynedd Mercy University is a co-educational institution offering more than 40 bachelors, masters, and associate degree programs as well as two doctoral programs on a full- and part-time basis. The Universitys Main Campus is situated on 160 private acres on Sumneytown Pike between routes 309 and 202 in Gwynedd Valley, Montgomery County. The university also offers a growing number of online and accelerated degree programs for working adults. Learn more at gmercyu.edu, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006280/en/

Kirsten Swanson

Office of Public Relations

267-448-1400 ext. 21400

[email protected]

Source: Gwynedd Mercy University
Industry veteran to drive new growth, development opportunities throughout Wisconsin; Senior living provider also promotes Justin Gerbers to Regional Director of Operations

WEST ALLIS, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Heritage Senior Living, one of the largest senior living providers in Wisconsin, announced today the promotion of Tammy Schafer to Chief Operating Officer.

Since joining Heritage Senior Living in 2019 as Vice President of Operations, Schafer has overseen the companys 15 communities throughout Wisconsin, all departments and operational functions, and the more than 780 staff across the State. In her new role as Chief Operating Officer, Schafer will maintain her current responsibilities while also taking on a larger role in driving new growth and development opportunities for both the company and its staff.

We are thrilled to recognize Tammy with such a well-deserved promotion, said Milo Pinkerton, founder, President and CEO of Heritage Senior Living. Each and every day, Tammy brings to life our mission and vision to be the best senior living provider in Wisconsin, and she helps elevate the level of care for our residents and development opportunities for our people. It is because of these efforts and those of our people that our memory care communities are now best in class, equipped with new programming features and innovative technology to help positively differentiate us throughout the industry.

Schafer has more than 25 years of experience in the health care industry and has held leadership roles at various senior living communities. Prior to joining Heritage Senior Living, Schafer served as the President and CEO of Saint Simeons Senior Community in Tulsa, Okla., as well as the Senior Vice President of Operations at Evergreen Senior Living Properties in Abilene, Texas. Schafer holds a bachelors degree in gerontology from Oklahoma State University and a masters degree in business management from Southern Nazarene University.

I am excited to undertake this new position and continue my leadership role at Heritage Senior Living, said Schafer. As a company, we have so many positive opportunities ahead. While we always strive to be a successful health care provider within our industry, a key priority of mine will continue to be developing our greatest asset, which is our people. By creating new initiatives that drive career growth and development, we will solidify our position as an employer of choice, ultimately attracting and retaining the type of talent that furthers our ability to provide the best quality of care every one of our residents deserves.

Additionally, Heritage Senior Living announced the promotion of Justin Gerbers to Regional Director of Operations. In this role, Gerbers will oversee operations for seven of the companys communities. Previously, Gerbers served as the Executive Director of the companys Aspire Senior Living Kimberly community before being promoted to Area Director. Prior to joining Heritage Senior Living in 2020, Gerbers spent more than 11 years in operational roles at BAKA Enterprises, Inc.

For more information on Heritage Senior Living, please visit http://heritagesenior.com/.

About Heritage Senior Living

Headquartered in West Allis, Wisconsin, Heritage Senior Living was founded in 2000 by Milo Pinkerton to provide residents with the highest quality of care possible, while at the same time promoting independence and maintaining dignity. Heritage Senior Living has 15 senior living communities throughout Wisconsin that are home to more than 2,000 seniors. Most Heritage Senior Living communities offer several levels of care, from independent living to assisted and enhanced assisted living and memory care units, so that residents can embrace lifes journey from the comfort and convenience of one location that meets all of their physical, mental and emotional needs. For more information, visit: http://heritagesenior.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005354/en/

Brendan Griffith

Reputation Partners

[email protected]

Source: Heritage Senior Living
GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gwynedd Mercy University will present philanthropist Leigh Middleton with an Honorary Degree at the Universitys Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 14. Middleton also will serve as the Universitys Undergraduate Commencement speaker.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006309/en/

Middleton was nominated by Project HOME for her philanthropic work focused on ending homelessness in the Philadelphia region, and her continued support in education, workforce development, and medical research. She has served on Project HOMEs Board of Trustees since 2007, and also serves as co-chair of the Development Committee and sits on the Boards Executive Committee. She will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Gwynedd Mercy University.

We are so pleased to present Leigh Middleton with an Honorary Degree, said Deanne H. DEmilio, JD, President of Gwynedd Mercy University. Her philanthropic endeavors within the greater Philadelphia region and her genuine care and desire for helping people truly embody the values of the Sisters of Mercy, and we are delighted to honor Leigh for her many contributions in this region and to welcome her as our 2022 Commencement Speaker.

Together with her husband John, Middleton made one of the largest single private gifts to Project HOME to end and prevent chronic street homelessness in 2014. Through this transformational investment from Leigh and John Middleton, and further support from the Maguire Family, Janet and John Haas, the Honickman Family, The Raynier Institute and Foundation, Betty Moran, Jon Bon Jovi and other like-minded partners, MPOWER was born,  a supercharged engine to not only sustain Project HOMEs work, but to strengthen it. Since then, MPOWER has unlocked resources to scale solutions and has significantly accelerated progress to end and prevent chronic homelessness in Philadelphia.

Leigh Middleton is an incredible human being, and her generosity and commitment to our mission has helped us greatly in our quest to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, said Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder of Project HOME. We are thrilled that she is being honored and has the chance to share inspiring words that we know will compel the next generation to be a part of the change they want to see in the world.

In addition to her work with Project HOME, Middleton has served a number of organizations, including the Womens Committee for the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia Antique Show, and the Academy of Music.

She also has been recognized for her civic leadership with several honors including the Philadelphia Award in 2013, The Golden Heart Award in 2014, and The Crystal Award in 2018.

GMercyUs 2022 Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 14 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. The undergraduate ceremony begins at 2 p.m.

About Project HOME

The mission of the Project HOME community is to empower adults, children, and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty, and to enable all of us to attain our fullest potential as individuals and as members of the broader society. We strive to create a safe and respectful environment where we support each other in our struggles for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move toward self-actualization.

About MPOWER

With a deep belief in the value and dignity of every human life, we are a unique community investment partnership that serves as a super-charged support engine and impact multiplier for Project HOME. Today, its growing list of partners has gone beyond helping individuals to revitalizing entire communities. This includes: creating new homes; building long-term capacity; expanding outreach services; helping end veteran homelessness; breaking the cycle for young adults; and rebuilding the second-poorest neighborhood in Philadelphia through affordable housing, education, employment, and integrated healthcare services.

About Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Mercy University prepares students to become top professionals in the fields of nursing and other health professions, arts and sciences, business, and education. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1948, Gwynedd Mercy University is a co-educational institution offering more than 40 bachelors, masters, and associate degree programs as well as two doctoral programs on a full- and part-time basis. The Universitys Main Campus is situated on 160 private acres on Sumneytown Pike between routes 309 and 202 in Gwynedd Valley, Montgomery County. The university also offers a growing number of online and accelerated degree programs for working adults. Learn more at gmercyu.edu, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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GMercyU Contact:

Lauren Yancer

Office of Public Relations

[email protected]

Source: Gwynedd Mercy University
MDP Veterans will Succeed Paul Finnegan and Sam Mencoff as Co-CEOs

Upon the Formation of MDPs Ninth Fund in 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), a leading private equity investment firm based in Chicago, today announced that long-tenured executives Tim Sullivan and Tom Souleles have been named Co-Presidents. In their new roles, they will work closely with Co-CEOs Paul Finnegan and Sam Mencoff on all aspects of firm-wide operations. Sullivan and Souleles also will continue to serve as the Head and Co-Head, respectively, of MDPs Health Care and Basic Industries teams.

Effective with the formation of MDPs next fund, Madison Dearborn Capital Partners Fund IX (Fund IX), which is expected to launch in 2023, Sullivan and Souleles will succeed Finnegan and Mencoff as Co-CEOs. At that time, Finnegan will become Chairman of MDP and Mencoff will continue to serve the firm in the role of Senior Advisor. Finnegan and Mencoff, who co-founded MDP in 1992, have served as Co-CEOs since 2007.

Tim and Tom are invaluable members of MDP leadership, who have been critical to the firms growth and success for more than 25 years, said Finnegan. With proven track records driving investment value, attracting and building high-performing teams and advancing MDPs culture and core values, they are the right leaders for MDPs next chapter.

Mencoff added, We are proud to recognize Tim and Tom and their accomplishments. By strengthening our senior team and empowering the next generation of the firms leadership, MDP is poised to continue successfully executing our strategy of investing in our dedicated industry sectors and being the preferred investment partner for middle market companies in those verticals.

MDP is an outstanding firm with a proven strategy, superb team and a long history of investing successfully across economic and financial cycles, said Sullivan. "I am honored and excited to join Tom, alongside Paul and Sam, as we strengthen MDPs leadership position and employ our industry-focused investment approach for the benefit of our limited partners.

Souleles added, For nearly 40 years, MDP and its professionals have served as valuable partners for management teams seeking to transform, grow and strengthen their businesses. Paul and Sam have demonstrated tremendous leadership and I am pleased to work closely with them, Tim and all of my colleagues as we build on MDPs legacy and advance the firm through its next phase of growth and success.

The Chicago-based MDP team is led by more than 50 investment professionals, including 22 Managing Directors that have been at the firm for an average of 18 years, many of whom have worked together since the 1980s. The elevation of MDPs next generation of leaders positions the firm to continue executing its proven and successful industry sector-focused investment strategy and delivering value to its investors.

About Tim Sullivan

Tim Sullivan is the Co-President of MDP and Head of the MDP Health Care team. Prior to co-founding MDP in 1992, he was with First Chicago Venture Capital for four years after having served in the U.S. Navy. Sullivan currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Advanced Personal Management, Alcami Holdings, Kaufman Hall, Option Care Health, Performance Health, Solis Mammography, and Syntellis Performance Solutions. He also serves on the Boards of Trustees of Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, The United States Naval Academy Foundation, and The Big Shoulders Fund. Additionally, Sullivan serves on the Finance and Investment Committees of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He has a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, an M.S. from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

About Tom Souleles

Tom Souleles is the Co-President of MDP and Co-Head of the MDP Basic Industries team. Prior to joining MDP in 1995, Tom was with Wasserstein Perella & Co., Inc. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of ALIGN PRECISION, IPL Plastics, Packaging Corporation of America, and SIRVA. Tom also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago, on the Finance Committee of the Field Museum of Natural History, and as Emeritus Trustee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Societys Greater Illinois Chapter. Tom received a B.A. from Princeton University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

About Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC

Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC (MDP) is a leading private equity investment firm based in Chicago. Since MDPs formation in 1992, the firm has raised aggregate capital of over $28 billion and has completed over 150 investments. MDP invests across five dedicated industry verticals, including basic industries; business and government software and services; financial and transaction services; health care; and telecom, media and technology services. For more information, please visit www.mdcp.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006003/en/

Media Contacts



For Madison Dearborn Partners:

Chuck Dohrenwend / Jake Yanulis

Abernathy MacGregor

[email protected]

917.561.0554 / 917.710.7807

Source: Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC
LIVONIA, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) today announced it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase (ASR) agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association to repurchase $500 million of Mascos common stock.

This agreement is part of Mascos existing share repurchase authorization under which $2 billion of authority was announced on February 9, 2021.

Under the ASR agreement, Masco will receive initial delivery of approximately 7.9 million shares on May 10, 2022, representing approximately 85 percent of the number of shares of common stock initially underlying the ASR agreement, based on the closing price of Mascos common stock of $53.76 on May 9, 2022.

The final number of shares to be repurchased will be based on Mascos volume-weighted average price during the term of the transaction, less a discount, and is expected to be completed no later than July 27, 2022.

About Masco

Headquartered in Livonia, Mich., Masco Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Our portfolio of industry-leading brands includes BEHR paint; DELTA and HANSGROHE faucets, bath and shower fixtures; KICHLER decorative and outdoor lighting; LIBERTY branded decorative and functional hardware; and HOT SPRING spas. We leverage our powerful brands across product categories, sales channels and geographies to create value for our customers and shareholders. For more information about Masco Corporation, visit www.masco.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that reflect our views about our future performance and constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as outlook, believe, anticipate, appear, may, will, should, intend, plan, estimate, expect, assume, seek, forecast, and similar references to future periods. Our views about future performance involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in our forward-looking statements. We caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements.

Our future performance may be affected by the levels of residential repair and remodel activity, and to a lesser extent, new home construction, our ability to maintain our strong brands and reputation and to develop innovative products, our ability to maintain our competitive position in our industries, our reliance on key customers, the duration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on domestic and international economic activity, consumer discretionary spending, our employees and our supply chain, the cost and availability of materials, our dependence on third-party suppliers and service providers, extreme weather events and changes in climate, risks associated with our international operations and global strategies, our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of our strategic initiatives, our ability to successfully execute our acquisition strategy and integrate businesses that we have and may acquire, our ability to attract, develop and retain talented and diverse personnel, risks associated with our reliance on information systems and technology, and risks associated with cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and attacks. These and other factors are discussed in detail in Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement made by us speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005561/en/

David Chaika

Vice President, Treasurer and Investor Relations

313.792.5500

[email protected]

Source: Masco Corporation
Industry veteran will expand business, strengthen customer and partner relationships across Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Onapsis, the leader in business-critical application cybersecurity and compliance, today announced the appointment of Simon Naylor as Vice President, Asia Pacific. In this new role, Naylor will be responsible for driving business growth in Asia Pacific.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509005223/en/

Simon Naylor, Vice President, Asia Pacific. (Photo: Business Wire)

Simon brings a wealth of experience with cybersecurity in the APAC region, said Rick Hanson, COO, Onapsis. Having spent three decades in APAC building teams and organizations responsible for customer and partner engagement, Simon is very familiar with the different cultures in this diverse region of multiple countries. The key factors influencing sustainable growth are having the market-leading product and consistently excellent customer experience. As we expand our footprint in APAC, we look forward to leveraging Simons personal experience and network of professional relationships to further accelerate our growth journey in this region.

Naylor has more than 30 years experience leading sales for high tech solutions in Asia Pacific and a strong track record for rapidly growing revenues. Most recently he served as Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan at Brightcove, and before that he helped build the organizations in the Asia Pacific region for Extreme Networks and Riverbed Technology. As Vice President for Infinera Inc., Naylor built a business that quadrupled in revenue, including establishing high-growth go-to-market strategies. Naylor was also the first RSA leader in Asia in 1997, starting with just four employees in the region and grew the business to 35 employees and increased revenue from $1.2M to $35M in three years.

Onapsis already serves some of the largest organizations in the APAC region, and I look forward to contributing to the companys continued growth. As enterprises around the globe look for advanced solutions for protecting their business-critical applications, it is a very exciting time to join Onapsis, said Naylor.

Naylor's key focus at Onapsis will be to develop a sales team that will expand the companys footprint in this vast and growing region to drive sustainable growth. Under Naylors leadership, the Onapsis APAC team will collaborate with existing and new partners, providing world-class support to customers in this region that is consistent with services received by Onapsis customers in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"I am excited to once again be an evangelist and advocate for proactive and advanced cybersecurity. It has been a passion of mine and with the suite of products and services from Onapsis, I am very confident that we will bring immense value to our partners and customers in the Asia Pacific region," reiterated Naylor.

To learn more about Onapsis, its channel program, and how to partner with the company, visit www.onapsis.com/company/partners.

About Onapsis

Onapsis protects the business-critical applications that run the global economy, from the core to the cloud. The companys cybersecurity and compliance solution offering, The Onapsis Platform, uniquely delivers vulnerability management, threat detection and response, change assurance, and continuous compliance for business-critical applications from leading vendors such as SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, and other SaaS platforms.

Onapsis is headquartered in Boston, MA, with offices in Heidelberg, Germany and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and proudly serves more than 300 of the worlds leading brands, including 20% of the Fortune 100, 6 of the top 10 automotive companies, 5 of the top 10 chemical companies, 4 of the top 10 technology companies, and 3 of the top 10 oil and gas companies.

The Onapsis Platform is powered by the Onapsis Research Labs, the team responsible for the discovery and mitigation of more than 800 zero-day vulnerabilities in business-critical applications. The reach of our threat research and platform is broadened through leading consulting and audit firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, PwC, and Verizon  making Onapsis solutions the standard in helping organizations protect their cloud, hybrid, and on-premises business-critical information and processes. For more information, connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn, or visit us at https://www.onapsis.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509005223/en/

10Fold Communications for Onapsis

Mariah Simank, 512-971-3702

[email protected]

Priority Consultants for Onapsis

Cristie Hilado

[email protected]

Source: Onapsis
Bring Sundiata Acoli Home Alliance Lauds the Court

TRENTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The New Jersey Supreme Court correctly upheld the law today, granting the release of 85-year-old Sundiata Acoli after serving more than 49 years in prison. The Supreme Court ruled that the parole board unlawfully denied Mr. Acolis petition for release by claiming that he was a risk to public safety and noted that he has shown no substantial risk of recidivism or a risk to public safety.

Read the full decision here.

The Parole Boards decision to deny Acoli parole is not supported by substantial evidence in the record or by a reasonable weighing of the relevant factors in N.J.A.C. 10A:71-3.11(b) that govern parole.

Even under the most deferential standard of review, the Board has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a substantial likelihood that, if released on parole, Acoli will commit a crime. Acoli must be released because the statutory standards for granting parole have been met, without regard to extraneous factors like sympathy or passion or public opinion. (pp. 53-55) REVERSED.

We applaud the New Jersey Supreme Court in granting Mr. Acolis freedom and correcting the parole boards improper application of the law by denying his petition for release after serving more than 49 years in prison, said Soffiyah Elijah, Civil Rights attorney and one of the primary advocates for Acoli. Its time now for Mr. Acoli to live the rest of his life in the loving care of his family and community, Elijah added.

We appreciate and thank his thousands of supporters from the attorneys, individuals, and community organizations to those who submitted amicus briefs on his behalf to champion his freedom; freedom that is rightfully his. We strongly hope that Mr. Acolis freedom will bring attention to the thousands of elders like him trapped in the New Jersey prison system, Elijah concluded.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510006131/en/

Heather Hansen

Humanity Communications Collective

[email protected]

410-991-4444

Source: Bring Sundiata Acoli Home Alliance
A marketing agency launches a nationwide anti-sexism campaign.

REUTLINGEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Employers throughout Germany are speaking out against misogyny in the workplace. The campaign "Together Against Sexism" was launched on June 16, 2021. Two female executives from the Reutlingen-based and Berlin-based agency impulsQ are spearheading this initiative. In addition, over 80 well-known firms in the online marketing sector and other industries have already offered their support.

The founders and managing directors of impulsQ GmbH from Reutlingen and Berlin, Gesina Kunkel, Natalie Brosy, and Martin Brosy, would like to raise as much financial support as possible for the Relief organization "Wirbelwind Reutlingen." They hope to achieve this through a countrywide fundraising drive called "Together Against Sexism."

The anti-sexism campaign started on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, with the launch of the corresponding campaign page https://impulsq.de/mega/gegen-sexismus/.

Up-to-date and representative statistics information from the Human Rights Channel, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), and even the Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes (Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency) will be included. Furthermore, more information regarding sexism on the site and participating firms are identified by name and logo.

At the moment, more than 80 companies, including several well-known online marketing representatives, have promised their support by displaying the campaign seal on their online platforms or websites and/or providing monetary contributions. Due to the overwhelming reaction, companies from different industries have already joined the campaign.

Discrimination is a daily issue in Germany, particularly for women at work. Above all, many women face sexist hostility in the digital universe of the Internet. However, sexist statements and acts are not unusual in close interaction with colleagues.

Gesina Kunkel and Natalie Brosy were personally affected by this, which prompted them to launch the anti-sexism campaign. Both will share their experiences on the campaign page and in YouTube interviews.

Visit https://impulsq.de/mega/gegen-sexismus/ for additional information and early access to the campaign site.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005937/en/

Fr. Kunkel

[email protected]

impulsQ GmbH I Heinestrasse 72 I 72762 Reutlingen

Source: United Newswire
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:

Corporate name of the issuer:

Veolia Environnement (Paris: VIE)

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 * May 2, 2022 (1) 700,571,716 Total number of theoretical voting rights (2): 739,869,100 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (3): 727,348,634

* 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) On May 2, 2022, Veolia Environnement's share capital was increased as a result of the vesting of the performance shares granted under the 2019 performance share plan, thereby increasing its share capital from 3,498,626,330 to 3,502,858,580.

(2) Number of theoretical voting rights = after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of May 2, 2022 (39,297,384 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of May 2, 2022 (12,520,466 shares).

(3) 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 May 2, 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/20220510006225/en/

Veolia Environnement



Source: Veolia Environnement
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Volvo Construction Equipment announced Tuesday that North American customers can now reserve any of the companys three newest electric machine models: the L20 Electric compact wheel loader and the EC18 and ECR18 Electric compact excavators. This brings the Volvo CE electric lineup to an industry-leading five machines.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005056/en/

Volvo Construction Equipment announces the opportunity to reserve three new electric machine models, bringing the lineup to a total of five machines. (Photo: Business Wire)

Volvo CE also announced that the 22-ton EC230 Electric excavator is coming to North America for demos. The machine, which is not yet commercially available, is a significant advancement in the electrification of larger construction equipment.

The news came at a press event at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North Americas largest event dedicated to fleet sustainability. In recent years, the show has expanded its focus from on-road vehicles to include off-road technology, making it a natural fit to introduce the ordering process for the new Volvo CE electric models.

Off-road equipment is the next frontier in electric vehicles, and Volvo CE is proud to lead the way in the construction industrys sustainability journey, said Stephen Roy, president, Region North America at Volvo CE. Fleets need cleaner solutions to meet growing regulations and societal demand, and now we have five electric compact models for our customers to choose from.

Strong Performance, No Emissions

The L20 Electric compact wheel loader and EC18 and ECR18 Electric compact excavators join the L25 Electric compact wheel loader and ECR25 Electric compact excavator  which are being delivered to North American customers in the coming weeks  in the Volvo electric machine lineup. Deliveries of the three newest models are expected in 2023.

The L20 Electric compact wheel loader features a 1.8-ton payload and a parallel-type linkage (Z-bar linkage optional), outstanding lifting height and 100% parallel movements. Expected to deliver up to six hours of active work per charge, the machine comes with a choice of battery pack (33kWh or 40kWh) and reduces maintenance by 30%. Operator comfort is enhanced by near-silent operation, a new automatic park brake with hill-hold functionality and a range of customizable work modes.

The 1.8-ton EC18 and short-swing ECR18 Electric compact excavators provide the same best-in-class stability and operator experience customers expect from their diesel counterparts but with the benefit of low noise, low vibration and more responsive hydraulics due to the immediate torque. Both deliver four hours of active work per charge (depending on the environment and task), and the ECR18s ultra-short tail radius is perfect for confined spaces.

All three machines come with an integrated on-board charger, allowing them to charge from zero to 100% in under six hours using the J1772 AC Charging cable on a 240-volt outlet  the same plug and charging system on a typical electric vehicle. With an optional off-board fast charger, the L20 Electric will fully charge in under just two hours, while the ECR18 Electric and EC18 Electric will charge up to 80% in under one hour.

Electrification Excellence

Volvo CE also provided updates on how the L25 and ECR25 Electric machines have performed in real-world settings and the diverse applications in which owners plan to use them. These include applications where diesel machines are common, such as an underground fiber optic installation in Canada and property development in California. They also include jobs where diesel exhaust and noise create challenges, like maintenance and building projects at the Toronto Zoo, landscaping at a national wildlife refuge near Washington, D.C., indoor demolition in California and agricultural work in New England.

The lack of diesel fumes and low noise are great when working near animals or in residential areas, said Roy. And the fact that these machines perform the same or better than their diesel counterparts is really exciting. Electric machines may open new opportunities for customers by allowing them to operate in noise-sensitive areas and outside of standard hours, as well as on low-carbon projects and indoors.

The Volvo CE electric machines have also proven to provide an exceptional value. A Volvo CE analysis found that, because of factors like less maintenance and not paying for fuel, an ECR25 Electric compact excavator would increase costs on a two-week trenching project by only 2% over the equivalent diesel model. Thats a 2% premium for an emissions-free site  something many equipment owners could find to be a great deal if they are able to work on new types of projects or can market themselves as a sustainable solution when bidding on jobs.

Change Starts Here

Volvo CE also provided a look at where it is headed with e-mobility. The company has committed to developing only electric versions of its compact equipment going forward, and it is also working on electrifying larger machines. The mid-size EC230 Electric excavator is the first result of this effort. The machine has already been used in pilot projects overseas, and it will come to North America later this year.

As the world moves toward a more environmentally conscious future, the Volvo CE team has worked for decades to become a leader in the construction industrys electrification journey, said Ray Gallant, vice president, Product Management & Productivity, Region Americas at Volvo CE. Producing equipment that can fill the growing need for sustainability solutions for construction companies, government fleets, food and agriculture businesses and more is something we are very proud of.

Other recent and upcoming developments:

Volvo CE is working on an app called the Electric Machine Management Application (EMMA) that will provide real-time insight into a single electric machine or an entire fleet, including battery status and geographic location.

Volvo CE recently launched a CO Reduction Program to help customers tackle their carbon footprints.

Volvo Group unveiled the worlds first vehicle made of fossil-free steel, a load carrier made in a Volvo CE facility; and the company continues its efforts to eventually use fossil-free steel in all products.

Volvo CE and Volvo Group as a whole continue to play an active part in advancing the charging capabilities of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. The recently created Volvo Energy business is tasked with leading these efforts.

In a further sign of how integrated sustainability has become in the effort to reduce vehicle emissions, Volvo CE and Volvo Trucks North America shared a booth at ACT Expo, showcasing both the off- and on-road sustainability solutions Volvo has to offer.

Evolution of Buying Process

The online reservation system for the electric machines is another way Volvo CE is bringing change to the industry. Interested buyers can enjoy the convenience of an e-commerce tool while still getting customer support from their local Volvo CE dealer.

Those who would like to reserve a Volvo CE electric machine may visit volvoce.com/united-states/en-us/products/electric-machines/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005056/en/

Journalists wanting further information, please contact:

Gregg Hennigan

Marketing Communications

Volvo Construction Equipment North America

[email protected]

515-557-2233

Dave Foster

Corporate Communications

Volvo Construction Equipment North America

[email protected]

717-300-6104

Source: Volvo CE
FILE PHOTO: A worker loads new software into the Boeing 737 Max airplane in a maintenance hangar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., December 2, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

By Eric M. Johnson

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Tuesday it had delivered 28 of its cash cow 737 MAX single-aisle jets to customers in April, seizing on rebounding air travel even as the U.S. planemaker battles industrial and regulatory hurdles across its jet portfolio.

Five of the 737 MAX jets Boeing handed to customers were for Irish budget carrier Ryanair, while United Parcel Service took its last hump-backed 747-8 and Thai Airways took three 777-300ER jets, Boeing said.

The 35 overall deliveries in April was down from the 41 jets it handed over in March but more than double the 17 planes in the year-ago period.

The closely watched orders and deliveries monthly snapshot comes as Boeing struggles to overcome production flaws that snarled deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner for a year as well as certification risks on its forthcoming 737 MAX 10 and 777X jets.

On Monday, Boeing won a respite from the woes affecting its core widebody programs, when Lufthansa said it would buy 10 cargo planes including seven of the 777X version, also known as 777-8F.

The carrier also boosted its order for Boeing 787s as partof a compensation deal for delays to the 777X passenger version.

For April, Boeing booked 46 gross orders - including 44 for its 737 MAX from leasing companies and unidentified customers, and two 777 freighters, it said.

After 34 order cancellations, including AerCap scrapping two 787-10 jets, and instances where buyers swapped jet models, orders for April stood at 12.

For the year through April, Boeing booked 213 gross orders, or 157 after cancellations and conversions. After accounting adjustments, Boeing recorded 98 net orders for the year so far.

Overall, Boeing's order backlog rose to 4,218 from 4,176, Boeing said.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Chris Reese)
(Updated - May 10, 2022 6:55 AM EDT)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN) today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Pfizer will acquire Biohaven, the maker of NURTEC ODT, an innovative dual-acting migraine therapy approved for both acute treatment and episodic prevention of migraine in adults.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will acquire all outstanding shares of Biohaven not already owned by Pfizer for $148.50 per share in cash. Biohaven common shareholders, including Pfizer, will also receive 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven, a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohavens non-CGRP development stage pipeline compounds, per Biohaven common share. The boards of directors of both Biohaven and Pfizer have unanimously approved the transaction. Pfizer will pay transaction consideration totaling approximately $11.6 billion in cash. Pfizer will also make payments at closing to settle Biohavens third party debt and for the redemption of all outstanding shares of Biohavens redeemable preferred stock. The $148.50 cash consideration represents a premium of approximately 33% to Biohavens volume weighted average selling price of $111.70 over the three months prior to the announcement of the transaction.

The proposed transaction includes the acquisition of Biohavens calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) programs including:

Rimegepant: Approved in the United States (U.S.) under the trade name, NURTEC ODT, for both the acute treatment of migraine and preventive treatment of episodic migraine Approved in the European Union under the trade name, VYDURA, for both acute treatment of migraine and prophylaxis of episodic migraine

Zavegepant: On track for a 2Q2022 acceptance (based on March 2022 submission) in the U.S. as an intranasal spray for the acute treatment of migraine and in development as an oral soft gel for chronic migraine prevention

A portfolio of five pre-clinical CGRP assets

Todays announcement builds on our legacy of delivering breakthroughs for patients living with complex pain disorders and diseases that disproportionately impact women, said Nick Lagunowich, Global President, Pfizer Internal Medicine. NURTEC ODT, which is already the #1 prescribed migraine medicine in its class in the United States, coupled with Biohavens CGRP pipeline, offers hope for patients suffering from migraine worldwide. We believe Pfizer is uniquely positioned to help the portfolio reach its full potential given our leading scale and capabilities, including comprehensive field force engagement with Primary Care Physicians, specialists and health systems delivering the right information at the right time.

This agreement follows on the November 9, 2021 collaboration for the commercialization of rimegepant and zavegepant outside the United States, in connection with which Pfizer invested $350 million to acquire 2.6% of Biohavens common stock at $173 per share.

We are excited to announce Pfizers proposed acquisition of Biohaven, recognizing the market leadership of NURTEC ODT, our breakthrough all in one migraine therapy, and the untapped potential of our CGRP franchise, said Vlad Coric, MD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Biohaven. Pfizers capabilities will accelerate our mission to deliver our migraine medicines to even more patients, while the new R&D company is well positioned to bring value to patients and shareholders by focusing on our innovative pipeline for neurological and other disorders. We believe this transaction represents significant future value creation for patients and our collective shareholders.

Following the closing, New Biohaven will continue to operate under the Biohaven name. New Biohaven will be led by Vlad Coric, MD, as Chairman and CEO, and include other members of the current management team of Biohaven. Biohaven common shareholders will receive, for each Biohaven share, 0.5 of a share of New Biohaven distributed via a pro rata distribution of SEC-registered, publicly listed shares. At distribution, New Biohaven will be capitalized with $275 million of cash. New Biohaven will also have the right to receive tiered royalties from Pfizer on any annual net sales of rimegepant and zavegepant in the United States in excess of $5.25 billion.

Pfizer expects to finance the transaction with existing cash on hand.

Pfizers acquisition of Biohaven is subject to the completion of the New Biohaven spin-off transaction and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by Biohavens shareholders. The companies expect the transaction to close by early 2023.

Due to the proposed transaction, Biohaven will not hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2022 financial results and will issue a press release and file a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing those results on May 10, 2022.

J.P. Morgan acted as Pfizers financial advisor for the transaction with Ropes & Gray LLP acting as its legal advisor. Centerview Partners acted as Biohavens financial advisor for the transaction with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acting as its legal advisor.

Investor Call Details

Pfizer and Biohaven will host an analyst and investor call today at 10am EDT to discuss the proposed transaction.

Webcast Details | Pfizer Analyst and Investor Call | May 10

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Pfizer Analyst and Investor Call

STARTS: May 10, 2022 10:00 AM

ENDS: May 10, 2022 11:00 AM

WEBCAST LINK: https://pfizer.rev.vbrick.com/#/events/97005988-ae33-4a4b-b3e9-667a6f82e835

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Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT) today announced the Company has signed an Area Development Agreement with Castle Point Fitness NZ Ltd. ("Castle Point"), to expand the brand into New Zealand.

Castle Point is a joint venture between the founder of The Fresnel Companies, LLC, a U.S. based investment firm with substantial international experience, and a private family office. The agreement will bring a minimum of 25 Planet Fitness locations to New Zealand over the next several years.

"As a part of our strategic international growth plans, we are thrilled to announce that Planet Fitness will be opening fitness clubs in New Zealand," said Ray Miolla, Chief Development Officer at Planet Fitness. "Our growing fleet of clubs in Australia is performing very well, and we believe we have the right local team in place to replicate this success in New Zealand and accelerate growth of our business in this region."

With more than 16.2 million members, Planet Fitness has 2,291 stores located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia.

"Planet Fitness' expansion into New Zealand, where approximately 86% of the population doesn't yet belong to a gym*, creates a tremendous opportunity to meet consumer needs in the market and offer a judgement free, affordable fitness experience by breaking down the barriers and providing access to fitness for all," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer at Planet Fitness. "We are excited to be working with the Castle Point team and look forward to welcoming them into our system and growing the Planet Fitness brand in New Zealand."

Planet Fitness offers extremely low prices and a variety of benefits, including a hassle-free environment, brand name cardio and strength equipment, fully equipped locker rooms, flat screen televisions and much more. The free Planet Fitness App, available to members and non-members alike, puts more than 1,000 exercises right in your pocket with routines for all levels and interests. The Planet Fitness Black Card membership includes extra perks, such as access to any club at no additional charge, the ability to bring a guest anytime, and additional amenities like unlimited use of massage chairs, HydroMassage beds, and more.
Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD), the global leader in logistics real estate, today sent a letter to James B. Connor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Duke Realty Corporation (NYSE: DRE) proposing to acquire Duke Realty in an all-stock transaction.

Under the terms of the proposal, Duke Realty stockholders would receive 0.466 shares of Prologis common stock for each share of Duke Realty common stock they own. Prologis' proposal is valued at $61.68 per Duke Realty share, based on Prologis' closing price on May 9, 2022, and represents a premium of 29% to Duke Realty's closing price on the same date.

"We are confident that the proposed combination will be a win-win for our respective shareholders," said Prologis CEO and co-founder Hamid R. Moghadam. "Prologis has a proven track record serving as a leader and innovator in our industry. We are known for providing exceptional service to customers and delivering superior value for our shareholders, including the shareholders of companies we have merged with or acquired in the past. We have no doubt that Duke Realty's shareholders would similarly benefit from long-term value created by the combination of our companies."

Following personal dialogue between the executive teams, Prologis first sent a letter to Duke Realty on November 29, 2021 regarding a potential transaction at an exchange ratio of 0.465, representing a 20% premium to Duke Realty's stock price at the time. Over the past five months, Duke Realty has not substantively engaged while the implied premium of Prologis offer has steadily increased. On May 3, 2022, Prologis modestly increased the proposed exchange ratio  representing a 34% premium to Duke Realty's stock price at the time in a final attempt to engage privately to reach agreement on a mutually beneficial transaction. Duke Realty rejected the Prologis proposal that same evening.

Prologis sent the following letter to Duke Realty's Chairman and CEO today regarding the proposal:

May 10, 2022

Mr. James B. ConnorChairman and CEODuke Realty Corporation8711 River Crossing BoulevardIndianapolis, Indiana 46240

Dear Jim:

We are writing to reiterate our proposal to acquire Duke Realty. We are making this letter public after numerous private conversations have not led to serious dialogue or consideration. We believe this proposed transaction will be enthusiastically received by both your and our shareholders.

As you know, and we have stated at multiple times in the past, we admire and respect what you, your management team and board have accomplished. Our proposal represents a terrific opportunity for Duke Realty and your shareholders, who would receive 0.466 shares of Prologis common stock for each share of Duke Realty common stock. Based on Prologis' latest closing price1, this proposal values Duke Realty at $61.68 per share, representing a premium of 29% to Duke Realty's closing price on May 9, 2022.

On almost every metric (current stock price, VWAPs and consensus price targets) our proposal provides Duke Realty's shareholders with a premium at the absolute top tier of valuation, as compared to other comparable REIT transactions. The terms we are proposing provide Duke Realty shareholders with the opportunity to participate in the growth and upside potential of the combined company, while also delivering an immediate, substantial, and compelling premium.

Based on the clear strategic and financial benefits outlined below, we are highly confident the addition of your assets to our platform will deliver superior value to the shareholders of both companies over the long term. The benefits include:

Highly Strategic & Complimentary Combination Incremental Value Created from Prologis' Platform Enhanced External Growth Significant Synergies Day 1 Accretion to Core FFO (less promotes) to Both Shareholders



One thing that sets Prologis apart from others in our industry is a substantial strategic capital business and our Essentials platform. The Essentials platform includes solutions around operations, energy, workforce, transportation and digital  offerings that we provide to customers inside and outside of the Prologis portfolio. The Essentials platform will continue to fuel superior growth. At this point, we are creating recurring revenue both in our own platform and others, including yours.

In addition, our track record on creating value through acquisitions is incredibly strong. Our acquisitions of DCT Industrial Trust Inc. and Liberty Property Trust materially benefited the shareholders of those companies through our outperformance since acquisition, outperforming their peers by 41% and 22% respectively.2

I have no doubt your shareholders will similarly benefit.

I would note, at the proposed exchange ratio, Duke Realty shareholders will own 19% in the combined company. This would represent on average 26% more ownership in the combined company than would be implied by a straightforward ownership split based on Duke Realty's earnings contribution in the combined company (whether measured on 2022 or 2023 consensus, FFO or AFFO).

In previous communications, you have contended that the premium is not enough to engage seriously with us. Your shareholders should be aware that the immediate value of our offer has increased by approximately 10% since we began our dialogue more than five months ago:

In November 2021, we proposed a fixed exchange ratio of 0.465x representing a 20% premium. In response, you indicated that the proposal did not present a compelling premium to Duke Realty shareholders. You also noted that you believed "a premium in the high 20 or low 30 percent range" was warranted. In March 2022, we met to discuss the merits of a potential business combination and we reaffirmed our willingness to afford your shareholders the same fixed exchange ratio of 0.465x, which then implied an approximately 28% premium. Even with an increasingly compelling premium, you were unwilling to engage further. On April 29, 2022, we had a lengthy conversation in which I reiterated our willingness to transact at the same previously proposed fixed exchange ratio, which continued to imply a compelling premium in-line with your previously articulated expectation. On May 3, 2022, we modestly increased our proposed exchange ratio, as a goodwill gesture, to 0.466x, which represented a 34% premium at the time. Later that same evening, you again declined our offer.



Setting the current market volatility aside, we view this combination as a long-term strategic benefit. As evidence of that, the offer represents a 32% premium to the 30-day volume weighted average prices (VWAP).

While we would prefer to continue working privately with you, as we have with others, to reach agreement for the benefit of your shareholders and ours, this approach is clearly not working as detailed above. This led us to conclude that a public approach may be more constructive for all.

We have engaged Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to assist us in completing this transaction. Our transaction would not be subject to any unusual governmental or third-party approvals, or any other significant contingencies. We believe that this transaction can be completed quickly.

Jim, we are committed to completing the acquisition of Duke Realty. I hope that you, your board and your advisors are prepared to engage with us. Again, we firmly believe this proposal is the best path to driving long-term value for Duke Realty shareholders.

Sincerely,

Hamid R. Moghadam Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO

1 $132.37 closing price as of May 9, 2022.2 Based on total shareholder returns weighted by market capitalization per Bloomberg as of May 9, 2022 and as of each respective transaction closing date. Peer set includes DRE, EGP, FR, PSB, REXR, STAG, and TRNO.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor to Prologis and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal advisor.
A Netflix logo is shown on a TV screen ahead of a Swiss vote on a referendum called "Lex Netflix" in this illustration taken May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Illustration

(Reuters) -Netflix Inc could introduce its lower-priced ad-supported subscription plan by the end of the year, earlier than originally planned, the New York Times reported https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/business/media/netflix-commercials.html?searchResultPosition=1 on Tuesday.

The streaming pioneer is also planning to start cracking down on password sharing among its subscriber base around the same time, the report said, citing an internal note to employees.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company last month posted its first loss of subscribers in more than a decade and signaled deeper losses ahead, a stark shift in fortune from the boom it recorded during the pandemic.

The lagging subscriber growth prompted Netflix to contemplate offering a lower-priced version of the service with advertising, citing the success of similar offerings from rivals HBO Max and Disney+.

Chief Executive Reed Hastings said in April's earnings call that the company would "figure out (the plan) over the next year or two."

Netflix has also said it would crackdown on users sharing passwords as competition and password sharing were making it harder to grow.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the main entrance of Prologis logistics complex which Amazon.com Inc is planning to rent in Cajamar, Brazil February 2, 2018. Picture taken February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Gabriela Mello

(Reuters) -Prologis Inc, a warehouse real estate company, said on Tuesday it had offered to buy its smaller peer Duke Realty Corp in an all-stock deal valued at $23.7 billion, as it looks to benefit from the booming demand for industrial space.

The deal comes at a time when Prologis is struggling to keep up with an uptick in demand from companies looking to park their finished products in warehouses amid a supply chain crunch.

"The relevant supply in the markets that we care about are extremely tight," the company said in a call with analysts last month, as customers continue to compete for the little space that remains.

Storage space requirement, especially from e-commerce firms including Amazon.com Inc, has seen a jump as the pandemic has prompted consumers to switch to online shopping.

San Francisco-California based Prologis leases logistics facilities to about 5,800 customers including Amazon.com Inc, BMW AG, and FedEx Corp.

Prologis said it was reiterating its offer after Duke rejected a proposal, made in private, earlier this month.

The company's offer values Duke, an owner and operator of industrial real estate, at $61.68 per share - an over 29% premium on its stock's closing price on Monday.

Duke did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Its shares jumped 22% in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath and Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
KIRKLAND, Wash., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alaska Structures (Alaska) is prepositioning a 625-person housing facility and a 650-person dining facility in Poland. A 50-bed medical facility from BLU-MED Response Systems (BLU-MED, a division of Alaska Structures) is also included. Scheduled to be delivered in mid-June, the shipment is intended to provide modular housing and medical facilities for troops or conflict-affected families in Eastern Europe.

Though the Russian-Ukrainian War has been ongoing since February 2014, the illegal invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, marked a steep escalation and has resulted in the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. According to the Ukraine Internal Displacement Report issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 7.1 million Ukrainians are internally displaced. UNHCR reports that more than 5.7 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries and beyond. 90% of those that have had to flee their country are women and children.

The UNHCR recently updated the needs and requirements outlined in the Ukraine Regional Response Plan (RRP) until December 2022. The revised report estimates that 8.7 million Ukrainians being internally displaced by the end of the year. Shabia Mantoo, a UNHCR spokesperson, stated at a press conference in Geneva, "UNHCR and partners are seeking US$1.85 billion to support a projected 8.3 million refugees in neighboring countries, namely Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, as well as other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic."

While the response from people in other countries to share their homes and take in refugees has been extraordinary, the reality of when those displaced families can return to Ukraine is unknown. Countries like Germany have fast-tracked plans to identify and convert empty buildings for accommodating refugees, including unused airport terminals and hotels. Intending to welcome 200,000 Ukrainian refugees; Ireland's Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, is proposing a range of temporary facilities to be built, including medical facilities, modular housing, education, and childcare facilities while permanent solutions are built.

The modular accommodations, dining facility, and mobile medical facility being delivered to Poland are a "leaning forward" strategy to quickly respond to requests from relief and aid organizations, governments, and military forces needing rapidly deployable shelter solutions. Facilities en route to Poland are packed in reusable containers for low-cube and rapid transport.

625-Person Housing Facility Specifications

(60) Alaska Military Shelters can provide housing for 625 people on single beds or 1,250 people on bunk beds. (48) 20-feet wide by 32.5-feet long shelters (12) 20-feet wide by 39-feet long shelters

Each housing shelter comes with Alaska ECU (environmental control unit), sub-flooring, energy-efficient LED lights, and internal electrical kits (1P/220V/50Hz).

(10) External power distribution systems (3P/400V/50Hz)

650-Person Dining Facility Specifications

(2) 40-feet wide by 100-feet long Alaska Dining Shelters.

Each dining shelter comes with (8) Alaska ECUs, an interlocking flooring system, LED high bay lights, and internal electrical kits (3P/220-400V/50Hz).

External power distribution systems (3P/400V/50Hz).

50-Bed Medical Facility Specifications

(3) 20-feet wide by 32.5-feet long medical shelters.

(3) 20-feet wide by 39-feet long medical shelters.

Each medical shelter comes with an Alaska ECU, sub-flooring, fluorescent lights, and internal electrical kits (1P/220V/50Hz).

(1) Entry vestibule with bump thru door.

(50) Ward beds.

(1) External power distribution system (3P/400V/50Hz).

About Alaska Structures

Alaska Structures (Alaska) is the world's fastest and largest supplier of military shelter systems. We engineer and manufacture "Berry Compliant" military shelters and support systems in the United States. Our integrated approach allows us to provide the highest quality military shelters without relying on third parties. Alaska Military Shelters are used to support operational readiness across a wide range of enduring and expeditionary strategies with Forward Operating Sites (FOS), Mobile Field Hospitals (MFH), maintenance facilities, military aircraft hangars, Tactical Operations Centers (TOC), and shelters for humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR).

To date, Alaska Structures has delivered 65,000+ shelter systems and 22,000+ Alaska ECUs to more than 85 countries worldwide. No other shelter company comes close to matching our level of experience or expertise.

For more information about rapidly deployable shelter systems from Alaska Structures, please visit: www.aks.com

About BLU-MED Response Systems

BLU-MED Response Systems (BLU-MED), a division of Alaska Structures, is the World's Leader in Deployable Medical Facilities. Our portable medical shelters and field hospitals enable governments (all levels), hospitals, emergency management, and medical response agencies to rapidly respond to any disaster ...when and where needed.

From 2020 to 2021, more than 650 negative pressure isolation facilities for COVID-19 were deployed in the U.S., Canada, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East.

BLU-MED medical facilities ensure a safe, clean environment for advanced-level healthcare in any climate for extended periods of time. Our scalable, self-contained, and temperature-controlled medical shelters are used for a wide range of services. BLU-MED offers customized supply and equipment packages.

For more information about medical shelters from BLU-MED, please visit: www.blu-med.com

For purchasing and delivery options of the facilities being sent to Poland and all press, please contact:

Gerrit Boyle

Alaska Structures, Inc.

International: +1-907-344-1565

Toll-Free (U.S. and Canada): +1-888-370-1800

[email protected]



###

Related Images











Image 1: 625-Person Housing Facility









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
KIRKLAND, Wash., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alaska Structures (Alaska) is prepositioning a 625-person housing facility and a 650-person dining facility in Poland. A 50-bed medical facility from BLU-MED Response Systems (BLU-MED, a division of Alaska Structures) is also included. Scheduled to be delivered in mid-June, the shipment is intended to provide modular housing and medical facilities for troops or conflict-affected families in Eastern Europe.

Though the Russian-Ukrainian War has been ongoing since February 2014, the illegal invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, marked a steep escalation and has resulted in the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. According to the Ukraine Internal Displacement Report issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 7.1 million Ukrainians are internally displaced. UNHCR reports that more than 5.7 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries and beyond. 90% of those that have had to flee their country are women and children.

The UNHCR recently updated the needs and requirements outlined in the Ukraine Regional Response Plan (RRP) until December 2022. The revised report estimates that 8.7 million Ukrainians being internally displaced by the end of the year. Shabia Mantoo, a UNHCR spokesperson, stated at a press conference in Geneva, "UNHCR and partners are seeking US$1.85 billion to support a projected 8.3 million refugees in neighboring countries, namely Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, as well as other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic."

While the response from people in other countries to share their homes and take in refugees has been extraordinary, the reality of when those displaced families can return to Ukraine is unknown. Countries like Germany have fast-tracked plans to identify and convert empty buildings for accommodating refugees, including unused airport terminals and hotels. Intending to welcome 200,000 Ukrainian refugees; Ireland's Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, is proposing a range of temporary facilities to be built, including medical facilities, modular housing, education, and childcare facilities while permanent solutions are built.

The modular accommodations, dining facility, and mobile medical facility being delivered to Poland are a "leaning forward" strategy to quickly respond to requests from relief and aid organizations, governments, and military forces needing rapidly deployable shelter solutions. Facilities en route to Poland are packed in reusable containers for low-cube and rapid transport.

625-Person Housing Facility Specifications

(60) Alaska Military Shelters can provide housing for 625 people on single beds or 1,250 people on bunk beds. (48) 20-feet wide by 32.5-feet long shelters (12) 20-feet wide by 39-feet long shelters

Each housing shelter comes with Alaska ECU (environmental control unit), sub-flooring, energy-efficient LED lights, and internal electrical kits (1P/220V/50Hz).

(10) External power distribution systems (3P/400V/50Hz)

650-Person Dining Facility Specifications

(2) 40-feet wide by 100-feet long Alaska Dining Shelters.

Each dining shelter comes with (8) Alaska ECUs, an interlocking flooring system, LED high bay lights, and internal electrical kits (3P/220-400V/50Hz).

External power distribution systems (3P/400V/50Hz).

50-Bed Medical Facility Specifications

(3) 20-feet wide by 32.5-feet long medical shelters.

(3) 20-feet wide by 39-feet long medical shelters.

Each medical shelter comes with an Alaska ECU, sub-flooring, fluorescent lights, and internal electrical kits (1P/220V/50Hz).

(1) Entry vestibule with bump thru door.

(50) Ward beds.

(1) External power distribution system (3P/400V/50Hz).

About Alaska Structures

Alaska Structures (Alaska) is the world's fastest and largest supplier of military shelter systems. We engineer and manufacture "Berry Compliant" military shelters and support systems in the United States. Our integrated approach allows us to provide the highest quality military shelters without relying on third parties. Alaska Military Shelters are used to support operational readiness across a wide range of enduring and expeditionary strategies with Forward Operating Sites (FOS), Mobile Field Hospitals (MFH), maintenance facilities, military aircraft hangars, Tactical Operations Centers (TOC), and shelters for humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR).

To date, Alaska Structures has delivered 65,000+ shelter systems and 22,000+ Alaska ECUs to more than 85 countries worldwide. No other shelter company comes close to matching our level of experience or expertise.

For more information about rapidly deployable shelter systems from Alaska Structures, please visit: www.aks.com

About BLU-MED Response Systems

BLU-MED Response Systems (BLU-MED), a division of Alaska Structures, is the World's Leader in Deployable Medical Facilities. Our portable medical shelters and field hospitals enable governments (all levels), hospitals, emergency management, and medical response agencies to rapidly respond to any disaster ...when and where needed.

From 2020 to 2021, more than 650 negative pressure isolation facilities for COVID-19 were deployed in the U.S., Canada, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East.

BLU-MED medical facilities ensure a safe, clean environment for advanced-level healthcare in any climate for extended periods of time. Our scalable, self-contained, and temperature-controlled medical shelters are used for a wide range of services. BLU-MED offers customized supply and equipment packages.

For more information about medical shelters from BLU-MED, please visit: www.blu-med.com

For purchasing and delivery options of the facilities being sent to Poland and all press, please contact:

Gerrit Boyle

Alaska Structures, Inc.

International: +1-907-344-1565

Toll-Free (U.S. and Canada): +1-888-370-1800

[email protected]

###

Related Images

Image 1: 625-Person Housing Facility

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

625-Person Housing Facility 625-Person Housing Facility

Source: Alaska Structures
Winter Park, FL, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aqua Power Systems Inc. (OTC Pink: APSI) recently announced via an 8-K filing that the Company has added Robert Morris to the Companys Board of Directors. The Company welcomes Mr. Morris to the Board of Directors as the Company is focused on completing a business combination and merger.

Stephen Carnes, President of APSI, stated, The addition of Mr. Morris to the Board of Directors is very beneficial to Aqua Power. Bob has vast business expertise as well as a broad base of knowledge and contacts across many industries. Bob is a highly successful entrepreneur and business professional. Aqua Power is fortunate to have Bob join the Board of Directors as we seek to complete a merger and business combination for the Company.

Mr. Morris is a graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington) and has served as a State Representative in the Indiana House of Representatives since 2010.

In the Indiana House of Representatives, Mr. Morris serves on the following committees:

Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development (Chairman)

Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications

Roads and Transportation

Carnes continued, I am very pleased to have Bob on the board of Aqua Power as the Company works toward achieving common goals with the target company with whom Aqua Power is pursuing a business combination. I have a strong desire to achieve a business combination for Aqua Power in a timely fashion and all parties are working towards achieving long term common goals while at the same time covering all necessary due diligence items required in such a transaction. I look forward to providing additional updates at the earliest possible convenience.

Share Reduction Update:

The Circuit Court of The Ninth Judicial Circuit Orange County Florida recently set a hearing date of May 18, 2022, for Aqua Power to be heard in the matter of a Motion for Entry of Default Final Judgement. At his hearing Aqua Power will be requesting the Court for default judgment in the case. The case seeks to cancel shares held in the name of one of the Companys former executive officers as outlined in court filings. The request is to cancel 32,942,624 shares of the Companys Common Stock.

Safe Harbor: This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the Company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the Company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and OTC Markets, Inc. OTC Disclosure and News Service. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:Stephen Carnes407-674-9444

Source: Aqua Power Systems Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Disclosure of total number of voting rights and

number of shares forming the capital

as of April 30, 2022

Clichy, France  06 May 2022

Article L 233-8-II of the French Code de Commerce and Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of the French Autorite des Marches Financiers.

As of April 30, 2022, the total number of issued shares of SOCIETE BIC is 44,677,929 shares, representing:

65,721,558 voting rights,

65,223,236 voting rights excluding shares without voting rights

ABOUT BIC

A world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, BIC brings simplicity and joy to everyday Life. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable, essential products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as BIC Kids, BIC FlexTM, BodyMark by BICTM, Cello, Djeep, Lucky Stationery, Rocketbook, Soleil, Tipp-Ex, Us. TM, Wite-Out, Inkbox and more. In 2021, BIC Net Sales were 1,831.9 million euros. The Company is listed on "Euronext Paris"," is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bic.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

CONTACT

Sophie Palliez-Capian

VP, Corporate Stakeholder Engagement

+33 1 45 19 55 28

+ 33 87 89 3351

[email protected]



Michele Ventura

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

+ 33 1 45 19 52 98

[email protected] Albane de La Tour dArtaise

Senior Manager, Institutional Press Relations

+ 33 1 45 19 51 51

+ 33 7 85 88 19 48

[email protected]







Isabelle de Segonzac

Image 7

+ 33 6 89 87 61 39

[email protected]

2022 AGENDA

ALL DATES TO BE CONFIRMED

1st Quarter 2022 Results April 26, 2022 2022 Annual General Meeting 18 May, 2022 1st Half 2022 Results August 2, 2022 3rd Quarter 2022 Results October 27, 2022

Attachment
DENVER, CO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  CBD Global Sciences Inc., dba Global Sciences Inc. (OTC: CBDNF) (CSE: CBDN) (Frankfurt: GS3.F) (Munich: GS3.MU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its press release dated April 19, 2022, the Companys principal regulator, the Alberta Securities Commission, has accepted the Company's application for, and granted, a management cease trade order (the "MCTO"). The application for the MCTO was made by the Company due to a delay in the filing of its audited annual financial statements, accompanying management discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certifications for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the Annual Filings). The Company is actively working with its auditors to file the Annual Filings, which the Company expects to be completed in due course.

During the period in which the MCTO is effective, the general investing public, who are not insiders of the Company, will continue to be able to trade in the Company's securities. However, the Company's CEO and CFO will not be able to trade the Company's securities until such time as the Annual Filings and all continuous disclosure requirements have been filed by the Company, and the MCTO has been lifted.

The Companys board of directors and its management confirm that they are working expeditiously to meet the Company's obligations relating to the filing of the Annual Filings. At this time, the Company anticipates being able to complete the Annual Filings on or before July 1, 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 - Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults 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.

The Company confirms as of the date of this news release that there is no insolvency proceeding against it and there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed.

For further information on the Company please contact:Investor Relations: 720-881-2541 or by email at [email protected]Website: www.globalsciences.ca

ABOUT GLOBAL SCIENCES INC.

CBD Global Sciences, Inc., dba Global Sciences Inc. has become a multifaceted company focused on utilizing the Industrial Hemp plant to create a Healthier Way of Living. Its website can be found at www.globalsciences.ca. Global Sciences, Inc. is a hemp-based CBD producer and branding investment vehicle which currently owns multiple brands like the name Aethics www.aethics.com and CANNAOIL www.cannaoilshop.com, offering CBD Oil tinctures (liquid products), CBD capsules, CBD topicals, Hydration products, and confectionery products. Global Sciences hemp-derived CBD extracts are sold online through select distributors and brick-and- mortar retailers.

Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Global Sciences Holdings, Resinosa LLC, www.resinosa.com, and Legacy Distribution Group, www.legacydistributiongroup.com, Global Sciences is delivering quality CBD products in retail and e-commerce formats nationwide. The Direct Store Delivery (DSD) provides distribution services for multiple vendors of CBD-infused products and non-CBD products throughout the Colorado and Wyoming territories servicing over 750 C-store and large box retailers with expansion plans to exceed 5,000 stores in the next 12-24 months. In addition to Legacy Distribution, it has a manufacturing division, Resinosa LLC www.Resinosa.com, with its capabilities to provide cGMP manufacturing to the CBD industry with both private label and white label CBD and non-CBD product lines.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future developments and the business and operations of the Corporation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Source: CBD Global Sciences Inc.
BROSSARD, Quebec, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diagnos Inc. (DIAGNOS, the Corporation or we) (TSX Venture: ADK) (OTCQB: DGNOF) a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of its FLAIRE platform based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with Farmacias Benavides, a member of Walgreens Boots Alliance in Mexico.

In Farmacias Benavides we are focussed on providing the best health and wellness products for Mexican families. As we keep our evolution into a much more digital health and integrated ecosystem, were happy to announce the service contract with DIAGNOS in order to support the Benamedic Wellness program. DIAGNOS uses non-invasive pre-screening technology done through the eye for early detection of retina diseases in real- time caused by diabetes, pre-diabetes (obesity) and hypertension. Unfortunately, 7 out of every 10 people are overweight in Mexico. We want to make DIAGNOS AI retina service, which commence in the next few weeks, accessible through our Benamedic Wellness program, stated Mr. Guillermo Demis, CEO of Farmacias Benavides.

Benamedic is a catalog of medical services carry out by Farmacias Benavides, member of Walgreens Boots Alliance, through its extensive network of doctors at the points-of-care attached to the pharmacy stores. The objective is to provide medical guidance to the national population in Mexico.

DIAGNOS has proven the efficiency of its AI solution and our experience in the roll-out of mass retina screening projects in the Mexican market. By joining efforts with Farmacias Benavides, a member of Walgreens Boots Alliance, we have the opportunity to serve the Mexican families by educating and preventing them from blindness caused by diabetes and hypertension: at least 4 out of every 10 people have either diabetes and/or hypertension, and still half of the population remains undiagnosed with having diabetes, mentions Mr. Andre Larente, President of DIAGNOS.

About Farmacias BenavidesFarmacias Benavides is the market leader in retail sales of health and wellness products in Mexico. With 104 years of experience, they have a presence in more than 197 cities in 24 states. They own a network of more than 1,100 pharmacies, more than 400 medical offices and a high-tech distribution center. The chain is operated by more than 8,000 collaborators offering a catalog of more than 16,000 different products of commercial and own brands focused on helping the health and well-being of its customers.

Additional information is available at: www.benavides.com.mx

About Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)Walgreens Boots Alliance is an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader serving millions of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities. With approximately 13,000 locations across the U.S., Europe and Latin America, WBA plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem. Through dispensing medicines, improving access to a wide range of health services, providing high quality health and beauty products and offering anytime, anywhere convenience across its digital platforms, WBA is shaping the future of healthcare.

Additional information is available: www.walgreensbootsalliance.com/investors

About DIAGNOSDIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation dedicated to early detection of critical health problems based on its FLAIRE Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. FLAIRE allows for quick modifying and developing of applications such as CARA (Computer Assisted Retina Analysis). CARAs image enhancement algorithms provide sharper, clearer and easier-to-analyze retinal images. CARA is a cost-effective tool for real-time screening of large volumes of patients. CARA has been cleared for commercialization by the following regulators: Health Canada, the FDA (USA), CE (Europe), COFEPRIS (Mexico) and Saudi FDA (Saudi Arabia).

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.com and www.sedar.com

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Andre Larente, President DIAGNOS Inc. Tel: 450-678-8882 ext. 224 [email protected]

Source: DIAGNOS Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia and TORONTO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mr. Lube, Canadas leading quick lube provider in the automotive maintenance sector, is proud to announce that it has been recognized with the prestigious designation of Platinum Club Member by Canadas Best Managed Companies in 2022.

This is the tenth consecutive year, that Mr. Lube has been selected as one of Canadas Best Managed Companies, and the fourth consecutive year as a Platinum member!

A Best Managed Company Award is the pinnacle of corporate success in Canada and highlights companies that are focused on their core vision, creating stakeholder value, and excelling in the global economy.

Over the past ten years, we have achieved tremendous growth and transformed our brand and operations. Everyone who is a part of the Mr. Lube family has contributed to our success by continuously setting new standards for leadership, innovation, and execution.

This past year presented a new set of challenges, but together, we have thrived once again. Our franchisees are all local owners and operators. Together with their frontline staff, they are cornerstones of their local economies. We also reflect back and acknowledge all of the dedication, hard work, and assistance from our main supplier partners who worked together with our team to manage and control inventory efficiently. Through the past year, we worked together to find ways to quickly adapt to changing circumstances, and continued to provide safe, best-in-class service to Canadians right across the country, so they could keep their vehicles running.

Our continued achievement as a Platinum Member of Best Managed Companies exemplifies recognition from industry peers, business leaders, and most importantly, the communities where we live and work. It is a proud achievement for the entire Mr. Lube Family. This is an affirmation that we continue to build a great Canadian company.

On behalf of Mr. Lubes Board of Directors, our employees, our franchise owners, and our supplier partners, we are very honoured and humbled to have achieved the prestigious Platinum designation once again,

President and CEO for Mr. Lube, Stuart Suls.

Sponsored by Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, Salesforce and TMX Group, the Best Managed award recognizes Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $50 million, demonstrating leadership in the areas of strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and financials to achieve sustainable growth.

Now in its 29th year, Canadas Best Managed Companies remains one of the countrys leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices. Every year, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies compete for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates the calibre of their management abilities and practices.

About Mr. Lube Canada

Mr. Lube is Canada's leading quick lube provider in the routine automotive maintenance sector. The company was founded in 1976, pioneering a category of automotive servicing that focused on convenience and no appointment necessary. With locations across the country, Mr. Lube is operated by a national network of franchisees. Headquartered in Richmond, BC, the company also has an office in Mississauga, Ontario to support its national franchise network.

In 2002, Mr. Lube Canada founded the Mr. Lube Foundation to support its corporate goals of giving back to the community and helping those most in need. Today, the Foundation has donated in excess of $5.9 million dollars to charities across the country. For more information about Mr. Lube, please visit: www.mrlube.com; Facebook/MrLubeCanada (www.facebook.com/MrLubeCanada); Twitter @MrLube (www.twitter.com/MrLube).

About Canadas Best Managed Companies

Canadas Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $50 million. Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices. The awards are granted on four levels: 1) Canadas Best Managed Companies new winner (one of the new winners selected each year); 2) Canadas Best Managed Companies winner (award recipients that have re-applied and successfully retained their Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); 3) Gold Standard winner (after three consecutive years of maintaining their Best Managed status, these winners have demonstrated their commitment to the program and successfully retained their award for 4 -6 consecutive years); 4) Platinum Club member (winners that have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more). Program sponsors are Deloitte Private, CIBC, The Globe and Mail, Salesforce and TMX Group. For more information, visit www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

For additional information, comments or photos, please contact:

Kelly MaDirector - People and TalentMr. Lube CanadaTel: 604.759.4336Cell: 604.340.1644[email protected]

[email protected]www.bestmanagedcompanies.ca

Source: Mr. Lube Canada
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orano Canada Inc. (Orano) and Cameco Corporation (Cameco) have reached an agreement to jointly acquire Idemitsu Canada Resources Ltd.s (Idemitsu) 7.875% ownership in the Cigar Lake Joint Venture. Orano is pleased to announce that, upon closing, this transaction will increase its share by 3.353% to a total of 40.453% of the joint venture. Camecos ownership will also rise to a total of 54.547% and TEPCO Resources Inc. will maintain its current 5% interest.

Orano is pleased to increase its resource base in Canada where it has been present for more than 50 years through exploration and operation of industrial facilities. Canada is an essential asset in our strategy to diversify our production which is even more important today to guarantee to our customers a security of supply in the long term, said Nicolas Maes, President, Orano Mining.

We are excited to increase our ownership stake in the Cigar Lake mine, said Orano Canada President and CEO Jim Corman. As the original discoverer of the deposit in the early 1980s we know the asset very well and are committed to continue to work in co-operation with our partners on ensuring the continued success of the mine and our tandem operation, the McClean Lake mill.

Orano Canada will purchase the share of Idemitsus interest for approximately $80 million CDN. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions and should be closed in the second quarter of 2022.

About Orano CanadaHeadquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Orano Canada Inc. is a leading producer of uranium, accounting for the processing of 12.2 million pounds of uranium concentrate produced in Canada in 2021. Orano Canada has been exploring for uranium, mining and milling in Canada for more than 55 years. Orano Canada is the operator of the McClean Lake uranium mill and a major partner in the Cigar Lake (currently 37.1% increasing to 40.453%), McArthur River (30.2%) and Key Lake (16.7%) operations. The McClean Lake joint venture is owned by Orano Canada (77.5%) and Denison Mines (22.5%). Orano toll mills the ore from the Cigar Lake mine at the McClean Lake mill.

The company employs about 420 people in Saskatchewan, including about 300 at the McClean Lake operation where over 49% of employees are self-declared Indigenous. As a sustainable uranium producer, Orano Canada is committed to safety, environmental protection and contributing to the prosperity and well-being of neighbouring communities.

Orano Canada Inc. is a 100% subsidiary of Orano Mining, part of the multinational Orano group. As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. With uranium mines in operation in Canada, Kazakhstan and Niger, Orano is one of the worlds leading producers of uranium, with competitive production costs and extraction techniques at the cutting edge of innovation. Every day, the Orano groups 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Visit Orano at www.oranocanada.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter: @oranocanada

Press ContactCarey HyndmanT: +1 (306) 343-4503C: +1 (306) 291-4236[email protected]

Source: Orano Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Permex Petroleum Corporation (CSE: OIL) (OTCQB: OILCF) (FSE: 75P) ("Permex" or the "Company"), a junior oil and gas company, announces the appointment of Mr. Greg Montgomery as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company effective May 1, 2022. Mr. Montgomery currently serves on the Companys board of directors and succeeds Mr. Scott Kelly, who will continue to serve as a Director of the Company.

Since joining our Board over two years ago, Greg has provided our leadership team with invaluable guidance, and we are pleased to welcome him to the executive management team, said Mehran Ehsan, CEO of Permex Petroleum. Gregs vast experience in the oil and gas industry, including his prior CFO positions and management roles with public companies as well as his existing knowledge of Permexs operations, make him uniquely qualified to lead our financial strategy. I look forward to working more closely together as we execute on the next phase of our growth objectives.

Mr. Montgomery brings nearly 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry to the executive management team. Mr. Montgomery has previously held the office of CFO for Oiltanking North America, Semarus Energy Advisors, Lion Copolymer, Coast Energy, Laser Midstream, and was a Director of Strategic Planning for Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP) and Compliance Officer for Pennzoil Company (NYSE: PZL). Mr. Montgomery is a CPA and member of the Texas Society of CPAs and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a bachelors in business administration degree from the University of Houston.

Mr. Ehsan continued: I would also like to thank Scott Kelly for his hard work and dedication to Permex since its inception. Scott has played an integral role in advancing our Company toward the unique position in which we stand today, and we are fortunate to be able to benefit from his leadership going forward.

Additionally, the Company announces that Edward Odishaw has resigned as Director of the Company due to personal reasons. The Board of Directors of the Company would like to thank Mr. Odishaw for his contributions and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

About Permex Petroleum Corporation

Permex Petroleum (CSE: OIL) (OTCQB: OILCF) (FSE: 75P) is a uniquely positioned junior oil & gas company with assets and operations across the Permian Basin of West Texas and the Delaware Sub-Basin of New Mexico. The Company focuses on combining its low-cost development of Held by Production assets for sustainable growth with its current and future Blue-Sky projects for scale growth. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Permex Petroleum US Corporation, is a licensed operator in both states, and owns and operates on private, state and federal land. For more information, please visit www.permexpetroleum.com.

CONTACT INFORMATIONPermex Petroleum CorporationMehran EhsanPresident, Chief Executive Officer & Director(214) 459-2782

Scott KellyDirector(778) 373-5421

Or for Investor Relations, please contact:Brooks Hamilton[email protected]

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Source: Permex Petroleum Corporation
Mountlake Terrace, Wash., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Premera Blue Cross through its Social Impact program today announced $2.3 million in grants and sponsorships made to 26 organizations in Washington and Alaska. Grant recipients include partners focused on improving access to behavioral health care, addressing health inequities, and supporting programs related to the intersection of homelessness and behavioral health.

This $2.3 million commitment builds on the companys investments in 2021, totaling $6.9 million to organizations focused on behavioral health, homelessness, rural health, and health equity.

Since 2017, Premera has worked with and through our partners to create deep, and meaningful changes, Paul Hollie, head of Premera Social Impact. There are no easy solutions to these incredibly complex problems, which is why we collaborate with organizations that are coming up with new and creative solutions to tackle the root cause of these issues. Together, we are reaching and supporting care services for the people and places that need it the most.

Among the grant recipients are:

Nome Community Center in Alaska will receive $125,000 to support HomePlate, a 15-unit housing complex providing a safe place for Nomes most vulnerable people who are chronically homeless. HomePlate will also offer residents a health care center and on-site behavioral health care services. In addition, Bethel Community Services Foundation in Alaska will receive $150,000 to build permanent supportive housing to keep people experiencing chronic homelessness stably housed and connected to supportive services.

in Alaska will receive $125,000 to support HomePlate, a 15-unit housing complex providing a safe place for Nomes most vulnerable people who are chronically homeless. HomePlate will also offer residents a health care center and on-site behavioral health care services. In addition, in Alaska will receive $150,000 to build permanent supportive housing to keep people experiencing chronic homelessness stably housed and connected to supportive services. NW Children's Foundation (NWCF) in Seattle will receive $125,000 to help address the significant health inequities and mental health concerns impacting children, particularly those from historically underserved communities. Every year, NWCF brings together schools, nonprofits, researchers, healthcare providers, therapists, judges, law enforcement, and more for a forum focused on delivering curriculum related to ending the intergenerational cycle of child abuse, neglect, and trauma. This grant will help NWCF broaden the reach of this educational programming and make it more accessible through online interactive learning modules.

Progress House Clubhouse in Pierce County, Wash., will receive a grant for $50,000 to establish a more visible and accessible presence in neighborhoods where homelessness, mental illness, and racial and economic inequities are most acute. According to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, 5 percent of adults in Pierce County report having a serious mental health illness compared to 3 percent of adults statewide, yet the ratio of mental health providers to residents in Pierce County is lower than the statewide average. Progress House Clubhouses efforts will help them connect more reliably with people experiencing homelessness in Tacoma and offer mental health services and support.

Transitions in Spokane, Wash., will receive a $175,000 grant to provide behavioral health support to more than 400 women visiting Transitions Women's Hearth and living at their transitional and permanent supportive housing campuses, which house individuals who have experienced poverty, trauma or homelessness. By offering whole-person care with consistent access to behavioral health services, Transitions aims to help their participants avoid homelessness and remain engaged with the organizations programming and services.

WA Therapy Fund Foundation will receive $50,000, which will help support their goal of providing 200 free therapy sessions to more than 60 people in the Black community in Snohomish, Pierce, and King Counties. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than those with more financial security. The WA Therapy Fund Foundation works to eliminate long-standing systemic barriers to healing by providing free therapeutic services to those in the Black community who are in need.

Additional grants, which support the organizations efforts to build or improve long-term programs, include:

Blue Mountain Heart to Heart , Walla Walla County, Wash., $50,000

, Walla Walla County, Wash., $50,000 Community Foundation of Snohomish County , Snohomish County, Wash., $100,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $100,000 Friends of Youth , King County, Wash., $125,000

, King County, Wash., $125,000 Hands On Childrens Museum , Thurston County, Wash., $20,000

, Thurston County, Wash., $20,000 Interfaith Works , Thurston County, Wash., $30,000

, Thurston County, Wash., $30,000 Kids Discovery Museum , Kitsap County, Wash., $25,000

, Kitsap County, Wash., $25,000 Providence Alaska Foundation , Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $15,000

, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $15,000 The Alaska Community Foundation , Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $750,000

, Anchorage Borough, Alaska, $750,000 The Friendship Circle of Washington , King County, Wash., $20,000

, King County, Wash., $20,000 The Maternal Coalition , King County, Wash., $75,000

, King County, Wash., $75,000 The Salvation Army , King County, Wash., $25,000

, King County, Wash., $25,000 Tubman Center for Health & Freedom , King County, Wash., $200,000

, King County, Wash., $200,000 YES of Pend Oreille County, Pend Orielle County, Wash., $125,000

Sponsorships, which fund events or short-term projects, include:

Crisis Connections , King County, Wash., $27,000

, King County, Wash., $27,000 El Centro De La Raza , King County, Wash., $15,000

, King County, Wash., $15,000 Foundation for Edmonds School District , Snohomish County, Wash., $10,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $10,000 Leadership Snohomish County , Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000 Rainier Scholars , Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000

, Snohomish County, Wash., $20,000 The Goodtimes Project , King County, Wash., $10,000

, King County, Wash., $10,000 Treehouse, King County, Wash., $10,000

Premera also released their annual Social Impact report today. In 2021, Premera committed $6.9 million to 86 organizations, bringing the programs total community investments to $77 million. Read more about the companys untraditional approach to giving and the strides partner organizations are making in improving the health of communities in Washington and Alaska.

Premera Social Impact is currently accepting applications from other 501(c)(3) community organizations. Learn more about grantmaking on its website.

About Premera Blue CrossPremera Blue Cross, a not-for-profit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association based in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., is a leading health plan in the Pacific Northwest, providing comprehensive health benefits and tailored services to more than 2.6 million people, from individuals to Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit www.premera.com.

Amanda Lansford Premera Blue Cross 425-918-3975 [email protected]

Source: Premera Blue Cross
Alexandria, Va., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation will host its annual Advocacy Workshop virtually on Thursday, March 19. The Workshop will explore cancer screening disparities in the LGBTQ+ community, convening patient advocacy organizations and LGBTQ+ community and health experts to discuss the unique barriers faced by the LGBTQ+ community when accessing the health care system.

A recent Prevent Cancer Foundation survey found that 47% of LGBTQ+ individuals say their LGBTQ+ status was not disclosed to their health care professional. According to the American Cancer Society, regardless of their sexual orientation, people whose health care providers knew their sexual orientation were more likely to have been encouraged to get cancer screenings compared to people whose providers didnt know their sexual orientations.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation and its peer advocacy organizations are aiming to change this by addressing the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity data and research on LGBTQ+ individuals experience with their health care providers to further understand and tackle barriers to cancer screening.

The Advocacy Workshop will feature the following speakers:

Jody Hoyos , President and Chief Operating Officer, Prevent Cancer Foundation

, President and Chief Operating Officer, Prevent Cancer Foundation Scout, Ph.D. , Executive Director, National LGBT Cancer Network

, Executive Director, National LGBT Cancer Network Chris Chamars , Program and Partnership Specialist, GRYT Health

, Program and Partnership Specialist, GRYT Health Christina N. Dragon, MSPH, CHES , Measurement and Data Lead for the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office, National Institute of Health

, Measurement and Data Lead for the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office, National Institute of Health Mandi L. Pratt-Chapman, Ph.D. , Associate Professor, Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Associate Professor, Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, Associate Center Director, Patient-Centered Initiatives and Health Equity, GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University

, Associate Professor, Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Associate Professor, Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, Associate Center Director, Patient-Centered Initiatives and Health Equity, GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University Ari Laoch, LPC, CRC, CBIST , Health Brigade

, Health Brigade Rachel Waller, M.D. , Health Brigade

, Health Brigade Jordin Cotman, Health Brigade

Each year, the Foundations Advocacy Workshop serves as a forum for patients, providers, advocacy organizations and other partners to discuss pressing issues that impact cancer prevention and early detection and assess whether there are any opportunities or needs for legislative action as well as gaps in education and research.

LGBTQ+ individuals experience differential and inequitable treatment across all parts of lifeincluding health and access to health care services. The lack of data on the needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ people is a barrier, but the Prevent Cancer Advocacy Workshop will help us better determine what needs to change to lessen disparities in cancer risk, screening and treatment, said Caitlin Kubler, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

The event is free and open for all to attend. Register here.

WHO:

Prevent Cancer Foundation

WHAT:

2022 Prevent Cancer Advocacy Workshop: Cancer screening disparities in the LGBTQ+ community

WHEN:

Thursday, May 19 at 1 p.m. ET

WHERE:

Virtual (You will receive a link when registered)

TO REGISTER:

https://bit.ly/3FcJ9Dw

###

About the Prevent Cancer Foundation

The Prevent Cancer Foundation is celebrating 35 years as the only U.S. nonprofit organization focused solely on saving lives across all populations through cancer prevention and early detection. Through research, education, outreach and advocacy, we have helped countless people avoid a cancer diagnosis or detect their cancer early enough to be successfully treated.

The Foundation is rising to meet the challenge of reducing cancer deaths by 40% by 2035. To achieve this, we are committed to investing $20 million for innovative technologies to detect cancer early and advance multi-cancer screening, $10 million to expand cancer screening and vaccination access to medically underserved communities, and $10 million to educate the public about screening and vaccination options. For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.

Kyra Meister Prevent Cancer Foundation 703-836-1746 [email protected]

Source: Prevent Cancer Foundation
New York, May 10, 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:

Match Group files lawsuit against Google click here

Western Magnesium poised to bring magnesium production back to the US amid global demand surge click here

BTU Metals says it is prioritizing next targets at Dixie as it completes four drill holes click here

Ultra Lithium completes sale of 60% of Georgia Lake and Forgan Lake properties in Ontario to Yahua and enters joint venture click here

HealthLynked says its FemTech app Oohvie will be a major contributor to revenue growth as it releases enhanced version of app click here

Vox Royalty says it expects revenues from its Otto Bore royalty in 2023 click here

i-80 Gold secures key water rights for Nevada Cove mine with property acquisition; posts 1Q revenue of $2.8M click here

Fireweed Zinc acquires Gayna River project in Canadas Northwest Territories click here

Lucky Minerals says trenching at its Ecuador gold discovery has identified additional mineralization ahead of its upcoming drill program click here

Golden Minerals reports 1Q revenue of $7.5M as Rodeo gold-silver mine produces 3,787 gold-equivalent ounces click here

Dore Copper Mining marks "major accomplishment" with release of positive PEA for Chibougamau camp restart click here

Therma Bright to seek approval for its AcuVid COVID-19 rapid antigen saliva test from Health Canada click here

Trust Stamp signs Memorandum of Understanding with African Institute for Mathematical Sciences click here

Canada Silver Cobalt begins exploration at its Eby-Otto gold property near Kirkland Lake in Ontario click here

Clean Air Metals appoints engineer Mike Garbutt as chief operating officer click here

Gold Resource Corp reports robust financial results and strong balance sheet for 1Q 2022 click here

Tocvan Ventures closes previously announced non-brokered private placement of units for gross proceeds of $346,200 click here

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Wellbeing Digital Sciences becomes founding sponsor of Women in Psychedelics (WIP) Network click here

Plurilock says Aurora Systems subsidiary won purchase orders worth US$1.41M in April click here

About Proactive

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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.

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MONTREAL, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boralex Inc. (Boralex or the Company) (TSX: BLX) announces that it will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders in a virtual-only format at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

The Annual Meeting will be broadcast online in audio only. Simultaneous interpretation will also be available for English-speaking participants. The online access to the event will start at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Shareholders will not be able to attend the meeting in person.

Registered shareholders and duly appointed proxyholders will be able to attend the meeting, ask questions and vote, all in real time, if they are connected to the Internet and fulfill the conditions set out in the Management Information Circular. Non-registered shareholders (shareholders who hold their Boralex shares through a securities broker, investment dealer, bank, trust company, custodian, nominee or other intermediary) who have not duly appointed themselves as proxyholder will be able to attend the meeting as guests but will not be able to vote or ask questions.

Date and time: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. EDT Webcast link: https://meetnow.global/MZUC2TP

For additional information on how to access the virtual Meeting of Shareholders, registered and non-registered shareholders, and duly appointed proxyholders, please refer to the Notice of Meeting.

Note that Boralexs Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, Annual Report and Management Information Circular are available on boralex.com and sedar.com.

About Boralex

At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and Frances largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has more than doubled to 2.5 GW. We are developing a portfolio of more than 3 GW in wind and solar projects and nearly 200 MW in storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralexs shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

For more information, visit www.boralex.com or www.sedar.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

For more information:

Media Investor Relations Isabelle FontaineDirector, Public Affairs and Communications Boralex Inc.819-345-0043 [email protected] Stephane MilotSenior Director  Investor RelationsBoralex Inc.514-213-1045 [email protected]

Source: Boralex Inc.

Source: Boralex Inc.
Shandong, China, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPO Global Inc. (OTC PINK: SPOM), a healthcare and biotech company, today provides a corporate update and letter from CEO Fengyou Lu.

Dear Shareholders,

We are excited to announce that from 2020 to 2021, our company launched a new sales business of low frequency therapeutic instruments and intelligent Chinese medicine decocting machines which attributed to an increase in revenues of $15,969,073.

Our machines are patented in China and our clients who use and have purchased these machines include Chinese medical clinics, facilities, traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in Shandong. In total, approximately one hundred medical institutions have purchased our machines.

As part of our new sales business, we have welcomed fifteen new employees to our team, who serve as sales managers and agents. This facilitates the sales of our machines and allows us to focus on completing orders, laying out our sales system, and providing technical support in relation to our products.

Although the pandemic ravaged through China, we continue to remain strong and push forward to promote the development of our medical care systems. We have a positive outlook for the remainder of the year and anticipate forging ahead to foster current relationships, create new connections, and provide quality care. We will continue to update our shareholders with our progress and thank you for your support and patience as we have made communication a priority for our investor community.

Sincerely,

Fengyou Lu

We encourage our shareholders to visit our corporate Twitter account for more updates: https://twitter.com/spo_global

About SPO Global Inc. (OTC Pink: SPOM): SPO Global Inc. recently completed its merger with Gerpang Healthcare Group. (www.gerpanghealthcare.com). Its subsidiary, Shandong Gerpang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is an innovative and technological private enterprise located in the pharmaceutical Valley Industrial Park of Jinan High Tech Zone. Its main business scope includes Biomedical R&D, medical information software development and sales, medical high-tech introduction, medical high-quality consumables production and sales, health care products, drugs, medical equipment consumables agency and sales.

Company Disclaimers: As a Public Traded Company, within the guidelines of Federal and State Securities Law, SPO Global, Inc. may not avail itself of the Safe Harbor provisions as identified in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. However, SPO Global, Inc. provides the following disclaimer and warning to protect our shareholders, prospective investors and the public at large by alerting them to the risks and uncertainties involved with any investment, and the need to perform their own due diligence and assessment.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements relating to financial results and plans for future development activities and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, its directors or its officers. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business and finances in general, including the ability to continue and manage its growth, competition, global economic conditions and other factors discussed in detail in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Company Contact: [email protected]

Source: SPO Global Inc.
DENVER, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, The CE Shop announced the appointment of Chief Executive Officer Gary Weiss to its Board of Managers, bringing his more than 30 years of experience in strategy, execution, and business operations to the group. Weiss was appointed to the Board of Managers effective April 26, 2022, and he will continue to serve as President and CEO. With the addition of Weiss, the Board is now comprised of 5 managers.

"Gary has a proven vision and strategy that is already bringing positive change to the entire ecosystem of The CE Shop," said Justin DuPere, Partner at Waud Capital, The CE Shop's investment and strategic partner.

DuPere continued, "The values that created the foundation of The CE Shop and made the company the trusted leader in career education are as brilliant as ever. This was a natural next step for us to take given Gary's impact and commitment for the long haul. We continue to make strides towards the future of modern career education while preserving the cultural values that highlight The CE Shop. Weiss is able to balance both worlds."

Weiss has a proven track record of growing businesses in the technology and education industries. Prior to joining The CE Shop, Weiss was a top executive at Vector Solutions and before that served as COO of Aspen Technology and SVP/GM of OpenText. Weiss splits his time between his home in Tampa, Fla., where he lives with his wife and four children, and The CE Shop's Greenwood Village, Colo., headquarters.

"The team at The CE Shop has joined me in a renewed commitment to a category that demands modernization and interaction, even in a virtual world," Weiss said. "I couldn't be more excited to be at the service of an organization that reports a 96% satisfaction rating and an industry-leading 91% national pass rate on their real estate licensing exam. The CE Shop is bringing this level of purpose-built and results-driven thinking as an industry leader into other verticals requiring the same level of care to career education."

Under Weiss' leadership, The CE Shop has already expanded its online education offerings beyond real estate into mortgage and home inspection. The company is positioned to grow into new verticals through both organic initiatives and acquisitions, fulfilling its mission to be the world leader in professional education.

About The CE Shop The CE Shop is the leading provider of professional education with online mortgage and real estate courses available throughout the United States. The CE Shop produces quality education for professionals across the nation, whether they're veterans in their industry or are looking to launch a new career. We believe that the right education can truly make a difference. Visit TheCEShop.com to learn more.

Media Contact:The CE Shop Press[email protected]720.822.5314

Related Images

Image 1: Gary Weiss

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Gary Weiss Gary Weiss

Source: The CE Shop ( theceshop.com
The Light Committee Has Earned the Award Four Consecutive Years, Recognizing the Studio as Being in the Top Five Percent of the Best of Los Angeles from Nearly 1,300 Photographers Researched

MONTROSE, Calif., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Light Committee has again been named to Expertise.coms list of the Best Portrait Photographers in Los Angeles, now having earned the rating four consecutive years, from 2019 through 2022. The award is earned through Expertises research of photographers including their availability, qualifications, reputation, experience, and professionalism.

The company found 1,290 photographers in Los Angeles listed online to provide their services. They curate this down to 787 and from there pick the top 34. The results are that these top 34 consist of the top five percent portrait (including headshots) photographers in Los Angeles, from nearly 1,300 available photographers.

The Light Committee has also been awarded Expertise.coms Best Portrait Photographers in Glendale, CA, from 2020 through 2022. From 72 photographers in Glendale, CA, The Light Committee made the final cut of the top seven. The Light Committee has also been named by Three Best Rated as amongst the 3 Best Commercial Photographers in Glendale, CA.

Actor Headshots in Los Angeles

The Light Committee offers actor headshots in Los Angeles and online booking. Session options for acting headshots include some with limited looks and retouches and others with unlimited looks and a set number of retouches. Each has set time limits. Session options include a adding hair and makeup stylist and video production.

Corporate Headshots in Los Angeles

In addition, the studio offers professional business headshots in Los Angeles. All types of professionals get headshots at the studio. This includes accountants, attorneys, authors, chefs, consultants, doctors (including for medical residency applications), engineers, entrepreneurs, film directors, finance executives, psychiatrists, psychologists, real estate agents, software developers, and many more.

About The Light Committee

The Light Committee is an award-winning headshot photography studio located at 2266 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, CA, 91020, which is part of Glendale, California, or within the greater Los Angeles area. It offers photo shoots with a focus on individuals rather than groups. This includes actor headshots, corporate headshots, modeling digitals, lifestyle photo shoots, dating profile photo shoots, senior portraits, and other photo shoots for individuals. From more than 1,200 photographers researched during 2019 to 2022, Expertise.com has independently rated The Light Committee as being in the top five percent (in the top 34 out of 1,290) of the best portrait photographers in Los Angeles. Learn more at https://thelightcommittee.com/.

Note: The Light Committee is a service mark of a California S Corporation. Whether noted or not, references to other certain words or names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All images produced are protected by U.S. Copyright Law.

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Vancouver, British Columbia, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Universal Copper Ltd. ("Universal Copper" or the "Company") (TSX Venture: UNV) (Frankfurt: 3TA2) is pleased to report it has completed the 2022 Phase I drilling program at the Companys flagship Poplar Copper Project ("Poplar"), located southwest of Houston, British Columbia.

Apex Diamond Drilling Ltd. (Apex) completed 1,983 metres in five holes with all the holes being sawn in half top to bottom. Samples have been dispatched to the ALS Minerals prep lab in Kamloops for subsequent analysis at the main ALS Minerals Lab (ALS) in North Vancouver, an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited facility.

Clive Massey Universal Coppers CEO and President commented, "The Company is very pleased with the drill program as we focussed on a number of targets: expanding on the 0.546% copper over 129 metres discovered in the bottom of 21-PC-135, expanding the higher-grade portion of the known mineralization to the northwest and testing the first of the Vector Geological Solutions targets identified from their early 2022 targeted core logging initiative we announced on January 13.

One of the holes was lost at 111 metres, well short of the target, resulting in a total of five holes for the program as opposed to the planned four holes. Assay results will be released once they have been received and reviewed by the Companys technical team.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures, Chain of Custody

The entire length of core for all holes was sawn and sampled at continuous three-metre or less intervals, with a few samples taken at shorter or longer intervals based on apparent lithological, alteration or mineralization contacts. The program was supervised by independent geologist Ray Wladichuk, PGeo. One half of the core for each sample interval was bagged and sealed with a zap strap, with the other half of the core retained in a secure storage location. The series of sequentially numbered samples were confirmed and placed in a sequentially number rice bag. Certified reference standards, a certified reference blank and sample duplicates were placed in the sample stream of each drill hole alternating at every 10th to 18th interval. The rice bags were sealed and securely stored until the entire hole was sampled. At the conclusion of sampling of each hole, the secured and sealed rice bags were turned over to the local trucking company for transport to the ALS Minerals prep lab in Kamloops, B.C. for later analysis at the ALS Mineral Laboratory in North Vancouver, B.C. The North Vancouver lab holds an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation.

All core samples will be analyzed utilizing ALS's MEICP-61 procedure, a four-acid digestion of a one-gram sample with an inductively coupled plasma finish. All core samples will also be analyzed utilizing ALS's Au-ICP21 procedure, a 30-gram gold fire assay with an ICP-AES (atomic emission spectroscopy) finish. Over limits will be reanalyzed utilizing ALS's OG-62 procedure, an ICP-AES four-acid procedure.

In addition to Universal's third party standards, a routine quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedure will monitor the analytical quality at the lab. Certified reference materials (CRMs), pulp duplicates and blanks will be inserted into each lab batch of samples.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this New Release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo (BC) a member of the Companys Advisory Board and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Poplar

The 61,600-hectare Poplar Project hosts a current undiluted indicated mineral resource of 152.3 million tonnes grading 0.32 per cent copper, 0.009 per cent molybdenum, 0.09 gram per tonne gold and 2.58 g/t silver and an undiluted inferred mineral resource of 139.3 million tonnes grading 0.29 per cent copper, 0.005 per cent molybdenum, 0.07 g/t gold and 4.95 g/t silver. The mineral resource estimate has a cut-off grade of 0.20% copper. Universal Copper cautions investors mineral resources, which are not mineral reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Poplar lies in an historic mining region, located 35km from the Huckleberry Mine and 42km from Equity Silver Mine, where low snowfalls will allow year-round work. The road accessible property is bisected by a 138 Kva Hydroelectric line and lies 88km from Houston and 400km from the deep-water port at Prince Rupert by rail.

About Universal Copper

Universal Copper Ltd. is a Canadian-based copper exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of copper properties. The Company's management team has many years of experience in exploration, finance, and efficient public company management. Universal's current focus is on advancing the Poplar Copper Project, one of the most advanced pre-production copper projects in British Columbia with a historic 43-101 resource.

For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.universalcopper.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Clive Massey

Clive H. Massey

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:Investor RelationsPhone: (604) 341-6870

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Universal Copper Ltd. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Universal Copper Ltd. management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Universal Copper Ltd. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

###

Source: Universal Copper Ltd.
Vice President of Global Digital Marketing to discuss digital transformation at premier marketing conference

May 10, 2022 - Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL), a leading global provider of expert solutions, insights and services for professionals, announces that Amy Kolzow will speak about the companys digital transformation and customer-centric approach to content at Conductors annual C3 conference on May 11, 2022 at 3:00 pm. The session will look at how brands can build their marketing strategy around customer-first content.

Amy, who led the Wolters Kluwer OneWeb program that consolidated 280 websites into one global website, will also discuss the role of digital marketing in Wolters Kluwers digital transformation. Completed in 2021, the OneWeb initiative brought together dynamic thought leadership and a product portfolio of 900 solutions in 25 languages across 30 countries, offering web visitors a unified digital experience.

For 185 years, Wolters Kluwer solutions have helped to solve the real-world problems of our customers. And along this journey, the end-user experience has been a key factor in driving our decision making, said Amy Kolzow, Vice President of Global Digital Marketing for Wolters Kluwer. I very much look forward to sharing our digital marketing journey with other leading marketing executives at C3.

"Wolters Kluwer made it a core priority to deeply understand the needs, desires, and issues that face their customers daily," said Patrick Reinhart, Vice President of Customer Success for Conductor. "Using such insight, they leverage data to meet these requirements head on, creating meaningful, valuable, solution-based content to service their audience. This customer first mentality is one that we at Conductor admire and look to foster. That is one of the many reasons we selected Amy as a speaker and that their OneWeb team was awarded Conductors coveted 'Project of the Year' award in 2021.

C3 is Conductors annual organic marketing conference, held in New York City, featuring industry leaders from top brands discussing product innovations and the future of organic marketing. The conference brings together marketing leaders from around the world to share their achievements, challenges, and hard-earned wisdom. Attendees can learn from the best in the business through search success stories, tips, tricks, and actionable takeaways to grow organic marketing strategy.

For more information about Wolters Kluwer, please visit www.wolterskluwer.com.

About Wolters Kluwer 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.

Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).

For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Media Contact:

Erica GlassWolters KluwerMobile: 917-822-7702[email protected]

Source: Wolters Kluwer N.V.
FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - The stock market took the view for the first time on Tuesday that it was unlikely that Elon Musk will acquire Twitter Inc for $44 billion, as he originally agreed.

The implied probability of the deal closing at that price fell below 50% when Twitter shares hit $46.75, based on the $54.20 deal price and Twitter's shares having closed at $39.31 on April 1, the last trading day before Musk revealed he had amassed a stake in the social media company.

Twitter shares fell as much as 3% to touch a low of $46.50 in afternoon trading.

Musk, the world's richest person and also the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc, on April 25 clinched a deal to buy the social media platform. Twitter said at the time that Musk secured $25.5 billion of debt and margin loan financing and was providing a $21 billion equity commitment.

Musk, who is worth $268 billion according to Forbes, had said he was not primarily concerned with the economics of Twitter.

"Having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization. I don't care about the economics at all," he said in a recent public talk.

(Compiled by the Global Finance & Markets Breaking News team; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Chizu Nomiyama)
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., (TSXV: CMI) (OTCQB: CYSNF) a leading global provider of commercial grade mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, announced today, that it received a multimillion USD order for its iNetVu 1200 Vehicle Mount antenna systems from one of its resellers.

The first group of these antenna systems have already been delivered, with the balance scheduled to ship in the second and third quarters of C-COM's 2022 fiscal year.





C-COM iNetVu(R) 1200 Vehicle Mount Antenna

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5445/123422_ccom%20fig%201.jpg.

This significant purchase of the iNetVu 1200 Vehicle Mount marks one of the largest orders the company has received for this specific system. The 3-axis, fully motorized auto pointing antenna system designed to be mounted on the roof of vehicles or transportable structures, is one of the best-selling C-COM manufactured products. There are several thousands iNetVu 1200's deployed globally - from the most Northern parts of Canada to the deserts of Africa and Australia for use in disaster management, oil and gas exploration, emergency services, military, mobile banking, and in many other vertical markets.

This fully automatic antenna can be transported on a vehicle or a trailer to any location where no connectivity exists and with a press of a button the antenna can locate the desired satellite and deliver Broadband Internet connectivity.

"This significant order from a global leader in satellite communications, is a testimony to the quality and reliability as well as the world-wide acceptance of the iNetVu series of antennas," said Leslie Klein, President, and CEO of C-COM. "The ability for C-COM to rapidly deliver a large number of antennas, despite worldwide supply chain issues, is validated by large orders like these," Klein continued.

"The Company continues to innovate and modernize the mobile SATCOM business by offering the highest quality, cost-effective and most reliable products coupled with fast delivery and first-rate customer support," Klein added.

C-COM offers classic and next generation Driveaway, Flyaway, Fixed Motorized, and Manpack systems for any vertical market where communications are limited or challenging due to disruption or deficiency. The Company's products are integrated with all major modem manufacturers and approved world-wide with most major satellite operators. The company works closely with more than 600 active resellers / integrators in over 100 countries.

C-COM is also collaborating with a renowned research team at the University of Waterloo on the development of an electronically steerable, Ka-band flat panel antenna system that is based on a patented phased array beam forming technology. This system has the potential to revolutionize satellite addressable mobility markets (land, air, maritime).

About C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.





C-COM Logo

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5445/123422_c1815b05541efa72_007full.jpg.

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a pioneer and world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of transportable and mobile satellite-based antenna systems. The Company has developed proprietary, auto-acquisition controller technology for rapid antenna pointing to a satellite with just the press of a button, enabling Broadband Internet via Satellite across a wide range of market applications worldwide, including regions unserved or underserved by terrestrial access technologies.

C-COM has sold more than 10,000 antenna systems, in over 100 countries, through a dedicated dealer network that provides service to a wide range of vertical markets such as Oil & Gas Exploration, Military Communications, Disaster Management, SNG, Emergency Communications, Cellular Backhaul, Telemedicine, Mobile Education, Government Services, Mobile Banking, and others. The Company's iNetVu brand is synonymous with high quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

C-COM is in late-stage development of a revolutionary Ka-band, electronically steerable, flat panel phased array antenna system, in cooperation with the University of Waterloo, with the intent of providing low-cost, high-throughput mobility applications over satellite for land, airborne and maritime applications. For additional information please visit www.c-comsat.com.

iNetVu is a registered trademark of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

The Company is publicly traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange (TSXV: CMI) and on the US OTC Exchange (OTCQB: CYSNF).

# # #

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Statements about C-COM's expectations as to its ability to weather the challenges it faces, future prospects, growth and revenue, and statements about its electronically steered phased array antenna, including the potential for it become a commercially available product are all forward-looking information. Several factors could cause actual events, performance or results to differ materially from the events, performance and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Anticipated benefits of the new technology may not be realized within the time frames anticipated or at all, and new products and services may not be released or, if released may not gain market acceptance. Any of those events and others could influence future performance and C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.'s ability to achieve the results mentioned above. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Readers are directed to the risk factors associated with the business of C-COM Satellite Systems in the company's most recent MD&A available at www.SEDAR.com.

INVESTOR RELATIONS

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

Tel: (613) 745-4110 ext. 4950

Fax: (613) 745-7144

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123422
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Hemostemix Inc. (TSXV: HEM) (OTCQB: HMTXF) (FSE: 2VF0) ("Hemostemix" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has settled all litigation with, and closed the settlement agreement with, Aspire Health Services, Inc., AJIA Global, LLC and Alan Jacobs, Jed Wood, Randi Wood, Blake Wood, Kyle Makofka, Reginald Cooper, and Kingsman Scientific Management. Hemostemix is now in possession of all of its intellectual property, including all HS 12-01 Phase II clinical trail data, all historical data from Hemostemix Israel, and the randomization tables that are required to analyse the North American and South African ACP-01 clinical trial data.

ABOUT HEMOSTEMIX

Hemostemix is a publicly traded autologous stem cell therapy company, founded in 2003. A winner of the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, the Company developed and has published seven peer reviewed articles about the safety and efficacy of its lead product ACP-01 as a treatment of CLI, PAD, Angina, Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Dilated Cardiomyopathy and other conditions of ischemia. ACP-01 has been used to treat over 300 patients, and it is the subject of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial of its safety and efficacy in patients with advanced critical limb ischemia who have exhausted all other options to save their limb from amputation.

On October 21, 2019, the Company announced the results from its Phase II CLI trial abstract presentation entitled "Autologous Stem Cell Treatment for CLI Patients with No Revascularization Options: An Update of the Hemostemix ACP-01 Trial With 4.5 Year Follow-up" which noted healing of ulcers and resolution of ischemic rest pain occurred in 83% of patients, with outcomes maintained for up to 4.5 years.

The Company owns 91 patents across five patent families titled: Regulating Stem Cells, In Vitro Techniques for use with Stem Cells, Production from Blood of Cells of Neural Lineage, and Automated Cell Therapy. For more information, please visit www.hemostemix.com.

For further information, please contact:

Thomas Smeenk, President, CEO & Co-Founder

EM: [email protected]

PH: 905-580-4170

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, are forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information in relation to the return to Hemostemix of its intellectual property including all HS 12-01 phase II clinical trail data, all historical data from Hemostemix Israel, including the randomization tables that are required to analyse the North American and South African ACP-01 clinical trial data, the settlement of all outstanding litigation by and between Aspire Health Services, Inc., Accudate Solutions Inc., AJIA and Alan Jacobs, Jed Wood, Randi Wood, Blake Wood, Kyle Makofka, Reginald Cooper, Kingsman Scientific Management, and Hemostemix Inc. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects Hemostemix's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Hemostemix and on assumptions Hemostemix believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the return to Hemostemix of all of its intellectual property and HS 12 - 01 Clinical Trial data and its impact to the underlying value of Hemostemix and its Common Shares; the successful settlement of all litigation (the "Litigation"); the embedded results of ACP-01 research, trials, studies and analyses, including the analysis being equivalent to or better than previous research, trials or studies as well as management's expectations of anticipated results; Hemostemix's general and administrative costs remaining constant; the receipt of all required regulatory approvals for research, trials or studies; the level of activity, market acceptance and market trends in the healthcare sector; the economy generally; consumer interest in Hemostemix's services and products; competition and Hemostemix's competitive advantages; and, Hemostemix obtaining satisfactory financing to fund Hemostemix's operations including any research, trials or studies. 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 Hemostemix to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the ability of Hemostemix to complete its current CLI clinical trial, complete satisfactory analyses pf clinical trials and other information, and the results of such analyses and future clinical trials;

litigation and potential litigation that Hemostemix may face; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; the actual results of future operations including the actual results of future research, trials or studies; competition; changes in legislation affecting Hemostemix; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; long-term capital requirements and future developments in Hemostemix's markets and the markets in which it expects to compete; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals; and risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, service disruptions, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, disruptions to economic activity and financings, disruptions to supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession or depression; the potential impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on Hemostemix which may include a decreased demand for the services that Hemostemix offers; and a deterioration of financial markets that could limit Hemostemix's ability to obtain external financing. A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Hemostemix's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Although Hemostemix has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of Hemostemix as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, it is subject to change after such date. However, Hemostemix expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123400
BUCHAREST, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday thanked the United Nations (UN) for its assistance to her country to address the refugee crisis and the full impact of the conflict in Ukraine.

Sandu met with visiting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday in Chisinau, capital of Moldova, discussing joint efforts to help Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and ways to address the impact of the conflict on Moldova's economy, according to Sandu's Twitter page.

Recalling the direct financial assistance extended by the UN to the Ukrainian refugees and the Moldovan families who host them, Sandu said that the aid will soon reach all those who need it, as assured by Guterres.

Sandu and Guterres also discussed the new UN-Republic of Moldova Partnership Framework (UNPF) for the next five years that "will contribute to improving the living conditions of citizens."

In Guterres' meeting late on Monday with Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, the issue of Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova that borders Ukraine, was also on the agenda.

Gavrilita stressed that Chisinau counts on the UN's support in the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, while Guterres called on the international community to respect Moldova's territorial integrity.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Moldova's accession to the United Nations. 
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Imperial Mining Group Ltd.(TSXV: IPG)(OTCQB: IMPNF)("Imperial")would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #919 at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver) on Tuesday May 17 - Wednesday May 18, 2022.

Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and Former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon are two of the marquee speakers at the 2022 Resource Investment Conference. VRIC will host more than 100 international keynote speakers covering the hottest topics in finance, economics and geopolitics on May 17th and 18th, 2022.

Also presenting are best-selling finance author Robert "Rich Dad" Kiyosaki, dozens of globally respected economists, legendary money managers, and investors. The conversations on stage will cover the most important investment opportunities and key issues in macro-finance.

The VRIC will include a marketplace of 225 investment opportunities in the mining industry, spanning early-stage exploration to advanced-stage producing mines.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://cambridgehouse.com/vancouver-resource-investment-conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

ABOUT IMPERIAL MINING GROUP LTD.

Imperial is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on the advancement of its technology metals projects in Qubec. Imperial is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange as "IPG" and on the OTCQB Exchange as "IMPNF" and is led by an experienced team of mineral exploration and development professionals with a strong track record of mineral deposit discovery in numerous metal commodities.

For further information please contact:

Peter J. Cashin

President and Chief Executive Officer

Phone: +1 (514) 360-0571

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.imperialmgp.com Twitter: @imperial_mining Facebook: Imperial Mining Group

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123497
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Know Labs, Inc. (OTCQB: KNWN) ("the Company"), a company that is transforming non-invasive medical diagnostics. The company's proprietary technology, Bio-RFID", uses radio frequency spectroscopy to capture the unique molecular signatures of analytes, such as glucose, in the bloodstream. Chairman of the Company, Ron Erickson, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's background and current projects. "Know Labs has developed proprietary, patented sensor technology, which allows us to non-invasively ascertain the presence of molecules in the human body with a first focus on glucose," shared Erickson. "We intend to initiate the FDA clearance process this year or next year for the device that will provide non-invasive, continuous blood glucose levels."

"What makes Know Labs, Inc. so special?", asked Jolly. "We are a first in terms of non-invasively ascertaining blood glucose levels, and we intend to be the first to market doing that," said Erickson, noting the immense market for this technology. "In the United States alone, 15 million people prick their finger everyday with each finger stick costing $1," he explained, adding that people managing diabetes often need to check blood glucose levels 3 to 4 times per day. "We do want to come to market with a product that is very economically competitive."

"How does the device operate?", asked Jolly. "We have two products in the pipeline," said Erickson. "The first product is called the KnowU, and it is about the size of your smartphone," he shared. "It will connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone to periodically check blood glucose levels," said Erickson. "All you have to do is put your palm on it, and there is a very good representation of this on our website."

"The second product is called the UBand," he continued. "This is a smaller wearable product, which goes on your wrist," said Erickson. "This is a continuous glucose monitor that will connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone."

"Could you bring us up-to-speed on human trials and IRB approval?", asked Jolly. "The IRB stands for Institutional Review Board," explained Erickson. "When you're doing a serious trial, you want to make sure that you have third-party approval," he said, adding that the Company recently received approval for their trial. "This is going to be a study with 200 individuals using our technology," said Erickson. "We hope late this year to be in front of the FDA for what is called a pre-submission meeting," he shared. "Before we go to the FDA, we want to have evidence that what we have really is significant, makes a difference, and that it works," said Erickson. "This test will prepare the way with credibility."

"What can listeners and shareholders expect in 2022?", asked Jolly. "We can expect results coming from the 200 person study," said Erickson. "The team working in our lab is going to be working on analyzing other molecules that are important to human life and health, because it is important to know that our device is a platform," he shared. "We have a list of over 100 potential molecules that relate to human health and wellness."

"What we intend is that this is a device that can revolutionize diagnostics in a non-invasive way, and have a big connection into remote medicine, telemedicine, and a person's ability to monitor their own health and wellness," continued Erickson.

"What kind of patents do you have on this technology?", asked Jolly. "Right now we have around 80 patents filed and pending," said Erickson. "We try to make very smart, strategic decisions about where to file both offensively and defensively," he added. "We take the IP very seriously, and you can expect more patents to be filed and issued this year."

To close the interview, Erickson encouraged listeners and shareholders to learn more about the Company and keep up-to-date on their current and upcoming projects as they continue to advance their portfolio.

To hear Ron Erickson's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8080967-know-labs-inc-discusses-significance-of-patented-non-invasive-blood-glucose-monitoring-technolo.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About Know Labs, Inc.

Know Labs, Inc. is a public company whose shares trade under the stock symbol "KNWN." The Company's technology uses spectroscopy to direct electromagnetic energy through a substance or material to capture a unique molecular signature. The Company refers to its technology as Bio-RFID". The Bio-RFID technology can be integrated into a variety of wearable, mobile, or bench-top form factors. This patented and patent-pending technology makes it possible to effectively identify and monitor analyses that could only previously be performed by invasive and/or expensive and time-consuming lab-based tests. The first application of our Bio-RFID technology will be in a product marketed as a glucose monitor. It will provide the user with real-time information on their blood glucose levels. This product will require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval prior to its introduction to the market.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Know Labs, Inc., its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) financing plans; (ii) trends affecting its financial condition or results of operations; (iii) growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) performance of products. You can identify these statements by the use of the words "may," "will," "could," "should," "would," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," "likely," "forecast," "probable," "potential," and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Know Labs, Inc.'s ability to control, and actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, Forms 10-Q and 8-K, and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of our website at www.knowlabs.co. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. 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.

Contacts

Know Labs, Inc. Contact:

Jordyn Hujar

[email protected]

Ph. (206) 629-6414

Linhart PR for Know Labs Media Inquiries:

Kelly Brown

[email protected]

Ph. (303) 951-2552

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123423
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Therma Bright Inc. (TSXV: THRM) ("Therma" or the "Company"), a progressive medical device technology company, is pleased to announce that it will submit an application to Health Canada for review of the Company's AcuVid" COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Saliva Test for detecting SARS CoV-2 virus in saliva.

The application to Health Canada follows an application under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) guidelines to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for review of its AcuVid" COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Saliva Test on March 29, 2022. The application to Health Canada will be made under the Interim Order issued by Health Canada. The application is substantially equivalent to the one made to FDA and uses the test performance data from the US and Brazilian clinical studies and the product manufacturing data provided to the FDA.

The FDA under its Emergency Use Authorization and Health Canada under the Interim Order recommend that candidate tests should demonstrate a minimum sensitivity of greater than 80%. The results achieved by the AcuVid" test in clinical studies exceed the minimum threshold for approval by these regulatory agencies.

Therma Bright's goal is to provide a low-cost, scalable saliva-based antigen test for routine and widespread testing of both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in schools, workplaces, nursing homes, sporting events, airports and other venues where a rapid result is required.

Mr. Rob Fia, CEO of Therma Bright, commented, "We are pleased to have filed with the FDA in March and shortly with Health Canada. We are also exploring other international regulatory jurisdictions where it may be advantageous for us to file and are actively seeking initial orders, subject to final regulatory approvals. Our suppliers and contract manufacturers have been locked down and will provide sufficient capacity to fulfil the initial orders and volume orders as they develop."

"With the detection of new sub-variants of concern such as Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, it has become clear that Covid will be with us for a long time and will probably become endemic much like influenza, necessitating the need for continued vigilance and testing," added Mr. Fia.

Therma Bright is not making any express or implied claims that its test product has the ability to eliminate or cure COVID-19 or the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

About Therma Bright Inc.

Therma Bright, developer of the smart-enabled AcuVid" COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Saliva Test, is a progressive medical diagnostic and device technology company focused on providing consumers and medical professionals with quality, innovative solutions that address some of today's most important medical and healthcare challenges. The Company's initial breakthrough proprietary technology delivers effective, non-invasive and pain-free skincare. Therma Bright received a Class II medical device status from the FDA for its platform technology that is indicated for the relief of the pain, itch, and inflammation of a variety of insect bites or stings.

Therma Bright Inc. trades on the TSXV (TSXV: THRM) (OTCQB: TBRIF) (FSE: JNX). Visit: www.thermabright.com.

For further information, please contact:

Therma Bright Inc.

Rob Fia, CEO

[email protected]

Follow us on Twitter

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events such as development and commercialization of a rapid COVID-19 viral assay and related instrumentation and manufacturing as described in the news release. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

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 press release.

This press release is not an offer of the securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123395
Qingdao City, Shandong Province--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2022) - Signing Ceremony on investment agreement between Wise Road Capital and Qingdao Dayihaichuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was held in Beijing in April, 2022. Experts from China Agricultural University and related agricultural management institutions attended.

As a start-up marine technology company, the business of Qingdao Dayi covers the whole industry chain, including artificial breeding, adult breeding, food development, drug application, ecological environmental protection, etc. Currently, it has already started the industrial development in the application of marine biological seed breeding, molecular breeding and aquaculture. Today the necessity for agricultural innovation is more pressing. Solving such global-scale problems requires not only technological breakthroughs and financial investment, but also transnational cooperation, a prospect that likely attracted Wise Road Capital to invest in emerging businesses in this field.

Wise Road Capital has adopted an optimistic attitude towards the future of new agricultural technology enterprises and green agriculture since it altered its interests on modern agricultural innovations such as smart farming, planting equipment, and agricultural cloud. As a global professional equity investment institution, Wise Road Capital is known for its continuous investment on and acquisition of semiconductor and IT companies. With the booming of the global ICT and semiconductor market during the past 8-10 years, Wise Road Capital aimed at opportunities to plunge into this field, and maximizes the interests of investors through large-scale and profitable investment. Since it participated in the restructuring of Tsinghua Unigroup the end of 2021, the company has become one of Tsinghua Unigroup's strategic investors.

In addition to semiconductor investment, Wise Road Capital also pays attention to many companies in the fields of biomedicine and green environment. According to public information, ScioSense, a company mainly engaged in environmental monitoring sensors invested by Wise Road in 2019, is currently operating quite stable in China, largely thanks to the operation empowerment of Wise Road Capital.

Known as China's "Blackstone" in the investment community because of its large deal size, Wise Road Capital is also known for its asset restructuring and post-investment management. The companies it bids for have significantly improved their performance after obtaining their investment. According to reports, after Wise Road Capital took the control of the semiconductor packaging and testing company UTAC in August 2020, it turned losses into profits, and its revenue soared from US$700 million to US$1.5 billion. After Nexperia was acquired by Wise Road Capital, the company's revenue and profit both increased by more than 50%. In the reorganization of Tsinghua Unigroup, Wise Road Capital won the trust in the industry and the high recognition of creditors by virtue of its professional ability in asset reorganization and post-investment management, and successfully took over the overall reorganization of Tsinghua Unigroup together with several other investors in the consortium.

Guided by the IMIC investment concept philosophy of "International, Marketization, Independent, and Client", Wise Road Capital requires that the invested projects can not only achieve the standards of technology, intelligence and industrialization, but also widely improve people's future life. Signing a contract with Dayihaichuang to participate in industrialization projects focusing on marine breeding and marine aquaculture means that Wise Road Capital is optimistic about and will continuously pay attention to the potential of innovative technology in the agricultural field, and also suggests that Wise Road Capital will gradually open up a new investment track in agriculture and biological sciences.

Company: Qingdao Dayihaichuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Contact Person: Han Sen

Email: [email protected]

Company Address: No. 555 Tailiu Road, Shibei District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123440
Attendees Can Interview, Receive Offers on Site; Signing Bonuses Available

EIGHTY FOUR, Pa., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 84 Lumber, the nation's largest privately held building materials supplier, is recruiting for nearly 20 immediate openings at its location in Bradenton, FL, as the company's business continues to expand nationwide. Interested job seekers can interview for open positions at a hiring event on May 17, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the company's Bradenton store (2800 15th St. East, Bradenton, FL 34208).

"At 84 Lumber, we are on the leading edge of the ongoing rise in residential construction across the nation," said Rob Woodrow, divisional vice president at 84 Lumber. "Greater demand for our products means a need for more motivated, dedicated employees who want to take advantage of the phenomenal growth opportunity in our industry. If you have a strong work ethic and are eager for something new, you could be the perfect fit for us."

Hiring event attendees will participate in job interviews and learn more about 84 Lumber's company culture. Some attendees may receive a job offer on site. Open positions include:

Field operations managers will assist with operations projects at various locations and train store associates on advanced operations skills, including marketing, sales, and merchandising. Starting compensation for field operations managers is $51,000 per year.

will assist with operations projects at various locations and train store associates on advanced operations skills, including marketing, sales, and merchandising. Starting compensation for field operations managers is $51,000 per year. Project superintendents are responsible for supervising and inspecting job sites, ensuring a safe work environment, and establishing building sequence, dates, and a manner to carry out work. Starting salary is $45,000 to $50,000 per year with a $500 sign-on bonus.

are responsible for supervising and inspecting job sites, ensuring a safe work environment, and establishing building sequence, dates, and a manner to carry out work. Starting salary is $45,000 to $50,000 per year with a $500 sign-on bonus. Manager trainees (MTs) , who enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is $40,000 per year. MTs also receive a $750 sign-on bonus.

, who enter an intensive, one-on-one, on-the-job training program that teaches them about the company's business and puts them on a path to become a future leader within the enterprise. Starting compensation for manager trainees is $40,000 per year. MTs also receive a $750 sign-on bonus. Window/yard associates. Applicants need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of equipment. Responsiblities also include servicing windows, stocking inventory, and completing inspections. Starting pay is between $15 and $18 per hour. Yard associates also receive a $500 sign-on bonus.

Applicants need no prior experience and perform essential functions behind the scenes  from the management of supply shipments to the operation of equipment. Responsiblities also include servicing windows, stocking inventory, and completing inspections. Starting pay is between $15 and $18 per hour. Yard associates also receive a $500 sign-on bonus. Service technicians/new construction maintenance associates are responsible for servicing windows sold to builders, completing all necessary paperwork, ensuring a clean job site, and other warehouse duties such as stocking inventory and loading trucks. Starting pay for these positions in between $15 and $18 per hour with a $750 sign-on bonus.

"As a family-owned company, 84 Lumber is committed to helping our employees build a long-term career with us. We are proud to say that 95% of our store managers started in our manager trainee program," Woodrow said. "We believe that a wide variety of candidates can find a home with the company and open doors for themselves  a person with no construction experience but a desire to learn, military veterans ready to open their next chapter, or someone simply ready to make a fresh start. We'll give every one of them the tools to grow."

Candidates interested in participating in the Hiring Event should pre-register online and complete the form. Registrants will then receive an email from 84 Lumber with the link to apply for the desired position. To save time, Woodrow strongly encourages candidates to apply for positions online before they attend the event.

On-site pre-employment drug screening will be available for applicants at the hiring event. Candidates who advance in the process will also be required to pass a background check prior to employment.

To learn more about 84 Lumber, follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 84 LUMBERFounded in 1956 and headquartered in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, 84 Lumber Company is the nation's largest privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. The company operates nearly 250 stores, component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. 84 Lumber also offers turnkey installation services for a variety of products, including framing, insulation, siding, windows, roofing, decking and drywall. A certified national women's business enterprise owned by Maggie Hardy Knox, 84 Lumber was named by Forbes as one of America's Largest Private Companies in 2018 and one of America's Best Large Employers in 2019. For more information, visit 84lumber.com or join us at Facebook.com/84lumber and linkedin.com/company/84-lumber.

Contact: Jeff Donaldson, BLD MarketingEmail: [email protected] Phone: (412) 347-8039 Photos: http://www.bldpressroom.com/84lumber/bradenton

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/84-lumber-to-fill-immediate-job-openings-in-bradenton-fl-by-hosting-hiring-event-on-may-17-301544267.html

SOURCE 84 Lumber
Stellantis earns spot on DiversityInc list of 2022 Noteworthy Companies for Diversity

Company also earns spot on 2022 Top Companies for Supplier Diversity specialty list

Thirteenth time company earned recognition from DiversityInc since ratings were established in 2001

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DiversityInc has named Stellantis as a 2022 Noteworthy Company for Diversity in the U.S. and to the specialty list of Top Companies for Supplier Diversity.

This was the 13th time the company has earned top recognition (Top 50 or Noteworthy) since the ratings were established in 2001.

Stellantis also ranked third on the Top Companies for Supplier Diversity specialty list. In 2021, the company took the eighth spot on this prestigious ranking.

"While Stellantis is proud and humbled by what our team has accomplished, earning acknowledgment by DiversityInc and other respected diversity leadership benchmarks, we remain highly motivated to continue to take our commitment to diversity and inclusion to exciting new levels," said Lottie Holland, director  diversity, inclusion, engagement and EEO compliance, Stellantis  North America. "Our leaders realize that the conversation on diversity and inclusion must move beyond aspirational statements and focus on intentional outcomes that reflect our values and have tangible economic impact in diverse communities."

In addition to DiversityInc, some of the company's recent diversity leadership accomplishments include:

LATINA Style magazine's Top 50 Report of companies providing a supportive work environment for Latinas

Winds of Change magazine's annual list of top companies providing careers, development and recruiting opportunities for Indigenous STEM professionals

CADIA (Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement) Diversity Impact Award in the category of Leadership Commitment to Diversity

Top score on the annual Disability Equality Index, administered by Disability:IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities

Internally, the company supports 11 business resource groups representing a range of affinity communities, including African ancestry, Asian, disabilities, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Middle Eastern, Native American, veterans, women, working parents and women in manufacturing.

These employee-directed groups each have two executive sponsors and, individually and collectively, pursue initiatives that enhance the Stellantis work culture by focusing on career development of members, celebrating multicultural differences, and bringing value to the company and community through volunteer, charitable and strategic activities.

A key competitive differentiator of the company's commitment to diversity continues to be its leadership providing opportunities for diverse suppliers, ensuring new opportunities are offered to grow certified minority-, women-, veteran-, LGBTQ+- and disability-owned businesses.

Since 1983, the company has purchased more than $100 billion from diverse-owned suppliers. Last year, Stellantis in North America spent nearly $7.5 billion with diverse suppliers.

In 2021, Stellantis launched the National Black Supplier Development Program in partnership with the National Business League, an automotive industry first. At scale, the program is expected to support business opportunities and development for millions of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. and internationally.

In addition to DiversityInc, some of the company's recent supplier diversity leadership accomplishments include:

President's Award from the National Veterans Business Development Council

Corporation of the Year Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council

Benchmark Corporation of the Year recognition from Rainbow Push Coalition

Best-in-Class Award from the Great Lakes Women Business Council

Top Corporation Gold Award from the Women's Business Enterprise National Council

President's Award from the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council

Since 2001, the DiversityInc survey has been the most comprehensive analysis based on organization-submitted information from some of the largest U.S. employers. The assessment collects data across six key areas, such as leadership accountability, human capital, talent programs, workplace practices, supplier diversity and philanthropy.

More than 2,100 U.S. companies participated in the 2022 evaluation.

Stellantis' commitment to diversity is central to the company's Dare Forward 2030 business strategy, contributing to the company being an extraordinary place to work and a magnet for people with the talent and drive to improve the lives of our customers today and in the digital and electrified future.

DiversityIncThe mission of DiversityInc is to bring education and clarity to the business benefits of diversity. The DiversityInc Top 50 and Noteworthy Companies for Diversity lists began in 2001, when many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives. The 2022 Top 50 and Noteworthy Companies for Diversity results are featured on DiversityInc.com.

Stellantis North AmericaStellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move  aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow company news and video on:Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.comMedia website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.comCompany website: www.stellantis.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/StellantisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellantisNAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stellantisnaTwitter: @StellantisNAYouTube: http://youtube.com/StellantisNA

For more information, please visit the Stellantis media site for North America at https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com.

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SOURCE Stellantis
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mike Byrt will report to Pat Toner Group CEO. Mike has over 35 years' experience in the aviation industry and has most recently held the position of Technical Services Director & founder of the CAMO business inside the Atlantic Aviation Group since January 2017. Throughout the course of his long career, he has held a series of senior technical roles with international organisations including Shannon Aerospace (Lufthansa Group) & Part M Aviation.

Toner said:"Our AerAdvise business is poised for long-term growth, with an established operational platform Dublin and Ireland recognised as the international centre of excellence for aircraft leasing. Mike has overseen the transformation of several aviation technical businesses into global multi-tier service providers with sustainable, profitable portfolio's of business and we are very pleased he will be leading AerAdvise into the next phase of its expansion."

Byrt said:"AerAdvise is a fantastic technical consultancy platform to the aviation industry, with a targeted range of service streams, a wealth of talent and established reputations at internationally. With market conditions improving markedly, I look forward to working with Pat and the broader operational team to grow the business further."

AerAdvise provide CAMO Services and Technical Services support to a broad range of customers in the airline and aircraft leasing fields.

AerAdvise can be contacted to discuss more about the services capabilities provided on [email protected], as well as further information on their CAMO approvals.

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SOURCE AerAdvise
SAS Hackathon an incubator for innovation and social justice

CARY, N.C. and MILWAUKEE, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, a team of data scientists and technology enthusiasts from around the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the outcome of foreclosure policies and procedures in Milwaukee County, aiming to identify potential inequity, bias and racism.

2022 SAS Hackathon team MKE Equity used artificial intelligence to analyze Milwaukee County policies for inequity.

In 2020, Milwaukee County passed an ordinance to treat racism as a "public health crisis." The ordinance included a call to "track and analyze data to better understand the impact of county services and find solutions accordingly." Team MKE Equity is part of greater efforts from the government, businesses and the area's tech community to meet this mandate.

Team MKE Equity participated in the 2022 SAS Hackathon, a monthlong event sponsored by SAS, the leader in analytics, and its preferred cloud partner Microsoft. Hackathon teams from around the world collaborate with experts and SAS mentors to address big challenges in business and government and use the hackathon as an incubator for innovation.

According to Lynn Fyhrlund, Chief Information Officer for Milwaukee County, "Our team was determined to apply innovative technology to identify and correct institutional bias that often leads to racial inequities and racially disparate outcomes. By using SAS analytics to analyze the words of county policies and ordinances, Milwaukee County aims to be a leader in achieving racial equity."

The team used SAS Viya software running on Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The combination of AI in the cloud gives Hackathon teams  and businesses, government agencies and universities worldwide  the power to quickly transform data into better, faster decisions.

With SAS Viya software, the MKE Equity team was able to apply advanced machine learning techniques to analyze data using a variety of modeling approaches.

MKE Equity was supported by MKE Tech Hub Coalition, a non-profit membership organization that serves as a unifying voice for the Milwaukee tech ecosystem. The Coalition is committed to diversity and inclusion in the Milwaukee region's tech community.

MKE Tech Hub Coalition CEO Kathy Henrich added, "Milwaukee County is showing its leadership in adopting advanced technologies to improve equity in our communities. MKE Tech Hub Coalition was so excited to be able to bring this opportunity to Milwaukee County through our national relationships."

MKE Equity was also supported by the pro bono effort of Nicholas Schmidt, the CEO of SolasAI, an AI software company that helps organizations determine whether algorithms they employ are biased or discriminatory, and then fix any problems that may be found.

"The emergence of explainable AI allows us to better understand how seemingly innocuous policies may lead to bias in practice," said Schmidt. "Together, we can use this innovation in algorithms to affect truly positive change in the communities in which we live. It has been thrilling to begin this work with the dedicated and passionate teams at MKE Equity and SAS."

Per Reggie Townsend, Director of the SAS Data Ethics Practice and recent appointee to the National Intelligence Artificial Advisory Committee, "As part of our responsible innovation efforts, SAS encourages researchers and communities to understand the sources of inequities and bias, using data. The work by the MKE Equity team highlights AI's powerful potential to reveal and confront barriers to human progress."

What is the SAS Hackathon?During the SAS Hackathon, teams of participants collaborate and compete to develop the best solutions to a business or humanitarian challenge using SAS technology. Unlike many hackathons where participants meet in person for a couple days, the SAS Hackathon was all-digital and spanned one month. Teams had access to a learning portal and a SAS mentor. Hackathon teams can create potentially viable applications and products for the marketplace that SAS will assist in developing and commercializing in collaboration with the team.

To learn more, visit SAS Hackathon and follow #SAShackathon on Twitter.

Today's announcement was made at the virtual SAS Media & Influencer Briefing. To keep up with the latest news from SAS, follow @SASsoftwareNews on Twitter.

About SASSAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2022 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contacts:Julia Norton[email protected]+1 919-531-4661andMike Nemecek[email protected]+1 919-531-5140

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SOURCE SAS
LAVAL, QC, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("CoucheTard" or the "Corporation") (TSX: ATD) announced today that it has established a commercial paper program in the United States (the "US Commercial Paper Program") on a private placement basis.

Under the terms of the US Commercial Paper Program, Couche-Tard may issue, from time to time, unsecured commercial paper notes with maturities not in excess of 397 days from the date of issue (the "Notes"). The aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at any one time under the US Commercial Paper Program will not exceed US $2.5 billion. Couche-Tard intends to use the proceeds from the issuance of Notes for general corporate purposes.

The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Corporation and will rank equally and pari passu with all of its current and future senior unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The Notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by certain of Couche-Tard's wholly owned subsidiaries who are guarantors under Couche-Tard's senior credit facilities. The Corporation's main revolving credit facility, available for a total amount of US $2,525 million, will serve as a liquidity backstop for the repayment of the Notes issued under the US Commercial Paper Program.

The Notes have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public under applicable securities laws in Canada and may not be offered or sold to or purchased by any resident of Canada.

The Notes to be offered under the US Commercial Paper Program have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes in the United States or any jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so.

About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,100 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is one of the largest independent convenience store operator in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong SAR. Approximately 124,000 people are employed throughout its network.

For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., please visit: https://corpo.couche-tard.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation, including those with respect to the issuance of the Notes as well as the use of proceeds therefrom. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Couche-Tard and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties outside of Couche-Tard's control. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release.

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SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
New transaction paves the way for real-time, secure, and transparent cross-border carbon credit settlements.

LONDON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Carbonplace, the new carbon credit settlement platform jointly developed by some of the world's largest financial institutions, has announced the successful pilot transfer of carbon credits through its system in collaboration with global payments technology company Visa.

The transaction, which involved Visa purchasing Verra-certified credits from Sustainable Carbon, a leading carbon credit project developer, represents a major boost for carbon markets. It demonstrates the capability of Carbonplace's unique settlement technology to significantly increase the speed, efficiency, and security required to support the growing demand for voluntary carbon credits, and in doing so, to more effectively drive private sector capital towards global climate solutions.

The transfer was facilitated by two of Carbonplace's founding banks, National Australia Bank (NAB) on behalf of Visa and Itau Unibanco on behalf of Sustainable Carbon. It underscores how the institutions behind Carbonplace  which also include BNP Paribas, CIBC, NatWest Group, Standard Chartered, and UBS  can collaboratively leverage their existing infrastructure, including know-your-customer and anti-money laundering procedures, to address some of the challenges that have held back the development of the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

Last month's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighted that decarbonization, and in turn, scalable carbon innovation is critical to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis[1]. Against this backdrop, corporations across the globe continue to set ambitious climate action pledges in the drive towards a net zero economy. Carbon credits will play an important, complementary role in these commitments by compensating for unavoidable emissions, and as a result, the VCM continues to grow rapidly, surpassing USD 1 billion in 2021[2].

This new collaboration is part of Visa's global aspirations to become a climate-positive company through new partnerships and initiatives. Last year, Visa pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal[3]. Together with Carbonplace, Visa will continue to explore delivering additional technology-led sustainable solutions for its customers.

The pilot will also inform the further development of Carbonplace, which has been likened to the 'SWIFT' system of the carbon markets, including the exploration of more innovative ways to settle transactions. It is currently expected that Carbonplace will be operational at the end of 2022.

"Visa is committed to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and to create sustainable business solutions for our clients, which will help them meet their net zero commitments," said Charlotte Hogg, CEO Visa Europe. "We're excited about the potential for this voluntary carbon market to leverage our capabilities and help to deliver on that commitment, and we're proud to support Carbonplace through this first pilot purchase of fully certified carbon credits in this market."

David Gall NAB Group Executive, Corporate and Institutional Banking, said: "Climate action is everyone's job, including NAB's. Carbonplace is creating new opportunities to help our customers as they take action to reduce their emissions and achieve their own targets. This successful pilot transaction with Visa is a significant step towards being able to help more of our customers tackle existing barriers and make carbon credits more accessible to everyone."

About Carbonplace

About National Australia Bank (NAB)

About Itau Unibanco

About Sustainable Carbon

Notes to editors

www.carbonplace.com

[1] https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/

[2] https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/voluntary-carbon-markets-top-1-billion-in-2021-with-newly-reported-trades-special-ecosystem-marketplace-cop26-bulletin/

[3] https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/04/15/sustainable-commerce-and-1618453815474.html

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SOURCE Carbonplace
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- We are delighted to announce that Dr. Cristian Samper will join the Bezos Earth Fund as Managing Director and Leader of Nature Solutions. He will lead a $3 billion nature solutions portfolio to protect and restore nature and transform food systems as part of Jeff Bezos' $10 billion personal commitment to protect nature and fight climate change.

"Cristian is a giant in the conservation field, and we're honored he's joining us on a full-time basis to drive our nature agenda," said Bezos Earth Fund President and CEO, Dr. Andrew Steer. "The enormity of the challenge ahead requires vision and bold action, and Cristian's leadership is critical in this decisive decade."

Samper is currently advising the Earth Fund as its Principal Advisor for Nature, where he's helped shape the organization's nature portfolio. He also helped design and launch the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, a coalition of foundations, including the Earth Fund, pledging $5 billion to support the protection of 30% of the planet by 2030.

"We are fortunate to have Cristian as a key member of the Bezos Earth Fund team," said Lauren Sanchez, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. "His contributions have already made an impact and will continue to push the organization's mission further, helping drive critical climate and nature solutions."

Samper will step down as President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), where he has overseen one of the largest environmental nonprofit organizations in the world and a global conservation program in nearly 60 countries. His role has included managing the world's most extensive collection of urban parks  including the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo.

"It gives me great pride to continue supporting, and to be soon leading, the nature solutions portfolio at the Bezos Earth Fund," said Samper. "It's important that we continue to provide innovative solutions to the climate crisis and that includes valuing the role nature plays in addressing the world's greatest challenge."

Before leading WCS, Samper was the Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, the world's most extensive natural history collection, from 2003 to 2012, and served as acting Secretary of the Smithsonian from 2007 to 2008, the first Latin American to hold the position.

About the Bezos Earth Fund

The Bezos Earth Fund is Jeff Bezos' $10 billion personal commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs and others to help drive climate and nature solutions. By allocating funds creatively, wisely and boldly, the Bezos Earth Fund has the potential for transformative influence in this decisive decade. Funds will be fully allocated by 2030  the date by which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved.

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SOURCE Bezos Earth Fund
Positioned to Provide Unique Expertise to Enhance AMI's Security Offerings

ATLANTA, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AMI, a global leader in the Dynamic Firmware market for worldwide computing, today announced Samuel John Cure as its Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Cure previously served as CISO of Planview, Inc., and AXIS Capital. Along with his two successful tenures as CISO, he brings a spirit of innovation and expertise in building international cybersecurity programs to the AMI team. In addition, Cure has extensive experience crafting business-aligned cybersecurity programs, providing executive oversight of risk management, including identifying and mitigating security risks in all corporate functions and external-facing products and solutions.

Cybersecurity executive Samuel John Cure joins AMI as its new Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

With 25 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, Cure has developed and managed multiple programs and security consulting services with a global focus, spanning North and South America, Bermuda, Europe and Asia-Pacific. He is known in the field for his trademarked cybersecurity platform, Mr. CISO, developing the IBM X-Force database and creating several ethical hacking programs for global Fortune 500 companies.

"At AMI, as further proof of our commitment to the overall security of AMI and the products we provide to our customers, we are increasing the depth of our cybersecurity expertise at the leadership level, says Sanjoy Maity, Chief Executive Officer of AMI. "Sam's deep understanding of the cybersecurity industry, along with a background in tech business development, is a strong addition to the company. We are excited to welcome Sam to the team and look forward to his contributions to our growth."

Cure's experience in the cybersecurity industry and diverse background as a start-up entrepreneur, international advisor and security consultant will provide unique insights to the company's products and solutions, which leverage the company's rich history in the marketplace. His knowledge will strengthen AMI's legacy of innovation while providing executive oversight of risk management for all corporate functions and solutions in new markets, such as cloud technology, and expand AMI's cybersecurity program.

For more information about AMI, visit ami.com.

About AMI AMI is a global leader in the Dynamic Firmware market for security, orchestration, and manageability solutions, enabling the world's compute platforms from on-premises to the cloud to the edge. AMI's industry-leading foundational technology and unwavering customer support have generated lasting partnerships and spurred innovation for some of the most prominent brands in the high-tech industry. AMI is also a critical provider to the Open Compute ecosystem and is a member of numerous industry associations and standards groups, such as the Unified EFI Forum (UEFI), PICMG, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP), and the Trusted Computing Group (TCG).

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SOURCE AMI
LEWISVILLE, N.C. , May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- David C. Pollock is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Pinnacle Orthopedic Physician in the Medical field and in acknowledgment of his work at Orthopaedics - Davie - Wake Forest Baptist Health.

With over two decades in Medical practice, David C. Pollock is an expert in hip and knee replacements. Dr. Pollock attended Wake Forest University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 1984. He then completed a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1992 at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. He next took on a General Surgery residency in 1992, a Research Fellowship in 1993, and an Orthopedic Surgery residency in 1995 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, from where his wife, father, and brother also received their medical training. Dr. Pollock completed an Adult Reconstruction Fellowship in Alexandria, VA, from 1999-2000, gaining more experience with hip and knee replacement procedures. He is now board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery through the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). The ABOS strives to evaluate physicians who meet the high standards of patient care in the Orthopedic Medicine specialty.In 2000, the doctor began teaching as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Health. He worked as an Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Orthopaedic Specialists of the Carolinas, PA, for over eight years as a hip and knee replacement specialist. Dr. Pollock also worked at OrthoCarolina from 2014 to 2016.Today, Dr. Pollock serves as the Section Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Orthopaedics  Davie - Wake Forest Baptist Health in Bermuda Run, NC. He is also a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Chief of Adult Reconstruction at Wake Forest School of Medicine.Dr. Pollock is a member of the American Board of Surgery and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the North Carolina Orthopaedic Association, The Engh Society, the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the Norfolk Southern Association of Physicians.Dr. Pollock was featured on the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist YouTube channel, where he discussed his deep involvement in medicine, his approach to treating patients on a personal level, and his perspective on the cutting-edge technology offered by the facility. He says, "For me, it's not really a doctor-patient relationship, it's a friendship, and you're both working together to help that patientAnd most of the time, you can hear and understand what's wrong before you even examine a person."He has been awarded for many years in medicine with a profile feature on IssueWire and Pro News Report in 2021.In his free time, Dr. Pollock loves to spend time with his wife and three children, who he considers his greatest legacy. His hobbies include fly fishing, mountain biking, and traveling. Dr. Pollock attributes his success to the Lord God.He would like to dedicate this honorable recognition In Loving Memory of his father, Dr. Frank Pollock, his wife Deborah, his three children, his brother Dr. Eddie Pollock, and his mentors, Dr. Charlie Engh and Dr. Jerry Engh.For more information, visit https://school.wakehealth.edu/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

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SOURCE Continental Who's Who
CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elopak has today welcomed new sites and team members in Casablanca, Morocco and Dammam, Saudi Arabia at the official celebration of its recent acquisition of Naturepak Beverage - the leading gable top fresh liquid carton and packaging systems supplier in the MENA region.

Following the acquisition, Elopak has added local production facilities in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to its extensive existing global network, which already encompasses customers across 70 countries. At the same time, annual production capacity has been boosted by more than 2.5 billion cartons, supporting the company's ambition to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.

The event took place in Casablanca, Morocco and included a ribbon cutting ceremony, a site tour of the production facility and a formal lunch. In attendance at the event were the Minister of Industry and Commerce Ryad Mezzour and Norway's Ambassador to Morocco Sjur Larsen.

Commenting on the event, Elopak CEO Thomas Kormendi stated, "We are delighted to officially welcome team members in Morocco and Saudi Arabia to the company. We look forward to working closely together and are excited by the opportunities that exist for us to deliver sustainable packaging solutions as part of a bigger and better team with a strengthened position in the MENA region."

Norway's Ambassador to Morocco, Sjur Larsen, also commented on the occasion, stating, "I am pleased to see Elopak investing in Morocco through this acquisition. I hope to see more Norwegian companies come to do business in Morocco and to invest. There are many possibilities in Morocco, and also for Norwegian companies that want to look at possibilities for access to new markets in Africa and the Middle East."

The acquisition of Naturepak Beverage is part of Elopak's growth strategy, enhancing its position in the MENA region showing great potential. Having listed on the Oslo stock exchange in 2021, Elopak is seeking to capitalize on its strong track record, growing geographical footprint and investment in sustainability-focused innovations to target organic growth of 2-3% per annum. It is pursuing new business opportunities across both traditional and non-traditional segments, as well as driving the plastic to carton conversion.

About Elopak

Elopak is a leading global supplier of carton packaging and filling equipment. The company's iconic Pure-Pak cartons are made using renewable, recyclable and sustainably sourced materials, providing a natural and convenient alternative to plastic bottles that fits within a low carbon circular economy.

Founded in Norway in 1957, Elopak was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2021. Today it employs 2,700 people and sells in excess of 14 billion cartons annually across more than 70 countries.

Elopak is a UN Global Compact participant with a platinum EcoVadis rating and has been carbon neutral since 2016. For more information, go to elopak.com or follow us @Pure_Pak on Twitter and @Elopak on LinkedIn.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1814825/Elopak_Morocco.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1677938/Elopak_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Elopak
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2022 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Social commerce industry in Europe is expected to grow by 36.5% on annual basis to reach US$67, 203.7 million in 2022.The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 36.0% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$67, 203.7 million in 2022 to reach US$4, 24, 732.2 million by 2028.The growing interaction of consumers with brands on social media platforms, coupled with shopping functionalities offered by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, have supported the rise of social commerce in Europe. With the trend gaining momentum in this region, social networking platforms, retailers, and tech giants have increased their investments in the social commerce space in the last eight quarters.Fashion retailers are entering into the social commerce space of the United KingdomAccording to publisher's recent survey, nearly 25% of the shoppers purchased apparel, 20% of shoppers purchased beauty products, and around 19.5% of shoppers bought home electronics through social commerce in the United Kingdom. Notably, more than 50% of the population in the country depends on social commerce for buying fashion products. Consequently, more and more fashion retailers are entering this space to reach out directly to the customers and also prospective customers, where they spend maximum time.

London-based, Baukjen womenswear brand partnered with Curalate, a visual content monetization platform, to allow the 290,000 Instagram followers to upload their looks wearing its products with #BaukjenStyle. This enabled the shoppers to find products and styles online through intelligent image recognition technology, helping the brand engage with customers globally.

With successful customer acquisition, its sister brand, Isabella Oliver, also injected social commerce into its business model with Curalate to expand its market share in the country.

Similarly, fashion brand Isawitfirst partnered with the country's free live streaming social commerce app, OOOOO, to deliver a livestreamed interactive shopping experience for the customers.

Also, the beauty brand L'Oreal UK and Ireland partnered with TikTok to enable its customers in the United Kingdom to buy products from its beauty brands Garnier and NYX Professional Make-Up products through the TikTok app.

Over the last four to eight quarters, smartphone and internet penetration rates increased significantly in Germany, which has resulted in more and more online shoppers in the country. By 2025, Germany is expected to have approximately 69 million online shoppers. Notably, this growth in the number of online shoppers, as well as the number of social media users in the country, will keep supporting the growth of the overall social commerce market from the short to medium-term perspective.A substantial increase in the number of active social media users is driving market growth in GermanyIn 2019, the number of people active on social media platforms stood at around 31.5 million, representing nearly 45% of the total population. However, because of the global pandemic outbreak, the number of active users surged significantly in the country over the last four to eight quarters. According to the Q4 Social Commerce Market Survey, the number of active users increased to more than 65 million in 2021, which represents around 79% of the total population in the country.Moreover, mobile adoption among consumers also became more prominent during the Covid-19 outbreak. As many as 64 million people access social media platforms through their mobile phones in Germany. This rise in mobile adoption among consumers has also supported the growth of social commerce over the last four to eight quarters. The publisher expects the trend to continue from the short to medium-term perspective, which will thereby keep supporting the overall market growth in the country.Strategic partnerships are rising to tap the German social commerce marketAmid the growing trend of social shopping among consumers, social media platforms and e-commerce enablers are entering into strategic partnerships to provide businesses with the tools to bring their products online.

In April 2021, Pinterest entered into a strategic partnership with Shopify to enable merchants of Shopify to sell their products on the social media platform. Apart from Germany, the two firms have extended their partnership in 26 more countries, including Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

Under the strategic partnership, Shopify merchants advertising on Pinterest will now have access to dynamic re-targeting, allowing the merchants to re-engage with Pinners who have previously shown interest in their products on the social media platform. Besides, merchants will also have access to more social commerce tools launched by Pinterest on their platform.

As the online shopping method continues to gain momentum among consumers in France, big retailers are also looking to capitalize on the trend to further increase their sales numbers in the country. French retailers are conducting a number of live shopping events to gain increasing traction from social consumers in the country. Moreover, even global players are looking to enter the French social commerce industry in 2022 to capitalize on the growing social commerce trend and to gain market share.Social commerce companies are focusing on promoting high-end products to gain more profitWhile the social commerce sector is growing in France, consumers are still hesitant when it comes to purchasing products from social networking platforms. This behavior of the French consumer is also reflected in their spending on social media platforms. According to publisher's recent survey, nearly 80% of the French consumers who have made purchases from social media platforms buy for less than US$55.The mistrust among the French consumers is one of the factors why consumers prefer buying low-priced products. Consequently, the publisher expects social media platforms to adopt strategic initiatives which can help them spread awareness and create trust among consumers, which can further help in increasing the overall transaction value and volume in the country. Among the various platforms used by consumers to complete social commerce purchases, almost 75% of the consumers prefer Facebook. On the other hand, Instagram is preferred by approximately 25%, whereas Snapchat is preferred by 10.8% of the consumers in the country.Scope

Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Others

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ytwdht

Media Contact:

Research and MarketsLaura Wood, Senior Manager[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Lieutenant Colonel Todd Geohagan (Ret.) joins renowned medical device company after serving nearly three decades in the United States Air Force.

TAMPA, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Excite Medical is proud to announce Lieutenant Colonel Todd Geohagan (ret.) as its first VP of Veteran and Military Affairs. LTC Geohagan served nearly 30 years in the United States Air Force. His experience and connection to the military community will be instrumental in expanding access to Excite's innovative technology, while supporting those who have served, and are currently serving our country.

"When looking into Excite Medical, not only did I see them as an industry leader, I found a company that cared about veterans and this was important to me," said LTC Geohagan. "From a personal experience, I know how devastating failed back surgery can be on a family. Excite Medical is a fast-growing company that is bettering people lives by helping them avoid back surgery."

Excite Medical's DRX9000 disc treatment, spinal decompression machine is the most advanced in its field. It provides a highly successful treatment for patients suffering from chronic low back pain, sciatica and other debilitating symptoms caused by herniated discs, bulging discs and more. It is a non-surgical procedure and does not require drugs.

"I am forever grateful and thankful for our veterans, and am truly honored to have such an accomplished representative of the US Military join us," said Saleem Musallam, Excite Medical's CEO & Founder. "I believe veterans and service members can greatly benefit from our DRX90000 Disc Treatment technology as a way to relieve pain, while avoiding unnecessary spine surgeries."

In addition to his esteemed military service, LTC Geohagan also has a Master of Human Relations degree from the University of Oklahoma, and several other degrees and certifications.

About the DRX9000:When compared to minimally-invasive and invasive spinal procedures, the DRX9000 is the world's most advanced and safest option to treat herniated discs, bulging discs, and degenerative disc disease. Patients suffering from low back pain, sciatica, and other conditions caused by those disc conditions have a profound success rate in resolving their symptoms when treated on the DRX9000. For more information call or text +1 813-210-1000.

Follow the DRX9000 on Facebook.

Media Contact:Dominick Chiechi+1 813-210-1000[email protected]

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SOURCE Excite Medical
Celebrating ambitious pioneers tackling our biggest challenges

HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Craig Taylor and Tejpal Singh of Iapetus Holdings were named Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 Central South Award finalists. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed.

"Identifying business leaders for more than 35 years, including Howard Schultz, Jeff Weiner and Kendra Scott."

Craig Taylor and Tejpal Singh were selected by a panel of independent judges according to the following criteria  entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact  among other core contributions and attributes.

According to Taylor, "When you set off to become a self-funded entrepreneur, you start with a vision and a ton of grit, but you never really have assurance of the fact that you're going to be successful. The road to business success takes many turns and that's why, to find ourselves among those honored with this distinction, to be among the EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists, is so meaningful."

Singh added, "It has taken a ton of dedication and effort to realize our ambition of building this group of energy solutions businesses, creating this number of jobs, serving this quantity and quality of clients. We have much greater ambitions for the future of our businesses and of Atlas Scholars, the non-profit we founded to provide high school students with internships and scholarships, and this recognition helps catapult us in the right direction. We are truly humbled and honored!"

Regional award winners will be announced on June 23, 2022. The regional winners will then be considered by the National independent judging panel, and National awards will be presented in November at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2023.

For over 35 years, EY US has celebrated the unstoppable entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives since its inception in 1986. Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners have exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other members of the entrepreneurial community in over 60 countries  all supported by vast EY resources.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In Central South, sponsors also include Colliers, DLA Piper, Marsh McLennan Agency, ADP, Bridgepoint Consulting and Pierpont Communications.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title.

About Iapetus Holdings

Iapetus Holdings, LLC, is a privately held, minority and veteran-owned portfolio of energy and utility services businesses and alternative investments. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Iapetus brings an entrepreneurial, forward-thinking approach and a deep bench of experienced individuals with diverse backgrounds in finance, energy, safety, risk management, communications, human resources, and various other spectrums. The Iapetus suite is a multimillion-dollar portfolio with offices throughout the U.S., efficiently structured to deliver optimum results for clients. The operating companies include Atlas Retail Energy, Atlas Commodities, Iapetus Infrastructure Services, Atlas Field Services, Soaring Eagle Technologies, UATI, Gold Coast Utility Specialists, and Hyperion Safety Environmental Solutions. Iapetus is the proud main sponsor of a 501c3 non-profit, Atlas Scholars. For more information, visit https://www.iapetusllc.com/.

About Atlas Scholars

Atlas Scholars is a 501c3 non-profit, founded by Taylor and Singh in 2013, that provides mentorship and internship opportunities for high-potential students of diverse backgrounds to participate in hands-on professional development. Sponsorship supports the expansion of the program in the form of scholarships, admission-test tutoring, mentorship support, and overall reach of the program for high school students beginning the summer before junior year through their third year in college. To date, Atlas Scholars has benefitted 87 scholars and has awarded over $450,000 in scholarships. At Atlas Scholars, students from across Houston come together to learn in a competitive and collaborative environment that pushes students to create their own success. The program creates a holistic ecosystem for success through a problem-based learning structure that includes mentorship from industry leaders from a variety of backgrounds and sectors, college and scholarship support, guest speakers, and field trips. Students move on to become leaders at their high schools and universities. From the class of 2021, 100% of the Atlas Scholars were accepted into selective universities, two received full ride QuestBridge scholarships, and $72,000 was awarded in four-year scholarships. Program alumni hold positions with leading companies such as KPMG, Amazon, TC Energy, Crumbl Cookies, Lion Fund Capital, J.P. Morgan and Aveva. The program's plan is continued growth in number of beneficiaries, scope, and years of continuous, integral support to program alumni beyond Houston. For more information on applying for the program, as well as offering workplace tours, speakers, or mentorship, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit AtlasScholars.com.

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.

Media Contact: S. Lechin 832-993-6794 | [email protected]

#Entrepreneuroftheyear #Entrepreneur #HoustonLeaders

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SOURCE Iapetus Holdings
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluix prides itself on doing everything possible to support its customers in doing their best work.

Today, the company is proud to announce that its no-code process management software is now available on the Android platform.

Fluix digitizes the paper forms and heavy manuals that commonly clutter workspaces. The software also streamlines document-based collaboration between remote and office teams, facilitates all kinds of inspections and checklists, and optimizes various other business processes.

A cross-platform presence on iOS and Android makes operational excellence even more accessible - regardless of the type of tablet or mobile device used by different teams.

"Over the past 10 years, I've seen Fluix make a real difference to our customers. We're thrilled to be able to make Fluix even more accessible to teams all over the world, via both iOS and Android Platforms." Julia Nikolayenko, Executive Director of Fluix

Before Fluix officially launched in 2014, Fluix's parent company, Readdle, launched PDF Expert - a document editing app for the first-ever iPad. Having used PDF Expert for some time, aerospace giant, Boeing, specifically asked Fluix CEO, Igor Zhadanov, to tailor the software to allow for greater flexibility in document management.

Initially, Igor said no to Boeing's request, as custom development wasn't part of Readdle's product-driven company vision. When Boeing insisted, Igor quickly realized that it was possible to expand on the existing features of PDF Expert to include workflows, automation tools and comprehensive user management options. Those features combined to create Fluix; dynamic software that can be applied to use cases across various industries, including aviation, construction, and renewable energy. Fluix has grown ever since, reaching another milestone today with its introduction to the Android platform.

"We aim to positively disrupt the way companies of any size work with their documents and tasks. Our vision has resulted in a platform that solves the main pain-points of office and field teams that keep safety and compliance as their top priorities."Igor Zhadanov, co-founder of Readdle and CEO of Fluix.

- Press kit- Read success stories of Fluix customers- Try Fluix

About Fluix

Fluix helps 400+ companies in 40 countries to digitize and manage documents, automate routine tasks, and streamline business processes. The software scales from mid-size companies with agile teams, to Fortune 500 corporations across the sectors of construction, energy, aviation, and facilities management. Clients include BMW, Zurich Insurance, Alaska Airlines, Centuri, Emerson, SAS, Roche, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Fluix was recognized in Gartner's Digital Markets 2020 reports, and named a leader in G2's Winter 2022 Grid in the Best Workflow Management Software and Best Forms Automation Software categories, sealing its reputation as a leading solution in its field. The company is headquartered in Dublin, and also has offices in San Francisco, Berlin, Kiev and Odessa.

About Readdle

Readdle is a leading developer of essential productivity apps. Its portfolio of products includes Documents, PDF Expert, Spark, Calendars, Scanner Pro. Collectively, its apps have been downloaded 157M times and have won multiple awards, including "App of the Year" and "Editors' Choice" by Apple.

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SOURCE Fluix
 Longtime pharmaceutical industry executive brings over two decades of experience in cell and gene therapy, global technical operations, and leading high-performing teams 

CAMARILLO, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc. ("ImmPACT Bio"), a clinical-stage company developing transformative logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for treating cancer, today announced the appointment of Sylvain Roy as chief technology officer. In this role, he will oversee technical operations and product quality across the company.

Mr. Roy joins ImmPACT from ImmunityBio, where he was vice president of manufacturing operations. He has wide-ranging operational and technical expertise in recombinant proteins, cell and gene therapy, and vaccines.

"Sylvain is a proven global technical operations leader with more than 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry," said Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of ImmPACT Bio. "He has made instrumental contributions to the success of multi-billion-dollar biologics and decisive progress in clinical programs. On behalf of the entire ImmPACT team, I'm thrilled to welcome Sylvain as our new chief technology officer. We look forward to collaborating with him to advance our pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies to patients. We would also like to thank Dr. Marc Better for being our acting chief technology officer and in helping us select Sylvain for this role. We are pleased that Marc will continue with us as an advisor."

"Translating science into therapies has been my passion throughout my career, and that's why I'm so excited to join ImmPACT Bio," said Mr. Roy. "I'm looking forward to working with the entire team to continue our incredible strides toward bringing curative therapies to patients living with cancer."

Mr. Roy has a proven track record of enabling and accelerating patients' access to life-saving therapies. Over the past two decades, he has held senior leadership positions at Baxter International, Baxalta, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and NantKwest before joining ImmunityBio. Mr. Roy has a master's degree in engineering, biochemistry, and biotechnology from INSA Lyon and a bachelor's degree from University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, both in France.

About ImmPACT Bio

ImmPACT Bio USA, Inc., is a clinical-stage company dedicated to the discovery of transformative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer patients who have exhausted their treatment options. The company's logic-gate-based CAR T platforms address key biological challenges in treating cancer. ImmPACT Bio's technologies are specifically designed to prevent antigen escape, prevent 'on-target  off-tumor' toxicities, and overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company's technology is based on the work of pioneering scientists Yvonne Chen, Ph.D., and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., both from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Gideon Gross, Ph.D., from the MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute. For more information, visit www.immpact-bio.com.

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SOURCE ImmPACT Bio
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Investment Casting Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global investment casting market reached a value of US$ 15.3 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the market is projected to reach US$ 19.4 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.78% 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 industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.Investment casting, or lost-wax casting, refers to an industrial manufacturing process that involves dipping of wax patterns or structures into the slurry of refractory material to form a ceramic, plaster or plastic shell. The wax pattern is further melted into a furnace and metal is poured into the shell to create a casting. This process is commonly used to manufacture machinery components, automotive components, turbine blades, dental fixtures, etc. It minimizes the wastage of energy, material and subsequent machining and aids in creating intricate designs with accurate and smooth finishing. As a result, this process finds extensive applications across various industries, such as automotive, aerospace, military, medical and oil and gas.Investment Casting Market Trends

Significant growth in the aviation and aerospace industry in recent years is one of the key factors creating a positive impact on the market. In line with this, investment casting processes are extensively used in the manufacturing of military aircraft, jets, launch vehicles, helicopters, and commercial transport vehicles. Furthermore, increasing environmental consciousness and enhanced focus on sustainable development are also driving the market growth. The wax used for investment casting is usually melted and reused for manufacturing components of different shapes and sizes.

Additionally, various technological advancements, such as improvements in casting processes through simulations and the utilization of metal additive manufacturing practices, all-in-one 3D printing, X-ray defect detection and casting and forging techniques, are acting as other growth-inducing factors. These processes aid in the production of cost-effective, stable and structurally durable products. Other factors, including rapid industrialization, along with extensive research and development (R&D) activities, are anticipated to drive the market further.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Alcoa Corporation, CIREX bv (Signicast Corporation), Dongfeng Metal Products Co. Ltd., Dongying Giayoung Precision Metal Co. Ltd., Impro, MetalTek, Milwaukee Precision Casting, Ningbo Jiwei Melt Mould Castings Co. Ltd., Ningbo Wanguan, Precision Castparts Corporation, RLM Industries, Taizhou Xinyu Precision Casting Co. Ltd. and Zollern.Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the global investment casting market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global investment casting market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the process type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the material?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

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 investment casting market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface2 Scope and Methodology3 Executive Summary4 Introduction4.1 Overview4.2 Key Industry Trends5 Global Investment Casting Market5.1 Market Overview5.2 Market Performance5.3 Impact of COVID-195.4 Market Forecast6 Market Breakup by Process Type6.1 Sodium Silicate Process6.1.1 Market Trends6.1.2 Market Forecast6.2 Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (Silica Sol Process)6.2.1 Market Trends6.2.2 Market Forecast7 Market Breakup by Material7.1 Superalloys7.1.1 Market Trends7.1.2 Market Forecast7.2 Steel7.2.1 Market Trends7.2.2 Market Forecast7.3 Aluminum7.3.1 Market Trends7.3.2 Market Forecast7.4 Titanium7.4.1 Market Trends7.4.2 Market Forecast7.5 Others7.5.1 Market Trends7.5.2 Market Forecast8 Market Breakup by Application8.1 Automotive8.1.1 Market Trends8.1.2 Market Forecast8.2 Aerospace & Military8.2.1 Market Trends8.2.2 Market Forecast8.3 Oil and Gas8.3.1 Market Trends8.3.2 Market Forecast8.4 Energy8.4.1 Market Trends8.4.2 Market Forecast8.5 Medical8.5.1 Market Trends8.5.2 Market Forecast8.6 Others8.6.1 Market Trends8.6.2 Market Forecast9 Market Breakup by Region

10 SWOT Analysis11 Value Chain Analysis12 Porters Five Forces Analysis13 Price Analysis14 Competitive Landscape14.1 Market Structure14.2 Key Players14.3 Profiles of Key Players14.3.1 Alcoa Corporation14.3.1.1 Company Overview14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.1.3 Financials14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis14.3.2 CIREX bv (Signicast Corporation)14.3.2.1 Company Overview14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.2.3 Financials14.3.3 Dongfeng Metal Products Co. Ltd.14.3.3.1 Company Overview14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.4 Dongying Giayoung Precision Metal Co. Ltd.14.3.4.1 Company Overview14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.5 Impro14.3.5.1 Company Overview14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.6 MetalTek14.3.6.1 Company Overview14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.7 Milwaukee Precision Casting14.3.7.1 Company Overview14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.8 Ningbo Jiwei Melt Mould Castings Co. Ltd.14.3.8.1 Company Overview14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.9 Ningbo Wanguan14.3.9.1 Company Overview14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.10 Precision Castparts Corporation14.3.10.1 Company Overview14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.11 RLM Industries14.3.11.1 Company Overview14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.12 Taizhou Xinyu Precision Casting Co. Ltd.14.3.12.1 Company Overview14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio 14.3.13 Zollern14.3.13.1 Company Overview14.3.13.2 Product Portfolio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cj2yz3

Media Contact:

Research and MarketsLaura Wood, Senior Manager[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insights-on-the-investment-casting-global-market-to-2027---by-process-type-material-application-and-region-301544213.html

SOURCE Research and Markets
PHOENIX, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) (the "Company")a vertically integrated cannabis dispensary franchisor and operator that produces premium, award-winning productsannounced today that it will host a conference call on Monday, May 16, 2022, to discuss financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, which ended March 31, 2022. The 10K will be filed on Monday, May 16, 2022.

INLB) is a vertically integrated cannabis franchisor and operator headquartered in Arizona that produces premium, award-winning products. With deep experience in cannabis, franchising, and capital markets, the Company brings the best industry practices to markets nationwide through distinctive retail experience, cultivation capabilities, and product innovation. (PRNewsfoto/Item 9 Labs Corp.)" alt="Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) is a vertically integrated cannabis franchisor and operator headquartered in Arizona that produces premium, award-winning products. With deep experience in cannabis, franchising, and capital markets, the Company brings the best industry practices to markets nationwide through distinctive retail experience, cultivation capabilities, and product innovation. (PRNewsfoto/Item 9 Labs Corp.)" />

Item 9 Labs Corp.'s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bowden and Chief Financial Officer Bobby Mikkelsen will host the call.

Q2 FY2022 Earnings Call and Webcast Details

Date: Monday, May 16, 2022

Monday, May 16, 2022 Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time)

4:30 p.m. Eastern time (1:30 p.m. Pacific time) Access by Zoom: A live and archived webcast will be available via Sequire, click on this webcast link to register or access the replay.

A live and archived webcast will be available via Sequire, click on this webcast link to register or access the replay. Access by Phone: Please call the conference telephone number 10-15 minutes prior to the start time: Dial-in number: 669-900-6833 // Meeting ID: 96267842685 // Passcode: 389480

Please call the conference telephone number 10-15 minutes prior to the start time: Dial-in number: 669-900-6833 // Meeting ID: 96267842685 // Passcode: 389480 Questions: Please submit questions to [email protected] before the presentation begins. The management team will do their best to answer all questions.

Invest in Item 9 Labs Corp. at KeepCannabisLocal.com and click here to view the offering circular. For more information about the Company and its brands, visit item9labscorp.com.

About Item 9 Labs Corp.

Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) is a vertically integrated cannabis operator and dispensary franchisor delivering premium products from its large-scale cultivation and production facilities in the United States. The award-winning Item 9 Labs brand specializes in best-in-class products and user experience across several cannabis categories. The company also offers a unique dispensary franchise model through the national Unity Rd. retail brand. Easing barriers to entry, the franchise provides an opportunity for both new and existing dispensary owners to leverage the knowledge, resources, and ongoing support needed to thrive in their state compliantly and successfully. Item 9 Labs brings the best industry practices to markets nationwide through distinctive retail experience, cultivation capabilities, and product innovation. The veteran management team combines a diverse skill set with deep experience in the cannabis sector, franchising, and the capital markets to lead a new generation of public cannabis companies that provide transparency, consistency, and well-being. Headquartered in Arizona, the company is currently expanding its operations space by up to 640,000-plus square feet on its 50-acre site, one of the largest properties in Arizona zoned to grow and cultivate flower. For additional information, visit https://investors.item9labscorp.com/.

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. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulation, especially in a foreign country, future financial and operational results, competition, general economic conditions, proposed transactions that are not legally binding obligations of the company and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this news release include the introduction of new technology, market conditions and those set forth in reports or documents we file from time to time with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Media Contact:Item 9 Labs Corp.Jayne Levy, VP of Communications[email protected]

Investor Contact:Item 9 Labs Corp.800-403-1140[email protected]

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SOURCE Item 9 Labs Corp.
BEIJING, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kuke Music Holding Limited ("Kuke" or the "Company") (NYSE: KUKE), a leading classical music service platform, today announced that it plans to release its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, May 26, 2022. The earnings release will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.kuke.com/.

Kuke's management will hold a conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 26, 2022, (8:00 P.M. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:

International: 1-412-902-4272United States Toll Free: 1-888-346-8982Mainland China Toll Free: 4001-201203Hong Kong Toll Free: 800-905945Conference ID: Kuke Music Holding Limited

A replay of the conference call will remain accessible for one week after the live event by dialing the following numbers:

International: 1-412-317-0088United States Toll Free: 1-877-344-7529Access Code: 2879840

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.kuke.com/.

About Kuke Music Holding Limited

Kuke is a leading classical music service platform in China encompassing the entire value chain from content provision to music learning services. By collaborating with its strategic global business partner Naxos, the largest independent classical music content provider in the world, the foundation of Kuke's extensive classical music content library is its unparalleled access to more than 900 top-tier labels and record companies. Leveraging its market leadership in international copyrighted classical music content, Kuke provides highly scalable classical music licensing services to various online music platforms, and classical music subscription services to over 800 universities, libraries and other institutions across China. In addition, it has hosted Beijing Music Festival ("BMF"), the most renowned music festival in China, for 24 consecutive years. Through KUKEY, the Company's proprietary AI music learning system, Kuke aims to democratize music learning via technological innovation, bring fascinating music content and professional music techniques to more students, and continuously improve the efficiency and penetration of music learning in China.

For more information about Kuke, please visit https://ir.kuke.com/

Investor Relations Contact

Kuke Music Holding LimitedEmail: [email protected]

ICA Investor Relations (Asia) Limited Mr. Kevin Yang Phone: +86-21-8028-6033 E-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Kuke Music Holding Limited
Ribbon cutting with federal, state, and local representatives sets the stage for opening

CLINTON, Md., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MedStar Health is set to open a state-of-the-art behavioral health facility at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Prince George's County after a ribbon cutting at the new unit with federal, state, and local representatives. The $7.6 million project is supported in part by federal and state funding aimed at addressing growing behavioral health challenges across the region.

The 13,000-square-foot renovated floor of the hospital's 4-East unit features four new treatment areas, dedicated examination space, a quiet room, and a new facility to conduct administrative hearings as patients receive care. The overall goals of the project include enhancing the quality of behavioral health care, improving patient outcomes, minimizing readmissions, and protecting associate and patient safety. Each year, an average of 2,400 patients visit the hospital for behavioral health issues.

"Meeting our goals for the new unit starts with providing our behavioral health patients with the best therapeutic experience possible," said Stephen T. Michaels, MD, president of MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. "The new tools and upgrades we've incorporated into our clinic are designed to help patients recover physically, mentally, and emotionally, during what is likely one of the most stressful moments of their lives."

Today, Dr. Michaels was joined by U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland State Senator Michael A. Jackson, among other community and MedStar Health leaders at a ribbon cutting held for the new-and-improved unit.

Rep. Hoyer helped secure federal funding for the project through the FY2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed in March. The Maryland Hospital Association's Bond Project also awarded the hospital a $840,000 grant, which was included in state funding allocated during the 2021 legislative session.

"I appreciate the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about for so many who were already struggling with mental health and addiction disorders both in Maryland and across the country. Strengthening resources for our community during this challenging time and into the future remains a critical priority," said Congressman Hoyer. "I am so proud of the new MedStar Health behavioral unit in Prince George's County that will strengthen access to essential health services and address the increasing behavioral health needs in our district. I was glad to secure $925,000 in federal funding for this project in the FY2022 Omnibus and know that this state-of-the-art facility will improve lives."

"We are excited to open this behavioral health unit here in Prince George's County," said Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. "We know that mental health is a critical component of overall health and wellness, which is why expanding behavioral health services has been a critical component of our goal to build a continuum of care in our County. Prince Georgians deserve to have access to quality healthcare right here at home, and we want to thank MedStar Health for helping provide greater access to these much-needed healthcare services."

"As someone who spent the majority of his professional career in the public safety field, I have an acute understanding of the importance of mental healthcare in relation to overall public health and safety," said State Senator Michael A. Jackson. "Providing both quality and accessible care for behavioral health needs is an absolutely essential public service and I'm incredibly grateful to MedStar Health for their leadership in ensuring these services in Prince George's County and throughout all of Southern Maryland."

MedStar Health's significant investment in the renovations underscores the health system's commitment to improving behavioral health for both patients and associates, especially as stressors amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact daily life nationwide.

"When it comes to caring for people, protecting and improving the mental health and wellbeing of our patients and associates has always been a critical priority for MedStar Health," said MedStar Health President and CEO Kenneth A. Samet. "This important investment in Prince George's County helps address the growing behavioral health needs that have escalated significantly over the past two years of the pandemic. By committing to projects like the renovated unit at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, as well as supporting other initiatives across our health system, we will be better able to serve our region for decades to come."

Since 2012, MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center has invested more than $100 million into improving facilities, including the hospital's recently opened Emergency Department and the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute in partnership with the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new behavioral health unit will officially open its doors to patients later this month.

Link to downloadable video of the new unit: https://bit.ly/3srgGV3

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SOURCE MedStar Health
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Meridian Integration is pleased to announce their support of Troy University's Sorrell College of Business Global Scholars Program. After a two-year hiatus, the program, represented by 15 students, returned to Ecuador to concentrate on global business practices and service learning.

"We feel fortunate for the opportunity to sponsor both the students and villages; It's a truly unique experience."

The Global Scholars Program is an honors program within the College designed to promote global citizenship and to nurture some of the College's exceptional students through travel, networking events and a challenging curriculum.

Under the leadership of Global Scholars Program Director Dr. Clint Relyea and Sorrell 360 Center for Professional Life Director Dr. Laura Dove, the 10-day trip included a five-day stay in Salinas de Guaranda, a tiny village nestled at roughly 13,000 feet elevation in the Andes Mountains.

"The economy in Salinas is built on micro-industry. Under the coordination of a co-op, nearly a dozen small businesses manufacture a variety of produces for import and export including cheeses, chocolate, dried mushrooms and fruit, clothing, yarn and others," Relyea said. "It's the core of the Ecuador study abroad program."

"The group was proud to raise more than $10,000  in excess of their original $6,000 goal  which purchased not only medicine and other essentials for the Senior Center, but also 10 sheep for the nearby village of Yacubana," Relyea said.

Meridian Integration, an international leader in digital engagement, implementation, upgrade, and consulting services for the utility industry based in Jacksonville, FL, provided a welcomed shot-in-the-arm to the Global Scholars' fundraising efforts with a $4,000 contribution.

"In particular, Meridian's contribution enabled the additional support which was an unexpected and welcomed surprise for the people of Salinas and Yacubana," Relyea said.

Meridian's CEO Jason Deaton shared "We are excited to have supported the effort and vision of the Sorrell Society of Global Scholars and feel fortunate for the opportunity to sponsor both the students and villages; It's a truly unique experience."

About Meridian Integration

Founded in 2008, Meridian Integration provides turnkey solutions and services focused on digital customer engagement, mission critical system implementations and migrations, technology roadmap and readiness services, and business process consulting for the Utility industry. Meridian is member of the Oracle Partner Network and has worked with hundreds of utilities since inception creating sustainable value while leveraging a broad portfolio of solutions and services such as IDEA, Meridian's Customer Digital Engagement platform, Professional services, including Implementation/Upgrade services, and Managed Services within the Oracle Utilities product family.

About Troy University's Sorrell College of Business' Society of Global Scholars

The Sorrell College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). AACSB accreditation is the most widely sought benchmark of quality worldwide. Fewer than 5 percent of business schools worldwide achieve this accreditation. Troy University's press release can be found here.

Media Contact: Todd Lamoureaux, [email protected]

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SOURCE Meridian Integration
Program celebrates long-term recovery from addiction

MILWAUKEE, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Milwaukee's Meta House recently received a large donation from Phoenix Investors, a Milwaukee-based commercial real estate firm, in support of their annual fundraiser. The accompanying event, entitled "A Day for Meta House: Metamorphosis," will include several one-hour sessions on May 11 and May 20 throughout the greater Milwaukee area. The event centers around two women who are in long-term recovery; the women will share their stories, highlighting the changes they've made along the way and the role Meta House and the recovery community as a whole have played in their success.

This year, A Day for Meta House is presented by Phoenix Investors and supports the organization's mission to end the generational cycle of addiction by healing women and strengthening families. As an added incentive to raise funds, Phoenix Investors is sponsoring a matching gift opportunity of up to $25,000. BMO Harris Bank is also a presenting sponsor.

"A Day for Meta House raises critical funds in support of programming that is essential to the wellbeing of about 500 local families each year," said Valerie P. Vidal, President and CEO of Meta House. "I extend a heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, specifically Phoenix Investors, for their support. I'm deeply moved by the level of courage and determination our clients demonstrate each day to overcome numerous and seemingly insurmountable barriers to offer themselves and their families a brighter future."

"Meta House performs a necessary and specialized service for both our communities and individual families," said Frank Crivello, Chairman & Founder of Phoenix Investors, of the organization. "We're honored to support such a meaningful initiative and know the donation will go to help those who truly need it most."

To register or for more information, please visit www.metahouse.org/aday-for-meta-house.

About Meta House Milwaukee-based nonprofit Meta House has been a leader in drug and alcohol treatment for women for almost sixty years. The organization provides holistic, trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment services so that vulnerable women and families thrive well beyond their stay.

Learn more about the organization at www.metahouse.org.

About Phoenix InvestorsPhoenix Investors, a national commercial real estate firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and its affiliate companies hold interests in industrial, retail, office, and single tenant net leased properties amounting to approximately 52 million square feet, spanning 29 states. Its core business is the revitalization of former manufacturing facilities throughout the United States. This strategy leads to positively transforming communities and restarting the economic engine in the communities we serve.

For more information, please visit https://phoenixinvestors.com.

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SOURCE Meta House
Jenny Lee and Mathys Boeren join Next Gen Foods' journey in making TiNDLE the leading global brand for plant-based chicken

SINGAPORE, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Gen Foods  the food tech company behind TiNDLE, the popular chicken made from plants  has appointed two new board members: Jenny Lee, Managing Partner at GGV Capital; and Mathys Boeren, CEO of the Asia Sustainable Foods Platform at Temasek Holdings.

Jenny Lee joins the board following an extensive career that started in aerospace as a fighter jet engineer and has spanned to venture capital across the globe. As Managing Partner at GGV Capital, Lee has been instrumental in guiding early-stage companies to their IPO listing, with 18 unicorns under her belt. Lee is known for her startup innovation experience in EdTech, FinTech, Robotics/AI, EV, Web3  as well as playing a key role within GGV with her sector focus on food tech and alternative proteins.

Lee has been consistently recognized by the Forbes Global 100 VC Midas list and was the first woman to break the Top 10 in 2015. She has been applauded for being one of the top venture capital investors worldwide, receiving recognition from Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Fast Company and Business Times. She graduated from Cornell University with an M.S. and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and currently is based in Singapore.

On the importance of sustainable food production, Lee said: "Food tech innovations and developments in alternative protein will help us drive sustainability and mitigate climate change. Agriculture, forestry and land use cause 7% of carbon dioxide emissions and 46% of methane emissions, much of which is driven by food production. Sustainable foods can help us address environmental concerns arising out of inefficient animal farming and food production."

"With the aim of delivering delicious plant-based foods, Next Gen's TiNDLE is a fantastic product that not only drives adoption of sustainable meat, but also offers an authentic chicken experience," added Lee.

Mathys Boeren is the CEO of Asia Sustainable Foods Platform, a company wholly owned by Temasek, that is addressing the challenges around scaling up production of alternative proteins and rapid growth of sustainable foods across the region. In his role at the Platform, Boeren adapts his passion for the sustainable food industry by counselling and overseeing the development of new products and commercial scale-up for startups in the food tech industry. In addition, he is responsible for both current and future joint ventures and partnerships.

Prior to joining the Platform, Boeren worked in the food and food ingredients industry for over 25 years, which included leadership positions at Kerry, Symrise, Givaudan and Unilever. More recently, he has also acted as an advisor to sustainable food startups, with a focus on consumer preferences and product development. Boeren graduated from Technische Universiteit Delft with a degree and master's in chemical engineering, and he currently resides in Singapore.

Boeren believes there is "booming" demand for sustainable foods, "An estimated US$1.55 trillion (S$2.09 trillion) of spending is needed by 2030 to meet food requirements in Asia, driven by changing consumer habits and demand for healthier and more sustainable foods." Boeren views TiNDLE as "an innovative product, delivering a tasty and sustainable meat experience that will help us meet this growing demand. I am excited to be a part of Next Gen and guide them through their journey of becoming a leading brand for plant-based foods."

Jenny Lee and Mathys Boeren join Next Gen Foods' existing board members, including:

Timo Recker (Co-Founder & Executive Chairman)

Andre Menezes (Co-Founder & CEO)

Rohit Bhattacharya (CFO)

Meng Xiong Kuok (Founder & Managing Partner, K3 Ventures)

Rachel Konrad (Chief Brand Officer, The Production Board)

Next Gen Foods Co-Founder and CEO Andre Menezes said, "We are always looking for strategic partners, board members and mentors who are motivated about transforming the food system and can guide us as we continue our rapid growth and market expansions. Both Mathys and Jenny's extensive global and regional experience in the food tech industry, and in helping startups to scale swiftly, is essential to Next Gen's vision of making delicious foods that ultimately impact the footprint that we have on this planet."

Rapid International Growth

In February 2022, Next Gen announced their record-breaking US$100 million Series A round, the largest Series A to date for a plant-based meat company.

New international investors included UK-based MPL Ventures, Southeast Asian venture capital firm, Alpha JWC; and Singapore-based global investment fund, EDBI. Joining from previous rounds were Temasek's Asia Sustainable Food Platform, GGV Capital, K3 Ventures and Bits x Bites. The total funding for the plant-based startup now exceeds US$130 million.

As a leading food startup, Next Gen Foods aims to make the global food system sustainable by making delicious, nutritious meat from plants. TiNDLE is the company's flagship product and the first chicken made from plants specifically created by chefs and for chefs. It contains no antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol or genetically modified ingredients.

TiNDLE made its global debut in Singapore in March 2021 and is now available in nearly 500 restaurants across Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Amsterdam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United States and the United Kingdom.

On average, chicken made from plants uses less land, less water, and produces less CO than chicken from birds. Based on a 2020 Blue Horizon report, choosing plant-based chicken over avian meat saves 82% less water, 74% less land and 88% less greenhouse gas emissions.

About Next Gen FoodsFounded in 2020, Next Gen Foods is a food-tech startup developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable plant-based food products  including its flagship product, TiNDLE. Next Gen Foods is backed by a team with proven experience in plant-based food technology, global brand development, and global distribution scaleup. For more information, visit nextgenfoods.sg.

About TiNDLETiNDLE is a juicy, plant-based chicken that offers mouthwatering taste, texture, and versatility  and uses a fraction of the land, water and energy needed to produce meat from birds. Made with only nine simple ingredients, TiNDLE is the first product by Next Gen Foods, a Singapore-founded food tech company that is developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable foods. Available in restaurants globally, TiNDLE is the first chicken made from plants designed by chefs and for chefs and is a winner of the National Restaurant Association's 2022 Food and Beverage Innovation (FABI) Awards. For more information, visit tindle.com or follow @tindlefoods on Instagram and @tindle.foods on TikTok.

Press Kit: www.nextgenfoods.sg/media

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SOURCE TiNDLE
The training will build local eye care professionals' skills in treating glaucoma and cataract

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eye care nonprofit Orbis announces the launch of a new virtual Flying Eye Hospital program that will provide tailored training to eye care professionals in Ethiopia on treating glaucoma and cataract, leading causes of blindness and visual impairment in the country. With a population of roughly 120 million, Ethiopia is in desperate need of more qualified eye care professionals. However, only a handful of academic institutions offer training opportunities for a small number of ophthalmology residents each year. The lack of eye health specialists has translated to challenges in providing equitable eye care services in the country, including effective treatments to reduce visual impairment caused by glaucoma and cataract.

Two courses will be offered during the ten-week virtual Flying Eye Hospital program. The first, Advanced Glaucoma, will teach ophthalmologists and fellows from Orbis partner hospitals and academic institutions around the country about emerging techniques and technologies for treating glaucoma. Training will be carried out through the completion of relevant pre-learning courses on Orbis's telemedicine platform, Cybersight, and interactive live lectures delivered biweekly by Orbis's Volunteer Faculty (medical experts).

The second course, Simulation Lectures for Residents, will provide participating ophthalmology residents from five academic institutions with an opportunity to build fundamental skills in two types of cataract surgery (manual small-incision and phacoemulsification) and surgical treatments for glaucoma (trabeculectomy and the placement of drainage devices). Course participants will complete pre-learning content on Cybersight during their own time and join biweekly live lectures from Volunteer Faculty.

Virtual Flying Eye Hospital TrainingsOrbis's Flying Eye Hospital is the world's only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Flying Eye Hospital has traveled the world delivering best-in-class training for eye care professionals in over 95 countries. In 2020, Orbis reimagined in-person Flying Eye Hospital trainings as virtual ones to ensure that eye care teams could still access critical training safely during the pandemic. Orbis reached nine countries in 2020 and 34 countries in 2021 through virtual Flying Eye Hospital projects.

"We have made significant progress in improving the quality of eye care in Ethiopia over the past 20-plus years, but we know there is still much work to be done to further increase eye health in the country," said Derek Hodkey, President & CEO of Orbis International. "Our virtual training projects, enabled by our incredible volunteers and supporters, have proven to be instrumental in training the next generation of eye health professionals in Ethiopia and beyond."

Orbis's Work in EthiopiaIn 1998, Orbis established its presence in Ethiopia with an in-country office in Addis Ababa. Since then, Orbis has transformed the eye care sector in Ethiopia, including by establishing the Eye Bank of Ethiopia, the first of its kind among sub-Saharan African countries, introducing subspeciality services, establishing pediatric eye care units and pioneering training programs for mid-level eye care workers in collaboration with local academic institutions. Orbis has also worked with partners in Ethiopia to expand programs to prevent childhood blindness and to develop a comprehensive rural eye health system focused on delivering services to address trachoma, cataract and refractive error.

Through its work and partnerships in the country, Orbis has significantly contributed to increasing the number of ophthalmologists from 54 to 203 and optometrists from 0 to 540 since 1998. Through its interventions, Orbis has reached over 3.2 million people with eye screenings and examinations, performed over 239,000 eye surgeries and trained nearly 163,000 health workers and other community volunteers over the last 22 years. In 2020 alone, Orbis and partners completed over 231,000 eye screenings and examinations, performed over 8,600 eye surgeries and trained over 21,400 health workers.

About Orbis Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world's only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight. For the past ten consecutive years, Orbis has achieved Charity Navigator's coveted four-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, placing Orbis in the top 3% of U.S. charities. In 2021, Orbis earned GuideStar's platinum Seal of Transparency. To learn more, please visit orbis.org.

MEDIA CONTACTElle Communications [email protected]

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SOURCE Orbis International
Company to award $50,000 in scholarships to students pursuing careers in the automotive service industry through annual program

PHILADELPHIA, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires, one of the country's leading automotive networks, is pleased to announce the opening of its application submission process for the 2022-2023 Find Your Drive Scholarship Program. The program will award two $10,000 and six $5,000 scholarships to assist automotive technicians of tomorrow with educational expenses for the upcoming school year. Funding for the scholarships is granted by Pep Boys, which provides industry-leading after-market service at 1,000 company-owned locations in 35 states and Puerto Rico. Applications are being accepted now through Friday, May 27, 2022.

"We're proud that for the fourth consecutive year, Pep Boys will be able to help promising automotive education students jumpstart their education and careers," said CEO Brian Kaner. "This year's Find Your Drive Scholarship Program will mark more than $200,000 distributed to 50 students over its history. While there's still more work to be done, the industry has made measurable progress in filling its skills gap. Pep Boys is delivering on commitments we made during our 'Race to 2026' program announcement three years ago, helping to bring talented technicians with bright futures into the field."

All scholarship recipients will be eligible for preferred placement in the Pep Boys apprenticeship program and/or a full-time automotive tech position upon graduation. Scholarship applicants must submit an application, academic records, a letter of recommendation, and a video and or written essay expressing "Why I want to be a top technician." All applications will be reviewed by a Pep Boys Scholarship committee and are being accepted now through May 27.

According to the Auto Care Association's (ACA) State of Auto Care 2022 Factbook released earlier this year, automotive technician employment in 2020 totaled approximately 860,000 individuals. While this is down 5.8% from more than 913,000 in 2019, the same forces driving the rebound in automotive service are driving the need for trusted, knowledgeable technicians to perform the work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be nearly 69,000 job openings for automotive service technicians and mechanics each year, on average, over the decade.

This is the fourth consecutive year of the Find Your Drive Scholarship Program, with $167,500 distributed to date, and 42 students supported. This year will increase the total distribution to $217,500, bringing the total number of students supported to 50. The annual scholarship program is part of Pep Boys' "Race to 2026" initiative which aims to increase the number of trained technicians and help fill an industry-wide talent gap over the next four years. Pep Boys offers a broad range of industry-leading opportunities and career paths designed to encourage talented future technicians to follow their passion for automotive. In addition to scholarships, the Company partners with leading technical schools, internships, and work opportunities during a student's education. After graduation, technicians can launch their careers with the Company performing basic maintenance and take advantage of benefits such as tuition assistance, apprenticeships, Company-sponsored certifications, and continuing education to move on to more complex repairs, or progress to a leadership role. For more information on Pep Boys, visit www.careers.pepboys.com.

About Pep BoysPep Boys is driven by its promise to its customers: We go further to help you go farther. Founded in 1921 by military veterans, generations of drivers have counted on Pep Boys ASE-certified Pros to care for their cars. With a national network of Service and Tire Centers, millions of vehicles and fleets pass through Pep Boys bays each year. Our commitment to being the ONE our communities count on is demonstrated through our exceptional customer experience and support of the critical technical training initiatives needed to close America's skills gap. For more information, visit www.pepboys.com.

Media ContactFor more information or to schedule an interview with a Pep Boys representative, please contact [email protected].

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SOURCE Pep Boys
SAS Hackathon team uses SAS Viya on Microsoft Azure to build AI and optimization models

CARY, N.C., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In Indonesia, small businesses are a big deal. More than 64 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)  that's one for every five Indonesians  employ a whopping 97% of the country's workforce. And in Jakarta, the bustling capital city of 11 million people, these MSMEs are the engine that drives the economy.

Jakarta is a diverse and dynamic region and the millions of micro, small and medium enterprises are its beating heart.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, lockdowns and activity restrictions shut down much of the normal commerce and threatened the livelihood of millions of people.

The local government of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta took steps to lessen the blow, including capital infusions to keep businesses afloat through the worst of the pandemic and its infection spikes. This COVID relief was a lifeline for MSME owners and their employees across the region.

A new challenge arose: How to ensure that trillions of Indonesian rupiahs were spent wisely, supporting both businesses serving vulnerable areas and those with the highest potential to rebound in a post-COVID world and help resurrect the local and national economy.

SAS Hackathon as innovation incubatorA team of Indonesian data scientists looked to address this challenge. They used data and advanced analytics like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help local government officials in Jakarta optimize the distribution of COVID relief.

Team JAKSTAT was part of the 2022 SAS Hackathon, a month-long event sponsored by SAS, the leader in analytics, and its preferred cloud partner Microsoft. Hackathon teams from around the world collaborated with experts and SAS mentors to address big challenges in business and government and used the Hackathon as an incubator for innovation.

According to team lead Muhammad Iqbal, a data analyst at Starcore Analytics, a SAS partner that helps Jakarta Provincial Government run this project, "Jakarta is such a diverse and dynamic region and city, and the millions of micro, small and medium enterprises are its beating heart. Our project seeks to ensure that the capital infusion keeps that heart beating strong and helps MSMEs and all Indonesians be more resilient as we emerge from the pandemic."

JAKSTAT applied AI and advanced analytics using SAS Viya, the cloud-native data management, AI and decisioning platform by SAS. SAS Viya integrates seamlessly with open-source technologies like Python, which the team also used.

The combination of AI in the cloud gives Hackathon teams  and businesses, government agencies and universities worldwide  the power to quickly transform data into better, faster and reliable decisions.

A sampling of the many types of MSMEs in Jakarta include snack and food stands and restaurants; produce shops and grocery stores; clothes and fashion retail; bookstores and newsstands; vehicle and motorbike maintenance and many more.

According to the United Nations Development Program, only 17% of MSMEs surveyed in Jakarta received or sought assistance during the pandemic. Team JAKSTAT, by using powerful analytics and AI in the cloud, is looking to help local officials boost that number and economic activity across the region by optimizing the distribution of COVID-relief.

What is the SAS Hackathon?During the SAS Hackathon, teams of participants collaborate and compete to develop the best solutions to a business or humanitarian challenge using SAS technology. Unlike many hackathons where participants meet in person for a couple days, the SAS Hackathon was all-digital and spanned one month. Teams had access to a learning portal and a SAS mentor. Hackathon teams can create potentially viable applications and products for the marketplace that SAS will assist in developing and commercializing in collaboration with the team.

To learn more, visit SAS Hackathon and follow #SAShackathon on Twitter.

Today's announcement was made at the virtual SAS Media & Influencer Briefing. To keep up with the latest news from SAS, follow @SASsoftwareNews on Twitter.

About SASSAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2022 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contacts:Ally Miller[email protected]704-890-7557orMike Nemecek[email protected]919-531-5140sas.com/news

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SOURCE SAS
CHICAGO, May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryerson Holding Corporation (NYSE: RYI), a leading value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals, announced today its investment in FreeFORM Technologies ("FreeFORM"), an additive manufacturing and engineering company specializing in metal additive manufacturing including metal binder jet 3D printing and metal injection molding. Founded in 2020, FreeFORM serves manufacturers in a multitude of industries and strategically aligns with Ryerson's current and future customer base.

"This investment in FreeFORM marks Ryerson's entry into a partnership with strategically desired exposure to additive manufacturing," said Chief Operations Officer Mike Burbach. "It is an important step forward allowing us to explore synergies, new opportunities and additional value-added capabilities with our customers as we look towards the emerging present and future of the metals industry."

"We are excited to partner with a forward-thinking metal company like Ryerson" said Nate Higgins, President of FreeFORM Technologies. "Our shared vision of bringing freedom of design to the customer experience will help to change the conventional thinking of manufacturing."

About Ryerson

Ryerson is a leading value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals, with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China. Founded in 1842, Ryerson has around 4,000 employees in approximately 100 locations. Visit Ryerson at www.ryerson.com.

Safe Harbor Provision

Certain statements made in this presentation and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, objectives, or projections relating to the future. Such statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "objectives," "goals," "preliminary," "range," "believes," "expects," "may," "estimates," "will," "should," "plans," or "anticipates" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. The Company cautions that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and may involve significant risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may vary materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Among the factors that significantly impact our business are: the cyclicality of our business; the highly competitive, volatile, and fragmented metals industry in which we operate; fluctuating metal prices; our substantial indebtedness and the covenants in instruments governing such indebtedness; the integration of acquired operations; regulatory and other operational risks associated with our operations located inside and outside of the United States; impacts and implications of adverse health events, including the COVID-19 pandemic; work stoppages; obligations under certain employee retirement benefit plans; the ownership of a majority of our equity securities by a single investor group; currency fluctuations; and consolidation in the metals industry. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various factors, including those set forth above and those set forth under "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we caution against placing undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, new information or otherwise.

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SOURCE Ryerson Holding Corporation
CINCINNATI, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Textile is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2022 US Best Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams.

This is the second consecutive year that the Cincinnati-based manufacturer has received the distinction.

The 2022 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic, resilient culture, as well as strong financials. This year's designees continued to propel their businesses forward by prioritizing purpose, investing in their workforces, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

This is the second consecutive year that the Cincinnati-based manufacturer has received the Best Managed Company distinction.

"It is such an honor for our company to be recognized among Deloitte's US Best Managed Companies for a second consecutive year," said Gary Heiman, President and Chief Executive Office of Standard Textile. "I couldn't be prouder of our One Standard team. During yet another challenging year for most businesses, our team has shown incredible resiliency and adaptability as well as an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for our customers and our communities. It really shows what a solid foundation and culture along with continued investment in people can achieve."

Throughout the pandemic, Standard Textile has continued to put a strong focus on its purpose to inspire care, comfort and change in communities. In 2021, the company met its goal of supporting 80,000 showers by year end through Standard Textile Cares, its national program to combat homelessness. Standard Textile partnered with non-profit organizations across the United States that provide mobile shower services to people dealing with homelessness or insufficient housing, donating thousands of bath towels, wash cloths, shower curtains, and blankets to support an estimated 80,200 showers annually.

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture and governance/financial performance. They join a global ecosystem of honorees from more than 40 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.

About the Best Managed Companies ProgramThe Best Managed Companies program is a mark of excellence for private companies. U.S. designees have revenues of at least $250 million. Hundreds of private companies around the world have competed for this designation in their respective countries through a rigorous and independent process that evaluates four key criteria in their management skills and practices  strategy, execution, culture and governance/financials. U.S. program sponsors are Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. For more information, visit www.usbestmanagedcompanies.com.

About Standard TextileFounded in 1940, Standard Textile has developed a culture of innovation, quality, and service. With more than 80 patents, its products are engineered to deliver durability, longevity, and value. A vertically integrated company, Standard Textile is a leading global provider of total solutions in the institutional textiles and apparel markets. Leveraging textile design, manufacturing, and laundry expertise, and its global infrastructure, this company serves customers in the healthcare, hospitality, interiors, and consumer markets worldwide. For more information visit standardtextile.com.

ContactJudy Sroufe Vice President, Brand Marketing and CommunicationsStandard Textile[email protected](513) 761-9256, ext. 2243

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SOURCE Standard Textile
SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gordon Getty '56, alumnus and friend of the University of San Francisco (USF), is advancing the teaching and creation of art through a transformational gift which will provide funding for expanded and renovated arts facilities, support for renowned arts faculty, and access for arts students.

"The University of San Francisco was a top choice," said Gordon Getty. "With the changing landscape of the city, and with the new direction of the university, I knew that a gift towards the arts would leave a lasting impact and really further USF in its arts program. This was the perfect way to honor Ann."

"This significant support of USF continues to ensure that our students have the opportunity to engage in world-class arts programs," said USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. "Mr. Getty has been and continues to be a critical player in helping USF integrate arts education with other aspects of our holistic curriculum. This gift ensures we will continue to evolve and elevate the arts education in San Francisco for the next generation."

An expansion and renovation of the current facilities for art instruction will grow USF's footprint with additional studio art spaces, gallery and exhibition spaces, granting the opportunity to engage the community with the arts on campus. Gordon Getty's gift will also establish an endowed chair, The Ann Getty Chair in the Arts, that will ensure the growth and recruitment of USF's arts programs, enabling the University to attract world-class artists for the programs on campus. The final component of this gift is an endowed scholarship named The Ann Getty Memorial Endowed Scholarship for the Arts.

"Gordon Getty's support arrives at a juncture where the arts are being reimagined at USF," said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Julia Chinyere Oparah. "His gift allows us to not only preserve what we have now, but assists us in sophisticating the program at USF."

About the University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco is a private, Jesuit Catholic university that reflects the diversity, optimism, and opportunities of the city that surrounds it. USF offers more than 230 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, law, education, and nursing and health professions. At USF, each course is an intimate learning community in which top professors encourage students to turn learning into positive action, so the students graduate equipped to do well in the world  and inspired to change it for the better. For more information, visit usfca.edu.

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SOURCE University of San Francisco
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TORRAS, a leading phone accessory & electronic device brand, has launched the 2022 version of its wearable air conditioner, COOLIFY 2, through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

As the pioneer of neck air conditioner (No.2 sales in 2021 Amazon category), TORRAS has made a significant breakthrough on COOLIFY 2, releasing 3 new colorways (priced at $179) and 1 limited edition (priced at $229). COOLIFY 2 is a personal temperature control air conditioner for both cooling and heating. It's currently available on TORRAS official website and Amazon store.

Build Your Own Temperature Zone & Save EnergyThrough continuous in-depth research on daily life, TORRAS found that traditional large-scale cooling is difficult to provide suitable temperatures for different users in the same place, and even causes a waste of carbon consumption.

Taking this as an entry point, TORRAS further develops COOLIFY 2 by changing the traditional airflow cooling into thermal contact conductance, which makes it smarter to regulate individuals' body temperature. COOLIFY 2 also adds a heat mode to keep users warm during cold days. This improvement truly provides users with a customized temperature control system in different scenarios.

At the same time, COOLIFY 2 marks an entirely new era in which cooling goes greener. Personal cooling is more efficient than traditional large-scale cooling in terms of energy consumption, so there is an urgency to promote the popularization of personal cooling. TORRAS upholds the concept that technology changes the future, and constantly encourages more users to start by adapting their lifestyles, thus contributing to a more sustainable world.

"COOLIFY 2 helps users create a personal temperature zone, which bears the mission of TORRAS to make people's lives better" - said Carrie Kong, CEO of TORRAS.

Features of COOLIFY 2:

Cool Down 27 in 1S: NTC smart temperature control and KU 2.0 chip make it possible to cool down 27F in 1 second, driving heat away instantly. Comfortable Fit: Adjustable design with built-in silicone cushion enables COOLIFY 2 to fit easily around users' necks throughout their activities. 18 Hours Continuous Use: 3-hour charging provides 18 hours of battery life, ensuring a long-lasting cooling experience. Cooling & Heating 2 in 1 Device: In addition to beating the heat, it heats up when switched to heat mode to keep you warm on colder days. Stylish & Premium Design: 3 most popular colorways with innovative craft allow you to look cool and keep cool, perfectly keeping up with your style. Bladeless, Worry-free: Bladeless fan prevents your hair from getting pinched. Overcharge and short circuit protection make it safe enough for cooling.

If you want to place an order today, please visit TORRAS Official Website and Amazon Store:

TORRAS Official Website:https://torraslife.com/product/coolify2-neck-air-conditioner/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=MEDIA&utm_campaign=5-5&utm_id=PR

Amazon Store:https://amzn.to/3kLO8Bx

For more information about TORRAS, please visit www.torraslife.com

TORRAS has been developing creative products in the fields of 3C electronics, vehicle accessories, and household appliances. Most of their products keep top sales all year round, and achieve high customer satisfaction. The newly launched COOLIFY 2, which stands out with its excellent cooling performance, is expected to be quickly recognized by the market!

About TORRASFounded in 2012, TORRAS is an innovative brand with a design philosophy of "Simple but Unique". They now have an R&D laboratory that spans over 2,000 square meters, and have obtained more than 1,100 patents thus far, with 36 of its products winning prestigious international design awards including the German Red Dot Award.

CONTACT: TORRAS Contact: [email protected]; TORRAS PR Manager: [email protected]

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SOURCE TORRAS
Powered by VolunteerNow, the professional development conference will explore how to lead volunteers through challenges

DALLAS, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Texas Volunteer Management Conference (TVMC), powered by VolunteerNow, will be held virtually on June 2-3, 2022. The conference's theme, "Brave New World: Leaning into Challenges," will explore the challenges of reengaging volunteers in a post-COVID-19 world. The two-day national conference includes 20 breakout sessions, a keynote presentation, two plenaries and three networking opportunities for volunteer management professionals.

"VolunteerNow has been a proud partner of TVMC since its inception 31 years ago," said Tammy Richards, CEO of VolunteerNow. "The conference is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to learn important skills and gain knowledge of how they can best engage volunteers to serve their missions. We are honored to feature Dr. Stacia Alexander LPC-S, a licensed professional counselor, as the keynote speaker to talk about prioritizing positive mental health practices and emotional intelligence development in the nonprofit sector."

Both those in the non-profit and for-profit sectors will find value from the conference, including those in the private sector responsible for engaging volunteers including program managers, executive directors, development and communications team members as well as staff in community relations and corporate social responsibility. In 2021, TVMC achieved record-breaking attendance with 500 registrants.

TVMC will feature leading volunteer engagement specialists, including Martin J. Cowling, Betsy McFarland, CVA, and Faiza Venzant, CVA. The virtual conference will also include presentations on topics such as how to work with teenagers, ethics in volunteer administration, DEI and burnout.

In addition to VolunteerNow's support, the conference is made possible through partnerships with the Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers (DADV) and the Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA) of Tarrant County. OneStar Foundation will serve as presenting sponsor.

To learn more and to register for the 2022 conference, click here.

About VolunteerNowWith 50 years of experience, VolunteerNow transforms lives through volunteerism and community engagement. In a typical year, VolunteerNow mobilizes more than 310,000 volunteers who give 1.6 million hours to 3,500 local nonprofits, driving a $46 million economic impact. VOLY.org, powered by VolunteerNow, is the 24/7 connection between volunteers and local service opportunities. As a national thought leader in volunteerism and one of the largest volunteer centers in the country, VolunteerNow provides a wide range of programs and services that build capacity for school districts, nonprofits, and municipalities. volnow.org

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volunteernow-powers-31st-annual-texas-volunteer-management-conference-301544113.html

SOURCE VolunteerNow
DUBLIN, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Healthcare Cognitive Computing Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global healthcare cognitive computing market reached a value of US$ 3.60 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the market is projected to reach a value of US$ 11.04 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 19.20% 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.

Cognitive computing is a self-learning system that relies on data mining techniques, pattern recognition, natural languages, human sense processing, and system refinements to simulate the human thought process. It processes enormous amounts of data to answer specific queries, gives customized intelligent recommendations and supports decision making.

It analyzes emerging patterns, spots business opportunities and handles critical process-centric issues in real-time. It also enhances customer interactions by providing relevant, contextual and valuable information. At present, cognitive computing is extensively utilized in the healthcare sector to treat patients using past data and recognize any health-related issues.Healthcare Cognitive Computing Market Trends

The growing prevalence of chronic diseases across the globe represents one of the key factors driving the market. Moreover, there is a rise in the demand for gene-specific treatment to eliminate cancer cells without damaging healthy tissues. This, along with advancements in the healthcare industry around the world, is propelling the growth of the market. In addition, there is an increase in the use of third computing platforms to facilitate better patient care.

This, coupled with the escalating demand for personalized treatments in oncology, is offering lucrative growth opportunities to industry investors. Besides this, healthcare cognitive computing finds application in customized medicine, melanoma screening, and electronic health record (EHR) data analysis.

Additionally, the increasing cost of drug discovery and clinical trials worldwide are catalyzing the demand for healthcare cognitive computing. Apart from this, governing authorities of several countries are undertaking initiatives to promote the usage of e-health technologies, which is positively influencing the market. Furthermore, key market players are focusing on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), which is projected to bolster their overall profitability.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Apixio (Centene Corporation), Apple Inc., CognitiveScale, Enterra Solutions LLC, Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), Healthcare X.0 GmbH, Intel Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, MedWhat and Microsoft Corporation.Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the global healthcare cognitive computing market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global healthcare cognitive computing market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the technology?

What is the breakup of the market based on the deployment mode?

What is the breakup of the market based on the End-use?

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 healthcare cognitive computing market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered: 1 Preface2 Scope and Methodology3 Executive Summary4 Introduction4.1 Overview4.2 Key Industry Trends5 Global Healthcare Cognitive Computing Market5.1 Market Overview5.2 Market Performance5.3 Impact of COVID-195.4 Market Forecast6 Market Breakup by Technology6.1 Natural Language Processing6.1.1 Market Trends6.1.2 Market Forecast6.2 Machine Learning6.2.1 Market Trends6.2.2 Market Forecast6.3 Automated Reasoning6.3.1 Market Trends6.3.2 Market Forecast6.4 Others6.4.1 Market Trends6.4.2 Market Forecast7 Market Breakup by Deployment Mode7.1 On-premises7.1.1 Market Trends7.1.2 Market Forecast7.2 Cloud-based7.2.1 Market Trends7.2.2 Market Forecast8 Market Breakup by End Use8.1 Hospitals8.1.1 Market Trends8.1.2 Market Forecast8.2 Pharmaceuticals8.2.1 Market Trends8.2.2 Market Forecast8.3 Medical Devices8.3.1 Market Trends8.3.2 Market Forecast8.4 Insurance8.4.1 Market Trends8.4.2 Market Forecast8.5 Others8.5.1 Market Trends8.5.2 Market Forecast9 Market Breakup by Region10 SWOT Analysis11 Value Chain Analysis12 Porters Five Forces Analysis13 Price Analysis14 Competitive Landscape14.1 Market Structure14.2 Key Players14.3 Profiles of Key Players14.3.1 Apixio (Centene Corporation)14.3.1.1 Company Overview14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio14.3.2 Apple Inc.14.3.2.1 Company Overview14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio14.3.2.3 Financials14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis14.3.3 CognitiveScale14.3.3.1 Company Overview14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio14.3.4 Enterra Solutions LLC14.3.4.1 Company Overview14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio14.3.5 Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)14.3.5.1 Company Overview14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio14.3.5.3 SWOT Analysis14.3.6 Healthcare X.0 GmbH14.3.6.1 Company Overview14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio14.3.7 Intel Corporation14.3.7.1 Company Overview14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio14.3.7.3 Financials14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis14.3.8 International Business Machines Corporation14.3.8.1 Company Overview14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio14.3.8.3 Financials14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis14.3.9 MedWhat14.3.9.1 Company Overview14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio14.3.10 Microsoft Corporation14.3.10.1 Company Overview14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio14.3.10.3 Financials14.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9ce76p

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Citibank is seen on a board at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2017 (SPIEF 2017) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 1, 2017. Picture taken June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/

(This May 10 story has been recast to clarify Omari's departure was unrelated to the flash crash, and corrects headline)

By Sinead Cruise

LONDON (Reuters) - Citigroup is looking for a new senior manager within its Delta One operations, a trading unit that sells financial products to sophisticated investors, according to three people familiar with the matter and a job advertisement posted by the bank last week.

So-called Delta One desks target investors such as pension funds, hedge funds and blue chip corporate clients.

Citi is looking to name a new Head of Forward Trading based at its European headquarters in London, a job vacancy posted on professional networking site LinkedIn shows.

The search follows the departure of Ali Omari, who was EMEA Head of Delta One Forwards and Sectors, one of the Delta One units, according to Omari and two sources familiar with the matter.

Citi's broader Delta One operations have been linked to a trading blunder that led to a market flash crash on May 2, the two sources said. But Omari was not involved in the event and his departure was unrelated, according to Omari and the two sources. Omari told Reuters on Tuesday that he was not at work for three weeks prior to the May 2 flash crash, and only returned to the office on May 3 to tender his resignation from the bank before taking up another opportunity.

Reuters was unable to independently verify who was responsible for the flash crash and has no evidence to suggest that Omari played any role in the trading error that caused that event.

A spokesperson for Citi declined to comment on the timing of the hiring plans in its Delta One operations beyond confirming the vacancy.

Two of the sources familiar with the matter said the bank's Delta One trading activities were connected to, although not responsible for, the data input blunder that caused the pan-European STOXX 600 equity benchmark to fall by more than 2 percentage points in around two minutes of trading.

Citi has previously confirmed that one of its employees was behind the error that led to the market fall, but has not given details on which teams played a role. A spokesperson for Citi declined to comment on this again on Wednesday.

Citi has said it is pursuing a revamp of its risk management and controls systems. It is still subject to at least two consent orders by U.S. regulators related to its internal controls after the United States' Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) lifted a 10-year-old order in late April.

(Additional reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Elisa Martinuzzi and Alexander Smith)
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13G



Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. ___)*

Tufin Software Technologies Ltd.

(Name of Issuer)

Ordinary Shares, par value NIS 0.015 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)

M8893U102

(CUSIP Number)

April 29, 2022

(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

[X] Rule 13d-1(b)

[X] Rule 13d-1(c)

[ ] Rule 13d-1(d)

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control number.

1

CUSIP No. M8893U102

1. Names of Reporting Persons.





Beryl Capital Management LLC

2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)



(a) X



(b) ______

3. SEC Use Only

4. Citizenship or Place of Organization Delaware

Number of Shares Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person With: 5. Sole Voting Power 0 6. Shared Voting Power 3,159,797 7. Sole Dispositive Power 0 8. Shared Dispositive Power 3,159,797

9. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person 3,159,797

10. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares (See

Instructions) ______

11. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9) 8.2%

12. Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions) IA, OO

2

CUSIP No. M8893U102

1. Names of Reporting Persons.





Beryl Capital Management LP

2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)



(a) X



(b) ______

3. SEC Use Only

4. Citizenship or Place of Organization Delaware

Number of Shares Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person With: 5. Sole Voting Power 0 6. Shared Voting Power 3,159,797 7. Sole Dispositive Power 0 8. Shared Dispositive Power 3,159,797

9. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person 3,159,797

10. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares (See

Instructions) ______

11. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9) 8.2%

12. Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions) IA, PN

3

CUSIP No. M8893U102

1. Names of Reporting Persons.





Beryl Capital Partners II LP

2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)



(a)



(b) ______

3. SEC Use Only

4. Citizenship or Place of Organization Delaware

Number of Shares Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person With: 5. Sole Voting Power 0 6. Shared Voting Power 2,790,772 7. Sole Dispositive Power 0 8. Shared Dispositive Power 2,790,772

9. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person 2,790,772

10. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares (See

Instructions) ______

11. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9) 7.3%

12. Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions) PN

4

CUSIP No. M8893U102

1. Names of Reporting Persons.





David A. Witkin

2. Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)



(a) X



(b) ______

3. SEC Use Only

4. Citizenship or Place of Organization U.S.A.

Number of Shares Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person With: 5. Sole Voting Power 0 6. Shared Voting Power 3,159,797 7. Sole Dispositive Power 0 8. Shared Dispositive Power 3,159,797

9. Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person 3,159,797

10. Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (9) Excludes Certain Shares (See

Instructions) ______

11. Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (9) 8.2%

12. Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions) IN, HC

5

CUSIP No. M8893U102

Item 1.

(a) Name of Issuer



Tufin Software Technologies Ltd.



(b) Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices



5 HaShalom Road, ToHa Tower, Tel Aviv 6789205 Israel



Item 2.

(a) The names of the persons filing this statement are:



Beryl Capital Management LLC (Beryl), Beryl Capital Management LP (Beryl GP), Beryl Capital Partners II LP (the Partnership) and David A. Witkin (collectively, the Filers). Each Filer disclaims beneficial ownership of the Stock except to the extent of that persons pecuniary interest therein. In addition, the filing of this Schedule 13G on behalf of the Partnership should not be construed as an admission that it is, and it disclaims that it is, a beneficial owner, as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act, of any of the Stock covered by this Schedule 13G.

(b) The principal business office of the Filers is located at:



1611 S. Catalina Ave., Suite 309, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

(c) For citizenship of Filers, see Item 4 of the cover sheet for each Filer.

(d) This statement relates to the Issuers Ordinary Shares, par value NIS 0.015 per share (the "Stock").

(e) The CUSIP number of the Issuer is: M8893U102

6

CUSIP No. M8893U102

Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to rule 240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a:

(a) [ ] Broker or dealer registered under section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o).

(b) [ ] Bank as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c).

(c) [ ] Insurance company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c).

(d) [ ] Investment company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8).

(e) [X] An investment adviser in accordance with section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E), as to Beryl and Beryl GP.

(f) [ ] An employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F).

(g) [X] A parent holding company or control person in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G), as to Mr. Witkin.

(h) [ ] A savings association as defined in section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813).

(i) [ ] A church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3).

(j) [ ] A non-U.S. institution in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(ii)(J).

(k) [ ] Group, in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K).

If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify the type of institution _______________________________________________________________.

Item 4. Ownership.

See Items 5-9 and 11 of the cover page for each Filer.

The percentages reported in this Schedule 13G are based on 38,383,435 Ordinary Shares outstanding.

Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class

If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following [ ].

Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person.

Beryl is the investment adviser to the Partnership and other private investment funds (collectively, the Funds) and other accounts. Beryl is the general partner of Beryl GP, which is also the general partner of one or more of the Funds. Mr. Witkin is the control person of Beryl and Beryl GP. The Funds hold the Stock for the benefit of their investors, and the Funds and Beryls other clients have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the Stock. Other than the Partnership, no individual client's holdings of the Stock are more than five percent of the outstanding Stock.

Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on By the Parent Holding Company.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group.

Beryl is the investment adviser to the Funds and other accounts. Beryl is the general partner of Beryl GP, which is the general partner of one or more of the Funds. Mr. Witkin is the control person of Beryl.

Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group

Not applicable.

Item 10. Material to Be Filed as Exhibits

Exhibit A Joint Filing Agreement.

Item 11. Certification of Beryl, Beryl GP and Mr. Witkin.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect.

Certification of the Partnership.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect.

7

CUSIP No. M8893U102

SIGNATURE

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

Dated: May 10, 2022

BERYL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC BERYL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP By: Beryl Capital Management LLC General Partner By: /s/ Andrew Nelson Andrew Nelson By: /s/ Andrew Nelson Chief Operating Officer and CFO Andrew Nelson Chief Operating Officer and CFO BERYL CAPITAL PARTNERS II LP By: Beryl Capital Management LP /s/ David A. Witkin General Partner David A. Witkin By: Beryl Capital Management LLC General Partner By: /s/ Andrew Nelson Andrew Nelson Chief Operating Officer

8

CUSIP No. M8893U102

EXHIBIT A

AGREEMENT REGARDING JOINT FILING

OF STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 13D OR 13G

The undersigned agree to file jointly with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") any and all statements on Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G and Forms 3, 4 or 5 (and any amendments or supplements thereto) required under section 13(d) or 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in connection with purchases by the undersigned of the securities of any issuer. For that purpose, the undersigned hereby constitute and appoint Beryl Capital Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as their true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority for and on behalf of the undersigned to prepare or cause to be prepared, sign, file with the SEC and furnish to any other person all certificates, instruments, agreements and documents necessary to comply with section 13(d) and section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in connection with said purchases, and to do and perform every act necessary and proper to be done incident to the exercise of the foregoing power, as fully as the undersigned might or could do if personally present.

Dated: May 10, 2022
CUSIP No. 05379B107 13G Page 5 of 6 Pages

Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group.

Not applicable

Item 10. Certification.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under 240.14a-11.

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the foreign regulatory scheme applicable to a pension investment manager subject to the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act, an Act of the Parliament of Canada, and the regulations made thereunder, is substantially comparable to the regulatory scheme applicable to the functionally equivalent U.S. institution(s). I also undertake to furnish to the Commission staff, upon request, information that would otherwise be disclosed in a Schedule 13D.
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE TO

TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(D)(1) OR 13(E)(1)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

(Amendment No. 1)

CDK GLOBAL, INC.

(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))

CENTRAL MERGER SUB INC.

(Name of Filing Persons (Offeror))

a wholly owned subsidiary of

CENTRAL PARENT LLC

(Name of Filing Persons (Parent of Offeror))

BROOKFIELD CAPITAL PARTNERS VI L.P.

(Name of Filing Persons (Other))

Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 Per Share

(Title of Class of Securities)

12508E101

(Cusip Number of Class of Securities)

Dave Gregory

Doug Bayerd

Central Parent LLC

250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor

New York, New York 10281

212-417-7000

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to

Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Filing Persons)

Copies to:

Leonard Kreynin

Cheryl Chan

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

450 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10017

212-450-4000

 Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer.

Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the statement relates:

x third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.

 issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.

 going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.

 amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer. 

If applicable, check the appropriate box(es) below to designate the appropriate rule provision

 Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)

 Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)

This Amendment No. 1 (this Amendment) amends and supplements the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO filed by Central Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation (Purchaser), and Central Parent LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Parent), with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 22, 2022 (together with any subsequent amendments and supplements thereto, the Schedule TO). The Schedule TO relates to the offer by Purchaser to purchase any and all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of CDK Global, Inc., a Delaware corporation (CDK and such shares, the Shares), at a price of $54.87 per Share, without interest, to the holder in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase dated April 22, 2022 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the Offer to Purchase) and in the accompanying Letter of Transmittal (together with any amendments or supplements thereto and with the Offer to Purchase, the Offer), which are annexed to and filed with the Schedule TO as Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B), respectively. Purchaser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. This Amendment is being filed on behalf of Parent and Purchaser. Unless otherwise indicated, references to sections in the Schedule TO are references to sections of the Offer to Purchase.

Except as otherwise set forth in this Amendment, the information set forth in the Schedule TO remains unchanged and is incorporated herein by reference to the extent relevant to the items in this Amendment. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Schedule TO.

Item 3. Identity and Background of Filing Person.

Item 3 of the Schedule TO is hereby amended by replacing the first sentence with the following sentence:

 (a) - (c) The filing companies of this Schedule TO are (i) Parent, (ii) Purchaser and (iii) Brookfield Capital Partners VI L.P.



Section 8Certain Information Concerning Parent, Purchaser and Certain Related Parties is hereby amended and supplemented by inserting the following sentence after the last sentence of the third paragraph.

The business telephone for BCP VI is 212-417-7000.

Item 11. Additional Information

Item 11 of the Schedule TO is hereby amended and supplemented by inserting the following paragraph after the last paragraph of the subsection entitled Antitrust ComplianceU.S. Antitrust Laws:

At 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on May 6, 2022, the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act with respect to the purchase of Shares in the Offer expired.

Item 11 of the Schedule TO is hereby amended and supplemented by inserting the following paragraph after the last paragraph of the subsection entitled Antitrust ComplianceCanadian Antitrust Laws:

On April 25, 2022, the parties received an Advance Ruling Certificate from the Canadian Competition Bureau pursuant to section 102 of the Competition Act confirming that the Commissioner of Competition is satisfied that there would not be sufficient grounds on which to apply to the Competition Tribunal for an order under section 92 of the Competition Act to prohibit the completion of the Transaction.

1

Item 12. Exhibits

* Previously filed.

2

SIGNATURE

After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

Dated: May 10, 2022

CENTRAL MERGER SUB INC. By: /s/ David Gregory Name: David Gregory Title: Managing Partner
The Marine Corps is moving forward with a controversial plan that has mothballed tanks in favor of smaller, more mobile fighting formations, despite a backlash from some acclaimed retired generals.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger on Monday released an update to his Force Design 2030 concept, which amounts to some of the most significant changes in the service in a generation.

The Corps is two years into the initiative, which has seen it get rid of hundreds of tanks and cut back on towed cannon artillery and significant numbers of helicopter units. The aim is to set up the service to counter China more effectively in the years to come.

We are modernizing the Marine Corps using the (Peoples Republic of China) as a benchmark, Berger wrote in the update.

But the speed of the Corps transformation has rattled some former Marine brass.

The pushback comes from a group of some 30 retired generals, Politico reported in April, including Jim Mattis and Joe Dunford  two of the biggest names in recent Marine Corps history. Neither Mattis nor Dunford have commented publicly on their views of the force structure changes.

Critics are concerned that the Corps could be putting at risk its traditional role of performing global crisis response operations by divesting armor and reducing the size of its battalions.

Retired Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper wrote in a March op-ed in the Marine Corps Times that the Corps is sacrificing its combined arms capability to support maritime denial and control campaigns with anti-ship missiles.

It will be a force shorn of all its tanks and 76% of its cannon artillery, and with 41% fewer Marines in its infantry battalions, Van Riper wrote. To make the situation even worse, there will be 33% fewer aircraft available to support riflemen on the ground.

In his update to Force Design 2030, Berger notes the criticism from stakeholders.

We have consistently said that a modernized Marine Corps must still be capable of performing global crisis response operations, Berger wrote, in what appears to be a nod to his critics.

Regardless, we must do better in explaining to all stakeholders the analytic rigor underpinning our Force Design choices, and how a modernized Marine Corps will perform our traditional roles and functions in the future.

Bergers changes center on his concept of stand-in forces, or smaller, more nimble units arranged to help the military in areas such as reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.

The concept intends to provide the Pentagon with a hard-to-detect force that could help find and sink enemy vessels at sea while maneuvering with greater range on land.

Infantry will continue to locate, close with, and destroy adversaries through fire and maneuver, but the range of options for how to locate, how to close, and how to destroy is expanding, Berger wrote. These new means give infantry increased lethality and greater range of purpose.

Advanced long-range weaponry from adversaries such as Russia and China means that Marines need to operate in a more dispersed manner, with a reduced logistical footprint and low signature, Berger continued.

Key for small units is that they possess long-range precision fires capability, such as light miniature attack munitions, which shortens the kill chain dramatically and enables that unit to out cycle the enemy, the update says.

The effectiveness of a smaller, more mobile force against a hulking adversary has been on display for the past couple of months in Ukraine, where Russian tanks and armor have at times been easy targets for lighter Ukrainian forces on the move.

Berger doesnt mention the war in Ukraine directly in his plan, but he noted that these observations are also being demonstrated on global battlefields for all to see.
The hospital ship USNS Mercy recently steamed out of San Diego Bay, kicking off an annual mission focused on disaster preparedness and humanitarian assistance across the Pacific.

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership brings together medical professionals from several nations to provide health care and other services in Pacific nations like Micronesia, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Pacific Partnership is a unifying mission that builds trust among nations to work efficiently together in preparing to respond in crisis, Capt. Hank Kim, the missions commander, said in a Task Force 73 news release May 3, the same day the Mercy left California.

The mission is expected to last for several months, Pacific Partnership 22 spokeswoman Leslie Hull-Ryde told Stars and Stripes in a Wednesday email. Past missions have lasted up to 150 days.

Last years Pacific Partnership included a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief workshop with Taiwanese disaster management experts in Palau, where participants learned about early warning systems, search and rescue and other topics, according to an Aug. 13 news release from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

We can really learn from sharing our experiences and capacity building, Republic of Palau Vice President J. Uduch Sengebau Senior said in the release. This is essential for us to survive disasters and save lives in our community.

Originally developed as a response to the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesias cast, Pacific Partnership has changed over the years to focus on strengthening relationships with other nations rather than only providing direct medical care.

The Mercy was joined in the past by its sister ship, the USNS Comfort, which is undergoing a $26 million overhaul in Mobile, Ala., according to an April 29 report by Alabama news website AL.com.

The 894-foot ships are former oil tankers gutted and remade into floating, 1,000-bed hospitals. In 2018, Navy leaders considered scrapping one of them to save money but backpedaled after the House Armed Services Committee objected.

A separate humanitarian mission, Marara 22, kicked off in the region on May 8. The 13-country exercise led by the French military will focus on disaster-relief drills in French Polynesia, the U.S. Army said in a Monday news release.

The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are among the exercises participants.

Joining for the first time are representatives from the Japan Self-Defense Forces, according to a Friday announcement from the countrys Joint Staff.

Japan hopes its involvement will enhance mutual understanding and to strengthen the trust relationship with participating countries as well as to improve the capability to carry out international emergency relief activities, according to the statement.
(Tribune News Service)  A Navy seaman from Independence, Iowa, who was killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor will finally be laid to rest Saturday.

David F. Tidball, 20, a seaman first class, was on the USS Oklahoma, which sustained multiple torpedo hits, causing it to capsize. His body recently was identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and he will be buried at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence. The graveside service will be open to the public.

When Tidball died, he was survived by his parents and three siblings. Only nieces and nephews remain to commemorate him, according to his obituary.

He graduated from Independence High School in 1938 and received a diploma from Independence Community College in spring 1940. That summer, he enlisted in the Navy.

Tidball was one of 429 USS Oklahoma crewman who died, all of whom were buried in the Halawa and Nuuanu cemeteries, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

The remains of the seamen were disinterred in 1947, when the American Graves Registration Service was assigned to recover and identify fallen U.S. military personnel in the Pacific Theater. The bodies were brought to the Central Identification Laboratory, where 35 men from the USS Oklahoma were identified. The rest, including Tidball, were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Their remains were classified as non-recoverable.

Tidballs remains were dug up again in 2015 by the Defense POW/MIA Account Agency. Using anthropological analysis, mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome DNA, the agency was able to identify Tidballs remains on March 3, 2021.

Tidballs name is one of many on the Walls of the Missing at the Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

(c)2022 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Visit at thegazette.com
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper in his new memoir said former President Donald Trump proposed the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea, according to an excerpt published Tuesday by Politico.

In his book, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, Esper writes that he had been in the job for a only few weeks when Trump began proposing outlandish ideas, including shutting down embassies in Africa.

None of this was in our nations interests, and as I calmly responded with facts, data and arguments, I saw some irritation in him  I was the new guy pushing back, Esper wrote, according to Politico.

Esper replaced Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in 2019 and served until he was abruptly fired after Election Day the following year. Esper previously served as Army secretary under Trump and was vice president for government relations at defense contracting firm Raytheon.

Espers account corroborates previous reporting that Trump had considered pulling U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula. Former national security adviser John Bolton, in his 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened, wrote that the president had ordered a pullout if South Korea did not pay more to keep U.S. troops in the country.

Trump was outspoken about his displeasure with the Special Measures Agreement with South Korea, a cost-sharing deal in which Seoul helps pay to station American forces in the country. Trump previously described South Koreas contribution as peanuts and pressured Seoul to pay as much as $5 billion, according to previous reports.

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose term ended on Tuesday, said that while Trumps demand was unacceptable, the president took the rejection in stride.

A good thing about President Trump was that he did not take it personally at all, even though he demanded it while I never accepted it for a long time, Moon said in an interview with South Korean broadcaster Joongang Tongyang on April 25.

Under the current six-year year deal that took effect in 2021, South Korea agreed to spend $1.02 billion for that year, or about a 13.9% increase from the previous year. The payout varies from year to year and is based on the Souths defense budget.

Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, the majority of them at Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas. Their deployment, according to U.S. Forces Korea, is to deter aggression and if necessary, defend [South Korea] to maintain stability in Northeast Asia.

Trump also began proceedings to pull 12,000 of the 34,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany and redeploy some of them elsewhere in Europe, citing Berlins inadequate defense spending. The plan was put on hold under President Joe Bidens administration in February 2021.
The Army is relocating its THAAD missile defense battery on Guam from Andersen Air Force Base to the nearby Marine Corps base still under construction, according to military officials.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which has been on the island for almost a decade, will move to nearby Camp Blaz, Capt. Nicholas Chopp, spokesman for the Hawaii-headquartered 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a phone interview Monday.

Blaz provides more room for the THAAD battery to operate, while freeing up space for the Air Force to use on Andersen, Chopp said.

Relocating THAAD came as the result of recent evaluations by the Missile Defense Agency of the risks the island faces from hypersonic and ballistic missile threats, the commander of Joint Region Marianas told reporters on Guam earlier Monday.

They brought some highly technical gear with them to really assess how things are in the electromagnetic spectrum, where things are best meant to go  these sorts of things, Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson said, according to The Guam Daily Post. And in the process of doing that weve learned some things.

Weve realized that if we move the THAAD battery to another location here on the island, we can actually do a couple of things, he said. We can increase the capability that the THAAD provides for the defense of Guam.

About 5,000 Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force on Okinawa will move to Blaz over the next five years as construction is completed.

Guam has become ever more important to Pentagon strategy as the size and ambitions of Chinas military have grown over the past two decades.

As the closest U.S. territory to the contested South China Sea, Guam is seen by defense officials as a strategic hub for projecting power into and defense of the region, particularly the so-called first island chain that includes Okinawa, northern Philippines and Taiwan.

In March, the White House unveiled its proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which included almost $1 billion to fully fund a comprehensive missile defense system for Guam.

In a video announcement posted on Facebook Thursday, Nicholson told Guam residents they would be seeing equipment being moved on the island over the next couple months.

And I dont want you to be alarmed, he said in the video without mentioning THAAD or any other system by name.

Whats coming up next is the movement of some of the existing systems to new locations to be able to better defend the island and the region, Nicholson said. All of this is part of our long-term efforts to better defend our homeland. So anything we do in the coming weeks or months is not necessarily tied to anything a particular bad actor or adversary in the region has done. Its through the process of experimentation and calculations and engineering that we have figured out there are better ways that we can do business with what we have now and also what is coming in the future.

The THAAD battery has operated out of a remote section of jungle on Anderson since 2013.

The roughly two-mile move to Camp Blaz will likely take place at night sometime within the next two months, Chopp said. He declined to narrow down the time frame due to operational security concerns.
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  Japanese police say they are questioning a Marine involved in a vehicle crash that killed a Japanese pedestrian over the weekend.

Lance Cpl. Joshua David Siegel, 20, was driving southbound on Route 58 at 7:30 a.m. Sunday when he hit a curb, went onto a sidewalk and struck Katsuya Ishikawa, 61, an Okinawa Police Station spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone on Tuesday.

The Marines white, four-door sedan also struck and damaged a pedestrian guard rail that runs between the sidewalk and Camp Fosters perimeter fence. The damage can be seen from both lanes of Route 58.

Ishikawa, a security guard from Ginowan city, was taken to a hospital in central Okinawa where he was pronounced dead at around 11:30 a.m., according to the police spokesman.

Siegel, whose right foot was injured in the crash, was not under the influence of alcohol, the spokesman said. Police did not arrest him but will continue to question him during their investigation.

He was not on duty at the time of the accident, the spokesman said. He said he was on the way to pick up his friend.

The Camp Foster Provost Marshals Office referred questions to base public affairs, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment by phone on Tuesday.

Siegel is assigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 at Foster, the police spokesman said, though he may work at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

Its customary in Japan for some government officials to speak to the media on the condition of anonymity.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed energy security on Tuesday as the European Union seeks to persuade Budapest to drop its opposition to proposed sanctions on Russian oil imports.

"They talked about questions relating to European energy security," the Hungarian leader's press chief, Bertalan Havasi, told Bloomberg.

The EU, meanwhile, postponed a planned video call with Hungary and its neighbors. A spokesman for the bloc didn't immediately explain why that call, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday night, was pushed off.

That call had been aimed at focusing on ensuring security of supplies and on solidarity mechanisms, a French spokesperson said, noting that Macron was planning to participate because France holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Tuesday that the time pressure from the EU side for a quick sanctions deal is "artificial," since it would take six to eight months for the ban to take effect.

Von der Leyen and Orban met for a working dinner on Monday, where they made progress but failed to reach a breakthrough, according to both sides. Orban is blocking the plan to phase out EU purchases of Russian oil, citing Hungary's reliance on Russian energy.

"We made some progress, we could say we took a small step forward," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook video after the conclusion of Monday's talks. "A lot more needs to be done, though, for us to potentially change our position."

Von der Leyen said after the meeting that she'd convene a virtual conference to "strengthen regional cooperation on oil infrastructure."

The talks with Orban were "helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security," she said on Twitter. "We made progress, but further work is needed."

The EU's sixth sanctions package against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine would ban Russian crude oil over the next six months and refined fuels by early January. The EU had previously offered Hungary and Slovakia until the end of 2024 to comply with the sanctions and the Czech Republic until June of the same year since they are heavily reliant on Russian crude.

Orban said last week that nothing short of a five-year exemption and billions of dollars to cover the cost of overhauling Hungary's energy industry would make him back the new round of sanctions. He's said that he needs to be assured that Hungary will be able to obtain sufficient energy via alternative sources to meet its needs.

Hungary is seeking technical assurances that would guarantee its energy security given how reliant the country is on Russian supplies, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The importance of supplies from Kazakhstan is central to the discussion, along with guarantees on the investments needed to finance the transition away from Russia, including for infrastructure in Croatia, the people said.
STOCKHOLM  To join or not to join? The NATO question is coming to a head this week in Finland and Sweden where Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shattered the long-held belief that remaining outside the military alliance was the best way to avoid trouble with their giant neighbor.

If Finland's president and the governing Social Democrats in both countries come out in favor of accession in the next few days, NATO could soon add two members right on Russia's doorstep.

That would be a historic development for the two Nordic countries: Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, while Finland adopted neutrality after being defeated by the Soviet Union in World War II.

NATO membership was never seriously considered in Stockholm and Helsinki until Russian forces attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24. Virtually overnight, the conversation in both capitals shifted from "Why should we join?" to "How long does it take?"

Along with hard-nosed Ukrainian resistance and wide-ranging Western sanctions, it's one of the most significant ways in which the invasion appears to have backfired on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

If Finland and Sweden join the alliance, Russia would find itself completely surrounded by NATO countries in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic.

"There is no going back to the status quo before the invasion," said Heli Hautala, a Finnish diplomat previously posted to Moscow and a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the Western leader who appeared to have the best rapport with Putin before the Ukraine war, is expected to announce his stance on NATO membership on Thursday. The governing Social Democratic parties in both countries are set to present their positions this weekend.

If their answer is "yes," there would be robust majorities in both parliaments for NATO membership, paving the way for formal application procedures to begin right away.

The Finnish Social Democrats led by Prime Minister Sanna Marin are likely to join other parties in Finland in endorsing a NATO application. The situation in Sweden isn't as clear.

The Swedish Social Democrats have always been staunchly committed to nonalignment, but party leader and Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has said there's a clear "before and after Feb. 24."

The party's women's faction, led by Climate and Environment Minister Annika Strandhall, has come out against NATO membership.

"We believe that our interests are best served by being militarily nonaligned," Strandhall told Swedish broadcaster TV4. "Traditionally, Sweden has been a strong voice for peace and disarmament."

Neither Finland nor Sweden is planning a referendum, fearing it could become a prime target of Russian interference.

Sweden and Finland have sought  and received -- assurances of support from the U.S. and other NATO members in the application period should they seek membership.

Both countries feel they would be vulnerable in the interim, before they're covered by the alliance's one-for-all, all-for-one security guarantees.

The Kremlin has warned of "military and political repercussions" if the Swedes and Finns decide to join NATO.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said last month it would force Moscow to strengthen its military presence in the Baltic region.

However, analysts say military action against the Nordic countries appears unlikely, given how bogged down Russian forces are in Ukraine.

Many of the Russian troops stationed near the 1,300-kilometer (830-mile) border with Finland were sent to Ukraine and have suffered "significant losses" there, Hautala said.

She said potential Russian countermeasures could include moving weapons systems closer to Finland, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, economic countermoves and steering migration toward the Russian-Finnish border, similar to what happened on Poland's frontier with Belarus last year.

There are signs that Russia already has increased its focus on Sweden and Finland, with several airspace violations by Russian military aircraft reported in recent weeks and an apparent campaign in Moscow with posters depicting famous Swedes as Nazi sympathizers. Putin used similar tactics against Ukraine's leaders before launching what the Kremlin called its "special military operation."

After remaining firmly against membership for decades, public opinion in both countries shifted rapidly this year. Polls show more than 70% of Finns and about 50% of Swedes now favor joining.

The shocking scenes playing out in Ukraine made Finns draw the conclusion that "this could happen to us," said Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

During the Cold War, Finland stayed away from NATO to avoid provoking the Soviet Union, while Sweden already had a tradition of neutrality dating to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. But both countries built up robust conscription-based armed forces to counter any Soviet threat. Sweden even had a nuclear weapons program but scrapped it in the 1960s.

The threat of a conflict flared up in October 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground off the coast of southwestern Sweden. Eventually the sub was tugged back out to sea, ending a tense standoff between Swedish forces and a Soviet rescue fleet.

As Russia's military power declined in the 1990s, Finland kept its guard high, while Sweden, considering a conflict with Russia increasingly unlikely, downsized its military and shifted its focus from territorial defense toward peacekeeping missions in faraway conflict zones.

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted the Swedes to reassess the security situation. They reintroduced conscription and started rebuilding defensive capabilities, including on the strategically important Baltic Sea island of Gotland.

Defense analysts say Finland and Sweden have modern and competent armed forces that would significantly boost NATO's capabilities in Northern Europe. Finnish and Swedish forces train so often with NATO that they are essentially interoperable.

Adding new members typically takes months, because those decisions need to be ratified by all 30 NATO members. But in the case of Finland and Sweden, the accession process could be done "in a couple of weeks," according to a NATO official who briefed reporters on condition that he not be identified because no application has been made by the two countries.

"These are not normal times," he said.
In some ways, we already have an idea of what a post-Roe v. Wade world will look like: Many red states have passed trigger laws that will take effect if and when Roe is overturned. And in Texas, whose six-week ban went into effect in 2021, patients have flooded into neighboring states to seek abortions.

But we might not know the half of it yet.

Many states would ban abortion, of course, but how thats implemented will vary. And some might go significantly further: Proposals include criminalizing abortions (possibly even for the woman), eliminating exceptions for rape and incest, prohibiting traveling to other states for abortions and possibly even outlawing certain forms of contraception.

Below is a look at where things stand on these fronts.

Eliminating exceptions

Several states have recently passed trigger bans that make no exceptions in the cases of rape or incest. (And several GOP senators recently punted on whether they support them, citing the lack of a final word from the Supreme Court on Roe.)

A number of high-profile Republican candidates have explicitly come out against these exceptions  a position at odds with about 8 in 10 Americans, and also with where the party has stood in recent decades. A few candidates even oppose life-of-the-mother exceptions.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, R, was pressed this weekend on his state not making exceptions for incest, and suggested the issue could be revisited.

When you look at the number of those that actually involve incest, its less than 1 percent, Reeves told CNNs Jake Tapper. And if we need to have that conversation in the future about potential exceptions in the trigger law, we can certainly do that.

Criminalizing abortion  including for patients

Another proposal (and another area where Republicans previously treaded lightly) is to criminalize abortion  that is, attach significant criminal penalties to deter people from violating a states ban.

Trigger laws in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Tennessee and Utah would make providing an abortion a felony. Idahos law would carry sentences of up to two to five years for providers.

And Louisiana advanced a bill last week that would not only make abortion a homicide, but would include penalties for both providers and patients  the latter of which is territory where Republicans have rarely ventured.

Back in 2016, Donald Trump momentarily said he supported punishments for women who obtain abortions, before backing off. A top anti-abortion group disowned the proposal. And this week, Louisianas top anti-abortion rights group said it opposes the states bill for that same reason.

Despite the apparent lack of appetite for punishing patients who have abortions  outside of Louisiana, at least  its the logical extension of banning abortion and likening it to murder. And its not difficult to see the idea taking off in certain corners of the party post-Roe.

Restricting contraception

The Louisiana bill could be at issue for another very important reason: It could test the Supreme Courts protection of the right to contraception, under Griswold v. Connecticut.

Experts say that the language of the bill could also criminalize certain forms of contraception, such as intra-uterine devices (IUDs) and Plan B. Thats because it would change the states definition of a person to a fertilized egg (whereas the current definition is a fertilized egg that has become implanted in the womb).

Reeves also offered a noncommittal response this weekend when asked whether his state might target certain forms of contraception, saying merely that, while Im sure there will be conversations around America regarding [contraceptives], its not something that we have spent a lot of time focused on.

Both a senator and a would-be senator have recently criticized Griswold. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called it legally unsound. And in Arizona, leading GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters says on his website that he would only vote only for federal judges who understand that Roe and Griswold and Casey were wrongly decided. He clarified this weekend that he doesnt support laws restricting contraception.

Indeed, opposing Griswold doesnt mean you support contraception bans  just like opposing Roe doesnt necessarily mean you support abortion bans. But overturning the decision opens the door to restrictions. And Griswold has previously been considered such a non-issue that Supreme Court justices including Samuel Alito, John G. Roberts Jr., Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett have felt freer to weigh in on it at their confirmation hearings.

I think that Griswold is very, very, very, very, very, very unlikely to go anywhere, Barrett said in 2020.

Alitos leaked draft opinion indicated that a ruling on abortion should not be taken as a threat to other rights granted under the 14th Amendment, though critics have argued it could be.

Restrictions on traveling for abortions

One longstanding conservative argument against Roe was that abortion law should be left to the states. But some Republicans also aim to prevent people from traveling to other, less-restrictive states for abortions.

Missouri earlier this year became the first state to consider penalties for abortions sought by Missouri residents in other states. The law, which has not been enacted, would allow people to sue out-of-state physicians and anybody who helps bring the patient across state lines. Advocates in Texas have reportedly looked at similar legislation.

And experts say that laws criminalizing abortion, and like the one Louisiana has advanced, could draw prosecutors to charge people for crossing state lines for abortions.

Some large employers say they will cover the costs of travel for out-of-state abortions. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is proposing legislation to prevent them from writing off such costs. Rubio says his bill, called the No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act (which will also apply to gender-affirming care for children), is needed to prevent the government from subsidizing abortion.

Cracking down on medication abortion

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, R, last week signed a bill strictly curtailing the dispensing of abortion pills (which are not the same as Plan B). It will require a clinician to be physically present when they are administered.

The idea is to crack down on people ordering such pills through the mail, which may be the next big front in the legal fight over abortion. As of 2020, the use of such pills accounted for a majority of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights think tank. Advocates say that abortion restrictions in red states, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, may have fueled a significant increase in their use. (The Food and Drug Administration currently doesnt require such pills to be taken in a clinical setting.)

Several states have already restricted the use of such pills and a few have even banned their mailing within state borders. But enforcing such restrictions is difficult, especially since many women are ordering them from overseas pharmacies and the pills are mailed discreetly.

That could require states to go further in trying to crack down on them. And given the prevalence of this method  states attempts to prohibit and regulate medication abortion promise to be a huge focal point.

A federal abortion ban

In recent days, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made clear that a nationwide ban could be on the agenda in Republican-controlled Senate.

If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies  not only at the state level but at the federal level  certainly could legislate in that area, he said, adding: So yeah, its possible.

There are significant hurdles to this, including that it would require a 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority. Even if Republicans nix the filibuster, they have some abortion-rights advocates in their Senate caucus. But if they have the power, there is little question the GOP base would demand it.
WASHINGTON  In the wake of explosive revelations related to the Supreme Court, a group of liberal House and Senate Democrats is introducing new legislation to tighten judicial ethics laws, reflecting the rising anger on the left over the recent conduct of the high court's conservative majority.

A draft proposal from Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., shared with The Washington Post, calls for more disclosure, a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court and a new judicial recusal process. The Supreme Court is the only court in the country that is not required to abide by a judicial code of ethics.

The bill comes in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would strike down a landmark ruling establishing a constitutional right to abortion and revelations that Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly pressed then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to pursue efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election at a time when then-President Donald Trump was saying he would challenge the election results at the Supreme Court.

Warren and Jayapal sent a letter to the Supreme Court in March requesting that Thomas recuse himself from future cases involving the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, or efforts to overturn the 2020 election, along with a written explanation for why he failed to recuse himself in previous cases on the subject.

Thomas was the lone justice to dissent in a January decision to reject Trump's request to block documents from being released to the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.

The proposal would mandate that Supreme Court justices issue written recusal decisions when a litigant requests recusal.

A spokesperson for Warren said she has not received a response to her letter from Thomas, nor has she gotten one from Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., who addressed the issue of judicial independence in his year-end report amid a dramatic drop in the court's public approval. Last week, however, Roberts quickly called for an internal investigation by the court's in-house police service to see how the draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito Jr. that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to Politico.

While getting the bill through a divided Congress  the is Senate split evenly between Republicans and Democrats and the threshold for most legislation is 60 votes  may prove to be infeasible, the release of the plan underscores the political potency of judicial issues in the eyes of many Democrats as the midterm elections approach.

The "Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act" Warren and Jayapal are pushing was signed by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Tina Smith, D-Minn. It also seeks to "root out financial conflicts of interest" by forbidding the ownership of individual stocks and securities, commercial real estate, trusts, and private companies, according to a summary of the proposal provided to The Post.

"At a time when public trust in the Supreme Court has collapsed to historic lows, it's critical that we enact legislation to reform this broken system," Warren said in a statement. "From banning federal judges from owning individual stocks to overhauling the broken judicial recusal process, my bill would help root out corruption and restore public trust in the federal judiciary  something that Chief Justice Roberts has simply failed to do."

The draft bill outlines various measures to overhaul disclosures relating to close family members of justices, including the creation of "recusal lists" that would require a Supreme Court justice to disclose any financial interests of "the judge, the spouse of the judge, or any minor child of the judge residing in the household of the judge."

The bill also provides a mechanism to enforce judicial accountability through the creation of a "Supreme Court Complaints Review Committee" that would allow the public to file complaints against Supreme Court justices.
Eleven military families agreed Monday to settle a lawsuit that they filed against a private company over mold-infested homes at Fort Meade, Md., according to federal court records.

The families sued Corvias Management-Army and its subsidiary Meade Communities, the private company that manages the military family housing at Fort Meade, in November 2019 in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The lawsuit claimed Corvias ignored maintenance requests or provided substandard responses that did not fix the underlying issues in homes, which led to mold growth and left water leaks and sewage backups to persist.

With an agreement reached, the case was dismissed and the families are barred from filing the same claim again in the same court. The settlement is confidential and the court documents did not include the specifics of the agreement.

Neither Corvias nor a law firm representing the families immediately responded Tuesday to comment on the agreement.

The lawsuit included 11 families from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The Army families are Joseph and Juliea Addi, Scott and Sandy Gerber, Youn and Noreen Pascal, and Andrew and Kelly Ziemann. The Navy families are Kylie and Antoine Bowers, Derek and Sandra Buitrago, Daniel and Casey Chubb, and Andrew and Shannon Gilliland. The Air Force families are Alexander and Liza Nunez and Josh and Lacy Saindon who joined after the case was initially filed. There is also one Coast Guard family involved, Tyquan and Shauntay Scullark.

Each family signed a lease at Fort Meade with Corvias between April 2015 to August 2018, according to court documents.

Less than a week ago, another set of military families who sued the Michaels Organization for housing conditions at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., reached pending settlement.

Other bases where lawsuits between military families and housing companies were filed recently include Fort Hood and Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
WASHINGTON  The House on Tuesday approved nearly $40 billion in additional aid for Ukraine as the country battles Russias brutal invasion, now in its third month.

The package of military, economic and humanitarian support, which is $7 billion more than the $33 billion President Joe Biden requested, was approved on a bipartisan vote of 368-to-57, with the Senate expected to follow suit this week.

All House Democrats present Tuesday night voted in favor of the measure. They were joined by 149 House Republicans. Fifty-seven House Republicans voted no.

Congress provided $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine this year, meaning that if the latest package is passed, lawmakers will have approved a total of more than $50 billion in aid.

In remarks on the House floor Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., repeatedly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as a coward, described the aid package as an act of mercy and cast the war in Ukraine as one on which the future of global democracy hinges.

We should all be very proud that we had the opportunity when Putin decided  whatever it is he decided  to be brutal and cruel and a coward, that we were there to help, Pelosi said. Its about democracy versus a dictatorship. Democracy must prevail. The Ukrainian people are fighting the fight for their democracy and, in doing so, for ours as well.

According to a summary provided by the House Appropriations Committee, the package includes nearly $15 billion in military equipment, training, intelligence support and salaries for Ukraines national security forces; nearly $14 billion in programs administered by the Department of State, such as humanitarian support for Ukrainian refugees and the planned return of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv; and $5 billion devoted to addressing the issue of global food insecurity.

Pelosi led a congressional delegation to Kyiv last month and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a letter Tuesday to House Democrats, she noted that the latest package goes even further than Bidens request in including additional military and humanitarian aid.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday afternoon that he spoke with Biden last week and asked that the Ukraine package move by itself and quickly.

It needs to be clean of extraneous matters directly related to helping the Ukrainians win the war, McConnell told reporters.

As Tuesdays House debate on the measure got underway, however, some Republicans voiced opposition to the speed with which the legislation had been brought to the floor. At one point, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, forced a vote on a motion to adjourn, arguing that lawmakers were not given enough time to read and debate the bill. The motion failed.

You want to talk about standing up alongside Ukraine? Roy said. Why dont we actually have a debate on the floor of the peoples House, instead of the garbage of getting a $40 billion bill at three oclock in the afternoon, not paid for, without having any idea whats really in it?

Several lawmakers hailed the aid package as one that will have repercussions far beyond Ukraine.

This bill contains precious resources to deal with the global food crisis that has been deepened by the Russian invasion, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., who was part of the congressional delegation that traveled to Eastern Europe in recent weeks. This is truly a defining moment in our history, in Ukrainian history, in Polands history and in the worlds history.

Exiting their respective party lunches Tuesday afternoon, Senate Democrats and Republicans each expressed a measure of optimism that both chambers of Congress could act to send a bill to Bidens desk by the end of the week.

Recounting the Democratic gathering, where Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova spoke, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters that lawmakers heard a heartfelt and easy-to-understand message.

People are dying, theyre running out of supplies and ammunition [and] they need our help quickly, he said of Markarovas message. He noted that the top diplomat told Democrats, Thank you and speed it up.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he thought that the Senate could vote as early as the end of the week, noting that at one point, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were talking by phone in the middle of the lunch, so I think it was really being negotiated.

Republicans offered a similarly hopeful note. Sen. Richard Shelby, Ala., the top GOP lawmaker on the Senate Appropriations Committee, described the talks as really, really close; were on the right track.

Lets see what the House does, he said. If its good and palatable . . . well take it. But we gotta see.

In a joint letter to lawmakers Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Congress to approve the aid package, saying that the remaining authorized funds would run out by May 19. The Biden administration has only $100 million left in authorized money for supporting Ukraine, the secretaries said.

In short, we need your help, they wrote.

The authorized drawdown funds, which send equipment and arms from the Pentagons stocks, have been used to ship dozens of 155 mm howitzers, tens of thousands of artillery rounds and hundreds of drones, among other military supplies. Last Friday, Biden announced another drawdown aid package to Ukraine that included additional munitions and radar equipment.

The ability to draw upon existing [Defense Department] stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, the secretaries wrote to Congress. We urge you to act quickly on the Administrations request.

Biden expressed optimism Monday that lawmakers would approve the spending plan quickly. In a bid to hasten congressional passage, the president said he had retracted earlier plans to combine the Ukraine proposal with coronavirus funding legislation in a single draft bill.

I have been informed by congressional leaders in both parties that such an addition would slow down action on the urgently needed Ukrainian aid  a view expressed strongly by several congressional Republicans, he said. We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort.

Aid for Ukraine has so far enjoyed bipartisan support. Last month, the House voted 417 to 10 to pass a lend-lease bill that aims to expedite weapons shipments to Ukraine. Only a few weeks before, the Senate had passed it unanimously. Biden signed that bill Monday.

Even so, 31 Senate Republicans voted in March against a sweeping, $1.5 trillion spending bill to fund government agencies and departments through the remainder of the fiscal year  a bill that also included $13.6 billion in assistance for Ukraine. In the House, the measure was opposed by 54 Republicans and 15 Democrats.

The measure was approved by both chambers and Biden signed it into law, saying the United States was moving urgently to further augment the support to the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their country.

- - -

Jeong reported from Seoul. The Washington Posts Mariana Alfaro and Tony Romm contributed to this report.
The National Security Agency is investigating the extent that software made by the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky is embedded in U.S. businesses and organizations amid rising security concerns arising from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I am still very worried about U.S. companies that are using Kaspersky," said Rob Joyce, the NSA's director of cybersecurity, in an interview in which he revealed the inquiry. "We think that is ill-advised with this global situation."

Some companies, including those in financial services, voluntarily abandoned Kaspersky antivirus products after the U.S. government banned the company's software from federal systems in 2017, citing espionage fears. But the company's products continue to be used in the U.S., what Joyce called "an installed base across random critical infrastructure and industry."

The Biden administration has repeatedly warned it has intelligence indicating Russia may carry out cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in retaliation for punitive sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials say they fear that Russia could use Kaspersky products to infiltrate key sectors of the American economy.

Following the February invasion, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission placed Kaspersky on a list of companies deemed a threat to national security, the first such Russian entity added. And some other countries, including Germany and Italy, have raised concerns about using Kaspersky or Russian cybersecurity products since the war began.

"As there has been no public evidence or due process to otherwise justify any actions against the company since 2017, Kaspersky believes any expansion of prohibitions or limitations are a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky's products and services," a Kaspersky representative said, in a statement to Bloomberg.

Kaspersky, which says it protects 400 million users and 240,000 companies, is based in Moscow and has offices in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere. Its executives have repeatedly denied having improper ties with the Kremlin or any other government and say they regularly cooperate with law enforcement to catch ransomware thieves.

In 2018, it lost a legal battle to bring a lawsuit against the U.S. government over its 2017 decision to ban federal agencies from using its software, a decision it argued was unconstitutional. In 2018, the company relocated its data storage and processing from Russia to Switzerland in a bid to allay concerns. Kaspersky said the recent FCC listing and German warning were made on "political grounds" and based on unsubstantiated claims.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kaspersky Chief Executive Officer Eugene Kaspersky tweeted in March that his company is "in shock regarding the recent events" and has welcomed negotiations, hoping they can end hostilities and result in "compromise".

The NSA's Joyce said antivirus providers gain such sweeping access to systems that customers can't see their activities or understand the decisions they make. The NSA is also worried about "white label" services, in which Kaspersky software runs unbranded inside other products.

"So there are routers, for example, that come with a Kaspersky engine inside them, and it's not clear people understand that that's buried inside a product that looks U.S. or Western. So we're trying to understand where those risks are in the supply chain and where the biggest ones exist," Joyce said.

Kaspersky's anti-virus technologies have been integrated into more than 150 IT partner products, according to its website. Kaspersky has said vendors are responsible for publicly communicating any third-party products they use.

Reuters reported in March that the U.S. government began privately warning some American companies the day after Russia invaded Ukraine that Moscow could manipulate software designed by Kaspersky to cause harm. On Monday, Reuters reported that U.S. Commerce Department has ramped up an investigation into Kaspersky since the invasion of Ukraine.
As Europe's largest conflict since World War II rages in Ukraine, top Biden administration aides are increasingly convinced it could provide the U.S. with an unexpected advantage  against China.

U.S. officials see the conflict's toll and the slew of sanctions placed on Moscow as leaving Russia hobbled for years to come. Combined with bolstered European defense spending, that means the U.S. may have a freer hand to accelerate its long-term shift toward China, viewed as America's biggest future challenge, according to several officials interviewed by Bloomberg News.

The officials acknowledge that the war's outcome is uncertain. And previous attempts to channel U.S. government attention toward Asia have ended up derailed by events in the Middle East and elsewhere, including former President Barack Obama's "pivot" to Asia.

But even with so much of the administration's bandwidth focused on Ukraine, the officials say they believe this time could be different. They and top lawmakers from both parties warn that Beijing is closely watching the U.S. and allied response to the invasion, drawing potential lessons for any tensions over Taiwan.

"The war in Ukraine could end up being bad for the pivot in the short-term, but good in the long-term," said Richard Fontaine, the chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security and an adviser to late Republican Senator John McCain.

The move toward Asia is seen as critical, with President Joe Biden and his top aides saying China is increasingly trying to use its economic and military clout to bend the "rules-based international order" to its will, citing the country's moves to take greater control of Hong Kong, expand its presence in the South China Sea and crack down on dissent and human rights in the Xinjiang region. Chinese officials dispute those characterizations and say the U.S. should get over its "Cold War" view of the world.

Although Russia's invasion of Ukraine initially appeared to put China  which has long touted its support for "territorial integrity"  in a bind, officials in Beijing have continued to tout their partnership with Moscow.

But with the war now dragging out and Russia's military shortcomings becoming more obvious, one senior U.S. official said that a Beijing-Moscow diplomatic alliance originally viewed as a force multiplier for China increasingly looks more like an anchor.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been explicit about Washington's hope that Putin's setbacks in Ukraine will undermine Moscow. Russia "has already lost a lot of military capability, and a lot of its troops quite frankly," Austin told reporters on April 25. "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."

Surprised by the outbreak of war on the continent, European nations rushed to accelerate defense spending. And Finland and Sweden, long reluctant to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, have sought membership.

Even Germany, which before the war resisted both ramping up defense outlays to the 2% of GDP target set by NATO and sending modern weapons to other countries, has changed tack. If implemented, the shift would make Germany the world's third-largest military spender  up from seventh in 2020.

"If Russia emerges from this conflict as a weakened version of itself and Germany makes good on its defense spending pledges, both trends could allow the U.S. to focus more on the Indo-Pacific in the long run," Fontaine said.

Two U.S. defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity agreed, saying that if the Ukraine crisis leaves Europe more capable of defending itself, it could free up the U.S. to do more in Asia. That would likely mean a range of actions, including shifting troops and weaponry and expanding economic and political ties across the Indo-Pacific.

The Biden administration had been taking steps to shift resources and energy toward Asia before the war.

For starters, the president and his team sought to bolster the Quad grouping with Japan, India and Australia. The U.S. also reached a controversial agreement with the UK and Australia  at France's expense  to share nuclear submarine technology with Sydney. That development was decried in Beijing, which has accused America of trying to establish an Indo-Pacific version of NATO.

With a semiconductor shortage undercutting the U.S. economy, the Biden administration moved to shore up and diversify supply lines, pressing for legislation being negotiated between House and Senate lawmakers to get more chip-making moved back to America.

The administration's focus on Asia will also be front and center when Biden travels to South Korea and Japan later this month, a trip meant to meet the nations' new leaders on their home turf as well as demonstrate unity against another national security priority: North Korea.

Despite those efforts, there's plenty that could go wrong with the administration's plans. In the short term, events in Ukraine have consumed the attention of cabinet officials and their deputies across Washington's national security apparatus. Another foreign crisis or terrorist attack could quickly erupt, drowning out efforts to look toward Asia.

Most glaringly, 16 months into Biden's presidency, the administration hasn't publicly detailed its strategy toward China, and it has shied away from promoting freer trade as a counterweight to Beijing in Asia. Officials at one point said the China policy would be shared by the end of 2021, a deadline that came and went. A scheduled speech outlining the policy by Antony Blinken last week was delayed after the secretary of state contracted COVID-19. No new date for its release has been announced.

Chinese officials are skeptical of the idea that the war in Ukraine might aid the U.S. pivot to Asia. And they aren't waiting to see how the situation unfolds. Beijing officials projected that defense spending will grow 7.1% this year, the fastest pace since 2019.

One Chinese diplomat said that increased German defense spending and a weaker Russia could end up emboldening Europe's push for what French President Emmanuel Macron has called "strategic autonomy," opening up the possibility that Europe could split with the U.S. over China ties. Another said it's too early to tell what the long-term implications of the conflict will be, but that China is ready to compete with the U.S. in Asia either way.

Not all Biden administration officials are in lockstep behind the idea that events in Ukraine will help the U.S. One senior official said there's still potential the U.S. will double down on Europe at the expense of Asia, a tendency that could be reinforced by Ukraine. The person said the still-uncertain outcome of the conflict will be crucial to determining what happens.

Even if Russia  which has faced major downturns in the past including the collapse of the Soviet Union and an economic crisis in the late 1990s  emerges from the Ukraine war weaker, it will remain a nuclear power, one with a predilection for unpredictable behavior.

China "doesn't need a strong Russia, they just need a surly Russia that keeps the U.S. worried," said Daniel Russel, a former assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration. "You'd have to believe that Putin was going to stop being a serious mischief maker to believe that leaving Putin management to Germany would be plausible."
(Tribune News Service)  A Miamisburg, Ohio, man who died during the Vietnam War will be forever memorialized on a stretch of road that winds past his final resting place.

Sgt. Gary McKiddy was a member of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, when he was killed in action May 6, 1970, at age 20 in Cambodia after pulling fellow soldier Spc. Jim Skaggs from a burning helicopter.

Gary and I met in Vietnam and instantly became best friends, said Skaggs, who gathered with Miamisburg officials and McKiddys family at Highland Memorial Cemetery Friday, the 52nd anniversary of his death. I never flew with anybody as my crew chief except Gary. We always chose to fly together.

Skaggs said McKiddy was an All-American boy, always had a smile on his face.

He was a very outgoing, charismatic-type personality, he said. Always was trying to make people laugh and enjoy life and it was a great loss when he died.

That happened just days after President Nixon ordered U.S. troops into Cambodia. McKiddy, who served as a door gunner, was in a helicopter with his crew  Skaggs and 22-year-old pilot Warrant Officer 1 Tommy Whiddon  when it came under intense enemy fire and was shot down

The helicopters rotors seized and the aircraft plummeted from the sky. McKiddy was either thrown or jumped free of the crash upon impact with the ground.

But instead of opting for self-preservation, he immediately rushed into the flames to rescue Skaggs, who was trapped in the front seat.

We were burning, and I had numerous broken bones, Skaggs said. He got me out, (dragged) me away, came back for the pilot, (but) it blew up and killed them both.

In 1999, when the First Air Cavalry Division dedicated a barracks at Fort Hood, Texas, in honor of McKiddy, helicopter pilot Walker Jones told those assembled, including McKiddys parents and brothers Ron and Rick and dozens of soldiers who had served in the Vietnam War, that he cruised to the crash site but had to pull up.

The ammo inside the helicopter was cooking off and shooting out like bottle rockets, Rick McKiddy said. He told my mom and dad, he was ... crying when he was telling them, he said If you want to know what your son did, when you get home, put a box of bottle rockets on a fire in the backyard and as they start shooting off, run into that fire and stand there for about 10 (to) 15 seconds while youre getting Jim Skaggs out and carry him, and then run back in a second time. And he said, the difference was it wasnt bottle rockets, it was live ammo.

Making matters worse the helicopter was reportedly glowing white from the intensity of the flames, Jones told the family.

He said Gary knew he was putting it all on the line, Rick McKiddy said, his voice choking with emotion.

McKiddy was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Good Conduct Medal for his actions that day. The family continues to lobby for McKiddy to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest honor possible, which has been denied by Washington lawmakers for decades despite Skaggs first-hand account.

Rick McKiddy said he met with State. Sen. Niraj Antani about introducing legislation to have the roadway named after his brother, something Antani did last year with Senate Bill 91, which upon its approval became House Bill 291, designating multiple memorial highways and memorial bridges. It officially named Ohio 725 between South Union Road and Soldier Home Road in Montgomery County as the Sgt. Gary Lee McKiddy Memorial Highway.

Sgt. Gary Lee McKiddy demonstrated tremendous courage and great sacrifice for this county and fellow soldiers, Antani said during sponsor testimony for the bill. Designating this highway in his honor is a small way to thank him and honor his legacy forever.

Rick McKiddy said State Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) later helped push the legislation through the Ohio House of Representatives. He also credits Miamisburg Mayor Michelle Collins for constantly being on the phone trying to nudge the bill closer to being approved.

He said the naming of the highway after his brother brings the McKiddy family closer to closure.

McKiddy, a 1968 Miamisburg High School graduate, volunteered for the the U.S. Army in 1969 when he was 19 and specifically requested that he join U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. He flew more than 650 combat missions and was awarded 39 medals, including four bronze stars with Oak Leaf Cluster for heroism, 27 Air Medals with the B device, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Aircraft Crewman Badge and the Marksman Badge for his many heroic actions.

Theres a sense of pride that hes getting the recognition he deserves as a true American hero, Rick McKiddy said as he stood at his brothers grave. Theres a sense of closure knowing that his legacy will be talked about for as long as that sign exists. People will be looking it up and theyll get to see exactly what Gary has done.

It also says that our elected officials have not forgotten those that sacrificed and gave all. They all say it, they all say We honor our military and our soldiers, but this action proves they mean it.

Skaggs said he was very moved by the fact that officials were able to memorialize his best friend.

Im so happy that this legislation has passed and that were able to get this section of highway named after Gary, Skaggs said.

(c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
After raising more than $1.6 million for cancer charities in 2021, the Dry July campaign is back for its 11th year encouraging New Zealanders to take a month off alcohol to raise important funds for people affected by cancer.

With registrations now open, Dry July not only gives Kiwis the opportunity to say cheers to the health benefits of taking a break from alcohol, but to also raise funds for cancer charities across the country.

Dry July NZ Trust has raised over $7.6 million for cancer organisations since 2012, with more than 8600 Kiwis last year alone reaping the benefits of Dry July while supporting cancer patients, their families and carers.

Dry July Campaign and Fundraising Manager Ashleigh Oliver says the organisation is always overwhelmed with the level of support New Zealanders show the campaign.

Providing funds to New Zealand cancer organisations is what Dry July is all about, she says.

Everything we fund is to benefit cancer patients, their families, and carers in practical, tangible ways. We aim to make a difficult time, a little easier for people affected by cancer.

Were so excited to be back for 2022, to continue raising funds that will improve the comfort, care and wellbeing of patients and loved ones who are affected by cancer.

This years funds will support three beneficiaries; Look Good Feel Better, Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand and PINC & STEEL, all of which have been enabled to deliver specific programs for people affected by cancer thanks to last years Dry July funds.

All three beneficiaries are reporting that demand for their programs has never been higher, and the funding made possible by Dry July has allowed more New Zealanders affected by cancer to be supported.

Look Good Feel Better General Manager Clare OHiggins says the funds raised have been instrumental in allowing the charity to continue to widen the practical support for men and women at all stages of their cancer treatment.

As we continued to move through Covid-19 alert levels and the uncertainty that brought last year, Dry July funds allowed us to create a number of online Q&A series and live online video programmes, establishing an online database for our participants to continue accessing our services, she says.

We know how stressful these times have been for so many affected by cancer, so giving them a sense of normalcy and community through these online platforms has been a gift. We are so grateful.

PINC & STEEL has also supported hundreds of New Zealanders in their recovery from cancer treatment thanks to 2021 Dry July funds.

The impact of cancer during and post-treatment affects every aspect of a persons life. The disruption to normal community interaction in the past two years has only made things harder for people requiring rehabilitation services, says PINC & STEEL Founder and CEO Lou James.

Dry Julys support has meant that PINC & STEEL were able to reduce barriers to connecting more people with dedicated cancer rehabilitation healthcare professionals right across the country. We have run 480 cancer rehab classes in 35 locations around New Zealand in the past 12 months alone.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand has utilised its Dry July funding to continue the development and expansion of its popular PROST-FIT exercise classes as well as its 0800-support number and online forum for men.

Registrations for Dry July 2022 are now open. To sign up, sponsor a friend, join as a team or workplace please visit www.dryjuly.co.nz.

For updates, follow Dry July on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) are taking farmer feedback on board and working hard to improve the agricultural emissions pricing options, including driving down the administration costs.

The sector has listened to farmers views on the two options developed by the Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership, He Waka Eke Noa, as alternatives to the Emissions Trading Scheme - ETS.

The Government has made it clear that if the sector cant deliver a credible alternative, agriculture will go straight into the ETS. But thats not the only reason we need to act, says DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel.

We want to ensure farmers can continue running sustainable businesses while meeting the expectations of our communities and consumers that we're working to reduce our emissions. Its also hugely important the sector and Government continue investing  and invest more  in R&D to develop new technologies to achieve this.

In February and March, more than 2600 dairy farmers and sheep and beef farmers attended 55 engagement events hosted by DairyNZ and B+LNZ to discuss the HWEN options. These included in-person regional roadshow events and online meetings.

The feedback from DairyNZ and B+LNZs roadshow is resoundingly clear  99 per cent of farmers dont want agricultural emissions to be priced through the ETS. They want a system that is cost-effective, fair and will recognise and reward the actions theyre taking to reduce emissions behind the farm gate.

Were focused on doing everything we can to minimise costs to ensure farmers businesses remain viable, profitable and our rural communities continue to thrive. Were working to make sure whats eventually introduced is practical and sensible, and works on the ground for farmers, says B+LNZ chair Andrew Morrison.

The He Waka Eke Noa partnership includes B+LNZ, DairyNZ, Dairy Companies Association of NZ, Federated Farmers, Foundation for Arable Research, Horticulture NZ, Irrigation NZ, Federation of Maori Authorities, Deer Industry New Zealand, Meat Industry Association and Apiculture New Zealand.

Unlike the ETS, the He Waka Eke Noa options recognise and reward farmers on-farm actions, reduce emissions and will invest more in R&D. Farmers want transparency over where the money is going, and proof of an effective plan to deliver technology to farmers.

Beef + Lamb NZ chair Andrew Morrison. Photo: Supplied.

Farmers have expressed a strong preference for the farm-level levy option, so they are recognised and incentivised for on-farm actions. They want control over their farm emissions and farm management, says Jim.

Eight-six per cent of feedback supported farm-level pricing as the final outcome of He Waka Eke Noa.

Farmers had different opinions on what pathway should be taken to reach farm-level pricing. Forty-seven per cent want to move straight to farm-level pricing in 2025, followed by 40 per cent supporting a transition to farm-level pricing from processor-level.

Farmers are clearly saying money raised through any levy needs to be reinvested in the sector and distributed in a fair and transparent way.

Farmers also support the recognition of a wider range of on-farm vegetation not eligible in the NZ ETS. Many farmers told us during the consultation they dont like the proposed 2008 sequestration baseline and want to see soil carbon included once the science is robust.

Farmers want the sector to have a seat at the table when levy prices are set and price setting should be science-based, not influenced by politics. The pricing setting criteria needs to be transparent with industry bodies involved, says Andrew.

"Farmers deserve a far better deal than the ETS. In the consultation, there was strong support for split gas pricing and the use of better metrics for setting methane reduction targets. Alongside work on He Waka Eke Noa, DairyNZ and B+LNZ will continue to speak up strongly on behalf of farmers for methane reduction targets that are scientifically robust and fair, says Jim.

DairyNZ and B+LNZ will meet with the other He Waka Eke Noa partners to discuss all the feedback received, work through the practicalities and further strengthen the final recommendation to the Government, which is due by May 31.
A small beach community near Tauranga is on edge about increasing crime after two dairies have been broken into five times in the last three months.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Omokoroa Beach Store was ransacked by what the owner called a gang of teenagers.

It is the second time this dairy has been broken into - it had already been robbed just three weeks earlier.

Just up the road, Omokoroa Minimart and Takeaways has been broken into three times in the last three months.

Only a few weeks ago, this store was ramraided when a group of youths drove their car into the glass front of the shop even though it had been fortified with a metal bar after the property was broken into twice in February.

Omokoroa Beach Store owner Inderjit Singh says thieves smashed into the store around 3.30am on Saturday by breaking the glass front.

They then forced open the cabinet where the cigarettes and tobacco were kept, and emptied it before fleeing.

The perpetrators were captured on CCTV cameras and the video handed over to police, he says.

They are all in hoods and masks, so you cannot see their faces, but they all look under 18.

The store was last broken into on April 13. Singhs partner, Gurveen Kaur, says that the couple believe it is the same youths targeting the store.

Last time there were two of them, and this time there were three. On the video I noticed the container they emptied the cigarettes in was the same. The first time they did not take all the cigarettes, but this time it looks like they brought another person with them to help because they managed to empty the whole cupboard.

Thieves stole all the cigarettes and tobacco at Omokoroa Beach Store this weekend. Photo: Supplied/Stuff.

The couple have owned the store for five years and are concerned about the increase in thefts in the area.

It seems to be young people. They just go for the cigarettes, nothing else, so I think they sell them. I dont know what is causing this. It is a worry as the other dairy in the area has been broken into three times.

Saedanwar Rajput still has repairs to do after his shop, Omokoroa Minimart and Takeaways, was ramraided last month making it the third time the store has been broken into.

After the robberies in February, Rajput had a metal bar installed across the front door, but the thieves used a stolen car to bust it open.

They were young people and have not been caught. Im disappointed that the police have not done more.

Rajput says he's now talking to the council about getting bollards installed to prevent further ram raids.

Omokoroa Taxis owner RJ Kumar used to own this mini mart and says he did not have break-ins, which he attributes to not selling cigarettes.

I didnt sell them because I know they are targetted by thieves. If they get away with a cabinet its up to $15,000, and they are easy for them to sell on.

Kumar is part of the local Omokoroa community patrol.

The patrol currently stops at 9pm, but the group is now considering if it can operate 24 hours.

It will be hard as some volunteers are elderly. What we really need is police positioned here or at least police patrolling the area. Its not just the shops, there have been houses burgled too.

The Omokoroa community is brainstorming what they can do, says resident Michael Hall.

Hearing about all these break-ins recently is genuinely heartbreaking. These guys do not deserve what has been coming their way. Since nothing seems to be happening to prevent these occurrences, I think we should come together as a community and take some action.

Some practical suggestions included crowdfunding private security, or getting bollards and metal roller doors installed at the shops.

Many are calling for more police support.

Omokoroa resident Richard Hale says the government needs to step in with tougher penalties for youths,

There needs to be much harsher punishment, because as it is now, they do it as they just get away with it.

Hale also thinks dairy owners could stop selling cigarettes,

No one is going to ram raid for a chocolate bar. Thieves are attracted to the smokes because as $30 or $40 a pack they can make good profit by reselling them.

Metal rollers on shops would be a last resort he says.

It would be awful if we had to have that. But bollards would stop ram raiders, and you can get a special security film on glass to stop them smashing the front.

The young thieves do not care about the impact on the community, he says.

Everyone is on edge. The dairy owners might just give up and leave, and then we are without these important facilities, so it is great people are coming together to think of solutions.

Some locals are suggesting even more drastic measures such as a fog canon, setting up patrols or even laying spikes.

The government has announced $562m will be spent on police over the next four years  promising to keep a ratio of one cop for every 480 people.

Chris Dever, a local wedding celebrant, is sceptical about the announcement.

Omokoroa has more than 6000 residents. So are they going to give us ten police, when they cant even give us one?

Dever says the current problems with increasing crime and ram raids is just as bad in smaller communities as Auckland.

Auckland is getting all the attention, but we are suffering too with the increasing thefts.

Tommy Kapai, who runs Bay of Plenty social agency Te Tuinga Whanau which works with youth offenders, believes that tougher penalties are not the answer.

Throwing youth offenders straight into early jail without intervention perpetuates the problem, and the community inherits more gang members and families are broken. My hope is the new money gets to the front line, so there are better outcomes for the community and the children and families affected by gangs and ram raiders."

Annemarie Quill/Stuff
Tania Tapsell has entered the race for the Rotorua mayoralty with a promise to focus on stopping "the spend".

Among the three-term Rotorua district councillors belt-tightening targets are major renovations of the Rotorua Museum and Aquatic Centre.

Tapsell, 29, was the highest polling councillor candidate in the 2019 local election, attracting almost 1000 more votes than re-elected mayor Steve Chadwick, who plans to step down at the end of this term.

If elected, Tapsell will be the first Maori woman elected as mayor of Rotorua and likely the youngest, at 30 years and 16 days on October 8.

She joins three other declared mayoralty candidates  fellow councillors Raj Kumar and Reynold Macpherson and former NZ First deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau.

Speaking exclusively to Local Democracy Reporting, Tapsell says, in her view, Rotoruas mayor should be connected with all parts of the community and provide a positive way forward.

She says her priority as mayor will be to stop the spend.

There have been a number of decisions over the years where Ive voted against, whether it was  Mudtopia  or when $1 million dropped out of nowhere for the QE Health grant.

I believe that [council] spending recently hasnt reflected the priorities of the community and we need to stop and reprioritise to what is now needed in these new challenging times.

She says there are big expenditure items  such as the Rotorua Museum and Aquatic Centre  on the horizon.

The council has so far committed $15 million to the $51.1m museum restoration. The Aquatic Centre renovation had a budgeted cost of $28.3m, of which the council was contributing $17.9m.

Given the challenges, its prudent to stop and reset and potentially tighten our belt, like the rest of Rotoruas families are having to do now.

She also wants to restore Rotoruas reputation as a great place to live, visit and invest.

Tapsell says emergency housing  and some negative social impacts as a result of it  haved been hugely damaging to Rotoruas reputation and the issues needed to be resolved as quickly as possible to regain Rotoruas reputation as a top tourism destination.

Tapsell ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 general election as the National Party candidate for East Coast, losing to Labours Kiritapu Allan.

Considered by some political commentators as a rising star of the party, Tapsells name was mentioned several times in relation to the National Party candidacy in the Tauranga by-election, following Simon Bridges surprise resignation.

Tapsell says she's humbled so many people wanted to see me in Parliament but she's committed to Rotorua.

Ive known for some time now that I wanted to stand for mayor but Ive waited to announce because Ive also been focused on just doing my job well as a councillor, with the significant issues that our communitys facing.

Local Democracy Reporting asked if she will leave local government if a significant opportunity in national politics arose.

She says: No. All Ive ever wanted to do is to serve my community well and to use the skills that I have in the best way possible to do that.

Theres no doubt Rotorua needs strong leadership. Ive dedicated the last nine years of my life to serving Rotorua and I will happily continue to do that as mayor.

Tapsell also wants the council to be more transparent.

There have been a lot of decisions made in confidential that I believe should have been held in public.

I want our community to be able to understand why we are making decisions and hear those conversations.

She says as mayor she will open elected member workshops to the public where possible.

Tapsell says she respects and acknowledges the many years of service Chadwick has given the district.

I have often disagreed with her, but I respect that she's doing her best.

Tapsell says she will be focused on delivering core services.

She's concerned the Government has reintroduced the four well-beings  social, economic, environmental and cultural  into local government legislation without providing the necessary funding to deliver services in those areas.

We only have limited resources and its not fair for ratepayers to be expected to continue spending on areas that should be paid for and supported by the government.

The Labour government reintroduced the four well-beings into the Local Government Act in 2019 after the previous National government removed it. Their inclusion requires councils to consider them in decision-making.

Tapsell was first elected to the council in 2013. She lives in Fairy Springs with her husband Kanin and 10-year-old step-son Kaiarahi.

Tapsells great uncle Sir Peter Tapsell was an Eastern Maori MP and first Maori Speaker of the NZ House of Representatives.

Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry was the youngest elected mayor in New Zealand when he won the 2019 election, aged 28.

Fellow Rotorua mayoral hopefuls Kumar and Tabuteau declared their candidacies in July, at the same time Chadwick confirmed she would be hanging up the mayoral chains after three terms.

Macpherson announced his candidacy in December, alongside four other Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers councillor candidates for the Rotorua Lakes District Council, and one for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

* A previous version of this story quoted Tapsell as saying she would be the first Maori mayor of Rotorua. This is incorrect as Harry Dansey, elected Rotorua mayor in 1941, was a member of the Maori (Pioneer) Battalion on the Western Front in World War I.

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Shillong, May 10 (IANS) Eight surviving personnel of the 7th Battalion Assam Rifles, who had killed 72 insurgents and captured 13 others alive in a single operation in Jammu and Kashmir 30 years ago, were on Monday felicitated by the para-military force in Shillong, Defence officials said on Monday night.



According to the Defence spokesman, conducted on May 5, 1991, "Operation Dudhi" was undertaken by a column consisting of a Junior Commissioned Officer and 14 other ranks under the command of Subedar Padam Bahadur Chhetri.



In the fierce gun fight that continued till late at night on May 6 (1991), two bravehearts Riflemen -- Kameshwer Prasad and Ram Kumar Arya -- laid down their lives while Rifleman R.K. Yadav sustained bullet injuries. It was the largest and most successful counter-insurgency operation in India ever, the spokesman said.



The surviving personnel and the family members of the martyred were flown in Shillong and the Director General of Assam Rifles Lt. Gen P.C. Nair, felicitated them for the act of valour. During a recent trip to Nepal, Lt. Gen Nair met with some of the surviving members of the hallowed 7th Battalion.



"On May 5, 1991, the column of the Assam Rifles moved from Battalion Headquarter, Chowkibal, for a routine patrol to check the winter vacated post of Dudhi with the staging camp established at Bari Baihk. Located about 13 km away from the headquarter, the camp was covered in five to six feet of snow. When they were just 1 km from the Post, things took a deadly turn. Militants infiltrated into Indian territory after crossing the 14,000-foot-high Eagle Pass. They fired at the Assam Rifles column, which then conducted a recce and discovered more than 100 militants camping in the area west of the track leading to Dudhi Post," the spokesman narrated.



"Despite being greatly outnumbered, troops of the para-military were unfazed. On the contrary, it only firmed their resolve to eliminate the militants. Equipped with only 7.62 mm self-loading Rifles and a Light Machine Gun, the brave soldiers used tact to surround the enemy, who were armed with sophisticated weapons, and then brought down heavy fire on the militants."



The battle lasted for more than six hours until reinforcements arrived in the form of three columns consisting of one Junior Commissioned Officer and 25 other ranks under Major A. Nigam, one Junior Commissioned Officer and 35 other ranks led by Major B.S. Kular and Major B. Bhattacharjee (RMO) with a medical team. Major A. Nigam's column was fired upon near Bari Baihk, but undeterred, it fought through and reached the site of the first encounter. The gun battle continued till late at night on May 6.



The next 96 hours were used to carry out search operations and sanitisation of the general area. A huge cache of an assortment of weapons and ammunition were recovered, the spokesman added.



The 7th Battalion of Assam Rifle subsequently was conferred numerous honours and awards including two Kirti Chakras, one Shaurya Chakra, one Vishisht Seva Medal, 10 Sena Medals, one President Police Medal for Distinguished Service, three Governor's Gold Medal, 12 Governor's Silver Medal, four COAS Commendation Cards, 41 DGAR Commendation Cards, 23 GOC-in-C Northern Command Commendation Cards, Chief of Army Staff Unit Citation, and Silver Salver from the Governor J & K.
Budapest, May 10 (IANS) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (EC) here, but the two sides did not reach an agreement over the proposed Russian oil embargo.



"This evening's discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security," von der Leyen tweeted on Monday night following the 90-minute-long working dinner at the Hungarian leader's residence in the Castle District of Budapest.



"We made progress, but further work is needed. I will convene a VC (video conference) with regional players to strengthen regional cooperation on oil infrastructure," she added.



A European Union (EU) source said on Monday that the EC was considering offering funds to landlocked Eastern EU states such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to modernize their oil infrastructure in order to persuade them to accept the Russian oil embargo.



In its sixth sanction package aimed against Moscow, the EU plans to phase out Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year, according to von der Leyen.



But Hungary and other Eastern European countries, whose economies are largely reliant on Russian oil, are not ready yet to accept the sixth sanction package in its current form.



"Discussions with the EC president Ursula von der Leyen ended, the topic was of course the next round of sanctions in Brussels and its impact on Hungary and the Hungarian economy," said Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who also took part at the meeting.



"This round of sanctions in Brussels would cause enormous problems for Hungary if it came into force, because Hungary's energy supply is secure now, but the adoption of this sanctions package would compromise our energy security, because it would be impossible for us to obtain enough oil.



"As long as the EC does not offer a solution to these problems, of course Hungary cannot support this series of sanctions," Szijjarto said in a video message posted on his Facebook page.
Sanaa, May 10 (IANS) Heavy fighting broke out between forces of the Yemen government and the Houthi militia despite a two-month truce brokered by the UN, a military source said.



The fighting took place on Monday at the frontline in the al-Balak al-Sharki mountain, a few kilometres to the south of the government-controlled city of Marib, capital of the namesake province, the source told Xinhua news agency.



"Several soldiers were wounded in the clashes," he added.



According to the city's residents, artillery fire and gun shots were heard throughout the day.



The Houthis are yet to comment on the development.



So far, the ceasefire has been largely held despite occasional accusations of breaches traded between the warring sides.



The UN-brokered ceasefire, meant to last two months, went into effect on April 2, marking the first major breakthrough in years to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country on the brink of starvation.



Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.
The EUs industrial emissions directive weakens companies ability to continue to switch to more sustainable production, writes Karin Nilsson, environmental policy expert.



Extensive adjustment is underway in the business sector to achieve the green transition, and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise backs the climate goals and ambitious targets in the environmental sphere. Well-functioning and effective instruments are crucial for us to achieve the transition.

On 5 April, the European Commission presented its proposals for a revised Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) as part of the Green Deal and with a view to accelerate environmental and climate improvements. Swedish Enterprise believes that the impact of the proposals could result in the opposite.

The Commissions proposals, which have now been presented, risk significantly prolonging permit processes and businesses may risk disqualification as not all necessary levels of requirements can be achieved simultaneously. This risks hindering innovation and investment in industry. In addition, almost all flexibility is removed as lower emission levels becomes the new norm for all emissions and binding values are to be set for the use of energy, water and materials In order for the industry to continue its transformation towards fossil-free energy, a stable and clear regulatory process is required that does not hamper development. There must also be an acceptance that the green transition will require more energy to reduce air emissions and to produce more resource-efficient/climate-smart products.

Swedish rules for environmental permits are largely based on EU regulations. Larger businesses  approximately 1,200 industrial plants in Sweden  are subject to special rules in the Industrial Emissions Directive. The new revisions extend the Directive to new sectors such as mining, large scale battery production and livestock farming.

The proposals also suggest the introduction of binding rules for the drafting of green transformation plans that describe how individual facilities are to be operated on a non-toxic, circular and climate-neutral basis.

The Commission states that it wants to support innovation with these plans, but the scope of the proposals requirements is currently unknown. Swedish Enterprise believes that it is inappropriate to establish requirements at individual plant level, as investment is decided at group level and may change over time. Green transformation plans should therefore not be linked to permits because this risks hampering innovation and counteracting investment in industrys green transition.

Green transformation plans that businesses currently produce are usually produced at group level and are dependent on circumstances that businesses do not always have at their disposal, such as new innovations, access to fossil-free electricity, water and raw materials, current financial position and prevailing economic conditions.

In addition, the Directive states that authorities must ensure that plans exist and are implemented as early as 31 December 2031. Swedish Enterprise doubts whether businesses and authorities could achieve this in practice in such a short period of time.

Several of the IED proposals are already being addressed in other major legislative packages under the Green Deal, (Fitfor55, chemicals legislation circular economy). Swedish Enterprise believes that it would have been preferable to have delayed the revision of the IED until other acts were in place to reduce the risk of overlapping and conflicting legislation and uncertainties.
The Committee on Womens Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) recently expressed support for the opening of discussions with the Council of Ministers on a bill to improve the gender balance on boards of listed European companies. The European Parliament has since given its full backing to the talks. Swedish EU parliamentarian Sara Skyttedal (KD/EPP) has expressed deep scepticism about the proposed directive, so Swedish Enterprise wanted to ask her why.

The proposed directive, often referred to as the Women on Boards directive, aims to improve the current gender distribution among non-executive board members of listed companies by setting 40 per cent as a quantitative target for the proportion of the underrepresented sex on the boards of listed companies in the EU. In cases where candidates are equally qualified for a position, the candidate of the underrepresented gender should be prioritised.

Swedish Enterprise certainly supports the overall aim of the proposal  to improve gender balance on the boards of listed companies  but does not agree with the proposed means to achieve this. The main reason is that quota rules for listed company boards that are introduced at EU level would entail an excessive encroachment on ownership rights enshrined in national company law.

Sara Skyttedal, you have expressed considerable scepticism about the proposals for gender-quotas for company boards. What are your main objections and why?

 Firstly, I dont think that this is an issue for the EU. Secondly, for me, equality is about seeing people for who they are, regardless of gender, not dividing people into quotas based on gender. And thirdly, it should be for business owners  not politicians  to decide who sits and does not sit on their boards. Its as simple as that.

Equality is about seeing people for who they are, regardless of gender, not dividing people into quotas.

Given that the Council and the European Parliament have adopted their positions and started trialogues, do you see any room for manoeuvre in the Parliament? Are there other MEPs who share your position?

 There are of course lots of MEPs who are against this. But were still a clear minority. The European Parliament adopted its position as early as 2013, and the majority that formed that position still exists. Unfortunately.

If, or when the proposed directive is approved and is implemented by member states, what consequences do you think this will have for Sweden and Swedish listed companies?

 If we take the position of the Council of Ministers, Sweden already meets the so-called critical threshold of thirty per cent female board representation, which means that the effects on Sweden will not necessarily be especially far-reaching. However, as always, it remains to be seen how the details will look after talks between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament have concluded their negotiations. And then, of course, we need to be extremely vigilant about future proposals from the Social Democrats to over-implement this regulation.

 Its also important to mention that once a directive is in place, it will be subject to future revisions. What changes to this regulatory framework will be proposed next time the European Commission wants to prove itself to be progressive and point out how extremely important gender equality is? You can imagine what could be on the cards in five or ten years.

Are there reasons to intervene politically to increase gender equality in boards and in business in general? If so, are there any reforms in this area that you would like to see instead?

 Of course, there are sectors of the economy that have far too few women, no doubt about that. And of course, politics has a role to play in giving men and women equal opportunities in terms of careers and education. But if we start from a political point of view to set fixed targets for how many in group X should be gender Y, then I think were on a downward slope.
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Taos Canyon placed on 'ready' status

Angostura ordered to evacuate; Sipapu, Angel Fire ordered to be 'Set' to evacuate at any moment
John Adams, who owns and operates High Altitude Fitness in El Prado with his wife Carol Adams, collects donations for people in New Mexico affected by wildfire this month.
The cult of the leader, a standard barometer of authoritarianism, is one of the pillars of Vladimir Putins Russia and Viktor Orbans Hungary.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine put Europes populists and Putin apologists in a difficult spot.

Italys Matteo Salvini famously had to face embarrassment at the Polish border town of Przemysl for his pro-Putin sympathies. Frances Marine Le Pen also had some uncomfortable moments before the French presidential elections over her Russian ties and loans from Russian and Hungarian banks.

In Germany, the reluctance of former chancellor Gerhard Schroder to resign from his position in Rosneft, Russias oil company, resulted in calls for him to quit the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Hungarys Orban, however, did not fit the pattern, and he comfortably secured his fourth term in government earlier this month after yet another landslide victory.

Despite the oppositions best efforts to emphasise the governing partys dubious links with Russia and the controversial announcements in the Hungarian state media about the war, the Putin stigma didnt stick. In a country where memories of Soviet occupation and the failed uprising of 1956 are still vivid, close ties with Russia no longer seem to be a decisive factor in elections. One way to explain this is through the growing personalisation of politics in Hungary and the rising cult of the leader.

The cult of the leader has been one of the pillars of Putins regime in Russia, and it has grown significantly in Orbans Hungary in the past few years. It has been a key feature of Recep Erdogans rule in Turkey for over a decade and it has become a prominent aspect of Narendra Modis style of leadership in India.

In Hungary, the unchallenged leader of the governing party, Fidesz, is increasingly represented in charismatic terms and with the help of cultic images that draw on Hungarian traditions of cult-building and on international models of depicting strongmen, including Putin, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Trump.

Trust and belief in his leadership skills overwrite rational political considerations, reconcile incompatible images and smooth out ideological anomalies. It is possible to depict him as the leader of Europe and the champion of national sovereignty who aims to stop Brussels and protect Europe from itself.

But the personalisation of politics and the cult of Orban did not start with the most recent election campaign. The image of the Hungarian politician has been carefully constructed, shaped and adjusted over the past decade and has assumed cultic features since the proclamation of illiberal democracy in 2014.

His cult was built in tandem with his illiberal regime. He is most often represented as a stable, balanced and competent leader  the man in charge  at the time of critical situations such as floods, snow, the 2015 refugee crisis or the Ukrainian war.

He is also depicted as a competent statesman, a defender of traditional values, the protector of national interests, an accessible, down-to-earth individual  the man of the people.

Videos and photos published on his Facebook page portray him having casual conversations with ordinary people  elderly women, children in kindergartens and binmen, or doing mundane, everyday things such as singing folk songs, downing shots, making pickles or slaughtering a pig.

Such representations show strong parallels with images of Putin. In Russia and Hungary, cultic images draw on both communist and pre-communist legacies. In Orbans case, the image of the ordinary man echoes images of the communist politician Janos Kadar, who is often credited for the creation of goulash communism in Hungary after the failed revolution of 1956.

In the case of Putin, his imagery absorbed traditions of representing communist leaders, but it also recycled themes from the representations of Russian tsars. His cult embraced elements of the Stalinist myth of the Great Patriotic War (fighting Nazis everywhere), the Cold War Soviet myth of Russians standing against the West (represented by Nato), but also Russophile, pan-Slavist and Eurasianist ideological currents from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that endorse the self-perceptions of Russia as a great power that has a civilisational mission to play in its  flexibly defined  sphere of interest.

In both cases, cultic images are supported by a centralised media empire, state institutions, government-friendly NGOs, influencers and celebrities. In both cases, narratives of self-victimisation also play a role in strengthening the image of the cultic leader. Orban is depicted as the leader of a country under constant attack by EU bureaucrats, whereas Putin was represented as the leader who was cornered by the West and Nato and had no other option but to invade Ukraine. The absurdity of the image of the strong leader who is constantly represented as a victim should not be missed.

Over-reliance on cultic leaders could turn authoritarian political systems volatile. Such leaders may become isolated as they surround themselves with sycophants who provide them with inaccurate information out of fear or incompetence. But charisma also tends to give rise to a belief in ones own self-importance.

The spectacular failure of Russian military plans in Ukraine has revealed incompetence and hubris were present in the Russian leadership, suggesting its vulnerability. It would be too early to predict the future trajectory of Orbans illiberal regime, but his growing international isolation in the wake of the war in Ukraine could potentially undermine his image as the man of the people who can outsmart the world.
WTF?! Once again, Elon Musk is having a war of words with Russia, but this time the world's richest man was the subject of a veiled threat from the country's space chief. Musk's response? A tweet that read: "If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya."

The incident revolves around Musk sending Ukraine shipments of SpaceX Starlink terminals that allow its citizens to continue accessing the internet in cities under siege. Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says there are now around 150,000 active Starlink users per day in Ukraine.

Musk's generous act was condemned by Dmitry Rogozin, the head of space agency Roscosmos, in the Russian's Telegram channel over the weekend. "Elon Musk is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment," he wrote, describing the Ukrainian military as "Nazis."

"And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adultno matter how much [you] play the fool." The post also included a short clip of Musk and his mother arriving at the Met Gala in New York last week.

The word "Nazi" doesn't mean what he seems to think it does pic.twitter.com/pk9SQhBOsG  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022

Musk tweeted a reply to Rogozin's message, writing that "The word 'Nazi' doesn't mean what he seems to think it does."

In reference to the threat of consequences, Musk also wrote, "If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya." It was obviously a tongue-in-cheek comment, but his mother, Maye Musk, did not appreciate her son's lack of concern. "That's not funny," she replied, though Musk assured her he would do his best to stay alive.

If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022

In response to Musk's tweet, Rogozin later wrote: "A billionaire from South Africa, whose family made their capital during the apartheid years, wants to explain to me, the son of a front-line soldier, a citizen of a country that lost 27 million only killed during the war against the Nazis, the meaning of the word NAZISM."

Russia has a long been suspected of assassinating (or attempting to) those it considers enemies and opponentsusually via poisoningthe most recent being opposition leader Alexey Navalny. One famous case was the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in the UK. The former FSB security service officer turned critic died after polonium-210, a radioactive isotope, was put in his tea. There was also the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, UK, which was believed to have been carried out using the Novichok nerve agent developed by Russia. Novichok was also used against Navalny.

Rogozin and Musk have clashed in the past. Russia's space chief previously warned that the ISS could crash into the earth due to sanctions placed on his country, but Musk said SpaceX could prevent such a disaster. Rogozin also had plenty to say when Musk offered to engage President Putin in unarmed combat to decide the future of Ukraine.
In brief: The Biden administration has been ramping up the pressure on antivirus software giant Kaspersky Lab since the start of the Ukraine war over fears Russia could use its products to spy on western governments, agencies, and companies.

Reuters reports that the US launched a security probe into Kaspersky Lab last year. It was referred to the Commerce Department by the Department of Justice, but Commerce made little progress on the case.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, however, the White House urged the Commerce Department to move forward with the probe as it feared federal contractors and operators of critical US infrastructure who use Kaspersky Lab software could be at risk of infiltration.

We welcome the start of negotiations to resolve the current situation in Ukraine and hope that they will lead to a cessation of hostilities and a compromise. We believe that peaceful dialogue is the only possible instrument for resolving conflicts. War isn't good for anyone.  Eugene Kaspersky (@e_kaspersky) March 1, 2022

The White House was quick to take action against Kaspersky Lab following Russia's actions. It became the first Russian company added to the FCC list of entities deemed an unacceptable threat to US national security in March. The designation came soon after Germany warned its citizens to stop using the company's software, something Kaspersky Lab said was "a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky's products and services."

Kaspersky Lab was under the microscope of suspicion long before the Ukraine invasion. It faced claims in 2017 over a possible compromise of its source code by Moscow, and President Trump banned the use of its antivirus products on federal government machines in the same year, for which the company filed a lawsuit.

Precisely what extra measures the US could take against Kaspersky Lab as a result of the probe's findings are unclear, though there's always the possibility that its products will be banned entirely in the United States.

Kaspersky Lab has long denied it has any links to or could be coerced by the Russian government. The company says it moved its data-processing infrastructure to Switzerland in 2018.
The Biden administration announced on Monday that it would be partnering with 20 broadband providers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, to ensure high-speed internet for subsidized plans and its accessibility to low-income Americans.

(Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 9: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before signing the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 in the Oval Office of the White House May 9, 2022 in Washington, DC.

"High-Speed, High Internet Quality"

This partnership is in line with the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which will aid a $30 monthly subsidy to help Americans pay the costs of their internet service. For tribal lands, they will be granted $75 a month.

"To ensure the most efficient use of those public dollars and to deliver maximum cost savings to families, the Biden-Harris Administration has secured commitments from 20 leading internet providers-covering more than 80% of the U.S. population across urban, suburban, and rural areas-to either increase speeds or cut prices," the fact sheet reads.

They further noted that eligible households for this program would experience "high-speed, high quality internet plans" that only cost at least $30 a month.

Additionally, this project was finalized in November of last year, which is a part of Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law and the $65 billion investment that was allocated to increase connectivity in the country.

Read Also: Biden Administration set to Surpass 25K-Megawatt 2025 Clean Energy Goal

"Internet is Essential for Success"

Vice President Kamala Harris noted in the announcement how access to the internet is "essential for success" , especially in the 21st century.

"Every person in our nation, no matter how much they earn, should be able to afford high-speed internet and a high-speed internet plan," she said.

The partnership mandated the providers to boost the speeds of their low-income plans and lower their costs as well. People who are qualified for the program could receive free internet service if their low-income plans do not cost more than $30.

Verizon, in particular, decreased its $40 plan to $30, which ultimately makes service free for qualifying households.

The fact sheet also detailed how the Biden-Harris administration would launch this program. This includes the following:

Launching GetInternet.gov - this website will detail how Americans can sign up for ACP and find internet providers under this program near their area. Reaching out to eligible households through federal agencies - households qualified for ACP will be determined by their participation in federal programs such as Pell Grants, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income. These agencies will coordinate with qualifying households. Particularly, the Social Security Administration will notify 1.6 million supplemental Security Income recipients via email if they are eligible. Partnering with States and Cities- states will also be responsible for the decentralization of information. Collaborating with public interest organizations- this includes United Way, Goodwill, Catholic Charities USA, UnidosUS, and many more.

Who is Eligible?

Almost 40% of households in the country are eligible for the ACP due to an individual's income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. An individual is also eligible if they meet the following criteria:

Participates in one of the following programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps Medicaid Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools Federal Pell Grant (received in the current award year) Lifeline Certain Tribal assistance programs, including Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider's existing low-income internet program.

Related Article: Biden Administration To Regulate Crypto Transaction in the US? Here's Why a New Executive Order Might Be Approved

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Elon Musk appeared in a video posted by the European Commission's Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, where both talked about content regulation for Twitter's future. Both said they are on the same page, and their plans align with the views of the private social media owner and the regulatory body from the EU region.

It also focuses on the Digital Services Act (DSA), one of the projects of the EU.

Elon Musk, EU Commissioner On the 'Same Page'

Thierry Breton posted a video online, and it shows both himself and the Tesla CEO and multi-tech owner, Elon Musk, as they discuss the future of Twitter and what will happen in the coming months. It shows that both entities open up discussion on bringing their social media to greater heights, aligning their goals together.

Musk followed up with a tweet and said that they are on the same page and that their meeting together went "great." It only means that both executives are working together for Twitter's progression. It will give them more to the coming restructuring of the social media for a better tomorrow, in line with the goals of what the EU wants for its region.

Read Also: Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover Faces Its First Lawsuit From A Florida Pension Fund

Great meeting! We are very much on the same page.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022

Twitter Content Regulation Under DSA?

One of the focuses of Breton and Musk's meeting is Twitter's content regulation under the DSA, with the new prohibition under the European Union having a fierce grasp on everything that comes and goes. However, it would be a long and massive process in the coming months and years, primarily as it would focus on restructuring Twitter from its previous setup.

Elon Musk and Twitter

Twitter and its new private owner, Elon Musk, have come a long way from their beginnings, from the CEO's use of the platform to market his many companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Co., Neuralink, and more. Now, he owns the platform and is the largest stakeholder in the company, with a massive $44 billion stake apart from his initial 9.2 percent stake in social media.

However, an essential part of Musk's campaign on Twitter is free speech for all sides, and it would have no holds barred for the different spectrum of the social media world. This campaign means that there would be a "more free" experience on Twitter, as long as it would not violate any laws that people will face once it gets restructured.

Now, Musk and Twitter are coming together on a single goal and the free speech that would be available to all users from all parts of the world. Moreover, it got a higher platform as it aligns its ideologies with the DSA, one of the most controversial laws in the EU that got Apple and Google on its hands for its strict regulations and observations of its policies.

Related Article: Trump's Lawsuit Against Twitter Now Dismissed! Former POTUS' Freedom of Speech Not Violated?

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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U.S.-based experts are now concerned regarding the spread of ticks in the United States. They warn the public regarding these arachnids since they can bring new deadly diseases.

(Photo : Photo By Getty Images)

A Close Up Of An Adult Female And Nymph Tick Is Shown June 15, 2001 On A Fingertip. Ticks Cause An Acute Inflammatory Disease Characterized By Skin Changes, Joint Inflammation, And Flu-Like Symptoms Called Lyme Disease.

Ticks are commonly found in dogs, which are among the most popular pets in the United States. For the past few years, these parasites have been troubling health experts since there's now a nationwide monitoring system that is efficient in detecting them.

This means that the U.S. still can't identify where ticks exist, the diseases they carry, as well as their how they travel from one host to another.

U.S. Experts Now Concern About Ticks

According to The Wired's latest report, ticks are complex parasites. They can survive by just drinking the blood of their animal or human hosts.

(Photo : Photo By Getty Images)

A Close Up Of An Adult Female, An Adult Male, Nymph And Larva Tick Is Shown June 15, 2001. Ticks Cause An Acute Inflammatory Disease Characterized By Skin Changes, Joint Inflammation, And Flu-Like Symptoms Called Lyme Disease.

Also Read: Kentucky Toddler Jackson Oblisk Falls Into Coma After A Tick Bite: Here Are The Symptoms Of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

After feeding, their bites can carry great amounts of pathogens. As of writing, health experts said that these arachnids are expanding into new areas and carrying different diseases.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) confirmed that 16 different illnesses are caused by tick bites.

Richard Ostfeld, a tick expert at the independent Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies in New York State, said that having an efficient monitoring system is important.

"And if you know where the ticks and tick-borne pathogens are, you can do a decent job of predicting where they will be soon and get out in front with campaigns of education and awareness," he explained.

How To Avoid Ticks?

CDC's official blog post explained how people can avoid ticks. Here are some of the health tips you can follow:

Avoid walking in grassy, bushy, and wooded areas since these are the places where ticks are usually hiding. If you really need to walk there, then you should wear boots and long pants.

After going into the mentioned areas, don't forget to wash the gears you wore using cleaning products with around 0.5% permethrin.

On the other hand, you should also check your body (under the arms, between the legs, around the ears, etc.) since ticks can hide in tight places.

In our previous news, the man who had a pig heart transplant was allegedly infected with an animal virus.

Recently, Health Canada's eye drop recall happened after some products were labeled incorrectly.

For more news updates about tick diseases and other health topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Pentagon Ordered To Investigate Conspiracy Theory That Government Experiments Weaponized Ticks

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Meta claims that Germany's competition watchdog, the Federal Cartel Office, violated an essential EU cooperation principle after implementing its "all-or-nothing" approach, which combines antitrust law and data protection.

(Photo : Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

A photo of the META logo during the US social network Instagram opening on a tablet screen in Moscow on November 11, 2021. - Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced the parent company's name is being changed to "Meta" to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network.

The tech firm's lawmakers talked with the European Union's Court of Justice on Tuesday, May 10. During their discussion, they explained why the 2019 decision, which targets Meta's business practices, is flawed.

"The Federal Cartel Office, based on its misguided all-or-nothing approach conducted only an incomplete and skewed data protection assessment," said Meta Lawyer Hans-Georg Kamann.

Meta Claims German Competition Watchdog Violates EU Principle

According to Bloomberg's latest, the new EU court challenge filed by Meta against the Federal Cartel Office is an important attempt to change the 2019 court decision.

(Photo : Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

This illustration photo taken in Los Angeles on October 28, 2021, shows a person using Facebook on a smartphone in front of a computer screen showing the META logo. - Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday announced the parent company's name is being changed to "Meta" to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network.

Also Read: Facebook to Phase Out Nearby Friends, Location History, Time Alerts, and More Next Month

On Tuesday, May 10, Meta accused the German competition watchdog of failing to include the Data Protection Authority in Ireland. The tech firm included this statement in its investigations before adopting a final decision.

However, the Federal Cartel Office's Lawyer Joerg Nothdurft defended their department, saying that the competition watchdog has hundreds of documents showing how it worked with various data-protection officials.

If you want to see further details about the latest EU court challenge of Meta, you can visit this link.

Meta Also Having Issues in Kenya

Aside from Germany, CNN Business reported that Meta is also having issues in other countries, such as Kenya. The issues revolve around work exploitation, as well as poor working environments.

An ex-Facebook moderator filed a petition against Meta, as well as the tech firm's outsourcing partner, Sama. In their complaint, the former moderator claims that Kenyan workers are commonly subjected to unreasonable working environments.

Aside from this issue, they are also experiencing inadequate mental health support and irregular pay. The petition filer added that some workers also experience dignity and privacy violations.

Previously, Meta opened Facebook's large language model access for free.

Just previously, Meta confirmed that Facebook Soundbites and Podcasts would soon be removed.

For more news updates about Meta and other business tech topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Facebook News Ban in Australia, a Tactic to Prevent From Paying Publishers, Whistleblower Says

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Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory has thus far experienced quite a strained history as it deals with ever-increasing woes wrought on by critical lockdowns in the area. Although lockdowns were slightly diminished, allowing the factory to reopen once more back in April, the plant has once more shut its doors due to logistical concerns regarding necessary auto parts, which have stalled.

The report comes from Reuters, where sources detailed said internal production woes wrought by a mass supply shortage in the area. Tesla halted all production on Monday, May 9, following a manufacturing blueprint of under 200 EVs. The gigiafactory's sole purpose is to expand Tesla's production line via a supposed 1,200 vehicle output per day, which was ongoing from April's reopening.

Now, Tesla's hopeful 2,600 EV production estimation by mid-May will most probably be missed because of the swirling logistical concerns and supply shortages. It's not entirely certain what specific auto parts Tesla requires for its enhanced EV production line, but it could come down to necessary battery internals, Tesla harnesses, and more.

Related Article: Tesla Sues Former Engineer for Allegedly Stealing Confidential Information About its Supercomputer Project

Similar constraints have been felt by rivals in the area, like Nio. The Chinese EV automaker announced in early April of said supply shortages, highlighting that both lockdowns and the overarching Covid-19 pandemic have negatively affected supply chains across the area. Across the board, sales for EVs in China have likewise seen an incredible downturn, as contemporaries Xpeng Inc and Li Auto Inc experienced a 41.6% and 62% dip, respectively, from March to April, according to Reuters.

Xpeng's own CEO, He Xiaopeng, alluded to these very woes back in mid-April, relaying that while Chinese authorities are attempting to resolve constraints, it's a problem that comes merely down to circumstance. It isn't just the EV world being affected, as even Huawei is facing challenges in costs and parts acquisitions.

Following its April reopening, Tesla's China sales dipped by an astronomical 98%. Of the 10,757 EVs produced, the automaker sold only nearly 1,512, according to the CPCA. The sales for EVs in China are at a 35% dip overall for April, which doesn't sell well in a location that is the world's largest auto market.

The country is still reeling in imposed lockdown procedures. Shanghai authorities are still cracking down on the spread of Covid-19 through increased efforts and city-wide closures, making any potential bounce back for Tesla or its contemporaries in the area all the more strained.

Read Also: Tesla Giga Berlin Expansion To Happen After New Land Purchase; Here's What Automaker Plans To Build

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TRIPOLI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that 254 illegal migrants were returned to Libya after being rescued off the coast last week.

"During May 1-7, a total of 254 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," IOM said in a statement.

So far in 2022, as many as 4,715 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya, including 438 women and 188 minors, IOM added.

IOM also said that 114 illegal migrants died and 436 others went missing on the Central Mediterranean route in 2022.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores. 
During this season, there have been 271 landslides, 129 floods, 64 sudden floods, 37 gales, 13 storms, 11 torrential floods, and 4 hailstorms.

Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported that the heavy rains left at least 47 dead, 49 injured and 7 people missing.

From March 16 to May 9, the rains also affected 18,100 families and affected 285 municipalities in 25 out of 32 departments. Among the departments with the greatest damage were Antioquia, Cauca, Santander, Huila, Tolima, and Narino.

Besides destroying 185 houses, the rains caused damage to 9,300 dwellings, 480 roads, 48 bridges, 24 pedestrian bridges, 64 aqueducts, 27 sewers, 2 health centers, and 54 educational facilities.

During this season, there have been 271 landslides, 129 floods, 64 sudden floods, 37 gales, 13 storms, 11 torrential floods, and 4 hailstorms.

"Since March 16, 529 events have already been registered, mostly mass movements and floods, which are the phenomena that greater amount of affectations generate us", said Fernando Carvajal, the director in charge of the UNGRD.

"This has been a season of much more rain, which has caused us serious damage," he added when recalling that for the second consecutive year there is the La Nina phenomenon, which has caused rain since August of last year.

La Nina is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the counterpart of the El NinoSouthern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. La Nina is derived from the cooling of the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
"Each week prices are galloping, not just rising. They have already doubled and kept rising," a fourth-generation farmer explained.

The recent massive increases in energy and animal feed prices caused by the Ukraine crisis have put an unbearable burden on livestock farmers across Greece, making their business barely viable.

While tending to his sheep, goats and chicken on the family farm in the village of Kleitoria in southern Greece, livestock breeder Diamantis Zournas is constantly calculating his costs. This fourth-generation farmer has a flock of 350 sheep and goats, as well as chicken, and sells his produce in his butcher shop on the village's square.

"The situation has become unbearable," he said, as everything is more expensive. Even a few months ago he still paid 250-300 euros for electricity. The most recent bills were close to 1,000 euros. Transport costs have also increased due to the ever higher fuel prices.

"Each week prices are galloping, not just rising. They have already doubled and kept rising. Corn today costs more than 40 cents a kilo, while we used to buy it for 18-19 cents," he explained.

According to the Hellenic Livestock Association, the prices of barley, clover, hay, soy and wheat have also doubled in the past few months. Domestic production cannot cover the farmers' needs. Greece imports around 250,000 tons of animal feed annually from Russia and Ukraine, but the conflict there has created a bottleneck on the export pipelines.

The Black Sea basin is one of the worlds most important areas for agricultural production. The food security impact of the conflict will likely be felt beyond #Ukraines border.



Here's more about the conflict's impact on global food security.  pic.twitter.com/7X9nzh1ckW  World Food Programme (@WFP) March 5, 2022

Meanwhile, the costs of production are skyrocketing. "I doubt that livestock breeders who do not produce their own feed will be able to make ends meet. They will be forced to sell their herds. It has already started. It is happening," Zournas said.

Pavlos Satolias, president of the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS), said that the situation has been difficult, but it "got so much worse due to the Ukrainian conflict. Production costs have risen by approximately 30 percent. This year, the livestock breeders will probably work without making a living, without making any profit.

"We fear that many of us will leave the industry, which would be a catastrophic development. Here in the countryside, people do not have anything else to make a living. Our villages would become deserted," he said.

The associations consider the subsidies announced by the government inadequate. They call for more generous support measures so that the sector remains sustainable. In absence of adequate support in times of crisis, Zournas fears that many of Kleitoria's 1,000 residents -- who depend on their animals -- would leave for the urban centers.
The next eye of the storm! The "big fish" of the Azov steel plant is about to come out of the water?
A bill to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles, which almost made it through the entire process last year, was defeated coming out of the gate on Monday.

House Bill 667 is almost a mirror version of last years Louisiana CROWN Act, which had cleared the Senate and House committee but couldnt get a vote on the House floor as its chief sponsor, Troy Carter, transitioned from the state Senate to the U.S. Congress in May 2021.

This years version, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Tammy Phelps, of Shreveport, similarly prohibited discrimination of traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyles.

The House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure vote 6-8, refusing to advance the legislation to the full House, effectively killing the effort for the 2022 legislative session.

+4 Louisiana Senate unanimously agrees to ban discrimination on hairstyles, hair texture The Louisiana Senate unanimously voted to make it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone because of their hairstyle, a measure 

Only one Republican committee member, Rep. Richard Nelson, of Mandeville, joined the five Democrats who wanted to send the HB667 to the full House. All eight of the no votes were Republicans.

One Republican, Rep. Bob Echols, of Monroe, voted in favor of the legislation last year, but against it on Monday.

Phelps said hairstyle discrimination is not unique to African Americans  HB667 would protect hairstyles of White people as well  but job terminations and promotion refusals are more frequent with people wearing, say dreadlocks. Many hairstyles are unique to African Americans. Ten other states have passed the hairstyle discrimination ban into law.

Republicans, who banded together to defeat Phelps bill, argued that their opposition wasnt racially motivated but was because it was already covered under existing law and would create a new group of people who could sue their employers for alleged discrimination.

There is a cause of action under race discrimination, based upon discrimination pursuant to the hairstyle, said Rep. Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs, adding that legislation also focuses on natural hairstyles.

A natural hairstyle occurs in nature. Braids, locks, and twists dont occur naturally. You actually have to do something to achieve that, right? he said.

Its not about a style, Phelps replied. It is a difference in our ethnicities here. Were just asking if you would be considerate in knowing theres a distinction.

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As lawsuits can already be filed on a discrimination challenge, based on hairstyles, the proposed legislation would explicitly clarify what factors would be necessary to file a lawsuit, Phelps said. Employers still could require nets and other safety protections under the legislation.

U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond joins fight to ban racial discrimination based on hair styles WASHINGTON  Louisiana's lone Democrat in Congress is backing federal legislation that would ban discrimination against hair textures and hair

Shreveport Rep. Sam Jenkins, who chairs the House Democratic caucus, said: I still dont understand how a person can be against race discrimination and see some problem with the hair. Theyre one in the same. you cant pick your discriminations.

After the hearing, Phelps said she entered the day hopeful but knew the composition of the committee meant defeat was likely.

They always try to change the narrative, Phelps said of her colleagues protests that their opposition wasnt racially based. But thats what weve come to expect with this Legislature.

It is on its face discriminatory and racist, Congressman Carter said in an interview Monday after the vote. Discrimination takes on all sorts of disguises.

Hairstyles are a way to attack African Americans, he added.

Carter, with help from Phelps, last year was able to advance an identical measure through the Senate and, as his last official act before joining Congress, through a House committee. His legislation languished on the House calendar and never received a vote.

Once in Washington, Carter pushed a similar bill through the U.S. House on March 18. The ban would apply nationally. Its now pending before the U.S. Senate.

For far too long, Black and Brown people have been penalized or discriminated against for wearing natural hair styles in school, the workplace, and other settings, Carter said. We must affirm every persons right to show up in the world as their authentic self.

Voting for a ban on hairstyle discrimination (6): Reps Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans; Chad Brown, D-Plaquemine; Robby Carter, D-Amite; Patrick Jefferson, D-Homer; Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport; and Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville.

Voting against HB667 (8): Reps Beryl Amedee, R-Houma; Michael C. Echols, R-Monroe; Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs; Ray Garofalo, R-Chalmette; Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs; Danny McCormick, R-Oil City; Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond; and Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport.
The states foremost anti-abortion organizations say they cant support legislation that could lead to prosecuting women who terminate their pregnancies, at least as it is currently written.

Even without the opposition of the Catholic bishops, Louisiana Family Forum and Louisiana Right to Life, many of the 23 women in the House, five in the Senate  regardless of where they stand on abortion  say the measure is a "no go." House Bill 813 is scheduled to be considered Thursday by the full House.

Its legally broad and vague, poorly written, the Rev. Gene Mills, who heads the powerful Louisiana Family Forum told The Advocate | The Times-Picayune Tuesday morning in an interview.

In principle, we desire the same thing, that is the end of abortions in Louisiana, he said. But House Bill 813 was drafted by advocates from out-of-state and Family Forums lawyers feel the wording is unconstitutional and would be difficult to defend in court, he said.

I dont think theyve considered the impact, Mills added.

Family Forum is a coalition of conservative Protestant and nondenominational church congregations that advocate for government policies from a Christian perspective. Louisiana Baptists, which oversees about 1,500 Southern Baptist churches in the state, testified in favor of the legislation last week.

The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose board comprises the bishops in charge of the seven Roman Catholic dioceses in Louisiana, announced Tuesday afternoon their opposition to the legislation.

HB813, called the "personhood bill" by detractors, would define life as beginning at conception and would extend the same rights to fetuses that are given to the rest of the population. The measure would change the wording in the states homicide laws and thereby open the possibility of women who terminate their pregnancies or take the wrong birth control could be charged with murder.

+2 Louisiana women who terminate their pregnancies could face murder charges under new bill Two days after the leak of a U.S Supreme Court draft opinion on access to abortions, a Louisiana House committee on Wednesday advanced a bill 

Louisiana Right to Life, a New Orleans-based organization behind many of the states anti-abortion laws, also opposes the measure.

Our longstanding policy is that abortion-vulnerable women should not be treated as criminals. Instead, we should hold accountable the individuals performing the abortion or selling or providing the chemical abortion drugs. HB813, the Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act, is not consistent with this policy of Louisiana Right to Life, the group stated in a press release. "Louisiana Right to Life does not support HB813."

Were seeing a crack in the anti-movement over the personhood bill, said Melissa Flournoy, who as board chair of Louisiana Progress Action and 10,000 Women Louisiana frequently testifies for greater abortion rights at a Legislature that is overwhelmingly anti-abortion. HB813, as worded now, would criminalize some forms of birth control and in vitro fertilization, she said.

When they started talking about prosecuting women for murder, I think people started to focus on the insanity, said Flournoy, who was state representative in the 1990s. I am relieved that Louisiana Right to Life and the Louisiana Family Forum think the criminalization of pregnancy is one step too far.

Both Family Forum and Right to Life note that a news leak last week indicates that a majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices favor eliminating the law created by Roe v Wade in 1973. Should that prove correct when the actual decision is released in late June, then individual states would decide abortion access in their jurisdiction. Louisiana has a trigger law that would automatically abolish abortion in this state should the high court overrule Roe.

Rep. Danny McCormick, the Oil City Republican who sponsored HB813, said Tuesday night that he still plans to bring the legislation up for debate on Thursday.

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The legislation last week was advanced on a 7-2 vote by some of the most conservative male lawmakers on the House Committee for the Administration of Criminal Justice.

State Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat who has worked on anti-abortion legislation since the early 1990s, said she and her four Senate female colleagues, all of whom are anti-abortion, are working against the bill. "It's my sense we're all on the same page," she said.

Sen. Katrina Jackson, the Monroe Democrat who sponsored the state Constitutional amendment that explicitly says abortion is not an inherent right, said she also opposes HB813.

I dont think its needed, said state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell.

Her Senate Bill 388 is one of the few anti-abortion measures that wouldnt be made moot with the end of Roe. The measure would criminalize vendors for sending abortion pills to women in Louisiana and reemphasize that the pills can only be prescribed and taken under a doctors supervision. SB388 cleared the Senate on a 33-2 vote and is scheduled to be considered Wednesday by the House Health and Welfare Committee. Flournoy said she and other women will be there to challenge Hewitt's bill.

We dont need anything taking a hardline with pregnant women, Hewitt added.

We all have the same goal of protecting the sanctity of life, but many have different ideas on how to get there, said Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek. We will have broader legislative conversations as we move forward on how to best achieve this historic goal.

The Senate won't have to consider the legislation unless it passes the House.

It needs work, with a collaborative effort among Republicans, we can get it into a posture that the pro-life legislators, at least pro-life women, can support it, said Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, adding that such a rewrite would be difficult to pull off in the four weeks left in the session.

Republican Rep. Beryl Amedee isnt sure about the legislation, either.

Ive gotten a lot of public input from it, a lot," Amedee said. Its got a lot of problems.

An associate pastor at Vision Christian Church in Bourg, which is down the Bayou Terrebonne from Houma, and one the most conservative members of the Louisiana Legislature, Amedee said the wording is confusing when it comes to birth control.

"I personally believe life begins at conception, not implantation, Amedee said. We have to come to terms that a fertilized egg is a human being.

Some birth control methods prevent conception. Others stop the egg from being implanted in a womans uterus, from where the fetus grows into a baby. That distinction is not spelled out in the legislation and could lead to all sorts of confusion  particularly when the end product could be a prison term, she said.

I dont believe our society is ready for that (prosecution of women who abort) yet, Amedee said. But we need to have the conversation. We need to understand that life issues are all related. And I thank Rep. McCormick for starting that conversation.
Two years ago, the now 34-year-old Melbourne musician Stefanie Farrands was named the Australian Chamber Orchestras principal viola player, after four years of gruelling tryouts and as one of five finalists who undertook a national orchestra tour to compete for the top role.

Then, instead of hard-won applause, came the hardest period of my life.

Australian Chamber Orchestra violist Stefanie Farrands. Credit:ACO

Farrands found herself isolated at home, with ACO unable to perform live concerts, and apart from her partner, Mitchell Nissen, who remained based in Hobart in his role on principal bass trombone with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, still playing to audiences.

We were split a lot of the time, and that was very hard, Farrands recalls. You lose your ability to express yourself [playing for audiences] and then you lose the time to be with someone you love and who inspires you. I felt Id lost everything, really, a lot of the time.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Its perhaps telling that the most riveting scene of Amazon Prime Videos new TV adaptation of Sally Rooneys Conversations with Friends is one that doesnt even exist in the book. Its the point at which our protagonist, 21-year-old uni student Frances, is confronted by Melissa, an older, sophisticated and accomplished essayist, over the affair Frances has been having with her husband, Nick. In the novel, Irish literary phenomenon Rooneys 2017 coming-of-age debut, the exchange takes place via a frenzied four-page email Melissa sends Frances, in which she berates the younger woman for naively imagining a future with her husband (Frances replies with a terse, Lots to think about). On the show, Melissa (Girls Jemima Kirke) invites Frances (Irish newcomer Alison Oliver) to her home to confront her face-to-face over afternoon tea. Rather unlike an email, the scene is tense and uncomfortable, and simmering with barely restrained emotion. Conversations with Friends: Bobbi (Sasha Lane), Nick (Joe Alwyn), Frances (Alison Oliver), and Melissa (Jemima Kirke). Credit:Enda Bowe/Hulu Actually, that was my favourite scene to shoot, definitely, says the episodes director Leanne Welham. Penned by screenwriter Alison Birch (unlike Normal People, Rooney  then in the midst of finishing her third novel Beautiful World, Where Are You  wasnt involved in this adaptation), the scene brings vivid drama to what the book, completely told from Frances perspective, can only allude to. Jemima and Alison were both just incredible in that scene, says Welham. Theres so much going on when they sit down and face each other, and in a way, the series has kind of been building to this moment. We see a side to Melissa we havent seen before, and her incredible generosity of spirit and her incredible maturity, contrasted with Frances relative emotional immaturity, is really interesting. Theres just a lot going on in that scene, and its terrifying when Frances walks up to the door. If you put yourself in Frances shoes, its like, oh my god, shes brave. Oliver, in her first TV role, is mesmerising in the scene. In a neat actors trick, she somehow even manages to blush on command, cheeks pink as watermelon, as Kirke lays into her.

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Oh, I think I was just really stressed! Oliver laughs. Its such a high intensity scene, I think I was just like, aargh! Jemima is incredible, she gives all of herself when she acts. So, like, yeah, whatever I did, it was all her; I was just responding to whatever she was doing. Nick and Frances share an intimate moment. After the phenomenal success of Normal People, which dominated lockdown viewing in mid-2020 and made stars out of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, it was only a matter of time before its producers and studios BBC and Hulu returned to Rooneys well. Conversations with Friends, filled with messy 20-something self-invention, was a breakthrough success for Rooney upon its May 2017 release, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and Folio Prize in 2018 and earning global acclaim. At 321 pages, the book is brisk and compelling. The TV series, not so much. Loading The shows best scene lays clear the challenge of adapting a novel thats set largely in its protagonists head; its best when it swings wildly from Rooneys literary template, which it rarely does. All the forensic psychological nuance that Rooney feeds us through Frances  her neurotic overthinking, her spiky self-loathing, her overworked efforts to affect nonchalant charm  those chaotic moments that lend Frances her skewed humanity, are dulled, if not lost, on screen. What youre left with is lingering shots of Frances staring out a rain-streaked window, presumably deep in existential thought, but who knows? We werent trying to do the same thing as Normal People, says Welham. Theyre quite different books and we were keen to have them feel like separate pieces of work. I think, intrinsically, this story is a lot more messy and complicated and we wanted to try to dig into that. Author Sally Rooney. Credit:New York Times

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Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson (Room), who executive produced and co-directed Normal People and again helms six episodes of Conversations with Friends, established the on-screen Rooney-verses arthouse aesthetic. Hes described its sedate, moody and blanched tone as lean-in television. The idea is were not telling the audience everything, Welham explains. Theres space there for people to really pay attention to whats happening between the characters, to nuance, and to the subtle emotional intimacy. There are moments of silence in this show and there are moments where theres just a look or a gesture between characters, and I think its that sort of detail that really allows you to get inside Frances head. And the pace, the pace is different from most things on TV, so youre really allowed to sit in these moments and really absorb whats going on. Oliver, for her part, is tasked with the mammoth job of making Frances complicated psychology visually compelling. The 24-year-old, a recent graduate of Dublins The Lir Academy whos mainly appeared in theatre, inhabits every scene of the series  including the sort of pearl-clutching, intimate sex scenes that made Normal People such a word-of-mouth sensation. With actor Joe Alwyn no less, famously known to most as Taylor Swifts real-life boyfriend (yes, Olivers met Swift, she tells me, and no, she hasnt attracted the singers jealous wrath). Oliver says she sought Rooneys advice for the role not long after she was cast. I sent her an email just being like, Oh my god!, and I just asked could I speak with her, and we had a lovely Zoom. She was so generous and kind and just there to answer anything I was wondering about.

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I love references and stuff, so I was really big on, like, what kind of music do you think Frances listens to? Or, like, what clothes does she wear? Or what kind of books does she read? Because I think thats so telling about a person, like, their taste and what theyre into. Loading Rooney, it turns out, crafts entire playlists for her characters. She sent me a playlist shed written specifically for Frances. It had, like, Astral Weeks from Van Morrison on there. And Mitski, a lot of Mitski. I loved getting that information. I found it so helpful to ease me into the feel of the character and the world. I got off the Zoom call and I was listening to it non-stop. When it comes to the on-screen Sally Rooney-verse, thats a guiding hand we could all use. Conversations with Friends premieres on Amazon Prime Video on May 16. A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.
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Former Logan mayor Luke Smith will stand trial on a single official corruption offence more than four years after he was charged by the states corruption watchdog.

The 52-year-old, whose full name is Timothy Luke Smith, had his charges mentioned in Brisbane District Court on Tuesday when Judge Martin Moynihan set a trial date for next year.

Former Logan mayor Luke Smith in 2017. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

The court heard Smith has three indictments to his name in the District Court, with one to go to trial first and the others to be dealt with after that trial.

Smith will stand trial on one count of official corruption on March 6, 2023. However, if the jury finds him not guilty of official corruption, the indictment also carries an alternative charge of receiving a secret commission that the jury can find him guilty of instead.
The head of the nations overseas spy agency has suggested an increasing number of disaffected Chinese officials are feeding information to Australian intelligence officers and raised the alarm about the pressures on Solomon Islands.

Paul Symon, the director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, said the recent security pact between China and Solomon Islands was a big deal for Australia, Solomon Islands and its citizens.

ASIS director-general Paul Symon said disaffected Chinese officials were keen to have a relationship with Australian intelligence. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

He also said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavares accusations that Australian soldiers and police refused to protect Chinese-built infrastructure during violent riots last November were disappointing.

In a speech to the Lowy Institute to mark the agencys 70th anniversary, the ASIS boss also revealed it inserted a small team into Afghanistan to help evacuate Australian nationals and other visa holders from Kabul in August last year.
The countrys top lawyers have condemned Scott Morrisons attack on the NSW corruption watchdog as neither correct nor constructive after the prime minister doubled down on his criticism of the body and took a swipe at the legal community.

Campaigning alongside NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, who has publicly disagreed with his stance on the issue, Morrison defended his characterisation of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption as a kangaroo court and asserted he did not care if lawyers disagreed with him.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he stood by his criticism of the NSW ICAC as he campaigned alongside Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday. Credit:James Brickwood

I stand by everything Ive said on this matter, Morrison said as he campaigned in the Sydney seat of Bennelong on Tuesday.

Expanding on his criticism of the ICAC on Tuesday, Morrison said he had never been a fan of how it operated, accusing the agency of having destroyed peoples reputations and careers before its even made a finding.
Amid the fury of Sunday nights leaders debate, a question by Age chief political correspondent David Crowe drew a muted response. What were Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese doing to help young Australians facing rising rents, out-of-reach house prices and student debts?

Albanese fell back on his affordable-housing plans, which as Crowe pointed out to him are not aimed specifically at the young. Morrison talked about getting young people into work, but did not acknowledge wage stagnation or the insecure nature of many of the jobs we ask young people to do.

Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison during Sundays debate. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

At the launch of this election campaign, we urged the major parties to put the young at the centre of their policy platforms. That would mean addressing conditions for those entering the jobs market; the way in which our tax system leans hard on income (which is where young people get their money) and touches lightly on accumulated assets (where older people park theirs); the increasing costs of buying or renting a property; and overarching all these concerns, the understanding that there are no jobs on a dead planet  that we are failing the test of environmental stewardship crucial to our long-term prosperity.

Perhaps it shouldnt surprise us that this hasnt happened. Labor would doubtless point to its experience at the 2019 election, when Bill Shortens vow to address the dud deal people under 40 were getting seemed to backfire at the ballot box. But pollsters might say it is a matter of simple arithmetic: people aged 55 and over make up 40 per cent of those enrolled to vote in this election. Twenty-five per cent of voters are aged 18 to 34.
At a rate of 2.5 cents per kilometre, an electric car owner who drove 10,000 kilometres in a year would be expected to pay about $250. Loading Australian industry group the Electric Vehicle Council welcomed the rebate but chief executive Behyad Jafari said WA should be looking more broadly at how it was taxing drivers. In the immediate term the rebates are useful to make electric vehicles more affordable to people, he said. In terms of road user charges, moving our system over to them makes sense but there are smarter ways to do it.

In NSW the government has decided to introduce them from 2027 but used them as an opportunity to remove stamp duty rather than add an additional tax onto electric vehicles. The council was scathing of Victorias plan to immediately bring in a road tax on electric vehicle owners, calling it a disincentive and one of the worst policies in the world in the space. Jafari said having a lag time out to 2027 gave the WA government time to get a pulse on the market and look at other initiatives like potentially waiving stamp duty. Subsidy is a policy backflip for WA government WA has lagged behind other states in bringing in a rebate or waiving stamp duty on new and used electric vehicles.

The rebate comes as a surprise in WA after the states Energy Minister Bill Johnston said at a forum last year the government did not need to incentivise anybody to go electric as manufacturers moved towards phasing out petrol engines. Because  guess what  youre going to be buying electric cars, he said. Its a bit rich for these car companies to ask the taxpayers to pay for them not to reduce the price of their cars. Greens MP Brad Pettitt, a former dean at Murdoch Universitys School of Sustainability, said the government should have brought in its new policy two years ago. Theres going to be good reason to be frustrated to leave it so long as getting a car will be difficult now, he said.

Had that been in place two years ago when we were asking for it, it would have been easier to purchase one. Loading Now theres long waits on all cars. Thats the frustration around this delay. The Tesla Model 3 is the highest-selling electric car in Australia, with 12,094 sold last year, but wait times have blown out to as much as 12 months. While the WA government fleet includes 459 hybrid vehicles, there is not much of a resale market for electric cars as the state fleet only includes 32 vehicles.

The state government has a target of 25 per cent electric for its small and medium-sized vehicles by 2025-26. Pettitt said the government should be moving towards road charges for all drivers and not just people who had electric vehicles. Jafari said 0.1 per cent of cars on Australian roads were electric or hydrogen and ideally petrol and diesel vehicle owners would be paying for the pollution they caused on top of the wear and tear on roads. Long-time Perth electric vehicle owner Rob Dean said he did not have a problem with the road user charge that would be introduced but said offering rebate incentives when there was not many vehicles available was not a good move. Where the money should be spent on charging infrastructure and reliable charging infrastructure, he said

One of the issues in the eastern states is non-Tesla infrastructure is starting to fall to pieces. Greater infrastructure spending included in package About $22.6 million will also be part of the budget package for infrastructure like charging stations. There will be $4 million going towards the Public Transport Authority for a trial of charging infrastructure at four train stations with up to 20 bays per carpark. Not-for-profits, small and medium businesses and local governments will get a share of $15 million towards installation costs for charging infrastructure.
Tel Aviv: A taxiing plane returned to the gate at Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday after photos of aviation disasters popped up on passengers phones - sent, Israeli authorities believe, by nine people on board using the iPhone AirDrop function.

The incident, on the AndoluJet flight that had been due to take off for Istanbul, was not a cyberattack over the internet, said Ofer Lefler, spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority.

Travelers walk with their luggage in the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Credit:AP

The nine suspects, described by police as Israeli citizens and among the passengers, were removed and could be prosecuted for disseminating false information, the authority said. The offence carries a maximum three-year prison term in Israel.

I am sure the police and the security authorities will find out why they (the suspects) did it, Lefler told Channel 12 TV.
Potomac, Maryland: US President Joe Biden said he is worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not have a way out of the Ukraine war.

Biden, speaking at a political fundraiser in a Washington suburb on Monday, Washington time, said Putin had mistakenly believed the invasion of Ukraine would break up NATO and break up the European Union.

US President Joe Biden worries Russian President Vladimir Putin has no way to back out of invasion of Ukraine. Credit:AP

Instead, the United States and many European countries have rallied to Ukraines side.

Russias assault on Kyiv was beaten back in March by strong Ukrainian resistance. Russia poured more troops into Ukraine for a huge offensive last month in the eastern part of the country but its gains have been slow.
The course of history changed forever in 1969, as astronauts landed on the moon and Woodstock revolutionized the music world. But these cultural landmarks take a backseat to personal revelations in A Walk on the Moon, a charming new musical receiving its East Coast premiere at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Adapted from the 1999 movie of the same name, A Walk on the Moon chronicles the seismic shift that occurs in one ordinary woman's life. It also serves as a love letter to a forgotten time and place: specifically, the bungalow colonies of the Catskills that served as a refuge for middle-class Jewish families from the outer boroughs. It succeeds as both a piece of nostalgia and a warmly sympathetic examination of desires achieved and unfulfilled.

The setting is strategic, on both counts. Every summer, Pearl Kantrowitz (Jackie Burns) makes the trek from Flatbush to Dr. Fogler's Bungalows with her good-natured husband, Marty (Jonah Platt) and her clairvoyant mother-in-law, Lillian (the hilarious Jill Abramovitz, with a Brooklyn accent so thick you could spread it on toast). Married young, Pearl and Marty are parents to rebellious peacenik Alison (Carly Gendell) and precocious Danny (Cody Braverman). As the end of an era looms, Pearl begins to feel hemmed in by her comfortable domestic life: "Ever feel like the whole decade's gone by and we haven't been in it?" she muses to her generally bewildered husband.

Marty and the other men in the community commute back to Brooklyn each workweek, leaving their wives to play mahjong, read novels by the lake, and tend to the children. His duties as a television repairman keep him increasingly busy, as everyone wants to ensure a working set to best experience the thrill of Apollo 11. Left by herself upstate, Pearl's increasing loneliness and curiosity drive her into the arms of Walker Jerome (John Arthur Greene), a free-spirited hippie who sells blouses on the campground, hoping to earn enough for a one-way ticket to San Francisco.

Librettist Pamela Gray, who also wrote the film's screenplay, expands and refines her original premise for the stage. She provides a compelling backstory for Pearl, who dreamed of being a journalist before her teenaged pregnancy redirected her toward the life of a wife and mother. In one of the show's best numbers, "Out of This World," she conducts an imaginary interview with Neil Armstrong that ends up communicating her own wants and needs.

The songwriting team of Paul Scott Goodman and AnnMarie Milazzo have an ear for the period's music  it's refreshing to hear a score that actually reflects the moment in which it's set, rather than sounding blandly contemporary. Rock, soul, doo-wop, and folk swirl together with irresistible melodies and revealing lyrics that both move the plot forward and home in on the characters' inner lives. Only "Yesterday Today," an angsty ballad that expresses Alison's adolescent disappointment with her philandering mother (and the world at large), comes across as too modern and monotonous, like a rejected cut from Jagged Little Pill.

Director Sheryl Kaller keeps the proceedings moving with verve and draws fine work from her talented cast. Burns  who holds the title of Broadway's longest serving Elphaba  finally finds in Pearl an original role worthy of her immense talents. Her voice shakes the rafters with little effort, but more impressively, she manages plenty of attractive soft singing and moments of quiet introspection that uncover Pearl's conflicted longing. She generates believable chemistry with Greene, who flaunts a rousing rock tenor and looks every inch the beatnik in Linda Cho's spot-on costumes.

Platt finds the compassionate center of a man who finds happiness in the life he settled for and can't entirely reconcile his wife's desire for change. His singing voice is pretty and warm, with an impressive falsetto, although he occasionally flattens out on sustained high notes. Gendell could do more to push her performance past the realm of generic sullen teenager, but she convinces in Alison's sweet rapport with Ross Epstein (Wesley Zurick, fresh-voiced and endearing), her summertime boyfriend. Their gentle discovery of first love provides a wholesome mirror to Pearl and Walker's unbridled passion.

The production relies too heavily on Tal Yarden's projection designs, which occasionally resemble cheesy computer screensavers. Yarden is credited as a "scenic consultant," but no actual set designer is listed, and the results show. Luckily Josh Prince's atmospheric choreography often makes up for the lack of physical representation, including a thrilling extended scene at Woodstock set to Richie Havens' "Freedom" (the score's sole jukebox number). Although this element should be refined in anticipation of future productions, A Walk on the Moon is pretty much ready for liftoff.
The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce presented the Military Affairs Committees Cheyenne Trophy to the 790th Missile Security Force Squadron for mission accomplishment, patriotism, off-duty volunteerism and community involvement that provides a positive impact in the city of Cheyenne and its residents.

The squadron received the trophy during a ceremony May 6, 2022 at the American Legion Wyoming Post 6.

Its such an honor to be recognized by the City of Cheyenne, said Maj. Brian Tuttle, 790 MSFS commander. We are proud to be a part of this amazing community and will continue to serve for generations just as those who came before us.

The Cheyenne trophy is presented annually to an outstanding military unit. The 790 MSFS also received the trophy in 2020 for going above and beyond when helping within the local community.

According to this years citation, a member of the 790th MSFS responded to a major vehicle accident where he provided lifesaving care to a family and moved them to safety as the car began leaking fuel.

Many 790 defenders served the Cheyenne community in numerous ways, from providing over 150 volunteers for CFD, partnering with Wyoming's Big Brothers and Big Sisters as mentors, or organizing teams that raised the most money for Special Olympics of Wyoming.

790th Missile Security Forces Squadron epitomizes high values of duty, honor, courage, loyalty, commitment, integrity and selfless dedication to the United States nuclear deterrence mission, said Scott Fox, Military Affairs Committee vice chair.

The Cheyenne Trophy is awarded to one unit from the Wyoming Air National Guard, the Wyoming National Guard and the active duty Air Force.
University of the Cumberlands would like to congratulate Peggy Wilson of Cheyenne, WY, on their graduation from Cumberlands! Peggy completed their Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

University of the Cumberlands held commencement ceremonies recently to celebrate its newest graduates. Participants in this year's commencement ceremonies included graduates from 49 states and territories and the countries of Canada, India, Brazil, Spain, New Zealand, and Italy, among others. A total of 2,068 graduates received their degrees from Cumberlands that weekend.

Cumberlands President Larry Cockrum opened the ceremonies offering heartfelt congratulations to the graduates as well as some advice and encouragement.

"Don't stress out over things you can't control. Even when things feel unsettled, we are all capable of a new and positive beginning," he said. "Sometimes, the worst things in life that happen to you can be the best things that happen to you - if you don't let the worst get the best of you. Have character. You will be remembered more for your kindness than for your accomplishments. And believe in yourself, no matter what happens."

Like in all areas of academia, academic excellence is prized among the graduating participants. A total of 236 students graduated this year while earning esteemed academic honors. Undergraduates named Cum Laude are those who have earned a cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.70 - 3.84; those named Magna Cum Laude earned a cumulative GPA of 3.85 - 3.94; and those named Summa Cum Laude earned a cumulative GPA of 3:95 - 4.0.

In addition to academics, the university also places a high value on community service amongst the student body. As announced during commencement ceremonies, undergraduate students in the Class of 2022 performed 46,674 hours of community service. That equals 5,834 eight-hour work days and 1,166 forty-hour work weeks. With volunteer work valued at $25.43 per hour by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the total contribution from Cumberlands undergraduates in the Class of 2022 is $1,186,919.82. Students who contributed 200 or more hours of community service during their undergraduate careers are designated as Hutton Scholars by the university. Of the students whose degrees were conferred in spring 2022, there were 69 Hutton Scholars.

Since reintroducing ROTC campus, a portion of Commencement weekend is used to honor graduating students who have committed to military service. During a special ceremony held on Friday, five Cumberlands ROTC cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants (2L), including Myles Betts of Fort Walton, FL; Christopher James of Chatsworth, GA; Emily O'Connor of Oregonia, OH; Philip Nelson of Ormond Beach, FL; and Raymond Salas of Newcomb, TN.

University of the Cumberlands is one of the largest and most affordable private universities in Kentucky. Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction offering quality undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and online degree programs. Learn more at ucumberlands.edu.
CHENGDU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A new air freight service connecting Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, and Brussels in Belgium was launched Monday to meet the growing aviation logistics demand of China-Europe cross-border e-commerce.

On Monday evening, an all-freighter flight undertook by the Belgian International Air Services left Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport for Brussels, carrying more than 130 tonnes of cargo. It arrived at the final destination Tuesday.

The cargo included mechanical equipment, electronics, and e-commerce parcels and will be delivered to customers in Europe via trucks and connecting flights.

Three flights will fly on the route per week in May. The flights will be increased to six a week gradually.

The new air route is expected to help enhance Chengdu's international cargo route network. In the first quarter of this year, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport witnessed a substantial increase in its international cargo and mail throughput, said the airport's operator.

Currently, the airport has 15 regular international air freight routes. In 2021 alone, five new international air cargo routes were launched, linking Chengdu to London, Amsterdam, and other foreign cities. 
NTD Television and The Epoch Times will livestream the 2022 World Falun Dafa Day parade in New York on May 13, 11 a.m. ET. Access the livestream on this page, and also at EpochTV and NTD.com.

May 13 this year marked the 30th anniversary since Falun Dafa was introduced to the public in 1992, and it is also the 71st birthday of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional self-improvement discipline that includes meditation exercises and is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Introduced in China in 1992, the practice quickly gained widespread appeal for its moral teachings and health benefits, spreading to over 110 countries around the world.

Fearing that its popularity would jeopardize the Chinese regimes authoritarian rule, in July 1999, then-regime leader Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide persecution campaign. For 22 years, millions of practitioners have suffered from illegal abductions, imprisonment, torture, and even became victims of horrific forced organ harvesting. As a result, countless practitioners were forced to leave their homes, jobs, or schools.

This year, the World Falun Dafa Day parade in New York aims to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the practice being introduced to the public, and bring to light the senseless suppression of human rights under the Chinese communist regime.
A Navy officer receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster during a mass-immunization exercise on Naval Air Station Sigonella, on Dec. 7, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Josh Cote)

884 Navy Personnel Discharged From Service for COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal

The number of Navy personnel discharged for refusing to get vaccinated has risen to 884, the military branch said on May 5.

In total, there have been 796 active component sailors and 66 reserve component sailors separated, all with an honorable characterization of service, the Navy said in a COVID-19 update.

A total of 22 Entry Level Separations have taken place. Those separations are given to individuals who, since the vaccine mandate began, have separated from the Navy prior to having completed 180 days of active military service.

The Navy mandated that active-duty sailors must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Nov. 28, 2021, while reserve troops had until Dec. 28, 2021.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a Biden nominee, initially imposed the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in August 2021, stating that being vaccinated would enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world.

Austin also said the vaccination requirements were necessary to protect the force and defend the American people.

The Navy began discharging sailors in January of this year and has so far not eased up on the mandate, despite the shots being less effective in protecting against the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

A number of soldiers had submitted exemption requests from the mandate on religious or medical grounds.

Sailors who submitted religious accommodation requests may no longer be separated for vaccine refusal, the Navy noted. Vaccine refusers who have not submitted religious accommodation requests remain subject to adverse administrative action, including separation.

The Navy said that a total of 10 religious accommodation requests for members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) have been conditionally approved, meaning that the individual will not be required to get vaccinated while in the IRR but must be fully vaccinated before returning to service.

As of May 5, there are a total of 3,355 active-duty and 857 Ready Reserve requests for a religious accommodation from immunization. Active-duty service members currently have 14 permanent medical exemptions and 224 temporary medical exemptions, and Ready Reserve service members currently have one permanent medical exemption and 86 temporary medical exemptions.

Overall, the Navy has the second-highest number of personnel being discharged for refusing to get the shot, behind the Marine Corps, which has now separated 2,117 Marines, according to the United States Naval Institute.

Meanwhile, the Army has the third-highest separations at 505, and the Air Force has 351.

As of May 5, 3,951 active component and 3,291 Ready Reserve service members remain unvaccinated.
Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, testifies before the Senate Armed Services committee on May 10, 2022 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Acute Threat of Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Between Now and 2030: US Intelligence Chief

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is rapidly developing the military capabilities required to launch an invasion of Taiwan, which doesnt yet have sufficient training and forces to repel such an attack, the Senate Armed Services Committee was told during a May 10 hearing on worldwide threats.

China has focused on studying the United States way of war and on offsetting our advantages, committee Chair Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said. Beijing has made concerning progress in this regard and holds its own expansive geostrategic ambitions.

Reed said the CCP is actively weighing its options for invading Taiwan and closely scrutinizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine to inform its own strategy.

While the CCP claims Taiwan is a breakaway province, Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP. Nevertheless, CCP leader Xi Jinping has vowed to unite Taiwan with the mainland, and has refused to rule out the use of force in achieving that.

The war that would erupt in the event of such a conflict could draw the United States in, as the nation depends on Taiwan for innumerable products and services, including semiconductors, which are vital to technologies ranging from commercial vehicles to missiles.

The United States officially maintains a stance of so-called strategic ambiguity, in which it neither confirms nor denies whether it would militarily defend Taiwan from invasion. Since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, however, the United States has maintained an obligation to ensure that Taiwan has the military capabilities necessary to defend itself from aggression.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified that China was engaged in a coordinated whole-of-government approach to coerce other powers in the region to accept its claims to Taiwan, and was paving the way for its coerced unification with the mainland in this decade. To that end, she said, Chinas communist regime was the United States unparalleled priority.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Haines whether the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was acute between now and 2030.

The director responded: Its fair to say that it is critical, or acute, between now and 2030. I think that thats absolutely fair.

Haines added that the lessons learned from Ukraine by both China and Taiwan could affect that timeline for better or worse. As such, the United States would need to work closely with allies and partners throughout the Indo-Pacific to deter an invasion.

Additionally, Haines said the CCP is expanding its power across military, diplomatic, and economic spheres, and is now actively challenging U.S. dominance in most arenas throughout the world.

[China] is coming ever closer to being a peer competitor in areas of relevance to national security, is pushing to revise global norms and institutions to its advantage, and is challenging the United States in multiple arenas economically, militarily, and technologically, she said.

Regardless of its global ambitions, the CCP would prefer not to risk a war that could result in the decimation of its own forces through a protracted fight, said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Instead, the regime would likely continue its attempts to isolate Taiwan in order to coerce it into unification through fear and intimidation.

As such, Berrier said that Taiwans military is learning from the Ukrainians fight against its Russian invaders, and the successes it has been able to build with a relatively modest, but supremely spirited, fighting force.

There are some things that we can do with Taiwan, Berrier said. I think theyre learning some very interesting things from the Ukrainian conflict like how important leadership is, how important small unit tactics are, how important an NCO [non-commissioned officers] corps is.

Still, he cautioned that Taiwan isnt yet capable of repelling or deterring a CCP invasion, and questioned whether its forces would match the will for battle that the Ukrainians have thus far displayed.

They have a largely conscript force, Berrier said of the Taiwanese military. I dont believe it is where it should be.

I think Taiwan could do more.

But, with the right weapon systems and better training, Berrier said, Taiwan could have a fighting chance.

To that end, he said, the United States could help Taiwan to better understand where its defense dollars could be best spent to ensure its continued de facto independence and democratic way of life. To achieve that, its necessary to understand precisely how broad-ranging the CCPs potential strategies are for seizing Taiwan.

China has a range of military options to coerce Taiwan, including increasing military presence operations, an air and maritime blockade, seizure of Taiwans smaller outlying islands, and a full-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan itself, Berrier said in a prepared statement.

Beijing appears willing to defer the use of military force as long as it considers that unification with Taiwan can be negotiated and that the costs of conflict outweigh the benefit.

Perhaps most importantly, he said, China and Russia would continue to grow their militaries and develop new capabilities with the goal of displacing the United States for so long as they perceived the nation to be a declining power.

Both China and Russia perceive that the United States is a nation in decline and use that view as a pretext for advancing their authoritarian models and executing their global ambitions, Berrier said.

The United States will need to work tirelessly to curb the growth of those global ambitions and to ensure the continued self-determination of Taiwan, according to the committees ranking Republican member, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)

The Chinese threat is beyond anything weve ever dealt with before, Inhofe said.
Alabama Inmate Who Escaped Jail Waives Extradition

An Alabama murder suspect who surrendered after a weeklong flight with his jailer ended with her mortally wounded in a ditch in Indiana waived extradition on Tuesday.

Jess Powers, director of the Vanderburgh County Cyber Crime Task Force, told The Associated Press that Casey White appeared in court by video and will be immediately extradited. Most likely he will be moved as quickly as possible.

Vicky White, 56, the jail official who helped him escape was pronounced dead at a hospital on Monday after Casey White, 38, gave up without a fight in Evansville, Indiananearly 300 milesfrom where the two fled an Alabama jail. The fugitives had spent more than a week on the run.

NBCs Today show reported Tuesday that federal marshals said Casey White told officers at the scene, Please help my wife. She just shot herself in the head and I didnt do it. The two Whites were not related, let alone married, officials said.

Before Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear announced her death, the sheriff in Alabama had said he hoped to get answers from his once trusted jail employee.

I had every bit of trust in Vicky White. She has been an exemplary employee. What in the world provoked her, prompted her to pull a stunt like this? I dont know. I dont know if well ever know, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said.

(Left) Inmate Casey White. (Right) Lauderdale County Detention Center assistant director Vicki White. (U.S. Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Authorities closed in after receiving a tip on Sunday that a man closely resembling Casey White had been recorded by a surveillance camera at a car wash getting out of a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Marshals Service said. White stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs about 260 pounds.

After locating the F-150, authorities got information that the two may have then gotten into a beige 2006 Cadillac, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely told Good Morning America.

We dispatched our people into the area of the car wash and observed the vehicle at a hotel, Keely said.

Members of a U.S. Marshals task force went to investigate, leading to a brief chase, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said on Today.

The pursuit was very short. It went up a major artery here in Vanderburgh County and they cut across a parking lot at a large factory. They were in a grassy area so three of our task force members actually rammed the vehicle, pushed it into a ditch so it ended up on its side. As they approached the vehicle it was obvious that the female driver was unconscious and still had a weapon in her hand. And they removed the murderer from the vehicle simultaneously, Wedding said.

Wedding said it has not been officially determined that Vicky White did in fact take her own life.

The coroners office will do an investigation and they will determine if it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The initial indication is that it was, but we wont rule anything out until we have a thorough investigation by the coroner.

Casey White will be returned to Lauderdale County in Alabama where hell be arraigned, Keely said.

The manhunt began April 29 after Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, told co-workers she was taking Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case, from the jail for a mental health evaluation. There was no such appointment.

We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. Thats a good thing for our country, Singleton said.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape. He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Federal and local law enforcement officials also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said that he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals Service said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

Vicky Whites family members and co-workers said they were stunned. Singleton said it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates.

In the past several months, she bought a rifle and a shotgun and also was known to have a handgun, Keely said. She also sold her housefor about half of market valueand bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, Singleton said.

On what Vicky White said would be her last day at work, video showed the pair went from the jail to the shopping center, where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said. Their flight was not discovered for much of the day.

By Kim Chandler and Mike Balsamo
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds up information on COVID-19 alert levels during a press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 21, 2020. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Almost Half of New Zealand Workers in 2021 Received a Government Wage Subsidy

Almost half of New Zealands working population received at least one COVID-19 wage subsidy during the past two years, the Ardern government revealed in a new report.

Excluding sole traders, 47 percent of New Zealands labour force, or 1.2 million employees, received a wage subsidy in 2021, down from 62 percent in 2020.

However, more jobs received two or more subsidies in 2021, at 65 percent compared to 32 percent in the previous year.

Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said the report showed the scheme had served to protect jobs and support businesses that otherwise might have been lost.

In general, patterns of 2021 wage subsidy distribution were similar to those in 2020 with jobs in some industries being more likely to need wage subsidies or multiple wage subsidies, especially the accommodation and food, and arts and recreation industries, she said.

Almost four-in-five accommodation and food services industry jobs received at least one wage subsidy, while over half of wage subsidy receiving workers in the arts and recreation industry were given five or more subsidies.

Auckland, which spent more time under lockdown, had the highest proportion of subsidy supported jobs.

Younger employees also received more payments compared to older workers.

Policies like the wage subsidy helped keep people in work, our benefit increases have supported those who are out of work and our investment in various job programmes to support people back into work have all made a difference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in February.

A childrens playground is shown closed in Auckland, New Zealand, on March 4, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Eric Crampton, the chief economist of the think tank New Zealand Initiative, told The Epoch Times that the wage subsidy had prevented many layoffs during the first lockdown in 2020, enabling firms to restart quickly after restrictions eased.

The scheme was not perfect, but it cannot be faulted given the timeframe in which it was developed and implemented, he said.

However, Crampton said the government failed to update the scheme in preparation for subsequent lockdowns, noting that it had become obvious some industries, such as tourism, would need to contract.

Resurgences of the wage subsidy scheme, combined with leniency from the tax authority on getting tax bills paid on time  also helped some zombie firms to continue when shutting down could have made more sense, he said.

James Graham, assistant professor at the University of Sydney and former senior economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, told The Epoch Times that according to his research, the subsidies saved around 175,000 jobs from disappearing in 2020, or 6.5 percent of the labour force.

However, he said the scheme was particularly costly and questioned whether a similar number of jobs could have been saved at a lower cost.

The government paid out around $14 billion in wage subsidies in 2020 (and more in 2021). This implies that it cost around $80,000 (US$50,000) for each job saved in 2020, Graham said.

The government might have spent less by boosting unemployment benefits and better targeted those immediately facing a risk of unemployment, he added.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speak during the Bill Enrollment for the American Rescue Plan Act ceremony after the House Chamber voted on the final revised legislation of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, at the US Capitol in Washington, on March 10, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrat Leaders Call Outrage Directed Against SCOTUS Deserved, Righteous

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have defended the outrage that some pro-abortion advocates have directed against sitting Supreme Court (SCOTUS) justices as righteous and deserved as violence against some pro-life groups has begun to escalate.

According to a draft opinion leaked by Politico on May 2, which Chief Justice John Roberts has since indicated is real, SCOTUS may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.

We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion of the court. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives.

The possible repeal of the seminal 1973 abortion case, which has defined federal law toward abortion for the past half-century, sent pro-abortion advocates into a flurry of activity online and on Capitol Hill.

Just minutes after the decision leaked, Pelosi and Schumer issued a statement roundly condemning the document.

The Republican-appointed Justices reported votes to overturn Roe v. Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history, the two wrote in a joint statement on May 2. They said the decision would be the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), leader of the 96-strong Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a May 2 tweet, As one of the 1 in 4 women in this country who have chosen to have an abortion, I am outraged & disgusted by the reported draft SCOTUS opinion.

Since then, abortion advocates have leaked the home addresses of SCOTUS justices to the public and have staged protests outside their personal homes, prompting concern for the safety of the justices.

The protests, some have argued, are directly in contravention of U.S. law.

Under 18 U.S. Code  1507, protesting outside the homes of those involved in the judicial process with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, is liable to incur fines or prison time.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has not responded to a request by the Epoch Times for comment on the legal issue.

When asked about it during a May 9 press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki replied indirectly, saying, Were certainly not suggesting that anyone break any laws.

Despite the protests being in apparent contravention of U.S. law, House and Senate Democrat leaders have praised the protests.

While we have seen and heard extraordinary anguish in our communities, we have been moved by how so many have channeled their righteous anger into meaningful action: planning to march and mobilize to make their voices heard, said Pelosi on the protests. Thank you for your powerful commitment to carrying on the fight for the rights of all Americans.

Pelosis comment came under fire after the office of pro-life activist group Wisconsin Family Action was firebombed by pro-abortion activists. Julaine Appling, president of the group, attributed the attack to Pelosis rhetoric.

It seems to me that Nancy Pelosi is partly responsible for inciting the kind of violence that we were the recipients of early on Mothers Day morning, Appling said. That kind of rhetoric heats things up. It doesnt cool it down. And our leaders need to be held responsible and held accountable for the kind of message they send.

On the other side of Capitol Hill, Schumer also praised the protests.

The outrage among women is palpable and real, Schumer said, and the outrage directed against this court is deserved.

Some Republicans, concerned about the risk to the personal safety of the justices, have called on Chief Justice Roberts to release the decision as soon as possible to forestall the risk of further escalation.

On Monday, senators on both sides of the aisle banded together to pass legislation that would increase the security detail for justices and their families as protests continue unabated, with no indication from the White House or the DOJ that they will step in to enforce the law around judicial protests.
Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Disqualify Republicans From Ballot Over Jan. 6

The Arizona Supreme Court on Monday ruled that two Republican congressmen and a state representative should remain on the November ballot after opponents claimed they were ineligible for reelection because they actively participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

In its four-page ruling on Monday, the court upheld a lower court decision on the matter that found that only Congress had the power to invoke a 150-year-old law that could be used to disqualify U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and state Rep. Mark Finchem, a Republican, if they had engaged in insurrection or rebellion.

The ruling was part of a lawsuit filed against the Arizona lawmakers by individuals who hoped to use a 19th century law adopted after the Civil War to prevent them from holding office under the U.S. Constitution.

The 11 plaintiffs, all individual Arizona citizens, were represented by attorneys with Free Speech for People (FSP), an Austin, Texas-based non-profit and non-partisan organization that describes itself as a catalyzing leader  challenging big money in politics, confronting corruption in government, and fighting for free and fair elections, among other issues.

Plaintiffs had appealed the decision by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury to dismiss the case last month, but the court on Monday found that only Congress had the power to disqualify the elected officials and not a private citizen.

We note that Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment appears to expressly delegate to Congress the authority to devise the method to enforce the Disqualification Clause, the court wrote in its ruling, signed by Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, which suggests that A.R.S.  16-351(B) does not provide a private right of action to invoke the Disqualification Clause against the Candidates.

Plaintiffs had claimed that Finchemwho is now seeking the secretary of state position in the November electionswas an active participant in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and coordinated his actions with Gosar and Biggs.

Finchem was engaged in efforts to intimidate Congress and the Vice President into rejecting valid electoral votes and to subvert the essential constitutional function of an orderly and peaceful transition of power, they wrote in their complaint.

Finchem was engaged with the January 6 attack by being in close contact with the planners of the Wild Protest, including throughout the day on January 6, and by participating in the attack with the advance knowledge that it was substantially likely to lead to the attack.

Finchem promoted the events of January 6 ahead of time. He coordinated many of his efforts with U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar and Andrew Biggs, and agreed with them on a plan to first delegitimatize, then challenge, and finally overturn the 2020 presidential election, the complaint continued.

The three lawmakers have denied wrongdoing.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof, the lawsuit said, quoting the Disqualification Clause. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Gosar took to Twitter to announce the courts ruling on Monday, writing that the Democrats lose again and now have to try to beat us at the ballot box, and that free speech wins, no insurrection no disqualification clause.

Free Speech for People, which has pursued cases against other prominent Republican figures including Reps. Madison Cawthorne (R-N.C.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), took aim at the courts decision on Monday.

In a statement to the Washington Examiner, the group said: The Arizona Supreme Courts decision betrays the fundamental purpose of the 14th Amendments insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections.

Similar to the lower court ruling, the high court did not address the allegations regarding the lawmakers actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
Big Techs Hidden Manipulation

Robert Epstein on the battle for privacy and freedom online

If we monitor, capture, archive, and expose these companies, Dr. Robert Epstein said, then theyll stay out of our lives.

In a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek sits down with Dr. Robert Epstein, senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, to discuss how tech giants influence human behavior and politics.

Epstein is a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, best known today for his research on the ways in which companies such as Google secretly manipulate everything from what we read and watch online to the outcomes of our elections.

Jan Jekielek: For almost a decade now, youve been studying how Big Tech manipulates people in ways they arent aware of. Where are things right now?

Dr. Robert Epstein: Weve made more progress in the past year and a half than in the previous eight years combined. For the 2020 presidential election, we recruited field agents, mainly in swing counties in four swing states, and with their permission, we installed special software on their computers that allowed us to look over their shoulders as they were doing anything that was election-related on their computers. We preserved more than 1.5 million ephemeral experiences on Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, Facebook, and more.

What started as a tiny project in the 2016 presidential election has grown into something much more sophisticated. Weve made a lot more discoveries; weve got lots more numbers, and theyre all terrible. Theyre telling us over and over again that were pawns. Were being manipulated in ways we cant see and in ways we cant counteract, that dont leave a paper trail for authorities to trace.

Mr. Jekielek: You mentioned ephemeral experiences. Please explain what that means.

Dr. Epstein: Theyre brief experiences we have online, such as a newsfeed flashed before our eyes, search suggestions, or all kinds of things. A sequence of YouTube videos, for example, with a suggestion of what video to watch next, affects us, and then they disappear. Theyre gone. Its the ideal form of manipulation. People have no idea theyre being manipulated, No. 1and No. 2, authorities cant go back in time to see what people were shown.

Were trying to figure out the power that ephemeral experiences have to change thinking, behavior, and votes.

Mr. Jekielek: Youve been working in the field of psychology for decades. How did you end up focusing on this?

Dr. Epstein: I noticed marketers were finding out that if you can just get up one more notch in Google Search results, that could make the difference between the success and failure of your company. If youre on the second page of search results, youre done. Youve got to be on that first page. So I wondered, Could search results be used to change peoples opinions? Could they even be used to change their votes, their voting preferences? And so I began a series of experiments that adhere to the highest research standards.

I thought, Lets see if I can change peoples opinions. Ill randomly assign people to two groups. In one group, the search results will favor one candidate, and in the other, the search results will favor the opponent. That means that if someone clicks on a high-ranking search result, theyre going to get to a webpage that makes their candidate look really good and might make the other candidate look really bad. And in these experiments, we used real search results and webpages we got online from Google. People were randomly assigned to these different groups, and I expected we could shift peoples voting preferences by 2 percent or 3 percent. The very first experiment we ran, we shifted voting preferences by more than 40 percent. So I thought, Thats impossible. We repeated the experiment with another group and got a shift of more than 60 percent. So I realized, Wait a minute, maybe Ive stumbled onto something here.

Mr. Jekielek: What does it mean to shift peoples opinion by, say, 40 percent?

Dr. Epstein: Lets say we start with 100 peopleand we always use people who are undecided about their vote, because those are the people who can be influenced. We divide them into pro candidate A or pro candidate B groups. So a 40 percent shift means 20 people move to the other group. So now, Ive only got 30 left here, and over here Ive got 70. Ive taken a 50/50 split and turned it into a 30/70 split. I now have a win margin of 40 percent.

In other words, tech companies can put one candidate ahead of another.

Mr. Jekielek: Wont people just say, Well, thats just the natural consequence of the algorithm.

Dr. Epstein: Most people dont know how algorithms work or even what algorithms are. But one thing should disturb a lot of people. Algorithms incorporate the biases of the programmers. Right now, for example, 96 percent of donations from Google and other tech companies go to the Democrat Party. Theres a lot of political bias in these companies, and that bias can get programmed into the algorithms.

One main concern here is the blacklists. One of the simplest ways to make an adjustment in what an algorithm is doing is to have your algorithm check a blacklist before it displays any results. And when certain points of view arent acceptable, theyre banned.

In 2019, a Google vice president appeared before a Senate Committee where he was asked under oath, Does Google have blacklists? And this man replied, No Senator, we do not.

A few weeks later, Zach Vorhies, a senior software engineer, walked out of Google with more than 950 pages of documents and a two-minute video. Three documents were labeled Blacklists. This Google vice president had lied under oath to Congress.

Mr. Jekielek: Lets jump to monitoring now. Broadly speaking, from that data set from 2020, what is it that you found?

Dr. Epstein: We found a strong liberal bias. On YouTube, 93 percent of the videos recommended by Googles Up Next algorithm came from strongly liberal news sources. At that point, we had about half a million ephemeral experiences preserved, and we decided to go public. A New York Post journalist took all our content and started writing a fabulous piece about how the tech companies are rigging our elections.

But when her editor tried to get a comment from Google on some of the factual content, which is normal, two things happened. No. 1 is the New York Post killed the piece. I couldnt believe it, but then I found some 40 percent of their traffic comes from Google. You cant attack Google on this scale without risking your business. So okay, they killed the piece. No. 2, in those couple of days before the presidential election, Google turned off its manipulations in the presidential election, and we thought, Thats interesting.

Along the way, I had contacted someone I knew in Sen. Ted Cruzs (R-Texas) office. On Nov. 5, two days after the election, three U.S. senators sent a strong threatening letter to the CEO of Google summarizing our preliminary presidential election findings. And then a miracle occurred. The field agents monitoring the content from tech companies prior to the January 2021 Senate runoff elections in Georgia found that all the bias was gone from Google. I mean, gone. For example, not a single Go Vote reminder.

This is the solution to the way in which these companies interfere in our democracy, in our lives, and with our children. If we monitor, capture, archive, and expose these companies, then theyll stay out of our lives.

Mr. Jekielek: So how do we avoid being influenced this way?

Dr. Epstein: What you can do fairly easily is just go to my website, myprivacytips.com, and read my article on how to avoid targeted ads. Over the years, Ive learned how to protect my privacy, and I share some information there. And the research institute where I work has set up a new organization, Internet Watchdogs, which is designed to help people protect the privacy of their children and families.

Mr. Jekielek: Count me in on signing up for Internet Watchdogs. But a question: How will Internet Watchdogs and these monitoring systems stay pure to their mission?

Dr. Epstein: Were like Google was at the beginning, but Google then got twisted into a greedy version of itself because of money, because its a for-profit, and they found ways to get obscenely rich. Internet Watchdogs and any project Ive ever touched are nonprofits. Theres no ownership.

So were doing creative, wild stuff and having a ball while were doing it. My team loves coming in and working long hours. And I think in the future, were still going to be excited about what were doing because were in this cat-and-mouse game where were using good tech to fight bad tech, to protect kids, to protect humanity, to protect democracy. I think the future will be even better than what were seeing now.

Jan Jekielek Senior Editor Follow Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, "American Thought Leaders." Jans career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as website chief editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film "Finding Manny."
BLM Co-Founder Admits to Throwing 2 Parties at Multi-Million-Dollar Mansion

Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors has admitted that she used the groups multi-million-dollar mansion in Los Angeles for two personal parties in 2021, just a month after suggesting that she had never used the property for personal gain.

Cullors, a self-described trained Marxist, told The Associated Press on May 9 that she hosted a small party at the mansion in January 2021, to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. She added that about 15 people participated in the party, including members from the Los Angeles chapter of BLM.

At the time, Cullors said she was seeking refugee at the mansion because there were threats against her life.

The second party at the mansion was held in March 2021, Cullors said, a private birthday celebration for her son.

According to AP, BLM said it had billed Cullors a rental fee for using the mansion for her sons birthday party, and Cullors said she intended to make the payment.

I look back at that and think, that probably wasnt the best idea, Cullors said about her two parties at the mansion.

In April, Cullors denied she had ever lived in the mansion or taken advantage of the property for personal reasons, after New York Magazine revealed that the group bought the property for $5.8 million in October 2020. The 6,500-square-foot estate was purchased with money that had been donated to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, just two weeks after BLM received $66.5 million from its fiscal sponsor.

Dyane Pascall, the financial manager for a consulting firm operated by Cullors and her spouse Janaya Khan, bought the mansion, according to the magazine. Within a week after the purchase, Pascall transferred the ownership of the property to an LLC in Delaware, a move that ensured that the ultimate identity of the propertys new owner was not disclosed to the public, the magazine added.

People walk down 16th street after volunteers painted Black Lives Matter on the street near the White House in Washington on June 5, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

At the time, Cullors railed against the magazines story, saying it was a despicable abuse of a platform thats intended to provide information to the public and a racist and sexist attack on BLM.

The fact that a reputable publication would allow a reporter, with a proven and very public bias against me and other black leaders, to write a piece filled with misinformation, innuendo, and incendiary opinions, is disheartening and unacceptable, she added.

Cullors also said the mansion was purchased with the intention of being used by the BLM movement community to work, create content, host meetings, and foster creativity.

She defended the purchase of the mansion in her interview with AP.

We really wanted to make sure that the global network foundation had an asset that wasnt just financial resources, she said, before adding: We understood that not many black-led organizations have property. They dont own their property.

In May 2021, Cullors resigned as the groups executive director, amid criticism over her personal wealth and the groups finances.

Cullors adamantly denied claims that she had personally benefited while guiding the BLM foundation, according to AP.

The idea that [the foundation] received millions of dollars and then I hid those dollars in my bank account is absolutely false, she said. Thats a false narrative. Its impacted me personally and professionally, that people would accuse me of stealing from black people.

Looking back, she said BLM wasnt ready to handle the influx of contributions following George Floyds death in May 2020. Whats more, she added that the foundation was slow to build the necessary infrastructure.

On paper, it looks crazy, she said. We use this term in our movement a lot, which is were building the plane while flying it. I dont believe in that anymore. The only regret I have with BLM is wishing that we could have paused for one to two years, to just not do any work and just focus on the infrastructure.

Shalomyah Bowers, a BLM board member, in a phone interview with AP, said the foundation underwent an independent financial audit. He said the audit and the soon-to-be-released 990 IRS filing will show that nothing impermissible or nefarious has happened with BLMs finances.

We are now a foundation that is deeply devoted to investing in organizations that are committed to doing the work of abolition [and] committed to building black power, he said.

On April 26, Indianas Attorney General, Todd Rokita, filed a lawsuit against the BLM foundation, as part of an ongoing investigation of the organizations use of funds.
Maryland and Virginia law enforcement are poised to secure the homes of Supreme Court Justices. Protests by pro-abortion groups have been growing.

The White House condemned the violent attack over the weekend that was aimed at a Wisconsin-based pro-life group. But the administration is still calling for protestors to speak out peacefully. And the Senate this week will vote on a pro-abortion bill.

The White House is announcing a plan to expand affordable internet. An estimated 48 million households will get high-speed internet for less than $30 a month.

With the economy on the brink of a recession, how will we know when we actually are there, and how important is it for the United States to untangle itself from the Chinese economy?

Should the discussion of widespread election fraud be a taboo subject? According to filmmaker Dinesh DSoouza, that is exactly how those who may have pulled off the heist would want you to think. We take a look at DSouzas latest documentary 2000 Mules and his attempt to prove widespread election irregularities.

Jan. 6 detainee Jake Lang calls from the jail where he is being detained to describe what he calls inhumane treatment. He tells us he will be locked up for two years without the right to a speedy trial.

The United States is suspending tariffs on Ukrainian steel to help the countrys economy. But how effective will this be?

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Casey DeSantis Makes First Campaign Appearance Since Being Cancer Free

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.Floridas first lady Casey DeSantis joined her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the campaign trail on May 9, in her first public appearance since being declared cancer-free.

The couple made their appearance at a DeSantis Day campaign event held at The Villages in Sumter County.

Governor, I dont know if this sounds very first lady-like, but damn it feels good to be here, she told her husband and the crowd of supporters after appearing on stage. Let me say this, no matter what youre going through in life, no matter how hard things seem like they are, no matter how hard it feels like you have to pick yourself off the ground, or you feel like your back is against the wall, fight! Fight like hell!

Last October, the governor announced that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer. He maintained throughout her five months of treatments that she was a fighter and she would not give up. At a press event in March, he announced that his wife was cancer-free and at the end of April, he said she had taken her last chemo treatment.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears with his wife Casey at a press conference in Ocala on May 6, 2022 (Courtesy, The Governors office)

After six rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery, six weeks of radiation, and most importantly, through Gods grace, I am elated while humbled to be back on the campaign trail fighting for Americas Governor, she told the crowd. I am forever grateful for the prayers from good folks across the country who thought and prayed for me and my familys well-being. Thank you. I pray my story has inspired people to stay strong and never give up hope.

Since she has been the states first lady, she has taken on several major initiatives, including Hope FloridaA Pathway to Prosperity, which she launched through the Department of Children and Families, described as a family-centered assistance program that is helping more than 25,000 Floridians achieve economic sufficiency. Another initiative is the Hope Ambassador program, which comprises more than 100 middle and high school clubs in the state, with the aim to encourage a campus culture of kindness and empathy through peer-to-peer mentoring and volunteer work in Florida.

DeSantis traveled the state visiting with cancer patients, and in December announced his $100 million budget proposal for cancer research and care at Florida cancer institutes. The Florida Legislature took note and renamed the Florida Consortium of National Institute Centers Program the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.

Before becoming the first lady she was a former producer and Emmy award-winning television show host for the PGA Tour.

Casey and Ron DeSantis were married in 2010 and together, they have three childrenMadison, Mason, and Mamie. Their youngest, 2-year-old Mamie, made history as she was the first baby to be born in the Florida Governors mansion in 50 years.

Casey DeSantis said in a statement released after she received her final radiation treatment, Never ever give up, never ever back down. I am the testament that God is great, that God is good, and hope is alive.
A Chinese warship docks in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on October 4, 2013. October 5, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saeed Khan (Photo credit should read SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

China, Russia Blocked from Major Naval Conference in Sydney

Chinese and Russian military officials have been barred from attending a major international naval conference in Sydney, Australia, attended by naval chiefs from 40 countries.

In previous years, officers from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army-Navy were invited to attend the biennial Indo-Pacific 2022 International Maritime Expositionthe first one held since the pandemic ended.

However, Vice Admiral Mike Noonan of the Royal Australian Navy opted against inviting Chinese leaders due to deteriorating relations, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the ongoing trade war being waged by Beijing against Australian exporters.

Russian invitations were also torn up in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The event in Sydneys Darling Harbourfrom May 10 to 12showcases the latest technology and products from 700 exhibitorsthis years event will also have a focus on undersea warfare and drones.

A sensitive area that Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are investing heavily into under the AUKUS agreement and also critical given the rising tensions in the South China Sea and now the Solomon Islands.

Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy near Darwin, Australia, on Sept. 5, 2021. (Photo by POIS Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images)

The three-day conference will also address the recently signed Beijing-Solomon Islands security pact that could open the door for Chinese troops and naval ships to be stationed in the South Pacific region, just 1,700 kilometres from Australias northern city of Cairns.

Nevol Soko, an inspector from the Royal Solomon Islands Police, is expected to join the conference virtually.

Despite ongoing denials from the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that the security deal would lead to a military base in the country, evidence has continued to emerge suggesting the opposite.

On May 9, a recent leak revealed that Beijings Ministry of Commerce is promising to encourage the building of ports, shipbuilding facilities, fishing depots, and clean energy development in the country.

In early April, an earlier leaked letter from the Chinese state-owned Avic International Project Engineering Co. emerged revealing the Beijing-based aviation company was actively looking for locations to develop infrastructure for the Peoples Liberation ArmyNavy.

The Chinese Communist Partys adherence to its military-civil fusion doctrine also means benign investment opportunitiesincluding portscould be repurposed for military use.

The issue came to prominence when it emerged that thousands of Chinese professors working in universities in Western countries were actually linked to the Peoples Liberation Army and using the know-how and research they had gained to bolster the development of the CCP military arm.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping before a family photo session at G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. (Kim Kyung-Hoon - Pool/Getty Images)

Chinese Medias Polarized Reports Over Russia-Ukraine War May Reflect Exacerbated Rift Within CCP

News Analysis

The Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) media mouthpieces recently published polarized reports over the Russia-Ukraine war, including a rare, positive interview with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister while at the same time persisting with its criticism of the United States. The contradictory articles on tightly controlled state platforms highlight the split in views at the CCPs top echelon, experts said.

A May 3 opinion piece released on Guangming Daily, a Beijing-based official media, blamed the Russia-Ukraine war on a U.S.-led NATOs adherence to the Cold War mentality, detailing five charges against the United States and NATO in the war.

The article was co-written by Xu Bu, president of the China Institute of International Studies, and Chen Wenbing, a contributing researcher at The Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Research Center.

A few days before, Xinhua, another state mouthpiece, published an interview with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, which included four mentions of the previously rarely used word invasion to describe Russias actions, three of which cited Kuleba saying Russian invasion of Ukraine. The expression, asserting Russias incursion of Ukrainian territory as the wars trigger, had been what the CCP and its mouthpiece media had tried to censor since the war began.

Notably, the Xinhua piece almost stood on Ukraines side, even mentioning Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis statement on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The report also cited Kuleba saying that the escalating war between Russia and Ukraine is not on account of Ukraine, with is only exercising its right to self-defense.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has brought about the global food crisis and economic problems that will threaten Chinas economy, it said, adding that Russias take over of Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014 has not only destroyed Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, but has also posed a serious challenge to the global security system, citing Kuleba.

Kuleba also said in the interview that Ukraine is a European country both geographically and historically, and that Russias assailing of Ukraine has led to Europes biggest instability today.

Kuleba expressed hopes that China will call for a ceasefire in Russia and be one of the guarantors of Ukraines security. If Russia cannot be stopped now, it will cause more crises in a few years, he said, according to the report.

Xinhuas interview with Kuleba has sparked public concern because it completely shifted the viewpoints allowed as the CCPs official attitude toward Russia, which has been an ally in the past months.

Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, the CCP has been placing itself beside Russia, including maintaining the same propaganda tone by telling the Chinese people that the Ukraine issue is complex and specialsaid CCP-run media Qstheory.

Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng slashed on March 19 that it is extremely immoral of the United States and NATO to use Ukraine for a proxy war over Russia.

The two polarized views of the CCPs official media might reflect the dilemma of a reluctant change of attitude among the CCPs top powers in the face of unfavorable Russian military failures and coordinated Western pressure, said Li Yanming, a U.S.-based China expert and current affairs commentator.

But at the same time, Chinese official media have continued their line of wolf warrior diplomacy attacking the United States and NATO, which is revealing a contradictory stance of the CCP on the Russia-Ukraine war, and pointing to a split in the top echelon of the Communist Party, Li told The Epoch Times.

Li said the progress of the Russia-Ukraine war is affecting the top-level political game being played before the CCPs 20th National Congress, adding more uncertainty to Chinas political prospects.

Chen Pokong, a U.S.-based current affairs commentator, said on his YouTube program on May 3 that Xinhua News Agencys publishing of the full text of its interview with Kuleba was not a simple action.

He said that while China is aware that its pro-Russian policy is not sustainable, as Russia has lost its military advantage over Ukraine, Chinas state-owned enterprises and banks led by the State Council wont accept Russia as a partner over fears of possible secondary sanctions from Western countries.

Therefore, the official medias contradicting reports point to a considerable setback for current CCP leader Xi Jinping and his pro-Russia policies.

Xi will now have to face how to choose between Russia and Ukraine, Chen said.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, attends an event at the White House in Washington on April 18, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Congress Seeks Answers From US Prosecutors on Hunter Biden Probe

Federal prosecutors should answer key questions on the investigation of President Joe Bidens son, including whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) has adequately supported the probe, two senators said on May 10.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, asked U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss for answers because theyve been met with silence by the DOJ.

The main thrust of their letter to Weiss is concerns over conflicts of interest, including the fact that Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid was a partner with an attorney that has represented Hunter Biden.

This association creates a clear conflict of interest yet the Department has failed to provide adequate responses to answer the threshold questions about whether Mr. McQuaid has or had any role in the Hunter Biden criminal case and whether he has been recused from it, the senators said.

They also pointed to Hunter Biden bragging to Chinese business partners in 2019 that he has worked with and knew every judge in Delawares Chancery Court.

This statement raises questions about the Bidens possible undue influence over judicial officers in the Delaware Court of Chancery and raises concerns that his asserted influence extends beyond the Court of Chancery, Grassley and Johnson said.

In light of the extraordinary public interest in the Hunter Biden criminal case and Attorney General Garlands repeated refusal to provide transparency to Congress and the American people with respect to the aforementioned conflicts of interest, please respond with answers by May 23, they added.

Among their questions are whether any employees in Weisss office have been recused from the Hunter Biden case and whether any employees in the office have communicated with McQuaid.

The U.S. attorneys office in Delaware declined to comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to an inquiry.

Grassley said during a speech on the Senate floor in February that Garland, a Biden appointee, has publicly contradicted itself on some matters related to the Hunter Biden probe and refused to answer questions on other aspects.

Weiss was appointed by President Donald Trump but remains in his position to complete the investigation into the younger Biden.

Hunter Biden has said hes being investigated for tax issues.

According to a subpoena issued as part of the probe, investigators sought bank records for both Hunter Biden and the presidents brother, James Biden, from JP Morgan Chase.

The records were for transactions between Chase accounts and accounts with the Bank of China.
COVID-19 Vaccine Producer Hid Evidence of Problems: Report

Executives at a company that produced millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses attempted to hide evidence that some of the doses were contaminated, according to a congressional report released on May 10.

Emergent BioSolutions took repeated steps to conceal its quality failures from the federal government and other third parties by limiting access to Bayview, tampering with drug-substance labels to impede FDA oversight, and strategizing to withhold information from HHS following the cross-contamination event in March 2021, a report from the House Oversight Committee and the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis concluded.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), identified deficiencies in the manufacturing process at Emergents Baltimore, Maryland facilityknown as Bayviewin 2020.

In early 2021, Johnson & Johnson announced that up to 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine at the facility became contaminated.

Documents obtained by the committees showed that Emergent rejected requests from Johnson & Johnson to visit the site around that time ahead of a follow-up FDA inspection.

One email from a consultant hired by Emergent indicated that employees removed quality-assurance tags from containers of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine drug substance just before inspectors began their tour and put them back into place after inspectors left. The tags alerted employees that portions of the batches were potentially unable to be used.

Several days later, the consultant said that the tags were removed to avoid drawing attention to the potential quality issue.

Internal communications obtained by lawmakers show top executives at Emergent were aware of what happened.

Despite the tag removal, the FDA identified problems during the inspection.

In March 2021, another cross-contamination issue was identified by Johnson & Johnson, but Emergent did not alert AstraZenecawhose vaccines Emergent was also manufacturingand HHS for three weeks, according to the new report.

When an HHS agency asked for details, an executive said that no details should be shared with the government until its investigation was over.

Todays report shows that Emergent profited from the pandemic while violating the publics trust. Despite major red flags at its vaccine manufacturing facility, Emergents executives swept these problems under the rug and continued to rake in taxpayer dollars, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House oversight panel, said in a statement.

Approximately 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed because of the contamination issues.

These doses were squandered despite repeated warnings from employees, outside consultants, pharmaceutical companies, and FDA regulators that the companys manufacturing practices were unsafe and that it was unlikely to fulfill the contract recklessly awarded by the Trump administration. Emergent executives prioritized profits over producing vaccines in a responsible manner that complied with FDA requirements, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the subcommittee, said in a statement.

Emergent was operating on a $628 million contract awarded during the Trump administration. The Biden administration canceled the contract in late 2021.

In a statement issued in response to the new report, Emergent said the report contained nothing new.

The company also said it did not knowingly mislead the FDA, other government agencies, or private partners.

During the last few years, the FDA and other international regulatory authorities have visited Emergent facilities dozens of times. On several occasions, Emergent invited FDA personnel to visit Bayview to review our progress, assess our capabilities, and provide feedback on our facilities, processes, and systems when no FDA inspection was required. Further to that point, the single contaminated batch was brought to the attention of the FDA by Johnson & Johnson and Emergent, the company said, adding that it has been in constant communication with the FDA and its clients as it tried to manufacture the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Emergent remains committed to being a trusted partner of the U.S. and allied governments helping to supply medical countermeasures for biological, chemical and nerve agent attacks. We will continue to use our more than 20 years of public health preparedness experience to help inform an all-of-the-above approach to help prepare for the public health challenges to come, Emergent said.
Democratic Candidate Challenges GOP Front-Runner in PA Governors Race on Jan. 6 Insurrection Grounds

A Democratic state senate candidate in Pennsylvania is seeking to disqualify Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, an outspoken Trump supporter, from the governors race because he allegedly participated in an insurrection against the U.S. government.

Democrats and a handful of Republicans have characterized the security breach on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol complex in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump delayed the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election results for several hours as an insurrection or coup attempt. That claim has been adamantly denied by Trump and his supporters.

The legal challenge is being brought in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania by Calvin Clements, a retired veterinarian whos seeking the Democratic nomination in state Senate District 48. Mastriano currently represents state Senate District 33.

Mastriano is leading a field of nine candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor of the Keystone State, garnering 21.9 percent support, local media reported, citing a recent poll by the Trafalgar Group. Mastriano, whom some call mini Trump, leads former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), whos polling at 18.8 percent, followed by former federal prosecutor Bill McSwain at 17.4 percent and businessman Dave White at 11.4 percent.

The primary election is on May 17. The current governor, Democrat Tom Wolf, is term-limited. Attorney General Josh Shapiro is running unopposed in the Democratic Partys gubernatorial primary.

Legal documents in the case were filed on the morning of May 10, Clements told The Epoch Times in an email. The case absolutely will continue, he wrote.

The voters need to know who this guy is and what he had done, Clements said.

Separately, the nonprofit Free Speech For People is urging Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Leigh Chapman, a Democrat, to bar Mastriano from appearing on the ballot for election to any state office in Pennsylvania, according to a March 25 letter the group sent to Chapman.

You have the authority and responsibility to determine, as part of the state ballot qualification process, that because Mr. Mastriano engaged in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Mastriano is ineligible to appear on the gubernatorial ballot or on any other ballot for office in the state of Pennsylvania, the letter reads.

Its unclear if Chapman has the authority to do anything about Mastrianos candidacy at this late date or if she has taken any action. Her office has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for comment.

Those trying to kick Mastriano off the ballot say his actions on Jan. 6 triggered the rarely invoked disqualification clause in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was enacted in the wake of the Civil War to keep former Confederates out of Congress and state governments.

The provision states in the relevant part: No person shall  hold any office  under any state, who, having previously taken an oath  or as a member of any state legislature  any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Clements argues Mastriano was part of this so-called insurrection.

Our argument is two fold [sic], Clements said in an earlier email exchange with The Epoch Times. Mastriano crossed at least two police barriers, which he said is a felony for which theres video evidence.

Mastriano led his followers up the stairs to the Capitol building, which Clements said constitutes conspiracy.

I believe we have adequate case law to support, he said.

Clements is attempting to use an already-filed lawsuit as a vehicle for his push to remove Mastriano from the ballot.

The case is Hill v. Mastriano, civil action 4:22-cv-556, filed in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Plaintiff Jeffrey D. Hill, of Muncy, Pennsylvania, whos representing himself, has a history of filing meritless lawsuits. A U.S. magistrate judge recommended the lawsuit be dismissed, but Hill filed a notice of appeal on May 9 entirely in his own handwriting.

Clements is asking the court to let him participate as an intervenor-plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Although Hills pleadings in the case are incomplete, the case should be allowed to proceed, Clements stated in a document (pdf) filed on May 10.

Hill pled sufficient facts to allow him, and the Proposed Intervenor, to proceed in this matter. The question of Mastrianos January 6 conduct is a question of fact to be determined at bar and not dismissed just because Hill seems to be, in the opinion of this Court, a serial filer of what at times may be irritating litigation, the document reads.

At least in this action, Hill has a point that Mastriano crossed a police line during the attack on the Capitol. Mastriano is fully capable of answering for his conduct and should be given the equal chance to do so before this Court.

Clements also noted in the document that Mastriano hired three busloads of people to attend and marched to the lower steps of the West side of the Capitol building past police barricades on Jan. 6, 2021.

Mastriano told The Epoch Times that the efforts by Clements and Free Speech for People were attempts to interfere with the electoral process.

This is what a true attack on democracy looks like, Mastriano told Epoch Times by email. A dark money group attempting to remove a candidate from the ballot and deny the voice of voters. This phony lawsuit to remove me from the ballot was quickly dismissed by a federal judge. I have been very clear about the events of January 6.

Like most of the attendees there, I did not break ANY laws.

I was there to support my president and advocate for my constituents who had many concerns about the conduct of the 2020 election. Democrat groups are attempting to remove me from the ballot because they know I am the only candidate with the energy and the grassroots movements to defeat Josh Shapiro in November.

Correction: Clements is a candidate running for the state senate, not the governor position. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Democrats Bill to Codify Roe v. Wade Is Missing One Key Word: Woman

The debate has been framed as a 'women's rights' issue

Democrats bill to codify the standards laid out in Roe v. Wade does not mention the word woman, despite their attempts to display the legislation as being designed to protect womens rights.

Under the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, all 50 statesincluding over two dozen states with full bans on any abortionhave been required to allow the controversial procedure through at least the first trimester of pregnancy under the so-called viability standard. Republicans and pro-life activists have long criticized the decision as an infringement on states rights and have worked diligently to have the case overturned.

A leaked draft opinion published by Politico, and later verified as authentic by court officials, revealed that the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is poised to do just that, leaving Democrats to work frantically to find a way to preserve the Roe standard.

As part of this effort, Senate Democrats are set to vote May 11 on the Womens Health Protection Act, which would codify the standard. However, the bill has little chance of passing in the upper chamber, where it must overcome a 60-vote threshold to go to a floor vote in the Senate.

A different version of the bill was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2021 in a party-line vote, with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a pro-life Catholic, being the only Democrat to oppose the bill.

That bill stated that abortion services are a constitutional right, as decided by SCOTUS in Roe v. Wade, and that access to abortion has been obstructed across the United States in various ways, including by state laws.

It also stated that health care providers would be able to carry out abortions with virtually no limitations or requirements, a provision aimed at preempting new state laws, as well as superseding some current state laws restricting the procedure.

However, the legislation floundered in the Senate, where Republicans criticized it as being too radical. Even Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who supports the Roe standard, suggested that the bill went too far.

Now, with the threat of Roes repeal looming on the horizon, Democrats have attempted to soften the bills language.

But the new draft of the bill has raised eyebrows for its failure to include the words woman and women, despite Democrats attempts to present the abortion issue as a question of womens rights.

Rather, the bills language covers any person who is pregnant.

Specifically, the purpose of the bill is to protect a persons ability to determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and would prohibit efforts to interfere with a persons ability to terminate a pregnancy [or] to diminish or in any way negatively affect a persons constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

The language of the bill conflicts with statements made by Democrats, who have described the issue as a womens issue through gendered language like women and mom.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), leader of the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a May 2 tweet, As one of the 1 in 4 women in this country who have chosen to have an abortion, I am outraged & disgusted by the reported draft SCOTUS opinion.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) also blasted the decision.

If tonights news is true, Michigans 1931 state law banning abortion would snap back into effect, making any abortion illegal in our stateeven if the mom will die, or if she was raped by a family member. No exceptions, she wrote on Twitter. My poor mother is turning over in her grave.

Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the Womens Health Protection Act, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) wrote on Twitter. If you support #RoeVWade and want it codified to protect the freedom and reproductive rights of women, let your voice be heard today!

The Senate is set to vote on the legislation on May 11, but because it will need to overcome the Senates 60-vote threshold, the bill is all but doomed to fail due to GOP objections.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden, with (L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), arrives to speak about the American Rescue Plan in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on March 12, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Frustration, Democrats Likely Powerless to Counter SCOTUS Abortion Decision

News Analysis

Democrats in both the legislature and the White House have few options open to them to counter the Supreme Courts (SCOTUS) expected decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, despite efforts to use legislation or executive powers to do so.

In 1973s Roe v. Wade, SCOTUS ruled that abortion was protected under the Constitution by an implied right to privacy.

The court declared that states were required to permit abortion at least through the first trimester, effectively overturning existing abortion laws in over two dozen states. Since then, conservative and pro-life activists have worked frantically to overturn the decision, which they say relies on a bad legal ruling.

According to a draft opinion leaked by Politico, SCOTUS is poised to do just that in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Later confirmed as true by Chief Justice John Roberts, the opinion would mark a monumental shift in U.S. abortion law if approved for the final draft, and could set the stage for the reconsideration of other rulings relying on an implied right to privacy.

For Democrats and pro-abortion advocates, the decision is a nightmare scenario, and since the story first broke they have been scrambling to find ways to counter the decision, turning an eye to both a legislative decree or an executive action.

However, due to the current makeup of Congress, and due to limitations on the power of the executive branch, few options appear available to Democrats, who will likely have no way to counter the decision if it is the final ruling.

Bill to Codify Roe Standard Unlikely to Overcome Senate Filibuster

Following the leak, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that they would again bring legislation to the floor on May 11 that would codify the Roe standard. But this bill is unlikely to fly in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed before a bill can come to the floor for a final simple majority vote.

The same bill, called the Womens Health Protection Act (WHPA), was passed through the House in November following the SCOTUS decision to allow a Texas abortion law to stand unchallenged. Only Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the few pro-life Democrats in Congress, joined with Republicans to vote against the bill.

However, in the Senate it faced steeper hurdles, needing to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold to be able to pass.

Amid solid GOP opposition to the bill, in addition to Sen. Joe Manchins (D-W. Va.) opposition, the bill predictably failed to make it to President Joe Bidens desk.

Now, Democrats have made some tweaks to the WHPA, which would effectively prohibit any state-level restrictions on abortion.

The original 2021 draft of the bill used controversial terms like reproductive justice, and called the bill a fight against white supremacy.

That draft of the bill also included controversial gender ideology.

The terms woman and women are used in this bill to reflect the identity of the majority of people targeted and affected by restrictions on abortion services, and to address squarely the targeted restrictions on abortion, which are rooted in misogyny, the 2021 draft of the bill said. However, access to abortion services is critical to the health of every person capable of becoming pregnant. This Act is intended to protect all people with the capacity for pregnancycisgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals, those who identify with a different gender, and otherswho are unjustly harmed by restrictions on abortion services.

In the revised version, these more left-wing departures from abortion have been removedbut the bill is still unlikely to fly with GOP senators.

In the newly revised 2022 version, the word woman is notably absent.

Swing-voting Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who was one of only a few Republicans to vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to SCOTUS earlier this year, said during debates over the 2021 draft of the bill that while she supports allowing some abortions, the WHPA goes too far.

Manchin, for his part, has given no indication on whether hell support the bill.

However, while other Democrats raced to Twitter to decry the decision following the leak, Manchin has yet to comment about it on his own lawmaker page, suggesting that he may not be as put out by the decision as some of his colleagues.

Even if Manchin were to join his party, Democrats would need to win the support of at least 10 GOP senatorsa tall order in a party whose voters are generally opposed to the 1973 ruling.

Thus, the party is unlikely to make any headway with such a bill in the legislature during this session of Congress.

Biden Suggests Action, But His Powers Over Roe Are Limited

With the WHPA all but doomed to failure in the Senate, some Democrats are eying executive action by President Joe Bidenbut there is little the president can do to override a decision by the nations highest court, which has almost unilateral control over which laws are constitutionally allowed to be enforced.

In a statement issued before the confirmation that the draft opinion was legitimate, Biden said that the White House was unsure of its authenticity but reaffirmed his administrations efforts to argue in support of Roe v. Wade.

I believe that a womans right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned, Biden said.

The statement also notes the administrations efforts to prepare to respond to state-level laws limiting abortions saying, we will be ready when any ruling is issued.

However, it is unclear what routes Biden could take to respond to the decision.

Asked whether there were any actions Biden could undertake to codify Roe v. Wade, John Malcolm, a constitutional scholar at the Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times that the options would be extremely limited in scope.

He might be able to issue some executive order about what happens on federal properties or federal military bases, Malcolm said.

I dont know how extensive beyond that he could go, he added, explaining: The president has some control over what happens on federal lands. Any executive order would have to be linked to some congressional delegation of authority or it would have to be part of the presidents explicit or inherent executive authority under Article II [of the U.S. Constitution].

Im not sure what he would be relying upon to do that, Malcolm concluded. He would clearly have limited authority but he might have some.

Still, finding a legal precedent that would enable the Biden administration to overrule the decisions of over a dozen state legislatures seems like a tall order, and one that would be unlikely to withstand the courts.

Even the White House seemed to admit as much in its conclusion to the statement, which called for legislation codifying Roe v. Wade should its ruling be overturned.

It will fall on our nations elected officials at all levels of government to protect a womans right to choose, the statement reads.

The Democrats bill to do just that is set for a vote tomorrow, but given the makeup of Congress the effort is unlikely to ever make it to the presidents desk.

Nick Ciolino contributed to this report.
Elon Musk attends TIME Person of the Year in New York City on Dec. 13, 2021. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME)

Elon Musk: Twitter Obviously Has Strong Left-Wing Bias

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is currently attempting a takeover of Twitter, again expressed concerns about the platforms left-wing political biasin response to a complaint the company isnt doing enough to quash threats of violence coming from pro-abortion users.

A political commentator, Mike Cernovich, flagged a post from a Rewire News Group journalist who posted a call for violence against pro-life groups, suggesting that Musk take action if or when he takes over Twitter.

Here you go @elonmusk, when Twitter employees invariably lie to you about enforcement policy, maybe they can explain why a verified account is allowed to incite terrorism without any care in the world about being banned, Cernovich wrote at Musk.

And Musk replied that Twitter [obviously] has a strong left wing bias.

Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates, he continued. If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.

The journalist for Rewire, Caroline Reilly, appeared to suggest more violence after a pro-life groups office was firebombed in Wisconsin over the weekend, coming in response to a Supreme Court draft opinion having been leaked last week suggesting the high court would overturn Roe v. Wade. The individual who attacked the office also included a pro-abortion comment in reference to the Supreme Court decision.

More of this. May these people never know a moment of peace or safety until they rot in the ground, she wrote in a since-deleted Twitter post on Sunday, responding to a New York Times post about the Winsconsin incident. The Epoch Times has contacted Rewire News Group for comment.

Its not clear whether Twitter took action against Reilly.

Twitter in the past has drawn criticism for having an explicit left-wing bias. During the lead-up to the 2020 election, the company blocked users from sharing a New York Post article detailing business deals and emails that were sourced from Hunter Bidens laptop, and it also locked out the newspaper from its account for more than two weeks.

Last year, Twitter suspended former President Donald Trump, claiming that his comments around the 2020 election violated its policies, although the firm continues to allow authoritarian regimes and dictators to use the platform.

The San Francisco-based company has also adopted rules that favor left-wing viewpoints, including placing bans on using certain pronouns for certain people. Earlier this year, the Babylon Bee satire website was suspended for making a post declaring federal health official Rachel Levine, who is a biological male also known as Richard Levine, as Man of the Year.
Activists protest in response to the leaked Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on May 3, 2022. (Louis Chen/The Epoch Times)

Ending Roe v. Wade Is Not Enough

Commentary

According to a recently leaked draft of an upcoming majority opinion of the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade is about to be overruled in its entirety. Setting aside that this is an unprecedented breach of the courts internal security likely being done in a last-ditch effort to pressure the justices to change their minds, this alleged decision penned by Justice Samuel Alito would represent a massive step forward in stopping abortions across the country.

The draft (pdf) correctly explains that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. Not the least of the referenced damaging consequences is the more than 63 million babies that have been murdered since the court issued the decision in 1973. If this draft is substantially similar to whatever the final version the court will release, then the individual states will become the decision-makers concerning the legality of abortion.

In many states such as Texas, trigger laws have been passed that will make abortion almost entirely illegal upon the repeal of Roe.

While any measure that stops unborn babies from being murdered is a laudable step in the right direction, the possible decision is not free from error, unfortunately. The draft goes on to say: It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives.  That is what the Constitution and the rule of law demand. Because, according to the draft, the Constitution makes no mention of abortion, the court contends that abortion falls underneath the 10th Amendment, which explains how all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution  are reserved to the States.

This, however, is a misapplication of the fundamental principles undergirding the Constitution and indeed the entire tradition of American law. Just because the word abortion is not contained in the Constitution does not therefore mean that its up to the states to determine whether or not it should be allowed. For example, the Constitution nowhere mentions the fact that murder, the taking of an innocent life, is a crime. Does it follow then that one of the states would have the authority to make murder legal? Of course not. The reason being that murder violates the higher moral and natural law or, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, the Laws of Nature and of Natures God.

At its core, the American law is based upon the belief that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Furthermore, our government only exists for the purpose of securing these rights. The Constitution expressly protects the right of a person to live by clarifying in the Fifth Amendment that no person can be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

The Founding Fathers themselves were unambiguous about the fact that U.S. law protects unborn life as a natural right. For example, James Wilson, a major framer of the Constitution and one of the original justices on the Supreme Court, explained in one of his law lectures that With consistency, beautiful and undeviating, human life, from its commencement to its close, is protected  not only from immediate destruction, but from every degree of actual violence, and, in some cases, from every degree of danger.

Additionally, John Witherspoon, who signed the Declaration of Independence and was the president of Princeton University, noted that while Some nations have given parents the power of life and death over their children.  We have denied the power of life and death to parents.

Early American law was heavily influenced by the tradition of English constitutional and common law, which similarly identified that abortion was homicide and plainly illegal. Going all the way back to the mid-1200s, English jurist Henry de Bracton identified that If there be someone, who has struck a pregnant woman, or has given her poison, whereby he has caused abortion  he commits homicide.

Likewise, John Locke described how its an inherent duty for parents to protect, and not destroy, their children, saying, Adam and Eve, and after them all parents were, by the Law of Nature, under an obligation to preserve, nourish and educate the children they had begotten.

Out of all the English jurists, William Blackstone probably had the greatest effect on the legal philosophy of early Americans. In his 1765 book, Commentaries on the Laws of England, Blackstone described that Life is the immediate gift of God, a right inherent by nature in every individual.  An infant in ventre sa mere, or in the mothers womb, is supposed in law to be born for many purposes.

Fundamentally, early English and American law uniformly identified that as soon as one knew that there was life in the womb, that child was protected by law from being killed.

Ultimately, while the leaked draft would be an important step forward in correcting the evils of Roe v. Wade and other pro-abortion judicial activism, it nevertheless doesnt go far enough in respecting the Constitution. The unborn child has, like all Americans, an unalienable right to life that our government was instituted to protect from all threats. The Declaration, the Constitution, the Founders, and the legal tradition our nation was founded upon unanimously indicate that even pre-born life is sacred and must be preserved.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Escaped Murder Suspect, Prison Guard Were Prepared for a Shootout: Officials

Alabama corrections officials Vicky White, who was accused of helping a murder suspect escape, likely shot herself as law enforcement officials approached her vehicle in Indiana, and the two were prepared for a shootout with law enforcement, according to a sheriff.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding told reporters on Tuesday that the woman, who was later pronounced dead, shot herself before police were able to capture her and take her into custody. Wedding also said that Alabama fugitive Casey Cole White was allegedly planning to engage in a shootout with police if his car hadnt been rammed by law enforcement.

An AR-15 rifle and several 9mm pistols were recovered from their vehicle, he said.

Casey White told police that he was probably going to have a shootout, adding that their plan was pretty faulty  and it failed, Wedding told reporters. What was going through Vicky Whites mind, I have no idea, he added.

The female suspect shot herself, and the male suspect gave up when we approached the vehicle, Wedding said, adding that life-saving measures were carried out. Vicky White was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, he confirmed.

Authorities dont believe Casey White shot Vicky White, but a coroner will make the final determination, the sheriff said.

Officials preliminarily believe that she may have taken her own life, but we will wait until the coroners office examines the body to make a confirmation, he told CNN. Meanwhile, Casey White was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail early Tuesday and is expected to be extradited to Alabama.

Casey White, 38, surrendered without a fight, and told officers that he didnt kill the woman he called his wife, according to The Associated Press. Its not clear if the two got married after their escape, but Wedding told reporters that the two were not married.

Authorities conducting surveillance saw Vicky White exiting an Indiana hotel Monday with a wig on, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely told CNN, adding that they saw Vicky White and Casey White getting into a car and driving away. Then, law enforcement engaged in a vehicle pursuit, which ended with a U.S. Marshalls task force member driving a vehicle into their vehicle. Their car crashed and rolled over, officials told the outlet.

The pursuit was very short. It went up a major artery here in Vanderburgh County and they cut across a parking lot at a large factory. They were in a grassy area so three of our task force members actually rammed the vehicle, pushed it into a ditch so it ended up on its side. As they approached the vehicle it was obvious that the female driver was unconscious and still had a weapon in her hand. And they removed the murderer from the vehicle simultaneously, Wedding said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Spanish Josep Borrell, gives a speech during a plenary session at the EU Parliament in Brussels on Nov. 10, 2021. (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images)

EU Should Seize Russian Assets to Rebuild Ukraine, Top Diplomat Indicates

Josep Borrell, head of foreign affairs and security for the European Union, has backed the idea that the EU should seize frozen Russian assets in order to pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine.

Borrell indicated he would support such measures during an interview with The Financial Times and he compared the situation to what the United States did after the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year.

I would be very much in favor because it is full of logic, Borrell told the British newspaper. We have the money in our pockets, and someone has to explain to me why it is good for the Afghan money and not good for the Russian money.

After the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August of last year, the United States froze about $7 billion held by the Afghan central bank on deposit in the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. While the Biden administration has pledged half of the funds to humanitarian relief efforts in Afghanistan, they reserved the other half for potential legal claims by families of those who died or were injured in the 9/11 attacks.

The decision to freeze these assets sent the Afghan central bank, now controlled by the Taliban, to the brink of bankruptcy, plunging the already-poor country further into economic hardship.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February, countries in the Western bloc have similarly frozen Russian assets.

The purpose of this policy is twofold: On the one hand, it cuts off oxygen from the Russian economy, in order to impair the countrys continued ability to wage war. Moreover, so doing has the potential to stir discontent among Russias powerful oligarchs, who may be more inclined to oppose President Vladimir Putin as the Western powers seize their European summer homes, jets, and other assets.

Borrells approval is consistent with suggestions by U.S. President Joe Biden and European Council president Charles Michel, both of whom have proposed selling the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to help in the rebuilding of Ukraine.

However, the process of seizing frozen assets is legally, morally, and diplomatically fraught. While the seizure of such assets would likely provide more cash to finance support for Ukraine, doing so would raise a multitude of questions about due process and international law.

It would also pose a risk of alienating businessmen from other countries with tense relationships with the West, who may become more fearful that their own assets could be seized in the event of diplomatic tension between their home countries and NATO.

Nonetheless, policymakers are increasingly enthusiastic to use the assets of the Russian oligarchs to finance the rebuilding of Ukraine.

This is one of the most important political questions on the table: who is going to pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine? Borrell said in the same interview.
European Countries Push Back Against Use of Puberty Blockers in Children

Increasingly, the brakes are being put on physical interventions to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the UK, Sweden, Finland, and France.

The genie is out of the bottle, I dont think there is any covering up, the evidence has come out, writer and campaigner for the rights of women and girls, Jo Bartosch, told The Epoch Times.

Bartosch highlighted the evidence of the widely-reported case of Keira Bell, 23, who as a teen transitioned to male but came to regret it. The case set in motion a focus on puberty blockers which is now influencing other countries to radically overhaul the treatment of children with gender dysphoria.

Grave Concerns

In the past two years, medical authorities in Sweden, Finland, and France have started to turn their backs on puberty blockers, also called GnRH analogues, or drugs that are used to postpone puberty in children, while expressing grave concerns about how gender ideology is influencing gender-questioning children.

Bell was given puberty blockers as a teenager after only three hours of consultation at the Tavistock Clinic, London, which runs Englands only National Health Service (NHS) gender identity development service (GIDS). Initially, her case won a judgement that children under the age of 16 considering gender reassignment were unlikely to be considered mature enough to give informed consent to be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned the judgement.

At the time, Bell responded by saying she is shining a light into the dark corners of a medical scandal.

Bell had sought permission to appeal, but on May 5 her appeal was denied by the UKs Supreme Court.

In response, Bell said she was disappointed in the decision but delighted at what has been achieved as a result of this case, adding that it was one of the greatest medical scandals of the modern era.

Bartosch criticised the gender-affirming approach, which can result in children undergoing medical procedures.

I think its bonkers that the first method that should be tried is affirming a child rather than waiting, she said. Rather than doling out medication, you find out what the problem is, i.e. why the child feels uncomfortable. But I think it has become so politicised, there is a perception that questioning this form of treatment is bigoted. Its an entirely ideological solution to a psychological problem.

In the UK, organisations such as the trans children charity Mermaids and the LGBT lobby group Stonewall have championed early medical intervention for children with gender dysphoria. Stonewall said that puberty blockers are a reversible intervention and that they play a vital role in helping to alleviate the distress many trans young people experience and offer much-needed time to questioning young people to explore their identity.

The human rights organisations Liberty and Amnesty International have in the past released a joint statement saying that enabling children to access treatment is both life-affirming and a human right. They also warned that without access to treatment, the risk of serious, long-term harm for children seriously increases.

However, Bartosch said that there is no evidence of trans children as a category.

There are children with gender dysphoria who need help with their gender dysphoria, she said.

The original case was brought by Keira Bell, who was given puberty blockers when she was 16, pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London in 2020. (Sam Tobin/PA)

Irreversible Adverse Consequences

In Europe, the knock-on effect of Bells court case has caused medical organisations to reassess the issue.

These treatments are potentially fraught with extensive and irreversible adverse consequences such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, infertility, increased cancer risk, and thrombosis, wrote Swedens Astrid Lindgren Childrens Hospital in 2021 (pdf).

A highly publicized court case from Great Britain has shed light on this issue and in a recent judgment (December 1st, 2020) the court establishes the overarching problem of puberty-blocking treatment, it added.

The major Stockholm-based hospital added that, based on the precautionary principle, hormonal treatments (i.e. puberty-blocking and cross-sex hormones) will not be started in gender dysphoric patients under the age of 16.

Updated advice from Swedens National Board of Health and Welfare said that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones should only be given in exceptional cases outside research studies.

It marks a major departure, according to a recent Swedish documentary that profiled the cases of several children who have been diagnosed with multiple major health issues after being on the medication.

Frances National Academy of Medicine posted in March this year (pdf) that great medical caution must be taken in children and adolescents, given the vulnerability, particularly psychological, of this population and the many undesirable effects and even serious complications that can be caused by some of the therapies available.

France cited Swedens decision to prohibit the use of puberty blockers as an influence.

In this regard, it is important to recall the recent decision (May 2021) of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm to prohibit the use of puberty blockers, the Academy added.

Finland also announced in 2020 a policy shift for gender dysphoria treatment, with the Finnish Health Authority issuing new guidelines backing psychotherapy rather than puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for children. However, it did not cite any particular country as influencing its decision.

Britains Health Secretary Sajid Javid arrives for a cabinet meeting at Number 10 Downing Street in London on Jan. 25, 2022. (Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)

Failing Children

While Bells case may be over in British courts, politically the debate on puberty blockers is very much alive.

Recently British Health Secretary Sajid Javid likened political sensitivities over gender dysphoria in children to Asian grooming gangs in Rotherham, which were not properly investigated owing to political correctness and a fear of being accused of racism.

Javid subsequently ordered officials to formally investigate the approach taken by NHS clinics amid warnings of harmful practices, stating that the system is failing children.

This followed the release of the interim Cass Review on Tavistock GID, the largest and oldest gender clinic in the UK, by top British pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass.

Cass expressed deep concerns about the affirmative model, concluding that primary and secondary care staff have had to adopt an unquestioning affirmative approach.
First Lt. Mark Bashaw at his command relinquishment ceremony at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland on July 9, 2021. (Graham Snodgrass/Army Public Health Center)

EXCLUSIVE: Army Officer Convicted for Disobeying COVID-19 Rules Speaks Out

The Army officer who was found guilty of disobeying COVID-19 rules says he tried to communicate concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines but was instead court-martialed.

I will always take responsibility for my words and actions, First Lt. Mark Bashaw, formerly the Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander at the Army Public Health Center on Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, told The Epoch Times in an email.

I have a Duty and an Oath. I take those very serious[ly]. I also have core values in the Army which I also try to emulate: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage, he added.

Bashaw was convicted for not working remotely and reporting to his office without presenting a negative COVID-19 test, in addition to not wearing a mask indoors as required.

Following the conviction, Judge Robert Cohen, who was overseeing the case, declined to hand down a punishment.

Bashaw says he tried to raise concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines and tests, as well as masks.

A whistleblower declaration dated March 3 that he submitted to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who has investigated COVID-19 products, says that Bashaw, as part of his duties as a preventive medicine officer, began researching the products.

He became concerned after reviewing reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which shows some vaccine recipients have experienced side effects.

U.S. health authorities say the vaccines are safe and effective, though they have acknowledged serious side effects.

Bashaw later reviewed data from the militarys Defense Medical Epidemiological Database (DMED), which indicated that disease rates among service members spiked following the imposition of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The military has said the data in the system was incorrect and that it is fixing it.

Underpinning the concerns is how the vaccines and treatments were available under emergency use authorization (EUA), which has a lower bar for clearance than approval. Some of the items have since been approved, though not all approved versions are available.

Bashaw says he raised his concerns with the Army Public Health Center, asking authorities to update certain documents, including one about communicating vaccination risks.

I did my best to communicate this to leadership in an attempt to change the risk communication to service members. Instead, I was ignored and got court-martialed for not participating with said experimental EUA products, Bashaw told The Epoch Times. The echo chamber of safe and effective doesnt align with the VAERS data, DMED Data, and now the FDA released documents relating to these experimental vaccines.'

Bashaws lawyer, David Willson, tried convincing Cohen, the judge, that the orders Bashaw was court-martialed for disobeying werent lawful because of the law governing EUA.

The judge ruled that they were, and we obviously disagree. The primary issue was whether Informed Consent which includes the right to refuse is automatic when a product, mask, test, or vaccine, is declared an EUA. We argued, and believe soundly, that informed consent is a natural part of the law. No one argued the products, like masks and tests were not EUA, but the govt argued that informed consent did not apply, Willson told The Epoch Times in an email.

The judge said he agreed with the govt argument, but from our perspective and reading of the law, it was a misreading of the law based on the word may. May in a law means there is discretionary authority while shall means there is no discretion allowed. 21 USC 360bbb-3, the EUA law, clearly says that informed consent and the right to refuse shall be given as required conditions of EUA. The judge misinterpreted these requirements as discretionary. The judge believes his ruling will be upheld but we believe it was a stretch to make that finding.

Bashaw may appeal his ruling, but has not decided yet. He is waiting for the commanding general to approve the findings in the case.

An Aberdeen spokesperson has not responded to requests for comment.

The future of Bashaws service is uncertain. He remains in his position, but submitted a request for a religious exemption to the militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Many such requests are denied, as are appeals of the denials.

[Im] assuming theyll deny it and then Ill cross that bridge, Bashaw said.

Correction: Bashaw was not the commander of the Army Public Health Command. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Jason Miyares is sworn in as Virginias 48th attorney general, in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 15, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

EXCLUSIVE: Virginia AG Calls on Local Prosecutors to Charge Supreme Court Protesters

Virginias attorney general is calling on local prosecutors to enforce a law that bars disruptions outside peoples homes after about 100 protesters descended on the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on May 9.

At issue is the Virginia code that forbids gathering outside a persons house in a manner which disrupts or threatens to disrupt any individuals right to tranquility in his home.

The law states that protesting in front of an individuals private residence is a class 3 misdemeanor, Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Under Virginia law, local commonwealths attorneys are responsible for prosecuting violations of this statute. Attorney General Miyares urges every commonwealths attorney to put their personal politics aside and enforce the law, she said.

The call follows a noisy protest outside Alitos home in Alexandria. Protesters shouted through loudspeakers and chanted [expletive] Alito.

Protesters are attempting to convince Alito and other Republican-nominated justices not to overturn Roe v. Wade. A recent leaked draft opinion authored by Alito indicates the court will overturn the 1973 decision.

Demonstrators stand outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Va., on May 9, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

No arrests were made, Virginia law enforcement officials confirmed to The Epoch Times. A Fairfax County Police Department spokesman said the demonstrations were peaceful.

Fairfax Commonwealths Attorney Steve Descano didnt respond to a voicemail or emailed questions after Miyares, a Republican, urged him to take action. Descano, a Democrat who was a federal prosecutor in the Obama administration, hasnt commented publicly on the protest.

Descano said on May 3, in response to the leak of the draft opinion, I will never prosecute a woman for making her own health care decisions.

Two other justices live in Virginia.

While federal law bars protesting near the homes of any judges with the intent of influencing them, U.S. prosecutors so far have shown no indication they plan on pursuing charges against the demonstrators, who recently went to the homes of several other justices in Maryland.

The Department of Justice declined to comment. The White House has offered support for the protesters.

The protests have been peaceful to date, and we certainly continue to encourage that, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

She didnt say why the administration hasnt prosecuted any of the apparent wrongdoers.
Philippine presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr waves after casting his vote at Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac, Ilocos Norte on May 9, 2022. (Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Son of Ex-Dictator, Poised to Win Philippines Presidency

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son, and namesake of the former Filipino dictator, took a huge lead in the unofficial vote count on Tuesday, paving the way for the once-unthinkable return to power of the countrys notorious political dynasty.

Former senator Marcos Jr., popularly known as Bongbong, garnered 30.6 million possible votes on Tuesday morning, double that of his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo, who had 14.6 million votes.

Philippine boxer icon-turned-presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao placed third in the presidential race with 3,558,999 votes, followed by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno with 1,864,761, according to the unofficial vote result released by GMA News.

Marcos Jr.s running-mate Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of sitting President Rodrigo Duterte, was also leading the countrys vice-presidential election, with more than 926,000 possible votes as of Monday morning.

Marcos Jr. expressed on Monday his gratitude to his supporters and volunteers for casting their lot with us and asked for their continued support if he were elected president, local media Inquirer.net reported.

We know that the count is not yet done, is not yet over, we still need to be vigilant, but I want to issue a statement of gratitude to all of those who have been with us in this long and sometimes very difficult journey for the last six months, he said.

His late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was elected president in 1965. He ruled the Philippines for two decades, placing the country under martial law in 1972, during which time thousands of opponents were jailed, killed, or disappeared.

President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda appear on Nov. 15, 1985, before some 35,000 college students undergoing a two-year compulsory military training in Manila. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sits with his mother. (Romeo Gacad/AFP via Getty Images)

The dictator was overthrown in the 1986 people power revolution and was accused of amassing more than $10 billion while in office. He died in exile in 1989. The Marcos family returned from exile in the 1990s and has remained a powerful force in Philippine politics.

In an April interview with CNN Philippines, Marcos Jr. defended his late fathers ruling and his declaration of martial law, describing him as a political genius.

Marcos Jr. also praised his mother, Imelda, calling her the supreme politician in the family. Imelda was found guilty of seven counts of corruption during her late husbands ruling, she was sentenced to serve six to 11 years imprisonment for each count of graft.

We were fighting a war on two fronts. We had the secessionist movement in the south. We had dissident [Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army] in the countryside. And these were people who wanted to bring down the government, and the government had to defend itself, he said.

Marcos Jr. has presented no real policy platform, campaigning on a simple but ambiguous message of unity. He has served as a governor, congressman, and senator. His sister, Imee, is currently a senator, while his mother served four terms in congress.

His six-year presidency is expected to provide continuity from outgoing leader Duterte, whose ruthless, strongman approach proved popular and helped him to consolidate power rapidly.

The official election result is expected to be announced around the end of the month.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) logo is pictured on a wall in New York on Dec. 5, 2013. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Former Florida Democratic Consultant Accused of Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Program

A political consultant who has worked on Democratic South Florida political campaigns allegedly lied on an application for COVID-19 payroll relief, federal prosecutors said on May 9.

The government charged Omar Smith, 42, of Royal Palm Beach, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with a Paycheck Protection Program loan (PPP).

Prosecutors sat Smith received more than $200,000 in PPP money, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida.

According to state records, Smiths business A Star For I was filed as a for-profit corporation in January 2012. Its current status is listed as inactive.

A federal court document filed on May 9 shows in June 2020, Smith had applied for a $212,500 loan intended for A Star for I that says he employed 30 people with a payroll of $85,000.

Prosecutors say that Smith had no employees and no payroll expenses.

A co-conspirator, according to prosecutors, prepared the loan application and subsequently submitted it online.

Smith agreed to pay the co-conspirator 20 percent of the loan amount for helping him apply for the loan, all according to court documents.

Smith received the loan on June 2, 2020, and transferred $42,500 a few days later to the co-conspirator, the court document says.

The co-conspirator is alleged to have prepared an IRS Form 941 for the first quarter of 2019, and falsely wrote that Smiths company paid $255,000 in wages for that quarter and listed taxes withheld and submitted it online as part of the PPP application.

Based on the false information, Smith received the loan on June 2, 2020.

Court documents state that Smith began to write checks between July and October 2020 from his companys bank account to people and was following conditions of the loan in order to make it appear as if A Star For I had full-time employees.

Prosecutors said those people did little, if any, work for Smiths company.

Smiths attorney Nicole Hamil-Scott, told reporters that the investigation continues and that any and all funds that they have alleged have been taken were repaid in full by her client.

Hamil-Scott said Smith had a legitimate company for which he had employees working with him, and did not know of anyone else who is being prosecuted in this case and said that the events were unfortunate.

Unfortunate in the sense that  here is a company that  funds were obtained from a loan, funds were paid back and an individual is still being prosecuted, facing a possible prison sentence. So its unfortunate from that standpoint, Hamil-Scott told reporters.

A former client of Smithsformer Broward mayor and current Democratic candidate for Floridas 20th Congressional District Dale Holnesstold reporters on May 9 that he had no information about the allegations against Smith.

Holness said that Smith no longer works for him as he chose to use other people for the campaign and their entities.

In January, Damara Holnessthe former president of the Broward County Democratic Black Caucus and Holness daughterwas sentenced to a year and eight months in prison for lying on an application for the same type of loan.

Records show that she applied for a $300,000 loan for her company, Holness Consulting, and said she had a monthly payroll totaling $120,000 with 18 employees.

In a January news release, prosecutors said that once Holness got the money, she issued checks to people who agreed to help with the fraud for a fee. And for each check, she was profiting by about $1,000 herself.

Smith, if convicted, could face up to 30 years in prison and may have to pay a fine of up to $1 million, according to prosecutors.
A person holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise during his memorial ceremony at the National Pantheon Museum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 20, 2021. (Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

Former Haitian Lawmaker Charged Over Presidents Assassination

A form Haitian lawmaker has been criminally charged in the United States for his involvement in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, becoming the third man to be arrested and charged for involvement in the death.

Joseph Joel John, 51, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis from the Southern District of Florida on May 9 after being extradited from Jamaica.

John is charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap, a May 9 press release by the Department of Justice said.

While the plot initially focused on conducting a kidnapping of the Haitian President as part of a purported arrest operation, it ultimately resulted in a plot to kill the President, the release stated. Two other men allegedly involved in the assassinationRodolphe Jaar, 49, and Mario Antonio Palacios, 43were arrested earlier this year.

According to the complaint, John and a group of about 20 Colombian citizens and a number of dual HaitianAmerican citizens were allegedly involved in the plot to kill Moise. John is said to have been present when co-conspirator No. 1 secured a signature from a former judge on a written request for assistance to further the arrest and imprisonment of the Haitian president, as well as providing immunity to these actions.

On June 28, 2021, co-conspirator No. 1, a HaitianAmerican dual citizen, is said to have traveled to the United States and provided other individuals with the document. He then flew back to Haiti on July 1 to take part in the assassination, federal authorities said.

On July 7, several co-conspirators allegedly entered the presidents residence and killed him. Co-conspirator No. 1 was eventually arrested and remains in the custody of Haitian officials.

John is alleged to have aided in obtaining the vehicles and making an attempt to secure firearms for the operation. He is also said to have attended a meeting with certain co-conspirators on July 6, after which many of them took part in the assassination mission, authorities said.

John was arrested in Jamaica, with the Minister of Justice granting the United States extradition request on April 28. He is currently in the custody of U.S. law enforcement. If found guilty of charges, the former lawmaker could end up spending life in prison.

Judicial proceedings related to the case have stalled in Haiti as four judges have quit the case over concerns for personal security after receiving death threats.

In February 2022, CNN published the results of an investigation connecting current Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to Moises assassination. CNNs claims attracted criticism from the countrys administration.

These desperate maneuvers constitute a diversion serving to confuse the tracks of the investigation, further weaken the security situation and further destabilize the country, thus aggravating the suffering of the population, Haitian Foriegn Minister Jean Victor said through a diplomatic letter, according to CNN.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Mark Meckler in an interview with NTD's "Capitol Report" program on May 5, 2022. (NTD/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Returning More Power to States Is the Right Path for America, Says Mark Meckler

Returning more powers to states to determine issues such as abortion is the correct path for America, says Mark Meckler, president of the conservative grassroots movement Convention of States Action.

Meckler also co-founded Convention of States Action which proposes amendments to the U.S. Constitution to bring power back to the states and the people.

A paramount issue related to this currently is Roe vs. Wade and the recent leak of a draft opinion by the Supreme Court indicating that the high court is prepared to leave the abortion issue to the states to determine its legality.

Twenty-six states look like they actually could ultimately outlaw abortion, Meckler told NTDs Capitol Report program on May 5. Theyll have to get their legislatures back in session and pass the appropriate laws.

Meckler was likely referencing an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy group focused on reproductive health care. The institute said that 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe vs. Wade were not in place.

Meckler said that 13 states already have trigger laws, that were passed after the Roe decision in 1973 and explicitly noted they would outlaw abortion if the Supreme Court allowed it.

The 13 states are Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, another nine statesAlabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsinhave laws or constitutional amendments already in place.

Additionally, four statesFlorida, Indiana, Montana, and Nebraskaare likely to ban abortion as soon as possible.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy organization, said 25 states are likely to ban abortion without federal protections in place.

Its list includes North Carolina and Pennsylvania but excludes Florida, Iowa, and Montana.

But I think ultimately, what were gonna see is a majority of states with severe restrictions or a total outlawing of abortion, said Meckler.

However, battles are expected given the highly controversial nature of the issue. For example, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pledged to use every lever of power we have right now to fight for abortion rights in a May 9 New York Times Op-ed.

Last month, Whitmer filed a lawsuit to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to resolve whether Michigans Constitution protects the right to abortion. Michigan has a 1931 law criminalizing abortion but the ban was rendered unconstitutional under the rulings in Roe.

Meckler said returning more power to states is the right direction for the nation.

The whole country needs to head this direction, said Meckler. I actually think its sort of the crux issue in the United States right now, theres so much divisiveness  And the way you solve that problem, and you create harmony in the nation is acknowledge that we were formed on a federalist basis, and go back to that federalist basis, allowing the states to decide for themselves.

A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center last October found that more Americans saw strong political and ethnic conflicts than people in other 16 advanced economies.

Meckler said federalism is at the very root of the founding of the nation.

He explained that when the Constitutional Convention was held in 1787, the delegates didnt trust each other, and they had different interests, and different cultures. This led to the designing of a government that left a very limited amount of power in the hands of the federal government called the enumerated powers.

There are 17 enumerated powers in the Constitution, such as to lay and collect taxes; pay debts and borrow money; regulate commerce; coin money; establish post offices; protect patents and copyrights; establish lower courts; declare war; and raise and support an army and navy.

Weve centralized that power over the centuries. Its causing a lot of strife and discord in America, said Meckler.

If we want to preserve the union, if we want to escheat history and make the republic survive, we have to go back to that federalist idea.
Lester Hidalgo Aguilar (C) is escorted from the Kinney County Civic Center before his trial for trespassing on a local ranch, in Brackettville, Texas, on May 9, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Guilty Verdict in First Illegal Alien Trespass Trial in Texas

BRACKETTVILLE, TexasThe first jury trial under Texass Operation Lone Star border program wrapped up in Kinney County, Texas, on May 9.

The defendant, Honduran native Lester Hidalgo Aguilar, was found guilty of criminal trespass on a local ranch and sentenced to the maximum jail time of one year. The judge declined to apply an accompanying fine, which could have been up to $4,000, but said Aguilar should pay court costs ($290).

Aguilars trial was a litmus test for the Operation Lone Star arrests, which began around July last year as Gov. Greg Abbott directed state troopers to arrest trespassers on state or private land.

Until now, almost all defendants have pleaded guilty or no contest to trespass or other misdemeanor charges, and have reached a plea deal of time served and no fine.

Aguilars trespass charge was enhanced to a Class B misdemeanor as he was found beyond 100 feet inside the property line of an agricultural operation, then elevated to a Class A as the crime occurred during a declared state disaster.

Most of the Operation Lone Star arrests have taken place in Kinney County, with ranchers and landowners increasingly finding cut fences, broken water troughs, and other property damage as scores of illegal immigrants have traversed their land to avoid law enforcement.

The Del Rio border sector, in which Kinney County sits, is consistently one of the highest regions for illegal immigrant gotawaysthose who are detected by Border Patrol but evade capture.

In April, preliminary numbers from Customs and Border Protection revealed more than 16,000 gotaways in the Del Rio sector.

Those gotaways either coordinate with smugglers to drive them to San Antonio or Houston, or walk through private ranchland until theyre clear of the Border Patrol highway checkpoints, then arrange for transport.

Cheryl Gabler Tomlin, upon whose family ranch Aguilar was arrested, testified at the trial, saying the property is fully fenced and no one was authorized to enter the property, where she raises cattle and goats.

After the trial, she told The Epoch Times she was satisfied with the outcome. I thought he would get off. Im happy, she said as she left the courtroom.

Tomlin said her life has changed considerably in the past year and a half as more illegal aliens encroach on her land. She recalled one of her scariest moments when she was opening a fence to let her horses out while still astride her ATV. A man appeared, and she said he whispered, Dont tell, dont tell, and leapt over the fence toward her ATV.

She hit the gas, and he struck the side of the ATV and fell down. She waved down Border Patrol agents who were down the road looking for him. The agents arrested the man and later told her he was a five-time aggravated assault felon from Honduras.

I have a gun all the time now, Tomlin said.

Big Trial for Small Town

Kinney Countys population is around 3,100, and about half live in the countys only significant town, Brackettville.

Its a big ranching community, but with 16 miles of shared border with Mexico and large tracts of remote land, it attracts the illegal aliens who are trying to slip through unnoticed.

Jury selection took hours as the approximately 70 locals were whittled down to a six-person jury. Many prospective jurors said they had personal experience of the impact of the border crisis, and a large contingent were related to Border Patrol agents or local or state law enforcement officers.

Aside from Tomlins testimony, two Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, who were present during Aguilars arrest, took the stand.

Sgt. Ryan Glenn, who supervises the tracking and arrest teams in the local area, said the priority for his teams is to protect local property owners.

We met with local landowners and asked who should be here and who shouldnt, Glenn said. He said DPS uses surveillance cameras, drones, and communication with landowners and Border Patrol to help apprehend trespassers.

Defense lawyer Bryan Owens appealed to the jury for a not guilty verdict, saying the state didnt meet the burden-of-proof threshold.

Your verdict today wont change anything about the border situation, he said. A guilty verdict is not going to deter even one person from trying to cross the border. This is about trespass.

Prosecuting lawyer Tony Hackebeil suggested the jury send a message with a guilty verdict.

You folks live in this community. I would say this is a good time to send a message  that the people of Kinney County do not tolerate people trespassing in our county, Hackebeil said.

The jury took less than 20 minutes to find Aguilar guilty.

Aguilar chose to allow state District Judge Roland Andrade to sentence him, rather than the jurywhich was subsequently allowed to go homeand Aguilar took the stand to appeal for a light sentence.

He said his parents brought him to Florida at age 6, where he later graduated from high school.

Aguilar admitted to a criminal history that includes a 1996 shoplifting charge in Omaha, Nebraska, buying cocaine in California in 2002, and conducting a home invasion in Florida in 1999.

After being jailed in California, Aguilar was extradited to Florida to face the earlier home invasion charge. Upon his release, he opted to voluntarily return to Honduras rather than take an extended probation period. He later moved to Mexico but said cartels were targeting him, so he crossed the U.S. border.

He said he hasnt made any attempts throughout the years to enter the United States legally.

At its conclusion, Aguilar said he was happy with the trial.

Im still grateful. Everythings OK. Theres tough feelings from the community, he told The Epoch Times. With eight months served since his arrest on Sept. 13, 2021, he has four months to go.

Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith, who served as second chair to Hackebeil during the trial, said hes pleased with the outcome of the trial.

Im very satisfied with what the jury concluded. I dont see it providing much incentive for others to go to trial, when they see they can get one year of jail time, Smith told The Epoch Times.
Minister of National Defence Anita Anand rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 9, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Heartbreaking for Military Who Served in Afghanistan to See Taliban in Power: Anand

Defence Minister Anita Anand has said it is heartbreaking for members of Canadas armed forces who served in Afghanistan to see the Taliban back in power.

But Anand told a special Parliamentary committee on Afghanistan on Monday that Canadas armed forces helped give a generation of Afghans access to school, university and health care.

She said the intervention, which cost 158 Canadian lives, also meant that fewer women and children died in childbirth and women and minority groups enjoyed years of freedoms and rights.

Anand said Canada has no plans to recognize the government of the Taliban, which is listed as a prescribed terrorist group.

The Minister faced questions from MPs on the committee who said humanitarian organizations were facing difficulties delivering aid because of the Talibans status.

Anand defended Canadas record evacuating Afghans and said the military mobilized swiftly last year to transport 3,700 Afghans and Canadians in Afghanistan to Canada as the Taliban regained control.

Our Canadian armed forces did everything they could to help as many people as possible for as long as they could, she said.

The Taliban was advancing very quicklymuch more quickly than anyone expected.

Defence chief, Gen. Wayne Eyre, said although some of Canadas evacuation flights were not full, others were packed beyond official capacity to get as many people out as possible.

One captain of a Canadian flight packed his cargo aircraft, designed to carry abound 200, with 535 people.

The work of people on the ground was nothing short of outstanding, he said.

Anand and Eyre faced questions about why Canada had only evacuated 3,700 people, while the U.K. had managed to get around 11,000 out.

Eyre explained that Canadas armed forces had left the country in 2014 but went back in to make a heroic push to evacuate as many as possible after it became clear Kabul would fall.

Canadian forces arrived in Afghanistan weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack by al-Qaida in the United States and continued in a combat role there until 2011, when they transitioned to training Afghan national security forces.

Eyre said Canada was given only one airport slot to fly people out per day, and was under time pressure as the Taliban advanced toward Kabul.

He said Canada had received 7,500 inquiries from Afghans claiming to have served with Canadas armed forces as interpreters or other staff and the Defence Department validated 3,800 of them.

The committee heard that 900 of these, plus their families, were accepted to come to Canada by the immigration authorities.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan asked what happened to the other 3,100 Afghans whom the Defence Department confirmed as having bona fide links to Canadian Forces in Afghanistan but have not yet been accepted.

She was told the matter was an issue for the immigration department, which might still be processing their applications.

Eyre said he had personally been contacted by Afghans he served with about coming to Canada and felt the same sort of distress about their plight.

He said he was careful as head of the armed forces not to give preference to Afghans who contacted him.

He said the military was inundated with so many individual pleas from Afghans, that some systems became clogged.

By Marie Woolf
A staff member holds an introduction to the LeaveHomeSafe COVID-19 contact-tracing app at a restaurant, following a (COVID-19) outbreak, in Hong Kong, on Feb. 18, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

HK Government Admits LeaveHomeSafe App Contains Facial Recognition Feature; Experts Call For Full Transparency

HK authorities said the facial recognition feature in the citys contact tracing app was never activated despite discovery

The Hong Kong government recently admitted that its contact tracing mobile app LeaveHomeSafe contains a facial recognition function. However, the authorities claimed that they didnt know about it before and had never used the feature.

Hong Kong residents have had concerns since the introduction of LeaveHomeSafe. Many have expressed fear of it becoming the governments tool for implementing stricter social control or infringing on peoples privacy.

Wong Ho-wa, a Hong Kong data scientist and pro-democracy activist, said the government should make the apps source code available to the public to mitigate public concerns.

Antony Leung, a senior media professional in Hong Kong, said the contact tracing app pushed by the citys government appeared awfully similar to mainland Chinas social credit system, a system that utilizes artificial intelligence and facial recognition to conduct mass surveillance and assign points on citizens behavior.

LeaveHomeSafe was designed primarily to track the users whereabouts amid the pandemic, among other features. The Hong Kong government claims that the app is only used for COVID-19 prevention. It requires all private citizens and public officials to download the app in order to enter certain government buildings, public hospitals, and supermarkets, starting on Nov. 1, 2021.

A security guard holds a QR code for the LeaveHomeSafe Covid-19 contact-tracing app at the Final Court of Appeal ahead of a ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year on January 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

However, the app mandate was extended to restaurants and movie theaters on Dec. 9, 2021, requiring users to show QR codes when entering most public places.

Source Code

FactWire, a non-profit investigative news agency based in Hong Kong, found a built-in facial detection module in the LeaveHomeSafe app after examining the source code of the apps latest Android release, version 3.2.0, along with six previous versions, the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported on May 5.

The converted source file comprises some 20 folders. One of those, named org, contains a subfolder named reactnative, which further consists of three folders titled facedetector, camera, and maskedview, respectively, according to the report.

One of the java files, known originally as FaceDetectorUtils.java but renamed a.java in LeaveHomeSafe, could be used to detect the position of a persons mouth, nose, left and right cheeks, eyes, ears, and earlobes. It can also detect the degree of a head tilt and calculate the probability that someone is smiling or has both eyes open.

The facial detection module can be found in all versions of the LeaveHomeSafe app that FactWire examined, suggesting that it has existed since the apps early launch in 2020. This is, however, not mentioned on the apps official website nor in mobile app store descriptions, the article said.

HK Governments Response

In response to the FactWire report, a Hong Kong IT official said the department had not previously known about the feature, nor had it conducted face recognition or collected related data. The official added that the department had asked the apps developer to look into removing the facial recognition source code without affecting the normal operation of the application.

However, Wong, the data scientist based in Hong Kong, told The Epoch Times that it is impossible to know whether the facial recognition function has been used judging by the source code alone. And that the source code disassembled and examined by FactWire was only a part of the complete application.

Wong believes the HK government should disclose all of the relevant source code from the contact tracing app so that a transparent analysis can be done by third parties to improve the apps safety factor and, most importantly, alleviate the publics doubts.
Housing Bubble 2.0? Correction Fears Intensify as Price, Median Income Gap Widens

The U.S. economy is currently experiencing the hottest real estate market on record, the latest Realtor.com housing data show.

According to the April report from Realtor.com, the median listing price advanced 14.2 percent year-over-year to $425,000. Housing experts suggest that the typically busy spring buying season will be notably competitive.

Despite moderating demand, the U.S. median home price hit yet another all-time high and accelerated over the March annual growth pace in April, the real estate listings website said in a statement.

The most recent S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index data show a sizzling real estate market, too.

In February, home prices nationwide surged nearly 20 percent year-over-year, with the Sun Belt cities seeing the highest gains. The last time the U.S. real estate market recorded such exceptional growth was during the 2008 housing crisis.

But there is another trend that has caught the eye of economists: the home-price-to-median-household-income ratio. This figure climbed to an all-time high of 7.72 in January. The previous record high was 7.03 in November 2005.

A Market Bubble or Long-Term Trend?

Over the last decade, the median household income increased around 11 percent and median home prices soared 30 percent, according to CNBC. Since 1965, average home values have skyrocketed 118 percent, while the median household income has gone up only 15 percent.

A household earning $75,000 to $100,000 can currently afford to buy 51% of the active housing inventory, according to a joint report by the National Associations of Realtors and Realtor.com. Nevertheless, that same household could afford to buy 58% of the homes for sale in 2019. Thus, during the pandemic, affordability for households in the income bracket $75,000-$100,000 dropped by 7 percentage points.

Rising mortgage rates could also start playing a significant role in the housing market.

Today, the average 30-year mortgage rate is north of 5 percent, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), up from around 3 percent the same time a year ago. In addition, it is estimated that the typical U.S. household would need to spend nearly one-third of its monthly income to make a mortgage payment.

This upward trend in mortgage rates is pricing many prospective homeowners out of the market, says Nik Shah, the CEO of Home LLC, a down payment assistance provider for homebuyers.

In late 2020, the typical U.S. resident could afford to buy a home worth 48 percent more than the median-priced home in the country, Shah told The Epoch Times. In 2022, thanks to rising mortgage rates and home prices, thats reduced to only 5 percent.

Despite concerns about higher mortgage rates impacting the pandemic-era housing boom, rising rates will only affect new entrants in the real estate market, says Morgan Stanley.

The mortgage market is mostly fixed-rate, so raising rates wont raise the monthly payment on current owners, but instead will disproportionately impact first-time homebuyers, bank researchers said in a recent research note. Robust mortgage underwriting should keep foreclosures limited, preventing the forced selling that would weigh on home prices.

But if more people are being priced out of the real estate market, will sales volumes and prices start to respond by falling?

According to Kunal Sawhney, the CEO of Kalkine Group, an independent equities research firm, thinks a substantial shift might be just around the corner.

But this shift may not be as detrimental to housing assets prices as some pundits have been forecasting for over the past many months, Sawhney told The Epoch Times. Neither a large-scale correction nor a major crash can be expected in the market in the near-to-medium term.

In a March report titled Real-Time Market Monitoring Finds Signs of Brewing U.S. Housing Bubble, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas pointed to abnormal U.S. housing market behavior for the first time since the boom of the early 2000s.

However, the research analysts at the regional central bank do not believe a correction would be similar to the last housing bubble from more than a decade ago, citing better household finances and modest borrowing levels to purchase homes.

Looking ahead, home price appreciation should decelerate, the Morgan Stanley analysts added.

Shah agrees, adding that theres little to no chance of them going down because of record low housing inventory and pent-up millennial demand waiting to snap up homes at the first possible opportunity.

Fannie Mae projects that U.S. home prices will increase 10.8 percent in 2022, slightly down from its previous 11.2 percent forecast. Fannie Mae, a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) that purchases mortgage loans from smaller banks or credit unions and guarantees, also predicts that real estate prices could climb 3.2 percent in 2023.

However, Moodys Analytics noted home values in 97 percent of U.S. cities are overvalued, prognosticating that properties in these parts of the country could tumble by 10 percent over the next few years.
Hundreds of Doctors Very Terrified of Speaking Out of Turn on COVID-19 Policy: Lawyer

Sydney-based lawyer Peter Fam. (Supplied)

Hundreds of Australian doctors are very terrified and very careful of speaking out against the countrys COVID-19 health policies in case they are suspended from practicing, according to a human rights lawyer.

Peter Fam, principal at Maats Method law firm, said since the start of the pandemic, regulatory bodies have imposed greater rules and regulations on doctors and other health practitioners who express a different opinion on existing medical orthodoxy around COVID-19.

I say hundreds of doctors because Ive been on Zoom calls quite regularly with more than that number of medical practitioners. However, generally speaking, theres only a couple of them who are willing to publicly share any of the things they share in those spaces, the Sydney-based lawyer told The Epoch Times.

Fam was among the authors of a letter on March 8 from the COVID Medical Network to a number of Australias medical bodies, including the federal Health Department, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and the Australian Therapeutics Advisory Group on Immunisation.

It called on governments to stop promoting messaging claiming provisionally-approved COVID-19 vaccines in the country were safe and to withdraw the vaccines from the general public.

The letter also alleged the government used flawed processes to approve and mandate the vaccines. Concerns were also expressed over adverse effects and deaths following the jab.

Hundreds of clinicians and medical researchers supported the letters message, but most could not sign openly due to fear of losing their jobs, it stated. In addition, the government and regulatory bodies have yet to respond as of May 9.

Censorship Over Vaccine Discussion

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is Australias peak accreditation body for health practitioners, which works with 15 other government bodies (National Boards) responsible for major health professions such as nurses or pharmacists.

AHPRA previously told The Epoch Times in September 2021 it had received complaints regarding health practitioners who were advocating views contrary to public health advice (without evidence to back those views); prescribing non-evidence-based treatments without proper disclosure around risks or benefits; and breaching public health orders (and being fined) for not social distancing, wearing masks, or abiding by health restrictions.

Experience tells us that most practitioners, when concerns are raised directly with them, modify their behaviour to become compliant, an AHPRA spokesperson said at the time. In a small number of cases, national boards are likely to take action to ensure the actions of the practitioner do not place the public at risk of harm.

Some examples of AHPRA enforcement include the suspension of an anaesthetist in September 2021 after two anonymous complaints were lodged regarding his social media activity.

Dr. Paul Oosterhuis, a medical practitioner of 30 years, revealed in an online petition that he had posted content regarding early treatments against COVID-19 and had questioned the efficacy of lockdowns and PCR tests.

Later in the same month, John Larter, a veteran paramedic and then-deputy mayor of the Snowy Valleys Council, was also suspended from practicing after he challenged the New South Wales state government in court over the legality of vaccine mandates.

Video of John Larter on Telegram (Screenshot by The Epoch Times)

I effectively went in there without any legal representation. Two and a half hours later, and after being grilled by them, I received a letter from them today advising Ive been suspended immediately as a paramedic, he said on his Telegram account. The Paramedicine Council of the state confirmed Larter was indeed suspended.

According to Fam, doctors have also been unhappy with an AHPRA position statement from March 2021 (pdf), which reads, in part, that any promotion of promotion of anti-vaccination statements or health advice which contradicts the best available scientific evidence or seeks to actively undermine the national immunisation campaign (including via social media)  may be in breach of the codes of conduct and subject to investigation and possible regulatory action.

There are several problems with that statement, Fam commented. One of them is that the best available scientific evidence doesnt exist. Its always changing. Thats the nature of science and the nature of evidence.

AHPRAs statements are also written in broad terms, leaving it to individuals to figure out what they mean, he added. Actively undermining the national immunisation campaign is very broad. What is the national immunisation campaign? How is that defined? Fam asked.

The same AHPRA position statement says that health practitioners must ensure their social media activity does not contradict or counter public health campaigns or messaging, including the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy (pdf).

It adds, Health practitioners are reminded that it is an offence under the National Law to advertise a regulated health service (including via social media) in a way that is false, misleading or deceptive. Advertising that includes false, misleading or deceptive claims about COVID-19, including anti-vaccination material, may result in prosecution by AHPRA.

Shay Bell receives a vaccine at a pop up COVID vaccination booster clinic inside the stadium before the match between the Mens Indigenous All Stars and the Mens Maori All Stars at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 12, 2022. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The National Law is enacted and implemented separately by each Australian state and territory. A section under the law says the National Board can suspend or impose conditions on a health practitioners registration immediately for the purpose of protecting the health or safety of the public.

Ive got several cases on representing medical practitioners whove had their registration suspended under the national law, Fam shared.

Fam said the AHPRA statement restricts doctors in what to say to patients regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

If a doctor read one of the thousands of peer-reviewed papers that have examined the adverse events that stem from the COVID vaccines, and a patient asked them, Hey, Ive read one of these studies, and Im worried about receiving this vaccine, can you give me some advice?that guideline from AHPRA restricts what the doctor is allowed to say, Fam said. Many doctors think thats a problem.

Theres a restriction on what practical medical advice and treatment protocols doctors are allowed to give to their patients. And many [are] doctors with integrity and who value their own professional judgement, and who value the importance of an open scientific discourse, Fam said.

Too Hard to Qualify for Vaccine Exemption

Doctors have expressed concern over the narrow criteria for individuals to get exemptions from taking the COVID-19 vaccines, Fam said.

An exemption is very, very narrow, he said. Essentially, you need to have already had a very serious adverse reaction to one of the COVID vaccines in order to be contraindicated for another dose.

The Australian Department of Health states (pdf) that people can only get a permanent medical exemption from taking a COVID-19 vaccine if they have been assessed by an authorised medical practitioner as being clinically unsuitable to receive a COVID-19 vaccine permanently.

There are also other COVID-19 vaccine exemptions the Australian government allowsonly temporarilyand if there are no other COVID-19 vaccine options available.

If a person recently had COVID-19, they can be exempted for up to four months. Temporary exemptions may also apply if a person has had an inflammatory cardiac illness within the past three months, have any other acute medical conditions, are undergoing major surgery, or has had an adverse event due to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

ATAGI states (pdf) that chronic symptoms following COVID-19 also referred to as long COVID, are not a contraindication to COVID-19 vaccines. The advisory group also states that pregnancy is not a valid reason for exemption.

Related Coverage Doctors Reluctant to Link Adverse Reactions to Jab: Personal Injury Lawyer

There are many doctors Ive spoken to who have been in quite some distress because they would not want some of their patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, Fam said. Lots of doctors have told him they dont want to recommend the vaccine to their already-hesitant patients who have a history of blood clotting or serious heart conditions.

Doctors have also been unable to issue their patients exemptions or contraindications for the COVID-19 vaccine, while many other doctors have been disciplined for having issued one, Fam said.

Theres a sort of artificial limitation on who is exempted from the vaccines, which doesnt accord with best practice medically and doesnt accord with the doctors professional judgement, he added.

Both the mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been linked to myocarditis or pericarditis, especially in young men.

Such cases have also been reported with the use of the AstraZeneca vaccines. Meanwhile, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends the AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged 60 and over due to risks in younger people of a rare but serious blood clotting condition, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, which can cause a long term disability and/or death.

Throughout Australia, COVID-19 vaccination continues to be mandatory for specific industries, including health care, aged care, child care and education but are not limited to just these, depending on the state or territory.

People travelling internationally into and out of Australia are required to provide proof of double vaccination against COVID-19, Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced in late March. Several companies have also implemented mandatory vaccination policies for their workers, including supermarkets Aldi, Coles and Woolworths, banks including Commonwealth Bank and Westpac, as well as other large companies such as Qantas, Virgin Australia, Telstra, and SPC.

Daniel Y. Teng Writer Follow Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national affairs including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and Australia-China relations. Got a tip? Contact him at daniel.teng@epochtimes.com.au.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel and Rwandan minister for foreign affairs and international co-operation, Vincent Biruta, signed a "world-first" migration and economic development partnership in the East African nation's capital city Kigali, on April 14, 2022. (Flora Thompson/PA)

Illegal Immigrants in UK to Receive 1st Rwanda Relocation Notification This Week

The UK government will start informing some illegal immigrants this week of its intention to relocate them to Rwanda, the Home Office confirmed on Tuesday.

The recipients will be warned that they may not be admitted to the UKs asylum system because they had travelled through safe countries where they could and should have claimed asylum, the Home Office said.

It also said that the government has the power to detain individuals pending their removal from the UK.

Under the UKs new Nationality and Borders Act, those who arrive illegally in the UK who could have claimed asylum in another safe countryincluding those who crossed the English Channel in small boatscan be considered inadmissible to the UK asylum system.

The first flights shipping illegal immigrants to Rwanda under the UK governments new Migration and Economic Development Partnership deal with the East African nation are expected to take off in the coming months, the department said, adding that lawyers for some of those affected will likely lodge claims to stop their removal.

Under the 120 million ($148 million) deal, some of the people who enter the UK illegally, including those who crossed the English Channel in small boats, are to be relocated to Rwanda to resettle and rebuild their lives.

Asylum claims made by these individuals will be processed in Rwanda, and successful applicants will be granted asylum or given refugee status in the country.

Some unsuccessful applicants will be allowed to stay if they are deemed to have other humanitarian protection needs. Others will be offered an opportunity to apply for other visas in accordance with Rwandan immigration laws.

Those who are neither recognised as refugees nor granted permission to remain on other grounds can be deported to a country in which they have a right to reside.

The deal also requires the Rwandan government to take all reasonable steps to make a relocated individual available for return to the United Kingdom should the United Kingdom be legally obliged to facilitate that persons return.

Undated file photo showing a group of people thought to be illegal immigrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, England. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media)

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: Britains asylum system is broken as criminals exploit and smuggle people into our country at huge costs to UK taxpayers. The world-leading migration partnership with Rwanda means those making dangerous, unnecessary, and illegal journeys to the UK may be relocated to Rwanda to have their claims for asylum considered and to rebuild their lives therehelping break the people smugglers business model and prevent loss of life.

Patel said the Notice of Intent is just the first stage of the process and we know it will take time as some will seek to frustrate the process and delay removals.

The home secretary vowed she would not be deterred from acting to deliver on the changes the British people voted for to take back control of our money, laws, and borders.

The Home Office said it will carry out a case-by-case risk assessment when determining someones eligibility for relocation and take any vulnerabilities, including disabilities, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment status, into account.

Guidance (pdf) published by the Home Office on Monday evening setting out the main issues that a decision-maker should consider after a Notice of Intent is issued said while theres some evidence of discrimination and intolerance towards persons based on their sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, its not a systemic risk or amounts to persecution or serious harm, noting the situation may be different for trans persons.

It also noted that its unlikely that a relocated immigrant would face a real risk from some restrictions on freedom of speech and/or freedom of association in Rwanda.

According to the guidance, an individual who fears mistreatment in Rwanda over their political associations or view will need to demonstrate how and why they would likely attract the negative attention of the Rwandan authorities to avoid being relocated to the country.

Unaccompanied under-18s arriving in the UK will not be considered for relocation to Rwanda.

Anyone under consideration will receive a Notice of Intent, with the Home Office prioritising those arriving in the UK after May 9.

The UK is paying the processing costs for each person sent to Rwanda, including caseworkers, access to legal advice, translators, accommodation, food, health care, and up to five years of training to help integration.

On Friday, activists accused Patel of racist and inhumane policies and called on her to scrap the Rwanda deal during a speech she was giving at a Conservative Party dinner.

At least 7,739 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel this year so far, according to a PA news agency analysis of government figures.

This is more than three times the amount that had arrived in the same period in 2021 (2,439).

PA Media contributed to this report.
IRS Battling Backlogs Caused by Pandemic Relief Payments, Staff Shortage

The tax season of 2022 has been quite chaotic for the Internal Revenue Service due the significant challenges, including staffing shortages and backlogs of tax returns.

Because of the pandemic, the IRS faced an unprecedented amount of work during the 2021 filing season. The agency started this year with a backlog of more than 8.4 million unprocessed individual tax returns and transactions, according to a preliminary report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

The backlog of individual tax returns was about 13 times more than the inventory experienced before the pandemic, according to the report.

In addition, the accounts management function of the IRS, which is tasked with assisting taxpayers with inquiries, reported more than 8 million pending cases at the end of last year.

The agency continues to process millions of tax returns from earlier years in addition to the millions received during the current filing season.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig recently testified before the Senate that the agency took steps to reduce the backlog by the end of 2022 and start the 2023 filing season with a healthy level of inventories.

Every year, around 10 percent of Americans file their tax returns by paper. Processing paper returns cause delays and increases the IRSs workload significantly, tax experts say.

Paper is the IRSs Kryptonite, according to Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate who heads an independent organization within the IRS.

The agency is still buried in it, she said in her testimony before the Senate Finance Committee in February. There is no doubt that paper processing remains the agencys biggest challenge, and that will continue throughout 2022.

The backlog at the IRS, however, is not a new issue.

The current chaos is largely due to a long-standing trend in fiscal policy, according to the Tax Foundation, a tax policy think tank.

For the past few decades, policymakers have increasingly relied on the tax code to deliver major social spending initiatives, the think tanks recent report stated.

In addition to collecting taxes, the IRS has been given the responsibility of administering social benefits. The IRSs capacity, however, has not grown fast enough to meet these new tasks, according to the report. The political desire to increase its budget also weakened.

And the pandemic has compounded the problems. The agency was heavily used to disperse pandemic aid in three major rounds of relief legislation, including the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan enacted in March 2021.

The IRS was in charge of distributing the majority of the funds, including the stimulus payments and the monthly child tax credit, to eligible families.

In the first two weeks after Biden signed the stimulus bill in March 2021, for example, the IRS processed 127 million payments worth nearly $325 billion.

The agency received additional funding to manage the relief payments, but the programs far exceeded the IRSs capacity. In addition, the agency received a record 282 million telephone calls in 2021. According to Collins, only around 32 million, or 11 percent, of those calls were answered by IRS customer service agents.

In the long term, the most stable solution is to move social spending out of the tax code and let the IRS focus its resources on revenue collection, the Tax Foundation recommended.

The agency plans to hire an additional 10,000 personnel to solve backlog issues. Rettig stated that 5,000 would be employed in the next several months and additional 5,000 would be hired over the next year.

However, the tight labor market makes it harder to attract and retain talent for the IRS, as well.

Due to the challenges of hiring during the pandemic and competition from other employers for the same talent, this environment is an exceptionally difficult one for hiring, Rettig said.

The Great Resignation, which has harmed businesses across all industries, has also affected the IRS.

Many workers retired or left their jobs last year due to the COVID. More than 5,000 workers are also expected to retire this year. In addition, roughly a quarter of the workforce is approaching retirement age.

It has grown more challenging for the IRS to retain staff, especially those in tech roles, according to Tax Foundations Garrett Watson.

Theres already a very small group of computer engineers and IT specialists who understand the language and how to use the software at the IRS, Watson told The Epoch Times.

This makes it more difficult, he noted, to lure these individuals away from the private sector that provides a better salary.

Additionally, a lack of personnel hinders the IRSs auditing capabilities.

We can no longer audit a respectable percentage of large corporations, Rettig said in his testimony.

These corporations can afford to spend large amounts on legal counsel, drag out proceedings, and bury the government in paper. We are, quite simply, outgunned in our efforts to assure a high degree of compliance for these taxpayers.
A young girl looking at social media apps, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, on a smartphone on Nov. 12, 2019. (Peter Byrne/PA)

Is Australia Holding a Sword to Religious Freedom With Its Disinformation Laws

Commentary

In Australia, announced government laws to police disinformation on the internet are so expansive that they threaten religious freedom.

Regulatory powers that are proposed to be given to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) give the power to compel the removal of harmful speech from the internet.

The extension of such powers is a real concern in an Australian culture where government bodies are increasingly captured by atheistic, secularist ideologies and where traditional Christian teachings (particularly about life, marriage, identity, and sexuality) are vociferously denounced as harmful.

If ACMA is granted these new powers, it will present yet another threat to the ability of Christians to speak the truth in the public square and could result in:

Pro-life material and promotions are being removed from Facebook because of the alleged emotional harm and emotional anguish it might cause women; The censure of Christian Instagram pages that promote traditional marriage between a man and a woman; or The forced closure of Christian Twitter feeds that engage on gender-fluid ideology and present an orthodox Christian perspective on identity.

In a report announced in March this year by the communications minister (pdf), ACMA recommended that:

ACMA receives information-gathering powers to oversee digital platforms; ACMA receives powers to register industry codes, enforce industry code compliance and make standards relating to the activities of digital platform corporations; and The Government should establish a Misinformation and Disinformation Action Group.

Of most concern is the suggestion that ACMA is given reserve powers to enforce the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation (pdf). This is because the Code would allow ACMA to remove information that it determines to be harmful. This is a serious threat to religious freedom and activity.

Ostensibly, these new measures are aimed at combatting disinformation and misinformation. But looking at the scope of powers that these laws will grant to ACMA, its clear that the remit is much broader.

With the proposed new powers ACMA can decide what information, opinions, and beliefs are officially acceptable according to government policy.

Further, its not just that ACMA can require the removal of untrue information; it can suppress information that it deems harmful to the public good (regardless of whether that information is true or not).

ACMA will be commissioned to protect public goods such as the protection of citizens health, the protection of marginalised or vulnerable groups, the (ubiquitous and largely undefinable) public safety or the environment.

To give such wide censorious powers to a bureaucratic body does not bode well for religious freedom.

In many cases, these bodies are stacked with members of the privileged administrative class holding a uniform socio-political ideology. They are so isolated from the actual public, making them the least qualified to determine what the public interest is and what internet engagement is harmful.

Handing ACMA these kinds of powers will severely undermine the fundamental rights of Australians as set out in Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Though the Code pays lip service to the importance of free speech and upholding ICCPR rights, its wording takes an axe to the roots of the tree of religious freedom by setting a much lower bar for interference with free speech rights than international law.

Christians and other religious Australians already face considerable challenges when engaging about their faith in the public square. The Human Rights Law Alliance has assisted many Christians who have been attacked for their religious speech online. The new proposed ACMA powers will simply fashion another sword pointed at it.

A 3D-printed Twitter logo in a picture illustration taken on April 28, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Examples of existing suppression of freedom of religious freedom include:

Dr Jereth Kok, who was suspended from practicing medicine by the Medical Board for his social media posts that were critical of gender-fluid ideology.

New disinformation powers would allow ACMA to silence Christian doctors like Kok by requiring social media providers to remove posts critical of gender-fluid ideology or flagging them as false information.

Lyle Shelton is being sued under Queensland vilification law for his comments opposing Drag Queen Story Time events in Brisbane public libraries. Lyle already faces a significant challenge in answering vilification claims that are being used to silence his religious speech. The new powers would allow ACMA to de-platform and silence religious commentators like Lyle under the pretence that they would be protecting vulnerable groups.

Katrina Tait is a Catholic mother who was threatened by an activist with a homosexual vilification claim for saying drag queens are bad role models for children. With new disinformation powers, ACMA could simply force social media providers to remove religious, social media posts like Katrinas, excluding Christians from the public square.

Every Australian should be concerned about the effect that these new powers will have on religious freedom and free speech. Eradicating and suppressing religious speech risks removing truth from the public square and degrading Australian democracy.

A healthy, functioning democracy requires a true contest of ideas, not a curated one. Falsehood can only be defeated by truth. If Australians are to continue speaking truth to power, they cannot surrender their ability to discern what is true for themselves.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Students are standing behind the post which wrote their vows to protest for democracy by hunger strike at Tiananmen Square of Beijing, China, in June 1989. (Provided by Liu Jian/The Epoch Times)

Is Resistance Futile?

In memory of the Tiananmen Square protesters and massacre

Commentary

Most recall the famous phrase resistance is futile that derives from various science fiction movies, including Star Trek: First Contact. But is resistance futile?

Under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the mantra sold to the Chinese people that resistance to the CCP is futile and to the world is that the CCP system is the best form of government by arguing that economic development and political stability can coexist without a democratic system. Lets pick apart this argument.

Shanghai COVID Case Study

COVID-19 started to spread in China before the 2022 Olympics. In January, Hong Kong, Xian, and Beijing began to report COVID cases with concurrent massive lockdowns. Eventually, COVID spread to Shanghai, where the terrors of CCP population control were seen on social media (see Twitter hashtags #Shanghai, #CCPVirus, #ChinaOUT, #ChinaExposed, and others) that escaped the CCP censors. Now, COVID is spreading to many other cities, including back to Beijing.

According to the Financial Times, the CCP is enforcing full or partial lockdowns in at least 46 cities across the country, with these restrictions affecting up to 345 million people. That is more than the entire U.S. population of 330 million! Shanghai was the most important economic port city in China, and now it is a shambles. So much for economic stability.

With Chairman Xi Jinpings Zero-COVID policy, more people are dying from starvation, suicide, and beatings than would have died from the less lethal current Omicron strain of COVID-19.

Ironically, the Omicron strain should have been called Xi, according to the naming convention that the World Health Organization (WHO) created for COVID-19 strains. For those less familiar with the Greek alphabet, here are the first 16 of 24 letters: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, and pi.

According to the WHO, Xi was skipped because it was too close to many peoples last names, and the WHO didnt want to offend anyone. The Omicron variant that would have been called Xi will probably cause the downfall of the CCP leader because of his zero-tolerance policy.

But the facts about the extreme chaos occurring in China are being erased and purged from the internet by the CCP. Searching banned topics such as the over 2,000 keywords related to COVID will get you arrested. So another casualty of communism is the truth and political stability.

Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre (April 15June 4, 1989)

The Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington on Nov. 8, 2017. Established by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, it is a replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue erected during Chinas Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

The truth about the Tiananmen Square massacre in which thousands of people were killed in 1989 is erased from the memory of the CCP-controlled media. In China, people would get arrested for writing about it, showing any imagery such as the iconic person who stood in front of a tank or a candle on their social media account around June 4, and referring to May 35th, 63+1, 65-1, and 60+4 (which refer to the date 6/4).

The next casualty of communism is freedom of speech, assembly, and thought. The list of forbidden topics gets bigger every year. Hopefully, the list will become so large that the CCP will implode from trying to censor too many forbidden thoughts.

Related to the Tiananmen censorship, the CCP cannot handle any criticism, especially from the press. According to the 2021 annual Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report, out of the 478 journalists and media workers in jails around the world, China has more than 115 currently detained, often in conditions that pose a threat to their lives. As of April 27, 2022, the number had increased to 124 journalists.

China ranks almost at the bottom of the RSF list of World Press Freedom Index at 177th out of 180 countries, and, for the fifth consecutive year, China incarcerates the greatest number of journalists in the world.

In a dedicated December 2021 expose on China called The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China, RSF describes how Beijing declared war on journalism, the loss of press freedoms in Hong Kong, and how accessing information/data is a crime in China.

In 2021, Burma (commonly known as Myanmar) was the second-worst country for jailing journalists. Whats the CCP connection? In 2020, Burma had imprisoned only two journalists. But after the February 2021 coup, 53 journalists were jailed with the advice and assistance of the CCP. A free press is also a casualty of the CCP.

Personality Cult

The CCP leaders have become so obsessed with any criticism that people are jailed for offending the great leader. Just like all CCP leaders, Xi is prickly about being offended. References or pictures of Winnie the Pooh are banned in China because they are used to ridicule Xi over their physical resemblance.

When pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong showed up on the streets, many wore Pooh masks or split Pooh-Xi masks. In an authoritarian state, demonstrating against the government is not only forbidden but mocking the leader is a double whammy. Freedom to demonstrate and to remove political leaders are victims of the CCP.

A protester wearing a Winnie the Pooh mask and one wearing a mask of Chinese leader Xi Jinping take part in a mass rally in the Cheung Sha Wan district in Hong Kong on Nov. 29, 2019. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images)

The CCP has outlawed religion, viewing it as a defective thought, and wants the Chinese people to believe in communism with Chinese characteristics.

According to the 2022 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which came out in April 2022, the CCP is implementing its sinicization of religion policy that demands religious groups and adherents support the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) rule and ideology.

The CCP views religion as a threat to its power and is continuously conducting persecutions against all believers, who constitute over 30 percent of their population: about 18 percent are Buddhist (including Tibetan Buddhists), 5.5 percent are Falun Gong (or 70 million, based on official estimates before the persecution began in 1999), 5 percent are Christian, 2 percent are Muslim, Taoism, and others, including folk religion. Freedom of religion under the CCP is converted to mental enslavement.

The CCP wants people to believe that the CCP is infallible and the leader is God incarnate, making sure that everyone in China can recite pithy nonsense such as the Red Book written by Mao Zedong or the Study (Xi) Strong Country downloadable. app full of quotes from Xi. All CCP members (over 95 million), all government employees, teachers, state-owned company employees, and others are required to download the app. Who knows what authoritarian monitoring malware is embedded in the app? Xi so desperately wants to be like Mao (or really better than him) that the CCP is now making all government decisions based on his sayings.

Is resistance futile? Until all people under communism are free, resistance is worthwhile. I salute all Chinese people, whether in China or outside, who resist communism.

I would rather die standing than live on my knees. Emiliano Zapata Salazar

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
An aerial view of the Statue of Liberty in New York is seen in this file photo. (Photo Spirit/Shutterstock)

Its Not Over. Its Just Begun

Commentary

For the last two days Ive felt an uneasy sense of grief, or of a heavy pressure on my heart. At first I could not figure out the cause of it.

Nothing unusual was wrong in my personal life. My loved ones were safe and well, thank God. The battle for liberty was ongoing, as it has been for over two years, but I was used to the rigors and stresses of that. What was the matter?

I was just driving with Brian over Taconic foothills, and through the vast early-Spring expanses of the beautiful Hudson Valley. The sun was shining. Daffodils, creamy-white and bright yellow, displayed their trumpets shyly in shadowy recesses under old ash trees with wide-spreading boughs. The lighter-yellow forsythia dotted the roadsides in a riot of buzzy color.

Wed just been talking to a realtor acquaintance who described how the area had changed when the city people fled their Brooklyn apartments at the start of the pandemic, to sit out the crisis in the gracious, creaky old farmhouses that they could purchase for a relative song.

Wed driven through reopened businesses flush with newly transplanted money. An old railroad car diner had been revamped and now offered curated organic-beef hash, and tasty, if ironic, egg creams.

We drove past little 1960s ranch houses with some land around them, now being redone with costly cedar shingles and white trim, for the farmhouse look that the ex-Brooklynites liked. Sothebys signs were out on the lawns already, in preparation for the lucrative flipping.

On driveway after driveway of the ex-Brooklynites, of the former weekend people(and I confess that I too was once a weekend person, but something has happened to me in the last two years that has changed me even more than my change of home address) there were now Ukrainian flags. Not American flags. No one cared or even asked about the town halls being closed for the past two years. Tyranny overseas was more pressing than the rights that had been suspended just up the road.

Otherwise most things were almost back to normal! Almost pre-2020 normal!

The masks had recently come off. Hudson, New York, and Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the two cities nearest us, and also, by chance, both left-leaning, had also been two of the maskiest and most coercive of places when it came to pandemic policies and pandemic cultures. Now businesses were being allowed to reopen.

(Id been fired from my Great Barrington synagogue because Id dared to invite people over to my house at the depth of the pandemicif they had wanted, as adults, affirmatively, to join meto watch the Zoom Friday Evening Shabbat service together. Shocking behavior on my part, I know.)

As if a switch had been flicked, now the cruel moral judgments, the two-tier society, the mandates, the coercions, the nasty looks, the desperate masked children with their laboring breath, the loneliness, the desolate centrally-planned economieshad evaporated and were no more.

A memo from a political consultancy had gone out to the DNC, warning about how these policies spelled defeat in the midterms, and Pouf!a whole retinue of mandates messaged as if they had been matters of life and death, a raft of Board of Health demands, a plethora of social strictures, and baroque instructions on how and when to discriminate against ones fellow Americansvanished, like the smoke from an unwelcome cigarette on a breezy veranda. An MSNBC commentator said, in a logical non sequitur, that now that vaccines were available for kids, in-person office life would resume.

Overnight, a new concern, a new moral signifier, was presented, wholly formed: and it involved a conflict area half a world away. Now, war is always bad and invasions are always cruel; but I could not help noticing that there are wars, refugees, invasions and conflict areas around the world, and that only this onethis one onedemanded the attentions of my irksomely cultish and uncritical former tribe.

I could not help noticing that the dozens of devastated conflict areas and war zones being totally ignored by the ex-Brooklynitesfrom Ethiopia, where there have been 50,000 deaths since September, to Sri Lanka, with its catastrophic food shortages, to Mexicos drug war, which has led to 300,000 deaths, to Afghanistan, where women are being rounded up and people are being shot in the streetdo not involve white people who look like the ex-Brooklynites; and for various other reasons, are not attracting a lot of television cameras.

Youd think the ex-Brooklynites, with their expensive educations, would bear those complexities in mind.

But no; the ex-Brooklynites are so easily led, when it comes to anyone invoking their particular moral high ground.

When they are directed to pay attention to one conflict out of dozens, and ignore the rest, no matter how dire the rest may be, they do so. Just like, when they were instructed to present their bodies uncritically to an untried mRNA injection and to offer up the bodies of their minor children, they did so. When they were asked to shun and to discriminate against their blameless neighbors, they did so.

So the great apparatus of messaging about COVID was switched off, almost overnight, as the politics clearly soured and as Republicans consolidated an increasingly popular, multiracially inclusive, transpartisan-ly appealing freedom message; and the comms apparatus simply replaced the COVID drama with a new, equally gripping European-conflict drama.

These dramas are real, of course, but there are also highly messaged; a fact about politics that adults such as these are, would do well to understand at last.

Butwhen politics required itLook over there!

So nowas I was driving through the sunny valley that looked and felt like it was becoming America again, with freedom coursing through the towns and rural areas like blood slowly returning to a limb that had been asleepI started to realize what my sense of sorrow really was.

People who had joined school boards that had masked ten year oldstheir lives were back to normal! People who had told family members that they were unwelcome at Thanksgiving dinnertheir lives were back to normal!

Huzzah.

On MSNBC that morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci, that entangled mass of compromised spiritual matter, who had presided over the intentional wastelands of the pandemic; who had for two years delivered in his nasal Brooklyn cadences its lie-based soundbites with their dearth of scientific studies, that wrecked livelihoods, destroyed kids educations, and that drove whole communities into destitutionhad declared, as if he were God Himself, that the pandemic was over.

Wellokay then!

I realized as we drove that my grief was not actually grief. As any pop psychologist will tell you, just beneath depression is rage.

I realizedI was furious.

Brian and I had been fighting, side by side, relentlessly, for over two years, in a bitter, exhausting war to return America tosimply to normal; to its historic status as a great, free society, in which people could enjoy their Constitutional liberties.

We were part of a loose communitya movement, sayof people braver and more dedicated than we; we were part of what you might call a liberty movement. But these heroes and heroines alongside whom we fought, were all pitiably few in number. There were maybe hundreds; maybe a few thousand. Many more perhaps were in sympathy with us, but our energies were still spread very thin. As I have written before, these heroes and heroines risked medical licenses, risked livelihoods. They were smeared and mocked by their peers. They were stripped of credentials. They staked their savings and lost them as they had their incomes taken away.

But they burned, as the rebels in 1775 had burned, to defend our way of life and our institutions. They would not let the dream of America die.

They were the miserably few real doctors and real reporters, real activists, and real lawyers. They were the truck drivers; they were teachers and cops and firefighters.

They were patriots.

They did not have easy lives.

You know who had easier lives over the past two years? The damn quislings.

The people who stayed at the cocktail parties and who mocked the unvaccinated. The doctors who were silent about vaccine harms when teens presented with heart damage, because they might lose their licenses if they breathed a word of what they knew. The ex-Brooklynites who were supposed to be journalists but who smeared and attacked the medical freedom movement instead of reporting on Pfizers internal documents showing massive undisclosed medical catastrophes, in what is turning out to be one of the great corporate coverups of our generation.

I realized the source of my rage: the labor and nightmares and isolation and persecution and money worries andwellawful battles waged by us few hundreds, few thousands, had helped these quislings and collaborators have back whatwhat we had wanted them to have back; indeed, what we had wanted us all to have back; our America.

The fight was not overit would not be over til open-ended emergency law was made impossible by new legislation, and until every last criminal was charged and tried; but hey, the folks who had gone along with it all, they were getting their America back, in many ways.

I thought of the Biblical phrase that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.

But I wantedjustice.

I wanted, I blurted out to Brian, some kind of closure. Some kind of Nuremberg Trials, of course. Some kind of Truth and Reconciliation Commissionthe South African kind, not the CCP kind. I wanted people to face what they had been, what they had done.

Its like the partisans after the end of the waror the revolutionaries after the fall of the Bastille; I want to shave peoples heads and march them through the town square, I said to Brian, uncharitably.

I am not proud of thatbut there is a reason societies display their collaborators and quislings and traitors. There is a reason treason is a capital offense. There is a reason fraud and coercion, battery and child abuse, unlawful detainment and theft and child endangerment, all of which crimes were committed against us in the pandemic, are criminal offenses.

To be healing, there has to be justice.

To have a free society we have to have a history, and in this major historical moment, we had a massive betrayal of the social contracta betrayal committed by millions. The social contract cannot be re-knit without public accountability, confrontations, and even condemnation.

Let the school board members who masked the children be sued in civil court. Let them do community service in bright orange vests and pick up garbage along the sides of the roads.

Let the members of the Boards of Health who shut down their neighbors businesses for no reason, face civil charges. Let their names be published in the newspapers.

Let the ones who shunned the unvaccinated and disinvited them from their galas and dinner parties, experience for themselves what that feels like and face the fact that they were hateful and engaged in hate.

Let the deans who took millions of dollars from nonprofits to adopt policies to mandate vaccines for healthy young college studentsvaccines that disrupted the cycles and damaged the hearts of perfectly healthy young women and men in their chargeface trials for racketeering and reckless endangerment and coercion. Let the Pharma executives and the heads of the FDA be tried for fraud and battery. Let the trials begin.

For people to be part of a healthy society they need to face themselves; and these quislings and collaborators should confront what they did. If they committed crimes, they should be tried and convicted.

Will I let it go? Will I forget? Will I forgive? On another morning, maybe, I pray that I will.

But not yet. Not this morning.

Amos [KJV 5:24] promised: Let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. Jesus said, Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace but a sword [NKJV: Matthew 10:34-39].

Maybe they meant that there are times to make amends, but there are other times to overturn the tables of the corrupt.

I am angry that beautiful America is mostly back, mostly free again, overnight, just because a shameless creature who should never have had the power to suspend our liberties in the first placesaid so; just because the whiny-voiced evildoers of the last two years, now that evidence of their fraud and coercion emerges irrevocably to light, want to tiptoe away from the scenes of their massive crimes.

I say: Not so fast.

Freedom is not free, as many veterans have said, and I never really understood what that meant except superficially.

But you dont get freedom back so easily if you yourself committed massive crimes.

Freedom is not free. You dont get to take away the freedom of others and enjoy it, without penalty, for yourselves.

The people you harmed, the parents of the children you harmedthey are coming. Not violently; not vengefully; but with the righteous sword of justice; with the law in hand.

Dont rest too easy, leaders who did wrong, in this bright American sunlight. You dont get America back as if nothing happened.

The Statue of Liberty holds up a torch. Crimes must be illuminated.

You cannot yet know that its really overjust because you said so.

You cant know yet that you will never be unmasked; never revealed to all, in the bright sun of the town square.

Originally published on the authors Substack, reposted from the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
China's sole operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning (front), sailing with other ships during a drill at sea in April 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets Amid Chinas Increased Drills Near Taiwan

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response to a suspected intrusion by a Chinese aircraft carrier into its airspace from May 68 over the East China Sea, Japanese officials wrote in a May 9 tweet.

Beijing also increased military drills around Taiwan.

The Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement that four Chinese naval vessels, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier, were spotted on May 7 in the waters about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa prefecture.

It added that the warships were the same as those that were spotted passing between the Okinawa and Miyako islands on May 12.

The Chinese military confirmed on May 9 that naval and air force assets conducted drills from May 68 to the east and southwest of Taiwan to test and improve the joint operations capability of multiple services and arms, without elaborating further.

Taiwans Defense Ministry said it detected 18 Chinese aircraft, including 12 J-11 and J-16 fighter aircraft, and two H-6 bombers, entering its air defense identification zone on May 6.

The self-ruled island responded by issuing radio warnings and deploying air defense missile systems to monitor the Chinese warplanes.

Japan first announced on May 3 that eight Chinese naval vessels, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier, passed between islands in its southern Okinawa chain on May 2. The Izumo light aircraft carrier was deployed to monitor the Chinese vessels.

Taiwan also detected the Chinese flotilla and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor its movements.

Gao Xiucheng, a spokesperson of the Chinese Navy, said on May 3 that the warships were on a routine combat training exercise in the West Pacific. Gao said the deployment was in line with international law and wasnt targeted at any party.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to conquer the island by force if necessary. On Jan. 23, the Chinese military sent 39 warplanes into Taiwans air space, including fighter jets and a bomber.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (2nd L) speaks following a meeting with President Joe Biden alongside Members of the Congressional delegation that recently visited Ukraine, at the White House on May 10, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

RussiaUkraine War (May 10): House Approves $40 Billion in Ukraine Aid

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, May 10. Click here for updates from May 9.

House Approves $40 Billion in Ukraine Aid

The U.S. House emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package Tuesday as lawmakers beefed up President Joe Bidens initial request, signaling a magnified, bipartisan commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody three-month-old invasion.

The measure sailed to passage by a lopsided 368-57 margin, providing $7 billion more than Bidens request from April and dividing the increase evenly between defense and humanitarian programs.

The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the wars crippling of Ukraines normally robust production of many crops.

The new legislation would bring American support for the effort to nearly $54 billion, including the $13.6 billion in support Congress enacted in March.

Thats about $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on all its foreign and military aid in 2019, according to a January report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which studies issues for lawmakers.

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Belarus to Deploy Special Forces to Southern Border Near Ukraine

Belarus will deploy special operations troops in three areas near its southern border with Ukraine, the armed forces said on Tuesday as President Alexander Lukashenko talked up the role of Russian-made missiles in boosting the countrys defenses.

A close ally of Russia, Belarus said in March that its armed forces were not taking part in what Moscow calls its special operation in Ukraine, but it did serve as a launchpad for Russia to send thousands of troops across the border on Feb. 24.

Minsk has complained for months about NATO countries amassing soldiers near its bordersPoland, Lithuania and Latvia are all members of the allianceand is increasing the amount and intensity of its own military exercises in response.

The United States and its allies continue to build up their military presence on the state borders of the Republic of Belarus, Chief of General Staff Viktor Gulevich said. The established grouping has more than doubled in the past six months in quantity and quality.

Belarus is also deploying air defense, artillery, and missile units for drills in the west, Gulevich said.

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Maryland Sending Supplies and Armor to Odesa

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the shipment of a multimillion-dollar aid package to Odesa, Ukraine, on Tuesday, including medical supplies and body armor.

The Maryland Department of Health is donating more than 485,000 bandages and wound care supplies, 95 Eternity mechanical ventilators for intensive care units, and 50 Astral portable ventilators, the governors office said.

The package also includes nearly 200 pieces of body armor, including tactical vests and shields, which have been donated by the Maryland State Police.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Accepts Invitation to Join G7 Top Diplomats: German Baerbock

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, has accepted an invitation to join top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations later this week.

Baerbock spoke during a visit Tuesday to Kyiv, where she met Kuleba and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The G-7 foreign ministers will meet at Schloss Weissenhaus, a luxury resort on Germanys Baltic Sea coast, from May 1214. Russias attack on Ukraine is expected to be a major topic at the meeting.

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Ukraines Gas Transmission Operator Says It Will Shut Off Almost a Third of Russian Gas to Europe

Ukraines gas transmission operator says it will shut off almost a third of Russian gas that passes through the country onward to Europe over Moscows war on the country.

The Ukrainian GTS made the announcement Tuesday in a statement posted to its website. It said that the war made it impossible to reach areas of its system to ensure its safety, particularly in Russian-held areas of the Luhansk region.

The company said it would halt some 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day with the decision. It described the situation as force majeure, a legal term used for so-called acts of God that prevent contracts from being carried out.

It said the shutoff would begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday and that it would offer Russia the chance to try to reroute gas through another crossing held by the Ukrainian government.

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Top US Intelligence Official: Eight to 10 Russian Generals Have Been Killed

A top U.S. intelligence official says 8 to 10 Russian generals have been killed during the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who leads the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed the estimate Tuesday while testifying before a Senate committee.

Berrier told senators that because Russia lacks a non-commissioned officer corps, its generals have to go forward into combat zones and end up in dangerous positions.

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Finnish Parliament Supports Country in Seeking NATO Membership

The Finnish Parliaments defense committee is supporting the Nordic country seeking membership in NATO, saying it would be the best solution to guarantee the countrys security and would be a way to raise the bar on being the target of aggression by neighboring Russia.

The committee chairman Petteri Orpo, leader of the main opposition National Coalition Party, said in a statement that Finlands security situation has drastically changed as a result of Russias attack on Ukraine.

Orpo stressed possible NATO membership would be purely a defense-related solution for Finland, a nation of 5.5 million that shares the longest border with Russia out of all European Union members.

Finland would join NATO to maximize its own security and defend the country. This would not be directed against anyone, Orpo told reporters on Tuesday.

Finland is expected to announce later this month whether it will seek to join the military alliance.

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Czech Republic to Replace Russia on UN Body

The U.N. General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for the Czech Republic to replace Russia on the world organizations leading human rights body following its suspension over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic was the only candidate for the seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats on the Geneva-based council are divided among regional groups and a replacement for Russia had to come from an East European country.

In Tuesdays secret ballot vote, 180 of the General Assemblys 193 members deposited ballots. The result was 157 countries in favor of the Czech Republic and 23 abstentions.

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Germany FM Baerbock Reopens Embassy in Kyiv

Germanys foreign minister has reopened her countrys embassy in Kyiv, which was closed more than two months ago following the Russian invasion.

Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that the diplomatic mission would work with a skeleton staff, headed by Ambassador Anka Feldhusen.

Baerbock, the first German Cabinet member to visit Ukraine since the start of the war, pledged further support to Kyiv, including when it comes to investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

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Russia Downed Satellite Internet in Ukraine: Western Officials

Russia was behind a massive cyberattack against a satellite internet network which took tens of thousands of modems offline at the onset of the RussiaUkraine war, the United States, Britain, Canada, and the European Union said on Tuesday.

The digital assault against Viasats KA-SAT network in late February took place just as Russian armor pushed into Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the cyberattack was intended to disrupt Ukrainian command and control during the invasion, and those actions had spillover impacts into other European countries.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the satellite internet hack deliberate and malicious and the Council of the EU said it caused indiscriminate communication outages in Ukraine and several EU member states.

The Viasat outage remains the most publicly visible cyberattack carried out since Russias invasion of Ukraine, in part because the hack had immediate knock-on consequences for satellite internet users across Europe and because the crippled modems often had to be replaced manually.

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Luhansk Region Governor Rejected Russias Claims Its Forces Have Breached Ukrainian Defenses Near the City of Popasna

The governor of the eastern Luhansk region on Tuesday rejected Russias claims its forces have breached Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna and moved the regions administrative borders.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai described the claim as fantasies. He insists that the defense is strong. There are no breakthroughs.

Moscow considers the eastern Ukrainian region a sovereign state.

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Zelenskyy Welcomed the Latest Package of European Union Sanctions Against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, particularly highlighting a proposed ban on imports of Russian oil.

Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Slovakias Parliament on Tuesday that he understands Slovakia is not able to immediately replace Russian oil but stressed it is important to do so, calling it a price to be paid for freedom.

Slovakia, which is fully dependent on Russian oil, supports the sanctions but has asked for a three-year exemption from the ban until its key refinery Slovnaft makes technological changes needed to process other than Russias heavy oil.

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On Possible Nuclear Strike, Russia Says: Its All in Our Military Doctrine

Asked if Russia would rule out a preemptive tactical nuclear strike on Ukraine, Russias deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday that a decision on the possible use of nuclear weapons was clearly set out in Russias military doctrine, RIA reported.

We have a military doctrineeverything is written there, Alexander Grushko was quoted by state news agency RIA as saying.

Russias official military deployment principles allow for the use of nuclear weapons if theyor other types of weapons of mass destructionare used against it, or if the Russian state faces an existential threat from conventional weapons.

The decision to use Russias vast nuclear arsenal, the biggest in the world, rests with the Russian president, currently Vladimir Putin.

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Ukraine Says Its Forces Recaptured Villages From Russian Troops

Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces had recaptured villages from Russian troops, pressing a major counter-offensive in the northeast of the country.

Tetiana Apatchenko, press officer for the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, the main Ukrainian force near Kharkiv, confirmed that Ukrainian troops had recaptured the settlements of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshki, Borshchova, and Slobozhanske, in a pocket north of Kharkiv in recent days.

Yuriy Saks, an adviser to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, said the successes were pushing Russian artillery out of range of parts of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, which has been under bombardment since the wars earliest days.

The military operations of the Ukrainian armed forces around Kharkiv, especially north and northeast of Kharkiv, are sort of a success story, Saks told Reuters.

The Ukrainian army was able to push these war criminals to a line beyond the reach of their artillery.

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Ukraine Says 100 Civilians Still in Azovstal

Ukrainian officials say around 100 civilians still remain trapped at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol despite earlier reports that all have been evacuated.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks on Tuesday those left behind are the civilians that the Russians have not selected.

How and based on what criteria they take people out [of the plant] is something only the occupiers know, Kyrylenko said. He explained that everyone in Mariupol de-facto is held hostage by the Russians, and the occupiers take advantage of it, constantly changing the conditions of the evacuation.

Earlier on Tuesday, Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor, also said civilians are still trapped at the Azovstal mill that is the last pocket of resistance in the embattled port city.

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EU Talk on Potential Russian Oil Ban Postponed as Hungary Continues to Block the Proposal

A video conference focusing on a potential European Union ban on oil imports from Russia that was set to take place Tuesday has been postponed to a later date as Hungary continues to block the proposal.

EU commission officials did not give any reason for the postponement. The meeting was set to involve EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other leaders from countries neighboring Hungary.

To further sanction Russia for its war in Ukraine, Von der Leyen has proposed having the 27 EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year. But Hungary says it wont vote for the proposed sanctions, saying they would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and destroy its stable energy supply.

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Russian Military Reported Breaching Ukrainian Defenses Near the City of Popasna in the Luhansk Region

The Russian military on Tuesday reported breaching Ukrainian defenses near the city of Popasna in the Luhansk region and moved to the administrative border of the region, which Moscow considers a sovereign state.

Spokesman of Russias Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that the breakthrough happened after clearing Popasna from the nationalists was completed.

Officials of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic claimed that their forces and the Russian troops seized most of Popasna on Sunday. That same day, the Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region Serhiy Haidai admitted that Ukrainian troops had withdrawn from the city.

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Ukraine Says Russian Warplanes Continue Targeting the Azovstal Steel Plant

The Azov Regiment of Ukraines National Guard, one of several Ukrainian units holed up at a Mariupol steel plant, says Russian warplanes targeted the sprawling plant 34 times over the past 24 hours.

The regiment said in an online statement Tuesday that the Russians continue pounding the besieged Azovstal steel mill with naval and barrel artillery while using tanks and other weapons in attempts to seize the Ukrainian fortress.

Attempts to storm the plant with the support of the infantry continue daily, the statement added.

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Missiles Pound Ukraines Odesa After Russia Marks WWII Victory

Buildings in Odesa lay in ruins on Tuesday, a day after Kremlin forces pounded the southern Ukrainian port with missiles and Russian President Vladimir Putin led defiant celebrations marking the Soviets victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

In Odesa, the major Black Sea port for exporting agricultural products, one person was killed and five people were injured when seven missiles hit a shopping center and a depot, Ukraines armed forces said on Facebook.

Video footage from the scene showed fire and rescue workers combing through piles of rubble dousing still smoking wreckage.

Ukrainea major maize and wheat producerand its allies have intensified efforts on how to unblock ports or provide alternate routes for exporting grain, wheat, and corn.

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US Congress Plans Nearly $40 Billion More for Ukraine, COVID Aid to Wait

U.S. congressional Democrats agreed to rush $39.8 billion in additional aid for Ukraine, two sources familiar with the proposal said on Monday, easing fears a delayed vote could interrupt the flow of U.S. weapons to the Kyiv government.

The House of Representatives could pass the plan, which exceeds President Joe Bidens request last month for $33 billion, as soon as Tuesday, and Senate leaders said they were also prepared to move quickly.

A proposal for additional COVID-19-related funding, which some Democrats had wanted to combine with the emergency Ukraine funding, will now be considered separately.

Biden on April 28 asked Congress for $33 billion to support Ukraine, including more than $20 billion in military assistance. That proposal was a dramatic escalation of U.S. funding for the war with Russia.

The new proposal includes an additional $3.4 billion for military aid and $3.4 billion in humanitarian aid, the sources said.

Bidens fellow Democrats and Republicans both said they supported more aid for Ukraine and would approve emergency funding quickly, but it was delayed by disputes between the parties over whether additional funding for COVID-19 relief or stiffer immigration controls should be included.

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Biden Signs Ukraine Lend-Lease Program Bill

Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine on Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on V-E Day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender and Russias biggest patriotic holiday, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

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US Suspending Import Taxes on Ukrainian Steel

The United States is suspending 25 percent import taxes on Ukraines steel in a show of support for the countrys beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1 percent of U.S. steel exports.

Some of the countrys largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill thats the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian peoplewe need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being, Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demands the Chicago Teachers Union to reach a deal with Chicago Public Schools on a reopening plan during a press conference at City Hall, Chicago, Ill., on Feb. 4, 2021. (Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Lori Lightfoot Faces Criticism After Call to Arms Against Supreme Court

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced criticism Tuesday after issuing a call to arms on Twitter following the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting Roe v. Wade may be overturned.

To my friends in the LGBTQ+ communitythe Supreme Court is coming for us next. This moment has to be a call to arms, the Democrat mayor posted. Its not clear why she linked the LGBTQ+ community with the Supreme Courts likely decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which concerns whether women have the constitutional right to obtain abortions.

She added in another Twitter post: We will not surrender our rights without a fighta fight to victory.

During a later interview with MSNBC, Lightfoot was asked to clarify her Twitter post.

I think everybody who saw that draft opinion has gone through a range of different emotions, Lightfoot told the left-wing outlet. But we cant just be angry. Weve got to be intentional, weve got to be dedicated.

She added: And thats why Im calling upon fellow elected officials across the country, and particularly my fellow mayors to join me in making a pledge that we made today, which is a justice for all pledge. And fundamentally, it reaffirms Chicago as a welcoming city, a city that doesnt discriminate, and a city thats going to stand with women.

But her Twitter comments came in the backdrop of left-wing protesters going to the homes of several Supreme Court justices over the weekend and an alleged Molotov cocktail attack on a pro-life group in Madison, Wisconsin, while a vandal wrote pro-abortion rhetoric on the walls of the office. The White House condemned the attack in a statement released Monday. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, meanwhile, announced he would enhance security around the homes of the Supreme Court justices who live in his state.

Lori Lightfoot just issued a call to arms to her fellow radicals directly on Twitter, wrote Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). While people are being slain in her streets on a daily basis, all she can worry about is endangering more lives with her reckless words. Shame on her. She should resign.

Others called on Twitter to remove Lightfoot from the platform, claiming her post was an incitement to violence.

After the draft opinion was leaked to Politico, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, was authentic. However, Roberts said the draft doesnt represent the current or final opinion of the Supreme Court, while he added that an investigation is now underway.

The Epoch Times has contacted Lightfoots office for comment.
A photo combination shows Casey Cole White (L) and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White in April 2022. (U.S. Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Missing Alabama Prison Guard Dead, Escaped Inmate in Custody After 10-Day Nationwide Manhunt

An Alabama corrections officer, Vicky White, is dead, and her partner, a capital murder suspect, Casey White, has been captured and is in custody after a 10-day manhunt, according to reports.

The pair were captured late on Monday in Indiana, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told a press conference. He said he didnt know why they were in Indiana.

The two, who fled law enforcement, are not family but are in a romantic relationship, officials suggested last week. They have been on the run since April 29, sparking a nationwide manhunt, after Vicky White, former Assistant Director of Corrections of the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence, Alabama, claimed she was taking Casey White for a mental evaluation.

Casey White, 38, surrendered himself without incident and was returned to custody, while Vicky White, 56, was found injured, Singleton said.

According to multiple reports, Indiana authorities said Vicky White was taken to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She died shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday at Evansville Deaconess Midtown Hospital, Vanderburgh County Coroner Steven W. Lockyear confirmed.

The Vanderburgh County Coroners Office concluded on Tuesday that Vicky White died by suicide.

A police pursuit started when the pair were spotted in a Cadillac near a local sheriffs office on Highway 41. The chase ended in a crash near Evansville Airport.

Prior to Vicky Whites death, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding told reporters the pursuit lasted less than a few minutes.

We gained information that a vehicle matching the description of a suspect vehicle was near our sheriffs office, so the U.S. Marshals Task Force and deputy sheriffs went to the area, Wedding also said.

The Marshals Task Force officers intercepted them, actually collided with them to end the pursuit. When this occurred, [Vicky White] shot herself and [Casey White] was injured, not too seriously, he said.

An emergency status conference has been scheduled for Casey White on Tuesday at midday at the Lauderdale County Courthouse, reported WHNT.

The U.S. Marshals Service was offering cash rewards for information leading to the capture of the two fugitives. Authorities said Vicky White sold her home a month ago, and she was supposed to retire on April 29, the day the two disappeared.

Casey White was charged with capital murder in September 2020 for the 2015 stabbing death of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, who was killed in her own home. At the time of his disappearance on April 29, Casey White was awaiting trial after saying he was paid to kill Ridgeway. He was already serving 75 years for a 2015 crime spree that involved home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase.

Update: This article was updated to include an Indiana coroners determination of the cause of death of Vicky White.
The Morrison government has announced a funding package to support mums- and dads-to-be. (Juan Encalada/Unsplash)

Morrison Government Plans to Subsidise IVF Storage for Cancer Patients

The Morrison government announced it would support hopeful and expecting mums and dads with a $53 million (US$37 million) package for reproductive services, pregnancy planning, and postnatal care.

Patients with cancer or people at risk of passing on genetic diseases who have undergone government-funded genetic testing will also have their egg, sperm, or embryo storage subsidised.

I want to help thousands more Australians achieve their dream of becoming parents, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Mothers Day, noting that one in six Australian couples face difficulties when trying to start a family.

For people battling cancer or staring down the risk of genetic diseases, its already a difficult battle, and this new subsidy will help give them more options about their aspirations to become parents, he said.

The government previously expanded its Medicare rebate scheme to cover genetic testing services for those undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

From Nov. 1, the Morrison government will put $14.4 million into funding IVF storage services, saving approximately 6,200 people $600 (US$420) a year.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Labor would match the Coalitions IVF commitment, calling the financial support a commonsense position going forward.

IVF for people who are suffering from cancerwe dont want people to be in a position whereby theyre having to face those options, he told reporters.

(L-R) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images, AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Health Minister Greg Hunt said another $13.7 million would help streamline access to information and services from the pregnancy stage until the baby is 12 months old.

Thinking about having a child, let alone those first few months of a newborns life, can be overwhelming, and we want to do what we can to make it that bit easier, he said.

Some of the funding will go towards updating clinical pregnancy care and postnatal guidelines and strengthening advice to the government on improving maternity services for families in rural areas.

It will also build on the previously announced commitment to womens health to improve the health outcomes for Australians in the long term.

The early postnatal period is a time of significant emotional change for most mothers, and around one-in-three of them can identify a traumatic birthing event.

The assistant minister to the prime minister for mental health and suicide prevention, David Coleman, said $25 million over four years would be invested into perinatal mental health and well-being.

We know around 100,000 Australian parents are touched by perinatal depression and anxiety each year, he said. We want to make sure that all new parents know they dont have to go it alone, that there is specialist support available and that it can be accessed by all new and expecting parents, no matter their situation or where they live.
Elon Musk arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, N.Y., on May 2, 2022. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Musk Says EU Law on Illegal Content and Tech Firm Transparency Exactly Aligned With His Thinking

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who is looking to finalize a deal to buy Twitter, said he agrees with the contours of a new European Union law meant to police illegal content, boost social media platform transparency, and enhance competitiveness to allow for more innovation and consumer choice.

Musk met with E.U. industry chief Thierry Breton in Texas on Monday, with the Tesla chief signaling his agreement with the Digital Services Act (DSA), flagship legislation in the E.U. whose aims include reigning in illegal content on social media platforms and forcing tech companies to be more transparent about their recommendation algorithms.

Breton posted a video on Twitter, in which the E.U. official tells Musk that he explained the Digital Services Act to the Tesla chief, telling Musk that, it fits pretty well with what you think we should do.

I think its exactly aligned with my thinking, Musk responds. I think were very much of the same mind.

Anything that my companies can do that would be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that, Musk added.

Musk and Breton did not go into detail on the new law, which levies hefty fines on companies for non-compliance.

The two main stated goals of the new rules are to create a safer digital space for users and to establish a level playing field that would enhance innovation, boost competitiveness, and provide consumers with more choice.

The rules include measures to counter illegal goods, services, and content online, including a mechanism for users to flag questionable content.

Theres also a ban on advertising aimed at children or based on religion, gender, race, and political opinions, for instance.

The new rules also feature transparency measures for online platforms on a number of issues, including on the algorithms used for recommending content or products to users.

A spokesman for Bretons office later told Tech Crunch that the pair had a constructive exchange on the impact of the recently adopted E.U. Digital Services Act on online platforms in areas such as freedom of speech, algorithm transparency, or user responsibility.

Inclusive Arena for Free Speech

Breton and Musks meeting came weeks after the worlds richest man clinched a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion in cash.

Musk has said his aim in seeking to buy Twitter is to take the company private and transform it into an inclusive arena for free speech.

The takeover attempt is not about making money, Musk has insisted, but to affect a number of changes to the platform and reduce the civilizational risk to freedom and democracy from what Musk has described as Twitters excessive and opaque restrictions on expression.

Some of the changes Musk has teased include cracking down on spam bots, making the algorithm open source to bolster transparency, and generally shifting the content moderation policies towards erring on the side of more free speech.

A self-described free speech absolutist, Musk told the audience at a recent TED event in Vancouver, Canada, that Twitter should permit unconstrained expression, though it should do so in line with the law.

In my view, Twitter should match the laws of the country, Musk told the audience, acknowledging reasonable legal caps on free speech like direct incitement to violence or shouting fire in a crowded theater.

But going beyond that and having it be unclear whos making what changes to where, having tweets mysteriously be promoted and demoted with no insight into whats going on, having a black box algorithm promote some things and not other things, I think this can be quite dangerous, Musk said.

My strong, intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization, he added.

Musks remarks about his objectives for Twitter prompted Breton to say that Twitter would have to comply with new E.U. rules, including on policing illegal content.

The Digital Services Act is expected to come into force in the E.U. in the coming years.
New Census Data Shows Significant Population Decline in Californias Urban Areas

LOS ANGELESWhile thousands of Californians have been fleeing the state for the lower cost of living found in other states, others are leaving large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles to the quieter suburbs found in the Inland Empire.

San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, adjacent to the states coastal towns, have seen an influx of both families and single residents from large cities since the start of the pandemic because of factors such as high rent costs.

According to new census data, both Los Angeles and San Francisco saw significant declines in population during the first year of the pandemic. In 2021, counties with net international migration loss, or more people moving out of than into the U.S., were more frequently found in California than other states, the research noted.

Los Angeles County lost the most residents to net migration in the U.S. at roughly 179,760 residents.

Second only to Maricopa County in Arizona, Riverside County gained the most residents from domestic migration, about 31,250 people.

The patterns weve observed in domestic migration shifted in 2021, Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureaus Population Division said in the March 24 report.

Even though over time weve seen a higher number of counties with natural decrease and net international migration continuing to decline, in the past year, the contribution of domestic migration counteracted these trends so there were actually more counties growing than losing population.

The average cost of rent in Los Angeles is around $2,660, while San Franciscos average cost is $3,230, according to Rent Cafe, an apartment listing service.

According to Zillow, the average cost of a house in San Francisco is $1.6 million, while Los Angeles is $965,700.

Meanwhile, Riverside has an average rent cost of $2,070, and a home costs an average of $624,000. San Bernardino has an average home value of $449,350.

Riverside-based real estate agent Stephanie Janeshak told The Epoch Times the vast majority of folks that come through my open houses are coming from LA Countyprobably 70-80 percent of open house visitors.

Beaumont resident Bill Gray said there is a definite move away from the big city, especially with housing prices in Orange and Los Angeles Counties coupled with the new move towards working from home, you certainly wouldnt think California is losing people if you look around here.

Los Angeles resident Allison Rogers, 32, says the citys quality of life appears to be falling. Rogers, who moved to the city when she was 23, has noticed a significant difference over the years, and because of the cost of living, she said shell never be able to afford a home in the city.

Its just really difficult to enjoy life in LA because you go to the park, theres a homeless person, or you go here and theres an RV camp parked on the side of the road doing crack cocaineyou just dont know what people are up to, Rogers told The Epoch Times.

Rogers said shes one of thousands of other California natives who plan to move by the end of the year, although shes uncertain of where shell go next.

While she said she considers herself to be in one of the last good neighborhoods in Los Angeles, right outside of Beverly Hills, shes still noticed an increase in crime happening in broad daylight.

Theres attempted carjackings in broad daylight at 2 pm in Beverly Hills, like its just not LA anymore, she said.
The Orange County Sheriffs Department told The Epoch Times in February 2021 that it has observed a 650 percent increase in catalytic converter thefts throughout the previous year. (Courtesy of The Orange County Sheriff's Department)

New Colorado Law Takes Aim At Catalytic Converter Thieves

The Colorado Legislature has passed a bill seeking to address an alarming increase in catalytic converter thefts.

On May 4, the state House gave final approval to Senate Bill 9, which targets so-called motor vehicle chop shops dealing in stolen parts and commodity metals.

The law requires anyone who acquires five or more vehicles for spare parts within a year to report within five days to the national vehicle title information system.

The bill includes vehicles acquired for dismantling, wrecking, shredding, compacting, crushing, or otherwise destroying vehicles for reclaimable parts or scrap metals, including catalytic converters.

According to the Colorado Theft Prevention Authority, thefts of catalytic converters that contain valuable commodity metals such as platinum rose 5,000 percent from 2019 to 2021.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (N.I.C.B.) reports that catalytic converter thefts have increased significantly in the United States since the start of the global pandemic in March 2020.

Thefts On The Rise

Vehicle thefts, carjackings, and break-ins are all crimes weve witnessed trending upward for several months. Now catalytic converter thefts are also on the rise, according to N.I.C.B. president and CEO David Glawe in a statement.

As the value of the precious metals contained within the catalytic converters continues to increase, so do the number of thefts of these devices. There is a clear connection between times of crisis, limited resources, and disruption of the supply chain that drives investors towards these precious metals.

Platinum currently sells for $951 per ounce on the spot market, according to the precious metals website Kitco.com.

An ounce of Palladium, another commodity metal used in catalytic converters, goes for $2,014.

A catalytic converter converts harmful exhaust emitted by an engine into less toxic gases. The top five states for catalytic converter thefts include California, Texas, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Illinois.

A Nationwide Problem

By February of 2021, 18 states were considering legislation to curb thefts.

Removing a catalytic converter takes only minutes using some basic, readily-available, battery-operated tools from a local hardware store, Glawe said.

And for the vehicle owner, its costly due to the loss of work, finding and paying for alternate transportation, and then paying anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to get your vehicle fixed.

Current law in Colorado requires junk shops and salvage yards to keep detailed records showing all transactions involving commodity metals.

Senate Bill 9 expands the scope of duties of a task force to include catalytic converter and commodity metals theft.

Colorados Senate Bill 179 provides civil penalties for catalytic converter thefts, including fines of up to $15,000.

Another bill, HB-1217, would require the Colorado State Patrol to develop an assessment report to determine compliance with commodity metal reporting requirements.

While insurance does cover theft of catalytic converters in some cases, policyholders are responsible for the deductible, the N.I.C.B. states.

The bureau recommends vehicle owners install a catalytic converter anti-theft device, park vehicles in a garage or driveway, and install motion sensor security lights.

While lights may not provide complete security it may make some thieves think twice, making them leave the area and your vehicle untouched.
Australian Fashion Council CEO Leila Naja Hibri speaks at the Australian Fashion Trademark Launch in Sydney, Australia, on May 9, 2022. (AAP Image/James Gourley)

New Trademark for Australian Fashion Industry Launched

The Australian Fashion Council has rolled out a new trademark to improve global consumers awareness of Australian fashion brands.

Leila Naja Hibri, the chief executive of Australias fashion industry peak body, said that a well-recognised trademark was a solution for international consumers lack of identification of Australian fashion.

We feel like this trademark, and the campaign behind it will help identify exactly what we represent, she said in comments obtained by AAP.

Naja Hibri said the new trademark represented a number of characteristics, including effortless style, raw nature, boundless optimism and fearless innovation, and a progressive social and environmental outlook.

The Australian Fashion trademark will be a driving force in building the industrys growth trajectory to deliver substantial economic, social and environmental gains over the next ten years, she said.

The trademark, which will come in the form of a digital marker rather than a clothing tag, was created with less than $1 million (US$693,000) in government funding and introduced at Sydney Fashion Week on May 9.

Australian Model and David Jones Ambassador, Miranda Kerr poses at David Jones Elizabeth Street Store in Sydney, Australia, on July 28, 2011. (Don Arnold/Getty Images for David Jones)

If a local brand wants to be certified by the Australian Fashion Council, it must pass a compliance test and satisfy the certification requirements.

The compliance test requires the applying brands to meet two of the following four criteria: being Australian made, being Australian owned, having Australian majority employees and paying tax in Australia.

Naja Hibri said she had the confidence that the certification process would be sufficient to filter out overseas competitors while allowing authentic Australian brands to be certified.

The chief executive also turned down the idea of frequently auditing the certification, saying that an honour system would be enough for the small domestic fashion industry.

Meanwhile, a report prepared by global accounting firm Ernst & Young for the Council indicated that the Australian fashion industry had the potential to grow by $10.8 billion over the next ten years to reach a total value of $38 billion by 2032. It is also expected that an extra 86,000 jobs will be generated during the same period.

In addition, the Council wants the federal government to invest $69 million to promote the new trademark internationally, enhance manufacturing capabilities, narrow skill gaps, and establish a circular clothing economy.

The Council will wave the certification fee for the first year; however, brands will have to pay licensing fees if they want to keep the trademark after that.
Orange County Makes It Easier for Students to Attend Schools Outside of District

COSTA MESA, Calif.The Orange County Board of Education is making it easier for students to attend schools outside of their districts.

Typically, parents can petition the board to allow their child to attend a school outside of their district, in the cases of issues related to transportation, childcare, and the parents place of employment. But after the board voted 31 on May 4, that criteria is widening.

The revised inter-district policy adds 12 new considerations for reviewing petitions, including the childs psychological or physical well-being, a specific academic program unavailable elsewhere, lack of an afterschool program, the familys plans to move into the desired district soon, or recommendations by the school based on documented cases of serious home issues.

Board President Mari Barke said inter-district transfers are near and dear to her heart because they have the potential to improve students lives.

When we hear these appeals, we hear real problems from real people who love their children and are doing everything in their power to make their childrens lives better, Barke said during the meeting. I always believe that parents make the best decisions for their children every day. [They]  identify the large and complex issues that we face and  the real-life problems that OC families are facing and come here to discuss with us.

The board has already been implementing these considerations already, said education and legal consultant Greg Rolen at the meeting, and todays vote was to formalize the guidelines.

Because schools in California receive funding based on student attendance rate, the board also must consider the amount of space available for a new student in the receiving district, as well as financial impact the switch may have on both schools.

If either school makes the case that the students transfer would create financial hardship for the districts current pupils in terms of reduced service or affected class size, the students transfer petition may be denied by the board.

A spokesperson for the Orange County Department of Education, and Trustee Beckie Gomez, who was the sole dissenting vote, did not respond to a request for data by press time.
Rescuers gather at Galawa Beach, 35 kilometers from Moroni, as they prepare to search the area after a Yemenia Airbus passenger plane crashed into the Indian Ocean off the island nation of Comoros on June 30, 2009, as it attempted to land in the dark amid howling winds, in Comoros, on July 1, 2009. (Sayyid Azim/AP Photo)

Paris Trial for 2009 Plane Crash That Left 152 Dead, 1 Alive

PARISThe lone survivor of a 2009 passenger plane crash in the Indian Ocean that killed 152 people sat in the front row of a Paris courtroom Monday at the opening of the trial of the Yemeni airline which operated the flight.

Bahia Bakari, who has called her survival a miracle, sat in silence as the victims names were read out at the start of the proceedings in a room heavy with emotion.

At just 12 years old, Bakari clung to floating debris from the plane for 11 hours in the sea before being rescued. Now 25, she recently told France 3 television she would attend the trial with both apprehension and relief.

The trial is needed to finally know the truth, said Bakari, who lost her mother in the crash.

Yemens main airline, Yemenia, has been charged with manslaughter and unintentional injuries in the case. It has denied responsibility.

The 2009 Yemenia flight left from Paris before picking up other passengers in the southern French city of Marseille. It made a stopover in Sanaa, Yemen, where 142 passengers and 11 crew members boarded another plane to continue to Moroni, the Comoros capital. During the landing in strong winds, the aging Airbus A310 crashed about 15 kilometers (9 miles) off the Comorian coast on June 30, 2009.

Yemenia is being tried in Paris over Bakaris injuries and the deaths of 65 French citizens. The company is facing a fine of up to 225,000 euros ($237,000). There are 560 plaintiffs in the case. Two rooms at the courthouse were set aside to retransmit the proceedings.

Most of the passengers onboard were from Comoros.

Fatouma Mmadi, president of the association SOS travel to Comoros, created a year before the crash to denounce the conditions of air travel from Sanaa to Moroni, said justice must be rendered and support offered to the families of the deceased.

Mmadi, a witness, was among those who slammed what they claimed was the poor state of air travel from Yemen, which has since been embroiled in a brutal civil war. She claimed Yemenia was more interested in profits than in taking care of its passengers.

A lawyer for the victims families denounced what he claimed were flying coffins.

This trial is going to serve a purpose and especially for the families who are now finally going to be able to mourn their relatives and close this sad chapter, lawyer Said Larifou said.

However, when it comes to the airlines and those responsible for guaranteeing the passengers safety, they havent learned anything from this and I doubt this trial will help them, he said. He railed against what he claimed were weaknesses in the investigation. And he railed against the French.

How could French authorities allow an airline to fly French passengers to Yemen on planes that complied with safety regulations, then let them fly (from Yemen to the Comoros) on garbage planes, flying coffins? Larifou said.

In 2015, the company was ordered in civil proceedings by two French courts to pay more than 30 million euros ($31.6 million) to the victims families, who deplored the slowness of the procedure between France and the Comoros, a former colony that became independent in 1975.

In 2018, a confidential agreement was signed between Yemenia and 835 beneficiaries, who had to wait several more years to receive compensation.

Bakari said the crash was a surprise.

We were told that we were going to land and there were jolts in the plane, Bakari told France 3 during the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. No one seemed worried. Before the crash, my mother just said to me Did you fasten your seatbelt?

The plane then crashed into the ocean.

I wake up in the water. Its dark. There are cries, people calling for help, crying. I also called for help, Bakari remembered.

After studying the planes black boxes, French aviation investigators from the BEA (Bureau of Investigations and Analysis) found that pilot error was the cause of the crash. They said the accident is not explained by a technical problem or by an explosion.

The agency wrote the accident was due to inappropriate actions by the crew on the flight commands, which brought the plane into a stall.

The investigators noted that several other factors also contributed to the accident, including windy conditions at the airport and the lack of training or briefing of the crew before operating the flight to Moroni, an airport classified as having difficult landing conditions.

Still, the tragedy did not prevent Bakari from flying again several times.

I tell myself theres little chance it will happen to me a second time, she told France 3.

By Oleg Cetinic and Alex Turnbull
An Ontario Provincial Police logo is shown during a press conference in Barrie, Ont., on April 3, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Pilot Involved in Ontario Plane Crash Reported for Improper Registration: Instructor

A British Columbia flight instructor alleges the pilot of a plane that crashed in northern Ontario with two wanted men on board had been advertising flight tours on a plane that wasnt registered for commercial use.

Azam Azami, a flight instructor based in Chilliwack, B.C., said he flagged an online ad posted by Abhi Handa in a report to Transport Canada in December, more than four months before the same plane in the ad went down.

Azami says he noticed the image of a plane posted on Facebook Marketplace was not typically used for commercial purposes and when he searched it in a public database, he found it was only privately licensed.

Although Handa shared with him an image of his commercial pilots licence, Azami said the plane would still need to be registered for commercial use before he could take on paying passengers.

(Handa) was posting on Facebook about doing a charter service and charging money on a privately registered aircraft. Thats illegal because it has to be a commercially registered aircraft with proper checks and balances in place, Azami said in an interview.

I reported him because Im a flight instructor and I teach my students about being conscious and good pilots, decision making and you know, following the rules because rules are there to keep everybody safe.

Handa has been identified by Ontario Provincial Police as the man flying a small aircraft that crashed in northwestern Ontario last month, killing all four aboard.

Police have identified the other passengers as Gene Lahrkamp, who was wanted in Thailand for murder, Duncan Bailey and Hankun Hong.

Bailey has the same full name and age as a man who breached his bail conditions in B.C., where he had been charged in a separate murder plot.

The crash is under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board, Ontario Provincial Police and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which is British Columbias anti-gang unit.

Azamis report on Dec. 7, 2021, to Transport Canada includes screengrabs of the ads Handa allegedly posted as well as a transcript of the messages they exchanged.

Azamis allegations were first reported in the Vancouver Sun.

The Piper Cherokee aircrafts registration number matches what the Transportation Safety Board has confirmed is the registration number of the plane that crashed.

Azami said he initially pretended to be an interested customer to gather more information about the flight services and Handas qualifications.

Something didnt seem right, Azami said.

In the course of the exchange on Facebook Messenger supplied to The Canadian Press, Handa said passengers and pilots on board would be insured and the plane was maintained up to Transport Canadas standards.

Handa told Azami charters to anywhere in Canada cost $300 an hour per person and the plane had capacity for two to three passengers.

He shared a copy of his redacted licence, showing a commercial pilot licence designation for small and multi-engine land aircraft.

Azami said that type of certification would allow Handa to work for hire with either an approved airline or on a commercially registered aircraft, but not a privately registered one.

Records from the Official Canadian Civil Aircraft Register database shows the aircraft was registered for private use.

Transport Canada said it was made aware in December 2021 that a private pilot was offering air taxi services and it started looking into the matter immediately, but it could not share any further details because it involved third-party information.

Generally speaking, however, the agency said that someone with a private pilots licence can only fly a plane of a class and type in respect to which the licence is endorsed. The same is true for a pilot with a commercial licence who is providing commercial air services.

To carry paying passengers, a company must take the extra steps of applying to Transport Canada for an air operator certificate, then apply for a domestic licence to operate an air transport service between destinations with the Canadian Transportation Agency.

By Amy Smart
Portland Man Arrested for Allegedly Vandalizing 2 Synagogues, Setting Fire to Mosque

A Portland man suspected of vandalizing several houses of worship was arrested over the weekend on charges of arson and criminal mischief, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

Michael Bivins, a 34-year-old former freelance journalist in Portland, was booked into the Multnomah County jail early on May 7. He faces an arson charge in the first degree, multiple counts of criminal mischief in the first degree, and criminal mischief in the third degree.

Portland Police said in a news release Bivins vandalized two synagogues and one mosque between April and May.

The string of incidents started on April 30, when Bivins allegedly broke windows at Congregation Shir Tikvah, a Jewish synagogue. Two days later, he allegedly targeted the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, throwing a large rock through the window and spraying graffiti.

On May 3, Bivins is also accused of setting fire to a mosque. The suspect was captured on a surveillance camera pouring an undetermined type of accelerant on the back of the Muslim Community Center and setting it on fire. His first attempt was unsuccessful and he was then seen on camera trying a second time.

Fortunately, there was only minor damage to the structure, the PPB said.

Rabbi Michael Cahana of Congregation Beth Israel told The Oregonian over the weekend that he was very grateful a suspect was taken into custody in connection to the instances of vandalism targeting houses of worship.

We hope that if this perpetrator is found guilty, that hes kept from committing these kinds of crimes for other houses of worship, Cahana told the paper on May 7. Hate speech can quickly escalate to violence, so were very pleased that he was caught before anyone was hurt.

The rabbi added that the two instances of vandalism had left his organization shaken after they found Nazi-related graffiti spray-painted on the walls of our building several days after survivors of the Holocaust were invited to speak for Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 27.

Any type of hate crime, or crime against religious institutionseven if its only property damageneeds to be quickly reported, Cahana said.

Andy Ngo, a journalist known for his reporting on anarcho-communist group Antifa, said in a series of messages on Twitter that Bivins was most known for his reporting and video coverage of right-wing rallies and protests, adding that he had captured many viral videos of riots in Portland.

Ngo, who is also the editor-at-large for the Post Millennial, noted that Portland reporters with prior associations with Bivins were quick to respond to his attacks on houses of worship. The suspect is reportedly an avid live streamer of protests and riots who previously sold his video footage to news organizations.

Mike Bivins wrote for @wweek from 2017 to 2019, Aaron Mesh, a news editor for Willamette Week, said on Twitter. He covered street brawls and other political polarization for us (along with selling video to local and national outlets). Were conducting a review of his work.

The PPB said that the investigation is ongoing and that they have contacted federal authorities about the case.

From NTD News
A double layer of barricades surrounds the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on May 10, 2022 (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Pro-Life Groups Outraged by Protests at Supreme Court Justices Homes

WASHINGTONPro-life advocates are expressing shock at reports of abortion activists leading an aggressive campaign of protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices in response to a leaked draft opinion that suggests the high court plans to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

While picketing to influence a judges ability to discharge his duty is a crime under U.S. law, the pro-abortion group Ruth Sent Us has an online announcement calling for protests on May 11 outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.

The governments minimal action in response to the protests shows that important leaders support abortion, according to American Life League President Judie Brown.

This is the entire system gone mad, she said. Theyre all in favor of abortionthe government, et cetera. And now is the perfect chance to show how they really feel.

Its not the fault of the police that only a few officers stood outside the homes of Supreme Court justices over the past few days, Brown said. Higher government officials have kept the police from deploying in force.

If I were a policeman, and I saw this kind of violence going on, especially at the residences of Supreme Court justices, I would send a clear message that this is not going to be tolerated by the police department, she said.

So far, hundreds of protesters have gathered to shout outside the homes of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito, and Chief Justice John Roberts. More protests are planned for May 11, according to a website run by Ruth Sent Us.

As of press time, the Department of Justice has remained silent about whether the protests outside the Supreme Court justices houses are illegal. Attorney General Merrick Garland has made no comment.

Demonstrators gather outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Va., on May 9, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

So far, the protests outside the Supreme Court have been loud and angry, with several punches thrown at pro-life protesters.

Abortion is a violent act, Brown said. And the people who support abortion are violent.

Bryan Kemper, the director of youth outreach for Priests for Life, says he was punched by protesters while he was outside the Supreme Court.

I was punched several times, he said. Friends of mine were punched and attacked. What were seeing is unhinged.

Kemper said he wouldnt be surprised if violence continued outside the homes of the justices.

Ruth Sent Us, one of the groups organizing the protests outside the homes of justices, asks people to let them know if they want to join or lead a peaceful protest.

Despite their concerns about violence by demonstrators, both Brown and Kemper said they dont think the Supreme Court justices will be intimidated by the protests.

Theres no way these justices are going to be intimidated, Kemper said. Theyre not going to back down. Theyre not going to allow protests to stop them from doing the job that they were sworn to do.

In response to the protests outside the houses of the Supreme Court justices, government reactions have been mixed.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in a shift from the initial response to the protests, said that judges shouldnt have to worry about their personal safety.

Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety, she announced on Twitter.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said authorities were working to keep the peace outside Alitos home.

Virginia State Police were closely monitoring, fully coordinated with Fairfax County and near the protests, he said.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said that the Supreme Court leak has weakened Americas judicial system.

The Supreme Court leak will set a disturbing precedent of inciting mob pressure to intimidate the justices before they issue a decision, he said on Twitter. For the sake of the courts independence, this leaker must be found and punished.
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Getty Images)

Senate Passes Bill to Provide 24 Hour Security for Families of Supreme Court Justices

The Senate passed a bill on Monday that would allow the Supreme Court to provide 24-hour security protection to the families of Supreme Court justices.

The bill was passed shortly after the leaked majority draft opinion suggesting that the Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right to abortion across the entire United States would be struck down became public.

Since the 67-page opinion was published on May 2 by Politico, protests have broken out across the country, including at the home of Justice Samuel Alito.

Threats to the physical safety of Supreme Court Justices and their families are disgraceful, and attempts to intimidate and influence the independence of our judiciary cannot be tolerated, said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a statement. Im glad the Senate quickly approved this measure to extend Supreme Court police protection to family members, and the House must take up and pass it immediately.

Cornyn was among the senators who introduced the bill, known as the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, last week alongside Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

We must act to ensure Justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members, he said.

The bill passed unanimously through the Senate on Monday but needs to be approved by the House before it is sent to President Joe Bidens desk.

Specifically, it would amend title 40 of the United States Code, to grant the Supreme Court of the United States security-related authorities equivalent to the legislative and executive branches for the immediate families of the nine justices and any other officers of the court if the Marshal determines such protection is necessary, the legislation says.

I am glad to see this bipartisan bill unanimously pass the Senate in order to extend security protection to the families of Supreme Court members, Coons said.

Cornyn has previously said that such legislation was necessary because families of the Supreme Court Justices had received threats to their safety following the leak.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Biden administration strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest but that such demonstrations should never include violence, threats, or vandalism.

Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety, she said on Twitter.

The White House has also said that its working with a broad range of groups in an effort to ensure that abortions continue to be legally available across the United States.

What our effort and our focus is on is on broadly engaging about the specifics on possible actions and preparing for the release of a final opinion, Psaki said in a press briefing last week, noting that the administration is working with pro-abortion activist groups and private businesses as well officials in state and federal government to analyze what options are available to the government should Roe v. Wade be overturned.

The leaked documentpenned by Alitostated that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, suggesting that the ruling could potentially be overturned by the Supreme Court.

If this is the case, it would allow each state legislature to decide how much access women living there would have to abortions.

A final decision has not yet been made, and while the Supreme Court has confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion, it has stated that it is preliminary. A ruling in the case is expected in June.
John and Elizabeth Burton with their son, Eoiey, at EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, Kentucky on May 8, 2022. (Michael Huang/The Epoch Times)

RICHMOND, Ky.Elizabeth Burton, a marketing leader with Amazon, and her family were delighted by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the EKU Center for the Arts on May 8.

I loved it, I thought it was beautiful. The colors and the costumes were exquisite  the dancing was phenomenal, she said.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern-day.

Mrs. Burton was impressed by the companys patented method of integrating a 3D animated backdrop with the stage performance. It allows the performers to remarkably travel back and forth between the stage and the background projection.

How the dancers came in and out of the backgroundthat was really nice, nicely done, she said.

Besides talented dancers, Shen Yun features a one-of-a-kind orchestra that blends traditional Chinese instruments into a classical Western orchestra.

A live orchestra  really made the experience I think, even that much more amazing. I didnt expect it, said Mrs. Burton.

Having both instruments that we are used to in an orchestra but [adding] Chinese instruments  I absolutely loved it!

Jim Thomas and his family at EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, Kentucky on May 8, 2022. (Nancy Ma/The Epoch Times)

Attorney Jim Thomas and his family also attended the Shen Yun performance at EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond on May 8, 2022.

It was flawless. They performed flawlessly  that and the timing of everybody just  precision, he said.

Mr. Thomass wife, Lea, was very impressed with the values and virtues experienced throughout the dances.

They talk about compassion and  the message of kindness, she said, love is really what binds us togethergives us hopehumanity, can really endure hardships  so it just showed us such beauty.

The vision, the pasthopefully, it will help the future generation with the vision of the future.

Shen Yun Performing Arts aims to revive Chinas 5,000-year-old traditional culture. The companys website says its performance this year demonstrates China before communism.

China was once known as The Land of the Divine and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdoms Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration and cultivated virtue in order to create uplifting art.

Today, Shen Yuns artists follow this noble tradition, which is why audiences feel there is something different about Shen Yun, says the companys website.

I think that the whole overall story of faith and a higher being is very striking for us because its not something that you see people broadcast much anymore, said Mr. Thomas.

People are almost afraid or ashamed to believe in a Divine Being and God  and I was just happy to see those kinds of messages going out to an audience without shame, he said, those are the things that we teach our son. And I just saw this beautiful message put out  very gracefully, very artistically

I think [compassion] is very important to everybody today  people can differ and still get alonglove one another, he said,

Hopefully, more people will see that message and, and will take it to heart.

Reporting by Michael Huang, Nancy Ma, and Jennifer Schneider.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
You Xiaorong, a former principal engineer with Coca-Cola, has been found guilty of stealing trade secrets worth $119.6 million. (Getty Images/Weibo/Composed by The Epoch Times)

Michigan Chemist Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Stealing Trade Secrets to Benefit Chinese Firm

A federal judge has sentenced a China-born American chemist to 14 years in prison for stealing trade secrets, engaging in economic espionage, and committing fraud.

You Xiaorong, also known as Shannon You, of Lansing, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge J. Ronnie Greer in Greeneville, Tennessee on May 9, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Besides the jail term, the department said the 60-year-old former Coca-Cola employee was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $200,000 fine.

In April 2021, You was convicted of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, conspiracy to commit economic espionage, possession of stolen trade secrets, economic espionage, and wire fraud, after trying to set up a Chinese company that would manufacture products based on stolen technology for the global market.

The defendant stole valuable trade secrets and intended to use them to benefit not only a foreign company but also the government of China, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division.

Todays sentence reflects the seriousness of this offense, as well as the Department of Justices commitment to protect our nations security by investigating and prosecuting those who steal U.S. companies intellectual property.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, You had worked at two U.S. companiesCoca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia as a principal engineer, and Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee as a packaging application development manager. During this time she acquired access to valuable trade secrets related to formulations for bisphenol-A-free (BPA-free) coatings for the inside of beverage cans.

You stole the trade secrets in a bid to set up a new BPA-free coating company in China, said the DOJ.

Until recently, BPA was used to coat the inside of polycarbonate beverage cans and other containers to help minimize flavor loss and prevent the container from corrosion and reactions with whats inside. However, due to BPAs potential health risks, companies have been searching for and developing BPA-free alternativesa costly and time-consuming process.

CamelBak brand BPA-free water bottles hang on display at an outdoor supply store in Arcadia, Calif. on April 16, 2008. (David McNew/Getty Images)

The stolen trade secrets that belonged to major chemical and coating companies, cost nearly $120 million to develop.

When companies invest huge amounts of time and money to develop world-class technologies, only to have those technologies stolen, the results are devastating, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division.

Bradley S. Benavides, acting assistant director of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division, added that this is not just a crime against the victim company.

Its a crime against American workers whose jobs and livelihoods are impacted, he said.

Thousand Talents Plan

You and her Chinese corporate partner, Weihai Jinhong Group, received millions of dollars in Chinese government grants to support the new company, including a Thousand Talents Plan award, prosecutors said.

Yous application and other evidence presented at trial showed that she intended to benefit not only the Weihai Jinhong Group, but also the central communist regime of China, provincial Shandong authorities, and municipal authorities of Weihai.

According to a 2018 Chinese media report, by joining the program, she was to be rewarded 3 million yuan ($443,000) in total from the Chinese authorities for bringing her stolen BPA-free technology to China.

You applied to the Chinese-state-sponsored recruitment program, known as Thousand Talents Program, in 2018.

This program, and other similar Chinese plans that target overseas talent, have drawn intense scrutiny from Washington over their role in facilitating the transfer of intellectual property to China and its perceived threats to national security.

Leaked Chinese documents obtained by The Epoch Times in 2020 showed a dozen researchers and experts who received nominations to the program hold doctorate degrees from Western universities or have previously worked in Western companies and academic institutions. The experts, from the United States, the U.K., Australia, Denmark, Germany, and Japan, specialized in high-technology industries such as artificial intelligence, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and biochemistry.

From 2008 to 2017, more than 7,000 high-end professionalsmostly from overseashave participated in Thousand Talents alone, including six Nobel Prize laureates, according to Chinese state media reports.

Last week, a 52-year-old Swiss-based Chinese scientist was convicted for his role in a $10 billion scheme to steal cancer medications from his employer and rebrand them under his own biomedical company, according to the DOJ.
Bill Gates recently put forth the disproven argument that COVID-19 emerged in the human population naturally through contact with animals.

That Gates would make this argument at this late junctureand do so publiclyis highly curious, as his comments run counter not only to much of what has been discovered in the last year about the viruss origin, but also in relation to the conclusions from those closest to the viruss emergence in early 2020.

We know that James Le Duc, director of the Fauci-funded Galvelston labwhich trained Wuhan lab staffwas very concerned that the virus came from the Wuhan lab.

We also know that Le Duc relayed these concerns to both the director of the Wuhan lab and to a shadowy governmental official who was connected to both Peter Dazsaks EcoHealth Alliance and to Le Duc himself.

A new batch of Freedom of Information emails from Le Ducs lab now sheds additional light on the fact that all major players knew very early on that the virus had come out of the lab.

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Meditation is becoming more common in the West. When Transcendental Meditation gained popularity in the 60s and 70s, it was still a little out there for mainstream America. But nowadays even many hospitals offer meditation as a treatment option for some patients, because the research shows it is beneficial.

But the long tradition of meditation in the East is about more than sitting still and clearing the mind. It doesnt just ease stress and promote health. It generates supernormal abilities.

Thats what the yogis say. Thats what Dean Radin, Ph.D., investigates scientifically.

Radin is the chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). He earned a degree in electrical engineering, magna cum laude with honors in physics, from the University of MassachusettsAmherst, and then an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before IONS, he held positions at AT&T Bell Labs, Princeton University, the University of Edinburgh, and SRI International.

Radin described a survey IONS conducted. They asked 2,000 people who meditate, Have you ever had experiences of the following type? A long list followed, including clairvoyance, precognition, and similar psychic phenomena.

About 75 percent of the meditators reported that they had these types of experiences. They felt the experiences arose as a result of meditation.

As more and more people meditate for physical or mental health reasons, theyre going to start encountering these kinds of phenomena and, in many ways, thats why I wrote the book, Supernormal,' Radin said.

Supernormal: Science, yoga, and the evidence for extraordinary psychic abilities, was published in 2013. It reviews a broad swath of scientific studies related to psi (Psi refers to any psychic phenomenon, such as psychokinesis, telepathy, or clairvoyance).

Radin was raised agnostic, and he still views meditation as a secular practice, but he gives an ear to the mystics.

In the West, whether we like to admit it or not, most of us believe in the supernormal.

For example, a 2001 Gallup poll found that three in four Americans believes in the paranormal. A 2007 poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life asked 35,000 Americans, Do you believe in miracles? About 80 percent answered yes. Even among those without religious affiliations, 55 percent said they believe in miracles.

Were fascinated by the supernormal, but the academic world refuses to look at it seriously.

Radin pointed out that less than 1 percent of universities around the world have a faculty member known for studying psi. Even religious studies professors generally refuse to look at miracles as real.

Hollywood provides our main outlet for this fascination.

Theres still an enormous amount of fear associated with these phenomena because of how theyre portrayed in Hollywood, usually in the horror genre, Radin said. The irony is that you can get a Ph.D. dissertation on the Hermeneutics of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but you cant if you want to study telepathy.

He said we may be seeing an echo of the witch trials in the fear-based approach to supernormal phenomena. Those trials went on for some 500 years and left their mark on our psyches. If someone has witch-like characteristics  they have traditionally been considered scary at best and evil at worst, he said.

But academia is coming around. The U.K. is currently the hub for studying psi, with a dozen university-based programs that are sympathetic to studying psi effects.

Twenty years ago it was almost impossible to publish psi research in mainstream journals, Radin said. Now we can and we are publishing an increasing number of psi-research articles in mainstream journals. One of our recent articles is in an online journal called Frontiers in Neuroscience  and most of our physics-oriented research is now published in physics journals.

Radin pointed out that students today become familiar with the strangeness of quantum mechanics early in life. This helps the younger generation of scientists be more open to exploring phenomena like non-local entanglement, a property that transcends the classical boundaries of space and time.

This shift in perspective about what the physical world allows is important because psi effects are considered strange for one main reasonthey too transcend the ordinary constraints of space and time.

Scientific American and other mainstream journals are now exploring subjects like quantum biology, which suggests that entanglement, called spooky action at a distance by Albert Einstein, may also exist at the macro-level of human beings (and not just at the micro-level of subatomic particles).

In Supernormal, Radin quoted British psychologist and skeptic Richard Wiseman, who told the Daily Mail, By the standards of any other area of science, remote viewing is proven.

Radin added: The import of this statement cannot be overstated. A prominent skeptic of all things psychic  admitted that he believes psychic functioning has been scientifically proven. He later clarified that he meant to say not just remote viewing (i.e. clairvoyance) was proven, but that all psi phenomena meet the usual standards for a normal claim, and are thus proven by scientific standards.

But many skeptics hold that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. As the meditation traditions of the East continue to spread to the West, we may find The meaning of extraordinary is in the eye of the beholder.

Radin explained in his book: For a Western-trained academic, the mere existence of, say, telepathy would be considered supernormal and thus wildly extraordinary. But for an experienced yogi, its just a boringly normal minor siddhi [a Sanskrit term for a meditation attainment, or power]. A skeptical scientist, not having the benefit of thousands of hours of practice in yoga and meditation, would require repeatable, rigorously obtained experimental data showing odds against chance of a gazillion to one. The yogi merely requires his own experience.
The Public Health Prophet We Did Not Heed

Commentary

Donald Henderson, who died in 2016, was a giant in the field of epidemiology and public health. He was also a man whose prophetic warnings from 2006 we chose to ignore in March 2020.

Dr. Henderson directed a 10-year international effort from 1967 to 1977 that successfully eradicated smallpox. Following this, he served as dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health from 1977 to 1990. Toward the end of his career, Henderson worked on national programs for public health preparedness and response following biological attacks and national disasters.

In 2006, Henderson and his colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Health Security, where Henderson also maintained an academic appointment, published a landmark paper with the anodyne title Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza, in the journal Biosecurity and Terrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science.

This paper reviewed what was known about the effectiveness and practical feasibility of a range of actions that might be taken in attempts to lessen the number of cases and deaths resulting from a respiratory virus pandemic. This included a review of proposed biosecurity measures, later utilized for the first time during COVID, such as large scale or home quarantine of people believed to have been exposed, travel restrictions, prohibitions of social gatherings, school closures, maintaining personal distance, and the use of masks.

Even assuming a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.5 percent, roughly equal to the 1918 Spanish flu, but far higher than the CFR for COVID, Henderson and his colleagues nevertheless concluded that these mitigation measures would do far more harm than good.

They found the most helpful strategy would be isolating symptomatic individuals (but not those who had merely been exposed) at home or in the hospital, a strategy that had long been part of traditional public health. They also cautioned against reliance on computer modeling to predict the effects of novel interventions, warning that no model, no matter how accurate its epidemiologic assumptions, can illuminate or predict the secondary and tertiary effects of particular disease mitigation measures. Furthermore, if particular measures are applied for many weeks or months, the long-term or cumulative second- and third-order effects could be devastating socially and economically.

Regarding forced quarantines of large populations, the authors noted, There are no historical observations or scientific studies that support the confinement by quarantine of groups of possibly infected people, and they concluded that the negative consequences of large-scale quarantine are so extreme (forced confinement of sick people with the well; complete restriction of movement of large populations; difficulty in getting critical supplies, medicines, and food to people inside the quarantine zone) that this mitigation measure should be eliminated from serious consideration.

Likewise, they found that travel restrictions, such as closing airports and screening travelers at borders, have historically been ineffective. They argued that social distancing was also impractical and ineffective.

The authors noted that during previous influenza epidemics, large public events were occasionally canceled; however, they found no evidence that these actions have had any definitive effect on the severity or duration of an epidemic, and they argued that closing theaters, restaurants, malls, large stores, and bars  would have seriously disruptive consequences. The review presented clear evidence that school closures would prove ineffective and enormously harmful. They likewise found no evidence for the utility of masks outside the hospital setting.

Henderson and his colleagues concluded their review with this overriding principle of good public health: Experience has shown that communities faced with epidemics or other adverse events respond best and with the least anxiety when the normal social functioning of the community is least disrupted.

Needless to say, we did not heed any of this advice in March 2020. We instead forged ahead with lockdowns, masks, social distancing, and the rest. When faced with COVID, we rejected time-tested principles of public health and embraced instead the untested biosecurity model. We are now living in the aftermath of this choice.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The House of Commons chamber is seen on April 8, 2020 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Tories Call for End to Hybrid Parliament After Liberal MP Caught Joining House Proceedings From Washroom Stall

Conservatives are accusing Liberal MP Shafqat Ali of being in contempt of the House in response to an incident that took place on May 6 when the Liberal MP was caught participating in House proceedings from a bathroom stall.

On May 9, John Brassard, House Leader for the Conservatives, rose on a question of privilege to point out the occurrence of misconduct.

The member of Parliament was literally using the washroom while participating in a sitting of the House of Commons, the cathedral of Canadian democracy. I cannot believe I actually just said those words, Brassard said.

Frankly, we have now had two years of Zoom meetings in a hybrid Parliament. Surely to God we have figured out when and where to turn our cameras on and off. It is the Liberal Party, the party that keeps shoving hybrid procedures down our throats, that cannot seem to get its act together.

The incident is said to have occurred on a private internal screening rather than the feed that is available to the public. The incident was first flagged on May 6 by Conservative MP Laila Goodridge, who rose on a point of order to point out Alis participation from the washroom.

After Goodridge flagged Assistant Deputy Speaker Alexandra Mendes over the incident, Mendes later informed the House, that a page has confirmed that there was a member that appeared to be in the washroom.

Goodridge elaborated on the incident in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, contending that the incident is another example of the pitfalls of having hybrid proceedings in Parliament.

I thought people had learned their lesson, she claimed. This is just another reason why these virtual proceedings need to come to an end, because they are not being treated with the respect that they deserve.

In response to the controversy, Ali apologized to the House for his actions in a statement given in the House of Commons via Zoom on May 9.

I want to take this opportunity to apologize sincerely and unreservedly to all members of the parliament for the unfortunate event that transpired last Friday, Ali said.

I ask that the House and its members to forgive me for my lapse in judgment. I take this matter extremely seriously and I promise never to repeat this error again.

In his statement, Brassard accused the Liberals of showing blatant disrespect to Parliament, citing two previous occasions in 2021 when Liberal MP Will Amos was caught naked on camera, which subsequently led to him not seeking re-election.

The solution, Brassard said, was to shut down the hybrid parliament and end this remote participation.

It is time we all get back here, in our places in this chamber. On top of the disrespect shown to the House, there is also the matter of the potential consequential effects here on Parliament Hill.

Brassard has requested that Alis conduct be referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs for further investigation.
People cheer as US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at the Huntington Tri-State Airport, on November 2, 2018, in Huntington, West Virginia. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump, Turnout Keys in West Virginias Hatfields-Vs-McCoys GOP Primary Between Incumbents

One incumbent has the support of the states Republican establishment and its leading industries and says his opponent is a carpetbagging professional politician with no interests beyond his own career.

The other incumbent has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and describes his opponent as a RINO out of step with the Make America Great Again movement.

Both sitting Republican congressmen square off in Tuesdays primary that will leave only one standing after an acrimonious West Virginia election that national observers say could portend the future of the GOP.

The race between six-term incumbent Rep. David McKinley (R), 75, and four-term incumbent Rep. Alex Mooney (R), 50, in the states newly reconfigured Congressional District 2 is the featured event of West Virginias 2022 primaries.

After West Virginia lost one of its congressional districts in post-2020 Census reapportionment, McKinley and Mooney were left vying for the same seat.

The McKinley-Mooney race is one of two congressional primaries on West Virginias ballot, which does not include any statewide elections.

In West Virginias other congressional race, incumbent U.S. Rep. Carol Miller (R) is an overwhelming favorite to cruise past four GOP primary challengers and win a third term representing the states newly refashioned Congressional District 1 in Novembers general election.

Millers campaign had raised more than $530,000 as of April 20, according to its Federal Elections Commission (FEC) filing, dwarfing her primary opponents caches.

Miller is also expected to cruise to victory in Novembers general election when she faces Democrat Eugene Watson, a Bluefield State College instructor running unopposed.

McKinley and Mooney also have company within the GOP field with three other Republicans on the ballot. Collectively, the three other contenders had raised less than $32,000, while the two front-runners are expected to spend an estimated combined $6 million on their campaigns.

As with Miller, the survivor in 2nd District GOP primary is projected to easily defeat the winner of the Democratic primary. That race is between security operations manager and mother of seven Angela Dwyer of Martinsburg and Barry Wendell of Morgantown, a former two-term Morgantown City Council member.

Trump easily won West Virginia in 2020 by 38.9 points, down from 42.1 points in 2016. He captured nearly 69 percent of the states vote; only Wyoming had a marginally higher percentage.

CQ Roll Call, FiveThirtyEight, and Cook Report all classify West Virginia as solid red and safe Republican and predict the 2022 vote will confirm that.

But which Republican party prevails Tuesday has national pundits watching the McKinley-Moody race closely as a pivotal clash between the GOP establishment, as represented by McKinley, and the partys insurgent Trump MAGA wing championed by Mooney.

Trump entered the race in November when he endorsed Mooney as a proud America First conservative and called McKinley a RINO who supported the Unfrastructure Bill and the Sham January 6th Unselect Committee.

During a May 3 Get Out The Vote Telephone Rally staged by Mooneys campaign, the former president called in to reiterate his total backing.

We have to make sure that we vote for this great gentleman, a friend of mine, and really a warrior in every sense, Trump said during the tele-rally. Alex is an American First warrior, a House of Representatives person that I call, and hes always been there for me.

Mooney is also supported by the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, the House Freedom Fund, American Conservative Union, FreedomWorks PAC, and Republican U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson of Texas and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Mooney will be the second major Trump endorsement to be tested at the polls. Trump-backed Ohio GOP U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance won his hotly contested primary battle on May 3.

McKinley was among only 13 of 209 House Republicans to vote for the Jan. 6 commission.

After opposing Build Back Better when the House approved it in a partisan vote, McKinley voted for the failed compromise measure that U.S. Sen. Joe ManchinWest Virginias only statewide-elected Democratattempted to cobble together.

Those two votes and Trumps endorsement are about all that separate Mooney and McKinley, who both share the same legislative prioritiessecuring the border, defending the Second Amendment, rebuilding the economy, advocating for the states coal industry, abolishing abortion, supporting law enforcement and veterans, and battling opioid addiction.

Despite being called a RINO by the former president, McKinley burnished his MAGA credentials in a May 5 Facebook statement, noting, I stood with President Trump 92 percent of the timemore than Alex Mooneyto build the border wall and defend his America First Agenda.

McKinley has also secured significant endorsements because of his infrastructure vote, which will bring up to $6 billion in needed improvements to the state.

In addition to Manchin, Democrat-turned-Republican Gov. Jim Justice, former Trump administration U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the states Chamber of Commerce, the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, and the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia are all backing McKinley.

One organization that has made no endorsements in the race is the West Virginia Republican Party, which several media outlets reported was backing Mooney.

Not true, said State GOP Committee Chair Mark Harris in a statement.

The WVGOP has been and is neutral in this primary cycle. Period. End of story, Harris said. Neither the state party nor its steering committee have voted to endorse ANY candidate for partisan public office this cycle. No such an endorsement has ever taken place.

Before Trump issued his endorsement, McKinley was leading in polls by 15 to 20 percent. That advantage was whittled back to about 5 percent in March, and he now appears to be trailing  and doing so significantly.

According to an April 27-May 4 MetroNews West Virginia Poll of 350 likely Republican voters in the 27-county CD 2 released May 6, Mooney led 48 percent to 33 percent over McKinley.

How prescient that poll proves to be will be determined by Tuesdays turnout and how many unaffiliated voters participate. West Virginias voting rules allow independents to vote in either partys primaries.

According to the West Virginia Secretary of States office, there are about 448,900 registered Republicans who constitute 36.8 percent of the electorate; about 444,600 registered Democrats, or 36.5 percent; and 275,000 unaffiliated registered voters, or about 22.6 percent. The influence of independent voters who lean Republican is evident in the GOPs decade-long dominance in the state.

With less than 60,000 casting ballots during the states April 27-May 7 early voting period, the winner in Tuesdays 2nd District primary could be largely driven by Election Day turnout.

Most expected participation in the primaries to be typical for a non-presidential election year in West Virginia, especially without any statewide elections on the ballot.

During the 2020 primaries, 449,077 West Virginians, or 36.53 percent, cast ballots, with 63.25 percent, or 802,726 showing up for the general election.

During the 2018 midterms, 320,937, or 26.13 percent, voted in the primary elections, with 597,149, or 47.93 percent, casting ballots in the general election.
It seemed a simple prospect  take a low-dose baby aspirin tablet once a day and reduce your risk of ever suffering a heart attack or stroke.

But new science has shown its not that simple.

Noting the drugs risk of dangerous bleeding, the nations leading panel of preventive health experts has reversed course and now recommends that most people not start taking daily low-dose aspirin to prevent their first heart attack or stroke.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its guidelines Tuesday to recommend against initiating daily low-dose aspirin in people 60 and older.

The choice for people between 40 and 59 would be between themselves and their doctor, but the task force warns that the net benefit of aspirin use in this group is small.

The guidelines change is mainly based on data from three large clinical trials published in 2018, all of which showed that the benefits of aspirin were minimal and definitely outweighed by the increased risk of gastrointestinal and brain bleeding.

Those trials really showed essentially no benefit in reducing cardiovascular events but showed increased rates of bleeding, said Dr. Eugene Yang, chair of the American College of Cardiologys Prevention Section Leadership Council. I think what we have really learned is that the benefit is really not apparent, and the harm has been consistently demonstrated in terms of increased major bleeding.

The task force also gathered data from 14 other randomized controlled trials regarding the potential bleeding harms of aspirin, said task force member Dr. John Wong, chief of clinical decision making and interim science officer at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Those trials involved more than 300,000 patients.

We found that the taking of an aspirin on a daily basis might increase the odds of having a major gastrointestinal bleed, such as an ulcer, by about 60%, he said. It also looks like the risk of bleeding within the brain is increased, between 20% to 30% depending on the type of bleeding.

Aspirin thins the blood by blocking the action of platelets, the blood cells that clump together to form clots and scabs.

Doctors had hoped that by reducing clotting, low-dose aspirin would also reduce the risk of clot-related heart attacks and strokes. A low dose is between 81 milligrams and 100 milligrams.

The update brings the task force recommendations closer in line with the primary prevention guidelines of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Those guidelines were revised in 2019 to recommend that no one 70 or older start taking aspirin to prevent a stroke or heart attack, Yang and Wong said.

The new recommendation does not apply to people with existing heart problems who are taking low-dose aspirin, Yang said. That includes people who have had open heart surgery, undergone angioplasty, have had a stroke or heart attack, or have diagnosed blockages in major arteries.

For those patients, where aspirin is clearly beneficial, the recommendation does not change, Yang said.

In addition, people who are already taking daily low-dose aspirin to prevent their first heart attack or stroke shouldnt just drop the practice without discussing it with their doctor, Wong said.

Before any patient considers whether to stop a medication, I would strongly urge them to have a conversation with a trusted clinician, he said.

For his part, Yang said he will generally recommend that his patients stop taking daily aspirin.

In my practice, if the patient is taking it, I will generally have a discussion and tell them that there really isnt a clinical need to continue taking it because theres no benefit, and most of the time the patients will stop based on my recommendation and our discussion, Yang said. Some will elect to continue, but most patients will say, I dont want to take all these extra pills.'

The new USPSTF guidelines were published April 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More Information

The American Heart Association has more about aspirin and heart disease.

SOURCES: Eugene Yang, MD, chair, American College of Cardiology Prevention Section Leadership Council; John Wong, MD, chief, clinical decision making, and interim science officer, Tufts Medical Center, Boston; Journal of the American Medical Association, April 26, 2022, online

Thompson, a HealthDay senior staff reporter, has been a reporter for over 25 years, serving primarily at Gannett newspapers on both coasts of the United States. He has also worked for over 10 years as a freelance health reporter, writing articles for a variety of online and print news companies.

This story was originally published on the HealthDay site.
Students move between classes at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, San Diego, Calif., on May 15, 2018. (Yang Jie/The Epoch Times)

UCSD Grad Student Accused in CHP Officers Shooting Pleads Insanity

SAN DIEGOA 25-year-old graduate student accused of trying to grab a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers gun during an altercation on Interstate 8 in Mission Valley, leaving the lawman shot in the leg, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on May 10 to charges that include attempted murder of a peace officer.

Yuhao Du, 25, is accused of lunging for CHP Officer Antonio Tony Pachecos service weapon on April 27, causing the gun to fire as the two men grappled over the pistol.

The events that led to the shooting began at about 6:15 p.m., when Du, a graduate student studying physics at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, crashed his vehicle on eastbound Interstate 8 near the I-805 overpass, according to the CHP.

A short time later, Pacheco pulled over alongside the freeway at the site of the wreck and contacted Du, who was standing in the center-median area, CHP spokesman Jake Sanchez said.

As Pacheco was speaking with him, Du allegedly attacked him without warning, lunging for his service gun and trying to take control of it, Sanchez said.

After Pacheco was shot in the thigh, Sanchez said several passing motorists stopped to assist the injured officer by providing medical aid and restraining Du until additional law enforcement [personnel] arrived.

The gunshot injuries suffered by Pacheco, who has two young children and whose wife, Janette, is pregnant, will require a lengthy rehabilitation and potential surgeries, according to a GoFundMe.com page seeking donations to help the family with expenses during his recuperation.

A message dated last week on the page states that Pacheco was initially released from the hospital, then re-admitted due to serious complications from the gunshot wound.

Along with attempted murder, Du is charged with felony counts of assault on a peace officer with a semi-automatic firearm and removing and taking a firearm from an officer.

He remains in custody without bail. Following his plea on the morning of May 10, the next steps will involve having him examined by doctors.

One of Dus attorneys, Anna Demidchik, said the plea was a difficult decision for us to make. The attorney said the decision was discussed extensively with Mr. Du, but we believe that under the circumstances, its the best way to go.

With Demidchik translating, Dus mother, Xiugin Li, made a statement outside court after her sons arraignment, in which she said, We really hope that Officer Pacheco can recover as quickly as possible. What happened must be extremely traumatizing, not just for the officer  but also for his family.

Li said she recently traveled to San Diego from China to support my son during this trying time.

She said, Yuhao has always been a very good, responsible, and hard-working kid  It breaks my heart to see him in this situation. But I trust the American justice system to get to the bottom of the problem and to find the right resolution.

Regarding the specifics of the case, Demidchik reiterated statements shed made at Dus prior court appearance, in which she said videos on social media have shown what happened in the aftermath of the incident, but not the event itself.
This image from video, labeled GIMBAL and provided by the Department of Defense from 2015, shows an unexplained object (C) being tracked as it soars high along the clouds, traveling against the wind. (Department of Defense via AP)

UFO Briefing Was Given to Canadian Defence Minister Ahead of Landmark US Public Report: Documents

The former Canadian minister of defence received a briefing on UFOs last year from his department ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence community report on the topic, according to newly obtained documents.

The PowerPoint presentation titled Unidentifed Aerial Phenomena (UAP): Brief to MND says there are Approximately 1,000 UFO sightings reported in Canada each year.

It gave two recent examples, including one dated May 9, 2021, when a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-900 cruising at 39,000 feet asked air-traffic controllers about traffic well above them moving right to left.

The briefing and related email communications from the Department of National Defence (DND) were obtained by CTV News through an access to information request and published on May 6.

The unclassified briefing does not reveal any groundbreaking information as it focuses more on the agencies involved and reporting mechanisms used over the years.

Then-chief of staff to former Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan had requested the briefing in the lead up to the U.S. intelligence community releasing its report on the matter.

It should/could be expected that the imminent US release of information will prompt questions domestically and with Defence-related implications, more than likely, given the nexus with DoD [Department of Defense] in the US for the upcoming report, wrote George Young in an email to National Defence Deputy Minister Jody Thomas and Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre.

Anticipating this, I believe it is prudent to request a full briefing for Minister Sajjan from the Canadian perspective on this issue.

In June 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which oversees U.S. intelligence agencies, released its report Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

The report is conservative in nature, leading with the statement that the limited amount of high-quality reporting on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP.

The report noted that some UAP appeared to demonstrate advanced technology.

Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernable means of propulsion.

It also raised national security concerns if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology.

With the topic gaining more attention and less stigma in recent years, the U.S. House Intelligence subcommittee will be holding public hearings on UFOs on May 17, a first in more than half a century.

While the U.S. created a task force in 2020 to better collect and analyze information on the UFO phenomena and is holding public hearings, the briefing to Sajjan suggests the Canadian government is lagging behind in terms of interest.

The briefing says NAV Canada, which operates Canadas civil air navigation system, is responsible for managing UAP-related reporting. Instances of unidentifiable occurrences are then reported via the Communications Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings (CIRVIS) and passed to non-governmental Canadian UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski.

Rutkowksi, a prominent ufologist who also works as a communications officer at the University of Manitoba, commented on the CTV News article on the UFO briefing to DND on his LinkedIn page and said he had been asked to provide info on UFOs in Canada for a briefing to the Minister of Defence.

Rutkowski manages the Canadian UFO Survey website and produces reports on the number of yearly sightings with an assessment of explained and unexplained phenomena.

The briefing says the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the National Research Councils research partnership into UFOs was dissolved in 1995 and reporting on Non-Meteoric Sightings began to be directed to Rutkowski.

In 2000, Rutkowski started receiving all UFO-related reports from DND and Transport Canada, and currently the University of Manitoba does not fund Canadian UFO Survey, but assists in archiving Mr. Rutkowskis files for future academic research.

Transport Canada also maintains a database of aviation incidents, for which NAV Canada provides 80 percent of reporting.

One such report filed as a potential UFO in May 2016 says that a Sky Regional Airlines plane travelling from Montreal to Toronto reported it had crossed an unidentified flying object, round in shape, flying at an approximate speed of 300kts [555 km per hour]. North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) was advised.
UK MPs Told of Bullyboy Tactics Used in SLAPP Lawsuits

The House of Commons Justice Committee has been told London has become the world leader in law firms perpetrating strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs.

Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, described SLAPPs as bullyboy tactics used to intimidate journalists or tie them up in knots in order to prevent them publishing damning material.

She said: A SLAPP is not just defamation. It could be privacy, copyright, or data privacy. The costs are just the tip of the iceberg. Its the physical, emotional and mental toll [on journalists].

In March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out about the chilling effect of SLAPPs, which he said were often used to silence journalists, with Justice Secretary Dominic Raab saying, We will not tolerate Russian oligarchs and other corrupt elites abusing British courts to muzzle those who shine a light on their wrongdoing.

Stanistreet said reform was overdue and she said: It is a badge of shame that so many journalists around the world are targeted by lawyers based here. It is a jurisdiction of concern.

She recounted a survey the Foreign Policy Centre carried out in 2020 in which they interviewed 63 dogged investigative journalists in 41 countries around the world and found the UK was by far the most frequent origin for [legal] threats.

Inequality of Arms

At the committee, Labour MP Maria Eagle asked if there was an inequality of arms, and Stanistreet replied: Absolutely. Many journalists are freelancers and are sometimes not fully supported. These have a chilling effect on the broader journalistic community.

Peter Coe, a law professor at the University of Reading, said, I was talking to an academic yesterday who was subjected to a number of SLAPPs and he said they cant afford to fight it so they just close it [controversial research] down.

Rupert Cowper-Coles, a lawyer who has represented many journalists, publishers, and NGOs, told the committee SLAPPs were often brought under data protection law, rather than defamation, pointing out that there is no public interest defence for data protection breaches.

He said: There are globally wealthy people around the world who are subject to sanctions or are fugitives from U.S. justice who are still very easily able to access legal representation in London and pay for lawyers to threaten defamation claims in this jurisdiction. People whose frauds are well documented in the Department of Justice or are fleeing from fraud and hiding in China are still able to hire reputation lawyers to threaten booksellers, to threaten journalists.

Cowper-Coles said, There are fraudsters around the world, they can come to England and  essentially with the swag theyve defrauded their country or someone else can be spent on reputation defence.

Dirty Money

Cowper-Coles added, A lot of this litigation is about corruption and dirty money and the law firms dont fear the consequences.

Catrin Evans QC, a barrister with Matrix Chambers, responded to that point by saying lawyers were obliged to take cases we dont agree with.

Another top barrister, Justin Rushbrooke QC, told the committee: North American libel laws, because of the First Amendment, prioritise irresponsible journalism over truth and the right to reputation and thats not a balancing act Id like to see in this country.

Last month the European Commission proposed a new law to protect journalists and activists from SLAPPs, which it said were a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and information.

The Commission recommended switching the burden of proof so the claimant had to prove the case was not manifestly unfounded, and it pointed out Maltese investigative journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia faced more than 40 lawsuits before her death in a 2017 car bombing.

PA Media contributed to this report.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Ireland's Taoiseach Micheal Martin walking in the gardens of Hillsborough Castle during a visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 13, 2020. (Brian Lawless/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK Says It Will Take All Necessary Steps to Protect Northern Ireland Peace

LONDONBritain said on Tuesday it would take all necessary steps to protect peace in Northern Ireland as it urged the European Union to show new imagination in talks to resolve problems with post-Brexit trading rules.

London and Brussels have been trying for months to break the deadlock over the deal, which in effect created a customs border in the sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom to preserve the provinces open land border with E.U. member state Ireland.

Britain wants a full overhaul of the agreement and has hinted at the possibility of unilaterally suspending part of it if no new deal can be reached with the E.U., while the E.U. is looking for changes within the terms of the existing deal.

We will continue to talk with the E.U. but we will not let that stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland, said a British briefing document published on Tuesday to accompany the governments new legislative agenda.

We urge our partners in the E.U. to work with us, with new imagination and flexibility, to deliver that.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said no decisions on the next steps had been taken yet.

E.U. negotiator Maros Sefcovic later issued a statement that called on Britain to display its own creativity in search of solutions, but restated that the deal, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, was not up for renegotiation.

The protocol, as a cornerstone of the Withdrawal Agreement, is an international agreement. Its renegotiation is not an option. The European Union is united in this position, he said.

The stalemate over the protocol is blocking the formation of a new executive in the British province after elections last week.

Irish nationalist Sinn Fein, which accepts the protocol given its goal of Irish unification, emerged as the largest party in the election, while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which fears the protocol is eroding ties with the rest of the United Kingdom, tumbled to second place.

German Warning

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson told BBC Radio he had spoken to Johnson on Tuesday and the British leader understood that the current position was not sustainable.

Johnsons government has said it could be forced to act unilaterally to avoid a flare-up in political tensions that might threaten a 1998 peace deal that largely ended decades of sectarian violence between Irish nationalists and unionists.

In a call with Irish counterpart Micheal Martin on Tuesday, Johnson said the situation with the protocol was now very serious and the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground.

The prime minister reiterated that the UK government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found, Johnsons spokesperson said following the call.

Martin said he had warned Johnson against taking unilateral action. That warning was echoed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Times of London reported on Monday that British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was set to ditch large parts of the protocol after giving up on the E.U. talks.

However, the government did not announce any such detailed plans on Tuesday when it set out all the legislation it intends to introduce during the upcoming parliamentary year.

The DUP told Reuters that Britains Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis had not indicated any such plan to them during a meeting on Monday.

Tuesdays briefing document said the London government would take the steps necessary to protect the peace agreement and meet the democratic obligations to Northern Ireland it set out in a separate 2020 deal.
An internal security patrol member stands in front of a convoy of trucks transporting Syrian women and children suspected of being related to the ISIS terrorist group, at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, in the al-Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria, on Dec. 21, 2020. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

US Sanctions ISIS Financial Facilitators Accused of Child Trafficking

The United States on Monday sanctioned a network of five ISIS financial facilitators accused of assisting the terrorist group in the smuggling of children out of displaced person camps for recruitment as fighters.

In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said the five individualsDwi Dahlia Susanti, Rudi Heryadi, Ari Kardian, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna, and Dini Ramadhaniworked across Indonesia, Syria, and Turkey.

All of their property and assets in the United States will be blocked as a result of the sanctions.

They were accused of facilitating the travel of extremists to Syria and other areas where ISIS operates and conducting financial transfers to support the groups efforts in Syria-based displaced person camps.

It stated that the network collected funds in Indonesia and Turkey for the group, some of which were used to pay for smuggling children out of the camps and delivering them to ISIS foreign fighters as potential recruits.

By designating them, we aim to expose and disrupt an international ISIS facilitation network that has financed ISIS recruitment, including [the recruitment] of vulnerable children in Syria, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

According to the Treasury Department, residents of displaced person camps in Syria include those who have been displaced by ISIS, as well as ISIS members, supporters, and their families.

ISIS sympathizers in over 40 countries have sent money to ISIS-linked individuals in these camps in support of ISISs future resurgence, it said.

The Al-Hawl camp has been recognized as the largest displaced person camp in northeast Syria, housing up to 70,000 people, most of whom are women and children.

In Al-Hawl alone, ISIS supporters have received up to $20,000 per month via hawala, an informal transfer mechanism; the majority of those funds transfers have originated outside Syria or passed through neighboring countries such as Turkey, it added.

The sanctions followed the 16th meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, on May 9. The CIFG is co-led by the United States, Italy, and Saudi Arabia and comprises nearly 70 countries and international organizations.

The United States, as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, is committed to denying ISIS the ability to raise and move funds across multiple jurisdictions, said Brian E. Nelson, the Treasurys undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
A nurse administers a monoclonal antibody treatment to a COVID-19 patient at the Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, Ga., on Jan. 15, 2022. (Hannah Beier/Reuters)

Utahs Race-Based Allocation of COVID-19 Drugs Wasnt Cleared by Lawyers: Emails

Legal scholars warned officials in Utah that using race to determine which patients could get crucial COVID-19 drugs was likely illegal but the state kept the system in place for months afterward, newly released emails show.

Utah was one of multiple states to develop systems that gave people who werent white a better chance of getting monoclonal antibodies, a crucial treatment for COVID-19, in 2020 and 2021.

As late as September 2021, Utah had not had lawyers make sure the system there complied with state and federal law, according to one of the emails.

I dont believe this approach has been reviewed legally, but not for lack of us requesting long ago, Dr. Brandon Webb, an infectious disease physician who helped come up with the guidelines, said in September 2021.

Im frankly surprised that this has not yet been subject to a legal challenge, he said.

Webb was responding to two legal scholars who said the system likely violated legal requirements.

Im curious about whether this has ever been reviewed legally, Leslie Francis, a professor at the University of Utah, said. Theres been a fair amount of discussion about whether the use of characteristics such as race, sex, or age in making decisions about monoclonal antibodies is prohibited under federal anti-discrimination law, even if evidence based and (as you say) targeting high risk groups. The consensus among legal academics anyway seems to be that it does violate federal law.

The use of non-white race really set off alarm bells, not because of clinical risk necessarily, but anti-discrimination law, Teneille Brown, another University of Utah professor, also wrote.

They raised their concerns with Webb and other members of a Utah workgroup that was tapped to come up with a way to decide which patients should get drugs in short supply.

The emails were obtained and published by The Washington Free Beacon.

Utah kept race as a factor in its risk score calculator for months after Francis and Brown sent their messages.

In January, the state Department of Health stopped giving major points in its system to non-white people but continued awarding points to minorities. The move came after former Trump administration official Stephen Miller threatened to sue New York over a similar scheme.

Miller said in a letter to the Utah department that the prioritization scheme constituted blatant discrimination and violated the U.S. Constitution. His group, America First Legal, eventually decided against suing the state, claiming victory when Utah eventually removed all mention of race over legal concerns. The group did sue several states, including New York, for refusing to roll back the use of race.

Jennifer Napier-Pearce, a senior advisor to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, told The Epoch Times in an email that the system was one of several factors to determine whether a person could get monoclonal antibody treatments, which were exceedingly scarce.

She said the system was adopted based on advice from the workgroup.

The index aided providers in health systems in deciding how to utilize this scarce resource. However, we later learned that, despite the inclusion of race and ethnicity in the risk score, providers reported that communities of color did not receive monoclonal antibodies proportionate to their share of COVID-test positives, Napier-Pearce said. When the question came to Gov. Cox, he directed the Department of Health to find a different strategy for providing the treatments to those most likely to benefit and thus to prevent hospitalizations. At the same time, the state expanded the number of sites where eligible individuals could receive the treatments, including in underserved areas of the state.

FDA Guidance

The race-based allocation was later adopted in other states, but Utah was one of the earliestif not the earliestto put such an emphasis on race.

In one of the new emails, Dr. Mark Shah, one of Webbs colleagues, told Webb and others that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had reviewed its system and used it as precedent for including race and other risk factors as qualifiers.

The FDAs emergency use authorization for monoclonals, one of the best treatments against COVID-19 before the Omicron variant emerged, was only for patients deemed at high risk. In documents outlining the category, the FDA said that race or ethnicity alone could make a patient high-risk. State officials cited the FDAs non-binding guidance, including Webb.

The doctor wrote to the professors who raised the concerns and told them, in part, that they may find interesting the FDA guidance.

Webb and Shah did not respond to requests for comment.

The FDA guidance remains in place to this day.

An FDA spokesperson told The Epoch Times the guidance acknowledges that certain factors (for example, race or ethnicity) may place an individual patient at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, but that there are no limitations on the authorizations that would restrict their use in individuals based on race, gender, ethnicity, etc.

Brown, one of the professors, told The Epoch Times that she has still not figured out whether the race-based system is legal.

It is complicated and the federal courts have not resolved this, she said. As far as I can tell, this precise issue has not yet been decided.
Demonstrators stand outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Va., on May 9, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Virginia Governor Issues Statement After Protesters Get Near Justice Alitos Home

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 9 said authorities were working to make sure there wasnt violence at the protests outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos home.

Dozens of protesters, including apparent members of the far-left Antifa network, went to Alitos house in Alexandria in Fairfax County.

When abortion rights are under attack, what do we do? one woman said through a loudspeaker. Stand up, fight back! the crowd chanted.

[Expletive] you Alito! protesters shouted later.

More than an hour after the crowd left the home, Youngkin said that his office had been coordinating with the Fairfax County Police Department, Virginia State Police, and federal authorities to ensure that there isnt violence.

Virginia State Police were closely monitoring, fully coordinated with Fairfax County and near the protests, he added.

The statement was similar to that offered by Macaulay Porter, a spokeswoman for Youngkin, over the weekend.

Protesters previously went to the homes of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts in Maryland, and protests at the homes of six justices, including Alito, are planned for May 11.

Some conservatives, including former Trump administration press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, criticized Youngkin for what they saw as a weak response to the situation, pointing out that state law prohibits people assembling with another person or persons in a manner which disrupts or threatens to disrupt any individuals right to tranquility in his home.

The actions outlined by Youngkin are not good enough, Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Internet Accountability Project, wrote on Twitter. Either explain why these protests are lawful in Virginia, or *make arrests* next time. We are tired of Republicans who wont enforce the law against Antifa thugs.

Demonstrators gather outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Va., on May 9, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Terrorists were allowed to intimidate a Supreme Court judges family home tonight in Virginia, Jack Posobiec, a host at Human Events, added. Elected leaders did nothing. Laws dont matter if no one enforces them.

Porter told The Epoch Times in an email that here are a lot of incorrect statements floating around on Twitter and referred questions to Fairfax County and the Virginia State Police.

Second Lt. James Curry, a spokesman for the Fairfax County Police Department, told The Epoch Times in an email that the demonstrations outside Alitos home were peaceful, adding: Officers remained on scene to ensure the safety of the participants, our community members and the roadways until the crowd dispersed on their own. No arrests were made.

A Virginia State Police spokesperson said the agency also made no arrests.

Neither agency answered questions about which authority was in charge of the scene and why no arrests were made for apparent violations of state law.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares did not respond to a request for comment.

No arrests were made during the protests at the homes of Kavanaugh and Roberts, police in Montgomery County, Maryland, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The Department of Justice, which has been called on by some to enforce federal law that forbids picketing or parading near the homes of judges with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, declined to comment.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a press conference earlier Monday, after saying that President Joe Biden strongly believes in the constitutional right to protest, that she was not suggesting people break laws.

We are a country that promotes democracy, and we certainly allow for peaceful protest in a range of places in the country. None of it should violate the law; no one is suggesting that. And it should never resort to violence, to threats, to intimidation in any way, shape, or form, she said.

Protesters are upset that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that declared access to abortion a constitutional right, according to a draft majority opinion leaked to Politico.
What Its Like to Be Cancelled: The Pathology of Mimetic Desire and the Case of Caylan Ford

Commentary

Anyone with a spouse, child, parent, or close friend victimized by 21st-century cancel culture already knows it to be a profoundly disturbing, unjust, and soul-destroying experience.

Vicious playwrights and the frantic mobs that follow their scripts have no respect for the limits of moral decency. The development of social media has empowered self-interested actors to cancel anyone who stands in the way of their unrealized ambitions or desires. Their unfortunate victims often end up jobless, isolated, and broke.

Generally, those who take great pains to destroy other people gain little more than empty satisfaction. Everyone loses the capacity to understand different perspectives and live in harmony.

The Pathology of Mimetic Desire

On the death in 2015 of Rene Girard, who was the Andrew B. Hammond Professor of French Language, Literature and Civilization at Stanford University, a French scholar compared the eminent philosopher of social science to the famous 19th-century historian and moralist Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville is credited with identifying social anomalies in the young American Republic which evaded the notice of its own citizens. Girard is said to have performed the same role with respect to human culture in general. Girard maintained that, above and beyond our natural instincts and appetites, there is a form of human desire that pathologically triggers destructive motives. He called this mimetic desire, a compulsive imitation of the desires of others which leads to a fanatic rivalry with the one being imitated. In his 2016 book Gods Gamble, American Catholic scholar Gil Bailie provided a concise account of Girards thesis: Human desire, Girard argues, is always aroused, redirected, and intensified by the desire of another. We desire what we see another desiring, striving to obtain, or enjoying. Two children in a room full of toys inevitably want the same toy, and the more emphatically each expresses a desire for it, the more the other desires it and the more heated the rivalry between the two becomes. When people become disappointed with their own lives, they are likely to engage in increasingly aggressive mimetic contests. The prestige of a successful individual attracts the frustrated imitator into an all-consuming conflict with the model from whom his or her desire is acquired. Mimetic conflicts are generally characterized by wildly accusatory gestures. Friends and admirers can become convinced that a respected colleague is the ultimate bete noire responsible for an imagined societal crisis. As the binary rivalry escalates in intensity, accusations grow more fantastic. As one false allegation is heaped upon another, the targeted individual acquires the form of a superhuman monster who must be destroyed in order to restore peace in the community.

The Case of Caylan Ford

The case of Caylan Ford is a dramatic example of the human suffering that can be inflicted on innocent people by mimetic rivals and the self-serving mobs that rally under their influence. Throughout her formative years, Ford devoted her attention to the study of totalitarianism. She worked with dissidents, refugees, and exiles who had suffered imprisonment and torture for their beliefs. At age 16, she claimed the honour of being the youngest Canadian to be blacklisted by the Chinese Communist Party. Some 10 years ago, Ford began to notice that some of the troubling characteristics of totalitarian regimes were becoming increasingly prevalent in our own society. As a result, she eventually decided to run for public office.

Ford recounts that in 2019, she became a candidate for the United Conservative Party in the Alberta provincial election. She ran in a traditionally progressive riding. Her principal opponents were the leader of Albertas Liberal Party and the sitting justice minister for the socialist NDP provincial government. Nevertheless, as her campaign wore on, internal polling began to indicate that she was on track to win.

Less than a month before election day, PressProgress, a website aligned with the New Democratic Party, published an anonymous accusation claiming that some years earlier Ford had echoed white nationalist rhetoric. With no thorough investigation of the allegations, the media piled on. Ford recalls being publicly branded as a white supremacist, a crypto-fascist, a Nazi, and a terrorist sympathizer. The New Democratic Party almost immediately issued a press release demanding that she be removed from the ballot and the United Conservative Party of Alberta asked for her resignation. It wasnt a moral decision she said. The party couldnt afford to be distracted, and I wasnt worth losing a news cycle over. The morning after she resigned, the story was national news. One provincial party leader issued a press release declaring that her support of white supremacists values will sicken people across the province.

Fords anonymous detractor appears to have been a former party member with unrealized political ambitions of his owna man with a history of inventing false and malicious statements, and a classic example of the Satanic accuser driven by Girards concept of mimetic desire. Ford has denied all of the allegations against her and is seeking to raise funds for a defamation claim. More details about Fords case and her appeal for support can be found here, and her crowdfunding page here.

The Horrific Cost of False Allegations

For victims of false allegations the consequences can be horrific. In most cases those targeted are unlikely to be high-born inheritors of wealth and privilege. The costs of cancel culture are often borne by people who can least afford it. Hard-working individuals who have worked their way up to management-level positions are increasingly being bullied by lower-ranking colleagues in their own workplace. An April 2015 edition of Nursing Times reported that: Upwards bullying in the workplace occurs when a team member pursues a campaign of bullying against their manager or supervisor. The bully is likely to be oppositional towards authority, which means they oppose the views, aims or wishes of authority figures on principle. Their opposition to authority is automatic, emotionally derived and persistent. Bullying and cancel culture are becoming ubiquitous in schools, colleges, hospitals, public service organizations, private businesses, and politics. The political arena has become a veritable minefield. Aggressive Marxist mobs in North American cities regularly gin up public antipathy toward political opponents with false allegations of racism, fascism, treachery, corruption, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc. The regime media is willing to support almost any spurious charge against a conservative candidate. Ford pensively recalls that the person she saw being discussed in the press was a stranger to her. She remembers the attacks as dizzying and disorienting. She said: Its like encountering a funhouse image of yourself; someone with your features, but none of your dimensions. In addition to the emotional distress, cancel culture victims face crippling career setbacks. Ford was told by some that she would never be able to redeem her reputation and would forever represent a liability for potential employers. For a mother with young children, that is a devastating proposition.

Only the Courts Can Mitigate the Damage of Cancel Culture

In the twilight of Western Christendom, our reserves of moral decency have become precariously low. Woke ideologues, and the press flunkies who follow them, are thrilled by their ability to control people and shape events. It is difficult to imagine another Great Awakening on the immediate horizon of Western civilization. Restoring the levels of faith and compassion that would temper the murderous impulses of cancel culture will require lifetimes of patience and commitment. Judaeo-Christian parables, like the story of Daniel who used his knowledge of the Torah to save a righteous woman from wicked judges who falsely accused her of adultery, are no longer part of the canon that forms our moral code. Today, schools and universities teach critical race theory and the legitimization of hate. Serial accusers claim that the deliberate destruction of fellow human beings is a means of restoring peace in a community. They wrap themselves in false virtue to intimidate anyone who might have the courage to support a victim. Forgiveness is never an option. When the mob controls justice, there is no means by which the falsely accused can be redeemed. Cancel culture is not about accountability. Its about punishment. The only present recourse for cancel-culture victims is an appeal to courts of civil law. This can be a long, costly, and uncertain process. In the United States, CNNs 2019 decision to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann for the sum of US$25,000,000 represented a big victory for the little guys who dare to stand up to the power of regime media. In Canada, large settlements in defamation cases have been relatively rare. However, mass news dissemination and the pernicious influence of social media are becoming key factors in the escalation of damage awards in Canadian courts. We can only hope that, by the time Caylan Ford and other victims have their day in court, wise judges will be prepared to dispense actual justice over the abstract claims of social justice conjured up by self-serving woke accusers.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Food and Drug Administration recently reopened comments about their policy of allowing some intestines, but not others, into the U.S. food supply. When the first few cases of mad cow disease started popping up, the FDAs gut reaction was to ban all guts from food and personal care products. But, in 2005, USDA and FDA amended their draft rule to permit the use of the entire small intestine for human food if the last 80 uncoiled inches going to the colon was removed. Since then, though, studies have shown that infectious mad cow prions can be found throughout all parts of the intestine, from the stomach down to the cows colonraising the question of whether all entrails should again be removed.

The North American Meat Association says no, wanting to keep cattle insides inside the food supply, similar to what we heard from the CTFAthe Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. They protested that by banning from cosmetics downer and dead cattle, as well as brain, skull, eyes, [and] spinal cords, as well as intestine[s] and tonsils, our nations supply of cosmetics could be put in jeopardy. There could be a tallow shortage for soap, for example. The FDA may not realize that cosmetics and personal care products are a quarter-trillion dollar industry worldwide.

In the end, the FDA tentatively concluded that intestines should continue to be allowed in the food and cosmetic supply, because only trace amounts of infectivity have been found throughout the bowels of cattlea conclusion they have to make, since, otherwise, all meat would have to be banned as well, because new research shows that mad cow infectivity is in the muscles, too. And, not just the atypical cases of BSE, like the last mad cow found in California, but now we know, the typical BSE as wellbovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease). Low levels of infectious prions have been found in the ribs, shoulders, tenderloins, sirloin tips, and round cuts of meat.

The latest estimates out of Britain suggest 15,000 people are currently incubating the human form of mad cow disease, contracted through the consumption of infected meat. Fewer than 200 Brits have died so far of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but the incubation period for this invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease can be decadesthe time between eating the meat, and ones brain filling up with holes.

The fact that so many people are carrying it has important implications for the safety of blood transfusionsthats why many Americans whove lived in England are barred by the Red Cross from donating blood, as well as the safety of handling surgical instruments that may have cut into someone whos a carrier, since its so hard to sterilize anything, once contaminated.

Given these factors, it may be prudent to err on the side of caution when regulating which intestines are allowed on and in our mouths. But, its a balance. As one meat company points out, guts are not just used for lipstick, intestine is human food, providing us with [a] precious source of protein which is [evidently] essential for our human population.

This story was originally published on the NutritionFacts.org Blog.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks at a daily press conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on April 27, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

White House Condemns Violence Following Protests Outside Supreme Court Justice Homes, Vandalism at Catholic Churches

White House press secretary Jen Psaki made a plea for peaceful protests on Monday following a weekend of Catholic churches being vandalized, arson at an anti-abortion groups headquarters, and pro-choice protestors marching on the homes of Supreme Court justices.

In opposition to a draft majority Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked to the press on May 2, pro-abortion advocates protested outside the Maryland homes of Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts on Saturday evening.

There were also reports of multiple Catholic churches across the country being spray painted with pro-choice messaging and profanity over the weekend.

Police also said a fire was set at the headquarters of the pro-life group Wisconsin Family Action in Madison. There were also reports of vandalism at a pro-life pregnancy clinic in Oregon.

Violence, threats, and intimidation have no place in political discourse, Psaki told reporters at Mondays White House press briefing.

We have not seen violence or vandalism against Supreme Court Justices. We have seen it at Catholic Churchesthats unacceptable; the president does not support that. We have seen it at some conservative organizationswe dont support that, she added.

This came hours after Psaki posted to Twitter with similar messaging.

@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety, wrote the outgoing press secretary.

At the briefing, while Psaki empathized with the motivations driving any riotous behavior, she urged for peaceful protest, saying: We know the passion. We understand the passion. We understand the concern, but what the presidents position is, is that should be peaceful.

Also during the briefing, one reporter pointed to a law in the U.S. Code that explicitly prohibits protesting outside the homes of judges.

Psaki responded by saying, Were certainly not suggesting that anyone break any laws.

This is somewhat of a departure from Psakis messaging last week, when she was asked about the addresses of Supreme Court justices being doxed publicly and said she didnt have an official U.S. government position on where people protest.

Republicans responded with ire to this statement. House Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) posted video of Psakis comments on Twitter writing:

WATCH  The White House refuses to condemn radical abortion groups posting maps with private home addresses of Supreme Court Justices for protestors to find. They know this is dangerous. But they dont care. Because it benefits their agenda. Theyre going to get someone hurt.

Republicans have also condemned the attacks on pro-life groups.

-Threatening churchgoers -Throwing Molotov cocktails at pro-life offices -Going to the homes of Supreme Court justices All because the party of science doesnt believe life begins at conception, wrote Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Oh.).
Kathy Barnette, left, is one of the candidates vying for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat representing Pennsylvania. (Keith Srakocic/AP Photo)

Wikipedia Deletes Page of Top US Senate Candidate

Wikipedia editors deleted a page for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Barnette after arguing she is not a notable person.

Barnettes page was later restored, but could be deleted at any time, editors said.

Discussion was triggered in April 2021, when an editor said that the references on the page do not establish notability beyond routine campaign coverage.

Another editor agreed, saying Barnette had not received an unusual amount of national-level coverage, pointing to a page for former Republican Senate candidate Christine ODonnell. Obviously, if Barnette wins the election the article can be recreated, the editor said.

Editors cited Wikipedia guidelines outlining notability, which state that being a candidate for political office does not guarantee notability.

The page was deleted but later restored.

On May 9, an editor deleted the page again.

Within 24 hours, a different editor stepped in to restore the page.

No reasons were given for the deletion or the restoration.

The Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit that manages Wikipedia, did not respond to a request for comment.

Several other candidates, including Republican businessman Jeff Bartos, do not have Wikipedia pages.

A note on Barnettes page says it may be deleted at any time by editors without further discussion.

Barnette, a military veteran who is seeking to become the first black U.S. senator representing Pennsylvania, took note of what happened, telling supporters, When they cancel me, theyre cancelling you.

No one said this would be easy. They dont like giving up power. They forget that the true power is with the people, though, she wrote on Twitter.

Voters are set to head to the polls on May 17 to choose which candidates to pick in the primaries.

Barnette is one of about half a dozen candidates vying to get the Republican nomination.

Dr. Mehmet Oz and businessman David McCormick are among the others.

Recent polls indicate Barnette has gained traction since the recent release of a Supreme Court draft opinion that suggests the court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade. Barnette had 23 percent in a Trafalgar Group survey, behind only Oz.

Barnettes mother was just 11 years old when she was raped but she chose to have Barnette rather than get an abortion.

Barnette has said shes pro-life and would oppose abortion restrictions.

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman are among the Democrats seeking the Democrat nomination for the seat.

The open election comes after Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced he will not seek reelection.

Toomey beat Democrat Katie McGinty by about 1.5 percent in 2016.

The other U.S. Senate seat representing Pennsylvania is held by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
For over 64 years, the owner of the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air has taken such good care of her car, that the immaculate vintage vehicle has become associated with her identity. Today, the proud elderly driver is noticed wherever she goes.

I know how to take care of things and this car proves it, said Grace Braeger of West Bend, Wisconsin, in an interview with Barcroft Cars. I never planned to have this car that long. It just happened!

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

Grace bought her hard-top Chevy, one of around 700,000 of its kind made in 1957, for $2,250. Today, the rare collectible car could be worth anything between $35,000 and $85,000.

The secret to the longevity of this treasured car is Graces incredible care routine, in which she goes above and beyond the manuals recommendations to keep the car in incredible working order.

The book says to change the oil every 2,000 miles but I changed every 1,000 miles, Grace said. I have it serviced whether it needs it or not.

A personalized license plate reads, 57 Lady, the nickname Grace has earned for herself from those who love to see her drive.

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

Graces Chevy boasts power brakes and power steering, four doors, a sleek black paint job with white and chrome accents, a red interior, and a massive steering wheel typical of 1950s design that the slight driver now peers under, not over, while driving.

As the single owner of the 64-year-old vehicle, Grace has made excellent use of the manufacturers lifetime guarantee to keep her car in great condition. Keeping the original receipts came in especially handy when Grace needed to replace her mufflers after 62 years of use.

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

In the late 1970s, when the car was about 20 years old, the protective owner scared away a potential carjacker on her way to church.

It was parked on a side street, Grace recalled. I approached the car and somebody was getting out from the other side, I yelled Who are you, and he was gone.

Through the years, the Chevy has driven over 122,000 miles, many of which were amassed in Graces more active years of ownership.

These days, Grace uses her conspicuous ride for shorter journeys, such as to the church, to the grocery store, and to all of her West Bend appointmentsdelighting fellow drivers along the way.

She stresses that the car is not just any car, but one that is very superior.

Year after year, they went by, and I was so happy with it, and everybody else is happy with it, she reflected. Why give it up?

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

Watch the video:

(Courtesy of Barcroft Cars / Future Studios)

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
Police carry evidence they sized from the headquarters of the Apple Daily newspaper and its publisher Next Digital Ltd. on June 17, 2021 in Hong Kong, China. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

World Press Freedom Index: Hong Kong Ranking Drops Precipitously in 2022

World Press Freedom Day was celebrated on May 3. That same day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the international non-governmental organization, released its 2022 World Press Freedom Index showing Hong Kong ranked at a record low. It had fallen the furthest of any country from 80th place last year to 148th place today.

RSFs 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index assesses the state of the press in 180 countries and regions around the world. Hong Kongs score this year was only 41.64 out of 100, moving it down 68 places and to a ranking lower than the Philippines and Libya.

RSF pointed out that Hong Kong was originally a bastion of press freedom, but the passage of Beijings National Security Law in 2020 led to an unprecedented setback. Although Hong Kong law provides for freedom of speech, press, and publication, the national security law has been used to suppress independent voices. Because of its vague provisions, any journalist covering Hong Kong issues, whether in Hong Kong or not, can be affected. More than 10 journalists have been detained in the past year in connection with national security cases.

RSF has criticized the Hong Kong government for taking direct orders from Beijing and openly supporting censorship of the press. Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), the public broadcaster formerly known for its fearless investigative reporting, is already run by pro-Beijing figures and will not hesitate to censor content that the government does not like. In 2021, two of Hong Kongs leading independent media outlets, Apple Daily and Stand News, were forced out of business, leaving 860 journalists unemployed. The rest of the independent media are also under political pressure, with some smaller outlets citing legal risks of closure. Most of Hong Kongs larger media outlets are now controlled by pro-Beijing factions.

RSF noted that journalists working for independent or democratic media in Hong Kong are generally highly regarded by the public, while those working for pro-Beijing media are regarded more negatively.

In terms of safety, RSF says Hong Kong was very safe for journalists until 2014, when reporters of the Umbrella Movement began to be targeted by police and pro-Beijing activists. During the 2019 Hong Kong Protests, journalists were even victims of police violence, and were detained and prosecuted.

Following this years release of the RSF press freedom index, the Hong Kong Journalists Association responded that in 2002, they were ranked 18th in the world suggesting the media has suffered tremendously over the years. Among the five indicators of this years press freedom index, Hong Kong ranked 151st with the lowest score of 31.78 for safety, which reflects the increasing risks faced by journalists.

Press Freedom Day: Several Journalists in Court

On World Press Freedom Day, several journalists went on trial in Hong Kong. A case involving two counts of fraud against Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy founder of Next Digital, and its chief executive Wong Wai-Keung was heard in District Court. The two denied the governments charges of using the Apple Daily building in violation of the lease and attempting to hide it. On that same day, the former editor-in-chief of Stand News, Mr. Lam Siu-tung, who was charged earlier with conspiracy to publish seditious publications, was arraigned in court. His lawyer said he intended to plead not guilty.

Apple Daily and Stand News are the most well-known pro-democracy media organizations in Hong Kong. They have endured major raids and asset freezes by the National Security Police and both were shut down last year. Seven of Apple Dailys top executives were charged with conspiracy to collude with foreign powers to endanger national security under the National Security Law and conspiracy to publish seditious publications under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance. All seven were denied bail. Two top executives with Stand News were also charged with conspiracy to publish seditious publications and have been in police custody since late last year.

In addition to the threat of incrimination, Hong Kong independent media reporters have also faced threats of violence. On April 12, four thugs broke into and destroyed equipment belonging to the New Times printing plant, which prints the Hong Kong Epoch Times newspapers. On May 11, Leung Chun, deputy editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Epoch Times, was assaulted with a stick by a mob outside her home. The police in Hong Kong have yet to prosecute anyone for the crime.

RSF claims the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is one of the most repressive and authoritarian regimes in the world, using legislation to restrict its people and isolate them from the rest of the world, especially in Hong Kong.

The drop in Hong Kongs World Press Freedom Index ranking comes at a time when China is said to be the worlds largest prison for journalists. The RSF criticized the CCPs global crackdown on the press stating that at least 120 journalists are currently in detention in China.

According to the RSF, Chinas major media groups are controlled by the CCP. Its Ministry of Propaganda sends daily editorial guidelines to the media and notices of censorship topics. The government continuously finds new ways to make it difficult for foreign journalists to discover and report the truth.

In the eyes of the Communist regime, the media is merely the mouthpiece of the Party, and independent journalists who dare resist by reporting sensitive information are routinely monitored, harassed, detained, and even tortured.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have charged the leader of a notoriously violent Haitian gang in connection with the kidnapping of 16 Americans last year, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Germine Joly, 29, who is also known as Yonyon, is accused of leading the 400 Mawozo gang and is the first person charged by Justice Department prosecutors with having any involvement in the kidnapping of the Christian missionaries. He was extradited to the U.S. last week and faces separate firearm trafficking charges, prosecutors said.

The indictment says Joly was in a Haitian prison during the kidnapping but was nonetheless able to direct his group's operations, including ransom negotiations for the captives' release. One of the stated goals of the hostage-taking was to get the Haitian government to release Joly from prison, prosecutors said.

A total of 17 people from the missionary group  12 adults and five minors  were abducted Oct. 16 shortly after visiting an orphanage in Ganthier, in the Croix-des-Bouquets area, the group has said. The group included 16 Americans and one Canadian.

Twelve of the captive missionaries escaped during a daring overnight caper, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow. The group navigated by stars to reach safety after a two-month kidnapping ordeal, according to officials with the Christian Aid Ministries, the Ohio-based agency that the missionaries work for.

Their captors from the 400 Mawozo gang initially demanded millions of dollars in ransom. Five other captives had earlier reached freedom. It is still unclear if any ransom was paid. The 12 hostages who escaped were flown to Florida on a U.S. Coast Guard flight, and later reunited with the five hostages who had been released earlier.

Joly is due to make his first court appearance Wednesday. A lawyer who has represented Joly in the firearms trafficking case declined to comment Tuesday night.

This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. We will utilize the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to hold accountable anyone responsible for undermining the safety of Americans anywhere in the world.
NORWALK  A local restaurant has lost its state Supreme Court appeal after claiming it had to break its lease because Gov. Ned Lamonts COVID restrictions shut down the business at the height of the pandemic.

In court documents released Tuesday, the state Supreme Court found in favor of the property owner, AGW SoNo Partners LLC, in the appeal filed by former tenant, Downtown SoHo LLC.

The owners of the restaurant, Blackstones Bistro and The Village, argued Lamonts COVID-19 restrictions that prohibited indoor dining from March through May 2020 caused irreparable damage to the eatery, according to court documents. The court, however, found the restaurant was still responsible for breaching the rent agreement.

The property owners filed the lawsuit in Norwalk Housing Session against Downtown SoHo in June 2020. The case was first heard by the local court in April 2021 when Judge Walter M. Spader Jr. found in favor of the plaintiff, according to court records.

The former tenants appealed the decision and moved to the Connecticut Supreme Court where arguments were heard in November.

Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson upheld the lower courts ruling, but said the amount of money owed to the plaintiff should be modified, according to court documents.

This appeal requires us to consider how those executive orders affected the enforceability of a commercial lease agreement for premises in South Norwalk that the defendants, Downtown Soho  leased from the plaintiff, Robinson wrote.

AGW SoNo Partners was awarded slightly more than $200,000 by the trial court, a ruling the Supreme Court overturned.

We conclude that the trial court correctly determined that the economic effects of the executive orders did not relieve the defendants of their obligations under the lease agreement, but that a new damages hearing is required because the trial court improperly allocated the burden of proof as to mitigation in determining the damages award, Robinson wrote in the ruling. Accordingly, we reverse in part the judgment of the trial court.

The plaintiffs attorney, Andrew Nevas, said Tuesday while he is happy with the Supreme Courts decision, the work is far from over.

We are going to proceed to collect on the judgment now. I havent spoken with the defendants council. I dont know whether theyre going to pay voluntarily or if we are going to have to undertake collection efforts, Nevas said. People forget, getting a judgment is just the first step. Defendants dont just cut you a check, you have to chase the money.

Nevas said the case is the first of its kind and may set a precedent for how these are handled in the COVID era in Connecticut and nationwide.

This is an important decision thats going to have wide-ranging consequences in Connecticut and potentially nationwide, Nevas said. Its the first that has addressed these issues in the context of COVID, so I think its going to have far-reaching consequences in Connecticut and nationwide.

Downtown SoHos attorney, Philip Russell, argued before the Supreme Court in November the lockdown made the restaurants business model untenable, and the lease should have been voided.

Hopefully, we will be able to work this out, Russell said Tuesday. If theres a hearing to measure damages, its our position that the use of the saloon portion of the restaurant remains wholly unaccounted for and the court left wide digressions for the housing court to come up with a measure of damages thats fair, just and reasonable.

The restaurant faced struggles prior to the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and the owners were late paying the rent during the first two months of the year, according to court records.

Days before Lamont ordered a halt to indoor dining on March 16, 2020, Blackstones closed due to two employees testing positive for the virus, and remained completely closed for the next two months.

Robinson conceded in his court opinion that most of Blackstones Bistros income came from sit-down dining, which was limited due to the pandemic, but the business financial woes were apparent prior to the COVID outbreak, court documents show.

Most of the bistros business came during dinner service, when an average seating would generate a bill of $100 to $200 per patron, given bar service and dishes priced on average between $35 and $60 each, Robinson wrote. The upscale bar supported the restaurant side of the business and occupied approximately 40 percent of the premises total rental space. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bar was busy and could accommodate 60 customers by providing more than 28 seats at the bar plus standing room for crowds.

Even with partial indoor dining as well as curbside and takeout services, the restaurant was not making enough to pay their monthly $13,777 in rent, according to court documents.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
While we await the final Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, let us remember two Connecticut women, Sarah Grosvenor, of Pomfret, and Gerri Twerdy Santoro, who grew up in Coventry.

One was a 20-year old in colonial Connecticut, the other a working-class mother of two who had left her husband in the 1960s.

Both died after botched attempts at abortion.

And these are just two women whose names we know. Though the state provided the setting for Griswold v. Connecticut  a foundational court case for Roe v. Wade  Connecticut has as tattered a history as anywhere else when it comes to reproductive rights. The states landscape is littered with the bodies of women who died after trying to end pregnancies they could not carry to full term.

In 1742, while the Connecticut colony was still a theocracy, Sarah Grosvenor, of Pomfret, died after an attempted surgical abortion. Ms. Grosvenor, who was unmarried when she became pregnant, first tried ingesting an herbal mixture meant to end her pregnancy, procured by her sexual partner, Amasa Sessions. When the herbs didnt work, she sought the services of a doctor, who, fearing she would not survive childbirth, operated, and two days later, Ms. Grosvenor miscarried. That next month, she became ill and died  perhaps from unsanitary surgical tools.

The physician, Dr. John Hallowell, was eventually tried and convicted of a misdemeanor, as hed tried to end her pregnancy after quickening, when a woman feels the movement of a fetus. Prior to quickening, no one in the colonies thought twice about the use of abortifacients.

In 1821, the Nutmeg State became the first state in the union to restrict abortions after a sex scandal that involved a minister and his young congregant. The law was amended in 1860, about the same time the American Medical Association  another institution that has made a turn-around in its stance on reproductive rights  began to lobby against abortion.

By 1900, Connecticut joined with other states in declaring abortions a felony.

But anti-abortion laws dont stop abortions. They simply stop safe and legal ones. In 1964, Gerri Twerdy Santoro bled to death in a Norwich motel room after an attempted (illegal) abortion performed by her romantic partner. Ms. Santoro was married  but not to the man who impregnated her. Shed left her abusive husband out west, but heard he was due to come to Connecticut, and Ms. Santoro feared his reaction when he saw her swollen with a pregnancy.

Things went horribly wrong and Ms. Santoros partner panicked and left her to die. The black-and-white crime scene photo of the woman lying folded up on the floor was published in Ms. Magazine in April 1973 and became a symbol for abortion rights activists with the heading Never Again. At the time of publication, the magazine editors didnt know the identity of the bloody woman in the disturbing photo. Ms. Santoro was identified by her sister, a Ms. subscriber. The man whod impregnated her and tried to aid in aborting the fetus served a year in jail.

The year after Ms. Santoros death, Griswold v. Connecticut injected into the conversation about reproductive rights the idea of privacy, including a (married) couples ability to decide whether to use birth control.

By the time the Roe decision was handed down, Connecticuts relatively strict anti-abortion laws carried penalties of up to five years in prison, and a $1,000 fine for anyone who performed an abortion, and two years in prison and a $500 fine for women who got abortions, unless the procedure was performed to save her life.

Today, Connecticut now has some of the countrys least restrictive abortion rules, so now is a good time to encourage the 13 states with abortion ban trigger laws  abortion laws that kick in if Roe is overturned  to do one thing:

Be more like Connecticut. Admit that women know whats best for them and stop this senseless and deadly march into a theocracy.

At the end of this most recent legislative session, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill the protects medical providers if they provide abortions for residents in more restrictive states who come to Connecticut for the procedure. Thats because everything is outsized in Texas, including that states legislators view of just how far their powers extend beyond their own state boundaries, where private citizens are essentially deputized to enforce the states draconian abortion laws. As Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said, the legislation was passed in defense of our own values and our own legal system.

We stand on the bones of the Sarahs and the Gerris every time we have to remind legislators and church officials about the importance of a womans agency over her own body. We do not tread lightly on those bones.

Susan Campbell is the author of Frog Hollow: Stories from an American Neighborhood, Tempest-Tossed: The Spirit of Isabella Beecher Hooker and Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism and the American Girl. She is Distinguished Lecturer at the University of New Haven, where she teaches journalism.
The Edwardsville Police Department announced it issued 23 hands-free law violations and five other citations, including a suspended license arrest, along with several registration and insurance violations during the April distracted driving enforcement period.



Distracted Driving Awareness Month allowed the Edwardsville Police Department to bring a heightened awareness to stop motorists from engaging in this deadly behavior, said Lt. Barry Jones.

The Edwardsville Police Department joined forces with state and local law enforcement and highway safety partners for this enforcement effort.



Using a phone in anything other than hands-free mode in Illinois is illegal. The Illinois distracted driving campaign is funded with federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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After a 35-minute delay to form a quorum, the Glen Carbon Planning and Zoning Commission convened a special meeting Monday for two public hearings. The first one involved Keystone Place at Magnolia Commons.

A representative for Keystone Place, a four-story senior living community, came to request a lighting variance for the site, which is currently under construction between Magnolia and Auerbach Place, west of Meridian Road and south of Route 157. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2023.

In a memo dated May 2 from Stacy Jose, the building and zoning administrator, she notified Mayor Bob Marcus, City Administrator Jamie Bowden and the planning and zoning commission about the request. Holland Construction Services, on behalf of property owner, Timothy Eldredge, wants a variance to install parking lot lighting that does not meet the village's height requirement.

In this case, the village's height limit is 16 feet for light poles. The developer's request is for 25- or 26-foot-tall light poles. Jose's department's response was "that village code requires lighting to be shaded, shielded or directed to prevent direct light from being cast upon the adjacent property. These lights are facing the parking lot (down not out) and there are going to be large trees around the entire site once landscaping is complete. There will be no blinking or flashing lights and nothing indicates these lights will produce any type of obnoxious glare."

Neighbors had previously voiced concerns about possible light pollution from this development but the developer said while the parking lot lights would be visible from a distance, the lights will not blind or disturb others on adjoining properties as they will create cones of light to cover the parking lot.

The developer said they made the request due to the building-to-lamppost ratio. Higher light poles mean bigger light cones and fewer total light poles in the parking lot. The building is going to be four stories tall when completed. Holland also noted the request would put the site in harmony with some of the surrounding properties.

The request should go before the village board of trustees at either their May 24 meeting or in June.

This 180,000-square-foot project will be located at 245 Magnolia Ave., Glen Carbon. The building will feature 79 independent living units, 43 assisted care units and 20 memory care units. Amenities will include a full kitchen and dining room, movie theater, salon, bistro and fitness center. The architect on this project is Gori and Associates, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

We are excited to offer a new rental housing option for adults seeking a safe, secure, maintenance-free, service-rich lifestyle," said Brent Kingen, chief operating officer for Keystone Senior Management Services.

He said packages at Keystone Place at Magnolia Commons will provide meals, housekeeping, transportation and enriching wellness opportunities.

Additionally, Kingen indicated that as a Rental Continuing Care Senior Living Community, Keystone Place at Magnolia Commons will provide independent living, assisted living and memory care apartments, accommodations and services.

The development is the second Keystone Senior Living facility Holland has built. Last year, Holland completed Keystone Place at Richland Creek in OFallon, Illinois.

Having the past experience of building a facility like this, which includes three different types of care levels, is very helpful on this project, said Holland Senior Project Manager Tim Simon. Its an advantage because we understand the why for why the client designed things a certain way. We understand their goals from a residential amenities standpoint and were able to ensure the building will provide a quality living environment for each resident, regardless of their needs.
From the Edwardsville Police Department Blotter for April. As always, these subjects have only been charged and remain innocent until proved guilty in a court of law:



On April 1, Samuel B. Freeman, 25, of Staunton, was charged with two warrants, a failure to appear on speeding after driving 26-34 miles per hour over the posted speed limit and the other was from driving on a suspended license. He was being held in the Macoupin County Jail and bond was set at $4,000.



On April 9, Bujor Ionel, 30, of Mitchell, South Dakota, was charged with criminal trespass to property at the Dierbergs in the Edwardsville Crossing Shopping Center. He was panhandling and Dierbergs had previously requested that he not return to the store. He received a notice to appear in court at a future date.



On April 10, at approximately 1:17 p.m., officers responded to 1506 Troy Road, in reference to a retail theft. Jacquelin C. Hoskins, 51, of Edwardsville, was still on scene and was placed under arrest. After reviewing Hoskins criminal record, it was determined that she had an extensive history of theft and burglary. The case was reviewed with the States Attorney and a felony charge of retail theft, second sequent was issued. Unknown if Hoskins is still in custody at the Madison County Courthouse.



On April 14, DeAndre D. Darden, 28, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was charged with an in-state (not EPDs) warrant in the 300 block of South Buchanan Street. The bond was set at $575.



On April 15, Glenn E. Adams, 56, of Centerville, was charged with a 2014 warrant for a forged check at the Cahokia Heights Police Department.



On April 19, at approximately 6:50 p.m., officers responded to the 1300 block of Randle Street, in reference to a welfare check on a three-year-old child at the residence. The concerned party reported finding the child wandering in a nearby yard without supervision. The reporting party also said that the parents seemed disoriented when he returned the child to the residence. When officers made contact, both subjects appeared to be under the influence of something. Additional information was obtained which indicated that the parents were not supposed to have custody of the child because of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) intervention. The parents were taken into custody without incident and the child was turned over to DCFS. The parents were later charged with child abduction and endangering the life of a child. It's unknown if the parents are still in custody at the Madison County Jail. The child is now safe and being cared for by DCFS.



On April 21, at approximately 4:10 p.m., officers responded to 2500 Troy Road, the Home Depot, in reference to a subject snatching a purse, who was combative and who left on foot. With the assistance of Glen Carbon Police Department, the suspect was located and taken into custody on the Lowes parking lot. No injuries were reported. The suspect had grabbed the victims purse out of her shopping cart while she was looking at merchandise outside the front doors of the business. The victim quickly ran after the subject and pulled her purse away and a male passerby intervened to assist the victim. The suspect swung a stick at the male and threatened to stab him. The suspect was identified as David Guerrero, 35, who was eventually charged by the States Attorney with theft from person, theft under $500 subsequent offense and aggravated assault. Unknown if subject is still in custody at the Madison County Jail.



On April 22, at approximately 7:05 a.m., officers responded to 2222 Troy Road, Schnucks, in reference to a male subject kicking a customer. Employees onsite reported that a subject was in the parking lot yelling at people and had kicked a customer. When officers arrived, they identified the suspect as Raymond W. Austin, 48, of Edwardsville, who was still yelling and attempted to walk away from the scene. Austin resisted arrest by pulling his hands away and was threatening officers. There were no serious injuries to anyone, and Austin was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing (previously warned not to be at Schnucks). Austin was immediately transported to the Madison County Jail. It is unknown if he is still in custody.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka's prime minister resigned following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the country's president, step down for dragging the nation into its worst economic crisis in decades.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Twitter that he submitted his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move that followed a violent attack by government supporters on the protesters, prompting authorities to deploy armed troops in the capital, Colombo.

Four people, including a ruling party lawmaker, died in Monday's violence, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told the Associated Press. President Rajapaksa imposed a countrywide curfew Monday evening lasting until Wednesday morning.

For more than a month, protests have spread across the country, drawing people across ethnicities, religions and class. For the first time middle-class Sri Lankans also took to the streets in large numbers, marking a dramatic revolt by many former Rajapaksa supporters, some of whom have spent weeks protesting outside the presidents office.

The protests underscored a dramatic fall from favor of the Rajapaksas, Sri Lankas most powerful political dynasty for decades. The brothers were once hailed as heroes by many of the islands Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending the countrys 30-year civil war, and despite accusations of war atrocities, were firmly entrenched at the top of Sri Lankan politics until now.

The prime ministers resignation comes as the countrys economy has swiftly unraveled in recent weeks. Imports of everything from milk to fuel have plunged, spawning dire food shortages and rolling power cuts. People have been forced to stand in lines for hours to buy essentials. Doctors have warned of crippling shortages of life-saving drugs in hospitals, and the government has suspended payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year alone.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa initially blamed Sri Lanka's economic woes on global factors like the pandemic battering its tourism industry and the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing up global oil prices. But both he and his brother have since admitted to mistakes that exacerbated the crisis, including conceding they should have sought an International Monetary Fund bailout sooner.

Sri Lanka has been holding talks with the IMF to set up a rescue plan but its progress depends on negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors. Any long-term plan would take at least six months to get underway.

Sri Lanka was in financial trouble even before the Ukraine war drove up food and oil prices.

The Sri Lankan government has been running big budget deficits after cutting taxes in 2019 and struggling to collect taxes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also has piled up massive foreign debt  much of it owed to China  and has scant foreign exchange reserves to pay for imports and to defend its embattled currency, the rupee.

Sri Lanka is at the top of a list compiled by Liliana Rojas-Suarez of the Center for Global Development that ranks the countries most exposed to financial shocks. Those most vulnerable rely on commodity imports and have low foreign exchange reserves compared to what they owe other countries.

Monday's violence triggered widespread anger, with people singling out Rajapaksa supporters and attacking them in many parts of the country.

Ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorale and his bodyguard were killed in Nittambuwa, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Colombo after the car they were traveling in was intercepted by an angry crowd, the police spokesman said.

Athukorale or his bodyguard had fired gunshots at the protesters, who chased them and trapped them inside a building where their badly beaten bodies were recovered by police several hours later, the spokesman said.

Three people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds from the shots fired from the lawmaker's vehicle, he said.

Separately, in the Rajapaksas' hometown of Weeraketiya, a crowd that tried to set fire to a local politician's home was fired upon, killing two protesters, he said.

Protesters tried several times to break into the prime minister's official residence Monday night forcing police to fire tear gas. Homes of government ministers and politicians supporting the Rajapaksas were also attacked and some set on fire. The memorial for the brothers' parents was vandalized.

Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist in Colombo, said the prime minister's resignation marked a new chapter in the countrys political crisis. The prime minister had to resign in disgrace after his supporters unleashed such violence, he said.

He added that it would be difficult for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to maintain credibility after Monday's violence.

But the president has so far refused to resign and Parliament must go through a difficult process if it attempts to oust him. The resignation of the prime minister meant the entire Cabinet was dissolved.

The U.S. condemned the violence while also expressing concern about the emergency declaration, which it said can be used to curb dissent.

We urge the government to work quickly to identify and implement solutions to achieve long-term economic stability and address the Sri Lankan peoples discontent over the worsening economic conditions including power, food and medicine shortages as well," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.

Earlier on Monday, the prime minister's supporters attacked protesters who had been demonstrating outside the prime ministers official residence for weeks, hitting them with wooden and iron poles. They then marched to the presidents office, where they attacked protesters there and set their camps on fire.

Police fired tear gas and a water cannon, but not forcefully enough to control the mob. The attack occurred despite a state of emergency declared by the president Friday that gave him wide powers for riot control.

Hundreds of armed soldiers were deployed in the capital, as the protesters accused police of not preventing the attack, despite using tear gas and water cannons on protesters on Friday.

Police did not protect us, therefore we have taken it into our own hands, said Druvi Jinasena, who was helping block roads to protect the protest site.

An official at the main hospital in Colombo said 173 people were treated, most for minor injuries, though 15 were seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

The countrys foreign reserves have plummeted below $50 million and it owes nearly $25 billion in foreign debt for payment by 2026. Its total foreign debt is $51 billion.

Meanwhile, popular anger at the Rajapaksa clan has only grown, ramping up pressure on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit too.

There has been sustained pressure for the last several weeks for the president to resign but he hasnt paid much attention to that," said Bhavani Fonseka, a senior researcher at the Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives.

People are furious  and that anger is not going away anytime soon.



Pathi reported from New Delhi. AP Economics Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.
That release could not be found.
Abuja, May 9, 2022  Liberian authorities should investigate the recent fire at Radio Kintoma FM to determine if it was an arson attack and make the findings public, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

At about 4 a.m. on April 23, neighbors of the Radio Kintomas station office in Voinjama, the capital of Liberias northern Lofa county, informed station manager Tokpa Tarnue that the building was on fire, according to Tarnue, who spoke with CPJ by phone and messaging app, and a report by the privately owned news website The Independent Probe. The fire destroyed the offices and everything inside, according to those sources.

Tarnue told CPJ that Radio Kintoma had not received any direct threats. Still, he and his employees believe that the fire was arson either in response to a recent broadcast dispute between their staff and supporters of a local politician, or their reporting on the controversial topic of female genital mutilation.

The station relies significantly on solar power and the electric generator was turned off, so the station did not have power when the fire began, Tarnue told CPJ, leading him to believe the fire was not an accident. A statement by the Press Union of Liberia, a local trade group, referred to the fire as an arson attack and called for an investigation.

Liberian authorities should conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation into the April 23 fire at Radio Kintomas offices, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, from New York. When a media outlet is destroyed under murky circumstances, it sends a chilling message. That is why it is important to ascertain what caused the fire and make those findings public.

Tarnue said the station made a verbal complaint to police who opened an investigation, but that he had not received an update as of May 4. Clement Barletta, the head of the Lofa County Police, told CPJ by phone that his office is working with county authorities and the radio station to determine the cause of the fire, adding that he cannot give further details on the ongoing investigation.

The items destroyed in the fire included one FM transmitter, two mixing boards, seven microphones, three desktop computers, three laptop computers, four CD players, two smartphones, one air conditioner, three portable printers, four digital voice recorders, the stations documents, and personal belongings of the staff.

On April 17, six days before the fire, the station aired a report on the dangers of female genital mutilation, a practice promoted by some of Liberias traditional community leaders, and discussed the issue on programs over the days that followed, according to Tarnue. The reporting renewed campaigns against the practice across Voinjama, Tarnue said.

On April 20, the station received a visit from Balla Gbotolu, the traditional head of the Voinjama district known as the paramount chief, who demanded that Radio Kintoma stop any further discussion of female genital mutilation, according to Tarnue.

Gbotolu told CPJ by phone that he had no information about the cause of the fire, adding that his office was working to raise funds to help the radio station after the incident.

Separately on April 20, two supporters of a local politician argued with the stations program manager after he prevented them from hosting an unmoderated, on-air program, Tarnue told CPJ. The supporters had paid to participate in the program but wanted to take over hosting and speak freely on-air without any contribution from the radio station.

CPJ called Liberian National police spokesperson Moses Carter for comment, but the call did not connect.
The management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday, said it had withdrawn the officers and entire team from Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, for assaulting an unarmed civilian in a viral video on Benin-Agbor expressway on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at about 5.00 pm.

An unidentified customs officer, allegedly assaulted Samsom Nwachukwu, an aide to the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Reacting to the incident, Timi Bomodi, Customs public relations officer, in a press statement, said the officer involved and other members of the team from the unit have been withdrawn from patrol duties and currently under administrative investigation at the Zonal Headquarters, Zone C in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

He also reassured the general public of the services commitment to the welfare and safety of all citizens, while frowning seriously at any act by its personnel capable of misrepresenting its corporate image.

The statement reads, the attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, has been drawn to a video making the rounds on social media. In it, one of our officers was recorded assaulting an unarmed civilian. This action took place on the Benin  Agbor expressway on Saturday, the 7th of May, 2022, at about 5.00 pm.

This officer and other members of that team from FOU Zone C have since been withdrawn from patrol duties and are currently under administrative investigation at the NCS Zonal Headquarters Zone C Port Harcourt.

Bomodi, a Deputy Comptroller of Customs, also reassured the general public of NCS commitment to the welfare and safety of all citizens, thereby asking law-abiding persons to go about their activities without fear of intimidation or harassment.

Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have been trained to carry out their duties with dignity and respect, and are expected to display decorum in all their conduct at all times. Where they fail to carry out their brief as assigned, appropriate sanctions are applied to enforce discipline.

The NCS would like to reassure the general public of its commitment to the welfare and safety of all citizens and frowns seriously at any act by its personnel capable of misrepresenting its corporate image.

We ask that all law-abiding persons go about their activities without fear of intimidation or harassment as we work assiduously to bring closure to this unwholesome incident, he stated.
In commemoration of the 41st anniversary of his transition, the relevance of Bob Marleys existential principles and socio-political ideology has become prodigiously indispensable, especially when juxtaposed with the present Nigerian condition. Struggling his way through the concrete jungles of Trench Town to international stardom, Marley promoted the ideals of justice, equity and universal peace, as opposed to the very terrible experiences that have characterized the Nigerian socio-economic and political landscapes where some of the most despicable happenings occur on daily basis.

Since independence, Nigeria has continued to recycle virtually the same breed of greedy, insensitive and pollution-spreading politicians and their offspring, denying a larger chunk of the nations population opportunities to aspire to positions of leadership, power and authority. The beautiful ones are not yet born in our nations politics because the ugly ones have refused to give way, as also witnessed in many African countries like Cote dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo, Central African Republic, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, The Gambia, to name a few .

Some ex-soldiers bereft of nation-building ideas have populated the governmental corridors of Nigeria and have almost steered a once vibrant nation into irreparable destruction with a strange system of leadership that places greater value on cattle in an era when serious-minded nations of the world are thinking out of the box to improve the human conditions in their climes. This is Babylon System.

In Marleys world-view, such a system does not promote equity and social justice. Rather, it dissipates a plethora of highly dangerous and toxic energies that perforate a governments claims to justice and equity. It is a system that is full of scorn for truth and fairness; one that encourages the unbridled travesty of social justice. It leads to the hemorrhage of hope and immolates the future of generations unborn. When a particular tribe believes that power is their exclusive reserve, they tend to manufacture systems to support their undemocratic appetites. These are the big fish who always try to eat down the small fish. They would do anything to materialize their every wish. So says Marley in his song Guiltiness. Power-drunk Nigerian politicians have been known not to have the intellect for leadership and thus the only trick they use is to engage in all forms of electoral malpractice and political manipulation to perpetuate themselves in power. Is it not shameful that in some 21stcentury societies, thugs and motor park touts control the transportation and local government systems? Transporters are made to pay outrageous levies and are beaten blue-black by touts whenever they raise objections. These touts bearing sophisticated arms, have become so powerful that even law enforcement agents avoid them. They are the same characters some politicians use to snatch ballot boxes and intimidate opposition. Such politicians do not mean well for Nigeria. Unfortunately, they are the ones aspiring to the highest office in the country. Once power gets into their hands, they will unleash the Babylon System typified by politicians who suck the blood of the sufferers rather than find solution to their teeming problems.

Much of this Babylonian mindset characterized the infamous military era of the 1960s to 1980s when soldiers with questionable characters forcefully seized power and repeatedly bastardized those institutions that pillared nationhood. That was when a strange national reward system began to find firm footing in the country. That was the beginning of the subjugation of our best brains by illiterates and morons in the name of quota system. That was the genesis of the belief by a section of the country that Nigeria belongs to them and so, every other region must play second fiddle.

In the song We Go Fight, Marley offers a solution to a situation typical of the Nigerian condition: Every man got the right to decide his own destiny and in this judgement, there is no partiality. But the Nigerian situation smacks of the highest yet basest form of partiality. Political appointments are skewed in favour of a particular region with a sense of impunity. The current leadership in Nigeria has demonstrated a very abysmal understanding of the management of national diversity. This has been one of the concerns of Rev. Mathew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto. As a stakeholder in matters bordering on Nigerias nationalism, his views should be taken seriously. But alas, the Presidents spokespersons have often interpreted his criticisms as personal vendetta against their principal. Everywhere you go in the country, you will see that Nigeria has never been this polarized along ethnic and tribal lines.

Babylon system promotes self-centeredness, oppression, deceit and charlatanism. It is a system in which there is a deliberate attempt at creating inequality. Any society practicing the Babylon system of life relegates its best brains to the gutters and elevates nothingness to Olympian heights. This is the only explanation to the precarious educational system in Nigeria. While the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for months, politicians, including the Labour Minister and the Minister of State for education are coughing out hundred million naira each to purchase the presidential nomination form. Any government that deliberately kills its educational sector is indirectly promoting unemployment, terrorism, insurgency and a state of eternal hopelessness. It is sad that the Nigerian condition of life depicts the ignoble picture of fathers deceiving their children and giving them stone in the place of bread.

The world is in dire need of socio-political freedom, especially in the developing countries still plagued by pronounced political, economic, social, cultural and educational backwardness. This essentially is the inimitable integrity of Marleys songs of freedom which have better value now than ever before.

Now that the 2023 elections are at hand, Nigerians must wake up and emancipate themselves from mental slavery. We must stop selling our birthrights for plates of pottage. Any politician whose image has since been razed by the fires of political damnation does not deserve our votes. Let our best brains occupy the highest offices in our land. At least, let us put to test the Platonic concept of the philosopher king, with the belief that someday and in fact, very soon, the Igbo man, the Yoruba man, the Hausa man and the Ijaw man can live, laugh together and say indeed, there is a country!
Child safety restraint rule a work in progress

BANGKOK: Mandatory safety restraints for children under six years old in moving vehicles may not be enforced until December pending the furnishing of vital regulatory details, according to the police.

Safetytransport

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 10 May 2022, 09:19AM

Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, Pol Maj Gen Jirasant Kaewsaeng-ek. Photo: Bangkok Post

Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, Pol Maj Gen Jirasant Kaewsaeng-ek, said the vital details include what alternative restraint equipment can be used, apart from the car seats which tend to be expensive, reports the Bangkok Post.

Also, it must be established what vehicles will fall under the new rules.

Details regarding the equipment will be worked out by the Royal Thai Police (RTP) while the vehicle issue will be decided by the Department of Land Transport (DLT).

The deputy commissioner said both the RTP and the DLT have until Sept 5 to finalise the details although the deadline may be extended by another 90 days or until Dec 5 if they cannot finish their tasks in time.

Section 123 of the Land Traffic Act stipulates that children under six years old or children whose height is below 135cm must be restrained in a car seat or a special seat or by other means for the sake of safety in a moving vehicle.

The requirement has been published in the Royal Gazette which sets the enforcement deadline within 120 days, extendable by another 90 days.

Pol Maj Gen Jirasant said the requirement was to minimise injuries suffered by children travelling in vehicles in the event of road accidents.

He said the law does not dictate that only car seats will be used as restraining equipment. A parent may let their child sit on their lap with the seat belt restraining both of them.

Details of various restraining methods permitted by law will be fleshed out by the police.

On Sunday, Nikorn Chamnog, deputy chairman of the House committee that scrutinised changes to the Land Traffic Act, said the amended law allows the use of less expensive seat cushions priced at around B600-700 each.

The cushion enables the seat occupant to sit high enough to be fastened with an effective restraint, said Mr Nikorn, who is also chairman of the World Health Organizations Asia-Pacific Regional Network on Road Safety.

Before the requirement goes into effect, police will warn motorists whose children ride without safety restraints instead of booking them. The requirement will also be featured in safety campaigns, according to Pol Maj Gen Jirasant.
Philippine dictators son wins landslide presidential victory

MANILA: The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos cemented a landslide presidential election victory today (May 10), as Filipinos bet on a familiar dynasty to ease rampant poverty - dismissing warnings the tarnished clan will deepen corruption and weaken democracy.

politicscorruption

By AFP

Tuesday 10 May 2022, 02:20PM

With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Junior had secured over 50% of the vote. Photo: AFP

With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Junior had secured over 50% of the vote and more than double the tally of his nearest rival, liberal Leni Robredo.

His now unassailable lead of 16 million votes spells another astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone from the presidential palace to pariahs and back again in half a century.

The Marcos victory is a hammer blow to millions of liberal Filipinos who hoped to reverse course after six bloody years of increasingly authoritarian rule by outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. His daughter Sara won the vice presidency, which is elected separately, in a landslide.

In 1986, Marcos senior and kleptocratic first lady Imelda Marcos were chased into exile by the People Power revolution.

Marcos junior steadfastly refused to denounce his familys brutal and corrupt excesses in a campaign marked by a relentless online whitewashing of history.

With memories of the regime fading with time and muddied by countless misleading Facebook posts, Filipino voters turned to Marcos to rekindle past glories that were mostly imagined.

He will lift our country from the poverty were experiencing now, said supporter and retired policeman Anthony Sola, who described himself as elated.

The 50-year-old dismissed allegations that the Marcoses stole as much as US$10 billion during their last period in power: I dont believe they stole money, because if they did, they should have been imprisoned already.

Delivering a late-night address from his campaign headquarters in Manila yesterday, a tired but beaming Marcos thanked volunteers for months of sacrifices and work.

But he stopped short of claiming victory, warning that the count is not yet done.

A fully certified tally is not expected before May 28.

On the streets, hundreds of ecstatic supporters set off fireworks late into the night, waved the national flag and clambered onto parked cars to chant in victory.

More death, more hunger

Rights activists, Catholic leaders and political commentators had all warned about returning the Marcos clan to power.

This election could have been our biggest chance for radical change, said Mae Paner, a 58-year-old political satirist who was part of the People Power Revolution.

There will be more death, there will be more debt, there will be more hunger. The Marcoses will steal, she said.

Bonifacio Ilagan, who endured two years of imprisonment and torture under Marcos seniors imposition of martial law, said the election exposed a deep malaise in Philippines society.

It had, he said, laid bare, how deeply the trickery of historical fraudsters has seeped into the consciousness of Filipinos.

Failed presidential hopeful Leni Robredo, a lawyer and the current vice president, admitted clear disappointment about the result but vowed to continue the fight against poor governance.

The 57-year-old had promised to clean up the dirty style of politics that has long plagued the feudal and corrupt democracy, where a handful of surnames hold sway.

In the final weeks before the election, her campaign morphed into a catchall pro-democracy movement that drew almost one million people to a single protest in Manila.

Fearing a backlash from 15 million disgruntled voters - with many alleging voting irregularities in yesterdays poll - police urged restraint.

I am appealing to you to remain calm. Let us respect the result of the vote, said acting Philippine police chief Lieutenant-General Vicente Danao.

The countrys Commission on Elections indicated that despite long queues and problems with some voting machines, the initial tabulation of votes had gone well.

Failure to connect

For the liberal opposition, analyst Mark Thompson said there should be a period of soul searching and a broadening of its message beyond good governance.

They need to make clear that theyre going to improve the lives of the average Filipino, said Thompson, who is director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong.

For Marcos, the coming weeks and months will bring high expectations from poor supporters already angry at a string of post-dictatorship governments, which many believe had failed to materially improve their lives.

He is yet to set out a coherent, detailed, plan for getting the Philippines economy back on track after the devastation of the pandemic, said Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford.

Marcos will have to try to meet those expectations while keeping the support of several of the countrys powerful political dynasties, who will expect patronage in return for delivering blocs of votes.

One of the key watchpoints under his administration will be whether corruption and cronyism - already notable risks in the Philippines - worsen, said Mumford.
Putin says Russia defending Motherland as Ukraine war rages

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin yesterday (May 9) defended Russias war in Ukraine as necessary to protect the Motherland as Moscow flexed its military muscle at a huge parade marking the 1945 Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

RussianUkraineviolencedeathmilitarypolitics

By AFP

Tuesday 10 May 2022, 09:46AM

People carry portraits of their relatives - WWII soldiers - as they take part in the Immortal Regiment march on Red Square in central Moscow yesterday (May 9) as part of Russia celebrating the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

Fierce battles raged in eastern Ukraine while Putin made his Victory Day speech against a backdrop of intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbling through Moscows emblematic Red Square.

Ukrainians and Westerners accused Putin of exploiting the World War II anniversary, with protesters in Warsaw tossing blood-red paint on the Russian ambassador, chanting fascists! and hoisting a Ukrainian flag, as he visited a cemetery.

But Putin sought to channel Russian pride for what he has described as a special military operation to de-Nazify Ukraine, which is led by an elected Jewish president.

Putin blamed the West and Ukraine for the two-and-a-half-month conflict, telling the parade that Russia faced an absolutely unacceptable threat and warning against the horror of a global war.

You are fighting for the Motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War, he said.

The celebration in Red Square also featured some 11,000 troops and more than 130 military vehicles, although a planned military flypast was cancelled.

Nobody could have imagined that 77 years later, fascist forces, Nazi forces would come back to life, killing civilians, butchering Russians into pieces, Anastasia Rybina, a participant, told AFP.

Putin conducts politics so well, well done to him. He makes sure that our boys dont die, that there is as little blood as possible. I bow down to him, added Taisiya Chepurina, 81, whose husband fought in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943.

Western powers were unimpressed by Putins words. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accused Putin of mirroring fascism, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the Russian leader was in denial and US State Department spokesman Ned Price called his speech patently absurd and an insult to history.

They will never succeed

In the critical port of Odessa, European Council President Charles Michel paid a surprise visit of support and was forced to take shelter during a strike.

The Kremlin wants to execute your spirit of freedom and democracy, he said in a video posted from Odessa. I am totally convinced they will never succeed.

The port city was hit yesterday evening by a series of powerful missiles, destroying five buildings, setting ablaze a shopping centre and injuring two people, emergency services said.

Russia has been seeking to seize Ukraines east after failing to take the capital Kyiv.

The governor of the eastern Lugansk region, Sergiy Gaiday, said yesterday there were very serious battles around Bilogorivka and Rubizhne.

An AFP team saw columns of trucks filled with soldiers and heavy equipment move down the main road leading away from the city of Severodonetsk, suggesting Ukraine was giving up the defence of its last stronghold village of Bilogorivka on Sunday.

Pro-Russian separatists feted Victory Day in Ukraines devastated southern port of Mariupol, where depleted Ukrainian forces are defending their final bastion at the Azovstal steelworks.

Separatist leader Denis Pushilin and residents carried a giant black and orange ribbon of Saint George - a symbol of WWII celebrations in Russia - through the city that has seen some of the heaviest fighting since the invasion on Feb 24.

Full control of Mariupol would allow Moscow to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and eastern regions of Ukraine run by pro-Russian separatists.

We will win

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky invoked the ghosts of World War II to chide Russia for claiming sole credit for winning.

We will not allow anyone to annex this victory. We will not allow it to be appropriated, he said in a video speech shortly before Putin spoke.

Yet in Kyiv the commemoration day was largely shunned as life slowly returned to normal, weeks after fierce fighting raged in its suburbs.

The West has rallied behind Zelensky as a hero and promised new support.

US President Joe Biden signed a Lend-Lease Act - modelled on World War II efforts to fight Nazi Germany - that cuts through bureaucratic hurdles to speed up weapons shipments to Ukraine.

The United States has sent some US$4 billion in military aid to Ukraine already but caving to aggression is even more costly, Biden said as he signed the act, passed with unusual bipartisan support.

Zelensky hailed the measure as a historic step, writing on Twitter, I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine. And in Europe. Like 77 years ago.

Progress towards embargo

In another step forward in pressuring Russia, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she made progress on a proposed Russian oil embargo during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The populist Orban is one of Putins closest friends in Europe and had held up the blocs attempt to phase out Russian oil - one of the most painful measures yet taken by the West - as he pointed to economic consequences in landlocked Hungary.

But Frances President Emmanuel Macron poured cold water on Ukraines oft-repeated desire for fast-track European Union membership, saying it would take decades.

Macron, however, suggested building a broader political bloc that could also include Britain.

One ray of hope has come from prisoner swaps.

Ukrainian soldier Glib Stryzhko, 25, was gravely wounded and captured in Mariupol in April but finally released after a secret phone call to his mother.

After we were loaded onto the bus waiting for us, the driver said: Guys, you can breathe. You are home now, Stryzhko told AFP from his hospital bed in Zaporizhzhia.
Walk-in Pfizer jabs for kids offered at Phuket International Airport

PHUKET: The Phuket Provinical Health Office (PPHO) will offer walk-in Pfizer vaccination to kids on May 14 and 29.

COVID-19CoronavirushealthVaccine

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 11 May 2022, 05:45AM

The PPHO notice promoting walk-in vaccination at Phuket International Airport. The image clearly shows kids holdine vacccination certificates. Image: PPHO Facekook

The injections will be provided from 9am to noon at Terminal X, PPHO noted in an announcement released on its official Facebook page yesterday (May 6).

The PPHO Facebook post starts with saying it invites children aged 5-11 on 14, 29 May 2022 from 9am to noon and immediately continues saying that people aged 12 years and over are invited to take part in walk-in vaccination to get shots 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The image posted along the aforementioned notice says the vaccination is provided to children aged 5-11 and above and mentions only "shots 1, 2". The graphic image shows happy kids holding vaccination certificates.

The Phuket News is yet to get clarification if adults can get vaccine shots as well.

PPHO adds that only Thai people can get vaccines at Terminal X on May 14 and 29. People who have had COVID-19 and want a Pfizer injection must have recovered at least three months ago.
NANNING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Durians have entered their best season, and orders for the "stinky" fruit in China began to soar in late April, driving its imports from Southeast Asia, its main producing area.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the world's largest free trade deal to date that took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, has further boosted its sales this year.

The RCEP countries account for roughly 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product and population. Over 90 percent of trade in goods among approved member states will gradually be tariff-free.

"We received 100 boxes of durians, which were distributed soon after arrival. Besides community convenience stores, there are also many individual customers," said Huang Meixia with a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Group in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Charoen Pokphand Group is a leading agribusiness conglomerate in Thailand.

Huang noted that compared with the same period of last year, the durians are selling well despite a price increase this year.

Durians have conquered the taste of an increasing number of foodies across China. In 2021, the import volume of fresh durians was four times that of 2017.

Nisachol Thaithong, a Thai national in Nanning, Guangxi's capital city, runs a business importing durians from her family's orchard in Thailand to China and has accumulated a stable customer source over the past years.

"When it came to durians in the past, many consumers only knew Golden Pillow. Now they can recognize many more durian varieties," said Nisachol Thaithong.

In Guangxi, more investment is being poured into infrastructure and cold-chain logistics to facilitate cross-border fresh fruit trade.

Wei Pan, a social media influencer in Guangxi, has partnered with Nisachol Thaithong to airlift freshly-picked durians from Thailand to Chinese cities such as Guangzhou and Kunming.

"It takes only two to three hours for the durians to fly from Thailand to China. Their shells are still turquoise when they appear on the Chinese market, indicating their freshness," Wei said.

Guangxi's Qinzhou Port has opened several direct container routes to Thailand. The fruit express line from Laem Chabang to Qinzhou runs four times a week, and the fruits can reach China in about three to four days.

Chinese consumers have strong purchasing power and a massive demand for high-quality products, noted Benjamas Tanvetyanont, Thai consul-general in Nanning.

Apart from Thai durians, durians from Malaysia are also gaining in popularity in China.

Chinese and Malaysian enterprises have recently signed 11 agreements to promote investment and strategic cooperation in cross-border trade, among which the trade of durians has become the focus of attention.

Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Lim Ban Hong said that the RCEP would bring considerable cooperation opportunities to enterprises from both Guangxi and Malaysia. He hopes that under the RCEP, China and Malaysia can establish closer economic and trade cooperation. 
Woman believed killed by attack from brothers dog

PHUKET: Police are investigating the death of a woman who is believed to have been mauled to death by her brothers pet dog.

animalsdeathpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 10 May 2022, 04:08PM

The womans body was discovered on the porch of a house at Ban Bang Pae in Pa Khlok around 9:30am this morning (May 10) by a friend who then notified authorities.

Pol. Lt. Col. Suchart Luecha, Deputy Inspector General of Thalang Police Station, acting as the chief patrol of Pa Khlok Subdistrict and Pol. Maj. Gen. Niwat Timket from Thalang Police Station proceeded to the scene along with staff from the Muang Mai branch of the Kusoldharm Foundation. Phichet Panapong, Deputy Governor of Phuket, also attended the scene.

On arriving they discovered the body of a 38-year-old woman lying on her back on the front porch with puncture wounds about her neck, believed to have been inflicted by one of the two Thai ridgeback dogs that reside at the house.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased woman lived at the house and the dogs belong to her brother, who also resides at the property along with two other family members. The three siblings had journeyed to Bangkok, it was revealed, leaving the sister alone to, presumably, look after the dogs.

Both of the dogs are Thai ridgebacks aged between one and two years who the brother had aqcuired about five months ago, police confirmed. Both dogs were confined in a caged area at the property and it is believed had possibly attacked the woman when she went to feed them as one of the dogs had blood around its mouth and on its fur.

It was not clear exactly how or when the woman was attacked but the wounds around her throat showed her aorta had been fatally punctured. With nobody around to help it is believed the woman stumbled to the porch where she bled to death.

Police confirmed that a full autopsy needed to be conducted to clarify the cause of death and that security camera footage on the property would be able to help them understand better what had happened exactly.

The woman that found the deceased was named as Ms Supakvee Tothip. She explained to police that the deceased woman was a colleague of hers who worked at her brothers restaurant and had been looking after the dogs while her brother was away in the capital.

Ms Supakvee had gone to the property to meet the woman but was unable to locate her on arrival. She went to the back of the house and looked through a couple of windows but still couldnt see her friend. It was only when she went to turn a light off on the front porch that she discovered the body of her stricken friend lying on the floor and the called police and emergency services.

The body of the woman was taken to Vachira Hospital where forensic doctor Arthit Suravisankul confirmed that there were three bite wounds on the left hand side of her neck. He added that a full autopsy would be required to provide further information which would be dependent on the decision of both the police and the deceaseds family.
Today

Cloudy with periods of light rain. Becoming windy late. High 48F. NW winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.

Tonight

Cloudy and windy this evening, becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Low 37F. W winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 61F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Clapton returns to the stage for UK and European Tour Dates.

Eric Clapton made his return to the stage on May 7, kicking off a U.K. and European tour with the first of two consecutive nights at London's Royal Albert Hall

Clapton rattled off some more familiar tunes, including renditions of the Wailers I Shot the Sheriff and Creams White Room.

A third of the way through the show, Clapton switched things up for a series of acoustic numbers, including Tears in Heaven and Layla. Surprisingly, the latter track would be performed again later in the evening when he returned to his full electric sound.

Over the past year and a half, Clapton has criticized the United Kingdom's lockdown measures in a series of songs written with fellow vaccine skeptic Van Morrison, including "The Rebels" and "Stand and Deliver." He also co-wrote his recent solo single "Heart of a Child" with prominent Italian vaccine skeptic Robin Monotti.

Clapton insists he is not an anti-vaxxer, though he claimed he's been "ostracized" by friends, family and fellow musicians because of his polarizing views. He also accused Rolling Stone of running "slur campaign" against him last year because of his vaccine skepticism and lockdown criticism. Nevertheless, the embattled guitarist said his protest songs helped him to feel "socially involved" again and lit a fire in him that had been "dormant" for a long time.

Although these video's were fan shot, check out Eric Clapton and his band performing White Room and I Shot The Sheriff below.
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man faces multiple indictments in two separate cases filed by the Madison County States Attorneys Office.

Octravion Stewart, 24, of Alton, was indicted May 5 for home invasion, a Class X felony; aggravated domestic battery and offenses relating to motor vehicles, both Class 2 felonies; criminal damage to property over $500 and theft over $500, both Class 4 felonies.

The indictments were filed in two separate cases presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, on March 22 Stewart entered a home in the 3200 block of Hawthorn Boulevard in Alton, knowing the resident, a household or family member, to be present and strangled the victim; and was found to be in possession of a stolen 2013 Nissa Rouge.

On Nov. 2, Stewart took possession of two vehicle key fobs valued in excess of $500 from another person; and damaged two iPads valued in excess of $500. The victim in both cases was the same.

Other indictments issued May 5 included:

 Marvin Moore III, 33, of East St. Louis, was indicted for unlawful possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, both Class 1 felonies; and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. The indictments were issued on three separate charges presented by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois and the Collinsville Police Department. According to court documents, on April 1 Moore was found to be in possession of more than 15 grams of cocaine. On April 12 he was found to be in possession of one gram or more of cocaine with intent to distribute. On Feb. 9 he allegedly had less than 15 grams of cocaine.

 Brittany R. Knox, 34, of Alton, was indicted for theft under $500 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony, and criminal trespass to land, a Class B felony. The case was originally presented by the Wood River Police department. According to court documents, on April 13 Knox took Bacardi rum and barbecue tools valued at lease than $500 from another person and was on property in Wood River after being told she was not allowed there. She has a 2014 conviction for theft out of Madison County.

 John N. Rushing Jr., 40, of Granite City, was indicted for residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. The case was originally presented by the Granite City Police Department. According to court documents, on April 17 Rushing allegedly entered a home in Granite City, to commit theft.
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A murder suspect and the jailer who helped him escape from an Alabama lockup were carrying $29,000 in cash, four handguns and an AR-15 rifle and were prepared for a shootout when they were captured, an Indiana sheriff said Tuesday.

Authorities caught up with the pair Monday, more than a week after the breakout and nearly 300 miles (480 kilometers) away, and rammed their car into a ditch after a brief chase. Escaped inmate Casey White, 38, surrendered, while jail official Vicky White, 56, was found with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said.

Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said in an email to The Associated Press that an autopsy was completed on White. The manner of death has been ruled a suicide.

The end of the manhunt left authorities trying to piece together what happened during the 11 days that elapsed after Vicky White escorted Casey White from a Florence, Alabama, jail for what she falsely claimed was a mental health evaluation.

The inmate and Vicky White appeared to have had a jailhouse romance, Alabama authorities said last week. They were not related.

As for her role in the escape, the sheriff said: He was not forcing her. It was a mutual relationship.

At the time of the breakout, Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other offenses and was awaiting trial on charges of stabbing a woman to death during a 2015 burglary. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.

Investigators believe the pair spent about six days holed up at a motel in Evansville. Authorities discovered wigs intended to hide their identities. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said investigators do not believe the two had relatives or other contacts in the city of 120,000.

They thought theyd driven long enough. They wanted to stop for a while, get their bearings straight and then figure out the next place to travel, the sheriff said.

Authorities closed in on them after the manager of a car wash reported that a man closely resembling the 6-foot-9 (210-centimeter), 260-pound (118-kilogram) Casey White had been recorded by a surveillance camera getting out of a pickup truck.

Investigators said they located the pickup, then learned that the pair may have switched to a Cadillac, which was then spotted outside a motel nearby. When the couple left the motel, police chased them down, authorities said.

Casey White told investigators after his capture that "he was probably going to have a shootout at the stake of both of them losing their lives, the sheriff said.

The inmate appeared by video Tuesday in an Indiana courtroom, where he waived extradition.

White was brought back to the courthouse in Lauderdale County, Alabama, by police late Tuesday. Video showed him ignoring questions shouted by journalists.

An attorney representing White in the murder case, Jamy Poss, declined to comment.

Vicky White, assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County jail, had put in for retirement ahead of the escape, and the day of the breakout, April 29, was her last day of work.

A woman who worked with her for 16 years could barely speak through tears Tuesday.

I know she did wrong and made a terrible mistake, but shes still your friend, longtime jail employee Sherry Sylvester said.

She said that White often tried to help prisoners, particularly ones without family. But Sylvester said she never saw White do anything that crossed the line: She did everything by the book.

Connie Moore, Casey White's mother, said she last spoke with him by phone the day before the escape. She said her son may not have known what was about to happen.

Everything was just as normal as it could be. I doubt he even knew he was leaving when she came in there to get him, Moore said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape. Authorities said the plan appeared to have been in the works for some time. She sold her house for about half its market value and bought an SUV that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

___

Reeves reported from Florence, Alabama. Associated Press writer Rick Callahan contributed from Indianapolis.
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged after allegedly breaking into a Wood River residence May 7.

Cody Huddleston-Gibbs, 21, of Alton, was charged May 9 with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony.

The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department.

According to court documents, on May 7 Huddleston-Gibbs allegedly entered a home in the 300 block of N. Central, Wood River, to commit theft.

Bail was set at $100,000.

Other property-related felony charges filed May 9 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Christopher H. Walton, 44, of Pontoon Beach, was charged with offenses relating to motor vehicles, a Class 2 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. According to court documents, on May 6 Walton allegedly had a reported stolen 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Aymara R. Bielby, 31, of Caseyville, was charged with theft over $500, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Collinsville Police Department. According to court documents, on May 6 Bielby allegedly took a thoroughbred female horse and saddle, bridle, stirrups, exercise leathers, girths, a foam pad and leather halter valued in excess of $500. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Cedric Sanders, 59, of St. Louis, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. According to court documents, on May 6 Sanders allegedly took womens and childrens clothing valued at less than $300 from the Granite City Walmart. Sanders has a 2019 conviction for stealing out of Clayton, Missouri. Bail was set at $20,000.

 Raszonna Gardner, 44, of Venice, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. According to court documents, on May 8 Gardner allegedly took various food and clothing items valued at less than $300 from the Granite City Walmart. She has a 2019 conviction for burglary out of St. Clair County. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Nicholas S. Ashlock, 41, of Wood River, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. According to court documents, on May 7 Ashlock allegedly took a fanny pack and two bicycle innertubes valued at less than $300 from the Wood River Walmart. He has a 2012 conviction burglary out of Madison County. Bail was set at $15,000.
John Badman

ALTON  Authorities are looking for an Alton man in connection with a reported bank robbery attempt on Monday.

At about 3:44 p.m. Monday, Alton Police began responding to Busey Bank at 4415 W. Center Drive for reports of an attempted robbery that had just occurred. Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said a preliminary investigation revealed that a suspect entered Busey Bank while concealing his face and demanded money.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  Argentina on Tuesday joined a growing list of countries trying to woo remote workers by implementing a temporary visa targeted at digital nomads, who can work anywhere in the world as long as they have a good internet connection.

Interior Minister Wado de Pedro said the government hopes the new visa will help the country bring in much-needed hard currency by attracting people interested in working temporarily in Argentina.

Those workers will live the Argentine experience and return to their countries being the main salespeople of this beautiful country, he said.

Digital nomads usually have a higher purchasing power and spend an average of around $3,000 a month, which is double what a regular tourist might spend, said Florencia Carignano, the national director for migration.

We want to attract people who after the pandemic changed their mentality and now prioritize their freedom, want to visit new places and enjoy life in a different way, she said. The pandemic accelerated a trend that was already happening.

Argentina will become the second country in South America to officially launch a visa targeting remote workers. Neighboring Brazil did so earlier this year.

We know there are around 40 million people around the world who are digital nomads, Carignano said.

The new visa will be valid for six months and can be renewed once, compared to a maximum of a three-month stay for a regular tourist visa. It will also provide a series of benefits, including discounts on flights with state-owned airline Aerolineas Argentinas.

Only citizens of countries that do not require a tourist visa to enter Argentina will be eligible to apply. Applicants will have to submit a resume and a document that proves their work relationship with at least one employer.

Dozens of countries around the world, including several Caribbean islands, have launched programs to woo digital workers in part to make up for the shortfall in tourism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were waiting for this decision by the government as it will undoubtedly have an impact on the city, said Fernando Straface, international relations secretary for the city of Buenos Aires.

Argentinas capital has been particularly active in trying to get remote workers to move to Buenos Aires, touting its solid infrastructure and the relative weak value of the local currency.

We are an ideal destination for digital nomads because of the quality and cost of living, Straface said. Buenos Aires has consolidated its global reputation as a the leading city in the region to live, study and work.
President Biden signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act on Monday, which will direct weapons and equipment to Ukraine as it attempts to fend off an invasion from Russia.

The law was signed on the same day that Russia celebrated Victory Day, the 77th anniversary of the allied defeat of Nazi Germany. The lending program will waive time-consuming requirements to speed arms to Ukraine and Biden also proposed $33 billion more in military and humanitarian aid, which Democrats plan to increase by another $7 billion.

"This day is supposed to be about celebrating peace and unity in Europe and the defeat of Nazis in World War II," Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said. "And instead, Putin is perverting history, changing history, or attempting to change it, I should say, to justify his unprovoked and unjustified war."

In recent days, First Lady Jill Biden has gone for a secret visit to the war zone and intelligence has been provided to Ukraine leading to the killing of a dozen Russian generals and the sinking of Russia's flagship, the New York Times reported.

The price tag of the bill will be increased to $39.8 billion, as Democrats move quickly to consider the $33 billion aid package proposed by Biden with Republicans pushing to add more military spending and Democrats seeking an equal humanitarian increase.

"Every day, Ukrainians pay with their lives," Biden said in the Oval Office as he approved the legislation. "And the atrocities that the Russians are engaging in are just beyond the pale. And the cost of the fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is even more costly. Thats why were staying in this."

Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to bring up the plan as soon as Tuesday. In March, Congress approved $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, resources Biden warns could run out without new legislation.

"We cannot allow our shipments of assistance to stop while we await further Congressional action," Biden said in a statement. "We are approximately ten days away from hitting this critical deadline."

The new aid package will be separated from the Biden administration's emergency coronavirus aid measure, currently held up over immigration restrictions.

"We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort," Biden stated. "Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away."

Biden stated that there appears to be "strong support" for the proposal as submitted, with Congress likely to pass it. Biden urged Congress to act quickly, even at the expense of detaching the bill from "much-needed funding for COVID treatments, vaccines and tests."

"As vital as it is to help Ukraine combat Russian aggression, it is equally vital to help Americans combat COVID," Biden stated. "Without timely COVID funding, more Americans will die needlessly.

In the fall, if we are hit by new variants, it will be too late to get the tools needed for protection  critical treatments that will be available in Europe, but not the United States. In addition, our effort to help lower-income countries get COVID vaccines into arms will stall," Biden continued.

Biden concluded by urging Congress to pass the Ukraine Supplemental funding bill immediately and then "move promptly" on the COVID funding bill.

In the past few weeks, the U.S. has begun shipping over more sophisticated military equipment and expressing ambitions to help Ukrainians defeat and enfeeble Russia, per the Times. Earlier, the U.S. decided to only send defensive weapons, deciding which were acceptable to send to the war effort and which were "offensive" and should not be delivered.
Life is getting back to normal in Dixon, Illinois, victim of an especially disgusting scam, even in a state notorious for public corruption.

Working from a position of trust as comptroller, Rita Crundwell embezzled a stunning $53.7 million over two decades to fund a lavish lifestyle, while her small Lee County town of 15,733 cut jobs, borrowed to the hilt and postponed essential upkeep. The town recovered part of the money from the bank and auditing firms that enabled Crundwell, as well as from the sale of horses and other luxury goods she bought with stolen funds.

At its meeting May 2, the Dixon City Council showed it is making progress despite the terrible crime committed against it, approving a budget, recognizing the work of the beautification preservation committee and addressing what we hope were routine bills.

Its a far cry from the Crundwell years, when the town postponed replacement of a fire truck at the same time its shameless bookkeeper was using stolen money to buy herself a $2 million motor home. Crundwell kept stealing right up to her arrest in 2012, at one point buying a $350,000 horse named Pizzazzy Lady with money supposedly earmarked for a Dixon sewer project.

With any luck, 2022 will be a banner year for bringing crooked public officials to justice in Illinois.

In July, former Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, 11th, is scheduled to be sentenced for lying to federal bank regulators and filing false tax returns.

In September, the first batch of defendants in the Commonwealth Edison swindle are set for trial. We hope a separate trial will come swiftly for ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan and an associate accused in the bribery scheme, in which ComEd admitted to giving Madigan cronies do-nothing jobs while obtaining lucrative state legislation.

Chicago Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, and Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, are likely to see their criminal cases advance this year toward final resolutions. Another ex-alderman, Danny Solis, 25th, is expected to be a witness against Madigan and Burke.

What will it take to deter public officials in this state from using government offices to steal from taxpayers? Even longer prison sentences?

In 2006, former Gov. George Ryan was sentenced to 6  years in prison; in 2011 ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years.

In 2013, Crundwell got one of the stiffest corruption sentences in memory: 19 years, seven months. It fit the crime: What Crundwell did to the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan is widely viewed as the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history.

Youd hope the mere threat of a 20-year term would act as a deterrent, but apparently not, partly because those sentences arent always what they seem. While Ryan served his time, the outrageous Blagojevich had his sentence commuted by ex-President Donald Trump, who committed a fresh injustice against the citizens of Illinois by freeing him more than four years early.

And then theres Crundwell, released from prison last August after serving less than half her sentence instead of the 85% that is mandatory in the federal system. She has COVID-19 to thank.

Three thoughts:

First, the pandemic posed a deadly threat to vulnerable inmates such as Crundwell and the feds had a duty to protect them from the virus, even if that meant temporarily releasing nonviolent offenders to home confinement.

Second, the people of Dixon have every right to be angry about this compassion shown to a coldhearted liar who lived like a queen by gutting their towns finances.

Third, when its deemed safe to do so, Crundwell should be returned to prison to complete the rest of her sentence. After abusing the public trust for more than 20 years, she should be required to serve at least 85% of an appropriate 235-month sentence. The federal system has no parole.

Corrupt public officials watching this high-profile case are no doubt betting that they, too, can get away with stealing for years, and then get off with a penalty that makes corruption worth the risk.

Keep Crundwell behind bars, along with other crooks who abuse their offices and disgrace this state.
GLEN CARBON  Menards is out as Orchard Town Center's anchor store, Glen Carbon Mayor Bob Marcus confirmed Monday.

The village approved Menards to be the development's anchor in June 2021. The company planned a 209,000-square-foot store, three or four junior anchor stores and 12 outlots. It would have been the second Menards in the Metro East.

"A few weeks ago the developer, The Staenberg Group, approached the village and advised that Menards has not closed on the property due to disagreements between Menards and the developer," Marcus said. "Currently, my understanding is that Menards terminated the purchase contract with the developer.

"The developer advised that there has been significant interest in the property," he added. "Meijer recently approached the village with due diligence inquiries."

Tim Lowe, vice president of leasing and development for the Staenberg Group, said there was a disagreement on the closing time with Menards after it completed its due diligence on the site. Staenberg wanted Menards to complete its due diligence phase first by the end of 2021 and then by Jan. 31, 2022. After Menards failed to meet both dates, they terminated the purchase contract.

Lowe said many other potential suitors besides Menards had expressed interest in Orchard Town Center, but he denied that a Hy-Vee grocery store was the next tenant. Instead, he said Meijer recently signed a new purchase contract for a 160,000-square-foot store to anchor the development.

Meijer is in the due diligence phase now, and Lowe said he expects the company to appear before Glen Carbon's building and development committee either later this month or in June.

Changing anchors in the midst of construction will not greatly affect the project's overall timeline, Lowe said and the outlot tenants are unchanged by this development. Chick-fil-A, the first outlot tenant, remains on track to open next year. This would be Meijer's first foray into this area. The closest current Meijer locations are in Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Terre Haute and Evansville.

Lowe said the first phase of the project will be to open the anchor store plus four outlots first then in phase two, open the other eight outlots and junior anchor tenants, ones too large to fit into an outlot but smaller than the main anchor store.

Marcus said he wants to use this opportunity to make changes to the original site plan since Meijer's footprint is almost 50,000-square-feet less than Menards'.

"A new anchor tenant would give the village the opportunity to further improve the site," Marcus said. "I am suggesting additional functional greenspace, another bike trail connection and to develop the park to be more engaging for residents. As far as the village is concerned, there is an existing tax-increment financing/business district in place for Orchard Town Center."
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Paraguay's prosecutor of organized crime and drug trafficking cases was slain Tuesday by gunmen on a Colombian beach as he honeymooned with his new wife, who said the attackers came on a jet ski or small boat.

Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci married journalist Claudia Aguilera in April. Aguilera had recently shared photos on social media showing her and Pecci on the Baru peninsula in the Caribbean, south of the Colombian city of Cartagena.

Her final social media posting, hours before the attack, was a photo of herself and her husband with a pair of baby's shoes along with the message: The best wedding gift ... the approaching life that is a testimony to the sweetest love.

The Decameron Baru Hotel, where the couple was staying, said the attackers arrived on a jet ski and shot the couple while they were on the beach. The gunmen also fired at a security guard, who was unhurt, the hotel said.

Aguilera, who wasn't hurt in the attack, said two attackers came on a small boat or jet ski, saying she couldn't remember precisely. One of them got off and without saying a word shot Marcelo twice, once in the face and once in the back.

Colombia's foreign minister and vice president, Marta Lucia Ramirez, said authorities were working to clarify the motives and authors of this heinous crime.

A high command criminal investigation unit had been sent to Cartagena, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano said. Paraguayan and U.S. officials will be integrated into the unit to help identify and prosecute the perpetrators, police said.

Pecci was investigating several high profile cases in Paraguay, including a shooting at a concert in January where an alleged drug trafficker and a soccer player's wife were killed.

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez decried the cowardly murder of the prosecutor on Twitter. He vowed to redouble Paraguay's efforts against organized crime.

The director of Colombia's national police, Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas, said he hadn't been aware that Pecci was in Colombia. He said Pecci was one of the most heavily guarded people in Paraguay since he investigated cases of international terrorism."

Paraguay is South Americas largest marijuana producer. Growing the plant is still illegal in that country and much of the crop is smuggled into Argentina and Brazil.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  Police officers in Massachusetts have begun a 425-mile (680-kilometer) journey on foot to the nation's capital to honor an officer that drowned last year as he tried to save a teen.

Officer Enmanuel Manny Familia, a five-year veteran of the Worcester police department, died attempting to rescue a teenager drowning in the pond at Green Hill Park on June 4, The Telegram & Gazette reported Monday. The teen also died.
EAST ALTON  More than 140 women and men came together to celebrate United Ways Southwest Illinois Divisions sixth annual Power of the Purse, raising $16,058 to help local people.

Since its inception in 2015, the Power of the Purse has raised over $100,000 to support 162 local health and human service agencies serving the St. Louis region.
The annual "Victory Day" holiday to mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany took on opposite meanings in Russia and Ukraine.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to rally Russians to his Orwellian-named "special military operation" (it's illegal to call it a war) in Ukraine, which has disturbing parallels to the one Germany triggered. In fact, echoes of the same methods are being deployed on the killing fields of Ukraine. That includes brutality, which has led many global leaders and anyone observing in an environment of media freedom to accuse Putin's troops of war crimes and even genocide.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can see it, too. "Darkness has returned to Ukraine," he said Sunday, "and it has become black and white again. Evil has returned, in a different uniform, under different slogans, but for the same purpose."

The accurate allusion to Russians reprising Nazism in a land that lost about 8 million people fighting it during World War II also wasn't lost on leaders of the G-7, which held an online meeting with Zelenskyy as the guest of honor. The cohort, which beyond the U.S. includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, said that it would not only continue its military aid to Ukraine but also announced a ban or phaseout of Russian oil, reducing the revenue for Putin's war machine. Independently the U.S. sanctioned three Russian state TV entities.

Beyond the virtual meeting, there's been on-the-ground diplomatic support, including a trip to Kyiv by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and even first lady Jill Biden crossing the border to meet with her counterpart, Olena Zelenska.

In a statement, the group of industrialized democracies said that "President Putin must not win this war in Ukraine," explaining that they owed it to "the memory of all those who fought for freedom in the second world war." Putin's actions, it said, "bring shame on Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people."

Putin embodied that shame by equating Ukrainians with Nazis. As notable, however, was what Putin didn't do. He didn't declare the conflict a war. He didn't call for a mass mobilization of Russian society. And he didn't declare a military "victory" even as Russian forces tried to tighten their grip on significant swaths of eastern Ukraine.

Putin did declare the conflict as "necessary, timely and the only right solution" and a "pre-emptive pushback" to what he said were Western intentions to attack eastern Ukraine. All are obscene, lethal lies in a war of choice by Russia's ruler.

Victory Day brought mixed feelings, Ivan Kurilla, a professor of history and international relations at the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia, said during a Wilson Center virtual event on Monday. The "catastrophe" of the war in Ukraine "has already started to influence or to destroy the whole building, the entire set of references we had acquired about (World War II) and the meaning of the war for Russians."

The meaning in Ukraine, however, is quite clear, Zelenskyy said. Ukrainians "fought for freedom for us and won. We are fighting for freedom for our children, and therefore we will win."

If that indeed happens, it would re-establish the authentic value of "Victory Day," if not create a reason for an additional one.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Top U.S. intelligence officials were questioned Tuesday about why they misjudged the durability of governments in both Afghanistan and Ukraine, and whether they need to reform how intelligence agencies assess a foreign militarys will to fight.

U.S. intelligence believed the U.S.-backed Kabul government would hold out for months against the Taliban and thought Russian forces would overrun Ukraine in a few weeks. Both assessments were wrong. The U.S. and Western allies are now rushing to aid Ukraine's resistance against Russia in what has turned into a grinding, violent stalemate.

What we missed was the will to fight of the Ukrainians...and we also missed that in Afghanistan, said Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He added, I realize will to fight is a lot harder to assess than number of tanks or volume of ammunition or something. But I hope the intelligence community is doing some soul-searching about how to better get a handle on that question.

President Joe Biden's administration disclosed in advance Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to invade Ukraine, a public campaign that it says built support for crushing sanctions on the Russian economy and military support from NATO members. Top U.S. officials have gone to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and pledged more military and intelligence support.

Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said that will to fight and capacity to fight in tandem were difficult to predict. The National Intelligence Council, a group of advisers that reviews the agencies as a whole, is studying the issue, she said.

The two of them are issues that are, as you indicated, quite challenging to provide effective analysis on, Haines told King. And we're looking at different methodologies for doing so.

The U.S. might have done more before the invasion to assist Zelenskyy had lawmakers believed Kyiv had more of a chance, King said. And after predictions that the Taliban would be held back as long as a year after the American withdrawal, the coalition-backed government lasted minus-two weeks, King noted, a reference to the Taliban overrunning Kabul before the withdrawal formally ended.

The U.S. was forced to negotiate with the Taliban to evacuate of thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies fighting huge crowds to secure space on evacuation flights. An attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

King raised his voice to cut off Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, after Berrier said he believed the intelligence agencies had done a great job.

General, how can you possibly say that when we were told explicitly, Kyiv would fall in three days and Ukraine would fall in two weeks? he said. "You're telling me that was accurate intelligence?

U.S. intelligence believed before the war Russia's forces were so much larger and more powerful than Ukraine's that it wasn't going to go very well for a variety of factors, Berrier said.

He testified Tuesday that there was never an intelligence community assessment that said the Ukrainians lacked the will to fight. That appears to contradict his statement from Senate testimony in March, when Berrier said he "questioned their will to fight. That was a bad assessment on my part because they have fought bravely and honorably and are doing the right thing.
Job Title: Driver PlayMatters (Fresher Job Opportunities)

Organisation: International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Duty Station: Uganda

About US:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the worlds worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.

Job Summary: The Driver PlayMatters will be responsible for the safe transportation of PlayMatters Uganda management staff and materials; care and maintenance of PlayMatters Uganda vehicles and their accessories.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Inspect and record the condition of the vehicles daily; prepare weekly maintenance checklist.

Ensure timely servicing and maintenance of PlayMatters Uganda office vehicles (complete service request forms and maintain service maintenance records); report to PlayMatters Deputy Coordinator any mechanical problems.

Ensure vehicles are insured and all legal documents are always in order; inform PlayMatters Deputy Coordinator three weeks in advance of any renewals due (i.e., insurance, road license, etc.).

Conduct daily assessments of road conditions and security situation.

Drive PlayMatters Uganda project staff in a safe and courteous manner to field sites across the country.

Deliver mail/messages as directed.

Operate HF and VHF mobile radio equipment if any.

Maintain cleanliness of interior/exterior of PlayMatters Uganda office vehicles.

Give accurate reconciliation of expenditures within the given period.

Adhere to IRC vehicle policy and operating procedures (use of logbook, no drinking and driving, signing out vehicle on vehicle registry and so on).

Assist programs or PlayMatters Admin Officer in loading cargo for the field.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal applicant must hold an Ordinary Level Certificate: A- Level Certificate is an added advantage; Valid drivers license with classes A, B & DL

At least two years of driving experience preferably with NGOs.

Able to pass the IRC driving test and demonstrated teamwork skills.

Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.

Flexible and able to work in a dynamic and diverse environment.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills, excellent Microsoft word and Microsoft excel skills.

Willingness to travel to insecure areas within the constraints of IRC Ugandas security policy

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified candidates should apply online at the link below.

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Deadline: 11th May 2022

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NANCY INTHASIT, Stonington, Girls Track, Senior; Inthasit finished first in the 100 (12.54) and the 200 (27.08) at the Marty Roberts Invitational. Her time in the 100 was a meet record. She was named the top female sprinter at the meet. Inthasit is unbeaten in the 100 this season.

JACK TENUTA, Westerly, Baseball, Sophomore; Tenuta pitched a one-hit shutout in the Bulldogs win over Wheeler School/Rocky Hill. He struck out 10 and walked just three batters. He also hit two home runs and drove in three runs in a victory against West Warwick. Tenuta is 5-0 with an 0.57 ERA and is hitting .349.

KATELYN MELINOSKY, Wheeler, Girls Lacrosse, Senior; Melinosky scored six goals in the Lions 10-5 victory over New London. Wheeler is 3-4 on the season.

MATTHEW TIERNAN, Chariho, Boys Volleyball, Junior; Tiernan had 42 digs in the Chargers win against Cranston East and 44 assists in a loss to league-leading La Salle Academy. Chariho is 8-3 this season.

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The value of any investment can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested.

China has long held great opportunities for investors but also presented a need to navigate its higher risks and volatility as an emerging market  and its different political culture.

Heightened geopolitical tension has dampened relations between China and the West. Chinese authorities are also dealing with a stuttering economy and ongoing problems from the Covid-19 pandemic, so many investors may decide the time isnt right to invest.

But shunning China means passing up on the combined promise of its disruptive growth companies and business and consumer market, says Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust joint-manager Sophie Earnshaw.

She argues that investing in a selection of the best Chinese growth companies, with fund managers who know them in detail, presents a way to profit from the countrys advanced technology and its rapidly developing consumer economy.

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust joint manager Sophie Earnshaw looks for 40 to 80 of the country's best growth companies to invest in

China is the most important country to get right in peoples portfolios in the next few decades, says Earnshaw.

It offers unparalleled opportunities to growth investors, not just in an emerging markets context but in a global context.

If youre not investing in growth companies in China, youre missing the point. It is one the most exciting opportunities for growth investors.

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust invests in 40 to 80 companies that Earnshaw and joint manager Roderick Snell see as having the ability to develop.

She says: We mean those companies that can at least double the size of their business and share price on a five-year view.

Our investment philosophy, long-term growth and active investing are ideally suited to the Chinese market. One of the main reasons is that China in aggregate is a very short-term market, where trading volumes are 80 per cent dominated by retail investors who typically only hold stocks for months rather than years.

Our long-term philosophy is a real differentiator there.

But in a market where pitfalls abound, the managers do not just look for the promise of high growth, they also pay keen attention to the robustness of balance sheets and corporate governance.

Earnshaw says that while the opportunity for growth is great, people should view China as a higher risk part of their broader investment portfolio.

This is a volatile market with drawdowns of 20 per cent, 30 per cent or even 40 per cent not uncommon over shorter time periods. As such, it is also important to make sure one can invest with at least a 5 year, and ideally a 10 year, time commitment.

She believes it is also important to consider the role of the Chinese state and to go with a fund or trust that has an active investing philosophy  and doesnt simply follow the index.

Spreading risk across a selection of different companies in different industries is important for the trust for managing potential volatility, but Earnshaw says China is a stock market where trying to diversify simply by following the index doesnt work.

Theres a huge amount of the index that youd want to avoid, she says. Thats why a relatively concentrated portfolio is the way to go.

The index still has a lot of exposure to no-growth industries, for example, the utility space, increasingly the property sector, and a huge chunk of the banking sector.

A lot of the index is dominated by state-owned enterprises and these types of companies are typically not managed in the interests of minority shareholders.

BAILLIE GIFFORD CHINA GROWTH TRUST TOP 10 HOLDINGS Holdings Fund % 1. Tencent 8.6 2. Alibaba 6.2 3. ByteDance 5.4 4. Kweichow Moutai 4.2 5. China Merchants Bank 3.9 6. Ping An Insurance 3.9 7. CATL 3.6 8. Li Ning 3.0 9. Meituan 2.9 10. JD.com 2.3 Source: Baillie Gifford & Co. As at 31 March 2022

Earnshaw says that there is a huge array of exciting growth opportunities in China and flags its rapidly improving renewables, technology, and engineering sectors.

Among the companies in the investment trusts top 10 holdings are some names that will be familiar to many UK-based investors.

Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance are global leaders in the digital world. Tencent and Alibaba have taken social messaging, gaming and marketplace and turned them into an integral part of Chinas digital economy, from online payments to cloud computing. Most investors will also be familiar with ByteDances viral video social media platform, TikTok.

This trio of big names is an example of how Chinas economy has shifted, with the state pushing for it to become a global cutting-edge tech and manufacturing player, rather than the mass-producer of cheap items that it was once characterised as.

The Communist Party, under leader Xi Jinping, is driving some growth areas that it wants China to be a world leader in and companies can benefit from the tailwind of state support and an immense consumer and business market.

On renewables, Earnshaw says: This is a sector where China increasingly leads the world. Its no longer a follower in renewables. It has some of the worlds largest and most technologically proficient companies.

She cites CATL, which has become one of the worlds largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing companies and says that China is investing huge sums in EV infrastructure and decarbonising its economy.

ByteDance, the parent of social media app TikTok, is among Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust's top ten holdings

Yet, the all-powerful Chinese state can also bring headaches for investors. China is a control economy and society, and the Government can use strong tactics that would not be considered acceptable in much of the West.

The Chinese state tries to influence the direction of companies and a move against those it sees as stepping out of line can prove highly damaging to their share price and investors.

Earnshaw says that means that as investors they must assess companies in a different light to how managers may look at US, European or UK firms.

She adds: At Baillie Gifford, weve been investing in China for almost three decades now and one of the things weve learnt is that you cannot ignore the broader political landscape. You need to factor in these sorts of considerations when you look at the growth opportunities for a company and when you value it.

We try to do that in a number of ways. The questions we ask for all Chinese companies we invest in are does this company contribute or benefit from Chinas economic, societal or environmental development and what is the global context?

It gets us thinking about alignment with the Governments broad policy objectives on a long-term horizon.

These are things you have to consider when you invest in China, it does make the asset riskier in the sense of volatility than other asset classes but if you have the resources and the framework and the knowledge about China, these are risks that can be mitigated and in the long run should allow you to generate alpha and good returns.

On the flip side, the heft of the state can provide a real tailwind for companies to succeed, especially those that are positioned well to profit from Chinas development.

Advanced manufacturing is a main part of Chinas strategy and has seen a shift into semiconductor chip-making, with firms building their position among the worlds big chip design as well as making a push in automation and robotics to challenge Japans leading firms.

Earnshaw says: One of Chinas policy priorities is to move up the value chain and to reduce its import dependency for high tech components such as chips. It wants to be at the cutting edge. Were starting to see this in the semiconductor space with a company like SG Micro.

The managers also take a keen interest in the advanced healthcare sector, with stocks such as biotech firm Burning Rock. Meanwhile, among the next generation of growth companies that the trust sees as emerging with the greatest promise are those that can profit from the changing face of Chinas consumer economy.

The size of Chinas consumer economy means that some of these companies, such as food delivery firm Meituan, can benefit from potential domestic markets and economies of scale that disruptive western firms could only dream of.

Investors to this part of the global growth story who back future winners could reap handsome profits, but the message from Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust is that they must pick stocks carefully and accept volatility along the way.

The Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust invests in overseas securities. Changes in the rates of exchange may also cause the value of your investment to go down or up. The Trusts exposure to a single market and currency may increase risk. The Trust invests in China, often through contractual structures that are complex and could be open to challenge, where potential issues with market volatility, political and economic instability including the risk of market shutdown, trading, liquidity, settlement, corporate governance, regulation, legislation and taxation could arise, resulting in a negative impact on the value of your investment.

This article does not constitute, and is not subject to the protections afforded to, independent research. Baillie Gifford and its staff may have dealt in the investments concerned. The views expressed are not statements of fact and should not be considered as advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment.

Baillie Gifford & Co and Baillie Gifford & Co Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The investments trusts managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited are listed UK companies and are not authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

A Key Information Document is available at bailliegifford.com
Aviva was engulfed in a sexism row at its annual general meeting yesterday after shareholders directed a number of derogatory comments at chief executive Amanda Blanc.

One investor complained that Blanc was not the man for the job while another congratulated the insurer on its board diversity by saying women were so good at basic housekeeping activities.

Chairman George Culmer said he was flabbergasted by the question-and-answer session.

Sexist comments: Amanda Blanc (pictured) became the first woman to lead a major British insurer when she was appointed boss in 2020. Shares are up 47% since she arrived

He said: Im not going to say thank you to everyone for your comments, because I think there were some comments in that session that were simply inappropriate and I do not expect and would [not] want to hear at any future AGM.

Im flabbergasted, to be honest.

Blanc became the first woman to lead a major British insurer when she was appointed boss in 2020. Shares are up 47 per cent since she took the reins.

She was praised for her efficiency in the year following her appointment, as she began to streamline Aviva at pace by selling off a swathe of foreign units.

But one shareholder at the AGM, Michael Mason-Mahon, mentioned her predecessors and questioned whether 55-year-old Blanc should be wearing trousers.

Another, Ted OToole, seemed appreciative of the boards gender split, as almost half are women.

But he added: They are so good at basic housekeeping activities, Im sure this will be reflected in the direction of the board in future.

Another grumbled that Avivas share price had not risen enough, even though Blanc had pushed ahead with sales of businesses it no longer needed. This signifies shes not the man for the job, he added.
As the Queens Platinum Jubilee approaches, royal fans will be dusting off their commemorative crockery in time to celebrate HMs 70 years on the throne.

Many are also rushing to online antiques and auction sites such as eBay to get their hands on a piece of history.

Searches for Queen salt and pepper shakers have tripled, while searches for royal teacups, Queen teapots and Jubilee plates have risen by 50 per cent, 42 per cent and 383 per cent respectively, according to eBay.

Mini monarch: The sold-out Elizabeth II Jubilee Barbie. Royal fans are getting ready to celebrate Her Majestys 70 years on the throne

Commemorative newspapers, coins and tins are among the top most searched collectables, while demand for slices of royal wedding cake is up a third in recent weeks.

One slice from Princess Diana and Prince Charless big day in 1981 is currently listed for 950, while a piece of cake from William and Kates wedding in 2011 sold for almost 288 in April.

A collection of royal coins, including a 1977 Silver Jubilee Crown and the Charles and Diana Wedding Coin, is currently listed for 2,499.99 on eBay.

A signed and framed Christmas card of the Royal Family including the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles from 1976 sold on eBay for 149 in April.

A job lot of 25 items of commemorative items including tins, mugs and Princess Diana and Charles playing cards, went for 90 in March.

But could these Jubilee gems hold their value and make a mint in the future? And how much might your royal memorabilia be worth?

Experts say that its difficult to predict. Daniel Wade, from Paul Fraser Collectibles, says personal items such as clothes, belongings or signed letters, tend to be the most in demand  and fetch the highest price.

The Queens underwear was auctioned for thousands of pounds after being left on a private plane to Chile in 1968.

Pristine pair: William and Kate ceramic figurines. A piece of cake from William and Kates wedding in 2011 sold for almost 288 in April

And the velvet evening gown Princess Diana wore in 1985 when she danced with John Travolta at the White House was sold at auction for 220,000 in 2019.

Mr Wade says Royal autographs are doing very well at the moment ahead of the Jubilee.

He says there was a surge after Prince Philips death where people perhaps realised the Royal Family would not be around for ever.

Luxury: Commemorative bone china mug. Searches for royal teacups, Queen teapots and Jubilee plates have risen by 50%

He says: The Royal Family arent allowed to give out autographs as its not protocol, which means they are in limited supply.

'We find signed items, such as Christmas cards and letters, do very well.

Slices of royal wedding cake are also popular. Despite being produced in large volumes, they bring people close to the event and close to the couple.

Mr Wade says some of the Royal Family are more popular than others  which will affect the value of their items.

Because of her legacy and mystique, Princess Diana memorabilia remains the most desired.

Frances Monroe, head of collectables at eBay, says Royal occasions and news spark a greater interest in the royals among the public, which translates to surging demand.

She says: Events like the Platinum Jubilee offer a timely opportunity for those looking to sell their royal memorabilia to those looking to build out their collection.

The nation loves a love story. Royal wedding collectables will fetch the highest price around major anniversaries for the couple, and the older the item, the rarer and more valuable it has usually become.

Rob Burgeman, investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, says there may also be a surge in demand for Diana memorabilia at Princes Charless and Williams coronations, and events involving the grandchildren.

Decorative: Queen and Prince Philip candle snuffers. Searches for Queen salt and pepper shakers have tripled, according to eBay

A signed photo of Princess Diana was worth 1,250 in 2000 and 10,000 now, according to Paul Fraser Collectibles.

Over the same period, the price of a signed photo of Queen Elizabeth II went from 1,000 to 5,000, which Mr Wade says is the most valuable signature of a living person.

He adds: Prince William comes next in popularity as he has signed fewer documents, while Prince Charles is a long way down the list. He does not fire up the imagination like the other three.

Ornamental souvenir: 2015 Travel alarm clock

Mr Burgeman says that buying royal collectables as an investment is risky as you have no idea how tastes will change and what items  or the Firms family members  will fall out of favour.

For example, in the past two years the value of a signed photograph of Prince Harry has dropped 250 to 1,500.

He says: Trying to pick commemorative memorabilia that will make you money is tough  and there are definitely better investments.

The Royal Family has international appeal but related items will only be worth as much as someone will pay.

Buy items if you like them and if it becomes valuable in the future, thats a bonus.

Mr Wade says you are unlikely to make any money on pieces produced as collectables  even if you keep them in pristine condition for years to come. He says: Even limited-edition pieces will be produced in large runs. I cannot see them making money in the future.

He also warns fans to always buy from reputable firms that offer authentication.

a.murray@dailymail.co.uk
Kingsport, TN (37660)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 84F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Dozens of inmates were killed during a riot early on Monday as rival gangs clashed in a jail in the Ecuadorean city of Santo Domingo, the government said, the latest episode of prison violence that has rocked the South American country.

One hundred and eight prisoners remain at large and 112 have been recaptured, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo told reporters. Authorities said the riot broke out after a gang leader was transferred to Santo Domingos Bellavista prison following a court order, which may have caused unrest among prisoners.

Both the interior ministry and the attorney generals office reported that 43 prisoners had died. Most of them had been stabbed to death, Carrillo said.

The riot was the latest incident of violence in Ecuadorean prisons, which the government attributes to fights between gangs over control of territory and drug trafficking routes.

Last year, 316 prisoners died during riots in various prisons across Ecuador.

Bellavista prison has now been brought back under control, police commander Fausto Salinas said, adding that a security fence was built around the jails perimeter after prisoners escaped.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has said the system is blighted by state abandonment and the absence of a comprehensive policy, as well as poor conditions for inmates.

The countrys prisons house 35,000 people and are overcrowded at about 15% beyond maximum capacity.

Conservative President Guillermo Lasso has promised to reduce prison violence through a gang pacification process, early release for prisoners and political and social reforms.

SOURCE. REUTERS
Buildings in Odesa lay in ruins on Tuesday, a day after Kremlin forces pounded the southern Ukrainian port with missiles and Russian President Vladimir Putin led defiant celebrations marking the Soviets victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

While Putin was silent about plans for any escalation, he exhorted Russians to battle and repeated his assertions that they were again fighting Nazis. His forces continued to destroy the infrastructure of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol where the last Ukrainian troops are holding out.

You are fighting for the Motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of World War Two. So that there is no place in the world for executioners, castigators and Nazis, Putin said.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his own speech on Monday, promised Ukrainians would triumph.

On the Day of Victory over Nazism, we are fighting for a new victory. The road to it is difficult, but we have no doubt that we will win, said Zelenskiy.

In Odesa, the major Black Sea port for exporting agricultural products, one person was killed and five people were injured when seven missiles hit a shopping centre and a depot, Ukraines armed forces said on Facebook.

Video footage from the scene showed fire and rescue workers combing through piles of rubble dousing still smoking wreckage.

Ukraine and its allies have intensified efforts on how to unblock ports or provide alternate routes for exporting its significant crops of grain, wheat and corn.

European Council President Charles Michel visited Odesa on Monday, and his meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was interrupted by the missile attack.

Their talks continued in a bomb shelter, according to Shmyhals official Twitter account.

Air raid sirens could be heard across several regions of Ukraine early on Tuesday including Luhansk, Kharkiv and Dnipro.

Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, said the region was attacked 22 times in the 24 hours to early Tuesday.

During the day on May 9th, the Russians fired en masse on all possible routes out of the region.

Houses were destroyed in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk and in the village of Shypilovo, where people remained trapped, there was an attack on an inspecting crew that wounded one person, Gaidai added.

In the town of Bogodukhov, northwest of Kharkiv, four people were killed and several homes were destroyed in Russian attacks on Monday, local media quoted Kharkiv officials as saying.

Ukraines defence ministry said Russian forces backed by tanks and artillery were conducting storming operations at Mariupols Azovstal plant, where hundreds of Ukrainian defenders have held out through months of siege.

Mariupol lies between the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, and parts of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russia-backed separatists. Capturing the city would allow Moscow to link the two areas.

REVISIONIST DISINFORMATION

More than 5.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russias invasion on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations, which has called it Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two.

Moscows gains from the invasion, however, have been slow at best and it has little to show for it beyond a strip of territory in the south and marginal gains in the east.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was worried Putin doesnt have a way out right now, and Im trying to figure out what we do about that.

Sources say U.S. Democratic lawmakers have agreed on a $40 billion aid proposal for Ukraine, including a massive new weapons package.

The White House had earlier described Putins remarks during his Victory Day speech as revisionist history that took the form of disinformation.

The Soviet victory in World War Two has acquired almost religious status in Russia under Putin, who has invoked the memory of the Great Patriotic War throughout what he calls a special military operation in Ukraine.

Western countries consider that a false analogy to justify unprovoked aggression.

There can be no victory day, only dishonour and surely defeat in Ukraine, said British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

In Poland, the Russian ambassador was surrounded by protesters at a memorial ceremony and doused in red paint. Ambassador Sergei Andreyev, his face dripping and his shirt stained, said he was proud of my country and my president.

Sheltering in a metro station in Kharkiv  Ukraines mainly Russian-speaking second city which has been bombed relentlessly since the wars first days  Kateryna Grigoriyevna, 79, sat eating an ice cream she had ventured out to buy for Victory Day.

We hate Putin, she said, glancing around the platform where some 200 people cluster in tents and on thin mattresses.

I would kill him myself if I could.

SOURCE: REUTERS
GREENPORT  Aldi, the supermarket chain known for low prices and a unique warehouse-style shelving and pack-it-yourself system, has moved to a new location in Greenport and is coming to Rotterdam.

The new store was moved from 300 to 161 Fairview Ave. and will have a grand opening on Thursday.

The first 100 customers will receive a gift bag filled with a sampling of Aldi Fan Favorites products and a gift card as part of the Aldi Golden Ticket gift card giveaway program. Shoppers can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 Aldi gift card.



We are excited to provide local shoppers a revamped and refreshed Aldi store designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier, said Chris Daniels, South Windsor regional vice president for Aldi. We are always looking out for the needs of our shoppers, and decided to move our Hudson store to allow more room for added fresh, high-quality products at affordable prices, which our loyal shoppers know and love.

The old store closed on March 22.

The company also is building a new store in Rotterdam, at the Five Corners area near Route 7 in Rotterdam. First reported in The Daily Gazette, that store is scheduled to open in July.

In addition to their exclusive brands, no-frills Aldi operates with a number of cost-saving moves, such as having shoppers insert a quarter into the shopping carts. That saves the need for employees to periodically go out in the parking lot and retrieve the carts. Shoppers get their quarter back when they bring the cart back to its parking spot near the store entrance.

They also carry a number of European food brands, a nod to the stores parent firm, the German-based Albrecht Discounts.

Aldi stores are relatively small, running about 12,000 square feet. Other major chains typically have stores that are three or four times that size.

There are more than 2,100 Aldi stores across 38 states and the company says it is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count in the U.S. by the end of 2022.
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ALBANY  After clambering up into the 5-foot high cab of his semi-tractor truck, driver Danny Gamboa buckles his seat belt and takes off. He steps on the accelerator and the massive truck surges forward with barely a sound. While this semi is designed to haul an 80,000-pound load, it rides more like a luxury SUV but with even less noise.

This Kenworth truck may look like the scores of semis one sees any day on an interstate highway. But rather than a diesel motor, this one is powered by hydrogen.

And while this is a prototype, Toyota Motor Corp. is confident it could someday supplant many of the traditional diesel-powered trucks that ply our nations highways and byways.

So confident, in fact, that they plan to soon start building these hydrogen truck systems at a plant in Kentucky. From there, they can be installed in any variety of heavy trucks such as the Kenworth or other large vehicles whose owners are looking for a cleaner and cheaper alternative to diesel fuel.

The truck, as well as a Toyota Mirai passenger sedan were on display Tuesday at the headquarters of the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency, or NYSERDA.

As well as showcasing this new auto and truck technology, it also underscored NYSERDAs bid to bring a federally funded hydrogen research hub to the region.

New York in March joined with Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey to compete for federal Department of Energy funds for such a hub that would further the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, said Doreen Harris, NYSERDAs president and CEO.

Much of the initial attention on that competition centered on the use of hydrogen to fuel power plants. But hydrogen has long held promise, albeit elusive, of fueling vehicles with the only emissions being water that is produced when hydrogen molecules are mixed with oxygen.

Hydrogen power is similar to battery power in that it creates energy through a chemical reaction rather than the combustion that takes place in a gasoline or diesel engine.

Hydrogen vehicles rely on fuel cells that allow the blending of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, which create a current that can power an electric motor.

Toyota is one of several auto and truck makers that have explored hydrogen as well as battery plug-in and hybrid vehicles.

As well as the truck Toyota had a Mirai passenger car on display and available for test drives. It looks and sounds like an electric vehicle  that is, it makes almost no noise.

The Mirai, which runs about $55,000, is already in use in California, where Toyota has sold about 10,000, said Robert Wimmer, the companys director of energy and environmental research.

It will cruise at 80 mph all day, said Wimmer, who pointed out the car's features to Harris and other state energy officials.

People who buy the car are typically early adopters, similar to those who purchased Teslas when they were first available. While there are only 53 hydrogen stations so far in California, the car has some advantages over batteries including a 400-mile range. And with no need to plug it in, the Mirai can be attractive to those who live in condominiums or apartment buildings where theres no easy access to an electric source (most EV owners plug their cars in at home to charge them).

The truck offers some serious advantages, said Wimmer. The hydrogen cells are far lighter than comparable batteries needed to power a semi-truck, which is an advantage when gauging a vehicles cargo capacity.

And like battery-powered trucks and cars, there are almost no moving parts to wear out or break.

A few of the trucks are currently in use at the Port of Los Angeles where they haul cargo from the docks to loading terminals. As more hydrogen fuel stations are built Wimmer believes they could be a good alternative to both diesel and electric trucks.

Our view is there is no single solution, said Wimmer, who races cars as a hobby.

Harris said shes optimistic about the Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey bid for a federal hydrogen hub for several reasons.

We all have very ambitious clean energy policies, she said.

And the states proximity to busy highways like I-95 means there is a real need and market for clean alternative transportation methods.

Some environmentalists are wary of hydrogen fuel, especially to run power plants. But they agree that hydrogen fuel could be a useful way to power vehicles that can't easily be electrified. "We do think there is going to be a limited role for green hydrogen to play as we move to zero emissions,'' said Conor Bambrick, the energy and air program director at Environmental Advocates of New York

Harris believes the fuel could be produced with largely renewable resources as well as nuclear power, which is also emissions-free.

And she wants to explore as many fossil-free fuels as possible.

Were pursuing all options, she said.

Gamboa, who has driven traditional semi-trucks before joining Toyota, said hes convinced that hydrogen could be the future of trucking.

I wont go back to the old ones, he said, referring to traditional diesel trucks. They are slow, loud and they pollute.
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One of the Ukrainian fighters holding out in the Mariupol steelworks said Monday they were still defending the city.

Valeri Paditel, who heads the border guards in the Donetsk region, said the fighters were doing everything to make those who defend the city in the future proud.

In his video address, released by the national border guard service, Paditel said the fighters include border guards, soldiers, national police and members of the national guard.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day

 Russian ambassador to Poland hit with red paint

 Russia marks WWII victory overshadowed by Ukraine

 More than 60 feared dead in bombing of Ukrainian school

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

KYIV, Ukraine  An adviser to Ukraines president is interpreting Russian President Vladimir Putins Victory Day speech as indicating that Russia has no interest in escalating the war through the use of nuclear weapons or direct engagement with NATO.

Oleksiy Arestovych pointed to Putins statement that Russia would honor the memory of those who fought in World War II by doing everything so that the horror of a global war does not happen again.

Translating from Kremlin speak into Russian, Arestovych said this means: There will be no nuclear war. There will be no war with NATO. What will there be? There will be a sluggish attempt to solve three main problems, which he identified as taking control of the entire Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson regions.

This would give Russia control of the eastern industrial Donbas, including Mariupol, and a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Speaking late Monday in an online interview, Arestovych said Russia would drag out the war while bleeding the Ukrainian economy with the aim of getting Ukraine to agree to give up these territories.

Arestovych He also said Ukraines ability to spoil these plans depends on whether the West supplies it with the heavy weapons it needs.

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MIAMI BEACH, Fla.  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Russias invasion of Ukraine has made energy independence more important than ever during a climate conference in South Florida on Monday.

Pelosi said during the opening session of the Aspen Ideas: Climate 2022 in Miami Beach that the House has already passed legislation to combat climate change, and they continue to work with the Senate to gain bipartisan support.

We have all the reason in the world to do this, Pelosi said. Its hard to understand why there are obstacles to it.

Pelosi, who visited Ukraine earlier this month, said climate change has always been an issue of health, economics and security, and she pointed out that nations that have bought oil from Russia, including the U.S. and some European countries, have effectively funded the attack on Ukraine.

The fact is that people cant get away with that kind of behavior, and they cannot be financed in doing it by our dependence on fossil fuels in their country, Pelosi said.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Europe, as it did in World War II, once again has to think about the price to be paid for peace on the continent.

Zelenskyy added that Europe has to think about the price to be paid by Russia for bringing the evil of total war to Europe again.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said history will hold Russia responsible.

And we, Ukrainians, will continue to work toward our defense, our victory and on restoring justice. Today, tomorrow and any other day that is necessary to free Ukraine from the occupiers, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy ended his radio address by thanking all those defending the country and promising that the Ukrainian flag will one day once again fly over all of its cities.

The Ukrainian flag will return. Because this is our country. A free European country, Zelenskyy said.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian military said Russian forces fired seven missiles from the air at Odesa on Monday night, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse.

One person was killed and five were wounded, the military said.

While seeking strategic targets, obsolete missiles managed to hit an extremely dangerous shopping center and a warehouse for consumer goods, Natalya Gumenyuk, a military spokeswoman, said on Facebook.

Photos on the post showed what appeared to be the warehouse engulfed in flames.



WASHINGTON  Washington sought to portray a united front against Russias invasion of Ukraine on Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era lend-lease program that helped defeat Nazi Germany to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The new legislation is largely symbolic, but comes as Congress is poised to unleash more resources of $33 billion or more to fight the war. It all serves as a rejoinder to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has seized on V-E day, the anniversary of Germanys unconditional surrender and Russias biggest patriotic holiday, to rally his people behind the invasion.

Before signing the bill, Biden said that Putins war was once more bringing wanton destruction of Europe, drawing reference to the significance of the day.

Flanked by two Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, Biden signed the bill, which had sailed through the Senate last month with unanimous agreement, not even the need for a formal roll call vote. It passed overwhelmingly in the House, drawing opposition from just 10 Republicans.

It really matters, Biden said of the bipartisan support for Ukraine. It matters.

Despite their differences over Bidens approach and perceived missteps in confronting Russia, when it comes to Ukraine the members of the House and Senate have held together in a rare bipartisan fashion. Other measures, including calls to investigate Putin for war crimes, have also gained widespread support.

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WASHINGTON  Lithuanias top diplomat said Monday that removing Russian President Vladimir Putin from power is the only way to protect the West and its allies from future threats from Moscow, urging an even tougher stance than the U.S. and many NATO allies have been willing to pursue since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Putins annual Victory Day speech was underwhelming and that the gloomy faces of generals and others were signs of failing in the Ukraine war. Yet, he said a wounded Putin may be even more dangerous and that the only way to remove the threat is to remove him.

From our standpoint, up until the point the current regime is not in power, the countries surrounding it will be, to some extent, in danger. Not just Putin but the whole regime because, you know, one might change Putin and might change his inner circle but another Putin might rise into his place, Landsbergis said.

And so as long as a regime that intends to wage wars outside Russian territory is in place, the countries surrounding it are in danger, he said. And, if one thing was proven to those who doubted it after 2008 in Georgia in 2014 when the first war in Ukraine started, it is that Russia is an aggressive country. Thats very clear.

Lithuania is one of the three Baltic states that among NATO allies are particularly concerned about possible Russian designs on forcefully returning them to Moscows rule. Lithuanian officials, including Landsbergis have been especially outspoken about their fears but his overt calls for regime change go beyond what most NATO allies have been willing to express.

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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  The first telephone call Jill Biden made from her black SUV after an unannounced meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart inside the embattled country was to her husband, President Joe Biden.

Biden and Olena Zelenska, who had not been seen in public since President Vladimir Putin sent Russias military into her country nearly 11 weeks ago, had just spent about two hours together at a school in Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.

With her visit to the Ukraine war zone, the U.S. first lady was able to act as a second pair of eyes and ears for the president, who so far has been unable to visit the country himself.

Sometimes the first lady is able to do things and get into places where the president cant, said Myra Gutin, author of The Presidents Partner: The First Lady in the Twentieth Century.

Jill Biden wrapped up her four-day trip to Eastern Europe on Monday after meeting in Bratislava with Zuzana Caputova, Slovakias first female president. Her trip over the border on Sunday to meet with Zelenska and refugees from elsewhere in Ukraine was a highpoint of the visit.

Seated across from Caputova, Jill Biden said she told her husband in their phone call just how much I saw the need to support the people of Ukraine and about the horrors and the brutality that the people I had met had experienced.

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BERLIN  The leaders of Germany and France welcomed the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin didnt announce any steps to expand the war in Ukraine, including to other countries, in his speech marking the end of World War II.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that it important there had been no escalation, at least as far as the rhetoric is concerned in Putins Victory Day speech. What actually happens in Ukraine is something well see in the next days and weeks.

His comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who added that the goal of diplomatic efforts remains a cease-fire in Ukraine.

In effect, today was marked by no verbal escalation nor a geographic escalation nor an escalation in the use of arms he said. Is this sufficient for us? No.

We will remain concentrated on our only goal, do all to get a cease-fire and help Ukraine to negotiate under the terms it decides for itself, because we are on the side of sovereignty and Ukrainian territorial integrity, Macron said. No more, no less.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during an official visit to non-NATO member Moldova on Monday that the consequences of Russias war against Ukraine escalating are too frightening to contemplate.

Guterres, who arrived in Moldovas capital Chisinau on Monday, said in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, that the impact of Russias war in neighboring Ukraine is profound and far-reaching.

The U.N. chiefs visit to Moldova, one of Europes poorest countries, which has a population of about 2.6 million people, follows a series of unsettling incidents that have rocked Moldovas pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria, which has put officials in Chisinau on high alert.

In late April, three men launched grenades at the regions state security office, and two large broadcast antennas were downed a day later. On Friday, Police in Transnistria said explosive devices were dropped from a drone leaving 1-meter-deep craters near a village.

I am deeply concerned about the continuation and possible spread of the war Russia is waging in Ukraine, Guterres said, adding that Moldovas sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be threatened or undermined.

Transnistria, a small strip of land with a population of about 470,000, has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in the breakaway region, ostensibly as peacekeepers. No casualties were reported in the incidents.

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WASHINGTON  The United States is suspending 25% import taxes on Ukraines steel in a show of support for the countrys beleaguered economy during the Russian invasion.

The Commerce Department said Monday that it would withdraw the tariffs for a year. Ukraine accounts for only about 1% of U.S. steel exports.

Some of the countrys largest steel communities have been among those hardest hit during the war, including the Mariupol mill thats the only part of the strategically important port city not under Russian control.

We cant just admire the fortitude and spirit of the Ukrainian people  we need to have their backs and support one of the most important industries to Ukraines economic well-being, Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo said. For steel mills to continue as an economic lifeline for the people of Ukraine, they must be able to export their steel.

The steel levies were imposed in 2018 by the Trump administration, which deployed a little-used provision in U.S. trade law to call foreign steel a threat to American national security. The move outraged U.S. allies, and critics said they did little address the real cause of stress for U.S. steel producers: massive overproduction by the Chinese, whose steel shipments to the U.S. are already limited by other trade barriers.

The Biden administration has removed most of the tariffs on steel from the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, allowing their metals to come in duty-free up to a quota. No such quota applies to the Ukrainian imports in the move announced Monday.

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WARSAW, Poland  Polish officials say the country is ready to increase its energy assistance to neighboring Ukraine and provide steady deliveries.

Polands government ministers made the declaration Monday during a Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum attended also by other countries and by the International Energy Agency. Climate and Environment minister, Anna Moskwa, said a round-the clock effort is being set in motion to ensure energy security to Ukraine.

Poland has been supplying Ukraine with some energy and fuels ever since Russias Feb. 24 invasion. The level of the support is to be increased.

Ukraines first deputy minister for the economy, Yulia Sviridenko, said the country urgently needs diesel fuel and gasoline because Russias invading troops are destroying its fuels infrastructure, including a refinery.

Poland is in the process of cutting its dependence on Russian energy sources and increasing deliveries from other countries.

___

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

BRUSSELS  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to Hungary in a bid to secure unanimity on the EUs executive arms proposal to ban oil imports from Russia.

A spokesman for the European Commission said von der Leyen will meet with Hungary Prime minister Viktor Orban on Monday to discuss issues related to European security of energy supply.

Hungary has blocked progress in discussions to adopt the sixth EU package of sanctions targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine, and ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have so far failed to agree on the details of the new round of measures.

Von der Leyen has proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.

Hungary says it will not vote for the proposed sanctions, saying it would have the effect of an atomic bomb on its economy and would destroy its stable energy supply.

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ODESA, Ukraine  The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has lamented that silos full of food for export is blocked in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which he visited on Monday.

The Ukrainian city has been the target of Russian missile attacks over recent days.

In a tweet, Michel said he was with Ukraines prime minister examining the wars effect on the port.

I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export, Michel wrote. This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black sea ports. Causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response.

Ukraine is a global grain exporter, and U.N. officials have warned that failure for those products to ship will hurt food security in importing countries, especially poorer ones in Africa and elsewhere.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement said he spoke with Michel during the Odesa visit. It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russias aggressive actions, Zelenskyy said. Immediate measures must be taken to unlock Ukrainian ports for wheat exports.

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ROME  The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow patriarch has made a personal and faith-based appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for safe passage to Ukrainian soldiers defending the besieged port city of Mariupol.

Metropolitan Onufry recalled in an open letter Monday that Putins own family survived the siege of Leningrad in the 1940s. He said Putins relatives experienced what it is like to live in isolation from the great land, under constant bombardment, without food, water, medicine, when death can come at any moment from the impact of a heavy weapon, hunger or lack of medical care.

He said the civilians and soldiers of Mariupol are in the same situation today, a reference to the Ukrainian troops still defending the Azovstal steel mill. He wrote: We hope that you will Christianly agree to the extraction procedure for the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol, and give the opportunity to surrounded civilians, police, border guards and the military to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine or the territory of third countries.

Onufrys church enjoys broad autonomy but is loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church and its patriarch, Kirill. It is separate from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which split into an independent church in 2019.

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BERLIN  The Russian ambassador in Berlin used a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the end of World War II to repeat Moscows claims that it is fighting against Nazism in Ukraine.

Sergey Nechaev told reporters Monday that Ukraine will be de-nazified for sure.

It will succeed, he said. We need a peace without Nazism, in Ukraine and in Europe.

The diplomat also cited a need for good cooperation, of course, but at eye level, without ultimatums and without threats and without sanctions.

The occasion was the 77th anniversary of Nazi Germanys defeat, traditionally celebrated by Russia on May 9.

A small group of people waved Russian and Soviet flags, despite a ban on doing so by Berlin police, imposed to prevent violence between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters.

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WARSAW, Poland  Protesters threw what appeared to be red paint, to symbolize blood, at the Russian ambassador as he arrived at a cemetery in Warsaw to pay respects to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II.

Ambassador Ambassador Sergey Andreev came to the Soviet soldiers cemetery to lay flowers. A group of activists opposed to Russias war in Ukraine were waiting for him.

The protesters carried Ukrainian flags, while some were dressed in white sheets smeared with a red color, symbolizing the Ukrainian victims of Russias war. Other men in the diplomats entourage were also seen splattered with what appeared to be red paint.

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BRUSSELS  The European Commission will aim to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraines bid to become a member of the European Union.

The 27 EU nations have been fully united in backing Ukraines resistance to Russias invasion, adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against Moscow since the start of the war in February. But leaders are divided on how fast Brussels could move to accept Ukraine as a member.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on Twitter that she discussed Monday with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy EU support and Ukraines European pathway. Looking forward to receiving the answers to the EU membership questionnaire.

For now, Ukraine has an Association Agreement with the EU, which includes a far-reaching free trade pact and helps to modernize Ukraines economy.

The Ukrainian fast-track bid could take years, with unanimity among current members required to include a new member.

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KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video address to the war-ravaged nation on Monday, marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in the World War II, and promising that Ukraine will soon have two Victory Days.

We will never forget what our ancestors did in World War II. Where more than 8 million Ukrainians died. And every fifth Ukrainian didnt return home. In total, the war claimed at least 50 million lives, Zelenskyy said. We dont say we can repeat.

Zelenskyy stressed that soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And someone will not have even one left. We won then, we will win now, too, he said, in reference to Russias war against Ukraine.

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MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to cast Moscows military action in Ukraine as a forced response to Western policies.

Speaking Monday at a military parade marking the World War II victory over the Nazis, Putin drew parallels between the Red Armys fighting against the Nazi troops and the Russian forces action in Ukraine.

He said the campaign in Ukraine was a timely and necessary move to ward off what he described as an absolutely unacceptable threat just next to our borders.

The danger was rising he said, adding that Russia has preemptively repulsed an aggression in what he described as a forced, timely and the only correct decision by a sovereign, powerful and independent country.

The Russian leader again scolded the West for failing to heed Russian demands for security guarantees and a rollback to NATOs expansion, arguing that it left Moscow no other choice but to launch an action in Ukraine.

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ALBANY  Job seekers in Albany County might have a better idea of what theyll earn before theyre hired under a new proposal before the county legislature.

The bill would amend the countys human rights law to require employers to post an open jobs minimum and maximum salary or hourly wage.

The bills sponsors said in a statement that the move would give job seekers an opportunity to better negotiate wages and improve equity.

This addition to the human rights law would help everyone get paid based on the job they are applying for rather than on prior salary. Simply requiring pay information in a job listing will help alleviate discrimination based on age, gender and race, said 38th District Legislator Victoria Plotsky.

The bill was sent to the legislature's personnel and law committees for further discussion later this month.

The move is similar to one made in other cities and states in the past few years. The city of Ithaca in Tompkins County passed legislation earlier this month that requires employers to post minimum and maximum hourly pay or salary ranges, though temporary jobs and companies with four or less employees are exempt.

New York City Council also passed pay transparency legislation earlier this year, but in April it approved an amendment that delayed the laws implementation until November after businesses expressed concerns.

More than half a dozen states have pay transparency laws on the books, although some require applicants to ask for the information or provide it after an interview. Several others, including Massachusetts, are considering similar legislation.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows that in 2020 the average full-time working woman was still earning $0.82 for every dollar earned by men. The gap is even wider when comparing women of color to white men. Those gaps remain consistent even when taking into account education level and similar job titles, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

County legislator Carolyn McLaughlin, who represents part of Albany, said pay equity is an issue with universal impact.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

While improving personal agency and lived experiences, economic parity moves a neighborhood and a broader community forward, she said.

The legislation would be the latest of several actions the Albany County Legislature has pursued over the years related to employment. In 2017, the county banned employers from requiring job applicants to provide prior or current salary information. However, in 2019, the legislature voted down a proposal that would have mandated employers to provide paid sick leave.

Mark Eagan, president of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, said he had not seen the legislation but hoped the legislature would be open to conversations about the law and the possible complications.

I think, given that we are a regional economy, our preference is to have issues like this handled at the state level versus the local level, he said.
The Capital Region has the second-highest level of reported COVID-19 infections statewide, and hospitalizations are also continuing to trend upward.

The region is seeing 55 people per 100,000 test positive daily for coronavirus on a seven-day average  a number that is no doubt lower than actual infections as many people take at-home tests and do not report the results to county health departments. That number of daily positive cases was last seen in early February when the first omicron surge was waning.

On Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had tested positive but was asymptomatic. Hochul has encouraged people to get vaccinated and boostered before traveling or seeing vulnerable loved ones  and if you test positive to check with a doctor about possible treatments.

"I know firsthand how tests can help stop the spread to our vulnerable loved ones, so let's keep using this critical tool," Hochul said Tuesday in a statement.

Western New York is tops statewide in reported infections, with 62 out of 100,000 people testing positive, according to the state's most recent data released Tuesday afternoon. Long Island is just behind the Capital Region, with just under 55 people per 100,000 testing positive.

Despite 77 percent of New York residents completing the COVID-19 vaccine series, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, omicron subvariants have made New York and sections of New England the nation's largest hotspot for coronavirus.

Warren County has the highest level of infection in the Capital Region, with 67 people per 100,000 testing positive. All data is based on a seven-day average to avoid any data reporting anomalies.

Capital Region residents admitted to the hospital who had positive COVID-19 tests sat at a little more than 17 people per 100,000 as of Monday's data, the third-highest level in the state.

The numbers show who in the hospital was positive  meaning not all patients are admitted for COVID-19 specifically. The state said as of Monday, 51 percent of those hospitalized who tested positive for COVID-19 did not list the virus as the main reason for treatment. However, the number of COVID-19 positive patients in the Capital Region has multiplied fourfold since early April, when only about four people per 100,000 were admitted and tested positive.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

On Tuesday, Albany County said a woman in her 80s died from the virus.

While the infection is prevalent in the Capital Region, other regions are faring worse in hospitalizations. The Finger Lakes region has the highest COVID-19 positive hospital patient rate, at nearly 29 people per 100,000.

While the latest surge is hitting upstate the hardest, there are possible signs that the spread of the particular subvariants circulating now is slowing in certain locations.

Central New York, which was the first region in New York to see coronavirus once again spiking, has seen reported positive tests slowly declining since April 16. COVID-19 positive hospital patients there are also slightly down over the last week.
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CAMBRIDGE - On the eve of an anticipated court decision about Cambridges school mascot, a diner in the heart of town is throwing a Cowboys and Indians costume party.

The Country Gals Cafe throws a costume party every month. In April, the theme was "The '80s," according to their Facebook page. But the theme and timing of this one has plaintiffs who filed the initial complaint about the mascot saying its proving their point.

Interesting, given the mascot issue and how people swear its respect, said plaintiff Alex Dery Snider.

A person who answered the phone at the cafe briefly said the party had nothing to do with the mascot fight. The person asked the Times Union to call back for further questions, but no one could be reached Tuesday.

Those who want to keep the school mascot, an image of an Indigenous person called the Indian, have argued that it is an important way to respect the communitys roots and remember Indigenous people who once lived in the area.

Those on the other side have said the desire to keep the mascot is a symptom of racism and encourages people to remember Indigenous people only as a stereotype from long ago, not as real people.

The diner's party features menu items including Custers last veggie lasagna and Crazy Horse chuck wagon chili," as well as sandwiches named for Pocahontas, who was captured by English colonists in Jamestown, and Sacagawea, who helped lead the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Col. George Custer led an attack on a sleeping village of Cheyenne, who were living legally on a reservation as required by the United States government. His troops slaughtered unarmed women and children.

Years later, the United States invaded the Lakota reservation in the Black Hills after gold was discovered on the land.

Cheyenne and Lakota, with leader Crazy Horse, killed Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer attacked them, not realizing he was badly outnumbered.

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 diner's party is Saturday. The decision from the state Supreme Court is expected in mid-May and could be announced on May 16, according to attorneys arguing the case.

The school district has argued that its not fair for the students to lose their mascot while many other schools in the region have similar names, but with less-obvious imagery. Observers have said they expect the controversy will force the state to take action.

The school district is appealing a state Education Department order that requires the district to get rid of its mascot. In a ruling last year, education Commissioner Betty Rosa said that the school's controversial insignia and mascot must be retired by July 1.

A state Supreme Court justice said she would speed up deadlines in the appeal so a decision on the legality of Rosa's order could be made by mid-May.

The state Legislature has drafted three bills related to the situation. One, which would ban public schools from using a native name, logo or mascot unless the school is run by a Native American tribe, has been amended several times this session and is still under consideration. That bill would let schools use current uniforms and other materials until 2024. Its not clear whether the bill will pass in the one month left in this session.
Two former managers for National Grid will serve prison sentences for their participation in a yearslong bribery-and-kickback scheme, according to the U.S. attorney's office in New York.

Richard Zavada, 65, was sentenced to a year and one day in prison, fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit $330,735. Patrick McCrann, 57, was sentenced to a year and one day of prison, fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit $200,000.

They were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon after October 2021 guilty pleas to charges of violating the federal Travel Act. The two men took bribes and kickbacks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for steering no-bid contracts to a contractor who paid them bribes, federal prosecutors said in a statement issued after the two men were sentenced on Friday.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny said the "sentence metes out just punishment to these bid riggers who accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, including cash, international vacations, home improvements, and recreational vehicles.

McCrann, of Selden, and Zavada, of Hicksville, were managers in the facilities department of the New York utility. Federal prosecutors said they steered contracts to "certain contractors" in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks. One contractor, who was not identified by prosecutors, "secured more than $50 million in facility maintenance contracts from National Grid during the time that the contractor was paying bribes to the defendants."

As managers, the two men had control over no-bid contracts valued at less than $50,000. The contractor understood that if bribes were not paid, the managers would award contracts to a competitor, the U.S. attorney's office said.

In return for the bribes, the two men took steps to help the contractor win National Grid contracts. Federal prosecutors said the men offered favorable reviews of the contractor's work.

The U.S. attorney further states the contractor paid McCrann and Zavada to "ensure that the defendants did not slow or stop disbursement of project funds to the Contractor, provide negative performance reviews regarding the Contractors work, or otherwise claim that the Contractors work did not meet contractual specifications."

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 bribes were paid in a variety of ways, prosecutors said, with payment coming as cash, recreational vehicles, home improvements, landscaping and overseas vacations. Federal agents seized approximately $300,000 in cash from a safe deposit box held by Zavada, the U.S. attorney said.

Three other former National Grid managers have pleaded guilty in the case. They are awaiting sentencing after admitting they accepted bribes from the contractor.
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Steven K. Green, Willamette University

(THE CONVERSATION) The leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alitos opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which has sent shock waves across the United States, indicates that a majority of Supreme Court justices will likely overturn the constitutional right to an abortion granted in Roe v. Wade. Employing unusually harsh language, Alito declared that Roe and Planned Parenthood v.Casey must be overruled because of the decisions abuse of judicial authority.

Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, Alito wrote, and its reasoning was exceptionally weak.

He also asserted that neither abortion nor privacy is mentioned in the text of the Constitution, nor should they be considered to be deeply rooted in the Nations history or traditions so as to be worthy of protection.

As a professor of constitutional law who has taught about reproductive rights for more than 20 years, I argue that Alitos legal reasoning leaves out several established constitutional principles also not mentioned in the text  such as separation of powers and executive privilege  as well as rights that conservatives hold near and dear like the right to marry and parental rights.

Alitos claim that a right to an abortion was entirely unknown in American law until Roe is unfounded. Historically, abortion was not completely illegal, even in Puritan New England. The first abortion restrictions were enacted in the U.S. in the 1820s.

Even then, they generally outlawed abortions only after quickening, the early equivalence of fetal viability  the ability to survive outside the mothers womb. Alitos legal rationales aside, the legal debate over abortion is as much a religious dispute as it is a constitutional one.

Religious opposition

Most anti-abortion rallies have signs and banners with religious admonitions such as pray for life and pray to end abortion.

Today, the Catholic Churchs strong opposition to abortion and contraception is well known. However, in an interesting recent book, Abortion in Early Modern Italy, historian John Christopoulos argues that prior to 1588, the Catholic Churchs position on abortion was more ambiguous. Before then, the church did not necessarily oppose abortion before quickening, but in that year shifted its position through a papal declaration that pronounced that the human soul is created at the moment of conception, known as ensoulment, and that all abortions were murder.

In 1968, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops founded the National Right to Life organization to coordinate activities of state groups that opposed abortion. In 1973, following Roe, the organization incorporated as the National Right to Life Committee, severing formal ties with the Catholic Church in order to attract conservative Protestants.

In addition to Catholic groups such as Priests for Life, opposition to abortion is driven by other conservative groups with Protestant members, including the Faith and Freedom Coalition and the Family Research Council.

More militant anti-abortion groups such as Operation Rescue and Operation Save America also state their opposition on religious grounds. According to one OSA official, Satan wants to kill innocent babies, demean marriage and distort the image of God.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Religious division

In actuality, Americas religious community is divided over the issue of abortion. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately three-quarters of white evangelical Protestants  77%  say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, while 63% of white Protestants who are not evangelical say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Interestingly, attitudes of Catholic laity are more narrowly split  55% favor legal abortion in all or most cases, while 43% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

As philosopher Peter Wenz argued in his book Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom, ones opinion about whether a pre-viable fetus is a person is a religious decision. Abortion restrictions interfere with this right to religious freedom.

Several liberal denominations agree. A 1981 resolution of the United Church of Christ declares that every woman must have the freedom of choice to follow her personal and religious convictions concerning the completion or termination of a pregnancy. And according to the National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish law does not recognize a fetus to be a person but instead teaches that abortion is permitted and even required when a womans health is endangered.

Yet for conservative Christians who believe that life or ensoulment begins at conception, there can be no compromise on the issue of abortion. And the issue of abortion has long been a priority among conservatives in a way not shared by liberals. This helps explain much of the staying power in the anti-abortion movement. Fifty years of legal precedent support the right to abortion. But anti-abortion activists moral certainty about the issue is so strong that, in their eyes, even this half-century of precedent seems destined to crumble.

After all, they reason, legal rules and principles are rarely absolute. For them, the religious certainty about the wrongness of abortion provides an answer that the law lacks.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.
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ALGIERS, Algeria (AP)  Russias foreign minister met Tuesday with the president of Algeria, marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries with hopes of deepening ties.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov transmitted an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for Algeria's leader, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to visit Moscow, Algeria's official APS news agency said.

The stated purpose of the visit would be enhancing bilateral ties in all domains, from military to humanitarian, APS reported.

Russia has long furnished the North African nation with military hardware. Lavrov, evoking military and technical cooperation, expressed Russia's satisfaction with the confidence placed in us (by Algiers) in this domain.

Gas-rich Algeria is in a delicate position regarding its longstanding ties to Russia. With drastically less capacity, it is now increasingly eyed by countries looking to reduce their reliance on Russian energy amid the war in Ukraine.

It was not known whether Lavrov and Tebboune talked about the energy issue.

However, the war in Ukraine was among the topics discussed. After his meeting with the Algerian leader, Lavrov said he informed Tebboune of the latest developments of the military operation in Ukraine. He did not elaborate.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

He expressed his high respect for Algeria's position. We especially noted the understanding of our Algerian friends of the whole complex of problems that is strung on the current situation on the Ukrainian territory.

Lavrov praised the position of Algeria and an Arab contact group it led in meetings last month with Russian and Ukrainian officials as balanced and objective.

The group traveled to Moscow in early April, then met with Ukraine's foreign minister.

Lavrov also met Tuesday with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to heroes of the 1954-1962 Algerian War of Independence against France, which dominates the Bay of Algiers.
To hear the Biden administration talk, the war in Ukraine is nearly won  and the United States wants some of the credit for winning it.

Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said last month.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III went a step further. The United States isnt merely helping Ukraine win, he said; its using the war to undermine Russias status as a world power.

We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cant do the kind of things that it has done in invading Ukraine, Austin said.

Last week, U.S. officials disclosed that American intelligence helped Ukrainian forces kill as many as 12 Russian generals and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet  humiliating setbacks for Moscow.

Its good news, of course, that Ukraine is holding its own against Russias invasion. And yes, the United States and its allies deserve credit for helping the Kyiv government survive. But several things are wrong with this picture.

For one thing, Ukraine hasnt quite won yet. The chest-thumping is premature.

Russian forces are close to taking full control of the city of Mariupol; that will give it a prize long sought: a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula and Russia. The Russians could also expand the territory they hold in eastern Ukraine, where fierce fighting is under way.

For another, its unusual for U.S. officials to claim credit, even anonymously, for successful intelligence sharing. The problem isnt that theyre revealing state secrets; Russia already knew the U.S. was helping the Ukrainians with targeting.

The problem is that President Vladimir Putin has tried to rally support by portraying Russia as the victim of a U.S. plot. We just helped him make his case.

The war in Ukraine does not have anything to do with Ukraine, a commentary shown on Russian state television claimed last week. The war in Ukraine was designed to cause regime change in Moscow.

The commentator was Tucker Carlson of Fox News.

More important, the United States has quietly escalated its goals in the war but without much clarity about exactly what they are. Mission creep and is a recipe for trouble. Just ask former President George W. Bush, who led the United States into overambitious wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You dont want to create pressure on yourself to do more than is wise to do, Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations, a top State Department official in the Bush administration, told me.

One reason the U.S.-led alliance in support of Ukraine has held together so impressively is that its initial goal was clear and broadly shared: helping the Kyiv government defend itself.

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Now the goals are getting blurry, and thats beginning to create division among U.S. allies. Britains combative foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said her country is committed to push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine, a more ambitious goal than even the Biden administration has embraced.

I dont think we have shared definitions of success, Haass said. Thats a problem.

Expanding the goals of the war could stiffen Putins determination to keep fighting or push him toward escalating, perhaps with chemical or nuclear weapons.

Austins statement reinforces Putins belief that this is an existential threat, Haass warned. You dont want to push him into a corner any smaller than the one hes already painted himself into.

Some day, Russia and Ukraine will decide to stop fighting. At that point, there will need to be cease-fire talks and, perhaps, negotiations toward a peace settlement. U.S. diplomats may even want to dust off the concept of offramps  offers to make it easier for Russia to compromise.

And once the war is over, the United States and Russia will still need to deal with each other on a broad range of issues.

Escalating goals and premature claims of victory wont help us get there any faster.

Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Conservatives seem on the verge of achieving their hard-fought goal of reversing Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that gave women control over their bodies. A leaked draft ruling previews a frightening commitment to a return to the 1950s.

Affluent and well-educated women, though, will not bear the brunt of this decision. In the pre-Roe landscape, there were Northeastern and Western states where terminating a pregnancy was legal, and affluent women from all parts of the country were able to travel for the right reproductive medical care.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states  slightly more than half  are certain or likely to ban abortion should Roe be overturned. The other 24 states, from Alaska to Hawaii to Massachusetts and New York, are expected to retain broad access to abortions for now.

The reversal of Roe will fall disproportionately on the already-sagging shoulders of poor women who will be forced to carry to term pregnancies they do not want, to rear babies they cannot afford, to live lives more precarious than those they lived before. Isnt it always the case that suffering and injustice and pain are visited disproportionately on the poor?

The Guttmacher Institute reports that in 2014, 75 percent of women who had abortions were low-income  49 percent of them living below the federal poverty level. Because Black Americans are more likely than whites to live in poverty, Black women are disproportionately represented among those having abortions. While Black women account for only about 13 percent of the female population, that group accounted for 28 percent of those who terminated pregnancies in 2014, Guttmacher says.

Some of the poorest states  Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky  are among those with laws that will ban most abortions once Roe is repealed. It is perhaps no coincidence that those are also among the states with the stingiest social welfare nets.

Women and their children in those states and others need more help. They need decent housing. They need medical insurance. They need nutrition assistance. They need good child care if they are to work. In many states, government assistance for the poor is predicated on forcing those adults to seek jobs.

While proponents of reproductive rights have mostly concentrated their activism on preserving Roe, that activism now must expand to include pressure on Congress and state legislatures to insist that government assistance is dramatically increased for poor families. The poor children who will be born in a post-Roe world are not mere totems for protests or symbols for dissent. They will be actual infants, toddlers and kindergartners whose mothers dont have the resources to give them the lives they deserve.

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That hardly means that reproductive rights activists should give up on maintaining those freedoms where they can. They should fight to preserve protections in those states that have not enacted abortion restrictions; they should raise funds to help poor women travel to receive the reproductive care they need. And they should go all out to repeal cruel bans on abortion in cases of rape or incest; a handful of states have already mandated such extremes or seem poised to do so.

But the power of advocacy and the funds that fuel it must serve the children who will need food, shelter and medicine. Some Republicans are already feeling the heat since they are the partisans who resist providing a sturdier social safety net. As just one example, congressional Republicans have refused to support President Joe Bidens proposals for cash payments for parents, expanded child care benefits and universal access to pre-kindergarten. Now, some are giving such proposals the mildest lip service; Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told The Washington Post that, if Roe is reversed, I hope well come forward with new and interesting policy perspectives.

But the GOPs half-baked policy perspectives dont pay rent or buy diapers. They dont pay for doctors visits or prescriptions. They dont provide reasonable child care options. Thats what poor families need already. If poor women are forced to carry pregnancies to term, they will need that support even more.

Now that conservatives are about to remake the modern world, they get to redefine pro-life. I do hope they mean life outside the womb.

Cynthia Tucker won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2007. She can be reached at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.
With the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority apparently poised to revoke abortion rights that have been the law of the land for a half-century, Democrats are looking to enshrine that right in law.

It is absolutely the right thing to do. And they should not be deterred by those who say its dead on arrival.

This is no mere political litmus test as decisive elections loom this fall in both the House and Senate. Its an opportunity for those representatives and senators who support a womans right to control her body and her reproductive health  on both sides of the aisle  to show that compromise is still possible. And to send a message to justices who used deceit to get their jobs.

We know how polarized Congress is. We saw how elusive compromise can be in the failed fight over so vital an issue as voting rights. The failure to find common ground has left the nation to watch one Republican-dominated state legislature after another undercut the right to vote, particularly for minorities, in an effort to secure control not just of their own states but the federal government, too.

Now comes a threat from conservatives on the high court to revoke the constitutional right to an abortion first recognized in Roe v. Wade in 1973. If the court rules as laid out in a leaked draft, it would be left to states to decide whether to allow, ban, or limit abortions. In response, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer says he intends to force a national abortion rights bill to a vote on Wednesday.

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We urge him to reach across the aisle to appeal to the two known pro-choice Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. It might be possible to fashion a bill that addresses their concerns, and to assemble a bipartisan coalition willing to suspend the filibuster. Its an imperfect solution, and a huge reach. But it would certainly be better than the alternative of having as many as half the states ban abortion altogether or make it all but inaccessible.

Would it be a big political risk, especially for Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins? Yes, but it would also represent perhaps the greatest chance in their political careers to do the most good for the most people by voting for something they believe in.

And it would strike a blow for more honesty in politics, including the politics of Supreme Court confirmations. Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins  and every other senator with any respect for their chamber and the integrity of so vital an institution as the Supreme Court  should be gravely concerned that former President Donald Trumps nominees to one degree or another gave what clearly were prevaricating answers on abortion rights. Congress should send a message that even in todays polarized, bare-knuckle political environment, deceit is an intolerable tactic for a Supreme Court nominee. and, ultimately, an unfruitful and counterproductive one.
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ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the state to distribute $35 million toward increasing access to safe abortions in New York, particularly for low-income or uninsured women who may be coming from states that have restricted access to abortion or move to outlaw it following the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It's simple: If we're going to guarantee the right to an abortion, we have to guarantee access to an abortion," Hochul said during a virtual news conference Tuesday morning.

The governor also said she supports ongoing efforts in the Legislature to push for a constitutional amendment to enshrine at least the right to an abortion, if not other rights that could be dialed back on the federal level given the current makeup of the high court.

A portion of the funds, $25 million from an emergency account within the Department of Health, is expected to be used to cover potential costs for those coming from out of state for abortion, and increasing staff for current providers to meet expected demand.

The remaining $10 million, from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, will fund increased security at abortion service providers. "There's a lot of anxiety and we don't know what's going to happen, but we have to prepare for any scenario," Hochul said of ramped-up safety concerns at those facilities.

"This is a nation-leading response," Hochul said. In Oregon, a $15 million fund has been established for similar services.

The money is expected to be able to go out by the time a decision comes down from the court, Hochul said, which could happen next month. Some of the funds will go out as grants and others on a reimbursement basis, she said.

The $35 million toward expanding abortion services is a "grave misuse of state resources and an insult to millions of pro-life New Yorkers," Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, said in a statement.

"Inviting women from out of state to come here to abort their unborn children is a breathtaking reminder of how far our culture has fallen," Poust said.

Bill Hammond, senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center, questioned the method Hochul is using to spend money on abortion. About $2.9 million of emergency money is currently in the health department fund to pay for the $25 million cost.

"Hochul is effectively proposing new programs and spending money above and beyond what was contemplated in the current state budget  with no real emergency to justify a constitutional end-run," Hammond said in a tweet Tuesday.

Hochul's actions come the day after state Attorney General Letitia James threw her support behind the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund, legislation sponsored by two New York City Democrats that calls for $50 million for similar efforts. It would also set up the fund to reoccur next year instead of the emergency spending the state is set up to now do under the governor's direction.

"Our communities need several actions by our state and this fund will ensure that New York is a safe-access state when the Supreme Court fails us, state Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a Queens Democrat who sponsored the equity fund legislation, said in a statement Tuesday. She welcomed the announcement by Hochul, but said "we can and must go further."

Lawmakers with Hochul during the announcement Tuesday morning applauded her efforts, but characterized the money as a "down payment" toward a likely escalating price tag to meet the expected need. A regional director of Planned Parenthood said Tuesday that the organization is already seeing an uptick in women from out of state coming for abortion services.

"New York was going to need to stand up to help abortion refugees who would seek out health care services across state lines," state Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, said at the virtual news conference.

Hochul and Democrats in the state  all of whom are up for reelection in November  have aggressively moved forward on abortion issues following Politico's reporting last week on a draft opinion from the Supreme Court's conservative majority that would overturn Roe and send the question of abortion's legality to individual states.

In a question and answer session with reporters, Hochul alluded to a recent comment from U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican gubernatorial challenger, that if elected he would appoint a pro-life health commissioner.

"Elections have consequences," she said.

State GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy said Democrats were using "manufactured hysteria" in a state with legal abortions to distract from their policies in the state and the concerns of New Yorkers. Hochul has pointed out that an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers support abortion.
Immigration is a solid issue for Republican and the worsening economy will boost resentment against Prez Biden's border policy.



Accordingly, here's a solid talking point taking on the incumbent . . .



Adkins Releases Border Security, Immigration, & Workforce Policy Plan



OVERLAND PARK, KS  Amanda Adkins, Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Kansas Third District, released her immigration policy plan, Defending Americas Borders and Advancing Our Workforce. The full plan can be found at www.amandaadkins.com/defending-security-advancing-workforce/.



I am committed to the safety and security of the United States at our borders, and to meeting the needs of the American workforce, Adkins said.



Adkins plan first details the specific measures she will advocate for in Congress to support strengthening our borders. These positions sharply differ from those of KS-03s current Representative. Sharice Davids has criticized funding a border wall, called for the abolishment of ICE, voted against Title 42 (then tried to walk back her opinion this election year), voted against prohibiting gang members from receiving federal benefits, stated that declaring an emergency at the southern border is dangerous to our democracy, and believes that ... we have to get away from thinking of everyone whos coming to the United States as being a threat.



The real danger to Kansans lies not in declaring an emergency at the border, but in continuing to allow dangerous substances and people into our country by refusing to acknowledge and fix the crisis Davids, Biden, and the Democrats have created. Kansas City sees news stories on a weekly basis about the record number of overdoses occurring from fentanyl pouring across the border. Human trafficking and smuggling have also increased. And in 2021, CBP encountered 23 terrorists trying to cross into the U.S., ...a level we have never seen before. Drug traffickers and terrorists are taking full advantage of Davids and Bidens lax attitude.



The second half of Adkins plan details measures to support America's workforce and economic growth by stepping back and asking what jobs we are trying to fill and what skills are needed for immigrants to be successful in those jobs. Unfortunately, Davids has not taken workforce or economic planning into consideration. By voting for Bidens Build Back Better plan, she supported the largest mass-legalization program for undocumented immigrants in U.S. history. Biden and House Democrats have promised to seek out bipartisan immigration reform; however, they have failed to deliver.



It shouldnt be surprising that recent polls showed that when it comes to crime and immigration, voters trust Republicans significantly more than Democrats. Davids and Biden have taken measures that weaken our national security, and Kansans deserve better.

###

You decide . . .
We don't really have much commentary to contribute on a school walkout today other than to note that it's an important sign of the times and a glimpse at protest culture on the rise.

We'll only offer this because the main concern for adults and parents in Kansas City shout be the safety of youngsters . . .

Lincoln is the lone standout for academic achievement inside the KCPS . . . If these scholars feel unsafe, imagine the students in crisis in other, neglected corners of the district.



Here's the word . . .

"Over two dozen students that took part in the protest say they dont feel safe at the school"

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Lincoln Prep students hold walkout over safety and discrimination concerns Just over two dozen students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy staged a walkout and protest Monday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri. Students say the protest was the result of a concerning number of ongoing issues affecting student safety and administrative neglect.A Lincoln Prep staff member was recently removed from the school for alleged inappropriate behavior.

Lincoln College Preparatory Academy students walk out due to safety concerns KANSAS CITY, Mo. - About 25 students at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy staged a walk out Monday, alleging the school hasn't done enough to listen to their concerns. The students allege issues at the school include racism, sexual assault and harassment.

'Feeling unsafe,' students walk out at Lincoln College Prep in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Nearly two dozen Kansas City students took steps to make sure their concerns were recognized. Lincoln College Prep students walked out of school around 1:40 p.m. Monday. They said it was to raise awareness about what's happening in the school.

Developing . . .
It was a glorious day for Kansas City dead-tree media.



Sorta . . .

Their nationally celebrated columnist is moving on . . . HOWEVER, her work at the paper has earned a prize that's very prestigious but not nearly as important to long-term economic sustainability as a viable biz model that's based on something more substantial than the kindness of strangers and the whims of a hedge fund.



Check-it . . .



Melinda Henneberger, a member of The Stars editorial board for the past five years, on Monday was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, journalisms most prestigious honor.



She was honored in the commentary category for columns that demanded justice for alleged victims of former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski, who is accused of extorting Black women for sexual favors, sometimes using them to fabricate evidence in cases he was handling.



Im so overwhelmed I really dont know what to say except that this is extremely humbling and, as I may have mentioned a few hundred times before, that its past time for the FBI to show up with some handcuffs, Henneberger said. If this brings some measure of justice to Roger Golubskis victims at long last, then that will be the best award.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Because we're not certain if it's worth 980 bucks a year to enjoy this kind of journalism (lulz) . . .



Melinda Henneberger wins Pulitzer Prize for Star columns on former KCK detective Melinda Henneberger, a member of The Star's editorial board for the past five years, on Monday was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, journalism's most prestigious honor. She was honored in the commentary category for columns that demanded justice for alleged victims of former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski, who is accused of extorting Black women for sexual favors, sometimes using them to fabricate evidence in cases he was handling.

Read Melinda Henneberger's Pulitzer Prize-winning columns on ex-KCK cop Roger Golubski OPINION AND COMMENTARY Editorials and other Opinion content offer perspectives on issues important to our community and are independent from the work of our newsroom reporters. The Star's Melinda Henneberger dug deep into allegations that retired police detective Roger Golubski raped, abused and exploited multiple women in Kansas City, Kansas, over a span of many years.

You decide . . .


Right now we share an update on a scary golden ghetto hot mess that sparked tech clap back and a very weird dead-tree effort to downplay of heroism at the scene of the shooting . . .



Here are the basics in one of many metro shootings so far this year . . .



Updated records from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office show Jaylon Desean Elmore, 18, has been booked into a detention center in Olathe.



Elmore is accused of bringing a gun, later identified by authorities as a "ghost gun," to Olathe East High School, and shooting an assistant principal and school resource officer after he was confronted.



Elmore had remained in custody, under guard, and undergoing treatment at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center since the day of the shooting, first in critical condition, then upgraded to serious but stable.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Records: Accused Olathe East High School shooting suspect Jaylon Desean Elmore released from hospital, booked into jail Records show after a long hospital stay, the teen accused of opening fire inside an office in a Johnson County, Kansas high school has been booked into jail.Updated records from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office show Jaylon Desean Elmore, 18, has been booked into a detention center in Olathe.Elmore is

Olathe East shooting suspect moved from hospital to jail KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The suspect in the Olathe East High School shooting has been moved from the hospital to the jail. As of Tuesday, 18-year-old Jaylon Elmore was listed as an inmate at the Johnson County Central Booking facility in Olathe.

Olathe East shooting suspect booked in Johnson County jail OLATHE, Kan. - The suspect in a shooting that injured a school resource officer and assistant principal at Olathe East High School has been booked in Johnson County jail. Jaylon Elmore, 18, is charged with attempted capital murder following the incident on March 4.

Developing . . .


The current homicide crisis isn't going to improve anytime soon.



What's worse is that KCMO might not see a new boss until after the election season . . .



"The board, with four members chosen by the governor of Missouri and a spot for the city's mayor, will pick a national firm to conduct the search for a new chief.The plan is to get down to the top three candidates and hold community events so people can question the candidates about their vision for the police department."

More about challenges ahead . . .

Being a southlander and having looked at the finances of the cityand the staffing of our police departmentthe Southland is going to have some serious challenges with not having enough officers, Former KCPD Chief Smith said.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

KCMO Police Board President says search for new police chief could take 1-year KANSAS CITY, Mo. - KCMO Board of Police Commissioners President Bishop Mark Tolbert says he wants to find the right police chief and that process could take up to a year. Tolbert told a crowd Monday night at a meeting of the South Kansas City Alliance he wants to make sure the board finds the right person for the job.

Retired KCPD Chief Rick Smith speaks out: "Southland is going to have some serious challenges" Newly retired police chief and south Kansas City resident Rick Smith voices a warning to fellow southlanders. "There's going to be a huge challenge here," he says. Smith is referring to the recently approved police department budget that did not include funding additional officers for its South Patrol division.

Developing . . .
Like it or not, red state voters OVERWHELMINGLY support marijuana legalization as the nation slouches toward more permissive drug laws.



In fact . . . Far more people are decided on the weed issue and are willing to support stoner crusaders than would ever want to talk about the nasty biz of abortion "rights" and the current constitutional crisis. As always, it's much easier and far more pleasant for the plebs to smoke weed and chill.



Take a peek . . .



Backers of the push to legalize marijuana in the state say they dropped off nearly 400,000 signatures at the secretary of state's office Sunday.



Those numbers are more than double the required amount to get on the ballot.



The constitutional amendment would legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 and over. The state would collect a six-percent sales tax on it. That would generate more than $40 million in revenue a year.



It would also expunge the records of hundreds of thousands of Missourians charged with non-violent marijuana offenses.



"This is really just wiping the slate clean and giving those people a fresh start and quite frankly transformative, Legal MO 2022 Campaign Sponsor Alan Zagier said.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
A 36-year-old Ajax man who died after being shot in a Scarborough plaza parking lot last weekend was the victim of a robbery gone wrong, say Toronto police.
Toronto Police are looking for a man after a young boy was allegedly assaulted in a downtown Toronto park Wednesday.
Its spring. Time to jump into the joy of gardening  even if you dont have a backyard to grow plants and vegetables.
Why is the world more violent and how do we fix it? Lisa Moore on her novel This Is How We Love
A press conference today announced Toronto will get a Michelin Guide for restaurants. On hand for the announcement was Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, (second from right) and Toronto Mayor John Tory who shares a laugh with chef Daniel Boulud as the Michelin man hams it up for a photo. - Rick Madonik/Toronto Star
MOGADISHU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Somali police confirmed Tuesday that four people including three police officers were killed and eight others injured in a roadside blast in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, Monday night.

Police Spokesperson Abdifatah Aden Hassan said the blast which occurred between Mogadishu and Afgoye district targeted a security vehicle carrying Mogadishu police commander Farhan Qarole who luckily escaped unhurt.

"A passer-by civilian, together with three of Qarole's bodyguards, were killed and eight others wounded," Aden said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

He added the blast occurred as the police commander was returning from quelling a dispute between security officers in the Lower Shabelle region.

The Al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a convoy of vehicles escorting the police commander. 
Manchester City Kulubu, 1 Temmuz'dan itibaren gecerli olmak uzere Haaland'n transferi icin Borussia Dortmund ile prensip anlasmasna varldgn duyurdu. Golcu futbolcuyla sozlesme detaylarnn gorusuldugu belirtildi.

Ingiltere basnnda yer alan haberlerde, Manchester City'nin Haaland'n 60 milyon avroluk serbest kalma bedelini odeyerek transferi gerceklestirdigi one suruldu.

Salzburg'dan Borussia Dortmund'a 2020'de transfer olan 21 yasndaki Norvecli futbolcu, Almanya ekibiyle cktg 88 macta 85 gol kaydetti.
10/05/2022

On May 13, the Historical Building of the University of Barcelona will hold the second edition of the Lets UB! session, a meeting point for the university community and the entrepreneur ecosystem in Barcelona. It has a dual aim: easing networking through a forum of start-ups and spin-offss and a business fair and offering training sessions under the format of talks, workshops and roundtables during this day.

The investment forum will include the participation of businesses that will present their projects to get funding. The fair will exhibit stands of up to thirteen companies created by the UB students.

Workshops and roundtables

This year, the innovation and entrepreneurship session Lets UB supports training activities. Apart from two roundtables (Challenges and opportunities in tourism and How to create companies with research results), there will be workshops on stress management, social and environmental project creation, non-verbal communication, body language and improvisation tools.

Among the speakers will be Evert Jaap, general manager of YES!Delft, the largest tech incubator of the Netherlands, and Nuria Pastor, former student of the UB and CEO of HumanITcare, the smart platform of medicine that received the 4YFN Awards in the Mobile World Congress in 2022. Moreover, Pastor was selected by Forbes for the 30 Under 30 class, the list of brightest young entrepreneurs under the age of thirty.

With this second edition, Lets UB! Is consolidated as the distinguished annual session to promote the development of human and professional skills related to innovation. The session, organized by StartUB!, the entrepreneurship centre of the UB, counts on the collaboration of CETT and the School of New Interactive Technologies (ENTI), UB-affiliated centres, and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation.

During the session, three companies incubated at StartUB! will be awarded: HumanITcare, which commercializes a platform for the remote monitoring of patients, will receive the Scalability Prize; ViRe Instruments, dedicated to the visualization and analysis of three-dimensional bioimages through virtual reality, artificial intelligence and metaverse, will receive the Prize to Innovation, and Bleta, which commercializes a tablet designed for the elderly, will receive the Prize to Social Impact. The StartUB! Sprint Awards will be given as well to encourage the entrepreneur spirit in the university community and promote the creation of companies launched by students of the University.

The full program and registration is available in the website.
By Jeff Murphy, May 9, 2022

Representatives of the University of Central Missouri and Whiteman Air Force Base recently attended a presentation by students in the Design and Drafting Technology program regarding a proposal to redesign The Ozark Dining Facility at WAFB. Front row, from left, are, Maj. Eric Jonson, 509th Force Support Squadron Officer; Lydia Dumont, UCM faculty advisor; Elisabeth Paxton, senior; Abby Wilcoxson, senior; Melia Rice, junior; Col. Kyle Wilson, 509th Bomb Wing Vice Commander; Capt. Pamela Quigney, 509th Force Support Squadron, Sustainment Services Flight Commander; and Maj. Tiffany Carter, 509th Contracting Squadron Commander; second row, Roger Best, UCM president; Col. Christopher Schlak, 509th Mission Support Group Commander; Derek Wildt, junior; Kevin Floresca, senior; Master Sgt. Joshua Purdy, 509th Force Support Squadron, Sustainment Services Flight Officer; and Lt. Col. Scott Simoneaux, 509th Force Support Squadron Commander.





WARRENSBURG, MO  Students in the University of Central Missouris Design and Drafting Technology program recently engaged in a project that not only provided them with real-world experience but also supported the universitys strong relationship with Whiteman Air Force Base. Their presentation on the redesign of The Ozark Dining Facility at WAFB took place on April 29, bringing base representatives and campus members together to hear the students final proposal for renovations to a space they believe will positively resonate with users.



The main purpose of The Ozark Dining Facility is to accommodate our service members living in the dorms, noted Capt. Pamela Quigney, 509th Force Support Squadron, Sustainment Services Flight Commander. Recently we opened our services to all base personnel to include officers, Department of Defense civilians, as well as their family members.



The facility, which includes two dining rooms, serves an estimated 400 customers daily across four meal periods: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight meal, It is also the primary hub for serving military personnel during unit training assemblies and the annual tour for Guard and Reserve members to include Air Force and Army. It hosts distinguished visitor tours and is open for reservations for meetings and gatherings from different units and organizations.

With a desire to maximize the use of the facility, base personnel turned to UCM, where they found a group of students ready to apply what they learned in the classroom to a hands-on educational experience that will better prepare them for their future careers.



Whiteman Air Force Base has a positive, long-standing relationship with UCM, Quigney stated. We thought that this could be a great opportunity for both of us to achieve mutual goals  to give the UCM students real-world design experience while simultaneously enhancing the quality of life on base by renovating our dining facility.



Initial steps to launch this project began with Whiteman leaders and service members meeting with UCM faculty and students via Zoom in October 2021. Five students from the spring Advanced Technical Problems in Design and Drafting Technology class worked on the project under direction of faculty advisor Lydia Dumont. The students involvement began in November 2021 with a tour of the facility, which also gave them an opportunity to take measurements which were crucial to the redesign. Part of the charge to the UCM student team was to help address concerns related to a need for functional seating, limiting general noise/reverb, providing stackable chairs and tables with wheels. The team also was asked to incorporate a fireplace and a dish return system for the project in addition to several upgrades that included installation of new flooring, windows, noise dampeners, wall art, decor and more.



During their presentation, the students noted that discussions with base members indicated a desire to create a welcoming space with a vibe similar to a Starbucks, which they strived to incorporate into their design proposal. Their PowerPoint highlighted a busy semester of work on various aspects of the project, including adhering to military and restaurant standards to create a final redesign project which the student team estimated would cost about $365,000. This is below the maximum $500,000 budget.



The Design and Drafting Technology students who worked on this project and were part of the final presentation were Kevin Floresca, senior, Washington, D.C.; Elisabeth Paxton, senior, Leavenworth, Kansas; Melia Rice, junior, Louisburg, Kansas; Abigail Wilcoxson, senior (also a junior in Construction Management major), Hannibal, Missouri; and Derek Wildt, junior, Union, Missouri.



Students spoke briefly about the value of their experience this semester emphasizing their appreciation for the collaborative effort with WAFB, and the opportunity to learn through their work. They stressed that this project gave them a better idea about what to expect in their professional careers, while also contributing to a source of pride, having successfully delivered a product they believe will benefit those who reside and work at the base.



I definitely took a lot more pride in my work thinking it might come to fruition and it might be a real-life application, so I put a lot more effort into it, Floresca said.



Wildt said getting estimates was a valuable experience. He also pointed out the benefits of using technology tools such as 3-D modeling software to help with redesign, a project element that got noticed during the formal presentation.



I think this was a great real-world experience, Rice said. We actually got to work with a client, getting feedback in a back-and-forth situation, which is something we dont always get in the classroom. A lot of times, you are given a do-this type of assignment and you turn it in, and its over. But in the real world, you show them something and they say (as was the case with this project), Hey, how about adding a dishwasher and a fireplace, so you have to go back and add them to the design.



Dumont said students had an opportunity to share their project with other individuals prior to their final presentation. This only enhanced the quality of the experience.



This was our third PowerPoint, the faculty advisor said after the last meeting with WAFB personnel. We presented to them the first of April in a preliminary meeting. We also presented it to our advisory board in the Design and Drafting Technology program just to show companies what our students are working on. Every iteration of the students PowerPoint has just gotten better and better, trying to make it look real professional, as well as the book that we printed for them.



Various base members and other guests at the presentation received the booklet that contained information about the students proposal, including drawings, costs estimates, and other details needed to make the project come to fruition.



Quigney noted that this type of project and community involvement enhances appreciation and respect between both parties. She added that now that the redesign proposal has been provided, Whiteman, if it chooses to do so, can work with its contracting office to solicit bids from various contractors or vendors, then move into the construction phase of the project.



If all goes as planned, then our vision of becoming a reality should happen by the end of the year, she said.



Roya Azimzadeh, Ph.D., assistant professor and program coordinator for the Design and Drafting Technology program in the School of Technology, was among those in attendance. She expressed her appreciation for Whiteman Air Force Base working with students, and for the opportunity for UCM to be of service.



In all, we strive to serve our communities and positively impact the quality of peoples' lives. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and improve the quality of the Whiteman Air Force Base's dining hall to provide a warm and inviting environment and encourage a positive experience for their personnel, Azimzadeh said.
Rescuers have extinguished fires caused by Russias missile strikes on Odesa Region on May 9, 2022, namely on the village of Fontanka, Odesa District, and Odesas Suvorovskyi District.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

At 10:35 p.m., in the village of Fontanka, Russias missile hit and damaged a shopping mall, causing a fire. At 01:20 a.m., the fire was extinguished within the area of 1,000 square meters. Three persons were injured.

In the evening of May 9, 2022, three warehouse premises were also hit with Russias missile strike and caught fire in Odesas Suvorovskyi District. At 01:30 a.m., the fire was extinguished. One person died and two were injured.

A reminder that, on May 9, 2022, Russias strategic aircrafts launched seven missile strikes on Odesa Region, causing damage to a number of civilian objects, which are not related to military infrastructure. One person was killed and five injured.

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Qatar's Al Jazeera English, a 24-hour English-language TV channel, has reported on refrigerated trains filled with the bodies of Russian servicemen killed during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in the Al Jazeera English report on its YouTube channel.

"The real toll of this war for Russia  unclaimed body bags stacked in refrigerated trains," says the report by Al Jazeera English.

It is noted that in one bag carrying the body of an elite Russian military serviceman, jewelry was found, allegedly stolen from Ukrainian civilians in Kyiv region.

"Ukraine treats the dead enemies better than they treated civilians. They will be kept as long as need be. The government will decide because Russia refuses to take them. It doesnt want to. Each body is proof of a war crime. So if they refuse to take them, Ukraine will bury them at our own cost," said Ukraine Army Colonel Volodymyr Liamzin.

Officially, Russia claims only 1,300 KIAs in Ukraine, while the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says Russian death toll has exceeded 26,000.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been destroying Ukrainian infrastructure, massively shelling residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns, using artillery, MLR systems, and ballistic missiles.

The United States, the European Union, and other democracies have imposed sanctions against the aggressor power, whose international isolation is growing by the day.
Prosecutors in the Odesa region have launched a pre-trial investigation into Russia's May 9 missile attack against civilian and tourist infrastructure in the region.

The press service of the regional prosecutor's office reported this on its website, according to Ukrinform.

"Pre-trial investigations have been launched into violations of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the statement said.

According to investigators, on May 9, Russia's armed forces, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, launched massive missile strikes on civilian and tourist infrastructure in the Suvorovsky district of Odesa, and the Odeskyi and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi districts of the region.

According to the report, one person was killed and two injured after a hostile missile hit a warehouse in the Suvorovsky district of the city. The shelling and fire caused significant damage to warehouses and administrative buildings. In the Odeskyi district, a missile damaged the building of the Riviera shopping mall, injuring three civilians. The blast also damaged the facades and windows of nearby residential buildings.

The tourist infrastructure in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district came under enemy attacks. Five recreation centers and small private business buildings in the district were destroyed and damaged, three civilians were injured and no one was killed.

There are no military facilities in these areas. No military equipment was stored in the buildings that came under attack, and they were not used for military purposes.

Russian troops fired seven old Soviet missiles at Odesa on May 9, destroying a number of civilian buildings not related to military infrastructure. As a result of the shelling, one person was killed and five were injured.

Russian military aggression against the Ukrainian people has been going on in Ukraine since February 24.
In Kharkiv region, the enemy suffers significant losses and withdraws its troops to Belgorod region (Russia). The units of Ukraines Defense Forces liberated the settlements of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne, and Bayrak.

"The enemy increases the pace of strategic offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone, opens fire along the entire line of contact and on the depths of the defense of our troops. The greatest activity of the occupiers is observed in Slobozhansky and Donetsk directions. There is still a high probability of missile strikes on civilian and military infrastructure," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Facebook, outlining the operational situation at the front as of 18:00.

In Volyn and Polissya directions, the enemy did not take active action. There was a movement of military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus as part of the combat readiness check and the completion of the rotation of individual units involved in strengthening the protection of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in Brest and Gomel regions.

In Siversky direction, the enemy continues to guard the Ukrainian-Russian border in Bryansk and Kursk regions, firing mortars in the border areas near Karpovychi and Senkivka in Chernihiv region.

The enemy did not conduct active offensive operations in Slobozhansky direction. The invaders regroup their units, equip advanced positions, strengthen the air defense system, enhances the system of medical support.

In order to strengthen their troops and to prevent the advance of Ukrainian units, the aggressors redeployed up to 500 mobilized persons from the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In addition, in the Izium direction, the enemy continued to create favorable conditions for the offensive, replenishing ammunition and logistics, equipping advanced positions, and strengthening air reconnaissance.

Unsuccessful attempts to establish control over Rubizhne continue to be made in Sievierodonetsk direction. The enemy carries out assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Nyzhnie, Toshkivka, Orikhove, Luhansk region, has no success.

The enemy also tries to gain a foothold in the area of  Oleksandrivka, assaults in the area of  Shandryholove, Donetsk region, but has no success.

In Donetsk direction, the occupiers attempted to assault in the directions of the town of Marinka, the settlements of Kamyanka, Yasynuvata district, and Novomykhailivka, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region. Their attempts failed.

In the city of Mariupol, the enemy continues to focus its efforts on blocking and eliminating Ukrainian units in the area of the Azovstal steelworks. The assault operations are conducted with the support of artillery and tanks.

According to the General Staff, the situation in Zaporizhzhia and the Southern Buh directions has not changed significantly.

The enemy continues to suffer losses in the territory of Ukraine. Thus, according to available information, units of the 138th separate mechanized brigade of the 6th combined arms army of the western military district were withdrawn from Ukraine to Russias Belgorod region due to significant losses in Kharkiv region. A significant part of the remaining military personnel serving under contract wrote reports on dismissal.

As a result of the coordinated actions of Ukraines Defense Forces in Kharkiv region, the settlements of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne, and Bayrak were liberated.

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Ukraine uses all possible diplomatic tools to rescue the defenders of Mariupol, but Russia has not yet agreed to any of the many options offered.

Its defenders still remain in Mariupol. They continue their resistance on the territory of the Azovstal plant. We use all possible diplomatic tools to organize rescue for them. But Russia has not yet agreed to any of the many options offered, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address to the Parliament of Malta.

He noted that Ukraine had asked its partners for the necessary weapons to unblock Mariupol and save military and civilians. However, Ukraine still does not have the necessary weapons and the amount needed to unblock Mariupol.

What does it mean? You can fully understand this by simply remembering the importance of the British Spitfires in the spring Maltese sky of 1942, the President stressed.

As noted, Britain and the United States accomplished the mission involving the Spitfires which changed the course of the battle for Malta and helped destroy the ambition of the then aggressor to capture the island.

And now we need a similar mission from our partners. To destroy the ambition of the current aggressor to capture Ukraine and other European countries. We need aircraft, helicopters, special artillery and other weapons, because now, as 80 years ago, Europe's future is decided on the battlefield, Zelensky said.

According to him, there is no doubt that Russia is aware of what is happening in Mariupol because the Russian army was ordered to destroy this city and kill as many people as possible. Russian planes are constantly dropping air bombs and phosphorus munitions on buildings in which they know for sure that people are sheltering there and there are no military. "It's just terror," the Head of State said.

As noted, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian army has been trying to block Ukrainian cities, and the occupiers organized a real hell in the city of Mariupol.

They blocked it from both land and sea. Constantly bombed. More than 90 percent of all buildings were destroyed there. Before the war, by the way, it was a city of half a million. It was artificially starved. The Russian army has blocked the delivery of any food, drinking water or medicine, the President stressed.

Mariupol experiences one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes due to Russian aggression. The city has been blocked by invaders for more than two months. Russians have bombed residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure, block the delivery of humanitarian aid.

As reported, over the past day, the Russian invaders made 34 air raids on the Azovstal steelworks, including eight sorties of strategic bombers.

On May 7, civilians  women, children, and the elderly  were evacuated from the bunkers of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

However, on May 9, Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said that more than 100 civilians had remained in the bunkers.

The Ukrainian military, with several hundred wounded among them, hold the defense of the steelworks territory, which Russian troops are constantly firing on by all kinds of weapons and trying to storm.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian authorities were working on diplomatic options to save the Ukrainian military stationed in the Azovstal territory.

Soldiers of the Azov Regiment, the National Guard, marines, and motorized riflemen continue to defend Mariupol.

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As part of the second stage of inspecting the Belarusian immediate reaction forces, special operations troops will be deployed near the border with Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Gulevich, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

In order to ensure the security of the Republic of Belarus in the Southern direction, special operations forces will be deployed in three tactical areas, the report states.

In addition, battalion tactical groups were moved to the Western and Northwestern operational directions (i.e. to the border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia). For reinforcement purposes, air defense, missile and artillery units are also deployed, as the United States and its Allies are reshuffling troops near the Belarusian border.

A reminder that the inspection of the Belarusian immediate reaction forces was suddenly launched on May 4, 2022.
Russian troops have launched 2,154 missile strikes on Ukraine since the Russian invasion started, including 25 missile strikes on the city of Odesa on May 8-9, 2022.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech in the Parliament of Malta, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Just think of this terrible figure: 2154 Russian missiles hit our cities and communities in a little over two months. 2770 appearances of enemy planes in our sky were recorded. The Russian bombing of Ukraine does not cease any day or night. [] In two days, on May 8 and 9, when Europeans honored the memory of the victims of World War II and celebrated Europe Day, the Russian army launched 25 missiles targeting Odesa and the Odesa region alone. All 25 missiles were aimed at civilian objects, Zelensky told.

In his words, just yesterday, when President of the European Council Charles Michel visited Ukraine's warm city of Odesa and met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, he was forced to go down to the bomb shelter because of Russias missile strikes.

According to the President of Ukraine, Russia is deliberately launching air strikes on civilian objects knowing that there are no military there.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

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The Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Group has repulsed 12 enemy attacks in Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region, destroying dozens of Russian military equipment units.

The relevant statement was made by the JFO Groups press service on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

On May 10, 2022, the JFO Group successfully repelled 12 enemy attacks. Thanks to the skilful actions and competence of the Ukrainian military, Russian occupiers suffered losses, the report states.

In particular, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 12 enemy tanks, four artillery systems, 12 armored fighting vehicles, two special engineering vehicles and seven motor vehicles.

The Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units also shot down Russias Mi-24 helicopter and three Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region.

A reminder that, between February 24, 2022 and May 10, 2022, Russias total combat losses in Ukraine reached about 26,000 troops.

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As part of the Polish-Ukrainian Energy Forum, Ukrainian and Polish government officials, business representatives, logistics enterprises and companies managing fuel infrastructure have developed practical solutions to overcome Ukraines fuel market crisis.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Economy Ministry, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

A number of large oil depots and Kremenchuk Oil Refinery were destroyed in Russias continuous attacks on the Ukrainian fuel infrastructure, and the issue of fuel supplies became urgent.

Now Poland can be a major transit country for Ukraines fuel imports, ensuring the delivery of more than 200,000 tonnes of fuel products monthly. Meanwhile, over the past month, the volume of fuel supplies has barely reached 60,000 tonnes. As part of the forum, participants developed practical solutions to increase the volume of deliveries in the near future, the report states.

According to Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, there is a potential opportunity to expand Polish resources with petroleum products from the United States, Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region, German, Scandinavian and Baltic oil refineries. Fuel deliveries will be carried out by combined transport means via Poland.

Svyrydenko noted that Ukrzaliznytsia JSC and Polands PKP would synchronize operating schedules to immediately resolve any problematic issues.

In her words, such steps would help to deliver fuel supplies faster and reduce lines at Ukrainian filling stations in the near future.

Photo: Santmyer

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Japan has introduced new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

The relevant statement was made by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The sanctions affected 130 individuals, including the Prime Minister of Russia, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, leaders of the so-called L/DPR, and others, Yermak wrote.

In his words, the expanded list of sanctions also includes companies and organizations related to the defense sector.

A reminder that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated earlier that Japan had agreed to impose an embargo on Russian crude oil imports as part of the G7 decision.

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Lithuania has acknowledged that the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine constitute genocide of the Ukrainian people.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, broke the news on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.

"Lithuania has recognized Russias actions in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people! I thank the Speaker of the Seimas, Victoria Chmilite-Nielsen, and all the deputies for unanimously adopting this historic decision," Stefanchuk wrote.

The Lithuanian Parliament has also decided that Lithuania will take part in inevitably holding Russian war criminals accountable through an international tribunal, Stefanchuk said.

In addition, according to the Parliament Speaker, Lithuania states that Russia is resorting to terrorism by shelling and committing violence against the civilian population of Ukraine.

"I urge the whole world to pick up the baton so that the enemy is never able to erase the memory of the mass murders of Ukrainians!" Stefanchuk stressed.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns, using artillery, MLR systems, and ballistic missiles.
Poland must appeal to international judicial institutions to recognize the responsibility of Russia, as the successor to the USSR, for the Katyn massacre. Warsaw must initiate compensation payment by Moscow.

This was stated by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who met with the families of the Katyn massacre victims, Ukrinform reports citing Dudas website.

"I have no doubt that the Russian state today bears the inherited responsibility for the Katyn crime. And if we can file a claim to anyone today, it is to the Russian state. And I believe that this is the way to go," Duda stressed.

He underlined that he felt a moral and historical duty before the Poles to "renew the attempt to obtain confirmation of the crime and identification of those responsible on the part of the international judiciary.

Read also: President Zelensky honors memory of Smolensk air disaster victims

The Katyn crime was the execution by the NKVD security forces near the village of Katyn in 1940 of more than 22,000 Polish officers and other members of the pre-war Polish administration. Similar executions also took place near Tver, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Minsk. For a long time, Soviet historiography denied the killings of Poles by Soviet special services, instead blamed the Germans. The Nazis exposed the crimes of the NKVD to the world in April 1943. It was not until 1990 that the USSR acknowledged responsibility for the crime. However, Russia still refuses to hand over to Poland most of the archival documents relating to the so-called Katyn case.
The initiative to discuss at the UN General Assembly the recent Russian threats to use nuclear weapons is worth looking into.

Thats according to a Member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament, former British Foreign Secretary David Owen, who spoke with Guildhall.

I fully support the policy over Ukraine being pursued by the British government. As to your suggestion to take Russias threat to use nuclear weapons to the General Assembly that deserves serious consideration and I am sure it is being given just that, Lord Owen said.

Policy on all aspects of such a highly dangerous topic as the use or non use of nuclear weapons is rightly made by governments alone and in consultation in strict confidence with the governments of our NATO allies and in particular the two other nuclear weapon states, France and the US. This applies in particular to what is said publicly in the UN Security Council and in the UN General Assembly and in the tactics in relation to votes and exact wording of resolutions. That means self-discipline and was broadly accepted as such and followed by colleagues in the House of Commons and the House of Lords when I was Foreign Secretary in 1977-1979 dealing directly in Moscow with President Brezhnev and Foreign Minister Gromyko on nuclear policy, the ex-foreign secretary noted.

As reported earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during an informal meeting with the CIS diplomats once again suggested that Russia could use nuclear weapons, not ruling out such an option.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the world should prepare for a nuclear strike by the aggressor power.

On the air of the Russia 1 TV channel, Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva and MP Alexei Zhuravlev discussed how many seconds it would take for the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile to reach the capitals of Great Britain, Germany, and France  the nations supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Earlier, the head of the Center for Defense Reforms, coordinator of the interagency platform for countering hybrid threats, which operates within the framework of Ukraine-NATO cooperation, Oleksandr Danyliuk also stated that, in response to confirmation of intentions to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Russia should be excluded from the UN Security Council, and the UN General Assembly should immediately adopt a resolution that such a step on the part of the Russian Federation would be a declaration of war on humanity.

As reported previously, former Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, MEP, Lieutenant General Riho Terras believes the UN General Assembly should adopt a resolution that the use of nuclear weapons by Russia against Ukraine will be seen as a declaration of war on all mankind.

Ex-Minister of Defense of Lithuania, MEP Rasa Jukneviciene, shares the idea that Russias use of nuclear weapons would mean theyre at war with the whole world.

Also, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian Parliament, Atis Lejins, supported the initiative on the need for the said UN resolution to be adopted.
Germany will provide full support to Ukraine in investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes in Bucha and other cities in Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said this on her Twitter account, Ukrinform reports.

"We will gather evidence as an international community. I have assured Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova of Germany's full support in solving the war crimes: politically, financially and in terms of personnel," the minister wrote.

She noted that Bucha has become a symbol of unimaginable crimes, torture, rape, and murder.

"The arbitrariness is stunned. We cannot take away the pain of the survivors, but we can do everything we can to ensure justice: no one must believe that they can commit crimes without consequences," Baerbock warned.

Baerbock visited Bucha on May 10 and will hold political talks in Kyiv.
Hungarian Ambassador to Ukraine Istvan Ijgyarto has said that his country will not block Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU.

According to Ukrinform, the ambassador said this in an interview with Ukraine's Espreso TV channel.

"If we talk about Ukraine's desire to join NATO, we have never been against it. Therefore, if Ukraine still wants to join the alliance, we will not oppose it," the ambassador said.

Ijgyarto also stated that Hungary will support Ukraine's membership in the European Union when this issue is considered.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on May 5 that Hungary condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and called for an immediate investigation into all possible war crimes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Slovakia's partners to abandon Russian energy resources, which are not just a commodity but the issue of freedom.

He said this in a video address to politicians and the people of Slovakia, Ukrinform reports.

"Ukraine has gone through mistakes that our friends can learn from. Russian energy resources are not just a commodity. They should be abandoned, especially oil. Because it's really the issue of freedom. Yes, the protection of freedom comes at a price," Zelensky said, adding that Russia is trying to use gas now to keep the entire European continent under control.

He recalled that the European Union is now agreeing on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which includes energy restrictions. He said that he understands the complexity of these sanctions for Slovakia and some other countries.

At the same time, Zelensky spoke about Ukraine's experience, when Russian politicians offered various allegedly profitable options - completely non-market, cheap and convenient, especially for Moscow. They wanted to get a political decision from Ukraine on a larger volume of supplies and an easier scheme of payment for Russian gas, Zelensky said.

According to him, not so long ago Ukraine was one of the largest buyers of natural gas for Gazprom, which led to dependence not only on gas but also on Russian political decisions.

"Any attempt to switch at least to market conditions in supply ended in gas wars, and ultimately to a bondage gas contract that posed a direct threat to our sovereignty," Zelensky said.

He also mentioned another agreement with Russia - permission to host the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which was also linked to the gas issue, because there was allegedly a pretended discount on gas for the stationing of the fleet on Ukrainian territory. He recalled that this fleet was just a cover for capturing the territory, a smokescreen for the issuing of Russian passports to Ukrainian citizens in Crimea, for propaganda and creeping annexation.

"That's what happened in our history. And this is what I advise all our friends to avoid, those who may be just one percent politically dependent on Russia. We were the first to see Russia breaking agreements when it simply stopped liking them. We have seen Russia turning commercial ties into a chain in order to keep a state close to itself," Zelensky said.
Germany is reopening its embassy in Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.

She said this at a joint briefing with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on Tuesday, May 10, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"While here, we are reopening our German embassy in Kyiv. At first, it will be a slightly limited activity. I am very glad to be accompanied by Ms. Ambassador Anka Feldhusen, and she will continue to work in your free city," she said.

More than 20 countries have already reopened their embassies in Kyiv, including the EU, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to Ukraine Istvan Ijgyarto says that his country has no territorial claims in Zakarpattia, Ukraines western region.

"We have no territorial claims when it comes to Zakarpattia," the Ambassador said in an interview with Espreso TV channel.

Russia is an aggressor state, a military aggressor, while Hungary fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the ambassador underscored.

"We fully condemn all human rights violations against Ukrainian citizens. We call on the international community, as well as the Ukrainian side, to investigate these violations. We stand for peace," Ijgyarto said.

As reported, on May 3, the Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine condemned the statement made by Ukraines National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov who said that Russian president Vladimir Putin had warned Hungary about the invasion.

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The Embassy of Ukraine in Germany has called on the Berlin police to take all measures to investigate as soon as possible an attack on Nataliia Moseichuk, a correspondent of Ukraine's 1+1 television channel, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The embassy said this in a statement published on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"On May 9, an incident involving a Russian-speaking citizen trying to inflict bodily injuries on Nataliia Moseichuk, a correspondent of the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, took place at the Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park in Berlin. The television crew prepared on the spot a video about this year's commemoration of World War II victims," the statement said.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Germany is aware of this incident, and the Berlin police have been informed about the events that took place at the memorial complex.
The first government-chartered group of Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter landed in St. John's, the capital of Canadas province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The flight took off from the Polish city of Katowice. A total of 166 refugees were on board, including 55 children, CBC News reports.

Such an honour to officially welcome this group of Ukrainians to Newfoundland and Labrador, and to Canada. Thanks to everyone working hard to make this happen.  pic.twitter.com/jPijyTjaNU  Andrew Furey (@FureyAndrew) May 9, 2022

All flight costs were borne by the government of the Canadian province. Premier Andrew Furey welcomed the refugees at the airport.

Some refugees received job invitations while in Poland as the government of Newfoundland and Labrador established a satellite office in Warsaw to help Ukrainians sort out details like obtaining passports, visas, and transportation.

Canada Border Services Agency data reveals over 19,000 Ukrainian arrivals in Canada so far this year, as Ottawa contends with a flood of applications from those seeking asylum. The federal government has approved over 90,000 temporary visa applications since mid-March.

Photo credit: twitter.com/FureyAndrew

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Canada will fund a number of humanitarian projects in Ukraine totaling CAD 35 million (about USD 30 million).

The Prime Minister announced additional measures and investments to continue supporting Ukraine, including allocating $25 million to the World Food Programme to address food security in Ukraine and $10 million in funding to support human rights, civil society, and demining in Ukraine, reads the press release published by the Office of Prime Minister of Canada.

As noted, $10 million will be distributed among the United Nations Womens Peace and Humanitarian Fund ($1.5 million); the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ($2.5 million) to monitor, document and assess human rights violations; Front Line Defenders ($775,000) to support human rights activists and organizations; German Marshal Fund of the United States (up to $2 million) to support civil society actors at risk; civil society in Ukraine (up to $1.15 million) in digital emergency support; HALO Trust ($2 million) for mine action emergency response.

Read also: Canadian prime minister visits Irpin

On Sunday, May 8, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine, during which they visited Irpin, Kyiv region, destroyed by Russian troops.

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Published May 10, 2022

The University of Louisiana Monroe PREP Staff poses for a group photo after competing in the 2022 Southern Regional Orientation Workshop.

Courtesy photo

The 2022 ULM PREP Staff won several awards at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW) held March 3-6 at the University of South Carolina.



A total of 46 schools competed, and ULM outshined many of them, placing second in the Song, Skit, Step, and Dance competition. This competition offered teams an opportunity to enhance teamwork, showcase talent, and exude school spirit while sharing information about their school and orientation program.



Ahmaad Solmone, Director of Orientation Programs and Special Events and PREP coordinator, said, "I am super proud of all of the hard work from this year's PREP Staff. Their performance SROW lets me know that the incoming students are in for an awesome summer at PREP."



Nine of the PREP/POP leaders, Victoria Sterling, Colby Pogue, Raquelle Franklin, Jesse Drake, Kylie LeBas, Lora Lott, Matthew Alfred, Seth Allain, and Anna Reedy, led seven different educational workshops at SROW.



There were more than 200 educational session submissions, with only 100 chosen, seven of them from ULM.



PREP staff also competed in the Graduate and Undergraduate Case Study Competition, allowing participants to flex their orientation knowledge, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities.



Victoria Sterling and Raquelle Franklin represented ULM in the undergraduate portion, while Colby Pogue and Matthew Alfred competed in the graduate portion and won Best Communication. ULM placed second in the T-Shirt design competition.



SROW is an annual conference for the PREP staff and provides an opportunity to learn more about the orientation process by networking with orientation leaders from universities across the south. This year's event saw over 1,000 attendees.



PREP staff performs their routine during the Variety Show portion of the five PREP summer sessions and looks forward to getting new Warhawks excited about the fall semester.
| By Deborah Kotz

The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is the joint recipient of $4.75 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a new Center for Medical Innovations in Extended Reality. The center, known as MIXR, will help accelerate the development of virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive media technologies  referred to as extended reality  for use in clinical trials and eventually widespread use in medical care.

From left, Sarah Murthi, Adam C. Puche, Nicholas Morris, Luana Colloca, Amitabh Varshney, E. Albert Reece.

Immersive technologies have the potential to fundamentally change, improve, and reduce the cost of medical training and maintaining clinical skills across all aspects of health care, said Sarah Murthi, MD, associate professor of surgery at UMSOM and co-investigator on this project. She is an attending physician at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and director of the Critical Care Ultrasound Program. They also have the huge potential to improve patient care, in everything from how pain is managed to how procedures are performed.

Murthi plans to continue working to understand how extended reality can fundamentally change medicine. She is focusing on using these tools in education and training and to help improve the patient experience in those who are critically ill. She is also working to implement innovative extended reality medical displays that could improve how bedside procedures are done. She helped develop and test an augmented reality prototype that overlays ultrasound, CT, and video data directly on the patient.

Collaborators on these projects include Adam C. Puche, PhD, professor and vice chair, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at UMSOM, who is working on virtual reality technologies for surgical education and training, and Nicholas Morris, MD, assistant professor of neurology at UMSOM, who is investigating the use of virtual reality programs for pain management in critically ill patients. Luana Colloca, MD, PhD, MS, MPower Professor and TL1 Program Director from the University of Maryland School of Nursing, also is a collaborator and the Principal Investigator of a series of MPowering the State- and National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health-funded studies. These studies explore the neurophysiological mechanisms of virtual reality for pain modulation directly in pain-free and chronic pain due to temporomandibular disorders.

The initial work started in the Maryland Blended Reality Center (MBRC), which Murthi launched in 2017 with Amitabh Varshney, PhD, professor and dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at UMCP. Funding for this initial effort came from MPowering the State, the strategic partnership between UMCP and UMB. Varshney serves as the lead-site principal investigator on the MIXR project.

The synergy in MIXR will be contagious, Varshney said. Our industry partners will push forward new ideas and novel technologies. The scientists and physicians will help refine and test those ideas. And we both will work with the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] to bring these technologies from the lab to the proper health care setting where they can have an exponential impact.

Varshney and his colleagues at UMCP will soon unveil a HoloCamera studio, where more than 300 immersive cameras are fused together, creating a unique 3-D visualization technology. The aim is to create a holographic type of image to assist in the training of health care practitioners conducting intricate medical procedures.

In 2018, Murthi and Varshney co-authored an op-ed in the Harvard Business Review that detailed how augmented reality could improve patient care and lower costs in hospital settings. They also teamed up with the Maryland Institute College of Art to test a virtual reality platform that can help patients deal with physical and emotional trauma through immersion in another world with a focus on quadriplegic patients who are hospitalized with acute spinal cord injury.

Murthi also plans to continue her collaboration with Toby Guerin, JD, associate director for the Center for Dispute Resolution at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, on developing virtual reality interventions to improve empathy and understanding between police and community members as an innovative form of violence reduction.

The award is part of NSFs Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program, designed to jumpstart breakthrough research by enabling close and sustained engagement between industry innovators, world-class academic teams, and government agencies.

Behrooz Shirazi, acting deputy division director of the NSFs Division of Computer and Network Systems and a program director for IUCRC, called MIXR one of the first national centers at the intersection of medical and computing sciences. We expect this vibrant collaboration to produce significant societal and health care impacts, he said.

In addition to Google, Microsoft, and Meta, other technology companies involved in MIXR are Sony, Magic Leap, Health2047, GigXR, Brainlab, and apoQlar.

Another key partner in the MIXR initiative will be regulatory experts at the FDA, who will provide input and review of the new technologies to ensure that they are safe and effective for patient use.

We are so grateful to NSF for their support of this important collaboration. Together with our colleagues in academia, industry, and government, we can advance state-of-the-art medical technologies and provide faster benefits to patients, said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president for medical affairs, UMB, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor.
Samar (far right), a widow and mother of nine, returned to her house in Deir-ez-Zor city after eight years of displacement to find it badly damaged. UNHCR helped her make repairs.  UNHCR/Vivian Tou'meh

Standing beside their parched fields on the once fertile banks of the Euphrates River outside Deir-ez-Zor, eastern Syrias largest city, relief washes over a group of farmers as water from a repaired irrigation station starts flowing down concrete channels towards the land. Smiles and exclamations of Alhamdulillah! (Praise be to God!) break out among the group.

Water is life for us and our livestock, explains Abu Ahmed, a farmer from Al-Keshmah, a village on the right bank of the river.

Last year, record low rainfall led to Syrias worst drought in 70 years. Combined with damage to vital irrigation systems during the countrys decade-long crisis, around 40 per cent of Syrias irrigated agricultural land no longer has a reliable water supply.

Deir-ez-Zor and its surrounding areas still bear many scars from the crisis. Years of besiegement and pitched battles have left an estimated 75 per cent of the citys infrastructure damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of the citys residents also fled their homes during the violence.

But like the water now trickling back into the neglected fields around the city, in recent years some families displaced by the fighting have been making their way back to rebuild their lives.

Among them is Samar, 57, a widow and mother of nine children who returned to the city after eight years of displacement. When she saw her house for the first time, she could barely recognize what remained of it. The doors and windows were all gone, and the roof and walls were badly damaged.

We had to cover the windows and doors with plastic sheets. The children were freezing in winter, and we had to collect wood to burn in the cold evenings, Samar says.

Like many returning families, they had no running water or electricity. Jobs and essential services like education and health care were in short supply. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additionally hardship, while Syrias ongoing economic crisis has led to a sharp devaluation of the currency, further undermining the ability of Samar and others like her to get back on their feet.

Farmers from Al-Keshmah village watch as water from a repaired irrigation station starts flowing down concrete channels towards their land in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria.  UNHCR/Vivian Tou'meh

Water gushes down concrete channels following repairs to an irrigation station near Deir ez-zor.  UNHCR/Vivian Tou'meh

To help the city and its residents overcome the many challenges they face, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners have established programmes to provide support in several areas, including repairing homes and schools and helping people to restart their livelihoods.

Samars was one of 105 returnee families in Deir-ez-Zor whose home was repaired by UNHCR last year. The walls and roof of her home were fixed, new doors and windows fitted, and water and sanitation equipment installed.

The repairs have given Samar and her children some much-needed stability and comfort while they try to re-establish themselves.

My husband built this house with his own hands, Samar explains. The only thing that makes me happy is that I am [back] living in my house and my neighbourhood, with the memories of my life with my husband and my children.

In other parts of the city, over the past year UNHCR has refurbished four local schools and opened two community centres providing a range of protection and support services such as legal assistance, counselling, catch-up classes and homework cafes. It also installed solar lighting in several neighbourhoods to improve safety for residents.

In the surrounding rural areas, UNHCR has provided agricultural support such as seeds and fertilizer to help 100 families resume farming. It has also repaired three irrigation stations, including the one at Al-Keshmah, which now provides water to more than 1,000 acres of land benefiting about 25,000 people, including many returnees.

One of the farmers in Al-Keshmah who returned to the area in 2018 after being displaced for many years summed up how it felt to be back and working the fields again, We left our land, but our hearts never left it.
Seoul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :South Korea's new President Yoon Suk-yeol called for the "complete denuclearisation" of the North at his swearing-in on Tuesday, describing Pyongyang's weapons as a threat to regional and global security.

Yoon, 61, who started work in an underground bunker with a security briefing on North Korea, took office at a time of high tensions on the peninsula, with Pyongyang conducting a record 15 weapons tests since January, including two launches last week.

In his inaugural speech, he said he would consider sending significant economic aid to the North, but only if Pyongyang first gives up its nuclear programme -- a demand that is anathema to Kim Jong Un and will likely stymie any chances of dialogue, according to analysts.

"If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearisation, we (will) present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people," Yoon said.

Kim's missiles and nukes were a threat to South Korean, regional and global security, he said, adding: "The door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat." Yoon's conservative administration looks set to usher in a more muscular foreign policy for the world's 10th-largest economy, after the dovish approach pursued by his predecessor Moon Jae-in during his five years in office.

Under Moon, Seoul pursued a policy of engagement with Pyongyang, brokering summits between Kim and then-US president Donald Trump. But talks collapsed in 2019 and diplomacy has stalled since.

Yoon is not likely to have an easy ride, taking office with some of the lowest approval ratings -- around 41 percent, according to a recent Gallup poll -- of any democratically elected South Korean president.

He has relocated the presidential office from the decades-old Blue House, which soured public sentiment as many view the costly move as unnecessary.

Yoon said the Blue House, located at a site used by the Japanese colonial administration from 1910 to 1945, was a "symbol of imperial power", claiming the relocation would ensure a more democratic presidency.

The Blue House grounds will be opened to the public as a park, and during the inauguration ceremony, footage of people walking up to the once-fortified compound was broadcast live.

The formal inauguration ceremony was staged outside Seoul's National Assembly, featuring marching army bands, soldiers in ceremony dress, and a 21-gun salute.

During his inauguration speech, Yoon said that South Korea was facing "multiple crises," citing the pandemic, global supply chain issues and economic woes, and "complex" armed conflicts and wars.

"Such complex, multi-faceted crises are casting a long and dark shadow over us," he said, adding that he was confident the country would emerge from its current difficulties.

"Koreans never succumbed; we became stronger and wiser," he said.

Around 40,000 people attended the massive inauguration ceremony, which local reports said was the country's the most expensive such event by far, at 3.3 billion won ($2.6 million).

Moon and impeached former president Park Geun-hye -- recently pardoned and released from jail by Moon -- both attended the ceremony.

US President Joe Biden designated Douglas Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, to lead an eight-member delegation.

Japan and China also sent high-level representatives, with Yoon saying he wants to mend sometimes fractious relations with regional powers.
Qamishli, Syria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :With tears pouring down her cheeks, Syrian mother Shawafa Khodr mourns her daughter, missing since the crowded migrant boat she boarded hoping to join her fiance in Germany sank in the Mediterranean.

Khodr refuses to believe her daughter is dead, hoping against the mounting evidence that the young woman did not drown in the waters off Lebanon, but has somehow survived.

"I will wait for her every night and pray to God for her safety," 60-year-old Khodr said. "Maybe she is just lost on the beach somewhere".

The distraught mother even kicked her son out of the house, after he said that she should come to terms with the fact that her daughter may never return.

Khodr's daughter, Jenda Saeed, 27, and her friend Inas Abdel Salam, 23, were engaged to two brothers in Germany.

Last month, the pair left their home in war-ravaged northeast Syria on the start of the long journey to join them.

They headed for neighbouring Lebanon, from where they set out on April 23 on a boat jam-packed with 84 passengers hoping for a better life in Europe.

They never made it: the boat capsized when it was being chased by Lebanon's navy.

- Perilous sea crossing - Of the 84 passengers, 45 were rescued but 39 are still missing, according to the United Nations.

Saeed and her friend Salam are, along with six other Syrians, among those unaccounted for.

Khodr stares at a photograph of her daughter wearing a red and white sweatshirt, a braid cascading down her shoulders.

"She carried my scarf in her bag, so that I can protect her," she said.

On the eve of her daughter's trip, Khodr held a party to celebrate her daughter's upcoming wedding.

"I was happy then," she said, watching a video on her phone of Saaed dancing during the party.

"But now not a day passes by without tears," she added, wiping her wet eyes.

Thousands risk the perilous sea crossing to Europe each year: last month, the United Nations refugee agency said more than 3,000 people died, double the toll from 2020.

But Khodr said she did not know Saeed planned to travel on the dangerous migrant boat route.
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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appreciates Chinas initiative to launch GDI and termed it a useful platform to accelerate and coordinate efforts towards implementation of globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 10th, 2022) Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistans resolve to further strengthen its All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with China, through the rapid implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Foreign Minister was addressing the High-Level Meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Development Initiative, held in virtual format in New York.

In his video address, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appreciated Chinas initiative to launch GDI and termed it a useful platform to accelerate and coordinate efforts towards implementation of globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals.

Recalling the multiple crises posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and geo-political developments, with disproportionate and devastating impacts on the Global South, he expressed deep concern over the reversal of progress in the implementation of SDGs.

He urged the Global Development Initiative Group of Friends to address the challenges faced by the developing world.

Foreign Minister called upon the international community to mobilize adequate resources for SDGs and fulfill the commitment of providing at least 100 billion Dollars annually in climate finance.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) At least two people died and 15 were seriously injured as train derailed in the northeastern Austrian district of Modling on Monday, Austrian Krone Zeitung reported.

According to the newspaper, the incident occurred near the commune of Munchendorf approximately at 16.

00 GMT.

The newspaper later updated the information, with the death toll now standing at one. It also said that at least 13 people were injured.

Emergency services workers and volunteers are now at the site.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) US President Joe Biden is displeased with the leaks on intelligence sharing with Ukraine and believes that it is an overstatement of Washington's role, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

"The President was displeased with the leaks. His view was that it was an overstatement of our role and inaccurate statement and also an understatement of the Ukrainians role and their leadership," Psaki said during a press briefing on Monday.

On Friday, NBC news reported - citing two administration officials - that Biden told top US intelligence and defense officials the leaks about intelligence sharing with Ukraine on the battlefield must stop because they are counterproductive to the US objectives in the conflict.

The report said Biden recently held a telephone call with CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to convey that such leaks must stop.

Several Biden administration officials recently leaked to US media that the United States is providing vital intelligence to Ukraine that allegedly made it possible to conduct strikes against Russian generals and the flagship Moskva in the Black Sea.

The Biden administration has repeatedly downplayed the role US intelligence sharing is having in Ukraine and said such reports are inaccurate.

According to Russia's Defense Ministry, the Moskva sank on its way to the port of Sevastopol after a fire led to an explosion of the ship's ammunition.

The CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Department and the US National Security Council did not respond to requests for comment on the issue, the report said.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested help to defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted.
He European Union has pledged to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion) for 2022 and to allocate an equal amount following year, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) The European Union has pledged to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians up to 1.5 billion Euros ($1.58 billion) for 2022 and to allocate an equal amount following year, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the sixth European Union's Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region kicked off in Brussels, with the purpose of harnessing international support for Syrians who keep facing dire humanitarian crisis both in Syria and abroad. The core pledging event is taking place on the conference's final day on Tuesday during the EU ministerial meeting.

"I am pleased to announce that an additional 1 billion euro pledge for a Calendar year of 2022 and this will make collated our contribution to more than 1.5 billion euros. For 2023, the EU will provide the same financial support  1.56 billion euros. This funding will be for the benefit of Syrians in Syria and for the benefit of refugees in their host communities in the region," Borrell said, addressing the ministerial meeting.

According to the EU pre-conference brief, last year the bloc allocated $3.9 billion in humanitarian and resilience assistance to Syria. Furthermore, since 2011, when the Syrian war broke out, the EU, as the world's largest donor, has provided nearly $29 billion to the most vulnerable Syrians in the country and Syrian refugees throughout the region.

For 11 years, the protracted Syrian crisis has placed an estimated 14.6 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 5.6 million refugees forced to flee Syria to neighboring states and 6.9 million internally displaced people, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Turkey bears the heaviest burden, currently hosting more than 3.7 million Syrians, followed by Lebanon and Jordan, which are sheltering over 800,000 and 650,000 Syrians, respectively.
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The European Union on Tuesday condemned the "vicious attack" on civilians in Sri Lanka that sparked deadly rioting on the island and called on all sides to avoid further violence

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :The European Union on Tuesday condemned the "vicious attack" on civilians in Sri Lanka that sparked deadly rioting on the island and called on all sides to avoid further violence.

"The European Union (EU) and its 27 Member States are monitoring closely developments in Sri Lanka. The EU condemns the recent vicious attack against peaceful protestors in Colombo, which triggered further violence after a month of peaceful demonstrations," the bloc said in a statement.

"The EU deplores the loss of life, including of a Member of Parliament, and the high number of injured people".

The European bloc called on the Sri Lankan authorities "to initiate an investigation into the events and to hold accountable those instigating or perpetrating violence.

The EU urges all parties to refrain from violence and to show restraint." Sri Lankan authorities issued shoot-on-sight orders on Tuesday to quell further unrest a day after the island was rocked by deadly violence and rioting.

On Monday, government supporters attacked with sticks and clubs demonstrators in Colombo protesting peacefully for weeks over an economic crisis and demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Mobs then retaliated across the country late into the night, torching dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians and trying to storm the prime minister's official residencein the capital.
The Paris court of appeal sentenced ex-French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to one year in prison in the case of fictitious employment, French media reported on Monday

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2022) The Paris court of appeal sentenced ex-French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to one year in prison in the case of fictitious employment, French media reported on Monday.

The court also found Fillon guilty of embezzlement of public funds, complicity, and concealment of the misuse of corporate assets, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

The court upheld the conviction against Fillon for giving his wife Penelope a fake job as his assistant while he was a member of parliament but slashed his prison sentence to four years with three suspended. Penelope was given a two-year suspended sentence, and they were both fined 375,000 Euros ($396,000).

Fillons' defense team said they will appeal the ruling because the court only drew conclusions from one of Penelope's three employment contracts dating back to 1998-2002 and not those covering 2002-2013.

"This question, the important legal issues related to the separation of powers, the unfair conduct of this procedure and the acquisition of prescription must be analyzed by the Court of Cassation," the statement read.

The fake-job scandal, dubbed "Penelopegate," broke out in 2017 and eventually wrecked right-wing Fillon's presidency campaign, allowing centrist Emmanuel Macron to win.
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Fresh protests erupted in Sri Lanka's capital on Tuesday, defying a government curfew after five people died in the worst violence in weeks of demonstrations over a dire economic crisis

Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :Fresh protests erupted in Sri Lanka's capital on Tuesday, defying a government curfew after five people died in the worst violence in weeks of demonstrations over a dire economic crisis.

Demonstrators showed no sign they would back down, even after scores were injured when government supporters were bussed into Colombo on Monday, and attacked protesters with sticks and clubs.

As outrage over the incident soared, prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned -- but even that has failed to calm public anger, with his brother Gotabaya still president with widespread powers and command over the security forces.

Thousands of angry protesters stormed Mahinda's official residence overnight, and the former premier had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation on Tuesday, firing tear gas and warning shots.

"At least 10 petrol bombs were thrown into the compound," a top security official told AFP.

Speaking to AFP, protester Chamal Polwattage said: "More people are coming to the demonstration site after the emergency and curfews.

"People are angry about the attacks launched against us yesterday. Despite the curfew since yesterday afternoon, we have a lot of volunteers bringing food and water for us," the 25-year-old said.

"We will not go until the president goes," he added.
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Russia is two weeks or more behind its alleged schedule for the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, a senior US defense official said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) Russia is two weeks or more behind its alleged schedule for the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, a senior US defense official said on Tuesday.

"He (Russian President Vladimir Putin) has not achieved any of the success that we believe he wanted to achieve. Certainly not on the timeline. I mean, now we would assess that he is easily two weeks or even maybe more behind where we thought or where he thought he wanted to be in the Donbas and in the south (of Ukraine)," the official said during a press briefing.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested help to defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the operation is solely targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and the civilian population is not in danger.

Russia started the second phase of its special operation on April 19 almost entirely focusing on the Donbas region. The goals of the second phase include establishing full control over the region and southern Ukraine, according the Russian Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekaev.
South Korea's new leader Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday called on the North to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for massive economic aid, describing Pyongyang's missiles as a threat to regional and global security

Seoul, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :South Korea's new leader Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday called on the North to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for massive economic aid, describing Pyongyang's missiles as a threat to regional and global security.

Yoon, 61, who started work in an underground bunker with a briefing on North Korea, takes office at a time of high tensions on the peninsula, with Pyongyang conducting a record 15 weapons tests since January, including two launches last week.

The former prosecutor, who won the election by a razor-thin margin in March, said in his inaugural speech that he would consider sending transformative levels of economic aid to the North -- but only if Pyongyang first gives up its nuclear weapons.

"If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearisation, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the quality of life for its people," he said.

Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in pursued a policy of engagement with Pyongyang, brokering summits between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then US president Donald Trump. But talks collapsed in 2019 and diplomacy has stalled since.

"While North Korea's nuclear weapon programmes are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat," Yoon added.

But the offer of "audacious" aid is a dud, analysts say: North Korea, which invests a vast chunk of its GDP into its weapons programmes, has long made it clear it will not make that trade.

"Since 2009, North Korea has stated it will not give up its nukes for economic incentives," Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha University, told AFP.

"Yoon's comment will only trigger Pyongyang, who will see it as an attack." Kim does not want massive economic growth because achieving this would require opening up North Korea's information ecosystem, said Chad O'Carroll of Seoul-based specialist site NK news.

"Ideological pollution would rapidly steep in, a key risk for Pyongyang's ruler.

.. Yoon's denuclearisation plans won't go anywhere... because the 'carrot' is actually poisonous," he wrote on Twitter.

- Unpopular move - During his inauguration speech, Yoon said South Korea was facing "multiple crises", citing the Covid-19 pandemic, global supply chain issues, economic woes and new armed conflicts.

"Such complex, multi-faceted crises are casting a long and dark shadow over us," Yoon said, adding that he was confident the country would emerge from its current difficulties.

But Yoon is not likely to have an easy ride, taking office with some of the lowest approval ratings of any democratically elected South Korean president at 41 percent, according to a Gallup poll.

The biggest reason for Yoon's unpopularity, the survey found, was his decision to move the presidential office from the decades-old Blue House to the former defence ministry in downtown Seoul.

The hasty, expensive move soured public sentiment, with critics claiming it was unnecessary and a security risk.

Yoon said the Blue House, on a site used by the Japanese colonial administration from 1910 to 1945, was a "symbol of imperial power", claiming the relocation would ensure a more democratic presidency.

The Blue House grounds will be opened to the public as a park.

The inauguration was held outside Seoul's National Assembly, featuring marching army bands, soldiers in ceremonial dress, and a 21-gun salute.

Around 40,000 people attended with local reports saying it was the country's most expensive such event by far, at 3.3 billion won ($2.6 million).

US President Joe Biden -- who is set to visit Seoul later this month -- sent a high-profile delegation headed by Douglas Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Japan and China also sent high-level representatives, with Yoon saying he wanted to mend sometimes fractious relations with regional powers.

"At a time when the rules-based international order is under threat, the strategic collaboration between Japan and South Korea... is needed more than ever," Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said after attending the inauguration.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged on Tuesday government supporters and opponents engaged in mass protests and clashes triggered by economic and political crises in the country to stop violence and pledged to make every effort to restore political stability

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged on Tuesday government supporters and opponents engaged in mass protests and clashes triggered by economic and political crises in the country to stop violence and pledged to make every effort to restore political stability.

According to Sri Lankan media outlet news First, the clashes sweeping across the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo killed seven people and injured 249 since Monday, with 232 having been hospitalized.

"I appeal and urge people to remain calm & stop violence & acts of revenge against citizens, irrespective of political affiliations. All efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus, within constitutional mandate & to resolve economic crisis," Rajapaksa wrote on Twitter.

On Monday, groups of pro- and anti-government activists clashed in Colombo amid the state of emergency, which had been imposed on Friday, and a nationwide strike demanding the resignation of the president.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down from office in a bid to mitigate the ongoing crisis. The protesters set his and the president's houses on fire.

The protesters also blocked the road to the country's international airport earlier in the day to prevent members of the ruling party from fleeing the country, according to the outlet.

Sri Lanka has been in a political deadlock caused by the country's worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. The dire economic situation was caused by shortages of foreign Currency as tourist flows dried up during the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing the country from purchasing enough fuel. The pandemic has also negatively impacted remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad. There is an acute shortage of food and basic necessities, including fuel and gas, with many parts of the island nation facing continuous power blackouts.
A mob assaulted a top Sri Lankan police officer and torched his vehicle near the prime minister's official residence in the capital Colombo on Tuesday, authorities said

Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :A mob assaulted a top Sri Lankan police officer and torched his vehicle near the prime minister's official residence in the capital Colombo on Tuesday, authorities said.

Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, the highest-ranking officer in Colombo "required emergency treatment and has returned home," a senior police official told AFP.

He said reinforcements rushed to the area and fired warning shots to rescue the officer who came under attack despite a nationwide curfew after widespread unrest on Monday.

The officer was responsible for security arrangements in the capital on Monday when pro-government activists launched an assault against peaceful demonstrators demanding the resignation of the president.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who quit as prime minister on Monday, had to be brought out of his residence by security forces before dawn the following morning after thousands tried to storm the building overnight.

Deshabandu was in civilian clothing and had two officers with him when he was assaulted, with the angry mob accusing him of supporting pro-government activists.
The port city of Odessa reeled on Tuesday from Russian missile strikes as Germany's top diplomat became the highest-ranking official from Berlin to visit Ukraine since Moscow's invasion

Kyiv, Ukraine, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th May, 2022 ) :The port city of Odessa reeled on Tuesday from Russian missile strikes as Germany's top diplomat became the highest-ranking official from Berlin to visit Ukraine since Moscow's invasion.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's surprise visit to Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops have been accused of war crimes, came amid mounting criticism of Berlin's slow response to the conflict.

Fresh fighting raged in the east and south of Ukraine, with officials saying over 1,000 Ukrainian fighters including hundreds of injured remain holed up in the besieged Azovstal plant in the devastated city of Mariupol.

The series of missile strikes in Odessa overnight destroyed buildings, set ablaze a shopping centre and killed one person, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

Michel had earlier warned that vital supplies of wheat and grain that were ready for export from Ukraine, one of the world's key producers, were stuck in Odessa because of the conflict.

"This badly-needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response," he added.

A string of Western officials have been visiting Ukraine in recent weeks, but Germany has been notable by its absence due to tensions between Kyiv and Berlin over the level of German support.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in particular has come under fire for arms deliveries to Ukraine deemed insufficient and Germany's refusal to ditch its reliance on Russian energy imports.

But the visit of Baerbock was intended as a clear signal, with the foreign minister meeting residents in Bucha, one of several towns and villages around Kyiv where Moscow's army has been accused of killing civilians.

The German was accompanied by her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, who visited the devastated commuter town of Irpin, he said in a Tweet.
The United Nations supports the territorial integrity of Moldova, and though it is not part of mediation there, it is always ready to offer its good offices, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2022) The United Nations supports the territorial integrity of Moldova, and though it is not part of mediation there, it is always ready to offer its good offices, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

A resolution between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria is being negotiated within the so-called 5+2 format, in which Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE act as mediators, and the European Union and the United States as observers.

"Our position is very clear: we respect - and we ask the whole world to respect - independence, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Moldova ... It is absolutely essential to preserve the territorial integrity, and any violation of the territorial integrity of any country including Moldova, is a violation of International law and is a violation of the UN charter," Guterres said during his visit to Moldova. "The United Nations has never been to any mediation (in Moldova and Transnistria) but we are always at disposal for whatever will be necessary.

"

Transnistria was rocked by a series of explosions last month. The local authorities introduced a red terrorist threat level and initiated a criminal probe into "the acts of terrorism." Transnistrian President Vadim Krasnoselsky blamed the attacks on Ukraine, while Moldovan President Maia Sandu insisted that the attempts to escalate the situation in the breakaway region are being undertaken by violent forces within Transnistria, which she believes intend to drag Moldova into war.

Transnistria, 60% of whose population is Russian and Ukrainian, has been seeking to secede from Moldova since the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing that Moldova would integrate with Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the issue by force, Transnistria became a territory de facto not controlled by Chisinau.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2022) The United States is not in a position to reopen the American embassy in Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned price said on Tuesday.

"I am not aware of any discussion right. Now about reopening the Embassy in Kabul," Price said during a press briefing. "We are not in a position to reopen the embassy.

"

Safety and security concerns are some of the factors that have prevented the United States from having a diplomatic presence in Kabul, Price said.

The United States will judge the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) and any future relationship it may have with the group based on their conduct and willingness to live up to their commitments made to the world when it came into power in Afghanistan, Price said.

The Taliban must protect human rights of the Afghan people, including rights of Afghan women, girls, and minorities, and living up to its counterterrorism commitments, Price said.
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2022) The United States has imposed sanctions on five individuals for operating a financial network in support of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in Indonesia, Turkey and Syria, the Department of the Treasury said on Friday.

"Today, the U. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated a network of five Islamic State of Iraq and Syria financial facilitators operating across Indonesia, Syria, and Turkey," the press release said.

The five individuals have played a key role in facilitating the travel of extremists to Syria and other areas where IS operates, the Treasury Department continued.

"This network has also conducted financial transfers to support ISIS efforts in Syria-based displaced persons camps by collecting funds in Indonesia and Turkey, some of which were used to pay for smuggling children out of the camps and delivering them to (IS) foreign fighters as potential recruits," it said.

The Treasury Department identified the individuals as one woman, Dwi Dahlia Susanti, and four men: Rudi Heryadi, Ari Karidan, Muhammad Dandi Adhiguna and Dini Ramadhani.
Associate Professor Ruthmae Sears (second from left) poses with her colleagues at the PACE Programme in The Bahamas.

Equity is at the heart of Ruthmae Searss research and passion for continuing education. Her desire to help young women succeed brings a new level of pride to the USF associate professor of mathematics education and associate director of the USF Coalition for Science Literacy. She just returned from The Bahamas, where she grew up, to celebrate a significant milestone for a program shes been supporting for 16 years.

In 2006, Sears began volunteering with the Providing Access to Continued Education (PACE) Programme for girls  established in 1969 to help teen mothers complete high school. She used to drive to the church where PACE was housed during her lunch breaks as a secondary (grades 7-12) mathematics teacher to teach the PACE students math  helping offset the programs teacher shortage.

Sears focused on building a curriculum. She stressed math skills and financial literacy and later worked with her colleagues to support teen mothers beyond the program  which now offers college application guidance, financial aid, training for job interviews and social etiquette.

Our goal is to disrupt systemic inequities and provide equitable learning opportunities for all students, Sears said. If we do not provide adequate support, young ladies may drop out of school, which can impact their educational and career opportunities and future livelihood.

Because of Searss fundraising efforts for the PACE Foundation Bahamas, established through the Bahamas Ministries of Health and Education, and the contributions of many others, the PACE school now has a permanent home that bears the founders name, the Andrea Archer Institute, and Sears was there for the symbolic mortgage-burning ceremony.

Its a moment close to her heart, as Sears first became familiar with PACE when one of her friends became pregnant. Sears saw how her friend was socially isolated and removed from the school system  essentially stigmatized.

I always remember the hope the PACE Programme gave her, it reengineered her belief that she can move forward and pursue her goals, Sears said.

The PACE Programme is a conduit for teen mothers to return to school with a mission to build self-esteem and character. Pregnant teens are usually removed from mainstream school settings and use the program to re-enter a new school environment. It is Nassaus only continuing education option available to pregnant teens in the area.

We are removing every barrier to success that we can. It is imperative that they stay on a path of continued education, said Sonia Brown, president of the PACE Foundation.

Now that the two-story building is complete, fully paid for and renamed, Sears and her colleagues are turning their focus to teen fathers.

We all have a role to play, said Sears. We need to teach young men to be fathers and responsible adults.
USMs School of Library & Information Science Brings Back StoryWalk to Downtown Hattiesburgs Pocket Museum May 14

Tue, 05/10/2022 - 11:06am | By: David Tisdale

Exercising body and mind through the joy of reading and a walk in historic downtown Hattiesburg will be the centerpieces of the return of the StoryWalk, a unique concept combining physical activity and literacy, coming Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, located in the alleyway next to Saenger Theater. This event is free and open to the public.

StoryWalk transforms the pages of a book into signs laid out on a trail inviting families, children, caregivers, teachers and others to follow the path of pages. Created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, the now internationally popular StoryWalk Project was developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library; it has taken place in all 50 states and beyond, including in Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea where projects have been installed. Many of these installations are permanent or semi-permanent.

The featured book for Hattiesburgs StoryWalk will be In the Tall, Tall Grass by author-illustrator Denise Fleming, an award-winning book with bold colors that celebrates the joys of nature through the eyes of a child and caterpillar. Stacy Creel, an associate professor in The University of Southern Mississippis (USM) School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), spearheaded the first story StoryWalk with community collaboration and is excited to host the second.

My family thinks the Hattiesburg attractions like the Hattiesburg Public Library, the Hattiesburg Zoo, and the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum are some of the best things going in the state, Creel said. As the School of Library and Information Science, we place a high value on the love of reading and community involvement. Last year we had a great time at the StoryWalk interacting with the community and promoting reading - all of the best things.

Returning to the project as community partners for the StoryWalk are the USM Fay B. Kaigler Childrens Book Festival, the Library of Hattiesburg Petal and Forrest County, and Hattiesburg Council on Community Literacy and Reading.

The Hattiesburg Pocket Museum is about discovery and curiosity, said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which created and oversees the operation of the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum. What better way to continue our connection with kids of all ages than to focus on the powerful impact of reading to build a lifetime of curiosity and desire for discovery.

The May 14th production of StoryWalk will feature the oversized book, suggestions for physical activities, and the text translated into Spanish.

The first 200 children arriving for the Hattiesburg StoryWalk will be eligible to receive a free, brand-new book for their reading pleasure from the Hattiesburg Council on Community Literacy and Reading, and participants will receive information about the Summer Reading Program at the Library of Hattiesburg Petal and Forrest County.

We hope kids and their families leave from StoryWalk excited about books and sign up for the Summer Reading Program at public libraries in their communities, as well as enjoying the creative environment of the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, Creel said.

Pre-registration is also available for the Hattiesburg Public Librarys Summer Reading Program, titled Oceans of Possibilities! Regular registration starts June 1. The Hattiesburg Public Library will also have a fin-tastic craft for children to make, and the StoryWalk event will have information available on all the librarys programs for the summer.

For more information about StoryWalk at the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, contact Creel at Stacy.CreelFREEMississippi or 601.266.5704.
People visit an exhibition during Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

CAPE TOWN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains.

Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players.

As the Just Transition to a low-carbon future will drive the demand for green metal resources, Africa has such abundant and untapped resources, like lithium, copper, cobalt, nickel, and zinc, South African Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources Gwede Mantashe told the delegates.

South Africa accounts for the largest percentage of the world's Platinum Group Metals reserves, which are used to manufacture electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, with Zimbabwe ranked third.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, meanwhile, are among the largest producers of copper and cobalt in the world. The DRC accounts for about 70 percent of global cobalt output and half of the world's reserves.

These "minerals of the future" hold great potential for the continent, he said.

Mining has the potential to be a greater contributor to the economy, and the country welcomes active and pragmatic collaboration with mining industry players, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said.

According to him, Zambia is committed to building a resilient and sustainable mining industry anchored on environmental, social, and governance standards, and best practices.

Zambia is a key player in the global copper mining industry and is home to vast reserves of copper and cobalt.

As copper is critical in the green energy transition with an ever-increasing demand for it, Zambia is determined to respond to the high demand for copper and has a goal to take its annual production levels from the current 830,000 to 3 million metric tons in the next ten years, Hichilema said, adding that the country is also determined to increase production of cobalt and nickel, also key to the green energy transition.

Zambia is also promoting exploration and exploitation of tin, lithium, graphite, and rare earth minerals, among others, to contribute to the successful energy transition, he said.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, a leading diamond mining country, said mining remains the most important sector of Botswana's economy and implored investors to "seriously consider coming to Botswana to carry out exploration and mining projects," as his government is completing a project that will bring coverage of geological mapping for exploration to 90 percent nationwide.

With signs of improvement in the market and economic activity, Botswana's enough skilled mining personnel, organized and regulated labor movement, the overall progressive nature of Botswana's mineral policy and laws together with its investment climate makes Botswana competitive for mining investment, said Masisi.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is also expected to attend the conference on Tuesday to elaborate on South Africa's work to ensure that mining remains a "sunrise industry."

STRONG CALL FOR COMMUNITY BENEFITS

While alluring investors, Zambian head of state Hichilema made a strong call that mining in Africa should benefit more people through building the value chain, instead of focusing on producing raw materials only.

He said mining in Africa should not only stay on potential. "We want to realize that potential to drive development to alleviate the poverty amongst our people," he added.

Deliberate efforts are needed between African leaders and partners to ensure sustainable development and management of mineral resources, said Hichilema.

Development of supporting infrastructure is also critical, and Africa has immense potential in the artisanal and small-scale sub-sector, which is important for local people to involve in the mining sector, according to him.

The governments of Zambia and DRC last month signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the development of value chains in the electric battery and clean energy sector.

"Together we will ... establish our nations as leading players in the era of electric vehicles and other green innovations," said Hichilema.

Mantashe also said Africa's resource endowment "must be translated into a competitive advantage for value-added manufacturing that can contribute to job creation, investment, and export growth."

He expected delegates to discuss mineral beneficiation during the meeting for the benefit of the current and future generations.

"Beneficiation will mean we are fully taking ownership of the value chain of our minerals across the spheres of upstream, midstream, and downstream mining economic activities instead of exporting these to other countries," he said.

In Botswana, what has over the years been "a thorn in the flesh" is the slow uptake of mineral beneficiation industries to diversify the economy, and this is an investment growth potential for the mining sector, said Masisi. 

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef (C) visits an exhibition during Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

South African Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources Gwede Mantashe addresses Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

South African Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources Gwede Mantashe, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi and DR Congo's Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde (from R to L) pose for a group photo during Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi addresses Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema addresses Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains. Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)
In his new book, The Apache Diaspora: Four Centuries of Displacement and Survival, history Associate Professor Paul Conrad brings to life the stories of displaced Apaches.

A young man walked the grounds of a school counting graves. He had been sent to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1898 for an education, to be trained in welding, construction, and other industrial skills. As he passed through rows of gravestones, counting to 105 before he got mixed up, he learned other lessons. Very few came back, he observed.

Sam Kenoi was one who did, however. He slipped away one night on a westbound train and returned to his people. At this time, his Apache Indian relatives were U.S. prisoners of war and had been since the army rounded them up from their Arizona reservation in 1886 and shipped them into exile in Florida, Alabama, and then Oklahoma. Kenoi married and started a family. He settled on the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico after Apache POWs were finally freed in 1913 and given a choice of where to live. After his first wife died of pneumonia, he remarried and had more children. He organized his people in a bold effort to seek reparations for their 27-year internment.

Most lives are full of tragedy and triumph, and Kenois was no exception. But his life was also particular, shaped by who he was as an Apache. Kenoi confronted challenges that his ancestors had faced for generations. How does one exist in a world that does not want you to exist as you are? How does one survive that which so many are not surviving? How does one start over in a foreign land or on land made foreign by colonialism? Kenoi responded to these questions creatively, pushed back on those who mistreated him, and lived boldly within the constraints of his circumstances.

Pulling back from Kenois particular story, a broader portrait of Apache life and death across North America and the Caribbean comes into view. Apache men and women throw themselves into the Gulf of Mexico, desperate to escape the boat waiting to carry them overseas. A priest pens an entry in a leather-bound ledger near the Pacific coast of Sonoraanother Apache girl buried after months of forced labor. Apache boys run errands for the governor of Quebec, and Apache women gather water for their masters at a neighborhood well in Mexico City. Apache men pull a pine tree out of the chimney of an old U.S. fort in Florida and apply mortar to Spanish fortifications in the port of Havana. An Apache servant and a Black slave marry in a church in a Mexican mining town as a crowd of their friends looks on. Their children have children, who have children, their descendants still living across North America today. 

The history of the Apache diaspora reveals the efforts of outsiders to exploit, subjugate, or eliminate Indigenous people across more than four centuries, and Natives own determination to resist and survive wherever they have found themselves. Settler-citizens and imperial agents under Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. governments who believed themselves to be innovative often echoed one another, as they pursued failed but also destructive schemes to end Apache self-governance through enslavements and forced migrations that scattered Apaches across the continent. The ends and means of colonialism have shifted to some extent over time, but colonization and diaspora have not ended. They are ongoing, yet so too is Native resistance.
The Embassy of the Netherlands to the Holy See organizes a conference looking at the heroic role of Dutch journalist and World War II martyr Fr. Titus Brandsma in promoting truth, human rights, and freedom of the press - a commitment that cost him his life. Pope Francis is set to declare him a Saint on May 15.

By Vatican News staff writer

On Sunday 15 May Pope Francis will preside over a morning Mass with the canonization of ten Blesseds: Titus Brandsma; Lazarus, also known as Devasahayam; Cesar de Bus; Luigi Maria Palazzolo; Giustino Maria Russolillo; Charles de Foucauld, Marie Rivier; Maria Francesca di Gesu Rubatto; Maria di Gesu Santocanale; and Maria Domenica Mantovani.

The Dutch Embassy to the Holy See is paying tribute to its fellow countryman, Carmelite Father Titus Brandsma, a theologian, journalist, and author who forcefully opposed and spoke out against the anti-Jewish laws the Nazis were passing in Germany before World War II.

He was arrested in January 1942 when Germany invaded the Netherlands. The Nazis told him that he would be allowed to live a quiet life in a monastery if he would announce that Catholic newspapers should publish Nazi propaganda. The Carmelite priest refused, for which he was subject to hardship and starvation in the Dachau concentration camp. He died after being injected with carbolic acid on July 26 that same year. He was 61.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See has organized a conference looking at the role Fr. Brandsma played in promoting human rights, freedom of the press, and giving the ultimate sacrifice of his life for these values.

Caroline Weijers, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Holy See, spoke with Vatican News' Gudrun Sailer about the conference and about the heroic witness of Fr. Brandsma, whose example and legacy can continue to inspire people of all faiths.

Interview of Gudrun Sailer with Ambassador Caroline Weijers



Q: What is Fr. Brandsmas status today in secularized Dutch Society?

A: Titus Brandsma is a person of many talents. As a priest, he was inspired by Teresa of Avila, Carmelite and Saint. He had an extremely positive attitude to life. As a thinker, philosopher, and mystic, he made an intellectual contribution to the social debate. As professor at and Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen, which was founded in 1923, he contributed to Catholic emancipation in the Netherlands. As a journalist, he was active in word and certainly in action, speaking out against national socialist ideology and the Nuremberg racial laws, defending freedom of the press, and during the occupation of the Netherlands visiting Catholic newspapers to urge them not to print propaganda. All these aspects made him, certainly when we look back, a special resistance hero. His courage and perseverance are inspiring for many worldwide and certainly also in the Netherlands. Faith, hope, and love, qualities Titus embodied, are not only important for Catholics, Christians, or religious believers, but for all people of goodwill.



Q: Is he known today in Dutch society?



A: He certainly is known in certain segments of society, and for instance, Nijmegen, the University where he was the rector as well, he's well known and greatly respected. I think in a broader sense, people are discovering more about him this year because there is a lot of media attention now.

Q: The embassy of the Netherlands to the Holy See is organising a conference before the canonization on Titus Brandsma and freedom of the press. What does the new Saint tell us today about freedom of the press?



A: Priorities in the work of the embassy of the Netherlands to the Holy See include peace and security, rule of law and justice, climate and the environment, and human rights, which includes freedom of speech and therefore freedom of the press. The symposium, in English, organized by the embassy of the Netherlands to the Holy See together with the International Association of Journalists accredited to the Vatican will take place on Tuesday, 10 May, in Centro Internazionale SantAlberto, which is the house where Titus lived during the years that he studied in Rome. The title of this symposium is Titus Brandsma: The challenges of journalism in dark times. Obviously, it is about the time when Titus lived and worked and resisted a ruthless occupier and was murdered. It is about his performance as a journalist and about resistance to the Third Reich with special reference to it each time, but this is also an opportunity to examine the current social relevance of what Titus stood for. The theme of the speech of the human rights ambassador of the Netherlands who will come to Rome for this important symposium will be the world needs courageous journalists like Titus Brandsma to make a difference for humanity and human rights for all. The symposium will conclude with a round table discussion with several members of the Vatican journalists association on the challenges of journalism and the search for truth in the age of fake news and social media.

Q: What does the persecution of Titus Brandsma, other journalists, and people who voiced their own opinion during the Nazi dictatorship tell us regarding freedom of the press today in our own times?



A: I think in a way it is a warning how careful we have to be about freedom of expression and freedom of press. The number of journalists who are being attacked and sometimes even murdered worldwide is very worrying. It will touch on our rule of law, on elements like transparency, democracy, control by the people of governments, because the people need to be informed. So, I think his life and his death are a warning to all of us.

Q: The difference between Blessed and Saints is that the Blessed are worthy of veneration for their respective local church or religious community, whereas Saints are valid for the whole universal Church. In this sense, to what extent is the Dutchman Titus Brandsma a model for the whole Catholic world?



A: Technically speaking, and as you say as a matter of theological principal, Titus could so far not be venerated worldwide and outside his own Carmelite community. However, his standing, not just in the Netherlands but also in other parts of the world, has been high. For instance, in United States and in the Philippines where the Titus Brandsma prize is awarded every two years to younger journalists and researchers. The values propagated and embodied by Titus Brandsma, which are social engagement, inclusion, love in order to counteract injustice, enmity and inequality, and courage in the face of evil, all these elements transcend geography and religion. I would therefore go even further than what your question implies. Titus is not just an example and inspiration for Catholics worldwide, but for people irrespective of their religious or non-religious background, and in this day and age even more so.
John Lee was elected as Hong Kong's next leader Sunday, after winning over 99% of votes cast by a largely pro-Beijing election committee.

Lee received 1,416 votes in the chief executive election, far exceeding the 751 votes he needed to win. The Election Committee's nearly 1,500 members cast their votes in a secret ballot Sunday morning.

As the only candidate in the polls, Lee was expected to win, especially since he had Beijing's endorsement and last month obtained 786 nominations from members of the Election Committee in support of his candidacy.

Lee will replace current leader Carrie Lam on July 1.

Lam congratulated Lee in a statement and said she would submit the election results to Beijing.

The present-term government and I will ensure a seamless transition with the Chief Executive-elect. We will render all the support needed for the assumption of office by the new term of government, Lam's statement said.

The election followed major changes to Hong Kong's electoral laws last year to ensure that only patriots loyal to Beijing can hold office. The legislature was also 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 voted in a secret ballot, Hong Kong's electors were all carefully vetted.

Mainland China's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council also congratulated Lee in a statement, saying the successful election proved that the city's new electoral system is good and in line with the one country, two systems framework that Hong Kong is governed by.

The statement added that the new chief executive will lead the Hong Kong government and people from all walks of life to forge ahead in unity.

The British handed Hong Kong over to mainland China in 1997 under the one country, two systems framework, which promised the city certain freedoms not found on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly.

Critics say these freedoms are being eroded as Beijing has exerted greater control over the former British colony in recent years.

On Sunday morning, three members of the League of Social Democrats, a local activist group, protested the election by attempting to march toward the election venue while displaying a banner demanding universal suffrage that would allow Hong Kongers to vote both for the legislature and the chief executive.

Human rights over power, the people are greater than the country, the banner read. One person, one vote for the chief executive. Immediately implement dual universal suffrage.

One protester was handing out flyers before police arrived and cordoned off the protesters and the banner. Police also searched protesters' belongings and took down their personal details, though no arrests were immediately made.

The pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong has long demanded universal suffrage, which they say is promised to the city in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law. It was also a key demand in the 2014 Umbrella Revolution protests and 2019 anti-government demonstrations.

Lee's role as Hong Kong's next leader has sparked concern that Beijing could further tighten its grip on Hong Kong. He spent most of his civil service career in the police and security bureau and is an outspoken and staunch supporter of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 aimed at stamping out dissent.

His rise grew out of massive anti-government protests in 2019 that spiraled into violent clashes. As security secretary, he oversaw the police campaign to confront protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, then rounded many of them up for arrest later.

More than 150 people have been arrested under the security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to intervene in the city's affairs. Almost all prominent pro-democracy activists have been jailed, with others fleeing abroad or being intimidated into silence.

Thousands of residents have left the city of 7.4 million people amid the 2019 protests and subsequent harsh pandemic restrictions, including many professionals and expatriates.

In his election campaign in the weeks leading up to Sunday's polls, Lee pledged to enact long-shelved local legislation to protect against security threats and vowed to increase housing supply in the world's most expensive real estate market.

He also said he would improve the city's competitiveness and set a firm foundation for Hong Kong's development.
Malaysia is calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to open informal channels with the shadow government of fellow member state Myanmar in a move quickly condemned by the military regime that seized control of the countrys government last year.

Frustrated by the juntas failure to follow through on a five-point consensus peace plan for Myanmar that all 10 ASEAN members agreed to at an emergency meeting in April 2021, Malaysia had been hinting for months about reaching out to the countrys so-called National Unity Government.

Led from hiding and exile by members of the elected government the military toppled, the NUG claims to represent the true voice of Myanmars people, and declared war on the junta in September. The United Nations says the junta has killed hundreds of civilians since the coup and displaced hundreds of thousands in fighting with a nationwide armed resistance.

ASEAN countries have thus far engaged openly with the junta only.

In a Twitter message late last month, however, Malaysias Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah revealed that he had had a virtual meeting with his NUG counterpart in February, the first time an ASEAN member had admitted to a contact with the shadow government. He went further at an April 30 press conference, announcing that Malaysia would propose to ASEAN that it engage with the NUG as a bloc.

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, Saifuddin said.

The junta, which has designated the NUG a terrorist group, responded on May 3, calling Malaysias proposal irresponsible and reckless in a statement published by the state-run news outlet The Global New Light of Myanmar.

Such remarks could abet terrorism and violence in the country, hampering the Myanmar governments anti-terrorism efforts and infringe international agreements related to combatting terrorism, it said.

At the table

The peace plan the bloc agreed to last year called for an immediate end to the violence, dialogue among all parties concerned, and a special ASEAN envoy to help mediate that dialogue and meet with all parties. It also called for ASEAN to arrange humanitarian aid for Myanmar through the blocs own disaster response arm.

But with the junta still trying to crush the armed resistance by force, refusing to speak with the NUG and denying ASEANs envoys a meeting with the detained leader of the toppled government, Aung San Suu Kyi, the plan has totally stalled, said Herve Lemahieu, research director at Australias Lowy Institute, a think tank.

He said Malaysias proposal to have ASEAN engage with the NUG as a bloc was its bid at breathing new life into the plan and forcing the junta to choose a negotiating partner.

Theres the junta, and whos on the opposite side of the table? And if its not Aung San Suu Kyi  and it doesnt appear as if the juntas willing to concede on that point; no ones been able to meet her  then it has to be the NUG. So, I think its sort of trying to force a choice out of the military ... and to reinject some momentum into what is an otherwise totally stalled five-point consensus, he said.

For that to work, though, he said Malaysia will need to win buy-in from all members of a bloc still split over Myanmar between members critical of the junta and others, like Cambodia and Thailand, that seem to tacitly accept its control of the country. Even then, the bloc would need to sway a junta that has to date proven immune to international pressure, Lemahieu added.

Short of that, he said, just to establish regular, open contact with ASEAN would be a big win for the NUG, which is struggling to show control on the ground and has started to fade from the international spotlight.

Seeing as the entire international community  and thats everyone from the West to China  has given ASEAN the lead here in terms of how to move forward in this crisis, if ASEAN were to recognize the NUG as a party at the table, at the negotiating table, that would probably be the single biggest coup for the NUG that its had since its formation, said Lemahieu.

Blocs within blocs

Bridget Welsh, a research associate at the University of Nottinghams Asia Research Institute-Malaysia, said the junta has been gradually gaining tacit recognition as Myanmars new government from not only some ASEAN members but bigger powers such as China and India.

Malaysias push to have ASEAN engage with the NUG is kind of a step in the other direction, she said.

It makes it more difficult for the military to gain support in the international community when countries in Southeast Asia itself are more resistant to that, she added. Its one thing for the West to be taking positions. ... Its very different for ASEAN to be saying, hey, you know, the military is not the only party in town.

Welsh, though, believes ASEANs peace plan is effectively dead and that the bloc, which takes a position only when all 10 members agree, will never come together on how to deal with the unfolding crisis in Myanmar.

She said member states more sympathetic to Myanmars opposition  mainly Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore  were likely to forge their own path.

Its time to embrace difference as opposed to consensus, she said. And I think this is what the Malaysians are recognizing, is that they see the need to move away from the trend towards supporting and legitimizing the military because they know that this is something theyre not comfortable with and they also think its not productive and constructive for Myanmar longer-term.

Besides piling political pressure on the junta, Welsh added, engaging with the NUG would also give countries and aid agencies an alternative to the military for delivering desperately needed assistance to displaced families and besieged communities. Rights groups and charities say the military is blocking deliveries to many areas.

Along with engaging with the NUG, Saifuddin has proposed doubling aid to Myanmar and hinted at working around the military to deliver it.

Lemahieu and Welsh said Malaysias proposal was likely to come up at a special summit ASEAN is set to hold with the United States on May 12 and 13, but would compete with the blocs other troubles and concerns and with Washingtons efforts to rally international support behind Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Cuban rescue workers combed through piles of rubble from the Hotel Saratoga in the late hours of Sunday (May 8,) and early hours of Monday (May 9), uncovering four more bodies overnight after the hotel was hit by an explosion.

(Reuters)
U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday giving him new power to expedite the shipment of military equipment and supplies to Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion.

Modeled after a World War II law that originally assisted European countries fighting Nazi Germany, the new measure gives the U.S. leader the authority to reach quick agreements with Ukraine as well as other Eastern European countries for the shipment of the equipment, bypassing some of Washingtons current burdensome bureaucratic rules.

In a rarity for politically divided Washington, Congress overwhelmingly passed the legislation last month in a continuing show of support for the Kyiv government.

Bidens approval of the legislation came as Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Western nations for his invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia acted in response to an absolutely unacceptable threat next to our borders.

But the longtime Russian leader did not announce any change in Moscows military campaign or declare victory, suggesting that his 10-week offensive would continue with attacks on Ukrainian strongholds in the eastern part of the country after Russia failed to topple Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or capture the capital Kyiv.

Putin addressed a Red Square military parade in a Victory Day celebration commemorating the defeat of Germany in World War II. He spoke of Russias demands for security guarantees, which Russia made in the months ahead of its February 24 invasion even as it repeatedly insisted it had no plans to attack its neighbor.

Weeks ago, U.S. and NATO leaders met with Russian officials multiple times but rejected certain Russian demands, including a pledge that Ukraine would never join NATO.

NATO countries did not want to listen to us, meaning that they in fact had entirely different plans, and we saw this, Putin said Monday. Openly, preparations were under way for another punitive operation in Donbas, the invasion of our historical lands, including Crimea.

In a rebuke, Zelenskyy likened Putin to Adolf Hitler, saying the Russian leaders war against Ukraine was repeating the horrific crimes of Hitlers regime today.

Putin drew parallels between the Soviet forces of the Second World War and todays Russian forces in Ukraine, falsely casting Ukraine as Nazi-controlled, even though Zelenskyy is Jewish. Putin uses that false narrative to characterize the invasion as an operation to denazify the country, something Ukrainians see as an effort to destroy their country and culture. Ukraine and its Western allies say Putin launched an unjustified and unprovoked war.

Putin acknowledged the loss of Russian military forces in his Ukraine offensive, saying the death of every soldier was a grief for all of us and promised government support for the families of the dead.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said there was no rational reason for the war other than Russias sick imperial ambitions.

NATO countries were not going to attack Russia, Podolyak tweeted after the speech. Ukraine did not plan to attack Crimea. The Russian military is dying, not defending their country, but trying to occupy another.

NATO reinforced its eastern flank, adding troops and equipment in member states, as Russia massed troops along the Ukrainian border and eventually launched its attack. Individual countries have also sent military equipment and weapons to Ukraine, but NATO leaders have repeatedly said the alliances troops and planes would not enter Ukraine.

In his own message Monday, Zelenskyy said, We have no doubt that we will win.

Today, we celebrate Victory Day over Nazism. We are our proud of our ancestors who together with other nations in the anti-Hitler coalition defeated Nazism. And we will not allow anyone to annex this victory. We will not allow it to be appropriated, Zelenskyy said.

We won then. We will win now, he added.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.
Just as Mexican journalists prepared to protest the killing of a journalist last week, word came Monday that two more were shot to death in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, raising to 11 the number of such killings in the country this year.

The Veracruz State Prosecutor's Office said via Twitter that it was investigating the killings of Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana Garcia Olivera, the director and a reporter, respectively, of the online news site El Veraz, based in Cosoleacaque.

Veracruz State Prosecutor Veronica Hernandez Giadans said the investigation would be exhaustive and include consideration of their journalism work as a possible motive in their killing.

The State Commission for Attention to and Protection of Journalists said the two women were attacked outside a convenience store.

"We condemn this attack on Veracruz's journalism profession, give it prompt monitoring and have opened an investigation," the commission said.

Their killings came on the heels of the ninth slaying of a journalist this year, in the northern state of Sinaloa. Prosecutors there said Thursday that the body of Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was found on a dirt road near a junkyard in the state capital, Culiacan.

Prosecutors said that his body was wrapped in black plastic and that he died from multiple blows to the head

Ramirez Ramos' news website, "Fuentes Fidedignas," or "Reliable Sources," said that he had been abducted near his house hours earlier.

'It's a whirlpool'

The dizzying pace of killings has made Mexico the deadliest country for journalists to work outside of war zones this year.

On Monday evening, Griselda Triana, wife of Javier Valdez, a journalist slain in 2017, spoke to some 200 journalists gathered at Mexico City's Angel of Independence monument. The demonstration had originally been scheduled to protest the killing of Ramirez Ramos and those who preceded him.

Valdez, one of Mexico's best-known journalists killed in recent years, was an award-winning reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime in the northern state of Sinaloa.

"In all this time I haven't stopped thinking about how easy it is for them to kill a journalist in Mexico," Triana said. "I feel hurt each time they take the life of so many colleagues."

"There's so much anger, indignation, powerlessness knowing that we come here to protest the murder of Luis Enrique Ramirez (that happened) a few days ago in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and the news of the killing of two women journalists in Veracruz reaches us here," Triana said. "It's a whirlpool. The crimes against freedom of expression keep occurring every day. We shouldn't tolerate it. We have the authority to ask the authorities to put a stop to this slaughter of journalists."

The victims, like those killed Monday, are most often from small hyperlocal news outlets. El Veraz operated a Facebook page and appeared to almost exclusively post notices about events or public information from the municipality's government. El Veraz's motto was "Journalism with Humanity."

The phone number listed for El Veraz rang to what appeared to be Mollinedo Falconi's cell phone, according to its message.

Cosoleacaque is just off a major east-west route in southeastern Veracruz. Organized crime is present in the area and involved especially in migrant smuggling, but there was no immediate indication of who could have been responsible.

Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said a search was underway for those responsible.

"We will find the perpetrators of this crime. There will be justice, and there will not be impunity like we have said and done in other cases," Garcia said via Twitter.

Journalists had already scheduled a demonstration for Monday in Mexico City to protest killings of their colleagues, most recently that of Ramirez Ramos in Sinaloa.

Government criticized

Mexico's state and federal governments have been criticized for neither preventing the killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

While organized crime is often involved in journalist killings, small town officials or politicians with political or criminal motivations are often suspects as well. Journalists running small news outlets in Mexico's interior are easy targets.

Mexico has a protection program for journalists and human rights defenders, but it was not immediately known whether either Mollinedo Falconi or Garcia Olivera were enrolled.

Participants receive support such as surveillance systems in their homes, electronic devices or "panic buttons" to alert the authorities to any threat, or, in some cases, bodyguards. Often authorities recommend that threatened journalists move to another state or the capital to lessen the threat, but that means separating them from their work, livelihood and families.

While President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised a "zero impunity" program to investigate such slayings, the killings of journalists, like most homicides in Mexico, are never resolved by authorities. Lopez Obrador has also kept up his regular verbal attacks on journalists critical of his administration.

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."

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."
Russia attacks the Ukrainian city of Odesa. VOA visits front line trenches in the Donbas. Plus, Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply to join NATO later this month. And in a searing report, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine describes the extent of destruction reaped upon the civilian population by Russian forces.
At a recent three-day gathering for provincial officials of the Talibans Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, only men were in attendance. Their meeting and decisions, however, were about a new dress code for women in Afghanistan.

Inaamullah Samangani, a Taliban spokesman, told VOA that officials discussed how to smoothly enforce the decree about the hijab."

Under the new Taliban order, all adult women are required to cover their entire body and face, with only eyes and hands an exception.

The Islamic Emirate never and never imposes any particular kind of hijab on Afghan women but has called on women to continue wearing whatever kind of hijab thats common in their area, Samangani added.

Agents of the ministry  officially called religious ombudsmen  say enforcing compliance won't involve violence against women, but will instead result in penalties, including up to three days of incarceration for a male member of her family.

An overwhelming majority of the Afghan women do observe the hijab, but only a small number of women in urban areas have been advised now to observe it, said Samangani.

The Talibans decree has been met with widespread international condemnation.

I'm alarmed by today's announcement by the Taliban that women must cover their faces in public and leave home only in cases of necessity, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted on May 7.

On Tuesday, a small group of women in Kabul also protested the decree, saying men alone should not dictate what women wear.

Islamic or traditional?

Members of the Taliban, however, say enforcing the hijab is their Islamic obligation.

Some Islamic law scholars repudiate this, saying the Talibans treatment of women, including gender-specific dress codes, is inspired by rural Afghan traditions. Most Taliban leaders are reportedly educated at religious seminaries in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Quran did not mention the word hijab as a covering for women in the same way it is used today, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, an Islamic scholar and founder of the Cordoba House in New York, told VOA.

How Taliban treat Afghan women is their culture."

"It is their opinion of the [Islamic] law, but it is not the universal opinion of the law, Rauf added.

There is no universal type of hijab and women wear different kinds of clothes in Muslim countries around the world, which represent their cultural affiliation rather than a symbol of their faith, said Rauf.

Like the Talibans ban on education and outside work for women, the hijab decree has also been challenged by some Islamic scholars inside Afghanistan.

If the Islamic Emirate has to issue a decree [about hijab], it should do so for men to prevent them from gazing sexually at women and whoever does so will be held in denial, Misbahullah Abdul Baqi, an Islamic scholar and chancellor of a private university in Afghanistan, wrote in Pashto on a pro-Taliban website.

'Nonsensical'

For Shkula Zadran, an Afghan womens rights activist, the Talibans dress code enforcement is a continuation of the groups misogynistic policies.

Referring to the Talibans ban on secondary education, work and political participation, Zadran said the regime is seeking total erasure of women from the public space.

I think [the Talibans] entire Jihad was evolving against women, said Zadran, referring to the Talibans almost two decades of armed insurgency.

The Talibans hijab decree is nonsensical, Zadran, now a graduate student at New York University, told VOA, because Afghanistan is already a Muslim country and women have always observed the hijab.

Despite their return to power last August, no country has recognized the Taliban regime so far, largely due to the groups denial of basic rights to women and a monopoly of the political power by clerics.

Some Western donors, chiefly the United States, have imposed strict financial sanctions on the Taliban, ostensibly to force the regime to respect womens rights and form an inclusive government.

Thus far, however, the regime has proven defiant.

Hijab is an internal, religious and faith issue in Afghanistan  the U.S. should fulfill its responsibility towards the real humanitarian issues, particularly the sanctions and seizures that have caused economic problems in the Afghan society, said Samangani, the Taliban spokesman.

Even after the Talibans return to power, the U.S. has been the single largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan and has committed more than $700 million in aid, U.S. officials said.
Ankara is increasing pressure on Russia's military presence in Syria with its decision to close its airspace until July to Russian civilian and military planes carrying troops to Syria.

Ankara gave no official reason for the move. While Ankara and Moscow back rival sides in the Syrian civil war, they have been cooperating in resolving the conflict.

Huseyin Bagci, head of the Turkish Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara, said the action comes as Turkey's shared opposition with its western allies towards Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the basis for Ankara to repair its strained relations with Washington and its NATO partners.

"It's an important decision. Turkish-American relations improved dramatically in this respect. Probably the Americans bilaterally and NATO as an institution insisted upon it. Trying to close the increasing influence of Russia in Syria and in the Middle East in general. It's, of course, not a decision the Russians would like to see," Bagci said.

Turkish airspace offers the easiest route for Russian planes supplying its military bases in Syria, although there are alternatives. But, said Zaur Gasimov, a Russian expert at Bonn University, the closure of Turkish airspace will stoke fears in Moscow that Ankara is cooperating with Washington to cut off Russian supply routes to Syria.

"To maintain the airbase in Syria, of course, they fly over the Turkish airspace ... . Still, Russia can use the airspace of Iraq and of Iran to reach their military bases in Syria," Gasimov said. "It's possible that Washington urges pressure on Baghdad to close its airspace."

Russia's supplying of its military forces in Syria is already complicated by Ankara's decision to limit the use of Turkish waters by Russian warships based in the Black Sea under the international Montreux Convention. The convention allows Turkey to impose restrictions if a war occurs among Black Sea countries.

Until Ankara imposed the controls, Russian Black Sea ports were the main route supplying Russian forces in Syria, said Yoruk Isik, a geoanalyst of the Washington-based Middle Eastern Institute.

"Russia was using the Turkish straits to supply its campaign in Syria, and we used to see multiple ships in a week ... ," Isik said. "And now all those ships disappear. Only two ships pass in the entire last month. And we are talking about usually four or five ships were passing per week."

Analysts note Moscow retains powerful leverage over Ankara, with Turkey heavily dependent on Russian energy. And any assault by Russian forces on Syrian rebels holed up on the Turkish border could trigger an exodus of refugees into Turkey.

But analyst Gasimov said the Ukrainian conflict has severely curtailed Russian influence.

"The room for Russian maneuvering vis-a-vis Ankara got very limited. Turkey is one of the countries which still didn't join the anti-Russian sanctions," Gasimov said. "It's very important for Moscow to maintain the dialogue with those countries and not to augment the ranks and numbers of countries who join the sanctions."

Moscow has refrained from publicly criticizing Ankara, with Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov last month describing Turkish-Russian relations as excellent. However, analysts point out Moscow's increasing international isolation is providing Ankara with a rare opportunity to turn the tables on Moscow in a relationship traditionally tilted in Russia's favor.
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The program will allow Ukraine to more efficiently request weapons against Russia, just as the Lend Lease Act of 1941 helped U.S. allies defeat Nazi Germany.
Congressional Democrats are preparing a plan that would boost President Joe Biden's requested $33 billion Ukraine aid package to nearly $40 billion, and a House vote is possible as soon as Tuesday, two people familiar with lawmakers' thinking said.

In a retreat, Biden conceded that the package should not contain any of the additional billions he's requested to combat COVID-19. Republicans, whose backing would be crucial to pushing legislation through the evenly divided Senate, have opposed adding that money to the Ukraine aid.

"We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort," Biden said in a written statement. "Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away."

Biden said he has "nearly exhausted" his authority to continue shipping military aid to Ukraine, adding, "We are approximately 10 days from hitting this critical deadline."

Democrats have already offered their latest proposal to the GOP.

"I'm focused on getting it done without extraneous matters on it, and getting it done quickly," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said of the proposal. He said the measure "may adjust some in the process."

Details of the measure were described Monday by people who could speak only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Biden's statement provided no details, saying, "Congress is likely to pass it in substantially the form I proposed."

Democrats' movement on the proposal comes with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in its 11th week and showing signs of becoming a grinding, long-term war. Heavy fighting in Ukraine's eastern and southern areas is causing widespread damage and significant losses on both sides, and the Russian offensive is showing few signs of progress.

Still, U.S. officials in and out of Congress have stressed that it will be critical to continue speeding assistance to Ukraine, whose forces are outnumbered.

Emphasizing the urgency facing U.S. officials, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the Pentagon's ability to send weapons systems and other equipment from Defense Department stockpiles to Ukraine will run out in about three weeks. The Pentagon currently has about $100 million in drawdown authority left from a $13.6 billion Ukraine aid measure enacted in March.

"Which is why we encourage Congress to act quickly," Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon. He said the Pentagon would like "no interruption" in its ability to send Ukraine weapons and other equipment.

While Democrats say more spending to combat COVID-19 is also crucial, their plan to seek votes on a package omitting those funds underscores their thinking that rushing assistance to Ukraine is their top priority. A push for a separate pandemic measure would come later, Democrats say.

The officials said Democrats' Ukraine measure would include $3.4 billion more than Biden had requested for defense spending and another $3.4 billion over what the president sought for humanitarian aid.

Biden's request, which he sent Congress on April 28, asked for $20 billion for defense spending for Ukraine, the U.S. and their allies. It also requested $3 billion for humanitarian assistance, including to help feed people around the world who rely on grains and other food from war-racked Ukraine.

Backed by Democrats, Biden has asked Congress for another $22.5 billion to buy vaccines, treatments and tests to better prepare the country for future COVID-19 variants and help staunch the virus' spread in poor countries abroad. In a deal with Republicans, Democrats agreed last month to slice that request to $10 billion, but the compromise was derailed over other disagreements.

With elections approaching and the public tiring of dealing with the pandemic, Republican support for added COVID-19 spending has flagged. Democrats hoped wrapping the pandemic money into the widely popular Ukraine measure would ease approval of the COVID-19 funds.

In his statement, Biden said Congress should send him the Ukraine funds "in the next few days. And then, I urge Congress to move promptly on the COVID funding bill."

Unwilling to slow the Ukraine package, Republicans also want to keep the pandemic spending separate so they can use that measure for a fight over immigration that could damage Democrats.

The GOP wants to force a vote on a proposal to continue curbs on admitting migrants crossing the Mexican border for fear of spreading the pandemic, restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump.

With increases in border crossings expected soon, that proposal divides Democrats, with many reluctant to back Biden in ending those restrictions later this month.
Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply to join NATO later this month, in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Both countries say Moscows actions have changed the security dynamic in Europe and the Kremlins nuclear threats require the collective self-defense that NATO can provide.

Finnish lawmakers are debating joining the alliance following the publication of a key security report earlier this month. A decision is expected in the coming days.

Its clear that everything has changed since Russia started the war in Ukraine, Finlands Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen told VOA. We have to do our own decisions now according to our own national interest. What is the best way to ensure security of Finns and Finland? We are part of the West. And now you could see that this NATO membership is a sort of finalization of our Western integration.

Tuppurainen said discussions in parliament over submitting a formal application are well advanced.

It seems highly likely now that we will call for membership in the NATO alliance... We have been repeatedly told that we are welcome, and we believe so. We have a big military force in Finland. Our defense force is very strong.

Swedens ruling Social Democrats are expected to announce their decision on applying for NATO membership on May 15. Both countries are considering submitting a joint bid.

Public opinion

For decades  even through the height of the Cold War  the Nordic countries plotted a careful course of neutrality and non-alignment, as U.S.-allied NATO and Russia vied for supremacy in Europe.

The politicians are now being led by public opinion, which has seen a dramatic transformation in the space of a few months since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Late last year, only a quarter of the Finnish population supported joining NATO. The latest poll from Finnish broadcaster YLE, published Monday, shows 76% now favor joining the alliance.

Helsinki residents who spoke to VOA said it was a necessary move to ensure the countrys security. We cannot live with such an unpredictable neighbor in the way we used to. And so, NATO is the only option we end up with as a security solution, said 56-year-old Helsinki resident Pekka Luhta.

Sanna Allt, who also lives in the Finnish capital, agrees. If you look at the geographical facts, we are the only non-NATO neighboring country to Russia which hasnt been invaded [in recent history]. So, I think that pretty much tells the reason why we should be joining. I dont trust Russia that much.

NATO welcome

NATO has made it clear that Finland and Sweden would be warmly welcomed as members, possibly within the next few months. If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed and I expect the process to go quickly, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels April 28.

Both Nordic nations are members of the European Union. Their forces regularly take part in NATO military exercises and are skilled in Arctic warfare. They would significantly boost alliance capabilities in the Baltic and northern Europe, where Russia maintains a massive military presence.

It would be a substantial group of Nordic nations within the alliance in the future. And this has a meaning. Second is military capabilities and know-how. So, I think we have a modern, capable defense [force] that we have been building throughout the years, Brigadier General Sami Nurmi, director of the policy department at the Finnish Ministry of Defense, told VOA. Our policy had been to try to build a relationship with Russia, that we would have some kind of a trust and understanding of each others actions. And we have lost that now.

Nurmi said Russias actions had completely changed the security situation in the region.

They have showed that they are willing to use it against a sovereign nation in Europe. And this is what worries about Finland, with 1,300 kilometers of border [with Russia], he added.

Kremlin response

Russia has threatened what it calls a "military technical response" if Finland and Sweden join NATO, including deploying nuclear weapons in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. But such nuclear threats may have backfired, says Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a security analyst at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

It is speaking out this threat in a way that we did not really even see during the Cold War, which is of some concern  and one of the outspoken reasons for the Finnish political elite to say Finlands defense may be strong, but we will never be able to build a robust nuclear deterrent. The only way to do that is by joining NATO.

Putins miscalculation

Before his invasion of Ukraine, Russias President Vladimir Putin demanded that NATO pull back its forces in eastern Europe. Instead, the alliance looks set to admit new members.

Russia had even said that deepened cooperation with NATO, or simply between Sweden and Finland, would be a red line, Salonius-Pasternak said. So, to now have radically changed these two countries security and defense policy thinking in a matter of months certainly must be seen as yet another strategic failure by Putin.

Mari-Leena Kuosa contributed to the report.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, with chains around his ankles, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to U.S. drug and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court while his lawyer complained of "prisoner of war" conditions in jail.

U.S. prosecutors have accused Hernandez, a former U.S. ally, of receiving millions of dollars from drug traffickers in exchange for protection from arrest while leading Honduras from 2014 until January of this year. Hernandez used the money to enrich himself and finance his political campaigns, prosecutors said.

Hernandez, extradited from the Central American country last month, entered the plea of not guilty to three criminal counts  including conspiracy to import cocaine and weapons possession  at an arraignment before U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel.

The former president entered the courtroom wearing a blue T-shirt with chains around his ankles and spoke briefly through a Spanish interpreter to say he was not guilty.

Hernandez has in the past denied the allegations, portraying himself as a fierce opponent of drug cartels and accusing traffickers of smearing him to get revenge and lighten their sentences.

At the hearing, his lawyer Raymond Colon said Hernandez was being held in solitary confinement at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center and had not been allowed to call his family. Colon said he was denied access to visit Hernandez several times, though he has gone once and his assistants have gone.

"He's being treated like a prisoner of war," Colon said. "We're not asking for him to get special treatment because he's a former head of state, but these conditions are psychologically debilitating."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed Hernandez is being held at the Brooklyn detention facility but declined to comment on "any individual inmate's conditions of confinement."

Castel ordered prosecutors to discuss Hernandez's detention conditions with Metropolitan Detention Center officials and report back to him. He set Hernandez's next court date for Sept. 28 and said trial could begin on Jan. 17, 2023.
A summit this week will put pressure on Washington to match China's economic development support for Southeast Asia, a region of 680 million people, experts say.

Southeast Asian countries want to avert overdependence on Chinese trade and investment, analysts believe. But they say the region has found relatively little help from the United States. The prospect of more U.S. economic support could underpin a U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit set for Thursday and Friday.

"There has been a lot of emphasis on the political and security aspects, and the economic initiatives seem to be lagging behind," said Aaron Rabena, research fellow at the Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation in Manila.

Leaders from ASEAN  the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc  will meet American business representatives, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at the summit Thursday to "discuss economic cooperation," according to an agenda outline.

China key to trade, investment

China and the United States compete in much of the world for the support of smaller countries, as the government in Beijing expands overseas economically as well as militarily.

U.S. officials wary of China's influence over Southeast Asia periodically send warships to the South China Sea and hold joint military exercises with countries such as the Philippines.

Foreign trade and direct investment represent income for the tens of millions of Southeast Asians living in poverty.

China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner since 2008, and their trade totaled about $731.9 billion in 2020, the Chinese state-controlled news website Global Times reported.

U.S. goods and services trade with ASEAN came to about $362.2 billion in 2020, according to data from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

ASEAN's 2020-2021 investment report shows that the United States ranked as the top source of foreign direct investment in 2020 at $34.7 billion, ahead of China at $12 billion.

But Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Malaysia benefit from the $4 trillion-plus Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, a 9-year-old development strategy that builds infrastructure throughout Eurasia to help open trade routes.

The United States lacks a global Belt-and-Road equivalent, though it launched a program in 2020 to help the five Mekong River ASEAN states ease rainfall droughts and provide COVID-19 relief.

As a command economy, China can step up trade and investment quickly, analysts say.

"China has all the levers," said Shahriman Lockman, senior foreign policy and security studies analyst with the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia. "Basically, the state is able to deploy those economic levers quite easily, whereas it's not so straightforward for the United States."

For Washington, he said, the levers "would need to make money."

U.S. role in Southeast Asia

ASEAN is comprised of Southeast Asian countries Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They accept Chinese trade and investment but don't want to be "totally exposed" to China, Lockman said.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam dispute tracts of the South China Sea with Beijing, which claims 90% of the resource-rich waterway and has a military lead over the other countries. The United States backs the Philippines and Vietnam in resisting Chinese expansion in the sea.

Southeast Asian factories depend on Chinese companies as a source of raw materials, while consumers look to China for shipments of inexpensive daily goods.

Southeast Asian countries hope the United States will do more to end its 4-year-old trade dispute with China before import tariffs on both sides spill into other parts of the economy, said Jayant Menon, visiting senior fellow with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute's Regional Economic Studies Program in Singapore.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now eyeing 80 Chinese firms for possible removal from American stock markets, a key source of capital.

"I guess ASEAN leaders would be keen to get some reassurance that there is a commitment towards resolving this trade war sometime down the track," Menon said.

Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., encouraged the United States to do more for Asia.

"China hopes that when participating in regional cooperation with East Asia countries, the U.S. will abandon the Cold War mentality and  do more things conducive to regional peace, development and prosperity," he said.

Too early for deals?

The summit this week will not produce any formal economic-related agreements, experts predict. But language in any joint statements could signal where the ASEAN goes next with the United States, Rabena said.

Biden will meet ASEAN leaders on Friday to "recognize (an) ASEAN central role in delivering sustainable solutions to the region's most pressing challenges," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week.

Statements from the summit will probably allude to avoidance of future health crises, measures to ease climate change and steps toward a "green" economy, Menon said.
The apparent next president of the Philippines says he wants to be judged by his actions, not as the son of the late, disgraced former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.



"Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions," Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said, according to a statement Tuesday by his spokesperson, Vic Rodriguez. Marcos, known colloquially as Bongbong, spoke as unofficial results showed that he had won an outright majority in Mondays presidential election.



According to the preliminary results, Marcos had about twice as many votes as his nearest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo.



Another of Marcos challengers, former boxer Manny Pacquiao, trailed both candidates and conceded the election.



Responding to the outcome, many Philippines staged a protest at the prospect of another member of the Marcos family taking power.



Marcos father, Ferdinand, ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, and governed using martial law for nearly a decade. The elder Marcos was forced into exile at the end of his rule in a People Power revolution.



Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. hasnt provided many details about what his priorities will be, but according to the Reuters news agency, he will follow some policies of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who is set to leave office in June. Duterte favored large infrastructure projects and economic growth.



Marcos also campaigned on uniting the country with big rallies that featured pop music performances, comedy routines and dancing.



"To those who voted for Bongbong, and those who did not, it is his promise to be a president for all Filipinos. To seek common ground across political divides, and to work together to unite the nation," his spokesman said. Official results are expected later this month.



Reports say one reason for Marcos win was that his vice presidential running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, is the daughter of the outgoing president. She appeared poised to win the vice presidency.



Those who oppose the apparent president-elect also criticized Marcos for portraying his fathers rule as a golden age for the country, when in fact it was marred by corruption, human rights abuses and poverty.



Amnesty International said the elections point to an ominous moment for human rights in the Philippines. The human rights group Tuesday said, If confirmed, the Marcos Jr administration will face a wide array of urgent human rights challenges.



The rights group also noted, The new government should make a dramatic course correction and move away from the past six years under Rodrigo Duterte, when authorities increased attacks against political opponents and human rights defenders, cracked down on press freedom and oversaw widespread and systemic killings in the so-called war on drugs.



This will not be the younger Marcos first elected position, as he has held various other positions over the years; however, he ran for vice president in 2016 and lost.





Some information in this report comes from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will not attend the Summit of the Americas next month in Los Angeles if the Biden administration excludes Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, he said Tuesday.



"If they exclude, if not all are invited, a representative of the Mexican government is going to go, but I would not," Lopez Obrador, just returned from a visit to Cuba, said during his daily news conference. He said his foreign affairs secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, would attend.



Lopez Obrador has been saying for weeks that no one should be excluded from the summit.



Last month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols said it was unlikely the three countries would be invited.



Migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is expected to be a hot topic at the summit, so Lopez Obrador's absence could be significant.



"Our goal is ... to sign a regional declaration on migration and protection in June in Los Angeles when the United States hosts the Summit of the Americas," President Joe Biden said in March, as Colombian President Ivan Duque was visiting the White House.



Mexico is not the only country considering a boycott of the summit, as leaders from several Caribbean countries have threatened to stay home if the U.S. invited Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S recognizes as the official leader of the oil-rich country.



"We do not believe in the policy of ostracizing Cuba and Venezuela. We do not recognize Juan Guaido as the president of Venezuela. In those circumstances, Antigua and Barbuda will not participate," said that country's prime minister, Gaston Browne.



Some information in this report comes from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Following Chinas announcement that it would tighten restrictions in Shanghai to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday said the countrys zero-tolerance policy is not sustainable.

Speaking at a media briefing Tuesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the behavior of the disease caused by the coronavirus and what experts "anticipate in the future. He added, We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts... I think a shift would be very important."

Authorities in Shanghai have tightened restrictions on its 26 million residents, despite a steady decline in new COVID-19 infections.

Residents in some neighborhoods have been informed in writing that they are not allowed to leave their homes or receive deliveries as part of a quiet period that would last for at least three days. The new restrictions caught residents by surprise, coming after a brief period of being allowed to move about their neighborhoods.

There have also been accounts posted on Chinese social media sites of residents being forcibly removed from their homes and placed in hotels or quarantine facilities if their neighbors tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as anecdotes of cleanup crews in full protective suits entering apartments to disinfect them.

A Shanghai city official confirmed the move in an interview with The Associated Press, saying the homes of people in older communities with shared bathrooms and kitchens will be disinfected.

The actions prompted open letters posted on social media Sunday by Tong Zhiwei, law professor at Shanghais East China University of Political Science and Law, and Liu Dali, a corporate lawyer in Shanghai, to question the legality of such practices.

Nearly all of Shanghais residents have been under strict orders for the past six weeks as officials in the Chinese financial hub struggle to contain a mass outbreak of new COVID-19 cases largely driven by a highly contagious omicron variant. The lockdown has led to angry complaints of a lack of fresh food and medicine throughout Chinas biggest city.

Officials reported about 3,000 new cases Monday, far below a peak of 26,000 posted in mid-April.

Elsewhere in China, Beijing further tightened COVID-19 curbs on residents Monday with more mass testing and road closures as the country continues with its uncompromising battle with the virus.

Residents of the citys worst-hit areas were told to work from home while more roads, compounds and parks were sealed off as the capital of 22 million grappled with its worst outbreak since 2020.

China has doubled down on its strict zero-COVID policy even as it severely disrupts everyday life and brings economic activity to a halt.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
Taliban forces had taken the Afghan capital. Crowds of panicked people thronged the airport. And a young man who had worked as a subcontractor for the U.S. military faced a terrible choice.

Hasibullah Hasrat, after having navigated the chaotic streets and Taliban checkpoints to make it inside the airport, could either go back for his wife and two young children or board an evacuation flight and get them later. Not taking the flight likely meant none of them would get out of Afghanistan.

Hasrats decision haunts him. He is in the U.S., one of more than 78,000 Afghans admitted into the country following the U.S. troop withdrawal in August that ended Americas longest war. But his family hasnt been able to join him. Theyre still in Afghanistan, where an economic crisis has led to widespread hunger and where Taliban repression is on the rise.

My wife is alone there, he said, his voice breaking as he describes nightly phone calls home. My son cries, asks where I am, when am I coming. And I dont know what to say.

Its a reminder that the journey for many of the Afghans who came to the United States in the historic evacuation remains very much a work in progress, filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future.

Afghan refugees, some of whom faced possible reprisals for working with their government or American forces during the war with the Taliban, say in interviews that they are grateful to the U.S. for rescuing them and family members.

But they are often struggling to gain a foothold in a new land, straining to pay their bills as assistance from the government and resettlement agencies starts to run out, stuck in temporary housing, and trying to figure out how to apply for asylum because most of the Afghans came under a two-year emergency status known as humanitarian parole.

We are not sure what may happen, said Gulsom Esmaelzade, whose family has been shuttled between hotel rooms in the San Diego area since January, after spending three months at a New Jersey military base. We dont have anything back at home in Afghanistan and here we also dont have any future.

Its taken a toll. Esmaelzade said her mother has had to be rushed three times to the emergency room when her blood pressure shot up to dangerous levels. The younger woman attributes it to the stress of their lives.

Then there are more mundane challenges that are nonetheless daunting for many Afghans. They include learning English, navigating government bureaucracies and public transportation, and finding a job.

There is also the isolation for those, like Hasrat, who came alone. I dont know anyone here, he said in the apartment outside Washington he shares with two other evacuees. I have no friends, no family, no relatives. I just live with my roommates and my roommates are from other parts of Afghanistan.

Some have managed to get established. But there are many more who are not doing fine than are doing well, said Megan Flores, executive director of the Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center in McLean, Virginia.

The experience of the evacuated Afghans is not unlike what refugees have historically faced in coming to the United States. In some ways its a preview for the up to 100,000 Ukrainians who President Joe Biden says will be welcomed, also in many cases on two years of humanitarian parole.

Afghans on humanitarian parole must apply for a way to stay in the country such as through asylum. Its a time-consuming process that typically requires finding an immigration attorney, at a cost of thousands of dollars not readily available to most refugees unless they can find someone to do it pro bono.

The Department of Homeland Security says about half of the 78,000 likely will ultimately qualify for the special immigrant visa, or SIV, program. It grants permanent residency to people, along with their immediate family, who worked for the U.S. government. Hasrat hasnt been able to secure an SIV, at least not yet, despite his work as a subcontractor setting up transmission lines for the U.S. Army.

Congress could resolve the situation by passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would enable evacuees to apply for permanent residency after a year in the country, similar to relief granted in the past to people from Iraq, Cuba and Vietnam. Biden recently gave the effort a boost when he endorsed the idea of adding it to an upcoming Ukraine aid bill, a move welcomed by a coalition that includes veterans, religious organizations and resettlement agencies.

They are facing a ticking time bomb of what happens if they dont get SIV or asylum status, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Do they get deported back to Afghanistan and into harms way?

In the meantime, Afghans are trying to stitch together new lives as public attention has shifted to Ukraine and other matters. At a recent job fair in Alexandria, Virginia, there were hundreds of evacuees, including Arafat Safi, a former senior official in Afghans foreign affairs ministry who came to the U.S. with his wife, four children and mother.

Hes hoping to land a job in project management or international development, to use an education that includes a masters degree from the U.K. So far, hes landed a position as a Pashto-English interpreter and is delivering packages for Amazon on the side while his wife, Madina, works in the bakery section of a supermarket.

Safi said he still hopes to find a better job and is eager to get permanent residency. But he never complained in a lengthy interview at the familys apartment in Alexandria. An intricate and vibrant Afghan rug  the only possession the family brought from home  occupies a prominent place in the living room.

Im very lucky to be here, to be welcomed by the U.S. society. I met a lot of friends here who are checking on me almost every day, said the 35-year-old Safi. And its amazing. But theres a small part of me that misses Afghanistan and that misses my people.

Hasrat said he has little time to think about anything other than his family back home and the danger they face from the Taliban. A 29-year-old former competitive boxer, he rides a bike to his job as an administrative assistant at a medical office. After taxes and the money he sends home, he barely has enough to pay his bills. His roommates, who are still learning English, have even less and have trouble making the rent.

Most nights, Hasrat waits until its late enough to have a video chat with his family. On one recent call, he tried to join the celebration of his kids birthdays but was sad to realize his daughter doesnt even know him.

I am telling them that, yeah, I am happy, because if I told them my situation here they will be sad, he said. But if no one is there to take care of your wife, how can you be happy?

Watson reported from San Diego.
The war in Ukraine cast a shadow over an international donors conference for Syrians Tuesday, with their country now in its 12th year of conflict. Russia was not invited to the Brussels meeting, where countries pledged billions of dollars in support for Syrians  but where some admitted to donor fatigue.

This was the 6th pledging conference hosted by the European Union  this time backdropped by a Ukraine conflict that has consumed the time and billions of dollars of Western nations.

Despite declarations of support for Syrians, even EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell acknowledged Syrias fall from the international spotlight.

Certainly, Syria and the suffering of its people might not be in the center of the news anymore, theres a certain fatigue after 11 years, but it remains in our minds, he said.



The EU pledged more than $1.6 billion in humanitarian aid for Syrians this year, the same amount as last year.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the United States will contribute $800 million.

"Given the focus that all of you have and we have on Ukraine, I thought it was important for me to come here from New York to say that we have not forgotten the Syrian people, she said.

The U.S. and Europeans are targeting their aid to millions of displaced or otherwise struggling Syrians, along with countries hosting Syrian refugees. As before, Washington and Brussels have ruled out any funds going to rebuilding the war-shattered Syrian homeland.

If you go spending money on reconstructing Syria, its going to support the Syrian regime. We want to support the Syrian people, said Borrell.



Humanitarian groups say after years of conflict that have depleted their resources, many Syrians face dire conditions.

For the first time ever really, when we speak to Syrians, theyre saying theyre less worried about bombs and bullets and theyre more worried about starvation," said Mark Kaye of aid agency the International Rescue Committee. "I think this is a real wakeup call to the international community is that we have a real potentially catastrophic crisis within a crisis on our hands.

The EU did not invite United Nations Security Council member Russia to the Brussels conference. Borrell said with its war in Ukraine, Moscow shows it has no interest in building peace.

As a result, he said, the U.N. did not officially co-sponsor the Syria donors meeting as it has in the past  but high-level U.N. officials were present and actively involved in it.
Russia launched missile attacks Tuesday on the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow attempted to disrupt critical weapons shipments and supply lines into Ukraine in the 11th week of the grinding war.

The Ukrainian military said Russia fired seven missiles at Odesa targets, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse, killing at least one person and wounding five more.

Mayor Gennady Trukhanov visited the warehouse at daybreak and said it "had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects."

Ukraine contended that some of the munitions fired at Odesa dated back to the Soviet era, making them unreliable at targeting. But a Ukrainian think tank tracking the war, the Center for Defense Strategies, said Moscow used some precision weapons against Odesa: Kinzhal, or "Dagger," hypersonic air-to-surface missiles.

However, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that he'd seen "no evidence to speak [of] with respect to hypersonic missiles being fired at Odesa."

Kirby added that there has been "no impact to the flow of and shipment of materiel into Ukraine, either as a result of the strikes on Odesa or the strikes anywhere else."

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday debated a bill authorizing nearly $40 billion in new military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, $7 billion more than President Joe Biden asked for last week.

Biden said his administration has "nearly exhausted" his existing authority to send weapons and other military equipment from Pentagon stockpiles.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a similar appeal in a letter to lawmakers, urging them to act before May 19, when they expect the existing drawdown will run out.

Fighting has been concentrated in eastern and southern Ukraine in recent weeks after Moscow pulled troops from elsewhere in the country, including the area surrounding the capital of Kyiv in northern Ukraine.

However, Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the intelligence community assesses that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be content with capturing eastern Ukraine, if that even occurs.

"We assess President Putin is preparing for prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas" region, Haines said.

"We assess that President Putin's strategic goals have probably not changed, suggesting he regards the decision in late March to refocus Russian forces on the Donbas as only a temporary shift to regain the initiative after the Russian military's failure to capture Kyiv," she said.

There appears to be no end near in the fighting, with inconclusive results so far, even with thousands of Russian forces and Ukrainian troops and civilians killed.

Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate committee that neither side is winning.

"The Russians aren't winning, and the Ukrainians aren't winning, and we're at a bit of a stalemate here," Berrier said.

The head of the U.N.'s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, told reporters Tuesday that her office had confirmed more than 7,000 civilian casualties, including 3,381 deaths, since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, and that the real toll is far higher.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday that included a stop in Bucha.

Baerbock is the latest international figure to go to Ukraine to show support and get a firsthand view of the situation in the country. U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made separate visits to Ukraine on Sunday.

Russia's president on Monday blamed Western nations for his invasion of Ukraine, but he did not announce any change to Moscow's military campaign or declare victory as some analysts had predicted he would during his speech marking Russia's Victory Day, which celebrates when Soviet forces defeated the Nazis in Europe in 1945.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country is poised to take advantage of the growing demand for platinum group metals, as Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have forced mining investors to look to Africa.

Ramaphosas comments came this week at the Investing in African Mining Conference in Cape Town.

Mining analyst Peter Major said while its unfortunate to say, the war in Ukraine is helping South Africas economy.

We produce half of the worlds palladium and we produce 75% of the worlds platinum and we produce about 90% of the worlds rhodium, Major said. Because the world is restricting the platinum and palladium they get from Russia, its squeezing the price up so were in a great position.

South Africa is also a major coal producer, and Major notes coal prices are on the rise.

We were lucky to get $100 a ton for our coal, now were getting $300 a ton, he said. And were only exporting coal as much as we did in 1994 because our infrastructure is so bad. But at least were getting three times the price than we wouldve been getting.

Henk Langenhoven, chief economist for the Minerals Council that represents South African mines, said the sharp rise in oil prices will likely move some countries toward green energy more quickly. This, he said, will further drive up demand for platinum and palladium used in the manufacture of zero-carbon emitting power plants.

He also downplayed South Africas poor ranking in the 2021 Fraser Institutes Index, where the country was ranked as one of the 10 worst mining investment nations in the world.

It doesn't reflect what we see financially, he said. Financially the companies are doing very well because of the commodities windfall."

Langehoven added that to properly take advantage of the mining opportunities, southern African countries need better transportation networks. But, he said, there has been progress particularly between Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Congo.

Theres a lot of work and investment going on to be able to come south or to come through the west coast through Namibia or Dar es Salam, Langehoven said. So, a lot of that infrastructure is starting to be put in place and having an impact. You see quite dramatic shifts in volumes of tonnage going, for example, to Windhoek.

He said Ramaphosa's speech at the mining conference demonstrated the South African governments commitment to fixing similar problems.

One is electricity of course, that were not going to solve it immediately. Were trying to augment as fast as we can, Langehoven said. The other one is transport; the rail and harbor systems. The third issue is trying to streamline and simplify the policy issues to get implementation faster.

The presidents of Botswana and Zambia and the prime minister of Democratic Republic of Congo are among those attending the conference, which runs until Thursday. Also attending is Jose Fernandez, the U.S. undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment. Fernandez is the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to attend the conference.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned as the small South Asian nation spirals into deadly violence sparked by anger over the countrys economic crisis.

Prime Minister Rajapaksas resignation Monday came hours after supporters of his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, attacked protesters who had been camped outside government offices in Colombo, Sri Lankas commercial capital, demanding the resignation of both brothers. Anti-riot police were deployed to repel the attackers with water cannon and tear gas.

Another violent incident Monday led to the death of ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorale after a confrontation with angry protesters in the town of Nittambuwa, located nearly 40 kilometers northeast of Colombo. The Associated Press says the badly beaten bodies of both Athukorale and his bodyguard were found in a building where they had been chased down and trapped by protesters after one of them had fired a gun at the protesters.

President Rajapaksa has issued a nationwide curfew to go along with the state of emergency he imposed last week.

Sri Lanka is struggling under the weight of heavy debt and declining foreign reserves that have created critical shortages of medicine, food and fuel that have led to several hours of power blackouts a day. The COVID-19 pandemic has also ground Sri Lankas vital tourism industry to a halt, dealing an additional blow to its economy.

Sri Lankas central bank has suspended all foreign debt repayments as it negotiates with the International Monetary Fund on a loan restructuring program.

President Rajapaksa had issued a state of emergency back in March to end demonstrations outside his home demanding his resignation. The decree had given police the power to make arrests without warrants and made it illegal for people to leave their homes.

But the decree was lifted a few days later after 41 lawmakers abandoned the ruling coalition and became independent, weakening the governments control of Sri Lankas single-chamber parliament.

The mass resignations occurred two days after Rajapaksas entire 26-member Cabinet quit, including his brother, Basil, who served as finance minister.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Sri Lanka's prime minister resigned following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the country's president, step down for dragging the nation into its worst economic crisis in decades.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Twitter that he submitted his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move that followed a violent attack by government supporters on the protesters, prompting authorities to deploy armed troops in the capital, Colombo.

Four people, including a ruling party lawmaker, died in Monday's violence, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told the Associated Press. President Rajapaksa imposed a countrywide curfew Monday evening lasting until Wednesday morning.

For more than a month, protests have spread across the country, drawing people across ethnicities, religions and class. For the first time middle-class Sri Lankans took to the streets in large numbers, marking a dramatic revolt by many former Rajapaksa supporters, some of whom have spent weeks protesting outside the president's office.

The protests underscored a dramatic fall from favor of the Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka's most powerful political dynasty for decades. The brothers were once hailed as heroes by many of the island's Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending the country's 30-year civil war, and despite accusations of war atrocities, were firmly entrenched at the top of Sri Lankan politics until now.

The prime minister's resignation comes as the country's economy has swiftly unraveled in recent weeks. Imports of everything from milk to fuel have plunged, spawning dire food shortages and rolling power cuts. People have been forced to stand in lines for hours to buy essentials. Doctors have warned of crippling shortages of life-saving drugs in hospitals, and the government has suspended payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year alone.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa initially blamed Sri Lanka's economic woes on global factors like the pandemic battering its tourism industry and the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing up global oil prices. But both he and his brother have since admitted to mistakes that exacerbated the crisis, including conceding they should have sought an International Monetary Fund bailout sooner.

Sri Lanka has been holding talks with the IMF to set up a rescue plan, but its progress depends on negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors. Any long-term plan would take at least six months to get under way.

Sri Lanka was in financial trouble even before the Ukraine war drove up food and oil prices.

The Sri Lankan government has been running big budget deficits after cutting taxes in 2019 and struggling to collect taxes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also has piled up massive foreign debt  much of it owed to China  and has scant foreign exchange reserves to pay for imports and to defend its embattled currency, the rupee.

Sri Lanka is at the top of a list compiled by Liliana Rojas-Suarez of the Center for Global Development that ranks the countries most exposed to financial shocks. Those most vulnerable rely on commodity imports and have low foreign exchange reserves compared with what they owe other countries.

Monday's violence triggered widespread anger, with people singling out Rajapaksa supporters and attacking them in many parts of the country.

Ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his bodyguard were killed in Nittambuwa, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Colombo after the car they were traveling in was intercepted by an angry crowd, the police spokesman said.

Athukorala or his bodyguard had fired guns at the protesters, who chased them and trapped them inside a building where their badly beaten bodies were recovered by police several hours later, the spokesman said.

Three people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds from the shots fired from the lawmaker's vehicle, he said.

Separately, in the Rajapaksas' hometown of Weeraketiya, a crowd that tried to set fire to a local politician's home was fired upon, killing two protesters, he said.

Protesters tried several times to break into the prime minister's official residence Monday night, prompting police to fire tear gas. Homes of government ministers and politicians supporting the Rajapaksas were also attacked and some set on fire. The memorial for the brothers' parents was vandalized.

Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist in Colombo, said the prime minister's resignation marked a new chapter in the country's political crisis. "The prime minister had to resign in disgrace after his supporters unleashed such violence," he said.

He added that it would be difficult for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to maintain credibility after Monday's violence.

But the president has so far refused to resign, and Parliament must go through a difficult process if it attempts to oust him. The resignation of the prime minister meant the entire Cabinet was dissolved.

Earlier on Monday, the prime minister's supporters attacked protesters who had been demonstrating outside the prime minister's official residence for weeks, hitting them with wooden and iron poles. They then marched to the president's office, where they attacked protesters there and set their camps on fire.

Police fired tear gas and a water cannon, but not forcefully enough to control the mob. The attack occurred despite a state of emergency declared by the president Friday that gave him wide powers for riot control.

Hundreds of armed soldiers were deployed in the capital, as the protesters accused police of not preventing the attack, despite using tear gas and water cannons on protesters on Friday.

"Police did not protect us, therefore we have taken it into our own hands," said Druvi Jinasena, who was helping block roads to protect the protest site.

An official at the main hospital in Colombo said 173 people were treated, most for minor injuries, though 15 were seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

The country's foreign reserves have plummeted below $50 million, and Sri Lanka owes nearly $25 billion in foreign debt for payment by 2026. Its total foreign debt is $51 billion.

Meanwhile, popular anger at the Rajapaksa clan has only grown, ramping up pressure on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit too.

"There has been sustained pressure for the last several weeks for the president to resign but he hasn't paid much attention to that," said Bhavani Fonseka, a senior researcher at the Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives.

"People are furious  and that anger is not going away anytime soon."
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is calling on Sri Lankan authorities to stem further violence by addressing the countrys economic crisis through meaningful dialogue.

The fallout from weeks of mounting anger over soaring prices, fuel shortages and power cuts has been great. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned Monday following a day of escalating violence.

Peaceful protests turned into deadly riots after supporters of the prime minister reportedly attacked demonstrators in the capital, Colombo, and angry mobs subsequently assaulted members of the ruling party.

Seven people reportedly have died, more than 250 were injured, and property has been burned to the ground. Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for Bachelet, said the high commissioner is deeply troubled by the events.

The high commissioner condemned all violence and called on the authorities to independently, thoroughly and transparently investigate all attacks that have occurred," Throssell said. "She says it is crucial to ensure that those found responsible, including those inciting or organizing violence, are held to account.

The economic crisis is widely viewed as the worst facing the country since Sri Lanka gained its independence from Britain in 1948. The dire situation has severely undermined peoples ability to meet their daily needs and has prompted thousands to go into the streets to vent their grievances.

Throssell said the high commissioner is calling for national dialogue and deep structural reforms to tackle the issues.

The high commissioner urged the Sri Lankan government to engage in meaningful dialogue with all parts of society to find a pathway forward and address the socio-economic challenges people, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups, are facing," Throssell said. "She called on the government to address the broader political and systemic root causes that have long perpetuated discrimination and undermined human rights.

High Commissioner Bachelet is calling on Sri Lankan authorities to prevent further violence and to protect the right to peaceful assembly. She said her office will continue to watch events in the country and report on them.

Past fact-finding reports on Sri Lanka by her office have been critical of government policies, which they blame for widespread human rights violations. Bachelet said she hopes the government will find a peaceful solution to the current crisis to alleviate the peoples suffering and strengthen democracy and human rights.
A U.N. monitoring team in Ukraine says many violations of international humanitarian and human rights law allegedly committed by Russian forces may amount to war crimes.

The team has documented hundreds of violations since Russia invaded Ukraine 76 days ago. However, head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, says the evidence gathered so far does not scratch the surface of the extent of atrocities committed during that time.

Latest reports put civilian casualties at more than 7,000 including about 3,390 killed. Bogner says the actual number is likely much higher.

She adds each death is not just a statistic. Each death is a person whose life has been destroyed, whose dreams for the future have been obliterated.

Russia has denied targeting civilians.

Last week, Bogner and her colleagues visited 14 towns in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions that had been occupied by Russian forces until the end of March.

She says people they met told them of relatives and friends being shot and killed by Russians while trying to escape. In one village, she says they met a 70-year-old man who had spent 24 days hiding in the basement of a local school.

He told us with tears in his eyes that he shared a 76 square meter room with 138 people  the youngest was just two months old. The space was so crowded that he had to sleep standing up and so he tied himself to wooden rails to not to fall down, she said.

Bogner says the monitoring team saw schools, hospitals, residential buildings destroyed in many areas visited. Throughout Ukraine, she says at least 50 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim places of worship have been damaged.

She says the team has been receiving credible information on unlawful killings, torture, allegations of rape, including gang rape, and disappearances.

We documented some cases where Russian armed forces had detained civilians, mostly young men, and transferred them to Belarus and then Russia, where they have been held in pre-trial detention centers. Overall, since the 24th of February, we have documented 204 cases of enforced disappearancesthe overwhelming majority of them by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups, she said.

Bogner says her team has received reports of prisoners of war having been subjected to torture, ill-treatment, and incommunicado detention by both Ukrainian and Russian armed forces. She notes this violates fundamental rules of international humanitarian law and must stop.

She says the monitoring mission will release a report of its findings in June. While alleged abuses committed by both Russian and Ukrainian forces are documented, she notes the scale of violations committed by Russia is significantly higher.
U.S. lawmakers could vote as soon as Tuesday on a bill authorizing at least $33 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Ahead of the possible vote in the House of Representatives, President Joe Biden said his administration has "nearly exhausted" his authority to send weapons and other military equipment from Pentagon stockpiles.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a similar appeal in a letter to lawmakers, urging them to act before May 19 when they expect the existing drawdown will run out.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that while the new measure under consideration "may adjust some in the process," he is focused on "getting it done quickly."

Biden signed separate legislation Monday giving him new power to expedite the shipment of military equipment and supplies to Ukraine under a program modeled after a World War II law that originally assisted European countries fighting Nazi Germany.

The new measure gives the U.S. leader the authority to reach quick agreements with Ukraine as well as other Eastern European countries for the shipment of the equipment, bypassing some of Washington's current burdensome bureaucratic rules.

In a rarity for politically divided Washington, Congress overwhelmingly passed the legislation last month in a continuing show of support for the Kyiv government as it battles Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a late Monday address that history will hold Russia responsible for its actions in Ukraine, and that Europe has to consider the price Russia should pay "for bringing the evil of total war to Europe again."

"And we, Ukrainians, will continue to work toward our defense, our victory and on restoring justice. Today, tomorrow and any other day that is necessary to free Ukraine from the occupiers," Zelenskyy said.

The head of the U.N.'s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, told reporters Tuesday that her office had confirmed more than 7,000 civilian casualties, including 3,381 deaths, since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, and that the real toll is far higher.

"We have been working on estimates, but all I can say for now is that it is thousands higher than the numbers we have currently given to you," Bogner said at a press briefing in Geneva, when asked about the total number of deaths and injuries. "The big black hole is really Mariupol where it has been difficult for us to fully access and to get fully corroborated information," Bogner said.

She said the number of civilian casualties and damage to civilian areas suggests violations against prohibitions of indiscriminate attacks and the requirement to take precautions to avoid harming civilians.

Bogner said the U.N. has received reports of 300 unlawful killings in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb where Russian forces have been accused of committing atrocities.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Tuesday that included a stop in Bucha.

Baerbock is the latest international figure to go to Ukraine to show support and get a first-hand view of the situation in the country. U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made separate visits to Ukraine on Sunday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday blamed Western nations for his invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia acted in response to "an absolutely unacceptable threat next to our borders."

But the longtime Russian leader did not announce any change in Moscow's military campaign or declare victory, suggesting that his 10-week offensive would continue with attacks on Ukrainian strongholds in the eastern part of the country after Russia failed to topple Zelenskyy or capture the capital Kyiv.

Putin addressed a Red Square military parade in a Victory Day celebration commemorating the defeat of Germany in World War II. He spoke of Russia's demands for security guarantees, which Russia made in the months ahead of its February 24 invasion even as it repeatedly insisted it had no plans to attack its neighbor.

Weeks ago, U.S. and NATO leaders met with Russian officials multiple times but rejected certain Russian demands, including a pledge that Ukraine would never join NATO.

"NATO countries did not want to listen to us, meaning that they in fact had entirely different plans, and we saw this," Putin said Monday. "Openly, preparations were under way for another punitive operation in Donbas, the invasion of our historical lands, including Crimea."

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.
After a six-year hiatus, U.S. President Joe Biden last week resumed the 22-year-old tradition of hosting an Eid celebration at the White House.

"Muslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in our society, including targeted violence and Islamophobia that exists," Biden told a group of prominent Muslims.

Biden's comments marked a significant change of tone from his predecessor, Donald Trump, who said in 2016, "I think Islam hates us."

Trump did not host a White House Eid celebration while president, though he did issue statements marking the annual Muslim festival and invited diplomats from Muslim-majority nations to the White House for iftar dinner during Ramadan in 2018 and 2019.

The shift in the White House's tone comes at a time when U.S. Muslims fear Islamophobia is on the rise.

Last week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a 9% increase in the number of civil rights complaints it received from Muslims in the United States since 2020.

"CAIR received a total of 6,720 complaints nationwide involving a range of issues including immigration and travel, discrimination, law enforcement and government overreach, hate and bias incidents, incarceree rights, school incidents, and anti-BDS/free speech," the report said. BDS refers to the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement that seeks to advance social change through economic pressure.

Huzaifa Shahbaz, an author of the report, told VOA the rise in complaints about Islamophobia coincided with the lifting of COVID-related restrictions and the reopening of workplaces, worship centers and restaurants.

Others echo CAIR's findings and point to other reasons as well.

"Over the last year, we've seen racism in the United States rise across the board as a consequence of the pandemic, the intensification of white supremacist groups, political polarization, and even though we have Trump out of the office, this rising climate of racism is still feeding the Islamophobia that exists really heavily in the United States," said Khaled Beydoun, a law professor at Wayne State University.

FBI data

For decades, a major source for the public's understanding of trends in Islamophobia came from a compilation of bias-motivated incidents, including anti-Islam and anti-Semitic acts, annually reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI's most recent hate crime report, released last October, showed police departments recorded 110 anti-Muslim incidents in 2020, down from 180 in 2019.

The bureau's 2021 hate crime data are slated for release in the fall, a typical lag of several months.

Because crime data submission to the FBI is voluntary, the report is believed to vastly undercount hate incidents.

To improve its crime data collection, last year the FBI switched to a new system that captures a more detailed snapshot of each incident.

The FBI told VOA that about 63 percent of law enforcement agencies that used to submit data via the old system have switched to the new method.

Part of the reason for low participation in the FBI's hate crime data collection program is funding, Todd Hulsey, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, told VOA.

"Most American police and sheriffs' departments have fewer than 50 sworn officers, and all police agencies in the United States are faced with fewer and fewer applicants because policing is not a sought-after career choice for Gen Z," Hulsey told VOA.

There are concerns that a lack of reliable data about hate crimes, particularly anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic incidents, will lead to less public awareness as well as reduced interest among policymakers in addressing a worsening problem.

Global phenomenon

From China, where Uyghur minority Muslims are reportedly incarcerated en masse in so-called indoctrination camps, to some European cities where Islam's holy book, the Quran, has been set on fire, Islamophobia has been reported as a global phenomenon.

In March, a U.N. expert warned that anti-Muslim hatred has risen to epidemic proportions as "widespread negative representations of Islam, fear of Muslims generally, and security and counterterrorism policies have served to perpetuate, validate and normalize discrimination, hostility and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities."

Last month, the U.S. recognized what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called a genocide of Muslims in Myanmar.

In the world's largest democracy, India, some ruling Hindu politicians have publicly called for a Muslim genocide.

For Khaled Beydoun, much of the Islamophobia happening in the world is a consequence of the U.S. war on terror.

"Governments adopt the very exact vocabulary of anti-terrorism in the very same justifications of blaming Muslims," he said while accusing the U.S. of adopting a selective policy of condemning Islamophobia where its interests warrant.

A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment about the impact of the war on terror on Islamophobia in different parts of the world, but directed VOA to remarks made earlier by Rashad Hussain, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom.

"Monitoring and combating anti-Muslim hatred has always been a part of my office's mandate," Rashad told a hearing in February. "In recent years, we've seen how anti-Muslim hatred has often corresponded to other societal trends. These include an influx of migrants from conflict areas, the rise of populism and nationalism, and an increase in xenophobic language in political rhetoric."

For Haroon Moghul, author of the book Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future, Islamophobia should not be the only focus.

"The great danger to focusing too much on Islamophobia is that it hinders us from seeing the ways in which anti-Muslim bias is symptomatic of larger patterns across American society, where many people of all backgrounds feel humiliated, helpless and hurt," Mughul told VOA.

Public opinion polling indicates that many Americans agree that Muslims are more likely to face discrimination than other religious groups. In March, the Pew Research Center reported 78% of surveyed adults believe Muslims in America face discrimination. The poll found 68% of respondents believe Jews face discrimination and 44% said Evangelical Christians do.

White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday blamed Western nations for his invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia acted in response to "an absolutely unacceptable threat next to our borders."

But the longtime Russian leader did not announce any change in Moscows military campaign or declare victory, suggesting that his 10-week offensive would continue with attacks on Ukrainian strongholds in the eastern part of the country after Russia failed to topple Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or capture the capital Kyiv.

Addressing a Red Square military parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Putin spoke of Russias demands for security guarantees, which Russia made in the months ahead of its February 24 invasion even as it repeatedly insisted it had no plans to attack its neighbor. U.S. and NATO officials met with Russian officials multiple times but rejected certain Russian demands, such as Ukraine pledging it would never join NATO.

"NATO countries did not want to listen to us, meaning that they in fact had entirely different plans, and we saw this," Putin said Monday. "Openly, preparations were under way for another punitive operation in Donbas, the invasion of our historical lands, including Crimea."

In a rebuke, Zelenskyy likened Putin to Adolf Hitler, saying the Russian leaders war against Ukraine was repeating the horrific crimes of Hitlers regime today.

Putin drew parallels between the Soviet forces of the Second World War and todays Russian forces in Ukraine, falsely casting Ukraine as Nazi-controlled, even though Zelenskyy is Jewish. Putin uses that false narrative to characterize the invasion as an operation to denazify the country, something Ukrainians see as an effort to destroy their country and culture. Ukraine and its Western allies say Putin launched an unjustified war and unprovoked war.

Putin acknowledged the loss of Russian military forces in his Ukraine offensive, saying the death of every soldier was a grief for all of us and promised government support for the families of the dead.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said there was no rational reason for the war other than Russias "sick imperial ambitions."

"NATO countries were not going to attack Russia," Podolyak tweeted after the speech. "Ukraine did not plan to attack Crimea. The Russian military is dying, not defending their country, but trying to occupy another."

NATO reinforced its eastern flank, adding troops and equipment in member states, as Russia massed troops along the Ukrainian border and eventually launched its attack. Individual countries have also sent military equipment and weapons to Ukraine, but NATO leaders have repeatedly said the alliances troops and planes would not enter Ukraine.

In his own message Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "we have no doubt that we will win."

"Today we celebrate Victory Day over Nazism. We are our proud of our ancestors who together with other nations in the anti-Hitler coalition defeated Nazism. And we will not allow anyone to annex this victory. We will not allow it to be appropriated," Zelenskyy said.

"We won then. We will win now," he added.

As Russian forces focused attacks on eastern Ukraines Donbas region, a Russian bomb leveled a school in Luhansk province.

"As a result of a Russian strike on Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, about 60 people were killed, civilians, who simply hid at the school, sheltering from shelling," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a late Sunday video address.

Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai wrote on the Telegram messaging app that 30 people were rescued from the site.

Britains defense ministry said Monday that Russia has likely heavily depleted its stockpile of precision-guided munitions, forcing it to rely on older munitions that are less reliable and less accurate.

"Russias invasion of Ukraine has revealed shortcomings in its ability to conduct precision strikes at scale," the ministry said. "Russia has subjected Ukraine's towns and cities to intense and indiscriminate bombardments with little or no regard for civilian casualties."
Sybeth Musengezi, who is challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwas leadership of the ruling Zanu PF party, is expected to hand himself to the police today.

In an interview, Musengezis lawyer Nqobani Sithole said, We are not sure why the police want him to talk to them.

Some ruling party activists and people cited in the court case have urged Musengezi to drop the case or face unspecified action.

According to Musengezi, who filed a High Court application seeking an order for the removal of Mnangagwa from the post of Zanu PF first secretary, police are being used by the state to force him to drop the case.

Sithole of Ncube Attorneys told VOA Zimbabwe Service recently that Detective Assistant Inspector Nyazama of Harare Central Police Station, who recently visited Musengezis inlaws in Budiriro, Harare, did not responded to a letter sent him requesting information about their charges to be laid against the Zanu PF activist.

Sithole said, We know for a fact that the matter is before the High Court of Zimbabwe in Harare and that Zanu PF together with other respondents filed their heads of arguments. We had a shock of our lives when we were informed by Sybeth Musengezi that officers from the Law and Order Section in Harare went to his in-laws in Budiriro looking for him on an unspecified charge.

We were advised by the client that he was not there at that particular time and we have since written a letter to the police to enquire on the veracity of the allegations that our clients is supposed to be facing and we have also made an undertaking that if they want us to present him we shall gladly do so, so that he faces those allegations. But one thing for a fact that concerns us is the use of state machinery in the process of intimidating our client.

He said as Musengezis attorneys, they strongly believe that there is nothing criminal about whatever is taking place but this is a way of intimidating him so that he breaks down and withdraws this matter.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was unreachable for comment as he was not responding to calls on his mobile phone. VOA Zimbabwe Service was also unable to reach Mnangagwas lawyers for comment.

Mnangagwas lawyers are allegedly pressing Musengezi to withdraw the High Court application in which he is challenging the legitimacy of the presidents leadership of the ruling Zanu PF party.

The lawyers say they will sue Musengezis attorneys if they dont withdraw the case. They have also claimed that he is not a ruling party member.

But Musengezi holds a current Zanu PF membership card. He argues that Mnangagwa was not properly elected when the partys Central Committee held a meeting in 2017, a few days before the late former President Robert Mugabe was toppled in a defacto military coup.
GENEVA  A U.N. monitoring team in Ukraine says many violations of international humanitarian and human rights law allegedly committed by Russian forces may amount to war crimes.

The team has documented hundreds of violations since Russia invaded Ukraine 76 days ago. However, head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, says the evidence gathered so far does not scratch the surface of the extent of atrocities committed during that time.

Latest reports put civilian casualties at more than 7,000 including about 3,390 killed. Bogner says the actual number is likely much higher.

She adds each death is not just a statistic. Each death is a person whose life has been destroyed, whose dreams for the future have been obliterated.

Russia has denied targeting civilians.

Last week, Bogner and her colleagues visited 14 towns in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions that had been occupied by Russian forces until the end of March.

She says people they met told them of relatives and friends being shot and killed by Russians while trying to escape. In one village, she says they met a 70-year-old man who had spent 24 days hiding in the basement of a local school.

He told us with tears in his eyes that he shared a 76 square meter room with 138 people  the youngest was just two months old. The space was so crowded that he had to sleep standing up and so he tied himself to wooden rails to not to fall down, she said.

Bogner says the monitoring team saw schools, hospitals, residential buildings destroyed in many areas visited. Throughout Ukraine, she says at least 50 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim places of worship have been damaged.

She says the team has been receiving credible information on unlawful killings, torture, allegations of rape, including gang rape, and disappearances.

We documented some cases where Russian armed forces had detained civilians, mostly young men, and transferred them to Belarus and then Russia, where they have been held in pre-trial detention centers. Overall, since the 24th of February, we have documented 204 cases of enforced disappearancesthe overwhelming majority of them by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups, she said.

Bogner says her team has received reports of prisoners of war having been subjected to torture, ill-treatment, and incommunicado detention by both Ukrainian and Russian armed forces. She notes this violates fundamental rules of international humanitarian law and must stop.

She says the monitoring mission will release a report of its findings in June. While alleged abuses committed by both Russian and Ukrainian forces are documented, she notes the scale of violations committed by Russia is significantly higher.
HELSINKI  Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply to join NATO later this month, in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Both countries say Moscows actions have changed the security dynamic in Europe and the Kremlins nuclear threats require the collective self-defense that NATO can provide.

Finnish lawmakers are debating joining the alliance following the publication of a key security report earlier this month. A decision is expected in the coming days.

Its clear that everything has changed since Russia started the war in Ukraine, Finlands Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen told VOA. We have to do our own decisions now according to our own national interest. What is the best way to ensure security of Finns and Finland? We are part of the West. And now you could see that this NATO membership is a sort of finalization of our Western integration.

Tuppurainen said discussions in parliament over submitting a formal application are well advanced.

It seems highly likely now that we will call for membership in the NATO alliance... We have been repeatedly told that we are welcome, and we believe so. We have a big military force in Finland. Our defense force is very strong.

Swedens ruling Social Democrats are expected to announce their decision on applying for NATO membership on May 15. Both countries are considering submitting a joint bid.

Public opinion

For decades  even through the height of the Cold War  the Nordic countries plotted a careful course of neutrality and non-alignment, as U.S.-allied NATO and Russia vied for supremacy in Europe.

he politicians are now being led by public opinion, which has seen a dramatic transformation in the space of a few months since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Late last year, only a quarter of the Finnish population supported joining NATO. The latest poll from Finnish broadcaster YLE, published Monday, shows 76% now favor joining the alliance.

Helsinki residents who spoke to VOA said it was a necessary move to ensure the countrys security. We cannot live with such an unpredictable neighbor in the way we used to. And so, NATO is the only option we end up with as a security solution, said 56-year-old Helsinki resident Pekka Luhta.

Sanna Allt, who also lives in the Finnish capital, agrees. If you look at the geographical facts, we are the only non-NATO neighboring country to Russia which hasnt been invaded [in recent history]. So, I think that pretty much tells the reason why we should be joining. I dont trust Russia that much.

NATO welcome

NATO has made it clear that Finland and Sweden would be warmly welcomed as members, possibly within the next few months. If they decide to apply, Finland and Sweden will be warmly welcomed and I expect the process to go quickly, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels April 28.

Both Nordic nations are members of the European Union. Their forces regularly take part in NATO military exercises and are skilled in Arctic warfare. They would significantly boost alliance capabilities in the Baltic and northern Europe, where Russia maintains a massive military presence.

It would be a substantial group of Nordic nations within the alliance in the future. And this has a meaning. Second is military capabilities and know-how. So, I think we have a modern, capable defense [force] that we have been building throughout the years, Brigadier General Sami Nurmi, director of the policy department at the Finnish Ministry of Defense, told VOA. Our policy had been to try to build a relationship with Russia, that we would have some kind of a trust and understanding of each others actions. And we have lost that now.

Nurmi said Russias actions had completely changed the security situation in the region.

They have showed that they are willing to use it against a sovereign nation in Europe. And this is what worries about Finland, with 1,300 kilometers of border [with Russia], he added.

Kremlin response

Russia has threatened what it calls a "military technical response" if Finland and Sweden join NATO, including deploying nuclear weapons in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. But such nuclear threats may have backfired, says Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a security analyst at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

It is speaking out this threat in a way that we did not really even see during the Cold War, which is of some concern  and one of the outspoken reasons for the Finnish political elite to say Finlands defense may be strong, but we will never be able to build a robust nuclear deterrent. The only way to do that is by joining NATO.

Putins miscalculation

Before his invasion of Ukraine, Russias President Vladimir Putin demanded that NATO pull back its forces in eastern Europe. Instead, the alliance looks set to admit new members.

Russia had even said that deepened cooperation with NATO, or simply between Sweden and Finland, would be a red line, Salonius-Pasternak said. So, to now have radically changed these two countries security and defense policy thinking in a matter of months certainly must be seen as yet another strategic failure by Putin.
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Russias invasion of Ukraine has raised food production concerns in countries that depend on the regions exports of fertilizers, such as Ghana. To cope with the shortage, Ghanaian authorities are urging farmers to use locally produced chicken droppings and compost instead as fertilizer. For VOA, Senanu Tord reports from Abukrom, Ghana
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The first foreign fighters to arrive in Ukraine at the start of the war in February, 2022 were Canadians. The first foreign officer arrested by Russian forces on May 3 was a Canadian general. Clearly, Canada, although more than 6,000 kilometers away from Ukraine, has a hidden involvement in this conflict.

In this article, I will show that all Canadian Liberal governments have supported the Ukrainian Banderites since the beginning of the Second World War. They had it both ways during that war, fighting the Nazis, but supporting the Banderites. Worse still, the current Canadian government is composed of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, flanked by a Banderite deputy, Chrystia Freeland.

While the CIAs connections to the Nazis during the Cold War were not revealed until 1975 with the Pike, Church and Rockfeller Congressional Commissions, and only ended with President Jimmy Carter, the Canadian Liberal Partys ties to the Nazis continue. Canada is the only country in the world, outside of the Ukraine, to have a Banderite minister, and whats more, she is the number two in its government.

In 1940, when the United Kingdom was at war but the United States was not, the Canadian Liberal government of William King created the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) to help anti-Bolshevik immigrants against the pro-Soviet Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC) and the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC). Pro-Soviet libraries and synagogues were banned.

The Liberal Party of the Kingdom of Canada was not created to promote individualism against conservative ideas, but against the Republican idea [1].

During the Second World War, Prime Minister William King was well liked by his fellow citizens, but he was booed by his soldiers when he visited them in Europe. The Liberal Party always held anti-Russian positions, presenting them as anti-Soviet until 1991, and always interpreted Christianity as opposed to Judaism.

Also, at the end of the Second World War, Canada was the main refuge for Lyon Mackenzie (35,000 immigrants) and Baltic Nazis. Among them were Volodymyr Kubijovyc and "Michael Chomiak" whose real name was Mykhailo Khomiak, the editors of the main Nazi newspaper in Central Europe, Krakivski Visti.

Chomiak, who worked under the direct control of the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, never denied his collaborationist past. On the contrary, he always militated for the OUN(B). It is in this spirit that he raised his granddaughter, Chrystia Freeland, the current Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. Far from condemning the crimes of the Banderites, she began her career as a journalist, at the age of 18, working for Kubijovycs Encyclopedia of Ukraine (now available on the Internet). Then she worked for The Ukrainian News, the newspaper of the Canadian Banderites, and The Ukrainian Weekly, the newspaper of the American Banderites linked to the ABN and the CIA. She traveled to the Soviet Union at the end of that country. The Soviet authorities questioned the Canadian government for its support of the Banderites and forbade her to return. However, after the dissolution of the USSR, she became the Moscow bureau chief of The Financial Times. Then she became deputy editor of The Globe and Mail and editor-in-chief of Thomson Reuters Digital.

In her articles and books, Sale of the Century: Russias Wild Ride from Communism to Capitalism [2] and Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else [3], Chrystia Freeland develops two theses dear to her grandfather.

She criticizes the ultra-rich by choosing almost exclusively Jewish examples.

She denounces at every turn the USSR, and then Russia.

It should be remembered that fascism was a response to the economic crisis of 1929, proposing a nationalist class alliance by corporation. The nazis and Banderites added a terrible racial dimension. By targeting the super-rich, Chrystia Freeland rightly addresses the main problem of today. Today, only finance is profitable, while production is in crisis. However, she insidiously drifts towards a racial reading by noting that Jews are more numerous among the super-rich than in the population and by suggesting that this correlation is significant.

In 1991, Polish-Ukrainian Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj intervened to make Canada the first country in the world to recognize Ukrainian independence. With his family fortune (Future Bakery), he created a service to distribute news from Ukraine to every member of parliament. He financed the archiving by Volodymyr Kubijovyc and "Michael Chomiak" of documents on Ukrainian nationalists during the Second World War. It must be admitted that the Encyclopedia of Ukraine is not a scientific work, but a rehabilitation of the Banderites and a falsification of history. Because of his family ties, Borys Wrzesnewskyj introduced the future Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko to Canada.

In 1994, Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien negotiated a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with Ukraine, and in 1996 he asked for NATO membership.

In January 2004, Canada, under Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, participated in Washingtons preparation of the "Orange Revolution". The Canadian ambassador in Kiev, Andrew Robinson, organized meetings of his colleagues from 28 countries to bring Viktor Yushchenko to power. The aim was to break the policy of President Kuchma, who had accepted Russian gas instead of favoring the US search for oil in the Caspian Sea [4].

The Canadian ambassador financed the survey of the Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Studies Oleksandr Razumkov, according to which the presidential election was rigged, and he also provided 30,000 dollars to the Pora! (It is time!) association of NATO strategist Gene Sharp [5].

On the basis of the Razumkov poll alone, Pora! organized demonstrations, the election was cancelled and another one called. Canada spent $3 million to send 500 election observers. The second election brought Viktor Yushchenko to power. Yushchenko put together his team, choosing Vladislav Kaskiv (George Soros employee and leader of Pora!) as his special adviser and Anatoliy Gritsenko (U.S.-trained military officer and president of the Razumko Centre) as Minister of Defence.

Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, was particularly active during the Orange Revolution; his sister, Ruslana, being very close to Mrs. Yushchenko, Katerina Chumachenko. He invested 250,000 Canadian dollars to support the movement and used his apartment in the center of Kiev to coordinate the demonstrations between the two elections. Pora! processions chanted "Ca-na-da!" and flew the maple leaf flag.

Chrystia Freeland began her political career in 2013 with the Liberal Party. She was elected Member of Parliament for Toronto. In 2014, she supported the "Revolution of Dignity" in Kiev (i.e. the Banderites coup), of which she met the main actors. She denounced the independence of Crimea and met Mustafa Dzhemilev, the famous US spy during the Cold War and leader of the Tatars. Eventually, President Vladimir Putin banned her from entering Russia.

She was appointed Minister of Foreign Trade by Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2015, then Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2017 and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in 2019 with the dignity of Deputy Prime Minister. She became Minister of Finance in 2020.

In 2014, Conservative Foreign Minister John Baird visited Maidan Square and met with the main leaders of the protest. Canadian Television considered that he was thus giving an argument to President Putins version that this revolution is only a Western manipulation.

The embassys spokeswoman, Inna Tsarkova, was one of the leaders of the AutoMaidan movement. The embassy, located next to Maidan Square, was a refuge for the protesters who camped in its hall for a week. The neo-Nazi group C14 [6] took refuge there on February 18 during the massacre.

When Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sent four inspectors to the crash site. Even before the investigation began, Chrystia Freeland began an international campaign to denounce Russia. She would later use her ministerial status to throw as much fuel on the fire as possible.

After the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych and the rise to power of the Banderites, Canada created Operation UNIFIER (Canadian Armed Forces Joint Task Force-Ukraine). The aim was to train the Ukrainian military and develop their military police. The operation was conducted under the orders of London and Washington. It included the sending of 200 instructors and non-lethal equipment. It ended on February 13, 2022, just before the Russian operation, so as not to place Canada in a war situation.

In 8 years, Canada has given nearly $900 million in aid to Ukraine.

In 2016, Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received with honors Mustafa Dzhemilev, whom his deputy Chrystia Freeland had already met. He had become, in August 2015, the emir of an international Muslim Brigade, co-financed by Ukraine and Turkey to retake Crimea [7].

At the same time, Chrystia Freeland negotiated the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.

When in 2017, the site Russia Insider revealed the criminal past of her grandfather and his still close ties with the Banderites, she denied the facts and denounced Russian "propaganda". However, on February 27, she appeared with a group of OUN(B) Banderites at a demonstration against Russian aggression. The photo, which she posted herself, was quickly removed from her Twitter account.

Reacting with its Nato partners to the Russian military operation, Canada has modified its budget to set aside $500 million for the Ukrainian army, including the Banderites. It has already sent machine guns, pistols, rifles, 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, sniper rifles and various related equipment (February 14), night vision goggles, helmets and body armour (February 27), 100 Carl Gustav M2 recoilless rifles and 2,000 rounds of 84 mm ammunition (Feb. 28), 390,000 individual field rations and approximately 1,600 flak jackets (March 1), 4,500 M72 rocket launchers and 7,500 hand grenades, as well as a subscription to commercial satellite imagery for $1 million (March 3), cameras for surveillance drones (March 9), M777 howitzers and related ammunition, as well as additional ammunition for the Carl Gustav M2 anti-armour weapon (April 22), 8 commercial model armoured vehicles, and a service contract for the maintenance and repair of specialized drone-carried cameras (April 26), and began training Ukrainian soldiers in the handling of M777 howitzers.

On March 2, Justin Trudeau, who believes in the United States, had some 20 countries sign a declaration denouncing Russian disinformation [8]. The aim is to prevent the dissemination of information about Ukrainian and Canadian Banderites.

On March 10, Canada managed to get some thirty countries to sign a second, very Orwellian declaration, welcoming - in the name of press freedom - the censorship in the West of Russia Today and the Sputnik agency, two Russian public media organizations.

Since the Banderites regime came to power in Kiev, Canada has sanctioned more than 900 Russian and Ukrainian opposition figures and companies. It has added to this list people close to the Russian president and members of their families.

In spite of its declarations of principle in favour of the equality in right of all men, Canada supports without reserve the Banderites, heralds of the racial superiority of the Ukrainians over the Russians.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is on an official trip to Tehran. He was notably received by the Guide of the Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and by the President of the Republic, Ebrahim Raisi.

After Russia and the United Arab Emirates, this is President al-Assads third trip since his countrys victory against foreign aggression.

Meanwhile in Washington, the Straussians have discreetly suspended negotiations in Vienna on a possible return to the nuclear agreement with Iran. They plan, in that order, the destruction of Russia, that of Iran and finally China.
A tiny secular far-right group in Turkey, the Victory Party, was successful in widely circulating a video against Syrian immigrants in the context of the current economic crisis.

As a result, all the political parties are calling for them to be returned to Syria.

Initially, in 2011, Turkey had opened its doors to Syrians, inviting them to stay until the situation in their country calmed down. The aim was to deprive Syria of its inhabitants so as to make it easier for the jihadists to overthrow the government.
The Russian army seized US military electronic equipment in Mariupol, the export of which requires written authorization from the US government. It consists of extremely sophisticated portable communication devices.

According to the documentation uncovered there, they were secretly introduced in Kiev in 2010.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture/Getty Images

During the first days of the 2019 impeachment hearings, the headline of an essay by the Washington Post columnist Monica Hesse floated the question What does female authority sound like? One of the earliest witnesses had been the acting ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor Jr., a rather ordinary, if genial, middle-aged man. Afterward, Hesse noticed the name Walter Cronkite trending on Twitter. The following day, testimony from Taylors equally if not more impressive predecessor, Marie Yovanovitch, prompted a standing ovation in the committee room. Yet, Hesse noted, no adoring comparisons to any deceased icons had followed. Her voice, after all, did not sound like Walter Cronkites.

The issue wasnt how she sounded. It was how she sounded to us, a listening public without the aural reference library to assess female authority, trustworthiness, and power.

I have thought about that column and headline many times since the fall of 2019. I thought about it a lot when Joan Didion died late last year, and I thought about it even more trying to listen to a recording of Diane Keaton reading from Didions work around that time. Rereading Didions essays and reporting after her death, I had thought, That right there is what female authority sounds like  by which I meant the dry, detached, unsentimental, sly but muted, deadpan voice that characterizes not only Didions literary style but those of Virginia Woolf, Rebecca West, and Mary McCarthy before her as well as the voices of such contemporaries of Didions as Renata Adler and Janet Malcolm.

But listening to the five-minute Audible sample of Keaton reading from the first essay in Slouching Towards Bethlehem, I had to admit, Whatever female authority sounds like, it isnt that.

I had gone online to see whether there were any decent recordings of Didions work. I like to keep tabs on this sort of thing, probably because I grew up listening to written-word recordings. As a child, I had trouble falling asleep after we moved to an apartment where I no longer shared a room with my sister, and letting me drift off listening to spoken-arts records was my mothers solution. So from time to time, I check up on how some author or piece of writing has fared at the hands of the audiobook industry. I do it when a writer who has meant something to me dies. I do it when I run across prose that makes me want to hear it beautifully read. I do it when something Im reading on the page moves me for reasons I cant explain.

This happened to me once with a Jonathan Franzen novel. His narrative voice tends to be so mordant, so unforgiving toward his characters, that I couldnt fathom how something toward the end of his novel Freedom had me sobbing. Flipping back to the beginning pages, I saw how the irony in Franzens description of his protagonist mingles caustic knowingness with compassion.

Tall, ponytailed, absurdly young, pushing a stroller past stripped cars and broken beer bottles and barfed-upon old snow, she might have been carrying all the hours of her day in the string bags that hung from her stroller. Behind her you could see the baby-encumbered preparations for a morning of baby-encumbered errands; ahead of her, an afternoon of public radio, the Silver Palate Cookbook, cloth diapers, drywall compound, and latex paint; and then Goodnight Moon, then zinfandel. She was already fully the thing that was just starting to happen to the rest of the street.

I wanted to hear what that alchemy sounded like. But when I went to the recording, the actor to whom Macmillan had assigned the book kept telling me with his voice what I was supposed to feel. He seemed to have no understanding of how writing works. Every syllable was an opportunity for a new artistic choice, as though words exist in isolation and sentences have no relation to one another. He wasnt reading the novel so much as making sure the listener knew it was being read by an Actor. It was impossible to follow the logic, let alone be affected by Franzens meticulously calibrated prose.

In Didions case, the situation on Audible wasnt pretty. Most of her work had been recorded, but there was little I would have been willing to listen to or recommend. Best were Elizabeth Hess reading After Henry and Kimberly Farr reading Blue Nights, South and West, and Let Me Tell You What I Mean. These actors didnt try to impersonate Didion or make her a character but were content to let her emerge as a sensibility, an intellectual presence, a mind with a gift for apprehending experience. Yet Didions major works  her novels, essays, and reporting  had mostly been assigned to actors who seemed burdened by either too much or too little knowledge of who Didion was. They showcased her style with mannered readings that made her sound precious and sententious, or else they tried to make everything seem exciting, like someone reading Nancy Drew to children.

Then there was Keaton, who might have been giving a master class in how not to read Didion aloud.

She had no concept of deadpan and seemed to think it her mandate to bring Didions prose to life. You can hear in this audio clip how she doesnt trust the words to do their work; she thinks she has to enhance them, help them along. She dramatizes everything, reading an account of the weather on opening day of a trial as though she were reminiscing about prom night, endowing every random person Didion quotes en passant with a personality and a backstory. Like the actor reading Freedom, she lards her performance with arbitrary acting choices that eviscerate Didions prose and, with it, a whole literary style that generations of women intellectuals have used to make themselves heard and ensure they would be taken seriously.

Keaton isnt the first talented actress to make a hash of reading literary prose aloud. In 1965, Julie Harris recorded Stuart Little, and from then on E.B. White saw to it that he himself recorded his own fiction.

Its easy to hear why. Part of it is that tone of wide-eyed astonishment you hear, with all of its phony inflections. Part of it is the way Harris is always pulling focus to the wrong words. And part of it is just her unwillingness to read the thing straight. The words get swallowed up in her acting so that all you hear is whats happening in the plot. The way the story is told just disappears. Whites writing becomes wholly unlike itself  becomes, in fact, generic. Harris is effectively editing E.B. White. Thanks to her revisions, he becomes a ghostwriter of his own work.

Read this passage to yourself and youll get it:

Every morning, before Stuart dressed, Mrs. Little went into his room and weighed him on a small scale which was really meant for weighing letters. At birth Stuart could have been sent by first class mail for three cents, but his parents preferred to keep him rather than send him away; and when, at the age of a month, he had gained only a third of an ounce, his mother was so worried she sent for the doctor.

The doctor was delighted with Stuart and said that it was very unusual for an American family to have a mouse 

Its a form of deadpan. White is writing about strange or absurd things as though they were perfectly ordinary. But Harris reads the bit about how Stuart could have been sent by first-class mail in a tone that says to the listener, Isnt that amazing? Can you imagine? As for the joke about the doctor, we miss the word that makes it funny  American  in the wake of Harriss tonguing her cheek on the word very.

A handful of things Keaton and Harris can be heard doing are not uncommon among American audiobook readers. Varying ones pace on arbitrary words or phrases just to be interesting is something you run across. So is emphasizing random words and syllables. Then theres the idea that one should try to act out the meanings of words. If the word languid appears, you read it slowly, for example. You read a word that denotes hostility in a way that sounds angry. (Here, Harris reads the word vigorous vigorously and tries to put the sort of effort into saying the word rip that it would take to rip up floorboards.)

It would be easy to attribute a discomfort with deadpan to American ideas about acting. Deadpan is about suppression; serious American acting has traditionally been about letting it all hang out. Small wonder, one might say, that Keaton gives a lyrical, nostalgic cast to that description of the weather at the start of the Audible sample (January 11, 1965, was a bright warm day in Southern California, the kind of day when Catalina floats on the Pacific horizon and the air smells of orange blossoms )  even though describing the pleasant weather outside the courthouse where a trial is about to begin is practically formulaic, a convention of true-crime writing.

Something else you encounter a lot in American audiobooks is a tendency for narrators to telegraph how were supposed to think or feel  like that sample passage from Freedom posted on Audible. The actor is reading a list of the kinds of moral questions that absorb his protagonist and people of her ilk:

 like, what about those cloth diapers? Worth the bother? And was it true that you could still get milk delivered in glass bottles? Were the Boy Scouts OK politically? Was bulgur really necessary? Where to recycle batteries? How to respond when a poor person of color accused you of destroying her neighborhood?  How elaborate did a kitchen water filter actually need to be?

Its part of a complex system of irony that lures a reader of my ilk into viewing Franzens characters with a bit of disdain, not yet knowing that I am reading about myself. But the mugging, the actors signaling to us that this is satire, makes ambiguity impossible, and anyway he doesnt read the list as a list or even as reported speech but rather impersonates people actually considering these questions in real time. It doesnt occur to him  just as it doesnt occur to Keaton or Harris  that the only thing a narrator has to impersonate is someone with a story to tell.

Often, this kind of editorializing takes place in the context of something strange or miraculous happening in a narrative: The audiobook reader indicates vocally that we should regard that thing with awe or suspicion. (Harris is essentially doing this with the whole premise of Stuart Little.) Theres an extraordinary sequence at the beginning of the second chapter of The Witches, Stacy Schiffs 2015 account of the Salem trials, in which Schiff uses a kind of reported speech to create a world where its impossible to judge whats believable and what isnt. She recounts the flight of two women over Salem village on a broomstick in something like their own words but using the third person omniscient, so the narrative voice is giving credibility to uncreditable events. As she moves on to the description of a daily life filled with things that might be unnatural events or might be delusions, we begin to get an inkling of how what happened in 1692 could have happened. But the actress who read the book for Hachette takes the mystery out of the passage, using her tone to let us know precisely which of the things Schiff reports strain credibility.

Theres a curious circumstance surrounding the recording of Stuart Little that suggests something about how powerless writers are and always have been  even writers as influential as White. In May 1970, he wrote to a family member:

Joe Berk, from Pathways of Sound, was here last week to talk about recording Charlottes Web. He had already got Julie Harris to read the book, unbeknownst to me, and he brought along the tape. I didnt like it and said so 

The Joe Berk in question was the same Cambridge, Massachusettsbased record producer who had put Stuart Little on vinyl. On hearing that recording, back in 1965, White had written Berk a charming response full of nice things about Harris.

She does it beautifully and I feel greatly in her debt, and in yours for selecting her. I know that to read a book aloud is a grueling task, but Miss Harris never gave me any cause for worry. She is as perceptive as she is reliable, and she can read to me any time she wants to.

Its a strange letter, full of equivocation if carefully read. To say someone has done something beautifully isnt necessarily to say they have done it well. Reliable sounds like someone who can be counted on to be punctual. And she never gave him any cause for worry? What on earth does that mean? And who ever invoked the difficulty of a job who wasnt trying to avoid saying how poorly it had been done?

Berk seems to have been baffled by Whites response to the new recording and to have left a bit stymied that day, for there is a second letter from White that begins, If we are in a quandary, it is because we differ on the way a story should be read.

Theres nothing in my letter to you of October 1965 that isnt true. Julie Harris did read Stuart Little beautifully. I did feel in her debt and in yours. But that letter did not ramble on, as it might have, into my deeper convictions about the business of reading a book.

At issue in Whites mind were opposing views about how to read books into a microphone and who should be asked to do so.

You tend to throw the job to someone in the theater  Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris  They dramatize a book  I think a book is better read the way my father used to read books to me  without drama. He just read the words, beginning with the seductive phrase Chapter One, and I supplied my own dramatization.

What I find curious about this sequence of events is that in 1965 White was easily as important and famous in his own milieu as Harris was in hers. And this was his milieu, the world of publishing and books and words. He had written what was probably the first global best-selling childrens book of the modern era, yet faced with a version of an earlier work that robbed his writing of everything that made it his, White felt he just had to suck it up. Five years later, placed in the same embarrassing, no-win situation, he put his foot down. In both cases, the recording had already been made. I remember coming across a review of a childrens biography of White that had him changing his mind about the Harris recording. Im not sure thats accurate. I think he always felt the way he felt. Maybe by 1970 White just had no more fucks to give.

Ever gracious, White assured Berk that whichever approach to reading aloud one favors is a matter of personal taste, and to a large extent it is. Berk was no mountebank or philistine. He was one of a breed of small-scale impresarios who  like Bill Grauer of Riverside Records, the jazz label that commissioned Alec Wilders Alice in Wonderland Suite for a recording of the Alice books read by Cyril Ritchardwere trying to combat the Disney-fication of American childhood. But theres a point at which any writer whose work has been rendered unrecognizable or incoherent becomes little more than a ghostwriter.

Theres no one right way to read a piece of prose, any more than there can be one definitive performance of a role in a play. And there are plenty of wonderful American audiobook readers out there: Julia Whelan, January LaVoy, Dennis Boutsikaris, Bahni Turpin, Kirsten Potter, Kate Reading, Edoardo Ballerini, Gabra Zackman, and Joe Morton, to name just a few. Here is Boutsikaris navigating a passage from the beginning of The Smartest Guys in the Room, Bethany McLean and Peter Elkinds 2003 account of the fall of Enron, describing the suicide and funeral of a man the reader is poised to hate because of his role in a scam that ruined peoples lives. You can hear how the actor never tells the listener what to think about any of the facts hes relating, though his voice sometimes teeters on the knife-edge of judgment. Note how he doesnt make anything of the fact that this man used to decompress on a yacht (the presence of the yacht speaks for itself) as well as the dry, uninflected treatment given to the state and contents of the car where the death occurred and the deadpan recital of the shallow lyrics to the mans favorite song. At times, its almost as though Boutsikaris were thinking about something else as he reads  thats how light a vocal touch he has. Its moving without being manipulative.

There are passages in Keatons recording of Slouching Towards Bethlehem that she reads far better than the sample posted, better in the sense that shes not playing up the writing or trying to upstage it; shes just reading the words in front of her and thinking about what theyre saying. At those times, when her voice is just a conduit for Didions writing, its possible to forget that she isnt herself the author; its then that her voice and Didions can seem to become one. With nonfiction, writes Robert Blumenfeld in Acting With the Voice: The Art of Recording Books, you are reading as if you were the author of the book, and in that sense only you are playing a part. I believe that to be true. But I dont think it means you try to become Joan Didion or try to sound like her or how you imagine she would sound. Its just that in the act of reading her words aloud, her story should become your story, and her voice should become yours, rather than the other way around.
Helen Shaw has written about theater in New York since 2005, and for New York since 2019. Photo: Mindy Tucker

Given the climate, given the news, given the situation, Oh God, A Show About Abortion is not the show it might otherwise be. It would be easier to enjoy if it didnt have the current crisis about Roe vs. Wade pressing on its shoulders; it might be more amusing if the issue didnt suddenly feel so grave. But all that import weighing it down also gives it substance. Alison Leibys comic monologue at the Cherry Lane Theatre, a mild comedy-special-in-search-of-itself, doesnt have the spark that a solo show like this needs. So its handy that Leiby is offering it to an audience already on fire.

My parents are very supportive. My mom texted me, Kill it tonight! and Im like, I already did, thats why the show exists. Thats Leibys first line, and it contains what is to come: insouciance about the Big Topic, her mother as her main foil, and a writers rhythm that doesnt rely too much on her own comic ability to sell. Leibys other gigs include being a producer on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, podcasting with Halle Kiefer, and scriptwork for Broad City (Ilana Glazer produces Gods run), and you can almost hear her pitching these jokes in a writers room  onstage she has a diffident delivery, tossing out each punchline a little hopefully, as if she hopes we might polish it up and toss it back.

Oh God is an odd title for this. Leiby, apart from the occasional crack about being Jewish, isnt concerned with issues of religion or faith, and her decision to end an unwanted pregnancy is chill and matter-of-fact. Its also not actually A Show About Abortion, at least not in the way that rangier projects like What the Constitution Means to Me think their full way around the issue, the legislation, the history, etc. Its really a self-deprecatory confessional about Leibys life and mediated womanhood, peppered with admissions about her own mess-making tendencies (shes bad with plants), and some heartfelt material on Planned Parenthood helping her deal with one of those messes. She could have just easily called it Dangit: All This and An Abortion Too, but perhaps that was considered insufficiently zeitgeisty.

Her best material is in the longer stories she tells. Theres the abortion itself, which is detailed and not particularly funny, though she tries to get a little mileage out of wearing yoga pants, the unofficial sponsor of terminated pregnancies. (I know that isnt what Lululemon intended with their product, but its definitely what they are getting used for.) She gives us a bitter, better tale about another medical procedure: During an X-ray of her lower back, her three male neurosurgeons flipped out about the unknown image on her film  which turned out to be a tampon. A+ doctoring, fellas. And then theres her mothers account of her own abortion, pre-Roe, organized by the mob. (Dont worry, we do all the Rockettes, the guy said, when her parents dropped her off in a parking lot, where she was blindfolded and driven off to God-knows-where.) These narratives have ten times the punch of the jokes about Barbie or fertility shaming or a millennial plant store called GRDN. I did like it when she said, GRDN, we have a PRBLM about a rotten cactus, but I am an easy mark for anti-plant store digs.

The mom-gets-driven-to-New-Jersey section, short as it is, points to a much more interesting story that Leiby might someday tell. Her framing concept in Oh God is the search for self, and her abortion makes her realize her self is a woman who is not a mother. Thats not particularly vulnerable or revelatory, though shes willing to share with us that she shied away from talking about her abortion with her mother because she knew her decision to remain childless gives her mother pain. If she werent spending so much time on effortful bits about the names of period-tracking apps (Its strange that there are two period trackers named after games: Clue and Life. Instead of Clue and Life, it should be games more logically associated with our periods like Trouble and Sorry), she could follow this fascinating thread, or her curiosity could lead her to another. The mob did her mothers abortion? The mob?

But thread-following doesnt seem possible here, neither in terms of content, nor performance energy. As our interlocutor, Leibys a little uncomfortable; she doesnt create the illusion of I just thought of this that the typical ambling stage comic exudes. When she stumbles over a line, she does not improvise or play it off; a longish show (70 minutes) is more to remember than a tight five, and you hear that effort in her voice. When the audience surprises her, though, she shows the sort of wry engagement that would be welcome throughout.

In the section when she goes to Planned Parenthood for her appointment, she describes the intake interview:

This felt like the first time I was really honest with the nurse asking me about my habits.

How many drinks do you have a week?

30-40 cocktails.

Youre in the right place.

This is not much of a joke, but for some reason, possibly because people there that night had been drinking their feelings, the laughs peppered throughout the room ended with knowing little sighs. Hahaha mmhhm, several voices murmured  it was the sound of a group of grimly unhappy women recognizing themselves. Leiby had been smiling at us all evening long, but here her eyes finally lit up. We made her laugh, and Leiby seems very much a woman who would rather be bantering than doing all the talking herself.

The what-a-mess shtick Leiby does, the Liz Lemonesque stuff about being immature and chaotic, needs either a straight man or a crooked one, someone to cast her into relief. The stand-up conventions dont always work for her, and certainly not for her no-woman-is-an-island message. Her final point, and the one that brought the room to its feet, is about the necessity of sharing, and thus normalizing, stories of our abortions. The more we talk about it openly and honestly, she says, the less of a catastrophe it is. Her GRDN/PRBLM joke is (almost) already forgotten, but what will stay with me are her chatty, non-joke moments. For instance, its socially valuable to hear the details when she talks about having the procedure, which she picks over the two-pills-at-home option because she thinks her bathroom is too small for anything medical. The mildness of her delivery emphasizes how easily her mind and heart accommodated the event. Anticlimactic, she calls it, and it certainly sounds that way: They hooked her up to an IV, she woke up in the middle of a sentence, it was over. In these sequences, you can forget the microphone, and the stool, and all the other signs that were at a comedy show. Instead Leiby was starting her part of a conversation  and she seemed to be waiting to hear the other side.
Italian fire engines arrive in Ukraine.

Firefighters in Ukraine have welcomed a convoy of 45 fire engines, donated from Italy as part of European efforts to assist the country following the Russian invasion.

The fire engines, which came from units all over Italy, were sent by train to Slovakia where local authorities escorted the emergency vehicles to Ukraine.

The convoy, which comprised 41 fire trucks, three special-use vehicles and one trailer, was offered by Italy via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The consignment of emergency equipment was accompanied by 15 Italian firefighters who instructed their Ukrainian colleagues in the machinery's use.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Two men charged by U.S. prosecutors with racketeering and other crimes for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload said Tuesday they have reached a deal that will see them avoid being extradited to the U.S. in exchange for facing charges in New Zealand.

The deal by former Megaupload officers Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk means that only Megauploads flamboyant founder Kim Dotcom, who also lives in New Zealand, still faces the possibility of extradition to the U.S. in the long-running case.

U.S. authorities shut down Megaupload in 2012, saying it raked in at least $175 million, mainly from people using it to illegally download songs, television shows and movies. The Department of Justice describes it as the largest criminal copyright case in U.S. history.

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Facing the possibility of spending decades in U.S. jails if convicted, Dotcom and the other two men have fought against extradition through the New Zealand legal system for the past 10 years.

Last year, New Zealands Supreme Court ruled the trio could be extradited. But it remained up to Justice Minister Kris Faafoi to make a final decision on extradition. And even that decision could be appealed.

In a statement issued through their lawyer Peter Spring, Ortmann and van der Kolk said the continuing uncertainty of the case had taken a heavy toll on their lives and the time had come to move on.

Accordingly, we have reached an agreement with the New Zealand Government and the United States of America under which we have agreed to be charged in New Zealand for offenses similar to those we face in the United States.

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The pair added that New Zealand was now their home and we want to stay here.

Lawyers for Dotcom and the other men have long argued that if anybody was guilty in the case, it was the users of the site who chose to pirate material, not the founders. But prosecutors say the men were the architects of a vast criminal enterprise.

Dotcom and the two other men were once close friends but had a falling out after setting up a new company, Mega, following the closure of Megaupload.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Dotcom said his former friends would become witnesses against him as part of their deal but he didnt blame them.

I want to congratulate my former friends and partners to have found a case resolution, Dotcom wrote. They can avoid the terrible US Justice system. Im happy for them. After 10 years of US lawfare I understand why they have given up. I dont blame them and I sincerely wish them all the best.

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Dotcom vowed to continue fighting the case.

I wont accept the injustice we have been subjected to, he wrote. If I have to go to jail for what Megaupload users did on our site then many Big Tech CEOs are in the same boat with me.

U.S. prosecutors had earlier dropped their extradition bid against a fourth officer of the company who was arrested in New Zealand, Finn Batato.

In 2015, Megaupload computer programmer Andrus Nomm, of Estonia, pleaded guilty in the case to conspiring to commit felony copyright infringement and was sentenced to one year and one day in U.S. federal prison.

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What if Russia used a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine? There has been plenty of speculation as to whether this might happen, or how we should limit the chance that it does. But less has been said about how to react should Vladimir Putin decide to launch a nuclear strike. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Im not talking about major nuclear war, when those questions might be moot. Instead consider that the Russians deploy a tactical nuke, the Western coalition splinters due to fear of further strikes, and Russia keeps part of Ukraine as Putin claims a daring victory. The battle lines ossify. Putins likely rhetoric notwithstanding, it would fall somewhere between a Russian win and a Russian loss.

What does that world look like, and how should we prepare for it?

Until recently, my view was that any actual use of a nuclear weapon, no matter the scale, would dramatically change everything. Nuclear use would no longer be considered taboo, and the world would enter a state of collective shock and trauma. Other countries around the world would start frantically preparing for war, or the possibility of war.

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But recent events have nudged me away from that viewpoint. For instance, I have seen a pandemic that arguably has caused about 15 million deaths worldwide, yet many countries, including the U.S. havent made major changes in their pandemic preparation policies. That tells me we are more able to respond to a major catastrophe with collective numbness than I would have thought possible.

I also have seen Trumpian politics operate through the social media cycle. Former President Donald Trump did and said outrageous things on a regular basis (even if you agree with some of them, the relevant point is that his opponents sincerely found them outrageous). Yet the rapidity of the social media news cycle meant that most of those actions failed to stick as major failings. Each outrage would be followed by another that would blot out the memory of the preceding one. The notion of Trump as villain became increasingly salient, but the details of Trumpian provocations mattered less and less.

Might the detonation of a tactical nuclear weapon follow a similar pattern? Everyone would opine on it on Twitter for a few weeks before moving on to the next terrible event. Putin as villain would become all the more entrenched, but dropping a tactical nuclear weapon probably wouldnt be the last bad thing he would do.

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To cite the terminology of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, the tactical nuclear weapon might stay the Current Thing for a relatively short period of time.

Maybe the potency of the nuclear concept, and its instantiation in the actual slaughter of innocents, would create more long-lasting trauma than this, but I am no longer sure.

We dont know how many people such a weapon would exterminate, but its quite possible that it would kill only a small fraction of the number that have died in the war overall. Russia could either use a small nuke or avoid aiming it at a densely populated area. And it already is the case that Roe v. Wade debates are pushing the Ukraine war out of the forefront of our consciousness, at least in the U.S.

The nuclear strike probably would have foreign policy consequences across the broader world. For instance, more countries might seek to acquire nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. Those events could become the new outrages, subsuming Putins tactical nuke deployment in a broader wave of condemnation. In other words, worries about nuclear war might replace opprobrium directed at Putins individual act.

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The administration of President Joe Biden faces options, including in the realm of communications. One is to let this process operate and allow the world not to freak out so much about the tactical nuclear deployment, which might end up being seen as just another event in a long and bloody war. Many people will feel, perhaps correctly, that the same simply cannot happen to them. Even if you think we ought to instead punish Putin severely, this may not be possible if the NATO coalition has fractured out of fear.

The downside is that we would be normalizing nuclear weapons use while also encouraging Putin to continue in his depredations.

The alternative is to speak repeatedly about Russias nuclear outrage and to keep the attention of the world focused on it as a special and uniquely evil event. The risk in doing so is that we would elevate Putins rebellion against Western norms and raise his supposedly heroic profile among those who support him. If you talk about a tyrant but dont punish him, he may end up all the stronger. Furthermore, it isnt obvious whether trending on Twitter would support such a Biden strategy in the longer run.

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What if they gave a nuclear war and no one came? Or at least no one squawked too loudly? We should start to give this matter some thought.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:



Heirs of Hitlers Billionaires Need to Reckon With the Past: Tobin Harshaw



The Next Front in the Ukraine War Will Be on the Black Sea: James Stavridis



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Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A professor of economics at George Mason University, he hosts the Marginal Revolution blog and is coauthor of Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives and Winners Around the World.

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Chinas consumer-tech companies are riding an endless train of trouble. Just as the government seems to be easing its regulatory crackdown, consumer fatigue  even disinterest  is setting in. At an April meeting of the Politburo, the top government policymaking body, Beijing vowed to support the healthy growth of platform companies, a statement interpreted by many analysts as the end of the governments year-long campaign to rein in big tech across a wide range of issues, from antitrust to data security. Beijings crackdown cost tech companies as much as $2 trillion of market value, the equivalent of 11% of Chinas gross domestic product, estimates Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

But a potentially bigger threat looms: Citywide lockdowns are forcing consumers to seek alternatives and question how useful Big Tech really is.

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For years, e-commerce was the crown jewel of Chinese tech industry, with online shopping accounting for a much bigger share of retail sales than in the U.S. Companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., JD.com Inc. and Meituan invested heavily to build distribution and logistics networks, going as far as sourcing fresh produce directly from farmers and recruiting armies of migrant workers for speedy deliveries.

The Shanghai lockdown, which started on April 1, disrupted the entire business model, helping send Hong Kongs Hang Seng Tech Index down 31% this year, more than double the benchmark Hang Seng Index. The price of hiring riders has soared, and a large number of delivery workers are stuck at home. As for those who can work, many cant go back to their families at the end of the day because the government wants to minimize traffic in and out of residential areas. As a result, e-commerce companies have to offer free accommodation or risk their riders going homeless.

Last month, internet companies dispatched about 20,000 riders to fill 2.5 million grocery orders a day to the city of 25 million, according to the Shanghai government. While this number looked sizable, thats only about one-third of pre-lockdown levels, according to CLSA estimates.

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So instead of e-commerce, Shanghai residents have turned to analog strategies  their social skills and the kindness of their neighbors  to meet basic needs. Community buying, in which residents at the same address band together to make bulk purchases of groceries in a single order from suppliers and restaurants, has become very popular. Neighborhood volunteers take it upon themselves to contact merchants and couriers, drop off each order door-to-door, and check on the elderly who dont know how to use smartphones.

Meanwhile, WeChat, operated by Tencent Holdings Ltd., is no longer serving as the digital town square where users remain endlessly engaged. The social media super-app has been quick to censor criticism and skepticism of President Xi Jinpings Covid-zero policy, deleting plenty of content  from a six-minute video that documented the pleas of Shanghai residents, to photo blogs of old people dragged to makeshift quarantine centers, and even articles on Chinas cybersecurity law and censorship regulations.

Nowadays, when one tries to open a link, unable to view this activity seems to be the norm. Increasingly, people use code words to describe sensitive topics such as Covid-zero and emigration out of China, and many who used to be chatty on WeChat have gone silent. Some migrated to Telegram. WeChat has become a digital contact list  and nothing more. It ruined user experience, many of us feel.

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Before the pandemic, tech companies made life easy. Bubble tea could be delivered to your office within 15 minutes, and WeChat messages lit up all day along. Now, Covid lockdowns have left many of us with that sour aftertaste. We remember the futile attempts to place online grocery orders at 6 a.m., and the spite that wells up when social media is censored.

So when millions of Chinese re-emerge from their lockdowns  whenever that is  many might find theyve broken their addiction, preferring real face time with humans instead of the virtual kind. Sometimes, to connect with others, you have to disconnect from the phone. But what does that mean for the business models of Big Tech, which is all about hooking users to their screens?

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Shuli Ren is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian markets. A former investment banker, she was a markets reporter for Barrons. She is a CFA charterholder.

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Congress still hasnt approved supplemental funding for Covid-19 vaccines, booster shots, treatments, tests and scientific work in a bill its been sitting on for months. Democrats have the tools to make it happen, but they arent using them, and I dont understand why. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Republicans are filibustering against the bill in the Senate, holding the spending hostage in an attempt to get their way on an immigration matter  or at least trying to force Democrats to take tough votes on immigration.

Congressional Democrats tried to break the logjam by combining two must-pass measures, the pandemic funding and additional aid to Ukraine. Republicans support the Ukraine spending. But as it turned out, they were willing to block that, too.

Thats no surprise; presidents typically are more urgent about foreign policy than members of Congress, which means presidents cant really use foreign aid requests to squeeze anything else out of Congress.

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Perhaps it was worth a try, but President Joe Biden hardly seemed enthusiastic about it in his comments to the press when he introduced the idea. Once it was clear that it wouldnt work, Biden on Monday signaled that he had no objection to separating the items, and negotiators quickly reached a deal on the Ukraine aid.

That stranded the stalled coronavirus spending bill, although it appears that it may be finally moving forward. Which gets to the part that I dont understand. The Democrats and Biden badly need that funding, for both policy and electoral reasons. Theres probably nothing more important for Bidens approval ratings, and therefore for Democratic chances in 2022 and 2024, than putting the pandemic in the past as much as possible.

So how can the Democrats just leave this out there, unresolved, for so long? If they have to take a policy loss on immigration in order to get the funding, then how can it make sense to have it dragging on for months? If all they have to do is take tough votes to defeat Republican immigration measures, then get to it. A tough immigration vote to defend is not going to be nearly as damaging as vaccine shortages or other failures to manage the pandemic. If theres a deal to be made, make it.

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Or Democrats could choose to fight this one out. Thats a valid option, too. Biden could rip Republicans for blocking needed funding, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could bring the measure to the Senate floor and force a confrontation. Perhaps that would work, with Republicans backing down rather than risking a high-profile unpopular stance. Perhaps  more likely  it wouldnt, with Republicans happy to argue over immigration and willing to be seen as obstructionists. But at least it would have some chance at working. Having that same fight, but keeping it low-key, never had any chance of success.

Its not clear from the reporting whether the strategic muddle originates in the White House, Senate Democratic leadership or the Senate rank-and-file. But the stalemate has lasted far too long. Whoever was responsible for the flawed tactics, or lack of them, its time  its been time for a while  for the White House to step in and come up with a plan to get it done, and then keep on it until the bill passes.

In general, a lot of complaints about Congressional strategy are really just expressions of frustration from advocates, analysists and political actors when the votes for measures they favor simply arent there. Its not Schumers fault or Bidens fault that the Senate isnt voting to codify abortion rights, for example. They dont have the votes, and theres nothing a president or a majority leader can do to force senators to flip votes on high-profile, high-intensity policy questions.

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But there are plenty of votes available for pandemic funding. Its almost certainly going to be approved, eventually. Unfortunately for Democrats, Republicans have enough leverage to win concessions or at least to force uncomfortable votes. Reacting to that by just letting it go for weeks, and even months? Im not understanding that one.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

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President Joe Biden wants to make it easier for Russian scientists, engineers and technology professionals to move to the U.S. by temporarily suspending the need for a sponsoring employer. Its a welcome move, and long overdue. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight By streamlining the system to accelerate an already a damaging rate of departures from Russia, Washington will erode President Vladimir Putins ability to sustain his invasion of Ukraine and his repressive machinery at home, undermine crucial Kremlin propaganda, and boost the U.S. economy  which has gained in the past from precisely such efforts.

Russia has experienced multiple emigration waves over the past century or so, through the 1990s when some 2.5 million left amid an economic collapse. Putins arrival initially promised increased prosperity, but departures have increased again since 2012, the year he returned for a third term, signaling an authoritarian turn. Recent migrants have often cited politics as their reason for departure; they are by and large educated, well-off and liberal. Theyre also young: Nearly half of 18- to 24-year-olds last year expressed a desire to move abroad, along with a third of 25- to 39-year-olds.

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The pace of that brain drain has only increased since the invasion of Ukraine, which prompted wide-ranging sanctions and the departure of a string of foreign employers and outside investors. The Russian Association for Electronic Communications said in March that 50,000 to 70,000 tech workers had left, with 100,000 more expected to leave last month. The total number is likely to be several times that.

For the Putin regime, thats an unmitigated disaster. Even before the war, officials had estimated the countrys shortage of tech workers at between 500,000 and a million, rising to 2 million by 2027. Science has suffered in a repressive political environment in which funding is tight, overseas collaborations risky, and treason charges not uncommon. Research and development amounts to just 1% of Russias output  less than half the figure in most market economies  with much of that accounted for by the military, or oil and gas. As more high-skilled workers depart, expect all this to worsen.

The Kremlin has long dismissed such emigrants as liberal troublemakers. But its clear the sharp rise is now alarming those at the top. Unable to introduce Soviet-style exit bans for IT workers without creating a backlash, Putin has instead offered incentives, including tax holidays, salary boosts and subsidized mortgages for tech professionals, plus an all-important exemption from conscription. So far, none of this seems to be stemming the flow.

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For the U.S., one benefit of welcoming these high-skilled workers is that it will undermine a key tenet of Kremlin propaganda, which holds that the Western alliance merely hopes to harm the Russian people. Its been a powerful message. But eventually widening the welcome to other professions, along with travelers and students, would further refute this line, while supporting the creation of a new, post-Putin intelligentsia open to other ideas for the future. During the Soviet Union, travel abroad and exposure to the West was a major contributor to the pressure that eventually forced increased openness.

A second and more important rationale is economic. By helping Russians with coveted skills to resettle, Biden will only impede Putins economic prospects while boosting his own. Initiatives such as the Soviet Scientists Immigration Act of 1992 brought thousands of much-needed scientists and engineers to the U.S., along with an influx of skills, initiative and new ideas. More than half of Americas top tech companies were founded by immigrants or their children  many of them Russian.

Professional migration is a powerful tool that makes the most of U.S. soft power and, in time, is worth considering for other troublesome governments left vulnerable from brain drains. Human capital, after all, is the hardest to replace.

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The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

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The plunge in technology shares is providing investors with a harsh lesson in the reflexivity of stock-based compensation, which acts as a tailwind for companies while stock prices are increasing but can hamper employee retention and threaten cash flow when share prices collapse. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Loss-making mobile-games company Skillz Inc., for example, in September promised chief executive Andrew Paradise a bonus worth roughly $175 million if he could reverse a steep decline in the share price and quintuple the market value within seven years. (1)

However, the rout continued  the shares have declined 96% since last years peak  and in March, Paradise agreed to cancel his compensation plan so the San Francisco-based company could top up equity awards for the rest of the workforce instead. Skillz is also boosting salaries by 15% to discourage employees from quitting. The added wage expense will, though, make reaching positive free cash flow even harder.

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Its predicament is one shared by scores of neophyte technology companies that are suddenly under pressure to generate profits, rather than just rapid revenue growth. Pandemic winners such as Peloton Interactive Inc. and Robinhood Markets Inc. are slashing jobs, and the morale of those who remain has been bruised by the shrinking value of employee stock awards.

For younger tech employees, their first experience of a really vicious bear market comes as an unpleasant shock. For the past decade, tech companies seemed only to shower them with wealth. By accepting stock in lieu of cash, however, staffers were effectively providing cheap financing to their employers, a decision that now doesnt look as smart. When stock prices crater, workers discover that theyve been earning much less than they thought, Alliance Bernstein analysts explained in a prescient note last year.

Its a shock, too, for employers and investors. Paying staff with shares allowed tech firms to report seemingly good adjusted earnings and cash flows, because stock compensation is excluded from those calculations. Shareholders still suffered dilution from increasing share counts, but gave it little thought because the market values of firms were rapidly increasing.

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Now the tech compensation ratchet has swung the other way. Companies are having to offer higher cash salaries to reduce their employees exposure to stock-market volatility and help them cope with a cost-of-living squeeze. Amazon.com Inc. has more than doubled its maximum base salary to $350,000 to aid hiring and retention, while rival e-commerce giant Shopify Inc. has given employees more flexibility to choose between cash- and stock-based pay. Cisco Systems Inc. is making cash a higher proportion of total compensation.

Boosting pay packets wont pose a problem for cash-rich FAANG stocks, but it might be trickier for smaller cash-burning upstarts. In December, Skillz added to its coffers via a $300 million high-yield bond, but was forced to pay an eye-watering 10.25% coupon.

As Snap Inc. (which paid $1.1 billion in stock compensation last year) reminded investors recently, dilution from employee stock awards also tends to move inversely with equity values. Put another way, as stock prices fall, companies may have to offer employees even more shares to achieve the same compensation levels. DoorDash Inc. has offered recent hires top-up equity grants to offset the losses theyve incurred since joining, Business Insider reported. Meanwhile, Nikola Corp. is asking shareholders at its June annual meeting for permission to increase its share count by one-third, in part to aid the attraction and retention of employees through additional equity grants.

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The big unknown these firms face is this: Will their employees walk? Stock options, like the ones Netflix Inc. offers, can lose their entire retention value if the stock drifts far enough below the exercise price. Not surprisingly, its staff are now pressing for additional grants, according to The Information.

However, restricted stock units, essentially free awards of stock that typically vest over a four-year period, are far more common these days and will retain at least some value (unless the company goes bust).

A low stock price isnt necessarily a disaster for recruitment: If a company can convince new hires its shares are undervalued, it may still be able to attract talent whod profit handsomely from a rebound. Given the worsening tech jobs market  Meta Platforms has reportedly instituted a hiring freeze through the end of the year  the pressure to increase cash salaries may soon start to abate and employees may decide to stay put. Moreover, money also isnt the only consideration: Corporate culture, mission, and career advancement matter to employees too.

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While shareholders will understand the need to retain top engineering talent, theyre unlikely to show the same tolerance if companies rebase executive compensation so top managers still make bank. Amid the last years market euphoria, several tech firms offered senior executives pay plans potentially worth nine or ten-digits in return for reaching ambitious share price goals. Like at Skillz, those targets now look unrealistic because stocks have cratered: Robinhood executives, for example, will need to increase the companys market capitalization by around 30 times to achieve all of their bonuses.

But those who stood to profit most from rising markets cant really complain when the pendulum swings the other way. Techs newfound need for financial discipline should also apply to executive pay.

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(1) Ive calculated the nominal award value using the share price on the grant date. Of course, if all the targets were met, the total value of the shares would have been roughly five times higher than Ive described (depending on the number of shares then outstanding).

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies in Europe. Previously, he was a reporter for the Financial Times.

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The U.K. and the European Union are wrangling over Brexit arrangements covering trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland that are designed to avoid the return of a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. The current regime, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, is stifling the flow of goods and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government wants to rewrite the arrangements painstakingly agreed to in years of negotiations. The tensions are a reminder that, even though the U.K. officially parted ways with the EU at the start of 2020, fundamental aspects of the relationship remain problematic.

1. What is the protocol?

Its an arrangement to keep goods moving between Northern Ireland, a region of the U.K., and EU-member Ireland to the south, while making sure the border doesnt turn into a soft target for smuggling goods into the EU. It did that by establishing physical checks on products when they arrive in Northern Ireland from mainland Britain. The U.K. government says the burden of new paperwork and customs procedures have disrupted trade and effectively created an internal border within a sovereign country. Its also unhappy that the European Court of Justice oversees large parts of the protocol. Britain is now considering introducing domestic legislation that would override key parts of the arrangement.

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2. What could the U.K. do?

The U.K. is weighing two options. The first is to suspend part of the protocol by triggering an emergency clause known as Article 16, which either the U.K. or the EU can do if they believe it has caused serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties or a diversion of trade. Article 16 doesnt allow one side to scrap the protocol entirely. The other option is to introduce domestic legislation giving ministers power to unilaterally turn off key parts of the Brexit deal, a move thats bound to be met by strong EU opposition and could breach international law. Both choices would likely include a suspension of customs checks and paperwork requirements on products arriving from Britain. The U.K. insists it would prefer a negotiated solution, while not ruling these options out.

3. What does the EU say?

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Its proposed concessions to reduce the customs burden on traders, but refused to scrap the role of the ECJ. EU officials say the U.K. already accepted that the protocol was the best solution to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and protect the integrity of the EUs single market for goods, which ensures the same standards and rules governing areas such as food safety.

4. How do people in Northern Ireland feel?

Support has been growing for parties that want to keep the protocol, weakening Johnsons argument that it doesnt have the confidence of the regions population. In elections to Northern Irelands assembly on May 5, nationalist party Sinn Fein took seats from the Democratic Unionist Party, which wants to see the protocol scrapped.

5. Where do we go from here?

Britain has long said that the threshold for triggering Article 16 has been met due to disruption of trade, but its held off from taking that final step. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the protocol requires each side to give the other a months notice before activating Article 16, and they must then hold talks before any action can be taken. The other side would have the right to take immediate and proportionate retaliatory measures. If the U.K. were to suspend all customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, it would create a major dilemma for the EU: would the bloc be prepared to construct a border of its own between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to protect its single market? That prospect has been downplayed by EU officials.

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6. Could there be a trade war?

Quite possibly. Given the difficulty that a suspension of the protocol would create for the EU, it may look to retaliate against the U.K. in other areas of their trading arrangements. For example, it could seek to impose tariffs on sensitive industries, or increase the intensity of customs checks on goods crossing the English Channel. It might even go as far as terminating the entire post-Brexit trade deal. A tit-for-tat tariff dispute could also strain the unity of EU member states. The EU is the U.K.s largest trading partner and businesses from both sides would lose market access. If the dispute were to spiral out of control, the hard-fought peace and stability of Northern Ireland could, ultimately, be in jeopardy.

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Wall Street has always been involved in politics even if bank bosses sometimes want to pretend disinterest. In the past, they were able to stick mainly to battles about tax and regulation. Now, it is ever harder to avoid the U.S. culture wars. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser has stuck her head highest above the parapet with vaccine mandates to combat Covid and pledges of support for female staff in states that are banning or criminalizing abortions.

Jamie Dimon at JPMorgan Chase & Co. wouldnt answer the question directly on Bloomberg TV this week, but he did say the bank would always look after the health of its staff. His institution and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are both discussing policies like Citigroups now that the Supreme Court appears set to overturn Roe V. Wade, Bloomberg reported.

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Fraser told shareholders at their annual meeting last month that funding travel for abortions wasnt political but meant to ensure equal healthcare for all staff wherever they live.

This isnt the only area banks are getting caught in the cultural crossfire and being denounced as woke bogeymen. Policies around finance and payment for guns have already helped turn municipal bond sales into an unlikely battleground.

Texas passed laws last year to block banks from underwriting muni bonds if it deems their gun-sale policies restrictive. Other states are jumping on the bandwagon with copycat laws, including Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, which is considering an additional bill to punish banks that discriminate against energy companies.

The muni market isnt the biggest in the world, but it is significant. Texas is the third-biggest state for sales of long- and short-term bonds, commercial paper and municipal-backed corporate debt after California and New York, with more than $50 billion worth of sales in each of the past three years, more than 10% of all sales, according to Bloomberg data.

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The law has upended debt sales since it came into effect last September: JPMorgan, for example, has gone from leading the league tables in 2020, to seeing its business cut in half last year and drying up almost entirely so far this year. Topping the Texas table instead is Royal Bank of Canada.

Citigroups involvement has also dropped dramatically, but a Texas legislator has still threatened further exclusion over its abortion policy. Republicans in Congress have called for all government contracts with Citi to be canceled, while Senator Marco Rubio of Florida wants to cut all tax breaks from woke corporations.

With the threat of commercial damage, why would CEOs like Fraser risk backlash with public pronouncements on contentious issues? She could ensure staff are protected without saying it aloud.

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First, Republicans and the banking industry have already been leaving each other behind, especially since the party has become more nativist, socially conservative and protectionist on trade, like right-wing groups in the U.K. and Europe.

Banks and bankers have changed too. They are large, reliable political donors who traditionally favored the fiscally conservative and economically laissez-faire GOP. But there has been a steady drift toward funding liberal politicians, according to Adam Bonica, associate professor of political science at Stanford University.

He maps the ideological leanings of industries by analyzing data on contributions and has found the same slow-moving trend among many since 1980. But it accelerated in recent years: In finance, ideology crossed the center line and then became rapidly more liberal in the targets of its funding after 2012.

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Industries like agriculture and energy are among the few that remain more conservative.

But this still doesnt tell us why or what is the value in advertising more progressive attitudes to the wider world? One answer is the economic heft of younger generations.

Millenials (aka Generation Y) and Generation Z, which combine all people born between 1981 and 2012, are a huge demographic force, especially in the U.S. The roughly 73 million millennial Americans have already overtaken Baby Boomers as a bigger share of the population. Hot on their heels, Gen-Z will become the biggest group, nearly 80 million, by 2034, according to a 2019 study of the coming youth boom by Morgan Stanley economists and analysts. Gen-Z is big in the U.S., accounting for 20% of the U.S. population, more than in other advanced country. In France and the U.K. they make up 17%-18% of the population while in many other places they are less than 15%.

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The effect of these cohorts on the growth of the working population and the U.S. economy in the decades ahead is going to be much greater than official projections had assumed, Morgan Stanley found. That goes against the expectations of a slower economy brought on by the decline of boomers as active workers and consumers.

This, of course, matters greatly for banks. Millennials have driven the bulk of new loan demand in the U.S. since before 2019, according to Morgan Stanley. Plus, banks face more competition from fintechs to win the business and longer-term loyalty of Generations Y and Z: The young are predisposed to use smartphones for all kinds of finance. More than 60% of Gen-Zers had a smartphone before their 14th birthday.

Banks also must compete harder to recruit young people against their stronger aspirations to work in technology or healthcare. This is why banks such as Goldman Sachs are also bringing in an array of progressive benefits and why many are being forced to allow more flexible working.

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The young and the college educated skew more liberal in their social views and in the current phase of this social-media age they often expect their employers and the brands they use to reflect their attitudes.

Banks commercial imperative must be to build brands and reputations among these two generations. It isnt cynical to recognize the economic case whatever you think about the role a CEO like Fraser should or shouldnt play publicly.

Wall Streets leaders will find their roles at times uncomfortable, but it is the right path to follow.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

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The Trump Justice Department secretly obtained Washington Post journalists phone records and tried to obtain their email records over reporting they did in the early months of the Trump administration on Russias role in the 2016 election, according to government letters and officials. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight In three separate letters dated May 3 and addressed to Post reporters Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, and former Post reporter Adam Entous, the Justice Department wrote they were hereby notified that pursuant to legal process the United States Department of Justice received toll records associated with the following telephone numbers for the period from April 15, 2017 to July 31, 2017. The letters listed work, home or cellphone numbers covering that three-and-a-half-month period.

Cameron Barr, The Posts acting executive editor, said: We are deeply troubled by this use of government power to seek access to the communications of journalists. The Department of Justice should immediately make clear its reasons for this intrusion into the activities of reporters doing their jobs, an activity protected under the First Amendment.

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See the celebration in The Washington Post newsroom as they were awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting in April 2018. (Video: Erin Patrick O'Connor, Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post, Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

News organizations and First Amendment advocates have long decried the government practice of seizing journalists records in an effort to identify the sources of leaks, saying it unjustly chills critical newsgathering. The last such high-profile seizure of reporters communications records came several years ago as part of an investigation into the source of stories by a reporter who worked at BuzzFeed, Politico and the New York Times. The stories at issue there also centered around 2017 reporting on the investigation into Russian election interference.

It is rare for the Justice Department to use subpoenas to get records of reporters in leak investigations, and such moves must be approved by the attorney general. The letters do not say precisely when the reporters records were taken and reviewed, but a department spokesman said the decision to do so came in 2020, during the Trump administration. William P. Barr, who served as Trumps attorney general for nearly all of that year, before departing Dec. 23, declined to comment.

The Justice Department defended its decision to subpoena Post reporters records as an investigative step of last resort that was not taken lightly.

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While rare, the Department follows the established procedures within its media guidelines policy when seeking legal process to obtain telephone toll records and non-content email records from media members as part of a criminal investigation into unauthorized disclosure of classified information, said Marc Raimondi, a spokesman for the Justice Department. The targets of these investigations are not the news media recipients but rather those with access to the national defense information who provided it to the media and thus failed to protect it as lawfully required.

The phone records taken include the numbers of all the calls made to and from the targeted phone over the specified time period, and how long each call lasted, but do not include what was said in those phone calls. Investigators often hope such records will provide clues about possible sources the reporters were in contact with before a particular story published.

The letters to the three reporters also noted that prosecutors got a court order to obtain non content communication records for the reporters work email accounts, but did not obtain such records. The email records sought would have indicated who emailed whom and when, but would not have included the contents of the emails.

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The letter does not state the purpose of the phone records seizure, but toward the end of the time period mentioned in the letters, those reporters wrote a story about classified U.S. intelligence intercepts indicating that in 2016, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) had discussed the Trump campaign with Sergey Kislyak, who was Russias ambassador to the United States. Justice Department officials would not say if that reporting was the reason for the search of journalists phone records. Sessions subsequently became President Donald Trumps first attorney general and was at the Justice Department when the article appeared.

About a month before that story published, the same three journalists also wrote a detailed story about the Obama administrations internal struggles to counter Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Entous, who now works at the New Yorker, declined to comment.

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Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the incident raises serious First Amendment concerns because it interferes with the free flow of information to the public, and he called on the Justice Department to explain exactly when prosecutors seized these records, why it is only now notifying The Post, and on what basis the Justice Department decided to forgo the presumption of advance notification under its own guidelines when the investigation apparently involves reporting over three years in the past.

The two letters received at The Post were signed by Channing D. Phillips, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and John C. Demers, the head of the Justice Departments national security division. The correspondence listed five phones for which records had been seized: Nakashimas work, cellphone and home phone, and Millers work phone and cellphone. The letter to Entous cited his cellphone number.

Parts of the timeline of the leak investigation are still unclear, and many of those details are often withheld by investigators. Under Justice Department regulations that guide investigations involving media records, the department is usually required to eventually tell the news organization that it took the step of obtaining such records. In this case, the decision to get the records occurred during the Trump administration and the notification of the reporters fell to the Biden administration.

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The seizure of reporters phone records has been a controversial topic in recent years, as both the Trump and Obama administrations escalated efforts to stop leaks and prosecute government officials who disclose secrets to reporters.

In early August 2017  days after the time period covered by the search of The Post reporters phone records  Sessions held a news conference to announce an intensified effort to hunt and prosecute leakers in government.

This culture of leaking must stop, Sessions said, noting that the number of leak investigations had tripled since the end of the prior administration. That announcement seemed aimed at appeasing Trump, who had publicly complained about leaks that made him look bad, and branded Sessions weak on hunting leakers.

Justice Department policy dictates that investigators in leak cases should exhaust all other possible sources of information before considering trying to examine journalists records.

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During the Obama administration, the department prosecuted nine leak cases, more than all previous administrations combined. In one case, prosecutors called a reporter a criminal co-conspirator and secretly went after journalists phone records in a bid to identify reporters sources. Prosecutors also sought to compel a reporter to testify and identify a source, though they ultimately backed down from that effort.

In response to criticism about such tactics, in 2015, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. issued updates to the rules about media leak investigations aimed at creating new internal checks on how often and how aggressively prosecutors seek reporters records.

In response to Trumps concerns, Sessions and others discussed changing the rules to seek journalists phone records earlier in leak investigations, but the regulations were never changed.

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Rep. Reed resigns over misconduct accusation Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), who was accused of sexual misconduct last year, resigned from Congress on Tuesday. After almost 12 years in Congress, today is my last day, Reed said on the House floor. Reed said after the sexual assault accusations that he would not seek reelection. His term was set to end next year.

Reed was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over the allegations.

A former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis, accused the congressman of assaulting her in 2017.

At that time, Reed told The Washington Post that Daviss account of his actions is not accurate.

But he later apologized to her after announcing his decision not to run for reelection.

Davis said she had no comment on Reeds resignation.

Reed is a former co-chair of the Houses Problem Solvers Caucus and was seen as one of the more moderate Republicans in the House.

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Reed will take a job at the Prime Policy Group, a government relations and public affairs firm, the news outlet NY1 reported.

In his House speech Tuesday, Reed said that it is time for petty political posturing to end.

 Mariana Alfaro

and Beth Reinhard

Man charged with killing mother at sea

A man found floating on a raft off the coast of New England in 2016 after his boat sank was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with killing his mother at sea to inherit the familys estate.

The eight-count indictment released in federal court in Burlington, Vt., also says Nathan Carman shot and killed his grandfather, John Chakalos, at his home in Windsor, Conn., in 2013 as part of an effort to defraud insurance companies, but he was not charged with that killing.

Carman was found in an inflatable raft eight days after leaving a Rhode Island marina to go fishing with his mother, Linda Carman, who was never found.

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Carman, 28, of Vernon, Vt., was arrested Tuesday.

An indictment handed down May 2 but made public after Carmans arrest claims that on Nov. 11, 2013, Carman used his New Hampshire drivers license to purchase a rifle that he used on Dec. 20, 2013, to shoot Chakalos while he slept.

Carman moved to Vermont in 2014. In September 2016, he arranged to go on a fishing trip with his mother on his boat named the Chicken Pox.

In 2019, a federal judge in Rhode Island, in an insurance company case, decided that Carman contributed to the sinking of the boat. Carman denied doing anything to intentionally make the boat unseaworthy.

Chakalos, who was a real estate developer, left behind an estate that was worth nearly $29 million, which was to be divided among his four daughters. Carman is in line to get about $7 million of the estate, as his mothers only heir.

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 Associated Press

2 Outer Banks beach houses crash into surf

Two beach houses have fallen into the waves along North Carolinas coast, U.S. National Park Service officials said Tuesday. The unoccupied homes were located along Ocean Drive in the Outer Banks community of Rodanthe.

Debris from the first fallen house was spreading widely. Officials from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which is part of the Park Service, said they will be working closely with the homeowner to coordinate cleanup activities.

Earlier, a house in Rodanthe collapsed in February.

North Carolinas coast is almost entirely made up of narrow, low-lying barrier islands. Hatteras Island is part of whats known as the Outer Banks.

Hundreds of pricey vacation homes have been built there in places where experts say they probably should not have been. The islands are particularly vulnerable to storm surges and to being washed over from both sides.

 Associated Press

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BEIJING  A Chinese cargo vessel docked with the countrys under-construction space station Tuesday ahead of a new three-person crew expected to arrive next month. The Tianzhou-4 spacecraft was slung into space atop a Long March-7 Y5 rocket at 1:56 a.m. from the Wenchang Launch Base in the southern island province of Hainan. State media said it docked with the station about seven hours later.

The cargo vessel is carrying supplies for the next crews six-month stay, along with research equipment and spare parts for maintaining the station.

The stations last crew returned to Earth last month after six months on the station, Chinas longest space mission to date.

China intends to finish building the station this year with the addition of two laboratory modules in July and October to link with the Tianhe living module that was launched in April 2021. Another cargo craft, the Tianzhou-3, remains docked with the station.

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Chinas space program launched its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, making China only the third country to do so using its own resources after the former Soviet Union and the U.S.

It has landed robot rovers on the moon and placed one on Mars last year. China has also returned samples from the moon, and officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon.

The government announced in 2020 that Chinas first reusable spacecraft had landed following a test flight but no photos or details have been released.

China is excluded from the International Space Station due to U.S. unease that its space program is run by the ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army.

The Shenzhou 14 crewed mission is scheduled to launch next month for a six month stay. Toward the end of that mission, three more astronauts will be launched aboard Shenzhou 15 for a further six months, with the two crews overlapping for three to five days, marking the first time the station has six people aboard.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia  Sailors deployed to secure travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday made Indonesias biggest cocaine seizure after finding plastic packages of the drugs floating at sea, the navy said. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and has strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad.

The four black packages containing 179 kilograms (nearly 400 pounds) of cocaine worth 1.2 trillion rupiah ($82.6 million) were found floating near Merak port on Java island on Sunday, the navys deputy chief of staff said at a news conference Monday.

Smuggling drugs by throwing packages and a buoy into the sea is a common tactic, Vice Adm. Ahmadi Heri Purwono said. Smugglers likely put the drugs in the water near a port for them to be moved by a speedboat and were monitoring the packages when they were seized by the navy, he said.

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This is a spectacular seizure of cocaine, considering its huge value and the impact on the people as a result of the illicit drugs, Purwono said. No one has been arrested, and authorities are still investigating, he said.

The officers who spotted the package were among 5,000 navy personnel deployed to secure Eid al-Fitr homecomings. Millions of Indonesians celebrate the holiday at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by traveling to see their families across the vast archipelago.

The U.N. drug office says Indonesia is a major smuggling hub in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. Indonesias National Narcotics Agency estimates there are 5.6 million drug users in the country of 270 million people.

Most of the more than 150 people on Indonesias death row were convicted of drug crimes. About one-third of them are foreigners. Its last executions were in 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by a firing squad.

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CANBERRA, Australia  A 69-year-old Chilean woman wanted on kidnapping charges dating to Augusto Pinochets military dictatorship in the 1970s faces extradition from Australia after a court closed her final appeal option. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Adriana Rivas had appealed to Australias highest court after three Federal Court judges in November unanimously rejected her appeal against extradition to her homeland.

But the High Court issued a certificate on Monday saying her appeal application was deemed to have been abandoned because of unspecified procedural failings by her lawyer.

Rivas has waged a three-year battle against extradition on charges that she kidnapped seven people in 1976 and 1977, including Communist Party leader Victor Diaz and party member Reinalda Pereira, who was five months pregnant.

Rivas was an assistant to Manuel Contreras, the head of the DINA secret police during Pinochets dictatorship. Rivas denies ever meeting the alleged victims, who have never been found.

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The end of the court process opens the way for Australias attorney general to take the final step of approving the extradition.

But the government has been in caretaker mode since an election was called on April 10. The extradition decision will likely be made by whomever becomes attorney general after the May 21 election.

Attorney General Michaelia Cashs office said in a statement Tuesday it would be inappropriate for her to comment on Rivas case because this process is yet to be finalized.

The attorney general must give reasonable time to consider any arguments against extradition that Rivas wants to make.

Chilean-born lawyer Adriana Navarro, a Sydney-based advocate for Pinochets victims, said she suspected Rivas had hoped to delay the High Court process by getting an extension of time.

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Clearly, the families are not going to put up with that, Navarro said.

Navarro said Rivas could potentially ask a court to review an attorney generals decision to send her back to Chile.

She could only do that if she could prove that the reasons behind the attorney generals decision are not legally reasonable and that would be very hard to do, Navarro said.

Rivas lawyers argued she was not a DINA agent and her work was mundane. Her tasks included collecting laundry, making coffee and translating, they said.

They also contended that the alleged victims were detained following arrests, not kidnapped, and that those actions were carried out by the state, not by an individual.

Rivas moved to Australia in 1978 and was detained in Chile during a visit to see family in 2006. She was released after some months on probation and fled to Australia in 2009.

She lived quietly in Sydneys wealthy eastern suburbs, working as a part-time nanny and cleaner until her arrest in February 2019 on a Chilean Supreme Court extradition order.

She would become the first person ever extradited between Australia and Chile.

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BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday submitted the second part of the questionnaire for Ukraine's candidate status of a European Union (EU) membership to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said Zelensky's press service.

The document was handed over during an online meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the EU, the press service said on Telegram.

During the meeting, Zelensky thanked von der Leyen for the "clear signals of support" for Ukraine on its path towards the EU membership.

- - - -

Russia held a grand military parade in central Moscow's Red Square on Monday to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In an address to troops and guests ahead of the annual event, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "it is our duty to keep the memory of those who crushed Nazism and bequeathed vigilance to us, and do everything so that the horror of a global war does not happen again."

Russia has always advocated for creating a system of equal and indivisible security, a system that is vital for the entire world community, he said.

- - - -

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and visiting European Council President Charles Michel on Monday discussed steps to solve the issues concerning Ukraine's agricultural exports, the government press service reported.

During the talks in Ukraine's southern port city of Odessa, Shmyhal said that the shipping of goods through the Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea was suspended since Feb. 24 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Currently, about 70 vessels are blocked in the seaports of Ukraine, including 10 in the port of Odessa, Shmyhal said.

"The vast majority of ships are bulk carriers and mixed cargo vessels. Some 90 million tons of agricultural products that Ukraine planned to supply to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe have been blocked," he said.

- - - -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had discussed defense support for his country amid the conflict with Russia with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

According to Zelensky, other topics of the conversation were energy cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden and the strengthening of sanctions on Russia.

For her part, Andersson tweeted that she expressed steadfast support for Ukraine during the phone call with Zelensky.

- - - -

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday held talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, vowing to provide further financial and military support for Ukraine.

Scholz highlighted the need to act together as part of Europe, vowing measures necessary to prevent the war from spreading to other countries.

Macron called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and noted that important decisions would be made at the European level in terms of sanctions against Russia in the coming days. 
London: The scandal over lockdown-breaking parties that has ensnared Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain took a new turn when his rival, opposition leader Keir Starmer, promised to resign if police decide that he also broke coronavirus laws.

The statement followed days of speculation about whether Starmer was in breach of the countrys strict COVID-19 regulations when he was pictured drinking a beer as he ate takeout Indian food during a campaign meeting in the northern city of Durham last year.

Labour leader Keir Starmer makes a statement at Labour Party headquarters in London. Credit:PA

And while Starmers promise represents a striking gamble, it also raises the pressure on Johnson, who has already been fined for attending a birthday celebration at Downing Street but has refused to quit.

I am absolutely clear that no laws were broken, they were followed at all times, said Starmer, who is a former chief prosecutor.
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Amal, the giant puppet Syrian girl who last year completed an 8,000km walk from Gaziantep to Manchester in support of refugees, will visit Ukrainian children and families in Poland this week.

She has been invited to visit Poland by the Mayors of Lublin and Krakow and the Ukrainian Embassy, and will bring urgently needed aid including supplies for refugee children.

Between 10 and 14 May 2022 she will visit the Polish cities of Lublin, Przemysl and Krakow.

Her walk from the border of Syria to the UK in 2021 was witnessed by nearly a million people live. It takes three puppeteers to operate the 3.5 metre-tall Amal, which means 'hope' in Arabic. The team of puppeteers features artists from across the world including from refugee backgrounds.

Amal is produced by David Lan, Tracey Seaward and Stephen Daldry for The Walk Productions, in association with Handspring Puppet Company (War Horse). The original production of The Walk was produced with Good Chance Theatre.

Artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi said: "At a time of unprecedented global change, Amal's journeys transcend borders, politics and language to tell a new story of shared humanity  and to ensure the world doesn't forget the millions of displaced children, each with their own potential to enhance the communities in which, as we hope, they will find refuge."
VSS Policy Pillar Intern (Remote), Bonn, Germany

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

Country: Germany

City: Bonn

Office: UN Campus Bonn

Closing date: Sunday, 15 May 2022

VSS Policy Pillar Intern (Remote)

Location : Bonn, GERMANY

Application Deadline : 15-May-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Additional Category : Management

Type of Contract : Internship

Post Level : Intern

Languages Required : English

Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)

01-Jun-2022

Duration of Initial Contract : Initially three months with possibility of a three-month extension

Expected Duration of Assignment : Initially three months with possibility of a three-month extension

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

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society and volunteers at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity, and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement, and solidarity.

UNV engages over 10,700 UN Volunteers and 9,000 online volunteers annually. With an average age of 35 years of UN Volunteers and the requisite professional skills and qualifications of some with 5 to 10 years relevant experience. The majority come from developing countries themselves. Half of UN Volunteers served in their own countries, with the other half carrying out international assignments. The financial equivalent of programme activities exceeds US$ 235 million annually.

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 120 staff positions - with a large presence in Bonn and some positions with different UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g., New York and Tokyo) and Regional Offices (Nairobi, Dakar, Bangkok, Panama, Istanbul, and Amman).

The Volunteer Solutions Section (VSS) designs, develops, implement, and oversees the application of policies, procedures, onsite and online volunteer solutions and volunteer recruitment and management applications at all levels of the Volunteer Management Cycle architecture and programme development and management as well as the coordination and facilitation of communication and collaboration with Regional

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Policy Specialist within the Volunteer Solutions Section, the Intern will support the Volunteer Policy Pillar of VSS as follows:

Assist the Policy Pillar strategy to strengthen cooperation in an agile and consultative manner with the Regional Offices, Field Units, and other stakeholders for several policy developments, including the UNV Administrative Guidelines Winddown, the Waiver Policy review and policy support to implementation of the revised VLA (Volunteer Living Allowance) methodology;

Aggregate data for Policy Pillar team to incorporate into reports using data visualization for assessing administrative streamlining impact of Conditions of Service changes and other policy innovation, including organizing policy advice to feed into the artificial intelligence chatbot data fields;

Support drafting of policy advice on interpretation of policies, regulations, and rules and on substantive questions related to administration and management of UN Volunteers and participate in meetings or working groups for documentation and notetaking;

Keep abreast of developments in various areas of innovation pertinent to volunteer management with the aims of formulating development of policy research documents as part on ongoing efforts to sandbox proof of concept Special Programme Initiatives and other innovative policy concepts within the volunteer management cycle with a view to streamline and consolidate policy implementation digitally and seamlessly;

Assist with background research and drafting, including but not limited to academic studies, private and public sector best practices, UN Innovation Network, and other relevant stakeholder guidance, that have implications for volunteer management through policy innovation tools;

Work with VSS colleagues and Online Volunteers on digital design management of policy developments and service offer packages, on communication materials for internal and external use;

Assist with other assigned activities within the VSS Policy Pillar, as necessary.

Deliverables

Assist the Policy Pillar strategy with the UNV Administrative Guidelines Winddown, the Waiver Policy review and policy support to implementation of the revised VLA methodology.

Providing research and design assistance for evidence-based use case document on global best practice for thematic Special Programme Initiatives and other innovative concepts into volunteer management policy implementation, to be drafted and presented at a VSS team meeting.

Assisting Policy Pillar in formulating policy guidance for UN Remote Volunteers and UN Volunteer Recruitment and Selection Policy.

Support management of translation of critical policy documents, including the Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers, for global roll-out in Chinese, Arabic, and Russian.

Any other deliverables assigned to the intern as per the VSS annual work plan

Competencies

Competencies

Strong interest in development cooperation and in the work of the United Nations Volunteers programme.

Excellent oral and written communications skills as well as proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required. Knowledge of Visio and other design applications would be an asset.

Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN language is desirable

Learning opportunities for the intern

General understanding of the work and mission of the UNV programme, and of volunteerisms contribution to peace and development effectiveness;

Insight and hands-on experience in UNVs broad range of operational and programmatic issues on volunteer management;

Insight and hands-on experience in volunteer management; and

Become more familiar with working in an International Organization and in a multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Applicants to the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

Currently enrolled or having recently graduated from a Masters / Professional degree / academic programme in Public International Law, Peace and Development Policy, Frontier Technology (big data, augmented intelligence, blockchain), Social Sciences or a related field.

Have recently graduated with a university degree, and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;

Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Experience:

Interest and experience in volunteering is a strong asset.

Experience in developing countries is desirable.

Familiarity with the UN system in general

Language:

Proficiency in English;

Knowledge of other official UN language is desirable.

Conditions

Intern will be given monthly stipend in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy, which applicants should become familiar with prior to signing an UNDP Internship Agreement Form . Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP Stipend.

UNDP accepts no responsibility for the medical and life insurance of the intern or costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship;

All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring government or institutions;

The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment within the UN System, but to complement an interns studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.

Candidates who are shortlisted for an interview must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

Official letter from the University confirming enrollment in a graduate-level degree programme.

Only a successful candidate will be required to submit the following documents:

A copy of the applicants most recent resume or curriculum vitae;

A letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date;

A copy of his/her school transcript;

A letter of recommendation from a professor;

A signed UNDP Internship Agreement;

A Medical Certificate of Good Health;

Proof of medical insurance including provision for medical evacuation and removal of mortal remains or life insurance.

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1652018608081
National Project Personnel - Project Assistant, Georgia

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Country: Georgia

Closing date: Friday, 20 May 2022

2201228

National Project Personnel - Project Assistant

Job Posting: 06/May/2022

Closure Date: 20/May/2022, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : FEGEO

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : NPP (National Project Personnel)

Grade Level : N/A

Primary Location: Georgia

Duration : 3 months of probation period, with the possibility of extension

Post Number : N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture

Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply

Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAOs values

FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

FAO mandate in Georgia is to support national efforts to promote food security and sustainable development of agricultural sector. FAO priorities in Georgia reflect the objectives and priorities of the Government set in the strategy papers related to agricultural development. In essence FAO assists the Government in creating and implementing an institutional, legal and regulatory environment. At the same time, FAO supports individuals working in agriculture - farmers, cooperatives, companies etc. by providing technical and financial assistance.

Reporting Lines

The Project Assistant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Coordinator, and the direct supervision of the National Dairy Specialist based in Zugdidi.

Technical Focus

The Project Assistant will assist the National Dairy Specialist and Project coordinator in creating and support a network of Demonstration plots in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.The Project Assistant will provide technical, administrative and logistic support to all extension activities undertaken in Samegrelo Zemo-Svaneti under the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

Assist in identification and selection of farmers for each demonstration plot

Participate in the Needs Assessment in each potential location for Demonstration Plots, to define the strategies of extensions through the Demos, topics of training, etc.

Organize and plan exchange visits, field trainings, field days, sharing of practices, support field visits when required

Provide administrative and logistics support required for training and demonstration foreseen

Manage deliveries to and from the Field Office storage, and inventory of items/equipment

Support the Project coordinator and National Dairy Specialist in the preparation of work plans, workshop updates and the project reporting

Assist in monitoring implementation of activities to achieve project outcomes

Provide technical support to national M&E officer in setting up and implementing projects monitoring systems in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Keep good communication with other team members, responding promptly to others requests

Other duties as assigned.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

University degree in Agriculture, Veterinary, Livestock Production, food safety.

Working experience in Agriculture, Veterinary, Livestock Production or food safety sector.

Two years of relevant experience in project management, managing field projects in the sector of animal husbandry, food safety or technical support to farmers.

National of Georgia

Working knowledge of English

Knowledge of Megrelian is an asset

FAO Core Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Proven capacity to establish working relationships with smallholder farmers

Excellent communication skills, proven ability to convey complex ideas through clear and effective oral presentations

Good skills in community mobilization as well as inter-personal relations

Support on the elaboration of Procurement Plans

Computer literacy

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)

Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org

Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted

Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required. Vaccination status will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile

Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications

Incomplete applications will not be considered

Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAOs behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application

Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered

Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1651857446710
BOSTON (AP)  Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, following a swift trial in which the celebrity chef waived his right to have a jury decide his fate in a criminal case that arose from the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali places items on a table in a court room at Boston Municipal Court on the first day of his pandemic-delayed trial, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston. Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)

BOSTON (AP)  Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, following a swift trial in which the celebrity chef waived his right to have a jury decide his fate in a criminal case that arose from the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.

The 61-year-old former Food Network personality quickly strode out of the courtroom with his lawyers without commenting on the case, which centered on allegations that he aggressively kissed and groped a Boston woman while taking a selfie at a bar in 2017.

In delivering the verdict, Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton agreed with Batalis lawyers that the accuser had credibility issues and that photos suggested the encounter was amicable.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, he said.

But the judge also rebuked Batali while suggesting the former star of shows like Molto Mario and Iron Chef America has already paid a high cost in terms of his diminished reputation and financial losses.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali, center, is seated next to defense attorney Anthony Fuller, left, at Boston Municipal Court for the first day of Batali's pandemic-delayed trial, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston. Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)

Its an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question, Stanton said after prosecutors argued he was visibly drunk in the photos. His conduct, his appearance and his demeanor were not befitting of a public person of his stature at that time.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he was disappointed in the verdict but grateful Batali's accuser had come forward.

It can be incredibly difficult for a victim to disclose a sexual assault, he said in a statement. When the individual who committed such an abhorrent act is in a position of power or celebrity, the decision to report an assault can become all the more challenging and intimidating.

Prosecutor Ian Polumbaum, left, speaks with prosecutor Nina Bonelli, right, during the first day of celebrity chef Mario Batali's pandemic-delayed trial at Boston Municipal Court, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston. Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)

Batali, who pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in 2019, took a calculated gamble that Stanton, a former Republican candidate for state representative appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, would rule more favorably than a Boston jury.

Seeking a non-jury, or bench trial, is often a strategy employed when a defendant can come across as unlikeable to jurors.

Such was the case for Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts teen infamously charged with manslaughter for urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in text messages and who was the subject of The Girl from Plainville, a 2022 Hulu show starring Elle Fanning.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali is seated at Boston Municipal Court on the second day of his sexual misconduct trial on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Boston. Batali pleaded not-guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

In Carters case, though, the strategy didnt pan out and she was convicted and sentenced to more than a year in jail.

Batali faced up to 2 1/2 years in jail and wouldve been required to register as a sex offender if convicted.

His accuser, who also exited the courtroom without speaking with reporters, had testified how she felt confused and powerless to do anything to stop Batali at the time.

Prosecutor Nina Bonelli, foreground, listens during the first day of the pandemic-delayed trial of celebrity chef Mario Batali, seated behind left, at Boston Municipal Court, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Boston. Batali pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)

But in his closing statements, Batalis lawyer Antony Fuller portrayed the 32-year-old Boston-area resident as an admitted liar who is financially motivated because she's filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Batali.

In her world, truth is a flexible concept, he said, referencing the womans recent admission of attempting to avoid jury service by claiming to be clairvoyant, which was a focus of the two-day trial.

Prosecutor Nina Bonelli countered in her closing statement that Batalis lawyers were trying to demonize the woman, when it was their client on trial over his conduct.

Celebrity chef Mario Batali listens during testimony at Boston Municipal Court on the second day of his sexual misconduct trial on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Boston. Batali pleaded not-guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

She said the woman tried to de-escalate the unwanted touching by simply smiling it off" in the photos.

The kissing, the groping. She never asked for it. She never consented to it, she said. She just wanted a selfie.

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Batali was arguably the most prominent chef and restauranteur charged with sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement, which particularly roiled the food and beverage industry.

Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton speaks during the trial of Celebrity chef Mario Batali at Boston Municipal Court on the second day of his trial on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Boston. Batali pleaded not-guilty to a charge of indecent assault and battery in 2019, stemming from accusations that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman after taking a selfie with her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

After four women accused him of inappropriate touching in 2017, he stepped down from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire and left the since-discontinued ABC cooking show The Chew.

Batali also apologized, acknowledging the allegations match up with ways he has acted.

I have made many mistakes, he said in an email newsletter at the time. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.

Last year, Batali, his business partner and their New York City restaurant company agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve a four-year investigation by the New York attorney generals office into allegations that Batali and other staff sexually harassed employees.

In Boston, he had opened a branch of the popular Italian food marketplace Eataly and a Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca in the citys Seaport District. But he has since been bought out of his stake in Eataly, and the Babbo restaurant in Boston has closed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves.

Shelves typically stocked with baby formula sit mostly empty at a store in San Antonio, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves.

Months of spot shortages at pharmacies and supermarkets have been exacerbated by the recall at Abbott, which was forced to shutter its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February due to contamination concerns.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said the Food and Drug Administration was "working around the clock to address any possible shortages."

On Tuesday, the FDA said it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamlining paperwork to allow more imports.

For now, pediatricians and health workers are urging parents who cant find formula to contact food banks or doctor's offices. They warn against watering down formula to stretch supplies or using online DIY recipes.

A sign is posted at a CVS pharmacy indicating a shortage in the availability of baby food Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. Parents in much of the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula after a combination of supply disruptions and safety recalls have swept many of the leading brands from store shelves. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

"For babies who are not being breastfed, this is the only thing they eat," said Dr. Steven Abrams, of the University of Texas, Austin. "So it has to have all of their nutrition and, furthermore, it needs to be properly prepared so that its safe for the smallest infants."

Laura Stewart, a 52-year-old mother of three who lives just north of Springfield, Missouri, has been struggling for several weeks to find formula for her 10-month-old daughter, Riley.

Riley normally gets a brand of Abbott's Similac designed for children with sensitive stomachs. Last month, she instead used four different brands.

"She spits up more. Shes just more cranky. She is typically a very happy girl," Stewart said. "When she has the right formula, she doesnt spit up. Shes perfectly fine."

A small can costs $17 to $18 and lasts three to five days, Stewart said.

Like many Americans, Stewart relies on WIC  a federal program similar to food stamps that serves mothers and children  to afford formula for her daughter. Abbott's recall wiped out many WIC-covered brands, though the program is now allowing substitutions.

Baby formula is displayed on the shelves of a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Parents across the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula because supply disruptions and a massive safety recall have swept many leading brands off store shelves. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Trying to keep formula in stock, retailers including CVS and Walgreens have begun limiting purchases to three containers per customer.

Nationwide about 40% of large retail stores are out of stock, up from 31% in mid-April, according to Datasembly, a data analytics firm. More than half of U.S. states are seeing out-of-stock rates between 40% and 50%, according to the firm, which collects data from 11,000 locations.

Baby formula is particularly vulnerable to disruptions because just a handful of companies account for almost the entire U.S. supply.

Industry executives say the constraints began last year as the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in ingredients, labor and transportation. Supplies were further squeezed by parents stockpiling during lockdowns.

Then in February, Abbott recalled several major brands and shut down its Sturgis, Michigan, factory when federal officials concluded four babies suffered bacterial infections after consuming formula from the facility. Two of the infants died.

When FDA inspectors visited the plant in March they found lax safety protocols and traces of the bacteria on several surfaces. None of the bacterial strains matched those collected from the infants, however, and the FDA hasnt offered an explanation for how the contamination occurred.

A due to limited supplies sign is displayed on the baby formula shelf at a grocery store Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Salt Lake City. Parents across much of the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula after a combination of supply disruptions and safety recalls have swept many of the leading brands off store shelves. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

For its part, Abbott says its formula "is not likely the source of infection," though the FDA says its investigation continues.

Chicago-based Abbott said it is increasing production at its other facilities to fill the gap, including air-shipping formula from a plant in Ireland.

The shortages are especially dangerous for infants who require specialty formulas due to food allergies, digestive problems and other conditions.

"Unfortunately, many of those very specialized formulas are only made in the United States at the factory that had the recall, and that's caused a huge problem for a relatively small number of infants," Abrams said.

After hearing concerns from parents, the FDA said last month that Abbott could begin releasing some specialty formulas not affected by the recalls "on a case-by-case basis." The company is providing them free of charge, in coordination with physicians and hospitals.

Food safety advocates say the FDA made the right call in releasing the formula, but that parents should talk to their pediatricians before using it.

"Theres still some risk from the formula because we know there are problems at the plant and FDA hasnt identified a root cause," said Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "But its worth releasing because these infants might die without it."

Its unclear when the Abbott plant might reopen.

The FDA said the company is still working "to rectify findings related to the processes, procedures and conditions." Other infant formula makers are "meeting or exceeding capacity levels to meet current demand," the agency said.

Among other steps, the FDA said it was waiving enforcement of minor product labeling issues to increase availability of both U.S. and imported products.

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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter

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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.
CALGARY - The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors is raising its forecast for oil and natural gas drilling following what it said was a robust first quarter due to stronger than expected oil and gas prices.

Pumpjacks pump crude oil near Halkirk, Alta., June 20, 2007. The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors is raising its forecast for oil and natural gas drilling following what it said was a robust first quarter due to stronger than expected oil and gas prices. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

CALGARY - The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors is raising its forecast for oil and natural gas drilling following what it said was a robust first quarter due to stronger than expected oil and gas prices.

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The association says it now expects 6,902 wells to be drilled this year, up 6.9 per cent from its original forecast in November last year for 6,457.

Oil and gas prices soared earlier this year after Russian invaded Ukraine and a ban on Russian oil imports by U.S. President Joe Biden.

The revised drilling outlook projects operating days 62,121 for the year, up from the original forecast for 58,111, while the number of active rigs is expected to be 170, up from 159.

The forecast also suggests there will be more jobs in the sector with up to 37,409 direct and indirect positions for year, compared with earlier expectations for 34,925.

However, it notes that labour shortages are expected to be a drag on the industry for the remainder of the year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2022.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  President Joe Biden legally called for suspending new and gas lease sales while considering their effect on climate change, and onshore and offshore sales were legally postponed, a federal attorney argued Tuesday.

FILE - An oil drilling rig is pictured at sunset, Monday, March 7, 2022, in El Reno, Okla. A federal appeals court in New Orleans hears arguments Tuesday, May 10, 2022, about whether President Joe Biden legally suspended new oil and gas lease sales because of climate change worries. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  President Joe Biden legally called for suspending new and gas lease sales while considering their effect on climate change, and onshore and offshore sales were legally postponed, a federal attorney argued Tuesday.

The current offshore lease sale plan states specifically that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior may reduce or cancel lease offerings on account of climate change, Department of Justice attorney Andrew B. Bernie told a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel.

Land-based sales "were not postponed by the executive order. They were postponed because of a need to comply with NEPA  the National Environmental Policy Act, he said.

Arguing for 13 states that challenged Biden's January 2021 order, Louisiana Deputy Solicitor General Joseph Scott St. John said laws passed in response to the 1970s oil crisis require lease sales.

The Biden administration failed to grapple with prior analyses of the planned sales to give a valid reason for postponing or canceling them, he said.

Judges James L. Dennis, Patrick E. Higginbotham and James E. Graves Jr. did not indicate when they will rule.

Louisiana is joined in the suit by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

The state challenge to Biden's order has not yet gone to trial but a federal judge blocked the order in a preliminary injunction, writing that since the laws did not state the president could suspend oil lease sales, only Congress could do so.

Bernie said, It is routine for individual lease sales or proposed lease sales not to be held for various reasons. The federal brief said nine five-year leasing plans have been approved and all had fewer sales than originally scheduled.

We don't know why prior lease sales were withdrawn, St. John responded. Presumably there was some kind of rationale. That was not the case here.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty found that states which challenged the order were likely to prove the Interior Department violated the Administrative Policy Act by acting without any rational explanation."

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After Doughty ruled for the states, the Interior Department held an offshore lease sale, which a federal judge in Washington canceled. Four onshore lease sales are scheduled next month  for land in Nevada on June 14; New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado on June 16; Wyoming on June 22 and Utah, Montana and North Dakota on June 28.

However, the administration scaled back the amount of land originally on offer and raised royalty rates 50% from 12.5% to 18.75%. That's the amount usually charged for desirable deep water offshore leases, while those in less than 656 feet (200 meters) of water are charged the 12.5% minimum.

Biden has come under pressure to increase U.S. crude production as fuel prices spike because of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. From within his own party, the Democrat faces calls to do more to curb emissions from fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

Oil companies have been reluctant to ramp up, saying there are not enough workers, scant money for new drilling investments and wariness that todays high prices wont last.

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Associated Press writer Matt Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
PORTLAND, Maine - The fate of Hydro-Quebec's US$1-billion interconnection line went before Maine's Supreme Court on Tuesday, which will have to decide whether to validate the project even though a majority of voters in the state rejected it.

A Hydro-Quebec logo is seen on their head office building in Montreal, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. The fate of a Hydro-Quebec interconnection line project is before Maine's Supreme Court on Tuesday, as defenders and opponents make arguments about its future. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

PORTLAND, Maine - The fate of Hydro-Quebec's US$1-billion interconnection line went before Maine's Supreme Court on Tuesday, which will have to decide whether to validate the project even though a majority of voters in the state rejected it.

Fifty-nine per cent of Maine voters last November voted against the project  a 336-kilometre power line that would bring electricity from Quebec to Massachusetts. Voters didn't want the line running through their state.

But Quebec's hydro utility and its partner, New England Clean Energy Connect, allege the referendum results are unconstitutional. They say the project has an acquired right to move ahead, as NECEC has already spent nearly US$450 million on the proposal, which is about 43 per cent of its anticipated costs, according to court filings.

Most of the proposed power transmission line  about 233 kilometres  would be constructed along existing corridors. However, a new 85-kilometre section must be built through the Maine woods to reach the Quebec border.

Critics contend the environmental benefits are overstated and that the project would forever change the forestland. Supporters, meanwhile, argue bold projects are necessary to battle climate change and that the electricity is needed in a region heavily reliant on natural gas.

Work on the electricity export project has been suspended since November's referendum.

Maine's Supreme Court is hearing two appeals on Tuesday involving the hydro project. Firstly, the court has to decide whether the referendum results are unconstitutional. Secondly, the court is being asked to green-light permits for a 1.6-kilometre portion of the line, which were invalidated by a Maine Superior Court judge, even though the permits were first granted by the state government in 2014.

A spokeswoman for the Quebec utility says a ruling on either case isn't expected until later in the year.

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NECEC is contractually obligated to complete the line by Aug. 23, 2024, but could extend that deadline by a year for a penalty of US$10.9 million. The project was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.

Despite the setbacks, Sophie Brochu, Hydro-Quebec's president and CEO, told a Quebec parliamentary hearing last week she still believes in the merits of the project.

The contract was expected to bring in nearly $10 billion in revenue over 20 years for Quebec's utility, which has said the project would reduce greenhouse gases by three million tonnes, the equivalent of taking 700,000 cars off the road. If the project doesn't go ahead, Hydro-Quebec estimates that it will have to record a loss of $536 million.

In 2019, Hydro-Quebec also recorded a loss of $46 million after the Northern Pass project failed to get approval. That transmission line would have carried Quebec's electricity to Massachusetts through New Hampshire. The utility abandoned that export plan because of public opposition.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2022.

 with files from Stephane Rolland in Montreal and The Associated Press.
CLEVELAND (AP)  A hearing has begun in federal court in Cleveland for a judge to determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies should pay two Ohio counties to help them ease the ongoing costs and problems caused by the opioid crisis.

FILE - In this undated combination of photos shown are CVS, Walmart and Walgreens locations. A hearing will begin Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in federal court in Cleveland that will result in a judge determining how much CVSHealth, Walgreens Co. and Walmart Corp. should pay two northeast Ohio counties to help them abate the continuing opioid crisis. A jury in November 2021 concluded that the three pharmacy chains were responsible for damage wrought by the opioid epidemic in Lake and Trumbull counties. (AP Photo/File)

CLEVELAND (AP)  A hearing has begun in federal court in Cleveland for a judge to determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies should pay two Ohio counties to help them ease the ongoing costs and problems caused by the opioid crisis.

A jury in November found the pharmacy chains responsible for recklessly distributing massive amounts of pain pills in Lake and Trumbull counties. It was the first time pharmacies in the U.S. have been held responsible for the opioid crisis.

Plaintiff's attorneys said before trial that each county needs about $1 billion to repair the damage caused by the flood of pills, which caused hundreds of overdose deaths.

FILE - A car enters Trumbull County on Nov. 17, 2021, near Warren, Ohio. A hearing will begin Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in federal court in Cleveland that will result in a judge determining how much CVSHealth, Walgreens Co. and Walmart Corp. should pay Trumbull and Lake counties to help them abate the continuing opioid crisis. A jury in November 2021 concluded that the three pharmacy chains were responsible for damage wrought by the opioid epidemic in the northeast Ohio counties. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

Around 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County between 2012 and 2016  400 for every county resident  while 61 million pills were dispensed in Lake County during that five-year period  265 pills for every resident.

Dr. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiologist from Columbia University, testified Tuesday that her estimates show nearly 6,000 people were addicted to opioids in 2019 in Lake County and nearly 7,600 suffered from opioid use disorder in Trumbull County that year. Thousands of children in the two counties suffer from mental illness, learning problems and other issues like PTSD because their parents use illicit opioids, Keyes testified.

Drug overdose deaths increased since 2015 because of synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the two counties, Keyes said, and some of those users' drug problems began after initially becoming addicted to prescription opioids. Children of parents who illegally use opioids are at a higher risk for addiction as well, she testified.

Attorneys for the pharmacy chains questioned Keyes at length about the methodology she used to arrive at her estimates.

A Lake County water tower is shown on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Wickliffe, Ohio. How much money should CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies pay two Ohio counties in damages to help them ease the effects of the opioid crisis? That's the question in front of a federal judge in Cleveland, who will begin hearing testimony on Tuesday after a jury found the three giant pharmacy chains responsible last fall for recklessly distributing massive amounts of pain pills in Lake and Trumbull counties (AP Photo/Nick Cammett)

Back in November, a jury in U.S. District Judge Dan Polsters courtroom sided with the counties and agreed that the way the pharmacies dispensed pain medication played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance.

Now, the counties are expected to present testimony from doctors to discuss the harm suffered by those communities, the opioid crisis' impact on child welfare and other county agencies, and an abatement plan created for the counties.

The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America, Mark Lanier, the lead attorney for the counties, said after Novembers verdict.

Across the U.S., many lawsuits filed by governments over the toll of the drugs have been resolved in recent years  most with settlements, and some with judgments or verdicts in trials. So far, drug makers, distributors and pharmacies have agreed to settlements totaling well over $40 billion, according to an Associated Press tally.

Trials are underway in courts in West Virginia, Florida and California. A decision has not yet been issued after another trial last year in West Virginia.

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According to an April 25 court filing, the abatement plan created for Lake and Trumbull counties by Dr. Caleb Alexander of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, are reasonable and necessary to abate the public nuisance found by the jury.

The plan focuses on prevention, treatment, recovery and measures intended to specifically address the needs of special populations who have been uniquely affected by the opioid epidemic, the court filing said.

Attorneys for Walgreens and Walmart argued in a court filing that the counties $878 million abatement plan should be limited to one year and not the minimum of five years the counties argue they need. One of the pharmacy chains experts has estimated the actual cost at $346 million while another expert said its less than $35 million, the filing said.

Defense attorneys also argued that damage caused by other entities who contributed to the public nuisance of opioid addiction should be excluded from any amounts awarded by Polster and that those costs should be limited to the pharmacies appropriate share of contribution to the nuisance.

Pharmacy chain Rite-Aid settled with the counties in early October before the start of trial. Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle reached a settlement with the counties in late October after the trial started.

There were nearly 500,000 deaths caused by legal and illegal opioids between 2000 and 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's water use jumped dramatically in March, state officials said Tuesday, as one of the driest stretches on record prompted a wave of homeowners to start watering their lawns earlier than usual in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for conservation amid a severe drought.

FILE - In this April 8, 2015, file photo, water runs off from a sprinkler in Mount Olympus, a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. The city of Los Angeles is moving to require its nearly 4 million residents to reduce outdoor watering from three days a week to two as California's drought lengthens, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California's water use jumped dramatically in March, state officials said Tuesday, as one of the driest stretches on record prompted a wave of homeowners to start watering their lawns earlier than usual in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's pleas for conservation amid a severe drought.

Newsom last summer asked residents to voluntarily cut water use by 15% compared to 2020 as climate change intensified a drought that threatened to drain the state's reservoirs to dangerously low levels. Water conservation increased gradually through December, aided by some intense fall and early winter storms that reduced water demand.

But the first three months of 2022 have been the driest on record. Californians averaged 77 gallons (291.48 liters) per person per day in March, an 18.9% increase from March 2020. It's the most water Californians have used in March since the middle of the previous drought in 2015. Statewide, water consumption is up just 3.7% since July compared to 2020, woefully short of Newsom's 15% goal

FILE - Sean de Guzman, manager of snow surveys and water supply for the California Department of Water Resources, plunges the snowpack measuring tube into a small patch of snow on the snow course as he conducts the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, Calif., on Friday, April 1, 2022. California's water usage jumped nearly 19% in March during one of the driest months on record, state officials announced, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The statewide snowpack was at 27% of its historic average as of April 1. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli File)

Newsom responded on Tuesday by pledging to spend $100 million on a statewide advertising campaign to encourage water conservation. The campaign will include traditional radio and television spots while also paying people with large followings on social media to urge others to save water. He also promised to spend an $211 million to conserve more water in state government buildings by replacing plumbing fixtures and irrigation controls.

Conservation actions are most impactful when they account for the diversity of conditions and supply needs around the state, Newsom's office said in a statement. We are hopeful these actions will significantly contribute to the states overall water reduction goals as outdoor watering is one of the biggest single users of water.

In Los Angeles  the second most populous city in the U.S.  Mayor Eric Garcetti said residents and businesses would have to reduce outdoor landscape watering from three days per week to two. Irrigation makes up 35% of the citys water use.

Urban water use accounts for a relatively small percentage of California's overall water use when compared to agriculture. But the state's farmers have been suffering, too, as state and federal officials have reduced water allocations to zero in some places.

FILE Signs alert visitors to the severe drought in Mendocino, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. California's water usage jumped nearly 19% in March of 2022, during one of the driest months on record, state officials announced, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Visitors to the picturesque coastal town of Mendocino this summer might once again find signs announcing the need for water conservation. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)

Demand for non-agriculture water is typically low in March, which comes near the end of the states rainy season. It can sometimes rain so much in March that it makes up for the rest of the year, a phenomenon officials have dubbed the March miracle.

But California got just 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) of precipitation in March while the temperatures were 3 degrees warmer than usual, further increasing water demand.

A series of April storms have improved things slightly since March. Still, most of the state's reservoirs are well below their historic averages. The reservoirs depend on melted snow from the Sierra Nevada to replenish them for the dry summer months. But the statewide snowpack was at just 27% of its historic average as of April 1.

This is what we have. This is what we're going to get. We can't expect anything significant past this date, said Jeanine Jones, manager for interstate resources with the California Department of Water Resources.

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State officials said 20% of the wells they monitor are reporting all-time low water levels, while nearly half of them have less than 10% of their historic averages. In some cases, the state is helping to haul water to small communities that don't have access to it. State officials said they were assisting 687 households through a small community drought relief program.

Some larger communities were also in danger. Lindsay, a city of about 13,000 people in California's Central Valley, was projected to run out of water on July 1. Federal officials approved an additional allocation for the city, which they now say will have enough water to last through February  provided they continue to conserve.

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This story has been corrected to show Californians used the most water in the month of March since 2015, not the most water used in any month since 2015.

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Associated Press reporter John Antczak contributed from Los Angeles.
LONDON (AP)  Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters permanent ban of former President Donald Trump if the Tesla CEO follows through with his plan to buy the social media company.

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition March 9, 2020, in Washington. Musk's great Twitter turnabout, in which he disclosed his massive stake in the social media company, got a seat on its board, publicly floated drastic changes and then turned down the board role, all happened in a week. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

LONDON (AP)  Elon Musk said he will reverse Twitters permanent ban of former President Donald Trump if the Tesla CEO follows through with his plan to buy the social media company.

Musk, speaking virtually at a Future of the Car summit hosted by the Financial Times, said Twitters Trump ban was a "morally bad decision" and "foolish in the extreme." He said permanent bans of Twitter accounts should be rare and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots.

Twitter banned Trump's account in January 2021 for "incitement of violence" following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"I think that was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice," Musk said. "So I think this may end up being frankly worse than having a single forum where everyone can debate. I guess the answer is that I would reverse the permanent ban."

Musk added that his distaste for permanent bans is shared by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.

FILE - Elon Musk attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" exhibition on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York. Elon Musk, whos offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the blocs single market chief. In a video tweeted late Monday, May 9 by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, Musk said the two had a great discussion and he agrees with the blocs online regulations. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)

Trump had previously said that he had no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account was reinstated, telling Fox News last month that he would instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been mired in problems since its launch earlier this year.

"I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth," Trump told the network. "I hope Elon buys Twitter because hell make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth."

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response to Musks remarks.

Twitter, Musk said, currently has a strong bias to the left, largely because it is located in San Francisco. This alleged bias prevents it from building trust in the rest of the U.S. and the world, he said.

Twitter should get rid of bots and scammers to be a better public forum to exchange ideas, Musk said. It also needs to be transparent when a human takes action against an account, explaining what was done and why, he added. "Its far too random" at present, he said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

FILE - European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton speaks during a signature ceremony regarding the Chips Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. Elon Musk, whos offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the blocs single market chief. In a video tweeted late Monday, May 9 by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, Musk said the two had a great discussion and he agrees with the blocs online regulations. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, file)

LONDON (AP)  Elon Musk, who is offering to buy Twitter, has given his support to a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content after he met with the bloc's single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he outlined to Musk how the blocs online regulations aim to uphold free speech while also making sure whatever is illegal "will be forbidden in the digital space," which Musk "fully agreed with."

In a video Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a "great discussion" and that he agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to get final approval later this year. It will make big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta police their platforms more strictly for illegal or harmful content like hate speech and disinformation or face billions in fines.

Musk's plan to buy Twitter for $44 billion has raised fears he would make changes to the platform that would prioritize free speech over online safety  potentially putting him at odds with the looming rules in Europe, which has led a global movement to crack down on the power of tech giants.

The 65-second clip indicates Musk's and the EU's views may be closer than they appear. Breton says in the video that he explained the Digital Services Act to Musk in a meeting at Tesla's Texas headquarters. Musk responds by saying it's "exactly aligned with my thinking."

"I agree with everything you said, really," Musk said. "I think were very much of the same mind and, you know, I think anything that my companies can do that can be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that."

The attempted Twitter acquisition by Musk, a billionaire and self-described free speech absolutist, had raised concerns that he would take a hands-off approach to content moderation.

Breton told AP he explained to Musk that the new law means "we need also to have more moderators, and in the language where we operate. So he fully understood."

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The pair agreed on the importance of being able to inspect algorithms that determine what social media users are being shown, Breton said.

The Digital Services Act requires more transparency for algorithms, and Musk has called for opening them up to public inspection.

Another topic of discussion was President Donald Trump's ban from Twitter for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol insurrection, which Musk has reportedly opposed.

Breton said he told Musk the EU law includes provisions to maintain the rights of users, such as giving them the right to appeal bans.

___

See all of APs tech coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/technology.
Pandemic-era issues plaguing businesses will not ease soon, according to attendees at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerces economic summit Friday.

Pandemic-era issues plaguing businesses will not ease soon, according to attendees at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerces economic summit Friday.

The labour shortage will last years, said Isabelle Hudon, president of the Business Development Bank of Canada. She spoke with the Free Press after providing Fridays opening remarks.

(The) labour shortage is now a reality that will not disappear, she said. Theres no quick solution for this.

An aging workforce  and fewer young people  plays its role, Hudon said. And, Canada is down nearly one million immigrants it wouldve accepted had there not been a COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Its not like out of nowhere you find a million workers, she said.

Even with borders reopening, the two-year pause on regular migration will create a lag in the workforce unless the number of people entering Canada increases, Hudon said.

Are we capable of overcoming this challenge? I do think so, but not if we decide to go back to the pre-pandemic approach, she said.

MP Dan Vandal, who spoke later in the day, said Ottawa is committed to more ambitious immigration numbers but didnt delve into specifics.

Thats something we are committed to 150 per cent, he said.

For now, workers have choice and bargaining power, Hudon said.

We need to rethink how we manage employees, how we attract employees and how we retain employees, she said.

Manitoba had a 0.4 per cent change in employment from February 2020 through last March below the national 2.4 per cent increase, said Stephen Tapp, another presenter and the Canadian Chamber of Commerces chief economist.

But, Manitoba was also third highest for labour market tightness in January, behind Quebec and British Columbia.

Its going to be tough to hire for the near term, Tapp said.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Chuck Davidson, president and chief executive officer of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

He noted borrowing costs are expected to rise as central banks raise rates. And, supply chain snarls wont be resolved in the short-term due to global events.

Theres going to be a lot of challenges in terms of profitability, Tapp said. On the flip side, we certainly do have a lot of demand from customers and people who are looking to get back out to restaurants, to patios, to doing things, to travel.

Manitobas GDP growth last year trailed behind Canadas  1.2 per cent compared to the national 4.8 per cent, Tapp shared.

Manitoban businesses need to undertake bigger technological shifts, Hudon said.

When we compare to other countries, OECD countries, Canada is very, very low down the list of countries regarding productivity and digital investment, she said.

We have to stop talking about productivity (like it) will be solved by just working more.

Digitization will improve productivity and smooth some operations, Hudon said.

Panelists discussed digital adaptation during Fridays eight-hour event. Entrepreneurs can access a BDC loan with zero per cent interest  the Canada Digital Adoption Program  as the country looks to upgrade its tech, Hudon said.

Another Friday panel focused on the travel, tourism and hospitality industrys recovery.

The industry was literally decimated by the outbreak and continues to struggle to get back on its feet, said Colin Ferguson, Travel Manitobas president.

Nearly half of jobs lost during the pandemic were from the hospitality sector, he said. Travel Manitoba is now in the midst of an advertising campaign to entice workers.

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The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce grew its corporate membership eight to 10 per cent, attendees of its Friday annual general meeting heard.

The chamber network has never been more relevant than it is now, and its never had to be more relevant, said Chuck Davidson, the organizations president.

The business association will work on diversifying itself, incoming chairwoman Michelle Kuly said.

She noted the creation of the Black Manitobans Chamber of Commerce, which announced itself April 27, in her opening comments.

Were not yet representative of the diversity of business owners in the province, she said. I know we can feel defensive (about the new chamber) we must instead lean into those conversations with openness, curiosity and urgency.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
Pfizer is starting to put its COVID-19 cash influx to use by spending $11.6 billion to venture deeper into a new treatment area.

The Pfizer logo is displayed at the company's headquarters, Feb. 5, 2021, in New York. Sales of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine and treatment pushed the drugmaker well past expectations in the first quarter, as profit grew 61%. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Pfizer is starting to put its COVID-19 cash influx to use by spending $11.6 billion to venture deeper into a new treatment area.

The New York vaccine and cancer drug maker said Tuesday it will use cash on hand to buy the remaining portion of migraine treatment developer Biohaven Pharmaceutical it does not already own.

Pfizer will pay $148.50 in cash for each share of Biohaven, which makes Nurtec ODT for treating and preventing migraines and has a nasal spray under development.

Pfizer Inc. brought in more than $14 billion in sales during the recently completed first quarter from its COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and its new pill treatment for the virus, Paxlovid.

Most of that came from Comirnaty, which also rang up nearly $37 billion in sales last year. But revenue from Comirnaty, which Pifzer developed with BioNTech, is expected to fade in the coming years. Pfizer also faces the loss of patent protection for some key products in its broad portfolio over the next decade.

That includes Eliquis for preventing blood clots and strokes and the Prevnar 13 vaccine for preventing pneumonia and related bacterial diseases.

The company plans to have about $25 billion in sales by 2030 come from new business developments.

FILE - A man walks by Pfizer headquarters, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 in New York. Pfizer is spending more than $11 billion to buy the remaining portion of migraine treatment maker Biohaven Pharmaceuticals it does not already own. The New York drugmaker said Tuesday, May 10, 2022, it will pay $148.50 in cash for each share of Biohaven, which makes Nurtec ODT for treating and preventing migraines and has another nasal spray under development. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

The deal announced Tuesday is a step in that direction. Pfizer currently has no migraine treatments. U.S. regulators approved Nurtec ODT  which stands for orally disintegrating tablet  for treating migraines in February 2020 and for preventing them about a year ago.

The drug is sold as Vydura in the European Union.

It brought in nearly $124 million in sales in the first quarter. Biohaven expects $825 to $900 million in product sales this year.

Pfizer plans to put its marketing muscle into the drug with potential launches for it in 70 countries.

Last November, Pfizer said it would invest $350 million in Biohaven to help sell Nurtec ODT and the spray, zavegepant, outside the United States.

Pfizer said Tuesday the spray is on track for U.S. acceptance in the current quarter, and an oral gel version of it also is being developed for preventing chronic migraines.

Pfizer executives told analysts they expect annual revenue from Nurtec ODT and the spray to eventually peak above $6 billion.

The pharmaceutical giant is an ideal acquirer of Biohaven's portfolio in part because of its strong presence in primary care, its cash position and its need for new growth drivers, Mizuho Securities USA analyst Dr. Vamil Divan said in a research note.

The deal for Biohaven also includes some other potential treatments in early stages of development.

Other elements of Biohavens late-stage development pipeline will go to a new, publicly traded company that keeps the Biohaven name.

The boards of both Pfizer and Biohaven have approved the sale. Biohaven shareholders, who will receive a stake in the new company, and regulators still need to ok it.

The deal is expected to close by early 2023.

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Shares of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. which is based in New Haven, Connecticut, soared almost 70% to $141.20 in midday trading.

Pfizer's stock climbed about 1% to $49.20 as broader trading indexes slipped.

___

Follow Tom Murphy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thpmurphy

___

The story has been corrected to show that Biohaven shareholders have yet to approve the agreement.
Praise Okwumabua, the owner of Freshair Boutique on Academy Road, never really believed e-commerce or a more active online presence would make a difference for her hair salon business.

Praise Okwumabua, the owner of Freshair Boutique on Academy Road, never really believed e-commerce or a more active online presence would make a difference for her hair salon business.

Her husband was urging her for some time to do more online, but she said she just kept making excuses.

But when the pandemic hit, she launched a basic e-commerce platform and during the second shutdown she was amazed at the revenue it generated.

Okwumabua is the case study for the benefits of investing in digital technology in a new report out today by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) called "Seize the Technological Advantage: Why Digitally Mature Companies Perform Better".

BDC promotes itself as the bank for entrepreneurs.

In recent years, it has produced research studies on how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can improve productivity and ways to adapt to labour shortages.

Investing in digital technologies can address those issues and more and the new report produces the data that shows in no uncertain terms the benefits of investing in technology and the poor performance of companies that do not invest in digital technology.

Although 91 per cent of SMEs did invest in digital in 2021, according to Pierre Cleroux, BDCs chief economist, theres still many who have not  40 per cent still do not even have a website  and many that need to invest more or better.

"It is a call to action" Cleroux said in an interview.

The study breaks businesses into four categories of relative digital investing from latecomers to advanced and using a digital maturity score first created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology BDC can assign a score ranking four different ways to use technology as well as training and strategy.

The main challenges of digitization were cost, concerns about cybersecurity, the worry that benefits will not be incurred and the overall challenges of digital integration.

Not surprisingly, smaller businesses are less likely to make an investment, but the study shows that smaller businesses are not immune from the impact of technology.

"The reason we did the study is to raise awareness and to show that if you are not investing enough, you should really wake up," said Cleroux.

Perhaps most concerning is that there is now direct evidence that a gap is building.

"Not only are businesses that invest performing better, but the ones who are not investing are in trouble," he said.

About one third of the respondents to the survey who did not invest in digital in 2021 did not make a profit. Those businesses also have more difficulty getting financing.

"We have been saying this for a while. If you dont invest you are going to lag," he said. "If you dont invest you wont be around in the next five years."

More than 50 per cent of companies with the most advanced digital investment profile saw revenue increase by more than 10 per cent while only seven per cent of the latecomers saw that kind of revenue growth.

Okwumabua said the expense was not onerous and neither is the time commitment. She had been producing a weekly blog and basic online scheduling, but she and some of her nine stylists started posting more content on Instagram and she noticed a marked improvement in engagement.

"The real issue for people (who do not invest in digital) is that they are not comfortable, they dont understand," she said. "I didnt get it. I didnt spend a lot of time on line, but honestly it is not that hard."

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From a cost perspective many technology developments have driven prices down and the report notes that software and cloud services charge monthly fees that can be adjusted and increased incrementally.

Cleroux said he was surprised to learn from the research that 18 per cent of SMEs suffered some form of cyber attack last year costing businesses an average of about $50,000.

While that is an area that Cleroux said professional advice makes sense and it so happens the release of the report coincides with some new programs providing businesses with financial assistance to get that help.

The federal government recently launched a program called Canada Digital Adoption Program that pays 90 per cent of the costs up to $15,000 for a digital adviser to develop a digital adoption program.

As well, BDC also has a new loan program offering no interest on a loan of up to $100,000 to facilitate a digital adoption plan. To be eligible for the loan, a company has to have a plan in place.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Spain's government fired the director of the country's top intelligence agency Tuesday following the hacking of politicians cellphones, including the devices of the prime minister and several supporters of the Catalonia regions secession.

FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks on his cell phone during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Monday, July 20, 2020. Spanish officials said on Monday May 2, 2022 that the cellphones of the prime minister and the defense minister were infected with Pegasus spyware that is only available to government agencies, in an operation that was not authorised by the government. Reports detailing the breaches have been transferred to Spain's National Court for further investigation. (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP, File)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Spain's government fired the director of the country's top intelligence agency Tuesday following the hacking of politicians cellphones, including the devices of the prime minister and several supporters of the Catalonia regions secession.

The National Intelligence Center, or CNI, has been under fire for its role in spying on Catalan separatists and for taking a full year to discover that the handsets of the prime minister and leading defense and security officials were infiltrated, possibly by a foreign power.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who was among the hacking targets, announced after Cabinet meeting that Paz Esteban would be relieved as CNI director.

That (the hacks of government phones) took a year to discover, well, it is clear there are things that we need to improve, Robles said. We are going to try to ensure that these attacks dont happen again, even though there is no way to be completely safe.

Esteban's replacement will be Esperanza Casteleiro, a woman who has worked for almost 40 years at the intelligence agency, Robles said. Casteleiro most recently served as secretary of defense, Robles No. 2, since 2020.

FILE - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks on his cell phone during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, on July 20, 2020. Spains government has fired the director of its top intelligence agency amid two separate cases of the hacking of politicians cellphones, Spanish media reports said Tuesday. (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP, File)

Esteban acknowledged during a closed-door parliamentary committee hearing last week that with judicial permission, her agency had hacked the phones of several Catalan separatists.

In a separate case, the government recently revealed that an external" power infected the cellphones of Robles and of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez with the Pegasus spyware last year.

The phone of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the head of Spains police and border control agencies, also was infected with the spyware at the same time as the defense minister's phone.

Spains government has refused to speculate publicly on who could have pried into the phones. The attacks on the phones of Sanchez and two of his ministers took place in May and June 2021, coinciding with a diplomatic rift between Morocco and Spain.

Sanchezs minority left-wing coalition has often had to rely on votes Parliament from Catalan separatist parties, which have threatened to withdraw their support if the government does not accept responsibility for the hacking.

The leader of Spains opposition conservatives, Popular Party president Alberto Nunez Feijoo slammed the decision to remove Esteban. He said the government had sacrificed her to the Catalan separatists.

It is a monstrosity that Sanchez offers the head of the CNI director to the separatists, once again weakening the state to assure his survival, Popular Party President Alberto Nunez Feijoo wrote on Twitter.

Esteban, 64, became the first woman to head the CNI in July 2019, initially on an interim basis. Her appointment was made permanent in February 2020.

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The previous CNI director had received criticism for failing in 2017 to stop preparations by Catalan separatists to hold an independence referendum that had been deemed illegal by Spains top courts.

The alleged phone hacks of more than 60 Catalan politicians, lawyers and activists was denounced last month in a report by the Canada-based digital rights group Citizen Lab.

The list of phones that were allegedly infected by Pegasus spyware, which the Israeli company NSO says it only sells to government agencies, includes the current regional head of Catalonia. The Citizen Lab report said the hacks started in late 2019, with Esteban in charge of the CNI.

Robles has defended the targeting of Catalan politicians for their involvement in a separatist plot that tried and failed to separate Catalonia from the rest of Spain five years ago.

Gabriel Rufian, the parliamentary spokesman for the Catalan party ERC, said that dismissal of Esteban was not about appeasing the separatists. He noted that the CNI has also been accused of neglecting the tech security of top government officials.

It seems logical, with all my respects to Esteban, that in a country that admits that the phones of the prime minister and defense minister have been illegally spied upon, for the head of the CNI to assume the responsibility, Rufian said.
A summer trip to Calgary seemed like a good idea. Then, Mona Asham considered gas prices.

A summer trip to Calgary seemed like a good idea. Then, Mona Asham considered gas prices.

"Its just too much," Asham said Monday while filling her vehicle on $1.79 per litre.

The Winnipegger said shed browse plane tickets and gas prices closer to Julys Calgary Stampede. As of right now, though, shell be staying home.

Two-thirds of Manitobans plan to cancel or limit their road trips this summer due to skyrocketing fuel costs, according to a new survey from the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada.

Over three quarters  78 per cent  said they believe todays gas prices are "the new normal".

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Gas prices could rise another 10 cents by May long weekend, said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

"Theyre not coming down unless theres a global recession," said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy. "I think its inevitable that were going to see an increase this summer."

Gas prices could rise another 10 cents by May long weekend, he said.

"Demand (for fuel) is still very strong," he said. "Supply just isnt there, and its one of the main reasons why weve been seeing prices rise as dramatically as they have."

Early Monday, most Winnipeg pumps were displaying $1.79 per litre, a record high. Prices were up 11 cents from the prior Monday. A year earlier  May 9, 2021  gas was $1.27, 52.2 cents below the current rate.

Opher Baron, an operations management professor at the University of Toronto, said higher gas prices drive up shipping costs and prices on goods like groceries and clothing.

But, Canada is such a large and rural country with inadequate public transit in some areas, many people dont have an alternative but to pay higher prices at the pump, Baron said.

"It sucks," said Leona Waldner, who was at Grant Park Shopping Centre Monday.

Waldner said she camps in the Whiteshell most summer weekends. Her number of trips might decrease as gas costs rise, she said. Still, shes driving to Thompson and Alberta.

"At the end of the day, were going to pay (for gas) anyways because were doing things," she said.

Waldner is part of a Facebook group where Manitoban hikers share their experiences; more seem to be offering up carpooling, which Waldner is open to, she said.

(Ill) maybe extend (my) stays a little bit longer to make it worth the gas.  Leona Waldner

"(Ill) maybe extend (my) stays a little bit longer to make it worth the gas," she said.

Theres pent-up demand for travel after two years of a pandemic, said Susan Postma, CAA Manitobas regional manager.

"(People are) eager to book a trip, theyre eager to connect with family," she said.

Still, CAA Manitoba isnt yet seeing 2019 road trip levels. Volume is around 70 to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic bookings, Postma said.

"The price of gas is not to be discounted," she said. "When (some travellers) see the gas prices, then maybe they arent venturing as far."

Fuel costs are "a point of consideration" for clients budgets, Postma said. Some are staying within the province.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Paul Dan fuels his vehicle at the McGillivray Costcos gas bar Monday.

Its the case for Paul Dan, who fuelled his vehicle at the McGillivray Costcos gas bar Monday. But, his main concern for travel continues to be COVID-19 transmission.

"I know its not 100 per cent safe," Dan said, adding gas prices dont help.

Inflated bills at the pump are threatening the way some businesses operate.

PetToba, a pet supply shop, may have to change its free same-day delivery if prices keep rising, said owner Naman Patel.

"As a company, we are incurring the extra cost, but we dont want to change anything (for customers)," Patel said.

We are a driving culture.  Michal Majernik

PetToba might reduce its delivery dates or start charging, he said.

"We are a driving culture," noted Michal Majernik, the Tire and Rubber Association of Canadas communications manager.

Maintaining good tire pressure is one way to increase fuel efficiency, he said.

"Tire maintenance is possibly the easiest thing you can do for your car," he said, adding drivers should check their tires monthly.

Gas prices in Vancouver reached $2.229 per litre Monday. The national average was $1.90, according to GasBuddy.

The Tire and Rubber Association of Canadas survey, which 1,538 Canadians took, has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Leger conducted the poll.

 with files from The Canadian Press

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
NEW YORK (AP)  Actor and activist James Cromwell has gone from Successions Uncle Ewan to real-life supergluin  pasting his hand to a midtown Manhattan Starbucks counter on Tuesday to protest the coffee chains extra charge for plant-based milk.

FILE - Actor James Cromwell arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Cromwell glued his hand to a midtown Manhattan Starbucks counter to protest the coffee chains extra charge for plant-based milk, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  Actor and activist James Cromwell has gone from Successions Uncle Ewan to real-life supergluin  pasting his hand to a midtown Manhattan Starbucks counter on Tuesday to protest the coffee chains extra charge for plant-based milk.

The 82-year-old Oscar nominee, known for Babe: Pig in the City and L.A. Confidential, channeled his role as the crotchety, anti-capitalist brother of a billionaire media mogul for the protest organized by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Cromwell sat on the Starbucks counter wearing a "Free the Animals" T-shirt and read a statement denouncing the surcharge for vegan milk alternatives.

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When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer? he demanded as fellow activists streamed the protest on Facebook.

Cromwell glued his hand to the counter, then later used a knife to scrape it off. Police said there were no arrests.

Starbucks outlets in the United States charge 50 cents to a dollar more drinks made with plant-based milks.

Customers can customize any beverage on the menu with a non-dairy milk, including soymilk, coconutmilk, almondmilk, and oatmilk for an additional cost (similar to other beverage customizations such as an additional espresso shot or syrup)," a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement. Pricing varies market by market.

The spokesperson said Starbucks respects customers' right to voice their opinions so long as it does not disrupt our store operations.

Cromwell, nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the farmer in Babe, is a veteran protester who was charged with trespassing in 2017 for interrupting an orca show at SeaWorld in San Diego.
OTTAWA - Canada is giving $229 million in aid for Syria and neighbouring nations hosting refugees from the war-torn state.

OTTAWA - Canada is giving $229 million in aid for Syria and neighbouring nations hosting refugees from the war-torn state.

The aid package includes $169 million for food, clean water and hygiene and health services, as well as support for women facing sexual and domestic violence.

International Development Minister and Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada Minister Harjit Sajjan rises during Question Period, Monday, April 4, 2022 in Ottawa. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada is giving $229 million in aid for Syria and its neighbours this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan announced the funding as Canada takes part in an international conference in Brussels on finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

The conflict, which has been waging for more than 10 years, followed a violent crackdown by the Assad regime on pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, which escalated into civil war.

The aid package will also help Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, where many Syrian refugees have fled President Bashar Assad's Moscow-backed regime.

Some of the aid will help buy grain for the region, which usually relies on wheat from Ukraine as a staple food source.

But the conflict and blocking of Ukraine's ports by Russian troops has put their wheat supply in jeopardy. Ukraine has warned that Russian troops have been looting its grain stores while men who would have planted the next crop and brought in the harvest are fighting the Russians at the front.

Ukraine is also a major exporter of sunflower oil, which is also imported by countries in the Middle East.

Canada's aid is to be funnelled through the United Nations and international aid agencies, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and not through Assad's regime, a spokesman for Sajjan said.

Canada has earmarked $60 million for development assistance, focusing on "empowering women and girls" and advancing gender equality, and social services supports for women.

As we enter another year of conflict in Syria, millions of people still require urgent help. From providing clean water and nourishing food to providing support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, Canada will be there for those who have been impacted by this conflict," Sajjan said in a statement.

"We must work to end this terrible humanitarian disaster.

The civil war in Syria has claimed over 350,000 lives, over 27,000 of whom were children, the United Nations has said.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, estimates that the actual death toll exceeds 600,000, saying thousands have died of torture in government-run prisons.

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Assad's regime is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who provided the Syrian president with Russian military help, including with the bombardment of opposition-held areas.

The Syrian leader is one of the few worldwide to have expressed support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The World Food Program said the aid package was "generous and timely," as Syrian families were having to choose between buying food, fuel or medicine.

Julie Marshall of WFP Canada said the conflict in Ukraine was having an impact on access to food around the world.

"The Ukraine conflict has caused soaring food and fuel prices, putting millions at risk of hunger, with families unable to afford a basic meal," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2022.
To listen to some pundits and politicians, Canada is about to be dragged into a new, national debate on abortion in the wake of an expected decision by the United States Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade.

Opinion

To listen to some pundits and politicians, Canada is about to be dragged into a new, national debate on abortion in the wake of an expected decision by the United States Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade.

A landmark high-court decision in 1973 that guaranteed a womans constitutional right to choose to have an abortion without government interference appears headed for the scrap heap. A leaked draft decision from the socially conservative Supreme Court, published last week by Politico, overrules Roe v. Wade, essentially paving the way for states to introduce laws banning abortion.

Remarkably, 18 states already have so-called "trigger laws," which would kick into effect if and when Roe v. Wade is formally overturned. Although the decision would not make abortion illegal, it is widely believed that up to three-quarters of American women could live in states that either severely restrict access or ban the procedure outright.

In some ways, its dismaying that a decision to possibly reverse Roe v. Wade is threatening to invade the Canadian political debate. Our two countries have profoundly different histories and experiences when it comes to abortion.

Traditionally, about three-quarters of Canadians support access to abortion with some limitations. More importantly, most opinion polls find that only five to 10 per cent of Canadians believe abortion should be banned in all circumstances.

In the U.S., surveys show about 60 per cent of Americans support legal access to abortion. However, almost everyone else would make abortion illegal in almost all situations. That is a pretty polarized electorate.

If Canadians are, by and large, satisfied with our approach to abortion services, why do we need to have a political debate at all?

Political opportunism and concerns about a lack of access to abortions have sparked interest in Canada, particularly within the ranks of the federal Liberal government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to seize upon the Roe v. Wade leak and promise to take steps to protect access to abortion. He also mischievously observed that abortion was likely to become a divisive issue in the Conservative Party leadership race.

In taunting the Tories, Trudeau is only following a tried-and-true Liberal strategy of drawing the CPC into contentious debates that put them on the wrong side of public opinion.

In most federal election campaigns, Liberals are quick to bring up issues like gun control with the comfort of knowing the Tories and their pro-gun sensibilities are at odds with the vast majority of Canadians, who would like more restrictions on firearms.

On the abortion file, while 10 per cent or less of Canadians oppose abortion under any circumstances, that number rises to about 30 per cent among those who are militant CPC supporters. Trudeau knows the next leader of the CPC will have to take a stand on abortion that will either anger the partys socially conservative base of support, or the vast majority of Canadian voters.

But its not just political opportunism that is driving an abortion debate in this country.

Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1988, when our Supreme Court decided a law banning the procedure violated a womans constitutional right to "life, liberty and security of the person." Since then, abortion has been publicly funded as a medical procedure in all provinces and territories.

Even so, the provinces have widely varying rules about where and when an abortion can be performed.

In some provinces, abortions can only be performed in hospitals, a policy that requires women to travel long distances. There are also huge variations in how late a province will perform an abortion.

Although abortion is legal at any stage, health data show more than 90 per cent of all abortions are performed at no later than 12 weeks of pregnancy. Just less than three per cent of all abortions are done beyond 21 weeks.

However, because provinces currently have control over the procedure, there is a broad range of limits. It ranges from 24 weeks (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario) to just 12 weeks in Prince Edward Island. Manitoba allows abortions up to 16 weeks in clinics, and 19 weeks and six days in hospital.

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These variations, and the possibility a provincial government could at any time be swayed by the debate in the U.S., have abortion activists, and many women, in this country on high alert.

The Womens Health Clinic in Winnipeg recently reported a spike in calls in the wake of stories about the draft decision on Roe v. Wade. A clinic spokeswoman said the mere suggestion that abortion access could be eliminated for American women has Winnipeg women "feeling like it can happen to us, it can happen to them here."

It would be naive to suggest that a ban on abortions couldnt happen here although, for the reasons outlined above, its a very steep hill to climb for any politician or party. Even so, it appears likely that politicians on both sides of the issue will be drawn into this divisive debate.

For candidates seeking the leadership of the CPC, abortion is already an issue, one that may well decide the race.

For the Liberals and other left-of-centre opposition parties, abortion may well turn out to be an issue that helps decide the next election.

dan.lett@winnipegfreepress.com
Manitoba needs to answer crucial questions about how it will transport patients safely before government proceeds with a new air ambulance contract, critics say.

Manitoba needs to answer crucial questions about how it will transport patients safely before government proceeds with a new air ambulance contract, critics say.

On May 6, the province announced it has opened a public tender process for a multiyear contract with an air ambulance provider, seeking requests for proposal by Sept. 9. The health department says the process is starting now because existing contracts are set to expire in the coming months.

When asked Monday if the move has anything to do with last years death of a 31-year-old patient during a failed transfer attempt, the government didnt directly respond. It said it plans to bring in additional aircraft for medical transports, and will require the aircraft supplier(s) to "introduce high safety measurements and use a safety management system, following national and international best practices."

Krystal Mousseau, a mother of two from Ebb and Flow First Nation, died in Brandon in May 2021, following an attempt to airlift her out of province. She had tested positive for COVID-19 and needed intensive care but Manitobas ICUs were full. Prior to her death, she had been deemed stable enough to make the trip to Ontario.

An internal critical incident report was completed, but the chief medical examiner has stated an inquest into how Mousseau died would be unnecessary. The health department did not answer when asked Monday if the government intends to call an inquiry.

During a scrum with reporters, Health Minister Audrey Gordon was asked what the provincial government is doing now to ensure the safety of air ambulance patients.

"I dont know if I want to use the word now, because it has always been our priority to ensure that an individual whos being transported, whether its by ambulance, road or by air, that it is being done safely," Gordon said.

"We will continue to ensure that when we put out our RFPs, when we sign contracts with the various organizations that provide service delivery that theyre meeting standards that will ensure Manitobans continue to receive that service in a safe manner."

The RFP is being interpreted by some as an attempt to distract from problems with the service in the aftermath of Mousseaus death.

Critical care physician Dr. Dan Roberts warned provincial officials against privatizing the air ambulance service before the province proceeded to do so in 2019.

Privatization alone is not the problem, he said, its a lack of transparency because private carriers dont have to release information about incidents that occur during transport.

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Roberts has been calling for a public inquiry into Mousseaus death and has drawn comparisons to a similar death of a 70-year-old woman in 1986.

"The lack of an administrative accountability structure, enforced training requirements, (as well as) safety and performance standards, must be addressed in order to determine determine the requirements in any RFP," Roberts said. "Carriers must be required to submit detailed information about each transport to permit proper auditing. Otherwise, this is just a PR manoeuvre."

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew has also called for an inquiry into the matter. On Monday, he said patient outcomes have gotten worse since air ambulance service was privatized.

"We know there are unanswered questions here. At the very least, those questions should be resolved in the name of patient safety before the government furthers their privatization agenda," Kinew said.

 with files from Carol Sanders

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
After fighting for decades to ensure Indigenous children can get the care they need, Cindy Blackstock has been given a key to the City of Winnipeg.

After fighting for decades to ensure Indigenous children can get the care they need, Cindy Blackstock has been given a key to the City of Winnipeg.

Considered the citys highest honour, Mayor Brian Bowman presented the symbolic key during a ceremony at city hall on Tuesday.

While noting shes devoted more than 30 years to child welfare and rights work, Bowman described Blackstock as "one of the greatest teachers of our time" and a "passionate advocate for justice and reconciliation."

"As a young social worker, Dr. Blackstock discovered that vulnerable First Nations children were subject to discrimination, receiving only a fraction of the funding that non-Indigenous children receive. The inequalities, she said, created a perfect storm of disadvantage. She set out to do something about it and she did," said Bowman.

A member of the Gitxsan First Nation in B.C., Blackstock is a professor of social work and executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.

She is a well-known advocate for the implementation of Jordans Principle, which requires the federal government to ensure all First Nations children can access equitable social services. Blackstock and her colleagues launched a successful human rights challenge, which concluded the federal government had failed to implement the principle.

The principle is named after Jordan River Anderson from Norway House Cree Nation, who died at age five in 2005 as the provincial and federal governments argued over which of them should pay for his medical care.

He was approved for specialized home-based care when he was two, but died in hospital before that care arrived.

Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs Organization, said Blackstocks contribution to the principle improved the lives of many children.

"Because of the work Cindy has led, thousands of children and youth in our territories and across Canada are receiving medical, educational and social supports. Cindys commitment and lifes work is changing lives every day for children on and off reserve," said Daniels.

Bowman said Blackstock was also a major contributor to the development of Winnipegs Indigenous Accord.

"At a critical time in our journey of reconciliation, shes offered invaluable guidance and council," he said.

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While she is not a Winnipeg resident, Blackstock told media her work has often brought her to the city, noting its where Jordan River Anderson was once hospitalized.

Blackstock said she will continue to fight for the elimination of other inequalities faced by Indigenous children.

"Thanks to Jordans principle (and) Jordans family, theres been over a million services and products given to First Nations kids that they otherwise wouldnt have received, just because theyre First Nations. But theres more inequalities to address Lets cost out all the inequalities, in water, in hydro, in broadband, in childrens programs and then lets create a plan to fix them all because we should never have a country where a First Nations child has to dream about a clean glass of water," she told the Free Press.

Blackstock said she hopes the Winnipeg ceremony will raise local awareness about Jordans Principle and help ensure the federal government continues to honour it.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
OTTAWA  Two Conservative MPs representing some of the flood-impacted areas of Manitoba say Ottawa and the province are doing a good job of managing the situation.

OTTAWA  Two Conservative MPs representing some of the flood-impacted areas of Manitoba say Ottawa and the province are doing a good job of managing the situation.

"Its going as well as it could, given that this is a tragedy," said James Bezan, whose own farm in the higher part of Teulon is water-logged.

In the SelkirkInterlakeEastman riding, Bezan said towns and First Nations seem to have good communication with federal and provincial officials.

The Tory MP said a year of drought followed by flooding recalls the same phenomenon in 2003-04, which made difficult years for farmers.

"This is just the state of things in 2022," said Bezan, who had some concerns about agriculture, given farmers would normally be halfway through seeding in his region at this point of year.

Provencher MP Ted Falk was a bit less concerned, given officials expect flooding along the Red River to dissipate fairly quickly.

"The province is doing a phenomenal job, as theyve done for the last couple of years," said Falk, who praised various federal governments for also constructing ring dikes around municipalities after the massive 1997 flood.

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Falk saying mud dikes the province has had contractors build atop permanent ones seem to be doing a good job of managing moisture around farms.

Both MPs have been on the phone with local leaders, and were able to drive around to some sites that arent blocked off by water. In aerial photos, some towns such as Morris appear like islands, with dikes along the perimeter and main connecting roads, which almost resemble bridges.

"I dont think we expected it (the water) to be quite as high as it will be," Falk said. "(But) to me, it looks like things are well under control."

Tory MP Candice Bergens PortageLisgar riding is also facing significant flooding. In a video May 6, Bergen said she planned to visit affected communities when she could, but had to avoid flying as she had caught COVID-19.

The interim Conservative leader was seen in the Commons on Monday and Tuesday for question period.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
A Winnipeg police officer acquitted just two months ago of trying to cancel his own speeding ticket has now been found not guilty of assaulting a man following a wild highway chase.

A Winnipeg police officer acquitted just two months ago of trying to cancel his own speeding ticket has now been found not guilty of assaulting a man following a wild highway chase.

Provincial court Judge Sidney Lerner found Patrol Sgt. Sean Cassidy not guilty Monday of one count of assault causing bodily harm, saying key prosecutorial decisions by the Crown left him with reasonable doubt as to his guilt.

Cassidy, who was joined in court by several supporters, hugged defence lawyer Hymie Weinstein following Lerners decision.

The alleged assault occurred March 28, 2017, during an early morning "high-risk" traffic stop on St. Marys Road.

Court heard testimony at trial last year that alleged victim Jamie Cote and another man were dropping off flyers in La Salle for Cotes landscaping business at the same time Cassidy was returning home from work.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Provincial court Judge Sidney Lerner found Patrol Sgt. Sean Cassidy not guilty Monday of one count of assault causing bodily harm, saying key prosecutorial decisions by the Crown left him with reasonable doubt as to his guilt.

Cassidy told court he became suspicious after seeing Cotes truck stopped near a street corner and Cote walking behind a house, as there had been a rash of recent break-ins in the area.

"It is at this point that the versions of the incident diverge dramatically," Lerner said.

Cote testified Cassidy followed his truck from La Salle onto the Perimeter Highway where he alleged Cassidy swerved back and forth in front of him to prevent him from passing, video of which he captured on his cellphone.

Cassidy alleged it was Cote who chased him, first through La Salle and then on the Perimeter Highway. Cassidy claimed he swerved back and forth to prevent Cote from pulling up alongside him, fearing he might have a firearm and shoot him.

Cassidy called 911 and a police cruiser was waiting as Cote drove into the city on St. Marys Road.

Cote testified he pulled over of his own volition, hoping the police would help him, when he saw Cassidys car pull up three or four car lengths behind him.

Cote said he was pulled from his vehicle by an officer and forced to the ground on his stomach. Another male, not in uniform and alleged to be Cassidy, punched and kneed him in the face before being pushed away by a uniformed officer, Cote said.

Cassidy testified at trial he jumped out of his van and decided to assume the role of contact officer, the officer responsible for physically taking a suspect under control, after he saw only one police cruiser respond to his 911 call.

Cassidy said Cote initially got out of his vehicle but returned to the drivers seat, raising concerns he might have a weapon. Cassidy said he tried to pull a resistant Cote from the truck, when he saw something metal in his hand and punched him in the head.

Once on the ground, Cote was still resisting and not showing his hands and Cassidy punched him a second time, he said.

Cassidy said after another officer handcuffed Cote, he found a vape pen on the ground, which he returned to Cotes truck.

Police officers who responded to Cassidys 911 call described "nothing untoward in the force or techniques used by the accused and contradict (Cotes) evidence in this regard," Lerner said.

The Crown called the police officers as witnesses for its own case, and asked the court in a closing submission to accept Cassidys version of events with respect to the use of force applied at the time of Cotes arrest.

"In my respectful view, this position has a significant impact on the case for the Crown," Lerner said.

"The Crowns position with respect to the credibility of (Cote) regarding the immediate circumstances surrounding the alleged assaults, has a profound impact on the strength of the Crowns case," he said.

"If, as the Crown proposes, (Cote) is not to be believed on this point then (Cotes) evidence as a whole is called into question."

At the same time, Lerner said he did not believe Cassidys testimony about what occurred in La Salle or during the Perimeter Highway chase, testimony on which he was not cross-examined by the Crown.

"I find that a cautious and experienced officer like Sgt. Cassidy would not have conducted himself in this manner if the events in La Salle and the Perimeter Highway had unfolded in the manner to which he testified."  Judge Sidney Lerner

Cassidy claimed he feared Cote might be armed during the highway chase, yet chose to take control of his arrest when there were already two on-duty and armed officers on the scene, Lerner said.

"On the facts, there was simply no need to have done so," Lerner said. "I find that a cautious and experienced officer like Sgt. Cassidy would not have conducted himself in this manner if the events in La Salle and the Perimeter Highway had unfolded in the manner to which he testified."

In March, Cassidy was acquitted of logging into a police database to fix his own speeding ticket, despite a judge finding his defence was "almost implausible."

Cassidy had testified he was conducting an "integrity check" when he entered his own licence plate number into the Winnipeg Police Services photo-radar database on Oct. 1, 2019, the same day he was caught by a photo radar camera speeding in a school zone.

In 2019, Cassidy was charged with unsafe storage of a firearm, a charge that was later stayed, and possession of a restricted weapon at an unauthorized place.

Cassidy pleaded guilty to the second charge in 2020 and received an absolute discharge.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Our province is at an ecological and environmental crossroads when it comes to dealing with a serious threat: wild pigs. These creatures wreak havoc and pose great risk to ecosystems, wildlife, crops, the domestic pig population and, occasionally, to public safety.

Opinion

Our province is at an ecological and environmental crossroads when it comes to dealing with a serious threat: wild pigs. These creatures wreak havoc and pose great risk to ecosystems, wildlife, crops, the domestic pig population and, occasionally, to public safety.

Wild pigs were first introduced across western Canada during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Farms were in the midst of a significant income crisis and sought to diversify their operations to produce new lines of revenue. European wild boar was one such diversification opportunity, given the belief these pigs would be confined by modern fencing and would not survive the harsh Prairie winter should they escape.

These assumptions were quickly proven wrong.

Today, wild pigs continue to thrive on the landscape, and are spreading to new areas. They reproduce at an alarming and exponential rate, with breeding occurring year-round. The average female pig sexually matures at one year of age and can produce two litters of five to six pigs per year.

The other contributing factor is that wild pigs have no natural predators. Congregating in groups called sounders, females aggressively defend their young with large tusks that inflict severe wounds.

Another significant issue is the fact wild pigs are vectors for dozens of diseases. Public-health concerns such as leptospirosis, spread through contaminated soil and water, tuberculosis and trichinellosis can all be spread by wild pigs. Animal health concerns, including African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, spread by wild pigs, would have a devastating impact on domestic pigs and the provincial hog sector.

These diseases can be passed because wild pigs will eat anything almost anywhere, destroying crops, pastures and green spaces and sullying waterways.

Wild pigs are an issue for the entire agriculture sector in Manitoba, which is a key contributor to the provincial economy. Wild pigs on the landscape destroy crops such as wheat, canola and pulses, demolish potato crops and damage pastureland.

The increased prevalence of wild pigs across Manitoba poses a significant threat to the bottom lines of farmers, and to the food they grow and produce, particularly as farmers deal with consistent and unyielding economic challenges related to shrinking profit margins.

The Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project was announced in January as a partnership between the government of Canada, the province of Manitoba and Manitoba Pork, with funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The goal of this project is to identify where wild pigs are in Manitoba, to control their spread and to remove as many pigs as possible from the landscape.

Manitoba Pork is working collaboratively with Manitoba Agriculture and Manitoba Natural Resources, as well as with other local and national organizations that have a stake in this issue.

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Part of this initiative is to launch SquealonPigsMB.org and its related hotline, 1-833-SPOT-PIG. We are asking Manitobans to report evidence of wild pig sightings or any signs of activity so we can better track movements and work to further eradication efforts.

As camping and hiking season ramps up, we are asking Manitobans to know the signs of wild pig movements and to be prepared to report what you see and where you see it.

We are also asking hunters and those who own firearms to not hunt wild pigs. This may seem counterintuitive, as we all want these threats off our landscape. However, hunting disperses wild pig populations over wider areas, changes movement patterns and can harm trapping efforts.

Population surveillance and corral trapping are our best tools, because capturing pigs in groups prevents further dispersion.

Wild pigs are an issue we all need to be concerned about. By working together, our hope is that we can eradicate this threat while we have the opportunity, and ensure that our crops, water sources, ecosystems and animal habitats can thrive.

Wayne Lees is the provincial co-ordinator for the Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project, and a former chief veterinary officer for the Province of Manitoba.
The Maple Leaf flag has been raised once again in Kyiv as has flags of the United States, Britain, France and Italy. Countries friendly to Ukraine had closed their embassies in January when a Russian invasion seemed imminent and western governments feared the Ukrainian army might quickly collapse in the face of a Russian onslaught.

The Maple Leaf flag has been raised once again in Kyiv as has flags of the United States, Britain, France and Italy. Countries friendly to Ukraine had closed their embassies in January when a Russian invasion seemed imminent and western governments feared the Ukrainian army might quickly collapse in the face of a Russian onslaught.

The tide of battle has clearly turned in Ukraine. The defenders have driven back the Russian invaders on several fronts. Russia continues to harass Kyiv with artillery but has abandoned the attempt to encircle and occupy the Ukrainian capital. Russian forces continue to inflict random cruelty and property damage in a war whose purpose becomes more obscure each time Russian President Vladimir Putin explains it.

Russian forces continue to inflict random cruelty and property damage in a war whose purpose becomes more obscure each time Russian President Vladimir Putin explains it.

In his Victory Day address to Russian troops massed in Moscows Red Square, Mr. Putin repeated his absurd claims that invasion was necessary to remove neo-Nazis from the Ukrainian government. He also intimated that he had to invade Ukraine to stop western countries from invading Russia, though forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have taken extreme care to do nothing that even looks like preparations to attack Russia.

Prime Minister Trudeau clearly agrees with U.S. President Joe Biden and leading European governments that Ukraine is safer now than it was a couple of months ago  safe enough for partial re-opening of embassies. Ukraine has not yet won this war, but neither is it losing.

Mr. Trudeau announced a series of steps that offer at least symbolic support to Ukraines defenders  drone cameras to watch Russian troop movements, small arms and ammunition, funding for food supplies for Ukraine and for removal of landmines from ground abandoned by Russian forces, sanctions against Russian oligarchs supporting the war. These steps, though timid, show that Canada is helping Ukrainians defend their homeland.

AP EFREM LUKATSKY / ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attend a news conference after their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine.

At the first opportunity, Canada should return the military training mission that was withdrawn to Poland in January for the safety of the personnel. If Kyiv is safe enough for diplomats, it should be safe enough for military trainers.

Sooner or later, however, Canada and its allies will have to face the larger problem of preserving collective security and world peace in the face of recurring Russian aggression. The United Nations security council, which is now the worlds main instrument for united measures to stop aggression, is paralyzed by the presence of Russia with the veto power it inherited from the former Soviet Union. Because of that Russian veto, the UN is powerless to oppose Russian aggression.

Sooner or later, however, Canada and its allies will have to face the larger problem of preserving collective security and world peace in the face of recurring Russian aggression.

Having established his credentials as an opponent of Russian aggression, Mr. Trudeau should join ongoing discussions with like-minded governments about collective security in the years following this brutal and pointless war.

THE CANADIAN PRESS Canadian delegation raises flag in Kyiv on Sunday.

The discussion must include a reconsideration of the structure of the UN body that was intended to uphold peace. Its likely renovation of the UN will be needed to give the body the freedom to act against Russia, which is a leading aggressor and gives every sign of continuing down that path.

As long as the nations of the world continue to allow Russia veto power on the security council, Vladimir Putin and his successors will keep giving themselves permission to wage war on their neighbours and rebuild the Soviet empire. The challenge of the UN is to find a better way to keep the peace.
OTTAWA - The next federal election debates should have a simpler format and better moderation to focus more on what leaders say than what they are asked, says the commission that oversees the events.

Moderator Shachi Kurl, President of the Angus Reid Institute, front, joins Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, back left to right, Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole pose for an official photo before the federal election English-language Leaders debate in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The next federal election debates should have a simpler format and better moderation to focus more on what leaders say than what they are asked, says the commission that oversees the events.

"There is widespread agreement that the 2021 debates did not deliver as well as they should have on informing voters about parties' policies," said the final report of the Leaders' Debates Commission on the 2021 nationally televised events.

Many people look to leaders' debates during an election for the elusive "knockout punch" moment, in which a politician gets such a good hit on an opponent that their campaign efforts nosedive.

But in 2021 it was a throw from a moderator that left the biggest impression. Shachi Kurl, the president of the Angus Reid Institute, asked Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet why he defended "discriminatory" provincial laws about religious symbols and the French language, which she said marginalized minorities and anglophones.

Blanchet was incensed and accused Kurl of calling his province racist. Premier Francois Legault demanded an apology and most other leaders spent the following days responding to questions about whether they agreed with Kurl's sentiment about the Quebec laws.

But it wasn't just Kurl's performance that left some viewers unhappy.

"A consensus emerged among the stakeholders consulted that the format was too rigid, too complex, too confusing, involved too many journalists on stage and did not sufficiently generate debate between the leaders," the report said.

There were also too many questions.

During the 2008 election debate, there were eight questions posed to the leaders in the two-hour time frame. In 2021, that almost quadrupled to 45.

The commission is recommending it get the final say on the format and the moderator, following consultations with experts.

It was the second election during which the leaders' debates  one in French and one in English  were hosted by the commission. Viewership of both debates plummeted, but more so on the English side.

The French debate drew a total audience of 4.3 million in 2021, compared with five million in 2019. The English debate audience came in at 10.3 million, down from 14.2 million two years earlier.

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The commission, headed by former governor general David Johnston, said low viewership could be blamed in part on the election itself, which came at the tail end of summer during a pandemic, with lower voter engagement overall and lower turnout in the end.

But the report said it was clear that the debates failed to substantially improve what people knew about party policies, which is a problem.

Before 2019, election debates were put on by a consortium of television networks, who worked with the political parties to determine timing and format. In 2015, then-prime minister Stephen Harper refused to participate in consortium debates in English, though he ultimately did one in French.

Multiple English debates were held that year, hosted by different media organizations and think tanks, with comparatively low viewership. The English viewership ranged from 1.5 million to 4.3 million for three debates, and the two French debates had audiences of 985,000 and 1.2 million.

The debates commission was then formed in 2018 to create a better experience. The report on the 2021 events said there is still work to do to make the debates better, but said it still believes having a permanent, publicly funded debates commission is the right decision.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2022.
Houston Dorn of La Crosse won the first Bacon Eating Contest, and vendors took home awards at the first Bacon Fest, held Saturday at Loggers Field.

The River Valley Media Group partnered with Festival Foods, Farmland Bacon and Copeland Park & Events Center to bring Bacon Fest to La Crosse

The first ever Bacon Fest in La Crosse was a huge success. It was very evident that even Mother Nature loves bacon, said Paul Pehler, president of River Valley Media Group.

This event couldnt have been possible without the collaboration of all our vendors, and the gracious sponsorships of Festival Foods, Farmland Bacon, Wisconsin Clothing Co. and Casino Queen. Copeland Park & Event Center was the perfect host, and well absolutely look to make them home of Bacon Fest for years to come.

A panel of judges chose City Meat Market as the vendor with the best bacon, and Holmen Meat Locker was runner up. David Reays was selected by judges as the vendor with the best dish, and Schindoggies was runner up.

Bacon Fest attendees cast the peoples choice vote, and they chose Bubbas Meats for best bacon and Stinsons Country Style Meats as runner up.

The Peoples Choice vote for best bacon dish went to Neules Vogue, and the runner up went to Schindoggies.

Ten contestants competed in the Bacon Eating Contest, sponsored by Festival Foods and Farmland Bacon. Dorn won the trophy for consuming 3 pounds, 8 ounces of bacon in five minutes.

We were thrilled to have sold out three days prior to the event and hope to increase the available number of tickets for next year, Pehler said. Next year well plan for more vendors and will absolutely bring back the Bacon Eating Contest, as it was one of the highlights of the day.

Final tallies are still being calculated, but well have raised a very generous contribution for the WAFER food pantry, who supplied volunteers for the day, Pehler said.

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In April, two Minnesota State College Southeast students, Samantha Smith and Jacob Montoya, were recognized for their academic success at the Phi Theta Kappa All-Minnesota Academic Team Awards ceremony, held at the University of Minnesota.

Red Wing campus student Samantha Smith was named to both the All-Minnesota Academic Team and Coca-Colas 2022 Academic Team as a Silver Scholar. She will receive a $1,250 scholarship. She has served as president of Red Wing Student Senate, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and been involved with a myriad of service projects on the Red Wing campus. Samantha will graduate at the end of Fall semester 2022 with three associate degrees: Pre-Social Work Transfer Pathway AS, Psychology Transfer Pathway AA, and Sociology Transfer Pathway AA. She is registering at Winona State University to work on a bachelors degree and is becoming a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).

Winona campus student Jacob Montoya was named to the All-Minnesota Academic Team and received a 2022 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship. He will receive a $1,250 scholarship, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation with additional support provided by Phi Theta Kappa. Only 52 of these national scholarships are awarded each year. His selection was based on the score he earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which more than 2,000 applications were received. Jacob was the top scoring student from Minnesota. He will graduate this spring with high honors, earning both a diploma in Electromechanical Technology and an Associate of Applied science degree in Mechatronics Technology.

We are very proud of these students for their commitment to academic success and service to the community, said Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. Not only do these scholarships provide financial support, they also validate the excellent work Samantha and Jacob have done at MSC Southeast.

Previous All-Minnesota Academic Team nominees have gone on to do great things after their Southeast experience. Our PTK students have been awarded partial and full ride scholarships, A NASA internship at Cape Canaveral, and acceptance to Colombia University, said history instructor Chris Stout, who serves as the colleges PTK advisor. We expect great things in the future for Samantha and Jacob!

The All-State Academic Team was introduced in 1994 to honor and recognize two-year college students for their leadership, academic achievement, and community and college service. These awards provide scholarships and scholastic recognition to Phi Theta Kappa members while promoting excellence at two-year colleges. The program is sponsored by Cengage with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa.

Minnesotas public community and technical colleges are proud to be part of a tradition that showcases the high achievements of students who are committed to success in the classroom and service to their communities. By recognizing these students, Minnesota demonstrates a commitment to scholarship and community service as essential objectives in the states public community and technical colleges.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year colleges. Its mission is to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students. The organization provides opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service, and fellowship programming.

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A unique on-site pharmacy specializing in serving people with mental illness, substance use disorder and other chronic, complex conditions held its grand opening within Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc. in Winona on Monday, joined by center leaders and local officials.

The new Genoa Healthcare pharmacy will help individuals receiving services at Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc., which provides many services to the community, including: child/adolescent/adult therapy, case management, and psychiatry services; medication services; school-linked behavioral health services; childrens therapeutic services and support; adult rehabilitative mental health services; substance use treatment services; peer support services; residential services; and mobile crisis services.

In Minnesota, approximately one in 20 adults live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. Research shows that when pharmacy services are integrated with health care providers, people are more likely to obtain their prescriptions and stay on their medication plans. Genoas specialized pharmacy services include using pre-filled pill organizers to help people stay on their medications, proactive outreach calls, help with prior authorizations and other hands-on pharmacy care.

This approach to pharmacy care helps patients stay on their medications at a rate of more than 90%, compared to about 50% with a traditional approach. A study published in a peer-reviewed journal found that this type of integrated pharmacy also reduces emergency room visits and hospitalizations, which significantly reduces the total cost of care.

Genoa has gone above and beyond as a partner with Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center as we together are working tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of others through the services we offer, said Erik Sievers, executive director of Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc. They have been a great addition for our clinic and the community. We all are benefitting by their presence.

Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc. and Genoa Healthcare leaders were joined by elected officials. This included a ribbon cutting with lunch following.

Our proximity to care teams helps us develop a close and trusting relationship with providers and case managers  and effectively become extensions of their teams, said Andrea Schroeder, Genoa director of operations for Minnesota. We are looking forward to providing hands-on, specialized pharmacy care for the community at Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc.

More information on Genoa Healthcares new pharmacy in Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center, Inc. can be found at www.hvmhc.org.

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The Winona County Board officially changed their ground rules at their Tuesday meeting.

This discussion first started at the April 12 meeting after board chair Chris Meyer made a motion to discuss updating the ground rules a future board item, and it was continued at the April 26 meeting with the board authorizing county staff to make revisions to bring back to the board for review as a result.

Among the changes brought to the board were removing a need for making a motion to open discussion, and commissioners referring to each other by their titles and the chair recognizing commissioners in order for them to speak; the change that caused the most debate on the board was a proposed rotation of the chairperson role.

Meyer, after handing the gavel to commissioner Marie Kovesci, made a motion to accept all of the proposed changes except for the rotation of the chairperson. This motion was seconded by commissioner Greg Olsen.

Commissioner Marcia Ward expressed her support for the rotating chairperson system, stating that it would create transparency with the public knowing who is scheduled to be the next chair. Commissioner Steve Jacob agreed with Ward, voicing his support for a rotating chair after hearing from his constituents that they are frustrated that their district doesnt often get placed as chair.

Meyer expressed her concerns over a Minnesota statute that states that the chairperson is supposed to be elected by the county board, a sentiment that was echoed by Kovesci and Olsen.

Ward made an amendment to Meyers motion to add the rotation with an election by the board to honor the rotation, but the amendment failed on a vote of two for (Ward and Jacob) and three against (Meyer, Kovesci and Olsen).

The conversation shifted to the wording of a section of the ground rules about attendees adhering to the countys Respectful Workplace Policy and what authority the board has in making the public adhere to a county policy.

After further discussion on this topic, Jacob made an amendment to change a phrase in that section to read all non county employed attendees are expected to exhibit respectful behavior and remove the phrase of meeting attendees and others herein mentioned from a line describing who had to follow that workplace policy.

Meyer seconded that amendment and it passed on a vote of four in favor (Meyer, Jacob, Kovesci, Olsen) and one against (Ward).

After further conversation on the status of county contractors and emails that are sent to all commissioners in terms of open meeting laws, Meyers motion was to approve all changes except the rotational chairperson; the workplace policy section phrase would read all non county employed attendees are expected to exhibit respectful behavior and the phrase of meeting attendees and others herein mentioned would be removed from the line about who abides by the policy.

Upon a vote, the above motion was passed with four in favor (Meyer, Kovesci, Olsen, Jacob) and one against (Ward).

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A former Baraboo man recently saw his sexual assault charges dismissed after fulfilling the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement he entered in October 2020.

Jordan L. Marshall, 25, of La Crosse, had been charged with third- and fourth-degree sexual assault after touching a woman without her consent at a Lake Delton bar.

Sauk County Circuit Court Wendy Klicko dismissed the case May 3 under a 2020 agreement between Marshall and prosecutors that imposed certain conditions for 18 months. Under the agreement, Marshall entered a no contest plea on the fourth-degree sexual assault charge in October 202, and the charge of third-degree sexual assault was dismissed at the request of prosecutors.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman called police in September 2020 after going out to the Green Owl in Lake Delton with a friend. Marshall had been bartending at a nearby restaurant, Monks, where he met the pair, who invited him to the bar.

When the womans friend went to the bathroom, Marshall was on the dance floor with the woman, who told police he forcefully groped her underneath her clothing.

A bartender interviewed by police said she didnt see the assault but noticed the woman had been happily dancing before suddenly seeming upset and asking for help. The bartender told police she played a dice game with Marshall as a distraction and the two women left.

Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513.

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In the long list of contenders for the most flavorful beers from around the world, one name stands out for local fans. Ooga Brewing Company, 301 S. Spring St. won a gold award at the World Beer Cup awards presentation on May 5, in Minneapolis.

The Brewers Association developed the World Beer Cup Competition in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing. Often referred to as The Olympics of Beer Competitions, the World Beer Cup claims itself to be the most prestigious beer competition in the world. It is held every two years at different locations.

A total of 10,542 entries were submitted to the competition from 2,493 breweries representing 57 countries  the largest competition to date. The majority of judging took place in Colorado, in advance of the awards banquet. There are 103 categories including chili beer, of which Holla! jalapeno cream ale was proclaimed the best.

It has 20 pounds of chilis in every batch, said assistant brewer and tap room manager Sarah Ferree. She added that there were 84 submissions in that category, and the second place (silver) award winner was from Mexico.

The brewery opened in June of 2019. It was named after the sound of a vintage truck horn  and the fact that the brewery long housed several car dealerships.

Holla! was one of its initial offerings and has been one of their most popular brews ever since. There are usually 12 beers on tap at the brewery. At least nine seasonal brews are rotated throughout the year.

This is not Oogas first such competition. In 2020 they submitted brews to the World Beer Cup competition which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sign of public support all submissions were distilled into hand sanitizer.

Quite a comedown for a brew which has been ranked as best in the world.

It was really good sanitizer, said Ruth Metz, who co-owns the enterprise with husband Jim, but I bet it tasted delicious.

Although head brewer Jeff Scanlan and Ferree knew their best-selling beverage was a hit in Beaver Dam, they were shocked at winning the highest honor in such a competitive category.

We had no idea that we won until it was announced, said Ferree.

Ive been calling it the best chili beer in the world for a long time, but only tongue in cheek, said Scanlan. I know its good, but I figured were from Wisconsin. There are a lot of other brewers that have more experience with chili beers, and theyre pretty good. When they announced Holla! as the winner I was floored, but really pleased.

He had taken a week off, so the supply of the brew at home is currently in short supply. He faces a big task replenishing stock for those who are eager to imbibe the prize winning product.

We ran out over the weekend, said Ferree. Tuesday well be cutting peppers. It means the world to me that our product was recognized.

Im very proud of what we created here, said Metz.

Its an important stepping stone for our business, said Scanlan. Every challenge is an opportunity so well see what the future has in store for us. I think it says something when people in Beaver Dam say, Whats going on in Beaver Dam? Im proud to be a part of it.

The prize is a worth more in prestige than anything else.

You get a plaque, bragging rights, a moment of glory and its back to cleaning kettles and kegging, said Scanlan.

Ooga Crush was also submitted in the hazy IPA category, being a mix of lemonade and beer in a low-alcohol alternative.

Not all categories achieve highest honors. World Beer Cup judges do not automatically award the top three entries in a particular category. For example, judges may recognize a beer as a silver or bronze award winner yet not grant a gold award.

Such ranking insures that the highest standards are maintained for all categories.

When industry professionals acknowledge the excellence in products from around the market, the beer drinker can be sure that those brands are the finest available, says Chris Swersey, World Beer Cup competition director.

Evaluating beer happens on many levels, Swersey said. On a professional level, beer evaluation is a form of peer review. The results are public, so consumers can learn what beers meet a high level of quality and what beers exemplify certain styles as interpreted by the judges.

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Royal Honour for Wits Vice-Chancellor

Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi welcomed as a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society (UK)

The Royal Society (UK) announced today, Tuesday, 10 May 2022, that Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi has been appointed as a Fellow of one of the worlds most prestigious scientific academies.

Vilakazi joins the ranks of Robert Broom, Phillip Vallentine Tobias, Basil Schonland, Frank Nabarro, and Nobel-Prize winner Aaron Klug, all of whom are also Wits alumni. Past Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Dorothy Hodgkin and Stephen Hawking.

It is an honour to welcome so many outstanding researchers from around the world into the Fellowship of the Royal Society, says Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence in the world (started in 1660), dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity, on its website. Through their careers so far, these researchers have helped further our understanding of human disease, biodiversity loss and the origins of the universe. I am also pleased to see so many new Fellows working in areas likely to have a transformative impact on our society over this century, from new materials and energy technologies to synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. I look forward to seeing what great things they will achieve in the years ahead.

I am honoured to be welcomed as a Fellow of the Royal Society, says Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, an internationally recognised nuclear physicist. This is not just an honour for me, but also for Wits University, and all those who supported me. South Africa is home to a host of incredibly talented scientists, who punch above their weight in the global knowledge arena. Whilst this Fellowship acknowledges some of my achievements, more importantly, it recognises the high calibre of science and scientists based in Africa.

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. Fellows and Foreign Members are elected for life through a peer review process on the basis of excellence in science.

There are approximately 1 700 Fellows and Foreign Members, including around 85 Nobel Laureates. Each year up to 52 Fellows and up to 10 Foreign Members are elected from a group of around 800 candidates who are proposed by the existing Fellowship.

Profile: Professor Zeblon Vilakazi

Professor Zeblon Zenzele Vilakazi is a nuclear physicist and has served as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University since January 2021. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Studies, during which time Wits research outputs doubled.

A Wits alumnus, Vilakazi obtained his PhD in 1998 in nuclear physics under the supervision of the late Professor J Sellschop. He was then awarded a prestigious National Research Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. He returned to South Africa and joined the University of Cape Town in 1999, where he was instrumental in establishing South Africas first experimental high-energy physics research group focusing on the development of the High-level Trigger for the CERN-ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.

Vilakazi was appointed as the Director of iThemba Labs in 2007 and then simultaneously as the Group Executive for Research and Development at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa in 2011, before joining Wits in 2014.

Professor Vilakazi served as a visiting scientist at the Atomic Energy Commission and Alternative Energy in Saclay, France, as the chairperson of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Standing Advisory Committee on Nuclear Applications from 2009 to 2011, and as a member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Working Group for Nuclear Physics. He is currently a member of the Programme Advisory Committee for Nuclear Physics at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. He is also a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.

In 2010 he was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. He has an extensive list of refereed articles in Nuclear and High Energy Physics and is a regular invitee for talks and presentations at conferences and seminars.
For W&M law grads, crossing North America in a camper van opens new career vistas

A new home base: Rebecca Eichler J.D. 98 and Paul Carlino J.D. 98, with their children, Maya and Jonah, pause for a photo in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where they eventually decided to settle. Courtesy photo Photo - of - Hide Caption

For Paul Carlino J.D. 98 and Rebecca Eichler J.D. 98, what started out as a dream and a poster board collage in their kitchen turned into a life-changing, cross-continent road trip from Virginia to Panama. The couple chose 2015 as the year to put their law careers on hold, rent out their house, pull their kids out of school and pack everything into a 1985 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van to drive from their home in Alexandria, Virginia, to the very bottom of North America: Panama.

The trip originated in a conversation Eichler had with a woman she met in Ecuador in 2008, where she was volunteering with Asylum Access, providing legal aid to Colombian refugees. The woman was doing a yearlong worldwide trip with her two teenage children.

I talked with her all afternoon, and she blew my mind, says Eichler, who was then practicing immigration law as a partner with EichlerWright PLC, while Carlino worked in the Internal Revenue Services Office of Chief Counsel.

Hearing about the womans experience doing something Eichler had always dreamed of but never thought was possible, she felt empowered and inspired. I came back and told Paul, I want to do this.

As one can imagine, a yearlong trip took lots of planning  seven years of it, actually  but also a willingness to change course on the fly. Of course, there were the logistics of renting their house, taking a leave of absence from their jobs and designing a curriculum for homeschooling their two children  then ages 10 and 12  but aside from that, it was picking a place and deciding what route to take to get there.

The couple chose the North American continent as the parameter for their trip but didnt plan much further than that.

We didnt always have a plan every day, Carlino says. We didnt always know where we were going to sleep that night. But it wasnt in a stressful way, it was more fun, like lets just figure things out on the fly.

This kind of life isnt for everybody, the couple explains.

As we were about to cross the border into Mexico, we were both coming into it thinking this is the craziest, scariest, most dangerous thing we could ever do with our family, Eichler recalls. We had to confront that fear.

You have to be comfortable with not knowing, be comfortable with uncertainty, Eichler says.

And have a willingness to fly by the seat of your pants, Carlino adds.

This planned uncertainty led them to some of their favorite memories of the trip  such as witnessing a mass sea turtle nesting at the Playa de Escobilla sanctuary in Mexico.

Over the course of a weekend, 250,000 sea turtles came ashore to lay their eggs, Eichler says. By chance, it coincided with the hatching of the previous laying. There were baby turtles coming out of the ground, mama turtles riding the waves onto the beach, laying their eggs  it was breathtaking.

Creating a school experience in a van traveling across North America ended up being great preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. We were already familiar with the idea of homeschooling, and we already knew its OK to not go to school for a year, Eichler points out. Youre going to learn things no matter what.

Besides how to navigate homeschooling, the family learned a lot over the course of their 15,000-mile trip. You dont have to live this check-the-box life, Carlino says.

Theres more than one way to do it, Eichler adds. You can pretty much do it however you want. There arent rules, there isnt a prescribed path. We wanted to impress upon our kids that they have the opportunity to make choices in their life that shape and direct their future.

For anyone planning to embark on a similar adventure, the couple has two pieces of advice: Listen to the people who have done it, Eichler says. And be flexible. Dont over plan it, adds Carlino.

The family enjoyed their experience in Central America so much that 18 months after they returned home to Alexandria, they moved to Mexico, permanently. After experiencing what we did  the freedom with time and energy  the life we were trying to re-engage in just didnt really seem to fit anymore, Carlino explains.

We had returned to a gilded cage, Eichler says. We realized that the really good life that I thought we had  its still great, but once we got out of that cage and saw all the other things that it could be, it was hard to get back into that cage.

And the transition was rather seamless. With rental of their Alexandria home as their new main source of income, Carlino and Eichler were free to pursue other endeavors.

Eichler started a company called Language Adventure Pros that provides courses for lawyers from the U.S. who want to learn the lingo related to immigration law practice in Spanish. In 2018, she spearheaded legal aid response to the Central American caravans that traveled from Honduras toward the Mexico-U.S. border. Because of that work, Eichler is a subject of the upcoming documentary film Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis  scheduled to debut at film festivals this fall  and she served as the consulting immigration law expert for the production team.

Carlino, with a background working for the IRS, has taken up doing tax returns for the expat population in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, their new home.

We decided that our skills are portable, Carlino explains.

There are multiple ways to live life, Eichler adds. We didnt meet a lot of people that were on a traditional path when we were on this trip, but they were successful in what they were doing and they were happy, and we decided we wanted that, too.

Their daughter, Maya, wrote her college essay about the trip and will be headed back to the States in the fall to study art history at Bryn Mawr College. They expect their son, Jonah, to follow in her footsteps in a few years, after which Carlino and Eichler envision another trip, the details of which are still uncertain, but that doesnt scare them at all. In fact, it's what theyre looking forward to most.

For William & Mary students inspired by their story, the couple has a few pieces of advice:

Travel as much as you can. Its the best education you can get. Second to William & Mary, of course, Eichler adds with a wink.

To hear more about their trip across North America, you can read the book Carlino wrote about their adventure: The Year We Ruined Our Lives: A Family Road Trip Through Mexico and Central America.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, saying it is particularly important for the two countries to better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship.

Xi noted the ongoing complex changes in the international landscape and the marked rise in difficulties and challenges for global security and development, and highlighted the pressing need to bring more stability and certainty to an age of instability and transformation.

Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence. Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship. This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, said Xi.

Xi stressed that China-Germany relations have seen high-quality development over the past five decades, during which the two sides have developed together and contributed to each other's success through deepening practical cooperation. This is essentially attributable to a commitment to mutual respect and win-win cooperation, a valuable piece of experience and important principle that should be upheld all along.

Xi said there is no change in China's commitment to developing ties with Germany; there is no change in China's sincere wish for closer cooperation with Germany; and there is no change in China's conviction that China and Germany can make greater differences together. It is important that the two sides stick to the keynote of dialogue and cooperation, make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and conduct dialogue in such areas as climate change, macroeconomic policy, financial stability, energy security, food security and the stability of industrial and supply chains, so as to further enrich this bilateral relationship.

The two sides should tap the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, and actively explore cooperation in new technologies including environmental protection, trade in services, artificial intelligence and digitalization. China is speeding up efforts to foster a new development paradigm, which means broader market opportunities for Germany and all other countries, he said.

The two sides should stand for true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, defend the UN's central role in international affairs, safeguard basic norms governing international relations, promote an open world economy, and make global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive, Xi said.

Xi expressed his hope for Germany's active support for and participation in the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, with a view to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences. China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU. The China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party. This is a strategic consensus that both sides must follow in the long run. It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust.

In face of geopolitical crises, the two sides need to advocate dialogue and cooperation and offset complex changes in the international landscape with the stability of China-EU relations. In face of challenges to post-COVID recovery, the two sides need to seek greater synergy between their development strategies, step up policy coordination, and promote the stability and growth of the world economy with the openness of China-EU cooperation. In face of global challenges, the two sides need to focus on areas that bear on the future of humanity such as climate change and sustainable development, and promote further development of global governance through their wide-ranging dialogue. Xi expressed his hope for Germany to play a positive role in the steady and sound development of China-EU relations.

Scholz noted the very good development of Germany-China relations in recent years, and called on the two sides to carry forward the good tradition and keep up the sound momentum of bilateral relations. Germany will work with China on the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, maintain close communication and exchanges at all levels, ensure the success of the next round of inter-governmental consultation, have dialogue on maintaining stable global supply chains, macroeconomic policy coordination and other important topics, and step up cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade and investment, climate change, COVID-19 response, health and medical care, and education and culture.

Germany welcomes China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, which will bring more opportunities to Germany. Germany is prepared to enhance communication and coordination with China on the multilateral front and promote the sound development of Europe-China relations, he added.

The two leaders also had an in-depth and candid exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine. Xi stressed that China always stands on the side of peace and makes its conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter, and that China has been working in its own way to promote peace and defuse tensions. The Ukraine crisis has once again brought European security to a crossroads. It is important to make every effort to prevent the conflict from intensifying or magnifying to a point of no return.

Xi said the European side needs to show historical responsibility and political wisdom, bear in mind the long-term stability of Europe, and promote a solution in a responsible manner. The security of Europe should be kept in the hands of Europeans themselves.

China supports Europe in playing a positive role in promoting peace talks and in the eventual establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. China welcomes all international efforts conducive to promoting peace. Relevant parties need to support Russia and Ukraine in realizing peace through negotiations, Xi added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. [Xinhua/Yue Yuewei]

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets via video link with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2022. [Xinhua/Yao Dawei]

(Source: Xinhua)
Armed Forces charity recruiting buddies in Wales to support veterans

As Mental Health Awareness Week gets underway, Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes is looking to recruit military veterans to support their comrades in a Buddy scheme designed to help combat isolation and loneliness.

The scheme is being driven by the Charitys loneliness and isolation project manager, Sarah Hattle, and will cover the whole of Wales.

She explained: The purpose of the Buddy scheme is to connect socially isolated and/or lonely beneficiary veterans with a volunteer veteran who has fully transitioned and is a member of their local community.

The Buddy will provide companionship and emotional support while helping the beneficiary become involved with their local or wider communities.

While the scheme is open only to Help for Heroes beneficiaries who want support, the voluntary role of Buddy is open to anybody in Wales who has been in the UK Armed Forces.

In 2020, 12,299 personnel left the UK Armed Forces, and the vast majority made their transition to civilian life effectively.

This scheme is about utilising some of the amazing talent from this vast majority, to help the very small minority who are struggling to integrate into the communities where they now live.

Help for Heroes data has shown that 67 per cent of its beneficiaries find making meaningful connections in the community a daily challenge, while the figure rises to 77 per cent for those living alone.

And it is these people Hattle aims to help with the new Buddy scheme.

She added: We are looking for previous members of the UK Armed Forces to volunteer as Buddies.

They will receive comprehensive training, and, on completion of the training, we will look to match them with a beneficiary.

Anybody interested in volunteering as a Buddy can either get in touch with me directly, at Sarah.Hattle@helpforheroes. org.uk if they have any questions, or visit the Help for Heroes website, from the start of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Mental Health Awareness Week  created by the Mental Health Foundation, 21 years ago  is an annual event providing an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health.

Each year the Foundation continues to set the theme, organise, and host the week, and the event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness campaigns across the world.
Chester Zoo to launch new animal apprenticeships scheme

Chester Zoo is launching a new apprenticeships scheme to inspire more people to take up a career in conservation.

The UKs most visited wildlife charity is inviting anyone from school leavers to those seeking a career change to apply for one of 14 paid apprenticeships.

A degree or formal qualification is not required as zoo recruitment chiefs look to widen access to full time employment in zookeeping and other animal and plant focussed roles to everyone.

Among the two-year paid apprenticeships up for grabs are 10 zookeeper and aquarist roles, two horticulturalists and two positions in animal and plant logistics.

Jen McDermott, Head of People & Culture at Chester Zoo, said: This is a really exciting opportunity for 14 apprentices to join our talented animal and plant teams and become part of our charitable effort to prevent extinction.

Each and every one of our apprentices will be trained and mentored by specialist and experienced staff from across the zoo, ensuring theyre ready and equipped with the skills needed to work in a modern conservation zoo.

Theyll also work alongside our new Conservation Training Academy, which will enable and inspire 5,000 conservationists to deliver positive change for wildlife over the next 10 years.

Were always looking at how our charity can continue to improve and become even more inclusive and our new apprenticeship scheme is a fantastic way to open up career opportunities to anyone who is passionate about conservation.

The zoo, which currently employs 850, has partnered with Derby College Group (DCG) who will provide full accreditation for the scheme, including all formal training elements and assessment.

Stacey Higgs, Curriculum Manager at Derby College Group, added: We have widespread experience of further education, higher education and apprenticeship routes into animal management and are delighted to be working with Chester Zoo to help recruit and to train the apprentices under this innovative programme.

This is a wonderful opportunity for young people and adults alike to earn while they learn and to get the first foot on the ladder in this exciting and growing sector with a first class wildlife charity.

Anyone interested in a Chester Zoo apprenticeship can find out more and apply from today via the following links:

Apprentice Keeper  Find an apprenticeship (findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk)

Apprentice Horticulturist  Find an apprenticeship (findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk)

Logistical Services Apprentice  Find an apprenticeship (findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk)

The closing date for applications is midnight on Friday 20 May.
Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru agree to increase Senedd members and statutory gender quotas

First Minister Mark Drakeford and Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price have set out proposals to reform the Senedd which includes an increase in members and statutory gender quotas.

Welsh Labour ministers and Plaid Cymru have agreed to increase the number of Senedd Members by 36 to 96 elected through a proportional representation process.

They want Senedd reforms to be implemented in time for the next election in 2026, even if some of the changes are introduced on an interim basis.

Price and Drakeford have set out a joint position statement in a letter to Huw Irranca-Davies, the chair of the cross-party Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform.

At present, the Senedd is said to be seriously under-resourced and underpowered additional members would play a critical role in delivering better scrutiny and more informed decision making.

The committee must publish its report by 31 May, it will then be debated and voted on by the Senedd.

The joint position statement is the result of ongoing discussions between the First Minister and the Leader of Plaid Cymru, as part of the Co-operation Agreement.

It states:

The Senedd should have 96 Members.

It should be elected using closed proportional lists with integrated statutory gender quotas and mandatory zipping.

Seats should be allocated to parties using the DHondt formula.

The 2026 Senedd election should use the final 32 UK Parliament constituencies proposed by the Boundary Commission for Wales once it has concluded its 2023 Parliamentary Review.

These constituencies should be paired to create 16 Senedd constituencies. Each constituency should elect six Members.

A full boundary review should be instigated in this Senedd term and its recommendations should take effect from the subsequent Senedd election.

First Mark Drakeford said: The case for Senedd reform has been made. We now need to get on with the hard work to create a modern Senedd, which reflects the Wales we live in today. A Parliament that truly works for Wales.

The joint position statement we are publishing today will help support the important work of the cross-party Special Purpose Committee to move Senedd reform forwards.

Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, said: These reforms will lay the foundations for a stronger Welsh democracy and a fairer, more representative Senedd that will look entirely different to the outdated political system at Westminster.

A stronger, more diverse, more representative Senedd will have a greater capacity to perform its primary purpose of making a positive difference to the lives of the people of Wales
In what amounts to an about-face, after weeks of assuring Americans that all is well with COVID, endorsing the White Houses wholesale dismantling of all pandemic measures, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID response coordinator, took a much more sober and cautious stance during an appearance on ABCs Sunday interview program This Week.

Dr. Ashish Jha, now the White House COVID coordinator (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

He said, You know, if you take a step back and look at the last two winters, weve had relatively large surges of infections. Were looking at a range of models, both internal and external models. And what they are predicting is that if we dont get ahead of this thing, were going to have a lot of waning immunity, this virus continues to evolve, and we may see a pretty sizable wave of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths this fall and winter.

The apparent change in tone came after a Friday background briefing by a senior administration official forecasted more than 100 million possible COVID infections this fall/winter based on several modeling scenarios, according to the Washington Post. Experts at the briefing agreed that a significant wave could be expected under conditions of waning immunity and a return to pre-pandemic social norms.

Though no mention was made in the Posts report, the scant information released was, in part, consistent with reliable modeling published in March 2022 by Fractal Therapeutics. This R&D model-based drug developmental company has also turned its expertise to provide insight into the social dynamics of the pandemic.

Dr. Arijit Chakravarty, COVID researcher and CEO of Fractal Therapeutics, explained that the world had entered a dangerous phase of the pandemic. The sole reliance on the current COVID vaccines to end the pandemic was infeasible, they warned.

In November 2021, before the emergence of Omicron, in a report published in PLOS One, they warned that the vaccine-only strategy, with a rapid return to pre-pandemic social norms, would promote new variants of SARS-CoV-2 that could escape immunity. They wrote, In this work, we demonstrate that a return to pre-pandemic conditions following modestly high levels of vaccination will efficiently select for pre-existing vaccine-evading viral variants within the population, causing a high level of infection and potentially death.

Indeed, from December 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022, more than 80 million infections were estimated, based on seroprevalence studies, and more than 170,000 people died, including more than 52,000 who were previously fully vaccinated.

A report by Chakravarty et al. published on the medRxiv preprint server on March 30, 2022, was provocatively titled Endemicity is not a victory: the unmitigated downside risks of widespread SARS-CoV-2 transmission. They wrote, Our modeling suggests that endemic SARS-CoV-2 implies vast transmission resulting in yearly US COVID-19 death tolls numbering in the hundreds of thousands under many plausible scenarios, with even modest increases in the IFR [infection fatality rate] leading to an unsustainable mortality burden.

They noted that no evolutionary pressure favors reducing the SARS-CoV-2s virulence. A Harvard-based study has recently corroborated that, intrinsically, Omicron remains as severe as previous variants of concern. The US could expect 50 million to 100 million COVID cases per year, under various scenarios, for years to come. And if vaccine protection against infection declined to 50 percent, this would result in a staggering infection burden approaching 300 million US infections annually, meaning almost the entire US population could expect to become infected every year.

Under the assumption that vaccine efficacy against mortality remains at 90 percent under all scenarios, using (1) the best estimate of reproductive number (R0) of 5 [the Ancestral strain was 2.5 and Omicron is over 10]; (2) 70 percent vaccination rates in the population [the US is 66 percent fully vaccinated]; (3) a 50 percent infection reduction risk with vaccines; and (4) best estimate parameters for IFR, the model predicts approximately 420,000 US COVID-19 deaths annually. They stated that under many of their scenarios, COVID could become the leading cause of death in the US.

Sequencing COVID-19 Omicron samples at a research center in South Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

The report added, The high level of endemic disease propagation will prove challenging for healthcare systems to manage effectively, jeopardizing the ability of healthcare professionals to detect disease when it is most tractable to antivirals, identify patients at risk for severe outcomes, and optimally distribute treatment.  Overly optimistic predictions about the ending of the ongoing pandemic have tremendously complicated the public health response to the crisis.

They warned that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could become more virulent through improved transmission by increasing its viral load and improving its innate immune evasion characteristics, leading to a higher burden of severe disease despite previous infections and vaccines.

In a statement on their COVID research, Fractal Therapeutics warned, From early on in the pandemic, we identified three major challenges. 1. That SARS-CoV-2 was likely to evolve quickly in response to spike-targeting antibodies. 2. That rapidly waning natural and vaccinal immunity meant that vaccines alone could not control the disease. 3. That individually rational choices (refusal to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread) would lead to a high disease burden in society. Additionally, they predicted school reopening would lead to widespread disease transmission.

Indeed, these hair-raising estimates seem to have staggered the Biden administration, which has been keen on bringing the pandemic and all the measures that mitigate against infection to an end. Any attempt to reinstitute mask mandates, restricting the size of social gatherings, going back to online classes, or limiting the operation of large public venues would lead to severe economic repercussions on Wall Street and a political maelstrom. But not heeding the advice of principled public health officials means death on the scale seen in previous surges, leading to the complete disintegration of the health system and provoking mass rebellions of health care workers.

Jhas attempt to shift the blame for the exhaustion of pandemic funding onto the backs of Republicans is another diversion. There has been a bipartisan effort to place the needs of the financial markets ahead of human life throughout the pandemic. Vaccination rates are on the decline, and funding has essentially dried up for testing. States across the country have dismantled their COVID dashboards. The CDC metrics camouflage the actual dangers posed by the circulating strains of Omicron, ensuring the country is flying blind into another pandemic storm.

Not once has Jha or his master Biden taken responsibility for the current state of affairs, which is set to see the third year of the pandemic horrifically unrelenting in its assault. The policies of both capitalist parties have provided the virus leeway to mutate into evermore dangerous versions, killing more than 1 million in the US alone and more than 15 million across the globe.

However, experience has shown that the virus can be defeated. Even within the limited confines of the Chinese authoritarian bureaucracy, Zero-COVID has proven that even Omicron can be checked. All attempts to argue against an elimination strategy are based on short-sighted and reactionary economic interests. The slogan of the working class must raise these demands: No to the pandemic, no to war!
The results of the election staged on Monday in the Philippines are still being tabulated, but nearly all precincts have now reported, and it is clear that Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the countrys former dictator, has been elected president with a substantial lead over his nearest rival.

Over 50 million people queued in the scorching heat to cast their ballots. Problems with polling machines meant that many had to stand for four or more hours in line order to vote. There were reports of election violence and broken voting machines, but no more than is standard for national elections in the country.

Partial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), with 93 percent of precincts reporting show Marcos receiving 29.8 million votes. His nearest rival, current Vice President Leni Robredo, has 14.2 million votes, while the third, boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao, trails with a distant 3.3 million.

The president and vice president are voted for separately in the Philippines, and Marcos running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, is on track to win by an even larger margin. She currently has 30.1 million votes to the 8.8 million of her leading competitor, Kiko Pangilinan, running mate of Robredo.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Wikimedia Commons)

The senatorial slate of Marcos and allied political forces is poised to secure a substantial majority of the 12 available seats. It is too soon to tell, but it appears possible that as many as three of Robredos candidates will win seats. Among those assured of Senate seats are movie star and right-wing populist, Robin Padilla, and the fascistic shock radio journalist Raffy Tulfo.

The top vote-getter among party-list organizations competing for seats in Congress, with over 2 million votes, twice as many as any other party, is ACT-CIS (Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Communist Involvement and Support). ACT-CIS is a fascistic party, associated with the Tulfo family, that was founded by former police chiefs. It is dedicated to creating anticommunist vigilante organizations with government funding.

The Duterte Youthan organization deliberately modeled after the Hitler Youth organization with black uniforms, red armbands and the Duterte raised-fist fascist salute, advocating violent anticommunism and mandatory military trainingreceived over 500,000 votes. Its election statement in the 2019 election, when it received 350,000 votes, warned allegedly communist youth that We will finish you in the streets along with your rapist, criminal and terrorist comrades.

The outcome of the 2022 election in the Philippines represents an unqualified victory for the most reactionary forces in Philippine politics.

What does a Marcos presidency bode?

First, in terms of geopolitics, Marcos has explicitly stated his intention of continuing the policies of the outgoing Duterte administration of improving diplomatic and trade relations with Beijing. This strategy runs afoul of Washington's openly bellicose moves against China and has placed Manila largely outside the geostrategic ambit of its former colonial ruler.

In 2016, as Duterte took office, the outgoing Benigno Aquino III administration had concluded a deal with Washington, known as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that effectively returned US military bases to the country after a more than 20-year absence. The ruling handed down by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in The Hague, invalidating much of Chinas claim to the South China Sea, was poised to be a weapon in the hands of a US proxy to increase pressure on China.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shows ink on his finger to mark that he has finished voting at a polling center in Davao city, southern Philippines on Monday May 9, 2022 (Credit: Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division) [AP Photo/Toto Lozano/ Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division]

Dutertes geopolitical reorientation meant that these prepared weapons were removed from Washingtons hands for six years. Marcos election consolidates Washingtons diminishing hold over its former colony.

This is expressed in the alignment of ruling class forces behind Marcos candidacy. The political kingmaker, who brokered the deal that saw Sara Duterte take the vice presidential slot on Marcos ticket, was former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Arroyo now stands as the single most influential political force behind the scenes of the Marcos presidency. It was under her presidency that the Philippines began to reorient its ties toward China.

She is joined in this by a man who had been her mortal enemy, former President Joseph Estrada. Arroyo took office after ousting Estrada through a constitutional coup with the backing of the military. They share a common alignment toward China, however, and common relations with the Marcoses, and Estrada has publicly pledged his enthusiastic support for Arroyo.

There are growing signs that a majority of the Philippine ruling class favor the countrys orientation to China at the expense of Washington. They have expressed alarm at Washingtons war drive in Ukraine and fear that similar moves against China could see the Philippines caught up in a bloody global war. Significant sections of the business community, particularly those based outside the capital city of Manila, favor relations with China, as they see possible infrastructure investment from China as a means of improving their access to the world market.

Second, Marcos represents advanced political preparations in the ruling class to carry out the repression of growing social unrest in the country, including the stripping away of basic constitutional rights and the possible imposition of open military dictatorship.

Fifty years ago, in 1972, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., citing the danger of communism, imposed martial law on the country to suppress an immense social crisisdemonstrations in the streets and a growing strike wave in the working class. The overwhelming majority of the ruling class backed Marcos in this, even his political opponents.

Marcos Sr. used his military dictatorship to ban all strikes. Under martial law over 70,000 people were arrested without warrant; nearly 4,000 were killed, and thousands more were tortured by the military. This brutal dictatorial rule continued until 1986, when Marcos was ousted in a popular uprising, coupled with an attempted military coup, which led to the installation of Corazon Aquino, the candidate of the bourgeois opposition. Marcos and his family, including Ferdinand Jr., were given a comfortable life in exile in Hawaii by the US government, which had backed his dictatorship from the day it was declared.

Marcos Jr. has made the claim that martial law was a golden age in Philippine history the center of his campaign. This is not just a lying attempt to use his family name to secure votes, it is a promise as well. Marcos is telling the ruling class that he is running as the candidate of dictatorship.

When Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were ousted in 1986, their rule was detested. They were corrupt, they were brutal. They were guilty of mass murder and the theft of billions of dollars. This was symbolized in popular consciousness by Imeldas thousands of pairs of shoes, in a country where most people are lucky to afford a single pair and treat them with great care.

How is it possible that 36 years later, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has won election on the basis of the preposterous lie that his parents dictatorship was a golden age?

Marcos bought a good deal of his support, deploying the stolen wealth that his family still possesses. It is obvious from numerous grassroots accounts throughout the country that the crowds gathered at his rallies were brought in with the promise of envelopes of cash. The average sum of 500 pesos (about $10 USD) per person is widely reported. There is a long established tradition of vote-buying in the Philippines, and there can be no doubt that Marcos engaged in this practice.

The purchase of support extended to the use of online troll farms. Marcos was backed by a systematic network of disinformation, creating videos and posts circulated on TikTok and Facebook that claimed to demonstrate that Marcos rivals were secretly communists, that martial law improved social conditions of the Philippines, that Marcos was personally possessed of immense wealth that he intended to redistribute if elected, and so on.

Vote-buying and the production of disinformation cannot alone account for the election results. The question must be asked regarding disinformation, in particular, much of which was quite crude, why did it spread? Why did it find a mass audience which deemed it credible?

When Corazon Aquino took office in 1986, there were immense illusions placed in the social changes that her government would carry out. After two decades of Marcos rule, things would finally change for the better. Aquino, one of the largest landowners in the country, changed very little. She incorporated many of the leading criminals of the martial law regime into her cabinet. By the end of her six years in office, she found it expedient to allow the Marcoses to return to the country.

No truth commission was ever set up; no investigation of the nature of the dictatorship was conducted. Aquino covered up the crimes of those who are now her allies. History textbooks were written on this basis. No one was taught what martial law had been. For a good many years, people repeated the phrase never again, but it gradually lost its meaning.

Much of the country now suffers from a systematically cultivated historical illiteracy. The Duterte administration has removed the teaching of history from high schools entirely, replacing it with the abstract and largely empty Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies).

This historical illiteracy makes possible the influence of disinformation, but it does not explain its appeal.

As it has for workers around the globe, the living standards of the Filipino working masses has declined over the course of the past three decades. Real wages have fallen. The immense social crisis gripping the country finds expression in the mass export of migrant labor. Fully 10 percent of the countrys population has been compelled to seek work overseas. Families are riven apart. There are very few working families that do not have a father or a mother, sister or son torn from them to work in Singapore or Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia or Taiwan.

The illusions in liberal democracy under the rule of the successors of martial law were shattered irretrievably. Leni Robredo, the leading opponent of Marcos and chair of the Liberal Party, long associated with the Aquinos and the ouster of Marcos, was the inheritor of these shattered illusions. That she knew that her own banner was tattered and tainted was manifested in her decision to run as an independent and avoid public affiliation with her own party.

There is a degraded character to much of official democracy in the Philippines. Elections are conducted as public spectacles, nothing more. They are marked by singing, dancing, fireworks and the absence of coherent political thought. Elite politicos deliberately make fools of themselves in pursuit of votes.

Robredo did not break with this tradition but within its parameters staged a deliberately conservative, even right-wing campaign. She presented democracy as a question above all of civility and effectively counterposed herself as the decent, kindly opponent of Marcos. Day after day she staged rallies of hundreds of thousands, who wore pink and danced to the music of her campaign.

Doubtless the millions who voted for Robredo did so out of hostility to Marcos and all that he represents, but she had no concrete appeal to the tens of millions who sought not civility but an end to their poverty.

And while presenting herself as a quietly democratic force, Robredo met with the leading generals and pledged support for the continuation of the McCarthyite anticommunist apparatus, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), created under Duterte.

The Stalinist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) played an integral role in the victory of Marcos. The various legal organizations that follow its political line, operating under the umbrella organization BAYAN, campaigned alongside Marcos in 2010, when he ran for Senate, and they shared a slate behind real estate billionaire Manny Villar. The CPP enthusiastically promoted Rodrigo Duterte for president and claimed that the fascist political leader was a socialist. The far-right atmosphere that hangs over the country today has been made possible by the role of the Stalinists.

The Stalinists threw themselves into support for Leni Robredo, campaigning for her with an intensity without precedent in the history of the party. On May 1, 2022, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement), the labor union umbrella of the Stalinists, instructed their members that they were not to wave red flags nor were they to denounce the NTF-ELCAC. They did not want to offend their bourgeois allies.

There is a democratic tradition in the Philippines with deep historic roots in the revolutionary struggles of the working masses, but it has no connection with the countrys constitution and elections. These democratic traditions were hard won in the nation's formative anti-colonial struggles against Spain and the United States.

The democratic tradition that persists in the Filipino masses consists of a passionate commitment to freedom of speech, a courageous willingness to jeer the powerful and, above all, a highly developed belief in the need for social equality.

The constitution and the parliamentary politics of the Philippines, however, were set up by the United States in a quest to stabilize the rule of their elite partners in the country. The representatives of American imperialism wrote martial law as an executive power into the countrys legal code and kept trial by jury out. Formal democracy has proven to be nothing but the apparatus of elite rule.

The Stalinists make no effort to build upon the democratic tradition of the Filipino working class; they seek to prop up the formal democratic rule of their bourgeois allies.

The victory of Marcos in the Philippines is a stark manifestation of a global trend. Marcos has political counterparts around the world: Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Marine Le Pen, Narendra Modi. Their rise expresses the fact that formal democracy has been hollowed out by social inequality. Confronting the intensifying growth of social unrest, driven by immense crisis now exacerbated by the pandemic, the ruling class is turning to authoritarian forms of rule.

For more than four decades, the traditional liberal parties of the bourgeoisie have had nothing to offer, no progressive social measure of any substance. As the social crisis intensified over these decades, they lurched further and further to the right. It is this patent bankruptcy of bourgeois liberalism, aided and abetted by the pseudo-left, in the context of intense social crisis, that enables the rise of far-right forces basing themselves on populist lies.

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On May 5, the East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) released the video of a non-fatal police shooting of DeAnthony VanAtten, a 20-year-old black man, in the parking lot of a Meijer grocery store in East Lansing, Michigan, that took place on April 25.

According to an accompanying press release from the ELPD, a 911 caller alleged that he or she saw a black man take a handgun out of a car and put it in his pocket before entering the store.

Body cam footage of DeAnthony VanAtten being shot at an East Lansing Meijer parking lot

The press release further states that the two Lansing officers involved in shooting VanAtten have been placed on paid leave. Police said the unnamed officers have been with the ELPD for two or more years.

The video, which was released according to a May 5 deadline set by the citys Oversight Commission, includes footage from the body cameras of four police officers, as well as footage from the Meijer stores security system. Police also released the audio from the 911 dispatcher after the call was received. The dispatcher notes, Hes not threatening anybody with it.

In the store surveillance footage, VanAtten can be seen arriving in a silver SUV. He gets out of the vehicle, runs toward the Meijer supermarket entrance, then returns to his vehicle and then runs back toward the store. Police body camera footage shows two officers walking into the store sometime shortly thereafter. The officers describe seeing someone who they say appears to be running away from them, although this individual is not visibly in the video.

Another officer is waiting in the entryway on the other side of the Meijer, where VanAtten had left the store. As soon as the officer sees VanAtten, who appears to be running, he draws his pistol and screams, Let me see your f**king hands! Another officer joins in a foot pursuit outside of the store and shouts, Get on the f**king ground! He draws a Taser and screams, Youre gonna get tased! Get on the f**king ground!

The video shows one officer then pressing himself against a car and firing two rounds. VanAtten is not visible at this point. A second officers bodycam shows that he shot at VanAtten several times as he ran past, hitting him twice, in the leg and the chest.

As VanAtten rolls around on the ground screaming in agony, the officers continue to shout obscenities at him. One officer charges in and handcuffs him and begins roughly jerking him around, apparently to find where he had been shot. The officers then provide first aid.

At one point during the chase and shooting, a woman got out of the silver SUV in which VanAtten had arrived. She is screaming in horror, alleging that the officers shot him for no reason, and that he did not have a gun. In the video she claims not to know the victim.

The woman gets her baby out of the van, still inside the baby carrier. One officer walks over to the others rendering aid to VanAtten, and another exclaims, Shes got to have that gun. The first officer then advances on the woman once more and orders another officer on scene, Search her for a gun.

The woman begins backing away from the officers, who have put away their pistols, shouting, I dont have no gun! At one point, an officer grabs her arm with the baby carrier in it, and starts rifling through the front pocket of her hoodie. He then pulls the baby carrier away from her, while the other officer holds her arms.

The video also shows the discovery of a pistol VanAtten is alleged to have had, which police say was underneath a car two spaces down from the silver SUV. In the surveillance footage, VanAtten can be seen hiding by that car during the foot chase.

The gun is not seen until an officer, for whom no bodycam footage was released, pulled it out from under the car. The police then eject the magazine, apparently to determine if any shots had been fired.

At no point in the video did VanAtten pose a danger to anyone or to the police. If he had a weapon, he did not use it or threaten to use it.

VanAtten was taken to a hospital where he spent almost a week, before being transferred to the Ingham County Jail. He was being held on a probation violation and has since been released.

According to standard procedures, the investigation into the shooting was handed over to the Michigan State Police (MSP). Michigan is an open carry state, meaning a person over 18 is allowed to openly carry a legally possessed firearm. The MSPs investigation will then be reviewed by the office of state Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Lieutenant Brian Oleksyk, the MSPs spokesman, said on Wednesday, This is an active investigation, and our detectives are working diligently taking every measure to ensure all evidence and facts are documented. This is standard language from law enforcement aimed at calming an angry public that is fed up with daily incidents of police brutality and wanton shootings.

Burnette VanAtten, DeAnthonys mother, spoke to WKAR about the shooting. She said, The only thing he is guilty of is shopping while black. He did not deserve to be shot like an animal. East Lansing police need to be held accountable for their actions  or this will continue to happen. She has further demanded that the officers who shot her son be prosecuted.

Burnette related her sons shooting to the recent shooting death of Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I thank God my son is still alive because a lot of black men who encounter the police are notlike Patrick. On April 4, Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head by Grand Rapids Officer Christopher Schurr following a scuffle during a traffic stop. This case is also being investigated by the MSP and being referred to the Kent County prosecutors office.

Public anger and demands for the officers to be charged for shooting VanAtten have also been expressed on Facebook. One reader posted, This was all SO MUCH BS. Where was the gun when he was running from the cops? He NEVER pointed a gun at anyone and was not an imminent threat to the cops or the public, so WHY WERE SHOTS FIRED? What happened to the shots that missed? They fired a lot of shots at him in a parking lot with people all over, and only 2 of them hit him; it's a miracle nobody else was hit. Theres so much wrong with all of this.

Another reader posted, Even with their shitty attempts at redacting and editing its all too obvious what happened here. And what are they doing shooting into a heavily populated area at someone posing no risk and no evidence of a weapon even though a cop attempted to say he had one? They surprised the poor man trying to walk out the door of a store by screaming at him and treating him like a criminal, and they wonder why he ran? If I were him I would have too, that must have been terrifying. Absolutely disgusting.
Are you a nurse? We want to hear from you: Tell us about the conditions at your hospital and what you think about this tragedy.

The tragic death by suicide of a nurse at Kaiser Permanentes Santa Clara Medical Center in Northern California has provoked an outpouring of sympathy, anguish and justified anger at the health care system among nurses and other health care workers throughout the country.

The death has struck a chord with nurses who have suffered from overwork for decades, enormously intensified throughout the two-and-a-half years of the pandemic. Many nurses and health workers have sent in statements of support to the World Socialist Web Site, while sharing their own experiences.

Connie, a former nurse in California, wrote, Ive left nursing for good. As a hospital supervisor for over 30 years in five different organizations, the deterioration in working conditions for hospital staff was too much to bear anymore.

The clearest example I can give is the multiple times I went to unit managers literally begging them to let us staff their unit so we would have admit capability. Over and over, the managers would say no, they could not staff for admissions that may or may not arrive. They would cite the organization mantra of staffing for heads in beds. Meaning you can only staff for patients you already have and hope for discharges.

Registered nurse Morgan Flynn prepares to enter a patients room in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The mantra itself is a perversion of the old mantra hospitals used to staff by: bed ahead, meaning you staff to admit patients given thats the business we are in.

Why the change? Profits. Why are nurse managers quoting the administrators? Because the system of productivity is set up to reward managers who keep their numbers down with big bonuses. And managers who do not adopt the mantra and the system of extreme tight staffing dont keep their jobs.

So, while the CEOs are taking in a million a yearat leastand the managers are accepting bonuses to keep their staffing levels minimal, nurses and therefore patients are suffering.

Too many times I have had to give patients from the OR [Operating Room] or ED [Emergency Department] to charge nurses who are trying to keep their units safe and patients cared for. Too many times I have had to push nurses beyond their capacity to secure a bed for a patient who needs it. Too many times patient care unit staff go without a break or have charge nurses in care.

Though my first concern is the patient, without a nurse there is no care. Without a critically thinking nurse who has the time and emotional capacity to give good care, the quality of that care diminishes.

This last year I have seen too many horrific situations with patients backed up by the dozens in ED or OR waiting for beds, only to be met by stressed out nurses who often get no breaks and are called relentlessly to work overtime or to come in on their days off.

Too many times the conditions and complaints about the conditions fall on deaf ears with management and administration because they have a vested interest in not staffing adequatelyand that is money.

Incentivizing productivity with bonuses for managers who keep their budgets to a minimum, while nurses are overworked and stressed out is the glaring wrongness of hospitals today.

Lean methodology was supposed to mean improving care by reducing waste, not refusing to staff for admissions or providing breaks. The focus on profit and bonuses over safe staffing and the well-being of your staff is the real perversion in hospitals.

I can no longer reconcile trying to support patient care and patient admissions by pushing nurses to work beyond their emotional and physical capacity. So Ive left nursing. For good.

Richard, a nurse in New York, wrote: Nurses are seen as interchangeable pegs to fit any hole in the system. Management doesnt see nurses as people, just pegs. It is sinful the abuses nurses suffer on a daily basis.

I had a colleague who was attacked by a patients visitor at the Northport VAMC. She has permanent damage to her arm. Do you know what the reaction of management was? ... They held a meeting with the patients visitor to make sure they were satisfied with the care. The nurse tried to press charges; the VA Medical Center administration stood firmly in her way. She never got any justice.

Heidi, a travel nurse in Southern California, wrote, I am a nurse of 20 years. ER, ICU, and hospice. I have seen a tremendous amount of suffering, and I have been in ERs on the west side of Chicago where a nurse was shot in the parking lot as she left work. However, nothing could prepare me for what I am experiencing now as a travel nurse working in California in a county mental health hospital.

I chose to leave ER nursing at age 56 and pursue an MSN [Masters of Science in Nursing] to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I left ER at the beginning of the pandemic after having to re-wear my N95 day after day; after being called a fucking liberal because I was tasked to keep all visitors out of the ER; after I had to sleep in separate rooms from my husband for a year; after watching a woman die and her elderly husband not be able to be able to say goodbye. That was before things got bad.

I started to work as a travel nurse as a psychiatric nurse after returning to school. Fast forward 2.5 years. I arrived at a psychiatric hospital in Southern California. Im speechless. The days are 14 hours long. The patients are the most vulnerable. People who are homeless, sometimes nameless, suffering from schizophrenia, meth addiction, bipolar disorder, and many who are hopeless, and suicidal or homicidal.

Then enter the nursing staff to units that are understaffed, unsafe, and where staff are threatened and sometimes kicked and hit and broken and sent to the hospital themselves with injuries. There was a day recently when a violent patient entered the triage tent and trapped the staff in there where there is no escape, no cell phone service and no security. Or there were the multiple days in a row where a homicidal patient kept attacking staff day after day.

In the emergency room in this hospital, patients cannot be turned away. Hence the days where a unit that holds 25 has 60 patients, and they have zero personal space. They may or may not have a plastic recliner to live in for days on end, or maybe they are stuck sleeping on the floor in the same clothes they have come in with off the streets. These patients often have nothing and are often discharged back to the streets. They are back to the same dire circumstances from whence they came.

We are the witnesses.

To add more to this story are the children who are literally dropped off at the front door of the hospital because a foster parent or a parent has decided they dont want this child anymore. These children, too, live in recliners while in the emergency room. Clean clothes? They often have only the outfit they are wearing. Compassion? It is transient from a staff member who may not be hiding behind a wall of indifference in order to survive in this hospital.

Nurses are on the frontlines everywhere, and they have been forever. The fact of the matter is that we are a commodity. We always have been. We have become recognized as we stepped in to watch people die in waves and to be asked to risk our own lives. Nurses are often abused and asked to endure the worst of the worst. We are witness to those who suffer without support needed to survive ourselves.

Do you know what we get for nurses week? A bag, a cup, an umbrella maybe. Mental health services? No. Higher pay? No. Vacation time independent of hospital starting needs? No. Sick time? Six days in a year. Safety from weapons being brought into a hospital? No.

Watching corporate profits rise? Yes. Watching administration staff walk by as we take a patient covered in their own feces to the shower? Yes. Back injuries? Yes. Getting kicked in the head by a violent patient? Yes. Falling asleep as you drive home after a 13-hour night shift? Yes. Crying in your car? Yes. Worrying that you literally might not make it out alive? Yes. Worried that you made a medication error because you are understaffed and work in unsafe conditions? Always

I have said, and I will continue to say that nurses are the literal backbone of the health care system. We deserve better, and more importantly, the patients (that means you, my friends) deserve better! If nurses give up, or worse yet, show up without their souls intact, the blame can be placed squarely on the incessant need for profits over our own humanity.

Sincerely, A nurse who hasnt given up (yet)
Seventy-seven years after the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht during World War II, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democrats) used the anniversary to justify an unprecedented rearmament of the German army (Bundeswehr) and a massive expansion of the proxy war against Russia. To this end, he trivialized and relativized the crimes of the Nazi regime in an unspeakable manner and drew on the worst traditions of German great power politics.

German chancellors rarely address the population in a televised address on current issues. Merkel did so only once during her 16-year tenure, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Scholz now used this means on the day of the liberation from fascism to propagandise for an aggressive drive to war with Russia and announce further arms deliveries to Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) during his war speech on May 8, 2022 [AP Photo/Britta Pedersen/Pool]

Scholz accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting to subjugate Ukraine to destroy its culture and identity with his barbaric attack. In this way, according to Scholz, Putin brought war, genocide and tyranny back to Europe. We defend law and freedomalongside the attacked. We support Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor. Not doing so would mean surrendering to sheer violenceand encouraging the aggressor.

Germany will therefore not accept a Russian-dictated peace, Scholz proclaimed, thereby indirectly admitting that he sees himself as a war party in the conflict. In keeping with this, he announced that he would supply Ukraine with further heavy weaponry to defeat Russia militarily.

The historic decision to let German tanks roll against Russia once again is not driven by security and peace and least of all the protection of the Ukrainian population. Instead, Germany and the other NATO powers have systematically provoked Russias reactionary invasion to allow them to wage a proxy war against Russia on the backs of the Ukrainian population.

As early as 2014, the German government supported the coup against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to bring the country into its own sphere of influence and against Russia. The coup was based on right-wing extremist paramilitaries, such as the Right Sector, which were to gain ever greater influence over politics in the following years.

In the months leading up to the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian government, with massive support from the US and Germany, has been preparing to bring the areas held by pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country under its military control. A war against Russia in Crimea was also planned.

The Putin regime reacted to this aggression with poisonous nationalism and its reactionary attack on Ukraine. This was seized upon by Germany as a pretext to implement the largest rearmament programme since the Second World War. All restrictions imposed on Germany after the world war are to be removed, and the Bundeswehr will be rebuilt into the largest European army.

When Scholz declares that Germany will not accept a dictated peace and is fighting for Russias military defeat, the logic is a direct confrontation with Russia, leading to a nuclear world war. He mentioned the concern about this danger only briefly before declaring in a dismissive manner, Fear must not paralyze us.

The German government has already delivered tanks from former East German stockpiles to Ukraine and announced further heavy arms deliveries. These include anti-aircraft tanks and self-propelled howitzers that are capable of enormous destruction. Germany and NATO are ready to lay waste to Ukraine in order to defeat Russia.

As before in the First and Second World Wars, this goes hand in hand with deafening war propaganda and with anti-Russian chauvinism and racism. All Russians are our enemies now, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, for example, headlined an interview with Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnyk, who is an avowed follower of the Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.

With its heavy weaponry, Germany is equipping the Azov Battalion and other neo-Nazi units. These groups are the political descendants of Banderas Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which was responsible for the murder of thousands of Ukrainian Jews.

Scholzs talk of freedom and security in Europe is just as credible as Hitlers speech to the German people on June 22, 1941, the day of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler, too, based the justification for his war on attacks by the Soviet Union on Finland and Romania and declared: But if the circumstances have forced me to remain silent again and again, the time has now come when continuing to stand by would not only be a sin of omission, but a crime against the German people, yes, against the whole of Europe.

In Scholzs official televised address on the day of unconditional surrender, the terms Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were industrially exterminated, and war of annihilation, which was planned in detail by Nazi Germany, did not appear. At the beginning of his speech, he only mustered some general phrases about 60 million war victims and millions who were murdered on the front and in the concentration camps.

The rest of the speech was devoted to the Russian war against Ukraine. Only two days earlier, in a speech in Hamburg, Scholz used the terms war of annihilation and break with civilization, which were previously reserved for the description of the unprecedented crimes of the Wehrmacht. Scholz claimed that Russia was waging a war of extermination and was breaking with civilization.

This is an utter falsification of history that trivializes and relativizes the crimes of German imperialism. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is politically reactionary and appeals to Russian nationalism, but it cannot be compared to the Wehrmachts war of annihilation, let alone the Holocaust.

The forces deployed by the Putin regime against Ukraine are minuscule compared to the invasion force hurled by Hitler against Russia in 1941. Historian Stephen G. Fritz described the invasion as follows:

Deploying over 3 million men, 3,600 tanks, 600,000 motorized vehicles (as well as 625,000 horses), 7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft (a number that was actually smaller than that employed during the invasion of France), the Germans had launched the largest military operation in history. [Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East]

Germanys Operation Barbarossa, Fritz continued:

was not only the most massive military campaign in history, but it also unleashed an unprecedented campaign of genocidal violence, of which the Holocaust remains the best-known example. This Judeocide, however, was not an isolated act of murder; rather, it formed part of a deliberate, comprehensive plan of exploitation, a utopian scheme of racial reorganization and demographic engineering of vast proportions.

For a German chancellor, who is entirely familiar with this history, to compare the invasion of Ukraine to the Nazi war of extermination is politically obscene.

Moreover, the Russian campaign does not even come close to the brutality of the US-led and German-backed wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, where entire countries have been razed to the ground and millions of people killed. Even the New York Times had to admit this, quoting US officials in an article on May 3, that the Russian forces showed remarkable restraint in the war.

The German chancellors speech is part of a widespread falsification of history. The Social Democrat/Left Party/Green Senate government in the state of Berlin banned the display of Soviet flags at the memorial sites of the Red Army, while allowing the neo-Nazi group The Third Way to demonstrate at the Holocaust Memorial for Ukraine.

When the German government supported the coup of 2014 and proclaimed the end of Germanys military restraint, this was accompanied by the trivialization of Nazi crimes. In February 2014 an article appeared in Der Spiegel, which quoted the now deceased Nazi apologist Ernst Nolte with the assertion that the share the Poles and English had [in the outbreak of the Second World War] must be weighted more heavily than it usually is.

In the same article, Jorg Baberowski, a professor at Humboldt University, declared: Nolte was done an injustice. Historically speaking, he was right. As a reason, he stated: Hitler was not a psychopath, and he wasnt vicious. He did not want to talk about the extermination of the Jews at his table. In addition, he compared the Holocaust to shootings in the Russian civil war, commenting, Essentially, it was the same thing: industrial killing.

Baberowski was celebrated by representatives of all parties. Today, his revanchist positions are official government policy. Scholzs attempt to use the slogan Never again war! to justify his war policy and falsification of history is particularly despicable. Contributing to freedom and security to the best of our ability, claimed Scholz, is the contemporary meaning of Never again!

The slogan Never again! already gained popularity after the First World War and was unforgettably portrayed by the communist artist Kathe Kollwitz. After the worst crimes in human history, which German imperialism unleashed in the Second World War, the sentence became deeply anchored in the consciousness of the masses in Germany and all over the world.

Scholz and the federal government will not erase this deep conviction with the hijacking of the slogan for their warmongering. On the contrary, the character of Germanys war policy is becoming increasingly apparent. It encounters its main opposition in the working population.

It is now imperative to turn this opposition into conscious resistance and to arm it with an internationalist and socialist perspective. Only the active intervention of the Russian and Ukrainian workers together with the workers of all countries can stop the madness.
Supporters of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) in India spoke to workers and young people about the need to build an anti-war movement of the working class based on socialist internationalism amid the proxy war waged by the US and its NATO allies against Russia.

Indias ruling elite, citing its longstanding military-strategic and economic ties with Moscow, has refused to openly side with US imperialism and its European allies in their undeclared war with Russia. But the Indian bourgeoisie is fully complicit in the intensification of great power rivalries around the world that is paving the way to a third world war. Over the past decade and a half, New Delhi has formed an ever-closer alliance with US imperialism, transforming India into a veritable frontline state in Washingtons military-strategic offensive against China.

Discussions with workers and young people centred on the danger that the current conflict over Ukraine will lead to a direct war between the US-NATO and Russia, escalating into a global conflagration fought with nuclear weapons. Such a conflict would have deadly consequences for hundreds of millions if not billions globally, and can only be averted through the mass mobilization and revolutionary action of the international working class.

S. Vasan, a Tamil Nadu State Road Transport Corporation worker, said: I think the most important thing is to know where this war could lead and its historical roots. The US and NATO wanted to use Ukraine as a launching pad of its war against Russia. Ukraines oligarchs wanted to join NATO for this reactionary end. It has nothing to do with the democratic rights of Ukraines people. Now, it is Ukraines working class and the common people who bear the brunt of the war.

The workers have suffered a lot due to price hikes of essential commodities including petrol and diesel and the disastrous impact of COVID-19 during the last two years, and the eruption of natural calamities. Meanwhile, oligarchs proceed with their normal life as if nothing serious is happening in the world.

Workers of the world should unite to oppose war and fight for social equality.

Balakrishnan, a dismissed worker at a Motherson auto parts plant near Chennai, stated that this war is the inevitable consequence of 30 years of imperialist wars waged by the US and the NATO powers in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and other countries.

Victimized Motherson worker Balkrishnan [Photo: WSWS]

America and the European countries provide billions of dollars worth of armaments to Ukraine to intensify the war against Russia and the US is creating conditions for a direct military intervention claiming that a genocide is taking place in Ukraine, he said. A dangerous nuclear catastrophe is waiting to happen in the American war drive for world dominance.

I agree with the World Socialist Web Sites analysis on the war and the revolutionary alternative program to stop the imminent nuclear war through the struggle for world socialism.

Sumita Shaw, a B. Ed, student in Kolkata, the capital city of the east Indian state of West Bengal, said: Imperialist war is inhumane and contributes to the extinction of civilization. Obviously, we need to go deeper into its historical context, not just the visuals in the media presenting Russia's terrible bombardment of Ukraine.

Sumita Shah

Ukraine is merely a proxy of NATO, enticed to join it in exchange for better benefits. Regardless of how the issue is viewed, the fact remains that the war is primarily a product of the choices of capitalists and elites who are only marginally affected by it. The masses, women and children are the ones who suffer the most.

Somak Banerjee, a student at Kalyani University in West Bengal, commented: The war between Ukraine and Russia should be stopped. The working class is suffering from this war and they also have to face the consequences and challenges that arise from it, like worldwide price hikes and food shortages.

The US and its NATO allies have been preparing and provoking a war with Russia for the last three decades since the breakup of the Soviet Union. They have entrapped Russia into waging a war against Ukraine.

Russia tries to justify its reactionary war based on its national security interests which are threatened by NATOs desperate efforts to include Ukraine in its military alliance against Russia. Waging war against Russia and transforming it into a semi-colonial country and plundering its immense natural resources is a part of US strategy to reestablish its global hegemony.

I agree with the ICFIs anti-war campaign. The imperialist war drive of the US and NATO forces and Putins reactionary invasion of Ukraine must be opposed and defeated by the united class struggles of the Russian and Ukrainian workers in solidarity with American, European, and international workers.

Seninban, an IT professional in Ambattur, Chennai, opposed Putins attack on Lenin, the 1917 October Revolution and the formation of the USSR. The reactionary dissolution of the USSR divided the once united working class into hostile nation states. Now, the working class should oppose these nationalist divisions and ethnic chauvinism and they should take a fight again for their unification through the socialist revolution.

The world cannot withstand another world war. Therefore forging the international unity of the working class has become an urgent task as never before. I hope that this war crisis will be the impetus for a massive movement to fight for the world socialist revolution.

I can see that the International Committee of the Fourth International is the only organization with a program for such a movement. I see it as the duty of my working class brothers and sisters to stand shoulder to shoulder with the ICFIs initiatives.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is continuing its election campaign in the three east-coast Australian statesNew South Wales, Victoria and Queenslandwhere it is running Senate candidates. Last weekend Peter Byrne, the SEP candidate for the Senate in Victoria, and a campaign team visited the rural city of Shepparton on the Goulburn River 180 kilometres north of Melbourne, the Victorian state capital.

SEP Senate candidate Peter Byrne speaks to workers in Shepparton, Victoria [Photo: WSWS]

Shepparton has a multicultural predominantly working-class population of nearly 70,000 and is a centre for fruit growing and dairy. The SPC cannery, now with a much-reduced workforce, is one of the major industries. The SEP campaign team met workers from Vanuatu who are in Shepparton on nine-month contracts to pick fruit on below minimum wages.

In 2016, according to the national census, the median weekly household income was 82 percent of the Victorian state average, resulting in a 13 percent higher rate of homelessness.

Last week, the Shepparton News published an article reporting that 90 percent of Shepparton homes would be uninsurable by 2030 because of the risk of catastrophic riverine flooding due to climate change. Shepparton and its sister city, Mooroopna, sit on a flood plain formed by the junction of the Goulburn River with the Broken River and Seven Creeks.

Many recent residents are refugees from war-torn countries devastated by 30 years of US-led imperialist wars in the Middle East. In 2017, 34.4 percent of the adults in the Greater Shepparton area were diagnosed by a doctor with anxiety or depression, compared with the state average of 27.4 percent.

SEP campaign team members focussed on opposing and explaining the war in Ukraine and the growing danger of war with China. The team also spoke to residents about the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and declining living standards of workers across the country.

Ricky [Photo: WSWS]

Ricky, a teenager, voiced his opposition to war. The Ukraine war is terrible. They should have learnt from the first two world wars, he said. Asked about what was behind the war, he replied, Land and money. We have more money than you, we should take this land. No! Everyone should be equal.

Luke, 17, had just finished his shift as a casual retail worker. He approached the SEP campaign table. Asked if he followed the political situation, replied, I try to be as involved as I can for my age. I try to read as much as I can. I havent read any big socialist work, but Id prefer socialism over capitalism because you know capitalism is not working.

Luke

Just look around here. There are so many homeless people and theres a huge drug problem and obviously nothings being done about it. The root cause is capitalism. It all goes back to capitalism and how it just forces the proletariat down.

Maree is a carer for her two intellectually disabled children and works part time in a fast-food restaurant. My [welfare] payments are being slashed but I only work 25 hours a week. Im working trying to make sure that my kids have a better stance in this area, she said.

Maree was unable to work during the COVID-19 pandemic because of her own health risks but unable to get the necessary medical treatment.

I cant access a rheumatologist in this town. They wont even take me on and theres not even a waiting list. Im lucky to be triple dosed but obviously cant afford private insurance, she said.

Peter Byrne and Maree [Photo: WSWS]

I pay $275 per week in private rent. I was not in social housing because there werent enough places for me to get what I needed. I was also put on welfare quarantining [which blocks cash access to the majority of an individuals welfare payments, requiring their purchases be made with an Indue card at participating stores].

I came off it because Centrelink [government welfare agency] werent paying my rent properly and I almost faced eviction. They mismanaged it. How is that fair? she said.

Dont get me started on schooling, she continued, referring to public education facilities in Shepparton.

SEP campaigners explained that the so-called Greater Shepparton Secondary College was an education department business-oriented experiment (see: Australian state Labor governments disastrous Shepparton super-school plan). The new facility, which was established through the closure and amalgamation of four existing schools into one with over 2,000 students, is now beset with chronic staff shortages and student issues.

Im not even worried about the secondary college, Maree said. My son doesnt even qualify for Verney Road, the specialist school. He can barely structure a sentence and yet hes shoved into a mainstream school where hes not coping. The only assistance he has is NDIS [National Disability Insurance Scheme] and that is shocking. Ive almost gone through a mental breakdown because of it, fighting for my daughter and now my son.

Referring to the US Supreme Court attack on abortion rights, Maree stated, Im scared. You see whats going on in the US. Ive experienced that. What youve seen around the world, Ive been through that. Im one of the strongest people in Shepparton. Putting it out there, people that are strong also fight the hardest battles every single day.

Cherrill, a long-time Shepparton resident, denounced the anti-democratic electoral laws passed last year by Australian parliament, with Labor Party support. The measures led to the deregistration of the SEP and 13 previously registered parties.

Cherrill and Peter Byrne [Photo: WSWS]

The pushing through of these undemocratic laws by both parties joining together and ramming them through overnight is so undemocratic its ridiculous. The fact is they have stopped many parties being able to participate in the election by forcing them to get more members than they could possibly get during a COVID pandemic, she said.

Things are being forced on us that shouldnt be forced on us, particularly the Indue card [cashless welfare quarantining card]. Theres no way in the world Ill accept that.

Referring to the ongoing COVID pandemic Cherrill said, I have vulnerable family members and Im terrified for them. Nobody talks about COVID but there were 153 cases in Shepparton yesterday and yet they closed us down when we had 60 at the beginning of the pandemic. The virus is still as deadly as ever. The SEP is the only party saying, We will mitigate and help protect, and try to eliminate the virus and so Im going for the Socialist Equality Party.

The Greens have actually come out with some good policies but theyre still a capitalist party and theres no way Im voting for another capitalist government in my life. Theres no one you can vote for thats going to be compassionate, caring for the electorate. Its all designed for money and theres absolutely no care for people, she said.

On Monday morning SEP candidate Peter Byrne was interviewed by Peter Dunbain on One FM 98.5, the citys community radio station.

The eight-minute interview reviewed the partys program of action for the working class and its four main socialist and internationalist planks. The SEP candidate explained the partys anti-war opposition to the US-NATO led war against Russia in Ukraine, the fight to eliminate COVID-19, and the necessity for a socialist and internationalist program to deal with climate change and in defence of living standards, jobs and basic democratic rights.

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.
So brazen are the forces of repression in Chiledue to the infinitesimally small probability of being charged with human rights crimesthat Carabineros Special Forces nonchalantly provided protection to at least 11 gunmen and dozens of other right-wing gangsters, who in broad daylight shot at and threw projectiles at unarmed demonstrators commemorating May Day in Santiago, Chile.

Gunmen speaking with cops and shooting at demonstrators (source: Piensa Prensa)

The actions of the riot police and other state forces in protecting these criminals are all the more brazen given that hundreds of smart phones were there to capture these events.

Five people, including three journalists from independent media organizations, were shot at while reporting on the demonstrations. One reporter, Francisca Sandoval from independent media Senal 3 La Victoria, was rushed to the capitals main emergency hospital after receiving a bullet to the face. She remains in critical condition. Another reporter, known as Aby, of Radio 7 Bajos de Mena, was also shot in the shoulder with live ammunition, and three others were taken to the same hospital.

In an interview for La Red, Benjamin Lillo, director of Senal 3, said that the gunmen were shooting directly at us. Of the five people who were injured, three are from the independent press. The attack was premeditated.

There is every reason to believe that this attack was premeditated and politically motivated. One of the recently identified assailants has connections to the fascistic Republican Party.

Authorities had granted permission for the Central Clasista de los Trabajadores y Trabajadoras (Class-conscious Workers Central, CCTT)an anarcho-syndicalist organization ostensibly created in opposition to the official trade union apparatus, the corporatist Central Unitaria Trabajadora (CUT)to hold a counter-march to the CUTs official rally.

The shootings occurred at midday as the CCTT rally moved away from the city on Bernardo OHiggins Avenue, Santiagos main thoroughfare, and had reached a spot known as Barrio Meiggs, a neighborhood that has become notorious because of its connection with organized crime. In that neighborhood hundreds of ambulant stores in blue tarpaulins are daily set up by desperate petty shopkeepers trying to eke out an existence. Here deeply oppressed, declassed and criminal layers comingle. From these elements cops hatch their informants and assets.

Although having earlier received permission and garnered a police escort until that point, the marchers found themselves unexpectedly confronted with being shot at by a throng of criminal elements that surfaced from the makeshift blue tarps on the north side of Bernardo OHiggins Avenue, and on the other side with a thicket of Carabinero Special Forces, equipped with water cannon trucks and armored vehicles.

In the surreal situation that unfolded, which is possible only in a country where the police have complete license to commit crime with impunity, Carabineros not only did not arrest a single gunman but cracked down on the marchers with tear gas and water cannon.

In an interview, Aby, one of the injured journalists, explained that she and a member of a human rights brigade who came to her assistance had to beg the police to allow her to receive medical attention.

Another member of the independent media, photographer Manuel Iturra, witnessed Sandoval being shot. He told Agencia Uno that he approached the Carabineros to warn them that the marchers were being fired at but was totally ignored. Behind me came another colleague raising the same concerns, and they ignored him. The only thing we achieved at that moment was for the Carabineros to tear gas and drench us with contaminated water on the south sidewalk, where we and the demonstrators were. Meanwhile, we were being shot at from the north sidewalk.

Special Forces had been mobilized to deal with disturbances that were occurring at exactly the same place and time as the column of marchers was passing through Barrio Mieggs. Dozens of hooded men uniformly dressed in black began breaking into the strip mall stores closed for the May Day public holiday and proceeded to erect barricades with the ransacked goods and furniture. It remains to be verified if they were agents provocateurs, but it created the intended effect of associating their actions with the march.

Christian Democrat-linked Cooperativa wrote, Parallel to the march organized by the [CUT] which marched from Plaza Baquedano along the Alameda to the west, a second demonstrationor counter marchof the (CCTT) took place, which resulted in looting of commercial premises in Estacion Central, in addition to the burning of the blue tarps installed in the Barrio Meiggs sector and confrontations with Carabineros personnel. The other right-wing corporate and state-run media followed suit in the misinformation campaign.

In the three days since, demonstrators and independent media have uploaded on social media a mass of photos and videos showing just how closely the Carabineros worked with the anticommunist gunmen and criminals.

Gunmen speaking with cops and shooting at demonstrators (source: Piensa Prensa)

It can be safely said that without the independent media groups identifying at least 11 gunmen, not one would have been arrested. As it is, only three have been arrested: Marcelo Naranjo was booked and placed in preventive detention for shooting Francisca Sandoval; and Luis Flores and Yonaiker Fuenmayor were booked and placed under house arrest for illegally carrying and using firearms. The gunmen responsible for shooting the other four victims remain at large.

The family expresses its rejection and repudiation of the actions of the Prosecutors Office, which did not request preventive detention for carrying, possession and shooting against the demonstrators, declared the Sandoval familys lawyer.

He continued: The family wants to express its rejection of the opportunistic acts of the Minister of the Interior (Izkia Siches), who was present yesterday to talk with them, and other political operators of the government, who have sought to come here to lower the profile of the situation and not assume their responsibility for the actions of the Carabineros, who acted in collusion and protected the gangsters.

While the parliamentary left sectors of the government have made empty noises calling for an investigation into the police, calling for the resignation of the director of Carabineros, and even dredging up the call to refound or democratize the institution, the pseudo-left administration of Gabriel Boric has felt no compunction to follow suit.

Minister of the Interior, Izkia Siches, announcing strengthening Carabineros Wednesday, May 3, (source: Ministry of the Interior)

On the contrary, this Wednesday the Ministry of the Interior seized on Sundays shooting spree to fully back the Carabineros and its chief and to announce measures to increase police presence in the Metropolitan Region and in the regions. This, they reason, is necessary to strengthen the National Intelligence System in order to have a State with information that will allow us to anticipate conflicts.

The World Socialist Web Site condemns the shooting of the unarmed protesters and journalists in Chile last Sunday. This vile criminal act bears all the hallmarks of a provocation aimed at immediately inciting a riot. In the longer term, it is an attempt to intimidate an increasingly insurgent working class and youth, who struggle against continual police-state repression and harassment, the soaring cost of living, derelict social infrastructure and obscene levels of social inequality.
Australias federal election features an almost total blackout by the major parties and the corporate press on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The political establishment is silent for two reasons: First, any mention of the actual situation would completely shatter the lies, pushed by Labor, the Coalition and the media, that the pandemic is over. Second, there is not a hairs breadth between the let it rip policies of all the parliamentary parties.

This homicidal program has proceeded without the slightest opposition from the Greens. In a National Press Club address last month, Greens leader Adam Bandt did not even mention the pandemic. The partys COVID-19 plan is limited to calls for free rapid antigen tests (RATs), improved ventilation in schools and investment in vaccine research. These minimally effective mitigations are designed not to interfere with corporate profits.

Along with their counterparts in every country, except China, Australian governments have responded to the mounting toll of infection, illness and death by removing virtually every public health measure previously implemented to suppress the pandemic.

Even the most basic methods of infection control, quarantine and isolation, which have been understood and practised for centuries, have been abandoned in line with the demands of big business.

Together, Australias state, territory and federal governments, Labor and Liberal-National alike, are responsible for the devastating spread of COVID-19. The virus has already killed 7,552 people in Australia, and infected more than 6.3 million, almost a quarter of the population.

In January alone, 1,519 COVID-19 deaths were reported49 per day, making it the leading cause of death, ahead of ischaemic heart disease. A report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that 2,865 excess deaths (22.6 percent) occurred in January, meaning the real health impact of the virus was far worse than officially recorded.

With hospitals and ambulance services in crisis, hundreds of people died from conditions that would have otherwise been treatable. There were 486 deaths from diabetes in January, 38.1 percent higher than average. Deaths from dementia were 29.2 percent higher than average.

The ruling class and its representatives in the major parties and the media insist we must live with the virus. What this really means for workers is endless waves of mass illness and the normalisation of preventable death, in order to keep the wheels of industry turning and profits flowing into the coffers of the wealthy elite.

The working class cannot accept this murderous outlook. The COVID-19 pandemic can and must be eliminated.

End the pandemic!

This global health crisis cannot be resolved within the framework of capitalism. The subordination of human health and lives to the profit interests of big business is a stark expression of the exploitation and oppression of the working class upon which the capitalist economy is built.

The Socialist Equality Party is the only party in this election advancing a program of action for the working class to protect lives and end the pandemic. This will require the formation of new organisations of struggle, completely independent of the major parties and the trade unions. Rank-and-file committees must be established in all workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods to impose the safety measures necessary to shut down transmission of the virus.

While the ruling class claims elimination, or even suppression, of COVID-19 is impossible, the experience of the earlier stages of the pandemic makes clear that this is false. Under pressure from workers, young people and epidemiologists, Australian governments were compelled to implement public health measures, including lockdowns. As belated and limited as these were, they succeeded in suppressing transmission of the virus in every state and territory.

In late 2021 however, Labor and Liberal-National governments alike, working through the Labor-majority National Cabinet, shifted to the profit-driven program of living with the virus. This was sold to workers on the fraudulent basis that vaccination alone would prevent the already growing wave of severe illness and death.

With the emergence of the Omicron variant in November, an outright program of herd immunity was adopted, as politicians peddled the lie that mass infection with the supposedly mild variant would end the pandemic.

In fact, since the start of 2022, more than 5.9 million people have contracted COVID-19 in Australia, and 5,252 have died, according to official figures. The abandonment of public health measures during the first Omicron wave set the stage for the next, in which Omicron sub-variant BA.2 dominated. New sub-variants, including BA.4 and BA.5, have now been detected in Australia, creating the conditions for another surge within weeks.

The emergence of these new variants, an inevitable product of governments around the world allowing the virus to run rampant, greatly increases the risk of reinfection. In New South Wales (NSW), 11,309 people have been infected two or more times, 45 percent since late November, while in Victoria, around 10,000 reinfections were recorded between late December and the end of March.

Only 52.5 percent of Australians have received a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 67.1 percent of second doses were administered more than six months ago and therefore offer little to no protection against the deadly virus.

From late January, teachers and children, the majority of whom were not fully vaccinated, were herded back into the countrys classrooms. The express purpose of this was to force parents back into the factories, warehouses, shops and offices.

Labor and the unions suppress opposition

This was carried out through the close collaboration of Liberal-National NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews. The pair hatched a plan to implement identical back-to-school policies. Andrews, associated with limited lockdown measures in earlier stages of the pandemic, provided political cover to hose down the objections of parents, educators and principled epidemiologists.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of children and teachers have become infected with COVID-19. At least one teacher has died. Health and education departments have covered up the spread of the virus in schools, but some figures have been revealed.

In just the first two weeks of the school year, almost 39,000 students and 2,500 teachers in NSW and Victoria tested positive for COVID-19. In NSW, between March 21 and March 25, at least 80,000 more students were absent from public schools than usual.

At least 393,734 children and teenagers have tested positive for COVID-19 since February 1. The real total is far higher though, as age-specific data is only available for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, so positive RAT resultsmore than half of all confirmed casesare not included in that age calculation.

None of this would have been possible without the eager assistance of the unions, which enforced the reopening and have suppressed all opposition of teachers to the dangerous conditions in schools.

Unions covering health workers have likewise ensured COVID-19 is hardly mentioned, despite the continuing catastrophe in the countrys woefully under-resourced public hospitals. Even when forced by the palpable anger and frustration of workers to call strikes, the unions have ensured the deadly virus is kept off the agenda.

Australias unions have consistently railed against lockdowns and cheered the tearing down of public health measures. In July 2021, the unions, together with big business lobbyists, demanded exemptions in virtually every industry to partial lockdown measures introduced in NSW, forcing workers to stay on the job. This risked the health and lives of workers and their families and contributed to the rapid spread of the virus throughout Sydney and beyond, in what was at that time Australias largest outbreak.

In October, the Australian Council of Trade Unions joined with business groups to call for a publicly-funded program to supply RATs to businesses, to avoid snap closures in a new phase of living with the virus.

Since late December, unions have enforced the slashing of close contact isolation rules in countless industries, forcing potentially infectious workers back to work to infect their colleagues. Now, this policy has been applied across the board, so there is no longer any requirement for close contacts to isolate, or in some states, even to take a test.

Throughout the pandemic, the class orientation and role of the unions has been on stark display. These fetid organisations exist to enforce the demands of big business and government, and have demonstrated that they will do so, even if it leads to mass illness and death in the working class.

The SEPs program of action

Whichever party forms government after the May 21 election, the murderous let it rip policy will continue. This makes clear that the working class must take matters into its own hands.

The SEP is advancing a program of action for the working class to fight COVID-19, which includes the following demands:

Mandatory public health measures in every workplace to help stamp out COVID, including the provision of free N95 masks and PCR tests.

Workers not management must decide what is safe.

Reinstitute contact tracing, expand isolation and treatment and lockdown of areas of high infection to stop the spread of the virus.

The first step to implementing these demands is the formation of rank-and-file committees in every workplace, school and neighbourhood. Through an interconnected network of these committees, workers can join the global fight to eliminate COVID-19, a perspective advanced solely by the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site.

Above all, what is required is a fight for socialism, under which the health and lives of working-class people will no longer be subordinated to the profit interests of the wealthy few.

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 trial of Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard has been full of high emotions and explosive accusations  and it isn't over yet.

Depp is suing Heard for libel in Virginia's 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.

Most recently, Heard took the stand for two days to testify against her ex-husband, alleging he physically and sexually assaulted her, and detailed her experiences with Depp's past drug and alcohol use.

Actor Johnny Depp testifies in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., on April 25, 2022.

Since the trial began April 11, both actors as well as witnesses and experts have been called to the stand to back up each side. More well-known celebrities and key witnesses are still scheduled to testify in the coming weeks.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about the trial.

When does the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial resume?

The trial, which is on a pre-scheduled 10 day break during the week of May 9, will resume May 16.

Why is the Johnny Depp case in Fairfax?

Depp is suing Heard over a column she wrote for The Washington Post, which is printed in Fairfax, Virginia. The trial takes place at the Fairfax County Courthouse.

What has happened so far?

A month in to the trial, Heard and Depp have both testified, getting emotional at times as they shared allegations against one another and recounted their rocky relationship from meeting on the set of 2011's "The Rum Diary" to sparking a romance, getting married, splitting up, and all the fights in between.

'Did he just hit me?': Amber Heard tearfully testifies about Johnny Depp's alleged abuse, drug use

When Depp took the stand, he maintained he "never struck Ms. Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any women in my life." Heard and her attorneys argued the 2018 Washington Post column did nothing to damage Depps reputation  that the abuse accusations had been public for two years already, and Depps spiraling career was the result of his drinking and drug-using, which made him an unreliable commodity to Hollywood studios.

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Johnny Depp completes trial testimony: 'If I don't walk away  it's going to be a bloodbath'

Christian Carino, a one-time agent for both Depp and Heard, testified that Heard's spousal abuse lawsuit resulted in Hollywood agents and producers wiping Depp from a "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel, although he provided no evidence for the claim. "It is something within the industry that is understood," Carino told the courtroom.

Amber Heard takes the stand at trial. Her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, is suing her for defamation.

Terence Dougherty, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, told jurors that there was a push and pull between Heard, her lawyers and the ACLU, which drafted the 2018 Washington Post op-ed piece under Heard's name, reflecting her role as an ACLU ambassador on gender violence issues.

The ACLU was concerned about potential violations of a non-disclosure agreement stemming from Depp and Heard's 2016 divorce, and urged Heard's lawyers to review the original piece.

Forensic psychologist Shannon Curry testified on behalf of Depp and, after a dozen hours of interviews with Heard and a review of her mental health records, delivered her opinion that Heard suffers from both a borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.

Psychologist Dawn Hughes, the first witness to take the stand on Heard's behalf, testified that Heard suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from violence she suffered at the hands of Depp, including multiple acts of sexual assault.

For more highlights, click here: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard libel trial: Everything that's happened so far, including Heard on the stand

What happened with Johnny Depp and Kate Moss?

During her testimony, Heard recalled a 2015 fight near a staircase in which she said she hit Depp in the face out of fear he would hurt her sister, Whitney. The actress said she was "instantly" reminded of Kate Moss in that moment. Moss, who dated Depp in the '90s, has never accused the actor of abuse, but Heard previously claimed during their 2020 U.K. trial that two people told her Depp once pushed Moss down the stairs.

Johnny Depp arrives with model Kate Moss at the Festival palace in Cannes on May 15, 1998, to attend the screening of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in which he stars.

Depp's legal team appeared to celebrate with each other upon hearing Heard mention Moss. Some legal experts believe their reaction was because Heard referencing past instances of alleged abuse in this case opens the door for Depp's team to do the same  and Heard has prior domestic abuse charges against her.

More: Amber Heard has yet to take the stand. But on social media, Johnny Depp has already won.

What does James Franco have to do with the trial?

James Franco and Amber Heard attend the premiere of "The Adderall Diaries" during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 16, 2015, in New York City.

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. The actress claimed she had to "bargain" with Depp throughout their relationship 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.

Franco is on Heard's list of witnesses, but may not testify in person or via video.

Why was Marilyn Manson mentioned in the trial?

Johnny Depp (left) and Marilyn Manson perform live at the 4th annual Revolver Golden Gods Award Show, Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

During Depp's cross-examination, Heard's lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn brought up the actor's friendships with Elton John, who Depp said was helping him get sober, and Marilyn Manson, who has several abuse allegations against him including those of his ex-fiancee Evan Rachel Wood.

Depp confirmed his friendship with Manson in court, adding that the two often did drugs together.

What about Paul Bettany and Elon Musk?

Franco isn't the only high-profile names mentioned in the case's witness lists. Actor Paul Bettany, a friend of Depp's, was listed on Depp's witness list, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who previously dated Heard, is included on hers.

Bettany's name has already come up during the trial: Rottenborn brought up a text exchange between Depp and Bettany, in which Depp wrote: Lets burn Amber!!! Bettany responded: Having thought it through I dont think we should burn Amber. Depp texted: Lets drown her before we burn her!!!"

US actor Johnny Depp, left, and British actor Paul Bettany, right, talk as they arrive for the world premiere of the movie 'Mortdecai' in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015.

Who won the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial?

No one has won yet; the trial is still ongoing. It could last up to six weeks in total.

More: Amber Heard says she's a victim, but the public made her a villain. Experts say it's a dangerous moment for domestic violence.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, Maria Puente, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard trial: Frequently asked questions
Gabby Petitos mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundries estate, seeking damages of at least $30,000.

Nichole Schmidt filed the suit, which was obtained by CNN, Friday in Sarasota County against the curator of her daughters now-deceased fiances estate, stating that Laundrie killed Petito during their cross-country trek to visit the nations national parks last year.

She argued in the latest court filing that the death has caused significant anguish for her and Petitos father, Joseph Petito.

"As a direct and proximate consequence of Brian Laundrie's tortious conduct, Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and have suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort," the suit said.

Schmidt asked for a trial by jury and is seeking damages which exceed $30,000.

In a statement to Oxygen.com, the Laundries family attorney Steven P. Bertolino said the wrongful death lawsuit was fully expected.

This lawsuit will mostly likely not be defended and the Petitos will have gained nothing more than a piece of paper that tells them what everyone already knowswhich is that Brian was responsible for Gabbys death as indicated by the FBI, he said.

Petito and Laundrie had struck out on the cross-country journey in July. Petito, 22, had planned to become a van life blogger, documenting their trip on social media as they traveled in a converted camper van.

But less than two months later, the 22-year-old disappeared. Her last communication with her family was on August 27.

Her remains were discovered the next month in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The coroner later determined that she had been strangled to death.

Laundrie returned to Florida without his fiance on September 1 and went on vacation with his family before disappearing himself about two weeks later. His body was discovered in October in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

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The FBI has said a notebook, where Laundrie admitted responsibility for Petitos slaying, was found near his remains.

Her family has also filed a lawsuit against Laundries parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie.

In the amended complaint associated with the suit obtained by Oxygen.com, Schmidt and Joseph Petito argued that Laundries parents knew he killed their daughter and stayed silent for weeks, opting instead to take a family camping trip at Fort DeSoto Park rather than report what they knew to Petitos family or law enforcement.

It also alleges that after the Laundries knew their daughter was dead, the family released a public statement on Sept. 14, saying it is our hope that the search for Petito would be successful and she would be reunited with her family.

For the Laundries to express their hope that Gabrielle Petito was located and reunited with her family, at a time when they knew she had been murdered by their son is beyond outrageous, the lawsuit states.

Petitos parents have argued that the lack of cooperation from Laundries parents during the search to find their daughter goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.

However, in a statement to Oxygen.com after the initial lawsuit was filed against Chris and Roberta Laundrie in March, Bertolino said there are no facts to back up the allegation that the Laundries knew Petito had been murdered and that they had simply been executing their constitutional right to remain silent; filed a motion to dismiss the baseless and frivolous lawsuit, to which the amended complaint was a response.
The wedding of the century ended before it began.

During Mondays Good Doctor, Shaun and Leas big day was called off by none other than the bride and groom, who mutually agreed to forfeit their Hulu-funded shindig for something a bit less Gosling and Markle, a bit more Murphy and Dilallo.

More from TVLine

After breaking the news to documentarian Sophie, who didnt seem the least bit upset when she encouraged them to go be happy, go be you, the pair jumped on a bus to well, a TBD destination.

Freddie Highmore and Antonia Thomas in 'The Good Doctor' Season 5, Episode 17

Meanwhile, after surprising Shaun and Lea at their joint bachelor/ette party, Antonia Thomas Dr. Claire Browne scrubbed back in at St. Bonaventure and brought with her a young Guatemalan boy named Lucho, whose metastasized cancer required all hands on deck for a three nay, four-prong surgical save. The Case of the Week afforded Claire, who is up for chief of surgery in Guatemala, the opportunity to prove herself as a leader. Lim wasnt initially convinced that Claire was ready to be chief, believing she was too kind (and too empathetic) a person to make tough decisions. But in the end, Claire showed herself to be a competent leader, and Lim learned that you dont always need to be a hardass to succeed in the position. Its why she ultimately declined Nurse Villanuevas letter of resignation (despite a near-fatal oversight at work!) and offered the domestic violence victim a place to stay.

While Thomas return was fleeting, the hour managed to deliver multiple Shaun-and-Claire moments, reminding us just how much weve missed their friendship in Season 5. After successfully excising Luchos brain tumor, Claire expressed mixed feelings about her brief reunion with Dr. Murphy. Im happy for you, she told him. For how far you have come for the joy you have found for the amazing man you have become. And I am sad because I miss you.

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I miss you, too, Shaun reciprocated, before embracing Dr. Browne with a hug.

What did you think of The Good Doctor Season 5, Episode 17: The Lea Show? And what are your hopes for the May 16 finale?

Launch Gallery: <i>Good Doctor</i> Finale Promo: Will Shaun and Lea's Wedding End in Tragedy?

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Get more from TVLine.com : Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Newsletter

Click here to read the full article.
A peaceful protest against the recent leaked Supreme Court draft to overturn Roe v. Wade is planned for Saturday afternoon in downtown Sioux Falls.

The "No Ban on our Bodies" protest is set for 4 p.m. at Van Eps Park, according to organizers.

Speakers include Kaitlyn Fletcher, one of the organizers, and Jett Jonelis, the advocacy manager at the ACLU of South Dakota.

More: Here's how South Dakota's abortion stance could lead the way for a post-Roe America

After the speakers, protesters with signs will take to the sidewalks on Minnesota Avenue in front of the park, according to organizers.

In the draft opinion that would overturn a person's right to abortion that was leaked on May 3, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start."

Planned Parenthood North Central States, which includes South Dakota, expects abortion to become illegal in the state if the Supreme Court rules in June to overturn the 49-year-old case.

Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Protest against SCOTUS draft on Roe set for Saturday in Sioux Falls
A college women's lacrosse team feels traumatized after its charter bus was stopped by police while traveling through Georgia, an incident that has left the school's president "incensed."

The Delaware State University womens lacrosse team was traveling north on I-95 in Liberty County, Georgia, southwest of Savannah, on April 20. The Hornets were returning home after playing their final game of the season at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, on April 19.

BODY CAM FOOTAGE: Video contradicts what the sheriff said

BELIEVE THEM: When it comes to the DSU lacrosse team, two words matter most

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'TRAUMATIZING': Delaware State lacrosse coach, player speak out about bus search in Georgia

Bus driver Tim Jones was initially told he was improperly traveling in the left lane when the bus was pulled over, according to DSUs student publication The Hornet Newspaper and its website thehornetonline.com. The incident was first detailed there in a story that published Friday written by Sydney Anderson, a sophomore lacrosse player who was on the bus.

Liberty County, Georgia, deputies search the Delaware State women's lacrosse team's luggage in a photo taken by a player from the bus.

Video accompanying the story taken by DSU player Saniya Craft shows an officer saying, "If there is anything in yalls luggage, were probably gonna find it, OK? Im not looking for a little bit of marijuana but Im pretty sure you guys chaperones are probably gonna be disappointed in you if we find any."

By that time, Liberty County Sheriffs Office deputies had begun removing players bags from the vehicles cargo bay to search after asking Jones to open it. Police had a drug-sniffing dog at the scene.

Deputies knew those on board were on a lacrosse team.

In a public address Tuesday afternoon in Hinesville, Georgia  a small, southeasterncity south of Savannah  Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman defended the stop.

He said after speaking with deputies and reviewing video and other facts of the incident, he does "not believe any racial profiling took place."

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"Before entering the motorcoach, the deputies were not aware that this school was historically Black or aware of the race or the occupants due to the height of the vehicle and tint of the windows," Bowman said.

"As a veteran, a former Georgia state trooper and the sheriff for this department, I do not exercise racial profiling, allow racial profiling or encourage racial profiling."

Bowman said Tuesday that "no personal items on the bus or person(s) were searched"  negating the accounts of multiple people on the bus.

The law enforcement personnel on and outside the bus were white in photos and video accompanying thehornetonline.coms account. Most, but not all, of the players and coaches on the bus were Black. Bowman is Black.

"If there is something in there thats questionable," the deputy speaking on the bus said, "please tell me now, because if we find it, guess what? Were not gonna be able to help you."

DSU president Tony Allen informed the university community about the incident in a letter early Monday. In it, Allen said DSU has informed Delaware Gov. John Carney, the state Attorney Generals office, Delawares congressional delegation and the Congressional Black Caucus about the incident.

"They, like me, are incensed," Allen wrote. "We have also reached out to Georgia Law Enforcement and are exploring options for recourse  legal and otherwise  available to our student-athletes, our coaches, and the university."

Delaware State women's lacrosse coach Pamella Jenkins.

Delaware State coach Pamella Jenkins called the incident "very traumatizing" on Monday and credited team members for staying "composed."

When team members saw their luggage being removed before a deputy had begun his explanation, they were stunned, Jenkins said.

"The infuriating thing was the assumption of guilt on their (deputies') behalf," Jenkins said. "That was what made me so upset because I trust my girls."

"One of my student-athletes asked them How did we go from a routine traffic stop to narcotics-sniffing dogs going through our belongings? " Jenkins said. "The police officer said that on this stretch of highway there are a lot of buses that are smuggling people and narcotics and they have to be diligent. "

A Message from University President, Dr. Tony Allen regarding the DSU Lax Team Bus Incident pic.twitter.com/5J7Md1tTYr  Delaware State University Alumni Association (@DelStateAA) May 9, 2022

Gov. Carney released a statement Monday calling the video "upsetting, concerning and disappointing."

"Moments like these should be relegated to part of our countrys complicated history," Carney said, "but they continue to occur with sad regularity in communities across our country. Its especially hard when it impacts our own community."

When contacted Monday morning, the Liberty County Sheriff's Office said it would have a statement by the end of the day but nothing was provided.

In bold type, Allen also wrote in his email to the DSU community: "We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by. We are prepared to go wherever the evidence leads us. We have video. We have allies. Perhaps more significantly, we have the courage of our convictions."

The Atlantic Sun Conference member Hornets had also played at Kennesaw State in Georgia on April 16 and Jacksonville University in Florida on April 18.

During the stop, the officer told those on the bus that "marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia." He then mentioned, "anything you can put marijuana in" to smoke it or devices used to weigh it "like a set of scales," suggesting they are also unlawful without actually saying so.

Tony Allen

The bus was stopped for 30 to 45 minutes, Jenkins said. At one point, a deputy stepped onto the bus holding a gift-wrapped box and summoned the person whose name was on it  senior Aniya Aiken, who happens to be from Decatur, Georgia.

Aiken was asked where she received the package, Jenkins said. It was from family members whod seen the team play at Kennesaw State. Asked what was inside, Aiken said she was told by her aunt not to open the gift until she got back to campus.

"He said You accepted something and you dont know what it is? " Jenkins said, and the deputy was told again it was a gift to be opened later.

The deputy returned to the cargo bay with the gift, which was then opened.

"Maybe another 10 minutes after that they come on the bus and they say Youre free to leave, have a safe trip,' " Jenkins said.

The driver was not issued a citation.

When Aiken retrieved her gift later she found a jewelry box that was a graduation present.

Brianne Johanson in action for Delaware State in lacrosse.

"To be clear," Allen wrote, "nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes comported themselves with dignity throughout a trying and humiliating process."

In a joint statement, Delaware U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester termed the situation "deeply disturbing."

"No one should be made to feel unsafe or humiliated by law enforcement or any entity who has sworn to protect and serve them," the statement read. "Thats especially true for students who have sought out HBCUs like Delaware State University with a long history of empowering communities of color that have far too often faced discrimination and other barriers to opportunity."

Delaware States commencement exercises are Saturday morning at Alumni Stadium. Among the speakers is former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is expected to address the incident.

The episode took place during a year in which Delaware State and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities have repeatedly been the victims of bomb threats.

"It should not be lost on any of us," Allen wrote, "how thin any days line is between customary and extraordinary, between humdrum and exceptional, between safe and victimized. That is true for us all but particularly so for communities of color and the institutions who serve them. The resultant feelings of disempowerment are always the aggressors object."

Follow Kevin Tresolini on Twitter @kevintresolini.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: HBCU school team's bus searched in Georgia; sheriff says no profiling
Woman walking in Iceland

Jordan Siemens / Getty Images

With waterfalls, volcanoes, and fjords, it's no wonder Iceland is one of the most sought-after vacation destinations. But even if you can't get to the Northern European country, you can still draw inspiration from its food. Known for its fish, lamb, and skyr-based dishes, Iceland is one of several island nations that are not only on the frontlines of the climate crisis but are innovating the way we think about food production.

Related: These Foods Bring You a Taste of Hawaii

In recent years, Icelandic companies have focused on renewable energy technology such as geothermal, sustainable sourcing, and regenerative agriculture. Many are working towards being carbon neutral and helping to transition the food and agriculture industries from a throwaway mindset to one of reuse, repair, and regeneration. Paving the way for a sustainable future while creating lots of delicious things to eat and drink in the process. Here are 7 Icelandic foods to add to your pantry and fridge when you can't hop a flight but still want to explore the country.

Icelandic arctic char filets on countertop

Courtesy of Niceland Seafood

Arctic Char

It's an island nation surrounded by pristine waters so it's no surprise that seafood has long reigned supreme in Iceland. And now an Icelandic company is transforming the process of land-based fish farming. Matorka is a carbon neutral enterprise that uses renewable energy and high-tech monitoring systems to produce sustainable arctic char and steelhead trout that you can buy online in the U.S.

Jar of seaweed salt on seaweed

Seaweed Sea Salt

It seems like everyone is talking about seaweed these days. Ease into the trend with Saltverk's hand-harvested seaweed salt. The company forages for various types of seaweed found along the shores of Iceland, and the gourmet salt producer uses fully sustainable operations to produce sea salt with zero carbon emissions, thanks to the geothermal resources in the area.

Icelandic rhubarb liqueur

Courtesy of 64Reykjavik Distillery

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Rhubarb Liqueur

Rhubarb, when in season, is a favorite Icelandic ingredient and thanks to Reykjavik Distillery, you can enjoy the flavor of rhubarb all year long by sipping on Rhubarb Liqueur. The micro-distillery also makes spirits gin, crowberry liqueur, and more from Icelandic berries and botanicals. They suggest using Rhubarb Liqueur to make an Icelandic Negroni with their crowberry liqueur and Einiberja Gin.

Skyr containers on counter

Courtesy of Icelandic Provisions

Skyr

Thicker and less tangy than Greek yogurt, skyr is one of the more accessible Icelandic foods to come by. You've likely seen Icelandic Provisions skyr in your supermarket. Enjoy it plain, with granola, or use it as an ingredient in baking.

Icelandic hot dogs

Courtesy of Topiceland

Icelandic Hotdogs

The hotdog is Iceland's unofficial dish, but this isn't your American hotdog. Icelandic hotdogs are made of lamb, pork, and beef. They're commonly topped with condiments such as pylsusinnep ( a sweet brown mustard) remoulade, crispy fried onions, and/or raw white onions. You can now find them in the U.S. through the Icelandic food store TopIceland.

Iceland-grown wasabi

Courtesy of Nordic Wasabi

Nordic Wasabi

You haven't tasted wasabi until you've had it fresh. Icelandic startup Jurt Hydroponics grows Nordic wasabi in their indoor greenhouse, shipping it within 48 hours of harvest. Use it on deviled eggs, salmon, or even in ice cream.

Icelandic chocolate on cocoa beans

Courtesy of Omnom Chocolate

Chocolate

Using single-origin cocoa beans from Madagascar, Tanzania, and Nicaragua; Omnom Chocolate makes bean-to-bar chocolate with a variety of Icelandic ingredients and flavors like licorice with milk chocolate or dark chocolate with dried raspberries and crunchy cocoa nibs, and the vegan Superchocoberrybarleynibblynuttylicious made with cranberries, salted almonds, puffed barley, and cacao nibs.
Summer holiday travelers making it busy again at Schiphol airport

Robin Utrecht/Getty Images

Global air travel may fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by next year, much earlier than initially expected, the director of trade group International Air Transport Association said this week.

"We're seeing very strong bookings," IATA Director General Willie Walsh told Reuters at a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "Certainly all the airline CEOs that I'm talking to are seeing not just good demand for year-end travel but they continue to see demand as they looked through the year."

Passenger traffic is now expected to reach pre-COVID-19 levels a year earlier than previous estimates, hitting those numbers by 2023, he noted. The boost is due to overall international passenger traffic increasing at a faster clip than expected even amid continued strict lockdowns in China  a major flight market  and airspace issues concerning the Russian war in Ukraine.

"We are seeing a strong recovery and I think that recovery will gather momentum as we go through the rest of this year into 2023," he added.

Walsh said the summer of 2023 is expected to be especially strong.

Travelers in the United States are already feeling the effects of increased demand with rising flight and vacation prices buoyed by higher gas prices, staffing shortages, and an overall increased interest in traveling  so-called "revenge travel." In fact, total international air traffic in March was up 76% compared to March 2021, according to IATA's data, while total traffic in North America was up a whopping 96.5% in March compared to the same time last year.

This year, the Fourth of July is expected to be the most popular summer holiday weekend for U.S. travelers, followed by Memorial Day and Labor Day. When it comes to summer vacations, Americans are choosing warm-weather destinations like Orlando and Cancun as well as city escapes like Seattle, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
In this photograph taken Sept. 20, 2013, in Middlesex, N.J., Rob Villee, executive director of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewer Authority in New Jersey, holds up a wipe he flushed through his test toilet in his office. Increasingly popular bathroom wipes  thick, premoistened towelettes that are advertised as flushable  are creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation.

It turns out that those "flushable" wipes that are often sold alongside regular toilet paper are not really flushable.

Local municipal officials are asking people to not flush any kind of wipes down the toilet, no matter what the packaging says.

They indicate on the label that they are flushable. So people are obviously disposing of them by flushing them down the toilet, and they do not break down very well. So they can hang up and cause sewage blockages, Tecumseh City Manager Dan Swallow said in an interview.

There were two incidents recently where sewage backed up into homes in Tecumseh because of wipe-induced clogs.

"So were trying to get the word out there that these wipes are not flushable," Swallow said. "They dont break down. Theyre very difficult to clean out of the sewers and so thats been a challenge for us and many other communities across the country.

Clinton Village Manager Kevin Cornish said in a release that baby wipes are problematic as well.

The flushable wipes are very hard on the wastewater treatment plant because they get caught up in the processing equipment, which makes the sewer plant less efficient in cleaning the waste water before it is discharged into the river, Cornish said in an email. The wastewater treatment plant staff have to spend a significant amount of time pulling those wipes out of pumps and equipment. The wipes are labeled as flushable however they are not and should not be flushed down the toilet.

Rob Villee, executive director of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewer Authority in New Jersey, holds up a wipe he flushed through his test toilet in his office Sept. 20, 2013, in Middlesex, N.J. Increasingly popular bathroom wipes  thick, premoistened towelettes that are advertised as flushable  are creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation.

Blockages like these are not new. In 2018, utility workers in Macomb County broke up a 100-foot-long, 11-foot-wide "fatberg" in a sewer line there. It was made of congealed cooking grease and oils that mixed with wipes and other solids that had been flushed. Part of the mass of goo was donated to Wayne State University for research on how these blockages form.

They've caused problems from coast to coast, and even in the sewer system of at least one Air Force base. Beale Air Force Base in California in 2020 had a maintenance unit working 16-hour days to remove wipes from pipes and other sewer equipment, according to a story on the base website.

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After the pandemic started and people started cleaning their homes more and sometimes turned to alternatives to toilet paper when stores ran out, wipes became the bane of sewer systems across the country.

This past October, California joined Washington, Oregon and Illinois in passing "do not flush" legislation requiring that packaging of certain wipes include labeling telling consumers not to flush the wipes.

In this photograph taken Sept. 20, 2013, in Middlesex, N.J., the label that indicates wipes should not be flushed in a toilet is seen on a box next to baby wipes at the office of Rob Villee, executive director of the Plainfield Area Regional Sewer Authority in New Jersey. An industry trade group has come out with a universal stick-figure, do-not-flush symbol to put on packaging.

Bills have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate by Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Calif., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., to set a national standard for labeling nonflushable wet wipes. They have the tentative name Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act, or the WIPPES Act. Michigan Reps. Lisa McLain, a Republican, and Andy Levin, a Democrat, are cosponsors of the House bill. No hearings have been held on the bills, according to Congress's website.

Public awareness and education around smart flushing habits is the key to changing behaviors, Lara Wyss, president of the Responsible Flushing Alliance, an organization created by the wipes industry to promote responsible consumer disposal habits, said in a release after the California bill became law. The RFA approved of the new law. Protecting public infrastructure and the environment is a high priority for our alliance and we look forward to our continued cooperative efforts with wastewater agencies in California.

"Non-flushable wipes do not break down as they travel through the sewer system, resulting in clogs and blockages that cost public utilities money, put workers at risk, and cause environmental harm," National Association of Clean Water Agencies CEO Adam Krantz said in a news release after the House bill was introduced last year. "Simply put, Toilets are Not Trashcans."

Daily Telegram news editor David Panian contributed to this report.

What not to flush

The Responsible Flushing Alliance, a group of producers of hygienic and cleaning wipes that promotes what can and cannot be flushed down toilets, says not to flush these items:

Baby wipes

Household cleaning wipes

Paper towels

Facial tissue

Makeup wipes

Fats, oils and grease

Food

Trash

Plastic bags

Rags and cloth

Disposable gloves

Cotton balls and cotton swabs

Dental floss

Feminine hygiene products

Hair or hair weaves

Medications

Syringes

SOURCE: Flushsmart.org

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: 'Flushable' wipes not really flushable local communities say
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 10: Actress and model Paris Hilton stands outside the White House on May 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. Hilton and her husband Carter Reum visited the White House to meet with Biden administration officials regarding child abuse laws. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Paris Hilton returned to the nation's capital on Tuesday to continue her ongoing advocacy against child abuse. The former reality TV star, along with her husband Carter Reum, visited the White House to discuss new legislation around children's residential facilities to ensure more protection for institutionalized youth.

Hilton tweeted an update about her trip to Washington DC, writing, "So honored to be back in DC to continue my advocacy work. I had such an inspiring time meeting with policy staff & walking the halls of the West Wing with advocates. I am so glad to see that the most powerful office in the world is dedicated to fighting for the rights of all."

According to CNN, a White House official said that Hilton "met with policy staff, where she and other survivors shared their powerful stories and discussed issues pertinent to the protection of institutionalized youth in America."

The subject of child abuse hits home for Hilton. She opened up about the topic in her intimate 2020 documentary, "This is Paris," in which she revealed the physical and emotional abuse she allegedly experienced at the Provo Canyon School - a Utah boarding school for troubled teens.

Hilton has vowed to fight the "troubled-teen industry" on behalf of others who have undergone the same experience. Her latest visit to the White House follows her October 2021 trip, during which she advocated for the same issue.
All sides in the 19-month civil war have been accused of war crimes

Ethiopia's Gondar University has denied reports that some of its experts helped Amhara militia destroy evidence of mass graves containing bodies of Tigrayans.

Witnesses told the BBC that they had seen the experts advise militia members.

In a letter to the BBC, the university described this as an "unsubstantiated accusation".

It also denied that there was any evidence that the bodies of Tigrayans had been found in mass graves.

If anything like that had been discovered then the "research team... would have been the first to acknowledge and provide the evidence", the university said.

"The university is one of the most respected research-based educational institutions in Ethiopia which is devoted to solving some of society's most pressing issues," it added.

As part of its research, Gondar University's experts have found mass grave sites in the area, but it has discovered that these were the result of the killing of thousands of ethnic Amharas carried out by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) since the mid-1990s.

The TPLF was once the dominant political party in Ethiopia, but that changed when Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018.

In November 2020, the political tension between the federal government and the TPLF, which controls most of the northern Tigray region, led to the outbreak of civil war.

All sides in the on-going conflict have been accused of carrying out mass killings.

Witnesses had described to the BBC how, in western Tigray, an area under the control of forces from the neighbouring Amhara region, the bodies of ethnic Tigrayans in freshly dug mass graves had been exhumed and destroyed. This came ahead of a possible visit by UN investigators looking into war crimes.
The EU is planning a complete ban on Russian oil imports. iznashih/Getty Images

Saudi Oil Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman warned Tuesday that the world is "running out of energy capacity at all levels."

"I am a dinosaur, but I have never seen these things," he said at a conference.

A UAE official also warned that more investment is needed in the energy sector for OPEC+ to deliver sufficient supplies.

The amount of unused capacity that the world can tap to produce more energy products is running out, warned top oil ministers.

Referring to recent price spikes for refined products, Saudi Oil Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at a Tuesday conference, "I am a dinosaur, but I have never seen these things," according to Bloomberg.

"The world needs to wake up to an existing reality. The world is running out of energy capacity at all levels," he added.

Prices for crude oil have surged more than 50% from a year ago to roughly $105 a barrel. But prices for refined products like diesel have soared even higher. In the US, diesel prices are up 78% to $5.50 a gallon, Bloomberg data shows.

The United Arab Emirates' oil minister said OPEC+ may not be able to deliver on sufficient energy supplies down the line without more investments.

"We've been warning about the lack of investment," Suhail al Mazrouei said in an interview in Abu Dhabi, Bloomberg reported. "That lack of investment is catching up with a lot of countries."

Mazrouei added that "politicization" of the oil market has pushed supply prices higher.

Meanwhile, the European Union is weighing a full embargo on Russian oil in an attempt to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow for its war on Ukraine. In the event of the oil ban, one analyst predicted Russia would have to slash its oil production within "a year or two."

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Andrew Hay

TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - Miguel Gandert does not know whether his family's 19th-century log home has been burned by a New Mexico wildfire, but he fears the blaze could destroy an Indo-Hispano mountain culture far older than the United States.

The wildfire is the largest now in the United States and threatens a string of villages high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where Gandert can trace roots to European and Mexican settlers as well as Native Americans.

The blaze has burned an untold number of homes in the Mora valley, and violent winds on Sunday threatened adobe mud-brick ranch houses, churches, chapels and water mills dating as far back as the early 19th century.

"It's almost a form of cultural genocide that's going on and the fire is the enemy," said Gandert, a retired University of New Mexico professor who spent childhood summers fishing and helping on his family farm in the village of Mora.

Some residents' families have been in New Mexico since the late 17th century, and more than half of Mora County, population 4,500, has stayed to defend homes, police said.

Working-class families in the communities of Holman and Cleveland used their own bulldozers and machinery to scrape fire breaks alongside firefighters, said Gabriel Melendez, who was born in Mora.

They are driven by "querencia," or love of place, grounded in a religious sensibility for land they pray for at Catholic churches and chapels known as "moradas," said Melendez.

"You're losing inheritance, you're losing the value of these homes," said Melendez, a 69-year-old retired American studies professor whose nephew stayed in Holman. "People will rebuild, and they'll work to retie the fabric of this torn culture, but it's a big challenge."

Those who have evacuated feel devastated, said Patricia Marie Perea, whose relatives left San Miguel County for Albuquerque.

"Three hundred years of ancestry is there in my family," said Perea, adjunct professor in Chicana and Chicano studies at the University of New Mexico. "All of that makes it hard, if not impossible to leave."

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Leslie Adler)
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese tech stocks fell as Hong Kong markets reopened after a holiday to face renewed growth worries and persistent regulatory risks, sparking another bout of selling.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Hang Seng Tech Index tumbled 3.2% on Tuesday, extending its slide into a fifth day. JD.com Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. were among the biggest drags. Key equities gauges across the region all slumped, with an index of Chinese firms in the city sliding more than 2%.

The broad decline tracks a global selloff that intensified after the Federal Reserve hiked rates by 50 basis points last week. Beijing is showing no signs of letup in its stringent Covid Zero policy thats already hurt businesses, and there are growing indications the damage is rippling through the global economy.

In China, economic figures to be released in coming weeks can be quite ugly given the Covid lockdowns, said Banny Lam, head of research at CEB International Investment Corp. The situation may calm down in Shanghai in May or June, but still, the Covid controls are worrying investors. The road will remain bumpy.

READ: Chinas Export Growth Weakens to 2020 Low as Lockdowns Bite

Meantime, Chinese regulators further tightened their oversight on the internet industry over the weekend, banning younger users from sending virtual gifts on livestream platforms. The latest action came despite a string of recent promises by the authorities to take a softer stance on the sector.

Assurances

Authorities tried to reassure investors again on Tuesday. The onshore market has solid foundations for stability, according to a CCTV report citing Chinas securities regulator. The short-term market fluctuations wont change the long-term good momentum of the nations capital market, the report added.

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The message came amid mounting concerns over growth prospects. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned of a complicated and grave employment situation on Monday as Beijing and Shanghai tightened curbs on residents in a bid to contain recent outbreaks. Chinese exports also weakened to the slowest pace since the early days of the pandemic, capturing the impact of Covid restrictions.

READ: China Investors Lose Interest in Stock Funds as Market Wavers

Large investors have also started turning away. BlackRock Inc. said its jettisoning its bullish stance on China given the lockdowns. Chinese authorities have made repeated promises in the past couple months to support the economy and stabilize markets, but thats so far failed to give a sustainable boost to stock prices.

The Hang Seng Index fell 1.8%. Hong Kongs market was closed on Monday. The CSI 300 Index, a benchmark for mainland stocks, closed up 1.1%.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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A photo of Rep. Thomas Massie and President Donald Trump was featured in a campaign TV ad.

Former President Donald Trump once derided U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie as a "third rate Grandstander" and suggested throwing him out of the GOP, but on Tuesday, he endorsed the Northern Kentucky Republican, who's up for reelection this year.

He also endorsed the Bluegrass State's four other Republican incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives: Reps. Andy Barr, James Comer, Brett Guthrie and Hal Rogers, giving all of them (and Massie) his "Complete and Total Endorsement!"

"Congressman Thomas Massie is a Conservative Warrior for Kentuckys 4th Congressional District!" Trump said in a statement. "An MIT graduate and a first-rate Defender of the Constitution, Thomas fights hard to Protect your Liberties, especially the First and Second Amendments, which are under siege by the Radical Left."

Massie, who joined Congress in 2012, has developed a reputation as a congressman who marches to his own beat. He got nicknamed "Mr. No" for voting, again and again, against legislation that has bipartisan support.

For example, this year he voted against legislation targeting Russia for invading Ukraine, and last year he voted against giving Congressional Gold Medals to the law enforcement agencies tasked with defending the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. That insurrection tried and failed to overturn Trump's legitimate election loss to President Joe Biden.

Massie upset Trump in March 2020 when he tried to force the U.S. House of Representatives to hold a recorded vote when it passed a $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Many representatives flew into Washington, D.C., even as the pandemic erupted to foil his gambit.

At the time, Trump (who was still president then) said Massie just wanted publicity.

"Workers (and) small businesses need money now in order to survive," he tweeted. "Virus wasnt their fault. It is 'HELL' dealing with the Dems, had to give up some stupid things in order to get the 'big picture' done. 90% GREAT! WIN BACK HOUSE, but throw Massie out of Republican Party!"

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Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives in March 2020.

Massie also opposed the effort to contest the 2020 election results via Congress and criticized Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection, saying he thought the then-president was "at fault here." (Since then, Massie has criticized the use of the term 'insurrection' to describe the Jan. 6 attack and raised questions about whether federal agents were agitating people at the Capitol on the day of the insurrection, even though there's no evidence that happened.)

More: Fact check: Claims of FBI role in Jan. 6 Capitol attack are false

Clearly, Trump isn't holding a grudge over any of that.

Massie faces two Republican opponents in next week's primary election: George Foking Washington of Corinth and Claire Wirth of Prospect. A third opponent, Alyssa Dara McDowell of Covington, said on Facebook she was dropping out of the race Tuesday after Trump endorsed Massie.

What Trump said in his other House endorsements

The former president put out statements endorsing Barr, Comer, Guthrie and Rogers as well, firing them off along with Massie's endorsement early Tuesday afternoon.

He praised Barr as a "fantastic Congressman," saying: "Andy is fighting to Grow our Economy, Protect our Country, Support our Military, Defend the Second Amendment, and Provide the Care our Brave Veterans Deserve."

Barr faces one primary opponent: Republican Derek Petteys of Lexington.

Former President Donald Trump reacts to the crowd before the beginning of the 148th Kentucky Derby. May 07, 2022

Trump called Comer a "fantastic Congressman" too, saying:

"As the lead Republican on the (House) Oversight Committee, Jamie is fighting hard to hold Joe Biden and the Radical Left accountable for failing the American people, from covering up Hunter Bidens blatant corruption to botching their abysmal withdrawal from Afghanistan. Jamie is working hard to Strengthen our Military, Protect our Veterans, Grow our Economy, Promote American Agriculture, and Defend the Second Amendment."

Comer is uncontested in the Republican primary for his seat.

Trump lauded Guthrie for the "outstanding job" he's doing, saying: "A West Point and Yale graduate, Brett worked closely with me and my Administration to stop the illegal flow of fentanyl into our communities. Brett is a Conservative Warrior who Strongly Supports our Military and Vets, Defends the Second Amendment, and Fiercely Advocates for Border Security."

Guthrie faces two GOP primary opponents: Brent Feher of Owensboro and Lee Watts of Lexington.

More: Hal Rogers makes Kentucky history as state's longest-serving member of Congress

Trump praised Rogers, who has represented Kentucky in Congress since the 1980s, as a "tireless advocate" for his constituents, saying:

"A brave Army National Guard veteran, Hal is working hard to Support our Military and Vets, Grow our Economy, Defend the Second Amendment, and Stop the Trafficking of Deadly Opioids into our Communities. As the Dean of the House, Hal continues to admirably serve our Country and the Commonwealth of Kentucky."

Rogers faces four Republican primary opponents: Jeannette Andrews of Lexington, Brandon Russell Monhollen of London, Gerardo Serrano of Manchester and Rich Van Dam of Somerset.

All five of Kentucky's Republican House members  Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie and Rogers  are widely expected to easily defeat their opponents in Kentucky's May 17 primary election.

Morgan Watkins is The Courier Journal's chief political reporter. Contact her at mwatkins@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @morganwatkins26.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Trump endorses Kentucky's GOP House members: Guthrie, Rogers, Massie
Mark Esper said Trump wanted to hold a meeting with the Taliban in DC: 'This idea was terrible in so many ways'

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks as then-President Donald Trump listens during a White House press briefing on April 1, 2020. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Mark Esper said Trump once declared that he wanted to "meet with the Taliban" in Washington, DC.

Esper said there was "no way" he could have and sat down with the Taliban "like old friends."

He said it would be "terrible" for US defense officials to be "sipping tea with these terrorists."

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has revealed that former President Donald Trump had once suggested bringing members of the Taliban to Washington, DC, for a sit-down meeting.

Esper's tell-all book about his time in the Trump administration, "A Sacred Oath," was released on Tuesday. In an excerpt published by Politico on Monday, Esper recounted how he and a team of advisers met with Trump on August 30, 2019, to discuss a proposed deal to end the war in Afghanistan.

While discussing the finer points of the deal, which included a plan to reduce US troop numbers in Afghanistan, Esper recalled that Trump "caught everyone by surprise by declaring, 'I want to meet with the Taliban' here in Washington.'"

Esper added that he was disgusted by Trump's apparent preference to meet with the Taliban in DC over interactions with congressional leadership.

"Ever the showman, Trump believed this would bring great focus to the matter at hand and, though this was never said, cast him as an extraordinary diplomat and businessman who could close any deal," he wrote.

According to Esper, Trump then proposed that the meeting be moved to Camp David.

"I couldn't believe this was happening. We were actually going to sit down with the Taliban at the president's historic Maryland retreat, like old friends?" he wrote, adding that there was "no way" he could stomach such a meeting.

"The Taliban had killed and wounded more than 20,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan since 2001, and that's just counting the physical wounds of war," Esper wrote.

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"Not only couldn't I personally do it, it would be terrible for any secretary of Defense or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be sipping tea with these terrorists, especially while we still had troops in a combat zone."

Esper added that he thought holding the meeting would be "breaking faith" with America's troops, their families, and veterans, especially when the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks was around a week away at that point.

"This idea was terrible in so many ways," Esper wrote.

Media outlets have been reporting on excerpts from Esper's book. Among the incidents recollected in the work are Trump's suggestion to launch missiles into Mexico to "destroy the drug labs" and how he once expressed a desire to "shoot" those protesting the May 2020 killing of George Floyd.

During an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired on Sunday, Esper also claimed that he had helped to prevent "dangerous things" from taking place while serving in the Trump administration.

Trump has hit back at Esper's claims, calling the former defense secretary "weak and totally ineffective."

Read the original article on Business Insider
As the drummer for Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver and The Cult, Matt Sorum secured a reputation as a literal heavy hitter.

He also earned a Grammy Award in 2005 with Velvet Revolver and in 2012, shared in Guns N Roses enshrinement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But as many a rock n roll tale has demonstrated, the perks of playing in prominent bands are often countered by the detriments of being surrounded by sycophants.

Sorum, who replaced original Guns N Roses drummer Steven Adler and remained a member for seven years  thats him on Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II and The Spaghetti Incident  also battled drug and alcohol addictions.

Sorum is ready to share those stories of glory and misery in Double Talkin Jive (Rare Bird, 304 pp.),his autobiography written with Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson.

Matt Sorum shares stories about his time in rock bands as well as his personal struggles with drugs and alcohol in his memoir, "Double Talkin' Jive."

Slash speaks: The veteran guitarist gets candid about Axl Rose

Who wouldnt be hooked reading even just his preface about getting tossed out of the after-party at the wedding of John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn? Dave Coulier also gets knocked out in the midst of the mayhem, by the way.

These days, Sorum, 61, is enjoying family time with wife Ace and daughter Lou Ellington, who turns 1 in June, but hes also keeping a finger in the music business. Last year, he co-produced Hardware, the third solo album from ZZ Tops Billy Gibbons; the hirsute guitarist returned the favor by writing the foreword to Double Talkin Jive, praising Sorums insatiable appetite for the backbeat.

Chatting from his home in Palm Springs, California, Sorum spoke with USA TODAY about the background of Double Talkin Jive.

Matt Sorum's career includes drumming for Guns N' Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver.

Question: Youve played with so many bands and done so many things, but you named the book after a Guns N Roses song. Does your time with them really feel like the defining years of your career?

Matt Sorum: I just thought the title was interesting. "Jive" is a word used like "jive talking"; I like the connotation of it. People in the industry would be like, "I love you, man!" and then you cant get them on the phone. That Hollywood jive. You learn the Hollywood way as you go.

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Q: You structured the book in an interesting way  short chapters and a little teaser about what is in each one. Why did you go that creative route?

Sorum: There was so much to tell. Obviously, the Guns N Roses stuff is, "Oooh, whats he going to say?" I say some stuff, but I bookend it with the reasons that made it great. These guys are these guys with these personalities. But I had to be truthful about how it worked for me. Someone reading the book might say Im a name dropper. But I worked with these folks, so if you dont say their names, it isnt fun to read.

Matt Sorum says he believes in "going with the will of the higher intelligence of the universe."

Sheryl Crow unscripted: New documentary spotlights sexual harassment, depression

Q: How important was Guns N Roses in your life?

Sorum: At the end of the book, I say if it wasnt for GNR, my life wouldnt be the same. If you put 20 people in a line, maybe 5% would know The Cult, 10% Velvet Revolver and 100% would know Guns N Roses. So I thanked the band for that time I had with them, and Im grateful for it now. Everything turns corners for a reason. Im really a believer in going with the will of the higher intelligence of the universe.

Q: You admittedly did a huge amount of drugs. Did you ever question your memory when recalling some of these stories?

Sorum: The weirdest thing about me is Im like Rain Man. Even with the drugs and alcohol, I had some kind of memory retention that was weird in a way. When I started to write the book, everything started to flood out with detail. I could jump on stage with any of those guys tomorrow and not rehearse and be able to play the songs.

Q: What was the writing process like for you and your co-writers, Leif and Martin?

Sorum: I bought the house in the desert in 2017 and I had just done the Hollywood Vampires tour, and Leif and Martin contacted me and said well come to the desert. So theyd come out and sit in my living room and Id be in my robe and get some coffee, and we went through my whole life and it was almost like talking to a therapist. The way I acted in those days isnt how I am now, but that guy is still in there. Im the happiest I have ever been because I had to go through trials and tribulations like everybody else.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matt Sorum talks playing drums in Guns N Roses, addiction in new book
Insider

Alyssa Powell/Insider

Over 8 million student-loan borrowers aged 50 and older hold 22% of the federal debt load, per AARP.

It's affecting their life decisions  and those of their children.

Older borrowers have seen Social Security benefits seized and retirements delayed because of their student debt.

This article is part of The Cost of Inequity, a series examining the systemic issues that disproportionately impact marginalized and disenfranchised groups.

Diane Hankle, 57, has a nearly $90,000 student-debt load she's been paying off for over three decades.

As a retired government worker for the state of Illinois, Hankle attempted to get her loans forgiven through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which wipes out student debt for public servants after ten years of qualifying payments. But issues with counting her payments accurately pushed her forgiveness timeline back, and she's now looking at monthly bills for the foreseeable future.

"I have a son that's a junior in high school who will be going to college next year, so we'll have college expenses next year," Hankle told Insider. "It's terrible that I would still have to have this $86,000 show up on my credit report."

She said she's going to do everything in her power to ensure her son does not need to take out student loans himself. He agreed to go to junior college for two years, because as the sole provider for him, Hankle cannot afford to cover four years of university tuition on her own.

Three decades is a long time to being paying off a debt, but some Americans have been doing it for longer and are struggling to live under the growing $1.7 trillion student debt crisis. An estimate last year from AARP found 8.4 million student-loan borrowers aged 50 and older hold 22% of the federal student debt load, and according to Education Department data, 2.3 million borrowers aged 62 and older have an average balance of $37,739.

For older borrowers in particular, the consequences of big student debt loads late in life can be dire. Social security benefits can be withheld and retirements can be pushed back, and some borrowers see the only way out of debt through loan forgiveness or death.

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Whether they took out student loans for themselves or for their children, debt for older Americans is a growing problem.

AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in 2019 that stagnant wages and rising tuition costs could be factors as to why student debt has become such a burden for older age groups. And given the difficulty with discharging student loans through bankruptcy, should a borrower fall behind on payments, they could be subject to not only wage garnishment, but withholding of Social Security benefits, as well.

In fiscal year 2015, nearly 114,000 borrowers aged 50 and older had their Social Security benefits seized, per the Government Accountability Office, and a 2019 AARP analysis suggested borrowers who had to push off saving for retirement because of their student-debt loads had to work two to seven years longer to get the same amount of savings as their peers without student debt.

And younger generations could soon be feeling the impact, as well. A report from Urban Institute found the age of borrowers is steadily on the rise, with the share of 35-to-44-year-olds with debt nearly doubling between 2007 and 2019. Kristin Blagg, one of the authors of the report, told Insider that "this is a group we should be concerned about."

"From the research that I've done, there seemed to be some folks who took out loans back in the 90s or the early 2000s that hadn't been able to pay it off yet," Blagg said. "And some of them don't appear to be making much progress on their loans, they may have had interest build up over time and just haven't been able to get momentum on actually paying down that debt."

"You can imagine that might be a substantial drag for them in terms of the other things that they might want to invest in," she added.

'I've done my duty to the student-loan program many times over'

David Wise, 59, originally borrowed $79,000 in student debt, has paid back $175,000 of it over four decades, but still has a balance over $200,000. He previously told Insider that a career change and a divorce caused his income to change dramatically, and he ended up defaulting on his debt, causing his wages to be garnished while he was racking up interest and penalty fees.

Now, the only way he can see his loans going away is when he dies.

"I have no motivation whatsoever to pay anything more than I've already paid," Wise said. "I've done my duty to the student-loan program many times over."

Some lawmakers advocating for student-debt relief and forgiveness have recognized the burden that falls on older Americans. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren  a leading voice in the $50,000 student-debt forgiveness push  previously told Insider those borrowers, in particular, require relief.

"Student debt isn't just crushing young people: 6.3 million borrowers ages 50 to 64 and nearly a million people over 65 are still paying for a loved one's education or their own," Warren said. "Student debt is also one of the biggest contributors to the rise in the amount of debt seniors hold overall."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A HIGH GROWTH SAAS BUSINESS WITH STRONG RECURRING REVENUES

OPENS UP NEW GEOGRAPHIC MARKETS IN EUROPE

IN LINE WITH STATED M&A STRATEGY

LONDON, May 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

MotorK Plc (AMS: MTRK) ("MotorK" or the "Group") announces that it has entered into advanced negotiations for the acquisition of Carflow ("the Company"), an automotive retail solutions provider that serves more than 400 car dealers and major automotive OEMs in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Both MotorK and Carflow have signed exclusive and binding agreements and are working towards a swift completion.

Founded in 2009, Carflow is an established automotive software as a service ("SaaS") player in the Benelux digital automotive retail market. The Company provides car dealers and manufacturers with a complete suite of digital solutions focused on three areas: 1) automated online sales and conversion processes; 2) lead generation and follow-up; and 3) omnichannel digital showroom capability.

In 2021, the Company reported revenues of c. 3.0 million, achieving double-digit growth on the previous year. Recurring revenues represented c. 75% of this total.

ACQUISITION RATIONALE

The acquisition of Carflow is consistent with MotorK's strategy to expand its operations into new markets and is in line with previous guidance of 2-3 acquisitions per annum. The Group believes that the deal will leverage the success of the Carflow team and drive additional value for shareholders:

Enhanced geographic presence : Carflows strong brand brings customers from new and growing geographic markets into the enlarged Group, establishing a presence in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for the first time

Creating a regional hub : Carflows established presence is anticipated to become the hub for the strategically important Benelux region, completing the Groups geographic footprint

Attractive revenue cross-sell opportunities : MotorKs new digital products can now be introduced across an enlarged customer base to drive additional recurring revenues

Bringing major OEM brands closer to the Group: The addition of Carflows trusted OEM partners (Jaguar, Land Rover, Opel, Hyundai and Subaru) deepens the enlarged Groups presence in the European market.

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Marco Marlia, Co-founder & CEO of MotorK said: "We are delighted to welcome the Carflow team into the MotorK family. Adding its strong brand, excellent OEM relationships and deep market experience to the Group will enhance our geographic footprint across Europe, providing an additional platform for growth in the Benelux region. Our new products can now be launched over a broader network of dealerships and we believe that together we can accelerate the enlarged business."

Frederic Apers, CEO of Carflow said: "After a period of sustained growth, we are extremely proud to join forces with MotorK, the leading European automotive retail solutions business. We are excited by the prospect of offering the Groups innovative new products to our loyal customer base, allowing us to stay at the forefront of servicing changing car buyer needs and expectations. Combined with our geographic reach we believe we can accelerate growth for the enlarged Group going forward."

ABOUT CARFLOW

Carflow offers state of art solutions enhancing the digital showroom of dealers and strong sales & marketing automation tools for automotive retail and OEMs. These enable them to manage consumer leads, offers and orders; control new and second-hand inventory as well as to publish available cars to media partners and on their own website through Carflows plug-in function framework. For OEMs and large dealer groups, Carflow has developed its Master CMS, making it possible to centrally roll out and manage a large number of dealer websites, while still retaining a great deal of flexibility for the local dealer branches within the brand identity of the OEM.

Forward-looking information / disclaimer

This press release may include forward-looking statements. Other than reported financial results and historical information, all statements included in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding our financial position, business strategy and management plans and objectives for future operations, may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", "will", "may", "would", "could" or "should", or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, projections and key assumptions about future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond MotorKs ability to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions, the behavior of other market participants and the actions of governmental regulators. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to change without notice. Other than as required by applicable law or the applicable rules of any exchange on which our securities may be traded, we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Important information

This press release contains information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014).

ABOUT MOTORK PLC

MotorK (AMS: MTRK) is a leading software as a service ("SaaS") provider for the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, with over 400 employees and ten offices in seven countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK and Israel). MotorK empowers car manufacturers and dealers to improve their customer experience through a broad suite of fully integrated digital products and services. MotorK provides its customers with an innovative combination of digital solutions, SaaS cloud products and the largest R&D department in the automotive digital sales and marketing industry in Europe. MotorK is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Kemp House, 152 City Road, London EC1V 2NX3 - Company Registration: 9259000. For more information: www.motork.io or www.investors.motork.io.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220509005855/en/

Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

MotorK Investor Relations

etienne.jacquet@motork.io

Etienne Jacquet

+33 6 22 18 39 09

MotorK Corporate Communications

press@motork.io
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed that she once turned down the chance to be a judge on the Eurovision Song Contest.

The singer-songwriter was lined up for the panel in 2019, but said a combination of having a young child and being unable to watch the show in silence had prevented her from taking part.

The UK will be represented this year in Turin, Italy, by 32-year-old TikTok star Sam Ryder with his uplifting pop song Space Man.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Ellis-Bextor said that following the success of her hit song Murder On The Dancefloor, which was the most played track in Europe in 2002, she had a conversation about becoming a competition judge.

I had a very small baby that I was still feeding, and they wouldnt let me bring it along, she said.

Im pretty sure the baby would have been impartial but, you know what, I think part of what I like about Eurovision is that it has very much got its rules its kooky.

We werent going to be allowed to speak while we were watching it either, and I thought, I cant watch Eurovision in silence.

Ellis-Bextor, 43, is due to hold a special Eurovision Kitchen Disco warm-up party on Radio 2 this year.

She added that Eurovision had been a part of her family life since she was tiny and watched the programme with her parents as a child.

My parents always watched Eurovision and I remember watching it during the eighties when I was in single digits and being pretty fascinated by what I saw, she said.

(PA Media)

She added that the political undertones to Eurovision, and Britains famous lack of success, was part of the fun.

We should probably brace ourselves for another nul points score, she said. There have always been political undertones (to the voting), which again, is part of the fun. We quite enjoy that, I think.

Its part of the reason Britain treats it in an almost ironic way, and I dont think it will ever lose that, but some of the songs that are good can have a life outside of Eurovision and be treated as legitimate hits.

The full interview with Ellis-Bextor can be found in this weeks Radio Times.

The Eurovision final airs on Saturday at 8pm on BBC One, BBC Radio 2 and BBC iPlayer.
The myriad of state-level abortion laws and proposals are complicating national Republicans strategy of turning the issue back on Democrats rather than getting into the details of how far they would go in restricting the procedure.

A proposed bill in one state could open the door to charging people who get abortions with murder, and several other anti-abortion laws would subject doctors who perform abortions to jail time. While polls show wide popularity for some exceptions to abortion bans, several states would ban or severely restrict abortions without any exceptions for rape or incest.

Many of the states proposals contradict overall GOP messaging. And theyve left Republicans in Washington facing questions that threaten to expose divisions within the party on how far restrictions should go.

Republicans have long been preparing for the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. Last weeks leaked draft of a Dobbs opinion that would overturn the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision put that into overdrive.

The conservative Republican Study Committee redistributed a messaging memo from earlier this year that put the focus on Democrats lack of support for abortion restrictions.

Todays Left believes in a position even more extreme than Roe: taxpayer funded abortion, on demand, until birth, said the Republican Study Committee memo.

In the wake of the leak, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) similarly asserted that Democrats oppose restricting abortions for gender selection purposes. It went further to counter Democratic depictions of Republicans as extremists on the abortion issue, saying that Republicans DO NOT want to throw doctors and women in jail.

But state laws on the books and pending bills undermine some of those NRSC talking points.

A Louisiana bill that advanced 7-2 in a committee last month would recognize full rights starting from the moment of fertilization and classify abortion as a homicide, which could subject women and doctors who perform abortions to murder charges. The language was so stark that the anti-abortion Louisiana Right to Life announced opposition to the bill.

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Our position has always been women should not be treated as criminals, Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper told USA Today.

Former President Trump famously said in an MSNBC interview during the 2016 presidential race that women who get an abortion should face some sort of punishment, also prompting swift pushback from anti-abortion groups.

More than 20 states also have laws that would subject doctors who perform abortions to prison time. Kansas and Oklahoma, for instance, have trigger laws that would go into effect if Roe overturned that would make providing abortions a felony.

A number of state anti-abortion laws, including Texass new six-week abortion ban and Arizonas 15-week ban signed into law earlier this year, also lack widely popular exceptions for cases of rape and incest. An April 24-28 ABC News-Washington Post poll found 79 percent support for allowing abortions in such cases.

Those laws and proposals are fueling Democratic arguments.

Republican state legislators across the country are already advancing extreme new laws, seeking to arrest doctors for offering reproductive care, ban abortion entirely with no exceptions, and even charge women with murder who exercise their right to choose, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a letter to colleagues Monday. These draconian measures could even criminalize contraceptive care, in vitro fertilization and post-miscarriage care, dragging our nation back to a dark time decades into the past.

The question on whether to allow exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape and incest could be a growing issue for Republicans if Roe is overturned, particularly if anti-abortion groups pivot to advocating for nationwide abortion restrictions.

J.D. Vance, the GOP nominee for Senate in Ohio, responded to a question last year about whether he supports exceptions abortion in cases of rape and incest by saying that two wrongs dont make a right.

On the other side, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who has revealed that she was sexually assaulted as a teenager, has presented allowing these exceptions as critical for advancing restrictions for other abortions.

I know that South Carolinas fetal heartbeat bill would not have passed without exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, Mace said on CBS Sunday, referencing her states six-week abortion ban that was signed into law last year but has been blocked by the courts from taking effect.

Mace added that she would support federal legislation to enshrine those protections, but that is bound to face pushback from other Republicans. In November, Mace and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) got into a spat on Twitter over abortion, with Greene describing Mace as pro-abort for supporting those exceptions.

Top Republicans in the House and Senate have largely avoided saying what kind of national abortion restrictions, if any, they would pursue in a Republican majority. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told USA Today over the weekend that a federal ban was possible.

If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies  not only at the state level but at the federal level  certainly could legislate in that area, McConnell said.

For Republicans asked about states with restrictions that are too much for their liking, national talking points provide room for defection. GOP message crafters suggest that the potential end of Roe, which would leave a patchwork of abortion laws in states across the country, is a win for democracy and federalism.

The American people could have their voices restored  rightfully heard through elected officials, not silenced by unelected judges, the Republican Study Committee memo said.

NRSC talking points said that states should have the flexibility to implement reasonable restrictions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Waymo plans to begin offering select customers rides in Phoenix. The area to be served is roughly bounded by 44th Street to the east, Interstate 17 to the west, Camelback Road to the north and Interstate 10/Washington Street to the south.

Waymo plans to begin offering rides for a fee to people in central and downtown Phoenix to test its autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, the company announced.

People interested in using the vehicles can sign up using the Waymo app on their smartphone. Waymo, an affiliate of Google, will select people eligible for the program starting this week, allowing them to hail rides in the new service area.

Waymo has operated in an approximately 50-square-mile area covering parts of Chandler, Mesa and Tempe for years, both with a test program and a public ride service called Waymo One. Now it's officially expanding to Phoenix.

It's the first time Arizona riders have a chance to try the I-Pace vehicles rather than Waymo's vans.

The service area is roughly bounded by 44th Street to the east, Interstate 17 to the west, Camelback Road to the north and Interstate 10/Washington Street to the south, but excludes Sky Harbor International Airport and does not connect to the East Valley service area.

The company hopes to eventually connect the two Arizona service areas, allowing people to travel between Phoenix and Chandler in its vehicles.

Driverless cars: Waymo expands autonomous vehicle service to downtown Phoenix

How the Phoenix service will work

The company will charge for the rides in its electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, which will have a backup driver in them for now. Waymo offers fully autonomous rides in Chandler with no driver in the Chrysler vans used there.

The "autonomous specialists" in the vehicles work for a partner company called Transdev.

Waymo operates I-Pace vehicles with no backup driver for its rides in San Francisco, so it's likely to operate that way in Phoenix eventually.

Waymo has a few hundred vehicles operating in Arizona in the two areas.

The service launching in Phoenix is called Waymo's "Trusted Tester" program. It is a research project where participants offer feedback to the company. It is slightly different than the Waymo One commercial service.

Story continues

When the same service launched in 2017 in the Chandler area, called the "Early Rider" program at the time, Waymo officials said they selected the initial testers based on people they felt would use the service regularly and offer constructive feedback. The rides initially were free to testers, then later were offered for a fee.

"This will be a highly interactive program where Trusted Testers use the Waymo One app to hail autonomous rides for their everyday mobility needs and provide customer feedback to us during and after their rides," the company said in the Phoenix expansion announcement.

The company has tested vehicles in central Phoenix for months and announced in March it would begin offering rides first to Waymo employees and later to people in the test program.

"If you live or work in downtown Phoenix and want to join, just download the Waymo One app. Youll then be able to create an account and express interest in joining our Trusted Tester program," the company said.

Giving rides to testers will roll out slowly, the same way Waymo launched its service in San Francisco. It will start with a few customers this week and gradually expand, according to a company spokesperson.

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Waymo to offer autonomous vehicle rides in Phoenix
SUNNYSIDE  More than 40 residents showed up to Monday nights City Council meeting after a Friday evening gang shooting that left five injure
Man suspected of trying to break into Fircrest home dies in trailer fire, deputies say
Man who bailed out Tacoma officers charged with killing Manuel Ellis will run for office
Seven Yakima County dams among 50 in state rated in 'poor' condition

An Associated Press investigation has found 50 dams in Washington state that are classified as high-hazard and in poor condition
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There are several fine drinking occasions in May: lets start the celebration on 13th May with the World Cocktail Day, then comes the World Whisky Day on 21st May, and finally we end the month of enjoying drinks and cocktails at the Bar Show Budapest 2022 on 29th May.





World Cocktail Day

We celebrate World Cocktail Day on 13th May, a category of drink that has more than a 200-years-old history. On 13 May 1806, a New York tabloid called The Balance and Columbian Repository published the first written definition of a cocktail. A reader asked what a cocktail is, and the editor, Harry Croswells response was Cock tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters



World Cocktail Day is celebrated around the world in many bars, but we can also mix up some of our favourite cocktails at home! The reason that Harry Croswells definition is so important  and the reason we mark it with this day of recognition  is that it truly brought the word into the public eye, solidifying its existence in the world of spirits and fine drinking. And for that, Croswell, we thank you.

World Cocktail Day promotion

WhiskyNet will be celebrating World Cocktail Day as well with lots of promotions and special offers. Between 11-15th May several spirits and other cocktail ingredients will be offered for a special price in our 3 stores: GoodSpirit Shop Downtown (7 Veres Palne street, Budapest, 1053), GoodSpirit Shop ETELE (1 Hadak utja, Budapest, 1119) and our Cash&Carry store (4/B Szolokert street, Budapest, 0133).





Try a Paloma cocktail (blanco tequila, fresh lime, and grapefruit soda) with Tequila Ocho Blanco, or a classic Margarita (tequila, triple sec, and lime juice) with a twist with Mezcal San Cosme.

With summer around the corner, one of the most refreshing and easiest cocktails are gin&tonics. Choose from several gin and tonic brands and start experiment!

If you dont feel like testing your cocktail-making skills, there are ready-made options too: try a Bellini SeiBellissimi cocktail with peach puree or a Hybou Dandy Manhattan cocktail in a bottle!





BAR SHOW BUDAPEST 2022

The Bar Show Budapest will be on 29th May 2022 at the RaM Theatre. The Bar Show is a modern and progressive bar-cultural gathering that pools the professional figures of the bar scene along with connoisseurs interested in the world of bars and their sophisticated drinking culture.



The purpose of the Bar Show Budapest event is to ensure the momentum of the continued growth, providing an opportunity for the education and development of those interested in the bar and drinking culture.



Guests can try different spirits and cocktails at more than 35 exhibitors, they can enjoy the performances of the finalists of the Bartenders Choice competition and can learn about interesting topics and initiatives during 16 different masterclasses.



For more information about the programme, exhibitors and masterclasses, please visit: https://bar-show.hu/en/



Tickets to the Bar Show Budapest 2022 can be purchased from the webshop of WhiskyNet.
YORK  Construction of ALLOs 100% fiber-optic network in York began on Monday and a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the significance of this project.

After working with the city to complete the necessary agreements, ALLO has partnered with contractors to begin building the fiber-optic infrastructure.

Throughout the various stages of construction, residents and businesses will receive advance notice by mail of necessary work that will take place in yards and easements. The ALLO team might knock on doors to explain the process and answer questions.

Representatives of the company said ALLOs fiber investment will establish a world-class connection in York. The all-fiber network will provide businesses, residents and governmental entities with exceptional internet, TV and phone solutions.

During Mondays groundbreaking event, which was attended by ALLO representatives, city government officials, representatives of the York County Development Corporation and York Chamber of Commerce, as well as the York Ambassadors, Dave Miller (from ALLO) said the company is super excited to be in York.

One thing we look at when embarking on these types of projects is the relationship the community has with the city, Miller said. And then we look at the relationship we can have with the city and the community  York checks all those boxes. Our goal is to make Nebraska one of the most connected states. We are a fiber to premises provider, which means this will be available to all residences and businesses. We are still working on a location for a storefront in York, hiring local employees and supporting local school and community programs.

Miller said underground construction has started in York and the companys goal is to have the York project completed by this time next year. He said the company will communicate timelines as the project progresses.

In a press release, ALLO President Brad Moline expressed his enthusiasm for the start of construction in York. ALLO is very excited to develop York as a gigabit city. ALLOs fiber infrastructure will future-proof businesses and residents for years to come, and we look forward to seeing the impacts of providing next-generation technology to this community.

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YORK  The 2021 Primary Election Day has finally arrived.

Ballots will be cast by voters between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Voters in the Stewart and Thayer precincts will cast their ballots at the Gresham Fire Hall.

Those in Morton, Arborville, Bradshaw and Lockridge precincts will vote at the 4-H building on the York County Fairgrounds.

The Waco Community Building will be the polling location for voters living in the New York, Waco, Beaver and West Blue precincts.

Residents in the Leroy and Baker precincts will vote in the basement of the York County Courthouse.

Voters from the Brown and Henderson precincts will cast their ballots at the Henderson City Hall.

People from the Hays and McFadden precincts will vote at the McCool Community Hall.

All York County voters will cast their ballots at the city auditorium.

There will be some races and issues to be considered.

Republican voters in the county will be asked for vote for York County Sheriff candidates (as both are Republicans and this race will ultimately be decided in the Primary). The candidates are Paul Vrbka (current sheriff) and Scott Wiemer (a former York County Sheriffs deputy and current deputy with the Seward County Sheriffs Department).

Republican voters in the countys third district will be choosing their next representative on the county board of commissioners (as all four candidates are Republicans). The candidates are Brian Bedient, John Prusia, Stan Boehr and Steve Warren.

And patrons of the Heartland School District will be voting on two bond issues impacting the future of their school facility in Henderson. Voters will be asked regarding a $5.69 million bond issue that would finance securing the front entrance of the school; creating four new classrooms to provide space for changes in teaching strategies and increasing enrollment; the creation of new lockers rooms, ADA accessible weight room (which would be open to the public as well) and activities entrance, and connecting the shop to the main building; and air conditioning and bleacher replacement in the north gym.

The second is in regards to a $1,370,000 bond issue that would finance expanding the preschool program; the creation of a community-operated daycare facility; the creation of an infant room; the creation of a toddler room; the offering of before and after school care; the creation of a physical connection to the current school building; and the ability to provide early childhood ESCI services.

Voters will also see on their ballots a variety of regional and statewide races regarding NRD board memberships, the District 24 legislative seat, as well as partisan nominations for governor, attorney general and other state offices.

All ballots must be cast by 8 p.m., on Tuesday, May 10, in order to be counted.

Editors note: Watch yorknewstimes.com on Tuesday night for local election results, which will be posted as soon as they become available.

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A video of a near-miss at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) on May 7 showed one plane coming into land just over another one waiting to take off on the same runway. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the AICM was being investigated.

Concerns over reports of a number of recent incidents prompted Rogelio Jimenez Pons, deputy transport minister, to propose a halt of operations at the nearby newly-built Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) as a temporary solution.

"If the investigation tells us to do that (stop operations at AIFA), we will do so. Security is above any other type of interest," he said during an interview with local media. "There is this instruction to reduce operations by 25 percent in 12 months. The airport has been saturated and in terrible condition for decades," Pons said.

Also read: Cyclone Asani effect: 10 flights cancelled from Chennai, 23 from Visakhapatnam, details here

He said to implement the reduction, flights would be diverted to other airports, such as the nearby, newly built Felipe Angeles International Airport.

Video of the weekend incident appeared to show two jets from Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris nearly colliding. It surfaced online days after a report from an international pilots association cited "several" safety concerns in the capitals air space.

On May 8, the carriers chief executive, Enrique Beltranena, said on Twitter he had called for internal and external investigations. "Thanks to the training of our pilots and their impeccable monitoring of the processes, no passenger or crew member was at risk during the situation reported at the AICM the night of May 7," Beltranena said.

Lopez Obrador called for a meeting to 'put the airspace in order.' "We've got to see what factors led to this error, to make sure above all that it doesn't happen again," said Covarruvias, who also welcomed the investigation and Hernandez`s resignation. "If it happens again, it's not an accident," he added.

Also read: All-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class launched in India, prices start at Rs 55 lakh

Senator Ricardo Monreal, a prominent member of the ruling MORENA party mentioned the incident when speaking to reporters and called on heads of Mexicos transportation and civil aviation authorities to testify in Congress.

He also called on lawmakers to look into recent troubles at the airport, one of Latin America's busiest. "Like thousands of people, Ive experienced flight delays, but this week they got worse," Monreal said. "The legislative power should take action to understand the causes and support a solution."

It was intended to relieve the overburdened Mexico City International Airport, but Reuters found that the airport was still under construction almost a month after its inauguration and it offered few daily flights.

In May 2021, the United States downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating, which bars Mexican carriers from adding new U.S. flights and limits airlines' ability to carry out joint marketing agreements.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Mumbai: Filmmaker Rohit Shetty's upcoming comedy "Cirkus", headlined by Ranveer Singh, is set to release theatrically on December 23. The film is based on William Shakespeare's classic play "The Comedy of Errors", which revolves around two sets of identical twins, who were accidentally separated at birth. "Cirkus" also stars Pooja Hegde, Jaqueline Fernandez and Varun Sharma.

This will be Shetty's third collaboration with Singh after their blockbuster "Simmba" and last year's "Sooryavanshi", in which he featured in an extended cameo.

"'Cirkus' is a complete family entertainer. There's no better time than the Christmas holidays to celebrate the film in cinemas everywhere," the filmmaker said in a statement.

Shetty, known for his hit comedies like the "Golmaal" franchise and his cop universe films "Singham" and "Sooryavanshi", also shared the film's poster on his Instagram page.

"It's time to bring our audience back to the cinemas... Once again! 'Golmaal' released 16 years ago and the love you all gave me made me what i am today! 'Cirkus' is a christmas gift for you and your family! Kyunki iss 'Cirkus' mein bohot sara Golmaal hai," Shetty, who has also produced the film, wrote.

"Cirkus" is presented by Bhushan Kumar led T-Series. The film also features Siddhartha Jadhav, Johnny Lever, Sanjay Mishra and Vrajesh Hirjee, among others.

In an interview with PTI in November last year, Shetty had described "Cirkus" as an "extremely sweet film".

"What you felt for 'Golmaal' and 'All The Best', you'll feel the same for this one. It's not like a 'Sooryavanshi' with a message. When people come out of the theatre watching the film, I want a smile on their face. It is an extremely sweet film," he had said.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the makers of Jayeshbhai Jordaar to insert in certain scenes a disclaimer concerning the illegality of the practice of sex determination of a foetus and gave its nod to the release of the Ranveer Singh-starrer film.

A bench headed by Justice Navin Chawla, while hearing a PIL seeking deletion of a certain scene from the movie which purportedly denounces female foeticide, asked Yash Raj Films to insert a prominent disclaimer in two scenes and said, "if you are sending a message, send it loud."

"We appreciate the message but you have to tell people that it is an offence," said the bench -- also comprising Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri -- which took on record the filmmakers undertaking to insert the relevant warnings. "Ensure that the disclaimer appears at both the times," it told the filmmakers.

The relevant portion of the film which is scheduled to be released on May 13 was also played for the court during the course of the hearing.

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, appearing for the filmmaker, said that the film does not violate any law and the disclaimer will be inserted prominently in the concerning scenes in English as well as Hindi.

"Senior counsel for respondent no. 4 (Yash Raj Films), without prejudice to his submissions, has agreed to depict further warning/disclaimer during the running of both the scenes. Respondent no. 4 is made bound to the statement made on behalf of its senior counsel," the court recorded.

The court also granted one week to the filmmakers to add the disclaimer to the other formats of the scene as well, including YouTube.

The senior counsel for the filmmaker informed the court that the movie begins with a disclaimer which takes the entire screen and the story is "about a social evil and blind faith in certain practices" and its message has to be seen from its context.

Central government lawyer Anurag Ahluwalia said that the film has been certified by the CBFC subject to the insertion of a disclaimer.

Lawyer Pawan Prakash Pathak, appearing for petitioner 'Youth Against Crime', contended that certain scenes in the film promoted sex selection techniques which are a violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act.

The court told the petitioner that although his cause was good, nothing remained in light of the other party agreeing to insert a disclaimer.

"The object of the Act is prohibition. But that does not mean that the ill from society has disappeared. Ill is still there... Look at the context in which it is coming. It is showing to what extent people go to determine all this. There is nothing in this now...They are making a joke of the people who are doing all this. Appreciate the message that is sent," the court said.

The petitioner did not press the petition any further.

On May 9, the high court had expressed its concern over the scene showing the sex determination of a foetus in the trailer of the film and told its makers that the illegal practice can't be trivialised or shown to be done in a routine manner.

It had then asked the show the relevant portions of the movie to it and said that the 'overall message' may be good but it cannot be projected that a pregnant woman can be taken to any clinic with a sonogram machine to find the sex of the foetus.

'You take instructions otherwise we will have to stay,' it had said.

In its petition, the petitioner had said that the scene in the trailer showing the "use of ultrasound technology in a clinic to determine the sex of the foetus and abortion technique in case of the girl child" is against the law which restricts advertisement of ultrasound technique for sex determination.

"Section 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 6 & 22 of The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994 (PC & PNDT Act) squarely restrict the advertisement of ultrasound technique for sex determination and the objective of the act also negates such practises, what is being contested is the only deletion of the clinic scene and promotion of the ultrasound technique", the petition stated.

The petition said that while the petitioner appreciates the issue of female foeticide being raised and awareness being created among the public but the problem is that the ultrasound scene is shown openly without any censor.
New Delhi: After the shocking attack in the Intelligence Wing headquarters of Punjab Police in Mohali, banned secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has sent an ominous message to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

In an audio message sent out to the press of the State, the SFJ's general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said, "This grenade attack could have taken place at the Shimla Police headquarters."

What happened in Mohali?

On Monday night, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Intelligence Wing headquarters of Punjab Police in Mohali and shattered windowpanes on one of the floors of the building.

The explosion took place at around 7.45 pm at the office located at sector 77 in Mohali. No one, however, was injured in the explosion.

"A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar at around 7.45 PM. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done. Forensic teams have been called," the Mohali police said in a statement.

Also read: Mohali blast: 'Whoever tried to spoil atmosphere of Punjab will not be spared', warns CM Bhagwant Mann

Hours after the attack Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday (May 10, 2022) said that "whoever tried to spoil the atmosphere of our Punjab will not be spared". Mann added that Police is investigating the blast.

"Police is investigating the blast in Mohali. Whoever tried to spoil the atmosphere of our Punjab will not be spared," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said in a tweet.

'Sikhs for Justice' threatens Himachal Pradesh CM

Earlier, the group Sikhs for Justice had sent out a threat to Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and warned him to not take action against raising of the Khalistani flag on the gates of Vidhan Sabha complex in Dharamshala.

(With PTI inputs)

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Kadapa: The police arrested ruling YSRCP leader and cousin of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for demanding a bribe from the owners of one SRK constructions in Chakrayapet Mandal in the district. The accused, YS Konda Reddy, is the YSR Congress party incharge of the Chakrayapet Mandal of the YSR district and cousin of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Kadapa district superintendent of police KKN Anburajan informed that SRK Constructions was awarded a tender for the construction of roads between Vempalle and Rayachoti. The works have been in progress for several months now.

On May 5, accused YS Konda Reddy, a resident of Pulivendula town, threatened SRK constructions owners and demanded a bribe to allow the continuation of work. He also threatened that the ongoing works would be stopped using his ''influence in the government.''

Following the complaint lodged by the victims in Chakrayapet Mandal police station, the police registered the case. During the investigation, police found YS Konda Reddy guilty of threatening contractors, and was arrested subsequently.

The SP urged the people to make use of the number 14400 or 100 to lodge complaints if they were threatened and were extorted money by anyone in the name of work.

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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (May 10) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of creating two Indias, one for the rich and another for the poor, and claimed that the resources of the country are being given to a few wealthy people.

"Gujarat is the only state where we need to have permission to protest. Jignesh Mevani was jailed for three months for the same. I would like to say that even if he's jailed for 10 years, it won't affect him," Rahul said in Dahod. On May 5, a magisterial court in Gujarat convicted independent MLA Jignesh Mevani and nine others in a five-year-old case and sent them to 3-months of imprisonment.

        -                #AdivasiSatyagraha ,                       ,     Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 10, 2022

Launching his party's campaign for this year's Gujarat Assembly elections at an "adivasi satyagrah rally" in tribal Dahod district, Gandhi said he is confident that Congress will come to power in the state. "In 2014, Narendra Modi ji became the prime minister of India. Before that he was the chief minister of Gujarat. The work he started in Gujarat, he is doing in the country. It is called the Gujarat Model," Gandhi said. "Today, two Indias are being created, one India of the rich, a few select people, billionaires and bureaucrats who have power and money. The second India is of the common people," he said.

Watch the video here:

Congress party does not want two India, Rahul Gandhi said. "In the BJP model, resources of people like water, forest and land which belong to tribals and other poor people, are being given to a few," he said. The Congress leader also said that the BJP-led government in the state had deprived tribals of their rights. "The BJP government will not give you anything, but take away everything from you. You (tribals) have to snatch your rights and then only you will get what is yours," he said. "Tribal people through their hard work build roads, bridges, buildings and infrastructure in Gujarat. But what did you get in return? You got nothing. Neither good education nor health service," he said.

The Congress leader also slammed Modi over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "During the pandemic, the prime minister told you to bang pots and pans (from balconies) and flash your mobile lights, when three lakh people died in Gujarat. Ganga river was filled up with dead bodies. Between 50 to 60 lakh people died in the country due to coronavirus," he said. Rahul added, "BJP came to power and the prime minister in Lok Sabha made fun of MNREGA saying that he won't rescind it so that country knows what Congress did. During Covid, if MNREGA wouldn't have been there, then everybody would have known country's situation."
New Delhi: In a latest update on the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) paper leak, four people have been arrested by the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) and an FIR has been registered under sections of IPC and IT Act.

According to reports, the block development officer (BDO) Jai Vardhan Gupta has been arrested by the EOU of the Bihar police.

Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam paper leak | Four people arrested by Economic Offence Unit (EOU). FIR registered under sections of IPC and IT Act.  ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2022

"We have arrested four including Barhara BDO (Bhojpur district) in the paper leak case," said Nayyar Hasnain Khan, the additional director general of police who heads EOU, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Yesterday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav expressed his dismay at the situation and termed it as 'unfortunate, sad and condemnable'. Talking to ANI, he said, "This is unfortunate, sad&condemnable. This has happened several times in various exams including school papers. But no one learns. We have taken this up several times but to no avail. Students' lives are being played with."

For the unversed, on Sunday (May 8), the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) cancelled its examination for Civil Services (preliminary) hours after the paper leaked among students.

After the paper leak on Sunday (May 8), the Patna police, on Monday (May 9), constituted a 12-member team headed by Sushil Kumar, Superintendent of Police of the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to investigate the case.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) is expected to announce the Chhatisgarh Board results for Class 10 and 12 today (May 10, 2022).The CG Board Class 10 and 12 result 2022 will be released on the official website cgbse.nic.in and results.cg.nic.in.

More than 8 lakh students appeared for the CGBSE Class 10 and 12 exams this year which ended in March.

To encourage its students, CGBSE has come up with a unique rewarding system this time for board toppers. CGBSE Board toppers of Class 10th and 12th exam 2022 will be rewarded with a free helicopter ride. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, has announced that CGBSE board toppers of 2022 will be taken on a helicopter ride.

"Air travel is something everyone desires. I believe that a helicopter ride will inculcate in the minds of children a desire to fly high in the skies of life and they will sharpen their skills even more to achieve their goal," the chief minister said. Baghel further said that during his visit to three Atmanand English Medium Schools in Samri Assembly constituency recently, he realised that students had a lot of talent, but they needed motivation. "I have full faith that if our students get some unique motivation and if a unique reward is set for them, then their desire to succeed will also increase," he said.

The chief minister spoke about children's excitement and curiosity on seeing him arrive in a helicopter and said chopper rides will be provided to the top 10 meritorious students in Class 10 and 12 board exams in the state and district levels by inviting them to Raipur.

CGBSE result 2022: How to check

- Go to the official website cgbse.nic.in and click on results tab.

- Click on Class 10 or 12 result 2022 link.

- Enter the roll number that's there in the CGBSE admit card.

- Submit the given captcha code and click on submit button. You will be able to see the result on screen.
New Delhi: A huge fire broke out at Nehru Nagar Under Bridge in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday (May 10) around evening. Attending to the incident, fire tenders were present trying to douse the flames. In addition, no loss of life was reported and more details are awaited.

ANI shared a video on Twitter capturing the massive fire. Take a look at it:

#WATCH | Chhattisgarh: A massive fire broke out at Nehru Nagar Under Bridge, earlier today. Fire tenders are present at the spot. Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/96fh2h32aA  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) May 10, 2022

Earlier on May 8, a massive fire had broken out in the Khoda area near the Ghaziabad-Noida border at night and several fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the police said.

The Ghaziabad Police said that the fire broke out in a junk warehouse near Labor Chowk and that they received the information around 11:50 PM on Sunday.

Also read: Maharashtra: Fire breaks out in residential building near SRK's Mumbai bungalow

The Police official added that as many as six fire tenders from Vaishali and Noida were brought in to bring the blaze under control.

There was no immediate report of injury to any person due to the fire in the commercial hub.
New York: The Pulitzer Prize for feature photography went to Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and Danish Siddiqui of Reuters for photos of the Covid-19 toll in India. Siddiqui was killed in Afghanistan in July. Pulitzer Prize 2022 winners in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music were announced at 3 pm (Eastern Time) on Monday. The winner's list included The Washington Post, including Indians Abidi, Irshad Mattoo, Dave, and the late Siddiqui of Reuters in Journalism.

The Pulitzer Prizes also awarded a special citation to journalists of Ukraine, acknowledging their "courage, endurance and commitment" in covering the ongoing Russian invasion that began earlier this year. Last August, the Pulitzer board granted a special citation to Afghan journalists who risked their safety to help produce news stories and images from their own war-torn country.

Jurors of journalism's top honours also recognized coverage of the January 6th attacks on the Capitol, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Surfside condominium collapse in Florida.

Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer along with Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, and Amit Dave for their images of Covid's toll on India. Siddiqui was killed last year while covering a clash between Afghan special forces and Taliban insurgents.

A Reuters picture by Adnan Abidi of a woman in Ghaziabad seeking oxygen for her husband

The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize in public service journalism for its coverage of the Jan 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, an attack on democracy that was a shocking start to a tumultuous year that also saw the end of the United States' longest war, in Afghanistan.

Five Getty Images photographers were awarded one of the two prizes in breaking news photography for their coverage of the riot. The other prize awarded in breaking news photography went to Los Angeles Times correspondent and photographer Marcus Yam, for work related to the fall of Kabul.

(With Agency inputs)
Posting a seemingly sarcastic tweet on the current scenario, TMC Vice President Yashwant Sinha on Monday said that declaring India a "Hindu Rashtra", and banning all religions, could be a solution for all of country's problems. "Simple solution to all our problems today: declare India as a Hindu Rashtra by amending the constitution and ban all other religions," Yashwant Sinha tweeted. "Delete non-Hindu history, take revenge for past wrongs against Hindus by Buddhists, Jains, Muslims and Christians," he added in his tweet.

Yashwant Sinha's sarcasm was apparently pointed at the Bharatiya Janata Party, that according to TMC, is allegedly fuelling communal tensions at many places across the nation.

Simple solution to all our problems today: declare India as a Hindu Rashtra by amending the constitution and ban all other religions, delete non-Hindu history, take revenge for past wrongs against Hindus by Buddhists, Jains, Muslims and Christians.  Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) May 9, 2022

Currently, a major row over playing of Azaan on loudspeakers is going on in Maharashtra. In Delhi, anti-encroachment drive is on, which the Opposition has alleged is being carried out only in Muslim community dominated areas.

The Opposition parties have been continuously accusing BJP ruled government's across the nation of targeting Muslims.

The tweet also mentions deleting of the chapter, taking a swipe at the Centre's recent move wherein the government removed a few chapters in the CBSE curriculum.

In this case too, the Opposition targeted the BJP ruled centre of attempting to brainwash youth by deleting chapters on Mughal history.
The Narendra Modi government at the centre has made a big announcement in an affidavit filed with the Supreme Court of India. The government has said that it will review the sedition law, and it's ready to make the necessary amendments to it. The sedition law is an archaic, British-era law, that was brought in by the company government to suppress Indian freedom fighters. While the British left India long ago, the law is still being misused by the governments in order to suppress dissent.

In today's DNA, Zee News Editor-In-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary makes an analysis of the sedition law and Modi-government's stand on it.

In today's scenario, many state governments are blatantly misusing the sedition law. In many cases, the governments charge people protesting against their policies with the sedition law. In several incidents, charges are slapped on journalists and activists too. Notably, the Sedition is a non-bailable offence. The governments have the right to keep the people arrested under sedition behind bars for months.

The Supreme Court witnessed a long debate on the matter today. The top court asked the Centre whether it was possible to stay the proceedings in cases under sedition law till the time it concludes its review?

Earlier, the central government had filed an affidavit in court that categorically mentioned PM Narendra Modi's stand in the matter. As per the affidavit, PM Narendra Modi believes that at a time when the nation celebrating its 75 years of independence, the laws that remind us of slavery should be scrapped. The affidavit also says that the Modi government has scrapped 1,500 such laws since 2014. Earlier, the government had filed an affidavit in the top court, where it said that doubts shouldn't be raised over the law, however, steps should be taken to stop its misuse. In a nutshell, Modi government is now ready to scrap this law.

Watch DNA with Sudhir Chaudhary to understand the politics behind the Sedition Law in detail.
Chandigarh: The issue of release of Bandhi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) has suddenly gained momentum in Punjab with not only Sikhs single largest representative body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) convening a special meeting of Sikh political and religious organizations to strategize joint efforts for the release of prisoners lodged in jails even after completion of their sentences in different jails of the country but other Sikh bodies have also joined hands to take the issue to the national capital to draw the central government's attention.

On the directions of Sikhs' supreme temporal seat Akal Takhts officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, the SGPC has called a special gathering at its headquarters at Teja Singh Samundari Hall on May 11 in which several other Sikh bodies are likely to participate to make efforts for the release of Sikh prisoners lodged in different Indian jails for the past nearly three decades.

The Sikh bodies, especially the SGPC, are resentful of the government giving furlough and parole to Kishori Lal, a convict in the 1984 Sikh genocide, and not showing any leniency to Sikh prisoners. "Sikh prisoners are not being released who have already served more than life imprisonment and they are being discriminated against, alleged SGPC president Harjinder Singh while talking to Zee News.

Not just the SAD (B) expects to get political dividends by taking credit for the release of Sikh prisoners but other Sikh bodies also hope for the same. But one wonders why the BJP-led government at the Centre will allow other political parties to take the benefit and why will the saffron party not itself take the credit to earn the trust of Sikhs, especially those living in Punjab.

The issue has already been raised by the Hawara Committee, which was constituted by Jagtar Singh Hawara, an assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Hawara is presently lodged in the jail and in the past was elected as parallel Jathedar of Akal Takht by the radical Sikh bodies.

But we have not received an invitation from SGPC to attend the May 11 meeting so far, said Baljinder Singh, a member of Hawara Committee. Singh said they were not hopeful of the release of Sikh prisoners with the efforts of SAD(B) or the SGPC who, he said, were doing the same for taking political credit.

President of Delhi-based SAD (D) Paramjit Singh Sarna and Jag Aasra Guru Ott (JAGO) Manjit Singh GK, who had also been taking up the issue, have appealed to the Centre to ensure the release of Bandhi Singhs.

Both Sarna and GK who are the former presidents of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee are likely to be the part of May 15 Awareness Rally being taken out in Delhi for the release of Sikh prisoners.

Another Sikh body, Sikh Prisoners Release Front (Delhi)- PSPRF (D), has also given a call to take an Awareness Rally in Delhi on May 15 to attract the attention of the BJP-led Central government.

Stating that the issue of release of Sikh prisoners is a Panthic issue, the executive member of PSPRF (D) Dr Parminderpal Singh necessitated the need for joint efforts for the release of Sikh prisoners but added that to date they have not received an invitation to attend the May 11 meeting from the SGPC.
New Delhi: Tesla chief Elon Musk on Monday (May 9, 2022) recalled when he had visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and expressed that "it truly is a wonder of the world".

Replying to a tweet that showed the "amazing facade" detail of the Red Fort in Agra, which is about 2.5 km northwest of the Taj Mahal, the world's richest man said, "It`s amazing. I visited in 2007 and also saw the Taj Mahal, which truly is a wonder of the world."

It is amazing. I visited in 2007 and also saw the Taj Mahal, which truly is a wonder of the world.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022

Meanwhile, Elon's mother Maye Musk also responded to the tweet and told the SpaceX founder that his grandparents had flown to the Taj Mahal from South Africa in 1954, while they were on their way to Australia.

"In 1954, your grandparents flew to the Taj Mahal from South Africa, on their way to Australia. The only people to ever do this trip in a single-engine propeller plane, without a radio or GPS. Their motto Live dangerously. carefully," Maye tweeted along with two throwback pictures.

In 1954, your grandparents flew to the Taj Mahal from South Africa, on their way to Australia. The only people to ever do this trip in a single-engine propeller plane, without a radio or GPS. Their motto Live dangerously. carefully. https://t.co/JG4WQ7TbjF pic.twitter.com/YoOJP3HtSp  Maye Musk (@mayemusk) May 9, 2022

Located on the bank of the Yamuna river in Agra, the Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal with construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD. The mosque, the guest house, the main gateway on the south, the outer courtyard, and its cloisters were added subsequently and completed in 1653 AD.

1940s :: Aerial View of Taj Mahal (Photo - Hensley Photo Library ) pic.twitter.com/NgOOgCmVdj  indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) February 8, 2018

According to UNESCO, for its construction, masons, stone-cutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders, and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran.

Situated on the banks of River Yamuna, Taj Mahal in #Agra is an architectural masterpiece with Pietra Dura scrollwork, and verses from the Quran in calligraphy using inlaid jasper. #HeritageOfUP pic.twitter.com/EeazA8FI71  UP Tourism (@uptourismgov) February 14, 2018

Ustad-Ahmad Lahori is said to be the main architect of the Taj Mahal, which is one of the seven Wonders of the World.

ALSO READ | Hindu idols at Taj Mahal? Plea in Allahabad HC seeking directions to ASI to open 22 closed doors of the monument
New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said he was amazed at the response of an IAS officer who attributed the collapse of a portion of an under-construction road bridge in Sultanganj to 'strong winds'.

A section of an under-construction road bridge over the Ganga at Sultanganj in Bihar collapsed during a thunderstorm on April 29. There were no reports of any casualty in the incident.

"A bridge fell in Bihar on April 29. I asked my secretary about the reasons. He (secretary) said it was on account of strong winds (hawa aur dhundh)," Gadkari said at an event.

The road transport and highways minister said he wondered how can an IAS officer believe such an explanation.

"Mere to baat samajh me nahi aa rahi hai ki hawa dhundh se kaise bridge girega? Kuch naa kuch galati hogi (I cannot understand how can a bridge collapse due to strong winds. There must be some error (which led to collapse of the bridge)," Gadkari, who is known for his frank views, added.

The minister also emphasised on the need to reduce the cost of construction of bridges, without compromising on quality.

ALSO READ | Bihar govt official among 8 held for stealing 60-feet long iron bridge in Rohtas

Sultanganj MLA Lalit Narayan Mandal had earlier said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an investigation into the bridge collapse.

"The possibility of using sub-standard materials in the construction of the bridge cannot be ruled out ... It is a matter of investigation that the under-construction bridge being built at a cost of Rs 1,710 crore could not withstand strong gusty winds," he had said.

The construction of the bridge between Sultanganj and Aguani Ghat in Bihar had started in 2014. It was due to be completed in 2019 but work on it is still on.

The 3,116-metre-long bridge on completion was slated to have the country's longest extradosed spans and a high-level observatory which would offer the users a unique view of the river.

An extradosed bridge is a hybrid structure between the classic cable-stayed and cantilever-girder types.
Amid a high-level drama over the ongoing loudspeaker row in Maharashtra, MNS chief Raj Thackeray wrote a letter to his cousin and state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, warning him against the arrest of his party workers. Raj Thackeray expressed his anger over what he termed as an "arrest drive" against the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers. Warning the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Raj Thackeray wrote: "Nobody in politics stays in power forever. Power comes and power goes. With you too, it will not remain forever..."

"The manner in which Maharashtra Govt is detaining MNS workers through State Police force...did the Government and Police run an arrest drive like that to catch hold of weapons and terrorists hidden in mosques? They are hunting for (MNS spokesperson) Sandip Deshpande and others as if they are terrorists who have come from Pakistan."

He further said that ever since the MNS launched the movement against illegal loudspeakers on mosques in the state, 28,000 MNS activists were served prohibitory notices, thousands have been detained and many have been dumped in jails, even before they actually started the drive.

"Why? To prevent them from taking down the illegal public address systems from the mosques that cause noise pollution, trouble people and (loudspeakers) to stop them from implementing the verdicts of the Supreme Court and various high courts in the country," Raj Thackeray demanded.

The MNS chief said that the manner in which the police have gone after his men have raised questions in his mind.

He said that the people of the state and all Hindus are watching with their eyes open that who has given the orders to nab the MNS workers. "I have only one thing to say: Don` test our patience. Power comes and goes, nobody is permanent. Not even you Uddhav Thackeray!" Raj Thackeray signed off.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the Centre taking different stands on the issue of identification of minorities, including Hindus, at the state level and directed it to hold consultations with the states on the issue within three months.

In supersession of its earlier stand, the Centre had on Monday told the apex court that the power to notify minorities is vested with the Union government and any decision in this regard will be taken after discussion with states and other stakeholders.

The Centre had in March said that it was for the states and Union Territories (UTs) to take a call on whether or not to grant minority status to Hindus and other communities where they are less in number.

A bench of Justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh said in a matter like this an affidavit is filed that the Centre and state both have powers.

Later, you say the Centre has powers. In a country like ours, which has so much diversification, we understand but somebody should have been more careful. Before these affidavits are filed everything is in the public domain which has its own consequences. Therefore, you have to be more careful in what you say, the bench observed.

Dictating its order, the bench said, A fresh affidavit has been filed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs which seems to back out what was said in the earlier affidavit. Something we don't appreciate. It is now sought to be stated that the question sought to be adjudicated has far-reaching ramifications throughout the country.

The stand has already been taken in the first affidavit. But as per the fresh affidavit, the power is vested with the Central government to identify minorities. Aforesaid being the position, it is necessary that the exercise is taken by the Centre as proposed. List on August 30, the bench said while seeking a status report three days before the hearing.

The top court also refused to entertain a plea filed by a Meghalaya based socio-cultural organisation seeking intervention in the matter and asked it to approach authorities concerned with a representation.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought three months' time to hold consultation with the states and submitted that some PILs are filed and simultaneously they go into the public domain.

We cannot file an affidavit without serving it to the other party and the moment we serve it goes in the public domain, Mehta said.

He informed the bench that there was a meeting where three ministers of the concerned departments were present along with secretaries and the issues were discussed. The apex court said these are matters which require resolution and everything cannot be adjudicated.

As the hearing commenced, a junior counsel sought to pass over saying that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was busy in some other court.

What I am unable to understand is Union of India is not able to decide what to do. All this thought should have been given before. This creates uncertainty and all this comes into the public domain before we put our eyes on it. This creates another problem.

The bench then observed, If the Centre wants to consult states, we will have to take a call. The solution can't be that everything is so complex, we will do so. This cannot be answered by the Government of India. You decide what you want to do. If you want to consult them do it. Who is stopping you from doing so

These are matters which require resolution. Taking different stands doesn't help. If Consultation is required, it should have been done before the affidavit was filed, the SC said.

The apex court had earlier granted four weeks to the Centre to respond to a plea, which has sought directions for framing of guidelines for the identification of minorities at the state level, contending that Hindus are in minority in 10 states.

In an affidavit filed in response to a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the Ministry of Minority Affairs said the central government has notified six communities as minority communities under section 2C of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.

The ministry said this will ensure that the central government is able to place a considered view before the apex court taking into consideration several social, logical, and other aspects obviating any unintended complications in the future concerning such a vital issue.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs had earlier told the apex court that state governments can declare any religious or linguistic community, including Hindus, a minority within the said state.

The ministry had also submitted that matters concerning whether followers of Hinduism, Judaism, and Bahaism can establish and administer educational institutions of their choice in the said states and those related to their identification as a minority within the state may be considered at the state level.

Upadhyay had challenged the validity of section 2(f) of the National Commission for Minority Education Institution Act, 2004, alleging that it gives unbridled power to the Centre and termed it "manifestly arbitrary, irrational, and offending".

Section 2(f) of the Act empowers the Centre to identify and notify minority communities in India.
New Delhi: Intelligence agencies have found the role of suspected overground workers of Khalistani extremists group associated with Pakistan-based terrorist, in a blast reported at Punjab Police's intelligence headquarter building in Mohali on Monday.

A police official said that during the investigation they found the mobile location of a suspect associated with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda near the blast site.

"We have scanned hundreds of mobile phone locations after accessing dump data of all mobile towers falling in the radius of blast site and found a number of few suspects," he said.

He added that one of the numbers allegedly belong to an overground worker associated with Rinda. Teams have been formed to catch the suspect to get more information in the case.

"It is also suspected that the Rocket-propelled Grenade (RPG) was smuggled into India from Pakistan border because Rinda was allegedly involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition from the cross border," he said.

On Sunday, Punjab Police had recovered an explosive device packed with around 1.5 kg of RDX and arrested two men in a village in Tarn Taran district. The explosives were allegedly smuggled for terror activities.

Also read: Mohali blast: 'Whoever tried to spoil atmosphere of Punjab will not be spared', warns CM Bhagwant Mann

However, Central intelligence agencies have also swung into action to get breakthroughs in the case. A senior official associated with a Central intelligence agency said that it is suspected that a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was used in the attack and it is an unusual thing.

In the past, grenade attacks have happened but the use of RPGs is worrying for everyone.

On May 9, Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police issued an alert in the state in the view of Khalistani elements in neighbouring states and the installing banners and graffiti of Khalistan on the outer boundary of Vidhan Sabha.

He added that Punjab Police has also issued an alert after the blast in Mohali. But instead of written communication, they have verbally communicated to all Police officers to be on alert.

According to Mohali police, a minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77 at around 7.45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers rushed to the spot and an investigation is being done.

Forensic teams have been called. On May 8, two persons were held in the Taran Taran district of Punjab.

Police recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) equipped with RDX packed in a metallic box weighing over 2.5 kg from the two arrested.

On May 5, four terror suspects were arrested in Karnal, Haryana. Police recovered three IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each from their possession.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Allahabad High Court order issuing non-bailable warrants against senior IAS officer and Chief Executive Officer of NOIDA in a contempt case related to a land acquisition matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli agreed to hear the plea of Uttar Pradesh official Ritu Maheshwari against the order of the high court.

"This is a gross case where a lady appeared in the Allahabad High Court, her lawyer was present and sought a pass over. The high court issued the order asking her to appear and in custody," senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the IAS officer, said.

"List it tomorrow. Stay the order," the bench said.

On Monday, the top court observed that it has become a "routine" affair that Uttar Pradesh officials are approaching it against the Allahabad High Court orders and they do not "respect orders of the court".

The senior IAS officer, who is posted as the Chief Executive Officer of New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA), has moved the top court against the issuance of the NBW by the Allahabad High Court in a contempt case related to a land acquisition matter.

The high court order had come as the officer could not appear before it in time. Non-bailable warrants have been issued against a woman IAS officer for late appearance, a lawyer had said on Monday.

"Let her appear. Let her understand," the bench had said, adding "You are an IAS officer, you know the rules... every day we see that there is a breach of orders from the Allahabad High Court. This is a routine, every day one or the officer has to come and seek permission. What is this? You do not respect orders of the court," the bench had observed.

The matter was mentioned again on Tuesday by Rohatgi.
New Delhi: Intelligence Bureau (IB) has warned that Pakistans notorious spy agency ISI has created another terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Khalsa for disturbing the peace in the country.

In its warning, the IB also said that the newly group Lashkar-e-Khalsa is active on social media and recruiting people to execute its nefarious designs. The intelligence inputs, according to news agency ANI, said that the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) has created this group to destabilize peace in the country.

"A Pakistani Intelligence Operative using the pseudonym "Amar Khalistani" is actively making efforts to cultivate new recruits through a Facebook ID to plan terrorist activities in the country," the IB said in its warning.

It has also been learnt that ISI is planning to establish this new outfit namely "Lashkar-E-Khalsa" very soon in which they will recruit Afghan nationals for terrorist activities in India especially Jammu and Kashmir," it added.

The IB document further said that Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO) "Amar Khalistani "is reportedly managing multiple Facebook pages under the name of "Azad Khalistan and Kashmir".

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has re-activated its Kashmir-Khalistan (K2) desk to bring pro-Khalistan supporters and anti-India supporters in Kashmir at a common platform. The idea behind the K2 desk is to exploit sentiments in Punjab and Kashmir, it said.

On Monday, an explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77 at around 7:45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers rushed to the spot and an investigation is underway.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Nepal`s Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, on May 16 (Buddha Purnima) reinforcing Buddhism links with the Himalayan State and promoting India`s soft power. Prime Minister Modi will be visiting the neighbouring Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.

In October 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in eastern Uttar Pradesh to facilitate foreign tourists and Buddhist pilgrims to reach the important site of the Mahaparinirvana Temple, where Lord Buddha attained nirvana by leaving behind his earthly body.

The Kushinagar airport is an important milestone in the Indian government`s 2016 plan to develop a "Buddhist Circuit".

This world-class infrastructure will attract overseas tourists to India, the birthplace of Buddhism and home to its holiest pilgrimage sites. The ambitious tourism circuit, however, can achieve regional objectives as well.

According to a paper by World Economic Forum`s (WEF) Geostrategy Platform, despite the fact that it is host to a relatively small population of Buddhists, India can claim legitimacy in its promotion of Buddhist diplomacy for a number of reasons.

First, the Buddhist faith originated in India, therefore granting it singular historical legitimacy. Second, India has numerous sites of importance to the Buddhist faith, such as Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, and Nalanda. Third, India has nurtured an image of being a protector of the persecuted through the presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in Dharamshala.

In addition, historical links to Theravada Buddhism mean that India is in a good position to further relations with other Buddhist countries and create conversations between multiple streams of this faith.

Successfully leveraging these associations with other Buddhist countries could have an impact beyond the realm of cultural diplomacy, and aid in other areas of foreign policy as well. Deepening ties with Asian nations on the basis of Buddhism could potentially feed into the government`s larger policy objectives, for example, the `Neighbourhood First` policy, and the `Act East` policy.

Buddhism`s potential utility in foreign policy is derived to a large extent from the manner in which the faith was revived following the Second World War. The revival had a decidedly internationalist outlook and focused on crossing extant sectarian and geographical boundaries.

This was facilitated by the foundation of a number of organizations and the convening of numerous councils and conferences in the decades after the war that emphasized transnational cooperation between the various Buddhist sects, the paper stated.

It is within this context that one can understand the efforts of the Indian government to incorporate Buddhist heritage to form a basis for further diplomatic, economic, cultural, and strategic associations within its foreign policy.

At the most basic level, Prime Minister Modi has made Buddhism a regular feature of his diplomatic visits. In speeches made on official international visits, such as to Sri Lanka and China, among others, PM Modi has made a conscious effort to emphasize shared Buddhist heritage.

Additionally, on trips to foreign countries, the prime minister reserves one day for visits to Buddhist temples wherever possible. PM Modi has often spoken on a number of occasions domestically, where he has hailed the importance of the Buddhist faith for the development of both India and the world, the WEF paper explained.

The Buddha was a charismatic leader who founded a distinctive religious community based on his unique teachings. Some of the members of that community were, like the Buddha himself, wandering ascetics. During its first century of existence, Buddhism spread from its place of origin in Magadha and Kosala throughout much of northern India, including the areas of Mathura and Ujjayani in the west.

According to Buddhist tradition, invitations to the Council of Vesali (Sanskrit: Vaishali), held just over a century after the Buddha`s death, were sent to monks living throughout northern and central India.

By the middle of the 3rd century BCE, Buddhism had gained the favour of a Mauryan king, Ashoka, who had established an empire that extended from the Himalayas in the north to almost as far as Sri Lanka in the south, as per reports.

Beginning in the 3rd century BCE and possibly earlier, magnificent Buddhist monuments such as the great stupas at Bharhut and Sanchi were built. During the early centuries of the 1st millennium CE, similar monuments were established virtually throughout the subcontinent.

Numerous monasteries emerged too, some in close association with the great monuments and pilgrimage sites. Considerable evidence, including inscriptional evidence, points to extensive support from local rulers, including the women of the various royal courts.
Sadhguru, on his visit to Israel as part of the 100-day Journey to Save Soil, expressed that the world has much to learn and gain from Israels agricultural practices and innovations. While the rest of the world has seen degradation of fertile land, Israel is one nation, which has been busy transforming desert into fertile, agricultural fields. This is a nation, which has invested 4.3 percent of its GDP on research and development. Cooperation between agricultural industry, farmers, technological research and the Government has led to a phenomenon where they have developed many aspects of agriculture into a very high precision function and have been a guidance to the world.

Israel- an outstanding example of commitment & vision. As fertile soils turn into sand in the rest of the world, Israel is turning sand into fertile soil, producing 99% of its own food & leading innovation in agriculture technology. May Israel inspire the world. -Sg #SaveSoil pic.twitter.com/O65gcXml8C  Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) May 10, 2022

Israel- an outstanding example of commitment & vision. As fertile soils turn into sand in the rest of the world, Israel is turning sand into fertile soil, producing 99% of its own food & leading innovation in agriculture technology. May Israel inspire the world. -Sg #SaveSoil

Starting from London on March 21st on a 100-day, lone motorcycle journey, Sadhguru has traveled through a significant section of Europe and parts of Central Asia, galvanizing public and governments' support for urgent policy formulation to halt soil degradation. Referring to Israels determined people who have turned harsh desert into fertile lands, he said It is heartening to see that when people have the necessary resolve, we can turn things around. And definitely, where we are right now in terms of soil degradation in the world, this can be turned around if we have the necessary resolve and focus to save soil. Let's make it happen.

Sadhguru arrived at Tel Aviv in Israel on Day 48 of the Save Soil Journey, drawing a massive crowd of 4,500 people at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium. The event featured inspiring and powerful addresses from Dr Ron Malka, Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Industry of Israel, and Shri Rajiv Bodwade, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy of Israel.

Time to rise beyond social & national boundaries to build a temple of Humanity for the Soil that has held us in indiscriminate embrace. May our love & relentless commitment to rich soil find unified expression. #SaveSoil. -Sg #SaveSoilTelAviv @DrRonMalka @tamarzandberg @indemtel pic.twitter.com/V0MaarhUkO  Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) May 9, 2022

Time to rise beyond social & national boundaries to build a temple of Humanity for the Soil that has held us in indiscriminate embrace. May our love & relentless commitment to rich soil find unified expression. #SaveSoil. -Sg #SaveSoilTelAviv @DrRonMalka @tamarzandberg @indemtel

Ms Tamar Zandberg, Minister of Environmental Protection of Israel, wholeheartedly expressed her gratitude and support to Sadhguru, for initiating this movement. "We know that without healthier soil and sustainable land and sustainable soil management we cannot tackle the climate crisis, we cannot produce enough food and adapt to a changing climate  I want to thank Sadhguru personally and on behalf of this huge crowd, for bringing all of these people together, for connecting all of us and for reminding us that the circle of life is dependent on the sustainability of soil. Thank you and Save Soil!
New Delhi: Ahead of 'Chintan Shivir' being organised in Udaipur from May 13 to 15, Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged the party leaders to step forward and repay their "debt to the organisation in full measure at a critical juncture" when it is beset with challenges. In her opening remarks at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee here on Monday, she noted that there are no magic wands for electoral success.

Sonia Gandhi, who organised the meeting to discuss the agenda before the Chintan Shivir, urged the party leaders to ensure that the single over-riding message to come from the party`s three-day Chintan Shivir in Udaipur is "of unity, cohesion, determination and commitment to party`s accelerated revival", according to an ANI report.

She called for selfless work, discipline and a sense of consistent collective purpose to demonstrate the party`s tenacity and resilience amid the political challenges, adding that self-criticism is needed but it should not be done in a manner that erodes self-confidence.

The Congress chief also said that the Chintan Shivir should herald a restructured organization to meet the many ideological, electoral and managerial tasks faced by the party while referring to the challenges before the party in the wake of string of electoral reverses.

Notably, the party has lost five assembly polls earlier this year, besides facing several defeats in the past eight years. Some prominent faces of the party have also left the party across states.

"I request your full cooperation in ensuring that the single over-riding message that goes forth loud and clear from Udaipur is one of unity, cohesion, determination and commitment to our party`s accelerated revival," ANI quoted Sonia Gandhi as saying.

Shie further said, "There are no magic wands. It is only with selfless work, discipline and a sense of consistent collective purpose that we will demonstrate our tenacity and resilience. The party has been central to the life of each and every one of us. It has expected our total allegiance and has been good to each and every one of us. Now, when we are at a crucial juncture, it is imperative that we step forward and repay our debt to the party in full measure."

Sonia Gandhi said efforts have been made to ensure balanced representation.The party will hold discussions on political, economic, social justice, farmers, youth and organizational issues and adopt Udaipur Nav Sankalp.

"Self-criticism is of course needed in our party forums. But this should not be done in a manner that erodes self-confidence and morale and an atmosphere of gloom and doom prevails. To the contrary, we are beholden to put our heads together and together, collectively overcome the challenges that face us," the Congress chief said.

She further added that "This requires that the Chintan Shivir does not become a ritual, something we must just get through. I am determined that it should herald a restructured organization to meet the many ideological, electoral and managerial tasks we confront."

Sonia Gandhi also referred to the amendment in the party`s constitution concerning digital membership.

Sonia Gandhi will have final say in Chintan Shivir: Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that in the Chintan Shivir, there will be discussions on the matters related to organisation, agriculture, and economic condition of the country and Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi will take the final decision.

"In the Chintan Shivir, there will be a discussion on the matters related to the organisation, agriculture, and economic condition of the country. After that, a paper will be prepared and in the last, Sonia Gandhi will take the decision," Baghel told the media persons in Raipur on Monday.

The party is expected to hold discussions on political, economic, social justice, farmers, youth and organizational issues and adopt Udaipur Nav Sankalp. This chintan shivir is being held in Udaipur from May 13 to 15 and around 400 Congress leaders will participate.

(With Agency Inputs)
Colombo: Hours after clashes broke out in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, where supporters of the ruling party stormed an anti-government protest camp and were beaten back by police using tear gas and water cannon, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa tendered his resignation.

Here are 10 key updates from Sri Lanka:

- Ruling party parliamentarian Amarakeerthi Athukorala died after a standoff with anti-government protesters in the town of Nittambuwa near Colombo, a police source told Reuters. At least three others were wounded and the area remained tense with dozens of protesters still at the location, the source said.

- The ancestral home of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota was set on fire by a group of anti-government protestors, hours after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned in response to the mounting demand for his ouster as Sri Lanka's prime minister.

- Former Sri Lankan cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga, talking about recent violence in Sri Lanka, said, "We did not expect peaceful protestors to be attacked. Things were getting into place before this particular incident happened... The police handled things very badly, didn't stop them."

- Video footage showed the entire house of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Medamulana in Hambantota city was burning away as protestors hooted away, the Daily Mirror reported. Protesters had also destroyed several properties of ministers and lawmakers of the ruling coalition

- Nalaka Godahewa, a government spokesman, said all cabinet members had also stepped down. "Now the president will invite other political parties to form a unity government," he told Reuters."The president will meet with independent and opposition political parties and we expect a new government in the next few days."

- Pro-government supporters were attacked in at least four locations as they were returning from Colombo, media reported. The houses of at least two mayors were also set on fire, police sources told Reuters.

- Sri Lankan media also reported that a fire has broken out near the back gate of Temple Trees, the official residence of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister here. Protesters have also attacked the house of Badulla District parliamentarian Tissa Kuttiarachch and later set it on fire.

The house of Puttalam MP Santha Nishantha was completely destroyed due to an arson attack.

- Pro-government supporters, some armed with iron bars, attacked anti-government demonstrators at the "Gota Go Gama" tent village that sprang up last month and became the focal point of nationwide protests. Police used tear gas and water cannon to break up the confrontation.

- The US on Monday (May 9) said that it is closely monitoring the volatile situation in Sri Lanka after the protestors burned the houses of Ministers."Closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. We are deeply concerned by the violence against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders, and are urging all Sri Lankans to focus on finding and enabling long-term solutions to the country`s economic and political challenges," tweeted the US State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA).

- Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, resulting in massive protests over the government's handling of the situation. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies, like the government's move last year to ban chemical fertilizers in a bid to make Sri Lanka's agriculture "100 per cent organic". Due to an acute shortage of foreign exchange, Sri Lanka recently defaulted on the entirety of its foreign debt amounting to about USD 51 billion.
New Delhi: A Hindi Doha describes the importance of a teacher. As per the Doha by poet Kabir Das, Teacher is even greater than God" and who better to play the role of the first God - teacher, a child will ever know than a mother. A mother is the first teacher in every child's life and Unacademy captures this sentiment beautifully in their new campaign film #MeriPehliAcademy.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the film showcases the story of a young student - Bulbul, who is moving to a new city in India to live alone. Through the process of setting up Bulbul's mother guides her in every step of the way and this gives her a deep realisation that it is indeed her mother who is her first academy.

From helping us take the first step to picking us up every time we fall, theres one academy that we learn from throughout our lives  our mothers. To the academy that never shuts its doors no matter where in life we are, a Happy Mothers Day!#MeriPehliAcademy #HappyMothersDay pic.twitter.com/pxRFiMG1Tl  Unacademy (@unacademy) May 5, 2022

#MeriPehliAcademy campaign on the occasion of Mother's Day is winning hearts.

The campaign film has also seen a huge rise in views and shares. It has also been spoken about across sections from inspiring individuals to celebrities to the common man.

Audience response has been overwhelmingly good towards the campaign with acclaimed celebrities like Genelia D'Souza talking about it.

It is rightly said, "God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." Mother is our first teacher who always guide us and inspire us to achieve remarkable things. #MeriPehliAcademy pic.twitter.com/sCKG4ZyYFQ  Manish Kaushik (@iboxermanish) May 8, 2022

Ma my first words. She taught me how to walk, how to run, how to fly and conquer the world. She made sure that I was at each stage comfortable, ready and strong. She is my backbone in every step that I take, a very Happy Mother's Day. #MeriPehliAcademy https://t.co/xuuyAPWgwi  Pragnya Mohan (@pragnyamohan) May 8, 2022

I cant help but feel nostalgic (actually cry) over this brilliant yet simple msg. From teaching me how to accept my disability to making me independent enough that I can take care of my home, cook & have a meaningful career, my mom is #MeriPehliAcademy pic.twitter.com/kJUk18pzeH  Dr. Malvika Iyer (@MalvikaIyer) May 8, 2022

It has also garnered more than 10 million views, just on YouTube. The campaign #MeriPehliAcademy was also amongst the top three trends on Mothers day despite the IPL game being on air.
Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (May 10) said that Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will soon be revoked from entire Assam, as areas under it have been reduced in the state in the wake of improved law and order.

After presenting the President's colour to the Assam Police, Amit Shah said in his address that "the areas under the AFSPA have been reduced in Assam. We will make sure AFSPA is removed from all areas in the state."

"In the 1990s, AFSPA was implemented in Assam, it was extended 7 times. After 8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, 23 districts in the state have been made AFSPA-free while it has been removed from over 60 per cent area of Assam," ANI quoted Amit Shah as saying.

He further said, "peace agreements are being done one after the other with extremist groups, distracted youth is joining the mainstream and parleys are being held with neighbouring states to resolve 7 decade-old issues."

According to Shah, Assam Police stood against the problem of extremism to maintain constitutional order. They faced guns with guns and brought the distracted youth to the mainstream then." Due to the efforts of the Centre and Chief Minister Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he said, most of the militant outfits have entered into peace agreements.

The home minister said those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the Central and state governments, adding "The Assam Police has a glorious history and has successfully tackled insurgency, border issues, smuggling of arms, drugs and cattle, rhino poaching and social issues like witchcraft to emerge as one of the foremost police forces of the country."

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the northeastern state, awarded the Assam Police with the President's Colour in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta at the 'Alankaran Parade' ceremony here.

The flag is engraved with Assam's map and 36 stars representing the districts of the state, a one-horned rhino and the insignia of Assam Police with its motto.

Notably, Assam is the 10th state in the country to receive the President's colour, the highest honour given to any military or police unit in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the nation, both in peace and war.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: On the morning of May 6, in the middle of Home Minister Amit Shahs two-day visit to West Bengal, a BJP worker was found hanging in a North Kolkata locality, leading to a fresh war of words between the saffron camp and Trinamool Congress, and forcing the Union Home minister to make an unscheduled stop at the deceaseds house.

In Bengal, the BJP has been at the receiving end of violence inflicted by ruling TMC workers, with the police accused of being hand in glove with the perpetrators. BJP workers have been killed, the women raped, homes and properties have been burnt down and captured, and thousands forced to flee their villages.

Last year, the Election Commissions decision to conduct assembly elections in Bengal in eight phases had come under much criticism from Mamata Banerjee. However, the decision was based on a report by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The MHA had said that 693 incidents of violence and 11 deaths were reported during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state. Even after the elections, where the BJP won a record 18 seats out of 42, as many as 852 cases of political violence were reported from June 1 to December 31, 2019, which led to the deaths of 61 people.

In 2020, the MHA report said, 663 incidents were recorded, in which 57 people were killed. The first week of January 2021 alone saw 23 incidents of violence, leading to two deaths and 43 injuries. During the 2018 panchayat elections, 23 people cutting across political parties were killed in clashes, the report further said.

What does NCRB data say?

While Kerala has witnessed over 200 political murders in the last three decades, with the CPI(M), and lately SDPI, targetting RSS workers, it is nowhere closer to Bengal. As per data by the National Crime Records Bureau, Bengal has been recording 20 political murders every year since 1999. Between 2010 and 2019, it witnessed the highest number of political killings in India at 161, NCRB data shows.

Of the 54 political murders in India in 2018, Bengal alone accounted for 12. The state did not submit data for 2019, due to which NCRB used the previous years data in its records  the actual figures are expected to be much higher. This made Bengal the state with highest political killings in two consecutive years.

In 2018, Bihar and Maharashtra followed Bengal with nine and seven political killings. The following year, Bihar and Jharkhand each reported six killings to follow Bengal. In 2020, however, Bengal reported only three political killings.

These numbers have been scoffed at by activists and Opposition leaders who have accused the TMC government of toning down actual figures. The BJP has claimed that over 200 of its workers have been killed in Bengal since 2014, and many of these killings have been passed off as suicides.

When it comes to total incidents of political violence in India, Kerala has topped for three consecutive years, as per NCRB data. The state accounted for 592 out of 1,495 cases in 2018; 495 out of 1,209 incidents in 2019; and 628 out of 1,032 cases in 2020. However, this can also be attributed to better reporting. This year too, Kerala witnessed several murders of activists belonging to BJP-RSS and other outfits.
San Francisco: Amazon has fired two Staten Island warehouse workers who helped organise a union at JFK8, the company's largest warehouse in New York City.

According to Motherboard, the victory at JFK8 in April marked the first time in the US labour history that workers have successfully unionised at the fiercely anti-union company.

The tech giant has so far refused to recognise the union and has asked the National Labour Relations Board to throw out the results of the election, the report said.

While it is unclear whether recent terminations are retaliatory, they mark the first instance since Amazon Labour Union won a union election on April 1 that Amazon has terminated organisers in Staten Island.

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment by Motherboard.

On May 3, Amazon human resources notified Mat Cusick, the comms lead for Amazon Labour Union and an Amazon warehouse worker, that he had been terminated for "voluntary resignation due to job abandonment", according to an email obtained by Motherboard.

Cusick had been on Covid-related leave.

Amazon notified another warehouse employee, Tristan Dutchin, an ALU organiser, whose photo has been prominently featured across major media outlets in recent weeks, in a meeting on May 7 said that he had been terminated for falling behind on productivity targets.

Dutchin sent screenshots confirming that he had been locked out of Amazon's AtoZ app, which handles payroll and scheduling, the report said.

Meanwhile, on May 5, Amazon fired six senior managers who oversaw Amazon's anti-union campaign at JFK8.
New Delhi: The Delhi University has resumed the physical mode of examination after a gap of over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic by conducting exams for students with Essential Repeats (ERs) from Monday.

D S Rawat, DU Dean of Examination, said that exams for those who could not attain passing marks in one or more subjects were conducted "smoothly" in all colleges. Though examinations for the majority of the courses will begin from May 11, the students who have ERs took exams on Monday.

"The examination has begun today. These are exams for students who have ERs. We have held physical examinations after a gap of two years. So, all the arrangements were done carefully. The exams were conducted smoothly," Rawat said.

The pandemic had forced the varsity to conduct Open Book Examination (OBE) as colleges were shut until early this year. However, few students appeared for the ER exam on Monday.

According to Shri Ram College of Commerce principal Simrit Kaur, only five students took the exam to clear their compartment while the figure for Miranda House was just two.

Miranda House principal Bijayalaxmi Nanda said around 45 students will be sitting for the exam on Tuesday. "Today and tomorrow, we are holding ER exams. From Wednesday, the exams for second and third-year students will begin," Nanda told PTI.

Ramjas College Principal Manoj Khanna said only two students took the exam in the morning shift, but more are expected to take the exam in the evening shift.

The university has also decided to give students an additional time of 30 minutes and an extra question to ease any pressure, Rawat said.

"We are fully aware that students are nervous and stressed to take the examination after a long period of time. All help is being provided to them. Students have been given 30 minutes additional and one question extra as a choice to reduce some pressure," he said.

Rawat said the university is geared up and "fully prepared" to hold examinations for second and third-year students. Students who test positive for Covid or have to undergo quarantine during exams will be asked to take exams at later dates, he said.

"We are fully prepared. From May 11, exams will be held for the majority of courses. In the physical mode of examination, we have to make the arrangement for question papers and answer sheets as they have to be delivered in time to reach colleges. That is the first requirement. All Covid protocols are being followed," Rawat said.

Meanwhile, the colleges too have said that adherence to Covid protocols is being ensured. According to Khanna, a new college building is being used as an examination centre and classes are being held in the old building.

"To ensure social distancing, we are holding exams in the new building and classes in the old. Proper counselling is being given to the students," he said.

Miranda House has also ensured that Covid protocols are followed. "We have placed sanitisers everywhere and are taking steps to ensure social distancing among students sitting for exams. We have asked students to bring their own water bottles and will be ensuring the availability of nurses and doctors," Nanda said.

Harshvardhan, a second-year BA History (Hons) student from Hindu College said, "We are really nervous, this is the first time we will give any kind of offline exams in college. Moreover, most of the classes took place online and the syllabus is not completed yet."
New Delhi: The Red Carpet event at the 75th Cannes Film Festival will be a gala event for the Indian audience as celebrities from the cine world across India are set to walk there as part of the Indian delegation on the festival's opening day, May 17. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will lead the delegation from India to Cannes.

The list of celebrities will also comprise stars from major music industries across India. The delegation will include actor-producer R Madhavan, Akshay Kumar, music composer AR Rahman, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pooja Hegde and Nayanthara along with CBFC Chief Prasoon Joshi, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and music composer Ricky Rej amongst others.

At a time when India is celebrating the 75th year of its independence and has launched Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, India and France are also celebrating 75 years of their association as is the annual Cannes Film Festival. Further, for the first time in its history, India has been named the official `Country of Honour` at the upcoming Marche` Du Film, which is organized alongside the Cannes Film Festival, in France. Under this title 5 new Start-Ups will be given an opportunity to pitch to the Audio-Visual Industry.

Ten professionals will participate in Animation Day. Among the highlights of this year`s festival will be the world premiere of the film by R. Madhavan titled Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, a biographical drama film based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organisation who was falsely accused of espionage.

The film which is produced by Madhavan will be showcased on May 19. India has also been given an opportunity to pitch 5 selected movies at the `Goes to Cannes Section`. These films are part of the WIP lab under the Film Bazaar. A Cinema Hall called the Olympia Screen has been dedicated to India on May 22, 2022, for screening `Unreleased Movies`.

There are 5 Movies which have been selected under this category. Also, a remastered classic of Satyajit Ray Classic - `Pratidwandi` will be screened at the Cannes Classic section. This is to mark his centenary celebration. This year`s Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 17 to May 26 and the organisers have done away with wearing masks or asking for any COVID tests.
New Delhi: Model-actress Malaika Arora in one of her latest interviews revealed that she was once told by many in the industry that after pregnancy, her work would stop and that it would mean 'an end of her career'. However, we all have witnessed how the stunner not only stunted naysayers and broke the stereotypes like a true blue glam diva but also is going strong with inspiring many women out there.

In her interview with Humans of Bombay, Malaika Arora shared: This will end your career! is what people said when I was expecting. Back then, after marriage, youd barely see an actress on screen. But being raised by women who advocated being independent, I knew motherhood just meant I was to essay one more rolethe role of mom!

I worked through my pregnancyshuttling shows, & rehearsals. And when Arhaan was born, I promised to give him the world. I also promised myselfI wont lose my identity in the process of being a mom. Ever since, Ive lived up to both the promises.

2 months after delivery, I performed at an award show. I was proud of myself because I also made it back home in time to tuck Arhaan in bed. Knowing that I could juggle motherhood & work empowered me. In fact, I said yes to Karan for Kaal Dhamaal a year after delivery!

But I had working mom guilt. So, I maximized my time with Arhaan. Every morning, Id sing Malayalam songs to him, the ones my mom sang to me. Then, Id strap him on & run errands before heading to work. And I always made it back home in time to read to him. I also had a solid support system in my family. And even Arbaaz & I had set rulesone parent was always present. No PTMs, or annual shows were missed. And I always picked him up or dropped him off at school. Soon, it became the highlight of my day. I spoke to Arhaan about everything! Even when Arbaaz & I told him we were separating, he understood. And ever since, regardless of our differences, Arbaaz & Ive been a unit when it comes to parenting. When Arhaan had to shave, I called Arbaaz who took me through the process; it was fun!

Today, Arhaan is my dearest friend. The morning singing routine has now transitioned into a Sunday cooking ritual. And now that hes away studying, we keep DM-ing recipes to each other. I miss him; the empty nest syndrome is real, but its a good thing I kept my 2nd promiseto not lose my identity in the process of being a mom. Ive my work, my friends & my life.

So, live your dreamgo after that job, leave if youre in an unhappy marriage, & prioritize yourself. Being a mom doesnt mean you stop being you. Motherhood is not the end. Treat it as a comma, but never as a full stop! #NoOneLikeMom

Malaika Arora and her former husband Arbaaz Khan have a son together named Arhaan Khan, who is studying abroad. After staying together for 19 long years, Malaika and Arbaaz called it quits back in 2017 but continue to co-parent Arhaan.

Malaika is currently dating Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, while Arbaaz was heard to be dating model-actress Giorgia Andriani, reportedly.
New Delhi: As the date of disbursal of 11th instalment of PM KISAN is fast approaching, eligible farmers must complete the eKYC task before the deadline.

eKYC is one of the important documentations to get the benefit under PM KISAN. eKYC is also mandatory for PMKISAN Registered Farmers.

As per the PM KISAN official website the following three things must be noted. The website says:

1. eKYC is MANDATORY for PMKISAN Registered Farmers. OTP Based eKYC is available on PMKISAN Portal.

2. You may also contact nearest CSC centres for Biometric authentication based eKYC.

3. Deadline of eKYC for all the PMKISAN beneficiaries has been extended till 31st May 2022.

If you are looking to complete the PM-KISAN e-KYC process, you can check out the step by step process below.

- Visit the official PM Kisan website https://pmkisan.gov.in/

- In the right hand side, below the home page, you will see Farmers Corner

- There is a box just below Farmers Corner that mentions e-kyc

- Click the e-kyc

- A page will open that facilitates Aadhar Ekyc

- Now, you will have to enter your Aadhar number and then the Captcha code shown and click on the search button

- After that, you will have to enter your mobile number linked to your Aadhar card and click on Get OTP button

- The OTP will be sent to your registered mobile number

- Punch in the OTP and click on the Submit For Authentication button

- As soon as you click Submit For Auth button, your PM KISAN e-KYC will be successful

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by PM Modi in 2019. The Scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions. (Also read: Video circulating amongst bankers, scantily clad female dancers entertain UCO Bank staff at party hosted by SBI Life)

Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs 6000 per year is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. In a financial year, PM Kisan installment is credited thrice through --Period 1 from April-July; Period 2 from August to November; and Period 3 from December to March.

ln the beginning when the PM-KISAN Scheme was launched (February, 2019), its benefits were admissible only to Small & marginal Farmers' families, with combined landholding upto 2 hectare. The Scheme was later on revised in June 2019 and extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings.
To boost railway infrastructure for the Mumbai suburban section, the Indian Railways Western Railway (WR) zone has planned to enhance and increase the speed of train services as soon as the permanent diversion between Vangaon  Dahanu Road division on down line in the Virar  Surat section is completed.

Due to dimensional infringement in the alignment of the existing tracks, the EMU locals had to be run with a speed restriction of 30 kmph on this section. However, with the re-alignment of the tracks by undertaking the work of permanent diversion, it is now possible to run the local trains with enhanced speed, the Western Railway said in a statement.

WR successfully completed the work of Permanent Diversion between Vangaon - Dahanu Rd by operating a 8 hours Mega Traffic Block on Sunday, 8th May, 2022. This will enhance the safety and increase speed in train operations@RailMinIndia@drmbct pic.twitter.com/K7iQh1DdFC  Western Railway (@WesternRly) May 9, 2022

Due to the Mega block, the existing down line of the section was disconnected and connected to a new alignment with Over Head Equipment (OHE) along with new signals. The existing bridges No. 166 and 169 which were constructed on a screw pile foundation have been replaced.

Also read: Indian Railways introduces Baby berth on THESE trains for mothers, check pics

New bridges have been constructed with open steel girders to improve safety, mobility and allow trains to run at an enhanced speed.

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: The makers of 'Major' unveiled the trailer starring south star Adivi Sesh that traces the inspirational journey of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and his bravery and sacrifice in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Stepping into the shoes of the army officer, actor Adivi Sesh, is seen making his big Bollywood debut. He has captured everyones attention with his acting prowess and striking similarity to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in the trailer.

Based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the decorated NSG Commando who perished while saving dozens during the 26/11 attacks, Adivi Sesh portrays the titular role and was unanimously praised by netizens for portraying the Major with utmost dignity and grace.

CHECK OUT FANS REACTIONS ON MAJOR TRAILER:

South actors Brahmaji and Aadarsh Balakrishna also complimented Adivi for the powerful act in the trailer of Major.

Major feels for this one bro! Wish you the bestest  Aadarsh Balakrishna (@AadarshBKrishna) May 10, 2022

That's how a classic patriotic movie should have been made, sure shot blockbuster. I love the way you do movies Sir Kshanam, Evaru, Goodachari & now this one. Can't wait  ANKIT (@IAnkitVivekSRK) May 9, 2022

BLOCKBUSTER HA YEH.... ALL SET TO NEXT PAN INDAI STAR...  KOHLI DECLINE FANBOY (@ROMAN_SAAR) May 9, 2022

Says Adivi Sesh who was flooded with rave reviews for his first Bollywood film, "I'm thrilled and so excited with all the positive reviews and love coming my way for Major. It's an honour to be playing such a brave and valiant character and a national hero in my very first Hindi film. I hope to do justice to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's memory and hope to bring his inspirational story to the big screen and to people across the country."

The actor also worked hard on his look for the film, which didnt go unnoticed as he brought the national heros persona to the big screen in the most real and raw manner.

Celebrating the spirit of Sandeep Unnikrishnan's life, Major traces the varied phases of the beloved soldiers life, glimpses of which audiences can see in the trailer that will be attached to some of the biggest theatrical releases.
New Delhi: Google's Play Store policy has been updated. Some of these modifications will take effect on May 11. The company is barring all third-party call recording apps on its platforms as part of these measures. This implies that, as of May 11, any call recording apps you have installed on your Android smartphone will stop operating.

However, it is unclear how Google intends to carry out this policy. It's unclear whether Google would ban all third-party call recording apps from the Play Store or if it will ask developers to remove their apps.

It should be noted that Google's Play Store Policy was initially disclosed last month. The company had said in a support page announcing the change, "The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording."

Last month, the company held a YouTube webinar for all of its developers to help them comprehend the changes. "In this context, remote refers to call audio recording in which the person on the other end is ignorant of the recording. So, if the app is the phone's default dialer and comes pre-loaded, accessibility isn't required to access the incoming audio stream, and the app isn't in breach. The revised phrasing will apply to all apps starting May 11, as this is a clarification to an existing guideline," Google explained in the webinar.

Notably, while Google's platform will prohibit call recording apps beginning May 11, not all call recording apps will be prohibited. This change will not effect any built-in call recording apps accessible as part of the user interface from firms like OnePlus, Xiaomi, or Samsung. This change will not affect Google's own call recording app, which is available on a limited number of smartphones.

Separately, Google requires "personal loan apps in India" to complete additional proof of eligibility requirements, including a copy of their RBI licence and a declaration that they are "not directly engaged in money lending activities and are only providing a platform to facilitate money lending by registered Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) or banks to users."
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan in a case related to the alleged grabbing of land for his Jauhar University project. The bail order was passed by Justice Rahul Chaturvedi.

The interim bail to Khan was granted on the condition that he has to return the entire enemy property to paramilitary forces and furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of like amount. However, Khan will not be able to walk out of the jail as a Rampur district court last week issued a warrant against him in another case.

Azam Khan's lawyer Khaleel Ullaha Khan said that the high court has granted him bail, but the MLA from Rampur Sadar wouldn't be able to come out of the jail because the police have served him a warrant at Sitapur jail in another case.

Khan has been lodged in Sitapur jail for more than two years. An FIR was lodged at Azem Nagar police station in Rampur against Khan and others in 2019 for alleged grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than hundreds of crores of rupees.

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.

The interim bail to Khan comes after the Supreme Court on May 6 expressed displeasure over the delay in hearing his bail application in the land grabbing case, saying this is a "travesty of justice".

A bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai noted that Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases, and said it would hear the matter on May 11. In another case, the Court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate 1st, a special court for MP/MLA, in Rampur on May 6 issued a warrant against Khan.

According to police officials, an FIR was registered against unidentified persons in a case on March 3, 2020, at Kotwali Sadar police station on the complaint of Deputy Education Officer Prem Singh Rana under IPC Section 420 (cheating).

In the FIR, it was stated that the "recognition" of Rampur Public School has been obtained fraudulently from the education department. Gajendra Tyagi, SHO of Kotwali police station and the investigating officer of the case, said that he had served the warrant on Saturday.

During the course of the investigation, it was found that Khan, who is chairman of Jauhar Trust that runs Rampur Public School, had used fake documents to obtain no-objection certificates from the education department and the fire department to run the school, the police officer said.

Tyagi said that Khan has been made an accused in the case under the charges of sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC.

Tanzeen Fatimah, Khan's wife facing charges of IPC Section 420 (cheating), had been granted bail earlier in the case, but now she has to appear before the court after the aforementioned additional charges were added in the FIR, police said.

The Rampur court has fixed May 19 as the next date of hearing in this case.
New Delhi: In a viral YouTube video by marine scientists who were exploring the deep sea in EVNautilus, a 68-meter research vessel owned by the Ocean Exploration Trust under the direction of Robert Ballard, one can witness something never-seen-before - a road-like structure!

Yes, during their expedition to the deep sea in the Liliuokalani ridge within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), they found a path-like structure or a 'yellow brick road'.

In the video, the scientists were heard discussing the eerie similarity of the structure to a modern brick road and wondered if it was the path to the mythical city of Atlantis.

Watch the video here:

However, in the description of the YouTube video, the scientists explained that the brick pattern was caused by heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin.

Also read: Do aliens exist? Researchers release 'Best-ever UFO picture', netizens baffled

"The unique 90-degree fractures are likely related to heating and cooling stress from multiple eruptions at this baked margin," reads the descrition to the YouTube video.

The scientists explained that their exploration is aiding researchers understand life on and within rocky slopes of deep and ancient seamounts - a large geologic landform that rises from the ocean floor but doesn't reach the water's surface.
Colombo: Sri Lanka tri forces have been ordered to shoot all those who plunder public property or cause personal harm, local media reported on Tuesday as large-scale protests continue to take place across the island nation.

The comes nationwide protests against the government have intensified over the past few days resulting in an increase in incidents of clashes with the security forces deployed at protest sites.

"The Ministry of Defence has ordered the tri-forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others," Army Spokesman told Daily Mirror.

Protests have been identified in the country have people have resorted to burning houses of ministers and MP.

Also read: Sri Lanka crisis: PM Mahinda Rajapaksa's house set ablaze hours after his resignation

Anti-government protesters also set on fire the official residences of Sri Lanka`s Moratuwa Mayor Saman Lal Fernando and the MPs Sanath Nishantha, Ramesh Pathirana, Mahipala Herath, Thissa Kuttiarachchi and Nimal Lanza.

A large number of protesters were out on the streets and attacked the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MPs. Even some Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) offices were set ablaze, Daily Mirror reported.

Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his family members have been shifted to Trincomalee Naval Base, a day after he resigned following violent protests that led to a nationwide curfew.

Also read: Sri Lanka crisis: Show flight ticket, passports to reach airport; says airlines

Helicopters were seen leaving the capital city today with VVIPs and some speculated that they were members of the Rajapaksa family, Colombo Gazette reported.Earlier today, a group of protestors attacked s senior police officer in the Western Province on Tuesday in Colombo.

Police said that the Senior DIG come under attack near Beira Lake in Colombo. They said the group had also caused damage to the DIG`s vehicle.The US on Monday said that it is closely monitoring the volatile situation in Sri Lanka after the protestors burned the houses of Ministers.

"Closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka. We are deeply concerned by the violence against peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders, and are urging all Sri Lankans to focus on finding and enabling long-term solutions to the country`s economic and political challenges," tweeted US State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA).
Vacuna movil llega a San Juan de Lurigancho para incentivar la Vacunacion contra la COVID-19 4

La Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos cumple 471 anos: ilustres personalidades que se formaron en sus aulas 15

Presidente de la Republica, Pedro Castillo, lidero la sesion del Consejo de Ministros Descentralizado en Tumbes 12
RTHK: Ukraine's Odessa battered as German minister visits

The port city of Odessa reeled on Tuesday from Russian missile strikes as Germany's top diplomat became the highest-ranking official from Berlin to visit Ukraine since Moscow's assault.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's surprise visit to Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops have been accused of war crimes, came amid mounting criticism of Berlin's slow response to the conflict.

Fresh fighting raged in the east and south of Ukraine, with officials saying over 1,000 Ukrainian fighters including hundreds of injured remain holed up in the besieged Azovstal plant in the devastated city of Mariupol.

The series of missile strikes in Odessa overnight destroyed buildings, set ablaze a shopping centre and killed one person, just hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

Michel had earlier warned that vital supplies of wheat and grain that were ready for export from Ukraine, one of the world's key producers, were stuck in Odessa because of the conflict.

"This badly-needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response," he added.

A string of Western officials have been visiting Ukraine in recent weeks, but Germany has been notable by its absence due to tensions between Kyiv and Berlin over the level of German support.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in particular has come under fire for arms deliveries to Ukraine deemed insufficient and Germany's refusal to ditch its reliance on Russian energy imports.

But the visit of Baerbock was intended as a clear signal, with the foreign minister meeting residents in Bucha, one of several towns and villages around Kyiv where Moscow's army has been accused of killing civilians.

The German was accompanied by her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, who visited the devastated commuter town of Irpin, he said in a Tweet.

Russia has stepped up its fight to seize Ukraine's east after failing to take Kyiv, leading to fierce battles.

Ukraine's presidency said the "epicentre of the fighting has moved" to Bilogorivka in the Lugansk region, the site of a deadly Russian air strike on a school on Sunday that Ukrainian officials said killed 60 people.

Shelling also continued in Ukraine's easternmost strongholds, the sister cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, it said. Reporters had seen columns of Ukrainian trucks moving away from Severodonetsk on Monday.

Civilians were struggling to survive between the constantly shifting front lines.

"I feel total apathy. I am morally starved  not to mention physically," said bricklayer Artyom Cherukha, 41, as he collected water trickling from a natural spring in Lysychansk.

He was trying to get supplies for his family of nine, as people in the areas steadily lose access to water and food.

"We sit here counting the bombs," said Cherukha.

Moscow has made more progress in southern Ukraine but "more than a thousand" Ukrainian soldiers remain in the Azovstal steel works in the port of Mariupol, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The plant is the final bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city, which has seen relentless destruction since Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 24 offensive.

"Hundreds are injured. There are people with serious injuries who require urgent evacuation. The situation is deteriorating every day," said Vereshchuk.

Many civilians have been evacuated from the plant in recent days, as Russia pushes for full control of Mariupol to open up a land corridor from Crimea, which it seized in 2014.

As Russia pushed on, US President Joe Biden resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons and other powerful Western material.

The United States has sent some US$4 billion in military aid to Ukraine already but "caving to aggression is even more costly," Biden said as he signed the act, passed with unusual bipartisan support.

Still facing the brunt of the fighting are Ukraine's civilians.

The Pentagon said on Monday it has seen indications that those caught up in Russia's assault are being forcibly removed from their homeland to camps.

"I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about statements from Kyiv that some 1.2 million Ukrainians were being sent across the border and placed in camps.

"But we do have indications that Ukrainians are being taken against their will into Russia," Kirby said. He called these actions "unconscionable" and "not the behaviour of a responsible power."

Russia faces mounting international outrage, and is already under tough sanctions.

Moscow said it would not participate in Thursday's special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Ukraine.

The Council announced on Monday that it would hold a special session at Kyiv's request to examine "the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression".

In another step forward in building pressure on Russia, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she made "progress" on a proposed Russian oil embargo during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The populist Orban is one of Putin's closest friends in Europe and had held up the bloc's attempt to phase out Russian oil  one of the most painful measures yet taken by the West  as he pointed to economic consequences in landlocked Hungary.

But France's President Emmanuel Macron poured cold water on Ukraine's oft-repeated desire for fast-track European Union membership, saying it would take "decades".

Macron, however, suggested building a broader political bloc that could also include Britain, which left the EU in 2020. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
En el marco de los trabajos preparatorios para la proxima Presidencia Pro Tempore del Peru de la @ComunidadAndina, el Canciller @CesarLanda0 se reunio con el Secretario General @JHPedraza. pic.twitter.com/PJ3b2CXvrG
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The death toll in the explosion at a hotel in Havana reached 40 as Cuban rescue services pulled more bodies from the ruins, the Associated Press reports.

Dr. Julio Guerra, chief of hospital services at the Ministry of Health, said at a news conference that more bodies had been recovered in the last few hours. He added that there were still 18 people hospitalized for injuries from Friday's blast at the 19th century Hotel Saratoga.

The 96-room, five-star hotel in Old Havana was preparing to reopen after being closed for two years when an apparent gas leak ignited Friday, blowing the outer walls into the busy, midmorning streets just a block from Cuba's capitol.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense denies Azerbaijans accusations on opening fire at the border.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense again issued a statement that has nothing to do with reality, falsely claiming that in the evening of May 9 the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijani military positions deployed in the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. It added that the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively stable and under the full control of the Armenian military.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. There is no legal ground that at any time any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has existed in the territory of Armenia, Armenias Ambassador at-large Edmon Marukyan told ARMENPRESS when asked to respond to the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafovs statements.

ARMENPRESS: The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalafov said that on April 6 in Brussels the Republic of Armenia agreed to launch peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan based on the 5-points presented by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister made a similar statement. How would you comment on these statements?

Edmon Marukyan: Weve numerously addressed this topic. Back in March 21, 2022 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said: There is nothing unacceptable for us in the proposals handed over to us by Azerbaijan on March 10. It is another matter that these proposals do not address all issues of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive peace agenda. We supplemented the agenda with our response handed over to the OSCE MG Co-Chairmanship and therefore we are ready for the launch of the peace talks based on this.

During the trilateral meeting in Brussels on April 6 the Republic of Armenia also [directly] handed over to the Azerbaijani side the 6-point document which includes, among others, the issues of the security and the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and the final status of Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian side offered to start negotiations based on the two agendas in the direction of a peace treaty. The Azerbaijani side agreed to this approach, after which an agreement was reached to initiate negotiations on a peace treaty.

ARMENPRESS: The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also made a statement on what he called the return of 7 villages of the Ghazakh district and Kyarki to Azerbaijan, saying that these issues will be solved during the delimitation and demarcation.

Edmon Marukyan: Weve numerously said that the delimitation and demarcation processes should take place based on facts and documents of de-jure significance. At this moment we dont possess any legal substantiation that any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has ever existed in the territory of Armenia. On the contrary, there are legal grounds on the village of Artsvashen belonging to Armenia. The same applies to a number of territories belonging to Armenia, including in the Sotk-Khoznavar section where the infamous unlawful Azerbaijani military invasion took place last year in May. These issues must certainly be discussed and resolved in the delimitation and demarcation process.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The European Union supports the sustainable solution of issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including also the issues over Nagorno Karabakh, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin said at a press conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenia-EU diplomatic relations.

The Ambassador said the EU is ready to do more on this issue, however, she noted that the decisions will be made between the two countries, because EU is just a mediator in this area.

Mediation doesnt mean that you come with solutions. Mediation is that you are creating a framework so that the conflicting parties can find a solution, she said.

She said they will constantly meet with the sides to understand how they can help to register progress in talks.

Our intention is to help to find a sustainable solution that makes it possible for everybody to live in peace and security, she added.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. On May 10, the President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan received the representatives of the Russian community of Artsakh led by the head of the community Alexander Bordov.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Artsakh President, issues related to the vital activity of the republic, the policy implemented in the social, educational and cultural spheres were discussed at the meeting.

Touching upon the life of the Russian community in Artsakh, the President noted that it is always in the center of the state's attention, henceforth the authorities will do their best to support the community.

In this context, it was emphasized that after granting Russian language an official status, work is being done to establish Russian cultural houses in the territory of the Republic, to provide them with the necessary equipment, to implement various cultural programs, as well as to raise the level of popularity of the Russian language.
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan sent a congratulatory message to President-elect of the Republic of South Ossetia - the State of Alania Alan Gagloev.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office, the message reads:

Honorable Mr. Gagloev,

On behalf of the people, authorities of the Republic of Artsakh and on my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt congratulations on your victory in the elections and your election as President of the Republic of South Ossetia - the State of Alania.

I am confident that your knowledge, personal qualities and experience as a statesperson will contribute to the consistent development of fraternal South Ossetia and the strengthening of its independent statehood.

I hope that under your presidency the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between our countries will continue to dynamically expand and strengthen for the benefit of our peoples.

Once again, I congratulate you, respected Mr. Gagloev, on your election to this high and responsible position. I wish you success in all your endeavors, peace and prosperity to the people of South Ossetia!
There is no legal ground that at any time any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has existed in the territory of Armenia.

May 10, 2022, 13:29 Armenias proposals handed over to Azerbaijan in Brussels include also status, security of Artsakh  Ambassador-at-large

STEPANAKERT, MAY 10, ARTSAKHPRESS: Armenias Ambassador at-large Edmon Marukyan told Armenpress when asked to respond to the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafovs statements.

-The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalafov said that on April 6 in Brussels the Republic of Armenia agreed to launch peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan based on the 5-points presented by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister made a similar statement. How would you comment on these statements?

-Weve numerously addressed this topic. Back in March 21, 2022 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia said: There is nothing unacceptable for us in the proposals handed over to us by Azerbaijan on March 10. It is another matter that these proposals do not address all issues of the Armenia-Azerbaijan comprehensive peace agenda. We supplemented the agenda with our response handed over to the OSCE MG Co-Chairmanship and therefore we are ready for the launch of the peace talks based on this.

During the trilateral meeting in Brussels on April 6 the Republic of Armenia also [directly] handed over to the Azerbaijani side the 6-point document which includes, among others, the issues of the security and the protection of the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and the final status of Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian side offered to start negotiations based on the two agendas in the direction of a peace treaty. The Azerbaijani side agreed to this approach, after which an agreement was reached to initiate negotiations on a peace treaty.

-The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also made a statement on what he called the return of 7 villages of the Ghazakh district and Kyarki to Azerbaijan, saying that these issues will be solved during the delimitation and demarcation.

- Weve numerously said that the delimitation and demarcation processes should take place based on facts and documents of de-jure significance. At this moment we dont possess any legal substantiation that any de-jure Azerbaijani enclave has ever existed in the territory of Armenia. On the contrary, there are legal grounds on the village of Artsvashen belonging to Armenia. The same applies to a number of territories belonging to Armenia, including in the Sotk-Khoznavar section where the infamous unlawful Azerbaijani military invasion took place last year in May. These issues must certainly be discussed and resolved in the delimitation and demarcation process.
Russian forces have eliminated 163 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 124 helicopters, 793 unmanned aerial vehicles and 2,979 tanks and other armored vehicles since the start of their special military operation in Ukraine, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.

May 10, 2022, 14:46 Russian forces destroy 793 drones, 2,979 armored vehicles in Ukraine operation - top brass

STEPANAKERT, MAY 10, ARTSAKHPRESS: "Overall, the following targets have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation: 163 aircraft, 124 helicopters, 793 unmanned aerial vehicles, 300 surface-to-air missile systems, 2,979 tanks and other combat armored vehicles, 351 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,440 field artillery guns and mortars and 2,789 special military motor vehicles," the spokesman said.

Russian air defenses forces shot down three Ukrainian drones and intercepted a Tochka-U missile over the town of Khartsyzsk in Donbass overnight, Konashenkov said.

"Throughout the night, Russian air defense capabilities eliminated three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Mospino and Yunokommunarovsk in the Donetsk Peoples Republic and the city of Odessa. A Ukrainian Tochka-U missile and a shell of the Smerch multiple launch rocket system were intercepted over the community of Khartsyzsk in the Donetsk Peoples Republic," the spokesman said.

Another two Smerch rockets were shot down near Malaya Kamyshevakha and Izyum, the general said.

A Su-25 ground attack plane of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down in an aerial battle in the Kharkov Region and Russian combat aircraft also struck 16 areas of amassed enemy manpower and military equipment overnight, Konashenkov said.

"On the evening of May 9, a Su-25 plane of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down in an aerial battle near the settlement of Novaya Dmitrovka in the Kharkov Region," the spokesman said.

Throughout the night, Russian operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft struck 16 areas of amassed Ukrainian manpower and military hardware, the general said.

"Missile and artillery troops hit 33 command posts, 407 areas of the amassment of manpower and military equipment, and also five ammunition and fuel depots in the areas of Nikolayev and Mirnoye in the Nikolayev Region," Konashenkov said.

The strikes eliminated up to 380 Ukrainian nationalists and incapacitated 53 items of military hardware, the spokesman said.
Oil and gas tanks are seen at an oil warehouse at a port in Zhuhai

(Refiles to correct spacing in paragraph 16)

By Chen Aizhu and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - China's Iranian oil imports in April came off peak volumes seen in late 2021 and early 2022 as demand from independent refiners weakened after COVID-19 lockdowns pummelled fuel margins and on growing imports of lower-priced Russian oil.

The easing of Iranian oil purchases, which still make up some 7% of imports by the world's largest crude importer, came as Western diplomats have largely lost hope in reviving a 2015 nuclear pact while high oil prices emboldened Iran to take its time to return to an agreement.

A revived nuclear deal would allow Iran to boost its oil sales beyond China - Iran's number one customer for the past two years - to previous clients in South Korea and Europe.

Meanwhile, Russian crude, displaced by falling demand in Europe on growing concerns about sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is heading to China. Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it called a "special operation".

Initial assessments by Vortexa Analytics showed China imported nearly 650,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude in April, slightly less than the nearly 700,000 bpd discharged in March.

Kpler, another data analytics firm, tentatively pegged Iran's April exports at 575,000 bpd, down from an average of 840,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2022, though the agency expected to revise up April volumes in coming weeks.

China's independent refiners, also known as teapots and situated mostly in the eastern province of Shandong, are key Iranian oil buyers. The refiners have since February reduced crude imports, operating under half their capacity in April as soaring prices, tighter import quotas and COVID lockdowns squashed margins, traders said.

"The Iranian barrels started having difficulties finding buyers since February, after independent plants cut throughput," said Emma Li, China analyst with Vortexa.

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At least six cargoes of Iranian oil totalling eight million barrels have not been able to offload at Chinese ports, floating off Shandong and Zhejiang ports for more than three months, Li added.

In contrast, China's sea-borne crude imports from Russia jumped 16% in April from March to about 860,000 bpd, the highest since last December, Refinitiv data showed.

Though the April Russian supplies were dominated by its Far East export grade ESPO blend, the prospect of growing Urals cargoes being forced out of Europe is providing a new lure for the teapots.

At least one teapot refiner bought one June-arriving Urals cargo at a discount of $6 to $7 a barrel to Brent on delivered basis, traders said.

That compared with Iranian oil, transacted at $5 a barrel under Brent.

"Teapots are facing terrible margins and plentiful oil on offer. Dealing Iranian and Russian barrels both carries risks, so refiners would be careful and picking the cheaper supplies that offer relatively better margins," said a trading executive with a Shandong-based refiner.

To avoid U.S. sanctions, Iranian crude has been exported to China marked as oil from Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, traders have said.

Aware of the Chinese purchases, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has chosen not to enforce the sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies.

China's foreign ministry did not respond to request for comment. Iran's oil ministry also did not respond to a request for comment.

Chinese customs data last reported imports of 260,000 tonnes (1.9 million barrels) of Iranian oil each in December and January, in its first official record in a year.

(Refiles to correct spacing in paragraph 16)

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu in Singapore, Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Alex Lawler in London; Editing by Robert Birsel)
A new police strike force has been established after another gang-related shooting in western Sydney that left a Comanchero bikie boss fighting for life and his brother dead.

The latest shooting, just two weeks after gangland figure Mahmoud 'Brownie' Ahmad was slain on a Greenacre street, prompted authorities to warn doors would be kicked down and criminal gangs members will be harassed in an effort to find the killer.

Tarek Zahed, 41, was critically injured and his brother Omar killed when they were ambushed and sprayed with bullets on Tuesday night as they stood in the foyer of the Body Fit gym at Auburn.

Omar Zahed, 39, was treated for multiple gunshot wounds to his stomach, arms and legs and died at the scene.

Tarek Zahed was hit up to 10 times in his body and head. He was taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition where he underwent surgery.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the incident was "shocking" and "disturbing" and the government was committed to eradicating the city's criminal underbelly.

"If you are part of Sydney's underworld, if you are involved in criminal activity we are going to hunt you down and we are going to stamp out this kind of activity and this behaviour," he said.

"We will actually kick down doors, we will raid homes, we will raid businesses.

"We will harass you, we will disrupt your everyday life to stamp this kind of activity out."

Police Commissioner Karen Webb announced Strike Force Leary would be established to investigate and 30 more officers would be deployed to Strike Force Raptor - the squad targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs.

"We will be targeting criminals and they should know who they are and we will come and knock on their door," she said.

State Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said police urged the brothers to leave the state on Thursday but the advice was ignored.

"Their lives have been at risk because one is a senior member of the Comanchero motorcycle group, which is Australia's largest criminal organisation," he said.

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Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the shooting could have been motivated by a bikie internal power struggle.

"With all these shootings and people being killed there's opportunities for people to try to take their places," he said.

"There's a real power struggle within different criminal networks and that could be one of the lines of inquiry we look at."

Ms Webb said it was possible the shooting could have been retaliation for Ahmad's killing on April 27.

"Some of these people are in conflict with a number of other groups and it is hard to pinpoint if it is direct retaliation or not," she told Sydney radio 2GB.

Police found two Audi Q7s on fire in the nearby suburbs of Berala and Greenacre a short time after the attack and multiple crime scenes have been established.

Last week, Investigations and Counter Terrorism Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told a parliamentary hearing there had been 11 gang-related homicides in the last two years sparked by rivalries in Sydney's criminal underworld.

Since June 2020, there have been more than 40 major known violent incidents between gangs in NSW.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Raptor Squad was well equipped, adding police would be given any extra resources required and people should not feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods.

"We have one of the lowest crime rates in recorded history in our state," he said.

NSW Labor has renewed its calls for the premier to take action on western Sydney gang violence.
*SPOILERS AHEAD for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," now in theaters. Seriously, even telling you what other movies this piece spoils would count as a spoiler. You've been warned.*

After over a decade of waiting and endless speculation, fans got their first concrete confirmations of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Inhumans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe  and they are slaughtered in less than 20 minutes.

One of the standout moments in Marvel's superhero flick/horror movie combo "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is when the titular magic-slinger, played again by Benedict Cumberbatch, meets the Illuminati of the alternate world known as Earth-838. In the comics, the Illuminati of the primary Marvel universe secretly makes monumental (and often incredibly questionable) decisions for the rest of the world.

Here is when we first meet some MCU characters fans have been salivating over the prospect of seeing for years: Fantastic Four leader Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards (John Krasinski); mutant telepath and founder of the X-Men, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, who famously played Xavier in Fox's "X-Men" films), Black Bolt (Anson Mount), the king of the superpowered race known as the Inhumans, Avenger Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) who is also Captain Marvel.

Incalculable amounts of internet rumormongering gave way to these massive appearances, some of which were only possible due to our Disney overlords buying the studio 20th Century Fox, which possessed the film rights to the "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" franchises, back in 2019.

Although the movie  which follows Strange attempting to protect America Chavez (Xochiti Gomez), a teenager who can travel to different universes, from former Avenger Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) following the traumatic events of the Disney+ plus series "WandaVision"  actually isn't filled to the brim with cameos like some fans expected, the multiversal faces we do see leave an impact. Part of the impact comes from Wanda, newly embracing the role as the dark magic user the Scarlet Witch and using an evil book called the Darkhold, absolutely massacring most of the Illuminati.

She uses her magic to tear the super-stretchy Mr. Fantastic to pieces, makes Black Bolt accidently cave in his own skull and bestows ghastly fates to Carter, Rambeau and Xavier without much trouble.

Director Sam Raimi has experience with both superhero pictures (the original "Spider-Man" trilogy) and horror (the classic "Evil Dead" movies), but these scenes are where Raimi's horror sensibilities take over. It's like "Friday the 13th," except Jason Vorhees has reality-warping powers and the promiscuous partying teenagers getting hacked up are Patrick Stewart and John Krasinski.

But beyond seeing all of these fan-favorites finally appear and get treated like Red Shirts in a 1960s "Star Trek" episode, we need to talk about the possible future implications of these cameos.

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards

Arguably the biggest reveal was Krasinki as Mr. Fantastic. Marvel confirmed a "Fantastic Four" film back in 2019, and the internet started clamoring for Krasinski to play Richards shortly after the first "A Quiet Place" movie was released. People also began fancasting Krasinski's wife and "A Quiet Place" costar Emily Blunt as Richards' wife, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, although nothing has been confirmed on that front.

Keep in mind that with a couple exceptions, Marvel doesn't make fancasts happen that often, otherwise Brad Pitt would be on his fourth Thor movie by now. Now that Krasinski has actually suited up, one can assume he'll be leading the FF movie. Even though it would be hilarious if such a big name showed up as this pivotal Marvel figure, only to be turned into confetti almost immediately and a different actor played the role in the upcoming movie.

Since Krasinski is 42 years old, it could be argued that he might not want to headline an action-heavy film trilogy (presumably) and make appearances in a range of other projects for years to come, even though 42 really isn't even "old." But Robert Downey Jr. was around that age when he was signed for "Iron Man" and it worked out just fine for him. Plus, while Krasinski seems committed to his "Quiet Place" series, a ton of other actors are attached to multiple franchises at one time. It's also worth noting that Jon Watts recently dropped out of directing the 'Fantastic Four" movie. If Krasinski is indeed set to star as the primary MCU Reed, it's not hard to imagine that Marvel may have at least briefly spoken to the "A Quiet Place" filmmaker about being behind the camera. Though it's anybody's guess as to whether he would actually want to helm both the third installment in his own horror property and a massive comic book behemoth.

On a different matter, assuming the new FF outing is an origin story, it appears the Earth-838 Reed we meet here is a bit older and experienced than the "main" MCU Reed likely will be at the start of his new film, since the 838 Reed is established enough to be in this secret society of heavy hitters. He also mentioned to Wanda that he has kids. In the comics, Reed and Sue had their son, Franklin  a reality warper with the potential to possibly be the most powerful mutant of all time  a few years into their adventures, and later welcomed their daughter, Valeria.

So with (presumably) at least two kids, it seems this Reed had been around the block. It makes you think a guy who is supposed to be incredibly intelligent and who appears to be experienced would have thought to take Wanda a tad more seriously than he did before he was reduced to blue pencil shavings, but I digress.

As an aside, Strange's comment of "Didn't you chart in the '60s?" upon seeing Mr. Fantastic was interesting. My first thought was that in the main Strange's universe, Reed charted off to space in the 1960s. In most versions of the Fantastic Four's story, Richards and his crew are bombarded by cosmic rays while in space, giving them superpowers. The team debuted in 1961, and some fans have suggested setting them in that era for their next feature, since the characters really do embody of that silver age science fiction comics of that era.

Maybe in the MCU, the Four began in the swinging sixties and some time/space shenanigans ushered them into the modern day? That said, a friend of mine said he thought that line was a reference to The Beatles, as the iconic band had been dubbed "The Fab Four." Plus, Reed gives a small chuckle to Strange's line, which is not the reaction I would expect if Reed and company actually shot for the stars so many decades ago and if Strange was referring to something he read about once or something like that. Reed's amused reaction to that moment makes me think it was a joke, I was vastly overthinking a throwaway line and it wasn't a hint to the team's MCU origins. It's still fascinating to ponder, though.

Prof. Charles Xavier

While many internet denizens seem to expect to see Krasinski with a "4" emblazoned on his chest again in due time, the same can't be said about another future return for Stewart as Xavier. Don't get me wrong, it appears people were still plenty excited to see that chrome dome on the big screen again in Raimi's film  his introduction accompanied by an incredible orchestration of the theme from the '90s classic "X-Men: The Animated Series"  even if the surprise was dampened by trailers basically giving away Stewart's participation.

Though I could be wrong, It just doesn't look like fans are necessarily expecting to see Stewart in the MCU again like many are with Krasinski. That apparent lack of people screaming for Stewart to head up further X-Men stories appears to be due to the fact that he has already done it so well.

After all, Sir Stewart is 81 years old, and he now boasts credits as Xavier in eight different films. Stewart has been perfect casting for the telepathic mutant leader since the first "X-Men" movie in 2000. The movie and TV legend has played the part in three different decades across different continuities, with that first X-trilogy and the awful "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" in the 2000s, "The Wolverine," "X-Men: Days of Futures Past" and "Logan" in the 2010s and now in the 2020s with "Multiverse of Madness," albeit as the Earth-838 variant, complete with a version of the floating machine Xavier sported in the aforementioned animated series.

The knighted thespian doesn't appear to be slowing down his work load, but since Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed development on a mutant-related project along with the FF back in 2019, it would make sense to secure a new performer for the next generation of cinematic X-Men adventures. While the same actors portray different versions of the same character in "Multiverse of Madness," the Loki" show and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" demonstrated that the MCU allows for variants of the same character to have different faces. If someone new does take over as Xavier, though, that poor schmuck has one hell of a tough act to follow, since Sir Stewart truly has embodied the character from the comics.

It's not too much of a stretch  pun not intended, I promise  to believe Krasinski would be willing to become a fixture of the MCU for the next few years. But it might be best to allow this film to mark Stewart's true farewell to Xavier. You couldn't have a Marvel film with "Multiverse of Madness" in the title and not bring Stewart into the fold at least for a moment. Fans have clamored to see him play the role within the MCU, if only briefly, and the icon brought his trademark authority to his few minutes on screen.

Xavier's demise in the film would be a grisly swan song for Stewart's time as the X-Men founder  when he ventures to the mind of the possessed Wanda whose body has been taken over by the main Wanda/Scarlet Witch, the witch LITERALLY TEARS INTO XAVIER'S FLESH AS SHE BREAKS HIS NECK, killing Xavier on the physical plan as well  but despite the ruined surprise, there was a reason why Sir Stewart's cameo was basically spoiled in the film's Super Bowl trailer. I mean, would you want to watch a Marvel film that explores the multiverse and would likely tease near-limited possibilities and then not see Stewart as Xavier? Didn't think so.

Black Bolt

The third Illuminati member who represents an previously unseen corner of the MCU is the king of the Inhumans, Black Bolt, played by Anson Mount. For those of you who, unlike me, didn't pour over character encyclopedias as a kid instead of feeling sunlight on your skin, let me explain. The Inhumans are a race of beings with special powers that have been a part of the Marvel catalogue since the mid-'60s. Marvel Studios announced an "Inhumans" movie in 2014, and there was a rise in "Inhumans" comics around that time in a pretty obvious attempt to launch them as the hot new "disaffected outcasts" franchise, since Disney didn't have the film rights to the X-Men yet.

That "Inhumans" movie never actually happened, and remains the sole MCU film to be officially announced and not come to fruition. It was retooled into a TV series, however, and dumped on ABC in back in 2017. I know a ton of big Marvel fans who have never seen it and from what I understand, most Marvel fans in general haven't bothered with it. It was never established to be a part of the MCU canon, and I'm guessing the general public doesn't even know this thing exists, because it was canceled after one season, critics derided it and most people who have seen it generally regard it as awful. Full disclosure: I haven't seen it myself. And neither have you,

Due to the "Inhumans" failing as a franchise on both the screen and the page, it didn't seem like a safe bet that their ruler, Black Bolt, would have a seat among the Illuminati in "Multiverse," even though he is in their ranks in the books. The king who is always silent because his voice is powerful enough for a whisper to level a city block does show up, however, and, perhaps even more surprising is the fact that Mount, who was Black Bolt in the show, plays the part. Even though this is a different variation of the character, with a design closer to the comics.

Could this be a sign that the Inhumans will start carving out their own piece of the MCU? It's possible, as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, an inhuman in the comics, has her own Disney+ streaming show releasing this summer, but it's unclear if her live-action incarnation will also be an Inhuman.

We learn in the film that the Dr. Strange of Earth-838 asked the Illuminati of his world to take him out for causing events that resulted in the destruction of an entire separate universe, and Black Bolt is depicted as the one who dealt the final blow. Honestly, maybe Marvel doesn't have plans for the Inhuman leader and he was simply tossed in as an unexpected Easter egg and to make sure the guy who killed a version of a marquee hero  even one that committed atrocities  wasn't a character that Marvel knows you care about or plans to make you care about in the future. Time will tell, and in any case, it was to see a nice talented actor like Mount get another shot at Black Bolt.

Note: Yes, I know there were Inhumans in "Agents of SHIELD," but it's questionable at best as to whether that show is actually canon to the MCU, so Black Bolt showing up in "Multiverse" is the first confirmed Inhuman sighting in a Marvel film.

Captain Carter and Captain Marvel

Rounding out the Illuminati  besides 838's Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a version of the villain from the first "Doctor Strange" film who took over as the Sorcerer Supreme of the 838 reality after that world's Strange was killed  is Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), who apparently became Captain Marvel instead of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers on this Earth. These two are arguably less exciting to talk about about than the other members we've already discussed, as they are variations of MCU characters we've already seen who have donned different mantles.

A version of Captain Carter  Peggy from "Captain America: The First Avenger" who got the super-solider serum instead of Steve Rogers  was already in the first season of the animated "What If...?" series. This live-action version is presumably not from the same reality depicted in that show.

Similarly, one can guess that some twist of fate lead to the Maria of this reality getting incredible powers, presumably instead of Danvers. It's interesting to note that this version of Rambeau seems noticeably more aggressive than the depiction we met in the "Captain Marvel" film. Maybe it's because this one is more on-guard after what her Dr. Strange did or something else. I'm not sure sure how much backstory went into a character that isn't in the film much, but I wondered if this Maria lost her Carol, like how we learned in "WandaVision" that the primary Monica died, or if this Maria lost her daughter Monica.

There really isn't a ton to say about the captains, although it was cool to see multiversal twists on established heroes. While the other three big members we've covered either have huge film legacies or tease massive possibilities for the future, it seems unlikely that we'll see versions of these two in the flesh again. That is, unless they pop up in some project about a multiversal team, such as the Exiles  it is worth mentioning that Captain Carter made her comics debut in an "Exiles" series in 2018  but unless something like that gets added to Marvel's schedule, these are probably just cool one-offs.

Aside: I don't actually think this next thing will be explored in further films, but from Earth-838's perspective, the superpowered citizens of the primary universe come off as the bad guys. The Earth we have seen over the course of the MCU is designated as Earth-616, as stated by the 838 version of Strange's ex-girlfriend, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). That is the same number given to the main comics universe.

Think about what happens in "Multiverse of Madness." The 616 Dr. Strange and America Chavez barrel into Earth-838, prompting the possibility of an "incursion" scenario that can annihilate universes, and the Illuminati is alarmed by this, especially because the Strange of their world accidently caused an incursion through using the Darkhold. Then the 616 Scarlet Witch possesses the Wanda of Earth-838 and lays waste to the Illuminati, who are all pillars of that Earth's superpowered communities.

One can imagine the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Inhumans, the Avengers and any space contingent Captain Marvel was a part of in Earth-838 would want Earth-616 to answer for these actions. Palmer already made it clear Earth-838 is aware of their 616 counterparts, and some probably vengeful superheroes might want words with them. Plus that world's Wanda, who was made complicit in 616 Wanda's crimes and fought her off at the end of the movie, could have some bones to pick as well.

Again, I don't expect any further developments to come from Earth-838, but it was worth mentioning. And while we're overanalyzing stuff to death  Palmer says her Earth dubbed Strange's planet as Earth-616, which, if memory serves, was the exact same designation Jake Gyllenhaal's Quentin Beck/Mysterio gave to the main MCU in "Spider-Man: Far From Home,"...even though that guy was only pretending to be a hero from another universe and he was making up his interdimensional woes. Even though Beck was a fraud, he was still coincidentally able to nail the actual designation of that world, even though he would have no way of knowing that.

Clea

In "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness"' mid-credits scene, Strange is confronted by Clea (Oscar winner and action movie badass Charlize Theron), who says he caused an incursion and they are going to fix it. I've got a boot served on a plate with my name on it if this isn't a teaser for Strange's third movie, or at least his next MCU appearance. Clea is the wizard's main love interest in the comics, and she is the daughter of Dormammu, the big CGi baddie in Strange's first film, where he was also played by Cumberbatch. She is currently the Sorcerer Supreme in the comics since Dr. Strange is dead right now, but this is comic books we're talking about, so he'll definitely get better at some point. Anyway, Clea is a critical figure in Strange's story, and nabbing a movie star of Theron's caliber points to big things in the future.

Bruce Freakin' Campbell

Hail to the king. With Sam Raimi directing "Multiverse of Madness," his frequent collaborator and star of his "Evil Dead" pictures, Bruce Campbell, had to rear his massive chin at some point. The B-movie mainstay plays a pizza stand operator on Earth-838 who Strange enchants to continually attack himself for three weeks straight.

In what feels like a direct callback to he and Raimi's "Evil Dead" days, Campbell's hands try to hurt him. Campbell has maintained his unmatched gift for physical comedy as he repeatedly punches himself. At the end credits scene, we cut back to Campbell, who finally stops hitting himself. With relief in his voice, he cries "It's Over!" as the film ends. That got probably the biggest laugh of the movie at my screening. Maybe it's my bias for two fellow Michigan natives, but it was great to see Campbell in a Raimi flick again. It may not hold any significance to the MCU at large, but the petition for Bruce Campbell to play Mephisto  more or less Marvel's version of Satan  starts here.

Speaking of Raimi, credit to him and writer Michael Waldron for not overloading the film with cameos. The rumor mill had been ablaze with speculation about various cameos since the moment that "Multiverse of Madness" title was announced. If you believed every single wild and unfounded rumor that flooded the internet about this flick, you would have thought Tobey Macguire's Peter Parker from the Raimi "Spider-Man" pictures was going to swing by, Hugh Jackman was going to reprise his iconic Wolverine role from the "X-Men" movies, that Loki and Deadpool would pop in, that Chris Evans was going to drop in not as Captain America but as the Human Torch from his mid-aughts "Fantastic Four" duology and Tom Cruise would be a variant of Iron Man.

It's hard to see how any of these rumored guest spots made up by fans could have actually fit into the plot, but some  myself included  were concerned the film would be so stuffed with cameos that there wouldn't be room for Strange to get an arc. Instead, we see Strange, still rattled from being snapped out of existence by Thanos for five years due to the events of "Avengers: Infinity War," tempted to abuse his magical abilities, as we see different versions of Strange do throughout the film, including the version the Illuminati killed. Despite his trauma, Strange learns from the choices the versions of him from other realities made, and accepts that he can't control everything around him. This is in contrast to Wanda allowing the (admittedly horrifying) events that have happened to her in the MCU drive all of her choices, even if it is a continuation of the "women loses her mind" trope that is overused in all manner of fiction.

These cameos largely help move the story alng and thankfully don't over take the film. In fact, all of the appearances we've recounted amount to maybe 10 minutes of total screen time, and that's pushing it. Regardless, they were fun moments, and they could lead to even bigger revelations in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What did you think of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"? Did you think the cameos? Were there any guest spots we wish had been cut, or some you wish would have made it in? Let me know on Twitter @KellyRocheleau!

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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A state program that helps economically disadvantaged individuals attend State University of New York schools has been expanded to include Cayuga Community College.

CCC, along with Corning, Rockland and Tompkins Cortland community colleges, will join the Educational Opportunity Program. According to SUNY's website, the program provides assistance, including financial aid, to students who "show promise for succeeding in college but who may not have otherwise been offered admission." It is open to full-time students and supports them throughout their college careers.

The 2022-23 state budget included $5.2 million more for the Educational Opportunity Program to add campuses and open an additional 1,000 spots for students.

The program, which began in 1967, has provided assistance to more than 78,000 students. With the additions of the four community colleges, it is now offered on 54 SUNY campuses.

"Access to affordable higher education makes a fundamental difference in the lives of our future leaders," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "By expanding the Educational Opportunity Program, we are helping dismantle inequalities in our education system and giving every New Yorker a chance to pursue a quality education."

The expansion is part of SUNY's plan to bolster the Educational Opportunity Program. The system established a $2 million student persistence fund to help participants in the program who are at a high risk of dropping out of college due to financial constraints. Students could receive up to $2,000 in aid. So far, nearly 1,000 students have received financial assistance.

Other steps taken by SUNY include more funding for Educational Opportunity Program students  up to $2,800 per student and $1,300 for community college students  that can be used for academic counseling, financial aid and other academic support.

CCC President Brian Durant said Tuesday that the college appreciates the opportunity to offer the Educational Opportunity Program on its campuses. CCC has campuses in Auburn and Fulton.

"The Educational Opportunity Program's impact on accessible higher education is undeniable," Durant added. "Through this landmark program, thousands of students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursued a college with the proper academic and financial support. The program's continued expansion to Cayuga and other institutions is a reminder of SUNY's tireless commitment to ensuring fair access to higher education."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Rehabilitation work has begun at an Auburn church that was the site of Harriet Tubman's funeral in 1913 and is now part of the national park bearing her name.

Ahna Wilson, superintendent of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, told the Auburn City Council on Thursday that asbestos abatement started at Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on May 2, the first part of an extensive project that aims to restore the church to what it looked like when Tubman was a congregant.

In her presentation, Wilson said that the work schedule is changing regularly due to supply shortages and subcontractor schedules. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2023, but she acknowledged that "things will be kind of fluid."

As the project ramps up, Wilson explained that the church on Parker Street will become a construction site. A six-foot-tall fence with privacy screening will temporarily surround the property. Signage will be posted on the fence to inform visitors about the work. Equipment and a work trailer should be in place by early June.

The interior work will include rehabilitating the altar and dais. The register grates will be removed and replaced with replicas. Some of the original fabric in the church will be preserved.

The church had original stenciling that was pink and dark red, according to Wilson. The inside of the church will feature stenciling in those colors. There is also green Greek stenciling that was a later addition to the structure, she said.

"We want to make sure that we're not just focusing on the time period that Harriet Tubman was living and in church," Wilson added. "We also want to look at the evolution of the congregation and the community around the church."

A timelapse camera has been installed inside the church to track the project's progress. The camera will take photos three times a day and the images will be hosted on the park's website. There are plans for a camera to be placed on a utility pole outside of the church. The National Park Service is working with NYSEG to install that camera.

The exterior work will be significant. The facade of the church will be rehabilitated to make it look like it did when Tubman was attending services. To achieve that goal, a window on the front of the church will be moved to its historic location. In the years after Tubman's death, the window had been moved to allow for a wider staircase inside the building.

An accessible path will be installed at the entrance to the church. The top stoop will have a wood landing. The historic cement used outside of the church, which was in place when Tubman was alive, will remain intact.

The church will be topped with a 12-foot spire, which will be reconstructed with lightning protection. Lightning struck the church's bell tower in 2019 and caused a fire.

"That is an absolute must," Wilson said of the lightning protection for the spire. Additionally, the bell inside the tower will be removed and taken to the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls. The bell will be cleaned and receive preservation treatment before it's reinstalled.

The project also includes the rehabilitation of the church's neighboring parsonage. Asbestos abatement and pest removal were needed  Wilson said there were birds and squirrels in the building. The interior of the parsonage will be kept intact.

The parsonage will become a visitor center for the Parker Street site. There will be a bathroom and a visitor contact station on the first floor. Other visitor amenities will be available. Wilson said they may have some temporary exhibits and a bookstore in this space.

The second floor of the parsonage will feature a multi-use area and offices for park staff. Wilson plans on having an office in the building and park rangers will be available at the site throughout the week.

"We're in the very beginning stages of the project, but we're really excited to get it going," Wilson said.

The church, which was originally built in 1891, was purchased by the National Park Service as part of the establishment of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. Since the park's establishment in 2017, the agency has been researching the site and planning for its rehabilitation.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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For months, Auburn Community Hospital faced delays in getting more than $3.4 million in federal funding.

That's when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer intervened.

Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Tuesday that the hospital will receive the payments through the federal Provider Relief Fund. The fund was established to help rural hospitals cover expenses and lost revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Auburn Community Hospital heroically ripped massive holes in their budget to keep our rural communities safe on the frontlines of the pandemic," Schumer said in a statement. "When I heard Auburn was still awaiting millions in funding to recover costs I immediately put the feds' feet to the fire and called Secretary Becerra to say this funding needed to get to Cayuga County ASAP."

According to Schumer, Auburn Community Hospital applied for funding in September 2021. While other hospitals began receiving payments in November 2021, Auburn's was delayed. Schumer blamed "bureaucratic red tape" for holding up the delivery of funding to the hospital.

Scott Berlucchi, president and CEO of Auburn Community Hospital, said in a statement that without Schumer's involvement, it's unclear when or if the hospital would have received the funding.

"These funds are critical to Auburn Community Hospital's ability to cover the many expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic," Berlucchi said. In addition to thanking Schumer, the hospital also said U.S. Rep. John Katko and his staff were helpful in the process of securing the funds.

The Provider Relief Fund was included in the first federal COVID-19 relief measure passed in April 2020. Schumer pushed for the creation of the program, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, to help health care providers and hospitals, especially those in rural areas, care for COVID patients and deal with the financial effects of the pandemic.

The initial funding level for the program was $100 billion. Schumer advocated for an additional $86.5 billion, including funding that was part of the American Rescue Plan in 2021.

So far, the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded more than $7.5 billion, including over $290 million to New York health care providers and hospitals.

"As majority leader, I am proud to have championed multiple COVID-19 relief bills including the American Rescue Plan which provided these pandemic relief funds and I will continue to fight to ensure our rural hospitals and communities have all the help they need to come back from this pandemic stronger than before."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In April 2022, the retail sales of locally-made PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses) in China amounted to around 1.062 million units, plunging 35.7% from a year earlier, while also tumbling 34% compared to the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

The CPCA said both the year-on-year and month-on-month change in China's April PV retail sales dropped to their historic low level for the corresponding month.

The two-digit decrease was largely linked to the pandemic resurgence, which whittled down the footfall and transaction volume at dealerships, the CPCA added.

A year-on-year decrease of over 30% in April retail sales confronted all four segmentsthe car, MPV, SUV, and minibus.

Last month, there were around 120,000 locally-produced luxury vehicles retailed across the country, reflecting a 54% year-on-year plunge and a 50% month-on-month drop.

Chinese indigenous brands recorded total PV retail sales of about 480,000 units in April, representing a 19% decline from the previous year, while also showing a 37% flop from the previous month. They accounted for 46.4% of Chinas overall homemade PV retail volume, up 9.6 percentage points compared to the year-ago period.

The retail sales of mainstream joint-venture PV brands added up to 450,000 units in April, shrinking 42% over a year earlier, while also falling 24% over a month earlier.



Among the top 10 automakers by domestic China-made PV retail sales in April, BYD ranked highest in terms of both sales volume and year-on-year growth. Notably, it was the only one to achieve a positive change from the prior-year period. SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC-GM dropped to the ninth and tenth places respectively, and both of them logged a year-on-year decrease of over 50%.

As for the first four months of 2022, China's homemade PV retail sales were down by 12.1% from a year ago with all four segments posting a double-digit decline as well.

The production volume of locally-made PVs in China amounted to 987,000 units in April, slumping 41.4% from the year-ago period. To be specific, the luxury brands, joint-venture brands and China's self-owned brands faced a year-on-year decline of 57%, 56% and 20% respectively.



In April, the wholesales volume of the country's locally-made PVs declined at a rate of over 40% compared to both the previous year and the previous month.

The year-to-date PV wholesales fell 4.2% year on year. Despite the overall downturn, the minibus unit still gained a two-digit increase.



Regarding automakers' wholesale performance, BYD still outsold others with a three-digit year-on-year increase. The decline in April wholesales of Dongfeng Nissan and FAW-Volkswagen exceeded 50%. Both SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC-GM failed to crack the top 10 PV maker rankings by April wholesales.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.



Xiaomi reportedly has no plan to build car production plant in Shanghai

Xiaomi's electric vehicle unit (Xiaomi EV) currently has no plan to build a new car manufacturing plant in Shanghai, an inside person at the EV maker revealed to a local media outlet, in response to a recent rumor saying Xiaomi has such intention according to a bidding document.



Photo credit: Xiaomi



Leapmotor's C01 to make debut tonight with presale beginning

The C01, the fourth production model of Leapmotor, will make its debut tonight with the presale kicking off at the same time. It is the first mass-produced model to utilize the startups CTC (cell-to-chassis) technology.

Presale of China-made Audi Q4 e-tron to start on May 20

FAW-Volkswagen Audi is about to start the presale of the Audi Q4 e-tron on May 20. Riding on Volkswagens MEB platform, the China-made model looks extremely similar to the version sold overseas, but its exterior features more sporty essence thanks to the Sportback design.

Haima Automobile posts 9.38% YoY drop in April sales

Chinese automaker Haima Automobile sold 3,140 vehicles in April 2022, posting a 9.38% year-on-year decline. In the Jan.-Apr. period, the companys total sales dropped 15.27% year on year to 8,870 units.

Jiangling Motors' April sales tumble 48.61% YoY

Jiangling Motors Corporation, Ltd. sold 17,200 vehicles in April, a 48.61% year-on-year downward movement. For the first four months of the year, the automaker saw its cumulative sales fall 24.2% from a year ago to 87,357 units.

Geely's ZEEKR sees April sales climb 19% MoM

In April, Chinas major automaker Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Geely Auto), saw its premium EV brand ZEEKR recover from last months sales slope, according to the companys report on May 10th.

Tesla sells 1,512 China-made vehicles in April 2022

In the fourth month of 2022, Tesla sold 1,512 China-made vehicles in wholesale, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

BYD tops other PV makers in China by April retail, wholesale volumes

In April 2022, the retail sales of locally-made PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses) in China amounted to around 1.062 million units, plunging 35.7% from a year earlier, while also tumbling 34% compared to the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

NIO signs agreement to manufacture new sub-brand models at NeoPark

Chinese startup NIO has signed a cooperation agreement with local authority of Hefei Economic & Technological Development Zone for building the second-phase complete vehicle manufacturing base at NeoPark and the supporting core auto parts projects, the information office of Hefei municipal government said on May 10 via its twitter-like Weibo account.

Baidu brings Apollo Go Robotaxi service to Wuhan

On May 10th, Baidu officially launched its Robotaxi service, Apollo Go, in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ), strengthening Wuhan's intelligent connected vehicle development.

Haima Automobile sets up subsidiary for green energy businesses

Chinese carmaker Haima Automobile set up on May 9 a wholly-owned subsidiary, which is permitted to sell hydrogen refueling and storage facilities.

Plus introduces Plus Build program in the US, refitting autonomous trucks in one day

On May 9th, commercial vehicle autonomous driving company Plus introduced the Plus Build program across America with its partner, fleet technology developer, Velociti.

JAC Group's YTD export volume jumps 38% YoY

In the first fourth months of 2022, Chinese automaker JAC Group saw growing momentum in both battery-electric vehicle sales and export volume, according to its report released on May 9th.

Gotion High-Tech inks MoU with Argentina's JEMSE for lithium business

Gotion High-Tech announced on May 9 it has forged a strategic partnership with Argentina's state-owned mining company Jujuy Energia y Mineria Sociedad del Estado (JEMSE) to conduct all-around cooperation on lithium resources.

Changan Automobile sells 115,739 vehicles in April

On May 10th, Changan Automobile released its April sales and production report with an overall monthly decline compared to a year ago.
Page police have arrested the mother and caretaker of a 9-day-old infant after the child died Friday.

The infant's mother, 33-year-old Jessica Seiser, and caretaker, 40-year-old Nancy Bell, have been arrested on suspicion of child abuse. They're being held in the Coconino County Holding Facility in Page.

The unnamed newborn was brought into the Page Hospital emergency room around 10 p.m. on Friday, according to Page police spokesman Sgt. Terry TerEick. The child was declared dead shortly after.

Officials said that the evidence suggested the child had been severely neglected. The infant's body was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office in Flagstaff for investigation.

Seiser and Bell were ultimately arrested following a joint investigation by the Page Police Department and Kane County Sheriff's Office.

Additional details were not immediately available as of print time Tuesday.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Reporter Bree Burkitt can be reached at 928-556-2250 or bburkitt@azdailysun.com.

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A new poll shows a majority of Coconino County voters would support keeping the tax that provides the majority of funding for the county's jails.

The poll, conducted by Northern Arizona University's Fred Solop, surveyed 800 registered voters  half from Flagstaff and the other half from Coconino County  during a three-week period in March and April. It found that 82% would support the extension of the tax to maintain and operate the county jail and jail programs, while 13% would oppose it.

"This is very positive," Solop said. "This is very strong support."

An additional 2% said they were leaning toward supporting it. Six percent said they need more information before making a decision.

Older voters were more likely to support voting for the tax, with 71% of voters above age 55 indicating their support, compared to 59% of voters younger than 55. White voters were also more supportive of the extension than voters of color.

Now, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors must decide whether the initiative should be placed on the November ballot. They're set to vote on the issue Tuesday.

If the issue does make it onto the ballot, Solop said it's "in a very strong position to pass with voter support."

The half-cent tax provides 86% of the Jail District's revenue, covering everything from an in-custody substance abuse treatment program to adult education, special education, and religious services in addition to life skills and literacy classes.

The remaining portion of the average of $19 million needed to operate the jail annually comes from bed rentals and the county's general fund, according to county financial records.

The tax, which was first approved in 1996, is set to expire in 2026 unless it finds a spot on the ballot in the upcoming 2022 election and is then approved by voters.

Breaking it down further, Solop said voters indicated they were more likely to support the tax once they learned the money was to be directed toward mental health and drug treatment programs, as well as new job skills.

"What we're seeing is programming ... we see that the voting public really wants programming  they support programming and knowing the revenues generated from jail district sales tax creates positive feelings and a sense that people will vote for this extension," Solop explained.

Support was higher in Flagstaff at 82% compared to 77% in other parts of the county.

The majority of individuals who indicated they would vote against the tax said it was because they believe taxes are already too high. Others said they felt the jail district is not effectively spending the money, while others felt the entire system needs to be defunded.

If the extension doesn't pass, the Jail District would still need to recoup the costs. The county would directly bill the cities and towns for arrests made in their jurisdiction, while the county would need to redirect general funds to fund jail operations for any arrests made in unincorporated areas of Coconino County.

Reporter Bree Burkitt can be reached at 928-556-2250 or bburkitt@azdailysun.com.

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Update: 10-05-2022 | 13:33:59

After Thailands government allowed the re-opening of the border with Cambodia from May 1, a number of associations and private companies in the tourism sector in Cambodia, Thailand as well as Vietnam have cooperated to plan to boost the flow of tourists again.

Tourists wear facemasks as they walk along Pub Street in Cambodia's Siem Reap province. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In early May, the Asia-Pacific Tourism Association (PATA) led by Thuon Sinan, President of the Association, travelled through the Cham Yeam International Border Crossing in Cambodias Koh Kong province to Thailands Trat province and to Bangkok to attend the Tourism and Trade Exchange Meeting between Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam from May 5-6, while a delegation of companies in Cambodia also travelled by air from Phnom Penh to Bangkok.

The purpose of this road trip is to study and understand the journey as well as to complete the paperwork at the border checkpoints on both the Cambodian and Thai sides.

Thuon Sinan said that the opening of the border between Cambodia and Thailand is very good for tourism, transport, trade, as well as other areas that are essential for the continuation of economic development between the two countries.

He said the flow of tourists by land would be even greater if the Thai side relaxed some conditions or documents because when he crossed the border, the requirements from the Thai side were still unstable, such as the conditions for driving a private car into Thailand and the problems that the Thai side requested the Cambodian side to conduct a rapid test on guests and passengers.

Visitors are returning to Cambodia after COVID-19, with the number of tourist arrivals to the world heritage Angkor Wat rocketing by 622 percent to 33,205 in the first four months of this year, generating about 1.35 million USD in revenue.

In April alone, 13,365 travellers visited the famous destination./.

VNA
Update: 10-05-2022 | 13:44:57

The French Embassy in Vietnam on May 9 held a press conference launching a project named Share and protect Vietnams heritage.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (red tie) at an exhibition to introduce the project "Reviving a French architectural heritage" to consult experts on the preservation of a villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao street, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)

The project receives a funding of 18 billion VND (784,300 USD) for activities during 2022-2024 from the French Government and partners such as museums, localities and universities.

Sophie Maysonnave, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Activities at the French embassy, said the project will be carried out in three regions of Vietnam: renovating the Tourist Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh, supporting for Environmental Education and Communication Centre in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Nam, and designing and implementing Story Boxes for museums in Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

The projects activities include training courses for museum staffs, which will be taught by experts from Frances famous museums and universities.

Villa at 49 Tran Hung Dao street (Photo: VNA)

Cooperation between the two countries museums will also be intensified through field trips to exchange experience in the European country.

French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said this project opens up a new stage in a significant cooperation between the two countries, demonstrating both sides aspirations to boost ties in the field of natural and cultural heritage, especially in preservation activities.

Sharing Frances experience of managing heritage, the diplomat said that the quality and activities of heritage conservation and museums have made an important contribution to making France a leading tourist destination in the world and to the countrys economic growth.

Vietnam can take advantage of its culture and heritage to promote economic development, he added./.

VNA




(The Guardian) US officials have reportedly confirmed they are providing intelligence that has helped Ukrainian forces target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in the Ukraine war.

The claim in the New York Times, quoting unnamed defence officials, appears to confirm suspicions the US is supplying actionable intelligence in real time to help the Ukrainian military select high-value targets.

Appearing to confirm the claims, the Pentagon spokesperson, John Kirby, acknowledged the US was providing Ukraine with information and intelligence that they can use to defend themselves, although Adrienne Watson, a national security council spokesperson, said intelligence was not provided with the intent to kill Russian generals.

According to the US officials, Washington has given Ukraine details on Russias expected troop movements and the location and other information about Russias mobile military headquarters, and Ukraine has combined that help with its own intelligence to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian officers.

Ukrainian officials said they had killed about 12 Russian generals on the battlefield. The most recent fatality apparently occurred at the weekend with the reported death of Maj Gen Andrei Simonov, a Russian electronic warfare commander, who Ukraine said it killed near the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, which is occupied by Russian forces.
As one name after another sounds from the gymnasium speakersprodding pairs of feet into motionthe 33 students of Tri Countys graduating class will remember the name that isnt called.

Two years ago, in March, Bryson Haecker died in a motor vehicle accident. Haecker, like all those in Tri-Countys Class of 2022, was halfway through the second semester of his sophomore year.

The week after the crash changed the lives of the students at Tri County in many ways. It became punctuated by concerns over the oncoming COIVD-19 pandemic, which left little room to mourn.

There was really no closure, Tri-County High School Principal Ryan Clark said.

Grant Lewandowski, senior class president, said the loss left him and his fellow classmates reeling.

He was really close to a lot of us, Lewandowski said. That was one of the hardest things to deal with as a class. We all banded together when that happened, and we all got closer as a class together.

Morgan Stokebrand, senior class secretary, said in the face of the tragedy, the petty grievances which kept classmates apart dissolved.

At its core, I feel like every single person in our class would do anything to help out anybody else whos going through something, Stokebrand said. Deep down inside, we have a bond I think that will never be broken.

Senior Fischer Ensz agreed. He said the students relied on each other to get through the grief.

We could always talk to each other about it," Ensz said.

Four studentsLewandowski, Stokebrand, Ensz and Taryn VanEperensaid graduation will come with feelings of bitter sweetness. They are still mourning the loss of Haecker, but theyre also looking forward to the rest of their lives.

Despite the bonds that hold them together, they will walk down separate paths not long after flipping their tassels.

Lewandowski will head to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study electrical engineering. Stokebrand is going to Nebraska Wesleyan, where she will start on a path to become a dentist. Ensz is heading straight to workforce, welding his way into a job at Kawasaki in Lincoln. VanEperen is going to Milford for John Deer tech, where shell become a full service mechanic.

On Saturday, the four and their classmates walk with caps and gowns to commemorate their achievement, four years in the making. The ceremony will start at 2 p.m. in the Tri-County gymnasium. Their class motto is, Be the change you want to see in the world and their class color is royal blue.

The four students said they were grateful for their time together at Tri County.

They said that by studying at a smaller school, they were able to participate in as many activities as they wanted to. But more importantly, they were able to build a community the size of their class.

If you ever fall down in a school like this, theres always someone to pick you back up, Ensz said. Youre never really alone.

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When Jeanne Harshas mom transitioned into a memory care facility, she, with family surrounding her daily, was the exception. During Harshas visits, she was taken with the number of residents who never had visitors at all.

Some residents practically adopted Harshas grandson as their own, introducing him to their pets and holding his hand.

There were so many people that didnt have anyone seeing them, you know, and I felt so bad for these ladiesIt was like we were becoming their family, Harsha said.

Its the reason Harsha, 68, has been volunteering her time for five years to sit with people in hospice. Volunteers work to fulfill last wishes and provide companionship to those in their final months of life. Harsha has made birthday cakes, learned to crochet, played cards and listened to many, many stories.

Now, passing in ones own home is the preferable way to go for most Americans, according to one study. And for the first time in modern history, home deaths have surpassed hospital deaths.

From 2003 to 2017, hospital deaths decreased 9.9% and home deaths increased 6.9%. Overall, 29.8% of deaths occurred in the hospital and 30.7% occurred in the home. In the same period, deaths in hospice care increased from 0.2% to 8.3%.

Despite the trend, only four in 10 people believe dying at home will be possible for them and about half believe that patients have too little control over medical decisions at the end of life.

This is where hospice comes in. The increased use of hospice services makes home deaths easier to accomplish and gives the patient complete autonomy over medical decisions.

(Hospice) is about taking the last six monthsand making your life comfortable and making it count, said Mark White, Montana hospice administrator for Compassus. And for the first time the patient and family get the opportunity to be driving that.

In the Compassus office, talking about death and dying doesnt hold the same taboo as it does in most other pockets of society. Their motto revolves around the fact that everyone dies, so we might as well be talking about it, said Diane Bushey, volunteer coordinator at the Billings location.

When the word hospice is uttered, thoughts of a death sentence proceeded by a morphine induced delirium flit through the mind. But hospice is much more than that, according to White.

About 40 years ago, hospice was introduced into Medicare, and by 2019 just over half of Medicare beneficiaries received hospice and were enrolled in hospice at the time of their death.

When a patient is enrolled, nurses, aids, physicians, social workers, a chaplain, drugs and equipment are moved into the home. While medical professionals arent stationed in the home at all times, someone is available for some emergency situations, reducing the need for emergency department visits, White said.

Theres bereavement support for families, spiritual support, grief counseling and respite care. Compassus even has a massage therapist on staff. As every other medical facility struggles through a workforce shortage, the hospice department at Compassus is fully staffed and has 24 volunteers.

But there are some deaths more befitting for the home than others. Patients with cancer have the greatest odds of dying at home while patients with respiratory diseases are most likely to die in the hospital, in part due to the high level of resources needed to keep them comfortable.

Those with dementia are most likely to die in a nursing facility where trained clinicians help with emotionally and physically burdensome care that would otherwise fall on an unpaid family caregiver, according to Dr. Melissa Wachterman in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In some instances, end-of-life care means medications need to be adjusted quickly and changes in the patient must be addressed in a timely manner.

To an extent, the cultural shift toward dying at home has been influenced by hospitals and insurance companies, according to Wachterman. By deferring expensive end-of-life care to the home, costs are transferred to the unpaid family members acting as caregivers.

But for White, his personal experiences with death and dying is what drives him to advocate for hospice when appropriate.

Whites father had pancreatic cancer and passed when White was 19. As the medical director at the hospital in their Wyoming hometown, his father had access to medical equipment and supplies that were delivered to their home. His best friend was an Episcopal Bishop and provided spiritual support from the head of his bed while his family sat around him.

He was surrounded by people who were currently or going to be in the hospice delivery systemI didnt know it at the time, but I watched an amazing death, White said. And then my mom died about 27 years later, and I saw the exact opposite.

Whites mother died in the intensive care unit while ventilated and surrounded by monitors. She had congestive heart failure and COPD.

One of the things I remember after my mom died was that after we left the hospitalwe literally walked out and its done. Its over. We left the four walls of the hospital and that was it, White said, adding that there was no one to help him or his siblings through the grief.

In some rare cases, patients are discharged from hospice when suddenly their condition improves with pain management or their stress level decreases when theyve reconciled with family.

(People) just think everybody is drugged and, you know, its not like that, Harsha, the volunteer, said. Harsha spent three years working with a single patient, and during that time they grew very close.

The patient kept peacocks and had Harshas grandkids over to collect feathers. Eventually, they realized that they had known each other in high school through cheerleading when they rode on a float together at a parade.

Its the people, more than anything that keeps Harsha coming back every year to support people through the transition.

Ive met so many neat people. Everybody has a storythey need someone to hear about their life, Harsha said. I think they feel like theyre losing it and they need someone to acknowledge that they had a good life. Its an honor that I get to do that.

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The 2020 election remains on the minds of many Republican voters, the GOP candidates for Montanas western congressional district said in recent interviews, with varying levels of acceptance of the results and buy-in to voter fraud theories.

Former President Donald Trumps claims of widespread voter fraud that resulted in his loss to President Joe Biden have been repeatedly rejected or disproven by federal judges, state election officials and media investigations. Still, support for the former presidents assertions of a stolen election remain strong among many Republicans.

Some of the debunked claims were voiced by some candidates running in Montanas western U.S. House district. Others raised concerns that changes to voting methods and big tech influences unfairly shaped the election. Concerns were also raised over potential federal legislation that could override election changes made in Republican-led states since the election.

Candidates Al Olszewski, Mary Todd, Mitch Heuer and Matt Jette were asked about the election at a Kalispell candidate forum last month.

Former Congressman and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke did not attend the Kalispell forum  his campaign says due to a scheduling conflict  but has been asked about the election. In a January radio interview on KGVO, he accused big-tech companies of censorship and manipulation that skewed the information people could see and translated into votes. He also raised similar issues with temporary state changes to voting processes because of the pandemic.

They changed how votes were done, mail-out votes, etcetera, etcetera, Zinke said. Then you have the cheating. I think the focus just on the cheating part undervalues the bias in the media, (Facebook CEO Mark) Zuckerberg effect, the COVID effect, and it was well-planned and organized.

Zinke also said he does not believe the events of Jan. 6 rose to the level of an insurrection.

As a former Navy SEAL and Ive been in a lot of countries during civil war, that was not an insurrection, he said. (It was) riotous, illegal, a lot of things wrong with it and severely wrong with it. It fell short in my judgment as an insurrection.

In the Kalispell forum, Heuer said he was unsure where there was fraud or not in the election based on the information available, adding he did not trust fake news media.

My thing on election security is that Im going to have to remain optimistic that the system we have in place is accurate, he said. I just dont have good information either way. I just have to have faith that its a good system.

Jette believes no fraud occurred in the election and criticized the perpetuation of fraud as an election issue, believing it distracts from pressing issues.

If you want to work across the aisle then you have to stop with the purity tests in the primary elections, he said at a forum sponsored by Republicans at Montana State University. The longer we spend on fraudulent elections, the more we spend on conspiracy theories of vaccines, the less time we have to find common ground, to work across the aisle and find solutions.

In an interview, Jette said he believed there is an ineptness in voting.

People have a right to vote and the bar is very low to vote, but we dont vote well, he said. So if you hate Trump or you hate Biden or you hate Zinke or you hate anyone else, you can actually do better. So I think Im fighting against that.

Both Olszewski, a former state lawmaker, and Todd, a church leader, stated support for voter fraud theories.

Do I think the election was stolen? Absolutely, I think we have the proof, Todd told the crowd.  Yes I think this election was stolen and who in their right mind would allow a baby to be stolen and not try to get it back.

In an interview Todd raised several election conspiracy theories, saying that voting algorithms raised suspicions with patterns initially showing votes going in one direction before shifting. She raised potential issues with voting machines and parts manufactured in China, and irregularities occurring during a pipe burst, an apparent reference to a delay in Georgia due to a leaky pipe.

Todd later provided a link to an article ahead of the release of 2,000 Mules, a film from commentator and filmmaker Dinesh DSouza targeting third-party ballot delivery, as additional evidence of voter fraud. The group True the Vote obtained cellphone geolocation data and public record surveillance video to identify 2,000 individuals, which they call mules, to allege potentially hundreds of thousands of ballots in five swing states were dropped off nefariously  more than enough to swing the election back to Trump. Mules are identified as approaching 10 or more election drop boxes and pro-Biden nonprofits.

Todd said she had not seen the film, but wrote in an email, "I have seen enough irrefutable evidence that both side of the aisle should be highly concerned about the integrity of our voting process," providing additional links to videos alleging computer-related voter fraud.

An Associated Press fact check of the film took a dim view of the conclusions in "2,000 Mules," saying it uses a flawed analysis of cellphone location data and drop box surveillance footage. Fact checkers noted that the type of data used is not precise enough to determine if someone is in a general area or at a drop box. Also, in many states third-party ballot delivery is legal or legal in certain circumstances, such as for family members.

On the issue of election integrity and potential fraud, Olszewski described watching a video of votes being pulled from a suitcase and repeatedly counted, an apparent reference to a widely-shared but later debunked video from Georgia. A USA Today fact check states the video lacks proper context and state election officials found no wrongdoing.

In an interview, Olszewski raised the issue of changes to election rules in some states ahead of the 2020 election. He believes that changes made by governors and upheld by judges such as expanded mail-in voting overstepped authority.

Determining how elections are run, auditing elections, that constitutional protection belongs to state legislators, he said. It doesnt belong to the governor, it doesnt belong to judges. What we watched through the pandemic is that authority was trampled on by governors and judges who said, Oh we have to do this because of a pandemic. It was unconstitutional what they did.

In addressing the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Olszewski in the Kalispell forum condemned those who entered the building and rioted, but said the majority who attended acted peacefully. The incident is being weaponized by Democrats against Trump and the Freedom Caucus, he said.

Tom Kuglin is the deputy editor for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau. His coverage focuses on outdoors, recreation and natural resources.

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An Arizona man charged with murder in the July 2021 death of a Watford City man has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Carlos Mendivil-Beltran, 29, also known as Oscar Ortiz, will be sentenced July 18. His murder trial was to begin Monday, but he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on April 19. A judge has ordered a presentence investigation, court records show. Mendivil-Beltran could have faced life in prison without parole if convicted of murder; he'll face up to 10 years behind bars on the manslaughter charge.

Mendivil-Beltran also pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief for damage to the dead man's pickup. The charge carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison. That charge was filed in December, a day before theft and theft conspiracy charges were dismissed, court records show.

Attorneys in the case did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information.

Mendivil-Beltran was arrested in connection with the July 25 death of Brian Rowe, 43. Police said Mendivil-Beltran, Rowe, and Jessica Saueressig, 28, of Cascade, Wisconsin, were traveling on 114th Avenue Northwest in Dunn County in Rowes pickup when an altercation started between Mendivil-Beltran and Rowe. Mendivil-Beltran shot Rowe several times, pushed him out of the vehicle and left him in the roadway, according to an affidavit.

The nature of the alleged altercation and the relationship of the three people are unclear.

Mendivil-Beltran later allegedly crashed the pickup into a ravine, where he and Saueressig abandoned it. The two were arrested in Moorhead, Minnesota, a few days after the July incident. Moorhead police used a K-9 and a city Fire Department drone in their search for the two. Mendivil-Beltran was arrested without incident when police found him under the stairwell of an apartment building in the 500 block of 32nd Avenue South in Moorhead. A handgun was found in the area, police said.

Saueressig in April pleaded guilty to a felony charge of hindering law enforcement. She was sentenced to three years on probation, and agreed to cooperate with prosecution and testify truthfully at Mendivil-Beltrans trial, according to court documents.

Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com

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A Mandan man accused of stealing drugs from a Glen Ullin pharmacy has pleaded not guilty to several felony charges.

Maurice Delage, 31, is charged with felony theft, burglary, criminal mischief, tampering with evidence and drug possession, court records show. The most serious charge carries a possible 10-year prison sentence.

Delage entered the pleas at a Tuesday court appearance. A two-day trial is set to start June 28.

Delage and Jordan Ward, 29, of Dickinson, were identified as suspects in the September incident through video surveillance, police said. The pharmacy lost narcotic pills, pain patches and overdose medication valued at just more than $12,000. The drugs could have a street value of $160,000, police said. The pharmacy also suffered about $3,500 in damage to windows, doors and security systems.

Authorities in January issued an arrest warrant for Ward on charges of theft, burglary and criminal mischief, according to court records.

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The city of Bismarck is reminding residents about sign rules as the election and garage sale seasons get underway.

Political candidate signs are not allowed on the boulevard, utility poles or anything that is standing on the area between the sidewalk and street. Any signs in those areas are subject to be removed by city employees. More information is at www.bismarcknd.gov/1517/Political-Signs.

Rummage sale signs can be placed on private yards but not on public property. That eliminates boulevards, boulevard trees, stop signs, light poles, fire hydrants and traffic signals. It's also illegal to place handbills on vehicles

For more information, go to www.bismarcknd.gov.

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A donation-funded state office aimed at combating addiction will have a new leader next month.

Gov. Doug Burgum in 2018 created the Office of Recovery Reinvented to "promote strategic and innovative efforts to eliminate the shame and stigma associated with the disease of addiction." The office is not an official state agency and receives no state funding, but it is related to first lady Kathryn Burgum's cause of recovery from addiction.

Burgum recently appointed Jonathan Holth to be the office's next managing director at an annual salary of $100,000 covered by donations. Holth is a Grand Forks restaurant owner and community and client development manager for JLG Architects.

Managing Director Jenny Olson departs Friday "to pursue a new opportunity in the private sector," first lady's spokesman Joey Ness said.

Holth takes over the remote work position on June 6. The managing director is the office's sole employee.

Holth is eligible for state health insurance but has waived it, Ness said.

The first lady, who chairs the office's seven-member advisory council, praised Holth as "a respected community builder, person in long-term recovery, and a past Recovery Reinvented speaker." Recovery Reinvented is an annual, daylong event of addiction recovery speakers and awards led by the first lady and funded by the state Department of Human Services' Behavioral Health Division.

The Office of Recovery Reinvented received $250,700 in donations in the state's 2019-21 budget cycle. The office has received $110,000 in donations so far in the 2021-23 period. All the donations were from the Fargo-based Dakota Medical Foundation.

The office has coordinated competitions, awarded grants and conducted surveys as part of its initiative to beat addiction.

It is up to future governors whether to continue the office.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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My gas gauge is broken. The red icon on my dashboard keeps flashing LOW FUEL and dings incessantly, even after Ive filled the tank. Im going to get it fixed, I have to. Im not great at keeping track of miles traveled and gas guzzled, so I especially rely on that gauge to work. I think itd be nice to have a fuel gauge for myself. Something to keep track of how much energy Ive spent and how little I have in reserve.

Generally, I keep this article as a little appetizer. A snippet of my life served on a slice of wry. No manifestos -- word counts and attention spans simply dont allow it. But this week, my LOW FUEL light keeps blinking and telling me that things are dire. So youre getting the whole reuben sandwich -- heavy on the rue and a side of manifesto fries.

The Buick and I, were running on fumes. Ever since the Supreme Court draft opinion leaked about the courts likelihood of ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, I havent had much rest. Like my Rendezvous navigating around the potholes on Rosser, Roe v. Wade has been on shaky ground. And every piece of legislation that chips away at a citizens right to privacy when it comes to personal medical decisions puts the entire population at risk. You swerve to avoid one pothole, just to get sucked into another one.

Enough with the metaphors. I dont have the time to go into the intricacies of the Supreme Courts misogynistic approach to controlling American citizens: the slippery slope of all this; the dangers of allowing religious perspectives to infiltrate and dominate the courts decisions; how this decision means todays generations will have fewer rights than our predecessors; and the hypocrisy of banning abortion while we face baby formula and child care shortages, and families struggle to stay afloat amidst the lack of paid family leave, student debt, and the increasing cost of living. Not to mention, the majority of Americans believe that the right to abortion should be protected. In North Dakota, 64% of the population rejected the so-called Personhood Amendment in 2014.

Im not looking to change minds with this article. Im not going to share any of my lived experiences or the stories of sexual assault, the use of emergency contraception, and abortion stories of the women I know. Weve been sharing with each other. You know someone who has a story. We all do. Those stories belong to their tellers, and you shouldnt need someone elses situation to convince you that removing access to bodily autonomy is horrific. Im ashamed of the majority of North Dakotas elected leaders and their glee in using government power to punish private citizens until we fit their purity culture standard.

I am hoping to help those who are ready to take action. If youd like to get organized and help protect (and build better) protections for abortion, birth control, sex education and medical privacy, seek out the North Dakota Womens Network and Planned Parenthood North Dakota Advocate on social media or through volunteers with those organizations (like me!). On Saturday, May 14, Reproductive Rights rallies will take place across the state. Id like to see you there. For many of us, it feels like the low fuel light is working overtime and a total breakdown is on the horizon. So, I guess we abandon the creaky vehicle that refuses to carry us and we take to the streets.

Kayla Schmidt is a freelance writer and creative collaborator with The Good Kids. She's a North Dakota boomerang: originally from Minot, she took a detour to study in England before settling in Bismarck.

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Changes to election procedures approved by the 2021 Legislature likely wont have a major impact on the June primary. Bills passed by legislators mainly clarified and updated the laws.

The lack of major changes along with there being no measures on the primary ballot or any high profile statewide races means voter turnout could be lackluster. Primaries tend to draw far fewer voters than the general election.

However, a good number of legislative races, especially among Republicans, could lure voters to the polls. Theres also a lot of interest in school board races across the country. North Dakotans elect school boards in June, and in cities such as Bismarck there are competitive contests.

Municipal elections also are final in June, but in county races the top vote-getters advance to November.

State legislators should be commended for taking a thoughtful approach to election reform while rejecting measures driven by the false narrative of election fraud.

In parts of the country, mail-in balloting and early voting has come under attack. In North Dakota, legislators approved provisions for matching absentee ballot application signatures. Voting by mail has been increasing the last six years. The pandemic played a role in increasing mail-in voting in 2020.

Early voting before the November general election increased from 38% in 2016 to 48% in 2018 to 75% in 2020. Voters have discovered how easy it is to vote by mail, while others like to personally cast their ballots at early voting locations.

Legislators apparently realized the popularity and safety of voting by mail by rejecting a measure that would have limited who could have voted absentee.

Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum told Tribune reporter Jack Dura that the Secretary of States Office gets daily questions about the integrity of elections. He calls that unfortunate, urging people not to sow distrust in elections, but to get involved in elections and see how they are well run.

The fact that Republicans dominate the states politics at the moment takes the edge off some of the criticism. Its difficult to argue that elections are riddled with fraud when one party consistently wins by big margins. There are some more-conservative Republicans who have taken up the election fraud cause while attacking more-established Republican officeholders.

Still, theres been no evidence of fraud other than a few isolated cases.

Longtime Secretary of State Al Jaeger and his office can be criticized for not modernizing earlier, but they cant be faulted for how they have run elections. Elections have been fair and usually smoothly done.

As long as legislators fine-tune elections to make it easier for everyone to vote, the better off we will be.

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Adrian Vermeules Common Good Constitutionalism represents his version of the lefts living Constitution. Few people will embrace his self-serving theory, which is tailor-made to accommodate both his beloved administrative state and integralist moral philosophya peculiar combination. []

The term constitutional law is in large part a misnomer. This is rarely discussed within the guild of the legal profession and heretical in the increasingly woke precincts of the legal academy, where the field of constitutional theory is a cottage industry. The late Lino Graglia, a law professor at the University of Texas for over 50 years, was fond of pointing out that constitutional law has very little to do with the Constitution. Beginning in the 1960s, most consequential Supreme Court decisions parsed a couple of clauses of the 14th Amendment dealing with due process and equal protection, if they cited the text of the Constitution at all.

The 14th Amendmenta Reconstruction-era provision added to the Constitution in 1868 to confer basic rights on the newly freed slaveshas been interpreted to protect abortion rights, same-sex marriage, welfare rights, LGBT rights, pornography, flag burning, procedural rights for criminal defendants, and much more. This is the unfortunate state of constitutional law today. The status quo has drawn criticism from both left and right. Into this fray, Adrian Vermeule wades in his new book, Common Good Constitutionalism (2022), an ersatz hybrid of progressive and pseudo-conservative sentiment.

Vermeule teaches law at Harvard, one of the nations most elite universities. He specializes in administrative lawa Progressive Era innovation that some critics contend violates the Constitutions separation of powersand constitutional theory. Constitutional theory often has even less to do with the Constitution than constitutional law. Oddly, for a subject taught in law schools, the field is dominated by moral philosophers, exemplified by John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin. The attraction of constitutional theory, from the legal scholars standpoint, is that the canvas is blank, the inquiry is unhindered by text or history, and the only limits are the scholars ambition and ingenuity. Vermeule, who holds an endowed chair at Harvard Law School, exudes plenty of both.

Each theorist has his own personal preferences, and Vermeule is no exception. He is an ardent devotee of the administrative state (having co-written a bold defense of it in 2020s Law & Leviathan) and a recent convert to Catholicism, which coincides with his turn toward what some observers call integralism, a movement that seeks to subordinate temporal power to spiritual poweror, more specifically, the modern state to the Catholic Church. Vermeules embrace of integralism aligns him with so-called post-liberals led by Patrick Deneen on the Catholic right, as well as some quirky proponents of natural law jurisprudence. (Deneen enthusiastically blurbed Vermeules book.)

In the 1970s, the nascent field of constitutional theory was dominated by liberal law professors seeking to provide cover for the activist decisions of the Supreme Court during the 1960s under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl Warren (which, unfortunately, continued under his successor, Warren Burger). The lefts defense of extra-constitutional rights was termed advocacy of a living Constitution, suggesting that the document is (or ought to be) malleable enough to be putty in the hands of liberal judges. Decades later, libertarian and even conservative scholars got into the act, hoping to inspire judicial activism in a different direction. More on that later.

Vermeules provocative book has attracted a good deal of attention. Common Good Constitutionalism is heralded in some quarters (and denounced in others) as an avant garde critique of originalismthe notion, popularized by Justice Antonin Scalia in the 1980s, that judges should interpret the Constitution in accordance with its original public meaningthat is, what the document was understood to mean at the time it was enacted. Instead, Vermeule offers an alternative model of government: Elected officials and bureaucrats should act based on their own sense of what would best promote the common good rather than being constrained by the text of the Constitution. Vermeule defines common good as the flourishing of a well-ordered political community, with the goal of achieving peace, justice, and abundance (which includes economic security). This sounds like New Age utopianism, the realization of which requires centralized power and invites the exercise of broad subjective discretionprecisely the opposite of what the Framers intended.

What was the Framers design? The Constitution enumerates the limited powers conferred on the national (or federal) government, which are carefully divided among three branches: the legislative (Congress), executive (president), and judicial. The Framers contemplated that dividing the national government into three branches would provide essential checks and balances to prevent the accumulation and abuse of power. Each branch had a defined and complementary role, with Congress making law, the executive enforcing law, and the judiciary interpreting law.

Under our dual systemfederalismstates retain all powers not expressly delegated to the national government, as stated in the 10th Amendment. At both the state and federal levels, most important policy decisions are made by the politically accountable legislative branch. We the people can, in this fashion, exercise the necessary consent of the governed to enjoy representative self-government while maintaining our precious liberty.

The Founders Constitution has a fixed meaning that can be changed only by formal amendment. Since the New Deal, and especially following the Warren Court judicial revolution of the 1960s, however, radical changes in constitutional law have been wrought by judicial fiat. The locus of power has shifted decisively to the national government, vast authority has been concentrated in an alphabet soup of (unelected) federal administrative agencies that exercise quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial power, and federal courts have assumed a policymaking role far exceeding Alexander Hamiltons assurance in Federalist 78 that the judiciary will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution.

This is our modern dilemma. In the 1970s, the Supreme Courts marked and continuing departure from its properly limited role prompted conservative scholars such as Robert Bork to advocate judicial restraint and a jurisprudence that focused on the intent of the Framers rather than the predilections of a transitory five-person majority of the unelected, life-tenured Supreme Court. This movement spawned the now-influential Federalist Society (founded in 1982) and evolved into the philosophy of originalism that has become at least theoretically dominant in center-right legal circles today. To the frustration of many conservatives, however, despite the triumph of originalism and a majority of Republican-appointed justices currently serving on the Supreme Court, we have not seen a major shift in the Courts decisions.

If anything, things have gotten worse under Chief Justice John Roberts, a Bush 43 appointee. Many conservatives abhor Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which recognized a right to same-sex marriage. Bostock v. Clayton County, a 2020 decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, is another activist abomination. There, the Court construed Title VIIs prohibition of discrimination based on sex to include, in addition to biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and transgender status. Impatient conservatives want to see changes in the Courts jurisprudence and some blame originalism for being ineffectual. The disaffection is not limited to conservatives. Some libertarians want to resurrect economic liberties that FDRs Court interred in the 1930s and argue for heightened judicial scrutiny of legislative enactmentswhat proponents call judicial engagement. Proponents of natural law jurisprudence, such as Amherst College professor Hadley Arkes and West Coast Straussians, urge judges to divine unwritten principles of morality derived from the Declaration of Independence and superimpose them on the polity.

Vermeules jargon-laden critique, incorrectly perceived as coming from the right, has attracted attention for its man-bites-dog novelty. Vermeule aims to discredit originalism altogether and replace it with his bespoke legal order. The moral framework of Vermeules integralism (summarized in a 2020 essay he wrote for The Atlantic, entitled Beyond Originalism) is hostile to the libertarian bent of the Supreme Courts current jurisprudence on free speech, abortion, sexual liberties, and related matters.

Despite charges that Vermeule advocates a kind of reactionary substantive due process, he is not conservative in any meaningful sense. He represents an odd hybrid of conventional progressivism (support of federal power, administrative agencies, economic regulation, labor unions, and environmental protection) and traditional morality typically associated with social conservatives (opposition to abortion, LGBTQ rights, same-sex marriage, pornography, etc.). Coincidentally, his constitutional theory mirrors those views. As Robert Bork wrote in 1982, the judge who looks outside the Constitution always looks inside himself and nowhere else. The same is true for constitutional theorists.

Claiming to revive what he calls the classical legal tradition, Vermeule exhibits considerable erudition regarding Dworkinian moral philosophy, Roman law, Thomistic political thought, natural law, and the abstruse literature of constitutional theory. Judged in terms of ambition and ingenuity, Vermeule earns high marks. Alas, he fails to persuade that these concepts have any relevance to the Constitution as written. Brimming with Latin phrases, and punctuated with jarring citations to figures wholly unrelated to the American Founding (i.e., Giovanni Botero, Carl Schmitt, Johannes Messner, St. John Henry Newman), his self-referential book not only disregards the Founders Constitution but stands our constitutional democracy on its head. In a mere 184 pages of text, without a single reference to James Madison, and nary a mention of the Federalist Papers, Vermeule purports to erase and rewrite the Founding. This is pure hubris.

Under Vermeules small-c constitution, liberty is a teleological concept subordinate to the common good; democracy (placed in scare quotes), too, yields to the common good; the national government exercises plenary power; federalism and the sovereignty of the states are dismissed as so-called concepts useless in the technocratic Leviathan; centralized government power (the strength of a giant), instead of something to be feared, is viewed as essential to do what is necessary for the common good; originalism as a theory is an illusion; and the unconstrained administrative state (complete with Chevron deference) serves as a modern translation of the classical triptych of goods (peace, justice, and abundance). Vermeules authoritarian conception of the common good includes vaccine mandates.

If you liked the federal governments COVID response, youll love Vermeules regime of common good constitutionalism.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and his autocratic colleagues in the Deep State will find the progressive aspects of Vermeules theory quite congenialWoodrow Wilson on steroidsbut will be horrified by the integralist-inspired rejection of abortion rights, same-sex marriage, constitutional protections for gay rights, and First Amendment coverage for obscenity and pornography. Vermeule even suggests that, in the name of the common good, blasphemy could be criminalized. All this is anathema to the left. Conversely, Vermeule will win few converts on the right by demonizing Robert Bork and rhapsodizing about the wonders of the administrative state.

Vermeules results-oriented theory is ultimately a vanity projectan absurd melange of disparate concepts that will appeal to a very small audience: disgruntled religious moralists willing to jettison originalism as a trade-off for the Court overruling Obergefell and Roe v. Wade. If only. Abstract theories do not decide cases or dictate particular results. Judges rule in accordance with the prevailing zeitgeist, which in the legal academy and the larger legal culture is lopsidedly leftist. If Vermeules theory succeeds in undermining the force of originalism, the left will benefit, not the integralist right.

Judges are tethered by text, precedent, and well-established norms of interpretation. Academic scholarship can and does influence what passes as the mainstream in constitutional jurisprudencethe Overton Window, as it is sometimes called in other contexts. Originalism, although far from perfect (and never self-executing), limits the exercise of judicial discretion to some extent. Originalist judges have to offer a plausible textual basis for their decisions. Vermeules open-ended theory, in contrast, would relieve judges of any such constraint, empowering leftist jurists and unelected bureaucrats to dress their personal predilections up as the common gooda wholly subjective inquiry.

Stripped of its historicist supineness, tendentious scholarship, and political utopianism, Vermeules radiant vision of unconstrained government power is a misguided prescription for tyranny. The Founders would be appalled.
Russian oligarchs keep dying under mysterious circumstances and no one knows why. Many of held high positions in the energy sector. Some were poisoned, some were defenestrated, some were shot or hanged, and others have simply vanished. It's almost as if someone wanted them dead, but who?

The latest oligarch to say dasvidaniya to this vale of tears is oil tycoon Alexander Subbotin. He was found dead in his shaman's basement in the industrial city of Mytishchi near Moscow. According to The Independent, Subbotin went to receive a dose of toad venom to cure a nasty hangover.

Subbotin visited the shaman, Magua, and his wife at their home, the Telegram channel Mash claims, to treat a hangover using toad venom. "They made an incision on the skin, dripped toad poison there  and after vomiting the patient allegedly got better," the channel said. Mash also claims that Subbotin knew the couple for a long time and had regularly used their services.

But then things seem to have taken a turn for the worse, according to Newsweek:

The billionaire allegedly went to the shaman's home "in a state of severe alcoholic and drug intoxication the day before" his death, a source told TASS. His body was discovered in a room of the basement reportedly used for "Jamaican voodoo rituals." Local news outlets reported that Subbotin went to the shaman in search of a hangover cure, which allegedly involved toad poison. However, these claims have not been confirmed by law enforcement, and other details of what happened to cause his death remained unknown as of Monday afternoon.

While the cause of Subbotin's death remains unclear, one thing is certain: if you have been considering becoming a Russian oligarch in the energy sectorr, you might want to rethink your career choice.
Bruce Lee was my first hero. I saw Enter the Dragon for the first time when I was either five or six, and I immediately became enthralled with Lee's thrilling physical abilities. I didn't think there was anything or anyone that could beat him. Sadly, right after riding the wave of elation that the film had induced, my dad told me that Bruce Lee was dead. Although I was crestfallen after the revelation, I assumed that Lee had at least left behind an immense catalog of flicks to his name, but I soon discovered that wasn't the case.

I often wonder what Hollywood would've looked like had Lee lived to at least see the 1990s. Would he have played Morpheus in The Matrix? When would he have played a villain? Or, even more pertinent, how would the film industry regard Asian Americans today if Lee had been around to help dispel people's racism and xenophobia further?

On this day in 1973, Bruce Lee collapsed while working on what would be his follow-up to Enter the Dragon in Game of Death. It's important to realize that Enter the Dragon, the film that turned Lee into a household name in the West, was still a few months away from release at the time. Although many conspiracy theories about Lee's death persist, the official cause was listed as cerebral edema- a swelling of the brain caused by an allergic reaction to penicillin. Since it's also Asian American and Pacific American Islander heritage month, I thought it'd be cool to show Lee some love.
Just a year after a Canadian politician was caught peeing during a virtual work meeting (the same William Amos who was caught naked a month earlier during a Zoom meeting), another MP was caught attending a parliamentary meeting from the potty. Fortunately his phone camera, which was propped up on a ledge behind the toilet, didn't lay bare what, exactly, he was doing in the stall. Now Shafqat Ali, down in the dumps after other members of Parliament exposed his location, is apologizing, calling it an "unfortunate event."

"I take this matter extremely seriously, and I promise never to repeat this error again," the gentleman said.

From The Guardian:
BOOK EIGHT in the Canadian Battle Series.

On to Victory is the little-told story of the tense final days of World War II, remembered in the Netherlands as "the sweetest of springs," which saw the country's liberation from German occupation. The Liberation Campaign, a series of fierce, desperate battles during the last three months of the war, was bittersweet. A nation's freedom was won and the war concluded, but these final hostilities cost Canada 6,298 casualties, including 1,482 dead. With his trademark "you are there" style that draws upon official records, veteran memories, and a keen understanding of the combat experience, Mark Zuehlke brings to life this concluding chapter in the story of Canada in World War II.

Published to coincide with the 65th anniversary of Canada's dramatic liberation of Holland. May 4, 2010, will mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the fighting for Canada's army and the conclusion of the Netherlands' liberation. Major events of remembrance, both here and in the Netherlands, will celebrate this milestone.
BryLin closing outpatient clinics. What happens next?

It certainly wasn't the kind of news you expect to hear  not when we've all read about the increased need for mental health programs and substance use disorder treatments, needs that only worsened during the pandemic.

But there it was: BryLin Behavioral Health System was closing its outpatient mental health programs for children, adolescents and adults, as well as its outpatient addiction clinic for adolescents and adults, located in neighboring suites in an Amherst office building.

"We made a difficult decision," said President and CEO Eric Pleskow, who owns BryLin. "We are now going to refocus on what we do best, which is providing quality inpatient behavioral health care to the Western New York community for 67 years."

Once the outpatient clinics close, BryLin's full attention will shift to its hospital on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.

Now what?

As the news broke May 3, BryLin said it was notifying the hundreds of people who receive care from the outpatient clinics, advising them to attend all remaining scheduled appointments as it worked to link them to other community providers.

BryLin said the outpatient clinics will not close until all patients have been placed with another provider.

"Unless and until that last patient is successfully transferred, the closure should not take place until then," said Cheryl Marino, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East's lead organizer for BryLin workers.

BryLin said the closure of the clinics will affect 35 employees.

The union represents 214 members at BryLin, including 21 affected employees at the outpatient clinics.

Marino said the union will be bargaining over the effects of the closure.

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What happened?

In a statement, Pleskow pointed to his for-profit company being at a funding disadvantage on the outpatient level. Marino confirmed that was her understanding, as well  that BryLin wasn't eligible for some forms of federal funding that nonprofits can access.

"We had to make this very difficult decision because we simply cannot keep up, on an outpatient basis, with the funding that other local nonprofit outpatient clinics receive because of our for-profit status," Pleskow said.

During the pandemic, BryLin's hospital revenue was increasingly covering the losses created by the outpatient clinics, which wasn't sustainable, said Mark Nowak, BryLin's marketing director.

Since BryLin is a private, for-profit enterprise, we have limited visibility into its numbers.

Some figures, though dated, are available via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In 2018, for instance, BryLin logged gross revenue of $37.5 million, including about $31 million in inpatient revenue and $6.5 million in outpatient revenue, according to CMS data.

However, BryLin only cleared $29,301 in profits on net patient revenue of $18.8 million that year. In 2017, it lost about $487,000 on service to patients.

It is not the first time in its history that BryLin has confronted financial hurdles.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2001, a year after its failed attempt to sell itself to a Maryland health care company.

The company formulated a reorganization plan in 2005, but didn't officially emerge from bankruptcy until 2013, the court docket shows.

Not long after that, BryLin Hospitals rebranded as BryLin Behavioral Health System and opened the outpatient mental health clinic  that it is now closing.

Can other providers step up?

No one was happy to hear about the closure of the outpatient clinics.

"This is terrible news," the Erie County Sheriff's Office tweeted, attributing the comment to Sheriff John C. Garcia. "We need more providers and resources to address these issues."

Others felt similarly.

The good news: Western New York has a pretty robust system of providers that should be able to absorb a couple hundred patients, said Dr. Michael R. Cummings, an associate medical director of Erie County Medical Center.

"I think well be able to absorb the loss of an outpatient system," he said. "But there's a lot of people who got really good care at BryLin, and they'll have to start over in a new place, and that's tough. It's too bad it's happening, but health finance is a little different world post-Covid right now, and I think there will be a lot of changes that are driven financially  because that's how the world works."

Could this happen again?

Behavioral health is a challenging business, noted Elizabeth Woike-Ganga, president and CEO of BestSelf Behavioral Health.

It is riddled with workforce and burnout issues and, traditionally, the rate of reimbursement for services hasn't been adequate.

What's helped BestSelf: It operates as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, a federal concept created to provide comprehensive, integrated behavioral health care and a status that opens the door to funding opportunities.

BestSelf, which has an annual budget of $91.4 million and serves more than 40,000 children and adults across Western New York, also has the size, scope and specialty to negotiate higher rates with commercial payers.

It can be difficult for smaller players.

"It's going to be more difficult for them to stay financially viable, so I think we'll continue to see this as we go along unless there are changes to the system," Woike-Ganga said. "I think we're going to see more partnerships, more consolidations."

In fact, on May 3  the same day the news about BryLin broke, BestSelf's board of directors announced it had received state approval for Renaissance Addiction Services Inc. to join BestSelf.

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

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THE LATEST

Catch up on news tied to Buffalo Niagara's economy:

The confrontation that led to a felony charge against Christopher H. Koch, CEO of New Era Cap Co., began Saturday night when his girlfriend's ex-husband pulled up and abruptly confronted Koch by Olivers Restaurant.

A federal complaint filed against Starbucks accuses the company of engaging in illegal workplace behavior toward employees of its Buffalo-area stores.

Mickey Rats Beach Club is planning to open for business again by Memorial Day, for what may be its final summer, as plans for its redevelopment are proceeding but have been delayed, while neighboring Captain Kidd's has already been demolished.

Dr. Todd E. Shatkin's $7.85 million project to create a dentistry college alongside his existing Amherst businesses is drawing criticism over the unusual structure of the relationship with Daemen College, and his bid for nearly $400,000 in sales tax breaks.

Dr. Jill Owens was named interim president of Upper Allegheny Health System, which includes Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center.

A $1.5 million donation to the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital from KeyBank and the First Niagara Foundation will further develop and sustain a program to address maternal health and racial equality in health care.

Amid a contract dispute with National Fuel Gas, IBEW Local 2154 representing the utility's workers in Southwest New York state and Northwest Pennsylvania is holding out the possibility of going on strike.

Katherine Conway-Turner, president of SUNY Buffalo State, discussed with The News the future of the school, the challenges ahead, and the needs of new students and how the school is addressing them.

Union Workers at a Starbucks store at Delaware and Chippewa held a one-day strike after the Starbucks interim CEO's comments about extending pay increases and enhanced benefits to workers at stores that are not organizing.

The Super Flea is back, and its coming to the Buffalo Outer Harbor for a four-month span on select weekend dates starting June 4, with at least 350 vendors selling their wares.

Roswell Park is planning to rehab a historic 1,300-square-foot house at 907 Michigan Ave. while constructing a significant modern addition to the south that will more than double its size.

In the largest deal in the firms nine-year history, Buffalo-based private equity firm Lorraine Capital acquired ICM Controls, a North Syracuse manufacturer of electronic controls.

Jericho Road Community Health Center has purchased a former assisted-living facility in Buffalo for $2.05 million, with plans to renovate the structure and use it to assist asylum seekers.

Niagara University received its largest gift in the universitys 166-year history as Jeff and Mary Helen Holzschuh gave their alma mater $10 million, earning their name on its business school.

Ellicott Development Co. is planning a mixed-use project of some type at a former KeyBank branch on the Elmwood Avenue property it recently purchased.

Moog Inc. has closed its Russian office and expects to lose a few million dollars in sales because of the war in Ukraine.

Buffalo Next reporters Jonathan D. Epstein, Jon Harris, Natalie Brophy, Janet Gramza and Mike Petro contributed to this roundup.

ICYMI

Four reads from Buffalo Next:

1. Tops Friendly Markets is making upgrades to many of its local stores: They're 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.

2. Costco will open its first Western New York store in what is considered one of the busiest shopping districts in the Buffalo Niagara region  the Niagara Falls Boulevard retail corridor. So, how will it fit?

3. Buffalo's angel investors all hope to hit it big, but that is not their primary motivation. They see investing in startups as their way of contributing to the region's economic resurgence.

4. Energy road map calls for sweeping changes for WNY homeowners: A new statewide energy plan being debated would gradually phase out the use of natural gas in homes and buildings, in favor of greater reliance on electricity.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Deputy Business Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435. Want to talk about health care? Reach Jon Harris at jharris@buffnews.com or 716-849-3482.

Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com.

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Buffalo biopharmaceutical company Athenex Inc. was busy slashing costs in the first quarter, part of a turnaround plan that involves pivoting its focus, trimming its expenses and strengthening its balance sheet.

"We are proud of the progress we have made since announcing our strategic pivot and remain committed to delivering on cutting operating expenses and executing on additional monetization of noncore assets," Athenex CEO Johnson Lau said Tuesday.

Notably, Athenex lowered its first-quarter operating expenses by 34%, compared with the year-ago period. And additional belt-tightening is underway.

That fits in with the pivot Athenex announced about two months ago. That plan includes focusing its research-and-development resources on developing cell therapy programs, cutting jobs and slashing costs to lower operating expenses by more than 50%, while selling off non-core assets.

The goal: Pay down debt and extend its cash runway into next year, helping to ensure a future for a homegrown company born as Kinex nearly two decades ago.

Big changes coming for Athenex: A new focus and major cuts to costs, workforce Athenex officials said late Wednesday that it will undergo a major shift to slash its expenses by 50% and focus on "promising cell therapy programs," while selling off "non-core" assets.

The company has not disclosed how many jobs have been or will be cut in Western New York. Athenex employs about 600 people worldwide, roughly one-third of whom are in Western New York.

In February, it completed the sale of its leasehold interest in a state-funded Dunkirk manufacturing plant to ImmunityBio for about $40 million, using about $27 million toward debt obligations.

While a turnaround will take time, company officials noted positive developments toward their goals during a conference call with analysts Tuesday morning.

For one, its first-quarter revenues from product sales totaled $29 million, up 42% from $20.4 million a year earlier.

The company attributed the jump to an increase in its Athenex Pharmaceutical Division's specialty product sales  the result of supply chain issues easing, launching a new injectable product that was in short supply in the market and a jump in sales for Covid-related products during the winter surge in cases, said Jeffrey Yordon, Athenex's chief operating officer and president of Athenex Pharmaceutical Division.

As a result, Athenex now expects products sales growth this year to be in the range of 20% to 25%, up from the prior guidance of 15% to 20%.

Athenex, however, still logged a loss in the quarter of $17.4 million, or 16 cents a share, but that was lower than the year-ago loss of $25.1 million.

In addition, Chief Financial Officer Joe Annoni said the company burned through less cash in the first quarter than in previous periods.

As of March 31, Athenex had $51.2 million in cash and short-term investments, down from about $62 million at the end of 2021.

After announcing first-quarter results, the market gave the company a bump: The company's stock closed at about 51 cents a share on Tuesday, up 9% from Monday. Athenex's share price has plummeted since February 2021, when it was trading above $12 a share until federal regulators dealt the company a major blow by raising questions about a late-stage clinical trial for a key breast cancer drug.

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByJonHarris.

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Douglas Jemal has already been spending a lot on redeveloping downtown Buffalo, but now he's taking another slice of the pie around the Mohawk Ramp.

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Jemal on Monday bought the three-story building housing JJ's Casa di Pizza Restaurant at 11 E. Mohawk St., as well as the adjacent vacant alleyway parking lot at 464 Washington St. that was previously converted into an outdoor patio.

Jemal paid $1.14 million for the two properties through Jemals Casa Pizza LLC, buying them from Jeff and Lori Jacobbi, the longtime owners of the restaurant, who recently retired and sold the business to their managers.

The 11,791-square-foot masonry building was built in 1922. The first floor was renovated into the restaurant in 2015, while the second floor is office space, and the third floor had a beauty salon and a law office.

More importantly, it's across the street from the 627-space Mohawk Ramp, down the street from the 1.8-acre former Simon Electric properties, and just north of the former Century Theater site at 513 Main St. and 486 Washington St., which is now a surface parking lot.

Jemal has already acquired or is buying all three of those property groups, as part of a large-scale redevelopment project for what he calls the Electric District, which will see more than 600 apartments and ground-floor retail space added to the area  including atop the ramp itself. That includes 200 units at the Mohawk Ramp and 400 on the Simon properties, with an uncertain number to come in a potential 10-story building on the Century Theater property.

He also owns the Statler, the Hyatt Regency Buffalo hotel, three properties across the street on Main Street, the Police Apartments, and the former Mahoney State Office Building, and frequently talks of building scale and critical mass of downtown residents to create a vibrant downtown.

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A federal complaint filed against Starbucks accuses the company of employee surveillance, intimidation and other illegal workplace behavior toward employees of its Buffalo-area stores.

The complaint, filed Friday by the National Labor Relations Board's regional director in Buffalo, builds on charges local Starbucks workers have filed against the company since Starbucks Workers United launched organizing campaigns last year. Starbucks has denied in engaging in anti-union or illegal activity.

The complaint calls for Starbucks to reinstate six fired employees and compensate them for lost pay.

In response, Starbucks said the lawsuit filed by NLRB regional director Linda Leslie "involves important issues."

"Starbucks does not agree that the claims have merit, and the complaints issuance does not constitute a finding by the NLRB," the company said. "It is the beginning of a litigation process that permits both sides to be heard and to present evidence."

Union campaigns have sprung up at Starbucks stores around the country. But the Buffalo area, where the organizing began, has been a focal point of Starbucks officials' attention. Among the accusations in the complaint:

 Some Starbucks officials promised employees enhanced benefits and improved terms and conditions of employment "if they refrained from union organizational activity." At the Williamsville Place store, a Starbucks official reportedly promised workers extensive store renovations and conversion to a drive-thru and mobile ordering store if they refrained from union activity.

Starbucks workers hold one-day strike at Delaware-Chippewa store The one-day strike was the latest clash between Starbucks Workers United and the Seattle-based coffee chain over an organizing movement that began in Buffalo and has spread to locations across the country.

 The company since last September "has been creating the impression" among employees that their activities were under surveillance by their employer. The reported surveillance includes stationing support managers at Buffalo-area stores and having high-ranking officials of the company  including Rossann Williams, the company's North American president  "make unprecedented and repeated visits to each store."

Employees at some stores have complained about having their conversations on headsets monitored, being "interrogated" about wearing a union pin and being restricted from posting union literature, the complaint said.

 Starbucks has enforced workplace rules "selectively and disparately by applying it more strictly against employees who formed, joined, or assisted the union."

 The company temporarily closed stores early to hold "anti-union meetings"  reducing workers' compensation on those days  and took away responsibility for hiring from store managers, giving those duties to "dedicated recruiters."

 Starbucks retaliated against individual employees by refusing to allow those employees to train new workers; denying or delaying requests for employees to transfer to other stores; "randomizing" employees' work shifts; and firing some employees.

Vote result at Cheektowaga Starbucks now unclear A disputed union election at a Starbucks store at at Walden Avenue and Anderson Road is now tied 10-10, after an objection was filed after Starbucks Workers United won a previous vote count 8-7.

 The company has held "mandatory or effectively mandatory captive-audience meetings" to discourage union activity, during which company representatives warned employees they would lose benefits or be denied new benefits if they joined a union.

Starbucks Workers United said the complaint backs up accusations that workers have been making for months.

"Starbucks will be held accountable for the union-busting minefield they forced workers to walk through in fighting for their right to organize," the union said. "This complaint fully unmasks Starbucks facade as a progressive company and exposes the truth of (interim CEO) Howard Schultzs anti-union war."

The complaint directs Starbucks to respond by May 20. A hearing before an administrative law judge of the NLRB is scheduled for July 11.

Matt Glynn

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A year ago, Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown proposed spending less on police.

But this year, Brown proposes to increase funding for police by more than $5 million.

Two years after the call to "defund the police" became a rallying cry at protests across the nation during the George Floyd protests starting in May 2020, Buffalo hasn't slashed police funding to redirect the savings to social programs and community services like other cities including Baltimore, Seattle and Portland, Ore.

Now, Buffalo, like many other cities across the country, is grappling with a spate of gun violence that skyrocketed during the pandemic.

Gunning for the guns: Police cracking down in Buffalo to reduce shootings They are going after the "trigger pullers and the gun traffickers," Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said.

The extra spending would enable police to respond more quickly when shootings occur, investigate cases more thoroughly, resolve them faster and deter violence in our neighborhoods, Brown said.

The proposed increase comes a year after the police budget was trimmed by $743,139  mainly by reductions in supplies and lower salaries of new police officers joining the force to replace higher paid retiring officers.

Overall, we are happy with this budget as it relates to public safety," said John Evans, president of the police union, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association. We are very encouraged to see the additional detectives. We would like to see more vehicles but will certainly welcome the 20 budgeted.

But some community leaders and organizations, while supportive of the city allocating more funds to address crime, say proper oversight is needed.

When you allocate resources to these departments, you really want to see what the end result is," said Niagara Common Council Majority Leader David Rivera, a retired Buffalo police officer. "You want to look at the stats. Have we made more arrests? Have we seized more weapons? Have we solved more homicides?

Its nice the city is saying they are allocating these funds, added Dominique Calhoun, co-chair of the Police Advisory Board, a nonprofit not affiliated with city government. What are the checks and balances to assure that the use of these funds are being used correctly?

The Police Advisory Board was formed by members of the Councils Police Advisory Board, which the Council dissolved because of internal fighting, including the resignation of five board members last February and the boards unwillingness to comply with the Council confirming new members. The Councils new advisory board has been revamped and renamed Community Police Advisory Committee.

Council dismantles Police Advisory Board, will create a new one Buffalo Common Council members have dissolved the Police Advisory Board because of internal fighting, including the resignation of five board members last month, and the boards unwillingness to comply with the Council confirming new members.

Browns proposed $568 million spending plan for 2022-23 recommends increasing police funding to $90.7 million, up by $5.4 million over this year's police budget.

The mayor's proposal calls for 20 new police vehicles costing $1 million, adding more detectives, expanding the departments Behavioral Health Team and acquiring technology like ShotSpotters.

Browns proposed spending plan must first be approved by the Common Council before going into effect July 1.

Among the main components:

ShotSpotters

The technology to detect where shots are fired in the city costs $364,000.

Pastor Timothy Newkirk of GYC Ministries, who founded Community Action Coalition of Western New York, said the technology would allow police, detectives and special units to nest in hot zones.

So often they have operations for those that are peddling drugs, but they dont have a lot of programs and operations in place to stop shootings, he said.

With 15 listening sensors per square mile, ShotSpotters registers the sound of gunfire and determines where it came from  all within a minute before alerting police. The sensors would be put in locations where data show a high number of shots fired, said Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, who asked for enough funding to cover 3 square miles.

As of mid-April, this year's rate of gun violence has slowed, with shootings down 34% compared to the same period last year as of April 13. However, the number of people shot in Buffalo remains higher than average, according to police data.

The technology is used in Oakland, Calif.; Pittsburgh; Greenville, N.C.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Miami among other cities.

We dont know what were missing, and we are going to find out what were missing with this technology, Gramaglia said.

The program will be up and running by summer, and the public will know where the sensors are located, Gramaglia said.

Thats part of helping to drive those numbers down is that if someone knows that theres a strong potential of getting the police there faster, maybe theyll think twice about firing a shot, he added.

Just in the recent past weve had a number of shootings, two in my district two days apart," Rivera said.

Detectives

The city would add 14 detectives to bring the total to 102.

Seven would come from within the current budgeted detectives and seven others would be new spending, Gramaglia said.

The salary line for detectives in the proposed budget would increase to about $9.3 million, about $1.1 million more than in the current budget.

Newkirk said families of victims can get left in the crevices because cases pile up.

I definitely support any time that we add more detectives to the city, he said. It increases awareness of unsolved homicides and unsolved crimes. One of the things that I run into  is not enough detectives on the case.

Rivera said he believes the city needs to increase the number of detectives to clear unsolved homicides. The clearance rate, he said, is too low.

We had almost 66 homicides," he said. "Weve only solved 13 this year. And last year we had almost 65 and we solved 35 homicides, so we really have to add more resources to investigations regarding homicides and perhaps other investigations as well."

Behavioral Health Team

Created in late 2020, the department's Behavioral Health Team pairs specially trained officers with mental health professionals. It has six officers and two lieutenants who work with three clinicians and a program supervisor from Endeavor Health Services, a local nonprofit that provides mental and behavioral health services.

The team regularly operates weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. but has been brought in on some weekends for a four-hour shift for Saturday or Sunday hours, said Buffalo Police Capt. Amber Beyer, who leads the team.

It has responded to more than 1,000 calls with no incident, said Brown, who included funding in his budget proposal to expand the teams hours of operation, members and resources.

Were going to expand the hours to at least about 10 or 11 at night, seven days a week, so we have funding to be able to do that, Beyer said. Were also adding a case manager position, money for training dollars  and equipment, another transport vehicle.

Expanding the team was one of the big asks from residents, advocates and people from the mental health community and Council members, Rivera said.

Calhoun, of the Police Advisory Board, is encouraged the mayor intends to expand the team, but the organizations members want more details.

We would like to know how long the hours the BHT are being expanded? What will happen during hours that the BHT is not in operation? Why cant officers who are not on this BHT be trained and deployed during the hours the BHT is not available? she said.

The organization earlier this year advocated for the team to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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A Buffalo man already serving 64 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a grandmother and her toddler grandson in 2018 outside of a home on Grape Street in Buffalo was sentenced Monday in Erie County Court for his conviction in another homicide from 2017, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said Kenyatta E. Austin, 29, received a determinate sentence of 20 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision in the March 19, 2017, fatal shooting of 24-year-old Luis Flores on East Ferry Street near Bissell Avenue on the city's East Side. Austin was sentenced as a second felony offender.

On March 9, Austin pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter in the killing of Flores. Austin's sentence for killing Flores will be served concurrently with his sentence in the murders of 54-year-old Yvette Johnson and her 17-month-old grandson, Kyrie Johnson, in the early morning hours of July 2, 2018.

Yvette Johnson's family had just celebrated her birthday at a picnic in Martin Luther King Jr. Park the night before, and were gathered outside her Grape Street home when several people opened fire. Johnson's brother, Darren Works, who was holding Kyrie, and Kyrie's father, Devery Johnson, were also wounded in the attack, but not fatally.

Kenyatta Austin gets 64 years to life in prison in Grape Street killings Yvette Johnson and her grandson, Kyrie  who was just shy of 17 months old  were both fatally wounded when several people opened fire outside Johnson's home.

The double homicide involving a baby and his grandmother sparked outrage across the city, prompting the mayor, police commissioner and other city leaders to take to the streets, handing out flyers in the neighborhood asking for witnesses to come forward.

Austin was eventually arrested on July 3, 2020, in Niagara Falls on a weapons charge, and ultimately was indicted on murder and assault charges in the quadruple shooting.

Both cases against Austin were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ashley M. Morgan of the Homicide Bureau.

District Attorney John J. Flynn commended retired Detective Sgt. William Cooley of the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Squad for his work in the investigation of fatal shooting of Flores.

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Buffalo attorney Wayne C. Felle said the jury found that a former Buffalo Police Department detective had manufactured a confession in the case against his client, Josue Ortiz, and used the false evidence to maliciously prosecute Ortiz, who was arrested, charged and ultimately convicted in the fatal shooting of brothers Nelson and Miguel Camacho in their West Side Buffalo apartment on Nov. 11, 2004.
WASHINGTON  The circus that is New York State politics grew another ring  where a special election will be fought  with the sudden and unexpected resignation Tuesday of Rep. Tom Reed, a Corning Republican.

Within an hour of Reed's announcement, Steuben County Republican Chairman Joe Sempolinski of Canisteo declared his candidacy for the special election in New York's 23rd District, which Reed represented for 12 years and which won't exist in its current form in January. Shortly thereafter, State Sen. George M. Borrello, a Sunset Bay Republican, contacted The Buffalo News to say that he, too, is interested in running in the special election.

And all this is happening after Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Utica-area Republican, announced plans to run in the Southern Tier district in November under a district map that later was invalidated by the New York courts. Tenney and her aides stayed silent Tuesday about whether she would want to run in the special election in the 23rd District.

Any of those candidates' plans could change when a court-appointed expert next week releases a new congressional map that reduces the number of House seats in the state from 27 to 26, as called for due to population shifts in the 2020 census. While some proposed district maps include a Southern Tier seat not unlike the one Reed resigned from, other proposals eliminate Reed's seat, dividing up its territory among other districts and potentially giving the district now served by Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, the counties in the western part of the Southern Tier.

So the bottom line is that voters in Reed's district will cast votes for Congress twice between July and November, with different district lines in the two elections.

Federal judge refuses to block August congressional primary A federal judge in New York on Wednesday refused to stand in the way of a proposal to move New York's congressional primaries to Aug. 23, rejecting the Democrats' plea that the primaries should be held as originally planned on June 28 along district lines that the state courts have ruled to be unconstitutional.

That's because the State Legislature recently passed legislation mandating a special election when a member of Congress resigns. Under that law, Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to call a special election, which must occur between 70 and 80 days after she does so. That would mean the special election is likely to take place in late July or early August.

The current 23rd District leans Republican, but both parties would field candidates in the special election. A weighted vote of the 11 county Republican chairs who have territory in the 23rd District will determine the nominee, with chairs from counties with more population getting more sway in the weighted vote.

Sempolinski said he's the logical person to step in for Reed, whom he long served as a staffer.

"I spent years as the district director for that district," he said. "If anybody can step in at a time when the incumbent's leaving and have the least amount of learning curve, the least amount of disruption to make sure that the people of this district are still served, I would be the logical person to do that."

But Borrello, whose Senate district includes about half the territory in the 23rd District, said he's "definitely interested" in filling Reed's seat, too. He said he will decide on whether to run for the seat after consulting with his family and political advisers.

"I think the people of the 23rd Congressional District need a strong representative who has, you know, lived here and owned a business here and currently owns a business here," Borrello said. "If there's ever a time when we needed someone who understands the trials and tribulations of small business, now is the time."

Republican sources said other potential candidates could surface before the county chairs meet to pick their candidate.

Max Della Pia, an Air Force veteran from Tioga County who previously declared his candidacy for the Southern Tier seat in November, will be the likely choice of Democratic Party chairs to run in the special election.

All of this results from the surprise announcement that Reed made on the House floor on Tuesday.

"After almost 12 years in Congress, today is my last day," he said. "It has been an honor to serve with you all from both parties. I love this institution as it still exemplifies what is best about our government: We are the peoples house. While I am proud that we put people before politics, there is much more to do. I am leaving to continue that work and hope to have a greater impact on our country."

Reed is the former GOP co-chair of the House Problem Solvers Caucus. A genial lawmaker well-liked by colleagues, Reed was seen as a potential candidate for governor this year until a former lobbyist told the Washington Post that he had touched her inappropriately in a Minneapolis bar in 2017.

Shortly after that story broke in March 2021, Reed announced he would not run for re-election. Long known for his plentiful town halls across his district, Reed recently appeared to hint at his coming departure with a "farewell tour" of such meetings.

In an interview, Reed said he resigned to take a job with Prime Policy Group, a bipartisan public policy group founded by longtime Republican lobbyist Charlie Black. He said he decided to resign now because that's when the opportunity presented itself, and because it's clear that Congress won't accomplish much in the coming months as attention turns to the November election.

"I'm going to be working on general political strategy, but I also made sure that this relationship allows me to be involved in political opportunities to support good men and women who are problem-solver-type members of Congress," Reed said.

In his farewell speech on the House floor, Reed made it clear he is concerned that too many members of Congress are too extreme to get things done.

"I believe the current focus on extremism demands us to heed the words of Abraham Lincoln uttered years ago as we face a similar threat to our existence today: 'A house divided cannot stand!' " Reed said. "But I add: 'A house united will not fail.' It is time for petty political posturing to end. Leadership must emerge and in God I trust. His divine protection will extend again if only we acknowledge and accept his love and the divine spark that exists in each of us as citizens of our great nation."

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LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP)  Firefighters in northern New Mexico worked Monday in rugged terrain ahead of a massive wildfire, feverishly trying to position crews to clear brush and stop the monster blaze from burning more homes in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

The wildfire has charred 308 square miles (798 square kilometers) of tinder-dry ponderosa forests, making it the largest blaze burning in the U.S. during what has been an early start to the fire season. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

Much of the Southwest has been in the grips of drought for decades and warmer temperatures have combined with spring winds to make for dangerous fire conditions.

Crews in Arizona were dealing with strong winds Monday as they battled a fire near the U.S.-Mexico border that forced several dozen people from their homes.

And another wildfire in northern New Mexico near the federal government's key facilities for nuclear research prompted Los Alamos National Laboratory and others in the area to begin preparing for evacuations, though officials stressed there was no immediate threat to the lab.

The fire has burned nearly 64 square miles (165 square kilometers).

Officials said some medically fragile residents and large animals already have been moved out of the area to lessen the traffic congestion should evacuations be ordered. They anticipated residents would have at least a day or two notice before being required to leave.

If the fire gets its fifth gear, it will be here sooner than we want it to be, said incident commander Rich Harvey. We're doing everything we can to check it.

Strong, gusty winds continued to blow across the region after fanning the fires for weeks and often grounding essential aircraft used to drop water or fire retardant ahead of the flames, complicating efforts to contain them. Wind will continue to be a factor this week, along with low humidity, but to varying degrees depending on the day.

Fire officials predicted part of the main New Mexico fire would push north into rugged terrain that is difficult for firefighters to access.

This isn't a surprise to us. All the models showed this probably was going to happen, said fire operations section chief Todd Abel, adding that crews have spent days working to protect ranch homes scattered thorough the area.

Nearly 1,700 firefighters were battling the blaze burning northeast of Santa Fe that was almost 50% contained. It has destroyed nearly 300 structures, including homes, commercial buildings and barns.

The region's largest population center  Las Vegas, New Mexico, home to 13,000 people  remained largely safe from the flames after some area residents were allowed to return over the weekend. Schools were expected to return to in-person classes on Tuesday.

Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BERLIN (AP)  The number of politically motivated crimes reported in Germany rose 23% last year compared to the year before, Germany's top security official said Tuesday.

The increase included a sharp rise in crimes that could not be assigned to the traditional categories of crimes motivated by right-wing or left-wing ideology, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

A significant proportion of these more diverse and diffuse offenses were committed in connection with coronavirus restrictions and Germany's 2021 federal election, Faeser told reporters in Berlin.

Overall, Germany had 55,048 politically motivated crimes last year, the most since public agencies started tracking the data in 2001, the minister said.

We must protect our democracy with all our strength, Faeser said. Politically motivated crime is an indicator of the intensity of social conflicts."

The number of politically motivated offenses included 3,889 violent crimes, 16% more than in 2020. Faeser said 41% of the victims of politically motivated violence were attacked by right-wing extremists, a force she called the greatest extremist threat to people in our country."

Antisemitic crimes rose 29% compared to the previous year, numbering 3,027, the minister said. Crimes against Jews are mostly committed by far-right extremists, but also by Islamist-influenced and left-wing extremists, she added.

It is a disgrace for our country how much antisemitic agitation and contempt for humanity is still being spread today, Faeser said. We are aware of our responsibility to fight anti-Semitism with all our might and to protect Jews.

The number of crimes attributed to the far left fell by around 8%, to 10,113 offenses.

Holger Muench, the president of the Federal Criminal Police Office said Germany's total number of politically motivated crimes has doubled in the last 10 years.

The trend reflects a polarization and radicalization tendencies in parts of the population, which pose a considerable challenge to social coexistence, the rule of law and a democracy, he said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON  Installing a roundabout near the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke would prevent most accidents at an intersection where two veterans were killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer in September.

That was among the central conclusions of a new government traffic study of the intersection that is set to be released Tuesday. The Buffalo News obtained a copy of the study Monday, and while it stopped short of calling for a roundabout at the intersection of Route 77 and Indian Falls Road, the study made clear that such a traffic calming device would make the intersection much safer.

The study echoes a suggestion made by officials at the State Department of Transportation in March 2020. But a top official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rejected that suggestion at the time, fearing that adding such a feature would slow down work on the cemetery, which opened later that year.

The new traffic study produced data that showed a roundabout would produce "an 87% reduction in the predicted crash rate for all types of serious, minor and possible injury crashes at the intersection."

Ten months after the cemetery opened, two Army veterans from Lockport  Christopher Rowell and Arnold Herdendorf  were killed when Herdendorf missed the stop sign on Indian Falls Road and pulled Rowell's Chevrolet Cobalt into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer driving down Route 77. Rowell and Herdendorf had just left a memorial service for another Army veteran, Martin Phelps, when they died.

'It could have been avoided': VA Cemetery planners' warnings went unheeded before crash killed two vets "I think that my dad would most definitely happily give up his life to bring light to a dangerous situation and save somebody else's life," the daughter of one of the accident victims said.

The Buffalo News reported that sequence of events in an article in February, prompting local veterans advocates and public officials to call for another traffic study on the intersection, which the VA quickly agreed to do.

Prepared by John Gallup and Associates of Marietta, Ga., and Larson Design Group of Williamsport, Pa., the study said a roundabout at the intersection would offer many benefits. Most notably, a roundabout:

 "Significantly reduces the potential of head-on, right angle and left turn crashes."

 "Significantly reduces severity of crashes at the intersection."

 "Slows traffic while allowing vehicles to continue moving rather than stopping at the intersection."

 "Helps with the flow of funeral procession traffic."

VA, DOT to do new traffic study of intersection where vets died The commitment to a new safety investigation came amid a growing sense of rage over a Buffalo News story detailing how federal bureaucrats quashed an effort to improve the intersection of Route 77 and Indian Falls Road

The study found that, in addition to the crash that claimed the lives of Rowell and Herdendorf, 24 other accidents occurred at the intersection between January 2012 and March 2022. Ten of those accidents resulted in injuries.

Even so, the accident rate at the intersection  2.4 crashes per year  was not high enough to mandate a roundabout or any other safety improvements, the study said.

"The safety performance of the intersection is consistent with what is expected for this type of facility," the study said.

Nevertheless, the study said that in addition to a roundabout, several other safety enhancements could be made at the site, including:

 Eliminating the existing passing zones on Route 77 near the veterans cemetery.

 Installing a flashing light or sign-mounted flashing warning at the intersection.

 Installing larger stop signs with reflective posts at the intersection on Indian Falls Road, including placards that say: "CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP."

 Building shoulder and center-line rumble strips on Route 77.

 Adding "STOP" pavement markings on Indian Falls Road.

 Locating larger "INTERSECTION" warning signs on Route 77.

"While also not required, the study identified that a roundabout could provide an additional level of safety enhancement," the study's authors wrote.

The state DOT previously indicated a roundabout would cost about $2.5 million. The VA would have to fund construction of the roundabout, given that traffic volumes don't meet the standards by which the state would be required to build it.

The authors of the study rejected two other possible safety improvements at the intersection.

Route 77 sees nearly eight times as much daily traffic as does Indian Falls Road, meaning the intersection doesn't meet the criteria whereby an all-way stop sign should be installed, the study found.

Traffic volumes at the intersection don't warrant installation of a red light, either.

The consultants who drew up the report never mentioned the accident that led to its creation. Nor did their research appear to take into consideration the fact that many of the drivers who visit the cemetery are elderly and unfamiliar with the roads leading to it  which was a key concern of James R. Metcalfe II, the cemetery director who called for safety improvements at the intersection more than two years ago.

VA cemetery managers who pushed safety changes before deadly crash claim retaliation The two federal employees who pushed for a safe redesign of the intersection near Western New York's new veterans cemetery are now in what one supporter described as "professional purgatory."

Both Metcalfe and Peter C. Rizzo, the program manager bringing the cemetery to fruition, said at the time that they were worried about the intersection's safety. But after Metcalfe enlisted the support of state and local officials in getting the intersection improved, VA officials reprimanded and silenced Metcalfe and transferred Rizzo away from the project.

Now, though, the VA is seeking public comment on the traffic study, which is scheduled to be available online here on Tuesday. The VA will be accepting public comments on the report through May 26. Individuals can comment by sending an email to vacoenvironment@va.gov.

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Airline donates 15 million AAdvantage miles to support the Honor Flight Networks mission to provide U.S. veterans a once-in-a-lifetime trip to tour memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.

FORT WORTH, Texas --News Direct-- American Airlines

Medal of Honor recipient Jim Taylor welcomes more than 100 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans at PHX before boarding the milestone Honor Flight to the nations capital.

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 9, 2022 /3BL Media/ - American Airlines joined elected officials, team members and volunteers in Washington, D.C., last week to celebrate a historic milestone for the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing veterans with once-in-a-lifetime trips to visit the nations capital and the memorials erected in honor of all those who have worn the U.S. military uniform. To commemorate the occasion, American also announced a donation of 15 million AAdvantage miles to support and sustain the Honor Flight Networks ongoing mission.

A milestone flight in honor of our heroes

On May 2, Flagship Valor  Americans newly dedicated Airbus A321 aircraft, which serves as a flying tribute to recipients of the Medal of Honor  departed from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport with the 250,000th participant in the Honor Flight program, two Medal of Honor recipients and more than a hundred World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.

The veterans were accompanied throughout their journey by Honor Flight guardians and other volunteers, including American team members and U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona, who helped pass out refreshments and care for those on board while in flight.

Im honored to participate in this weeks heros welcome celebrating and thanking Arizona veterans for their service and sacrifice to our state and country. Im grateful for Honor Flight Networks and Americans efforts in honoring veterans and bringing them to our nations capital, Sinema said.

On arrival at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, American team members provided a heros welcome  complete with a water cannon salute and cheering crowds  as participants deplaned for two days of activities.

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Supporting future Honor Flight missions

The following day, Honor Flight Network leadership and volunteers; U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Jerry Moran; U.S. Congressman Mark Takano; Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Donald Remy; and former Senator Elizabeth Dole, gathered with the veterans at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the programs milestone achievement.

Since launching in 2005, the Honor Flight Network has carried more than a quarter-million veterans on flights to Washington, D.C. Nevertheless, there are still more than 50,000 veterans across the country with an expressed and time-sensitive desire to participate in a future mission, said Matthew Shuman, Chairman of the Board for the Honor Flight Network.

To help the Honor Flight Network achieve its mission, American announced it will donate 15 million AAdvantage miles over three years to support and expand the reach of the program.

The American Airlines team takes great pride in serving veterans on the many Honor Flights operated annually to our nations capital and in caring for all those who have and continue to serve in the U.S. military, said Nate Gatten, Chief Government Affairs Officer for American. It is our hope that such a contribution can help the Honor Flight Network fulfill its mission of celebrating Americas veterans, ensuring each experience the honor, gratitude and support they deserve.

Celebrating Military Appreciation Month

Throughout May, American is celebrating the service and sacrifice of U.S. service members and their families through one-of-a-kind experiences across the country. Later this week, American will host Salute to the Troops in partnership with the USO  flying 20 service members battling cancer from Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, to Walt Disney World with their families for a weekend of memories and fun. Then, in support of Seats for Sailors and Armed Forces Day, American will treat sailors from Naval Medical Center San Diego to a VIP experience with the Texas Rangers. American will also sponsor a similar experience at Rangers Stadium for Gold Star families from North Texas in commemoration of Memorial Day.

Learn more about Americans ongoing efforts to care for U.S. service members and ways to support future missions through Miles for Our Heroes on aa.com.

About American Airlines Group

To Care for People on Lifes Journey. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the companys stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about whats happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from American Airlines on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/american-airlines-celebrates-250-000th-veteran-to-participate-in-the-honor-flight-program-604508454
OTTAWA, ON, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ - This year the Canadian Tulip Festival will host Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at their Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, May 14th, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. eastern time.

Vision for Canadian Tulip Festival Platinum Jubilee 2022 (CNW Group/Canadian Tulip Festival)

The official opener will take place at the "Man with Two Hats" monument, located across from Dow's Lake on Queen Elizabeth Drive, halfway between Preston Street and Crescent Heights.

The original monument in Apeldoorn was created by Dutch artist Henk Visch in 2000. The Princess unveiled the Canadian counterpart in Ottawa exactly twenty years ago in May of 2002.

The public is welcome to attend the military parade and ribbon-cutting ceremony, weather permitting. Visitors are encouraged to check the website at www.tulipfestival.ca for the most up-to-date information.

The Princess will be joined by Second World War Veterans, Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay, and Mayor Jim Watson. Embodying the reason for the festival, the Princess calls Ottawa her place of birth when her mother, then Princess Juliana, was living in the nation's capital during the war. At the same time, Canadian soldiers were playing a vital role in the liberation of the Netherlands.

'This could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the younger generations, to hear from real-life Canadian heroes who fought in the Second World War and the only member of a Royal House ever born in Canada!" exclaims Ms. Jo Riding, Executive Director of the Canadian Tulip Festival. "We are excited to welcome the public back for such a tremendous occasion as the opening of our 70th Anniversary Platinum Jubilee.'

Queen Elizabeth Drive will be closed from Preston Street to Torrington Avenue on the two weekends of the festival, which runs from 10 am - 11 pm, May 13th to 23rd.

Road Closures during the Festival on Queen Elizabeth Drive from Preston St. to Torrington Ave.

Saturday, May 14: 9am - 6pm

Sunday, May 15: 10am - 6pm

Saturday, May 21: 10am - 6pm

Sunday, May 22: 10am - 11pm

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Dow's lake public parking lot will remain open for public parking during the month of May. There is additional public parking available within walking distance of Commissioners Park, and there is a Tulip Trolley available running through Grayline Tours.

For a Media Pass to the Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, May 14, please contact Ms. Erica Hall at erica@karmacreativesolutions.ca

SOURCE Canadian Tulip Festival

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2022/10/c5113.html
(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans talks with the head of the European Union about proposed sanctions on Russian oil imports made progress but failed to reach a breakthrough, according to both sides.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Orban, who is blocking EU sanctions citing Hungarys reliance on Russian energy, hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in his Budapest office on Monday evening for a working dinner.

We made some progress, we could say we took a small step forward, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook video after the conclusion of the talks. A lot more needs to be done, though, for us to potentially change our position.

Von der Leyen said after the meeting that shed convene a virtual conference to strengthen regional cooperation on oil infrastructure.

The talks with Orban were helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security, she said on Twitter. We made progress, but further work is needed.

The EUs sixth sanctions package against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine would ban Russian crude oil over the next six months and refined fuels by early January. The EU had previously offered Hungary and Slovakia until the end of 2024 to comply with the sanctions and the Czech Republic until June of the same year since they are heavily reliant on Russian crude.

Orban said last week that nothing short of a five-year exemption and billions of dollars to cover the cost of overhauling Hungarys energy industry would make him back the new round of sanctions. Hes said that he needs to be assured that Hungary will be able to obtain sufficient energy via alternative sources to meet its needs.

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(Updates with von der Leyen in fourth, fifth paragraphs.)

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Siksika Nation, Siksika Health Services and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta joined together for a meeting May 3. (Siksika Health Communications - image credit)

When people from Siksika Nation try to seek healthcare, they can face racist remarks, their pain can be disregarded or they're unfairly targeted by security, according to Sam Crowfoot, board chair of Siksika Health Services.

In many cases, people will choose not to seek help when it's needed.

Some will even avoid certain hospitals.

"When you have medical emergencies, those minutes and those extra travel times really add up," he said in an interview with CBC Calgary News at 6.

"It can really lead to poor health outcomes, and so people are really kind of scared and being very critical and very choosy when they choose to go to the hospital."

The comments from Siksika members were addressed in a historic meeting May 3, when Siksika Nation hosted Siksika Health Services and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), the regulator for physicians in the province. It's the first time they've met to discuss the challenges Indigenous people face when accessing healthcare in Alberta.

All parties have never come together in an official capacity, said Stacey Strilchuk, president of the governing council for the CPSA, but she hopes the conversations will continue.

"We do have a responsibility to recognize the role that Canada's health care system has played to date in perpetuating systemic racism," she said.

"We're looking to hold ourselves accountable and to take action and to learn and to listen, and we are committed to lasting and meaningful change."

Siksika Health Communications

In March, Siksika Nation announced it would collect stories from Indigenous members of the community about discrimination while accessing health care.

In addition to the comments about how they've been treated, respondents have pointed to facilities in Strathmore, Vulcan and Calgary as those where they've faced racist behaviour. But Crowfoot added he does not want to paint all medical professionals with the same brush.

Story continues

"Oftentimes it's only a few individuals who are giving us negative treatment," he said.

"It's not these entire hospitals and some of these hospitals have reached out to us to help make things better. And that's what we're looking forward to, is repairing the relationship moving forward."

WATCH | Siksika Health Services describes how they're working towards better health care for Indigenous people in Alberta

For its part, Alberta Health Services (AHS) says racism has no place at their facilities, and its striving to improve its systems so people feel safe.

"By creating meaningful relationships and listening to Indigenous communities, we are confident that we can create partnerships that improve the health and wellness of Indigenous people together," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"AHS has met with Siksika Nation to discuss their concerns and is committed to working with them for the benefit and health care of all people."

Health care outcomes for Indigenous people

Poor treatment of Indigenous patients is becoming better documented.

Earlier this year, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal showed hospital emergency rooms in the province are more likely to assess the complaints of First Nations people as less urgent than those from other patients, even when their problems are the same.

A number of high-level meetings have been held to look at the issue, including a report from the anti-racism advisory council and a two-day virtual summit.

The death of Joyce Echaquan in 2020 also called attention to the problem. Shortly before she died, the mother of seven released a video showing health-care staff at a hospital north of Montreal hurling racist remarks at her.

Speakers at the Siksika Nation meeting also shared their own stories of racism and discrimination with CPSA members.

"It's difficult to hear those stories. It's difficult for us to be there with them and to have them articulate those lived experiences," Strilchuk said.

"I do feel it's important for us to understand that we don't have all the answers and that we need to seek out the guidance."

The CPSA appointed Siksika Health Services CEO Tyler White to their council last year. They've also created an Indigenous Advisory Circle to provide recommendations on culturally appropriate care.

To solve these problems once and for all, partnerships like the ones being formed with the CPSA need to be prioritized, Crowfoot said.

"They understand that there's a problem," Crowfoot said.

"We want to make sure that there's cultural competency in the intake when our people come into the emergency room."

The two groups plan to continue working together over the coming months to come up with solutions.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Crowfoot said.

"You can't help but have hope."
A Chippewa Falls man originally cited in a fatal head-on crash northwest of Chippewa Falls in December has now been charged with driving under the influence in a new case.

Andrew J. Lomprey Jr., 33, 400 Pumphouse Road, was charged in Chippewa County Court with OWI-third offense with minors in the vehicle. Judge Steve Gibbs released Lomprey on a $100 cash bond. Lomprey was set to return to court Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Chippewa Falls officers were called to the Kwik Trip at 503 E. Grand Ave. on Saturday, April 30. Lomprey was unconscious in the drivers seat, with two children in the back seat. When officers woke him up, Lomprey had slurred speech. He was arrested for operating under the influence.

In January, Lomprey was cited for operating left of center, causing death. However, Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell later dismissed the citation but has the option to charge him again later. Newell said the fatal driving case remains under investigation; no criminal charges in the fatal crash have been filed at this time.

The crash occurred at 5:52 a.m. Dec. 19 on Highway S in the town of Tilden, approximately three-quarters of a mile east of U.S. 53, between the freeway and Highway Q, said Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk.

Lomprey was driving west-bound when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a vehicle driven by Curtis C. Wright, 56, of Eau Claire, said Kowalczyk.

Wright was pronounced dead at the scene. Lomprey was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Kowalczyk said there was no evidence of alcohol or drug use by either driver, and it was unclear why Lompreys car crossed the center line and struck Wrights vehicle. Kowalczyk said both men were headed to their respective jobs.

Online court records show Lomprey was convicted in Winona County, Minnesota, of operating while impaired after he was stopped there in March 2017. He also was charged with possession of a controlled substance; that was later dismissed.

Lomprey also was charged with battery-domestic abuse and disorderly conduct in 2019; those charges were later dismissed. Lomprey was convicted of burglary in 2018 in Dunn County Court and was placed on one year of probation.

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A Dane County judge has ruled that parts of controversial 2018 legislation that gives the Legislature more power over settlement agreements initiated by the Attorney Generals office are unconstitutional under Wisconsins separation of powers doctrine.

Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford ruled last week in favor of Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, who challenged the matter in the lower court after a previous effort was rejected by the Wisconsin Supreme Court last year.

The 2018 law states that any civil actions prosecuted by the state Department of Justice may be compromised or discontinued  by submission of a proposed plan to the joint committee on finance for the approval of the committee.

Crawford wrote in the May 5 decision that the GOP-led committees failure or refusal to approve a settlement agreement effectively operates as a veto, with no override mechanism to act as a check on legislative authority. The statute provides the Attorney General no recourse except to seek litigation or renegotiate a settlement on terms demanded by the committee, she added.

The Legislature describes (the statute) as giving it a seat at the table in litigation involving the State, implying that the Legislature intended to assume a prosecutorial role equal to that of the Attorney General, Crawford wrote. It is more accurate to characterize (the statute) as granting absolute power to the Legislature, far greater than a seat at the table alongside the prosecutor.

Crawford put the decision on hold, however, pending a request from the Legislature, which is expected to seek a stay of her ruling. The case is likely to make its way back to the state Supreme Court for a final decision on the matter.

This ruling comes as no surprise from a Dane County judge, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos spokesperson Angela Joyce said in an email. When theres a conservative accomplishment, they try to say its unconstitutional. We will be appealing.

Kaul filed the lawsuit last summer asking the court to suspend the requirement that DOJ seek approval to settle cases in two categories: enforcement of consumer protection and environmental protection laws; and claims on behalf of executive agencies relating to the administration of programs they must run. DOJ argued that those provisions, as applied, violate the constitutional separation of powers.

The provision cited in the case is part of legislation Wisconsin Republicans and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers predecessor, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, adopted during a lame-duck session in December 2018 curbing the power of Evers and Kaul after they were elected but before they took office. Since then, DOJ and the Republican-controlled Legislature have butted heads over how DOJ should follow the laws.

The lame-duck power grab by Republicans in the state Legislature undermined the will of Wisconsin voters and has resulted in wasted tax dollars, Kaul said in a statement Tuesday. We will continue working to ensure that the aspects of the lame-duck legislation that violate the Wisconsin Constitution are struck down.

Crawford did not issue a decision on a second part of Kauls suit, which relates to when the attorney general can bring or defend against a lawsuit on behalf of the state or a state agency. Crawford allowed Kaul to file additional information with the court on the matter and the Legislature will be able to respond to Kauls amended claim before a ruling is issued.

In a separate case, the Legislature and Adam Jarchow, a former state representative from Balsam Lake and GOP candidate for attorney general, filed suit in Polk County Circuit Court last summer against Kaul and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, alleging the two had violated provisions of state law requiring DOJ to deposit all settlement funds into the states general fund as well as get approval from the states budget committee before entering into settlement agreements.

The Jarchow lawsuit alleges Kaul has repeatedly violated the law by not submitting all proposed settlement agreements to the Republican-controlled budget committee for approval. The lawsuit also alleges that Kaul is violating the laws requirement that the attorney general shall deposit all settlement funds into the general fund. The case is currently before the states District 2 Court of Appeals.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2020 that upheld most parts of the Republican-authored lame-duck laws but struck down a provision creating more stringent rules for how state agencies develop guidance documents, which are used to tell individuals or organizations how to comply with state law. Justices said at the time the Legislature overstepped its bounds by attempting to take over a duty previously reserved for the executive branch.

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Saskatchewan adopts the Declaration to honour Indigenous Women and Girls on Red Dress Day. A leak at the United States Supreme Court is dragging women's rights back 50 years. In a new segment "This Week's Laugh" we bring you Trevor Noah for the political low down and let's hear some local folk!

She

Reid Jamieson - We Daza - We Daza Not Defeated Yet

Lorne Weiner - I Saw a River

Pat Mayberry - Listening Now - Listening Now
Many students were academic transfers but several were also candidates to receive their associate degrees in many subjects, such as mechatronics, business administration, criminal justice, welding technology, agricultural sciences, early childhood education, nursing and information technology and systems.

This year's commencement speaker was Karen Pesek, who also received the 2022 Outstanding Alumni Award. Pesek has an associate degree from CCC and a bachelor's in public accounting from Wayne State College. Currently the director of finance and community liaison at Pesek Law Firm LLC, she serves on multiple nonprofit boards. They include the Metropolitan Community College Foundation, Matters on Tomorrow, Urban Abbey, Central Comunitario del Pueblo and Girls Inc. Nebraska. Pesek, along with her husband, developed the True Potential Scholarship, to help young immigrants reach their "True Potential" through affordable education. Through this scholarship, more than 100 immigrant students have attended classes at community colleges in Nebraska and Iowa.
Three local schools have been selected to participate in this years Nebraska Childrens Groundwater Festival on May 17 at Central Community College in Grand Island, an annual conservation and education event since 1988.

Humphrey St. Francis, Platte Center Elementary School (two groups) and St. Anthonys Elementary School have all been invited to this interactive educational experience.

The festival, according to Central Platte Natural Resources District Information and Education Specialist Marcia Lee, is meant to educate children on the groundwater systems and the professions, concerns and wildlife therein.

We try to give them activities, talk about the aquifer, try to give them a game show, we have a storyteller, hands on stuff like building their own aquifers, we teach them about wildlife. We try to give them different topics," Lee said.

The event features a wide range of professionals with some manner of connection to groundwater who give kids activities that will help them understand and remember waters importance, and the value of understanding it, appreciating it and conserving it.

Everyones responsible for how much water we use and keeping drinking water clean is better for everybody, Lee said.

The festival has taken place since 1988 at the Central Community College buildings when students are out for the semester, at no cost to the participating schools. It was the first of its kind, and Lee said the concept has been recreated in 42 states and even other countries.

When it was first set up, Central Community College wanted to host, this is the center of the state, and all at no cost. We do it the week after graduation so that we have the place to ourselves, Lee said.

Activities range from year to year, Lee said. Some appearing this year are gooey garbage -- where kids make a simulated landfill to observe the effects of runoff into the groundwater system, an appearance from tall-tale hero Febold Feboldson, various trivia games, an experience with the Raptor Connection and a rain stick activity with Noyes Art Gallery out of Lincoln.

Schools are randomly chosen, and the selected schools spaced out through the years so as to allow every school interested a chance to participate.

One of the teachers taking kids to the festival, Haley Schrage from Humphrey St. Francis, said she remembered going when she was in fifth grade.

They had us stand in this kiddie pool thing and made a big bubble over us, Schrage said, laughing.

Schrage, now a fifth grade teacher, said she wants her students to understand the value of Nebraskas groundwater system, and thinks this is a good way to introduce them to that.

Theres a lot of scientific value in this about Nebraska and water use and how it affects everything, Schrage said. When I got the email, I remembered it. I was like I went to that! so that was kind of cool.

Charlotte Beran, fifth grade science teacher at St. Anthonys, said these kind of projects are especially effective in education.

The kids are doing something, theyre not just sitting listening to lectures," she said. "I remember once they did an ice cream parfait to show how the groundwater cycle works.

Beran, who has taken classes to the festival in the past, said the festivals target audience of fifth graders works because the kids still have that wonder and desire to solve problems and answer questions.

At this age, kids are still curious. When they learn things at this age, theyre still kind of amazed at how the world works and how we relate to it, Beran said.

Beran added that this is especially important now that kids aren't as involved in a lot of the agricultural or industrial uses of water anymore, yet it remains just as important in Nebraskans' daily lives.

"Water is essential for all our lives. We have to have water," Beran said.

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Putin Bids to Create New International Settlements Platform, Reform Foreign Currency Rules

Vladimir Putin. Source: a video screenshot, CNBC Television / YouTube

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of plans to revamp the countrys international settlements ecosystem  in a bid to prevent Moscow from sliding into an economic quagmire at the hand of Western-led sanctions.

The nation has been all but frozen out of international trade and the global economic system following the start of the war in Ukraine. But Moscow has responded with a set of countermeasures.

Per the state-run news outlet Tass, Putin has created a working group that has been charged with creating a new mechanism for international payments. The group will be headed by a key Putin aide, Maxim Oreshkin, and will also launch new currency regulation-related measures, aimed at fighting back against the international communitys efforts to drag the fiat ruble into the abyss.

The group also comprises a number of key government and economic figures, such as the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, the heads of the finance and economic development ministries, as well as the head of Russias financial regulator, and the chairs of the Federal Tax Service and the Federal Customs Service.

The working group has been given the authority to implement state policy on currency regulation and international settlements, and has been ordered to create the infrastructure required to carry out settlements between Russia and partners from friendly countries. The platform will do away with currencies such as the USD and the euro, and instead require the use of Russian rubles or the national currencies of friendly states.

The body will create a new protocol system for settlements with international partners and resolve issues pertaining to conducting trade finance operations  as well as create a new system for payment clearing.

The body will also create a parallel system for the 50-or-so nations the Kremlin has placed on a list of unfriendly countries. Should these countries wish to trade with Russia, they will be forced to pay in rubles, rather than having the choice to pay using their own national fiats.

Although the group will have executive power, it has been instructed to seek approval from Putin for all major proposals.

The working group has also been told to develop measures pertaining to foreign exchange regulation in order to ensure a balance of supply and demand in transactions in the currency markets. And the group has been told to work on a number of other financial issues, including those pertaining to international sanctions and the freezing or seizure of Russian state assets held overseas.

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The Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce is in the early stages of the search to find a replacement for Michelle Crowley, who will step down as chamber president and chief executive officer on June 1.

We are putting the infrastructure together before we get started with the work, said Vincent Champion, chairman of the board of directors. We will have some visible movement in the near future.

Crowley gave notice of her resignation on April 4, prompting Champion to form a search committee of about eight board members under the leadership of Christina Spielbauer, former superintendent of the Carlisle Area School District and current senior vice president in charge of education at all Pennsylvania locations of New Story schools and River Rock Academy.

The committee could meet over the next week or so to review a proposed timeline prepared by Spielbauer, Champion said. Were going to sit down and talk about it. We want to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the steps included in the timeline.

As one step in the process, the committee will review the job description for chamber president/CEO, Champion said. Committee members have already sat down with other board members and chamber employees to get their perspective on what to look for in a leader.

As a follow-up, the committee plans to survey chamber members for input, Champion said. We want this to be a transparent process. We want our community members to feel like they can comment. Were going to have that information guide us as we look for a replacement.

The committee has yet to post the job opening or determine the geographic area on which to target the search. The timeline is fluid, Champion said. Were not going to rush through the process to meet some sort of a deadline. If we dont think we have the right candidate, we will keep moving until we find the right candidate.

Meanwhile, Donna Hunter, chamber vice president of membership development, will guide the ship until a replacement hired, Champion said. This is really helpful, but not surprising. Donna has been so stalwart, so dedicated to the chamber. The rest of the chamber team [of employees] has indicated theyre going to be chipping in to keep the chamber on course.

In simple terms, our goal is to find a talented leader that will proactively position the chamber to meet the changing needs of our members and community, he said. We will do this by focusing on the vision that the chamber has had since its origins in 1913  being a catalyst to support area businesses and support a strong quality of life for the residents of our communities.

Champion said its sad to see Crowley go. Michelle has been such a great leader and great representative of our business community for so many years.

A Boiling Springs resident, Crowley plans to stay local while working as an independent sales representative for the mid-Atlantic region for Free Spirit Fabrics. Crowley said she intends to maintain her chamber membership as a volunteer involved in the committee to set up a talent pipeline academy tasked with enhancing workforce development.

Im excited for her, Champion said. Shes able to follow a passion of hers and through her new position shes going to be afforded an opportunity to spend more time with family. Those of us who know Michelle know how important family is to her.

Joseph Cress is a reporter for The Sentinel covering education and history. You can reach him at jcress@cumberlink.com or by calling 717-218-0022.

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Like the town she grew to love, Michelle Crowley finds herself at a strategic crossroads.

Effective June 1, she will step down as the chief executive officer of the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce after almost 24 years on the job.

What Ive learned about myself is my confidence level has changed through time, Crowley said. Im considered the old bird sitting around the table.

I know the history, she said. Sometimes, history is important. Sometimes, people listen to the history and sometimes not, but I think its important to know where you came from.

It was quite a different scenario when Crowley started at the chamber in July 1998. She thought she knew it all, but was actually very green in the role of chief liaison between local businesses and the greater community.

Now the transplant from Johnstown has local roots that run so deep she has no plans to pick up and leave.

What future holds

Im a chamber member, Crowley said. I will be retaining that membership. Im going to be involved in the chambers talent pipeline academy.

Based on a model developed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, planning for the local academy is underway by Crowley and fellow volunteers as a method to strengthen workforce development.

This effort started before the onset of COVID-19 with a committee that worked with employers to identify their needs. Following a disruption caused by the pandemic, the intent is to jump-start the academy initiative in mid-June.

The great thing about the chamber is theres always a new opportunity, Crowley said. Every day, theres something different that we can do to help the community.

Over the years, Crowley has been contacted by head hunters working for other chambers in the region seeking a professional skilled in senior level management. She said she turned down all those job offers.

I could not leave to go to another chamber within the region, Crowley said. I could only leave this chamber to do something completely different from what I am doing.

A year ago, she started a side business selling fabric to quilt shops. A contact from that enterprise offered her a job this spring as an independent sales representative of the mid-Atlantic region for Free Spirit Fabrics, a wholesale supplier owned by the Jaftex Corp.

A Boiling Springs resident, Crowley will use the Carlisle area as her base of operations from which to sell product lines to 200 clients in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

My husband is going to retire very soon, she said. He can travel with me. This gives me more flexibility for our life together. Its good for the two of us. Its good for us as a couple.

Crowley met her husband, Steve, through their mutual ties to the chamber. Over the years, shes made a lot of local friends and family members have gradually moved into the area. Crowley said she now has a step-granddaughter living in Carlisle.

I love where we live, she said. Our community is so different than so many others in south-central Pennsylvania. Were much more diverse with our population being transient. Pretty much every year, we have new students moving in at the Army War College, Dickinson College, Penn State Dickinson School of Law and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

Were a retirement hub, Crowley said. Pennsylvania does not tax retirement income so we find people relocating into our market because their kids live somewhere within a two-, three-, four-hour drive. Were going to see more relocation here as baby boomers retire.

With its location at the center of a natural gateway to the interior, Carlisle has always been a strategic crossroads, Crowley said. Though this mix of military, education and transportation has kept the area vibrant, there have been changes and challenges during her tenure as chamber CEO.

Looking back

When I started my career here, one of the first things we tackled was Dickinson School of Law merging with Penn State, she said. There was a period of time when they were thinking about leaving the Carlisle area completely.

We went to battle with Penn State, which was not easy to do because one of the founding members of the chamber was Dickinson School of Law, Crowley said. To be sitting on the opposite side of the table of one of your supporters was not easily done.

Gradually, that situation was resolved and Penn State now operates a dual campus law school in Carlisle and State College. They are still big supporters of the chamber today, Crowley said. Were glad that the relationship is here and that the chamber played a role in their retention in the community.

A few years later, in 2005, the chamber mobilized again by forming a committee in response to the news that Carlisle Barracks was listed on the Base Realignment and Closure list, she said. We had a rally on the steps of the Old Courthouse. I remember when Sen. Santorum called Congressman Platts and said the War College and barracks was off the list.

More recently, Crowley started a support group with fellow chamber executives from different parts of Pennsylvania. We met every Thursday at 3 p.m. during the first year of COVID, she said. We were trying to figure out how to keep our communities going, the business community thriving locally. We were relying upon each other. Getting through COVID was one of our biggest accomplishments, but were not done yet.

In 2019, the chamber acquired the Swarner House from Carlisle Area School District. The brownstone and brick structure is the first old building travelers come across after leaving Interstate 81 at the Hanover Street exit to head north toward downtown.

The Swarner House gave the chamber 27 off-street parking spaces along with three different-size board rooms for meetings. Its location off a major highway offered the chamber an expanded opportunity to reach people relocating to the Carlisle area.

Crowley said one of her proudest achievements was a retention policy that worked with chamber members struggling to pay their dues. We didnt carry them forever, she said. But we did say Lets take a break for a few months to a year.

Over her tenure, the chamber grew to about 700 members prior to the pandemic. We lost a few, Crowley said. But were almost back to where we were. Im very proud of that. To me, one of the strongest things is leading a healthy organization into the hands of someone whos going to come in and run with it. The chamber is so much an integral part of the community.

The future

A search committee has been formed to find Crowleys successor. She said there are three main issues to be mindful of  workforce development, housing, and maintaining the local infrastructure including transportation.

Housing should be a focal point, Crowley said. If were not building houses and apartments that individuals can afford to move into, were not going to fill that [workforce] gap.

We all have to work hand-in-hand, she said, recommending that regional chambers continue to collaborate with county agencies tasked with planning, economic development and housing and redevelopment.

Above all, Carlisle needs to avoid the fate of Johnstown, Crowley said. The population of my hometown compared to what it is today has decreased significantly. As soon as U.S. Steel lost its strength in the 60s, it made it easy to lose jobs.

While Carlisle and Cumberland County has become a hub for the warehousing and distribution sector, the local economy should avoid being centered in just one industry, Crowley said.

Joseph Cress is a reporter for The Sentinel covering education and history. You can reach him at jcress@cumberlink.com or by calling 717-218-0022.

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A Carlisle man has been sentenced to death in the 2020 murder of his girlfriend.

Davone Unique Anderson, 27, is the first person to receive the death penalty in Cumberland County since 2002 according to the District Attorneys Office.

The jury reached a unanimous verdict around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, after about three and a half hours of deliberation.

Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack, who served as the lead prosecutor in the case, said the jury had a split verdict after being tasked to make a decision regarding the death penalty on two counts of murder in the first degree.

McCormack said that on the first count, for the shooting death of Sydney Parmalee on July 5, 2020, the 12 juors were unable to reach a unanimous decision and reported to the judge that they were hopelessly deadlocked. He said that by law Cumberland County Judge Edward Guido automatically imposed a life sentence.

The foreperson was then asked if they had a verdict if they had a verdict in the death of Kaylee Lyons, which occurred on July 30 of 2020, and the foreperson announced that yes they did have a unanimous verdict in that case and he then announced that the verdict was for death, McCormack said.

Anderson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree murder of an unborn child, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of persons not to possess firearms and one count of theft by receiving stolen property Monday afternoon. He is being held at the Cumberland County Prison and his formal sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. May 31 before Guido, McCormack said.

McCormack said Guido will sentence Anderson on two counts of endangering the welfare of his 13-month old son who was present in the house for both murders and the first degree murder of an unborn child, as Lyons was pregnant at the time of her death.

He expressed his gratitude for the time and effort members of the jury put into the case through Mondays guilty verdicts and Tuesdays sentencing.

We recognize that it is not an easy thing for 12 people from the community to come in and sentence someone to death, but this was a case that the law obviously called for the potential of the death sentence and after weighing all the evidence, the jury agreed that the death sentence was appropriate with this case as it related to the death of Kaylee Lyons, McCormack said.

Carlisle police said Anderson shot Parmelee in the head in Lyonss home on July 5, 2020, and then killed Lyons in the same manner in her home on July 31, 2020.

Sydney Parmelee had two children with Anderson. Lyons had one child with him.

Police said when he was arrested that Anderson told them he killed Parmelee because he thought she had cheated on him and that he killed Lyons because he thought she was planning to turn him in for Parmelees murder.

McCormack said he feels that it was Parmalees death that the jury used to reach their verdict on the sentence for Lyons.

What I mean by that is one of the aggravating circumstances in Kaylee Lyons sentencing was the fact that he had killed another person prior to killing Kaylee, so it was Sydneys death on July 5 that ultimately, I believe, caused the jury to feel that the sentence of death was appropriate for the second murder that he committed on July 30, McCormack said.

He was assisted in the case Senior Assistant District Attorney Nichole Vito.

Anderson also faces attempted murder and aggravated assault charges in an unrelated case. He is accused of assaulting another inmate inside the Cumberland County Prison on March 11. Police said he punched the victim several times and threw him over a second floor railing. The victim suffered several fractures and bruising and was taken to the hospital. A formal arraignment for this incident is scheduled for June 13.

Maddie Seiler is a news reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com covering Carlisle and Newville. You can contact her at mseiler@cumberlink.com and follow her on Twitter at: @SeilerMadalyn

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An inmate at SCI Camp Hill was charged with homicide Tuesday in connection with a fellow inmates death earlier this month.

State Police at Carlisle said they charged David Vaughn Grier, 26, with homicide on Monday. Grier is an inmate at SCI Camp Hill and in February was sentenced to life in prison in the murder of a Philadelphia art student in 2017, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The homicide charge filed Tuesday is in relation to the death of Joel D. Vanderpool, 39, who was found unresponsive in his cell on May 4. Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall said Vanderpool died of multiple traumatic injuries, and he ruled the death a homicide.

State Police at Carlisle later reported that an investigation found that Vanderpool had suffered the injuries after an altercation with another inmate.

Grier is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Vanderpools death on June 23 in front of Magisterial District Judge Christopher Delozier.

Email Naomi Creason at ncreason@cumberlink.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelCreason.

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The Hellbenders team from Cumberland Valley High School took first place at the annual Envirothon hosted last week by the Cumberland County Conservation District.

The Envirothon is a scholastic competition that challenges high school students to learn about the natural environment. It was held this year at the Mechanicsburg Sportsmen Association.

It was all them. ... They did it all themselves, said Amber Sim, a biology teacher and co-adviser of the CV Envirothon Club. Im very proud of their work. We try to highlight some things for them to practice, but a lot of the studying is on their own time.

As the top team, the Hellbenders will represent the county at the 2022 Pennsylvania State Envirothon at Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg, Union County, on May 25.

Second place went to the Green Salamanders from Cumberland Valley and third place went to the Spring Fairies from Camp Hill High School.

Seventy-six students from six high schools formed teams that rotated through five stations where they answered questions on aquatic ecology, forestry, soil/land use, wildlife and environmental issues. Also sending teams were Big Spring, Boiling Springs, East Pennsboro and Shippensburg.

Team members had 30 minutes at each station to work together to provide answers on a written exam of 100 maximum points. Each exam featured a field component, along with questions on resource management that applied to the topic. For example, the soil/land use station included a pit showing the different layers of soil within a section of ground.

At Cumberland Valley, the Envirothon Club is open to all students in grades 9-12, Sim said. This year, the school fielded two teams of five students each. The Hellbenders are Max Long, Maggie Lutz, Maddie Marco, Shay McDonald and Will Nichols.

We typically meet twice a month, Sim said. We give them questions based on material on the website. We try to help the students with some of the equipment they need.

Sim is co-adviser with Jenny Pyres, who teaches biology and advanced placement environmental science at the high school.

The competition is important because it helps students learn more about nature and the world around them, Sim said. It brings to light some of the environment problems that we have. It gives them a real awareness of their surroundings.

Several of my club members have a real passion for the environment, she said. They want to have a career in the field. This is just another outlet for them.

The event includes cooperating agencies that help administer the tests and provide students with an opportunity to interact and ask questions with professionals in their fields of expertise. The Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency and the Conservation District staff were partners.

After the testing portion of the competition was over, the Conservation District provided a lunch. After lunch, there was an awards ceremony where the top three teams at each station and the top three teams overall were recognized. All participants and their advisers received an Envirothon T-shirt sponsored by the Adams Electric Cooperative.

Joseph Cress is a reporter for The Sentinel covering education and history. You can reach him at jcress@cumberlink.com or by calling 717-218-0022.

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Cheesesteak shop owners plead guilty

PHILADELPHIA  The founder of a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant and one of his sons have pleaded guilty in a federal tax fraud case alleging the hiding of nearly $8 million in sales over the course of a decade.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Anthony Lucidonio Sr., 83, and Nicholas Lucidonio, 55, two owners of the cheesesteak and sandwich shop Tony Lukes, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government.

The New Jersey residents told a federal judge that they kept two sets of books to hide cash from sales at their south Philadelphia shop and acknowledged paying part of workers salaries under the table to evade payroll taxes, the newspaper reported.

The defendants, who are to be sentenced later this year, said in a statement released by their attorneys that they accept full responsibility for paying some Tony Lukes employees in cash. This practice ended in 2017, over five years ago.

The statement said the defendants have fully cooperated with the governments investigation since it began and look forward to putting this matter behind them. Tony Lukes, they said, will continue to serve its faithful clientele and provide gainful employment for its loyal employees and their families.

The face of Tony Lukes, Anthony Lucidonio Jr., known as Tony Luke Jr., was not named in the indictment. He split from his father and brother in 2015, followed by a public sometimes personal court battle over franchising agreements and recipe ownership.

Tony Lukes opened in 1992 and now has more than a dozen locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Texas, and Bahrain.

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The Scott Police Department is searching for 32-year-old Ella Goodie who has been missing since March 9, 2022.

Authorities are still searching for Ella Goodie, a Scott, Louisiana woman who has been missing for two months.

Goodie was last seen by her family on March 9, when she headed to Texas to drop off a rideshare customer. Police said her car was seen 12 hours later coming back into Louisiana. Since then, authorities found Goodie's car and located a person of interest in her disappearance.

Louisiana State Police announced last week the 32-year-old's disappearance was being investigated as a homicide.

Here's what we know about her disappearance and the investigation:

When was Ella Goodie last seen?

Goodie has not been seen or heard from by her family since March 9. Goodie, a mother of two, is from Scott, Louisiana, a small town in Lafayette Parish about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge.

Her sister-in-law posted in a now-deleted Facebook post that Goodie was driving for a rideshare company and was headed to Texas to drop off a customer.

Scott Police Chief Chad Leger said Goodie's 2012 Audi Q5 was seen on Interstate 10 driving toward Texas. About 12 hours later, traffic cameras saw her vehicle coming back into Louisiana. But the next day the vehicle was located back in Texas, North of Dallas, KLFY reported.

The car was eventually found on April 1 in St. Joseph, Missouri, which is about 55 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri, near the Kansas-Missouri state line. It was found by the city's police department.

Ella Goodie: Ride share driver Ella Goodie's car found; police searching for woman missing since March 9

Background: Person of interest in rideshare driver Ella Goodie's disappearance arrested on Rapides warrants

Louisiana State Police announced on May 3 that detectives and investigators would transition from a missing person's case to a homicide investigation "based on investigative techniques and witness statements."

Has anyone been arrested in connection with Ella Goodie's disappearance?

Authorities announced Brandon Francisco as a person of interest in Goodie's disappearance.

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Scott Police Chief Chad Leger said in a release that Francisco was thought to be the last person to have contact with Goodie.

Francisco has a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear in Rapides Parish, Leger said. The warrant was issued the same day Goodie was last seen.

He was arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 25 in St. Joseph, Missouri, the same place Goodie's car was found.

Francisco was wanted on an active warrant from Rapides Parish unrelated to Goodie's case.

The warrant was issued after Francisco failed to appear for a March 9 hearing. Prosecutors wanted the Mansura man's bond revoked in connection with a 2018 shooting case.

Authorities are searching for Ella Goodie, a Scott, Louisiana, woman who has been missing since March 9.

He also was charged by Missouri authorities with unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records. Francisco was denied bond on March 26 after a Missouri judge ruled he "is a danger to the community and no conditions of release will secure the community's safety," according to court records.

The 36-year-old has since been extradited to Rapides Parish, according to jail records. His bond is set at $1 million.

What agencies have been working on Ella Goodie's case?

The Scott (Louisiana) Police Department first announced Goodie's disappearance in March.

The department on March 18 partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshall Service to aid in the search. Louisiana State Police and the St. Joseph (Missouri) Police Department also are helping.

Missing persons: Alexis Patterson has been missing since 2002. Odds are you dont know her story.

What is the "Help Find Ella" Facebook page?

A Facebook group "Help Find Ella" was created as a space for "people to receive and discuss up-to-date and factual information" about Goodie's disappearance.

"We welcome suggestions, ideas and assistance with getting Ella's flyers out nationwide as well as messages of support and encouragement," according to the page's about. "Together, we can ALL play a part, no matter how big or small to #HelpFindElla."

People post messages of hope and requests for information. Goodie's family also posts in the group.

"This has been very hard for my family and her (Goodie's) friends," Jessica Goodie posted. "Yes we appreciate all the love from everyone that's shown for Ella.

"If you feel you know something that can get her back to us please call the police we don't want anyone playing detectives and messing things up. God will bring everything to light."

A GoFundMe has been created to help Goodie's family take care of her children and other costs to search for her.

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Ella Goodie missing: What we know about Louisiana rideshare driver
Although it's supposed to be restricted by surveillance rules at local, state and federal levels, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) has built up a mass surveillance system that includes details on almost all US residents, according to a report from a major think tank. Researchers from Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy and Technology said ICE "now operates as a domestic surveillance agency" and that it was able to bypass regulations in part by purchasing databases from private companies.

"Since its founding in 2003, ICE has not only been building its own capacity to use surveillance to carry out deportations but has also played a key role in the federal governments larger push to amass as much information as possible about all of our lives," the report's authors state. "By reaching into the digital records of state and local governments and buying databases with billions of data points from private companies, ICE has created a surveillance infrastructure that enables it to pull detailed dossiers on nearly anyone, seemingly at any time."

The researchers spent two years looking into ICE to put together the extensive report, which is called "American Dragnet: Data-Driven Deportation in the 21st Century." They obtained information by filing hundreds of freedom of information requests and scouring more than 100,000 contracts and procurement records.

The agency is said to be using data from the Department of Motor Vehicles and utility companies, along with the likes of call records, child welfare records, phone location data , healthcare records and social media posts. ICE is now said to hold drivers license data for 74 percent of adults and can track the movement of cars in cities that are home to 70 percent of the adult population in the US.

The study shows that ICE, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has already used facial recognition technology to search through drivers license photos of a third of adults in the US. In 2020, the agency signed a deal with Clearview AI to use that company's controversial technology. In addition, the report states that when 74 percent of adults hook up gas, electricity, phone or internet utilities in a new residence, ICE was able to automatically find out their updated address.

Story continues

The authors wrote that ICE is able to carry out these actions in secret and without warrants. Along with the data it acquired from other government departments, utilities, private companies and third-party data brokers, "the power of algorithmic tools for sorting, matching, searching and analysis has dramatically expanded the scope and regularity of ICE surveillance," the report states.

Spending transactions reviewed by the researchers showed that, between 2008 and last year, ICE spent around $2.8 billion on "new surveillance, data collection and data-sharing initiatives." It spent approximately $569 million on data analysis, including $186.6 million in contracts with Palantir Technologies to help it make sense of its vast troves of data. Records showed that ICE also spent more than $1.3 billion on geolocation tech during that timeframe and $389 million on telecom interception, which includes tech that helps the agency track someone's phone calls, emails, social media activity and real-time internet use.

In addition, the findings suggest the agency started engaging in certain surveillance activities much earlier than previously believed. The researchers found a contract from 2008 that granted ICE access to the Rhode Island motor vehicle departments facial recognition database. Prior to that, it was understood that ICE started conducting facial recognition searches on state and local data sets in 2013.

The authors claim that ICE has been able to sidestep congressional oversight and bypass attempts at state level to curtain its surveillance capabilities. They included a list of recommendations that may help rein in the agency's surveillance dragnet, such as Congress reforming immigration laws to "undercut ICE surveillance authority" and blocking ICE's use of DMV data. The recommended measures also include protecting people who trust federal, state and local authorities with their data and blocking the use of utility records for immigration enforcement.

Engadget has contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Newly appointed University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave speaks with the CA staff on the school's campus Monday, April 4, 2022.

University of Memphis President Bill Hardgrave was in Jackson last week, his fourth week on the job, visiting the Lambuth campus along with some of the stakeholders in the Hub City.

Even though its been a decade since the City of Jackson, Madison County, West Tennessee Healthcare and Jackson Energy Authority worked together to bring UofM into Jackson to buy the campus after Lambuth University had to shut down its operations, Hardgrave said the reception he received at a lunch with stakeholders was still one of gratitude to have the public university in town.

This has really been a learning experience for me, Hardgrave said. Ive been on the job for a little more than three weeks now and still learning about the University of Memphis and the campus community in Memphis and here as well.

Hardgrave said before last weeks visit the only time hed been to campus was pulling off the interstate for a few minutes during a trip to Nashville to drive by the campus and take a look at it.

Its a really beautiful campus with a ton of upside and potential with our nursing program expansion, Hardgrave said. And Niles Reddick is an outstanding educator and administrator, and from what I heard meeting with our stakeholders, hes a tremendous ambassador for the University of Memphis in Jackson.

When asked about any plans he intends to make with the college  specifically in Jackson  Hardgrave wasnt committal to any specific changes as of yet.

Well first, I need to learn more about the University from the inside, Hardgrave said. Its hardly ever a good thing when a new leader comes in and announces changes from the beginning.

So once I learn all I can about the University, see our challenges, our strengths and our needs, then well have a better idea of changes that need to be made  if any.

Hardgrave came to Memphis from Auburn University, where hed served for three years as Provost and senior vice president for academic affairs after serving as the dean of the business college there.

Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: New UofM President plans to build on legacy of Lambuth campus
An area man recently sentenced to prison for the shooting death of a Park Hills man died behind bars this week.

A press release from the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) indicates Oscar Ortiz Jr., 52, was pronounced dead at 4:09 a.m on Sunday at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre. Corrections officials said Ortiz died of apparent natural causes.

Ortiz was serving a 62-year prison sentence for second-degree involuntary manslaughter, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful use of a firearm from St. Francois County. The man was received in the DOC on Jan. 21 after a jury trial and subsequent sentencing for the 2019 shooting death of 34-year-old Adam "Scooby" Carroll of Park Hills.

Ortiz stood trial in October, initially facing charges that included second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

After hearing testimony from 18 witnesses and reviewing multiple evidentiary exhibits over four trial days, it took a jury more than five hours of deliberation to find Ortiz guilty of a lesser charge of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, as well as armed criminal action, tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a firearm, and two traffic offenses.

At a sentencing hearing in January, Circuit Judge Wendy Wexler Horn gave Ortiz the maximum on each count. She sentenced the man to a seven-year prison term for second-degree involuntary manslaughter, 30 years incarceration for armed criminal action, 10 years for unlawful possession of a weapon, seven years for tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution, seven years for unlawful use of a weapon, and one year in jail for careless and imprudent driving.

The judge ordered that Ortiz serve each term consecutively for a total of 62 years behind bars.

The case against Ortiz was filed in July 2019, shortly after Carroll died from a gunshot wound to his head at a residence in Park Hills.

According to court records, just after midnight on July 1, 2019, officers with the Park Hills Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 700 block of Third Street for a 34-year-old male who had been shot in the head and was not breathing. Police arrived to find Carroll lying on the floor in the rear bedroom of the home with a gunshot wound to his head. An autopsy revealed that Carroll had been shot with a .45 cal. pistol and the bullet entered behind the man's left ear, coming to a stop inside his brain.

Carroll's girlfriend, Crystal Nash, lived at the home with her young son and her roommate Jessica Roberts, who were all present at the time of Carroll's death. Nash was reportedly the only one to witness the shooting and stated that Ortiz had fired the lethal round.

Ortiz was located after crashing a car shortly after midnight on the night of the shooting. He was reportedly driving too fast, lost control, and overturned his vehicle in the 4700 block of Flat River Road. The man was transported to Parkland Health Center by the St. Francois County Ambulance District, where he was treated and then placed under arrest. He was charged the next day.

Ortiz was represented by Special Public Defender Carl Kinsky, while St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Gilliam tried the case on behalf of the state. The trial began on Oct. 12 with jury selection.

It was the defense's position that reasonable doubt of Ortiz's guilt existed due to inconsistent witness statements and the testimony of a witness alleging Nash had admitted to shooting Carroll in self-defense.

The state would argue that Ortiz was the shooter based on the witness testimony, the position of the gunshot wound, and a .45 cal. shell casing found at the scene that matched the brand of .45 cal. ammunition found in the trunk of the car in which Ortiz had crashed. There was also the presence of green paint that had been thrown on Nash by Carroll before the shooting and later found on Ortiz's arm and clothing at the hospital, placing him at the scene of the crime.

The trial lasted four days, and the jury heard from witnesses, including law enforcement, civilian witnesses, medical personnel, a gun and tool mark examiner, a fingerprint examiner, and a criminologist.

On the final day, the jury heard deliberation instructions and closing arguments from Gilliam and Kinsky before heading back to the jury room for deliberations at 6:20 p.m. on Oct. 15.

A few hours into deliberation, the jury sent a note out that said they were deadlocked but, shortly after, sent another note indicating that they wished to continue deliberations. They returned with their verdict at approximately 11:38 p.m.

After the verdict was read, Carroll's family members, who had been observing the trial the entire time, were noticeably relieved and appeared pleased with the outcome of the trial.

"Oh my God, my son can rest in peace finally," said Carroll's mother, Theresa Kelly, with tears in her eyes outside the courtroom.

Carroll's father, Ronald Carroll, and stepmother, Rhonda Carroll, said they thought the prosecutor did a fantastic job trying the case and said they feel that justice was served.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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As many head outside to enjoy the longer days and warmer weather this spring, they may come across a variety of newborn animals. It may appear young creatures are abandoned, but thats usually not the case. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds Missourians that interfering with wildlife does more harm than good.

MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian Sherri Russell explained that its rare for young animals to be orphaned.

If the young is left alone, the parent will usually return, she said. Parents are normally out searching for food and cannot constantly attend to their offspring.

Chicks are one common type of young wildlife people may come across in the spring.

If you see a fledgling hopping on the ground, leave it be and bring pets inside, Russell encouraged. These young birds can spend up to 10 days hopping on the ground learning to fly as their parents keep watch. If you find one that has no feathers, you can return it to the nesting area if possible, as it likely fell out of its nest.

Other common wildlife people may encounter include young eastern cottontail rabbits.

Many people love to see the young rabbits and may try to take them inside. But seldom survive in captivity and can actually die of fright from being handled, warned Russell. Even if the animal appears to be injured, leave it in the nest because the mother will likely return.

Despite popular opinion, wildlife mothers do not abandon their young because of a human scent, and most newborn animals do not survive in captivity.

People have good intentions, but the care and rehabilitation of wildlife requires special training, facilities, and permits, Russell explained. Without such proper care, wild animals will remain in poor health and could eventually die. Its also illegal to possess many wild animals without a valid state or federal permit.

Russell also cautioned that wildlife can become dangerous as they mature, and can also carry parasites, disease, and has the potential to damage property.

Native wildlife can carry mites, ticks, lice, fleas, roundworms, tapeworms, rabies, distemper, tuberculosis, respiratory diseases, and skin diseases, she said. Some of these can be transmitted to humans.

It can be tempting to welcome wildlife into homes, but the best help people can offer them is to leave them be.

For more information on Missouris many wildlife species, visit MDCs online Field Guide at https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide.

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Julie Montross has been named executive director of the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, the organizations board of directors announced Monday.

Montross most recently served as senior vice president of business development at Club Management Association of America. She succeeds Chris Eure, who held the position for 10 years and announced her retirement in November of last year.

She was appointed by Alexandrias City Council to serve on the Commission for the Arts in 2017, she chaired the commissions ARTreach Committee and served on the executive committee as secretary. Montross also served as Arts Commission Liaison on the Alexandria Arts Alliance Board of Directors before relocating with her family to the Charlottesville area in the fall of 2021.

[Montross] track record of creating, growing and nurturing professional relationships rooted in common values and meaningful partnerships is precisely the mission-minded perspective that is essential to the continued success of The Paramount Theater, Paramount Theater Board member and co-chair for the search committee, Craig Littlepage, said in a press release.

The Paramount Theater first opened on Main Street on Thanksgiving Eve in 1931. It operated for decades as a segregated building as was required by law in Virginia at the time. African-Americans and persons of color were required to use the theaters Third Street entrance, which has be preserved.

The theater closed in 1974 but efforts were soon launched to save the theater from threats of demolition.

In 1992, the non-profit Paramount Theater, Inc. purchased the building. With a grant from the City of Charlottesville, the work began with the restoring the Main Street marquee.

The $16.2 million project included restoration of the theater and the creation of new facilities to make the Paramount a regional performing arts center.

The Paramount Theater opened its doors to the public once more on December 15, 2004 more than thirty years after it had closed.

The Paramount is such an important piece of Charlottesville history, and equally as important, its future. Being a part of the Paramount Theater story is an honor, Montross said in a press release.
Wall Street has always been involved in politics even if bank bosses sometimes want to pretend disinterest. In the past, they were able to stick mainly to battles about tax and regulation. Now, it is ever harder to avoid the U.S. culture wars.

Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser has stuck her head highest above the parapet with vaccine mandates to combat Covid and pledges of support for female staff in states that are banning or criminalizing abortions.

Jamie Dimon at JPMorgan Chase wouldn't answer the question directly on Bloomberg TV this week, but he did say the bank would always look after the health of its staff. His institution and Goldman Sachs are both discussing policies like Citigroup's now that the Supreme Court appears set to overturn Roe V. Wade, Bloomberg reported.

Fraser told shareholders at their annual meeting last month that funding travel for abortions wasn't political but meant to ensure equal healthcare for all staff wherever they live.

This isn't the only area banks are getting caught in the cultural crossfire and being denounced as "woke" bogeymen. Policies around finance and payment for guns have already helped turn municipal bond sales into an unlikely battleground.

Texas passed laws last year to block banks from underwriting muni bonds if it deems their gun-sale policies restrictive. Other states are jumping on the bandwagon with copycat laws, including Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, which is considering an additional bill to punish banks that discriminate against energy companies.

The muni market isn't the biggest in the world, but it is significant. Texas is the third-biggest state for sales of long- and short-term bonds, commercial paper and municipal-backed corporate debt after California and New York, with more than $50 billion worth of sales in each of the past three years, more than 10% of all sales, according to Bloomberg data.

The law has upended debt sales since it came into effect last September: JPMorgan, for example, has gone from leading the league tables in 2020, to seeing its business cut in half last year and drying up almost entirely so far this year. Topping the Texas table instead is Royal Bank of Canada.

Citigroup's involvement has also dropped dramatically, but a Texas legislator has still threatened further exclusion over its abortion policy. Republicans in Congress have called for all government contracts with Citi to be canceled, while Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wants to cut all tax breaks from "woke corporations."

With the threat of commercial damage, why would CEOs like Fraser risk backlash with public pronouncements on contentious issues? She could ensure staff are protected without saying it aloud.

First, Republicans and the banking industry have already been leaving each other behind, especially since the party has become more nativist, socially conservative and protectionist on trade, like right-wing groups in the U.K. and Europe.

Banks and bankers have changed too. They are large, reliable political donors who traditionally favored the fiscally conservative and economically laissez-faire GOP. But there has been a steady drift toward funding liberal politicians, according to Adam Bonica, associate professor of political science at Stanford University.

He maps the ideological leanings of industries by analyzing data on contributions and has found the same slow-moving trend among many since 1980. But it accelerated in recent years: In finance, ideology crossed the center line and then became rapidly more liberal in the targets of its funding after 2012.

Industries like agriculture and energy are among the few that remain more conservative.

But this still doesn't tell us why or what is the value in advertising more progressive attitudes to the wider world? One answer is the economic heft of younger generations.

Millenials (aka Generation Y) and Generation Z, which combine all people born between 1981 and 2012, are a huge demographic force, especially in the U.S. The roughly 73 million millennial Americans have already overtaken Baby Boomers as a bigger share of the population. Hot on their heels, Gen-Z will become the biggest group, nearly 80 million, by 2034, according to a 2019 study of the coming youth boom by Morgan Stanley economists and analysts. Gen-Z is big in the U.S., accounting for 20% of the U.S. population, more than in other advanced country. In France and the U.K. they make up 17%-18% of the population while in many other places they are less than 15%.

The effect of these cohorts on the growth of the working population and the U.S. economy in the decades ahead is going to be much greater than official projections had assumed, Morgan Stanley found. That goes against the expectations of a slower economy brought on by the decline of boomers as active workers and consumers.

This, of course, matters greatly for banks. Millennials have driven the bulk of new loan demand in the U.S. since before 2019, according to Morgan Stanley. Plus, banks face more competition from fintechs to win the business and longer-term loyalty of Generations Y and Z: The young are predisposed to use smartphones for all kinds of finance. More than 60% of Gen-Zers had a smartphone before their 14th birthday.

Banks also must compete harder to recruit young people against their stronger aspirations to work in technology or healthcare. This is why banks such as Goldman Sachs are also bringing in an array of progressive benefits and why many are being forced to allow more flexible working.

The young and the college educated skew more liberal in their social views and in the current phase of this social-media age they often expect their employers and the brands they use to reflect their attitudes.

Banks' commercial imperative must be to build brands and reputations among these two generations. It isn't cynical to recognize the economic case whatever you think about the role a CEO like Fraser should or shouldn't play publicly.

Wall Street's leaders will find their roles at times uncomfortable, but it is the right path to follow.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says a Palestinian man died after he was shot by Israeli troops near a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank and a teenager with a knife was shot by an Israeli civilian inside a Jewish settlement
On Monday, Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced that Main Street Marianna has been designated the May 2022 Florida Main Street Program of the Month.

I am happy to recognize Main Street Marianna as the Florida Main Street Program of the Month, Lee said in a press release.

Faced with many challenges following the destruction caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018, the entire community of Marianna has shown resilience and determination in rebuilding and returning life to their historic downtown.

Established on October 1, 1992, the mission of Main Street Marianna is to restore, promote, and maintain the historic character of downtown Marianna, contribute to downtown revitalization efforts, and stimulate economic activity that helps enhance the quality of life for all Marianna residents.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to work and to assist in fostering growth in the community both in terms of physical size and also in terms of human connection, said Main Street Marianna Executive Director Meghan Basford, a Marianna native.

I value my relationships with each community member that I meet, and we all have this incredible, unspoken, common bond in the way that we have all experienced several life-changing events in this area. I believe that now is the time for us to renew our vision and pump life back into this incredible community.

Main Street Marianna hosts a variety of events throughout the year, such as Pumpkins in the Park, Christmas in Candyland, Lights on the Landing, Shamrock Shenanigans, Melons in the Park, the annual Independence Day celebration, and Concerts in the Park.

Since 1992, Main Street Marianna has reported approximately $34,024,673 in public and private reinvestments and welcomed 98 net new businesses and 574 net new full-time and part-time jobs to the district. The organization has reported more than 12,055 volunteer hours.

For more information on Main Street Marianna, visit www.mainstreetmarianna.org.
The Baptist College of Florida dedicated another Shepherds Cottage on campus in an April 21 ceremony at 11 a.m.

The latest honors, and is named for, the late Howard and Julia Gates.

BCF President Thomas A. Kinchen set the goal of building such shepherds cottages to provide homes for retired ministers, missionaries and widows of ministers who may not have a place to live later in life, according to a BCF press release.

Many hours of volunteer labor and donations made the project a reality, school officials said, naming Howard Gates Jr. and his wife Janelle, along with other members of the Gates family, as among the donors.

As guests were gathering around the home to be dedicated in Heritage Village, BCF alumnus Rashonda Johnston played a prelude followed by an invocation by Academic Dean Robin Jumper.

BCF Music and Worship Division Chair Bill Davis led the crowd in singing Amazing Grace, and Kinchen was the primary speaker for the day, focusing on gratitude to the Gates family and for the new cottage.

The Minister of Senior Adults and Congregational Care at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Fort Walton Beach, Jeff Keeman sang Great Redeemer, We Adore Thee as a personal tribute for the Gates family at the dedication.

Gates Jr. is pastor of that FBC of Ft. Walton Beach and is the son of the honorees. He spoke at the dedication, sharing several stories about his parents and why he wanted to honor them in this way. The schools of Christian education and music meant a lot to mother and dad, Gates said. He reminisced about their lives of Christian service, education, and parenting.

Davis presented the dedication anthem Bless This House followed by BCF Theology Division Chair Richard Elligsons dedication prayer.

All of the Gates family members, friends and others in attendance were able to tour the new home.

For more information on Heritage Village or Shepherds Cottages located on the college campus, visit the website at https://www.baptistcollege.edu or call 850.263.3261.
When the first employees arrived for work early Monday morning at Dothans Alfred Saliba Family Service Center, the first thing they noticed is that the cat wasnt there to greet them at the wrought-iron gate at the facilitys entrance.

Soon they discovered more was amiss. A broken pane in the door to the auditorium led to the discovery of widespread vandalism throughout every room of the center. Powder from a discharged fire extinguisher covers the hardwood floor of the auditorium in the building, constructed more than 100 years ago as Young Junior High School. Along the breezeways, every room had been breached and damaged.

Site manager Debbie Geiger said it appears the suspects gained access over the weekend through the adjacent offices that formerly housed the city board of education offices. The center is expected to be closed for several days for cleanup and repair.

The vandalism included destruction of computers and monitors, as well as the theft of laptops and televisions and graffiti left on walls, Geiger said, adding that even snack supplies were raided, either eaten by the vandals or strewn and ground into carpets.

Employees and police were able to watch the shenanigans unfold on video, as the vandals activities were chronicled by surveillance, giving law enforcement plenty of clues.

They were having a real heyday, Geiger said. And they left a lot of evidence.

Police are looking for seven suspects ranging in age from juvenile to young adult.

The investigation is ongoing, and evidence is still being processed. Video evidence is being processed as well and as soon as pictures of suspects are available, they will be released if possible.

Center employees hope the cat isnt missing, but simply hiding because of all the commotion.

Anyone with information related to this incident please contact Crime Stoppers at 334-793-7000 or the Dothan Police Department at 334-615-3000. Information can be provided anonymously if you wish.

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Dothan police solved the case of weekend vandalism at the Alfred Saliba Family Service Center late Monday when several suspects returned to enter the facility again.

Responding officers captured the juvenile suspects after a short foot chase, and soon knew the identities of all the suspects in three break-ins over a two-day period. The suspects are all under age 16 and will not be identified.

Family Service Center employees arrived Monday to find that every room had been broken into and vandalized to varying degrees, with damage including broken furniture and equipment, defaced walls, and stolen property. The damage affected four agencies housed in the building, closing those operations indefinitely.

Employees and police were able to watch the shenanigans unfold on video, as the vandals activities were chronicled by surveillance, giving law enforcement plenty of clues.

They were having a real heyday, site manager Debbie Geiger said. And they left a lot of evidence.

Center employees were also pleased to see Lucy, the centers resident cat, roaming the breezeways of the 100-year-old building Tuesday morning; the animal had been missing since the break-ins were discovered.

We were so relieved, an unnamed staffer said.

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Associated Press

ATLANTA  Brad Raffensperger says the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions should be amended to prohibit voting by people who arent U.S. citizens. He oversaw a citizenship audit of the states voter rolls and has announced plans to further integrate citizenship checks into the voter registration process.

The Georgia secretary of state readily acknowledges that noncitizen voting is not a problem. State law already bars those who arent U.S. citizens from voting. And while his audit flagged more than 1,600 potential noncitizens who tried to register over the last 25 years, none was successful.

But Raffensperger, Georgias chief elections officer, is nonetheless making the issue a centerpiece of his effort to win over diehard conservatives ahead of what could be a difficult bid to clinch the GOP nomination later this month for another four year term in office. He is one of Donald Trumps top primary targets this year after he refused to bend to pressure from the former president to overturn Joe Bidens victory in Georgia.

His insistence on honoring the results of a free and fair election in 2020 turned Raffensperger into an unlikely national figure at a moment when core democratic principles were being tested in the U.S. But in a recent interview, he reiterated his focus on noncitizen voting, noting that his office has referred the people flagged by the audit to law enforcement and election officials for further investigation.

I want to make sure that we follow the law, that we follow the Constitution, and I want to make sure that only Americans can vote in our elections, he said. I think thats really important.

Others, however, say Raffensperger is motivated by political calculations.

This is a pretty safe red meat thing that he can throw to the base that hes hoping will satisfy them, Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said of Raffenspergers focus on noncitizen voting. Hes not doing this because theres a problem that needs to be solved. Hes doing this because he wants to try burnish his conservative bonafides with the base of voters who are going to determine whether or not hes going to keep his job.

Contests for secretary of state typically attract little attention. But Trumps election lies have dramatically intensified the focus on such races. During his waning days in office, Trump pressed Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn Bidens victory, a conversation that is now the subject of a grand jury probe in Atlanta.

The results in Georgia were certified after a trio of recounts, including one partially done by hand. They all affirmed Bidens victory.

Federal and state election officials and Trumps own attorney general have said the election was fair, and the former presidents allegations were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

Still, Trump has taken the unusual step of issuing endorsements in secretary of state campaigns across the U.S., including Georgia. Hes backed a Raffensperger rival, U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who objected to Georgias electoral votes being counted for Biden.

In the final weeks before Georgias May 24 primary, Raffensperger and Hice are running neck and neck, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll last month. About 40% of likely Republican voters were still undecided in the race.

At a recent debate, Raffenspergers three Republican challengers  Hice, former Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle and former county Probate and Magistrate Judge T.J. Hudson  accused him of causing Georgians to lose faith in elections. They criticized his coronavirus-related decisions to mail absentee ballot applications to all active voters ahead of the 2020 primary and to allow the use of absentee ballot drop boxes.

Raffensperger defended his record and the integrity of Georgia elections. He also repeatedly returned to his main campaign message, saying the real issue that were facing right now is noncitizen voting.

Georgia law already prohibits people who arent U.S. citizens from voting in the state. But Raffensperger last year called on state lawmakers to pass an amendment to the state Constitution to prevent noncitizens from voting. He noted that a number of municipalities around the country have made it legal for noncitizens to vote in local elections. Raffensperger said he wants a constitutional amendment to make sure that cant happen in Georgia.

Legislation that would have allowed voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to prohibit noncitizen voting failed this year in the Georgia General Assembly.

Hice said Raffensperger is using the issue to distract from his record.

Non-citizens voting in Georgia Elections is already illegal, Hice said in an emailed statement. If Brad worked as hard at executing the responsibilities of Secretary of State as he does at political posturing, I wouldnt be challenging him.

State Rep. Bee Nguyen, a leading Democratic candidate for secretary of state, called it a non-issue.

We already have evidence to show that non-citizens are not voting, she said in an emailed statement. Brad Raffensperger should be focused on ensuring that our local election boards are supported, and that every eligible citizen is able to cast their vote at the ballot box.

Raffensperger announced last month that a citizenship audit of the states voter rolls identified 1,634 instances of potential noncitizens trying to register to vote since 1997. None were allowed to register to vote, and Raffensperger said his office referred them to law enforcement and election officials for further investigation.

His office says a handful of noncitizens have been caught casting ballots during his tenure and have been referred to prosecutors.

Last Wednesday, he unveiled plans to use a federal database to check the citizenship status of any voter registration applicant whos flagged as a potential noncitizen by the state Department of Driver Services when people register while getting a drivers license.

Raffensperger made that announcement in front of the federal courthouse in Atlanta as he took a swipe at Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is running for governor and is a popular target for state Republicans.

While Im taking steps to stop noncitizen voting and noncitizen registration in its tracks, Abrams and her allies are working to open the floodgates for all noncitizens to get on the voter rolls, Raffensperger said, repeating a claim he makes often that a lawsuit filed by Fair Fight Action, a group founded by Abrams, would do away with citizenship checks.

Fair Fight executive director Cianti Stewart-Reid said the lawsuit, which is currently at trial, challenges a voter registration policy that the group says improperly flags U.S. citizens as noncitizens, causing them to be disenfranchised.

Our suit does not seek, and has never sought, to allow non-citizens to vote in Georgia, she said in an emailed statement. Anyone who says otherwise is either not paying attention or deliberately misrepresenting what is at stake in our landmark suit.

As much as Raffensperger might like for the primary to be about noncitizen voting, its more likely to be a referendum on how Republican primary voters feel about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Georgia State University political science professor Amy Steigerwalt said.

If you believe that it was stolen and that the statewide Republican elected officials in Georgia acted improperly, then youre going to vote for Jody Hice, she said. If you believe in fact that the election wasnt stolen, if you believe that they did what they were supposed to under state law as they were required, then youre probably much more likely to vote for Brad Raffensperger.
A former Alabama jail official on the run with a murder suspect she was accused of helping escape shot and killed herself Monday as authorities caught up with the pair after more than a week of searching, officials said. The man she fled with surrendered.

The death of Vicky White, 56, only deepened the mystery of why a respected jail official would leave everything to help free Casey White, 38, a hulking inmate with a violent and frightening history.

The two fugitives were caught  following a manhunt through three states  in Evansville, Indiana, when U.S. Marshals chasing them crashed into their vehicle, authorities said. Casey White gave himself up and Vicky White shot herself and was taken to a hospital, authorities said. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said she died from her injuries.

Before Vicky Whites death, authorities celebrated the fugitives apprehension.

We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again. That is a good thing, for not just our community. Thats a good thing for our country, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton of Alabama said.

The manhunt began April 29 when Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for the jail in Lauderdale County, allegedly helped engineer the escape of Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case. Vicky White had told co-workers she was taking the inmate from the jail for a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but the two, who are not related, instead fled the area.

The car they took off in was later found abandoned in Tennessee, but there was no trace of the pair until U.S. Marshals received a tip Sunday that surveillance photos from an Evansville car wash showed a man who closely resembled Casey White exiting a 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Marshals Service said. White stands 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighs about 260 pounds (118 kilograms).

On Monday, officials learned that the pair was spotted near the sheriffs office, said Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding in Indiana. As officers arrived, the pair fled in a vehicle and led police on a pursuit, he said. U.S. Marshals collided with them to try to end the pursuit, he said. Casey White was injured, not too seriously, in the crash and Vicky White then shot herself, causing very serious injuries, he said.

Were lucky that no law enforcement was injured, no innocent civilians were injured, the pursuit was short in nature and we have both people in custody, Wedding said.

Casey White was serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other charges at the time of his escape. He was awaiting trial in the stabbing of a 58-year-old woman during a burglary in 2015. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Federal and local law enforcement officials have also learned Casey White threatened to kill his former girlfriend and his sister in 2015 and said that he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals Service said.

A warrant was issued on May 2 for Vicky Sue White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree.

Vicky Whites family members and co-workers said they were stunned by her involvement. Singleton said she had been an exemplary employee but, in hindsight, it appeared the plan had been in the works for some time. Jail inmates said the two had a special relationship and she gave Casey White better treatment than other inmates.

In the past several months, she bought a rifle and a shotgun and also was known to have a handgun, U.S. Marshal Marty Keely said.

She sold her house for about half of market value and bought a 2007 orange Ford Edge that she stashed at a shopping center without license plates.

This escape was obviously well-planned and calculated. A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, Singleton said.

The escape happened on what Vicky White said was going to be her last day at work. She told co-workers that Casey White had a mental health evaluation at the courthouse, but none was scheduled. She did not have a second officer accompany them, which was against jail policy.

Video showed the pair went from the jail to the shopping center, where they picked up the Ford and left, Singleton said. Their flight was not discovered for much of the day.

Investigators believe the pickup truck Casey White had at the car wash was stolen in Tennessee and then driven about 175 miles (280 kilometers) to Evansville, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
An employee counts Vietnamese banknotes at a bank in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Most banks grew their profits in double digits in the first quarter but asset quality worsened.

VPBank surpassed state-owned Vietcombank to become the most profitable lender with a near tripling of its profits to VND11.15 trillion (US$485.6 million), which included revenues from its exclusive bancassurance contract with AIA.

SHB doubled its profits to VND3.23 trillion, thanks to a 90-percent growth in net interest income.

Only VietinBank and OCB reported declines in profits.

VietinBank attributed the fall in profits to the VND4.4 trillion provisioning it made for loans, up 230 percent year-on-year.

VietinBank attributed the fall in profits to the VND4.4 trillion provisioning it made for loans, up 230 percent year-on-year.But its credit growth in the first three months was 9 percent, much higher than the industry average of 5 percent and sharply up from last years 2.2 percent.

Revenues from services were also a major driver of profits. Most private lenders posted high net profits from services, but state-owned Vietcombank, BIDV and VietinBank saw a decline after offering free online transactions.

For a second year the State Bank of Vietnam requires banks to classify and make provisions for assets acquired from the following: debt trading, trading of government bonds on the stock market, forward trading of valuable papers between banks, purchase of promissory notes, treasury bills, and certificates of deposit and bonds sold by other credit institutions.

Increasing debt provisions was a widespread trend following a sharp rise in nonperforming loans since the beginning of this year.

SSI Securities said asset quality has worsened at many banks, but is not concerned though debt provisioning puts pressure on banks.

SSI Securities said asset quality has worsened at many banks, but is not concerned though debt provisioning puts pressure on banks.

Vietcombank Securities, a subsidiary of Vietnams biggest lender, forecast high growth for private players with low cost of capital.

It said BIDV, MB, Techcombank, ACB, TPBank, and MSB could achieve profit growth of over 20 percent this year.
The US and Japan flags fly together outside the White House in Washington. Photo by Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

President Joe Biden's visit to Japan this month is expected to coincide with the formal launch of a new U.S. economic strategy for the Indo-Pacific, even as China seeks "very aggressively" to fill a void since Washington quit a regional trade pact, Tokyo's ambassador to the United States said on Monday.

Ambassador Koji Tomita told an event hosted by Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies that Japan and the United States had been working on the details of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which, he said, needed to strike a balance between inclusivity and high standards.

Asian countries are keen to boost ties with the United States, but have been frustrated by its delay in detailing plans for economic engagement with the region since former President Donald Trump quit a regional trade pact in 2017.

Biden, who is to visit South Korea and Japan from May 20 to May 24, announced the plan for IPEF last year. In announcing its strategy for the Indo-Pacific region in February, the administration said the plan was to launch IPEF in early 2022.

Tomita said Biden's visit would send a powerful signal that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific in spite of the war in Ukraine.

"But this is not just a message. I think the visit will establish in very strong terms that Japan and the United States jointly are ready to play a leadership role in the economic and social development of the broader Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Tomita noted that Biden's visit would include a summit meeting of the Quad grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, an important vehicle for that purpose.

"Also, I'm expecting the visit will also coincide with the formal launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework initiative by the United States. And we are now trying to flesh out the ideas to be contained in this initiative," he said.

Biden is due to host Southeast Asian leaders at a special summit in Washington on Thursday and Friday, but an Asian diplomat said IPEF was not on the formal agenda as most ASEAN economies would not be among the initial signatories.

The diplomat said at least six countries were likely to sign up initially with the United States to negotiate agreements on a range of common standards. These were Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and ASEAN members the Philippines and Singapore.

Analysts say Washington was particularly keen to get Vietnam and Indonesia aboard too, but they have had issues about agreeing to U.S. standards on cross-border data flows.

Tomita said the U.S. withdrawal from what is now known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership was a setback and China was "very aggressively seeking to fill this void."

"Whenever you do any form of regional economic forum there is a trade-off between inclusiveness and high standards," he said, referring to IPEF. "Of course, we need both, but we have to strike the right balance between these two requirements."

The Biden administration has ignored calls for a return to CPTPP because of concerns about the effect this could have on U.S. jobs and has frustrated smaller Asian countries by its unwillingness to offer greater market access they seek via IPEF.

The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, told the same forum IPEF needed to be inclusive, but also have high enough standards that it would not be "a race to the bottom economically."
The United States joined the international community in expressing outrage in response to the heinous attacks on the Mumtaz Education Center and the Abdul Rahim Shahid school in Kabul and offered condolences to the families and other loved ones of those killed, according to an April 19 statement by Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price. Several attacks targeting civilians of the Hazara Shia minority group in April were attributed to ISIS-K.



In one unclaimed attack that killed congregants of a Sufi mosque in Kabul, an explosion tore through the Khalifa Sahib mosque in the west of Kabul on the last Friday of Ramadan. The roof of the mosque collapsed on worshippers. At least 10 people were killed and up to 15 more were injured, with reports of far higher casualty figures reported from local hospitals, according to the United Nations. Mette Knudsen, the UN Secretary Generals Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan said, No words are strong enough to condemn this despicable act, targeting a place of worship, as Muslims across Afghanistan prepare to celebrate Eid.



The UN Security Council issued a statement following the string of attacks in April, reaffirming that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.



State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter condemned the targeting of members of minority groups in the strongest terms and said, The United States is also committed to supporting the ability of all Afghans, including members of religious minority groups to practice their religion freely, without fear of violence against them. We are also extremely concerned about the rise of attacks in Afghanistan and call for an end to these cowardly attacks and for perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The April observance of Earth Day is more than a celebration of nature and our environment. It also marks the rise of the environmental movement. Ultimately, that first Earth Day in 1970 culminated in the passage of sweeping laws for the protection of air and water quality, and conservation of endangered species of animals, and the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.



This was a series of bold steps toward mitigating the problem of environmental degradation. This year, on Earth Day and the weeks leading up to it, the Biden-Harris administration announced another bold step forwarda raft of new policies designed to tackle the global climate crisis. They include a series of initiatives to combat deforestation at home and around the world, as well as commitments to protect the ocean by creating two new marine sanctuaries; to protect fish populations; to decarbonize the shipping sector; to tackle plastic pollution; and to promote offshore renewable energy deployment.



These initiatives join a long list of measures undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration in its first 14 months. They include the U.S.-China Joint Glasgow Declaration to accelerate climate actions in the critical decade of the 2020s ; partnerships with vulnerable countries to help them build resilience against the impacts of climate change; and convening a virtual climate summit with 40 world leaders in an effort to rally the world to tackle the climate crisis and meet the demands of science.



"This Administration has made the climate crisis a foreign policy priority by working to scale up global ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, infusing the climate dimension into our broader policy, and significantly increasing investments in climate adaptation and resilience. Thanks to U.S. leadership at COP26 in Glasgow, the world is much closer to keeping a 1.5 degrees Celsius limit on global temperature rise within reach, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Earth Day.



We also released the United States Long-Term Strategy under the Paris Agreement, which outlines how we will achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, and, in partnership with the EU, we enlisted more than a hundred countries in the fight to reduce methane emissions  regarded as the single most effective near-term strategy to limit warming, he said.



We are able to reflect on the past year as the period when we gained momentum in our global commitment to foster a healthier planet.
Its been 27 years since authorities of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) abducted a six-year-old Tibetan boy and his family. Three days before he disappeared in May 1995, the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhists spiritual leader, designated Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, the second most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism. After his abduction, the PRC selected another boy to be a more politically satisfactory Panchen Lama.



At six years old, Gedhun Cheokyi Nyima was called the youngest political prisoner in the world. Neither he nor his family has been seen in public since their abduction, and their whereabouts are unknown.



On the occasion of his 33rd birthday on April 25, the United States called on PRC authorities to immediately account for Gedhun Cheokyi Nyimas whereabouts and well-being. In a statement, Ned Price, State Department Spokesperson, said the Panchen Lama must be allowed to fully exercise his human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Tragically, many Tibetans are barred from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. The State Departments most recent human rights report on China notes, Outside observers examined publicly available information and, as of late May, identified between 500 and 2,000 Tibetans known or believed to be detained or imprisoned by PRC authorities in violation of international human rights standards. The State Department also noted, In accordance with government guidance on ethnic assimilation, [PRC] state policies continued to disrupt traditional Tibetan culture, living patterns, and customs.



As State Department Spokesperson Ned Price stated, The United States supports Tibetans religious freedom and their unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity, including Tibetans right to select, educate, and venerate their own leaders, like the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, according to their own beliefs and without government interference.
SPRING CREEK  A revised home-occupation rule is scheduled for a first reading Monday when the Spring Creek Associations Committee of Architecture meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Fairway Community Center.

The new draft dated May 5 has been posted on the SCA website. It follows an earlier version that drew questions and complaints from several property owners, including some who feared it would put them out of business.

Revisions were made following a two-hour community meeting hosted by the SCA and the Committee of Architecture on April 26. Several property owners brought up concerns with rules from the first draft, including noise and dust, permit fees, signage and appearance.

In response, the SCA agreed to consider the changes and review them with its legal counsel, attorney Katie McConnell.

The new rule specifies that residents working from home for a third-party employer do not need a home occupation permit. Neither do residents who are self-employed and their business does not have foot traffic from customers/clients.

The number of nonresident employees allowed at a home occupation at any given time is raised to three in the new draft. The previous proposal set a limit of one.

Absent from the new draft is a list of home occupations that will expressly be banned. Instead, the draft says a home occupation generally Is not a use that is permissible in a Commercial Zoning Designation or as a Conditional Use for the zoning district for which the premises is located as defined by the Spring Creek Association Declaration of Reservations.

Property owners must pay an unspecified one-time fee to obtain a home occupation permit. Permittees must file for an annual renewal to maintain the permit at no cost, otherwise it may lapse. While The SCA has the authority to revoke a permit based on violations, annual permit renewals shall not require approval or action from SCA or the Committee of Architecture.

The revised draft does not require property owners to state the gross receipts of their occupation, as the current informal permitting process does.

The new draft also changes the amount of space a home occupation can take to 100% of an auxiliary structure and 40% of the primary residence.

Another change involves outdoor evidence of the business. Continual storage of materials, products or equipment is not allowed, except for daycares, agricultural operations and stables.

The Home Occupation should not use show windows, exterior business displays, sandwich boards, or advertising that is visible from outside the premises, except as is permitted by the DORs and approved by the COA through the sign permit application process. However, Storage of vehicles, which display logos or advertising or signage including wrapped vehicles, on the premises shall not be considered external evidence of the home occupation.

As stated in the earlier version, home occupations are not to generate more traffic than normally associated with a residence. But an earlier provision that set a two-vehicle limit on the parking or storage of vehicles was dropped.

The allowed hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., mirroring Elko Countys ordinance. This includes restrictions on excessive noise, odors, traffic and unloading or loading of vehicles.

According to the SCA, the new rules are intended to encourage additional home-based businesses. Previous rules for home occupations were ambiguous and the associations Declaration of Reservations is quite restrictive  For example not being able to use a shop or accessory building was noted in old rules.

A second reason for this is due to Great Basin Water not allowing some residential and commercial lots to hook up to sewer because they are at capacity for their sewer treatment plant. This has halted growth for businesses in Spring Creek and we have found it important to work with homebased business to bring services to the area without them waiting years for a new sewer treatment plant, stated SCA.

Finally, our goal is to have peace between neighbors and AR (agriculture residential) lots while providing additional businesses. For example, a trash company who identifies as homebased business will not be able to store trash in their three garages on their property even though they identify as a home business, this is a commercial business.

As stated in prior meetings, no one is here to stop any homebased business but to provide a clear understanding between neighbors and homebased businesses of what they can expect.

Anyone with questions on the proposed rules can attend Mondays meeting or call the SCA office at 753-6295.

A second reading of the rules will be scheduled before final passage.

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ELKO  The National Weather Service issued a special statement Tuesday morning for local areas of heavy snow showers in northeastern Nevada.

Visibility may be reduced at times and wet roads may become slick and slushy, said the statement posted at 7:44 a.m. Use caution when traveling in areas where snowfall is occurring and allow for additional time to get to your destination.

The Nevada Department of Transportation reported adverse driving conditions on Interstate 80 over Emigrant Summit.

Radar indicated a mass of precipitation just west of Elko.

The forecast calls for a 40% chance of scattered snow Tuesday morning and another 20% chance of rain and snow on Wednesday.

The weather should begin drying out and warming up Thursday. The extended forecast calls for mostly sunny skies into the weekend, with highs in the mid-70s on Saturday and lower 80s Sunday.

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French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery at a press conference to launch the project.

(Source: thoibaotaichinh.vn)

On May 9, the French Embassy in Vietnam held a press conference to launch the project.

VNA cited the saying of Sophie Maysonnave, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Activities at the French embassy, that the project will be carried out in three regions of Vietnam: renovating the Tourist Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh, supporting for Environmental Education and Communication Centre in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Nam, and designing and implementing Story Boxes for museums in Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

The projects activities include training courses for museum staffs, which will be taught by experts from Frances famous museums and universities.

Cooperation between the two countries museums will also be intensified through field trips to exchange experience in the European country.

French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said this project opens up a new stage in a significant cooperation between the two countries, demonstrating both sides aspirations to boost ties in the field of natural and cultural heritage, especially in preservation activities.

Sharing Frances experience of managing heritage, the diplomat said that the quality and activities of heritage conservation and museums have made an important contribution to making France a leading tourist destination in the world and to the countrys economic growth.

Vietnam can take advantage of its culture and heritage to promote economic development, he added./.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), export value of tuna to the Portuguese market reached 1.1 million USD in the first quarter of 2022, a 135% increase over the same period last year.

Photo for illustration. (Source: VASEP)



Vietnams tuna enterprises mainly export frozen tuna with HS code 0304 to the market. The average export price of Vietnams products is at 6,537USD per ton.

Explaining the sharp increase in seafood exports in general, and in tuna in particular, Mr. Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of VASEP said that businesses focused on repaying debts of old orders signed in 2021 along with fulfilling new contracts in 2022. In addition, after the COVID-19 epidemic, market demand also increased rapidly.

According to statistics of the World Trade Center, Portugal is currently the 6th largest tuna import market in the EU. In 2021, Portugal imported tuna from 35 countries around the world. Vietnam is the 8th largest tuna supplier outside the bloc for this market, after Ecuador, China, Papua New Guinea, Mauritius, Indonesia, Ghana and the Philippines.

During the three years of the pandemic, Portugal's tuna imports continued to maintain growth. Its tuna import volume increased from 45,000 tons in 2019 to 53,000 tons in 2021.

According to VASEP, in 2021, average price of Vietnams tuna exports to Portugal tends to increase, so that although export volume to this market decreases, export value still increases. Vietnams main export product of frozen tuna meat/loin, coded HS0304, has the highest prices among the suppliers./.
RTHK: Shoot-on-sight orders in Sri Lanka after violence

Sri Lankan authorities issued shoot-on-sight orders on Tuesday to quell further unrest a day after the island was rocked by deadly violence and rioting.

With thousands of security forces enforcing a curfew, the defence ministry said troops "have been ordered to shoot on sight anyone looting public property or causing harm to life".

On Monday, government supporters attacked with sticks and clubs demonstrators in Colombo protesting peacefully for weeks over a dire economic crisis and demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Mobs then retaliated across the country late into the night, torching dozens of homes of ruling-party politicians and trying to storm the prime minister's official residence in the capital.

Police said on Tuesday that in total eight people died.

Protests continued on Tuesday despite the curfew.

A crowd attacked and set fire to a vehicle carrying Colombo's most senior policeman.

Officers fired warning shots and sent in reinforcements to rescue Senior Deputy Inspector-General Deshabandu Tennakoon, who was rushed to hospital but later released after treatment.

In another sign of rapidly deteriorating security, vigilante groups blocked the main road to Colombo airport to check for any Rajapaksa loyalists trying to leave the island, witnesses said.

As well as those killed, more than 225 people were injured on Monday, which also saw the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

His departure however failed to quell public anger, with his brother still president and wielding widespread powers and command over the security forces.

Mahinda had to be rescued in a pre-dawn military operation after thousands of angry protesters stormed his official residence overnight and lobbed petrol bombs.

Protester Chamal Polwattage said he expected demonstrations to swell again and vowed they would not leave "until the president goes".

"People are angry about the attacks launched against us yesterday... We have a lot of volunteers bringing food and water for us," said the 25-year-old.

The Rajapaksa clan's hold on power has been shaken by months of blackouts and shortages of essential goods in Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

The pandemic torpedoed vital tourism and forced the government to halt most imports to save foreign currency needed to pay its debts, on which it has now defaulted.

But after weeks of peaceful demonstrations, Monday's attacks on protesters by government supporters represented a turning point.

In the ensuing violence, police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds and declared a curfew across the entire South Asian nation until Wednesday.

Angry crowds set alight the homes of at least 41 pro-Rajapaksa politicians.

Several Rajapaksa homes were torched, while a family museum in their ancestral village was trashed.

Outside Colombo, ruling-party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala shot two people  killing one of them  when surrounded by a crowd of protesters, police said.

The MP later took his own life, officers said, but the ruling party said he had been murdered. The lawmaker's bodyguard was also killed.

Another ruling-party politician who was not named shot dead two protesters and wounded five others in the south, police added.

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday she was "deeply troubled" by the violence committed both by supporters of the government and the subsequent "mob violence" against ruling party members.

Bachelet in a statement called for an investigation and urged the government to "engage in meaningful dialogue with all parts of society".

Mahinda Rajapaksa said his resignation was intended to pave the way for a unity government, but it was unclear if the opposition would join any administration led by his brother.

The president has the power to appoint and fire ministers as well as judges, and enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Political sources said attempts were under way to arrange an online meeting between the president and all political parties.

"Unless President Rajapaksa steps down, no one  whether the masses in the streets or key political stakeholders  will be appeased," said analyst Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Centre. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Foreign investors are allowed to transfer abroad funds that will be received after April 1, 2023 in connection with the redemption or payment of income on the government domestic loan bonds of Ukraine in accordance with the terms of their placement.

"The practical implementation of this rule will help increase the interest of non-residents in the purchase of government bonds, including for the funds received from planned repayments and income payments," the National Bank of Ukraine said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The above changes were made by resolution No. 96 of the NBU Board of May 9, 2022 on amendments to resolution No. 18 of the Board of the NBU of February 24, 2022 (the so-called military), which comes into force on May 10, 2022.

By the "military" resolution, the National Bank banned the withdrawal of such funds abroad. Since the beginning of the year, investments of non-residents in government bonds have decreased from UAH 91.34 billion to UAH 73.25 billion.
EC President von der Leyen, Hungarian PM Orban discuss embargo on Rosneft: There is progress, but further work needed

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reports that discussions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on sanctions against the Russian oil embargo were useful, but "further work is needed."

Von der Leyen announced these results of her talks with the Hungarian head of state on her Twitter account at the end of the meeting, which was held in Hungary on Monday.

"This evenings discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security. We made progress, but further work is needed," she said on Twitter.

At the same time, the president of the European Commission announced her intention to hold a videoconference with "with regional players to strengthen regional cooperation on oil infrastructure."
As a result of enemy shelling, an equipment warehouse in Dnipro and a refrigeration complex in Brovary (Kyiv region) were destroyed, the damage amounted to more than UAH 100 million, co-owner of EVA and Varus networks Ruslan Shostak said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"In Kyiv, a missile attack was carried out on Varus logistics warehouses ... We lost a refrigerated warehouse in Brovary, where there were dairy and frozen products. In Dnipro, our equipment warehouse with an area of 7,000 square meters was destroyed as a result of a missile attack. This is a loss of UAH 100 million for the equipment plus the building itself," the businessman said.

According to him, the destroyed refrigerated warehouses were moved to new premises in Kyiv region. In addition, they managed to remove the EVA warehouse with an area of 40,000 square meters from the occupied Brovary.

Shostak noted the company's experts and lawyers continue to work on the damage assessment.

"We are talking about hundreds of millions - these are destroyed stores, and those taken by force in the occupied territories, and looted goods," he explained.

The staff of EVA and Varus currently numbers about 30,000, while before the war it was 35,000.

"We aim to support each employee as much as possible," Shostak emphasized.

RUSH LLC, managing the EVA network, was founded in 2002. It has 52 own brands, which are represented by household goods, perfumes, cosmetics, costume jewelry, personal care products, accessories, underwear and children's goods. The staff of the network includes about 14,000 people.

Nometros Investments Ltd. (Cyprus) acquired 100% of RUSH LLC in 2008.
Starting from 07:00 on May 11, 2022, the offtake of gas to the gas transmission system (GTS) of Ukraine will not be conducted at the gas measuring station (GMS) Sokhranivka as a result of Ukraine's loss of control over GTS facilities in the occupied territories and illegal actions Russian occupiers, according to a press release from Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) on Tuesday.

"Gas TSO of Ukraine (GTSOU) reports the occurrence of force majeure, which makes it impossible to further transport gas through the GMS Sokhranivka and the border compressor station (CS) Novopskov, which are located in the occupied territories," the company said in the press release.

As reported, the Novopskov compressor station is the first of the compressor stations of the Ukrainian GTS in Luhansk region, through which almost a third of gas (up to 32.6 million cubic meters per day) is transited from Russia to Europe.

"Currently, GTSOU cannot carry out operational and technological control over the CS Novopskov and other assets located in these territories. Moreover, the interference of the occupying forces in technical processes and changes in the modes of operation of GTS facilities, including unauthorized gas offtakes from the gas transit flows, endangered the stability and safety of the entire Ukrainian gas transportation system," GTSOU said.

As the company said, these actions under the current transit contract are force majeure circumstances that make it impossible to fulfill obligations at the physical interconnection point GMS Sokhranivka and at the border compressor station Novopskov, which are not currently controlled by GTSOU.

"To fulfill its transit obligations to European partners in full and following the terms of the agreement, it is possible to temporarily transfer unavailable capacity from the Sokhranivka physical interconnection point to the Sudzha physical interconnection point located in the territory controlled by Ukraine," the company said.

As the OGTSU said, the company repeatedly informed Gazprom about gas transit threats due to the actions of the Russian-controlled occupation forces and stressed stopping interference in the operation of the facilities, but these appeals were ignored.
The largest European low-cost air carrier, Irish Ryanair, offers an accelerated recruitment procedure for Ukrainians in all areas of the company's business, according to the company's website.

"Ryanair would like to extend a warm welcome to all Ukrainian Nationals to attend an open day at our Headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin. At our recruitment open day, you will be able to learn about all of the open positions that we currently have available at the moment and we have a fast track recruitment process in place for Ukrainian nationals," the company said.

At the same time, Ryanair warns that all open vacancies require a good knowledge of English.

As previously reported, Ryanair canceled all flights to and from Ukraine, in particular from Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa airports, for an unlimited period, this follows from the information in its booking system.

In September 2021, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said the company planned to expand into Ukraine if the country joins the European Union's open skies agreement. This agreement was signed in October last year.
For first time in decades, there is no merchant fleet movement in Odesa - Zelensky

European Council President Charles Michel visited Odesa and saw with his own eyes what a blocked sea means. For the first time in decades, there is no regular merchant fleet traffic in Odesa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message on Monday evening.

"Ordinary life connected with the sea is blocked by Russia. And this is a blow not only to Ukraine - without our agricultural exports, dozens of countries in different regions of the world are on the verge of food shortages, and over time the situation can become frankly terrible," the president said.

According to him, "this is a direct consequence of Russian aggression, which can be overcome through pressure on Russia, forcing Russia to stop this shameful war."

"And, by the way, despite the presence of the President of the European Council, the Russian military again launched a missile attack on Odesa region. This is the real attitude of Russia towards Europe," Zelensky said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the signing of the lend-lease law by U.S. President Joseph Biden a historic step that will help bring victory.

"I am grateful to President Biden and the people of the U.S. for supporting Ukraine in the struggle for our freedom and future. The signing of the Lend-Lease law today is a historic step. I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine and Europe. Just like 77 years ago," he tweeted on Monday.
As a result of enemy shelling of settlements in Luhansk region, one person was wounded, head of the regional military administration Serhiy Haidai said.

"Cities and villages in the region have been shelled 22 times over the past day. There is destruction of housing in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. In addition, in Severodonetsk, an enemy shell hit the building of the local cell of the National Police, there was a significant fire, due to which the premises and equipment were destroyed.

When trying to examine the destruction in Shypilove, where people remain blocked, the Russians opened fire on the police. There is one injured employee. A resident of Severodonetsk, who received shrapnel wounds to his limbs yesterday, was hospitalized and taken to a hospital in Poltava," Haidai wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday morning.
US Congress may soon vote to expand aid to Ukraine to $40 bln  media

The U.S. House of Representatives may vote on Tuesday to give Ukraine $39.8 billion in additional aid, media reported, citing informed sources.

Reports note that Democratic lawmakers have already agreed to the proposal, which exceeds President Joe Biden's earlier request of $33 billion for this purpose. Sources say the new proposal includes an additional $3.4 billion for military aid and $3.4 billion for humanitarian aid.

Senate leaders, according to sources, said they were also prepared to act quickly to get the bill signed into law by the president as soon as possible.

The COVID-19 supplemental funding proposal, which some Democrats wanted to merge with emergency funding for Ukraine, will now be considered separately.

Earlier, Biden issued a statement urging lawmakers to pass the bill and submit it for his signature in the next few days.
The Russian network of the Invitro laboratories is changing the name of its Ukrainian laboratories to CentroLab, commercial director of the Synevo laboratory Mykola Skavronsky told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The situation with the Russian Invitro network is interesting. There were no official reports about the termination of Invitro's work in Ukraine, but some of its branches have already been transferred to another legal entity and now work under the CentroLab brand. If we go further and look in open sources, it turns out that the director of Invitro is also the director and co-founder of CentroLab. Therefore, a logical question arises: is this just such a mimicry for a Ukrainian company to avoid public negativity and possible sanctions, or what kind of reorganization is this during the war?" he said.

According to information on the CentroLab website, the network includes 12 laboratories in Dnipro, one in Kamyanske and Tsarychanka (both in Dnipropetrovsk region), and the laboratory operates through LDC Ler-Clinic LLC (Melitopol, Zaporizhia region).

At the same time, according to the YouControl system, the head of CentroLab LLC (Dnipro), registered in March 2019, is Ruslan Holotov.

In the Opendatabot system, he is listed as the owner of CentroLab LLC and the head of Vialab LLC, CentroLab LLC and Invitro LLC (all Dnipro).

The company declined to comment on ownership rights and development plans to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

At the same time, CentroLab's Facebook page reports that the company has stopped representing the Invitro international brand in Ukraine and has launched the CentroLab national brand.

"We have always been an independent Ukrainian laboratory, but the Invitro brand itself was represented in six countries, including the Russian Federation, which is waging a full-scale war against our country. Therefore, the Ukrainian laboratory, even by name, should not be associated.
War in Ukraine claims lives of at least 3,381 civilians, 3,680 more wounded  UN

Civilian casualties from February 24, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, to 24:00 on May 9 totaled 7,061 civilians (the report three days earlier said 6,802), including 3,381 dead (3,309), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Monday.

"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.

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 1,227 men, 787 women, 91 boys and 75 girls were killed, while the gender of 69 children and 1,132 adults could not be determined yet.

The 3,680 wounded include 93 boys and 83 girls, as well as 170 children whose gender has not been determined yet.

Compared to the report made a day earlier, one child was killed and 16 others were wounded.

OHCHR indicates that as of midnight on May 6, there were 1,699 (1,646) deaths and 1,441 (1,312) injuries in government-controlled territory and 111 (108) deaths and 443 (420) 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 1,571 (1,555) deaths and 1,796 (1,761) wounded.

The daily summary traditionally states that the increase in numbers to the previous summary should not be attributed only to cases on May 6-8, as the Office verified some cases from the previous days during this period.
As of May 10, the official number of children killed as a result of the Russian aggression has not changed - 226, the number of wounded has increased - 416, according to the Prosecutor Generals Office (PGO).

"More than 642 children suffered in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation. As of the morning of May 10, 2022, the official number of child victims had not changed - 226. The number of injured has increased - 416. Children were most affected in Donetsk region - 139, Kyiv region - 116, Kharkiv region - 99, Chernihiv region - 68, Kherson region - 46, Mykolaiv region - 44, Luhansk region - 44, Zaporizhia region - 28, Sumy region - 17, in Kyiv city - 16, and Zhytomyr  15," says the message published on the Telegram channel.

These figures are not final, as work is underway to establish them in places of active combat operations, in temporarily occupied and liberated territories.

On May 8, a 17-year-old girl was wounded by enemy cruise missile fire in the village of Nova Dofynivka, Odesa district, of Odesa region.

As a result of daily bombardment and shelling of Ukrainian towns and villages by the Russian Armed Forces, 1,657 educational institutions were damaged. At the same time, 132 of them were completely destroyed.
A large number of booby traps have been found in the liberated settlements of Kharkiv region.

"The enemy mines residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, roadsides or fields," the press service reports, citing head of Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Synehubov.

According to him, after the liberation, local residents told the authorities and the military about the inhuman treatment of Russian soldiers towards them.

"If we talk about Tsyrkuny, people sat in basements for almost a month and a half without an exit, appeared on the street only to find food, water or ask for help - many of them were injured from shelling. At the same time, the invaders either fired warning shots or immediately fired to kill. Local residents met our liberators with joy and gratitude," Synehubov said.

According to him, the enemy has not abandoned plans to capture Kharkiv and the region, but the Ukrainian military understand how to act if the situation worsens.
Enemy troops shelled the territories of Novoslobidska and Vorozhbianska communities of Sumy region, as well as the site of the Horsk border service department in Chernihiv region, the North Operational Command reports.

"The evening of May 9 in Sumy region ended again with alarm and shelling. At about 10 p.m., the Russians shelled the territories of Novoslobidska and Vorozhbianska communities. There were no losses, information on the destruction is being specified," the message on Facebook said.

On May 9, the territory of Chernihiv region was also subjected to shelling by the Russian Federation, namely the Hirsk department of the border service.

In the message of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, posted on the telegram channel on Tuesday, it appears that on the evening of May 9, Russian aircraft fired unguided missiles at the border areas of Chernihiv region.

"In particular, the aggressors made several launches to a depth of up to half a kilometer from the line of the state border across the territory of Novhorod-Siversky and Koriukivsky districts of Chernihiv region. The rockets exploded in a wooded area and in a field and caused a deadwood fire, the border guards quickly put out the fire and prevented it from spreading," the message says.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there were no casualties as a result of these attacks.
Of the 3.5 million inhabitants of Kyiv, two-thirds have already returned to the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"Before the war, 3.5 million Kyiv residents were in our city... Almost two-thirds of Kyivans have already returned," Klitschko said on the air of the National Telethon on Tuesday.

The mayor said that there are still many restrictions in Kyiv due to the martial law: there is a curfew, there are still a large number of checkpoints, there is still a possibility of shelling the capital, and not all the territories in the forest zone of the suburbs have been cleared of mines yet, there are many explosive objects, and therefore visiting green areas is prohibited.

"That is, there are many restrictions. And if these restrictions do not scare you, then you can really return," Klitschko said.

He said that he could not forbid the people of Kyiv to return to the capital, but could only recommend.

"If you have an opportunity to be in more safe places, where there is no risk to your life and health, please stay. But if possible, we will not mind returning to your homes today," the mayor said.
A Ukrainian man who was adjusting a Russian military missile strike on a defense enterprise in Mykolaiv was detained and taken into custody by court order, the Prosecutor Generals Office (PGO) said.

"Under the procedural guidance, Mykolaiv prosecutor's office in the military and defense sector, notified of suspicion of a citizen of Ukraine on the fact of spreading information about the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, when possible their identification on the ground (Part 2 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the PGO said in a message on the Telegram channel on Tuesday.

According to the prosecutor's office, on April 4, the suspect, in order to physically destroy the military personnel and military equipment of the AFU, in the social network "Vkontakte" provided pro-Russian blogger-activist information with the exact coordinates of the location of the Ukrainian National Guard soldiers and military equipment in one of the defense enterprises of Mykolaiv region.

"The aggressor country fired missiles at the location indicated by the citizen. As a result, objects of immovable and movable property of the enterprise were destroyed and partially damaged," the message reads.

Law enforcers detained the suspect, at the request of the prosecutor of the Central district court of Mykolaiv, chose him a measure of restraint in the form of detention in custody.
Russia's war against Ukraine is in fact a war against the project of a united Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday, speaking via video link in the Slovak parliament.

"Russia's war against our state is not only an attempt to seize our land, subjugate our people and erase Ukrainian identity. Russia went to war actually against the entire united Europe, only starting with Ukraine," he said.

According to Zelensky, "this war is actually being waged against each of the states that want to live freely and choose their own future. This is a war against the project of unification on the basis of shared values on our continent - respect for life, human rights, inviolability of borders."
On May 9, occupiers again attacked the monasteries of Sviatohirsk Lavra in Donetsk region using air bombs and missiles, and an investigation has been launched, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said.

"The pretrial investigation established that on May 9, 2022, the Russian armed forces carried out another air attack on the settlements of Sviatohirsk merged territorial community. As a result of the shelling of Dolyna settlement, St. George Skete of Sviatohirsk Lavra was destroyed," the PGO said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the prosecutor's office, Adamivka, as a result of a missile strike inflicted by the invaders, another place of pilgrimage for Christians was damaged.

"According to preliminary data, one civilian was injured as a result of the shelling," the prosecutor's office said.

Under the procedural leadership of Slovyansk District Prosecutor's Office, a pretrial investigation is carried out in two criminal proceedings on violations of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The heads of pre-school education institutions in occupied Donetsk received an order to select personnel to be sent to occupied Mariupol and nearby settlements  Manhush, Nikolske, Yalta, the Main Intelligence Agency of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine has said.

"The Russian occupation administration explains this by the need to 'organize work on the ground'. The personnel of banking institutions are selected in a similar way. It is expected that the management of the local financial sector will completely come under the control of the occupiers," the agency said on its website.

According to intelligence information, such a transfer of personnel is due to the distrust of the occupation administrations in the local population. It also affects the mass departure of personnel to the territory controlled by Ukraine and the refusal of some employees to cooperate with the occupation authorities.

"It is known that the personnel who are preparing to be transferred to work in other regions oppose such a decision in every possible way. Some threaten to quit if the order is not canceled," the agency said.
The Ukrainian government will present a plan for full-scale post-war restoration of the state at an international conference on July 4-5 in the Swiss city of Lugano, Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland Artem Rybchenko told reporters after a meeting with Bern Mayor Alec von Graffenried.

According to the diplomat, the conference will bring together from 700 to 1,000 participants, including politicians, economists and experts from around the world. The discussion with proposals on the participation of the world in the revival of Ukraine in the post-war period will be opened by Swiss President Ignazio Cassis.

The event aims not only to raise funds for the reconstruction of the country, but also to present future projects for the reconstruction of the affected infrastructure, as well as developments on a wide range of problems  from demining the territory of Ukraine to the rehabilitation of war-affected children.

Rybchenko met with the mayor of the Swiss capital during a symbolic laying of a linden alley in the central park of the city in memory of the victims of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the German authorities were working on a complete and irrevocable rejection of Russia's energy resources.

"We are stubbornly reducing our dependence on Russian energy to zero, forever," Baerbock, who visited Ukraine on Tuesday, was quoted as saying by the t-online portal.

She also stated that there could be no agreements with the Russian Federation behind Ukraine's back.
Germany will help Ukraine in demining, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.

"We, Germany, will help in demining to a greater extent, because it is not only about military demining, where we will help you. It is also about demining in cities, villages, and doing it together so that people were able to return home," Baerbock said at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on Tuesday.
The German Embassy will resume work in Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.

"Today we are also here, reopening our German embassy in Kyiv. At first it will be a limited activity. I am very glad that I am here with the Ambassador, Anka Feldhusen. She is accompanying me and she will continue to work in your free city," Baerbock said at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on Tuesday.
On May 8th, a march, supporting Ukraine and a charity concert "EUROPE DAY FOR UKRAINE" took place in Brussels, attended by more than 2,500 participants. Ukrainians and Europeans together, inspired, with smiles, songs, yellow and blue flags, slogans "Ukraine is Europe", "Stop using Russian gas", "Be brave - like Ukraine", "Ukraine needs Europe" marched through the central streets of Brussels to the European Parliament building in Luxembourg Square, where the concert began.

"We unite cultures, artists, create new platforms and formats to support the loud and systematic voice of Ukraine in the world. In the capital of the European Union, we managed to unite more than 2,500 caring people, who joined our event and supported the Ukrainian people. I am grateful to everyone who took part in such an important event. With strong international support, Ukraine will definitely win." - said Viktor Berezenko, founder of the Institute for Global Transformation, the partner of the event.

Popular Belgian performers and Ukrainian stars, including the soloist of the band "Go_A" Kateryna Pavlenko, performed for the audience. Yevhen Klopotenko prepared 500 liters of borsch and varenyky (dumplings) especially for the participants. Those interested, had the opportunity to buy T-shirts, bags, postcards and stickers with Ukrainian design. All the funds raised, almost 21 670 euros in cash and the amount of online transfers, which the organizers will announce later, will go to charitable assistance to Ukraine.

The "EUROPE DAY FOR UKRAINE" event was a demonstration of the unity of European society with Ukraine and its courageous and unbreakable people, who are fighting for peace and tranquility throughout Europe, for the fundamental values of freedom and democracy. Europe together with Ukraine, we are strong, united and invincible.

The event was organized by the international non-profit public organization "Promote Ukraine", in partnership with OUB - Association of Ukrainian Women of Belgium, Quartier Leopold, London brasserie and LUX / BXL, Institute for Global Transformation.
US National Intelligence's director believes negotiation process on Ukraine to be unsuccessful so far

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines expressed her conviction that, at least in the near future, a diplomatic settlement on Ukraine will not bring success.

"We do not see a viable negotiating path forward at least in the short term," CNN said on Tuesday, citing the official.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on Malta to block property, yachts owned by Russians, as well as the activities of Russian companies in the country.

"It is time to stop privileges for Russian citizens, starting with 'golden passports' and ending with 'dual citizenship.' Do not let your island be used, check which Russians are trying to hide using your jurisdiction and your land. Block real estate, yachts owned by Russians, Russian IT and Blockchain companies, Russian propaganda channels. This is not just a business, these are structures associated with the Russian state," he told the Parliament of Malta on Tuesday, speaking via video link.

Speaking about the threat of a food and migration crisis due to the war in Ukraine, Zelensky said "you can also feel the negative consequences of crises in neighboring regions."

According to Zelensky, "considering that ships under your flag are used, in particular, to transport Russian oil, every dollar and every euro that you can earn will be covered by large and painful losses... if you still fail to stop the food and migration crises if the Russian invasion goes further into Europe."

He also said "Ukraine needs weapons  planes, helicopters, special artillery, because now, like 80 years ago, the future of Europe is determined on the battlefield."
Donor conference for Ukraine may take place on sidelines of Davos Forum

On the sidelines of the 51st World Economic Forum (WEF), which will be held in Davos from May 22 to May 26, a separate donor event in support of Ukraine was discussed by Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak with WEF President Brge Brende.

"Its goal should be to finance the restoration of settlements and critical infrastructure destroyed by the aggressor," the President's Office said in a statement on its website.

In addition, the parties discussed issues of Ukraine's participation in the forum itself. It was noted that the WEF meeting will be held against the backdrop of historical challenges for Ukraine and all of Europe and the world due to the brutal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.

Yermak noted the importance of using the WEF platform for consolidating international efforts to stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine, as well as for developing a strategic vision for the post-war reconstruction of the country.

The head of the President's Office thanked Brende for the clear position of the WEF leadership in supporting Ukraine and condemning Russia's full-scale aggression.
Ukraine does not see NATO's active, strong position on Russia's war against Ukraine  FM

Ukraine does not see an active and strong position of NATO, as an organization, regarding the war of Russia against Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"From the very beginning of the war, we see a very active role of individual NATO allies, individual NATO members or their groups that they form, but we do not see an active and strong position of the Alliance as a whole, as an organization," Kuleba said at a press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstroy in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Kuleba said he had not yet received an invitation to an informal summit of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin on May 14 and 15.

"If it comes, I will certainly take part in it," he said.

At the same time, Kuleba said he did not have high expectations from this meeting.
Russia is shelling Chernihiv and Sumy regions daily, and repeatedly throughout the day, Spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko has said.

"There is no usual border protection, as it should be perceived, with patrolling along the border line, since the danger of mining the area, the work of sabotage groups and, most of all, the shelling carried out by Russia from its territory on the territory of Ukraine remains. This occurs every day, especially in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, and repeatedly during the day," Demchenko said at a briefing at the Ukraine media center on Tuesday.

He said that mortar crews were involved in the shelling, fire was being fired from automatic grenade launchers.

"We also record the work of aviation: both aircraft and helicopters, which, flying up to the border with Ukraine, strike and retreat to the territory of Russia. There are some moments when Russian planes, entering the territory of Ukraine, turn around and strike at the territory of Russia, of course, in order to further blame Ukraine. They thus continue to escalate the situation. In recent days, we also see and record attacks from missile systems on the territory of Ukraine," Demchenko said.
President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association (IPMA) Dr. Menon R.U.P. said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine how Indian pharmaceutical companies provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine during the war

- India, like many other countries of the world, helps Ukraine. What kind of humanitarian assistance is already being provided from India to Ukraine?

- Taking into account the humanitarian crisis caused by the events in Ukraine, India has decided to expand humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighboring countries:

Since February 24, the Government of India has sent more than 90 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its neighboring Western countries, while private companies and agencies in India have also donated a similar amount of aid, consisting of medicines, blankets, tents, tarpaulins, eye protection, water storage tanks, sleeping mats, surgical gloves, etc.

The Government of India is expected to provide Ukraine with another tranche of essential medicines and medical supplies soon.

Another batch of medical equipment and medicines was also sent to Ukraine as a humanitarian aid by Ocean Philanthropic Center Private Limited (Mumbai, India) in cooperation with the local Rotary Club. In the near future, new shipments of humanitarian aid from the mentioned Indian partners are expected.

- It is known that IPMA, as well as leading Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers, hand over significant humanitarian aid to Ukraine. What has been transferred?

- Almost all members of our association have been living in Ukraine with their families for a long time, their life destiny is connected with Ukraine, and we all believe that it is time to repay the debt.

Members of the Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturer's Association (IPMA), to date, have already donated medical assistance to Ukraine in the form of drugs valued at over UAH 84.8 million and $250,000, and in the form of financial assistance in the amount of more than $500,000 and UAH 11.5 million.

IPMA members provide charitable assistance with medicines, mainly antibiotics, analgesics, hemostatic, anti-allergic, restorative drugs and vitamins.

In addition, many Indians permanently residing in Ukraine are actively involved in providing food and immediate care to the Ukrainian population.

Volunteers from IPMA members are engaged in the delivery of food, medicine and necessary goods that the military and evacuated citizens need. Vehicles were also organized to evacuate people from different areas (from places where fighting was taking place at the time when the evacuation was needed) to the western regions of Ukraine, and many gave their storage facilities to the authorities for humanitarian purposes.

Our members continue to help the people of Ukraine.

Many pharmaceutical companies that cooperate with our association are also involved in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. In particular, the pharmaceutical company Cipla donated a batch of medicines, including urgently needed antibiotics and inhalers worth $120,000. This was also noted with gratitude by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India.

The Indian company Intas Pharmaceuticals, through Accord Healthcare in Poland, donated medicines worth more than UAH 59 million for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, including antiemetics, diuretics, antibiotics, antiepileptics, local anesthetics, painkillers and antipyretics.

In the near future, we are waiting for the delivery of humanitarian cargo from India to Ukraine (via Poland) from M.Biotech Limited with medicines, including anesthesia, tranquilizers and hormonal drugs.

- What is the position of India regarding the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine? What does India say about this?

- India has expressed serious concern about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine in various statements.

Elaborating on India's position regarding the conflict, External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar told the Indian Parliament on April 6 that India is "strongly opposed" to the conflict and "if it chooses a side, it is the side of peace and an immediate end to violence." He stated: "We believe that no solution can be achieved through the shedding of blood and the cost of innocent lives. Dialogue and diplomacy are the right answers to any dispute these days. And it should be borne in mind that the modern world order is built on the UN Charter, respect for international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. This is our principled position.

India has consistently encouraged talks between Ukraine and Russia. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has spoken to President Putin and President Zelensky (separately with each of them) several times since February 24. He called for an immediate end to violence and a return to the path of diplomatic negotiations. He also suggested a direct talk between the two presidents.

In addition, during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to India on 1 April, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for an end to violence and expressed India's readiness to contribute in any way to the peace effort. Dr. S. Jaishankar reiterated the need to respect international law, the UN Charter, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

Deeply alarmed by the killings of civilians in Bucha, India "unreservedly condemned" these killings and supported the call for an "independent investigation."

Also, earlier on March 16, Indian ICJ Judge Dalveer Bhandari voted against Russia in a 13-2 verdict that the ICJ is "profoundly concerned about the use of force by the Russian. Federation in Ukraine, which raises very serious issues of international law."

It is noteworthy that in India, a "candle ceremony" is held daily near the Ukrainian Embassy and candles are lit in memory of the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

- How would you comment on India's position?

- I am not a politician, but as a citizen of India, although I have been living and working in Ukraine for more than 40 years, I would like to emphasize that India's neutrality in the United Nations does not negate the fact that India is seriously concerned about the situation in Ukraine and Russian aggression in general, the need to comply with the UN Charter, international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. India also called for a return to dialogue as a single path forward in its statements and clarifications.

- What are the work plans of Indian pharmaceutical companies in Ukraine?

- All our members, Indian pharmaceutical companies, continue to work in Ukraine, do their best to ensure access to medicines from all distributors and pharmacies in Ukraine, and support Ukrainian patients with their efforts by providing high-quality and safe medicines both at affordable prices and by helping comprehensively as charity.

Our companies are planning to resume imports already in May, to find ways of deliveries through the Polish and Romanian borders.

We believe in the victory of Ukraine and the world!

The official page of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India states that the Embassy of Ukraine in India expresses its gratitude to the Indian pharmaceutical companies - members (participants) of the Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IPMA) and their partners, in particular the companies: AbrylPharma, DiaPharmaLTD., DR. Reddy`s, EuroLifecareLtd./Konark, HeteroLabsLtd., MacleodsPharmaceuticalsLtd., MegaLifesciences, OrganosynLtd., SunPharmaceuticalIndustriesLtd., and IPMA President Dr. Menon R.U.P. for support and assistance to the Ukrainian people.






Attention: a person disappeared in Mariupol, please help in the search ("Find your loved ones", 05/09/2022)

Attention! A man has disappeared in Donetsk regions. Please help us find:

1. Vasilyuk Miroslav Ivanovich, born April 25, 1997 He was wounded in Mariupol, had to be evacuated on 03/31/2022. Last contact was 03/30/22. Distinguishing marks: a mole in the middle of his forehead, a leopard tattoo on his right arm.

Vasilyuk Miroslav Ivanovich

If you have any information about Miroslav's whereabouts, please call:

+380639227659 (sister Vasilyuk Snezhana Ivanovna).

-----------

We ask citizens whose relatives do not get in touch to send us all the information. We recommend using the following contact form:

1. Full name of the missing person;

2. Your contact details;

3. Photo of the missing person, description of special features;

4. Approximate place of the last stay of the missing person.

The "Find your loved ones" project is non-commercial, all your appeals will be edited and published free of charge in the media.

We invite colleagues from the media to join the initiative!

The project coordinator is Maxim Urakin, deputy head of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and publisher of the Open4Business project.

Send information about the missing by e-mail maksim.urakin@gmail.com
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has affirmed that Egypts presidency of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) prioritises fulfilling climate pledges and turning them into a tangible reality on the ground.
Egypt's Journalists Syndicate and several political parties and movements welcomed the National Training Academy's (NTA) invitation to participate in the national political dialogue President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for last month.
President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders on Thursday for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 as he led the U.S. in marking the approaching ``tragic milestone'' of 1 million deaths at home from the virus. He ordered flags lowered to half-staff and warned against ``complacency'' around the globe.
Parliament is under public pressure to pass the law in its final season

Parliamentary discussions on the long-awaited personal status law are soon to be held, revealed MPs Fayka Fahim and Inas Abdel-Halim in separate statements on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Parliament has been under public pressure for four years to pass a new personal status law. We should positively respond to this pressure and discuss the law in its final legislative season 2019-20."

The legislation is expected to regulate marriage, divorce, and children's custody.

The majority of Egyptians believed the current law 100/1985 was outdated and unjust, she said, adding that "it resulted in a dramatic rise in divorce rates, made it difficult for people to earn their rights, and negatively affected their economic and social well-being."

Abdel-Halim, deputy chairman of parliament's Health Committee, said the legislation in effect, though amended several times, had failed to address the needs of Egyptian Muslims and Christians. It even "led to the exacerbation of family problems, leaving negative psychological effects on children and undesired repercussions on social stability."

Both women said that what made the time ripe for drafting a new personal status law was that Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prominent institution, recently revealed it had revised a law parliament referred to it on the subject. The National Council of Women said it had been working for a long time on its own version of a law that it said would protect women's rights and promote children's best interests.

The legislation Al-Azhar revised shall regulate the controversial issues of Urfi marriage and alimony paid to divorced women.

Al-Azhars draft seeks to regulate the termination of engagements as well. It proposes that, in the event of cancelling an engagement, a woman shall have the right to keep the customary gift (shabka) presented by the fiance should he call the engagement off, but must return it should she end the engagement.

Egypts three Christian churches have also finalised their own draft. The Coptic Orthodox Church condones divorce only if one partner committed adultery or changed their religion. The Catholic Church forbids divorce entirely, and the Evangelical Church allows it according to very limited conditions.

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Russia announced Wednesday it was withdrawing from the United Nations World Tourism Organization just hours before the body's assembly voted to temporarily suspend the country's membership over the invasion of Ukraine, officials said.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili made the announcement on his official Twitter account. He said it was the first UN body to address Russia's membership.

The organization went ahead and approved the suspension at a special meeting in Madrid on Wednesday, where the organization has its headquarters.

``(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's military offensive is an attack on the founding principles of the United Nations and on the values that tourism represents, such as peace, prosperity and universal respect, and the observance of human rights,'' Spanish Industry, Trade, and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said in a statement following the decision.

The assembly resolution included a clause that said the suspension could be reversed if a change in the politics of the Russian Federation were noted.

Spain was one of 22 European nations that had promoted the motion.

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Egypts newly reactivated Presidential Pardon Committee has finished preparing a new list of prisoners who will be pardoned on the occasion of Eid El-Fitr, an official statement read on Saturday.

The statement, issued following the committees first meeting after reactivation, did not reveal the names or the number of people included in the list and whether they would include both prisoners and pretrial detainees.

The committee, created in 2016, was reactivated as per President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis directives during the Egyptian Family Iftar banquet that was held on Tuesday.

The committee is in charge of reviewing the cases of those imprisoned for political crimes and others who meet certain criteria, such as having more than one relative in jail.

The scope of the committee, which started work immediately upon reactivation, has been expanded to cooperation with state institutions and NGOs and to include male and female indebted prisoners.

The restructured committee said it will receive pardon requests through many avenues, including through the National Youth Conference website.

The committee will also receive requests through the complaints committee of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and via email to the human rights committees in both the House of the Representatives and Senate.

Pardon requests can also be submitted directly to the members of the pardon committee, according to the statement.

The committee will complete its work after Eid El-Fitr, examining all pardon requests it receives from youth as well as male and female indebted prisoners, the statement said.

The committee will also hold a series of meetings with political parties, syndicates and civil society organisations to discuss their pardon requests.

Over the past week, thousands of inmates were released from Egyptian prisons. This included 3,273 inmates who received presidential pardons on Wednesday on the occasion of Sinai Liberation Day on 25 April.

Also, 41 pretrial activist detainees were released on Sunday.

In press remarks last week, veteran journalist Khaled Dawoud said he submitted a presidential pardon request for a list of 25 pretrial detainees and eight prisoners who received sentences, including renowned activists.

The list included the names of "Amal Cell" convicts former MP and lawyer Ziad El-Eleimy, journalists Hisham Fouad and Hossam Mones, said Dawoud. Mones was released last week.

The list also includes lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer and blogger Mohamed Ibrahim (aka Mohamed Oxygen), said Dawoud, who was released in April last year after being detained for two years pretrial.

Dawouds remarks came shortly after he had side talks with President El-Sisi during the Iftar banquet on Tuesday.

The NCHR has hailed the decision to reactivate, restructure and expand the scope of work of the pardon committee.

In a statement, the NCHR said the step confirms that there is real intention to close a file that tends to distort Egypts image abroad and have negative effects on any opportunities to conduct an effective and integral political dialogue.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued pardons for 986 male and female prison inmates on the occasion of Eid El-Fitr, the Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday.

The Social Protection Sector at the ministry prepared the list of prisoners to be pardoned on Sinai Liberation Day and Eid El-Fitr in accordance with a presidential pardon decree issued by President El-Sisi in mid-April.

The Eid El-Fitr presidential pardon comes two weeks after the release of 3,273 prisoners by presidential decree on the occasion of Sinai Liberation Day.

Egyptian presidents traditionally issue pardons several times a year, usually on major national and religious holidays.

Last week, President El-Sisi ordered the reactivation of the presidential pardon committee that studies the possibility of releasing inmates imprisoned in non-terrorism-related crimes.

The committee was first formed in October 2016 and facilitated the release of hundreds of prisoners via presidential pardon at the time.

Last week, the prosecution also released 41 pretrial detainees, including many activists.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Monday boosting and upgrading military and security cooperation between Egypt and the United States with Commander of the US Central Command Michael E. Kurilla in Cairo, the Egyptian presidency announced.

El-Sisi and Kurilla also discussed cooperation in counterterrorism as well as joint military exercises and border security.

They also discussed the latest developments in several crises and issues in the region, especially security in the Red Sea, where they agreed to continue consultation and coordination concerning issues of joint interest.

President El-Sisi stressed the importance of military cooperation as part of the strategic relations between Egypt and the US, which represent a main pillar for safekeeping peace and security in the Middle East.

President El-Sisi also reviewed Egypts efforts in fighting terrorism.

For his part, General Kurilla  who replaced General Kenneth F. McKenzie as CENTCOM commander on 1 April  offered his condolences to the Egyptian president over the deaths of 11 Egyptian military personnel in a terrorist attack in Sinai on Saturday.

Kurilla also said he is glad that Egypt is his first stop in his first Middle East visit since assuming his new position. The general stressed the US full solidarity with Egypt in its efforts to fight terrorism.

Kurilla also said that the US administration relies on Egypts pivotal role in maintaining peace and security in the Middle East and North Africa, which underscores the importance of continuing Egyptian-American military cooperation and developing strategic relations between the two countries.

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President Joe Biden on Monday eased the acceleration of US weapons shipments to Ukraine through law based on a World War II measure helping US allies to defeat Nazi Germany.

Biden signed the Lend-lease Act in the Oval Office, saying the United States supports Ukrainians' "fight to defend their country and their democracy against Putin's brutal war."

Acknowledging the billions of dollars already spent by the United States, Biden said "caving to aggression is even more costly."

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita agreed during a meeting in Rabat on Monday to promote cooperation between both countries.

The meeting comes in line with the directives of Egypts President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi and Moroccos King Mohammed VI.

Both officials also agreed to reactivate all cooperation frameworks to set the stage for holding meetings of the higher Egyptian-Moroccan Committee under the co-chairmanship of the two countries leaders.

Egypts exports to Morocco amounted to about $661.6 million in 2021, up from $437.4 million a year prior, according to the latest figures released by the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industrys Export Development Authority.

Mondays talks also focused on the centuries-old ties binding the two countries as well as the unity of their destiny and common objectives, read a joint communique that was issued following the talks.

During the meeting, Shoukry reaffirmed Egypts support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and its commitment to the UN-led process to settle the Western Sahara issue.

Shoukry also stressed Egypts support for the content of Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2,602, which welcomed Moroccos serious and credible efforts to move forward towards a political settlement of the Sahara issue.

Additionally, the talks tackled a host of regional issues, including the long-standing dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with the Moroccan side reiterating support for Egypts water rights.

As for the Palestinian problem, both ministers re-emphasised the Palestinian right to establish their independent state as well as the protection of the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem.

For his part, Bourita hailed Egypts efforts to maintain the Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire and settle the Libyan problem by restoring peace and stability to the conflict-hit country.

The Moroccan minister also voiced his countrys support for Egypt in its preparations for the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27), which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh this November.

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Lavrov, who arrived in Algiers late Monday, was due to hold talks with both Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algerian reports said.

His visit is the first since January 2019 and comes as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with his Algerian counterpart last month on "coordination within OPEC+ as well the situation in Ukraine," Russia's TASS news agency said.

OPEC+ is a forum that brings together the OPEC oil cartel with allied producers led by Russia in managing output and prices.

Algeria is a major gas supplier to Europe, providing 11 percent of its imports, compared with 47 percent for Russia.

Italy, Spain and other European Union member countries have looked to Algeria as they have sought to cut their dependence on Russian oil and gas since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

But industry experts say Algeria lacks the infrastructure and spare capacity to raise gas exports to replace Russian supplies in the short term, something the government has stressed repeatedly as it seeks to avoid offending its longtime ally.

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A pilot operation for four new stations of the third phase of Cairo Metros third line will be launched experimentally without passengers on Sunday ahead of the official inauguration that is scheduled by mid-July of the current year.

Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir made the announcement on Wednesday during an inspection tour at the worksites of the third phase of the third line which  after completion  will link the eastern and western Cairo line, covering 17.7 kilometres through 15 stations (eight tunnel stations, five elevated stations, and two at-grade stations).

The first part of the three-part third phase runs for four kilometres, passing through four stations  Gamal Abdel-Nasser in Downtown Cairo, Maspero, Safaa Hegazy in Zamalek, and Kit Kat in Imbaba.

The Kit Kat station is built in three storeys over 3,800 square metres and is 23 metres deep.

Nasser station  which is an interchange station that connects the third line with the first metro line  is built in four storeys over 7,100 metres with 52 ticket gates, four ticket vending machines (TVM), and 37 electric stairs.

The station is also fitted with extra facilities to accomodate people with disabilities.

According to the Egyptian cabinets estimates, after the completion of the third phase, the underground network will serve 3.5 million people daily.

The third line will connect Greater Cairo with 6 October City, the New Administrative Capital, and the eastern Cairo cities of Shorouk, Obour, and Mostaqbal.

The second part of phase three will extend over an area of 6.6 kilometres from Kit Kat to Rod El-Farag Corridor, including six stations  Sudan Street, Imbaba, El-Bohy, Ring Road, and Rod El-Farag Corridor stations.

This part will be linked via the Ring Road station with a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will run through the 106-kilometre Ring Road, the minister pointed out.

The third part of phase three will extend over an area of 7.1 kilometres from Kit Kat to Cairo University, including five stations  El-Tawfiqiya, Wadi El-Nile, Gamaet El-Dowal, Cairo University, and Bulaq El-Dakrour.

As part of the countrys efforts to expand the use of sustainable green mass transit networks, Egypt seeks to complete the subway network in parallel with the implementation of new electric traction projects, such as the fast electric train network, light rail train (LRT), and monorail projects, which are all currently under construction, said El-Wazir.

The third line is also meant to connect the Administrative Capital monorail at El-Estad Station in Nasr City and the 6 October City monorail at the Nile Valley station.

Egypt has handed over the management, operation, and maintenance of its Cairo Metros third line to French transportation firm RTP Dev.

The first and second phases of the third line were concluded in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Work on the last part of the fourth phase of the third line is scheduled to be completed soon as well.

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Egypt-based Paymob, a financial services for merchants platform, raised $50 million in Series B funding, which the platform will use to grow its product range, expanding in the Egyptian market as well as into new markets across the Middle East and Africa region.

The fund round, which is the largest to be secured under the Series B in Egypt, was led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point together with other investors include Helios Digital Ventures, British International Investment, and Nclude.

All existing investors including A15, FMO, and Global Ventures also participated.

Through that fresh fund, the total funding of Paymob is now exceeding $68.5 million making it one of the most funded companies in the MENA region amid the boom the digital transformation is witnessing across it.

The round also came on the back of strong growth across the Paymob platform in 2021, with the number of merchants and monthly volumes growing by four times (Y-O-Y) as of December 2021.

Paymob onboarded over 100,00 merchants in less than two and half years as part of its plan to reach 1 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)s across the region.

We are thrilled to complete this significant fundraising with the support of such renowned international investors including, PayPal Ventures, the venture capital arm of a global pioneer in the digital payment space. It is a major endorsement of the strategy we have implemented to date and the scale of the opportunities we can harness. said Islam Shawky, Paymobs Co-founder, and CEO.

He added that "Central Bank of Egypt initiatives that are continuously being introduced in the market to support fintech companies were key to Paymob's growth. The Central Bank has created a regulatory framework to help fintech flourish and participate in making Egypt's digital financial inclusion ambitions a reality.

Paymob has recently announced its market entry to Pakistan, which has a population of over 220 million, and over 4 million SMEs across the country, and plans to onboard over 100,000 merchants within the first 24 months of launching its operations. This expansion should be followed by additional markets in the GCC and North Africa.

Paymob builds an omni-channel payment infrastructure to enable businesses to accept digital payments both online and in-store besides giving them better access to financial services.

According to a recent report published by the CBE, fintech sector witnessed significant growth in the Egyptian market over the past five years, as venture capital investments rose to $159 million with 32 deals concluded in 2021, up from only $1 million raised in 2017 from three fintech deals.

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The National Training Academy (NTA) said on Tuesday that the National Dialogue between the government and political and youth currents would be be run in a neutral and impartial way among all segments of society that will be invited to participate.

During the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet in late April, El-Sisi assigned the National Youth Conference, which is organised by the NTA, to conduct a political dialogue on the current priorities of national action and to present its outcomes to him personally.

According to the NTA, it will moderate the national dialogue with the utmost impartiality and neutrality.

The academy added in its statement that its role will be coordinating different segments in the dialogue in a neutral manner without intervening in the content or the topic in order to allow for a "serious and effective" national dialogue among all political forces.

The NTA said that the dialogue between different political forces in Egypt will be an important step in determining the priorities of national action that inaugurates a new republic that accepts everybody.

The academy stated that it would broaden the base of participation in the dialogue by inviting representatives from as many segments of Egyptian society and institutions as possible.

This will ensure that the dialogue has credibility and achieves real momentum, inaugurating a new phase in Egyptian politics that moves past the "exceptional situation" of the recent past when the state faced threats and security risks.

The NTA also announced that diversity will be taken into account when determining the locations to hold the dialogue sessions so they would cover most of the regions in Egypt.

A joint impartial committee will also be formed from think tanks to compile the outcomes of the national dialogue in a preliminary unified document agreed upon by all participating all political forces and groups.

This document will then be submitted to the president, as per his request.

Several political parties, groups and forces have already welcomed the national dialogue as well as the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon committee that was announced in the same event last April alongside the release of a number of pretrial detainees.

Meanwhile, a number of opposition parties in the Civil Democratic Movement issued a statement on Sunday announced they would participate in the national dialogue on a number of conditions to ensure its seriousness. These conditions include that the dialogue be held under the direct umbrella of the presidency; a parity in the number of representatives from the authorities and the opposition in the dialogue; and the inclusion of the issues of democratic political reforms, economic and social justice reforms as well as human rights reforms in the process.

The Civil Democratic Movement includes the Nasserist El-Karama party, Socialist Popular Alliance Party, The Conservative Party and the Constitution Party.

A registration form those those wishing to participate in the national dialogue can be found on the Website of National Youth Conference.

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US-Israeli relations have entered a new chapter of contention after the Biden administration began to put pressure on Tel Aviv to halt settlement building projects in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Naftali Bennetts government persists with these projects in the hope that they will save the seriously fractured ruling coalition which is on the brink of collapse.

Israels latest settlement project includes 3,988 new settlement units in the West Bank approved by the Supreme Planning Council. This is one of the largest settlement projects the Israeli government could approve in nearly one year since it came to power. However, Israeli and US media reported that Washington has asked Tel Aviv to halt this settlement project to avoid escalating tensions and undermining efforts by the US and Arab countries for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

In the most definitive position rejecting settlement expansion, Israeli media quoted key US officials as saying that Bidens upcoming visit to Israel in June is contingent on Israel announcing a halt of its settlement plans.

US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides said: We made it clear to Israel that we oppose new construction in the settlements. However, despite US opposition, Israel did not announce the cancellation or postponement of a meeting of the Supreme Planning Council, which is in charge of approving construction in settlements, and is slated to meet within days. It is expected the council will approve the new construction.

Israel views the approval of settlement projects as a necessity for the survival of the governing coalition, since right-wing circles in the cabinet, especially Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, are pressing to proceed with settlement projects. Bennett fears that the disruption of these projects will lead to Shakeds exit from the government coalition, which has already lost its majority in the Israeli Knesset.

The governing coalition is facing growing plots to bring it down by the opposition, led by former prime minister and right-wing Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Settlements are a key issue the opposition uses to malign the incumbent cabinet, accusing it of failing to build settlements.

Israel wants to deflect US anger over settlements without actually halting construction plans, especially since Washington is leading efforts to revive the peace process. The US has already sent several envoys to the West Bank and Israel, with settlements being a key obstacle that the Palestinian Authority (PA) wants the US to intervene in and resolve.

Analysts and observers believe that despite the opposition of the current US administration and previous Democratic administrations to settlements, viewing them as illegal and illegitimate, Washington will not be able to prevent Israel from continuing with its settlement plans.

Mukhaymar Abu Saada, a professor of political science, believes that the Biden administrations rejection of Israeli settlements will not prevent Israel from moving ahead, especially since the latter sees it as a necessity for its own survival.

Abu Saada told Al-Ahram Weekly that the current US peace steps are not serious enough to compel Israel to stop violating international law and bring it to the negotiating table with the Palestinians. He added that statements by the Biden administration about a two-state solution are for media consumption only, and that Washington has not lived up to its promises to the Palestinians, namely, re-opening the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Washington, which was shut down by former US president Donald Trump in September 2018, or re-opening the US Consulate in Jerusalem for Palestinians.

The Palestinians managed to pass the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 in 2016, demanding that Israel stop settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and establishing the illegality of Israel building settlements in territories occupied since 1967. However, Israel has ignored this resolution and built several settlements in the Palestinian territories.

Ghassan Daghlas, an official who monitors settlement building in the West Bank, said Bennetts government is building settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank as if they were inside Tel Aviv.

Daghlas noted that Israel announces much less than it is actually building on the ground. He told the Weekly that Israel killed the two-state solution by settlement building, making the creation of a Palestinian state impossible because this state would be disconnected geographically. Daghlas continued that Israeli settlement outposts not only deny the state of Palestine any borders with its neighbours, but have carved up the West Bank and disconnected the cities there. Settlement projects entirely circumvent the occupied city of Jerusalem.

He revealed that some 740,000 settlers live in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the rate of settlement building under Bennett has increased by more than 68 per cent, as the extreme right represented by Bennett competes with the radical right represented by Netanyahu.

Despite Israels disregarding US pressure, international resolutions and stances on settlements, the PA insists that Washington should play a greater role in pressuring Israel. The Palestinian presidency, government and PLO continue to urge US officials to intervene and stop Israels plans.

Between Israeli manoeuvering on settlements and inadequate international pressure to stop them, tens of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of displacement and expulsion from their homes, or subject to restrictions that force them to leave their communities to make way for settlers to expand on their land.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, detained in the Guantanamo Bay Prison for 14 years without being charged with a crime, must become more widely known, writes Azza Radwan Sedky

In 2021, the life story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay Prison for 14 years, warranted being made into a Hollywood movie called The Mauritanian. Today, in 2022, his story is surfacing again as Slahi sues the Canadian government for $35 million for its role in his incarceration.

Lets start at the beginning. Mohamedou Ould Slahi, born in 1970 and of Mauritanian origin, won a scholarship to study electrical engineering in Germany in the late 1980s. In the 1990s, he travelled from Germany to Afghanistan to support the Mujahedeen, then among the several groups that the West was promoting as freedom fighters against the Russian invaders of the country.

He went to Afghanistan twice, and during his second visit trained in an Al-Qaeda camp. But when he left Afghanistan, he severed all ties with Al-Qaeda.

When Germany refused to give him a return entry visa, Slahi went to Canada for a very short stay and became a permanent resident. He became a person of interest to the US and Canadian governments, for he was close to several jihadi figures. He was a cousin of Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid, an aide of Osama bin Laden. Another cousin, Abu Hafs, called Slahi from Bin Ladens satellite phone, which the US had traced.

In Montreal, Slahi began leading prayers at a mosque where a jihadi who frequented the same mosque had attempted to smuggle explosives in the trunk of a car across the US border so as to detonate suitcases filled with them inside the Los Angeles International Airport.

As a result, many things worked against Slahi, and the US government concluded that he was the leader of the Montreal-based Al-Qaeda cell and had possibly assisted in recruiting the 9/11 hijackers. Furthermore, the Canadian Intelligence Services also began to question him, leading him to head back to Mauritania in the early 2000s.

It was then that the US detained him, and his incarceration ordeal began. First, he was detained in Mauritania. Then, via a rendition programme  the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect to be interrogated elsewhere  Slahi was first sent to Jordan and later to Afghanistan for questioning. He was later transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he remained for 14 years.

At Guantanamo, Slahi was subjected to 18-hours a day interrogation for three years in addition to the enhanced interrogation techniques commonly used against those held under such circumstances. He suffered from sleep deprivation, isolation, temperature extremes, physical beatings, forced standing, incessant noise, and sexual assault, among other tortures and humiliations. A mock execution in which he was blindfolded and taken out to sea in a boat has also been documented.

The US Military Commission refused to prosecute Slahi since Salahis [sic] incriminating statements  the core of the governments case  had been taken through torture, rendering them inadmissible under US and international law. Nevertheless, it was only in 2016 that Slahi was released after languishing in detainment for 14 years, having never being formally charged with a crime.

In 2005 and while in Guantanamo, Slahi wrote a memoir, Guantanamo Diary, a 464-page depiction of what he had undergone, which, in its recent edition, was renamed The Mauritanian. It became an international bestseller and was made into a Hollywood film in 2021. Not only does The Mauritanian portray Slahis gut-wrenching story and the suffering he experienced, but it also depicts the horrendous conditions at the Guantanamo Bay Prison.

Slahis story is resurfacing today as he sues the Canadian authorities over their role in his incarceration. He accuses them of providing false information to the Americans, which led to his detainment and subsequent incarceration. As a result, he says, the Canadian authorities were complicit in his torture.

According to a report on Canadian CTV News, Slahi says that surveillance by Canadas spy agency and police force was fed to his American interrogators. The report adds that eventually their torture broke him down and prompted a false confession about a plan to blow up the CN Tower [in Toronto,] which he had never heard of, the court filings state.

The filings also state that Slahis interrogators pressed him about a telephone call in Montreal in which he invited someone for tea and asked him to bring sugar. His interrogators insisted the request for sugar was code for explosives, the report said, adding that the Canadians told the Americans that sugar was a codeword.

Canadians need to understand that this is a Canadian story, Slahi told The Canadian Press. Without Canada, Id never have been kidnapped. Without Canada, Id never have [been] tortured. In an interview on Canada Tonight on CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Slahi said that it is not a day to give the Americans carte blanche. The American government is as guilty, as dirty, and as involved, but I came to Canada to seek protection well aware that the Americans had their eyes on me because of my connection.

Journalist Chris Reynolds said in The Canadian Press that part of the reason that its so horrifying is that the Canadian government and Canadian national security administrations participated in having a man who had done nothing wrong tortured, that we knew about it, and that we tried to make sure Canadians never found out about it.

Jody Brown, one of two lawyers representing Slahi, described his clients saga as the outcome of a vicious cycle of flawed intelligence and so-called enhanced interrogation techniques  torture or degrading treatment of detainees conducted under the George W Bush administration in the US.

Slahis suffering needs to be recognised and his story, like the stories of others in similar circumstances, must become known. Slahis ordeal is not unique, as it is similar to those of at least the 779 prisoners detained for years in Guantanamo, if not more. Only 16 of those prisoners were ever charged with a criminal offence, and 39 remain incarcerated today.

* The writer is the author of Cairo Rewind on the First Two Years of Egypts Revolution, 2011-2013.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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May always conjures up memories associated with the Arab-Israeli conflict. On 15 May the Israeli independence declaration marks the Nakba, or the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their land and their deprivation of the right to self-determination and an independent state. For decades since 1948, this month has occasioned demonstrations in support of the liberation of Palestine, as well as of Algeria, before its independence. Among Arabs of my generation and the next, there was enthusiastic support for the Palestinian resistance, which had derived great inspiration from the Algerian experience and the Vietnamese resistance after that. We acted with a certitude that right and justice would prevail. We had no doubt that the Palestinian national liberation struggle would end with independence and the establishment of an independent state as was occurring with nearly all other third world countries that had fallen to colonialist occupation.

May always occasioned grave events for the Palestinian and Arab side, while the Israelis rejoiced because they added another year in which to enumerate their achievements. Whatever the case, history was never static. There were junctures in which Isreal expanded until it became something of a petty empire, after which followed phases of warfare and negotiations that led it to gradually shrink. However, it still continues to occupy the whole of the Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan Heights. As for the Palestinians, after about 70 years of resistance, intifadas and negotiations, they obtained a political entity called the Palestinian National Authority (PA) which, in theory, had a branch in the West Bank and another in Gaza. In practical terms, the Palestinian question remains unresolved because the parties have not yet agreed on final status issues. No less importantly, the Palestinian political entity has split into two, one in the West Bank led by Fatah and the other in Gaza led by Hamas. The latter has engaged in four wars with Israel. So, in short, in May, Isreal can celebrate its independence while the Palestinians still commemorate the Nakba, aware that the catastrophe is ongoing.

A lot of water has passed beneath the bridges of war, peace and negotiations between the Arabs and Israel during the past 74 years. The basic law of confrontation along the way was the ability to change or impose de facto realities. Israel built a modern state that absorbed increasing numbers of Jewish immigrants, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At present, there are very few Jews capable of emigrating who have not already done so, with the possible exception of some Jewish refugees from Ukraine. The Palestinians, for their part, have demonstrated an amazing capacity for survival within the boundaries of historical Palestine, whether within the current boundaries of Israel where they live as second-class citizens or in the territories that comprise the West Bank and Gaza. This is not to deny that there is a large Palestinian diaspora, but those who have remained in Palestine and what is present day Israel have achieved a kind of demographic parity that functions in continual security, economic and political interaction with the Israelis. Manifestations of this interaction are to be found in the security coordination in the West Bank, the use of a single currency (the shekel), the passage of Palestinian labour through Israeli walls, the production of water from humid air in Gaza using Israeli solar powered technology, and other such instances necessitated by geopolitical proximity.

Arab/Palestinian-Israeli relations have undergone several important developments during the past three decades. Firstly, the Oslo Accords furnished a legal frame-of-reference for Palestinian-Israeli relations and an explicit call for a two-state solution in the framework of the pre-June 1967 boundaries. Secondly, the aforementioned Palestinian-Israeli interplay has laid a foundation for a single state. The sole impediment is the inequality between Israelis and the Palestinians residing in the Palestinian territories and Israel. Such inequality is of a nature that has sometimes been described as apartheid, on the lines of the system that existed in South Africa until the 1990s. Thirdly, the regional climate surrounding the central Palestinian-Israeli question has changed fundamentally due to the peace agreements between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. These agreements have created a large realm for regional cooperation in security affairs, the economy and technology. Fourthly, this improved regional climate has not had a positive impact on the political elites, whether in Palestine where the Hamas-Fatah political rift persists, or in Israel which has lost its capacity for domestic political cohesion. In Palestine, too, the elites perpetually complain that the Arabs are neglecting the Palestinian cause while in Israel the elite are worried by the growing rates of antisemitism in Western countries and in Russia recently.

The foregoing developments do not mean that the coming decades have to be like the preceding ones. Indeed, they could open the doors to unprecedented changes in the history of the conflict. For one, the one-state solution now appears to have much more going for it than the two-state solution. In this context, the Israeli Arabs represent a bridge the first segment of which is to be found in the formation of the current Israeli government. In practical terms, Israeli settlement expansion has made the two-state solution unfeasible even if it appeals to some sectors of the Israeli public. In the coming period, perhaps in the current decade, the cause of equality may become more pressing for the Palestinians than the cause of liberation. The former borrows more from the lexicon of social peace. The new regional cooperation in energy, as in the Eastern Mediterranean gas forum, and in technology offers more to bring the Israelis and Arabs/Palestinians together than the challenges of terrorism and Iranian interventions. Food and water scarcity, for example, opens the doors to opportunities in which Israel has things to offer and the Arabs need to cooperate.

Perhaps these cooperative frameworks will open up new horizons for a Palestinian-Israeli peace, especially if a maritime border agreement between Egypt and Palestine can unlock the vaults of Palestinian offshore gas fields and the Israelis and Lebanese can reach a similar agreement. Such developments would greatly expand the regional natural gas market, along with associated transportation mechanisms, processing operations and mutual interests, at a critical time in Europe when Russian gas has not only become scarce but also a part of the intractable conflict. Recent Arab-Israeli developments have not unfolded in isolation, but rather against the backdrop of positive regional developments of no less importance, namely the various exploratory talks and negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey and Egypt and Turkey. All such efforts are contributing to reducing Middle Eastern temperatures which had risen since the so-called Arab Spring set in motion waves of instability, civil strife, and regional proxy wars which have wreaked so much attrition on these countries and wasted their political energies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The Sinai terrorist attack in which one officer and 10 soldiers were killed earlier this week was clearly an act of desperation by an all but eradicated criminal group. The people of Sinai were the first to condemn it, noting it is the first in a long time and acknowledging that life had returned to a semblance of normalcy for the first time in 10 years.

In their cowardly strike, the militants who carried it out  allegedly members of IS, which claimed responsibility  targeted an isolated checkpoint providing security for a water pumping station east of the Suez Canal. This is one of many projects the government has launched recently to improve conditions in the peninsula. Providing clean water for their daily use and for agricultural development projects has been a top priority for the government in recent years.

After the Egyptian people brought down the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood in the summer of 2013, Egypt witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks. Knowing that they had lost the battle to rule the country, the Brotherhood and its terrorist affiliates resorted to terrorism to strike back.

But, facing heroism on the part of police and military personnel, they lost drastically. After major terrorist attacks in Cairo and other major cities, targeting top officials as well as police headquarters and churches, security forces responded forcefully. Those bloody attacks came to a total halt, allowing the government to proceed with its ambitious economic development plan to build the New Republic.

Sinai then became the main frontline as terrorists flooded from all over the world hoping to turn the peninsula into one of their strongholds as they did with Mosul, Iraq or parts of Syria. Yet such a charade would never be permitted. Despite heavy losses and hundreds of martyrs killed on the frontlines in bloody terrorist attacks, Egyptian security forces managed to turn the tide and nearly won the battle against terrorist groups such as IS and others who came to Sinai.

However, victims of terrorism in Sinai were not limited to army and police. Sinai residents will never forgive or forget the attack against a mosque in 2017 in which 300 people, including children, were shot dead in cold blood as they offered their prayers to God. Perhaps this was an important turning point after which the vast majority of residents of the mostly desert region joined security forces to battle against the terrorists who threatened their lives and added to their daily hardships.

Since February 2018, when the army launched a major offensive, the pace of militant attacks in Sinais main theatre of operations, mainly in the northern part of the peninsula, had slowed to a trickle. The military has secured large areas of the strategic stretch of land bordering Palestines Gaza and Israel on one side, and the Suez Canal on the other. It is no longer on the back foot. Many of the militants have been killed, fled or surrendered. As few as 200 are still active, down from 400 two years ago and 800 in 2017, according to informed security sources.

There has been a continuous and significant decline in the number of attacks over the past three years, with approximately 17 recorded shooting attacks and 39 bomb attacks in 2021 compared to 166 and 187 respectively in 2017. Security presence in southern Sinai, a popular tourist destination, has also been reinforced and most international travel warnings scaled back. The recent drop in number of tourists was not because of terrorism, but because of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Yet an equally important fact is that the region, which has long complained of neglect, has undergone a complete facelift following dozens of ambitious development schemes.

Only a few days before this attack, condemned not only locally but across the Arab world and beyond, the cabinets media centre had released a report highlighting the comprehensive plan to change life on the turquoise land, Sinai, by launching mega projects all over the peninsula, with investments amounting to more than LE 700 billion in eight years. According to the same report, total public investments for Sinai and Canal cities reached LE 45.1 billion in 2021/2022, compared to EGP 6.2 billion in 2013/2014, with an increase of 627.4 per cent. A few months ago, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated a $1.3 billion agricultural wastewater plant to help reclaim land for farming.

The government also recently announced a plan for 17 agricultural and residential development clusters across Sinai, 10 in the north, where most terrorist attacks take place. Those displaced whether by the fight against terrorism or due to mega development projects were allocated modern and traditional homes instead.

President Al-Sisi, while mourning the martyrdom of the 11 troops this week, vowed to continue uprooting terrorism. A few weeks earlier, he had stressed: We will not leave any land that can be developed in Sinai until we make it grow. This is the strategy that Egypt will continue to follow: fighting terrorism with no mercy until it is totally defeated, and working at the same time to develop Sinai and benefit its people.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) last week released what it dubbed the Core Set of Financial Inclusion Indicators to gauge financial services and products outreach across the whole society.

This comes within the framework of the efforts exerted towards achieving economic empowerment. Egypt has been pushing for financial inclusion in recent years, which culminated with CBE Governor Tarek Amer announcing a nationwide financial inclusion strategy in 2020.

Being an active member of international multilateral organisations such as Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), the CBE pledged to abide by international standards related to the improvement of the financial inclusion rate domestically and to design its own national financial inclusion strategy, economist Rami Abdel-Azim tells Al-Ahram Weekly.

Roughly two-thirds of Egyptians are unbanked, according to data by the World Bank, which is spurring banks and financial institutions to move quickly to increase digital channels and policymakers to aim for a cashless society.

The publication of the CBEs Core Set of Financial Inclusion Indicators is an excellent step forward that will eventually help in designing Egypts much belated National Strategy for financial inclusion, Abdel- Azim indicated, adding that understanding the nature of financial behaviour across multidimensional metrics gives policymakers a more nuanced appreciation of how Egyptians are financially served, helping them ultimately realise their economic goals.

Over the past six years, Egypt saw a significant growth rate of 115 per cent in financial inclusion, bringing the total ownership of transactional accounts  ranging from all types of accounts at banks, Egypt Post, mobile wallets, and prepaid cards  to 36.8 million citizens. This represents 56.2 per cent out of the total 65.4 million eligible adults (+16 years old), according to the Core Set of Financial Inclusion Indicators.

In terms of womens financial inclusion, CBEs indicators showed a growing trend in the number of females who own a transactional account, recording 16 million women by the end of 2021 with a growth rate of 171 per cent compared to 2016. As for prepaid cards, the total number stood at 39,883 cards per 100,000 adults, while the number of mobile wallets reached 38,505 per 100,000 adults.

The number of financial access points  which comprise branch networks of banks, Egypt Post, microfinance institutions, ATMs, POSs, and Payment Service Providers  reached 1,037 points per 100,000 adults, the indicators further showed.

Fintech expert Abdel-Rahman Hamdi told the Weekly the government aims at providing financial or banking services and products to individuals and companies in all segments of society in a simplified manner. Whether in the form of payment solutions, educating people on savings plans, loans or insurance, Hamdi said, they are provided to them in an easy, simplified, and sustainable manner.

In that regard, Hamdi emphasised the importance of seminars and educational sessions that aim to educate people and spread awareness of how banks work in order to be truly inclusive of all.

Under the directives of the CBE, banks conduct educational sessions on financial inclusion across governorates and villages and also universities to spread awareness on the benefits of opening bank accounts. This is to change the entrenched misconception that only wealthy people can open bank accounts.

The main target of such initiatives is to increase the number of banked citizens, in which people across different ages, segments, and demographics can open bank accounts seamlessly.

When people deposit certificates into their bank accounts, one after another, it contributes to overall economic activity in all segments of the country and pumps more money into banks, Hamdi explains.

Long gone are the days when people thought that banks primarily cater to millionaires. Banks and financial institutes should also be inclusive of all different socioeconomic classes, he adds.

When it comes to the challenges, there is a general consensus that informal workers remain the most pressing challenge in the face of financial inclusion, experts agree. Opening a bank account requires proof of a source of income, and thus, for a seamstress, a craft worker or a freelancer this can be quite a conundrum, they say.

Also, there is still a gap between females and males, he points out. According to the World Bank, only 33 per cent of adults in Egypt have bank accounts. The gap between women and men who own bank accounts is 12 per cent, while the gap between high net worth individuals and low net worth individuals is 21 per cent.

However, new Fintech companies are leveraging digital transformation as we move towards a cashless society to create e-payment solutions that ease the process even more.

Financial inclusion in Egypt, however, is still in its infancy, Haitham Al-Said, director of government relations and financial inclusion at the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), tells the Weekly. Such initiatives and efforts are required to create a promising inclusive future, however, there is still fear among many people, especially in light of the current circumstances, over keeping any financial liquidity at quick disposal. This new baby still needs a lot of care and support decisions especially from the banking sector, Al-Said said.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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A Tanta Criminal Court sentenced on Tuesday three men to 15 years in prison and two others to five years for the blackmailing of a teenage girl that pushed her to commit suicide last December.

In January 2022, Egypts Public Prosecution ordered the referral of five defendants to a criminal court over charges that included sexual trafficking and blackmailing a minor girl in the Nile Delta Gharbiya governorate.

Passant Khaled, a 16-year-old high school student, committed suicide in late December by swallowing a pesticide after a number of young men sextorted her and circulated photos of her in her village.

The prosecution had also charged the five men with exploiting the vulnerability of the victim by threatening to publish reported obscene photos of her with the aim of sexually exploiting her and forcing her to into indecent acts.

The case had caused a huge uproar on social media, with users launching a campaign calling for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

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A delegation of prominent Egyptian civil society figures traveled to Khartoum on Tuesday to launch an Egyptian-Sudanese dialogue in order to deepen bilateral relations between the two peoples, especially amid the current global economic challenges resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The three-day visit is scheduled to include meetings with representatives of Sudanese civil society groups and political fronts.

The visit comes as Sudan, the region and the world are going through exceptional conditions that requires quick action to initiate "a constructive and mature dialogue with the components of Sudanese society," the Egyptian delegation said in a statement.

"The Egyptian-Sudanese ties should  from now on  be based on new foundations that prioritise a rational view of the future and a vision of major challenges instead," the statement added.

The dialogue should also be based on new outlines in light of the global developments that push for reformulating ideas and building regional alliances and cross-border blocs in order to achieve the common interests of the peoples who suffer from the impact of the major global crisis between Russia and Ukraine, noted the delegation.

The recent crisis, the Egyptian delegation said, showed "the fragility and unfairness" of the international system when it comes to issues of economic security, protection of the financial system of countries, and food security.

These challenges are driving Egypt and Sudan to formulate a common vision and implement decisions that are in the interest of the peoples of the two countries, the delegation said.

The Egyptian delegation includes former Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed El-Orabi; former Assistant Foreign Minister Badr El-Din Zayed; MP Sayed Fleifel; and Nevine Mossaad, a member of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) .

The delegation also includes veteran journalist Ezzat Ibrahim, spokesperson of the NCHR and editor-in-chief of Egypt's newspaper Al-Ahram Weekly and news website Ahram Online; Sameh Fawzy, the Deputy Director of the Library of Alexandria; and media expert Yasser Abdel-Aziz along with other public figures.

The Egyptian delegation voiced its hope that the visit will produce a serious agenda for dialogue between the two countries addressing major changes in the world.

The desired dialogue, added the statement, can not only be between politicians in the two countries but should also include all components of civil society, the financial and business community, industrialists, economists, intellectuals, academics and media professionals.

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President El-Sisi's instructions came during his meeting with the economic ministerial group, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Tarek Amer, Planning Minister Hala El-Said, International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Public Business Sector Minister Hisham Tawfik, Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea, and Presidential Advisor for Financial Affairs Major General Mohamed Amin.



The working group will be headed by the prime minister.



The meeting followed up on the work of the ministerial group and its measures taken to deal with the repercussions of the global economic crisis.



During the meeting, Amer reviewed the current monetary situation, saying the Egyptian economy managed to absorb the severe global repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.



He noted that the country was able to maintain a safe financial and economic path, a balanced monetary situation, as well as stable foreign exchange reserves.



In this regard, President El-Sisi directed the new working group to exclude production inputs and raw materials from the procedures recently announced to regulate the importing process.



Amer also reviewed the evolution of the performance of the balance of payments in 2021 and the preliminary indicators during the period from January to March 2022, which witnessed increases in petroleum products and natural gas, in addition to an increase in tourism revenues and revenues of the Suez Canal, and the remittances of Egyptians abroad

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The Presidential Pardon Committee announced in a statement on Tuesday that it will issue a list of tens of prisoners for presidential pardons soon.

The pardon committee, which was first formed in 2016 and reactivated by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in late April during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar Banquet, stated that the first pardons will be announced soon, including from the tens of cases it has already received in the past few days.

The committee also welcomed the National Training Academys (NTA) announcement Tuesday that the National Dialogue would be be run in a neutral and impartial way among all segments of society that will be invited to participate.

The re-activated committee started its work in late April receiving the names of prisoners for presidential pardoning consideration from various parties and political forces, the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives and families, as well as directly through its own official website.

The scope of the work of the re-activated committee has been expanded to include imprisoned male and female debtors.

The pardon committee comprises the Deputy Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representative Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, MP Tarek El-Kholy, former member of the 2016 committee Karim El-Sakka, human rights lawyer Tarek El-Awady and Egypt's former Minister of Manpower Kamal Abu Eita.

In late April 2022, Egypt's Public Prosecution ordered the release of 41 pretrial activist detainees in the prelude to the reactivation of the pardon committee.

On 1 May, the prosecution also released three journalists who were in pretrial detention.

Meanwhile, well-known activist Hossam Mones received a presidential pardon in early May.

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After decades of staying out of military alliances, Finland and Sweden are about to decide whether to apply to join NATO, as a deterrent against aggression from Eastern neighbour Russia.

The Nordic neighbours are expected to act in unison, with both expressing a desire for their applications to be submitted simultaneously if they decide to go that route.

Historic U-turns

For decades, a majority of Swedes and Finns were in favour of maintaining their policies of military non-alignment.

But Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 sparked a sharp U-turn.

The change was especially dramatic in Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia.

After two decades during which public support for NATO membership remained steady at 20-30 percent, polls now suggest that more than 75 percent of Finns are in favour.

During the Cold War, Finland remained neutral in exchange for assurances from Moscow that it would not invade. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Finland remained militarily non-aligned.

Sweden, meanwhile, adopted an official policy of neutrality at the end of the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century.

Following the end of the Cold War, the neutrality policy was amended to one of military non-alignment.

Close NATO Partners

While remaining outside NATO, both Sweden and Finland have formed ever closer ties to the Alliance. Both joined the Partnership for Peace programme in 1994 and then the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997.

Both countries are described by the Alliance as some of "NATO's most active partners" and have contributed to NATO-led missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sweden's and Finland's forces also regularly take part in exercises with NATO countries and have close ties with Nordic neighbours Norway, Denmark and Iceland -- which are all NATO members.

Sweden's Military

For a long time, Swedish policy dictated that the country needed a strong military to protect its neutrality.

But after the end of the Cold War, it drastically slashed its defence spending, turning its military focus toward peacekeeping operations around the world.

In 1990, defence spending accounted for 2.6 percent of GDP, compared to 1.2 percent in 2020, according to the government.

Mandatory military service was scrapped in 2010 but reintroduced in 2017 as part of Sweden's rearmament following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Combining its different branches, the Swedish military can field some 50,000 soldiers.

In March 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden announced it would increase spending again, targeting two percent of GDP "as soon as possible".

Finland's Military

While Finland has also made some defence cuts, it has in contrast to Sweden maintained a much larger army since the end of the Cold War.

The country of 5.5 million people now has a wartime strength of 280,000 troops plus 600,000 reservists, making it significantly larger than any of its Nordic neighbours despite having a population half the size of Sweden's.

In early April, Finland announced it would further boost its military spending, adding more than two billion euros (dollars) over the next four years. It has a defence budget of 5.1 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for 2022.

Memories Of War

While Sweden has sent forces to international peacekeeping missions, it has not gone to war for over 200 years.

The last conflict it fought was the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814. It maintained its neutral stance through the two World Wars.

Finland's memories of warfare are much fresher. In 1939, it was invaded by the Soviet Union.

Finns put up a fierce fight during the bloody Winter War, which took place during one of the coldest winters in recorded history. But it was ultimately forced to cede a huge stretch of its eastern Karelia province in a peace treaty with Moscow.

A 1948 "friendship agreement" saw the Soviets agree not to invade again, as long as Finland stayed out of any Western defence cooperation.

The country's forced neutrality to appease its stronger neighbour coined the term "Finlandization".

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Life is back without coronavirus restrictions, but not everyone is happy, reports Ahmed Morsy

Egypt has relaxed Covid-19 restrictions after recording one of the lowest rates of infections since the start of the pandemic.

Egypt recorded a daily average of eight coronavirus infections over the previous week  from 30 April to 6 May  and a daily average of four coronavirus-related deaths, the Ministry of Health reported on Saturday.

Egypts Ministry of Religious Endowments has announced the full re-opening of mosques and shrines nationwide after two years of coronavirus restrictions, starting 8 May. According to a statement, the decision allows for the return of religious and Quranic recitation lessons in mosques, and the opening of Islamic shrines to visitors outside prayer times.

Commercial shops and centres are now allowed to operate between 7am to 11pm instead of 7am to 10pm, and restaurants can open from 5am to 1am instead of 5am to 12am.

Supermarkets, groceries, bakeries, and pharmacies are allowed to operate around the clock.

Though the measures have been welcomed by many members of the public, some employees are less satisfied.

After a long period of a hybrid work system we became accustomed to flexible working hours. It is frustrating now to have to attend the office every weekday, Mohamed Samir, a 40-year-old engineer, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Since 8 May he and his colleagues have been obliged to work from the offices five days, instead of two or three, each week.

While Covid-19 initially upended peoples lives, Samir says they have become accustomed to working remotely. He doesnt believe that home working negatively impacted productivity: indeed, he thinks the opposite is true, since no time was wasted commuting.

Mohamed Adel, 45, agrees. When I work at office, three hours are added to the work day because of the commute, he told the Weekly.

Mohamed Abdel-Razek, a 39-year-old branch manager of a tech company, says that at his company we used to work six hours a day but now we are back to eight hours for six days per week. Yet he points out that despite the increased hours, there has been no increase in sales.

Other people prefer working in the office to the hybrid system. I appreciate the fixed routine. I need consistency, Hani Rayan, 49, said.

Mustafa Barakat, 35, also prefers to be physically present for work.

Internet access problems, an overcrowded flat with children, it doesnt make working from home comfortable, said Barakat who missed the team collaboration and building of relationships that are part of office life.

Employers, meanwhile, generally prefer their employees to work from the office.

For employers, working from home is akin to taking a holiday, Ahmed Yehia, deputy director and PR manager of a higher education institute, told the Weekly.

Ahmed Hamdi, CEO of a medium-sized enterprise, said the hybrid system undermined team effectiveness and performance by weakening trust and team spirit.

A hybrid work system means the manager has to create in-group and out-group dynamic that could cause a divide between those in the office and those at home, Hamdi argued.

Since the start of the pandemic, Egyptians lives have gradually shifted online, with the Internet being used for everything from working remotely and e-learning to ordering food and clothes.

Egypt had 76.9 million Internet users in January 2022, up from 50.4 million in January 2021, of which 63.9 million were via mobiles, according to a report issued in March 2022 by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

The number of Internet users in Egypt through mobile phones alone has increased by 13.5 million in one year, according to the report.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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EGYPTIAN Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita inaugurated this week the new Egyptian Embassy in Moroccos capital Rabat.

During Shoukris official visit to Rabat, the two ministers reviewed boosting bilateral relations between their countries in various fields, especially economic cooperation and trade, and discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.

In a joint press conference, Bourita stressed his countrys support for all efforts exerted by Egypt to protect its security and stability, referring to the deadly terrorist attack that targeted a water station east of the Suez Canal in Egypt on Saturday.

He added that Egypts security and stability are crucial for Morocco and for the whole Arab world.

The two diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the Palestinian issue via the establishment of the Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Bourita hailed the genuine Egyptian efforts to support the Palestinian people in regaining their rights, including ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state, as well as taking measures to prevent a similar escalation of violence like that of May last year, as the joint statement issued after their meeting said.

Shoukri reaffirmed Egypts support for the unity of Moroccan territory and its commitment to the UNSC resolutions regarding resolving the Sahara issue, especially Resolution 2602 issued last year that welcomed serious Moroccan efforts to resolve the issue through a political settlement.

He also shared with Bourita the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Moroccos top diplomat affirmed his countrys full support for Egypts water security and pointed to the importance of the cooperation of all parties involved to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam according to the UNGA presidential statement issued in September last year.

In an attempt to revitalize more mechanisms of political consultation, Shoukri and Bourita agreed to hold the fourth round of the joint economic committee during the second half of this year in Cairo.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Frank Hartmann, Germanys ambassador to Egypt, talks to Ahmed Kotb about bilateral relations, opportunities for German businesses in Egypt, and cooperation between the two countries over green energy as Egypt prepares to host COP27

How do you evaluate the Egyptian-German relationship, and what are the main areas of cooperation?

Egypt is a very important partner to Germany and is a key country when it comes to stability in the Middle East region, which is why German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbocks first visit outside Europe and the United States was to Egypt in February. This was followed by the visit of State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action Jennifer Morgan in April. Germany is working intensively with Egypt on COP27.

Other fields of corporation include culture. There are 400,000 German speakers in Egypt, and German schools have several thousand students. The German University in Cairo has 13,000 students, and they contribute to our cultural and educational relations through training and exchange programmes.

What about business and economic relations?

The economic partnership between Germany and Egypt is both broad and well developed. Germany is currently Egypts second largest trading partner in Europe, with a volume of 5 billion. The volume of investment is also increasing. It reached 1.5 billion in 2020, a figure that is expected to go up tremendously after large scale agreements are signed in 2021.

We are very active in the field of energy and electricity generation, starting with Siemens 2017 investment in power plants which helped secure a surplus in electricity production in Egypt. There are other investments in wind and solar power, and in green hydrogen, a field in which we would like to make great progress.

In the transport sector, negotiations are continuing for the second phase of the high speed train connection, a huge project that will be implemented in partnership with Siemens.

Egypt will host COP27 this year

Climate change is at the heart of the programme of the new German government, and cooperation with Egypt in the run-up to COP27 is very important to us.

There have been many meetings between government officials from both countries to prepare for the conference. Egypt will host COP27 in November, and has been making tremendous efforts in the transition towards renewable energy, diversification of energy sources and developing new technologies like green hydrogen.

A number of memoranda of understanding have been signed by German companies to invest in green hydrogen in Egypt. There is a big demand for energy in Europe, and we need to cut imports of fossil fuel, mainly from Russia, and look for alternatives. Egypt is one of them.

What are the main investment opportunities for German businesses in Egypt, and what obstacles need to be addressed?

Cooperation covers transport and renewable energy, which we would like to expand. German companies are ready for further investment in this sector. Financial institutions like the German Development Bank (KFW) are willing to engage more with Egypt to extend our involvement in renewable energy by offering concessional loans and other financial services.

Germany is also involved in the medical and technological market and would like to increase investments in these fields.

German companies operating in Egypt (about 1,180 companies) have certain demands when it comes to facilitating business transaction. They would like to see improvements to the tax system and a simplification of import procedures and documentation.

What about German tourist inflows to Egypt given the pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis?

The war is reducing the number of tourists globally, and Egypt has been hit by decreases in the number of tourists arriving from Russia and Ukraine.

The number of German tourists to Egypt averaged around 1.8 million annually before the pandemic. The figure then fell, but is now bouncing back to around 80-90 per cent of the pre-pandemic total.

The war in Ukraine is having a devastating impact on the world economy. How is Germany coping with this, particularly when it comes to energy?

First, I would like to say that there is no justification for Russias war on Ukraine, and the Ukrainian government has a legitimate right of self-determination and Russia should respect that. We are all working to convince Russia to find a way out of this escalation and end the war.

Up to 50 per cent of Germanys gas consumption and 30 per cent of its oil needs come from Russia. As the war erupted, we had to start cutting down energy imports from Russia and diversify our energy sources as fast as possible.

Germany has already reduced oil imports from Russia to 10 instead of 30 per cent and is now in favour of an oil embargo. The next step will be to reduce gas imports from Russia and find alternative supplies. Egypt is a possible future exporter, after further development of the gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean allows for more liquefied natural gas production.

How can escalation of the war in Ukraine be avoided, and what can be done to limit its humanitarian and economic repercussions?

We dont want any further escalation in the war. The economic repercussions are not a consequence of European sanctions, they are a result of Russian politics and positions.

We dont want to divide the world and have a new cold war. Instead, we are doing everything to bring this war to an end and to stop humanitarian suffering, but we need a strong, legally-based world order in order to maintain peace.

NATO countries are determined to strengthen their defences and support eastern NATO members. All members are clear that we are not engaging in the war. What we are doing is being supportive of Ukraine and its right to self-defence. We are delivering certain military equipment to Ukraine but we are not part of the conflict and we dont want to become part of it.

We are also imposing sanctions aimed at reducing Russias economic ability to continue the war and the threat of it spreading into neighbouring countries like Moldova.

The war is severely impacting Egypt, and Germany is willing to support Egypt in mitigating the economic effects.

The European Union is willing to give an additional 100 million to support food imports, and Germany will provide an additional 50 million to the World Food Programme for their activities in Egypt.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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On 7 May, a terrorist attack struck a military checkpoint near a water pumping station in the Eastern Suez Canal Zone, killing an officer and 10 soldiers, according to a statement released by the Armed Forces military spokesman. The following day, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), headed by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, convened to discuss the incident and review the measures being taken to pursue and apprehend the perpetrators. Al-Sisi instructed law enforcement agencies to press ahead with the work of clearing North Sinai of terrorist and jihadist elements and to take all the security measures necessary to eliminate terrorism.

According to a statement released by the presidency after the meeting, the president praised the Armed Forces efforts to uproot terrorism in Sinai in cooperation with the honourable people of the area, and lauded the armys progress in carrying out the national mega-projects in collaboration with government institutions.

The Egyptian people fully appreciate the sacrifices members of the Armed Forces and police make to safeguard the security of the nation, said Al-Sisi.

A North Sinai security source believes that the attack was carried out by a handful of operatives determined to attract media attention. According to the source, the states recent call for dialogue with the opposition, and the release of a number of opposition figures, may also have been a motive, with the attack intended to re-focus the states attention on military/security issues rather than on a political track from which the Muslim Brotherhood will be excluded.

Some observers also believe that recent Ramadan television serials targeting extremism and Islamist groups may have influenced the timing of the attack, while others suggest its purpose is to create the image of a government buckling under multiple pressures during a particularly difficult economic time.

The Islamic State (IS), through affiliated websites such as Naba Sinai, claimed responsibility for the attack. This was expected, given the terrorist organisation is attempting to reassert its presence after the US eliminated IS leader Abdallah Qaradesh (Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashemi) in Syria in January.

Qaradeshs successor Zeid Al-Iraqi (Abul-Hassan Al-Hashemi) who has been eager to prove himself in various theatres. IS attacks have been on the rise in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the African Sahel. Nigeria has seen a number of attacks recently, and IS is reported to be repositioning itself in southern Libya. Al-Qaeda in Yemen has also resurfaced and staged a number of attacks, suggesting that, though IS is the most capable of doing so, terrorist organisations in general are determined to reassert themselves.

In his speech at an official Iftar banquet on 26 April, President Al-Sisi said the he did not want to officially declare that the Armed Forces had fully eliminated terrorism. There were still tasks to be completed, including clearing Sinai of explosive devices that continue to pose a danger to both service personnel and civilians.

The governments statements and actions reflect an understanding that the success of counter-terrorism efforts can never be absolute but must be measured in terms of the elimination of terrorist commanders, networks, cells, infrastructures, and logistics. This was implied in the SCAF statement regarding the pursuit of the terrorists who remain at large, an implicit recognition of the possibility sleeping cells may exist.

It should be borne in mind that the terrorists chose an isolated area and an essential civil facility  a water pumping station: the operation could have been intended to deliver a double message, targeting not just military personnel but a facility essential to the development of Sinai which has made immense progress in recent years.

Last weeks attack is unlikely to mark a significant resurgence of terrorism in Sinai for, in addition to the hunt for the perpetrators and ongoing combing operations, the Armed Forces continue to carry out the other antiterrorist measures.

And just as important, the Sinai development plan, a major element in the fight against terrorism, is forging ahead. The Sinai development process has proven successful not just in eliminating the conditions which facilitated terrorist recruitment, but is wholeheartedly supported by Bedouin tribes who have become a great asset in the drive to uproot terrorism in the peninsula.

A source from one of the tribes in the Beir Al-Abd area in Sinai confirmed that the elements that carry out terrorist attacks are individuals on the run from security agencies who hide in remote mountain areas and have no known tribal connections. The tribes, he added, fully support the government and Armed Forces in the fight against terrorism, not just because of the threat they pose to national security but also because of the threat Islamist radicals pose to Sinai society and the role of Sinais tribes. Indeed, terrorists have increasingly targeted tribal leaders in recent years though, as the Federation of Sinai Tribes announced immediately after the terrorist attack, this will not dissuade them from continuing to cooperate with the Armed Forces.



*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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As the two-month truce in Yemen that entered into force at the beginning of Ramadan nears the midpoint of its second month, hopes are dwindling regarding the prospects of its being renewed.

The political forces in Yemen claim that the UN-brokered truce has not been productive, and the belligerents accuse each other of violating it. The reported level of violations has led some to maintain that it was not effectively implemented inside Yemen. Skirmishes have been reported on all fronts in the northern part of the country.

While the truce at the external level has remained largely intact, the Houthi rebels have come under criticism for their response to a unilateral Saudi Arabian initiative to release 163 prisoners, the majority of whom were Yemenis.

The Houthis said that most of the released were not affiliated with them. They have also given indications that they do not intend to renew the truce with the Arab Coalition in Yemen and that they might re-escalate the conflict against Saudi Arabia.

Houthi Defence Minister Mohamed Al-Atefi warned members of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition of a surprise response after the Houthis downed a Saudi drone, hinting at the possibility of renewed escalation. He charged that the coalition was not interested in making peace.

According to reports from Yemeni sources, the Houthis have set up offensive missile platforms near the Saudi border in the provinces of Hajjah, Saada, and Al-Jawf. They have also objected to recent security developments in the Red Sea region after the US announced the creation of a naval task force under the command of its Fifth Fleet to secure navigation routes.

The area is crucial to Houthi military supply lines. A US maritime security contingent working in collaboration with other regional forces eager to secure international navigation routes in the Red Sea will hamper Iranian designs to establish Tehrans presence in Yemen.

Whether or not the truce has reduced military confrontation domestically, it has certainly not created an atmosphere conducive to peace overtures between the Houthis and the new Presidential Council formed during the Yemeni National Dialogue in Riyadh.

However, this was not unexpected, as the main belligerents in Yemen never signed onto the UN-brokered truce face-to-face, even though the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Presidential Council that succeeded him have said they support it.

The Houthis perceive the Presidential Council that emerged from a national dialogue they did not attend as part of a hostile alliance. They have therefore taken advantage of the Arab Coalitions commitment to the truce to sustain offences in Mareb, Taizz, and Dalie. According to Yemeni reports, Houthi recruitment and mobilisation drives are in full swing.

Despite the UNs inability to build on the current truce, UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg has met with Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Al-Hajraf to discuss efforts to end the conflict, according to a GCC statement.

It is believed that Riyadh sees the truce as a step towards withdrawing from the conflict, regardless of whether a settlement is reached with the Houthis. According to a recent military communique issued by the Saudi-led Coalition, Riyadh is bolstering its military capacities along the Saudi border with Yemen on the basis that a military solution to the crisis in Yemen is unlikely in the foreseeable future.

However, if the truce is not renewed, it is difficult to imagine that the Houthis will sustain calm on the Saudi front, especially in the light of the remarks by the Houthi defence minister after Houthi forces intercepted the drone from the direction of Saudi Arabia.

The drone was a reconnaissance drone, according to some sources, which makes sense since Riyadh is keen to monitor the situation at the border after reports in the Houthi media that Houthi militias have placed missile-launching platforms along the border with Saudi Arabia.

As part of their mobilisation strategy, the Houthis have notched up their sectarian ideological indoctrination, instructing imams to adhere strictly to their creed and establishing religious summer camps for students.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are worried by such phenomena, which they see as a sign of a Houthi attempt to impose their sectarian project by force as a means to revive the Mutawakkilite Imamate in Yemen.

They also show that the Houthis do not identify with the modern civil state and the restoration of the nation-state in Yemen that was established in the 1960s. Such concerns were raised during the Yemeni National Dialogue in Riyadh, with many present holding that the Houthis were not able to enter into dialogue on the basis of accepting a return to the previous political order because they want to impose a system akin to the mullah system in Iran.

Many observers in Yemen hold out little hope for a political breakthrough and fear their country may be headed for even worse than has been experienced during the past seven years. The newly appointed Yemeni government has yet to unveil a plan to stimulate the economy and reform deteriorating public services, despite meetings held in Aden towards this end.

It had been hoped that the government would be more effective if the presidency carried out its duties inside Yemen. The fact that the Hadi government had been based outside the country in Riyadh was a major weak point, but according to sources in Aden, the current seat of government inside Yemen, the situation has not changed much.

According to sources familiar with recent developments, the new authority is still preoccupied with its structure, and it is likely that the change in government will extend beyond the presidency to include a cabinet reshuffle or even more sweeping structural changes.

However, the new government does not have time on its side. It needs to begin to set dramatic and widespread changes in motion in a country where over 80 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Water supplies in the massive Darbandikhan Lake, one of Iraqs main reservoirs, this spring are just 10 per cent of normal, Iraqi water officials have said, in the latest sign that the countrys drought is growing more devastating by the month.

To the south, large swathes of farmland, fisheries, power production areas and drinking water sources in the Diyalah province have been depleted of water. In this agricultural province bordering Iran, production on over 1,420,000 hectares of arable land is expected to go down by 50 per cent because of the drought.

In other situations, water retention on such a large scale on one side of the border and huge water shortages on the other could lead to brewing conflicts, but in Iran and Iraqs case the odds of an escalation are impossible to calculate.

Iraqs water problems with Iran started in the 1970s when the government of the former shah of Iran started to divert rivers pouring into its western neighbour, resulting in the draining of several tributaries and marshes, all of which have now dried up.

The current drought has led to radical changes in the environment and in ecosystems in the border provinces inside Iraq, pushing residents to migrate to villages and cities in the interior.

Iraqs water problems were recently exacerbated after Iran started building 300 small dams to redirect the extra water to reservoirs across the country, diverting water away from the Sirwan, Little Zab, and Diyalah rivers in Iraq.

Most of these dam projects, part of what former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called the countrys modern irrigation network, are along the western border with Iraq and aim to quadruple Iranian agricultural production.

As a result, water levels have declined sharply behind the Darbandikhan, Adhaim, and Diyalah dams in eastern Iraq that feed on water coming from Iran, and local officials have reported that villagers across the border have started facing a drinking water crisis.

Iraqi farmers frequently express their frustration at Irans storing and diverting water away from their land, but their concerns have been falling on deaf ears in Tehran while the government in Baghdad remains unable to assert Iraqs right to the water.

Iraqs Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Al-Hamadani has accused Iran of hoarding water in its reservoirs and denying Iraq its fair share of the resources under international water-sharing treaties on cross-border rivers.

As a result, the minister said the Sirwan River, which originates in Iran and runs through Iraqs eastern Kurdish autonomous area before it flows into Diyalah, has been drying up after the Islamic Republic built eight new dams across the border.

To alleviate the shortages, Iraqs Ministry of Water Resources decided to divert water from the Tigris River through a hurriedly constructed 12 km canal to provide more than a million people in Diyalah with drinking water.

But governor of Diyalah Muthana Al-Timimi said the government action was not enough to avert the crisis. Even if we convince the farmers to stop farming, we cannot convince them to stop drinking, he told the local media.

Iraqs water crisis has also been worsened by the cutting off of water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers by Turkey. The Tigris River, the second-longest river in southwest Asia which originates in southeastern Turkey, is slowly drying up, resulting in stagnant water in main irrigation canals.

As a result of the construction by Turkey of the Ilisu Dam, the discharge of the Tigris River into Iraq has decreased from 20.5 billion cubic metres of water to 9.7 billion.

Iraq is also losing the bulk of its water resources in the Euphrates River, which flows from Turkey through Syria, with the water in it receding and parching farms across southern Iraq.

The loss of the rivers, water scarcity, and now the drought has led the Ministry of Agriculture to order cuts in the amount of agricultural land planted with crops by 50 per cent across Iraq, with the effects varying from food insecurity to increased conflicts.

Many lakes and reservoirs in Iraq are drying up, and a few already have, more or less, with at least one disappearing entirely. The Dokan, Darbandikhan, Mosul, and Qaddisyya reservoirs, the Thirthar and Razzaza Lakes, and the Howeiza Marshes have suffered greatly in recent years because of the reduction in water.

The Sawa Lake, once the jewel of Iraqs western desert near the city of Samawa 250 km south of the capital Baghdad and a former leisure destination for visitors, has completely disappeared.

The drainage of some lakes has been exacerbated by lower rainfall, drought, and climate change. A frenzy of well-drilling by farmers is also draining significant amounts of the groundwater that feeds them.

A government statement issued last month said that more than 1,000 wells had been illegally dug for agricultural purposes near the site of the Sawa Lake, and this combined with other factors had turned it into a barren wasteland with only piles of salt.

UN and Iraqi government studies have revealed that the country is now about 39 per cent desert, while high salinity is hitting more than 50 per cent of the countrys arable land.

Plummeting water levels in rivers and dams across Iraq have impacted agriculture and are threatening the lives of millions of Iraqis in the middle of an economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and damage to food imports due to the war in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Agriculture has banned or ordered reductions in the planting of many crops including rice, wheat, and corn due to shortages of water. The yields of two major crops, wheat and barley, have been reduced by half.

A report by UNICEF released last month said that nearly three out of five children in Iraq had no access to safely managed water. Another report by the Norwegian Refugee Council showed that one in two families in drought-affected regions in Iraq required food assistance because of drought, while one in five did not have sufficient food for everyone.

Both Iran and Turkey, meantime, remain intransigent about establishing an equitable allocation of water to Iraq.

While Ankara argues that once it has finished its Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) this hydroelectric and irrigation project will not significantly affect the flow of water into Iraq, Tehran seems averse to Iraqi complaints and continues with its plans to build more dams and store water in its reservoirs.

Although Iraq has consistently urged Iran to adhere to the joint agreements in place to manage surface border waters with its neighbours and allow equal shares, Tehran has rejected such arguments and even the need to address the problem at some point.

Instead, it has opted to act unilaterally, arguing that its dam projects, used to store billions of cubic metres of water that used to flow to Iraq in 40 rivers, will provide benefits to its own farmers and mitigate droughts and water shortages.

Iranian Ambassador in Baghdad Irij Masjidi has denied that Irans water projects are behind Iraqs water crisis. Iraq receives only seven per cent of its water from Iran, he said, insisting that the water shortage is a regional problem.

However, for many Iraqis, Irans actions to cut the amount of water flowing to their cities and farms is inexplicable, especially as Iranian officials boast that the two countries are inseparable and that their peoples are tied by historical and religious bonds.

Indeed, Irans water policy towards Iraq has clearly underlined the pragmatic national interests and geopolitical behaviour of the Islamic Republic rather than its ideological discourse or the idealistic rhetoric of its officials.

Iran and Iraq fought a bloody and protracted war in the 1980s mostly over territorial issues including water-sharing and river navigation. Nearly 20 years after the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein, Iran has emerged as the dominant force in the country.

Iran has been asserting itself in Iraq through aggressive tactics and proxies that have been trying to turn Iraq into an Iranian sphere of influence. Iran is one of Iraqs main trading partners, and its exports to Iraq amount to about $10 billion annually, most of them food and agricultural products.

However, for those who understand the Iranian establishment and the hardline views of the countrys leaders regarding its vital national interests, Tehrans water policy in Iraq should not come as a complete surprise.

The question remains what a war-battered and conflict-prone Iraq can now do to safeguard its interests and deal with this existential threat by its closest neighbour that views Iraq as its asymmetric ally.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The European Union coordinator of negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Enrique Mora, visited Tehran this week with proposals to break the deadlock. Talks had stalled in mid-March after high hopes that a draft agreement would be signed.

The deal, made in 2015 between Iran and world powers, was to stop Iran developing its nuclear capabilities in return for easing Western and international sanctions on Tehran. In 2018, US president Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and imposed even more sanctions. Last year the Biden administration started negotiations to rejoin the deal now that Iran had already stepped up its uranium enrichment, coming closer to weapons-grade stock.

EU signatories to JCPOA  the UK, France and Germany  are the main negotiators with Iran in Vienna as there have been no direct talks between the Iranian and American delegations. The remaining parties  Russia and China  are expected to help, but they are generally considered supporters of Iran.

The eighth round of the Vienna talks was set be the last and some sources have mentioned a 27-page draft document covering all outstanding issues. But Russia demanded a waiver against any provisions that might curtail its relations with Iran under JCPOA. Though the Russian demand was later loosened, the Iranians raised an issue the Americans say was not part of the negotiations. Tehran insists that Washington should lift the terror designations on Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The paramilitary organisation is a powerful arm of the ruling regime with vast business interests, and is the main force behind Irans proxy groups in neighbouring countries from Iraq and Lebanon to Yemen.

Even though the White House is keen on reviving the Iran deal, it finds the issue of the IRGC a thorny one. The Israelis and US allies in the Gulf are more than concerned. The Congress last week passed a non-binding measure stating that any nuclear agreement with Tehran should also address Irans support for terrorism in the region, and that the US should not lift sanctions on the IRGC. Despite the fact that President Biden does not need Congress approval to sign a return to the JCPOA, the bipartisan measure endorsed by a super-majority of senators is a signal to the White House for the upcoming mid-term elections. The ruling Democratic Party could lose any majority in Congress, both in the House and Senate.

That is why State Department Spokesman Ned Price said last week that the US is preparing equally for both a scenario where there is a mutual return to compliance with Iran on a nuclear deal, and one in which there is not an agreement. Because a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA is very much an uncertain proposition, we are now preparing equally for either scenario, Price said. The Europeans are now taking the lead in trying to find a compromise, to prevent Vienna talks from faltering.

The war in Ukraine is a new concern pushing the EU to act, but it has also hardened the Iranian position, as Tehran tried to capitalise on the global energy crisis that the war aggravated. The Iranians became emboldened by the war, the American need for more oil and the European need for more natural gas, as the US and the EU try to scale down their dependence on Russian energy supplies, a veteran Western diplomat told Al-Ahram Weekly. Tehran thinks that the Europeans are between a rock and hard place. But that might be a delusion, as the diplomat notes: Europe has other options to procure energy, replacing Russian imports. Anyone thinking that Brussels (EU) might pressure the Americans, especially for the sake of Irans interests, is probably dreaming.

In an interview with the Financial Times this week, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell talked about a middle way to end the stalemate. He suggested that the terror designation on the IRGC could be generally lifted, with specific parts of the organisation still on the list, as the FT reported. That specific part of the Corps is the Al-Quds Brigade. But the problem is that the vast business and financial interests of the IRGC are inseparable from the brigade.

Hardliners in Iran see the situation now, especially with the war in Ukraine, as an opportunity to demand the maximum, as some analysts say. An Iranian lawmaker has called on the authorities to tell the people that the Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal will yield no results, according to a report on Iran International. Mahmoud Ahmadi-Bighash, who is a member of the parliaments National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said this week that there is no news about the revival of JCPOA because it has reached a dead-end. Our differences with the United States and the Europeans are fundamental, he noted, saying that the Americans believe that we should give up our principles while we want them to give up their arrogant and bullying behaviour.

But it is not true that the Vienna talks are dead, even if they have reached an impasse. The efforts to revive the deal are not dead. These are just more of the same blockages that periodically appear but things continue to move forward, in fits and starts. Qatars emir is also visiting Tehran this week on his way to Europe to try to get the nuclear deal moving again. But were in a situation now, in light of the economic problems created by the Ukraine war, where the White House has more interest in making this happen sooner than Iran. So Iran will play it tough, as Oxford University historian and political analyst Andrew Hammond told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Whether the Europeans manage to get Iran back to sign the prepared draft, tweaking the IRGC issue, is still in doubt. Iranians might be bargaining hard, but the harder they go the more likely the whole process to snap.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The European Union is struggling to preserve its unity in the face of the war in Ukraine, writes Manal Lotfy

Freshly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron did not hesitate to call for big thinking on the future of Europe this week, arguing that the Russia-Ukraine crisis had showed the need for a historic process of reflection.

In a speech to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg two days after being sworn in for a second term as French president, Macron did not shy away from playing his favourite role of offering a different look at the status quo in Europe and its institutions and security arrangements.

His intervention came as the EU is suffering from a major rift within its ranks due to differences over the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, the extent of military support to Ukraine, and the time frame for examining Kyivs application to join the EU.

These differences have pushed EU officials to call for serious discussions about whether it would be better to change the voting mechanism within the EU to make voting by majority only and not unanimous.

The proposal, sure to raise disputes within the European bloc, aims to enhance the effectiveness of the EU and break the deadlock on issues giving rise to polarisation.

In his speech, Macron surprised everyone when he called for a new political organisation to unite the democracies on the European continent, arguing for big thinking on the future of Europe.

He told the EU Parliament that a European political community a new European organisation would enable democratic European nations who adhere to our values to find a new space for political cooperation, listing security, energy, transport, infrastructure investment, and movement across borders, especially for young people, as issues that the body would tackle.

The new organisation would allow non-EU members to join Europes security architecture in other ways, Macron said. Warning that Ukraine would probably not join the EU for decades, he suggested that Ukraine could join the parallel European community instead.

Ukraine began the process of applying to join the EU in February this year, four days after the Russian invasion. We all know perfectly well that the process to allow [Ukraine] to join would take several years, indeed, probably several decades, Macron said.

That is the truth unless we decide to lower the standards for accession and rethink the unity of our Europe, he added. The European Union, given its level of integration and ambition, cannot be the only way to structure the European continent in the short term, he said.

Macron also warned against humiliating Russia over the war in Ukraine, arguing against a punitive settlement against Moscow when the war is over. When peace returns to European soil, we will have to build new security balances and together we must never give into the temptation or the desire for revenge because we know how much that has ravished the road to peace in the past, he said.

Macrons proposals are sure to provoke fierce debates within the EU, which is stumbling in devising a unified strategy to deal with the set of security, economic, and political challenges imposed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the past, Central and Eastern European countries have opposed Macrons ideas to promote more European integration, but with the security threats facing Europe today, his ideas of promoting EU sovereignty in new technologies, defence, energy, and food production may gain traction.

France currently holds the EUs rotating presidency, which gives it additional weight in setting the agenda of the European bloc this year.

The question of whether the EU rule that foreign-policy decisions, including sanctions packages must be unanimous, was raised by several failed attempts to reach a consensus on a new sanctions package against Moscow.

In the end, the EU was forced to water down its plans for a ban on Russian oil imports for the second time, highlighting further divisions over its response to the war.

The bloc will now drop a proposed ban on EU ships carrying Russian oil to third countries, a move that would have undermined Russias income from global energy exports.

Greece, which is among the worlds largest shipowners, was one of the member states to oppose the new measure along with Malta and Cyprus.

The move came after the EU said it would give Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic more time to comply with the ban on Russian oil following opposition from these countries.

Although the European Commission has talked about an imminent agreement, the text of a new sanctions package against Russia, which has been changed three times to meet the objections of countries led by Greece and Hungary, has not yet received unanimous support.

The gridlock has meant Brussels has been forced to agree to numerous carve-outs and exemptions to win over the 27 member states.

Hungary, among other countries, is still withholding its backing from a proposed EU ban on imports of Russian oil, even after talks on Monday evening between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Von der Leyen said on Twitter that her discussion with Orban had been helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security. But while they had made progress, she added that further work is needed.

Hungary is among the countries hoping for a longer phase-in period than the bulk of EU member states for the oil ban. It is also seeking EU financial support to help engineer its transition away from Russian fossil fuels, helping it to invest in alternative infrastructure.

Other EU member states, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic, are also expected to receive special terms in the energy sanctions, given their reliance on Russian crude oil.

In another sign of the difficulties facing the bloc, a proposal by a top EU official met with a muted response. EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell proposed that the bloc should seize $300 billion of frozen Russian foreign-exchange reserves to help fund the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The West has already taken control of around half of Russias $600 billion of gold and forex reserves abroad, and officials are now considering how these could be used to support Ukraines recovery.

The seizure of foreign-exchange reserves would be an extraordinary move, but Borrell, in an interview with the London Financial Times, pointed to the US decision to set aside $3.5 billion of the Afghan Central Banks assets to pay for humanitarian aid and compensation for victims of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

I would be very much in favour because it is full of logic. We have the money in our pockets, and someone has to explain to me why it is good for the Afghan money and not good for the Russian money, Borrell said.

Even across the Atlantic, imposing sanctions on Moscow has proven to be like walking a tightrope. On Sunday, the US administration unveiled sanctions against executives from Gazprombank, Russias third-largest lender and a subsidiary of state-owned energy company Gazprom.

The measures imposed against Gazprombank executives were the first involving the biggest energy company in Russia, as the West has thus far avoided taking steps that might lead to disruptions of gas supplies to Europe, Russias main customer.

A senior Biden administration official said that the US sanctions targeted 27 executives of Gazprombank, but the measures did not freeze the companys assets or prohibit transactions with it since it is the main way Russia sells gas to Europe.

What the best options will be if the war in Ukraine continues for more months or years is an unanswered question. The answer will test the unity of the West to the full.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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In its zealous and frenzied of backing of Ukraine, the West has once again revealed its political biases, racism and flagrant hypocrisy in its regard for universal laws and principles. Western double standards are especially glaring when we compare Western attitudes towards Ukraine and the Palestinian cause, as many have observed since day one of the crisis. But the double standards phenomenon is far more extensive. It is deeply ingrained and it governs Western policy around the world.

Several days ago, China signed a mutual defence pact with the Solomon Islands, triggering an outcry in Australia which insists that Honiara must withdraw from the agreement because it poses a threat to Australian national security. Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton went so far as to allege that China was corrupt and bribed Honiara to sign. The US duly dispatched its Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, and its Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, to the Solomon Islands to pressure it into cancelling the agreement.

Was it only two or three months ago that Washington and its allies were defending the freedom of sovereign nations to join the military alliances of their choice? Did they not stress that countries neighbouring those sovereign nations had no right to object to that choice regardless of their security concerns? But apparently this fixed universal principle applies only to Ukraine, which wants to join NATO whose primary raison detre is its adversity to Russia, which is located directly next to Ukraine, whereas the Solomon Islands are 1,800 kilometres away from Australia to the northeast.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country would not allow a Chinese military base on the Solomon Islands. This would be a red line for Australia and the US, he said. Beijing responded that the pact was a security cooperation agreement and that it did not provide for the establishment of a base on the islands. But that detail is of little importance, because what is really happening is a battle to sustain US global influence, which has begun to recede in favour of other world powers, heralding the end of the age of the mono-polar world.

Evidently, in this battle, the old regime is willing to sweep aside its vaunted principles whenever it serves its self-perpetuation.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The blue economy is now one of the main drivers of sustainable development, with Egypt being well placed to reap its benefits.

The blue economy has been widely advocated as a strategy for safeguarding the worlds oceans and water resources and is a concept that originated from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 2012. The UN there defined the blue economy as an ocean economy that aims at the improvement of human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.

The World Bank has defined it as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.

According to the World Bank, the blue economy generates around $83 billion for the global economy and employs more than three billion individuals around the world, with these numbers expected to double by 2030. Moreover, the sustainable use of water resources contributes to preserving biodiversity, combats overfishing and climate change, and expands marine and coastal tourism activities. It can also help to criminalise marine pollution arising from mineral, oil and gas extraction activities and from shipping and transport.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) say that economic development should be both inclusive and environmentally sustainable and should consider its economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Among the other aims of the SDGs is the aim to conserve and sustainably use the worlds oceans, seas, and marine resources, to reduce marine pollution, regulate fishing, end overfishing and illegal fishing, and preserve coastal and marine areas. In this context, the blue economy aims to increase the economic benefits accruing to developing and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources and strengthen the means of their implementation, including by increasing scientific knowledge and the transfer of technology.

The worlds seas and oceans represent about 70 per cent of the surface of the planet, and they contribute to the movement of international trade and navigation, in addition to being an important source of food and natural resources and a catalyst for economic activity. However, according to a report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2019, the worlds oceans have absorbed more than 90 per cent of the heat caused by global warming at an accelerating rate since the 1970s, and this has contributed to increasing levels of acidity, lower oxygen levels, and the decline of marine life, as well as the continuing threat posed by sea-level rises to coastal areas.

The UN has declared 2021 to 2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development with the aim of supporting efforts to reverse declines in the health of the worlds oceans and to gather stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework.

In the light of the above, the blue economy is now among the main drivers of sustainable development, and Egypt attaches great importance to supporting a sustainable blue economy with a view to mitigating the challenges of climate change and achieving the SDGs, particularly with regard to preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services, combating marine pollution of all kinds, and maintaining an ecological balance in the seas, oceans, and coastal areas.

This would contribute to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and to the building of a low-carbon economy. Egypt is also promoting efforts to reduce emissions in the shipping sector as part of its contribution to the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieving sustainable development.

Egypt possesses a wealth of diverse water resources and has many competitive advantages, thanks to its geographical location. It has 4,000 km of beaches on the Red and Mediterranean Seas, and the Suez Canal is one of the most important international shipping lanes. Egypts Nile River and 60 ports make the countrys economy an example to others that depend on the blue economy to achieve sustainable development through the optimal use of water resources.

Egypt has also taken a leading role regionally and internationally in protecting the environment and sustaining biodiversity, as well as in mobilising efforts and initiatives to confront climate change. These efforts will culminate in its hosting of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022.

On both the domestic and international levels, Egypt has taken steps to achieve environmentally friendly sustainable development, mitigate the challenges of climate change, achieve global leadership in the field of sustainable development, the green economy, and the blue economy through proper planning and management aiming to reduce carbon emissions, achieve sustainable economic growth, and preserve natural resources and ecosystems.

On the domestic level, it launched a National Climate Change Strategy 2050 as part of its participation in the COP26 conference held in Scotland last year. The policies and objectives of this strategy are complementary to the countrys development efforts and to its recovery from the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Egyptian ports are being transformed into logistics centres for loading and unloading, services, packaging, re-exporting, manufacturing, and the maintenance of ships and heavy and light marine industries. Beach tourism and cruise tourism from Cairo to Aswan down the Nile and from Rashid and Damietta in the Mediterranean Sea are being developed to exploit the North Coast and Matrouh area, along with yacht tourism, diving and fishing.

Valuable discoveries in Egyptian territorial waters have been made of oil and natural gas, contributing to a major economic boom. Alexandria was also chosen as the host of the Blue Economy Forum, a major international conference that has helped to enhance opportunities for foreign direct investment flows in water resources, giving added value to the Egyptian economy.

On the international level, during Egypts presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the country worked to launch a negotiating path that would lead to new goals for the protection of nature, among them the protection of the worlds seas and oceans. There is also Egypts active participation in ongoing consultations on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, with a view to drawing up a new legal instrument to protect biodiversity in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions.

Last but not least, Egypts Vision 2030 Strategy has placed the environmental dimension at the centre of all development efforts in order to promote the sustainability of natural resources and support the fairness of their use and their optimal exploitation in such a way as to guarantee the rights of future generations, diversify production sources and economic activities, and contribute to supporting competitiveness, providing new job opportunities, alleviating poverty, and achieving social justice while providing a clean, healthy, and safe environment for every Egyptian citizen.

Egypts National Climate Change Strategy 2050 aims to plan and manage climate change impacts at various levels and support the achievement of the SDGs and the goals of the Egypt Vision 2030 Strategy by adopting a flexible and low-emissions approach that will address the effects and repercussions of climate change effectively, while contributing to improving the quality of life and achieving sustainable inclusive economic growth and development.

The strategy is intended to bolster the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems, while strengthening Egypts leadership at the regional and international level in the field of climate change.

* The writer is a member of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The West wants to draw India further towards it, but the question is at what cost, asks Tarek Osman

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was in Europe last week. Rarely do key European capitals extend the level of courtesy and attention we saw lavished on him. But Modi is no ordinary visitor, for in todays global dynamics India presents the West with a difficult calculus.

India is the most important ally of the US that has remained equidistant from both sides in the Ukraine crisis. When some tried to nudge it to side with the West, Indias response was as assertive as it was firm in maintaining its position.

India matters. It is by far the most militarily powerful Western ally in Asia. It has a long border with China and a conflict with this rising superpower that is likely unresolvable in the medium term. These two factors give India a strategic importance in any US (or Western) calculus. So, it was not surprising that the US saw it as a valuable success when India joined the US-led Quad group along with Japan and Australia, which is effectively a budding alliance to encircle China.

India is also a colossal demographic power in Asia. This translates into a major market that all global companies eye with strong interest. But demography is much more than consumption. It is also social depth and solidity  things of serious importance when new technologies sponsored by extremely wealthy interests are diluting national identities.

To this should be added the fact that India has a highly successful diaspora that includes communities of serious influence in different regions of the world as well as the CEOs of around 20 of the most important global companies.

Not surprisingly, the West wants to draw India towards it. The question is at what cost.

India needs highly sophisticated Western arms to diversify away from its decades-long dependence on Russian weapons, particularly as it seeks to bolster its traditional (non-nuclear) capabilities, not really vis-a-vis Pakistan, but primarily relative to China.

However, this makes supplying India with advanced weapons a difficult decision for the West. India is not a country that is lagging behind and that could be pleased with massive shipments of arms that it lacks the capabilities to use to their true potential. With its serious technological base, India can optimise its acquisition of any advanced weapons. As such, any decision to supply India with advanced arms will be noted in China.

India also wants much better terms of trade with most large Western economies, which is another dilemma for the West. Several major Western companies operating in different sectors have learnt from long experience in India that the market there has its own peculiarities and that attempting to impose external rules on it is futile.

Based on these experiences and impelled by Indias size and weight, many Western countries have been tempted to give India special terms of trade. But such preferential treatment could well prompt other important countries to demand the same treatment, which when they do not receive it would create unnecessary complications for many Western countries as well as for the European Union.

Crucially, India wants respect and reciprocity. Like China, India feels that its experience over the past two centuries was far from what it deserves (or, as some would say, what it is entitled to).

The British Raj and its aftermath  the struggle for independence, the political divisions that took place in the Indian subcontinent in the mid-20th century, and the subsequent military confrontations that came as a result  and the economic difficulties that many in India believe are the consequences of unfair Western policies  all these things are viewed as episodes in a trajectory of historical decline. At the core of the ideology of the ruling Indian Bharatiya Janata Party is a determination that this decline must be reversed.

This means that the West must accept Indian values, views, and terms of trade as those of an equal, whether in politics or in trade. However, the West has not engaged with any civilisation in the past 300 years as an equal. India is not as assertive as China in demanding particular treatment. But it notes what is happening and subtly reciprocates.

Yet, as it notes how others treat it, India realises that these encounters present it with difficult choices.

India is almost compelled by its acute disagreements with China to be close to US-led efforts in Asia and the Pacific. But India does not aim to be, in former Singapore prime minister Lee Kwan Yews phrase, an honourary member of the West. Instead, India sees itself as a centre of gravity in its neighbourhood and a radiating civilisation whose glow both illuminates as well as draws in those around it.

The subtle rivalry that comes as a result is one of the reasons behind Indias conflict with China. It is also a brake in its getting too close to the West.

There is also a values issue. For the past 60 years since its independence, Indias politics  externally, but much more importantly, internally  have been anchored in an expansive conception of what India means. In this conception, India is an aggregation of the heritages of the different cultures that have existed on the Indian subcontinent over the past several hundred years. This is the tradition espoused by Gandhi and sustained by Indias first post-independence prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Arguably, it is the tradition that has enabled India to have a serious democratic system.

However, this tradition has been losing ground in India over the past two decades. The ruling Political Hinduism in the country today defines India narrowly, excluding from its rhetoric about national identity anything that it sees as diluting Hinduism. As a result, the more India embraces a narrowed scope of its history and identity, the more it will lose its attraction as a successful political entity anchored on genuine representation and respect for liberalism. Inevitably, this will break the sense of belonging to the camp of political liberalism that has connected India and the West over the past six decades.

The more a narrowly defined nationalism prevails in India, the more the country will lose its strongest political differentiation from China: its positioning as a colossal Asian society sustaining a true democracy. This will be a serious political loss for India. Indias struggle with Pakistan would also increasingly be portrayed as one between Hinduism and Islamism in this scenario, something which India has worked for decades to avoid.

A narrowly defined assertive nationalism would not only dilute the soft power attached to Indias politics, but it would also lessen the sense of continuity in Indias rich history. Modern India would thus become seemingly disconnected from the marvels of its ancient and highly advanced philosophy  arguably the most powerful association the collective global consciousness has when it thinks about India.

The Ukraine crisis has brought Indias dilemmas and dilemmas about India into the limelight. Whether they will be solved or exacerbated in the future will be of major importance to India and the rest of the world.

* The writer is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam (2017) and Egypt on the Brink (2010).

*A version of this article appears in print in the 12 May, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Rescuers on Tuesday found the bodies of 44 civilians under the rubble of a destroyed building in the eastern Ukrainian town of Izyum, now under Russian control, the regional governor said.

"The bodies of 44 civilians were found in Izyum under the rubble of a five-storey building which was destroyed by the occupiers in early March," Oleg Synegubov, governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, said on Telegram.

Although fighting continues in the area, local media quoted him as saying residents had made the discovery while clearing the rubble from an area "where there is no shelling".

Synegubov did not say who had removed the bodies nor how they had managed to do so given that the town fell to Russian troops on April 1 after several weeks of heavy fighting.

Much of the surrounding area is also under Russian control.

Separately, the regional prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into "the violation of the laws and customs of war" following the discovery, saying that 14 of the bodies had already been identified.

"According to the investigation, the Russian military systematically shelled Izyum between March 7-10. As a result, public infrastructure and residential buildings were destroyed," it said on Telegram.

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Cholera has killed one child and infected 30 people in South Sudan, the first resurgence of the illness in nearly five years, health officials said.

"The Ministry of Health would like to inform the public that the cholera outbreak has been declared in Rubkona county, Unity State," the ministry said in a statement.

"To date, a total of 31 cases including one death have been reported from Rubkona town and Bentiu IDP camp" and health officials are investigating whether there are any others, it said.

The fatality was a seven-year-old child who died on March 25. All others infected have been treated and released from hospital, it said.

The outbreak followed a steady rise in diarrhea cases in the affected areas, it said.

It marked the first cholera cases in the country since December 2017, which marked the end of an outbreak that began in June 2016 and killed 436 people.

Cholera is an acute form of diarrhea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration, but can kill within hours if left untreated.

It is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in early 2021 there were between 1.3 million and four million cases of cholera per year around the world, leading to between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths.

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The attack took place on Friday in Lamu County which lies close to the Somalia border.

Workers had been constructing a bridge on the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) when they came under attack.

"Four people were shot fatally," a police report seen by AFP said.

A motorcycle rider who was caught in the crossfire was also killed, the report said, adding that the anti-terror police unit was investigating the incident.

The attack was claimed by the Al-Shabaab Islamist militant group.

The Lamu region, which includes the popular tourist beach destination of Lamu Island, has suffered frequent attacks, often carried out with roadside bombs.

Al-Shabaab fighters have staged several raids inside Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011 as part of an African Union force to oust the jihadists.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi headed to Washington on Tuesday for talks with President Joe Biden dominated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Despite Italy's dependence on Russian gas and its traditionally friendly ties with Moscow, Draghi's government has been a staunch supporter of efforts to punish Russia for the war.

Along with Western allies, Rome has sent weapons to support Ukraine, although there is increasing unease about the move within Draghi's national unity government.

Draghi has also pledged support for any European Union sanctions on Russia's energy sector despite the risks -- 40 percent of Italy's natural gas imports currently coming from Russia.

The EU is currently debating a phased ban on Russian oil imports, although this move would not touch Moscow's huge gas exports.

Germany has ruled out an immediate embargo on all Russian energy, especially gas, although it aims to end Russian oil imports by the end of this year.

Contrary to expectations, "Italy is not opposing gas sanctions", noted Luigi Scazzieri, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.While some could accuse Italy of hiding behind Germany, Scazzieri highlighted that it was also "taking active steps" to diversify its supply, including a recent deal with Algeria.

The meeting at the White House comes ahead of crucial G7 and NATO summits in Europe next month. It is expected to cover help for Ukraine and measures against Moscow, as well as the global economy, Europe's energy security and climate change.

Draghi has particularly close ties with the US. He did his PhD at MIT and worked for both the World Bank and US investment bank Goldman Sachs. He was also president of the European Central Bank for eight years.

While in Washington, Draghi will receive an award from the Atlantic Council for distinguished international leadership.

It will be presented by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at a ceremony on Wednesday.

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The other prize awarded in breaking news photography went to Los Angeles Times correspondent and photographer Marcus Yam, for work related to the fall of Kabul.

Five Getty Images photographers were awarded one of the two prizes in breaking news photography for their coverage of the riot.

The "compellingly told and vividly presented account" gave the public "a thorough and unflinching understanding of one of the nation's darkest days," said Marjorie Miller, administrator of the prizes, in announcing the award.

The Post's extensive reporting, published in a sophisticated interactive series, found numerous problems and failures in political systems and security before, during and after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot in the newspaper's own backyard.

The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize in public service journalism Monday for its coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an attack on democracy that was a shocking start to a tumultuous year that also saw the end of the United States' longest war, in Afghanistan.

The U.S. pullout and resurrection of the Taliban's grip on Afghanistan permeated across categories, with The New York Times winning in the international reporting category for reporting challenging official accounts of civilian deaths from U.S. airstrikes in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pulitzer Prizes, administered by Columbia University and considered the most prestigious in American journalism, recognize work in 15 journalism categories and seven arts categories. This year's awards, which were livestreamed, honored work produced in 2021. The winner of the public service award receives a gold medal, while winners of each of the other categories get $15,000. The intersection of health, safety and infrastructure played a prominent role among the winning projects.

The Tampa Bay Times won the investigative reporting award for "Poisoned," its in-depth look into a polluting lead factory. The Miami Herald took the breaking news award for its work covering the deadly Surfside condo tower collapse, while The Better Government Association and the Chicago Tribune won the local reporting award for "Deadly Fires, Broken Promises," the watchdog and newspaper's examination of a lack of enforcement of fire safety standards.

"As a newsroom, we poured our hearts into the breaking news and the ongoing daily coverage, and subsequent investigative coverage, of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse story," The Miami Herald's executive editor, Monica Richardson, wrote in a statement. "It was our story to tell because the people and the families in Surfside who were impacted by this unthinkable tragedy are a part of our community."

Elsewhere in Florida, Tampa Bay Times editor and vice president Mark Katches mirrored that sentiment, calling his newspaper's win "a testament to the importance of a vital local newsroom like the Times."

The prize for explanatory reporting went to Quanta Magazine, with the board highlighting the work of Natalie Wolchover, for a longform piece about the James Webb space telescope, a $10 billion engineering effort to gain a better understanding about the origins of the universe.

The New York Times also won in the national reporting category, for a project looking at police traffic stops that ended in fatalities, and Salamishah Tillet, a contributing critic-at-large at the Times, won the criticism award.

A story that used graphics in comic form to tell the story of Zumrat Dawut, a Uyghur woman who said she was persecuted and detained by the Chinese government as part of systemic abuses against her community, brought the illustrated reporting and commentary prize to Fahmida Azim, Anthony Del Col, Josh Adams and Walt Hickey of Insider.

Jennifer Senior of The Atlantic won the award for feature writing, for a piece marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks through a family's grief.

Melinda Henneberger of The Kansas City Star won for commentary, for columns about a retired police detective accused of sexual abuse and those who said they were assaulted calling for justice. The editorial writing prize went to Lisa Falkenberg, Michael Lindenberger, Joe Holley and Luis Carrasco of the Houston Chronicle, for a piece that called for voting reforms and exposed voter suppression tactics. The staffs of Futuro Media and PRX took the audio reporting prize for the profile of a man who had been in prison for 30 years and was re-entering the outside world.

The prize for feature photography went to Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and Danish Siddiqui of Reuters for photos of the COVID-19 toll in India. Siddiqui, 38, who won a 2018 Pulitzer in the same category, was killed in Afghanistan in July while documenting fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban.

The Pulitzer Prizes also awarded a special citation to journalists of Ukraine, acknowledging their "courage, endurance and commitment" in covering the ongoing Russian invasion that began earlier this year. Last August, the Pulitzer board granted a special citation to Afghan journalists who risked their safety to help produce news stories and images from their own war-torn country.
Around 41,000 people assembled for President Yoon Seok-youl's inauguration ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday in front of the National Assembly. They included outgoing president Moon Jae-in, former first lady Kim Jung-sook and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan.

Yoon's presidential tenure already started when he was briefed about military readiness in Yongsan, Seoul at midnight on Tuesday.

In the morning he left his home in Seocho-dong with first lady Kim Keon-hee and stopped by the Seoul National Cemetery before heading to the National Assembly.

The couple then walked 180 m from the entrance to the stage and shook hands with citizens.

The only former president in attendance is Park Geun-hye, who was recently sprung from jail, but her predecessor Lee Myung-bak is still in prison for corruption. Lee's wife Kim Yun-ok, Chun Doo-hwan's widow Lee Soon-ja and Roh Tae-woo's oldest daughter Noh So-young are also attending, but Roh's widow is not because she is too frail.

In his inauguration speech, Yoon stressed "freedom" to rebuild the country. "It is our generation's calling to build a nation that espouses liberal democracy and ensures a thriving market economy, a nation that fulfills its responsibility as a trusted member of the international community, and a nation that truly belongs to the people," he said. "We, as global citizens, must take a stand against any attempt to take our freedom away, abuse human rights or destroy peace."
Overseas sales account for around 35 percent of Amore Pacific's total revenues, and China for 30 percent of that. But sales in North America have increased sharply.

Amore Pacific's first-quarter sales declined nine percent on-year to W1.26 trillion, while operating profit plunged 13.4 percent to W171.2 billion (US$1=W1,274). The main culprit was the Chinese consumer market being hit hard by lockdowns of tens of millions of people.

Korean cosmetic makers are turning increasingly to the U.S. after their vital Chinese market was devastated by zero-COVID policies, a patriotic consumption drive and a sharp drop in Chinese tourists in Korea.

Brands like Sulwhasoo and Laneige saw sales surge 63 percent mainly thanks to sales on Amazon. An Amore Pacific staffer said, "We will aggressively expand sales of high-end products to achieve double-digit growth in the U.S. and Canada."

LG Household and Health Care is also focusing on the U.S. market to reduce its dependency on China. In February it joined hands with Houston hair care company Farouk Systems to sell customized hair-dye and last month acquired The Creme Shop, a Los Angeles-based beauty brand, for $120 million.

LG Household is also developing a temporary-tattoo printer called Printly that will be introduced in North America later this year.

It already acquired U.S. beauty and care product maker New Avon in 2019 for $125 million and German brand Physiogel's Asian and North American business in 2020.

"We are pushing ahead with product development using artificial intelligence to target the North American market for young consumers, a staffer said.

Able C&C's cheap-and-cheerful brand Missha is also looking for markets other than China. Having suffered a serious decline in business, it reopened its U.S. subsidiary two years ago to become one of the most popular brands in the segment. Its sales on Amazon last year surged 115 percent from the previous year.

Market researcher Euromonitor estimates the scale of the U.S. cosmetics market at $92.6 billion this year, rising to $94.6 billion in 2024. An LG Household staffer said, "The U.S. accounts for around 25 percent of the global cosmetics market. Its main customers are in their teens and 20s, who are keen on catching up with the latest trends."
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KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 21:08 | World, All

Nearly 1,000 people on Tuesday protested against the landslide victory of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, in the country's presidential election held the previous day.

Monday's election drew "attention to the kind of politics that is so rotten, so backward, that it would allow heirs of a dictator (to get elected)," Renato Reyes of the left-leaning group Bayan (Nation) told Kyodo News after joining the pro-democracy protests in front of the office of the Commission on Elections.

Marcos Jr., the 64-year-old former senator, won 30.9 million votes in the race against opposition and democracy icon Vice President Leni Robredo, 57, who garnered 14.7 million votes with 97.8 percent of the ballots counted, according to election returns.

Reyes said they "denounce" Marcos Jr. as well as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for having "benefited from massive disinformation" on social media.

Political analysts often liken the campaign of Marcos Jr. to that of Duterte, who won the 2016 election aided by online trolls and bloggers. Duterte will exit the presidency on June 30 after completing the single six-year granted to presidents under the country's Constitution.

Sara Duterte-Carpio, Duterte's daughter and Marcos's running mate, won the vice presidency with 31.4 million votes.

The Congress is set to officially proclaim Marcos and Duterte-Carpio in late May as the winners of the presidential and vice presidential races.

Also on Tuesday, the Commission on Elections dismissed petitions to disqualify Marcos Jr. over his unpaid taxes when he served as governor of Ilocos Norte province after his family's return to the Philippines from a five-year exile.

Marcos, popularly known as "Bongbong," is being accused of spreading fake news to revise the history of his father's 21-year rule fraught with human rights violations and embezzlement of public funds.

In 1986, the pro-democracy "people power" revolution toppled the dictatorship of Marcos senior and sent his family into exile. He died in 1989, and the remaining members of his family were eventually allowed to return to the Philippines.

The Marcoses and the Dutertes formed an alliance, campaigning on a ticket to continue Duterte's policies, such as his "war on drugs," which has killed thousands of civilians, and maintaining friendly relations with China.

In an address short of an official victory speech hours after voting ended, Marcos Jr. thanked voters and asked them to keep their trust in him for a "bright future ahead."

Robredo, meanwhile, sought to reassure her dismayed supporters while taking note of reports of technical glitches and vote-buying incidents during the election.

"Although some votes have yet to be cast, although we still have questions that need to be addressed, the people have spoken, and it is becoming clearer and clearer," said the human rights lawyer.

She added, "In the name of the Philippines, which I know you deeply love, we have to listen to it because, in the end, we only have one and the same nation to share."

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sweeps election to become next Philippine leader
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 23:06 | World, All, Japan

South Korea's new President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he hopes to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an early date, showing his readiness to work toward thawing relations long strained by disagreements over wartime issues.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who met with Yoon in Seoul after he was sworn in, said they agreed to cooperate to that end by maintaining close communication.

Hayashi told reporters he also told Yoon the two countries must resolve "matters of concern," such as the wartime labor issue, to restore bilateral ties that plunged to their lowest point in decades during the previous administration of Moon Jae In.

Hayashi attended Yoon's inauguration ceremony as Kishida's special envoy and delivered a letter from the prime minister to the new leader during their meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes.

In the letter, shown to the press when Hayashi and Yoon posed for a photo, Kishida wrote that he "feels very reassured" that the new president is keen to improve Seoul's relations with Tokyo.

In a rare departure from diplomatic protocols, the contents of the personal letter were disclosed when it was handed to Yoon, perhaps due to prearranged coordination by officials to create a conciliatory mood.

"Japan and South Korea are important neighboring nations for each other," the letter also said, with Kishida expressing expectations for Yoon's "leadership" to help them "remove obstacles."

Due to issues mainly related to Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese and South Korean top leaders have not held an in-person, sit-down meeting since December 2019.

Hayashi arrived in South Korea on Monday as the first Japanese foreign minister to visit the neighboring country since June 2018.

Before winning the country's presidential election in March, Yoon said he would visit Japan second after the United States if he became the country's leader.

Yoon had also said he would resume Tokyo's so-called shuttle diplomacy with leaders making reciprocal visits -- a practice stalled since 2011.

Still, whether Hayashi's visit will pave the way for a summit meeting between Kishida and Yoon in the near future remains unclear, as Japan has maintained that the ball is in South Korea's court, and Seoul should take action to repair their frayed ties.

Tokyo has kept its stance that wartime issues have been resolved and that South Korea should follow through on agreements, including a 1965 pact signed with the treaty normalizing their diplomatic ties and a 2015 deal to settle the issue of "comfort women" procured for Japan's wartime military brothels.

Hayashi said he and Yoon agreed that the two countries' trilateral security cooperation with the United States is essential for regional stability and their response to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

Yoon, the main conservative opposition candidate, won the presidential election by a razor-thin margin. During campaigning, he called for a "future-oriented" approach to relations with Japan.

In addition to wartime issues, the two countries are at odds over islets in the Sea of Japan controlled by Seoul and claimed by Tokyo, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.

On Monday, Hayashi met with his incoming South Korean counterpart Park Jin and agreed the two countries will discuss issues of concern "in a timely manner so that they are resolved as early as possible," according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting with Yoon, Hayashi said he hopes to meet Park again sometime soon in Japan to continue their discussions.

Related coverage:

New South Korea pres. Yoon offers to help denuclearized North's economy

Japan's foreign minister, next South Korean counterpart vow to mend ties
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 17:37 | All, World, Japan

Japan's trade minister said Tuesday it would be difficult for the Group of Seven nations to ban Russian liquefied natural gas imports unless alternative suppliers can be found.

The G-7 nations including Japan have decided to ban or phase out coal and oil imports from Russia as part of sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Speculation is now swirling that LNG will be the next energy source added to the list.

Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda mentioned the difficulties in finding the alternative supply at a press conference and said, "If all parties (of the G-7) take simultaneous action (to ban Russian LNG imports) without securing alternative sources, the world economy, including the energy (sector), will be thrown into chaos."

But Hagiuda added he does not rule out the possibility of LNG joining the sanction list in the future, while being mindful of Europe's dependency on Russian LNG.

The United States banned imports of Russian oil, LNG and coal in March.

In 2021, Russian exports made up more than 40 percent of the LNG consumed in the European Union, according to the European Commission. In the same year, resource-poor Japan imported 8.8 percent of its total LNG imports from Russia, according to Japan External Trade Organization data.

As for oil, Hagiuda pointed out that it might be possible to temporarily cover shortages by increasing production in the Middle East or elsewhere.

The minister also said he hopes the United States increases oil and gas production and becomes a major supplier of the resources, replacing Russia.

The Japanese government will back LNG projects in the United States by providing financial support to Japanese firms that take part in the projects, he added.

Earlier this month, Hagiuda visited Washington and held talks with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, with the two agreeing on the importance of "free and open" global commerce of oil and natural gas from a short-term perspective and transition to renewable energy and nuclear power.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet approved expanded sanctions against Russia, a measure which the premier vowed to take in coordination with other members of the G-7 during his visit to London last week.

Under the measure, the assets of 141 additional individuals, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and politicians from the Russia-backed, self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics, will be frozen, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The expanded sanctions also included an export ban to 71 more Russian military entities while also stopping the transfer of items featuring advanced technologies to Russia, the ministry said.

The G-7 consists of Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union.
By Kim Dahee, KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 23:43 | World, All

Yoon Suk Yeol was sworn in as South Korea's first conservative president in five years on Tuesday and offered to help North Korea with an "audacious" economic plan if it denuclearizes, as concerns mount over Pyongyang's increasing missile activities.

"If North Korea genuinely embarks on a process to complete denuclearization, we are prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that will vastly strengthen North Korea's economy and improve the lives of its people," Yoon said in his inaugural address.

In the 16-minute speech delivered in the National Assembly compound after taking the oath of office, Yoon also emphasized dialogue with North Korea to peacefully resolve "threats" posed by it.

"While North Korea's nuclear weapon programs are a threat not only to our security and that of Northeast Asia, the door to dialogue will remain open so that we can peacefully resolve this threat," he said.

Underscoring the importance of freedom and sustainable peace, Yoon said denuclearization would contribute to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

Tensions in the region have sharply grown in the wake of several rounds of ballistic missile tests conducted by North Korea over the past months, and concerns are growing that Pyongyang may carry out a nuclear test.

Under Yoon, who has favored stronger ties with the United States and taken a hard-line stance toward North Korea, Seoul's policy toward Pyongyang is expected to make a sharp turn from rapprochement to one based on pressure. During his first speech as president, however, he avoided using tough language against the North.

The speech also made no mention of Japan-South Korea ties, which worsened under the government of his predecessor, Moon Jae In, due largely to issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, including wartime labor.

Yoon, 61, was the nation's top prosecutor before quitting in March 2021 after a bitter clash with Moon's progressive government over its prosecutorial reform drive, which he opposed.

Yoon subsequently turned his sights on the presidency and, as the main opposition party nominee, he went on to beat a rival candidate from Moon's party in the March election by a narrow margin.

Among the foreign guests who attended Tuesday's outdoor ceremony were U.S. second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

From China, Vice President Wang Qishan attended as President Xi Jinping's "special representative." Wang became one of the highest-ranking Chinese officials ever to attend a South Korean presidential inauguration.

After the ceremony, Yoon met with the foreign dignitaries starting with Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

During his talks with the U.S. representative, Yoon reaffirmed South Korea's alliance with the United States at a time of heightened tensions on the divided peninsula.

The new president is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden when the U.S. leader visits South Korea from May 20 before traveling to Japan.

Yoon, who faces the task of rebuilding his country's ties with Japan, also held a meeting with Hayashi, who brought with him a personal letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The South Korean leader told Hayashi that he hopes to meet with Kishida at an early date, showing his readiness to work toward thawing the relations.

Speaking to reporters, Hayashi said he told Yoon the two countries must resolve "matters of concern," such as the wartime labor issue. In his letter to Yoon, Kishida expressed expectations for his counterpart's "leadership" in helping them "remove obstacles."

The top leaders of the two countries have not held an in-person, sit-down meeting since December 2019.

Seoul had hoped Kishida would attend Yoon's inaugural ceremony, but Tokyo decided that he could not go without any guarantee of making progress on outstanding disputes, according to Japanese government sources.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also attended the ceremony.

Domestically, Yoon will be presiding over a nation in the midst of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and under strain because of economic disparities and skyrocketing housing prices, particularly in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Yoon's government is believed to face difficulties legislating policies in the National Assembly as his party finds itself in the minority. One of its immediate challenges will be winning local elections and parliamentary by-elections in June.

For the post of prime minister, Yoon has picked Han Duck Soo, who has previously served as premier under both conservative and progressive administrations. But with no firm prospect of swift parliamentary consent, concerns have grown over a possible delay in launching a Cabinet.

As the main opposition People Power Party candidate, Yoon secured a narrow win in the March 9 election against the ruling Democratic Party's Lee Jae Myung.

Yoon has since pushed plans to relocate the presidential office from the Blue House to the Defense Ministry compound to be away from the "symbol of imperial power" and closer to the public.

He was expected to work from the new location from Tuesday, and the sprawling hillside complex that previous presidents had used as their office, known locally as Cheong Wa Dae, was opened to the public from noon as promised.

South Koreans have mixed views toward the new administration, with some expressing concerns about Yoon's relatively little political experience.

Others eager to see a government largely different from previous ones seem to be taking heart in that very element.

"Yoon has the shortest political experience compared with previous presidents...but that could actually enable him to make bold decisions to lead South Korea in an unconventional way," said Chung Tae Min, a 36-year-old man.

Hong Geun Young, a 29-year-old resident of Gyeonggi Province just outside Seoul, said he really hopes Yoon keeps his promises, such as raising soldiers' salaries.

All able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the military for a few years. Amid criticism that conscripts are woefully underpaid, Yoon promised to boost their pay, but questions linger over the practicality of the costly proposal.

Many South Koreans have also voiced concern over Yoon's perceived lack of attention to women and gender equality, given his divisive comments during his campaign, including his promise to abolish the Gender Equality and Family Ministry.

The promise was seen as an effort to curry favor with young male voters who are discontent with the country's male-only conscription and see efforts to end discriminatory practices against women as "reverse discrimination" toward men.

Yoon has since decided to keep the ministry for the time being, but his speech Tuesday did not seem to inspire confidence among many women.

"I'm deeply worried because his inaugural speech did not touch at all on policies for the socially weak and females," a 29-year-old Seoul resident said, adding she is also concerned about the ministry's fate.

In South Korea, a president serves a single five-year term.

Related coverage:

Japan's foreign minister, next South Korean counterpart vow to mend ties

South Korea to allow taking masks off outside from May 2

PM Kishida, Yoon's delegation agree to seek better Japan-S. Korea ties
KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2022 - 00:18 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will suspend operations on 14 lines at eight factories in Japan for up to six days this month as it is difficult to procure parts due to the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai.

With the plan, Toyota said its global production for May will be reduced to about 700,000 vehicles from its previous target of 750,000.

The plants, including Motomachi and Miyata in Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures, respectively, will be halted between May 16 and May 21, the automaker said, adding that it would result in a production cut of roughly 30,000 units.

The partial suspension will increase the number of Toyota factories in Japan affected to 12. The company, which runs a total of 14 factories in Japan, already said last month it would halt some operations on 10 lines at nine plants in May due to a shortage of semiconductors.

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By Miya Tanaka, KYODO NEWS - May 11, 2022 - 07:25 | All, World, Japan

U.S. President Joe Biden will embark later in May on his first trip to Asia since taking office, a sign that Washington is not taking its eyes off China's assertiveness in the region even in the midst of Russia's war in Ukraine.

With the Ukraine crisis bringing renewed attention to Taiwan, another democracy living in the shadow of a powerful authoritarian neighbor, Biden, while in Japan, is expected to showcase the robustness of the bilateral alliance as it is a key part of efforts to deter Beijing's potential aggression over Taiwan and its vicinity.

"The Biden administration, rightly so, has been spending lots of time on Ukraine and Europe. So I think the administration really wants to show Asian people...and of course indirectly to China...that Ukraine is important but at the same time Asia is important," said Satohiro Akimoto, an expert on Japan issues who leads the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA.

During his five-day trip from May 20, which will also take him to South Korea, Biden will meet with the leaders of the two Asian allies and attend a summit of the "Quad" group of Indo-Pacific democracies -- the United States, Japan, Australia and India -- to push for a "free and open Indo-Pacific."

For Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the scheduled meeting with Biden on May 23 will be their first in-person official bilateral talks in their respective capacities. Biden took office in January last year, and Kishida in October.

The two are likely to agree to continue moving in lockstep in dealing with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, highlighting their resolve not to tolerate attempts to change the status quo by force in any part of the world, said Yuki Tatsumi, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank.

"And that would also send a message to China," the expert on East Asian issues added.

Japan has been hardening its stance toward China as Beijing has stepped up its territorial claims in neighboring waters and pressured Taiwan. China views the self-ruled democratic island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

A Taiwan contingency is a particular concern for Japan as the country could quickly be drawn into a conflict, given the close proximity of its islands in the southwest -- including the Senkakus, a group of East China Sea islets controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.

Japan also hosts some 54,000 U.S. troops, many of them located in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, which would likely be involved should the United States decide to execute military operations for the defense of Taiwan.

The Ukraine crisis, coupled with China's accelerating nuclear buildup and North Korea's repeated missile tests, has generated a fresh drive in Tokyo toward strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance, including by drastically reinforcing its own defense capabilities.

But moves to enhance deterrence through new capabilities or policies could still face hurdles in Japan, a country whose use of force is constrained by a war-renouncing Constitution.

Tatsumi expressed uneasiness over recent "sensational" ideas -- such as whether to acquire enemy base strike capability or seek a NATO-like nuclear-sharing arrangement with the United States -- becoming buzzwords in Japan without in-depth discussions over the armaments, costs or procedures to realize them.

Citing the nonnuclear principles Japan upholds as the only country in the world to have been attacked with atomic bombs, Kishida has already rejected the idea of hosting U.S. nuclear weapons on the country's soil, like some nonnuclear members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization do, a move some experts say could increase the reliability of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

Otherwise, the Japanese government has vowed to put all options on the table as it considers ways to strengthen its defense capabilities, including the ability to conduct missile strikes on enemy territory.

For decades, Japan has maintained that hitting foreign bases to counter an imminent attack by missiles or other threats would be permitted under the Constitution as long as it could be considered a self-defense measure. But so far, Japan has opted not to possess such a capability.

"I think the United States would be currently open-armed about the enemy base attack capability as part of the alliance's deterrence against China," Tatsumi said, but added that Japan should coordinate closely with the United States before making a decision on the issue, including over Tokyo's role in strike missions and whether they would be combined operations or conducted alone.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains an influential politician, has been doubling down on his assertion that the United States should make clear it will defend Taiwan against any attempted Chinese invasion, calling for an end to Washington's longstanding "strategic ambiguity" policy.

The policy is intended not only to deter China from using force against Taiwan but also to dissuade Taiwan from seeking independence, as neither Beijing nor Taipei can feel certain about U.S. intervention to defend the island should a conflict arise, experts say.

Abe said in an opinion piece for the media organization Project Syndicate in April that the policy worked "extremely well as long as the United States was strong enough to maintain it, and as long as China was far inferior to the United States in military power."

But he said "those days are over" and such a U.S. policy on Taiwan is "now fostering instability in the Indo-Pacific region, by encouraging China to underestimate U.S. resolve, while making the government in Taipei unnecessarily anxious."

Tatsumi suggested that Japan may do well to address its own ambiguity regarding its level of involvement over a Taiwan attack if it wants to ask for a change in U.S. policy.

Various contingency scenarios can be explored, with experts pointing to the possibility of U.S. bases in Japan coming under preemptive attack by China to delay American military intervention to defend Taiwan, or a simultaneous invasion of the Senkaku Islands, which are just 170 kilometers away from Taiwan.

Akimoto said Japan and the United States should consider ways to deter China from taking assertive actions in a "holistic way" by looking into areas of military and economic security, such as supply chain resilience, cyber, technology and intelligence.

"The United States certainly doesn't want to drastically change the status quo in Asia," he said, calling it "very important" to move in gradual steps. But whether the two countries can come up with steps that are fast and effective enough to counter China will be "a challenge to both leaders," he added.

Related coverage:

U.S. Indo-Pacific economic initiative launch eyed in May: Japan envoy

Biden to vow "ironclad" nuclear deterrence in Asia trip: White House

Biden to visit South Korea, Japan May 20-24 to advance free Indo-Pacific
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 10:35 | All, World

The U.S. government aims to launch its Indo-Pacific economic engagement initiative around the time of President Joe Biden's visit to Japan later in May, Japanese envoy to the United States Koji Tomita said Monday, noting the two countries want to take the lead in driving economic development in the region.

"I'm expecting the visit will...coincide with the formal launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework initiative," Tomita said during an online think-tank event also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

Tomita also said the initiative will be "very important" for the creation of a "free and open" region, where China is seen to be making efforts to ramp up its economic influence through various measures including trade policy.

Proposed in the fall, the Biden administration vowed to launch the program during the early part of this year. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which it defines as a "new partnership," will promote high-standard trade, govern the digital economy, improve supply-chain resiliency and catalyze investment in infrastructure, among other issues.

It is widely seen as a fresh U.S. economic commitment to the region, after Biden's predecessor Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a major Pacific free trade deal, then known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, in 2017.

Biden administration officials have acknowledged the framework will not be a traditional free trade agreement that involves negotiations to cut tariffs, which has caused concern that it may not be attractive to economies in the region.

The U.S. withdrawal from the TPP was a setback for the trade deal, which was later signed by Japan and the other 10 remaining members as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Tomita said, but he added, the CPTPP is not "the single way to reassert the U.S. leadership" in the region.

The ambassador, speaking at the event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned China is "very aggressively seeking to fill this void" created by the lack of U.S. economic presence, such as by applying to join the CPTPP.

"We are concerned (about China's move)...so we very much welcome the formal launching of the IPEF," he added, referring to the acronym of the proposed economic initiative.

He also indicated Japan is highly involved in preparations for the launch, saying, "We are now trying to flesh out the ideas to be contained in this initiative."

While detail remains thin, Tomita said the IPEF needs to attract the participation of regional partners by offering "tangible benefits" while striking the "right balance" between inclusiveness and the facilitation of high-standard trade.

The Biden administration has been discussing the development of the IPEF with countries including Australia, India, Indonesia and Singapore. An administration official, meanwhile, said in February that there was "no intention" to engage China on the IPEF.

Biden is set to make a five-day visit to South Korea and Japan from May 20, in what would be his first trip to Asia since taking office in January last year.

During his time in Japan, he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and attend the summit of the "Quad" that also involves Australia and India -- a group of four major Indo-Pacific democracies that is stepping up cooperation in various areas such as coronavirus pandemic response as well as supply chain and infrastructure investment.

Tomita said Biden's visit will "establish in very strong terms that Japan and the United States jointly are ready to play a leadership role in the economic and social development of the broader Indo-Pacific region."

Related coverage:

Biden to vow "ironclad" nuclear deterrence in Asia trip: White House

Japan, U.S. to deepen ties to deter status quo change in Indo-Pacific

Biden to visit South Korea, Japan May 20-24 to advance free Indo-Pacific
KYODO NEWS - May 10, 2022 - 21:23 | All, Japan

The Tokyo metropolitan government said it plans to introduce a system that recognizes partnerships involving sexual minorities from November as it unveiled Tuesday a new draft version of the scheme.

In order to enact the policy in November, a draft amendment to the existing ordinance on human rights that includes references to the partnership system will be submitted to the Tokyo metropolitan assembly in June, officials said.

Japan does not legally recognize marriage between members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, but many prefectural and local governments issue legally nonbinding certifications recognizing sexual minority couples.

Tokyo will be the ninth among Japan's 47 prefectures to introduce some form of partnership system following Aomori, Akita, Ibaraki, Gunma, Mie, Osaka, Fukuoka and Saga.

In the draft, an updated version of one released in February, eligibility has been expanded to couples if at least one of them plans to move to the capital within three months, the officials said.

The system will not be limited by nationality, meaning non-Japanese nationals who meet the requirements will also be eligible.

To apply for the so-called "Tokyo Partnership Oath System," at least one partner needs to be a sexual minority and reside or work in Tokyo. Both of the couple should be legal adults, they said.

The metropolitan government is considering allowing same-sex couples to apply for municipal housing and give consent at a medical institution for surgery to be performed on their partner, for example, according to the officials.

People will be able to apply for and receive their partnership certificates entirely online to protect their privacy, with certifications to be issued within 10 days, in principle, after applications have been submitted.

Applicants with children will also have the option to include their children's names on the certificates, they said.

The Tokyo metropolitan government said it received around 8,300 comments as it solicited public opinion on the system for about two months through April. Some people expressed appreciation for the scheme, saying they feel that their "existence (as a sexual minority) is being recognized by society."
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 2, 2020 shows an asphalt mixing station at the construction site of the first expressway in Cambodia in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia. (Photo by Li Zhen/Xinhua)

"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," said Vasim Sorya, undersecretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. "This initiative, in my view, is importantly contributing to building a community of shared future for mankind."

PHNOM PENH, May 8 (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.

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 15, 2020 shows a concrete mixing plant at the construction site of the first expressway in Cambodia in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia. (Photo by Li Zhen/Xinhua)

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.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 20, 2019 shows a view of the Lower Sesan II hydroelectric power station at Sesan District of Stung Treng Province, Cambodia. (Photo by Chen Gang/Xinhua)

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.

People walk by a China-funded power transmission system in southern Kandal province, Cambodia, April 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

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. 
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (1st R) and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (EC), attend a working dinner at Orban's residence in Budapest, Hungary on May 9, 2022. (Vivien Cher Benko/Hungary's Prime Minister's office/Handout via Xinhua)

BUDAPEST, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (EC) here on Monday, reaching no agreement yet over the proposed Russian oil embargo.

"This evening's discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security," von der Leyen tweeted following the 90-minute-long working dinner at Orban's residence in the Castle District of the Hungarian capital.

"We made progress, but further work is needed. I will convene a VC (video conference) with regional players to strengthen regional cooperation on oil infrastructure," she added.

An unnamed European Union (EU) source said on Monday that the EC was considering offering funds to landlocked Eastern EU states such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to modernize their oil infrastructure in order to persuade them to accept the Russian oil embargo.

In its sixth sanction package aimed against Moscow, the EU plans to phase out Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year, according to von der Leyen.

But Hungary and other Eastern European countries, whose economies are largely reliant on Russian oil, are not ready yet to accept the sixth sanction package in its current form.

"Discussions with the EC president Ursula von der Leyen ended, the topic was of course the next round of sanctions in Brussels and its impact on Hungary and the Hungarian economy," said Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who also took part at the meeting.

"This round of sanctions in Brussels would cause enormous problems for Hungary if it came into force, because Hungary's energy supply is secure now, but the adoption of this sanctions package would compromise our energy security, because it would be impossible for us to obtain enough oil," Szijjarto said in a video message posted on his Facebook page.

"As long as the EC does not offer a solution to these problems, of course Hungary cannot support this series of sanctions," he said. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China will further expand the industry catalog of sectors encouraging foreign investment, authorities said.

The new list will add 238 more items, while up to 114 existing ones will be modified with expansion, said a notice issued by China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The increase is particularly relevant to items related to manufacturing, producer services, and those in the central and western regions, said the notice.

The sub-catalog of competitive industries in the central and western areas encouraging foreign investment will introduce 188 new items, having modified 52.

New items added to the national-level sub-catalog will include components and parts and equipment manufacturing in the manufacturing sector. It will also add professional design, technical services, and development in the producer services sector.

Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 25.6 percent year on year to 379.87 billion yuan in the first quarter of the year, the MOC said. 
People visit an exhibition during Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains.



CAPE TOWN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Major mining countries in Africa on Monday highlighted the great potential and prospects in Africa's mining sector in "green metals" and other minerals while expecting investment in the sector to bring more benefits to the local community through building on value chains.

Investing in African Mining Indaba, which was said to be the largest African mining investment event, kicked off on Monday in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, attracting thousands of attendees from governments, mining groups and relevant players.

As the Just Transition to a low-carbon future will drive the demand for green metal resources, Africa has such abundant and untapped resources, like lithium, copper, cobalt, nickel, and zinc, South African Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources Gwede Mantashe told the delegates.

South Africa accounts for the largest percentage of the world's Platinum Group Metals reserves, which are used to manufacture electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, with Zimbabwe ranked third.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, meanwhile, are among the largest producers of copper and cobalt in the world. The DRC accounts for about 70 percent of global cobalt output and half of the world's reserves.

These "minerals of the future" hold great potential for the continent, he said.

Mining has the potential to be a greater contributor to the economy, and the country welcomes active and pragmatic collaboration with mining industry players, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema addresses Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

According to him, Zambia is committed to building a resilient and sustainable mining industry anchored on environmental, social, and governance standards, and best practices.

Zambia is a key player in the global copper mining industry and is home to vast reserves of copper and cobalt.

As copper is critical in the green energy transition with an ever-increasing demand for it, Zambia is determined to respond to the high demand for copper and has a goal to take its annual production levels from the current 830,000 to 3 million metric tons in the next ten years, Hichilema said, adding that the country is also determined to increase production of cobalt and nickel, also key to the green energy transition.

Zambia is also promoting exploration and exploitation of tin, lithium, graphite, and rare earth minerals, among others, to contribute to the successful energy transition, he said.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, a leading diamond mining country, said mining remains the most important sector of Botswana's economy and implored investors to "seriously consider coming to Botswana to carry out exploration and mining projects," as his government is completing a project that will bring coverage of geological mapping for exploration to 90 percent nationwide.

Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi addresses Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

With signs of improvement in the market and economic activity, Botswana's enough skilled mining personnel, organized and regulated labor movement, the overall progressive nature of Botswana's mineral policy and laws together with its investment climate makes Botswana competitive for mining investment, said Masisi.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is also expected to attend the conference on Tuesday to elaborate on South Africa's work to ensure that mining remains a "sunrise industry."

STRONG CALL FOR COMMUNITY BENEFITS

While alluring investors, Zambian head of state Hichilema made a strong call that mining in Africa should benefit more people through building the value chain, instead of focusing on producing raw materials only.

He said mining in Africa should not only stay on potential. "We want to realize that potential to drive development to alleviate the poverty amongst our people," he added.

Deliberate efforts are needed between African leaders and partners to ensure sustainable development and management of mineral resources, said Hichilema.

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef (C) visits an exhibition during Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

Development of supporting infrastructure is also critical, and Africa has immense potential in the artisanal and small-scale sub-sector, which is important for local people to involve in the mining sector, according to him.

The governments of Zambia and DRC last month signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the development of value chains in the electric battery and clean energy sector.

"Together we will ... establish our nations as leading players in the era of electric vehicles and other green innovations," said Hichilema.

Mantashe also said Africa's resource endowment "must be translated into a competitive advantage for value-added manufacturing that can contribute to job creation, investment, and export growth."

He expected delegates to discuss mineral beneficiation during the meeting for the benefit of the current and future generations.

"Beneficiation will mean we are fully taking ownership of the value chain of our minerals across the spheres of upstream, midstream, and downstream mining economic activities instead of exporting these to other countries," he said.

In Botswana, what has over the years been "a thorn in the flesh" is the slow uptake of mineral beneficiation industries to diversify the economy, and this is an investment growth potential for the mining sector, said Masisi. 
This simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station, which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year.

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasted off at 1:56 a.m. Beijing Time from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-4 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. At 2:23 a.m., the solar panels of the cargo craft unfolded and began working.

At 8:54 a.m., Tianzhou-4 completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking at the rear docking port of the Tianhe core module.

On April 20, the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft separated from the rear docking port of Tianhe and docked with its front docking port.

Following Tianzhou-4's docking, the two cargo crafts are docked at the two ends of the Tianhe core module to form a linear shape, waiting for the arrival of the Shenzhou-14 crew members.

Measuring 10.6 meters in length and with a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, the Tianzhou-4 cargo ship carries around 6 tonnes of goods and materials and 750 kg of propellant for the space station complex.

Like previous cargo flights, Tianzhou-4 mainly carries three categories of supplies, including six-month living supplies for the Shenzhou-14 mission's three astronauts, spare parts for space station maintenance, and space research equipment and sample materials, said Bai Mingsheng, chief designer of Tianzhou cargo craft from the China Academy of Space Technology.

He said Tianzhou-4's carrying capacity of dry cargo increased by 300 kg than the previous cargo ships. Meanwhile, based on the astronauts' in-orbit living and working experience, the team made some tweaks to the cargo storage, providing more convenience for the astronauts in detail.

For instance, different supplies have colored tags, such as green for food, so astronauts can quickly identify the parcels.

Bai said equipment for three research projects also arrived at the space station with Tianzhou-4 and they were selected from across China.

China plans to complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by the end of 2022, and a total of six missions are planned for this year.

Following the launch of Tianzhou-4, the Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft will arrive in June, the lab module Wentian in July, the lab module Mengtian in October, and then the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship later this year.

The two lab modules and the core module will form a T shape to complete the in-orbit construction of China's space station.

Tuesday's launch is the 22nd mission of China's manned space programs and the 420th mission of the Long March rocket series. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Katalin Novak on her taking office as the Hungarian president.

The development of China-Hungary relations, Xi said, has maintained at a high level in recent years, marked by frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful cooperation in various fields and sound cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations, adding that he is ready to work with Novak to deepen political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two countries. 
VIENNA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and two seriously injured after a train derailed outside Vienna early Monday evening, local media reported.

Eleven people were slightly injured in the accident, which happened around 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) near the town of Muenchendorf, located south of the Austrian capital, according to Austrian news agency APA.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, and rescue efforts are still underway, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Katalin Novak on her taking office as the Hungarian president.

The development of China-Hungary relations, Xi said, has maintained at a high level in recent years, marked by frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful cooperation in various fields and sound cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations, adding that he is ready to work with Novak to deepen political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two countries.

Xi also called for joint efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two countries both at the bilateral level and within the Belt and Road cooperation, the China-Central and Eastern European countries cooperation and other frameworks, and to promote the China-Hungary comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level so as to benefit the two countries and their peoples. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone on Tuesday afternoon.

Xi noted his close contact with Macron over the past five years, which has helped guide the two countries in sustaining the positive momentum of bilateral ties, conducting fruitful cooperation, and fulfilling the responsibilities of major countries on climate change, biodiversity conservation and other issues.

In a world undergoing changes unseen in a century, China and France, two permanent members on the United Nations Security Council and independent major countries, should uphold "independence, mutual understanding, strategic vision and win-win cooperation," a commitment the two sides made when establishing diplomatic relations, stick to their close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in the bilateral, China-Europe and global contexts, he said.

Xi added that China will keep close exchanges with France at all levels to promote the healthy growth of China-France relations and maintain world peace and stability.

Xi stressed the need to identify, through bilateral dialogue mechanisms, cooperation priorities in the coming five years. He called on the two sides to step up cooperation in emerging areas including artificial intelligence and clean energy, while advancing cooperation in traditional areas like civilian nuclear energy, and aerospace.

The Chinese president said China is ready to import more quality products from France, welcomes French financial and hi-tech companies to China for business cooperation, and hopes that the French side will provide a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises that conduct investment and cooperation in France.

Xi said that it is important that China and France make good use of big occasions like the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations and the Paris Olympics, both to take place in 2024, as important opportunities to further increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges and enhance mutual understanding.

He added that the two sides should follow true multilateralism, uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, support multi-polarity and economic globalization, and deepen cooperation on climate change and biodiversity.

Xi stressed that the two sides need to increase communication and coordination at the Group of 20 and on global food and energy security, expand trilateral cooperation in Africa and other regions, and explore cooperation on the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. 
Afghan school children receive backpacks provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 9, 2022. A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony held in the Afghan capital Kabul, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese embassy in Afghanistan Hu Guo'ai said China and Afghanistan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, with exchanges between the two countries dating back to more than 1,000 years ago. The Chinese government has been highly concerned about the Afghan people who are suffering from a humanitarian crisis, and has continuously provided them with humanitarian assistance such as food, clothing, vaccines, tents and medicines.

China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund provided funds for buying emergency relief supplies and supporting local education for vulnerable groups in Afghanistan. The batch of supplies purchased and distributed by the UNHCR includes kitchenware, blankets and gas tanks, the counselor said.

All the supplies have been distributed all over Afghanistan, Hu said, adding the needy Afghans will get relief with the supplies.

Kari, the representative of the recipient party and head of the Kabul Education Department, expressed his sincere gratitude to China for its long-term assistance to Afghanistan.

Kari noted that China's assistance has greatly improved the learning conditions of Afghan students and will inspire them to study with more enthusiasm.

Some 19.7 million Afghans were facing acute hunger, according to an analysis conducted in January and February by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and many non-governmental organizations.

The FAO and the WFP said on Tuesday that they have provided humanitarian assistance to millions of people in Afghanistan, and are scaling up their programs to assist and support needy families. 

Afghan school children receive backpacks provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 9, 2022. A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan school children receive backpacks provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 9, 2022. A batch of humanitarian supplies, provided by China's South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in cooperation with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been distributed in Afghanistan on Monday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2022. China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year.

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasted off at 1:56 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-4 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. At 2:23 a.m., the solar panels of the cargo craft unfolded and began working.

The CMSA declared the launch a complete success.

Like previous cargo flights, Tianzhou-4 carries three categories of supplies, including six-month living supplies for the Shenzhou-14 mission's three astronauts, spare parts for space station maintenance, and space research equipment.

Tianzhou-4 will dock with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and Tianzhou-3 cargo craft later, the CMSA said.

On April 20, Tianzhou-3 separated from the rear docking port of Tianhe and docked with its front docking port.

Tuesday's launch is the 22nd mission of China's manned space programs and the 420th mission of the Long March rocket series. 

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2022. China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2022. China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2022. China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, May 10, 2022. China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)
Cargos containing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines are seen upon arrival in Manila, the Philippines, Aug. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Against the headwinds of rising global challenges, it is more important than ever for China and the Philippines to consolidate their friendship and cooperation, properly manage their differences, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

by Xinhua writer Yan Jie

MANILA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s landslide victory in Monday's Philippine presidential election is expected to ensure the continuity of an independent Philippine foreign policy conducive to the Philippines-China good-neighborly friendship and cooperation.

Last year, the former senator told local media that the Philippines and China are neighbors and consolidating the good-neighborly friendship between the two countries is for the people's benefit. He pledged to strengthen bilateral relations and promote cooperation in economy and trade, education, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

China and the Philippines enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges. In recent years, the two countries have established a comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship, deepened the synergy between the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the plan of "Build, Build, Build," and jointly promoted cooperation in major programs, with bilateral trade flourishing.

China's Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian (3rd L) and Carlito Galvez (3rd R), the chief implementer of Philippine government's measures to combat COVID-19, are seen with officials from the Philippine government in front of cargos containing Sinovac vaccines in Pasay City, the Philippines, Oct. 24, 2021. (Rouelle Umali/Xinhua)

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and the Philippines have stood by each other to keep their citizens safe and healthy.

The two sides' proper handling of the South China Sea issue has laid an important foundation for the China-Philippines friendly cooperation, benefited the two peoples and also effectively safeguarded regional peace and stability.

Against the headwinds of rising global challenges, it is more important than ever for China and the Philippines to consolidate their friendship and cooperation, properly manage their differences, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

Looking into the future, there will be greater scope for China and the Philippines to deepen their win-win cooperation in such fields as anti-pandemic, economy and trade, infrastructure, tourism, education and public health.

China, as outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte has said, is a true and reliable friend of the Philippine people. Indeed, building a closer China-Philippines partnership is in the interests of both sides.

Marcos is scheduled to begin his term on June 30. It is a shared hope that China-Philippines relations will become stronger and their cooperation more fruitful. 
LHASA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have found a 76.8-meter tree in Medog County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, the tallest ever registered in the Chinese mainland, local authorities said Monday.

The tree, belonging to Pinus bhutanica, or Bhutan white pine, was measured by a research team led by Peking University in April. The final measurement beats the previous height record of 72 meters.

Photo taken on April 30, 2022 shows a 76.8-meter Bhutan white pine in Gelin Village of Medog, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

The team used laser radar, which can obtain a 3D point cloud model of the tree directly, rapidly and accurately, said Guo Qinghua, a professor at Peking University, adding that it is the most advanced method for measuring the height of trees.

The research team has found a total of eight trees measuring over 70 meters tall in the survey in Gelin Village in Medog. The height ranges from 70.2 meters to 76.8 meters.

Gesang Bachug, head of the forestry and grassland administration in Medog, said it is hoped that the collected data and analysis by researchers will shed light on the conditions and mechanisms of the tall trees' growth to offer a scientific basis for local conservation efforts.
RTHK: Over 40 bodies found under east Ukraine building

Rescuers on Tuesday found the bodies of 44 civilians under the rubble of a destroyed building in the eastern Ukrainian town of Izyum, now under Russian control, the regional governor said.

"The bodies of 44 civilians were found in Izyum under the rubble of a five-storey building which was destroyed by the occupiers in early March," Oleg Synegubov, governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, said on Telegram.

Although fighting continues in the area, local media quoted him as saying residents had made the discovery while clearing the rubble from an area "where there is no shelling".

Synegubov did not say who had removed the bodies nor how they had managed to do so given that the town fell to Russian troops on April 1 after several weeks of heavy fighting.

Much of the surrounding area is also under Russian control.

Separately, the regional prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into "the violation of the laws and customs of war" following the discovery, saying that 14 of the bodies had already been identified.

"According to the investigation, the Russian military systematically shelled Izyum between March 7-10. As a result, public infrastructure and residential buildings were destroyed," it said on Telegram. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
This simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

At 8:54 a.m. (Beijing Time), Tianzhou-4 completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking at the rear docking port of Tianhe, the CMSA said.

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasted off at 1:56 a.m. from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan. After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-4 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. At 2:23 a.m., the solar panels of the cargo craft unfolded and began working.

The CMSA declared the launch a complete success.

On April 20, the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft separated from the rear docking port of Tianhe and docked with its front docking port.

Following Tianzhou-4's docking, the two cargo crafts are docked at the two ends of the Tianhe core module to form a linear shape, waiting for the arrival of the Shenzhou-14 crew members.

Like previous cargo flights, Tianzhou-4 mainly carries three categories of supplies, including six-month living supplies for the Shenzhou-14 mission's three astronauts, spare parts for space station maintenance, and space research equipment and sample materials.

Tuesday's launch is the 22nd mission of China's manned space programs and the 420th mission of the Long March rocket series. 

This simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

Picture taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

This simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-14 crewed mission, successfully docked with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)
A Malagasy official has thanked China for its commitment to supporting African countries in developing their agricultural sector. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service




BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reported 59 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections between 3 p.m. Monday and 3 p.m. Tuesday, said local authorities during a press conference held Tuesday.

The new cases were mainly detected among personnel under closed-off management. Only one new infection was found during the infected individual's visit to a local hospital, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control center, during the conference.

The latest cluster of infections in the city's Shunyi District has seen 28 people test positive for the novel coronavirus so far, according to Pang.

However, as the cluster was detected in its early stage, Beijing has taken effective control measures to curb the spread and the overall epidemic situation is generally under control, said Pang. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged certain Western countries to immediately cease interfering in China's internal affairs after the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers and a European Union official expressed grave concerns over the chief executive election in Hong Kong.

John Lee, 64, former chief secretary for administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, on Sunday won the first chief executive election since the improvement of the region's electoral system in 2021.

"Certain Western countries and institutions are conspiring with each other to slander the election and grossly interfere in China's internal affairs. China expresses firm opposition to this and strongly condemns it," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing.

Some countries have ignored the fact that Hong Kong's democracy has improved and that mainstream public opinion seeks unity and prosperity, Zhao said.

"They sound like 'preachers of democracy' when they point fingers at Hong Kong's democratic elections, its high degree of autonomy, and its human rights and freedoms, which only exposes their double standards and their attempt to bring chaos to Hong Kong and contain China," he said.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. What kind of electoral system Hong Kong implements and what kind of democratic development path it explores are issues that fall entirely under the scope of China's internal affairs, and no external forces have the right to interfere," Zhao said.

He said the Chinese government is resolved to fully and faithfully implement the "one country, two systems" principle and develop high-quality democracy suited to Hong Kong's reality, and any attempt from external forces to undermine this will be in vain.

He expressed confidence that Hong Kong will usher in a new era of good governance that leads to prosperity. 
Photo taken on May 20, 2020 shows newly-picked durians in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

NANNING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Durians have entered their best season, and orders for the "stinky" fruit in China began to soar in late April, driving its imports from Southeast Asia, its main producing area.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the world's largest free trade deal to date that took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, has further boosted its sales this year.

The RCEP countries account for roughly 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product and population. Over 90 percent of trade in goods among approved member states will gradually be tariff-free.

"We received 100 boxes of durians, which were distributed soon after arrival. Besides community convenience stores, there are also many individual customers," said Huang Meixia with a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Group in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Charoen Pokphand Group is a leading agribusiness conglomerate in Thailand.

Huang noted that compared with the same period of last year, the durians are selling well despite a price increase this year.

Durians have conquered the taste of an increasing number of foodies across China. In 2021, the import volume of fresh durians was four times that of 2017.

Nisachol Thaithong, a Thai national in Nanning, Guangxi's capital city, runs a business importing durians from her family's orchard in Thailand to China and has accumulated a stable customer source over the past years.

"When it came to durians in the past, many consumers only knew Golden Pillow. Now they can recognize many more durian varieties," said Nisachol Thaithong.

In Guangxi, more investment is being poured into infrastructure and cold-chain logistics to facilitate cross-border fresh fruit trade.

Wei Pan, a social media influencer in Guangxi, has partnered with Nisachol Thaithong to airlift freshly-picked durians from Thailand to Chinese cities such as Guangzhou and Kunming.

"It takes only two to three hours for the durians to fly from Thailand to China. Their shells are still turquoise when they appear on the Chinese market, indicating their freshness," Wei said.

Guangxi's Qinzhou Port has opened several direct container routes to Thailand. The fruit express line from Laem Chabang to Qinzhou runs four times a week, and the fruits can reach China in about three to four days.

Chinese consumers have strong purchasing power and a massive demand for high-quality products, noted Benjamas Tanvetyanont, Thai consul-general in Nanning.

Apart from Thai durians, durians from Malaysia are also gaining in popularity in China.

Chinese and Malaysian enterprises have recently signed 11 agreements to promote investment and strategic cooperation in cross-border trade, among which the trade of durians has become the focus of attention.

Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Lim Ban Hong said that the RCEP would bring considerable cooperation opportunities to enterprises from both Guangxi and Malaysia. He hopes that under the RCEP, China and Malaysia can establish closer economic and trade cooperation. 
Picture taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 10, 2022 shows China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 docking with the combination of the space station core module Tianhe and the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

WENCHANG, Hainan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-4 on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its space station, which is scheduled to wrap up construction this year.

The Long March-7 Y5 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-4, blasted off at 1:56 a.m. Beijing Time from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

After around 10 minutes, Tianzhou-4 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. At 2:23 a.m., the solar panels of the cargo craft unfolded and began working.

At 8:54 a.m., Tianzhou-4 completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking at the rear docking port of the Tianhe core module.

On April 20, the Tianzhou-3 cargo craft separated from the rear docking port of Tianhe and docked with its front docking port.

Following Tianzhou-4's docking, the two cargo crafts are docked at the two ends of the Tianhe core module to form a linear shape, waiting for the arrival of the Shenzhou-14 crew members.

Measuring 10.6 meters in length and with a maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, the Tianzhou-4 cargo ship carries around 6 tonnes of goods and materials and 750 kg of propellant for the space station complex.

Like previous cargo flights, Tianzhou-4 mainly carries three categories of supplies, including six-month living supplies for the Shenzhou-14 mission's three astronauts, spare parts for space station maintenance, and space research equipment and sample materials, said Bai Mingsheng, chief designer of Tianzhou cargo craft from the China Academy of Space Technology.

He said Tianzhou-4's carrying capacity of dry cargo increased by 300 kg than the previous cargo ships. Meanwhile, based on the astronauts' in-orbit living and working experience, the team made some tweaks to the cargo storage, providing more convenience for the astronauts in detail.

For instance, different supplies have colored tags, such as green for food, so astronauts can quickly identify the parcels.

Bai said equipment for three research projects also arrived at the space station with Tianzhou-4 and they were selected from across China.

China plans to complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by the end of 2022, and a total of six missions are planned for this year.

Following the launch of Tianzhou-4, the Shenzhou-14 crewed spacecraft will arrive in June, the lab module Wentian in July, the lab module Mengtian in October, and then the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship later this year.

The two lab modules and the core module will form a T shape to complete the in-orbit construction of China's space station.

Tuesday's launch is the 22nd mission of China's manned space programs and the 420th mission of the Long March rocket series. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, calling for joint efforts to leverage the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of their relationship.

During the meeting, Xi also expressed his hope that Germany will play a positive role in developing a steady and sound China-EU relationship.

On various occasions, Xi has elaborated on the importance of strengthening China-Germany relations as well as China-EU ties. The following are some highlights of Xi's remarks in this regard.

May 9, 2022

In the virtual meeting with Scholz, Xi said both China and Germany are major countries with important influence.

Under the current circumstances, it is particularly important for the two countries to maintain sound and steady growth of bilateral ties and better harness the stabilizing, constructive and steering role of this relationship, Xi said.

This not only serves the interests of the Chinese and German peoples but will also contribute significantly to world peace and tranquility, Xi added.

Xi underscored that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners and each other's opportunity, and that the two sides have far more common interests than differences.

It is important that the two sides, with a dialectical and long-term view, with mutual respect and with the right perception, increase communication and enhance mutual trust, Xi said.

March 8, 2022

During a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and Scholz, Xi noted that China and the EU share much common understanding on promoting peace, seeking development and advancing cooperation.

Xi said it is important for the two sides to enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

China's development will create broader space for China-EU cooperation, Xi said, adding that the two sides must, under the principle of mutual benefit and win-win, further deepen green and digital partnerships as well as practical cooperation in various fields.

Dec. 21, 2021

In a phone conversation with Scholz, Xi said China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany, noting that the two countries should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective.

Over the past half century, China-Germany relations have demonstrated ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential, Xi said, adding that for the next 50 years, the two countries should embrace a global vision from a long-term perspective, forge ahead and strive for new development of China-Germany relations.

Dec. 8, 2021

In a congratulatory message to Scholz on his election as German chancellor, Xi said he is willing to work with Scholz to promote the bilateral ties to a new level.

China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, Xi noted, adding that over the years, they have been adhering to mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and pursuing win-win cooperation, which has yielded results benefiting the two countries, their people and the world.

Facing the major changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, China and Germany have strengthened communication and cooperation, jointly supported the global fight against COVID-19 and promoted economic recovery, demonstrating their sense of responsibility as major countries, Xi said.

Oct. 13, 2021

During a virtual meeting with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xi and Merkel reviewed the development of China-German and China-EU relations in recent years.

Noting that 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Xi said that keeping bilateral ties on the right course is of crucial importance.

"China always views its relationship with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with the German side, promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, tap the potential for cooperation in traditional fields, while exploring new areas of pragmatic cooperation in energy transition and the green and digital economy, among other areas, to further advance bilateral ties," Xi said. 
Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, speaks at a teleconference of the State Council on COVID-19 response on May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Monday reiterated the country's adherence to the dynamic zero-COVID policy and called for efforts to consolidate hard-won achievements in fighting COVID-19.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a teleconference of the State Council on COVID-19 response.

An outbreak should be stamped out as soon as it is detected to ensure the epidemic is manageable and controllable, said Sun.

She urged agility in epidemic monitoring and early warning, and stressed the availability of nucleic acid testing within 15 minutes' walk in big cities.

Highlighting preparedness in terms of quarantine centers and makeshift hospitals, Sun said that such facilities must be built to a high standard so that they can be put into use within 24 hours when necessary.

Precaution measures for COVID-19 should be part of the daily routine at construction sites, schools, nursing homes and old urban areas, among other places, Sun said, urging continuous efforts in promoting vaccination among senior residents and other vulnerable groups. 
CHENGDU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed in a rockslide in Rongxian County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The accident happened at about 2:30 p.m. Monday in a village in Rongxian, leaving five people missing. Local authorities sent rescuers to the scene to search for the missing people.

The rescue operation ended shortly after midnight following the recovery of the body of the last missing person.

Villagers living in the vicinity of the rockslide have been evacuated. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China's National Meteorological Center renewed a blue alert for rainstorms in various parts of the country on Tuesday.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, heavy downpours are expected to lash parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian, as some areas may experience up to 150 millimeters of rainfall.

Some regions are likely to encounter over 60 millimeters of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms, gales and hail.

The center has advised local governments to make preparations for the rainstorms. Schools and kindergartens have been asked to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of children, and drivers have been alerted to watch out for flooding and traffic jams.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
People are seen at Congo street in Kariakoo area of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Nov. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Venance Nestory)

The government of Tanzania on Monday announced plans aimed at ending sugar and edible oil imports by 2025.



DAR ES SALAAM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania on Monday announced plans aimed at ending sugar and edible oil imports by 2025.

The plans were announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, and the Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade, Ashatu Kijaji, when they addressed parliament in the capital Dodoma.

Bashe said short-term measures to end edible oil imports in the next three years included the distribution of subsidized certified sunflower seeds to small-scale growers.

Long-term measures, added Bashe, included the introduction of tax incentives to large-scale investors in oil palm estates.

The short-term plan on edible oil intervention has started with the distribution of the initial 3,000 tons of certified sunflower seeds to smallholder farmers, he told the House.

Bashe said the government has already allocated 10,000 hectares to one oil palm investor in Kigoma region in western Tanzania.

For her part, Kijaji said the government is making efforts to create an enabling environment for investments in the sugar and edible oil cultivation and processing industries.

Kijaji said sugar milling is one of the top investments in the industrial parks being created in various parts of the country.

Tanzania's annual consumption of edible oil is 650,000 tons but the local production capacity is 290,000 tons annually, according to official statistics.

The country's demand for domestic sugar is 470,000 tons annually while the current total production of sugar is 378,000 tons. 
Photo taken on May 10, 2022 shows Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) in Kabul, Afghanistan. The DAB said Tuesday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Tuesday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani.

The DAB said in a statement that it was requesting all eligible banks and monetary service providers, among others, to participate in the auction scheduled for Wednesday.

"In auction bids, partial settlement of currencies is not allowed and the winners of the auction must deposit in the Da Afghanistan Bank their money at one time in cash," the statement said.

The U.S. dollar has depreciated against afghani compared with a couple of weeks ago. The DAB conducted auctioning of 12 million U.S. dollars late in April.

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August last year, the United States has frozen more than 9 billion U.S. dollars of assets of Afghanistan's central bank, thus undermining the banking system of the war-torn country. 
Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with South Korea's newly sworn-in President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, May 10, 2022. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the inauguration ceremony of Yoon earlier in the day. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and South Korea's newly sworn-in President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed on Tuesday to further bilateral ties and pragmatic cooperation.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the inauguration ceremony of Yoon earlier in the day. During the meeting with Yoon, Wang conveyed Xi's cordial greetings and best wishes to him.

China and South Korea, as close neighbors and important partners, have witnessed all-round and rapid development in bilateral relations with increasing common interests since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Wang said, adding that in the face of a changing world and a pandemic unseen in a century, it's of greater importance for both sides, the region and the whole world to strengthen China-South Korea cooperation.

China is willing to work with South Korea to continuously lift the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level and in keeping with the times, he stressed.

Wang proposed a five-point proposal on the next development of bilateral relations.

Firstly, China and South Korea should enhance strategic communication and high-level exchanges, as well as further invigorate dialogue and exchanges at all levels.

Secondly, the two sides should deepen pragmatic cooperation, strengthen the alignment of development strategies of the two countries, and deepen cooperation in key areas and third-party markets to upgrade bilateral cooperation.

Thirdly, as China and South Korea are geographically linked, their peoples are connected by kinship and cultures enjoy a natural affinity, the two countries should give full play to this advantage and take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the China-South Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges as an opportunity to plan and implement more activities conducive to enhancing people-to-people friendship, so as to continuously inject positive energy into the growth of bilateral ties.

Fourthly, the two countries should strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, be committed to upholding multilateralism and the free trade system, and promote regional and global development and prosperity.

Fifthly, the two sides should jointly boost coordination and cooperation in the Korean Peninsula affairs and properly handle sensitive issues. China sincerely supports the two sides of the Korean Peninsula in improving relations and promoting reconciliation and cooperation, and stands ready to cement communication with South Korea to advance the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and promote lasting peace on the peninsula.

For his part, Yoon asked Wang to send his best regards to President Xi.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have witnessed rapid progress in the development of bilateral relations, and the two-way trade has reached an all-time high despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoon said.

He noted that the South Korean government, on the basis of mutual respect, is ready to take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to promote closer high-level strategic communication and exchanges at all levels, further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in all areas and enhance the people-to-people friendship, so as to usher in a new era for bilateral relations.

South Korea is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly promote peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, he added. 

Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with South Korea's newly sworn-in President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, May 10, 2022. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the inauguration ceremony of Yoon earlier in the day. (Xinhua/Li Tao)




ANTANANARIVO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The secretary-general of the Malagasy Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Fanja Raharinomena, has thanked China for its commitment to supporting African countries in developing their agricultural sector.

Raharinomena described China as "a pioneer in hybrid rice research in the world" and thanked "the Chinese government for its commitment to supporting African countries and particularly, Madagascar, in the development of agriculture."



During a visit Friday to the demonstration fields of hybrid rice varieties funded by the Chinese government in Mahitsy, a town northwest of the Malagasy capital, Antananarivo, she said the development of the rice sector is a "pillar of food self-sufficiency in Madagascar."



"Hybrid rice gives a yield of up to 11 tons per hectare, whereas conventional rice produces only five tons per hectare, with the use of improved practices and techniques under the right conditions," Raharinomena told Xinhua.



"It can contribute to a rapid increase in the level of rice production," she said.



Raharinomena admitted that technical and financial challenges hamper the large-scale production of hybrid rice in Madagascar.



Madagascar enjoys a humid tropical climate, with abundant sunshine and water resources -- the right conditions for rice cultivation, but inadequate infrastructure, obsolete agricultural technologies, and lack of investment have prevented the country from producing enough rice to meet local demand, having to import hundreds of thousands of tons every year.



In May 2019, China's National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center opened an office in Madagascar, and one of its main tasks was to breed various hybrid rice varieties based on the island state's diverse ecological environment, and to enhance food security in the African continent.



In partnership with the Chinese national center, the Indian Ocean Trading Company (STOI) has been popularizing hybrid rice in Madagascar since 2017 by giving inputs to farmers.



Tovonanahary Rabetsitonta, CEO of STOI, told Xinhua that Malagasy farmers earn a profit margin of five times more by growing hybrid rice than cultivating conventional varieties, though "not all hybrid rice seed varieties are suitable for Madagascar."



Thanks to cooperation with the Chinese center, he said, the best-adapted varieties of hybrid rice have been identified for different regions in the country, with a yield of 10 tons to 12 tons per hectare, Rabetsitonta said.







Produced by Xinhua Global Service
by Xinhua writer Yan Jie

MANILA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s landslide victory in Monday's Philippine presidential election is expected to ensure the continuity of an independent Philippine foreign policy conducive to the Philippines-China good-neighborly friendship and cooperation.

Last year, the former senator told local media that the Philippines and China are neighbors and consolidating the good-neighborly friendship between the two countries is for the people's benefit. He pledged to strengthen the bilateral relations and promote cooperation in economy and trade, education, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

China and the Philippines enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges. In recent years, the two countries have established a comprehensive strategic cooperative relationship, deepened the synergy between the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the plan of "Build, Build, Build," and jointly promoted cooperation in major programs, with bilateral trade flourishing.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and the Philippines have stood by each other to keep their citizens safe and healthy.

The two sides' proper handling of the South China Sea issue has laid an important foundation for the China-Philippines friendly cooperation, benefited the two peoples and also effectively safeguarded regional peace and stability.

Against the headwinds of rising global challenges, it is more important than ever for China and the Philippines to consolidate their friendship and cooperation, properly manage their differences, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in the region.

Looking into the future, there will be greater scope for China and the Philippines to deepen their win-win cooperation in such fields as anti-pandemic, economy and trade, infrastructure, tourism, education and public health.

China, as outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte has said, is a true and reliable friend of the Philippine people. Indeed, building a closer China-Philippines partnership is in the interests of both sides.

Marcos is scheduled to begin his term on June 30. It is a shared hope that China-Philippines relations will become stronger and their cooperation more fruitful. 
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said the hope of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the country rests on the youth.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Youth League of China in Beijing.

Xi said for the Party and the country, youth are the most worthy of love and expectation, adding that young people are like saplings that thrive on the earth, and one day they will grow into towering trees. 
Katalin Novak (front, C) is seen with her family before taking oath in Hungarian Parliament, Budapest, Hungary, March 10, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Katalin Novak on her taking office as the Hungarian president.

The development of China-Hungary relations, Xi said, has maintained at a high level in recent years, marked by frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful cooperation in various fields and sound cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Hungary relations, adding that he is ready to work with Novak to deepen political mutual trust and traditional friendship between the two countries. 
CHONGQING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A group of grandmothers sit in front of a traditional-style dwelling in southwest China, deftly sewing colored thread into a piece of blue cloth and occasionally bursting into peals of laughter.

Such is the scene in Hejiayan Village, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Chongqing Municipality, where elderly people from the Miao ethnic group are continuing their age-old cultural tradition of embroidery.

These women learned the craft as children, but they never expected that it would bring them together in old age, injecting some fun into their twilight years -- not to mention an additional income stream.

This local resurgence of the craft started in 2013 when Chen Guotao, 48, opened her first Miao embroidery shop in Youyang. Having been raised in a rural area, Chen was keen to help fuel China's rural revitalization, and in 2016, she set up the first of several embroidery workshops. They offered job opportunities for unemployed female villagers who had stayed behind to care for the family while relatives sought higher salaries elsewhere.

Chen now has four Miao embroidery workshops, three in villages and one in the county seat, with over 1,000 local employees.

But the workshops are more than just workplaces. They are also social clubs for local senior citizens, most of whom would lead rather dull lives otherwise, sitting at home with little social interaction.

Ran Guoxian, 76, lives halfway up the hill. With the aid of a stick, she walks up the mountain to the workshop in Hejiayan Village every day. She is allowed to do her embroidery at home, but she prefers to get out of the house.

"The workshop fills my life with happiness. I finally have something to do and have someone to talk to," said Ran.

Previously, she spent her days at home, killing time, often just sitting in the yard and looking up to the sky.

The Hejiayan workshop alone has more than 100 workers, about 80 percent of whom are elderly. Basking in the warm sunshine and enjoying the tranquillity of their embroidery, these senior citizens are now an established feature of the village scene.

Chen is glad to see their positive change in attitudes toward life. She always leaves the lightest jobs for the older workers, but she pays a relatively high price for their work. She also provides a medical kit for the elderly, in case they feel uncomfortable during their work.

It is not just elderly women who benefit from these special embroidery workshops. There are also quite a few middle-aged females among them.

Hu Lan, 55, works at the Miao embroidery workshop in Hejiayan Village, and has become her family's main bread winner. Previously, she stayed at home, looking after her sick husband without any paid work of her own.

"When I didn't have any income, I used to worry a lot and feel I was a burden on my children. But since I began to make money through embroidering, I feel more at ease," said Hu.

She says she can earn around 1,500 yuan (223 U.S. dollars) a month, which helps lighten the family's financial burden.

"It's more than just business. I myself was born in a village and I know too well the difficulties they face. So I'd like to make a difference for them," said Chen.

Thanks to Chen's efforts, the county's ethnic embroidery craft has gained popularity both at home and abroad through the brand name "Youzhou Miao Embroidery."

It has been recognized at the municipal level as a form of intangible cultural heritage, and has become the gift of preference offered to foreign visitors by Chongqing's foreign affairs office.

With delicate designs and rich cultural connotations, Youzhou Miao Embroidery is a local cultural product with high added value. Last year, Chen's workshops produced 95,600 pieces of embroidery work, with a total value of 7.62 million yuan, giving the local rural economy a significant boost. 
Guests attend an official groundbreaking ceremony of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 9, 2022. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

WINDHOEK, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road.

The project, for which an official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, forms part of Namibia's regional trunk routes and includes the construction of a 21.3 km dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges, two river bridges, and drainage structures, Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa said during the ceremony held in Windhoek.

"Namibia is positioned as a gateway for imports and exports to and from landlocked neighbors in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region and China is assisting us with strides in expanding our road network in efforts to achieve the sub-vision and goals for transport as set out in Vision 2030," he said.

The Phase 2B project funded by the Chinese government is expected to take 36 months to complete, he said while commending China for its immense support.

Speaking on the same occasion, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Yang Jun, said the Phase 2B project was proposed by the Namibian government and was supported by the Chinese embassy in an effort to help Namibia become a logistics hub in southern Africa.

"The project was officially confirmed and signed between our governments in Beijing on March 29, 2018," he said, adding that upon completion, the project will improve transport and contribute to the development of Namibia at large.

The project being undertaken by Namibian-registered Chinese firm, Zhong Mei Engineering Group, together with local subcontractors, will create more than 300 jobs and provide technological advancements through skills transfer. 

Photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows the construction site of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

Yang Jun, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Namibia, speaks during an official groundbreaking ceremony of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 9, 2022. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Photo by Musa C Kaseke/Xinhua)

People work at the construction site of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 9, 2022. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

Namibian Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa speaks during an official groundbreaking ceremony of a China-aided project in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 9, 2022. China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. (Photo by Musa C Kaseke/Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations did not co-host Tuesday's Brussels pledging conference for Syria after the European Union refused to invite Russia, a UN spokesman confirmed.

"The United Nations isn't co-hosting this year, as you're aware. The European Union made a decision not to invite the Russian Federation, and we refer to them for their reasoning," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"From our standpoint, the Russian Federation is a member state of the United Nations and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and is a key interlocutor (on Syria)," he said.

However, the Brussels conference is an important annual event, and the United Nations is involved this year with the participation of Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, UN Children's Fund Executive Director Catherine Russell, and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, said Haq.

The sixth European Union's Conference on "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" was held in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, with the Day of Dialogue in a hybrid format on Monday and the ministerial meeting taking place in person on Tuesday. 
Video - Keith Knight Interviews Nikki Goeser,

Executive Director of the Crime Prevention Research Center

Nicole "Nikki" Goeser lives in Tennessee and is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville where she earned her degree in Psychology. Nikki became a Second Amendment Activist and Victims' Rights Advocate after the brutal murder of her husband "Ben" by a man that had been stalking her. Nikki is the Executive Director for the Crime Prevention Research Center.

From "My Story", "Stalked and Defenseless":

"My stalker just won't go away. In 2009, he murdered my husband, Ben, right in front of me in the middle of a busy restaurant. But my nightmare didn't end with my stalker's incarceration, as he has sent me letters from prison over the years. The letters show absolutely no remorse and profess his twisted love for me. This is trauma on top of trauma. This man already terrified me, and what he has written has made me even more fearful. I have nightmares about the threat that he poses to me and my loved ones after his release from prison in 2028. Ben and I used to run a mobile karaoke business in the evenings in Nashville, and I would usually carry my permitted concealed handgun with me. But, at the time, Tennessee did not allow carrying in restaurants that served alcohol. While I obeyed the law, Ben's murderer did not. He had no permit to carry, and he brought the gun into a gun-free zone. In April 2009, the murderer shot my husband seven times in front of myself and fifty witnesses. The whole attack was recorded by the restaurant's security cameras. . . ."

(The video may also be found on Odysee.com )
The China-Europe cargo train arrives in Paris, France, June 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Yongchun)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone on Tuesday afternoon.

Xi noted his close contact with Macron over the past five years, which has helped guide the two countries in sustaining the positive momentum of bilateral ties, conducting fruitful cooperation, and fulfilling the responsibilities of major countries on climate change, biodiversity conservation and other issues.

In a world undergoing changes unseen in a century, China and France, two permanent members on the United Nations Security Council and independent major countries, should uphold "independence, mutual understanding, strategic vision and win-win cooperation," a commitment the two sides made when establishing diplomatic relations, stick to their close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in the bilateral, China-Europe and global contexts, he said.

Xi added that China will keep close exchanges with France at all levels to promote the healthy growth of China-France relations and maintain world peace and stability.

People visit the France Exhibition Area in the Fashion Life Exhibition Hall of the first China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, May 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Xi stressed the need to identify, through bilateral dialogue mechanisms, cooperation priorities in the coming five years. He called on the two sides to step up cooperation in emerging areas including artificial intelligence and clean energy, while advancing cooperation in traditional areas like civilian nuclear energy, and aerospace.

The Chinese president said China is ready to import more quality products from France, welcomes French financial and hi-tech companies to China for business cooperation, and hopes that the French side will provide a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises that conduct investment and cooperation in France.

Xi said that it is important that China and France make good use of big occasions like the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations and the Paris Olympics, both to take place in 2024, as important opportunities to further increase people-to-people and cultural exchanges and enhance mutual understanding.

He added that the two sides should follow true multilateralism, uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, support multi-polarity and economic globalization, and deepen cooperation on climate change and biodiversity.

Xi stressed that the two sides need to increase communication and coordination at the Group of 20 and on global food and energy security, expand trilateral cooperation in Africa and other regions, and explore cooperation on the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative.

Flags of the European Union fly outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The Chinese president pointed out that the steady and sound growth of China-EU relations serves the interests of people in China, in Europe and in all other countries, adding that China appreciates France's commitment to strategic autonomy, and hopes that France will encourage the EU to keep a right perception of China and work with China in the same direction by managing differences properly and building on converging interests for closer cooperation in economy and trade, green and digital development, and people-to-people exchanges.

Xi also expressed his hope for France, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU, to play a positive role in promoting the sound development of China-EU relations.

For his part, Macron commended the open spirit with which the two sides have developed their relations since establishing diplomatic ties.

Over the past five years, the two sides have carried out fruitful cooperation across the board, Macron said.

For the next five years, France will work with China to deepen cooperation in areas including agriculture, aviation, civilian nuclear energy and culture and to scale up cooperation in climate change and biodiversity, with a view to greater achievements in France-China relations, said the French president.

France is willing to play a positive role in the development of EU-China relations, he added.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and agreed that relevant parties should support Russia and Ukraine in restoring peace through negotiations.

Xi stressed that China has been working in its own way to promote peace talks, and that China supports European countries in keeping the security of Europe in their own hands.

He urged vigilance against bloc confrontation, which poses a bigger and more persistent threat to global security and stability.

Macron noted the many common understandings between France and China on the issue of Ukraine, adding that France stands ready for closer coordination and cooperation with China at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

France and the EU are committed to strategic autonomy and will not endorse or take part in bloc confrontation, he said. 
Rashad Al-Alimi (R), president of the Presidential Leadership Council, meets with the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg (L) in Aden, southern Yemen, on May 10, 2022. Grundberg on Tuesday arrived in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden for a two-day visit, amid efforts to push the country's warring parties to uphold a fragile UN-brokered ceasefire. (Str/Xinhua)

ADEN, Yemen, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Tuesday arrived in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden for a two-day visit, amid efforts to push the country's warring parties to uphold a fragile UN-brokered ceasefire.

Grundberg held meetings with Rashad Al-Alimi, president of the Presidential Leadership Council and other high-ranking officials of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government in Aden over the recent breaches to the UN-brokered truce.

The meetings focused on upholding the current ceasefire and reviving peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia to end the years-long military conflict.

According to the state-run Saba news agency, "Al-Alimi affirmed his support for the humanitarian truce sponsored by the UN in all its provisions, including the requirement to lift the Houthi militia's siege on the city of Taiz."

Al-Alimi "assured the UN envoy of his government's readiness to provide everything necessary in order to facilitate the success of the UN efforts to bring peace."

The UN-brokered ceasefire, meant to last two months, went into effect on April 2, marking the first major breakthrough in years to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country on the brink of starvation.

So far the ceasefire has been largely held despite occasional accusations of breaches traded between the Yemeni warring sides.

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 out of the capital Sanaa. 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (R) in Ankara, Turkey, on May 10, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Kazakhstan aim to reach the target of 10 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"We evaluated the possibilities of further development and deepening of our cooperation," Erdogan said at a joint press conference held with visiting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Ankara.

"The trade volume between Turkey and Kazakhstan exceeded 5.3 billion dollars last year. Thus, we have surpassed our target of 5 billion U.S. dollars in a short time. We will reach our target of 10 billion with speedy steps," Erdogan said.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, Erdogan said, adding that the two countries have raised their cooperation to the level of an enhanced strategic partnership.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (L) hold a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on May 10, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

The two leaders discussed the regional impacts of the Ukrainian crisis and expressed their views for the peaceful resolution. "We are on the same page on the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the Turkish leader added.

For his part, Tokayev called Turkey "a very important strategic partner for Kazakhstan."

Turkey was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan's independence, Tokayev said, stressing that the Kazakh people will never forget this.

This is the first state visit to Turkey made by Tokayev after he took office.

The two governments signed 15 agreements in the fields of transportation, defense industry, military intelligence, information technologies, culture, agriculture, transportation, trade, customs, education, youth, communication and archives. 
Passengers check flight information at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 3, 2019. (Xinhua/Wei Xuechao)

The staff shortages are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since around 5,000 employees were laid off as demand for international and domestic flights plummeted, DI reported.

STOCKHOLM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is set to cancel around 4,000 flights this summer, citing staff shortages and delayed deliveries of aircraft, Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri (DI) reported on Tuesday.

The staff shortages are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since around 5,000 employees were laid off as demand for international and domestic flights plummeted, DI reported.

Karin Nyman from Scandinavian Airlines said that most canceled flights will be rescheduled for the same day, to avoid leaving passengers stranded.

Passengers check in at a counter of the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 3, 2019. (Xinhua/Wei Xuechao)

The news about this summer's cancellations came less than three months after the airline announced it was in financial trouble.

An interim financial report released in late February showed the company's earnings before tax stood at a negative 2.6 billion Swedish crowns (about 260 million U.S. dollars) for the period November 2021-January 2022. Compared with the same period in 2019 -- before the pandemic struck -- total revenues were down 42 percent.

SAS, therefore, announced it would "aggressively pursue reducing costs" by 7.5 billion Swedish crowns annually, by adjusting its fleet and product offerings, among other things. (1 U.S. dollar = 10.06 Swedish crowns)

A man walks into a COVID-19 vaccination center in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, on May 6, 2021. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)
By Xinhua writer Wang Zhuolun

JERUSALEM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Although the recent clashes between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were smaller and more intermittent than last year's 11-day war, they were enough to put the fragile Bennett coalition government on edge.

On the first anniversary of the outbreak of the deadly war, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and other high-level military officers on Sunday participated in the "Chariots of Fire" military exercise, the largest in the country in decades.

SAVING COALITION

Since March 22, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have spiraled as deadly shooting and stabbing attacks took place across Israel, almost every time followed by Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank.

During this year's Ramadan from early April to early May, repeated clashes broke out between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police in Jerusalem's holy site, known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and to Jews the Temple Mount.

In Israel, criticism of the government's handling of the attacks is mounting, despite the extensive measures announced by Bennett to beef up security, such as the formation of a National Guard that consists of professional security personnel and armed civilian volunteers.

Avoiding another war with Hamas and maintaining the ruling coalition are the priorities on the agenda for the fragile Bennett government, as the Ra'am, the only and first-ever Arab political party to be included in a ruling coalition in Israel, threatens to turn the temporary suspension of its participation into a permanent exit.

"Bennett is in a difficult situation due to the ongoing wave of terrorist attacks as well as internal problems within his coalition," said Yochanan Visser, an Israel-based Middle East affairs analyst, noting that Ra'am is "in fact holding the government hostage."

Ra'am decided to temporarily freeze its membership in both the Knesset (parliament) and the coalition on April 17, two days after over 160 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

If Ra'am pulls out its four seats in the 120-member parliament, Bennett's coalition, which has only 60 seats now, will be in the minority and on the verge of dissolution.

AVOIDING ESCALATION

Apart from one attack that killed an Israeli security officer guarding the West Bank settlement of Ariel on April 29, Gaza's ruler Hamas has not claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on Israelis.

Despite the threats exchanged between the two sides, it seemed to Israel that Hamas was not preparing for a military operation.

Israeli defense officials said on Monday that Hamas is not believed to be behind the recent string of deadly attacks, but rather has been "riding the wave" to encourage more violence.

"On the ground in Gaza, the belief is that despite the belligerent terminology used by the leaders, neither side is interested in a head-on clash at this time," political analyst Jack Khoury wrote in an article in Israel's Haaretz newspaper.

An anonymous senior official in Gaza was also quoted as saying Hamas is not interested in escalating the situation specifically on the southern front.

Meanwhile, the Egyptians and the Qataris have been striving to avert escalation, especially rockets fired from Gaza, he added, citing a senior Hamas official's remarks.

On May 10, 2021, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the firing of rockets into Israel by the armed factions led by the Hamas in response to Israeli provocations at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

During the fierce conflict, more than 260 Palestinians and 14 Israelis were killed and thousands injured, until a cease-fire was reached on May 21. 
KINSHASA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 asylum seekers were killed late Monday in a new attack by militiamen of the rebel group "Congo Economic Development Cooperative" (CODECO) in a camp for displaced people (IDP) in the Djugu territory of the Ituri province, in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to local sources.

According to local civil society leader Dieudonne Lossa, the victims are mostly children in an IDP camp located in the locality of Lodda, which accommodates asylum seekers fleeing violence in the surrounding villages.

Rebels of CODECO early Sunday raided a village around a mining site in Blankete, also located in the Djugu territory, killing at least 55 civilians, according to local government officials, noting that about a hundred civilians were missing.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Sunday's attack while calling on the DRC authorities to investigate the incidents, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure the peacekeeping mission's immediate access to the area "to facilitate efforts to protect civilians."

"The Secretary-General further calls on all armed groups in the DRC to cease their ruthless attacks on civilians, to participate unconditionally in the political process, including regional initiatives, and to lay down their arms," Guterres' spokesman said.

The provinces of Ituri and North Kivu have been placed under the state of siege since May 2021 to counter the rise in violence by armed groups. 
SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday that his new government will open door to dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to peacefully resolve the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue.

Yoon said at his inaugural ceremony, held in the National Assembly in Seoul, that his government will create lasting, sustainable peace which can be guaranteed through solidarity with the international community.

Yoon, who started his single five-year term, vowed to leave the door open for the peaceful resolution of the DPRK's nuclear development.

"If North Korea (DPRK) stops nuclear development and genuinely embarks on denuclearization, we will be prepared to work with the international community to present an audacious plan that can dramatically improve North Korea's economy and the quality of life for its people," Yoon said.

The president noted that the denuclearization will "greatly contribute" to bringing sustainable peace to the peninsula as well as peace and prosperity to Asia and the world. 
Servicemen are seen on duty on a street in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 10, 2022. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Tuesday asked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to reconvene parliament, and to find a solution to the political instability in the South Asian country.

Abeywardena said the parliament must be convened immediately to appoint a new prime minister and a cabinet of ministers.

He said a meeting of political party leaders is to be held at the parliament complex on May 11.

The speaker last week suspended parliamentary sessions till May 17 as protesters gathered outside the parliament building calling on legislators to find a solution to the ongoing economic crisis.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday.

It was reported that seven people have died with over 200 others injured due to the violent situation in Colombo on Monday, and the police has been tasked to conduct an investigation into it. 

Servicemen stand guard on a street in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 10, 2022. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)

Workers clean the scene of a vehicle destroyed during clashes in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 10, 2022. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)

Workers clean the scene of a vehicle destroyed during clashes in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 10, 2022. Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out, and a nationwide curfew was imposed until Wednesday. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)
COLOMBO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A government notification issued by order of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday night confirmed that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned with effect from Monday.

Meanwhile, a nationwide curfew imposed in Sri Lanka on Monday was extended till Wednesday morning, said the President's Media Division.

On Monday morning, pro-government protesters held a demonstration opposite the Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, urging Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa not to resign.

Following their meeting with the prime minister, they clashed with anti-government protesters near the Temple Trees.

At least 157 people were reportedly admitted to the Colombo National Hospital following the violent situation that erupted in Colombo.

Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday said he had resigned from the post as violent protests broke out. 
CANBERRA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A record number of Australians have cast their ballots on the first day of pre-polling for the general elections.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), more than 300,000 people cast their votes on the first day of pre-poll voting on Monday.

It represents an almost three-fold increase from 120,000 on the first day in the 2019 election.

More than 500 pre-poll voting booths opened on Monday in the lead-up to the election day on May 21.

Voting in elections is mandatory for all Australians aged 18 and over who are enrolled with the AEC.

About 17 million people in the country, where the population is around 26 million, were enrolled to vote in the 2022 general elections.

While the AEC encourages Australians to vote on the election day, those who cannot can either attend pre-polling locations or cast a postal ballot.

People who are in isolation with COVID-19 can vote over the phone.

Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said he was not surprised by the large turnout on day one of pre-polling.

"We were expecting an increase in pre-poll and that's exactly what we're seeing at the moment," he told Nine Network television on Tuesday.

"But the more in envelopes through pre-poll and postal, the harder it will be to determine a result on the night."

Approximately 40 percent of Australians voted either early or by post at the 2019 election.

Rogers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday that the AEC expects the figure to be even higher for the upcoming election.

Almost 2 million Australians have already applied to vote by post compared to 1.5 million in 2019. 
ISLAMABAD, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the detection of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 of COVID-19 in the country and ordered immediate restoration of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday.

The prime minister directed Pakistan's Ministry of Health to provide a detailed report on the current COVID-19 situation in the country, the office said in a statement.

Pakistan closed NCOC, a department formulating policies and supervising their implementation in the national fight against COVID-19, at the end of March following a persistent decline in new cases and fatalities.

The NCOC was established in March 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic in the country to collate, analyze and process the pandemic information received from across the country and take measures accordingly.

Pakistan's National Institute of Health on Monday announced the detection of the first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 in the country. 
NEW DELHI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- An attack on the headquarters of police intelligence has triggered panic in the northern Indian state of Punjab, officials said Tuesday.

The rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was said to be fired from the street on Monday evening, shattering the glasses of the building in Mohali, about 8 km southwest of Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab.

None was killed or wounded in the attack.

"A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in sector 77, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar at around 7:45 p.m. (local time) on Monday. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done. Forensic teams have been called," police said in a statement to local media.

The police have cordoned off the area and sounded an alert. Security has been heightened across the district.

Meanwhile, police teams are monitoring the CCTV footage of the area in order to make a breakthrough in searching the perpetrators.

Reports said two suspects had arrived in a car and launched the RPG from about 80 meters away from the intelligence office building. The RPG landed on the third floor of the building. The attackers were said to have fled the scene immediately after the attack.

"We are investigating every possible angle and nothing can be ignored," a senior police official told the media. 
COLOMBO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) declared Tuesday a market holiday as a nationwide curfew was imposed due to the unrest.

The CSE said in a statement that they had been informed that the Real Time Gross Settlement system of the central bank will not be operated on Tuesday.

Thus, the Central Depository System of the CSE is unable to complete the fund settlement and the securities settlement falling on Tuesday as per the delivery versus payment settlement mechanism.

"In the circumstances, the CSE has declared Tuesday as a market holiday due to the aforesaid operational reasons," said the CSE.

Over 200 people have been reportedly admitted to the Colombo National Hospital following the violent situation that erupted in Colombo on Monday.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has condemned the violent acts, saying that violence won't solve current problems. 
COLOMBO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry on Tuesday ordered the country's armed forces to open fire on anyone looting public property or causing harm to others following a day of violent clashes.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also urged people on Tuesday to remain calm, and refrain from violence and acts of revenge against others, adding that all efforts will be made to restore political stability through consensus.

There have been a number of violent incidents in the country after pro-government groups clashed with anti-government protesters on Monday, leaving eight people dead and over 200 injured.

A nationwide curfew was imposed from Monday until Wednesday and the military was deployed to maintain law and order.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka's prime minister on Monday as violent protests broke out.

Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Tuesday asked the president to reconvene parliament, and find a solution to the political instability in the South Asian country.

Abeywardena said the parliament must be convened immediately to appoint a new prime minister and a cabinet of ministers.

Sri Lanka has been plunged into weeks of economic crisis stemming from a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a shortage in essential supplies such as fuel, food and medicines. 
YANGON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Ten ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in Myanmar had accepted the invitation to attend the peace talks initiated by State Administration Council's (SAC) chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing last month, the council's spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said on Tuesday.

"We so far received the registration of seven EAOs that are signatories to Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) and three non-signatory EAOs for the peace talks," Zaw Min Tun said.

The seven NCA-signatory EAOs registered for the peace talks are Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Zaw Min Tun said.

The three NCA non-signatory EAOs registered for the peace talks are United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA-Mongla) and Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), he added.

The date of the peace talks would be set in giving priority to the convenient time of the registered EAOs, Zaw Min Tun said, adding that the SAC intended to have the peace talks take place as soon as possible.

Zaw Min Tun also said the SAC had designated 2022 as the year of peace, and it is a good time for peace.

In Myanmar, 10 ethnic armed groups so far signed the national ceasefire agreement with the government since it was initiated in October 2015.

Some EAOs including the Karen National Union (KNU), the Chin National Front (CNF) and the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) said in statements that they would not attend the peace talks invited by SAC chairman Min Aung Hlaing.

The state power of Myanmar was transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing after the declaration of the state of emergency in February last year. 
OTTAWA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Indigenous women now account for half of the female population in federal penitentiaries, while among Canada's whole population, one out of every 20 women is indigenous, The Globe and Mail has reported.

As of last week, federal prisons held 298 non-indigenous women and 298 indigenous women, according to the article published last Thursday.

This is the first time the ratio has reached 50/50, Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger told the newspaper.

"It's just shocking and shameful for a country that has so many resources," Zinger said.

Zinger said he wants the Service of Canada to divert a significant portion of its budget to indigenous community groups, for them to use for funding indigenous-run correctional facilities across the country.

An inquiry made by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) found that most indigenous women who become entangled in the criminal justice system are arrested for crimes of poverty, such as theft. 
LONDON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- America's daily COVID-19 cases have now hit their highest level in two months with the even more transmissible sub-variant of Omicron now responsible for two in five cases, the Daily Mail said in a recent report.

Figures from states, counties and local health officials showed a total of 95,854 new infections were recorded in one day, the British paper reported on May 3.

This was the biggest daily count since late February at the tail-end of the Omicron wave, and marked a 60 percent uptick from two weeks ago.

According to surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on May 3, the new Omicron subvariant -- scientifically named BA.2.12.1 -- is now behind up to 44 percent of new infections. Two weeks ago it was only behind about 22 percent, the newspaper said.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who headed up the country's COVID-19 response under then-President Donald Trump, has warned southern states should prepare for an uptick in COVID-19 infections in the next few months because of "waning immunity," while the north should also expect a surge this winter.

She pointed to South Africa, where Omicron first emerged, which is again recording a major surge in COVID-19 cases just four to six months after the last wave amid falling antibody levels. 
HAVANA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from last week's explosion at a historic hotel in downtown Havana climbed to 42 on Tuesday, after two more bodies were recovered from the rubble, official sources said.

According to the Public Health Ministry, 96 people were injured in the blast at the five-star Saratoga Hotel, and 13 adults and five minors remain hospitalized at six city hospitals.

Rescue teams continued to sift through the debris in search of three people, two chambermaids and a cook, reported missing, said Roberto Enriquez, spokesman for the state-run hotel management group Gaviota.

At the time of the accident, said Enriquez, 51 employees were in the building: 23 of them died in the explosion, 22 have been discharged from hospital, and three remain hospitalized.

The accident occurred around noon on Friday when a tanker truck carrying some 10,000 liters of liquefied gas exploded.

Located near the National Capitol, headquarters of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, the Saratoga was preparing to reopen on Tuesday as part of the country's tourism recovery efforts, after closing for renovation. 
A Bollywood movie about the exodus of Hindus from the Muslim-majority valley of Kashmir, set to be banned in multi-ethnic Singapore, has been rated as "beyond" the city's movie rating guidelines. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), in a joint statement with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Ministry of the Interior, said that the authorities have assessed Hindi movies as beyond Singapore's movie classification guidelines. Is.

Officials told the media that, "The provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims in the movie and the portrayal of Hindus persecuted in the ongoing conflict in Kashmir will be categorically denied." Continuing his point, he has said that "these portrayals are capable of creating enmity between different communities and disrupting social cohesion and religious harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society."

According to media reports, under the film rating guidelines, "any material derogatory to racial or religious communities in Singapore" is rejected from the ratings, let us tell you that the movie directed by Vivek Agnihotri, which has been released in India since March to mixed reviews. It is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s due to terrorism. Written and directed by Agnihotri, the movie stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi in pivotal roles.

Film promoted by Indias ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore: https://t.co/S6TBjglele pic.twitter.com/RuaoTReuAH

Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 10, 2022

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistani government has dismissed Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema, hours after President Arif Alvi rejected a proposal to remove him from office.

Cheema has been removed from the cabinet division, according to a notification issued by the cabinet division in light of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advise, reported Samaa TV. Until a new governor is sworn in, Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi will serve as interim governor. Cheema said after his firing that he is consulting with his lawyers and will disclose his next steps soon.

As per reports, the Punjab government also dismissed Cheema's security detail after the notification was issued. Barricades have been placed at all entry points and a large presence of police has been stationed around the Governor House. Cheema is not allowed to enter the building, according to the police.

President Alvi had earlier Monday rejected Sharif's recommendation for Cheema's resignation. While rejecting the advice, the President reasoned that the Punjab Governor has not been accused of mismanagement and has never been convicted by a court.

President Alvi stated that he has done nothing violating the constitution, and that a Governor cannot be removed without the President's agreement. A Governor can serve until the President agrees to replace him, according to clause 3 of Pakistan's Constitution.

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Hollywood movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has created an atmosphere of sensation since its release. The film is busy doing business in the country and abroad. In Pakistan too, Doctor Strange has created such a ruckus that his 5 films released there on Eid have gone awry. Now the situation is that Doctor Strange is getting more screen time in theatres. Due to which all the four films released on Eid have shifted to limited screens.

The Kingship of Hollywood Movies in Pakistani Cinema: These 5 movies released post pandemic were said to be important in terms of boosting Pakistani cinema. Movies were also engaged in doing decent collections. But Doctor Strange showed such a monopoly on the cinema screen that the country's local release was being given negligible space in theatres. On Eid, 1 Punjabi and 4 Urdu movies were released in Pakistan. These movies also got a tough challenge from Hollywood movies. Somewhere more than 50% of the screens have been given to Hollywood movies and somewhere 100%.

Pakistani filmmakers raised their voice: Filmmakers of Pakistan have also raised their voice against this. Frustrated by the attitude of the Pakistani ministry, the filmmakers also spoke about the financial loss caused to them. The team of filmmakers also called a press conference against the emphasis on foreign release over local production. The filmmakers say that we have reservation and we would like to appeal to the government that they have also found a solution for this, where there has been a loss of our investment. The Pakistani public is being turned away from their home-made films.

Wait of the fans is over, teaser of Avatar 2 released

Doctor Strange is pleasing to the hearts of the Indian audience, know what is the earning so far

Priyanka arrives on the sets of the film after bringing her daughter home
Leonid Kravchuk, first president of independent Ukraine, dead at 88 10 May, 08:47 PM Leonid Kravchuk (Photo:NV)

Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine, has died at the age of 88 after a long illness, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainian News reported on May 10, citing Kravchuks family.

Kravchuk underwent heart surgery in 2021 and was placed in intensive care thereafter. At the time, he was the head of Ukraines delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group, a negotiation process involving Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Kravchuk served as President of Ukraine from 1991 to 1994. During his term of service, he signed the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, beginning the process of Ukrainian de-nuclearization. His presidency was widely seen as being unable to halt corruption in the privatization processes occurring in Ukraine as the country transitioned to a market economy, and was embroiled in numerous corruption scandals.

 

Following a failed bid for re-election in 1994, he became an MP for the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine, which was co-founded by oligarchs Viktor Medvedchuk and Grigoriy Surkis. In 2010, he supported Yuliya Tymoshenko for the presidency. The former first president was appointed the head of the Trilateral Contact Group in 2020.

Leonid Kravchuk is survived by his widow, Antonina Kravchuk, his son, and two grandchildren.

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Kathmandu, May 10

Sastodeal, a leading online shopping store in Nepal, has partnered with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to help 3,500 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nepal.

The company says the support will digitise the operations of these MSMEs, at least 60 per cent of whom are women-owned. Sastodeal will help MSMEs digitise payments, delivery and post-sales services in rural areas in Nepal, boosting their sales and helping them recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Thanks to combined funding of USD 100,000 from the SDC and UNCDF, the e-commerce company will receive performance-based grants and technical assistance to provide access to digital marketplaces for last-mile MSMEs.

Working with MSMEs across all seven provinces of Nepal, the online store will help bridge the digital divide between large businesses and MSMEs, it says.
A recent farmdoc daily article (April 28, 2022) examined the impact of late planting on the U.S. average corn yield. The regression estimates indicated a 10 percent increase in late planting leads to about a 2 bushels per acre decrease in the U.S. average corn yield. The results showed that the impact of late planting is linear and rather modest, causing the national corn yield to deviate above or below trend by no more than three bushels in most years. This result is surprising when compared to the findings on planting date impacts from agronomic field trials, which show non-linear and large yield penalties for planting corn after mid-May. One possible explanation for the difference is that the regression estimates are based on U.S. average observations, while the agronomic field trials are state specific. The purpose of this article is to compare regression estimates of late planting impacts and field trial results for the same stateIllinois. This will be helpful in assessing the role of geographic aggregation in the differing findings between the two types of studies.

Analysis

The starting point for the analysis is defining the beginning date for a significant late planting penalty for corn yields. Like our recent analysis for the U.S. (farmdoc daily, April 28, 2022), we define the beginning date for substantial late planting penalties on corn yield in Illinois to be May 30th from 1980 through 1985 and May 20th from 1986 onwards. The change in cutoff dates in the mid-1980s reflects recommendations for earlier planting that appeared around that time.

Figure 1 shows the percentage of corn planted late in Illinois based on the previous definitions over 1980 through 2021. On average, late planting was 15.7 percent, with the bulk of the observations between about 5 and 20 percent. There are four years with exceptionally high levels of late planting: 1995, 2002, 2009, and 2019. The largest level of late planting in the sample is 74 percent in 2019. There is no evidence of a trend up or down over time in the late planting percentage, which suggests that producer behavior in aggregate with respect to late corn planting in Illinois has been quite stable (after adjusting for earlier planting through time).

The next step of the analysis is to estimate the impact of late planting on the Illinois average corn yield. Figure 2 show the relationship between the trend deviation for the statewide yield of corn Illinois and corn acreage planted late over 1980 through 2021. The trend deviation is computed based on a linear trend for Illinois average corn yield over this period. The figure shows that, as expected, there is an overall negative relationship between late planting and corn yield deviations from trend. Specifically, for a 10 percent increase in late planting the Illinois average corn yield decreases by about 1.3 bushels per acre. In comparison, the maximum loss in yield from high levels of late planting can be much larger. For example, the model predicts that the 74 percent level of late planting in 2019 leads to a 7.3 bushel decline below trend. However, the overall impact of late planting is linear and rather modest, causing the Illinois corn yield to deviate above or below trend by no more than two bushels in most years.

It is also important to emphasize that the explanatory power of the regression model in Figure 2 is quite low, as the R2 is only 1.4 percent. The implication is that there is a huge range in yield outcomes for any given level of late planting. Likewise, there are years with low levels of late planting and low yields and vice versa. Two years provide good examples. Late planting was well-above average in 2009 but the corn yield was above trend due to a cool, wet summer. Conversely, late planting in 1983 was relatively low but corn yield was extremely low due to a severe drought that summer.

We can now compare the state regression results for late planting in Illinois with results for agronomic field trials for corn planting dates in Illinois (farmdoc daily, April 14, 2022). Figure 3 presents the results from 42 central and northern Illinois field trial locations over 2007-2021. Data from these experimental field trials reveal two key patterns. First, there is a relatively wide time window for planting corn in Illinois and expecting normal yields. This window runs from roughly early April though early May. Second, the yield penalty is non-linear and increases sharply for planting past mid-May, with reductions as large as 10 to 20 percent. If we assume an Illinois average trend yield for corn in 2022 of 195 bushels per acre, this could then be used to project yield reductions of 20 to 40 bushels per acre below trend for the corn planted past mid-May, with large resulting impacts on the Illinois state average yield of corn. This computation is not meant to be exact, but only to illustrate the non-linear nature of the yield penalty estimated for planting corn in Illinois after mid-May using data from experimental trials.

It is now clear that using data for the same state did not eliminate the difference in findings for the two types of late planting studies. Whether yield data for Illinois or the U.S. is employed, the estimated size of late planting impacts from regression studies is linear and fairly small when compared to the non-linear and large late planting impacts based on agronomic field trials. There are several possible reasons for the differences:

The planting trial results are reported as the percentage of maximum yield in a test location for a given year, which is not the same as deviation from trend yield. The maximum trial yield in any year can be far above or below trend yield for the state or the entire U.S., and the maximum varies across trial locations. This creates an inherent apples and oranges problem when comparing results from the two types of studies. The planting trial results are site-specific within Illinois, while the data used in regression studies are state averages. State average observations may still be at too high of a level of aggregation to accurately reflect impacts at a local level. The explanatory power of planting date in field trial studies is not as high as commonly perceived. For example, the R2 of the regression equation shown in Figure 3 in only 12.6 percent. This means there is a wide variation in the yield outcome in field trials for a particular planting date, especially the later the planting date. As an example, the lowest yield observation for corn in Figure 3 occurs on June 2nd at 62.7 percent of the maximum yield. Other trial outcomes for the same date result in yield at the maximum of 100 percent. The lesson is that there is a wide potential range of yield outcomes on a given planting date even in field trials. There may be a small sample problem with state aggregate data used in regression studies. As shown in Figure 2, there are only a handful of years with late planting greater than 40 percent. These are the years where we would expect late planting impacts to be large, mirroring the non-linear impacts found for very late planting dates in the field trial studies. It may be the case that summer weather was better than average simply by chance in this small handful of years. This was certainly the case in 2019, which was a record year for late planting. If we assume that field trial data is the best available, this means in the future we should expect to see a cluster of years with high levels of late planting and large negative deviations below trend yield. At that point, the aggregate data used in regression studies would show a similar non-linear relationship as is found in field trial studies.

It is important to keep one thing in mind when considering late planting impacts on corn yield from either type of study. The low explanatory power of late planting means that other factors, in particular summer weather, are much more important in explaining deviations from trend yield (e.g., Nielsen, 2015). This is highlighted in Figure 4, which shows trend yield deviation for corn in Illinois versus July precipitation over 1980 through 2021. Nearly half of the trend yield variation from year-to-year is explained by this single variable. The point is not that late planting should be ignored when projecting corn yield, but rather, that its importance should kept in perspective.

Implications

In this article, we compare regression estimates of late planting impacts and field trial results for the same stateIllinois. The regression estimates indicate a 10 percent increase in late planting leads to the Illinois average corn yield decreasing by about 1.3 bushels per acre. Mirroring earlier results for this U.S., the overall impact of late planting is linear and rather modest, causing the Illinois corn yield to deviate above or below trend by no more than two bushels in most years. This can be compared to the results from field trials that the yield penalty for planting past mid-May is non-linear and substantial, with reductions as large as 10 to 20 percent. There is no single explanation for the different results between the two types of studies. Whatever is the correct explanation, it is important to keep in mind that the explanatory power of late planting is low in both types of studies. Other factors are much more important. For example, July precipitation explains nearly half of the trend yield variation from year-to-year in Illinois. It is no wonder that the golden number for corn production in the U.S. is July precipitation. Planting date is a sideshow by comparison.
(Adds details)

PARIS, May 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday discussed the war in Ukraine and the global food crisis arising from it, and called for an urgent ceasefire, the Elysee said after a phone call between the two leaders.

"The two heads of state reiterated their commitment to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine", the Elysee presidential office said.

The Elysee said Macron and Xi had discussed France`s FARM (Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission) initiative as a response to the risk of food.

In light of tight COVID-related restrictions on people movements in China, Macron called on China to take into account the concerns of the French community there, notably by maintaining air links with France, by allowing travel to airports and by ensuring children would not be separated from their parents.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel Editing by GV De Clercq, William Maclean)
The Insight Partners

The oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market size is projected to grow from $125.66 million in 2021 to $179.34 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% during 20212028.

New York, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Insight Partners published latest research study on  Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) Devices Market Forecast to 2028  COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis  by Product (Mouthpiece PEP Devices, Face Mask PEP Devices, and Bottle PEP Devices), Indication [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Bronchitis, Bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis, and Others], and Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies, and Retail Pharmacies), the global oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market growth is driven by the growing prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and advancements in medical technologies. The mouthpiece PEP devices segment held the largest market share of 94.68% in 2021. The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) segment dominated the global market and accounted for the largest market share of 34.60% in 2021.





The Sample Pages Showcases Content Structure and Nature of Information Included in This Research Study Which Presents A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPRE00015230/







Report Coverage Details Market Size Value in US$ 125.66 Million in 2021 Market Size Value by US$ 179.34 Million by 2028 Growth rate CAGR of 5.2% from 2021-2028 Forecast Period 2021-2028 Base Year 2021 No. of Pages 175 No. Tables 84 No. of Charts & Figures 77 Historical data available Yes Segments covered Product, Indication, and Distribution Channel Regional scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; MEA Country scope US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Argentina Report coverage Revenue forecast, company ranking, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends





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Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) Devices Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Allergan Plc.; PARI GmbH; Smiths Medical; AirPhysio; D R BURTON HEALTHCARE; Medica Holdings, LLC; CEGLA Medizintechnik GmbH & Co. KG; Able Healthcare; Trudell Medical International; and Mercury Medica are among the leading companies operating in the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market. These players are focusing on expanding and diversifying their market presence, and acquiring new customer bases, thereby tapping prevailing business opportunities.





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In February 2020, Smiths Medical, a pioneering medical device manufacturer, launched an oscillatory positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) therapy educational program on the Doctors.net.uk network.

In August 2019, Intalere provided D-R Burton Healthcare their iPEP and PocketPEP Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure devices. After the demonstration of iPEP and PocketPEP at the Intalere Emerging Technology Expo held during the company's annual member conference, D-R Burton Healthcare awarded the agreement at a negotiated price to Intalere members.

In 2020, North America dominated the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market. The US holds the largest share of the market in this region. The market growth in the US is attributed to the growing pervasiveness of chronic pulmonary diseases, along with rising technological advancements.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma affects 1 out of every 13 people in the US. This corresponds to a patient pool of over 25 million in the country. OPEP devices use in patients with asthma for effective clearing mucus from the airways in the chest. For instance, Smiths Medical, a pioneering global medical device manufacturer, announced the launch of an oscillatory positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) therapy educational program on the Doctors.net.uk network. In addition to robust medical infrastructure, the early access to new products and equipment favors the growth of the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market in the region.





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Increasing Demand for Non-Pharmacological Treatment Methods for Increasing Mobilization Boosts Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) Devices Market Growth:

OPEP is a non-pharmacologic therapy that can help in airway mucus hypersecretion mobilization and elimination. Mucus clearance can improve pulmonary mechanics and facilitate gas exchange in respiratory diseases, such as COPD and cystic fibrosis, reducing breathlessness, preventing recurring infection, reducing exacerbations and hospitalization, and improving life quality. Several OPEP devices are available in the market, but only a few have documented the proof of efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and patient benefit. Doctors/specialists examine the evidence and prescribe the use of various OPEP devices in mucus clearance therapy.

The use of OPEP devices for a short period of time can minimize moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations, resulting in fewer rehospitalizations and emergency room (ER) visits. By forcing the airways open for a longer duration during exhalation with increased resistance (PEP devices) or short pulses of resistance, the OPEP devices lower mucus viscoelasticity, facilitate mucus mobilization, and as a result, promote mucus clearance. These gadgets have been shown to be equally effective as traditional chest physiotherapy products when used correctly. Therefore, the increasing demand for non-pharmacological treatment methods contributes to the growth of the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market.

Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) Devices Market: Segmental Overview

Based on product, the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market is segmented into the face mask PEP devices, mouthpiece PEP devices, and bottle PEP devices. In 2021, the mouthpiece PEP devices segment held the largest share of the market. The same segment is expected to register the highest CAGR in the market from 2021 to 2028.





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Based on indication, the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market is segmented into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, and others. In 2021, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) segment held the largest share of the market. However, the asthma segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on distribution channel, the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and online pharmacies. In 2021, the hospital pharmacies segment held the largest share of the market. However, the retail pharmacies segment is expected to record the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

COVID-19 has placed a tremendous strain on healthcare systems globally. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the demand for diagnostic and therapeutic devices increased dramatically in hospitals with the chaotic situation erupted in the healthcare sector. Many health authorities shifted their focus on pandemic-related care in 2020. They postponed elective surgeries, suspended outpatient clinics, and triaged employees involved in urgent care to lower the disease transmission rate at hospitals. However, treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) became critical as these patients are at a greater risk of more adverse outcomes. Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) devices are used as a self-care product by COPD and Covid 19 patients; this device can avoid pneumonia in leukemia patients, probably by reducing evident lung infiltrates via alveolar inflating and secretion relaxation. It can enhance airway clearance and boost functional residual capacity. PEP consumption has been linked to improved gas exchange and reduced atelectasis. Thus, these factors have shown steady growth to the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices market.





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Browse Adjoining Reports:

Asthma Drugs Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Medications (Quick Relief Medications and Long-Term Control Medications), Route of Administration (Inhaled, Prefilled Syringes/Vials, and Others), and Distribution Channels (Online Pharmacies, Hospital Pharmacies, and Retail Pharmacies)

Medical Inhaler Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product (Dry Powder Inhaler, Metered Dose Inhaler, Others); Application (Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, Others); End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Respiratory Care Center, Others) and Geography

Pediatric Healthcare Market Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - By Type Of Disease (Chronic Diseases, Acute Diseases) ; Indication (Asthma and allergies, Diabetes, Obesity, Cardiac Disorders, Genetic Disorders, Others) ; Treatment (Immunotherapy, Medications, Surgeries, Others) and Geography

PFT Systems Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Complete PFT Systems, Portable PFT Systems); Test Type (Spirometry, Lung Volume, Gas Exchange Testing, Maximal Voluntary Ventilation, Oxygen Titration Test, High Altitude Simulation Testing); Application (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Chronic Shortness of Breath, Restrictive Lung Disease); End User (Hospitals and Clinicals, Diagnostics Laboratories)

Medical Non-invasive Ventilator Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Systems, Consumables); Application (COPD and Asthma, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Others); End-User (Hospitals and Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others.)

Positive Expiratory Pressure Devices Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Face Mask PEP Devices, Mouthpiece PEP Devices, Bottle PEP Devices); Pressure Type (High Pressure PEP (26-102cm H2O), Low-Pressure PEP (5-20cm H2O)); Application (Atelectasis, Bronchiectasis, Bronchitis, Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, COPD); End User (Hospital And Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Others)

Spirometers Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type(Handheld Spirometers, Table Top Spirometers and Desktop Spirometers); Technology(Volume, Flow and Peak Flow); Application(Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Pulmonary Fibrosis and Others); End users(Hospitals , Home healthcare, Clinical Laboratories, Others)

Pulmonary Drug Delivery Devices/Systems Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product (Capsule Endoscopy, Drug Delivery, Patient Monitoring) By Application (Asthma, COPD, Allergic Rhinitis, Cystic Fibrosis and Others) and By End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Research Institutes and Home Healthcare)

Invasive Mechanical Ventilators Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Application (COPD and Asthma, Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Others); End User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Others)

















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(Bloomberg) -- Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and Peter Thiel, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, are backing a startup investing firm that says it plans to go head to head against large money managers that promote stakeholder capitalism and political agendas.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Strive Asset Management, co-founded by pharmaceutical investor Vivek Ramaswamy, has raised about $20 million, according to a statement Tuesday. Ramaswamy said large fund managers are investing their clients money to influence US public companies to further political agendas that many of their clients disagree with.

I dont believe a small number of asset managers should have such huge influence on how companies are run, Ramaswamy, based in Columbus, Ohio, said in an interview. He wrote a book last year called Woke Inc.

Ramaswamy said he spent two years traveling across the US and spoke with everyday Americans who said they want companies, including Walt Disney Co., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Twitter Inc., to deliver excellent products and services, and not support divisive political issues that fragment them as both customers and shareholders of these companies.

Disney has come under fire from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the theme-park operator expressed opposition to a state bill designed to restrict discussion of sexual orientation in schools. Exxon is being pressured by environmentally-conscious investors to reduce its role in climate change.

Thiel, a powerful conservative billionaire, has become increasingly active in politics as a backer of candidates aligned with Trump. He is supporting candidates ahead of Novembers midterm elections and donated millions of dollars to the successful campaign of Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance in Ohios Republican primary race for Senate. Thiel has lambasted ESG for being a hate factory.

Story continues

Stakeholder capitalism encourages corporations to consider its impacts on society by including the interests of customers, employees and communities in addition to shareholders. The Business Roundtable, a group of the largest U.S. corporations, said in a landmark statement three years ago that it was redefining the purpose of companies to promote an economy that serves all Americans.

BlackRock Inc. Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink has said companies will be left behind if they dont embrace sustainable business practices. He has recently hit back at critics who say that considering environmental impact in investing decisions is a politically motivated fad.

Investor resolutions that pressure corporations to act on social and environmental issues attracted unprecedented support during last years shareholder meetings as BlackRock and other large money managers threw their heft behind proposals focused on climate change and racial disparities.

Last year, Ackman extolled the virtues of sustainable investing, telling his investors that capitalism is likely the most powerful force for good in addressing societys ills. The billionaire said successful businesses operating ethically and sustainably can create high-paying jobs, produce large long-term profits for investors and provide goods and services that materially increase their customers quality of life.

Pershing also said it was committed to identifying opportunities for the firm to engage with communities to promote equity, social justice and inclusion.

We believe that good ESG practices are fundamentally aligned with running a successful business, Ackman wrote in a March 2021 letter to investors in Pershing Square Holdings Ltd.

Strives other backers include Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies Inc., and Nicholas Green, who runs Thrive Market, a natural and organic goods seller thats also registered as a company that seeks to balance profit and the purpose. Such B-Corp companies make legal commitments to be accountable to all stakeholders.

(Adds Thiels support of Republican candidates in sixth paragraph)

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Sarah Carter joined JMX Brands in August 2021, and two months later was promoted to category manager.

JMX Brands, the largest online retailer of Amish furniture at https://www.dutchcrafters.com, recently presented Category Manager Sarah Carter with the Service Award during its annual awards ceremony.

The award recognizes one employees spirit of service and generosity, which builds community inside and outside of the organization.

During the ceremony, Director of Marketing and Giving Committee Chairperson Debra Gingerich highlighted Carters tireless community building in the Sarasota office. After recently relocating to the LaGrange, Indiana, office, her commitment to building community at JMX Brands continued when Carter volunteered to provide the meal for the awards ceremony.

Carter joined JMX Brands in August 2021 as a product category marketing assistant and was quickly promoted two months later to category manager.

She will receive a day off work to volunteer and a donation will be given in her name to an organization of her choosing. Carter has selected Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network.



Frazier

Following an extensive, nationwide search, the Pines of Sarasota Foundation Board of Trustees has named Ruth Frazier as the organizations new president. Frazier will succeed Janet K. Ginn, who is retiring.

Fraziers tenure as president will begin June 7.

She has over 20 years of experience with nonprofits, working in California for two large hospices and an educational organization before becoming chief development officer for a national organization based in Louisiana.

She moved to Sarasota in 2019 to join Senior Friendship Centers as its first chief development officer.

Frazier earned a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas. She is a certified fundraising executive and has received certificates in nonprofit management from Louisiana State University and fundraising management from the esteemed Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.



Smith-Josiah

Scarlett Hotel Group announced April 25 that Danika Smith-Josiah, of Sarasota, has been promoted to regional vice president of operations.

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Since starting at SHG four years ago, Smith-Josiahs leadership skills have demonstrated the skill set required to move into an executive position. This role will provide support, training and guidance to hotel general managers nationwide in SHGs rapidly growing hospitality portfolio.

Smith-Josiah has a successful background in hospitality leadership. After working at InterContinental Hotels Group as a corporate trainer and general manager for nearly 10 years, she made the move to SHG in 2018.

She began as a general manager of one of SHGs properties in Sarasota and soon was promoted to director of learning and development, where she spearheaded a variety of development programs for SHG leaders to ultimately help the company increase profit and revenue, market share, client retention rates and employee satisfaction ratings.

Smith-Josiah received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Technology, Jamaica, a bachelors in hospitality administration from Florida International University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University.



Hodson

Lewis

As Sarasota experiences a boom in housing, tourism and population growth, Shumaker is expanding its team to meet the growing need for legal services.

Ashley Hodson is joining the firm as partner in the Wealth Strategies Service Line and Alicia Lewis is joining as a senior attorney in the Real Estate and Development Service Line.

Hodson has years of experience in complex estate planning, trust and estate administration, and federal income, estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning.

In addition to the growth in wealth planning, Shumakers Sarasota office is expanding to meet the increased demand in real estate and development projects. Senior Attorney Alicia Lewis will focus on this area.

Lewis has spent her career practicing land use, zoning, government procurement, public/private partnerships, affordable housing, environmental law, entitlement due diligence, community outreach, and municipal government law.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: JMX presents Service Award, Pines names new president
NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the rising prevalence of CVDs, the cardiac monitoring market was valued at $7,965.7 million in 2021, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2021 to 2030, to reach $16,124.0 million by 2030. According the market research report published by P&S Intelligence. The continuous monitoring of heart health is essential due to lifestyle changes; as a result, medical technology businesses are introducing a variety of products.

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Biotricity Inc. launched Bioheart, a heart monitor that allows for rhythm tracking for 48 hours on a full battery, in November 2021. According to the WHO, CVDs are the largest cause of death worldwide, killing 17.9 million people each year. Excessive smoking of cigarettes, obesity, high cholesterol levels, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, diabetes, and alcohol consumption directly impair heart health.

Get the sample pages of this report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cardiac-monitoring-market/report-sample

Key Findings of Cardiac Monitoring Market Report

In 2021, the North American cardiac monitoring market accounted for $2,998.3 million in revenue, which will rise at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2021 to 2030. The increasing healthcare expenditure, growing prevalence of CVDs, advancing disposable income, and increasing healthcare knowledge drive the market in the region

Boston Scientific Corporation bought Preventice Solutions Inc. in January 2021 to offer portable ambulatory cardiac monitors and other devices that are essential to sound heart health.

Similarly, ZOLL Medical Corporation declared the purchase of Cardiac Science Corporation in August 2019 to increase AED production for cardiac monitoring and deliver related accessories and services.

The early identification of arrhythmias can help prevent serious heart events; as a result, the demand for cardiac monitoring devices is increasing since these devices can save patients in whom the risk of sudden cardiac arrest is high.

In 2021, hospitals produced approximately $3,070.3 million in cardiac monitoring market revenue, and it is expected to grow at a 7.8% CAGR in the forecast period. Every year, around 6.9% of the patients with ischemic heart disease or a history of myocardial infarction are hospitalized in the U.S. While, approximately 7.2% of the patients with heart illnesses end up in emergency rooms.

In China and the U.A.E., 58% and 46% of the patients, respectively, send data to healthcare experts via connected devices. In contrast, the percentages are roughly 12%, 17%, and 26% in Germany, Sweden, and the U.K., respectively.

Browse detailed report on Global Cardiac Monitoring Market Size, Share and Demand Forecast Through 2030

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To attain a prominent foothold in the cardiac monitoring market, companies have launched new products and acquired other companies in recent years. Major companies in the market are Boston Scientific Corporation, GE Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, BIOTRONIK, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Hill-Rom Holdings, Medtronic plc, and Asahi Kasei Corporation.

In 2021, the resting ECG category contributed roughly 38% of the sales revenue. This was due to the devices' ability to diagnose heart health more quickly and accurately than other monitoring technologies. These devices can also be utilized in conjunction with a variety of other telemetry monitoring equipment, diagnostic tests, and medical treatments.

Cardiac Monitoring Market Segmentation Analysis

By Product

Resting ECG

Stress ECG

MCT

Holter Monitoring

ICM Monitoring

Cardiac Event Monitoring

Cardiac Output Monitoring

By Mode

Standard

Ambulatory

By End User

Hospitals

Specialty Cardiac Centers & Clinics

Diagnostic Centers

Regional Outlook

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

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P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cardiac-monitoring-market-set-to-generate-16-124-million-revenue-by-2030--says-ps-intelligence-301543434.html

SOURCE P&S Intelligence
MIAMISBURG, Ohio, May 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Crane 1 Services Inc. is pleased to announce that on April 29, 2022, Crane 1 Services Inc. purchased the assets of Hoist & Crane Systems, Inc. (H&C), a leading service and equipment provider of overhead crane inspections, repairs and maintenance, parts, and crane systems headquartered in the greater Charlotte market.

H&C has been in business since 1977 and was owned by Mark Dunn and Warren Penzer. This combination of Crane 1 and H&C offers our collective team a new and enhanced value proposition including exceptionally talented teams, complementary service offerings and differentiated equipment solutions. We will be able to deliver more value for our customers, suppliers, and shareholders. Importantly, we also will be able to provide greater opportunities for our employees as they further their careers within the Crane 1 family.

H&C will continue their operations in Matthews, NC, a suburb of Charlotte, and will continue to service existing and new customers at the high level of quality and responsiveness on which their customers have grown to know and rely. H&C is a highly regarded regional player with an excellent reputation, high integrity, and a very experienced and excellent management team. H&C provides Crane 1 with the key attributes that we would look for in any acquisition including, but not limited to, a high-performing management team, consistent and growing customer base, and opportunities for expansion and continued growth.

H&Cs ability to provide a strong equipment design and fabrication along with a proficient service presence led by skilled and trained technicians makes the combination of our companies a natural fit that aligns nicely with Crane 1s vision of being the #1 independent solution provider of overhead crane inspection, service and fabrication within the United States. The foundation of H&Cs culture is its reputation for delivering reliable overhead crane solutions and standing behind its products and services to make sure every customer is 100% satisfied. Its leader, Mark Dunn, who will continue to lead the team moving forward, has guided the H&C team through a period of significant growth and is recognized as a high integrity team-oriented leader.

"We are thrilled to add H&C to the Crane 1 family and proud to welcome our new team members. This asset purchase adds another strategic building block for Crane 1 as a leading, independent technical field service company focused on providing safe and exceptional solutions which lead to equipment uptime and reliability for our customers. The purchase also furthers our strategy of growing through highly selective acquisitions of companies with excellent reputations in the overhead crane market that expand our geographic service footprint." Thomas Boscher, President and CEO of Crane 1

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"Over the last 20 years, Warren Penzer and I, along with our team, have built an incredible company. Providing excellent customer service, creative solutions, and dependable service to our customers is, and will always be, our main priority. We have grown by investing in our employees while providing our customers the highest quality products and service. As we transition from our current ownership to the new ownership of Crane 1, I am proud to say we share the same core values of integrity, employee focus, and outstanding customer service. We are excited to become a part of the Crane 1 family. Together we will strive to grow in our market while remaining respectful, honest, and caring to our employees and customers." Mark Dunn, President of Hoist & Crane

"H&C is a high-quality company and shares the key values we seek in partners as we expand our national footprint. H&Cs deep customer relationships grounded in exceptional customer service are the strong foundation that will support our long-term growth in the greater Charlotte and Carolinas markets. We are excited to welcome Mark, Warren and their team to the Crane 1 family and look forward to building our footprint in the region in the coming months and years." Sean Barrette, Partner, L Squared Capital

We are extremely excited about this strategic acquisition as we have nearly 30 team members and 260 years of collective experience joining our team. This acquisition is consistent with L Squared Capitals, our private equity sponsor, original investment thesis when acquiring Crane 1 Services which was to provide the capital support to allow for geographic service expansion and provide greater expertise within the Overhead Crane & Hoist service industry. This transaction represents our second acquisition with L Squared Capital and our eighth overall acquisition since 2015.

About Crane 1

Crane 1 is a leading provider of overhead crane MRO services and equipment that maximize safety, diminish liability, reduce maintenance costs, and increase overall productivity. The Company offers a full suite of services, including OSHA mandated inspections, maintenance, repair, design and installation of overhead crane systems and below-the-hook lifting devices. Additionally, Crane 1 recently launched a leading ecommerce site branded "Hoist Central," providing customers with the highest level of service on hard-to-find controls and parts. Crane 1 is headquartered in Miamisburg, OH and operates across 17 states. For additional information, please visit www.crane1.com or www.hoistcentral.com

About Hoist & Crane Systems, Inc.

Hoist & Crane was founded in 1977 with a goal of providing customers with the best products and service in the industry. The company is a full-service crane company offering engineering, fabrication, installation and 24/7 service after the sale. Since 2002, under the ownership and leadership of Mark Dunn and Warren Penzer, the team has grown to five locations and built a team of nearly 30 employees committed to doing whats right for customers and supporting each other. The team has strong experience in a broad range of industries, including manufacturing and process industries, power generation, municipalities, and government. Hoist & Crane is committed to providing customers with quality equipment and service that exceeds their expectations.

About L Squared Capital

L Squared Capital Partners is an investment firm headquartered in Newport Beach, CA that seeks to make long-term investments in leading growth companies that operate in targeted sectors: Education Technology, Tech-Enabled Services & Software, and Industrial Technology & Services. Our unique investor base of family offices enables us to focus on long-term value creation driven by revenue and earnings growth, not financial engineering, or market timing. The principals of L Squared have worked together for over a decade and have over 100 years of combined experience investing in growing private companies. For additional information, please visit www.LSquaredCap.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005572/en/

Contacts

Thomas Boscher

President and Chief Executive Officer, Crane 1

Office: (937) 704-9900

thomas.boscher@crane1.com



Sean Barrette

Partner, L Squared Capital

Board Member, Crane 1

Office: (949) 398-0168

sbarrette@lsquaredcap.com
(Bloomberg) -- Credit Suisse Group AG is heading for a court battle with Sanjeev Guptas GFG Alliance after talks over more than a billion dollars in debts to the bank stalled.

Most Read from Bloomberg

In London on Tuesday the court hearing between the steel magnate and the Swiss bank thats been delayed by a nearly a year will take place. At stake is a large swathe of the tycoons metals empire, which is heavily indebted to Credit Suisse and could be wound up.

Negotiations between Credit Suisse and GFG for a broader restructuring of its U.K. and U.S. debts have since broken down, according to a person familiar with the matter. The London hearing is set to last two days, but may be held behind closed doors due to court rules brought in at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to protect companies facing insolvency.

The lender became a major creditor to Guptas businesses through its supply chain finance funds which bought loans Greensill Capital made to GFG. They were eventually frozen -- with Credit Suisse citing concerns about their valuation -- while Greensill slid promptly into administration.

Since then the bank has been attempting to recover what it can for its clients. It filed several winding up petitions against GFGs companies last year, but hearings for them have been repeatedly delayed, giving Gupta more time to find new financing.

The status of the talks were first reported by the Financial Times. Credit Suisse declined to comment.

While hes had some successes, over a year later most of the task remains uncompleted, undermined by concerns about GFGs historical financing practices. Those only grew more acute following Greensills collapse, when it became apparent much of the firms invoice-based loans to Gupta were based on predicted future sales rather than concluded ones.

Story continues

Our core international businesses continue to generate strong returns and achieve record production levels, a GFG spokesperson said. We remain committed to repaying all creditors and continue to make positive progress toward a consensual debt restructuring thats in the best interest of all stakeholders.

Other revelations include the lack of equity used to secure his biggest ever acquisition from ArcelorMittal SA. Four banks stopped working with Guptas commodity trading business, starting in 2016, after they became concerned about what they perceived to be problems with paperwork used to secure financing.

Meanwhile, Gupta has already lost major assets as other creditors closed in. The collapse of Greensill deprived his businesses of vital working capital, forcing him to sell two steel plants in France. Private equity firm American Industrial Partners also took control of his prized aluminum smelter in Dunkirk after it defaulted on its debts.

(Updates with GFG comment in the eighth paragraph)

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Zero Hash

The Currency.com exchange will enable US investors buy and store popular cryptocurrencies

CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Currency.com, one of the fastest-growing crypto exchanges, today announced a partnership with Zero Hash, a leader in B2B2C digital assets infrastructure solutions, to enable US clients to buy and store popular cryptocurrencies.



"We are pleased to power the expansion of access to the Currency.com product by enabling US clients to buy, sell, deposit, and withdraw a range of cryptocurrencies," said Edward Woodford, CEO of Zero Hash. "We are excited to partner with Currency.com as they continue to promote the adoption of digital assets.

Currency.com's launch in the US follows strong growth across its global business. In 2021, Currency.com saw overall trading activity on its platform increase by 445% from a year earlier. Through this partnership with Zero Hash, Currency.coms clients in the United States will be able to trade the most popular cryptocurrencies immediately, in 51 US jurisdictions

"Our expansion into the United States represents a milestone moment in the growth of Currency.com as we introduce our simplified, intuitive web-based platform to one of the world's most mature cryptocurrency markets," said Steve Gregory, CEO of Currency.com, US. "We are proud to partner with Zero Hash, which provides a plug and play approach to effectively open up access to US persons through a series of API endpoints. This will support Currency.com in the onboarding of new clients as we grow and expand.

About Zero Hash

Zero Hash is a B2B embedded infrastructure platform that allows any platform to integrate digital assets natively into their own customer experience quickly and easily (a matter of API endpoints). Zero Hashs turnkey solution handles the entire backend complexity and regulatory licensing required to offer crypto products.

Zero Hash powers neo-banks, broker-dealers, payment groups as well as non-financial brands to offer digital asset trading and custody, crypto-backed rewards and round-ups programs, and the ability to earn crypto through staking and DeFi. Clients include MoneyLion, Transak, Deserve, DraftKings, Step, MoonPay, tastyworks. Zero Hash is backed by investors, including Point72 Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and NYCA.

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Zero Hash Holdings Ltd. is a Delaware C-Corp that wholly owns Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC. Zero Hash LLC is a FinCen-registered Money Service Business and a regulated Money Transmitter that can operate in 51 US jurisdictions. Zero Hash also holds a virtual currency license from NYDFS. In Canada, Zero Hash LLC is registered as a Money Service Business with FINTRAC.

About Currency.com

Currency.com is a high-growth, crypto exchange helping everyone securely connect with the booming world of cryptocurrencies. An innovator in the fiat-to-crypto space, it allows investors to buy, store and invest in top-traded cryptocurrencies. To help investors trade with confidence, the exchange is fitted with robust risk management controls, transparent pricing and extensive financial education content.

In 2021, the crypto platform reported a 343% growth in its client base, making it one of Europes fastest growing cryptocurrency exchanges platforms.

Currency Com US LLC is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business. Its parent entity, Currency Com Limited, is authorised by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission to provide Distributed Ledger Technology services under licence number 25032. Currency.com has offices located in Cyprus, US, and Gibraltar.

To find out more, visit www.currency.com .

Media Contacts

Zero Hash

Edward Woodford

edward@zerohash.com



Currency.com

Shamillia Sivathambu

shamillia.sivathambu@capital.com




DIAGNOS Inc.

BROSSARD, Quebec, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diagnos Inc. (DIAGNOS, the Corporation or we) (TSX Venture: ADK) (OTCQB: DGNOF) a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of its FLAIRE platform based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with Farmacias Benavides, a member of Walgreens Boots Alliance in Mexico.



In Farmacias Benavides we are focussed on providing the best health and wellness products for Mexican families. As we keep our evolution into a much more digital health and integrated ecosystem, were happy to announce the service contract with DIAGNOS in order to support the Benamedic Wellness program. DIAGNOS uses non-invasive pre-screening technology done through the eye for early detection of retina diseases in real- time caused by diabetes, pre-diabetes (obesity) and hypertension. Unfortunately, 7 out of every 10 people are overweight in Mexico. We want to make DIAGNOS AI retina service, which commence in the next few weeks, accessible through our Benamedic Wellness program, stated Mr. Guillermo Demis, CEO of Farmacias Benavides.

Benamedic is a catalog of medical services carry out by Farmacias Benavides, member of Walgreens Boots Alliance, through its extensive network of doctors at the points-of-care attached to the pharmacy stores. The objective is to provide medical guidance to the national population in Mexico.

DIAGNOS has proven the efficiency of its AI solution and our experience in the roll-out of mass retina screening projects in the Mexican market. By joining efforts with Farmacias Benavides, a member of Walgreens Boots Alliance, we have the opportunity to serve the Mexican families by educating and preventing them from blindness caused by diabetes and hypertension: at least 4 out of every 10 people have either diabetes and/or hypertension, and still half of the population remains undiagnosed with having diabetes, mentions Mr. Andre Larente, President of DIAGNOS.

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About Farmacias Benavides

Farmacias Benavides is the market leader in retail sales of health and wellness products in Mexico. With 104 years of experience, they have a presence in more than 197 cities in 24 states. They own a network of more than 1,100 pharmacies, more than 400 medical offices and a high-tech distribution center. The chain is operated by more than 8,000 collaborators offering a catalog of more than 16,000 different products of commercial and own brands focused on helping the health and well-being of its customers.

Additional information is available at: www.benavides.com.mx

About Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)

Walgreens Boots Alliance is an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader serving millions of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities. With approximately 13,000 locations across the U.S., Europe and Latin America, WBA plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem. Through dispensing medicines, improving access to a wide range of health services, providing high quality health and beauty products and offering anytime, anywhere convenience across its digital platforms, WBA is shaping the future of healthcare.

Additional information is available: www.walgreensbootsalliance.com/investors

About DIAGNOS

DIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation dedicated to early detection of critical health problems based on its FLAIRE Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. FLAIRE allows for quick modifying and developing of applications such as CARA (Computer Assisted Retina Analysis). CARAs image enhancement algorithms provide sharper, clearer and easier-to-analyze retinal images. CARA is a cost-effective tool for real-time screening of large volumes of patients. CARA has been cleared for commercialization by the following regulators: Health Canada, the FDA (USA), CE (Europe), COFEPRIS (Mexico) and Saudi FDA (Saudi Arabia).

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.com and www.sedar.com

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.



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: For further information, please contact: Mr. Andre Larente, President DIAGNOS Inc. Tel: 450-678-8882 ext. 224 alarente@diagnos.ca




ReportLinker

Feed Packaging Market Research Report by Pets (Birds, Cats, and Dogs), Type, Form, Livestock, Material, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Feed Packaging Market Research Report by Pets, Type, Form, Livestock, Material, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06258263/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Feed Packaging Market size was estimated at USD 16.02 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 16.93 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 5.85% to reach USD 22.54 billion by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Feed Packaging to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Pets, the market was studied across Birds, Cats, Dogs, and Fish.



Based on Type, the market was studied across Flexible and Rigid.



Based on Form, the market was studied across Chilled & Frozen Foods, Dry, Pet Treats, and Wet.



Based on Livestock, the market was studied across Poultry, Ruminants, and Swine.



Based on Material, the market was studied across Jute, Metal, Paper & Paperboards, and Plastic.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.



This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Feed Packaging market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Feed Packaging Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Feed Packaging Market, including ABC Packaging Direct, Amcor Limited, Ball Corporation, Berry Global, Inc, Constantia Flexibles Group, Coveris Holdings S.A., EL Dorado Packaging, Inc., Huhtamaki OYJ, LC Packaging, MNZ Group, Mondi Group, NPP Group Limited, NYP Corp., Plasteuropa Group, ProAmpac, Shenzhen Longma Industrial Co., Limited, Silgan Holdings Inc., Sonoco Products Company, and Winpack Ltd..



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Feed Packaging Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Feed Packaging Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Feed Packaging Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Feed Packaging Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Feed Packaging Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Feed Packaging Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Feed Packaging Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06258263/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Hannah Williams of TikTok account Salary Transparent Street. Hannah Williams

Hannah Williams asks strangers how much money they make for her TikTok account, Salary Transparent Street.

She made the account after finding out she was underpaid and hopes it can help break the taboo around discussing pay.

This is her story, as told to Insider's Sarah Jackson.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hannah Williams, who runs the TikTok account Salary Transparent Street. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Last summer, I was in a bad situation. I was burned out, I learned I was underpaid, and I asked for more money but they denied me. It was a really low point in my career.

Fast forward a few months, I changed jobs and then started a TikTok account called Stocks and Squats. I had hopped five jobs in two-and-a-half years and increased my salary from $40,000 as a telemarketer fresh out of college to $115,000 at my current job as a senior data analyst at a government contracting firm in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. At the same time, I had gotten into the best shape of my life. Both finances and fitness inspired the name of the account.

I started talking about my past jobs on Stocks and Squats, including how much money I made in each role, what my experiences were, and how I broke into data analysis. Some of those videos went viral, and I heard from a lot of people telling me the transparency was really eye-opening for them.

At one point, I asked my viewers what they thought of me going out on the street and asking people how much they make. A lot of them liked the idea, so I tried it, with my fiance as the cameraman, and that was the birth of Salary Transparent Street in mid-April.

Why pay transparency matters

Talking about pay really helps people who are more likely to be discriminated against and taken advantage of in the workplace, such as women and people of color. When we don't talk about pay, we make it difficult for others to grow professionally.

My goal is to try to remove the taboo around pay conversations to help close the gender pay gap, improve diversity and inclusion in companies, and reduce discrimination.

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I wasn't expecting this account to find the success it did, but I'm thrilled. Besides the account, we've made some free resources for our community, including a board where people can anonymously share their jobs and salaries, and we've already received 1,000 responses so far.

(In Salary Transparent Street's most-watched TikTok, which has more than 19 million views as of this writing and was filmed in Alexandria, Virginia, an attorney with nine years of experience says she makes $134,000, and a teacher with five years of experience reports making $53,000.)

How I shoot videos

We try to interview people at least three days a week, usually filming for one to two hours to get enough content to last a week.

Two or three years ago, I wouldn't have had the guts to do this. I think what changed is I gained more courage and confidence in my career, realizing my worth through changing jobs and realizing I'm not at the bottom of the totem pole just because of my age or experience. That has influenced how I'm able to approach people on the street.

Some viewers think we only profile people who make a certain amount, but that's not the case. Unfortunately, people with very high or very low pay don't want to speak to us as much as people with more average pay. This is exactly the thing I'm trying to combat. I want people to know your pay doesn't dictate who you are, your value, your intelligence, or your worth in society.

Some people are hesitant to share their salaries, and we try to talk to them about why it's valuable to have these conversations. Not everyone changes their mind right away, but if we can get them to think about it, then I think I've achieved my goal.

Salary Transparent Street is growing very fast; hopefully, we can grow to something that can be monetized.

We're going on a tour this summer, planning to hit all 50 state capitals and surrounding areas to show the discrepancy of salaries in different areas. The area where I live hasn't shown as many disparities because of the high cost of living. Once we go nationwide, we'll be able to highlight much bigger disparities.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A swimwear company gets all their product data into a central, digital hub

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Centric Software is delighted to announce the release of a success story about its customer, Frankies Bikinis.

FRANKIES BIKINIS DIVES INTO EFFICIENCY WITH CENTRIC PLM

Not only did we need a great design and development group, we needed a system to track and accelerate it.

Frankies Bikinis, the beachwear lifestyle brand is based in Venice, California. Founded by Francesca Aiello in 2012, she went from creating bikinis for friends, to debuting at Miami Swim Week in 2014 as the youngest designer ever to do so. Frankies designs are sported by supermodels and celebrities like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and JLo.

Kalin Mowry, Director of Production and Development brought big changes to the product development process. Recognizing the need to move away from spreadsheets and email, she also aimed to move the design and development from third-party contractors to in-house. Mowry built a case for PLM as well as an in-house team. "Not only did we need a great design and development group, we needed a system to track and accelerate it. The spreadsheets and basically all of the archaic ways of tracking weren't really suitable for how quickly we were growing."

Now, they have all their product data in a central, digital hub and communication among team members is efficient. Every department is using Centric PLM to execute tasks from concepting, design, development and SKU creation to CAD, costing and setting pricing for both retail and wholesale.

Find out more details in the success story!

Read the full story

Request a Demo

FRANKIES BIKINIS, LLC. (www.frankiesbikinis.com)

In 2012 founder Francesca Aiello began her mission to create the perfect bikini, gaining momentum when she began to showcase her swimsuit designs on Instagram. After creating two collections, Francesca became the youngest designer to ever debut at Miami Swim Week in 2014. Her designs are worn by supermodels and celebrities including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner.

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Frankies Bikinis is a global online destination for fashion-forward beachwear inspired by Malibu and made in Los Angeles. Known for high-end fabrics, fashion forward shapes, and cheeky bottoms, the bikinis look great on everybody. Since the company's inception, Francesca Aiello has evolved the brand into a beach lifestyle brand, expanding product offerings to include ready-to-wear clothing and beauty. Frankies Bikinis' designs can be found in better retail boutiques nationwide including Revolve, Intermix, Free People, Kith, and Browns. The largest selection of Frankies Bikinis can be found at frankiesbikinis.com.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Product Concept to Consumer Digital Transformation Platform for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics and consumer goods including cosmetics and personal care and food and beverage. Centric's flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (CVIP) offers highly visual digital board experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Retail Planning is an innovative, cloud-native solution powered by Armonica Retail S.R.L., that delivers an end-to-end retail planning process designed to maximize retail business performance. Centric Software pioneered mobility, introducing the first mobile apps for PLM, and is widely known for connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com, planning and more as well as creative tools such as Adobe Illustrator and a host of 3D CAD connectors. Centric's innovations are 100% market-driven with the highest user adoption rate and fastest time to value in the industry. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Centric PLM  for Consumer Goods (PRNewsfoto/Centric Software)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/frankies-bikinis-dives-into-efficiency-with-centric-plm-301542877.html

SOURCE Centric Software
Company Logo

Dublin, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Robotic-assisted Surgical Devices, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



As the healthcare industry continues adjusting to the increasing diagnosis of lifestyle-related diseases and demand for affordable care, effective surgical procedures assisted by robotic devices and a decline in treatment costs look promising.

Next-generation surgical robotic technology platforms complement and extend surgeons' ability to minimize surgical variability, a key factor driving adoption of robotic-assisted surgical device (RASD) platforms among hospitals, as now surgeons can perform complex tasks with greater control and less strain while ensuring patient safety.



The need to gain experience before robotic-assisted surgery remains debatable; however, the transition from a laparoscopic surgeon to a robotic surgeon is associated with a shorter learning period. Hence, several medical and research institutes in the United States and Europe now offer robotic surgery training programs to ensure more surgeons have the expertise and skills needed, but with a shorter learning curve.

With the advancement of digital and analytical technologies, deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including machine learning and machine vision, in next-generation surgical platforms enables the systems to offer insights to surgeons based on analysis of the data collected. Moreover, haptic feedback signals when the pressure threshold is reached as a way to prevent damaging anatomical structures.



Partnerships between next-generation surgical robotic platform manufacturers and software developers; use of flexible payment and leasing business models; and focus on improved ergonomics, multi-quadrant surgeries, and reduced surgeon burnout and occupation-related disease acquisition are the key trends in this area. Frost & Sullivan believes that the adoption of next-generation surgical robotic technology platforms will increase inpatient surgery volumes by reducing patients' length of stay (LOS) and thus offer a significant cost advantage for hospitals.



Surgical robot vendors and manufacturers must create a robust pipeline of RASD that will empower healthcare organizations with digital health tools and capabilities, including secure data storage, data interoperability, and networking.

In a field of about 40 industry participants, this report independently analysed the top 13 companies that generated revenue from robotic platforms between 2018 and 2021 and are actively marketing, installing, and developing next-generation surgical robotic technology platforms.

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Key Topics Covered:



1. Strategic Imperative and Growth Environment

Strategic Imperative

Growth Environment

2. Frost RadarT

Frost RadarT: Robotic-assisted Surgical Devices Market

Frost RadarT: Competitive Environment

3. Companies to Action

Asensus Surgical

Auris Health

Brainlab

CMR Surgical

Corindus

Globus Medical

Intuitive Surgical

Medtronic

Robocath

Stereotaxis

Smith & Nephew

Stryker

Zimmer Biomet

4. Strategic Insights

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9irz55

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




GTT

Conditions of availability of the preparatory documents for

the combined General Meeting of shareholders on May 31, 2022

Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, May 10, 2022 - GTT (Gaztransport & Technigaz) informs its shareholders that the combined general meeting of shareholders has been convened for Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 3 p.m.

The General Meeting will be held in accordance with the rules relating to the health situation. As the procedures for holding and participating in this meeting may change depending on the evolution of the health and/or regulatory situation, shareholders are invited to regularly consult the section dedicated to the 2022 General Meeting on the GTT website (www.gtt.fr).

The notice of meeting, including the agenda and draft resolutions as well as the modalities of participation and voting at this meeting, was published on the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires "BALO" website (www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/balo) on April 22, 2022 in bulletin number 48, announcement 2201067. This notice can also be consulted on the GTT website (www.gtt.fr).

The shareholders are informed that the agenda of the General Meeting and the resolutions published in the above-mentioned notice of meeting have been modified by decision of the Board of Directors on May 5, 2022 as indicated in the addendum to the report of the Board of Directors published on the GTT website.

This modification reflects in particular the resignations of Mrs. Isabelle Boccon-Gibod and Mr. Andrew Jamieson with effect from May 31, 2022. The Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, has decided to propose to the General Meeting the appointment of Mr. Pascal Macioce and Mr. Antoine Rostand as new independent directors. If all the resolutions submitted to the General Meeting are approved, the Board of Directors will be composed of eight directors, including:

- four independent directors (i.e. 50% independent directors)

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- three women and five men (i.e. a difference of two in accordance with the provisions of the French Commercial Code for Boards of directors with no more than eight members).

The notice of meeting, containing the agenda and the text of the amended resolutions, will be published on the BALO website and in a legal gazette on May 11, 2022 and will also be available on the GTT website.

In accordance with the provisions of article R. 225-88 of the French Commercial Code, any shareholder holding registered shares may request, as from the publication of the notice of meeting and up to and including the fifth day before the date of this general meeting, that the documents and information referred to in articles R. 225-81 and R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code be sent to him. This request must be made using the form for sending additional documents attached to the notice of meeting brochure and must be sent by post to BNP Paribas Securities Services - CTO Assemblees Generales - Grands Moulins de Pantin - 9, rue du Debarcadere, 93761 Pantin Cedex France.

Holders of bearer shares may also obtain these documents by sending a request to BNP Paribas Securities Services, whose contact details are given above, and providing proof of their status as shareholders by sending a certificate of account registration issued by their authorized financial intermediary.

The preparatory documents for the General Meeting of shareholders of May 31, 2022 will be made available to shareholders in accordance with the applicable legal and regulatory provisions (i) on the GTT website (www.gtt.fr) and (ii) at the registered office of GTT, located at 1, route de Versailles, 78470 Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, France, and at the offices of BNP Paribas Securities Services, whose contact details are mentioned above.

The communication of any information or document will be validly made by e-mail, provided that the shareholder indicates in his request the e-mail address to which it can be made. Shareholders are therefore invited to provide their e-mail address when making a request.

The meeting will be broadcast in full - live and recorded - on the Company's website.

Investor Relations Contact

information-financiere@gtt.fr / +33 1 30 23 20 87

Press Contact

press@gtt.fr / + 33 1 30 23 20 43

For further information, please consult www.gtt.fr/en

About GTT

GTT is the technological expert in membrane containment systems dedicated to the transport and storage of liquefied gases. For over 50 years, GTT has been designing and marketing advanced technologies for improved energy performance. GTT technologies combine operational efficiency and safety to equip LNG carriers, floating terminals, onshore storage tanks and multi-gas carriers. The Group also offers systems for the use of LNG as fuel, as well as a wide range of services, including digital solutions in the field of Smart Shipping. GTT also operates in the hydrogen sector through its subsidiary Elogen, which designs and assembles electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen.

GTT is listed on Euronext Paris, Compartment A (ISIN FR0011726835, Euronext Paris: GTT) and is notably included in the SBF 120 and MSCI Small Cap indexes.

Attachment




$270,000 awarded to support education digital divide in Virginia

MCLEAN, Va., May 10, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of the 115th anniversary of the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA), Kajeet and VSBA partnered to launch the Virginia Education Broadband Grant program. Winners were awarded up to $30,000 each to support their digital equity initiatives. Grant funds could be used for any combination of Kajeet Education Broadband solutions, including WiFi hotspots, school bus WiFi, LTE-embedded Chromebooks, and routers.

Thirty school divisions across the Commonwealth applied for the grant program. Nine winners were selected by a panel consisting of members of the Kajeet and VSBA Executive teams and were announced at school board meetings held March through last week.

The division winners are:

"We are thrilled for the Kajeet 2022 Virginia Education Broadband Grant winners and congratulate all the applicants looking to increase education-focused connectivity for their students," said Daniel Neal, CEO and Founder of Kajeet. "Our partnership with VBSA is a significant way for us to stay focused on closing the homework gap that exists for far too many students in Virginia. We believe this investment will enable students to achieve greater success and improve many lives."

The majority of winning divisions plan to incorporate WiFi hotspots (Kajeet SmartSpot) and bus WiFi (Kajeet SmartBus) into their student connectivity plans. With the average student spending up to 46 minutes roundtrip on the bus traveling to and from school each day, more divisions are looking to provide productive, safe options for students to complete online assignments, study for exams, or access additional educational resources while in transit. All Kajeet solutions include firewall protection and robust filtering, including CIPA (Childrens Internet Protection Act)-compliant filters to ensure devices are secure.

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Harrisonburg City Public Schools plans to use their grant to include all Kajeets Education Broadband solutions which include WiFi hotspots, school bus WiFi, LTE-embedded Chromebooks, and routers. According to the divisions Executive Director of Technology, Toni Sheets, "Roughly 60% of the households in the city of Harrisonburg with school-age children do not have broadband internet access at home. Unfortunately, that means hundreds of our students are digitally being left behind. This grant will allow us to focus on our goal of equitable access for all HCPS students."

In 2021, VSBA commemorated its 115-year anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, VSBA partnered with Kajeet to create a funding opportunity that would allow school divisions across the Commonwealth to connect students to safe, reliable Internet outside of the classroom. Kajeet awarded $270,000 in broadband services to Virginia school boards to solve the digital divide and help ensure that all students have access to learn, anytime, anywhere.

"VSBA is thrilled to partner with Kajeet to help local divisions around the state improve on their broadband initiatives," said Gina Patterson, Executive Director of VSBA. "We look forward to continuing the relationship with Kajeet to help even more divisions around the state on their broadband needs."

About Kajeet

Kajeet is a leading managed IoT connectivity service provider and a trusted leader in education, providing software and hardware solutions that deliver safe, reliable, and controlled internet connectivity to nearly 3,000 businesses, schools and districts, state, and local governments, and IoT solution providers. Kajeet holds 40 U.S. patents in mobile technologies.

About VSBA

Virginia School Boards Association is a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards, to promote excellence in public education through leadership, advocacy, and services.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220510005387/en/

Contacts

Jodie Booras, Public Relations, Gabriel Marketing Group (for Kajeet), 619-564-9306, jodieb@gabrielmarketing.com

Linda Jennings, Kajeet Corporate Communications, 248-521-3606, ljennings@kajeet.com

Gina Patterson, Executive Director, VSBA, 434-295-8722, gina@vsba.org
Mount Sinai Queens presented the award to an interdisciplinary team featuring staff from both LiveOnNY and MSQ

NEW YORK, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveOnNY was presented with the prestigious DAISY Team Award for Extraordinary Nurses in recognition of the myriad ways the organ procurement organization partners with Mount Sinai Queens to go above and beyond to honor, save and change lives through organ and tissue donation. The individual award was presented to Brian Papszycki, Director of Hospital Services at LiveOnNY and the team award was presented to LiveOnNY staff and also to members of the Mount Sinai Queens emergency department, intensive care, operating, perioperative and palliative care teams for working as an interdisciplinary team to support organ and tissue donation.

"LiveOnNY is truly honored to receive this award alongside and by our colleagues at Mount Sinai Queens. We could not do what we do without the interdisciplinary teams that partner with us every day in our hospitals to change and save lives through organ and tissue donation. I am proud of the LiveOnNY and Mount Sinai Queens staff for working hand-in-hand to deliver the gift of life and honor our organ donor heroes. We are all LiveOnNY," said LiveOnNY President and CEO Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP.

The DAISY Team Award started in 1999 and is an international recognition given by over 5,000 healthcare organizations today. It is a high honor that started with nursing recognition and expanded into interdisciplinary teamwork. It is reserved for extraordinary staff within specific organizations who go above and beyond to serve their mission.

"Celebrating the recognition of our inaugural DAISY Team Awards at Mount Sinai Queens with the LiveOnNY staff truly honors and recognizes the inordinate compassion and dedication that these teams demonstrate. From our Emergency Department, to LiveOnNY coordinators, Critical Care, Palliative Care and Chaplain, and Perioperative teams, they seamlessly work hand-in-hand with patients and their families to educate and support life-impacting decisions. I am honored, as Vice President of Nursing and Interdisciplinary Patient Care Services and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, as is our entire Hospital and Health System, to partner with Leonard Achan, President & CEO of LiveOnNY, in our mutual drive to support and impact organ, eye, and tissue donations across Mount Sinai Health System and New York State," said Jill Goldstein, MA, MS, RN, Vice President of Nursing and Interdisciplinary Patient Care Services, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at Mount Sinai Queens.

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The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.

The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

It recognizes that while an idea to achieve better patient and family outcomes may start with one individual, it often takes an entire team to implement successfully.

The DAISY Team Award is designed to honor collaboration by two or more people, led by a nurse, who identify and meet patient and/or patient family needs by going above and beyond the traditional role of nursing.

ABOUT LIVEONNY

LiveOnNY is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. The OPO, which was established in 1978, serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population of 13 million residents in New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry. LiveOnNY works closely with 11 transplant centers, nearly 100 hospitals, and several tissue and eye banks. LiveOnNY is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. For more information, please visit LiveOnNY.org.

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SOURCE LiveOnNY
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This year's edition will be at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, from May 10-13, 2022.

CALIFORNIA, Md., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neeyamo, a market leader in providing global payroll and EOR solutions, is elated to be the platinum sponsor in the American Payroll Association and Global Payroll Management Institute's 40th Annual Payroll Congress. This year's edition will be at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, from May 10-13, 2022.

The Annual Payroll Congress provides a world-class payroll education for professionals in payroll, tax, finance, global mobility, human resources, and benefits. It provides the latest industry updates and the opportunity to network with experts and government representatives and sheds light on crucial payroll challenges. It is the year's premier payroll educational event with over 80 workshops designed to increase your understanding of payroll, including technology, benefits and compensation, professional development, and compliance and operations.

Neeyamo's global payroll solution is a powerful blend of technology and service excellence providing its customer with an integrated payroll tech stack. Unlike conventional payroll solutions, Neeyamo's payroll technology stack extends to support ancillary payroll processes that include Time, Absence, Compliance, Expense, and ServiceDesk, among several others. By creating a unified cloud-based solution, Neeyamo has managed to maximize automation and simplify the complexities of global payroll.

Samuel Isaac, Senior Vice President - Strategy at Neeyamo, said, "Neeyamo is honored to be the platinum sponsor of the 40th Annual Payroll Congress. Technology, without doubt, is the key driver that propels modern-day global payroll. Neeyamo's proprietary payroll stack, Neeyamo Payroll (formerly PayNComp), has been pivotal to its success over the years. With an ability to service clients in 150+ countries and with its strong native presence, Neeyamo has been making its presence felt in the payroll industry. Featuring in the APA Congress Expo over the years has given us the distinct opportunity to interact with global payroll professionals who have been thronging the event that promises massive learning opportunities."

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If you're looking to make the most of your visit to the Annual Payroll Congress and enhance your payroll knowledge, drop by at Neeyamo's booth #551. Don't miss out on the opportunity to attend scheduled demos that will help you understand how technology is revolutionizing the global payroll.

About Neeyamo

Neeyamo is a leading technology-enabled global payroll and EOR solutions provider for multinational and micro-multinational corporations worldwide. With an extensive team of professionals serving clients across 190+ countries, Neeyamo leverages its unique service-based model and functionality-rich, next-generation HR & payroll products portfolio to help organizations enable agile and scalable business. To know more, visit www.neeyamo.com.

Media Contact: corporate.communications@neeyamo.com

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New coronavirus cases leaped in Rhode Island in the week ending Sunday, rising 26.2% as 4,268 cases were reported. The previous week had 3,383 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Rhode Island ranked second among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 33.2% from the week before, with 501,037 cases reported. With 0.32% of the country's population, Rhode Island had 0.85% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 43 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Newport County reported 296 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 192 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 20,876 cases and 93 deaths.

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns, the Aquidneck Island National Police Parade was held on Sunday, May 1, 2022

Within Rhode Island, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Newport County with 361 cases per 100,000 per week; Washington County with 340; and Bristol County with 326. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Providence County, with 1,922 cases; Kent County, with 513 cases; and Washington County, with 427. Weekly case counts rose in five counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Providence, Kent and Newport counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Rhode Island ranked 1st among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 98.6% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Rhode Island reported administering another 11,586 vaccine doses, including 2,626 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 12,829 vaccine doses, including 2,226 first doses. In all, Rhode Island reported it has administered 2,222,957 total doses.

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In Rhode Island, four people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, eight people were reported dead.

A total of 375,897 people in Rhode Island have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 3,544 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 81,863,725 people have tested positive and 997,526 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Rhode Island's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 8.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

Last week: 100

The week before that: 112

Four weeks ago: 69

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

Last week: 45,875

The week before that: 42,092

Four weeks ago: 37,354

Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 32 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 35 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport County reported 296 additional COVID-19 cases this week
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long conflict in Ukraine and a Russian victory in the Donbas in the east of the country might not end the war, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Tuesday.

"We assess President Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine during which he still intends to achieve goals beyond the Donbas," Haines told lawmakers.

She added that Putin was counting on the Western resolve to weaken over time. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Featured Image for HRSS

Featured Image for HRSS

HOUSTON, May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HRSS welcomes Sabeen Pirzada as a Managing Partner and looks forward to the success she will bring the organization in the coming years.

Since joining the team in 2007, Pirzada has proven herself to be an invaluable asset to HRSS, using her experience in serving businesses, private enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals to secure a Partner position in 2011. Now, her technical expertise, strategic thought process, involvement with HRSS initiatives, and hunger for success have led to this landmark promotion.

Becoming the first female Managing Partner in the firm's history comes with no small responsibility. Pirzada's new position involves taking an active role in guiding the firm's strategic direction and ensuring execution of that strategy. She is at the forefront of interacting with clients and maintaining relationships, driving new business development and acquisitions, and cultivating an organizational culture that follows HRSS's growth trajectory. Additionally, she is involved in attracting, developing, and retaining the talent critical to HRSS's success. She reported that this is the part of her job she enjoys the most.

Above all, Pirzada has been entrusted with continuing the legacy of excellent service that HRSS provides to its clients. She is committed to acting as "a tireless champion" of the HRSS corporate mission of becoming a "trusted advisor to our clients."

In the future, Pirzada hopes to lead HRSS in efforts to continue building a reputation as the "tax advisors of choice" for startups and small businesses, middle-market enterprises, family offices and multi-generational establishments. HRSS has also expanded its reach within the private equity space  helping PE firms implement tax strategies across the breadth of their fund and portfolio companies.

Pirzada explained, "These businesses serve as the backbone of the U.S. economy  our focus is to keep growing our footprint in this niche."

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Her role as Managing Partner will allow her to further enhance the quality of the services HRSS offers clients. These improvements will empower clients to make choices that provide them financial security and support growth.

Pirzada is proud of her achievements and gratefully acknowledges the support she's received.

She shared, "I have to thank my family for their unconditional support and patience. As a working mother, only with the right support structure can you stay engaged and motivated. I also have to thank the firm and the culture created by my peers, which not only provides a supportive environment for female professionals but also provides challenging opportunities for professional development."

For other women seeking guidance on their way up the corporate ladder, she offers this advice: "Stay hungry and stay the course. Work hard, and learn to ask for work-life balance. Happy, motivated professionals are a scarce asset, so look for an environment that allows you to be both and does not force you to make a choice. Believe in yourself and your value to an organization and never shy away from asking for equitable treatment."

CONTACT:

Sabeen Pirzada

713-328-4000

sabeen.pirzada@hrss.cpa

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The company recognized among peers for its people-first culture and high employee satisfaction

CHICAGO, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spaulding Ridge, global cloud advisory and implementation firm, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual Best Workplaces list for the second year in a row. The firm has received numerous awards for its workplace and company culture, as well as its exceptional consultants.

"It's a challenging time for preserving strong culture considering recent COVID outbreaks, a highly competitive talent market, and shifting office policies, but this is an excellent reminder that the Spaulding Ridge culture runs deep," says Jay Laabs, CEO of Spaulding Ridge. "Whether we're at our headquarters in Chicago, our offices around the world, in our individual homes, or traveling to be with clients, we take our core tenets with us, engaging on a personal level with everyone we work with and fostering a healthy work environment."

The firm fosters its strong culture through continuing DE&I initiatives, specialized learning and development trainings, and the promotion of company-wide transparent communications. Spaulding Ridge visibly tracks its DE&I metrics and leverages programs specifically designed to broaden its talent pools. Spaulding Ridge is also proud to tout a high employee retention rate.

Inc. magazine's list is a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or virtual facility. Thousands of submissions are reviewed each year, considering comprehensive data from an employee survey and an audit of benefits. Spaulding Ridge is one of only 475 being honored.

"Not long ago, the term 'best workplace' would have conjured up images of open-office designs with stocked snack fridges," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "Yet given the widespread adoption of remote work, the concept of the workplace has shifted. This year, Inc. has recognized the organizations dedicated to redefining and enriching the workplace in the face of the pandemic."

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ABOUT SPAULDING RIDGE

Spaulding Ridge is a global cloud advisory and implementation firm that helps leading companies deploy Best-in-Cloud solutions. Spaulding Ridge enables organizations to accelerate operational efficiency, drive digital transformation, and increase competitive advantage.

Spaulding Ridge partners with digitally savvy companies to help:

Finance gain control: Increase top-line revenue, gross margins, and profits through better insight. Connect financial planning to strategy and automate financial close processes.

Sales increase productivity: Manage quota and territories more consistently and effectively, automate customer contracts and onboarding.

Operations drive efficiency: Improve supply chain agility, automate strategic sourcing and purchasing, deliver superior customer service experiences.

To learn more, visit spauldingridge.com.

ABOUT INC. MEDIA

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

ABOUT QUANTUM WORKPLACE

Quantum Workplace, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee-engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.

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SOURCE Spaulding Ridge, LLC
The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, will attend the Senate GOP lunch on Tuesday, a source familiar with the event confirmed.

In addition, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) invited Markarova to speak at the Senate Democrats weekly caucus lunch on Tuesday, a Senate Democratic leadership aide told The Hill.

The development comes after President Biden signed legislation on Monday allowing the U.S. to lend or lease military equipment to Ukraine and other allies in Eastern Europe while streamlining the process.

The bill, which revives a World War II-era policy that helped defeat Nazi Germany, follows Bidens announcement last week to send another $150 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Democrats are also proposing an additional nearly $40 billion in new assistance to Ukraine in the wake of Russias invasion that will not be linked to a stalled $10 billion coronavirus assistance package.

That proposal may hit the floor as soon as Tuesday, but Republicans signaled that they had not yet signed off on the Democratic proposal.

If all 50 Democratic members support a package that does not include coronavirus aid, they would need at least 10 GOP votes in the Senate for it to pass.

Earlier this month, Markarova hailed a surprise visit to Kyiv by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic lawmakers, saying it symbolized deep support from the U.S.

Were very happy that right after a visit of Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin, right after the visit of our prime minister here, it was a special delight to see Madam Speaker with the delegation in Kyiv meeting with our president, Markarova told anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABCs This Week.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky one week earlier.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Vancouver, British Columbia --News Direct-- Western Magnesium Corporation

Western Magnesium Corporation

WASHINGTON, D.C.  TheNewswire  May 10, 2022  New research into several critical industries says the global market for magnesium metal will grow by nearly 50 percent by 2028, a surge that will give Western Magnesium Corporation (TSXV:WMG.V) (OTC:MLYF) Frankfurt-3WM) (Western Magnesium or the Company) a significant advantage as it begins the process of building up production capacity in North America.

Recent reports, including one released by Acumen Research and Consulting, predict the $4.3 billion global market will be worth $6.4 billion before the end of the decade thanks to surging post-COVID 19 demand from auto, aerospace, and electronics industries.

After a record low demand during the COVID pandemic, Acumen now believes the industrys compounded annual growth rate will be above 5 percent through 2028 as these industries recover. And while China has supplied close to 90 percent of the worlds magnesium, the report noted the difficulties that Chinese producers have had accessing the energy they need to keep up.

These hurdles in China have opened the door to new production sites. Acumen noted that production is expected to grow in India and listed Western Magnesium Corporation as a major player that will shape production trends in the coming years.

The Companys senior leadership said the report reinforces their belief that its time to return magnesium production to North America, both for economic and national security reasons. Magnesium is used in the production of high-tech aluminum used in a range of civilian and defense goods, which means reestablishing production in the Americas is much more than just a jobs issue.

Acumen noted that one set of restraints on production is the concern that mining activities harm the surrounding environment. But while mining has historically been an environmental challenge, Western Magnesiums proprietary technology promises to deliver this critical mineral with near zero toxic by-products.

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Over twenty years ago, North America gave up on its share of producing magnesium metal and ceded the market to China, said Western Magnesiums Executive President & CEO Sam Ataya. Now, with demand rising, we are about to bring production back and put the United States on a footing to first supply domestic needs and then focus on supplying the global demand with the magnesium it needs to produce the next generation of goods that will be the most environmentally friendly since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

In the coming years, when the world buys magnesium to produce the aluminum used in cars, planes, and a range of electronics, they will be buying from America, said Western Magnesiums Global President & COO Lisa Maxwell. That puts us back in control of our destiny and reduces the threat that overseas hiccups pose to our economic and security goals.

The Company is expected to start production of magnesium metal by the end of this month. The location of the first full-scale commercial plant will be in Harrison County, Ohio, and leadership is currently working to select future plant locations in the United States.

About Western Magnesium

Western Magnesium's goal is to be a low-cost producer of green, primary magnesium metal, a strategic commodity prized for its strength and light weight. Unlike outdated, costly, and highly polluting production processes, Western Magnesium intends to use a continuous silicothermic process to produce magnesium, which significantly reduces labor and energy costs relative to current methods and processes, while being environmentally friendly.

Media Relations & Corporate Communications: Ashleigh Barry | abarry@westmagcorp.com | (202) 258-4453

Investor Relations: John Ulmer | julmer@westmagcorp.com | (604) 423-2709

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains statements that involve expectations, plans or intentions (such as those relating to future business or financial results), and other factors discussed from time to time in the Companys Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These statements are forward-looking and are subject to risks and uncertainties, so actual results may vary materially. You can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as may, should, expect, anticipate, believe, estimate, intend, plan and other similar expressions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors not within the control of the Company. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or U.S. Persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

View our profile on SEDAR

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/western-magnesium-to-fill-surging-demand-in-auto-aerospace-electronics-industries-457188522
A Law Day assembly was held Friday in the auditorium at Culpeper County High School for graduating high school seniors.

A panel of experts informed students of their rights and responsibilities now that theyre 18 and legal adults.

The Culpeper County Bar Association sponsored the hourlong talk, featuring advice, remarks, straight talk and adult scenarios from former Culpeper prosecutor Maggie Leary, now Virginia deputy secretary of public safety, and nearly 50-year practicing attorney John J. Butch Davies III, a former state delegate who got his start trying criminal cases in the local courthouse.

Culpeper County Circuit Judge Dale Durrer participated, as well as Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Russell Rabb and private practice attorneys Sam Walker and Amanda Rieman, legal analyst for NBC 29 Charlottesville.

Turning 18 in the U.S. means a person can serve on a jury, vote, join the military, get married, sign a contract and be charged as an adult for crimes, Durrer said.

Teens lodged questions such as the legal consequences for egging someones house, getting out of jury duty and how to beat a reckless driving charge for driving too fast in a shopping center parking lot. The experts answers varied based on their areas of law.

This is America so just because someone is charged with a crime doesnt mean theyre guilty of it. They are presumed innocent, said Durrer, a former prosecutor who got his start out of law school working for Davies, including as a legislative aide in the House of Delegates.

The judge cited the state code section for recklessly driving in a parking lot so as to endanger life, limb or property.

Comes down to the state has alleged a crime has occurred, its their job to go out and prove it, Durrer said.

Walker, a defense attorney, who graduated in 1972 from Culpeper High School, added a lot of people get convicted by what they admit.

So if you keep your mouth quiet, use your right to remain silent, be cooperative, but you dont have to say anything, dont admit anything, youre in a lot better shape when it comes to helping your defense attorney, he said.

Rabb, a Richmond native who started out in the Fauquier prosecutors office before coming to Culpeper six years ago, reminded students about something called liability.

If you strike somebody in that  parking lot and youre 18 years old, you could be personally sued, he said, also mentioning impacts to ones DMV record and insurance rates. Lots of more ramifications to consider once you do turn 18.

Cleary, who also worked as a federal prosecutor before joining Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration, offered commonsense advice.

Its really important to note though that you shouldnt be speeding in the parking lot. Just dont do it and then you wont be in trouble, she said.

There were also serious queries about the importance of jury service, how sentencing is determined, why some of the attorneys got out of criminal law, what they wished they knew then and what to do when pulled over for an alleged traffic infraction.

In determining a sentence for someone convicted of a crime, Durrer said, he relies heavily on the pre-sentence report prepared by officials at the local department of probation and parole. The report provides information on a persons family, work, education, substance abuse background and criminal history.

That information is then put into a computer program that recommends a sentence, the judge said.

I am not bound to follow it, but I do about 80 percent of the time, Durrer said. Ten percent, I go above it and 10 percent below it, sentence in the range, with a suspended jail sentence so they will comply with conditions.

Attorney arguments also determine his level of sentencing, the judge added.

Davies, another Culpeper alum who started practicing in 1973, said he got tossed into the courtroom immediately for jury trials, arguing motions and taking on court-appointed criminal cases.

I represented an individual who killed his father and his sister with a hatchet, represented a person who shot his girlfriend in a room where their children were sitting with them, he said. It was very difficult for me to run for public office when you have defended people charged with those kind of offenses.  I learned that if I had any political ambitions, doing this was going to make me unelectable.

Davies today works in government relations, zoning and estate planning law.

Its a real joy, different pace of life. I was working 7080 hours a week, now I work about 3540 hours a week at age 74, he said.

Rieman, a divorce attorney who relocated from California and now has her own firm, said she wished she knew she wanted to practice in Virginia prior to attending law school in Ohio, and learning Ohio laws, different from here.

I had to take the bar (exam) again because I didnt pass the first time. Virginia laws were a little archaic because were a commonwealth, she said.

Rabb shared about working in the legal field in the country versus the city and how in the country, lawyers are more involved in their communities, finding friends among professional colleagues regardless of area of law.

Like in Culpeper, you end up learning more about your community than you thought you would ever knowincluding the underbelly, the prosecutor said.

An astute teacher queried the panel, asking, can a motorist get pulled over simply because they have a headlight out?

And can they search my car because they smell something funky in it? the teacher asked to scattered laughter in the young crowd.

Judge Durrer said the VA motor vehicle code contains many requirements for driving legally. There are also a lot of reasons why police can pull people over, he added, noting the General Assembly has omitted some of those, including for expired tags.

What they have the right to do when they pull you over is ask for your license, registration, insurance, Durrer said.

What they smell, it depends, it used to be if you smelled marijuana that was probable cause to search the car. Now that marijuana is legal, its probably not probable cause.

So long as police do not prolong the traffic stop, average time 1015 minutes, the judge said, they can run a drug dog around the car and if the drug dog alerts, thats probable cause to search the car. The teacher asked, without a search warrant? Yes, he said.

Walker interjected, urging students to never consent if a police officer asks to search their vehicle. Do not try and stop them from searching if they do, Durrer added.

Because then youre compounding the problem, the judge said.

Get a good lawyer, let them deal with the Fourth Amendment issues.

Added Walker, Record it.

Rabb chimed in, The town police has body cameras, they record everything.

As for getting out of jury duty, as several students asked, Durrer called it jury service.

The jury is the last check to be had on governmental overreach. Their integrity is beyond reproach, he said, noting some prosecutors charge people they shouldnt charge when there is not ample evidence.

The citizenry is the last check on that. I understand its an inconvenience, you only get $30 a day, but its your obligation for living in a free country.

Two female students ended Law Day asking about the recent leak of a U.S. Supreme Court brief related to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal.

Durrer said he was not allowed to have an opinion on an opinion.

I am a big believer in institutions and it does bother me when something is leaked that damages an institution, the local judge said.

The norms of secrecy were violated, damages the reputation and credibility of an institution. I wish it hadnt happened.

A teen asked Cleary what Virginia would do about abortion.

I dont knowthats up to the legislators, not the governor, she said. The General Assembly could pass a law that could eventually get to the governors desk, he could make a decision, but right now the legislature is not in session, wont be until next year.

(Theyre) trying to figure out the budgetstill up in the air. The Deputy Secretary of Public Safety encouraged the young woman, If you have strong feelings about it, you should contact your legislator.
The Spotsylvania School Board is primed to once again wade into the issue of library book content, six months after two board members said they would like to see sexually explicit material removed from shelves and even burned.

A parent has initiated official challenges of eight books that she says are in school division libraries, and School Board Chair Kirk Twigg said during Mondays School Board meeting that he will only ask citizens to stop reading explicit passages aloud during public comments once we clear out our libraries.

I know there was an effort started last fall and it died when the superintendent changed the guard, said Twigg. So thats our challenge to our fellow board members.

The books under review are SOLD by Patricia McCormick, Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian, America by E.R. Frank, Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez, All Boys Arent Blue by George M. Johnson, DIME by E.R. Frank, Beloved by Toni Morrison and Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Since January, Jennifer Peterson, the parent who initiated the book challenges, has been attending board meetings and reading aloud passages from books that she says are inappropriate for school libraries and harmful to children.

Peterson precedes the readings with a content warning and said Monday that her goal is to make everyone aware of exactly what their children can read courtesy of SCPS.

In recent months, several parents and school board members have asked the board to amend its public comments policy to prevent the reading aloud of explicit content, citing Federal Communications Commissions prohibition of obscene, indecent or profane broadcasts and the fact that those in attendance at meetings do not have the choice of whether or not to listen to the content, but students can choose whether or not to check out a book with such content.

I dont see how reading these excerpts helps to protect students who have not had an issue with these books that are being read, School Board member Nicole Cole said Monday.

Twigg responded by saying that as long as those books are in our ... libraries, this gavel and this chairman will support the citizens hearing that information.

When I am assured by my administration that [this issue has been resolved], thats when Ill put the gavel down, he said.

According to the School Board policy IAA-R, which concerns the selection and review of instructional materials, the school division has 15 days to assemble an ad hoc committee to review each of the challenged books.

The committee is to read the material in its entirety; [check] general acceptance of the material by reading reviews and consulting recommended lists; and [judge] the material for its strength and value as a whole and not in part.

After the committee completes its review, the school principal decides whether or not the book will be pulled. The complainant can appeal the principals decision to the division superintendent and then the school board.

Also at Mondays meeting, the School Board discussed a proposal for creating a School Board Student Council that was developed by members Lorita Daniels and Rabih Abuismail along with interim superintendent Carol Flenard and communications director Rene Daniels.

According to the draft proposal, the council would be made up of 10 students, to include the elected Student Government president of each county high school and a newly created School Board liaison position from each high school.

The School Board liaison could be elected or appointed by the school principal, Daniels said.

The student councils responsibilities would be to provide significant input and ideas into key division issues/decisions; to be an advisory group to the school board; [and] to represent all of the students in the division and their respective schools, according to the draft.

The council would meet every six weeks and report to the School Board quarterly.

The boards vote last month to authorize Daniels and Abuismail to develop the proposal for a student advisory council was unanimous, but on Monday, board members Lisa Phelps and April Gillespie expressed concerns about the plan.

Phelps asked about the cost of transporting students from their schools to the meeting location and feeding them.

Gillespie said she wants all the members of the student council to be elected, rather than appointed and that she doesnt want the student council to be involved in activism.

Board members Nicole Cole and Dawn Shelley suggested that the position of student School Board liaison could be appointed by school principals, to provide an opportunity to students with an interest in advocacy but not in running for election.

Gillespie said a student who is appointed rather than elected would become more centered around activism.

I would not want a school-sanctioned committee to encourage students to engage in any form of activism, she said.

[Activism] is what occurs when a student participates in political things or things that dont affect them as a child, Gillespie continued. When children are up here advocating for a school budget and for their teachers to get more money, thats nice and all. However, when I was these kids age, I was worried about what I was going to wear the next day. I wasnt worried about the political issues that were being set in front of our community.

Daniels said the role of the student council would be to provide input and ideas.

There is nothing about advocating for political positions, she said.

The board did not vote Monday on whether to move forward with creating the student council, but may vote at a future meeting when all seven members are present.

Abuismail was absent from Mondays meeting.

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Some students at Massaponax and Courtland high schools walked out of class on Monday morning to protest the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision protecting a pregnant womans right to obtain an abortion.

The two Spotsylvania high schools were among 45 Virginia schools where some students participated in a statewide Student Day of Action for Abortion Access, organized by Generation Ratify Virginia, a youth-led movement for reproductive rights.

While Im only one of the many protesters today, I think I speak for many of us in saying that we want to support the cause as best as we can, said Rin Doering, 17, one of the organizers of the Courtland walkout, which took place before the start of the school day, in an email.

Most of us students cant vote, and even if we could, our votes have little direct impact on the Supreme Court, Doering continued. [But] the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade is something that directly threatens our futures. The rights of women, LGBT+ people, unprepared fathers and even the protection of privacy are all under attack. For us to stand idly and watch the Courta court of out of touch with the public and divided by party linestear our rights away from us simply will not stand.

Doering said recent headlines make her question Americas commitment to protecting the rights of all.

When I was younger, I was told that America protects the rights of its citizens, she said. That it was a privilege to live here because Id be treated freely and equally. Now that Im older ... Ive got doubts.

Courtland student Tayvon Stokes, 18, said the students wanted women to know that we support their right to choose.

Even though I cant get pregnant, I still stand with women on their bodies, their choice, Stokes said in an email.

Nick Bartram helped Stokes and Doering organize Courtlands protest. He said the students will continue protesting for things we are passionate about.

I hope that we will not have to constantly fight for our rights like we have in the past few years, he wrote in a text message. From the fight against gun violence, to the fight against police brutality, and now the fight for the right to an abortion, our generation has bore witness to many life-changing movements that have shaped our ideas for the future of the nation that we will inherit.

Massaponax senior Sydney Walczak organized the walkout at her school, which took place at 10 a.m. She said that about 20 students participated in the 20-minute event.

Everyone shared why it was important to them [to participate], Walczak said during a phone call. We talked about the whole precedent it sets, that it could affect the right to privacy and bodily autonomy for everyone. Thats what Im super passionate about.

Walczak said the gathering was organized and respectful.

Right at 10:20, we went back inside. Im really proud of the maturity of my peers, she said. Everyone was sharing their opinions and thoughts, which is a beautiful thing.

This story has been updated to note that the Courtland High School walkout took place before the start of the school day.

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IN THE not-too-distant past, many parents in Virginia were scared to let their children fall under the spell of a teacher like Johnny P. Johnson.

One can imagine any number of reasons. His skin color, certainly. As a Black man, Johnson wasnt allowed for a portion of his life to share drinking fountains or bus seats with whites.

That all seemed a distant memory Thursday night when, at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center, a reception in Johnsons honor was held. Just a few of his paintings, on loan from local collectors, adorned the walls.

To those who have never seen his work, there is a liveliness and complexity that make the canvas itself vibrate with life, as if the subjects are pulling themselves from the material on which they were born and affixed in order to speak with the person watching.

The bright, blocky colors of these works draw you in to engage the subject. But the subject itself becomes more elusive the closer one moves in and stares.

We are forced to again move back, to examine the whole, and be still while the moment and the emotion captured on canvas brings us in touch with the deepest parts of our being.

A shoreline, caught between summer and fall. A saxophone player, whose appearance and features are perfectly enmeshed with the sounds he produces. And dancers, whose movements color the air, and who then ripple through the world they have created.

Those are the successes that council members like Matt Kelly and Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater touched on as they celebrated Johnsons life and works, while family, longtime admirers, and those who before Thursday had never met or even knew about Johnsonand I was one of thosejoined in this fete.

Its impossible not to be moved by what he has created.

As stunning as his art, however, is what Johnson said about being a teacher.

I always have felt good about students, he said, because ... its good for them to see somebody who cares about them as an individual, and not how much their familys income [is], or what a great athlete they are. Not [for] that, but just for the quality of that person that I respect.

Listening, I found it difficult to conceive why people 50 years ago feared Johnson so.

I find it more difficult still that 50 years on, I am writing about very similar types of fears.

Todays fears are still about race, but they are increasingly focused on other ideas and realities that are as uncomfortable to some today as Johnson was to people half a century ago.

Todays fears are centered around sexual identity and gender. And theyre leading communities to erect new barriers that, not coincidentally, affect teachers. Barriers that would force teachers to prevent people who are gay from expressing their identity, and outing them if they do. Force teachers to dismiss or outright ban books whose artwork and words dare prick the consciousness of growing young minds.

When we allow these fears to win, as too many school boards and legislators are trying to do, we lose far more than we gain.

All we really win, after all, is a false sense of security that we are now walled off from what scares us.

In exchange, we lose the Johnny Johnsons of tomorrow, by shaming them into denying themselves.

Perhaps thats why teachers have become a favorite target. After all, they let students see somebody who cares about them as an individual. No judgment passed.

Good teachers truly value every students worth, and let them know that they are there to support and nurture them as they move into adulthood.

And when students truly feel this, they begin to soar.

We can erect barriers, but as Johnson shows, these are no match for talent.

The question is, how many do we lose before the barriers fall?
Northeast Community College in West Point will offer a two-credit welding course.

Farm and Ranch Welding (WELD 1991/22SU and CRN #30865) meets Mondays and Wednesdays, May 31-June 27, from 5-8:10 p.m., in the Donald E. Nielsen Career and Technical Education Center, Room 107, 200 W. Washington St., in West Point.

This course covers basic welding skills for farm, ranch and some processes used in industry. Students will learn how to safely and effectively set up and weld with multiple processes including: (OAC) oxyacetylene cutting, (SMAW) stick, (GMAW) short circuit and spray mig and (FCAW-G) dual shield mig.

Supplies needed are: helmet, welding cap, clear safety glasses, locking pliers, diagonal cutting pliers, welding coat, stainless steel wire brush. Students are requested to wear jeans and boots to class.

Cost of the class, with Vern Hood the instructor, is $250. To register, call Northeast Community College in West Point at 402-372-2269.

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Tuesday

Polls open for Nebraska primary election, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Letters to the Churches of Revelation, 10 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Ready for Kindergarten, 10 a.m., Keene Memorial Library, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. The program is designed for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers. Stories, art, manipulatives and sensory stations will help build the skills necessary for kindergarten.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Opera House guided tours, noon and 5:30 p.m., 541 N. Broad St., Fremont. Everyone is invited to see this historical building up close and personal.

Narcotics Anonymous Steps of Freedom meeting, 1 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. Pitch will be played at 6:30 p.m.

Utility and Infrastructure Board meeting, 4 p.m., Fremont Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Mens and Womens Bible Study, 6 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Archbishop Bergan seventh through 12th grade vocal music concert, 7 p.m., St. Patricks Auditorium, 435 N. Union St., Fremont.

Fremont City Council meeting, 7 p.m., Fremont Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Wednesday

Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership Blair WIC and immunization clinic, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 17th and Colfax streets, Blair. For an appointment or for more information regarding the WIC or immunization programs, call 402-385-6300.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Fremont Area Association of Retired School Personnel, noon, St. James Episcopal Church, 301 E. Fifth St., Fremont. Enter by the east door. Lunch will be served for $7; please call 402-727-5217 giving your name to make a required reservation or if you have a question. The speaker will be from Lutheran Family Service.

Mens Bible Study, 1 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business.

DC Lynch Carnival, 4-10 p.m., Fremont Mall. Coupons for unlimited rides are available in the Fremont Tribune.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Community Breastfeeding Support Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Three Rivers Health Department conference room, 2400 N. Lincoln Ave., Fremont. This support group is for mothers and their babies. Siblings are welcome.

Eagles Aerie 200 and Eagles Auxiliary 200 meetings, 7 p.m., Fremont Eagles Club.

Narcotics Anonymous Library Group, 7 p.m., Keene Memorial Librarys east building, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Thursday

Mens Bible Study, 8 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. The kitchen will be open from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The menu will include hamburgers and cheeseburgers, tacos and soup. Everyone is welcome.

Lego Club, 4-5 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, 1030 N. Broad St., Fremont. Lego bricks will be supplied.

DC Lynch Carnival, 4-10 p.m., Fremont Mall. Coupons for unlimited rides are available in the Fremont Tribune.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

The Banquet, 5:30-6:30 p.m., First Lutheran Church, 3200 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Drive-thru meals served. The dinner is free.

Cruise In to John C. Fremont Park, 6-8 p.m., John C. Fremont Park, Ninth and Broad streets, Fremont. The Fremont Antique Car Club will be sponsoring the weekly cruise in through Sept. 29. All cars, trucks, and motorcycles  whether classics, hot rods, street rods, muscle cars, 50s finned cars or antiques  are welcome. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and join their fellow automotive enthusiasts for some relaxing conversation while admiring the vehicles. For more information, visit the clubs Facebook page.

Civil Air Patrol, 7 p.m., 1201 W. 23rd St., in yellow hangar at Fremont Airport.

Marine Corps League, 7 p.m., Disabled American Veterans Club, 137 N. D St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave.

Tally Ho Toastmasters, 7-8 p.m., Midland Universitys Anderson Building, Ninth and Clarkson streets, Fremont. Everyone is welcome to learn skills in communication, self-confidence and leadership. For more information, call 402-936-3479.

Fremont Middle School Choir concert, 7:30 p.m., Al Bahe Gymnasium, Fremont High School.

Spring band/orchestra concert, 7:30 p.m., Nell McPherson Theatre, Fremont High School.

Narcotics Anonymous Back to Basics meeting, 7:30 p.m., First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 N. Davis St., Oakland.

Alcoholics Anonymous big book study, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

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Futures and Commodity Market News Riverbend Energy looking to divest $2bn in US oil and gas assets

May 09, 2022 (MarketLine via COMTEX) --

Investment firm Riverbend Energy Group is considering the sale of oil and gas assets, worth approximately $2bn, to capitalise on surging commodity prices, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The firm is seeking interest from potential buyers for three of its oil and gas assets, including debt.

Comprising minority stakes in individual oil and gas wells, the three portfolios include Riverbend VI, Riverbend VI-B, and Riverbend VIII.

As part of the divestment plan, the firm is working with an undisclosed investment bank on the auction process for the assets in recent weeks, according to the sources.

The investment firm expects to attract interest from other financial investors who are seeking cash generated by oil and gas assets.

Riverbend VI owns a non-operated portfolio of nearly 150,000 net acres. It has a current net production of approximately 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Established in 2016, Riverbend VI is focused on acquisition and development assets in the Williston shale play of North Dakota, and the Ohio portion of the Utica shale.

Engaged in acquisition and development of natural gas weighted basins in the US, Riverbend VIII holds a portfolio of non-operated stakes in the Fayetteville and Haynesville assets.

It has current net production of 115 million cubic feet of gas equivalent per day.

Riverbend currently has five monetised portfolios and provides enabling service, development, and finance across the storage, solar, electric vehicle, and energy management sector.

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KABUL -- Several dozen women's rights activists have protested a Taliban order making it mandatory for women to wear the all-covering burqa, including face veils, when they are in public.

The women marched through the streets of the capital, Kabul, on May 10 holding signs calling for justice despite intimidation attempts by Taliban operatives, who threatened them with violence.

"We were faced with harsh behavior by the Taliban. It was terrifying...They even told us if we move one step forward, they will fire 30 rounds at us," one women said in a video made by the group, called Afghanistan's Powerful Women's Movement.

The decree, announced on May 7, calls for women to only show their eyes and recommends they wear the head-to-toe burqa. Head scarves are common for most Afghan women, but in urban areas such as Kabul, many do not cover their faces.

WATCH: Afghan Women Protest Taliban Restrictions

Failure to comply will result in a woman's father or closest male relative being reprimanded, imprisoned, or fired from employment.

It immediately sparked criticism from many Afghans and the international community amid an outcry over the erosion of human rights in the country, especially for women and girls.

"Under the latest draconian decree, Afghan women are ordered to follow full veil and avoid unnecessary movement. This violates fundamental human rights of women to chose what to wear & move freely," Amnesty International's South Asia department said in a tweet a day after the measures were announced.

"Despite continued assurance of Taliban de-facto authorities that they respect women & girls rights, millions of women & girls are exposed to systematic gender based discrimination," it added.

The UN Security Council will meet on May 12 to discuss the order.

Deborah Lyons, UN special envoy for Afghanistan, is to brief the 15-member council, according to Norway's UN mission, which requested the closed-door meeting "to address the increased restrictions on human rights and freedoms of girls and women."

Girls have been banned from school beyond the sixth grade in most of the country since the Talibans return last August. In March, the Taliban ordered girls' high schools closed on the morning they were scheduled to open.
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
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:
unwomen.org

Statement on Afghanistan, by Ms Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director

9 May 2022

I am gravely concerned by the Talibans announcement that all women must cover their faces in public, that women should only leave their homes in cases of necessity, and that violations of this directive will lead to the punishment of their male relatives. Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right. It is an absolute prerequisite for womens ability to exercise the full range of their rights and to be active participants in society. Where womens rights are constrained, everyone is diminished. The latest directive by the Taliban is a further escalation of restrictions on women and girls, including impeded return to work and inability to pursue their education.

The UN Secretary-General has recently noted the deeply damaging action by the de facto authorities to deny education to girls above the sixth grade. I am further alarmed by reports UN Women is hearing from women civil society organizations and activists of women being unable to drive, take public transport, or simply move from one place to another. Such constraints increasingly limit womens ability to earn a living, access health care and education, seek protection, escape situations of violence, exercise their individual and collective rights, and act with agency.

These accelerating violations of women and girls rights are costing Afghanistan dearly in many ways and impacting its social and economic growth. Current restrictions on womens employment have been estimated to result in an immediate economic loss of up to USD 1 billion  or up to five per cent of Afghanistans GDP. There is almost universal poverty in the country. More than half of the population needs some form of humanitarian assistance, and an entire generation is threatened by food insecurity and malnutrition. The latest restrictions make attempts at recovery harder, if not impossible.

UN Women echoes the Secretary-Generals call for the Taliban to keep their promises to Afghan women and girls, and aligns with the statement by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. We urgently call on the de facto authorities to respect their obligations under human rights law and the full human rights of women and girls, including the immediate restoration of womens and girls independent freedom of movement, and their rights to work and to education to the highest level.
Three Colorado Springs high school students were recently granted full-ride college scholarships as part of a program designed to keep Colorados sharpest young minds within state lines  at least for another four years.

Aidan Janney of Coronado, Chloe Kemp of Pine Creek and William Navarrete Moreno of Colorado Springs Early Colleges were tapped for the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship as part of the largest scholar group in the history of the program.

Established in 1952, the Boettcher Foundation typically awards 42 scholarships annually, selecting the most impressive candidates from the roughly 1,500 students who apply each year.

But this year, in celebration of the scholarship programs 70th year, the nonprofit expanded the program, selecting 50 top students from the record 1,700 who applied.

These 50 young leaders are talented, responsible, intellectually curious, have outstanding character, and possess resilience beyond measure, Katie Kramer, foundation president and CEO, said in a statement.

The sense of responsibility and commitment to community-building among this class impressed us in profound ways.

This years group of scholars include a published childrens book author, the owner of a digital art, design and advertising business, the owner of a student pilots license, and a certified Emergency Medical Technician who volunteers 35 hours a week for a local fire department.

The four-year scholarship will cover nearly all expenses at the Colorado school of the recipients choice, including full tuition, fees, books and a stipend for living expenses.

All three area students will attend schools in the University of Colorado system, according to the release. Janney and Kemp will attend at the Boulder campus, while Moreno will attend at the Denver campus in the fall.

The full list of recipients is available at www.boettcherfoundation.org/2022_boettcher_scholars.
A new Colorado Springs ordinance approved unanimously by the City Council on Tuesday requires massage parlors to get licensed, a move city officials and law enforcement say will help shut down those offering illegal sexual services.

But massage therapists and other business owners said the law could violate a persons constitutional protection against unreasonable government searches and seizures. They argued it will also place undue burden on massage businesses operating legally in the effort to crack down on those operating illegally.

This would allow the police and law enforcement to just come into the building, which they wouldnt have access to do before, said Rebecca Lambert, a business owner and president of the Colorado chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association. I realize it saves time and money, but is it the right way  to take away the constitutional rights  that protect us?

The ordinance will officially go into effect July 1. It requires, on or after Sept. 1, all owners of massage parlors in the city to hold a license for each location where the massage business operates. Licensing requirements also call for contact information for all owners; descriptions of services rendered by the business; leasing information and other operational details; records of massage therapists' licenses to be kept on site; and other requirements.

The licensing fee could be $110 per year, The Gazette previously reported.

Before the ordinance was passed, massage parlors in the city did not have to provide an owner's name or address through the state's business registration process, said Scott Whittington, commander of Colorado Springs Police Department's Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence Division. That made it difficult for police to identify who was responsible for illegal activities, he said, and officers had to spend hundreds of hours investigating reports of illicit activity.

Massage parlors that dont get a license could be shut down by local police, according to the ordinance. If they reopened, those responsible could face up to $2,500 in fines and up to 189 days in jail, Whittington previously told the council.

This should be an issue of raising taxes and actually building cases, going out and getting warrants for the actual illicit sex parlors that are operating as they suspect, Lambert said Tuesday.

Whittington previously said he estimates there are between 25 to 30 illicit massage parlors operating in Colorado Springs. Thats compared with 1,100 massage therapists in the city, Lambert said.

To go through 1,100 people to get to these people seems illogical, she said.

Whittington said police generally will only visit a massage business if there is some cause to go, like a complaint or information that illicit acts are happening at the facility. During an inspection, plain-clothes officers will determine whether the parlor has a license from the city to operate, that all massage therapists have a license from the state and that a state ID is associated with the business owner.

If officers want to investigate further, they can determine whether the business has records of its employees, he said. Occasionally, police may request a guided tour of the premises from a massage business employee to determine if there is evidence people are living there permanently, which could be a sign of human trafficking, Whittington said.

We wont be barging into rooms when clients are having a session, and we wont ask for patient information, he said. These are not (searches under probable cause) thinking that theres criminal activity. This is an inspection.

Businesses with expired licenses or other compliance issues can remedy those with the City Clerks Office, and unlicensed businesses could be shut down and possibly ticketed, he said.

Those exempt from the licensing requirement  including self-employed massage therapists who operate out of their home or their clients' homes, and several others  wont be subject to licensing inspections, Whittington said.

Massage businesses and massage therapists can apply for a lifetime licensing exemption through the city for about $50, said Councilman Dave Donelson, who worked on the ordinance with the police department.

CJ Brazee, a massage therapist and owner of Mountaineer Medical Massage, said Tuesday he was concerned the ordinance, once in effect, would imply all massage therapists are sex workers if they are not licensed by the city or receive an exemption.

Thats going to be very insulting to all massage therapists that have any kind of legitimate health care work under their belt, he said.

Brazee also said the licensing requirements could cause business owners to move out of the city or shut down entirely, especially after trying to recover from government-imposed shutdowns during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having something else that we have to fight on top of that is a negative for our businesses, he said.

Councilwoman Nancy Henjum said she wants the council to reevaluate how effective the ordinance is and make necessary adjustments after a certain timeframe to be determined by the council.
Fire and police officials told Colorado Springs City Council on Monday they are planning to establish new zones for the community that will allow for faster evacuations of targeted areas in crisis situations, such as wildfires.

The new zones were introduced as part of a plan for an updated evacuation ordinance that requires city officials to update evacuation plans every five years and responds to the concerns residents have raised about wildfire, Chief Randy Royal said.

"It addresses what we feel is the right thing to do and covers how we manage these incidences," he said in an interview.

However, the proposed ordinance does not address the evacuation modeling that residents have called for that would determine how long it could take to leave certain neighborhoods. It also would not require the city to consider evacuation times when determining whether new development should be allowed, a step that one resident advocacy group, Westside Watch, proposed in a draft ordinance the group presented to City Council.

Late last year, a national expert in evacuation modeling, Old Dominion University Professor Mike Robinson, told City Council that it could take 4 hours and 20 minutes for all residents to leave the Broadmoor area, excluding tourist traffic. Factoring in tourists at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, The Broadmoor resort and Seven Falls could increase the time to 5 hours, with major delays on Cheyenne Boulevard and Cheyenne Road, he said.

Royal said through a new contract with Zonehaven, an evacuation management platform, the city plans to split the community into about 200 evacuation zones up from the existing 72, and those smaller geographical areas will be easier and faster to evacuate. The city is meeting with Zonehaven representatives on Friday to talk about the zones, Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said.

Zonehaven will also allow local authorities to notify residents of evacuation orders in 3 minutes through the Peak Alert system, social media, traditional media and those within a certain proximity of the fire who can receive notification via a cell tower, Vasquez said. That information push could help prevent officers from needing to go door-to-door.

Residents will be encouraged to know their zone so if they get an alert in an emergency they will know immediately whether it applies to them, officials said.

A Colorado Springs wildfire safety advocate pushed back on the plan in an interview saying that smaller evacuation zones won't help during a fast-moving fire that could threaten a large area of the city. For example, the East Troublesome fire moved at 6,000 acres an hour, The Gazette reported previous.

"Zoned evacuations are an oxymoron in dire fires," said Dana Duggan, a founder of Westside Watch, the group that has advocated for evacuation modeling and development standards tied to evacuation times. She noted that education campaigns about knowing your zones have backfired when residents waited for notification rather than just leaving. The notifications sometimes don't come when infrastructure was consumed.

In addition to evacuation modeling, she noted Mill Valley, Calif., has started scoring its roads and identifying individual streets and intersections that need improvements to help traffic flow better during an evacuation, and that kind of forward thinking is needed locally. Improving infrastructure to aid in an evacuation should be the city's role, she said.

Other communities also identify safe evacuation routes of zones and safe spaces, typically large asphalt parking lots, for residents to shelter in, if they can't get out.

Royal said residents can model their own evacuation times and should be aware of the risk in their own neighborhoods.

"Our mantra has been individual responsibility," he said.

If neighbors think an intersection should be improved they should ask the city directly, he said.

City Traffic Engineer Todd Frisbie said in an evacuation the police are dispatched to help manage evacuation choke points.

City Council may take up the evacuation ordinance again on June 14, according to the council's agenda planner.
A communications professional and former Marine has been named executive director of El Paso County's Communications Department, the county announced Tuesday.

El Paso County officials earlier this year separated the county's Public Information Office into two new departments. Ryan Parsell, who was previously the Public Information Office's executive director, now leads the Government Affairs Department as its executive director. Vernon Stewart will lead the Communications Department, which manages public outreach, media relations, internal and external communications, Colorado Records Act requests and more.

In an email to The Gazette, Stewart said he looks forward to serving the local community and enhancing the county's communication efforts.

"This is a wonderful area with so many great things in place and on the horizon," he said. "I am elated to be a part of the path forward."

Stewart has an extensive background in communications. According to his LinkedIn page, he has served in similar roles for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Mississippi and Missouri. He also served as the communications lead for the mayor of Pensacola, Fla.

Stewart also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. He has a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's in public administration from the University of West Florida.
This spectrogram shows the largest quake ever detected on another planet. Estimated at magnitude 5, this quake was discovered by NASAs InSight lander on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Estimated to be magnitude 5, the quake is the biggest ever detected on another planet.

NASA's InSight Mars lander has detected the largest quake ever observed on another planet: an estimated magnitude 5 temblor that occurred on May 4, 2022, the 1,222nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This adds to the catalog of more than 1,313 quakes InSight has detected since landing on Mars in November 2018. The largest previously recorded quake was an estimated magnitude 4.2 detected Aug. 25, 2021.

InSight was sent to Mars with a highly sensitive seismometer, provided by France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), to study the deep interior of the planet. As seismic waves pass through or reflect off material in Mars' crust, mantle, and core, they change in ways that seismologists can study to determine the depth and composition of these layers. What scientists learn about the structure of Mars can help them better understand the formation of all rocky worlds, including Earth and its Moon.

A magnitude 5 quake is a medium-size quake compared to those felt on Earth, but it's close to the upper limit of what scientists hoped to see on Mars during InSight's mission. The science team will need to study this new quake further before being able to provide details such as its location, the nature of its source, and what it might tell us about the interior of Mars.

"Since we set our seismometer down in December 2018, we've been waiting for 'the big one,'" said Bruce Banerdt, InSight's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission. "This quake is sure to provide a view into the planet like no other. Scientists will be analyzing this data to learn new things about Mars for years to come."

The large quake comes as InSight is facing new challenges with its solar panels, which power the mission. As InSight's location on Mars enters winter, there's more dust in the air, reducing available sunlight. On May 7, 2022, the lander's available energy fell just below the limit that triggers safe mode, where the spacecraft suspends all but the most essential functions. This reaction is designed to protect the lander and may occur again as available power slowly decreases.

After the lander completed its prime mission at the end of 2020, meeting its original science goals, NASA extended the mission through December 2022.

More About the Mission

JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.

A number of European partners, including CNES and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors.

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RTHK: Nine arrested after crash images spark panic on plane

Nine Israelis were arrested on suspicion of using cellphones to share images of plane crashes with other passengers on Tuesday, causing panic and forcing their flight to be aborted, authorities said.

The incident happened shortly before the AnadoluJet passenger plane had been readying for take-off for Istanbul from Tel Aviv, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said.

"The nine... are suspected of broadcasting images of an air disaster on the plane, causing panic and delaying the plane's departure by several hours," the police said.

"All nine suspects are being questioned by police," they said in a statement, adding the offence could be interpreted as a "terrorist threat".

The IAA said those detained had been ejected from the flight before it was able to depart around four hours later.

"They used an Apple programme, AirDrop, allowing them to share photos on phones around them," said IAA spokesman Ofer Lefler.

AirDrop is a feature on Apple devices such as iPhones that allows users to share files wirelessly with people in near proximity.

Tuesday's incident is the second such scare at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv within weeks.

On April 28, airport security staff found an unexploded shell in the luggage of an American family who had taken it as a souvenir while on holiday in Israel.

The discovery caused panic in the departures hall, and people were seen taking cover and running in all directions in videos shared on social media.

The family was allowed to board their flight as planned. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-05-10. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Police Departments in Meridian and Boise, Idaho, Will Increase Patrols Around Stanton Healthcare After Recent Attacks, Threats and Vandalism Against Pro-life Centers Across the Country

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Stanton Healthcare

May 10, 2022



BOISE, Idaho, May 10, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- Stanton Healthcare, based in Meridian, has life-affirming clinics in Idaho and affiliates across America and internationally. Stanton provides compassionate and professional women's healthcare along with holistic services to women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy.



Stanton has taken extra steps to ensure the safety of their clients, volunteers, and staff  including securing the assistance of local law enforcement to increase patrols around their Boise and Meridian clinics which are located steps away from Planned Parenthood abortion facilities.



Stanton's Director of Operations, Nancy Ferris, shared:

"We have reviewed our safety procedures with staff and volunteers regarding harassment and violence. We had our alarm systems tested and spoke with the Meridian and Boise Police Departments who will increase patrols around both clinics. It is horrific to know some people choose violence to express their opinions and disappointment in a decision that saves the lives of babies."

Stanton Healthcare is encouraging all life-affirming clinics to be extra cautious during the coming weeks.



Linda Thomas, Director of Community Outreach, stated:

"There is nothing more important to us at Stanton than valuing and protecting life  the lives of mothers and the lives of their children. Unlike the abortion industry and its allies, we never pit a mother against her child. Instead, we love them both and protect them both. We are thankful to our local law enforcement for their responsiveness and duty to protect, as well.



"We urge all life-affirming pregnancy clinics to contact your local police department and ask for increased patrols around your center. The safety of the women and children we serve is paramount."

For more information, contact:

Rev. Patrick Mahoney (540) 538-4741



SOURCE Stanton Healthcare



CONTACT: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741



Related Links



www.StantonInternational.org



www.StantonHealthcare.org


By Azernews





Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates have discussed the implementation of the Garadagh solar power plant, founded in March 2022.

The discussion took place during the meeting between Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov with the UAE Minister of Industry of Advanced Technology, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and Chairman of Masdar within the World Utilities Congress Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.

The parties stressed that the Garadagh solar power plant paved the way for new collaborations between the two countries.

During the meeting, the parties discussed wind and solar power projects in Karabakh and the Caspian Sea, including the coastal islands, as well as the cooperation on green hydrogen and energy efficiency.

They noted that Masdar is interested in getting involved in large-scale wind and solar power investment projects in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the partnership with the United Arab Emirates and Masdar, which has a global reputation, in the implementation of the green energy policy in Azerbaijan was highly appreciated.

The sides also exchanged views on new green investment opportunities during the conversation.

On March 15, Baku's Gulustan Palace hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the 230 MW Garadagh solar power plant.

Masdar, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, will construct the plant. The project's investment cost will be around $225 million.

The plant is designed to produce 500 million kWh of electricity per year and supply it to approximately 110,000 households. Furthermore, the plant will reduce gas consumption by 110 million cubic meters and environmental emissions by 200,000 tons. Over 500,000 solar panels are expected to be installed.

The solar power plant is scheduled to be put into operation by the end of the first half of 2023.
The red wolf, the most endangered canid species in the world | Wildlife in the News
Colorado Springs City Council members critiqued plans for a passenger rail station in town on Monday over economic feasibility and the likelihood residents will use the service.

The city is responsible for identifying a site for the 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.

The possibilities are the historic depot, near south Sierra Madre Street and Colorado Avenue, America the Beautiful Park, the Drake Power Plant site and the Nevada Avenue and Mill Street area where the city plans to replace aging railroad bridges, said Brian Vitulli, transit planning supervisor for the city.

The city is only identifying a location for a station. It is not responsible for building, maintaining or funding the rail stop that could be part of the train service the Colorado Department of Transportation and Amtrak are working on, Vitulli said.

The state legislature also formed a new district this spring that encompasses the communities the rail line could serve and can ask voters for a tax increase to fund the trains.

The location study is expected to be finished by the summer ahead of Amtrak service that could start in two to three years. Amtrak trains could travel north and south through Pueblo and Colorado Springs to take riders to the main east-west line that runs through La Junta. It could be a decade before commuter rail service starts to connect Colorado Springs to Denver and other destinations, Vitulli said.

Councilman Wayne Williams was among those who raised concerns about the rail station, saying the city should consider locations farther north, nearer to the population center to better serve those likely to commute to Denver each day.

"Transit is effective if it is designed to be used," he said.

It doesn't make sense to ask Denver commuters to drive south to a downtown train station to then travel north, he said.

Failing to look at locations farther north makes the study fatally flawed, Williams said.

"The only way to get riders on (the rail line) is to have it serve people and we havent looked at where the people are," he said.

Vitulli said the city considered where its other existing public transit infrastructure is to inform the location of a rail station.

Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune, who represents downtown, seemed to support the proposed locations because population density downtown is growing.

"There is lots of apartment buildings and lots of young riders," she said.

Some council members seemed to oppose the rail service in general, even though the city will not be involved in it after a site is selected.

"It is clearly not economically viable now," Councilman Bill Murray said.

Others seemed to support rail as a transportation option.

"We have to balance vision and data," Councilwoman Nancy Henjum said. "We are looking at the future and I think its our responsibility to look very forward."
A federal judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges a Colorado-based group's door-to-door canvassing amounts to illegal voter intimidation and a conspiracy to prevent people from voting.

Earlier this year, three civic groups filed a federal complaint asking that a judge order the U.S. Election Integrity Plan  a group that believes there were illegal votes cast in the 2020 election  to halt its alleged harassment of voters. The Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Colorado and Mi Familia Vota claimed that USEIP's activities violate the federal Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act's prohibitions on voter coercion.

On April 8, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer rejected the plaintiffs' request for a temporary restraining order, finding no allegations that USEIP was currently intimidating voters in a way that required emergency action. However, Brimmer subsequently refused to dismiss the lawsuit outright, saying the plaintiffs had credibly claimed that USEIP's actions had harmed them directly.

Specifically, all three groups alleged they had to divert resources from their core mission of educating voters to instead monitor, strategize against and combat USEIP's activities.

"Any of the plaintiff organizations in these cases theoretically could have chosen not to devote resources to countering the defendants conduct and, in that sense, their drained resources were volitional. But courts have considered organizations in similar positions to have been 'forced' to act," Brimmer wrote in an April 28 order.

USEIP formed after the 2020 presidential election and is not affiliated with the U.S. government. The group has alleged "maladministration" of Colorado's elections and claimed that up to 11% of voters in four counties were "affected by unexplained irregularities" in the 2020 election. USEIP arrived at its conclusions through the activity the plaintiffs claim violates federal law: going door to door to ask questions about ballots and voter registration.

The lawsuit describes sometimes-armed USEIP "agents" as doing more than surveying voters, allegedly going so far as to accuse to those voters of casting ballots fraudulently. The groups believe USEIP's activities are intimidating, in particular, to minority communities historically subject to voting restrictions.

Claims of widespread election fraud have gained virtually no traction following the 2020 election. Judges across the country, including in Colorado, threw out various lawsuits over vote-rigging. An attorney for former President Donald Trump, who continued to assert that he prevailed in the election long after losing, currently faces a professional misconduct complaint in Colorado for her work to prevent President Joe Biden from taking office.

USEIP, whose leader said three months ago that people involved in election fraud "deserve to hang," did not dispute the plaintiffs' allegations in its motion to dismiss.

The defendants to the litigation include USEIP itself and three of its leaders. They asked Brimmer to dismiss the lawsuit based on the argument that the plaintiffs had not shown that USEIP's activities required the plaintiffs to stray from their missions to counter illegal activity.

"Plaintiffs have failed to establish that the Defendants actions are the cause of any harm requiring a diversion of resources beyond its ordinary program costs," wrote attorney Jessica L. Hays. "Only if Defendants illegal acts force the organization to divert resources to counteract those acts can organizational standing be established."

Brimmer, in siding against USEIP, noted that other courts have found that organizations have standing to sue under similar circumstances. He cited a 2020 case from the Southern District of New York in which a civil rights and racial justice organization had to divert resources from its efforts to increase Black residents' response to the Census, and instead focus on robocalls that spread misinformation about mail voting in largely-Black areas. The judge in that case allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

Brimmer accepted the plaintiffs' allegations as true for the purpose of evaluating the motion to dismiss. He primarily used the NAACP for his analysis, determining that since the group had already allegedly spent resources to address the USEIP's conduct, it was reasonable to assume the NAACP would need to continue its interventions in the future.

"If defendants had not begun the alleged 'intimidation campaign,' NAACP would have continued to use its resources for its programmatic priorities," Brimmer wrote. He believed the same logic applied to the League of Women Voters and Mi Familia Vota.

Brimmer set a hearing for June 2 to hear from witnesses and decide on the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction against USEIP.

The case is Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference of the NAACP et al. v. United States Election Integrity Plan et al.
The sport of sandboarding is booming at Colorado's legendary dunes. Here we see enthusiasts of the sport at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, near Alamosa County, Colorado. (Video: Seth Boster/The Gazette)
By Azernews





Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov has said that Azerbaijan can contribute to the diversification of the energy supply as a source of green energy along with natural gas.

He made the remarks speaking at panel discussions at the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

The minister underlined that Azerbaijan is one of the countries with sustainable energy independence due to domestic resources, a diversified energy balance, and supply markets.

Azerbaijan plans to expand the role of a supplier of oil, gas, and electricity through the export of renewable energy, he said.

In this regard, he briefed on the projects implemented and planned for the production and export of electricity from renewable energy sources.

Shahbazov stressed that in the current non-standard situation related to the supply of energy resources, sustainable energy security could be achieved through multifaceted diversification.

It is necessary to ensure not only different sources of energy imports but also a variety of resources for the energy balance. Not only renewable energy sources but also hydrocarbon-based energy supplies are not as sustainable, he said.

The minister stated that currently, the emphasis is not so much on renewable energy sources, but on the aspect of energy security, and in this regard, the goal of moving from 'net zero' to alternative energy sources has also changed.

He noted that the approach to developing green energy, accelerating the energy transition in the context of diversifying energy sources, is more rational and effective than a policy aimed only at reducing emissions and even eliminating natural gas from the energy balance. Shahbazov added that the smoothness of the energy transition and the path to the goal of achieving 'net zero' is directly related to ensuring energy security.

During the panel discussions, the minister touched upon the issues of energy security, energy transition, the growing role of Azerbaijan as a reliable energy supplier, and partnership with the Gulf countries in green energy in terms of the processes taking place in the global energy supply system.

Parviz Shahbazov paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the World Utilities Congress which is being held in Abu-Dhabi on May 9-11, at the invitation of Energy and Infrastructure Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei.

During the visit, the minister's speech at the strategic conference of the Congress at panel discussions, his participation in the various exhibitions showcasing innovative products and new technologies in power and water management, as well as in a number of meetings are planned.

It should be noted that the World Utilities Congress held under the auspices of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, convene 14 Energy Ministers, more than 70 industry CEOs of leading power and water utilities from more than 50 countries, and 1,000+ senior-level delegates.

World Utilities Congress is a platform that enables to sharing of insights and strategies on the global energy and utility industry.
92% of homeowners are coming up short of what it costs to rebuild from the Dec. 30 Marshall fire that roared through Louisville, Superior and unincorporated areas of Boulder County, according to an April 26 report released by the Colorado Division of Insurance.
WEBSTER CITY  The last moments of Sgt. Jim Smiths life were captured on video.

On Tuesday, jurors watched the brief footage as the state began presenting evidence in the trial of Michael Thomas Lang, the man accused of shooting Smith with a shotgun during standoff at Langs Grundy Center home following a traffic stop for speeding and a chase in April 2021.

Smith, a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol and the lead for a patrol tactical team that went to detain Lang when he wouldnt come to the door, wasnt equipped with a body camera.

But a Grundy County sheriffs deputy who was providing cover near him was.

The footage shows officers standing inside Langs attached garage as they warned him there were about to send in a police dog and telling him he would get bit.

There is barking, some yelling, officers calling Mike and telling him to put his hands up.

Smith can be seen standing at the door to the house, his rifle raised. He backs up. The camera pans away as there is commotion. When it pans back, hes on the ground.

Shots fired, shots fired, send medical, send medical, an officer yells.

Assistant Attorney General Douglas Hammerand said deputies, trooper and police had announced their presence and had given Lang several opportunities to come to the door.

This case is about a senseless killing, he told jurors.

Sgt. Smith is in the lit garage.  As hes looking in that kitchen, the defendant is standing in the dark coming forward, Hammerand said.

He said Lang fired a 12-gauge slug into Smiths chest, the round impacting around the shoulder strap for his body armor, near the collarbone area and tearing into his lungs.

Sgt. Smith was able to get off, before he fell, two rounds from his gun, Hammerand said.

A second blast from the pump-action shotgun hit Smiths leg.

Another deputy fired a few rounds into the kitchen, missing.

Defense attorney Aaron Hawbaker told jurors Smiths death was tragic but didnt amount to murder.

He asked jurors to pay attention to the significant amount of time that passed between the traffic stop and when officers began to enter his house.

During that entire time while they are surrounding his house, not a shot comes out a window. No attempt to harm a peace officer, no shots going through doors, no shots going through walls, Hawbaker said. The first two (shots) were when that kitchen door was opened.  Two shots, nothing more.

He noted there was a second long lapse before officers began approaching with an armored vehicle and tried to rip the front off his house, and then there were two more shots.

Jurors also saw video from a second body camera Tuesday, this one showing what led up to the deadly standoff.

Officer Cody Niehaus with the Grundy Center Police Department said he was driving through town two hours earlier when Langs blue F150 pickup truck passed him on the towns main drag doing 38 mph in a 25 mph zone.

A chase ensued, heading out into the country at speeds of 90 mph. Niehaus said Lang pulled over on a gravel road, exited and walked up to the squad car telling the officer to shoot him.

Come on, boy, Lang told Niehaus as they struggled. Neihaus said he Tasered Lang, but Lang pulled out the barbs and they went to the ground with Lang ending up behind him with his arm around the officers neck.

I felt that my radio cord was wrapped around my neck. I wasnt able to see what was going on because the defendant was behind me. All I knew was I could not breathe. I honestly thought at the moment I was going to die, Niehaus said.

A passerby, Michael Dorothy of Waterloo, had followed the chase and intervened, giving Niehaus a chance to get to his feet. Sheriffs Deputy Samuel Broome pulled up, and Lang drove off.

Earlier in the day, the judge has ruled the defense attorneys cant ask witnesses about whether law enforcement had warrants when they went to Langs home.

Defense attorneys indicated they would like to argue self-defense.

The state countered, requesting that the defense be precluded from inquiring about warrants, noting they werent needed because the original encounter  a struggle with a police officer during a traffic stop  was witnessed by law enforcement.

The state also argued that the law doesnt allow for the resistance of an arrest.

In a tentative ruling handed down Tuesday morning, Judge Joel Dalrymple said the warrant issue was a matter of law for the court to decide and a not question to put in front of the jury.

Hawbaker asked if the defense could question witnesses if officers told Lang about any warrants or told him he was under arrest during the standoff.

The judge did allow for the defense to make offers of proof, which is testimony outside the presence of the jury, to allow the defense to make further argument and to preserve the record.

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By Azernews





ADY Container LLC, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways, and the Austrian Rail Cargo have signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation.

The memorandum was signed during a meeting between Azerbaijani Railways CJSC chairman Javid Gurbanov and Austrian Federal Railways JSC chairman Andreas Matte.

Within the framework of the document, the sides will work together to ensure uninterrupted and rapid delivery of multimodal rail freight from Europe via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railways, as well as from the Romanian port of Constanta to the Georgian port of Poti and then to Central Asia and China.

In this context, ADY Container, together with Georgian GR Logistics and Kazakh KTZ Express, with the support of the Azerbaijani Caspian Shipping Company, launches container transportation of goods between the ports of Poti and Constanta as part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

During the meeting, the parties also emphasized the role of multimodal rail transportation in expanding economic relations and trade turnover between the two countries.

They discussed increasing joint efforts for more effective use of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route against the backdrop of the situation in the region, increasing the volume of multimodal rail freight in the directions of China-Europe-China and Central Asia-Europe-Central Asia.

The strengthening of joint activities and partnerships in these areas was also the focus of separate bilateral meetings between representatives of the Azerbaijani Railways and leading European freight companies Rail Cargo, Czech Metrans, and German Bahnoperator GmbH.

Azerbaijan and Germany are successfully cooperating in various sectors of the economy. Azerbaijan is the main economic and trade partner of Germany in the South Caucasus.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany amounted to $1.2 billion in 2021.
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GREENSBORO  An employee at a local Procter & Gamble facility died in a workplace accident on Friday, the N.C. Department of Labor confirmed Monday.

Preliminary information indicates that the employee "was struck by some sort of equipment and was then caught between/crushed between equipment," according to an email from a spokeswoman for the state Labor Department.

The accident occurred at the Procter & Gamble facility at 6200 Bryan Park Drive, N.C. Department of Labor Spokeswoman Erin Wilson said. An investigation by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Division into the death is likely to take several months to close, she added.

In a statement, Procter & Gamble said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague at the Greensboro Brown Summit facility. The investigation is ongoing, we are working closely with authorities, and offering our full support to the family."
Homicide and suicide rates among North Carolina children have more than doubled over the past decade, a startling report released Monday shows.

The report, issued annually by the states Child Fatality Task Force, showed that most causes of death among children held relatively steady from 2011 through 2020  the most recent period figures were available. But the task force found that in 2020, 79 children between the ages of 1 and 17 died as a result of homicide, making it the leading cause of death for that age group.

Also in 2020, suicide was the fourth-leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 17, claiming 56 children. Among children aged 10 to 14, it was the leading cause of death.

Another 13 children under the age of 1 year died as a result of homicide in 2020, according to the report.

That means that in 2020, four children per 100,000 in the state died as a result of homicide, compared to 1.9 in 2011.

In the report, the task force renews its call for the state to increase funding for programs targeted at reducing child fatalities, including educating state residents about firearm safety as well as improving maternal and infant health, especially among minorities.

A letter signed by the task forces chair, Karen McLeod, and executive director, Kella Hatcher, accompanying the report expressed some frustration that North Carolina still has the eighth-highest infant-mortality rate in the country. Infant deaths accounted for a troubling 63% of all child deaths in 2020.

The report noted the state continues to see racial disparities in infant mortality rates, with the rate for Black infants more than 2.5 times that of white infants. Prematurity, low birth weight, birth defects and maternal complications are the leading causes.

This years submission of the annual report ... comes to you with optimism and hope in knowing that the evidence-driven recommendations being made by the Task Force for 2022, if they advance, really can save childrens lives, the letter said. There is also a sense of sadness in the realization that North Carolina has missed opportunities to prevent child deaths in our state as many of these recommendations are being repeated from prior years because they did not fully advance.

In 2020, 1,279 children from birth to 17 years old died in the state  a rate of 55.5 children per 100,000. Thats down from 107.6 per 100,000 in 1991, but the rate has not changed much in the past decade.

Firearms figured heavily in both child homicides and suicides in North Carolina, the report found. They were used in 55% of youth suicides and 73% of homicides in 2020.

The rate of child deaths by firearm was the same in the state compared to the nation as a whole in 2011  1.8 per 100,000 children.

But by 2020, the rate in North Carolina was a lot higher  4.7  compared to 3.1 for the U.S.

The report also noted that suicidal behavior by high school students has been trending upward, and is most pronounced among youth who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

In 2019, the most recent figures available, 44% of high school students surveyed said they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months, compared to 16% of students identifying as heterosexual. Among LGBTQ high school students, 22% said they had actually attempted suicide, compared to 8% of heterosexual students.

In addition to other measures, the task force said North Carolina must put resources toward addressing the youth mental health crisis, including providing schools with support.
" " On average, Americans pay more than 240 percent more for their prescription drugs than people in other developed countries. Matt Anderson Photography/Getty Images

Billionaire business owner Mark Cuban is on a mission to "disrupt" the pharmaceutical industry and sell low-cost prescription drugs directly to Americans. His startup venture, the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, is offering steeply discounted prices on hundreds of generic prescription drugs.

Some of the potential savings are staggering. A generic leukemia drug called Imatinib currently retails for $2,502 for 30 100 mg tablets. Cuban's company is selling the exact same medication for just $17.10. In an industry famous for keeping its pricing models in the dark, Cuban's drug company is fully transparent. That $17.10 is exactly 15 percent more than the cost of manufacturing Imatinib ($12) plus a $3 pharmacy fee.

At first glance, Cuban's new online pharmacy couldn't have come at a better time. Americans pay 244 percent more for prescription drugs than any other developed country, according to a 2021 study by RAND. And 7 percent of adult Americans  an estimated 18 million people  reported they can no longer afford to pay for one or more of their prescriptions in a September 2021 West Health and Gallup survey.

But while the Texas billionaire should be applauded for trying to make life-saving drugs more affordable, a single startup isn't going to solve America's prescription drug price crisis, say health care industry reformers. Ultimately, Congress has to rewrite the decades-old rules that let drug companies essentially name their prices and rake in billions in profits.

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Generics Aren't the Problem, It's Name-brand Drugs

Currently, Cuban's new company offers discounted prices on only generic drugs. In America, drug companies are awarded patents for new medications plus something called exclusivity rights. That means that the drug company has the exclusive right to sell the medication for 12 to 16 years at whatever price they want (a legal monopoly, basically).

When the exclusivity period is over, other drug manufacturers can start making and selling generic versions of the same medication. If a lot of companies make generic versions, the price of the medication will come down quickly. If fewer companies jump in, perhaps because the medication treats a rare condition, then even the generic version might still be expensive.

The good news is that four out of five medications prescribed in America are generic. And while Americans pay 84 percent more for generic drugs than other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries like Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom, generics are not what's breaking people's budgets. The culprit is patent-protected, name-brand medications.

David Mitchell has an incurable type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. He's currently taking four non-generic cancer medications that retail for $935,000 a year.

"One of the drugs I'm taking retails for roughly $1,000 a capsule, but costs less than a dollar for the drug company to make," Mitchell says. "Those are the kind of profit margins the drug companies run."

Mitchell is the founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, an advocacy group calling on lawmakers to limit the exclusivity rights enjoyed by name-brand drugmakers, among other major reforms that would lower drug prices.

Even though name-brand drugs only make up 16 percent of all medications prescribed in America, they are responsible for 88 percent of total prescription drug spending, according to RAND. And while Americans only pay slightly more than other countries for generic drugs, they pay 344 percent more for the exact same name-brand drugs.

Name-brand drugs are what's driving the prescription drug price crisis, Mitchell says, and unfortunately that core problem is not addressed by Cuban's new company, which only sells generics.

" " This autoinjector is filled with Cosentyx, which is the brand name of Secukinumab. It treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Cosentyx, which is manufactured by Novartis, is one of the most expensive medications in the U.S., averaging nearly $9,000 a month retail. Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Let the Government Negotiate Lower Prices

Why do other developed countries pay almost four times less for the same name-brand drugs? Because their governments are allowed to negotiate lower prices directly with the drug companies, says Mitchell, but not in America.

When Congress wrote the current Medicare legislation back in 1983, the drug companies successfully lobbied for the inclusion of something called a "noninterference clause." This clause prohibits the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from "interfering" with negotiations between drug manufacturers and prescription drug plan sponsors.

In practice, the noninterference clause means that the U.S. government, which is the largest buyer of prescription drugs through Medicare, can't use its collective purchasing power to negotiate lower prices. Instead that negotiating power is handed over to private businesses called pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs.

The problem is that PBMs are driven by profit. They are supposed to negotiate lower prices for health insurance companies, large employers and even Medicare recipients, but they make money by pocketing a percentage of the cost of the drugs. Critics like Mitchell say that PBMs are incentivized, therefore, to keep drug prices high.

"The prescription drug system we have right now is designed to benefit the people who make money on it at the expense of the people it's supposed to serve," says Mitchell.

One of the reasons why Cuban's new company can offer such low prices is that it's registered as a PBM, which means that it can negotiate its own deals with drugmakers. Since Cuban is already filthy rich, he's not in it for the money. Instead of marking up the medications to earn a fat profit, he only tacks on enough to cover his costs and keep the business running. He calls it a "public-benefit corporation." By that measure, all other PBMs should be called "shareholder-benefit corporations."

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Congress' Role in Prescription Drug Prices

The "Build Back Better Act," which was passed by the House of Representatives in November 2021, includes several provisions that would lower prescription drug prices for millions of Americans. It's now waiting for a vote in the Senate.

For starters, the legislation gives the government authority to negotiate prices with drug makers for a select few, very expensive medications. The list of negotiable drugs will include no more than 10 in 2025 and grow slowly from there, but it's a step in the right direction.

The law, if passed by the Senate, would also cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. That might sound like a lot, but Mitchell currently pays $26,000 a year out of pocket for his cancer drugs. So again, a big step in the right direction.

But something the proposed legislation doesn't touch are those exclusivity rights that gives drug companies the ability to name their price for more than a decade. The pharmaceutical industry says that they need that legal monopoly to recoup the expensive cost of research and development.

In other words, if people like Mitchell want life-extending drugs for incurable cancers, then the drug companies need to be compensated for their hard work and innovation.

There's a logic to the pharma industry's argument, but Mitchell says that they are leaving out some important details. For starters, most of the truly "innovative" scientific work is funded by taxpayers through National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to research universities. When a drug company spots a promising (i.e., profitable) innovation, they buy the patent for a bargain and make it their own.

Beyond that, there's the question of fair compensation. Yes, drug companies should be allowed to make money from delivering a life-saving cure, vaccine or treatment, but how much money? According to an analysis by West Health, name-brand drug companies could lose $1 trillion in sales and still be the most profitable industry in America.

"I take this whole notion of incentivizing innovation very seriously," says Mitchell. "I need new drugs or I will die sooner than I hope to. But we are way far away, even with the legislation proposed in Congress, from doing anything that would stifle innovation."

" " Billionaire Mark Cuban believes everyone should have safe, affordable medicines with transparent prices. His new venture, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, is aiming to disrupt the drug industry. Jason Bollenbacher/Getty Images for SXSW

Now That's Cool While Cuban's online pharmacy might not solve the prescription drug problem on its own, it's looking for ways to expand. The next step, says Cuban, is to build its own drug manufacturing facility in Dallas.
State lawmakers of both political parties on Tuesday called for a meeting with the governor and state prison warden after staffing issues presented by the union representing workers there sharpened their concern for the facility's operations.

"We've been there, we've been addressing this for several months," Sen. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said in the Law and Justice Interim Committee's meeting. "  I'm at the point where I have very grave concerns about what's happening at the prison, particularly with morale, continued loss of correctional officers."

Aaron Meaders, president of the Federation of Montana State Prison Employees Local 4700, has testified several times before the committee urging help to shore up the morale and staffing issues at the state prison. On Tuesday, Meaders told the committee the prison has hired 106 people since July 2021, but 166 have left through resignations, retirement or another exit. Montana State Prison Warden Jim Salmonsen, too, has testified to the committee that the facility is running on a 20% staff vacancy at any given time of the year.

The Montana Department of Corrections reached a new contract with the union in March, but Meaders said Tuesday more than 23 employees have quit since the contract's $2 raise kicked in, and only one person was taking the new employee orientation class on Monday.

"One of the things championed pretty hard by the DOC leadership is that pay is going to fix all the problems out there," Meaders said. "While the $2 raise has helped with recruitment, it has not helped with retention at all."

Last week, the Department of Corrections confirmed it has closed a unit of the prison in order to reduce the number of mandatory posts. In follow-up emails, a DOC spokesperson also said the closure took place because of changes in inmate needs but did not further elaborate on those changes.

McGillvray said he thinks the issues raised warrant a meeting with Gov. Greg Gianforte, Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin and Salmonsen.

"We have a responsibility for oversight here and I will say no more but I think we need to pursue it further with the governor at this time," he said.

Rep. Donavon Hawk, a Butte Democrat also on the committee, concurred with McGillvray. Meaders also spoke about the disengaged attitude from prison leadership in response to concerns from rank-and-file employees. Collective bargaining also brought changes to the employee grievance process, a suggestion that not all complaints centered on money. But while the contract had clear terms of when employees could refuse mandatory overtime, Meaders said the prison changed its terms to describe those overtime requirements in order to circumvent the contract.

"I over the past weeks have gotten a lot of letters from program managers in different areas of the prison about retaliation and different things going on," Hawk said. "The morale has been extremely concerning."

Lawmakers have suggested using the National Guard to augment the staffing shortage at the prison outside of Deer Lodge. The Guard has been deployed at the prison as recently as 2020, when a COVID-19 outbreak among staff required outside assistance. In that case, soldiers performed tasks that included little or no interaction with inmates, such as laundry, head counts and food preparation.

Brooke Stroyke, spokesperson for the Governor's Office, said Tuesday she was unaware of a formal meeting request but added "the governors door is always open."

Carolynn Bright, spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said the DOC has been transparent about its difficulties with lawmakers and added the department will seek additional funding in the next budget cycle.

The department has been transparent with legislators regarding the difficult task of recruiting and retaining employees in these demanding positions," Bright said. "The DOC is extremely proud of the manner in which employees are working together in this challenging time to keep Montanans safe."

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In the latest chapter in a years-long debate over elk management in Montana, a group representing property owners has filed a lawsuit asking a state judge to overturn hunting regulations and to direct wildlife officials to significantly reduce elk populations in parts of the state.

United Property Owners of Montana filed the lawsuit in Fergus County District Court last month against the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The lawsuit cites state law requiring the commission and FWP to manage elk to population objectives contained in FWPs elk management plan, but says the population has ballooned to more than 50,000 animals over objectives.

FWP and the commission are statutorily required to manage elk populations to sustainable levels and to prevent over-population, the lawsuit states. The defendants, however, have failed to do so in much of the state, resulting in damage to property owners across the state. 

The lawsuit argues that limited permit hunting for bull elk is a common denominator in dozens of hunting districts exceeding population objectives. Earlier this year the commission rejected FWPs recommendation to allow general license hunting on private land in several hunting districts, instead increasing bull elk permits.

The lawsuit accuses state officials of attempting to force public hunter access to private land through restrictive hunting regulations and programs such as game damage hunts, which require public access. The policies attempt to strong-arm landowners into abandoning private property rights, the lawsuit claims, and FWP and the commission are legally required to manage to objective regardless of whether landowners allow public access.

No matter whether reducing elk numbers is popular with environmentalist or other special interest groups or not, defendants are to keep populations at or below the population objectives, the lawsuit states.

FWP and the commissions refusal to follow state law regarding population levels have squandered our prized natural resource, turning the regal elk into a common nuisance, like locusts or grasshoppers.

State officials have also falsely and publicly blamed landowners for FWP and the commissions dereliction of duty, the lawsuit states, accusing entrenched FWP employees and rogue commissioners of overriding legislative intent.

The court needs to send a clear legal message to the defendants: no one is above the law, and defendants must obey the Legislatures clear, nondiscretionary and nondelegable mandates, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit requests the judge declare elk regulations void, and require FWP and the commission, within 90 days, to develop a plan to remove, harvest or eliminate thousands of elk as expediently as practicable. Regulations should be liberalized and free from special permits in over-objective districts, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit further alleges two state laws are unconstitutional. The first law in question delegates wildlife policy power to the commission, countering that setting policy rests with the Legislature. The second requires public access as a condition of allowing game damage hunting.

The court should reaffirm that landowners have the right to kill elk causing property damage if it is reasonably necessary to do so," the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also requests the court award attorneys fees.

Chuck Denowh with UPOM said in an interview that the state law requiring elk to be managed to objective is nearly two decades old yet populations continue to surge.

This issue has been going on for a very long time, it has just snowballed over the years. It gets worse every year its not addressed, he said.

Montana is facing a second year of drought and widespread insect issues last year significantly reduced available grass for livestock feed. That has caused some ranchers to reduce livestock herds while elk numbers continue to climb, he said.

Denowh says the state could take a number of steps to reduce elk populations in places such as central Montana. The obvious step, he said, are regulations allowing hunting on a general license. FWP could also physically relocate elk, noting that some areas of the state are under desired objectives.

Denowh notes that the commission is ultimately the decision maker on regulations and says he was surprised it did not adopt FWP Director Hank Worsechs recommendations to move to a split between private-land general license hunting while continuing with permits on public land for several hunting districts. He believes Worsech is in a difficult spot, publicly identifying the problem and offering a solution but the commission went a different direction based on intense political pressure from groups and hunters that objected.

Nick Gevock, a consultant on conservation issues that has long been involved in elk management, said in an interview he does not think the lawsuit is representative of most Montana landowners.

I think most Montana landowners understand if youre having problems with the publics elk, public hunters should be part of the solution, he said, noting that a tenet of wildlife management is controlling populations through hunting females rather than males -- many of the districts under special bull permits have very liberal seasons and extra licenses for cows.

We have no problem with the state managing to objective, but we all know the way to do that is to kill the reproductive part of the herd: cow elk. I think really what theyre asking for here, they want total control of public wildlife.

Gevock, pointing to federal assistance programs and state wildlife management areas and federal refuges opening to grazing during emergencies, said he has empathy for ranchers facing drought. But he also targeted UPOM directly, characterizing the organizations filing of a friend of the court brief arguing Montanas stream access law resulted in state-mandated trespass, and the filing of a lawsuit opposing FWPs parameters for wild bison reintroduction, show a pattern of hostility toward public hunters and anglers.

The bison regulations came under former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock while the settlement came under Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. Gevock believes this latest lawsuit will be a litmus test for how the current administration values public access and public wildlife.

I think its pretty clear the fix is in, the state will probably put up a very weak defense, he said.  This case strikes to the heart of our longstanding traditions of public wildlife in Montana. The only way public hunters will be represented is if they intervene in the case.

FWP has not filed a response in the case and declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

Tom Kuglin is the deputy editor for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau. His coverage focuses on outdoors, recreation and natural resources.

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By Trend

The National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organization of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK) held a meeting with a delegation of Latvian Cleantech Latvia group of companies, Trend reports with reference to confederation.

During the meeting, Executive Director of Cleantech Latvia Evija Pudane asked about opportunities available in Azerbaijan for activities in such areas as agriculture, water industry, information technology, vocational education, certification of construction engineers.

"Latvian businessmen were provided with detailed information about the potential available in agrarian sector of Azerbaijan, in particular in liberated territories, and the interest of foreign investors in this area," confederation said.

At the same time, it was emphasized that Azerbaijan could be interested in Latvian experience with creating clusters.

According to of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, trade with Latvia exceeded $4.7 million from January through March 2022, while this figure amounted to $5 million in the same period last year (decrease of 4.3 percent over the year).
DECATUR  Mount Zion fifth-graders Paisley Patrick and Gracyon McNamara spent Tuesday morning learning about agriculture during the Ag in the Classroom session, Agucation.

We learned about tractors and different machinery, Gracyon said.

And different products made at ADM, Paisley said.

Approximately 500 Macon County fifth-graders attended Agucation on Monday and Tuesday at Richland Community College. The two-hour presentations featured demonstrations and information on animals, machinery, careers and products.

The students were able to pet a pig, a rabbit, a goat and other livestock. One of the celebrities of the event was Norman. Hes the llama, Paisley said.

Brandon Marsh, AHW John Deere specialist, had to field interesting questions from the students. Weve had very good questions today, he said.

Marsh understands the importance of providing children with information on agriculture and business. A lot of people from the area do not have any farm background at all, he said. They might not ever step foot on a farm.

Central Illinois is known for having some of the best farm ground in the nation, making agriculture a popular business. Theyre going to come across farm equipment whether they want to or not, Marsh said about the students. Its best to get them as much exposure as possible at a young age.

Careers in agriculture were also discussed with the youngsters. Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Primient (formally known as Tate & Lyle) area major employers for Central Illinois that use the corn and soybeans grown in nearby fields. Many of the childrens parents are employed at the various facilities. Its big in agriculture and its big here, Marsh said.

According to Jennifer Fink, director of information and ag literacy coordinator, Agucation began approximately 25 years ago through the Macon County Farm Bureau. They came up with this idea to bring the farm to the students, she said. Instead of bringing every fifth grade student out to the farm, were bringing them here.

Joey Kusak, a Mount Zion fifth-grade teacher, brought his students to the event to expose them to various agriculture opportunities in their area.

I dont think the kids realize how many different jobs that go into agriculture, he said. You dont necessarily have to be a farmer.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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OLNEY  Two defendants from Olney have both been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the gunshot murder of a 19-year-old Olney man.

Rick A. Meador, 20, pleaded guilty in Richland County Circuit Court to the killing of Kyle M. Johnson. Tara N. Haws, 35, had been convicted by a jury of murder in the same case after the mortally wounded victim had been found with multiple gunshot wounds Sept. 6, 2020, at the intersection of North Walnut and East Laurel streets in the city.

Johnson later died of his injuries in a hospital while Illinois State Police say Meador and his then 16-year-old girlfriend, Kalia Arnone, were fleeing to Florida where they were both later arrested. Arnone, now 18, was tried as an adult and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced April 26 to 15 years in prison, the maximum sentence available.

Meador appeared in court May 5 after his case had earlier been scheduled for a jury trial. The 50-year sentence was also the maximum allowed in a sentencing range of 20 to 50 years.

Haws was convicted by the jury in March and also appeared in court May 5 to be sentenced.

Another defendant, Dale E. Boatman Jr., 33, appeared in court in October and pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated battery involving the discharge of a firearm. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

And a fifth defendant, 45-year-old Misty D. Whipple of Mount Vernon, pleaded guilty on April 13 in Jefferson County Circuit Court to a charge of aiding fugitives and preventing their apprehension. She was accused of renting a van that Meador and Arnone used as they escaped to Florida and Whipple was sentenced to 24 months probation and 180 days in jail, but the jail sentence was stayed.

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

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DECATUR  An arrest has been made in connection with the fatal shooting of a Decatur woman Monday night.

Decatur police said Darius R. Coffie, 29, was taken into custody Tuesday in Springfield by the U.S. Marshals Service and Springfield police after a brief chase.

He remains held in the Sangamon County Jail pending his transfer to Macon County. A warrant for his arrest carried a $10 million bond.

Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day identified the victim as Shyann S. Foster. In a news release, the coroner said the 25-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting in the 1300 block of North Walnut Grove Avenue. Decatur police were called to the scene at approximately 7:29 p.m. to a report of multiple gunshots.

Day said an autopsy showed Foster died from "multiple gunshot wounds to the head and extremities." An inquest is pending.

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the killing to come forward. They can contact officers directly at 217-424-2711 or call Crime Stoppers at 217-423-8477.

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

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Peggy Vieira, left, and Jane Carlton walk Main Plaza to rally for reproductive rights Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in response to the news from the Supreme Court of the United States.
An Abingdon man who pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of pieces of mail from more than 100 addresses in the area, including Chilhowie, has been sentenced to federal prison time.

Bradley Alan Wolfe, 38, pleaded guilty to one count possession of stolen mail and one count bank fraud in December. On Monday, Wolfe was sentenced to serve three years in prison.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Virginia, Wolfe admitted to stealing mail from residential mailboxes in the Chilhowie, Glade Spring, Meadowview and Abingdon areas from March through September 2021.

Items taken included multiple packages, cash, a U.S. passport, diabetes medication and multiple checks worth thousands of dollars, the release said. In one instance, the release said, Wolfe altered a stolen check worth $4,890 by replacing the payees name with his own and then cashing it at Eastman Credit Union in Abingdon.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office and the United States Postal Inspection service investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted.
An inmate at the Sullivan County jail died after a medical emergency last week.

A male inmate experienced a medical issue late last Thursday that prompted a response from corrections medical staff and Sullivan County EMS, according to Capt. Andy Seabolt of the Sullivan County Sheriffs Office. The inmate was taken to a medical facility and later pronounced deceased, Seabolt said.

The sheriffs office has not disclosed any information about the inmate or the medical issue.

Sullivan grand jury says inmate died by suicide and that deputies acted appropriately in his capture A Sullivan County grand jury has determined an inmate accused of shooting a sheriffs deputy killed himself in his cell and also that Sullivan

Another Sullivan County Jail inmate passed away earlier this year. In January, a man who fled deputies and proceeded to have a shootout with them, injuring one, hung himself inside a jail cell.

Alan Coulter, 54, of Bristol, Tennessee, was found unresponsive in his cell just three days after being arrested for eluding and firing at deputies. Coulter was transported to the hospital and unsuccessfully placed on life support.

District Attorney General Barry Staubus said Monday the investigation into the latest inmate death is continuing.
A Bristol, Virginia police officers future in law enforcement is murky weeks after being found not guilty of murder.

Bristol, Virginia city manager Randy Eads said Monday the police department is still conducting an internal affairs investigation, two weeks after Officer Johnathan Brown was found not guilty by a Bristol jury. The verdict came more than a year after Brown fatally shot a fleeing shooting suspect who sped toward him in a Ford Mustang.

According to Browns attorney Heather Howard, it is uncertain whether Brown will be able to return to sworn duty at the Bristol Virginia Police Department (BVPD) until the city manager makes a decision.

Howard put out a press release over the weekend stating Brown, 32, has been suspended without pay for the past year and that he is looking forward to continuing his career in law enforcement.

In May 2021, Brown was indicted by a grand jury for murder just over a month after he shot and killed Jonathen Kohler of Bristol, Tennessee in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn on Euclid Avenue.

Around 3:27 a.m. on March 30, 2021, Kohler, 31, attempted to flee four officers who were dispatched to the motel for multiple calls of shots fired. Kohler drove his Mustang toward Brown, who then fired his rifle approximately five feet from the moving car, video evidence showed during the trial, killing Kohler almost instantly with gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

Police found out after the fatal shooting that Kohler had fired shots in the parking lot prior to their arrival, and that he had sent text messages threatening to shoot up the motel. Kohler had a toxic amount of methamphetamine in his system, a toxicologist testified, and also had a loaded firearm under his seat, police later discovered.

Trial testimony from officers who witnessed the shooting supported the defenses stance that Brown acted in self-defense and in accordance with his police training. On April 27, the jury found Brown not guilty on all charges following a tense and emotional week-long trial.

It is unclear what the police departments internal investigation is looking into and how the findings may impact Browns future employment.

The city initiated an internal affairs investigation promptly after Browns indictment a year ago, according to a Herald Courier report. It is unknown whether the citys investigation is a part of the police departments inquiry. The city manager has not commented further about the case or its aftermath, and police officials have been tight lipped on the matter.

BVPD Major Darryl Milligan said in an email Tuesday that Brown is employed by BVPD as an officer, but is suspended without pay until the department finishes its administrative investigation.

This is commonplace on administrative investigations such as this, Milligan stated. Nothing further can be released until this investigation is concluded, and then at the discretion of the chief of police.

Wednesday marks two weeks since Brown was found not guilty.

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A leaked draft opinion has turned attention to the Supreme Courts upcoming ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case.

Based on the draft opinion, it appears that a majority of the court is ready to reverse its ruling in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that struck down restrictions on abortion across the country.

As a strong supporter of the right to life, I would welcome such a ruling by the court. The tragic consequences of Roe v. Wade have been millions of babies that were never brought into the world and millions of lives never given a chance.

Ive read the draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito. I believe it makes a well-reasoned and persuasive argument that Roe was a bad decision that took power out of the hands of the states and the people, where it belongs.

Unsurprisingly, the astonishing event of a leaked Supreme Court opinion has been used by progressives from President Joe Biden down to stoke fear about the consequences of reversing Roe, portraying its reversal as an undoing of womens rights generally.

But this argument by the left and President Biden ignores the numerous laws and court cases with no relation to Roe protecting women today. Pregnancy, motherhood and single parenting do not restrict women today as they did 50 years ago.

In the decade immediately prior to Roe, Congress enacted a spate of civil rights laws, including the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1971 and Title IX in 1972, that protected women from discrimination in employment, education, housing and federally funded activities, among other areas. These laws predated Roe, have no basis in it and would not be affected by its reversal.

Pregnancy, too, has more legal protections in our day, thus removing penalties cited by abortion supporters as justification for upholding Roe.

Title IX was passed in 1972 to ban sex discrimination in education. Among the forms of discrimination prohibited were those based on pregnancy or childbirth.

In 1974, the Supreme Court ruled in Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that a teacher could not be forced to leave her job due to pregnancy. Roe is mentioned only once in the majority opinion among a laundry list of previous Supreme Court cases, so reversing Roe would not overturn the basis of this particular decision.

In 1978, the Pregnancy Protection Act applied prohibitions on discrimination based on pregnancy and childbirth to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, thus covering employers with 15 or more employees, employment agencies, labor organizations and the government.

These measures limit potentially negative economic consequences for pregnancy, and they are here to stay no matter what happens to Roe.

Alternatives to abortion are also more readily available than they once were for women with an unintended pregnancy. Justice Alito notes in his draft opinion the increased prevalence of state safe haven laws allowing women to drop off babies anonymously under certain circumstances.

As the author of Virginias 2003 safe haven law, I know how meaningful these changes to the law can be for expectant and new mothers grappling with their future and that of their babies.

Single parenthood has also become more common. Furthermore, the percentage of newborn children put up for adoption appears to have declined over recent decades. In fact, the couples looking to adopt young infants likely outnumber those available for adoption in the United States. If a mother believes she cannot keep her baby, a loving adoptive family is likely available.

The bleak depiction of the future of women painted by abortion supporters simply defies the progress made for women in this country wholly apart from Roe v. Wade, and of course it also ignores the tragic consequences of abortion: the taking of human life.

As a pro-life individual, I would celebrate the reversal of Roe. It is important for those of us who call ourselves pro-life to be ready to support mothers, children and adoptive families. Since 1973, the federal government offers more programs to aid adoptive families. We should also be ready to help as private citizens and members of our communities.

If Roe is reversed, our country can move on from this grave constitutional and moral error and make progress on fulfilling the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness endowed by our creator to all, born and unborn.
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Gara Garayev's Military Symphony No. 1 (1943) has been performed for the first time in Istanbul, Turkiye.

The piece of music, written by Azerbaijan's prominent composer, was performed by the National Orchestra of the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall under the baton of Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev.

At the concert in Istanbul, the orchestra also mesmerized listeners with excerpts from Gara Garayev's ballet "Seven Beauties" and Claude Debussy`s masterpiece "La Mer (The Sea)".

Spanish guitarist Marco Socias performed Joaquin Rodrigo's Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra.

A press conference was held ahead of the concert. At the press conference, the principal conductor and musical director of the Azerbaijani State Opera and Ballet Theater, Ayyub Guliyev, the famous musicologist Nasir Antep, the artistic director of the Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall, and the Turkish conductor Murat Cem Orhan spoke in detail about the history of the creation of the Gara Garayev's Military Symphony No. 1 (1943).

Throughout his life, Gara Garayev wrote nearly 110 pieces of music, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, solos for piano, cantatas, songs, and marches.

Garayev inherited his love of music from his parents. His father Abulfaz Garayev was a famous pediatrician in Baku. Abulfaz Garayev was known for his kindness and generosity. When patients were too poor to pay for treatment, he often left money under the prescription that he had written out for them.

He knew Azerbaijani folk music very well and loved to sing. Garayev's mother, Sona Khanim, was among the first graduates of the Music School, the Baku branch of the Russian Music Society.

At the age of eight, Garayev first entered the junior music school at the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. His exceptional musical talent let him study simultaneously at two faculties at the conservatoire. His teachers were Georgi Sharoyev, Leonid Rudolf, and the prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibayli.

In 1938, Garayev composed his first piece of music, a cantata "The Song of the Heart" to the poem by Rasul Rza. It was performed in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in the same year. He was only 20 years old at the time.

Garayev returned to Baku in 1941. He began his teaching career at the Azerbaijani State Philharmonic Society.

In 1945, both he and Jovdat Hajiyev wrote the "Motherland" opera, for which they were awarded a prestigious Stalin Prize. At the age of 30, Garayev was again awarded this prize for his symphonic poem "Leyli and Majnun", based on the same-titled famous work by Nizami Ganjavi.

In 1952, under the direction of the choreographer P. A. Gusev, Garayev's "Seven Beauties" ballet was staged at the Azerbaijani Theater of Opera and Ballet. Based on Nizami Ganjavi's famous poem, "Seven Beauties", it became the first Azerbaijani ballet and opened a new chapter in the history of classical music in Azerbaijan.

His ballet, "Path of Thunder", staged in 1958, was dedicated to racial conflicts in South Africa. In the same year, he wrote the music score for the documentary film "A Story About the Oil Workers of the Caspian Sea", directed by Roman Karmen and set at the Oil Rocks.

Today, Gara Garayev's music is performed all over the world. The memory of the great composer will always live in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people.
Armando Vias is a native of Byron advocating for the blind and visually impaired community in Middle GA.

Byron native Armando Vias finds himself grocery shopping and spending a lot of his time in Warner Robins, but he argues there is something missing or needs more attention.



Vias was born at 28 weeks with Retinopathy of Prematurity. Currently working as an advocate for web accessibility and disability rights, he is an alumnus of the Georgia Academy For The Blind, a member of the National Association of Blind Students and a member of the at-large chapter of the National Federation of The Blind of Georgia.

He released a press release on his website (armandovias.com) Monday regarding his advocacy efforts:

"Making the city of Warner Robins, Georgia accessible to the blind is the top priority for me. Not only just the blind, all disabled communities as well. As a member of an organization that raises expectations for blind people, I believe that raising expectations in the city of Warner Robins is one-step closer to making the city accessible for all. This may include, but not limited to accessible buses, accessible sidewalks, street crossings, etc.

If we, the people of the city of Warner Robins, dont advocate, then we will be left out. I could be wrong, but if I am the only blind advocate in the county that is advocating for public transportation and other accessibility initiatives, then, it is time for all of us to step up and advocate for our needs as citizens of Houston County, and the City of Warner Robins.

I wrote a post on my public Facebook page to the Mayor, mentioning 13WMAZ, 41NBC, etc. I understand that some people dont have time to advocate, but this city is growing, and we need to act now. And what I mean by acting now is by calling/emailing our leaders, including the Mayor, The Commissioners, etc. We will not rest until we get results. You are free to send me questions or your opinions on this page. I will be happy to reply to your emails as soon as possible with the right response.

I will be willing to work on both sides of the aisle. We must remember to unite together to come up with a solution that everyone can agree on. It is okay that some of us will have disagreements, but as a city, we have to expand our access to public transportation. If you havent already, please sign my petition.

More buses and paratransit options could help, he argued. On top of this, more bus stops at frequently visited locations (churches, grocery stores and the mall) could assist in accessibility for all.

He said ordering bus passes would be made simpler through online portal access. Street crossings could be made safer with audible tones or talking signals.

According to wrtransit.com: "Visitors have the right to use WRTs Paratransit service for a total of twenty-one days during any 365-day period, beginning with the first day Paratransit services are used by the visitor. Visitors may request service beyond the 21-day limitation.

The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7:15 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Although no service is provided on Saturdays, Sundays, New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Yes, you can have parents take you places and all that stuff, Vias said. "But they wont be there  like for example  if I live on my own; they wont be there all the time.

Among more transportation access than what is currently available, Vias is hoping for the city to invest in a Blindness Committee to analyze these community-specific issues and delegate appropriate actions to assist residents and even tourists.

"I feel like Im the only blind advocate here, he said. "I cant see, but I can tell that the city needs improvement; the city really needs improvement.

He said some people have their groceries delivered through services like Instacart, but those services can be expensive.

Vias said he appreciates the efforts of local organizations like the HALO Group, but groups like the National Federation of The Blind need representation here in Middle Georgia.

He offered some words of hope for people that face similar experiences.

"[I just want] to let you know that Im here for you, Vias said. "If you need anything, you let me know.

He described his experience with Aira  a live, human-to-human professional assistance service used to enhance independence and make the world more accessible through visual interpreting.

"Aira is visual-interpreting services where you call someone and they help you with things like inaccessible documents; they use the back camera on your phone, he explained. "Even public transportation services, they use Aira, too.

"So if youre in an Aira-access location, such as public transportation, you can use AIRA for free. For me right now, I only have like five minutes; every 24 hours you get five minutes of free Aira calls if youre outside of Aira access locations.

Some of Vias hobbies include blogging and making new friends.

Some of his advocacy work revolves around his petition that can be reached by searching for "Make The City of Warner Robins, Georgia Accessible To The Blind on change.org.
LENOIR  Mayor Joe Gibbons has been selected as chair of the NC Mayors Association Board of Directors and will serve a one-year term helping to lead the organization and its 11-member board.

The NC Mayors Association (NCMA) is an affiliate organization of the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM). NCMA provides a platform for all the states mayors to work together on goals of cities and towns and the challenges they face. Gibbons helped found the association about four years ago.

"NCMA is a place where mayors can come together to discuss issues, share what works and what doesn't in our respective towns, and collaborate to solve those problems for our residents," Gibbons said. "We share information, talk about what's happening in our cities, and lobby state legislators on issues facing municipalities in North Carolina."

NCLM Executive Director Rose Williams said Gibbons was instrumental in founding the Mayors Association and is very involved with the league.

Mayor Gibbons has been a true leader for the League of Municipalities as a member of our board of directors and in other capacities," Williams said. "I know that as the new chair of NC Mayors Association, he will continue to provide the same sensible and experienced guidance to this group."

Gibbons has been involved in local government in Lenoir for more than 30 years. He worked in the City Planning Department for a year right after college before moving into the private sector. He was appointed to the Planning Board in 1990 and elected to City Council in 2005. Gibbons was first elected as mayor in 2011.

In addition to being chair of the NCMA, Gibbons is also chair of the NCLM Risk Management Board of Trustees and he previously served on the NCLM Board of Directors. Gibbons serves as vice chair of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments Board of Directors, serves on the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Foundation Board of Directors, and serves as chair of the UNC Health Caldwell Board of Directors.

The North Carolina League of Municipalities is a member-driven organization representing the interests of more than 500 cities and towns in the state. Learn more about NCLM at www.nclm.org.
A Winston-Salem man's first-degree murder conviction was vacated Monday after a Forsyth County judge determined that his trial attorney was so ineffective that the man's constitutional rights were violated. The man's case is the only one in North Carolina history where a state appellate court ruled that race played a significant role in jury selection.

Henry Jerome White, 54, has spent the past 25 years in prison. As part of an agreement reached in court Monday, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to serve 13 to 16 years in prison. White got credit for time served and was released Monday.

White was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1996 death of Carl Marshburn. Prosecutors alleged at trial that White went into a Winston-Salem auto paint and repair shop on Feb. 17, 1996, with the intention to rob Washburn and then fired two gunshots. Prosecutors pushed for the death penalty, but a Forsyth County jury recommended that White be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Assistant District Attorney Jane Garrity and White's attorney, Elizabeth Hambourger, claimed that White's trial attorney, Robert Leonard, performed so poorly in his legal representation that White's constitutional rights were violated.

Leonard, 77, was disbarred in 2005 on allegations that he mishandled a client's money. He served about six years in prison after he was convicted in 2016 for embezzling at least $300,000 from a sick man.

Leonard said during closing arguments in White's trial that White was guilty of armed robbery: "Now, everybody got a breaking point, and I think Henry found out where his was. Can't say Henry wasn't involved early on."

Forsyth County prosecutors argued at the time that White was guilty of first-degree murder because he killed Washburn while committing another felony. In a motion before a judge Monday, Garrity and Hambourger alleged that Leonard effectively admitted that White was guilty of murder by conceding his guilt in the robbery  and that the attorney did so without White's consent.

"There is no indication on the record that White consented to his attorney making such an admission," the motion said. "The parties agree that this was ineffective assistance of counsel and structural error. Prejudice is presumed, and White is entitled to a new trial."

In addition, Leonard failed to challenge a statement White made to police admitting his involvement in Washburn's death, his current attorney said. Leonard was White's attorney when Winston-Salem police interrogated White. But Leonard was not there for White's interrogation.

"Therefore this interrogation, made while White was represented by counsel but without his counsel present, was unconstitutional, and the confession arising from it should not have been used against him at his trial," Garrity and Hambourger argued.

Leonard and Teresa Hier, White's other attorney in his 1997 murder trial, filed a motion to suppress White's statements, but Leonard withdrew his motion, and when prosecutors presented testimony dealing with White's statements, Leonard did not object.

Hambourger and Garrity said that if Leonard had pursued the motion to suppress, the law would have required that White's statements be thrown out. Without White's statements, Hambourger and Garrity argue, White likely would never have been convicted of first-degree murder.

White's case also is unique because it was the only one in North Carolina history where an appellate court ruled that race played a significant role in jury selection.

The conviction was nonetheless upheld because, at the time, courts said race had to be the sole factor in jury selection, not just a significant factor, in order for a conviction to be overturned. Under today's legal standard, a conviction can be overturned if race is proven to be a significant factor in jury selection.

The trial prosecutor, David Spence, said in court that he dismissed two jurors because they were both "Black females" before offering several nonracial reasons, according to court records.

Race is not supposed to be used in jury selection, according to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Batson V. Kentucky.

The N.C. Court of Appeals has been considering an appeal from White based on allegations that prosecutors intentionally and illegally used race to remove the two Black jurors. Hambourger argued in court papers that the state appellate court could simply overturn White's conviction and order a new trial without even hearing the case since a previous 1998 appellate court ruling had already established that race was a predominant factor in White's case.

Zachary K. Dunn, an assistant attorney general, filed court papers on Sept. 13, 2021, asking the appellate court to send White's case back to Forsyth Superior Court for an evidentiary hearing.

He wrote that failing to do so in this specific case would result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice.

Hambourger is an attorney in two other cases in which the Forsyth County District Attorney's Office is accused of racial discrimination in jury selections. All three cases involve Spence, the prosecutor in White's case who admitted to using race as one reason to dismiss potential jurors, and they also allege that prosecutors used a training document called "Batson Justifications: Articulating Juror Negatives."

Hambourger and other attorneys representing the men say that Forysth County prosecutors used the training document to provide ready-made, race-neutral reasons for why they got rid of potential Black jurors. One of the cases  Russell William Tucker  is pending in the N.C. Supreme Court.

As part of White's plea Monday, Hambouger withdrew the appeal pending with the N.C. Court of Appeals.
Social media giant Facebook ignored its standard practices and shut down around 17,000 Australian government, healthcare and other sites in what whistleblowers allege was an intentionally overinclusive tactical move against evolving news content legislation.

Facebook drew widespread condemnation last February after it blocked a wide array of news pages in the days before the passage of the news media bargaining code, leaving 16.5 million puzzled Australian Facebook users staring at news feeds that contained no actual news.

Many non-news organisations like the Bureau of Meteorology, City of Perth, Womens Legal Service Tasmania, WWF Australia and Mission Australia were also blocked  preventing them from communicating with members about issues such as the commencement of the national coronavirus vaccine rollout.

While it freely admitted the news block was designed to pressure the government to change legislation that would force Facebook to pay publishers for news content, the company has blamed technical errors for blocking thousands of government, health, university, emergency services, and other sites for several days.

Documents newly released by whistleblowers, however, suggest that Facebook executives ordered the creators of the news-blocking algorithm to take an overbroad approach by automatically blocking any site on which more than 60 per cent of its posted links and videos are classified as news.

Facebook executives knew the filters would block non-news sites but pushed ahead with the block anyways, the Wall Street Journal has reported, with the companys legal team instructing the algorithms engineers to be overinclusive and refine as we get more information.

The content-blocking sledgehammer raised eyebrows inside Facebook, with employees outside the project team flagging concerns that the blocks hadnt been tested properly and would affect Facebooks reputation.

Nonetheless, the company pushed ahead with the content block, expanding the news blackout from half of Australian Facebook users to all of them.

This, the whistleblowers said, was contrary to standard practices for rolling out major changes that might have potential side effects.

When implementing such major changes, they said, the new capabilities would normally be introduced to a small set of users, then go through testing and adjustment before being rolled out more broadly.

And while Facebook has a range of tools designed to ensure that certain users arent included in new content crackdowns  such as XCheck, which provides special treatment for high-profile users  in this case the whistleblowers said Facebook made a choice to not even consider using such tools.

Minimum restraint, maximum damage

The newly leaked documents confirm both that some employees were concerned about the algorithms overreach  and that Facebooks leadership team wanted it that way.

I think it would have been a smoother rollout if more checks were performed beforehand and the important Government health pages were not accidentally blocked, one user posted on an internal bug-tracking log.

The response from the teams management was questioned given that Facebook was ultimately able to unblock Australian government pages by changing just three lines of code.

Leaked emails confirm that Facebooks most senior executives supported the way the campaign was run, signalling their approval of the decision to hold 75 per cent of Australias population hostage to its demands until the government made the changes that Facebook wanted.

We landed exactly where we wanted to, Facebook head of partnerships Campbell Brown wrote to the project team minutes after the Australian Senate passed the legislation, and that was only possible because this team was genius enough to pull it off in zero time.

Thank you so much for the round-the-clock [effort] it took to make this happen.

Referring to the block as the companys AU news decision, Sandberg said it was a decision we did not make lightly and crowed that the thoughtfulness of the strategy, precision of execution, and ability to stay nimble as things evolved sets a new high standard.

The last couple of weeks have been very intense, she said, flagging a lot of work ahead of us globally on news  a suggestion that Australias news ban is far from the companys last, as countries like Canada follow Australias lead.

Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg chimed in, noting that the last couple of weeks were really intense and said the company had achieved what might be the best possible outcome from the process.
North Carolina beer and wine distributors applaud the ongoing efforts of N.C. authorities to stop the illegal shipment of alcohol into the state, according to a news release from the N.C. Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association.

The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has mailed a series of cease-and-desist letters to at least a half-dozen out-of-state retailers that have been caught illegally shipping spirituous liquor into North Carolina.

These retailers actively advertise liquor for sale through the internet. Cease-and-desist letter recipients include Frootbat (Lewes, Delaware), Irokos Group (Millbury, Massachusetts), LaPresa Liquor & Deli/The Barrel Tap (Spring Valley, California), Mission Trails Market/SipWhiskey.com (San Diego, California), Caskers (Albany, New York) and Vino Fine Wine and Spirits (New York, New York).

According to North Carolina law (N.C. General Statutes 18B-102.1 (a)), It is unlawful for any person who is an out-of-state retail or wholesale dealer in the business of selling alcoholic beverages to ship or cause to be shipped any alcoholic beverage directly to any N.C. resident who does not hold a valid wholesalers permit.

The cease-and-desist letters give the offenders 30 days to provide a receipt or otherwise show that applicable N.C. state taxes have been paid. Otherwise, it will be considered presumptive evidence of guilt. The out-of-state alcohol retailers are reminded that a violation of this nature is a felony under North Carolina law and that the N.C. Attorney General is authorized to take action through the federal court system.

Tee Nunnelee of Coastal Beverage in Wilmington, chairman of the N.C. Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, says, The illegal sale and shipment of liquor into North Carolina is an end-around of the payment of N.C. taxes while potentially opening the door for underage sales and endangering product safety. We encourage the work of North Carolina law authorities to enforce our states alcohol laws and hold these parties accountable.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will once again honor graduates with a drive-thru commencement ceremony at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 12.

The Class of 2022 will, quite literally, cross the finish line on the Speedways track beginning at 9 a.m.

We continue to make it our priority to keep our students, faculty and staff as safe as possible while celebrating the remarkable achievements of our graduates, said Dr. Carol S. Spalding, president of Rowan-Cabarrus. We are pleased that we have been able to welcome students back to our campuses in person and relax our COVID protocols, but when we signed the contract with the graduation venue, the COVID positivity rate was nearly 40%. We know that graduation is a large event, and we want to keep everyone safe since our counties are still reporting cases.

Over 1,000 students who are eligible to participate in the graduation ceremony earned associate degrees, diplomas and certificates during the Fall 2021, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 academic terms, with well over 400 graduates expected to participate in the drive-thru ceremony.

The event will honor students completing one of the colleges transfer degree programs (Associate in Arts, Associate in Fine Arts in Visual Arts, Associate in Engineering or Associate in Science) and the Associate in General Education, as well as those eligible for specific program diplomas and certificates, and those who have completed high school equivalency or adult high school requirements.

The graduates range in age from 16 to 63 (average age is 26), with 70% female and 30% male. Thirty-two percent of the graduates live in Rowan County, with 47% from Cabarrus County and 21% in other counties.

Students will wear their caps, gowns and honorary regalia and may have family and friends join them in their cars as they drive through to receive their diplomas. The ceremony will be projected on the Speedways Jumbotron video screen, which is 200 feet wide and 80 feet tall. Graduates and their guests will be able to tune their FM radio and hear the ceremony in their cars. While each graduate is limited to one car, family and friends can join in the celebration as the ceremony is streamed live at www.rccc.edu/grad2022.

Jasmine Rosenberry, president of the Rowan-Cabarrus Student Government Association and recipient of the statewide Daryl Mitchell Award for Outstanding Students from the North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association, will serve as student speaker. A first-generation college student pursuing an Associate in Arts degree, she has been a Rowan-Cabarrus Student Excellence Award finalist, a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and participated in the colleges TRIO and Work-Based Learning programs.

Throughout the pandemic, the Class of 2022 remained dedicated to their educational and career goals without wavering, Spalding said. I look forward to handing them their diplomas at the finish line, and I wish them the greatest success as they continue to navigate forward.

For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, visit www.rccc.edu or call 704-216-RCCC (7222).
KANNAPOLIS  After a four-year hiatus, musical productions are officially back at A.L. Brown High School, and the programs revitalization opened with a stunning performance.

Theater teacher Jordan Correll joined the A.L. Brown team in 2020 with a very specific goal.

I knew when I got here I wanted to revive the musical, Correll said. Obviously that could not happen last year. But this year, there was an expectation that we all do a musical.

And that expectation manifested into the vibrant performance of Once on This Island this past weekend, from May 5-7.

While the school only got the rights to perform the play earlier this school year, Correll has been hoping to direct this production since April 2020. And he has a good reason. This musical was all about storytelling, which is something I love about theater, he explained. It is a group of people getting together with a common goal and vision to tell a story to however many people show up. Whether you are performing a show for 2,000 people or one small girl, which is a song in the show and what the show is about  it is why you are telling the story and how you are telling the story and the meaning behind it. The whole show revolves around this group of people telling a story to this little girl who is frightened because of a thunderstorm. It was the perfect show to do at this time and a great way to revitalize the program. Its such a celebration of life.

Correll has been working with culinary teacher Tyler Williams on all theater performances at the school this year  which was a first for Williams. The show was also perfect, Williams said, for the students at A.L. Brown.

Students getting to see themselves in roles is really important. We have been able to watch these kids absolutely blossom even just since costumes and lighting finally happened, Williams said.

While Correll hoped this school year would be the year, it was a bit up in the air for a while as to whether a musical would happen. And even once he got the green light, the hurdles kept coming.

Correll and Williams worked together on two smaller productions in the fall that ran about 35 and 45 minutes in the schools black box theater. Those performances won state and regional awards. But the musical would run 75 minutes in the Kannapolis Performing Arts Center  a slightly bigger production.

They held three doughnut fundraisers through the year to help fund the show for things like show rights, set pieces and costumes.

And there was one more hurdle to jump before the show could become a reality. First, the school hasnt seen a musical production since 2018, Correll said, and the musical he chose isnt exactly well known.

He and other arts teachers got to work starting a buzz earlier in the year. Correll asked teachers to play clips in their classrooms of the 2018 Tony Awards that showed performances of Once on This Island. And it worked. Around February, Correll started to have students pop up in his classroom to audition for the musical.

The play was cast mid-February with about 20 people and six working on tech. But then another hurdle showed up. This was the first time many of the students had ever been in a musical.

It is so much more work than smaller productions like what we had been doing, Williams said. Those were in our black box theater. This is in the KPAC, which is a lot bigger. It is a bigger stage and there were 14 songs. We tried to tell them it was going to be a lot of work. I dont know if they knew going in initially how much work it was going to be.

They rehearsed every week, splitting the rehearsal dates up by music, blocking and choreography.

For a lot of kids, that was probably the hardest thing, Williams said. But our choreography teacher is incredibly talented. She does all of the choreography for our dance shows here, and she is a TopCat for the Panthers and she works at a dance studio. She really helped these kids.

And that was a major theme throughout the revival of the musical program: people coming together. The whole school was involved in bringing it back to life.

The chorus teacher and band director helped the cast learn the 14 songs. The carpentry and art classes helped put together the sets. And Williams culinary class ran concessions and planned a full Haitian-inspired menu for the cast party.

And that rallying spirit fueled the cast, crew and the shows directors into the bright and vivid performance that set the school abuzz over the weekend.

We have received a lot of feedback from teachers saying they havent seen a production like this here in years, Williams said. We got an email from one of the teachers that came the other night that said this is the best production she has ever seen at the school.

Correll had a full-circle moment when his former community theater director came to see the show.

He spoke to me, and he said after a while he forgot he was watching a high school show. It just seemed that professional, Correll said.

Now that the show is over, students are already asking Correll what next years production will be. And while he isnt pulling up Tony Award clips in the classroom yet, he wants the schools spring musical to be something the students and even the community look forward to every year.

I want to keep it going, he said. It is pretty standard that in most high schools there is a spring musical. The goal is to keep making it something to be proud of, something the kids can be proud of. I would love to get more of the Kannapolis community in to see these shows.

Before the final show Saturday evening, Correll was writing letters to the seniors in the cast. As he finished a letter, he said the best part about watching the schools musical program come back to life has been the kids.

The students have come so far, he said. For a lot of them, this was their first musical ever. They do amazing things every single day.

Williams echoed that same sentiment as he sifted through scripts looking for quotes to go into the letters.

We are so incredibly lucky to be able to work with students that have a passion for acting, a passion for creating that is unparalleled, he said. But Im immensely proud of Jordan and the kids for making all of this happen.
A body was found in one of the popular rivers running through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and authorities are not sure when  or how  the Tennessee man died, according to the National Park Service.

The discovery was made around 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 9, in the Little River, about 1 mile west of Metcalf Bottoms, officials said in a news release.

Park rangers and members of Gatlinburg EMS/Fire said they found 72-year-old Charles Queen partially submerged in the middle of the river.

A technical swiftwater rescue team recovered the body, which was released to the Sevier County Medical Examiners office, the park said.

No witnesses have been identified to the events leading up to the discovery and there were no obvious signs of foul play. An autopsy will be performed to assist in determining the time and cause of death.

A vehicle belonging to Queen was found pulled off the road about 600 feet upriver along a steep embankment, officials said.

Queen is from the unincorporated Bybee community in Cocke County, about 40 miles north of the national park.

The boulder-filled rivers in the national park are known to be unpredictable, due to swift water level rises that follow rain in higher elevations.

Eighteen miles of the Little River run through the national park, and Metcalf Bottoms is a flat area between Gatlinburg and Townsend, according to TNvacation.com.
By Azernews





BY Fuad Muxtar-Aqbabali

Today Azerbaijan is marking the 99th anniversary of the great leader Heydar Aliyev. He is remembered as a charismatic, strong, and undisputed leader of his time with an inestimable and rich heritage in the service of humanity.

His convincing leadership skills, coupled with his faith in his nation, principled and far-sighted position, always navigated him through tremendous difficulties to success.

His second return to power  the mission he had accomplished successfully - coincided with the demise of the USSR that triggered gigantic difficulties. However, he coped with the enormous task in a good faith, halting further aggravation of the situation at home that was brought about by the death of the Soviet empire and territorial claims of Armenia with ensuing military aggression that led to the exodus of over 1m Azerbaijanis from their native lands.

The national leaders task was to halt further deterioration of the situation in Azerbaijan and rally the dispirited nation around the paramount need to overcome hurdles and stand up for the protection of the Fatherland. The success of his mission that started in Naxcivan and soon got noticed in the whole of Azerbaijan rekindled hopes and charted the only way out of the situation at that point, that is, the national unity around the strong and experienced leader, empowered with the best skills to overcome the tragic developments.

Heydar Aliyevs task was to persuade his nation and regain the overall confidence to bolster the foundations of the newly-established state for which many sacrifices were made. In a very delicate situation, he had to display his best qualities to accomplish the nations centuries-old dream.

His extraordinary leadership skills marked him out against insurmountable difficulties. Bold, brave, and tireless in his resolve to take on difficulties, he inspired a nervous and hesitant nation through his sheer energy and force of personality to defy stark odds.

The entire history of Azerbaijan would have been different today if he had not come to power for the second time. Doubtless, when in power, his superb speeches inspired the country and kept it going. Heydar Aliyevs steel determination and foresight identified national problems and devised the right formulas to overcome them backed by his time-tested experiences.

THE SAVIOR OF HIS NATION

He is a savior of his nation in the late XX century, the first Azerbaijani to be so hailed in eons. No other Azerbaijani politician can remotely match the scope of Heydar Aliyevs achievement.

The period of Heydar Aliyev is a chronicle of Azerbaijans centuries-old history of statehood, which had unparalleled services in nation-building. National leader Heydar Aliyev had unparalleled services in the preservation of the independent Azerbaijani state, nation-building, and development of Azerbaijan.

The campaign against Heydar Aliyev, launched in 1987 after his removal from the USSR leadership on the basis of the plot of the then USSR Secretary-General Mikhail Gorbachev and Armenians, was the harbinger of tragedies to come.

The Sumqayit events, the bloody January 20, 1990 killing of civilians in Azerbaijan by the Soviet troops, the Khojaly genocide, and the occupation of Karabakh, and seven surrounding districts were integral parts of the plots against Azerbaijan, devised by Armenia, the Diaspora, and its supporters worldwide.

This was a step-by-step realization of the idea of a "greater Armenia" devised by world Armenians over the past 200 years. The removal of Heydar Aliyev from the central government paved the way for the implementation of these insidious plans.

In the early 1990s, the Armenian separatism, orchestrated by the negligence of the then Soviet pro-Armenian leadership, and the financial support of the Armenian diaspora, resulted in the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

Following the occupation of the whole of Karabakh and surrounding territories, Armenians were hoping to formalize the annexation under coercion, taking advantage of Azerbaijans domestic instability and almost the absence of a regular army. However, they were completely wrong and miscalculated Heydar Aliyevs leadership skills and vision. The national leader needed a pause to reassess the nations resolution to regain the lost lands after building a strong economy and a powerful army.

At the helm of Azerbaijan's 30-year independence, survival from tragedies and upheavals, the preservation and development of the statehood lies the presence of a political leader like Heydar Aliyev in the country at a crucial moment in history, the deep trust and confidence of the Azerbaijani people in him.

The nation-building, public and political stability in the country, successful implementation of socio-economic development strategy, the implementation of institutional reforms and building of modern society, integration of Azerbaijan into the system of international relations, national unity, and solidarity based on the ideology of Azerbaijanism.

THE CONTRACT OF THE CENTURY

The Contract of the Century, signed in 1994, brought together the world's leading energy giants to the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. The flow of investment in the country had begun, huge energy projects have been implemented, and the necessary resources for future development had been obtained.

1993-2003 was an important stage in the preservation of national statehood and the beginning of sustainable modern development in Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev is a worthy successor of Heydar Aliyev's political, economic, and military achievements. Since 2003, President Ilham Aliyev has ensured the country's socio-economic, cultural, and political development on the foundation laid by the great leader.

Important energy projects were implemented, and socio-economic development of the regions and reconstruction of socio-economic infrastructure has been guaranteed. Azerbaijan has become a transport and communication hub of the region, and a successful army has been built. Azerbaijan, which pursues an independent policy based on national interests, has bolstered its position internationally.

As a whole, Azerbaijan's development strategy has been successfully implemented. The historic victory in the 44-day second Karabakh war of 2020 and ensuring Azerbaijans territorial integrity was, in essence, the greatest celebration of the national statehood strategy defined by national leader Heydar Aliyev, which was further improved and upgraded by President Ilham Aliyev.

The services of national leader Heydar Aliyev to the people of Azerbaijan are unparalleled. He is the founder of the independent state and the savior of the Azerbaijani people. At all stages of his activities, Heydar Aliyev gained historical achievements that today serve the development of Azerbaijan, ensuring and strengthening national solidarity, protecting state interests, and preserving the traditions of statehood.
SHELBYVILLE  A man who is awaiting sentencing on a homicide concealment charge has been accused of committing battery in the Shelby County jail.

States Attorney Nichole Kroncke reported in a press release that Thomas M. Miller, 21, of Decatur has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery, Class 3 felonies with a potential extended term sentencing range of 3-10 years in prison.

The charges allege that Miller knowingly caused bodily harm to the alleged victim on April 24 by striking him in the head while both were located at the jail. The charges also allege that the physical contact was of an insulting or provoking nature. The Shelby County Sheriffs Office investigated this case.

Miller is being held without bond after pleading guilty on March 21 to the offenses of concealment of a homicidal death and unlawful possession of a converted vehicle.

Those charges alleged that he helped Clayton Anderson, 26, stuff the body of Anderson's 72-year-old grandmother, Sherry Hubbartt, into a closet of her Clarksburg home and cover it with a blanket. Miller also pleaded guilty to possession of the grandmothers stolen car.

The concealment of a homicide charge carries a penalty of up to 24 years in prison and the car possession offense has a sentencing range of three to 14 years.

Court records report that Anderson had strangled Hubbartt to death in April 2021 during an argument. Hubbartt was known to be frightened of her grandson and had an order of protection against him at the time of her death. Anderson pleaded guilty in October to murder and is serving a sentence of natural life.

Prosecution evidence had shown that Anderson and Miller had gone on a shopping spree with Hubbartts debit card as they fled across the country in Hubbartts car. They were intercepted on April 17, 2021 by the Nevada Highway Patrol and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and were caught after a high-speed chase through the Las Vegas strip.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced on those two charges during a hearing on May 23.

A hearing on the aggravated battery charges is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11. Kroncke reported that if Miller is convicted of the aggravated battery charges, any resulting prison sentence will be mandatorily consecutive in addition to the prison sentence on the other, unrelated charges.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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CHARLESTON  Following the official recounting of the votes cast for highway commissioner of Mattoon Township in the April 4 elections, it was announced that William E. Dole received 1,364 votes while Hans Henrichs totaled 1,347, giving Dole, a Republican, a majority of 17 over Henrichs, a Democrat. Henrichs sought an official recount after his April 4 defeat when it was declared that Dole had won election by a total of only four votes. At that time, Dole was declared the winner with 1,328 votes to 1,324 for Henrichs CHARLESTON  The Charleston Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will grant to the Charleston troop of Boy Scouts a tract of land situated on the cliffs above the waterworks plant for the erection of a large cabin to accommodate 36 boys with 18 bunks. A campaign for building funds will begin immediately. Mothers of the scouts have begun a fundraising campaign to pay the salary of Clarence Huffman, who has served in this capacity for seven years. He will have charge of five troops of boys, instead of one, as in former years.
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.

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U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, calling him "delusional" and Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine "monstrous."

Durbin made the remarks after Putin oversaw a Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square, watching as troops marched in formation and military hardware rolled past in a celebration of the Soviet Union's role in the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

Western analysts in recent weeks had expected Putin to use the holiday to trumpet some kind of victory in Ukraine or announce an escalation. Instead, he sought to justify the war again as a necessary response to what he portrayed as a hostile Ukraine.

Putin falsely portrayed the fighting as a battle against Nazism, thereby linking the war to what many Russians consider their finest hour: the triumph over Hitler. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

Durbin took issue with the remarks, lauded the courage of the Ukrainian people and said he had a message for the Russian leader.

"You have disgraced yourself by selfishly exploiting the memory of those Russians who protected your nation in World War II to defend your war crimes of today," he said. "You will not erase Ukraine. You have only strengthened the Ukrainian people and the collective will of the global community to defend them against Russian tyranny.

"There will be a Victory Day parade one day in Ukraine, and it will be to honor the valiant Ukrainians who sacrificed on the front lines to defend freedom and democracy in Ukraine and worldwide."

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COLUMBIA, S.C.  A relatively rare East Coast earthquake centered just northeast of South Carolina's capital city jolted large numbers of state residents awake early Monday, rocking the Southern state at a preliminary 3.3 magnitude, authorities said.

There were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries, although more than 4,000 people contacted the U.S. Geological Survey to report what they felt.

The pre-dawn temblor lasted only seconds, but a number of people took to social media to describe being shaken from sleep when the quake hit shortly after 1:30 a.m.

There have been dozens of low-magnitude quakes since last December, when a 3.3 magnitude tremor originated in the same area, near Elgin, about 21 miles northeast of downtown Columbia, South Carolinas capital city.

Those awakened early Monday reported feeling the earth shaking for several seconds, some even describing what sounded like a heavy truck moving nearby.

But geological officials noted that, while the events are unsettling, central South Carolina's loose soil and lack of significant bedrock  coupled with the Monday earthquake's shallow depth of about 1.9 miles below the earths surface  mean such rumbles are felt more significantly in a place like South Carolina than they would perhaps be along the San Andreas fault system, in California.

Theres definitely been a swarm here over the past several months," Amy Vaughan, a geophysicist and seismic analyst monitoring the quake for USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado, told The Associated Press by phone. This is not an area that is capable of producing what we would consider a big one, of much larger magnitudes. ... A 3.3 is a larger deal when it occurs somewhere like South Carolina."

Noting that the 3.3 magnitude is an early assessment and could change, Vaughan added that reports had been pouring in to the 24-hour quake monitoring center.

I have not heard of any damage reports so far but have had over a thousand ... reports," she said.

Still, she called it alarming for sure" and said some lesser aftershocks were possible in coming days or weeks. She noted there were quakes of a preliminary 2.0 or higher in April and March and others going back little more than four months in the region  and a 3.3 quake last December.

South Carolina typically averages 20 earthquakes a year, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. Elgin is along a large fault system that extends from Georgia through the Carolinas and into Virginia.

Last year, the area near Jenkinsville  about 40 miles west of this group of tremors  registered six small earthquakes in over a week.

According to emergency management officials, about 70% of South Carolina earthquakes are located in the Middleton Place-Summerville Seismic Zone, about 12.4 miles northwest of Charleston.

In 1886, that historic coastal city was home to the largest recorded earthquake in the history of the southeastern United States, according to seismic officials. The quake, thought to have had a magnitude of at least 7, left dozens of people dead and destroyed hundreds of buildings.

That event was preceded by a series of smaller tremors over several days, although it was not known that the foreshocks were necessarily leading up to something more catastrophic until after the major quake.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Theres a new drive-thru Mexican restaurant in Kernersville  but its not a Taco Bell.

El Aguacate Express isnt a chain at all, but an independently owned takeout spot opened by Joel Madrigal and his sister, Jennifer Maldonado.

The restaurant  translated as avocado express  opened in March at 911 S. Main St. at the intersection with Century Boulevard in the small outbuilding that used to house Shake & Frank.

Madrigal and Maldonado come from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Madrigal, 28, said he mostly grew up around Pilot Mountain, where he has been cooking professionally for about 10 years.

Most of Madrigals family is in the restaurant business. His uncle, Ramiro Madrigal, owns Tlaquepaque Mexican Restaurant, which has locations in Pilot Mountain, Mount Airy, Dobson and King.

In fact, Madrigal and other family members were working at Tlaquepaque until recently. All my family  my mom, my stepdad, my sisters  we were all working together at Tlaquepaque. We started thinking of doing something else, and said, Why dont we open a place on our own.

Now, El Aguacates staff includes not only Madrigal and Maldonado, but also Gloria Pedroza, Madrigals mother; Gabriel Pedroza, his stepfather; and Stephanie Cervantes, a younger sister.

Madrigal ended up in Kernersville because he is friends with Brian Simmons, who had closed Shake & Frank in 2020 during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

El Aguacate is just 256 square feet  roughly the size of a food truck inside. Madrigal, who does most of the cooking, works with just two or three others at one time  because thats about all theres room for inside.

The building has two service windows, one on each side. One is used for car drive-thrus. The other is used for walk-up traffic. That side, too, has two umbrella-covered tables in case anyone wants to eat right there.

The menu is designed for quick service, utilizing just a few meats offered in several dishes, primarily tacos, tortas, burritos and quesadillas. Madrigal said the restaurant makes its corn tortillas and all of its salsas from scratch.

The tacos ($2.50 to $2.75) are available with chicken, steak, chorizo or al pastor. The tortas are available with chicken ($8.50) or steak ($9.50); the same goes for quesadillas ($6.50 to $7.50).

The menu includes arroz con pollo, which is sold with chicken rice and cheese for $7.50; and theres also a steak version for $8.50.

Customers also can order arroz con pollo in a burrito with chicken or steak ($7.50 to $8.50). A chipotle chicken burrito sells for $8.50, as does a chipotle chicken salad.

El Aguacate has American sodas plus Jarritos Mexican soft drinks. It also has something not usually offered by Mexican restaurants: milkshakes. Thats because we bought all the equipment from Shake & Frank, Madrigal said.

Vanilla-based shakes are $2.99 for 16 ounces and 50 cents for additional flavors, including chocolate, banana, strawberry and cookies n cream.

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A Rural Hall man was convicted Monday for his role in trafficking large amounts of LSD, a hallucinatory drug. Authorities previously said he and four co-defendants trafficked the drug so that it could be sold to high school and middle school students in Davie and Forsyth counties.

Marco Sevilla-Hernandez, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking more than 500 grams of LSD and one count of selling LSD.

Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court sentenced Sevilla-Hernandez to a minimum of five years, 10 months or a maximum seven years, 9 months in prison. Hall also gave Sevilla-Hernandez a suspended sentence of one to two years and placed him on two years of supervised probation. As part of the plea deal, John Bandle, an assistant district attorney for Davie County, voluntarily dismissed about 14 counts of drug trafficking and one count of conspiracy to traffic in LSD.

Sevilla-Hernandez is the fourth man convicted after a months-long investigation by multiple law-enforcement agencies, including the now-defunct Mocksville Police Department and the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office.

According to findings filed in the case, the investigation started in the fall of 2018. Then-Detective Larry Matt Leonard of the Mocksville Police Department learned that someone was selling LSD in and around Mocksville.

Leonard went undercover and identified Christopher Dustin Owens as a mid-level LSD dealer who was operating in Lancaster, S.C. On Jan. 4, 2019, Owens was arrested as part of what law-enforcement called Operation Electric Kool-Aid, according to court documents. When Owens was arrested, law-enforcement officers didnt know exactly where the LSD was coming from, court documents said.

Owens agreed to point law-enforcement officers in the right direction. He provided hours of recorded testimony that led law enforcement officers to the manufacturer of the LSD. Owens told investigators how often he sold LSD and the nature of the LSD sales that occurred to individuals down the distribution chain, court papers said.

The investigation led to Ronald Williams, a Colorado man, who was identified as the source of the drug. According to Owens, Williams shipped LSD from Colorado to South Carolina. Owens would pick up the LSD and sell it to Sevilla-Hernandez.

The prosecution said Detective Leonard bought LSD from Sevilla-Hernandez several times. On Jan. 4, 2019, Leonard bought a large amount of LSD from Sevilla-Hernandez, who told Leonard to bring the money to his house and that Sevilla-Hernandez would travel to South Carolina to pick up the LSD, according to an affidavit for a search warrant. Leonard said he ultimately bought 2,900 dosage units of LSD from Sevilla-Hernandez.

Chris Clifton, Sevilla-Hernandezs attorney, said Sevilla-Hernandez did not cooperate with law enforcement agencies but simply wanted to take responsibility for his role in the LSD ring. He said his client used and sold drugs as a way to buy drugs for himself.

Williams pleaded guilty in December 2020 to one count of conspiracy to traffic in LSD and was sentenced to a minimum five years, 10 months in prison.

Owens pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in LSD and was sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison.

Another co-defendant, Branden Hall, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking LSD and was sentenced to a minimum 2 years, 9 months in prison.

Charges are pending against Dylan Tyler Beck of Mount Airy.

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Two houses collapsed into the ocean on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Tuesday.

The park confirmed the first house fell Tuesday morning at 24235 Ocean Drive in Rodanthe. The second unoccupied house, which was close by at 24265 Ocean Drive, fell in the afternoon.

The beach is closed along Ocean Drive in the Outer Banks town to protect people from hazards related to the collapsed house, said officials with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

They are the third homes on the same stretch of coastline to fall into the Atlantic Ocean this year. The first, also on Ocean Drive in Rodanthe, caved in Feb. 9, spreading debris across miles of beaches before the homeowner and volunteers organized a cleanup to deal with much of the fallout.

Smaller pieces of debris from the Feb. 9 collapse are still being picked up, the Seashore said Tuesday on the national park's Facebook page.

Unfortunately, there may be more houses that collapse onto Seashore beaches in the near future, said David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina. We proactively reached out to homeowners along Ocean Drive in Rodanthe after the first house collapse and recommended that actions be taken to prevent collapse and impacts to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
GREENSBORO  The full-term baby, just 6 pounds and 13 ounces, was found wrapped in a bedsheet underneath the stairwell of an apartment complex on a November morning in 1999.

The child must have a purpose for it to have gone through that kind of trauma and survived, Detective Ruth Woodard told the News & Record shortly after the newborn  some called her Baby Jane Doe  was found.

Today she is Angel Thomas, the Greensboro native who was her class president and named an "emerging leader" in one of the nations most respected aviation and aerospace programs. She graduated Monday with a degree in aeronautics and minors in business and occupational safety.

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University standout was reflective as she penned her graduation speech.

Among those attending her graduation with her parents, siblings and the best friend who is like a sister, is the woman who found her and who has long been a part of the extended family.

I would not change a thing thats happened in my life because everything has just taught me that, no matter what, you have to keep moving forward, Thomas said. You have to learn to love yourself no matter what your situation.

It would take therapy and hard work and the unwavering love of her adoptive parents, Carrie and Daryl Thomas. She also credits her ability to believe in herself to her mother  who motivated, inspired and nudged her to defy the way she came into the world.

Carrie Thomas still displays her daughters Miss Teen Greensboro trophies, the one from being runner up in the Miss Teen North Carolina pageant and the leadership awards bearing her daughters name.

Angel Thomas recognizes the sacrifices her mother gave that made it possible for her to compete and grow.

Even when I knew she was tired, she kept me going, Angel Thomas said. No matter what Ive gone through shes been there pushing me right along.

She was breathing

A line in Angels graduation speech about resilience refers to Carrie Thomas.

Ever since I was a child, she wrote, my mother always told me, Its not where you come from, but where you are going to go.

Carrie Thomas says holding Angel as a 6-week-old changed her life. Others initially called the baby Caroline because she was born near Carolina Circle Mall.

Angel Faith Thomas is now her full name.

Angel because I felt like the angels were watching over her that cold day in November and Faith, because I wanted her to always have faith in herself, Carrie Thomas said.

Thomas and her husband, then foster parents, were asked to take in the newborn whose story was on the news. The baby was originally placed with a family in Asheboro, another county, because of the criminal investigation in Greensboro.

I had actually seen the story on the news, said Carrie Thomas.

That story swept across the country in the weeks before Thanksgiving 1999. About 5:45 a.m. Nov. 12, a woman at Hunters Glen apartments on McKnight Mill Road heard something beneath the stairwell as she left for work. It was a girl, a few hours old. Her umbilical cord was attached. She was fighting hypothermia. And she was breathing.

How she got there remained a mystery for years.

The working-class apartment complex was a block from the Sands Motel along U.S. 29 North, and some thought it could have been an overnight guest there.

Dozens of families asked the local social services agency about taking the baby into their homes temporarily or through adoption.

As a foster parent, Carrie Thomas, who had strong ties to Greensboro, had cared for other children whose families were in crisis. She also grew up in Ray Warren Homes, a public housing complex in Greensboro. She and her now ex-husband had been military-connected and moved around with their eldest daughter, who by then was 12.

They were living in Gibsonville, and the social worker handling the case told her she wanted to place the baby with parents who might adopt her. Carrie Thomas didnt say that she would. It wasnt in her plans.

Then they met their Angel.

Both parents were smitten.

I dont know why they chose our household, Carrie Thomas said of social services. Without a doubt, I feel like God chose me. She was a Thomas now.

She grew up with cousins, hair bows and Easter dresses. A big sister named Shatarra.

Carrie Thomas knew she would have to tell her one day, about being abandoned. That day came before any of them were prepared. A cousin told her she was adopted when she was 4 or 5. When she ran into the house to ask her parents, Carrie Thomas froze.

I wasnt ready, Carrie Thomas said. I said, 'Yes, you are adopted, and adopted means your dad and I are not your biological parents. Somebody else gave birth to you and we chose you.' She said, 'Thank you for choosing me' and we never really talked about it anymore.

Until middle school, that is. Thats when police needed her DNA. It started with the business card of a social worker stuffed in the door of the family home.

Before I took her I explained to her why she had to do this, Carrie Thomas said. She broke down and she cried and she sobbed. She thought she was going to be removed from this house. I told her this is her family and this is where she belongs.

The whole story came out after the arrest. Reporters picked it up. Angel Thomass biological mother was 13 and repeatedly raped by a man who had been a father figure. After the abuse was discovered, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Depression and "self-harm" resulted from the few details Angel Thomas knew. She no longer felt good about herself. Carrie Thomas saw the evolution of it all. The middle school years are awkward anyway. The children can be brutal.

I heard it all back then  like, Your parents didnt want you, or You were a mistake, Angel Thomas said.

Carrie Thomas shut down the daycare she ran and put her daughter into therapy.

If I had not gotten therapy, Im not sure Id be here, Angel Thomas said.

She also found self-esteem and leadership-building classes at Greensboro's Sparrows Nest.

Thats where she really found her voice, Carrie Thomas said.

Fire and drive

Angel Thomas took control of her story.

She would eventually take part in the Chosen 50, a program that challenged young people to create group projects, and serve on the board of directors. She would attend Smart Girls Leadership Academy. She would take part in a young pilots club, the Civil Air Patrol and two robotics teams.

At 15, she managed a group of teenagers involved in Hip Hub, a local music and art distribution service.

She has such an amazing support system with her adoptive parents so I give them a lot of credit for stoking her inner fire, said Evainna Ross, who oversees several nonprofit youth leadership groups including the Sparrows Nest and Chosen 50, and got to see Angel Thomas develop her leadership skills.

I just believe people are born with varying levels of greatness, Ross said. I see so many instances of children who grow up in the same household, same love, same opportunities and one will stray and the other would go on to do amazing things. I believe that greatness was in her. Even being abandoned in the cold, she would have never perished because of that fire and drive thats always burned from within.

Anything her daughter wanted to try, Carrie Thomas worked to make happen. From Monday through Saturdaym she had to get her somewhere in that silver Nissan Quest minivan  even during the summer. And often, Angel Thomas would ask if her mother could take her friends home. She served on boards of organizations at the age of 13, including the Smart Girls Leadership Academy.

There were times I would get home and I would say, God I cant do this anymore.' I thank God that he instilled in me what I needed to give to her. I wanted her to reach for the stars. Even if she didnt want to do it I would tell her just to try it out. Sometimes you just dont know until you try it out.

Angel Thomas took part in confidence-building exercises by telling her story to other young people. And she took on leadership roles that included mentoring others.

Initially, Carrie Thomas suggested the aviation program at Andrews High School but had second thoughts because of incidents that had taken place at the school.

But Angel Thomas wanted to go and is glad she did.

It is a wonderful school and it gets a bad rap," she siad.

Along the way, she received numerous awards for her courage and resilience. Among them were the Student of Character Award, Aggie Bots Robotics Award, National Honor Society and Service Learning Award and Diploma.

In her first pageant, she won Miss Teen Greensboro. She finished as first runner-up for Miss Teen North Carolina in 2018. Her mother had talked her into participating.

We screamed and screamed and screamed, Carrie Thomas said.

Her academic achievements at Andrews and other high school programs, including at N.C. A&T, helped her earn three scholarships. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

I used to tell her all the time, 'Angel, God kept you here for a reason,'" Carrie Thomas said. "I watched my little caterpillar turn into this beautiful butterfly. To think where she was back then to where she is now, brings tears to my eyes."

A right to smile

Tonie McNair, who found Angel Thomas under the stairwell as an infant, gave her a Bessie Coleman quote as she set off for Embry-Riddle. Coleman was the first African American and Native American aviator to hold a pilots license.

"... 'I refuse to take no for an answer, Angel Thomas quotes. "And it has helped shape my life."

She is already making a mark on the world, said Paul Bell, Embry-Riddles assistant dean of students.

She is a member of the Black Aeronautical Professionals and National Society of Leadership & Success with the Embry Riddle Emerging Leaders Foundation.

What makes Angel stand out is her ability to lighten a room without trying, Bell said. She leads by example and motivates others by her infectious enthusiasm to keep people she leads motivated toward a common goal. Sometimes that is with a smile, sometimes an agenda, sometimes it is just by saying Hey, I noticed you did this ... thank you.

Angel Thomas had planned to be a pilot but found herself drawn to business and occupational safety after internships, including one with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and another with a Department of Defense contractor.

I was so scared about telling my mom because Ive just always wanted to make them proud, Angel Thomas recalled. But she was not the least bit disappointed. She said, You are finally living your dream and not mine.

Her interest in workplace safety grew after an internship where she focused on workspace ergonomics and could see herself as director of safety for a company or organization.

Honestly, anything where I can help people and make sure theyre safe would be ideal for me, Angel Thomas said.

Angel Thomas is now a college graduate continuing to look for a job. However, when she wakes up each morning, she realizes that shes got a right to smile every day.

Ive found that I deserved to be happy, she said.

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at nancy.mclaughlin@greensboro.com or 336-373-7049 and follow @nmclaughlinNR on Twitter.
By Azernews





A parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Sahiba Gafarova arrived in the Swiss Confederation for an official visit on 9 May.

The delegation was welcomed by the head of the Swiss legislature's protocol section Philip Baresville, Azerbaijans ambassador to Switzerland Fuad Isgandarov, Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the UN Geneva Office Galib Israfilov, and other officials at the Zurich airport.

During the visit, Gafarova will have several meetings with Swiss officials.

As reported earlier, the visit will end on May 11.

Azerbaijan and Switzerland are cooperating in various economic fields. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 21, 1992.

There is mutually beneficial cooperation between Baku and Bern in the non-oil sector. In addition, Baku will host a meeting of the Commission on Trade and Economic relations between Switzerland and Azerbaijan in 2022.

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $457.2 million in 2021, with exports accounting for $272.5 million and imports for $184.7 million.
Cheese may be a staple of southern cooking, but it wasnt until chef Kelsey Barnard Clark started training in the French style that she began to understand its culinary power beyond the comfort of its ooey, gooey goodness. It opened my world, introducing me to the fact that there were a ton of different types of cheeses and that you could use it in different ways, says the owner of KBC restaurant in Dothan, Alabama.

One of her favorite tricks, for example, is simmering a Parmesan rind in soups, stews and broths. Youre not technically adding an ingredient, but the way it makes [the food] feel in and coats your mouth makes everything come alive, she explains.

After returning to the south from New York City to open her catering company and restaurant, Barnard Clark used her experience with cheese to elevate southern favorites, capturing the perfect balance between what people expect and expanded, exciting and nuanced flavors. Using a ripe cheese adds some brininess or a sourness that normally wouldnt be there, while a very aged cheese adds umami; you can get this whole layer of flavor you couldnt otherwise create or get from anything else, says the Top Chef season 16 champ. Its simple, but theres depth there, and to me, thats what makes the best food  its just simple and well done.

Barnard Clark shares three classic recipes, each with a simple but modern twist: A pimiento grilled cheese with bacon that gives a hint of smoke and Cajun kick, grits with a trio of cheeses that hold its own next to savory grillades, and a Caesar salad made special (and uniquely southern) with a secret ingredient in the dressing and a crispy-outside-melty-inside sidekick. Ready to dig in, yall?

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A 61-year-old man is dead after a fire broke out at a Waverly apartment complex Tuesday morning, according to the sheriff.

Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies and Waverly Fire and Rescue crews responded shortly after 11 a.m. to the complex at 14020 Lancashire St., where they found Mark Umland dead, according to a news release.

The fire started in Umland's apartment and spread throughout the eight-unit building, displacing 20 residents.

No one else was injured. All of the units were damaged by fire, smoke or water, totaling about $500,000 in structural damage.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating. The American Red Cross is providing assistance to the displaced residents.

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Lincoln Public Schools and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are partnering on a new focus program at Standing Bear High School that will offer students dual-credit courses and hands-on experience centered around business.

The new focus program  a collaboration between LPS and UNL's College of Business  is set to include courses and pathways in areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, economics and supply chain management.

Standing Bear is scheduled to open in August 2023.

Although in the early stages of development, UNL plans to offer Nebraska Now classes through the high school's focus program, in which students can take college-level courses taught by UNL faculty to earn credit.

"I think for us, it's really just (about) the outreach and creating that accessibility," said Laurie Miller, associate dean of undergraduate programs and curriculum at the College of Business. "For a lot students, they don't necessarily know what it means to study business ... they might think it's just crunching numbers. But it's so much more than that."

Students will be able to enroll in the program as juniors, and there are plans to integrate pre-pathway curriculum into other content areas, such as English and math, at the underclassman level. All Standing Bear freshmen would take a business class as well.

Other tentative classes are capstone-type courses and more "experiential" learning opportunities, said James Blake, LPS director of strategic partnerships and focus programs. The program will be based solely at Standing Bear with no plans at this time to offer classes on the UNL campus.

Growing the district's focus program offerings has long been a priority at LPS. In preparation for the 2020 bond issue, a task force examined areas in which the district could expand programs and identified business as the top area of interest, Blake said. Partnering with UNL made sense.

"This is two institutions that should be working closer together, and we're not sitting back waiting for someone outside of our institutions to encourage us," Blake said. "We just rushed ahead and did this because it's the right thing to do."

With the help of UNL faculty, the program will build on the business entrepreneurship pathway offered at The Career Academy, as well as the district's existing curriculum, Blake said. UNL and LPS will each hire a counselor to coordinate the program.

The two entities are also exploring ways to incorporate an entrepreneurial component for sophomores akin to UNL's annual Quick Pitch competition in which students craft a proposal for a new business venture.

The focus program took about six months of planning, Blake said, with a lot of insight gathered from the partnership between LPS and UNL at Lincoln Northeast centered on agricultural sciences.

That Food, Energy, Water and Societal Systems program, or FEWSS, started this year as a pilot for freshmen and sophomores and will formally open this fall.

LPS has announced plans for other focus programs in recent years, including a health sciences pathway at Lincoln Northwest and a content creation and digital media program at The Bay, both of which will open this fall.

Now Standing Bear joins the list with a focus on an area especially relevant in today's world.

"Business is everywhere," UNL's Miller said. "And so the more that we can expose students to that, the more that we can get them excited about it, just what a great opportunity for us and our community."

Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS

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In the past two months, about 100 households in central Lincoln have had their medical debt paid in full through a program started by First-Plymouth Congregational Church.

What began in March as a big idea with $8,000 has since grown into nearly $200,000 in donations.

This is the perfect definition of grace," pastor Juan Carlos Huertas said in describing the program's work with neighbors of the church at 20th and D streets. "They werent asking for it. They werent calling us about it. They just got a letter one day that says, Hey, we got you.'"

The church's justNeighbors initiative was launched shortly after Huertas, who is from Puerto Rico and had been preaching at a Methodist church in Louisiana for 16 years, arrived at First-Plymouth last summer.

Senior pastor Jim Keck had been brainstorming ways to enter into the lives of the church's neighbors and help in ways that could create relationships.

"I thought to myself, 'How do you come out of COVID with some new energy and focus?'" Keck said. "And it felt to me that on-the-ground justice work, serving the community, was going to be an essential way to remind people why spiritual communities matter.

So justNeighbors was launched, beginning at a nearby Laundry Land, where the church paid for anyone's laundry and members helped fold it. The church also recruited congregation and community members to volunteer at Clinic With a Heart, a medical clinic that helps Lincoln residents with no health insurance. They hope to find a way to fill gas tanks for their neighbors as well.

We are neighbors, and these are our people whether they attend worship here or not," Huertas said. "We are in kinship with one another, and that matters to us. It matters to me."

While organizers were pleased with the initial work they did through justNeighbors, they still hoped to have a bigger impact.

Huertas and Keck knew that churches across the country had been buying up medical debt in their communities, and they wanted to do the same in Lincoln.

So Huertas did some digging, speaking to doctors, accountants and medical debt collection agencies.

One collection agency responded and began providing First-Plymouth with anonymous profiles of community members in central Lincoln who owed medical debt.

First-Plymouth began its relief efforts March 6. Since then, all collection plate offerings have gone toward paying off neighbors' medical debt. Community members have also been sending donations.

The church plans to continue the program through Easter 2023.

Once funds are disbursed, recipients are mailed a letter from the debt collection agency informing them that First-Plymouth has paid their debt.

Because the program has been so successful, First-Plymouth is looking to expand its work to other parts of Lincoln. It's also working on paying medical debt for some western Nebraska residents.

Churches across the state and country have also been reaching out to find out what it takes to get similar programs up and running.

Huertas said they plan to begin the next phase of the medical relief initiative in the fall by creating an educational component. While they'll still be raising funds, the hope is to raise awareness about all the complexities of the health care system.

I believe this has so much traction because its so everyday and human," Keck said. "Weve all had bills weve had to pay on every month, and most of us have had bills we cant get ahead on."

Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or emejia@journalstar.com

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With a hotly contested Republican governor's race drawing voters to the polls, top state and county election officials predict about one-third of eligible voters will cast ballots in Tuesdays primary election.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen, the states top election official, expects 35% turnout based on early votes cast and recent history. He said there had been 227,679 early ballot requests and 122,679 ballots returned as of Friday.

A wave of nearly 8,500 new Republican voters, with about 10,900 fewer Democratic and nonpartisan voters, could be a signal that many voters switched in hopes of weighing in on the GOP governor's race, which appears too close to call between the top three candidates.

In addition to the governor's race, Nebraska voters will also be nominating candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican convicted in March on charges he lied to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution. Even though he has resigned and withdrawn as a candidate, his name will appear on the primary ballot. Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks and Republican Mike Flood will face off in a special election on June 28 to finish out his term and both hope to advance from the primary to the Nov. 8 general election.

Voters will also choose a new attorney general and state auditor. And Evnen is being challenged by two Republicans who believe there was illegal voting in the 2020 election in Nebraska.

There are five Southeast Nebraska legislative districts on the ballot, and only one race features an incumbent.

Lancaster County Election Commissioner Dave Shively predicts about 37%, or 74,000 voters, will cast votes. Although all of the Lancaster County offices, including three of the five County Board seats, are on the ballot, many county races are not competitive.

Contested races include the Republican ticket for the District 3 Lancaster County Board seat where incumbent Deb Schorr is being challenged by former Lincoln Board of Education member Matt Schulte and Panama Mayor Travis Filing.

In the county treasurers race, either Jasmine Gibson or Tracy Refior will become the Republican nominee to compete against Democratic incumbent Rachel Garver in November.

On the Democratic ticket, Public Defender Joe Nigro faces challenger Kristi Egger.

One candidate each will be eliminated in the Southeast Community College Board of Governors District 5 race and the Lower Platte South Natural Resources Subdistrict 1 race.

Shively said there were 40,750 requests for early vote ballots in Lancaster County, and about 29,000 had been returned as of Friday.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

When are the polls open?

8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

How do I know where to vote?

Go to the State of Nebraska VoterCheck site at votercheck.necvr.ne.gov and click on Polling Place. Or call your county clerk/election commissioner's office.

Can I still return my early vote ballot?

Early vote ballots in Lancaster County can be delivered in person to the Election Commission Office, 601 N. 46th St., by 8 p.m. Do not mail your ballot or return it to your polling place Tuesday.

Can I vote if I did not re-register?

Yes, if you have a voter registration on file, you can go to your new polling place on Election Day. You will be asked to complete a new registration form, and your ballot will be sealed in an envelope.

Do I need a voting card to vote?

No, the card is for information only and does not need to be presented to election officials to vote. No identification is required to vote.

How do I track my ballot or know it was accepted?

Check the Voter Information Center, votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/voterview, on the Secretary of States website to track the status of your ballot, including when your ballot was sent, returned and its status.

What if I asked for an early ballot, but didn't receive one?

If you happen to lose a ballot, ruin it or have not received your early ballot by Election Day, you can still vote with a provisional ballot at your polling place.

Are polling places handicap-accessible?

Yes. You can ask for your ballot to be brought to your car if it is difficult for you to get into the polling place.

Can voters receive assistance in voting?

Voters who cannot read, are blind or have a physical disability may request assistance in marking their ballots. The voter may have a friend or relative help, or he or she may request the assistance of two election board workers, one each of a different party.

In addition, a voting machine will be available at each polling location. Visually or physically disabled voters can use it to mark ballots in private and unassisted.

Can someone pick up a ballot on my behalf?

If you are unable to go to the polls, another person can pick up an early vote ballot on your behalf until 7 p.m. at the county election office. It must be returned by 8 p.m.

What's against the rules?

* Campaigning or handing out political literature within 200 feet of a polling place, except on private property.

* Wearing political badges or insignia into a polling place on Election Day.

What if I want to report a problem or have a question?

Contact your county clerk/election commissioner or the Secretary of State's office at 402-471-2555 or 888-727-0007.

How can I get more information about candidates?

The Journal Star Voter's Guide and earlier campaign and election stories are available online at JournalStar.com. Coverage will continue on the Journal Star's website through and beyond Election Day.

What if I have questions not answered here?

Lancaster County residents who have questions should contact the Lancaster County Election Commission Office at 402-441-7311. The Secretary of State's office is at 402-471-2555 or 888-727-0007.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7253 or skulhanek@journalstar.com.

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Many homes near Americas largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexicos governor said Tuesday the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar.

Two more days of strong winds and dangerously bone-dry conditions are in the forecast before some relief is expected Friday.

Crews were most concerned Tuesday night about the potential for the massive fire east of Santa Fe to spread farther north toward rural towns and mountain resort communities closer to Taos  about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from its current northern edge.

Gusty winds that grounded aerial attacks Tuesday were pushing flames that direction along the the Sangre de Cristo Range on the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains stretching out of Colorado.

The main highway north from Holman to Taos was closed and additional communities were placed on alert for potential evacuations.

It is very active. This is a big push, a lot of energy right now, fire spokesman Todd Abel warned Tuesday night.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a briefing earlier Tuesday that she has not received any reports in recent days of widespread damage to homes amid the latest round of fierce winds that fanned the blaze and created challenges for firefighting crews.

Crews have been trying to direct flames around homes in numerous small villages on the northern and southern ends of the fire  bulldozing firebreaks, putting up sprinklers, clearing trees and raking pine needles. A force of nearly 1,800 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to the blaze, including specially trained teams.

The cost of fighting the blaze and another smaller fire burning near Los Alamos National Laboratory has topped $65 million.

The cost is expected to grow with wind predicted through Wednesday, and Lujan Grisham said the cost to reconstruct homes, prevent post-fire flooding and restore the forest charred by the larger fire after it is out will likely reach billions of dollars.

When you think about rebuilding communities, it is not an overnight process, Lujan Grisham said. So we should be thinking in terms of significant resources and those resources in my view should largely be borne by the federal government given the situation.

The nearly 320-square-mile (830-square-kilometer) wildfire has burned about 300 structures, including homes, since it started last month. Some areas remain under evacuation orders, but authorities on Monday started letting some residents on the fire's eastern flank return home.

A federal disaster already has been declared due to the blaze, which is partly the result of a preventative fire set in early April that escaped containment. The flames merged with a separate fire a couple of weeks later, and as of Tuesday the jagged perimeter stretched more than 356 miles (573 kilometers).

Structure protection was focused Tuesday night around Mora and Holman, where Highway 518 north to Taos was closed. Authorities stressed there was no immediate threat to communities around Taos but new alerts about potential evacuations stretched as far north as the Angel Fire ski resort east of Taos.

Coming up toward Taos, Black Lake, Angel Fire, there is the possibility with the models we are running that those areas are going to see fire, Abel, an operations chief on the fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, said at a briefing Tuesday evening.

The governor said she'd challenge anyone who didn't believe the federal government should accept significant liability.

Its negligent to consider a prescribed burn in the windy season in a state that is under an extreme drought warning, she said.

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and others have called for an investigation. While forest officials have yet to release planning documents related to the prescribed fire, they have said forecasted weather conditions were within parameters for the project.

Meanwhile, the smaller blaze burning in the Jemez Mountains prompted officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear research is conducted, and the nearby town of Los Alamos to prepare for evacuations as a precaution.

Nearly 900 people were fighting that fire, with its price tag nearing $16 million on Tuesday.

Towering columns of smoke from both fires could be seen from miles away as the winds picked up Tuesday afternoon.

Wind and low humidity levels continue to be big wildfire threats around the West as the National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of New Mexico and parts of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Forecasters said New Mexico is outpacing most other recent years for the number of red flag days in April and so far this month.

Crews also were battling smaller fires elsewhere in New Mexico and Arizona.

Associated Press writer Scott Sonner contributed to this report from Reno, Nevada.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The 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 Iowa's primary election system, particularly its full caucus, which Kleeb said can discourage voters from participating. She said people have also argued that Iowa's 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 Iowa's 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 Nebraska's 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.

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OMAHA  On a cold, snowy Christmas Eve in 1944, fighting the Germans in the Ardennes forest, Alex Fosco saved the lives of several of his fellow soldiers.

The 19-year-old soldier was feeding ammunition into a heavy mortar gun  blasting away at enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge  when the gun misfired. Suddenly, a live shell threatened the lives of his mortar crew.

I picked it up and defused it, Fosco, of Omaha, said in a 2021 interview with Fra Noi, a Chicago-based magazine for Italian Americans. I did exactly what I was supposed to do to keep the mortar from exploding.

At the same moment, his squad leader was badly wounded by heavy German fire. Fosco at first feared his action had somehow caused the severe injury, but he grabbed his first-aid kit to help.

I patched him up the best I could, Fosco said.

Fosco survived his units bloody slog through northern Europe until Germany surrendered six months later. Last year, the French government recognized him with its highest award for military or civilian service, the Legion dHonneur  translated, the Legion of Honor  during a ceremony at American Legion Post No. 1 in Omaha.

He died May 1 at 96. Foscos family honored his memory last week during a funeral service at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church.

Fosco was born Sept. 19, 1925, and grew up in Chicago, the oldest of five children in an Italian American immigrant family. He took an interest in theater as a youth, once playing a pirate in the musical The Pirates of Penzance.

He quit school at age 16 to take a job as a receiving clerk on the loading dock at a local manufacturing plant.

He needed to help the family, said his son, Carl Fosco of Omaha.

Foscos draft notice arrived shortly after his 18th birthday, and he was inducted into the Army in January 1944.

Our country needed us, he told Fra Noi. My mom was sad, but they understood I needed to help.

Fosco volunteered for training as a heavy mortar operator and was assigned to the 75th Infantry Divisions 1st Battalion, 290th Infantry Regiment.

The unit landed at Normandy in November 1944 and was quickly on the front lines in Belgium when the Germans launched the massive Ardennes offensive just before Christmas.

Foscos mortar unit fought in several major battles that exacted a heavy toll. He quickly earned promotions from private to staff sergeant and acted as squad and section leader, supervising 10 men and two 81 mm guns. He earned three Bronze battle stars before the European war ended in May 1945.

For the rest of his life, Fosco would remember with compassion the children he met on occupation duty in the weeks after Germany surrendered.

They looked hungry, he said. I couldnt eat. I gave my food to the kids.

Fosco was granted leave in August to go home to Chicago to marry his sweetheart, Caroline Carol Marchegianni. He expected to begin training for the impending invasion of Japan immediately after.

Then, on the very day of their wedding, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Within a week, the war was over.

Fosco served out the rest of his Army enlistment in Texas. After his discharge in April 1946, he went to work for Cinch Manufacturing, the same firm he worked for before he was drafted.

He stayed there 49 more years, while he and Carol raised two children, Carl and Joyce.

In 2005, Alex and Carol Fosco moved to Omaha  following their son, who relocated for work. Carol died in 2011.

Now they are buried together at Resurrection Cemetery. In addition to his two children, he is survived by six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three of his four sisters.

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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 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.org where 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.

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This story has been updated with a comment from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

DOVER  The Wisconsin National Guards mission supporting the understaffed Veterans Home at Union Grove, located in the Town of Dover immediately west of Union Grove, is expected to end Wednesday, May 11. But at least two local Republicans are pressuring state leaders to reconsider.

The mission began in early 2022 as long-term care facilities statewide faced critical staffing shortages without an end in sight.

The Republican pressure to have the National Guards mission extended began Tuesday. It contrasts from pressure that began two months ago from Wisconsins Republican Congressional delegation, which called on Gov. Tony Evers to consider an end to the mission.

Background

The Veterans Home at Union Grove is a nursing home/long-term care facility and serves retired military veterans and members of their family.

At least 10 residents of the Veterans Home at Union Grove died because of COVID-19 in 2020.

There are three state-run Veterans Homes in Wisconsin. Theres the one in Dover (even though its title says Union Grove), theres another in Chippewa Falls and a third in the community of King, which is within Waupaca County.

In early 2022, members of the Wisconsin National Guard were trained to be certified nursing assistants and deployed around the state at both public and private long-term care facilities as well as in hospitals.

Wisconsins nursing shortage is longstanding. Its causes are many, among them:

Mass resignations and retirements among health care workers due to COVID-19 burnout.

Increased demand sparked by influxes of COVID-19 patients over the past two years.

Increased demand due to what is known as the Silver Tsunami, i.e. baby boomers, the largest generation in U.S. history (born between 1946 and 1964), reaching ages where they are entering nursing homes en masse, while there simply arent enough people in the younger generations trained to care for them; there were more baby boomers alive in 1999 (78 million) than there are millennials alive today (72 million born between 1981 and 1996).

The pre-existent shortage of health care workers  nurses in particular.

An outsize percentage of nurses are nearing retirement. According to the 2020 National Nursing Workforce Survey, the median age of American registered nurses (RNs) was 52 years old, whereas the median age of all American workers is 42 years old, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

An estimated 4.7 million new nurses will be in demand (worldwide) by the year 2030 just to replace nurses that are expected to retire  not including the estimated 5.9 million nurses that will be needed to address the ever-expanding global shortage, Dr. Franklin A. Shaffer, president and CEO of the nonprofit CGFNS (Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools) International, wrote in 2020.

They said, they said

On Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and state Senator Van Wanggaard, both Republicans from Racine County, penned an open letter to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar, calling for an extension to the Guards mission as the widespread shortage of nurses persists without a plan to fill in the gap after the National Guard leaves.

We know that staffing the home with WNG (Wisconsin National Guard) members is not a permanent solution and understand that nearly every sector of the economy is currently experiencing severe staffing shortages. However, we also know the staffing issue at the Veterans Home has existed long before the pandemic and we have seen no significant progress in dealing with this problem, they wrote. We were pleased to see the WNG called to assist the Veterans Home at Union Grove as a necessary stopgap to ensure our veterans received needed support and to temporarily assist in alleviating some of the staffing issues at the home. However, (Evers) you have had more than enough time to prepare for their departure and pulling them out now without a backup plan is dangerously short-sighted and will have potentially dire consequences for the members living there and those that staff them.

In an interview late Tuesday afternoon, Vos said that concerns regarding "all kinds of different issues" were raised to him and Wanggaard by residents and family of residents of Veterans Home at Union Grove. Vos said that he and Wanggaard learned about the end of the National Guard's mission on Monday, and that residents of the home were worried that the level of care would diminish without their presence.

The letter from Vos and Wanggaard contrasts with what the five Republicans representing Wisconsin in Congress said in a March 4 letter to Evers. In that letter, those five Republicans pressured for an end to the mission to at least be considered.

Gateway is combating the impending 'Silver Tsunami' by matching nursing students of color with mentors "We have to increase our workforce," said Gateway School of Health Dean Victoria Hulback on how the American health care system needs to prepare to care for the aging baby boomers.

The March 4 letter opened by saying: Since the start of the pandemic, we have been impressed by the flexibility and persistence of Wisconsins National Guardsmen. At the start of the pandemic, they provided invaluable services to their fellow Wisconsinites during a time of incredible uncertainty. But now, almost two years into the pandemic, we are concerned that Wisconsins Guardsmen are being used as a long-term solution to workforce challenges that will outlast pandemic-related hospitalization surges.

The letter from the five GOP Congressmen referenced a Feb. 8 letter Evers had sent to President Joe Biden that asked for nearly an 8-month extension of full federal funding for the National Guard to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.

The March 4 letter asked Evers, You have asked for an extension of full federal funding for the Wisconsin National Guard until September 30, 2022. Do you expect to use the Guard as CNAs (certified nursing assistants) until that time? If not, how long do you plan to use the Guard to supplement staffing at long-term care facilities?

The Congressmens March 4 concluded: We have no doubt that the Wisconsin National Guard is an incredibly versatile force that can serve some of Wisconsins most vulnerable populations well. But your recent letter to President Biden suggests that you are planning to use a federally-funded National Guard as a solution to a long-term workforce challenge. We have concerns with the sustainability of this approach especially considering the nearly two-year deployment of the Guard in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wisconsin GOP Congressional delegation Wisconsins five Republican Congressmen are: Bryan Steil, of Janesville, whose district includes all of Racine and Kenosha counties

Mike Gallagher, of Green Bay

Glenn Grothman, of Glenbeulah

Tom Tiffany, of Minocqua

Scott Fitzgerald, of Juneau

Tuesday afternoon, Colleen Flaherty, spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which operates the Veterans Homes, issued a statement in response to The Journal Times questions. It reads in full:

Even before the coronavirus changed daily life in nursing homes, DVA was taking steps to improve Union Grove to better serve the veterans and family members who live there. Union Grove boasts a five-star rating for staffing  with five stars signifying much above average  from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Beginning in 2019 Union Grove has been undergoing transitions to improve accountability of supervisors and engaging staff at all levels in the development of solutions, leading to improvement in quality outcomes.

In the face of on-going and significant national industry-wide shortage of nursing staff, particularly certified nursing assistants that existed before the pandemic, Union Grove in 2019 began deliberate problem-solving with our nursing home administrators, human resources team, and a staff work group; that group collaboratively developed action items to improve staff retention, communication, morale, and recruitment efforts. Both before and during the pandemic DVA undertook a number of initiatives to help retain and attract dedicated talent:

Payment of staff sign-on bonuses in high-need career fields;

Payment of COVID hazard pay for direct care staff;

Increases to base pay for nursing staff;

Adjustments to the staffing model to involve more RNs in providing direct care services;

Payment of discretionary equity and retention awards (DERA) for LPNs to achieve market parity and reduce turnover.

Additionally, DVA took a more proactive approach to talent recruitment:

Mass mailings and email notifications to all CNAs, RNs and LPNs (licensed practical nurses) licensed in the state, reaching 65,000 nurses and CNAs;

Paid advertising on employment websites for healthcare positions;

Paid social media advertising;

Human Resources took over the tasks of interview scheduling, reference checking, etc., to relieve direct care staff of those functions and more quickly accomplish recruitment and hiring tasks;

Contracted for a professional recruitment campaign to more effectively advertise homes careers. This campaign is ongoing.

Policies

Last month, Evers faced criticism for vetoing a bill unanimously supported in the Assembly and Senate, and supported by the American Medical Association and Wisconsin Medical Society that could have in the long-term partially alleviated shortages of health care practitioners.

The bill would have allowed advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to practice independently, which likely would not have done anything to increase the number of medical professionals in Wisconsin, but could have expanded opportunities  at the expense of possibly removing doctors from certain aspects of direct medical care.

Following the veto, the president of the Wisconsin Board of Nursing resigned in protest. Dr. Peter Kallio wrote in his resignation letter that the veto appeared politically motivated to appease a small group of doctors who want to dictate nursing practice and accused Evers of having acted in a pure disregard for our profession, WisPolitics.com reported.

The explanation Evers gave for the veto, in his veto message, was that I object to altering current licensure standards for APRNs, allowing practices functionally equivalent to those of physicians or potentially omitting physicians from a patients care altogether. Evers added: The bill ultimately before me today does not address some of the issues raised by parties in the medical profession that went unremedied during the legislative process.

In response, a number of medical groups criticized Evers. In a joint statement, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (WI Affiliate), Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, Wisconsin Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the Wisconsin Nurses Association said they were shocked and disappointed by the veto.

In a statement, WNA Executive Director Gina Dennik-Champion said We could not disagree more with the Governors rationale for vetoing a bill that had the promise of Wisconsinites gaining access to a quality, safe and accessible health care from an advanced practice registered nurse provider.

Tuesday afternoon, after Vos and Wanggaard sent their letter, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced that Wisconsin will be one of 10 states to participate in the National Governors Associations knowledge exchange network for the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce Learning Collaborative program. The other nine states involved are Alabama, Connecticut, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia.

In a statement, Evers said Preparing for the next generation of health care workers is not just a Wisconsin issue, so the opportunity to collaborate on this topic at a national level will help Wisconsin identify and implement the most effective solutions. As we face the impacts of retirements and an aging population that will need additional health care support, its important that we take advantage of innovative and evidence-based practices to create a workforce that will endure.

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By Azernews





The Armenian armed forces have shelled Azerbaijani army positions in liberated Kalbajar, the Defense Ministry reported.

In a statement, posted on its website, the ministry said: On May 9 in the evening, units of the Armenian armed forces, using small arms, periodically subjected to fire the Azerbaijan Army positions in the direction of Yukhari Ayrim village of Kalbajar region from their positions in the direction of Azizli village of Basarkechar region on the state border.

The Azerbaijani army units took appropriate retaliatory measures to suppress the opposite side.

The ministry ruled out any causalities among the military personnel and equipment of the Azerbaijan Army.

The situation in these directions is currently stable, with the Azerbaijan army units in command of the operational situation.

Armenia periodically shells Azerbaijani military positions located on its liberated territories. The previous truce violation took place on May 2 in the same direction.

To recap, on April 6, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, European Council President Charles Michel, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Brussels. After the meeting, Michel said that Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to instruct the foreign ministries of the two countries to work on a future peace treaty.

Earlier Ilham Aliyev stated that peace will return to the Caucasus based on the five principles Baku recently proposed for normalizing relations with Armenia. He made the remarks during a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Zbigniew Rau on March 31.

The five principles we have initiated reflect the norms of international law and good international conduct... Reciprocal recognition of territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders, and then the delimitation of borders  I think that peace will come to the Caucasus on this basis. We want it, he said.

The president emphasized that these principles are fundamental to any interstate relations.

We are seeing the potential for active cooperation amongst the three countries of the South Caucasus, and I think that this will be important not only for these countries but also for the wider region, he said.

The trilateral ceasefire deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijans Karabakh region, which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historical Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On January 11, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed the second statement since the end of the 44-day war. The newly-signed statement was set to implement clause 9 of the November 2020 statement related to the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region.

On November 26, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement and agreed on a number of issues, including the demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border by late 2021, some points related to humanitarian issues and the issue of unblocking of transport corridors which applies to the railway and to automobile communications.

On December 14, 2021, during the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A new extended-stay hotel has opened along Highway 20.

After a soft opening, welcoming guests in the third and fourth floors of the hotel, Staybridge Suites, 7430 Washington Ave., opened its doors to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 5.

Village President Dave DeGroot cut the ribbon, welcoming the public to the new location.

Mount Pleasant continues to have the largest proportion of hotel rooms among municipalities in Racine County. Those room taxes are a significant source of revenue for the village as it looks to expand its tourism attractiveness.

Last year, the village hired its first-ever tourism manager, Cari Greving. It is also continuing with plans to build a village-owned convention center across the street from Village Hall on 90th Street.

Your room is ready

Staybridge is an extended-stay hotel. The average stay for a patron of the hotel is six months, according to Nisha Patel, the hotels assistant manager. Some people who have booked rooms early with the hotel in February have not checked out yet, Patel said.

Guests are also welcome to check into rooms for singular nights or weekends at a time.

Prices vary by the day.

The units come in four formats:

Queen bed, studio

King, one bedroom

Two queen, one bedroom

Two-bedroom suite

Every unit comes with a kitchenette that includes a refrigerator, an induction stove, a dishwasher, and a range of dish and cookware.

Other amenities for the hotel include a fitness area, an indoor pool and spa that is set to open at a later date, and complimentary guest laundry facilities.

Its terrific that the Village of Mount Pleasant is able to have a brand new hotel coming to our community, said Matt Montemurro, president and CEO of Racine Area Manufacturers And Commerce. Just what we need, another vibrant business.

A complimentary breakfast buffet for guests is served Monday to Friday. Along with breakfast, Staybridge also offers a complimentary dinner service, called The Social from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with complimentary wine and beer.

General Manager Rogelio Velazquez is hoping to have grills for the outdoor areas installed in the summer. Before the pandemic, other Staybridge-branded hotels offered outdoor cookout events, something this new facilities staff is hoping to bring back with COVID-19 guidelines now being less restrictive.

We would like to welcome the community to spend the night or weekend with us, Velazquez said, and take advantage of all the amenities we have to offer.

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MOUNT PLEASANT  CNH Industrial, which owns the former Racine-founded Case Corporation, plans to cut off unionized workers health care coverage starting Friday, May 13.

More than 1,000 employees are reportedly striking among Racine, Mount Pleasant and the Iowa city of Burlington after the last collective bargaining agreement expired and negotiations fell apart late last month.

The strike began at noon Monday, May 2.

UAW Local 180, which represents Racine area CNH (Case New Holland) workers, announced Saturday Effective May 13th CNH Corporate has notified the UAW that they will be canceling health insurance to all its members.

GM (General Motors) did the same thing during their strike (in fall 2019) and reversed course after the community backlash they received, John Deere never even considered this tactic (in fall 2021) but a multi-billion dollar company like CNH that would say they care about their employees well-being, well you know the old saying, Actions speak louder than words. This is the time for our community to speak out and confront CNH!!!

According to CNH, UAW knew this was coming. In a statement Monday, CNH Industrial said: Before the strike started on May 2, 2022, representatives for CNH Industrial and the UAW spoke about how to handle healthcare coverage of striking employees during the strike. As a result of that discussion, both parties agreed that the provision of healthcare benefits would transition from being provided by CNH Industrial to being provided by the UAW. This transition will occur on May 14, 2022, resulting in no gap in coverage for striking employees.

In an email, Yasin Mahdi, president of UAW Local 180, which represents Racine-area workers, responded to CNH: Im not going to go back and forth with them about this. They are in full control of the insurance and they can leave the insurance uninterrupted if they wanted to do so.

A union spokeswoman said in an official statement Monday afternoon: "On May 2nd, CNHi notified the UAW of its intentions to cut off healthcare to the striking workers. The decision to do so was not a collaboration between the parties, but a sole decision of the company. Their (CNH's) only inquiry was whether there would be a void in coverage prior to the UAW assuming healthcare coverage of our striking members if healthcare benefits were cut off on May 13th by the Company, to which the UAW responded that there would not be."

According to UAW officials, striking workers are receiving $275 a week (approximately one-fourth of median U.S. income) from the union.

Tom Nelson, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Ron Johnson, said in a phone interview Monday, There ought to be a law banning companies from cutting off striking workers health care coverage.

I talked to the workers (in Racine); they are going to have their health insurance cut off on Friday. There ought to be a law. When I get to the U.S. Senate, Nelson said, Im going to make a bill to make it illegal to cut union workers health care.

Barb Mendez, a strike captain leading a picket line on Durand Avenue in Mount Pleasant on Monday, said the strike will continue anyway.

We gotta do what we gotta do, she said, noting that during a 2004 strike, health care benefits were not taken away. Its a little disheartening knowing that weve got over 700 people working here.

Mendez, who has worked for CNH for more than 20 years across two separate spans, continued: Its pretty sad. Its like a kick in the teeth to know that you come to a job youre devoted to every day and then they want to take your insurance away from you because they cant figure out what kind of contract they want to put together.

In addition to Burlington, Iowa, and Racine/Mount Pleasant, only one other U.S. CNH plant has a union  in Fargo, North Dakota  a CNH spokeswoman confirmed in an email.

Those unionized in Fargo, organized with the Teamsters, are not currently striking, but did strike in late 2020 over COVID-19 concerns.

In a statement reacting to the news about health insurance being ended, Nelson said This means war.

Nelson, who is currently Outagamie Countys executive and stood with local picketers Monday, continued in Mondays interview: There has been a renaissance of labor organizing across the country, which includes Starbucks, Amazon and many others. At the same time too, there has been a wave of subtle union busting in Wisconsin.

He pointed to Oshkosh Corp. (a.k.a. Oshkosh Defense), which opted to fulfill a multibillion-dollar contract to build new vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service at a non-union facility in South Carolina instead of in Oshkosh where workers are unionized. He also noted other Wisconsin union shops, including Georgia-Pacific paper mills in Green Bay, that are closing operations, with Georgia-Pacific employees being able to stay with the Atlanta-based company only if they moved to non-union facilities.

Among CNHs alleged union busting techniques, according to Nelson, has been paying non-union workers more as a way to scare off non-union workers from organizing.

If youre interested in running for office, and if you care about jobs and you care about workers, you need to make it a priority to show up for these workers, he said. Make it an integral part of your platform.

In a tweet Saturday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said I stand with the UAW members in Racine fighting for a fair contract and better wages. Wisconsin depends on skilled workers like the members of UAW.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, and Racine Mayor Cory Mason, a Democrat, were photographed with strikers last week and voiced support for a solution to come at the negotiating table.

Union officials have said the strike could take up to six months.

According to reporting from NPR, in 1964, 34% of Wisconsin workers were unionized. By 2008, that percentage was down to 15.1%. In 2014, it was down to 11.6%.

Neither CNH nor UAW has publicly stated what offers were on the table when striking began.

In a Facebook post last week, UAW Local 180 blamed corporate greed for the strike. The union cited CNHs reported results for the first quarter of 2022, which included $4.6 billion in revenue and an adjusted net income of $378 million. In 2020, the company reported profits of $1.76 billion, a 21% increase over the year prior.

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Adam Rogan Local Editor Adam does a little bit of everything with the JT, from everyday news to localizing state & national politics. He grew up in Racine County, believes in the Oxford comma and loves digital subscribers: journaltimes.com/subscribenow | @Could_Be_Rogan Follow Adam Rogan 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
MOUNT PLEASANT  A woman and her pets are safe after being trapped in a hotel room fire Saturday night, the South Shore Fire Department reported.

South Shore Fire Department was called to the Knights Inn Racine, located at 1149 Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, Saturday night to respond to a 911 call of a woman trapped by a fire in her hotel room.

Firefighters were able to rescue the woman, along with her pet cat and iguana. Nobody was reported severely injured, but the woman was taken by SSFD to Ascension All Saints Hospital to assess her condition.

According to SSFD Division Chief Ed Lockhart, the investigation of how the fire started is still underway, but there is an estimated $5,000 in damages.

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Tornado season is here which has us thinking how people react to bad conditions.

Kim Klockow-McClain from the University of Oklahoma studies how people respond to severe weather alerts, and joins us to discuss the risks of over-warning and how social media has impacted the communication of critical weather information.

Klockow-McClain is a research scientist and Societal Applications Coordinator with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) at the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL).

Her research involves behavioral science focused on weather and climate risk, and specifically explores the effects of risk visualization on judgment, and perceptions of severe weather risk from place-based and cognitive perspectives.

Before joining CIMMS/NSSL, Klockow-McClain was a UCAR Postdoctoral Researcher and Policy Advisor at the NOAA OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality. She completed her undergraduate education at Purdue University and graduate education at the University of Oklahoma.

About the Across the Sky podcast

The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by 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.

Listen now: Our 'potcast' returns, crypto for your 401(k) and tornado season  The latest episode of Here Weed Go! looks at marijuana initiatives as well as the economics of pot. Also, is crypto a good idea for your retirement savings?

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Full text of statement from "Jane's Revenge"

First Communique

This is not a declaration of war. War has been upon us for decades. A war which we did not want, and did not provoke. Too long have we been attacked for asking for basic medical care. Too long have we been shot, bombed, and forced into childbirth without consent.

This was only a warning. We demand the disbanding of all anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days. This is not a mere "difference of opinion" as some have framed it. We are literally fighting for our lives. We will not sit still while we are killed and forced into servitude. We have run thin on patience and mercy for those who seek to strip us of what little autonomy we have left. As you continue to bomb clinics and assassinate doctors with impunity, so too shall we adopt increasingly extreme tactics to maintain freedom over our own bodies.

We are forced to adopt the minimum military requirement for a political struggle. Again, this was only a warning. Next time the infrastructure of the enslavers will not survive. Medical imperialism will not face a passive enemy. Wisconsin is the first flashpoint, but we are all over the US, and we will issue no further warnings.

And we will not stop, we will not back down, nor will we hesitate to strike until the inalienable right to manage our own health is returned to us.

We are not one group, but many. We are in your city. We are in every city. Your repression only strengthens our accomplice-ship and resolve.

 Jane's Revenge
A federal judge has accepted an agreement under which Cleveland-Cliffs will pay a $3 million fine and donate land to the Indiana Dunes National Park after a chemical spill at its Burns Harbor Works steel mill, then owned by ArcelorMittal USA, caused a massive fish kill in 2019.

Northern District of Indiana Judge Philip P. Simon accepted the consent decree among the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Hoosier Environmental Council, the federal and state governments, and the Cleveland-based steelmaker. It resolves the lawsuit filed by the two environmental groups against ArcelorMittal USA after a 2019 discharge into the Burns Waterway leading into Lake Michigan that exceeded ammonia and cyanide limits and resulted in 3,000 dead fish, beach closures fears of tainted drinking water.

Environmental Law & Policy Center Executive Director Howard Learner said it was "a big victory for protecting Lake Michigan, safe clean water, and Northwest Indiana communities."

"This successful litigation protects clean water in Lake Michigan, people and communities in Northwest Indiana, and aquatic life in the area," Learner said. "It sends a strong message to all of the industrial plant owners and operators in Northwest Indiana to comply with the law and reduce their pollution."

Cleveland-Cliffs spokeswoman Patricia Persico said the company would work with the federal and state governments and the environmental groups on following the consent degree requirements. The steelmaker plans to take preventative measures such as upgrading the wastewater treatment systems at Burns Harbor.

Under the previous ownership, the mill discharged cyanide and ammonia that led to the fish kill, beach closures at the Indiana Dunes National Park and a threat to the main drinking water supply of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicagoland area.

Cleveland-Cliffs agreed to update equipment, pay $3 million in civil penalties that will be split between the state and federal governments, do increased water monitoring this summer and next summer and more quickly notify the public after ArcelorMittal delayed notifying public officials until days later in 2019.

The steelmaker also will donate $2 million worth of land to the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, which will restore the 127-acre site ecologically and eventually donate it to Indiana Dunes National Park for public use. The vacant land is located on Boo Road just south of the Marquette Trail just west of the park's existing boundaries.

Stretching across 15 miles of shoreline, the 15,000-acre National Park covers many disparate and diverse sites such as West Beach, Heron Rookery, Great Marsh, Glenwood Dunes and the Miller Woods. The Clevland-Cliffs donation would be the first major addition since the 57-acre Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk was developed on a former industrial site.

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MADISON  A toddler who died after she was injured at a Southwest Side apartment two weeks ago was beaten, thrown and sexually assaulted, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday that charged the boyfriend of the girl's mother with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The 26-page complaint charged Marshawn D. Giles, 23, with 18 criminal counts spanning events that are alleged to have happened on six separate dates in April, culminating in his arrest on April 25 following the abuse at a Schroeder Road apartment that led to the death of a 20-month-old girl, who was the daughter of Giles' girlfriend.

According to the complaint, the girl, who was not identified by name in the complaint, died from blunt force injuries to her head, leaving her with multiple skull fractures. Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska said she found more than 10 impacts to the girl's head. Rogalska also noted blunt force injuries elsewhere that were consistent with sexual assault.

The girl's mother told police that Giles had talked two days earlier about "the demons getting to him" and he thought the girl "had the demon in him a couple times."

On April 25, the complaint states, police responded to a call in the 5600 block of Schroeder Road, where a woman met officers screaming "he killed my baby." She had facial injuries and said Giles had beaten her. She said Giles chased her as she ran from the apartment to try to get help, but then he went back inside.

Police went inside and found Giles and arrested him. Officers found the girl, badly beaten, with a weak pulse. She was taken to UW Hospital, where she died.

The woman said Giles had battered her on several occasions starting on April 13. They had begun dating in January. Other incidents of abuse are alleged to have occurred on April 14, April 18, April 22 and April 23.

Giles was scheduled to appear in court on Monday afternoon.

In addition to first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault of a child, the complaint charged Giles with one count each of child abuse, criminal damage to property, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree sexual assault and substantial battery; two counts of felon in possession of a firearm; four counts of disorderly conduct; and five counts of misdemeanor battery.

According to the complaint:

The woman told police that dating Giles was good to her at first, but he because increasingly controlling and abusive "over me and my children." She had three children. Giles started staying with her at Schroeder Road in February and by early March was living there full time.

After Giles became much more controlling, she said, she went through his phone and found he had been talking to another woman. Giles became upset when confronted about it, and when she told him she wanted to break up, he began hitting her and threatening to kill her.

The woman said after the April 13 incident, he apologized. The next day, she said, he strangled her in front of his daughter and his cousin, again a reaction to events concerning the other woman. The woman said she went to a hospital to be treated for throat pain.

On April 18, she told police, Giles attacked her again, abused one of her children and pointed a gun at the woman. He held the gun in front of the children, she said. As he pointed it at her, she said he told her, "Do you want me to kill you," and "I'll kill you now."

That incident was sparked, she said, by Giles not wanting her children to go to school. The whole day, she said, Giles was "terrorizing us, me and my kids."

Another dispute over her children going to school led to other incidents on April 22 and April 23, the woman told police. She said he "flipped out" and smashed her work computer and hit her, then gave her a gun and told her she "needs to go kill" herself. After she locked herself in a bathroom, he broke in and beat her, she said.

Later, she said, at Giles' mother's home, Giles woke up his mother and his cousin and said he was going to kill himself because nobody was listening to him, and pushed his mother over. Eventually, the woman called 911 so she could be transported to a hospital for her own injuries but did not call the police because she was afraid of what Giles might do.

On April 25, the woman told police, Giles beat her and sexually assaulted her. She said they had been to Milwaukee earlier, and on the drive home, he held a gun to her and threatened to kill her. He started "tweaking" after the arrived home.

As he sexually assaulted her, she said, Giles also slapped and hit her and at the same time was also slapping and punching the girl, who was on the bed next to them.

The woman said Giles then picked up the girl and threw her into the bathroom toward the bathtub, then later threw her forcefully into the open toilet. Seeing her daughter seriously hurt, the woman said, she ran from the apartment to get help.

When police went into the apartment, Giles initially ignored commands, then started to get onto the floor before getting up and struggling with officers. Later, at St. Mary's Hospital, a paramedic gave Giles a shot to calm him so he could be removed from a squad car.

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1. Yes. If inflation remains high and interest rates rise, the economy will be a major factor.

2. Yes. If the nation goes into a recession, it will be the issue on the minds of most voters.

3. No. Inflation will likely moderate by then; if so, the economy wont be a major issue.

4.No. All the turmoil involving Russia and Roe v. Wade will probably take center stage.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the economy will play with voters at this point.

Vote

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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on rewarding a number of artists with the prizes of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Viroqua Middle School sixth-grader Kelsey Wildenberg will spend part of her summer attending a Junior National Young Leaders Conference.

From July 10-15 Wildenberg, the daughter of Heather and David Wildenberg, will be in the Washington, D.C. area. During this six-day Envision program, she and other fifth- and sixth-graders will develop leadership skills and have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities that bring the concepts and skills of effective leadership to life.

According to the envisionexperience.com website, Students at JrNYLC learn to work together as they develop action plans that they can put into practice in their homes and communities, and continue beyond their conference experience. Students also explore monuments and memorials around our nations capital and visit George Washingtons Mount Vernon, where they practice leadership while participating in a Be Washington simulation.

Highlights include keynote speaker Anthony Robles, a three-time all-American wrestler and the 2011 NCAA National Wrestling champion, a visit to Mount Vernon, the Voices of Change Project and An Evening at the Museum, where residential students spend an after-hours evening at the Maryland Science Center.

Kari Hanson, sixth-grade social studies teacher, received information about the leadership conference and how to nominate a student.

Hanson said the JrNYLC was a good opportunity for students. There are lots of (learning) opportunities for teachers. I thought it was neat they were offering opportunities for students.

Wildenberg said she was surprised to find out she was chosen for the program. I thought other kids couldve gotten picked. Im excited I got picked. She said she is looking forward to meeting other students from different parts of the country.

Hanson said it takes a special student to go on an adventure on her own and have the courage to undertake it.

Wildenberg will be staying with other program participants at a hotel and conference center in Hyattsville, Maryland. She said her parents will be taking her to the conference.

Hanson said she is thinking about ways Wildenberg can share her experience with other students and maybe get others interested in the program. Id be willing to do that, Wildenberg said.

English language arts and social studies are Wildenbergs favorite classes. She plays oboe in the sixth-grade band and enjoys reading and crocheting.

Angela Cina can be reached at angie.cina@lee.net.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka's prime minister resigned following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the country's president, step down for dragging the nation into its worst economic crisis in decades.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Twitter that he submitted his resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a move that followed a violent attack by government supporters on the protesters, prompting authorities to deploy armed troops in the capital, Colombo.

Four people, including a ruling party lawmaker, died in Monday's violence, police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told the Associated Press. President Rajapaksa imposed a countrywide curfew Monday evening lasting until Wednesday morning.

For more than a month, protests have spread across the country, drawing people across ethnicities, religions and class. For the first time middle-class Sri Lankans also took to the streets in large numbers, marking a dramatic revolt by many former Rajapaksa supporters, some of whom have spent weeks protesting outside the presidents office.

The protests underscored a dramatic fall from favor of the Rajapaksas, Sri Lankas most powerful political dynasty for decades. The brothers were once hailed as heroes by many of the islands Buddhist-Sinhalese majority for ending the countrys 30-year civil war, and despite accusations of war atrocities, were firmly entrenched at the top of Sri Lankan politics until now.

The prime ministers resignation comes as the countrys economy has swiftly unraveled in recent weeks. Imports of everything from milk to fuel have plunged, spawning dire food shortages and rolling power cuts. People have been forced to stand in lines for hours to buy essentials. Doctors have warned of crippling shortages of life-saving drugs in hospitals, and the government has suspended payments on $7 billion in foreign debt due this year alone.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa initially blamed Sri Lanka's economic woes on global factors like the pandemic battering its tourism industry and the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing up global oil prices. But both he and his brother have since admitted to mistakes that exacerbated the crisis, including conceding they should have sought an International Monetary Fund bailout sooner.

Sri Lanka has been holding talks with the IMF to set up a rescue plan but its progress depends on negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors. Any long-term plan would take at least six months to get underway.

Sri Lanka was in financial trouble even before the Ukraine war drove up food and oil prices.

The Sri Lankan government has been running big budget deficits after cutting taxes in 2019 and struggling to collect taxes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also has piled up massive foreign debt  much of it owed to China  and has scant foreign exchange reserves to pay for imports and to defend its embattled currency, the rupee.

Sri Lanka is at the top of a list compiled by Liliana Rojas-Suarez of the Center for Global Development that ranks the countries most exposed to financial shocks. Those most vulnerable rely on commodity imports and have low foreign exchange reserves compared to what they owe other countries.

Monday's violence triggered widespread anger, with people singling out Rajapaksa supporters and attacking them in many parts of the country.

Ruling party lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorale and his bodyguard were killed in Nittambuwa, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Colombo after the car they were traveling in was intercepted by an angry crowd, the police spokesman said.

Athukorale or his bodyguard had fired gunshots at the protesters, who chased them and trapped them inside a building where their badly beaten bodies were recovered by police several hours later, the spokesman said.

Three people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds from the shots fired from the lawmaker's vehicle, he said.

Separately, in the Rajapaksas' hometown of Weeraketiya, a crowd that tried to set fire to a local politician's home was fired upon, killing two protesters, he said.

Protesters tried several times to break into the prime minister's official residence Monday night forcing police to fire tear gas. Homes of government ministers and politicians supporting the Rajapaksas were also attacked and some set on fire. The memorial for the brothers' parents was vandalized.

Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist in Colombo, said the prime minister's resignation marked a new chapter in the countrys political crisis. The prime minister had to resign in disgrace after his supporters unleashed such violence, he said.

He added that it would be difficult for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to maintain credibility after Monday's violence.

But the president has so far refused to resign and Parliament must go through a difficult process if it attempts to oust him. The resignation of the prime minister meant the entire Cabinet was dissolved.

The U.S. condemned the violence while also expressing concern about the emergency declaration, which it said can be used to curb dissent.

We urge the government to work quickly to identify and implement solutions to achieve long-term economic stability and address the Sri Lankan peoples discontent over the worsening economic conditions including power, food and medicine shortages as well," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington.

Earlier on Monday, the prime minister's supporters attacked protesters who had been demonstrating outside the prime ministers official residence for weeks, hitting them with wooden and iron poles. They then marched to the presidents office, where they attacked protesters there and set their camps on fire.

Police fired tear gas and a water cannon, but not forcefully enough to control the mob. The attack occurred despite a state of emergency declared by the president Friday that gave him wide powers for riot control.

Hundreds of armed soldiers were deployed in the capital, as the protesters accused police of not preventing the attack, despite using tear gas and water cannons on protesters on Friday.

Police did not protect us, therefore we have taken it into our own hands, said Druvi Jinasena, who was helping block roads to protect the protest site.

An official at the main hospital in Colombo said 173 people were treated, most for minor injuries, though 15 were seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

The countrys foreign reserves have plummeted below $50 million and it owes nearly $25 billion in foreign debt for payment by 2026. Its total foreign debt is $51 billion.

Meanwhile, popular anger at the Rajapaksa clan has only grown, ramping up pressure on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit too.

There has been sustained pressure for the last several weeks for the president to resign but he hasnt paid much attention to that," said Bhavani Fonseka, a senior researcher at the Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives.

People are furious  and that anger is not going away anytime soon.



Pathi reported from New Delhi. AP Economics Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
While the latest redistricting process was an overwhelming success for Republicans and a huge loss for Democrats and pro-democracy proponents, Democrats did secure one victory: the 1st Congressional District.

It was messy but the 1st, which stretches from Janesville to Kenosha, Racine and Lake Michigan, swung from favoring Republicans by 14 percentage points to favoring them by just 6, according to the political website FiveThirtyEight.

That change in the 1st was the biggest surprise in this round of Wisconsins redistricting, said Ryan Weichelt, a professor of geography at UW-Eau Claire who specializes in redistricting.

(Democrats in the 1st) have a long way to go, he added, but its certainly better than it was.

The reconfigured 1st is the result of redistricting prompted by the decennial Census. In Wisconsin, which is almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic governor failed to agree on a new map.

The redistricting battle landed in court, where the conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed with the Republican argument that the new political districts should change as little as possible from the Republican-drawn maps of the previous decade.

But the state Supreme Court  with right-leaning swing Justice Brian Hagedorn joining the liberal minority  approved a twist: justices chose the congressional maps Democrats drew under the least change guidelines. The 1st was the one district they were able to tweak enough to make it competitive.

To give the 1st a little more purple tint, Democrats performed a series of moves that included scooping the left-leaning city of Beloit out of the deep blue 2nd Congressional District, which contains Madison and Dane County, and plopping it in the 1st. They also pulled half of the college town of Whitewater that sits in Walworth County from the heavily Republican 5th district to the north and placed it in the 1st.

In addition, Democrats took all portions of dark red Waukesha County, including Mukwonago and Muskego, that had previously been in the 1st and pushed them into the 5th, keeping Waukesha County intact. But Democrats also plucked East Troy in Walworth County out of the 1st and slid it into the 5th.

And in Milwaukee County, the Democratic-leaning southern suburbs of St. Francis, Cudahy and South Milwaukee were cut from the dark blue 4th District that is mostly made up of the city of Milwaukee, and pasted to the 1st.

Even with those positive movements for Democrats, 2022 looks to be promising for Republicans, said Philip Chen, an assistant professor of political science at Beloit College.

This year I dont expect the 1st to be a Democratic pickup, Chen said. Its still a Republican-leaning district.

But at some point in the next decade, the changes might shake up a district Paul Ryan represented for 20 years, and one Republicans have held since 1995.

We might even see a Democratic pickup in the first, Chen said.

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin. This story was funded in part by a grant from the La Crosse Community Foundation.

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